An identical homozygous missense variant in EIF3F, identified through a large-scale genome-wide sequencing approach, was reported as causative in nine individuals with a neurodevelopmental disorder, characterized by variable intellectual disability, epilepsy, behavioral problems and sensorineural hearing-loss. To delineate and expand the phenotypic and molecular spectrum of EIF3F-related neurodevelopmental disorder, we examined 21 affected individuals, homozygous (20/21) or compound heterozygous (1/21) for c.694T>G/ p.(Phe232Val) in EIF3F. Haplotype analyses in 12 families suggested that c.694T>G/ p.(Phe232Val) was a founder variant. All affected individuals had developmental delays including delayed speech development. About half of the affected individuals had behavioral problems, altered muscular tone, hearing loss, and short stature. Moreover, this study suggests that microcephaly, reduced sensitivity to pain, cleft lip/palate, gastrointestinal symptoms and ophthalmological symptoms are part of the phenotypic spectrum. Minor dysmorphic features were observed, although neither the individuals’ facial nor general appearance were obviously distinctive. Symptoms in the compound heterozygous individual with an additional truncating variant were at the severe end of the spectrum in regard to motor milestones, speech delay, organic problems and pre- and postnatal growth of body and head, suggesting some genotype-phenotype correlation. Our study expands the phenotypic and molecular spectrum of EIF3F-related syndromic neurodevelopmental disorder.

Abstract: Due to the complex structure of the orthogonal steel bridge deck and dense weld, fatigue cracks are prone to occur in the typical welding details. Welding residual stress will cause a plastic zone at the crack tip. In this paper, an elastoplastic constitutive model of Chaboche material was introduced, and the extended finite element method (XFEM) was used to study the influence of material elastoplasticity and crack tip plastic zone on the law of fatigue crack propagation. By judging the stress state of the residual stress field at the crack tip and selecting different crack propagation rate models to investigate the crack propagation law when plastic deformation was considered, the propagation path and propagation rate of fatigue crack of the orthotropic bridge deck were obtained. The results show that, whether the residual stress field is considered or not, the plastic deformation at the crack tip will not cause the obvious closure of the fatigue crack at the U-rib toe during the crack propagation process, but will significantly affect the crack propagation path. When material plasticity is considered, the propagation angle of fatigue crack at the U-rib toe basically remains unchanged along the short-axis direction of the initial crack, but increases along the long-axis direction, and the crack tip plastic zone inhibits the propagation of the crack tip on one side. Compared with linear elastic materials, the crack propagation law considering material plasticity is more consistent with the actual fatigue crack propagation law in bridge engineering. In terms of the propagation rate, if the residual stress field is not considered, the fatigue crack propagation rate at U-rib toe with plasticity considered is slightly higher than that without plasticity considered, because plastic deformation will affect the amplitude of energy release rate. When considering the welding residual stress field, the fatigue crack propagation rate at U-rib toe is increased due to the combined actions of plastic deformation and stress ratio R.

Gut microbiota are increasingly recognized as an integral aspect of host health, and are influenced by environmental factors, host diet, and regular physiological stressors such as seasonal host movement ecologies. Migratory animals experiencing substantial change in diet and habitat across the annual cycle may have corresponding shifts in host-associated microbial diversity. Yet, challenges associated with sample collection from wild animals often inhibit resampling of the same populations and individuals which in turn decreases the ability to understand within-individual changes to gut microbiota over time.Using automated telemetry and radio tags to recapture birds, we examined gut microbiome structure in the same population and often same individuals of Kirtland’s Warblers (Setophaga kirtlandii) on their wintering grounds in The Bahamas and breeding territories in Michigan, USA. The community composition of gut microbiota varied significantly between locations with microbial diversity decreasing from The Bahamas to Michigan. We identified a species-specific core microbial profile that spans multiple time periods and environments. Our research highlights, at the individual and population level, that the avian gut microbiome is dynamic over time and is significantly impacted by changing environments associated with migration. These results support the need for full annual cycle monitoring of migratory bird microbiota to improve understanding of seasonal host movement ecologies and response to recurrent physiological stressors.

Rationale: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a major complication of premature birth and the most common cause of chronic lung disease in infancy. Previous studies have shown that children with a history of BPD have impaired lung function in childhood compared to their term counterparts. However, little is known about potential modifiable factors that alter lung function trajectories and subsequent respiratory morbidity in this population. Objectives: To identify potential modifiable risk factors for the development of impaired lung function in patients with a history of prematurity and BPD. Methods: Growth parameters (birth, 2yo, 6yo) and pulmonary function testing (6yo) were retrospectively reviewed for subjects (n=598) recruited from an outpatient BPD clinic who were born ≤36 weeks gestation and were ≥5 years of age. Results: Of the 598 recruited subjects, 88 (14.7%) performed adequate pulmonary function testing at approximately six years of age. The mean FEV1% predicted was 84.5% with lower values associated with lower median household income, Nissen fundoplication, and higher weight percentiles at 2yo. The mean FVC % predicted was 94.2% with lower values associated with higher amounts of oxygen required at time of initial hospital discharge, Nissen fundoplication, and higher weight percentiles at 2yo. Conclusions: Our study found that children with BPD have different long-term pulmonary trajectories than full-term controls. Supplemental oxygen, lower income, and Nissen fundoplication at discharge were associated with lower lung function at 6 years of age. Prospective studies should focus on modifiable risk factors that could minimize the impact of BPD on later lung function.

Background: Once daily intravenous (iv) treatment with tobramycin for Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) is usually monitored by measuring tobramycin trough levels. Although the necessity of these trough levels is recently questioned in CF patients without renal impairment, no study has evaluated this so far. The aim of this observational study was to evaluate the frequency of increased tobramycin trough levels in 278 courses of iv tobramycin in CF children and adolescents. Methods: Patient records of all consecutive once daily iv tobramycin courses in 35 CF patients between 07/2009 and 07/2019 were analyzed for tobramycin level, renal function, co-medication and comorbidity. Results: Eight elevated tobramycin levels (2.9% of 278 courses) were recorded in four patients, two with normal renal function. One of these did resolve without adjustment of tobramycin dosages suggesting laboratory error. In the other patient elevated tobramycin levels occurred after recently being started on lumacaftor/ivacaftor and decreased after dosage adjustment. Six of the elevated levels occurred in two patients with chronic renal failure. In 15 other patients with reduced glomerular filtration rate (GFR) (36 courses) no case of an elevated tobramycin trough level was detected. Cumulative tobramycin dosages were neither a risk factor for elevated trough levels nor were diabetes or nutritional status. Conclusion: In CF patients with normal GFR (GFR >100 ml/min) and in absence of additional risk factors (e.g. recently started CFTR modulator therapy) a monitoring of the once daily iv treatment by tobramycin trough levels seems not to be necessary.

Background: Early hypocapnia in preterm infants is associated with intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH) and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Volume targeted ventilation (VTV) has been shown to reduce hypocapnia in moderately preterm infants. Less is known of VTV in infants born at <26 weeks gestational age (wGA). Objectives: Our aim was to investigate the short- and long-term benefits of early VTV as compared to assist-control ventilation (ACV) in extremely preterm infants on incidence of hypocapnia, days on ventilatory support, IVH and BPD. Study Design: A retrospective observational study of 104 infants born at 22-25 wGA (24+0±1+1wGA; birth weight 619±146g), ventilated with either VTV (n=44) or ACV (n=60) on their first day of life. Ventilatory data and blood gases were collected at admission and every fourth hour during the first day of life, together with perinatal characteristics and outcomes. Results: Positive inspiratory pressure (PIP) was lower in the VTV-group than in the ACV-group during the first 20 hours of life (p<0.05), without any difference in end-expiratory pressure, respiratory rate or FiO2. Incidence of hypocapnia (PaCO2<4.5kPa) was lower with VTV than ACV during the first day of life (32% vs 62%; p<0.01). Infants in the VTV-group were more frequently extubated at 24 hours (30% vs 13%; p<0.05). IVH grade ≥3, BPD and time on mechanical ventilation did not differ between the groups. Conclusions: VTV is safe to apply in infants born at <26 wGA and was observed to have lower incidence of hypocapnia compared to infants ventilated by ACV, without any differences in outcomes.

This investigation was to confirm the relationship between asthma, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection, and the gut environment by analyzing the alterations in the gut microbiota of RSV-infected asthmatic mice. All BALB/c male mice were randomly separated into the control group (CON), ovalbumin (OVA) group, and OVA + RSV group (n = 8). At the end of experiment, we evaluated the RSV-infected asthma model using Wright-Giemsa staining, immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels using ELISA, and inflammatory cells using Hematoxylin and eosin (HE). Furthermore, airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) was measured by a Buxco’s modular and invasive system. Histopathological analysis of the murine lung tissue revealed that the inflammatory infiltration, edema, and collagen hyperplasia were more severe in the OVA + RSV group than in the other groups. Higher expression of interleukin-5 (IL-5), IL-13, IL-25, and IL-33 in mice from the OVA and OVA + RSV groups (*P < 0.05 and **P < 0.01). Moreover, feces were collected for 16S rRNA sequencing and data analysis. The associations between Prevotellaceae_UCG_001, which is positive, and immunoglobulin E (IgE), IL-13, and IL-33 were highly significant (***P < 0.001), IL-5 (**P < 0.01) and IL-25 (*P < 0.05). Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group was also positive, and significantly associated with IgE and IL-33. Helicobacter and Uncultured_Bacteroidales_bacterium are negative, had associated with IL-25 (*P < 0.05). Thus, we conclude that asthma with RSV infection can alter the major components of gut microbiota and influence the mutual relationship between the core operational taxonomic units (OTUs) and IgE as well as inflammatory cytokines.

Asymptomatic Reactivation of SARS-CoV-2 in a Child with Neuroblastoma Characterised by Whole Genome SequencingSatya Prakash Yadav1, Dhwanee Thakkar1, Rahul C. Bhoyar2, Abhinav Jain2,3, Teena Wadhwa4, Mohamed Imran2,3, Bani Jolly2,3, Mohit Kumar Divakar2,3, Rohit Kapoor1, Neha Rastogi1, Disha Sharma2,3, Paras Sehgal2,3, Gyan Ranjan2,3, Sridhar Sivasubbu2,3, Smita Sarma4,Vinod Scaria2,3Pediatric Hematology Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, Cancer Institute, Medanta The Medicity, Gurgaon, Haryana, India.CSIR Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB), Mathura Road, Delhi, IndiaAcademy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad- 201002, IndiaDepartment of Microbiology, Medanta The Medicity, Gurgaon, Haryana, India.Correspondence : Dr Satya P Yadav, Pediatric Hematology Oncology & BMT Unit, Cancer Institute, Medanta -The Medicity, Gurgaon, Haryana, India 122001.Email:satya_1026@hotmail.com, Fax: +91 1244962222Total Pages - 4Abstract (word count) – N/ATable - 0Figure - 1Text (word count) – 479Running title –COVID-19 reactivation proven by sequencingKey words – COVID-19; Reactivation; SARS-CoV-2; Genome Sequencing; Neuroblastoma

Background Cooperative clinical trials has increased the knowledge on pediatric tumors, however, this is not the case for rare tumors (RT). Objective To describe the incidence, clinical characteristics and outcome of RT in the pediatric age diagnosed at Garrahan Hospital. Material and methods Retrospective descriptive study of patients (pts) between 0 and 18 years admitted between January 2 007 and December 2 017, with diagnosis of RT. Results Of 1 657 pts with diagnosis of solid tumors, 164pts (9.9%) corresponded to RT, 71.95% (118pts) were under 14 years old and 81.7% (130pts) were male. In order offrequency RT were: thyroid carcinoma (ca) 60pts, adrenal ca 14pts, lung tumors 14pts, melanoma 13pts, salivary glands ca 11pts, gastrointestinal tumors 8pts, non-gonadal germinal tumors 7pts, pancreatic tumors 7pts, renal ca 6pts, nasopharyngeal ca 5pts, pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma 5pts, timo 1pte. The treatment received depended on the type of tumor and stage. With a median follow-up of 34.9 months (range: 1- 128.5 months), 133pts (78.7%) are alive and only 10pts (6%) were lost to follow-up. Conclusion Knowing these initial data will allow us to propose new registration strategies and to develop multidisciplinary proposals for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up.

This article investigates unsteady flow of viscous fluid flow by a rotating stretchable disk. Porous medium is considered and describe by Darcy’s law. Using the flow assumption, the flow model governs by system of partial differential equation (PDE). New dimensional less variables are introduce to covet the system to dimensionless from. Finite difference method is utilized to solve dimensionless PDE’s system. Effects of important flow parameters on velocity, temperature, Nusselt number and skin fraction are examined graphically. Results outcomes show that velocity decay though porosity parameter while temperature show is increasing function of Prandl and Eckert number. Skin fraction and Nusselt number increase for higher porosity parameter and Eckert number respectively.

The relative algorithms existing in medical devices for the identification of excitation sources inside the brain using EEG data are based on the assumption that the geometry of the brain-head system is spherical. So, taking EEG measurements from a realistic ellipsoidal model and using these data in a spherical model leads to a structural error. The purpose of the present work is to estimate this geometrical error. The results show that for ellipsoids with small principal eccentricities the errors are not significant. However these errors become bigger as the eccentricities increase and this is a general result that becomes available for any related applications of this inverse problem.

Rationale, aims and objectives Given the importance of screening for liver cancer and the lack of relevant research, this study aims to investigate the factors influencing physicians’ utilization behavior of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) by verifying the proposed research hypotheses based on the integration of the Theory of Planned Behavior and Technology Acceptance Model. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in Fujian and Jiangxi province, where has a high and low incidence of liver cancer in China, respectively. Two medical consortiums were randomly selected from each province, and 50% of the medical institutions were randomly selected from each medical consortium. Physicians working in liver disease-related departments of the selected medical institutions were invited to participate in the questionnaire survey. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the collected data. Results A total of 309 physicians were enrolled. The results showed that the research model fits the data well (χ2/df=2.906, CFI=0.947, TLI=0.939, and RMSEA=0.079). Physicians’ intention to use CEUS was directly associated with utilization behavior (β=0.287, P<0.001). Attitude (β=0.272, P<0.001), subjective norm (β=0.172, P<0.001), perceived behavioral control (β=0.491, P<0.001) and perceived usefulness (β=0.108, P<0.05) were significantly influence physicians’ intention. Besides, subjective norm (β=0.065, P<0.05), perceived behavioral control (β=0.141, P<0.01), and perceived ease of use (β=0.022, P<0.05) indirectly affected physicians’ utilization of CEUS. Conclusions The findings not only benefit expanding the knowledge of factors associated with physicians’ utilization behavior of CEUS, but also have implications for promoting the utilization of CEUS and other health technologies, such as building innovative and incentive environment, mobilizing the senior physicians and managers, and providing high quality and adequate training.

The Magdalena River in Colombia and its floodplain lakes are key ecosystems for the subsistence of Colombian society. Yet, hydrologic regulation, pollution, deforestation and climate change are threatening its ecological integrity. To understand how these floodplain lakes respond over decadal-centennial scales to natural and anthropogenic stressors, we selected two shallow lakes with varying degree of connectivity to the River and assessed their historical ecological and limnological change through a multi-proxy analysis of diatoms, geochemistry and lake’s morphometric variation resulting from extreme periods of high floods and droughts. The reconstruction of the more isolated San Juana Lake covered the last c.500 years. It showed riverine-flooded conditions from c.1555-1741 characterised by high detrital inputs, reductive conditions, and dominance of planktonic diatoms. From c.1758-1954, the riverine meander became disconnected, conveying into a marsh-like environment rich in aerophil diatoms and organic matter. The current lake was then formed around the mid 1960s and a diverse lake-associated diatom flora developed. Lake waters became more oxygenated, while sedimentation and nutrients increased through time since the lake formation. The reconstruction for Barbacoas Lake, a waterbody directly connected to the Magdalena River, spanned the last 60 years and showed alternating riverine-wetland-lake conditions dominated by planktonic and benthic diatoms respectively. An exception was however observed, during a prolonged period of low rainfall between 1989-1992, where the lake almost desiccated and where aerophil diatoms prevailed. Inferences of flood magnitudes and river connectivity in the lakes were supported by parallel increases in Zr/Fe (flooding) and detrital inputs (Ti/Ca) along with decreases in sedimentary OM. We proposed that lake hydrological connectivity to the Magdalena River is a main factor controlling lake long-term responses to human pressures. Highly connected lakes may respond more acutely to ENSO events while isolated lakes might be more sensitive to local land-use changes.

This paper presents a new model for valuing hybrid defaultable financial instruments, such as, convertible bonds. In contrast to previous studies, the model relies on the probability distribution of a default jump rather than the default jump itself, as the default jump is usually inaccessible. As such, the model can back out the market prices of convertible bonds. A prevailing belief in the market is that convertible arbitrage is mainly due to convertible underpricing. Empirically, however, we do not find evidence supporting the underpricing hypothesis. Instead, we find that convertibles have relatively large positive gammas. As a typical convertible arbitrage strategy employs delta-neutral hedging, a large positive gamma can make the portfolio highly profitable, especially for a large movement in the underlying stock price.

1. Understanding how ecosystem engineers influence other organisms has long been a goal of ecologists. Woodpeckers select nesting sites with high food availability and will excavate and then abandon multiple cavities throughout their lifetime. These cavities are crucial to secondary cavity nesting birds (SCB) that are otherwise limited by the availability of naturally occurring cavities. 2. Our study examined the influence of food resources on the nest site location and home-range size of woodpeckers, and the subsequent influence of woodpeckers on the nesting success of SCB. 3. Using five years of avian point count data to locate golden-fronted woodpeckers (GFWO), we correlated insect availability with GFWO home range size, determined differences in insect availability between GFWO occupied and unoccupied sites, and compared nesting success for the GFWO and common SCB in south Texas. We used model averaging to fit species-specific logistic regression models to predict nest success based on cavity metrics across all species. 4. Sites occupied by GFWO had a higher biomass of insects in orders Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, and Orthoptera than unoccupied sites, and there was a negative correlation between the availability of these insect orders and home-range size. GFWO nest success increased with vegetation cover and lower levels of tree decay. SCB had higher levels of nesting success in abandoned GFWO, and in trees with lower levels of nest tree decay. 5. Our results suggest that SCB may be drawn to nest in abandoned woodpecker cavities where they have higher rates of nest success compared to natural cavities. Additionally, the prevalence for GFWO to excavate cavities in trees with lower levels of decay contradicts previous literature, and may indicate a novel temperature trade-off, with live trees requiring more energy to excavate, but providing increased protection from high breeding season temperatures in arid and semi-arid areas.

In the last years, clusterin, a challenging and paradoxical apolipoprotein,has been of growing interest amongst a rising number of scientists. This enigmatic protein is present in all fluids of the organism besides within the intracellular matrix, and it plays diverse, and at times contrary, roles in a growing number of pathologies. It seems to vary its location and function to assure cellular survival being cytoprotective hence its significance in neuroprotection and cancer along with chemotherapy resistance. However, it can also lead to cellular arrest and its modulation to apoptosis. Additionally, it has been described to modulate pain, as well as linked to inflammation, cardioprotection, satiety and hunger, and possibly to addictive behaviour development .Thus, it has been postulated to be used both as a biomarker and a very explorable new therapeutic target for several conditions.

Poor cold flow property is a major issue that hinders the application of biodiesel-diesel blends. In this work, a series of methacrylate-benzyl methacrylate-N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone terpolymers (RMC-MB-NVP, R= C12, C14, C16, C18) was synthesized and used as the pour point depressants (PPDs) for waste cooking oil biodiesel blends. To further improve their depressive effects, dispersants, including Tween (40, 60, and 80), Span (40, 60, and 80), phthalic acid esters (PAEs), and fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether (FAPE; FAPE 5, FAPE 7, and FAPE 9), were optimized and combined with the C14MC-MB-NVP terpolymers. The effects of C14MC-MB-NVP terpolymers and combined PPDs (PPDC) on the cloud point (CP), cold filter-plugging point (CFPP), and pour point (PP) of biodiesel blends were studied. Here, results showed that the presence of dispersants can efficiently enhance the solubility and dispersibility of polymeric PPDs in biodiesel blends; thus, the PPDC presents better depressive effects. Among of them, C16MC-MB-NVP (5:1:1) combined with FAPE 7 dispersant at 4:1 mass ratio (PPDC-FAPE 7) showed the best synergistic effect, and the CP, CFPP, and PP of B20 treated with 2000 ppm PPDC-FAPE 7 decreased by 4, 10 and 19 °C, respectively. Moreover, differential scanning calorimetry, polarizing optical microscope and rheological analyses were performed to rationalize the action mechanism of these PPDs and dispersants in biodiesel blends.

The future of tropical forests is dependent on the capacity of young trees to adjust to drought. We evaluated multiple hydraulic traits indicative of the drought tolerance of small trees across nine common genera at the world’s longest-running tropical throughfall exclusion experiment and compared their responses with surviving large canopy trees. Small understorey trees increased specific hydraulic conductivity by 56.3% and leaf:sapwood area ratio by 45.6% in response to the drought treatment. However, understorey trees in both a control and the throughfall exclusion treatment had significantly lower minimum stomatal conductance and maximum hydraulic leaf-specific conductivity relative to the large trees, as well as significantly greater hydraulic safety margin (HSM) and PLC and embolism resitance, occupying a distinctly different hydrualic niche. The greater HSM of small understorey trees relative to large canopy trees likely enables them to adjust other aspects of their hydraulic systems to take advantage of increases in light availability in the understorey, driven by drought-induced mortality of canopy trees. Our results suggest that small understorey trees can adjust their hydraulic systems in response to changes in water and light availability and this has major implications for the regeneration potential of tropical forests following droughts.

Surgical checklists such as ‘World Health Organization (WHO) Surgical Safety Checklist’ are made to make surgery safer, simple and to reduce human errors. Similar to this concept, Ali M et al and others have implemented the ‘haemostasis checklist’ and it had shown reduction in incidence of re-exploration in patients who underwent surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). However, there is still scarcity of literature about the effect of these checklists on re-exploration after off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCABG).

Background: Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is the leading cause of maternal mortality, with loss of uterine tonicity as the main underlying cause. While mechanistic studies suggest that anemia-induced hypoxia reduces uterine tonicity, there is no meta-analysis of relevant clinical studies. Objectives: To conduct a systematic review/meta-analysis synthesizing clinical studies of the relationship between prenatal anemia and PPH. Search Strategy: We used search terms combining hemorrhage and anemia or their derivatives, and searched PUBMED/Medline, EMBASE , Cochrane, PROSPERO and Web of Science. Selection Criteria: Original peer-reviewed articles that measured an indicator of prenatal anemia and postpartum hemorrhage or postpartum hemorrhage-related mortality in humans. Data Collection and Analysis: Our primary analysis used random effects models to synthesize odds-ratios extracted from the studies. Heterogeneity was formally assessed with the Higgins’ I2 statistics and explored using meta-regression and subgroup analysis. Main Results: Overall, anemia was not associated with PPH (OR: 1.39; 95% (CI): 0.64 – 3.01). There was no statistical association with mild (OR=0.60; 95% CI: 0.31, 1.17, p-value = 0.13), or moderate anemia (OR=2.09; 95% CI: 0.40, 11.1, p-value = 0.39) and the risk of PPH. Our findings suggest that severe prenatal anemia increases postpartum hemorrhage risk (OR=3.54; 95% CI: 1.20, 10.4, p-value = 0.02). Conclusions: Mild and moderate prenatal anemia is not associated with PPH risk. High quality prospective studies are critical to evaluating the effect of severe anemia on PPH risk and related mortality. Funding: None. Key words: Maternal anemia, Post-partum hemorrhage risk factors, Post-partum hemorrhage-related mortality, Maternal mortality, Obstetric Emergency.

Objective: Telomeres gradually shorten and the incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF) gradually increases with age. However, the association of telomere length with AF is still controversial. This study aims to determine the correlation between the leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and the presence of AF. Methods: This study recruited 96 AF male patients and 97 healthy male controls (aged ≥60 years) Anthropometric, clinical and laboratory analysis were performed on all subjects. Blood LTL was detected by quantitative real-time PCR assay. PGC-1α concentration was evaluated by ELISA method. The association between LTL and AF was analyzed by simple and multivariate logistic regression. Results: LTL in AF patients was significantly shorter than controls (P < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis confirmed that LTL was inversely associated with the presence of AF (OR 0.428, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.268-0.684; P < 0.001). Furthermore, we conducted a subgroup analysis of different ages and different types of AF and found that LTL was negatively correlated with age (r = -0.148, P = 0.040), and there was no statistical difference among different types of AF. We found that the telomere-associated molecule serum PGC-1α concentration was also negatively related to AF (OR 0.991, 95% CI: 0.985-0.997; P = 0.004) . Conclusion: LTL and serum PGC-1α concentration are inversely correlated with the presence of AF in elderly male.

Introduction: Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) fails to display optimal views to guide left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) procedure in some patients due to atrio-esophageal anatomical limitation. We aimed to investigate if intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) conducted from left atrium (LA) achieves comparable multi-planar views and clinical outcomes as TEE during LAAC. Methods and Results: This study prospectively enrolled 102 consecutive patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation receiving LAmbre implants under local anesthesia at the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from August 2018 to July 2019. The procedures were guided by either ICE (n=40), TEE (n=50) or combined ICE-TEE (n=12). A novel multi-angled “FLAVOR” approach was used in ICE group for assessment. ICE allowed visualization of implanted device in all patients at all proposed angles with long-axis views, while TEE failed to do so in at least one of the angles in 36% of cases. In the combined ICE-TEE cohort, TEE failed peri-device leak assessment in 2 patients. Rates of procedural success, recapture, resizing and complications were similar between ICE and TEE groups. Fluoroscopy time, radiation dose and volume of contrast use in ICE group were significantly lower than the TEE cohort. At 45-day TEE follow-up, rate and degree of peri-device leaks were similar between the ICE and TEE groups. Conclusions: A systematic approach using ICE to guide LAmbre LAA occlusion was safe and feasible. This method was more reliable in comprehensive, multi-angled imaging assessment, and achieving shorter fluoroscopy time, lower radiation dose and less contrast use than TEE.

Flowering time is a major determinant of adaptation, fitness and yield in the allopolyploid species rapeseed (Brassica napus). Despite being a close relative to Arabidopsis thaliana, little is known about the timing of floral transition and which genes govern this process. Winter, semi-winter and spring type rapeseed have important life history characteristics that differ in vernalization requirements for flowering and are important for growing rapeseed in different regions of the world. In this study, we investigated the timing of vernalization-driven floral transition in winter rapeseed and the effect of photoperiod and developmental age on flowering time and vernalization responsiveness. Microscopy and whole transcriptome analysis at the shoot apical meristems of plants grown under controlled conditions showed that floral transition is initiated within few weeks of vernalization. Certain Bna.SOC1 and Bna.SPL5 homeologs were among the induced genes, suggesting that they are regulating the timing of cold-induced floral transition. Moreover, the flowering response of plants with shorter pre-vernalization period correlated with a delayed expression of Bna.SOC1 and Bna.SPL5 genes. In essence, this study presents a detailed analysis of vernalization-driven floral transition and the aspects of juvenility and dormancy and their effect on flowering time in rapeseed.

Coronaviruses are important human and animal pathogens. We will show that probably antibodies don’t have essential role in immunity against COVID-19 in long term, but a type of white globules named T cells may have critical role in immunity against COVID-19. T cells have long time memory to remain in blood. The most important point for investigation of such issue is mild effection of children to COVID-19. While the milder COVID-19 disease in children is remained secretly till this paper, but its understanding will provide important information about the disease. It may also suggest important protective mechanisms and targets for future therapies. Then a main factor in producing a vaccine for COVID-19 maybe consideration of mild infection report of children by COVID-19 comparing adults’ infection that causes conclusion of higher resistance of immune system of children comparing adults. We identified this could be because immunity of children is based on innate immunity (phagocytes) while adults are based on antibodies. Our results show innate immune system including phagocytes contribute severely to the elimination of COVID-19 in both mouse model and human. Our results also show the elimination of COVID-19 required the activation of B cells by CD4+ T cells. CD4+ T cells play an important role in elimination of COVID-19 in primary effection. We measured IgM and IgG in human patients including adults and kids and found that IgM and IgG in kids’ patients are much higher than other adults patients.