Optimized splitting of mixed-species RNA sequencing data

Gene expression studies using xenograft transplants or co-culture systems, usually with mixed human and mouse cells, have proven to be valuable to uncover cellular dynamics during development or in disease models. However, the mRNA sequence similarities among species presents a challenge for accurate transcript quantification. To identify optimal strategies for analyzing mixed-species RNA sequencing data, we evaluate both alignment-dependent and alignment-independent methods. Alignment of reads to a pooled reference index is effective, particularly if optimal alignments are used to classify sequencing reads by species, which are re-aligned with individual genomes, generating [Formula: see text] accuracy across a range of species ratios. Alignment-independent methods, such as convolutional neural networks, which extract the conserved patterns of sequences from two species, classify RNA sequencing reads with over 85% accuracy. Importantly, both methods perform well with different ratios of human and mouse reads. While non-alignment strategies successfully partitioned reads by species, a more traditional approach of mixed-genome alignment followed by optimized separation of reads proved to be the more successful with lower error rates.

An Evidence Combination Rule Based on New Weight Assignment Scheme

Conflicting evidence and fuzzy evidence have a significant impact on the results of evidence combination in the application of evidence theory. However, the existing weight assignment methods can hardly reflect the significant influence of fuzzy evidence on the combination results. Therefore, a new method for assigning evidence weights and the corresponding combination rule are proposed. The proposed weight assignment method strengthens the consideration of fuzzy evidence and introduces the Wasserstein distance to compute the clarity degree of evidence which is an important reference index for weight assignment in the proposed combination rule and can weaken the effect of ambiguous evidence effectively. In the experiments, it's firstly verified that the impact of fuzzy evidence on the combination results is significant; therefore it should be fully considered in the weight assignment process. Then, the proposed combination rule with new weight assignment method is tested on a set of numerical arithmetic and Iris datasets. Compared with four existing methods, the results show that the proposed method has higher decision accuracy, F1 score, better computational convergence, and more reliable fusion results as well.

The Relationship Between Paroxysmal Vertigoes and Right-To-Left Shunt: A Large Observational Study

Background The association between paroxysmal vertigo and right-to-left shunt (RLS) is rarely reported. We investigated the incidence and correlation of RLS in patients with different paroxysmal vertigo diseases. Methods This large observational study included patients with paroxysmal vertigo from seven different hospitals in China from 2017 to 2021 (NCT04939922). Migraine patients within the same period were included for comparison. Demographic data and medical history were collected, contrast transthoracic echocardiography (cTTE) was performed, and the clinical features, dizziness handicap inventory, and incidence of RLS in each group were recorded. Results This study used a consecutive sampling of 4536 patients from seven centres, and a total of 2751 patients were enrolled. The proportion of RLS in patients with migraine with aura (MA), migraine without aura (MoA), vestibular migraine (VM) with headache, VM without headache, and benign recurrent vertigo (BRV) was significantly higher than that in patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), Meniere’s disease (MD), and vestibular paroxysmia (VP) (P<0.05). There was no statistical difference between the frequency of RLS in patients with BRV and those with MoA (P=0.931), MA (P=0.997), VM with migrainous headache (P=0.787), and VM without migrainous headache (P=0.754). There was a positive correlation between the RLS grade and the dizziness handicap inventory scores of VM and BRV patients (P<0.01). Conclusions RLS was significantly associated with BRV and VM. RLS may be involved in the pathogeneses of BRV and VM and may serve as a reference index for the differential diagnosis of central and peripheral vertigo. Trial registration: CHRS, NCT04939922, registered 14 June 2021- retrospectively registered, https://register.clinicaltrials.gov

A comprehensive approach to stool donor screening for faecal microbiota transplantation in China

Background Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is an effective therapy for recurrent Clostridium difficile infections and chronic gastrointestional infections. However, the risks of FMT and the selection process of suitable donors remain insufficiently characterized. The eligibility rate for screening, underlying microbial basis, and core ethical issues of stool donors for FMT are yet to be elucidated in China. Results The potential stool donors were screened from December 2017 to December 2019 with the help of an online survey, clinical assessments, and stool and blood testing. Bioinformatics analyses were performed, and the composition and stability of gut microbiota in stool obtained from eligible donors were dynamically observed using metagenomics. Meanwhile, we build a donor microbial evaluation index (DoMEI) for stool donor screening. In the screening process, we also focused on ethical principles and requirements. Of the 2071 participants, 66 donors were selected via the screening process (3.19% success rate). Although there were significant differences in gut microbiota among donors, we found that the changes in the gut microbiota of the same donor were typically more stable than those between donors over time. Conclusions DoMEI provides a potential reference index for regular stool donor re-evaluation. In this retrospective study, we summarised the donor recruitment and screening procedure ensuring the safety and tolerability for FMT in China. Based on the latest advances in this field, we carried out rigorous recommendation and method which can assist stool bank and clinicians to screen eligible stool donor for FMT.

Examination of Spreading-Induced Changes in Fire Properties in Upper Layer of Compartment

In this study, a large compartment was used and opening shapes were changed to set fire-source conditions and then combustion tests were conducted to quantitatively measure temperature and heat flux near a façade wall. In addition, q was inferred from the relationship between z and q for the top of the opening under different fire-source conditions and for various opening shapes so that q could be used as a reference index.

Investigation on the Correlation between Serum Immune Factor Levels and Allergic Constitution in Children with Infectious Mononucleosis

Objective. To investigate the correlation between serum immune factor levels and allergic constitution in children with infectious mononucleosis. Methods. A total of 120 children who visited our hospital from March, 2019, to December, 2020, were selected as the research objects, and 40 children who came to our hospital for physical examination were included in the control group (CG). 40 children with IM were classified into the IM group (IG), and 40 IM children with allergic rhinitis, allergic dermatitis, asthma, and other allergic diseases were classified into the IM allergy group (AG). On the second day of admission, 5 ml of fasting venous blood was collected from all children in the early morning to observe the serum IgE level, the level of lymphocyte subsets, and the level of immunoglobulin of the patient. Results. The serum CD3, CD4, and CD8 levels of children in AG were significantly higher than those in IG and CG ( P < 0.05 ). The serum IgE, IgA, IgM, and IgG levels of children in AG were significantly higher than those of IG and CG ( P < 0.05 ). The serum IgE levels of children in AG were positively correlated with the serum CD3, CD4, and CD8 levels ( P < 0.05 ). There was a positive correlation between the serum IgE level and serum IgA, IgM, and IgG levels in children with AG ( P < 0.05 ). Conclusion. The results of this study showed that there may be a certain relationship between allergic constitution and the incidence, clinical manifestations, and prognosis of infectious mononucleosis. IgE level can be used as a reference index for the early severity of IM clinical symptoms.

Analisis Kinerja Reksadana Saham dan Reksadana Indeks dalam Penilaian Tingkat Efisiensi Pasar Modal di Indonesia

Mutual funds are designed to raise investment funds. The objectives of this study are: to determine the performance of mutual funds on the LQ-45 index is higher than the performance of equity funds in the Indonesian capital market and to measure the level of efficiency in the capital market using CAPM modeling and using Net Active Value (NAV) data per year for the 2015 period. -2019. To determine whether a mutual fund is good or bad, it is not measured by how much the return has been generated or by how big or small the risk of fluctuation is, but this is seen from how much the mutual fund performs with its reference index. If the performance of index mutual funds is better or the performance of stock mutual funds is lower overall, the capital market can be said to be efficient. The results of this study indicate that the performance of the LQ-45 index mutual funds is smaller than the performance of the more superior stock mutual funds above. So it can be concluded that the Indonesian capital market is an inefficient Indonesian capital market.

Alveolar–arterial partial pressure difference as an early predictor for patients with acute paraquat poisoning

Objective Paraquat (PQ) is associated with high mortality rates in acute poisoning. This study aimed to determine the importance of the alveolar–arterial partial pressure difference (A-aDo2) in the expected consequences of acute PQ poisoning. Methods Patients who were hospitalized for PQ poisoning in 2018 were enrolled in this retrospective study. A-aDo2 data were collected. Multivariate analysis was performed using binary logistic regression to determine whether A-aDo2 is an independent risk factor for mortality from PQ. Results A total of 352 cases were analyzed. The mean PQ dose was 36.84 ± 50.30 mL (0.3–500 mL). There were 185 survivors and 167 non-survivors. The mean A-aDo2 was not significantly correlated between survivors and non-survivors on day 1. However, there were significant differences in A-aDo2 between survivors and non-survivors on days 3, 7, 14, and 21. Increased A-aDo2 values were correlated with an increased mortality rate. The mean A-aDo2 on day 14 showed the most significant difference between survivors and non-survivors. Conclusion Our study suggests that A-aDo2 plays an important role as a reference index, which could be a useful predictor in assessing acute PQ poisoning, especially on the 14th day after onset of poisoning.