Three-dimensional pseudo-continuous arterial spin-labelled perfusion imaging for diagnosing upper cervical lymph node metastasis in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a whole-node histogram analysis

AIM

To evaluate whole-node histogram parameters of blood flow (BF) maps derived from three-dimensional pseudo-continuous arterial spin-labelled (3D pCASL) imaging in discriminating metastatic from benign upper cervical lymph nodes (UCLNs) for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Eighty NPC patients with a total of 170 histologically confirmed UCLNs (67 benign and 103 metastatic) were included retrospectively. Pre-treatment 3D pCASL imaging was performed and whole-node histogram analysis was then applied. Histogram parameters and morphological features, such as minimum axis diameter (MinAD), maximum axis diameter (MaxAD), and location of UCLNs, were assessed and compared between benign and metastatic lesions. Predictors were identified and further applied to establish a combined model by multivariate logistic regression in predicting the probability of metastatic UCLNs. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to analyse the diagnostic performance.

RESULTS

Metastatic UCLNs had larger MinAD and MinAD/MaxAD ratio, greater energy and entropy values, and higher incidence of level II (upper jugular group), but lower BF10th value than benign nodes (all p<0.05). MinAD, BF10th, energy, and entropy were validated as independent predictors in diagnosing metastatic UCLNs. The combined model yielded an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.932, accuracy of 84.42 %, sensitivity of 80.6 %, and specificity of 90.29 %.

CONCLUSIONS

Whole-node histogram analysis on BF maps is a feasible tool to differentiate metastatic from benign UCLNs in NPC patients, and the combined model can further improve the diagnostic efficacy.

SUGAR: Spherical ultrafast graph attention framework for cortical surface registration

Cortical surface registration plays a crucial role in aligning cortical functional and anatomical features across individuals. However, conventional registration algorithms are computationally inefficient. Recently, learning-based registration algorithms have emerged as a promising solution, significantly improving processing efficiency. Nonetheless, there remains a gap in the development of a learning-based method that exceeds the state-of-the-art conventional methods simultaneously in computational efficiency, registration accuracy, and distortion control, despite the theoretically greater representational capabilities of deep learning approaches. To address the challenge, we present SUGAR, a unified unsupervised deep-learning framework for both rigid and non-rigid registration. SUGAR incorporates a U-Net-based spherical graph attention network and leverages the Euler angle representation for deformation. In addition to the similarity loss, we introduce fold and multiple distortion losses to preserve topology and minimize various types of distortions. Furthermore, we propose a data augmentation strategy specifically tailored for spherical surface registration to enhance the registration performance. Through extensive evaluation involving over 10,000 scans from 7 diverse datasets, we showed that our framework exhibits comparable or superior registration performance in accuracy, distortion, and test-retest reliability compared to conventional and learning-based methods. Additionally, SUGAR achieves remarkable sub-second processing times, offering a notable speed-up of approximately 12,000 times in registering 9,000 subjects from the UK Biobank dataset in just 32 min. This combination of high registration performance and accelerated processing time may greatly benefit large-scale neuroimaging studies.

[Long-term outcome of patients with rectal cancer who achieve complete or near complete clinical responses after neoadjuvant therapy: a multicenter registry study of data from the Chinese Watch and Wait Database]

Objective: To report the long-term outcomes of Chinese rectal cancer patients after adopting a Watch and Wait (W&W) strategy following neoadjuvant therapy (NAT). Methods: This multicenter, cross-sectional study was based on real-world data. The study cohort comprised rectal cancer patients who had achieved complete or near complete clinical responses (cCRs, near-cCRs) after NAT and were thereafter managed by a W&W approach, as well as a few patients who had achieved good responses after NAT and had then undergone local excision for confirmation of pathological complete response. All participants had been followed up for ≥2 years. Patients with distant metastases at baseline or who opted for observation while living with the tumor were excluded. Data of eligible patients were retrospectively collected from the Chinese Wait-and-Watch Data Collaboration Group database. These included baseline characteristics, type of NAT, pre-treatment imaging results, evaluation of post-NAT efficacy, salvage measures, and treatment outcomes. We herein report the long-term outcomes of Chinese rectal cancer patients after NAT and W&W and the differences between the cCR and near-cCR groups. Results: Clinical data of 318 rectal cancer patients who had undergone W&W for over 2 years and been followed up were collected from eight medical centers (Peking University Cancer Hospital, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Shanghai Changhai Hospital, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Liaoning Cancer Hospital, the First Hospital of Jilin University, and Yunnan Cancer Hospital.) The participants comprised 221 men (69.4%) and 107 women (30.6%) of median age 60 (26-86) years. The median distance between tumor and anal verge was 3.4 (0-10.4) cm. Of these patients, 291 and 27 had achieved cCR or near-cCR, respectively, after NAT. The median duration of follow-up was 48.4 (10.2-110.3) months. The 5-year cumulative overall survival rate was 92.4% (95%CI: 86.8%-95.7%), 5-year cumulative disease-specific survival (CSS) rate 96.6% (95%CI: 92.2%-98.5%), 5-year cumulative organ-preserving disease-free survival rate 86.6% (95%CI: 81.0%-90.7%), and 5-year organ preservation rate 85.3% (95%CI: 80.3%-89.1%). The overall 5-year local recurrence and distant metastasis rates were 18.5% (95%CI: 14.9%-20.8%) and 8.2% (95%CI: 5.4%-12.5%), respectively. Most local recurrences (82.1%, 46/56) occurred within 2 years, and 91.0% (51/56) occurred within 3 years, the median time to recurrence being 11.7 (2.5-66.6) months. Most (91.1%, 51/56) local recurrences occurred within the intestinal lumen. Distant metastases developed in 23 patients; 60.9% (14/23) occurred within 2 years and 73.9% (17/23) within 3 years, the median time to distant metastasis being 21.9 (2.6-90.3) months. Common sites included lung (15/23, 65.2%), liver (6/23, 26.1%), and bone (7/23, 30.4%) The metastases involved single organs in 17 patients and multiple organs in six. There were no significant differences in overall, cumulative disease-specific, or organ-preserving disease-free survival or rate of metastases between the two groups (all P>0.05). The 5-year local recurrence rate was higher in the near-cCR than in the cCR group (41.6% vs. 16.4%, P<0.01), with a lower organ preservation rate (69.2% vs. 88.0%, P<0.001). The success rates of salvage after local recurrence and distant metastasis were 82.1% (46/56) and 13.0% (3/23), respectively. Conclusion: Rectal cancer patients who achieve cCR or near-cCR after NAT and undergo W&W have favorable oncological outcomes and a high rate of organ preservation. Local recurrence and distant metastasis during W&W follow certain patterns, with a relatively high salvage rate for local recurrence. Our findings highlight the importance of close follow-up and timely intervention during the W&W process.

Gold-Template-Assisted Mechanical Exfoliation of Large-Area 2D Layers Enables Efficient and Precise Construction of Moiré Superlattices

Moiré superlattices, consisting of rotationally aligned 2D atomically thin layers, provide a highly novel platform for the study of correlated quantum phenomena. However, reliable and efficient construction of moiré superlattices is challenging because of difficulties to accurately angle-align small exfoliated 2D layers and the need to shun wet-transfer processes. Here, efficient and precise construction of various moiré superlattices is demonstrated by picking up and stacking large-area 2D mono- or few-layer crystals with predetermined crystal axes, made possible by a gold-template-assisted mechanical exfoliation method. The exfoliated 2D layers are semiconductors, superconductors, or magnets and their high quality is confirmed by photoluminescence and Raman spectra and by electrical transport measurements of fabricated field-effect transistors and Hall devices. Twisted homobilayers with angle-twisting accuracy of ≈0.3°, twisted heterobilayers with sub-degree angle-alignment accuracy, and multilayer superlattices are precisely constructed and characterized by their moiré patterns, interlayer excitons, and second harmonic generation. The present study paves the way for exploring emergent phenomena in moiré superlattices.

Capsicum chinense Jacq.-derived glutaredoxin (CcGRXS12) alters redox status of the cells to confer resistance against pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV-I)

KEY MESSAGE

The CcGRXS12 gene protects plants from cellular oxidative damage that are caused by both biotic and abiotic stresses. The protein possesses GSH-disulphide oxidoreductase property but lacks Fe-S cluster assembly mechanism. Glutaredoxins (Grxs) are small, ubiquitous and multi-functional proteins. They are present in different compartments of plant cells. A chloroplast targeted Class I GRX (CcGRXS12) gene was isolated from Capsicum chinense during the pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) infection. Functional characterization of the gene was performed in Nicotiana benthamiana transgenic plants transformed with native C. chinense GRX (Nb:GRX), GRX-fused with GFP (Nb:GRX-GFP) and GRX-truncated for chloroplast sequences fused with GFP (Nb:Δ2MGRX-GFP). Overexpression of CcGRXS12 inhibited the PMMoV-I accumulation at the later stage of infection, accompanied with the activation of salicylic acid (SA) pathway pathogenesis-related (PR) transcripts and suppression of JA/ET pathway transcripts. Further, the reduced accumulation of auxin-induced Glutathione-S-Transferase (pCNT103) in CcGRXS12 overexpressing lines indicated that the protein could protect the plants from the oxidative stress caused by the virus. PMMoV-I infection increased the accumulation of pyridine nucleotides (PNs) mainly due to the reduced form of PNs (NAD(P)H), and it was high in Nb:GRX-GFP lines compared to other transgenic lines. Apart from biotic stress, CcGRXS12 protects the plants from abiotic stress conditions caused by H2O2 and herbicide paraquat. CcGRXS12 exhibited GSH-disulphide oxidoreductase activity in vitro; however, it was devoid of complementary Fe-S cluster assembly mechanism found in yeast. Overall, this study proves that CcGRXS12 plays a crucial role during biotic and abiotic stress in plants.

Intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion-weighted imaging of solitary pulmonary lesions: initial study with gradient- and spin-echo sequences

AIM

To evaluate the feasibility and image quality of intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion-weighted imaging (IVIM) using gradient- and spin-echo (GRASE) in solitary pulmonary lesions (SPLs) compared to echo planar imaging (EPI) and turbo spin-echo (TSE) at 3 T.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Forty-two patients with SPLs underwent lung magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using TSE-IVIM, GRASE-IVIM, and EPI-IVIM at 3 T. Signal ratio (SR), contrast ratio (CR), and image distortion ratio (DR) of three sequences were compared. The reproducibility and repeatability of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and IVIM-derived parameters were assessed using the interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and coefficient of variation (CV). The repeatability of the ADC and IVIM-derived parameters between all sequences was evaluated using the Bland-Altman method.

RESULTS

EPI-IVIM had a higher SR, lower CR, and higher DR (p<0.05); however, there was no significant difference between TSE-IVIM and GRASE-IVIM (p>0.05). Compared to the D and f values of TSE-IVIM (ICC lower limit >0.90), GRASE-IVIM and EPI-IVIM showed poor reproducibility (ICC lower limit<0.90). The repeatability of the ADC and D values obtained by TSE-IVIM (CV, 1.93-2.96% and 2.44-3.18%, respectively) and GRASE-IVIM (CV, 2.56-3.12% and 3.21-3.51%, respectively) were superior to those of EPI-IVIM (CV, 10.03-10.2% and 11.30-11.57%). The repeatability of D∗ and f values for all sequences was poor. Bland-Altman analysis showed wide limits of agreement between the ADC and IVIM-derived parameters for all sequences.

CONCLUSION

GRASE-IVIM reduced the DR, improved the stability of the ADC and D values on repeated scans, and had the shortest scanning time.

Machine-learning-assisted and real-time-feedback-controlled growth of InAs/GaAs quantum dots

The applications of self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum dots (QDs) for lasers and single photon sources strongly rely on their density and quality. Establishing the process parameters in molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) for a specific density of QDs is a multidimensional optimization challenge, usually addressed through time-consuming and iterative trial-and-error. Here, we report a real-time feedback control method to realize the growth of QDs with arbitrary density, which is fully automated and intelligent. We develop a machine learning (ML) model named 3D ResNet 50 trained using reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) videos as input instead of static images and providing real-time feedback on surface morphologies for process control. As a result, we demonstrate that ML from previous growth could predict the post-growth density of QDs, by successfully tuning the QD densities in near-real time from 1.5 × 1010 cm-2 down to 3.8 × 108 cm-2 or up to 1.4 × 1011 cm-2. Compared to traditional methods, our approach can dramatically expedite the optimization process and improve the reproducibility of MBE. The concepts and methodologies proved feasible in this work are promising to be applied to a variety of material growth processes, which will revolutionize semiconductor manufacturing for optoelectronic and microelectronic industries.

Danlou tablet attenuates ischemic stroke injury and blood‒brain barrier damage by inhibiting ferroptosis

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Danlou tablet (DLT) is a traditional Chinese medicinal formulation known for replenishing Qi, promoting blood circulation, and resolving stasis. Its pharmacological actions primarily involve anti-inflammatory, antioxidant stress reduction, antiapoptotic, proangiogenic, and improved energy metabolism. DLT has been confirmed to have favorable therapeutic effects on ischemic stroke (IS). However, the underlying mechanism through which DLT affects IS-induced brain injury remains unknown.

AIM OF THE STUDY

This study aims to investigate the effects and underlying mechanisms of danlou tablet on ischemic stroke based on network pharmacology and experimental verification.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Using a transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) mouse model, the impact of DLT on the blood‒brain barrier (BBB) and brain injury in mice was assessed. Network pharmacology and bioinformatics analyses were utilized to explore the potential mechanisms of DLT in treating IS. Endothelial cells were cultured to observe the effects of DLT on vascular endothelial cells after oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion, and these findings were validated in the brains of tMCAO mice.

RESULTS

DLT alleviated oxidative stress and brain damage in tMCAO mice, mitigating BBB damage. A total of 185 potential targets through which DLT regulates IS were identified, including COX2, a known critical marker of ferroptosis, which identified as a key target. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that DLT significantly (p < 0.05) improved cell death and vascular barrier damage in IS, reducing intracellular oxidative stress and COX2 protein levels while increasing SLC7A11 and GPX4 protein levels.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated that DLT maintained BBB integrity and alleviated brain injury of tMCAO mice by inhibiting ferroptosis. The study partially unraveled the mechanism through which DLT functioned in treating IS and further clarified the pivotal active components of DLT, thereby providing a theoretical scientific basis for treating IS with DLT.

[Clinical characteristics and efficacy of vocal fold epidermoid cysts coexisting with sulcus vocalis]

Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics and voice outcomes after laryngeal microsurgery for vocal fold epidermoid cysts coexisting with sulcus vocalis. Methods: The clinical data of 115 vocal fold epidermoid cysts coexisting with sulcus vocalis patients in Shandong provincial ENT hospital, were retrospectively analyzed, including 49 males and 66 females, aged 17-70 years old, and the duration of hoarseness ranged from 6 months to 30 years. All patients underwent surgery through suspension laryngoscope and microscope under general anestgesia. Ninety-four patients were treated with microflap excision of sulcus vocalis, cyst wall, and contents.And 21 patients that occulted with mucosal bridges were applied mucosal bridges resection (2 cases) and mucosal bridges reconstruction (19 cases) respectively. Videolaryngoscopy, subjective voice evaluation (GRBAS), objective voice evaluation, and Voice Handicap Index(VHI) were performed before and after surgery. All patients underwent histopathologic examination and follow-up after the procedure. The preoperative acoustic parameters of patients with vocal fold epidermoid cysts coexisting with sulcus vocalis were compared with those of vocal fold mucus retention cysts and simple vocal fold epidermoid cysts by independent samples t-test. The patients were compared by paired t-test for preoperative and postoperative parameters. Results: Significant reduction or lack of mucosal waves were shown via videolaryngostroboscopy in all 115 cases.In addition, vascular changes including dilation, tortuousness, increased branches, and abrupt direction change were shown on the cystic area. Eighty-one patients were detected cysts and/or sulcus vocalis by preoperative laryngoscopy, and intraoperative microscopic findings in the remaining 34 patients. The intraoperative microscopic examination revealed a focal pouch-like deficit plunging into the vocal ligament or muscle. The deep surface of the mucosal bridges was sulcus vocalis, and that in 89 cysts was lined with caseous content. Histopathology demonstrated a cystic cavity structure lined with squamous epithelium and caseous keratin desquamation inside the cystic cavity. Four of 115 patients were lost at follow-up and excluded from the analysis of voice outcomes after surgery. There was no significant mucosal wave and the voice quality in all but 14 patients 1month after surgery. Except for the fundamental frequency and noise harmonic ratio, all other voice parameters[ G, R, B, A, VHI-10, jitter, shimmer, maximum phonatory time (MPT) ]showed a significant improvement 3 months after surgery(t=15.82, 20.82, 17.61, 7.30, 38.88, 7.84, 5.88, -6.26, respectively, P<0.05). Then mucosal waves and the voice quality were gradually improved and became steady in 6 months after surgery. The subjective and objective voice parameters[G, R, B, A, VHI-10, jitter, shimmer, noise to harmonic ratio(NHR), MPT], except for the fundamental frequency, were all significantly improved(t=23.47, 25.79, 18.37, 9.84, 54.45, 10.68, 8.07, 3.24, -9.08, respectively, P<0.05). In addition, there were 2 patients with no significant improvement after the operation. Steady function with no complications was observed during the 12 months (up to 3 years in 34 patients) follow-up period in 111 patients. Conclusion: Ruptured vocal fold epidermoid cysts can result in sulcus vocalis and mucosal bridges. Characteristics changes in preoperative videolaryngoscopy are effective diagnostic tools. The complete excision of the cyst wall and repair of the lamina propria can lead to satisfactory long-term effects.

Treatment of auricular pseudocysts using enhanced negative drainage: a prospective study of 21 cases

OBJECTIVE

Auricular pseudocysts are rare, painless, benign intracartilaginous cysts of the auricle that are not lined by epithelium and have no known aetiology.

METHOD

This was a prospective study conducted in an ENT department from January 2020 to June 2022. In 21 patients, complete aspiration of the pseudocyst with enhanced negative drainage was performed. They were followed for a minimum of six months.

RESULTS

All patients completely responded to the negative drainage treatment. No cases of recurrence or obvious deformities were observed.

CONCLUSION

Aspiration with intensified negative drainage was associated with a positive response in patients with auricular pseudocysts. Complete resolution of the swelling can be achieved without any serious complications. Thus, it appears to be a simple and effective method for managing the condition.

High-throughput intact Glycopeptide quantification strategy with targeted-MS (HTiGQs-target) reveals site-specific IgG N-glycopeptides as biomarkers for hepatic disorder diagnosis and staging

Liver disease is one of the leading causes of global mortality, and identifying biomarkers for diagnosing the progression of liver diseases is crucial for improving its outcomes. Targeted mass spectrometry technology is a powerful tool with unique advantages for verifying biomarker candidates and clinical applications. It is particularly useful in validating protein biomarkers with post-translational modifications, eliminating the need for site-specific antibodies. Especially, targeted mass spectrometry technique is particularly critical for translation of glycoproteins into clinical applications as there are no site-specific antibodies for N-glycosylation. Nevertheless, its limitation in analyzing only one sample per run has become apparent when dealing with a large number of clinical samples. Herein, we developed a high-throughput intact N-glycopeptides quantification strategy with targeted-MS (HTiGQs-Target), which allows the validation of 20 samples per run with an average analysis time of only 3 min per sample. We applied HTiGQs-Target in a cohort of 461 serum samples (including 120 healthy controls (HC), 127 chronic hepatitis B (CHB) cases, 106 liver cirrhosis (LC) cases, and 108 hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) cases) and found that a panel of 10 IgG N-glycopeptides have strong clinical utility in evaluating the severity of the liver disease.

Targeted Macrophage CRISPR-Cas13 mRNA Editing in Immunotherapy for Tendon Injury

CRISPR-Cas13 holds substantial promise for tissue repair through its RNA editing capabilities and swift catabolism. However, conventional delivery methods fall short in addressing the heightened inflammatory response orchestrated by macrophages during the acute stages of tendon injury. In this investigation, macrophage-targeting cationic polymers are systematically screened to facilitate the entry of Cas13 ribonucleic-protein complex (Cas13 RNP) into macrophages. Notably, SPP1 (OPN encoding)-producing macrophages are recognized as a profibrotic subtype that emerges during the inflammatory stage. By employing ROS-responsive release mechanisms tailored for macrophage-targeted Cas13 RNP editing systems, the overactivation of SPP1 is curbed in the face of an acute immune microenvironment. Upon encapsulating this composite membrane around the tendon injury site, the macrophage-targeted Cas13 RNP effectively curtails the emergence of injury-induced SPP1-producing macrophages in the acute phase, leading to diminished fibroblast activation and mitigated peritendinous adhesion. Consequently, this study furnishes a swift RNA editing strategy for macrophages in the inflammatory phase triggered by ROS in tendon injury, along with a pioneering macrophage-targeted carrier proficient in delivering Cas13 into macrophages efficiently.

THz spectrum processing method based on optimal wavelet selection

Terahertz spectrum is easily interfered by system noise and water-vapor absorption. In order to obtain high quality spectrum and better prediction accuracy in qualitative and quantitative analysis model, different wavelet basis functions and levels of decompositions are employed to perform denoising processing. In this study, the terahertz spectra of wheat samples are denoised using wavelet transform. The compound evaluation indicators (T) are used for systematically analyzing the quality effect of wavelet transform in terahertz spectrum preprocessing. By comparing the optimal denoising effects of different wavelet families, the wavelets of coiflets and symlets are more suitable for terahertz spectrum denoising processing than the wavelets of fejer-korovkin and daubechies, and the performance of symlets 8 wavelet basis function with 4-level decomposition is the optimum. The results show that the proposed method can select the optimal wavelet basis function and decomposition level of wavelet denoising processing in the field of terahertz spectrum analysis.

[Comparison of the anorectal function before and after neoadjuvant radiotherapy in mid-low rectal cancer: a retrospective observational study from single center]

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of neoadjuvant radiotherapy on anorectal function of patients with mid-low rectal cancer by means of high-resolution anorectal manometry. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted. Information on patients with mid-low rectal cancer was collected from the prospective registry database of Rectal Cancer at Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) from June 2020 to April 2023. Anorectal functions were detected using three-dimensional high-resolution manometry system. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the factors associated with the changed anorectal manometry. Results: A total of 45 patients with mid-low rectal cancer were included in the study. Thirty-two (71.1%) patients were male, 13 (28.9%) patients were female. The mean age was 60±11 years, and the mean BMI was 23.4±3.7 kg/m2. The mean distance between the lower edge of the tumor and the anal verge was 5.4±1.5 cm. The median size of the tumor was 3.4 (2.9-4.5) cm, and the median circumferential extent of the tumor was 66.0 (45.5-75.0) %. 41 (81.1%) patients were MRI T3-4 and 40 (88.9%) patients were MRI N positive. The resting pressure has a decreasing trend after neoadjuvant radiotherapy (55.3±32.0 mmHg vs. 48.0±28.5 mmHg, t=1.930, P=0.060). There was no significant change in maximum squeezing and the length of the high-pressure zone after neoadjuvant radiotherapy. All volumes describing rectal sensitivity (first sensation, desire to defecate, and maximum tolerance) were lower after neoadjuvant radiotherapy. And maximum tolerance was significantly lower (66.0 [49.0,88.0] ml vs. 52.0 [39.0,73.5] ml, Z=-2.481,P=0.013). Univariate analysis demonstrated that the downstage of N-stage was associated with the decrease in maximum tolerance (OR=6.533, 95%CI:1.254-34.051, P=0.026). Conclusion: Neoadjuvant radiotherapy damages anorectal function by decreasing the resting pressure and rectal sensory threshold of patients. The N-stage downstaging was associated with a decrease in maximum tolerance.

[Epidemiological characteristics of a local cluster epidemic caused by the BA.2 evolutionary branch of Omicron variant]

Descriptive epidemiological methods were used to analyze the epidemiological characteristics of the local cluster of COVID-19 in the logistic park of Yuhang District in Hangzhou in March 2022. The cluster epidemic was detected by a case who actively visited the fever clinic. The epidemic lasted for 8 days, and a total of 58 cases (53 workers, 2 students, 1 farmer, 1 teacher and 1 unemployed) were found, including 40 males and 18 females. The age was (33.29±12.22) years. There cases were mainly in Yuhang District (48 cases, 82.77%) and Shangcheng District (7 cases, 12.07%) of Hangzhou. The real-time regeneration number peaked at 2.31 on March 10th and decreased to 0.37 on March 15th. The sequencing result of the indicated case was 100% homologous with the sequence uploaded from South Korea on March 4th, 2022.

Significance of Gastrokine-1 Polymorphism Rs4254535 as a Prognostic Marker and its Association with Clinical Characteristics in Chinese Lung Cancer Patients

Background: The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of Gastrokine-1 (GKN1) is associated with lung cancer but its association with prognosis is not clear. Methods: Genomic DNA was extracted from the blood samples of 888 patients with lung cancer. The association between GKN1 polymorphism rs4254535 and prognostic was analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier (KM) method, Log-rank test, and Cox proportional hazards model. Results: In females and patients diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer, the CC genotype (CC vs TT, adjusted odds ratio [HR] = 0.57, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 0.33-0.99, P = 0.045; HR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.48-0.92, P = 0.014) and recessive CC genotype (CC vs TT + TC, HR = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.32-0.94, P = 0.028; HR = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.47-0.89, P = 0.006) of rs4254535 conferred a better prognosis, compared with the TT and TT + TC genotype. Rs4254535 dominate TC + CC genotype, recessive CC genotype, and C allele who were adenocarcinoma patients had a significantly better prognosis. The recessive CC genotype of non-smoking patients has a better prognosis, compared to the TT + TC genotype. Additionally, in the dominant TT + TC genotype and C allele, no family history patients had a significantly better prognosis, compared to the TT genotype. Conclusion: For lung cancer patients, GKN1 polymorphism rs4254535 may be a protective genetic marker and predicts the prognosis of lung cancer patients.

Highly Anthropomorphic Finger Design With a Novel Friction Clutch for Achieving Human-Like Reach-and-Grasp Movements

In the design of prosthetic hand fingers, achieving human-like movement while meeting anthropomorphic demands such as appearance, size, and lightweight is quite challenging. Human finger movement involves two distinct motion characters during natural reach-and-grasp tasks: consistency in the reaching stage and adaptability in the grasping stage. The former one enhances grasp stability and reduces control complexity; the latter one promotes the adaptability of finger to various objects. However, conventional tendon-driven prosthetic finger designs typically incorporate bulky actuation modules or complex tendon routes to reconcile the consistency and adaptability. In contrast, we propose a novel friction clutch consisting of a single tendon and slider, which is simple and compact enough to be configurated within the metacarpal bone. Through tactfully exploiting the friction force to balance the gravity effect on each phalanx during finger motion, this design effectively combines both consistency and adaptability. As a result, the prosthetic finger can maintain consistent motion unaffected by any spatial posture during reaching, execute adaptive motion during grasping, and automatically switch between them, resulting in human-like reach-and-grasp movements. Additionally, the proposed finger achieves a highly anthropomorphic design, weighing only 18.9 g and possessing the same size as an adult's middle finger. Finally, a series of experiments validate the theoretical effectiveness and motion performance of the proposed design. Remarkably, the mechanical principle of the proposed friction clutch is beneficial to achieve highly anthropomorphic design, providing not only a new strategy to prosthetic hand design but also great potential in hand rehabilitation.

A novel bivalent anti-c-MET/PD-1 bispecific antibody exhibits potent cytotoxicity against c-MET/PD-L1-positive colorectal cancer

Previously, we generated a novel bispecific antibody (BsAb) simultaneously targeting both c-MET and PD-1 (PDCD1), which can bridge T cells and c-MET positive tumor cells. However, the specific mechanisms and antitumor activities of the BsAb against c-MET/PD-L1 (CD274) positive colorectal cancer (CRC) is not completely understood. In this study, in addition to the tumor intrinsic mechanism investigation with molecular biology assay in vitro, a humanized mouse model was used to evaluate antitumor activity of the BsAb in vivo. The BsAb could inhibit c-MET/PD-L1+ CRC cell migration and show strong antitumor activity against HCT116 tumors in mice, potentially by inducing the degradation of c-MET protein in a dose and time-dependent manner. The BsAb could suppress the phosphorylation of c-MET downstream proteins GRB2-associated-binding protein 1 (Gab1) and focal adhesion kinase (FAK). Considering the tumor extrinsic mechanism, the BsAb may promote phagocytosis of macrophage. Furthermore, the level of plasma exosomal-c-MET/PD-L1 is able to distinguish CRC patients from healthy controls. In summary, the BsAb exhibited potent anti-tumor activities by two distinguished mechanisms: inhibition of c-MET signal transduction and promotion of macrophage-mediated phagocytosis. Our BsAb may provide a novel therapeutic agent for patients with c-MET/PD-L1+ CRC, and the status of exosomal-c-MET/PD-L1 can serve as a biomarker to predict responsiveness to treatment of our BsAb.

Tensile Fatigue Properties of Ordinary Plain Concrete and Reinforced Concrete under Flexural Loading

Many bridge structural components are subjected to repetitive vehicle load and temperature gradient action. The resulting cyclic tensile stresses within the structures could cause premature fatigue failure of concrete, dramatically impairing structural components' durability and sustainability. Although substantial knowledge of fatigue properties on low-strength pavement concrete and high-strength structural concrete has been obtained, research on the most widely used normal-grade ordinary concrete in bridge engineering is still ongoing. Therefore, a four-point bending fatigue test of 97 C50 concrete specimens under a constant amplitude sinusoidal wave was conducted in the laboratory, the flexural fatigue behavior of plain and reinforced concrete specimens was studied, and the cyclic deformation evolution of concrete under fatigue loading was obtained. The empirical fatigue S-N equations of concrete with a failure probability p of 0.1~0.5 were derived through statistical analysis of the test results. The fatigue life of the tested specimens exhibited a two-parameter Weibull distribution. In addition to the maximum stress level Smax, the stress ratio R is also a key factor affecting the flexural fatigue life of concrete N. The semi-logarithmic and logarithmic equations were almost identical at the tested stress levels, the latter predicting longer fatigue life for Smax < 0.70. The restraining effect from steel reinforcement slightly lengthened the concrete's fatigue cracking initiation life. The insight into concrete flexural fatigue properties from this study not only contributes to a better understanding of structural concrete, but also provides a basis for the practical evaluation of concrete or composite bridge decks.

First Report of Penicillium cellarum Causing Rot Disease on Dioscorea polystachya in China

Dioscorea polystachya (Chinese yam) is a kind of medicine and food homologous crop, the tubers as its main production organ, with high potassium, low fiber, high protein and rich nutrition characteristics. In 2022, at the Chinese herbal medicine planting experimental site in Anguo, Baoding City, Hebei Province, China, we found the symptoms of Chinese yam decay during the storage, with an incidence of 15%~25%. The diseased part of Chinese yam tuber rots expands from the outside to the inside and sags, with a brown or dark brown discoloration, and the surface covered with a thick grayish green mold. The diseased tissue was first rinsed with clean water to remove dirts from the surface. Thereafter, 3 to 4 mm Chinese yam pieces were picked from rotting edge with a sterilized forceps, sterilized with 75% alcohol for 30 s followed by 0.1% mercuric chloride solution for 1min, and then rinsed three times with sterile water. The sterilized pieces were cultured on potato dextrose agar (PDA). One isolated fungus was obtained, and conidia were observed after incubation for 5 days at 26°C. Pure cultures were isolated by single-spore isolation. Conidia were single spore, round or oval, colorless. Conidiophores produce several rounds of symmetric or asymmetric small stems after multiple branches, which were shaped like brooms. The length and width of 100 conidia were measured, and size ranged from 3 to 4×3 to 4 μm. On the basis of morphological characteristics, the isolate was identified as Penicillium spp. (Uy et al. 2022). To further assess the identity of isolated species, the genomic DNA of the fungal isolate (SYRF1) was extracted by CTAB protocol. The ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and the ribosomal large subunit (LSU) were amplified and sequenced with primers ITS1/4, LR5/LROR respectively (White et al. 1990, Xu et al. 2010). The obtained ITS-rDNA region and LSU sequences (GenBank accession OQ707937 and OQ704185) of the isolate were more than 99% identity to the corresponding sequences of Penicillium cellarum in GenBank (KM249068 and MG714818). Phylogenetic results based on a maximum-likelihood analysis revealed that SYRF1 was grouped with P. cellarum. To determine the pathogenicity of the isolated fungi, tests were carried out by aseptic inoculation of fresh and healthy tubers. Before the experiment, the healthy tubers were washed, surface disinfected and dried. The tubers were then wounded with sterile inoculation needles, and the conidium-bearing hyphal discs (5 mm) were inoculated on the surface of the wounded tubers and covered with wet sterile cotton. Three tubers were inoculated repeatedly each time as the experimental group. Inoculate sterile PDA with three tubers as the control group. Each tuber was inoculated with four mycelium disks, and the pathogenicity test was repeated four times. The inoculated tubers were incubated at 26°C for 14 days with sterile PDA as control. After ten days, the inoculated points showed symptoms similar to those of the initial infection, whereas controls remained symptomless. The reisolated fungus matched SYRF1 based on morphological and sequence analyses, thereby fulfilling Koch's postulates. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of Penicillium cellarum as causative agent of postharvest rot of Chinese yam tubers in China. This finding will help inform the prevention and management of postharvest diseases of Chinese yam tubers.

[Analysis of influencing factors and clinical value of anterior peritoneal reflection for patients with rectal cancer]

Objectives: To investigate the factors influencing the height of anterior peritoneal reflection (APR) for patients with rectal cancer, and to analyze the relationship between the APR and the lateral lymph node metastasis. Methods: Clinical data of 432 patients with tumor located within and below APR were retrospectively collected from the rectal cancer database at the Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital from August 2020 to September 2022. Ninty-eight non-rectal cancer patients were also enrolled as a control group. There were 308 males and 124 females in the tumor group, aged (M(IQR)) 62 (16) years (range: 24 to 85 years) and 53 males and 45 females in the control group, aged 60 (22) years (range: 27 to 87 years). The APR height, pelvis, and tumor-related parameters were measured by MRI. A multifactor linear regression model was established to analyze the dependent correlation factors of APR height. These factors of the two groups were matched by propensity score matching and their APR heights were compared after matching. An ordinal Logistic regression model was established to explore the relationship between APR-related parameters and radiographic lateral lymph node metastasis. Results: The APR height of the tumor group was (98.7±14.4) mm (range: 43.3 to 154.0 mm) and the control group was (95.1±12.7) mm (range: 68.0 to 137.9 mm). Multivariable linear regression revealed that the greater the weight (B=0.519, 95%CI: 0.399 to 0.640, P<0.01), the anterior pelvic depth (B=0.109, 95%CI: 0.005 to 0.213, P=0.039) and the smaller the bi-ischial diameter (B=-0.172, 95%CI:-0.294 to -0.049, P=0.006), the higher the APR height. The tumor group had a higher APR height than the control group after propensity score matching ((98.3±14.2) mm vs. (95.1±12.7) mm, t=-1.992, P=0.047). Ordinal Logistic regression indicated that the longer segment of the tumor invade the nonperitoneal rectum was an independent influencing factor of radiographic lateral lymph node metastasis (OR=1.016, 95%CI: 1.002 to 1.030, P=0.021), while the distance between the anal verge and the tumor was not (OR=0.986, 95%CI: 0.972 to 1.000, P=0.058). Conclusions: The higher the weight, the deeper and narrower the pelvis, the higher the APR height. There is a certain relationship between APR and lateral lymph node metastasis on imaging.

A Blockchain-Based Traceability Model for Grain and Oil Food Supply Chain

The structure of the grain-and-oil-food-supply chain has the characteristics of complexity, cross-regionality, a long cycle, and numerous participants, making it difficult to maintain the safety of supply. In recent years, some phenomena have emerged in the field of grain procurement and sale, such as topping the new with the old, rotating grains, the pressure of grades and prices, and counterfeit oil food, which have seriously threatened grain-and-oil-food security. Blockchain technology has the advantage of decentralization and non-tampering Therefore, this study analyzes the characteristics of traceability data in the grain-and-oil-food-supply chain, and presents a blockchain-based traceability model for the grain-and-oil-food-supply chain. Firstly, a new method combining blockchain and machine learning is proposed to enhance the authenticity and reliability of blockchain source data by constructing anomalous data-processing models. In addition, a lightweight blockchain-storage method and a data-recovery mechanism are proposed to reduce the pressure on supply-chain-data storage and improve fault tolerance. The results indicate that the average query delay of public data is 0.42 s, the average query delay of private data is 0.88 s, and the average data-recovery delay is 1.2 s. Finally, a blockchain-based grain-and-oil-food-supply-chain traceability system is designed and built using Hyperledger Fabric. Compared with the existing grain-and-oil-food-supply chain, the model constructed achieves multi-source heterogeneous data uploading, lightweight storage, data recovery, and traceability in the supply chain, which are of great significance for ensuring the safety of grain-and-oil food in China.

Metal-organic framework derived CdSe wrapped with rGO for enhanced lithium storage performance

Considering the advantages of MOF-based, CdSe-based, and rGO-based materials, CdSe nanoparticles encapsulated with rGO (CdSe@rGO) were synthesized by a metal-organic framework derived method. CdSe nanoparticles encapsulated with rGO can effectively tolerate volume expansion and improve electrical conductivity, leading to excellent cycling stability (396 mAh g-1 at 0.3 A g-1 after 200 cycles, 311 mAh g-1 at 0.5 A g-1 after 500 cycles), and rate performance (562 mAh g-1 at 0.1 A g-1 and 122.2 mAh g-1 at 4 A g-1) for lithium-ion storage. This strategy for preparing metal selenides protected by carbon layers can be extended to the design of other high-performance materials.

TSUnet-CC: Temporal Spectrogram Unet embedding Cross Channel-wise attention mechanism for MDD identification

Automatic detection of major depressive disorder (MDD) with multiple-channel electroencephalography (EEG) signals is of great significance for treatment of the mental diseases. In a U-net network, clear EEG signals are fed to obtain temporal feature tensor through encoder and decoder networks with several convolution operations. Moreover, the clear EEG signals can be converted into multi-scale spectrogram to obtain the rich saliency information and then the spectrogram feature tensor can be extracted by another symmetrical U-net. The temporal and spectrogram feature tensors can provide more comprehensive information, but may also contain redundant information, which may affect the detection of MDD. To deal with such issue, this paper proposed a novel Temporal Spectrogram Unet (TSUnet-CC), which embeds the cross channel-wise attention mechanism for multiple-channel EEGbased MDD identification. We make three novel contributions: 1) multi-scale saliency-encoded spectrogram using Fourierbased approach to capture rich saliency information under different scales, 2) TSUnet network using a symmetrical twostream U-net architecture that learns multiple temporal and spectrogram feature tensors in time and frequency domains, and 3) cross channel-wise block enabling the larger weights of key feature channels that contain MDD information. The leaveone-subject-out experiments show that our proposed TSUnetCC gains high performance with a classification accuracy up to 98.55% and 99.22% in eyes closed and eyes open datasets, which outperformed some state-of-the-art methods and revealed its clinical potential.

Recent Advances in THz Detection of Water

The frequency range of terahertz waves (THz waves) is between 0.1 and 10 THz and they have properties such as low energy, penetration, transients, and spectral fingerprints, which are especially sensitive to water. Terahertz, as a frontier technology, have great potential in interpreting the structure of water molecules and detecting biological water conditions, and the use of terahertz technology for water detection is currently frontier research, which is of great significance. Firstly, this paper introduces the theory of terahertz technology and summarizes the current terahertz systems used for water detection. Secondly, an overview of theoretical approaches, such as the relaxation model and effective medium theory related to water detection, the relationship between water molecular networks and terahertz spectra, and the research progress of the terahertz detection of water content and water distribution visualization, are elaborated. Finally, the challenge and outlook of applications related to the terahertz wave detection of water are discussed. The purpose of this paper is to explore the research domains on water and its related applications using terahertz technology, as well as provide a reference for innovative applications of terahertz technology in moisture detection.

[Safety and feasibility of right colectomy via a transvaginal approach: early experience from a single center]

Objective: To investigate the safety and feasibility of performing right colectomy via a transvaginal approach. Methods: This was a retrospeltive cohort study. Data of 30 patients who had undergone transvaginal laparoscopic right colectomy (transvaginal group) and 23 women who had undergone laparoscopic right colectomy (laparoscopic group) from January 2019 to March 2022 in the Division of Colorectal Surgery, Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital were collected retrospectively. The inclusion criteria for the transvaginal group were as follows: (1) post-menopausal woman; (2) transverse diameter of the tumor < 6 cm; and (3) diagnosis of benign polyps that were unresectable by endoscopy, mucinous tumors of the appendix, or confirmed right colon cancer not requiring D3 lymphadenectomy. The inclusion criteria for the laparoscopic group were as follows: (1) pathologically confirmed adenocarcinoma or high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia; (2) lesion located from the cecum to the right third of the transverse colon; and (3) clinically stage T1-4NanyM0. The exclusion criteria for the laparoscopic group were as follows: (1) distant metastasis discovered during surgical exploration; (2) multiple organ resection required or R0 resection not possible; or (3) conversion to open surgery required. Safety was evaluated on the basis of intra- and post-operative complications. Feasibility was assessed by postoperative recovery and quality of operative specimen. The body mass index was lower in the transvaginal than the laparoscopic group (22.0±3.1 kg/m2 vs. 24.1±2.6 kg/m2, t=2.617, P=0.012). Results: Among the 30 transvaginal laparoscopic right colectomies, 26 were pure transvaginal surgeries, three required laparoscopic assistance because of difficulties with anastomosis (n=2) or abdominal adhesions (n=1), and one required conversion to laparoscopic surgery because of vascular injury. Compared with the laparoscopic group, the transvaginal group had a longer surgery time (175.0 [147.5, 216.3] minutes vs. 120.0 [100.0, 120.0] minutes, U=63.000, P<0.001) and more blood loss (30.0 [10.0, 50.0] ml vs. 23.0 [10.0, 20.0] ml, U=208.000, P=0.011). The incidence of intraoperative complications (16.7% [5/30) vs. 0, P=0.061] was comparable between the two groups. In the transvaginal group, the sites of intraoperative injuries were bladder (n=3), ileocecal artery (n=1), and right uterine artery (n=1). The incidence of postoperative complications (20.0% [6/30] vs. 17.4% [4/23], χ2<0.001,P>0.999) was also comparable between the two groups. Clavien-Dindo grade III postoperative complications occurred in two patients in the transvaginal group (one patient had a pelvic hematoma that required embolization; the other had a vesico-vaginal fistula that required surgery). Postoperative visual analogue scale scores were significantly lower (P<0.001) in the transvaginal group. Times to first flatus, ambulation, and first intake and duration of postoperative hospital stay were comparable between the two groups (P>0.05). The proportion of specimens of moderate quality was 83.3% (25/30) in the transvaginal group and 100% (23/23) in the laparoscopic group; this difference is not significant (P=0.061). Among patients who underwent D2 lymph node dissection, the number of lymph nodes examined was comparable between the transvaginal (n=23) and laparoscopic groups (n=7) (18 [15, 27] vs. 20 [16, 29], U=69.500, P=0.589). Conclusion: Transvaginal right colon surgery is associated with less postoperative pain than laparoscopic surgery, but is not yet the preferred alternative because of the incidence of surgical complications.

Measurement of Direct-Photon Cross Section and Double-Helicity Asymmetry at sqrt[s]=510 GeV in p[over →]+p[over →] Collisions

We present measurements of the cross section and double-helicity asymmetry A_{LL} of direct-photon production in p[over →]+p[over →] collisions at sqrt[s]=510  GeV. The measurements have been performed at midrapidity (|η|<0.25) with the PHENIX detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. At relativistic energies, direct photons are dominantly produced from the initial quark-gluon hard scattering and do not interact via the strong force at leading order. Therefore, at sqrt[s]=510  GeV, where leading-order-effects dominate, these measurements provide clean and direct access to the gluon helicity in the polarized proton in the gluon-momentum-fraction range 0.02<x<0.08, with direct sensitivity to the sign of the gluon contribution.

Realization of a Two-Dimensional Checkerboard Lattice in Monolayer Cu2N

Two-dimensional checkerboard lattice, the simplest line-graph lattice, has been intensively studied as a toy model, while material design and synthesis remain elusive. Here, we report theoretical prediction and experimental realization of the checkerboard lattice in monolayer Cu₂N. Experimentally, monolayer Cu₂N can be realized in the well-known N/Cu(100) and N/Cu(111) systems that were previously mistakenly believed to be insulators. Combined angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements, first-principles calculations, and tight-binding analysis show that both systems host checkerboard-derived hole pockets near the Fermi level. In addition, monolayer Cu₂N has outstanding stability in air and organic solvents, which is crucial for further device applications.

M2 macrophage-derived exosome-encapsulated microneedles with mild photothermal therapy for accelerated diabetic wound healing

Due to local overactive inflammatory response and impaired angiogenesis, current treatments for diabetic wounds remain unsatisfactory. M2 macrophage-derived exosomes (MEs) have shown considerable potential in biomedical applications, especially since they have anti-inflammatory properties that modulate macrophage phenotypes. However, exosome-based strategies still have limitations, such as short half-lives and instability. Herein, we develop a double-layer microneedle-based wound dressing system (MEs@PMN) by encapsulating MEs in the needle tips and polydopamine (PDA) nanoparticles in backing layer to simultaneously suppress inflammation and improve angiogenesis at the wound site. In vitro, released MEs increased macrophage polarization towards the M2 phenotype. In addition, mild heat (40 ​°C) generated by the photosensitive PMN backing layer contributed to improved angiogenesis. More importantly, MEs@PMN also showed promising effects in diabetic rats. The uncontrolled inflammatory response at the wound site was inhibited by MEs@PMN during a 14-day period; in addition, MEs and the photothermal effects produced by PMN provided a combined proangiogenic effect by improving the expression of CD31 and vWF. Collectively, this study provides a simple and efficient cell-free strategy for suppressing inflammation and promoting vascular regeneration to treat diabetic wounds.

[S100A10 promotes proliferation and invasion of lung adenocarcinoma cells by activating the Akt-mTOR signaling pathway]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effects of expression levels of S100 calcium-binding protein A10 (S100A10) in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) on patient prognosis and the regulatory role of S100A10 in lung cancer cell proliferation and metastasis.

METHODS

Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression levels of S100A10 in LUAD and adjacent tissues, and the relationship between S100A10 expression and clinicopathological parameters and prognosis of the patients was statistically analyzed. The lung adenocarcinoma expression dataset in TCGA database was analyzed using gene enrichment analysis (GSEA) to predict the possible regulatory pathways of S100A10 in the development of lung adenocarcinoma. Lactate production and glucose consumption of lung cancer cells with S100A10 knockdown or overexpression were analyzed to assess the level of glycolysis. Western blotting, CCK-8 assay, EdU-594 assay, and Transwell assays were performed to determine the expression level of S100A10 protein, proliferation and invasion ability of lung cancer cells. A549 cells with S100A10 knockdown and H1299 cells with S100A10 overexpression were injected subcutaneously in nude mice, and tumor growth was observed.

RESULTS

The expression level of S100A10 was significantly upregulated in LUAD tissues as compared with the adjacent tissues, and an elevated S100A10 expression level was associated with lymph node metastasis, advanced tumor stage and distant organ metastasis (P < 0.05), but not with tumor differentiation or the patients' age or gender (P > 0.05). Survival analysis showed that elevated S100A10 expressions in the tumor tissue was associated with a poor outcome of the patients (P < 0.001). In the lung cancer cells, S100A10 overexpression significantly promoted cell proliferation and invasion in vitro (P < 0.001). GSEA showed that the gene sets of glucose metabolism, glycolysis and mTOR signaling pathway were significantly enriched in high expressions of S100A10. In the tumor-bearing nude mice, S100A10 overexpression significantly promoted tumor growth, while S100A10 knockdown obviously suppressed tumor cell proliferation (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

S100A10 overexpression promotes glycolysis by activating the Akt-mTOR signaling pathway to promote proliferation and invasion of lung adenocarcinoma cells.

NLRP3-Dependent Crosstalk between Pyroptotic Macrophage and Senescent Cell Orchestrates Trauma-Induced Heterotopic Ossification During Aberrant Wound Healing

Heterotopic ossification (HO) represents an unwanted ossific wound healing response to the soft tissue injury which caused catastrophic limb dysfunction. Recent studies established the involvement of inflammation and cellular senescence in the tissue healing process, though their role in HO still remained to be clarified. Here, a novel crosstalk where the pyroptotic macrophages aroused tendon-derived stem cells (TDSCs) senescence is revealed to encourage osteogenic healing during trauma-induced HO formation. Macrophage pyroptosis blockade reduces the senescent cell burden and HO formation in NLRP3 knockout mice. Pyroptosis-driven IL-1β and extracellular vesicles (EVs) secretion from macrophages are determined to motivate TDSCs senescence and resultant osteogenesis. Mechanistically, pyroptosis in macrophages enhances the exosomal release of high mobility group protein 1 (HMGB1), which directly bounds TLR9 in TDSCs to trigger morbid signaling. NF-κB signaling is confirmed to be the converging downstream pathway of TDSCs in response to HMGB1-containing EVs and IL-1β. This study adds insights into aberrant regeneration-based theory for HO formation and boosts therapeutic strategy development.

Construction of ternary bismuth-based heterojunction using (BiO)2CO3 as electron bridge for highly efficient degradation of phenol

Inspired by nature, it has been considered an effective approach to design artificial photosynthetic system by fabricating Z-scheme photocatalyst to eliminate environmental issues and alleviate the global energy crisis. However, the development of low cost, environment-friendly, and high-efficient photocatalysts by utilizing solar energy still confronts huge challenge. Herein, we constructed Bi2O3/(BiO)2CO3/Bi2MoO6ternary heterojunction via a facile solvothermal method and calcination approach and used it as a photocatalyst for the degradation of phenol. The optimized Bi2O3/(BiO)2CO3/Bi2MoO6 heterojunction delivers a considerable activity for phenol photodegradation with an impressive removal efficiency of 98.8% and about total organic carbon (TOC) of 68% within 180 min under visible light irradiation. The excellent photocatalytic activity was ascribed to the formation of a Z-scheme heterojunction, more importantly, the presence of (BiO)2CO3 as an electron bridge greatly shortens the migration distance of photogenerated electron from ECB of Bi2O3 to EVB of Bi2MoO6, thus prolonging the lifetime of photogenerated electrons, which is verified by trapping experiments, electron spin-resonance spectroscopy (ESR) results, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. This work provides a potential strategy to fabricate highly efficient Bi-based Z-scheme photocatalysts with wide application prospects in solar-to-fuel conversion and environmental protection.

Synergistic effects of electroacupuncture and bone marrow stromal cells transplantation therapy in ischemic stroke

OBJECTIVE

Animal studies and clinical trials demonstrated the effectiveness of a combination of transplanted bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC) and electroacupuncture (EA) treatment in improving neurological deficits. However, the ability of the BMSC-EA treatment to enhance brain repair processes or the neuronal plasticity of BMSC in ischemic stroke model is unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the neuroprotective effects and neuronal plasticity of BMSC transplantation combined with EA in ischemic stroke.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model was used. Intracerebral transplantation of BMSC, transfected with lentiviral vectors expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP), was performed using a stereotactic apparatus after modeling. MCAO rats were treated with BMSC injection alone or in combination with EA. After the treatment, proliferation and migration of BMSC were observed in different groups by fluorescence microscopy. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry were performed to examine changes in the levels of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and nestin in the injured striatum.

RESULTS

Epifluorescence microscopy revealed that most BMSC in the cerebrum were lysed; few transplanted BMSC survived, and some living cells migrated to areas around the lesion site. NSE was overexpressed in the striatum of MCAO rats, illustrating the neurological deficits caused by cerebral ischemia-reperfusion. The combination of BMSC transplantation and EA attenuated the expression of NSE, indicating nerve injury repair. Although the qRT-PCR results showed that BMSC-EA treatment elevated nestin RNA expression, less robust responses were observed in other tests.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results show that the combination treatment significantly improved restoration of neurological deficits in the animal stroke model. However, further studies are required to see if EA could promote the rapid differentiation of BMSC into neural stem cells in the short term.

Editorial

Surface and interface engineering has been considered as a promising strategy to enhance the performance of catalysts towards CO₂ reduction. In their editorial to this special collection, guest editors Zhicheng Zhang, Zhen Zhang, Zhenyu Sun, Shaoqi Zhan and Guoxiong Wang provide a brief overview of this field and highlight the state-of-the-art contributions featured in this special collection.

Sustained Release of Dicumarol via Novel Grafted Polymer in Electrospun Nanofiber Membrane for Treatment of Peritendinous Adhesion

The prevention and treatment of post-traumatic peritendinous adhesion (PA) have always been a great difficulty for orthopedic surgeons. Current treatments include resecting surgery, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) usage and implantable membranes, often target single disease pathogenic processes, resulting in unfavorable therapeutic outcomes. Here a polylactic acid (PLA)-dicumarol conjugates-electrospun nanofiber membrane (ENM) (PCD) is generated, which can achieve spatial accuracy and temporal sustainability in drug release. It is further demonstrated that PCD possesses a significantly higher and more sustainable drug release profile than traditional drug-loading ENM. By providing a physical barrier and continuous releasing of dicumarol, PCD implantation significantly reduces tissue adhesion by 25%, decreases fibroblasts activity and inhibits key fibrogenic cytokine transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) production by 30%, and improves the biomechanical tendon property by 14.69%. Mechanistically, PCD potently inhibits the connexin43 (Cx43) and thereby tunes down the fibroblastic TGFβ/Smad3 signaling pathway. Thus, this approach leverages the anti-adhesion effect of dicumarol and drug release properties of grafted copolymer ENM by esters to provide a promising therapeutic strategy for patients who suffer from PA.

Digital Inclusion, Cultural Capital, and Health Status of Urban and Rural Residents: An Empirical Study Based on 2017 CGSS Database

China is committed to using digital technology to drive urban-rural integration in health care. This study aims to explore the effect of digital inclusion on health status with the mediating role of cultural capital and the digital health disparities between urban and rural residents in China. Using data from the 2017 Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS), the present study adopted an ordinary least squares (OLS) robust standard error regression model to investigate the impact of digital inclusion on health status. In addition, causal step regression (CSR) and bootstrapping methods were combined to test the mediating effect of cultural capital. The results showed that, first, digital inclusion was related to positive and significant effects on resident health status. Second, cultural capital played a mediating role in the relationship between digital inclusion and health status. Third, urban residents gained more health benefits from digital inclusion than rural residents. Additionally, common method variance (CMV) tests, endogenous tests, and a propensity score matching (PSM) analysis showed that the above conclusions remained robust. The government should therefore focus not only on promoting the population's health by utilizing digital inclusion but also on accelerating digital health equity between urban and rural areas by developing such strategies as a digital infrastructure expansion schedule and digital literacy education and training programs.

Association of intraplacental oxygenation patterns on dual-contrast MRI with placental abnormality and fetal brain oxygenation

OBJECTIVES

Most human in-vivo placental imaging techniques are unable to distinguish and characterize various placental compartments, such as the intervillous space (IVS), placental vessels (PV) and placental tissue (PT), limiting their specificity. We describe a method that employs T2* and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data to differentiate automatically placental compartments, quantify their oxygenation properties and identify placental lesions (PL) in vivo. We also investigate the association between placental oxygenation patterns and fetal brain oxygenation.

METHODS

This was a prospective study conducted between 2018 and 2021 in which dual-contrast clinical MRI data (T2* and diffusion-weighted MRI) were acquired from patients between 20 and 38 weeks' gestation. We trained a fuzzy clustering method to analyze T2* and diffusion-weighted MRI data and assign placental voxels to one of four clusters, based on their distinct imaging domain features. The new method divided automatically the placenta into IVS, PV, PT and PL compartments and characterized their oxygenation changes throughout pregnancy.

RESULTS

A total of 27 patients were recruited, of whom five developed pregnancy complications. Total placental oxygenation level and T2* did not demonstrate a statistically significant temporal correlation with gestational age (GA) (R²  = 0.060, P = 0.27). In contrast, the oxygenation level reflected by T2* values in the placental IVS (R²  = 0.51, P = 0.0002) and PV (R²  = 0.76, P = 1.1 × 10^-7 ) decreased significantly with advancing GA. Oxygenation levels in the PT did not show any temporal change during pregnancy (R²  = 0.00044, P = 0.93). A strong spatial-dependent correlation between PV oxygenation level and GA was observed. The strongest negative correlation between PV oxygenation and GA (R²  = 0.73, P = 4.5 × 10^-7 ) was found at the fetal-vessel-dominated region close to the chorionic plate. The location and extent of the placental abnormality were automatically delineated and quantified in the five women with clinically confirmed placental pathology. Compared to the averaged total placental oxygenation, placental IVS oxygenation level best reflected fetal brain oxygenation level during fetal development.

CONCLUSION

Based on clinically feasible dual-MRI, our method enables accurate spatiotemporal quantification of placental compartment and fetal brain oxygenation across different GAs. This information should improve our knowledge of human placenta development and its relationship with normal and abnormal pregnancy. © 2022 The Authors. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

The first case report of an intraosseous epidermoid cyst in the distal phalanx of the index finger with infection resulting in single clubbing finger: A case report and review of the literature

An intraosseous epidermoid cyst at the distal phalanx of the index finger is extremely rare. These cysts are asymptomatic unless ruptured, severely infected, or transformed into malignant squamous cell carcinoma. We present a case of a single clubbing finger in an adult diagnosed with an intraosseous epidermoid cyst in the distal phalanx of the left index finger with no history of pulmonary or cardiovascular diseases. Preoperative MRI showed an expansile lytic lesion with a sclerotic margin. Histopathological examination indicates that there is keratinous cell debris in the cyst with a wall of stratified squamous epithelium, which was the key to the correct diagnosis of an intraosseous epidermoid cyst. Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this case report and any accompanying images.

Corrigendum: Influence of lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase alteration during different pathophysiologic conditions: A 45 years bibliometrics analysis

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.1062249.].

High-throughput site-specific N-glycoproteomics reveals glyco-signatures for liver disease diagnosis

The glycoproteome has emerged as a prominent target for screening biomarkers, as altered glycosylation is a hallmark of cancer cells. In this work, we incorporated tandem mass tag labeling into quantitative glycoproteomics by developing a chemical labeling-assisted complementary dissociation method for the multiplexed analysis of intact N-glycopeptides. Benefiting from the complementary nature of two different mass spectrometry dissociation methods for identification and multiplex labeling for quantification of intact N-glycopeptides, we conducted the most comprehensive site-specific and subclass-specific N-glycosylation profiling of human serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) to date. By analysing the serum of 90 human patients with varying severities of liver diseases, as well as healthy controls, we identified that the combination of IgG1-H3N5F1 and IgG4-H4N3 can be used for distinguishing between different stages of liver diseases. Finally, we used targeted parallel reaction monitoring to successfully validate the expression changes of glycosylation in liver diseases in a different sample cohort that included 45 serum samples.

[Predictive value of MRI pelvic measurements for "difficult pelvis" during total mesorectal excision]

Objective: Total mesorectal resection (TME) is difficult to perform for rectal cancer patients with anatomical confines of the pelvis or thick mesorectal fat. This study aimed to evaluate the ability of pelvic dimensions to predict the difficulty of TME, and establish a nomogram for predicting its difficulty. Methods: The inclusion criteria for this retrospective study were as follows: (1) tumor within 15 cm of the anal verge; (2) rectal cancer confirmed by preoperative pathological examination; (3) adequate preoperative MRI data; (4) depth of tumor invasion T1-4a; and (5) grade of surgical difficulty available. Patients who had undergone non-TME surgery were excluded. A total of 88 patients with rectal cancer who underwent TME between March 2019 and November 2021 were eligible for this study. The system for scaling difficulty was as follows: Grade I, easy procedure, no difficulties; Grade II, difficult procedure, but no impact on specimen quality (complete TME); Grade III, difficult procedure, with a slight impact on specimen quality (near-complete TME); Grade IV: very difficult procedure, with remarkable impact on specimen quality (incomplete TME). We classified Grades I-II as no surgical difficulty and grades III-IV as surgical difficulty. Pelvic parameters included pelvic inlet length, anteroposterior length of the mid-pelvis, pelvic outlet length, pubic tubercle height, sacral length, sacral depth, distance from the pubis to the pelvic floor, anterior pelvic depth, interspinous distance, and inter-tuberosity distance. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the factors associated with the difficulty of TME, and a nomogram predicting the difficulty of the procedure was established. Results: The study cohort comprised 88 patients, 30 (34.1%) of whom were classified as having undergone difficult procedures and 58 (65.9%) non-difficult procedures. The median age was 64 years (56-70), 51 patients were male and 64 received neoadjuvant therapy. The median pelvic inlet length, anteroposterior length of the mid-pelvis, pelvic outlet length, pubic tubercle height, sacral length, sacral depth, distance from the pubis to the pelvic floor, anterior pelvic depth, interspinous distance, and inter-tuberosity distance were 12.0 cm, 11.0 cm, 8.6 cm, 4.9 cm, 12.6 cm, 3.7 cm, 3.0 cm, 13.3 cm, 10.2 cm, and 12.2 cm, respectively. Multivariable analyses showed that preoperative chemoradiotherapy (OR=4.97,95% CI: 1.25-19.71, P=0.023), distance between the tumor and the anal verge (OR=1.31, 95% CI: 1.02-1.67, P=0.035) and pubic tubercle height (OR=3.36, 95% CI: 1.56-7.25, P=0.002) were associated with surgical difficulty. We then built and validated a predictive nomogram based on the above three variables (AUC = 0.795, 95%CI: 0.696-0.895). Conclusion: Our research demonstrated that our system for scaling surgical difficulty of TME is useful and practical. Preoperative chemoradiotherapy, distance between tumor and anal verge, and pubic tubercle height are risk factors for surgical difficulty. These data may aid surgeons in planning appropriate surgical procedures.

Influence of lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase alteration during different pathophysiologic conditions: A 45 years bibliometrics analysis

Background: Lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) is an important enzyme responsible for free cholesterol (FC) esterification, which is critical for high density lipoprotein (HDL) maturation and the completion of the reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) process. Plasma LCAT activity and concentration showed various patterns under different physiological and pathological conditions. Research on LCAT has grown rapidly over the past 50 years, but there are no bibliometric studies summarizing this field as a whole. This study aimed to use the bibliometric analysis to demonstrate the trends in LCAT publications, thus offering a brief perspective with regard to future developments in this field. Methods: We used the Web of Science Core Collection to retrieve LCAT-related studies published from 1975 to 2020. The data were further analyzed in the number of studies, the journal which published the most LCAT-related studies, co-authorship network, co-country network, co-institute network, co-reference and the keywords burst by CiteSpace V 5.7. Results: 2584 publications contained 55,311 references were used to analyzed. The number of included articles fluctuated in each year. We found that Journal of lipid research published the most LCAT-related studies. Among all the authors who work on LCAT, they tend to collaborate with a relatively stable group of collaborators to generate several major authors clusters which Albers, J. published the most studies (n = 53). The United States of America contributed the greatest proportion (n = 1036) of LCAT-related studies. The LCAT-related studies have been focused on the vascular disease, lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase reaction, phospholipid, cholesterol efflux, chronic kidney disease, milk fever, nephrotic syndrome, platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase, reconstituted lpa-i, reverse cholesterol transport. Four main research frontiers in terms of burst strength for LCAT-related studies including "transgenic mice", "oxidative stress", "risk", and "cholesterol metabolism "need more attention. Conclusion: This is the first study that demonstrated the trends and future development in LCAT publications. Further studies should focus on the accurate metabolic process of LCAT dependent or independent of RCT using metabolic marker tracking techniques. It was also well worth to further studying the possibility that LCAT may qualify as a biomarker for risk prediction and clinical treatment.

Thrombectomy Using the EmboTrap Clot-Retrieving Device for the Treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Glimpse of Clinical Evidence

BACKGROUND

The EmboTrap Recanalization Device is a novel stent retriever for thrombectomy in the setting of acute ischemic stroke due to large-vessel occlusion.

PURPOSE

Our aim was to summarize the safety and efficacy of the EmboTrap Recanalization Device in acute ischemic stroke-large-vessel occlusion through a systematic review and meta-analysis.

DATA SOURCES

Medline, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were searched up to April 2022.

STUDY SELECTION

Nine observational studies using the EmboTrap Recanalization Device were selected.

DATA ANALYSIS

We adapted effect size with 95% CIs for dichotomous data. P value <.05 was statistically significant.

DATA SYNTHESIS

The estimated rate of successful recanalization (modified TICI 2b-3) was 90% (95% CI, 86%-95%; I ² = 82.4%); 90-day favorable outcome (mRS 0-2), 53% (95% CI, 42%-63%; I ² = 88.6%); modified first-pass effect, 43% (95% CI, 35%-51%; I ² = 63.7%); and first-pass effect, 36% (95% CI, 29%-46%; I ² = 10.7%). The rate of any intracerebral hemorrhage was 19% (95% CI, 16%-22%; I ² = 0.0%); symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage, 5% (95% CI, 1%-8%; I ² = 84.6%); and 90-day mortality, 14% (95% CI, 9%-19%; I ² = 79.3%). Subgroup analysis showed higher rates of complete recanalization for EmboTrap II than for the EmboTrap System.

LIMITATIONS

The included studies are single-arm without direct comparison with other stent retrievers. Some of the studies recruited had a small sample size and were limited by the retrospective study design. In addition, the uncertain heterogeneity among studies was high.

CONCLUSIONS

The EmboTrap Recanalization Device is safe and efficient in treating acute ischemic stroke due to large-vessel occlusion.