Editorial: Special Issue on Pandemic and Libraries

Editorial: Special Issue on Pandemic and Librarie

Immunosuppressive agents for frequently relapsing/steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome in children: a systematic review and network meta-analysis

AimThis study aimed to systematically compare the efficacy of various immunosuppressive agents in treating pediatric frequently relapsing or steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome (FRSDNS).MethodsWe conducted systematic searches of PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and the Web of Science up to May 23, 2023. Outcome measures included relapses within 1 year, mean cumulative exposure to corticosteroids, patients with treatment failure at 1 year, relapse-free survival during 1 year, and adverse events. The quality of the included studies was evaluated using the modified Jadad scale, the Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies (MINORS), and the modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS).ResultsRituximab was found to be the most likely (92.44%) to be associated with the fewest relapses within 1 year and was also most likely (99.99%) to result in the lowest mean cumulative exposure to corticosteroids. Rituximab had the highest likelihood (45.98%) of being associated with the smallest number of patients experiencing treatment failure at 1 year. CsA was most likely (57.93%) to achieve the highest relapse-free survival during 1 year, followed by tacrolimus (26.47%) and rituximab (30.48%). Rituximab showed no association with serious side effects and had comparable adverse effects to ofatumumab and tacrolimus.ConclusionRituximab may be the most favorable immunosuppressive agent for treating pediatric FRSDNS. Nephrologists should consider this drug, along with their clinical experience, patient characteristics, and cost considerations, when choosing a treatment approach

Retrospect and Prospect

This article reflects the initiation, establishment, and development of the International Journal of Librarianship (IJoL), an open access academic journal published by the Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA). Sustainability and high quality have been set as the top priorities by the core editorial team throughout the journey of the creation, promotion, and advancement of this journal. The opportunities, challenges, and success are discussed along with the future directions of IJoL. This article contributes to the literature in the creation and development of academic journals, especially the open access publications in library and information science (LIS)

Isolation and Characterization of Clinical Listeria monocytogenes in Beijing, China, 2014–2016

Listeria monocytogenes is an important foodborne pathogen with a significant impact on public health worldwide. A great number of outbreaks caused by L. monocytogenes has been reported, especially in the United States, and European countries. However, listeriosis has not yet been included in notifiable disease in China, and thus information on this infection has been scarce among the Chinese population. In this study, we described a 3-year surveillance of listeriosis in Beijing, China. Fifty-six L. monocytogenes strains isolated from 49 clinical infectious cases (27 pregnancy-associated infections and 22 non-pregnancy-associated infections) were analyzed by serotyping, pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), multilocus sequence typing (MLST), and antimicrobial susceptibility testing between 2014 and 2016 in Beijing. The predominant serogroups were 1/2a,3a and 1/2b,3b,7 which accounted for 92% of the overall isolates. Four strains were serogroup 4b,4d,4e, isolated from patients with pregnancy-associated infections. Based on PFGE, these isolates were divided into 32 pulsotypes (PTs) and 3 clusters associated with serogroups. Ten PTs were represented by more than one isolate with PT09 containing the most number of isolates. MLST differentiated the isolates into 18 STs, without new ST designated. The three most common STs were ST8 (18.4%), ST5 (16.3%), and ST87 (12.2%), accounting for 46.9% of the isolates. STs prevalent in other parts of the world were also present in China such as ST1, ST2, ST5, ST8, and ST9 which caused maternal fetal infections or outbreaks. However, the STs and serogroup distribution of clinical L. monocytogenes in Beijing, China was different from those in other countries. Strains of ST1 and ST2 were isolated from patients with pregnancy-associated infection, whereas none of ST155 isolates caused pregnancy-associated cases. Surveillance of molecular characterization will provide important information for prevention of listeriosis. This study also enhances our understanding of genetic diversity of clinical L. monocytogenes in China

Spatiotemporal distribution and prediction of chlorophyll-a in Ulansuhai lake from an arid area of China

Lake Ulansuhai, a typical shallow lake in an arid area that is economically and ecologically important along the Yellow River, is currently eutrophic. Long-term (2010–2020) data on chlorophyll-a, nutrient, and environmental factors were obtained from three Lake Ulansuhai monitoring stations. The temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of Chl-a were analyzed. Additionally, a hybrid evolutionary algorithm was established to simulate and predict Chl-a, and sensitivity analysis revealed the interaction between environmental factors and eutrophication. The results indicated that (1) the seasonal variation of eutrophication showed an obvious trend of spring > summer > autumn > winter, and the concentration of Chl-a in the inlet was significantly higher than that in the outlet; (2) The inlet, center, and outlet of Ulansuhai Lake are satisfactorily affected by HEA in the best suited method. The fitting coefficients (R2) of the optimal models were 0.58, 0.59, and 0.62 for the three monitoring stations, and the root mean square errors (RMSE) were 3.89, 3.21, and 3.56, respectively; (3) under certain range and threshold conditions, Chl-a increased with the increase of permanganate index, water temperature, dissolved oxygen concentration, and ammonia nitrogen concentration, but decreased with the increase of water depth, Secchi disk depth, pH, and fluoride concentration. The results indicate that the HEA can simulate and predict the dynamics of Chl-a, and identify and quantify the relationships between eutrophication and the threshold data. The research results provide theoretical basis and technical support for the prediction and have great significance for the improvement of water quality and environmental protection in arid and semi-arid inland lakes

A study of starch resources with high-amylose content from five Chinese mutant banana species

Investigation on staple crop starch of new species has been becoming the research focus of scholars at present. Based on this, the physicochemical properties and microstructural characteristics of starches isolated from Chinese mutant Musa acuminata Colla acuminata and double balbisiana (MA), Musa double acuminata cv. Pisang Mas (MAM), Musa acuminata cv. Pisang Awak (MAA), and Musa Basjoo Siebold (MBS), and Musa double acuminata and balbisiana-Prata (MAP) were investigated. Results exhibited that all starches exhibited high content of amylose (34.04–42.59%). According to the particle size, they were divided into medium (MA, MAM) (14.54–17.71 μm) and large (MAA, MBS, MAP) (23.01–23.82 μm) group. The medium group with A-type crystallization showed higher peak viscosity (PV), final viscosity, gel fracturability and gel hardness. For large group with B-type crystallization, the compact particle morphology, higher degree of crystallinity, short range order, gelatinization enthalpy, pasting temperature, lower porosity, water absorption capacity (WAC) and oil absorption capacity were found. In addition, the medium group with higher PV and gel hardness could be used as food thickening or gelling agents. The large group with higher Rc, short-range order, lower porosity and WAC could be potential to become raw material for resistant starch. All results showed the amylose content, had significant effect on the microstructure and physicochemical properties of starch samples. Outcomes in this investigation might provide a basis of theoretical application for industrial food production