Clinical and genetic analysis of atypical parathyroid adenoma compared with parathyroid carcinoma and benign lesions in a Chinese cohort

ContextThe malignant potential and molecular signature of atypical parathyroid adenoma (APA) remain elusive. Data from Asia are still lacking.Design and settingThis was a retrospective study on a large APA cohort in a single center from mainland China.MethodsA total of 320 patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT), containing 79 APA, 79 Parathyroid cancer (PC) and 162 benign lesions cases, were enrolled after surgery for collection of clinical data and genetic analysis.ResultsAPA patients showed earlier mean onset age than benign group (46.9 ± 17.1 vs. 52.0 ± 14.3 yrs). Less bone involvement and gastrointestinal symptoms were presented in APA compared to PC (35.4% vs. 62.0%, and 17.7% vs. 41.8%), while more urolithiasis was seen in APA than in benign lesions (57.0% vs. 29.6%). The APA group had moderate hypercalcemia (mean 3.02 ± 0.44mmol/L) with elevated serum PTH (median 593.0pg/ml) and proportion of hypercalcemic crisis as 22.8%, all higher than those of benign lesions but lower than those of PC group. The recurrence/no remission rate of the APA group was significantly lower than that of the PC and similar to the benign group (5.1% vs. 31.6% vs. 3.1%). Germline CDC73 mutation was the most common molecular abnormality in both PC and APA subjects. APA patients with nonsynonymous germline variants showed earlier onset age (28.5 ± 16.9 vs. 48.1 ± 17.7 yrs) and more cases developing no remission/recurrence (25.0% vs. 0.0%).ConclusionsPatients with APA presented clinical and biochemical characteristics much less severe than PC and resembling the benign neoplasms, with a relatively good prognosis. Germline gene variations were associated with earlier onset and probably more recurrence of PHPT in APA

Early transient suppression of immune checkpoint proteins T-cell immunoglobulin mucin-3 and programmed cell death-1 in peripheral blood lymphocytes after blastocyst transfer is associated with successful implantation

Objective To compare the changing peripheral levels of immune checkpoint proteins T-cell immunoglobulin mucin-3 (Tim-3)/galectin-9 (Gal-9), and programmed cell death-1 (PD-1)/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) over a 9-day period after blastocyst transfer between women who did and did not conceive. Design Prospective observational study. Setting University teaching hospital. Patients(s) Fifty-one infertile women undergoing day-5 blastocyst transfer. Intervention(s) Serial blood samples obtained on the day of embryo transfer (ET), and 3, 6, and 9 days afterward for measurement of membranous Tim-3 and PD-1 expression on various peripheral lymphocytes by flow cytometry, and serum concentrations of ligands Gal-9 and PD-L1 by ELISA. Main Outcome Measure(s) Membranous Tim-3 and PD-1 expression on lymphocytes and serum Gal-9 and PD-L1 concentrations and comparison of results between pregnant and nonpregnant women. Result(s) In women who conceived, the measurements exhibited three different types of response: [1] a transient and statistically significant reduction of Tim-3+NK-like T cells, Tim-3+/PD-1+CD8+ T cells, and Tim-3+/PD-1+CD4+ T cells that returned back to baseline level 9 days after ET; [2] a reduction followed by steady increase to above baseline level on day 9 (Tim-3+CD56dimNK cells); [3] a steady increase in expression after ET to reach a level statistically significantly higher than that of the baseline by day 9 (Tim-3+CD56brightNK cells). Women who did not conceive showed no statistically significant fluctuation in any of the parameters measured across the four time pointswith exception of increased Tim-3 expression on NK cells on day 9. Conclusion(s) Successful blastocyst implantation is associated with a reduction of Tim-3 and PD-1 expression in peripheral lymphocytes on days 3 and 6 that is no longer apparent on day 9

The water lily genome and the early evolution of flowering plants

Water lilies belong to the angiosperm order Nymphaeales. Amborellales, Nymphaeales and Austrobaileyales together form the so-called ANA-grade of angiosperms, which are extant representatives of lineages that diverged the earliest from the lineage leading to the extant mesangiosperms1–3. Here we report the 409-megabase genome sequence of the blue-petal water lily (Nymphaea colorata). Our phylogenomic analyses support Amborellales and Nymphaeales as successive sister lineages to all other extant angiosperms. The N. colorata genome and 19 other water lily transcriptomes reveal a Nymphaealean whole-genome duplication event, which is shared by Nymphaeaceae and possibly Cabombaceae. Among the genes retained from this whole-genome duplication are homologues of genes that regulate flowering transition and flower development. The broad expression of homologues of floral ABCE genes in N. colorata might support a similarly broadly active ancestral ABCE model of floral organ determination in early angiosperms. Water lilies have evolved attractive floral scents and colours, which are features shared with mesangiosperms, and we identified their putative biosynthetic genes in N. colorata. The chemical compounds and biosynthetic genes behind floral scents suggest that they have evolved in parallel to those in mesangiosperms. Because of its unique phylogenetic position, the N. colorata genome sheds light on the early evolution of angiosperms.Supplementary Tables: This file contains Supplementary Tables 1-21.National Natural Science Foundation of China, the open funds of the State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement (ZW201909) and State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, the Fujian provincial government in China, the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under European Research Council Advanced Grant Agreement and the Special Research Fund of Ghent University.http://www.nature.com/naturecommunicationsam2021BiochemistryGeneticsMicrobiology and Plant Patholog

Cotton's Water Demand and Water-Saving Benefits under Drip Irrigation with Plastic Film Mulch

The primary purpose of this research was to give suitable irrigation program according to the growth period and water requirement. A cotton field experiment with mulched drip irrigation was conducted at the National Field Observation and Research Station for Oasis Farmland Ecosystem in Aksu of Xinjiang in 2008. Water balance method was adopted to study the water requirement and water consumption law of cotton under mulched drip irrigation in Tarim Irrigated Area. Statistical analysis of experimental data of irrigation indicates that the relationship between yield of cotton and irrigation presents a quadratic parabola. We fit the model of cotton water production on the basis of field experimental data of cotton. And the analysis on water saving Benefit of cotton under mulched drip irrigation was done. Results indicate that water requirements for the irrigated cotton are 543 mm in Tarim Irrigated Area. The water requirements of seedling stage is 252 mm, budding stage is 186 mm, bolling stage is 316 mm and wadding stage is 139 mm. the irrigation amount determines the spatial distribution of soil moisture and water consumption during cotton life cycle. However, water consumption at different growth stages was inconsistent with irrigation. Quantitatively, the water consumed by cotton decreases upon the increase of irrigation amount. From the perspective of water saving, the maximal water use efficiency can reach 3 091 m3/ha. But the highest cotton yield needs 3464 m3/ha irrigation water. In summary, compared to the conventional drip irrigation, a number of benefits in water saving and yield increase were observed when using plastic mulch. At the same amount of irrigation, the cotton yield with plastic mulch was 30.2% higher than conventional approaches, and the efficiency of water utilization increased by 30.2%. While at the same yield level, 29.3% water was saved by using plastic mulch, and the efficiency increased by 41.5%

Application of BIM technology in the construction of ChangKe 6# building

The construction industry complies with the development needs of the times, constantly explores new ways of transformation and upgrading, and the emergence of BIM Technology leads a new route for the future development of the construction industry. BIM Technology is widely used in the construction process of the 6# building Changke, which effectively improves the management efficiency in the whole construction process. In this project, first of all, the relevant practical software is used to prepare the project budget document, the schedule plan , the material procurement plan are prepared in combination with the quantities, the situation awareness effect of the construction site is presented in combination with BIM site management and other software, and the all-weather information management of the whole site and all areas is realized

Primary borderline mucinous tumor of the testis with postoperative metastasis: A rare case report

Primary borderline mucinous tumor of the testis is extremely rare and belongs to the ovarian epithelial type. Testicular borderline mucinous tumor is intermediate in malignancy between benign mucinous cystadenoma and mucinous carcinoma, and their clinical treatment is mainly based on radical testicular resection. The reported cases with PBMTs have a good prognosis with no cases of recurrence or metastasis after surgery reported. However, we herein report a 21-year-old male who may be the first reported case of PBMT of the testis with postoperative tumor metastasis

Does Agricultural Mechanization Improve the Green Total Factor Productivity of China’s Planting Industry?

Agricultural mechanization is an important factor to improve the green total factor productivity of the planting industry, which is the key way to realize the sustainable development and high-quality development of agriculture. Based on the panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2001 to 2019, this paper uses the stochastic frontier analysis method of the output-oriented distance function to measure the green total factor productivity of China’s planting industry based on net carbon sinks, and empirically studies the impact of agricultural mechanization on the green total factor productivity in China’s planting industry. The main findings of this paper are as follows: (1) Agricultural mechanization can promote the planting green total factor productivity significantly, and this basic conclusion is still robust after using instrumental variables and sub sample regression. (2) The path of agricultural mechanization on planting green total factor productivity is mainly reflected in technology progress and spatial spillover, while the mechanisms of operation scale expansion, factor allocation optimization and technical efficiency change are not significant. (3) With the improvement in the mechanization level, the promotion effect of mechanization on planting GTFP will become clearer. Given these findings, the paper adds considerable value to the empirical literature and provides various policy and practical implications

Evaluating the Effects of Mulch and Irrigation Amount on Soil Water Distribution and Root Zone Water Balance Using HYDRUS-2D

Water scarcity is the most critical constraint for sustainable cotton production in Xinjiang Province, northwest China. Drip irrigation under mulch is a major water-saving irrigation method that has been widely practiced for cotton production in Xinjiang. The performance of such an irrigation system should be evaluated for proper design and management. Therefore, a field experiment and a simulation study were conducted to (1) determine a modeling approach that can be applied to manage drip irrigation under mulch for cotton production in this region; and (2) examine the effects of irrigation amount and mulch on soil water distribution and root zone water balance components. In the experiment, four irrigation treatments were used: T1, 166.5 m3; T2, 140.4 m3; T3, 115.4 m3; and T4: 102.3 m3. The HYDRUS-2D model was calibrated, validated, and applied with the data obtained in this experiment. Soil water balance in the 0–70 cm soil profile was simulated. Results indicate that the observed soil water content and the simulated results obtained with HYDRUS-2D are in good agreement. The radius of the wetting pattern, root water uptake, and evaporation decreased as the amount of irrigation was reduced from T1 to T4, while a lot of stored soil water in the root zone was utilized and a huge amount of water was recharged from the layer below 70 cm to compensate for the decrease in irrigation amount. Mulch significantly reduced evaporation by 11.7 mm and increased root water uptake by 11.2 mm. Our simulation study suggests that this model can be applied to provide assistance in designing drip irrigation systems and developing irrigation strategies

Bandage Lenses in the Postoperative Care for Cataract Surgery Patients: A Substitute for Eye Patch?

Purpose. To explore whether bandage lenses could be a safe and effective substitute for eye patch in the postoperative care for cataract surgery patients in terms of infection prevention, ocular impacts, and patient satisfaction. Methods. Patients who underwent cataract surgery were randomly divided into the eye patch group (Group A) and the bandage lens group (Group B). Bacterial culture samples were collected perioperatively from different sites. Evaluations of anterior segment condition and patient satisfaction were conducted on the first day of postoperative follow-up. Results. The positive rate of bacterial cultures in Group A was higher than that in Group B, but the difference was not statistically significant. Group B had significantly longer tear breakup time, higher tear meniscus height, and slightly better patient satisfaction than Group A. Conclusion. Bandage lenses can be used as a safe and effective substitute for eye patch in the postoperative care for cataract surgery patients. The Clinical Study registration number is ChiCTR-IOC-17012167