Rapid assessment of malnutrition based on GLIM diagnosis in Crohn’s disease

Background and aimsMalnutrition is strongly linked to adverse outcomes in patients with Crohn’s disease (CD). In this study, our objective was to validate the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria and develop a fast and accurate diagnostic approach for identifying malnutrition in CD patients.MethodsThis study assessed 177 CD patients from four general hospitals. The efficacy of the GLIM criteria for the diagnosis of CD malnutrition was compared. By analyzing the independent factors, a nomogram model was derived and internally validated to predict the diagnosis of malnutrition in patients with CD. Model performance was assessed using discrimination and calibration, decision curves, and net benefit analyses.ResultsCompared with the SGA criteria, the GLIM criteria was consistent in sensitivity (88.89%) and specificity (78.43%) [AUC = 0.84; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.77–0.89]. The Harvey-Bradshaw index(HBI) score (OR: 1.58; 95% CI: 1.15–2.18), body mass index (OR: 0.41; 95% CI: 0.27–0.64), and mid-upper arm circumference (OR: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.47–0.9) were independent factors associated with malnutrition. The nomogram was developed based on these indicators showing good discrimination in malnutrition diagnosis (AUC = 0.953; 95% CI: 0.922–0.984), with agreement after calibration curve and decision curve analysis.ConclusionThe GLIM criteria are appropriate for diagnosing malnutrition in CD patients. The HBI score may be used to diagnose malnutrition in patients with CD and become a possible selection for the GLIM etiologic criteria of inflammation. The HBM nomogram could be a simple, rapid, and efficient method for diagnosing malnutrition in CD patients

Numerical Simulation and Optimization of Rapid Filling of High-Pressure Hydrogen Storage Cylinder

The fast charging process of high-pressure gas storage cylinders is accompanied by high temperature rise, which potentially induces the failure of solid materials inside the cylinders and the underfilling of the cylinders. A two-dimensional (2D) axisymmetric model simulated the charging process of hydrogen storage cylinders with a rated working pressure of 35 MPa and a volume of 150 L. During filling, the highest temperature rise inside the cylinder occurs at the bottom part of the cylinder, and the state of charge (SOC) is 46.4% after filling. This temperature rise can be reduced by precooling the injected hydrogen, and the highest SOC can reach 95.7% after injection. The SOC in the cylinder gradually increases with a decrease in the temperature of the hydrogen injection. The maximum SOC increase is 49.3%. For safety and the SOC exceeding 90%, the hydrogen gas should be precooled to below −10 °C, and the SOC could achieve more than 90.3%. The internal structure of the hydrogen cylinder was further optimized without a precooling condition. The selected length ratios were 25%, 50%, and 75%. Compared with the initial scheme, the SOC in the optimization scheme increased by 16%, 38.7%, and 40.1%

Numerical Simulation and Optimization of Rapid Filling of High-Pressure Hydrogen Storage Cylinder

The fast charging process of high-pressure gas storage cylinders is accompanied by high temperature rise, which potentially induces the failure of solid materials inside the cylinders and the underfilling of the cylinders. A two-dimensional (2D) axisymmetric model simulated the charging process of hydrogen storage cylinders with a rated working pressure of 35 MPa and a volume of 150 L. During filling, the highest temperature rise inside the cylinder occurs at the bottom part of the cylinder, and the state of charge (SOC) is 46.4% after filling. This temperature rise can be reduced by precooling the injected hydrogen, and the highest SOC can reach 95.7% after injection. The SOC in the cylinder gradually increases with a decrease in the temperature of the hydrogen injection. The maximum SOC increase is 49.3%. For safety and the SOC exceeding 90%, the hydrogen gas should be precooled to below −10 °C, and the SOC could achieve more than 90.3%. The internal structure of the hydrogen cylinder was further optimized without a precooling condition. The selected length ratios were 25%, 50%, and 75%. Compared with the initial scheme, the SOC in the optimization scheme increased by 16%, 38.7%, and 40.1%

Effects of Combined Application of Biochar and Different Types of Nitrogen Fertilizers on Rapeseed Root Growth and Properties of Purple Soil in Southwest China

To demonstrate the effects of combined application of biochar and different types of nitrogen fertilizers on the growth of plant roots and on purple soil properties such as soil nutrients, soil carbon content and soil respiration, a 206-day greenhouse pot experiment with rapeseed was conducted. Three types of nitrogen fertilizer were used: urea (UR), controlled-release urea (RU), a mixture of 60% urea and 40% controlled-release urea (40% RU), and biochar was added at mass fractions of 0% (C0), 2% (C1) and 4% (C2), with a control treatment (CK) without nitrogen fertilizer and biochar. The results showed that biochar significantly improved soil nutrient status, with the best effect observed when 40%RU was co-applied with biochar. The addition of biochar significantly increased soil total organic carbon (TOC) and particulate organic carbon (POC). Soil respiration increased with increasing biochar application, and the combination of 2% biochar and 40% RU showed a reduction in carbon emissions compared to the UR and RU treatments. The number of rapeseed root tips (NT), forks (NF) and crossings (NC) increased significantly with the addition of biochar, and the combination of biochar and 40% RU was more beneficial for root growth and development than RU and UR. Considering the improvement in soil nutrition, increased soil organic carbon content, reduced carbon emissions, and enhanced rapeseed growth and development, the co-application of 2% biochar and 40% RU is recommended for large-scale application in rapeseed cultivation in the hilly purple soil of southwest China

Analysis and Experiment on the Impact of Various Hook Angle Factors on Spindle Picking Performance

As the core component of the cotton picker, the structural characteristics of the spindle directly affect not only its picking performance but also different components of the cotton picker. Therefore, in order to reveal the influence of different angle parameters of hook teeth on the performance of the spindle and the optimal hook tooth angle parameters, this study analyzes the working principle of the picking mechanism of the cotton picker and establishes the force balance equation for the process of picking cotton from the spindle. By analyzing the structural characteristics of the spindle, the best section shape of the spindle head is the equilateral triangle section. The spindle with different angle parameters was made by a metal 3D printer, and the testbed for the dynamic picking performance of the spindle was constructed. The single-factor test was carried out with tooth groove angle before the tooth angle and tooth inclination angle as experimental factors, and the rejection rate of seed cotton, picking time, and picking force as evaluation indexes. The results showed that the tooth groove angle and the tooth inclination angle were negatively correlated with the rejection rate of seed cotton (P p < 0.01). Further analysis shows that in order to reduce the ejection rate of seed cotton and reduce the picking time, the selection range of the tooth inclination angle should be 55~65°, and the large the tooth groove angle should be selected. Finally, the optimum hook angle parameters are determined as follows: tooth groove angle is 70° before the tooth angle is 89°, and the tooth inclination angle is 65°. The results are of practical significance to optimize the structure of picking hook tooth to improve the picking performance of the spindle and high efficiency of the cotton picker

Effects of Biochar Combined with Nitrogen Fertilizer Reduction on Rapeseed Yield and Soil Aggregate Stability in Upland of Purple Soils

Reduction of soil fertility and production efficiency resulting from excessive application of chemical fertilizers is universal in rapeseed-growing fields. The main objective of our study was to assess the effects of biochar combined with nitrogen fertilizer reduction on soil aggregate stability and rapeseed yield and to identify the relationship between yield and soil aggregate stability. A two-factor field experiment (2017&ndash;2019) was conducted with biochar (0 (C0), 10 (C10), 20 (C20) and 40 t&middot;ha&minus;1 (C40)) and nitrogen fertilizer (180 (N100), 144 (N80) and 108 kg N&middot;ha&minus;1 (N60)). Experimental results indicated that under N100 and N80 treatments, C10 significantly increased the macro-aggregates (R0.25), mean weight diameter (MWD) and geometric mean diameter (GMD) of soil water stable aggregate by 14.28%&ndash;15.85%, 14.88%&ndash;17.08% and 36.26%&ndash;42.22%, respectively, compared with C0. Besides, the overall difference of the soil water-stable aggregate content in 2&ndash;5 mm size range among nitrogen treatments was significant under the application of C10, which increased by 17.04%&ndash;33.04% compared with C0. Total organic carbon (TOC) in R0.25 of soil mechanical-stable aggregates was basically all increased after biochar application, especially in 0.25&ndash;1 mm and 1&ndash;2 mm aggregates, and had an increasing trend with biochar increase. C10 significantly increased rapeseed yield by 22.08%&ndash;45.65% in 2019, compared with C0. However, the reduction of nitrogen fertilizer reduced the two-year average rapeseed yield, which decreased by 11.67%&ndash;31.67% compared with N100. The highest yield of rapeseed was obtained by N100C10 in two consecutive years, which had no statistical difference with N80C10. However, the two-year yields of N80C10 were all higher than those of N100C0 with increase rate of 16.11%, and which would reduce 35.43% nitrogen fertilizer in the case of small yield difference, compared with the highest yield (2.67 t&middot;ha&minus;1) calculated by multi-dimensional nonlinear regression models. The regression analysis indicated R0.25, MWD and GMD had the strong positive associations with rapeseed yield, whereas percentage of aggregate destruction (PAD0.25) had a significant negative correlation with rapeseed yield. This study suggests that the application of biochar into upland purple soil could improve soil structure, increase the content of TOC in macro-aggregates under nitrogen fertilizer reduction as well as replace part of nitrogen fertilizer to achieve relatively high rapeseed yield

Meta-analysis of clinical adverse events after CABG vs. PCI in patients with chronic kidney disease and coronary artery disease

Abstract Aim To investigate the efficacy and postoperative clinical adverse events of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for chronic kidney disease (CKD) study participants combined with coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that focus on the therapeutic effect evaluation of CABG and PCI and their effect on postoperative clinical adverse events as well as main adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs) in CKD study participants with CAD were screened from the following databases, including CNKI, CBM, Wan Fang, VIP, Embase, PubMed, as well as Cochrane library clinical controlled trials. The study was conducted under the PRISMA 2020 criteria. Data were extracted, and quality control was evaluated from the modified Jadad rating scale. Meta-analysis was then undertaken through STATA 16.0 software. Results A total of 5 RCTs were obtained, including 1198 patients. Study participants were subdivided into two groups, including the PCI group (n = 604) and the CABG group (n = 594). Meta-analysis of clinical adverse events results showed that the long-term survival results of CAD patients with CKD who underwent PCI were worsened compared to CABG, such as long-term MACCEs (RR = 1.59, 95%CI: 1.04–2.43) and the long-term repeated revascularization (RR = 2.48, 95%CI: 1.76–3.49). Also, cardiac death (RR = 1.68, 95%CI:1.04–2.71), as well as cerebrovascular accident (RR = 1.74, 95%CI:1.04–2.90) in CABG group was significantly lower than that in PCI group. Conclusion This meta-analysis showed that CABG provided a better therapeutic effect than PCI in CKD patients with CAD when considering long-term prognosis. However, more prospective RCTs are needed to define the proper revascularization strategy for CAD patients with CKD

Curcumin Suppresses the Colon Cancer Proliferation by Inhibiting Wnt/β-Catenin Pathways via miR-130a

Curcumin exhibits anti-tumor effects in several cancers, including colorectal carcinoma (CRC), but the detailed mechanisms are still unclear. Here we studied the mechanisms underlying the anti-tumor effect of curcumin in colon cancer cells. SW480 cells were injected into mice to establish the xenograft tumor model, followed by evaluation of survival rate with the treatment of curcumin. The expression levels of β-catenin, Axin and TCF4 were measured in the SW480 cells in the absence or presence of curcumin. Moreover, miRNAs related to the curcumin treatment were also detected in vitro. Curcumin could suppress the growth of colon cancer cells in the mouse model. This anti-tumor activity of curcumin was exerted by inhibiting cell proliferation rather than promoting cell apoptosis. Further study suggested that curcumin inhibited cell proliferation by suppressing the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. MiR-130a was down-regulated by curcumin treatment, and overexpressing miR-130a could abolish the anti-tumor activity of curcumin. Our study confirms that curcumin is able to inhibit colon cancer by suppressing the Wnt/β-catenin pathways via miR-130a. MiR-130a may serve as a new target of curcumin for CRC treatment

Small kinetochore associated protein (SKAP) promotes UV-induced cell apoptosis through negatively regulating pre-mRNA processing factor 19 (Prp19).

Apoptosis is a regulated cellular suicide program that is critical for the development and maintenance of healthy tissues. Previous studies have shown that small kinetochore associated protein (SKAP) cooperates with kinetochore and mitotic spindle proteins to regulate mitosis. However, the role of SKAP in apoptosis has not been investigated. We have identified a new interaction involving SKAP, and we propose a mechanism through which SKAP regulates cell apoptosis. Our experiments demonstrate that both overexpression and knockdown of SKAP sensitize cells to UV-induced apoptosis. Further study has revealed that SKAP interacts with Pre-mRNA processing Factor 19 (Prp19). We find that UV-induced apoptosis can be inhibited by ectopic expression of Prp19, whereas silencing Prp19 has the opposite effect. Additionally, SKAP negatively regulates the protein levels of Prp19, whereas Prp19 does not alter SKAP expression. Finally, rescue experiments demonstrate that the pro-apoptotic role of SKAP is executed through Prp19. Taken together, these findings suggest that SKAP promotes UV-induced cell apoptosis by negatively regulating the anti-apoptotic protein Prp19