Recognition and Localization of Maize Leaf and Stalk Trajectories in RGB Images Based on Point-Line Net.

Plant phenotype detection plays a crucial role in understanding and studying plant biology, agriculture, and ecology. It involves the quantification and analysis of various physical traits and characteristics of plants, such as plant height, leaf shape, angle, number, and growth trajectory. By accurately detecting and measuring these phenotypic traits, researchers can gain insights into plant growth, development, stress tolerance, and the influence of environmental factors, which has important implications for crop breeding.

Association of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) footprints with the comorbidity of latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection: A multicenter cross-sectional study.

Aims: This study aims to investigate the interplay between hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and major forms of diabetes: type 1 diabetes (T1D), type 2 diabetes (T2D), and latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA).

Methods: This multicenter study analyzed a cohort of 2699 diabetic and 7344 non-diabetic subjects who visited medical centers in China from 2014 to 2021. T1D, T2D, LADA, and HCV were diagnosed using standard procedures.

The Spatial-Temporal Effects of Bacterial Growth Substrates on Antibiotic Resistance Gene Spread in the Biofilm.

Biofilm is considered as the hotspot of antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) dissemination. Bacterial growth substrates are important factors for biofilm formation, but its spatial-temporal effects on ARG spread in biofilm is still unclear. In this study, microfluidics combined with microscopic observation were used to reveal spatial-temporal effects of bacterial growth substrates on ARG transfer at real time.

Combination therapy with saxagliptin and vitamin D for the preservation of β-cell function in adult-onset type 1 diabetes: a multi-center, randomized, controlled trial.

Disease modifying therapies aiming to preserve β-cell function in patients with adult-onset autoimmune type 1 diabetes are lacking. Here, we conducted a multi-centre, randomized, controlled trial to assess the β-cell preservation effects of saxagliptin alone and saxagliptin combined with vitamin D as adjunctive therapies in adult-onset autoimmune type 1 diabetes. In this 3-arm trial, 301 participants were randomly assigned to a 24-month course of the conventional therapy (metformin with or without insulin) or adjunctive saxagliptin or adjunctive saxagliptin plus vitamin D to the conventional therapy.

Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults: a focus on β-cell protection and therapy.

Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) is a heterogeneous disease sharing some phenotypic, genetic, and immunological features with both type 1 and 2 diabetes. Patients with LADA have a relatively slow autoimmune process and more residual islet β-cell function at onset, allowing a time window to protect residual islet β cells and delay or inhibit disease progression. It is crucial to discover various heterogeneous factors affecting islet β-cell function for precise LADA therapy.

Nursing Research on Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Based on Continuous Nursing Care.

Purpose: To explore the nursing research of prostatic hyperplasia based on continuous nursing and based on the combination of medical care and nursing.

Methods: A prospective study of 96 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia admitted to our hospital from November 2019 to May 2021 was selected. According to the random number table method, they were divided into an observation group and a control group with 48 cases each.

Poor guideline adherence in type 1 diabetes education in real-world clinical practice: Evidence from a multicentre, national survey.

Objective: To examine how physicians implement guidelines to deliver insulin dosing education for type 1 diabetes patients in real-world settings.

Methods: A nationally representative sample of endocrinologists from top tertiary hospitals in China was obtained by a multistage random sampling method (n = 385). Knowledge, perceptions and practices of insulin dosing were assessed by validated questionnaires.

Frequency, clinical features, inflammatory cytokines and genetic background of latent autoimmune diabetes in youth in youth-onset type 2 diabetes: Results from a nationwide, multicentre, clinic-based, cross-sectional study (LADA China).

Aim: To investigate the frequency, clinical phenotype, inflammatory cytokine levels and genetics of glutamic acid decarboxylase autoantibody (GADA)-positive phenotypic youth-onset type 2 diabetes.

Materials And Methods: This nationwide, multicentre, cross-sectional study included 5324 newly diagnosed subjects with phenotypic type 2 diabetes aged 15 years or older enrolled in the LADA China study. GADA was screened in 248 subjects with youth-onset type 2 diabetes aged 15-29 years.

Can we use interleukin-6 (IL-6) blockade for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-induced cytokine release syndrome (CRS)?

The emergent outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused a global pandemic. Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and multiorgan dysfunction are among the leading causes of death in critically ill patients with COVID-19. The elevated inflammatory cytokines suggest that a cytokine storm, also known as cytokine release syndrome (CRS), may play a major role in the pathology of COVID-19.

Past, present and future of latent autoimmune diabetes in adults.

Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) is the most common form of autoimmune diabetes diagnosed in adults. Similar to type 1 diabetes, the prevalence of LADA is impacted by ethnicity and geography. LADA is characterized by β cell loss due to autoimmunity and insulin resistance and has highly heterogeneous clinical features, autoimmunity, and genetics in a glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody (GADA) titre-dependent manner, suggesting LADA is part of a continuum spectrum between type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Microfluidic Sensors with Impregnated Fluorophores for Simultaneous Imaging of Spatial Structure and Chemical Oxygen Gradients.

Interior surfaces of polystyrene microfluidic structures were impregnated with the oxygen sensing dye Pt(II) tetra(pentafluorophenyl)porphyrin (PtTFPP) using a solvent-induced fluorophore impregnation (SIFI) method. Using this technique, microfluidic oxygen sensors are obtained that enable simultaneous imaging of both chemical oxygen gradients and the physical structure of the microfluidic interior. A gentle method of fluorophore impregnation using acetonitrile solutions of PtTFPP at 50 °C was developed leading to a 10-μm-deep region containing fluorophore.

In Situ Mass Spectrometric Monitoring of the Dynamic Electrochemical Process at the Electrode-Electrolyte Interface: a SIMS Approach.

The in situ molecular characterization of reaction intermediates and products at electrode-electrolyte interfaces is central to mechanistic studies of complex electrochemical processes, yet a great challenge. The coupling of electrochemistry (EC) and mass spectrometry (MS) has seen rapid development and found broad applicability in tackling challenges in analytical and bioanalytical chemistry. However, few truly in situ and real-time EC-MS studies have been reported at electrode-electrolyte interfaces.

Compartmentalized microchannel array for high-throughput analysis of single cell polarized growth and dynamics.

Interrogating polarized growth is technologically challenging due to extensive cellular branching and uncontrollable environmental conditions in conventional assays. Here we present a robust and high-performance microfluidic system that enables observations of polarized growth with enhanced temporal and spatial control over prolonged periods. The system has built-in tunability and versatility to accommodate a variety of scientific applications requiring precisely controlled environments.

Argon Cluster Sputtering Source for ToF-SIMS Depth Profiling of Insulating Materials: High Sputter Rate and Accurate Interfacial Information.

The use of an argon cluster ion sputtering source has been demonstrated to perform superiorly relative to traditional oxygen and cesium ion sputtering sources for ToF-SIMS depth profiling of insulating materials. The superior performance has been attributed to effective alleviation of surface charging. A simulated nuclear waste glass (SON68) and layered hole-perovskite oxide thin films were selected as model systems because of their fundamental and practical significance.

Counterflow isotachophoresis in a monolithic column.

This study describes stationary counterflow isotachophoresis (ITP) in a poly(acrylamide-co-N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide) monolithic column as a means for improving ITP processing capacity and reducing dispersion. The flow profile in the monolith was predicted using COMSOL's Brinkman Equation application mode, which revealed that the flow profile was mainly determined by monolith permeability. As monolith permeability decreases, the flow profile changes from a parabolic shape to a plug shape.

In situ molecular imaging of a hydrated biofilm in a microfluidic reactor by ToF-SIMS.

A novel microfluidic reactor for biofilm growth and in situ characterization using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) was constructed to enable two-dimensional chemical imaging of hydrated biofilms. We demonstrate the detection of characteristic fatty acid fragments from microfluidic reactor-grown biofilms and illustrate advantages of hydrated-state ToF-SIMS imaging.

In situ chemical probing of the electrode-electrolyte interface by ToF-SIMS.

A portable vacuum interface allowing direct probing of the electrode-electrolyte interface was developed. A classical electrochemical system consisting of a gold working electrode, platinum counter electrode, platinum reference electrode, and potassium iodide electrolyte was used to demonstrate real-time observation of the gold iodide adlayer on the electrode and chemical species as a result of redox reactions using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS, a vacuum-based surface technique) simultaneously. This microfluidic electrochemical probe provides a new way to investigate the surface region with adsorbed molecules and the region of the diffused layer with chemical speciation in liquids in situ by surface sensitive techniques.

ITP of lanthanides in microfluidic PMMA chip.

An ITP separation of eight lanthanides on a serpentine PMMA microchip with a tee junction and a 230-mm-long serpentine channel is described. The cover of the PMMA chip is 175 μm thick so that a C(4) D in microchip mode can be used to detect the lanthanides as they migrate through the microchannel. Acetate and α-hydroxyisobutyric acid are used as complexing agents to increase the electrophoretic mobility difference between the lanthanides.

Isotachophoresis with counterflow in an open capillary: computer simulation and experimental validation.

The purpose of applying a countercurrent flow to isotachophoretic migration is to increase the effective separation channel length during ITP. However, severe dispersion induced by applying a counterflow can be detrimental to ITP. This paper uses numerical simulations in a 2D axisymmetric domain to investigate the dispersion caused by a parabolic counterflow in open-capillary ITP.

Differential effect of ATP binding cassette transporter A1 R219K and cholesteryl ester transfer protein TaqIB genotypes on HDL-C levels in overweight/obese and non-obese Chinese subjects.

Objectives: ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) and cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) are involved in the HDL metabolism and play a key role in reverse cholesterol transport. The study aim was mainly to examine the possible association of the ABCA1 and CETP polymorphisms with overweight/obesity in a South-West Chinese population.

Methods And Results: Three hundred and thirty-eight Han Chinese (206 overweight/obese and 132 normal control subjects) in Chengdu area were studied using the PCR-RFLP analysis.

[Antioxidants inhibit the oxidative modification of high density lipoproteins].

Objective: To study the role and mechanism of antioxidants on inhibiting oxidative modification of high density lipoproteins (HDL).

Methods: Freshly prepared human plasma HDL was treated by incubation with copper ion, hyperchlorite or arterial wall cells. Compared to control, the test groups were treated with addition of different concentration of butylhydroxytoluene (BHT), vitamin C and vitamin E.

Functionalization of micro- and nano-apertures with chromate-selective solvent polymeric membrane.

A new miniaturization approach to create micro- and nanoscale ion selective electrodes (ISEs) was demonstrated and the concept tested with an environmentally relevant chromate-selective membrane consisting of 7.7:62.2:31.