Nontargeted Analysis of Coumarins in Source Water and Their Formation of Chlorinated Coumarins as DBPs in Drinking Water.

Coumarin was detected as one of the most abundant compounds by nontargeted analysis of natural product components in actual water samples prior to disinfection. More importantly, prechlorination of humic acid generated 3-hydroxycoumarin and monohydroxy-monomethyl-substituted coumarin with a total yield of ≤10.1%, which suggested the humic substance in raw water is an important source of coumarins. 7-Hydroxycoumarin, 6-hydroxy-4-methylcoumarin, 6,7-dihydroxycoumarin, and 7-methoxy-4-methylcoumarin were identified in raw water by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem high-resolution mass spectrometry because only some coumarin standards were commercially available. Their chlorination generated monochlorinated and polychlorinated coumarins, and their structures were confirmed by the synthesized standards. These products could form at various dosages of chlorine and pH levels, and some with a concentration of 600 ng/L can be stable in tap water for days. 3,6,8-Trichloro-7-hydroxycoumarin, 3-chloro-7-methoxy-4-methylcoumarin, and 3,6-dichloro-7-methoxy-4-methylcoumarin were first identified in finished water with concentrations of 0.0670, 78.1, and 14.7 ng/L, respectively, but not in source water, suggesting that they are new DBPs formed during disinfection. The cytotoxicity of 3-chloro-7-methoxy-4-methylcoumarin in CHO-K1 cells was comparable to those of 2,6-dibromo-1,4-benzoquinone and 2,6-dichloro-1,4-benzoquinone in TIC-Tox analyses, suggesting that further investigation of their occurrence and control in drinking water systems is warranted.

Biomimetic lizard robot for adapting to Martian surface terrain.

The exploration of the planet Mars still is a top priority in planetary science. The Mars surface is extensively covered with soil-like material. Current wheeled rovers on Mars have been occasionally experiencing immobilization instances in unexpectedly weak terrains. The development of Mars rovers adaptable to these terrains is instrumental in improving exploration efficiency. Inspired by locomotion of the desert lizard, this paper illustrates a biomimetic quadruped robot with structures of flexible active spine and toes. By accounting for spine lateral flexion and its coordination with four leg movements, three gaits of tripod, trot and turning are designed. The motions corresponding to the three gaits are conceptually and numerically analyzed. On the granular terrains analog to Martian surface, the gasping forces by the active toes are estimated. Then traversing tests for the robot to move on Martian soil surface analog with the three gaits were investigated. Moreover, the traversing characteristics for Martian rocky and slope surface analog are analyzed. Results show that the robot can traverse Martian soil surface analog with maximum forward speed 28.13 m s-1turning speed 1.94° s-1and obstacle height 74.85 mm. The maximum angle for climbing Martian soil slope analog is 28°, corresponding slippery rate 76.8%. It is predicted that this robot can adapt to Martian granular rough terrain with gentle slopes.

Comparative Analysis of Macro/Microstructures and Constituents of Sorghum and Reed Straw.

Node-containing straws exhibit superior mechanical properties compared to node-free straw plants, particularly in terms of shear resistance and compression resistance. We explore the relationship between the structure and mechanical properties of straw materials, providing deeper insights for the field of biomechanics. In this study, we focused on two node-containing straw plants, namely sorghum and reed. The main characteristics of sorghum and reed stalks were compared using macroscopic observation, stereomicroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and EDS analysis. This study revealed numerous similarities and differences in the macro- and microstructures as well as the elemental composition of sorghum and reed stalks. The functional groups in sorghum and reed stalks were largely similar, with the primary elements being C and O. Distinguishing features included a higher tapering and a slightly larger reduction in wall thickness in sorghum stalks compared to reed stalks. The cross-section of sorghum stalks was filled with pith structures, while reed stalks exhibited a hollow structure. The vascular bundles in sorghum typically showed a paired arrangement, whereas those in reeds were arranged in odd numbers. Furthermore, sorghum straws contained more Cl and no Br, while the parenchyma of reed straws contained higher Br. The C and O proportions of sorghum straws and reed straws are 50-53% (50-51%) and 45-46% (48-49%), respectively. These variations in elemental composition are believed to be correlated with the mechanical properties of the materials. By conducting a detailed study of the micro/macrostructures and material composition of sorghum and reed straw, this paper provides valuable insights for the field of biomechanics.

Biomimetic Study of a Honeycomb Energy Absorption Structure Based on Straw Micro-Porous Structure.

In this paper, sorghum and reed, which possess light stem structures in nature, were selected as biomimetic prototypes. Based on their mechanical stability characteristics-the porous structure at the node feature and the porous feature in the outer skin- biomimetic optimization design, simulation, and experimental research on both the traditional hexagonal structure and a hexagonal honeycomb structure were carried out. According to the two types of straw microcell and chamber structure characteristics, as well as the cellular energy absorption structure for the bionic optimization design, 22 honeycomb structures in 6 categories were considered, including a corrugated cell wall bionic design, a modular cell design, a reinforcement plate structure, and a self-similar structure, as well as a porous cell wall structure and gradient structures of variable wall thickness. Among them, HTPC-3 (a combined honeycomb structure), HSHT (a self-similar honeycomb structure), and HBCT-257 (a radial gradient variable wall thickness honeycomb structure) had the best performance: their energy absorption was 41.06%, 17.84%, and 83.59% higher than that of HHT (the traditional hexagonal honeycomb decoupling unit), respectively. Compared with HHT (a traditional hexagon honeycomb decoupling unit), the specific energy absorption was increased by 39.98%, 17.24%, and 26.61%, respectively. Verification test analysis revealed that the combined honeycomb structure performed the best and that its specific energy absorption was 22.82% higher than that of the traditional hexagonal structure.

3D-CT measurements of facial symmetry in severe CFM patients: A comparative study between mandibular ascending ramus distraction osteogenesis and bone grafting.

This study aims to compare the effects of mandibular distraction osteogenesis (MDO) and bone grafting on the facial symmetry of children with Pruzansky-Kaban type IIB and III craniofacial microsomia (CFM). Medical records and three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) data of CFM patients who had primarily undergone MDO and bone grafting were collected. A retrospective analysis of pre-and post-operative 3D imaging data was conducted to compare the improvement rate in facial symmetry between the two groups based on occlusal cant, affected/unaffected ramus height ratio and chin point deviation. The data were tested for normality using the Shapiro-Wilk test. When the data followed a normal distribution, a paired sample t-test was employed for the comparison between preoperative and postoperative data. When the data did not follow a normal distribution, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test for paired samples was used for preoperative and postoperative comparison. The study included 18 children with type IIB and III CFM, 11 in the MDO group and 7 in the bone grafting group. In the MDO group, postoperative Gn-FH and Gn-Cor distances increased significantly, whereas the postoperative Gn-Mid distance decreased significantly. Occlusal cant decreased significantly and ramus height affected/unaffected ratio increased significantly after MDO. In the bone graft group, there was no statistically significant difference in the postoperative ratios of chin deviation, occlusal cant, and ramus height affected/unaffected compared to the preoperative values. Compared to bone grafting, MDO can significantly enhance ramus height ratio, level occlusal plane, and centralize the chin point among patients with CFM. Furthermore, MDO achieves superior enhancements in facial symmetry.

Identification of autophagy-related genes in diabetic foot ulcer based on bioinformatic analysis.

Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) complications involve autophagy dysregulation. This study aimed to identify autophagy-related bioindicators in DFU. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between DFU and healthy samples were analysed from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets, GSE7014 and GSE29221. The roles of autophagy-related DEGs were investigated using protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways, Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment, and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA). Immune cell infiltration's correlation with these DEGs was also assessed. From the Human Autophagy Database (HADB), 232 autophagy-related genes (ARGs) were identified, with an intersection of 17 key DEGs between GSE7014 and GSE29221. These genes are involved in pathways like autophagy-animal, NOD-like receptor signalling, and apoptosis. In the protein network, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN) showed significant interactions with ARGs. Survival analysis indicated the prognostic importance of calpain 2 (CAPN2), integrin subunit beta 1 (ITGB1), and vesicle-associated membrane protein 3 (VAMP3). Lower immune scores were observed in the type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) group than in controls. Autophagy and ARGs significantly influence DFU pathophysiology.

Unveiling the Potential of Bacillus safensis Y246 for Enhanced Suppression of Rhizoctonia solani.

Rhizoctonia solani is a significant pathogen affecting various crops, including tobacco. In this study, a bacterial strain, namely Y246, was isolated from the soil of healthy plants and exhibited high antifungal activity. Based on morphological identification and DNA sequencing, this bacterial strain was identified as Bacillus safensis. The aim of this investigation was to explore the antifungal potential of strain Y246, to test the antifungal stability of Y246 by adjusting different cultivation conditions, and to utilize gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to predict the volatile compounds related to antifungal activity in Y246. In vitro assays demonstrated that strain Y246 exhibited a high fungal inhibition rate of 76.3%. The fermentation broth and suspension of strain Y246 inhibited the mycelial growth of R. solani by 66.59% and 63.75%, respectively. Interestingly, treatment with volatile compounds derived from the fermentation broth of strain Y246 resulted in abnormal mycelial growth of R. solani. Scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed bent and deformed mycelium structures with a rough surface. Furthermore, the stability of antifungal activity of the fermentation broth of strain Y246 was assessed. Changes in temperature, pH value, and UV irradiation time had minimal impact on the antifungal activity, indicating the stability of the antifungal activity of strain Y246. A GC-MS analysis of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced by strain Y246 identified a total of 34 compounds with inhibitory effects against different fungi. Notably, the strain demonstrated broad-spectrum activity, exhibiting varying degrees of inhibition against seven pathogens (Alternaria alternata, Phomopsis. sp., Gloeosporium musarum, Dwiroopa punicae, Colletotrichum karstii, Botryosphaeria auasmontanum, and Botrytis cinerea). In our extensive experiments, strain Y246 not only exhibited strong inhibition against R. solani but also demonstrated remarkable inhibitory effects on A. alternata-induced tobacco brown spot and kiwifruit black spot, with impressive inhibition rates of 62.96% and 46.23%, respectively. Overall, these findings highlight the significant antifungal activity of B. safensis Y246 against R. solani. In addition, Y246 has an excellent antifungal stability, with an inhibition rate > 30% under different treatments (temperature, pH, UV). The results showed that the VOCs of strain Y246 had a strong inhibitory effect on the colony growth of R. solani, and the volatile substances produced by strain Y246 had an inhibitory effect on R. solani at rate of 70.19%. Based on these results, we can conclude that Y246 inhibits the normal growth of R. solani. These findings can provide valuable insights for developing sustainable agricultural strategies.

Mesoscopic analysis of drag reduction performance of bionic furrow opener based on the discrete element method.

In order to study the dynamic interface mechanical behavior between soil and agricultural machinery and reveal the causes of tillage resistance, three kinds of bionic furrow opener were designed according to the characteristics of earthworm head surface curve, using the discrete element method to simulate and analyze the process of the furrow openers. The results showed that the order of ditching resistance from large to small is traditional opener, bionic corrugated opener, bionic ridgeline opener, bionic composite opener. With the same ditching speed, the drag reduction effect of the three bionic openers increases with the increase of the ditching depth. During the process of increasing the depth from 30 mm to 60 mm and 90 mm, the ditching resistance of the traditional opener increased from 11.56 N to 28.32 N and 48.61 N as well as the maximum drag reduction ratio increased from 5.58% to 7.20% and 8.93% for the bionic composite opener. With the same ditching depth, the bionic composite opener reached the highest drag reduction rate of all bionic openers when the speed is 100 mm/s, the value is 9.08%. The width of the ditch of the three bionic openers is smaller than that of the traditional opener. Bionic corrugated opener can improve the ditch height and reduce the ditch width,the corrugated structure creates a gap between the surface of the core and the particles, reducing the number of contact and contact area of the particles. The number of contact particles of the three bionic openers is smaller than that of the traditional opener. The bionic composite opener has the smallest force field and the soil disturbance caused by the core share surface is small, the soil is evenly distributed along the core surface. The discrete element simulation shows that the bionic opener can effectively reduce the ditching resistance and improve the quality of ditching, which provides a theoretical basis for subsequent research and optimization.

Comparison of Imaging Characteristics of Gangliogliomas between Child/Adolescent Group and Adult Group.

BACKGROUND: Ganglioglioma is a rare, slowly proliferating mixed glioneuronal tumor, with the highest incidence observed in children and young adults, but it can also occur in adults. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the imaging characteristics of ganglioglioma in children/adolescents and adults to facilitate radiographic diagnosis. METHODS: In this retrospective study, a total of 32 patients were included and divided into two groups: the child/adolescent group (age < 18 years, n=19) and the adult group (age ≥ 18 years, n=13). Various variables were analyzed, including maximum diameter, location, periphery, border, calcification, unenhanced CT attenuation, T1WI, T2WI/FLAIR, and DWI signal intensity, enhancement pattern, degree of enhancement, homogeneity of enhancement, solid/cystic component, peri-tumoral edema, intra-tumoral septa, peri-tumoral capsule, and intra-tumoral hemorrhage. RESULTS: Most gangliogliomas were situated in the peripheral regions, particularly in the temporal lobe. The majority exhibited hypointense/isointense signals on T1WI and hyperintense signals on T2WI/FLAIR and DWI, with predominantly heterogeneous nodular enhancement. Peri-tumoral edema was significantly less frequent in the child/adolescent group, while marked enhancement was significantly more common in the adult group. There was no significant difference in maximum diameter between the child/adolescent group and the adult group. CONCLUSION: Peri-tumoral edema was significantly less prevalent in the child/adolescent group, whereas marked enhancement was significantly more frequent in the adult group. To ensure accurate results, a larger case series should be conducted to validate our findings.

Associations of blood biomarkers with arterial stiffness in patients with diabetes mellitus: A population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Arterial stiffness contributes to additional cardiovascular risks in diabetic patients by triggering the loss of vascular and myocardial compliance and promoting endothelial dysfunction. Thus, prevention of arterial stiffness is a public health priority, and the identification of potential biomarkers may provide benefits for early prevention. This study investigates the relationships between serum laboratory tests and pulse wave velocity (PWV) tests. We also investigated the associations between PWV and all-cause mortality. METHODS: We examined a panel of 33 blood biomarkers among diabetic populations in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. The carotid-femoral (cfPWV) and femoral-ankle PWV (faPWV) were measured using an automated cardiovascular screening device. The aortic-femoral arterial stiffness gradient (afSG) was calculated as faPWV divided by cfPWV. Biomarker levels were log-transformed and correlated with PWV. Cox proportional hazard models were employed for survival analysis. RESULTS: Among 1079 diabetic patients, biomarkers including high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, glycated hemoglobin, high-sensitivity troponin T, cystatin C, creatinine, and albuminuria were significantly correlated with afSG (R = 0.078, -0.193, -0.155, -0.153, -0.116, and -0.137, respectively) and cfPWV (R = -0.068, 0.175, 0.128, 0.066, 0.202, and 0.062, respectively). Compared with the lowest tertile of afSG, the risk of all-cause mortality was lower in the highest tertile (hazard ratio 0.543; 95% confidence interval 0.328-0.900). CONCLUSION: Certain biomarkers related to blood glucose monitoring, myocardial injury, and renal function significantly correlated with PWV, suggesting that these putative risk factors are likely to be important atherosclerosis mechanisms in diabetic patients. AfSG may be an independent predictor of mortality among diabetic populations.

Structure and mechanical properties of ladybird elytra as biological sandwich panels.

The armour of the ladybird, elytra, protect the body from injury and are well-adapted to flight. However, experimental methods to decipher their mechanical performances had been challenging due to the small size, making it unclear how the elytra balance mass and strength. Here, we provide insights to the relationship between the microstructure and multifunctional properties of the elytra by means of structural characterization, mechanical analysis and finite element simulations. Micromorphology analysis on the elytron revealed the thickness ratio of the upper lamination, middle layer and lower lamination is approximately 51:139:7. The upper lamination had multiple cross fibre layers and the thickness of each fibre layer is not the same. In addition, the tensile strength, elastic modulus, fracture strain, bending stiffness and hardness of elytra were obtained through in-situ tensile and nanoindentation-bending under the influence of multiple loading conditions, which also serve as references for finite element models. The finite element model revealed that structural factors such as thickness of each layer, angle of fibre layer and trabeculae are key to affecting the mechanical properties, but the effect is different. When the thickness of upper, middle and lower layers is the same, the tensile strength provided by unit mass of the model is 52.78% lower than that provided by elytra. These findings broaden the relationship between the structural and mechanical properties of the ladybird elytra, and are expected to inspire the development of sandwich structures in biomedical engineering.

Secure Inference on Homomorphically Encrypted Genotype Data with Encrypted Linear Models.

Background: Accurate models are crucial to estimate the phenotypes from high throughput genomic data. While the genetic and phenotypic data are sensitive, secure models are essential to protect the private information. Therefore, construct an accurate and secure model is significant in secure inference of phenotypes. Methods: We propose a secure inference protocol on homomorphically encrypted genotype data with encrypted linear models. Firstly, scale the genotype data by feature importance with Xgboost or Adaboost then train linear models to predict the phenotypes in plaintext. Secondly, encrypt the model parameters and test data with CKKS scheme for secure inference. Thirdly, predict the phenotypes under CKKS homomorphically encryption computation. Finally, decrypt the encrypted predictions by client to compute the 1-NRMSE/AUC for model evaluation. Results: 5 phenotypes of 3000 samples with 20390 variants are used to validate the performance of the secure inference protocol. The protocol achieves 0.9548, 0.9639, 0.9673 (1-NRMSE) for 3 continuous phenotypes and 0.9943, 0.99290 (AUC) for 2 category phenotypes in test data. Moreover, the protocol shows robust in 100 times of random sampling. Furthermore, the protocol achieves 0.9725 (the average accuracy) in an encrypted test set with 198 samples, and it only takes 4.32s for the overall inference. These help the protocol rank top one in the iDASH-2022 track2 challenge. Conclusion: We propose an accurate and secure protocol to predict the phenotype from genotype and it takes seconds to obtain hundreds of predictions for all phenotypes.

Prdm6 drives ductus arteriosus closure by promoting ductus arteriosus smooth muscle cell identity and contractility.

Based upon our demonstration that the smooth muscle cell-selective (SMC-selective) putative methyltransferase, Prdm6, interacts with myocardin-related transcription factor-A, we examined Prdm6's role in SMCs in vivo using cell type-specific knockout mouse models. Although SMC-specific depletion of Prdm6 in adult mice was well tolerated, Prdm6 depletion in Wnt1-expressing cells during development resulted in perinatal lethality and a completely penetrant patent ductus arteriosus (DA) phenotype. Lineage tracing experiments in Wnt1Cre2 Prdm6fl/fl ROSA26LacZ mice revealed normal neural crest-derived SMC investment of the outflow tract. In contrast, myography measurements on DA segments isolated from E18.5 embryos indicated that Prdm6 depletion significantly reduced DA tone and contractility. RNA-Seq analyses on DA and ascending aorta samples at E18.5 identified a DA-enriched gene program that included many SMC-selective contractile associated proteins that was downregulated by Prdm6 depletion. Chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing experiments in outflow tract SMCs demonstrated that 50% of the genes Prdm6 depletion altered contained Prdm6 binding sites. Finally, using several genome-wide data sets, we identified an SMC-selective enhancer within the Prdm6 third intron that exhibited allele-specific activity, providing evidence that rs17149944 may be the causal SNP for a cardiovascular disease GWAS locus identified within the human PRDM6 gene.

Long-Term Visit-To-Visit Blood Pressure Variability and Risk of Diabetes Mellitus in Chinese Population: A Retrospective Population-Based Study.

Objectives: To examine the association between visit-to-visit blood pressure variability (BPV) and incident diabetes mellitus (DM) risk in a Chinese population. Methods: Data comes from China Health and Nutrition Survey (n = 15,084). BPV was estimated as the average real variability (ARV) using at least three BP measurements from the year preceding the event and was divided into quartiles. Participants were also categorized into 9 groups on the basis of combinations of systolic BPV (SBPV) and diastolic BPV (DBPV) tertiles. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used. Results: During a median follow-up of 16.8 years, 1,030 (6.8%) participants developed diabetes (incidence rate: 4.65/1,000 person-years). The HRs (95% CIs) for the highest quartile (vs. the lowest quartile) of SBPV and DBPV were 1.60 (1.30-1.97) and 1.37 (1.13-1.67), respectively. Participants with both highest SBPV and DBPV tertile had an ≈89% higher risk of DM (HR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.47-2.42) compared with those in the both SBPV and DBPV tertile 1 group. Conclusion: Higher SBP ARV and DBP ARV were independently associated with increased risk of incident DM, which was augmented when both presented together.

Laparoscopic revision of duct-to-mucosa pancreaticojejunostomy anastomotic stricture after laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy.

PURPOSE: Pancreaticojejunostomy stricture (PJS) is an uncommon late complication of laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy (LPD). The incidence, clinical characteristics, and managements of PJS after LPD are still unreported. METHODS: All patients undergoing LPD between January 2015 and December 2019 were identified from an institutional database. All pancreaticojejunostomies were performed using Bing's duct-to-mucosa anastomosis. PJS was diagnosed by computed tomography or magnetic resonance cholangio-pancreatography with secretin administration. Re-operation was performed in those patients with persistent abdominal pain and/or recurrent pancreatitis. Patients' demographic characteristics, perioperative outcomes, and follow-up outcomes were retrospectively collected. RESULTS: During the 5-year study period, 506 cases of LPD were performed. Among these patients, 13 patients (2.6%) were diagnosed with PJS. Only seven patients presented with abdominal pain and/or recurrent pancreatitis and underwent re-operation. The interval between the diagnosis of PJS and the original operation was 23 months. The median operative time was 140 min (range 90 to 210 min). The estimated blood loss was 40 ml (range 10 to 100 ml). The post-operative outcomes were favorable. Only one patient suffered from biochemical fistula. Six of these 7 patients (85.7%) reported complete pain resolution after the re-operation. The other patient reported partial resolution after surgery. All patients did not need to take analgesic drugs after the operation. CONCLUSION: PJS following LPD is a late complication that was underestimated. It is technically safe and clinically effective to perform laparoscopic revision of the PJS after LPD.

The different effects of breaking an object at different time points.

Whether the Object-based Correspondence Effect caused by task-irrelevant handles of graspable objects is attributed to the spatial-based or motor-based accounts, or both, has been controversial thus far. In this study, we investigated this question from the time dynamic perspective with the modified stimulus-response (S-R) compatibility paradigm. Specifically, we used three different types of objects in three behavioral experiments: objects with a handle, symmetrical objects, and objects with unilateral protrusion. The objects were broken or remained intact at three different time points (i.e., 50 ms, 150 ms, and 250 ms). The results showed that the object with an intact handle had the correspondence effect at 150 ms, while the correspondence effect disappeared when the handle was broken (Experiment 1). However, no similar pattern was found for symmetric objects (Experiment 2) and objects with unilateral protrusion (Experiment 3). Meanwhile, similar compatibility effects were found in all three experiments when the breakage occurred at 50 ms, which suggests that spatial-based, attention-related factors play a key role in early visual information representation. Our findings suggest that both early spatial-based and later motor-based mechanisms are necessary for the object-based correspondence effect, corroborating the development of visual information representation over time.

The Effects of Alternative Foods on Life History and Cannibalism of Amblyseius herbicolus (Acari: Phytoseiidae).

The development, survivorship, fecundity, and cannibalism of the predatory phytoseiid mite, Amblyseius herbicolus (Chant), fed six different alternative foods (Oulenziella bakeri, Tyrophagus putrescentiae, Aleuroglyphus ovatus, almond pollen (Prunus armeniaca), apple pollen (Malus pumila), maize pollen (Zea mays)), and natural prey (Tetranychus urticae) were determined in the laboratory. Our findings indicated that A. herbicolus that fed on all six alternative foods could normally complete its developmental and reproductive cycles. The shortest pre-adult developmental duration was observed when A. herbicolus fed on almond pollen (4.91 d) as well as T. urticae (4.90 d), and the longest when it fed on maize pollen (6.24 d). Pre-adult survival rates were higher when the predator fed on almond pollen (0.99), maize pollen (0.96), and O. bakeri (0.93). The highest fecundity was observed when A. herbicolus fed on apple pollen (28.55 eggs/female), almond pollen (26.06 eggs/female), and O. bakeri (26.02 eggs/female) in addition to T. urticae (48.95 eggs/female), and the lowest when it fed on maize pollen (7.84 eggs/female). The highest value of the intrinsic rate of increase (r) was obtained when A. herbicolus fed on O. bakeri (0.202 d-1) in addition to T. urticae (0.210 d-1), followed by almond pollen (0.163 d-1), and the lowest was when it fed on maize pollen (0.064 d-1). Cannibalism of conspecific eggs by adults of A. herbicolus did not occur when O. bakeri and T. urticae were provided. The cannibalism rate of the predatory mite was the lowest when fed on almond pollen, T. putrescentiae, and A. ovatus and the highest on apple pollen. Above all, when fed on O. bakeri and almond pollen, and with no or low cannibalism rate, A. herbicolus had the best development, survivorship, fecundity, and population parameters. Therefore, O. bakeri and almond pollen could be potential alternative foods for mass rearing programs of A. herbicolus or to support its population in the fields.

[Relationship Between Social Isolation and Health Behaviors and Ulcer Severity in Diabetic Foot Patients].

Objective: To explore the relationship between social isolation and health behaviors and ulcer severity in patients with diabetic foot. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 160 patients suffering from type 2 diabetes mellitus combined with diabetic foot. The patients received treatment at the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University between September 2020 and December 2021. Patient information was collected, including the scores for Lubben Social Network Scale and the Wagner classification of foot ulcers. Analysis was conducted to study the characteristics of the patients' health behaviors, including whether they received information and education on diabetic foot, whether there were delays in their attempt to access medical service, the frequency of foot examinations, etc. In addition, patient demographic data were collected, including sex, age, education, and employment status. According to their scores for Lubben Social Network Scale, the patients were divided into a social isolation group ( n=60) and a non-social-isolation group ( n=100). The severity of the foot ulcers and the health behaviors of the two groups were compared to identify differences. Results: The findings suggest that, compared with the non-social-isolation group, the social isolation group had a higher proportion of diabetic foot patients with Wagner grade 3-5 diabetic foot ulcers ( P<0.05). Analysis of the health behaviors showed that the social isolation group had a higher proportion of diabetes foot patients who had never undergone examination of their feet and those who had delayed attempts to access medical service for their condition ( P<0.05). There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of whether the patients had received information and education concerning diabetic foot, causes of foot injury, self-treatment of wounds, smoking, and drinking. Correlational analysis suggested that the scores of Lubben Social Network Scale were negatively correlated with the delayed attempts to access medical service ( r=-0.353, P=0.001), that is, the higher the degree of social isolation, the longer the delay in patients' attempt to access medical service for their diabetic foot. Conclusions: Social isolation is correlated to health behaviors and ulcer severity in patients with diabetic foot. Giving more attention to the problem of social isolation of diabetic foot patients and increasing their ties with the social environment and the members of their social network may have a positive effect on improving the delays in diabetic foot patients' attempt to access medical service, which is particularly important for follow-up treatment.

Activation of natural killer T cells contributes to Th1 bias in the murine liver after 14 d of ethinylestradiol exposure.

BACKGROUND: As the main component of oral contraceptives (OCs), ethinylestradiol (EE) has been widely applied as a model drug to induce murine intrahepatic cholestasis. The clinical counterpart of EE-induced cholestasis includes women who are taking OCs, sex hormone replacement therapy, and susceptible pregnant women. Taking intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) as an example, ICP consumes the medical system due to its high-risk fetal burden and the impotency of ursodeoxycholic acid in reducing adverse perinatal outcomes. AIM: To explore the mechanisms and therapeutic strategies of EE-induced cholestasis based on the liver immune microenvironment. METHODS: Male C57BL/6J mice or invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cell deficiency (Jα18-/- mice) were administered with EE (10 mg/kg, subcutaneous) for 14 d. RESULTS: Both Th1 and Th2 cytokines produced by NKT cells increased in the liver skewing toward a Th1 bias. The expression of the chemokine/chemokine receptor Cxcr6/Cxcl16, toll-like receptors, Ras/Rad, and PI3K/Bad signaling was upregulated after EE administration. EE also influenced bile acid synthase Cyp7a1, Cyp8b1, and tight junctions ZO-1 and Occludin, which might be associated with EE-induced cholestasis. iNKT cell deficiency (Jα18-/- mice) robustly alleviated cholestatic liver damage and lowered the expression of the abovementioned signaling pathways. CONCLUSION: Hepatic NKT cells play a pathogenic role in EE-induced intrahepatic cholestasis. Our research improves the understanding of intrahepatic cholestasis by revealing the hepatic immune microenvironment and also provides a potential clinical treatment by regulating iNKT cells.

Genetic Characterization of Chikungunya Virus Among Febrile Dengue Fever-Like Patients in Xishuangbanna, Southwestern Part of China.

Co-infection of chikungunya virus (CHIKV) has been recently reported during dengue fever epidemics. However, the infection of CHIKV is often neglected due to its misdiagnosis as dengue virus (DENV) infection. In the summer of 2019 when dengue fever was epidemic, we collected 697 serum samples from febrile dengue fever-like patients in Xishuangbanna, southwestern part of China. DENV RNA was detectable in 99.42% of these patients. Notably, 88 patients (12.62%) showed the presence of CHIKV RNA, among which 86 patients were co-infected with DENV and CHIKV. We sequenced and analyzed the full genome of CHIKV virus in four out of 88 samples (two CHIKV infected and two co-infected). The results suggested that the four strains were all Asian genotype and had the highest homology (99.4%) with the SZ1239 strain (accession number MG664851) isolated in 2012 and possibly introduced from Indonesia. Further comparison with the conserved sequences in the whole genome of 47 strains of CHIKV showed that there were 13 and 15 amino acid mutants in structural proteins and non-structural proteins, respectively. The previously reported adaptive mutations of E2-W64R, E2-I211T, E2-K233E, E1-A98T, and E1-K211E occurred in the four strains of this study. In conclusion, this study reports a co-infection of CHIKV during the DENV epidemic in the city Xishuangbanna, 2019. Molecular epidemiology revealed that CHIKV identified in this study was indigenous and belongs to Asian lineage with lineage-specific mutations and some reported adaptive mutations, which is distinct from the recently reported CHIKV (East/Central/South African) in Ruili, the city next to Xishuangbanna.