Development of a low-cost and accurate carrier screening method for spinal muscular atrophy in developing countries.

Heterozygous carriers of the survival of motor neuron 1 (SMN1) gene deletion in parents account for approximately 95% of neonatal spinal muscular atrophy cases. Given the severity of the disease, professional organizations have recommended periconceptional spinal muscular atrophy carrier screening to all couples, regardless of race or ethnicity. However, the prevalence of screening activities in mainland China remains suboptimal, mainly attributed to the limitations of the existing carrier screening methods. Herein, we aimed to develop a low-cost, accessible, and accurate carrier screening method based on duplex droplet digital PCR (ddPCR), to cover a wider population in developing countries, including China. The receiver operating characteristic curve was used to determine the cut-off value of SMN1 copy numbers. Performance validation was conducted for linearity, precision, and accuracy. In total, 482 cases were considered to validate the concordance between the developed ddPCR assay and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification. Linear correlations were excellent between the expected concentration of the reference gene and the observed values (R2 > 0.99). Both the intra- and inter-assay precision of our ddPCR assays were less than 6.0%. The multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification and ddPCR results were consistent in 480 of the 482 cases (99.6%). Two cases with multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification, suggestive of two copies of SMN1 exon 7, were classified into three copies by ddPCR analysis. The overall correct classification of the samples included in our ddPCR assay was 100%. This study demonstrates that an appropriate cut-off value is an important prerequisite for establishing a semi-quantitative method to determine the SMN1 copy numbers. Compared to conventional methods, our ddPCR assay is low-cost, highly accurate, and has full potential for application in population spinal muscular atrophy carriers screening.

Evaluation of different doses of Femoston therapy for incomplete abortion: A prospective observational trial.

This study aimed to compare the efficacy of different doses of femoston with expectant management in patients with incomplete abortions. Patients diagnosed with incomplete abortion were included if they chose to continue medical treatment after relevant contraindications were excluded. Participants were divided into 3 groups: the femoston (1/10) and femoston (2/10) groups received different doses of femoston, and patients in the control group received expectant treatment. The success rate of complete abortion and the rate of menstrual recovery among the 3 groups were compared to evaluate the efficacy of different doses of femoston in patients with incomplete abortions. A total of 197 patients were analyzed: 73 in the femoston (1/10) group, 73 in the femoston (2/10) group, and 51 patients were followed up without treatment in the control group. The femoston group was significantly more effective than the control group P < .0001). The adjusted odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were 3.103 and 1.153 to 8.350 (P = .025). The success rate of complete abortion in the femoston (2/10) group was significantly higher than that in the femoston (1/10) group (adjusted OR: 0.403, 95% CI: 0.145-1.118, P = .081). In addition, the rate of menstrual recovery in the femoston group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P = .007), and the rate in the femoston (2/10) group was also higher than the femoston (1/10) group with statistically significant (P = .001). Femoston is effective in treating incomplete abortion, with femostons containing 2 mg estrogen being more effective. Patients with incomplete abortion are treated with femoston, and menstrual recovery time may be shortened. Femostons may be a new option for pharmacological treatment of incomplete abortions.

An Analysis of Targeted Serum Lipidomics in Patients with Pneumoconiosis - China, 2022.

Introduction: Pneumoconiosis emerges as the most critical and prevalent occupational disease in China at present, according to research. Studies indicate that pneumoconiosis may indeed impact the body's phospholipid metabolism. Methods: In this study, serum samples were taken from 46 paired participants, which included patients with pneumoconiosis and dust-exposed workers. We employed ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) technology in targeted lipidomics to investigate serum target phospholipids. Initially, a pilot study was conducted with a selection of 24 pneumoconiosis patients and 24 dust-exposed workers, using both univariate and multivariate statistical analyses to preliminarily identify significant differences in phospholipids. Subsequent to this, the remaining subjects were engaged in a validation study, wherein receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to further substantiate the screening potency of potential lipid biomarkers for pneumoconiosis. Results: The pilot study revealed significantly reduced serum levels of 16∶0 lysophosphatidylcholines (Lyso PC), 18∶0-18∶1 phosphatidylglycerol (PG), 18∶0-18∶1 phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), 18∶0 PE, and 18∶1 lysophosphatidylethanolamine（Lyso PE) in the case group in comparison to the control group. Additionally, 18∶0 PE, 18∶0-18∶1 PE, and 18∶1 Lyso PE emerged as significant phospholipids with superior diagnostic values [area under the curve (AUC)>0.7]. A diagnostic model was established, built on 16∶0 PC and 18∶0 PE (AUC>0.8). In the ROC analyses of validation studies, the 18∶0-18∶1 PE and this diagnostic model demonstrated excellent screening efficiency (AUC>0.7). Discussion: A significant divergence in phospholipid metabolism has been observed between pneumoconiosis patients and dust-exposed workers. The 18∶0-18∶1 PE present in serum could potentially function as a lipid biomarker for pneumoconiosis. Additionally, diagnostic models were developed relying on 16∶0 PC and 18∶0 PE, proving to have superior screening efficiency.

The efficacy and influence factors analysis of Mifepristone combined with estrogen-progesterone in the treatment of incomplete abortion.

To analyze the efficacy and influencing factors of Mifepristone combined with estrogen-progesterone sequential therapy (Femoston) in the treatment of incomplete abortion. This retrospective cohort study included 93 patients with incomplete abortion. All patients took 50 mg of Mifepristone 2 times a day for 5 days and then took Femoston once a day (starting with estradiol tablets/2 mg) for 28 days. Without any indication of intrauterine residue by ultrasonic examination was judged to be effective. According to statistical analysis, this study calculated the effective rate and analyzed its influencing factors. A 2-sided value of P < .05 was considered statistically significant. The total response rate of the treatment regimen was 86.67%. body mass index was a significant influencing factor for treatment outcome (OR 0.818, 95% confidence interval 0.668-0.991, P = .041). For patients with incomplete abortion, Mifepristone combined with estrogen-progesterone sequential therapy has a remarkable therapeutic effect. Patients with a lower body mass index may respond much more significantly to this treatment regimen.

Does parental media mediation make a difference for adolescents? Evidence from an empirical cohort study of parent-adolescent dyads.

Background and aims: Adolescents, who are undergoing brain changes, are vulnerable to many online risks in their use or overuse of digital technology. Parental media mediation (a set of practices parents use to guide children's media use and to reduce potential negative consequences of children from media) is considered an important way to help regulate and reduce adolescents' use or problematic use of digital media and protect them from online risks. However, previous studies have shown controversial results. These controversial results reflect a reproducibility crisis in psychological science due to selective reporting, selective analysis, and inadequate description of the conditions necessary to obtain results. Methods: To address this issue and reveal the authentic effect of parental media mediation strategies, this study presented the results of a specification curve analysis of 1176 combinations indicating the longitudinal effect of parental media mediation on adolescent smartphone use or problematic use. A total of 2154 parent-adolescent dyads (adolescents' ages ranged from 9 to 18, the average age was 12.13 ± 2.20, and 817 of the adolescents were male) participated in two waves of measurements. Results: The results showed that of the 12 parental media mediations, joint parental use for learning had the greatest effect in reducing future smartphone use or problematic use among adolescents. Overall, none of the parental media mediations had a substantial effect in reducing future smartphone use or problematic use among adolescents. Discussion and conclusions: The ineffectiveness of parental media mediation poses a challenge for researchers, the public, and policy-makers. More exploration is needed in the search of effective parental media mediations for adolescents.

A comparison of special intrauterine balloons and intrauterine contraceptive devices in the treatment of intrauterine adhesions.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare the efficacy of a special kind of intrauterine balloon (IUB) and that of an intrauterine contraception device (IUD) for patients with intrauterine adhesions (IUAs) after transcervical resection of adhesion (TCRA). METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, after TCRA, 31 patients received a special IUB, and 38 patients received an IUD. The Fisher exact test, logistic regression method, Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards regression model were used for statistical analysis. A two-sided value of P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The readhesion rate significantly differed between the IUB group and IUD group, at 15.39% and 54.06%, respectively (P = 0.002). For recurrent moderate IUA, patients in the IUB group had lower scores than patients in the IUD group (P = 0.035). There was a significant difference in the intrauterine pregnancy rate of IUA patients in the IUB group and IUD group after treatment, with rates of 55.56% and 14.29%, respectively (P = 0.015). CONCLUSION: Patients in the special IUB group had better outcomes than those in the IUD group, which has a certain guiding significance for clinical work.

Impact of Sulfoxaflor Exposure on Bacterial Community and Developmental Performance of the Predatory Ladybeetle Propylea japonica.

Insects maintain a vast number of symbiotic bacteria, and these symbionts play key roles in the hosts' life processes. Propylea japonica (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is an abundant and widespread ladybeetle in agricultural fields in Asia. Both larvae and adults of P. japonica are likely to be exposed to insecticide residue in the field during their predatory activity. Sulfoxaflor is a highly powerful insecticide that has strong efficacy in controlling sap-sucking pests. To date, there have been several studies on the acute and long-term toxicity of sulfoxaflor to insects, but few studies have reported the impact of sulfoxaflor on the predators' micro-ecosystems. This study was to determine the impact of sulfoxaflor on the symbiotic bacteria and developmental performance of P. japonica. In the present study, two concentrations (1 mg/L and 5 mg/L) and two exposure periods (1 day and 5 days) were set for P. japonica under sulfoxaflor exposure. The survival rate, developmental duration, pupation rate, emergence rate, and body weight of P. japonica were examined. Moreover, the bacterial community of P. japonica was investigated by high-throughput 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing. Our results indicated that bacterial community of P. japonica was mainly composed of Staphylococcus, Pantoea, Acinetobacter, Rhodococcus, and Ralstonia at the genus level. The bacterial community of P. japonica in 1 mg/L and 5 mg/L sulfoxaflor groups was significantly altered on day 1, compared with that in control group. The results also showed that the larval duration was significantly prolonged but the pupal duration was significantly shortened in both sulfoxaflor groups. Meanwhile, the pupation and emergence rate was not significantly changed, but the body weights of adults were significantly decreased in both sulfoxaflor groups. Our study will provide a new perspective for evaluating the safety of pesticides to beneficial arthropods.

68Ga-PSMA PET/CT for the evaluation of metastasis in patients with prostate cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic value of gallium-68-prostate specific membrane antigen (68Ga-PSMA) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in detecting metastases in prostate cancer (PCa) patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A comprehensive literature search of studies published before August 2021 in PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library databases was conducted.The methodological quality was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 tool. Studies investigating the diagnostic value of 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT were selected for qualitative and quantitative analysis. RESULTS: Twenty-five articles using 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT for detecting metastases in PCa patients were selected for qualitative analysis, 16 of which were selected for meta-analysis. The sensitivities of 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT in detecting lymph node metastases ranged from 33.3% to 96.08%, with high specificities ranged from 82% to 100%. Gallium-68-PSMA PET/CT demonstrated outstanding diagnostic performance in PCa patients with bone metastases. Only two articles about 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT for lung metastases showed that the detection value was limited. It was difficult to distinguish lung metastases in PCa patients from benign lesions or primary lung cancer. There was only one article about 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT for liver metastases, which showed that about 77.7% of metastatic lesions will be 68Ga-PSMA-positive and 22.3% will be false negatives. Due to the lack of articles on PCa visceral metastases, we only conducted a meta-analysis on lymph node metastases and bone metastases. In our meta-analysis, the per-patient pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (LR+), negative likelihood ratio (LR-), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) of lymph node metastases were 0.61, 0.96, 14.4, 0.41, 35, and 0.95, respectively. The per-lesion pooled sensitivity, specificity, LR+, LR-, DOR, and AUC of V were 0.74, 0.99, 76.0, 0.26, 289 and 0.99, respectively. The per-patient pooled sensitivity, specificity, LR+, LR-, DOR, and AUC of bone metastases were 0.97, 1.00, 1100.1, 0.03, 37490 and 0.98, respectively. CONCLUSION: Gallium-68-PSMA PET/CT demonstrated outstanding diagnostic performance for bone metastases in PCa patients. The majority of lymph node metastases, lung metastases, and liver metastases overexpressed PSMA, which could be directly detected. However, a considerable number of lesions were false negatives.

Fertility Improvement of Hysteroscopy with Chromopertubation in the Management of Infertile Women with Hysterosalpingography Evidence of Abnormal Tubal Patency: A Prospective Comparative Study.

Purpose: To investigate the clinical value of hysteroscopy with chromopertubation (HSC) in infertile patients with hysterosalpingography (HSG) evidence of abnormal tubal patency. Methods: The study consisted of 296 patients. HSG was performed as a preliminary test for the evaluation of fallopian tube status. Patients who desired to conceive naturally were treated with HSC in the next month or followed-up without additional treatment. The primary outcome was natural clinical pregnancy within 12 months after the procedure. Results: In total, the number of clinical pregnancies was estimated to be 70 of 143 (48.95%) clinical pregnancies with management by HSC and 65 of 153 (42.48%) pregnancies with management comprising follow-up without additional treatment, and this was not significantly different (Log rank test, P = 0.516). Subgroup analysis showed that among women with bilateral abnormalities by HSG, patients receiving management with HSC tended to have a higher probability of pregnancy throughout the follow-up period than women without HSG (Log rank test, P = 0.005). No corresponding significant difference was found for women with a unilateral abnormality (P = 0.674). Conclusion: HSC shows potential fertility improvement value for infertile patients with tubal factors. HSC may be complementary to HSG and could be incorporated as a modality of the fertility work-up.

Subchorionic Hematoma Volume Measured by Virtual Organ Computer-Aided Analysis in the Prediction of First-Trimester Pregnancy Outcome.

ABSTRACT: This study aimed to assess the association of subchorionic hematoma (SCH) size measured by virtual organ computer-aided analysis (VOCAL) with the first-trimester pregnancy outcome. A total of 139 first-trimester pregnancies from 6 to 12 weeks of gestational age with SCH were included. The circumference, area, and volume of the SCH (Cs, As, and 3DVs) and gestational sac (Cg, Ag, and 3DVg) were automatically calculated by VOCAL. Interobserver agreement was assessed with the intraclass correlation coefficient and Bland-Altman plot. Odds ratios for the clinical and ultrasound characteristics of adverse pregnancy outcomes were estimated by univariate or multivariable logistic regression. There was high interobserver agreement in VOCAL measurements of the SCH and gestational sac (intraclass correlation coefficients, >0.900). By univariate regression analysis, women with adverse pregnancy outcomes were more likely to have vaginal bleeding, a larger As and 3DVs, and higher Cs/Cg, As/Ag, and 3DVs/3DVg ratios (all P < 0.05). In the multivariable regression analysis, a higher 3DVs/3DVg ratio of SCH (odds ratio, 1.034; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.015-1.053; P = 0.000) and vaginal heavy bleeding had a significant positive relationship with the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes (odds ratio, 7.846; 95% CI, 1.104-55.737; P = 0.039) remained associated with an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. With 11.87% as the cutoff, the receiver operating characteristic curve yielded a good predictive performance (area under the curve, 0.713) and high sensitivity (91.18%). The measurements of SCH by VOCAL provide high reliability for estimating the total hematoma burden in first-trimester pregnant patients. A greater volume proportion (3DVs/3DVg) of SCH worsens the pregnancy outcome, and a greater risk of adverse pregnancy outcome also associated with the severity of vaginal bleeding.

Predictor assessment of complete miscarriage after medical treatment for early pregnancy loss in women with previous cesarean section.

This study aimed to evaluate clinical predictors associated with complete miscarriage after medical treatment for early pregnancy loss (EPL) in women with previous cesarean section. Patients with retained uterine content after expulsion followed by administration of mifepristone and misoprostol were included if they chose continued medical treatment rather than surgical intervention. Clinical characteristics including maternal age, gravidity, parity, history of previous cesarean section and ultrasound findings regarding average diameter of the gestational sac, uterine position, width, and blood flow signal of the residual uterine content after expulsion of the gestational sac were included in the analysis to determine predictors of complete miscarriage. A recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) was used to divide the patients into probability groups and assess their probability of complete miscarriage. A total of 89 patients were analyzed. The complete miscarriage rate was 58.43% overall. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that the width and blood flow signal of the residual after expulsion were both independent predictors for complete miscarriage (all P < .05). Patients were divided into high-probability (no blood flow signal, width of residual <1 cm), intermediate-probability (no blood flow signal, width of residual ≥1 cm; blood flow signal, width of residual <1 cm), and low-probability (blood flow signal, width of residual ≥ 1 cm) groups by RPA according to these 2 factors. The incidences of complete miscarriage were 88.24%, 67.57%, and 34.29%, respectively, P < .001). Surgical evacuation may be avoided in patients without ultrasonic blood flow of the uterine residual and width of the residual <1 cm. More active treatment could be recommended for patients with ultrasonic blood flow of the uterine residual and width of the residual ≥ 1 cm. Clinicians and patients should be aware of these differences when proceeding with medical treatment for EPL patients with previous cesarean section.

[Clinical Significance of IgG4 Level in Predicting the Activity and Outcome of Phospholipase A2 Receptor-associated Membranous Nephropathy].

Objective To investigate the feasibility of IgG4 as a biomarker of the activity and outcome of phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R)-associated membranous nephropathy (PLA2R-MN). Methods Serum and urine samples were collected from 56 patients with PLA2R-MN,13 patients with secondary membranous nephropathy (SMN),and 10 patients with primary IgA nephropathy (IgAN) when kidney biopsy was performed in the Department of Nephrology,Hangzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from April 2017 to January 2018.Sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed to measure the serum and urinary IgG4 levels. Results The PLA2R-MN group had higher median serum IgG4/IgG ratio than the SMN group (P=0.009) and the IgAN group (P<0.001) and higher median urinary IgG4/creatinine ratio than the SMN group (P=0.008).In the patients with PLA2R-MN,the median serum IgG4/IgG ratio and urinary IgG4/creatinine ratio were significantly higher in the renal insufficiency group than in the normal renal function group (P=0.049,P=0.015).Moreover,the median serum IgG4/IgG ratio was higher in those with a serum albumin level<30 g/L than in those with a serum albumin level ≥30 g/L (P=0.005).Fifty-three patients with PLA2R-MN were followed up for at least 1 year,and the serum IgG4/IgG ratios of the patients in remission were lower than those of the patients without remission (P=0.005).The median serum IgG4/IgG ratio of 23 patients in remission decreased from 5.82% (4.54%,10.20%)(at initial enrollment) to 2.91% (2.11%,5.37%)(after 1-year follow up) in remission patients (P<0.001).The receiver operating characteristic curve showed that the patients with a serum IgG4/IgG ratio<10.24% had a higher possibility of remission (P=0.005). Conclusion Serum and urinary IgG4 levels may be an indicator of the activity in PLA2R-MN patients and thus may be a predictive biomarker of the outcomes.

Do the core symptoms play key roles in the development of problematic smartphone use symptoms.

Aims: Previous research determined the core symptoms (loss of control and being caught in the loop) of problematic smartphone use (PSU), which are of great importance to understand the structure and potential intervention targets of PSU. However, the cross-sectional design fails to reveal causality between symptoms and usually conflates the between- and within-subjects effects of PSU symptoms. This study aims to determine whether the core symptoms of PSU, indeed, dominate the future development of PSU symptoms from longitudinal between- and within-subjects levels. Materials and methods: In this study, 2191 adolescents were surveyed for 3 years for PSU symptoms. A cross-lagged panel model (CLPM) was used to explore longitudinal between-subjects causal relationships between symptoms, and a graphic vector autoregressive model (GVAR) was used to separate the between- and within-subjects effects and detect the longitudinal effect at the within-subject level. Results: The results of CLPM indicated that the core symptoms (both loss of control and being caught in the loop) of PSU, indeed, dominate the future development of PSU symptoms at a longitudinal between-subjects level. From T1 to T2, the cross-lagged model showed that both the loss of control (out-prediction = 0.042) and being caught in the loop (out-prediction = 0.053) at T1 have the highest out-prediction over other symptoms at T2. From T2 to T3, the loss of control (out-prediction = 0.027) and being caught in the loop (out-prediction = 0.037) at T2 also have the highest out-prediction over other symptoms of PSU at T3. While, after separating the between- and within-subjects effects, only being caught in the loop at T1 played a key role in promoting the development of other PSU symptoms at T3 at the within-subjects level. The contemporaneous network showed intensive connection, while the cross-sectional between-subjects network is very sparse. Conclusion: These findings not only confirm and extend the key roles of core symptoms in the dynamic aspect of PSU symptoms and PSU itself but also suggest that interventions should consider the core symptoms of PSU, individual- and group-level effects and that individualized intervention programs are needed in future.

An Effective Fusing Approach by Combining Connectivity Network Pattern and Temporal-Spatial Analysis for EEG-Based BCI Rehabilitation.

Motor-modality-based brain computer interface (BCI) could promote the neural rehabilitation for stroke patients. Temporal-spatial analysis was commonly used for pattern recognition in this task. This paper introduced a novel connectivity network analysis for EEG-based feature selection. The network features of connectivity pattern not only captured the spatial activities responding to motor task, but also mined the interactive pattern among these cerebral regions. Furthermore, the effective combination between temporal-spatial analysis and network analysis was evaluated for improving the performance of BCI classification (81.7%). And the results demonstrated that it could raise the classification accuracies for most of patients (6 of 7 patients). This proposed method was meaningful for developing the effective BCI training program for stroke rehabilitation.

Renal Interstitial Inflammation Predicts Nephropathy Progression in IgA Nephropathy: A Two-Center Cohort Study.

INTRODUCTION: Renal interstitial inflammation often presents in immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN), but its predictive role in kidney disease progression remains controversial. METHODS: This retrospective two-center cohort study included 1,420 adult IgAN patients between January 2003 and May 2018 followed for a median of approximately 7 years at two Chinese hospitals. The predictor was renal interstitial inflammation within the total cortical interstitium (none/mild [0-25%], moderate [26-50%], or severe [>50%]). For the further propensity score matching analyses, the participants with moderate and severe level of interstitial inflammation were pooled to match those with none/mild level of interstitial inflammation. The outcomes included the rate of kidney function decline, and the composite kidney endpoint event defined as a >40% reduction in the estimated glomerular filtration rate, end-stage kidney disease. Linear regression and Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were used to examine the association between interstitial inflammation and the outcomes. The predictive performance of the model also assessed using multivariate logistic regression analyses with the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Reclassification was assessed using the continuous net reclassification improvement and integrated discrimination improvement adapted for censoring for the assessment of the model with or without interstitial inflammation. RESULTS: For the check of reproducibility, the kappa statistic was 0.71, and intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.77. After adjustment for relating covariates, a higher level of interstitial inflammation was associated with a faster rate of kidney function decline (eGFR slope [mL/min/1.73 m2] of 1.34 [95% CI: -2.56 to 5.23], 3.50 [95% CI: -0.40 to 7.40], and 7.52 [95% CI: 3.02 to 12.01]) in the patients with none/mild, moderate, and severe interstitial inflammation, respectively, in the multivariable linear regression models and with an increased risk of kidney disease progression (HR for moderate vs. none/mild, 1.85; 95% CI: 1.10-3.13; HR for severe vs. none/mild, 2.95; 95% CI: 1.52-5.73) in the multivariable Cox proportional hazards models. Analyses in the propensity score-matched cohort, subgroups, and the sensitive analyses yielded consistent results. The receiver operating curves indicated a higher area under the curve of 0.83 in the model with interstitial inflammation compared with 0.81 in that without interstitial inflammation. In addition, incorporating interstitial inflammation into the International IgAN Risk Prediction Tool improved the diagnostic power of the algorithm to predict risk of progression. CONCLUSION: Interstitial inflammation is a reproducible pathologic parameter that may be adopted as a predictor for kidney disease progression in patients with IgAN.

Diagnostic value of scoring model of treadmill exercise test combined with dynamic electrocardiogram for latent coronary heart disease.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the diagnostic value of scoring model of treadmill exercise test (TET) combined with dynamic electrocardiogram (DECG) for latent coronary heart disease (LCHD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using coronary angiography, the diagnostic values of TET and DECG alone or combination for LCHD of 200 eligible patients were compared. The effects of different clinical features and DECG indices on the positive detection rate of TET combined with DECG were compared. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed for factors influencing diagnostic accuracy, and nomogram prediction model was established using screened independent risk factors. RESULTS: Serial and parallel combinations of TET and DECG had superior sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values and accuracy than those of single detection. Patients with an age > 65 years, smoking, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, family history of CHD and positive DECG indicators had higher positive detection rate, as independent risk factors for accuracy. The diagnostic accuracy of TET combined with DECG predicted by the nomogram model was 82.9%. The actual concordance index (C-index) for model evaluation was 0.817, the C-index after internal validation was 0.811, and the C-index after external validation was 0.802, indicating a good concordance of the model. CONCLUSIONS: TET combined with DECG has high diagnostic accuracy for LCHD, and the scoring model constructed by DECG indicators can prominently improve the accuracy of combined diagnosis. Therefore, TET combined with DECG is significantly better than TET or DECG alone, which is of great diagnostic value for LCHD.

Pd(II)-Catalyzed Arylation/Oxidation of Benzylic C-H of 8-Methylquinolines: Access to 8-Benzoylquinolines.

An efficient access to 8-benzoylquinoline was developed by a sequential arylation/oxidation of 8-methylquinolines with aryl iodides in the presence of Pd(OAc)2. This transformation demonstrates good tolerance of a wide range of functional groups on aryl iodides, providing good to excellent yields of 8-benzoylquinolines.

Protective effects of pretreatment with Fe2+, Cu2+, and Rb+ on phoxim poisoning in silkworm, Bombyx mori.

BACKGROUND: Phoxim is a widely used organophosphorus pesticide in agriculture. People are paying more and more attention to its toxicity. At present, there is no appropriate way to solve the phoxim poisoning of silkworm, which severely affected the development of sericulture. Fe2+, Cu2+, Rb+ exerted their biological effects through various forms in vivo. METHODS: To evaluate the effect of Fe2+/Cu2+/Rb+ on phoxim poisoning in silkworm, Bombyx mori were treated with fresh mulberry leaves soaked in 2.5 mg/L phoxim for 2 min with 50 mg/L FeCl2, 150 mg/L CuCl2, or 0.5 mg/L RbCl from 5 days of the fifth-instar silkworm. RESULTS: Fe2+, Cu2+, and Rb+ pretreatments significantly inhibited the phoxim-induced reduction of survival rate and alleviated the phoxim-induced poisoning symptoms. The protective effects of Fe2+, Cu2+, and Rb+ on phoxim poisoning might be due to their enhancement of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and carboxylesterase (CarE) in the hemolymph and fat body of silkworm. This enhancement might reduce reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and oxidative stress (OS) caused by phoxim poisoning. Thereby it reduced the damage to silkworm tissues and cells. CONCLUSIONS: These results showed that Fe2+, Cu2+, and Rb+ treatments protected the silkworm from phoxim poisoning by directly enhancing the activity of SOD, CAT, and CarE enzymes and reducing oxidative stress, but not dependent on the high expression of CYP genes. The use of Fe2+, Cu2+, and Rb+ to enhance the activity of SOD, CAT, and CarE enzymes may be an underlying effective way to solve phoxim poisoning in the silkworm industry.

Nanoarray Structures for Artificial Photosynthesis.

Conversion and storage of solar energy into fuels and chemicals by artificial photosynthesis has been considered as one of the promising methods to address the global energy crisis. However, it is still far from the practical applications on a large scale. Nanoarray structures that combine the advantages of nanosize and array alignment have demonstrated great potential to improve solar energy conversion efficiency, stability, and selectivity. This article provides a comprehensive review on the utilization of nanoarray structures in artificial photosynthesis of renewable fuels and high value-added chemicals. First, basic principles of solar energy conversion and superiorities of using nanoarray structures in this field are described. Recent research progress on nanoarray structures in both abiotic and abiotic-biotic hybrid systems is then outlined, highlighting contributions to light absorption, charge transport and transfer, and catalytic reactions (including kinetics and selectivity). Finally, conclusions and outlooks on future research directions of nanoarray structures for artificial photosynthesis are presented.

Diagnostic significance of a color Doppler ultrasound combined with serum CXCL16 and E-cad in cervical cancer.

BACKGROUND: The use of effective non-invasive diagnostic markers in the early stage of cervical cancer is lacking currently. This study sought to investigate the value of color Doppler ultrasound combined with serum CXC chemokine ligand-16 (CXCL16) and epithelial cadherin (E-cad) levels in diagnosing cervical cancer. METHODS: Two hundreds cervical cancer patients admitted in our hospital between May 2018 and April 2020 were selected as the observation group. The control group included 100 healthy participants. The ultrasound parameters, and the serum CXCL16 and E-cad levels between the two groups and patients at different pathological stages were compared. The correlations between disease progress and ultrasound and serological indexes were analyzed. The diagnostic efficiency of an ultrasound and measures of serum CXCL16 and E-cad levels were compared as well. RESULTS: The peak systolic velocity (PSV) of the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P<0.05). In case of the resistance index (RI), the results were the opposite to the PSV (P<0.05). The PSV (P<0.05) and RI (P<0.05) were significantly different among different pathological stages. The serum CXCL16 (P<0.05) and E-cad (P<0.05) levels of participants in the observation group were significantly higher than those of patients in the control group. A pairwise comparison showed that the serum CXCL16 and E-cad levels increased significantly as the pathological stages of the cancer progressed. The diagnosis and disease progression of cervical cancer were positively correlated with PSV, CXCL16, and E-cad levels, and negatively correlated with the RI. Combining an ultrasound diagnosis with serum CXCL16 and E-cad levels had significantly higher diagnostic sensitivity than that of any individual indicator in patients with cervical cancer. The curve analysis showed that the cut-off values of PSV, the RI, CXCL16 and E-cad were 14.25, 0.50, 40.15 ng/mL and 85.36 pmmol/L, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The sensitivity of color Doppler ultrasound combined with serum CXCL16 and E-cad levels in the diagnosis of cervical cancer is high. Thus, it is recommended that it be used in clinics.