Portal hypertension and splenomegaly are common in patients with cirrhosis. However, there is limited previous in vivo research on the correlation between spleen stiffness and stages of liver ...fibrosis. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value of spleen stiffness measurement (SSM), using acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) technology, for liver fibrosis assessment. Eligible patients with chronic hepatitis B or C (n = 163) underwent concurrent liver stiffness measurement (LSM), SSM and percutaneous liver biopsy. Receiver operating characteristic curves estimated the diagnostic performance of SSM, with multiple linear regression models for LSM and SSM determining the significance of explanatory factors. Results indicated significant correlation between LSM and SSM (R2 = 0.574, P < 0.0001). Using SSM to classify METAVIR fibrosis (METAVIR F) scores, the areas under curves were 0.839 (95% CI: 0.780–0.898) for METAVIR F1 vs F2–4, 0.936 (95% CI: 0.898–0.975) for F1–2 vs F3–4 and 0.932 (95% CI: 0.893–0.971) for F1–3 vs F4, all P < 0.001. Multiple linear regression models identified BMI, spleen stiffness, METAVIR F3 and F4, serum alanine aminotransferase, international normalized ratio of prothrombin time, sodium and platelet count as significant independent explanatory factors for liver stiffness (adjusted R2 = 0.724, P < 0.001). Male gender, liver stiffness, METAVIR F2, F3 and F4 also significantly and independently explained spleen stiffness (adjusted R2 = 0.647, P < 0.001). ARFI SSM is potentially useful as a single or adjunct predictor of stages of liver fibrosis.
Abstract
The re-emergence of stem rust on wheat in Europe and Africa is reinforcing the ongoing need for durable resistance gene deployment. Here, we isolate from wheat,
Sr26
and
Sr61
, with both ...genes independently introduced as alien chromosome introgressions from tall wheat grass (
Thinopyrum ponticum
). Mutational genomics and targeted exome capture identify
Sr26
and
Sr61
as separate single genes that encode unrelated (34.8%) nucleotide binding site leucine rich repeat proteins.
Sr26
and
Sr61
are each validated by transgenic complementation using endogenous and/or heterologous promoter sequences.
Sr61
orthologs are absent from current
Thinopyrum elongatum
and wheat pan genome sequences, contrasting with
Sr26
where homologues are present. Using gene-specific markers, we validate the presence of both genes on a single recombinant alien segment developed in wheat. The co-location of these genes on a small non-recombinogenic segment simplifies their deployment as a gene stack and potentially enhances their resistance durability.
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of psychiatric disorders have identified multiple genetic associations with such disorders, but better methods are needed to derive the underlying biological ...mechanisms that these signals indicate. We sought to identify biological pathways in GWAS data from over 60,000 participants from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium. We developed an analysis framework to rank pathways that requires only summary statistics. We combined this score across disorders to find common pathways across three adult psychiatric disorders: schizophrenia, major depression and bipolar disorder. Histone methylation processes showed the strongest association, and we also found statistically significant evidence for associations with multiple immune and neuronal signaling pathways and with the postsynaptic density. Our study indicates that risk variants for psychiatric disorders aggregate in particular biological pathways and that these pathways are frequently shared between disorders. Our results confirm known mechanisms and suggest several novel insights into the etiology of psychiatric disorders.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBMB, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
This paper uses insights from new economic geography (NEG) to examine eight commodities that span the COVID-19 medical value chain from 2000 to 2020 based on the multilayer network approach. Such an ...approach is distinguished from single layer approaches by taking into consideration interlayer connections. Centrality measures are based on the HITs algorithm to identify dominant exporters (hubs) and importers (authorities). We further examine the determinants of the multilayer trade networks with a gravity model. Three results are reported. First, the core-periphery structure under NEG has weakened over time with the internationalization of production in certain Covid medical commodities (CMCs). Second, home market effect remains relatively strong over time reflecting the role of NEG’s agglomeration economies in locations with large home market demand. Finally, countries that restricted certain CMCs (especially PPEs and masks) even as they simultaneously facilitated the imports of other CMCs saw a decrease in exports.
The objective of this study was to examine the effects of low-dose pregabalin on the analgesic efficacy, side-effects, and recovery profile in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
One ...hundred and sixty-two patients aged 18–65 yr, of ASA physical status I–III, undergoing elective outpatient laparoscopic cholecystectomy were recruited and randomized in this prospective, placebo-controlled, double-blind study to receive one of the following study medications orally: pregabalin 50 mg, pregabalin 75 mg, or placebo, 1 h before surgery and then every 12 h after operation for a total of three doses. Postoperative numeric pain scores, analgesic consumption, recovery score (QoR-40), and side-effects (opioid-related symptom distress scale) were assessed in the early postoperative period (every 15 min during the first hour, at 90, 120 min, 6, and 12 h) and at days 1, 2, and 7. Data were analysed using an intention-to-treat method.
Compared with the placebo group, the pain scores were lower in the pregabalin 75 mg group in the first 90 min after surgery (P<0.05). Pregabalin 50 mg resulted in pain reduction at 30 and 45 min (P<0.05) relative to placebo. The analgesic consumption, side-effects, and recovery scores were similar among the three groups.
Perioperative administration of pregabalin 75 mg provided limited analgesic benefit in the postoperative period. An updated meta-analysis confirms this finding (see Supplementary material).
In this paper, a theoretical model is established to describe the effect of nanoscale amorphization in nanocrystalline bimaterials on the dislocation emission from the tip of a collinear crack at the ...interface. In the description, nanoscale amorphization is formed by the splitting transition of the Grain Boundary (GB, the disclination of GBs caused by the movement of GBs). The analytical solution of the model is obtained by the elasticity complex potential solution method. In addition, the effects of nanoscale amorphization, dislocation emission angle, interfacial crack length and material constants of nanocrystalline bimaterials on the critical stress intensity factor of interfacial crack tip corresponding to dislocation emission are discussed through numerical analysis. The analysis shows that the influence of nanoscale amorphization in nanocrystalline bimaterials on the critical stress intensity factor (SIF) corresponding to dislocation emission depends on the dislocation emission angle, the position and size of the nanoscale amorphization, interface crack length and relative shear modulus. With the increase in relative shear modulus and dislocation emission angle, the normalized critical SIF decreases at first and increases afterwards. When the nanoscale amorphization size is small, the critical SIF of the dislocation is less affected, but when the size is larger, the impact becomes great. The influence of nanoscale amorphization on the dislocation emission from collinear interface crack tip is related to nanoscale amorphization and relative shear modulus. There is a critical relative shear modulus that the increase in dislocation intensity has little effect on dislocation emission. Appropriate selection of materials for the upper and lower planes can reduce the critical stress intensity factor corresponding to dislocation emission, thereby promoting the dislocation emission from interface cracks and improving the toughness of the nanocrystalline bimaterials.
Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3)-induced myocarditis, initially considered a sole immune-mediated disease, also results from a direct CVB3-mediated injury of the cardiomyocytes. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) ...have, besides immunomodulatory, also anti-apoptotic features. In view of clinical translation, we first analysed whether MSCs can be infected by CVB3. Next, we explored whether and how MSCs could reduce the direct CVB3-mediated cardiomyocyte injury and viral progeny release, in vitro, in the absence of immune cells. Finally, we investigated whether MSC application could improve murine acute CVB3-induced myocarditis.
Phase contrast pictures and MTS viability assay demonstrated that MSCs did not suffer from CVB3 infection 4-12-24-48 h after CVB3 infection. Coxsackievirus B3 RNA copy number decreased in this time frame, suggesting that no CVB3 replication took place. Co-culture of MSCs with CVB3-infected HL-1 cardiomyocytes resulted in a reduction of CVB3-induced HL-1 apoptosis, oxidative stress, intracellular viral particle production, and viral progeny release in a nitric oxide (NO)-dependent manner. Moreover, MSCs required priming via interferon-γ (IFN-γ) to exert their protective effects. In vivo, MSC application improved the contractility and relaxation parameters in CVB3-induced myocarditis, which was paralleled with a reduction in cardiac apoptosis, cardiomyocyte damage, left ventricular tumour necrosis factor-α mRNA expression, and cardiac mononuclear cell activation. Mesenchymal stem cells reduced the CVB3-induced CD4- and CD8- T cell activation in an NO-dependent way and required IFN-γ priming.
We conclude that MSCs improve murine acute CVB3-induced myocarditis via their anti-apoptotic and immunomodulatory properties, which occur in an NO-dependent manner and require priming via IFN-γ.
The study on the surface morphology and crystal orientation of the Zn-0.5Sn coating could offer some guidance to improve the surface performance of the hot-dip galvanizing coating. In this paper, a ...scanning electron microscope (SEM) and an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) were used to analyze the typical morphology and the element distribution of spangles. The surface texture of the coating was analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) was used to analyze the crystal orientation of spangles. The results show that Sn segregates among the spangle dendrites while a metastable divorced eutectic structure can be maintained in the tin-rich phase, where the composition tends to be very similar. The crystal orientation of spangles affects their morphology, leading to the formation of feathery, ridged, and orthogonal dendrite arm spangles. When the angle among the orientation of the spangle crystal and the normal of the steel base surface changes from 0? to 90?, feathery spangles change to orthogonal dendrite arms spangles. The misorientation within a spangle is small while that among spangles is quite large. The orientation changes in the direction of the dendrite arm are relatively smooth and low, while the orientation changes which are perpendicular to the dendrite arm have a saltatory and irregular fluctuation.
We report channel and strain engineering of self-organized, gate-stacking heterostructures comprising Ge-nanosphere gate/SiO2/SiGe-channels. An exquisitely-controlled dynamic balance between the ...concentrations of oxygen, Si, and Ge interstitials was effectively exploited to simultaneously create these heterostructures in a single oxidation step. Process-controlled tunability of the channel length (5-95 nm diameters for the Ge-nanospheres), gate oxide thickness (2.5-4.8 nm), as well as crystal orientation, chemical composition and strain engineering of the SiGe-channel was achieved. Single-crystalline (100) Si1−xGex shells with Ge content as high as x = 0.85 and with a compressive strain of 3%, as well as (110) Si1−xGex shells with Ge content of x = 0.35 and corresponding compressive strain of 1.5% were achieved. For each crystal orientation, our high Ge-content, highly-stressed SiGe shells feature a high degree of crystallinity and thus, provide a core 'building block' required for the fabrication of Ge-based MOS devices.
Traveling waves in a reaction-diffusion system are essential for long-range communication in living organisms and inspire biomimetic materials of similar capabilities. One recent example is the ...traveling motion waves among photochemically oscillating, silver (Ag)-containing colloids. Being able to manipulate these colloidal waves holds the key for potential applications. Here, we have discovered that these motion waves can be confined by light patterns and that the chemical clocks of silver particles are moved forward by reducing local light intensity. Using these discoveries as design principles, we have applied structured light technology for the precise and programmable control of colloidal motion waves, including their origins, propagation directions, paths, shapes, annihilation, frequency, and speeds. We have also used the controlled propagation of colloidal waves to guide chemical messages along a predefined path to activate a population of micromotors located far from the signal. Our demonstrated capabilities in manipulating colloidal waves in space and time offer physical insights on their operation and expand their usefulness in the fundamental study of reaction-diffusion processes. Moreover, our findings inspire biomimetic strategies for the directional transport of mass, energy, and information at micro- or even nanoscales.
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