Placement Distance of Exit Advance Guide Sign on an Eight-Lane Expressway Considering Lane Changing Behaviour in China

The reasonable placement of the advance guide signs (AGSs) is important in improving driving efficiency and safety when exiting an expressway. By analysing the lane-changing process when approaching an exit on new two-way eight-lane expressways, we modified the tradi-tional AGS model lane-change distance formula. To this end, a field experiment was designed to explore the lane-change traversal time at the free flow condition (LOS 1). Considering the limitations of the experimental equip-ment, lane change distance at the worst levels of service was explored using VISSIM simulation. The results show that the eight-lane changing distance based on modified theoretical calculations, revealed a minor difference with VISSIM simulation in free flow condition. Further-more, placement distance at the worst levels of service are discussed. Then placement distance of all-level AGSs is recommended to be 3 km, 2 km, 1.2 km, and 0.8 km, considering the driver\u27s short-term memory attenuation calculation formula. Determining the two-way eight-lane AGS placement distance from the perspective of LOS can provide a basis on which to supplement the existing stan-dards and references for the AGS placement distance af-ter the expressway expansion in China

Construction of a Nomogram predictive model for post-discharge psychosomatic review of psychiatric liaison consultation patients based on medical record data

Epidemiological studies have shown that almost all physical illnesses coexist with psychiatric disorders or psychological problems, and the severity of mental illness is positively correlated with the duration and severity of physical illness. Liaison consultations are valuable in identifying and treating psychiatric disorders, but the rate of psychiatric follow-up after consultation is low in outpatients. This study aimed to investigate the factors influencing post-discharge psychosomatic follow-up visits in patients undergoing psychiatric liaison consultation in general hospitals and construct a Nomogram prediction model for patients’ post-discharge psychosomatic follow-up visits. Medical record data of inpatients who received psychiatric liaison consultations at Xi’an International Medical Center Hospital in China from September 2019 to September 2020 were analyzed. Lasso regression and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to screen independent influences on the occurrence of post-discharge psychosomatic follow-ups in patients undergoing psychiatric liaison consultations. Risk prediction column line graphs were constructed using R software, and the models were evaluated. Of the 494 inpatients who received psychiatric liaison consultations, 115 patients (23.279%) (mean age = 54.8 years) went for post-discharge psychosomatic follow-up, while 379 patients (mean age = 59.3 years) had no record of psychosomatic follow-up. Furthermore, occupation, interval.time, diagnosis, out.antipsychotics, and recommendations.followup were independent factors influencing post-discharge psychosomatic follow-up. The model accurately predicted post-discharge psychosomatic follow-up behavior of inpatients who received psychiatric liaison consultations. Lastly, the clinical decision curve analysis showed that the model had good validity for clinical application. Patients who received a psychiatric liaison consultation with a ≤ 10-day interval between admission to the hospital and application for consultation, were discharged with prescribed medication, and had a clear written medical order for a follow-up consultation had an increased probability of psychosomatic follow-up after discharge

HPV Infection in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Its Relationship to the Prognosis of Patients in Northern China

Purpose. Human papillomavirus (HPV) as a risk factor for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) has previously been studied, but importance of HPV status in ESCC for prognosis is less clear. Methods. A total of 105 specimens with ESCC were tested by in situ hybridization for HPV 16/18 and immunohistochemistry for p16 expression. The 5-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival were calculated in relation to these markers and the Cox proportional hazards model was used to determine the hazard ratio (HR) of variables in univariate and multivariate analysis. Results. HPV was detected in 27.6% (29) of the 105 patients with ESCC, and all positive cases were HPV-16. Twenty-five (86.2%) of the 29 HPV-positive tumors were stained positive for p16. HPV infected patients had better 5-year rates of OS (65.9% versus 43.4% among patients with HPV-negative tumors; P = 0.002 by the log-rank test) and had a 63% reduction in the risk of death (adjusted HR = 0.37, 95% CI = 0.16 to 0.82, and P = 0.01). Conclusions. HPV infection may be one of many factors contributing to the development of ESCC and tumor HPV status is an independent prognostic factor for survival among patients with ESCC

Spread of Streptococcus suis Sequence Type 7, China

Streptococcus suis sequence type (ST) 7 has been spreading throughout China. To determine events associated with its emergence, we tested 114 isolates. In all 106 ST7 strains responsible for human outbreaks and sporadic infections, the tetracycline-resistance gene, tetM, was detected on the conjugative transposon Tn916. Horizontal transmission of tetM is suspected

Defining the Genetic Features of O-Antigen Biosynthesis Gene Cluster and Performance of an O-Antigen Serotyping Scheme for Escherichia albertii

Escherichia albertii is a newly described and emerging diarrheagenic pathogen responsible for outbreaks of gastroenteritis. Serotyping plays an important role in diagnosis and epidemiological studies for pathogens of public health importance. The diversity of O-antigen biosynthesis gene clusters (O-AGCs) provides the primary basis for serotyping. However, little is known about the distribution and diversity of O-AGCs of E. albertii strains. Here, we presented a complete sequence set for the O-AGCs from 52 E. albertii strains and identified seven distinct O-AGCs. Six of these were also found in 15 genomes of E. albertii strains deposited in the public database. Possession of wzy/wzx genes in each O-AGC strongly suggest that O-antigens of E. albertii were synthesized by the Wzx/Wzy-dependent pathway. Furthermore, we performed an O-antigen serotyping scheme for E. albertii based on specific antisera against seven O-antigens and a high throughput xTAG Luminex assay to simultaneously detect seven O-AGCs. Both methods accurately identified serotypes of 64 tested E. albertii strains. Our data revealed the high-level diversity of O-AGCs in E. albertii. We also provide valuable methods to reliably identify and serotype this bacterium

The MERS-CoV N Protein Regulates Host Cytokinesis and Protein Translation via Interaction With EF1A

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), a pathogen causing severe respiratory disease in humans that emerged in June 2012, is a novel beta coronavirus similar to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV). In this study, immunoprecipitation and proximity ligation assays revealed that the nucleocapsid (N) protein of MERS-CoV interacted with human translation elongation factor 1A (EF1A), an essential component of the translation system with important roles in protein translation, cytokinesis, and filamentous actin (F-actin) bundling. The C-terminal motif (residues 359–363) of the N protein was the crucial domain involved in this interaction. The interaction between the MERS-CoV N protein and EF1A resulted in cytokinesis inhibition due to the formation of inactive F-actin bundles, as observed in an in vitro actin polymerization assay and in MERS-CoV-infected cells. Furthermore, the translation of a CoV-like reporter mRNA carrying the MERS-CoV 5′UTR was significantly potentiated by the N protein, indicating that a similar process may contribute to EF1A-associated viral protein translation. This study highlights the crucial role of EF1A in MERS-CoV infection and provides new insights into the pathogenesis of coronavirus infections