Summary of case-controlled studies included in this report.

<p>*Included for meta-analysis. ^aMedian age. ^bMean age.</p><p>Summary of case-controlled studies included in this report.</p

Forest plot for the meta-analysis of the association of undifferentiated <i>Ureaplasma</i> spp. with NGU.

<p>Forest plot for the meta-analysis of the association of undifferentiated <i>Ureaplasma</i> spp. with NGU.</p

Forest plots for the meta-analysis of the distribution of <i>U. urealyticum</i> and <i>U. parvum</i> within the NGU and control groups.

<p>(A) The distribution of <i>U. urealyticum</i> and <i>U. parvum</i> within the NGU group. (B) The distribution of <i>U. urealyticum</i> and <i>U. parvum</i> within the control group.</p

Are <i>Ureaplasma</i> spp. a Cause of Nongonococcal Urethritis? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

<div><p>Background</p><p>Nongonococcal urethritis (NGU) is the most common male reproductive tract syndrome. <i>Ureaplasmas</i> spp. including <i>U. urealyticum</i> and <i>U. parvum</i>, have been increasingly reported to be implicated in NGU. However, there are still many contradictions about their pathogenic role in NGU.</p><p>Aims</p><p>The goals of this study were to evaluate the association of <i>Ureaplasmas</i> spp. with NGU, and to compare the prevalence of <i>Ureaplasmas</i> spp. infection in China relative to the world average.</p><p>Methods</p><p>A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted following standard guidelines for meta-analysis. The quality of included studies was assessed by Newcastle-Ottawa scale.</p><p>Results</p><p>A total of seven studies involving 1,507 NGU patients and 1,223 controls were eligible for meta-analysis. There was no significant difference in the <i>Ureaplasma</i> spp. positive rate between the NGU and control groups. However, the <i>U. urealyticum</i> positive rate was significantly higher in NGU patients compared to controls; the <i>U. parvum</i> positive rate was significantly higher in controls compared to NGU patients. Furthermore, within the NGU patient group, the positive rate of <i>U. urealyticum</i> was significantly higher than that of <i>U. parvum</i>, whereas within the control group, the opposite trend was observed. Compared to the world average, a significantly higher positive rate of <i>Ureaplasma</i> spp. was observed in both the NGU and control groups in China.</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>Our analysis supports that <i>U. urealyticum</i>, but not <i>U. parvum</i>, is an etiological agent in NGU. More detailed studies of these two species in China and the world could contribute to a better understanding of the epidemiology and pathogenesis, and facilitate the development of better strategies for treatment and prevention of NGU.</p></div

Flow diagram of the literature search process.

<p>Flow diagram of the literature search process.</p

Forest plots for the meta-analysis of the association of differentiated <i>U. urealyticum</i> and <i>U. parvum</i> with NGU.

<p>(A) Comparison of the <i>U. urealyticum</i> infection rate between the NGU and control groups. (B) Comparison of the <i>U. parvum</i> infection rate between the NGU and control groups.</p

Funnel plot for the meta-analysis of the distribution of <i>U. urealyticum</i> and <i>U. parvum</i> within the NGU group.

<p>The horizontal line represents the natural log (ln) of the combined OR. The funnel lines represent the pseudo 95% confidence limit.</p

The prevalence of undifferentiated <i>Ureaplasma</i> spp. in NGU in China and the world.

a<p><i>χ²</i> = 1.430, <i>P</i> = 0.232 between the NGU and control groups in the world.</p><p><i>χ²</i> = 2.145, <i>P</i> = 0.143 between the NGU and control groups in China.</p><p><i>χ²</i> = 18.57, <i>P</i><0.0001 for the NGU group between China and the world.</p><p><i>χ²</i> = 5.33, <i>P</i> = 0.021 for the control group between China and the world.</p><p>The prevalence of undifferentiated <i>Ureaplasma</i> spp. in NGU in China and the world.</p

Toward Highly Luminescent and Stabilized Silica-Coated Perovskite Quantum Dots through Simply Mixing and Stirring under Room Temperature in Air

Methylammonium (MA) lead halide (MAPbX₃, X = Cl, Br, I) perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) are very sensitive to environment (moisture, oxygen, and temperature), suffering from poor stability. To improve the stability, we synthesized silica-coated PQDs (SPQDs) by an improved ligand-assisted reprecipitation method through simply mixing and stirring under room temperature in air without adding water and catalyst, the whole process took only a few seconds. The photoluminescence (PL) spectra of the SPQDs can be tuned continuously from 460 to 662 nm via adjusting the composition proportion of precursors. The highest PL quantum yields (PLQYs) of blue-, green-, and red-emissive SPQDs are 56, 95, and 70%, respectively. The SPQDs show remarkably improved environmental and thermal stability compared to the naked PQDs because of effective barrier created by the coated silica between the core materials and the ambience. Furthermore, it is found that different light-emitting SPQDs can maintain their original PL properties after mixing of them and anion-exchange reactions have not happened. These attributes were then used to mix green- and yellow-emissive SPQDs with polystyrene (PS) to form color-converting layers for the fabrication of white light-emitting devices (WLEDs). The WLEDs exhibit excellent white light characteristics with CIE 1931 color coordinates of (0.31, 0.34) and color rendering index (CRI) of 85, demonstrating promising applications of SPQDs in lighting and displays