Examining associations of folic acid supplements administered to mothers during pre-conceptional and prenatal periods with autism spectrum disorders in their offspring: insights from a multi-center study in China

ObjectiveTo investigate the relationship between maternal folic acid (FA) supplementation during the pre-conceptional and prenatal periods and the subsequent risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in offspring.MethodsA total of 6,049 toddlers aged 16–30 months were recruited from August 2016 to March 2017 for this cross-sectional study conducted in China. The parents of the enrolled toddlers provided information on maternal supplemental FA, socio-demographic information, and related covariates. Standard diagnostic procedures were implemented to identify toddlers with ASD.ResultsAmong the 6,049 children included in the study, consisting of 3,364 boys with an average age of 22.7 ± 4.1 months, a total of 71 children (1.2%) were diagnosed with ASD. Mothers who did not consume FA supplements during the prenatal period were found to have a significantly increased risk of having offspring with ASD, in comparison to those who were exposed to FA supplements (odds ratio [OR] = 2.47). However, we did not find a similar association during the pre-conceptional period. Compared to mothers who consistently used FA supplements from pre-conception to the prenatal period, those who never used FA supplements were statistically significantly associated with a higher risk of ASD in their offspring (OR = 2.88).ConclusionThis study indicated that providing continuous maternal FA supplementation during the pre-conceptional and prenatal periods may decrease the risk of ASD in offspring. The prenatal period is considered to be the most crucial time for intervention

Effects of Tirofiban and Nicorandil on Effective Reperfusion and the Levels of IL-4 and sICAM-1 After PCI for Chronic Coronary Total Occlusion

Aim: The effects of tirofiban combined with nicorandil on effective reperfusion, and the levels of interleukin-4 (IL-4) and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for chronic coronary total occlusion (CTO) were investigated. Method: From January 1, 2017, to June 31, 2019, a total of 40 patients with CTO receiving PCI in Shandong Qianfoshan Hospital were randomly divided into a control group (treated with single tirofiban) and a cocktail group (treated with nicorandil combined with tirofiban). Effective reperfusion was compared between groups. In addition, differences in coronary serum IL-4 and sICAM-1 levels before and 10 min after the operation were compared between groups, and the incidence rates of adverse reactions were observed. Finally, patient follow-up occurred at 1 month and 6 months, and the total incidence rates of adverse cardiac events in both groups were assessed. Results: The levels of IL-4 and sICAM-1 in the cocktail group significantly decreased after the operation (P&lt;0.05). In addition, after the operation, significantly greater decreases in the IL-4 and sICAM-1 levels were observed in the cocktail group than the control group (P&lt;0.05). The Seattle Angina Scale (SAQ) score of the cocktail group, compared with the control group, showed a significant improvement after vessel opening in the patients with CTO. At the 1-month follow-up, the SAQ score of the cocktail group, compared with the control group, indicated further improvements in terms of angina attack frequency. No significant differences were observed in the incidence rates of adverse reactions between groups (P&gt;0.05). Conclusion: The treatment of patients with CTO undergoing PCI with nicorandil and tirofiban alleviated the inflammatory response, improved the SAQ scores, and decreased the occurrence of angina pectoris in patients. Moreover, this treatment is safe and reliable, and has important clinical significance. </p

Dynamics of a Beddington-DeAngelis Type Predator-Prey Model with Impulsive Effect

In view of the logical consistence, the model of a two-prey one-predator system with Beddington-DeAngelis functional response and impulsive control strategies is formulated and studied systematically. By using the Floquet theory of impulsive equation, small amplitude perturbation method, and comparison technique, we obtain the conditions which guarantee the global asymptotic stability of the two-prey eradication periodic solution. We also proved that the system is permanent under some conditions. Numerical simulations find that the system appears the phenomenon of competition exclusion

The Property of the Solution about Cauchy Problem for Fourth-Order Schrödinger Equation with Critical Time-Oscillating Nonlinearity

We study the property of the solution in Sobolev spaces for the Cauchy problem of the following fourth-order Schrödinger equation with critical time-oscillating nonlinearity iut+Δ2u+θ(ωt)|u|8/(n-4)u=0, where ω,t∈R, x∈Rn, and θ is a periodic function. We obtain the asymptotic property of the solution for the above equation as ω→∞ under some conditions

Well-posedness of the fourth-order perturbed Schrödinger type equation in non-isotropic Sobolev spaces

AbstractIn this paper we study the Cauchy problem of the non-isotropically perturbed fourth-order nonlinear Schrödinger type equation: iut+△u+a∑i=1duxixixixi+g(x,|u|)u=0 ((x1,x2,…,xn)∈Rn, t⩾0), where a is a real constant, 1⩽d<n is an integer, g(x,|u|)u is a nonlinear function which behaves like |u|αu for some constant α>0. By using Kato method, we prove that this perturbed fourth-order Schrödinger type equation is locally well-posed with initial data belonging to the non-isotropic Sobolev spaces Hx→s1Hy→s2 provided that s1,s2 satisfy the conditions: s1⩾0, s2⩾0 for 0<α<82n−d or 2s1+4s2>2n−d−8α for α⩾82n−d with some additional conditions. Furthermore, by using non-isotropic Sobolev inequality and energy method, we obtain some global well-posedness results for initial data belonging to non-isotropic Sobolev spaces Hx→2Hy→1

TILs and Anti-PD1 Therapy: An Alternative Combination Therapy for PDL1 Negative Metastatic Cervical Cancer

Background. We investigated the efficacy of TILs and anti-PD1 combination therapy in patients with metastatic cervical cancer with low MSI expression and PDL1-negative. Methods. A total of 80 patients were put on TILs and anti-PD1 combination therapy, and the progression-free survival time (PFS) and overall survival time (OS) were assessed by Kaplan–Meier analysis. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify factors that could predict the prognosis of metastatic cervical cancer in the previously described patients. Results. The objective response rate was 25%, whereas the mPFS and mOS were 6.1 and 11.3 months, respectively. The therapeutic efficacy was influenced by the characteristics of TILs, infection with HPV, and development of fever just after the therapy. Conclusion. Overall, our results show that the combination therapy of TILs and anti-PD1 significantly improves the prognosis of metastatic cervical cancer

Estimation of Soil Salinization by Machine Learning Algorithms in Different Arid Regions of Northwest China

Hyperspectral data has attracted considerable attention in recent years due to its high accuracy in monitoring soil salinization. At present, most existing research focuses on the saline soil in a single area without comparative analysis between regions. The regional differences in the hyperspectral characteristics of saline soil are still unclear. Thus, we chose Golmud in the cold&ndash;dry Qaidam Basin (QB&ndash;G) and Gaotai&ndash;Minghua in the relatively warm&ndash;dry Hexi Corridor (HC&ndash;GM) as the study areas, and used the deep extreme learning machine (DELM) and sine cosine algorithm&ndash;Elman (SCA&ndash;Elman) to predict soil salinity, and then selected the most suitable algorithm in these two regions. A total of 79 (QB&ndash;G) and 86 (HC&ndash;GM) soil samples were collected and tested to obtain their electrical conductivity (EC) and corresponding hyperspectral reflectance (R). We utilized the land surface parameters that affect the soil based on Landsat 8 and digital elevation model (DEM) data, selected the variables using the light gradient boosting machine (LightGBM), and built SCA&ndash;Elman and DELM from the hyperspectral reflectance data combined with land surface parameters. The results revealed the following: (1) The soil hyperspectral reflectance in QB&ndash;G was higher than that in HC&ndash;GM. The soils of QB&ndash;G are mainly the chloride type and those of HC&ndash;GM mainly belong to the sulfate type, having lower reflectance. (2) The accuracies of some of the SCA&ndash;Elman and DELM models in QB&ndash;G (the highest MAEv, RMSEv, and Rv2 were 0.09, 0.12 and 0.75, respectively) were higher than those in HC&ndash;GM (the highest MAEv, RMSEv, and Rv2 were 0.10, 0.14 and 0.73, respectively), which has flatter terrain and less obvious surface changes. The surface parameters in QB&ndash;G had higher correlation coefficients with EC due to the regular altitude change and cold&ndash;dry climate. (3) Most of the SCA&ndash;Elman results (the mean Rv2 in HC-GM and QB-G were 0.62 and 0.60, respectively) in all areas performed better than the DELM results (the mean Rv2 in HC&ndash;GM and QB&ndash;G were 0.51 and 0.49, respectively). Therefore, SCA&ndash;Elman was more suitable for the soil salinity prediction in HC&ndash;GM and QB&ndash;G. This can provide a reference for soil salinization monitoring and model selection in the future

Estimation of Soil Salinization by Machine Learning Algorithms in Different Arid Regions of Northwest China

Hyperspectral data has attracted considerable attention in recent years due to its high accuracy in monitoring soil salinization. At present, most existing research focuses on the saline soil in a single area without comparative analysis between regions. The regional differences in the hyperspectral characteristics of saline soil are still unclear. Thus, we chose Golmud in the cold–dry Qaidam Basin (QB–G) and Gaotai–Minghua in the relatively warm–dry Hexi Corridor (HC–GM) as the study areas, and used the deep extreme learning machine (DELM) and sine cosine algorithm–Elman (SCA–Elman) to predict soil salinity, and then selected the most suitable algorithm in these two regions. A total of 79 (QB–G) and 86 (HC–GM) soil samples were collected and tested to obtain their electrical conductivity (EC) and corresponding hyperspectral reflectance (R). We utilized the land surface parameters that affect the soil based on Landsat 8 and digital elevation model (DEM) data, selected the variables using the light gradient boosting machine (LightGBM), and built SCA–Elman and DELM from the hyperspectral reflectance data combined with land surface parameters. The results revealed the following: (1) The soil hyperspectral reflectance in QB–G was higher than that in HC–GM. The soils of QB–G are mainly the chloride type and those of HC–GM mainly belong to the sulfate type, having lower reflectance. (2) The accuracies of some of the SCA–Elman and DELM models in QB–G (the highest MAEv, RMSEv, and Rv2 were 0.09, 0.12 and 0.75, respectively) were higher than those in HC–GM (the highest MAEv, RMSEv, and Rv2 were 0.10, 0.14 and 0.73, respectively), which has flatter terrain and less obvious surface changes. The surface parameters in QB–G had higher correlation coefficients with EC due to the regular altitude change and cold–dry climate. (3) Most of the SCA–Elman results (the mean Rv2 in HC-GM and QB-G were 0.62 and 0.60, respectively) in all areas performed better than the DELM results (the mean Rv2 in HC–GM and QB–G were 0.51 and 0.49, respectively). Therefore, SCA–Elman was more suitable for the soil salinity prediction in HC–GM and QB–G. This can provide a reference for soil salinization monitoring and model selection in the future