ABSTRACT Introduction: Remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) is a new noninvasive myocardial protection strategy that uses blood pressure cuf inflation to simulate transient non-fatal ischemia to protect the myocardium and reduce ischemia-reperfusion injury. Sulfonylureas may mask the effects of RIPC due to their cardioprotec-tive effect. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate whether RIPC, in the absence of sulfonylureas, reduces troponin release in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Methods: We conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials to determine whether RIPC can reduce postoperative troponin release in cardiac surgery patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass without treatment with sulfonylureas. The data were normalized to equivalent units prior to the analysis. A random-effects model was used to provide more conservative estimate of the effects in the presence of known or unknown heterogeneity. Results: Six studies with a total of 570 participants were included. The analysis showed that troponin release was lower in the RIPC group than in the control group at six hours (test of standardized mean differences = 0, Z=3.64, P<0.001) and 48 hours (Z=2.72, P=0.007) postoperatively. When the mean of cross-clamping time was > 60 minutes, RIPC reduced troponin release at six hours (Z=2.84, P=0.005), 24 hours (Z=2.64, P=0.008), and 48 hours (Z=2.87, P=0.004) postoperatively. Conclusion: In cardiac surgery patients who are not taking sulfonylureas, RIPC can reduce troponin release at six and 48 hours postoperatively; hence, RIPC may serve significant benefits in certain cardiac surgery patients.

Abstract Calcium and phosphorus metabolism involves in patients with chronic kidney disease-mineral and bone disorder (CKD-MBD). Sclerostin and bone morphogenetic protein-7 (BMP-7) are closely related to bone formation. This study aims to assess sclerostin and BMP-7’s role in renal function, blood calcium and phosphorus in CKD-MBD. 86 CKD-MBD patients were collected as the case group and 86 healthy subjects were selected as control group. ELISA was used to detect Sclerostin and BMP-7 serum level. The automatic biochemical analyzer was used to detect liver and kidney function. Blood calcium and phosphorus level, and iPHT level was detected by immunoradiation. No differences were found regarding age, gender, and BMI between case group and control group (P > 0.05). Compared to controls, CKD-MBD patients had significantly reduced blood calcium and eGFR level, and increased Scr, BUN, blood phosphorus and iPTH level (P < 0.05) with increased Sclerostin (t = 33.86, P < 0.001), and reduced BMP-7 level (t = 329.38, P < 0.001). Scr, BUN, blood phosphorus levels and iPTH were correlated with Sclerostin positively (P < 0.05) and BMP-7 negatively (P < 0.05). eGFR and blood calcium were correlated with Sclerostin negatively (P < 0.05) and BMP-7 positively (P < 0.05). Scr, eGFR, blood calcium levels, blood phosphorus levels, and iPTH are independent risk factors for serum Sclerostin and BMP-7 level. Sclerostin and BMP-7 changes may be important factors affecting the occurrence of CKD-MBD. Renal function, blood calcium and blood phosphorus are independent risk factors for serum Sclerostin and BMP-7 level.

Abstract As a natural agricultural product, honey is favored by consumers, and its variety and adulteration have a huge impact on the quality. Acacia honey, red jujube honey and rape honey were used as experimental objects, and their spectral reflectance curves were obtained through a near-infrared spectral image acquisition system. Spectral features were extracted from the preprocessed spectral reflectance curves, and a honey variety classification model based on near-infrared spectral features was established by machine learning. After statistical analysis, Principal Component Analysis Support Vector Machine after processing data through Successive Projections Algorithm (SPA-SVM) is the optimal classification model for three varieties of acacia honey, red jujube honey and rape honey, and the correct rate of honey variety classification reaches 95.83%. The spectral reflectance curve was used to establish a honey adulteration identification model based on the partial least squares-discriiminate analysis (PLS-DA), and the classification accuracy was 97.92% in the test set.

ABSTRACT Introduction: Remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) is a new noninvasive myocardial protection strategy that uses blood pressure cuf inflation to simulate transient non-fatal ischemia to protect the myocardium and reduce ischemia-reperfusion injury. Sulfonylureas may mask the effects of RIPC due to their cardioprotec-tive effect. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate whether RIPC, in the absence of sulfonylureas, reduces troponin release in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Methods: We conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials to determine whether RIPC can reduce postoperative troponin release in cardiac surgery patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass without treatment with sulfonylureas. The data were normalized to equivalent units prior to the analysis. A random-effects model was used to provide more conservative estimate of the effects in the presence of known or unknown heterogeneity. Results: Six studies with a total of 570 participants were included. The analysis showed that troponin release was lower in the RIPC group than in the control group at six hours (test of standardized mean differences = 0, Z=3.64, P<0.001) and 48 hours (Z=2.72, P=0.007) postoperatively. When the mean of cross-clamping time was > 60 minutes, RIPC reduced troponin release at six hours (Z=2.84, P=0.005), 24 hours (Z=2.64, P=0.008), and 48 hours (Z=2.87, P=0.004) postoperatively. Conclusion: In cardiac surgery patients who are not taking sulfonylureas, RIPC can reduce troponin release at six and 48 hours postoperatively; hence, RIPC may serve significant benefits in certain cardiac surgery patients.

Abstract Introduction: hypertension and diabetes are chronic disorders associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Objectives: to evaluate the effect of 52 % low-sodium salt applied to the Chinese-modified DASH (CM-DASH) diet on risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) in patients with hypertension and type-2 diabetes. Methods: the low-sodium salt group (LSSG) took 5 g/day of 52 % low-sodium salt plus CM-DASH diet for 8 weeks, while the normal-sodium salt group (NSSG) took the same dose of normal-sodium salt plus CM-DASH diet for 8 weeks. Blood tests, 24-hour urine tests, anthropometric measurements, and 10-year risk of ASCVD prediction were assessed. Results: compared with baseline, both LSSG and NSSG showed a significant reduction in 10-year risk of ASCVD, but we did not find any statistically significant differences in 10-year risk of ASCVD between LSSG and NSSG. Conclusions: our study shows that salt limits and DASH diets reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease whereas low-sodium salt containing 52 % sodium chloride did not significantly lower the risk of cardiovascular disease when compared to regular salt. Due to the limitations of the research, additional studies will be necessary to confirm our findings.

Resumen Introducción: la hipertensión y la diabetes son trastornos crónicos asociados a un mayor riesgo de enfermedad cardiovascular. Objetivos: evaluar el efecto de la sal baja en sodio (52 %) aplicada a la dieta DASH modificada en China (CM-DASH) sobre los riesgos de enfermedad cardiovascular aterosclerótica (ECA) en pacientes con hipertensión arterial y diabetes de tipo 2. Métodos: el grupo de sal baja en sodio (LSSG) tomó 5 g/día de sal baja en sodio al 52 % más dieta CM-DASH durante 8 semanas, mientras que el grupo de sal normal en sodio (NSSG) tomó la misma dosis de sal normal en sodio más dieta CM-DASH durante 8 semanas. Se evaluaron los análisis de sangre, los análisis de orina de 24 horas, las mediciones antropométricas y los riesgos de predicción de ECVA a 10 años. Resultados: en comparación con el valor basal, tanto el LSSG como el NSSG mostraron una reducción significativa de los riesgos a 10 años de ECVA, mientras que no se encontraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas en los riesgos a 10 años de ECVA entre el LSSG y el NSSG. Conclusiones: nuestro estudio muestra que los límites de sal y las dietas DASH reducen el riesgo de enfermedad cardiovascular mientras que la sal baja en sodio con un 52 % de cloruro sódico no redujo significativamente el riesgo de enfermedad cardiovascular en comparación con la sal normal. Debido a las limitaciones de la investigación, serán necesarios estudios adicionales para confirmar nuestros hallazgos

Resumen Objetivos: evaluar el efecto de la reducción de sodio basada en una dieta DASH modificada sobre la presión arterial en pacientes hipertensos con diabetes de tipo 2. Material y métodos: sesenta y un pacientes hipertensos con diabetes de tipo 2 fueron seleccionados de la comunidad y asignados aleatoriamente a un grupo de sal común y un grupo de sal baja en sodio, que recibieron una intervención dietética de 8 semanas en la que las semanas 1-2 fueron la fase de orientación dietética, las semanas 3-4 fueron la fase de alimentación centralizada, y las semanas 5-8 fueron la fase de atención médica domiciliaria. Los participantes fueron seguidos en el hospital una vez por semana para recopilar información sobre la presión arterial, la sal y el uso de drogas en pacientes ambulatorios. Los exámenes físicos se realizaron a las 4 semanas y al final de la intervención, así como al inicio del estudio. Resultados: después de la intervención, la presión arterial tanto del grupo bajo en sodio (PAS: -14,32 mmHg, p < 0,001; PAD: -6,32 mmHg, p < 0,001) como del grupo de sal común (PAS: -10,98 mmHg, p < 0,001; PAD: -5,24 mmHg, p = 0,001) disminuyó significativamente con una disminución más pronunciada en el grupo bajo en sodio pero sin diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre los dos grupos (PAS: -0,28 mmHg, p = 0,929; PAD: -3,32 mmHg, p = 0,093). Al final de la intervención, la ingesta de sodio disminuyó significativamente, pero la ingesta de potasio aumentó en el grupo bajo en sodio (p < 0,05); sin embargo, el grupo de la sal común no tuvo cambios significativos. Conclusión: la reducción de la ingesta de sodio basada en la dieta DASH modificada tuvo un buen efecto sobre la presión arterial sistólica y diastólica en pacientes hipertensos con diabetes de tipo 2. La reducción de sodio basada en la dieta DASH modificada es segura y eficaz, por lo que puede utilizarse como guía para una vida saludable en pacientes hipertensos.

Abstract Objectives: to evaluate the effect of sodium reduction based on a modified DASH diet on blood pressure in hypertensive patients with type 2 diabetes. Material and methods: sixty-one hypertensive patients with type 2 diabetes were selected from the community and randomly allocated to a common salt group and low sodium salt group receiving the 8-week dietary intervention, in which weeks 1-2 was the dietary guidance phase, weeks 3-4 was the centralized feeding phase, and weeks 5-8 was the home medical care phase. Participants were followed up in the hospital once a week to collect information on outpatient blood pressure, salt, and drug use. Physical examinations were conducted at 4 weeks and the end of the intervention, as well as at baseline. Results: after the intervention, the blood pressure of both the low sodium group (SBP: -14.32 mmHg, p < 0.001; DBP: -6.32mmHg, p < 0.001) and the common salt group (SBP: -10.98 mmHg, p < 0.001; DBP: -5.24 mmHg, p = 0.001) decreased significantly with a more pronounced decrease in the low sodium group but no statistically significant differences between the two groups (SBP: -0.28 mmHg, p = 0.929; DBP: -3.32 mmHg, p = 0.093). At the end of the intervention, sodium intake was significantly decreased, but potassium intake was increased in the low sodium group (p < 0.05); however, the common salt group had no significant change. Conclusion: reducing sodium intake based on the modified DASH diet had a good effect on systolic and diastolic blood pressure in hypertensive patients with type 2 diabetes. Sodium reduction based on the modified DASH diet is safe and effective, and can be used as a guide for healthy living in hypertensive patients.

SUMMARY: Skeletal muscle injury is an acute inflammatory condition caused by an inflammatory response. To reduce inflammatory cell infiltration and relieve skeletal muscle injury, efficient treatment is urgently needed. Nitric oxide is a free radical molecule reported to have anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, we showed that NO could inhibit the inflammatory response of C2C12 cells in vitro and protect rat skeletal muscle injury from notexin in vivo. NO synthase inhibitor (L-NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Este?L-NAME) and NO donor (sodium nitroprusside dehydrate ?SNP) were used to explore the vital role of lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) in LPS-stimulated C2C12 myoblasts.The expression of IL-18 and IL-1b was upregulated by L-NAME and downregulated by SNP, as indicated by the ELISA results. NO can reduce ASC, Caspase-1, and NLRP3 mRNA and protein levels. Furthermore, NO was detected in the rat model. The results of immunohistochemical staining showed that the production of DMD decreased. We conducted qRT-PCR and western blotting to detect the expression of Jo-1, Mi-2, TLR2, and TLR4 on day 6 post injury following treatment with L-NAME and SNP. The expression of Jo-1, Mi-2, TLR2, and TLR4 was upregulated by L-NAME and significantly reversed by SNP. NO can alleviate C2C12 cell inflammatory responses and protect rat skeletal muscle injury from notexin.

RESUMEN: La lesión del músculo esquelético es una afección inflamatoria aguda causada por una respuesta inflamatoria. Para reducir la infiltración de células inflamatorias y aliviar la lesión del músculo esquelético es necesario un tratamiento eficaz. El óxido nítrico es una molécula de radicales libres que tiene efectos antiinflamatorios. En este estudio, demostramos que el ON podría inhibir la respuesta inflamatoria de las células C2C12 in vitro y proteger la lesión del músculo esquelético de rata de la notexina in vivo. El inhibidor de ON sintasa (L-NG-nitroarginina metil este, L-NAME) y el donante de ON (nitroprusiato de sodio deshidratado, SNP) se utilizaron para explorar el papel vital de los lipopolisacáridos (LPS) en los mioblastos C2C12 estimulados por LPS. La expresión de IL- 18 e IL-1b fue regulada positivamente por L-NAME y regulada negativamente por SNP, como indican los resultados de ELISA. El ON puede reducir los niveles de proteína y ARNm de ASC, Caspasa-1 y NLRP3. Además, se detectó ON en el modelo de rata. Los resultados de la tinción inmunohistoquímica mostraron que disminuyó la producción de DMD. Realizamos qRT-PCR y transferencia Western para detectar la expresión de Jo-1, Mi-2, TLR2 y TLR4 el día 6 después de la lesión después del tratamiento con L-NAME y SNP. La expresión de Jo-1, Mi-2, TLR2 y TLR4 fue regulada positivamente por L- NAME y significativamente revertida por SNP. El ON puede aliviar las respuestas inflamatorias de las células C2C12 en ratas, y proteger la lesión del músculo esquelético de la notexina.

Abstract In order to reduce post-harvest losses, the classification of fresh apples is crucial. Taking the hierarchical transmission control system as the object, the research was carried out on the verification of the bus network can flexibly expand the motor equipment, the stable and reliable operation of the motor, and the accuracy of Apple's classification. Combine Labview virtual instrument technology to realize the design of Apple's hierarchical transmission control system based on Controller Area Network technology. Fuzzy PID and traditional PID algorithms are used to simulate and realize the operation of brushless DC motor, and compare the advantages of brushless DC motor control based on fuzzy PID to ensure the safe and stable operation of the system. Using the machine learning algorithms model for color detection, the Support Vector Machine algorithm model finally achieved the classification of the three types of apple samples with a recognition rate of 96.7%.

Abstract Prediction of seed vigor based on hyperspectral peant. The traditional method is time-consuming and laborious to detect seed vigor. At the same time, the accuracy of the detection result is not high, and it will cause damage to the seed itself. Therefore, in order to achieve rapid and non-destructive detection of peanut seed vigor, the test was performed with original health, artificial aging for 24h and Peanut seeds with different vigor gradients at 72 hours were used as the research samples. Hyperspectral images with a wavelength range of 387~1035 nm were collected, and the image of the central part of the peanut seeds with a pixel size of 60 × 60 after correction was intercepted and the average reflectance value was calculated. After a combination of processing analysis, characteristic band processing, and model selection, a hyperspectral prediction system with the highest correlation to the viability of extracted peanut seeds was finally established. Experiments shown that the combination of hyperspectral imaging technology and the MF-LightGBM-RF model had the best performance, with a prediction accuracy of 92.59% and a fitting time of 1.77s, which simplifies the model and improves efficiency.

Abstract The classification algorithms of different peanut varieties were studied based on hyperspectral imaging technology. Firstly, the spectral images of five peanut species were collected by hyperspectral instrument produced by Zhuolihanguang Co., LTD. Then SpacVIEW was used to correct the spectral images in black and white, and ENVI5.1 was used to extract the interest in the spectral image of each peanut and calculate the mean spectral reflection value of the region. The spectral characteristic curves of the five peanut samples all showed certain differences, which lays a foundation for the feasibility of modeling in the next step. In order to eliminate the influence of non-quality factor information in hyperspectral spectral data, a variety of data preprocessing methods were used to eliminate noise in the original spectral data, and XGBoost, LightGBM, CatBoost and GBDT algorithms were used to extract feature bands. XGBoost and LightGBM were then used for classification modeling of extracted feature bands. In the classification model, both XGBoost and LightGBM can reach 99.33%, while other performance evaluation indexes cannot distinguish these two models well. Therefore, Optuna algorithm was selected to optimize the two algorithms respectively. After optimization, both LightGBM and XGBoost have improved to varying degrees, but LightGBM is relatively obvious, especially in fit_time, which is 11 times faster than XGBoost and 16 times faster than before optimization. Therefore, the best classification algorithm selected in this study is MF-LightGBM-LightGBM-Optuna-LightGBM. The research of peanut classification method provides a strong theoretical basis and technical support for the revitalization of rural industry, the integration of peanut agriculture and industry and the acceleration of the modernization of agricultural industry system, production system and management system.

Abstract This study investigated the hyperspectral reflectance response of time series generated during oven drying to changes in the moisture content of potato tubers. Seventeen preprocessing methods were used to eliminate the influence of spectral noise on the spectral characteristic curve. Algorithms such as CatBoost, LightGBM, and XGBoost are used to obtain the first 40 effective characteristic spectra of hyperspectral images, which reduces the redundancy of data and improves the prediction accuracy. The water content prediction model of potato tubers was established by using the selected characteristic bands. The results showed that the combined model based on Lasso and XGBoost algorithm had the strongest prediction ability. The best model is MF-Lasso-XGBoost, which has R2 value of 0.8908, Rmse of 0.0610, Mdae of 0.0389, and R2cv of 0.8448. This research can provide reference for the detection of potato moisture content and theoretical basis for the development of crop moisture detector.

ABSTRACT Objective: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has spread worldwide. The aim this study was to investigate the association of diabetes with severity and mortality among hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China. Subjects and methods: This retrospective, single-center case study enrolled a total of 564 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 at the Seventh Hospital of Wuhan City, between January 20 and March 15, 2020. Results: Among the 564 patients with confirmed COVID-19, 509 (85.1%) were discharged and 55 (9.8%) died. The median age was 59 years (range, 10-93 years). A total of 85 (15.1%) patients were diagnosed with diabetes on admission (median age, 65.0 [range, 34-91] years). Patients with diabetes had significantly higher proportions of critical cases (24 [28.2%] vs. 66 [13.8%]) and in-hospital mortality (17 [20%] vs. 38 [7.9%]). Moreover, patients with diabetes presented abnormal levels of multiple indicators concerning lymphopenia, inflammation, heart, liver, kidney, and lung function on admission, while diabetic patient group still display higher troponin T (TnT) levels when approaching discharge. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve indicated a trend toward poorer survival in diabetic patients compared to non-diabetic patients, also evidenced by abnormal laboratory biomarker changes regarding multiple system impairments among COVID-19 patients with diabetes with in-hospital death. Conclusion: The detailed clinical investigation of 564 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 indicated a considerable association between diabetes and COVID-19 severity or mortality. Thus, more intensive treatment may be considered for COVID-19 patients with diabetes, especially regarding to cardiac injury.

Abstract Background: The accessory β1 subunits, regulating the pharmacological and biophysical properties of BK channels, always undergo post-translational modifications, especially glycosylation. To date, it remains elusive whether the glycosylation contributes to the regulation of BK channels by β1 subunits. Methods: Herein, we combined the electrophysiological approach with molecular mutations and biochemical manipulation to investigate the function roles of N-glycosylation in β1 subunits. Results: The results show that deglycosylation of β1 subunits through double-site mutations (β1 N80A/N142A or β1 N80Q/N142Q) could significantly increase the inhibitory potency of iberiotoxin, a specific BK channel blocker. The deglycosylated channels also have a different sensitivity to martentoxin, another BK channel modulator with some remarkable effects as reported before. On the contrary to enhancing effects of martentoxin on glycosylated BK channels under the presence of cytoplasmic Ca2+, deglycosylated channels were not affected by the toxin. However, the deglycosylated channels were surprisingly inhibited by martentoxin under the absence of cytoplasmic Ca2+, while the glycosylated channels were not inhibited under this same condition. In addition, wild type BK (α+β1) channels treated with PNGase F also showed the same trend of pharmacological results to the mutants. Similar to this modulation of glycosylation on BK channel pharmacology, the deglycosylated forms of the channels were activated at a faster speed than the glycosylated ones. However, the V1/2 and slope were not changed by the glycosylation. Conclusion: The present study reveals that glycosylation is an indispensable determinant of the modulation of β1-subunit on BK channel pharmacology and its activation. The loss of glycosylation of β1 subunits could lead to the dysfunction of BK channel, resulting in a pathological state.

Resumo Introdução: Pesquisas anteriores sugeriram que indivíduos de diferentes grupos sanguíneos apresentam incidências distintas de perda auditiva induzida por ruído. As amplitudes reduzidas das emissões otoacústicas indicaram maiores ou menores possibilidades de danos às células ciliadas por exposição a ruídos. Objetivo: Analisar as características das emissões otoacústicas, inclusive a ocorrência de emissões otoacústicas espontâneas e as amplitudes de emissões otoacústicas por produto de distorção em determinadas frequências em neonatos a termo de diferentes grupos sanguíneos do sistema ABO. Método: Foram incluídos 80 neonatos a termo selecionados na triagem auditiva neonatal inicial para participar do estudo, com número igual de participantes de grupos sanguíneos do sistema ABO (grupo sanguíneo A, grupo sanguíneo B, grupo sanguíneo AB e grupo sanguíneo O). As emissões otoacústicas espontâneas e emissões otoacústicas por produto de distorção foram medidas em ambas as orelhas de todos os participantes. Resultados: (1) Os participantes do grupo sanguíneo O apresentaram ocorrências de emissões otoacústicas espontâneas significantemente menores do que os dos outros três grupos sanguíneos (A = 70%, B = 80%, AB = 67%, O = 25%, p < 0,05). (2) Os participantes do grupo sanguíneo O apresentaram amplitudes de emissões otoacústicas por produto de distorção mais baixas a 1257 Hz (M = 4,55 dB, DP = 8,36), 1587 Hz (M = 11,60 dB, DP = 6,57), 3174 Hz (M = 7,25 dB, DP = 5,99), 5042 Hz (M = 13,0, DP = 6,70) do que os participantes dos outros três grupos sanguíneos nas orelhas esquerdas (p < 0,05). Nas orelhas direitas, os participantes do grupo sanguíneo O apresentaram amplitudes reduzidas em 1257 Hz (M = 6,55 dB, DP = 8,36), 1587 Hz (M = 13,60 dB, DP = 6,57), 3174 Hz (M = 7,65 dB, DP = 6,43), 5042 Hz (M = 13,65 dB, DP = 6,50) em comparação aos participantes de grupos sanguíneos não O (p < 0,05). Conclusão: Os indivíduos do sexo feminino do grupo sanguíneo O apresentaram valores menores de emissões otoacústicas do que os indivíduos dos outros três grupos sanguíneos. É necessário continuar a investigar as possíveis relações entre o grupo sanguíneo ABO e a função coclear, inclusive as possíveis influências do dano por ruídos às células ciliadas externas da cóclea.

Abstract Introduction: Previous research has suggested that individuals with different blood groups show varied incidences of noise-induced hearing loss. The reduced otoacoustic emissions amplitudes indicate the higher possibilities of outer hair cell damage for noise exposure. Objective: The objective is to analyze the characteristics of otoacoustic emissions, including the occurrence of spontaneous otoacoustic emission and the amplitudes of distortion product otoacoustic emission at certain frequencies in full term neonates with different ABO blood groups. Methods: A total of 80 selected full-term female neonates who passed the initial newborn hearing screen were enrolled into the study, with equal number of participants in four ABO blood groups (Blood Group A, Blood Group B, Blood Group AB, Blood Group O). Measurements of spontaneous otoacoustic emission and distortion product otoacoustic emission were performed in both ears for all participants. Results: (1) The blood group O participants showed significantly fewer spontaneous otoacoustic emission occurrences than the other three blood groups (A = 70%, B = 80%, AB = 67%, O = 25%, p < 0.05). (2) The blood group O participants showed lower DPOAE amplitudes at 1257 Hz (M = 4.55 dB, SD = 8.36), 1587 Hz (M = 11.60 dB, SD = 6.57), 3174 Hz (M = 7.25 dB, SD = 5.99), 5042 Hz (M = 13.60, SD = 6.70) than participants with the other three blood groups in left ears (p < 0.05). In right ears, the blood group O participants showed reduced amplitudes at 1257 Hz (M = 6.55 dB, SD = 8.36), 1587 Hz (M = 13.60 dB, SD = 6.57), 3174 Hz (M = 7.65 dB, SD = 6.43), 5042 Hz (M = 13.65 dB, SD = 6.50) than participants from non-O blood groups (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Female individuals with blood group O have lower otoacoustic emissions values than individuals with the other three blood groups. We need to further investigate the possible relationships between ABO blood group and cochlear function, including the potential influences of noise damage on cochlear outer hair cells.

Abstract The DNA nuclease gene ST2109 has been cloned from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus tokodaii and expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant protein StoNurA has been purified to homogeneity by affinity chromatography and gel filtration chromatography. Biochemical analyses demonstrated that StoNurA exhibited DNA binding and 5’–3’ exonuclease activities towards ssDNA and dsDNA. The temperature and pH optima of StoNurA were determined to be 65 °C and 8.0, respectively. The activity of StoNurA was found to be dependent of Mn2+, and its half-life of heat inactivation at 100 °C was 5 min. Gel filtration chromatography revealed that StoNurA could form dimers in solution. Pull-down assays also showed that StoNurA physically interacted with a DNA helicase (StoHerA). Our data suggest that NurA may play a key functional role in the processing of DNA recombinational repair.