f. liu

To investigate the role of pregnant-associatedplasma protein A (PAPP-A) and uterine artery Doppler ultrasound in predicting fetal growth restriction (FGR).

In total, 120 pregnant women diagnosed with FGR in Shijiazhuang Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital from January 2021 to December 2023 were selected as the FGR group, and 120 normal pregnant women were selected as the control group during the identical time frame. Maternal serum pregnancy-related protein A combined with uterine artery Doppler ultrasonography was performed during the period from the 11th, to the 13th+6 weeks of pregnancy. The course of pregnancy was observed in both groups of pregnant women.

The FGR group exhibited significantly reduced rates of vaginal delivery and fetal survival compared to the control group, while experiencing higher rates of preterm delivery and cesarean section, with statistical significance (P<0.001). The pulsatility index of the uterine artery (UtA-PI) and the resistance index of the uterine artery and the FGR group exhibited a higher proportion of early blood diastolic incisors compared to the normal group, with statistical significance noted at a level of P<0.001. The concentration of PAPP-A was lower than that of normal group (P<0.001). The sensitivity of combining UtA-PI and PAPP-A to predict FGR was 81.6%, and the sensitivity of combining UtA-PI and PAPP-A is 82.9%, which is 1.3% higher, but there was no statistically significant distinction between the two approaches (P>0.05).

The implementation the combination between PAPP-A and Doppler ultrasound is an effective method to predict FGR.

The sport of half-pipe skiing, characterized by its dynamic maneuvers and high-speed descents, often faces challenges posed by unpredictable wind conditions.  To address this, an advanced wind-blocking system incorporating an air curtain capable of generating a jet flow is proposed. This pioneering design offers a dual advantage: the system can significantly reduce the windbreak size in the vertical dimension while maintaining a satisfactory wind-blocking effect. A comprehensive study is conducted to analyze the effects of the height of the windbreak and the jet emission angle from the air curtain. When the jet speed is 40 m/s, a 50° emission angle and a 2 m height of the windbreak result in an optimal wind-blocking effect. Furthermore, delving deeper to understand the underpinnings of this phenomenon, we discovered that a counterrotating vortex pair, which forms in the presence of this jet under crossflow conditions, plays a pivotal role in augmenting the wind-blocking capabilities of the system.

The lattice Boltzmann models, especially the pseudopotential models, have been developed to investigate multicomponent multiphase fluids in presence of phase change process. However, the interparticle force between different components causes compressibility error in the non-phase-change component. This restricts the model capability in quantitative analysis of the physical foaming process, such as expansion rate and decay time. In the present study, a multicomponent multiphase pseudopotential phase change model (the MMPPCM) is improved by introducing an effective mass form of high-pressure-difference multicomponent model in the non-phase-change component. The improved model is compared with the MMPPCM based on simulations of the phase change process of static and moving fluids, as well as the physical foaming process. Density variation of non-phase-change component and its effect on flow field characteristics are analyzed during the phase change process. Simulation results of physical foaming process lead to about 10% ~ 20% reduction of the compressibility error for the improved model as compared with the results of MMPPCM. The improved model also enhances the computational stability of phase change simulation of the static droplets.

It remains unclear whether radiation-induced haemorrhage in the spleen causes iron accumulation, and subsequently, ferroptosis in splenic lymphocytes. In this study, we investigated the occurrence of ferroptosis in splenic lymphocytes of gamma-irradiated mice.

Mice were subjected to gamma radiation from a 137Cs source. Iron, Ferroportin 1, and iron regulatory protein (IRP) levels in the spleen, and serum iron and hepcidin levels in the blood were measured to study the change in iron metabolism of the irradiated spleen. After Ferrostatin 1/LDN193189 was intraperitoneally injected into mice post-irradiation, the viability of splenic lymphocytes and the splenic index were evaluated to investigate the mechanism of damage induction in splenic lymphocytes. The survival rate of mice was evaluated to identify the radiation mitigator based on the inhibition of ferroptosis.

Iron accumulation (up to 0.62 g/g) observed in the spleen of irradiated mice was due to haemorrhage-based haemosiderin. The iron accumulation triggered the IRP-ferroportin 1 axis to increase the level of serum iron to 121.65 mmol/l. LDN193189 was used to demonstrate that the iron accumulation decreased the viability of splenic lymphocytes in irradiated mice, which was subsequently demonstrated to attribute to ferroptosis with the use of Ferrostatin 1 and through detection of ferroptosis-related parameters. The survival rate of irradiated mice was improved upon Ferrostatin-1 (60% with a duration of 120 days) or LDN193189 (40% for the same duration) treatment.

Radiation-induced haemorrhage causes ferroptosis in splenic lymphocytes, and anti-ferroptosis is a potential strategy to alleviate immune damage in hematopoietic acute radiation sickness.

Feeding ecology of Acrossocheilus yunnanensis, a dominant fish in the headwaters of the Chishui River, a tributary of the upper Yangtze River, was studied using the analysis of gut contents. From March 2015 to January 2016, a total of 543 individuals were collected and analyzed. The results showed that A. yunnanensis was an omnivorous fish mainly feeding on chlorophytes, diatoms, and aquatic insects. The trophic level was 2.69±0.62 (mean±SD), signifying A. yunnanensis as a primary or secondary predator. Dietary shifts were found among different ontogenetic stages and seasons. Specifically, young individuals fed primarily on aquatic insects and diatoms, whereas older fish fed mainly on chlorophytes. In spring, the preferred food item was aquatic insects and in other seasons, chlorophytes became the predominant prey. Diet composition showed no differences among individuals of different sex and diel periods. The feeding intensity of A. yunnanensis was not affected by diel periods, suggesting this species feeds continuously. However, its feeding intensity was significantly influenced by seasons. Pairwise comparison found that the feeding intensity was higher in spring and autumn than that in summer and winter, with minimum food intake in winter and maximum in spring. Analysis on Amundsen graph and niche breadth index indicated that A. yunnanensis might pursue an opportunistic and moderately generalized feeding strategy, which could explain why it has become the dominant fish species in our study area.

To provide a scientific basis for artificial culture, the effects of different breeding densities, feeding cycles, and light environments on the growth regulation of Poecilobdella manillensis were studied. After P. manillensis were cultured at breeding densities of 250 ~ 3250 leeches m-2; feeding cycles of 2 ~ 16 days; and a light environment with noise or a light-free environment without noise, the weight gain rate (RWG), specific growth rate (SGR), feed conversion rate (FCR), and total content of the effective component (TCEC) were measured for 64 days. The results showed that the RWG and SGR presented the same growth indexes, which decreased with the increase in breeding density and the lengthening of the feeding cycle. In the light environment, the RWG and SGR of P. manillensis were lower than in the dark environment. The TCEC of groups 2 d and 4 d were significantly higher than in the other feeding cycle experiment groups. From these results, we advise that the optimal breeding density for artificial culture is 1750 leeches m-2 and the feeding cycle is 4 days; in the dark and quiet environment, P. manillensis grew better.