Diaph1 knockout inhibits mouse primordial germ cell proliferation and affects gonadal development.

BACKGROUND: Exploring the molecular mechanisms of primordial germ cell (PGC) migration and the involvement of gonadal somatic cells in gonad development is valuable for comprehending the origins and potential treatments of reproductive-related diseases. METHODS: Diaphanous related formin 1 (Diaph1, also known as mDia1) was screened by analyzing publicly available datasets (ATAC-seq, DNase-seq, and RNA-seq). Subsequently, the CRISPR-Cas9 technology was used to construct Diaph1 knockout mice to investigate the role of Diaph1 in gonad development. RESULTS: Based on data from public databases, a differentially expressed gene Diaph1, was identified in the migration of mouse PGC. Additionally, the number of PGCs was significantly reduced in Diaph1 knockout mice compared to wild type mice, and the expression levels of genes related to proliferation (Dicer1, Mcm9), adhesion (E-cadherin, Cdh1), and migration (Cxcr4, Hmgcr, Dazl) were significantly decreased. Diaph1 knockout also inhibited Leydig cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in the testis, as well as granulosa cell apoptosis in the ovary. Moreover, the sperm count in the epididymal region and the count of ovarian follicles were significantly reduced in Diaph1 knockout mice, resulting in decreased fertility, concomitant with lowered levels of serum testosterone and estradiol. Further research found that in Diaph1 knockout mice, the key enzymes involved in testosterone synthesis (CYP11A1, 3ß-HSD) were decreased in Leydig cells, and the estradiol-associated factor (FSH receptor, AMH) in granulosa cells were also downregulated. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, our findings indicate that the knockout of Diaph1 can disrupt the expression of factors that regulate sex hormone production, leading to impaired secretion of sex hormones, ultimately resulting in damage to reproductive function. These results provide a new perspective on the molecular mechanisms underlying PGC migration and gonadal development, and offer valuable insights for further research on the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of related diseases.

Ultrasonic Non-Destructive Detection Method for Residual Stress in Rotary Forging Aluminum Alloy Plates.

Aluminum alloy plates are widely used to manufacture large-scale integral structure parts in the field of aerospace. During the forming and processing of aluminum alloy plates, different degrees of residual stress are inevitably produced. Fast and accurate detection of residual stress is very essential to ensuring the quality of these plates. In this work, the longitudinal critically refracted (LCR) wave detection method based on a one-transmitter and double-receiver (OTDR) transducer and the finite element simulation were employed to obtain the residual stress. Aluminum alloy plates with different deformation amounts were fabricated by rotary forging to obtain different residual stress states. Results reveal that the plate formed by rotary forging is in a stress state of central tension and edge compression. As the deformation increases from 20% to 60%, the peak residual tensile stress increases from 156 MPa to 262 MPa, and there is no significant difference in the peak compressive stress. When the deformation reaches 60%, the difference in the residual stresses at different depths is less than 13%, which indicates that the plastic deformation zone basically penetrates the entire longitudinal cross-section of the plate. The maximum deviation between measurement and FE is 61 MPa, which means the experimental data are in good agreement with the FE results.

Delocalizing Excitation for Highly-Active Organic Photovoltaic Catalysts.

Localized excitation in traditional organic photocatalysts typically prevents the generation and extraction of photo-induced free charge carriers, limiting their activity enhancement under illumination. Here, we enhance delocalized photoexcitation of small molecular photovoltaic catalysts by weakening their electron-phonon coupling via rational fluoro-substitution. The optimized 2FBP-4F catalyst we develop here exhibits a minimized Huang-Rhys factor of 0.35 in solution, high dielectric constant and strong crystallization in the solid state. As a result, the energy barrier for exciton dissociation is decreased, and more importantly, polarons are unusually observed in 2FBP-4F nanoparticles (NPs). With the increased hole transfer efficiency and prolonged charge carrier lifetime highly related to enhanced exciton delocalization, the PM6 : 2FBP-4F heterojunction NPs at varied concentration exhibit much higher optimized photocatalytic activity (207.6-561.8 mmol h-1 g-1) for hydrogen evolution than the control PM6 : BP-4F and PM6 : 2FBP-6F NPs, as well as other reported photocatalysts under simulated solar light (AM 1.5G, 100 mW cm-2).

Biotransformation of ethylene glycol by engineered Escherichia coli.

There has been extensive research on the biological recycling of PET waste to address the issue of plastic waste pollution, with ethylene glycol (EG) being one of the main components recovered from this process. Therefore, finding ways to convert PET monomer EG into high-value products is crucial for effective PET waste recycling. In this study, we successfully engineered Escherichia coli to utilize EG and produce glycolic acid (GA), expecting to facilitate the biological recycling of PET waste. The engineered E. coli, able to utilize 10 g/L EG to produce 1.38 g/L GA within 96 h, was initially constructed. Subsequently, strategies based on overexpression of key enzymes and knock-out of the competing pathways are employed to enhance EG utilization along with GA biosynthesis. An engineered E. coli, characterized by the highest GA production titer and substrate conversion rate, was obtained. The GA titer increased to 5.1 g/L with a yield of 0.75 g/g EG, which is the highest level in the shake flake experiments. Transcriptional level analysis and metabolomic analysis were then conducted, revealing that overexpression of key enzymes and knock-out of the competing pathways improved the metabolic flow in the EG utilization. The improved metabolic flow also leads to accelerated synthesis and metabolism of amino acids.

Fully Aromatic Self-Assembled Hole-Selective Layer toward Efficient Inverted Wide-Bandgap Perovskite Solar Cells with Ultraviolet Resistance.

Ultraviolet-induced degradation has emerged as a critical stability concern impeding the widespread adoption of perovskite solar cells (PSCs), particularly in the context of phase-unstable wide-band gap perovskite films. This study introduces a novel approach by employing a fully aromatic carbazole-based self-assembled monolayer, denoted as (4-(3,6-dimethoxy-9H-carbazol-9-yl)phenyl)phosphonic acid (MeO-PhPACz), as a hole-selective layer (HSL) in inverted wide-band gap PSCs. Incorporating a conjugated linker plays a pivotal role in promoting the formation of a dense and highly ordered HSL on substrates, facilitating subsequent perovskite interfacial interactions, and fostering the growth of uniform perovskite films. The high-quality film could effectively suppress interfacial non-radiative recombination, improving hole extraction/transport efficiency. Through these advancements, the optimized wide-band gap PSCs, featuring a band gap of 1.68 eV, attain an impressive power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 21.10 %. Remarkably, MeO-PhPACz demonstrates inherent UV resistance and heightened UV absorption capabilities, substantially improving UV resistance for the targeted PSCs. This characteristic holds significance for the feasibility of large-scale outdoor applications.

Effect of thermal softening of double-lumen endobronchial tubes on postoperative sore throat in patients with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of postoperative sore throat (POST) after tracheal intubation using double-lumen endobronchial tubes (DLTs) is higher in patients with prior severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection than in the general population. This prospective trial was conducted to determine whether thermal softening of DLTs could decrease the incidence of POST or other airway injuries in patients with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection. METHODS: A total of 120 patients with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection undergoing thoracoscopic surgery were randomly assigned to two groups (n = 60 each). In the thermal softening group, the distal portion of the DLT was placed in thermostatic saline (50 °C) for 10 min before endotracheal intubation. In the control group, the distal portion of the DLT was placed in room temperature saline for 10 min before endotracheal intubation. The incidence and severity of POST and hoarseness were assessed at 1, 6 and 24 h postoperatively. The primary outcomes were the incidence and severity of POST at 6 h postoperatively. The secondary outcomes were the incidence and severity of hoarseness, vocal cord and tracheal injuries, and hemodynamic changes in patients at intubation. RESULTS: The incidence of POST at 6 h postoperatively was greater in the control group than in the thermal softening group [41 (68%) vs. 22 (37%), P = 0.001]. The overall incidence of POST at 24 h postoperatively was greater in the control group than in the thermal softening group [46 (76%) vs. 24 (40%), P < 0.001]. The overall incidence of tracheal injuries was also greater in the control group than in the thermal softening group (P = 0.016). Vocal cord injuries occurred more frequently in the control group than in the thermal softening group (P = 0.006). CONCLUSION: Thermal softening of DLTs before intubation can reduce the incidence of POST and airway injuries in patients with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection undergoing DLT insertion. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial has been registered at www.chictr.org.cn (registration number: ChiCTR2200066821; registration date: December 19, 2022).

Macrophage polarization in inflammatory bowel disease.

The growing prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has encouraged research efforts, which have contributed to gradual improvements in our understanding of IBD diagnosis and therapeutic approaches. The pathogenesis of IBD has not been fully elucidated; however, the combined actions of environmental, genetic, immune factors, and microbial organisms are believed to cause IBD. In the innate immune system, macrophages play important roles in maintaining intestinal health and in the development of IBD. Macrophages can be polarized from M0 into several phenotypes, among which M1 and M2 play critical roles in IBD development and the repair of intestinal homeostasis and damage. Certain macrophage-related IBD studies already exist; however, the functions of each phenotype have not been fully elucidated. As technology develops, understanding the link between macrophages and IBD has increased, including the growing knowledge of the developmental origins of intestinal macrophages and their performance of comprehensive functions. This review describes macrophage polarization in IBD from the perspectives of macrophage development and polarization, macrophage changes in homeostasis and IBD, metabolic changes, and the mechanisms of macrophage polarization in IBD. The discussion of these topics provides new insights into immunotherapy strategies for IBD. Video Abstract.

MiR-601-induced BMSCs senescence accelerates steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head progression by targeting SIRT1.

BACKGROUND: The imbalance between osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) is not only the primary pathological feature but also a major contributor to the pathogenesis of steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head (SONFH). Cellular senescence is one of the main causes of imbalanced BMSCs differentiation. The purpose of this study was to reveal whether cellular senescence could participate in the progression of SONFH and the related mechanisms. METHODS: The rat SONFH model was constructed, and rat BMSCs were extracted. Aging-related indicators were detected by SA-ß-Gal staining, qRT-PCR and Western Blot experiments. Using H2O2 to construct a senescent cell model, and overexpressing and knocking down miR-601 and SIRT1 in hBMSCs, the effect on BMSCs differentiation was explored by qRT-PCR, Western Blot experiment, oil red O staining (ORO), alizarin red staining (ARS), and luciferase reporter gene experiment. A rat SONFH model was established to test the effects of miR-601 and metformin in vivo. RESULTS: The current study showed that glucocorticoids (GCs)-induced BMSCs senescence, which caused imbalanced osteogenesis and adipogenesis of BMSCs, was responsible for the SONFH progression. Further, elevated miR-601 caused by GCs was demonstrated to contribute to BMSCs senescence through targeting SIRT1. In addition, the anti-aging drug metformin was shown to be able to alleviate GCs-induced BMSCs senescence and SONFH progression. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the role of BMSCs aging in the progression of SONFH, this provides a new idea for the prevention and treatment of SONFH.

Propensity-matched analysis of robotic versus sternotomy approaches for mitral valve replacement.

To compare early and medium-term outcomes between robotic and sternotomy approaches for mitral valve replacement (MVR). Clinical data of 1393 cases who underwent MVR between January 2014 and January 2023 were collected and stratified into robotic MVR (n = 186) and conventional sternotomy MVR (n = 1207) groups. The baseline data of the two groups of patients were corrected by the propensity score matching (PSM) method. After matching, the baseline characteristics were not significant different between the two groups (standardized mean difference < 10%). Moreover, the rates of operative mortality (P = 0.663), permanent stroke (P = 0.914), renal failure (P = 0.758), pneumonia (P = 0.722), and reoperation (P = 0.509) were not significantly different. Operation, CPB and cross-clamp time were shorter in the sternotomy group. On the other hand, ICU stay time, post-operative LOS, intraoperative transfusion, and intraoperative blood loss were shorter or less in the robot group. Operation, CPB, and cross-clamp time in robot group were all remarkably improved with experience. Finally, all-cause mortality (P = 0.633), redo mitral valve surgery (P = 0.739), and valve-related complications (P = 0.866) in 5 years of follow-up were not different between the two groups. Robotic MVR is safe, feasible, and reproducible for carefully selected patients with good operative outcomes and medium-term clinical outcomes.

miR-486-5p Attenuates Steroid-Induced Adipogenesis and Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head Via TBX2/P21 Axis.

Enhanced adipogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is considered as a major risk factor for steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head (SOFNH). The role of microRNAs during this process has sparked interest. miR-486-5p expression was down-regulated significantly in femoral head bone tissues of both SONFH patients and rat models. The purpose of this study was to reveal the role of miR-486-5p on MSCs adipogenesis and SONFH progression. The present study showed that miR-486-5p could significantly inhibit adipogenesis of 3T3-L1 cells by suppressing mitotic clonal expansion (MCE). And upregulated expression of P21, which was caused by miR-486-5p mediated TBX2 decrease, was responsible for inhibited MCE. Further, miR-486-5p was demonstrated to effectively inhibit steroid-induced fat formation in the femoral head and prevented SONFH progression in a rat model. Considering the potent effects of miR-486-5p on attenuating adipogenesis, it seems to be a promising target for the treatment of SONFH.

Mg2+ and Cu2+ Charging Agents Improving Electrophoretic Deposition Efficiency and Coating Adhesion of Nano-TbF3 on Sintered Nd-Fe-B Magnets.

In order to prepare nano-TbF3 coating with high quality on the surface of Nd-Fe-B magnets by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) more efficiently, Mg2+ and Cu2+ charging agents are introduced into the electrophoretic suspension and the influence on the electrophoretic deposition is systematically investigated. The results show that the addition of Mg2+ and Cu2+ charging agents can improve the electrophoretic deposition efficiency and coating adhesion of nano-TbF3 powders on sintered Nd-Fe-B magnets. The EPD efficiency increases by 116% with a relative content of Mg2+ as 3%, while it increases by 109% with a relative content of Cu2+ as 5%. Combining the Hamaker equation and diffusion electric double layer theory, the addition of Mg2+ and Cu2+ can change the zeta potential of charged particles, resulting in the improvement of EPD efficiency. The relative content of Mg2+ below 3% and Cu2+ below 5% can increase the thickness of the diffusion electric double layer, the excessive addition of a charging agent will compress the diffusion electric double layer, and thicker diffusion layer represents higher zeta potential. Furthermore, the addition of Mg2+ and Cu2+ charging agents greatly improves the coating adhesion, and the critical load for the cracking of the coating increases to 146.4 mN and 40.2 mN from 17.9 mN, respectively.

Design and construction of microbial cell factories based on systems biology.

Environmental sustainability is an increasingly important issue in industry. As an environmentally friendly and sustainable way, constructing microbial cell factories to produce all kinds of valuable products has attracted more and more attention. In the process of constructing microbial cell factories, systems biology plays a crucial role. This review summarizes the recent applications of systems biology in the design and construction of microbial cell factories from four perspectives, including functional genes/enzymes discovery, bottleneck pathways identification, strains tolerance improvement and design and construction of synthetic microbial consortia. Systems biology tools can be employed to identify functional genes/enzymes involved in the biosynthetic pathways of products. These discovered genes are introduced into appropriate chassis strains to build engineering microorganisms capable of producing products. Subsequently, systems biology tools are used to identify bottleneck pathways, improve strains tolerance and guide design and construction of synthetic microbial consortia, resulting in increasing the yield of engineered strains and constructing microbial cell factories successfully.

Quantitative flow ratio-guided versus angiography-guided operation for valve disease accompanying coronary heart disease.

Background: Valve replacement combined with coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) operation (VR + CABG) is usually associated with higher mortality and complication rates. Currently, angiography remains the most commonly used approach to guide CABG. The aim of this study is to investigate whether a quantitative flow ratio (QFR)-guided strategy can improve the clinical outcomes of VR + CABG. Methods: Patients (n = 536) treated by VR + CABG between January 2018 and December 2021 were retrospectively assessed. In 116 patients, all lesions were revascularized entirely based on QFR (the QFR-guided group), whereas in 420 patients, all lesions were revascularized entirely based on angiography (the angiography-guided group). To minimize selection bias between the 2 groups, propensity score matching was performed at a ratio of 1:2. The primary endpoint of the study was the rate of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) at 1-year, which was defined as a composite of cardiac mortality, myocardial infarction (MI), any repeat revascularization, and stroke. Results: No statistically significant differences were observed in the baseline clinical characteristics between the QFR-guided and angiography-guided groups after propensity score matching. The mean age of all patients was 66.2 years [standard deviation (SD) = 8.3], 370 (69%) were men, the mean body-mass index of the population was 24.8 kg/m2 (SD = 4.5), 129 (24%) had diabetes, and 229 (43%) had angina symptoms. When compared with the angiography-guided group, the QFR-guided group had a significantly shorter operative time (323 ± 60 min vs. 343 ± 71 min, P = 0.010), extra corporal circulation time (137 ± 38 min vs. 155 ± 62 min, P = 0.004), clamp time (73 ± 19 min vs. 81 ± 18 min, P < 0.001), and less intraoperative bleeding volume (640 ± 148 ml vs. 682 ± 166 ml, P = 0.022). Compared with the angiography-guided group, the 1-year MACCE was significantly lower in the QFR-guided group (6.9% vs. 14.7%, P = 0.036, hazard ratio = 0.455, 95% confidence interval: 0.211-0.982). Conclusion: Our results raise the hypothesis that among patients who undergo VR + CABG, QFR-guided strategy is associated with optimized surgical procedure and a superior clinical outcome, as evidenced by a lower rate of MACCE at 1-year compared with conventional angiography-guided strategy.

Anterior Screw Insertion Results in Greater Tibial Tunnel Enlargement Rates after Single-Bundle Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction than Posterior Insertion: A Retrospective Study.

Background and Objectives: Tunnel enlargement (TE) is a widely reported phenomenon after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). Given the paucity of knowledge in the literature, it remains unclear whether screw position in the tunnel affects TE. This retrospective cohort study evaluated differences in postoperative tunnel enlargement rates (TER) and clinical results between anterior and posterior tibial interference screw insertion during single-bundle ACLR using autologous hamstring grafts. Materials and Methods: A group of consecutive patients that underwent primary arthroscopic single-bundle ACLR in our hospital were screened and divided into two groups based on the position of the tibial interference screw (determined by Computer Tomography within 3 days after surgery): anterior screw position group (A) and posterior screw position group (B). The bone tunnel size was measured using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) performed 1 year after surgery. International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score and the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) were used for clinical results 1 year postoperatively. Results: 87 patients were included. The TER of Group A is higher than that of Group B (43.17% vs. 33.80%, p = 0.024). Group A showed a significant increase (12.1%) in enlargement rates at the joint line level than group B (43.77% vs. 31.67%, p = 0.004). Moreover, KOOS and IKDC scores improved in both groups. There were no significant differences in clinical outcomes between the two groups. Conclusions: One year after ACLR, patients with posterior screw showed significantly lower TE than patients with anterior screw. However, the position of screw did not lead to differences in clinical results over our follow-up period. Posterior screw position in the tibial tunnel maybe a better choice in terms of reducing TE. Whether the different screw positions affect the long-term TE and long-term clinical outcomes needs to be confirmed by further studies.

A preliminary attempt to use radiomic features in the diagnosis of extra-articular long head biceps tendinitis.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to present a radiomic application in diagnosing the long head of biceps (LHB) tendinitis. Moreover, we evaluated whether machine learning-derived radiomic features recognize LHB tendinitis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 170 patients were reviewed. All LHB tendinitis patients were diagnosed under arthroscopy. Radiomic features were extracted from preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and the input dataset was divided into a training set and a test set. For feature selection, the t test and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) methods were used, and random forest (RF) and support vector machine (SVM) were used as machine learning classifiers. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and area under the curve (AUC) of each model's receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were calculated to evaluate model performance. RESULTS: In total, 851 radiomic features were extracted, with 109 radiomic features extracted using a t test and 20 radiomic features extracted using the LASSO method. The random forest classifier shows the highest sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and AUC (0.52, 0.92, 0.73, and 0.72). CONCLUSION: The classifier contract by 20 radiomic features demonstrated a good ability to predict extra-articular LHB tendinitis.However because of poor segmentation reliability, the value of Radiomic in LHB tendinitis still needs to be further explored.

Construction of microbial consortia for microbial degradation of complex compounds.

Increasingly complex synthetic environmental pollutants are prompting further research into bioremediation, which is one of the most economical and safest means of environmental restoration. From the current research, using microbial consortia to degrade complex compounds is more advantageous compared to using isolated bacteria, as the former is more adaptable and stable within the growth environment and can provide a suitable catalytic environment for each enzyme required by the biodegradation pathway. With the development of synthetic biology and gene-editing tools, artificial microbial consortia systems can be designed to be more efficient, stable, and robust, and they can be used to produce high-value-added products with their strong degradation ability. Furthermore, microbial consortia systems are shown to be promising in the degradation of complex compounds. In this review, the strategies for constructing stable and robust microbial consortia are discussed. The current advances in the degradation of complex compounds by microbial consortia are also classified and detailed, including plastics, petroleum, antibiotics, azo dyes, and some pollutants present in sewage. Thus, this paper aims to support some helps to those who focus on the degradation of complex compounds by microbial consortia.

Decreased lateral posterior tibial slope and medial tibial depth are underlying anatomic risk factors for posterior cruciate ligament injury: a case-control study.

OBJECTIVES: To research whether medial PTS, lateral PTS and MTD were different between the PCL injury group and the PCL intact group. DESIGN: Retrospective case-control study, level of evidence III. METHODS: Fifty patients with PCL rupture from 2015 to 2020 in our hospital, and 50 patients matched by age and sex with intact PCL were enrolled in our study. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to assess the reliability of each parameter. The independent t-test was conducted to identify the differences in tibial morphometric characteristics between the PCL-injured and PCL-intact individuals, including the posterior tibial slope (PTS), meniscal slope (MS), medial tibial depth (MTD). A binary logistic regression model was established to evaluate the roles of those anatomic parameters of interest play in PCL injuries. RESULTS: The interobserver reliability of each parameter showed excellent agreement. Significant differences in the medial (P = .023) and lateral (P = .009) PTS were found between the PCL-injured group (3.68 ± 2.70 and 4.55 ± 3.19, respectively) and the controls (5.00 ± 2.73 and 6.39 ± 3.29, respectively). And the MTD was 1.98 ± 0.64 mm in the PCL-injured group and 2.37 ± 0.55 mm in the control group (P = 0.007). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that smaller lateral PTS and MTD were directly associated with PCL injury, with an OR of 1.17 and OR of 3.14, respectively. The medial PTS was independent to PCL injures. CONCLUSION: Decreased lateral PTS and MTD were underlying anatomic risk factors for PCL injury.

More work is needed on cost-utility analyses of robotic-assisted surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To comprehensively analyze the cost-utility of robotic surgery in clinical practice and to investigate the reporting and methodological quality of the related evidence. METHODS: Data on cost-utility analyses (CUAs) of robotic surgery were collected in seven electronic databases from the inception to July 2021. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the CHEERs and QHES checklists. A systematic review was performed with the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio as the outcome of interest. RESULTS: Thirty-one CUAs of robotic surgery were eligible. Overall, the identified CUAs were fair to high quality, and 63% of the CUAs ranked the cost-utility of robotic surgery as "favored," 32% categorized as "reject," and the remaining 5% ranked as "unclear." Although a high heterogeneity was present in terms of the study design among the included CUAs, most studies (81.25%) consistently found that robotic surgery was more cost-utility than open surgery for prostatectomy (ICER: $6905.31/QALY to $26240.75/QALY; time horizon: 10 years or lifetime), colectomy (dominated by robotic surgery; time horizon: 1 year), knee arthroplasty (ICER: $1134.22/QALY to $1232.27/QALY; time horizon: lifetime), gastrectomy (dominated by robotic surgery; time horizon: 1 year), spine surgery (ICER: $17707.27/QALY; time horizon: 1 year), and cystectomy (ICER: $3154.46/QALY; time horizon: 3 months). However, inconsistent evidence was found for the cost-utility of robotic surgery versus laparoscopic surgery and (chemo)radiotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: Fair or high-quality evidence indicated that robotic surgery is more cost-utility than open surgery, while it remains inconclusive whether robotic surgery is more cost-utility than laparoscopic surgery and (chemo)radiotherapy. Thus, an additional evaluation is required.

Antigenic cross-reactivity among human, swine, rabbit and avian hepatitis E virus capsid proteins.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV), a zoonotic virus, infects many animal species, including humans. Capsid proteins of human, swine, rabbit and avian HEVs share 48 %-100 % amino acid identity. In the present study, antigenic cross-reactivity among human, swine, rabbit and avian HEV capsid proteins were analyzed in detail using indirect and blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). The C-terminal 268 amino acids of genotype 1 human, genotype 4 swine, genotype 3 rabbit and genotype B3 avian HEV capsid proteins served as coating antigens for ELISA. Hyperimmune rabbit antisera (against four HEV capsid proteins) and human, pig, rabbit and chicken clinical sera were as primary antibodies. Closely correlated and statistically indistinguishable results were obtained for detection of anti-HEV antibodies in human and pig sera using human, swine and rabbit HEV capsid proteins as coating antigens. Moderately correlated differences in detection of anti-HEV antibodies in rabbit sera were obtained using the three capsid proteins. Statistically significant differences with no correlations were obtained for anti-HEV antibodies detection in chicken sera between avian HEV capsid protein and human, swine and rabbit ones. Blocking ELISA results demonstrated that two common epitopes among the four species HEVs were immunodominant in avian HEV, but were non-immunodominant in human, swine and rabbit HEVs. Nevertheless, three epitopes common to human, swine and rabbit HEVs were all immunodominant epitopes for the three species HEVs. Collectively, these results demonstrate that anti-HEV antibodies in human and pig sera can be detected using human, swine and rabbit HEV capsid proteins. By contrast, for optimal detection of anti-HEV antibodies in rabbit and chicken sera, the respective rabbit and avian HEV capsid proteins should be used. These results provide insights to guide future development of serological assays for diagnosing HEV infections in various animal species.

PROTOCOL: The association between marital transitions and physical and mental health in late life: A systematic review.

This is the protocol for a Campbell systematic review. The objectives are as follows: What is the association between marital transitions and physical health among people older than 60? What is the association between marital transitions and mental health among people older than 60? What is the role of gender, age, and education on the association between marital transitions and health among people older than 60? What is the influence of geographical region, housing, neighborhood, and social support on the association between marital transitions and health status among people older than 60?