The effect of polycarboxylate superplasticizer on the strength and hydration performance of alkali slag building materials.

To explore the effect of polycarboxylate superplasticizers on the strength and hydration performance of alkali slag building materials, this study prepared cross-linked polycarboxylate superplasticizers with different ratios of hydrogen peroxide, methyl allyl alcohol polyoxyethylene ether, acrylic acid, polyethylene glycol diacrylate, monomer aqueous solution, reducing agent, chain transfer agent, etc. according to certain ratios, and tested their effects on the hydration performance and strength of alkali slag building materials. Through experimental analysis, it was found that the higher the proportion of cross-linked polycarboxylate based high-efficiency water-reducing agents, the lower the initial flowability of building material slurry; The addition of cross-linked polycarboxylate water-reducing agent will prolong the initial and final setting time of alkali slag building materials, delaying the hydration time of building materials; Cross linked polycarboxylate superplasticizers can reduce the electrical conductivity of alkali slag building material slurry, delaying its hydration rate; Different ratios of water-reducing agents have a significant impact on the water reduction rate of alkali slag building materials, with V2 water-reducing agent having the highest water-reduction rate of 28.

Porosity and pore structure evolution during the weathering of black shale.

Pore type and pore structure evolves systematically across continuous black shale weathering profile. However, the extend and process of pore structure change is still an enigma. In this study, we try to unveil the pore structure evolution during weathering process through studying Cambrian Hetang shales in southern China.

Impact of short-term ambient air pollution exposure on the risk of severe COVID-19.

Ecological studies suggested a link between air pollution and severe COVID-19 outcomes, while studies accounting for individual-level characteristics are limited. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the impact of short-term ambient air pollution exposure on disease severity among a cohort of 569 laboratory confirmed COVID-19 patients admitted to designated hospitals in Zhejiang province, China, from January 17 to March 3, 2020, and elucidate the possible biological processes involved using transcriptomics. Compared with mild cases, severe cases had higher proportion of medical conditions as well as unfavorable results in most of the laboratory tests, and manifested higher air pollution exposure levels.

Dynamic associations between the respiratory tract and gut antibiotic resistome of patients with COVID-19 and its prediction power for disease severity.

The antibiotic resistome is the collection of all antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) present in an individual. Whether an individual's susceptibility to infection and the eventual severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is influenced by their respiratory tract antibiotic resistome is unknown. Additionally, whether a relationship exists between the respiratory tract and gut ARGs composition has not been fully explored.

Identifying Organic Matter (OM) Types and Characterizing OM Pores in the Wufeng-Longmaxi Shales.

Organic matter (OM) pores are considered to be an important pore type in the Ordovician Wufeng-Silurian Longmaxi Formation shales in the Sichuan Basin, China, because they have a high capacity to store natural gas. However, to the best of our knowledge, research on the characterization and quantitation of different OM pore characteristics is insufficient. In this study, detailed optical microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations and the pores/particles and cracks analysis system (PCAS) were applied to identify the OM pores and obtain quantitative information on pores such as pore size, surface porosity, form factor, and probability entropy.

The Precipitation Behavior of a Cu-Ni-Si Alloy with Cr Addition Prepared by Heating-Cooling Combined Mold (HCCM) Continuous Casting.

A Cu-Ni-Si alloy containing (Ni + Si) ≥ 5 wt.%, with the addition of Cr, is fabricated by HCCM continuous casting and two steps of aging treatment. The evolution of the microstructures and precipitations, as well as the effect of Cr atoms, is studied in this paper.

Dynamic Alterations in the Respiratory Tract Microbiota of Patients with COVID-19 and its Association with Microbiota in the Gut.

The role of respiratory tract microbes and the relationship between respiratory tract and gut microbiomes in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remain uncertain. Here, the metagenomes of sputum and fecal samples from 66 patients with COVID-19 at three stages of disease progression are sequenced. Respiratory tract, gut microbiome, and peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) samples are analyzed to compare the gut and respiratory tract microbiota of intensive care unit (ICU) and non-ICU (nICU) patients and determine relationships between respiratory tract microbiome and immune response.

Study on the Antioxidant and Anticancer Activities of Flavonoids and Its Screen of Small Molecule Active Components.

Firstly, the antioxidant capacity of total flavonoids that was extracted from was determined by ABTS+·radical-scavenging method, and MTT assay was used to mensurate the anti-tumor activity of total flavonoids In Vitro. Subsequently, the extraction conditions of flavonoids were optimized by the response surface methodology, the antioxidant activity was investigated simultaneously. Furthermore, the anti-tumor activity mechanism of flavonoids was simulated by molecular docking software.

An improved osseointegration of metal implants by pitavastatin loaded multilayer films with osteogenic and angiogenic properties.

An increasing number of works have highlighted the importance of metal implants surface modification in enhancing bone defect healing through the synergistic osteogenesis-angiogenesis regulation. Studies have shown that pitavastatin has the effect of promoting osteogenesis and angiogenesis. However, how to prepare pitavastatin functionalized implants and how pitavastatin regulates the synergies of osteogenesis and angiogenesis around implants as well as the related mechanisms remain unclear.

Serum level of testosterone predicts disease severity of male COVID-19 patients and is related to T-cell immune modulation by transcriptome analysis.

Background: Severe disease of COVID-19 and mortality occur more frequently in male patients than that in female patients may be related to testosterone level. However, the diagnostic value of changes in the level of testosterone in predicting severe disease of male COVID-19 patients has not been determined yet.

Methods: Sixty-one male COVID-19 patients admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine were enrolled.

Assessment of the Diagnostic Ability of Four Detection Methods Using Three Sample Types of COVID-19 Patients.

Background: Viral nucleic acid detection is considered the gold standard for the diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, unsuitable sample types and laboratory detection kits/methods lead to misdiagnosis, which delays the prevention and control of the pandemic.

Methods: We compared four nucleic acid detection methods [two kinds of reverse transcription polymerase chain reactions (RT-PCR A: ORF1ab and N testing; RT-PCRB: only ORF1ab testing), reverse transcription recombinase aided amplification (RT-RAA) and droplet digital RT-PCR (dd-RT-PCR)] using 404 samples of 72 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, including oropharyngeal swab (OPS), nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS) and saliva after deep cough, to evaluate the best sample type and method for SARS-CoV-2 detection.

Hock-a-loogie saliva as a diagnostic specimen for SARS-CoV-2 by a PCR-based assay: A diagnostic validity study.

To clarify the effect of different respiratory sample types on SARS-CoV-2 detection, we collected throat swabs, nasal swabs and hock-a-loogie saliva or sputum, and compared their detection rates and viral loads. The detection rates of sputum (95.65%, 22/23) and hock-a-loogie saliva (88.

Viral load dynamics and disease severity in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 in Zhejiang province, China, January-March 2020: retrospective cohort study.

Objective: To evaluate viral loads at different stages of disease progression in patients infected with the 2019 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) during the first four months of the epidemic in Zhejiang province, China.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: A designated hospital for patients with covid-19 in Zhejiang province, China.

The Epidemiological and Clinical Characteristics of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease in Hangzhou, China, 2016 to 2018.

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is most frequently caused by several serotypes of human enterovirus (EV) including Enterovirus 71 (EV-A71), coxsackievirus A16 (CV-A16), or other types of EV. The aim of this study was to determine the epidemiological characteristics of HFMD and to describe the epidemiologic characteristics of HFMD among severe and mild cases. We collected 4760 HFMD cases in Hangzhou from 2016 to 2018.

Combustion Behavior and Mechanism of Ti14 Titanium Alloy.

The combustion behavior and mechanism of Ti14 titanium alloy are studied by promoted ignition combustion tests at different oxygen pressures in this paper. The burning velocity increases at higher oxygen pressures and also increases with longer burning times instead of a constant at the same pressure. The Cu atoms are found enriched in two zones-i.

Combustion Mechanism of Alloying Elements Cr in Ti-Cr-V Alloys.

The combustion velocity and the mechanism for a series of Ti-Cr-V alloys with different chemical compositions are studied by a promoted ignition combustion test corresponding to different oxygen pressures to investigate the influence of alloying elements, such as Cr and V, on combustion behavior. The microstructures and composition distributions of the alloying elements in the reaction and oxide areas are observed and analyzed. The thermogravimetry analysis results show that the oxidation mass gain decreases with the increasing Cr content, and the oxidation resistance obviously increases from 10 Cr to 20 Cr.

Characterization of viral genomic mutations in novel influenza A (H7N9)-infected patients: the association between oseltamivir-resistant variants and viral shedding duration.

Since February 2013, human infections with the novel influenza A H7N9 virus have occurred in eastern China. It is important to detect mutations in viral genes and analyze the clinical features of patients and viral shedding duration related to neuraminidase inhibitor (NAI) resistance. We collected clinical specimens from 31 hospitalized H7N9 patients and sequenced NA, PB2, HA, and M gene fragments.

Decreased Frequencies of Th17 and Tc17 Cells in Patients Infected with Avian Influenza A (H7N9) Virus.

The outbreak of avian influenza A (H7N9) virus infection, with a high mortality rate, has caused concern worldwide. Although interleukin-17- (IL-17-) secreting CD4 T (Th17) and CD8 T (Tc17) cells have been proven to play crucial roles in influenza virus infection, the changes and roles of Th17 and Tc17 cells in immune responses to H7N9 infection remain controversial. In this study, we found that the frequencies of Th17 and Tc17 cells among human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) as well as IL-17A protein and mRNA levels were markedly decreased in patients with acute H7N9 virus infection.

Benefit of Early Initiation of Neuraminidase Inhibitor Treatment to Hospitalized Patients With Avian Influenza A(H7N9) Virus.

Background: The significance of early neuraminidase inhibitor (NAI) therapy for treating influenza A(H7N9) is currently unknown.

Methods: The duration of viral shedding was monitored by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction after patients with confirmed H7N9 infection were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, during April 2013-April 2017. Indices such as the length of hospitalization and mortality were collected, and the correlation between the time of administration of NAI and the severity of disease was systematically analyzed.

Changes of circulating Th22 cells in children with hand, foot, and mouth disease caused by enterovirus 71 infection.

Interleukin (IL)-22+CD4+T (Th22) cells play crucial roles in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases and infectious diseases, although the role of Th22 cells remains largely unclear in children with hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) caused by enterovirus 71 (EV71). This study aims to explore the role of circulating IL-22+IL-17A-CD4+T (cTh22) cells in children with EV71-associated HFMD. We found that during the acute stage of illness, the frequencies of cTh22 and circulating IL-22+IL-17A+CD4+T (IL-22+cTh17) cells in CD4+T cells infrom affected patients, and especially in severely affected patients, were significantly higher than in healthy controls (HC).

Simultaneous detection of influenza A subtypes of H3N2 virus, pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus and reassortant avian H7N9 virus in humans by multiplex one-step real-time RT-PCR assay.

Background: Influenza A virus is a leading causative pathogen of human acute respiratory infection. Recently, the co-circulation of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 and seasonal H3N2 viruses was reported, and sporadic cases with reassortant avian H7N9 virus are continually reported in China. We aimed to establish a multiplex one-step real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) assay to simultaneously detect and discriminate FluA subtypes, including human seasonal H3N2 virus, pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus and reassortant avian H7N9 virus, in one reaction tube.

Laboratory diagnosis and genetic analysis of a family clustering outbreak of aseptic meningitis due to echovirus 30.

Echovirus 30 (E30) is a major pathogen associated with aseptic meningitis. In the summer of 2014, a family clustering aseptic meningitis outbreak occurred in urban-rural fringe of Ningbo city in Zhejiang Province in China. To identify the etiologic agent, specimens were tested by cell culture and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction.

Enteropathogens in children less than 5 years of age with acute diarrhea: a 5-year surveillance study in the Southeast Coast of China.

Background: Diarrhea is the second most common cause of death among children less than 5 years of age worldwide. The etiological agents of diarrhea in the southeast coastal area of China were studied from July 2009 to December 2014.

Methods: A total of the 2318 patients were enrolled in this study and examined for the presence of viruses, bacteria, and parasites.