A Novel Four-Gene Signature Based on Nonsense-Mediated RNA Decay for Predicting Prognosis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Bioinformatics Analysis and Functional Validation.

Purpose: Nonsense-mediated RNA decay (NMD), a surveillance pathway for selective degradation of aberrant mRNAs, is associated with cancer progression. Its potential as a predictor for aggressive hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is unclear. Here, we present an innovative NMD risk model for predicting HCC prognosis. Methods: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data of 374 liver HCC (LIHC) and 50 normal liver samples were extracted. A risk model based on NMD-related genes was developed through least absolute shrinkage and selection operator Cox (LASSO-Cox) regression of the LIHC-TCGA data. Prognostic validation was done using GSE54236, GSE116174, and GSE76427 data. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were conducted to assess the prognostic value of the model. We also constructed nomograms for survival prediction. Tumor immune infiltration was evaluated using the CIBERSORT algorithm, and the tumor cell phenotype was assessed. Finally, mouse experiments verified UPF3B knockdown effects on HCC tumor characteristics. Results: We developed a risk model based on four NMD-related genes (PABPC1, RPL8, SMG5, and UPF3B) and validated it using GSE54236, GSE116174, and GSE76427 data. The model effectively distinguished high- and low-risk groups corresponding to unfavorable and favorable HCC outcomes. Its prognostic prediction accuracy was confirmed through time-dependent ROC analysis, and clinical-use nomograms with calibration curves were developed. Single-cell RNA sequencing results indicated significantly higher expression of SMG5 and UPF3B in tumor cells. Knockdown of SMG5 and UPF3B inhibited HCC cell proliferation, invasion, and migration, while affecting cell-cycle progression and apoptosis. In vivo, UPF3B knockdown delayed tumor growth and increased immune cell infiltration. Conclusion: Our NMD-related gene-based risk model can help identify therapeutic targets and biomarkers for HCC. Additionally, it assists clinicians in predicting the prognosis of HCC patients.

Individualized rotation of left double lumen endobronchial tube to improve placement success rate: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: In conventional practice, the left double lumen tube (DLT) is rotated 90° counterclockwise when the endobronchial cuff passes glottis. Success rate upon the first attempt is < 80%, likely owing to varying morphology of the bronchial bifurcation. METHODS: We conducted a randomized controlled trial to compare 90° counterclockwise rotation versus individualized degree of rotation in adult patients undergoing elective thoracic surgery using left DLT. The degree of rotation in the individualized group was based on the angle of the left main bronchi as measured on computed tomography (CT). The primary outcome was the first attempt left DLT placement success rate. RESULTS: A total of 556 patients were enrolled: 276 in the control group and 280 in the individualized group. The average angle of the left main bronchi was 100.6±9.5° (range 72° to 119°). The first attempt left DLT placement success rate was 82.6% (228/276) in the control group versus 91.4% (256/280) in the individualized group (P=0.02, χ2 test). The rate of carina mucosal injury, as measured at 30 min after the start of surgery under fibreoptic bronchoscopy, was significantly lower in individualized group than control group (14.0% versus 19.6%, P=0.041). The individualized group also had lower rate of postoperative sore throat (29.4% versus 44.0%, P<0.001) and hoarseness (16.8% versus 24.7%, P＜0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Individualized rotation of left DLT based on the angle of the left main bronchi on preoperative CT increased first attempt success rate in adult patients undergoing elective thoracic surgery. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial is registered at Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2100053349; principal investigator Xiang Quan, date of registration November 19, 2021).

PCB defect detection algorithm based on CDI-YOLO.

During the manufacturing process of printed circuit boards (PCBs), quality defects can occur, which can affect the performance and reliability of PCBs. Existing deep learning-based PCB defect detection methods are difficult to simultaneously achieve the goals of high detection accuracy, fast detection speed, and small number of parameters. Therefore, this paper proposes a PCB defect detection algorithm based on CDI-YOLO. Firstly, the coordinate attention mechanism (CA) is introduced to improve the backbone and neck network of YOLOv7-tiny, enhance the feature extraction capability of the model, and thus improve the accuracy of model detection. Secondly, DSConv is used to replace part of the common convolution in YOLOv7-tiny to achieve lower computing costs and faster detection speed. Finally, Inner-CIoU is used as the bounding box regression loss function of CDI-YOLO to speed up the bounding box regression process. The experimental results show that the method achieves 98.3% mAP on the PCB defect dataset, the detection speed is 128 frames per second (FPS), the parameters is 5.8 M, and the giga floating-point operations per second (GFLOPs) is 12.6 G. Compared with the existing methods, the comprehensive performance of this method has advantages.

[Comparison of Two Methods With a Left-Sided Double-Lumen Tube for Endobronchial Intubation].

Objective To compare the success rates of two methods for endobronchial intubation:the left-sided double-lumen tube(DLT) rotated 90° counter-clockwise with the patient head at the mid positon and the tube rotated 180° counter-clockwise with the patient head turned to the right. Methods Six hundred and forty-eight patients were enrolled in this study,who were to undergo elective thoracic surgery by left-sided DLT intubation in the Peking Union Medical College Hospital from December 2021 to June 2022.They were randomized into a 90° group and a 180° group,with 324 patients in each group.In the 90° group,with the patient head kept at the mid position,the left-sided DLT was advanced until the bronchial cuff passed the vocal cords and then rotated 90° counter-clockwise.In the 180°group,with the left mandible angle of each patient in the straight line with the sternum,the tube was advanced until the bronchial cuff passed the vocal cords and then rotated 180° counter-clockwise.The intubation success rate and the intubation-related complications such as carina mucosal injuries were compared between the two groups. Results The 648 patients included 336 males and 312 females,with the age ranging from 39.0 to 75.0 years old and the average age of(54.6±9.0) years old.The success rate of first intubation was 80.3% in the 90° group and 75.0% in the 180° group,which showed no significant difference(P=0.109).The success rate of second intubation was higher in the 180° group than in the 90° group(P<0.001).The rate of carina mucosal injuries was 23.8% in the 90° group and 25.6% in the 180° group,which showed no significant difference(P=0.585). Conclusions Compared with the conventional method(90°),the intubation of the left-sided DLT rotated 180° counter-clockwise with the patient head turned to the right cannot improve the success rate of the first intubation.However,it could improve the success rate of reintubation as a remedy.

m6A/m1A/m5C-Associated Methylation Alterations and Immune Profile in MDD.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a prevalent psychiatric condition often accompanied by severe impairments in cognitive and functional capacities. This research was conducted to identify RNA modification-related gene signatures and associated functional pathways in MDD. Differentially expressed RNA modification-related genes in MDD were first identified. And a random forest model was developed and distinct RNA modification patterns were discerned based on signature genes. Then, comprehensive analyses of RNA modification-associated genes in MDD were performed, including functional analyses and immune cell infiltration. The study identified 29 differentially expressed RNA modification-related genes in MDD and two distinct RNA modification patterns. TRMT112, MBD3, NUDT21, and IGF2BP1 of the risk signature were detected. Functional analyses confirmed the involvement of RNA modification in pathways like phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase signaling and nucleotide oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptor signaling in MDD. NUDT21 displayed a strong positive correlation with type 2 T helper cells, while IGF2BP1 negatively correlated with activated CD8 T cells, central memory CD4 T cells, and natural killer T cells. In summary, further research into the roles of NUDT21 and IGF2BP1 would be valuable for understanding MDD prognosis. The identified RNA modification-related gene signatures and pathways provide insights into MDD molecular etiology and potential diagnostic biomarkers.

Tuning the electronic structure of Pd by the surface configuration of Al2O3 for hydrogenation reactions.

The electronic interaction between a metal and a support modulates the electronic structures of supported metals and plays an important role in manipulating their catalytic performance. However, this interaction is mainly realized in heterogeneous catalysts composed of reducible oxides. Herein, we demonstrate the electronic interaction between γ-Al2O3 and η-Al2O3 with varying acid-base properties and supported Pd nanoparticles (NPs) of 2 nm in size. The strength and number of acid-base sites on the supports and catalysts were systemically characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy and TPD. The supported Pd NPs exhibit electron-rich surface properties by receiving electrons from the electron-donating basic sites on γ-Al2O3, which are beneficial for catalyzing the hydrogenation of nitrobenzene. In contrast, Pd NPs loaded on η-Al2O3 are electron-deficient because of the rich electron-withdrawing acid sites of η-Al2O3. As a result, Pd/η-Al2O3 exhibits higher catalytic activity in phenylacetylene hydrogenation than Pd/γ-Al2O3. Our results suggest a promising route for designing high-performance catalysts by adjusting the acid-base properties of Al2O3 supports to maneuver the electronic structures of metals.

Multi-label feature selection based on HSIC and sparrow search algorithm.

Feature selection has always been an important topic in machine learning and data mining. In multi-label learning tasks, each sample in the dataset is associated with multiple labels, and labels are usually related to each other. At the same time, multi-label learning has the problem of "curse of dimensionality". Feature selection therefore becomes a difficult task. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a multi-label feature selection method based on the Hilbert-Schmidt independence criterion (HSIC) and sparrow search algorithm (SSA). It uses SSA for feature search and HSIC as feature selection criterion to describe the dependence between features and all labels, so as to select the optimal feature subset. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Coordinate Fault Ride-Through Strategy for Connection of Offshore Wind Farms Using Voltage Source-Converter-Based High-Voltage Direct-Current Transmission under Single Polar Fault.

In a system where wind farms are connected to the grid via a bipolar flexible DC transmission, the occurrence of a short-time fault at one of the poles results in the active power emitted by the wind farm being transmitted through the non-faulty pole. This condition leads to an overcurrent in the DC system, thereby causing the wind turbine to disconnect from the grid. Addressing this issue, this paper presents a novel coordinated fault ride-through strategy for flexible DC transmission systems and wind farms, which eliminates the need for additional communication equipment. The proposed strategy leverages the power characteristics of the doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) under different terminal voltage conditions. By considering the safety constraints of both the wind turbine and the DC system, as well as optimizing the active power output during wind farm faults, the strategy establishes guidelines for the wind farm bus voltage and the crowbar switch signal. Moreover, it harnesses the power regulation capability of the DFIG rotor-side crowbar circuit to enable fault ride-through in the presence of single-pole short-time faults in the DC system. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed coordinated control strategy effectively mitigates overcurrent in the non-faulty pole of flexible DC transmission during fault conditions.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Cuminum cyminum (Apiales: Apiaceae) and phylogenetic analysis.

Cumin (Cuminum cyminum L). belongs to the family Apiaceae and the order Apiales, which is a widely grown spice and medicinal plant in Xinjiang province, China. In the current study, whole genome sequencing of C. cyminum was performed using the Illumina HiSeq 4000 platform, and the complete mitogenome sequence was assembled and annotated. We found that the single circular mitogenome of C. cyminum was 246,721 bp in length, and has about 45.5% GC content. It comprised 73 genes in the coding region (35 protein-coding genes, 18 tRNA genes, 3 rRNA genes, and 15 open-reading frames) and a non-coding region. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that C. cyminum is closely related to Daucus carota and the subtribes Daucinae. The mitogenome of C. cyminum revealed its phylogenetic relationships with other species in the Apiaceae family, which would further help in understanding its evolution.

An improved image processing algorithm for visual characteristics in graphic design.

Drawing the clothing plan is an essential part of the clothing industry. However, the irregular shape of clothing, strong deformability and sensitivity to light make the fast and accurate realization of clothing image retrieval a very challenging problem. The successful application of the Transformer in image recognition shows the application potential of the Transformer in the image field. This article proposes an efficient and improved clothing plan based on ResNet-50. Firstly, in the feature extraction section, the ResNet-50 network structure embedded in the Transformer module is used to improve the network's receptive field range and feature extraction ability. Secondly, dense jump connections are added to the ResNet-50 upsampling process, making full use of feature extraction information at each stage, further improving the quality of the generated image. The network consists of three steps: the sketch stage, which aims to predict the color distribution of clothing and obtain watercolor images without gradients and shadows. The second is the thinning stage, which refines the watercolor image into a clothing image with light and shadow effect; The third is the optimization stage, which combines the outputs of the first two stages to optimize the generation quality further. The experimental results show that the improved network's IS and first input delay (FID) scores are 4.592 and 1.506, respectively. High-quality clothing images can be generated only by inputting line drawings and a few color points. Compared with the existing methods, the image generated by this network has excellent advantages in realism and accuracy. This method can combine various feature information of images, improve retrieval accuracy, has strong robustness and practicability, and can provide a reference for the daily work of fashion designers.

Comparison of the retinal microvasculature between compressive and glaucomatous optic neuropathy.

PURPOSE: To compare the patterns of retinal microvasculature change in the peripapillary and macular region between compressive optic neuropathy (CON) and glaucomatous optic neuropathy (GON), and to assess the ability of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in differentiating the two conditions. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 108 participants (108 eyes), 36 with CON, 36 with GON, and 36 healthy controls. The CON and GON eyes were matched by the average peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) thickness (1:1). Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCTA were performed to compare the structural and vascular change of the peripapillary and macular region between groups. RESULTS: Both CON and GON eyes showed more severe structural and vascular damage than the control eyes. The CON eyes had lower pRNFL thickness than the GON eyes in the temporal and nasal quadrants, and thicker pRNFL thickness in the inferior quadrant. The average GCC thickness did not differ between the two groups. The peripapillary vessel density of the CON group was significantly higher in the inferior sectors than that of the GON group. In the macular region, the CON group had significantly higher vessel density in the whole image, the temporal sector in parafovea region, and the temporal, superior, and inferior sectors in perifovea region. CONCLUSION: To a similar degree of structural damage, CON had less retinal vascular impairment than GON, especially in the macular region, and the significance of the finding needs further evaluation.

Identification and analysis of the genetic integrity of different types of rice resources through SSR markers.

Seed aging is the key factor leading to the loss of genetic integrity. In this study, the seeds of Dongxiang wild rice, Xianggu, 9194 and Nipponbare were kept in a plant incubator with constant temperature and humidity for artificial aging treatment. The genetic integrity of germplasm resources with different germination gradients were analyzed using 44 SSR markers. The results suggested that different accessions could be ranked in order of aging resistance from highest to lowest as common wild rice > Xianggu > 9194 > Nipponbare. In order to maintain the genetic diversity of rice, the population size for reproduction and regeneration should be between 60 and 140. After aging, the number of polymorphic alleles, the number of specific single plant, the ratio of polymorphic bands, the number of alleles, the number of effective alleles, gene diversity index and Shannon index of different accessions all decreased with the decrease of germination rate. The germination rate of 60% was the critical value to maintain genetic integrity. Besides, the genetic integrity of eighteen SSR markers was rapidly lost or significantly increased. The regions of these markers were closely related to seed viability or genetic integrity. This study provides a theoretical basis for determining the population size for reproduction and regeneration and the critical value of germination rate of rice resources.

Determination of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-B Concentrations in Aqueous Humor and Plasma of Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy Patients Before and After Anti-VEGF Therapy.

INTRODUCTION: Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) injection was widely used in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV); however, the systemic and local levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-B were seldom detected before. This study was conducted to detect and compare the aqueous humor and plasma VEGF-B levels in nAMD and PCV before and after anti-VEGF therapy. METHODS: Concentrations of VEGF-B in aqueous humor and plasma of individuals with nAMD (n = 10), PCV (n = 22), and age-related cataract controls (n = 12) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Ranibizumab was injected intravitreally in patients monthly for three consecutive months. Before each injection in patients and at the baseline of controls, blood and aqueous humor samples were collected. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central retinal thickness (CRT) were collected before each injection in patient groups. The differences of BCVA, CRT, and VEGF-B levels in aqueous humor and plasma between groups before and after anti-VEGF therapy were compared. RESULTS: VEGF-B was overexpressed in aqueous humor and plasma of nAMD and PCV groups compared with control group (P < 0.05), but no statistically significant difference existed across nAMD and PCV groups (P > 0.05). Moreover, there were no obvious difference in levels of VEGF-B in aqueous humor and plasma within the treatment groups after anti-VEGF treatment (P > 0.05). The mean CRT in the nAMD group was thinner than that in the PCV group at baseline (P < 0.01). After injections, the CRT obviously declined in both groups (P < 0.05). There was no correlation between CRT reduction and high VEGF-B expression in aqueous humor and plasma of treatment groups. CONCLUSION: Overexpression of VEGF-B locally and systemically in patients with nAMD and PCV indicated that elevated VEGF-B concentrations were relevant to the disease processes. Ranibizumab did not influence the levels of VEGF-B in the real world. CRT might help to distinguish PCV from nAMD.

Plasma Cytokine Profiles in Patients With Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy and Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

PURPOSE: The concentrations of cytokines in plasma may be different between neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV). We studied plasma levels of cytokines in patients with nAMD and PCV and compared them with control individuals. METHODS: This was a prospective, clinic-based, case-control study of treatment-naive participants (n=49) with PCV (n=24), nAMD (n=11), and cataract controls (n=14). We sampled fresh venous blood and isolated plasma for analysis. Plasma concentrations of 34 angiogenic and inflammatory cytokines were determined by Luminex bead-based multiplex array. RESULTS: After adjusting for gender and age using multivariate logistic analysis, we found that the plasma concentrations of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A, and VEGF-D significantly higher in both nAMD and PCV patients than those in controls (all P<0.05, times in nAMD: 3.5, 4.3, and 13.8, respectively, times in PCV: 4.1, 4.0, and 11.5, respectively). In contrast, the plasma concentration of platelet-derived growth factor-BB was significantly lower in nAMD and PCV patients than those in controls (all P<0.05, times in nAMD: 1.6, times in PCV: 1.7). The plasma levels of leukemia inhibitory factor in nAMD group were significantly higher compared with PCV group (P<0.0167). CONCLUSIONS: Multiple cytokines involved in systemic inflammation and angiogenesis including monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, platelet-derived growth factor-BB, VEGF-A, and VEGF-D may contribute to the pathogenesis of nAMD and PCV. Measurement of leukemia inhibitory factor in the plasma may help differentiate nAMD from PCV. This finding suggests that the 2 disorders may have different molecular mechanisms, and additional longitudinal studies will be needed to determine whether these findings have clinical relevance to influence treatment algorithms or provide novel targets for medical therapy.

Microbial spectrum and risk factors of endogenous endophthalmitis in a tertiary center of Northern China.

AIM: To study the clinical features, microbial spectrum, associated factors and prognosis of endogenous endophthalmitis (EE) in a group of Chinese patients. METHODS: The medical records from 32 eyes of 29 patients diagnosed with EE in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2009 to October 2019 were reviewed. RESULTS: The initial visual acuity (VA) of 30 eyes in this study was worse than 20/400. Twenty-three eyes were diagnosed with fungal endophthalmitis and nine with bacterial endophthalmitis. The most common fungal and bacterial isolates were Candida and Klebsiella pneumoniae, respectively. Several rare fungi and bacteria species were also isolated from our patients, including Cryptococcus, Paecilomyces, Brucella, and Bacillus licheniformis. The leading risk factor for EE was diabetes. The most common extraocular infection locus was genitourinary tract. Vitrectomy was performed on twenty-nine eyes. Eight eyes achieved final VA of 20/400 or better. EE caused by Candida had a better prognosis. CONCLUSION: The visual outcome of EE is based on pathogens and prompt intervention. Early vitrectomy and antimicrobial treatment are beneficial for EE.

Ketamine inhibits TNF-α-induced cecal damage by enhancing RIP1 ubiquitination to attenuate lethal SIRS.

Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) is a sepsis-associated inflammatory state and a self-defense mechanism against specific and nonspecific stimuli. Ketamine influences many key processes that are altered during sepsis. However, the underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood. In this study, TNF-α-treated mice, as well as HT-29 and L929 cell models, were applied to characterize TNF-α-induced systemic and local cecal tissue inflammatory responses. Behavioral, biochemical, histological, and molecular biological approaches were applied to illustrate the related processes. Mice with TNF-α-induced SIRS showed systemic and local cecal tissue inflammatory responses, as indicated by increased levels of high mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1), chemokines (C-X-C motif) ligand 10 (CXCL10), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and IL-10, as well as high mortality. Ketamine pretreatment alleviated death rates, symptoms, and the production of inflammatory cytokines induced by TNF-α in mice. Moreover, ketamine also protected the mice from TNF-α-induced cecal damage by suppressing the phosphorylation of receptor-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase 3 (RIP3) and mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL). In addition, our results showed that ketamine efficiently inhibited TNF-α-induced necroptosis in HT-29 and L929 cells. Furthermore, we explored the mechanism using different L929 cell lines. The results displayed that ketamine inhibited TNF-α-induced necroptosis by enhancing RIP1 ubiquitination and reducing the RIP1-RIP3 and RIP3-MLKL interactions, as well as the formation of necrosomes. Thus, our study may provide a new theoretical and experimental basis for treating diseases characterized by SIRS-associated inflammatory factor storms. Moreover, our exploration may provide potential molecular mechanisms and targets for therapeutic intervention and clinical application of ketamine.

Construction of an alkaline protease overproducer strain based on Bacillus licheniformis 2709 using an integrative approach.

Bacillus licheniformis 2709 is a potential cell factory for the production of alkaline protease AprE, which has important value in industrial application but still lacks sufficient production capacity. To address this problem, we investigated the effects of the secretory viscous materials on the synthesis of AprE, which might seriously affect the industrial fermentation. Furthermore, an iterative chromosomal integration strategy at various chromosomal loci was implemented to achieve stable high-level expression of AprE in B. licheniformis 2709. The host was genetically modified by disrupting the native pgs cluster controlling the biosynthesis of viscous poly-glutamic acid identified in the study by GC/MS, generating a mutant with significantly higher biomass and better bioreactor performance. We further enhanced the expression of alkaline protease by integrating two additional aprE expression cassettes into the genome, generating the integration mutant BL ∆UEP-3 with three aprE expression cassettes, whose AprE enzyme activity in shake flasks reached 25,736 ± 997 U/mL, which was 136% higher than that of the original strain, while the aprE transcription level increased 4.05 times. Thus, an AprE high-yielding strain with excellent fermentation traits was engineered, which was more suitable for bulk-production. Finally, the AprE titer was further increased in a 5-L fermenter, reaching 57,763 ± 1039 U/mL. In summary, genetic modification is an enabling technology for enhancing enzyme production by eliminating the unfavorable characteristics of the host and optimizing the expression of aprE through iterative chromosomal integration. We believe that the protocol developed in this study provides a valuable reference for chromosomal overexpression of proteins or bioactive molecules in other Bacillus species.

High Energy-Consuming Industrial Transfers and Environmental Pollution in China: A Perspective Based on Environmental Regulation.

Environmental regulation and industrial restructuring are highly relevant to environmental governance and green development in China. A dynamic game model was used to analyse the mechanisms behind the role of environmental regulation in promoting the restructuring of energy-intensive industries. A dynamic spatial Durbin model was constructed to empirically test the dynamic spatial effects and regional heterogeneity of the transfer of high energy-consuming industries on environmental pollution under environmental regulation with panel data. Thus, the study found that the environmental emission effect of a single high energy-consuming industry transfer and environmental regulation is significant, while the combined effect of both exhibits a negative environmental effect. Environmental regulation and the concentration of high energy-consuming industries have a positive spatial spillover effect on environmental pollution, and the long-term effect is greater than the short-term effect; high energy-consuming industries are gradually transferred from the more developed regions in eastern and central China to the less developed regions in western China.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Ophiocordyceps gracilis and its comparison with related species.

In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of O. gracilis was sequenced and assembled before being compared with related species. As the second largest mitogenome reported in the family Ophiocordycipitaceae, the mitogenome of O. gracilis (voucher OG201301) is a circular DNA molecule of 134,288 bp that contains numerous introns and longer intergenomic regions. UCA was detected as anticodon in tRNA-Sec of O. gracilis, while comparative mitogenome analysis of nine Ophiocordycipitaceae fungi indicated that the order and contents of PCGs and rRNA genes were considerably conserved and could descend from a common ancestor in Ophiocordycipitaceae. In addition, the expansion of mitochondrial organization, introns, gene length, and order of O. gracilis were determined to be similar to those of O. sinensis, which indicated common mechanisms underlying adaptive evolution in O. gracilis and O. sinensis. Based on the mitochondrial gene dataset (15 PCGs and 2 RNA genes), a close genetic relationship between O. gracilis and O. sinensis was revealed through phylogenetic analysis. This study is the first to investigate the molecular evolution, phylogenetic pattern, and genetic structure characteristics of mitogenome in O. gracilis. Based on the obtained results, the mitogenome of O. gracilis can increase understanding of the genetic diversity and evolution of cordycipitoid fungi.

An assessment of the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Reporting of Clinical Adverse Events Scale for nursing interns: A cross-cultural adaptation of scales and online investigation.

AIM: The Reporting of Clinical Adverse Events Scale is a tool for evaluating the attitudes of medical staff toward reporting adverse events in clinical practice. This study aimed to assess the reliability and validity of the Reporting of Clinical Adverse Events Scale translated into Chinese used with trainee nurses in mainland China. DESIGN: The Chinese version of the Reporting of Clinical Adverse Events Scale was developed following guidelines for the cross-cultural adaptation of self-reporting measures. METHODS: The reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Reporting of Clinical Adverse Events Scale was tested on 773 nursing interns by online investigation. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed on 350 questionnaires completed by the participants while exploratory factor analysis was performed on 423 questionnaires to test the structural validity of the scale. RESULTS: There were 23 items included in the Chinese version of the Reporting of Clinical Adverse Events Scale. The Cronbach's α-coefficient for the internal consistency of the total score was found to be 0.84 with a test-retest reliability value of 0.82, indicating a high level of reliability. Five common factors were extracted. The structural validity on the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test was 0.87 and the contribution rate of cumulative variance was 58.51%. The content validity values ranged between 0.86 and 1.00. CONCLUSION: The Chinese version of the Reporting of Clinical Adverse Events Scale is a valid and reliable tool for evaluating nursing interns' attitudes toward reporting clinical adverse events in China. This validation of the Chinese version of the scale also extends the use of the scale to a different population. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Nursing interns are responsible for a relatively high incidence of adverse events and their attitude to reporting these is crucial to patient safety. The Chinese version of the Reporting of Clinical Adverse Events Scale will be helpful for evaluating the reporting attitude of nursing interns.