A total of 900 juvenile Jian carp (Cyprinus carpio var. Jian) (7.99 ± 0.02 g) were fed diets containing graded levels of xylanase at 220 (unsupplemented control), 650, 1070, 1480, 1810 and ...2470 U kg⁻¹ diet for 10 weeks to investigate the effects of xylanase levels on growth performance, intestinal enzyme activities and microflora. The per cent weight gain, feed efficiency, protein efficiency ratio, protein production value, lipid production value, ash production value, calcium production value and phosphorus retention ratio were significantly improved with increasing levels of xylanase up to a point, and thereafter declined (P < 0.05). The activities of trypsin, chymotrypsin, lipase and amylase in the hepatopancreas and intestine, activities of alkaline phosphatase, Na⁺, K⁺‐ATPase, creatine kinase and γ‐glutamyl transpeptidase in three intestinal segments were improved by dietary xylanase (P < 0.05). The amounts of Lactobacillus, Escherichia coli and Aeromonas were significantly affected by dietary xylanase levels (P < 0.05). In conclusion, xylanase supplementation improved growth performance, enhanced intestinal enzyme activities and influenced the balance of intestinal microflora of juvenile Jian carp. The optimal level of xylanase in juvenile Jian carp (7.99–99.16 g) based on PWG was 1259 U kg⁻¹ diet by the quadratic regression analysis.
We investigate the current-induced switching of the Néel order in NiO(001)/Pt heterostructures, which is manifested electrically via the spin Hall magnetoresistance. Significant reversible changes in ...the longitudinal and transverse resistances are found at room temperature for a current threshold lying in the range of 10^{7} A/cm^{2}. The order-parameter switching is ascribed to the antiferromagnetic dynamics triggered by the (current-induced) antidamping torque, which orients the Néel order towards the direction of the writing current. This is in stark contrast to the case of antiferromagnets such as Mn_{2}Au and CuMnAs, where fieldlike torques induced by the Edelstein effect drive the Néel switching, therefore resulting in an orthogonal alignment between the Néel order and the writing current. Our findings can be readily generalized to other biaxial antiferromagnets, providing broad opportunities for all-electrical writing and readout in antiferromagnetic spintronics.
Growth performance, digestive and absorptive capacities and target of rapamycin (TOR), ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 (S6K1) and eIF4E‐binding protein (4E‐BP) gene expression in the hepatopancreas and ...intestine of juvenile grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) fed graded ratios of dietary alpha‐linolenic acid/linoleic acid (ALA/LNA) (0.01, 0.34, 0.68, 1.03, 1.41, 1.76 and 2.15) for 60 days were investigated. The results showed that ALA/LNA ratio of 1.03 significantly improved (i) per cent weight gain (PWG) and feed efficiency, (ii) hepatopancreatic trypsin, chymotrypsin, lipase, amylase and intestinal creatine kinase (CK) activities, (iii) hepatopancreatic trypsinogen‐2 and chymotrypsinogen mRNA levels. Meanwhile, fish fed with ALA/LNA ratio of 0.68 significantly enhanced, (iv) Na+/K+‐ATPase and γ‐glutamyl transpeptidase activities in whole intestine, and alkaline phosphatase activities in the proximal intestine (PI) and distal intestine, (v) amylase, intestinal Na+/K+‐ATPase alpha‐subunit isoform 1, Na+/K+‐ATPase alpha‐subunit isoform 8 and CK mRNA abundances, (vi) TOR and S6K1 gene expression in the hepatopancreas and intestine of juvenile grass carp. Based on the quadratic regression analysis of PWG, cholecystokinin and leptin contents in the PI, optimal dietary ALA/LNA ratio of juvenile grass carp (8.78–72.00 g) was estimated to be 1.08, 1.19 and 1.05, respectively.
Since December 2019, the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that emerged in Wuhan city has spread rapidly around the world. The risk for poor outcome dramatically increases once a patient ...progresses to the severe or critical stage. The present study aims to investigate the risk factors for disease progression in individuals with mild to moderate COVID-19.
We conducted a cohort study that included 1007 individuals with mild to moderate COVID-19 from three hospitals in Wuhan. Clinical characteristics and baseline laboratory findings were collected. Patients were followed up for 28 days for observation of disease progression. The end point was the progression to a more severe disease stage.
During a follow up of 28 days, 720 patients (71.50%) had recovered or were symptomatically stable, 222 patients (22.05%) had progressed to severe disease, 22 patients (2.18%) had progressed to the critically ill stage and 43 patients (4.27%) had died. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models identified that increased age (hazard ratio (HR) 2.56, 95% CI 1.97–3.33), male sex (HR 1.79, 95% CI 1.41–2.28), presence of hypertension (HR 1.44, 95% CI 1.11–1.88), diabetes (HR 1.82, 95% CI 1.35–2.44), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (HR 2.01, 95% CI 1.38–2.93) and coronary artery disease (HR 1.83, 95% CI 1.26–2.66) were risk factors for disease progression. History of smoking was protective against disease progression (HR 0.56, 95% CI 0.34–0.91). Elevated procalcitonin (HR 1.72, 95% CI 1.02–2.90), urea nitrogen (HR 1.72, 95% CI 1.21–2.43), α-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (HR 3.02, 95% CI 1.26–7.21) and D-dimer (HR 2.01, 95% CI 1.12–3.58) at baseline were also associated with risk for disease progression.
This study identified a panel of risk factors for disease progression in individuals with mild to moderate COVID-19.
Abstract Background and aims We conducted a dose-response meta-analysis to summarize the evidence from prospective cohort studies regarding the association of fruit and vegetable consumption with ...risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods and results Pertinent studies were identified by searching Embase and PubMed through June 2014. Study-specific results were pooled using a random-effect model. The dose-response relationship was assessed by the restricted cubic spline model and the multivariate random-effect meta-regression. We standardized all data using a standard portion size of 106 g. The Relative Risk (95% confidence interval) RR (95% CI) of T2DM was 0.99 (0.98–1.00) for every 1 serving/day increment in fruit and vegetable (FV) ( P = 0.18), 0.98 (0.95–1.01) for vegetable ( P = 0.12), and 0.99 (0.97–1.00) for fruit ( P = 0.05). The RR (95%CI) of T2DM was 0.99 (0.97–1.01), 0.98 (0.96–1.01), 0.97 (0.93–1.01), 0.96 (0.92–1.01), 0.96 (0.91–1.01) and 0.96 (0.91–1.01) for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 servings/day of FV ( Pfor non-linearity = 0.44). The T2DM risk was 0.96 (0.95–0.99), 0.94 (0.90–0.98), 0.94 (0.89–0.98), 0.96 (0.91–1.01), 0.98 (0.92–1.05) and 1.00 (0.93–1.08) for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 servings/day of vegetable ( Pfor non-linearity < 0.01). The T2DM risk was 0.95 (0.93–0.97), 0.91 (0.89–0.94), 0.88 (0.85–0.92), 0.92 (0.88–0.96) and 0.96 (0.92–1.01) for 0.5, 1, 2, 3 and 4 servings/day of fruit ( Pfor non-linearity < 0.01). Conclusions Two-three servings/day of vegetable and 2 servings/day of fruit conferred a lower risk of T2DM than other levels of vegetable and fruit consumption, respectively.
Studies measuring circulating irisin levels in patients with insulin resistance conditions such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have achieved controversial ...results. Our systematic review and meta-analysis aim to assess the circulating irisin levels in patients with diabetes mellitus. Pubmed, EMBASE, CENTRAL, ISI Web of Science, and CNKI were searched to identify observational studies of circulating irisin levels in patients with diabetes mellitus. Two reviewers independently searched the databases and screened studies according to the inclusion criteria. Data were extracted using a standardized collection form. Meta-analysis was performed. A total of 23 studies (17 cross-sectional and 6 case control) involving 1 745 diabetic patients and 1 337 non-diabetic controls were selected. Compared with non-diabetic controls, circulating irisin concentrations were significantly lower in patients with T2DM (SMD -1.72, 95%CI -2.49, -0.96; p<0.00001) and GDM (SMD -0.76, 95CI -1.31, -0.22; p=0.006), but 30 percent higher in patients with T1DM. Circulating irisin in Asian diabetic patients decreased more than European patients. The findings of our current review suggest that circulating irisin levels were decreased in patients with T2DM and GDM, but not in patients with T1DM.
Whether the near-infrared (NIR) extinction law is universal has long been a debated topic. Based on the APOGEE H-band spectroscopic survey, a key project of SDSS-III, the intrinsic colors of a large ...number of giant stars are accurately determined from the stellar effective temperature. Taking advantage of this and using a sample of 5942 K-type giants, the NIR extinction law is carefully revisited. The color excess ratio E(J - H)/E(J - K sub(S)), representative of the NIR extinction law, shows no dependence on the color excess when E(J - K sub(S)) changes from ~0.3 to ~4.0, which implies a universal NIR extinction law from diffuse to dense regions. The constant value of E(J - H)/E(J - K sub(S)), 0.64, corresponds to a power law index of 1.95. The other two ratios, E(H - K sub(S))/E(J - K sub(S)) and E(J - H)/E(H - K sub(S)), are 0.36 and 1.78, respectively. The results are consistent with the MRN dust size distribution.
A 56‐day feeding trial was carried out to investigate the effect of dietary glutamate (Glu) supplementation on growth performance, digestive enzyme activities and intestinal antioxidant capacity of ...grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella). A total of 540 grass carp with average initial weight of 370 ± 3.8 g were fed three diets supplemented with 0, 8 and 16 g kg⁻¹ Glu. The per cent weight gain, specific growth rate, feed conversion ratio, and protein and lipid productive value were significantly improved by dietary Glu supplementation. Feed intake, condition factor, visceral somatic index and perivisceral fat ratio were not significantly different between dietary groups. Hepatosomatic index, intestinal somatic index, intestine length index, intestine protein content, trypsin activity in hepatopancreas and intestine, lipase activity in proximal and mid‐intestine (MI) and hepatopancreas, alkaline phosphatase and gamma‐glutamyl transpeptidase activities in intestine, creatine kinase activities in the mid‐ and distal intestine, intestinal folds height in the proximal and MI were significantly increased with increased Glu. Malondialdehyde and protein carbonyl contents in the intestine decreased with increased Glu. Superoxide anion and hydroxyl radical scavenging ability, glutathione reducase, catalase and total superoxide dismutase activities, and glutathione content in the intestine were increased with increased Glu. These results suggested that dietary Glu supplementation increased intestinal antioxidant capacity, digestive and absorptive ability and improved fish growth.
The efficacy and safety of transvenous embolization for brain arteriovenous malformations remains unclear, given the very limited number of cases reported. This prospective study was performed to ...assess this technique in ruptured AVMs.
Twenty-one consecutive patients with ruptured brain AVMs who underwent transvenous embolization were prospectively followed between November 2016 and November 2018. The Spetzler-Martin grade was I in 3 AVMs (14.3%), II in four (19.0%), III in eleven (52.4%), and IV in three (14.3%). The complete AVM occlusion rate was calculated from 6-month follow-up DSA images. Occurrence of hemorrhage and infarction after embolization was evaluated using CT and MR imaging within 1 month after the operation. The mRS was used to assess the functional outcomes.
Complete AVM nidus obliteration was shown in 16 (84%) of 19 patients with technically feasible AVMs immediately after embolization. One (5%) patient with a small residual nidus after treatment showed complete obliteration at 13-month follow-up. There were 5 hemorrhages and 1 infarction; 4 patients' symptoms improved gradually. The percentage of cases with mRS ≤ 2 rose from 57.1% (12/21) before embolization to 66.7% (14/21) at 1-month follow-up. Both the morbidity and mortality rates were 4.8% (1/21).
Transvenous embolization can be performed only in highly selected hemorrhagic brain AVMs with high complete obliteration rates, improved functional outcomes, and acceptable morbidity and mortality rates, but it should not be considered as a first-line treatment.