Gene regulatory network inference based on a nonhomogeneous dynamic Bayesian network model with an improved Markov Monte Carlo sampling.

A nonhomogeneous dynamic Bayesian network model, which combines the dynamic Bayesian network and the multi-change point process, solves the limitations of the dynamic Bayesian network in modeling non-stationary gene expression data to a certain extent. However, certain problems persist, such as the low network reconstruction accuracy and poor model convergence. Therefore, we propose an MD-birth move based on the Manhattan distance of the data points to increase the rationality of the multi-change point process. The underlying concept of the MD-birth move is that the direction of movement of the change point is assumed to have a larger Manhattan distance between the variance and the mean of its left and right data points. Considering the data instability characteristics, we propose a Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling method based on node-dependent particle filtering in addition to the multi-change point process. The candidate parent nodes to be sampled, which are close to the real state, are pushed to the high probability area through the particle filter, and the candidate parent node set to be sampled that is far from the real state is pushed to the low probability area and then sampled. In terms of reconstructing the gene regulatory network, the model proposed in this paper (FC-DBN) has better network reconstruction accuracy and model convergence speed than other corresponding models on the Saccharomyces cerevisiae data and RAF data.

Influence of Vitamin D supplementation on reproductive outcomes of infertile patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Low vitamin D status has been associated with an increased risk for infertility. Recent evidence regarding the efficacy of vitamin D supplementation in improving reproductive outcomes is inconsistent. Therefore, this systematic review was conducted to investigate whether vitamin D supplementation could improve the reproductive outcomes of infertile patients and evaluate how the parameters of vitamin D supplementation affected the clinical pregnancy rate. METHODS: We searched seven electronic databases (CNKI, Cqvip, Wanfang, PubMed, Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Library) up to March 2022. Randomized and cohort studies were collected to assess the reproductive outcomes difference between the intervention (vitamin D) vs. the control (placebo or none). Mantel-Haenszel random effects models were used. Effects were reported as odds ratio (OR) and their 95% confidence interval (CI). PROSPERO database registration number: CRD42022304018. RESULTS: Twelve eligible studies (n = 2352) were included: 9 randomized controlled trials (RCTs, n = 1677) and 3 cohort studies (n = 675). Pooled results indicated that infertile women treated with vitamin D had a significantly increased clinical pregnancy rate compared with the control group (OR: 1.70, 95% CI: 1.24-2.34; I2 = 63%, P = 0.001). However, the implantation, biochemical pregnancy, miscarriage, and multiple pregnancy rates had no significant difference (OR: 1.86, 95% CI: 1.00-3.47; I2 = 85%, P = 0.05; OR: 1.49; 0.98-2.26; I2 = 63%, P = 0.06; OR: 0.98, 95% CI: 0.63-1.53; I2 = 0%, P = 0.94 and OR: 3.64, 95% CI: 0.58-11.98; I2 = 68%, P = 0.21). The improvement of clinical pregnancy rate in the intervention group was influenced by the vitamin D level of patients, drug type, the total vitamin D dosage, the duration, administration frequency, and daily dosage of vitamin D supplementation. The infertile women (vitamin D level < 30 ng/mL) treated with the multicomponent drugs including vitamin D (10,000-50,000 IU or 50,000-500,000 IU), or got vitamin D 1000-10,000 IU daily, lasting for 30-60 days could achieve better pregnancy outcome. CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first meta-analysis systematically investigated that moderate daily dosing of vitamin D supplementation could improve the clinical pregnancy rate of infertile women and reported the effects of vitamin D supplementation parameters on pregnancy outcomes. A larger sample size and high-quality RCTs are necessary to optimize the parameters of vitamin D supplementation to help more infertile patients benefit from this therapy.

Discrete Platinum(II/IV)-Arsenito Clusters with Pt-As and Pt-O Bonding: [PtIV(As3O6)2]2-, [Pt4II(H2AsO3)6(HAsO3)2]2-, and [Pt2IIAs6W4O28]10.

The first two discrete, fully inorganic platinum(II/IV)-arsenito clusters, [fac-PtIV(As3O6)2]2- (PtAs6) and [Pt4II(H2AsO3)6(HAsO3)2]2- (Pt4As8), as well as the platinum(II)-arsenito heteropolytungstate [Pt2IIAs6W4O28]10- (Pt2As6W4), have been synthesized in aqueous media using simple one-pot reaction conditions. In PtAs6, a PtIV ion is coordinated to two cyclic, tridentate As3O6 units via oxo-donation (PtIV-O ∼ 2.02 Å). In Pt4As8, each PtII ion is coordinated to four AsO3 ligands via two oxygens and two AsIII atoms in a square-planar fashion (PtII-AsIII 2.31 Å, PtII-O 2.07 Å), resulting in an open cage-like structure, which forms a strong tetrameric assembly in the solid state mediated by two K+ counterions. In Pt2As6W4, each PtII ion is coordinated by the As atoms of three AsO3 ligands (PtII-AsIII 2.38 Å) and an oxo group (PtII-O 2.07 Å) in addition to bridging two tungsten ions, and this polyanion was characterized in solution by 195Pt NMR.

PtIV-Containing Hexaplatinate(II) [PtIVPtII6O6(AsO2(CH3)2)6]2- and Hexapalladate(II) [PtIVPdII6O6(AsO2(CH3)2)6]2.

The first PtIV-containing discrete polyoxoplatinate(II) [PtIVPtII6O6(AsO2(CH3)2)6]2- (Pt7) and polyoxopalladate(II) [PtIVPdII6O6(AsO2(CH3)2)6]2- (PtPd6) have been prepared and characterized in the solid state, in solution, and in the gas phase. The molecular structures of the noble metal-oxo clusters Pt7 and PtPd6 comprise a central, octahedral PtIVO6 hetero group surrounded by six square-planar MO4 (M = PtII, PdII) units, which are capped by six dimethylarsinate ligands. The polyanions were prepared under simple one-pot aqueous solution conditions by reacting H2Pt(OH)6 with either K2PtCl4 or Pd(NO3)2 in sodium dimethylarsinate buffer (pH 7) at 80 °C. Catalytic studies were performed on Pt7 supported on SBA15-apts for o-xylene hydrogenation at 300 °C and 90 bar H2 pressure and indicated excellent activity and recyclability with low activation temperature.

Gallium(III)- and Thallium(III)-Encapsulated Polyoxopalladates: Synthesis, Structure, Multinuclear NMR, and Biological Activity Studies.

Three gallium(III)- and thallium(III)-containing polyoxopalladates (POPs) have been synthesized and structurally characterized in the solid state and in solution, namely, the phosphate-capped 12-palladate nanocubes [XPd12O8(PO4)8]13- (X = GaIII, GaPd12P8; X = TlIII, TlPd12P8) and the 23-palladate double-cube [Tl2IIIPd23P14O70(OH)2]20- (Tl2Pd23P14). The cuboid POPs, GaPd12P8 and TlPd12P8, are solution stable as verified by the respective 31P, 71Ga, and 205Tl nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra. Of prime interest, the spin-spin coupling schemes allowed for an intimate study of the solution behavior of the TlIII-containing POPs via a combination of 31P and 205Tl NMR, including the stoichiometry of the major fragments of Tl2Pd23P14. Moreover, biological studies demonstrated the antitumor and antiviral activity of GaPd12P8 and TlPd12P8, which were validated to be as efficient as cis-platinum against human melanoma and acute promyelocytic leukemia cells. Furthermore, GaPd12P8 and TlPd12P8 exerted inhibitory activity against two herpetic viruses, HSV-2 and HCMV, in a dose-response manner.

Identification of Bone Metastatic and Prognostic Alternative Splicing Signatures in Prostate Adenocarcinoma.

As the most common nonepithelial malignancy, prostate adenocarcinoma (PRAD) is the fifth chief cause of cancer mortality in men. Distant metastasis often occurs in advanced PRAD and most patients are dying from it. However, the mechanism of PRAD progression and metastasis is still unclear. It's widely reported that more than 94% of genes are selectively splicing in humans and many isoforms are particularly related with cancer progression and metastasis. Spliceosome mutations occur in a mutually exclusive manner in breast cancer, and different components of spliceosomes are targets of somatic mutations in different types of breast cancer. Existing evidence strongly supports the key role of alternative splicing in breast cancer biology, and innovative tools are being developed to use splicing events for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. In order to identify if the PRAD metastasis is associated with alternative splicing events (ASEs), the RNA sequencing data and ASEs data of 500 PRAD patients were retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and TCGASpliceSeq databases. By Lasso regression, five genes were screened to construct the prediction model, with a good reliability by ROC curve. Additionally, results in both univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis confirmed the well prognosis efficacy of the prediction model (both P < 0.001). Moreover, a potential splicing regulatory network was established and after multiple-database validation, we supposed that the signaling axis of HSPB1 up-regulating the PIP5K1C - 46,721 - AT (P < 0.001) might mediate the tumorigenesis, progression and metastasis of PRAD via the key members of Alzheimer's disease pathway (SRC, EGFR, MAPT, APP and PRKCA) (P < 0.001).

Lower heart rate variability is associated with loss of muscle mass and sarcopenia in community-dwelling older Chinese adults.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Autonomic nervous system (ANS) disorders may occur in skeletal muscle disease, but the link between them has not been fully established. Studying the relationship between them may yield insights into the mechanisms and treatment of disease. This study aimed to explore the association between heart rate variability (HRV), sarcopenia, and subscales of sarcopenia (muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical mobility). METHODS: 2514 community-dwelling older Chinese participants were included in this study. The Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia guidelines were used to define sarcopenia. HRV was measured by 90-s electrocardiogram RR interval data. All HRV parameters were transformed using natural logarithms. Multiple regression analysis and multivariate linear regression was performed using potential correlates. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of sarcopenia was 15.1 % (18.5 % in males and 12.6 % in females). In the logistic regression analysis model, there was a significant association between log-transformed standard deviation of RR interval (lnSDNN) (OR = 0.736, p = 0.019), log-transformed coefficient of variation of RR intervals (lnCVRR) (OR = 0.751, p = 0.020), log-transformed low-frequency power (lnLF) (OR = 0.861, p = 0.008), log-transformed high-frequency power (lnHF) (OR = 0.864, p = 0.003) and sarcopenia in the general population after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index (BMI), daily activity levels, hypertension, heart disease and cardiac drugs. In addition, in multivariate linear regression, lnSDNN (ß = 0.146, p = 0.001), lnCVRR (ß = 0.120, p = 0.010), lnLF (ß = 0.066, p = 0.002) and lnHF (ß = 0.065, p < 0.001) remained significantly positively associated with muscle mass, but there were no significant differences in grip strength and walking speed. CONCLUSIONS: Sarcopenia was independently associated with lower heart rate variability in a community-dwelling elderly Chinese population. In addition, muscle mass was positively associated with heart rate variability in the elderly.

Psychological stress: neuroimmune roles in periodontal disease.

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease that starts with pathogenic bacteria and is mediated by a combination of multiple factors. Psychosomatic factors are considered to be one of the most critical risk factors for periodontal disease. Psychological stress may threaten periodontal immune homeostasis in multiple ways by affecting the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal cortex system, the locus ceruleus-sympathetic-adrenal medulla system, and the peptidergic nervous system. In this review, we outline the complex role of psychological stress in promoting the development of periodontal disease, focusing on the effects of stress on flora metabolism, tissue inflammation, and alveolar bone homeostasis. At the same time, we broadly and deeply summarize the potential mechanisms of psychological stress-induced periodontal disease, emphasize the importance of neuroimmune modulation for periodontal health, and expect to provide a new perspective for periodontal science based on psychoneuroimmunology.

Study of the Sensing Kinetics of G Protein-Coupled Estrogen Receptor Sensors for Common Estrogens and Estrogen Analogs.

Endogenous and exogenous estrogens are widely present in food and food packaging, and high levels of natural estrogens and the misuse or illegal use of synthetic estrogens can lead to endocrine disorders and even cancer in humans. Therefore, it is consequently important to accurately evaluate the presence of food-functional ingredients or toxins with estrogen-like effects. In this study, an electrochemical sensor based on G protein-coupled estrogen receptors (GPERs) was fabricated by self-assembly, modified by double-layered gold nanoparticles, and used to measure the sensing kinetics for five GPER ligands. The interconnected allosteric constants (Ka) of the sensor for 17ß-estradiol, resveratrol, G-1, G-15, and bisphenol A were 8.90 × 10-17, 8.35 × 10-16, 8.00 × 10-15, 5.01 × 10-15, and 6.65 × 10-16 mol/L, respectively. The sensitivity of the sensor for the five ligands followed the order of 17ß-estradiol > bisphenol A > resveratrol > G-15 > G-1. The receptor sensor also demonstrated higher sensor sensitivity for natural estrogens than exogenous estrogens. The results of molecular simulation docking showed that the residues Arg, Glu, His, and Asn of GPER mainly formed hydrogen bonds with -OH, C-O-C, or -NH-. In this study, simulating the intracellular receptor signaling cascade with an electrochemical signal amplification system enabled us to directly measure GPER-ligand interactions and explore the kinetics after the self-assembly of GPERs on a biosensor. This study also provides a novel platform for the accurate functional evaluation of food-functional components and toxins.

The Identification of Prognostic and Metastatic Alternative Splicing in Skin Cutaneous Melanoma.

Skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM) is a type of highly invasive cancer originated from melanocytes. It is reported that aberrant alternative splicing (AS) plays an important role in the neoplasia and metastasis of many types of cancer. Therefore, we investigated whether ASEs of pre-RNA have such an influence on the prognosis of SKCM and the related mechanism of ASEs in SKCM. The RNA-seq data and ASEs data for SKCM patients were obtained from the TCGA and TCGASpliceSeq database. The univariate Cox regression revealed 1265 overall survival-related splicing events (OS-SEs). Screened by Lasso regression, 4 OS-SEs were identified and used to construct an effective prediction model (AUC: .904), whose risk score was proved to be an independent prognostic factor. Furthermore, Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon test showed that an aberrant splicing type of aminoacyl tRNA synthetase complex-interacting multifunctional protein 2 (AIMP2) regulated by CDC-like kinase 1 (CLK1) was associated with the metastasis and stage of SKCM. Besides, the overlapped signal pathway for AIMP2 was galactose metabolism identified by the co-expression analysis. External database validation also confirmed that AIMP2, CLK1, and the galactose metabolism were associated with the metastasis and stage of SKCM patients. ChIP-seq and ATAC-seq methods further confirmed the transcription regulation of CLK1, AIMP2, and other key genes, whose cellular expression was detected by Single Cell Sequencing. In conclusion, we proposed that CLK1-regulated AIMP2-78704-ES might play a critical role in the tumorigenesis and metastasis of SKCM via galactose metabolism. Besides, we established an effective model with MTMR14-63114-ES, URI1-48867-ES, BATF2-16724-AP, and MED22-88025-AP to predict the metastasis and prognosis of SKCM patients.

Using social media for health education and promotion: a pilot of WeChat-based prize quizzes on China national malaria day.

BACKGROUND: Imported malaria cases remains a key health concern, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Providing accurate health information is important to improving people's awareness of malaria. WeChat is an excellent social media tool for health information dissemination, especially during the pandemic. This study explored the effect of malaria knowledge dissemination via a WeChat public account. METHODS: A questionnaire for data collection was constructed using the online survey tool Sojump. Questionnaires were sent to users who followed the Jiangsu institute of Parasitic Disease WeChat public account during the National Malaria Day 2021 period. A small incentive (WeChat Red Packet) was distributed to everyone who answered the questionnaire correctly on time. RESULTS: A total of 13,169 valid questionnaires were collected during the China National Malaria Day period. Questions in which participants focused mainly on information pertaining to themselves, such as infection, symptoms, and epidemic areas, reached highest accuracy (above 90%). Questionnaires were submitted through smartphones and most of them were completed during the period of 4 days from April 23 to April 26, 2021 when a WeChat Red Packet was offered. The accuracy of responses was related to bolded words and location and number of knowledge points that were shown at the beginning of the questionnaire. The number of users of the WeChat public account in question increased from 5961 to 12,339 in just 4 days of the activity. CONCLUSION: A WeChat public account is a convenient and accessible tool for spreading malaria-related health information to the public. Distribution of incentives (Red Packets) can effectively increase public attention to popular science and health information and activities.

Se-Methylselenocysteine Alleviates Liver Injury in Diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-Induced Hepatocellular Carcinoma Rat Model by Reducing Liver Enzymes, Inhibiting Angiogenesis, and Suppressing Nitric Oxide (NO)/Nitric Oxide Synthase (NOS) Signaling Pathway.

BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma is the third leading cause of cancer-associated mortality. This study aimed to investigate the effects of se-methylselenocysteine (MSC) on oncogenesis of diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced hepatocellular carcinoma. MATERIAL AND METHODS A hepatocellular carcinoma rat model was established by administering DEN. Rat models were divided into Model (0.1 mg/kg MSC), Model+0.3 mg/kg MSC, Model+1 mg/kg MSC, and Model+3 mg/kg MSC groups. A Normal control group consisted of mice not administered MSC. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was used to determine liver injury. Immunohistochemical analysis was conducted to identify CD34 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression. VEGF gene transcription was detected with RT-PCR. Biochemical analyses were performed to determine alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, total bilirubin, γ-glutamyl transpeptidase, alkaline phosphatase, and albumin levels in serum, and nitric oxide (NO)/nitric oxide synthase (NOS) levels in liver tissues. Transmission electron microscopy was used to observe the ultra-microstructures of hepatocytes. RESULTS MSC treatment markedly alleviated liver injury and nuclear lesions in the treatment groups compared to the Model group. MSC treatment significantly improved liver functions in the treatment groups compared to the Model group (P<0.05). MSC treatment significantly decreased CD34 expression and NO and NOS levels in liver tissues and suppressed VEGF expression compared to the Model group (all P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS MSC administration alleviated liver injury in a DEN-induced hepatocellular carcinoma rat model through reducing liver enzymes, inhibiting angiogenesis, and suppressing the NO/NOS signaling pathway.

A 3D Hologram With Mixed Reality Techniques to Improve Understanding of Pulmonary Lesions Caused by COVID-19: Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 outbreak has now become a pandemic and has had a serious adverse impact on global public health. The effect of COVID-19 on the lungs can be determined through 2D computed tomography (CT) imaging, which requires a high level of spatial imagination on the part of the medical provider. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to determine whether viewing a 3D hologram with mixed reality techniques can improve medical professionals' understanding of the pulmonary lesions caused by COVID-19. METHODS: The study involved 60 participants, including 20 radiologists, 20 surgeons, and 20 medical students. Each of the three groups was randomly divided into two groups, either the 2D CT group (n=30; mean age 29 years [range 19-38 years]; males=20) or the 3D holographic group (n=30; mean age 30 years [range 20=38 years]; males=20). The two groups completed the same task, which involved identifying lung lesions caused by COVID-19 for 6 cases using a 2D CT or 3D hologram. Finally, an independent radiology professor rated the participants' performance (out of 100). All participants in two groups completed a Likert scale questionnaire regarding the educational utility and efficiency of 3D holograms. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) was completed by all participants. RESULTS: The mean task score of the 3D hologram group (mean 91.98, SD 2.45) was significantly higher than that of the 2D CT group (mean 74.09, SD 7.59; P<.001). With the help of 3D holograms, surgeons and medical students achieved the same score as radiologists and made obvious progress in identifying pulmonary lesions caused by COVID-19. The Likert scale questionnaire results showed that the 3D hologram group had superior results compared to the 2D CT group (teaching: 2D CT group median 2, IQR 1-2 versus 3D group median 5, IQR 5-5; P<.001; understanding and communicating: 2D CT group median 1, IQR 1-1 versus 3D group median 5, IQR 5-5; P<.001; increasing interest: 2D CT group median 2, IQR 2-2 versus 3D group median 5, IQR 5-5; P<.001; lowering the learning curve: 2D CT group median 2, IQR 1-2 versus 3D group median 4, IQR 4-5; P<.001; spatial awareness: 2D CT group median 2, IQR 1-2 versus 3D group median 5, IQR 5-5; P<.001; learning: 2D CT group median 3, IQR 2-3 versus 3D group median 5, IQR 5-5; P<.001). The 3D group scored significantly lower than the 2D CT group for the "mental," "temporal," "performance," and "frustration" subscales on the NASA-TLX. CONCLUSIONS: A 3D hologram with mixed reality techniques can be used to help medical professionals, especially medical students and newly hired doctors, better identify pulmonary lesions caused by COVID-19. It can be used in medical education to improve spatial awareness, increase interest, improve understandability, and lower the learning curve. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2100045845; http://www.chictr.org.cn/showprojen.aspx?proj=125761.

Applications of Blockchain in the Medical Field: Narrative Review.

BACKGROUND: As a distributed technology, blockchain has attracted increasing attention from stakeholders in the medical industry. Although previous studies have analyzed blockchain applications from the perspectives of technology, business, or patient care, few studies have focused on actual use-case scenarios of blockchain in health care. In particular, the outbreak of COVID-19 has led to some new ideas for the application of blockchain in medical practice. OBJECTIVE: This paper aims to provide a systematic review of the current and projected uses of blockchain technology in health care, as well as directions for future research. In addition to the framework structure of blockchain and application scenarios, its integration with other emerging technologies in health care is discussed. METHODS: We searched databases such as PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, IEEE, and Springer using a combination of terms related to blockchain and health care. Potentially relevant papers were then compared to determine their relevance and reviewed independently for inclusion. Through a literature review, we summarize the key medical scenarios using blockchain technology. RESULTS: We found a total of 1647 relevant studies, 60 of which were unique studies that were included in this review. These studies report a variety of uses for blockchain and their emphasis differs. According to the different technical characteristics and application scenarios of blockchain, we summarize some medical scenarios closely related to blockchain from the perspective of technical classification. Moreover, potential challenges are mentioned, including the confidentiality of privacy, the efficiency of the system, security issues, and regulatory policy. CONCLUSIONS: Blockchain technology can improve health care services in a decentralized, tamper-proof, transparent, and secure manner. With the development of this technology and its integration with other emerging technologies, blockchain has the potential to offer long-term benefits. Not only can it be a mechanism to secure electronic health records, but blockchain also provides a powerful tool that can empower users to control their own health data, enabling a foolproof health data history and establishing medical responsibility.

Vorticity-Aligned Droplet Bands in Sheared Immiscible Polymer Blends Induced by Solid Particles.

The spatiotemporal organization of complex fluids under flow can be strongly affected by incorporating solid particles. Here, we report that a monolayer of interfacially active microspheres preferentially wetted by the matrix phase can bridge droplets into vorticity-aligned bands in immiscible polymer blends at intermediate particle concentrations and low shear rates. Strong particle bridging ability and the formation of rigid anisotropic droplet bands with a negligible inertia effect in the Newtonian matrix are suggested to be responsible for the vorticity orientation of droplet bands during slow shear flow, which could be understood based on Jeffery orbit theory in the framework of fluid mechanics and strong confinement effect acted by shear walls and adjacent bands. However, increasing the aspect ratio of particles could restrain the formation of anisotropic bands because of reduced particle coverage and promoted droplet coalescence induced by sharp particle corners, increased and uneven distribution of particle aggregates in the matrix phase, and weakened particle bridging ability.

Associations between individual perceptions of PM2.5 pollution and pulmonary function in Chinese middle-aged and elderly residents.

BACKGROUND: PM2.5 pollution has become a major public health concern in urban China. Understanding the residents' individual perceptions toward haze pollution is critical for policymaking and risk communication. However, the perceptions of middle-aged and elderly residents, who particularly vulnerable to haze pollution, are poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to explore their risk perceptions of haze pollution and investigate its relationship with health status and pulmonary function parameters. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of 400 randomly sampled individuals (aged 40 to 90 years) was conducted in Wuxi, a typical PM2.5-polluted city in Jiangsu Province, China (during 2015-2017, daily average concentration of PM2.5 was 52.7 µg/m3). Each participant's demographic and health information, individual perception and pulmonary function outcomes were collected to explore the relationships between perception factors and personal characteristics and pulmonary function parameters, using linear models. RESULTS: We found that the mean values for controllability (5 ± 2.8) and dread of risk to oneself (levels of fear for haze-related harm to oneself) (6.9 ± 2.5) were the lowest and the highest values, respectively, in our study. Education and average family income were positively related with all individual perception factors, while age was negatively associated. A history of respiratory disease was positively associated with all individual perception factors except controllability. Significant positive associations were observed between PEF (coefficients ranged from 0.18 to 0.22) and FEF75% (coefficients ranged from 0.18 to 0.29) with a variety of individual perception factors. CONCLUSIONS: There were a lack of concern and knowledge, weak self-protection consciousness and a strong dread of PM2.5 pollution among the middle-aged and elderly residents in Wuxi. Their individual perceptions were associated with age, education levels, average family income, history of respiratory disease, PEF and FEF75%. Our findings may help policymakers develop effective policies and communication strategies to mitigate the hazards of haze among older residents.

Enabling both time-domain and frequency-domain photoacoustic imaging by a fingertip laser diode system.

Photoacoustic imaging has attracted increasing research interest in recent years, due to its unique merit of combining light and sound. Enabling deep tissue imaging with high ultrasound spatial resolution and optical absorption contrast, photoacoustic imaging has been applied in various application scenarios including anatomical, functional and molecular imaging. However, the bulky and expensive laser source is one of the key bottlenecks that needs to be addressed for further compact system development. A photoacoustic imaging system based on a low-cost laser diode (LD) is one of the promising solutions. In this paper, we report a custom-made fingertip laser diode system enabling both pulsed and continuous modulation modes with shortest pulse-width of 40 ns, largest driving current of 13 A, and highest modulation frequency of 3 MHz, which is suitable for both time and frequency domain photoacoustic imaging. To the best of our knowledge, this may be the most compact laser source reported for photoacoustic imaging enabling both two modulation modes. Owing to its super-compact size, the proposed LD system could pave the pathway to a low-cost photoacoustic sensing and imaging device, even wearable photoacoustic biomedical sensors.

Artemisinin-indole and artemisinin-imidazole hybrids: Synthesis, cytotoxic evaluation and reversal effects on multidrug resistance in MCF-7/ADR cells.

A series of artemisinin derivatives with MDR reversal activity were designed and synthesized. All hybrids were screened to anticancer activities against four human cancer cell lines (A549, MCF-7, HepG-2, MDA-MB-231) and normal human hepatic cell (L02) in vitro. Most of the new compounds showed higher anticancer activities than artemisinin, among which compounds 11a and 11c displayed superior potency with IC50 6.78 µM and 5.25 µM against MCF-7, respectively. The further research indicated that the most potent 11c induced cell cycle arrest at G2 phase in MCF-7. Additionally, compound 11c showed remarkable MDR reversal activity which reversed adriamycin against MCF-7/ADR cells with IC50 0.76 µM.

The acute health effects of ozone and PM2.5 on daily cardiovascular disease mortality: A multi-center time series study in China.

To explore the acute health effects of ozone(O3) and PM2.5 on daily cardiovascular disease mortality in all the cities of Jiangsu province, China. Daily average concentrations of ozone (maximum 8-h average), fine particle matter (PM2.5), meteorological data (including temperature and relative humidity) and daily cardiovascular diseases mortality data were collected from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2017, in all the 13 cities of Jiangsu Province in China. The time-series model linked with Poisson distribution was used to estimate the correlation between O3 and daily cardiovascular diseases mortality, after adjusting for PM2.5 and other pollutants. Firstly, we evaluated the acute effects of O3 on cardiovascular mortality in each city in Jiangsu province, and then we combined the effects of O3 on cardiovascular disease mortality by meta-analysis. The single-pollutant model indicated that the acute health effects of O3 in different cities were quite different. After combined the effects of 13 cities, the mortality of cardiovascular diseases increased by 0.983%（95%CI：0.588-1.377%）for every 10 µg/m3 increases of O3. O3 showed the strongest effect on 3-day moving average concentration (Lag 0-3). After adjusting PM2.5，NO2, SO2, and CO, the results were still statistically significant at the multi-city level. The study found that O3 had a greater effect on women; the elderly population was susceptible and high-education groups were more vulnerable to O3, although the differences between different subgroups were insignificant. The dose-response curve showed that the mortality of cardiovascular disease increased with the increase of O3. The increase in O3 concentration of atmospheric can increase the daily mortality of cardiovascular diseases in Jiangsu, China.