A non-invasive model for predicting liver fibrosis in HBeAg-positive patients with normal or slightly elevated alanine aminotransferase.

Early and accurate diagnosis of liver fibrosis is necessary for HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with normal or slightly increased alanine aminotransferase (ALT), Liver biopsy and many non-invasive predicting markers have several application restrictions in grass-roots hospitals. We aimed to construct a non-invasive model based on routinely serum markers to predict liver fibrosis for this population.A total of 363 CHB patients with HBeAg-positive, ALT ≤2-fold the upper limit of normal and liver biopsy data were randomly divided into training (n = 266) and validation groups (n = 97).

Effects of polystyrene microplastic on uptake and toxicity of copper and cadmium in hydroponic wheat seedlings (Triticum aestivum L.).

Microplastics are widespread in freshwater environments, their biological effects and combined effects of other pollutants have attracted extensive attention. In this study, we investigated the adsorption properties of heavy metals onto polystyrene (PS) microplastics as well as the bioavailability and toxicity of microplastics and heavy metals by hydroponic wheat seedlings experiment. Results showed that PS microplastics (0.

Stock Market Liberalization and Corporate Green Innovation: Evidence from China.

Corporate green innovation is an effective way to achieve energy conservation and emission reduction. Enterprises' willingness to pursue green innovation is increasingly affected by external factors. By using a quasi-natural experiment of China's Stock Connect program, we investigate the impact of stock market liberalization on corporate green innovation.

Comparison of new hyperspectral index and machine learning models for prediction of winter wheat leaf water content.

Background: The leaf water content estimation model is established by hyperspectral technology, which is crucial and provides technical reference for precision irrigation.

Methods: In this study, two consecutive years of field experiments (different irrigation times and seven wheat varieties) in 2018-2020 were performed to obtain the canopy spectra reflectance and leaf water content (LWC) data. The characteristic bands related to LWC were extracted from correlation coefficient method (CA) and x-Loading weight method (x-Lw).

Tumor acidic microenvironment-induced drug release of RGD peptide nanoparticles for cellular uptake and cancer therapy.

Spatial accuracy is crucial in drug delivery, especially to increase the efficacy and reduce the side effects of antitumor drugs. In this study, we developed a simple and broadly applicable strategy in which a target peptide ligand was introduced to construct a pH-responsive drug-loading system to achieve targeted delivery and drug release in lesions. In addition to reaching the tumor tissue through passive targeting modalities such as the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, active targeting nanoparticles used RGD motifs coupled to nanocarriers to specifically bind certain integrins, such as ανβ3, which is expressed on the surface of tumor cells, to achieve active tumor cell targeting.

Regulating Metabolic Energy Among Joints During Human Walking Using a Multiarticular Unpowered Exoskeleton.

Researchers have found that the walking economy can be enhanced by recycling ankle metabolic energy using an unpowered ankle exoskeleton. However, how to regulate multiarticular energy to enhance the overall energy efficiency of humans during walking remains a challenging problem, as multiarticular passive assistance is more likely to interfere with the human body's natural biomechanics. Here we show that the metabolic energy of the hip and knee musculature can be regulated to a more energy-effective direction using a multiarticular unpowered exoskeleton that recycles negative mechanical energy of the knee joint in the late swing phase and transfers the stored energy to assist the hip extensors in performing positive mechanical work in the stance phase.

Evidence for racial/ethnic disparities in emergency department visits following breast cancer surgery among women in California: a population-based study.

Purpose: Racial/ethnic disparities in breast cancer outcomes may be related to quality of care and reflected in emergency department (ED) visits following primary treatment. We examined racial/ethnic variation in ED visits following breast cancer surgery.

Methods: Using linked data from the California Cancer Registry and California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, we identified 151,229 women diagnosed with stage 0-III breast cancer between 2005 and 2013 who received surgical treatment.

A rutin nanocrystal gel as an effective dermal delivery system for enhanced anti-photoaging application.

As a natural flavonoid compound, rutin could scavenge free radicals effectively to achieve remarkable antioxidant and anti-photoaging activity. Unfortunately, the extremely low water solubility of rutin often leads to the poor percutaneous permeability and unsatisfactory bioavailability, which has greatly restricted its clinical application. In this study, a novel freeze-dried rutin nanocrystal was developed to improve its saturation solubility, which was further redispersed in carbopol gel to formulate the targeted rutin nanocrystal gel (NC-gel) for enhanced transdermal delivery efficiency.

Pinoresinol diglucoside (PDG) attenuates cardiac hypertrophy via AKT/mTOR/NF-κB signaling in pressure overload-induced rats.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Pinoresinol diglucoside (PDG), the active compound extracted from Eucommia ulmoides, Styrax sp. and Forsythia suspensa, plays the roles in regulating hypertension, inflammation and oxidative stress.

Aims: Considering that hypertension and inflammation has been proved to contribute to cardiac remodeling, we tested the effects of PDG on cardiac hypertrophy (CM).

Can a COVID-19 vaccination program guarantee the return to a pre-pandemic lifestyle?

COVID-19 vaccination programs have been initiated in several countries to control SARS-CoV-2 transmission and return to a pre-pandemic lifestyle. However, understanding when non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) can be lifted as vaccination builds up and how to update priority groups for vaccination in real-time remain key questions for policy makers. To address these questions, we built a data-driven model of SARS-CoV-2 transmission for China.

Calibration Analysis of High-G MEMS Accelerometer Sensor Based on Wavelet and Wavelet Packet Denoising.

High-G accelerometers are mainly used for motion measurement in some special fields, such as projectile penetration and aerospace equipment. This paper mainly explores the wavelet threshold denoising and wavelet packet threshold denoising in wavelet analysis, which is more suitable for high-G piezoresistive accelerometers. In this paper, adaptive decomposition and Shannon entropy criterion are used to find the optimal decomposition layer and optimal tree.

To what extent do we need to rely on non-pharmaceutical interventions while COVID-19 vaccines roll out in 2021?

COVID-19 vaccination is being conducted in over 190 countries/regions to control SARS-CoV-2 transmission and return to a pre-pandemic lifestyle. However, understanding when non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) can be lifted as immunity builds up remain a key question for policy makers. To address it, we built a data-driven model of SARS-CoV-2 transmission for China.

Inhibition of lipogenesis and induction of apoptosis by valproic acid in prostate cancer cells via the C/EBPα/SREBP-1 pathway.

Lipid metabolism reprogramming is now accepted as a new hallmark of cancer. Hence, targeting the lipogenesis pathway may be a potential avenue for cancer treatment. Valproic acid (VPA) emerges as a promising drug for cancer therapy; however, the underlying mechanisms are not yet fully understood.

Anticancer Effects and Mechanisms of Action of Plumbagin: Review of Research Advances.

Plumbagin (PLB), a natural naphthoquinone constituent isolated from the roots of the medicinal plant L., exhibited anticancer activity against a variety of cancer cell lines including breast cancer, hepatoma, leukemia, melanoma, prostate cancer, brain tumor, tongue squamous cell carcinoma, esophageal cancer, oral squamous cell carcinoma, lung cancer, kidney adenocarcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma, gastric cancer, lymphocyte carcinoma, osteosarcoma, and canine cancer. PLB played anticancer activity many molecular mechanisms, such as targeting apoptosis, autophagy pathway, cell cycle arrest, antiangiogenesis pathway, anti-invasion, and antimetastasis pathway.

miR-223 improves intestinal inflammation through inhibiting the IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway in dextran sodium sulfate-induced experimental colitis.

Introduction: The pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has not yet been clarified and is closely related to several pro-inflammatory factors. MicroRNA-233 (miR-223) might be involved in the development of IBD; however, the mechanism underlying its pathogenesis is unclear. In this study, we attempted to determine the role of miR-223 in dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis and explore the involvement of the IL-6/STAT3 pathway in the development of intestinal mucosal inflammation.

Long-Term Outcome of Endoscopic Balloon Dilation for Duodenal Crohn's Disease-Associated Strictures.

Background: Duodenal Crohn's disease (CD) is rare and may present with obstructive symptoms, and few reports have focused on endoscopic balloon dilation (EBD) for duodenal CD-associated strictures.

Aims: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of EBD for duodenal CD-associated strictures.

Methods: Patients with duodenal CD-associated strictures who underwent EBD were recruited.

The transfer and decay of maternal antibodies against enterovirus A71, and dynamics of antibodies due to later natural infections in Chinese infants: a longitudinal, paired mother-neonate cohort study.

Background: Since 1997, epidemics of hand, foot, and mouth disease associated with enterovirus A71 (EV-A71) have affected children younger than 5 years in the Asia-Pacific region, including mainland China. EV-A71 vaccines have been licensed for use in children aged 6-71 months in China, but not for infants younger than 6 months. We aimed to assess the dynamics of maternal EV-A71 antibodies to inform choice of potential vaccination strategies to protect infants younger than 6 months, because they have a substantial burden of disease.

Icariside II protects cardiomyocytes from hypoxia‑induced injury by upregulating the miR‑7‑5p/BTG2 axis and activating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

Icariside II (ICS II) has been reported to have protective effects against oxidative stress. However, whether ICS II protects cardiomyocytes from myocardial infarction (MI), and the associated underlying mechanisms, remain to be elucidated. Therefore, the current study investigated the effects of ICS II on hypoxia‑injured H9c2 cells, as well as the associated molecular mechanisms.

Association Between Functional Nucleotide Polymorphisms Up-regulating Transforming Growth Factor β1 Expression and Increased Tuberculosis Susceptibility.

Previous studies demonstrated that transforming growth factor (TGT) β1 plays an immunosuppressive role in clinical tuberculosis. However, the contribution of TGF-β1 gene polymorphisms to human tuberculosis susceptibility remains undetermined. In this study, we showed that single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in TGF-β1 gene were associated with increased susceptibility to tuberculosis in the discovery cohort (1533 case patients and 1445 controls) and the validation cohort (832 case patients and 1084 controls), and 2 SNPs located in the promoter region (rs2317130 and rs4803457) are in strong linkage disequilibrium.

The impact of relaxing interventions on human contact patterns and SARS-CoV-2 transmission in China.

Non-pharmaceutical interventions to control COVID-19 spread have been implemented in several countries with different intensity, timing, and impact on transmission. As a result, post-lockdown COVID-19 dynamics are heterogenous and difficult to interpret. Here we describe a set of contact surveys performed in four Chinese cities (Wuhan, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Changsha) during the pre-pandemic, lockdown, and post-lockdown period to quantify the transmission impact of relaxing interventions via changes in age-specific contact patterns.

Complex I mutations synergize to worsen the phenotypic expression of Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy.

Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is a maternal inheritance of eye disease because of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations. We previously discovered a 3866T>C mutation within the gene for the ND1 subunit of complex I as possibly amplifying disease progression for patients bearing the disease-causing 11778G>A mutation within the gene for the ND4 subunit of complex I. However, whether and how the ND1 mutation exacerbates the ND4 mutation were unknown.

Thromboelastography in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Purpose: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) frequently suffer from venous thromboembolic events, and the risk of thromboembolism increases along with disease activity. This study was conducted to discover novel thrombophilic markers using thromboelastography (TEG) and to evaluate the relation between the predisposing factors and the activity of disease in Chinese patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC).

Methods: Thirty-four patients with CD, 29 patients with UC, and 53 healthy volunteers were enrolled into this study.

Calculating the Electrical Conductivity of Graphene Nanoplatelet Polymer Composites by a Monte Carlo Method.

Electrical conductivity is one of several outstanding features of graphene-polymer nanocomposites, but calculations of this property require the intricate features of the underlying conduction processes to be accounted for. To this end, a novel Monte Carlo method was developed. We first established a randomly distributed graphene nanoplatelet (GNP) network.

PRICKLE3 linked to ATPase biogenesis manifested Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy.

Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is a maternally inherited eye disease. X-linked nuclear modifiers were proposed to modify the phenotypic manifestation of LHON-associated mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations. By whole-exome sequencing, we identified the X-linked LHON modifier (c.

Age profile of susceptibility, mixing, and social distancing shape the dynamics of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak in China.

Strict interventions were successful to control the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in China. As transmission intensifies in other countries, the interplay between age, contact patterns, social distancing, susceptibility to infection and disease, and COVID-19 dynamics remains unclear. To answer these questions, we analyze contact surveys data for Wuhan and Shanghai before and during the outbreak and contact tracing information from Hunan Province.