In situ growth of ZIF-67 to construct core-shell mosaic structural composites for efficient extraction of benzoylurea insecticides

A novel mosaic structure Silica@C/Co@ZIF-67 composite was synthesized by successfully embedding Co nanoparticles on the surface of silica spheres with the help of thermoplastic polyethyleneimine by carbon-reduction. The ZIF-67 half-shell layer structure was synthesized by the in-situ growth of ZIF-67 on the surface of silica spheres through the coordination of 2-methylimidazole with Co metal nodes. The composite was used as a magnetic solid-phase extraction adsorbent combined with high performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detector (HPLC-UV) for the extraction and determination of benzoylurea insecticides (BUs) in vegetables and tea. Based on the presence of π-π, hydrophobic and hydrogen bonding interactions between Silica@C/Co@ZIF-67 and BUs, the BUs were rapidly captured by the composites resulting in high adsorption performance. Under the optimal extraction parameters, the linear ranges were 0.3-200 µg L-1 for diflubenzuron, 0.6-200 µg L-1 for chlorbenzuron, and 1.0-200 µg L-1 for triflumuron, teflubenzuron, and flufenoxuron, with correlation coefficients (R2) greater than 0.9991. The limits of detection (LODs) of the method were 0.1-0.3 μg L-1, and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were 1.2-3.0% for intra-day and 2.6-4.6% for inter-day. In the spiked recovery experiments of vegetables and tea, the recoveries of the five kinds of BUs ranged from 75.8 to 112.9%. In addition, after 10 repetitions using Silica@C/Co@ZIF-67, the recoveries of the five kinds of BUs were still as high as 78.4 to 83.9%.

[A multi-dimensional analysis of pollen broadcasting concerns in Chinese population: a large-scale multi-center cross-sectional survey]

Objective: To investigate the concern about pollen broadcasting in Chinese population from multiple dimensions and to understand the information about allergic rhinitis (AR) in China by analyzing related factors. Methods: From March 1 to September 30, 2022, a large-scale multi-center cross-sectional survey was conducted based on the Questionnaire Star platform in 21 Chinese hospitals. A total of 7 056 subjects from 7 regions in China: Northeast, North, East, Central, South, Southwest, and Northwest China were included. Basic characteristics (including social demographic characteristics and disease characteristics of AR patients), concern about pollen broadcasting, the willingness of pollen-induced AR (PiAR) patients to receive pollen broadcasting, and the treatment satisfaction rate of AR patients were collected. The chi-square test, multivariate linear regression model, and Logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the concern about pollen broadcasting in the Chinese population and related factors from multiple dimensions. Results: Among 7 056 subjects, 23.02% were concerned about pollen broadcasting. Among 3 176 self-reported AR and 1 019 PiAR patients, 25.60% and 39.16% were concerned about pollen broadcasting, respectively, which was higher than that of non-AR or non-PiAR subjects (χ2 value was 21.74 and 175.11, respectively, both P<0.001). Among AR patients, the proportion of spring and autumn allergen-positive patients concerned about pollen broadcasting was higher than that in perennial allergen-positive patients (χ2 value was 20.90 and 19.51, respectively, both P<0.001). The proportion of AR patients with asthma, sinusitis, allergic conjunctivitis, and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases was higher than those without complications (χ2 value was 50.83, 21.97, 56.78, 7.62, respectively, all P<0.05). The proportion of AR patients in North China who could find pollen broadcasting locally was 31.01%, significantly higher than those in other regions (all P<0.05). Multivariate linear regression model analysis showed that among PiAR patients, those with higher per capita household income and higher AR disease cognition levels had been concerned about pollen broadcasting in the past, and those complicated with allergic conjunctivitis had stronger intention to receive pollen broadcasting (B value was 0.24, 0.13, 0.66, 0.47, respectively, all P<0.05). The higher the disease cognition level of PiAR patients, the stronger their willingness to actively participate in treatment (R2=0.72, P<0.001). Only 18.89% of AR patients felt satisfied with the treatment effect. Logistic regression analysis showed that in AR patients, the treatment satisfaction rate was significantly higher among those concerned about pollen broadcasting compared to those who were not (OR=1.83, P<0.001). Conclusions: Currently, the dissemination of pollen broadcasting in China is hindered by various factors such as disease cognition level. The treatment satisfaction among AR patients remains unsatisfactory.

Response of Human Retinal Microvascular Endothelial Cells to Influenza A (H1N1) Infection and the Underlying Molecular Mechanism

Purpose

Whether H1N1 infection-associated ocular manifestations result from direct viral infections or systemic complications remains unclear. This study aimed to comprehensively elucidate the underlying causes and mechanism.

Method

TCID50 assays was performed at 24, 48, and 72 hours to verify the infection of H1N1 in human retinal microvascular endothelial cells (HRMECs). The changes in gene expression profiles of HRMECs at 24, 48, and 72 hours were characterized using RNA sequencing technology. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were validated using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting. CCK-8 assay and scratch assay were performed to evaluate whether there was a potential improvement of proliferation and migration in H1N1-infected cells after oseltamivir intervention.

Results

H1N1 can infect and replicate within HRMECs, leading to cell rounding and detachment. After H1N1 infection of HRMECs, 2562 DEGs were identified, including 1748 upregulated ones and 814 downregulated ones. These DEGs primarily involved in processes such as inflammation and immune response, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, signal transduction regulation, and cell adhesion. The elevated expression levels of CXCL10, CXCL11, CCL5, TLR3, C3, IFNB1, IFNG, STAT1, HLA, and TNFSF10 after H1N1 infection were reduced by oseltamivir intervention, reaching levels comparable to those in the uninfected group. The impaired cell proliferation and migration after H1N1 infection was improved by oseltamivir intervention.

Conclusions

This study confirmed that H1N1 can infect HRMECs, leading to the upregulation of chemokines, which may cause inflammation and destruction of the blood-retina barrier. Moreover, early oseltamivir administration may reduce retinal inflammation and hemorrhage in patients infected with H1N1.

Significantly Enhanced Energy-Saving H2 Production Coupled with Urea Oxidation by Low- and Non-Pt Anchored on NiS-Based Conductive Nanofibers

Rational designing electrocatalysts is of great significance for realizing high-efficiency H2 production in the water splitting process. Generally, reducing the usage of precious metals and developing low-potential nucleophiles oxidation reaction to replace anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are efficient strategies to promote H2 generation. Here, NiS-coated nickel-carbon nanofibers (NiS@Ni-CNFs) are prepared for low-content Pt deposition (Pt-NiS@Ni-CNFs) to attain the alkaline HER catalyst. Due to the reconfiguration of NiS phase and synergistic effect between Pt and nickel sulfides, the Pt-NiS@Ni-CNFs catalyst shows a high mass activity of 2.74-fold of benchmark Pt/C sample. In addition, the NiS@Ni-CNFs catalyst performs a superior urea oxidation reaction (UOR) activity with the potential of 1.366 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) at 10 mA cm-2 , which demonstrates the great potential in the replacement of OER. Thus, a urea-assisted water splitting electrolyzer of Pt-NiS@Ni-CNFs (cathode)||NiS@Ni-CNFs (anode) is constructed to exhibit small voltages of 1.44 and 1.65 V to reach 10 and 100 mA cm-2 , which is much lower than its overall water splitting process, and presents a 6.5-fold hydrogen production rate enhancement. This work offers great opportunity to design new catalysts toward urea-assisted water splitting with significantly promoted hydrogen productivity and reduced energy consumption.

Bacteriophage endolysin Ply113 as a potent antibacterial agent against polymicrobial biofilms formed by enterococci and Staphylococcus aureus

Antibiotic resistance in Enterococcus faecium, Enterococcus faecalis, and Staphylococcus aureus remains a major public health concern worldwide. Furthermore, these microbes frequently co-exist in biofilm-associated infections, largely nullifying antibiotic-based therapy. Therefore, it is imperative to develop an efficient therapeutic strategy for combating infections caused by polymicrobial biofilms. In this study, we investigated the antibacterial and antibiofilm activity of the bacteriophage endolysin Ply113 in vitro. Ply113 exhibited high and rapid lytic activity against E. faecium, E. faecalis, and S. aureus, including vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus isolates. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that Ply113 treatment led to the detachment of bacterial cell walls and considerable cell lysis. Ply113 maintained stable lytic activity over a temperature range of 4-45°C, over a pH range of 5.0-8.0, and in the presence of 0-400 mM NaCl. Ply113 treatment effectively eliminated the mono-species biofilms formed by E. faecium, E. faecalis, and S. aureus in a dose-dependent manner. Ply113 was also able to eliminate the dual-species biofilms of E. faecium-S. aureus and E. faecalis-S. aureus. Additionally, Ply113 exerted potent antibacterial efficacy in vivo, distinctly decreasing the bacterial loads in a murine peritoneal septicemia model. Our findings suggest that the bacteriophage endolysin Ply113 is a promising antimicrobial agent for the treatment of polymicrobial infections.

Selective blockade of interleukin 6 trans-signaling depresses atrial fibrillation

BACKGROUND

Atrial fibrillation (AF) has been accepted as an inflammatory atrial myopathy. Interleukin 6 (IL-6)-dependent inflammatory signaling pathways take context-dependent effects on cardiovascular diseases. IL-6 trans-signaling is predominantly pro-inflammatory. However, its effect on AF is unclear.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of IL-6 trans-signaling in AF.

METHODS

Circulating levels of IL-6, soluble IL-6 receptor, and soluble glycoprotein 130 (sgp130) in patients with AF and controls were measured to estimate the activation of IL-6 trans-signaling. A mouse model of AF was established by transverse aortic constriction surgery. Sgp130Fc administration was used for the selective blockade of IL-6 trans-signaling. Studies were conducted to evaluate the effects and underlying mechanisms of sgp130Fc on AF inducibility and atrial conduction abnormalities and structural remodeling.

RESULTS

In patients, the elevation of IL-6 trans-signaling level was positively associated with AF occurrence. IL-6 trans-signaling activation was recapitulated in the mouse model of AF. In transverse aortic constriction-challenged mice, the selective blockade of IL-6 trans-signaling with sgp130Fc attenuated AF inducibility, which was attributable to the amelioration of slow conduction and conduction heterogeneity induced by atrial dilation, fibrosis, and reduction in connexin 40 and redistribution of connexin 43. Sgp130Fc administration also reduced immune cell infiltration and oxidative stress in the mouse atrium and abrogated IL-6 trans-signaling activation-mediated connexin dysregulation and reactive oxygen species production in atrial myocytes.

CONCLUSION

IL-6 trans-signaling activation contributes to AF development, and its selective blockade may promise a novel therapeutic strategy.

Optimizing Processing Techniques of Oolong Tea Balancing between High Retention of Catechins and Sensory Quality

Catechins are the major flavor substances in teas, which have a variety of health effects; however, high catechin and high sensory quality are a pair of contradictions that are difficult to coordinate. To explore the processing procedure with high catechins and high sensory quality, a single-factor processing experiment was carried out over the processing production of oolong tea. Combined with orthogonal partial least square discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), correlation analysis, and principal component analysis (PCA), the optimal production procedure for oolong tea is as follows: red light withering for 8 h, leaf rotating for 10 min with a total standing time for 8 h, drum roasting for 5 min at 290 °C, low-temperature rolling (flattening at 4 °C for 5 min, without pressure for 1 min and under pressure for 5 min), microwave drying (800 W for 7.5 min). This study demonstrates a significant increase in the retention of catechins, which contributes to the mellow and brisk tastes of oolong tea, addressing the challenge of catechin content and sensory quality. Our study provides a novel insight into the relationship between the oolong tea processing and flavor formation.

[Molecular epidemiological characteristics of newly diagnosed HIV-1 cases in Fujian Province in 2020]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the HIV-1 genotype and distribution of newly diagnosed HIV-1 cases in Fujian Province in 2020, so as to provide insights into formulation of the precise AIDS control strategy in the province.

METHODS

Newly diagnosed HIV-1 cases without antiretroviral therapy (excluding AIDS patients) were randomly sampled from each city of Fujian Province in 2020 at a proportion of 50% of the mean number of HIV-infected cases reported across 9 cities of Fujian Province during the past three years. Subjects' demographic and epidemiological data were collected and blood samples were collected. The HIV-1 pol gene was amplified using nested reverse-transcription PCR assay, and the gene sequences were used for HIV-1 genotyping and phylogenetic analysis. The gene sequences were uploaded to the HIV Drug Resistance Database (http://hivdb.stanford.edu) for genotypic drug resistance assays, and the scores and level of HIV drug resistance were estimated using the HIVDB Algorithm version 9.5.

RESULTS

A total of 1 043 newly diagnosed HIV-1 cases were reported in Fujian Province in 2020, and 936 gene sequences were successfully obtained following sequencing of blood samples. There were 9 HIV-1 genotypes characterized in blood samples from 936 newly diagnosed HIV-1 cases, with CRF07_BC (52.1%) and CRF01_AE (30.4%) as predominant subtypes, followed by CRF08_BC (4.9%), CRF55_01B (3.0%), subtype C (2.5%), subtype B (2.1%), CRF85_BC (1.7%), CRF59_01B (0.3%) and CRF65_CPX (0.1%), and unidentified subtypes were found in 26 blood samples. HIV-1 drug resistance was detected in 43 out of the 936 newly diagnosed HIV-1 cases, with 4.6% prevalence of HIV-1 drug resistance prior to therapy, and the highest drug resistance was found in the HIV CRF59_01B subtype, followed by in CRF08_BC, B, C, CRF01_AE, CRF07_BC and other subtypes, with a significant difference in the genotype-specific prevalence of HIV-1 drug resistance (χ2 = 45.002, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

There was a HIV-1 genotype diversity in Fujian Province in 2020, and emerging recombinant and drug-resistant HIV-1 strains were detected and spread across patients and regions. Monitoring of HIV-1 genotypes is recommended to be reinforced for timely understanding of the transmission and spread of novel recombinant and drug-resistant HIV-1 strains.

[Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of human ocular helaziasis in China from 2011 to 2022 based on bibliometrics]

OBJECTIVE

To understand the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of human ocular thelaziasis patients in China.

METHODS

Case reports regarding human ocular thelaziasis cases in China were retrieved in international and national electronic databases, including CNKI, VIP, CBM, Traditional Chinese Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System, Wanfang Database, PubMed and Web of Science from 2011 to 2022. Patients' gender, age, clinical symptoms, treatment, recurrence, site of infections, time of onset, affected eye, affected sites, number of infected Thelazia callipaeda, sex of T. callipaeda and source of infections were extracted for descriptive analyses.

RESULTS

A total of 85 eligible publications were included, covering 101 cases of human ocular thelaziasis, including 57 males (56.44%) and 44 females (43.56%) and aged from 3 months to 85 years. The main clinical manifestations included foreign body sensation (56 case-times, 22.49%), eye itching (38 case-times, 15.26%), abnormal or increased secretions (36 case-times, 14.46%), tears (28 case-times, 11.24%) and eye redness (28 case-times, 11.24%), and conjunctival congestion (50 case-times, 41.67%) was the most common clinical sign. The most common main treatment (99/101, 98.02%) was removal of parasites from eyes using ophthalmic forceps, followed by administration with ofloxacin and pranoprofen. In publications presenting thelaziasis recurrence, there were 90 cases without recurrence (97.83%) and 2 cases with recurrence (2.17%). Of all cases, 51.96% were reported in four provinces of Hubei, Shandong, Sichuan, Hebei and Henan, and ocular thelaziasis predominantly occurred in summer (42.19%) and autumn (42.19%). In addition, 56.45% (35/62) had a contact with dogs.

CONCLUSIONS

The human thelaziasis cases mainly occur in the continental monsoon and subtropical monsoon climate areas such as the Yellow River and the Yangtze River basin, and people of all ages and genders have the disease, with complex clinical symptoms and signs. Personal hygiene is required during the contact with dogs, cats and other animals, and individual protection is required during outdoor activities to prevent thelaziasis.

Wet chemical synthesis of rhodium nanoparticles anchored on cobalt/nitrogen-doped carbon nanofibers for high-performance alkaline and acidic hydrogen evolution

Constructing high-activity electrocatalysts towards hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is an essential way to achieve efficient, green and sustainable energy from water electrolysis. In this work, rhodium (Rh) nanoparticles anchored on cobalt (Co)/nitrogen (N)-doped carbon nanofibers (NCNFs) catalyst is prepared by the electrospinning-pyrolysis-reduction method. The synergy effect between Co-NCNFs and Rh nanoparticles contributes to the superior HER activity and favorable durability. The optimized 0.15Co-NCNFs-5Rh sample exhibits ultralow overpotentials of 13 and 18 mV to reach 10 mA cm-2 in an alkaline and acidic electrolyte, surpassing many Rh-based or Co-based electrocatalysts reported in the literature. Additionally, the Co-NCNFs-Rh sample shows a better HER activity than benchmark Pt/C catalyst in an alkaline medium at all current densities and in an acidic condition at higher current densities, offering its promising practical applications. Thus, this work provides an efficient methodology to construct high-performance HER electrocatalysts.

A Versatile Platform to Generate Prodrugs with Rapid and Precise Albumin Hitchhiking and High Cargo Loading for Tumor-Targeted Chemotherapy

Due to its tumor homing and long serum half-life, albumin is an ideal drug carrier for chemotherapy. For endogenous albumin hitchhiking with high cargo loading, a trimeric albumin-binding domain (ABD), i.e., ABD-Tri is designed by fusing an ABD with high specificity and affinity for albumin to a self-trimerizing domain (Tri) with an additional cysteine residue. ABD-Tri is highly (40 mg L-1 ) expressed as soluble and trimeric proteins in Escherichia coli (E. coli). Once mixed together, ABD-Tri rapidly and specifically forms a stable complex with albumin under physiological conditions without obviously changing its receptor- and cell-binding and tumor-homing properties. Maleimide-modified prodrugs are highly effectively conjugated to ABD-Tri to produce homogenous ABD-Tri-prodrugs with triple cargo loading under physiological conditions by thiol-maleimide click chemistry. Unlike the maleimide moiety, which can only mediate time- and concentration-dependent albumin binding, ABD-Tri mediated fast (within several minutes) albumin binding of drugs even at extremely low concentrations (µg mL-1 ). Compared to maleimide-modified prodrugs, ABD-Tri-prodrugs exhibit better tumor homing and greater in vivo antitumor effect, indicating that conjugation of chemical drug to ABD-Tri outperforms maleimide modification for endogenous albumin hitchhiking. The results demonstrate that ABD-Tri may serve as a novel platform to produce albumin-binding prodrugs with high cargo-loading capacity for tumor-targeted chemotherapy.

Clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of solitary and multiple adult gliomas: a retrospective study based on propensity score matching

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to compare the survival and prognostic factors in patients with solitary gliomas to those with multiple to improve the understanding of multiple gliomas and investigate their heterogeneous dissemination pathways.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Data on 358 patients diagnosed with adult gliomas confirmed by postoperative pathology were retrospectively collected and analyzed. The clinical characteristics, survival rates and prognosis of patients were analyzed by propensity score matching (PSM).

RESULTS

Between the two groups, statistically significant differences were identified in multiple general clinical characteristics, including age, pathological grade, lesion location, 1p19q co-deletion, IDH1 mutation, MGMT promoter methylation expression rate, p53 mutation and NF1 mutation (p<0.05). Before PSM, the mOS for patients with multiple gliomas was shorter than that for those with solitary (p=0.0045). Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that age, pathological grade IV, and absence of concurrent chemotherapy were significant risk factors affecting OS. Pathological grade IV, ki-67 expression range of 25-50%, and absence of concurrent chemotherapy were identified as risk factors for PFS. After PSM, the prognostic factors associated with OS were age and concurrent chemotherapy, while those associated with PFS were ki-67 expression range of 50-75% and lesion located in the right frontal lobe (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The prognosis for multiple gliomas is extremely poor, which is related to the fact that the most common pathological types are glioblastomas and the surgical procedure is challenging. Concurrent chemotherapy and radiotherapy are the strongest protective prognostic factors, and the differences in their molecular pathology expression compared to solitary gliomas remain for further investigation.

A 110-170 GHz Wideband LNA Design Using the InP Technology for Terahertz Communication Applications

This paper proposes a low-noise amplifier (LNA) for terahertz communication systems. The amplifier is designed based on 90 nm InP high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) technology. In order to achieve high gain of LNA, the proposed amplifier adopts a five-stage amplification structure. At the same time, the use of staggered tuning technology has achieved a large bandwidth of terahertz low-noise amplification. In addition, capacitors are used for interstage isolation, sector lines are used for RF bypass, and Microstrip is used to design matching circuits. The entire LNA circuit was validated using accurate electromagnetic simulation. The simulation results show that at 140 GHz, the small signal gain is 25 dB, the noise figure is 4.4 dB, the input 1 dB compression point is -19 dBm, and the 3 dB bandwidth reaches 60 GHz (110-170 GHz), which validates the effectiveness of the design.

Evaluation of growth adaptation of Cinnamomum camphora seedlings in ionic rare earth tailings environment

The root system is an important organ for nutrient uptake and biomass accumulation in plants, while biomass allocation directly affects essential oils content, which plays an essential role in plant growth and development and resistance to adverse environmental conditions. This study was undertaken to investigate the differences and correlation of biomass allocation, root traits and essential oil content (EOC), as well as the adaptations of camphor tree with different chemical types to the ionic rare earth tailing sand habitats. Data from 1-year old cutting seedlings of C. camphora showed that the biomass of C. camphora cuttings was mainly distributed in root system, with the ratio of root biomass 49.9-72.13% and the ratio of root to canopy 1.00-2.64. The total biomass was significantly positively correlated with root length (RL), root surface area (RSA) and dry weight of fine roots (diameter ≤ 2 mm) (P < 0.05). Root biomass and leaf biomass were negatively and positively with specific root length (SRL) and specific root surface area (SRSA), respectively. Leaf biomass presented a positive effect on EOC (P < 0.05), with the correlation coefficient of 0.808. The suitability sort of these camphor trees was as follows: C. camphora β-linalool, C. camphora α-linaloolII, C. camphora α-linaloolI being better adapted to the ionic rare earth tailings substrate, C. camphora citral being the next, and C. porrectum β-linalool and C. camphora borneol being the least adaptive. EOC played a positive role in the adaptation of C. camphora (R2 = 0.6099, P < 0.05). Therefore camphor tree with linalool type is the appropriate choice in the ecological restoration of ionic rare earth tailings. The study could provide scientific recommendations for the ecological restoration of ionic rare earth tailings area combined with industrial development.

Refractive Status and Biometric Characteristics of Children With Familial Exudative Vitreoretinopathy

Purpose

To compare biometric characteristics between patients with early-stage familial exudative vitreoretinopathy (FEVR) and healthy controls.

Methods

This case-control study included 50 FEVR eyes in stage 1-2 and 50 control eyes matched by age, gender and spherical equivalent (SE). Biometric parameters including axial length (AL), white-to-white diameter (WTW), central corneal thickness (CCT), anterior chamber depth (ACD), lens thickness (LT), pupil diameter, vitreous chamber depth, anterior and posterior corneal surface curvature radius (ACR and PCR), anterior lens surface curvature radius (ALR) and posterior lens surface curvature radius were measured using IOLMaster 700 and compared between cases and controls using paired t-test. Correlations between SE and biometric measures were assessed using Pearson correlation coefficient (r) in cases and controls.

Results

Both FEVR cases and matched controls had a mean age of 7.6 years, 48% female and mean SE of -5.3 D (80% myopia). Compared to controls, FEVR eyes had smaller AL (P = 0.009), WTW (P = 0.001), ACD (P < 0.001), and ALR (P = 0.03), but larger CCT (P = 0.02) and LT (P = 0.01). In FEVR eyes, SE was negatively correlated with AL (r = -0.79, P < 0.001), positively correlated with ACR (r = 0.29, P = 0.04) and PCR (r = 0.33, P = 0.02), whereas in controls, SE was negatively correlated with AL (r = -0.82, P < 0.001) and LT (r = -0.34, P = 0.02), positively correlated with ALR (r = 0.29, P = 0.04).

Conclusions

Patients at early stage of FEVR exhibited a unique eye morphology resembling ocular development arrest, which may help to develop screening and early detection tools for FEVR. In FEVR patients, myopia is very prevalent and significantly associated with corneal curvature increase.

Dual tracer navigation for lymph node dissection in laparoscopic radical gastrectomy (DANCE trial): a protocol for a prospective, randomized clinical trial

BACKGROUND

Lymph node (LN) metastasis is the most common metastasis route in gastric cancer. Extensive dissection of LNs can significantly improve the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer. Recently, multiple clinical studies have demonstrated that either indocyanine green (ICG) or carbon nanoparticles (CNs) can assist to promote the dissection of LNs during laparoscopic radical gastrectomy. Considering the pros and cons of the two tracers, this study proposed a novel method of dual tracer (ICG combined with CNs) for lymphatic tracing in laparoscopic gastric cancer surgery.

METHODS

This trial is a prospective, randomized controlled trial (RCT) with an estimation of 516 participants that randomize into 4 groups (1:1:1:1), namely control group, ICG group, CNs group, and dual tracer group. The primary outcome is the number of dissected LNs. The secondary outcomes include positive rate, false positive rate, negative rate, false negative rate, number of metastatic LNs, relationship between LN metastasis and tracer stained, operation duration, blood loss, incision length, morbidity and mortality rate, 3-year DFS (disease free survival), PFS (progression-free survival), and OS (overall survival).

DISCUSSION

This study will investigate the efficacy and safety of a novel strategy using dual tracers for laparoscopic gastrectomy. The protocol has been approved by the Ethics Committee of Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital (2021-361-02). The trial findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2100051309). Registered 18 September 2021, https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=133764 .

Peripheral T-Cell Priming and Micrometastatic Disease Control with Metastasis-Directed Therapy: Multidimensional Immunogenomic Profiling of Oligometastatic Prostate Cancer in the EXTEND Trial

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Comprehensive metastasis-directed therapy (MDT) for oligometastatic prostate cancer extended progression-free survival (PFS) and time to new lesion formation in the intermittent hormone therapy (HT) basket of EXTEND. To better understand the mechanism of MDT benefit, we pooled the intermittent and continuous HT baskets of EXTEND and tested the hypothesis that adding MDT to HT would program systemic T-cells to control micrometastatic disease.

MATERIALS/METHODS

A total of 174 men were randomized to HT with or without MDT to up to 5 sites of metastases. HT was given for 6 months (intermittent basket, n = 87) or indefinitely (continuous basket, n = 87). Peripheral blood samples were drawn at enrollment, at the end of MDT, at 3 months follow-up (3 mo F/U), and at progression and then analyzed by flow cytometry, T-cell receptor (TCR)-β CDR3 variable region sequencing, multiplex cytokine profiling, and next-generation circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) sequencing. TCR clonal expansion was determined using a published betabinomial model. Repertoire changes were assessed by Morisita's index, and dominant TCR repertoire motifs were characterized with ImmunoMap. Associations between blood markers and PFS were evaluated with Cox regression adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) accounting for randomization arm and stratifying for intermittent vs continuous HT.

RESULTS

Randomization to MDT+HT was associated with T-cell activation, proliferation, and clonal expansion. This response was first observed at end-MDT as upregulated expression of T-cell activation and inhibition markers (i.e., ICOS, Tim-3, and LAG-3) and increases in highly proliferative CD4+ and CD8+ Ki67hi T-cells (all P<0.05). TCR sequencing of 7,678,911 T-cells revealed that MDT+HT was associated with TCR clonal expansion, remodeling of the TCR repertoire, and changes in dominant TCR motifs at end-MDT and 3 mo F/U (all P<0.05). Observed T-cell priming could be driven by signaling networks of canonical T-cell stimulatory cytokines (IL-2, IL-12, and IL-15), which were upregulated at end-MDT and persisted at 3 mo F/U (all P<0.05). This modulation of T-cell phenotype, clonotype, and cytokine concentrations was not observed in the HT-monotherapy arm. At end-MDT, systemic T-cell responses were associated with improved PFS, most notably CD8+ T-cell expression of LAG-3 (aHR 0.22, 95% CI 0.03-0.91) and high TCR clonal expansion (aHR 0.13, 95% CI 0.02-0.52). High ctDNA burden at end-MDT correlated with worse PFS (aHR 1.41, 95% CI 1.04-2.54), as did CD8+ T-cell expression of inhibitory receptor TIGIT at 3 mo F/U (aHR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01-1.06).

CONCLUSION

The addition of MDT to HT induced systemic T-cell activation and expansion, which was not observed in the HT-only arm. This systemic immune response was independently associated with improved PFS. In addition to cytoreduction of macroscopic disease, MDT-induced immune education may be an important complementary mechanism of micrometastatic control in oligometastatic prostate cancer.

Subserosal Indocyanine Green Plus Submucosal Carbon Nanoparticle Navigated Laparoscopic Gastrectomy (DANCE-01): a Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

Indocyanine green (ICG) and carbon nanoparticle (CN) have been widely used for radical gastrectomy. However, synchronous application of ICG and CN in gastrectomy has not been tried yet. For the first time, we herein reported a novel strategy using dual tracers in laparoscopic radical gastrectomy.

METHODS

This is a single-center, single-armed, prospective study. For each qualified patient, submucosal CN was injected the day before surgery, and subserosal ICG was injected immediately before surgery. Standard D2 laparoscopic gastrectomy and lymph node examination were subsequently performed. Demographics, lymph nodes (LNs) and postoperative outcome were collected for analysis. To analyze the safety and efficacy of this novel strategy, two contemporary historic control groups using single tracer were established.

RESULTS

A total of 60 patients underwent dual tracer laparoscopic gastrectomy and were divided into distal (n = 41) and total (n = 19) groups. An average of 53.3 and 62.2 LNs was harvested from two groups, respectively. The average operation duration was 213.3 and 250.0 min, and intra-operative blood loss was 100.2 ml and 94.7 ml. None received combined organ resection. Margin negativity and R0 resection were achieved in all patients. Three (7.3%) complications occurred in distal group. None required second operation or deceased. Postoperative hospitalization was 9.7 and 9.6 days, respectively. Compared to single tracer, more LNs (p < 0.01), shorter operation time (p < 0.01), less blood lost (p < 0.01) and accelerated postoperative recovery (p < 0.01) were observed in dual tracer group.

CONCLUSIONS

We propose a novel, feasible and safe tracing strategy for laparoscopic gastrectomy.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2100051309).

A sonogram radiomics model for differentiating granulomatous lobular mastitis from invasive breast cancer: a multicenter study

PURPOSE

To construct a nomogram based on sonogram features and radiomics features to differentiate granulomatous lobular mastitis (GLM) from invasive breast cancer (IBC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective collection of 213 GLMs and 472 IBCs from three centers was divided into a training set, an internal validation set, and an external validation set. A radiomics model was built based on radiomics features, and the RAD score of the lesion was calculated. The sonogram radiomics model was constructed using ultrasound features and RAD scores. Finally, the diagnostic efficacy of the three sonographers with different levels of experience before and after combining the RAD score was assessed in the external validation set.

RESULTS

The RAD score, lesion diameter, orientation, echogenicity, and tubular extension showed significant differences in GLM and IBC (p < 0.05). The sonogram radiomics model based on these factors achieved optimal performance, and its area under the curve (AUC) was 0.907, 0.872, and 0.888 in the training, internal, and external validation sets, respectively. The AUCs before and after combining the RAD scores were 0.714, 0.750, and 0.830 and 0.834, 0.853, and 0.878, respectively, for sonographers with different levels of experience. The diagnostic efficacy was comparable for all sonographers when combined with the RAD score (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Radiomics features effectively enhance the ability of sonographers to discriminate between GLM and IBC and reduce interobserver variation. The nomogram combining ultrasound features and radiomics features show promising diagnostic efficacy and can be used to identify GLM and IBC in a noninvasive approach.

A Novel Planning and Delivery Technology: Dose, Dose Rate and Linear Energy Transfer (LET) Optimization Based on Spot-Scanning Proton Arc Therapy FLASH (SPLASHLET)

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

To achieve a high conformal dose with Linear Energy Transfer (LET) optimized FLASH proton therapy, we introduced a new planning and delivery technique concept, the voxel-wised optimization of LET distribution and dose rate based on scanning arc therapy (SPLASHLET) MATERIALS/METHODS: The algorithm optimizes (1) the clinical dose-volume constraint based on dose distribution and (2) the clinical LET-volume constraint based on LET distribution using Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers (ADMM) with Limited-memory BFGS solver by minimizing the monitor unit (MU) constraint on spot weight and (3) the effective dose-average dose rate by minimizing the accelerator's beam current sequentially. Such optimization framework enables the high dose conformal dynamic arc therapy with the capability of LET painting with voxel-based FLASH dose rate in an open-source proton planning platform (MatRad, Department of Medical Physics in Radiation Oncology, German Cancer Research Center-DKFZ). It aiming to minimize the overall cost function value combined with plan quality and voxel-based LET and dose rate constraints. Three representative cases (brain, liver and prostate cancer) were used for testing purposes. Dose-volume histogram (DVH), LET volume histogram (LVH) dose rate volume histogram (DRVH) and dose rate map were assessed compared to the original SPArc plan (SPArcoriginal).

RESULTS

SPLASHLET plan could offer comparable plan quality compared to SPArcoriginal plan. The DRVH results indicated that SPArcoriginal could not achieve FLASH using the clinic beam current configuration, while SPLASHLET could significantly not only improve V40Gy/s in target and region of interest (ROI) but also improve the mean LET in the target and reduce the high LET in organ at risk (OAR) in comparison with SPArcoriginal (Table 1).

CONCLUSION

SPLASHLET offers the first LET painting with voxel-based ultra-dose-rate and high-dose conformity treatment using proton beam therapy. Such technique has the potential to take full vantage of LET painting, FLASH and SPArc.

Hybrid-supervised bidirectional transfer networks for computer-aided diagnosis

Medical imaging techniques have been widely used for diagnosis of various diseases. However, the imaging-based diagnosis generally depends on the clinical skill of radiologists. Computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) can help radiologists improve diagnostic accuracy as well as the consistency and reproducibility. Although convolutional neural network (CNN) has shown its feasibility and effectiveness in CAD, it generally suffers from the problem of small sample size when training CAD models. Nowadays, self-supervised learning (SSL) has shown its effectiveness in the field of medical image analysis, especially when there are only limited training samples. However, the backbone of downstream task sometimes cannot be well pre-trained in the conventional SSL framework due to the limitation of the pretext task and fine-tuning mechanism. In this work, an improved SSL framework, named Hybrid-supervised Bidirectional Transfer Networks (HBTN), is proposed to improve the performance of CAD models. Specifically, a novel Gray-Scale Image Mapping (GSIM) task is developed, which still takes the widely used image restoration task in SSL as the pretext task, but further embeds the class label information into it to improve discriminative feature learning of its corresponding network model. The proposed HBTN then integrates two different network architectures, i.e. the image restoration network for the pretext task and the classification network for the downstream task, into a unified hybrid-supervised learning (HSL) framework. It jointly trains both networks and collaboratively transfers the knowledge between each other. Consequently, the performance of downstream network is thus improved. The proposed HBTN is evaluated on two medical image datasets for CAD tasks. The experimental results indicate that HBTN outperforms the conventional SSL algorithms for CAD with limited training samples.

A stable core-shell metal-organic framework@covalent organic framework composite as solid-phase extraction adsorbent for selective enrichment and determination of flavonoids

Hydrophobization and stability is crucial for the practical application of most metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) in extraction technique. In this study, a stable core-shell MOF@COF composite (NH2-MIL-101(Fe)@TAPB-FPBA-COF) was successfully prepared by Schiff base reaction and applied to solid-phase extraction (SPE) of hydrophobic flavonoids. Notably, the TAPB-FPBA-COF shell acts as a hydrophobic "shield", which not only improves the hydrophobicity and stability of hydrophilic NH2-MIL-101(Fe), but also makes the extraction efficiency of flavonoids from MOF@COF composite significantly higher than that of pure NH2-MIL-101(Fe) and TAPB-FPBA-COF. In addition, a sensitive analytical method with excellent linearities (0.1-500 ng mL-1, R2 ≥ 0.9967), low limits of detection (0.02-0.04 ng mL-1 for water; 0.04-0.07 ng mL-1 for grape juice; 0.06-0.08 ng mL-1 for honey), good repeatability (intra-day/inter-day precision are 1.86-5.37%/1.82-7.79%, respectively) and only 5 mg of adsorbent per cartridge was established by optimizing the SPE process combined with high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet-visible detector (HPLC-UV). Meanwhile, selectivity study and comparative experiments with the commercial C18 adsorbent showed that the MOF@COF adsorbent exhibited satisfactory extraction efficiency for flavonoids due to multiple interactions such as hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic, and π-π interactions. Finally, the good recoveries in grape juice (84.5-102.5%) and honey (87.5-104.6%) samples further validated the applicability of the proposed method in complex samples.

A composite hydrogel modified silica stationary phase for mixed‑mode liquid chromatography

A novel composite hydrogel functionalized silica core-shell stationary phase was prepared by the surface modification of silica sphere. The successful synthesis of the new stationary phase (T-Sil@PAM/SA/UiO-66-NH2) was proven by scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), etc. Due to the coexistence of amide, hydroxyl, long carbon chain and UiO-66-NH2 in composite hydrogel shell, the obtained stationary phase can be used in hydrophilic/reversed-phase liquid chromatography with multiple retention mechanisms, such as hydrophilic, hydrophobic and π - π interactions. The chromatographic retention behavior of T-Sil@PAM/SA/UiO-66-NH2 demonstrated that the new stationary phase showed excellent separation performance for both polar analytes (such as alkaloids, saccharides, etc.) and nonpolar analytes (such as substituted benzene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs), etc.). Furthermore, compared with NH2 column and commercial C18 column, the T-Sil@PAM/SA/UiO-66-NH2 exhibited a certain superiority. Moreover, the relative standard deviation (RSD) of PAHs' retention time with eight replicates consecutive elution was found to range from 0.03% to 0.17%. Therefore, the successful use of T-Sil@PAM/SA/UiO-66-NH2 in mixed‑mode liquid chromatography expanded the potential applications of hydrogels in the field of separation.

The relationship between sleep duration and thyroid function in the adult US population: NHANES 2007-2012

OBJECTIVE

Sleep disturbance is a common problem in the general population. Sleep deprivation or dysfunction can have profound health consequences. However, how sleep duration is associated with thyroid function remains unclear. This study was thus developed to examine the association between sleep duration and thyroid function in the US adult population.

METHODS

A total of 8102 participants from the NHANES 2007-2012 dataset were included in this study. Weighted data analyses were conducted, and the link between sleep duration and thyroid function was probed using linear regression models with smoothed curve fitting. Stratified analyses were also performed.

RESULTS

Weighted mean (standard deviation) values for study variables were as follows: sleep duration 6.85 (0.02) hours, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) 1.86 (0.03) mIU/ml, serum free T3 3.20 (0. 01) pg/mL, serum free T4 0.80 (0.01) ng/dL, serum total T3 115.12 (0.64) ng/dL, serum total T4 7.81 (0.04) ug/dL, TPOAb 16.20 (1.53) IU/mL, TgAb 5.75 (0.73) IU/mL, and Tg 15.11 (0.46) ng/mL. In unadjusted analyses, increased sleep duration was associated with higher serum TSH levels and decreased FT3 levels. After adjustment for potential confounders, a significant negative relationship was detected between sleep duration and FT3 levels in participants with ≤7 hours of sleep. When sleep duration exceeded 7 hours, no significant changes in FT3 levels were observed after further increases in sleep duration.

CONCLUSION

Increased sleep duration was related to decreased FT3 levels, primarily at short sleep durations, and this correlation was no longer evident when participants reached the recommended healthy sleep duration.

Long Non-coding RNA Involved in the Pathophysiology of Atrial Fibrillation

BACKGROUND

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a prevalent and chronic cardiovascular disorder associated with various pathophysiological alterations, including atrial electrical and structural remodeling, disrupted calcium handling, autonomic nervous system dysfunction, aberrant energy metabolism, and immune dysregulation. Emerging evidence suggests that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a significant role in the pathogenesis of AF.

OBJECTIVE

This discussion aims to elucidate the involvement of AF-related lncRNAs, with a specific focus on their role as miRNA sponges that modulate crucial signaling pathways, contributing to the progression of AF. We also address current limitations in AF-related lncRNA research and explore potential future directions in this field. Additionally, we summarize feasible strategies and promising delivery systems for targeting lncRNAs in AF therapy.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, targeting AF-related lncRNAs holds substantial promise for future investigations and represents a potential therapeutic avenue for managing AF.