Characteristics of the vaginal microbiomes in prepubertal girls with and without vulvovaginitis.

The present study focused on the characteristics of the vaginal microbiomes in prepubertal girls with and without vulvovaginitis. We collected 24 vaginal samples and 16 fecal samples from 10 girls aged 3-9 years with vulvovaginitis and 16 healthy girls of the same age. The samples were divided into three groups: fecal swabs from healthy controls (HF), vaginal swabs from healthy controls (HVS), and vaginal swabs from girls with vulvovaginitis (VVS). Sequencing of the V3-V4 region of the 16S rDNA gene was performed with the NovaSeq PE250 platform to reveal the vaginal microbial community structure in healthy prepubertal girls and vulvovaginitis-associated microbiota. The intestinal microbiomes of healthy children were also analyzed for comparison. This study revealed that the healthy vaginal tract in prepubertal girls was dominated by Prevotella, Porphyromonas, Ezakiella, and Peptoniphilus species, with a high diversity of microbiota. The vulvovaginitis-associated microbiota were dominated by Streptococcus, Prevotella, Haemophilus, and Granulicatella, with lower diversity than that in healthy girls. Furthermore, the compositions of the vaginal and intestinal microbiomes were completely different. ANOSIM, MRPP, Adonis, and AMOVA were used to analyze the beta diversity, and the results showed that there were significant differences in the microbial communities among the three groups. Lactobacillus deficiency and high bacterial diversity were characteristics of the vaginal microbiome in healthy prepubertal girls; this is inconsistent with that in reproductive-age women. The vulvovaginitis-associated vaginal microbiota differed dramatically from normal microbiota, and the main causative agents were not fecal in origin.

Genome-wide identification, classification and expression analysis of genes encoding putative fasciclin-like arabinogalactan proteins in Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa L.).

Fasciclin-like arabinogalactan proteins (FLAs), a subclass of arabinogalactan proteins (AGPs), have both predicted AGP-like glycosylated regions and putative fasciclin (FAS) domains, which may function in cell adhesion and communication. Previous studies have identified 21, 27, and 34 FLAs in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), rice (Oryza sativa), and wheat (Triticum aestivum), respectively. In this study, we identified 33 FLAs in the annotated genome of Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa ssp. pekinensis line Chiifu-401-42). Sequence analysis indicated that FAS domains each contain two highly conserved regions, named H1 and H2, and that 17 FLAs from B. rapa (BrFLAs) possess both of these regions. Prediction of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) modification sites suggested that 15 BrFLAs were GPI-anchored to the plasma membrane. Additionally, 25 BrFLAs may have been duplicated during the processes that shaped the triplicated genome of the mesopolyploid B. rapa. Expression analyses indicated that BrFLA1, BrFLA11, BrFLA13, BrFLA28 and BrFLA32 were specifically expressed in inflorescence. Meanwhile, BrFLA9 (homologous to AtFLA12) is specifically expressed in stem, and BrFLA6/22 (homologous to AtFLA11) is also highly expressed in stem, suggesting BrFLA6/9/22 may have the same functions as AtFLA11/12 in A. thaliana. Taken together, the identification and bioinformatic analysis of FLAs in B. rapa will open the way for studying their biological functions in plant growth and development as well as evolutionary history of this gene family from A. thaliana to B. rapa.

Reduced Surgical Time and Higher Accuracy of Distal Locking with the Electromagnetic Targeting System in Humeral Shaft Intramedullary Nailing.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of the electromagnetic distal targeting system in the treatment of humeral shaft fractures. METHODS: From January 2012 to December 2018, we retrospectively reviewed 60 patients with humeral shaft fractures treated by intramedullary nailing. Among 60 cases, 41 were men and 19 were women. The average age at surgery was 48.5 years (range, 21-81 years). We performed the same surgical procedure for all patients. According to the different distal locking technique used, all patients were divided into two groups. The standard fluoroscopic freehand technique was used for Group FH, while the electromagnetic real-time targeting technique was used for Group EM. All procedures were performed by two senior surgeons. Overall surgical time, cases of complications, failure of distal locking, union time, and shoulder function assessment were recorded intraoperatively and during follow-up. RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients in Group FH and 33 patients in Group EM met the inclusion criteria. No significant difference was found in the demographic data of the two groups. The mean surgical time was 76.48 ± 10.73 min in Group FH and 65.61 ± 8.91 min in Group EM (P < 0.05), showing significant difference. Seven failures occurred in Group FH and two failures occurred in Group EM (P < 0.05). No relevant complications were noted. The average union time was 3.37 ± 0.49 months in Group FH and 3.39 ± 0.50 months in Group EM (P = 0.855). The mean follow-up was 14.30 ± 2.28 months in Group FH and 15.27 ± 2.83 months in Group EM (P = 0.153). The disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand score (DASH) score, the range of motion (checked with the constant score), and the degree of functionality were, respectively, 21.52 ± 3.23, 27.04 ± 1.84, and 81.31% ± 3.88% in Group FH and 19.09 ± 2.40, 26.18 ± 1.70, and 77.97% ± 3.91% in Group EM (P = 0.233, 0.971, and 0.607). CONCLUSION: The electromagnetic real-time targeting system reduced surgical time and improved accuracy, and there was no radiation exposure in the distal locking procedure for humeral shaft fractures.

Application of Quality Control Circle in Promoting the Use of Rubber Dams in the Root Canal Treatment of Primary Teeth.

OBJECTIVE: Study the effect of quality control circle (QCC) in promoting the usage of rubber dams (RD) in root canal treatment of chronic pulpitis in primary teeth. METHODS: Set up a quality control group to increase the amount of rubber dams used in the treatment of chronic pulpitis in primary teeth. Monthly monitoring results of the usage amount were counted by the outpatient computer system. Relevant data were collected through questionnaires, and causes of low utilization were analyzed, and the improvement measurements were formulated and implemented. Quality control circle activity was evaluated. RESULTS: Through the quality control circle activity, the consumption of rubber dams in the root canal treatment of chronic pulpitis was significantly improved, children in treatment became more cooperative, and operation time of root canal treatment has also been shortened. CONCLUSION: The quality control circle activities played a significant role in promoting the use of rubber dams in the root canal treatment of primary teeth, and it can be used as a method to promote new clinical treatment programs.

Stretchable interconnections for flexible electronic systems.

Sensors, actuators and integrated circuits (IC) can be encapsulated together on an elastic substrate, which makes a flexible electronic system. In this system, electrical interconnections that can sustain large and reversible stretching are in great need. This paper is devoted to the fabrication of highly stretchable metal interconnections. Transfer printing technology is utilized, which mainly involves the transfer of 100-nm-thick gold ribbons from silicon wafers to pre-stretched elastic substrates. After the elastic substrates relax from the pre-strain, the gold ribbons buckle and form wavy geometries. These wavy geometries change in shapes to accommodate the applied strain and can be reversely stretched without cracks or fractures occurring, which will greatly raise the stretchability of the gold ribbons. As an application example, some of these wavy ribbons can accommodate high levels of stretching (up to 100%) and bending (with curvature radius down to 1.20 mm). Moreover, the efficiency and reliability of the transfer, especially for slender ribbons, have been increased due to the improvement of the technology. All the characteristics above will permit making stretchable gold conductors as interconnections for flexible electronic systems such as implantable medical systems and smart clothes.

Impedance spectroscopy analysis of cell-electrode interface.

Many chronically implanted electrodes suffer sensitivity loss in their applications in brain computer interface systems. It is hard to diagnose the cause of the problem because few measures are available to analyze directly what happened on the cell-electrode interface. In this paper, the impedance characterization of the cell-electrode interface was discussed in detail using equivalent circuit approach, which was used to evaluate the cause of the electrode sensitivity loss. The impedance spectroscopy of the cell-electrode interface acts as a function of several parameters, such as the sealing resistance and the shunt capacitance between the microelectrode and the electrolyte. Changes of the impedance spectroscopy can be traced to the parameter changes of the equivalent circuit, which reflect the status of the cell-electrode interface, such as the cell-electrode gap change, the erosion of microelectrodes, and so on. The circuit impedance simulation results give an important reference for the monitor of the cell-electrode connection, and are also helpful for the improvement of the microelectrode design.