Programmable Primer Switching for Regulating Enzymatic DNA Circuits.

Developing DNA strand displacement reactions (SDRs) offers crucial technical support for regulating artificial nucleic acid circuits and networks. More recently, enzymatic SDR-based DNA circuits have gained significant attention because of their modular design, high orthogonality signaling, and extremely fast reaction rates. Typical enzymatic SDRs are regulated by relatively long primers (20-30 nucleotides) that hybridize to form stable double-stranded structures, facilitating enzyme-initiated events. Implementing more flexible primer-based enzymatic SDR regulations remains challenging due to the lack of convenient and simple primer control mechanism, which consequently limits the development of enzymatic DNA circuits. In this study, we propose an approach, termed primer switching regulation, that implements programmable and flexible regulations of enzymatic circuits by introducing switchable wires into the enzymatic circuits. We applied this method to generate diverse enzymatic DNA circuits, including cascading, fan-in/fan-out, dual-rail, feed-forward, and feedback functions. Through this method, complex circuit functions can be implemented by just introducing additional switching wires without reconstructing the basic circuit frameworks. The method is experimentally demonstrated to provide flexible and programmable regulations to control enzymatic DNA circuits and has future applications in DNA computing, biosensing, and DNA storage.

Performance and mechanisms of alkaline solid waste in CO2 mineralization and utilization.

CO2 mineral sequestration using alkaline solid waste (ASW) is a promising strategy for synergistically reducing CO2 emissions and reusing industrial waste. However, improvement the carbonation degree still remains challenges due to the sluggish leaching rate of Ca/Mg ion at low pH. To the issues, this study proposed an amine-mediated CO2 absorption and mineralization process with six common ASWs, as well an ecological utilization route of CO2-ASW productions. Experimental results indicated that calcium carbide slag (CS) had greater CO2 mineralization capacity (86.2 g-CO2/kg-CS) than other ASWs, while stirring rate and particle size played a more important role during CO2 capture. Amine-mediated CO2 capture was verified to be more excellent with steel slag (SS) as mineral medium. When the MEA concentration was increased to 2 mol/L, the extraction efficiency of Ca2+ was increased by 35 %, leaded to the CO2 removal efficiency significantly promoted from 49 % to 92 %. The characterization of structural morphology referred spherical aragonite or needle-bar calcite was dominant for the porous mineralization products (30.6 m2/g). High germination index of pea seed (112.1 % at a dose of 10 g/L) inferred the negligible toxicological effects of tiny MEA residue over SS mineralization products, after centrifugally washing treatment. Pea seeds cultivated with mineralized products after centrifugal washing can achieve a growth rate of about 4 mm/d. Overall, this work provides a feasible route to apply the porous CO2-ASWs production into water conservation in arid and sandy land.

Catalytic Gold Nanoparticle Assembly Programmed by DNAzyme Circuits.

Assembled gold nanoparticle (AuNP) superstructures can generate unique physicochemical characteristics and be used in various applications, thus becoming an attractive research field. Recently, several DNA-assisted gold nanoparticle assembly methods have been rigorously developed that typically require a non-catalytic equimolar molecular assembly to guarantee the designed assembly. Although efficient and accurate, exploring such non-catalytic nanoparticle assemblies in the complex cellular milieu under low trigger concentrations remains challenging. Therefore, developing a catalytic method that facilitates gold nanoparticle assemblies with relatively low DNA trigger concentrations is desirable. In this report, a catalytic method to program gold nanoparticle assemblies by DNAzyme circuits is presented, where only a small number of DNA triggers are able to induce the production of a large number of the desired nanoparticle assemblies. The feasibility of using logic DNAzyme circuits to control catalytic nanoparticle assemblies is experimentally verified. Additionally, catalytic AuNP assembly systems are established with cascading and feedback functions. The work provides an alternative research direction to enrich the tool library of nanoparticle assembly and their application in biosensing and nanomedicine.

Vertical transmission of infectious aerosols through building toilet drainage system: An experimental study.

The building's toilet drainage system has been identified as a potential route for the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 during outbreaks. This study employed agar-fluorescein sodium semi-solid as trace particles to investigate the possibility of vertical transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 in drainage system. In both scenarios, where floor drains were all properly sealed or dried out, simulated faeces containing fluorescein sodium were flushed into the toilet bowl. Air sampling was conducted in each restroom, and differential pressure measurements at the floor drain locations were taken. The experimental results showed that when all floor drains were properly sealed, the differential pressure at each floor drain was 0. The fluorescein sodium-traced aerosol did not transmit through the drainage system to various floors, which significantly reduced the risk of infection for users through this route. However, when all floor drains dried out, toilet users above the neutral pressure layer (NPL) were at a high risk of virus infection. Due to the increasing maximum negative pressure at the floor drain above the NPL with ascending floor levels, users on each floor above the NPL faced an elevated infection risk in restrooms. Specifically, users on the top floor were exposed to infectious aerosols roughly 1.6 times that of the first floor above the NPL. Conversely, owing to the increasing maximum positive pressure at the floor drain below the NPL with descending floor levels, users below the NPL experienced a comparatively lower infection risk. This finding has important implications for understanding the vertical transmission dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 in residential or public building and can inform the development of effective control measures.

Leukocyte telomere length mediates the association between cadmium exposure and cognitive function in US older adults.

BACKGROUND: Long-term exposure to cadmium-polluted environments may lead to shortened leukocyte telomere length and cognitive decline. This study aims to investigate (1) the associations among blood cadmium levels, leukocyte telomere length, and cognitive function, and (2) the mediating role of leukocyte telomere length between blood cadmium levels and cognitive function among older adults in the United States. METHODS: Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2002. Cadmium exposure level was assessed by measuring cadmium levels in blood samples. Leukocyte telomere length was measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and cognitive function was measured by the digit symbol substitution test (DSST). RESULTS: A total of 2185 older adults aged over 60 were included in this study, comprising 1109 (49.65%) males. Elevated blood cadmium levels were significantly associated with the risk of a decline in cognitive function (ß = - 2.842, p = 0.018). Shorter leukocyte telomere lengths were significantly associated with a higher risk of a decline in cognitive function (ß = 4.144, p = 0.020). The total indirect effect on the blood cadmium level and cognitive function via leukocyte telomere length was - 0.218 (p = 0.012). The mediation effect was estimated to be 0.218/2.084 × 100% = 10.46%. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that cadmium exposure may increase the risk of cognitive impairment by causing shortened leukocyte telomere length.

Impact of deoxynivalenol on rumen function, production, and health of dairy cows: Insights from metabolomics and microbiota analysis.

Deoxynivalenol contamination in feed and food, pervasive from growth, storage, and processing, poses a significant risk to dairy cows, particularly when exposed to a high-starch diet; however, whether a high-starch diet exacerbates these negative effects remains unclear. Therefore, we investigated the combined impact of deoxynivalenol and dietary starch on the production performance, rumen function, and health of dairy cows using metabolomics and 16 S rRNA sequencing. Our findings suggested that both high- and low-starch diets contaminated with deoxynivalenol significantly reduced the concentration of propionate, isobutyrate, valerate, total volatile fatty acids (TVFA), and microbial crude protein (MCP) concentrations, accompanied by a noteworthy increase in NH3-N concentration in vitro and in vivo (P < 0.05). Deoxynivalenol altered the abundance of microbial communities in vivo, notably affecting Oscillospiraceae, Lachnospiraceae, Desulfovibrionaceae, and Selenomonadaceae. Additionally, it significantly downregulated lecithin, arachidonic acid, valine, leucine, isoleucine, arginine, and proline metabolism (P < 0.05). Furthermore, deoxynivalenol triggered oxidative stress, inflammation, and dysregulation in immune system linkage, ultimately compromising the overall health of dairy cows. Collectively, both high- and low-starch diets contaminated with deoxynivalenol could have detrimental effects on rumen function, posing a potential threat to production performance and the overall health of cows. Notably, the negative effects of deoxynivalenol are more pronounced with a high-starch diet than a low-starch diet.

Multi-channel current electro-optic isolated measurement and discharge current characteristics in a parallel plate transmission line driver.

In this paper, a 96 kJ compact synchronous discharge driver is designed. The issue of the current measurement of the six parallel gas spark switches is resolved by a multi-channel isolated current measuring system, and the driver's circuit simulation model is constructed. Then, the discharge current characteristics of each branch and load are investigated, and the results show that when the operating voltage is at least 50 kV, the parallel switches are conducted synchronously. The designed multi-channel isolated current measuring system meets the use requirements at a maximum operating voltage of 80 kV, the peak current measured by a single channel is 500 kA at this time, which corresponds to the load current of 3 MA, and the current rise time (0%-100% rise time) is about 1.15 µs. However, the asynchronous conduction of these switches will increase the branch circuit's peak current by a maximum of 25%, and the maximum value of the inverse peak current ratio of the branch will increase to 1.16, which will threaten the safe operation of the components. At this time, there is a redistribution of charge between the already conducting branches, so the impact of the load current is less than that of the basic branch current. When the conduction dispersion of the switchers is less than 452 ns, the peak current of the load reduction is less than 3%, and the current waveform meets the application requirements. The research is essential for understanding the operating status of the driver and assessing the through-current capability of the device's components, such as gas switches and capacitors.

A Spatially Programmable DNA Nanorobot Arm to Modulate Anisotropic Gold Nanoparticle Assembly by Enzymatic Excision.

Programmable assembly of gold nanoparticle superstructures with precise spatial arrangement has drawn much attention for their unique characteristics in plasmonics and biomedicine. Bio-inspired methods have already provided programmable, molecular approaches to direct AuNP assemblies using biopolymers. The existing methods, however, predominantly use DNA as scaffolds to directly guide the AuNP interactions to produce intended superstructures. New paradigms for regulating AuNP assembly will greatly enrich the toolbox for DNA-directed AuNP manipulation and fabrication. Here, we developed a strategy of using a spatially programmable enzymatic nanorobot arm to modulate anisotropic DNA surface modifications and assembly of AuNPs. Through spatial controls of the proximity of the reactants, the locations of the modifications were precisely regulated. We demonstrated the control of the modifications on a single 15 nm AuNP, as well as on a rectangular DNA origami platform, to direct unique anisotropic AuNP assemblies. This method adds an alternative enzymatic manipulation to DNA-directed AuNP superstructure assembly.

Co-occurrence pattern of ARGs and N-functional genes in the aerobic composting system with initial elevated temperature.

Animal manure is known to harbor antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Aerobic composting is a prevalent cost-effective and sustainable method to treat animal waste. However, the effect of initially elevated temperature on antibiotic resistome during the composting process is unclear. In this study composting was subjected to initial external heating (EHC) for a period of 5 days compared to conventional composting (CC). After composting ARGs abundance was significantly reduced by 2.43 log in EHC and 1.95 log in CC. Mobile genetic elements (MGEs) also exhibited a reduction of 1.95 log in EHC and 1.49 log in CC. However, during the cooling phase, the genes resisting macrolide lincosamide and streptogramin B (MLSB) rebounded by 0.04 log in CC. The potential human pathogenic bacteria Pseudomonas (41.5-61.5%) and Actinobacteria (98.4-98.8%) were significantly reduced in both treatments and the bulk of targeted antibiotics were eliminated by 80.74% in EHC and 68.98% in CC. ARGs and N-functional genes (NFGs), mainly denitrification genes, were carried by the same microbial species, such as Corynebacterium sp. and Bacillus sp., of the dominant phylum. Redundancy analysis (RDA) revealed that CC microbial communities played a key role in the enrichment of ARGs while in EHC the variation of ARGs was attributed to the composting temperature. The number of high-risk ARGs was also lower in EHC (4) compared with CC (6) on day 30. These results provide insight into the effects of an initially enhanced temperature on ARGs removal and the relationship between ARGs and NFGs during the composting process.

Iruplinalkib (WX­0593), a novel ALK/ROS1 inhibitor, overcomes crizotinib resistance in preclinical models for non-small cell lung cancer.

Despite remarkable initial responses of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitors in ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, cancers eventually develop resistance within one to two years. This study aimed to compare the properties of iruplinalkib (WX­0593) with other ALK inhibitors and report the comprehensive characterization of iruplinalkib against the crizotinib resistance. The inhibitory effect of iruplinalkib on kinase activity was detected. A kinase screen was performed to evaluate the selectivity of iruplinalkib. The effect of iruplinalkib on related signal transduction pathways of ALK and c-ros oncogene 1 (ROS1) kinases was examined. The cellular and in vivo activities of ALK inhibitors were compared in engineered cancer-derived cell lines and in mice xenograft models, respectively. Human hepatocytes derived from three donors were used for evaluating hepatic enzyme inducing activity. HEK293 cell lines expressing transportors were used to invesigated the drug interaction potential mediated by several transporters. The results showed iruplinalkib potently inhibited the tyrosine autophosphorylation of wild-type ALK, ALKL1196M, ALKC1156Y and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)L858R/T790M. The inhibitory effects of iruplinalkib in patient-derived xenograft and cell line-derived xenograft models were observed. Moreover, iruplinalkib showed robust antitumor effects in BALB/c nude mice xenograft models with ALK-/ROS1-positive tumors implanted subcutaneously, and the tumor suppressive effects in crizotinib-resistant model was significantly better than that of brigatinib. Iruplinalkib did not induce CYP1A2, CYP2B6 and CYP3A4 at therapeutic concentration, and was also a strong inhibitor of MATE1 and MATE2K transporters, as well as P-gp and BCRP. In conclusion, iruplinalkib, a highly active and selective ALK/ROS1 inhibitor, exhibited strong antitumor effects in vitro and in crizotinib-resistant models.

Prevalence and associated health and lifestyle factors of myopic maculopathy in northern China: the Kailuan eye study.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the prevalence and associated health and lifestyle factors of myopic maculopathy (MM) in a northern Chinese industrial city. METHODS: The cross-sectional Kailuan Eye Study included subjects who participated in the longitudinal Kailuan Study in 2016. Ophthalmologic and general examinations were performed on all the participants. MM was graded based on fundus photographs using the International Photographic Classification and Grading System. The prevalence of MM was evaluated. Univariate and multiple logistic regression were adopted to evaluated risk factors of MM. RESULTS: The study included 8330 participants with gradable fundus photographs for MM and ocular biometry data. The prevalence of MM was 1.11% (93/8330; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.89-1.33%). Diffuse chorioretinal atrophy, patchy chorioretinal atrophy, macular atrophy, and plus lesions were observed in 72 (0.9%), 15 (0.2%), 6 (0.007%), and 32 eyes (0.4%), respectively. MM was more common in eyes with longer axial length (OR 4.517; 95%CI 3.273 to 6.235) and in participants with hypertension (OR 3.460; 95%CI 1.152 to 10.391), and older age (OR 1.084; 95%CI 1.036 to 1.134). CONCLUSIONS: The MM was present in 1.11% of the northern Chinese individuals 21 years or older and the associate factors include longer axial length, older age, and hypertension.

Paradoxical autosomal recessive bestrophinopathy-like phenotypes shown in an autosomal dominant pedigree.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical and genetic characteristics of eight members from a Chinese Han family who displayed autosomal recessive bestrophinopathy (ARB)-like retinal changes in autosomal dominant (AD) inheritance pattern. METHODS: Clinical investigations included slit-lamp, tonometry, fundus photography, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography, fundus autofluorescence, electrooculography, and ultrasound biomicroscopy. Ocular axial length measurements were collected retrospectively. The targeted exome sequencing (TES) was applied for the genetic analysis of the proband. PCR-based Sanger sequencing was performed on the family for validation and co-segregation analysis. RESULTS: Eight members in the three-generation pedigree complained about vision loss and seven of them had detailed clinical assessments, demonstrating ocular phenotypes including extramacular and vascular arcades subretinal deposits and Arden ratio decline on electrooculography that resembled ARB. Bilateral anterior chamber structure abnormalities were observed in seven cases and three patients were diagnosed with angle-closure glaucoma. Despite clinical phenotypes supporting ARB, there was only a single heterozygous mutation of c.227T > C (p.Ile76Thr) in the BEST1 gene detected in all eight patients, which showcased AD inheritance. CONCLUSIONS: An ARB-like phenotype could be caused by a heterozygous mutation of the BEST1 gene and inherited in an AD fashion.

Effects of joint irrigation combined with ozone injection on bone metabolism, inflammatory factors, and joint function in knee osteoarthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of joint irrigation combined with ozone injection on bone metabolism, inflammatory factors, and joint function in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). METHOD: In this retrospective study, a total of 132 KOA patients admitted to No. 215 Hospital of Shaanxi Nuclear Industry from October 2019 to July 2021 were enrolled. Among them, 62 patients received arthroscopic irrigation alone were assigned into a control group, and the remaining 70 patients who received arthroscopic irrigation combined with ozone injection were assigned into an observation group. Therapeutic efficacy and adverse reactions during the treatment were compared in the two groups. Bone metabolism, inflammatory factor levels and joint function of patients before and after treatment were observed; patients were further divided into a good prognosis group and a poor prognosis group regarding their prognosis. Multivariate analysis was performed to explore the independent risk factors affecting prognosis. RESULTS: After treatment, compared to the control group, the total effective rate of the observation group was higher (P<0.05), and there was no notable difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups (P>0.05). The bone metabolism indexes, osteocalcin (OC) and osteoprotegerin (OPG), in the observation group were also significantly higher (P<0.05), while the level of nuclear transcription factor κB receptor activator ligand (RANKL) in the observation group was markedly lower. The inflammation level in the observation group was lower (P<0.05). Lysholm score in the observation group was strikingly higher (P<0.05), while its Western Ontario McMaster (WOMAC) score and visual analogue scale (VAS) were lower (P<0.05). The observation group had a lower rate of poor prognosis (P<0.05). Age (OR: 1.786, 95% CI: 1.347-2.370), disease duration (OR: 1.132, 95% CI: 1.002-1.279), VAS after treatment (OR: 2.316, 95% CI: 1.089-4.925), and post-treatment IL-6 (OR: 1.186, 95% CI: 1.017-1.382) were all independent risk factors for poor prognosis. CONCLUSION: Joint irrigation combined with ozone injection shows good efficacy in the treatment of KOA, and could effectively relieve the clinical symptoms of patients, improve their bone metabolism indexes, and help the recovery of knee joint function.

Sensitive response mechanism of ARGs and MGEs to initial designed temperature during swine manure and food waste co-composting.

The rapid aerobic composting process has been used to reduce organic wastes, but the associated risks of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) need to evaluate in an efficient way. The primary objective of this work was to explore the underlying mechanism of initial adjustment in composting temperature on the variation of ARGs, mobile genetic elements (MGEs), and microbial composition during co-composting. The co-composting was initially externally heated (T2) for 5 days. The results showed that ARGs abundance in conventional composting (T1) was reduced by 49.36%, while multidrug was enriched by 86.16% after a period of 30 days. While in T2 ARGs were removed by 79.46% particularly the fraction of sulfonamide, multidrug, and vancomycin resistance genes were >90% without rebounding of any ARGs. Whereas, MGEs were reduced by 68.12% and 93.62% in T1 and T2, while the half-lives of ARGs and MGEs were lower in T2 compared to T1 (86.3%,86.7%). T2 also affected the metabolism function by regulating carbohydrate metabolism (9.62-10.39%) and amino acid metabolism (9.92-10.93%). Apart from this, the potential human pathogenic bacteria Pseudomonas was reduced by 90.6% in T2 and only 32.9% in T1 respectively. Network analysis showed that Ureibacillus, Weissella, Corynebacterium, Escherichia-Shigella, Acinetobacter were the main host of multiple genes. Structural equation models exhibited that bacterial communities were mainly responsible for the enrichment of ARGs in T1, whereas, it was directly affected by MGEs in T2. Similarly, ARGs variation was directly related to composting temperature. With this simple strategy, ARGs associated risk can be significantly reduced in composting.

CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF STREAKY MULTIFOCAL CHOROIDITIS: A Subtype of Multifocal Choroiditis.

PURPOSE: To describe and analyze clinical characteristics of multifocal choroiditis with linear streaks (LSs). METHODS: Eight cases of multifocal choroiditis with LSs were retrospectively studied. Multimodal imaging was performed. Demographic data and spherical equivalent were collected. Axial length was measured. RESULTS: All cases are young myopic women with a mean age of 17.13 ± 3.64 years (range, 13-23 years), presenting with vision loss and distortion. Nine eyes with LSs were high myopia of -8.97 ± 2.69 D (range, -6.00 to 12.5 D; growing by 1.88 ± 0.61 D annually since wearing glasses), with mean axial length of 26.36 ± 1.71 mm. Vitreous cells were noted in seven eyes. LSs were located in the equator (eight eyes), around the optic disk (three eyes), and at the edge of the posterior pole (one eye). Angio-optical coherence tomography showed choroidal neovascularization in eight eyes, especially 2 to 3 choroidal neovascularizations in three eyes. The location of choroidal neovascularization were in subfovea (three eyes), parafovea (six eyes), and perifovea (two eyes). Swept source optical coherence tomography showed punched-out disruption of retinal pigment epithelium‒Bruch's membrane‒choriocapillaris complex at the LSs' sites. LSs showed fluorescence staining on late FA but hypofluorescence throughout all phases on ICGA. CONCLUSION: Multifocal choroiditis with LSs mostly occurs in young women with high myopia, especially occurring in eyes with rapid progression of myopia. LSs are mainly located in the midperiphery near the equator, being prone to concur with choroidal neovascularization. Based on our findings, we propose a new term called "streaky multifocal choroiditis" as a subtype of multifocal choroiditis.

Ocular Adverse Events after Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccination.

Purpose: To report the clinical characteristics of ocular adverse events that have occurred, in China, after vaccination with inactivated COVID-19 vaccines. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional observational study was conducted of ocular disorders that occurred within 15 days from any dose of an inactivated COVID-19 vaccine. Information on gender, age, the interval between the vaccination and ocular symptoms, laterality, duration of the ocular symptoms, primary visual acuity, and clinical diagnosis were retrospectively collected. Results: Twenty-four patients were involved in the study, including 15 females and 9 males, with a mean age of 41 ± 16 years (range of 8−71 years). The patients all denied a prior history of COVID-19 infection. Ocular adverse events occurred after the first dose of vaccine in 18 patients and, after the second or third doses, in six patients. The interval between vaccination with the inactivated COVID-19 vaccine and ocular symptoms was 6 ± 5 days; six patients were bilaterally involved and 18 patients were unilaterally involved. Regarding the diagnosis, 10 patients were diagnosed with white dot syndrome (WDS), 9 patients were diagnosed with uveitis, and 5 patients were diagnosed with retinal vascular disorders. The ages of patients with WDS were younger than those with uveitis or retinal vascular disorders (32 ± 10 vs. 48 ± 18, p < 0.05). For patients diagnosed with WDS, the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 0.74 ± 0.73 LogMAR. For patients diagnosed with retinal vascular disorders or uveitis, the BCVA was 1.44 ± 1.26 LogMAR. There was no significant difference (p > 0.05). Conclusions: A relationship cannot be established between inactivated COVID-19 vaccines and ocular disorders; therefore, further investigation of the clinical spectrum of ocular adverse events after vaccination with an inactivated COVID-19 vaccine is necessary.

A Strategy for Rapid Discovery of Marker Peptides Associated with Fibrinolytic Efficacy of Pheretima aspergillum Based on Bioinformatics Combined with Parallel Reaction Monitoring.

Quality control of animal-derived traditional Chinese medicines has improved dramatically as proteomics research advanced in the past few decades. However, it remains challenging to identify quality attributes with routine proteomics approaches since protein with fibrinolytic activity is rarely reported in pheretima, a typical animal-derived traditional medicine. A novel strategy based on bioinformatics combined with parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) was developed here to rapidly discover the marker peptides associated with a fibrinolytic effect. Potential marker peptides were found by lumbrokinase sequences' alignment and in silico digestion. The fibrinogen zymography was used to visually identify fibrinolytic proteins in pheretima. As a result, it was found that the fibrinolytic activity varied among different portions of pheretima. Fibrinolytic proteins were distributed regionally in the anterior and anterior-mid portion and there was no significant fibrinogenolytic activity observed in the mid-posterior and posterior portion. Finally, PRM experiments were deployed to validate and quantify selected marker peptides and a total of 11 peptides were identified as marker peptides, which could be potentially used in quality control of pheretima. This strategy provides a robust workflow to benefit the quality control of other animal-derived traditional medicines.

Application of PET/CT in Preoperative Evaluation and Diagnosis of Gastric Cancer.

The aim study to study the significance of pet clinical examination image technology for early gastric mucosal adenocarcinoma, improve the accuracy and accuracy of image examination results of gastric cancer, and provide important reference significance and value for early treatment. Study methods, we used the experimental method of clinical medicine to obtain some reference data through the intervention of different image examinations on experimental patients of different groups and stages, These data show that the use of PET-CT imaging can improve the one-year survival rate of patients and reduce the one-year recurrence rate. Lymphatic metastasis rate and hematogenous metastasis rate, so as to highlight the advantages of PET-CT imaging.

Herpetic uveitis caused by herpes simplex virus after cataract surgery in a patient without prior viral keratitis or uveitis: a case report.

BACKGROUND: To report a case of herpetic uveitis caused by herpes simplex virus after cataract surgery in a patient without prior viral keratitis or uveitis. CASE PRESENTATION: A 70-year-old female was referred to our clinic with a 16-day history of acute blurry vision with painful redness in the right eye. She accepted cataract surgery for the right eye ten days before initial of ocular symptoms. There was significant inflammation in anterior chamber of the right eye. Retina exam showed moderate dense vitreous opacity but not necrotic or focal retinal lesion in the right eye. The aqueous humor collected from the right eye was positive for herpes simplex virus (HSV) DNA by PCR. The diagnosis of herpetic uveitis in the right eye was made due to clinical presentations and aqueous humor examination. CONCLUSION: Herpetic virus reactivation might occasionally occur after intraocular surgery in patients without prior ocular viral diseases, inducing atypical postoperative intraocular inflammation.

Association Between Diabetic Retinopathy, Brain Structural Abnormalities, and Cognitive Impairment for Accumulated Evidence in Observational Studies.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the association between diabetic retinopathy (DR) and cerebral disease or cognitive impairment. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. METHOD: The hypothesis was formulated prior to data collection. Cross-sectional studies and cohort studies that assessed the association between any measure of DR and cerebral small vessel disease or any type of cognitive impairment in diabetic participants were included. The data were independently extracted by two investigators. This systematic review and meta-analysis adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses and Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines RESULTS: A total of 27 studies were included. The combined odds ratio of 5 cross-sectional/cohort studies that reported that the associations between DR and cerebral structural changes was 1.75 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.36-2.25). The combined hazard ratio of 4 cohort studies that examined the association between DR and cognitive impairment events was 1.47 (95% CI: 1.22-1.78). The combined odds ratio of 14 cross-sectional/cohort studies that examined the association between DR and different cognitive impairment events was 1.43 (95% CI: 1.06-1.93). The overall coefficient (ß) of 4 studies that examined the relationship between DR and specific cognitive performance was 0.09 (95% CI: 0.00-0.18). Considering the quality of the data, we have performed subgroup analysis in studies scored >7 and studies scored ≤7, respectively, according to the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. CONCLUSION: The present meta-analysis suggests that DR is associated with an increased risk of structural abnormalities in the brain and cognitive impairment. This association remained significant after adjusting for blood glucose, and the presence of hypertension, indicating that DR is an important danger signal for cerebral abnormalities.