Prevalence and knowledge of heavy menstrual bleeding among gynecology outpatients by scanning a WeChat QR Code.

The aim of this study was to assess menstrual blood loss (MBL) and knowledge of heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) among the gynecology outpatients at Peking University People's Hospital, by scanning a WeChat (a social media application software developed by Tencent) QR Code using a mobile phone or tablet. This survey was conducted among outpatients who were treated at the Gynecology Department of Peking University People's Hospital between September 2016 and November 2016. All participants filled up the questionnaires and scales through WeChat: general information questionnaire, Pictorial Blood Loss Assessment Chart (PBAC), Menorrhagia Multi-Attribute Quality-of-Life Scale (MMAS), and HMB knowledge questionnaire. Menstrual blood volume was assessed by the PBAC and self-assessment. Among the 1152 patients who filled out the survey, 77.4% (892/1152) had normal menstrual cycle (assessed by the patients), 15.6% (180/1152) patients described themselves as HMB, whereas the results from PBAC showed that 58.0% (668/1152) had HMB (PBAC ≥100). Among patients with PBAC ≥100, only 26.8% (179/668) patients reported HMB through self-assessment. Regarding its impact on daily life, the MMAS scores of HMB patients (PBAC ≥100) were significantly lower compared to those with normal blood loss (P<0.001). Regarding the awareness to HMB, 63.2% (728/1152) of the patients were not familiar with HMB. HMB is a common abnormal uterine bleeding and is frequently found among Chinese gynecology outpatients. HMB has major impacts on a woman's quality of life, affecting both physical and emotional health domains. Since women generally have low levels of awareness and understanding of HMB, they could assess their blood loss using the PBAC, which they can forward to their health care provider using a mobile phone or tablet and the WeChat platform. This tool may be effortlessly used by the health care providers and patients to easily share HMB-related data

Electrochemical tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy for in situ characterization of materials and reactions

Surfaces and interfaces play a key role in heterogeneous electrochemical reactions, as the reactants need to interact with the surface. Therefore, it is extremely important to develop a method to probe the surface structure and the interaction of the reactant or product with the surface to achieve a better understanding to rationally design the electrochemical systems. In this regard, tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) appears to be an ideal tool for studying the complex electrochemical interfaces. TERS is an organic integration of scanning probe microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and localized surface plasmon resonance. It can not only obtain the topological but also vibrational information of a sample at the nanometer resolution.Published versio

Structure Prediction of Au₄₄(SR)₂₈: A Chiral Superatom Cluster

The structure of a thiolate-protected Au₄₄ cluster, [Au₄₄(SR)₂₈], is theoretically predicted via density functional theory calculations. Au₄₄(SR)₂₈ is predicted to contain a “two-shell” face-centered-cubic type of Au kernel and possess chirality. The predicted cluster structure is validated by comparison of optical absorption properties between theory and previous experiments, as well as energy evaluations. Based on the predicted cluster structure, the magic stability of Au₄₄(SR)₂₈ is understood from the superatom electronic configuration and formation of a unique double-helix superatom network inside

Spatial Delineation for Great Wall Zone at Sub-Watershed Scale: A Coupled Ecological and Heritage Perspective

The Great Wall is a world-famous World Heritage Site facing serious environmental and structural fragmentation problems. This study considered the watershed an essential basis for delineating the Great Wall cultural zone boundary. The relevant watersheds and their scope in the Beijing Great Wall cultural zone were determined, and a sub-watershed classification index system was constructed. The sub-watershed type conservation areas were classified using the k-means clustering method. The relationships among heritage, ecological, socioeconomic, and hydrological elements were analyzed to obtain the essential characteristics of the spatial differentiation of watershed types. Heritage had a promoting effect on urbanization; urbanization had a pressurizing effect on the ecological environment, whereas heritage had a binding effect on the ecological environment. The protected areas defined at the sub-watershed scale in this study have better connectivity and integrity. Not only does it help to monitor, prevent and control the various natural and human-related issues and hazards that occur at the watershed scale, but it also helps in informing the sustainable conservation and development of the Great Wall

High-quality genome assembly of a C. crossoptilon and related functional and genetics data resources

Abstract There are four species in the Crossoptilon genus inhibiting at from very low to very high altitudes across China, and they are in varying levels of danger of extinction. To better understand the genetic basis of adaptation to high altitudes and genetic changes due to bottleneck, we assembled the genome (~1.02 Gb) of a white eared pheasant (WT) (Crossoptilon crossoptilon) inhibiting at high altitudes (3,000~7,000 m) in northwest of Yunnan province, China, using a combination of Illumina short reads, PacBio long reads and Hi-C reads, with a contig N50 of 19.63 Mb and only six gaps. To further provide resources for gene annotation as well as functional and population genetics analyses, we sequenced transcriptomes of 20 major tissues of the WT individual and re-sequenced another 10 WT individuals and a blue eared pheasant (Crossoptilon auritum) individual inhabiting at intermediate altitudes (1,500~3,000 m). Our assembled WT genome, transcriptome data, and DNA sequencing data can be valuable resources for studying the biology, evolution and developing conservation strategies of these endangered species

Advances in the Study of Exosomes as Drug Delivery Systems for Bone-Related Diseases

Bone-related diseases are major problems and heavy burdens faced by modern society. Current clinical approaches for the treatment of these pathological conditions often lead to complications and have limited therapeutic efficacy. In this context, the development of nanotherapeutic platforms, such as extracellular vesicles, can improve the relevant therapeutic effects. In particular, exosomes are nano-sized, lipid bilayer extracellular vesicles secreted by many cells in mammals. Due to their innate capacity to transport materials—including proteins, lipids, and genes—among cells, as well as their innate attraction to target cells, they are considered to be a crucial medium for cell communication and are involved in a number of biological processes. Exosomes have been used as drug delivery vehicles in recent bone tissue engineering studies, in order to regulate bone homeostasis. However, the precise workings of the exosome regulatory network in maintaining bone homeostasis and its potential for treating bone injury remain unclear. To provide a fresh perspective for the study of exosomes in drug delivery and bone-related diseases, in this paper, we review recent studies on the roles of exosomes for drug delivery in bone homeostasis and bone-related diseases, as well as the composition and characteristics of exosomes and their regulatory roles in bone homeostasis and bone-related diseases, aiming to provide new ideas for the therapeutic application of exosomes in the treatment of bone-related diseases