The Effect of Acute Kidney Injury on TGF-β1 and Smad3 in Patients with Coronary Heart Disease after Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

Background. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is one of the most common and serious complications for coronary disease (CAD) patients, suffering from coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG). AKI occurs in nearly 30% of cardiac surgery patients, including CABG patients, affecting renal function, prolonging hospitalization time, and increasing all-cause mortality. TGF-β1 and Smad3 are sensitive biomarkers in evaluating kidney function. Therefore, comparing the TGF-β1 and Smad3 levels between the AKI patients and non-AKI patients after CABG surgery might have an important significance for identifying the risk degree of AKI and applying effective preventive measures after CABG surgery. Objective. This study aims at comparing the TGF-β1 and Smad3 levels between the AKI patients and non-AKI patients after CABG surgery to identify the risk degree of AKI and apply effective preventive measures after CABG surgery in clinics. Materials and Methods. A total of 25 proper patients, diagnosed as coronary disease (CAD) and undergoing AKI after CABG, were selected as the AKI group. The 25 participants, who did not suffer from AKI after CABG, were recruited using the case-control matching method in SPSS 25.0 software as the non-AKI group. Also, corresponding surgical specimens (tissues) and samples of blood were collected from them. Histopathological analysis and immunofluorescent microscopy of lesion artery and kidney of patients, who have been treated with kidney transplants, were performed on surgical specimens to find the pathological and histological change difference between the two groups. RT-PCR and Western blot were conducted to quantify the levels of TGF-β1 and Smad3 expression in serum for the patients of AKI and non-AKI groups, respectively. Results. Serious renal fibrosis was noted in patients of the AKI group. In addition, by H&E staining of the lesion artery, severe histopathological changes including smooth muscles proliferation with endothelial cell infiltration, focal degeneration and disruptions, and less collagen accumulation were found in the lesion artery of patients from the AKI group. Higher levels of TGF-β1 and Smad3 were observed in serum of patients of the AKI group. Conclusion: The increased levels of TGF-β1 and Smad3 in serum might be risk factors for triggering AKI for CAD patients undergoing CABG.

Modeling of relative collision risk based on the ships group situation

The collision risk of ships is a fuzzy concept, which is the measurement of the likelihood of a collision between ships. Most of existed studies on the risk of multi-ship collision are based on the assessment of two-ship collision risk, and collision risk between the target ship and each interfering ship is calculated respectively, to determine the key avoidance ship. This method is far from the actual situation and has some defects. In open waters, it is of certain reference value when there are fewer ships, but in busy waters, it cannot well represent the risk degree of the target ship, since it lacks the assessment of the overall risk of the perceived area of the target ship. Based on analysis of complexity of ships group situation, the concept of relative domain was put forward and the model was constructed. On this basis, the relative collision risk was proposed, and the corresponding model was obtained, so as to realize risk assessment. Through the combination of real ship and simulation experiments, the variation trend, stability and sensitivity of the model were verified. The results showed that risk degree of the environment of ships in open and busy waters could be well assessed, and good references for decision-making process of ships collision avoidance could be provided.

Regional local integrated rockburst monitoring and early warning for multi-seam mining

Rockburst has become a main problem affecting the safety and efficiency of coal mine production. Early warning of it is essentially important for safety management. The dynamic and static load sources of rockburst, induced by multi-coal seam mining, are more complex, making rockburst prediction more difficult. The problem of rockburst early warnings in multi-seam mining was addressed by establishing a regional local integrated rockburst monitoring and early warning method based on the following criteria. (i) In regional space, the microseismic (MS) frequency ratio index and dispersion index were used to predict the regional dynamic load. (ii) In the local excavation and mining space, the risk degree of local static load concentration was characterised by the overrun amplitude indexes of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) intensity and pulse. (iii) According to the predicted spatial location of dynamic load and the attenuation law of regional dynamic load, the influence weight of the regional dynamic load on the excavation and mining space was determined. Based on this, the danger degrees of regional dynamic load and local static load were superposed to realise the regional local integrated warning of rockburst. This prediction method was applied for predicting rockburst in the Xinzhouyao mine, and the result indicated that the method can effectively predict the occurrence of dynamic load, the risk degree of local static load and rockburst induced by multiple types of dynamic and static loading combined together. The reliability of this prediction method was verified by records of roadway deformation and rockburst, and detection results from passive velocity tomography.

Novel assessment and prediction method for vessel traffic risk degree

To assess the current risk degree and predict the future risk degree of vessel traffic, a novel method is put forward in this study. Different from the existing literature, the available evidence of vessel traffic is directly transformed into the weighted basic probabilistic assignment (BPA) based on the optimal solution to the intersection of fuzzy membership functions in the framework of D-S evidence theory. The matrix deformation algorithm towards the combination rule makes the time complexity low in the process of the risk degree assessment. With respect to the risk degree prediction, the required Sigma points are effectively extracted. We derive the adaptive filtering gain that is suitable for the rapidly changing BPA. Finally, the experiments of vessel traffic in the Dalin Bay are made to indicate performance of the proposed method.

Asymmetry of Risk Evolution in Crude Oil Market: From the Perspective of Dual Attributes of Oil

Investor emotional heterogeneity and oil dual attributes are the key factors that cause the asymmetry of risks in the international crude oil market. This paper uses the monthly data from April 2003 to October 2020 to identify the dynamic characteristics of oil’s commodity attribute and financial attribute, and this paper also analyzes the asymmetric characteristics of risk evolution and risk degree in the international crude oil market under the condition of oil returns heterogeneity. The empirical results show that: first, there is heterogeneity in the influence of oil attributes on the risk evolution and risk degree of the international crude oil market; second, the alternation of oil dual attributes has a significant asymmetric impact on the risk evolution of international crude oil market; third, the sudden change of international crude oil market risk caused by oil attributes is asymmetric under different oil returns trends. Based on the empirical conclusion, this paper puts forward the corresponding policy recommendations.

RISKS IN THE INVESTING

Risk is a possible danger of performance. It is necessary to choose and make a decision in production, economic activity, which is always burdened with risk. Therefore, the risk is a normal phenomenon, a consequence of the actions of a variety of reasons that give rise to its various species. Risk management involves optimal use of all possible or allowable means of avoidance, or reduce the risk degree associated with significant losses; risk control, optimization of risk or maximum possible decrease in volumes and probability of possible losses. Investment risk is the risk of an investment project, which is defined as the probability of obtaining a possible loss from its implementation. The investment risk of industries is characterized by the level of uncertainty in the forecast of profit from investments. The risk is possible only when the controlled economic system functions in conditions of uncertainty, and the person who makes the decision is interested in the final result.

SPITZ NEVUS (JUVENILE MELANOMA) IN THE PEDIATRICIANS PRACTICE: CLINICAL PICTURE, DIAGNOSIS, PROGNOSIS AND TREATMENT

Spitz nevi (epithelioid and spindle-cell nevi) are a special group of melanocytic neoplasms with a specific clinical, dermatoscopic and histological picture. There are typical and atypical Spitz nevus. The typical Spitz nevus is more common in pediatric practice and has a benign course. Of particular interest are atypical forms that combine the characteristics of a typical Spitz nevus and melanoma. The article presents an analysis of the clinical picture, dermatoscopic, immunohistochemical, histological and genetic characteristics in various forms of Spitz nevus. The existing classification according to the metastasis risk degree is presented. The last recommendations on the tactics of managing patients with this nosology are discussed with examples of original observations.