TDP-43 is a potential marker of dopaminergic neuronal damage caused by atrazine exposure.

Atrazine (ATR) is one of the herbicides widely used worldwide. Meanwhile, it is an environmental endocrine disruptor that can cross the blood-brain barrier and cause damage to the endocrine-nervous system, especially by affecting the normal secretion of dopamine (DA). Regrettably, effector markers and cascade response mechanisms in damaged dopaminergic neurons induced by ATR exposure remain elusive. In this paper, we focus on investigating aggregation and position change of transactive response DNA-binding protein-43 (TDP-43) after ATR exposure, and illustrating whether TDP-43 can serve as a potential marker of mitochondrial dysfunction which causes damage to dopaminergic neurons. In our study, we used rat adrenal pheochromocytoma cell line 12 (PC12) to establish an in vitro model of dopaminergic neurons. After PC12 was intervened by ATR, we found reduced DA cycling and DA levels, and that TDP-43 aggregated continuously in the cytoplasm and then translocated to mitochondria. Furthermore, the studies we have performed showed that the translocation can cause mitochondrial dysfunction through activating the unfolded mitochondrial protein response (UPRmt), ultimately causing damage to dopaminergic neuron. The research we have done suggests that TDP-43 can serve as a potential effector marker of dopaminergic neuron damaged caused by ATR exposure.

Application of Microwave Transmission Sensors for Water Cut Metering under Varying Salinity Conditions: Device, Algorithm and Uncertainty Analysis.

The measurement of water cut in crude oil is an essential procedure in petroleum production and it is desirable to obtain these data through an automatic and real-time method. Microwave sensors can be used for the task, and they are safe, robust and can cover the whole water cut range. However, they are relatively susceptible to the water conductivity and temperature, and the algorithms for addressing these problems are still rare in the literature. In this paper, a microwave transmission sensor that can measure the water cut under varying salinity conditions is proposed, and the algorithm for solving the water cut and salinity simultaneously with the measured amplitude and phase is described in detail. Experiments under different water cut and salinity conditions are conducted, and the results are used to verify the model and algorithm. Finally, a simplified and fast method for uncertainty analysis is proposed and applied to the iteration algorithm under test conditions. It can be concluded that accuracy higher than 95% in the water cut measurements can be expected under the 0~100% water cut range, and an error of about 10% in the water conductivity is achievable under water-continuous flow conditions. The uncertainty analysis shows that the calculated water cut and salinity results are negatively correlated, and the water salinity uncertainty tends to be larger than the water cut uncertainty. When the water salinity is high, the water cut uncertainty tends to be high whereas the water salinity uncertainty tends to be low.

[Pharmacoeconomic evaluation of Suhuang Zhike Capsules using Markov model for inpatients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease].

To evaluate the economics of Suhuang Zhike Capsules in the treatment of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(AECOPD) for inpatients. Based on the published clinical research data, cost-utility analysis was used in this study to evaluate the pharmacoeconomics of Suhuang Zhike Capsules in treatment of AECOPD inpatients from the perspective of medical insu-rance. The test group was treated with Suhuang Zhike Capsules combined with conventional Western medicine, and the control group was treated with conventional Western medicine alone. Treeage software was used to construct a pharmacoeconomic model and perform simulation analysis. The results showed that the cost and output of Suhuang Zhike Capsules combined with the conventional Western medicine were 60 010.18 yuan and 1.92 quality adjusted life year(QALYs), respectively in the simulated 3 years of disease treatment. The cost and output of the conventional Western medicine were 96 730.60 yuan and 1.90 QALYs respectively. Suhuang Zhike Capsules combined with conventional Western medicine required lower cost but achieved higher output, showing cost-utility advantages, so this drug combination was a plan with pharmacoeconomic advantages. The sensitivity analysis results showed that the conclusion was relatively stable. Based on the above results, it is believed that as compared with the conventional Western medicine, Suhuang Zhike Capsules combined with conventional Western medicine have lower cost and higher output for the treatment of AECOPD inpatients, and it is a treatment plan with pharmacoeconomic advantages.

[Meta-analysis of efficacy and safety of Shexiang Tongxin Dripping Pills combined with conventional therapy of coronary heart disease].

The aim of the research was to evaluate the efficacy and safety associated with Shexiang Tongxin Dropping Pills combined with conventional therapy for patients with coronary heart disease(CHD). We searched 8 electronic databases up to November 2020, including PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMbase, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP and SinoMed. Eligible studies were clinical trials of Shexiang Tongxin Dropping Pills combined with conventional therapy used in the treatment of coronary heart disease(CHD). The Meta-analysis was performed using STATA 15 software. A total of 21 RCTs(n=2 186) were shortlisted for the Meta-analysis. The results of efficacy evaluation showed that the total effective rate of Shexiang Tongxin Dropping Pills combined with conventional therapy was higher than that of conventional therapy of coronary heart disease(RR=1.20, 95%CI[1.15, 1.26], Z=8.63, P<0.001). Furthermore, Shexiang Tongxin Dripping Pills combined with conventional therapy had better effect on electrocardiogram efficacy(RR=1.24, 95%CI[1.16, 1.34], Z=5.98, P<0.001) and the number of angina attacks(SMD=-2.30, 95%CI[-3.47,-1.14], Z=3.88, P<0.001), the duration of angina attack(SMD=-2.31, 95%CI[-3.07,-1.55], Z=5.97, P<0.001), with lower levels of LDL-C(SMD=-0.73, 95%CI[-1.32,-0.14], Z=2.42, P=0.016), TC(SMD=-1.16, 95%CI[-1.35,-0.96], Z=11.56, P<0.001) and TG(SMD=-0.87, 95%CI[-1.06,-0.68], Z=8.97, P<0.001), and higher levels of HDL-C(SMD=0.87, 95%CI[0.02, 1.71], Z=2.00, P=0.045). The results of safety evaluation showed that the incidence of adverse reactions of Shexiang Tongxin Dropping Pills combined with conventional therapy was lower than that of conventional therapy of coronary heart disease(RR=0.45, 95%CI[0.22, 0.91], Z=2.23, P=0.026). There were significant differences in the above outcome indexes between the two groups. After the Harbord method test, the total effective rate outcome index has publication bias, but the sensitivity analysis of the cut-and-fill method suggested that the result was stable. In general, limited by the quantity and quality of included literature, more high-quality studies are needed to further verify the conclusions of this study.

[Pharmacoeconomic evaluation of Shexiang Tongxin Dropping Pills combined with conventional Western medicine treatment for coronary heart disease by Markov model].

This research was to evaluate the economics of Shexiang Tongxin Dropping Pills combined with conventional therapy for patients with coronary heart disease(CHD) in Chinese medical environment. From the perspective of medical insurance, a Markov model was established in this study based on the results of Meta-analysis comparing the effectiveness and safety of Shexiang Tongxin Dripping Pills combined with conventional treatment and conventional treatment alone. The experimental group was treated with She-xiang Tongxin Dropping Pills combined with conventional Western medicine treatment, while the control group was treated with conventional Western medicine treatment alone. The cost-utility analysis and sensitivity analysis were performed for the two regimens using Treeage pro. After 30 cycles of model simulation, according to the results of Markov model, the total cost and health output were CNY 237 795.73 and 16.36 QALYs(the quality adjusted life years, QALYs), respectively for Shexiang Tongxin Dropping Pills combined with conventional Western medicine treatment, CNY 247 396.55 and 16.36 QALYs respectively for the conventional Western medicine treatment alone. Compared with the conventional treatment alone, the Shexiang Tongxin Dropping Pills combined with conventional treatment had lower long-term cost and higher health output, with advantages of cost-utility and pharmacoeconomic advantages. The sensitivity analysis results showed that the conclusion was relatively stable. Based on the above results, it is considered that compared with the conventional Western medicine alone, Shexiang Tongxin Dropping Pill combined with conventional Western medicine is a treatment regimen with pharmacoeconomic advantages for the treatment of CHD.

Clinical effect of Zoledronic Acid in the treatment of Senile Osteoporosis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical efficacy of zoledronic acid in the treatment of senile osteoporosis. METHODS: One hundred and six cases of senile osteoporosis who visited to our hospital from August 2017 to December 2018 for treatment were selected and randomly divided into a control group and an observation group. The control group was treated with conventional therapy, while the observation group was treated with zoledronic acid in addition to the treatment of the control group. Bone mineral density, pain degree, therapeutic effect and adverse reactions of the two groups were compared. RESULTS: The total effective rate of the observation group was 96.67%, higher than 80.00% of the control group (P<0.05); the bone mineral density of lumbar vertebrae, femoral neck and Ward' area in the two groups increased after 6 months of treatment, and the bone mineral density of the observation group increased more than that of the control group (P<0.05); the pain degree of the observation group was lower than that of the control group after 6 months of treatment, and the difference was significant (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the occurrence of adverse reactions between the two groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Zoledronic acid is helpful to alleviate clinical symptoms, reduce the degree of bone pain, and promote the increase of bone mass, and has high safety in the treatment of senile osteoporosis, which is worth promotion.

The expression and role of lncRNA AX800134 in hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma.

Chronic infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) is one of most important risk factors for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Several long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to be involved in the etiology of HBV-related HCC. AX800134 is one recently identified lncRNA associated with HCC. In this study, we validated the upregulated expression of AX800134 in HBV-positive HCC compared with HBV-negative HCC. Furthermore, we found that HBV X protein (HBx) directly triggered AX800134 expression in human hepatoma HepG2 cells. Pro-inflammatory cytokine TNFα also induced AX800134 upregulation in HBx-expressing HepG2 cells, which could be reversed by reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC). Additionally, silencing AX800134 with siRNA interference remarkably inhibited the growth and invasion of HBx-expressing HepG2 cells. AX800134 antagonism also enhanced spontaneous apoptosis of HepG2 cells under serum deprivation condition. Therefore, our results indicate that highly expressed AX800134 acts as an oncogenic factor in HCC, and its upregulation is related with the viral product HBx and chronic inflammation.

Prognostic stratification of patients with pT4bN0M0 colorectal cancer following multivisceral resection: a multi-institutional case series analysis.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) patients with stage pT4b are a complex group as they show differences in tumor-infiltrated organs. Patients with the same stage often exhibit differences in prognosis after multivisceral resection (MVR). Thus far, some important prognostic factors have not been thoroughly investigated. Here, we identified the prognostic factors influencing CRC patients at pT4bN0M0 stage to better stratify the prognostic differences among patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients diagnosed to have locally advanced CRC and who underwent MVR at three medical institutions from January 2010 to December 2021. The prognostic factors affecting the survival of CRC patients at pT4bN0M0 stage were identified by multivariate Cox proportional hazard models. We then classified the prognosis into different grades on the basis of these independent prognostic factors. RESULTS: We enrolled 690 patients with locally advanced CRC who underwent MVR; of these, 172 patients with pT4bN0M0 were finally included. Patients with digestive system (OS: hazard ratio [HR]=0.441; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.217-0.900; P=0.024; DFS: HR=0.416; 95% CI=0.218-0.796; P=0.008) or genitourinary system invasion (OS: HR=0.405; 95% CI=0.193-0.851; P=0.017; DFS: HR=0.505; 95% CI=0.267-0.954; P=0.035) exhibited significantly better overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) as compared to those with gynecological system invasion, while the OS and DFS were similar between the diggestive system and genitourinary system invasion groups (OS: HR=0.941; 95% CI=0.434-2.042; P=0.878; DFS: HR=1.211; 95% CI=0.611-2.403; P=0.583). Multivariate analysis showed that age (OS: HR=2.121; 95% CI=1.157-3.886; P=0.015; DFS: HR=1.869; 95% CI=1.116-3.131; P=0.017) and type of organs invaded by CRC (OS: HR=3.107; 95% CI=1.121-8.609; P=0.029; DFS: HR=2.827; 95% CI=1.142-6.997; P=0.025) were the independent prognostic factors that influenced the overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) of CRC patients with pT4bN0M0 disease. The OS and DFS of patients showing invasion of the gynecological system group were significantly worse (P=0.004 and P=0.003, respectively) than those of patients with invasion of non-gynecological system group. On the basis of the above-mentioned two independent prognostic factors, patients were assigned to high-, medium-, and low-risk groups. Subgroup analysis showed that the OS and DFS of the medium- and high-risk groups were significantly worse (P=0.001 and P=0.001, respectively) than those of the low-risk group. CONCLUSION: Patients with pT4bN0M0 CRC show significant differences in their prognosis. The type of organs invaded by CRC is a valuable indicator for prognostic stratification of CRC patients with pT4bN0M0.

[Myopia prevalence and influencing factor analysis of primary and middle school students in our country].

OBJECTIVES: To explore the situation and the affect factors of myopia and scientificalness and effectiveness of eye exercises about primary and middle school students. METHODS: Through the random cluster sampling method, 20 000 students of 90 schools including key and non-key primary or junior or senior school in country and city of shandong, qinghai, yunnan, Shanghai and wenzhou were random selected. Primary students is 11 246 junior students is 3673 senior students is 4220.We surveyed related situation of eye exercises, myopia. a total of 19 139 valid questionnaires were received. By random sampling stratification method, freshmen were selected and retrospective surveyed. 929 freshmen have normal vision when they graduated primary school. 338 freshmen have normal vision when they graduated primary school.2 groups are considered analysis object, and Myopic students of the former in junior school stages and the latter in senior school stages are considered case group, normal vision are considered control group, and then through the Logistic multiple stepwise regression analysis, a regression analysis model is established. RESULTS: This survey show that myopia prevalence was 13.7% of primary students, 42.9% of junior students, 69.7% of senior students. According to the significant P < 0.001, Rsquare = 0.14, the result shows that the model has the significant statistical significance. Among the influence factors, whether to long-term excessive use eye is the most significant, and following by outdoor activities and gender. A chi-square test χ(2) = 0.371 and P = 0.543 show that doing eye exercises was not statistically significant to prevalence of myopia. CONCLUSION: The influence factors are changed, and the preventive methods should be adjusted with the social environment.

[Impact factor of timeliness lag for seeing a doctor about cataract patient in Wenzhou region of Zhejiang province].

OBJECTIVE: Investigation the impact factor of timeliness lag about cataract patient of operation. METHODS: Through Opportunistic Screening , from January 2007 to January 2012, we extracted people aged 50 or above and carried out the cataract screening in 10 towns of Wenzhou region of Zhejiang province. People extracted was checked by slit lamp microscope and ophthalmoscope directly, and the people who are suit for operation were brought to a first-rate of level three eye hospital and operated by MSICS . At the same time we have made questionnaire about five aspect including basic situation, economic status, basic life status, health and medical status and health needs for the operator and this questionnaire involves twenty-three relevant indexes about the timeliness, these factors of timeliness for patients seeing a doctor are judged. RESULTS: 36 681 people are checked for five years and 10 326 people(10 326 eyes) are suitable for surgery. Through analyzing sixteen relevant indexes about the timeliness , there are ten indexes which have Statistical Significance including in transportation, the distance for nearest medical aid post , care knowledge, population of family, income of family, respondents degree , the highest degree of family members type of work, structure of building, government subsidies. The first reason that the people can't be operated in time are economic difficulties, next are older and making children trouble for seven factors of no operation in time. The people for this three reason is more than 75% for not seeing a doctor in time. CONCLUSION: The key work of blindness prevention and treatment is the cataract surgery for our country.Eye doctors pay attention to new surgical technique , at the same time we should promote MSICS which is technique of low cost and have good effect of the operation.

Synthesis and magnetic property of iron ions-doped hydroxyapatite.

Magnetic Hydroxyapatite (HAP) particles were successfully synthesized at different concentration of Fe2+ by a co-precipitation method. The influences of concentration of doped ions and calcination temperature on the morphology and magnetic property were studied. The iron ions-doped HAP still kept its structure similar to conventional HAP and no second phases were detected. Results indicated that the doping of iron ions decreased the crystallinity and inhibited the c-axis growth and promoted the a-axis growth. HAP particles incorporated with 10% and 50% iron ions exhibited superparamagnetic and with 30% iron ions exhibited weak ferromagnetic characters. In addition, calcination temperature also increased the remnant.

Paraquat induces microglial cause early neuronal synaptic deficits through activation of the classical complement cascade response.

Synapse loss is considered to be an early event in the dysfunction of the central nervous system (CNS), precedes neuronal decline, which is the main pathological change in mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Accumulating evidence has shown that neuronal synapse loss is associated with hyperactivity of microglial phagocytosis. In the CNS, microglia act as macrophages to clear cellular debris and weakened synapses, but the mechanism by which microglia activation leads to phagocytosis disorder remains unclear. Therefore, we treated mice with paraquat (PQ) in intraperitoneal injection to explore the mechanism by which microglia exert immunotoxicity in the CNS and cause neuronal synapse loss. Immunofluorescence results exposed synapses decreased with PQ exposure time, but the staining HE and Nissl showed that neuronal cell bodies were hardly affected. Fluorescence co-localization found that C1q (classical complement cascade initiation factor) was gradually deposited in the postsynaptic membrane of neurons to trigger the cascade reaction, thereby causing the excessive deposition of C3, a key factor of the classical complement cascade, and further induces hyperactivation of microglia, leads to phagocytosis disorder. IHC results demonstrated that the parallel relationship. Therefore, all our preliminary results throw light on the mechanism by which PQ abnormally triggers the immune system to produce immunotoxicity leading to microglial phagocytic dysfunction.

Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt through left branch versus right branch of portal vein: a meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: To compare the clinical outcomes between patients that underwent transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) via the left and right portal veins (PVs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: All relevant studies in the Pubmed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases published as of June 2020 were identified by searching, after which RevMan v5.3 was used to conduct the present meta-analysis. Relevant endpoint data were extracted from each study, related to postoperative hepatic encephalopathy (HE) rates, TIPS dysfunction, re-bleeding, and mortality. RESULTS: A total of eight studies were identified as being relevant for inclusion in this meta-analysis. These studies included 2592 total patients suffering from liver cirrhosis that underwent TIPS treatment via the left (n = 1500) or right (n = 1092) PVs. Rates of postoperative HE were significantly lower in the left PV group relative to the right PV group (5.7% vs. 18.1%, OR 0.19; P < 0.00001), as were rates of TIPS dysfunction (8.1% vs. 16.5%, OR 0.41; P < 0.00001). In contrast, the rates of re-bleeding did not differ significantly between these groups (12.0% vs. 14.9%, OR 0.76; P = 0.11), nor did mortality rates (30.9% vs. 31.0%, OR 0.85, P = 0.22). We did not detect any significant heterogeneity among included studies for any analyzed endpoints, nor was any risk of publication bias pertaining to these studies detected through the use of funnel plots. CONCLUSIONS: TIPS conducted via the left PV was associated with decreased rates of postoperative HE and TIPS dysfunction relative to TIPS conducted via the right PV.

A Comparison of Different Schemes of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Followed by Concurrent Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy for Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer: A Retrospective Study.

PURPOSE: To examine the clinical significance of unoperated cervical cancer patients treated with different neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) schemes followed by concurrent chemotherapy and radiotherapy (CCRT). METHODS: This retrospective analysis included women with locally advanced cervical cancer treated with NACT-CCRT between September 2011 and September 2014. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy included paclitaxel plus cisplatin (TP group; 62 patients) or paclitaxel plus loplatin (TL group; 58 patients), which were administered three weekly, and cisplatin or loplatin, which were administered weekly for synchronous chemotherapy. External beam radiation therapy (50.4-56.35 Gy/28 f, 180-215 cGy/f, 5 f/w) was followed by intracavitary brachytherapy (5 Gy per fraction, mostly 5 fractions, Ir192 based). RESULTS: One hundred twenty women were included in the analysis. The complete/partial response rate was 99.2% after treatment. The one-year, three-year, and five-year survival rates were 99.2%, 82.5%, and 70.8%, respectively. In the TP and TL groups, the three-year and five-year survival rates were 85.5% vs 77.6% and 75.8% vs 65.5%, respectively, with no significant difference. The 5-year overall survival (OS) rates between patients with stage IIB and stage IIIB disease were not significantly different (69.2% vs 64.7%). In the TP group, grade 3 or 4 digestive reactions were more frequent than those in the TL group. Leukopenia, neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia were more common in the TL group. No significant difference was found in anemia, radiation enteritis, radiation proctitis, or radiation cystitis between the groups. CONCLUSION: Lobaplatin may be used as an alternative drug for patients with severe digestive system reactions or contraindications to cisplatin, but hematological toxicity must be considered, particularly in dose-intensive schemes. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemotherapy and radiotherapy (NACT-CCRT) warrants further prospective study in cervical cancer patients with a wide range of tumor invasion (eg, mass size ≥5 cm or stage IIIB).

Discovery of new genetic loci for male sexual orientation in Han population.

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that the genetic factors partly influence the development of same-sex sexual behavior, but most genetic studies have focused on people of primarily European ancestry, potentially missing important biological insights. Here, we performed a two-stage genome-wide association study (GWAS) with a total sample of 1478 homosexual males and 3313 heterosexual males in Han Chinese populations and identified two genetic loci (rs17320865, Xq27.3, FMR1NB, Pmeta = 8.36 × 10-8, OR = 1.29; rs7259428, 19q12, ZNF536, Pmeta = 7.58 × 10-8, OR = 0.75) showing consistent association with male sexual orientation. A fixed-effect meta-analysis including individuals of Han Chinese (n = 4791) and European ancestries (n = 408,995) revealed 3 genome-wide significant loci of same-sex sexual behavior (rs9677294, 2p22.1, SLC8A1, Pmeta = 1.95 × 10-8; rs2414487, 15q21.3, LOC145783, Pmeta = 4.53 × 10-9; rs2106525, 7q31.1, MDFIC, Pmeta = 6.24 × 10-9). These findings may provide new insights into the genetic basis of male sexual orientation from a wider population scope. Furthermore, we defined the average ZNF536-immunoreactivity (ZNF536-ir) concentration in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) as lower in homosexual individuals than in heterosexual individuals (0.011 ± 0.001 vs 0.021 ± 0.004, P = 0.013) in a postmortem study. In addition, compared with heterosexuals, the percentage of ZNF536 stained area in the SCN was also smaller in the homosexuals (0.075 ± 0.040 vs 0.137 ± 0.103, P = 0.043). More homosexual preference was observed in FMR1NB-knockout mice and we also found significant differences in the expression of serotonin, dopamine, and inflammation pathways that were reported to be related to sexual orientation when comparing CRISPR-mediated FMR1NB knockout mice to matched wild-type target C57 male mice.

Functional analysis of GbAGL1, a D-lineage gene from cotton (Gossypium barbadense).

Cotton fibres originate from the outer ovule integument and D-lineage genes are essential for ovule development and their roles can be described by the 'ABCDE' model of flower development. To investigate the role of D-lineage genes during ovule and fibre development, GbAGL1 (GenBank accession number: FJ198049) was isolated from G. barbadense by using the SMART RACE strategy. Sequence and phylogenetic analyses revealed that GbAGL1 was a member of the D-lineage gene family. Southern blot analysis showed that GbAGL1 belonged to a low-copy gene family. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR and RNA in situ hybridization analyses revealed that the GbAGL1 gene in G. barbadense was highly expressed in whole floral bud primordia and the floral organs including ovules and fibres, but the signals were barely observed in vegetative tissues. GbAGL1 expression increased gradually with the ovule developmental stages. Over-expression of GbAGL1 in Arabidopsis caused obvious homeotic alternations in the floral organs, such as early flowering, and an extruded stigma, which were the typical phenotypes of the D-lineage gene family. In addition, a complementation test revealed that GbAGL1 could rescue the phenotypes of the stk mutant. Our study indicated that GbAGL1 was a D-lineage gene that was involved in ovule development and might play key roles in fibres development.

[Analysis of correlative factors and prevalence on China's youth myopia].

OBJECTIVE: To understand and address our vision changes in primary and secondary students, in order to explore the prevention of juvenile myopia to provide a response and suggestions. METHODS: A random cluster sampling method, random sample of 90 rural and urban schools in Shandong, Qinghai, Yunnan, Shanghai and Wenzhou from May 2008 to September 2009, including 20 000 students (per province, 4000 x 5) from elementary school and junior high school of focus and non-focus, primary 11 246, junior high school students 3673, high school 4220, of which 11 177 were from the urban students, rural students in 7962, aged 6 to 19 years old, male to female ratio is basically the same. For myopia and related survey, a total of 19, 139 valid questionnaires were recovered. Using SPSS 13.0 software statistical analysis, different regions and different grades was used to compare the prevalence of myopia chi(2) test, using Logistic regression analysis on the major risk factors for myopia. RESULTS: The survey are as follows, the prevalence of myopia in primary was 13.7%; the prevalence of myopia in junior high was 42.9%, the prevalence of myopia in high school was 69.7%. The highest rate of myopia prevalence of primary school students in Shandong was 19.7%, the lowest was 11.9% in Qinghai, Shanghai, Wenzhou and Yunnan are similar; prevalence myopia of junior high in Wenzhou up to 50.6%, followed by Shanghai, and 47.2%, the lowest was 33.6% in Qinghai; the highest prevalence of myopia and high school students in Shandong, reaching 87.3%, followed by 72.0% in Wenzhou, and the lowest was 60.2% in Shanghai. CONCLUSION: This survey shows that the prevalence of myopia of China's primary and secondary schools in coastal was higher than areas of mainland, in developed regions was higher than in less developed regions, and the plateau region and the strong ultraviolet light similar to the plain areas. Provincial prevalence of myopia increased from primary to high school continued the same trend.

Genetic analysis and molecular detection of resistance to chlorpyrifos mediated by the A216S substitution in acetylcholinesterase-1 in the plant bug Apolygus lucorum.

The green plant bug Apolygus lucorum is a major pest of Bacillus thuringiensis cotton in China. Previously, we reported that chlorpyrifos resistance in a laboratory-selected strain of A. lucorum (BZ-R) is associated with the homozygosis of an allele in the ace-1 gene encoding an alanine to serine substitution at position 216 of acetylcholinesterase-1. Here we describe the results of crosses between the resistant BZ-R strain (41-fold to chlorpyrifos) and the unselected susceptible BZ-S strain homozygous for the wild type alanine allele at position 216. Resistance to chlorpyrifos was inherited as a semi-dominant trait mainly controlled by a single autosomal gene and co-segregates strongly but not completely with the serine substitution in ace-1. Synergism bioassays and enzyme assays showed that minor contributions to resistance are also made by enhanced cytochrome P450 and carboxylesterase activities. A survey of 25 field populations from five Chinese provinces showed strong positive correlations between 50% lethal concentration against chlorpyrifos and S216 allele and genotype frequencies, although the most tolerant populations still only show 40%-50% S216 allele frequencies. The results above provide important information for designing effective resistance monitoring and management strategies for A. lucorum in China.

Experimental studies on the effect of ultrasonic treatment and hydrogen donors on residual oil characteristics.

Residual oil, the residue after the distillation of crude oil, imposes deleterious effects on refinery due to its high viscosity and asphaltene content. In this context, ultrasonic technology has been widely applied in refining processes given its high efficiency and minimal environmental impacts. To guide the selection of operation parameters, in this work, we probed the effect of treatment duration, power, and hydrogen donor on the characteristics of residual oil under ultrasonic treatments. Underlying mechanisms of ultrasonic treatments, in the absence and presence of hydrogen donors, were verified through systematically analyzing viscosity, component conversion, molecular weight, hydrogen distribution, and functional groups of residual oil. While viscosity reductions under low-power density treatment are caused by colloidal system disaggregation, high-power density treatment can bring in both chemical bond cleavage and colloidal system disaggregation. In addition, adding hydrogen donor can effectively prevent radical recombination, and thus increases the yield of saturate. These results provide fundamental understandings on the effects of ultrasonic treatments.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Pediatric Clinical Practice in Wenzhou, China: A Retrospective Study.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of life worldwide. The aim of the present study was to review and describe and acknowledge the impact of COVID-19 on the pediatric health care system at a pediatric tertiary hospital in Wenzhou. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted at Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, a public pediatric tertiary hospital in Southern Zhejiang Province that specializes in pediatrics. The data regarding the primary diagnosis of patients were extracted from the electronic medical records system of the hospital. Data for outpatients and inpatients treated at the pediatric department were analyzed in the time frame of 22 weeks since the beginning of the pandemic (from December 30, 2019 to June 2, 2020) and compared with data from the same period in 2019. Results: The total number of outpatient cases in the previous 22 weeks of the year declined from 560,620 in 2019 to 247,030 in 2020, and inpatient cases decreased from 14,177 to 7,555. This negative trend settled by week 6 and 7 and subsequently approached the 2019 numbers. The most noticeable decrease in the number of cases was observed in children of preschool age. Moreover, the number of weekly visits decreased at the beginning of the epidemic, reached the lowest value during the lockdown period, and recovered after the lockdown. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, clinical practice in a pediatric department in Wenzhou was substantially affected by the epidemic and measures such as physical distancing and increased personal hygiene, particularly in preschool-age children. An understanding of the trends and impacts of the pandemic on pediatric patients and health systems will facilitate better preparation of pediatricians in the future.