[Analysis of clinical and psychological characteristics in 250 patients with fibromyalgia].

To analyze the clinical and psychological characteristics of fibromyalgia (FM), so as to further understand and improve the capability of identifying FM. The clinical data of 250 FM patients diagnosed in the outpatient clinic of the Department of Rheumatology, the First Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, from December 2019 to September 2021, were collected and analyzed. The patients aged 40 (31.0, 52.3) years, including 188 female patients (75.2%) and 62 male patients (24.8%). There was a statistically significant difference in age comparison between female [42.5 (33.0,54.0) years] and male patients [32.5 (27.8,43.5) years] (P<0.001). The score of pain degree was 6 (4, 8), and [7 (5, 8)] of female patients was higher than [6 (4, 7)] of the male patients (P=0.040). The widespread pain index (WPI) was 13 (10,15). The regions with high pain incidence were left shoulder girdle (87.2%, 218/250), right shoulder girdle (86.8%, 217/250), upper back (86.4%, 216/250), neck (79.6%, 199/250) and lower back (77.6%, 194/250) and etc. The incidence of chest pain in female patients (55.3%, 104/188) was lower than that in male patients (75.8%, 47/62) (P=0.004). The symptom severity scale (SSS) score was 8 (7-10). 74.6% (185/248) suffered from anxiety and 77.5% (193/249) suffered from depression in 249 patients. Female patients were more common in FM patients than male patients, the median age of female patients was older than that of male patients, and the median score of pain severity of female patients was higher than male patients. Shoulders girdle, upper back, neck and lower back were the most frequently reported pain regions, and the incidence of chest pain in female patients was lower than that in male patients. The incidence of major non-painful symptoms was high and the proportion with anxiety or depression was high. The above clinical features are very helpful for early diagnosis of FM.

Single-Atom Demonstration of the Quantum Landauer Principle.

One of the outstanding challenges to information processing is the eloquent suppression of energy consumption in the execution of logic operations. The Landauer principle sets an energy constraint in deletion of a classical bit of information. Although some attempts have been made to experimentally approach the fundamental limit restricted by this principle, exploring the Landauer principle in a purely quantum mechanical fashion is still an open question. Employing a trapped ultracold ion, we experimentally demonstrate a quantum version of the Landauer principle, i.e., an equality associated with the energy cost of information erasure in conjunction with the entropy change of the associated quantized environment. Our experimental investigation substantiates an intimate link between information thermodynamics and quantum candidate systems for information processing.

Experimental Verification of a Jarzynski-Related Information-Theoretic Equality by a Single Trapped Ion.

Most nonequilibrium processes in thermodynamics are quantified only by inequalities; however, the Jarzynski relation presents a remarkably simple and general equality relating nonequilibrium quantities with the equilibrium free energy, and this equality holds in both the classical and quantum regimes. We report a single-spin test and confirmation of the Jarzynski relation in the quantum regime using a single ultracold ^{40}Ca^{+} ion trapped in a harmonic potential, based on a general information-theoretic equality for a temporal evolution of the system sandwiched between two projective measurements. By considering both initially pure and mixed states, respectively, we verify, in an exact and fundamental fashion, the nonequilibrium quantum thermodynamics relevant to the mutual information and Jarzynski equality.

[Effect of nutritional conditions on the fermentative production of pyruvic acid by Torulopsis glabrata].

The effects of some nutritional conditions, such as peptone concentration, feeding glucose as well as oxygen supply manner and ratio of C/N in batch culture, on the fermentative production of pyruvic acid by Torulopsis glabrata WSH-IP12 were investigated. In shaking-flask culture: (1) peptone of more than 20 g/L inhibited the accumulation of pyruvic acid; (2) production of pyruvic acid was increased from 23.5 g/L to 30.2 g/L by simply feeding glucose. In 5 L jar-fermentor batch culture: (1) high level of dissolved oxygen and (2) increasing the concentration of glucose and peptone proportionally with constant C/N ratio(26:1) improved the production of pyruvic acid. It was also found that, glucose consumption and pyruvic acid production almost stopped under the condition of nitrogen difficiency while recovered by adding peptone and (NH4)2SO4. By using ammonia water instead of potassium hydroxide for the control of pH, the cells kept stronger ability for synthesizing pyruvic acid within the whole process, 57.3 g/L pyruvic acid with the yield of 0.498 g/g was achieved at 55 h of fermentation.

Effect of nitrogen source and nitrogen concentration on the production of pyruvate by Torulopsis glabrata.

The effect of nitrogen sources including yeast extract, peptone, soybean hydrolyzate and some inorganic nitrogen sources, as well as the nitrogen concentration on the fermentative production of pyruvate by Torulopsis glabrata WSH-IP12 was investigated. The addition of yeast extract greatly inhibited pyruvate accumulation, while peptone was shown to be the most favorable nitrogen source. In flask culture, 15 g l(-1) peptone was needed to consume 80 g l(-1) glucose with 23.4 g l(-1)of pyruvate accumulated. Pyruvate production was markedly dependent on the ratio of carbon to nitrogen (C:N), its production was improved by increasing the concentration of glucose and peptone proportionally and reduced by exclusively increasing the glucose concentration. In a glucose fed-batch culture, cell growth and pyruvate production slowed after 28 h. However, cell growth and pyruvate production recovered after further nitrogen, in the form of peptone and ammonium sulfate, was added to the culture. A final concentration of pyruvate of 54.5 g l(-1) was achieved at 64 h (yield to glucose consumed of 0.471 g g(-l)). By using aqueous ammonia instead of potassium hydroxide for pH control, 57.3 g l(-1) pyruvate with a yield of 0.498 g g(-1) was produced by 55 h. This result further indicates that nitrogen level plays an important role in the production of pyruvate.