Non-visual Effects of Road Lighting CCT on Driver's Mood, Alertness, Fatigue and Reaction Time: A Comprehensive Neuroergonomic Evaluation Study

Good nighttime road lighting is critical for driving safety. To improve the quality of nighttime road lighting, this study used the triangulation method by fusing "EEG evaluation + subjective evaluation + behavioral evaluation" to qualitatively and quantitatively investigate the response characteristics of different correlated color temperature (CCT) (3500K, 4500K, 5500K, 6500K) on drivers' non-visual indicators (mood, alertness, fatigue and reaction time) under specific driving conditions (monotonous driving; waiting for red light and traffic jam; car-following task). The results showed that the CCT and Task interaction effect is mainly related to individual alertness and reaction time. Individual subjective emotional experience, subjective visual comfort and psychological security are more responsive to changes in CCT than individual mental fatigue and visual fatigue. The subjective and objective evaluation results demonstrated that the EEG evaluation indices used in this study could objectively reflect the response characteristics of various non-visual indicators. The findings also revealed that moderate CCT (4500K) appears to be the most beneficial to drivers in maintaining an ideal state of mind and body during nighttime driving, which is manifested as: good mood experience; it helps drivers maintain a relatively stable level of alterness and to respond quickly to external stimuli; both mental and visual fatigue were relatively low. This study extends nighttime road lighting design research from the perspective of non-visual effects by using comprehensive neuroergonomic evaluation methods, and it provides a theoretical and empirical basis for the future development of a humanized urban road lighting design evaluation system.Comment: 38 pages, 15 figures, 103 conference

Two novel TSC2 mutations in renal epithelioid angiomyolipoma sensitive to everolimus.

People who suffers renal angiomyolipoma (AML) has a low quality of life. It is widely known that genetic factors including TSC2 mutation contribute to certain populations of renal AML-bearing patients. In this study, we are the first to identify novel TSC2 mutations in one Chinese renal epithelioid AML patient: c.2652C>A; c.2688G>A based on sequencing result from biopsy tissue. These two somatic mutations cause a translational stop of TSC2, which leads to mTORC1 activation. Given the fact that activation of mTORC1 ensures cell growth and survival, we applied its inhibitor, FDA-approved everolimus, to this woman. After months of treatment with everolimus, Computer-Tomography (CT) scan results showed that everolimus successfully reduced tumor growth and distal metastasis and achieved partial response (PR) to everolimu according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST version 1.1). Further Blood Routine Examination results showed the concentration of red cell mass, hemoglobin, white blood cell (WBC), platelets and hematocrit (HCT) significantly returned to normal levels indicating patients with these two TSC2 mutations could be effectively treated by everolimus

Improved nucleotide selectivity and termination of 3′-OH unblocked reversible terminators by molecular tuning of 2-nitrobenzyl alkylated HOMedU triphosphates

We describe a novel 3′-OH unblocked reversible terminator with the potential to improve accuracy and read-lengths in next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies. This terminator is based on 5-hydroxymethyl-2′-deoxyuridine triphosphate (HOMedUTP), a hypermodified nucleotide found naturally in the genomes of numerous bacteriophages and lower eukaryotes. A series of 5-(2-nitrobenzyloxy)methyl-dUTP analogs (dU.I–dU.V) were synthesized based on our previous work with photochemically cleavable terminators. These 2-nitrobenzyl alkylated HOMedUTP analogs were characterized with respect to incorporation, single-base termination, nucleotide selectivity and photochemical cleavage properties. Substitution at the α-methylene carbon of 2-nitrobenzyl with alkyl groups of increasing size was discovered as a key structural feature that provided for the molecular tuning of enzymatic properties such as single-base termination and improved nucleotide selectivity over that of natural nucleotides. 5-[(S)-α-tert-Butyl-2-nitrobenzyloxy]methyl-dUTP (dU.V) was identified as an efficient reversible terminator, whereby, sequencing feasibility was demonstrated in a cyclic reversible termination (CRT) experiment using a homopolymer repeat of ten complementary template bases without detectable UV damage during photochemical cleavage steps. These results validate our overall strategy of creating 3′-OH unblocked reversible terminator reagents that, upon photochemical cleavage, transform back into a natural state. Modified nucleotides based on 5-hydroxymethyl-pyrimidines and 7-deaza-7-hydroxymethyl-purines lay the foundation for development of a complete set of four reversible terminators for application in NGS technologies

The feasibility study of non-invasive fetal trisomy 18 and 21 detection with semiconductor sequencing platform

Objective: Recent non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) technologies are based on next-generation sequencing (NGS). NGS allows rapid and effective clinical diagnoses to be determined with two common sequencing systems: Illumina and Ion Torrent platforms. The majority of NIPT technology is associated with Illumina platform. We investigated whether fetal trisomy 18 and 21 were sensitively and specifically detectable by semiconductor sequencer: Ion Proton. Methods: From March 2012 to October 2013, we enrolled 155 pregnant women with fetuses who were diagnosed as high risk of fetal defects at Xiamen Maternal & Child Health Care Hospital (Xiamen, Fujian, China). Adapter-ligated DNA libraries were analyzed by the Ion Proton??? System (Life Technologies, Grand Island, NY, USA) with an average 0.3 ?? sequencing coverage per nucleotide. Average total raw reads per sample was 6.5 million and mean rate of uniquely mapped reads was 59.0%. The results of this study were derived from BWA mapping. Z-score was used for fetal trisomy 18 and 21 detection. Results: Interactive dot diagrams showed the minimal z-score values to discriminate negative versus positive cases of fetal trisomy 18 and 21. For fetal trisomy 18, the minimal z-score value of 2.459 showed 100% positive predictive and negative predictive values. The minimal z-score of 2.566 was used to classify negative versus positive cases of fetal trisomy 21. Conclusion: These results provide the evidence that fetal trisomy 18 and 21 detection can be performed with semiconductor sequencer. Our data also suggest that a prospective study should be performed with a larger cohort of clinically diverse obstetrics patients.open2

Biosynthesis of Polyhydroxyalkanoates

Many bacteria are able to synthesize polyhydroxyalkanoates, abbreviated as PHA, as carbon and energy storage compounds. PHA with over 90 different monomer structures has been reported and the number keeps increasing. The piezoelectricity, non-linear optical activity, biocompatibility and biodegradability of PHA have offered promising applications in areas such as tissue engineering, drug delivery, smart materials and degradable packaging. Various microorganisms obtained from nature, genetic engineering and mutations have been used for microbial production of PHA as biodegradable plastics. In fact, PHA synthesizing bacteria can be easily found in various locations, especially oil-contaminated soils. Many bacterial strains possessing the ability to synthesize PHA with various monomers have been isolated from oil-contaminated soils. In molasses-contaminated soil, 40% of the isolated bacteria were capable of growing rapidly and synthesizing PHA at the same time. It seems that nature has provided endless numbers of novel PHA synthesizing strains

Zero-profile anchored spacer versus conventional plate-cage construct in bilevel anterior cervical discectomy and fusion: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Background Zero-profile anchored spacers (ZAS) and plate-cage constructs (PCC) are currently employed when performing anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). Nevertheless, the efficacy and safety of both devices in bilevel ACDF remain controversial. The goal of our meta-analysis is to assess the overall long-term efficacy and security among ZAS and PCC in bilevel ACDF. Methods A search of four electronic databases was conducted to identify researches that compared ZAS with PCC for bilevel ACDF. Stata MP 17.0 software was used for this meta-analysis. Results Nine researches with a total of 580 patients were involved. In comparison to PCC, ZAS significantly reduced intraoperative bleeding and postoperative dysphagia rates. No significant differences were found concerning operation time, JOA score, NDI score, cervical Cobb angle, fusion rates, the incidence of adjacent segmental degeneration (ASD) and implant sinking rates at last follow-up. Conclusion Compared to PCC, ZAS achieved similar efficacy and security in bilevel ACDF with respect to operative time, JOA score, NDI score, cervical Cobb angle, fusion rates, implant sinking rates and ASD rates at final follow-up. It is worth noting that ZAS offered considerable benefits over conventional PCC for the reduction of intraoperative bleeding and postoperative dysphagia. Therefore, for patients requiring bilevel ACDF, ZAS seems superior to PCC. Given the limitations of our study, larger prospective randomised controlled trials are needed to establish reliable proof to consolidate our conclusions

Self-locking stand-alone cage versus cage-plate fixation in monosegmental anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with a minimum 2-year follow-up: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Background Currently, self-locking stand-alone cages (SSC) are commonly applied in anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), as are cage-plate constructs (CPC). However, it remains controversial concerning the long-term effectiveness of both apparatuses. Our purpose is to compare long-term effectiveness of SSC with CPC in monosegmental ACDF. Methods Four electronic databases were queried to identify studies comparing SSC versus CPC in monosegmental ACDF. The meta-analysis was carried out with the use of the Stata MP 17.0 software package. Results Ten trials with 979 patients were included. Compared to CPC, SSC significantly reduced operative time, intraoperative blood loss, duration of hospitalisation, cervical Cobb angle at final follow-up, 1-month postoperative dysphagia rate, and incidence of adjacent segment degeneration (ASD) at final follow-up. No significant difference was found regarding 1-month postoperative cervical Cobb angle, JOA scores, NDI scores, fusion rate and cage subsidence rate at final follow-up. Conclusion Both devices achieved similar long-term effectiveness in monosegmental ACDF regarding JOA scores, NDI scores, fusion rate and cage subsidence rate. SSC had significant advantages over CPC in reducing surgical duration, intraoperative bleeding, duration of hospitalisation, as well as rates of dysphagia and ASD after surgery. Therefore, SSC is a better option than CPC in monosegmental ACDF. However, SSC is inferior to CPC in maintaining cervical curvature at long-term follow-up. Whether radiological changes affect clinical symptoms needs confirmation in trials with longer follow-up

Cost-effectiveness analysis of routine 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccinations in Chinese infants

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-13) compared to a no vaccination strategy in Chinese infants. Methods: A Markov process model was developed to examine the outcomes of PCV-13 against a no vaccination strategy using data and assumptions adapted for relevance to China. Outcomes over a lifetime horizon are presented. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed to determine the uncertainty. Results: Compared to no vaccination, a PCV-13 vaccination program would provide a gain of 0.009 additional quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) per subject. From the health care and societal perspectives, the incremental costs per QALY were $20,709 and 18,483, respectively. When herd effect was included, the cost effectiveness of the PCV-13 vaccination strategy was notably improved. The lower price of PCV-13 will improve the cost-effectiveness. Conclusions: The PCV-13 vaccination is likely to be cost-effective at the current Chinese prices and ceiling threshold ($8,382)