Keeping the ICRP recommendations fit for purpose

The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) has embarked on a review and revision of the system of Radiological Protection that will update the 2007 general recommendations in ICRPPublication 103. This is the beginning of a process that will take several years, involving open and transparent engagement with organisations and individuals around the world. While the system is robust and has performed well, it must adapt to address changes in science and society to remain fit for purpose. The aim of this paper is to encourage discussions on which areas of the system might gain the greatest benefit from review, and to initiate collaborative efforts. Increased clarity and consistency are high priorities. The better the system is understood, the more effectively it can be applied, resulting in improved protection and increased harmonisation. Many areas are identified for potential review including: classification of effects, with particular focus on tissue reactions; reformulation of detriment, potentially including non-cancer diseases; re-evaluation of the relationship between detriment and effective dose, and the possibility of defining detriments for males and females of different ages; individual variation in the response to radiation exposure; heritable effects; and effects and risks in non-human biota and ecosystems. Some of the basic concepts are also being considered, including the framework for bringing together protection of people and the environment, incremental improvements to the fundamental principles of justification and optimisation, a broader approach to protection of individuals, and clarification of the exposure situations introduced in 2007. In addition, ICRP is considering identifying where explicit incorporation of the ethical basis of the system would be beneficial, how to better reflect the importance of communications and stakeholder involvement, and further advice on education and training. ICRP invites responses on these and other areas relating to the review of the System of Radiological Protection.

Design and development of multilayer cotton masks via machine learning

With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, reusable high-performance cloth masks are recommended for the public to minimize virus spread and alleviate the demand for disposable surgical masks. However, the approach to design a high-performance cotton mask is still unclear. In this study, we aimed to find out the relationship between fabric properties and mask performance via experimental design and machine learning. Our work is the first reported work of employing machine learning to develop protective face masks. Here, we analyzed the characteristics of Egyptian cotton (EC) fabrics with different thread counts and measured the efficacy of triple-layered masks with different layer combinations and stacking orders. The filtration efficiencies of the triple-layered masks were related to the cotton properties and the layer combination. Stacking EC fabrics in the order of thread count 100-300-100 provides the best particle filtration efficiency (45.4%) and bacterial filtration efficiency (98.1%). Furthermore, these key performance metrics were correctly predicted using machine-learning models based on the physical characteristics of the constituent EC layers using Lasso and XGBoost machine-learning models. Our work showed that the machine learning-based prediction approach can be generalized to other material design problems to improve the efficiency of product development.

Genetic relationship analysis and molecular fingerprint identification of the tea germplasms from Guangxi Province, China

The tea plant (Camellia sinensis) is an evergreen woody plant with a high economic value. Guangxi Province is adjacent to the origin center of the tea plant in southern China. It has abundant germplasm resources and is a historically important tea-producing province. However, there is little information about the genetic diversity, genetic introgression, and fingerprints of the tea germplasms from Guangxi Province. Here, we constructed a phylogenetic tree of 126 tea accessions from Guangxi Province using 20 SSR markers. This tree classified these tea accessions into three subgroups containing 19, 47, and 60 members, respectively. High genetic similarity was observed among the three subgroups, and the genetic diversity of the populations was ranked as follows: subgroup 3 > subgroup 2 > subgroup 1. Furthermore, we analyzed the genetic relationships among 168 tea accessions from Guangxi Province and neighboring provinces. The results of the population structure analysis were highly consistent with the clustering results, and genetic introgression was observed. We identified six SSRs as the core marker set, because they could sufficiently distinguish between all 126 tea accessions. The results provide a crucial theoretical basis for utilization and protection of tea germplasms from Guangxi Province, and will help improve the breeding and popularization of elite tea cultivars.

[Effects of radical radiotherapy combined with different regimens of chemotherapy on radiation intestinal injury in patients with non-metastatic anal squamous cell carcinoma]

Objective: To investigate the effects of radical radiotherapy combined with different chemotherapy regimens (fluorouracil-based versus docetaxel plus cisplatin) on the incidence of radiation intestinal injury and the prognosis in patients with non-metastatic anal squamous cell carcinoma. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted to recruit non-metastatic anal squamous cell carcinoma patients who underwent chemoradiotherapy in the Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University and Nanfang Hospital from July 2013 to January 2021. Inclusion criteria: (1) newly diagnosed anal and perianal squamous cell carcinoma; (2) completed radical radiotherapy combined with concurrent chemotherapy; (3) tumor could be evaluated before radiotherapy. Exclusion criteria: (1) no imaging evaluation before treatment, or the tumor stage could not be determined; (2) patients undergoing local or radical resection before radiotherapy; (3) distant metastasis occurred before or during treatment; (4) recurrent anal squamous cell carcinoma. A total of 55 patients (48 from the Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University and 7 from Nanfang Hospital) were given fluorouracil (the 5-FU group, n=34) or docetaxel combined with the cisplatin (the TP group, n=21). The evaluation of radiation intestinal injury, hematological toxicity and 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate were compared between the two groups. The effects of chemotherapy regimen and other clinicopathological factors on the incidence and severity of acute and chronic radiation intestinal injury were analyzed. The assessment of radiation intestinal injury was based on the American Cancer Radiotherapy Cooperation Group (RTOG) criteria. Results: During radiotherapy and within 3 months after radiotherapy, a total of 45 patients developed acute radiation intestinal injury, including 18 cases of grade 1 (32.7%), 22 cases of grade 2 (40.0%) and 5 cases of grade 3 (9.1%). No patient developed chronic radiation intestinal injury. Among the 34 patients in the 5-FU group, 21 had grade 2-3 radiation intestinal injury (21/34, 61.8%), which was significantly higher than that in the TP group (6/21, 28.6%) (χ(2)=5.723, P=0.017). Multivariate analysis showed that 5-FU chemotherapy regimen was an independent risk factor for radiation intestinal injury (HR=4.038, 95% CI: 1.250-13.045, P=0.020). With a median follow-up period of 26 (5-94) months, the 3-year DFS rate of patients in TP group and 5-FU group was 66.8% and 77.9%, respectively, whose difference was not significant (P=0.478). Univariate analysis showed that the DFS rate was associated with sex, age, tumor location, T stage, N stage, and induction chemotherapy (all P<0.05), while the DFS rate was not associated with chemotherapy regimen or radiation intestinal injury (both P>0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that age ≥ 50 years old was an independent risk factor affecting the prognosis of patients (HR=8.301, 95% CI: 1.130-60.996, P=0.038). Conclusions: For patients with non-metastatic anal squamous cell carcinoma, radical radiotherapy combined with TP chemotherapy regimen can significantly reduce the incidence of radiation intestinal injury as compared to 5-FU regimen. However, due to the short follow-up time, the effect of different chemotherapy regimens on the prognosis is not yet clear.

[Clinical and prognostic study of anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis children with paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity syndrome]

The data of clinical characteristics, medical cost and prognosis of 22 anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (anti-NMDAR) encephalitis children from the Department of Neurology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics between May 2018 and January 2021 were analyzed, and 6 of them occurred paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity syndrome (PSH). It was found that the anti-NMDAR encephalitis children with PSH had severer consciousness disorder [median Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score at admission: 7.5], longer duration of consciousness disorder (median time: 53 days), higher hospitalization cost (median cost: 230 000 RMB), severer neurological injury at onset [median modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score at admission: 4], and longer recovery time of neurological function (median time of mRS score recovered to 0-2: 7 months), compared with those without PSH (all P<0.05). Therefore, more attention should be paid to sympathetic excited symptoms of anti NMDAR encephalitis, and thus identify and intervene early on PSH to reduce the neurological damage and economic burden.

[Analysis of the clinical effects and outcome of patients with double-hit high-risk multiple myeloma]

Objective: To compare the clinical features, clinical efficacy, and prognosis of patients with double-hit and non-double-hit high-risk multiple myeloma (MM) and explored the clinical significance of high-risk cell karyotype in MM development. Methods: The clinical data of 73 high-risk MM patients admitted to the Department of Hematology of Fujian Provincial Hospital from January 2011 to February 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization was used to detect their karyotypes. Based on mSMART 3.0 risk stratification, we divided the patients into a double-hit group (28 cases) and a non-double-hit group (45 cases). Results: Fifteen patients in the double-hit group and 26 in the non-double-hit group received bortezomib-based chemotherapy. The median progression-free survival (PFS) in the double-hit and the non-double-hit groups was 8.0 months and 22.0 months, and the median overall survival (OS) was 10.0 months and not reached, respectively. Ten patients in the double-hit group and 12 in the non-double-hit group received bortezomib combined with lenalidomide (RVD) chemotherapy. The median PFS in the double-hit group and the non-double-hit group was 12.0 months and 24.0 months, and the median OS was 14.0 months and not reached, correspondingly. Both the PFS and OS of the double-hit group were significantly shorter than those of the non-double-hit group (P<0.05). Univariate analysis results indicated that cytogenetic abnormalities, revised-international staging system (R-ISS), β2 microglobulin, and calcium had significant effects on PFS in high-risk MM patients (P<0.05). The cytogenetic abnormalities, R-ISS, and β2 microglobulin were associated with OS in high-risk MM patients (P=0.001). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the cytogenetic grouping was an independent prognostic factor for OS and PFS in high-risk MM patients. The risk of disease progression was 3.160 times (95% CI: 1.364-7.318) and the risk of death was 2.966 times higher (95%CI: 1.205-7.306) in the double-hit group than those in the non-double-hit group. Calcium was an independent risk factor for PFS in the high-risk MM patients. Notably, the risk of disease progression in patients with calcium levels≥ 2.75 mmol/L was 2.667 times higher than that in patients with calcium<2.75 mmol/L (95% CI: 1.209-5.883). Conclusions: Double-hit patients are a highly specific group with worse high-risk MM prognosis. In such patients, the relapse is more common, the disease progression is faster, and the survival time is shorter than those in the non-double-hit patients.

Can buccal infiltration of articaine replace traditional inferior alveolar nerve block for the treatment of mandibular molars in pediatric patients?: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

It is unclear if buccal articaine infiltration can be used as an alternative to standard inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) for treating mandibular molars in pediatric patients. Therefore, this study aimed to pool evidence to compare the efficacy of buccal infiltration of articaine vs IANB with lignocaine for pediatric dental procedures.

Material and Methods

We searched the PubMed, Embase, ScienceDirect, CENTRAL, and Google Scholar databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the two techniques in pediatric patients and reporting the success of anesthesia and/or pain during treatment. PRISMA guidelines were followed.

Results

Seven RCTs were included. Pooled analysis of five studies indicated no statistically significant difference in the success rates of the two anesthetic techniques (OR: 1.02; 95% CI: 0.13, 7.96; I2=69%, p=0.98). Meta-analysis of data from the four studies demonstrated no statistically significant difference in pain during the procedure with buccal infiltration of articaine or IANB with lignocaine (SMD: 0.62; 95% CI: -1.37, 0.12; I2=88%, p=0.10).

Conclusions

Evidence suggests that buccal infiltration of articaine is a viable alternative to IANB with lignocaine in pediatric patients for treating mandibular molars. Based on the confidence intervals, there may be a tendency of higher success rates with buccal infiltration of articaine.

Key words:Lignocaine, articaine, primary dentition, children, molars.

Non-negligible clinical relevance of haemorrhagic transformation after endovascular thrombectomy with successful reperfusion in acute ischaemic stroke

AIM

To explore the association between haemorrhagic transformation (HT) subtypes and functional outcome in acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) patients with successful recanalization treated by endovascular thrombectomy (EVT).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Consecutive patients with AIS due to large-vessel occlusion in the anterior circulation, who were treated between January 2015 and June 2019 and achieved successful EVT, were enrolled in this retrospective study. HT was categorized according to the Heidelberg Bleeding Classification. Functional outcome was evaluated using the 90-day modified Rankin Scale (mRS) after stroke onset. Ordinal logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the association of HT subtypes with functional outcomes.

RESULTS

A total of 243 patients were included for further analysis. Among them, 121 (49.8%) had HT. Ten (4.1%) patients were classified as haemorrhagic infarction (HI) subtype 1, 61 (25.1%) as HI subtype 2, 17 (7.0%) as parenchymal haematoma (PH) subtype 1, and 33 (13.6%) as PH subtype 2. Ordinal logistic regression analysis suggested that HI subtype 2 (adjusted common OR 0.357, 95% CI: 0.192-0.667), PH1 (adjusted common OR 0.254, 95% CI: 0.093-0.696) and PH subtype 2 (adjusted common OR 0.017, 95% CI: 0.006-0.051) were significantly associated with poor functional outcomes.

CONCLUSION

The present study shows that HI subtype 2, PH subtype 1, and PH subtype 2 are independently associated with poor clinical outcomes in AIS patients with successful recanalization after EVT.

Plasma metabolomics in perioperative period of defect repair in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with congenital heart disease

Background

The pathophysiological alterations in response to shunt correction in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with congenital heart disease (CHD-PAH) is still not clear.

Purpose

To explore the dynamic plasma metabolite profiling and its relationship with clinical characteristics in patients with CHD-PAH during the perioperative period of defect repair.

Methods

Plasma samples from 13 patients with CHD-PAH were harvested at four time points: before cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) after anesthesia (Pre), immediately after CPB (T0), 24 h (T24), and 48 h (T48) after defect repair. The untargeted metabolomics strategy based on UPLC Q-TOF MS was used to detect the metabolites. Clinical measures were recorded at indicated time points.

Results

The sample distribution at four time points was well separated (Figure 1A, B). 193 metabolites were distinguished at different time points according to Variable Important in Projection (VIP) score (Figure 1C), enriched in pathways such as carnitine synthesis, phospholipid biosynthesis and oxidation of branched chain fatty acids (Figure 2A). 17 metabolites alterations were significantly correlated with gradients in mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) at T48 versus Pre, indicative of the response to defect correction (Figure 2B). Intriguingly, 4 out of the 17 (23.5%) metabolites including propionylcarnitine, butenylcarnitine, isobutyryl-L-carnitine and hexanoylcarnitine were enriched in oxidation of branched chain fatty acids. They were increased at both T24 and T48 (all P&lt;0.05 except propionylcarnitine with P&lt;0.05 at T24) (Figure 2C).

Conclusions

This is the first study to show the altered metabolic profiles of CHD-PAH patients in perioperative period of defect repair. Metabolites that respond to shunt correction could be a suitable non-invasive marker and would be of great value in disease monitoring and evaluating future therapeutic interventions.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: Foundation. Main funding source(s): 13th Five-Year Plan–Precise Medicine–Key Research and Development Program–Clinical Cohort of Rare Disease; National Natural Science Foundation of China Figure 1. Overall analysis of metabolitesFigure 2. Shunt correction associated metabolites

Adipose-derived exosomes impairs endothelial transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 channels and elevates blood pressure in abdominal obesity

Aim

Large epidemiological studies have found that abdominal obesity is a strong risk factor for hypertension. Impaired endothelium-dependent vasodilation is a hallmark of obesity-induced hypertension. Adipose-derived exosomes can regulate distant tissues as novel adipokines, providing a new mechanism for cell-cell interactions. However, the effects of adipose-derived exosomes on obesity-induced hypertension are unknown.

Methods

We extracted three adipose-derived exosomes, including high-fat diet (HFD) mouse serum exosome, adipose tissue exosome, and adipose-derived stem cell exosome, and further explored their effects on endothelium-dependent vasodilation in vivo and in vitro.

Results

Impairment of endothelial transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) channel activity and vasodilation were observed in the arteries from abdominal obesity patients. Ca2+ influx through TRPV4 channels at myoendothelial projections to smooth muscle cells decreases resting blood pressure in nonobese mice, a response that is diminished in HFD mice. Administration of three exosomes elevated blood pressure by promoting artery endothelial barrier permeability, impairing the expression of adherens junctions, and aggravating inflammatory response in vivo and in vitro, accompanied by TRPV4/Ca2+ pathway inhibition.

Conclusions

Impairment of endothelial TRPV4 channels contributes to obesity-induced hypertension and imply that HFD-induced obesity plays a role in blood pressure by aggravating the artery endothelial barrier injury and inflammatory response via adipose-derived exosomes, at least partially, through inhibiting the TRPV4/Ca2+ pathway.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: None. Main funding source(s): This research was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81970262) (P.J.W.), Innovation Team Project Department of Education of Sichuan Province (18TD0030) (PJW), Central Funds Guiding the Local Science and Technology Development of Sichuan Province (2020ZYD036, P.W.), and grants from the Scientific Research Fund of Chengdu Medical College (CYZYB20-07) (J.W.).

Follistatin-like 3 (FSTL3) levels are increased in acute heart failure patients

Introduction

Follistatin-like 3 (FSTL3) is a secreted protein that has been suggested to play an important role in modulating cardiac remodeling and hypertrophy. In this study, we aim to determine whether: 1) FSTL3 is incrementally elevated in patients with HF vs those with other cardiovascular disease (CVD); and 2) increased FSTL3 is associated with 2 or more hospital admissions due to major adverse CV events (MACE) within 1 year.

Methods and results

We measured circulating levels of FSTL3 using commercially available ELISA (R&D systems) in a total of n=696 patients. FSTL3 levels were compared between: 1) healthy-aging volunteers with no prior major CVD (n=267, age 67±6 years) and 2) patients admitted to cardiology unit for various CVD (n=429, age 66±14 years); among those (n=178, age 68±13 years) had HF. Patients with HF had 2-fold higher FSTL3 levels vs healthy age-matched controls vs those with other CVD (p&lt;0.001). Occurrences of MACE were recorded up to 1 year for patients admitted to cardiology unit. On univariate analyses, patient with 2 or more MACE within 1 year (n=91, 27%) had significant elevated FSTL3 levels (P=0.003), is associated with older age (P&lt;0.005). On multivariate analysis, high FSTL3 levels (P=0.034) is an independent predictor of 2 or more MACE admissions within 1 year after adjusting for age, clinical comorbidities and medications.

Conclusions

FSTL3 is incrementally increased in patients with HF and is associated with poorer prognosis. Elevated FSTL3 levels is associated with increased risks of cardiac hospital readmissions for patients with multiple CV morbidities.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): NSW Ministry of Health EMC Fellowship (Australia)

Exploring optimal heart team protocol to improve decision-making stability for complex coronary artery disease: a sequential explanatory mixed method study

Background

Although heart team was recommended by guideline for decision-making in patients with complex coronary artery disease (CAD), the decision-making stability was lack of evaluation and optimal protocol remained unknown.

Purpose

We aimed to assess inter-team agreement for revascularization decision-making and related influencing factors, so as to provide recommendations for optimal protocol.

Methods

A sequential, explanatory mixed method study was conducted, including (1) a cross-sectional study retrospectively enrolling patients with complex CAD and four heart teams to assess the inter-team decision-making agreement and (2) a qualitative study that semi-structurally interviewed all heart team members to analyze the potential factors associated with decision-making discrepancy. Primary outcome was kappa value of inter-team decision-making agreement. Inductive thematic analysis was used to generate themes and subthemes attributing to decision-making discrepancy. Integrating qualitative and quantitative data, we explained how each subtheme affected decision-making agreement and provided corresponding recommendations based on these explanations. Finally, we provided a detailed heart team protocol by integrating our recommendations, published experience and guideline. Patient sample size was precalculated and interviewee sample size was identified by theoretical saturation.

Results

A total of 101 patients with complex CAD were randomly enrolled from a consecutive angiography registry. Sixteen specialists were invited and randomly established four heart teams to make decisions for enrolled patients. Inter-team decision-making agreement was moderate (kappa 0.582) (Table 1). Decision-making may be influenced at three themes (specialist quality; team composition; meeting process) and ten subthemes (decision thought; understanding of disease and evidence; understanding of other discipline; personality; learning curve; personnel quality; number of team members; discipline selection; ratio of different disciplines and meeting form). Recommendations at five levels were provided, including (1) specialist selection, (2) specialist training, (3) team composition, (4) team training and (5) meeting process. A detailed implementation protocol to establish and deploy a qualified heart team was generated.

Conclusions

Agreement between heart teams for revascularization decision-making in patients with complex CAD was moderate. Five recommendations to improve heart team modality were provided based on factors associated with decision-making discrepancy. A detailed heart team implementation protocol came into being. Randomized controlled trial was warranted to further confirm the protocol.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): the national key research and development program;Beijing municipal commission of science and technology project Table 1. Inter-team agreement of decision making

Branching Fraction Measurements of the Rare B_{s}^{0}→ϕμ^{+}μ^{-} and B_{s}^{0}→f_{2}^{'}(1525)μ^{+}μ^{-} Decays

The branching fraction of the rare B_{s}^{0}→ϕμ^{+}μ^{-} decay is measured using data collected by the LHCb experiment at center-of-mass energies of 7, 8, and 13 TeV, corresponding to integrated luminosities of 1, 2, and 6  fb^{-1}, respectively. The branching fraction is reported in intervals of q^{2}, the square of the dimuon invariant mass. In the q^{2} region between 1.1 and 6.0  GeV^{2}/c^{4}, the measurement is found to lie 3.6 standard deviations below a standard model prediction based on a combination of light cone sum rule and lattice QCD calculations. In addition, the first observation of the rare B_{s}^{0}→f_{2}^{'}(1525)μ^{+}μ^{-} decay is reported with a statistical significance of 9 standard deviations and its branching fraction is determined.

Integrated metabolic phenotypes and gene expression profiles revealed the effect of spreading on aroma volatiles formation in postharvest leaves of green tea

Spreading is an indispensable process in the aroma formation of premium green tea. In this study, volatile metabolomics and transcriptomics were performed for three tea plant cultivars to investigate the mechanism of changes occurring in volatile compounds during green tea spreading. The content of primary aroma compounds significantly increased after spreading, the Wickremasinghe-Yamanishi ratio decreased and the Owuor's flavor index increased with the extension of spreading time, and the degree of aroma production was genotype-dependent. Volatile terpenes and fatty acid-derived volatiles were the principal aroma volatiles that accumulated during the spreading of green tea, and the trends of their changes were consistent with the expression pattern of related synthesis pathway genes, indicating that they were primarily derived from de novo synthesis rather than glycoside hydrolysis. Two co-expression networks that were highly correlated with variations in the volatile component contents during the spreading process were identified via WGCNA. Our results provide insights into spreading that can be considered to improve the quality of green tea.

Tributyrin supplementation in pasteurized waste milk: Effects on growth performance, health, and blood parameters of dairy calves

This study evaluated the effects of incremental tributyrin supplementation in pasteurized waste milk on growth performance, health, and blood metabolism of dairy calves before and after weaning. Forty-eight newborn female Holstein dairy calves (39.6 ± 2.75 kg; mean ± standard deviation) were blocked by age and randomly assigned to 3 treatments: pasteurized waste milk (1) without supplementation, (2) with 1 g/L of tributyrin products (unprotected solid powder; containing 35% tributyrin), or (3) with 2 g/L of tributyrin products. The calves were weaned on d 56 and were raised until d 77. Data were analyzed for the preweaning, postweaning, and overall periods. The results showed that starter intake and hay intake were not different among treatments in any period of the trial, but the crude protein intake tended to increase linearly with tributyrin supplementation during the overall period. Although tributyrin supplementation had no effects on body weight during preweaning and overall periods, body weight increased linearly with tributyrin supplementation postweaning. The average daily gain tended to increase linearly during postweaning and overall periods. No effects were observed on feed efficiency in any period. A positive linear relationship between body length and tributyrin supplementation was observed during the postweaning period, but no differences were found for the other body structural measurements in any period. The results of diarrhea showed that tributyrin concentration had a negative linear relationship with diarrhea frequency during preweaning and overall periods. The rectal temperature did not differ among treatments in any period, but a treatment × week effect for rectal body temperature was observed. For blood metabolism, tributyrin supplementation had no effects on insulin, growth hormone, total protein, albumin, or globulin. No differences were found in serum amyloid A concentration in any of the periods, yet haptoglobin concentration decreased linearly with increasing tributyrin concentration during postweaning and overall periods. Endothelin concentration showed a tendency to decrease linearly during preweaning and postweaning periods and decreased linearly with tributyrin supplementation during the overall period. An increasing tributyrin concentration was associated with a negative linear relationship with IL-1β concentration during the preweaning period, and no differences were found in the other periods. The concentration of IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor α were not different among treatments in any of the periods. These data suggest that increasing the concentration of tributyrin in pasteurized waste milk could increase growth performance and health of dairy calves, and incremental tributyrin supplementation could linearly reduce haptoglobin, endothelin, and IL-1β concentrations, indicating a positive effect of tributyrin on alleviating oxidative stress and inflammatory status of dairy calves. Calves fed pasteurized waste milk supplemented with tributyrin products (containing 35% tributyrin) at 2 g/L compared with 1 g/L of milk had more improved growth and health.

Interrupting TGF-β1/CCN2/integrin-α5β1 signaling alleviates high mechanical-stress caused chondrocyte fibrosis

OBJECTIVE

Mechanical-stress has been reported to trigger cartilage fibrosis, in which transforming growth factor (TGF)-β and connective tissue growth factor (CCN2) are involved. However, the function of integrin-α5β1, a cytomembrane receptor, on mechanical-stress related fibrosis has not yet been elucidated. This study aims to reveal the interaction of TGF-β1/CCN2/integrin-α5β1 in the mechanical-stress induced chondrocyte (CH) fibrosis.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We used different levels (5% and 10%) of cyclic tension simulation (CTS) to stretch CHs and observed the gene expression of TGF-β1/CCN2/integrin-α5β1 as well as the fibrous related genes containing collagen I/II/III, Runx2, MMP13, and ADAMTS-5 by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) or immunofluorescence. We used the siRNA or the corresponding antagonist of TGF-β1, CCN2, integrin-α5β1 during the CTS to clear the effect of them in the fibrosis progress. In addition, to verify the crosstalk between TGF-β1, CCN2, and integrin-α5β1, we used the recombinant human (rh)-TGF-β1 and CCN2 to culture CHs without CST.

RESULTS

24 hours-10% CTS was sufficient to induce a decrease of collagen II and increase the collagen I/III, Runx2, MMP13, and ADAMTS-5 gene expression. Under CTS, TGF-β1 silencing resulted in a decline of CCN2, integrin-α5β1, and alleviated the CHs fibrosis. Apart from this, blocking CCN2 or integrin-α5β1 expression also contributed to the suppression of 10% CTS induced CHs fibrosis. Meanwhile, the exogenic protein supplement raised the cellular TGF-β1 or CCN2 expression and increased the integrin-α5β1 mRNA level. However, the downregulation of TGF-β1 or CCN2 did not affect integrin-α5β1 expression, whether the CTS exited or not.

CONCLUSIONS

High mechanical-stress induces CHs fibrosis via the activation of TGF-β1/CCN2/integrin-α5β1 signaling, and interrupting the TGF-β1, CCN2, or integrin-α5β1 expression can alleviate the fibrous process.

Lysophosphatidic acid receptor 6 regulated by miR-27a-3p attenuates tumor proliferation in breast cancer

Purpose

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a bioactive molecule which participates in many physical and pathological processes. Although LPA receptor 6 (LPAR6), the last identified LPA receptor, has been reported to have diverse effects in multiple cancers, including breast cancer, its effects and functioning mechanisms are not fully known.

Methods

Multiple public databases were used to investigate the mRNA expression of LPAR6, its prognostic value, and potential mechanisms in breast cancer. Western blotting was performed to validate the differential expression of LPAR6 in breast cancer tissues and their adjacent tissues. Furthermore, in vitro experiments were used to explore the effects of LPAR6 on breast cancer. Additionally, TargetScan and miRWalk were used to identify potential upstream regulating miRNAs and validated the relationship between miR-27a-3p and LPAR6 via real-time polymerase chain reaction and an in vitro rescue assay.

Results

LPAR6 was significantly downregulated in breast cancer at transcriptional and translational levels. Decreased LPAR6 expression in breast cancer is significantly correlated with poor overall survival, disease-free survival, and distal metastasis-free survival, particularly for hormone receptor-positive patients, regardless of lymph node metastatic status. In vitro gain and loss-of-function assays indicated that LPAR6 attenuated breast cancer cell proliferation. The analyses of TCGA and METABRIC datasets revealed that LPAR6 may regulate the cell cycle signal pathway. Furthermore, the expression of LPAR6 could be positively regulated by miR-27a-3p. The knockdown of miR-27a-3p increased cell proliferation, and ectopic expression of LPAR6 could partly rescue this phenotype.

Conclusion

LPAR6 acts as a tumor suppressor in breast cancer and is positively regulated by miR-27a-3p.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12094-021-02704-8.

Observation of the Mass Difference between Neutral Charm-Meson Eigenstates

A measurement of mixing and CP violation in neutral charm mesons is performed using data reconstructed in proton-proton collisions collected by the LHCb experiment from 2016 to 2018, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.4  fb^{-1}. A total of 30.6 million D^{0}→K_{S}^{0}π^{+}π^{-} decays are analyzed using a method optimized for the measurement of the mass difference between neutral charm-meson eigenstates. Allowing for CP violation in mixing and in the interference between mixing and decay, the mass and decay-width differences are measured to be x_{CP}=[3.97±0.46(stat)±0.29(syst)]×10^{-3} and y_{CP}=[4.59±1.20(stat)±0.85(syst)]×10^{-3}, respectively. The CP-violating parameters are measured as Δx=[-0.27±0.18(stat)±0.01(syst)]×10^{-3} and Δy=[0.20±0.36(stat)±0.13(syst)]×10^{-3}. This is the first observation of a nonzero mass difference in the D^{0} meson system, with a significance exceeding seven standard deviations. The data are consistent with CP symmetry and improve existing constraints on the associated parameters.

Optimization of the Water and Fertilizer of Rice in the Cold Field and the Biochar Application Amount Based on RAGA Model

This paper proposes an optimization method based on the RAGA model. Taking rice from a cold area as the research object, this article selects irrigation volume, nitrogen application volume, and biochar application volume as experimental factors, and rice yield, water use efficiency, greenhouse gas emission comprehensive warming potential as influencing indicators. The research design is D311 Field trials by 3 factors of 5 levels of saturation. Hence, we can obtain the data on rice yield, water use efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions and comprehensive warming potential under different levels of water and fertilizer, and biochar application, and regression equations were established respectively. The RAGA model was used to simulate the regression equations. The optimal combination of water and fertilizer, and biochar was obtained as follows: irrigation amount is 7230 m3.hm-2, nitrogen fertilizer application amount is 92.13 kg.hm-2, and biochar application amount is 30 t.hm-2. The optimal rice yield obtained under this combination is 9452.20 kg.hm-2. The water use efficiency is 1.94 kg.m-3, and the comprehensive warming potential of greenhouse gas emissions is 4546.73 kg.hm-2. The combined application of water and fertilizer, and biochar optimized by this model can provide a theoretical basis for achieving high yield, water-saving, and emission reduction of rice in cold areas, and it can also provide a reliable calculation method and idea for solving similar optimization problems in the field of agricultural production.

N95 respirator decontamination: a study in reusability

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had caused a severe depletion of the worldwide supply of N95 respirators. The development of methods to effectively decontaminate N95 respirators while maintaining their integrity is crucial for respirator regeneration and reuse. In this study, we systematically evaluated five respirator decontamination methods using vaporized hydrogen peroxide (VHP) or ultraviolet (254 nm wavelength, UVC) radiation. Through testing the bioburden, filtration, fluid resistance, and fit (shape) of the decontaminated respirators, we found that the decontamination methods using BioQuell VHP, custom VHP container, Steris VHP, and Sterrad VHP effectively inactivated Cardiovirus (3-log10 reduction) and bacteria (6-log10 reduction) without compromising the respirator integrity after 2-15 cycles. Hope UVC system was capable of inactivating Cardiovirus (3-log10 reduction) but exhibited relatively poorer bactericidal activity. These methods are capable of decontaminating 10-1000 respirators per batch with varied decontamination times (10-200 min). Our findings show that N95 respirators treated by the previously mentioned decontamination methods are safe and effective for reuse by industry, laboratories, and hospitals.

Observation of New Resonances Decaying to J/ψK^{+} and J/ψϕ

The first observation of exotic states with a new quark content cc[over ¯]us[over ¯] decaying to the J/ψK^{+} final state is reported with high significance from an amplitude analysis of the B^{+}→J/ψϕK^{+} decay. The analysis is carried out using proton-proton collision data corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 9  fb^{-1} collected by the LHCb experiment at center-of-mass energies of 7, 8, and 13 TeV. The most significant state, Z_{cs}(4000)^{+}, has a mass of 4003±6_{-14}^{+4}  MeV, a width of 131±15±26  MeV, and spin parity J^{P}=1^{+}, where the quoted uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. A new 1^{+}  X(4685) state decaying to the J/ψϕ final state is also observed with high significance. In addition, the four previously reported J/ψϕ states are confirmed and two more exotic states, Z_{cs}(4220)^{+} and X(4630), are observed with significance exceeding 5 standard deviations.

Acetate promotes lipogenesis in adipocytes but not in hepatocytes of chickens

1.The role of acetate in lipogenesis of chickens remains largely unknown. This trial investigated the effect of sodium acetate (SA) on chicken fat metabolism via in vivo and in vitro experiments.2.The results indicated that supplementation of SA (1.0 g/kg feed) showed marginal to moderate stimulation on the area of the abdominal fat cells and triglyceride (TG) content in liver and adipose tissues. It increased the transcription of some genes involved in fat synthesis and deposition, but did not affect free fatty acid receptor 2 (FFAR2) expression in either liver or abdominal fat.3. In cultured hepatocytes treated with 0.01 mM to 5 mM SA, although mRNA levels of ACC1, PPAR, SREBP-1 c, and FFAR2 were upregulated with SA at certain concentrations, TG content and protein expression of lipogenic genes and FFAR2 were not altered at any dosages. In adipogenic differentiation of preadipocytes, high concentrations of SA (5 mM) exhibited significant increments in TG content and accumulated fat droplets, associated with stimulated transcription of FAS, LPL, AD, FABP4, and FFAR2, as well as elevated protein expression of FABP4 and FFAR2.4. The results showed that adipocytes were more sensitive to acetate than hepatocytes in chickens. While acetate played a minor role in hepatic fat metabolism, it promoted lipogenesis in adipocytes via FFAR2 with the involvement of FAS, LPL, and FABP4.

Micromagnetic simulation of microstructure effect for binary-main-phase Nd-Ce-Fe-B magnets

We investigate the magnetic properties of a chemically heterogeneous binary-main-phase (BMP) Nd-Ce-Fe-B magnet with a core-shell structure via micromagnetic simulation. It is found that the coercivity strongly depends on the shell thickness. The BMP magnet's coercivity initially increases and then decreases with increasing Nd-rich shell thickness, and so there is the optimal shell thickness which shows the maximum coercivity for any given Ce concentration. The simulation shows the significant difference in coercivity and maximum energy product between the BMP and single-main-phase magnets. Notably, the magnetization reversal mechanism of the BMP magnet is revealed in the simulation. Local reversals in the BMP magnet first occur in the Ce-rich shells, followed by the Nd-rich cores. Then, the magnetization in Ce-rich core/Nd-rich shell typed grains is switched after reversed magnetization of all the Nd-rich core/Ce-rich shell typed grains. The BMP magnet represents a further increased coercivity for a larger GB thickness, which can be well explained by a maximum stray field.

Long-term outcomes of lobectomy for papillary thyroid carcinoma with high-risk features

BACKGROUND

Lobectomy is not advocated for papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) with high-risk features, although there is no high-level evidence showing that this is an inferior strategy. This study aimed to examine the association between the extent of surgery and survival of patients with PTC and high-risk features.

METHODS

Consecutive patients with PTC and at least one high-risk feature treated in 2000-2012 were included in the study. High-risk features were defined as: primary tumour larger than 4 cm, gross extrathyroidal extension, macroscopic multifocality, and confirmed nodal metastasis including pathological lateral neck metastasis (pN1b) or more than five central lymph node metastases. Cox proportional hazards models were employed to measure the association between the extent of surgery and disease-specific survival (DSS) in the whole cohort and in a matched-pair analysis.

RESULTS

Among a total of 2059 patients with high-risk features, 1224 underwent lobectomy and 835 had total thyroidectomy. Patients who underwent total thyroidectomy had significantly higher rates of bilateral cancer than those who had a lobectomy (79.4 versus 2.7 per cent respectively), macroscopic multifocality (80.8 versus 32.8 per cent) and bilateral neck metastasis (30.9 versus 3.3 per cent) (all P < 0.001). With a median follow-up of 93 months, multivariable analysis showed that the extent of surgery was not associated with DSS in the whole cohort (hazard ratio 1.36, 95 per cent c.i. 0.75 to 2.48; P = 0.310). After 1 : 1 case-control matching of 528 patients, no significant difference between lobectomy and total thyroidectomy groups was observed with respect to the 10-year DSS rate (94.3 versus 95.2 per cent respectively; P = 0.323) or 10-year recurrence-free survival rate (75.8 versus 79.2 per cent; P = 0.784).

CONCLUSION

Lobectomy was not associated with significantly worse outcomes for patients with PTC and high-risk features.

P–371 Clinical value assessment between endometrial receptivity array and immune profiling in patients with implantation failure

Study question

To evaluate whether the pregnancy outcomes could be improved in implantation failure patients by endometrial receptivity array, endometrial immune profiling, or a combination of both.

Summary answer

There was no statistical difference between different endometrial receptivity evaluation and treatment in improving the clinical pregnancy rate.

What is known already

Both endometrial receptivity array and endometrial immune profiling were promised to improve the endometrial receptivity and subsequent clinical pregnancy. However, less is known about the efficiency between each other and whether the combination could further enhance their clinical value.

Study design, size, duration

Between November 2019 and September 2020, 143 women with a history of at least two or more consecutive implantation failure in IVF/ICSI treatment in Chengdu Xinan Gynecology Hospital were included. They were divided into three groups: ‘ERA + Immune Profiling’ (n = 70), ‘Immune Profiling’ (n = 41), and ‘ERA’ (n = 32).

Participants/materials, setting, methods

Inclusion criteria were age ≤ 38, with normal uterus and uterine cavity. All patients were suggested to evaluate endometrial receptivity by ERA test (Igenomix, Valencia, Spain) and endometrial immune profiling based on immunohistochemistry simultaneously, who would be free to choose each or both evaluation approaches. Personal Embryo Transfer and/or personal medical care were adopted according to evaluation results. Clinical pregnancy was confirmed by gestational sacs observed under ultrasonography.

Main results and the role of chance

The overall prevalence of displaced window of implantation (WOI) is 84.3%, and nearly 74.8% (83/111) patients were diagnosed as endometrial immune dysregulation. Clinical Pregnancy rate and embryonic implantation rate decreased in the ‘Immune Test’ groups, but without a statistical difference (P = 0.311, and 0.158, respectively). Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that different endometrial receptivity evaluation and treatment was not associated the clinical pregnancy rate, suggesting the performance of different endometrial receptivity evaluation and treatment is similar in improving the clinical pregnancy rate. Neither the immune profiling (CD56, P = 0.591; FOXP3, P = 0.195; CD68, P = 0.820; CD163, P = 0.926; CD1a, P = 0.561; CD57, P = 0.221; CD8, P = 0.427; CD138 CE, P = 0.372) nor histologic endometrial dating defined by Noyes criteria (P = 0.374) were associated with ERA phases.

Limitations, reasons for caution

Although the selection of evaluation approaches was based on patients’ willingness, the variances of baseline characteristics and immune profiling existed in different groups. The immunological treatment efficacy based on immune profiling was not evaluated before embryo transfer.

Wider implications of the findings: To our knowledge, this is the first study comparing the pregnancy outcomes after two typical endometrial receptivity evaluation approaches. The findings highlight the unsubstitutability for each assessment, indicating that both asynchronous and pathological WOI contribute to implantation failure.

Trial registration number

X2019004

[Determination of Salt Forms of New Psychoactive Substances by Ion Chromatography]

Objective To establish an ion chromatography method for the salt form determination of new psychoactive substances （NPS）. Methods The method of conducting qualitative and quantitative analysis of six types of organic acid ions （acetate ion, tartrate ion, maleate ion, oxalate ion, fumarate ion, citrate ion） and five types of inorganic anions （fluoride ion, chloride ion, nitrate ion, sulfate ion, phosphate ion） in NPS sample by ion chromatography was developed. The salt forms of 222 seized NPS samples （103 samples with synthetic cannabinoids, 81 samples with cathinones, 44 samples with phenylethylamines, 12 samples with tryptamines, 7 samples with phencyclidines, 6 samples with piperazines, 2 samples with aminoindenes, 26 samples with fentanyls and 43 samples with other types of NPS） were analyzed by this method. Results Each anion had good linearity in the corresponding linear range, the correlation coefficients （r） were greater than 0.999, the limits of detection were 0.01-0.05 mg/L, and the limits of quantitative were 0.1-0.5 mg/L. Except that 5F-BEPIRAPIM was hydrochloride, the salt forms of the other 102 synthetic cannabinoids were all base. The salt form of 81 cathinone samples, 44 phenylethylamine samples, 7 phencyclidine samples and 2 aminoindene samples were all hydrochloride. The salt forms of tryptamine samples included base, hydrochloride, fumarate and oxalate. The salt forms of piperazine samples included base and hydrochloride. The salt forms of fentanyl samples and samples of other types included base, hydrochloride and citrate. Conclusion Ion chromatography is a simple, accurate and efficient method for determining the salt form of NPS samples, which makes the qualitative and quantitative conclusions of NPS more scientific and rigorous.

Safety and efficacy of common vitamin D supplementation in primary hyperparathyroidism and coexistent vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency: a systematic review and meta-analysis

PURPOSE

Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is characterized by excessive secretion of parathyroid hormone (PTH). Vitamin D deficiency can stimulate parathyroid secretion. However, whether to correct vitamin D deficiency in patients with PHPT is controversial. We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of vitamin D replacement in patients with PHPT.

METHODS

We searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase. The relevant data were extracted from the included documents. The methodological items for non-randomized studies score entries were used for evaluation of quality. Review Manager 5.3 and Stata 12.0 were used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 11 articles were included with a total of 388 patients. The serum calcium mean difference (MD) was - 0.06 mg/dL [95% confidence interval (95% CI) - 0.16, 0.04]. Subgroup analysis showed that serum calcium levels did not change if the intervention time exceeded 1 month. The 24-h urinary calcium MD was 36.78 mg/day (95% CI - 37.15, 110.71), which indicated that there was no significant effect of vitamin D supplementation on 24-h urinary calcium levels. The MD of PTH was - 16.01 pg/mL (95% CI - 28.79, - 3.24). Subgroup analysis according to the intervention time showed that vitamin D intervention for more than 1 month significantly reduced PTH levels. The ALP MD was - 10.81 U/L (95% CI - 13.98, - 7.63), which indicated Vitamin D supplementation reduced its level. The MD of 25-hydroxyvitamin D was 22.09 μg/L (95% CI 15.01, 29.17), and no source of heterogeneity was found.

CONCLUSION

Vitamin D supplementation in patients with PHPT and vitamin D deficiency significantly reduces PTH and ALP levels without causing hypercalcemia and hypercalciuria.

A new antisarcoma strategy: multisubtype heat shock protein/peptide immunotherapy combined with PD-L1 immunological checkpoint inhibitors

Osteosarcoma, a common malignant tumor in orthopedics, often has a very poor prognosis after lung metastasis. Immunotherapy has not achieved much progress in the treatment because of the characteristics of solid tumors and immune environment of osteosarcoma. The tumor environment is rather essential for sarcoma treatment. Our previous study demonstrated that heat shock proteins could be used as antitumor vaccines by carrying tumor antigen peptides, and we hypothesize that an anti-osteosarcoma effect may be increased with an immune check point inhibitor (PD-L1 inhibitor) as a combination treatment strategy. The present study prepared a multisubtype mixed heat shock protein osteosarcoma vaccine (mHSP/peptide vaccine) and concluded that the mHSP/peptide vaccine was more effective than a single subtype heat shock protein, like Grp94. Therefore, we used the mHSP/peptide vaccine in combination with a PD-L1 inhibitor to treat osteosarcoma, and the deterioration of osteosarcoma was effectively hampered. The mechanism of combined therapy was investigated, and AKT expression participates with sarcoma lung metastasis. This study proposed an antisarcoma strategy via stimulation of the immune system as a further alternative approach for sarcoma treatment and elucidated the mechanism of combined therapy.

[Identification of Synthetic Cannabinoid 5F-EDMB-PICA in Suspicious Herbal Products]

Objective To study the qualitative analysis strategy for unknown synthetic cannabinoid in the suspicious herbal product when no reference substance is available. Methods The synthetic cannabinoid in herbal blend was extracted with methanol. The extract was concentrated by rotary evaporator and separated and purified by preparative liquid chromatography, to obtain high purity synthetic cannabinoid sample. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry （GC-MS）, ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry （UPLC-QTOF-MS） and nuclear magnetic resonance （NMR） were used to determine the structure of the prepared compound. Results High purity unknown sample （10 mg） was obtained by preparative liquid chromatography. The sample was analyzed by GC-MS, UPLC-TOF-MS and NMR, and through spectrum analysis, the unknown synthetic cannabinoid was determined as 5F-EDMB-PICA. Conclusion The method to extract unknown synthetic cannabinoid from low content herbal products by preparative liquid chromatography was established, and the structure of the unknown sample was identified by comprehensive use of GC-MS, UPLC-QTOF-MS and NMR. The information will assist forensic laboratories in identifying this substance or other compounds with similar structures in their casework.

Soft-Dielectron Excess in Proton-Proton Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV

A measurement of dielectron production in proton-proton (pp) collisions at sqrt[s]=13  TeV, recorded with the ALICE detector at the CERN LHC, is presented in this Letter. The data set was recorded with a reduced magnetic solenoid field. This enables the investigation of a kinematic domain at low dielectron (ee) invariant mass m_{ee} and pair transverse momentum p_{T,ee} that was previously inaccessible at the LHC. The cross section for dielectron production is studied as a function of m_{ee}, p_{T,ee}, and event multiplicity dN_{ch}/dη. The expected dielectron rate from hadron decays, called hadronic cocktail, utilizes a parametrization of the measured η/π^{0} ratio in pp and proton-nucleus collisions, assuming that this ratio shows no strong dependence on collision energy at low transverse momentum. Comparison of the measured dielectron yield to the hadronic cocktail at 0.15<m_{ee}<0.6  GeV/c^{2} and for p_{T,ee}<0.4  GeV/c indicates an enhancement of soft dielectrons, reminiscent of the "anomalous" soft-photon and soft-dilepton excess in hadron-hadron collisions reported by several experiments under different experimental conditions. The enhancement factor over the hadronic cocktail amounts to 1.61±0.13(stat)±0.17(syst,data)±0.34(syst,cocktail) in the ALICE acceptance. Acceptance-corrected excess spectra in m_{ee} and p_{T,ee} are extracted and compared with calculations of dielectron production from hadronic bremsstrahlung and thermal radiation within a hadronic many-body approach.

[Establishment of an indicator system for schistosomiasis transmission risk assessment after transmission interruption in Hubei Province based on the Delphi method]

OBJECTIVE

To establish an indicator system for assessment of schistosomiasis transmission risk after transmission interruption in Hubei Province, so as to provide insights into the precise control of schistosomiasis.

METHODS

The indicator system was preliminarily established based on data collection, literature review, expert interviews. Two rounds of expert consultation were performed. The indicator system was screened based on the importance, operability, sensitivity and comprehensive score of the indicators, and the weights of each indicator were calculated. The credibility of the Delphi method was evaluated by calculating the active coefficient of the experts, degree of expert authority and coordination levels of experts' opinions.

RESULTS

An indicator system for assessment of schistosomiasis transmission risk was preliminarily established, including 3 primary indicators, 12 secondary indicators and 44 tertiary indicators. A Delphi consultation was performed among 17 experts participating in schistosomiasis control, management and research. Following two rounds of consultation, a risk assessment indicator system was finally constructed, including 3 primary indicators, 10 secondary indicators and 35 tertiary indicators. Among the primary indicators, the variable with the highest normalized weight was the current status of schistosomiasis (0.420 2), followed by social factors (0.397 3) and natural environments (0.182 5). Among the secondary indicators, those with high combined weights included risk monitoring (0.142 3), current snail status (0.140 1), and current prevalence of human and livestock infections (0.137 8). Among the tertiary indicators, those with high combined weights included the positive rate of wild feces (0.049 8), the prevalence of snail infections (0.047 4), and the area of snail habitats submerged by floods (0.046 8). During the two-round consultation, the active coefficients of the experts were 85.00% and 100.00%, the degree of expert authority was both 0.75 and greater, and the coordination levels of experts' opinions were 0.405 to 0.521 and 0.592 to 0.695 (all P values < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

An indicator system for assessment of schistosomiasis transmission risk is successfully established after transmission interruption in Hubei Province based on the Delphi method, which provides insights into the identification of the schistosomiasis transmission risk and the targets for schistosomiasis control in Hubei Province.

[Association of sepM gene mutation with mutacin Ⅳ production by Streptococcus mutans]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the types of sepM gene mutations and their distribution in clinical isolates of Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) and explore the association of sepM gene mutation with the capacity of mutacin Ⅳ production by S. mutans.

OBJECTIVE

We assessed the capacity of mutacin Ⅳ production in 80 clinical isolates of S. mutans using an inhibition zone assay. The minimum spanning tree and phylogenetic tree of these isolates were constructed using core genome multilocus sequence typing and maximum likelihood method, respectively. GeneMarkS software was used to predict the coding genes of these isolates, and the predicted genes were blasted against the sepM gene sequence of the reference genome UA159 to determine sepM gene mutations and their distribution characteristics in the clinical isolates. The mutation types affecting mutacin Ⅳ production were identified by analyzing the differentially distributed mutations between mutacin Ⅳ-producing isolates and mutacin Ⅳ-free isolates and by comparing the inhibition zones between isolates with sepM gene mutations and those without mutations.

OBJECTIVE

Among the 80 clinical isolates of S. mutans, 25 isolates were capable of mutacin Ⅳ production and 55 did not produce mutacin Ⅳ. The minimum spanning tree showed that the allelic differences were less among the mutacin Ⅳproducing isolates than among the mutacin Ⅳ-free isolates, and the origins of the mutacin Ⅳ-producing isolates were similar. We identified a total of 34 single base mutations in the 80 clinical isolates, and among them, C31T (P=0.001), G533A (P < 0.001), C756T (P=0.025), and C1036T (P=0.003) showed significant differential distributions between the mutacin Ⅳ-producing and mutacin Ⅳ-free isolates. These differentially distributed mutations were positively correlated with the capacity of mutacin Ⅳ production of the bacteria.

OBJECTIVE

sepM gene mutations that affect the capacity of mutacin Ⅳ production are present in the clinical strains of S. mutans.

[Japan narrow-band imaging Expert Team type 2B colorectal cancer: consistency between endoscopic prediction and pathological diagnosis]

OBJECTIVE

To explore the potential factors that affect the accuracy of endoscopic diagnosis for Japan narrow-band imaging (NBI) Expert Team (JNET) type 2B colorectal lesions.

OBJECTIVE

The clinical data were collected from 261 patients with JNET type 2B colorectal lesions diagnosed in Nanfang Hospital between July, 2018 and July, 2021. We analyzed the macroscopic type, size, location or pit pattern classification of the lesions for their potential influence of the diagnostic accuracy of JNET type 2B lesions.

OBJECTIVE

The 261 lesions included 91 low-grade intramucosal neoplasia lesions (34.9%), 132 high-grade intramucosal neoplasia lesions (50.6%), 13 submucosal invasive cancer lesions (5.0%), and 25 deep submucosal invasive cancer lesions (9.6%). The coincidence rate between endoscopic prediction and pathological diagnosis of these lesions was 55.6% (145/ 261). The macroscopic type and size of the lesions were significantly associated with the diagnostic accuracy of JNET type 2B lesions (P < 0.001). There was a significant difference in the diagnostic accuracy among the lesions with different pit pattern types (P < 0.001).

OBJECTIVE

Both the macroscopic type and size affect the accuracy of endoscopic diagnosis of JNET type 2B colorectal lesions. JNET classification combined with pit pattern types can have better accuracy in predicting the pathological diagnosis of these lesions.

MiR-665 inhibits inflammatory response in microglia following spinal cord injury by targeting TREM2

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to uncover the role of microRNA-665 (miR-665) in protecting inflammatory response in microglia following spinal cord injury (SCI) and the underlying mechanism.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The serum levels of miR-665 and TREM2 (triggering receptor expressed on myeloid 2) in SCI patients (n=24) and healthy subjects (n=24) were detected by quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). Then, the serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). After lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induction in BV2 cells, the relative levels of miR-665 and TREM2 were detected by qRT-PCR, and relative levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in the culture medium were examined by ELISA. Next, TREM2, the target gene of miR-665, was determined by Dual-Luciferase reporter assay, and the relationship between the expression levels of TREM2 and miR-665 in SCI patients and BV2 cells was analyzed. Finally, the regulatory effects of miR-665 and TREM2 on IL-6 and TNF-α levels in the culture medium of LPS-induced BV2 cells were assessed.

RESULTS

It was found that miR-665 was downregulated in serum of SCI patients and LPS-induced BV2 cells, while TREM2 was upregulated. Silenced miR-665 or overexpressed TREM2 was involved in protecting inflammatory response following SCI. Besides, rescue experiments showed that miR-665 participated in the regulation of inflammatory response following SCI by targeting TREM2.

CONCLUSIONS

MiR-665 inhibits inflammatory response following SCI by targeting TREM2.

Fizeau drag in graphene plasmonics

Dragging of light by moving media was predicted by Fresnel¹ and verified by Fizeau's celebrated experiments² with flowing water. This momentous discovery is among the experimental cornerstones of Einstein's special relativity theory and is well understood^3,4 in the context of relativistic kinematics. By contrast, experiments on dragging photons by an electron flow in solids are riddled with inconsistencies and have so far eluded agreement with the theory^5-7. Here we report on the electron flow dragging surface plasmon polaritons^8,9 (SPPs): hybrid quasiparticles of infrared photons and electrons in graphene. The drag is visualized directly through infrared nano-imaging of propagating plasmonic waves in the presence of a high-density current. The polaritons in graphene shorten their wavelength when propagating against the drifting carriers. Unlike the Fizeau effect for light, the SPP drag by electrical currents defies explanation by simple kinematics and is linked to the nonlinear electrodynamics of Dirac electrons in graphene. The observed plasmonic Fizeau drag enables breaking of time-reversal symmetry and reciprocity¹⁰ at infrared frequencies without resorting to magnetic fields^11,12 or chiral optical pumping^13,14. The Fizeau drag also provides a tool with which to study interactions and nonequilibrium effects in electron liquids.