Cluster trajectory of SOFA score in predicting mortality in sepsis

Objective: Sepsis is a life-threatening condition. Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score is commonly used to assess organ dysfunction and predict ICU mortality, but it is taken as a static measurement and fails to capture dynamic changes. This study aims to investigate the relationship between dynamic changes in SOFA scores over the first 72 hours of ICU admission and patient outcomes. Design, setting, and participants: 3,253 patients in the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV database who met the sepsis-3 criteria and were admitted from the emergency department with at least 72 hours of ICU admission and full-active resuscitation status were analysed. Group-based trajectory modelling with dynamic time warping and k-means clustering identified distinct trajectory patterns in dynamic SOFA scores. They were subsequently compared using Python. Main outcome measures: Outcomes including hospital and ICU mortality, length of stay in hospital and ICU, and readmission during hospital stay, were collected. Discharge time from ICU to wards and cut-offs at 7-day and 14-day were taken. Results: Four clusters were identified: A (consistently low SOFA scores), B (rapid increase followed by a decline in SOFA scores), C (higher baseline scores with gradual improvement), and D (persistently elevated scores). Cluster D had the longest ICU and hospital stays, highest ICU and hospital mortality. Discharge rates from ICU were similar for Clusters A and B, while Cluster C had initially comparable rates but a slower transition to ward. Conclusion: Monitoring dynamic changes in SOFA score is valuable for assessing sepsis severity and treatment responsiveness.Comment: 26 pages, 4 figures, 2 table

Cloning and expression analysis of potassium channel gene NKT3 from Nicotiana tabacum

Potassium (K+) is the predominant inorganic ion of plant cells. K+ channels in higher plant cells play an important role in regulating the influx and efflux of K+ from cells, and activity of these channels might be involved in plant stress resistance. A completely new K+ channel gene of Nicotiana tabacum was obtained through homologous cloning strategy. The complete cDNA sequence was submitted to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) GenBank, designated as NKT3 and the accession number is FJ230956. The phylogenetic analysis indicated that NKT3 is located at the branch of weak-inwardly rectifying K+ channels and might be a member of the Shaker family. The spatial and temporal expression of the gene was also investigated. NKT3 is expressed abundantly in the roots, while little in the leaves of N. tabacum. It might be involved in the process of K+ acquirement and release in tobacco roots.Keywords: Potassium channel gene, NKT3, RACE, Nicotiana tabacu

Polydispersed droplet spectrum and exergy analysis in wet steam flows using method of moments

In steam turbine flow, the complex droplet spectrum caused by nonequilibrium condensation is necessary to be modeled accurately to predict the droplet behavior and estimate the exergy destruction and erosion rate. This study built and validated a polydispersed model with Quadrature method of moments (QMOM), consisting of transition SST model, the moments and entropy generation. A spline-based algorithm was used to reconstruct the shape of the probability density function (PDF) of radius. It’s proved that the polydispersed model has a better prediction result for Sauter radius compare with monodispersed model. Then, the distributions of moments and droplet spectra in the nozzle with effects of asymmetric lambda shock and evaporation were investigated. The shape of droplet spectrum is closer to gamma distribution in nucleation zone and log-normal distribution in growth zone when outflow is supersonic. In the turbine, because the oblique shock induces complex evaporation and secondary condensation, the reconstructed shape is closer to gamma distribution. Finally, the obtained maximum exergy destruction is 25.293 kJ/kg. The rate of exergy destruction increases from 1.04% to 4.45%. The range of Baumann factor is 0.574–1.312. Besides, the erosion rate in polydispersed model is only 58.4–64.3% of monodispersed model. The polydispersed model used in this study can predict the droplet spectrum and energy loss of the turbine systems more accurately

Prediction of dehydration performance of supersonic separator based on a multi-fluid model with heterogeneous condensation

Supersonic separation is a novel technology. A multi-fluid slip model for swirling flow with homogenous/heterogenous condensation and evaporation processes in the supersonic separator was built to estimate the separation efficiency. This model solves the governing equations of compressible turbulent gas phase and dispersed homogenous/heterogenous liquid phase considering droplet coalescence and interphase force. Its prediction accuracy for condensation and swirling flows was validated. Then, the flow field, slip velocity and droplet trajectory inside the separators with different swirl strengths were investigated. The maximum values of radial slip velocity are 29.2 and 8.26 m/s for inlet foreign droplet radius of 1.0 and 0.4 micron. It means the larger foreign droplet has a better condensation rate. However, the residence time of larger foreign droplet in core flow is shorten. Thus, the inlet radius of foreign droplet has to be moderate for best separation efficiency. Finally, the dehydration performances of separator were evaluated. The optimal radius of inlet foreign droplet to maximize the dehumidification and efficiency was found. For the separator with swirl strength of 22%, the optimal radius is 0.85 micron at inlet pressure of 250 kPa, where the maximum dew point depression is 42.41 °C and the water removal rate is 87.82%

Reliability Assessment Model for Industrial Control System Based on Belief Rule Base

This paper establishes a novel reliability assessment method for industrial control system (ICS). Firstly, the qualitative and quantitative information were integrated by evidential reasoning(ER) rule. Then, an ICS reliability assessment model was constructed based on belief rule base (BRB). In this way, both expert experience and historical data were fully utilized in the assessment. The model consists of two parts, a fault assessment model and a security assessment model. In addition, the initial parameters were optimized by covariance matrix adaptation evolution strategy (CMA-ES) algorithm, making the proposed model in line with the actual situation. Finally, the proposed model was compared with two other popular prediction methods through case study. The results show that the proposed method is reliable, efficient and accurate, laying a solid basis for reliability assessment of complex ICSs

Induced defense strategies of plants against Ralstonia solanacearum

Plants respond to Ralstonia solanacearum infestation through two layers of immune system (PTI and ETI). This process involves the production of plant-induced resistance. Strategies for inducing resistance in plants include the formation of tyloses, gels, and callose and changes in the content of cell wall components such as cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin, lignin, and suberin in response to pathogen infestation. When R. solanacearum secrete cell wall degrading enzymes, plants also sense the status of cell wall fragments through the cell wall integrity (CWI) system, which activates deep-seated defense responses. In addition, plants also fight against R. solanacearum infestation by regulating the distribution of metabolic networks to increase the production of resistant metabolites and reduce the production of metabolites that are easily exploited by R. solanacearum. We review the strategies used by plants to induce resistance in response to R. solanacearum infestation. In particular, we highlight the importance of plant-induced physical and chemical defenses as well as cell wall defenses in the fight against R. solanacearum

Molecular and biochemical investigations of the anti-fatigue effects of tea polyphenols and fruit extracts of Lycium ruthenicum Murr. on mice with exercise-induced fatigue

Background: The molecular mechanisms regulating the therapeutic effects of plant-based ingredients on the exercise-induced fatigue (EIF) remain unclear. The therapeutic effects of both tea polyphenols (TP) and fruit extracts of Lycium ruthenicum (LR) on mouse model of EIF were investigated.Methods: The variations in the fatigue-related biochemical factors, i.e., lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and interleukin-6 (IL-6), in mouse models of EIF treated with TP and LR were determined. The microRNAs involved in the therapeutic effects of TP and LR on the treatment of mice with EIF were identified using the next-generation sequencing technology.Results: Our results revealed that both TP and LR showed evident anti-inflammatory effect and reduced oxidative stress. In comparison with the control groups, the contents of LDH, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, and IL-2 were significantly decreased and the contents of SOD were significantly increased in the experimental groups treated with either TP or LR. A total of 23 microRNAs (21 upregulated and 2 downregulated) identified for the first time by the high-throughput RNA sequencing were involved in the molecular response to EIF in mice treated with TP and LR. The regulatory functions of these microRNAs in the pathogenesis of EIF in mice were further explored based on Gene Ontology (GO) annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses with a total of over 20,000–30,000 target genes annotated and 44 metabolic pathways enriched in the experimental groups based on GO and KEGG databases, respectively.Conclusion: Our study revealed the therapeutic effects of TP and LR and identified the microRNAs involved in the molecular mechanisms regulating the EIF in mice, providing strong experimental evidence to support further agricultural development of LR as well as the investigations and applications of TP and LR in the treatment of EIF in humans, including the professional athletes

The functional and structural alterations of the striatum in chronic spontaneous urticaria

The brain has long been known to be the regulation center of itch, but the neuropathology of chronic itch, such as chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), remains unclear. Thus, we aimed to explore the brain areas involved in the pathophysiology of CSU in hopes that our results may provide valuable insights into the treatment of chronic itch conditions. 40 CSU patients and 40 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited. Urticaria activity scores 7 (UAS7) were collected to evaluate patient’s clinical symptoms. Amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (ALFF), voxel-based morphometry (VBM), and seed-based resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) analysis were used to assess brain activity and related plasticity. Compared with HCs, CSU patients exhibited 1) higher ALFF values in the right ventral striatum / putamen, which were positively associated with clinical symptoms as measured by UAS7; 2) gray matter volume (GMV) increase in the right ventral striatum and putamen; and 3) decreased rs-FC between the right ventral striatum and the right occipital cortex and between the right putamen and the left precentral gyrus. Using multiple-modality brain imaging tools, we demonstrated the dysfunction of the striatum in CSU. Our results may provide valuable insights into the neuropathology and development of chronic itch

The Shock Pulse Index and Its Application in the Fault Diagnosis of Rolling Element Bearings

The properties of the time domain parameters of vibration signals have been extensively studied for the fault diagnosis of rolling element bearings (REBs). Parameters like kurtosis and Envelope Harmonic-to-Noise Ratio are the most widely applied in this field and some important progress has been made. However, since only one-sided information is contained in these parameters, problems still exist in practice when the signals collected are of complicated structure and/or contaminated by strong background noises. A new parameter, named Shock Pulse Index (SPI), is proposed in this paper. It integrates the mutual advantages of both the parameters mentioned above and can help effectively identify fault-related impulse components under conditions of interference of strong background noises, unrelated harmonic components and random impulses. The SPI optimizes the parameters of Maximum Correlated Kurtosis Deconvolution (MCKD), which is used to filter the signals under consideration. Finally, the transient information of interest contained in the filtered signal can be highlighted through demodulation with the Teager Energy Operator (TEO). Fault-related impulse components can therefore be extracted accurately. Simulations show the SPI can correctly indicate the fault impulses under the influence of strong background noises, other harmonic components and aperiodic impulse and experiment analyses verify the effectiveness and correctness of the proposed method