[Modified QuEChERS method combined with ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for detection of cyclopiazonic acid in feeds].

Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by fungal species that can cause acute, subacute, and chronic toxicity in humans and animals. Thus, these toxins pose a significant threat to health and safety. Owing to the lack of effective antimold measures in the agricultural industry, feed ingredients such as corn, peanuts, wheat, barley, millet, nuts, oily feed, forage, and their byproducts are prone to mold and mycotoxin contamination, which can affect animal production, product quality, and safety. Cyclopiazonic acid (CPA), which is mainly biosynthesized from mevalonate, tryptophan, and diacetate units, is a myotoxic secondary metabolite produced by Penicillium and Aspergillus fungi. CPA is widely present as a copollutant with aflatoxins in various crops. Compared with some common mycotoxins such as aflatoxins, fumonisins, ochratoxins, zearalenones, and their metabolites, CPA has not been well investigated. In the United States, a survey showed that 51% of corn and 90% of peanut samples contained CPA, with a maximum level of 2.9 mg/kg. In Europe, CPA was found in Penicillium-contaminated cheeses as high as 4.0 mg/kg. Some studies have shown that CPA can cause irreversible damage to organs such as the liver and spleen in mice. Therefore, the establishment of a rapid and efficient analytical method for CPA is of great significance for the risk assessment of CPA in feeds, the development of standard limits, and the protection of feed product quality and safety. The QuEChERS method, a sample pretreatment method that is fast, simple, cheap, effective, and safe, is widely used in the analysis of pesticide residues in food. In this study, a modified QuEChERS method combined with ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was used to determine CPA levels in feeds. The chromatographic separation and MS detection of CPA as well as the key factors affecting the extraction efficiency of CPA, including the type of extraction solvent, type of inorganic salt, and type and dosage of adsorbent, were optimized in detail. During the optimization of the chromatographic-separation step, the acid and salt concentrations of the mobile phase affected the separation and detection of CPA. During the optimization of the QuEChERS method, the addition of a certain amount of acetic acid improved the extraction efficiency of CPA because of its acidic nature; in addition, GCB and PSA significantly adsorbed CPA from the feed extract. Under optimal conditions, the CPA in the feed sample (1.0 g) was extracted with 2 mL of water and 4 mL of acetonitrile (ACN) containing 0.5% acetic acid. After salting out with 0.4 g of NaCl and 1.6 g of MgSO4, 1 mL of the ACN supernatant was purified by dispersive solid-phase extraction using 150 mg of MgSO4 and 50 mg of C18 and analyzed by UPLC-MS/MS. The sample was separated on a Waters HSS T3 column (100 mm×2.1 mm, 1.8 µm) using 2 mmol/L ammonium acetate aqueous solution with 0.5% formic acid and ACN as the mobile phases and then analyzed by positive electrospray ionization in multiple reaction monitoring mode. CPA exhibited good linearity in the range of 2-200 ng/mL, with a high correlation coefficient (r=0.9995). The limits of detection and quantification of CPA, which were calculated as 3 and 10 times the signal-to-noise ratio, respectively, were 0.6 and 2.0 µg/kg, respectively. The average recoveries in feed samples spiked with 10, 100, and 500 µg/kg CPA ranged from 70.1% to 78.5%, with an intra-day precision of less than 5.8% and an inter-day precision of less than 7.2%, indicating the good accuracy and precision of the proposed method. Finally, the modified QuEChERS-UPLC-MS/MS method was applied to the analysis of CPA in 10 feed samples obtained from Wuhan market. The analysis results indicated that the developed method has good applicability for CPA analysis in feed samples. In summary, an improved QuEChERS method was applied to the extraction and purification of CPA from feeds for the first time; this method provides a suitable analytical method for the risk monitoring, assessment, and standard-limit setting of CPA in feed samples.

[Progress in the application of novel nano-materials to the safety analysis of agricultural products].

The quality and safety of agricultural products are strongly related to human livelihood. Thus, the government and consumers have recently paid increased attention to the quality and safety of agricultural products. The development of efficient, rapid, and sensitive analytical methods for detecting pesticides, veterinary drugs, heavy metals, mycotoxins, and environmental pollutants in agricultural products is of great significance. Owing to the complexity of many sample matrices and the low concentration of pollutants in a typical sample, appropriate sample pretreatment steps are necessary to enrich pollutants in agricultural products. Solid-phase extraction (SPE) is the most widely used sample pretreatment technology; in this technique, the adsorbent generally determines the selectivity and efficiency of the extraction process. An increasing number of novel materials have been used as SPE adsorbents. The extraction efficiency, extraction selectivity, and analytical throughput of SPE could be greatly improved by combining these novel materials with various extraction modes (e. g., solid-phase microextraction, dispersed SPE, and magnetic SPE (MSPE)) during sample preparation. Because of their large specific surface area and high affinity toward target analytes, nanomaterials are often used as SPE adsorbents, thereby greatly improving the selectivity and sensitivity of the analytical technology. More importantly, these materials have become a priority area of research on preconcentration technologies for trace compounds in agricultural products. This paper summarizes the adsorption characteristics of several new nanomaterials, including magnetic materials, carbon-based materials, metal nanomaterials (MNs), metal oxide nanomaterials (MONs), metal organic frameworks (MOFs), and covalent organic frameworks (COFs). These nanomaterials present numerous advantages, such as large specific surface areas, high adsorption capacities, and tailorable structural designs. MSPE employs magnetic materials as sorbents to afford fast dispersion and efficient recycling when applied to complex sample matrices under an external magnetic field. The use of MSPE can avoid several typical problems associated with SPE such as poor adsorbent packing and high pressure, thereby greatly simplifying the pretreatment process and providing a high flux for sample analysis. Carbon-based materials are powdered or bulk nonmetallic solid materials with carbon as the main component; carbon and nitrogen materials, mesoporous carbon, carbon nanotubes, and graphene are some examples of these materials. These materials provide large specific surface areas, abundant pore structures, good thermal stability, high mechanical strength and adsorption capacity, and controllable morphology. Pure and modified carbon nanomaterials have been successfully used to purify target analytes from agricultural products. Given their unique physical and chemical properties, MNs and MONs have attracted significant interest for use in sample preparation. MNs and MONs with excellent thermal and mechanical stabilities show good resistance to a wide pH range and diverse organic solvents, which is crucial in adsorbent-based extraction methods. The surface of these materials can be easily modified with various ligands to improve their selectivity. MOFs and COFs present many advantages such as large specific surface areas, high porosity, adjustable pore performance, and good thermal stability. Several methods that employ novel adsorbent materials to analyze pollutants in a variety of agricultural products, such as chromatography, spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and other detection technologies, have been established. This paper also reviews the application of adsorbent materials in the analysis of agricultural product quality and safety, and discusses the future development trends of these sorbents in sample preparation for the safety analysis of agricultural products.

Independent prognostic value of the congestion and renal index in patients with acute heart failure / 老年心脏病学杂志（英文版）

BACKGROUND@#Clinical outcomes are poor if patients with acute heart failure (AHF) are discharged with residual congestion in the presence of renal dysfunction. However, there is no single indication to reflect the combined effects of the two related pathophysiological processes. We, therefore, proposed an indicator, congestion and renal index (CRI), and examined the associations between the CRI and one-year outcomes and the incremental prognostic value of CRI compared with the established scoring systems in a multicenter prospective cohort of AHF.@*METHODS@#We enrolled AHF patients and calculated the ratio of thoracic fluid content index divided by estimated glomerular filtration rate before discharge, as CRI. Then we examined the associations between CRI and one-year outcomes.@*RESULTS@#A total of 944 patients were included in the analysis (mean age 63.3 ± 13.8 years, 39.3% women). Compared with patients with CRI ≤ 0.59 mL/min per kΩ, those with CRI > 0.59 mL/min per kΩ had higher risks of cardiovascular death or HF hospitalization (HR = 1.56 [1.13-2.15]) and all-cause death or all-cause hospitalization (HR = 1.33 [1.01-1.74]). CRI had an incremental prognostic value compared with the established scoring system.@*CONCLUSIONS@#In patients with AHF, CRI is independently associated with the risk of death or hospitalization within one year, and improves the risk stratification of the established risk models.

Association between tricuspid annular systolic velocity and poor short-term prognosis in patients with acute decompensated heart failure.

BACKGROUND: There is scant data on the association of the Pulsed wave-Doppler tissue imaging (PW-DTI)-derived tricuspid lateral annular peak systolic velocity (S') and poor short-term prognosis of patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total number of 732 participants from the Heb-ADHF registry in China were divided into three groups according to the corresponding status of tricuspid S'. Demographic characteristics, comorbidities, physical examinations, lab tests, and medications were compared among the different groups. Different logistic regression models were utilized to gauge the relationship between S' and the risk of a composite of short-term all-cause mortality or 30-day heart failure (HF)-related rehospitalization. RESULTS: The number of composite outcome events identified in the study population was 85, with the short-term all-cause death coupled with 30-day HF readmission events reaching 23 and 62, respectively. As per the multivariable adjusted analysis, S' was inversely related to the risk of a composite outcome [<10 cm/s odds ratios (OR) 2.90, 95% confidence interval (CI):1.33-6.31; 10-11 cm/s OR 2.18, 95% CI: 1.10-4.33; p for trend = 0.006] in comparison with S' at >11 cm/s. When S' was analysed as a continuous variable, per 1 cm/s increase, the OR (95% CI) for a composite outcome was [0.87 (0.77-0.99), p = 0.028]. Area under curve (AUC) of S' for predicting outcome of ADHF was 0.631 (95%CI: 0.573-0.690, p < 0.01). Significant inverse association was also observed in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≥40% subgroup. CONCLUSIONS: Inspite of the potential confounders, a more impaired tricuspid annular peak systolic velocity is associated with a poorer short-term prognosis of patients with ADHF.

This is the first comprehensive evaluation of tricuspid annular systolic velocity among patients with ADHF.Tricuspid annular systolic velocity could be a predictor of poor short-term prognosis in ADHF.Tricuspid annular systolic velocity should be considered in patients with ADHF at admission.

NBR2/miR-561-5p/DLC1 axis inhibited the development of multiple myeloma by activating the AMPK/mTOR pathway to repress glycolysis.

Long non-coding RNA NBR2 exerts a tumor-suppressive effect in a variety of cancers, but its role in multiple myeloma (MM) is unclear. This article will elucidate the role of NBR2 in MM. The expressions of NBR2, miR-561-5p, and deleted in liver cancer 1 (DLC1) in MM cell lines were determined by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The regulatory relationship of the NBR2/miR-561-5p/DLC1 axis was predicted by bioinformatics and confirmed via a dual-luciferase reporter assay. The effect of NBR2 on the biological behavior of MM cells was verified by loss- and gain-of-function experiments (cell counting kit-8, colony formation, flow cytometry, extracellular acidification rate, and lactate production measurement). The effects of the NBR2/miR-561-5p axis on the biological behavior of MM cells, the activation of the AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway (western blot), and DLC1 expression (western blot) were verified by rescue experiments. The upregulation of NBR2 in MM cell lines induced a decrease in the viability, proliferation capacity, glycolysis, and lactic acid production, and an increase in apoptosis of MM cells. NBR2 regulated the biological behavior of MM cells and the activation of the AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway by targeting miR-561-5p. DLC1 was the target gene of miR-561-5p and the protein expression of DLC1 was regulated by the NBR2/miR-561-5p axis. Collectively, NBR2/miR-561-5p/DLC1 axis inhibits the development of MM by activating the AMPK/mTOR pathway to repress glycolysis.

Validation and derivation of short-term prognostic risk score in acute decompensated heart failure in China.

BACKGROUND: Few prognostic risk scores (PRSs) have been routinely used in acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). We, therefore, externally validated three published PRSs (3A3B, AHEAD, and OPTIME-CHF) and derived a new PRS to predict the short-term prognosis in ADHF. METHODS: A total of 4550 patients from the Heb-ADHF registry in China were randomly divided into the derivation and validation cohorts (3:2). Discrimination of each PRS was assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). Logistic regression was exploited to select the predictors and create the new PRS. The Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test was used to assess the calibration of the new PRS. RESULTS: The AUROCs of the 3A3B, AHEAD, and OPTIME-CHF score in the derivation cohort were 0.55 (95% CI 0.53-0.57), 0.54 (95% CI 0.53-0.56), and 0.56 (95% CI 0.54-0.57), respectively. After logistic regression analysis, the new PRS computed as 1 × (diastolic blood pressure < 80 mmHg) + 2 × (lymphocyte > 1.11 × 109/L) + 1 × (creatinine > 80 µmol/L) + 2 × (blood urea nitrogen > 21 mg/dL) + 1 × [BNP 500 to < 1500 pg/mL (NT-proBNP 2500 to < 7500 pg/mL)] or 3 × [BNP ≥ 1500 (NT-proBNP ≥ 7500) pg/mL] + 3 × (QRS fraction of electrocardiogram < 55%) + 4 × (ACEI/ARB not used) + 1 × (rhBNP used), with a better AUROC of 0.67 (95% CI 0.64-0.70) and a good calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow χ2 = 3.366, P = 0.186). The results in validation cohort verified these findings. CONCLUSIONS: The short-term prognostic values of 3A3B, AHEAD, and OPTIME-CHF score in ADHF patients were all poor, while the new PRS exhibited potential predictive ability. We demonstrated the QRS fraction of electrocardiogram as a novel predictor for the short-term outcomes of ADHF for the first time. Our findings might help to recognize high-risk ADHF patients.

Application of a novel nylon needle filter-based solid-phase extraction device to determination of 1-hydroxypyrene in urine.

In this work, a simple and miniaturized solid-phase extraction device was constructed by connecting a commercial nylon needle filter to a syringe, which was applied for extracting 1-hydroxypyrene from a urine sample via hydrophobic and hydrogen bond interactions. The nylon membrane in the needle filter acted as the solid-phase extraction adsorbent, meanwhile, it filtered the particles in the urine sample. To obtain high extraction efficiency, key parameters influencing extraction recovery were investigated. The entire pretreatment process was accomplished within 5 min under the optimal conditions. By coupling high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet, a rapid, low-cost, and convenient nylon needle filter-based method was established for the analysis of 1-hydroxypyrene in a complex urine matrix. Within the linearity range of 0.2-1000 µg/L, the method exhibited a satisfactory correlation coefficient (R = 0.9999). The limit of detection was 0.06 µg/L, and the recoveries from urine sample spiked with three concentrations (5, 20, and 100 µg/L) ranged from 105.8% to 113.1% with the relative standard deviations less than 6.7% (intra-day, n = 6) and 8.9% (inter-day, n = 4). Finally, the proposed method was successfully applied for detecting 1-hydroxypyrene in urine samples from college students, smokers, gas station workers, and chip factory workers. The detected concentration in actual urine samples ranged from 0.46 to 5.26 µg/L. Taken together, this simple and cost-effective nylon needle filter-based solid-phase extraction device showed an excellent application potential for pretreating hydrophobic analytes from aqueous samples.

Analysis of risk factors for hemorrhage in patients with acute poisoning treated with hemoperfusion / 中华劳动卫生职业病杂志

Objective: To explore the clinical characterist ics and risk factors of hemorrhage complicated by hemoperfusion therapy in patients with acute poisoning. Methods: In January 2021, the clinical data of 196 patients with acute poisoning who received hemoperfusion therapy in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Military Medical University from January 2018 to December 2020 were analyzed, and the patients were divided into bleeding group and non-bleeding group according to whether the patients were complicated with bleeding. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the independent risk factors for hemorrhage in patients treated with hemoperfusion. Results: A total of 21 patients in the bleeding group and 175 patients in the non-bleeding group were included. There was no significant difference in general data such as gender, age, and body mass index between the two groups (P>0.05) . Organophosphorus pesticides (χ(2)= 4.56, P=0.030) , HA230 perfusion device (χ(2)=4.12, P=0.042) , platelet count (t=-2.33, P=0.009) and activated partial thromboplastin time (t=14.53, P<0.001) at 2 h of perfusion were the influencing factors of hemorrhage in patients with acute poisoning treated with hemoperfusion. Among them, organophosphorus pesticides, 2 h perfusion activated partial thromboplastin time ≥35 s and other factors were independent risk factors forcomplicated bleeding (P<0.05) . Conclusion: Patients with acute poisoning, especially organophosphorus pesticide poisoning, are at greater risk of bleeding during hemoperfusion therapy. Monitoring of changes in activated partial thromboplastin time should be strengthened and the dose of anticoagulants should be adjusted in time to reduce the risk of bleeding.

[Spatial variations and its influencing factors of soil carbon and nitrogen on the southern foot of Taihang Mountains, China]. / å¤ªè¡Œå±±å—éº“å¡é¢åœŸå£¤ç¢³æ°®ç©ºé—´å˜å¼‚æ€§åŠå ¶å½±å“å› ç´ .

As an important ecological barrier for the North China Plain, research on the spatial variations of soil nutrients in the southern foot of the Taihang Mountains is of great significance for the forestry ecological construction in this rocky mountainous area. With the typical slopes (the artificial forestland and the natural wild slope) of the southern foot of the Taihang Mountains as the research objects, we used the grid method to arrange sampling points, and combined classical statistics, geostatistics and constrained sorting methods to analyze the spatial variations of soil nutrients. The results showed that: 1) soil total carbon (TC) contents were 6.80-57.05 g·kg-1, and the total nitrogen (TN) contents were 0.74-3.93 g·kg-1. The coefficients of variation of both soil TC and TN were 25.0%-52.8%, belonging to the moderate degree of variation, which were caused by the combination of random and structural factors. The spatial aggregation of soil nutrients decreased with increasing lag distances. 2) The contents of soil nutrients had increasing trends from the top to the bottom of the slopes, with high nutrient values appearing at the bottom of the slopes. 3) The soil bulk density, gravel content, vegetation coverage, and soil water content were the main factors affecting the spatial variability of soil TC and TN on the southern foot of the Taihang Mountains. 4) Soil water content was the main factor affecting soil nutrients at the natural wild slope, but not at the artificial forestland.

Electrolyte Structure of Lithium Polysulfides with Anti-Reductive Solvent Shells for Practical Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

The lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery is regarded as a promising secondary battery. However, constant parasitic reactions between the Li anode and soluble polysulfide (PS) intermediates significantly deteriorate the working Li anode. The rational design to inhibit the parasitic reactions is plagued by the inability to understand and regulate the electrolyte structure of PSs. Herein, the electrolyte structure of PSs with anti-reductive solvent shells was unveiled by molecular dynamics simulations and nuclear magnetic resonance. The reduction resistance of the solvent shell is proven to be a key reason for the decreased reactivity of PSs towards Li. With isopropyl ether (DIPE) as a cosolvent, DIPE molecules tend to distribute in the outer solvent shell due to poor solvating power. Furthermore, DIPE is more stable than conventional ether solvents against Li metal. The reactivity of PSs is suppressed by encapsulating PSs into anti-reductive solvent shells. Consequently, the cycling performance of working Li-S batteries was significantly improved and a pouch cell of 300 Wh kg-1 was demonstrated. The fundamental understanding in this work provides an unprecedented ground to understand the electrolyte structure of PSs and the rational electrolyte design in Li-S batteries.

Efficacy and safety of weekly rifapentine and isoniazid for tuberculosis prevention in Chinese silicosis patients: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to evaluate the efficacy, safety and completion rate of 3-month, once-weekly rifapentine and isoniazid for tuberculosis (TB) prevention among Chinese silicosis patients. METHODS: Male silicosis patients without human immunodeficiency virus infection, aged 18 years to 65 years, with or without latent TB infection, were randomized 1:1 to receive rifapentine/isoniazid under direct observation (3RPT/INH group) or were untreated (observation group). Active TB incidence was compared between the two groups with 37 months of follow-up. Safety profile and complete rates were evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 1227 adults with silicosis were screened; 513 eligible participants were enrolled and assigned to 3RPT/INH (n = 254) vs. observation (n = 259). Twenty-eight participants were diagnosed with active TB, and 9 and 19 in the 3RPT/INH group and observation groups, respectively. In the intention-to-treat analysis, the cumulative active TB rate was 3.5% (9/254) in the 3RPT/INH group and 7.3% (19/259) in the observation group (log rank p 0.055). On per protocol analysis, the cumulative active TB rates were 0.7% (1/139) and 7.3% (19/259), respectively (log rank p 0.01). Owing to an unexpected high frequency of adverse events (70.4%) and Grade 3 or 4 AEs (7.9%), the completion rate of the 3RPT/INH regimen was 54.7% (139/254). Twenty-six (10.8%) participants had flu-like systemic drug reactions; five (2.1%) experienced hepatotoxicity. DISCUSSION: Weekly rifapentine/isoniazid prophylaxis prevented active TB among Chinese people with silicosis when taken, irrespective of LTBI screening; efficacy was reduced by lack of compliance. The regimen must be used with caution because of the high rates of adverse effects. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT02430259.

[Spatial distribution of plant diversity in shrub layer of Quercus variabilis plantation and its relationship with light environment]. / æ “çš®æ Žäººå·¥æž—çŒæœ¨å±‚æ¤ç‰©å¤šæ ·æ€§çš„ç©ºé—´åˆ†å¸ƒåŠå ¶ä¸Žå ‰çŽ¯å¢ƒçš„å ³ç³».

We analyzed the spatial heterogeneity of plant species diversity in shrub layers and its relationship with light environment in Quercus variabilis plantation and Q. variabilis-Platycladus orientali mixed forest, following the method of geostatistics. The results showed that plant species diversity indices (Shannon H, Simpson Ds, Margalef Ma) of shrub layers in Q. variabilis plantation were significantly lower than that in Q. variabilis-P. orientalis mixed forest. The variation ranges and spatial autocorrelation distances of plant species diversity index in Q. variabilis plantation were higher than that in Q. variabilis-P. orientalis mixed forest, with lower spatial homogeneity but stronger spatial dependence. The plant species diversity indices of H, Ds and Ma structural ratios of shrub layers in Q. variabilis pure forest were 44.2%-49.7%, with moderate spatial autocorrelation. The structure ratios of H, Ds and Ma in Q. variabilis-P. orientalis mixed forest were 1.5%-3.3%, with strong spatial autocorrelation. The spatial distribution of biodiversity showed obvious strip-like gradient trend in Q. variabilis plantation and patchy gradient change in Q. variabilis-P. orientalis mixed forest, suggesting that the spatial continuity of plant species of shrub layers was worse in Q. variabilis-P. orientalis mixed forest and that the spatial variation was stronger than that in Q. variabilis pure forest. Results of correlation analysis and stepwise regression analysis showed that the total light and plant canopy openness were the most significant factors affecting plant species diversity of shrub layers in both forest types. Light environment formed by plant canopy structure played a crucial part in maintaining plant diversity in shrub layer.

Rapid and Sensitive Detection of Aflatoxin B1, B2, G1 and G2 in Vegetable Oils Using Bare Fe3O4 as Magnetic Sorbents Coupled with High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Fluorescence Detection.

This paper reports a simple, sensitive and reliable method for the simultaneous detection of aflatoxin B1, B2, G1 and G2 in vegetable oils. Aflatoxins were extracted by magnetic solid phase extraction followed by high-performance liquid chromatography, then postcolumn photochemical derivatization and finally detected by fluorescence detector. Vegetable oil samples were first diluted with hexane and then commercial bare Fe3O4 nanoparticles were directly employed as sorbents to extract aflatoxins from complex vegetable oil samples, which significantly simplified the procedure of sample preparation and largely improved the sample analysis throughput. The effects of various parameters such as the amount of sorbent, loading, washing and eluting conditions were carefully optimized to improve the extraction efficiencies of aflatoxins. Under the optimal conditions, the limits of detection of four aflatoxins ranged from 0.01 µg/kg to 0.16 µg/kg, and squared regression coefficients (R2) >0.9990 were obtained within the linear range of 0.1-20 µg/kg (except for aflatoxin G2 with 0.5-20 µg/kg). Furthermore, the recoveries spiked at four concentration levels in a blank vegetable oil sample were from 82.6 to 106.2%, with inter- and intraday relative standard deviations <9.8%, indicating good accuracy and precision of the proposed method.

Survey on deep learning for pulmonary medical imaging / 医学前沿

As a promising method in artificial intelligence, deep learning has been proven successful in several domains ranging from acoustics and images to natural language processing. With medical imaging becoming an important part of disease screening and diagnosis, deep learning-based approaches have emerged as powerful techniques in medical image areas. In this process, feature representations are learned directly and automatically from data, leading to remarkable breakthroughs in the medical field. Deep learning has been widely applied in medical imaging for improved image analysis. This paper reviews the major deep learning techniques in this time of rapid evolution and summarizes some of its key contributions and state-of-the-art outcomes. The topics include classification, detection, and segmentation tasks on medical image analysis with respect to pulmonary medical images, datasets, and benchmarks. A comprehensive overview of these methods implemented on various lung diseases consisting of pulmonary nodule diseases, pulmonary embolism, pneumonia, and interstitial lung disease is also provided. Lastly, the application of deep learning techniques to the medical image and an analysis of their future challenges and potential directions are discussed.

Homogeneous Core/Shell NiMoO4@NiMoO4 and Activated Carbon for High Performance Asymmetric Supercapacitor.

Here, we report the extraordinary electrochemical energy storage capability of NiMoO4@NiMoO4 homogeneous hierarchical nanosheet-on-nanowire arrays (SOWAs), synthesized on nickel substrate by a two-stage hydrothermal process. Comparatively speaking, the SOWAs electrode displays superior electrochemical performances over the pure NiMoO4 nanowire arrays. Such improvements can be ascribed to the characteristic homogeneous hierarchical structure, which not only effectively increases the active surface areas for fast charge transfer, but also reduces the electrode resistance significantly by eliminating the potential barrier at the nanowire/nanosheet junction, an issue usually seen in other reported heterogeneous architectures. We further evaluate the performances of the SOWAs by constructing an asymmetric hybrid supercapacitor (ASC) with the SOWAs and activated carbon (AC). The optimized ASC shows excellent electrochemical performances with 47.2 Wh/kg in energy density of 1.38 kW/kg at 0-1.2 V. Moreover, the specific capacity retention can be as high as 91.4% after 4000 cycles, illustrating the remarkable cycling stability of the NiMoO4@NiMoO4//AC ASC device. Our results show that this unique NiMoO4@NiMoO4 SOWA has great prospects for future energy storage applications.

[Distribution characteristics of surface soil organic carbon and total nitrogen in forest plantation of hilly area of Taihang Mountains, Chin]. / å¤ªè¡Œå±±ä½Žå±±ä¸˜é™µåŒºäººå·¥æž—è¡¨å±‚åœŸå£¤æœ‰æœºç¢³å’Œå ¨æ°®åˆ†å¸ƒç‰¹å¾.

To explore the effects of forest types and slope positions on the content of soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) in the lower hilly area of Taihang Mountains, we examined the distribution pattern of SOC and TN contents in Quercus variabilis plantation (Qo), and Platycladus orientalis plantation (Po), and abandoned land (Al). The results showed that in the same forest type or slope position, the contents of SOC and TN gradually decreased with increasing soil depth. Under different slope conditions, the contents of SOC and TN showed the tendency of upper-slope (U) > middle-slope (M) > lower-slope (L) in the planted forests (Qo and Po), but showed the tendency of L>U>M in Al. Under different forest types, the contents of SOC and TN in the U and M showed the trend of Qo>Po>Al. At the LS, the contents of SOC and TN of Al were the highest. The C/N ratio followed an order of Qo>Po> Al at U and M, while Qo>Al> Po at L. Within the same forest type, C/N of different slopes was different, but not significant. Our results suggested that the adaptability of the Qo plantation is the best in the lower hilly area of Taihang Mountains.

Gait Assessment of Pain and Analgesics: Comparison of the DigiGait™ and CatWalk™ Gait Imaging Systems / 神经科学通报·英文版

Investigation of pain requires measurements of nociceptive sensitivity and other pain-related behaviors. Recent studies have indicated the superiority of gait analysis over traditional evaluations (e.g., skin sensitivity and sciatic function index [SFI]) in detecting subtle improvements and deteriorations in animal models. Here, pain-related gait parameters, whose criteria include (1) alteration in pain models, (2) correlation with nociceptive threshold, and (3) normalization by analgesics, were identified in representative models of neuropathic pain (spared nerve injury: coordination data) and inflammatory pain (intraplantar complete Freund's adjuvant: both coordination and intensity data) in the DigiGait™ and CatWalk™ systems. DigiGait™ had advantages in fixed speed (controlled by treadmill) and dynamic SFI, while CatWalk™ excelled in intrinsic velocity, intensity data, and high-quality 3D images. Insights into the applicability of each system may provide guidance for selecting the appropriate gait imaging system for different animal models and optimization for future pain research.

Selective COX-2 inhibitor versus non-selective COX-2 inhibitor for the prevention of heterotopic ossification after total hip arthroplasty: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Whether selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) has equally efficacy with non-selective NSAIDs in preventing heterotopic ossification (HO) after total hip arthroplasty (THA) was controversial. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to assess the efficacy and safety of selective NSAID versus non-selective NSAIDs for the prevention of HO after THA. METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, Google Search Engine, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases was searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were comparing selective NSAID versus non-selective NSAIDs for preventing HO after THA. The primary outcomes were overall HO incidence, Brooker classification HO incidence, gastrointestinal side effects, the occurrence of excessive bleeding and discontinuation caused by gastrointestinal side effects (DGSE). Data were analyzed using Stata 12.0. RESULTS: A total of 8 RCTs involving 1636 patients were included in the meta-analysis. There was no significant difference between the nonselective NSAIDs group and the selective NSAIDs group in the overall incidence of HO (relative risk, RR = 0.91, 95% confidence intervals, CI 0.78-1.06, P = .203), Brooker I HO (RR = 1.02, 95% CI 0.85-1.23, P = .794), Brooker II HO (RR = 1.00, 95% CI 0.66-1.52, P = .996). Brooker III HO (RR = 0.98, 95% CI 0.37-2.62, P = .971). And the occurrence of excessive bleeding (RR = 0.67, 95% CI 0.24-1.92, P = .458). The selective NSAIDs group was associated with a significant decrease in gastrointestinal side effects (RR = 0.35, 95% CI 0.18-0.71, P = .004) and discontinuation caused by gastrointestinal side effects compared with the nonselective NSAIDs group (RR = 0.28, 95% CI 0.11-0.66, P = .004). CONCLUSION: The available evidence indicates selective NSAIDs were as effective as non-selective NSAIDs in preventing HO after THA. And selective NSAIDs were associated with less gastrointestinal side effects than non-selective NSAIDs. Considering the limitation of current meta-analysis, more RCTs need to identify the optimal NSAIDs drug for HO after THA.

Rapid and sensitive detection of the phenoxy acid herbicides in environmental water samples by magnetic solid-phase extraction combined with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Phenoxy acid herbicides are widely used herbicides that play an important role in improving the yield and quality of crops. However, some research has shown that this kind of herbicide is poisonous to human and animals. In this study, a rapid and sensitive method was developed for the detection of seven phenoxy acid herbicides in water samples based on magnetic solid-phase extraction followed by liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry. Magnetic amino-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes were prepared by mixing bare magnetic Fe3 O4 nanoparticles with commercial amino-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes in water. Then the amino-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes were used to enrich phenoxy acid herbicides from water samples based on hydrophobic and ionic interactions. The effects of experimental variables on the extraction efficiency have been studied in detail. Under the optimized conditions, the method validation was performed. Good linearities for seven phenoxy acid herbicides were obtained with squared regression coefficients ranging from 0.9971 to 0.9989. The limits of detection ranged from 0.01 to 0.02 µg/L. The method recoveries of seven phenoxy acid herbicides spiked at three concentration levels in a blank sample were from 92.3 to 103.2%, with inter- and intraday relative standard deviations less than 12.6%.

Demographic expansion of two Tamarix species along the Yellow River caused by geological events and climate change in the Pleistocene.

The geological events and climatic fluctuations during the Pleistocene played important roles in shaping patterns of species distribution. However, few studies have evaluated the patterns of species distribution that were influenced by the Yellow River. The present work analyzed the demography of two endemic tree species that are widely distributed along the Yellow River, Tamarix austromongolica and Tamarix chinensis, to understand the role of the Yellow River and Pleistocene climate in shaping their distribution patterns. The most common chlorotype, chlorotype 1, was found in all populations, and its divergence time could be dated back to 0.19 million years ago (Ma). This dating coincides well with the formation of the modern Yellow River and the timing of Marine Isotope Stages 5e-6 (MIS 5e-6). Bayesian reconstructions along with models of paleodistribution revealed that these two species experienced a demographic expansion in population size during the Quaternary period. Approximate Bayesian computation analyses supported a scenario of expansion approximately from the upper to lower reaches of the Yellow River. Our results provide support for the roles of the Yellow River and the Pleistocene climate in driving demographic expansion of the populations of T. austromongolica and T. chinensis. These findings are useful for understanding the effects of geological events and past climatic fluctuations on species distribution patterns.