How Well Does the ERA5 Reanalysis Capture the Extreme Climate Events Over China? Part II: Extreme Temperature

The fifth-generation atmospheric reanalysis of the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ERA5) is the latest reanalysis product. However, the reliability of ERA5 to capture extreme temperatures is still unclear over China. Hence, based on conventional meteorological station data, a new criterion (DISO) was used to validate the ERA5 capturing extreme temperature indices derived from the Expert Team on Climate Change Detection and Indices (ETCCDI) across the six subregions of China on different timescales. The conclusions are as follows: the original daily temperatures (mean temperature, maximum temperature, and minimum temperature) can be well reproduced by ERA5 reanalysis over China. ERA5 tends to exhibit more misdetection for the duration of extreme temperature events than extreme temperature intensity and frequency. In addition, ERA5 performed best in the summer and worst in the winter, respectively. The trend of absolute indices (e.g., TXx and TNx), percentile-based indices (e.g., TX90p, TX10p, TN90p, and TN10p), and duration indices (e.g., WSDI, CSDI, and GSL) can be captured by ERA5, but ERA5 failed to capture the tendency of the diurnal temperature range (DTR) over China. Spatially, ERA5 performs well in southeastern China. However, it remains challenging to accurately recreate the extreme temperature events in the Tibetan Plateau. The elevation difference between the station and ERA5 grid point contributes to the main bias of reanalysis temperatures. The accuracy of ERA5 decreases with the increase in elevation discrepancy

How Well Does the ERA5 Reanalysis Capture the Extreme Climate Events Over China? Part I: Extreme Precipitation

ERA5 is the fifth-generation atmospheric reanalysis of the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, with high spatiotemporal resolution and global coverage. However, the reliability of ERA5 for simulating extreme precipitation events is still unclear over China. In this study, 12 extreme precipitation indices and a comprehensive quantitative distance between indices of simulation and observation were used to evaluate ERA5 precipitation from three fundamental aspects: intensity, frequency, and duration. The geomorphological regionalization method was used to divide the subregions of China. The results showed that the ability of ERA5 to simulate annual total precipitation was better than that of daily precipitation. For the intensity indices, ERA5 performs well for simulating the PRCPTOT (annual total wet days precipitation) over China. ERA5 performs better on RX5day (max 5-days precipitation amount) and R95p (very wet days), especially in eastern China, than on RX1day (max 1-day precipitation amount) and R99p (extremely wet days). For the frequency indices, the ability of the ERA5 simulation increased as the amount of precipitation increased, except for northwestern China. However, the ability of ERA5 to simulate R50 mm (number of extreme heavy precipitation days) decreased. For the duration indices, ERA5 was better at simulating drought events than wet events in eastern China. Our results highlight the need for ERA5 to enhance the simulation of trend changes in extreme precipitation events

Protective Effect and Mechanism of Chinese Yam Total Protein on High D-Glucose Induced Oxidative Stress in Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells

To explored the protective effect and mechanism of Chinese yam total protein in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) with high-concentration D-glucose (HG)-induced oxidative stress injury. The HUVECs injury model was established by 50 mmol/L HG. HUVECs were randomly divided into control, model, low-dose Chinese yam total protein (0.5 mg/mL), and high-dose Chinese yam total protein (1 mg/mL) groups. The effects of Chinese yam total protein on the viability, morphology, and angiogenetic ability of HUVECs treated with HG were evaluated. The reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities in cells were determined. The nitric oxide (NO), 8-hydroxy deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), malondialdehyde (MDA), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in culture medium supernatant were measured. Protein expression levels of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X (Bax), thioredoxin-interacting protein (Txnip), NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3), cleaved Caspase-1, and IL-1β were determined. The results showed that Chinese yam total protein could significantly increased the cell viability of HUVECs treated with HG (P<0.01), improved cell apoptotic morphology, and significantly increased the activities of SOD and CAT (P<0.05, P<0.01) and ratio of apoptosis-related proteins (Bcl-2/Bax), angiogenetic ability and nitric oxide (NO) secretion. Moreover, Chinese yam total protein significantly decreased the levels of ROS, MDA, 8-OHdG, IL-1β, and IL-6 (P<0.05, P<0.01) and the expression levels of inflammation-related proteins (Txnip, NLRP3, cleaved Caspase-1, and IL-1β) (P<0.05, P<0.01). Changes in these indicators showed a significant concentration-dependent manner. The results indicate that Chinese yam total protein may protect against HG-induced oxidative stress by inhibiting the Txnip/NLRP3 signaling pathway, restoring the oxidative balance, and reducing the inflammatory response of HUVECs

A Comparative Study of Frequent Pattern Mining with Trajectory Data

Sequential pattern mining (SPM) is a major class of data mining topics with a wide range of applications. The continuity and uncertain nature of trajectory data make it distinctively different from typical transactional data, which requires additional data transformation to prepare for SPM. However, little research focuses on comparing the performance of SPM algorithms and their applications in the context of trajectory data. This study selected some representative sequential pattern mining algorithms and evaluated them with various parameters to understand the effect of the involved parameters on their performances. We studied the resultant sequential patterns, runtime, and RAM consumption in the context of the taxi trajectory dataset, the T-drive dataset. It was demonstrated in this work that a method to discretize trajectory data and different SPM algorithms were performed on trajectory databases. The results were visualized on actual Beijing road maps, reflecting traffic congestion conditions. Results demonstrated contiguous constraint-based algorithms could provide a concise representation of output sequences and functions at low min_sup with balanced RAM consumption and execution time. This study can be used as a guide for academics and professionals when determining the most suitable SPM algorithm for applications that involve trajectory data

The Additive Values of the Classification of Higher Serum Uric Acid Levels as a Diagnostic Criteria for Metabolic-Associated Fatty Liver Disease

Serum uric acid (SUA) is regarded as an independent risk factor for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, the role of SUA in the new diagnosis flowchart of metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) remains unclear. A cross-sectional study enrolled consecutive individuals with ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging–based proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF) measurements in the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from January 2015 to December 2021. All patients were divided into four groups according to their baseline SUA levels and sex. Of the 3537 ultrasound-diagnosed and 1017 MRI-PDFF-diagnosed MAFLD patients included, the prevalence of severe steatosis determined with ultrasound or MRI-PDFF increased across the serum SUA quartiles. The SUA cutoffs were identified as ≥478 µmol/L and ≥423.5 µmol/L for severe steatosis in male and female MAFLD, respectively. Furthermore, using these cutoff values, patients with higher SUA levels in the NAFLD–non-MAFLD group had higher liver fat contents than those without (16.0% vs. 9.7%, p < 0.001). The lean/normal-weight NAFLD–non-MAFLD patients with higher SUA levels are still at high risk of severe steatosis. This study supports the rationale for SUA being established as another risk factor for metabolic dysfunctions in lean/normal-weight MAFLD

CT virtual sialendoscopy versus conventional sialendoscopy in the visualization of salivary ductal lumen: An in vitro study

Objectives/Hypothesis: To evaluate the feasibility of computed tomographic (CT) virtual sialendoscopy and its performance characteristics for the visualization of salivary ductal lumen as compared with conventional sialendoscopy. Study Design: An in vitro study. Methods: Conventional sialendoscopy was performed in 16 submandibular glands in vitro and the surgical findings were recorded. Then a contrast agent was injected into the Wharton's duct via orifice. After CT scanning, the CT data were transferred to an independent workstation and were postprocessed with commercially available software to generate three-dimensional reconstructive and virtual sialendoscopic images. Finally, the plastination of submandibular glands was performed with 20% perchloroethylene ethyl acetate plastics filler to make cast specimens. CT three-dimensional reconstruction of the ductal system was compared with the cast specimen, and the performance of conventional sialendoscopy and CT virtual sialendoscopy for the visualization of salivary ductal lumen was also compared. Results: The CT data acquisition and postprocessing protocol were feasible. CT three-dimensional reconstruction enabled clear visualization of the ductal system from any directions and angles, which showed close resemblance to the cast specimens. And CT virtual sialendoscopy created clear endoluminal views of salivary ducts simulating those obtained with conventional sialendoscopy. Conclusions: Our initial experience shows that CT virtual sialendoscopy has the potential to be an attractive imaging technique for the visualization of salivary ductal lumen. © 2009 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Metabolomics to identify fingerprints of carotid atherosclerosis in nonobese metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease

Abstract Background/aims Nonobese metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is paradoxically associated with improved metabolic and pathological features at diagnosis but similar cardiovascular diseases (CVD) prognosis to obese MAFLD. We aimed to utilize the metabolomics to identify the potential metabolite profiles accounting for this phenomenon. Methods This prospective multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted in China enrolling derivation and validation cohorts. Liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry were applied to perform a metabolomics measurement. Results The study involved 120 MAFLD patients and 60 non-MAFLD controls in the derivation cohort. Controls were divided into two groups according to the presence of carotid atherosclerosis (CAS). The MAFLD group was further divided into nonobese MAFLD with/without CAS groups and obese MAFLD with/without CAS groups. Fifty-six metabolites were statistically significant for discriminating the six groups. Among the top 10 metabolites related to CAS in nonobese MAFLD, only phosphatidylethanolamine (PE 20:2/16:0), phosphatidylglycerol (PG 18:0/20:4) and de novo lipogenesis (16:0/18:2n-6) achieved significant areas under the ROC curve (AUCs, 0.67, p = 0.03; 0.79, p = 0.02; 0.63, p = 0.03, respectively). The combination of these three metabolites and liver stiffness achieved a significantly higher AUC (0.92, p < 0.01). In obese MAFLD patients, cystine was found to be significant with an AUC of 0.69 (p = 0.015), followed by sphingomyelin (SM 16:1/18:1) (0.71, p = 0.004) and de novo lipogenesis (16:0/18:2n-6) (0.73, p = 0.004). The combination of these three metabolites, liver fat content and age attained a significantly higher AUC of 0.91 (p < 0.001). The AUCs of these metabolites remained highly significant in the independent validation cohorts involving 200 MAFLD patients and 90 controls. Conclusions Diagnostic models combining different metabolites according to BMI categories could raise the accuracy of identifying subclinical CAS. Trial registration The study protocol was approved by the local ethics committee and all the participants have provided written informed consent (Approval number: [2014] No. 112, registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR-ChiCTR2000034197) Graphical Abstrac

Vitamin D Status Presents Different Relationships with Severity in Metabolic-Associated Fatty Liver Disease Patients with or without Hepatitis B Infection

Whether the associations between serum vitamin D (VitD) and metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) vary with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection has not been well established. This study aims to investigate the relationships between serum VitD and metabolism, liver fat content (LFC) and fibrosis among MAFLD patients with and without CHB. Consecutive subjects (healthy controls: 360, CHB: 684, MAFLD: 521, CHB with MAFLD: 206) were prospectively enrolled between January 2015 and December 2021. Anthropometric, laboratory, imaging, and histological evaluations were conducted, with LFC measured via magnetic resonance imaging-based proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF). Serum VitD levels were lower in MAFLD patients than in healthy controls and patients with CHB alone or overlapping with MAFLD (24.4 ± 8.1 vs. 29.0 ± 9.5 vs. 27.4 ± 9.6 vs. 26.8 ± 8.4 ng/mL respectively; p β = −0.38, p p for trend <0.05) but not in the MAFLD with CHB group. VitD deficiency was associated with the severity of metabolic abnormalities and steatosis independent of lifestyle factors in MAFLD-alone subjects but not in MAFLD with CHB subjects

An Optimized Strategy Based on Conventional Ultrasound for Diagnosing Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease

The inherent drawbacks of the conventional B-mode ultrasound for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) are poorly understood. We aimed to investigate the impact factors and optimize the screening performance of ultrasound in MASLD. In a prospective pilot cohort recruited from July 2020 to January 2022, subjects who had undergone magnetic resonance imaging-based proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF), ultrasound, and laboratory test-based assessments were included in the deprivation cohort. A validation cohort including 426 patients with liver histologic assessments from five medical centers in South China was also recruited. A total of 1489 Chinese subjects were enrolled in the deprivation cohort, and ultrasound misdiagnosed 62.2% of the non-MASLD patients and failed to detect 6.1% of the MASLD patients. The number of metabolic dysfunction components and the alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level were associated with a missed diagnosis by ultrasound (OR = 0.67, 95% CI 0.55–0.82 p p = 0.003, respectively). Compared with ultrasound alone, the new strategy based on ultrasound, in combination with measurements of the number of metabolic dysfunction components and ALT and uric acid levels, significantly improved the AUROC both in the research cohort and the validation cohort (0.66 vs. 0.84, 0.83 vs. 0.92, respectively). The number of metabolic dysfunction components and ALT and uric acid levels improved the screening efficacy of ultrasound for MASLD