[Application of single-sperm sequencing in resolving the carrier status of preimplantation genetic testing for chromosomal structural rearrangements in Robertsonian translocations].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the application value of single-sperm sequencing in resolving the carrier status of preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) for chromosomal structural rearrangements in Robertsonian translocations. METHODS: Haplotypes were constructed by single-sperm isolation combined with single-sperm sequencing for a patient with 45, XY, der(13; 14)(q10; q10). Twenty single-sperm samples were isolated by mechanical braking and subjected to whole-genome amplification (WGA), and then the Asian Screening Array (ASA) gene chip was used to detect the 183 708 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of the WGA products. The single sperm associated with the translocation that could be used as haplotype inference was detected by copy number variation (CNV) sequencing, and the chromosomal haplotypes with normal and Robertsonian translocations were inferred. Three biopsy samples of embryonic trophoblast cells were used as the objects. After whole-genome amplification, high-throughput sequencing was employed to determine the status of the translocation chromosome carried by the embryos. The available blastocysts were selected for transfer, and the amniotic fluid samples were taken at 18 weeks of gestation to confirm whether the fetus carried the pathogenic mutation. RESULTS: A total of 6 037 SNP sites were screened by single-sperm sequencing, and 30 sites selected to distinguish normal and translocation haplotypes. Preimplantation haplotype analysis showed that all the three embryos were euploids without Robertsonian translocation chromosome. Genetic testing of amniotic fluid in the second trimester confirmed that the karyotype of the fetus was 46, XN, carrying no Robertsonian translocation chromosome. CONCLUSION: For male carriers of Robertsonian translocation, single sperm sequencing can be used to screen SNP sites to construct haplotypes for distinguishing normal and Robertsonian translocation embryos, and to provide a basis for embryo selection by preimplantation chromosomal structural genetic testing.

A Detection Algorithm for Citrus Huanglongbing Disease Based on an Improved YOLOv8n.

Given the severe impact of Citrus Huanglongbing on orchard production, accurate detection of the disease is crucial in orchard management. In the natural environments, due to factors such as varying light intensities, mutual occlusion of citrus leaves, the extremely small size of Huanglongbing leaves, and the high similarity between Huanglongbing and other citrus diseases, there remains an issue of low detection accuracy when using existing mainstream object detection models for the detection of citrus Huanglongbing. To address this issue, we propose YOLO-EAF (You Only Look Once-Efficient Asymptotic Fusion), an improved model based on YOLOv8n. Firstly, the Efficient Multi-Scale Attention Module with cross-spatial learning (EMA) is integrated into the backbone feature extraction network to enhance the feature extraction and integration capabilities of the model. Secondly, the adaptive spatial feature fusion (ASFF) module is used to enhance the feature fusion ability of different levels of the model so as to improve the generalization ability of the model. Finally, the focal and efficient intersection over union (Focal-EIOU) is utilized as the loss function, which accelerates the convergence process of the model and improves the regression precision and robustness of the model. In order to verify the performance of the YOLO-EAF method, we tested it on the self-built citrus Huanglongbing image dataset. The experimental results showed that YOLO-EAF achieved an 8.4% higher precision than YOLOv8n on the self-built dataset, reaching 82.7%. The F1-score increased by 3.33% to 77.83%, and the mAP (0.5) increased by 3.3% to 84.7%. Through experimental comparisons, the YOLO-EAF model proposed in this paper offers a new technical route for the monitoring and management of Huanglongbing in smart orange orchards.

Effect of Postoperative Prolonged sedation with Dexmedetomidine after successful reperfusion with Endovascular Thrombectomy on long-term prognosis in patients with acute ischemic stroke (PPDET): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) is a standard treatment for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) with large vessel occlusion. Hypertension and increased blood pressure variability within the first 24 h after successful reperfusion are related to a higher risk of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage and higher mortality. AIS patients might suffer from ischemia-reperfusion injury following reperfusion, especially within 24 h. Dexmedetomidine (DEX), a sedative commonly used in EVT, can stabilize hemodynamics by inhibiting the sympathetic nervous system and alleviate ischemia-reperfusion injury through anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties. Postoperative prolonged sedation for 24 h with DEX might be a potential pharmacological approach to improve long-term prognosis after EVT. METHODS: This single-center, open-label, prospective, randomized controlled trial will include 368 patients. The ethics committee has approved the protocol. After successful reperfusion (modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction scores 2b-3, indicating reperfusion of at least 50% of the affected vascular territory), participants are randomly assigned to the intervention or control group. In the intervention group, participants will receive 0.1~1.0 µg/kg/h DEX for 24 h. In the control group, participants will receive an equal dose of saline for 24 h. The primary outcome is the functional outcome at 90 days, measured with the categorical scale of the modified Rankin Scale, ranging from 0 (no symptoms) to 6 (death). The secondary outcome includes (1) the changes in stroke severity between admission and 24 h and 7 days after EVT, measured by the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (ranging from 0 to 42, with higher scores indicating greater severity); (2) the changes in ischemic penumbra volume/infarct volume between admission and 7 days after EVT, measured by neuroimaging scan; (3) the length of ICU/hospital stay; and (4) adverse events and the all-cause mortality rate at 90 days. DISCUSSION: This randomized clinical trial is expected to verify the hypothesis that postoperative prolonged sedation with DEX after successful reperfusion may promote the long-term prognosis of patients with AIS and may reduce the related socio-economic burden. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04916197. Prospectively registered on 7 June 2021.

Simple Conditional Spatial Query Mask Deformable Detection Transformer: A Detection Approach for Multi-Style Strokes of Chinese Characters.

In the Chinese character writing task performed by robotic arms, the stroke category and position information should be extracted through object detection. Detection algorithms based on predefined anchor frames have difficulty resolving the differences among the many different styles of Chinese character strokes. Deformable detection transformer (deformable DETR) algorithms without predefined anchor frames result in some invalid sampling points with no contribution to the feature update of the current reference point due to the random sampling of sampling points in the deformable attention module. These processes cause a reduction in the speed of the vector learning stroke features in the detection head. In view of this problem, a new detection method for multi-style strokes of Chinese characters, called the simple conditional spatial query mask deformable DETR (SCSQ-MDD), is proposed in this paper. Firstly, a mask prediction layer is jointly determined using the shallow feature map of the Chinese character image and the query vector of the transformer encoder, which is used to filter the points with actual contributions and resample the points without contributions to address the randomness of the correlation calculation among the reference points. Secondly, by separating the content query and spatial query of the transformer decoder, the dependence of the prediction task on the content embedding is relaxed. Finally, the detection model without predefined anchor frames based on the SCSQ-MDD is constructed. Experiments are conducted using a multi-style Chinese character stroke dataset to evaluate the performance of the SCSQ-MDD. The mean average precision (mAP) value is improved by 3.8% and the mean average recall (mAR) value is improved by 1.1% compared with the deformable DETR in the testing stage, illustrating the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Visualization of the biomechanical characteristics of long-distance running landing patterns / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND:In recent years,as the popularity of long-distance fitness running continues to rise,more research progress has been made on related scientific issues.Among them,the landing pattern of long-distance running is an important biomechanical research hotspot at the level of running technique. OBJECTIVE:Using CiteSpace to visualize and analyze the relevant literature,the article sorts through the last decade's literature on the subject to identify the current state,hot spots,and trends in the footprint as well as to further discuss the main research hotspots of the foot strike pattern from a biomechanical perspective. METHODS:"Foot strike pattern,""Rearfoot strike,""non-Rearfoot strike,""Forefoot strike"and"Midfoot strike"were used as keywords to search the Web of Science Core Collection database. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:A total of 896 relevant papers were finally included.The number of articles published in a year showed an overall upward trend.The top three countries in terms of the number of publications were the United States,China and the United Kingdom;the top three institutions were Harvard University,Shanghai University of Sports and the University of Massachusetts;and the top three authors were Davis Irene S,Hamill Joseph and Fu Weijie.The keywords"barefoot running,runner,injury,footing pattern,kinesiology"appear more frequently,and the keyword clusters include"energy cost,loading rate,footing pattern,risk factors,gait analysis",and the relevant research still continues to be hot to this day.After analyzing the above data in detail,we found that the overall research intensity of foot strike pattern has remained stable in recent years,and the hotspot mainly focuses on the biomechanical research of foot strike pattern;the trend of this kind of research focuses on the influence and adaptability of different strike patterns(forefoot strike and rearfoot strike)on long-distance runners(barefoot,shoes,distance,speed,injury risk,running economy and energy consumption,etc.).Therefore,there is no"standardized optimal landing,"but there may be"individualized optimal landings."It is suggested that researchers should select the optimal landing pattern and running technique strategy according to their own habitual way,movement pattern characteristics,exercise level and task attributes.

Gastrointestinal dysfunction in prognosis of liver cirrhotic patients with sepsis / 中国感染控制杂志

Objective To assess the value of acute gastrointestinal injury(AGI)and intestinal fatty acid-binding protein(I-FABP)in the prognosis of liver cirrhotic patients with sepsis.Methods Clinical data of 84 liver cirrhosis patients with sepsis who were admitted to the intensive care unit(ICU)of a hospital from September 2020 to March 2023 were analyzed retrospectively,and 41 patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis during the same period were selected as the control group.Serum I-FABP level in patients was determined with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).Scores of the model of end-stage liver disease(MELD)and sequential organ failure assessment(SOFA)were calculated.AGI was evaluated based on medical records.30-day and 90-day survival was observed.Correlation among variables was analyzed by Spearman correlation.Risk factors for death in patients with liver cir-rhosis and sepsis was determined by multivariate Cox regression analysis.The optimal cut-off value was determined by receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve,and the diagnostic efficacy was compared through the area under the ROC curve(AUC).Results Both AGI grading and I-FABP level in liver cirrhosis patients with sepsis were higher than those in the control group(both P＜0.05).I-FABP level was correlated with procalcitonin(PCT),MELD,and SOFA scores in patients with liver cirrhosis and sepsis(all P＜0.05).AGI grading was positively cor-related with SOFA score(P=0.038).The 30-day and 90-day mortality of patients in the liver cirrhosis with sepsis group were 25.0％(n=21)and 35.7％(n=30),respectively.Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that baseline I-FABP and SOFA scores were independently correlated with 30-day and 90-day survival,and the I-FABP quartile showed good prognostic differentiation efficacy.ROC curve showed that I-FABP could significantly improve the predictive effect of SOFA score on the prognosis of patients.Conclusion AGI grading and I-FABP level in liver cirrhosis patients with sepsis are elevated significantly.Serum I-FABP is associated with the prognosis of patient and can improve the predictive efficacy of SOFA score for survival.

High-Energy Composite Fuels with Improved Combustion Efficiency by Using AlH3 Embedded with Al Particles.

Aluminum hydride (AlH3) has attracted much attention due to its potential to replace aluminum (Al) as a novel energetic material in solid propellants. In this research, ammonium perchlorate (AP) and perfluoropolyether (PFPE) as functionalized coatings and a combination of acoustic resonance and spray drying technology have been employed to prepare AlH3@Al@AP (AHAPs) and AlH3@Al@AP@PFPE (AHAPs-F) energetic composite particles. The formulations of composite propellants and modified AlH3 particles were designed and fabricated. Their thermal reactivity, reaction heat, density, vacuum stability, combustion performance, and condensed combustion products (CCPs) have been systematically investigated. The results show that the solid propellants containing AHAPs (SP13) and AHAPs-F (SP14) composites can significantly enhance the reactivity and energy output compared to conventional solid propellants with the mechanical mixture Al/AlH3 (SP12). In particular, the total heat releases of SP13 and SP14 are almost 1.2 and 1.7 times higher than those of conventional ones (SP12, 1442 J g-1), respectively. Among the AlH3-based propellants, SP14 propellants exhibit the highest reaction heat of 5887 J g-1, the most intensive flame radiation of 31.4 × 103, and the highest combustion wave temperature of 2495 °C. Moreover, the particle size distribution of CCPs from SP14 propellants is much narrower and smaller than that of SP12, resulting in higher combustion efficiency.

[Distribution Characteristics, Source Analysis and Potential Ecological Risk Assessment of Soil Heavy Metals in Typical River Source Areas of Northeastern Hunan Province].

Soil environmental quality in water source areas related to the residents' life, health and safety, has been the hotspot issues in science of ecological environment protection. A total of 87 surface soil samples were collected from typical river source areas in northeastern Hunan Province, using GIS technique and potential ecological risk assessment index to study the spatial distribution characteristics and Potential ecological risk of soil heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Cr, Hg and As), and the means of multivariate statistical analysis and positive definite matrix factor analysis models (PMF) were used to explain the possible sources and its contribution rates of heavy metals. The results show that:① The soil located in the typical river source area of northeastern Hunan Province was acidic, and the meant of ω(Cd), ω(Pb), ω(Cr), ω(Hg), and ω(As) in soil was 0.20, 41.07, 130.51, 0.29, and 11.63mg·kg-1, respectively. And except As, all of them had enrichment tendency. ② The comprehensive potential ecological risk of soil heavy metals was at a medium level, among which Cr, Pb and As were at a slight level of potential ecological risk, and Cd and Hg all reached a strong level of risk. ③ Cd and Pb of soil had significant homology, which were derived from agricultural activity, Cr and As of soil were affected by both domestic waste discharge and natural parent material, and Hg of soil was mainly derived from fossil combustion and transportation. ④ There were four pollution sources which included household waste discharge source, natural parent material source, Fossil burning and transportation sources, as well as sources of agricultural activities in typical river source area in northeastern Hunan Province, which contributed the rates of heavy metals were 21.36%, 35.92%, 19.30% and 23.42%, respectively, and the contribution rate of man-made sources was higher than that of natural sources. To sum up, this study has reference value for pollution prevention, ecological restoration and beautiful village construction in river source area of northeastern Hunan Province.

Unwitting Agents: Representations of Chinese International Students in US-China Geopolitics.

As part of a larger study, this paper presents findings from my exploration of discourses about China-US geopolitics through popular discussions on Chinese international students (CIS) who are attending American universities during the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic. The study seeks to advance scholarship for international students attending American colleges, with particular implications for Chinese students, as agents of geopolitical relations. In doing so, it investigates (a) how these students are represented in American media and (b) the criticality of international geopolitics in the mobility of international students. The findings reveal that American popular media sources assume a tone when writing about CIS that may stem from a deeper anti-Chinese sentiment that exists in the US. They also suggest that American institutions of higher education, and American companies that employ CIS after graduation, treat these students as imported subjects/objects that support America's intellectual and economic advancement. In doing so, the media perpetuates narratives of geopolitical tensions between the United States and China, while representing CIS as unwitting agents of those tensions. The study seeks to advance scholarship on international students attending US colleges, particularly those from China, during an era of rising populism and right-wing movements in the US coupled with rapidly deteriorating US-China relations. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12140-023-09409-5.

Stabilization of AlH3 Crystals by the Coating of Hydrophobic PFPE and Resulted Reactivity with Ammonium Perchlorate.

Aluminum hydride (AlH3) is a promising fuel component of solid propellant, but its stabilization is still challenging. Herein, surface functionalization of hydrophobic perfluoropolyether (PFPE) followed by ammonium perchlorate (AP) coating has been implemented. In particular, AlH3@PFPE@xAP (x = 10, 30, 50, or 64.21%) composites (AHFPs) were prepared by a spray-drying technique. The PFPE-functionalized AlH3 with a hydrophobic surface shows an increased water contact angle (WCA) from 51.87° to 113.54°. Compared with pure AlH3, the initial decomposition temperatures of AHFPs were increased by 17 °C, and the decomposition properties of AP in the AHFPs were also enhanced with significantly decreased peak temperature and fairly increased energy output. Moreover, the decomposition induction time of AHFPs-30% was improved by almost 1.82 times that of raw AlH3, which indicates that the coatings of PFPE and AP could improve the stability of AlH3. The maximum flame radiation intensity of AHFPs-30% was 21.6 × 103, which is almost 7.71 times that of pure AlH3 (2.8 × 103).

Thermo-Optic Phase Shifter with Interleaved Suspended Design for Power Efficiency and Speed Adjustment.

Conventional thermo-optic devices-which can be broadly categorized to that with and without a thermal isolation trench-typically come with a tradeoff between thermal tuning efficiency and tuning speed. Here, we propose a method that allows us to directly define the tradeoff using a specially designed thermo-optic phase shifter with an interleaved isolation trench. With the design, the tuning efficiency and speed can be precisely tailored simply by controlling the duty ratio (suspended length over total heater length) of the suspended design. Phase shifters are one of the main components in photonic-integrated circuits, and having phase shifters with a flexible design approach may enable the wide adoption of photonic applications such as an optical neural network and LiDAR.

Effects of group mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and group cognitive behavioural therapy on symptomatic generalized anxiety disorder: a randomized controlled noninferiority trial.

BACKGROUND: Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is a promising alternative treatment for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). The objective of this study was to examine whether the efficacy of group MBCT adapted for treating GAD (MBCT-A) was noninferior to group cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) designed to treat GAD (CBT-A), which was considered one of first-line treatments for GAD patients. We also explored the efficacy of MBCT-A in symptomatic GAD patients compared with CBT-A for a variety of outcomes of anxiety symptoms, as well as depressive symptoms, overall illness severity, quality of life and mindfulness. METHODS: This was a randomized, controlled, noninferiority trial with two arms involving symptomatic GAD patients. Adult patients with GAD (n = 138) were randomized to MBCT-A or CBT-A in addition to treatment as usual (TAU). The primary outcome was the anxiety response rate assessed at 8 weeks after treatment as measured using the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA). Secondary outcomes included anxiety remission rates, scores on the HAMA, the state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI), the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), the Severity Subscale of the Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI-S), and the 12-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12), as well as mindfulness, which was measured by the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). Assessments were performed at baseline, 8 weeks after treatment, and 3 months after treatment. Both intention-to-treat (ITT) and per-protocol (PP) analyses were performed for primary analyses. The χ2 test and separate two-way mixed ANOVAs were used for the secondary analyses. RESULTS: ITT and PP analyses showed noninferiority of MBCT-A compared with CBT-A for response rate [ITT rate difference = 7.25% (95% CI: -8.16, 22.65); PP rate difference = 5.85% (95% CI: - 7.83, 19.53)]. The anxiety remission rate, overall illness severity and mindfulness were significantly different between the two groups at 8 weeks. There were no significant differences between the two groups at the 3-month follow-up. No severe adverse events were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that MBCT-A was noninferior to CBT-A in reducing anxiety symptoms in GAD patients. Both interventions appeared to be effective for long-term benefits. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registered at chictr.org.cn (registration number: ChiCTR1800019150 , registration date: 27/10/2018).

Real-Time 3D Reconstruction Method Based on Monocular Vision.

Real-time 3D reconstruction is one of the current popular research directions of computer vision, and it has become the core technology in the fields of virtual reality, industrialized automatic systems, and mobile robot path planning. Currently, there are three main problems in the real-time 3D reconstruction field. Firstly, it is expensive. It requires more varied sensors, so it is less convenient. Secondly, the reconstruction speed is slow, and the 3D model cannot be established accurately in real time. Thirdly, the reconstruction error is large, which cannot meet the requirements of scenes with accuracy. For this reason, we propose a real-time 3D reconstruction method based on monocular vision in this paper. Firstly, a single RGB-D camera is used to collect visual information in real time, and the YOLACT++ network is used to identify and segment the visual information to extract part of the important visual information. Secondly, we combine the three stages of depth recovery, depth optimization, and deep fusion to propose a three-dimensional position estimation method based on deep learning for joint coding of visual information. It can reduce the depth error caused by the depth measurement process, and the accurate 3D point values of the segmented image can be obtained directly. Finally, we propose a method based on the limited outlier adjustment of the cluster center distance to optimize the three-dimensional point values obtained above. It improves the real-time reconstruction accuracy and obtains the three-dimensional model of the object in real time. Experimental results show that this method only needs a single RGB-D camera, which is not only low cost and convenient to use, but also significantly improves the speed and accuracy of 3D reconstruction.

Revealing the Heavy Quasiparticles in the Heavy-Fermion Superconductor CeCu_{2}Si_{2}.

The superconducting order parameter of the first heavy-fermion superconductor CeCu_{2}Si_{2} is currently under debate. A key ingredient to understand its superconductivity and physical properties is the quasiparticle dispersion and Fermi surface, which remains elusive experimentally. Here, we present measurements from angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. Our results emphasize the key role played by the Ce 4f electrons for the low-temperature Fermi surface, highlighting a band-dependent conduction-f electron hybridization. In particular, we find a very heavy quasi-two-dimensional electron band near the bulk X point and moderately heavy three-dimensional hole pockets near the Z point. Comparison with theoretical calculations reveals the strong local correlation in this compound, calling for further theoretical studies. Our results provide the electronic basis to understand the heavy-fermion behavior and superconductivity; implications for the enigmatic superconductivity of this compound are also discussed.

Association between coronary artery calcification and cognitive function in a Chinese community-based population.

BACKGROUND: Coronary atherosclerosis and cognitive impairment are both age-related diseases, with similar risk factors. Coronary artery calcium (CAC), a marker of coronary atherosclerosis, may play a role in early detection of individuals prone to cognitive decline. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between CAC and cognitive function, and the capability of CAC to identify participants with a high risk of dementia in a Chinese community-based population. METHODS: A total of 1332 participants, aged 40-80 years and free of dementia from a community located in Beijing were included. All participants completed neurocognitive questionnaires and noncontrast CT examinations. Cognitive performance tests (including verbal memory, semantic fluency, executive function, and global cognitive function tests), the Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging, and Incidence of Dementia (CIDE) risk score, and the CAC score (CACS) were evaluated by questionnaires and CT. A CAIDE score ≥ 10 was considered to indicate a high risk of dementia in late-life. Participants were divided into three groups according to CACS (0, 1-399, ≥ 400). RESULTS: After adjusting for risk factors, CACS was significantly associated with verbal memory (r = -0.083, P = 0.003) and global cognitive function (r = -0.070, P = 0.012). The prevalence of a high risk of dementia in the subgroups of CACS = 0, 1-399, and ≥ 400 was 4.67%, 13.66%, and 24.79%, respectively (P < 0.001). Individuals with CACS ≥ 400 had a higher risk of CAIDE score ≥ 10 [OR = 2.30 (1.56, 4.56), P = 0.014] than those with CACS = 0. The receiver-operating characteristic curves showed that the capability of CACS to identify participants with a high risk of dementia was moderate (AUC = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.67-0.72,P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: CAC, a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis, was significantly associated with cognitive performance in verbal memory and global cognitive function. CAC had a moderate capability to identify participants with a high risk of dementia, independent of age, education, and other risk factors.

An Outline of Multi-Sensor Fusion Methods for Mobile Agents Indoor Navigation.

Indoor autonomous navigation refers to the perception and exploration abilities of mobile agents in unknown indoor environments with the help of various sensors. It is the basic and one of the most important functions of mobile agents. In spite of the high performance of the single-sensor navigation method, multi-sensor fusion methods still potentially improve the perception and navigation abilities of mobile agents. This work summarizes the multi-sensor fusion methods for mobile agents' navigation by: (1) analyzing and comparing the advantages and disadvantages of a single sensor in the task of navigation; (2) introducing the mainstream technologies of multi-sensor fusion methods, including various combinations of sensors and several widely recognized multi-modal sensor datasets. Finally, we discuss the possible technique trends of multi-sensor fusion methods, especially its technique challenges in practical navigation environments.

Long-term follow-up of HCV patients with sustained virological response after treatment with pegylated interferon plus ribavirin.

BACKGROUND: The progress of liver diseases may not stop after viral eradication. This study aimed to provide data on long-term prognosis of patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection who underwent pegylated interferon plus ribavirin (PR) regimen and achieved a sustained virological response 24 weeks post-treatment (SVR24). METHODS: Responders to the PR regimen in our hospital from January 2011 to June 2014 were enrolled and prospectively followed up. Baseline characteristics were profiled. The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), progression of liver disease (increase in liver stiffness or occurrence of decompensated complication), and HCV recurrence was all monitored. The accumulative and annualized incidence rates (AIRs) of these adverse events were analyzed, and the risk factors were also examined. RESULTS: In total, 151 patients reached a median follow-up time of 103 weeks. Among them, two had an incidence of HCC during the surveillance with AIR of 0.68% (95% CI: 0.00-1.63%). Six patients showed progression of liver disease with AIR of 2.05% (95% CI: 0.42%-3.68%). Three patients who had risky behaviors encountered HCV reinfection. The cirrhotic patients faced higher risk of poor prognosis than non-cirrhotic patients, including HCC and progression of liver disease (AIR: 6.17% vs. 1.42%, P = 0.039). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of HCC and progression of liver disease was evident in PR responders during the long-term follow-up period, but the risk level was low. Cirrhotic responders were more vulnerable to develop HCC post SVR24 compared with non-cirrhotic ones. HCV recurrence was rare in responders with SVR24 who had corrected their risky behaviors.

Long-term effect of clopidogrel in patients with and without diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) respond poorly to clopidogrel treatment. AIM: To systematically evaluate the efficacy of clopidogrel for the treatment of acute coronary syndromes or ischemic stroke in patients with or without DM. METHODS: PubMed, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and EMBASE were searched from 1980 on 27 June 2019 to identify relevant randomized controlled trials that compared the effect of a combination of clopidogrel and aspirin with aspirin alone. A random-effects meta-analysis was used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) and its 95% confidence interval (CI). Sensitivity analysis was performed using a fixed-effect model. The I 2 statistic was used to evaluate the heterogeneity of the study data. RESULTS: Six randomized controlled trials, comprising 43352 participants (13491 with and 29861 without DM) who had received antiplatelet therapy for ≥ 3 mo, were included in the meta-analysis. Compared with aspirin alone, a combination of clopidogrel and aspirin significantly reduced the risk of any cardiovascular event in patients without DM (HR = 0.78, 95%CI: 0.71-0.86, P < 0.001; I 2 = 23%, P = 0.26). Clopidogrel plus aspirin also significantly reduced cardiovascular risk in patients with DM, although the effect was smaller (HR = 0.89, 95%CI: 0.81-0.99, P = 0.030; I 2 = 0%, P = 0.74). Nevertheless, there was no significant difference in the efficacy of clopidogrel at reducing the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with DM vs those without (P for interaction = 0.062). CONCLUSION: Thus, the present study shows that the addition of clopidogrel to aspirin significantly lowers cardiovascular risk in patients with or without DM who have experienced ischemic cardiovascular disease. The beneficial effect of the addition of clopidogrel to aspirin for patients with DM was lower than that in patients without DM, although the modifying effect of DM did not reach significance.

Recent advance in the development of novel, selective and potent FGFR inhibitors.

Mutation or abnormal expression of protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) is one of the main causes of cancer. Fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs) are a subfamily of tyrosine kinase receptors, which have four subtypes including FGFR1, FGFR2, FGFR3 and FGFR4. Their abnormal expression in cells is considered to be the main cause of tumorigenesis, so inhibiting FGFRs is thought to be important targets for cancer treatment. This article mainly summarizes the recent development of FGFR inhibitors in the past 5 years, and hopes to guide the future research on the design and synthesis of FGFR inhibitors.

Advance of Muscle Synergy Theory in Rehabilitation Assessment for Children with Cerebral Palsy (review) / 中国康复理论与实践

The muscle synergy theory starts from the motor control model, focuses on the neural control function. This paper introduced the theory of muscle synergy, the relationship between muscle synergy and conditions of cerebral palsy patients, and its application in cerebral palsy assessment and rehabilitation. More researches are needed to explore on the details of neuromuscular pattern.