The relationship of C-Reactive Protein to Albumin Ratio and interval debulking surgery outcome after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in ovarian cancer patients.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between the changes of C-reactive protein to Albumin Ratio (CAR) levels and Interval Debulking Surgery (IDS) outcome after Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy (NAC) in ovarian cancer patients. METHODS: A nested case-control study for 209 patients with ovarian cancer who received NAC-IDS therapy from the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College between 2015‒2021 was conducted. Demographic data, laboratory indicators, and imaging examinations were collected. The outcome was regarded as optimal IDS in this study. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the relationship of CAR before NAC, CAR after NAC and ∆CAR with optimal IDS. The authors also performed the subgroup analysis based on menopausal state. RESULTS: The end time of follow-up was January 24, 2022. A total of 156 patients had been treated with optimal IDS, and 53 with suboptimal IDS. After adjusting age, body mass index, menopausal state, NAC drug, peritoneal perfusion and CAR before NAC, the result showed that CAR after NAC (Odds Ratio [OR = 3.48], 95% Confidence Interval [95% CI 1.28‒9.48], p = 0.015) and ∆CAR (OR = 0.29, 95% CI 0.11‒0.78, p = 0.015) were associated with optimal IDS, respectively. Additionally, the authors found a significant correlation between CAR after NAC and optimal IDS (OR = 3.16, 95% CI 1.07‒9.35, p = 0.038), and ∆CAR and optimal IDS (OR = 0.32, 95% CI 0.11‒0.94, p = 0.038) among ovarian cancer patients with menopause. CONCLUSION: CAR after NAC and ∆CAR were independent prognostic markers of optimal interval debulking surgery for ovarian cancer patients.

Prevalence and risk factors of atopic dermatitis in Chinese children aged 1-7 years: a systematic review and meta analysis.

Introduction: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common, chronic, recurrent inflammatory skin disease. To date, no meta-analysis have been conducted on the prevalence and risk factors of AD in children aged 1-7 years in Mainland China. Methods: We conducted a meta-analysis of the prevalence and risk factors of AD among children aged 1-7 years in China. Chinese and English publications were searched in Chinese and English databases on AD epidemiology published between 1999 and 2023. Two researchers independently screened the literature, extracted the data, and evaluated their quality. A meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model (I2 > 50%) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the forest plots. Data were processed using the RevMan 5.3. Results: Nineteen studies (data from 127,660 samples) met the inclusion criteria. The pooled prevalence of AD in Chinese children aged 1-7 years was 8%. Over the last decade, the prevalence of AD has increased. The prevalence of AD among children in southern China was higher than that in northern China and was the highest at the provincial level in Zhejiang, Shanxi, and Anhui. The prevalence of AD was dependent on the family history of allergy, passive smoking, households with pets, plush toys, and residential area. Discussion: The prevalence of AD in children (age 1-7 years) in China has increased. Further studies are needed to monitor the prevalence of AD in Chinese children. Therefore, early prevention and screening should be performed for children with a family history of AD, and their living environment should be improved to reduce allergen stimulation, thus reducing the development of AD.

HuMSC-EVs Protect Endothelial Cells Against Hypoxia/Reoxygenation Injury by Inhibiting the Pannexin 1/p38-MAPK Pathway.

Vascular endothelial cell dysfunction plays an important role in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury, and pannexin 1 (Panx1), an ATP-permeable channel, is closely associated with the pathophysiological processes of I/R injury. The purpose of this study was to investigate the protective effects of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cell-derived extracellular vesicles (HuMSC-EVs) and the underlying mechanism in a model of I/R injury. For the cellular model of I/R injury, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HuVECs) were exposed to hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) conditions. The model cells were then treated with HuMSC-EVs, and the effects on cell survival and specific signaling activities were observed. The results showed that after H/R exposure, Panx1 expression and other markers of cellular damage were increased in HuVECs. However, treatment with HuMSC-EVs inhibited the H/R-induced increase in Panx1 expression and improved HuVEC survival. Mechanistically, HuMSC-EVs were found to inhibit the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)-dependent apoptosis pathway, as evidenced by increased Bcl2 expression and reductions in p38 MAPK phosphorylation, Bax expression, and cleaved-caspase 3 expression. Together our data suggest that HuMSC-EVs alleviate H/R-induced apoptosis among HuVECs by inhibiting activity of the Panx1/p38-MAPK-dependent apoptosis pathway.

Bacterial infection-biased abundance of proteins in the skin mucus of obscure puffer (Takifugu Obscurus).

The skin mucus of fish is equipped with immunological and antimicrobial peptides that confer protection against invading pathogens. The skin mucus has been studied in fish however information regarding its immunological roles in bacterial infection is rare. This study highlighted the proteins and peptides in the skin mucus of Obscure puffer Takifugu obscurus that quantitatively altered against Aeromonas hydrophila infection. We infected the fish through bath immersion, intraperitonially, and treated with PBS (control) then compared the level of proteins in the skin mucus among the groups using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis. The Tandem Mass Tag (TMT) based quantification showed that 4896 proteins were Deferentially Quantified Proteins (DQPs), based on 19,751 unique peptides. Of which 170 were depleted (decreased in abundance) and 69 were abundant in comparison of Bath Treated (BT) vs Control (C) groups. Similarly, 76 DQPs were depleted and 70 were abundant in comparison of Treated (T) vs BT groups. Further, 126 DQPs were depleted, and 34 were abundant in comparison to T vs C groups. The DQPs we report were mostly immunological and were involved in unique biological functions and pathways. The interesting protein we report, where some of the proteins are for the first time in fish, shows the protein-rich structure of the mucus of fish, which may act as a biomarker to be targeted for bacterial disease therapy in fish and ultimately hint to the way of making resistance in fish against bacterial pathogens.

Does the internal surface treatment technique for enhanced bonding affect the color, transparency, and surface roughness of ultra-transparent zirconia?

PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of different surface treatments and thicknesses on the color, transparency, and surface roughness of ultra-transparent zirconia. METHODS: A total of 120 Katana ultra-translucent multi-layered zirconia specimens were divided into 12 groups according to the thickness (0.3, 0.5, and 0.7 mm) and surface treatment (control, airborne particle abrasion [APA], lithium disilicate coating, and glaze on). Color difference (ΔE00) and relative translucency parameter (RTP00) were calculated using a digital spectrophotometer. The surface roughness (Ra, Rq, Sa, and Sq) was measured using a non-contact profile scanner. The surface morphologies and microstructures of the samples were observed using a tungsten filament scanning electron microscope. Statistical analyses were performed by one-way and two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by post hoc multiple comparisons and Pearson's correlation (α = 0.05). RESULTS: The results showed that the surface treatment, ceramic thickness, and their interactions had significant effects on ΔE00 and RTP00 (p < 0.001). The surface treatment significantly altered the micromorphology and increased the surface roughness of the ceramic samples. APA exhibited the lowest transparency, largest color difference, and highest surface roughness. Zirconia with 0.3 mm and 0.7 mm thicknesses showed strong negative correlations between Sa and RTP00. CONCLUSIONS: The three internal surface treatments significantly altered the surface roughness, color difference, and transparency of ultra-transparent zirconia. As the thickness increased, the influence of the inner surface treatment on the color difference and transparency of zirconia decreased. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: For new zirconia internal surface treatment technologies, in addition to considering the enhancement effect on the bonding properties, the potential effects on the color and translucency of high-transparency zirconia should also be considered. Appropriately increasing the thickness of zirconia restorations helps minimize the effect of surface treatment on the optical properties.

Fabrication of polymeric sorafenib coated chitosan and fucoidan nanoparticles: Investigation of anticancer activity and apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells.

The most prevalent form of colon cancer also ranks high among cancer-related deaths globally. Traditional chemotherapy drugs do not provide sufficient therapeutic efficacy, and advanced colon cancer demonstrates considerable resistance to chemotherapy. As an oral kinase inhibitor, sorafenib (SOR) suppresses the growth of tumour cells, the formation of new blood vessels, and the death of cancer cells. Unfortunately, sorafenib's limited bioavailability, rapid metabolism, and poor solubility have severely limited its clinical use. We developed nanoparticles targeting P-selectin and SOR, with fucoidan (FU) as a ligand. The SOR-CS-FU-NPs were developed by coating polylactide-co-glycolide nanoparticles with chitosan and FU through electrostatic interaction. The SOR-CS-FU-NPs exhibited an average particle diameter of 209.98 ± 1.25 nm and a polydisperse index (PDI) of 0.229 ± 0.022. The SOR-CS-FU nanoparticles exhibited a continuous release pattern for up to 120 h. The SOR-CS-FU nanoparticles exhibited cytotoxicity 8 times greater than free SOR in HCT116 colorectal cancer cells. The cellular absorption of Rhodamine-CS-FU-NPs was three times more than that of free Rhodamine and 19 times greater than that of Rhodamine-CS-NPs. Enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and mitochondrial membrane potential damage were also shown in SOR-CS-FU-NPs. An investigation of cell death found that SOR-CS-FU-NPs had an apoptosis index that was 7.5 times greater than free SOR. After that, the SOR-CS-FU-NPs demonstrated a more significant inhibition of cell migration, leading to a wound closure of about 5 %. No toxicity was shown in the non-cancer VERO cell line when exposed to the developed NPs. Taken together, these results provide strong evidence that biocompatible SOR-CS-FU-NPs fabricated effective carriers for the targeted delivery of dasatinib to colorectal cancer.

The deflection of fatigued neck.

The human neck is a unique mechanical structure, highly flexible but fatigue prone. The rising prevalence of neck pain and chronic injuries has been attributed to increasing exposure to fatigue loading in activities such as prolonged sedentary work and overuse of electronic devices. However, a causal relationship between fatigue and musculoskeletal mechanical changes remains elusive. This work aimed to establish this relationship through a unique experiment design, inspired by a cantilever beam mechanical model of the neck, and an orchestrated deployment of advanced motion-force measurement technologies including dynamic stereo-radiographic imaging. As a group of 24 subjects performed sustained-till-exhaustion neck exertions in varied positions-neutral, extended, and flexed, their cervical spine musculoskeletal responses were measured. Data verified the occurrence of fatigue and revealed fatigue-induced neck deflection which increased cervical lordosis or kyphosis by 4-5° to 11°, depending on the neck position. This finding and its interpretations render a renewed understanding of muscle fatigue from a more unified motor control perspective as well as profound implications on neck pain and injury prevention.

Enhancing Lower Eyelid Suspension Outcomes Through Pre-surgical Facial Nerve Reanimation: A Comparative Study.

BACKGROUND: Lower eyelid suspension, a common therapeutic procedure for facial paralysis-induced eyelid retraction, faces challenges due to high recurrence in patients lacking facial muscle function and impedes wider adoption. This research aims to explore the potential effects of restoring orbicularis oculi muscle tension through facial nerve reanimation prior to lower eyelid suspension and to define the indications for lower eyelid suspension. METHODS: The study encompassed 32 individuals with complete facial paralysis, segmented into group A (reanimation group) and group B (non-reanimation group), based on whether the orbicularis oculi muscle's tension was restored through facial nerve reconstruction prior to lower eyelid suspension. Subjective assessments of eyelid closure (the inter-eyelid gap upon gentle closure) and objective methods measures of scleral show (the distance from the pupil's center to the lower eyelid margin, MRD2) were used to provide a comprehensive analysis of long-term effectiveness. RESULTS: The group A exhibited significantly greater long-term improvement in lagophthalmos and lower eyelid ectropion. The alterations in MRD2 measured 2.66 ± 0.27 mm in the group A versus 2.08 ± 0.53 mm in the group B, denoting a statistically significant variance (p < 0.001). Moreover, while the ratio of MRD2 preoperative 6 months postoperative revealed no significant difference between groups, a significant difference emerged in 12 months postoperative (group A: 1.02 ± 0.21; group B: 1.18 ± 0.24; p < 0.05), with the values in group A closer to 1, indicative of enhanced symmetry. CONCLUSIONS: Restoring the tension in the orbicularis oculi muscle through facial nerve reconstruction prior to palmaris longus tendon sling could effectively sustain long-term outcomes of lower eyelid retraction correction and reduce the recurrence rate. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Conditional RNA interference in mammalian cells via RNA transactivation.

RNA interference (RNAi) is a powerful tool for sequence-specific gene knockdown in therapeutic and research applications. However, spatiotemporal control of RNAi is required to decrease nonspecific targeting, potential toxicity, and allow targeting of essential genes. Herein we describe a class of de-novo-designed RNA switches that enable sequence-specific regulation of RNAi in mammalian cells. Using cis-repressing RNA elements, we engineer RNA devices that only initiate microRNA biogenesis when binding with cognate trigger RNAs. We demonstrate that this conditional RNAi system, termed Orthogonal RNA Interference induced by Trigger RNA (ORIENTR), provides up to 14-fold increases in artificial miRNA biogenesis upon activation in orthogonal libraries. We show that integration of ORIENTR triggers with dCas13d enhances dynamic range to up to 31-fold. We further demonstrate that ORIENTR can be applied to detect endogenous RNA signals and to conditionally knockdown endogenous genes, thus enabling regulatory possibilities including cell-type-specific RNAi and rewiring of transcriptional networks via RNA profile.

Radio Signal Modulation Recognition Method Based on Hybrid Feature and Ensemble Learning: For Radar and Jamming Signals.

The detection performance of radar is significantly impaired by active jamming and mutual interference from other radars. This paper proposes a radio signal modulation recognition method to accurately recognize these signals, which helps in the jamming cancellation decisions. Based on the ensemble learning stacking algorithm improved by meta-feature enhancement, the proposed method adopts random forests, K-nearest neighbors, and Gaussian naive Bayes as the base-learners, with logistic regression serving as the meta-learner. It takes the multi-domain features of signals as input, which include time-domain features including fuzzy entropy, slope entropy, and Hjorth parameters; frequency-domain features, including spectral entropy; and fractal-domain features, including fractal dimension. The simulation experiment, including seven common signal types of radar and active jamming, was performed for the effectiveness validation and performance evaluation. Results proved the proposed method's performance superiority to other classification methods, as well as its ability to meet the requirements of low signal-to-noise ratio and few-shot learning.

Monocyte/macrophage-mediated venous thrombus resolution.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) poses a notable risk of morbidity and mortality. The natural resolution of the venous thrombus might be a potential alternative treatment strategy for VTE. Monocytes/macrophages merge as pivotal cell types in the gradual resolution of the thrombus. In this review, the vital role of macrophages in inducing inflammatory response, augmenting neovascularization, and facilitating the degradation of fibrin and collagen during thrombus resolution was described. The two phenotypes of macrophages involved in thrombus resolution and their dual functions were discussed. Macrophages expressing various factors, including cytokines and their receptors, adhesion molecules, chemokine receptors, vascular endothelial growth factor receptors, profibrinolytic- or antifibrinolytic-related enzymes, and other elements, are explored for their potential to promote or attenuate thrombus resolution. Furthermore, this review provides a comprehensive summary of new and promising therapeutic candidate drugs associated with monocytes/macrophages that have been demonstrated to promote or impair thrombus resolution. However, further clinical trials are essential to validate their efficacy in VTE therapy.

Efficient synthesis of 5-hydroxytryptophan in Escherichia coli by bifunctional utilization of whey powder as a substrate for cell growth and inducer production.

5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), a precursor of the neurotransmitter serotonin in mammals, has demonstrated efficacy in treating various diseases such as depression, fibromyalgia and obesity. However, conventional biosynthesis methods of 5-HTP are limited by low yield and high reagent and process costs. In this study, the strain C1T7-S337A/F318Y with optimized promoter distribution was obtained, and the 5-HTP yield was 60.30 % higher than that of the initial strain. An efficient fermentation process for 5-HTP synthesis was developed using strain C1T7-S337A/F318Y with whey powder as a substrate for cell growth and inducer production. Shake flask fermentation experiments yielded 1.302 g/L 5-HTP from 2.0 g/L L-tryptophan (L-Trp), surpassing the whole-cell biocatalysis by 42.86 %. Scale-up to a 5 L fermenter further increased the yield to 1.649 g/L. This fermentation strategy substantially slashed reagent cost by 95.39 %, providing a more economically viable and environmentally sustainable route for industrial biosynthesis of 5-HTP. Moreover, it contributes to the broader utilization of whey powder in various industries.

Phosphate adsorption characteristics of CeO2-loaded, Eucommia ulmoides leaf residue biochar.

In this study, a Ce-loading biochar (Ce-BC) was synthesized by the optimal modification method of pre-pyrolysis impregnation, a pyrolysis temperature at 600 °C, and a CeCl3 concentration of 1.00 mol·L-1 for efficient adsorption phosphorus (P) from wastewater. The results revealed that Ce-BC could achieve a maximum P removal rate of 100% under specific conditions: an adsorbent concentration of 2.00 g·L-1, an initial solution pH of 3.00, an adsorption temperature of 25°C, and an initial P concentration of 20.00 mg·L-1. The adsorption process followed the quasi-secondary kinetic model, suggesting the Ce-BC was particularly effective in acidic environments. Meanwhile, Ce-BC has a strong resistance to anion interference and good cycling performance (the P adsorption capacity of Ce-BC was 59.77% of its initial value after four cycles). Field emission scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicated that Ce-BC contained a porous structure and rich functional groups (hydroxyl and carboxyl), and compounds of CeO2 and MgCeO3 were formed. The Ce loading favored the exchange with P through ligands, inner-sphere complexation, ion exchange, and electrostatic interaction to form inner-sphere complex-cerium P (CePO4), and surface complex of Ce-O-P replaced O-H. In addition, the Ce-BC adsorption columns had a substantial effect on P removal in actual wastewater. Overall, Ce-BC is a promising material for the treating P-containing acidic wastewater.

The variation of acrylamide and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural in tea with different roasting degrees and the effects of tea polyphenols on their formation.

BACKGROUND: Roasting is an essential step in making roasted teas, and its role in producing flavors has been widely studied. However, the variation of potential hazardous compounds during the tea roasting process is still vague. The present study established an effective method based on liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole-tandem mass spectrometry to simultaneously determine the variation of acrylamide (AA), 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), and free amino acids during the tea roasting process. Meanwhile, the effects of several tea polyphenols on the formation of AA and 5-HMF were investigated by a wet-to-dry thermal model reaction. RESULTS: Medium-temperature roasted teas had the highest levels of AA and 5-HMF, with ranges of 0.13-0.15 µg g-1 and 68.72-123.98 µg g-1, respectively. Quantitative results showed that the levels of monosaccharides and amino acids decreased during roasting, which might contribute to the formation of 5-HMF and AA. Meanwhile, the decrease of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), epigallocatechin (EGC), and epicatechin (EC) might be related to their inhibitory effects on 5-HMF and AA. Thermal model reaction results showed that EGCG and EC significantly inhibited 5-HMF formation with a decline rate of 33.33% and 72.22%, respectively, mainly by trapping glucose. Gallic acid (GA) also had an inhibitory effect on the formation of AA (decreased by 92.86%) and 5-HMF (44.44%), mainly through impeding the preliminary reaction of asparagine and glucose. CONCLUSION: The roasting temperature determined the levels of AA and 5-HMF in teas. Catechins inhibited the formation of 5-HMF and AA mostly through trapping monosaccharides, while the inhibitory effect of GA was achieved by impeding the reaction. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Whole genome sequencing insight into carbapenem-resistant and multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii harboring chromosome-borne blaOXA-23.

Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) poses a significant threat to hospitalized patients as effective therapeutic options are scarce. Based on the genomic characteristics of the CRAB strain AB2877 harboring chromosome-borne blaOXA-23, which was isolated from the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of a patient in a respiratory intensive care unit (RICU), we systematically analyzed antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and the genetic context associated with ARGs carried by CRAB strains harboring chromosome-borne blaOXA-23 worldwide. Besides blaOXA-23, other ARGs were detected on the chromosome of the CRAB strain AB2877 belonging to ST208/1806 (Oxford MLST scheme). Several key genetic contexts associated with the ARGs were identified on the chromosome of the CRAB strain AB2877, including (1) the MDR region associated with blaOXA-23, tet(B)-tetR(B), aph(3'')-Ib, and aph(6)-Id (2); the resistance island AbGRI3 harboring armA and mph(E)-msr(E) (3); the Tn3-like composite transposon containing blaTEM-1D and aph(3')-Ia; and (4) the structure "ISAba1-blaADC-25." The first two genetic contexts were most common in ST195/1816, followed by ST208/1806. The last two genetic contexts were found most frequently in ST208/1806, followed by ST195/1816.IMPORTANCEThe blaOXA-23 gene can be carried by plasmid or chromosome, facilitating horizontal genetic transfer and increasing carbapenem resistance in healthcare settings. In this study, we focused on the genomic characteristics of CRAB strains harboring the chromosome-borne blaOXA-23 gene, and the important genetic contexts associated with blaOXA-23 and other ARGs were identified, and their prevalent clones worldwide were determined. Notably, although the predominant clonal CRAB lineages worldwide containing the MDR region associated with blaOXA-23, tet(B)-tetR(B), aph(3'')-Ib, and aph (6)-Id was ST195/1816, followed by ST208/1806, the CRAB strain AB2877 in our study belonged to ST208/1806. Our findings contribute to the knowledge regarding the dissemination of CRAB strains and the control of nosocomial infection.

Discovery of FeP/Carbon Dots Nanozymes for Enhanced Peroxidase-Like Catalytic and Antibacterial Activity.

Iron phosphide/carbon (FeP/C) serving as electrocatalysts exhibit excellent activity in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) process. H2O2 catalyzed by peroxidase (POD) is similar to the formation of new electron transfer channels and the optimization of adsorption of oxygen-containing intermediates or desorption of products in ORR process. However, it is still a challenge to discover FeP/C with enhanced POD-like catalytic activity in the electrocatalytic database for biocatalysis. The discovery of FeP/carbon dots (FeP/CDs) nanozymes driven by electrocatalytic activity for enhanced POD-like ability is demonstrated. FeP/CDs derived from CDs-Fe3+ chelates show enhanced POD-like catalytic and antibacterial activity. FeP/CDs exhibit enhanced POD-like activities with a specific activity of 31.1 U mg-1 that is double higher than that of FeP. The antibacterial ability of FeP/CDs nanozymes with enhanced POD-like activity is 98.1%. The antibacterial rate of FeP/CDs nanozymes (250 µg mL-1) increased by 5%, 15%, and 36% compared with FeP, Fe2O3/CDs, and Cu3P/CDs nanozymes, respectively. FeP/CDs nanozymes will attract more efforts to discover or screen transition metal phosphide/C nanozymes with enhanced POD-like catalytic activity for biocatalysis in the electrocatalytic database.

Association of psoriasis with geographic and fissured tongue in the Han population in southwestern China.

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is a common immune-mediated skin disease that can involve other organs and tissues, including the oral mucosa. Some studies have found an increased proportion of geographic tongue (GT) and fissured tongue (FT) in patients with psoriasis, which appears to be region-specific. OBJECTIVES: The association of psoriasis with GT/FT in Eastern Asian populations remains unknown. Thus, the authors aimed to investigate the association of psoriasis with GT/FT in the Han population in southwestern China. METHODS: This study was conducted on 230 psoriatics and 230 healthy controls at West China Hospital. The authors compared the proportion of subjects with GT/FT in the two groups and compared age, gender, smoking, alcohol consumption, age at onset of psoriasis, duration of psoriasis, nail and joint involvement, Psoriasis Area and Severity Index, Body Surface Area, Dermatology Life Quality Index, and proportion using biologics in psoriatics with or without GT /FT. RESULTS: The authors have found a strong association between psoriasis and FT (p < 0.001), and a non-significant association between psoriasis and GT (p = 0.760). Compared to psoriasis patients without FT, the authors found that psoriasis patients with FT were older (p = 0.021) and had an increased frequency of late-onset psoriasis (p = 0.014); they also had more severe psoriasis (p = 0.047) and poorer quality of life (p = 0.045). STUDY LIMITATIONS: GT has periods of exacerbation and remission, so the authors cannot avoid a deviation of the prevalence of GT in this study from the true prevalence rate. Also, biologics have been found to lead to remission of GT and FT, which may have influenced the GT/FT ratio in the case group in this study. CONCLUSIONS: Psoriasis was associated with FT in the Han population in southwestern China, attention must be paid to the treatment of psoriatics with FT and skin diseases in patients with FT.

Effects of industrial-scale pickling processes on the dynamic changes in the physicochemical indicators and microbial diversities of Yacai.

The effects of dry-salted and salt-fermented processing on the physicochemical characteristics and microbial communities of Yacai were systematically investigated. The results showed that the contents of total acid, amino acid nitrogen (AAN) and nitrite in the final products of dry-salted Yacai were greater than those in salt-fermented Yacai. Lactic acid was the dominant organic acid in the two types of Yacai. Dry-salted processing is more conducive to forming a high-quality reddish-brown color. During whole pickling process, the microbial diversity of dry-salted Yacai was higher than that of salt-fermented Yacai, particularly in the early and middle stages of fermentation. For dry-salted Yacai, 8 bacteria (Natribacillus, Chromohalobacter, Marinococcus, Lentibacillus, Nesterenkonia, Gracilibacillus, Oceanobacillus and Tetragenococcus) and 1 fungus (Zygosaccharomyces) showed a significant positive correlation with AAN. For salt-fermented Yacai, 8 bacteria (Gracilibacillus, Alkalibacillus, Oceanobacillus, Virgibacillus, Lentibacillus, Salibacterium, Chromohalobacter and Tetragenococcus) and 3 fungi (Zygosaccharomyces, Millerozyma, and Wickerhamomyces) exhibited significant positive correlations with AAN.

Forensic age estimation in adults based on multidetector computed tomography analysis of bone density in the medial meta-epiphyseal region of clavicle.

The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of using multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) to measure the bone mineral density (BMD) in the medial meta-epiphyseal region of clavicle (MERC) for adult age estimation. A total of 1064 chest MDCT scans from individuals aged 21 to 102 years were utilized to determine the MERC BMD. The Mimics software was used for the BMD measurements, and the average BMD of both MERC was also calculated. Regression analysis was conducted with chronological age as a dependent variable and MERC BMD as an independent variable to establish a mathematical model for age estimation. The mean absolute error (MAE) was calculated to evaluate the accuracy of the regression model using an independent validation sample. Among all the models, the cubic regression model showed the highest correlation between MERC BMD and chronological age and also provided the most accurate age prediction for both males and females (MAE = 9.41 for males, MAE = 10.38 for females). Our study suggests that BMD measured by MERC can be utilized for age estimation in adults when more reliable indicators are not available.

Nuclear retention coupled with sequential polyadenylation dictates post-transcriptional m6A modification in the nucleus.

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification is deemed to be co-transcriptionally installed on pre-mRNAs, thereby influencing various downstream RNA metabolism events. However, the causal relationship between m6A modification and RNA processing is often unclear, resulting in premature or even misleading generalizations on the function of m6A modification. Here, we develop 4sU-coupled m6A-level and isoform-characterization sequencing (4sU-m6A-LAIC-seq) and 4sU-GLORI to quantify the m6A levels for both newly synthesized and steady-state RNAs at transcript and single-base-resolution levels, respectively, which enable dissecting the relationship between m6A modification and alternative RNA polyadenylation. Unexpectedly, our results show that many m6A addition events occur post-transcriptionally, especially on transcripts with high m6A levels. Importantly, we find higher m6A levels on shorter 3' UTR isoforms, which likely result from sequential polyadenylation of longer 3' UTR isoforms with prolonged nuclear dwelling time. Therefore, m6A modification can also take place post-transcriptionally to intimately couple with other key RNA metabolism processes to establish and dynamically regulate epi-transcriptomics in mammalian cells.