bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Heterologous prime-boost: an important candidate immunization strategy against Tembusu virus
Authors: Pan Yuting , Jia Renyong , Li Juping , Wang Mingshu , Chen Shun , Liu Mafeng , Zhu Dekang , Zhao Xinxin , Wu Ying , Yang Qiao , Yin Zhongqiong , Jing Bo , Huang Juan , Zhang Shaqiu , Zhang Lin , Liu Yunya , Yu Yanlin , Tian Bin , Pan Leichang , Rehman Mujeeb Ur , Cheng Anchun
Published: April 2020

Background Tembusu virus (TMUV), a newly emerging pathogenic flavivirus, spreads rapidly between ducks, causing massive economic losses in the Chinese duck industry. Vaccination is the most effective method to prevent TMUV. Therefore, it is urgent to look for an effective vaccine strategy against TMUV. Heterologous prime-boost regimens priming with vaccines and boosting with recombinant adenovirus vaccines have been proven to be successful strategies for protecting against viruses in experimental animal models. Methods In this study, heterologous and homologous prime-boost strategies using an attenuated vaccine and a recombinant adenovirus vaccine expressing prM-E or the E gene of TMUV were evaluated to protect ducks against TMUV infection for the first time, including priming and boosting with the attenuated salmonella vaccine, priming and boosting with the recombinant adenovirus vaccine, and priming with attenuated salmonella vaccine and boosting with the recombinant adenovirus vaccine. Humoral and cellular immune responses were detected and evaluated. We then challenged the ducks with TMUV at 12 days after boosting to assay for clinical symptoms, mortality, viral loads and histopathological lesions after these different strategies. Results Compared with the homologous prime-boost strategies, the heterologous prime-boost regimen produced higher levels of neutralizing antibodies and IgG antibodies against TMUV. Additionally, it could induce higher levels of IFN-γ than homologous prime-boost strategies in the later stage. Interestingly, the heterologous prime-boost strategy induced higher levels of IL-4 in the early stage, but the IL-4 levels gradually decreased and were even lower than those induced by the homologous prime-boost strategy in the later stage. Moreover, the heterologous prime-boost strategy could efficiently protect ducks, with low viral titres, no clinical symptoms and histopathological lesions in this experiment after challenge with TMUV, while slight clinical symptoms and histopathological lesions were observed with the homologous prime-boost strategies. Conclusions Our results indicated that the heterologous prime-boosts strategy induced higher levels of humoral and cellular immune responses and better protection against the TMUV infection in ducks than the homologous prime-boost strategies, suggesting that the heterologous prime-boost strategy is an important candidate for the design of a novel vaccine strategy against TMUV.
SYBA: Bayesian estimation of synthetic accessibility of organic compounds
Authors: Voršilák Milan , Kolář Michal , Čmelo Ivan , Svozil Daniel
Published: April 2020

SYBA (SYnthetic Bayesian Accessibility) is a fragment-based method for the rapid classification of organic compounds as easy- (ES) or hard-to-synthesize (HS). It is based on a Bernoulli naïve Bayes classifier that is used to assign SYBA score contributions to individual fragments based on their frequencies in the database of ES and HS molecules. SYBA was trained on ES molecules available in the ZINC15 database and on HS molecules generated by the Nonpher methodology. SYBA was compared with a random forest, that was utilized as a baseline method, as well as with other two methods for synthetic accessibility assessment: SAScore and SCScore. When used with their suggested thresholds, SYBA improves over random forest classification, albeit marginally, and outperforms SAScore and SCScore. However, upon the optimization of SAScore threshold (that changes from 6.0 to ~4.5), SAScore yields similar results as SYBA. Because SYBA is based merely on fragment contributions, it can be used for the analysis of the contribution of individual molecular parts to compound synthetic accessibility. SYBA is publicly available at https://github.com/lich-uct/syba under the GNU General Public License.
Withdrawal of Treatment in Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at a Children's Hospital of China: a Period of 10 Years Retrospective Study
Authors: Liu Huaqing , Su Dongni , Guo Xubei , Dai Yunhong , Dong Xingqiang , Zhu Qiujiao , Bai Zhengjiang , Li Ying , Wu Shuiyan
Published: April 2020

Background: Published data and practice recommendations on end-of-life generally reflect Western practice frameworks, there are few reports that refer to withdrawing treatment of children in China. Methods: Withdrawing treatment and reasons of children in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) of a regional children's hospital in eastern China from 2006 to 2017 was studied retrospectively. Withdrawing treatment was divided into medical withdrawing and premature withdrawing as defined.Results: The incidence of withdrawing treatment among children in the PICU decreased significantly, for premature withdrawing from a 3-year average of 15.1% in 2006–2008 to 1.9% in 2015–2017 (87.4% reduction). Overall incidence of withdrawal of care reduced over the time period, and withdrawal of therapy by guardians was the main contributor to the overall reduction. The median age of children in whom treatment was withdrawn increased from 14.5 (interquartile range: 4.0-72.0) months in 2006 to 40.5 (interquartile range: 8.0– 99.0) months in 2017. Reasons given by guardians of children whose treatments were withdrawn in 2011-2017, “illness is too severe” ranked first, accounting for 66.3%, followed by “condition has been improved” (20.9%). Only a few of the guardians ascribed withdrawing treatment to economic reasons.Conclusions: The decreasing in incidence of premature withdrawing suggests that guardians are more willing to actively treat their children in this children’s hospital during the last years. Chinese children's guardians have their own unique ways of expression when self-reported reasons for withdrawing treatment.
Fire needle plus cupping for acute herpes zoster: Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Zhang Ying , Liang Zuohui , Li Shihua , Yang Ling , Guo Taipin , Yan Xu , Yang Juanjuan , Xu Qiannan , Zhang Qing , Zhao Jian , Li Cailian , Liu Xiuhong
Published: April 2020

Acute herpes zoster (AHZ) is a common skin disease caused by invasion of the varicella-zoster virus into the ganglia and skin, and the severe pain is the most complaint, which seriously disturbs the normal life of patients. Fire needle plus cupping is a special acupuncture treatment, which is widely used to treat AHZ for its better analgesic effect in China although it has not been verified by rigorous the randomized controlled trial (RCT).Methods To test the effect, a three-arm randomized parallel controlled trial protocol has been design. 105 AHZ patients suffering pain will be randomly divided into three groups in an equal proportion. The interventions are fire needle plus cupping (FC)in group A , famciclovir plus gabapentin (FG) in group B and fire needle plus cupping plus famciclovir (FCF) in Group C. All the group will be treated with one week, and the FC is to carry out 1 to 7 treatment sessions within 1 week, and the drug of famciclovir or gabapentin will take orally three times a day with seven times. Temporary analgesics medication will be administered if the intolerable pain constantly appeared. The primary outcome is pain intensity relief using visual analogue scale, and the secondary outcomes are changes in substance P and beta-endorphin concentrations in peripheral plasma, as well as analgesic needs, side effects, symptoms and physical signs including pain classification, local itching, burning sensation, fever, local lymphadenopathy, skin lesion area, blisters, herpes clusters, vesicular traits, ulcers, and pimples also will be evaluated. After 6 months, the participants will be followed up for postherpetic neuralgia. Discussion: The results of this trial will give the evidence of FC comparing with FG and FCF, and may be provide another a credible treatment way to solve acute pain problem in AHZ.
Molecular mapping of a novel lesion mimic gene (lm4) associated with enhanced resistance to stripe rust in bread wheat
Authors: Liu Rong , Lu Jing , Zheng Shigang , Zhou Min , Du Mei , Zhang Chihong , Wang Minxiu , Li Yunfang , Xing Jiayi , Wu Yu , Zhang Lei
Published: April 2020

Background Lesion mimics (LM) is a disease-like symptom randomly spread on plant green leaves without any pathogens. Previous study has found that LM was related to enhanced resistance to a broad spectrum of diverse pathogen races and programmed cell death (PCD). Stripe rust is a globally epidemic fungal disease that can cause significant reduction of the quality and yield of crops. The development of resistance cultivars is economically and environmentally method for enhancing adaptability and yield stability of crops instead of fungicides application. In this study, a novel LM gene with Pst resistance was identified and mapped with developing molecular markers for marker assisted selection (MAS) in wheat breeding. Results In this study, a novel LM gene named as lm4 was identified by using a Yanzhan1/Neixiang188 RILs population, which closely linked to SSR markers Xgwm210 and Xgwm455 by 8.06 cM intervals. Then the genetic distance of the lm4 was shortened that flanked by SSR markers with 0.51cM and 0.77cM interval. Two SSR markers lm4_01_cib and lm4_02_cib were developed based on Chinese Spring genome database and wheat-660K SNP result, which can be used to conduct MAS of LM in wheat. And the results also show that lm4 significantly improved the resistance of stripe rust in wheat. Conclusions Therefore, lm4 is associated with stripe rust resistance which may provide a theoretical support for future crop disease-resistant breeding and for understanding the plant apoptosis mechanism.
Effects of physical exercise on cognitively impaired older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized control trials
Authors: Sontakova Lenka , Bartova Alzbeta , Dadova Klara , Holmerova Iva , Steffl Michal
Published: April 2020

Objectives: The main aim of this study was to compare the effects of different physical activities on cognitive functions in older adults divided according to cognitive impairment levels.Methods: We searched Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed for randomized control trials (RCT). A standardized mean difference (SMD) of the pre-post intervention score of global cognitive function tests was calculated by the random model in the Cochrane meta-analyses for people with cognitive impairment generally and across three levels - mild, mild to moderate, and moderate to severe cognitive impairment separately. Additionally, an unstandardized coefficient beta (B) was calculated in generalized linear models to estimate the effects of exercise, cognitive impairment severity, age, female ratio, length of intervention, and time of exercise a week on the global cognitive function.Results: Data from 26 studies involving 1,137 participants from intervention groups and 1,187 participants from control groups were analyzed. Physical exercise had a positive effect on cognitive functions in people across all levels of cognitive impairments SMD (95 % confidence interval [CI]) = 1.19 (0.77 - 1.62); however, heterogeneity was considerably high I2 = 95%. Aerobic (B = 8.881) and resistance exercise (B = 4.464) was significantly associated with better results in global cognitive functions when compared to active control. A higher number of female participants in intervention groups had a statistically significant effect on the global cognitive function (B = 0.229).Conclusions: Physical exercise was associated with cognitive function improvement in older people with cognitive impairments. Aerobic exercise was more strongly associated than resistance exercise to combat cognitive decline.
Cross-cultural validation of the Motivation to Change Lifestyle and Health Behaviours for Dementia Risk Reduction scale in the Dutch general population
Authors: Joxhorst Tessa , Vrijsen Joyce , Niebuur Jacobien , Smidt Nynke
Published: April 2020

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to translate and validate the Motivation to Change Lifestyle and Health Behaviours for Dementia Risk Reduction (MCLHB-DRR) scale in the Dutch general population.METHODS: A random sample of Dutch residents aged between 30 and 80 years old were invited to complete an online questionnaire including the translated MCLHB-DRR scale. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA and CFA) were conducted to assess construct validity. Cronbach’s alpha was calculated to assess internal consistency.RESULTS: 618 participants completed the questionnaire. EFA and Cronbach’s alpha showed that four items were candidate for deletion. CFA confirmed that deleting these items led to an excellent fit (RMSEA = 0.043, CFI = 0.960, TLI = 0.951, χ²/df = 2.130). Cronbach’s alpha ranged from 0.69 to 0.93, indicating good internal consistency.CONCLUSION: The current study demonstrated that the Dutch MCLHB-DRR scale is a valid scale for assessing health beliefs and attitudes towards dementia risk reduction among Dutch adults aged between 30 and 80 years old.
Occupational pesticide exposure and the risk of death in patients with Parkinson’s disease: an observational study in Southern Brazil.
Authors: Medeiros Márcio Schneider , Reddy Sumanth P. , Socal Mariana P. , Schumacher-Schuh Artur Francisco , Rieder Carlos Roberto de Mello
Published: April 2020

Background: Multiple studies have suggested that various pesticides are associated with a higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease (PD) and may influence the progression of the disease. However, the evidence regarding the impact of pesticide exposure on mortality among patients with PD is equivocal. This study examines whether pesticide exposure influences the risk of mortality among patients with PD in Southern Brazil. Methods: A total of 150 patients with idiopathic PD were enrolled from 2008-2013 and followed until 2019. In addition to undergoing a detailed neurologic evaluation, patients completed surveys regarding socioeconomic status and environmental exposures. Results: Twenty patients (13.3%) reported a history of occupational pesticide exposure with a median duration of exposure of 10 years (mean = 13.1, SD = 11.2). Patients with a history of occupational pesticide exposure had higher UPDRS-III scores, though there were no significant differences in regards to age, sex, disease duration, Charlson Comorbidity Index, and age at symptom onset. Patients with occupational pesticide exposure were more than twice as likely to die than their unexposed PD counterparts (HR = 2.32, 95% CI [1.15, 4.66], p = 0.018). Occupational pesticide exposure was also a significant predictor of death in a cox-proportional hazards model which included smoking and caffeine intake history (HR = 2.29, 95% CI [1.13, 4.63], p = 0.02) and another which included several measures of socioeconomic status (HR = 3.92, 95% CI [1.41, 10.90], p = 0.009).Conclusion: In this prospective cohort study, we found an increased all-cause mortality risk in PD patients with occupational exposure to pesticides. More studies are needed to further analyze this topic with longer follow-up periods, more detailed exposure information, and more specific causes of mortality.
Prevalence and risk factors of psychological impacts among the quarantined population during the COVID-19 pandemic in China
Authors: Yan Bin , Huang Yeen
Published: April 2020

Background: The Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has swept into over 200 countries with considerable confirmed cases and deaths, and has caused public panic and mental health stress. We aimed to examine the quarantined population’s psychological problems during the pandemic, and to explore the potential risk factors.Methods: From 3 February, to 17 February, 2020, we conducted a web-based cross-sectional survey to collect data from 6,961 participants assessed with demographic data, knowledge about the COVID-19, anxiety disorders, depressive symptoms, and poor sleep. Multivariate logistic regressions were used to identify the risk factors associated with the psychological issues.Results: The overall prevalence of anxiety disorders, depressive symptoms, and poor sleep quality were 34.6%, 19.2%, and 18.3%, respectively. People aged < 35 years reported a higher prevalence of anxiety disorders and depressive symptoms than people aged ≥ 35 years (P<0.01). Compared with other occupational groups, healthcare workers had the highest rate of poor sleep quality (P<0.001). Younger age, spent ≥ 3 hours a day focusing on the pandemic, and healthcare workers were the potential risk factors for psychological problems.Conclusions: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the quarantined population showed a severe psychological impact, especially people aged < 35 years, those spent ≥3 hours a day focusing on the pandemic, and being a healthcare worker. Our findings can be a helpful reference for intervention and prevention programs for the quarantined population facing crisis in the future.
The association of low serum salivary and pancreatic amylases with the increased use of lipids as an energy source in non-obese healthy women
Authors: Nakajima Kei , Higuchi Ryoko , Iwane Taizo , Iida Ayaka
Published: April 2020

OBJECTIVE: It is unknown whether low serum levels of salivary and pancreatic amylases are associated with the high combustion of carbohydrates or lipids for energy. Elevated blood ketones and a low respiratory quotient (RQ) can reflect the preferential combustion of lipids relative to carbohydrates. Therefore, using the data from our previous study, we investigated if low levels of serum amylases were associated with a high serum ketone level and low RQ in 60 healthy non-obese young women aged 20–39 years old.RESULTS: Serum ketones [3-hydroxybutyric acid (3-HBA) and acetoacetic acid (AA)] were inversely correlated with RQs, but not body mass index (BMI) or glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels. Logistic regression analysis showed that high levels of serum ketones (3-HBA ≥ 24 μmol/L and AA ≥ 17 μmol/L) and a low RQ (< 0.766) were significantly associated with low serum salivary (< 60 U/L) and pancreatic (< 29 U/L) amylase levels, respectively. These associations were not altered by further adjustments for age, BMI, HbA1c, and estimated glomerular filtration rate. These results confirm the high combustion of lipids for energy in individuals with low serum amylase levels, suggesting a close relationship between circulating amylases and internal energy production.
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2) infection during late pregnancy: A Report of 18 patients from Wuhan, China
Authors: Zhang Lu , Dong Lan , Ming Lei , Wei Min , Li Jun , Hu Ruheng , Yang Jing
Published: April 2020

Background: Compared with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome(SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome(MESR), Corona Virus Disease 2019(COVID-19) spread more rapidly and widely. The population was generally susceptible. However, reports on pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2 were very limited. By sharing the clinical characteristics, treatments and outcomes of 18 patients with COVID-19 during late pregnancy, we hoped to provide some references for obstetric treatment and management.Methods: A total of 18 patients with COVID-19 treated in Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University were collected. The epidemiological characteristics, clinical manifestations, laboratory tests, chest CT and pregnancy outcomes were performed for analysis.Results: 1. 18 cases of late pregnancy infected with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia were delivered at 35 + 5 weeks to 41 weeks. According to the clinical classification of COVID-19, 1 case was mild type, 16 cases were ordinary type, and 1 case was severe type. 2. According to Imaging examinations: 15 (83%) cases showed unilateral or bilateral pneumonia, 2 (11%) cases had pulmonary infection with pleural effusion, and 1 (6%) case had no abnormal imaging changes. 8 (44%) cases were positive and 10 (56%) cases were negative for nasopharyngeal-swab tests of SARS-CoV-2. 3. Among the 18 newborns, there were 3 (17%) premature infants, 1 (6%) case of mild asphyxia, 5 (28%) cases of bacterial pneumonia, 1 (6%) case of gastrointestinal bleeding, 1 (6%) case of necrotizing enteritis, 2 (11%) cases of hyperbilirubinemia and 1 (6%) case of diarrhea. All the newborns were negative for the first throat swab test of SARS-CoV-2 after birth. 4. Follow-up to Mar 7, 2020, no maternal and neonatal deaths occurred.Conclusions: The majority of patients in late term pregnancy with COVID-19 were of ordinary type, and they less likely developed into critical pneumonia after early isolation and antiviral treatment. Vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 was not detected, but the proportion of neonatal bacterial pneumonia was higher than other neonatal diseases in newborns.
Transcutaneous Electrical Acupuncture Stimulation (TEAS) for gastrointestinal dysfunction in adults undergoing abdominal surgery: study protocol for a prospective randomized controlled trial
Authors: Bai Ya-Fan , Gao Chao , Li Wen-Jing , Du Yi , An Li-Xin
Published: April 2020

Background : Postoperative gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction (PGD) is a common problem after abdominal surgery. PGD can increase the length of hospital stay and may lead to serious complications. Acupuncture and moxibustion are alternative therapies for PGD that have been used in some settings. However, the effect of preventive application of acupuncture or transcutaneous electrical acupuncture stimulation (TEAS) is still uncertain. The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficacy of the continuous application of TEAS on GI function recovery in adults undergoing abdominal surgery. At the same time, we will try to confirm the mechanism of TEAS through the brain-gut axis. Methods/design : This study is a prospective, single-center, two-arm, randomized controlled trial that will be performed in a general hospital. In total, 280 patients undergoing abdominal surgery were stratified by type of surgery (i.e., gastric or colorectal procedure) and randomized into two treatment groups. The experimental group will receive TEAS stimulation at L14 and PC6, ST36 and ST37. The sham group will receive pseudo-TEAS at sham acupoints. The primary outcome will be the recovery time of postoperative bowel sounds, flatus, bowel movements and the changes in perioperative brain-intestinal peptides. The secondary outcome will be postoperative pain, perioperative complications, and hospitalization duration. Discussion : The results of this study will demonstrate that continuous preventive application of TEAS can improve the GI function recovery in patients undergoing abdominal surgery and that this effect may act through brain-gut peptides.
The effective interplay of (non-) selective NSAIDs with Neostigmine in animal models of analgesia and inflammation
Authors: Gowayed Mennatallah , Abdel-Bary Amany , El-Tahan Rasha A
Published: April 2020

Background: Surgical procedures cause perioperative immunosuppression and neuroendocrine stress, exerted by activation of the autonomic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. The acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (ACHEI); neostigmine, is known clinically for its analgesic effect in the perioperative phases proving high efficacy; besides possessing anti-inflammatory properties controlling immune cells and cytokine level. Hence, this study evaluated and compared the analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of the combination of selective Cox-2 inhibitor; celecoxib, with neostigmine versus a combination of the non-selective Cox inhibitor; diclofenac, with neostigmine; in different experimental models of analgesia and inflammation in rats.Methods: Analgesic activity of neostigmine with/without diclofenac or celecoxib was assessed in female Sprague-Dawely rats using the tail clip model and acetic acid induced writhing. Serum level of β-endorphin was assessed after the tail clip test. The anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated using acute and sub-chronic formalin induced paw edema. At the end of the sub-chronic formalin test, blood samples were collected for analysis of anti-inflammatory, liver and kidney function markers. Livers, kidneys and hind paws were also examined histopathologically.Results: Addition of neostigmine to selective or non-selective NSAIDs (celecoxib or diclofenac) causes an increased level of analgesia of NSAIDs with rapid onset of action and short duration, while causing potentiation of the anti-inflammatory effect of neostigmine as seen in the tail clip, writhing, formalin test, Cox-1 and Cox-2 activities, serum β-endorphin, TNF-α, NF-кB and HS-CRP. All combinations of this study disturb some kidney and liver functions, however with normal histopathological appearances, while hind paws reveal improved inflammatory infiltration in all treated groups. Conclusion: Selective and non-selective NSAIDs examined in this study could be good adjunct options to general anesthetic agents and neostigmine in perioperative stages, an outcome that needs further clinical investigations.
Optimization technology for group hole drainage of coal mining above deep high pressure and low permeability limestone aquifer
Authors: Lu Haifeng , Zhang Yuan , Zhang Manman , zhang Guifang
Published: April 2020

Drainage for decreasing water pressure is one of the effective measures to prevent and control water disaster caused of coal mining above high pressure limestone aquifer. The deep limestone aquifer in Huaibei mining area generally has the characteristics of high water pressure, low permeability and uneven water abundance so it is generally difficult to meet the requirements for single-hole drainage. In order to achieve the best drainage effect and consider the requirements of engineering quantity and environmental protection, a multi-objective group hole drainage optimization model was established, which takes the minimum of single-hole flow rate and hole number as the objective function and the requirements of drainage borehole and water level control point drawdown as the constraint conditions. And the particle swarm optimization algorithm was used to solve the model. On this basis, the influence of permeability coefficient and water storage coefficient on the calculation results was discussed. The results show that the permeability coefficient and water storage coefficient have great influence on the optimization of single-hole flow rate and the number of holes. For the low permeability aquifer, measures such as using partially penetrated well, appropriately increasing the number of drainage boreholes and reducing the single-hole flow rate have good drainage effect. And the drilling work amount and total drainage amount are relatively small. These are all good layout schemes for drainage. According to the results of optimization, the drainage of a coal face in Huaibei was guided and achieved good results.
Mercury distribution in surface soil of China is potentially driven by precipitation, vegetation cover and organic matter
Authors: Zhang Zhao-Yang , Li Gang , Yang Lei , Sun Guo-Xin
Published: April 2020

Background
Mercury (Hg) distribution in surface soil in China is quite uneven with relatively high concentrations in southeastern China and low concentrations in northwestern China. The reason for this is inconclusive so far, especially on the continental scale. In the present study we used the multiple linear regression model to evaluate the relative importance of these different factors and elucidate the contribution on soil Hg of major factors, such as dry and wet precipitations, vegetation cover, soil organic matter and solar radiation.
Results
Wet and dry deposition associated with precipitation and vegetation cover, and emissions influenced by soil organic matter (SOM), are key factors controlling Hg distribution in surface soil. In southeast China, high wet deposition associated with south Asia monsoon and dry deposition, enhanced by vegetation canopies, together with low emission caused by high vegetated surface and solar radiation, are responsible for high Hg in soil (> 0.08 mg/kg). In northeast China, medium wet Hg deposition and high dry deposition via throughfall and litterfall, low emission due to weak solar radiation and high SOM are responsible for high Hg accumulation in soil. In northwest China, low wet deposition, together with high emission by low vegetation cover (bare soil), SOM and strong solar radiation contributed to low Hg in surface soil (< 0.03 mg/kg).
Conclusions
We suggest that wet deposition derived from Asian monsoon, dry deposition linked to vegetated surfaces and Hg emission associated with vegetation cover, SOM and solar radiation play key roles in Hg balance in other terrestrial environments worldwide, especially in those regions with significantly high wet and dry deposition and high vegetation cover.
Comparison of Laparoscopic Orchiopexy and Traditional Inguinal Incision Orchidopexy for Palpable Undescended Testes in Cryptorchidism
Authors: Gu Shaodong , Luo Hong , wang Yingxun
Published: April 2020

Background Laparoscopic orchidopexy (LO) has become a standard procedure for the treatment of nonpalpable undescended testes. LO for palpable undescended testes is still controversial. The aim of this study is to explore the method and effect of laparoscopic orchiopexy procedure for palpable undescended testes in children suffering from cryptorchidism.Methods A retrospective study was performed for LO and traditional inguinal incision orchidopexy(TIIO) for palpable undescended testes. Totally 220 children age ranged from 9 months to 96 months with both palpable inguinal canalicular testes were included. 170 patients received LO and 50 patients received TIIO. Patient age, operative time and clinical outcomes were reviewed. Independent t test and Fisher’s exact test were performed by SPSS 25.0 software.Results The mean operative time (30.77 ± 6.02 vs 44.76 ± 6.70 min), postoperative normal activity time (1.25 ± 0.43 vs 2.48 ± 0.68 day) of LO was significantly shorter than TIO group. (P < 0.05). 47 of 49 cases (95.9%) within 1-year-old were successfully achieved LO.Conclusion LO is an appropriate choice for palpable undescended testes, especially in younger children within one-year-old. The successful percentage of LO decreased with age growing.
Intestinal tract and parenteral multi-organ sequential pathological injury caused by necrotizing enterocolitis
Authors: Wang Fu Sheng , Yu Meng Lu , Li Wei Zhong , Hong Kai , Xu Chen Bin , Wang Guang Huan
Published: April 2020

Background: To explore the relationship between the pathological changes of colon, terminal ileum, lung, liver and kidney, and the changes of Bax, PCNA and PAF in a rat model of NEC.Methods: 140 neonatal SD rats were randomly divided into 2 groups. NEC rat model is the experimental group. From the 1st day to the 7th day,10 rats were sampled in each group for pathological examination of colon, terminal ileum, lung, liver and kidney tissue. The levels of Bax, PCNA and PAF were investigated by immunohistochemistry.Results: On the 1st day, the colon, terminal ileum, lung, liver and kidney showed inflammatory damage. On the 5th day, inflammatory injury was decreased. The inflammatory injury was nearly gone by the 7th day. There were differences in the time of apoptosis in intestine. In the intestine, the proliferation of weak to strong. Bax in liver and kidney showed marked apoptosis and apoptosis time increased in lung. PCNA was elevated in lung, liver and kidney, and the expression of PAF in lung and liver was increased.Conclusions: NEC can lead to secondary injury of different degrees in colon, terminal ileum, lung, liver and kidney, and the degree and time of injury and repair were different. In general, organ repair played a leading role on the 4th day after modeling.
The performance of Cu2+ as dissolved cathodic electron-shuttle mediator for Cr6+ reduction in the microbial fuel cell
Authors: Gangadharan Praveena , Nambi Indumathi M
Published: April 2020

The study investigates the performance of Cu2+ as dissolved cathodic electron-shuttle mediator (dcESM) for simultaneous Cr6+ reduction and electricity generation in a microbial fuel cell (MFC) at pH 2 and 4 conditions. The dcESM behavior of Cu2+ on carbon cloth (CC) catalyzes the reduction of Cr6+ into Cr3+ at pH 2 by undergoing redox reactions. However, at pH 4, a simultaneous reduction of Cu2+ and Cr6+ was observed. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) studies were performed at pH 2 and 4 to probe the dcESM behavior of Cu2+ for Cr6+ reduction on CC electrode. Also, at pH 2, increasing the concentration of Cu2+ from 50 mg L− 1 to 500 mg L− 1 favors the Cr6+ reduction by reducing the reaction time from 108 h to 48 h and improving the current production from 3.94 mA m− 2 to 6.24 mA m− 2, respectively. Nevertheless, at pH 4, the efficacy of Cr6+ reduction and electricity generation from MFC is decreased from 62.91–18.21% and 4.42 mA m− 2 to 1.10 mA m− 2, respectively, by increasing the Cu2+ concentration from 50 mg L− 1 to 500 mg L− 1. Furthermore, the performance of dcESM behavior of Cu2+ was explored on carbon felt (CF) and platinum (Pt) electrodes, and compare the results with CC. In MFC, at pH 2, with an initial concentration of 100 mg L− 1, the reduction of Cr6+ in 60 h is 9.63 mg L− 1 for CC, 0.17 mg L− 1 for CF, and 51.32 mg L− 1 for Pt cathodes. The reduction of Cr6+ (initial concentration of 100 mg L− 1) at pH 4 in 120 h is 44.72 mg L− 1 for CC, 32.13 mg L− 1 for CF, and 70.85 mg L− 1 for Pt cathodes. Maximum power densities of 1659 mW m− 2, 1509 mW/m− 2, and 1284 mW/m− 2 were achieved when CF, CC, and Pt, respectively were employed as cathodes in the MFC.
Mangrove plants improve predominant microbiota in constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment
Authors: Chen Zhiteng , Li Ruili , Tam Nora Fung Yee , Xie Shuguang , Zan Qijie
Published: April 2020

Background

Two wetlands planted with Kandelia candel and Aegiceras corniculatum and one wetland without plantation were constructed for stable wastewater treatment since 2005. The impact of mangrove plants on the microbiota of wetlands was studied due to their higher efficiency of wastewater treatment.
Results

Microbiota of each wetland were explored through high-throughput sequencing and their relationships were predicted based on spearman metrics. Planted wetlands had higher microbial diversities and more similar microbial communities. Five phyla were significantly enriched in planted wetlands, including Acidobacteria, Nitrospirae, Actinobacteria, Gemmatimonadetes and Elusimicrobia. Twelve phyla of other microbes accounting for 1.85% of the total relative abundance showed significantly higher abundance in the unplanted wetland. Planted wetlands shared more similar microbial community structure distinguished from that of the unplanted one. Additionally, distinct microbial interactive pattern could be observed in planted wetlands.
Conclusions

Based on their microbial compositions and interactive patterns, it will be reasonable to illustrate the higher wastewater purification ability of planted wetlands. Research here also supplies useful information for the potential of applicable combination of certain kinds of microbes for wastewater treatment.
The effects of changes in distance to nearest health facility on under-5 mortality and health care utilization in rural Malawi, 1980-2000
Authors: Quattrochi John Paul , Hill Kenneth , Salomon Joshua A , Castro Marcia C
Published: April 2020

Background: Despite important progress, the burden of under-5 mortality remains unacceptably high, with an estimated 5.3 million deaths in 2018. Lack of access to health care is a major risk factor for under-5 mortality, and distance to health care facilities has been shown to be associated with less access to care in multiple contexts, but few such studies have used a counterfactual approach to produce causal estimates.
Methods: We combined retrospective reports on 22,088 births between 1980 and 2000 from the 2000 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey with a 1998 health facility census that includes the date of construction for each facility, including 335 maternity or maternity/dispensary facilities built in rural areas between 1980 and 1998. Using a difference-in-differences approach with Cox proportional hazards models, we estimated the effect of a reduction in distance to nearest facility, conditional on initial distance, on under-5 mortality. Using a difference-in-difference approach with linear probability models, we estimated the effect of a reduction in distance to nearest facility on number of antenatal visits prior to delivery, place of delivery, receiving skilled assistance during delivery, and receiving a check-up following delivery.
Findings: We found no effects of a decrease in distance to the nearest health facility on the hazard of death before age five years. We also found no effect of reduced distance to nearest facility on utilization of maternal health services. The effects estimated here likely depend on the quality of health care, the availability of transportation, the demand for health services, and the underlying causes of mortality, among other factors.
Conclusion: Reducing under-5 mortality and increasing utilization of care in rural Malawi and similar settings may require more than the construction of new health infrastructure.
Early combination therapy with etanercept and methotrexate in JIA patients shortens the time to reach inactive disease state and remission. Results of a double-blind placebo-controlled trial.
Authors: Alexeeva Ekaterina , Horneff Gerd , Dvoryakovskaya Tatyana , Denisova Rina , Nikishina Irina , Zholobova Elena , Malievskiy Viktor , Santalova Galina , Stadler Elena , Balykova Larisa , Spivakovskiy Yuriy , Kriulin Ivan , Alshevskaya Alina , Moskalev Andrey
Published: April 2020

Background: Remission is the primary objective of treating juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). It is still debatable whether early intensive treatment is superior with more rapid remission achievement. Objective Evaluation of effectiveness of early Etanercept+Methotrexate (ETA+MTX) combination therapy vs step up MTX monotherapy with ETA added in refractory disease. Methods: Multi-center, double-blind, randomized study in active polyarticular JIA patients treated with either ETA+MTX (n=35) or MTX+placebo (n=33) for up to 24 weeks, followed by a 24-week open-label phase. Efficacy endpoints included pedACR30 criteria improvement at week 12, inactive disease at week 24, and remission at week 48. Patients who failed to achieve the endpoints at week 12 or at week 24 escaped to open-label ETA+MTX. Safety was assessed at each visit. Results: By ITT analysis, more patients in the ETA+MTX group had reached the pedACR30 response at week 12 (33 (94.3%)) compared to the MTX+placebo group (20 (60.6%); p=0.001). At week 24, comparable percentages of patients reached inactive disease (11 (31.4%) vs 11 (33.3%)). At week 48, 11 (31.4%) and eight (24.2%) patients achieved remission. Median (+/-IQR) time to achieve an inactive disease state in the ETA+MTX and MTX+placebo groups were 24 (14–32) and 32 (24–40) weeks, respectively. Forty-four (74/100 patient-years) adverse events (AEs) were reported leading to treatment discontinuation in 6 patients. Conclusion: Early combination therapy with ETA+MTX proved to be highly effective compared to the standard step up regimen. More patients treated with a combination of ETA+MTX reached pedACR30 response and inactive disease and remission more rapidly.Trial registrationThe study was registered by the European Clinical Trials Database (EudraCT) as 2015-003384-11 on 07-21-2014.Word count: 270
Is There a Role for Prophylactic Antibiotics Post Pediatric Pyeloplasty?
Authors: Sheth Kunj , Puttmann Kathleen , Nichols Paige , King Jordon C , Zhu Huirong , Ryan Sheila , Wang Ming
Published: April 2020

Background: The use of postoperative prophylactic antibiotics in pediatric upper urinary tract reconstruction remains controversial. In this study, we elected to examine if prophylactic antibiotics post pediatric dismember pyeloplasty reduce the incidence of clinically symptomatic urinary tract infections (UTIs) in our institution. As a secondary outcome, we also examine which patient population benefits the most from low dose prophylactic antibiotics.Methods: Institutional review board approval (IRB) was obtained. A retrospective study was performed in patients who underwent dismember pyeloplasty (2011-2017) at our institution. Patients with prior history of urologic interventions or other abnormalities of the genitourinary tract were excluded. Demographics (age, gender, ethnicity, insurance status), prior history of culture proven UTIs, surgical details (administration of perioperative antibiotics), and postoperative outcomes, including any readmission 30 days post repair, any urine samples, and culture results were collected.Results: 209 patients (149 boys, 60 girls) met our inclusion criteria. The average age was 6 years (range: 2 months-18 years). 160 patients (77%) underwent robotic-assisted pyeloplasty. Thirty-one patients underwent open repair (15%). 176 (84%) had an indwelling ureteral stent. Eleven patients (5%) had a culture-proven febrile UTI within 30-days postoperatively. No significant differences were seen in postoperative complications or incidence of UTIs when comparing surgical approaches, ureteral stent, or the use of prophylactic post-operative antibiotics. Secondary review of patients with post-operative febrile UTIs noted younger age (2.8 v. 6.2 years, p = 0.02) and positive intraoperative urine culture (p = 0.01) as significant risk factors. Conclusion: The incidence of postoperative UTIs in our cohort is relatively low. There is a higher incidence of febrile UTIs in patients less than 3 years old and those with positive intraoperative urine culture. The use of prophylactic antibiotics in patients post dismember pyeloplasty did not appear to affect the incidence of febrile culture proven UTIs, however, might be important in younger patients pre potty training.
Illuminating the dark side of the human transcriptome with long read transcript sequencing
Authors: Kuo Richard , Cheng Yuanyuan , Zhang Runxuan , Brown John W.S. , Smith Jacqueline , Archibald Alan L. , Burt Dave W.
Published: April 2020

Background The human transcriptome annotation is regarded as one of the most complete of any eukaryotic species. However, limitations in sequencing technologies have biased the annotation toward multi-exonic protein coding genes. Accurate high-throughput long read transcript sequencing can now provide stronger evidence for genes that were previously either undetectable or impossible to differentiate from sequencing noise such as rare transcripts, mono-exonic, and non-coding genes.Results We analyzed Sequel II Iso-Seq sequencing data of the Universal Human Reference RNA (UHRR) using the Transcriptome Annotation by Modular Algorithms (TAMA) software. We found that the convention of using mapping identity to measure error correction performance does not reflect actual gain in accuracy of predicted transcript models. In addition, inter-read error correction leads to the thousands of erroneous gene models. Using genome assembly based error correction and gene feature evidence, we identified thousands of potentially functional novel genes.Conclusions The standard of using inter-read error correction for long read RNA sequencing data could be responsible for genome annotations with thousands of biologically inaccurate gene models. More than half of all real genes in the human genome may still be missing in current public annotations. We require better methods for differentiating sequencing noise from real genes in long read RNA sequencing data.
Sperm miRNAs— potential mediators of bull age and early embryo development
Authors: Wu Chongyang , Blondin Patrick , Vigneault Christian , Labrecqu Rémi , Sirard Marc-André
Published: April 2020

Background
Sperm miRNAs were reported to regulate spermatogenesis and early embryonic development in some mammals including bovine. The dairy cattle breeding industry now tends to collect semen from younger bulls under high selection pressure at a time when semen quality may be suboptimal compared to adult bulls. Whether the patterns of spermatic miRNAs are affected by paternal age and/or impact early embryogenesis is not clear. Hence, we generated small non-coding RNA libraries of sperm collected from same bulls at 10, 12, and 16 months of age, using 16 months as control for differential expression and functional analysis.
Results
We firstly excluded all miRNAs present in measurable quantity in oocytes according to the literature. Of the remaining miRNAs, ten sperm-borne miRNAs were significantly differentially expressed in younger bulls (four in the 10 vs 16 months contrast and six in the 12 vs 16 months contrast). Targets of miRNAs were identified and compared to the transcriptomic database of two-cell embryos, to genes related to two-cell competence, and to the transcriptomic database of blastocysts. Ingenuity pathway analysis of the targets of these miRNAs suggested potential influence on the developmental competence of two-cell embryos and on metabolism and protein synthesis in blastocysts.
Conclusions
The results showed that miRNA patterns in sperm are affected by the age of the bull and may mediate the effects of paternal age on early embryonic development.
Prognostic value of serum amyloid A in patients with COVID-19
Authors: Cheng Li
Published: April 2020

Objective: To investigate the prognostic value of serum amyloid A (SAA) in the patients with Corona Virus Disease 2019(COVID-19). Methods The medical data of 89 COVID-19 patients admitted to Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University from January 3, 2020 to February 26, 2020 were collected. 89 cases were divided into survival group (53 cases) and non-survival group (36 cases) according to the results of 28-day follow-up. The SAA levels of all patients were recorded and compared on 1day after admission (before treatment) and 3day, 5day, 7day after treatment. The ROC curve was drawn to analyze the prognosis of patients with COVID-19 by SAA. Results: The difference of comparison of SAA between survival group and non-survival group before treatment was not statistically significant, Z1 = -1.426, P = 0.154. The Z1 values ​​of the two groups of patients at 3d, 5d, 7d after treatment were -5.569, -6.967, and -7.542, respectively. The P values were all less than 0.001, and the difference was statistically significant. The ROC curve results showed that SAA has higher sensitivity to prognostic value for death, the AUC area of 3d, 5d, 7d, which were 80.6%, 97.2%, 86.1%, and 96.1%, respectively. Conclusion: SAA can be used as a death predictor of the prognosis in patients with COVID-19.