Driving factors and grouping paths of rural sports development in China - A qualitative comparative analysis based on fuzzy sets.

The development of rural sports depends on many factors, but the complex causal relationship between various factors and the level of rural sports development is not clear. Using data envelopment analysis (DEA) and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), this study aims to examine the driving role of various factors on rural sports development and construct various grouping paths to improve the level of rural sports development in China. The results shows that the area of fitness venues and social capital participation are sufficient conditions for the development of rural sports in China. Resource endowment through government fing, social capital participation and the construction of sports venues and facilities is the key driving factor for rural sports development in China. There are four grouping paths for the high-quality development of rural sports, which are divided into three configurations by combining the grouping characteristics: the state-social capital jointly controlled type driven by economic development and the resource endowment driven by the modernization of the agriculture promotes production and the grassroots organizations that are supported by the advantage of resource endowment. The results of the study highlight the complex causal relationships and key driving factors of rural sports development in China, highlight the differences in rural sports development patterns in different regions, and provide new ideas and guidelines for improving the level and quality of rural sports development.

A rare germline BMP15 missense mutation causes hereditary ovarian immature teratoma in human.

Ovarian immature teratomas (OITs) are malignant tumors originating from the ovarian germ cells that mainly occur during the first 30 y of a female's life. Early age of onset strongly suggests the presence of susceptibility gene mutations for the disease yet to be discovered. Whole exon sequencing was used to screen pathogenic mutations from pedigrees with OITs. A rare missense germline mutation (C262T) in the first exon of the BMP15 gene was identified. In silico calculation suggested that the mutation could impair the formation of mature peptides. In vitro experiments on cell lines confirmed that the mutation caused an 84.7% reduction in the secretion of mature BMP15. Clinical samples from OIT patients also showed a similar pattern of decrease in the BMP15 expression. In the transgenic mouse model, the spontaneous parthenogenetic activation significantly increased in oocytes carrying the T allele. Remarkably, a mouse carrying the T allele developed the phenotype of OIT. Oocyte-specific RNA sequencing revealed that abnormal activation of the H-Ras/MAPK pathway might contribute to the development of OIT. BMP15 was identified as a pathogenic gene for OIT which improved our understanding of the etiology of OIT and provided a potential biomarker for genetic screening of this disorder.

Combining photodynamic therapy and cascade chemotherapy for enhanced tumor cytotoxicity: the role of CTT2P@B nanoparticles.

The mitochondria act as the main producers of reactive oxygen species (ROS) within cells. Elevated levels of ROS can activate the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway, leading to cell apoptosis. In this study, we devised a molecular prodrug named CTT2P, demonstrating notable efficacy in facilitating mitochondrial apoptosis. To develop nanomedicine, we enveloped CTT2P within bovine serum albumin (BSA), resulting in the formulation known as CTT2P@B. The molecular prodrug CTT2P is achieved by covalently conjugating mitochondrial targeting triphenylphosphine (PPh3), photosensitizer TPPOH2, ROS-sensitive thioketal (TK), and chemotherapeutic drug camptothecin (CPT). The prodrug, which is chemically bonded, prevents the escape of drugs while they circulate throughout the body, guaranteeing the coordinated dispersion of both medications inside the organism. Additionally, the concurrent integration of targeted photodynamic therapy and cascade chemotherapy synergistically enhances the therapeutic efficacy of pharmaceutical agents. Experimental results indicated that the covalently attached prodrug significantly mitigated CPT cytotoxicity under dark conditions. In contrast, TPPOH2, CTT2, CTT2P, and CTT2P@B nanoparticles exhibited increasing tumor cell-killing effects and suppressed tumor growth when exposed to light at 660 nm with an intensity of 280 mW cm-2. Consequently, this laser-triggered, mitochondria-targeted, combined photodynamic therapy and chemotherapy nano drug delivery system, adept at efficiently promoting mitochondrial apoptosis, presents a promising and innovative approach to cancer treatment.

Potentiation of the lateral habenula-ventral tegmental area pathway underlines the susceptibility to depression in mice with chronic pain.

Chronic pain often develops severe mood changes such as depression. However, how chronic pain leads to depression remains elusive and the mechanisms determining individuals' responses to depression are largely unexplored. Here we found that depression-like behaviors could only be observed in 67.9% of mice with chronic neuropathic pain, leaving 32.1% of mice with depression resilience. We determined that the spike discharges of the ventral tegmental area (VTA)-projecting lateral habenula (LHb) glutamatergic (Glu) neurons were sequentially increased in sham, resilient and susceptible mice, which consequently inhibited VTA dopaminergic (DA) neurons through a LHbGlu-VTAGABA-VTADA circuit. Furthermore, the LHbGlu-VTADA excitatory inputs were dampened via GABAB receptors in a pre-synaptic manner. Regulation of LHb-VTA pathway largely affected the development of depressive symptoms caused by chronic pain. Our study thus identifies a pivotal role of the LHb-VTA pathway in coupling chronic pain with depression and highlights the activity-dependent contribution of LHbGlu-to-VTADA inhibition in depressive behavioral regulation.

Anhydrous interfacial polymerization of sub-1 Å sieving polyamide membrane.

Highly permeable polyamide (PA) membrane capable of precise ionic sieving can be utilized for many energy-efficient chemical separations. To fulfill this target, it is crucial to innovate membrane-forming process to induce a narrow pore-size distribution. Herein, we report an anhydrous interfacial polymerization (AIP) at a solid-liquid interface where the amine layer sublimated is in direct contact with the alkane containing acyl chlorides. In such a heterophase interface, water-caused side reactions are eliminated, and the amines in compact arrangement enable an intensive and orderly IP reaction, leading to a unique PA layer with an ionic sieving accuracy of 0.5 Å. The AIP-PA membrane demonstrates excellent separation selectivities of monovalent and divalent cations such as Mg2+/Li+ (78.3) and anions such as Cl-/SO42- (29.2) together with a high water flux up to 13.6 L m-2 h-1 bar-1. Our AIP strategy may provide inspirations for engineering high-precision PA membranes available in various advanced separations.

Ceftazidime-Avibactam for Carbapenem-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria Infections: A Real-World Experience in the ICU.

Purpose: Ceftazidime-avibactam (C-A) is a treatment option for carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacterial (CR-GNB) infections, but little is known regarding its suitability for the intensive care unit (ICU). The current study aimed to analyze use of C-A for critically ill patients, determine independent predictors of clinical outcome and mortality and explore routine dosages for patients in continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). Patients and Methods: A single-center, retrospective and observational study was conducted in critically ill patients receiving different C-A-based therapies for CR-GNB infections in a tertiary teaching hospital in Beijing, China. Demographic data, severity of infection, clinical outcomes and mortality were assessed. The primary and secondary outcome of this study was 90-day all-cause mortality and 14-day clinical response, respectively. Results: A total of 43 patients with CR-GNB infection were enrolled, including 14 (32.6%) patients received C-A monotherapy. C-A monotherapy and combination with other agents did not affect 14-day clinical response or 90-day survival. All-cause mortality at 90-days was 39.5% (17/43). Multivariate Cox analysis showed that concomitant with bloodstream infection was independent risk factors for 90-day mortality and that the time to initiation of C-A and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) score was independent predictors of 14-day clinical response. Five CRRT patients who received high-dose C-A therapy (>3.75 g/d) had prolonged survival compared with 5 who received low-dose C-A (<3.75 g/d, p = 0.03). Conclusion: C-A was an effective therapy for severe CR-GNB infections and clinical response correlated with the time of C-A initiation. A dosage >3.75g/d C-A was associated with prolonged survival of CRRT patients. Randomized controlled trials or multicenter studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Clinical features of patients presenting with fever of unknown origin caused by non-tuberculous mycobacterium infection.

INTRODUCTION: Although non-tuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) infection accounts for only a small proportion of fever of unknown origin (FUO) cases, it has become a more common etiology in recent years. Therefore, we reviewed FUO patients with underlying NTM infection to better understand its clinical features. METHODOLOGY: The medical records of patients presenting with FUO and diagnosed with NTM infection admitted to Peking Union Medical College Hospital between January 2016 and June 2021 were reviewed. The clinical information of patients whose follow-up data were available were summarized. Specimens submitted for pathogenic identification were processed by mycobacterial culture, acid-fast staining, and mycobacterial nucleic acid detection. IBM SPSS Statistics v22.0 (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Fifty-five FUO patients were diagnosed with NTM infection (55/785; 7.0% of FUO cases). Patients were mostly middle-aged men and had a relatively long disease course. Seven, 29, and 54 patients had previously no respondence to glucocorticoids, immunosuppressants, and multiple antibiotics, respectively; their inflammatory indexes were significantly increased; and there was no obvious risk of immunosuppression in this group, who were likely to be T.SPOT-TB negative (33/41; 80.5%). The most commonly identified NTM was Mycobacterium intracellulare followed by Mycobacterium chelonae/abscessus, Mycobacterium kansasii, and Mycobacterium avium. CONCLUSIONS: Microbiological investigations including culture, acid-fast staining, NTM nucleic acid examination, and next-generation sequencing were performed to confirm the diagnosis of NTM in FUO patients. FUO patients should screen for NTM infections so that this important etiology can be recognized, targeted treatments administered early, and outcomes improved.

Health Status Recognition Method for Rotating Machinery Based on Multi-Scale Hybrid Features and Improved Convolutional Neural Networks.

Rotating machinery is susceptible to harsh environmental interference, and fault signal features are challenging to extract, leading to difficulties in health status recognition. This paper proposes multi-scale hybrid features and improved convolutional neural networks (MSCCNN) health status identification methods for rotating machinery. Firstly, the rotating machinery vibration signal is decomposed into intrinsic modal components (IMF) using empirical wavelet decomposition, and multi-scale hybrid feature sets are constructed by simultaneously extracting time-domain, frequency-domain and time-frequency-domain features based on the original vibration signal and the intrinsic modal components it decomposes. Secondly, using correlation coefficients to select features sensitive to degradation, construct rotating machinery health indicators based on kernel principal component analysis and complete health state classification. Finally, a convolutional neural network model (MSCCNN) incorporating multi-scale convolution and hybrid attention mechanism modules is developed for health state identification of rotating machinery, and an improved custom loss function is applied to improve the superiority and generalization ability of the model. The bearing degradation data set of Xi'an Jiaotong University is used to verify the effectiveness of the model. The recognition accuracy of the model is 98.22%, which is 5.83%, 3.30%, 2.29%, 1.52%, and 4.31% higher than that of SVM, CNN, CNN + CBAM, MSCNN, and MSCCNN + conventional features, respectively. The PHM2012 challenge dataset is used to increase the number of samples to validate the model effectiveness, and the model recognition accuracy is 97.67%, which is 5.63%, 1.88%, 1.36%, 1.49%, and 3.69% higher compared to SVM, CNN, CNN + CBAM, MSCNN, and MSCCNN + conventional features methods, respectively. The MSCCNN model recognition accuracy is 98.67% when validated on the degraded dataset of the reducer platform.

Influence of water quality factors on cake layer 3D structures and water channels during ultrafiltration process.

The three-dimensional (3D) structure of the cake layer, which could be influenced by water quality factors, plays a significant role in the ultrafiltration (UF) efficiency of water purification. However, it remains challenging to precisely reveal the variation of cake layer 3D structures and water channel characteristics. Herein, we systematically report the variation in the cake layer 3D structure at the nanoscale induced by key water quality factors and reveal its influence on water transport, in particular the abundance of water channels within the cake layer. In comparison with pH and Na+, Ca2+ played more significant role in determining cake layer structures. The sandwich-like cake layer, which was induced by the asynchronous deposition of humic acids and sodium alginate (SA), shifted to an isotropic structure when Ca2+ was present due to the Ca2+ bridging. In comparison with the sandwich-like structure, the isotropic cake layer has higher fractions of free volume (voids) and more water channels, leading to a 147% improvement in the water transport coefficient, 60% reduction in the cake layer resistance, and 21% increase in the final membrane specific flux. Our work elucidates a structure-property relationship where improving the isotropy of the cake layer 3D structure is conducive to the optimization of water channels and water transport within cake layers. This could inspire tailored regulation strategies for cake layers to enhance the UF efficiency of water purification.

Tuning the Phase Composition of Metal-Organic Framework Membranes for Helium Separation through Incorporation of Fullerenes.

Metal-organic framework (MOF) membranes have attracted significant research interest in gas separation, but efficient helium (He) separation remains a challenge due to the weak polarizability of He and the intrinsic pore size flexibility of MOFs. Herein, incorporated fullerenes (C60 and C70) were used to tune the crystallographic phase composition of ZIF-8 membranes, thus creating small and fixed apertures for selective He permeation. The fullerene-modified ZIF-8 (C60@ZIF-8 and C70@ZIF-8) membranes contain about 20% of the rigid-lattice ZIF-8_I-43m phase and have been prepared as 200-350 nm thick supported layers through electrochemical synthesis. They show a significantly enhanced molecular sieving for He/N2,CH4 together with a satisfactory He permeance of >200 GPU. Specifically, the He/N2 selectivity of the C70@ZIF-8 membrane is up to 30.4, which is much higher than that of the fullerene-free ZIF-8 membrane (5.1) and nearly an order of magnitude higher than those of other reported He-selective MOF membranes. A continuous long-term gas permeation test over 780 h under dry and humid conditions proved the excellent stability of the fullerene-modified ZIF-8 membranes. The general validity and versatility of the proposed strategy for MOF membrane preparation are also demonstrated by the enhancement of the separation performance of a fullerene-modified ZIF-76 membrane.

Characteristics and Outcomes of Anti-interferon Gamma Antibody-Associated Adult Onset Immunodeficiency.

PURPOSE: Anti-interferon gamma antibody (AIGA) is a rare cause of adult onset immunodeficiency, leading to severe disseminated opportunistic infections with varying outcomes. We aimed to summarize the disease characteristics and to explore factors associated with disease outcome. METHODS: A systematic literature review of AIGA associated disease was conducted. Serum-positive cases with detailed clinical presentations, treatment protocols, and outcomes were included. The patients were categorized into controlled and uncontrolled groups based on their documented clinical outcome. Factors associated with disease outcome were analyzed with logistic regression models. RESULTS: A total of 195 AIGA patients were retrospectively analyzed, with 119(61.0%) having controlled disease and 76 (39.0%) having uncontrolled disease. The median time to diagnosis and disease course were 12 months and 28 months, respectively. A total of 358 pathogens have been reported with nontubercular mycobacterium (NTM) and Talaromyces marneffei as the most common pathogens. The recurrence rate was as high as 56.0%. The effective rates of antibiotics alone, antibiotics with rituximab, and antibiotics with cyclophosphamide were 40.5%, 73.5%, and 75%, respectively. In the multivariate logistic analysis, skin involvement, NTM infection, and recurrent infections remained significantly associated with disease control, with ORs of 3.25 (95% CI 1.187 ~ 8.909, P value = 0.022), 4.74 (95% CI 1.300 ~ 17.30, P value = 0.018), and 0.22 (95% CI 0.086 ~ 0.551, P value = 0.001), respectively. The patients with disease control had significant AIGA titer reduction. CONCLUSIONS: AIGA could cause severe opportunistic infections with unsatisfactory control, particularly in patients with recurrent infections. Efforts should be made to closely monitor the disease and regulate the immune system.

Pollen self-elimination CRISPR-Cas genome editing prevents transgenic pollen dispersal in maize.

This study reports the development of a programmed pollen self-elimination CRISPR-Cas (PSEC) system in which the pollen is infertile when PSEC is present in haploid pollen. PSEC can be inherited through the female gametophyte and retains genome editing activity in vivo across generations. This system could greatly alleviate serious concerns about the widespread diffusion of genetically modified (GM) elements into natural and agricultural environments via outcrossing.

Safety, tolerance, and pharmacokinetics of salvianolic acid B in healthy Chinese volunteers: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 1 clinical trial.

Background: Salvianolic acid B (Sal B) is one of the main active ingredients of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge. In China, many traditional Chinese medicines have been modified into injections for higher bioavailability and better efficacy. Salvianolic acid injection has been widely used in the clinic. Objective: This phase 1, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single-center study aimed to evaluate the safety, tolerance, and pharmacokinetics of Sal B injection in healthy Chinese volunteers. Methods: For the single-ascending-dose study, forty-seven healthy volunteers were randomly divided into 25, 75, 150, 200, 250, and 300 mg groups. For the multiple-ascending-dose study, sixteen healthy volunteers were randomly divided into 150 and 300 mg groups. In each group, volunteers were treated with Sal B or placebo randomly. Their safety was evaluated by a skin test, physical examination, vital sign, laboratory examination, 12-lead electrocardiogram, Holter, and clinical symptoms and signs. Blood samples were collected in 75, 150, and 300 mg single-ascending-dose study groups and 150 mg multiple-ascending-dose study groups to determine the concentration of salvianolic acid B. Results: In single-ascending-dose study groups, there were 41 adverse events in 24 cases (51.1%, 24/47). In multiple-ascending-dose study groups, there were 13 adverse events in eight cases (50.0%, 8/16). Sixty-six volunteers received the skin test, and three of them were excluded because of the positive result. Adverse events related to the treatment included increased alanine aminotransferase (4.0%), increased bilirubin (2.0%), increased creatinine kinase-MB (2.0%), increased brain natriuretic peptide (8.0%), increased urine N-acetyl-ß-D-glucosidase (4.0%), dizziness (2.0%), and chest discomfort (2.0%). No serious adverse events occurred. No volunteers withdrew from the trial. Peak plasma concentration and the area under the plasma concentration-time curve of salvianolic acid B progressively increased in a dose-dependent manner in 75, 150, and 300 mg single-ascending-dose study groups. There was no accumulation after 5 consecutive days of administration of 150 mg salvianolic acid B. Conclusion: Salvianolic acid B injections administered up to 300 mg in a single dose and 250 mg for 5 consecutive days showed excellent safety and tolerability in healthy Chinese volunteers. Clinical Trial Registration: www.chinadrugtrials.org.cn, identifier CTR20192236.

Pore-in-Pore Engineering in a Covalent Organic Framework Membrane for Gas Separation.

Covalent organic framework (COF) membranes have emerged as a promising candidate for energy-efficient separations, but the angstrom-precision control of the channel size in the subnanometer region remains a challenge that has so far restricted their potential for gas separation. Herein, we report an ultramicropore-in-nanopore concept of engineering matreshka-like pore-channels inside a COF membrane. In this concept, α-cyclodextrin (α-CD) is in situ encapsulated during the interfacial polymerization which presumably results in a linear assembly (LA) of α-CDs in the 1D nanochannels of COF. The LA-α-CD-in-TpPa-1 membrane shows a high H2 permeance (∼3000 GPU) together with an enhanced selectivity (>30) of H2 over CO2 and CH4 due to the formation of fast and selective H2-transport pathways. The overall performance for H2/CO2 and H2/CH4 separation transcends the Robeson upper bounds and ranks among the most powerful H2-selective membranes. The versatility of this strategy is demonstrated by synthesizing different types of LA-α-CD-in-COF membranes.

Multiple rib and vertebral fractures associated with Bordetella pertussis infection: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Pertussis is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis, characterized by paroxysms of severe coughing, and predominantly affects children. We report the first case of multiple fractures in the ribs, lumbar spine, and sacrum associated with severe coughing caused by Bordetella pertussis infection in an adult. CASE PRESENTATION: A 49-year-old female presented with acute-onset chest wall pain for 3 weeks. Imaging results revealed multiple fractures in the ribs and vertebrae, as well as bilateral pleural effusion, pericardial effusion, right pneumothorax, and enlargement of the left parapharyngeal and subclavian lymph nodes. The patient's bone density scan, autoimmune antibodies, bone marrow biopsy, and sacral bone biopsy all came back normal. Imaging test results found no evidence of solid tumors or active TB infection. The patient later recalled having violent coughing prior to the onset of chest pain and several family members having similar symptoms. Her blood sample was sent to the CDC, revealing Bordetella pertussis toxin (PT) IgG titer of 110.68 IU/mL. The patient was diagnosed with pertussis and multiple stress fractures from violent coughing. Symptomatic treatments were administered, and the patient's symptoms improved. The patient was followed up 8 weeks later, she reported no more coughing or chest pain. CONCLUSIONS: Pertussis is not just a pediatric disease, but diagnosis in adults is challenging as patients may present with a myriad of confusing symptoms, such as multiple stress fractures due to violent coughing. Medical and epidemiological histories are key to reaching the correct diagnosis, which is essential for appropriate treatments to avoid further complications. Adult immunization should be suggested both for the protection of the adult population and to prevent transmission to children.

The unreversible reduced but persistent activated NK and CD8+ T cells in severe/critical COVID-19 during omicron pandemic in China.

As a hallmark of COVID-19 progression, lymphopenia alongside its subtle immune disturbance has been widely reported, but yet to be thoroughly elucidated. Aiming at exploring clinical immune biomarkers with accessibility in the current and acute omicron epidemic abrupted in China post-control era, we design a real-world prospective observation cohort in Peking Union Medical College Hospital to describe immunological, haematological profiles inducing lymphocyte subsets related to SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this COVID-19 cohort, we enrolled 17 mild/moderate (M/M), 24 severe (S) and 25 critical (C) patients. The dynamics of lymphocytes of COVID-19 demonstrated that the sharp decline of NK, CD8+, and CD4+ T cell counts was the main contributor to lymphopenia in the S/C group, compared to the M/M group. Expressions of activation marker CD38 and proliferation marker Ki-67 both in CD8+ T and NK cells were significantly higher in all COVID-19 patients than that in healthy donors, independent of disease severity. The subsequent analysis showed in contrast to the M/M group, NK and CD8+ T cell counts remained low-level after therapy in the S/C group. CD38 and Ki-67 expressions in NK and CD8+ T cells still stay at a high level, despite active treatment. Targeting relatively elderly patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection, severe COVID-19 features the unreversible reduction of NK and CD8+ T cells with persistent activation and proliferation, which assist clinicians in early recognizing and saving severe or critical COVID-19 patients. Given that immunophenotype, the new immunotherapy improving NK and CD8+ T lymphocyte antiviral efficiency should be considered.

Cake layer 3D structure regulation to optimize water channels during Al-based coagulation-ultrafiltration process.

The variation in cake layer three-dimensional (3D) structures and related water channel characteristics induced by coagulation pretreatment remains unclear; however, gaining such knowledge will aid in improving ultrafiltration (UF) efficiency for water purification. Herein, the regulation of cake layer 3D structures (3D distribution of organic foulants within cake layers) by Al-based coagulation pretreatment was analyzed at the micro/nanoscale. The sandwich-like cake layer of humic acids and sodium alginate induced without coagulation was ruptured, and foulants were gradually uniformly distributed within the floc layer (toward an isotropic structure) with increasing coagulant dosage (a critical dosage was observed). Furthermore, the structure of the foulant-floc layer was more isotropic when coagulants with high Al13 concentrations were used (either AlCl3 at pH 6 or polyaluminum chloride, in comparison with AlCl3 at pH 8 where small-molecular-weight humic acids were enriched near the membrane). These high Al13 concentrations lead to a 48.4% higher specific membrane flux than that seen for UF without coagulation. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that with increasing Al13 concentration (Al13: 6.2% to 22.6%), the water channels within the cake layer were enlarged and more connected, and the water transport coefficient was improved by up to 54.1%, indicating faster water transport. These findings demonstrate that facilitating an isotropic foulant-floc layer with highly connected water channels by coagulation pretreatment with high-Al13-concentration coagulants (having a strong ability to complex organic foulants) is the key issue in optimizing the UF efficiency for water purification. The results should provide further understanding of the underlying mechanisms of coagulation-enhancing UF behavior and inspire precise design of coagulation pretreatment to achieve efficient UF.

Disseminated Staphylococcus aureus infection after scarification wet cupping therapy: a case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Cupping therapy is a complementary and alternative medical therapy used especially in pain management. It is generally considered a safe procedure, but complications, including life-threatening infection, may still occur. Understanding these complications is essential to safe and evidence-based use of cupping in practice. CASE PRESENTATION: Here we report a rare case of disseminated Staphylococcus aureus infection after cupping therapy. After wet cupping, a 33-year-old immunocompetent woman developed fever, myalgia, and a productive cough accompanied by acute liver and kidney injury, iliopsoas abscess, and gastrointestinal bleeding. The patient was treated successfully with cefmetazole plus levofloxacin after microbiological and antimicrobial sensitivity testing. CONCLUSIONS: Though rarely reported, clinicians, practitioners of cupping therapy, and patients should be aware of the risk of infection after cupping therapy. High hygiene standards are recommended for cupping therapy, even in immunocompetent individuals.

Transcriptome analysis reveals association of carotenoid metabolism pathway with fruit color in melon.

Flesh color is an important quality of melon (Cucumis melo L.) and is determined mainly by carotenoid content, awarding them with colors, aromas, and nutrients. enhancing the nutritional and health benefits of fruits and vegetables for humans. In this study, we performed transcriptomic analysis of two melon inbred line "B-14" (orange-flesh) and "B-6" (white-flesh) at three developmental stages. We observed that the ß-carotene content of inbred line "B-6" (14.232 µg/g) was significantly lower than that of inbred line "B-14" (0.534 µg/g). RNA-sequencing and quantitative reverse transcription PCR analyses were performed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the two inbred lines at different stages; the DEGs were analyzed using the Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes databases (KEGG). We identified 33 structural DEGs in different developmental periods of the two lines that were related to carotenoid metabolism. Among them, PSY, Z-ISO, ZDS, CRTISO, CCD4, VDE1, and NCED2 were highly correlated with carotenoid content. Thus, this study provides a basis for molecular mechanism of carotenoid biosynthesis and flesh color in melon fruit.

Stretchable, Electrochemically-Stable Electrochromic Devices Based on Semi-Embedded Ag@Au Nanowire Network.

Stretchable electrochromic (EC) devices that can adapt the irregular and dynamic human surfaces show promising applications in wearable display, adaptive camouflage, and visual sensation. However, challenges exist in lacking transparent conductive electrodes with both tensile and electrochemical stability to assemble the complex device structure and endure harsh electrochemical redox reactions. Herein, a wrinkled, semi-embedded Ag@Au nanowire (NW) networks are constructed on elastomer substrates to fabricate stretchable, electrochemically-stable conductive electrodes. The stretchable EC devices are then fabricated by sandwiching a viologen-based gel electrolyte between two conductive electrodes with the semi-embedded Ag@Au NW network. Because the inert Au layer inhibits the oxidation of Ag NWs, the EC device exhibits much more stable color changes between yellow and green than those with pure Ag NW networks. In addition, since the wrinkled semi-embedded structure is deformable and reversibly stretched without serious fractures, the EC devices still maintain excellent color-changing stability under 40% stretching/releasing cycles.