Optimal stimulation site and fiber tracts in subthalamic deep brain stimulation for Meige syndrome.

Background: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) has emerged as an effective therapy for Meige syndrome (MS). However, the optimal stimulation site within STN and the most effective stimulation fiber tracts have not been investigated.

Methods: Based on the discovery cohort (n = 65), we first identified the optimal stimulation site within the STN using the sweet spot mapping method.

The comparative analysis of gastrointestinal toxicity of azithromycin and 3'-decladinosyl azithromycin on zebrafish larvae.

The most commonly reported side effect of azithromycin is gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, and the main acid degradation product is 3'-Decladinosyl azithromycin (impurity J). We aimed to compare the GI toxicity of azithromycin and impurity J on zebrafish larvae and investigate the mechanism causing the differential GI toxicity. Results of our study showed that the GI toxicity induced by impurity J was higher than that of azithromycin in zebrafish larvae, and the effects of impurity J on transcription in the digestive system of zebrafish larvae were significantly stronger than those of azithromycin.

Degradation of cyanobacterial neurotoxin β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) using ozone process: influencing factors and mechanism.

β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA), which has been considered as an environmental factor that caused amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/parkinsonism-dementia complex (ALS/PDC) or Alzheimer's disease, could be produced by a variety of genera cyanobacteria. BMAA is widely present in water sources contaminated by cyanobacteria and may threaten human health through drinking water. Although oxidants commonly used in drinking water plants such as chlorine, ozone, hydrogen peroxide, and hydroxyl radicals have been shown to effectively degrade BMAA, there are limited studies on the mechanism of BMAA degradation by different oxidants, especially ozone.

Cefoperazone-sulbactam and risk of coagulation disorders or bleeding: a retrospective cohort study.

: Limited evidence has suggested that cefoperazone-sulbactam causes coagulation disorders and bleeding.: The authors conducted a retrospective study to compare patients receiving cefoperazone-sulbactam versus those treated with cefoperazone-tazobactam or ceftazidime. Propensity-score matching was used to explore whether treatment with cefoperazone-sulbactam increased the risk of prothrombin time (PT) prolongation, coagulation disorders, and bleeding, or decreased platelets (PLT).

Comparative analysis of miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements (MITEs) and long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons in six Citrus species.

Background: Miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements (MITEs) and long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons are ubiquitous in plants genomes, and highly important in their evolution and diversity. However, their mechanisms of insertion/amplification and roles in Citrus genome's evolution/diversity are still poorly understood.

Results: To address this knowledge gap, we developed different computational pipelines to analyze, annotate and classify MITEs and LTR retrotransposons in six different sequenced Citrus species.

Comparative leaching of six toxic metals from raw and chemically stabilized MSWI fly ash using citric acid.

The leaching behavior of six typical toxic metals (Pb, Zn, Cr, Cd, Cu and Ni) from raw and chemically stabilized (phosphate and chelating agent) municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash were investigated using citric acid. Leaching tests indicated that phosphate stabilization can effectively decrease the leaching of Zn, Cd and Cr; whereas chelating agent stabilization shows a strong ability to lower the release of Pb, Cd and Cu, but instead increases the solubility of Zn and Cr at low pH conditions. Sequential extraction results suggested that the leaching of Pb, Zn and Cd in both the stabilized MSWI fly ash samples led to the decrease in Fe/Mn oxide fraction and the increase in exchangeable and carbonate fractions.

Improved Tribological Performance of Amorphous Carbon (a-C) Coating by ZrO₂ Nanoparticles.

Nanomaterials, such as Graphene, h-BN nanoparticles and MoS₂ nanotubes, have shown their ability in improving the tribological performance of amorphous carbon (a-C) coatings. In the current study, the effectiveness of ZrO₂ nanoparticles (ZrO₂-NPs) in lubricating the self-mated nonhydrogenated a-C contacts was investigated in boundary lubrication regime. The results showed that 13% less friction and 50% less wear compared to the base oil were achieved by employing ZrO₂-NPs in the base oil in self-mated a-C contacts.

miR3954 is a trigger of phasiRNAs that affects flowering time in citrus.

In plant, a few 22-nt miRNAs direct cleavages of their targets and trigger the biogenesis of phased small interfering RNAs (phasiRNAs) in plant. In this study, we characterized a miRNA triggering phasiRNAs generation, miR3954, and explored its downstream target genes and potential function. Our results demonstrated that miR3954 showed specific expression in the flowers of citrus species, and it targeted a NAC transcription factor (Cs7 g22460) and two non-coding RNA transcripts (lncRNAs, Cs1 g09600 and Cs1 g09635).

Genomic analyses of primitive, wild and cultivated citrus provide insights into asexual reproduction.

The emergence of apomixis-the transition from sexual to asexual reproduction-is a prominent feature of modern citrus. Here we de novo sequenced and comprehensively studied the genomes of four representative citrus species. Additionally, we sequenced 100 accessions of primitive, wild and cultivated citrus.

Signal Detection Based on Time to Onset Algorithm in Spontaneous Reporting System of China.

Introduction: The method of time-to-onset (TTO) has been proposed to overcome the drawbacks of traditional disproportionality analyses (DPAs), and it has been used for detecting safety signals of vaccines and some non-vaccine products in spontaneous reporting systems (SRSs). However, there is no consensus on its superiority over DPAs. Further, it is still not clear whether this novel approach can be generalized to the entire national SRS database.

National ADR Monitoring System in China.

It has been more than 25 years since an adverse drug reaction (ADR) monitoring agency was first established in China. In the past few years, the National ADR Monitoring System (NADRMS) has developed rapidly in the country. However, this system has not been reviewed in detail in the literature.

Identification, characterization and expression analysis of lineage-specific genes within sweet orange (Citrus sinensis).

Background: With the availability of rapidly increasing number of genome and transcriptome sequences, lineage-specific genes (LSGs) can be identified and characterized. Like other conserved functional genes, LSGs play important roles in biological evolution and functions.

Results: Two set of citrus LSGs, 296 citrus-specific genes (CSGs) and 1039 orphan genes specific to sweet orange, were identified by comparative analysis between the sweet orange genome sequences and 41 genomes and 273 transcriptomes.

Exploration of statistical shrinkage parameters of disproportionality methods in spontaneous reporting system of China.

Purpose: Statistical shrinkage is a potential statistical method to improve the accuracy of signal detection results and avoid spurious associations detected by disproportionality analyses. In this study, we introduced statistical shrinkage influence on disproportionality methods in spontaneous reporting system in China.

Methods: We added the shrinkage parameters in the numerator and denominator, denoted as in the formula of disproportionality analysis.

A comparison of disproportionality analysis methods in national adverse drug reaction databases of China.

Objective: Several disproportionality analysis methods are widely used for signal detection. The goal of this study was to compare the concordance of the performance characteristics of these methods in spontaneous reporting system of China.

Methods: Algorithms including reporting odds ratio (ROR), proportional reporting ratio (PRR) and information component (IC), a composite criterion previously used by Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) were compared.

The HNF1beta transcription factor has several domains involved in nephrogenesis and partially rescues Pax8/lim1-induced kidney malformations.

The tissue-specific transcription factors HNF1alpha and HNF1beta are closely related homeodomain proteins conserved in vertebrate evolution. Heterozygous mutations in human HNF1beta but not in HNF1alpha genes are associated with kidney malformations. Overexpression of HNF1beta in Xenopus embryos leads to defective pronephros development, while HNF1alpha has no effect.