Genomic diversity improves disease discovery for all

Genomic data from different populations will improve understanding of complex diseases.

Long-term albumin infusion improves survival in patients with cirrhosis and ascites: An unblinded randomized trial

AIM： To investigate the effects of long-term albumin administration on survival, recurrence of ascites and onset of other complications. METHODS： One hundred consecutive patients admitted for first-onset ascites were randomized to receive diuretics plus human albumin 25 g/wk in the first year and 25 g every two wk thereafter （group 1） or diuretics alone （group 2）. The primary endpoint was survival without liver transplantation. Secondary endpoints were recurrence of ascites and occurrence of other complications. RESULTS： Median follow-up was 84 （2-120） mo. Albu- min-treated patients had significantly greater cumulative survival rate （Breslow test= 7.05, P= 0.0078） and lower probability of ascites recurrence （51% versus 94%, P〈0.0001）. Chronic albumin infusion resulted in a mean increase in survival of 16 mo. CONCLUSION： Long-term albumin administration after first-onset ascites significantly improves patients＇ survival and decreases the risk of ascites recurrence.

MMP Inhibitor Ilomastat Improves Survival of Mice Exposed toγ-Irradiation

There is still a need for better protection against or mitigation of the effects of ionizing radiation following conventional radiotherapy or accidental exposure. The objective of our current study was to investigate the possible roles of matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor, ilomastat, in the protection of mice from total body radiation（TBI）, and the underlying protective mechanisms. Ilomastat treatment increased the survival of mice after TBI. Ilomastat pretreatment promoted recovery of hematological and immunological cells in mice after 6 Gy γ-ray TBI. Our findings suggest the potential of ilomastat to protect against or mitigate the effects of radiation.

Combination of Plugging and Acidization Improves Injection Profile

Plugging agent treatment and acid stimulation have completely different mechanisms for improving injection profiles. In this paper, a hybrid procedure is introduced to reduce the damage of the plugging agent to low and medium permeability zones and the penetration radius of acid into high permeability zones. The procedure is: First inject plugging agent to block high permeability zones, and then inject acid to remove plugging agent damage from the low and medium permeability zones and stimulate them. To perform this procedure successfully, three kinds of plugging agents, namely strong strength plugging agent for the wells with fractures or high permeability streaks, weak gel for those with thick layer in which serious heterogeneity exists, temporary plugging agent for those in which the absorption ability of high permeability zones needs maintaining, were screened out for use in different reservoirs. Several acid systems were evaluated to be compatible with the three kinds of plugging agents. The objectives of this paper are:(1)To show the screen results about the compatible plugging agent and acid; 2 To show how to optimize the operation process;(3)To tell some experience gained ( ) from the oilfield applications of this technique. From Jan. 2001 to Dec. 2002, 46 operations using this procedure were carried out in Weicheng and Mazhai Oilfields of SINOPEC. Results show that the average benefit/cost ratio is over 3.5. Experience acquired from these applications was summarized in the paper.

Better preoperative planning improves liver resection outcomes

Since the advent of liver resection as a treatment option for benign and malignant liver diseases, liver resections have continued to become safer with most centers reporting low morbidity and mortality. Gradual improvements in outcomes over the last decade have largely been due to improvement in surgical techniques including the more routine use of laparoscopy and advances in perioperative care.

IT tool improves oil prospects

Drilling an oil well costs tens of millions of dol-lars,yet there iS no guarantee that the well is go-ing to be gushing with oil or gas.Anything that canreduce that uncertainty will potentially bring aboutsavings in the millions of dollars.And Shaoqing Sunhas found a nice niche in this field.

ZTE DSLAM Improves Operators' Carbon Footprint and Slashes Power Costs

ZTE Corporation (ZTE), a leading global provider of telecommunications equipment and network solutions, revealed on May 6, 2008 that its award winning Broadband Universal Access System could help operators make a major impact on their carbon footprint as well as save millions of dollars a year in power costs. ZTE’s DSLAM ZXDSL FSAP 9806H overreaches the European code of conduct on energy consumption for broadband equipment, offering a significant power consumption savings per port.

Comment on amniotic membrane covering promotes healing of cornea epithelium and improves visual acuity after debridement for fungal keratitis

【正】Dear Editor,We congratulate Zeng et al[1]for their study entitled"Amniotic membrane covering promotes healing of cornea epithelium and improves visual acuity after debridement for fungal keratitis".The authors endeavored to present an alternative method for ophthalmologists in the treatment of a challenging case.We would like to express our reservations and ask for the attitudes of the authors about

Health Care Service Improves in Aba

Before liberation,there were only six public health stations and two missionary hospitals in Aba.The number of medical institutions,however,has shot up to 499 there.

Scalp electroacupuncture at the Baihui acupoint (DU 20) improves functional recovery in rats with cerebral ischemia Association with increased expression of vascular endothelial growth factors

In this study, we induced cerebral infarction in rats by occluding the right middle cerebral artery, and tested the effects of electroacupuncture at the Baihui acupoint （DU 20）. Motor and sensory function was tested using Garcia’s scale and motor weakness grading, and the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor in the brain was quantified using immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry. We found that scalp electroacupuncture at DU 20 significantly improved motor performance and sensory function in rats with stroke, and this was accompanied by an increased expression of vascular endothelial growth factor in the ischemic brain tissue and peri-ischemic area. In addition, Pearson correlation analysis showed that the improvements in functional recovery were correlated with the increased expression of vascular endothelial growth factor.

Corrigendum: Transdermal delivery of 4-aminopyridine accelerates motor functional recovery and improves nerve morphology following sciatic nerve crush injury in mice

In the article titled“Transdermal delivery of 4-aminopyridine accelerates motor functional recovery and improves nerve morphology following sciatic nerve crush injury in mice”,published on pages 136–144,Issue 1,Volume 15 of Neural Regeneration Research(Clark et al.,2020),Figure 2B appears incorrectly without SFI.

Outpatient telephonic transitional care after hospital discharge improves survival in cirrhotic patients

BACKGROUND Intervention to improve outcomes in cirrhotic patients (CP) after hospital discharge often focus on 30 d readmission rate (RR). However, recent studies suggest dissociation between RR and survival. At our center, CP are now offered outpatient telephonic transitional care (OTTC) by a care coordinator for 30 d after hospital discharge. AIM To determine the effect of OTTC on survival in CP. METHODS In this cohort study from a tertiary center, CP who received OTTC formed the intervention group. They were compared with a control group discharged during the same period. Mortality and RR were compared between the groups. RESULTS After OTTC introduction, 194 CP were discharged. After applying exclusion criteria, 169 CP (51% male, mean age 58 years ± 12 years) were included. OTTC group comprised 76 patients and was compared with 93 controls. Baseline disease and index admission related characteristics were not significantly different between the groups. The intervention group showed significantly higher 6 mo survival compared to controls (84.2% vs 68.8%;P = 0.03), while RR at 1, 3, and 6 mo were comparable. On multivariable analysis, the intervention group showed lower odds for mortality compared to the controls (hazard ratio: 0.4;95% confidence interval: 0.2-0.82;P = 0.012), while higher model for endstage liver disease scores were associated with higher mortality (hazard ratio: 1.05;95% confidence interval: 1.01-1.1;P = 0.024).CONCLUSION CP provided OTTC had higher 6 mo survival compared to controls without a difference in RR. Use of RR to gauge quality of care provided during hospitalization or subsequent transitional care programs should be revisited.

Optimization of Organic Mulches Thickness Improves Soil Moisture Retention under Controlled Conditions

Organic mulch can improve the moisture,chemical composition,dust,and dust suppression of soil,and beautify the environment.In view of the rapid evaporation rate and serious loss of soil water in tropical areas,this paper explored the effect of organic mulch materials with different thickness on the increase of soil water retention rate and the improvement of soil water loss caused by evaporation.Rubberwood sawdust(RWS),rubberwood bark(RWB),coconut fiber(CF),and Mulch(MC)were selected as the mulching materials.Field experiment and laboratory experiment were performed,and soil-moisture content and temperature were continuously monitored.However,from the daily measurement of water content at constant conditions(29℃±0.2℃,74%±1%air RH)in the laboratory experiment,the results of variance analysis(ANOVA)showed that there was no significant difference between the soil-water content of covered samples and bare soil(P>0.05).In the field experiments,the analysis of variance indicated significant differences in the soil-moisture content owing to the effect of the covering material(P<0.01).Mulching increased the soil-moisture content with smaller fluctuations in the deep soil compared with bare soil.The most stable soil-moisture content were achieved by RWS,RWB,CF,and MC,with thicknesses of 5,3,7,and 5 cm,respectively,compared with bare soil,and the average water contents of the 0-40 cm soil layer was 0.58%,0.01%,0.82%,and 0.93%,respectively.Vertically,the intensity of the change in soil moisture decreased gradually with increasing depth,and was more stable than that of bare soil and other treatments.Among them,the difference in water content between the adjacent gradient soil layers(the soil layers are graded every 10 cm in depth)M_(3-7)(0.011±0.004)was the smallest.It can be concluded that CF mulching materials with a thickness of 7 cm would be preferable when selecting mulching materials for controlling soil moisture in tropical cities.

Anshen Babu Ointment Improves Sleep Function of Insomnia Mice and Its Mechanism

[Objectives]This study aimed to study the sleep-improving effect of Anshen Babu ointment on insomnia mice and its mechanism of action.[Methods]Mouse models of insomnia were established by p-chlorophenylalanine(PCPA)injection.They were given high,middle and low doses of Anshen Babu ointment,for 7 consecutive days,and then,the spontaneous activity of insomnia mice and the effect on hypnotic time and subthreshold hypnotic dose of pentobarbital sodium were observed,and the levels of 5-HT,IL-6 and TNF-α in the hippocampus of mice were determined.[Results]High and middle-dose Anshen Babu ointment significantly reduced the spontaneous activity of insomnia mice and shorten the hypnotic time of pentobarbital sodium;high and middle-dose Anshen Babu ointment increased the 5-HT content and inhibited the IL-6 and TNF-α expression in the hippocampus of mice.[Conclusions]Anshen Babu ointment has hypnotic and sedative effect on insomnia mice.The mechanism may be achieved by increasing 5-HT and reducing IL-6 and TNF-α levels.

Targeted Genome Editing in Genes and cis- Regulatory Regions Improves Qualitative and Quantitative Traits in Crops

The Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats （CRISPR）-associated protein 9 （CRISPR/Cas9）-based genomeediting system is a revolutionary technology for targeted muta- genesis in molecular biology research and genetic improvement of traits in crops （Cong et al., 2013; Ma et al., 2015, 2016）. Agronomic traits of crops are controlled by major genes and quantitative trait loci （QTL）. Therefore, the CRISPR/Cas9 system can be used to effectively and rapidly produce mutant traits by different strategies （Figure 1A-1C）. The most common application of the targeted editing system in genetic improvement is to knock out completely the functions of target genes, usually by editing site（s） in the coding sequences （CDS） to produce null-allele mutants （Figure 1A）.

Coherent optical adaptive technique improves the spatial resolution of STED microscopy in thick samples

Stimulated emission depletion(STED) microscopy is one of far-field optical microscopy techniques that can provide sub-diffraction spatial resolution. The spatial resolution of the STED microscopy is determined by the specially engineered beam profile of the depletion beam and its power. However, the beam profile of the depletion beam may be distorted due to aberrations of optical systems and inhomogeneity of a specimen's optical properties, resulting in a compromised spatial resolution. The situation gets deteriorated when thick samples are imaged. In the worst case, the severe distortion of the depletion beam profile may cause complete loss of the superresolution effect no matter how much depletion power is applied to specimens. Previously several adaptive optics approaches have been explored to compensate aberrations of systems and specimens. However, it is difficult to correct the complicated high-order optical aberrations of specimens. In this report, we demonstrate that the complicated distorted wavefront from a thick phantom sample can be measured by using the coherent optical adaptive technique. The full correction can effectively maintain and improve spatial resolution in imaging thick samples.

Overexpression of OsSPL9 enhances accumulation of Cu in rice grain and improves its digestibility and metabolism

Copper （Cu） is an essential trace mineral element for all forms of life, and is an important structural component and co-factor for a variety of metalloenzymes （Pefia et al., 1999; Bertinato and L＇Abbe, 2004）. In humans, Cu deficiency is not common because of the ubiquitous occurrence of Cu and ease of gastrointestinal absorption （Zidar et al., 1977; Uauy et al., 1998）.

Ectopic expression of fungal EcGDH improves nitrogen assimilation and grain yield in rice

NADP（H）-dependent glutamate dehydrogenases（GDH） in lower organisms have stronger ammonium affinity than those in higher plants. Here we report that transgenic rice overexpressing the EcGDH from Eurotium cheralieri exhibited significantly enhanced aminating activities. Hydroponic and field tests showed that nitrogen assimilation efficiency and grain yields were markedly increased in these transgenic plants, especially at the low nitrogen conditions.These results suggest that EcGDH may have potential to be used to improve nitrogen assimilation and grain yield in rice.