Analytical model for the mitigation of VOC vapor with horizontal permeable reactive barrier in the contaminated site considering non-uniform source.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) contamination at the groundwater may cause vapor intrusion and pose significant threats to human health. As a novel low-carbon mitigation technology, a horizontal permeable reactive barrier (HPRB) is proposed to remove the VOC vapor in the vadose zone and mitigate the vapor intrusion risk. To estimate the performance of HPRB in the contaminated site with a non-uniform source, a transient two-dimensional analytical model is developed in this study to simulate the VOC vapor migration and oxidation processes in the layered soil. The analytical model is verified against the experimental results and numerical simulation first and the parameter study is then conducted. The HPRB has good performance for the contaminated sites involving factors including deep source and local soil with low effective diffusivity. To consider the vertical heterogeneity of the local soil, the traditional equivalent homogeneity method has limitations in considering the horizontal migration of VOC vapor and is not suitable for the two-dimensional model. On the contrary, the artificial layered method based on the proposed analytical model has better accuracy and is recommended to be adopted in practice. Leading to the exponential decrease in the VOC vapor concentration at the ground surface, increasing the thickness of HPRB is an effective measure to enhance the performance of HPRB. The fitting exponential function can be applied to determine the minimum design value of the thickness of HPRB in practice.

Self-detection method for measurement error of capacitor voltage transformer considering conversion error.

The measurement error of capacitor voltage transformers (CVTs) has poor stability under the complex environment of substations. Conventionally, error detection is performed by regularly comparing the output of standard transformers, which lacks real-time performance. Moreover, CVTs are prone to operating in an out-of-tolerance state. Thus, this study first analyzes the basic principle of the CVT measurement error self-detection method based on principal component analysis under the constraints of three-phase symmetrical operating characteristics of a power system. Then, the impact of the signal conversion error of analog-to-digital conversion equipment on the self-detection results of CVT measurement errors in engineering applications is analyzed, and a multi-layer wavelet analysis signal denoising method is proposed to enhance the self-detection ability of CVT measurement errors. Finally, simulations show that the proposed method can identify an error change of 0.1%, meeting the self-detection requirements for the measurement error at 0.2 class.

Visceral and ectopic fat are more predictively associated with primary liver cancer than overall obesity from genetic sights: A Mendelian randomization study.

Several observational studies have reported an association between obesity and primary liver cancer (PLC), while the causality behind this association and the comparison of the risk effects of different obesity indicators on PLC remain unclear. In this study, we performed two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses to assess the associations of genetically determined liver fat, visceral adipose tissue (VAT), and body mass index (BMI) with the risk of PLC. The summary statistics of exposures were obtained from two genome-wide association studies (GWASs) based on the UK Biobank (UKB) imaging cohort and the Genetic Epidemiology Research on Adult Health and Aging (GERA) cohort. GWAS summary statistics for PLC were obtained from FinnGen consortium R7 release data, including 304 PLC cases and 218 488 controls. Inverse-variance weighted (IVW) was used as the primary analysis, and a series of sensitivity analyses were performed to further verify the robustness of these findings. IVW analysis highlighted a significant association of genetically determined liver fat (OR per SD increase: 7.14; 95% CI: 5.10-9.99; P = 2.35E-30) and VAT (OR per SD increase: 5.70; 95% CI: 1.32-24.72; P = .020) with PLC but not of BMI with PLC. The findings were further confirmed by a series of MR methods. No evidence of horizontal pleiotropy between these associations existed. Our study suggested that genetically determined liver fat and VAT rather than BMI were associated with an increased risk of PLC, which suggested that visceral fat distribution is more predictive of the clinical risk of PLC than common in vitro measures.

Research on adaptive state prediction method for the metering error of capacitor voltage transformer.

A capacitor voltage transformer (CVT) is widely used in high voltage power systems because of its good insulation performance. However, the structure of CVT is more complex and the stability of its metering error is poor, which easily causes the loss of power metering. The conventional evaluation method for the metering error of CVT is to compare and calibrate with a standard transformer under off-line condition in a fixed period. Because of the long evaluation period, it is impossible to accurately predict the state change of CVT metering error, which is of more significance practically. To solve this problem, this paper proposes an adaptive state prediction method: Analyze the measurement data of CVT using principal component analysis method under the constraint of electrical physical relationship, the metering of CVT is mapped to residual and score (CRS) statistic. For this way, the self-evaluation of CVT metering error in real-time is realized without a standard transformer to get the high frequency time series of error data. According to the measurement data of CVT in process, the CRS statistics are batch processed adaptively, and the prediction model of CRS statistics is established based on the time series analysis. Experiments show that the method can accurately predict the state change of CVT metering error, and the prediction error is better than 15%. It is helpful to promote the development of CVT metering error detection into on-demand detection.

Flower color polymorphism of a wild Iris on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau.

BACKGROUND: Flower color plays a crucial role in attracting pollinators and facilitating environmental adaptation. Investigating the causes of flower color polymorphism and understanding their potential effects on both ecology and genetics can enhance our understanding of flower color polymorphism in wild plant. RESULTS: In this study, we examined the differences of potential male and female fitness between purple- and yellow- flower individuals in Iris potaninii on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and screened key genes and positively selective genes involved in flower color change. Our results showed that yellow flower exhibited a higher pollen-to-ovule ratio. Yellow flowers were derived from purple flowers due to the loss of anthocyanins, and F3H could be an essential gene affecting flower color variation though expression regulation and sequence polymorphism in this species. Furthermore, our findings suggest that genes positively selected in yellow-flowered I. potaninii might be involved in nucleotide excision repair and plant-pathogen interactions. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that F3H induces the flower color variation of Iris potaninii, and the subsequent ecological and additive positive selection on yellow flowers may further enhance plant adaptations to alpine environments.

Phylogenomics and plastome evolution of Indigofera (Fabaceae).

Introduction: Indigofera L. is the third largest genus in Fabaceae and includes economically important species that are used for indigo dye-producing, medicinal, ornamental, and soil and water conservation. The genus is taxonomically difficult due to the high level of overlap in morphological characters of interspecies, fewer reliability states for classification, and extensive adaptive evolution. Previous characteristic-based taxonomy and nuclear ITS-based phylogenies have contributed to our understanding of Indigofera taxonomy and evolution. However, the lack of chloroplast genomic resources limits our comprehensive understanding of the phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary processes of Indigofera. Methods: Here, we newly assembled 18 chloroplast genomes of Indigofera. We performed a series of analyses of genome structure, nucleotide diversity, phylogenetic analysis, species pairwise Ka/Ks ratios, and positive selection analysis by combining with allied species in Papilionoideae. Results and discussion: The chloroplast genomes of Indigofera exhibited highly conserved structures and ranged in size from 157,918 to 160,040 bp, containing 83 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. Thirteen highly variable regions were identified, of which trnK-rbcL, ndhF-trnL, and ycf1 were considered as candidate DNA barcodes for species identification of Indigofera. Phylogenetic analysis using maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) methods based on complete chloroplast genome and protein-coding genes (PCGs) generated a well-resolved phylogeny of Indigofera and allied species. Indigofera monophyly was strongly supported, and four monophyletic lineages (i.e., the Pantropical, East Asian, Tethyan, and Palaeotropical clades) were resolved within the genus. The species pairwise Ka/Ks ratios showed values lower than 1, and 13 genes with significant posterior probabilities for codon sites were identified in the positive selection analysis using the branch-site model, eight of which were associated with photosynthesis. Positive selection of accD suggested that Indigofera species have experienced adaptive evolution to selection pressures imposed by their herbivores and pathogens. Our study provided insight into the structural variation of chloroplast genomes, phylogenetic relationships, and adaptive evolution in Indigofera. These results will facilitate future studies on species identification, interspecific and intraspecific delimitation, adaptive evolution, and the phylogenetic relationships of the genus Indigofera.

Phylogenomics and integrative taxonomy reveal two new species of Amana (Liliaceae).

Until now the genus Amana (Liliaceae), known as 'East Asian tulips', has contained just seven species. In this study, a phylogenomic and integrative taxonomic approach was used to reveal two new species, Amana nanyueensis from Central China and A. tianmuensis from East China. A. nanyueensis resembles Amana edulis in possessing a densely villous-woolly bulb tunic and two opposite bracts, but differs in its leaves and anthers. Amana tianmuensis resembles Amana erythronioides in possessing three verticillate bracts and yellow anthers, but differs in aspects of its leaves and bulbs. These four species are clearly separated from each other in principal components analysis based on morphology. Phylogenomic analyses based on plastid CDS further support the species delimitation of A. nanyueensis and A. tianmuensis and suggests they are closely related to A. edulis. Cytological analysis shows that A. nanyueensis and A. tianmuensis are both diploid (2n = 2x = 24), different from A. edulis, which is either diploid (northern populations) or tetraploid (southern populations, 2n = 4x = 48). The pollen morphology of A. nanyueensis is similar to other Amana species (single-groove germination aperture), but A. tianmuensis is quite different because of the presence of a sulcus membrane, which creates the illusion of double grooves. Ecological niche modelling also revealed a niche differentiation between A. edulis, A. nanyueensis and A. tianmuensis.

Gender differences in antidepressant effect of raw Rehmanniae Radix / 中国中药杂志

For the first time, this study evaluated the gender differences and mechanisms of the antidepressant effects of raw Rehmanniae Radix(RRR) based on the classic depression model with traditional Chinese medicine syndrome of Yin deficiency and internal heat. The depression model with Yin deficiency and internal heat was established by the widely recognized and applied method of thyroxine induction of the classic depression model with Yin deficiency and internal heat(chronic unpredictable mild stress). Male and female mice were simultaneously treated with RRR. The study analyzed indicators of nourishing Yin and clearing heat, conventional antidepressant efficacy test indicators, and important biomolecules reflecting the pathogenesis and prevention and treatment mechanisms of depression, and conducted a correlation analysis of antidepressant efficacy, Yin-nourishing and heat-clearing efficacy, and biological mechanism in different genders, thereby comprehensively assessing the antidepressant effects of RRR on depression of Yin deficiency and internal heat, as well as its gender differences and mechanisms. RRR exhibited antidepressant effects in both male and female mouse models, and its antidepressant efficacy showed gender differences, with a superior effect observed in females. Moreover, the effects of RRR on enhancing or improving hippocampal neuronal pathology, nucleus-positive areas, postsynaptic dense area protein 95, and synaptophysin protein expression were more significant in females than in males. In addition, RRR significantly reversed the abnormal upregulation of nuclear factor(NF)-κB/cyclooxygenase 2(COX2)/NOD-like receptor thermal protein domain associated protein 3(NLRP3) pathway proteins in the hippocampus of both male and female mouse models. The antidepressant effects of RRR were more pronounced in depression female mice with Yin deficiency and internal heat syndrome, possibly due to the improvement of neuronal damage and enhancement of neuroplasticity. The antidepressant mechanisms of RRR for depression with Yin deficiency and internal heat syndrome may be associated with the downregulation of the NF-κB/COX2/NLRP3 pathway to reduce neuronal damage and enhance neuroplasticity.

Age-Based Grouping Criteria in Medicine / 中国医学科学院学报

Age,a basic marker of the population,is an indispensable demographic characteristic in medicine.However,the grouping in medicine according to age have problems such as inconsistent grouping criteria and ambiguous definition of age-related terms.Therefore,this article reviews the age-based grouping criteria and the application of related terms in medicine.

Risk factors of poor renal prognosis in coronary artery bypass grafting surgery-associated acute kidney injury patients / 中华肾脏病杂志

Objective:To explore the risk factors of poor renal prognosis in patients with coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG)-associated acute kidney injury (AKI), and establish a preliminary clinical risk prediction model for chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression in CABG-associated AKI patients, and evaluate its predictive efficacy.Methods:It was a retrospective, observational cohort study. The study subjects were patients who underwent CABG at Central China Fuwai Hospital from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2020, with a baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)>60 ml·min -1·(1.73 m 2) -1 and postoperative complication of AKI. The patients were followed up for 90 days after discharge from hospital. The endpoint event was defined as progression to CKD after 90 days of the occurrence of CABG-associated AKI. The patients were divided into CKD group and non-CKD group based on whether they experienced endpoint events. The baseline clinical data were compared between the two groups. The logistic regression model was used to analyze the risk factors of endpoint event. The receiver-operating characteristic curve was drawn to evaluate the performance of the clinical risk prediction model for predicting poor renal prognosis in CABG-associated AKI patients. Results:A total of 124 CABG-associated AKI patients were enrolled in the study, including 95 males and 29 females, aged (62.57±9.61) years old. Thirty-eight patients (30.8%) progressed to new-onset CKD 90 days after CABG-associated AKI. Compared with non-CKD group, CKD group had lower preoperative hemoglobin ( t=2.778, P=0.006) and baseline eGFR ( t=3.603, P<0.001), higher proportion of women ( χ2=10.714, P=0.001), and higher preoperative blood NT-proBNP ( Z=-2.150, P=0.030) and discharged serum creatinine ( Z=-5.290, P<0.001). The multivariate logistic regression analysis results revealed that female ( OR=5.179, 95% CI 1.535-17.477, P=0.008), high preoperative blood NT-proBNP ( OR=1.049, 95% CI 1.004-1.095, P=0.032), low baseline eGFR ( OR=0.928, 95% CI 0.889-0.968, P=0.001), and high serum creatinine at discharge ( OR=1.019, 95% CI 1.009-1.029, P<0.001) were independent influencing factors of CABG-associated AKI to CKD. The clinical risk prediction model including female, preoperative blood NT-proBNP, preoperative baseline eGFR, and serum creatinine at discharge produced a moderate performance for predicting CABG-associated AKI to CKD ( AUC=0.872, 95% CI 0.806-0.939, P<0.001). Conclusion:Patients with CABG-associated AKI are at high risks for new-onset CKD. Female, preoperative high NT-proBNP, preoperative low baseline eGFR and high serum creatinine at discharge can help identify patients with a high risk of CABG-associated AKI to CKD.

Clinical value of SLE-DAS in evaluating disease activity of systemic lupus erythematosus / 中华风湿病学杂志

Objective:To evaluate the diagnostic performance and clinical significance of SLE-DAS in the disease activity of SLE patients in China.Methods:The clinical data of 134 patients with SLE were collected. The disease activity was evaluated by SLE-DAS, SLEDAI-2000, BILAG-2004 and PGA scoring tools. Pearson test and Spearman test were used to analyze the correlation. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve) was used to evaluate SLE-DAS, and Kappa consistency test was adapted to assess the consistency of the two scoring methods.Results:One hundred and thirty-four patients with SLE, including 7 males and 127 females, aged 13-77 years, with an average of (35±13) years were included. Among them, renal involvement was 38.1%, skin mucosal involvement was 11.2%, musculoskeletal involvement was 8.2%, blood system involvement was 13.4%, heart and lung involvement was 2.2%, neuropsychiatric involvement was 1.5%, and multisystem involvement was 3.0%. SLE-DAS was positively correlated with CRP, ESR, anti-dsDNA antibody, urinary protein (24 h) level, SLEDAI-2000, BILAG-2004 and PGA ( r=0.25, 0.34, 0.47, 0.77, 0.93, 0.94, 0.95, P<0.01); SLE-DAS was negatively correlated with PLT, Hb, C3 and C4 ( r=-0.29, -0.43, -0.41, -0.32, P<0.01). When SLEDAI-2000>5 was used as a cut point for analyzing SLE-DAS, the results showed that the area under the curve (AUC) 95% CI of SLE-DAS was 0.961 (0.927,0.995), the Yoden index was 0.845. When the cut-off value was set up to 4.65( P<0.001), the sensitivity was 98.11%, the specificity was 86.42%, and the accuracy was 91.04%. Kappa consistency test showed that kappa value was 0.819( P<0.001). Conclusions:SLE-DAS can be used to evaluate the disease activity of SLE patients and can be used as the evidence to guide treatment plan in clinical practice.

Correlation between anti-C1q antibody and disease activity and cellular immune function in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus / 中国医师杂志

Objective:To evaluate the correlation between anti-C1q antibody and disease activity and cellular immune function in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).Methods:The clinical data and test indexes of 134 patients with SLE and 90 healthy people who were admitted to Henan Provincial People′s Hospital from June 2017 to February 2018 were collected. The level of anti-C1q antibody was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and lymphocyte subsets were measured by flow cytometry. According to the score of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI)-2K, SLE patients were divided into active and inactive groups, and SLE patients were divided into LN group and non-LN group according to the presence or absence of kidney involvement. The levels of anti-C1q antibodies and lymphocyte subsets were compared among the three groups, and correlations between anti-C1q antibodies and disease activity and lymphocytes were analyzed. The predictive value of anti-C1q antibodies and anti double stranded DNA (dsDNA) antibodies for SLE disease activity was evaluated.Results:The anti-C1q antibody level, percentage of T cells and Ts cells in SLE group were higher than those in control group, while the percentage of Th cells, percentage of NK cells, T cell count, Th cell count, B cell count and NK cell count in SLE group were lower than those in control group (all P<0.05); The anti-C1q antibody level in the active group was higher than that in the inactive group, and the counts of T cells, Ts cells, Th cells, B cells and NK cells were lower than those in the inactive group (all P<0.05); The anti-C1q antibody level in LN group was higher than that in non-LN group, and the T cell count, Ts cell count, Th cell count, B cell count, NK cell count were lower than that in non-LN group, with statistically significant difference (all P<0.05). Correlation analysis showed that age, hemoglobin (HB), C3, C4, T cell count, Th cell count, B cell count and NK cell count were negatively correlated with anti-C1q antibody, while SLEDAI-2K, C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and anti-dsDNA antibody were positively correlated with anti-C1q antibody (all P<0.05). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of anti-C1q antibody alone in predicting SLE disease activity was 0.702, with a sensitivity of 0.547 and a specificity of 0.827. The combination of anti-C1q and anti ds-DNA antibodies resulted in an AUC of 0.761, a sensitivity of 0.756, and a specificity of 0.691. The combined detection value of the two antibodies predicting SLE disease activity was better than the single detection. Conclusions:Anti-C1q antibody is closely related to disease activity and cellular immune dysfunction, and has certain predictive value in SLE disease activity.

Molecular Mechanism of Electroacupuncture Regulating Cerebral Arterial Contractile Protein in Rats with Cerebral Infarction Based on MLCK Pathway / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) intervention on the vasoconstriction of cerebral artery smooth muscle cells after cerebral infarction.@*METHODS@#Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 3 groups by a random number table: the model group (n=24), the EA group (n=24), and the normal group (n=6). The model and the EA groups were divided into different time subgroups at 0.5, 1, 3, and 6 h after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), with 6 rats in each subgroup. MCAO model was established using intraluminal suture occlusion method. The EA group was given EA treatment at acupoint Shuigou (GV 26) instantly after MCAO for 20 min. The contents of cerebrovascular smooth muscle MLCK, the 3 subunits of myosin light chain phosphatase (MLCP) MYPT1, PP1c-δ and M20, as well as myosin-ATPase activity were detected using immunohistochemistry and Western blotting.@*RESULTS@#The overall expression level of the MYPT1 and PP1c-δ in the model group was significantly higher (P<0.01). After EA intervention, the 0.5 h group expression level was close to that of the normal group (P>0.05), and the other subgroups were still significantly higher than the normal group (P<0.01). After EA intervention, the expression level of each subgroup was significantly lower than the corresponding model group. There was a significant difference between the 0.5 and 1 h subgroups (P<0.01), while a difference was also observed between the 3 and 6 h subgroups (P<0.05). The dynamic change rule gradually increased with the prolongation of infarction time within 6 h after infarction.@*CONCLUSION@#EA intervention can inhibit contraction of cerebral vascular smooth muscle cells and regulate smooth muscle relaxation by regulating MLCK pathway.

Laparoscopic versus open pelvic exenteration for locally advanced rectal cancer: analysis of short- and long-term effects / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Objective: To explore the feasibility, safety, and short- and long-term efficacy of laparoscopic pelvic exenteration (LPE) in treating locally advanced rectal cancer. Methods: The clinical data of 173 patients who had undergone pelvic exenteration (PE) for locally advanced rectal cancer that had been shown by preoperative imaging or intraoperative exploration to have invaded beyond the mesorectal excision plane and adjacent organs in the Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (n=64) and Peking University First Hospital (n=109) from 2010 January to 2021 December were collected retrospectively. Laparoscopic PE (LPE) had been performed on 82 of these patients and open PE (OPE) on 91. Short- and long-term outcomes (1-, 3-, and 5-year overall and disease-free survival and 1- and 3-year cumulative local recurrence rates) were compared between these groups. Results: The only statistically significant difference in baseline data between the two groups (P>0.05) was administration of neoadjuvant therapy. Compared with OPE, LPE had a significantly shorter operative time (319.3±129.3 minutes versus 417.3±155.0 minutes, t=4.531, P<0.001) and less intraoperative blood loss (175 [20-2000] ml vs. 500 [20-4500] ml, U=2206.500, P<0.001). The R0 resection rates were 98.8% and 94.5%, respectively (χ2=2.355, P=0.214). At 18.3% (15/82), and the incidence of perioperative complications was lower in the LPE group than in the OPE group (37.4% [34/91], χ2=7.727, P=0.005). The rates of surgical site infection were 7.3% (6/82) and 23.1% (21/91) in the LPE and OPE group, respectively (χ2=8.134, P=0.004). The rates of abdominal wound infection were 0 and 12.1% (11/91) (χ2=10.585, P=0.001), respectively, and of urinary tract infection 0 and 6.6% (6/91) (χ2=5.601, P=0.030), respectively. Postoperative hospital stay was shorter in the LPE than OPE group (12 [4-60] days vs. 15 [7-87] days, U=2498.000, P<0.001). The median follow-up time was 40 (2-88) months in the LPE group and 59 (1-130) months in the OPE group. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival rates were 91.3%, 76.0%, and 62.5%, respectively, in the LPE group, and 91.2%, 68.9%, and 57.6%, respectively, in the OPE group. The 1, 3, and 5-year disease-free survival rates were 82.8%, 64.9%, and 59.7%, respectively, in the LPE group and 76.9%, 57.8%, and 52.7%, respectively, in the OPE group. The 1- and 3-year cumulative local recurrence rates were 5.1% and 14.1%, respectively, in the LPE group and 8.0% and 15.1%, respectively, in the OPE group (both P>0.05). Conclusions: In locally advanced rectal cancer patients, LPE is associated with shorter operative time, less intraoperative blood loss, fewer perioperative complications, and shorter hospital stay compared with OPE. It is safe and feasible without compromising oncological effect.

Characteristics and phylogenetic analysis of the complete chloroplast genome of Rosa glomerata (Rosaceae).

Rosa glomerata is a diffuse shrub belonging to Rosa sect. Synstylae. It is endemic to Southwest China and of high ornamental and economic value. However, its systematic position remains unclear. Here, the complete chloroplast genome of R. glomerata was assembled using high-throughput sequencing data. The cp genome is 157,064 bp in length with a large single-copy region (LSC) of 86,216 bp, a small single-copy region (SSC) of 18,752 bp, and a pair of inverted repeats (IRs) of 26,048 bp. The overall GC content is 37.2%. A total of 137 genes were annotated, including 90 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that R. glomerata is closely related to R. praelucens of R. sect. Microphyllae rather than species of R. sect. Synstylae.

Approximate analytical model for transient transport and oxygen-limited biodegradation of vapor-phase petroleum hydrocarbon compound in soil.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) contamination may occur in subsurface soil due to various reasons and pose great threat to people. Petroleum hydrocarbon compound (PHC) is a typical kind of VOC, which can readily biodegrade in an aerobic environment. The biodegradation of vapor-phase PHC in the vadose zone consumes oxygen in the soil, which leads to the change in aerobic and anaerobic zones but has not been studied by the existing analytical models. In this study, a one-dimensional analytical model is developed to simulate the transient diffusion and oxygen-limited biodegradation of PHC vapor in homogeneous soil. Laplace transformation and Laplace inversion of the Talbot method are adopted to derive the solution. At any given time, the thickness of aerobic zone is determined by the dichotomy method. The analytical model is verified against numerical simulation and experimental results first and parametric study is then conducted. The transient migration of PHC vapor can be divided into three stages including the pure aerobic zone stage (Stage I), aerobic-anaerobic zones co-existence stage (Stage II), and steady-state stage (Stage III). The proposed analytical model should be adopted to accommodate scenarios where the transient effect is significant (Stage II), including high source concentration, deep contaminant source, high biodegradation capacity, and high water saturation. The applicability of this model to determine the breakthrough time for better vapor intrusion assessment is also evaluated. Lower first-order biodegradation rate, higher source concentration, and shallower source depth all lead to smaller breakthrough time.

Preliminary study of virtual touch tissue imaging quantification in diffuse testicular diseases of male infertility.

Objective To explore the preliminary application method and diagnostic value of virtual touch tissue imaging quantification (VTIQ) in diffuse testicular diseases of male infertility. A total of 70 male examiners in our hospital from June 2019 to March 2020 were selected as the research objects. According to whether the subjects are sick (testicular microlithiasis, varicocele), all subjects are divided into three groups: normal group, testicular microlithiasis group, and varicocele group. Whether there is a difference between the groups, and analyze whether there is a correlation between the index reflecting the quality of the semen and the testicular shear wave velocity. The measurement of different positions in the testis will affect the magnitude of the shear wave velocity (P < 0.05). The shear wave velocities of the testes of different diseases are obviously different from the normal side. At the same time, postural changes will have a certain impact on the shear wave velocities of both testes (all P < 0.05). There is a certain correlation between the testicular shear wave velocity and the conventional semen quality index (total sperm motility (P < 0.05)) of the subjects. Acoustic palpation tissue imaging quantitative technology can be applied to the diagnosis of male testes and testicular-related diseases (especially diffuse testicular diseases), and is more suitable for male infertility, which can provide clinical diagnosis and treatment options certain imaging basis.

Transient migration behavior of VOC vapor in layered unsaturated soils subjected to multiple time-dependent point pollution sources: Analytical study.

Predicting the migration behavior of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) vapor is essential for the remediation of subsurface contamination such as soil vapor extraction. Previous analytical prediction models of VOCs migration are mostly limited to constant-concentration nonpoint sources in homogeneous soil. Thus, this study presents a novel analytical model for two-dimensional transport of VOCs vapor subjected to multiple time-dependent point sources involving transient diffusion, sorption and degradation in layered unsaturated soils. Two representative time-dependent sources, i.e., an instantaneous source and a finite pulse source, are used to describe the short-term and long-term leakage. Results reveal that soil heterogeneity can cause pollution accumulation, especially in low-diffusivity capillary fringe. The assumption of an equivalent plane source from multiple point sources would significantly overestimate the vapor concentration and the contaminated range. The previous single point source model is no longer inapplicable when the relative distance and/or the release interval between sources is small, giving a strong interaction between multiple sources. Moreover, a faster vapor degradation rate or a higher groundwater level will reduce the area of vapor plume linearly. Hence, close attention should be paid to the time-variation characteristics of multiple sources, the vapor degradation and the groundwater level fluctuation in practice to facilitate soil remediation. The proposed model is a promising tool for addressing the above issue.

Effect of Electro-acupuncture on Vasomotor Symptoms in Rats with Acute Cerebral Infarction Based on Phosphatidylinositol System / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the effect of electro-acupuncture (EA) on vasomotor symptoms in rats with acute cerebral infarction, by observing the changes in the expression of factors related to the phosphatidylinositol (PI) system.@*METHODS@#Forty-two Wistar rats were randomly divided into 3 groups by a random number table: the control group (n=6), the model group (n=18) and the EA group (n=18). The EA group was given EA treatment at Shuigou (GV 26) instantly after modeling with middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) method, while the model and control groups were not given any treatment. The degrees of neurological deficiency were evaluated using neurological severity scores (NSS) and the brain blood flow was evaluated by a laser scanning confocal microscope. Western blot analysis was conducted to detect the expression levels of G-protein subtype (Gq) and calmodulin (CaM). Competition for protein binding was conducted to detect the expression level of inositol triphosphate (IP3). Thin layer quantitative analysis was conducted to detect the expression level of diacylglycerol (DAG). The expression level of intracellular concentration of free calcium ion ([Ca@*RESULTS@#The NSS of the model group was significantly higher than the control group at 3 and 6 h after MCAO (P<0.01), while the EA group was significantly lower than the model group at 6 h (P<0.01). The cerebral blood flow in the model group was significantly lower than the control group at 1, 3 and 6 h after MCAO (P<0.01), while for the EA group it was remarkably higher than the model group at the same time points (P<0.01). The expressions of Gq, CaM, IP3, DAG and [Ca@*CONCLUSION@#EA treatment at GV 26 can effectively decrease the over-expression of related factors of PI system in rats with acute cerebral infarction, improve cerebral autonomy movement, and alleviate cerebral vascular spasm.

Clinical efficacy of angiotensin-receptor neprilysin inhibitors in the treatment of maintenance hemodialysis with heart failure / 中华肾脏病杂志

Objective:To observe the clinical efficacy of angiotensin-receptor neprilysin inhibitors (ARNI) in the treatment of maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) with heart failure.Methods:The clinical data of heart failure patients who accepted MHD in Central China Fuwai Hospital were retrospectively collected. All patients accepted regular treatments of heart failure, and then the treatment group was treated with ARNI, while the control group was treated with valsartan. The treatment course was 6 months. The cardiac parameters: left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular end-diastolic dimension (LVEDD), left ventricular end-systolic dimension (LVESD), pulmonary artery pressure, right ventricular end-diastolic dimension (RVED), right atrial end-diastolic dimension (RAED), N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-pro BNP), and serum potassium were collected and compared between the two groups. Multivariate ordered logistic regression analysis was adopted to analyze the influencing factors of treatment effect.Results:A total of 60 MHD patients with heart failure were enrolled with age of (53.92±11.88) years old, 37 males (61.7%), dialysis age of (27.83±12.92) months, and blood pressure of (154.22±15.27) mmHg/(85.43±12.31) mmHg. (1) There was no significant difference of the clinical data and cardiac parameters between the treatment group ( n=30) and the control group ( n=30) before treatment (all P>0.05); (2) After treatment of 6 months, the total effective rate [28/30(93.3%)] in the treatment group was significantly higher than that in the control group [20/30(66.7%)] and the rehospitalization rate [2/30(6.7%)] in the treatment group was significantly lower than that in the control group [10/30(33.3%)] (both P<0.05); (3) After treatment of 6 months, LVEF, LVEDD, LVESD, pulmonary artery pressure, RVED, RAED, NT-pro BNP, and blood pressure were all improved significantly compared with the baseline in both groups (all P<0.05) and there was no significant difference of serum potassium and body weight before and after treatment in the two groups (all P>0.05); (4) After treatment of 6 months, LVEF in the treatment group was higher than that in the control group and LVEDD, LVESD, pulmonary artery pressure, NT-pro BNP, and blood pressure in the treatment group were lower than those in the control group (all P<0.05). There was no significant difference of RVED, RAED, serum potassium and body weight between the two groups after treatment (all P>0.05); (5)The difference values before and after treatment of LVEF, LVEDD, LVESD, NT-pro BNP, body weight, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure were different between the two groups (all P<0.05); (6)Therapy method ( β=-1.863, 95% CI -2.948-0.777, P=0.001) and residual urine ( β=-1.686, 95% CI -3.079- -0.293, P=0.018) were independent influencing factors of treatment effect (the treatment effect of ARNI was better than that of valsartan; the treatment effect of patients with normal urine volume was better than that of patients with oliguria and anuria). Conclusions:ARNI can effectively improve cardiac function in MHD patients with heart failure, inhibit ventricular remodeling, and improve disease prognosis.