CT venography combined with ultrasound-guided minimally invasive treatment for recurrent varicose veins: a pilot paired-design clinical trial

AIM

To compare 1-year outcomes of computed tomography venography (CTV) combined with ultrasound-guided minimally invasive treatment with ascending phlebography and ultrasound-guided treatment for recurrent varicose veins.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Consecutive patients with unilateral recurrent varicose veins were matched by gender, age, C classification, and degree of obesity, and randomised in a 1:1 ratio to receive either CTV (CTV group) or ascending phlebography (control group) combined with ultrasound-guided minimally invasive treatment. Patients were followed up by clinical and ultrasound examination. Follow-up was scheduled at 1 week, and 3, 6, and 12 months. The primary outcome measure was the Venous Clinical Severity Score (VCSS) at 12 months. Measures of secondary outcome included Chronic Insufficiency Venous International Questionnaire-20 (CIVIQ-20) score, recurrence of varicose vein or ulcer during 12 months, ulcer healing time, detection and location of treated veins.

RESULTS

Eighty patients were enrolled. Median VCSS in the CTV group was lower than it in the control group (p=0.04) and the CIVIQ-20 score was higher than the control group (p=0.02). By 12 months, no symptomatically recurrent varicose veins or ulcers had occurred. The ulcer healing time in CTV group was shorter (p<0.01). A greater number of patients had treated veins detected using CTV than by ascending venography (p=0.01), especially among patients with recurrence reflux veins in the groin, perineum, and vulva (p<0.01).

CONCLUSION

CTV combined with ultrasound may be more helpful than ascending phlebography combined with ultrasound to improve treatment efficacy for recurrent varices. These results should be verified by an future study with more patients and long-term follow-up.

Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Optimization of Antipigmentation Tyrosinase Inhibitors: De Novo Molecular Generation Based on a Low Activity Lead Compound

Artificial intelligence (AI) de novo molecular generation is a highly promising strategy in the drug discovery, with deep reinforcement learning (RL) models emerging as powerful tools. This study introduces a fragment-by-fragment growth RL forward molecular generation and optimization strategy based on a low activity lead compound. This process integrates fragment growth-based reaction templates, while target docking and drug-likeness prediction were simultaneously performed. This comprehensive approach considers molecular similarity, internal diversity, synthesizability, and effectiveness, thereby enhancing the quality and efficiency of molecular generation. Finally, a series of tyrosinase inhibitors were generated and synthesized. Most compounds exhibited more improved activity than lead, with an optimal candidate compound surpassing the effects of kojic acid and demonstrating significant antipigmentation activity in a zebrafish model. Furthermore, metabolic stability studies indicated susceptibility to hepatic metabolism. The proposed AI structural optimization strategies will play a promising role in accelerating the drug discovery and improving traditional efficiency.

Systematic review of the efficacy and safety of lenvatinib in various solid tumors

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of lenvatinib in various types of solid tumors.

METHOD

By searching PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane, CNKI, Wanfang and other databases, all the literatures about the comparison of clinical efficacy of lenvatinib in the treatment of various solid tumors. According to the criteria of inclusion and exclusion of literature, two participants screened the literature, collated the data and evaluated the literature. RevMan 5.4 software was used for meta-analysis of the included literatures.

RESULTS

A total of 12 studies were included, including 5213 patients. Meta-analysis showed that, in terms of efficacy, the risk (HR) of prolonging PFS in the treatment of various solid tumors in the lenvatinib group was 1.91 times that in the control group (HR = 1.91, 95% CI: 1.58-2.31, p < 0.00001), and the risk (HR) of prolonging OS was 1.27 times that in the single targeted drug group (HR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.15-1.40, p < 0.00001). In terms of safety, the risk of adverse events in the treatment of various solid tumors in the lenvatinib group was higher than that in the control group, especially in Endocrine Toxicities, Renal/Urinary Toxicities, Vascular Toxicities, Musculoskeletal/a Connective Tissue Toxicities and Metabolism/Nutrition Toxicities.

CONCLUSIONS

Lenvatinib in various solid tumors can prolong OS and disease PFS of patients, improve the clinical benefit rate and improve the quality of life of patients. At the same time, there is a certain incidence of adverse events, and symptomatic intervention should be given in clinical medication.

Intestinal Mucosal Immune Barrier: A Powerful Firewall Against Severe Acute Pancreatitis-Associated Acute Lung Injury via the Gut-Lung Axis

The pathogenesis of severe acute pancreatitis-associated acute lung injury (SAP-ALI), which is the leading cause of mortality among hospitalized patients in the intensive care unit, remains incompletely elucidated. The intestinal mucosal immune barrier is a crucial component of the intestinal epithelial barrier, and its aberrant activation contributes to the induction of sustained pro-inflammatory immune responses, paradoxical intercellular communication, and bacterial translocation. In this review, we firstly provide a comprehensive overview of the composition of the intestinal mucosal immune barrier and its pivotal roles in the pathogenesis of SAP-ALI. Secondly, the mechanisms of its crosstalk with gut microbiota, which is called gut-lung axis, and its effect on SAP-ALI were summarized. Finally, a number of drugs that could enhance the intestinal mucosal immune barrier and exhibit potential anti-SAP-ALI activities were presented, including probiotics, glutamine, enteral nutrition, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The aim is to offer a theoretical framework based on the perspective of the intestinal mucosal immune barrier to protect against SAP-ALI.

Taking spontaneous plants as a natural strategy for vegetation restoration in construction and demolition waste landfills: a case study in Suzhou, China

Construction and demolition waste (CDW) landfills around the city have caused serious damage to the ecological environment and menaced the public health. Restoration of closed CDW landfills is critical to compensate for the degraded ecosystem and ensure safety in further development and utilization. Vegetation restoration is an essential part of the restoration of CDW landfills, in which the use of spontaneous plants is the foundation of the nature-based strategy. In this study, Fenghuangshan CDW landfill in Suzhou, China, was selected as the research site, and the species composition and diversity of the spontaneous plants were analyzed. Moreover, the types of habitats and growth indexes of 8 species with high frequency and 18 species with medium frequency in the CDW landfill were investigated, and a comprehensive evaluation of growth rate and expansion capacity of the 26 species was conducted. The results showed that, herbs were the main type of the spontaneous plants in the CDW landfill. The species and quantities of the spontaneous plants in the CDW landfill were obviously fewer than those in the surrounding areas of the CDW landfill, and the Shannon-Wiener index and Pielou index of the spontaneous plants were lower compared with the surrounding areas of the CDW landfill. Meanwhile, the differences of dominant families and the distribution of origins, life forms and growth types between these two fields were insignificant. The heliophilous and drought tolerance species were widely distributed in the CDW landfill while the shade-tolerant or hygrophilous species were few. The relatively large comprehensive evaluation indexes of Elymus dahuricus, Daucus carota, Sonchus asper, Geranium carolinianum, Rumex acetosa, Metaplexis japonica, Carex breviculmis, Erigeron canadensis, Trigonotis peduncularis, Lamium amplexicaule reflected their high growth rates and strong expansion capacity, demonstrating their great potentiality in the vegetation restoration of CDW landfills as indispensable components of the nature-based solution.

Detection of extreme hydrological droughts in the poyang lake basin during 2021-2022 using GNSS-derived daily terrestrial water storage anomalies

Poyang Lake is the largest freshwater lake in China, serving as a natural reservoir and playing a paramount role in climate regulation, ecological environment, and water resource management. However, in recent years, Poyang Lake has approached desiccation multiple times, with severe droughts becoming increasingly common. Consequently, precise quantification and analysis of the terrestrial water storage anomalies (TWSA) and drought characteristics of the Poyang Lake basin (PLB) are of profound scientific and practical significance. This paper, for the first time, utilizes data for the period 2021-2022 from 77 newly-established GNSS observation stations in the PLB to precisely determine its vertical crustal displacement, invert daily and monthly TWSA, and investigate extreme hydrological drought. The results reveal the following: 1) The annual amplitude range of vertical surface displacements at GNSS stations in the Poyang Lake basin is from 7 to 14 mm, with the most substantial seasonal vertical displacements occurring during the months of June and July; 2) monthly GNSS-TWSA maintains a commendable consistency with TWSA data obtained from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS), and precipitation, with correlation coefficients of 0.67, 0.55, and 0.62, respectively; 3) at daily scale, the GNSS-derived Drought Severity Index (GNSS-DSI) accurately recorded the severity and intensity of eight drought events in the PLB during 2021-2022, in particular the period of extensive drought between October 2021 and February 2022, when drought intensity reaching a notable 1.03, which is classified as an extreme and prolonged drought event. Additionally, at local temporal scales, daily GNSS-DSI exhibits heightened sensitivity to drought signals. This study provides novel technological tools and datasets for multi-source satellite-based drought monitoring in the PLB.

Prospects and challenges of CAR-T cell therapy combined with ICIs

Immune checkpoint molecules are a group of molecules expressed on the surface of immune cells that primarily regulate their immune homeostasis. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy is an immunotherapeutic technology that realizes tumor-targeted killing by constructing synthetic T cells expressing specific antigens through biotechnology. Currently, CAR-T cell therapy has achieved good efficacy in non-solid tumors, but its treatment of solid tumors has not yielded the desired results. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) combined with CAR-T cell therapy is a novel combination therapy with high expectations to defeat solid tumors. This review addresses the challenges and expectations of this combination therapy in the treatment of solid tumors.

Nitrogen Application Timing and Levels Affect the Fate and Budget of Fertilizer Nitrogen in the Apple-Soil System

This study aimed to determine the effects of the nitrogen (N) application period and level on the fate of fertilizer N and the contribution of N absorption and translocation to apple organ N. Two N application periods (labeled by the 15N tracer technique in spring and summer, represented by SP and SU, respectively) and three N levels (N0, MN, and HN) were used to determine the physiological indexes and aboveground, root, and soil 15N content of 4-year-old dwarf ('Red Fuji'/M9T337) and arborized ('Red Fuji'/Malus hupehensis Rehd.) apple trees. The results showed that HN led to shoot overgrowth, which was not conducive to the growth of the apple root system (root length, root tips, root surface area, and root volume) or the improvement of root activity. The contribution of soil N to apple organ N accounted for more than 50%, and the contribution of N application in summer to fruit N was higher than that in spring. Under HN treatment, the proportion of soil N absorbed by trees decreased, while that of fertilizer N increased; however, the highest proportion was still less than 50%, so apple trees were highly dependent on soil N. Under MN treatment, fertilizer N residue was similar to soil N consumption, and soil N fertility maintained a basic balance. Under HN treatment, fertilizer N residue was significantly higher than soil N consumption, indicating that excessive N application increased fertilizer N residue in the soil. Overall, the 15N utilization rate of arborized trees (17.33-22.38%) was higher than that of dwarf trees (12.89-16.91%). A total of 12.89-22.38% of fertilizer 15N was absorbed by trees, 30.37-35.41% of fertilizer 15N remained in the soil, and 44.65-54.46% of fertilizer 15N was lost. The 15N utilization rate and 15N residual rate of summer N application were higher than those of spring N application, and the 15N loss rate was lower than that of spring N application. High microbial biomass N (MBN) may be one of the reasons for the high N utilization rate and the low loss rate of N application in summer.

Body mass index's effect on CRSwNP extends to pathological endotype and recurrence

BACKGROUND

Elevated body mass index (BMI) has been recognized as an important contributor to corticosteroid insensitivity in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). We aimed to delineate the effects of elevated BMI on immunological endotype and recurrence in CRSwNP individuals.

METHODOLOGY

A total of 325 patients with CRSwNP undergoing FESS were recruited and stratified by BMI. H&E staining was employed for histological evaluation. Characteristics of inflammatory patterns were identified by immunohistochemical staining. The predictive factors for recurrence were determined and evaluated by multivariable logistic regression analysis and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves across all subjects and by weight group.

RESULTS

In all patients with CRSwNP, 26.15% subjects were classified as overweight/obese group across BMI categories and exhibited a higher symptom burden. The upregulated eosinophil/neutrophil-dominant cellular endotype and amplified type 2/ type 3 coexisting inflammation was present in overweight/obese compared to underweight/normal weight controls. Additionally, a higher recurrent proportion was shown in overweight/obese patients than that in underweight/normal weight cohorts. Multivariable logistic regression analysis identified BMI as an independent predictor for recurrence. The predictive capacity of each conventional parameter (tissue eosinophil and CLCs count, and blood eosinophil percentage) alone or in combination was poor in overweight/obese subjects.

CONCLUSIONS

Overweight/obese CRSwNP stands for a unique phenotype and endotype. Conventional parameters predicting recurrence are compromised in overweight/obese CRSwNP, and there is an urgent need for novel biomarkers that predict recurrence for these patients.

Enabling Uniform and Stable Lithium-Ion Diffusion at the Ultrathin Artificial Solid-Electrolyte Interface in Siloxene Anodes

Constructing a stable and robust solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) has a decisive influence on the charge/discharge kinetics of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), especially for silicon-based anodes which generate repeated destruction and regeneration of unstable SEI films. Herein, a facile way is proposed to fabricate an artificial SEI layer composed of lithiophilic chitosan on the surface of two-dimensional siloxene, which has aroused wide attention as an advanced anode for LIBs due to its special characteristics. The optimized chitosan-modified siloxene anode exhibits an excellent reversible cyclic stability of about 672.6 mAh g-1 at a current density of 1000 mA g-1 after 200 cycles and 139.9 mAh g-1 at 6000 mA g-1 for 1200 cycles. Further investigation shows that a stable and LiF-rich SEI film is formed and can effectively adhere to the surface during cycling, redistribute lithium-ion flux, and enable a relatively homogenous lithium-ion diffusion. This work provides constructive guidance for interface engineering strategy of nano-structured silicon anodes.

Bell pepper derived nitrogen-doped carbon dots as a pH-modulated fluorescence switching sensor with high sensitivity for visual sensing of 4-nitrophenol

Recently, converting bio-waste into bio-asset and implementing a portable sensing instrument for pollutant monitoring has been highly desirable and challenging. Herein, biomass-derived nitrogen-doped carbon dots (CDs) are prepared hydrothermally and emit blue fluorescence (470 nm) with a high quantum yield of 23.2%. Significantly, CDs can serve as a pH-modulated fluorescence switching nano-sensor to detect 4-NP from 0.054 to 68 μM with low detection limit (LOD, 54 nM) and limit of quantification (LOQ, 181 nM) based on inner filter effect. Moreover, the satisfactory recovery of 101.8-107.5% is gained in practical sample monitoring. Furthermore, a smartphone-integrated optosensing device with CDs-based film is developed for detecting 4-NP with LOD and LOQ of 0.110 μM and 0.350 μM. Concomitantly, the practicability of this device is further validated in several crop samples with satisfactory recovery rates of 101.6-108.6%. Therefore, this work provides a reliable way and a prospective application for on-site 4-NP monitoring in food.

Search for Heavy Neutral Leptons in Electron-Positron and Neutral-Pion Final States with the MicroBooNE Detector

We present the first search for heavy neutral leptons (HNLs) decaying into νe^{+}e^{-} or νπ^{0} final states in a liquid-argon time projection chamber using data collected with the MicroBooNE detector. The data were recorded synchronously with the NuMI neutrino beam from Fermilab's main injector corresponding to a total exposure of 7.01×10^{20} protons on target. We set upper limits at the 90% confidence level on the mixing parameter |U_{μ4}|^{2} in the mass ranges 10≤m_{HNL}≤150  MeV for the νe^{+}e^{-} channel and 150≤m_{HNL}≤245  MeV for the νπ^{0} channel, assuming |U_{e4}|^{2}=|U_{τ4}|^{2}=0. These limits represent the most stringent constraints in the mass range 35 Collapse

Key Words Collapse

MESH Headings Collapse

Grants Collapse

Affiliation(s)

P Abratenko Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, USA
O Alterkait Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, USA
D Andrade Aldana Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), Chicago, Illinois 60616, USA
L Arellano The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
J Asaadi University of Texas, Arlington, Texas 76019, USA
A Ashkenazi Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel, 69978
S Balasubramanian Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, Illinois 60510, USA
B Baller Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, Illinois 60510, USA
G Barr University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RH, United Kingdom
D Barrow University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RH, United Kingdom
J Barrow Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel, 69978
V Basque Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, Illinois 60510, USA
O Benevides Rodrigues Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), Chicago, Illinois 60616, USA
S Berkman Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, Illinois 60510, USA Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
A Bhanderi The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
A Bhat University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
M Bhattacharya Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, Illinois 60510, USA
M Bishai Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, New York 11973, USA
A Blake Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YW, United Kingdom
B Bogart University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
T Bolton Kansas State University (KSU), Manhattan, Kansas 66506, USA
J Y Book Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
M B Brunetti University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom
L Camilleri Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA
Y Cao The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
D Caratelli University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA
F Cavanna Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, Illinois 60510, USA
G Cerati Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, Illinois 60510, USA
A Chappell University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom
Y Chen SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
J M Conrad Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
M Convery SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
L Cooper-Troendle University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA
J I Crespo-Anadón Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT), Madrid E-28040, Spain
R Cross University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom
M Del Tutto Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, Illinois 60510, USA
S R Dennis University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom
P Detje University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom
A Devitt Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YW, United Kingdom
R Diurba Universität Bern, Bern CH-3012, Switzerland
Z Djurcic Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Lemont, Illinois 60439, USA
R Dorrill Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), Chicago, Illinois 60616, USA
K Duffy University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RH, United Kingdom
S Dytman University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA
B Eberly University of Southern Maine, Portland, Maine 04104, USA
P Englezos Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA
A Ereditato University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, Illinois 60510, USA
J J Evans The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
R Fine Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA
O G Finnerud The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
W Foreman Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), Chicago, Illinois 60616, USA
B T Fleming University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
D Franco University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
A P Furmanski University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
F Gao University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA
D Garcia-Gamez Universidad de Granada, Granada E-18071, Spain
S Gardiner Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, Illinois 60510, USA
G Ge Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA
S Gollapinni Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA
E Gramellini The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
P Green University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RH, United Kingdom
H Greenlee Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, Illinois 60510, USA
L Gu Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YW, United Kingdom
W Gu Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, New York 11973, USA
R Guenette The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
P Guzowski The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
L Hagaman University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
O Hen Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
C Hilgenberg University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
G A Horton-Smith Kansas State University (KSU), Manhattan, Kansas 66506, USA
Z Imani Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, USA
B Irwin University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
M Ismail University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA
C James Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, Illinois 60510, USA
X Ji Nankai University, Nankai District, Tianjin 300071, China
J H Jo Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, New York 11973, USA
R A Johnson University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221, USA
Y-J Jwa Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA
D Kalra Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA
N Kamp Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
G Karagiorgi Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA
W Ketchum Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, Illinois 60510, USA
M Kirby Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, Illinois 60510, USA
T Kobilarcik Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, Illinois 60510, USA
I Kreslo Universität Bern, Bern CH-3012, Switzerland
M B Leibovitch University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA
I Lepetic Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA
J-Y Li University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, United Kingdom
K Li Wright Laboratory, Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA
Y Li Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, New York 11973, USA
K Lin Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA
B R Littlejohn Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), Chicago, Illinois 60616, USA
H Liu Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, New York 11973, USA
W C Louis Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA
X Luo University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA
C Mariani Center for Neutrino Physics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Viriginia 24061, USA
D Marsden The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
J Marshall University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom
N Martinez Kansas State University (KSU), Manhattan, Kansas 66506, USA
D A Martinez Caicedo South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSMT), Rapid City, South Dakota 57701, USA
S Martynenko Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, New York 11973, USA
A Mastbaum Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA
I Mawby University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom
N McConkey University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
V Meddage Kansas State University (KSU), Manhattan, Kansas 66506, USA
J Micallef Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, USA
K Miller University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
A Mogan Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, USA
T Mohayai Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, Illinois 60510, USA Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, USA
M Mooney Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, USA
A F Moor University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom
C D Moore Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, Illinois 60510, USA
L Mora Lepin The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
M M Moudgalya The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
S Mulleriababu Universität Bern, Bern CH-3012, Switzerland
D Naples University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA
A Navrer-Agasson The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
N Nayak Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, New York 11973, USA
M Nebot-Guinot University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, United Kingdom
J Nowak Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YW, United Kingdom
N Oza Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA
O Palamara Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, Illinois 60510, USA
N Pallat University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
V Paolone University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA
A Papadopoulou Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Lemont, Illinois 60439, USA
V Papavassiliou New Mexico State University (NMSU), Las Cruces, New Mexico 88003, USA
H B Parkinson University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, United Kingdom
S F Pate New Mexico State University (NMSU), Las Cruces, New Mexico 88003, USA
N Patel Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YW, United Kingdom
Z Pavlovic Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, Illinois 60510, USA
E Piasetzky Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel, 69978
I Pophale Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YW, United Kingdom
X Qian Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, New York 11973, USA
J L Raaf Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, Illinois 60510, USA
V Radeka Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, New York 11973, USA
A Rafique Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Lemont, Illinois 60439, USA
M Reggiani-Guzzo University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, United Kingdom The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
L Ren New Mexico State University (NMSU), Las Cruces, New Mexico 88003, USA
L Rochester SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
J Rodriguez Rondon South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSMT), Rapid City, South Dakota 57701, USA
M Rosenberg Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, USA
M Ross-Lonergan Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA
C Rudolf von Rohr Universität Bern, Bern CH-3012, Switzerland
I Safa Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA
G Scanavini Wright Laboratory, Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA
D W Schmitz University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
A Schukraft Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, Illinois 60510, USA
W Seligman Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA
M H Shaevitz Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA
R Sharankova Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, Illinois 60510, USA
J Shi University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom
E L Snider Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, Illinois 60510, USA
M Soderberg Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244, USA
S Söldner-Rembold The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
J Spitz University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
M Stancari Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, Illinois 60510, USA
J St John Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, Illinois 60510, USA
T Strauss Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, Illinois 60510, USA
A M Szelc University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, United Kingdom
W Tang University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA
N Taniuchi University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom
K Terao SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
C Thorpe Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YW, United Kingdom The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
D Torbunov Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, New York 11973, USA
D Totani University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA
M Toups Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, Illinois 60510, USA
Y-T Tsai SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
J Tyler Kansas State University (KSU), Manhattan, Kansas 66506, USA
M A Uchida University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom
T Usher SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
B Viren Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, New York 11973, USA
M Weber Universität Bern, Bern CH-3012, Switzerland
H Wei Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, USA
A J White University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
S Wolbers Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, Illinois 60510, USA
T Wongjirad Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, USA
M Wospakrik Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, Illinois 60510, USA
K Wresilo University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom
W Wu University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA
E Yandel University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA
T Yang Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, Illinois 60510, USA
L E Yates Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, Illinois 60510, USA
H W Yu Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, New York 11973, USA
G P Zeller Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, Illinois 60510, USA
J Zennamo Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, Illinois 60510, USA
C Zhang Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, New York 11973, USA

Collapse

Enhanced CO oxidation performance over hierarchical flower-like Co3O4 based nanosheets via optimizing oxygen activation and CO chemisorption

Enhancing low-temperature activity is a focus for carbon monoxide (CO) elimination by catalytic oxidation. In this work, the hierarchical flower-like silver (Ag) modified cobalt oxides (Co3O4) nanosheets were prepared by solvothermal method and applied into catalytic CO oxidation. The doped Ag species in the form of AgCoO2 induced the prolongated surface Co-O bond and weaker bond intensity. Consequently, the oxygen activation/migration ability and redox capacity of Ag0.02Co were enhanced with more oxygen vacancies. The chemisorbed CO was preferentially converted to CO2 but not carbonates. The inhibited carbonates accumulation could avoid the coverage of active sites. According to Density functional theory (DFT) calculations, the electron transfer from AgCoO2 to Co3O4 promote electron donation ability of Co3O4 layer, benefiting for oxygen activation. Moreover, the longer Co-C and C-O bond length suggest the weakened chemisorption strength and higher active of CO molecule. The Ag modified Co3O4 exhibited more satisfactory activity at lower temperature. Typically, it realized 100% CO conversion at 90 °C, and displayed 6.3-fold higher reaction rate than pristine Co3O4 at 40 °C. Moreover, the Ag0.02Co exhibited outstanding long-term stability and water resistance. In summary, the optimized oxygen activation, CO chemisorption and interfacial electron transfer synergistically boosted the CO oxidation activity on Ag modified Co3O4.

Correlation analysis between camrelizumab trough concentration levels and efficacy or safety in East Asian patients with advanced lung cancer

BACKGROUND

Camrelizumab combined with chemotherapy is approved across tumor types. However, only a fraction of patients benefits from immunotherapy, and biomarkers such as the expression of PD-L1, tumor mutational burden, and CXCL11 are expensive and suboptimal specificity for cancer patients. An exposure-response (E-R) relationship has been reported in many immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), and the trough concentrations and other drug exposure metrics are broadly used to guide dosing decisions, assess exposure-outcomes relationships, and ultimately predict outcomes based on those relationships. However, the potential use of trough concentration levels for camrelizumab is still not clear.

METHODS

Blood samples were obtained at trough levels after doses 3 and 4 from 77 patients with advanced lung cancer who received camrelizumab (200 mg Q3 W) monotherapy or combined with chemotherapy. We optimized a competitive ELISA method to measure the trough concentration.

RESULTS

We found that the trough concentration was steady after 3 dose cycles, and the trough concentration level of camrelizumab was higher in patients who developed immune-related adverse effects (irAEs) than in those who did not (P < 0.05) but was not observed in disease progression and PFS (P > 0.05). Age (< 65 years old), no smoking history, and efficacy evaluation after 4-dose treatment were associated with PFS (P < 0.05), but no significance was observed in other clinical characteristics. Total bilirubin and albumin had an influence on trough concentration, and monocytes and albumin were independent risk factors for PFS (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that the trough concentration level of camrelizumab might be a risk factor for the occurrence of irAEs in advanced lung cancer, and using the immunotherapy as early as possible may bring better clinical outcomes.

Mammalian trans-editing factor ProX is able to deacylate tRNAThr mischarged with alanine

The precise coupling of tRNAs with their cognate amino acids, known as tRNA aminoacylation, is a stringently regulated process that governs translation fidelity. To ensure fidelity, organisms deploy multiple layers of editing mechanisms to correct mischarged tRNAs. Prior investigations have unveiled the propensity of eukaryotic AlaRS to erroneously attach alanine onto tRNACys and tRNAThr featuring the G4:U69 base pair. In light of this, and given ProXp-ala's capacity in deacylating Ala-tRNAPro, we embarked on exploring whether this trans-editing factor could extend its corrective function to encompass these mischarged tRNAs. Our in vitro deacylation assays demonstrate that murine ProXp-ala (mProXp-ala) is able to efficiently hydrolyze Ala-tRNAThr, while Ala-tRNACys remains unaffected. Subsequently, we determined the first structure of eukaryotic ProXp-ala, revealing a dynamic helix α2 involved in substrate binding. By integrating molecular dynamics simulations and biochemical assays, we pinpointed the pivotal interactions between mProXp-ala and Ala-tRNA, wherein the basic regions of mProXp-ala as well as the C3-G70 plays essential role in recognition. These observations collectively provide a cogent rationale for mProXp-ala's deacylation proficiency against Ala-tRNAThr. Our findings offer valuable insights into the translation quality control within higher eukaryotic organisms, where the fidelity of translation is safeguarded by the multi-functionality of extensively documented proteins.

[A study of the clinical curative effect of nucleos(t)ide analogues treated to pegylated interferon-α add-on therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis B]

Objective: To investigate the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) clearance condition and its predictive factors after treatment with nucleos(t)ide analogues to pegylated interferon-α add-on therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis B. Methods: Patients with chronic hepatitis B who visited the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from 2018~2019 were prospectively enrolled. HBsAg≤ 1500 IU/mL, hepatitis B e antigen-negative, HBV DNA undetectable, received antiviral treatment with nucleos(t)ide analogues for at least one year, and pegylated interferon-α add-on therapy for 48 weeks were included. The primary endpoint of study was to determine the proportion of HBsAg clearance at 72 weeks. Concurrently, the predictive factors for HBsAg clearance were analyzed. Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed using a t-test or non-parametric test and a Fisher's exact test. Results: A total of 38 cases were included in this study, of which 13 cases obtained HBsAg clearance at 48 weeks of therapy and another six cases obtained HBsAg clearance throughout the extended treatment period of 72 weeks, accounting for 50.00% of all enrolled patients. There was a significant difference in HBsAg dynamics between the HBsAg clearance group and the non-clearance group (P < 0.05). Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that patients' age, baseline, 12-and 24-week HBsAg levels, and early HBsAg reduction were predictive factors for HBsAg clearance at 72 weeks of treatment. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age (OR = 1.311; P = 0.016; 95% confidence interval: 1.051~1.635) and HBsAg levels at 24 weeks of treatment (OR = 4.481; P = 0.004; 95% confidence interval: 1.634~12.290) were independent predictors for HBsAg clearance. Conclusion: Hepatitis B e antigen-negative, nucleos(t)ide analogue treated, HBsAg ≤ 1500 IU/mL, and HBV DNA undetectable, peg-IFNα add-on treatment for 48 weeks could promote HBsAg clearance in patients with chronic hepatitis B. Six of the sixteen cases (37.50%) who did not obtain HBsAg clearance at week 48 did so with the course of therapy extended to week 72. Hence, the optimal individualized treatment strategy should be customized according to the predictors rather than the fixed 48-week course. Age (≤ 38), baseline HBsAg level (≤2.86 log(10)IU/ml), HBsAg level at 24 weeks (≤ 0.92 log(10)IU/ml), and 12-week HBsAg decrease from baseline (≥ 0.67 log(10)IU/ml) indicate that patients are highly likely to obtain HBsAg clearance at the 72 weeks of combination therapy, in which the combined indicator based on HBsAg level ≤0.92 log(10)IU/ml at 24 weeks will identify 85.0% to 100.0% of patients with HBsAg clearance.

[Preliminary insights into the practice of hypoallergenic home visiting program]

Allergic diseases affect about 40% of the world's population. Environmental factors are important in the occurrence and development of allergic diseases. Dust mites are one of the most important allergens in the indoor environment. The World Health Organization proposes the "four-in-one, combination of prevention and treatment" treatment principle for allergic diseases, in which environmental control to avoid or reduce allergens is the first choice for treatment. Modern people spend much more time at home (including sleeping) than outdoors, and the control of the home environment is particularly critical. This practice introduces the hypoallergenic home visit program, which including home environment assessment, environmental and behavioral intervention guidance, and common household hypoallergenic supplies and service guidance for the patient's home environment. The real-time semi-quantitative testing of dust mite allergens, qualitative assessments of other indoor allergens, record of patients' household items and lifestyle, and precise, individualized patient prevention and control education will be conducted. The hypoallergenic home visit program improves the doctors' diagnosis and treatment data dimension, and becomes a patient management tool for doctors outside the hospital. It also helps patients continue to scientifically avoid allergens and irritants in the environment, effectively build a hypoallergenic home environment, reduce exposure to allergens in the home environment, and achieve the goal of combining the prevention and treatment of allergic diseases.

Discovery and druggability evaluation of pyrrolamide-type GyrB/ParE inhibitor against drug-resistant bacterial infection

The bacterial ATP-competitive GyrB/ParE subunits of type II topoisomerase are important anti-bacterial targets to treat super drug-resistant bacterial infections. Herein we discovered novel pyrrolamide-type GyrB/ParE inhibitors based on the structural modifications of the candidate AZD5099 that was withdrawn from the clinical trials due to safety liabilities such as mitochondrial toxicity. The hydroxyisopropyl pyridazine compound 28 had a significant inhibitory effect on Gyrase (GyrB, IC50 = 49 nmol/L) and a modest inhibitory effect on Topo IV (ParE, IC50 = 1.513 μmol/L) of Staphylococcus aureus. It also had significant antibacterial activities on susceptible and resistant Gram-positive bacteria with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of less than 0.03 μg/mL, which showed a time-dependent bactericidal effect and low frequencies of spontaneous resistance against S. aureus. Compound 28 had better protective effects than the positive control drugs such as DS-2969 (5) and AZD5099 (6) in mouse models of sepsis induced by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection. It also showed better bactericidal activities than clinically used vancomycin in the mouse thigh MRSA infection models. Moreover, compound 28 has much lower mitochondrial toxicity than AZD5099 (6) as well as excellent therapeutic indexes and pharmacokinetic properties. At present, compound 28 has been evaluated as a pre-clinical drug candidate for the treatment of drug-resistant Gram-positive bacterial infection. On the other hand, compound 28 also has good inhibitory activities against stubborn Gram-negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli (MIC = 1 μg/mL), which is comparable with the most potent pyrrolamide-type GyrB/ParE inhibitors reported recently. In addition, the structure-activity relationships of the compounds were also studied.

Discovery and bioassay of disubstituted β-elemene-NO donor conjugates: synergistic enhancement in the treatment of leukemia

Natural products are essential sources of antitumor drugs. One such molecule, β-elemene, is a potent antitumor compound extracted from Curcuma wenyujin. In the present investigation, a series of novel 13,14-disubstituted nitric oxide (NO)-donor β-elemene derivatives were designed, with β-elemene as the foundational compound, and subsequently synthesized to evaluate their therapeutic potential against leukemia. Notably, the derivative labeled as compound 13d demonstrated a potent anti-proliferative activity against the K562 cell line, with a high NO release. In vivo studies indicated that compound 13d could effectively inhibit tumor growth, exhibiting no discernible toxic manifestations. Specifically, a significant tumor growth inhibition rate of 62.9% was observed in the K562 xenograft tumor mouse model. The accumulated data propound the potential therapeutic application of compound 13d in the management of leukemia.

[Relation factor analysis for the short-term preservation of ipsilateral renal function after partial nephrectomy]

Objectives: To analyze the factors relative to the short-term preservation of ipsilateral renal function after partial nephrectomy. Methods: The clinical data of 83 patients who were treated with partial nephrectomy from December 2014 to December 2019 in the Department of Urology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center were retrospectively analyzed. There were 54 males and 29 females, aging (M (IQR)) 49 (17) years (range: 27 to 74 years). The ischemia time in operation was 25 (18) minutes (range: 10 to 67 minutes). Emission computed tomography scan and CT scan were performed before (within 1 month) and after (3 to 12 months) surgery. The volume of the ipsilateral and contralateral kidney was measured on the basis of preoperative and postoperative CT scans. The glomerular filtration rate (GFR) specifically in each kidney was estimated by emission computed tomography. Recovery from ischemia is determined by the formula: GFR preservation/volume saved×100%. Linear regression was used to explore the factors ralative to the short-term preservation of ipsilateral renal function after partial nephrectomy. Results: The GFR preservation of the ipsilateral kidney was 80.9 (25.2) % (range: 31.0% to 109.4%). The volume loss of the kidney resulted in a decrease of 12.0% (5.8 ml/(min×1.96 m2)) of GFR, while the ischemic injury resulted in a decrease of 6.5% (2.5 ml/(min×1.96 m2)) of GFR. The volume saved from the ipsilateral kidney was 87.1 (12.9) % (range: 27.0% to 131.7%). Recovery from ischemia was 93.5 (17.5) % (range:44.3% to 178.3%). In multivariate analysis, GFR preservation of the ipsilateral kidney was significantly correlated with the volume saved of the ipsilateral kidney (β=0.383, 95%CI: 0.144 to 0.622, P=0.002). It was not related to the ischemia time (β=0.046, 95%CI:-0.383 to 0.475, P=0.831). Conclusion: In the condition of limited ischemic time, in the short term ipsilateral renal function after partial nephrectomy is mainly determined by the loss of kidney volume, while ischemic injury only plays a minor role.

Interactions between enzyme preparations and trace element sources on growth performance and intestinal health of broiler chicks

This experiment was conducted to explore the interactions between enzyme preparations and trace element sources on growth performance and intestinal health of broilers chicks. A total of 480 one-day-old healthy male yellow-feather broilers with similar weight were randomly arranged in a 2  ×  2 factorial design with 2 kinds of compound trace element sources (inorganic [I] and organic [O] trace element supplemented with 80, 8, 60, 40, 0.15 mg/kg of Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, and Se, respectively) and 2 levels of enzyme preparations (0 and 200 mg/kg). The 4 groups named I, O, IE, and OE with 6 replicates and 20 birds per replicate. The trail lasted for 28 days. Results showed that the average weight (ABW), average daily gain (ADG) of broilers in IE and OE groups significantly increased while the F/G significantly decreased as compared with group I and O (P < 0.05). Enzyme preparation supplementation, regardless of the trace element sources, significantly increased the duodenal and jejunal endogenous enzyme (e.g., Try and AACT) activity, and improved the morphology and jejunal barrier function evidenced by the increased villus height and MUC-2 mRNA expression (P < 0.05). Sequencing data manifested that enzyme preparations favorably modulated the cecal microflora by increasing bacterial diversity and abundance of short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing bacteria (e.g., Anaerostipes, Anaerofusis, and Pygmaioactor), while decreasing the abundance of harmful bacteria (e.g., Desulfovibrio). Factorial analysis indicated that there were no interactions between enzyme preparation and trace element sources on growth performance and intestinal health of broiler chicks. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with enzyme preparations, regardless of the trace element sources, could enhance endogenous enzyme activity, improve intestinal morphology and barrier functions, and favorably modulate the cecal microflora, thereby improving the intestinal health and growth performance of broiler chicks.

[Molecular detection and subtyping of Blastocystis sp. in pigs in Anhui Province]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the prevalence and subtype distribution of Blastocystis sp. in pigs in Anhui Province.

METHODS

A total of 500 stool samples were collected from large-scale pig farms in Bozhou, Anqing, Chuzhou, Hefei, Fuyang, and Lu'an cities in Anhui Province from October to December 2015. Blastocystis was detected in pig stool samples using a PCR assay based on the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene, and positive samples were subjected to sequencing and sequence analysis. Blastocystis subtypes were characterized in the online PubMLST database, and verified using phylogenetic tree created with the neighbor-joining algorithm in the Meta software.

RESULTS

The prevalence of Blastocystis infection was 43.2% (216/500) in pigs in 6 cities of Anhui Province, and all pig farms were tested positive for Blastocystis. There was a region-specific prevalence rate of Blastocystis (17.2% to 50.0%) (χ2 = 26.084, P < 0.01), and there was a significant difference in the prevalence of Blastocystis sp. among nursery pigs (39.6%), preweaned pigs (19.1%), and growing pigs (62.3%) (χ2 = 74.951, P < 0.01). Both online inquiry and phylogenetic analysis revealed ST1, ST3, and ST5 subtypes in pigs, with ST5 as the predominant subtype.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of Blastocystis sp. is high in pigs in Anhui Province, with three zoonotic subtypes identified, including ST1, ST3, and ST5.

Research progress of biomimetic materials in oral medicine

Biomimetic materials are able to mimic the structure and functional properties of native tissues especially natural oral tissues. They have attracted growing attention for their potential to achieve configurable and functional reconstruction in oral medicine. Though tremendous progress has been made regarding biomimetic materials, significant challenges still remain in terms of controversy on the mechanism of tooth tissue regeneration, lack of options for manufacturing such materials and insufficiency of in vivo experimental tests in related fields. In this review, the biomimetic materials used in oral medicine are summarized systematically, including tooth defect, tooth loss, periodontal diseases and maxillofacial bone defect. Various theoretical foundations of biomimetic materials research are reviewed, introducing the current and pertinent results. The benefits and limitations of these materials are summed up at the same time. Finally, challenges and potential of this field are discussed. This review provides the framework and support for further research in addition to giving a generally novel and fundamental basis for the utilization of biomimetic materials in the future.

Strain-induced electronic structures and band-gap of few-layer AgInP2S6

The band gap and mechanical control ability of two-dimensional materials largely determine the application value of two-dimensional devices in optical and electronic properties, so the bandgap controllability of two-dimensional materials broadens the application range of multi-functional devices. In the layered van der Waals (vdW) material AgInP2S6, the band gap can be adjusted by the number of layers and flexible strain, and the few layers AgInP2S6have discrete band gap values, which are also relevant for optoelectronic applications. In the strain range of up to 2.7% applied, the band gap can be adjusted, and the film is relatively stable under strain. We further analyzed the physical mechanism of flexible strain band gap regulation and found that strain-regulation reduced the band gap and increased the chemical bond length. These studies open up new opportunities for the future development of vdW material photoelectric resonators represented by AgInP2S6, and have important reference value.

[Efficacy and safety analysis of the zanubrutinib-based bridging regimen in chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy for relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma]

Objective: To further elucidate the clinical efficacy and safety of a combination regimen based on the BTK inhibitor zebutanil bridging CD19 Chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T cells) in the treatment of relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (r/r DLBCL) . Methods: Twenty-one patients with high-risk r/r DLBCL were treated with a zanubrutinib-based regimen bridging CAR-T between June 2020 and June 2023 at the Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji University and the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, and the efficacy and safety were retrospectively analyzed. Results: All 21 patients were enrolled, and the median age was 57 years (range: 38-76). Fourteen patients (66.7%) had an eastern cooperative oncology group performance status score (ECOG score) of ≥2. Eighteen patients (85.7%) had an international prognostic index (IPI) score of ≥3. Three patients (14.3%) had an IPI score of 2 but had extranodal infiltration. Fourteen patients (66.7%) had double-expression of DLBCL and seven (33.3%) had TP53 mutations. With a median follow-up of 24.8 (95% CI 17.0-31.6) months, the objective response rate was 81.0%, and 11 patients (52.4%) achieved complete remission. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 12.8 months, and the median overall survival (OS) was not reached. The 1-year PFS rate was 52.4% (95% CI 29.8% -74.3%), and the 1-year OS rate was 80.1% (95% CI 58.1% -94.6%). Moreover, 18 patients (85.7%) had grade 1-2 cytokine-release syndrome, and two patients (9.5%) had grade 1 immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome. Conclusion: Zanubrutinib-based combination bridging regimen of CAR-T therapy for r/r DLBCL has high efficacy and demonstrated a good safety profile.

Theoretical one-dimensional porous media model for microbial growth on pore plugging and permeability evolution and its verification

The growth, reproduction, and metabolic activities of microorganisms can lead to blockages within porous media, a phenomenon commonly observed in landfill engineering. Termed as microbial plugging, this phenomenon is significantly influenced by the inherent permeability characteristics of the system. In this study, we propose a simulation model based on the Monod equation to elucidate the clogging process caused by microorganisms in one-dimensional pore channels. Our primary focus is on the application of this model in landfill bioreactor systems. We demonstrate that microbial clogging in these systems is predominantly affected by factors such as the maximum environmental carrying capacity and pore size. These factors are directly influenced by the presence of solid waste within the landfill. By offering a theoretical foundation for mitigating microbial clogging in pore channels of landfill bioreactor systems, this research has the potential to contribute to the development of more efficient and effective waste management practices.Implications: Microbial plugging is a hot research topic in the field of environmental geotechnical engineering. Previous papers often only considered the reduction of pore volumes, while neglecting the role of clogging and the uneven distribution of permeability. In this paper, we established a permeability model for porous media that considers microbial growth and plugging. This model can reflect the temporal variation of permeability with microbial growth and predict the spatial distribution of permeability. This paper can promote on the utilization of microbial plugging technology in landfills or solid waste.

Evaluation of HER-2 positive breast cancer treated with dual-targeted treatment of trastuzumab plus pertuzumab

Objective: Clinical studies have shown that trastuzumab combined with pertuzumab (dual-targeted drug therapy) can significantly improve the treatment status and prognosis of HER-2 positive breast cancer patients through double targeting of HER-2. This study systematically evaluated the efficacy and safety of trastuzumab combined with pertuzumab in the treatment of HER-2 positive breast cancer.Method: We search relevant databases and collect RCTs on the treatment of HER-2 positive breast cancer with dual-targeted treatment. Meta-analysis was performed using Revman5.4 software.Results: A total of 10 studies for 8553 patients were included. Meta-analysis showed that, in terms of efficacy, overall survival (OS) (HR = 1.40, 95%CI = 1.29-1.53, p < 0.00001) and progression-free survival (PFS) (HR = 1.36, 95%CI = 1.28-1.46, p < 0.00001) in dual-targeted drug therapy were better than which in the single-targeted drug group. In terms of safety, the highest incidence (Relative risk, RR) of Adverse reactions was Infections and infestations (RR = 1.48, 95%CI = 1.24-1.77, p < 0.0001) follow by Nervous system disorders (RR = 1.29, 95%CI = 1.12-1.50, p = 0.0006), Gastrointestinal disorders (RR = 1.25, 95%CI = 1.18-1.32, p < 0.0001), Respiratory, thoracic, and mediastinal disorders (RR = 1.21, 95%CI = 1.01-1.46, p = 0.04), Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders (RR = 1.14, 95%CI = 1.06-1.22, p = 0.0002) and General disorders (RR = 1.14, 95%CI = 1.04-1.25, p = 0.004) in dual-targeted drug therapy group. The incidence of Blood system disorder (RR = 0.94, 95%CI = 0.84-1.06, p = 0.32) and Liver dysfunction (RR = 0.80, 95%CI = 0.66-0.98, p = 0.03) was lower than that of the single targeted drug group.Conclusion: Dual-targeted treatment for HER-2-positive breast cancer can prolong the OS, PFS and improve the quality of patients' life. Meanwhile, it also brings a higher medication risk, which requires a rational selection of drug symptomatic interventions.

An Immune-Related Gene Prognostic Prediction Risk Model for Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy in Rectal Cancer Using Artificial Intelligence

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

To develop and validate an immune-related gene prognostic model (IRGPM) that can predict disease-free survival (DFS) in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) who received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and to clarify the immune characteristics of patients with different prognostic risks.

MATERIALS/METHODS

In this study, we obtained transcriptomic and clinical data from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and rectal cancer database of West China Hospital. Genes in the RNA immune-oncology panel were extracted. Elastic net was used to identify the immune-related genes that significantly affected the DFS of patients. A prognostic risk model (IRGPM) for rectal cancer was constructed with the random forest method. The prognostic risk score was calculated by the model, and the patients were divided into high- and low-risk groups according to the median risk score. Immune characteristics were analyzed and compared between the high- and low-risk groups.

RESULTS

A total of 407 LARC samples were used in this study. A 20-gene signature was identified by elastic net and was found to be significantly correlated with DFS. The IRGPM was constructed on the basis of the 20 immune-related genes. Kaplan‒Meier survival analysis showed poorer 5-year DFS in the high-risk group than in the low-risk group, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve suggested good model prediction (areas under the curve (AUCs) of 0.87, 0.94, 0.95 at 1, 3, and 5 years, respectively). The model was validated in the GSE190826 cohort (AUCs of 0.79, 0.64, and 0.63 at 1, 3, and 5 years, respectively) and the cohort from our institution (AUCs of 0.64, 0.66, and 0. 64 at 1, 3, and 5 years, respectively). The differentially expressed genes between the high- and low-risk groups were enriched in cytokine‒cytokine receptor interactions. The patients in the low-risk group had higher immune scores than the patients in the high-risk group. Subsequently, we found that activated B cells, activated CD8 T cells, central memory CD8 T cells, macrophages, T follicular helper cells and type 2 helper cells were more abundant in the low-risk group. Moreover, we compared the expression of immune checkpoints and found that the low-risk group had a higher PDCD1 expression level.

CONCLUSION

The IRGPM, which was constructed based on the random forest and elastic net methods, is a promising method to distinguish DFS in LARC patients treated with a standard strategy. The low-risk group identified by IRGPM was characterized by the activation of adaptive immunity in tumor microenvironment.

The axial and sagittal CT values of the 7th thoracic vertebrae in screening for osteoporosis and osteopenia

AIM

To evaluate the difference in computed tomography (CT) attenuation value of different planes of the 7th thoracic vertebra and investigate the efficacy of axial and sagittal vertebral CT measurements in predicting osteoporosis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Patients who underwent routine chest CT and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) within 1 month were included in this retrospective study. The CT attenuation values of different planes were compared. Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) were used to analyse the difference of each plane in the diagnosis of osteoporosis.

RESULTS

The study included 1,338 patients (mean age of 61.9±11.9; 54% female). The CT attenuation values decreased successively in the normal group, osteopenia group, and osteoporosis group. The paired t-test results showed that the mid-axial measurements were greater than mid-sagittal measurements, with a mean difference of 9 HU, the difference was statistically significant (p<0.001, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 7.8-10.1). For each one-unit reduction in mid-sagittal CT attenuation value, the risk of osteopenia or osteoporosis increased by 3.6%. To distinguish osteoporosis from non-osteoporosis (osteopenia + normal), the sensitivity was 90% and the specificity was 52.4% at the mid-sagittal threshold of 113.7 HU.

CONCLUSIONS

The CT attenuation values of mid-sagittal plane have higher diagnostic efficacy than axial planes in predicting osteoporosis. For patients with a sagittal CT attenuation value of <113.7 HU in the T7, further DXA examination is warranted.

Effect of Composition Adjustment on the Thermoelectric Properties of Mg3Bi2-Based Thermoelectric Materials

Thermoelectric materials are widely used in refrigeration chips, thermal power generation, catalysis and other fields. Mg3Bi2-based thermoelectric material is one of the most promising thermoelectric materials. Herein, the Mg3Bi2-based samples were prepared by high temperature synthesis, and the influence of Mg/Sb content on the electrical transport properties and semi-conductivity/semi-metallicity of the materials has been studied. The results indicate that the efficiency of introducing electrons from excess Mg prepared by high temperature synthesis is lower than that introduced by ball milling, due to the high vapor pressure of Mg. The doping of Sb/Te at the Bi site would make it easier for the material to change from p-type conduction to n-type conduction. With the increase in Mg content, the semi-conductivity of the material becomes weaker, the semi-metallicity becomes stronger, and the corresponding conductivity increases. With the increase in Sb content, the samples exhibit the opposite changes. The highest power factor of ~1.98 mWm-1K-2 is obtained from the Mg3.55Bi1.27Sb0.7Te0.03 sample.

[Effect of hollow compression screw internal fixation in treating McCrory-Bladin type Ⅱ lateral process fracture of the talus: open versus arthroscopy surgery]

In order to explore the clinical efficacy of hollow compression screw internal fixation in the treatment of lateral process fracture of the talus under open surgery versus arthroscopy procedure, a retrospective cohort study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 33 patients with lateral process fracture of the talus admitted to Xuzhou Central Hospital from January 2019 to December 2021. There were 19 males (19 feet) and 14 females (14 feet), aged 18 to 50 years, with an average age of (32.2±9.3) years. According to the modified McCrory-Bladin classification, all patients were classified as type Ⅱ. Based on the different surgical methods, the patients were divided into the arthroscopy group (21 cases, treated with double-tunnel subtalar arthroscopy combined with hollow compression screw internal fixation) and the open group (12 cases, treated with open reduction and internal fixation with hollow compression screw). The operation time was observed and the surgical effects were evaluated using the visual analogue scale (VAS) of pain, the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score, the Foot Function Index (FFI), and the Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM), which includes the FAAM-ADL (activity of daily living subscale) and the FAAM-S (sport subscale). All the patients of the two groups achieved stage Ⅰ wound healing. On the first day after the operation, the mean VAS score of the arthroscopy group was 2.4±0.7, which was significantly lower than that of the open group (3.4±1.6) (P=0.020). No significant difference was observed in terms of the follow-up time, operation time and AOFAS score between the two groups (all P>0.05). The FFI score of the arthroscopy group was significantly lower than that of the open group, and the FAAM-ADL and FAAM-S scores were significantly higher than those in the open group (all P<0.05). Two cases of dorsal foot numbness occurred in the open group after the operation, and the incidence of complications was not significantly different from that of the arthroscopy group (P=0.054). For McCrory-Bladin type Ⅱ lateral process fracture of the talus, the use of compression screw internal fixation could achieve reliable results, however, compared to open surgery, arthroscopy procedure obtained mini trauma and better functions.

Study on the Targeted Improvement Mechanism of the Carrier Concentration and Mobility of BiCuSeO Ceramics

BiCuSeO has great application prospects in thermoelectric power generation and thermoelectric catalysis, but it is limited by its lower thermoelectric performance. Herein, BiCuSeO bulk materials were prepared using a solid-phase reaction method and a ball-milling method combined with spark plasma sintering, and then the thermoelectric properties were improved by synergistically increasing carrier concentration and mobility. Al was adopted to dope into the BiCuSeO matrix, aiming to adjust the carrier mobility through energy band adjustment. The results show that Al doping would widen the bandgap and enhance the carrier mobility of BiCuSeO. After Al doping, the thermoelectric properties of the material are improved in the middle- and high-temperature range. Based on Al doping, Pb is adopted as the doping element to dope BiCuSeO to modify the carrier concentration. The results show that Al/Pb dual doping in the BiCuSeO matrix can increase the carrier concentration under the premise of increasing carrier mobility. Therefore, the electrical conductivity of BiCuSeO can be improved while maintaining a large Seebeck coefficient. The power factor of Al/Pb doping reached ~7.67 μWcm-1K-2 at 873 K. At the same time, the thermal conductivity of all doped samples within the test temperature range maintained a low level (<1.2 Wm-1K-1). Finally, the ZT value of the Al/Pb-doped BiCuSeO reached ~1.14 at 873 K, which is ~2.72 times that of the pure phase, and the thermoelectric properties of the matrix were effectively improved.

[Untargeted metabolomics study of dexamethasone-induced congenital cleft palate in New Zealand rabbits]

Objective: To investigate the metabolic disorders in placental tissues of dexamethasone induced cleft palate mode. Methods: Twelve pregnant rabbits were randomly divided into dexamethasone group (experimental group, 8) and saline control group (4), and a certain amount of dexamethasone and saline were administered intramuscularly to the experimental and control groups respectively from embryonic days (ED) 13 to 16, and placental tissue samples were collected on day 21 of gestation. The corresponding profiles of the embryonic placental tissue samples were obtained by liquid chromatography-triple tandem quadrupole(LC-MS), and the metabolites of the embryonic placental tissues were characterized by principal component analysis among the dexamethasone-treated group with cleft palate (D-CP group), the dexamethasone-treated group without cleft palate (D-NCP group) and the control group. Results: There were significant metabolic differences among the D-CP group, D-NCP group and control group, with a total of 133 differential metabolites (VIP>1, P<0.05) involving in important metabolic pathways including vitamin B6 metabolism, lysine metabolism, arginine anabolic metabolism, and galactose metabolism. The four metabolites, vitamin B6, galactose, lysine and urea, differed among the three groups (P<0.05). There were significant differences in vitamin B6 (0.960±0.249, 0.856±0.368, 1.319±0.322), galactose (0.888±0.171, 1.033±0.182, 1.127±0.127), lysine (1.551±0.924, 1.789±1.435, 0.541±0.424) and urea (0.743±0.142, 1.137±0.301, 1.171±0.457, respectively) levels among control group, D-NCP group and D-CP group (F=5.90, P=0.008; F=5.59, P=0.009; F=4.26, P=0.025; F=5.29, P=0.012). Conclusions: The results indicated that dexamethasone induced cleft palate may be highly correlated with metabolic disorders including vitamin B6 metabolism, lysine metabolism, arginine anabolic metabolism and galactose metabolism.

First Double-Differential Measurement of Kinematic Imbalance in Neutrino Interactions with the MicroBooNE Detector

We report the first measurement of flux-integrated double-differential quasielasticlike neutrino-argon cross sections, which have been made using the Booster Neutrino Beam and the MicroBooNE detector at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. The data are presented as a function of kinematic imbalance variables which are sensitive to nuclear ground-state distributions and hadronic reinteraction processes. We find that the measured cross sections in different phase-space regions are sensitive to different nuclear effects. Therefore, they enable the impact of specific nuclear effects on the neutrino-nucleus interaction to be isolated more completely than was possible using previous single-differential cross section measurements. Our results provide precision data to help test and improve neutrino-nucleus interaction models. They further support ongoing neutrino-oscillation studies by establishing phase-space regions where precise reaction modeling has already been achieved.

Nonlocal Near-Field Radiative Heat Transfer by Transdimensional Plasmonics

Using transdimensional plasmonic materials (TDPM) within the framework of fluctuational electrodynamics, we demonstrate nonlocality in dielectric response alters near-field heat transfer at gap sizes on the order of hundreds of nanometers. Our theoretical study reveals that, opposite to the local model prediction, propagating waves can transport energy through the TDPM. However, energy transport by polaritons at shorter separations is reduced due to the metallic response of TDPM stronger than that predicted by the local model. Our experiments conducted for a configuration with a silica sphere and a doped silicon plate coated with an ultrathin layer of platinum as the TDPM show good agreement with the nonlocal near-field radiation theory. Our experimental work in conjunction with the nonlocal theory has important implications in thermophotovoltaic energy conversion, thermal management applications with metal coatings, and quantum-optical structures.

Erratum: Global Polarization of Ξ and Ω Hyperons in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV [Phys. Rev. Lett. 126, 162301 (2021)]

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.162301.

[Establishment and validation of a novel nomogram to predict overall survival after radical nephrectomy]

Objective: To establish a nomogram prognostic model for predicting the 5-, 10-, and 15-year overall survival (OS) of non-metastatic renal cell carcinoma patients managed with radical nephrectomy (RN), compare the modelled results with the results of pure pathologic staging, the Karakiewicz nomogram and the Mayo Clinic Stage, Size, Grade, and Necrosis (SSIGN) score commonly used in foreign countries, and stratify the patients into different prognostic risk subgroups. Methods: A total of 1 246 non-metastatic renal cell carcinoma patients managed with RN in Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (SYSUCC) from 1999 to 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to screen the variables that influence the prognosis for nomogram establishment, and the bootstrap random sampling was used for internal validation. The time-receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), the calibration curve and the clinical decision curve analysis (DCA) were applied to evaluate the nomogram. The prediction efficacy of the nomogram and that of the pure pathologic staging, the Karakiewicz nomogram and the SSIGN score was compared through the area under the curve (AUC). Finally, patients were stratified into different risk subgroups according to our nomogram scores. Results: A total of 1 246 patients managed with RN were enrolled in this study. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that age, smoking history, pathological nuclear grade, sarcomatoid differentiation, tumor necrosis and pathological T and N stages were independent prognostic factors for RN patients (all P<0.05). A nomogram model named SYSUCC based on these factors was built to predict the 5-, 10-, and 15-year survival rate of the participating patients. In the bootstrap random sampling with 1 000 iterations, all these factors occurred for more than 800 times as independent predictors. The Harrell's concordance index (C-index) of SYSUCC was higher compared with pure pathological staging [0.770 (95% CI: 0.716-0.823) vs 0.674 (95% CI: 0.621-0.728)]. The calibration curve showed that the survival rate as predicted by the SYSUCC model simulated the actual rate, while the clinical DCA showed that the SYSUCC nomogram has a benefit in certain probability ranges. In the ROC analysis that included 857 patients with detailed pathological nuclear stages, the nomogram had a larger AUC (5-/10-year AUC: 0.823/0.804) and better discriminating ability than pure pathological staging (5-/10-year AUC: 0.701/0.658), Karakiewicz nomogram (5-/10-year AUC: 0.772/0.734) and SSIGN score (5-/10-year AUC: 0.792/0.750) in predicting the 5-/10-year OS of RN patients (all P<0.05). In addition, the AUC of the SYSUCC nomogram for predicting the 15-year OS (0.820) was larger than that of the SSIGN score (0.709), and there was no statistical difference (P<0.05) between the SYSUCC nomogram, pure pathological staging (0.773) and the Karakiewicz nomogram (0.826). The calibration curve was close to the standard curve, which indicated that the model has good predictive performance. Finally, patients were stratified into low-, intermediate-, and high-risk subgroups (738, 379 and 129, respectively) according to the SYSUCC nomogram scores, among whom patients in intermediate- and high-risk subgroups had a worse OS than patients in the low-risk subgroup (intermediate-risk group vs. low-risk group: HR=4.33, 95% CI: 3.22-5.81, P<0.001; high-risk group vs low-risk group: HR=11.95, 95% CI: 8.29-17.24, P<0.001), and the high-risk subgroup had a worse OS than the intermediate-risk group (HR=2.63, 95% CI: 1.88-3.68, P<0.001). Conclusions: Age, smoking history, pathological nuclear grade, sarcomatoid differentiation, tumor necrosis and pathological stage were independent prognostic factors for non-metastasis renal cell carcinoma patients after RN. The SYSUCC nomogram based on these independent prognostic factors can better predict the 5-, 10-, and 15-year OS than pure pathological staging, the Karakiewicz nomogram and the SSIGN score of patients after RN. In addition, the SYSUCC nomogram has good discrimination, agreement, risk stratification and clinical application potential.

[Short-term prognostic predictive value of the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio combined with prognostic nutritional index in hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure]

Objective: To explore the prognostic predictive value of neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) combined with prognostic nutritional index (PNI) in patients with hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF). Methods: Clinical data from 149 HBV-ACLF patients admitted to the infectious diseases Department of the General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University were retrospectively analyzed. Demographic data of the enrolled patients and the initial clinical-related data after admission were collected. Patients were divided into survival (93 cases) and death groups (56 cases) according to their prognostic condition 90 days after discharge. Demographic and clinical differences were compared between the two groups data. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted to determine the optimal cutoff values for NLR and PNI in predicting the 90-day mortality rate of HBV-ACLF patients. The COX regression model was used to conduct univariate and multivariate analyses to investigate the correlation between NLR and PNI and the prognosis of HBV-ACLF patients. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to explore the effects of NLR and PNI on the survival of HBV-ACLF patients. Results: The death group NLR was higher than that of the survival group, while the PNI was lower than that of the survival group, with a statistically significant difference. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (0.842, 95% CI: 0.779-0.906) showed patients with adverse prognosis assessed by NLR combined with PNI had a superior prognosis than that of the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) and its combined serum sodium (MELD-Na) and Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) scores. COX regression analysis showed that NLR≥3.03 and MELD score were independent risk factors affecting the prognosis of HBV-ACLF patients. PNI > 36.13 was a protective factor for evaluating the prognosis of HBV-ACLF patients. Conclusion: NLR combined with PNI can enhance the prognostic predictive value of HBV-ACLF.

[Diagnosis and treatment procedures and health management for patients with hereditary angioedema]

As a recognized rare and highly fatal disease, hereditary angioedema (HAE) is difficult to diagnose and characterized by recurrent edema involving the head, limbs, genitals and larynx, etc. Diagnosis of HAE is not difficult. However, low incidence and lack of clinical characteristics lead to difficulty of doctors on timely diagnosis and correct intervention for HAE patients. Therefore, it is crucial to improve the awareness of this disease and prevent its recurrence. for HAE patients. In view of absent cognition of doctors and the general public on HAE, patients often suffer from sudden death or become disabled due to laryngeal edema which cannot be treated in time. Thus, based on the Internet mobile terminal platform, the team set up an all-day rapid emergency response system which is provided for HAE patients by setting up "one-click help". The aim is to offer optimization on overall management of HAE and designed the intelligent follow-up management to provide timely assistance and specialized suggestion for patients with acute attacks.

Plant essential oils improve growth performance by increasing antioxidative capacity, enhancing intestinal barrier function, and modulating gut microbiota in Muscovy ducks

Essential oils (EO) are known for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and growth-promoting properties. However, data rgarding their impact on the intestinal health and gut microbiota of ducks remain limited. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the effects of plant EO on the growth performance, intestinal health, and gut microbiota of Muscovy ducks. A total of 360 healthy male Muscovy ducks aged 1 d were randomly divided into 4 groups with 6 replicates and 15 ducks per replicate. Ducks were fed basal diets supplemented with 0, 100, 200, or 300 mg/kg EO. The results showed that 200 mg/kg EO supplementation significantly (P < 0.05) increased the final body weight and average daily gain, while significantly (P < 0.05) decreased the feed conversion ratio during the 56-d experimental period. Furthermore, dietary 200 mg/kg EO significantly (P < 0.05) enhanced antioxidant capacity and immune function and improved the barrier function of the intestine. Additionally, 16S rDNA sequencing analysis results showed that 200 mg/kg EO favorably modulated the cecal microbial diversities and composition evidenced by the increased (P < 0.05) the abundances of short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria (e.g., Subdoligranulum and Shuttleworthia) and decreased (P < 0.05) abundances of potential enteric pathogenic bacteria (e.g., Alistipes, Eisenbergiella, and Olsenella). The relative abundance of beneficial bacteria was positively correlated with antioxidant, immune, and barrier function biomarkers. Overall, these findings revealed that dietary supplementation with 200 mg/kg EO had several potentially beneficial effects on the growth performance of Muscovy ducks by improving antioxidant capacity, enhancing the intestinal barrier function and favorably modulating gut microbiota.

[An interpretable machine learning-based prediction model for risk of death for patients with ischemic stroke in intensive care unit]

OBJECTIVE

To construct an inherent interpretability machine learning model as an explainable boosting machine model (EBM) for predicting one-year risk of death in patients with severe ischemic stroke.

METHODS

We randomly divided the data of 2369 eligible patients with severe ischemic stroke in the MIMIC-Ⅳ(2.0) database, who were admitted in ICU in 2008 to 2019, into a training dataset (80%) and a test dataset (20%), and assessed the prognosis of the patients using the EBM model. The prediction performance of the model was evaluated by calculating the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUC) curve. The calibration curve and Brier score were used to evaluate the degree of calibration of the model, and a decision curve was generated to assess the net clinical benefit.

RESULTS

The EBM model constructed in this study had good discrimination power, calibration and net benefit, with an AUC of 0.857 (95% CI: 0.831-0.887) for predicting prognosis of severe ischemic stroke. Calibration curve analysis showed that the standard curve of the EBM model was the closest to the ideal curve. Decision curve analysis showed that the model had the greatest net benefit rate at the prediction probability threshold of 0.10 to 0.80. The top 5 independent predictive variables based on the EBM model were age, SOFA score, mean heart rate, mechanical ventilation, and mean respiratory rate, whose significance scores ranged from 0.179 to 0.370.

CONCLUSION

This EBM model has a good performance for predicting the risk of death within one year in patients with severe ischemic stroke and allows clinicians to better understand the contributing factors of the patients' outcomes through the model interpretability.

Preparation of drug-loaded chitosan microspheres repair materials

OBJECTIVE

With the development of society and the progress of science and technology, microspheres, as a new polymer material, have been applied to all aspects of human beings. Microspheres can play a huge role in food safety, electronic technology, sewage treatment, biomedicine, etc., and are non-toxic or harmless. There are three main types of substrates for the preparation of microspheres: natural polymers, semi-synthetic polymer materials, and synthetic polymer materials.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this study, the inorganic material kaolin was modified by the emulsification-crosslinking method with chitosan and composite microspheres with large interlayer spacing were prepared, which were characterized by Fourier Transform Ioncyclotron Resonancel (FTIR) analysis and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The prepared kaolin/chitosan microspheres were then placed in different amounts of aspirin and the optimal dose was investigated by encapsulation efficiency and drug loading rate. The drug release rate of 0.5 h, 1 h, 1.5 h, 2 h, 4 h, 6 h, and 12 h was then determined by simulating the human colon to determine the performance of the sustained-release drug.

RESULTS

The experimental results showed that after the prepared composite microspheres were loaded with aspirin drug, we got the optimal dosage of 0.1 g by discussing the encapsulation efficiency and drug loading rate of the drug-loaded microspheres, and the encapsulation efficiency reached 80.80%, while the drug loading rate was 24.40%, the drug release capacity reached about 83% in about 12 hours.

CONCLUSIONS

The research shows that the kaolin/chitosan drug-loaded microspheres prepared by the emulsification and cross-linking method are excellent drug-loading materials.

A lightweight neural network for lung nodule detection based on improved ghost module

Background

Computer tomography images are the preferred method of preoperative evaluation for lung disease. However, it remains difficult to detect and recognize nodules accurately and efficiently due to poor data imaging quality, heavy reliance on physician experience and the need for more human-computer interaction for diagnosis. Currently, image nodule detection based on deep convolutional neural networks has gained much momentum.

Methods

To alleviate doctors' tremendous labor in the diagnosis procedure, and improve the accuracy of intelligent detection of lung nodules, we improved GhostNet and proposed a lightweight neural network for object detection for lung nodule image detection. Firstly, the bneck structure in the backbone feature extraction network is adopted and improved from the structure of MobileNetV3. The weights are adjusted by changing the initial channel attention mechanism and introducing a spatial-temporal attention mechanism. Then, in the enhanced feature extraction part, we mainly use depth-separable convolution blocks to replace the 3×3 convolution of the original network for the purpose of reducing the model parameters, and make more improvements based on the network structure to enhance the applicability of the network. Diagnostic precision, recall, F1-score, mAP and parameter count were calculated.

Results

According to our lightweight neural network, F1-score, precision, and recall were 0.87, 86.34%, and 86.69%, respectively. Based on our dataset, the Yolov4-GNet network proposed in this research outperforms the current neural networks on both precision and recall as well as F1.

Conclusions

The lung nodule detection method proposed in this research not only simplifies the processing of images, but also outperforms comparable methods in nodule detection rate and positioning accuracy, providing a new way for lung nodule detection.

First Measurement of Quasielastic Λ Baryon Production in Muon Antineutrino Interactions in the MicroBooNE Detector

We present the first measurement of the cross section of Cabibbo-suppressed Λ baryon production, using data collected with the MicroBooNE detector when exposed to the neutrinos from the main injector beam at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. The data analyzed correspond to 2.2×10^{20} protons on target running in neutrino mode, and 4.9×10^{20} protons on target running in anti-neutrino mode. An automated selection is combined with hand scanning, with the former identifying five candidate Λ production events when the signal was unblinded, consistent with the GENIE prediction of 5.3±1.1 events. Several scanners were employed, selecting between three and five events, compared with a prediction from a blinded Monte Carlo simulation study of 3.7±1.0 events. Restricting the phase space to only include Λ baryons that decay above MicroBooNE's detection thresholds, we obtain a flux averaged cross section of 2.0_{-1.7}^{+2.2}×10^{-40}  cm^{2}/Ar, where statistical and systematic uncertainties are combined.

First Constraints on Heavy QCD Axions with a Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber Using the ArgoNeuT Experiment

We present the results of a search for heavy QCD axions performed by the ArgoNeuT experiment at Fermilab. We search for heavy axions produced in the NuMI neutrino beam target and absorber decaying into dimuon pairs, which can be identified using the unique capabilities of ArgoNeuT and the MINOS near detector. This decay channel is motivated by a broad class of heavy QCD axion models that address the strong CP and axion quality problems with axion masses above the dimuon threshold. We obtain new constraints at a 95% confidence level for heavy axions in the previously unexplored mass range of 0.2-0.9 GeV, for axion decay constants around tens of TeV.

Combined effects of microplastics and chlortetracycline on the intestinal barrier, gut microbiota, and antibiotic resistome of Muscovy ducks (Cairina moschata)

Antibiotics and microplastics (MPs) have become critical concerns worldwide because of their increasing amount and ecological risks to ecosystems. However, how MPs exposure affects the bioaccumulation and risks of antibiotics in waterfowls remains poorly understood. In this study, Muscovy ducks were exposed to single and combined contamination with polystyrene MPs and chlortetracycline (CTC) for 56 days, and the effects of MPs on CTC bioaccumulation and their risks in duck intestines were investigated. MPs exposure reduced the bioaccumulation of CTC in the intestine and liver of ducks and increased their fecal CTC excretion. MPs exposure caused severe oxidative stress, inflammatory response, and intestinal barrier damages. Microbiome analysis showed that MPs exposure induced microbiota dysbiosis by increasing the abundance of Streptococcus and Helicobacter, the increase of which may exacerbate intestinal damages. Co-exposure to MPs and CTC alleviated the intestinal damage by regulating the gut microbiome. Metagenomic sequencing revealed that the combined exposure to MPs and CTC increased the abundance of Prevotella, Faecalibacterium, and Megamonas and incidence of total antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), especially tetracycline ARGs subtypes in the gut microbiota. The results obtained herein provide new insights into the potential risks of polystyrene MPs and antibiotics in waterfowls living in aquatic environments.

Cacopsylla fuscicella Sp. Nov. (Hemiptera, Psyllidae), a New Loquat Pest in China

Psylloidea, commonly known as jumping plant-lice, have a phloem-sucking habit and strong specificity to their host plants. Within the Psyllidae family, the genus Cacopsylla Ossiannilsson, 1970 stands out as being the most diverse, with three species feeding on the genus Eriobotrya Lindl. In this study, a new psyllid species, Cacopsylla fuscicella sp. nov., was described from China. It is a pest of Eriobotrya japonica (Thunb.) Lindl. and has been cultivated as a commercial fruit tree for years. Illustrations of habitus, morphological structures, and its damage to loquat were also provided. The complete mitochondrial genome of C. fuscicella sp. nov. was sequenced and annotated. The phylogenetic tree inferred from the maximum likelihood analyses confirmed C. fuscicella sp. nov. as a member of the genus Cacopsylla. Genetic distances were generated to assess comparative genetic distances within Psyllinae.

[Efficacy of partial nephrectomy in patients with localized renal carcinoma: a 20-year experience of 2 046 patients in a single center]

Objectives: To analyze the long-term survival of patients with localized renal cell carcinoma after partical nephrectomy. Methods: The clinicopathological records and survival follow-up data of 2 046 patients with localized renal cell carcinoma, who were treated with partial nephrectomy from August 2001 to February 2021 in the Department of Urology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, were retrospectively analyzed. There were 1 402 males and 644 females, aged (M(IQR)) 51 (19) years (range: 6 to 86 years). The primary end point of this study was cancer-specific survival. Survival curves were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and the difference test was performed by Log-rank test. Univariate and multivariate Cox analysis were fitted to determine factors associated with cancer-specific survival. Results: The follow-up time was 49.2 (48.0) months (range: 1 to 229 months), with 1 974 patients surviving and 72 dying. The median cancer-specific survival time has not yet been reached. The 5- and 10-year cancer specific survival rates were 97.0% and 91.2%, respectively. The 10-year cancer-specific survival rates for stage pT1a (n=1 447), pT1b (n=523) and pT2 (n=58) were 95.3%, 81.8%, and 81.7%, respectively. The 10-year cancer-specific survival rates of patients with nuclear grade 1 (n=226), 2 (n=1 244) and 3 to 4 (n=278) were 96.6%, 89.4%, and 85.5%, respectively. There were no significant differences in 5-year cancer-specific survival rates among patients underwent open, laparoscopic, or robotic surgery (96.7% vs. 97.1% vs. 97.5%, P=0.600). Multivariate analysis showed that age≥50 years (HR=3.93, 95%CI: 1.82 to 8.47, P<0.01), T stage (T1b vs. T1a: HR=3.31, 95%CI: 1.83 to 5.99, P<0.01; T2+T3 vs. T1a: HR=2.88, 95%CI: 1.00 to 8.28, P=0.049) and nuclear grade (G3 to 4 vs. G1: HR=2.81, 95%CI: 1.01 to 7.82, P=0.048) were independent prognostic factors of localized renal cell carcinoma after partial nephrectomy. Conclusions: The long-term cancer-specific survival rates of patients with localized renal cancer after partial nephrectomy are satisfactory. The type of operation (open, laparoscopic, or robotic) has no significant effect on survival. However, patients with older age, higher nuclear grade, and higher T stage have a lower cancer-specific survival rate. Grasping surgical indications, attaching importance to preoperative evaluation, perioperative management, and postoperative follow-up, could benefit achieving satisfactory long-term survival.

Combination of chemotherapy and gaseous signaling molecular therapy: Novel β-elemene nitric oxide donor derivatives against leukemia

This study aimed to design and synthesize active hybrids of β-elemene and nitric oxide (NO) donor pharmacophore as potential agents for treating leukemia. Derivatives reported herein exerted better inhibitory effects against human chronic myeloid leukemia K562 cells compared to β-elemene (IC₅₀  > 100 μM). The most potent compound 18f showed an IC₅₀ value of 0.53 μM against K562 cells, as well as a high NO release level in vitro. In the K562 xenograft tumor mice model, compound 18f effectively inhibited the growth of the tumor, with a significant inhibition rate of 73.18%. After treatment with compound 18f, the body weight of mice did not decrease, indicating that it possessed good safety profile. All these proved that compound 18f was an excellent potential agent against leukemia.