Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and sleep disorders

Studies have shown that non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)may be associated with sleep disorders.In order to explore the explicit relationship between the two,we systematically reviewed the effects of sleep disorders,especially obstructive sleep apnea(OSA),on the incidence of NAFLD,and analyzed the possible mechanisms after adjusting for confounding factors.NAFLD is independently associated with sleep disorders.Different sleep disorders may be the cause of the onset and aggravation of NAFLD.An excessive or insufficient sleep duration,poor sleep quality,insomnia,sleep-wake disorders,and OSA may increase the incidence of NAFLD.Despite that some research suggests a unidirectional causal link between the two,specifically,the onset of NAFLD is identified as a result of changes in sleep characteristics,and the reverse relationship does not hold true.Nevertheless,there is still a lack of specific research elucidating the reasons behind the higher risk of developing sleep disorders in individuals with NAFLD.Further research is needed to establish a clear relationship between NAFLD and sleep disorders.This will lay the groundwork for earlier identification of potential patients,which is crucial for earlier monitoring,diagnosis,effective prevention,and treatment of NAFLD.

Function and biomedical implications of exosomal microRNAs delivered by parenchymal and nonparenchymal cells in hepatocellular carcinoma

Small extracellular vesicles(exosomes)are important components of the tumor microenvironment.They are small membrane-bound vesicles derived from almost all cell types and play an important role in intercellular communication.Exosomes transmit biological molecules obtained from parent cells,such as proteins,lipids,and nucleic acids,and are involved in cancer development.MicroRNAs(miRNAs),the most abundant contents in exosomes,are selectively packaged into exosomes to carry out their biological functions.Recent studies have revealed that exosome-delivered miRNAs play crucial roles in the tumorigenesis,progression,and drug resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).In addition,exosomes have great industrial prospects in the diagnosis,treatment,and prognosis of patients with HCC.This review summarized the composition and function of exosomal miRNAs of different cell origins in HCC and highlighted the association between exosomal miRNAs from stromal cells and immune cells in the tumor microenvironment and the progression of HCC.Finally,we described the potential applicability of exosomal miRNAs derived from mesenchymal stem cells in the treatment of HCC.

BLIND AND COMPLETE MODELING OF LINEAR SYSTEMS USING THIRD ORDER CUMULANTS

This paper presents a novel approach to structure determination of linear systems along with the choice of system orders and parameters.AutoRegressive (AR),Moving Average (MA) or AutoRegressive-Moving Average (ARMA) model structure can be extracted blindly from the Third Order Cumulants (TOC) of the system output measurements,where the unknown system is driven by an unobservable stationary independent identically distributed (i.i.d.) non-Gaussian signal.By means of the system order recursion,whether the system has an AR structure or has AR part of an ARMA structure is firstly investigated.MA features in the TOC domain is then applied as a threshold to decide if the system is an MA model or has MA part of an ARMA model.Numerical simulations illustrate the generality of the proposed blind structure identification methodology that may serve as a guideline for blind linear system modeling.

Effect of Early Cumulus Cell Removal on the Fertilization and Clinical Outcome in Human <i>in Vitro</i>Fertilization

The short-term insemination technique has been widely applied, although it is not clear whether the mechanical desorption of cumulus cells can affect normal fertilization and birth outcomes. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate whether early cumulus cell removal could affect in vitro fertilization outcomes. Based on a history of infertility and semen analysis, 61 patients were identified, and the cumulus cells were mechanically removed at either6 h post-insemination (Group A, 387 mature oocytes) or 18 - 20 h post-insemination as traditional in vitro fertilization (Group B, 424 mature oocytes). There were no significant differences in the rates of fertilization, available embryos, high quality embryos, birth, premature birth, pregnancy, or implantation when we compared the two groups. However, Group A exhibited a significantly higher polyspermy rate, and significantly lower rates of blastocyst formation and high-quality blastocyst formation, compared with Group B. Therefore, the results of present study indicate that early cumulus cell removal (at 6 h post-insemination) may negatively affect the rates of polyspermy, blastocyst formation, and high-quality blastocyst formation.

Haplotype-resolved genome of diploid ginger (Zingiber officinale) and its unique gingerol biosynthetic pathway

Ginger(Zingiber officinale),the type species of Zingiberaceae,is one of the most widespread medicinal plants and spices.Here,we report a high-quality,chromosome-scale reference genome of ginger‘Zhugen’,a traditionally cultivated ginger in Southwest China used as a fresh vegetable,assembled from PacBio long reads,Illumina short reads,and high-throughput chromosome conformation capture(Hi-C)reads.The ginger genome was phased into two haplotypes,haplotype 1(1.53 Gb with a contig N50 of 4.68 M)and haplotype 0(1.51 Gb with a contig N50 of 5.28 M).Homologous ginger chromosomes maintained excellent gene pair collinearity.In 17,226 pairs of allelic genes,11.9%exhibited differential expression between alleles.Based on the results of ginger genome sequencing,transcriptome analysis,and metabolomic analysis,we proposed a backbone biosynthetic pathway of gingerol analogs,which consists of 12 enzymatic gene families,PAL,C4H,4CL,CST,C3’H,C3OMT,CCOMT,CSE,PKS,AOR,DHN,and DHT.These analyses also identified the likely transcription factor networks that regulate the synthesis of gingerol analogs.Overall,this study serves as an excellent resource for further research on ginger biology and breeding,lays a foundation for a better understanding of ginger evolution,and presents an intact biosynthetic pathway for species-specific gingerol biosynthesis.

Liver injury changes the biological characters of serum small extracellular vesicles and reprograms hepatic macrophages in mice

BACKGROUND Serum small extracellular vesicles(sEVs)and their small RNA(sRNA)cargoes could be promising biomarkers for the diagnosis of liver injury.However,the dynamic changes in serum sEVs and their sRNA components during liver injury have not been well characterized.Given that hepatic macrophages can quickly clear intravenously injected sEVs,the effect of liver injury-related serum sEVs on hepatic macrophages deserves to be explored.AIM To identify the characteristics of serum sEVs and the sRNAs during liver injury and explore their effects on hepatic macrophages.METHODS To identify serum sEV biomarkers for liver injury,we established a CCL4-induced mouse liver injury model in C57BL/6 mice to simulate acute liver injury(ALI),chronic liver injury(CLI)and recovery.Serum sEVs were obtained and characterized by transmission electron microscopy and nanoparticle tracking analysis.Serum sEV sRNAs were profiled by sRNA sequencing.Differentially expressed microRNAs(miRNAs)were compared to mouse liver-enriched miRNAs and previously reported circulating miRNAs related to human liver diseases.The biological significance was evaluated by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis of altered sEV miRNAs and conditioned cultures of ALI serum sEVs with primary hepatic macrophages.RESULTS We found that both ALI and CLI changed the concentration and morphology of serum sEVs.The proportion of serum sEV miRNAs increased upon liver injury,with the liver as the primary contributor.The altered serum sEV miRNAs based on mouse studies were consistent with human liver disease-related circulating miRNAs.We established serum sEV miRNA signatures for ALI and CLI and a panel of miRNAs(miR-122-5p,miR-192-5p,and miR-22-3p)as a common marker for liver injury.The differential serum sEV miRNAs in ALI contributed mainly to liver steatosis and inflammation,while those in CLI contributed primarily to hepatocellular carcinoma and hyperplasia.ALI serum sEVs decreased both CD86 and CD206 expression in monocyte-derived macrophages but increased CD206 expression in resident macrophages in vitro.CONCLUSION Serum sEVs acquired different concentrations,sizes,morphologies and sRNA contents upon liver injury and could change the phenotype of liver macrophages.Serum sEVs therefore have good diagnostic and therapeutic potential for liver injury.

Preparation and Characterization of an Intelligent Multitarget Tracking HA-RGD-CLB-QDs Drug Delivery System

This work aimed to develop an intelligent multi-target tracking hyaluronic acid-RGDchlorambucil-quantum dots（HA-RGD-CLB-QDs） drug delivery system. After deacetylated, hyaluronic acid was reacted with anticancer drug chlorambucil, RGD, and quantum dots to obtain the HA-RGD-CLB-QDs drug delivery system. The characterization by FT-IR, ~1 H NMR, TEM, XPS, DLS, and UV-vis absorption and fluorescence spectra show that the system is successfully constructed with an average particle size of about 70 nm. The results of the drug release profile show that that the system has a p H and enzyme sensitive controlled release behaviour. Moreover, cellular uptake and toxicity results show that the system has an ideal dual receptormediated endocytosis pathway that significantly enhances the efficacy of CLB tumor therapy and has a lower toxicity to normal cells.The system shows the potential application as a carrier for cancer therapy.

Current diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for COVID-19

The outbreak and spread of novel coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) with pandemic features, which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2), have greatly threatened global public health. Given the perniciousness of COVID-19 pandemic, acquiring a deeper understanding of this viral illness is critical for the development of new vaccines and therapeutic options. In this review, we introduce the systematic evolution of coronaviruses and the structural characteristics of SARS-CoV-2. We also summarize the current diagnostic tools and therapeutic strategies for COVID-19.

Current Situations of Agricultural Sci-tech Innovation and Development Path in Nantong

Nantong is a typical region of large population and little land.The conflict between resources and environment is growing.Thus,the improvement of independent innovation ability based on current situations,oriented towards the future and relying on scientific and technological force directly decides the effect of strong economic city construction.Through analysis on achievements of agricultural sci-tech innovation works,existing problems and demand for developing modern agriculture in Nantong,we present development ideas,target orientation and basic principles of agricultural sci-tech innovation works in Nantong,and put forward eight paths.

Determination of Pathogenicity and Crude Toxin Activity of Rhizoctonia solani with Rice Tissue In Vitro

[ Objectives] As a traditional inoculation method of rice sheath blight, rice relative lesion height method needs rice grow to late tillering or heading stage and then inoculate in vivo, which is time-consuming and is difficult to control the testing conditions, so it is urgent to search a better alternative method. [ Methods] With rice relative lesion height method （ in vivo inoculation） as the control, the pathogenicity and crude toxin activity of Rhizoctonia solani were determined by rice detached leaf sheath method and rice detached leaf method, to compare the correlation of in vivo and in vitro inoculation. [Results] Rice detached leaf method and rice detached leaf sheath method had significantly positive correlation with rice relative lesion height method, and the determination results of rice detached leaf method and rice detached leaf sheath method could reflect the pathogenicity and crude toxin activity of R. solani accurately. [ Conclusions] Rice detached leaf method and rice detached leaf sheath method are easy to operate and control testing conditions, and could be used as alternative methods to determine pathogenicity and etude toxin activity of R. solani.

Analysis of Physical and Chemical Indices and Quality of Blueberry Wines from Gardenblue and Baldwin

Gardenblue and baldwin rabbiteye blueberry are the alien varieties. The physical and chemical indices of the fresh fruits of the two varieties were analyzed. The results showed that the sugar-acid ratio was higher in gardenblue than in baldwin, and the content of anthocyanins was also higher in gardenblue than in baldwin, so the quality of gardenblue was better. The gardenblue wine has better quality than the baldwin wine, and the two kinds of wines both have good quality. Therefore, gardenblue and baldwin both are suitable for the brewing red wine as the raw material.

Rural sustainable development:A case study of the Zaozhuang Innovation Demonstration Zone in China

Sustainable development is the central theme of modern global development.With the arrival of the urban era,the vulnerability and instability of rural areas have significantly increased,and rural sustainable development faces serious challenges.To address these issues,the study took the Zaozhuang Innovation Demonstration Zone in China under the National Sustainable Development Agenda as a case,combined with economic,social and land use data during 2016-2020,and applied Granger causality test method to explore the theoretical and practical pathways of“innovation-driven rural sustainable development”.The results showed that rural sustainable development and economic sustainability displayed a trend of synergistic change,with“explosive”growth from 2018 to 2020.The social sustainability steadily increased from 2016 to 2020.Ecological and spatial sustainability continuously declined during the study period.Moreover,the rural innovation capacity of the Zaozhuang Innovation Demonstration Zone displayed rapid growth during 2016-2020.Although the rural innovation capacity of the Zaozhuang Innovation Demonstration Zone has rapidly improved,it has a weak driving effect on rural sustainable development and economic sustainability.There are two primary challenges that must be overcome to ensure the rural sustainable development of the Zaozhuang Innovation Demonstration Zone.The first challenge is the imbalance among the multi-dimensional relationships in the process of rural sustainable development,and the second challenge is the weakening of rural innovation capacity to drive rural sustainable development.To overcome these challenges,this study proposed a systematic pathway for rural sustainable development in the Zaozhuang Innovation Demonstration Zone from multidimensions,such as policy actions,technologies,projects,and institutional guarantees,and formed a universal and representative“Zaozhuang model”.This study expands the theoretical foundation of rural sustainable development and provides theoretical and practical support for innovation-driven rural sustainable development.

Simultaneous quantification of 18 bioactive constituents in Ziziphus jujuba fruits by HPLC coupled with a chemometric method

The fruit of Ziziphus jujuba Mill., known as Hongzao(or Hong-Zao) in Chinese and cultivated in China for more than 4 000 years, has shown to have hepatoprotective property. In previous study, we have isolated and identified 27 known compounds from Z. jujuba fruits, which demonstrated anti-tumor activity. In this study, a high-performance liquid chromatography-diode-array detection-mass spectrometry(HPLC-DAD-MS) method was successfully applied to the simultaneous characterization and quantitation of 18 constituents in 28 Z. jujuba samples, comprised of 12 cultivars from different regions in China, by comparing their HPLC retention times, MS spectra, UV spectra, and NMR data with those of reference compounds. The quantitative method was validated with excellent linearity(R^(2 )> 0.999 1), preferable intra-and inter-day precisions(RSD < 2.78%), and good recoveries(94.96%–102.65%). The content variation of 18 compounds was analyzed by a chemometric method(hierarchical cluster analysis). In addition, these constituents showed protection against carbon tetrachloride(CCl_(4)) intoxicated Hep G2 cell lines by decreasing lactic dehydrogenase(LDH) levels. Results in this study illustrated that the content of all 18 compounds examined has significant difference and variation among cultivars and extracts. The proposed method can serve as a prerequisite for quality control of bioactive compounds in Z. jujuba products.

Virus-phytoplankton adhesion:a new WSSV transmission route to zooplankton

The pathogenicity of white spot syndrome virus （WSSV） to zooplankton species, rotifer Brachionus urceus （Linnaeus）, copepod Acartia clausi （Giesbrecht） and mysid shrimp Neomysis awatschensis （ Brandt ）, was estimated by immersion challenge and virus - phytoplankton adhesion mute to investigate a potential new transmission mute of WSSV to zooplankton. WSSV succeeded in infecting these zooplankton species and nested-PCR revealed positive results for the virus - phytoplankton adhesion mute, whereas WSSV cannot infect zooplankton by immersion challenge. These results indicated that virus - phytoplankton adhesion route is a successful new transmission mute of WSSV to zooplankton and also implied that phytoplankton could be a carrier in WSSV transmission.

Rheological behavior of alkali-surfactant-polymer/oil emulsion in porous media

Based on deep analysis of ASP/oil emulsions flow behavior characteristic,a mathematical description of non-Newtonian emulsion was developed,and variation of rheological behaviors along the percolation flow direction was given.The effects of emulsions rheological behavior on oil recovery were quantity researched by a 2-D positive rhythm profile geological model.The result shows that the high viscosity and reduction of water phase permeability by emulsification can improve low-middle layer flow rate and enhance sweep efficiency,and the enhancement degree is related with emulsification degree.The study result can be used as reference for scheme design and production performance forecast during ASP flooding.

Seismic monitoring network based on MEMS sensors

This paper provides a brief introduction to the application of the sensor monitoring network of micro-electro-mechanical systems(MEMS)to Zhejiang province.In the Wenzhou Shanxi reservoir and other areas,MEMS and traditional intensity-monitoring instruments have been deployed with complementary functions to implement hybrid networking.The low-cost MEMS network can continuously monitor areas at high risk of earthquakes at a high resolution.Moreover,it can quickly collect the parameters of earthquakes and records of the near-field acceleration of strong earthquakes.It can be also used to rapidly generate earthquake intensity reports and provide early warning of earthquakes.We used the MEMS sensors for the first time in 2016,and it has helped promote the development and application of seismic intensity instruments since then.

MINIMIZING INTERMEDIATE MULTICAST ROUTING FOR DYNAMIC MULTI-HOP AD HOC NETWORKS

A Minimizing Intermediate Multicast Routing protocol (MIMR) is proposed for dynamic multi-hop ad hoc networks. In MIMR,multicast sessions are created and released only by source nodes. In each multicast session process,the source node keeps a list of intermediate nodes and destinations,which is encapsulated into the packet header when the source node sends a multicast packet. Nodes receiving multicast packets decide to accept or forward the packet according to the list. Depending on topology matrix maintained by unicast routing,the shortest virtual hierarchy routing tree is con-structed by improved Dijkstra algorithm. MIMR can achieve the minimum number of intermediate nodes,which are computed through the tree. No control packet is transmitted in the process of mul-ticast session. Load of the network is largely decreased. Experimental result shows that MIMR is flexible and robust for dynamic ad hoc networks.