Plant functional traits often vary among species due to multiple factors. Here, using a dataset consisting of 9370 plant species from East Asia, we found that growth form and climate region explained only 1.7% and 0.3%, respectively, of the variance in fruit type, while phylogenetic conservatism explained 79.5%. Furthermore, phylogenetic conservatism was distributed from the base to the tips of the phylogeny, implying that fruit type reflects both ancient and recent phylogenetic relationships. When phylogeny was not considered, growth form and climate region explained 20.6% and 1.5% of the variation, implying that the association between fruit type and growth form is due primarily to phylogenetic conservatism of both traits, as opposed to correlated evolution. Our results highlight the dominant role of phylogenetic conservatism in explaining the pattern of fruit type can be revealed by parsing out the contributions of explanatory variables and phylogeny to the variance in species’ traits.

Enlarged brains of homeotherms bring behavioural advantages, but incur high energy expenditures for the animal. The ‘Expensive Tissue’ (ET) hypothesis links the evolution of the enlarged brain to increased cognitive abilities (CA) that improved foraging performance, social interactions and allowed for reduction in size of the energetically demanding gut. We tested the directionality of the evolutionary trade-off between brain, gut and CA using experimental evolution model consisting of lines of laboratory mice subjected to artificial selection on basal (BMR) or maximum (VO2max) aerobic metabolism - traits that are implicated in evolution of homeothermy and CA. High BMR mice had bigger guts, but not brains. Yet, they performed better in cognitively demanding tasks and had higher neuronal plasticity than their counterparts. The data indicate that evolutionary increase of CA was initially associated with brain plasticity and fuelled by an enlarged gut, which was not traded off for brain size, as the ET posits.

Fishery resources are highly threatened by man-made chemicals that cause early life-stage mortality in fish, and could consequently block population recruitment. In a wide-scale and long-term investigation in Taihu Lake, we found that the temporal and spatial variation in embryonic mortality of crucian carp were consistent with the embryonic TDCIPP concentrations. We also confirmed in a well-controlled laboratory study that environmental concentrations of TDCIPP could cause embryonic mortality in crucian carp. Thus, TDCIPP was a major causal agent for mass embryonic mortality of crucian carp in Taihu Lake. These findings highlight the deleterious effect of this high-production-volume industrial chemical on global fishery and suggest ecosystem conservation should account for supervision of ubiquitous chemicals.

A document by Doina Pruteanu. Click on the document to view its contents.

Renal fibrosis can contribute to progressive damage both to renal structure and function. It is a common pathological process through which chronic kidney disease develops into kidney failure irrespective etiologies, and eventually leads to death. However, there is no available drug to treat renal fibrosis. Lipid aggregation and lipid toxicity within kidney always tightly accompanied chronic kidney disease as well as renal fibrosis. Moreover, accumulated studies have revealed that restoring the defective fatty acid oxidation in the kidney cells can reduce renal fibrosis. Thus, it is an important strategy to correct the dysfunctional lipid metabolism in the kidney by targeting critical regulators of lipid metabolism. This emerging direction brings ideas for the drug target determination to prevent or treat renal fibrosis, which may create bona fide drugs for this thorny disease burden. In this review, we highlight the potential “druggability” of lipid metabolism to resist renal fibrosis and provide current preclinical evidence, exemplified by some representative druggable targets and several other metabolic regulators with anti-renal fibrosis roles. Then we introduce the preliminary progress of noncoding RNAs and phytochemicals as promising anti-renal fibrosis drug targets or drugs from the perspective of lipid metabolism. Finally, we discuss the prospects and deficiencies of interfering with lipid reprogramming in the kidney.

Objectives:The purpose ofthis randomized prospective study was to investigate the efficacy and clinical results of del Nido solution (DNS) use in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery compared to intermittent warm blood cardioplegia (IWBC). Methods:Thirty-nine adult patients who underwent primary isolated CABG surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) between June 2018 and February 2019 were included in the study. DNS was used in 17 patients and IWBC in 22. The clinical and laboratory results were then compared. Results:Aortic cross-clamp time and CPB time were both lower with DNS. However, we observed no statistically significant difference in clinical results between the two methods, including postoperative myocardial enzymes. Conclusion:Single-dose DNS reduced CPB and aortic cross-clamp times, and provided similar short-term clinical and laboratory outcomes to a conventional multi-dose BC strategy in isolated CABG surgery.

Cor triatriatum is a rare congenital heart disease. A 57-years-old woman had cor triatriatum with severe mitral valve regurgitation (MR) and atrial fibrillation (AF). We perfomed mitral valve repair, left atrial appendage resection, and maze procedure by resection of the anomalous septum in the left atrium. At result, MR was controllable and AF disappeared after the operation. Although there is no established maze procedure with cor triatriatum, removing the septum was effective to complete it.

Cardiac pseudoaneurysm is a contained rupture of the cardiac wall. Rarely symptomatic, the risk of death by stroke or rupture is high and suggests surgical treatment. Surgical strategy depends on its anatomical considerations. We reported the case of a submitral pseudoaneurysm. We excluded it by a conservative transmitral approach, without any short- and long-term complication.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the most devastating pandemic of this century. Little is known about the impact of COVID-19 on children, especially those with underlying conditions. We describe the case of a 4-year-old with hereditary spherocytosis who was found to be positive for COVID-19 and secondary hemolytic anemia. With supportive care and transfusions, he clinically improved, and his hemoglobin stabilized. This case reminds us to remain vigilant in evaluating high risk patients for hemolysis in the face of infection. Further studies on the clinical presentation and trajectory of patients presenting with COVID-19 and underlying disease should be encouraged.

Allergic asthma is the most frequently observed asthma phenotype in the majority of individuals with asthma. Whereas, non-atopic asthma is a phenotype with no allergic sensitization. Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) controls several physiological functions through different serotoninergic receptors (5-HTR). However, the exact role of the serotonin in pathophysiology of asthma has not been understood clearly. Importantly, genetic, epigenetic and environmental risk factors play a crucial role in the etiology of asthma. Evidence suggests that psychosocial stress has been identified as one of the environmental risk factors for the asthma development. Previously, the 5HTR2C gene rs6318 G>C variation has been associated with HPA-mediated response to stress, blood cortisol levels, cardiovascular diseases and psychological disorders. In addition, it has been recognized that 5HTR2C receptor acts like an immunomodulator by controlling the release of different inflammatory cytokines from bronchial epithelial cells. However, there was no study found in the literature to show the association between the 5HTR2C gene rs6318 G>C and asthma. Thus, this particular study aimed to investigate the association between the 5HTR2C gene rs6318 G>C and allergic asthma in pediatric patients. This study included 181 individuals, (120 control and 61 patients). Skin prick test was performed for each patient to confirm asthma diagnosis and to evaluate atopic status. Genotyping for the 5HTR2C was completed by Quantitative-PCR analysis. The genotype distribution frequencies were not in compliance with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for patients group (p<0.00001, X2=28.0). Additionally, the frequency of risk allele (allele C) was no significantly difference between two groups (p=0.476, OR=0.785, 95%CI= 0.404-1.526). The genotypic distribution of between atopic asthma and non-atopic asthma within patients groups were in agreement with HWE (p<0.00001, X2= 14.130; p= 0.007, X2=14.130, respectively). The allele frequency of the disrupting allele C showed a statistically significance between atopic and non-atopic asthma patients groups (p= 0.0318, OR= 3.555, 95%CI= 1.117-11.317). Overall, this results indicated that there is an association between 5HTR2C rs6318 C variant and childhood non-atopic asthma.

Abstract Objective: To develop a core outcome set for trials investigating interventions to prevent stillbirth. Design Outcomes identified from a systematic literature review and semi-structured interviews with parents were entered into a two-round online Delphi survey. Setting and population Australia and UK Methods: Delphi survey and focus group/consensus meetings Results: A core outcome set containing 11 outcomes in two categories. Five outcomes were related to the mother; fetal loss (to include both miscarriage and stillbirth), onset of and mode of delivery (to include induced/spontaneous and instrumental/vaginal/CS), maternal mortality or near miss (according to WHO definition), psychological and social impact on the mother (assessed using a validated tool appropriate to context), women’s knowledge. Six outcomes were related to the baby; timing of stillbirth (antepartum/intrapartum), neonatal mortality, gestational age at delivery, birthweight (g), congenital anomaly, NICU/SCBU or other higher-level neonatal care length of stay (days). Conclusion Implementation and dissemination of this core outcome set in future trials will contribute towards coordinated outcome reporting and advancing usefulness of research to guide clinical practice. Keywords: Core outcomes, core outcome set, Stillbirth, Delphi

Objective: To describe a cohort of women with a physical disability in various reproductive life stages to support the development of specific management targets, especially during the fertile stage. Design: Community survey. Population / Sample: We analysed data from 440 female participants with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) aged over 16 years from the cross-sectional community survey of the Swiss Spinal Cord Injury Cohort Study (SwiSCI) in 2017. Methods: The full cohort was analysed using descriptive analysis. For women in the fertile reproductive life stage, a regression technique was used to identify the predictors of becoming a mother after SCI. Results: More than 50% of the sample were aged over 56, and approximately one fourth were in the fertile (16-45 years) age group. Motherhood after SCI was most prevalent in women with low and incomplete lesions and those who sustained an SCI at a young age. The chances of giving birth significantly decreased when sustaining an SCI after the age of 35. The mean age at first delivery after SCI (age 31.2±5 years) was five years higher compared to women with an SCI who gave birth before sustaining SCI (age 26.2±5 years). Conclusions: The study provides evidence for the need for tailored and specific lifespan adjusted obstetric and gynaecological services for women with SCI and for women with a disability in general. Funding: This study has been financed through the framework of the Swiss Spinal Cord Injury Cohort Study supported by the Swiss Paraplegic Foundation.

Objective: To evaluate the association between maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index and fetal acidosis while accounting for the mode of delivery. Design: Prospective cohort study Setting: Japan Population: Participants from the Japan Environment and Children’s Study with singleton pregnancies after 22 weeks of gestation who gave birth during 2011–2014 Methods: Participants were categorized into five groups according to pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) (kg/m2): G1 (BMI<18.5), G2 (18.5 to <20.0), G3 (20.0 to <23.0), G4 (23.0 to <25.0), and G5 (≥25.0). Multiple logistic regression analysis evaluated the effect of maternal pre-pregnancy BMI on fetal acidosis while accounting for the mode of delivery. Main outcome measures: Fetal acidosis was defined as umbilical artery pH (UmA-pH) <7.2 or <7.1. Results: We analyzed 71,799 participants. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) of UmA-pH <7.2 using G3 as the reference group were 1.17 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06–1.30) in G5 and 0.89 (95% CI, 0.82–0.97) in G2. After stratification, aORs of UmA-pH <7.2 were 1.12 (95% CI, 1.08–1.35) in G5 and 0.90 (95% CI, 0.83–0.98) in G2, and the aOR of UmA-pH <7.1 was 0.80 (95% CI, 0.65–0.98) in G2 using G3 as the reference group for vaginal delivery. No association existed between pre-pregnancy BMI and fetal acidosis for delivery via cesarean section. Conclusions: In Japanese women, pre-pregnancy BMI ≥25.0 kg/m2 significantly increased the likelihood of fetal acidosis in newborns delivered vaginally.

Metabolic pathways have emerged as cornerstones in carcinogenic deregulation providing new therapeutic strategies for cancer management. This is illustrated by the recent discovery of a cholesterol metabolic branch involving the biochemical transformation of 5,6-epoxycholesterol (5,6-ECs). 5,6-ECs have been shown to be differentially metabolized in breast cancers (BC) compared to normal breast tissue. 5,6-ECs are metabolized into the tumour promoter oncosterone in BC, while they are transformed into the tumour suppressor metabolite dendrogenin A (DDA) in normal breast tissue. Blocking oncosterone’s mitogenic and invasive potential will represent new opportunities for BC treatment. The reactivation of DDA biosynthesis, or its use as a drug, represents promising therapeutic approaches such as DDA-deficiency complementation, activation of BC cell re-differentiation and BC chemoprevention. This review presents current knowledge as to the 5,6-EC metabolic pathway in BC focusing on the 5,6-EC metabolic enzymes ChEH and HSD11B2, and on 5,6-EC metabolite targets LXRβ and GR.

Abstract Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the 3rd epidemic coronavirus after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Since December 2019, the outbreak of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2 has aroused great attention around the world. Pregnant women and their fetuses have been concerned as a high-risk population. We explained why pregnant women are susceptible to coronavirus in terms of their adaptive changes in physiology and immune system during pregnancy, and described the associations between maternal clinical symptoms, perinatal outcomes and coronavirus infections.

In recent decades, alpine grassland has been serimously degraded across the Qinghai Tibetan Plateau (QTP), although grazing exclusion has been widely adopted to restore degraded QTP grassland. It remains unknown whether this management approach is effective for all degraded alpine grasslands. In this study, plots with three grazing management treatments (free grazing, FG; reduced grazing, RG; grazing exclusion, GE) and four degradation stages (non-degradation, ND; light degradation, LD; moderate degradation, MD; heavy degradation, HD) were compared. Our results showed that the total aboveground biomass (AGB) and species richness (SR) were reduced while total belowground biomass (BGB) increased with increasing degradation, and the responses of SR, AGB and BGB to grazing management varied with the degree of degradation. The total AGB in the LD, MD and HD stages reduced significantly after 6 years under RG and GE, but there was no significant change of AGB in the ND stage. Meanwhile, SR reduced significantly after 6 years under RG and GE across all degradation stages except for HD. Furthermore, the responses of plant functional groups to grazing management varied. After 6 years under RG and GE, the Gramineae AGB increased significantly across all degradation levels; that of the sedges decreased (except in the MD stage); and that of the forbs increased significantly in LD and HD but decreased significantly in ND. Our result suggested that the light degradation grassland can be restored by reducing grazing, and moderate degradation and heavy degradation grassland can restored by grazing exclusion.

Objectives: To compare the efficacy of temporalis fascia myringoplasty using platelet rich plasma(PRP) {MP-PRP} and conventional temporalis fascia myringoplasty(MP-C) in treatment of moderate to large central tympanic membrane(TM) perforation . STUDY DESIGN: Randomized-Control-Trial SETTING: Tertiary-Health-Centre SUBJECTS AND METHODS:We randomly assigned eighty patients with COM-mucosal-type with medium to large central TM perforation and conductive hearing loss planned for primary myringoplasty to receive either MP-PRP orMP-C. Myringoplasty was performed through post-auricular approach underlay graft using temporalis fascia. Primary outcome was graft uptake (an intact TM) at 6 months postoperatively. Secondary outcome was the post-operative hearing improvement measured by pure-tone-audiometry (PTA). RESULTS: Eighty myringoplasties (MP-PRP group-40, MP-C group-40) done for 80 patients (male=41; female=39,age-group=18-45-years) were included in analysis. At 6months postoperatively graft uptake rate was 94.4% in MP-PRP and 92.1%% in MP-C group. There was no statistically significant difference in graft uptake between the two groups(p=0.358).Success in terms of hearing gain (≥10dB) was achived in 34 patients (89.5%) in MP-C and 37 patients (94.9%) in MP-PRP group.At 6months follow-up; mean-PTA-average improved from 35.10±5.401dB to 27.74±5.660dB and mean ABG improved from 24.00±5.204dB to17.42±5.559dB in MP-C group. At 6months follow-up; mean-PTA-average improved from 37.00±6.144dB to 26.65dB and mean air bone gap(ABG) improved from 25.98±5.736dB to 16.21±4.318dB in MP-PRPgroup. No statistically significant differences in improvement in PTA-values were observed between both groups. (p=0.336).Postoperative complications were similar in both groups. Conclusion: Graft uptake, hearing outcomes and complications of MP-PRP were similar to MP-C. MP-PRP offers no advantages over MP-C for treatment of TM perforation.

Objectives To investigate the ability of a physical barrier to reduce aerosol particle spread during a simulated aerosol generating procedure. Design A simulated aerosol generating procedure. Setting Standard hospital ward, St George’s Hospital, London. Participant One volunteer participant - they were healthy, asymptomatic, and a non-smoker. Main Outcome Measures 1. To compare the effect of the shield on particle frequency (according to particle size) at different locations. 2. To evaluate the length of time that particles remained within the shield, both with and without an aspiration unit. Results Clinical investigations using the shield demonstrated a twelve-fold decrease in the number of particles detected at the position of the operating surgeon when the shield was used (particle size 0.3μm; with shield 8662 versus 103800 without shield). Over a 7-minute period, there was a reduction in the number of particles. At 7 minutes, the total number of particles (size 0.3μm) measured within the shield was comparable to the particle frequency at ambient levels (8752 within the shield compared with 8592 within the ambient environment). The aspiration unit reduced the number of particles detected within the shield over time. An average of 9649 particles (similar to ambient level) sized 0.3μm were measured under the shield after 2 minutes when the aspiration unit was used. Conclusion The clinical simulation illustrates a significant decrease in the number of particles detected at varying locations when the shield is used. The shield, used with appropriate PPE, could help to minimise exposure to aerosol-generated particles such as during tracheostomies on patients with COVID-19.

Complete vibrational assignments have been performed for free base, cationic and hydrochloride species derived from antiviral adamantadine by combination of hybrid B3LYP with the 6-31G* and 6-311++G** basis sets and the SQMFF methodology. Normal internal coordinates and scaling factors were used to obtain the harmonic force fields and scaled force constants of three species in gas phase and in aqueous solution. Bond lengths and angles of cationic and hydrochloride species show very good concordances with the experimental of amantadinium azide. The cationic species reveals higher solvation energy value, as compared with antiviral agents, however, brincidofovir, the antiviral used to ebola disease presents a higher reactivity against to adamantadine. Positive value of Mulliken charge on N1 of hydrochloride species in solution could justify the ionic character of H29•••Cl30 bond, as evidenced by bond order and AIM calculations. The hydrochloride species is the most reactive in both media while the cationic species the less reactive. High electrophilicity and nucleophilicity indexes of cationic species in both media justify its higher hydration. Good concordances were observed between experimental and predicted 1H and 13C NMR and electronic spectra. In solution, the three species are present as revealed by the experimental UV spectrum of hydrochloride amantadine

Abstract Objective: To compare the comprehensive developments between children with large vestibular aqueduct syndrome (LVAS) and children without LVAS and investigate the risk factors for developments of LVAS children. Design: A retrospective propensity score matching analysis. Setting: Beijing Children′s Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children′s Health, Beijing, China. Method: 70 children with LVAS (41 boys, median of 28.50 months, range 6-72 months, hearing threshold: 82.54±12.58 dB nHL) and 70 gender-, age-, and auditory- matched overall children were recruited as LVAS and non-LVAS group, respectively. The developments of children were assessed by Gesell development schedules. Then the overall development and sub-development results were compared between the two groups. Regression analyses were used to assess the association between potential risk factors and developments of LVAS subjects. Results: Compared with normal developmental metrics, LVAS children and non-LVAS children both had developmental delay (both P<.001), which occurred not only in verbal but also in non-verbal aspects (all P<.05) except gross motor in non-LVAS subjects. Whereas, the deaf children of two groups had the similar performance including all sub-developments (all P>.05). For the developments of LVAS children, the age of intervention was risk factor (B<0, P<.05) and the developments of children older than 12 months was worse than those of children younger than 12 months (P<.05). Conclusion: Children with LVAS had the equal developmental level in comparison with children with same hearing impairments. Age of diagnosis was the risk factor for developments of LVAS children and the obvious delay of developments stared from 12 months.

This work proposes a novel population-balance based model for a bubbling fluidized bed reactor. This model considers two continuum phases: bubble and emulsion. The evolution of the bubble size distribution was modeled using a population balance, considering both axial and radial motion. This sub-model involves a new mathematical form for the aggregation frequency, which predicts the migration of bubbles from the reactor wall towards the reactor center. Additionally, the reacting particles were considered as a lagrangian phase, which exchanges mass with the emulsion phases. For each particle, the variation of the pore size distribution was also considered. The model presented here accurately predicted the experimental data for biochar gasification in a lab-scale bubbling fluidized bed reactor. Finally, the aggregation frequency is shown to serve as a scaling parameter.

Four new molecules namely bis (5,6-difluoro-3-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-indene-2,1-diylidene) di-malononitrile (NDM-1), 3-fluorothiophen-2-yl) methylene)-5, 6-difluoro-3-oxo-2, 3-dihydro-1H-inden-1-ylidene) acetate (NDM-2), 5, 6-difluoro-3-oxo-2, 3-dihydro-1H-inden-1-ylidene)-3-methyl-2-thioxothiazolidin-4-ylidene) malononitrile (NDM-3) and bis (1-methyl-2, 6-dioxo-1, 2, 5, 6-tetrahydropyridine-3-carbonitrile) (NDM-4) containing central Naphthalene Di-Imide fragment with different end capped acceptors are designed for enhance photovoltaic properties. The absorption strength of designed molecules are between 400 and 490 nm, re-organization energy values vary from 0.0187 eV to 0.0343 eV for electron and 0.0210 eV to 0.0458 eV for hole, open circuit voltages are from 4.39 V to 4.73 V which indicates their better photovoltaic properties as compare to the R (3-methyl-4-oxo-2-thioxothiazolidin-5-ylidene) methyl).

Current technological developments in the field of wireless communications has enabled the use of ultra-low power, lightweight, miniature types of smart health monitoring devices which are integrated into a Wireless Body Sensor Network (WBSN). Vital signs in humans such as temperature, heartbeat, and pulse can be tracked and detected from a remote location with help of biomedical wireless sensors. This article proposes a method to securely encrypt the patient’s data and transmit it to the authorized doctor using wireless devices with in the hospital premises. This article is aimed at generating electrocardiogram (ECG) based key agreement scheme for the sake of generating a common key in a body area network. This kind of smart health information communication method by means of sensors and internet connection to servers is more confidential and encrypted to protect the patient’s health data. Security and Privacy mechanisms use a significant part of the available energy and should therefore be energy efficient and light weight. The Proposed work in this article is implemented in Telosb running ContikiOS. The TelosB mote is designed for experimentation with low-power personal wireless area network (LoWPAN) with IEEE 802.15.4/ZigBee/Telosb compliant RF transceiver. By using iris or fingerprints, the security of this technique can be further improved.

A case of a 43 years old female in intensive care unit admitted with severe and persistent attacks of diarrhea ,she was administered high doses of loperamide and she developed supraventricular tachycardis attacks which disappeared upon dose reduction and then stopping of the drug.