To describe the natural history and clinical features of sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in Chinese patients, and to report data on the prognostic factors for survival.
All patients ...referred to our ALS centre between 2003 and 2012 were followed up every 3 months. Survival and tracheotomy were predefined as primary outcome measures. Group differences were analysed using parametric and non-parametric tests as appropriate. Survival was analysed using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analysis.
Of the 1624 patients with ALS, 75.1% had limb-onset, 14.0% had bulbar-onset, 7.8% had flail-arm syndrome (FAS), 2.6% had progressive muscular atrophy and 0.5% had primary lateral sclerosis. The male:female ratio was 1.7:1, and the mean age at onset was 49.8 years. The median diagnostic delay was 14 months, and the median survival time after symptom onset was 71 months. Male gender, older age at symptom onset, lower body mass index, shorter diagnostic delay, bulbar-onset ALS phenotype, higher Airlie House category at presentation, rural place of residence, use of traditional Chinese medicine and a history of contact with pesticides were associated with poorer survival, whereas female gender or an FAS phenotype may have a better prognosis.
The clinical characteristics and outcomes of Chinese patients with sporadic ALS were different compared with patients from other countries. Compared with other studies, the age at onset of Chinese patients was earlier, the percentage of bulbar-onset ALS was lower and the prognosis was better. This study substantially advances the understanding of the clinical features and epidemiology of this rare disease.
The α2δ subunit is a high-voltage activated (HVA) calcium channel (Cav1 and Cav2) auxiliary subunit that increases the density and function of HVA calcium channels in the plasma membrane of mammals. ...However, its function in plant parasitic nematodes remains unknown. In this study, we cloned the full-length cDNA sequence of the voltage-gated calcium channel (VGCC) α2δ subunit (named DdCavα2δ) in Ditylenchus destructor. We found that DdCavα2δ tends to be expressed in the egg stage, followed by the J3 stage. RNA-DIG in situ hybridization experiments showed that the DdCavα2δ subunit was expressed in the body wall, esophageal gland, uterus, post uterine, and spicules of D. destructor. The in vitro application of RNA interference (RNAi) affected the motility, reproduction, chemotaxis, stylet thrusting, and protein secretion of D. destructor to different degrees by targeting DdCα1D, DdCα1A, and DdCavα2δ in J3 stages, respectively. Based on the results of RNAi experiments, it was hypothesized that L-type VGCC may affect the motility, chemotaxis, and stylet thrusting of D. destructor. Non-L-type VGCC may affect the protein secretion and reproduction of D. destructor. The DdCavα2δ subunit gene also affected the motility, chemotaxis, and reproduction of D. destructor. These findings reveal the independent function of the VGCC α2δ subunit in D. destructor as well as give a theoretical foundation for future research on plant parasitic nematode VGCC.
The aim of this study was to prepare nonleaching chitosan based wound dressings via chemical modification. A green and facile method was applied to fabricate ampicillin grafted chitosan (CSAP) ...sponges. The morphology, porosity, and swelling behavior of CSAP sponges were analyzed. Specifically, the antibacterial activity of CSAP sponges toward Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans, and Escherichia coli was assessed using a series of assays, including bacterial growth curve, nucleic acids leakage, and live/dead staining. As expected, CSAP sponges exhibit excellent antibacterial activity without any leaching. The cytotoxicity assay was carried out on HEK293 cells in vitro, and the result prove the good biocompatibility of the developed sponges. Moreover, the wound healing ability was evaluated using a wound model in vivo, and the result shows that the sponge could speed up wound healing efficiently. Thus, the chemically modified chitosan sponges exhibit great potential as promising wound dressings.
Nitrous acid (HONO) is a significant precursor of atmospheric
“detergent” OH radicals and plays a vital role in tropospheric chemistry.
The current knowledge about daytime HONO sources is incomplete, ...and its
impact on the tropospheric radical chemistry has not been fully quantified.
Existing observational studies of HONO were mostly conducted at the surface,
with few efforts focusing on the high-elevation atmosphere. In order to
better understand the characteristics and sources of HONO in the upper
boundary layer and lower free troposphere, two intensive field observations
were carried out at the summit of Mt. Tai (1534 m a.s.l.), the peak of the
North China Plain (NCP), in winter 2017 and spring 2018. HONO showed moderate
concentration levels (average ± standard deviation: 0.15±0.15
and 0.13±0.15 ppbv), with maximum values of 1.14 and 3.23 ppbv in
winter and spring, respectively. Diurnal variation patterns with broad
noontime maxima and lower nighttime concentrations were observed during both
campaigns, which is distinct from most of the previous studies at the ground
level. The Lagrangian particle dispersion model (LPDM, WRF-FLEXPART v3.3) simulations indicated the combined effects of the
planetary boundary layer evolution and valley breeze on the daytime HONO
peak. A photostationary state (PSS) analysis suggested a strong unknown
daytime HONO source with production rates of 0.45±0.25 ppb h−1 in
winter and 0.64±0.49 ppb h−1 in spring. Correlation analysis supported
the important role of photo-enhanced heterogeneous conversion of NO2 to
HONO on the aerosol surface at this high-elevation site. HONO photolysis is
the predominant primary source of OH radical and plays a major role in the
radical chemistry at Mt. Tai. The model only considering a homogenous HONO
source predicted much lower levels of the HOx radicals and atmospheric
oxidation capacity than the model constrained with measured HONO
data. This study sheds light on the characteristics, sources, chemistry, and
impacts of HONO in the upper boundary layer and lower free troposphere in
the NCP region.
The uplift of Tibet Plateau and the marginal sea spreading have had important influence on the tectonic, landform and drainage system in East Asia, although the marginal sea spreading in shaping the ...topography and drainage reorganization in East Asia has been still controversial. Here we present U-Pb age and Hf isotopic composition of detrital zircon grains from Cenozoic sedimentary rocks in Taiwan to understand how the provenance and river systems evolved. Our data show that the U-Pb age spectra of detrital zircon grains in Paleogene sandstones are dominated by Yanshanian (180–67Ma) zircon grains and with subordinate or nil Proterozoic and Archean zircon grains. These results are in contrast to those in Miocene rocks that are dominated by the Indosinian (257–205Ma) zircon grains together with Yanshanian, Proterozoic and Archean population. The initial Hf isotope ratios εHf(t) of the zircon grains also display systematic change in Paleogene and Neogene strata. Our data demonstrate that the Hsuehshan Range and Western Foothills in Taiwan have the same sedimentary sources. The source region of Paleogene strata was mainly located at the coast in southeast China and migrated inland over time. The source might have reached the Lower Yangtze region during early Miocene. Although the mechanism of transport of sediments from the Lower Yangtze region to Taiwan is unclear, we speculate that the Minjiang River might have been larger in Early Miocene than the present and might have delivered inland material along the boundary of Yangtze and Cathaysia Blocks to Taiwan. These were then captured by the Yangtze River systems at some time after Late Miocene. This change corresponds to the time of the drainage reorganization in East Tibet, such as Yangtze River, and the regional subsidence resulting from the opening of marginal sea. The combined effects of Tibet uplift and opening of marginal sea might have shaped the topography and river system reorganization in East Tibet. The evolution of topography and drainage systems in southeast China seems to be mainly controlled by the opening of marginal sea.
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•The same sedimentary source for the Paleogene stratigraphy in Western Foothills and Hsuehshan Range.•The provenance for the Tertiary strata in Taiwan has greatly migrated inland during Late Oligocene and Early Miocene.•The headwaters of Minjiang River could have reached up to the boundary of the Yangtze and Cathaysia Blocks in Early Miocene•The evolution of topography and drainage systems in SE China seems to be mainly controlled by the opening of marginal sea
Heterogeneous reactivity of N2O5 on aerosols is a critical parameter in assessing NOx fate, nitrate production, and particulate chloride activation. Accurate measurement of its uptake coefficient ...(γN2O5) and representation in air quality models are challenging, especially in the polluted environment. With an in situ aerosol flow-tube system, the γN2O5 was directly measured on ambient aerosols at two rural sites in northern and southern China. The results were analyzed together with the γN2O5 derived from previous field studies in China to obtain a holistic picture ofN2O5 uptake and the influencing factors under various climatic and chemical conditions. The field-derived or measured γN2O5 was generally promoted by the aerosol water content and suppressed by particle nitrate. Significant discrepancies were found between the measured γN2O5 and that estimated from laboratory-determined parameterizations. An observation-based empirical parameterization was derived in the present work, which better reproduced the mean value and variability of the observedγN2O5. Incorporating this new parameterization into a regional air quality model (WRF-CMAQ) has improved the simulation of N2O5, nitrogen oxides, and secondary nitrate in the polluted regions of China.
Atmospheric ice nucleation plays an important role in modulating the global hydrological cycle and atmospheric radiation balance. To date, few comprehensive field observations of ice nuclei have been ...carried out at high-altitude sites, which are close to the height of mixed-phase cloud formation. In this study, we measured the concentration of ice-nucleating particles (INPs) in the immersion freezing mode at the summit of the Changbai Mountains (2623 m above sea level), northeast Asia, in summer 2021. The cumulative number concentration of INPs varied from 1.6 × 10−3 to 78.3 L−1 over the temperature range of −5.5 to −29.0 °C. Proteinaceous-based biological materials accounted for the majority of INPs, with the proportion of biological INPs (bio-INPs) exceeding 67 % across the entire freezing-temperature range, with this proportion even exceeding 90 % above −13.0 °C. At freezing temperatures ranging from −11.0 to −8.0 °C, bio-INPs were found to significantly correlate with wind speed (r = 0.5–0.8, p < 0.05) and Ca2+ (r = 0.6–0.9), and good but not significant correlation was found with isoprene (r = 0.6–0.7) and its oxidation products (isoprene × O3) (r = 0.7), suggesting that biological aerosols may attach to or mix with soil dust and contribute to INPs. During the daytime, bio-INPs showed a positive correlation with the planetary boundary layer (PBL) height at freezing temperatures ranging from −22.0 to −19.5 °C (r > 0.7, p < 0.05), with the valley breezes from southern mountainous regions also influencing the concentration of INPs. Moreover, the long-distance transport of air mass from the Japan Sea and South Korea significantly contributed to the high concentrations of bio-INPs. Our study emphasizes the important role of biological sources of INPs in the high-altitude atmosphere of northeastern Asia and the significant contribution of long-range transport to the INP concentrations in this region.
Because anthropogenic sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions have decreased considerably in the last decade, PM2.5 pollution in China has been alleviated to some extent. However, the effects of reduced SO2 ...on the particle number concentrations and subsequent contributions of grown new particles to cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) populations, particularly at high altitudes with low aerosol number loadings, are poorly understood. In contrast, the increase in provincial forest areas in China with rapid afforestation over the last few decades expectedly increases the biogenic emissions of volatile organic compounds and their oxidized products as nucleating precursors therein. In this study, we evaluated the campaign-based measurements made at the summit of Mt. Tai (1534 m a.s.l.) from 2007 to 2018. With the decrease in SO2 mixing ratios from 15 ± 13 ppb in 2007 to 1.6 ± 1.6 ppb in 2018, the apparent formation rate (FR) of new particles and the net maximum increase in the nucleation-mode particle number concentration (NMINP) in the spring campaign of 2018 was 2- to 3-fold higher than those in the spring campaign of 2007 with almost the same occurrence frequency of new particle formation (NPF) events. In contrast, the campaign-based comparison showed that the occurrence frequency, in which the maximum geometric median diameter of the grown new particles (Dpgmax) was > 50 nm, decreased considerably from 43 %–78 % of the NPF events before 2015 to < 12 % in 2017–2018. Assuming > 50 nm as a CCN threshold size at high supersaturations, the observed net CCN production decreased from 3.7 × 103 cm-3 (on average) in the five campaigns before 2015 to 1.0 × 103 cm-3 (on average) in the two campaigns in 2017–2018. We argue that the increases in the apparent FR and NMINP are mainly determined by the availability of organic precursors that participate in nucleation and initial growth, whereas the decrease in the growth probability is caused by the reduced emissions of anthropogenic precursors. However, large uncertainties still exist because of a lack of data on the chemical composition of these smaller particles.
Background Upper motor neuron-dominant ALS (UMND ALS) is recognized to have early onset and good prognosis, but may have a rapid decline in motor function due to gait instability in the early stage. ...We investigated changes in lower extremity function in UMND ALS, particularly UMND ALS patients accompanied with postural instability or repeated falls (UMND ALS plus). Results Among the 2,353 ALS patients reviewed, 211 (9.0%) had UMND ALS. UMND ALS had a longer diagnosis delay and restricted symptoms. Although UMND ALS patients had better lower extremity function and strength than matched classic ALS patients on first evaluation, there was no difference in the time of needing assistance or not being able to walk after disease onset. In contrast, UMND ALS plus has severe UMN symptoms and a more rapid decline in motor function. The lower extremity function was no better than that in the matched classic ALS. The prognosis of UMND ALS and UMND ALS plus were significantly better than those of overall ALS. Conclusion UMND ALS has restricted symptoms but has a rapid decline in lower extremity function in the early stage of the disease. The motor function decline of UMND ALS plus is as fast as classic ALS. Whether these patients represent a distinct subgroup of ALS deserves further investigation.
Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a cardiovascular disease which has been reported as a major cause of mortality worldwide for several years. Berberine (BBR) is a natural compound extracted from a ...Chinese herb, with a clinically reported anti‑DCM effect; however, its molecular mechanisms have not yet been fully elucidated. The present study indicated that BBR markedly alleviated DCM by inhibiting IL‑1β secretion and the expression of gasdermin D (Gsdmd) at the post‑transcriptional level. Considering the importance of microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) in the regulation of the post‑transcriptional process of specific genes, the ability of BBR to upregulate the expression levels of miR‑18a‑3p by activating its promoter (‑1,000/‑500) was examined. Notably, miR‑18a‑3p targeted Gsdmd and abated pyroptosis in high glucose‑treated H9C2 cells. Moreover, miR‑18a‑3p overexpression inhibited Gsdmd expression and improved biomarkers of cardiac function in a rat model of DCM. On the whole, the findings of the present study indicate that BBR alleviates DCM by inhibiting miR‑18a‑3p‑mediated Gsdmd activation; thus, BBR may be considered a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of DCM.
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