<b>Objective:</b> <i>Angiostrongylus cantonensis</i> (<i>A. cantonensis</i>) is an important parasite, which causes neurological infection in children, and is generally difficult to...<b>Objective:</b> <i>Angiostrongylus cantonensis</i> (<i>A. cantonensis</i>) is an important parasite, which causes neurological infection in children, and is generally difficult to diagnose. We analyzed the significance of metagenomic next-generation sequencing in diagnosing <i>A. cantonensis</i> encephalitis/meningitis in children to provide a reference for clinical diagnosis. <b>Methods:</b> The case collection of <i>A. cantonensis</i> encephalitis/meningitis was from July 2018 to August 2020. The patients’ clinical characteristics and pathogen were described, and diagnostic sensitivity methods for <i>A. cantonensis</i> encephalitis/meningitis were compared and analyzed, including parasite antibody detection and metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) detection in different samples. <b>Results:</b> Eleven cases were diagnosed with <i>A. cantonensis</i> encephalitis/meningitis, including six males (54.5%) and five females (45.5%), and the age ranged from 1 to 13 years with a median of 21 months (IQR: 15.6, 96). All patients were undiagnosed upon admission, of which ten cases had neurological symptoms or signs, six cases (54.5%) had a history of definite or suspicious exposure to parasites, and eight cases (72.7%) had abnormal changes in cranial MRI. The results of <i>A. cantonensis</i> antibodies in the peripheral blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were compared with CSF’s metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS). The antibody-positive rate of peripheral blood was 54.5%, CSF antibody-positive rate was 27.2%, and mNGS-positive rate of CSF was 81.8%, and the positive diagnostic rate of the latter was significantly higher than the former two (<i>p</i> = 0.035 < 0.05 and <i>p</i> = 0.030 < 0.05, respectively). <b>Conclusion:</b> Metagenomic next-generation sequencing has a higher positive rate for diagnosing infection and plays an important role in clarifying diagnosis and reducing misdiagnosis.展开更多
Over recent decades,the increasing frequency and intensity of Harmful Algal Blooms(HABs)have resulted in severe environmental impacts worldwide.Understanding the physical drivers of HABs is crucial for understanding t...Over recent decades,the increasing frequency and intensity of Harmful Algal Blooms(HABs)have resulted in severe environmental impacts worldwide.Understanding the physical drivers of HABs is crucial for understanding their dynamics and mitigating their environmental consequences.This study integrates satellite remote sensing and hydrodynamic modeling to investigate two HAB events and their driving mechanisms in Guangdong coastal waters during February and August 2021.An HAB detection method using Sentinel-3 ocean and land color instrument data based on an improved floating algae index algorithm was developed.The spatiotemporal dynamics of physical drivers were analyzed using a submesoscale permitting regional ocean modeling system hydrodynamic simulation.Both HAB detection results and hydrodynamic simulations were validated against in situ buoy measurements.In coastal area of Jiangmen City,local changes of divergence,impacts from the Zhujiang River(Pearl River)fresh water plume were found to be drivers accounted for long-termed variations of chlorophyll and triggers for HABs,while changes in vertical mixing associated with wind speed regulate the short-termed changes.In coastal area of Shantou City,initiations of HABs were mainly driven by wind-induced coastal upwelling.Distribution,aggregation and elongation of HAB patches were modulated by surface fronts and vortices induced by fresh water plume and complex coastlines.These findings underscore the advantages of integrating satellite remote sensing,3D hydrodynamic modeling,and in situ observations for elucidating the complex physical mechanisms governing HAB dynamics in coastal waters.展开更多
Potential ecological environment risks have been emerged as the result of land-use change(e.g.urbanization)in coastal areas.Conflicts between urban growth and ecological conservation should be brought to the forefront...Potential ecological environment risks have been emerged as the result of land-use change(e.g.urbanization)in coastal areas.Conflicts between urban growth and ecological conservation should be brought to the forefront especially in the fast developing coastal areas.An optimized landscape pattern for land-use planning could reduce the risk at the regional scale.The cell-based allocation of different land use into the geospace(i.e.land-use spatial zoning,LUSZ)to form optimal pattern with planning objectives and constrains could be viewed as a spatial optimization problem.This study aims to develop a framework incorporated with ant colony algorithm optimization(ACO)to solve LUSZ problem based on the planning guideline of China.Three planning scenarios(i.e.development focusing on urban growth,development considering ecological conversion,and coordinative development between growth and protection)were devised and analyzed with the study area of Doumen District.Comparative analysis with landscape metrics and suitability evaluation indicates that scenario of coordinative development is more available and plausible for land-use change management.This study provides a quantitative and feasible procedure to achieve optimal development pattern on given planning objectives.Moreover,it also demonstrates that cell-based spatial optimization model can generate optimal planning scenarios for decision-making.展开更多
Objective Mild encephalopathy with reversible splenial lesion(MERS)is associated with a variety of infections and anti-epileptic drug withdrawal.Here we report the clinical characteristics of H1N1 influenza A-associat...Objective Mild encephalopathy with reversible splenial lesion(MERS)is associated with a variety of infections and anti-epileptic drug withdrawal.Here we report the clinical characteristics of H1N1 influenza A-associated MERS based on our experience of four pediatric cases.Methods A detailed retrospective analysis of four patients with H1N1 influenza A-associated MERS was performed at Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center.Results All patients exhibited mild influenza-like illness and seizures.Three patients presented with a new-onset seizure with fever after 5 years of age.75%patients had altered mental status.For all four patients,influenza A(H1N1)viral RNA was detected in throat swab specimens at least twice.Brain magnetic resonance images revealed similar ovoid lesions in the corpus callosum,mainly in the splenium and for one patient in the splenium and genu of the corpus callosum.Only one patient had an abnormal electroencephalogram tracing.Cells and protein in the cerebrospinal fluid were normal in all patients.All patients received oseltamivir and one patient received intravenous immunoglobulin.As a result,all patients fully recovered after 2 months and showed no neurologic sequelae at discharge.Conclusion This case series provides insight towards clinical features of H1N1 influenza A-associated MERS.展开更多
Background:This study aimed to investigate programmed death-ligand 1 tumor proportion score in predicting the safety and efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 antibody-based therapy in treating patients with advanced non-small cell ...Background:This study aimed to investigate programmed death-ligand 1 tumor proportion score in predicting the safety and efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 antibody-based therapy in treating patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)in a real-world setting.Methods:This retrospective,multicenter,observational study enrolled adult patients who received PD-1/PD-L1 antibody-based therapy in China and met the following criteria:(1)had pathologically confirmed,unresectable stage III–IV NSCLC;(2)had a baseline PD-L1 tumor proportion score(TPS);and(3)had confirmed efficacy evaluation results after PD-1/PD-L1 treatment.Logistic regression,Kaplan–Meier analysis,and Cox regression were used to assess the progression-free survival(PFS),overall survival(OS),and immune-related adverse events(irAEs)as appropriate.Results:A total of 409 patients,65.0%(n=266)with a positive PD-L1 TPS(≥1%)and 32.8%(n=134)with PD-L1 TPS≥50%,were included in this study.Cox regression confirmed that patients with a PD-L1 TPS≥1%had significantly improved PFS(hazard ratio[HR]0.747,95%confidence interval[CI]0.573–0.975,P=0.032).A total of 160(39.1%)patients experienced 206 irAEs,and 27(6.6%)patients experienced 31 grade 3–5 irAEs.The organs most frequently associated with irAEs were the skin(52/409,12.7%),thyroid(40/409,9.8%),and lung(34/409,8.3%).Multivariate logistic regression revealed that a PD-L1 TPS≥1%(odds ratio[OR]1.713,95%CI 1.054–2.784,P=0.030)was an independent risk factor for irAEs.Other risk factors for irAEs included pretreatment absolute lymphocyte count>2.5×10^(9)/L(OR 3.772,95%CI 1.377–10.329,P=0.010)and pretreatment absolute eosinophil count>0.2×109/L(OR 2.006,95%CI 1.219–3.302,P=0.006).Moreover,patients who developed irAEs demonstrated improved PFS(13.7 months vs.8.4 months,P<0.001)and OS(28.0 months vs.18.0 months,P=0.007)compared with patients without irAEs.Conclusions:A positive PD-L1 TPS(≥1%)was associated with improved PFS and an increased risk of irAEs in a real-world setting.The onset of irAEs was associated with improved PFS and OS in patients with advanced NSCLC receiving PD-1/PD-L1-based therapy.展开更多
Mangroves serve many important ecological functions and consequently represent a dominant coastal ecosystem.However,coastal regions are very susceptible to ecological damage due to their high population density,urban ...Mangroves serve many important ecological functions and consequently represent a dominant coastal ecosystem.However,coastal regions are very susceptible to ecological damage due to their high population density,urban expansion being one of the most important influencing factors.Accordingly,it is vital to ascertain how urban expansion endangers mangrove ecosystems.This study used the decision-tree classification method based on classification and regression tree(CART)algorithm to extract areas of mangrove and built-up land from Landsat images.A correlation analysis was performed between the change in the area of mangroves and the change in the area of built-up land at the cell scale.This study aimed to reveal the magnitude of the influence of urban expansion on mangrove forests in different periods and in different regions,and to identify the places that are seriously affected by urban expansion.The results demonstrate that this approach can be used to quantitatively analyze the impact of urban expansion on mangrove forests,and show that larger areas of mangrove were affected by urban expansion in the past 30 years.The effects of urban expansion were stronger over time,with approximately 12%of cells containing mangroves showing a negative correlation between the increase in the area of built-up land and the change in the area of mangrove forests to different degrees from 2005 to 2015.The same quantitative analysis was also carried out in three subregions of Guangdong Province,namely western Guangdong Province,the Pearl River Delta,and eastern Guangdong Province.It was found that the situations in these three regions were very different due to discrepancies in the distribution of mangroves,the rate of urban expansion,and the awareness of the local government regarding environmental protection.These results can assist in the management of coastal cities and the protection of mangrove ecosystems.展开更多
The field of plasmonics explores the interaction between light and metallic micro/nanostructures and films.The collective oscillation of free electrons on metallic surfaces enables subwavelength optical confinement an...The field of plasmonics explores the interaction between light and metallic micro/nanostructures and films.The collective oscillation of free electrons on metallic surfaces enables subwavelength optical confinement and enhanced light-matter interactions.In optoelectronics,perovskite materials are particularly attractive due to their excellent absorption,emission,and carrier transport properties,which lead to the improved performance of solar cells,lightemitting diodes(LEDs),lasers,photodetectors,and sensors.When perovskite materials are coupled with plasmonic structures,the device performance significantly improves owing to strong near-field and far-field optical enhancements,as well as the plasmoelectric effect.Here,we review recent theoretical and experimental works on plasmonic perovskite solar cells,light emitters,and sensors.The underlying physical mechanisms,design routes,device performances,and optimization strategies are summarized.This review also lays out challenges and future directions for the plasmonic perovskite research field toward next-generation optoelectronic technologies.展开更多
In the Chinese higher education sector, Business English, a newly emerging discipline, has attracted great attention, and since it was approved officially in 2007, about 400 universities and colleges have offered this...In the Chinese higher education sector, Business English, a newly emerging discipline, has attracted great attention, and since it was approved officially in 2007, about 400 universities and colleges have offered this degree course to students. Among in-service Business English teachers, some of them have transferred from teaching English for General Purposes. Business English teachers face many changes and challenges to their professional identity, yet few scholars have looked into the identity construction of these teachers. Using critical narrative as a method, this paper closely examines the identity construction experiences of the first author and two other Business English teachers. It is found that the participants, including the first author himself, have endured identity negotiations and various challenges in turning from a teacher of English for General Purposes to a teacher of Business English. These teachers' experiences and their perception of identity construction and professional development throw light on the changing pedagogy and practice of Business English in Chinese universities.展开更多
文摘<b>Objective:</b> <i>Angiostrongylus cantonensis</i> (<i>A. cantonensis</i>) is an important parasite, which causes neurological infection in children, and is generally difficult to diagnose. We analyzed the significance of metagenomic next-generation sequencing in diagnosing <i>A. cantonensis</i> encephalitis/meningitis in children to provide a reference for clinical diagnosis. <b>Methods:</b> The case collection of <i>A. cantonensis</i> encephalitis/meningitis was from July 2018 to August 2020. The patients’ clinical characteristics and pathogen were described, and diagnostic sensitivity methods for <i>A. cantonensis</i> encephalitis/meningitis were compared and analyzed, including parasite antibody detection and metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) detection in different samples. <b>Results:</b> Eleven cases were diagnosed with <i>A. cantonensis</i> encephalitis/meningitis, including six males (54.5%) and five females (45.5%), and the age ranged from 1 to 13 years with a median of 21 months (IQR: 15.6, 96). All patients were undiagnosed upon admission, of which ten cases had neurological symptoms or signs, six cases (54.5%) had a history of definite or suspicious exposure to parasites, and eight cases (72.7%) had abnormal changes in cranial MRI. The results of <i>A. cantonensis</i> antibodies in the peripheral blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were compared with CSF’s metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS). The antibody-positive rate of peripheral blood was 54.5%, CSF antibody-positive rate was 27.2%, and mNGS-positive rate of CSF was 81.8%, and the positive diagnostic rate of the latter was significantly higher than the former two (<i>p</i> = 0.035 < 0.05 and <i>p</i> = 0.030 < 0.05, respectively). <b>Conclusion:</b> Metagenomic next-generation sequencing has a higher positive rate for diagnosing infection and plays an important role in clarifying diagnosis and reducing misdiagnosis.
基金The fund from Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory(Zhuhai)under contract No.SML2024SP029the National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract Nos 42176173,42476268,and 42106173the fund from Beijing Engineering Research Center of Aerial Intelligent Remote Sensing Equipments under contract No.AIRSE20234.
文摘Over recent decades,the increasing frequency and intensity of Harmful Algal Blooms(HABs)have resulted in severe environmental impacts worldwide.Understanding the physical drivers of HABs is crucial for understanding their dynamics and mitigating their environmental consequences.This study integrates satellite remote sensing and hydrodynamic modeling to investigate two HAB events and their driving mechanisms in Guangdong coastal waters during February and August 2021.An HAB detection method using Sentinel-3 ocean and land color instrument data based on an improved floating algae index algorithm was developed.The spatiotemporal dynamics of physical drivers were analyzed using a submesoscale permitting regional ocean modeling system hydrodynamic simulation.Both HAB detection results and hydrodynamic simulations were validated against in situ buoy measurements.In coastal area of Jiangmen City,local changes of divergence,impacts from the Zhujiang River(Pearl River)fresh water plume were found to be drivers accounted for long-termed variations of chlorophyll and triggers for HABs,while changes in vertical mixing associated with wind speed regulate the short-termed changes.In coastal area of Shantou City,initiations of HABs were mainly driven by wind-induced coastal upwelling.Distribution,aggregation and elongation of HAB patches were modulated by surface fronts and vortices induced by fresh water plume and complex coastlines.These findings underscore the advantages of integrating satellite remote sensing,3D hydrodynamic modeling,and in situ observations for elucidating the complex physical mechanisms governing HAB dynamics in coastal waters.
基金The authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their suggestions and comments.This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China[grant number 41301418]the Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China[grant number 2012017120036].
文摘Potential ecological environment risks have been emerged as the result of land-use change(e.g.urbanization)in coastal areas.Conflicts between urban growth and ecological conservation should be brought to the forefront especially in the fast developing coastal areas.An optimized landscape pattern for land-use planning could reduce the risk at the regional scale.The cell-based allocation of different land use into the geospace(i.e.land-use spatial zoning,LUSZ)to form optimal pattern with planning objectives and constrains could be viewed as a spatial optimization problem.This study aims to develop a framework incorporated with ant colony algorithm optimization(ACO)to solve LUSZ problem based on the planning guideline of China.Three planning scenarios(i.e.development focusing on urban growth,development considering ecological conversion,and coordinative development between growth and protection)were devised and analyzed with the study area of Doumen District.Comparative analysis with landscape metrics and suitability evaluation indicates that scenario of coordinative development is more available and plausible for land-use change management.This study provides a quantitative and feasible procedure to achieve optimal development pattern on given planning objectives.Moreover,it also demonstrates that cell-based spatial optimization model can generate optimal planning scenarios for decision-making.
基金supported by the Medical Scientific Research Foundation of Guangdong Province of China(No.A2020502).
文摘Objective Mild encephalopathy with reversible splenial lesion(MERS)is associated with a variety of infections and anti-epileptic drug withdrawal.Here we report the clinical characteristics of H1N1 influenza A-associated MERS based on our experience of four pediatric cases.Methods A detailed retrospective analysis of four patients with H1N1 influenza A-associated MERS was performed at Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center.Results All patients exhibited mild influenza-like illness and seizures.Three patients presented with a new-onset seizure with fever after 5 years of age.75%patients had altered mental status.For all four patients,influenza A(H1N1)viral RNA was detected in throat swab specimens at least twice.Brain magnetic resonance images revealed similar ovoid lesions in the corpus callosum,mainly in the splenium and for one patient in the splenium and genu of the corpus callosum.Only one patient had an abnormal electroencephalogram tracing.Cells and protein in the cerebrospinal fluid were normal in all patients.All patients received oseltamivir and one patient received intravenous immunoglobulin.As a result,all patients fully recovered after 2 months and showed no neurologic sequelae at discharge.Conclusion This case series provides insight towards clinical features of H1N1 influenza A-associated MERS.
基金This study is funded by a grant from the National High Level Hospital Clinical Research Funding to Wei Zhong,grant number 2022-PUMCH-C-054.
文摘Background:This study aimed to investigate programmed death-ligand 1 tumor proportion score in predicting the safety and efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 antibody-based therapy in treating patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)in a real-world setting.Methods:This retrospective,multicenter,observational study enrolled adult patients who received PD-1/PD-L1 antibody-based therapy in China and met the following criteria:(1)had pathologically confirmed,unresectable stage III–IV NSCLC;(2)had a baseline PD-L1 tumor proportion score(TPS);and(3)had confirmed efficacy evaluation results after PD-1/PD-L1 treatment.Logistic regression,Kaplan–Meier analysis,and Cox regression were used to assess the progression-free survival(PFS),overall survival(OS),and immune-related adverse events(irAEs)as appropriate.Results:A total of 409 patients,65.0%(n=266)with a positive PD-L1 TPS(≥1%)and 32.8%(n=134)with PD-L1 TPS≥50%,were included in this study.Cox regression confirmed that patients with a PD-L1 TPS≥1%had significantly improved PFS(hazard ratio[HR]0.747,95%confidence interval[CI]0.573–0.975,P=0.032).A total of 160(39.1%)patients experienced 206 irAEs,and 27(6.6%)patients experienced 31 grade 3–5 irAEs.The organs most frequently associated with irAEs were the skin(52/409,12.7%),thyroid(40/409,9.8%),and lung(34/409,8.3%).Multivariate logistic regression revealed that a PD-L1 TPS≥1%(odds ratio[OR]1.713,95%CI 1.054–2.784,P=0.030)was an independent risk factor for irAEs.Other risk factors for irAEs included pretreatment absolute lymphocyte count>2.5×10^(9)/L(OR 3.772,95%CI 1.377–10.329,P=0.010)and pretreatment absolute eosinophil count>0.2×109/L(OR 2.006,95%CI 1.219–3.302,P=0.006).Moreover,patients who developed irAEs demonstrated improved PFS(13.7 months vs.8.4 months,P<0.001)and OS(28.0 months vs.18.0 months,P=0.007)compared with patients without irAEs.Conclusions:A positive PD-L1 TPS(≥1%)was associated with improved PFS and an increased risk of irAEs in a real-world setting.The onset of irAEs was associated with improved PFS and OS in patients with advanced NSCLC receiving PD-1/PD-L1-based therapy.
基金The authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their suggestions and comments.This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.41301418)the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province(Grant No.2014A030313141)the Science and Technology Plan Project of Guangzhou City(Grant No.201607020041).
文摘Mangroves serve many important ecological functions and consequently represent a dominant coastal ecosystem.However,coastal regions are very susceptible to ecological damage due to their high population density,urban expansion being one of the most important influencing factors.Accordingly,it is vital to ascertain how urban expansion endangers mangrove ecosystems.This study used the decision-tree classification method based on classification and regression tree(CART)algorithm to extract areas of mangrove and built-up land from Landsat images.A correlation analysis was performed between the change in the area of mangroves and the change in the area of built-up land at the cell scale.This study aimed to reveal the magnitude of the influence of urban expansion on mangrove forests in different periods and in different regions,and to identify the places that are seriously affected by urban expansion.The results demonstrate that this approach can be used to quantitatively analyze the impact of urban expansion on mangrove forests,and show that larger areas of mangrove were affected by urban expansion in the past 30 years.The effects of urban expansion were stronger over time,with approximately 12%of cells containing mangroves showing a negative correlation between the increase in the area of built-up land and the change in the area of mangrove forests to different degrees from 2005 to 2015.The same quantitative analysis was also carried out in three subregions of Guangdong Province,namely western Guangdong Province,the Pearl River Delta,and eastern Guangdong Province.It was found that the situations in these three regions were very different due to discrepancies in the distribution of mangroves,the rate of urban expansion,and the awareness of the local government regarding environmental protection.These results can assist in the management of coastal cities and the protection of mangrove ecosystems.
基金B.A.,Z.F.,and Z.J.W.acknowledge funding support from the President’s Excellence Fund(X-Grant)and the TAMU start-up grant.B.A.was partially supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing of China(cstc2020jcyj-msxmX0614)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(2021CDJQY-010)the Open Foundation of Defense Key Disciplines Lab of Novel Micro-Nano Devices and System Technology,and the Open Foundation of Chongqing。
文摘The field of plasmonics explores the interaction between light and metallic micro/nanostructures and films.The collective oscillation of free electrons on metallic surfaces enables subwavelength optical confinement and enhanced light-matter interactions.In optoelectronics,perovskite materials are particularly attractive due to their excellent absorption,emission,and carrier transport properties,which lead to the improved performance of solar cells,lightemitting diodes(LEDs),lasers,photodetectors,and sensors.When perovskite materials are coupled with plasmonic structures,the device performance significantly improves owing to strong near-field and far-field optical enhancements,as well as the plasmoelectric effect.Here,we review recent theoretical and experimental works on plasmonic perovskite solar cells,light emitters,and sensors.The underlying physical mechanisms,design routes,device performances,and optimization strategies are summarized.This review also lays out challenges and future directions for the plasmonic perovskite research field toward next-generation optoelectronic technologies.
基金supported by Shanghai University of Finance and Economics [Grant No.2019110115]the National Research Fund for Social Sciences [Grant No.16BYY178]
文摘In the Chinese higher education sector, Business English, a newly emerging discipline, has attracted great attention, and since it was approved officially in 2007, about 400 universities and colleges have offered this degree course to students. Among in-service Business English teachers, some of them have transferred from teaching English for General Purposes. Business English teachers face many changes and challenges to their professional identity, yet few scholars have looked into the identity construction of these teachers. Using critical narrative as a method, this paper closely examines the identity construction experiences of the first author and two other Business English teachers. It is found that the participants, including the first author himself, have endured identity negotiations and various challenges in turning from a teacher of English for General Purposes to a teacher of Business English. These teachers' experiences and their perception of identity construction and professional development throw light on the changing pedagogy and practice of Business English in Chinese universities.
