Vegetation plays an active role in soil water dynamics and water balance in atmosphere-soil-vegetation-groundwater system. Therefore, we characterised soil water transportation at depths of 0-4.0 m, induced by root water uptake of groundwater-dependent Salix across a whole growth stage, as well as taking place in non-vegetated soil, in the semi-arid Ordos basin of China. The results show that: soil moisture content showed clear heterogeneity under the combined influence of evaporation, rainfall and root water uptake. Thus, the soil profile was divided into the climate impacted layer, the transitional layer, and groundwater supporting layer. Root water uptake increased the variability of soil water in the vadose zone and changed the classification structure. The impacts of different rainfall regimes on soil moisture and vegetation response at the individual plant scale were systematically analysed. The rainwater infiltration hysteresis as connected to rainfall intensity, soil depth and the roots-system preferential channel were confirmed, as was the canopy-shading effect. Further, an exponential-logarithmic normal composite root water uptake distribution was obtained, via an inverse method. Of the accumulated 356.3 precipitation in 2016, the annual soil water increase was 97.9 mm for bare site, increased by 10.2% in total, accounting for 25.5% of the precipitation of that year. Conversely, for vegetated site, annual soil water decrease registered at 254.40 mm, decreased by 28.3% in total. The contrastive experiment indicates that root water uptake processes change the soil water flow field and aggravate water scarcity, resulting in soil desiccation in the deep local soil layers and groundwater depletion. The dried soil layers blocked water interchange, which is extremely detrimental to ecohydrological processes. Our results provide a scientific basis within which the hydrodynamic processes of vegetation in semi-arid regions may better be understood and inspire research to find a balance between groundwater management and vegetation replanting.

Seasonal timing of reproduction in voles is driven by photoperiod. Here we hypothesize that a negative energy balance can modify spring-programmed photoperiodic responses in the hypothalamus, controlling reproductive organ development. We reveal that Common (Microtus arvalis) and Tundra voles (Microtus oeconomus), reduce photoperiodic induced pars tuberalis thyroid-stimulating hormone β-subunit (Tshβ) expression to inhibit gonadal development when food is scarce. Reduction in gonadal size is more pronounced in tundra voles, in which the hypothalamic Kisspeptin (Kiss1) system seems involved in downregulating gonadal development, especially in males. Low temperature additionally leads to decreased hypothalamic RF-amide related peptide (Rfrp3) levels, which may facilitate further suppression of gonadal growth. Shutting off the photoperiodic-axis when food is scarce in spring may be an adaptive response to save energy, leading to delayed reproductive organ development until food resources are sufficient for reproduction, lactation and offspring survival.

Aims: Nail surgery is a part of dermatological surgery and can cause a lot of anxiety in patients. The aims of this study is to determine the anxiety and pain levels of the patients before, during and after nail surgery and to determine their effects on their lives. Methods: Patients aged> 14 years who were admitted to our outpatient clinic between April 2019-2020 and scheduled for nail surgery were included in the study. Anxiety (Instant and Trait Anxiety Scale (STAI)), dermatological quality of life (Skindex-16) and pain (Visual analogue scale (VAS 0–10)) were recorded before, during and after nail surgery. Results: The patients were most worried about the recurrence of their disease after the procedure (54.17%). Skindex-16 scores in the 31-50 age group were statistically significantly higher than the other age groups. Preoperative anxiety scores were higher in male patients compared to females (p = 0.021). Preoperative anxiety was significantly lower in patients who had previous nail surgery (p = 0.018). Preoperative pain scores were negatively correlated with preoperative anxiety (p = 0.048). Conclusion: Nail surgery is a procedure that can cause anxiety and stress for patients. Being aware of the anxiety and pain of patients due to surgery and the factors affecting them by the dermatologic surgeon can change the attitudes and behaviors towards patients and the measures to be taken for anxiety and pain can accelerate the recovery of patients.

Ziprasidone (Geodon®), also known at the time of submission to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as Zeldox®. It was submitted initially for the treatment of psychiatric disorders e.g., Schizophrenia. However, there was delay on its approval due to increase of QT prolongation, which was discussed at the FDA Advisory Committee. This review focused on the clinical pharmacology and the pharmacokinetics (PK) of the drug, specifically at the time of submission to the FDA and other related updated references. The sponsor (Pfizer) summitted about 40 clinical pharmacology and PK studies including QT prolongation studies. There were four capsules formulation at that time: 20, 40, 60, and 80 mg and one intramuscular (IM) strength in another New Drug Administration (NDA) that came subsequent to oral route. The drug has to be given with food to increase the bioavailability to 60% (two-fold increase). Ziprasidone is extensively metabolized after oral administration with only a small amount excreted in the urine (<1%) or feces (<4%) as unchanged drug. Approximately 20% of the dose is excreted in the urine, with approximately 66% being eliminated in the feces. Some of its metabolites are active. Ziprasidone has very high, sub nanomolar binding affinity for the human serotonin.

Objective: To identify the predictors of prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV) after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in infants with congenital heart disease (CHD) less than 3 months. Methods: From June 2017 to May 2020, a total of 165 infants less than 3 months old with CHD admitted to the Children’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University for CPB were enrolled. The following data were collected including gender, age, weight, Risk Adjustment in Congenital Heart Surgery-1 (RACHS-1) score, preoperative levels of thyroid hormones, CPB time, aortic cross-clamping (ACC) time, mechanical ventilation time, ICU mortality and infection. PMV prediction was assessed by multivariate binary logistic regression analysis. Results: Compared with non-PMV group, PMV group was younger (44.74±25.27 days vs. 35.44±26.91 days, P= 0.001), and most were newborns (41/93 vs. 10/57, P=0.000), with a higher proportion of RACHS-1 (29/93 vs.6/57, P=0.000) and more cases of infection (47/93 vs. 17/57,P= 0.004).PMV group had significantly lower weight than non-PMV group (3.79±0.83Kg vs. 4.28±1.01Kg, P=0.001). In PMV group, CPB (133.74±89.65 vs. 72.30±44.82, P =0.000) and ACC time (52.02± 24.80 vs. 36.98±16.63, P =0.000) were both longer. FT4 and TT4 were higher while FT3, TT3 and TSH were lower in PMV group, but only FT3 (4.99±1.67 vs. 5.29± 1.23, P =0.017) and TT3 (1.91±0.59 vs. 1.96±0.49, P =0.050) showed significant differences between PMV group and non-PMV group. Conclusion: Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that weight, infection, FT3 and CPB time were independent predictors of PMV after CPB in infants with CHD.

The land snail Ellobium chinense (Pulmonata, Ellobiida, Ellobiidae), which inhabits the salt marshes along the coastal areas of northwestern Pacific, is an endangered species on the IUCN Red List. Over recent decades, the population size of E. chinense has consistently decreased due to environmental interference caused by natural disasters and human activities. Here, we provide the first assessment of the genetic diversity and population genetic structures of northwestern Pacific E. chinense based on COI and 10 microsatellite markers. The analyses of 140 COI data from South Korea and Japan and 54 microsatellite data from South Korea revealed that E. chinense has high haplotype and low nucleotide diversity without showing any genetic structures that reflect geographical isolations. It strongly implies that the subfamily Ellobiinae may have first appeared around the Eocene Optimum immediately after the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM; ca. 55 mya) and the examined E. chinense populations in Northwestern Pacific may have been maintained in a metapopulation under the influence of the Kuroshio warm currents through the Late-Middle Pleistocene (0.350−0.126 mya) and Late Pleistocene (0.126−0.012 mya). We also found four phylogenetic groups, regardless of geographical distributions, which were easily distinguishable by four unidirectional and stepwise adenine-to-guanine transitions in COI (sites 207-282-354-420: A-A-A-A, A-A-G-A, G-A-G-A, and G-G-G-G). Additionally, the four COI hotspots were robustly connected with a high degree of covariance between them. We discuss the role of these covariate guanines which link to form four consecutive G-quadruplexes, and their possible beneficial effects under positive selection pressure.

Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), now reclassified as diffuse midline glioma (DMG), is the most common cause of mortality from paediatric central nervous system (CNS) tumours. Diagnosis is made based on characteristic clinical presentation and neuro-imaging findings. Prognosis is poor, with minimal therapeutic options, reflected in a median survival of under 12 months. We present a patient with Pendred syndrome, diagnosed with DMG at 2-years of age with characteristic presentation and neuro-imaging findings, who remains asymptomatic and well at nearly 4-years post diagnosis despite progression of the primary lesion on serial imaging.

The blade unit of a tridimensional rotational flow sieve tray (TRST) is the origin for the rotational–perforated flow. The flow field of that was investigated using the Multi-fluid VOF method. The water fractions, and the gas perforation velocity on the blade unit were investigated. The liquid phase distribution in the jet and mixed flow is more dispersed than that in film and jet flow. The gas–liquid two-phase velocity fluctuated with the radial distance. The rotational and perforated flows on the blade unit were analyzed separately by the local rotational flow ratio . The variation range of the ratio for the gas-phase was 0.6 – 0.85, and that for the liquid-phase is 0.2 – 0.8. Based on the Q criterion, the vortices were mainly concentrated near the sieve holes. The simulation provides an important theoretical basis for the mass transfer investigation and structural optimization of the blade unit.

The aim of the present paper, is to investigate the solvability of infinite systems of nonlinear fractional integral equation of two variables in $C(I\times I,m(\Delta_{v}^{u}, \phi,p))$ by using the Hausdorff measure of noncompactness with the help of Meir–Keeler condensing operators. We also provide an illustrative example in support of our existence theorems.

BACKGROUND Isolated left upper partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection (PAPVC) via innominate vein to the right atrium with intact atrial septum is a rare congenital anomaly. Diagnosis requires a high degree of suspicion, otherwise it may remain undetected. This study was undertaken to determine the efficacy of a modified suprasternal view in transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) for the detection of left upper PAPVC. METHODS After diagnosis of left upper PAPVC in our first patient incidentally in 2008, we have added the modified suprasternal view to all TTEs performed in our pediatric cardiology clinic. This was obtained by tilting the tail of the probe 30-45 degrees towards the right shoulder of the patient during suprasternal long axis for a better view of the innominate vein and search for left upper PAPVC. RESULTS Among 7200 patients who underwent TTEs between 2008-2020, we have identified 13 patients with left upper PAPVC into the innominate vein by using our modified suprasternal approach. All were asymptomatic children, aged between 5 months and 16 years. In all patients, cardiac chambers were normal in size and there were no accompanying congenital disorders. In 10 cases, diagnoses were confirmed by multi-slice computerized tomography, whereas one patient underwent catheterization for confirmation. CONCLUSION Isolated left upper PAPVC to innominate vein with intact atrial septum is a rare congenital disorder and can be present in asymptomatic children with normal cardiac chambers. TTE, with a modified approach in suprasternal long axis view, has a high diagnostic value in the detection of this condition

AIMS: To study the genetic association of cardiac conduction defects (CCD) by evaluating Single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP) in genes of SCN1B and KCNJ2 and to evaluate baseline characteristics between cases and controls. METHODS AND RESULTS: Case group consisted of 81 individuals with diagnosis of conduction disturbances who underwent permanent pacemaker implantation. . The control group consisted of 79 unrelated individuals above 18 years of age of the local population not having a present or past personal or family history (first degree relatives) of any cardiac ailment especially cardiac conduction defects. Isolation of genomic Deoxyribonucleic acid(DNA) from all samples was done, Genomic DNA was checked to ensure the presence of intact DNA . SCN1B : SNP rs55742440 have no bearing on the protein except in producing a splice variant . SNP rs67701503 does not lie in the splice site region, not having any significance in the regulation of the gene as well. NetGene2 analysis of SNP rs67486287 negates its presence in the splice site. KCNJ2 :SNP rs199473653 is leading to a missense amino acid change resulting in homozygous GG variant found in almost equal frequency in both groups. SNP rs199473653 gene has not been reported as a disease-causing mutation. CONCLUSION:The alteration of nucleotide in SCN1B intron (SNP rs55742440, rs67701503, rs 67486287) between cases and controls was found to have no odds of affecting the outcome of CCD. There was no variation or alteration in nucleotide bases of KCNJ2 (SNP rs786205813, rs199473653) between the groups.

A piecewise linear function is not only an extension of a segmented linear function of one variable in the case of multivariate variables, but also an important bridge to study the approximation of a continuous function by Mamdani and Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy systems. In this paper, the concepts of a piecewise linear function and subdivision number are introduced in hyperplane, the analytic expression of the piecewise linear function is given by matrix determinant, and a new definition of the approximation factor is first proposed by m-mesh subdivision. Secondly, by the method of generating small polyhedron from three-dimensional cube, the change rule of vertex coordinates of n-dimensional subdivision polyhedron is studied, the vertex coordinates of small polyhedron are obtained by rotating component coordinates of their respective coordinate axes. Furthermore, the calculation methods of algebraic cofactor and matrix norm for the corresponding determinant are given. Finally, according to the method of solving algebraic cofactors and matrix norms, it is proved that the approximation factor has nothing to do with the subdivision number, but the approximation precision has something to do with the subdivision number. In addition, the realization process of a specific binary piecewise linear function approaching a continuous function according to infinite norm in two dimensions space is given by an example.

In this paper, we give and study the notion of positive Cohen p-nuclear operators. We prove a natural analog of the Pietsch domination theorem for these classes, we characterize their conjugates and we valorize some relationship between positive p-summing operators and positive strongly q-summing using (Contemp. Math. 328,145-149(2003)).

Throughout history, wildlife has been an important source of infectious diseases transmissible to humans. Q fever is a worldwide zoonosis caused by an obligate intracellular bacterium, Coxiella burnetii with only anecdotal reports of human-to-human transmission. The epidemiology of human infections always reflects the circulation of C. burnetiid in animal reservoirs. Q fever occurs as sporadic cases, usually after identifiable at-risk activities (farming, slaughterhouse work, or rural tourism), however, as a rule, it is infected livestock, particularly goats and sheep, the most important sources of zoonotic Q fever outbreaks in humans. Nonetheless the origin of several human Q fever cases continues to be unclear. Human impacts on habitats, biodiversity and climate could be responsible for changes in the patterns of interaction between domestic animals, wildlife and humans, allowing wild animals to be involved in the epidemiology of Q fever and thus serving as important reservoirs to domestic animals and humans. These factors combined with the identification of shared genotypes between wildlife and humans in the Iberian Peninsula, makes it possible for wild reservoirs to play an important role in the increase in cases of Q fever in Spain

Visually aposematic prey warns their potential predators about their noxious condition by exhibiting conspicuous coloration. The larvae of some phyllomedusine frogs bear bright patches on the body or tail that suggest an anti-predator role, yet the experimental evidence of aposematism in anuran larvae is notoriously scarce. Here, we assessed and compared the conspicuousness and skin toxicity of three species of phyllomedusine larvae which differ in coloration: Phyllomedusa vaillanti, P. bicolor, and Callimedusa tomopterna. The conspicuous colorations found on the dorsal area of the larvae could be directed to aerial predators, therefore we evaluated the distribution of the larvae in the depth of the water column. We also experimentally assessed their palatability to dragonfly naiads as model predators. Additionally, we observed that all these traits that make up the antipredatory syndrome are modified along the ontogeny of the larvae. For this reason, we assessed body size as another trait that conforms to the syndrome. Our results support an antipredatory syndrome in larvae of P. vaillanti and to a lesser degree in P. bicolor. The most conspicuous larvae were indeed the most toxic. Moreover, these larvae were attacked less often by predators which, in turn, died within a few hours. In both species, the larvae remained close to the water column surface longer to advertise their noxious condition towards predators. After we included body size in the anti-predator syndrome, we observed that only the P. vaillanti larger larvae were more conspicuous. Toxicity and palatability were not related to body size. Nevertheless, vertical distribution varied ontogenetically in P. bicolor. The largest larvae remained close to the water surface most of the time, while the small ones were distributed evenly throughout the water column.

Accumulating studies consistently show that methylphenidate (MPD), the first line drug for treating Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), is abused by patients to whom the drug is prescribed. Like other psychostimulants, only low doses of MPD improve cognitive performance while higher doses can impair it. Preventing the use of high doses of MPD is important for preventing its overuse and for retaining its therapeutic efficacy. Previously, we have shown that performance in Morris water test was improved in rats treated, orally, with MPD in doses of 2.5 mg/kg; but higher doses (5 mg/kg) impaired it. The present study concerns rewarding/reinforcing effects of 2.5 mg/kg MPD in conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm and its modulation with buspirone. Our results show that rewarding effects of MPD in CPP test are prevented in rats co-treated with buspirone in doses of 0.1 and 0.3 mg/kg. Animals treated with MPD exhibit a down regulation of 5-HT1A receptor in the nucleus accumbens which is reversed in rats co-treated with 0.1 an 0.3 mg/kg buspirone. Administration of buspirone in these doses is not rewarding in CPP test and produces an upregulation of 5-HT1A receptor in the nucleus accumbens. The findings suggesting an important role of 5-HT1A receptor in the rewarding effects of MPD, open a gateway for improving therapeutic use of MPD.

Background and purpose Sodium butyrate (SB) is a major product of gut microbiota with signaling activity in the human body. However, the toxic effect of SB remains largely unknown. This issue is addressed in current study. Experimental approach SB (0.3 – 2.5 g/kg) was administrated through a single peritoneal injection in mice. The core body temperature and mitochondrial function in the brain hypothalamus were monitored. Pharmacodynamics, targeted metabolomics, electron microscope, oxygen consumption rate and gene knockdown were employed to dissect the mechanism for the toxic effect. Key results The temperature was reduced by SB (1.2 -2.5 g/kg) in a dose-dependent manner in mice for 2-4 hr. In the brain, the effect was associated with SB elevation and neurotransmitter (Glutamate and GABA) reduction. The mitochondria exhibited a transient volume expansion and crista loss in the hypothalamic neurons. ADP/ATP ratio was increased with accumulation of intermediate metabolites in the glycolysis, TCA cycle and pentose phosphate pathways. The mitochondrial protein, adenine nucleotide transporter (ANT), was activated for proton transportation leading to a transient potential collapse by proton leak. The SB activity was attenuated by ANT inhibition from gene knockdown or pharmacological blocker. The temperature drop was attenuated by i.p. injection of norepinephrine. The HDAC inhibitors, such as SAHA and pyruvate, did not exhibit the same effect. Conclusion and implications Super-dosed SB generated an immediate and reversible toxic effect for inhibition of body temperature through transient mitochondrial reprogramming in the brain. The mechanism was activation of ANT proteins for the proton leak in mitochondria.

Background and Purpose: Some studies showed that fluoxetine has some promising properties in the treatment of specific infections; however, its effects have not been studied in the sepsis model. This research aims to investigate the effect of fluoxetine on the inflammatory process in a sepsis model in rats and to investigate its efficacy in modifying the antibiotic effect of imipenem. Experimental Approach: 40 rats were equally divided into five groups. The first group is as a negative control, group 2 is a positive control, group 3 treated with fluoxetine 5mg/kg, group 4 treated with Imipenem antibiotic 60mg/kg, and group 5 treated with fluoxetine combined with imipenem for 72 hours. The expression level of serum and tissue HsCRP, pro-calcitonin (PCT), lactate, myeloperoxidase activity (MPO), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor (TNFα), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) was measured using ELISA. Oxidative stress markers were measured using photometric methods, total thiol (TT), native thiol (NT), total oxidant status (TOS), and total antioxidant status (TAS). Total tissue protein concentrations were measured by the Bradford method. Key Results: In fluoxetine, imipenem, and combined (fluoxetine + imipenem) groups, the IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, MPO, MCP-1, HsCRP, PCT, lactate, TOS, OSI, and disulfide levels were reduced (p<0.05). The antioxidant indicator (TT, NT, and TAS) levels significantly increased (p<0.05). Fluoxetine and imipenem combined therapy showed positive synergistic effects. Conclusion and Implications: This research shows that fluoxetine has an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect and its combined therapy with imipenem shows positive synergistic effects in the experimental sepsis model.

Merecidin induced A549 cells apoptosis. The present study aimed to assess the differentially phosphorylated proteins in lung cancer A549 cells treated with antibacterial peptide merecidin. Methods: TMT/iTRAQ labeling, LC-MS/MS analysis, HPLC grading, IMAC modification and enrichment, and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry of peptide. The data of proteins were filtered according to the localization probability >0.75 standard. The phosphorylated proteomics data were analyzed using GO, KEGG, and STRING databases. Western blots examined the changes in phosphorylated protein expression. Results: Protein function enrichment showed significant changes in the phosphorylation level with respect to protein binding, metabolic activity, molecular function regulation, cell process, and biological function regulation. Integrated pathway bioinformatics results showed that differential proteins are associated with several pathways, including mTOR and AMPK etc. Screening of the COG database revealed differentiated phosphorylated proteins in cell signal transduction, RNA transcription, translation processing and modification, ribosome synthesis of proteins, cytoskeleton protein formation, intracellular material transport, secretion, and vesicle transport. Protein interaction level analysis identified an interaction network with HDAC1, RPL23A, SRSF3H, and NCBP1.etc. The phosphorylated proteomics data and showed that after merecidin treatment, ATG2B and ULK1s were significantly upregulated, while MAPK1 and AKT were significantly downregulated. In addition, Western blot also showed the upregulated level of ATG13,ULK1;MAPK1 downregulated. Conclusion: The results verified the feasibility of phosphorylated proteomics analysis, confirmed the signaling pathways, and suggested that merecidin may induce autophagy of lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells.

The aim was to research the antimicrobial effects against clinically significant bacterial and fungal organisms and antioxidant activities of some syrups sold with and without prescriptions and commonly used for upper respiratory tract infections in children. The antimicrobial efficacy of 10 syrups, with five chemical-based and five herbal-based, against nine bacteria and one yeast species was tested with the disc diffusion method and data in the research were statistically analyzed. Additionally, the antioxidant efficacy of the syrups was researched with total phenolic content in addition to tests based on different methods. This study found herbal-based syrups had mean activity (11 mm) that was higher compared to chemical-based syrups (9.42 mm) according to results obtained by measuring the inhibition diameters. Among all syrups, the syrup containing Pelargonium sidoides root extract had highest activity against all microorganisms. While the total phenolic content of a syrup with chemical origin was higher than that of all other syrups, the antioxidant activity of another syrup containing many herbal extracts at the same time was considerably higher as a result of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate (DPPH) assay. Herbal-based syrups have stronger antimicrobial efficacy compared to chemical-based syrups. The strongest antimicrobial activity was in syrups with herbal-based active material of Pelargonium sidoides root extract and thyme fluid extract. The antioxidant activities of herbal syrups containing extracts of different parts of herbal species such as thyme, licorice root, echinacea, ginger, African geranium, barberry, and acerola were found to be more effective according to all three methods tested.

Diaminopimelic acid (DAP) is a characteristic component of peptidoglycan in Gram negative bacterial cell walls, and is an important component of organic matters in the ocean. Microbes play a vital role in promoting the recycling of marine DAP. However, neither the DAP content nor the DAP-utilizing microbes in the ocean have been investigated. Here, we measured the DAP contents in seawaters and investigated the diversity of marine DAP-utilizing microbes and their mechanism for DAP metabolism. The DAP contents are from 0.590 μM to 0.948 μM in the Western Pacific seawater from surface to 5000 m depth. DAP-utilizing bacteria of 20 families from 4 phyla were recovered from the Western Pacific seawater, and 14 strains were further isolated, which showed that Proteobacteria are the dominant group to utilize DAP. Based on genomic and transcriptional analyses combined with in vitro activity detection, DAP decarboxylase (LysA) is a key enzyme involved in DAP metabolism in the isolated Proteobacteria strains, which catalyzes the decarboxylation of DAP to form lysine. MurE and MurF are also two key enzymes for DAP metabolism, which are responsible for the incorporation of DAP into peptidoglycan for cell wall construction. Investigation in the TARA and GOS databases showed that microbes containing LysA-like sequences, which are predominantly Proteobacteria, are widely distributed in multiple habitats in the ocean, suggesting that DAP-utilizing microbes are widely spread in the ocean. This study provides the first insight into bacteria-driven DAP mineralization and recycling in the ocean.

A single premature stimulation from the para-Hisian region unmasked negative involvement of the left anterior fascicle in the reentrant circuit of verapamil-sensitive ventricular tachycardia with a right bundle branch block and right-axis deviationMasahiro Toba, MDa, Toshihiro Nasu, CEb, Nobuyoshi Nekomiya, CEb, Ryo Itasaka, CEb, Takao Makino, MDa, Hisashi Yokoshiki, MD, PhDaaDepartment of Cardiovascular Medicine, Sapporo City General Hospital, Sapporo, JapanbDivision of Medical Engineering Center, Sapporo City General Hospital, Sapporo, JapanShort title : A single premature stimulation from the para-Hisian region unmasked negative involvement of the left anterior fasciculeAddress for correspondence :Masahiro Toba, M.D.E-mail: masahiro-toba@doc.city.sapporo.jpHisashi Yokoshiki MD, PhDDepartment of Cardiovascular Medicine, Sapporo City General Hospital, Kita-11, Nishi-13, Chuo-ku, Sapporo 060-8604, Japan.Phone: 81-11-726-2211Fax: 81-11-726-7912E-mail: hisashi.yokoshiki@doc.city.sapporo.jpKey Words : verapamil-sensitive ventricular tachycardia, the left anterior fascicle, reentry, single premature stimulation, para-Hisian region, radiofrequency ablation

The global distribution of canine parvovirus (CPV-2), derived from a closely related carnivore parvovirus, has caused a considerable threat to the dog population. The virus continuously underwent genetic evolution, giving rise to several variants. To investigate the prevalence of Chinese CPV-2 strains in recent years, a total of 25 CPV-2 strains were isolated from 33 canine samples collected from 2018 to 2020, and then sequenced and analyzed. Two variants, New CPV-2a and CPV-2c were identified. Contrary to previous reports, the CPV-2c variant has gained an epidemiological advantage over the New CPV-2a variant in China. To make up for the relatively limited sample, 683 Chinese CPV-2 records identified between 2014 to 2019 were retrieved from Genbank and associated publications, whose result further supported our finding. That should be caught concern since the CPV-2c variant has been frequently related to vaccine failure in adult dogs. VP2 protein sequences analysis revealed several amino acid substitutions, including Ala5Gly, Pro13Ser, Phe267Tyr, Tyr324Ile, Gln370Arg, Thr440Ala, and Lys570Arg. Phylogenetic analysis indicated a close relationship between Chinese strains with Asian strains, suggesting the mutual transmission between Asian countries. Furthermore, the intercontinental transmission should be a cause for concern. Surprisingly, two feline panleukopenia (FPLV) strains with Ile101Thr mutation in VP2 protein were also successfully isolated from canine fecal samples, which was considered incapable of infecting dogs. This study clarified the epidemic characteristics of Chinese CPV-2 strains between 2014 and 2019, offering a reference for epidemic control. Besides, the detection of FPLV in canine samples may provide information for future studies on the evolution of carnivore parvovirus.

Background: Abnormal high ecotropic viral integration site 1 (EVI1) expression was recognized as a poor prognostic factor in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. However, its prognostic impact in B cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL) remains unknown. Procedures: A total of 176 pediatric Ph-negative BCP-ALL patients who received at least 1 course of chemotherapy and received chemotherapy only during follow-up were retrospectively tested EVI1 transcript levels by real-time quantitative PCR at diagnosis and survival analysis was performed. Clinical and EVI1 expression data of 129 pediatric BCP-ALL patients were downloaded from the therapeutically applicable research to generate effective treatments (TARGET) database for validation. Results: In our cohort, the median EVI1 transcript levels were 0.33% (range, 0.0068-136.2%), and 0.10% was determined as the optimal cutoff value for patient grouping by receiver operating characteristic curve. Low EVI1 expression (<0.10%) was significantly related to lower 5-year relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) rates (P=0.017 and 0.018), respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that EVI1<0.10% was an independent adverse prognostic factor for RFS and OS. TARGET data showed that low EVI1 expression tended to be related to a lower 5-year OS rate (P=0.066). Conclusions: Low EVI1 expression at diagnosis may predict poor outcome in pediatric Ph-negative BCP-ALL patients receiving chemotherapy.