[Research progress on structure and hydrological processes in the karst critical zone of southwest China].

The southwestern region of China is the largest exposed karst area in the world and serves as an important ecological security barrier for the upstream of Yangtze River and Pearl River. Different from the critical zone of non-karst areas, the epikarst, formed by an interwoven network of denudation pores, is the core area of karst critical zone. Water is the most active component that participates in internal material cycle and energy flow within the critical zone.

Electroantennographic and Behavioral Responses of the Melon fly, Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett), to Volatile Compounds of Ridge Gourd, Luffa acutangular L.

The melon fly, Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett), is a major invasive pest, widely distributed in the Asia-Pacific region and some parts of Africa. Melon fly attractants could improve the effectiveness of current pest management measures. Previous studies have shown that some host fruits are attractive to melon flies but few have investigated the chemical compounds responsible for their attraction.

Chromosome-level genome assembly of an agricultural pest Zeugodacus tau (Diptera: Tephritidae).

The fruit fly Zeugodacus tau (Diptera: Tephritidae) is a major pest of melons and other cucurbits in Southeast Asia. In this study, we used Illumina, Nanopore, and Hi-C sequencing technologies to assemble a reference genome of Z. tau at the chromosomal level.

Efficacy of Body Wash and Povidone-Iodine in Skin Preparation in Reducing Surgical Site Infections After Hypospadias Repair Among Adolescents: A Prospective Cohort Study With Retrospective Controls.

Surgical site infections (SSIs) that occur after hypospadias repair frequently result in incision healing complications, especially during puberty. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of twice-daily pre-operative skin preparation using body wash and povidone-iodine within 48 hours before hypospadias repair with regard to infection rates in adolescents. Prospective recruitment included patients in Tanner stages 3 to 5 undergoing hypospadias repair from January 2015 to January 2021.

A grading system for evaluation of bladder trabeculation.

Purpose: To establish a parameter-based grading system for evaluating bladder trabeculation (BT).

Materials And Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on children diagnosed with posterior urethral valve (PUV) or neurogenic bladder (NB) who underwent voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG), urodynamic testing, and urological ultrasonography between January 2016 and October 2022. Cases involving urologic surgery, secondary bladder pathology, and an interval of more than 12 months between examinations were excluded.

Radiomics model based on contrast-enhanced computed tomography to predict early recurrence in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after radical resection.

Background: Radical resection remains an effective strategy for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Unfortunately, the postoperative early recurrence (recurrence within 2 years) rate is still high.

Aim: To develop a radiomics model based on preoperative contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) to evaluate early recurrence in HCC patients with a single tumour.

Lower alanine aminotransferase levels are associated with increased all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in nonalcoholic fatty liver patients.

Background: Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels are often considered a marker to evaluate liver disease and its severity.

Aim: To investigate the association between ALT levels and all-cause and cause-specific mortality in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Methods: The Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES-III) from 1988 to 1994 and NHANES-III-related mortality data from 2019 onward were used to obtain the necessary data for the study.

Parental smoking and risk of hypospadias: An updated meta-analysis of observational studies.

Background: Inconsistent relationships have been shown between cigarette smoking and hypospadias in offspring. The purpose of this study was to summarize epidemiological evidence to evaluate the relationship between parental smoking and the risk of hypospadias.

Methods: Up until October 2022, PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched for qualified research.

Characterization and Functional Analysis of in Lesage.

The olfactory system plays a key role in various insect behaviors, and odorant-binding proteins participate in the first step of the olfactory process. Lesage is an oligophagous phytophagous insect that is a specific biological control agent for L. The leaf beetle must identify and locate through olfaction; however, its odorant-binding protein (OBP) function has not yet been reported.

Incomplete response to ursodeoxycholic acid in primary biliary cholangitis: criteria, epidemiology, and possible mechanisms.

Introduction: As a common autoimmune disease with the characteristic of early complication, primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) leads to an increasing number of mortalities among people with end-stage liver disease (ESLD) waiting for liver transplantation. Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is the only approved first-line medicine for PBC, and a good response to treatment could acquire an ideal prognosis. Patients with poor UDCA response usually have more adverse outcomes and worse survival, therefore, the management of this group become a major consideration.

An Ideal Hallmark Closest to Complete Cure of Chronic Hepatitis B Patients: High-sensitivity Quantitative HBsAg Loss.

In the era of antiviral therapy, the main goal of treatment has shifted from the persistent inhibition of hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication to the pursuit of serological clearance of HBs surface antigen (HBsAg). Based on the life cycle of HBV, HBsAg originates from covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) and integrated HBV DNA, thus reflecting their transcriptional activity. Complete HBsAg loss may mean elimination or persistent inactivity of the HBV genome including cccDNA and integrated HBV DNA.

Novel index for the prediction of significant liver fibrosis and cirrhosis in chronic hepatitis B patients in China.

Background: Noninvasive, practical, and convenient means of detection for the prediction of liver fibrosis and cirrhosis in China are greatly needed.

Aim: To develop a precise noninvasive test to stage liver fibrosis and cirrhosis.

Methods: With liver biopsy as the gold standard, we established a new index, [alkaline phosphatase (U/L) + gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (U/L)/platelet (10/L) (AGPR)], to predict liver fibrosis and cirrhosis.

Scanning Electron Microscopic Analysis of Antennal Sensilla and Tissue-Expression Profiles of Chemosensory Protein Genes in (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae).

is an efficient biocontrol agent used against the invasive weed . It is an herbivorous insect that feeds on specific plants; the olfactory functions of this insects plays an important role in their search for host plants. There are no reports on sensilla types, morphology, or chemosensory protein (CSP) genes.

Interferon Gamma-Inducible Protein 16 of Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells May Sense Hepatitis B Virus Infection and Regulate the Antiviral Immunity.

Interferon gamma-inducible protein 16 (IFI16) is a DNA sensor protein, which triggers interferon-beta (IFN-β) production. However, the role of IFI16 in the innate immunity against hepatitis B virus (HBV) remains controversial. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and serum specimens were collected from 20 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) receiving Peg-IFN-α2b therapy.

Computational fluid dynamics modeling approaches to assess lower urinary tract hydraulic dynamics in posterior urethral valve before and after endoscopic valve ablation: a pilot study.

Purpose: Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has been used successfully in cardiovascular system research to analyze the physiological processes inside vessels. We evaluated the hydraulic information of urine through the lower urinary tract in a patient with posterior urethral valve (PUV) before and after valve ablation by CFD.

Methods: A set of models of the lower urinary tract were developed based on geometrical data obtained by cystoscopy and voiding cystourethrography.

Neoantigen vaccine: An emerging immunotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Tumor-specific neoantigens, which are expressed on tumor cells, can induce an effective antitumor cytotoxic T-cell response and mediate tumor regression. Among tumor immunotherapies, neoantigen vaccines are in early human clinical trials and have demonstrated substantial efficiency. Compared with more neoantigens in melanoma, the paucity and inefficient identification of effective neoantigens in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain enormous challenges in effectively treating this malignancy.

[Soil-epikarst structures and their hydrological characteristics on dolomite slopes in karst region of southwest China].

Epikarst is the core area of karst critical zone, with important hydrologic regulation and storage function. However, the effects of karst development degree on hydrologic characteristics of epikasrt is still unclear. We used geophysical exploration and hydrogeological techniques, combined with the dynamic monitoring of moisture and water levels, to quantify the karst development degrees and their hydrologic characteristics on slope lands.

Analysis of the social and clinical factors affecting the age of children when receiving surgery for hypospadias: a retrospective study of 1611 cases in a single center.

We aimed to explore the associations between the age at which children undergo surgery for hypospadias and a range of social and clinical factors in a single center. Our aim was to promote the early surgical treatment of children with hypospadias. For a 6-year period, social and clinical data were collected from all children undergoing surgery to repair hypospadias in Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University (Chongqing, China), located in southwest of China.

Effects of Temperature on Growth and Development of the Brown Planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Homoptera: Delphacidae).

The brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Stål), is one of the most serious and destructive pests of rice in Asia. Climate warming in tropical regions and extreme-high- or low-temperature events may become limiting factors affecting the survival and distribution of N. lugens.

RFX5 promotes the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma through transcriptional activation of KDM4A.

Regulatory factor X-5 (RFX5) represents a key transcription regulator of MHCII gene expression in the immune system. This study aims to explore the molecular mechanisms and biological significance of RFX5. Firstly, by analyzing ENCODE chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-seq in HepG2 and TCGA RNA-seq data, we discovered lysine-specific demethylase 4A (KDM4A), also named JMJD2A, to be a major downstream target gene of RFX5.

Genome-scale CRISPR activation screening identifies a role of ELAVL2-CDKN1A axis in paclitaxel resistance in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) may provide survival benefits for patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. However, tumor cells can display primary or secondary resistance to paclitaxel (PTX), a primary component of induction chemotherapy regimen. To identify genes capable of conveying PTX resistance, we performed a genome-wide CRISPR transcriptional activation library in human KYSE-180 cells.

Regulatory factor X5 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression by transactivating tyrosine 3-monooxygenase/tryptophan 5-monooxygenase activation protein theta and suppressing apoptosis.

Background: Our previous studies have shown that regulatory factor X5 (RFX5), a classical transcription regulator of MHCII genes, was obviously overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tumors. However, the role of RFX5 in the carcinogenesis and progress of HCC remains unknown. This study aimed to reveal its biological significance and the underlying mechanism in HCC.