What is behind the meta-learning initialization of adaptive filter? - A naive method for accelerating convergence of adaptive multichannel active noise control.

Active noise control (ANC) is a typical signal-processing technique that has recently been utilized extensively to combat the urban noise problem. Although numerous advanced adaptive algorithms have been devised to enhance noise reduction performance, few of them have been implemented in actual ANC products due to their high computational complexity and slow convergence. With the rapid development of deep learning technology, Meta-learning-based initialization appears to become an efficient and cost-effective method for accelerating the convergence of adaptive algorithms. However, few dedicated Meta-learning algorithms exist for adaptive signal processing applications, particularly multichannel active noise control (MCANC). Hence, we proposed a modified Model-Agnostic Meta-Learning (MAML) initialization for the MCANC system.1 Additional theatrical research reveals that the nature of MAML, when applied to signal processing, is the expectation of a weight-sum gradient. Based on this discovery, we devised the Monte-Carlo Gradient Meta-learning (MCGM) algorithm, which employed a more straightforward procedure to accomplish the same performance as the Modified MAML algorithm. Furthermore, the numerical simulation of ANC using raw noise samples on measured paths validates the efficacy of the proposed methods in accelerating the convergence of the multichannel-filtered reference least mean square algorithm (McFxLMS).

Analysis of Prescription Compliance and Influencing Factors in Cardiac Rehabilitation after Surgery in Children with Congenital Heart Disease Based on Generalized Trust Theory.

AIMS: To understand the compliance, influencing factors, and action path of family cardiac rehabilitation exercise prescriptions for children after congenital heart disease surgery. METHODS AND RESULTS: A random sampling method was used to select 200 pediatric patients and their parents from a pediatric hospital in Shanghai. Among them, 57 cases (28.5%) of children's families followed the cardiac rehabilitation exercise prescription. Path analysis showed that peak oxygen uptake exerted a negative impact on the compliance of family cardiac-rehabilitation prescriptions for patients after congenital heart disease surgery through doctor-patient trust, with a standardized path coefficient of -0.246 (P = 0.001). Disease-related knowledge exerted a positive effect on the compliance of family cardiac-rehabilitation prescriptions for children after congenital heart surgery through doctor-patient trust, with a standardized path coefficient of 0.353 (P < 0.001). The dimension of friend support in social support had a direct positive effect on the compliance of family cardiac-rehabilitation prescriptions for children after cardiac surgery, with a standardized path coefficient of 0.641 (P = 0.006). CONCLUSION: The compliance of cardiac rehabilitation exercise prescription in children with congenital heart disease is not good and is affected by many factors, and there is a complex path relationship between various factors; the kilogram oxygen consumption of the child, the disease-related knowledge of the caregiver, and social support all play important roles in the compliance of the child's family's health prescription. REGISTRATION: SCMCIRB-K2021002-1.

Systematic analysis of the prognostic and immunological role of DHX33 in pan-cancer.

DEAH-box helicase 33 (DHX33) is a potent oncogenic agent on patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and colon cancer. Nevertheless, the prognostic significance of DHX33 in human pan-cancers remains unclear. Various bioinformatics tools have been used to clarify the oncogenic effects of DHX33 in pan-cancers. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Human Protein Atlas (HPA) were used to evaluate DHX33 at the mRNA and protein levels, respectively. The pan-cancer prognostic prediction value of DHX33 was evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier plotter. The association between DHX33 levels and clinicopathological features was then determined using the UALCAN database. In addition, gene set enrichment analysis and nomogram prediction models were constructed. The association between DHX33 levels and immune cell infiltration was then assessed using TISIDB. We determined that DHX33 is aberrantly overexpressed in pan-cancers and related to lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) clinical stage (p < .001). Moreover, DHX33 overexpression was indicative of poor overall survival, disease-free survival, and progression-free interval in patients with LUAD (p < .05). Furthermore, DHX33 levels were associated with age, N stage, T stage, and pathologic stage in patients with LUAD (p < .001). Additionally, multivariate Cox analysis revealed that DHX33 was an independent risk factor for OS in patients with LUAD. A nomogram model between DHX33 levels and characteristic clinical parameters was developed. Additionally, DHX33 levels correlated with immunomodulators and chemokines. Finally, gene set enrichment analysis revealed that the amyloid fiber formation pathway and the WICH complex positively regulates RNA expression pathway, which was the most enriched in LUAD. Our data revealed oncogenic effects of DHX33 in various cancers. We suggest that DHX33 may serve as a biomarker for poor prognosis in LUAD.

What drives the decrease of glacier surface albedo in High Mountain Asia in the past two decades?

Glacier surface albedo is an important factor affecting glacier ablation, and a positive feedback mechanism has been observed between the surface albedo and mass balance of glaciers. It is important to understand the driving factors and mechanisms of glacier albedo changes (GAC). Based on the MODIS (Moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer)-derived MOD10A1 and MYD10A1 albedo products, the glacier albedo trends in each MODIS grid cell during each melt season in High-Mountains Asia (HMA) from 2000 to 2020 were calculated. Decreasing glacier albedo trends were found, with a decline rate of 0.25 × 10-2 yr-1; in addition, the GACs exhibited great spatial differences among the 15 subregions. The geographical detector model (GDM) is a new spatial statistical method that can quantitatively reveal the driving forces of climate factors and light-absorbing particles on GAC under single-factor and two-factor interactions. These driving forces can be measured by the corresponding q value. The results showed that on the whole, solid precipitation (snowfall) had the strongest impact on GAC, followed by the glacier surface temperature. The q values of black carbon (BC) and dust were <0.1, but BC or dust had the greatest q value in the 9 subregions. The effects of each factor differed among different elevation zones. The interaction detector indicated that the q value under the influence of two factors was greater than that under a single factor, and the strongest interaction was between snowfall and BC, followed by between snowfall and dust. In 15 subregions, most of the greatest q values in each region corresponded to an interaction with BC or dust. Here, we obtained the main driving factors of GAC in different regions and emphasized the interactions between climatic factors and light-absorbing particles; these results provide references for further studies of glacier mass balance and surface albedo.

Adsorption of Congo red by fibrous xonotlite prepared from waste silicon residue.

Fibrous xonotlite was synthesized under the conditions of Na2SiO3 concentration of 0.05 mol·L-1, molar ratio of Si/Ca of 1:1, temperature of 220 °C and time of 9 h. It is worth pointing out that the Na2SiO3 solution as raw material was obtained from silicon residue through several procedures. The fibrous xonotlite exhibits excellent adsorption capacity for Congo red. 50 mL solution of Congo red with the concentrations of 100, 150 and 200 mg·L-1 can be almost completely adsorbed by 30 mg of fibrous xonotlite within 10 min, and the adsorption ratios are 94.05%, 95.50% and 94.14%. The Langmuir model describes the adsorption well, indicating the adsorption is monolayer. The adsorption kinetics follows the pseudo-second-order model. The calculated maximum adsorption capacity of fibrous xonotlite for Congo red is 574.71 mg·g-1 at room temperature. Fibrous xonotlite is a potential efficient adsorbent for Congo red owing to its rapid adsorption, high adsorption capacity and regeneration capacity.

Association between NF-κB Signal Pathway-Related Gene Polymorphisms and Response to Alendronate Treatment in Postmenopausal Chinese Women with Low Bone Mineral Density.

Background: Osteoporosis is a systemic bone disease characterized by reduction of bone content. Bisphosphonates are first-line treatments for osteoporosis, but they have variable effectiveness. Genetic factors may explain these differences. The NF-κB signaling pathway plays a key role in the regulation of bone metabolism. We aimed to determine whether genetic variations in the NF-κB signaling pathway affect the effectiveness of alendronate in postmenopausal Chinese women with low bone mass. Methods: We recruited 455 postmenopausal Han Chinese women with primary osteoporosis or osteopenia aged 48-90 yrs who had experienced no spontaneous menses for at least 1 yr. All participants had dual X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) bone mineral density (BMD) measurement at baseline and 1 yr after treatment. Treatment involved 1 yr administration of 70 mg oral alendronate weekly and 600 mg calcium and 125 IU of vitamin D daily. Thirteen tagSNPs in NF-κB1 (rs28362491, rs3774937, rs230521, rs230510, and rs4648068), RELA (rs7119750, rs11820062), and NLRC5 (rs289747, rs1566439, rs1684575, rs289726, rs289723, and rs41383) were chosen from the NCBI Locus Link and HapMap and genotyped individually. Genetic variation in these genes and the corresponding therapeutic response to alendronate treatment were analyzed. Results: Among the 13 tagSNPs, rs289747 was significantly correlated with the BMD change rate at the femoral neck (P=0.048). This significance no longer existed after Bonferroni correction. We then performed principal component analysis (PCA) and found NLRC5 (rs289747 and rs1566439) were strongly correlated with alendronate efficacy in femoral phenotypes and were major components of BMD change values, particularly total hip and intertrochanteric phenotypes. Furthermore, the PLINK linear regression GLM model revealed that haplotype TT of RELA (rs7119750 and rs11820062) and ICCTA of NF-κB1 (rs28362491, rs3774937, rs230521, rs230510, and rs4648068) were associated with BMD of the total hip among each haplotype after 1 yr of treatment. Conclusion: The NF-κB1, RELA, and NLRC5 genetic variations affect the therapeutic response of alendronate treatment for postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Analysis of thermal decomposition of acidified sediments in gold plants and harmless disposal of it.

In the present work, thermal decomposition of ASs in air was characterized by a combination of TG-DSC, XRD, and TG-FTIR. The treatment of generated toxic (CN)2 gas was investigated as well. The result showed that the decomposition of Zn2Fe(CN)6 in ASs preferentially reacted with CuSCN leading to the early decomposition of ASs, in which a part of CuSCN decomposed into Cu5FeS4 or Cu2S followed by being oxidized to sulfates and oxides as the temperature increased to 420 °C. For Zn2Fe(CN)6·3H2O in ASs, the decomposition products below 500 °C include ZnS, ZnSO4, CuxFeySz, iron oxides and Zn(CN)2; instead, Fe3O4, ZnSO4 and ZnFe2O4 were formed. The FTIR and chemical quantitative analysis showed that nitrogen-containing gaseous products predominately contained (CN)2, HCN and small amounts of NH3 and NOx. In view of toxic gases released, catalytic oxidation employing in-situ generation of roasting slag at 600 °C (AS1) can be effectively used for the conversion of (CN)2 to N2 under the optimal conditions of airflow rate of 0.7 L/min and AS1/ASs mass ratio of 0.5. Significantly, the ZnFe2O4 phase in AS1 completely disappeared and was converted to ZnSO4 after the experiment, which facilitated the subsequent acid leaching, thereby achieving the synergistic treatment of exhaust gases and slag.

The Immune Subtypes and Landscape of Gastric Cancer and to Predict Based on the Whole-Slide Images Using Deep Learning.

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is a highly heterogeneous tumor with different responses to immunotherapy. Identifying immune subtypes and landscape of GC could improve immunotherapeutic strategies. Methods: Based on the abundance of tumor-infiltrating immune cells in GC patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas, we used unsupervised consensus clustering algorithm to identify robust clusters of patients, and assessed their reproducibility in an independent cohort from Gene Expression Omnibus. We further confirmed the feasibility of our immune subtypes in five independent pan-cancer cohorts. Finally, functional enrichment analyses were provided, and a deep learning model studying the pathological images was constructed to identify the immune subtypes. Results: We identified and validated three reproducible immune subtypes presented with diverse components of tumor-infiltrating immune cells, molecular features, and clinical characteristics. An immune-inflamed subtype 3, with better prognosis and the highest immune score, had the highest abundance of CD8+ T cells, CD4+ T-activated cells, follicular helper T cells, M1 macrophages, and NK cells among three subtypes. By contrast, an immune-excluded subtype 1, with the worst prognosis and the highest stromal score, demonstrated the highest infiltration of CD4+ T resting cells, regulatory T cells, B cells, and dendritic cells, while an immune-desert subtype 2, with an intermediate prognosis and the lowest immune score, demonstrated the highest infiltration of M2 macrophages and mast cells, and the lowest infiltration of M1 macrophages. Besides, higher proportion of EVB and MSI of TCGA molecular subtyping, over expression of CTLA4, PD1, PDL1, and TP53, and low expression of JAK1 were observed in immune subtype 3, which consisted with the results from Gene Set Enrichment Analysis. These subtypes may suggest different immunotherapy strategies. Finally, deep learning can predict the immune subtypes well. Conclusion: This study offers a conceptual frame to better understand the tumor immune microenvironment of GC. Future work is required to estimate its reference value for the design of immune-related studies and immunotherapy selection.

Peptidomics analysis revealed that a novel peptide VMP­19 protects against Ang II­induced injury in human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

Vascular endothelial dysfunction is a vital pathological change in hypertension, which is mainly caused by apoptosis and oxidative stress injury of vascular endothelial cells. Peptidomics is a method for the direct analysis of small bioactive peptides in various biological samples using liquid chromatography­mass spectrometry (MS)/MS. Given the advantages of the low molecular weight, optimum targeting and easy access to cells, peptides have attracted extensive attention in the field of drug research. However, to the best of our knowledge, little is currently known regarding the role of peptides in vascular endothelial injury. In order to investigate the peptides involved in vascular endothelial protection, MS was used to analyze the peptide profiles in the supernatant of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) stimulated by Ang II. The results revealed that 211 peptides were identified, of which six were upregulated and 13 were downregulated when compared with the control group. Subsequently, the present study analyzed the physical and chemical properties and biological functions of identified peptides by bioinformatics, and successfully screened a peptide (LLQDSVDFSLADAINTEFK) named VMP­19 that could alleviate the apoptosis and oxidative stress injury of HUVECs induced by Ang II. In conclusion, to the best of our knowledge, the present study was the first to use peptidomics to analyze the peptide profiles of supernatant secreted by HUVECs, and revealed that the novel peptide VMP­19 could protect HUVECs from apoptosis and oxidative stress injury. The results of the present study could provide novel insights into treatment strategies for hypertension.

Preparation of spherical flower-like Mg(OH)2 from waste magnesite and its immobilization performance for Cu2+, Zn2+ and Pb2.

Spherical flower-like Mg(OH)2 was successfully synthesized under conditions of Mg2+ concentration of 2 mol·L-1, molar ratio of Mg2+/NH4OH of 1:0.5, temperature of 120 °C and time of 1 h using MgSO4 solution as raw material obtained from waste magnesite through several procedures. Spherical Mg(OH)2 exhibits flower-like structure composed of lamellar crystals. The immobilization ability of spherical flower-like Mg(OH)2 for Cu2+, Zn2+ and Pb2+ obtained at variable dosage and ion concentrations shows it displays an excellent immobilization performance for Cu2+, Zn2+ and Pb2+. 50 mL solution with ion concentrations of 200 mg·L-1 could be almost completely immobilized by 200, 250 and 60 mg Mg(OH)2 within 6 min, and the immobilization efficiencies were 97.55%, 99.99% and 91.56%, respectively. Langmuir model well describes the immobilization process, involving chemisorption emphasized as monolayer.

LncRNA Blnc1 expression and its effect on renal fibrosis in diabetic nephropathy.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the commonest microvascular complications of diabetes and has been the major cause of end-stage renal disease in many countries. It is of great clinical significance to further explore more efficacious therapeutic strategies for DN. This study aims to explore the effect of Blnc1 on renal fibrosis in diabetic nephropathy. METHODS: In this study, mRNA level of Blnc1 was examined by RT-PCR. HE staining and Masson staining were adopted to detect kidney damage and renal fibrosis. The renal fibrosis was evaluated by the levels of PTEN, fibronectin, collagen I and collagen IV with immunofluorescence assay and western blot analysis. Oxidative Stress and inflammatory response were detected by ELISA assay. At the same time, western blot was performed to detect the proteins related to NRF2/HO-1 and NF-κB pathways. RESULTS: Blnc1 has higher expression in serum of DN patients, STZ-induced DN model and HG-induced HK2 cells. Blnc1 interference significantly attenuated renal fibrosis, inflammation and oxidative stress via NRF2/HO-1 and NF-κB pathways. CONCLUSION: Our present study suggested that Blnc1 can affect inflammation, oxidative stress and renal fibrosis by Nrf2/HO-1 and NF-κB pathways in DN.

Synthesis and photocatalytic degradation ability evaluation for rhodamine B of ZnO@SiO2 composite with flower-like structure.

ZnO@SiO2 composite with flower-like structure was successfully prepared with molar ratio of ZnO/SiO2 = 1:1 based on the optimized synthesizing parameters of spherical SiO2 and flower-like ZnO. SiO2 particles were coated on the flower-like ZnO to form a homogeneous film through the multidimensional polycondensation of Si(OH)4. The photocatalytic degradation ability of ZnO@SiO2 composite for rhodamine B (RhB) obtained at different ZnO/SiO2 molar ratio and the comparison to that of flower-like ZnO showed that ZnO@SiO2 composite with ZnO/SiO2 molar ratio of 1:1 displayed a relatively good photocatalytic degradation ability to degrade RhB, but it was weaker than that of flower-like ZnO. Twenty millilitres of RhB solution at a concentration of 15 mg·L-1 could be completely degraded by 300 mg flower-like ZnO powder within 3 h, while the degrading efficiency was only 82.5% by 300 mg ZnO@SiO2 composite. But ZnO@SiO2 composite showed a better photocatalytic activity than flower-like ZnO at a lower pH value of 4.5.

Synthesis and application of surface-modified NiFe nanoparticles as a new magnetic nano adsorbent for the removal of nickel ions from aqueous solution.

Surface-modified magnetic Ni2.33Fe alloy nanoparticles were prepared using a hydrothermal method. Thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) tests demonstrated that the surface was successfully modified by sodium citrate. The surface-modified particles can be used for removing nickel ions from aqueous solution. The adsorption kinetics studies were performed and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model successfully described the kinetic data. The diffusion model indicated the adsorption was regulated by both surface and intraparticle diffusion processes. The Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption models were adopted for the mathematical description of adsorption equilibrium, and it was found that the experimental data fitted very well to the Freundlich model.

Incarcerating juveniles in adult prisons as a factor in depression.

BACKGROUND: While existing research has shown higher prevalence of depression among incarcerated youths compared with non-incarcerated youths, none has studied incarceration as a cause of depression. AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: This study suggests that incarceration, in particular placement of youths in adult incarceration, is a factor in developing depression. METHOD: A records based comparison of depression among youths in different types of incarceration with non-incarcerated youths, controlling for other predictors of depression, namely offence type, family poverty, parents' history of incarceration and demographic profile. RESULTS: Youths in adult placements were significantly more likely to be depressed than youths in juvenile placements and community-based youths. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: The findings suggest that there are mental health implications against incarcerating youths in adult prisons, a concern that current juvenile justice might not have considered adequately.

[The study on the immunomodulating effect of marine protein peptides in mice].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of marine protein peptide (MPP) on immunomodulating in mice and its possible mechanism. METHODS: Female ICR mice (6-8 weeks old) were administered the MPP for 4 weeks with the dose of 0.22 g/kgBW, 0.45 g/kgBW and 1.35 g/kgBW. Spleen and thymus were weighted and cell-mediated immune functions, humoral immune functions, phagocytic functions of mononuclear phagocyte, NK cell activity assays, the T cell subpopulation of the spleen tissue by the flow cytometer and the concentrations of cytokines in serum by cytometric bead array were examined. RESULTS: The capacity of lymphocyte proliferation induced by Con A (0.33 +/- 0.21), DTH response (0.36 +/- 0.11) mm in MPP 0.22 g/kgBW group were significantly increased in comparison with these values in control group (0.15 +/- 0.10) and (0.21 +/- 0.10)mm, respectively, P < 0.05. IgM-PFC number of MPP 0.22 g/kgBW group (1.64 +/- 0.06), 0.45 g/kgBW group (1.59 +/- 0.05) and 1.35 g/kgBW group (1.56 +/- 0.10) were higher than those in control group (1.38 +/- 0.10), P < 0.01; and the level of serum HC50 of MPP 0.22 g/kgBW group (141.00 +/- 23.00) and 0.45 g/kgBW group (130.40 +/- 33.20) were greater than the control (100.30 +/- 19.40) , P < 0.01. The activity of NK cells in MPP 0.22 g/kgBW group (1.672 +/- 0.142) was significantly elevated in comparison with this value in control group (1.392 +/- 0.182), P < 0.05. The percentage of CD4 T helper (Th) cell in spleen of MPP 0.22 g/kgBW group (32.84 +/- 3.776)% and 0.45 g/kgBW group (32.42 +/- 3.507) % was higher than those in control group (25.06 +/- 0.354) %, P < 0.05. The concentrations of IL-2 in serum of MPP 0.22 g/kgBW group 181.06 pg/ml, 0.45 g/kgBW group 94.84 pg/ml and 1.35 g/kgBW group 102.61 pg/ml were higher than those in control group 0.50 pg/ml, P < 0.05; and the level of IL-5 of MPP 0.22 g/kgBW group (38.31) pg/ml was greater than the control 0.50 pg/ml, P < 0.05. Nevertheless, no obvious effects on weight increasing, the ratio of immune organ and body weight and phagocytosis capacity were observed in our study. CONCLUSION: MPP could improve the immune functions in mice, and might be by the mechanism of enhancing the function of Th cells stimulating the secretion of Th1 and Th2 type cell cytokines.

The responses of serum transferrin receptors to iron supplements in subjects with iron-deficiency erythropoiesis and iron-deficiency anaemia.

We aimed to study the response of serum transferrin receptors (sTfR) to Fe supplementation in women of childbearing age with Fe-deficiency erythropoiesis (IDE) and Fe-deficiency anaemia (IDA). Primary screening was performed in 942 women ranging in age from 18 to 45 years. After Fe-related biochemical indices such as serum ferritin, Zn protoporphyrin and Hb were determined, the subjects were divided into four groups: normal, Fe store depletion, IDE and IDA. A total of 131 women were randomly selected from the normal, IDE and IDA groups. Subsequently, seventy-six women with IDE and IDA were given various doses of Fe (14 mg/d for IDE; 28 mg/d for IDA) with ferrous l-threonate capsules for twelve consecutive weeks. After receiving Fe supplements, the levels of Fe and sTfR were determined at weeks 0, 3, 6, 9 and 12. The levels of sTfR in women of childbearing age with IDE and IDA were significantly higher than those in the normal group. After receiving Fe supplements, the levels of sTfR were significantly decreased in women of childbearing age with IDE and IDA, while the levels of serum ferritin were significantly increased. In conclusion, STfR can be used as a reliable indicator for assessing the efficacy of Fe supplements.

Levels of serum transferrin receptor and its response to Fe-supplement in Fe-deficient children.

The object of the present study was to investigate the levels of serum transferrin receptor (sTfR) and its response to Fe supplementation in Fe-deficient children and the role of sTfR in detecting Fe deficiency and assessing the efficacy of Fe supplementation. According to the diagnostic standard, 1006 children, aged 6-14 years in Fangshan district, Beijing, Peoples Republic of China, were divided into four groups: normal; Fe store depletion (IDs); Fe deficiency erythropoiesis (IDE); Fe deficiency anaemia (IDA). sTfR was determined and transferrin receptor-ferritin (TfR-F) index was calculated in 238 children, sixty-four normal and 174 Fe deficient. Children were administered a NaFeEDTA capsule containing 60 mg Fe once per week for the IDs and IDE groups and three times per week for the IDA group for nine consecutive weeks. The parameters reflecting Fe status and sTfR were determined before and after Fe supplementation. The levels of sTfR and TfR-F index in Fe-deficient children were significantly higher than those in the normal group. The receiver operating characteristic curve showed that sTfR has proper diagnostic efficacy for functional Fe deficiency. After Fe supplementation, the level of sTfR was significantly decreased in children with IDs, but not in children with IDE and IDA, while TfR-F index was significantly decreased in Fe-deficient children. sTfR is a reliable indicator for detecting functional Fe deficiency, and TfR-F index is a sensitive parameter for assessing the efficacy of Fe supplementation.

The maternal combined supplementation of folic acid and Vitamin B(12) suppresses ethanol-induced developmental toxicity in mouse fetuses.

Maternal ethanol consumption during pregnancy can induce developmental defects in the fetus. The objective of this study was to assess whether combined supplementation of folic acid (FA) and Vitamin B(12) (VB(12)) in dams would suppress ethanol-induced developmental toxicity in CD-1 mice. Ethanol (5.0 g/kg) was given intragastrically from gestational day (GD) 6 to GD15. Vitamin supplementation groups were additionally given 60.0 mg/kg FA, 1.0 mg/kg VB(12), or 60.0 mg/kg FA+1.0 mg/kg VB(12) during GD1-16. The control group received distilled water only. Results of litter evaluation on GD18 showed that combined supplementation of FA and VB(12) ameliorated many of the adverse effects of ethanol. In contrast, the single vitamin supplementation groups showed little or no amelioration. These results suggest that combined supplementation of FA and VB(12) was more effective than each vitamin toward suppressing ethanol-induced developmental toxicity in CD-1 mice.

[Iron status and effect of early iron supplementation on sub-clinical iron deficiency in rural school-age children from mountainous areas of Beijing].

OBJECTIVE: To understand iron nutritional status in school-age children, incidence of the sub-clinical iron deficiency (SID) and effect of iron supplementation on SID in the rural school-age children from mountainous areas of Beijing. METHODS: The dietary survey and food frequency questionnaire survey were conducted in 1,012 school children aged 7 - 13 at rural mountainous areas of Fangshan District, Beijing, and their blood samples were collected for analyzing biochemical indicators for iron nutrition. Two hundred and sixty-seven children with IDs (iron deficiency store) and IDE (iron deficiency erythropoiesis), based on screening criteria for iron-deficiency anemia, received an iron supplementation (NaFeEDTA) capsule (containing 60 mg iron element) weekly, and those with IDA (iron deficiency anemia) received NaFeEDTA capsule thrice weekly for nine weeks. Blood biochemical indicators for iron nutrition were determined repeatedly and compared with those before and after the intervention. RESULTS: The daily average intakes of energy, protein, iron and vitamin C in school children of all age groups reached the daily recommended criteria (> 85% of the RNIs), but the proportion of heme in dietary iron constitution was lower. The average blood biochemical indicators for iron nutrition were as follows: serum ferritin (SF) (50.83 +/- 33.09) micro g/L, free erythrocyte protoporphyrin (FEP) (489.44 +/- 219.61) micro g/L, hemoglobin (Hb) (130.57 +/- 10.82) g/L, and the ratio of FEP/Hb (3.83 +/- 1.96), respectively. Incidence of total iron deficiency in rural children was 26.5%, with proportions of iron deficiency (IDs), iron deficiency erythropoiesis (IDE), and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) of 15.5%, 7.1%, and 3.9% respectively. SID accounted for 85.4% of the total iron deficiency, which was 5.8 times as much as IDA. With iron supplementation for 9 weeks, the hematdogical index of iron increased significantly and returned to the normal level. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of subclinical iron deficiency in the rural school-age children was insidious and should be attached more importance, which was helpful to its early recognition and intervention. Iron supplementation is important for children with SID to prevent and decrease the occurrence of IDA.