Cerebral autoregulation: A reliable predictor of prognosis in patients receiving intravenous thrombolysis.

AIMS: To investigate the characteristics of dynamic cerebral autoregulation (dCA) after intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) and assess the relationship between dCA and prognosis. METHODS: Patients with unilateral acute ischemic stroke receiving IVT were prospectively enrolled; those who did not were selected as controls. All patients underwent dCA measurements, by quantifying the phase difference (PD) and gain, at 1-3 and 7-10 days after stroke onset. Simultaneously, two dCA-based nomogram models were established to verify the predictive value of dCA for patients with mild-to-moderate stroke. RESULTS: Finally, 202 patients who received IVT and 238 who did not were included. IVT was positively correlated with higher PD on days 1-3 and 7-10 after stroke onset. PD values in both sides at 1-3 days after stroke onset and in the affected side at 7-10 days after onset were independent predictors of unfavorable outcomes in patients who received IVT. Additionally, in patients with mild-to-moderate stroke who received IVT, the dCA-based nomogram models significantly improved the risk predictive ability for 3-month unfavorable outcomes. CONCLUSION: IVT has a positive effect on dCA in patients with acute stroke; furthermore, dCA may be useful to predict the prognosis of patients with IVT.

[Predictive value of left ventricular global longitudinal peak strain for the prognosis of septic patients].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the predictive value of left ventricular global longitudinal peak strain (GLPS) for the prognosis of septic patients. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted. Patients diagnosed with sepsis and admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University from December 2018 to November 2019 were enrolled. The patient characteristics, cardiac ultrasound parameters [left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF), four-dimensional ejection fraction (4DEF), GLPS] and cardiac biomarkers [N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), cardiac troponin T (cTnT)] within 24 hours of ICU admission, organ support therapies, severity of illness, and prognostic indicators were documented. The differences in clinical parameters between patients with varying outcomes during ICU hospitalization were assessed. Pearson correlation analysis was employed to explore the correlation between GLPS and other cardiac systolic parameters, as well as the associations between various cardiac systolic parameters and sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score. Receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve) was drawn to analyze the predictive capacity of cardiac ultrasound parameters and cardiac biomarkers for death during ICU hospitalization in septic patients. RESULTS: A total of 50 septic patients were enrolled, with 40 surviving and 10 dying during ICU hospitalization, resulting in a mortality of 20.0%. All patients in the death group were male. Compared with the survival group, the patients in the death group were older, had a higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus, and received continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) more frequently, additionally, they exhibited more severe illness and had longer length of ICU stay. The levels of GLPS and cTnT in the death group were significantly elevated as compared with the survival group [GLPS: -7.1% (-8.5%, -7.0%) vs. -12.1% (-15.5%, -10.4%), cTnT (µg/L): 0.07 (0.05, 0.08) vs. 0.03 (0.02, 0.13), both P < 0.05]. However, no statistically significant difference was found in other cardiac ultrasound parameters or cardiac biomarkers between the two groups. Pearson correlation analysis revealed a negative correlation between GLPS and LVEF (r = -0.377, P = 0.014) and 4DEF (r = -0.697, P = 0.000), while no correlation was found with RVEF (r = -0.451, P = 0.069). GLPS demonstrated a positive correlation with SOFA score (r = 0.306, P = 0.033), while LVEF (r = 0.112, P = 0.481), RVEF (r = -0.134, P = 0.595), and 4DEF (r = -0.251, P = 0.259) showed no significant correlation with SOFA score. ROC curve analysis indicated that the area under the ROC curve (AUC) of GLPS for predicting death during ICU hospitalization in septic patients was higher than other cardiac systolic parameters, including LVEF, RVEF, and 4DEF, as well as cardiac biomarkers NT-proBNP and cTnT (0.737 vs. 0.628, 0.556, 0.659, 0.580 and 0.724). With an optimal cut-off value of -14.9% for GLPS, the sensitivity and negative predictive value reached to 100%. CONCLUSIONS: GLPS < -14.9% within 24 hours of ICU admission in septic patients indicated a reduced risk of death risk during ICU hospitalization, while also correlating with the severity of organ dysfunction in this patient population.

GENERATION OF TOLEROGENIC DENDRITIC CELLS UNDER THE PERSISTENT INFLAMMATION STIMULATION.

ABSTRACT: Immunosuppression, commonly accompanied by persistent inflammation, is a key feature in the later phase of sepsis. However, the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain unclear. Dendritic cells (DCs), specifically tolerogenic DCs (tolDCs), play a crucial role in this process by regulating immune responses through inducing T cell anergy and releasing anti-inflammatory cytokines. Nevertheless, the existing cell models are inadequate for investigating tolDCs during the immunosuppressive phase of sepsis. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a novel in vitro model to generate tolDCs under chronic inflammatory conditions. We have successfully generated tolDCs by exposing them to sublethal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for 72 h while preserving cell viability. Considering that IL-10-induced tolDCs (IL-10-tolDCs) are well-established models, we compared the immunological tolerance between LPS-tolDCs and IL-10-tolDCs. Our findings indicated that both LPS-tolDCs and IL-10-tolDCs exhibited reduced expression of maturation markers, whereas their levels of inhibitory markers were elevated. Furthermore, the immunoregulatory activities of LPS-tolDCs and IL-10-tolDCs were found to be comparable. These dysfunctions include impaired antigen presenting capacity and suppression of T cell activation, proliferation, and differentiation. Notably, compared with IL-10-tolDCs, LPS-tolDCs showed a reduced response in maturation and cytokine production upon stimulation, indicating their potential as a better model for research. Overall, in comparison with IL-10-tolDCs, our data suggest that the immunological dysfunctions shown in LPS-tolDCs could more effectively elucidate the increased susceptibility to secondary infections during sepsis. Consequently, LPS-tolDCs have emerged as promising therapeutic targets for ameliorating the immunosuppressed state in septic patients.

Self-Powered Hydrogen Production with Improved Energy Efficiency via Polysulfides Redox.

In the pursuit of efficient solar-driven electrocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen production, the intrinsic challenges posed by the sluggish kinetics of anodic oxygen evolution and intermittent sunlight have prompted the need for innovative energy systems. Here, we introduce an approach by coupling the polysulfides oxidation reaction with the hydrogen evolution reaction for energy-saving H2 production, which could be powered by an aqueous zinc-polysulfides battery to construct a self-powered energy system. This unusual hybrid water electrolyzer achieves 300 mA cm-2 at a low cell voltage of 1.14 V, saving electricity consumption by 100.4% from 5.47 to 2.73 kWh per m3 H2 compared to traditional overall water splitting. Benefiting from the favorable reaction kinetics of polysulfides oxidation/reduction, the aqueous zinc-polysulfides battery exhibits an energy efficiency of approximately 89% at 1.0 mA cm-2. Specially, the zinc-polysulfide battery effectively stores intermittent solar energy as chemical energy during light reaction by solar cells. Under an unassisted light reaction, the batteries could release energy to drive H2 production through a hybrid water electrolyzer for uninterrupted hydrogen production. Therefore, the aim of simultaneously generating H2 and eliminating the restrictions of intermittent sunlight is realized by combining the merits of polysulfides redox, an aqueous metal-polysulfide battery, and solar cells. We believe that this concept and utilization of polysulfides redox will inspire further fascinating attempts for the development of sustainable energy via electrocatalytic reactions.

Stroke-induced damage on the blood-brain barrier.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a functional phenotype exhibited by the neurovascular unit (NVU). It is maintained and regulated by the interaction between cellular and non-cellular matrix components of the NVU. The BBB plays a vital role in maintaining the dynamic stability of the intracerebral microenvironment as a barrier layer at the critical interface between the blood and neural tissues. The large contact area (approximately 20 m2/1.3 kg brain) and short diffusion distance between neurons and capillaries allow endothelial cells to dominate the regulatory role. The NVU is a structural component of the BBB. Individual cells and components of the NVU work together to maintain BBB stability. One of the hallmarks of acute ischemic stroke is the disruption of the BBB, including impaired function of the tight junction and other molecules, as well as increased BBB permeability, leading to brain edema and a range of clinical symptoms. This review summarizes the cellular composition of the BBB and describes the protein composition of the barrier functional junction complex and the mechanisms regulating acute ischemic stroke-induced BBB disruption.

The Prevalence and Severity of School Bullying among Left-Behind Children: A Meta-Analysis.

The involvement of left-behind children (LBC) in school bullying has raised concern in China. However, the susceptibility of LBC to engage in bullying is controversial, and comprehensive, representative studies covering the entire country are lacking. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and severity of school bullying among LBC. The Chinese National Knowledge Network, WanFang, VIP, PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and EBSCO databases were searched for literature on being left-behind and bullying before April 2022. The effect size was measured by odds ratio (ORs), standard mean difference (SMD), and 95% confidence interval (CI). Random-effects or fixed-effects models were selected for meta-analysis, and subgroup analysis was used to explore the sources of heterogeneity. The meta-analysis included 25 studies of school bullying among LBC and non-LBC (NLBC). The prevalence of bullying perpetration and victimization among LBC were 18.58% (95% CI [3.72%, 33.44%], p < .05) and 40.62% (95% CI [25.47%, 55.78%], p < .05), respectively. Compared with NLBC, the risk of bullying perpetration and victimization among LBC increased 1.97 times (OR = 1.97, 95% CI [1.77, 2.20], p < .05) and 2.17 times (OR = 2.17, 95% CI [1.43, 3.29], p < .05), respectively. The severity of bullying experienced by LBC was higher than that of NLBC (SMD = 0.49, 95% CI [0.20, 0.79], p < .05). The prevalence and severity of school bullying were higher in LBC than in NLBC, and left-behindness was positively associated with school bullying. LBC are a crucial population to protect when developing bullying interventions.

Heart Rate Variability Parameter Changes in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke Undergoing Intravenous Thrombolysis.

Background Autonomic dysfunction has been revealed in patients with acute ischemic stroke and is associated with poor prognosis. However, autonomic nervous system function assessed by heart rate variability (HRV) and its relationship with clinical outcomes in patients undergoing intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) remain unknown. Methods and Results Patients who did and did not undergo IVT between September 2016 and August 2021 were prospectively and consecutively recruited. HRV values were measured at 1 to 3 and 7 to 10 days after stroke to assess autonomic nervous system function. A modified Rankin scale score ≥2 at 90 days was defined as an unfavorable outcome. Finally, the analysis included 466 patients; 224 underwent IVT (48.1%), and 242 did not (51.9%). Linear regression showed a positive correlation of IVT with parasympathetic activation-related HRV parameters at 1 to 3 days (high frequency: ß=0.213, P=0.002) and with both sympathetic (low frequency: ß=0.152, P=0.015) and parasympathetic activation-related HRV parameters (high frequency: ß=0.153, P=0.036) at 7 to 10 days after stroke. Logistic regression showed HRV values and autonomic function within 1 to 3 and 7 to 10 days after stroke were independently associated with 3-month unfavorable outcomes after adjusting for confounders in patients who underwent IVT (all P<0.05). Furthermore, addition of HRV parameters to conventional risk factors significantly improved risk-predictive ability of 3-month outcome (the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve significantly improved from 0.784 [0.723-0.846] to 0.855 [0.805-0.906], P=0.002). Conclusions IVT positively affected HRV and autonomic nervous system activity, and autonomic function assessed by HRV in acute stroke phase was independently associated with unfavorable outcomes in patients undergoing IVT.

Effect of Age and Sex on Stroke Mortality of Young and Middle-aged Adults in China, 2002-2019, and Predictions to 2030.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the trends in stroke mortality among young and middle-aged adults in China. Methods: Data were obtained from the China national vital registration system. Significant changes in mortality were assessed by Joinpoint regression. Age-period-cohort analysis was used to explain the reasons for the changes. Future mortality and counts were predicted by the Bayesian age-period-cohort model. Results: Between 2002 and 2019, a total of 6,253,951 stroke mortality in young and middle-aged adults were recorded. The age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) of women showed a downward trend. The annual percent changes (APC) were -3.5% (-5.2%, -1.7%) for urban women and -2.8% (-3.7%, -1.9%) for rural women. By contrast, the AAMRs per 100,000 for rural men aged 25-44 years continued to rise from 9.40 to 15.46. The AAMRS for urban men aged 25-44 years and urban and rural men aged 45-64 years did not change significantly. Between 2020 and 2030, the projected stroke deaths are 1,423,584 in men and 401,712 in women. Conclusion: Significant sex and age disparities in the trends of stroke mortality among young and middle-aged adults were identified in China. Targeted health policy measures are needed to address the burden of stroke in the young generation, especially for rural men, with a focus on the prevention and management of high risk factors.

Study Protocol of a Multicenter, Randomized, Single-Blind Trial: Efficacy and Safety of Remimazolam Tosylate for Sedation in ICU Patients.

INTRODUCTION: Pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic studies in animal experiments and a phase 1 study suggested remimazolam tosylate as an effective and safe sedation/anesthetic agent. However, the effects and safety dose of remimazolam for light sedation in intensive care unit (ICU) patients are not clear and should be confirmed in a phase 2 study. METHODS: Sixty ICU patients requiring sedation treatment and undergoing mechanical ventilation will be enrolled and randomly assigned to a high dose group (HD group, 30 cases) and a low dose group (LD group, 30 cases) in a 1:1 ratio. Patients in both groups will be sedated using remimazolam tosylate in a primary dose of 0.08 mg/kg and a range of 0-2.0 mg/kg/h after randomization. Dose adjustment will be made at the range of every 0.1 mg/kg/h in the LD group and 0.2 mg/kg/h in the HD group to maintain the target Richmond Agitation and Sedation Score (RASS) at - 2 to + 1. The primary outcome will be the proportion of subjects that meet the following conditions: the time within the range of RASS (- 2 to + 1) accounts for 70% of the study drug administration time; without other rescue treatments. Secondary outcomes including the percentage time to reach the sedation goal; the proportion of subjects receiving rescue sedation and/or analgesic, and the mean dose of rescue drug throughout the study period; duration of mechanical ventilation; recovery time to full consciousness and nursing scores. Evaluations of safety including adverse events (AEs), serious AEs, physical examination, laboratory examination, etc. OUTCOME: The results of this study will provide crucial information for the use of remimazolam tosylate for ICU sedation. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT05152303.

[Energy and nutrients intake from complementary foods of children aged 6-23 months in China in 2019-2021].

OBJECTIVE: To describe the energy and nutrients intake from complementary foods of children aged 6-23 months in different areas of China. METHODS: The data was from the National Special Program for Science & Technology Basic Resources Investigation-China Children's Nutrition and Health System Survey and Application of 0-18 Years Old Children. Children aged 6-23 months(n=546) were included in the current study. Demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status and birth status were collected through questionnaire survey. We used 24-hour weighted dietary record method to collect the intake of complementary foods. Energy, protein, fat, carbohydrate, calcium, iron, zinc, selenium, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin B_1, vitamin B_2 and vitamin C intakes were calculated by using Chinese Food Composition Database. RESULTS: For children aged 6-8 months, 9-11 months, 12-17 months and 18-23 months, the energy intake from complementary foods was 156.1, 258.0, 388.7 and 581.1 kcal, respectively. The protein intake was 5.1, 10.1, 15.0 and 21.7 g, respectively. The fat intake was 3.3, 6.7, 9.5 and 15.9 g, respectively. The calcium intake was 38.7, 54.8, 78.6 and 106.9 mg, respectively. The iron intake was 1.3, 2.2, 3.5 and 5.3 mg, respectively. The zinc intake was 0.7, 1.4, 2.0 and 2.9 mg, respectively. The vitamin A intake was 83.7, 100.3, 157.4 and 180.4 µgRAE, respectively. The vitamin B_1 intake was 0.1, 0.2, 0.2 and 0.3 mg, respectively. The vitamin B_2 intake was 0.1, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 mg, respectively. The vitamin C intake was 1.8, 6.3, 9.5 and 19.2 mg, respectively. Compared with the World Health Organization recommended value of nutrients density, the density of protein from complementary foods for children aged 6-23 months was higher(2.6-3.8 mg/100 kcal vs.0.9-1.0 mg/100 kcal). The density of iron(1.0, 0.9 mg/100 kcal vs.4.5, 3.0 mg/100 kcal) and zinc(0.5, 0.5 mg/100 kcal vs.1.6, 1.1 mg/100 kcal) was lower for children aged 6-8 months and 9-11 months, respectively. CONCLUSION: The main issues of complementary food for children in China were high protein for children aged 6-23 months and low iron and zinc for infants aged 6-11 months.

Dynamic increase in myoglobin level is associated with poor prognosis in critically ill patients: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Myoglobin is an important biomarker for monitoring critically ill patients. However, the relationship between its dynamic changes and prognosis remains unclear. Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 11,218 critically ill patients from a general and surgical intensive care unit (ICU) of a tertiary hospital between June 2016 and May 2020. Patients with acute cardiovascular events, cardiac and major vascular surgeries, and rhabdomyolysis were excluded. To investigate the early myoglobin distribution, the critically ill patients were stratified according to the highest myoglobin level within 48 h after ICU admission. Based on this, the critically ill patients with more than three measurements within 1 week after ICU admission were included, and latent class trajectory modeling was used to classify the patients. The characteristics and outcomes were compared among groups. Sensitivity analysis was performed to exclude patients who had died within 72 h after ICU admission. Restricted mean survival time regression model based on pseudo values was used to determine the 28-day relative changes in survival time among latent classes. The primary outcome was evaluated with comparison of in-hospital mortality among each Trajectory group, and the secondary outcome was 28-day mortality. Results: Of 6,872 critically ill patients, 3,886 (56.5%) had an elevated myoglobin level (≥150 ng/mL) at admission to ICU, and the in-hospital mortality significantly increased when myoglobin level exceeded 1,000 µg/mL. In LCTM, 2,448 patients were unsupervisedly divided into four groups, including the steady group (n = 1,606, 65.6%), the gradually decreasing group (n = 523, 21.4%), the slowly rising group (n = 272, 11.1%), and the rapidly rising group (n = 47, 1.9%). The rapidly rising group had the largest proportion of sepsis (59.6%), the highest median Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score (10), and the highest in-hospital mortality (74.5%). Sensitivity analysis confirmed that 98.2% of the patients were classified into the same group as in the original model. Compared with the steady group, the rapidly rising group and the slowly rising group were significantly related to the reduction in 28-day survival time (ß = -12.08; 95% CI -15.30 to -8.86; ß = -4.25, 95% CI -5.54 to -2.97, respectively). Conclusion: Elevated myoglobin level is common in critically ill patients admitted to the ICU. Dynamic monitoring of myoglobin levels offers benefit for the prognosis assessment of critically ill patients.

First report of Fusarium oxysporum causing stem spots on Polygonatum odoratum in China.

Polygonatum odoratum (Mill.) Druce is a perennial herb in the Liliaceae family and it is one of the traditional Chinese medicinal plants. Modern pharmaceutical studies demonstrate that P. odoratum contains polysaccharides, saponins, alkaloids, flavonoids, volatile oil, and other active components (Jiang-Nan, et al., 2018). From May to June 2022, the stem spot disease was discovered on P. odoratum in the planting demonstration garden in Changsha (28°20N; 113°07E), Hunan province of China. The disease seriously retarded plant growth and was estimated to have affected approximately 40-50% of the plants, significant economic losses to growers. Plants had oval tan spots on the stems, which were light in the center and dark at the margin. The spots in the back expanded and joined together, where the disease was severe, and chlorosis was near the stem spot, while many leaves turned completely yellow and withered before falling to the ground. Finally, the whole plant faded to light green and dried up. In order to isolate pathogens, symptomatic stem samples (5×5 mm) were collected from the edges of the lesions and excised symptomatic tissues consisting of diseased and healthy parts were surface-sterilized with 2% solution of sodium hypochlorite (0.1% active ingredient of chlorine) for 1 min and 75% ethanol for 30 s. The samples were then washed thrice with sterile distilled water, air-dried on the sterile filter papers under aseptic conditions, and finally plated onto Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) plates, which were incubated at 25 °C for 24 h to 36 h in the dark. Additionally, the emerging fungal hyphal tips were transferred to PDA and purified by the single-spore method. Next, forty plants with stem spots were isolated, and 8 cultures with the same appearance were obtained. Two strains coded hnxryzj and hnxryzj1 were randomly selected, for identification. With a mean radial growth rate of 7.5 mm/day, white and dense colonies were observed after 6 days of culture on PDA. After hnxryzj was cultured on SNA, microconidia were oval or ovate (9.25-14.8µm × 2.18-3.76µm), macroconidia were sickle-shaped and slightly curved, with 2-5 septa (21.52-23.49µm × 2.64-4.51µm (n = 50)). These morphological characteristics were consistent with the description of Fusarium oxysporum (Mirghasempour, et al., 2022) Furthermore, we amplified the partial region of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, the translation elongation factors EF-1α, ß-tubulin, polymerase II largest subunit (RPB1) and RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (RPB2) genes from strain hnxryzj and hnxryzj1, based on the primer pairs ITS1/ITS4, EF728F/EF986R, Bt2a/Bt2b, RPB1-F5/RPB1-R8 and fRPB2-5F2/fRPB2-7cR (Li, et al., 2013, Xie, et al., 2022), and amplicons were sequenced by Tsingke Biotechnology Co. Ltd. By sequence alignment, the ITS, EF-1α, ß-tubulin , RPB1 and RPB2 of hnxryzj and hnxryzj1 were identical, respectively. The sequence alignment of hnxryzj and hnxryzj1 with the Fusarium ID database and NCBI shows the following results: the ITS region, EF-1α, RPB1 and RPB2 sequences of the strain hnxryzj (GenBank accession nos. ON872218, ON897740, OP467556 and OP467557) and hnxryzj1 (GenBank accession nos. OP071248, OP087208, OP467558 and OP467559) were 100% identical to those of F. oxysporum (GenBank accession nos. MZ890536, LC469784 , MT179509 and MW368380, respectively); whereas the ß-tubulin sequences of the strain hnxryzj (GenBank accession nos. ON897741) and hnxryzj1 (GenBank accession nos. OP087207) were 96.9% identical to those of F.oxysporum (CBS144135 GenBank accession nos. MH485136). Subsequently, a phylogenetic tree was established combining EF-1α, RPB1, and RPB2. Strains hnxryzj and hnxryzj1 were F.oxysporum (JW257006 GenBank accession nos. MZ921883, MZ921657 and MZ921752)(Torres-Cruz, et al., 2022), with bootstrap values 100%. The pathogenicity test was carried out by placing mycelial discs obtained from colonies that had been actively growing on PDA for 6 days. In the pathogenicity test, two sets (5 plants in each set) of potted plants, whose stems were wounded, were taken. In one set (5 plants), the PDA cakes with F. oxysporum (d=5mm, the same below) were inoculated on the stems scratched by an inoculation needle (sterilized) (the front of the colony was close to the wound of the stem). In the other set (5 plants), potted plants inoculated with the sterile PDA cakes were served as controls. In a 25 °C greenhouse, each treatment was given a 12h/12h light/dark cycl(Nabi, et al., 2019). The symptoms were observed, and the fungus cake was removed 5 days after inoculation. Then, after 18 days, typical symptoms of oval tan spots similar to original diseased plants in the field were found on the inoculated stems, and 32 days later, the inoculated plant died, while the control stems remained asymptomatic. In addition, F. oxysporum was isolated and identified from the inoculated, symptomatic stems, verifying Koch's postulates. Based on our knowledge, this is the first report of F. oxysporum causing stem spots on P. odoratum in China. Only one other study from China that root rot of Phyllostachys officinalis also resulted from F. oxysporum (Pang, et al., 2022). Furthermore, P. odoratum is an medicinal material in Hunan province. Therefore, comprehensive prevention and control methods are required.

First report of Fusarium fujikuroi causes leaf spot in Polygonatum odoratum (Mill.) Druce in China.

Polygonatum odoratum (Mill.) Druce, a member of Liliaceae, is one of the traditional Chinese herbal plants mainly used in Jilin, Hubei, Guangxi, Zhejiang, Liaoning, Hunan and Guangdong provinces. Leaf spot disease of P. odoratum was continuously observed in the Planting Demonstration Garden in Changsha (28 °48 N; 113° 34E), Hunan Province of China, in May 2021 and May 2022. The symptoms initially appeared as tiny reddish-brown spots and continued to expand, resulting in round, oval, or irregular tan lesions with necrotic, film-shaped, or perforated central tissues. Leaf spot disease affects approximately 60-70% of plants. For pathogen isolation, symptomatic leaf samples were collected and disinfected with 70% ethanol for 30 s and 3% sodium hypochlorite for 2 min, followed by rinsing with sterile distilled water. Subsequently, small pieces (3 × 3 mm) of diseased tissues were placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) and incubated in the dark at 25 °C for 24 h to 36 h. The emerging fungal hyphal tips were transferred to PDA and purified by the single-spore method (Yu, et al., 202). In total, 50 disease spots were isolated, and 10 cultures with the same appearance were obtained. Two strains coded as hnxryzy and hnxryzy01 were randomly selected for identification. After 6 days of culture in PDA, dense pink colonies were observed with a mean radial growth rate of 7.5 mm/day. Strains cultured 6 days on synthetic low nutrient medium, microconidia were oval or ovate (7.5-9.67 µm × 2.49-3.57 µm(n = 50)), and macroconidia were sickle-shaped and slightly curved, gradually tapering at both ends, with 2-5 pseudoseptate (10.01-22.14 µm × 2.07-4.22 µm (n = 50)). These morphological characteristics were consistent with the description of Fusarium fujikuroi (Fang, et al., 2021). Furthermore, primers ITS1/ITS4, EF728F/EF986R, Bt2a/Bt2b, RPB1-F5/RPB1-R8 and fRPB2-5F2/fRPB2-7cR (Li, et al., 2013, Xie, et al., 2022) were used to amplify the partial region of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) , the translation elongation factor EF-1α,ß-tubulin,polymerase II largest subunit (RPB1) and RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (RPB2) genes from strains hnxryzy and hnxryzy01, respectively. Amplicons were sequenced by Tsingke Biotechnology Co., Ltd. The expected sequences of ITS, EF-1α, ß-tubulin, RPB1 and RPB2 of hnxryzy and hnxryzy01 were obtained. The sequence alignment of hnxryzj and hnxryzj01 with the Fusarium ID databased and NCBI shows the following results: The sequences of ITS region, EF-1α, ß-tubulin , RPB1 and RPB2 of strain hnxryzy (GenBank accession nos. ON797440, ON820553, ON820554, OP413443, and OP413445, respectively) and strain hnxryzy01 (GenBank accession nos. ON965284, ON968721, ON968722, OP413444, and OP413446, respectively) were 99% to 100% identical to those of F. fujikuroi (GenBank accession numbers CP023090, KC874784, MN490089, MN193916, and MN193888, respectively). Then a phylogenetic tree based on EF-1α, RPB1, and RPB2 sequences was constructed (Torres-Cruz, et al., 2022). The strains hnxryzy and hnxryzy01 were more closely related to F. fujikuroi ( NRRL13566 GenBank accession nos. AF160279, JX171456, and JX171570, respectively), with bootstrap values of 99%. Two sets (5 plants in each set) of potted plants were used in pathogenicity assays. Wounded leaves were sprayed with conidial suspensions (100 µL, 1 × 107 spores/mL) and sterile water as control. Inoculated plants were covered with plastic bags for 24 h, and maintained at 25 ° C in 12/12 h light/dark conditions in the greenhouse (Yu, et al., 2022). Pathogenicity assays were repeated thrice. Dark brown spots identical to those seen in the field were observed 14 days after inoculation, while the control leaves did not exhibit any symptoms. In this study, the pathogen F. fujikuroi was successfully reisolated from the leaves of inoculated samples showing symptoms, thereby verifying Koch's postulate. To our knowledge, this is the first report of F. fujikuroi inducing leaf spot on P. odoratum in China. Since F. fujikuroi is a common pathogenic fungus that infects different plant species(Qiu, et al., 2020), more attention should be paid to its prevalence in P. odoratum and the potential risk of outbreak in other provinces of China.

[Association of beverages intake with myopia among 11-14-year-old Chinese children in 2019-2021].

OBJECTIVE: To describe beverages intake and its association with myopia among 11-14-year-old children in China. METHODS: Multi-stage stratified cluster random sampling was used and children aged 11 to 14 years were selected from 28 cities and rural areas in 14 provinces in China, and a total of 12 397 children were included in this study. Information including demographic characteristics, myopia status, dietary intake, physical activity, screen time, sleep duration were collected from questionnaire survey. RESULTS: During 2019-2021, the prevalence of myopia among children aged 11 to 14 in China was 45.0%. The median beverages intake was 42.7 g/d. Children who did not drink beverages and whose beverages intake was <150 g/d and ≥150 g/d accounted for 42.8%, 44.8% and 48.4%, respectively. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that girls' beverages intake ≥150 g/d was still a risk factor for the prevalence of myopia after controlling for confounding factors such as age, area, physical activity, screen time, sleep duration and intake of sugary food(OR=1.24, 95%CI 1.08-1.42, P<0.05). Among children with myopia, mild myopia, moderate and above myopia accounted for 71.6% and 28.4% among boys and 73.8% and 26.3% among girls, respectively. There was no statistically significant regression between beverages intake and myopia in boys and girls regardless of whether confounding factors were adjusted(P >0.05). CONCLUSION: Children's beverages intake was generally common in China in 2019-2021. Children who consumed higher beverages were more likely to have myopia than that did not consume beverages.

[Relationship between sugary food intake and myopia in 11-14 years old Chinese children in 2019-2021].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between the intake of sugary foods and the occurrence and development of myopia in children aged 11-14 in China. METHODS: In the 28 urban and rural survey sites in 14 provinces that implemented the "China Children's Nutrition and Health System Survey and Application for 0-18 Years Old" project, a multi-stage stratified random cluster sampling method was adopted, and finally 12 397 adolescent children aged 11 to 14 were selected in the analysis. Demographic characteristics, myopia information and the intake of sugary food(cakes, preserved fruits, candies, chocolates and ice cream) were collected through questionnaires. Multifactor Logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between sugary food intake and myopia in children. RESULTS: The median daily intake of sugary foods(cakes, preserved fruits, candies, chocolates and ice cream)of 11-14 year old boys and girls in China was 11.4 g and 11.2 g respectively, 33.9% of boys and 34.2% of girls consumed ≥22 g of sugary food every day. The myopia rates of boys with intakes of <2 g, 2-21 g and ≥22 g were 36.0%, 39.2% and 41.6%, and girls' myopia rates were 45.9%, 51.8% and 55.1%. The result of Logistic regression analysis showed that after controlling for confounding factors such as age, gender, region, weekly high-intensity physical activity time, daily screen time, daily sleep time and daily intake of sugary beverages, compared with boys whose daily intake of sugary food was less than 2 g, the risk of myopia for boys whose daily intake of sugary food reached 2-21 g and ≥22 g was 1.18 and 1.23 times, for girls whose daily intake was less than 2 g, the risk of myopia was 1.27 times and 1.38 times for girls whose intake reached 2-21 g and ≥22 g(P<0.05). No matter whether confounding factors were controlled or not, there was no correlation between the intake of sugary foods and the degree of myopia(P>0.05). CONCLUSION: The consumption of sugary food such as cakes, preserved fruits, candies, chocolates and ice cream among children aged 11 to 14 in China is common, and there is a certain degree of positive correlation with the prevalence of myopia, but no correlation is observed with the degree of myopia.

Unilateral cerebral ischemia induces morphological changes in the layer V projection neurons of the contralateral hemisphere.

Decreased blood flow to the brain causes stroke and damage to neuronal networks. Neuronal damage occurs not only in the infarct core but also in areas away from the infarcts. This study was aimed to assess alterations of the cortical projection neurons that were distantly connected with the infarcts. Unilateral cortical ischemia was generated by middle cerebral artery occlusion in the right somatosensory cortex. Pre-labeled thalamocortical neurons disappeared, whereas contralateral callosal projection neurons survived 48 h post-ischemia. The unilateral ischemia increased the total length, segment length and the spine volume of dendrites from layer V callosal neurons in the homotopic cortex of the contralateral hemisphere. The morphological remolding of the contralateral cortical neurons cannot be reproduced by the spinal cord hemisection that cuts axons of corticospinal projection neurons of layer V. The data suggest that the retrograde degeneration of axons may not account for the early morphological changes in the contralateral cortex. We hypothesize that the loss of innervations from the ischemic cortex may bring in adaptive changes to the connected neurons, and adult cortical neurons can adjust their morphology to meet the reduction of synaptic inputs. This study may improve our understanding of the re-organization of cortical circuits following focal cerebral ischemia and help the development of new treatments designed to minimize the disability associated with stroke.

X-ray Image Enhancement Based on Nonsubsampled Shearlet Transform and Gradient Domain Guided Filtering.

In this paper, we propose an image enhancement algorithm combining non-subsampled shearlet transform and gradient-domain guided filtering to address the problems of low resolution, noise amplification, missing details, and weak edge gradient retention in the X-ray image enhancement process. First, we decompose histogram equalization and nonsubsampled shearlet transform to the original image. We get a low-frequency sub-band and several high-frequency sub-bands. Adaptive gamma correction with weighting distribution is used for the low-frequency sub-band to highlight image contour information and improve the overall contrast of the image. The gradient-domain guided filtering is conducted for the high-frequency sub-bands to suppress image noise and highlight detail and edge information. Finally, we reconstruct all the effectively processed sub-bands by the inverse non-subsampled shearlet transform and obtain the final enhanced image. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm has good results in X-ray image enhancement, and its objective index also has evident advantages over some classical algorithms.

China's Changing Alcohol Market and Need for an Enhanced Policy Response: A Narrative Review.

This study describes trends in alcohol consumption in the context of an expanding commercial context, current policy responses, and flaws in relation to international best practice for alcohol control in China. We surveyed the literature and other documents in Chinese or English up to December 2020 on policy responses to alcohol consumption and harm, industry structure, and marketing practices in China. Databases searched included PubMed, China National Knowledge Internet, Wanfang Data, Web of Science, and Baidu Scholar. We also scanned the official websites of government organizations and gathered information using snowballing. We analyzed existing alcohol policy against evidence-based, cost-effective policies for reducing alcohol harm. Our findings show that although some restrictive policies have been enacted with potential impacts on alcohol harm, they are not comprehensive, and some are poorly executed. The long history of alcohol use remains an important element in alcohol consumption by the Chinese population. However, alcohol marketing and promotion, ease of access, and affordability have become increasingly prominent. The gaps identified in alcohol policy suggest improved strategies and measures to reduce the harmful use of alcohol are urgently needed in China.

Molecular cloning of cryptochrome 1 from Lilium×formolongi and the characterization of its photoperiodic flowering function in Arabidopsis.

Lilium × formolongi is an important cut flower species that is able to flower within a year following seed propagation, with flower induction that is very sensitive to the photoperiod. Cryptochromes are blue/UV-A light receptors that regulate many important plant growth and development processes, including photoperiodic flowering. In this study, we isolated the cryptochrome 1 (CRY1) gene from L. × formolongi and analyzed its function in transgenic Arabidopsis. The predicted LfCRY1 protein was strongly homologous to other CRY1 proteins. The transcription of LfCRY1 was induced by blue light, with LfCRY1 exhibiting its highest expression and diurnal expression patterns during the flowering-induction stage under both long-day (LD) and short-day (SD) photoperiods. Overexpression of LfCRY1 in Arabidopsis promoted flowering under LDs but not SDs and inhibited hypocotyl elongation under blue light. The LfCRY1 protein was located in both the nucleus and cytoplasm. LfCRY1 interacted with the important flowering activator LfCOL9 in both yeast and onion cells. These results provide functional evidence for the role of LfCRY1 in controlling photoperiodic flowering under LDs and indicate that LfCRY1 may be a counterpart of AtCRY1. Understanding the role of LfCRY1 in photoperiodic flowering is beneficial for the molecular breeding of lilies with shorter vegetative stages.