Cholesterol Granuloma of the Sphenoid Sinus: An Insidious Entity.

Pathology of sphenoid sinus is uncommon and may pose a diagnostic challenge in view of its vague symptoms together with its relatively inaccessible location at the skull base. Radiological imaging is of utmost importance in diagnosis. We present an insidious case of a sphenoid sinus cholesterol granuloma.

Pulmonary sarcoidosis: A novel sequelae of drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) syndrome is an uncommon yet serious adverse drug hypersensitivity reaction with the presentations including rash, fever, lymphadenopathy, and internal organ involvement. Sarcoidosis is a systematic granulomatous disease with unknown etiology. We herein report a case of pulmonary sarcoidosis secondary to allopurinol-induced DRESS. CASE SUMMARY: A 37-year-old man with a history of hyperuricemia was treated with allopurinol for three weeks at a total dose of 7000 milligrams before developing symptoms including anorexia, fever, erythematous rash, and elevated transaminase. The patient was diagnosed with DRESS and was treated with prednisone for 6 mo until all the symptoms completely resolved. Three months later, the patient presented again because of a progressively worsening dry cough. His chest computed tomography images showed bilateral lung parenchyma involvement with lymph node enlargement, which was confirmed to be nonnecrotizing granuloma by pathological examination. Based on radiologic and pathological findings, he was diagnosed with sarcoidosis and was restarted on treatment with prednisone, which was continued for another 6 mo. Reexamination of chest imaging revealed complete resolution of parenchymal lung lesions and a significant reduction in the size of the mediastinal and hilar lymph nodes. Following a 6-month follow-up of completion of treatment, the patient's clinical condition remained stable with no clinical evidence of relapse. CONCLUSION: This is the first case in which pulmonary sarcoidosis developed as a late complication of allopurinol-induced DRESS. The case indicated that the autoimmune reaction of DRESS may play an important role in the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis.

Socioeconomic status influences on bone mineral density in American men: findings from NHANES 2011-2020.

The association between socioeconomic status (SES) and bone mineral density (BMD) in men remains controversial. We showed that SES was positively associated with BMD in American men. Confounding factors like race/ethnicity and age could affect the association. INTRODUCTION: Based on the data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2011-2020, this article aims to investigate the association of SES (poverty income ratio (PIR) and education level) with the BMD in American men. METHODS: We evaluated the association of SES with BMD in 4446 men aged ≥ 20 years (mean age, 41.0 ± 13.4 years) from the NHANES 2011-2020. BMD was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) at the lumbar spine. We used multivariate linear regression models to examine the relationship between SES and total spine BMD, adjusted for a large range of confounding factors. RESULTS: Compared with other PIR quarters, individuals in the highest quarter of PIR were more likely to be older and white and had fewer smoking or drinking behaviors. After adjusting for race/ethnicity, age, drinking and smoking behavior, body mass index (BMI), total protein, serum calcium, serum uric acid, cholesterol, serum phosphorus, and blood urea nitrogen, PIR was positively correlated with total spine BMD (ß = 0.004 95% CI: 0.001-0.007, P = 0.006). Individuals with the highest degree (college degree or above) had a 0.057 g/cm2 greater BMD than that of the lowest degree (less than 9th grade) (ß = 0.057 95% CI: 0.037-0.077, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates that SES was positively associated with the lumbar BMD among American men. Clinicians, healthcare providers, and policymakers should consider the unequal SES of men when implementing osteoporosis prevention and treatment strategies.

Radiofrequency ablation for primary hyperparathyroidism and risk factors for postablative eucalcemic parathyroid hormone elevation.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) as a treatment option for primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) and risk factors for postablative eucalcemic parathyroid hormone elevation (ePTH). METHODS: This retrospective study included 51 patients with pHPT who underwent RFA. The patients were divided into the ePTH and normal PTH groups, based on the serum intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) level one month after ablation. Serum iPTH, calcium, and phosphorus levels, and the volume reduction rates (VRR) of the parathyroid glands were compared between the groups at each follow-up point. Risk factors for ePTH at one month after ablation were examined. RESULTS: After RFA, one (2%) patient had persistent pHPT, and 50 (98%) patients were cured. The incidence rates of ePTH at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months were 48%, 30%, 20%, and 16%, respectively. Serum iPTH levels in the ePTH group were higher than those in the normal PTH group at each follow-up point (all p < 0.05), except 1 day after ablation (p > 0.05). Serum calcium and phosphorus levels, and the VRR of the glands were comparable in both groups at each follow-up point (all p > 0.05), except for calcium levels 3 days after RFA (p < 0.05). Baseline iPTH (odds ratio, 1.067; p = 0.045) and calcium (odds ratio, 3.923; p = 0.038) levels were independent risk factors for ePTH 1 month after RFA. CONCLUSIONS: RFA is safe and effective for the treatment of pHPT. Moreover, ePTH occurrence after RFA was associated with baseline iPTH and calcium levels and did not increase the risk of recurrent pHPT.

Etiological and epidemiological features of acute meningitis or encephalitis in China: a nationwide active surveillance study.

BACKGROUND: Acute meningitis or encephalitis (AME) results from a neurological infection causing high case fatality and severe sequelae. AME lacked comprehensive surveillance in China. METHODS: Nation-wide surveillance of all-age patients with AME syndromes was conducted in 144 sentinel hospitals of 29 provinces in China. Eleven AME-causative viral and bacterial pathogens were tested with multiple diagnostic methods. FINDINGS: Between 2009 and 2018, 20,454 AME patients were recruited for tests. Based on 9,079 patients with all-four-virus tested, 28.43% (95% CI: 27.50%‒29.36%) of them had at least one virus-positive detection. Enterovirus was the most frequently determined virus in children <18 years, herpes simplex virus and Japanese encephalitis virus were the most frequently determined in 18-59 and ≥60 years age groups, respectively. Based on 6,802 patients with all-seven-bacteria tested, 4.43% (95% CI: 3.94%‒4.91%) had at least one bacteria-positive detection, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Neisseria meningitidis were the leading bacterium in children aged <5 years and 5-17 years, respectively. Staphylococcus aureus was the most frequently detected in adults aged 18-59 and ≥60 years. The pathogen spectrum also differed statistically significantly between northern and southern China. Joinpoint analysis revealed age-specific positive rates, with enterovirus, herpes simplex virus and mumps virus peaking at 3-6 years old, while Japanese encephalitis virus peaked in the ≥60 years old. As age increased, the positive rate for Streptococcus pneumoniae and Escherichia coli statistically significantly decreased, while for Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus suis it increased. INTERPRETATION: The current findings allow enhanced identification of the predominant AME-related pathogen candidates for diagnosis in clinical practice and more targeted application of prevention and control measures in China, and a possible reassessment of vaccination strategy. FUNDING: China Mega-Project on Infectious Disease Prevention and the National Natural Science Funds.

[Research progress on air pollutant distribution in urban street canyons]. / åŸŽå¸‚è¡—è°·å¤§æ°”æ±¡æŸ“ç‰©åˆ†å¸ƒç ”ç©¶è¿›å±•.

Urban street canyon is one of the most important characteristics and spatial forms of cities. It is one of the most frequently used public spaces in cities, with the most serious automobile exhaust pollution and the largest population density. The unreasonable space configuration and internal composition might decrease self-purification of urban ventilation but increase local air pollutant concentration. Here, we reviewed the impacts of street canyon morphology, street trees, vehicle flow and meteorological factors on the distribution of air pollutants in street canyons. We scrutinized the relevant methods of numerical simulation, wind tunnel experiments, and field monitoring on the distribution and diffusion of air pollutants in street canyons. We recommended that future research should concentrate on the impacts of various parameters on the distribution and diffusion of air pollutants based on the field monitoring data. Meanwhile, further research should develop optimization strategies for street canyon design which is conducive to the dispersion of air pollutants, and put forward scientific support and optimization scheme for the controlling of air pollutants from the perspective of urban planning and pattern optimization.

Etiological and epidemiological features of acute respiratory infections in China.

Nationwide prospective surveillance of all-age patients with acute respiratory infections was conducted in China between 2009‒2019. Here we report the etiological and epidemiological features of the 231,107 eligible patients enrolled in this analysis. Children <5 years old and school-age children have the highest viral positivity rate (46.9%) and bacterial positivity rate (30.9%). Influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus and human rhinovirus are the three leading viral pathogens with proportions of 28.5%, 16.8% and 16.7%, and Streptococcus pneumoniae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Klebsiella pneumoniae are the three leading bacterial pathogens (29.9%, 18.6% and 15.8%). Negative interactions between viruses and positive interactions between viral and bacterial pathogens are common. A Join-Point analysis reveals the age-specific positivity rate and how this varied for individual pathogens. These data indicate that differential priorities for diagnosis, prevention and control should be highlighted in terms of acute respiratory tract infection patients' demography, geographic locations and season of illness in China.

Etiological, epidemiological, and clinical features of acute diarrhea in China.

National-based prospective surveillance of all-age patients with acute diarrhea was conducted in China between 2009‒2018. Here we report the etiological, epidemiological, and clinical features of the 152,792 eligible patients enrolled in this analysis. Rotavirus A and norovirus are the two leading viral pathogens detected in the patients, followed by adenovirus and astrovirus. Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli and nontyphoidal Salmonella are the two leading bacterial pathogens, followed by Shigella and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Patients aged <5 years had higher overall positive rate of viral pathogens, while bacterial pathogens were more common in patients aged 18‒45 years. A joinpoint analysis revealed the age-specific positivity rate and how this varied for individual pathogens. Our findings fill crucial gaps of how the distributions of enteropathogens change across China in patients with diarrhea. This allows enhanced identification of the predominant diarrheal pathogen candidates for diagnosis in clinical practice and more targeted application of prevention and control measures.

Evaluation of health-related quality of life and the related factors in a group of Chinese patients with interstitial lung diseases.

INTRODUCTION: Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) include a wide variety of chronic progressive pulmonary diseases characterized by lung inflammation, fibrosis and hypoxemia and can progress to respiratory failure and even death. ILDs are associated with varying degrees of quality of life impairments in affected people. Studies on the quality of life in patients with ILDs are still limited, and there are few studies with long-term follow-up periods in these patients. METHODS: Data from patients who were clinically diagnosed with ILDs in the Respiratory Department, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 2017 to February 2018 were collected. Clinical status and HRQoL were assessed at baseline and subsequently at 6- and 12-month intervals with the LCQ, mMRC, HADS, SF-36, and SGRQ. Multivariate linear regression was used to evaluate the determinants of the decline in HRQoL. RESULTS: A total of 139 patients with idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP) and 30 with connective tissue disease-associated ILD (CTD-ILD) were enrolled, 140 of whom completed the follow-up. The mean age was 63.7 years, and 92 patients were men. At baseline, the decline in HRQoL assessed by the SF-36 and SGRQ was significantly associated with the mMRC, LCQ and HADS depression score. In the follow-up, changes in FVC%, DLco%, mMRC and LCQ were significantly associated with changes in HRQoL. CONCLUSIONS: HRQoL in both IIP and CTD-ILD patients deteriorates to varying degrees, and the trend suggests that poor HRQoL in these patients is associated with many determinants, primarily dyspnea, cough and depression. Improving HRQoL is the main aim when treating patients living with ILDs.

Dysregulation of bile acids increases the risk for preterm birth in pregnant women.

Preterm birth (PTB) is the leading cause of perinatal mortality and newborn complications. Bile acids are recognized as signaling molecules regulating a myriad of cellular and metabolic activities but have not been etiologically linked to PTB. In this study, a hospital-based cohort study with 36,755 pregnant women is conducted. We find that serum total bile acid levels directly correlate with the PTB rates regardless of the characteristics of the subjects and etiologies of liver disorders. Consistent with the findings from pregnant women, PTB is successfully reproduced in mice with liver injuries and dysregulated bile acids. More importantly, bile acids dose-dependently induce PTB with minimal hepatotoxicity. Furthermore, restoring bile acid homeostasis by farnesoid X receptor activation markedly reduces PTB and dramatically improves newborn survival rates. The findings thus establish an etiologic link between bile acids and PTB, and open an avenue for developing etiology-based therapies to prevent or delay PTB.

Characterization of Plasmodium berghei Homologues of T-cell Immunomodulatory Protein as a New Potential Candidate for Protecting against Experimental Cerebral Malaria.

The pathogenesis of cerebral malaria is biologically complex and involves multi-factorial mechanisms such as microvascular congestion, immunopathology by the pro-inflammatory cytokine and endothelial dysfunction. Recent data have suggested that a pleiotropic T-cell immunomodulatory protein (TIP) could effectively mediate inflammatory cytokines of mammalian immune response against acute graft-versus-host disease in animal models. In this study, we identified a conserved homologue of TIP in Plasmodium berghei (PbTIP) as a membrane protein in Plasmodium asexual stage. Compared with PBS control group, the pathology of experimental cerebral malaria (ECM) in rPbTIP intravenous injection (i.v.) group was alleviated by the downregulation of pro-inflammatory responses, and rPbTIP i.v. group elicited an expansion of regulatory T-cell response. Therefore, rPbTIP i.v. group displayed less severe brain pathology and feverish mice in rPbTIP i.v. group died from ECM. This study suggested that PbTIP may be a novel promising target to alleviate the severity of ECM.

Overexpression of RASAL1 Indicates Poor Prognosis and Promotes Invasion of Ovarian Cancer.

RAS protein activator like-1 (RASAL1) exists in numerous human tissues and has been commonly demonstrated to act as a tumor suppressor in several cancers. This study aimed to identify the functional characteristics of RASAL1 in ovarian adenocarcinoma and a potential mechanism of action. We analyzed RASAL1 gene expression in ovarian adenocarcinoma samples and normal samples gained from the GEO and Oncomine databases respectively. Then the relationship between RASAL1 expression and overall survival (OS) was assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Furthermore, the biological effect of RASAL1 in ovarian adenocarcinoma cell lines was assessed by Quantitative real time-PCR (qRT-PCR), Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), western blot, wound healing and transwell assay. The statistical analysis showed patients with higher RASAL1 expression correlated with worse OS. The in vitro assays suggested knockdown of RASAL1 could inhibit cell proliferation, cell invasion and migration of ovarian adenocarcinoma. Moreover, the key proteins in the mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MEK/ERK) signaling pathway were also decreased in ovarian adenocarcinoma cells with RASAL1 silencing. These findings provide promising evidence that RASAL1 may be not only a powerful biomarker but also an effective therapeutic target of ovarian adenocarcinoma.

Liver Dysfunction during Pregnancy and Its Association of With Preterm Birth in China: A Prospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Liver dysfunction is common in pregnancy but its association with adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preterm birth (PTB) remains unclear. METHODS: A prospective cohort of HBV-infected or uninfected pregnant women attending antenatal care was recruited at Nantong Maternal and Child Health Hospital between January 1, 2012, and June 30, 2016. Liver function tests (LFTs) were monitored through pregnancy. The primary outcomes were PTB and very PTB (delivery prior 37 and 32weeks' gestation respectively). Poisson regression was used to estimate adjusted risk ratios (RR) for women with HBV infection and LFT abnormalities. RESULTS: Among 36,755 pregnant women (1,113 HBV carriers and 35,642 non-HBV subjects), 3,519 (9.57%) had abnormal LFTs. The commonest cause for liver dysfunction during pregnancy was non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD, 51.3%). Abnormal aspartate aminotransferase (AST), gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) and two folds upper limit of normal total bilirubin (RR and 95%CI: 2.73, 1.30-5.76; 2.24, 1.35-3.31; 2.01, 1.22-3.31 respectively), rather than HBsAg positivity, were identified as independent risk factors for preterm birth. Besides, GGT abnormality was associated with increased risk of very PTB. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that surveillance of LFTs among pregnant women should be warranted, given the increased risk of PTB.

Treatment and outcomes of tumor-induced osteomalacia associated with phosphaturic mesenchymal tumors: retrospective review of 12 patients.

BACKGROUND: Tumor-induced osteomalacia (TIO) is a rare paraneoplastic syndrome characterized by severe hypophosphatemia and osteomalacia. Nonspecific symptoms make the diagnosis elusive. In addition, locating the responsible tumor(s) is challenging. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical management and outcomes of TIO. METHODS: The clinical features, diagnostic procedures, treatment, and outcomes of 12 patients were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: The cohort comprised six men and six women (mean age 45.5 ± 9.9 years, range 23-61 years). The mean duration of disease was 3.7 ± 2.6 years. All patients manifested progressive bone pain, muscle weakness, and/or difficulty walking. Serum phosphorus concentrations were low in all patients (mean 0.42 ± 0.12 mmol/L). Technetium-99m octreotide scintigraphy was performed in 11 patients and showed lesions in the right distal femur, left femoral head, and right tibial plateau, respectively, in three patients. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was negative for lesions in one patient. Two patients underwent biopsies that showed negative histopathology. Two patients, at 2 years and 8 months, respectively, after having negative technetium-99m octreotide studies, underwent 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (CT), which revealed lesions in the sacrum and soft tissue of the left palm, respectively. One tumor was detected by CT and MRI. Overall, lesion sites were the head (two patients, 16.7%), thoracic and lumbar region (two, 16.7%), pelvis (three, 25%), lower limbs (four, 33.3%), and upper limbs (one, 8.3%). All patients underwent surgery, and histopathology showed phosphaturic mesenchymal tumors in each. Postoperatively, serum phosphorus concentrations normalized within 2-7 days in 11 patients. With follow-ups of 1-41 months, surgery was effective in 10 patients. One patient developed local recurrence and another had metastases. CONCLUSIONS: Locating tumors responsible for tumor-induced osteomalacia is often challenging. Although complete tumor resection confers a good prognosis in most patients, surveillance for recurrence and metastasis is necessary. Before surgery or when surgery is not indicated, oral phosphate can alleviate symptoms and metabolic imbalance.

Metallocyclic Ni4Ln2M2 single-molecule magnets.

We herein report the synthesis, crystal structure and magnetic properties of nine new heterotrimetallic complexes. [Ni(Me2valpn)] (H2Me2valpn = N,N'-bis(3-methoxysalicylidene)-2,2-dimethyl-1,3-diaminopropane) was used as the precursor to construct phenoxo-bridged [Ni2Ln]3+ (Ln3+ = Dy, Tb, Gd and Y) species that were respectively connected by two [M(CN)6]3- (M = Cr, Fe or Co) anions to form octanuclear cyclic complexes, i.e. {[Ni(Me2valpn)]2Ln(H2O)M(CN)6}2 in which Ln = Y, Gd, Tb and Dy and M = Cr, Fe or Co (1-9). Each of the complexes contains many lattice-bound molecules of solvation. The Ni(ii) ions are penta-coordinate, while the Ln(iii) ions are nine coordinated with a muffin geometry. The fitting to the χmT vs. T curves of complexes 6-9 gave the parameters of JNiCr = 11.82 cm-1, JNiGd = 0.94 cm-1 and g = 2.04 for complex 6, JNiFe = 10.58 cm-1, JNiGd = 1.24 cm-1 and g = 2.03 for complex 7, JNiCr = 9.4(1) cm-1, zJ' = -0.050(2) cm-1 and g = 2.06(1) for complex 8 and JNiFe = 4.9(7) cm-1, zJ' = -0.35(2) cm-1 and g = 2.24(1) for complex 9, respectively. The dynamic magnetic investigations demonstrate that complexes 1-5 display single-molecule magnet properties with an effective energy barrier (Ueff) of 38.9 K (1, M1 = Dy, M2 = Cr), 37.2 K (2, M1 = Dy, M2 = Cr), 24.4 K (3, M1 = Dy, M2 = Co), 21.9 K (4, M1 = Tb, M2 = Cr) and 29.6 K (5, M1 = Tb, M2 = Fe), respectively. Complex 1 shows the highest energy barrier among the octanuclear [Ni4LnM2] (Ln = Dy or Tb, M = Fe, Cr, Co or W) system. Although the [Ni4Dy2Cr2] complexes have Ueff higher than that of [Ni4Dy2Fe2], complex [Ni4TbCr2] shows lower Ueff than that of [Ni4TbFe2]. The results indicate that besides the M-C[triple bond, length as m-dash]N-Ni magnetic coupling the lanthanide ions can significantly affect the magnetic performances of heterotrimetallic SMMs as well. Moreover, the SMMs are achieved when diamagnetic Co(iii) was substituted by paramagnetic Cr(iii) or Fe(iii) in the [Ni4Tb2 M2] system, suggesting that the trimetallic strategy is effective in the construction of new 3d-4f SMMs.

Humanin rescues cultured rat cortical neurons from NMDA-induced toxicity through the alleviation of mitochondrial dysfunction.

N-methyl-D-aspartate (NDMA) receptor-mediated excitotoxicity has been implicated in a variety of pathological situations such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease. However, no effective treatments for the same have been developed so far. Humanin (HN) is a 24-amino acid peptide originally cloned from the brain of patients with AD and it prevents stress-induced cell death in many cells/tissues. In our previous study, HN was found to effectively rescue rat cortical neurons. It is still not clear whether HN protects the neurons through the attenuation of mitochondrial dysfunction. In this study, excitatory toxicity was induced by NMDA, which binds the NMDA receptor in primarily cultured rat cortical neurons. We found that NMDA (100 µmol/L) dramatically induced the decrease of cell viability and caused mitochondrial dysfunction. Pretreatment of the neurons with HN (1 µmol/L) led to significant increases of mitochondrial succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) activity and membrane potential. In addition, HN pretreatment significantly reduced the excessive production of both reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO). Thus, HN could attenuate the excitotoxicity caused by the overactivation of the NMDA receptor through the alleviation of mitochondrial dysfunction.

Associations of IL-4, IL-6, and IL-12 levels in peripheral blood with lung function, cellular immune function, and quality of life in children with moderate-to-severe asthma.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric asthma has gained increasing concerns with poorly understood pathogenesis. The purpose of this study was to explore the associations of interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-6, and IL-12 levels in peripheral blood (PB) with lung function, cellular immune function, and children's quality of life (QOL) with moderate-to-severe asthma. METHODS: A total of 1158 children with moderate-to-severe asthma (the experimental group) and 1075 healthy children (the control group) were recruited for our study. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect IL-4, IL-6, and IL-12 levels. T lymphocytes were detected by alkaline phosphatase antialkaline phosphatase, and erythrocyte immune was measured by red blood cell C 3b receptor (RBC-C3bR) rosette-forming test. The forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and peak expiratory flow (PEF) were detected, after which FEV1/forced vital capacity (FVC) was calculated before and after treatment. PedsQL3.0 was used to measure the effect of asthma on QOL of children, and the correlation between IL-4, IL-6, and IL-12 levels and the lung function and QOL was measured. Logistic regression analysis was applied to detect related factors of moderate-to-severe asthma of children. RESULTS: After treatment, the decreased IL-4 and IL-6 levels and increased IL-12 level were revealed in the experimental group. The cellular immune function's disorder was significantly decreased, and an elevated CD3, CD4, CD8, and declined CD4/CD8 level was performed in T lymphocytes. RBC-C3bR was increased, and red blood cell immune complex (RBC-IC) was reduced in erythrocyte immune in comparison with those before treatment. Lung function parameters all increased. After treatment, the symptoms of asthma in children reduced with scores of increased QOL. IL-4 was positively related to RBC-IC, but negatively associated with the QOL score. IL-6 showed negative connection with CD4/CD8, RBC-C3bR, FEV1/FVC, and QOL score, and had positive connection with PEF. In addition, IL-12 was negatively correlated with PEF. The levels of IL-4, RBC-C3bR, FEV1/FVC, and PEF were independent risk factors for the prognosis of treatment for children with moderate-to-severe asthma. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that IL-4, IL-6, and IL-12 levels in PB were associated with lung function, cellular immune function, and QOL in children with moderate-to-severe asthma.

Data on taxonomic status and phylogenetic relationship of tits.

The data in this paper are related to the research article entitled "Taxonomic status and phylogenetic relationship of tits based on mitogenomes and nuclear segments" (X.J. Li et al., 2016) [1]. The mitochondrial genomes and nuclear segments of tits were sequenced to analyze mitochondrial characteristics and phylogeny. In the data, the analyzed results are presented. The data holds the resulting files of mitochondrial characteristics, heterogeneity, best schemes, and trees.

[Ecological evaluation of different multiple cropping systems in red soil drylands.] / 红壤旱地不同复种方式的生态功能评价.

In order to maximize the ecological function of red soil drylands and to determine the desirable multiple cropping systems, we evaluated the productivity, circulation of materials, energy and value flows in four multiple cropping systems on the basis of a consecutive three-year field experiment. Four multiple cropping systems were designed: treatment A (CK): wheat/soybean-sesame; treatment B: mixed green manure (rape × Chinese milk vetch × radish)-soybean ‖ maize-mung bean‖ sesame; treatment C: ryegrass-peanut‖ maize-millet‖ buckwheat; and treatment D: rape-mung bean‖ sweet potato; where interplanting was expressed as '/', intercropping as '‖', planting after harvest as '-', and mixed cropping as '×'. Thirteen variables were employed to compare economic, ecological, and social benefits among the four cropping systems using grey relational analysis. The results showed that 'mixed green manure (rape × Chinese milk vetch × radish)-soybean‖ maize-mung bean‖ sesame' exhibited the highest grey relational degrees in terms of economic, ecological, and social benefits, and a highest grey relational degree at 0.847 in the integrative benefit. This treatment was the best multiple cropping pattern suitable for red soil drylands. Thus, this cropping system could have a positive impact on the layout and optimization of the structure of agricultural production in red soil dryland regions in the future.