A systematic review and meta-analysis of children with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

To provide a comprehensive and systematic analysis of demographic characteristics, clinical symptoms, laboratory findings, and imaging features of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in pediatric patients. A meta-analysis was carried out to identify studies on COVID-19 from 25 December 2019 to 30 April 2020. A total of 48 studies with 5829 pediatric patients were included. Children of all ages were at risk for COVID-19. The main illness classification ranged as: 20% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 14%-26%; I²  = 91.4%) asymptomatic, 33% (95% CI: 23%-43%; I²  = 95.6%) mild and 51% (95% CI: 42%-61%; I²  = 93.4%) moderate. The typical clinical manifestations were fever 51% (95% CI: 45%-57%; I²  = 78.9%) and cough 41% (95% CI: 35%-47%, I²  = 81.0%). The common laboratory findings were normal white blood cell 69% (95% CI: 64%-75%; I²  = 58.5%), lymphopenia 16% (95% CI: 11%-21%; I²  = 76.9%) and elevated creatine-kinase MB 37% (95% CI: 25%-48%; I²  = 59.0%). The frequent imaging features were normal images 41% (95% CI: 30%-52%; I²  = 93.4%) and ground-glass opacity 36% (95% CI: 25%-47%; I²  = 92.9%). Among children under 1 year old, critical cases account for 14% (95% CI: 13%-34%; I²  = 37.3%) that should be of concern. In addition, vomiting occurred in 33% (95% CI: 18%-67%; I²  = 0.0%) cases that may also need attention. Pediatric patients with COVID-19 may experience milder illness with atypical clinical manifestations and rare lymphopenia. High incidence of critical illness and vomiting symptoms reward attention in children under 1 year old.

Dijet Resonance Search with Weak Supervision Using sqrt[s]=13 TeV pp Collisions in the ATLAS Detector

This Letter describes a search for narrowly resonant new physics using a machine-learning anomaly detection procedure that does not rely on signal simulations for developing the analysis selection. Weakly supervised learning is used to train classifiers directly on data to enhance potential signals. The targeted topology is dijet events and the features used for machine learning are the masses of the two jets. The resulting analysis is essentially a three-dimensional search A→BC, for m_{A}∼O(TeV), m_{B},m_{C}∼O(100  GeV) and B, C are reconstructed as large-radius jets, without paying a penalty associated with a large trials factor in the scan of the masses of the two jets. The full run 2 sqrt[s]=13  TeV pp collision dataset of 139  fb^{-1} recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider is used for the search. There is no significant evidence of a localized excess in the dijet invariant mass spectrum between 1.8 and 8.2 TeV. Cross-section limits for narrow-width A, B, and C particles vary with m_{A}, m_{B}, and m_{C}. For example, when m_{A}=3  TeV and m_{B}≳200  GeV, a production cross section between 1 and 5 fb is excluded at 95% confidence level, depending on m_{C}. For certain masses, these limits are up to 10 times more sensitive than those obtained by the inclusive dijet search. These results are complementary to the dedicated searches for the case that B and C are standard model bosons.

CP Properties of Higgs Boson Interactions with Top Quarks in the tt[over ¯]H and tH Processes Using H→γγ with the ATLAS Detector

A study of the charge conjugation and parity (CP) properties of the interaction between the Higgs boson and top quarks is presented. Higgs bosons are identified via the diphoton decay channel (H→γγ), and their production in association with a top quark pair (tt[over ¯]H) or single top quark (tH) is studied. The analysis uses 139  fb^{-1} of proton-proton collision data recorded at a center-of-mass energy of sqrt[s]=13  TeV with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Assuming a CP-even coupling, the tt[over ¯]H process is observed with a significance of 5.2 standard deviations. The measured cross section times H→γγ branching ratio is 1.64_{-0.36}^{+0.38}(stat)_{-0.14}^{+0.17}(sys)  fb, and the measured rate for tt[over ¯]H is 1.43_{-0.31}^{+0.33}(stat)_{-0.15}^{+0.21}(sys) times the Standard Model expectation. The tH production process is not observed and an upper limit on its rate of 12 times the Standard Model expectation is set. A CP-mixing angle greater (less) than 43 (-43)° is excluded at 95% confidence level.

Search for Heavy Higgs Bosons Decaying into Two Tau Leptons with the ATLAS Detector Using pp Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV

A search for heavy neutral Higgs bosons is performed using the LHC Run 2 data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139  fb^{-1} of proton-proton collisions at sqrt[s]=13  TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector. The search for heavy resonances is performed over the mass range 0.2-2.5 TeV for the τ^{+}τ^{-} decay with at least one τ-lepton decaying into final states with hadrons. The data are in good agreement with the background prediction of the standard model. In the M_{h}^{125} scenario of the minimal supersymmetric standard model, values of tanβ>8 and tanβ>21 are excluded at the 95% confidence level for neutral Higgs boson masses of 1.0 and 1.5 TeV, respectively, where tanβ is the ratio of the vacuum expectation values of the two Higgs doublets.

[Infection prevention and control of bedside blood purification treatment in patients with COVID-19]

OBJECTIVE

To explore the infection prevention and control strategy of bedside blood purification treatment in corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) isolation ward, and to evaluate the effect of infection prevention and control management measures.

METHODS

We summarized and analyzed the clinical features, infection status, outcome and infection prevention and control measures of bedside blood purification treatment patients in COVID-19 isolation ward from February 8, 2020 to March 31, 2020, analyzed the COVID-19 cross-infection between the patients and medical staffs, and the blood-borne pathogens cross-infection situation between the patients, and analyzed the effect of bundle prevention and control measures in controlling the occurrence and spread of cross-infection.

RESULTS

A total of 101 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized in this COVID-19 isolation ward, of whom 10 patients (9.90%) received bedside blood purification treatment and the blood purification treatment method was continuous hemodialysis filtration (CVVHDF), and the 10 patients received 79 times of blood purification treatment in total. The prevention and control management measures adopted included divisional isolation, patient behavior isolation and patient placement, operator personal protection and hand hygiene, dialysis waste fluid disposal, isolation room air purification, object surfaces, medical devices and medical fabrics dis-infection management. There were no occurrence and spread of COVID-19 in the medical healthcare workers and blood-borne pathogens cross-infection in the patients. And all the twice throat swabs (two sampling interval > 1 day) of the medical staffs in COVID-19 virus nucleic acid test were negative. The 2 suspected COVID-19 patients' throat swab virus nucleic acid test and the COVID-19 IgG, IgM were always both negative, the chest CT showed no viral pneumonia.

CONCLUSION

Bedside blood purification treatment in the COVID-19 isolation ward, the occurrence and spread of healthcare associated infection can be effectively controlled through effective infection prevention and control management, including divisional isolation, patient behavior isolation and patient placement, operator personal protection and hand hygiene, dialysis waste fluid disposal, isolation room's air purification, object surfaces, medical devices and medical fabrics disinfection, which can provide experience for diagnosis, treatment and prevention and control of patients in the respiratory infectious disease ward.

Measurement of the Lund Jet Plane Using Charged Particles in 13 TeV Proton-Proton Collisions with the ATLAS Detector

The prevalence of hadronic jets at the LHC requires that a deep understanding of jet formation and structure is achieved in order to reach the highest levels of experimental and theoretical precision. There have been many measurements of jet substructure at the LHC and previous colliders, but the targeted observables mix physical effects from various origins. Based on a recent proposal to factorize physical effects, this Letter presents a double-differential cross-section measurement of the Lund jet plane using 139  fb^{-1} of sqrt[s]=13  TeV proton-proton collision data collected with the ATLAS detector using jets with transverse momentum above 675 GeV. The measurement uses charged particles to achieve a fine angular resolution and is corrected for acceptance and detector effects. Several parton shower Monte Carlo models are compared with the data. No single model is found to be in agreement with the measured data across the entire plane.

[Characterization of Echinostoma miyagawai in domestic ducks in Wuhu City]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the morphological characteristics of Echinostoma miyagawai in domestic ducks in Wuhu area, and to explore the feasibility of the cytochrome oxidase subunit-1 (Cox1) gene as a molecular marker for the identification of E. miyagawai.

METHODS

E. miyagawai was isolated from free-ranged domestic ducks in Wuhu area, and the parasites were stained and identified. In addition, the mitochondrial Cox1 gene of E. miyagawai was amplified using a PCR assay, and the amplification product was sequenced and aligned with the GenBank database to yield the homology for the identification of parasite species in combination with morphological findings. Intra-species comparison was done based on the Cox1 gene sequence.

RESULTS

The prevalence of E. miyagawai infection was 16.67% in domestic ducks in Wuhu area, and the adult E. miyagawai was 6.6 to 13.2 mm in length. The size of the E. miyagawai Cox1 gene was approximately 660 bp, which had a 99.68% homology to the E. miyagawai accessed in GenBank. The morphological findings were in agreement with molecular identification.

CONCLUSIONS

E. miyagawai infection is common in domestic ducks in Wuhu area, and the mitochondrial Cox1 gene is a feasible marker of intra- and inter-species molecular identification of Echinostoma.

[Quick community survey on the impact of COVID-19 outbreak for the healthcare of people living with HIV]

Objective: To collect the current status and healthcare needs of people living with HIV (PLHIV) in China during the COVID-19 outbreak to inform quick response from government and communities. Methods: During February 5(th) to 10(th), 2020, a national anonymous survey was conducted using an online questionnaire among PLHIV at least 18 years of age and had started antiretroviral treatment (ART) to collect the information on COVID-19 prevention, HIV-related health services and the needs on psychosocial support. Current status and needs of people living with HIV were analyzed in Hubei and other regions. Results: A total of 1 014 valid questionnaires were collected, with PLHIV respondents cross the country. The survey revealed that 93.79% of the respondents could obtain information regarding the prevention of COVID-19 from their communities or villages. Respondents were concerned with HIV-specific protective measures and personal protective equipment shortage. 32.64% of all respondents were not carrying sufficient antiretroviral medicines (ARVs) to meet the needs under traffic and travel restrictions, and some could face stock-outs in the coming month. In Hubei province where 53 respondents needed ARV refill, 64.15% reported difficulty accessing ARV due to the "blockage" . 28.93% respondents were in need of sociopsychological support, and 85.31% anticipated further improvement of the out-of-town ARV refill process from the government. Conclusion: PLHIV wants to know HIV-specific protective measures against COVID-19 outbreak. PLHIV who returned to their home-towns and affected by the lock-downs reported challenges with refills. We should undertake a more systematic study on impacts of the COVID-19 on PLHIV to develop preparedness capacity for future public health emergency.

[Efficacy of minimally invasive pulmonary surfactant administration in preterm infants with neonatal respiratory distress syndrome: a multicenter clinical trial]

Objective: To explore the feasibility and safety of minimally invasive surfactant administration (MISA) in preterm neonates with respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS). Methods: In this multicenter prospective randomized controlled trial, 92 preterm infants with gestation age ≤30 weeks and diagnosed with NRDS were enrolled in 8 level Ⅲ neonatal intensive care units (NICU) in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region from 1(st) July 2017 to 31(st) December 2018. They were randomly assigned to minimally invasive surfactant administration (MISA) group or endotracheal intubation surfactant administration (EISA) group according to random number generated by computer. Infants in both groups received calf pulmonary surfactant preparation at a dose of 70-100 mg/kg. The data of demography, perinatal situation, medication administration, complications, clinical outcomes in the two groups were compared with Chi-square test, Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney U test or Fisher's exact test. Results: Among the 92 preterm infants, 53 were males, 39 were females; 47 were in the MISA group (25 males), and 45 were in the EISA group (28 males). The gestational age and birth weight were (29.5±1.2) weeks and (1 271±242) g in all patients, (29.5±1.4) weeks and (1 285±256) g in the MISA group, and (29.6±0.9) weeks and (1 255±227) g in the EISA group. The duration of surfactant infusion and the length of whole procedure in the MISA group were significantly longer than that in the EISA group (60 (18, 270) s vs. 50 (30, 60) s, Z=3.009, P=0.003; 90 (60, 300) s vs. 60 (44, 270) s, Z=3.365, P=0.001). For the outcomes, the incidence of hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus (hsPDA) and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) were lower in the MISA group than in the EISA group (36% (17/47) vs. 67% (30/45), χ(2)=8.556, P=0.003; 26% (12/47) vs. 47% (21/45), χ(2)=4.464, P=0.035). Conclusions: Minimally invasive surfactant administration is applicable in preterm infants ≤30 weeks gestational age with NRDS. Although the length of whole procedure is longer than route endotracheal administration, the benefit of decreasing the incidences of hsPDA and BPD outweighs this demerit.

[Clinical consideration and management of coronavirus disease 2019]

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in Wuhan city, Hubei province in December 2019 and the epidemic so rapidly happened within the whole country and abroad, raising serious problems and urgent concerns, such as: how to control most effectively human-to-human transmission? When does infection rate rise to its peak? What will eventually be the number of infected patients? How to make early diagnosis? What effective antiviral drugs are available? How to use the existing drugs to achieve the best effect? Can available drugs effectively improve the survival rate of critical patients? In view of the above questions, this article now puts forwards the corresponding suggestions and considerations from the perspective of clinical infectious diseases physician.

[Suggestions for thoracic surgery clinical practice in non-epidemic area of 2019 coronavirus disease]

In this paper, the mechanism of destroying human alveolar epithelial cells and pulmonary tissue by 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) was discussed firstly. There may be multiple mechanisms including killing directly the target cells and hyperinflammatory responses. Secondly, the clinical features, CT imaging, short-term and long-term pulmonary function damage of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was analyzed. Finally, some suggestions for thoracic surgery clinical practice in non-epidemic area during and after the epidemic of COVID-19 were provided, to help all the thoracic surgery patients receive active and effective treatment.

Estimation of genomic breed composition of individual animals in composite beef cattle

Three statistical models (an admixture model, linear regression, and ridge-regression BLUP) and two strategies for selecting SNP panels (uniformly spaced vs. maximum Euclidean distance of SNP allele frequencies between ancestral breeds) were compared for estimating genomic-estimated breed composition (GBC) in Brangus and Santa Gertrudis cattle, respectively. Animals were genotyped with a GeneSeek Genomic Profiler bovine low-density version 4 SNP chip. The estimated GBC was consistent among the uniformly spaced SNP panels, and values were similar between the three models. However, estimated GBC varied considerably between the three methods when using fewer than 10 000 SNPs that maximized the Euclidean distance of allele frequencies between the ancestral breeds. The admixture model performed most consistently across various SNP panel sizes. For the other two models, stabilized estimates were obtained with an SNP panel size of 20 000 SNPs or more. Based on the uniformly spaced 20K SNP panel, the estimated GBC was 69.8-70.5% Angus and 29.5-30.2% Brahman for Brangus, and 63.9-65.3% Shorthorn and 34.7-36.1% Brahman in Santa Gertrudis. The estimated GBC of ancestries for Santa Gertrudis roughly agreed with the pedigree-expected values. However, the estimated GBC in Brangus showed a considerably larger Angus composition than the pedigree-expected value (62.5%). The elevated Angus composition in the Brangus could be due to the mixture of some 1/2 Ultrablack animals (Brangus × Angus). Another reason could be the consequences of selection in Brangus cattle for phenotypes where the Angus breed has advantages.

Imaging Fluorescence of He_{2}^{*} Excimers Created by Neutron Capture in Liquid Helium II

We show unequivocal evidence for formation of He_{2}^{*} excimers in liquid He II created by ionizing radiation produced through neutron capture. Laser beams induce fluorescence of the excimers. The fluorescence is recorded at a rate of 55.6 Hz by a camera. The location of the fluorescence is determined with an uncertainty of 5  μm. The technique provides an opportunity to record the flow of He_{2}^{*} excimers in a medium with very small viscosity and enables measurement of turbulence around macroscopic liter size objects or vortex matter in three dimensions.

[Management and clinical thinking of Coronavirus Disease 2019]

In December 2019, the 2019 novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP, officially named Coronavirus Disease 2019(COVID-19) by the World Health Organization) broke out in Wuhan, Hubei, and it quickly spread to the whole country and abroad. The situation was at stake. The sudden and serious COVID-19 epidemic has brought us a lot of urgent problems. How to effectively control the spread of COVID-19? When does the population infection rate rise to its peak? What will eventually be the number of infected patients? How to make early diagnosis? What effective antiviral drugs are available? How to effectively treat with existing drugs? Can it successfully improve the survival rate of critically patients? In response to the above questions, we put forward corresponding suggestions and reflections from the perspective of the infectious clinician.

An experimental setup for creating and imaging 4He2 * excimer cluster tracers in superfluid helium-4 via neutron-3He absorption reaction

For the purpose of future visualization of the flow field in superfluid helium-4, clusters of the triplet state excimer ⁴He₂ ^* are generated along the micro-scale recoil tracks of the neutron-absorption reaction n + ³He → ³T + p. This reaction is induced by neutron irradiation of the ³He fraction contained in natural isotopic abundance liquid helium with neutron beams either from the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex, Materials and Life Science Experimental Facility (JPARC)/Materials and Life Science Experimental Facility or from the Kyoto University Institute for Integrated Radiation and Nuclear Science. These ⁴He₂ ^* clusters are expected to be ideal tracers of the normal-fluid component in superfluid helium with several advantageous properties. Evidence of the excimer generation is inferred by detection of laser induced fluorescence emitted from the ⁴He₂ ^* clusters excited by a purpose-built short pulse gain-switched titanium:sapphire (Ti:sa) laser operating at a wavelength of 905 nm. The setup and performance characteristics of the laser system including the Ti:sa and two continuous wave re-pumping lasers are described. Detection at the fluorescence wavelength of 640 nm is performed by using optical bandpass filtered photomultiplier tubes (PMT). Electrical noise in the PMT acquisition traces could successfully be suppressed by post-processing with a simple algorithm. Despite other laser-related backgrounds, the excimer was clearly identified by its fluorescence decay characteristics. Production of the excimer was found to be proportional to the neutron flux, adjusted via insertion of different collimators into the neutron beam. These observations suggest that the apparatus we constructed does function in the expected manner and, therefore, has the potential for groundbreaking turbulence research with superfluid helium.

Measurement of Azimuthal Anisotropy of Muons from Charm and Bottom Hadrons in pp Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV with the ATLAS Detector

The elliptic flow of muons from the decay of charm and bottom hadrons is measured in pp collisions at sqrt[s]=13  TeV using a data sample with an integrated luminosity of 150  pb^{-1} recorded by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The muons from heavy-flavor decay are separated from light-hadron decay muons using momentum imbalance between the tracking and muon spectrometers. The heavy-flavor decay muons are further separated into those from charm decay and those from bottom decay using the distance-of-closest-approach to the collision vertex. The measurement is performed for muons in the transverse momentum range 4-7 GeV and pseudorapidity range |η|<2.4. A significant nonzero elliptic anisotropy coefficient v_{2} is observed for muons from charm decays, while the v_{2} value for muons from bottom decays is consistent with zero within uncertainties.

Search for Magnetic Monopoles and Stable High-Electric-Charge Objects in 13 Tev Proton-Proton Collisions with the ATLAS Detector

A search for magnetic monopoles and high-electric-charge objects is presented using 34.4  fb^{-1} of 13 TeV pp collision data collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC during 2015 and 2016. The considered signature is based upon high ionization in the transition radiation tracker of the inner detector associated with a pencil-shape energy deposit in the electromagnetic calorimeter. The data were collected by a dedicated trigger based on the tracker high-threshold hit capability. The results are interpreted in models of Drell-Yan pair production of stable particles with two spin hypotheses (0 and 1/2) and masses ranging from 200 to 4000 GeV. The search improves by approximately a factor of 5 the constraints on the direct production of magnetic monopoles carrying one or two Dirac magnetic charges and stable objects with electric charge in the range 20≤|z|≤60 and extends the charge range to 60<|z|≤100.

A Frailty Screening Questionnaire (FSQ) to Rapidly Predict Negative Health Outcomes of Older Adults in Emergency Care Settings

BACKGROUND

Frailty, at the core of geriatric medicine, is an important concept underpinning health problems but the rapid and valid measurement of frailty for older adults in the Emergency Department (ED) is lacking in China. The Frailty Screening Questionnaire (FSQ), has been shown to be a simple, rapid and practical tool to identify frailty in both community and inpatients settings, yet its utility in acute care settings is not well understood.

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether FSQ is useful to identify frailty and predict adverse outcomes in an emergency care setting.

DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS

This prospective study included 350 adults aged 60 and over and admitted to the ED.

MEASUREMENTS

The FSQ questionnaire which assessed self-reported slowness, weakness, inactivity, exhaustion, and weight loss was used to rapidly recognize frailty. FRAIL, Clinical frailty score (CFS), activities of daily living (ADL) and nutrition risk screening 2002 were also assessed. Outcome measures included all-cause 28-day mortality, ADL dependency, mechanical ventilation, length of hospital stay, and ICU readmissions 30 and 90 days after discharge. Cox proportional hazard model was used for survival comparison.

RESULTS

The prevalence of FSQ frailty and prefrailty in older adults were 44.6% and 30.9% respectively in the emergency setting. FSQ frailty was associated with increasing age, chronic diseases, malnutrition risk, poor physical function and worse outcomes indicated by higher 28-d mortality, ADL dependency, mechanical ventilation, length of hospital stay, and ICU readmissions after discharge. The Kappa coefficient between the FSQ and FRAIL was 0.552. FSQ score was negatively correlated with grip strength and positively correlated with Barthel index, length of hospital stay and CFS score. Cox regression adjusted by epidemiological variables and chronic diseases showed FSQ and all components predicted mortality except weight loss.

CONCLUSION

The FSQ is a rapid and useful tool to screen frailty and an effective tool to predict mortality in busy emergency settings.

BCL6 promotes the methotrexate-resistance by upregulating ZEB1 expression in children with acute B lymphocytic leukemia

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of BCL6 on methotrexate-resistant children with acute B lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) and its underlying mechanism.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Bone marrow samples of B-ALL children diagnosed at The Children & Women's Healthcare of Laiwu City from June 2014 to February 2017 were collected. Subjects were assigned into methotrexate-resistant group (n=8) and non-resistant group (n=32) according to the follow-up outcome. Quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to detect expressions of BCL6 and E-cadherin in bone marrow tissues. Cell cycle and apoptosis of methotrexate-resistant B-ALL cells (BALL-1/MTXR cells) were detected after overexpression or inhibition of BCL6, respectively. Western blot was performed to determine the protein levels of E-cadherin and BCL6. The direct binding of BCL6 in the ZEB1 promoter region was verified by the ChIP (chromatin immunoprecipitation) assay.

RESULTS

QRT-PCR showed a higher BCL6 expression in bone marrow samples of methotrexate-resistant group than that of the non-resistant group. Moreover, BCL6 was upregulated in BALL-1/MTXR cells than that of untreated B-ALL cells. After knockdown of BCL6 expression, we observed a decreased IC50, increased apoptosis, and arrested the cell cycle in BALL-1/MTXR cells. In addition, increased expression of E-cadherin was found in BALL-1/MTXR cells, which could be reversed by ZEB1 overexpression. ChIP assay suggested that BCL6 bound to the promoter region of ZEB1, so as to promote ZEB1 expression.

CONCLUSIONS

BCL6 is overexpressed in the bone marrow of methotrexate-resistant children with B-ALL, which is capable of attenuating the sensitivity of B-ALL to methotrexate via promoting ZEB1 expression.

Characteristics of volatile flavor components in traditional fermented yak milk produced in different ecoregions of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau

The volatile flavor substances in traditional fermented yak milk samples collected from 5 ecoregions (A: coniferous forests and grasslands of the Qilian Qingdong Mountains; B: alpine grasslands surrounding the lakes in the Qiangtang Plateau; C: alpine shrubs and meadows of the Guoluo-Nagqu Highlands; D: coniferous forests along the alpine valley in East Tibet; E: shrubs and grasslands along the alpine valley in South Tibet) of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau were comparatively analyzed. The relative percentage composition of volatile flavor substances varied among the different ecoregions. In samples collected from region E, more than 50% of the volatile flavor compounds were esters comprising mainly n-butyl acetate, butyl butyrate, and ethyl octanoate, and a considerable proportion of acetoin was found in samples from regions B and E. Greater proportions of 2-heptanone and 2-nonanone were observed in samples collected from regions A, C, and D compared with regions B and E.

Bioinformatics analysis of common differential genes of coronary artery disease and ischemic cardiomyopathy

OBJECTIVE

This paper aims at screening the common differential genes of coronary atherosclerotic heart disease (CAD) and ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM), and to conduct pathway analysis and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis for the differential genes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The CAD and ICM datasets were collected from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database for human tumors to extract data components of peripheral blood RNA of patients and normal people in GSE71226 and GSE9128 chips; "limma" package of "R" software was used to screen the differential genes, and "pheatmap" package was applied to construct heat maps for the differential genes; Cytoscape, Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integration Discovery (DAVID) and String platforms were utilized for PPI network analysis, Genome Ontology (GO) analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis on the selected differential genes.

RESULTS

A total of 575 differential genes were screened from GSE71226, including 350 genes with up-regulated expression and 225 with down-regulated expression, which was statistically significant (p<0.05, fold change >1). 75 differential genes were screened from GSE9128, including 47 genes with up-regulated expression and 28 with down-regulated expression. By virtue of String, DAVID and Cytoscape software, the PPI network diagram was constructed, and GO and KEGG analyses were performed successfully.

CONCLUSIONS

A total of 8 common differential genes are screened, and functional annotation and pathway analysis are conducted, which is conducive to further studying the interactions between the differentially expressed genes.

Observation of Electroweak Production of a Same-Sign W Boson Pair in Association with Two Jets in pp Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV with the ATLAS Detector

This Letter presents the observation and measurement of electroweak production of a same-sign W boson pair in association with two jets using 36.1  fb^{-1} of proton-proton collision data recorded at a center-of-mass energy of sqrt[s]=13  TeV by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The analysis is performed in the detector fiducial phase-space region, defined by the presence of two same-sign leptons, electron or muon, and at least two jets with a large invariant mass and rapidity difference. A total of 122 candidate events are observed for a background expectation of 69±7 events, corresponding to an observed signal significance of 6.5 standard deviations. The measured fiducial signal cross section is σ^{fid}=2.89_{-0.48}^{+0.51}(stat)_{-0.28}^{+0.29}(syst)  fb.

P3634Cancer patients have a higher long-term risk of death and myocardial infarction after percutaneous coronary intervention - A matched cohort analysis of 3,560 patients

Background

Cancer patients have a higher risk of thromboembolic events but it is not well known if these patients also have a higher risk of death, myocardial infarction (MI) or repeat revascularization after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is unknown.

Methods

Cancer patients who underwent first-time single vessel PCI from January 1, 2003, through December 31, 2013 were identified by cross-matching of institutional cancer and PCI registries. These cancer patients were matched 4:1 to non-cancer patients, likewise undergoing first-time single vessel PCI in the time period. The combined primary endpoint was death, MI and revascularization at 5 year follow-up. Secondary endpoints were death and MI combined and the individual components of the primary endpoint. Both time dependent and non-time-dependent analyses were conducted.

Results

A total of 712 cancer patients were identified and matched to 2,848 non-cancer patients (one third women in either group). Bare-metal stents were used in one third of patients in both groups. The combined primary study endpoint was significantly more frequently encountered in the cancer than in the non-cancer group in both time-dependent (Figure 1) and non-time dependent analyses (5-year event rate 48.6% vs. 31.2%, p<0.001). This was driven by a higher 5-year event rate of death (39.0% vs. 20.1%) and MI (14.8% vs 4.86%) in the cancer group. The 5-year rate of revascularization did not differ significantly between the two groups (10.5% vs 10.3%).

Figure 1. MI + revascularization-survival

Conclusion

Cancer patients have a two times higher rate of death and a three times higher rate of MI over the first 5 years after PCI. Future studies will need to define the etiology and factors accounting for this higher event rate in cancer patients, especially of these patients are predisposed to stent thrombosis and need longer term dual antiplatelet therapy.

Dynamic monitoring of HER2 amplification in circulating DNA of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer treated with cetuximab

PURPOSE

Cetuximab (CTX) has been used to treat metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) with wild-type (wt) RAS and BRAF genes. Meanwhile HER2 amplification reportedly denoted CTX-resistant mCRC tumors. We investigated whether monitoring of HER2 amplification in circulating DNA allowed early detection of mCRC progression and CTX resistance.

METHODS

mCRC, who progressed after CTX treatments between July 2015 and January 2018.

RESULTS

Of the 36 patients, 5 (13.9%) exhibited dynamic fluctuations of HER2 amplification in plasma in the course of CTX treatment, of whom 2 were positive for HER2 amplification in matched tumor specimens at baseline (per FISH). All 5 primary sites were left side: 3 rectums and 2 descending colon. HER2 ratio fluctuations in circulating DNA not only reflected changes in tumor volume, but their obvious increases presaged CT-documented progress by an average lead time of 2 months. Interestingly, progression-free survival did not significantly differ between these 5 patients and those without HER2 amplification (HR 1.06, 95% CI 0.40-2.77, P = 0.909).

CONCLUSION

Plasma HER2 amplification detected by ddPCR changed over time and predicted resistance to CTX, by an average lead time of 2 months. Further study is needed to validate our findings.

[Effect of vascular changes on prognosis after induced chemotherapy for advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma]

Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics of two groups(vascular classification declines or not in narrow band imaging (NBI) of patients with advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma after induced chemotherapy, to follow-up and compare the survival differences between the two groups, and to explore the effect of vascular changes on clinical prognosis after induced chemotherapy in patients with advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma. Methods: Clinical data of 56 patients with advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma from August 2014 to September 2016 in Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University were collected. The patients were divided into two groups according to NBI vascular classification declines or not after induced chemotherapy. The survival of patients and the impact of different factors on the prognosis were retrospectively analyzed. SPSS 24.0 statistical software was used for analysis. Frequency data were compared between the two groups using χ(2) test. Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analysis were employed for survival analysis and Log-Rank test was used for inter-group comparison, P<0.05 was statistically significant. Results: There was significant difference in overall survival rate(OS) between two groups of patients with advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma after induced chemotherapy (P<0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that NBI vascular classification changes after induced chemotherapy was the impact factor for prognosis of advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma after induced chemotherapy. Conclusion: In addition to recurrence and metastasis, NBI vascular classification changes is the important impact factor for prognosis of advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma after induced chemotherapy. Patients with NBI vascular classification declines have significant survival benefit. The patients with advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma should be checked with NBI examination before and after induced chemotherapy. NBI should be included in the routine screening indicators for prognosis of advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma.