Mythimna separata (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is an omnivorous pest that poses a great threat to food security. Insect antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are small peptides that are important effector molecules of innate immunity. Here, we investigated the role of the AMP cecropin B in the growth, development, and immunity of M. separata. The gene encoding M. separata cecropin B (MscecropinB) was cloned. The expression of MscecropinB was determined in different developmental stages and tissues of M. separata. It was highest in the prepupal stage, followed by the pupal stage. Among larval stages, the highest expression was observed in the fourth instar. Tissue expression analysis of fourth instar larvae showed that MscecropinB was highly expressed in the fat body and haemolymph. An increase in population density led to upregulation of MscecropinB expression. MscecropinB expression was also upregulated by the infection of third and fourth instar M. separata with Beauveria bassiana or Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). RNA interference (RNAi) targeting MscecropinB inhibited the emergence rate and fecundity of M. separata, and resulted in an increased sensitivity to B. bassiana and Bt. The mortality of M. separata larvae was significantly higher in pathogen plus RNAi-treated M. separata than in controls treated with pathogens only. Our findings indicate that MscecropinB functions in the eclosion and fecundity of M. separata and plays an important role in resistance to infection by B. bassiana and Bt.

Kazal-type serine protease inhibitors (KaSPI) play important roles in insect growth, development, digestion, metabolism and immune defence. In this study, based on the transcriptome of Mythimna separata, the cDNA sequence of MsKaSPI with Kazal domain was uploaded to GenBank (MN931651). Spatial and temporal expression analysis showed that MsKaSPI was expressed at different developmental stages and different tissues, and it was induced by 20-hydroxyecdysone in third-instar larvae of M. separata. After 24 h infection by Beauveria bassiana, the expression level of MsKaSPI and the corresponding MsKaSPI content were significantly up-regulated, being 6.42-fold and 1.91-fold to the control group, respectively, while the activities of serine protease, trypsin and chymotrypsin were inhibited. After RNA interference interfered with MsKaSPI for 6 h, the expression decreased by 73.44%, the corresponding content of MsKaSPI protein decreased by 55.66% after 12 h, and the activities of serine protease and trypsin were significantly enhanced. Meanwhile, both the larval and pupal stages of M. separata were prolonged, the weights were reduced and the number of eggs per female decreased by 181. Beauveria bassiana infection also increased the mortality of MsKaSPI-silenced M. separata by 18.96%. These prove MsKaSPI can not only result in slow growth and low fecundity of M. separata by regulating the activity of related protease, but also participate in the resistance to pathogenic fungi by regulating the serine protease inhibitor content and the activities of related serine protease.

Environment-induced epigenetics are involved in diapause regulation, but the molecular mechanism that epigenetically couples nutrient metabolism to diapause regulation remains unclear. In this study, we paid special attention to the significant differences in the level of N6-adenosine methylation (m6A) of dihydroxyacetone phosphate acyltransferase (DHAPAT) and phosphatidate phosphatase (PAP) genes in the lipid metabolism pathway of the bivoltine silkworm (Bombyx mori) strain Qiufeng developed from eggs incubated at a normal temperature (QFHT, diapause egg producer) compared to those from eggs incubated at a low temperature (QFLT, non-diapause egg producer). We knocked down DHAPAT in the pupal stage of the QFLT group, resulting in the non-diapause destined eggs becoming diapausing eggs. In the PAP knockdown group, the colour of the non-diapause destined eggs changed from light yellow to pink 3 days after oviposition, but they hatched as normal. Moreover, we validated that YTHDF3 binds to m6A-modified DHAPAT and PAP mRNAs to promote their stability and translation. These results suggest that RNA m6A methylation participates in the diapause regulation of silkworm by changing the expression levels of DHAPAT and PAP and reveal that m6A epigenetic modification can be combined with a lipid metabolism signal pathway to participate in the regulation of insect diapause traits, which provides a clearer image for exploring the physiological basis of insect diapause.

Objectives: Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) is a multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria (MDR-GNB) that is rapidly emerging as a life-threatening nosocomial disease in many countries. We sought to identify the risk factors associated with mortality for carriage of CRE in patients at a tertiary-care teaching hospital. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted between January 2020 to December 2021 in a tertiary-care teaching healthcare facility, University Malaya Medical Centre in Malaysia. The study included all inpatients aged ≥18 years who had a CRE infection or were colonized during the study period. The genotype was identified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Statistical analysis of data including a multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted using SPSS version 23.0 software. Results: In total, 176 cases of CRE (130 infection and 46 colonized) were identified, and the mortality rate was 31.8%. The main sources of CRE were rectal swab (61.9%), blood (11.9%), and respiratory sources (11.9%). Klebsiella pneumoniae (55.7%) was the predominant species, followed by Escherichia coli (21.6%). Among the isolates, 17.7% were non–CPE-CRE and 82.3% were CPE-CRE: NDM (69.3%) and OXA (10.8%). In multivariate analysis, the factors associated with mortality were older age (OR, 1.040; 95% CI, 1.012–1.069), longer length of stay (OR, 0.974; 95% CI, 0.955–0.994), use of central venous catheter (OR, 0.287; 95% CI, 0.094–0.878), and arterial lines (OR, 0.292; 95% CI, 0.095–0.891). Conclusion: Patients with CRE had a high mortality rate. Older age, longer duration of stay, indwelling CVC and arterial line were independent risk factors for death. Infection prevention and control measures to reduce CRE, such as active surveillance, contact precautions, compliance to intravenous catheter care bundles, healthcare worker education, and hand hygiene adherence, should be implemented.

Objectives: Surgical-site infections (SSIs) cause significant increases in mortality, morbidity, and prolonged hospitalization after cesarean deliveries. We assessed the effectiveness of the implementation of an SSI bundle in reducing postoperative infections in cesarean deliveries in a tertiary-care teaching hospital in Malaysia. Method: We conducted a quality-improvement study on all women who underwent labor and scheduled cesarean sections at the University Malaya Medical Center (UMMC) between May and December 2020. The preintervention period was May–June 2020 and the postintervention period was September–December 2020. Patients were followed for 90 days after their operation. Before the intervention, SSI rates and compliance with prevention practices were documented. A multidisciplinary team was formed, and education regarding the elements of the SSI prevention bundle was conducted before they were implemented. The care bundle focused on monitoring compliance with preoperative bathing, contact time for skin preparation, hair management, and antibiotics prophylaxis given within 60 minutes prior to incision, as well as patient education. Result: With the implementation of the SSI bundle, we observed a significant reduction in the SSI rate by 50%, from 7 per 100 procedures to 2 per 100 procedures. Compared with the preintervention period, overall compliance with bundle elements improved greatly for preoperative bathing (0 vs 95.7%) and contact time for skin preparation (0 vs 98.8%). In the postintervention period, the method of hair removal was documented, compared to no documentation during the preintervention period. The administration of prophylactic antibiotics within 60 minutes prior incision decreased from 99% to 92.3%. Conclusion: Implementation of an SSI prevention bundle successfully reduced the rate of SSI after cesarean section. The SSI prevention bundle together with improvements by multidisciplinary teams and a good patient-safety culture helped reduce SSI rates. Patient education on pre- and postoperative infection prevention also played an important role in reducing this infection rate.

Mechanistic studies have suggested that antioxidants have beneficial effects on age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This study aimed to investigate the association between the types and sources of dietary vitamin and carotenoid intakes and AMD risk in China. A matched case–control study of 260 AMD cases and 260 matched controls was performed. The participants were interviewed for dietary information and potential confounders, and comprehensive ophthalmic examinations were performed. Conditional logistic models were used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95 % confidence interval (CI) of specific vitamins and carotenoids and their main sources. When comparing the extreme quartiles, the ORs (95 % CI) were 0·30 (0·10, 0·88) for lutein and 0·28 (0·11, 0·74) for β-cryptoxanthin. The associations for other dietary vitamin and carotenoid intakes were generally weaker and non-significant. Higher intakes of spinach and egg, which are important sources of lutein, were associated with a reduced odds of AMD. ORs (95% CIs) comparing extreme categories were 0·42 (0·20, 0·88) for spinach and 0·52 (95% CI: 0·27, 0·98) for egg. Participants who were in the highest category of both egg intake and spinach intake had a much greater reduced odds of having AMD (OR: 0·23; 95% CI: 0·08, 0·71) than those in the lowest category of egg intake and spinach intake. In conclusion, a higher intake of lutein and lutein-rich foods was associated with a significantly decreased odds of AMD. These findings provide further evidence of the benefits of lutein and lutein-rich foods in the prevention of AMD.

Visualizing how a catalyst behaves during chemical reactions using in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is crucial for understanding the activity origin and guiding performance optimization. However, the sample drifts as temperature changes during in situ reaction, which weakens the resolution and stability of TEM imaging, blocks insights into the dynamic details of catalytic reaction. Herein, a Thon-ring based sample position measurement (TSPM) was developed to track the sample height variation during in situ TEM observation. Drifting characteristics for three commercially available nanochips were studied, showing large biases in aspects of shifting modes, expansion heights, as well as the thermal conduction hysteresis during rapid heating. Particularly, utilizing the TSPM method, for the first time, the gas layer thickness inside a gas-cell nanoreactor was precisely determined, which varies with reaction temperature and gas pressure in a linear manner with coefficients of ~8 nm/°C and ~50 nm/mbar, respectively. Following drift prediction of TSPM, fast oxidation kinetics of a Ni particle was tracked in real time for 12 s at 500°C. This TSPM method is expected to facilitate the functionality of automatic target tracing for in situ microscopy applications when feedback to hardware control of the microscope.

Thyroid cancer (TC) incidence has increased greatly during the past decades with a few established risk factors, while no study is available that has assessed the association of the Chinese Health Dietary Index (CHDI) with TC. We conducted a 1:1 matched case–control study in two hospitals in Shanghai, China. Diet-quality scores were calculated according to CHDI using a validated and reliable FFQ. Conditional logistic regression analysis and restricted cubic spline analysis were used to reveal potential associations between CHDI score and TC risk. A total of 414 pairs of historically confirmed TC patients and healthy controls were recruited from November 2012 to December 2015. The total score of cases and controls were 67·5 and 72·8, respectively (P < 0·001). The median score of total vegetables, fruit, diary products, dark green and orange vegetables, fish, shellfish and mollusk, soyabean, whole grains, dry bean and tuber in cases was significantly lower than those in controls. Compared with the reference group (≤60 points), the average (60–80 points) and high (≥80 points) levels of the CHDI score were associated with a reduced risk of TC (OR: 0·40, 95 % CI 0·26, 0·63 for 60–80 points; OR: 0·22, 95 % CI 0·12, 0·38 for ≥80 points). In age-stratified analyses, the favourable association remained significant among participants who are younger than 50 years old. Our data suggested that high diet quality as determined by CHDI was associated with lower risk of TC.

Reconstructing the history of elite communication in ancient China benefits from additional archaeological evidence. We combine textual analysis with new human stable carbon and nitrogen isotope data from two Chu burials in the Jingzhou area to reveal significant dietary differences among Chu nobles of the middle Warring States period (c. 350 BC). This research provides important new information on the close interaction between the aristocratic families of the Qin and Chu.

In clinical environments, orthopedic implants are associated with a risk of infection during implantation. However, the growth paths of bacteria on metal, which is nontransparent, are difficult to observe. In this study, we visualized the DH5-alpha Escherichia coli bacterial growth path on the surface of magnesium by using scanning electron microscope (SEM) images and constructed a convolutional neural network-based artificial intelligence (AI) system to identify metal surfaces, bacteria, and its generated products to grade the growth stage of the bacteria implanted on the magnesium. The detection result of the E. coli growth stage by the AI system was close to that manually marked by experts, and it may greatly accelerate the investigation of the bacterial growth process in various types of metallic material.

The objective of this study was to analyze differences in birth weight and overweight/obesity in a Shanghai twin cohort. We also wanted to study their association and explore possible risk factors for the discordance of overweight/obesity within twins. This was an internal case–control study designed for twins. The 2012 Shanghai Twin Registration System baseline survey data of a total of 3417 twin pairs were statistically analyzed using SPSS22 software. Results show that the body mass index (BMI) of the Shanghai twin population increased with age. Twins with a high birth weight had a higher BMI and a higher rate of overweight and obesity; 0- to 6-year-old twins, male twins and dizygotic (DZ) twins had higher rates of overweight/obesity than other groups. The greater the discordant birth weight rate of twins, the more obvious the difference in BMI (p < .05). There was a significant difference in overweight/obesity between twins with a relative difference of birth weight ≥15% in DZ twins (p < .05). DZ twins, male twins and 0- to 6-year-old twins were more likely to be discordant in overweight/obese than others. The discordant birth weight within twins was not a risk factor for discordant overweight/obesity. However, attention should be paid to childhood obesity, and appropriate interventions should be made at the appropriate time. Genetics may play an important role in the occurrence and development of overweight/obesity. In conclusion, discordant growth and development in the uterus early in life may not lead to discordant weight development in the future.

Limited literatures report the management of congenital left atrial appendage aneurysm (LAAA) which is extremely rare. Chest X-ray firstly showed an enlarged left cardiac silhouette for a 3-year-old patient with pneumonia. Echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging confirmed a large cyst attached to the left atrium. Aneurysmectomy was performed through lateral thoracotomy using step-by-step method and under the guidance of transoesophageal echocardiography. We aim to show the safety and efficacy of this approach applied to children associated with congenital LAAA.

This study examined the contribution of long-term use of Lipiodol capsules, as a supplement to iodised salt to the control of iodine deficiency disorders among women in Xinjiang of China. A total of 1220 women across Kashgar, Aksu, Turpan and Yili Prefectures were surveyed in 2017. Lipiodol capsules were administered twice yearly in Kashgar and once yearly in Aksu and Turpan, but not in Yili. Urinary iodine concentration (UIC), free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), thyroglobulin antibody, thyroid peroxidase antibody and thyroid volume values were assessed. All the women in the four areas were in a state of non-iodine deficiency by UIC. The UIC were higher than adequate in Kashgar and Aksu (619·4 v. 278·6 μg/l). Thyroid hormone levels differed significantly in Turpan and Yili (FT3: 4·4 v. 4·6 pmol/l, FT4: 13·8 v. 14·2 pmol/l, TSH: 2·0 v. 2·7 mIU/l), but did not differ significantly in Kashgar, Aksu and Yili. The four areas did not differ significantly with regard to thyroid nodules, autoimmune thyroiditis or goitre. However, the detection rates of subclinical hypothyroidism (16·6 %) and total thyroid dysfunction (25·4 %) were higher among women in Yili. The supplementation with Lipiodol capsules had improved the iodine nutrition status of women in iodine-deficient areas of Xinjiang since 2006. To avoid negative effects of excess iodine, we suggest a gradual discontinuation of Lipiodol capsules in women with special needs based on the existing iodine nutrition level of local women.

A new series of ternary perovskite 0.975(0.8Bi1/2Na1/2TiO3–0.2Bi1/2K1/2TiO3)–0.025Bix/3Mgy/3Nbz/3O3 (BNT–BKT–BMN, BMN-xyz) ceramics were designed and synthesized. The effect of the element ratio in the doping component BMN on the strain, ferroelectric, piezoelectric, and dielectric properties of the BNT–BKT matrix were studied. The BMN-430 composition without Nb element exhibits the typical features of non-ergodic relaxor, which is characterized by a higher piezoelectric coefficient d33 and a butterfly-shaped strain curve with negative strain. The introduction of trace Nb can significantly enhance the ergodicity of the system, reflecting in the high positive strain response and strain coefficient $\lpar {d_{33}^\ast \gt 750\;{\rm pm/V}} \rpar$ of BMN-321 composition. In contrast, there is no significant difference in the properties between the presence and absence of Mg element. The temperature-dependent electrical behaviors of BMN-xyz ceramics were analyzed based on impedance spectroscopy. This study may be helpful to the design of the chemical modification strategy for the BNT-based relaxor ferroelectrics.