Diagnostic value of urine sCD163 levels for sepsis and relevant acute kidney injury: a prospective study

BACKGROUND: Sepsis is a common syndrome in critically ill patients and easily leads to the occurrence of acute kidney injury (AKI), with high mortality rates. This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of urine soluble CD163 (sCD163) for identification of sepsis, severity of sepsis, and for secondary AKI, and to assess the patients’ prognosis. METHODS: We enrolled 20 cases with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), 40 cases with sepsis (further divided into 17 sepsis cases and 23 severe sepsis cases) admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), and 20 control cases. Results for urine sCD163 were recorded on the day of admission to the ICU, and AKI occurrence was noted. RESULTS: On the day of ICU admission, the sepsis group exhibited higher levels of urine sCD163 (74.8 ng/ml; range: 47.9-148.3 ng/ml) compared with those in the SIRS group (31.9 ng/ml; 16.8-48.0, P < 0.001). The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.83 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.72-0.94, P < 0.001) the sensitivity was 0.83, and the specificity was 0.75 (based on a cut-off point of 43.0 ng/ml). Moreover, the severe sepsis group appeared to have a higher level of sCD163 compared with that in the sepsis group (76.2; 47.2-167.5 ng/ml vs. 74.2; 46.2-131.6 ng/ml), but this was not significant. For 15 patients with AKI, urine sCD163 levels at AKI diagnosis were significantly higher than those of the remaining 35 sepsis patients upon ICU admission (121.0; 74.6-299.1 ng/ml vs. 61.8; 42.8-128.3 ng/ml, P = 0.049). The AUC for urine sCD163 was 0.688 (95% CI: 0.51-0.87, P = 0.049). Sepsis patients with a poor prognosis showed a higher urine sCD163 level at ICU admission (98.6; 50.3-275.6 ng/ml vs. 68.0; 44.8-114.5 ng/ml), but this was not significant. Patients with AKI with a poor prognosis had higher sCD163 levels than those in patients with a better prognosis (205.9; 38.6-766.0 ng/ml vs. 80.9; 74.9-141.0 ng/ml), but this was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows, for the first time, the potential value of urine sCD163 levels for identifying sepsis and diagnosing AKI, as well as for assessment of patients’ prognosis. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ChiCTR-ONC-1000081

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements

Glyphochaitophorus Qiao 2021, gen. nov.

Glyphochaitophorus Qiao gen. nov. Type species. Glyphochaitophorus cristaphis Qiao sp. nov., by original designation. Etymology. The name of the new genus refers to the well-developed and characteristic sculpturing of the dorsal cuticle. “ glypho ” (Greek) means “carving or inscription”, “ chaitophorus ” refers to its placement in Chaitophorinae. The gender is masculine. Generic description. Body with a conspicuous median dorsal ridge, the pleuro-marginal areas being flatter; body venter is flat. Head fused with prothorax, meso- and metathorax fused, abdominal segments I–VII fused, abdominal segment VIII free. Dorsal cuticle with very well-developed “O”- and “C”-shaped or irregularly shaped wart-like sculpturing. Cephalic setae and dorsal setae on abdominal tergite VIII long thick and blunt and arising from distinct tubercles, dorsal setae on other segments hardly discernible. Head with 2 pairs of setae, abdominal tergite VIII with 4 setae. Eyes multi-faceted, but facets fewer than 20. Antennae 5-segmented in apterae, 6-segmented in alatae, segments III-V(VI) with developed imbrications; processus terminalis shorter than or slightly longer than the base of the segment; antennal segment III with 9 or 10 round secondary rhinaria in alatae. Rostrum short, ultimate rostral segment thick and wedge-shaped, with 3 pairs of primary setae and 1 pair of accessory setae. Legs normal, rather short; tibiae with spinules on outer side of distal half. Setae on femora sparse and short pointed. Tibial setae mainly on distal two-thirds and varying considerably in length and thickness, the most distal setae being long, thick and pointed. First tarsal segments with 5 long, fine and pointed ventral setae. Second tarsal segments with imbrication. Empodial setae flabellate. In alatae, media of forewings twice-branched, costa and subcosta thick and dark, pterostigma developed; hind wings with two obliques. Siphunculi short, truncated, with spinulose transverse striae. Cauda knobbed, with mosaic-like ornamentation on base near constricted part. Anal plate entire, broadly rounded, genital plate transverse oval. Two gonapophyses, each with 5 or 6 short pointed gonosetae.Published as part of Chen, Jing, Li, Zhaoxu, Jiang, Liyun & Qiao, Gexia, 2021, Glyphochaitophorus, a new genus of Chaitophorini (Hemiptera: Aphididae: Chaitophorinae) from China, pp. 581-591 in Zootaxa 4975 (3) on page 582, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4975.3.8, http://zenodo.org/record/481017

Two new species of Sinolachnus Hille Ris Lambers (Hemiptera, Aphididae, Lachninae) from China

Two new Sinolachnus species from China, Sinolachnus rubusis Qiao & Li, sp. nov. feeding on Rubus sp. from Shaanxi and Sichuan Provinces, and Sinolachnus yunnanensis Qiao & Li, sp. nov. feeding on Elaeagnus sp. from Yunnan Province, are described and illustrated. Keys to Sinolachnus species distributed in China are presented. All examined specimens are deposited in the National Zoological Museum of China, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

XGB-SEGA coupled energy saving method for wastewater treatment plants

Abstract To reduce the amount of energy consumed in wastewater treatment plants, nine methods were used to select the key operation parameters that affected energy consumption according to daily operation records, and an intelligent operation management system based on a genetic algorithm was constructed by mapping the relationships between energy consumption and the key operation parameters. The results showed that the prediction and management of energy consumption could be achieved by incorporating the strengthened elastic genetic algorithm into the extreme gradient boosting model. The main parameters affecting energy consumption were the influent flow rate, effluent total nitrogen, NH4 +–N loading rate, etc., and the energy consumption could be reduced by 13–27% (with an average of 22%). The parameters were all selected from the daily operation records of the wastewater treatment plant, and no additional complex data acquisition system was needed to collect specific parameters. This study provided a cost-effective strategy to reduce energy consumption in wastewater treatment plants

Gut microbiota composition may be an indicator of erectile dysfunction

Abstract Erectile Dysfunction (ED) is considered a physical and mental illness. A variety of potential associations between gut microbiota and health or disease have been found. By comparing the gut microbiota of healthy controls and ED patients, our study investigated the relationship between ED and gut microbiota. The results revealed that the ED group exhibited a significantly higher relative abundance of Bacteroides, Fusobacterium, Lachnoclostridium, Escherichia‐Shigella and Megamonas, while showing a significantly lower relative abundance of Bifidobacterium compared to the control group. The dysbiosis of gut microbiota played a role in the onset and progression of ED by influencing the gut barrier, cardiovascular system and mental health, which provided a novel perspective on understanding the pathophysiology of ED. What is more, we had identified several key gut microbiota. By combining 16S rRNA sequencing with machine learning techniques, we were able to uncover the significant value and impact of gut microbiota in the early detection of ED

Teacher-student relationships and mental disorders of undergraduate and graduate students in online education: A moderated mediation model of mobile phone addiction and hometown setting

To solve the problem of distance education and cope with emergencies, online education has become one of the common educational methods in recent years. Objects: This study aimed to explore the relationship between the teacher-student relationship (TSR) and mental disorders of university students in online education. Measures: 2032 full-time undergraduate and graduate students from a comprehensive university in China participated in the online survey. The Chinese version of the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale-21 Items, the Chinese version of the Mobile Phone Addiction Index (MPAI), and the 7-item Teacher-Student Relationship Perception Questionnaire were administered to the students. Results: We found that higher quality of perceived TSR and a lower level of mobile phone addiction were associated with better mental health among undergraduate and graduate students during online education. Mobile phone addiction mediated the relationship between TSR and mental disorders, and hometown setting moderated the relationship between TSR and mobile phone addiction. Specifically, a higher quality of perceived TSR was associated with a lower level of mobile phone addiction. In addition, for students with low-quality perceived TSR, those who came from rural areas had a higher level of mobile phone addiction than those who came from urban areas. In contrast, when students had high-quality perceived TSR, the differences between students from urban and rural areas in mobile phone addiction were insignificant. Conclusion: The results of this study are of great significance in improving the mental health and mobile phone addiction of undergraduate and graduate students during online education and reveal the urban-rural differences in the impact of TSRs during online education