Objective To evaluate the relationship between the perfusion mode of neovascularization of carotid plaque in CEUS and the ischemic stroke in transient ischemic attack (TIA) patient.Methods A total of 73 TIA patients according to the inclusive criteria were enrolled.All the patients underwent routine carotid ultrasonic examination.And 61 patients with plaque thicker than 2.5 mm in carotid bifurcation underwent CEUS and follow-up for at least 18 months.All the patients were divided into recurrent and non-recurrent groups.Logistic regression analysis were performed to detect the risk factors for incurrence of ischemic stroke or recurrence of TIA in 18 months.Results There were statistical differences between 2 groups in hypertension,diabetes,hyperlipemia,smoking history,family history of stroke,medication compliance,two-dimensional ultrasound and CEUS characteristics (all P＜0.05).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that all the factors correlated with the recurrency,from big to small order were the CEUS characteristics of carotid plaque,hypertension,medication compliance,diabetes,two-dimensional ultrasound characteristics of carotid plaque.Conclusion CEUS could evaluate the perfusion mode of neovascularization in carotid plaques.For TIA patients,CEUS could predict the incurrence of ischemic stroke or recurrence of TIA,which can guide TIA patients targeted prophylaxis of them.

Brain science accelerates the study of intelligence and behavior, contributes fundamental insights into human cognition, and offers prospective treatments for brain disease. Faced with the challenges posed by imaging technologies and deep learning computational models, big data and high-performance computing (HPC) play essential roles in studying brain function, brain diseases, and large-scale brain models or connectomes. We review the driving forces behind big data and HPC methods applied to brain science, including deep learning, powerful data analysis capabilities, and computational performance solutions, each of which can be used to improve diagnostic accuracy and research output. This work reinforces predictions that big data and HPC will continue to improve brain science by making ultrahigh-performance analysis possible, by improving data standardization and sharing, and by providing new neuromorphic insights.

Objective To compare image quality of turbo spin echo(TSE)diffusion tensor imaging(DTI)and echo planar imaging(EPI)DTI for displaying temporal lobe radiation encephalopathy(REP).Methods Thirty nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients with suspected REP disease progression were prospectively enrolled.Subjective evaluation of image sharpness,susceptibility artifacts and deformation of TSE-DTI and EPI-DTI was performed using a 5-point scale,while objective evaluation aimed on the mean diffusion coefficient(MD),fractional anisotropic(FA),signal-to-noise ratio(SNR),contrast-to-noise ratio(CNR)and distortion ratio(DR)were carried on.Results The susceptibility artifacts and deformation scores of TSE-DTI were higher than that of EPI-DTI(P＜0.001).FA of REP edge and normal brain tissue were lower than those of EPI-DTI,with SNR and CNR higher than those of EPI-DTI(both P＜0.001).DR of REP lesions and bilateral temporal lobes were lower than those of EPI-DTI(all P＜0.001).Conclusion Compared with EPI-DTI,TSE-DTI could significantly improve image quality for displaying REP by reducing susceptibility artifacts and deformation of images.

Objective: To explore the linear associations between social support, coping strategies, depression, anxiety, and cognitive function among people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) using a path-analytic method. Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled 496 individuals hospitalized due to T2DM. Well-trained investigators conducted face-to-face interviews with the participants using the Social Support Rating Scale, the Chinese version of Medical Coping Modes Questionnaire, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale, and the Mini Mental State Examination to measure social support (including objective support, subjective support, and support utilization), coping strategies (including confrontation, avoidance, and acceptance-resignation), depression/anxiety, and cognitive function, respectively. A path analysis was used to elucidate the linear associations between social support, coping strategies, depression, anxiety, and cognitive function. Results: In the final path model with satisfactory model fit, objective support was found to be associated with cognitive function not only directly but also indirectly through confrontation coping and depression, and acceptance-resignation coping and depression/anxiety. Further, subjective support was found to be associated with cognitive function indirectly through depression/anxiety, as well as serially through acceptance-resignation coping and depression/anxiety. Support utilization was found to be associated with cognitive function indirectly through confrontation coping and depression, as well as through acceptance-resignation coping and depression/anxiety. Conclusion Social support, coping strategies, depression, and anxiety were associated with cognitive function among people with T2DM, and these associations were best explained by a serial mediation model from social support, coping strategies, and depression and anxiety to cognitive function.

Objective To explore the characteristics of opportunistic infections(OIs)in HIV-infected indi-viduals with suboptimal immune reconstitution after ART treatment so as to provide a reference for preventing and managing HIV infections.Methods The clinical data including opportunistic infections specifically were acquired from 112 HIV-infected individuals with suboptimal immune reconstitution from the outpatient department of Wuming Hospital,Guangxi Medical University.The impact of baseline CD4+T lymphocyte counts on the incidence,type,and mixed infection rates of the opportunistic infections were analyzed.Results The opportunistic infection rate among the 112 HIV-infected individuals with suboptimal immune reconstitution was 42.86%,among which fungal infections were the most commonly seen.The opportunistic infection rate of the patients with a baseline of CD4+T lymphocyte counts≤50/μL was significantly higher than that of the patients with a baseline of CD4+T lymphocyte counts>50/μL,and there was no significant difference in the type of opportunistic infections as well as the rate of mixed infections.Conclusion HIV-infected people with suboptimal immune reconstitution in Guangxi are susceptible to HIV OIs.Among them,the group with a baseline CD4+ T lymphocyte counts≤50/μL has a higher rate of OIs,mainly fungal infections.

Nowadays, accumulating evidence indicates that long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) play vital roles in tumorigenesis. As a newly discovered lncRNA, FEZ family zinc finger 1-antisense RNA 1 (FEZF1-AS1) is markedly upregulated in various malignant tumors including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Aberrant expression of FEZF1-AS1 is related to clinical characteristics of patients with NSCLC and suggests poor prognosis. Moreover, FEZF1-AS1 can regulate numerous biological processes, such as cell proliferation, migration and invasion through different mechanisms. In this article, we systematically summarize the recent research progress of FEZF1-AS1 in NSCLC, which might be a novel target for clinical therapy.

The accelerating growth of the public microbial genomic data imposes substantial bur-den on the research community that uses such resources. Building databases for non-redundant ref-erence sequences from massive microbial genomic data based on clustering analysis is essential. However, existing clustering algorithms perform poorly on long genomic sequences. In this article, we present Gclust, a parallel program for clustering complete or draft genomic sequences, where clustering is accelerated with a novel parallelization strategy and a fast sequence comparison algo-rithm using sparse suffix arrays (SSAs). Moreover, genome identity measures between two sequences are calculated based on their maximal exact matches (MEMs). In this paper, we demon-strate the high speed and clustering quality of Gclust by examining four genome sequence datasets. Gclust is freely available for non-commercial use at https://github.com/niu-lab/gclust. We also introduce a web server for clustering user-uploaded genomes at http://niulab.scgrid.cn/gclust.

Objective:Using the Taqman low-density array (TLDA) to develop a detection method which can rapidly type influenza A virus and the subtypes of H1-H16 and N1-N9, which is suitable for rapid typing and identification of influenza A in influenza like cases and avian influenza samples.Methods:The primers and probes of influenza A, H1-16 subtypes, N1-9 subtypes were designed and pre-customized on the TLDA reaction chip; Optimize the TLDA annealing temperature; The sensitivity of TLDA was evaluated by 10 fold gradient dilution of influenza A virus nucleic acid of various subtypes and the digital PCR; The specificity of the TLDA was verified by influenza B, adenovirus, respiratory syncytial virus and other respiratory viruses. At the same time, a variety of influenza A viruses that have been clearly typed were selected to evaluate the specificity and effectiveness of TLDA; The TLDA was used to detect 16 samples of influenza like cases and 24 samples of external environment of avian influenza.Results:The best annealing temperature of TLDA was 60 ℃, the detection sensitivity of TLDA was between 1.52 and 8.00 copies/μl for H1N1, H3N2, H5N6, H7N9 and H9N2, there was no specific cross reaction with influenza B, avian influenza, adenovirus, respiratory syncytial virus and other respiratory viruses. A total of 12 influenza positive samples and 24 samples from environmental surveillance of avian influenza were detected by TLDA, all of the result of samples were correct in typing.Conclusions:The high-throughput detection method of influenza A virus based on TLDA has good sensitivity and specificity, and the result of clinical samples show that the TLDA is suitable for rapid detection of influenza like cases and avian influenza samples, especially for rapid subtype screening and identification of new influenza A virus that cannot be identified by conventional commercial kits.

Objective:To analyze the relationship between killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor ( KIR) genes and immune reconstitution failure in human immunodeficiency virus infection/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) patients after anti-retroviral therapy (ART). Methods:HIV/AIDS patients receiving ART for ≥1 year who attended the AIDS outpatient clinics of Wuming Hospital of Guangxi Medical University and People′s Hospital of Mashan from May 2007 to December 2019 were included. Patients were divided into immune reconstitution failure group and full immune reconstitution group. Polymerase chain reaction with sequence specific primers (PCR-SSP) was used to detect KIR genotypes in all subjects, and the genotype frequency (PF) of 16 KIR genotypes was calculated. Statistical analysis was conducted using chi-square test. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between KIR genotypes and immune reconstitution failure.Results:There were 102 patients with HIV/AIDS, including 44 immunological non-responders and 58 immunological responders. The PF of KIR2 DL5 in immune reconstitution failure group was 59.09%(26/44), which was higher than 36.21%(21/58) in full immune reconstitution group, and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2=5.27, P=0.022). Multivariate logistics regression analysis showed that KIR2 DL5 was associated with immune reconstitution failure when adjusted for age and baseline CD4 + T cell count. Positive expression of KIR2 DL5 may be a risk factor for immune reconstitution failure (adjusted odds ratio (a OR)=2.431, 95% confidence interval 1.012 to 5.844, P=0.047). Conclusions:Positive expression of KIR2 DL5 may be related to immune reconstitution failure in HIV/AIDS patients after ART.

Objective:To explore the associations between perceived built environment attributes and adults’ leisure-time physical activity in four cities of China.Methods:Multistage cluster random sampling method was used to select adults aged 25 to 64 in Hangzhou, Suzhou, Chengdu, and Qingdao. Data were collected from June 2017 to July 2018. The perception of the urban built environment was assessed by the neighborhood environment walkability scale-abbreviated (NEWS-A), and the physical activity was assessed by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Generalized linear mixed models were used to explore the relationship between the perceived built environment and leisure-time physical activities.Results:A total of 3 789 participants were included in the analysis. After adjusting for potential confounders, better access to public services ( OR=1.34, 95% CI: 1.02-1.75) and higher aesthetic quality ( OR=1.37, 95% CI: 1.09-1.73) were positively associated with the possibility of engaging in leisure-time physical activity in the past week. Similarly, these two attributes were positively associated with leisure-time walking. Higher scores on the perception of street connectivity were positively associated with leisure-time walking [ exp( β)=1.09, 95% CI: 1.00-1.19]. Higher residential density [ exp( β)=1.000 4, 95% CI:1.000 0-1.000 8], better access to physical activity destinations[ exp( β)=1.09, 95% CI: 1.00-1.19], and better aesthetics [ exp( β)=1.11, 95% CI:1.00-1.22] were associated with higher leisure-time physical activity. Similarly, these three attributes were positively associated with the possibility of meeting the WHO recommendations. Conclusion:Changing some urban built environment attributes may increase leisure-time physical activity.