The Accumulation of Abscisic Acid Increases the Innate Pool of Soluble Phenolics through Polyamine Metabolism in Rice Seedlings under Hexavalent Chromium Stress.

Potential toxic element (PTE) pollution has emerged as a significant environmental and social concern in global agriculture. Chromium (Cr) occurs in different oxidation states naturally, among them Cr(VI), which is highly toxic. This study carried out biochemical and molecular tests to elucidate the accumulation of total soluble phenolics (TSPs) in rice plants exposed to Cr(VI) at 2.0, 8.0, and 16.0 mg Cr/L, emphasizing the interaction between polyamines (PAs) and abscisic acid (ABA). The results revealed significant Cr accumulation in different tissues of rice plants, which hindered their growth. Cr(VI) exposure increased the ABA concentration, with higher levels detected in the shoots than in the roots. The TSP concentration in rice tissues showed a positive relationship with the supplied concentrations of Cr(VI). The measured PAs, including spermine (Spm), putrescine (Put), and spermidine (Spd), exhibited varied responses to Cr(VI) stress, with only Spm concentration increasing with Cr(VI) concentrations. Real-time qRT-PCR showed PAs and ABA synthesis-associated genes such as OsADC1, OsAIH, OsCPA1, and OsCPA4 were significantly up-regulated in shoot of rice plants treated with Cr(VI). These genes are associated with the second pathway of Put synthesis, originating from Arg. Almost all genes activated in the Met pathway were significantly up-regulated as well. Moreover, the genes involved in the interconversion among the three species of PAs exhibited completely different responses to Cr(VI) exposure. Overall, the biochemical analysis and gene expression data indicate that the interaction between ABA and Spm is likely to enhance the TSP levels in rice plants subjected to Cr(VI) toxicity.

Prognostic Value of Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction Assessed by Coronary Angiography-Derived Index of Microcirculatory Resistance in Patients With ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

BACKGROUND: CaIMR is proposed as a novel angiographic index designed to assess microcirculation without the need for pressure wires or hyperemic agents. We aimed to investigate the impact of caIMR on predicting clinical outcomes in STEMI patients. METHODS: One hundred and forty patients with STEMI who received PCI in Putuo Hospital of Shanghai from October 2021 to September 2022 were categorized into CMD and non-CMD groups according to the caIMR value. The baseline information, patient-related examinations, and the occurrence of MACE at the 12-month follow-up were collected to investigate risk factors in patients with STEMI. RESULTS: We divided 140 patients with STEMI enrolled into two groups according to caIMR results, including 61 patients diagnosed with CMD and 79 patients diagnosed with non-CMD. A total of 21 MACE occurred during the 1 year of follow-up. Compared with non-CMD group, patients with CMD showed a significantly higher risk of MACE. A multivariate Cox regression model was conducted for the patients, and it was found thatcaIMR was a significant predictor of prognosis in STEMI patients (HR: 8.921). Patients with CMD were divided into culprit vascular CMD and non-culprit vascular CMD, and the result found that culprit vascular CMD was associated with the incidence of MACE (OR: 4.75) and heart failure (OR: 7.50). CONCLUSION: CaIMR is a strong predictor of clinical outcomes and can provide an objective risk stratification for patients with STEMI. There is a strong correlation among leukocyte index, the use of furosemide, Killips classification, and clinical outcomes.

Dynamical and statistical features of soliton interactions in the focusing Gardner equation.

In this paper, the dynamical properties of soliton interactions in the focusing Gardner equation are analyzed by the conventional two-soliton solution and its degenerate cases. Using the asymptotic expressions of interacting solitons, it is shown that the soliton polarities depend on the signs of phase parameters, and that the degenerate solitons in the mixed and rational forms have variable velocities with the time dependence of attenuation. By means of extreme value analysis, the interaction points in different interaction scenarios are presented with exact determination of positions and occurrence times of high transient waves generated in the bipolar soliton interactions. Next, with all types of two-soliton interaction scenarios considered, the interactions of two solitons with different polarities are quantitatively shown to have a greater contribution to the skewness and kurtosis than those with the same polarity. Specifically, the ratios of spectral parameters (or soliton amplitudes) are determined when the bipolar soliton interactions have the strongest effects on the skewness and kurtosis. In addition, numerical simulations are conducted to examine the properties of multi-soliton interactions and their influence on higher statistical moments, especially confirming the emergence of the soliton interactions described by the mixed and rational solutions in a denser soliton ensemble.

Integrable turbulence and statistical characteristics of chaotic wave field in the Kundu-Eckhaus equation.

Integrable turbulence, as an irregular behavior in dynamic systems, has attracted a lot of attention in integrable and Hamiltonian systems. This article focuses on the studies of integrable turbulence phenomena of the Kundu-Eckhaus (KE) equation as well as the generation of rogue waves from the numerical and statistical viewpoints. First, via the Fourier collocation method, we obtain the spectral portraits of different analytical solutions. Second, we perform the numerical simulation on the KE equation under the initial condition of a plane wave with random noise to simulate the chaotic wave fields. Then, we analyze the influences of standard deviation and correlation length on the integrable turbulence and amplitude of wave field. It's found that both of the two parameters have positive effects on the generation probability of rogue wave caused by the interactions. But only the variation of standard deviation can lead to the transition from the breather turbulence to soliton turbulence. Furthermore, by analyzing the effects of additional higher-order nonlinear terms on the chaotic wave field, we find that those two higher-order nonlinear effects in the KE equation can lead to a larger amplitude of the chaotic wave field and a higher probability of generating rouge waves compared with the NLS equation.

3D-printed near-infrared-light-responsive on-demand drug-delivery scaffold for bone regeneration.

Although several bioactive 3D-printed bone scaffolds loaded with multiple kinds of biomolecules for enhanced bone regeneration have been recently developed, the manipulation of on-demand release profiles of different biomolecules during bone regeneration remains challenging. Herein, a 3D-printed dual-drug-loaded biomimetic scaffold to regulate the host stem cell recruitment and osteogenic differentiation in a two-stage process for bone regeneration was successfully fabricated. First, a chemotactic small-molecule drug, namely, simvastatin (SIM) was directly incorporated into the hydroxyapatite/collagen bioink for printing and could be rapidly released during the early stage of bone regeneration. Further, near-infrared (NIR)-light-responsive polydopamine-coated hydroxyapatite nanoparticles were designed to deliver the osteogenic drug, i.e., pargyline (PGL) in a controllable manner. Together, our scaffold displayed an on-demand sequential release of those two drugs and could optimize their therapeutic effects to align with the stem cell recruitment and osteoblastic differentiation, thereby promoting bone regeneration. The results confirmed the suitable mechanical strength, high photothermal conversion efficiency, good biocompatibility of our scaffold. The scaffold loaded with SIM could efficiently accelerate the migration of stem cells. In addition, the scaffold with on-demand sequential release promoted alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, significantly upregulated gene expression levels of osteogenesis-related markers, and enhanced new-bone-formation capabilities in rabbit cranial defect models. Altogether, this scaffold not only offers a promising strategy to control the behavior of stem cells during bone regeneration but also provides an efficient strategy for controllable sequential release of different biomolecule in bone tissue engineering.

Boron deficiency decreased the root activity of Ga-exposed rice seedlings by reducing iron accumulation and increasing Ga in iron plaque.

Gallium (Ga) is an emerging chemical pollutant chiefly associated with high-tech industries. Boron (B) alleviates the negative effects of toxic elements on plant growth. Thereby, the effects of B fertilization on Ga toxicity in rice seedlings was studied to clarify the role of iron plaque in the distribution of Ga, Fe, and B in Ga-treated rice seedlings in the presence or absence of B. Gallium exposure significantly reduced the biomass of rice seedlings. Boron deficiency induced a significant change in the distribution of B in Ga-treated rice seedlings compared with "Ga+B" treatments. Accumulation of Ga in roots, dithionite-citrate-bicarbonate (DCB) extracts, and shoots showed a dose-dependent manner from both +B and -B rice seedlings. Boron nutrition levels affect the distribution of Fe in roots, DCB extracts, and shoots, in which DCB-extractable Fe was significantly decreased from "Ga-B" treatments compared with "Ga+B" treatments. Root activity was significantly decreased in both Ga-exposed rice seedlings; however, B-deficient seedlings showed a severe reduction than +B rice seedlings. These results reveal that Fe plaque might be a temporary sink for B accumulation when plants are grown with proper B, wherein the re-utilization of DCB-extractable B stored in Fe plaque is mandatory for plant growth under B deficiency. Correlation analysis revealed that B deficiency decreased the root activity of Ga-exposed rice seedlings by reducing DCB-extractable Fe and increasing DCB-extractable Ga in Fe plaque. This study enhances our understanding of how B nutritional levels affect Ga toxicity in rice plants.

Boron deficiency energizes cyanide uptake and assimilation through activating plasma membrane H+-ATPase in rice plants.

The effect of boron (B) deficiency on mediating the contribution of H+-ATPase in the uptake and assimilation of exogenous cyanide (CN-) is investigated. Under CN- treatments, rice seedlings with B-deficient (-B) conditions exhibited significantly higher CN- uptake and assimilation rates than B-supplemented (+B) seedlings, whereas NH4+ uptake and assimilation rates were slightly higher in -B rice seedlings than in +B. In this connection, the expression pattern of genes encoding ß-CAS, ST, and H+-ATPase was assessed to unravel their role in the current scenario. The abundances of three ß-CAS isogenes (OsCYS-D1, OsCYS-D2, and OsCYS-C1) in rice tissues are upregulated from both "CN--B" and "CN-+B" treatments, however, only OsCYS-C1 in roots from the "CN--B" treatments was significantly upregulated than "CN-+B" treatments. Expression patterns of ST-related genes (OsStr9, OsStr22, and OsStr23) are tissue specific, in which significantly higher upregulation of ST-related genes was observed in shoots from "CN--B" treatments than "CN-+B" treatments. Expression pattern of 7 selected H+-ATPase isogenes, OsA1, OSA2, OsA3, OsA4, OsA7, OsA8, and OsA9 are quite tissue specific between "CN-+B" and "CN--B" treatments. Among these, OsA4 and OsA7 genes were highly activated in the uptake and assimilation of exogenous CN- in -B nutrient solution. These results indicated that B deficiency disturbs the pattern of N cycles in CN--treated rice seedlings, where activation of ST during CN- assimilation decreases the flux of the innate pool of NH4+ produced from CN- assimilation by the ß-CAS pathway in plants. Collectively, the B deficiency increased the uptake and assimilation of exogenous CN- through activating H+-ATPase.

Relationship between ODI and sleep structure of obstructive sleep apnea and cardiac remodeling.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the quantitative relationship between Oxygen Desaturation Index (ODI) and sleep structure of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and cardiac remodeling. METHODS: In this study, patients were enrolled from January 2015 to October 2022, and were divided into 3 groups according to AHI: patients with AHI < 15, patients with 15 ≤ AHI < 30, and 260 patients with AHI ≥ 30. Stratified linear regression was used to analyze independent risk factors for cardiac remodeling in OSA. RESULTS: A total of 479 patients were enrolled. We found that compared with AHI < 15 group (n = 120), the group with AHI > 30 (n = 260) had increased left atrial anteroposterior diameter, left ventricular end-diastolic internal diameter, left ventricular posterior wall thickness, right ventricular anteroposterior diameter, and interventricular septal thickness (P < 0.05). The group with 15 ≤ AHI ≤ 30 (n = 99) had increased left atrial anteroposterior diameter (P < 0.05). Multivariate linear regression revealed that N2 sleep was an independent risk factor for left ventricular posterior wall thickness, with positive correlation (p < 0.05). N3 sleep was an independent risk factor for transverse right atrial diameter and right ventricular anteroposterior diameter, with negative correlation (P < 0.05). ODI was an independent risk factor for interventricular septal thickness, with positive correlation (P < 0.05). The arousal index was an independent risk factor for increased left atrial anteroposterior diameter, with positive correlation (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Increased ODI is an independent risk factor for interventricular septal thickness, while decreased slow wave sleep is an independent risk factor for right heart remodeling in OSA.

Research progress in chemical compositions and pharmacological effects of Dachengqi Decoction and predictive analysis on its quality marker / 国际中医中药杂志

Dachengqi Decoction is a classic prescription attacked by Yangming excessive syndromes in clinic, which has the effects of relieving heat, softening and dispersing knots, etc., and is often used in the treatment of gastrointestinal dysfunction caused by various diseases. This article reviewed the recent studies on the chemical compositions and pharmacological effects of Dachengqi Decoction in recent years. On this basis, combined with the "five principles" of TCM quality markers, the quality markers of Dachengqi Decoction were predicted and analyzed. It is suggested that emodin, Rhein, chrysophanol, aloe-emodin, synephrine, hesperidin, naringin, magnolol and magnolol can be used as quality markers of Dachengqi Decoction.

Effect of different gastric mucosa preparation programs on the quality of painless gastroscopy / 中国实用护理杂志

Objective:To analyze the effect of different gastric mucosa preparation programs on the quality of painless gastroscopy, so as to provide reference for developing mucosal preparation programs.Methods:This was a prospective, randomized controlled study. A total of 150 patients with painless gastroscopy from March 2021 to December 2022 in Shanxi Yuncheng Central Hospital were selected by convenience sampling in this study, they were assigned to control group, water group, and soda water group by random digits table method, each group contained 50 patients. All patients received oral administration of pronase + dimeticone + sodium bicarbonate solution. In addition, control group: prohibited from drinking 4 hours before examination; water group: drinking 200 ml of pure water 2 hours before examination; and soda water group: drinking 200 ml of soda water 2 hours before examination. The clarity score of gastric mucosa and the detection rate of small lesions were compared among the three groups.Results:There were 28 males and 22 females in the control group, aged (47.62 ± 13.83) years old. There were 30 males and 20 females in the water group, aged (44.68 ± 13.61) years old. There were 24 males and 26 females in the soda water group, aged (46.92 ± 12.79) years old. The difference of esophagus, gastric body, gastric antrum and total mucosal clarity scores among the three groups were statistically significant ( F values were 3.68-25.75, all P<0.05). Multiple comparison showed that the esophagus, gastric antrum and total mucosal clarity scores were (1.87 ± 0.58), (1.37 ± 0.34), (6.72 ± 0.92) points in the control group, which were higher than (1.47 ± 0.41), (1.18 ± 0.31), (5.97 ± 0.86) points in the water group, and (1.42 ± 0.41), (1.02 ± 0.22), (5.50 ± 0.79) points in the soda water group, the differences were statistically significant ( t values were 2.67-5.95, all P<0.05). The gastric antrum and total mucosal clarity scores in the water group were higher than in the soda water group, the differences were statistically significant ( t=7.11, 2.71, both P<0.05). The gastric body mucosal clarity score was (1.98 ± 0.74) points in the control group, which was higher than (1.64 ± 0.54) points in the soda water group, the difference was statistically significant ( t=2.66, P<0.05). The gastroscopy examination time and flushin times were (135.20 ± 21.60) s and (1.37 ± 0.43) times in the control group, while (115.52 ± 14.74) s, (0.90 ± 0.29) times and (107.48 ± 13.02) s, (0.62 ± 0.23) times in the water group and soda water group, the control group was higher than the water group and the soda water group, and the water group was also higher than the soda water group, the differences were statistically significant ( t values were 2.38-11.40, all P<0.05). However, there was no statistically significant difference in the detection rate of small lesions among the three groups (all P>0.05). Conclusions:Drinking soda water 2 hours before painless gastroscopy can significantly improve the clarity of patients′gastric mucosa, shorten the examination time and reduce flushing times, but it does not improve the detection rate of small lesions.

Effect of Inositol-requiring Enzyme 1 on Cisplatin-induced Apoptosis of Cochlear Hair Cells in Mouse / 听力学及言语疾病杂志

Objective To investigate the effect of inositol-requiring enzyme 1(IRE1)on cisplatin-induced ap-optosis of cochlear hair cells in mouse.Methods The cochlear basilar membranes of 500 healthy Kunming mice(3～5 days old)were isolated and cultured in vitro.After 24 hours,they were randomly divided into control group and cisplatin groups(4 μg/ml,8 μg/ml,16 μg/ml and 32 μg/ml),and cultured for another 24 hours.The loss of co-chlear hair cells was observed by fluorescein isothiocyanate(FITC)staining.The apoptosis of cochlear hair cells was observed by TRITC and Hoechst 33258 fluorescence staining.Western blot was used to detect the protein levels of p-IRE1α,p-JNK,Bax and caspase-3 in each group.Results Compared with control group,the hair cell loss and apoptosis rate of hair cells and the protein levels of p-IRE1α,p-JNK,Bax and caspase-3 were significantly increased in cisplatin groups(P＜0.01).Furthermore,the expression of p-IRE1α was positively correlated with the expres-sion of Bax and caspase-3 and with the apoptosis rate of hair cells(P＜0.05).Conclusion IREI may be involved in the regulation of cisplatin-induced apoptosis in cochlear hair cells.

The histological and thickness changes of attached gingiva following grafting with different soft tissue substitutes in the labial region of the cuspids in Beagles / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND:Subepithelial connective tissue grafts are generally considered as the gold standard for soft tissue augmentation.However,it needs a second surgical site,which will prolong the surgical time and increase patients'pain. OBJECTIVE:To compare the histological and thickness changes of attached gingiva following grafting with different soft tissue substitutes in the labial region of the cuspids. METHODS:In three Beagle dogs,attached gingival augmentation was performed with double-layer allogeneic acellular dermal matrix membrane(AADM),bovine-derived acellular dermal matrices(BADM)combined with concentrated growth factor membrane or BADM combined with collagen sponge.Thickness of attached gingiva was measured before augmentation,and 1,2,3,and 4 months after augmentation.Histological analyses were performed after 4 months. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The mean values of attached gingival thickness and attached gingival thickness augmentation were higher in the double-layer AADM group than in the other two groups(all P<0.05)from the 1st to 4th month after surgery.At 1 month after surgery,the attached gingival thickness of the three groups increased significantly and then decreased.At 3 months after surgery,the BADM combined with collagen sponge group and the BADM combined with concentrated growth factor membrane group showed no significant difference in the attached gingival thickness of the graft area compared with that before surgery(P>0.05).At 4 months after surgery,the mean value of attached gingival thickness in the double-layer AADM group was still significantly increased compared with that before surgery(P<0.05).The value of attached gingival thickness was highest in the double-layer AADM group,followed by the BADM combined with collagen sponge group,and the lowest in the BADM combined with concentrated growth factor membrane group at 1-4 months after surgery.Histological analyses revealed that AADM was well integrated with the host gingival tissue,and new fibrous connective tissue and fibroblasts grew into the AADM.But the grafts in the other two groups were absorbed and the augmentation area was remodeled into a structure consistent with the surrounding host tissue.To conclude,AADM is superior to BADM combined with concentrated growth factor and BADM combined with collagen sponge with regard to gingival augmentation.

Study on Quality Evaluation of Didang Qigui Decoction by HPLC Fingerprint Combined with Multi-component Content Determination / 中国中医药信息杂志

Objective To establish an HPLC fingerprint of Dingdang Qigui Decoction and analyze and evaluate it using chemical pattern recognition technology;To determine the contents of 5 effective chemical components in Dingdang Qigui Decoction;To provide a basis for its quality control.Methods The analysis was performed on Agilent 5 TC-C18(2)column(250 mm×4.6 mm).The mobile phase comprised of acetonitrile-0.1%phosphoric acid aqueous solution with the gradient elution at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min.The detection wavelength was set at 260 nm.The column temperature was maintained at 30℃and the injection volume was 10 μL.SPSS 26.0 and SIMCA 14.1 were used to perform clustering analysis and principal component analysis on the 10 batches of Didang Qigui Decoction.The landmark components for inter batch differences were selected through orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA).Results The HPLC fingerprint with eighteen common peaks of Didang Qigui Decoction in 10 batches of sample was established,and the similarities of samples were between 0.828 and 0.989.Five indicative components were identified and quantitatively analyzed by comparing with the reference substances,which were paeoniflorin,mauroisoflavone glucoside,hesperidin,cinnamaldehyde and aloe rhodopsin.The linear ranges was 10.000 0-320.000 0 μg/mL,2.500 0-80.000 0 μg/mL,10.000 0-320.000 0 μg/mL,10.000 0-320.000 0 μg/mL,0.078 1-5.000 0 μg/mL,respectively,and their mean recovery ranged from 100.30%to 104.09%.Clustering analysis and principal component analysis divided 10 batches of samples from Didang Qigui Decoction into 2 categories.Through OPLS-DA screening,hairy pistil isoflavone glycosides,paeoniflorin,and hesperidin were selected as landmark components for quality differences.Conclusion The quality evaluation method for Didang Qigui Decoction established in this study is simple,sensitive,accurate,and reproducible,which can provide a basis for the quality evaluation of Didang Qigui Decoction.

Assessment of dynamic cerebral autoregulation in pilots after acute positive acceleration exposure / 中华超声影像学杂志

Objective:To explore the changes of dynamic cerebral autoregulation ability in pilots exposed to acute positive acceleration(+ Gz) by transcranial Doppler combined with beat-to-beat blood pressure.Methods:A total of 26 pilots enrolled in the + 8Gz manned centrifuge trial at the Air Force Medical Center, Air Force Medical University from June to October 2022 were prospectively included. Blood pressure and heart rate were monitored in the resting state before the trial and within 5 min after centrifugation. Transcranial Doppler combined with noninvasive continuous beat-to-beat blood pressure monitor were used to detect bilateral middle cerebral artery blood flow velocity and beat-to-beat pulse pressure respectively. The transfer function analysis was applied to derive the parameters of cerebral blood flow autoregulation in each frequency band from 0.02 to 0.50 Hz, and the phase, gain and coherence were calculated. The above parameters were compared between resting state and after acute + 8Gz positive acceleration exposure.Results:Compared with the resting state, in all of the 26 pilots after acute + 8Gz positive acceleration exposure, the systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate increased significantly ( P<0.001), the phase significantly increased and the gain significantly decreased in the ultra-low frequency band (0.02-0.07 Hz) ( P<0.05); whereas there were no statistical differences of gain and phase in the low frequency band (0.07-0.20 Hz) and the high frequency band (0.20-0.50 Hz) (all P>0.05). Conclusions:Transcranial Doppler combined with beat-to-beat pulse pressure can be used for the assessment of changes in immediate dynamic cerebral autoregulation after acute + Gz exposure, and transfer function analysis of ultra-low frequency band parameters is suitable for this type of evaluation.

The 504th case: Multiple lymph node enlargement, renal insufficiency, blindness, and white matter lesions of the brain / 中华内科杂志

A 65-year-old male patient was admitted for recurrent lymph node enlargement for 5 years and elevated creatinine for 6 months. This patient was diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma 5 years ago and underwent multiple lines of anti-tumor therapy, including cytotoxic chemotherapy; epigenetic modifying drugs such as chidamide and azacitidine; the immunomodulator lenalidomide; and targeted therapy such as rituximab, a CD20-targeting antibody, and brentuximab vedotin, which targets CD30. Although the tumor was considered stable, multiple virus activation (including BK virus, JC virus, and cytomegalovirus) accompanied by the corresponding organ damage (polyomavirus nephropathy, cytomegalovirus retinitis, and progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy) occurred during anti-tumor treatment. Anti-tumor therapy was suspended and ganciclovir was used. The serum viral load decreased and organ functions were stabilized. The purpose of this report was to raise clinicians′ awareness of opportunistic virus reactivation during anti-tumor treatment.

Growth rate of adult obesity prevalence in China and target population for prevention and control from 2013 to 2018 / 中华心血管病杂志

Objective: To investigate the annual growth rate of obesity prevalence of residents aged 18 and above in China and prevention keypoints for target populations from 2013 to 2018. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. Subjects from China Chronic Disease and Risk Factor Surveillance project in 2013 and 2018 were included. The prevalence of obesity and growth rate in 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) in China were collected through survey questionnaires and on-site measurements. Other demographic data such as the proportion of obesity control measures, diet, exercise and drug use was also analyzed. Obesity among adults was defined as body mass index≥28.0 kg/m². Results: A total of 174 736 residents, aged (51.5±14.2) years, which included 74 704 (42.8%) males were recruited in 2013, and 179 125 residents, aged (55.1±13.8) years, which included 79 337 (44.3%) males were included in 2018. The average annual increase rate of adult obesity prevalence in China from 2013 to 2018 was 3.2% (uncertainty interval (UI) 2.7%-3.6%), and the average increase rate of obesity prevalence among men (5.2% (UI 4.6%-5.9%)) was higher than that of women (0.9% (UI 0.5%-1.3%)). For subgroups analysis, the average increase rate of obesity prevalence among residents aged 18 to 29 (7.4% (UI 6.9%-7.9%)), education level beyond college degree (6.3% (UI 5.5%-7.1%)), and unmarried population (11.2% (UI 10.2%-12.1%)) were higher than that of other subgroups between 2013 and 2018. The residents in Hainan province showed the highest average annual growth rate of obesity. With the exception of Shanxi, Hunan, Gansu and Ningxia province, the annual growth rate of obesity prevalence among adults increased in all other provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) from 2013 to 2018. For the obese population, the proportion of people who took weight control measures increased from 22.6% in 2013 to 32.7% in 2018. Conclusions: The prevalence of obesity growth characteristics in subpopulations and regions in China are obviously different. Accordingly the focus points of obesity prevention and control in different regions should have their own emphasis.

Growth rate of adult obesity prevalence in China and target population for prevention and control from 2013 to 2018 / 中华心血管病杂志

Objective: To investigate the annual growth rate of obesity prevalence of residents aged 18 and above in China and prevention keypoints for target populations from 2013 to 2018. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. Subjects from China Chronic Disease and Risk Factor Surveillance project in 2013 and 2018 were included. The prevalence of obesity and growth rate in 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) in China were collected through survey questionnaires and on-site measurements. Other demographic data such as the proportion of obesity control measures, diet, exercise and drug use was also analyzed. Obesity among adults was defined as body mass index≥28.0 kg/m². Results: A total of 174 736 residents, aged (51.5±14.2) years, which included 74 704 (42.8%) males were recruited in 2013, and 179 125 residents, aged (55.1±13.8) years, which included 79 337 (44.3%) males were included in 2018. The average annual increase rate of adult obesity prevalence in China from 2013 to 2018 was 3.2% (uncertainty interval (UI) 2.7%-3.6%), and the average increase rate of obesity prevalence among men (5.2% (UI 4.6%-5.9%)) was higher than that of women (0.9% (UI 0.5%-1.3%)). For subgroups analysis, the average increase rate of obesity prevalence among residents aged 18 to 29 (7.4% (UI 6.9%-7.9%)), education level beyond college degree (6.3% (UI 5.5%-7.1%)), and unmarried population (11.2% (UI 10.2%-12.1%)) were higher than that of other subgroups between 2013 and 2018. The residents in Hainan province showed the highest average annual growth rate of obesity. With the exception of Shanxi, Hunan, Gansu and Ningxia province, the annual growth rate of obesity prevalence among adults increased in all other provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) from 2013 to 2018. For the obese population, the proportion of people who took weight control measures increased from 22.6% in 2013 to 32.7% in 2018. Conclusions: The prevalence of obesity growth characteristics in subpopulations and regions in China are obviously different. Accordingly the focus points of obesity prevention and control in different regions should have their own emphasis.

Long-term auditory monitoring in children with Alport syndrome based on different degrees of renal injury / 临床耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

Objective:To investigate long-term auditory changes and characteristics of Alport syndrome（AS） patients with different degrees of renal injury. Methods:Retrospectively analyzing clinical data of patients diagnosed AS from January 2007 to September 2022, including renal pathology, genetic detection and hearing examination. A long-term follow-up focusing on hearing and renal function was conducted. Results:This study included 70 AS patients, of which 33（25 males, 8 females, aged 3.4-27.8 years） were followed up, resulting in a loss rate of 52.9%.The follow-up period ranged from 1.1to 15.8 years, with 16 patients followed-up for over 10 years. During the follow-up, 10 patients presenting with hearing abnormalities at the time of diagnosis of AS had progressive hearing loss, and 3 patients with new hearing abnormalities were followed up, which appeared at 5-6 years of disease course. All of which were sensorineural deafness. While only 3 patients with hearing abnormalities among 13 patients received hearing aid intervention. Of these patients,7 developed end-stage renal disease（ESRD）, predominantly males （6/7）. The rate of long-term hearing loss was significantly different between ESRD group and non-ESRD group（P=0.013）. There was no correlation between the progression of renal disease and long-term hearing level（P>0.05）. kidney biopsies from 28 patients revealed varying degrees of podocyte lesion and uneven thickness of basement membrane. The severity of podocyte lesion was correlated with the rate of long-term hearing loss（P=0.048）, and there was no correlation with the severity of hearing loss（P>0.05）. Among 11 cases, theCOL4A5mutationwas most common （8 out of 11）, but there was no significant correlation between the mutation type and hearing phenotype（P>0.05）. Conclusion:AS patients exhibit progressive hearing loss with significant heterogeneity over the long-term.. THearing loss is more likely to occur 5-6 years into the disease course. Hearing abnormalities are closely related to renal disease status, kidney tissue pathology, and gene mutations, emphasizing the need for vigilant long-term hearing follow-up and early intervention.

Response to gallium (Ga) exposure and its distribution in rice plants.

Root architecture is the temporal and spatial configuration of root system in the heterogeneous matrix of soil that is prone to chemical stresses. Gallium (Ga) is among the emerging chemical pollutants that are mostly associated with high-tech industries, specifically associated with semiconductors. In view of its potential risk and increasing distribution in the environment, this study was designed to evaluate the inhibition rate, Ga distribution in different tissues, and root architecture of rice seedlings under different concentrations of Ga. We observed that 2.59, 46.7, and 168.2 mg Ga/L were minimum (EC20), medium (EC50), and maximum (EC75) effective concentrations for rice plants that corresponded to the 20, 50, and 75% inhibition on the relative growth rate, respectively. Distribution of Ga in rice tissues showed that accumulation of Ga was much higher in roots than shoots of rice seedlings, and it increased with an increase in Ga doses. Evan blue staining technique reveals that the number of damaged/dead cell was dose-dependent on Ga. Moreover, several traits associated with root system architecture demonstrating that rice root system architecture altered in response to Ga stress. Collectively, the results reveal that Ga exposure inhibited the growth and development of rice plants. This study will enhance our understanding that how different concentrations of Ga in the environment can affect plants; however, more comprehensive studies are essential to further determine plant response against Ga stress.

A General Framework for Identifying Hierarchical Interactions and Its Application to Genomics Data.

The analysis of hierarchical interactions has long been a challenging problem due to the large number of candidate main effects and interaction effects, and the need for accommodating the "main effects, interactions" hierarchy. The two-stage analysis methods enjoy simplicity and low computational cost, but contradict the fact that the outcome of interest is attributable to the joint effects of multiple main factors and their interactions. The existing joint analysis methods can accurately describe the underlying data generating process, but suffer from prohibitively high computational cost. And it is not straightforward to extend their optimization algorithms to general loss functions. To address this need, we develop a new computational method that is much faster than the existing joint analysis methods and rivals the runtimes of two-stage analysis. The proposed method, HierFabs, adopts the framework of the forward and backward stagewise algorithm and enjoys computational efficiency and broad applicability. To accommodate hierarchy without imposing additional constraints, it has newly developed forward and backward steps. It naturally accommodates the strong and weak hierarchy, and makes optimization much simpler and faster than in the existing studies. Optimality of HierFabs sequences is investigated theoretically. Simulations show that it outperforms the existing methods. The analysis of TCGA data on melanoma demonstrates its competitive practical performance.