Nutritional Risk Screening index is a standard tool to assess nutritional risk, but epidemiological data are scarce on controlling nutritional status (CONUT) as a prognostic marker in acute haemorrhagic stroke (AHS). We aimed to explore whether the CONUT may predict a 3-month functional outcome in AHS. In total, 349 Chinese patients with incident AHS were consecutively recruited, and their malnutrition risks were determined using a high CONUT score of ≥ 2. The cohort patients were divided into high-CONUT (≥ 2) and low-CONUT (< 2) groups, and primary outcomes were a poor functional prognosis defined as the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of ≥ 3 at post-discharge for 3 months. Odds ratios (OR) with 95 % confidence intervals (CI) for the poor functional prognosis at post-discharge were estimated by using a logistic analysis with additional adjustments for unbalanced variables between the high-CONUT and low-CONUT groups. A total of 328 patients (60·38 ± 12·83 years; 66·77 % male) completed the mRS assessment at post-discharge for 3 months, with 172 patients at malnutrition risk at admission and 104 patients with a poor prognosis. The levels of total cholesterol and total lymphocyte counts were significantly lower in high-CONUT patients than low-CONUT patients (P = 0·012 and < 0·001, respectively). At 3-month post discharge, there was a greater risk for the poor outcome in the high-CONUT compared with the low-CONUT patients at admission (OR: 2·32, 95 % CI: 1·28, 4·17). High-CONUT scores independently predict a 3-month poor prognosis in AHS, which helps to identify those who need additional nutritional managements.

Existing data on folate status and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) prognosis are scarce. We prospectively examined whether serum folate concentrations at diagnosis were associated with liver cancer-specific survival (LCSS) and overall survival (OS) among 982 patients with newly diagnosed, previously untreated HCC, who were enrolled in the Guangdong Liver Cancer Cohort (GLCC) study between September 2013 and February 2017. Serum folate concentrations were measured using chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay. Cox proportional hazards models were performed to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95 % CI by sex-specific quartile of serum folate. Compared with patients in the third quartile of serum folate, patients in the lowest quartile had significantly inferior LCSS (HR = 1·48; 95 % CI 1·05, 2·09) and OS (HR = 1·43; 95 % CI 1·03, 1·99) after adjustment for non-clinical and clinical prognostic factors. The associations were not significantly modified by sex, age at diagnosis, alcohol drinking status and Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage. However, there were statistically significant interactions on both multiplicative and additive scale between serum folate and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels or smoking status and the associations of lower serum folate with worse LCSS and OS were only evident among patients with CRP > 3·0 mg/l or current smokers. An inverse association with LCSS were also observed among patients with liver damage score ≥3. These results suggest that lower serum folate concentrations at diagnosis are independently associated with worse HCC survival, most prominently among patients with systemic inflammation and current smokers. A future trial of folate supplementation seems to be promising in HCC patients with lower folate status.

A fusuline fauna consisting of 9 species of 4 genera from the Xiala Formation of the Mujiucuo section, Xainza County, Tibet, China is described. The fusuline fauna is dominated by Nankinella and Chusenella and indicates a Midian (Late Guadalupian) age. The earliest record of fusuline fauna during the Midian in the Lhasa Block suggests that the block rifted later than the Qiangtang Block to the north and the Baoshan and Tengchong blocks to the east, all of which yield much earlier fusuline faunas of Yakhtashian (Artinskian) age, but had drifted away from Gondwana to a relatively warm temperate zone in the Late Guadalupian (Middle Permian).

Based on solution casting method, a ceramic [CaCu3Ti4O12 (CCTO)]-Polymer [P(VDF-TrFE)] composite with flexibility has been synthesized and its dielectric response has been studied. The CCTO ceramic powders were prepared by traditional sintering method and were milled with a relative uniform size. The dielectric properties of these films with micro-size and nano-size CCTO particle, as well as different polymer matrixes were determined. The process was optimized by hot pressing and surface modification to achieve high dielectric constant. A dielectric constant about 175 for one layer composite with high flexibility using silane coupling agent was obtained at 1 kHz at room temperature.

Single-wall and multi-wall carbon nanotube blends (0 to 0.5 vol% ) with polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) have been prepared using solution cast method and characterized. By acid treatment, it has been observed that nanotube has been well functionalized and uniformly dispersed into the polymer. X-ray diffraction analysis coupled with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) has revealed that carbon nanotube alters the crystallinity of PVDF and thereby enhances the β-phase in PVDF. Experimental results have demonstrated that enhancement of β-phase is a function of carbon nanotube concentration.

An amplification fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) molecular linkage map with a relatively high density for location of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) controlling the quantitative traits of silkworm (Bombyx mori) cocoons, was constructed using 91 individuals of the F2 generation. Among the 692 effective loci, 550 were allocated to subgroups a and b, of which 21 linkage groups in subgroup a had 233 molecular markers and 28 linkage groups in subgroup b had 317 markers. The number of markers on each linkage group in subgroups a and b ranged from 4 to 43 and 3 to 35, respectively. The total length of linkage groups for subgroup a was 1868.10 cM, and 2677.50 cM for subgroup b. The length of linkage group varied from 22.3 to 424.3 cM in subgroup a and from 2.4 to 366.5 cM in subgroup b. The average variation in the distance between markers was 3.39–17.43 cM in subgroup a and 0.8–26.96 cM in subgroup b. The average distance between the markers was 8.81 cM in subgroup a and 9.26 cM in subgroup b. There were 14 linkage groups, with an average distance below 10 cM, in subgroup a and 18 linkage groups in subgroup b. There were seven linkage groups with an average distance between 10 and 20 cM in subgroup a and ten linkage groups in subgroup b. Each linkage group in subgroup a had 11.1 loci on average, while there were 11.31 loci on each linkage group on average in subgroup b. The mean length for linkage groups in subgroups a and b was 89 and 95.6 cM, respectively. The total average length for both a and b subgroups was 2272.8, and 9.06 cM for the average marker distance, fulfilling the basic known requirements for locating QTLs.

A pair of mutant mice with a first sparse coat appeared spontaneously in the production stock of BALB/c mice with a normal coat. After being sib-mated, they produced three phenotypes in their progeny: mice with normal hair, mice with a first sparse coat and then a fuzzy coat, and uncovered mice. Genetic studies revealed the mutants had inherited an autosomal monogene that was semi-dominant. By using 11 biochemical loci – Idh, Car2, Mup1, Pgm1, Hbb, Es1, Es10, Gdc, Ce2, Mod1 and Es3 – as genetic markers, two-point linkage tests were made. The results showed the gene was assigned to chromosome 11. The result of a three-point test with Es3 and D11Mit8 (microsatellite DNA) as markers showed that the mutation was linked to Es3 with the recombination fraction 7·89±2·19%, and linked to D11Mit8 with the recombination fraction 26·30±3·57%. The recombination fraction between Es3 and D11Mit8 was 32·90±3·81%. It is suggested that the mutation is a new genetic locus that affected the skin and hair structure of the mouse. The mutation was named uncovered, with the symbol Uncv. Further studies showed the mutation affected not only the histology of skin and hair but also the growth and reproductive performance of the mice. The molecular characterization of the Uncv locus needs to be further studied.

Covalent carbon nitride films have been synthesized by laser ablation and ion-beam coprocessing. Different laser ablations give different ablated graphite plasma. Beta- C3N4 polycrystalline has been found in the deposited films. Under laser energy of 50 mJ per pulse, the adoption of 532 nm laser used for ablation of graphite is proposed for the purpose of production of good carbon nitride films. The C-N crystal structures can be improved by followed ion-beam processing.