High prevalence of long COVID symptoms has emerged as a significant public health concern. This study investigated the associations between three doses of COVID-19 vaccines and the presence of any and ≥3 types of long COVID symptoms among people with a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Hong Kong, China. This is a secondary analysis of a cross-sectional online survey among Hong Kong adult residents conducted between June and August 2022. This analysis was based on a sub-sample of 1,542 participants with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection during the fifth wave of COVID-19 outbreak in Hong Kong (December 2021 to April 2022). Among the participants, 40.9% and 16.1% self-reported having any and ≥3 types of long COVID symptoms, respectively. After adjusting for significant variables related to sociodemographic characteristics, health conditions and lifestyles, and SARS-CoV-2 infection, receiving at least three doses of COVID-19 vaccines was associated with lower odds of reporting any long COVID symptoms comparing to receiving two doses (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.54, 0.87, P = .002). Three doses of inactivated and mRNA vaccines had similar protective effects against long COVID symptoms. It is important to strengthen the coverage of COVID-19 vaccination booster doses, even in the post-pandemic era.

Timing of food intake is an emerging aspect of nutrition; however, there is a lack of research accurately assessing food timing in the context of the circadian system. The study aimed to investigate the relation between food timing relative to clock time and endogenous circadian timing with adiposity and further explore sex differences in these associations among 151 young adults aged 18–25 years. Participants wore wrist actigraphy and documented sleep and food schedules in real time for 7 consecutive days. Circadian timing was determined by dim-light melatonin onset (DLMO). The duration between last eating occasion and DLMO (last EO-DLMO) was used to calculate the circadian timing of food intake. Adiposity was assessed using bioelectrical impedance analysis. Of the 151 participants, 133 were included in the statistical analysis finally. The results demonstrated that associations of adiposity with food timing relative to circadian timing rather than clock time among young adults living in real-world settings. Sex-stratified analyses revealed that associations between last EO-DLMO and adiposity were significant in females but not males. For females, each hour increase in last EO-DLMO was associated with higher BMI by 0·51 kg/m2 (P = 0·01), higher percent body fat by 1·05 % (P = 0·007), higher fat mass by 0·99 kg (P = 0·01) and higher visceral fat area by 4·75 cm2 (P = 0·02), whereas non-significant associations were present among males. The findings highlight the importance of considering the timing of food intake relative to endogenous circadian timing instead of only as clock time.

Escherichia albertii is an emerging foodborne enteropathogen associated with infectious diarrhoea in humans. In February 2023, an outbreak of acute gastroenteric cases was reported in a junior high school located in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China. Twenty-two investigated patients presented diarrhoea (22/22, 100%), abdominal pain (21/22, 95.5%), nausea (6/22, 27.3%), and vomiting (3/22, 13.6%). E. albertii strains were successfully isolated from anal swabs collected from six patients. Each isolate was classified as sequence type ST2686, harboured eae-β gene, and carried both cdtB-I and cdtB-II subtypes, being serotyped as EAOg32:EAHg4 serotype. A comprehensive whole-genome phylogenetic analysis revealed that the six isolates formed a distinct cluster, separate from other strains. These isolates exhibited minimal genetic variation, differing from one another by 0 to 1 single nucleotide polymorphism, suggesting a common origin from a single clone. To the best of our knowledge, this represented the first reported outbreak of gastroenteritis attributed to E. albertii outside of Japan on a global scale.

Background: While Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy (OPAT) offers patient convenience and reduced healthcare costs, its increasing utilization has brought various complications to light, including antibiotics-related and line-related OPAT complications. In a large prospective study, 18% of the patients experienced adverse drug events. Another study showed 8.45% of patients had vascular complications. Our study aims to identify clinical predictors associated with OPAT complications. Identifying predictors for suboptimal OPAT outcomes provides an opportunity to intervene, thereby minimizing the risk of OPAT-related complications. Method: We conducted a retrospective cohort study at Tufts Medical Center of all adult patients aged ≥18 years discharged on OPAT from April 2022 to October 2022. Demographic, treatment, outcome, and complications data were extracted through chart review. The primary outcome was the proportion and predictors of OPAT complications. The secondary outcomes were OPAT completion rate, 30-day ED visit, and 30-day readmission rates related to OPAT complications. We used univariable and multivariable analyses using logistic regression models for the predictors of OPAT complications. Variables with p5 (OR, 0.281, 95% CI 0.101–0.784), but they were more likely to have received two antibiotics (OR, 2.265; 95% CI 1.155-4.442). However, no significant independent predictor OPAT complications was identified in multivariable regression analysis (Figure 2). OPAT completion rates were lower in patients with complications (59.1% versus 75.4%). The 30-day ED visit and 30-day readmission rates were significantly higher in the complication group (31.8% vs. 0 and 34.1% vs. 2.1%, respectively). Conclusion: Our study highlights the significant difference in treatment completion rates and higher incidence of ED visits and readmissions rates among those with OPAT complications. Although specific independent predictor was not identified, the association with multiple antibiotic therapies and telemedicine follow-ups suggests areas for further investigation.

Background: Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) provides a safe and effective alternative to prolonged hospitalization for patients with infectious diseases requiring elongated antimicrobial therapy. One study found that 35.6% of OPAT episodes met the composite definition for treatment failure, with unplanned extension of OPAT as the most common reason for treatment failure. Our study sought to identify factors predicting higher likelihood of extension of OPAT due to slow clinical response to treatment and determine how therapy extension relates to complications. Method: This retrospective cohort study included all patients aged ≥18 years discharged on OPAT between April 2022 and October 2022. Demographic, treatment, outcome, and complications data were extracted through chart review. The primary outcome was the proportion and predictors of OPAT extension due to slow clinical response to treatment. The secondary outcomes were OPAT complication rate, 30-day ED visit and 30-day readmission rates related to OPAT complications. We used univariable and multivariable logistic regression models for the primary outcome of slow clinical response requiring OPAT extension. Variables with p < 0.1 in the univariable analyses were included in the multivariable model. Result: 231 patients received OPAT during the six-month study. Among them, 40 (17.3%) patients required an extension of therapy. In univariable analysis, patients who had slow clinical response requiring extension of OPAT were more likely to have intraabdominal infection (odds ratio [OR], 2.435; 95% confidence interval[CI], 1.053–5.628), receipt of metronidazole (OR, 3.729; 95% CI, 1.413–9.842), and were more likely to be followed up through office visit (OR, 5.033; 95%CI, 1.164–21.759) or combination of office visit and telemedicine (OR, 2.223; 95%CI 1.041–4.747). Other variable comparisons are detailed in Figure 1. In the multivariable regression analysis, the independent predictor associated with extended of OPAT was follow-up via office visit (adjusted OR, 4.630; 95% CI, 1.024-20.694). Rates of complications related to intravenous access and antibiotic were similar between patients with and without extension; 15% vs. 11% (p=0.430) and 7.5% vs. 7.3% (p=1.000), respectively. There were no significant differences in 30-day ED visits and readmission rates between the 2 groups: 7.5% vs. 5.8%(p=0.715) and 12.5% vs. 7.3% (p=0.338). Conclusion: Our study highlights patient’s office visit follow-up is associated with the OPAT extension due to slow clinical response. However, extended therapy did not result in a significant increase in complications or hospital readmissions. These findings suggest the importance of careful patient selection and monitoring for OPAT, potentially guiding more efficient and targeted healthcare practices.

In the double-cone ignition scheme of inertial confinement fusion, the head-on collision of two compressed fuel jets from the cone-tips forms an isochoric plasma, which is then heated suddenly by a MeV relativistic electron beam produced by ultra-intense picosecond laser pulses. This fast-heating process was studied experimentally at the Shenguang II upgrade laser facility. By observing temporal-resolved X-ray emission and the spatial-resolved X-ray spectrum, the colliding process and heating process are carefully studied. The colliding plasma was imaged to have dimensions of approximately 86 μm in the implosion direction and approximately 120 μm in the heating direction. By comparing the simulated plasma X-ray spectrum with experimental data, the electron temperature of the heated plasma was found to rapidly increase to 600 ± 50 eV, almost doubling the temperature achieved before the heating laser incidence.

Various psychosocial and psychological interventions have been developed to reduce schizophrenia relapse prevention. A better understanding of these active interventions is important for clinical practice and for meaningful allocation of resources. However, no bibliometric analysis of this area has been conducted. Studies were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database. The publication outputs and cooperation of institutions were visualized with Origin 2021. Global cooperation was visualized using ArcGIS Pro3.0. VOSviewer was used to generate visualizations of network of authors and keywords. The number of annual publications generally showed a fluctuating upward trend over the past 20 years. Germany published the most relevant articles (361, 26.76%). The Technical University of Munich was the most productive institution (70, 9.86%). Leucht Stefan published the most articles (46, 6.48%) and had the highest number of citations (4,375 citations). Schizophrenia Research published the most studies (39, 5.49%). Keywords were roughly classified into three clusters: cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), family interventions and family psychoeducation and other factors related to interventions. The findings provided the current status of research on psychosocial and psychological interventions for schizophrenia relapse prevention from a bibliometric perspective. Recent research has mainly focused on CBT, family interventions and family psychoeducation.

Research articles in the clinical and translational science literature commonly use quantitative data to inform evaluation of interventions, learn about the etiology of disease, or develop methods for diagnostic testing or risk prediction of future events. The peer review process must evaluate the methodology used therein, including use of quantitative statistical methods. In this manuscript, we provide guidance for peer reviewers tasked with assessing quantitative methodology, intended to complement guidelines and recommendations that exist for manuscript authors. We describe components of clinical and translational science research manuscripts that require assessment including study design and hypothesis evaluation, sampling and data acquisition, interventions (for studies that include an intervention), measurement of data, statistical analysis methods, presentation of the study results, and interpretation of the study results. For each component, we describe what reviewers should look for and assess; how reviewers should provide helpful comments for fixable errors or omissions; and how reviewers should communicate uncorrectable and irreparable errors. We then discuss the critical concepts of transparency and acceptance/revision guidelines when communicating with responsible journal editors.

Salt solutions have complex effects on the swelling characteristics of compacted bentonite; these effects are caused by the inhibitory action of salinity and the ion-exchange reaction between the solution and bentonite. In order to characterize the swelling properties of compacted bentonite in a salt solution, swelling deformation tests were carried out for Gao-Miao-Zi (GMZ) bentonite specimens in NaCl and CaCl2 solutions. Swelling characteristics decreased with increasing salt concentration. Swelling strains in NaCl solution were larger than those in CaCl2 solution, even though the ionic concentration of 1.0 mol/L (M) NaCl solution is larger than that of 0.5 M CaCl2. According to the exchangeable cations tests, cation exchange was different for specimens immersed in different salt solutions. The swelling fractal model was used to predict the swelling strains of compacted bentonite in a concentrated salt solution. In this model, the effective stress incorporating osmotic suction was applied to take the effect of salinity into consideration, and the swelling coefficient, K, was employed to describe the swelling properties affected by the variation in exchangeable cations. In the model, fractal dimension was measured by nitrogen adsorption, and the salt solution had little effect on fractal dimension. K was estimated by the diffuse double layer (DDL) model for osmotic swelling in distilled water. Comparison of fractal model estimations with experimental data demonstrated that the new model performed well in predicting swelling characteristics affected by a salt solution.

In order to establish a compact all-optical Thomson scattering source, experimental studies were conducted on the 45 TW Ti: sapphire laser facility. By including a steel wafer, mixed gas, and plasma mirror into a double-exit jet, several mechanisms, such as shock-assisted ionization injection, ionization injection, and driving laser reflection, were integrated into one source. So, the source of complexity was remarkably reduced. Electron bunches with central energy fluctuating from 90 to 160 MeV can be produced. Plasma mirrors were used to reflect the driving laser. The scattering of the reflected laser on the electron bunches led to the generation of X-ray photons. Through comparing the X-ray spots under different experimental conditions, it is confirmed that the X-ray photons are generated by Thomson scattering. For further application, the energy spectra and source size of the Thomson scattering source were measured. The unfolded spectrum contains a large amount of low-energy photons besides a peak near 67 keV. Through importing the electron energy spectrum into the Monte Carlo simulation code, the different contributions of the photons with small and large emitting angles can be used to explain the origin of the unfolded spectrum. The maximum photon energy extended to about 500 keV. The total photon production was 107/pulse. The FWHM source size was about 12 μm.

The objective of this study was to understand and measure epigenetic changes associated with the occurrence of CHDs by utilizing the discordant monozygotic twin model. A unique set of monozygotic twins discordant for double-outlet right ventricles (DORVs) was used for this multiomics study. The cardiac and muscle tissue samples from the twins were subjected to whole genome sequencing, whole genome bisulfite sequencing, RNA-sequencing and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis. Sporadic DORV cases and control fetuses were used for validation. Global hypomethylation status was observed in heart tissue samples from the affected twins. Among 36,228 differentially methylated regions (DMRs), 1097 DMRs involving 1039 genes were located in promoter regions. A total of 419 genes, and lncRNA–mRNA pairs involved 30 genes, and 62 proteins were significantly differentially expressed. Multiple omics integrative analysis revealed that five genes, including BGN, COL1A1, COL3A1, FBLN5, and FLAN, and three pathways, including ECM-receptor interaction, focal adhesion and TGF-β signaling pathway, exhibited differences at all three levels. This study demonstrates a multiomics profile of discordant twins and explores the possible mechanism of DORV development. Global hypomethylation might be associated with the risk of CHDs. Specific genes and specific pathways, particularly those involving ECM–receptor interaction, focal adhesion and TGF–β signaling, might be involved in the occurrence of CHDs.

A dual-band angular-stable transmissive linear to circular polarization converter based on metasurface is proposed and demonstrated in this work. The converter consists of three layers. The top and bottom layers are formed by an array of double split-ring layers. The unit cell of the central layer contains a square loop nesting a slant dipole. The split-rings create two resonances, enabling dual-band operation. The slant dipole and square loop are useful for improving the quality of circular polarization conversion. It is shown that the proposed polarization converter converts the incident linearly polarized wave into circularly polarized wave with opposite polarization modes over the frequency ranges of 8.77–10.58 and 17.59–19.88 GHz. The angular stability is up to 60° for 3 dB axial ratio. Moreover, the thickness of unit cell has a wavelength below 0.06 at the lower band. Compared with other designs in the literature, the structure bears merits of wideband response, high angular stability, and low-profile property within dual-band operational region. To validate the design, a sample prototype was designed, fabricated, and measured. The measured results are in good agreement with the simulated ones.

The late third-millennium BC Longshan period was a crucial time for state formation in central China. During these centuries, long-distance networks expanded and shared material culture and then cultural practices spread across wider areas precipitating social and ideological developments that presaged the rise of states and cities on the Central Plain. In this research, the authors use multiple (strontium, oxygen and carbon) isotope analyses from the dental enamel of 67 individuals buried at the Xiajin cemetery, Shanxi Province. The results indicate significant long-distance migration among females during the Longshan period, which the authors interpret as evidence of exogamous marriage for political alliance-building—a phenomenon found more widely across Eurasia at the start of the Bronze Age.

Rodents and shrews are major reservoirs of various pathogens that are related to zoonotic infectious diseases. The purpose of this study was to investigate co-infections of zoonotic pathogens in rodents and shrews trapped in four provinces of China. We sampled different rodent and shrew communities within and around human settlements in four provinces of China and characterised several important zoonotic viral, bacterial, and parasitic pathogens by PCR methods and phylogenetic analysis. A total of 864 rodents and shrews belonging to 24 and 13 species from RODENTIA and EULIPOTYPHLA orders were captured, respectively. For viral pathogens, two species of hantavirus (Hantaan orthohantavirus and Caobang orthohantavirus) were identified in 3.47% of rodents and shrews. The overall prevalence of Bartonella spp., Anaplasmataceae, Babesia spp., Leptospira spp., Spotted fever group Rickettsiae, Borrelia spp., and Coxiella burnetii were 31.25%, 8.91%, 4.17%, 3.94%, 3.59%, 3.47%, and 0.58%, respectively. Furthermore, the highest co-infection status of three pathogens was observed among Bartonella spp., Leptospira spp., and Anaplasmataceae with a co-infection rate of 0.46%. Our results suggested that species distribution and co-infections of zoonotic pathogens were prevalent in rodents and shrews, highlighting the necessity of active surveillance for zoonotic pathogens in wild mammals in wider regions.