Search for exotic decays of the Higgs boson to a pair of pseudoscalars in the μμbb and ττbb final states

A search for exotic decays of the Higgs boson (H ) with a mass of 125Ge V to a pair of light pseudoscalars a 1 is performed in final states where one pseudoscalar decays to two b quarks and the other to a pair of muons or τ leptons. A data sample of proton-proton collisions at s = 13 Te V corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138fb - 1 recorded with the CMS detector is analyzed. No statistically significant excess is observed over the standard model backgrounds. Upper limits are set at 95% confidence level (CL ) on the Higgs boson branching fraction to μ μ b b and to τ τ b b , via a pair of a 1 s. The limits depend on the pseudoscalar mass m a 1 and are observed to be in the range (0.17-3.3) × 10 - 4 and (1.7-7.7) × 10 - 2 in the μ μ b b and τ τ b b final states, respectively. In the framework of models with two Higgs doublets and a complex scalar singlet (2HDM+S), the results of the two final states are combined to determine upper limits on the branching fraction B ( H → a 1 a 1 → ℓ ℓ b b ) at 95% CL , with ℓ being a muon or a τ lepton. For different types of 2HDM+S, upper bounds on the branching fraction B ( H → a 1 a 1 ) are extracted from the combination of the two channels. In most of the Type II 2HDM+S parameter space, B ( H → a 1 a 1 ) values above 0.23 are excluded at 95% CL for m a 1 values between 15 and 60Ge V .

[Endometriosis-related recurrent unilateral hemorrhagic pleural effusion: a case report]

Hemorrhagic pleural effusion (PE) is common in clinical practice. According to the guidelines, the etiological diagnosis of PE should focus on the identification of common diseases. In most cases, the etiology of PE can be determined by clinical history, physical examination, laboratory and imaging examinations, and pleural biopsy or video-assisted thoracic surgery (VAST). We reported a rare case of a 32-year-old woman with recurrent unilateral hemorrhagic pleural effusion (highly correlated with menstrual cycle) and chest pain that was diagnosed as thoracic endometriosis syndrome (TES) by pathological biopsy and immunohistochemistry. Later she underwent surgery combined with hormone therapy. During the follow-up, the right PE decreased, and she had no chest pain. Therefore, women of reproductive age with regular unilateral bloody pleural effusions should be alert to TES.

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.

The ZmbHLH47-ZmSnRK2.9 Module Promotes Drought Tolerance in Maize

Drought stress globally poses a significant threat to maize (Zea mays L.) productivity and the underlying molecular mechanisms of drought tolerance remain elusive. In this study, we characterized ZmbHLH47, a basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor, as a positive regulator of drought tolerance in maize. ZmbHLH47 expression was notably induced by both drought stress and abscisic acid (ABA). Transgenic plants overexpressing ZmbHLH47 displayed elevated drought tolerance and ABA responsiveness, while the zmbhlh47 mutant exhibited increased drought sensitivity and reduced ABA sensitivity. Mechanistically, it was revealed that ZmbHLH47 could directly bind to the promoter of ZmSnRK2.9 gene, a member of the subgroup III SnRK2 kinases, activating its expression. Furthermore, ZmSnRK2.9-overexpressing plants exhibited enhanced ABA sensitivity and drought tolerance, whereas the zmsnrk2.9 mutant displayed a decreased sensitivity to both. Notably, overexpressing ZmbHLH47 in the zmsnrk2.9 mutant closely resembled the zmsnrk2.9 mutant, indicating the importance of the ZmbHLH47-ZmSnRK2.9 module in ABA response and drought tolerance. These findings provided valuable insights and a potential genetic resource for enhancing the environmental adaptability of maize.

Filler Mixed Into Adhesives Does Not Necessarily Improve Their Mechanical Properties

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the influence of filler type/loading on the micro-tensile fracture strength (μTFS) of adhesive resins, as measured 'immediately' upon preparation and after 1-week water storage ('water-stored').

METHODS

The morphology and particle-size distribution of three filler particles, referred to as 'Glass-S' (Esschem Europe), 'BioUnion' (GC), and 'CPC_Mont', were correlatively characterized by SEM, TEM, and particle-size analysis. These filler particles were incorporated into an unfilled adhesive resin ('BZF-29unfilled', GC) in different concentrations to measure the 'immediate' μTFS. After 1-week water storage, the 'water-stored' μTFS of the experimental particle-filled adhesive resins with the most optimum filler loading, specific for each filler type, was measured. In addition, the immediate and water-stored μTFS of the adhesive resins of three experimental two-step universal adhesives based on the same resin matrix but varying for filler type/loading, coded as 'BZF-21' (containing silica and bioglass), 'BZF-29' (containing solely silica), and 'BZF-29_hv' (highly viscous with a higher silica loading than BZF-29), and of the adhesive resins of the gold-standard adhesives OptiBond FL ('Opti-FL', Kerr) and Clearfil SE Bond 2 ('C-SE2', Kuraray Noritake) was measured along with that of BZF-29unfilled (GC) serving as control/reference. Statistics involved one-way and two-way ANOVA followed by post-hoc multiple comparisons (α<0.05).

RESULTS

Glass-S, BioUnion, and CPC_Mont represent irregular fillers with an average particle size of 8.5-9.9 μm. Adding filler to BZF-29unfilled decreased μTFS regardless of filler type/loading. One-week water storage reduced μTFS of all adhesive resins except BZF-21, with the largest reduction in μTFS recorded for BZF-29unfilled. Among the three filler types, the μTFS of the 30 wt% Glass-S and 20 wt% BioUnion filled adhesive resin was not significantly different from the μTFS of BZF-29unfilled upon water storage.

CONCLUSIONS

Adding filler particles into adhesive resin did not enhance its micro-tensile fracture strength but appeared to render it less sensitive to water storage as compared to the unfilled adhesive resin investigated.

[Surgical treatment and prognosis analysis of hilar cholangiocarcinoma]

Objective: To investigate the surgical treatment effect and prognostic factors of hilar cholangiocarcinoma. Methods: This is an ambispective cohort study. From August 2005 to December 2022,data of 510 patients who diagnosed with hilar cholangiocarcinoma and underwent surgical resection at the Hepatobiliary Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University were retrospectively collected. In the cohort,there were 324 males and 186 females,with an age of (M (IQR)) 63(13)years (range:25 to 85 years). The liver function at admission was Child-Pugh A (343 cases,67.3%) and Child-Pugh B (167 cases,32.7%). Three hundred and seventy-two(72.9%) patients had jaundice symptoms and the median total bilirubin was 126.3(197.6) μmol/L(range: 5.4 to 722.8 μmol/L) at admission. Two hundred and fourty-seven cases (48.4%) were treated with percutaneous transhepatic cholangial drainage or endoscopic nasobiliary drainage before operation. The median bilirubin level in the drainage group decreased from 186.4 μmol/L to 85.5 μmol/L before operation. Multivariate Logistic regression was used to identify the influencing factors for R0 resection,and Cox regression was used to construct multivariate prediction models for overall survival(OS) and disease-free survival(DFS). Results: Among 510 patients who underwent surgical resection,Bismuth-Corlett type Ⅲ-Ⅳ patients accounted for 71.8%,among which 86.1% (315/366) underwent hemi-hepatectomy,while 81.9% (118/144) underwent extrahepatic biliary duct resection alone in Bismuch-Corlett type Ⅰ-Ⅱ patients. The median OS time was 22.8 months, and the OS rates at 1-,3-,5-and 10-year were 72.2%,35.6%,24.8% and 11.0%,respectively. The median DFS time was 15.2 months,and the DFS rates was 66.0%,32.4%,20.9% and 11.0%,respectively. The R0 resection rate was 64.5% (329/510), and the OS rates of patients with R0 resection at 1-,3-,5-and 10-year were 82.5%, 48.6%, 34.4%, 15.2%,respectively. The morbidity of Clavien-Dindo grade Ⅲ-Ⅴ complications was 26.1%(133/510) and the 30-day mortality was 4.3% (22/510). Multivariate Logistic regression indicated that Bismuth-Corlett type Ⅰ-Ⅲ (P=0.009), hemi-hepatectomy and extended resection (P=0.001),T1 and T2 patients without vascular invasion (T2 vs. T1:OR=1.43 (0.61-3.35),P=0.413;T3 vs. T1:OR=2.57 (1.03-6.41), P=0.010;T4 vs. T1, OR=3.77 (1.37-10.38), P<0.01) were more likely to obtain R0 resection. Preoperative bilirubin,Child-Pugh grade,tumor size,surgical margin,T stage,N stage,nerve infiltration and Edmondson grade were independent prognostic factors for OS and DFS of hilar cholangiocarcinoma patients without distant metastasis. Conclusions: Radical surgical resection is necessary to prolong the long-term survival of hilar cholangiocarcinoma patients. Hemi-hepatectomy and extended resection,regional lymph node dissection and combined vascular resection if necessary,can improve R0 resection rate.

Predictions of tissue concentrations of myclobutanil, oxyfluorfen, and pronamide in rat and human after oral exposures via GastroPlusTM physiologically based pharmacokinetic modelling

Heritage agrochemicals like myclobutanil, oxyfluorfen, and pronamide, are extensively used in agriculture, with well-established studies on their animal toxicity. Yet, human toxicity assessment relies on conventional human risk assessment approaches including the utilization of animal-based ADME (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, and Excretion) data. In recent years, Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modelling approaches have played an increasing role in human risk assessment of many chemicals including agrochemicals. This study addresses the absence of PBPK-type data for myclobutanil, oxyfluorfen, and pronamide by generating in vitro data for key input PBPK parameters (Caco-2 permeability, rat plasma binding, rat blood to plasma ratio, and rat liver microsomal half-life), followed by generation of PBPK models for these three chemicals via the GastroPlusTM software. Incorporating these experimental input parameters into PBPK models, the prediction accuracy of plasma AUC (area under curve) was significantly improved. Validation against rat oral administration data demonstrated substantial enhancement. Steady-state plasma concentrations (Css) of pronamide aligned well with published data using measured PBPK parameters. Following validation, parent-based tissue concentrations for these agrochemicals were predicted in humans and rats after single or 30-day repeat exposure of 10 mg/kg/day. These predicted concentrations contribute valuable information for future human toxicity risk assessments of these agrochemicals.

[Magnetic resonance imaging T2 mapping could reflect disease status in patients with dermatomyositis or polymyositis]

This study aimed to explore the value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) T2 mapping in the assessment of dermatomyositis (DM) and polymyositis (PM). Thirty-three confirmed cases (myosin group) and eight healthy volunteers (healthy control group) at the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, from October 2016 to December 2017, were collected and analyzed. Multiple parameters of the myosin group were quantified, including creatine kinase (CK), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), complement C3, and complement C4. Disease status was evaluated using a panel of tools: myositis disease activity assessment tool-muscle (MDAAT-muscle), myositis disease activity assessment tool-whole (MDAAT-all), health assessment questionnaire (HAQ), medical outcomes study health survey short form-36 item (SF-36), hand muscle strength test (MMT-8) score, and MRI T2 mapping of muscle (22 muscles in the pelvis and thighs) T2 values. The results showed that in the myositis group, the measurements for CK, ESR, CRP, complement C3, and complement C4 were 457.2 (165.6, 1 229.2) IU/L, 20 (10, 42) mm/1h, 3.25 (2.38, 10.07) mg/L, 0.90 (0.83, 1.06) g/L, and 0.18 (0.14, 0.23) g/L, respectively. The scores for MMT-8, MDAAT-muscle, MDAAT-all, HAQ, and SF-36 were 57.12±16.23, 5.34 (4.00, 6.00), 34.63±12.62, 1.55 (0.66, 2.59), and 44.66±7.98, respectively. T2 values were significantly higher in all 22 muscles of the pelvis and thighs of patients with DM or PM compared with the healthy controls [(54.99±11.60)ms vs. (36.62±1.66)ms, P<0.001], with the most severe lesions in the satrorius, iliopsoas, piriformis, gluteus minimus, and gluteus medius muscles. The total muscle T2 value in the myositis group was positively correlated with CK, MDAAT-muscle, MDAAT-all, and HAQ (r=0.461, 0.506, 0.347, and 0.510, respectively, all P<0.05). There was a negative correlation between complement C4, SF-36, and MMT-8 scores (r=-0.424, -0.549, and -0.686, respectively, all P<0.05). Collectively, the findings from this study suggest that MRI T2 mapping can objectively reflect the disease status of DM and PM.

Measurements of All-Particle Energy Spectrum and Mean Logarithmic Mass of Cosmic Rays from 0.3 to 30 PeV with LHAASO-KM2A

We present the measurements of all-particle energy spectrum and mean logarithmic mass of cosmic rays in the energy range of 0.3-30 PeV using data collected from LHAASO-KM2A between September 2021 and December 2022, which is based on a nearly composition-independent energy reconstruction method, achieving unprecedented accuracy. Our analysis reveals the position of the knee at 3.67±0.05±0.15  PeV. Below the knee, the spectral index is found to be -2.7413±0.0004±0.0050, while above the knee, it is -3.128±0.005±0.027, with the sharpness of the transition measured with a statistical error of 2%. The mean logarithmic mass of cosmic rays is almost heavier than helium in the whole measured energy range. It decreases from 1.7 at 0.3 PeV to 1.3 at 3 PeV, representing a 24% decline following a power law with an index of -0.1200±0.0003±0.0341. This is equivalent to an increase in abundance of light components. Above the knee, the mean logarithmic mass exhibits a power law trend towards heavier components, which is reversal to the behavior observed in the all-particle energy spectrum. Additionally, the knee position and the change in power-law index are approximately the same. These findings suggest that the knee observed in the all-particle spectrum corresponds to the knee of the light component, rather than the medium-heavy components.

Observation of WWγ Production and Search for Hγ Production in Proton-Proton Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV

The observation of WWγ production in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV with an integrated luminosity of 138  fb^{-1} is presented. The observed (expected) significance is 5.6 (5.1) standard deviations. Events are selected by requiring exactly two leptons (one electron and one muon) of opposite charge, moderate missing transverse momentum, and a photon. The measured fiducial cross section for WWγ is 5.9±0.8(stat)±0.8(syst)±0.7(modeling)  fb, in agreement with the next-to-leading order quantum chromodynamics prediction. The analysis is extended with a search for the associated production of the Higgs boson and a photon, which is generated by a coupling of the Higgs boson to light quarks. The result is used to constrain the Higgs boson couplings to light quarks.

New Structures in the J/ψJ/ψ Mass Spectrum in Proton-Proton Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV

A search is reported for near-threshold structures in the J/ψJ/ψ invariant mass spectrum produced in proton-proton collisions at sqrt[s]=13  TeV from data collected by the CMS experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 135  fb^{-1}. Three structures are found, and a model with quantum interference among these structures provides a good description of the data. A new structure is observed with a local significance above 5 standard deviations at a mass of 6638_{-38}^{+43}(stat)_{-31}^{+16}(syst)  MeV. Another structure with even higher significance is found at a mass of 6847_{-28}^{+44}(stat)_{-20}^{+48}(syst)  MeV, which is consistent with the X(6900) resonance reported by the LHCb experiment and confirmed by the ATLAS experiment. Evidence for another new structure, with a local significance of 4.7 standard deviations, is found at a mass of 7134_{-25}^{+48}(stat)_{-15}^{+41}(syst)  MeV. Results are also reported for a model without interference, which does not fit the data as well and shows mass shifts up to 150 MeV relative to the model with interference.

[Epidemiological characteristics of human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) among acute respiratory infection (ARI) cases in 16 provinces of China from 2009 to 2023]

Objective: To understand the epidemiological characteristics of human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) among acute respiratory infection (ARI) cases in 16 provinces of China from 2009 to 2023. Methods: The data of this study were collected from the ARI surveillance data from 16 provinces in China from 2009 to 2023, with a total of 28 278 ARI cases included in the study. The clinical specimens from ARI cases were screened for HRSV nucleic acid from 2009 to 2023, and differences in virus detection rates among cases of different age groups, regions, and months were analyzed. Results: A total of 28 278 ARI cases were enrolled from January 2009 to September 2023. The age of the cases ranged from<1 month to 112 years, and the age M (Q1, Q3) was 3 years (1 year, 9 years). Among them, 3 062 cases were positive for HRSV nucleic acid, with a total detection rate of 10.83%. From 2009 to 2019, the detection rate of HRSV was 9.33%, and the virus was mainly prevalent in winter and spring. During the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the detection rate of HRSV fluctuated between 6.32% and 18.67%. There was no traditional winter epidemic peak of HRSV from the end of 2022 to the beginning of 2023, and an anti-seasonal epidemic of HRSV occurred from April to May 2023. About 87.95% (2 693/3 062) of positive cases were children under 5 years old, and the difference in the detection rate of HRSV among different age groups was statistically significant (P<0.001), showing a decreasing trend of HRSV detection rate with the increase of age (P<0.001). Among them, the HRSV detection rate (25.69%) was highest in children under 6 months. Compared with 2009-2019, the ranking of HRSV detection rates in different age groups changed from high to low between 2020 and 2023, with the age M (Q1, Q3) of HRSV positive cases increasing from 1 year (6 months, 3 years) to 2 years (11 months, 3 years). Conclusion: Through 15 years of continuous HRSV surveillance analysis, children under 5 years old, especially infants under 6 months old, are the main high-risk population for HRSV infection. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the prevalence and patterns of HRSV in China have changed.

Search for Scalar Leptoquarks Produced via τ-Lepton-Quark Scattering in pp Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV

The first search for scalar leptoquarks produced in τ-lepton-quark collisions is presented. It is based on a set of proton-proton collision data recorded with the CMS detector at the LHC at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138  fb^{-1}. The reconstructed final state consists of a jet, significant missing transverse momentum, and a τ lepton reconstructed through its hadronic or leptonic decays. Limits are set on the product of the leptoquark production cross section and branching fraction and interpreted as exclusions in the plane of the leptoquark mass and the leptoquark-τ-quark coupling strength.

[CT features of abnormally whole-course wide eustachian tubes with microtia and atresia]

Objective: To study the clinical and CT features of the abnormal whole-course wide of eustachian tube (AWWET) with microtia and atresia(MA). Methods: The clinical and CT data of 19 patients (20 ears) from January 2017 to December 2021 with AWWET with MA were retrospectively analyzed, including 15 males and 4 females. The age ranged from 5 to 16 years, with an average of 9.5 years. 50 patients with common MA without wide eustachian tube(ET) as a case control group, including 32 males and 18 females.The age ranged from 5 to 16 years, with an average of 9.2 years. 20 patients (40 ears) who had normal ear CT for tinnitus, otalgia as a normal control group, including 12 males and 8 females. The age ranged from 5 to 16 years, with an average of 12.5 years. We measured the dimension and length of the bony portion of the ET, the total length, the angle between the bony portion and the cartilage portion, and the horizontal angle of ET on CT imagings, and compared with 40 normal ears by SPSS 27.0 software. Results: According to the relationship between AWWET and tympanum, patients were divided into the communicated group and the blocked group. A male predominance, left ear predominance, with high incidence of hemifacial microsomia exhibited in both groups. AWWET was presented as a widened lumen on CT. In 11 ears (4 ears in the communicated group, 7 ears in the blocked group), ETs bifurcated, the upper bony tube extended to the sphenoid body, the lower part continued down to cartilaginous ET and opened onto the nasopharynx, with"mastoid-like"pneumatization of the sphenoid body in 6 ears. The middle ear deformity in case group was more serious than MA control group, especially the blocked group. The incidence of otitis media in the communicated group was lower than that in the MA control group, and 4 cases in the blocked group had effusion in the ET. Compaired with normal ear, the bony ET elongated significantly in the AWWET groups, and the whole course of ET was significantly shortened, specially in the blocked group. The angle between the bony ET and the cartilaginous ET was decreased and the horizontal angle of the ET increased in the AWWET groups, the difference was considered to indicate statistical significance(P<0.05). Conclusions: AWWET with MA is rare, a male predominance, left ear predominance, and with high incidence of hemifacial microsomia. The middle ear deformity is more serious than common MA, especially in the blocked group. The incidence of otitis media in the communicated group is significantly lower than that in the common MA, and the blocked group may be accompanied by ET inflammation.

Search for Inelastic Dark Matter in Events with Two Displaced Muons and Missing Transverse Momentum in Proton-Proton Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV

A search for dark matter in events with a displaced nonresonant muon pair and missing transverse momentum is presented. The analysis is performed using an integrated luminosity of 138  fb^{-1} of proton-proton (pp) collision data at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV produced by the LHC in 2016-2018. No significant excess over the predicted backgrounds is observed. Upper limits are set on the product of the inelastic dark matter production cross section σ(pp→A^{'}→χ_{1}χ_{2}) and the decay branching fraction B(χ_{2}→χ_{1}μ^{+}μ^{-}), where A^{'} is a dark photon and χ_{1} and χ_{2} are states in the dark sector with near mass degeneracy. This is the first dedicated collider search for inelastic dark matter.

Luminosity determination using Z boson production at the CMS experiment

The measurement of Z boson production is presented as a method to determine the integrated luminosity of CMS data sets. The analysis uses proton-proton collision data, recorded by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC in 2017 at a center-of-mass energy of 13Te V . Events with Z bosons decaying into a pair of muons are selected. The total number of Z bosons produced in a fiducial volume is determined, together with the identification efficiencies and correlations from the same data set, in small intervals of 20pb - 1 of integrated luminosity, thus facilitating the efficiency and rate measurement as a function of time and instantaneous luminosity. Using the ratio of the efficiency-corrected numbers of Z bosons, the precisely measured integrated luminosity of one data set is used to determine the luminosity of another. For the first time, a full quantitative uncertainty analysis of the use of Z  bosons for the integrated luminosity measurement is performed. The uncertainty in the extrapolation between two data sets, recorded in 2017 at low and high instantaneous luminosity, is less than 0.5%. We show that the Z boson rate measurement constitutes a precise method, complementary to traditional methods, with the potential to improve the measurement of the integrated luminosity.

Measurement of the production cross section for a W boson in association with a charm quark in proton-proton collisions at s=13TeV

The strange quark content of the proton is probed through the measurement of the production cross section for a W boson and a charm (c) quark in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13Te V . The analysis uses a data sample corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 138fb - 1 collected with the CMS detector at the LHC. The W bosons are identified through their leptonic decays to an electron or a muon, and a neutrino. Charm jets are tagged using the presence of a muon or a secondary vertex inside the jet. The W + c production cross section and the cross section ratio R c ± = σ ( W + + c ¯ ) / σ ( W - + c ) are measured inclusively and differentially as functions of the transverse momentum and the pseudorapidity of the lepton originating from the W boson decay. The precision of the measurements is improved with respect to previous studies, reaching 1% in R c ± = 0.950 ± 0.005 (stat) ± 0.010 (syst) . The measurements are compared with theoretical predictions up to next-to-next-to-leading order in perturbative quantum chromodynamics.

The ZmbHLH32-ZmIAA9-ZmARF1 module regulates salt tolerance in maize

The growth and productivity of maize (Zea mays), along with other crop plants, can be significantly hindered by salt stress. Nevertheless, the precise molecular mechanism underlying salt tolerance in maize has yet to be fully elucidated. Hence, it was attempted to identify ZmIAA9, a member of the maize Aux/IAA gene family, as a positive regulator of salt tolerance in maize, which was accompanied by the increased ROS detoxification and elevated transcript abundances of ROS scavenging genes. Molecular and biochemical assays have provided compelling evidence that ZmbHLH32, a transcription factor belonging to the bHLH family, was capable of binding directly to the promoter region of ZmIAA9, thereby activating its expression. This interaction between ZmbHLH32 and ZmIAA9 could be critical for the regulation of salt tolerance in maize. As expected, overexpression of ZmbHLH32 led to the enhanced salt tolerance. In contrast, decreased salt tolerance was attained after application of knockout mutants of ZmbHLH32. Furthermore, ZmARF1, which could act as a downstream of ZmIAA9, was found to physically interact with ZmIAA9 and repress the expression levels of ROS scavenging genes. Thus, our work uncovers a novel mechanism of ZmbHLH32-ZmIAA9-ZmARF1 module-mediated salt tolerance in maize, which can be exploited for breeding salt-tolerant maize varieties.

Probing Small Bjorken-x Nuclear Gluonic Structure via Coherent J/ψ Photoproduction in Ultraperipheral Pb-Pb Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02 TeV

Quasireal photons exchanged in relativistic heavy ion interactions are powerful probes of the gluonic structure of nuclei. The coherent J/ψ photoproduction cross section in ultraperipheral lead-lead collisions is measured as a function of photon-nucleus center-of-mass energies per nucleon (W_{γN}^{Pb}) over a wide range of 40 Collapse

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Unusual magnetic interaction in CrTe: insights from machine-learning and empirical models

Chromium telluride (CrTe) has received much attention due to its small magnetic anisotropy, which hosts the potential for complex magnetic structures. However, its magnetic properties have been relatively unexplored with numerical simulations, as the magnetic interactions inside are quite unusual. In this study, we employ both a machine-learning model and an empirical model to investigate the magnetic phase transitions of bulk and monolayer CrTe, revealing the existence of unusual magnetic interaction, which can be captured by the machine-learning model but not the simple empirical model. Furthermore, our results also demonstrate that magnetic moments further apart exhibit stronger interactions than those in closer proximity, deviating from typical behavior.

[Application status and progress of intraoperative nerve monitoring in pelvic autonomic nerve preserving radical resection of rectal cancer]

The current treatment strategy for rectal cancer is a comprehensive treatment centered on surgery. The application of total mesorectal excision (TME) has significantly reduced the local recurrence rate and improved the survival prognosis, but a series of pelvic organ dysfunction caused by pelvic autonomic nerve injury during the operation will reduce the postoperative quality of life of patients. Pelvic autonomic nerve preserving (PANP) radical proctectomy has emerged, but the biggest challenge in the implementation process of this technology is the accurate identification of nerves. A series of studies have shown that pelvic intraoperative autonomic monitoring (pIONM) can effectively assist surgeons to identify nerves, The purpose of this article is to introduce the function of pelvic autonomic nerve, the clinical manifestation of postoperative pelvic dysfunction and its relationship with nerve injury, the key points of implementing PANP, and the current situation and research progress of pIONM technology application.

[Investigation on reproductive health status of women workers in different positions in oilfield enterprises]

Objective: The status and influencing factors of reproductive health (including menstrual period and gynecological diseases) of female workers in different positions of oilfield enterprises were analyzed. Methods: From January to December 2020, a total of 979 female workers in an oil field were selected as research objects by the judgment sampling method, and the "Female Reproductive Health Survey" was used as the investigation tool to investigate the demographic characteristics, menstrual status and gynecological diseases. The influential factors were analyzed by 2-test and logistic regression analysis. Results: The prevalence of abnormal menstruation was 26.1% (256/979), dysmenorrhea 53.1% (520/979), and gynecological diseases 54.34% (532/979). The prevalence of breast disease was 23.39% (229/979), uterine disease 11.03% (108/979), cervical disease 10.32% (101/979), and HPV infection 7.97% (78/979). Age, the nature of the job and whether occupational harmful factors were clear were the influencing factors of gynecological diseases (P=0.001, 0.000, 0.007). Age, job nature, working hours and work intensity were the influencing factors of abnormal menstruation (P=0.005, 0.000, 0.000, 0.010) . Conclusion: The reproductive health status of female workers in different positions of oil field enterprises is not optimistic, and the reproductive health status of female workers in professional and technical positions needs to be improved.

Effective interactions and phase behavior of protein solutions in the presence of hexamine cobalt(III) chloride

It is well established that deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA) exhibit a reentrant condensation (RC) phase behavior in the presence of the trivalent hexamine cobalt(III) cations (Hac) which can be important for their packing and folding. A similar behavior can be observed for negatively charged globular proteins in the presence of trivalent metal cations, such as Y3+ or La3+. This phase behavior is mainly driven by charge inversion upon an increasing salt concentration for a fixed protein concentration (cp). However, as Hac exhibits structural differences compared to other multivalent metal cations, with six ammonia ligands (NH3) covalently bonded to the central cobalt atom, it is not clear that Hac can induce a similar phase behavior for proteins. In this work, we systematically investigate whether negatively charged globular proteins β-lactoglobulin (BLG), bovine serum albumin (BSA), human serum albumin (HSA) and ovalbumin (OVA) feature Hac-induced RC. Effective protein-protein interactions were investigated by small-angle X-ray scattering. The reduced second virial coefficient (B2/B2HS) was obtained as a function of salt concentration. The virial coefficient analysis performed confirms the reentrant interaction (RI) behavior for BLG without actually inducing RC, given the insufficient strengths of the interactions for the latter to occur. In contrast, the strength of attraction for BSA, HSA and OVA are too weak to show RC. Model free analysis of the inverse intensity [Formula: see text] also supports this finding. Looking at different q-range by employing static (SLS) and dynamic light scattering experiments, the presence of RI behavior can be confirmed. The results are further discussed in view of metal cation binding sites in nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), where Hac induced RC phase behavior.

Improving the visualisation of perforator arteries for anterolateral thigh flaps harvest in CT angiography via sublingual glyceryl trinitrate

AIM

To investigate the improvement of image quality and visualisation of the anterolateral thigh (ALT) flap perforators on computed tomography angiography (CTA) after administration of sublingual glyceryl trinitrate (GTN).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Sixty patients with oral lesions received thigh CTA examinations were divided randomly into two groups after administration of sublingual GTN (GTN group) or without administration of sublingual GTN (non-GTN group). Two radiologists calculated the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and assessed the image quality of each vessel. Besides, the grade of thigh artery, the lumen diameter of deep femoral artery, lateral circumflex femoral artery (LCFA), the descending branch of LCFA and its proximal and distal perforators, and the number and type of visible perforators were evaluated quantitatively.

RESULTS

The SNR and CNR were not significantly different between the two groups (p>0.05). The image quality of CTA in the GTN group was significantly better than that in the non-GTN group (p<0.01). The lumen diameters of the deep femoral artery, LCFA, the descending branch of LCFA and its perforators were significantly larger in the GTN group than those in the non-GTN group (p<0.01). Compared with the non-GTN group, the number of visible perforators and the number of visible septocutaneous perforators were significantly more in the GTN group, and the qualitative grade of visible perforators was significantly higher (p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The administration of sublingual GTN in preoperative thigh CTA can improve the image quality and visualisation of perforator vessels, thus could help surgeons to select the optimum ALT flaps.

Measurement of the top quark mass using a profile likelihood approach with the lepton + jets final states in proton-proton collisions at s=13TeV

The mass of the top quark is measured in 36.3fb - 1 of LHC proton-proton collision data collected with the CMS detector at s = 13 Te V . The measurement uses a sample of top quark pair candidate events containing one isolated electron or muon and at least four jets in the final state. For each event, the mass is reconstructed from a kinematic fit of the decay products to a top quark pair hypothesis. A profile likelihood method is applied using up to four observables per event to extract the top quark mass. The top quark mass is measured to be 171.77 ± 0.37 Ge V . This approach significantly improves the precision over previous measurements.

A search for decays of the Higgs boson to invisible particles in events with a top-antitop quark pair or a vector boson in proton-proton collisions at s=13TeV

A search for decays to invisible particles of Higgs bosons produced in association with a top-antitop quark pair or a vector boson, which both decay to a fully hadronic final state, has been performed using proton-proton collision data collected at s = 13 Te V by the CMS experiment at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138fb - 1 . The 95% confidence level upper limit set on the branching fraction of the 125Ge V Higgs boson to invisible particles, B ( H → inv ) , is 0.54 (0.39 expected), assuming standard model production cross sections. The results of this analysis are combined with previous B ( H → inv ) searches carried out at s = 7 , 8, and 13Te V in complementary production modes. The combined upper limit at 95% confidence level on B ( H → inv ) is 0.15 (0.08 expected).

Observation of τ Lepton Pair Production in Ultraperipheral Pb-Pb Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02 TeV

We present an observation of photon-photon production of τ lepton pairs in ultraperipheral lead-lead collisions. The measurement is based on a data sample with an integrated luminosity of 404  μb^{-1} collected by the CMS experiment at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV. The γγ→τ^{+}τ^{-} process is observed for τ^{+}τ^{-} events with a muon and three charged hadrons in the final state. The measured fiducial cross section is σ(γγ→τ^{+}τ^{-})=4.8±0.6(stat)±0.5(syst)  μb, where the second (third) term corresponds to the statistical (systematic) uncertainty in σ(γγ→τ^{+}τ^{-}) in agreement with leading-order QED predictions. Using σ(γγ→τ^{+}τ^{-}), we estimate a model-dependent value of the anomalous magnetic moment of the τ lepton of a_{τ}=0.001_{-0.089}^{+0.055}.

Temporal Structures in Positron Spectra and Charge-Sign Effects in Galactic Cosmic Rays

We present the precision measurements of 11 years of daily cosmic positron fluxes in the rigidity range from 1.00 to 41.9 GV based on 3.4×10^{6} positrons collected with the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) aboard the International Space Station. The positron fluxes show distinctly different time variations from the electron fluxes at short and long timescales. A hysteresis between the electron fluxes and the positron fluxes is observed with a significance greater than 5σ at rigidities below 8.5 GV. On the contrary, the positron fluxes and the proton fluxes show similar time variation. Remarkably, we found that positron fluxes are modulated more than proton fluxes with a significance greater than 5σ for rigidities below 7 GV. These continuous daily positron fluxes, together with AMS daily electron, proton, and helium fluxes over an 11-year solar cycle, provide unique input to the understanding of both the charge-sign and mass dependencies of cosmic rays in the heliosphere.

Measurement of Ultra-High-Energy Diffuse Gamma-Ray Emission of the Galactic Plane from 10 TeV to 1 PeV with LHAASO-KM2A

The diffuse Galactic γ-ray emission, mainly produced via interactions between cosmic rays and the interstellar medium and/or radiation field, is a very important probe of the distribution, propagation, and interaction of cosmic rays in the Milky Way. In this Letter, we report the measurements of diffuse γ rays from the Galactic plane between 10 TeV and 1 PeV energies, with the square kilometer array of the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO). Diffuse emissions from the inner (15°10  TeV). The energy spectrum in the inner Galaxy regions can be described by a power-law function with an index of -2.99±0.04, which is different from the curved spectrum as expected from hadronic interactions between locally measured cosmic rays and the line-of-sight integrated gas content. Furthermore, the measured flux is higher by a factor of ∼3 than the prediction. A similar spectrum with an index of -2.99±0.07 is found in the outer Galaxy region, and the absolute flux for 10≲E≲60  TeV is again higher than the prediction for hadronic cosmic ray interactions. The latitude distributions of the diffuse emission are consistent with the gas distribution, while the longitude distributions show clear deviation from the gas distribution. The LHAASO measurements imply that either additional emission sources exist or cosmic ray intensities have spatial variations.

[Evaluation of the effect of internet-based dietary self-management on blood pressure in high-risk population of hypertension in Haikou City community]

To explore the effect of Internet+diet self-management intervention technology on the blood pressure control of hypertension high-risk population through the intervention of hypertension high-risk population in Haikou City community, so as to provide scientific evidence for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). The multi-stage cluster sampling method was used, and 295 hypertension high-risk participants were recruited from 15 communities in Haikou City from July to December 2021. The 15 communities were randomly divided into three groups: blank group, traditional group and Internet plus group by random number table method. The blank group referred to the group (99 participants) that did not take special intervention measures but the routine interventions in accordance with the "National Basic Public Health Service Standards (the Third Edition) Health Education Service Standards". On the basis of the blank group, the traditional group (95 participants) was intervened by giving additional traditional methods such as holding lectures and distributing popular science books. The Internet plus group (101 participants) was given additional Internet measures on the basis of the intervention of the traditional group. After 6 months, questionnaires, laboratory biochemical tests, and physical measurements were conducted. SPSS 25.0 software was applied for data analysis. Measurement data that followed normal distribution were statistically described by using mean±standard deviation, analysis of variance was used for inter group comparisons before intervention, analysis of covariance was used for inter group comparisons after intervention, and Bonferroni adjustment was used for pairwise comparisons between groups. Measurement data that did not follow the Normal distribution were represented by M (Q1, Q3). The rank sum test was used for inter group comparison. The k sample Kruskal Wallis single factor ANOVA was used to compare the distribution between different groups. Counting data were described by composition ratio or rate. Under the premise of balanced comparison between groups before intervention, Chi-squared test was used for inter group comparison after intervention, and Bonferroni adjustment method was used for pairwise comparison between groups. The results showed that a total of 295 participants were included, with males accounting for 35.6% (105) and females accounting for 64.4% (190). The age ranged from 55 to 74 years old, with an average age of (64.69±5.73) years. The number of married accounted for 95.6% (282 participants). There were no statistically significant differences in gender, age, family history, education level, occupation, marital status, drinking habits, regular exercise, dietary status, SBP (systolic blood pressure), DBP (diastolic blood pressure), pulse pressure difference, BMI (body mass index), folic acid, and 24-hour urine sodium among the three groups upon enrollment (P values>0.05). After the intervention, the drinking rate was as follows: Internet plus group (29, 28.7%) Collapse

Key Words Collapse

MESH Headings

• Male
• Female
• Humans
• Middle Aged
• Aged
• Blood Pressure
• Self-Management
• Hypertension/epidemiology
• Hypertension/prevention & control
• Cardiovascular Diseases/prevention & control
• Diet
• Sodium
• Internet
• Folic Acid

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Grants

• 81860577 National Natural Science Foundation of China
• 2017YFC0907104 National Key Research and Development Program of China

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An inverse Jiles-Atherton model of nanocrystalline magnetic core for nanoseconds square pulsed magnetization

The magnetic core is a key component of a linear transformer driver (LTD), and the accuracy of the core model affects the calculation of the LTD power flow and the prediction of the output waveform. In this paper, a magnetization model based on the inverse Jiles-Atherton (inverse J-A) model is developed and a particle swarm algorithm is used to identify the parameters and to obtain the variation of the parameters with the excitation characteristic. A nanoseconds square wave LTD magnetic core test platform was built to obtain the magnetization characteristics of nanocrystalline magnetic cores under different excitation characteristic parameters. Under square wave pulses, due to the presence of harmonic components, core loss is more complex. In view of the fitting deviation caused by the traditional J-A model not considering harmonic factors and anisotropy, a dynamic loss correction factor is proposed. Through a comparison of experimental and simulation results, this model can well reflect the magnetization process and has high accuracy in fitting dynamic hysteresis loops and predicting losses, which is important for guiding the design of a square pulse LTD.

The effect of small molecule inhibitor NSC348884 on nucleophosmin 1-mutated acute myeloid leukemia cells

OBJECTIVE

Nucleophosmin 1 (NPM1) is a common shuttling protein. Mutation in the NPM1 gene is the most frequent gene alteration in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). This study aims to explore the inhibitory effects of small molecule NSC348884 on wild-type and NPM1-mutated AML cells.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Immunofluorescence was used to determine the intracellular localization of NPM1 protein in wild-type (OCI-AML2) and NPM1-mutated (OCI-AML3) AML cell lines. The oligomerization state of NPM1 was assessed by Western blot analysis, and the inhibitory effect of NSC348884 on the proliferation of AML cells was evaluated by Cell-counting kit-8 (CCK-8). Flow cytometry was used to detect the proapoptotic effect of NSC348884 on AML cells.

RESULTS

Western blot results showed a significant reduction in the levels of the oligomeric NPM1 protein after the treatment with NSC348884. NSC348884 had an inhibitory effect on the proliferation of both wild-type and NPM1-mutant AML cells. The inhibitory effect on OCI-AML3 cells was stronger, compared to OCI-AML2 cells. Flow cytometry showed that NSC348884 could significantly induce AML cell apoptosis and had a stronger proapoptotic effect on OCI-AML3 cells.

CONCLUSIONS

NSC348884 had inhibitory and proapoptotic effects on both wild-type and NPM1-mutated AML cells. The effect of NSC348884 on AML cells, carrying NPM1 mutation was significantly stronger.

Timing of Postoperative Radiation Therapy for Early-Stage Endometrial Carcinoma: A 20-Year Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Experience in China

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

To investigate the appropriate timing of radiotherapy (RT) after hysterectomy for women with early-stage endometrial carcinoma (EC).

MATERIALS/METHODS

Between 1999 and 2020, 1080 patients with I and II endometrial cancer received postoperative RT at our hospital. All patients underwent hysterectomy followed by RT. The optimal cut-off values for the surgery-RT interval (SRI) based on overall survival (OS) were determined using the R software. The disease-free survival (DFS), OS, locoregional recurrence free survival (LRFS), and distant metastasis free survival (DMFS) rates were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Multivariate analyses were performed using Cox proportional hazards regression.

RESULTS

Median follow-up time was 52 months. Median SRI were 46 days. The optimal cut-off value for the surgery-RT interval (SRI) based on overall survival (OS) is 40 days. The group initiated RT within 40 days following surgery has higher OS (P = 0.004), higher LRFS (P = 0.002) and higher DMFS (P = 0.039). An SRI of ≤ 40 days was independently associated with higher OS (HR 0.454, 95% CI:0.261-0.788), higher LRFS (HR 0.487, 95% CI:0.304-0.779), and higher DMFS (HR 0.643, 95% CI:0.421-0.982) than SRI of >40 days. However, SRI had no significant effect on DFS.

CONCLUSION

The surgery-RT interval affects the patients' survival endpoints. Based on this analysis, the timing of the initiation of RT after hysterectomy is crucial for patients with early-stage endometrial carcinoma (EC). The postoperative radiation therapy for endometrial cancer should be initiated within 40 days following surgery.

Risk Stratification of Postoperative Adjuvant Therapy for Endometrial Cancer (POAT-ENDORISK) Based on Bayesian Network Model: A Development and Validation Study

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

To establish a Bayesian network (BN) model for postoperative adjuvant treatment of early endometrial carcinoma (EC) patients.

MATERIALS/METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed the data of 1280 early EC patients treated by multiple institutions in China from 1999 to 2017. All patients received primary hysterectomy/bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and adjuvant radiotherapy. The FIGO 2009 stage of all patients is stage I and stage II EC, and the median age is 57 years old. All patients are grouped according to the ESMO-ESGO-ESTRO risk stratification. The clinicopathologic factors, treatment-related factors, local regional recurrence, distant metastasis and cancer-specific survival rate (CSS) of all patients were reviewed. We divide the original data set into training set and Validation set according to the ratio of 7:3. The training of the Bayesian network model is completed on Netica, and the test of the model effect is finally completed on the test set.

RESULTS

After variable screening, a total of 14 characteristic variables entered the final model. A total of 896 patients were used for the development of BN model, and 384 patients were used for the validation of BN model. The results of the model showed that the factors directly related to CSS were locoregional failure (LRF), radiotherapy mode, distant metastasis (DM). Factors directly related to DM were chemotherapy, LRF, CSS. The factors directly related to LRF were risk stratification, preoperative serum CA125 and preoperative HB. The accuracy, sensibility, specificity, micro-f1, micro-f1, weighted-f1 and AUC of BN model in predicting DM and CSS were better than XGBoost model.

CONCLUSION

In this study, we integrated almost all clinical pathology and treatment information related to postoperative adjuvant treatment of early EC patients and established a BN model for personalized clinical decision-making of postoperative adjuvant treatment of early EC patients. The results showed the complex correlation among the variables, and the overall prediction ability and visualization effect of BN model was significantly better than XGBoost model. Prospective research is needed before clinical implementation.

Comparison of Molecular and Clinicopathologic-Based Classifications and the Transition of Adjuvant Treatment Mode for Early-Stage Endometrial Cancer

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Due to the division in classification strategies based on different molecular and clinicopathologic guidelines, the current emergence of multiple molecular typing methods greatly challenges the traditional classification-guided hierarchical treatment model.

MATERIALS/METHODS

The early-stage ECs who underwent a total hysterectomy and comprehensive molecular analyses were analyzed consecutively between May 2021 and December 2022. All enrolled patients were performed with immunohistochemistry for lymph-vascular space invasion (LVSI), p53, and mismatch repair (MMR) proteins, NGS-panel Sanger sequencing for POLE exonuclease domain, and TP53. The Proactive Molecular Risk Classifier for Endometrial Cancer (ProMisE) classifier and the ESGO/ESTRO/ESP guidelines with and without molecular character were respectively employed to reclassify the enrolled patients. Categorical variables of the risk-group shift were compared by Pearson's χ2 or two-sided Fisher's exact test.

RESULTS

A total of 81 early-stage ECs patients were enrolled. Molecular analyses identified four subgroups across the 81 ECs: 9 (11%) POLE mut, 22 (27.1%) MMRd, 38 (46.9%) NSMP, and 12 (14.8%) p53 abn. Compared with ESGO/ESTRO/ESP 2016 classifier, 26 (32.1%) and 23 (28.4%) patients in ESGO/ESTRO/ESP 2020 cohort with and without molecular classification, respectively, were risk-group downshifted (p>0.05). Ten (12.3%) patients were upshifted in ESGO/ESTRO/ESP 2020 molecular classification comparing to clinical classifier. Remarkably, two patients demonstrated discordance between the ProMisE and TCGA classifiers since the different sequences of classification strategies. On the other hand, 48 of 81 patients received adjuvant radiotherapy, and 12 patients received external beam radiation therapy (EBRT). According to the final molecular test, eight of 12 were classified into low and intermediate risk.

CONCLUSION

The treatment of endometrial cancer is in a period of transition from the clinicopathologic-based model to the era of molecular precision. Discordance between different classifiers and overtreatment remain in clinical practice. Therefore, we should be cautious about using molecular typing to guide adjuvant treatment decisions until it is finally validated in prospective trials.

Optimal Cisplatin Cycles in Locally Advanced Cervical Carcinoma Patients Treated with Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

To analyze the effect of cisplatin cycles on the clinical outcomes of patients with locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT).

MATERIALS/METHODS

This study included 749 patients with LACC treated with CCRT between January 2011 and December 2015. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the optimal cut-off of cisplatin cycles in predicting clinical outcomes. Clinicopathological features of the patients were compared using the Chi-square test. Prognosis was assessed using log-rank tests and Cox proportional hazard models. Toxicities were compared among different cisplatin cycle groups.

RESULTS

Based on the ROC curve, the optimal cut-off of the cisplatin cycles was 4.5 (sensitivity, 64.3%; specificity, 54.3%). The 3-year overall, disease-free, loco-regional relapse-free, and distant metastasis-free survival for patients with low-cycles (cisplatin cycles < 5) and high-cycles (≥ 5) were 81.5% and 89.0% (P < 0.001), 73.4% and 80.1% (P = 0.024), 83.0% and 90.8% (P = 0.005), and 84.9% and 86.8% (P = 0.271), respectively. In multivariate analysis, cisplatin cycles were an independent prognostic factor for overall survival. In the subgroup analysis of high-cycle patients, patients who received over five cisplatin cycles had similar overall, disease-free, loco-regional relapse-free, and distant metastasis-free survival to patients treated with five cycles. Acute and late toxicities were not different between the two groups.

CONCLUSION

Cisplatin cycles were associated with overall, disease-free, and loco-regional relapse-free survival in LACC patients who received CCRT. Five cycles appeared to be the optimal number of cisplatin cycles during CCRT.

Abrocitinib effect on patient-reported outcomes in patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis: Results from phase 3 studies, including the long-term extension JADE EXTEND study

BACKGROUND

Abrocitinib improved signs and symptoms of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) at Weeks 12 and 16 in phase 3 studies, with a manageable safety profile. Patient-reported outcomes with long-term abrocitinib treatment were not reported.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate patient-reported outcomes with long-term abrocitinib treatment in patients with moderate-to-severe AD.

METHODS

JADE EXTEND (NCT03422822) is an ongoing, phase 3, long-term extension study that enrolled patients from previous abrocitinib AD trials. This analysis includes patients from the phase 3 trials JADE MONO-1 (NCT03349060), JADE MONO-2 (NCT03575871) and JADE COMPARE (NCT03720470) who completed the full treatment period of placebo or abrocitinib (200 or 100 mg once daily) and subsequently entered JADE EXTEND and were randomised to receive once-daily abrocitinib 200 or 100 mg. Patient-reported endpoints to Week 48 included the proportion of patients who achieved Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) scores of 0/1 (no effect of AD on quality of life [QoL]) and a ≥4-point improvement in Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure (POEM) score (clinically meaningful improvement). Data cut-off: April 22, 2020.

RESULTS

Baseline DLQI mean scores were 15.4 and 15.3 in the abrocitinib 200- and 100-mg groups, respectively, which corresponded to a 'very large effect' on QoL; at Week 48, mean DLQI scores were lower with abrocitinib 200 mg (4.6; 'small effect' on QoL) and abrocitinib 100 mg (5.9; 'moderate effect' on QoL). Baseline POEM mean scores were 20.4 and 20.5 in the abrocitinib 200- and 100-mg groups, respectively; at Week 48, mean POEM scores were 8.2 and 11.0. Week 48 patient-reported responses with abrocitinib 200 mg and abrocitinib 100 mg were 44% and 34% for DLQI 0/1, and 90% and 77% for a ≥4-point reduction in POEM score.

CONCLUSION

In patients with moderate-to-severe AD, long-term abrocitinib treatment resulted in clinically meaningful improvement in patient-reported symptoms of AD, including QoL.

Dose DIBH Really Reduce the Subclinical Cardiac Acute Injury? Analysis of Clinical Real World from Our Institute

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

The study is aim to investigate whether Deep-inspirational breath-hold (DIBH), compared with free breathing (FB), could provide a short-term cardiac benefit in patients with early left breast cancer after breast-conserving surgery combined whole breast radiotherapy.

MATERIALS/METHODS

A total of 78 patients with early stage left breast cancer treated with radiotherapy between 2021-2022 after breast-conserving surgery were enrolled. Among them, 32 cases were treated with DIBH technique and 46 cases were treated with free breathing. Patients with previous cardiac disease such as coronary artery disease were excluded. We performed myocardial enzymes, ECG, and ECHO in all patients within 2 weeks before, during, and 6 months after radiotherapy. The results of the two groups were compared using nonparametric tests and chi-square tests, and P < 0.05 indicated statistical significance. Where subclinical acute cardiac injury was defined as new above-normal myocardial enzymes and/or electrocardiographic ST-T or T-wave changes and/or ECHO abnormalities after the start of radiotherapy.

RESULTS

The median follow-up of patients was 6 months and the mean age of patients was 52.3 years for FB and 44.9 years for DIBH. There were no significant differences in staging, molecular subtype, chemotherapy and endocrine therapy history. The proportion of subclinical acute cardiac injury was smaller in the DIBH group compared to the FB group (DIBH = 31/46 and FB = 28/32, p = 0.042). The most sensitive of the subclinical acute cardiac injury events were detected by myocardial enzymes rising, with cTnI (p = 0.034) and NT-proBNP (p = 0.023) appearing significantly lower in the DIBH patients during radiotherapy. The difference of cTnI between 2 groups at 6 months after radiotherapy became non-significant. In contrast, CK-MB was higher in DIBH compared with FB only 6 months after radiotherapy (p = 0.006). The differences in ECG and ECHO were not significant between the two groups.

CONCLUSION

After breast-conserving surgery combined with radiotherapy for left early breast cancer, DIBH compared to FB reduces the proportion of acute subclinical cardiac injury that occurs with the most sensitive changes in myocardial enzymes. Subsequent studies will explore the relationship between the short-term subclinical injury and irradiated dose, as well as long term cardiac injury.

Clinical prior Knowledge-Based One-Shot Learning for Automatic Delineation of Clinical Target Volumes in Adaptation Radiotherapy of Cervical Cancer

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Rapid and accurate delineation of clinical target volumes (CTV) of cervical cancer is the crux to ensure the efficiency and benefits of adaptation radiotherapy (ART). However, contour propagation using deformation image registration (DIR) is difficult to ensure the accuracy of CTV contours due to the significant tumor recession in next fraction, and the tumor progress in each fraction is not considered by conventional automatic delineation methods based on deep learning (DL). Currently, one-shot learning (OSL) is feasible to learn the tumor progress from former fractions to improve the accuracy of automatically delineating CTV.

MATERIALS/METHODS

We retrospectively collected 45 patients with cervical cancer from January 2021 to May 2022 in our department. All patients consist of a pair of planning CT and daily CT in ART. A personalized automatic delineation method based on one-shot learning was developed to delineate CTV in daily CT by learning the clinical prior knowledge from the CTV contours and images of planning CT. The performance of our proposed method was evaluated by dice similarity coefficient (DSC), 95% Harsdorff distance (95HD) and average surface distance (ASD) with human experts, and its automatic delineation performance were compared with DIR and DL in daily CT.

RESULTS

Our automatic delineation method OSL performed the best results in all evaluation metrics (denoted by mean ± standard deviation) as shown in Table 1, it is superior to method DL: 0.92 & 0.90 of DSC, 2.33 mm & 2.68 mm of HD95, 0.68 mm & 0.82 mm of ASD, P < 0.05 for DSC and ASD. Specifically, our method is significantly superior to the automatic delineation results by method DIR: 0.92 & 0.84 of DSC, 2.33 mm & 4.11 mm of HD95, 0.68 mm & 1.52 mm of ASD, P < 0.05 for all. In addition, OSL can significantly overcome the delineation problems in fuzzy boundary and delineation missing and perform better generalization for some unusual images, compared with DIR and DL.

CONCLUSION

We proposed an automatic delineation method based on one-shot learning for CTV of cervical cancer in ART, the results demonstrated that the proposed method could improve the precision and generalization of automatically delineating CTV compared against current popular methods. Therefore, it is potential to improve the quality and efficiency of ART for personalized patients and have a positive impact on tumor control and patient survival.

Mismatch Repair Status is an Effective Prognostic Factor for Early-Stage Endometrial Carcinoma

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

This study is to evaluate the impact of mismatch repair (MMR) status on prognosis among patients with stage I to II (FIGO 2009) endometrial carcinoma (EC) treated with hysterectomy and adjuvant RT.

MATERIALS/METHODS

Between Oct. 2017 and Dec. 2020, patients with stage I to II (FIGO 2009) EC who had undergone hysterectomy followed by adjuvant RT in our institution were retrospectively reviewed. Clinical characteristics were compared between patients with proficient and deficient mismatch repair (pMMR and dMMR) using Pearson Chi-Square test for categorical variables. Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test were used to compared overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), local-regional recurrence free survival (LRFS) and distant metastasis free survival (DMFS). Statistically significant difference was set as p<0.05.

RESULTS

Totally 276 stage I to II EC patients with known MMR status were included in this study. Among them, 211 patients were classified as pMMR while 65 patients were classified as dMMR. When compared to pMMR, patients with dMMR were more likely to have grade 3 and non-endometrioid type(37.8% vs. 20.8%, p = 0.014), lympho-vascular invasion (36.7% vs. 16.3%, p = 0.000), young age (<60) (28.6% vs. 17.2%, p = 0.027), HIR to HR classification(30.9% vs. 16.1%, p = 0.004). Of all the 276 patients, the median follow-up time was 31 months. Two-year DMFS was superior for pMMR compared to dMMR patients (96.3% vs. 95.0%, p = 0.048). Two-year DFS tended to be better for pMMR than dMMR patients with survival curves not crossed over each other (93.0% vs. 86.8%, p = 0.074). Two-year OS (98.9% vs. 98.4%, p = 0.716) and LRFS (96.3% vs. 95.0%, p = 0.815) were not different between pMMR/dMMR patients. For HIR to HR group, we reached the similar conclusion while for LR to IR group, survival statistics were not different between pMMR/dMMR patients. As to failure pattern, dMMR were more likely to have distant failure while local and regional failure were not different between the two groups.

CONCLUSION

For stage I to II EC, patients with dMMR have poorer DMFS and DFS compared to pMMR patients especially in HIR to HR risk classification. The combination of MMR status and other clinical and pathological factors may establish a new prognostic model and form a new risk stratification system.

Postoperative Radiotherapy to Abdominal and Pelvic Lymphatic Drainage Area for Stage III Epithelial Ovarian Cancer: A Sharp Tool to Prolong Disease-Free Survival Time

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

For patients with stage III epithelial ovarian cancer, there are limited studies on the effects of postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) after standard cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and full treatment of first-line adjuvant chemotherapy (CT). The aims of our study were to assess the therapeutic efficacy and toxicity of our special postoperative radiotherapy to abdominal and pelvic lymphatic drainage area for stage III epithelial ovarian cancer patients.

MATERIALS/METHODS

We retrospectively collected patients with stage III epithelial ovarian cancer after CRS and full-course adjuvant chemotherapy. The CT+RT group patients were treated with intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) to abdominal and pelvic lymphatic drainage area (which has been shown to be an alternative to whole abdominal radiotherapy (WART) both on the basis of clinical result and dosimetric verification from our prior study). The CT group data was obtained from the PUMCH's electronic medical record analytical database between 2010 and 2020. A propensity score matching analysis was performed 1:2 between CT+RT group and CT group.

RESULTS

A total of 132 patients with median follow-up of 73.9 months (9.1-137.7 months) were included (44 and 88 for the CT+RT and CT groups, retrospectively). The baseline characteristics of age, histology, level of CA12-5, surgical staging, residual tumor, courses of adjuvant CT, and courses to reduce CA12-5 to normal were all balanced. The median disease-free survival (DFS) time, 5-year overall survival (OS), and local recurrence free survival (LRFS) of CT+RT group and CT group were 100.0 months versus 25.9 months (p = 0.020), 69.2% versus 49.9% (p = 0.002), 85.9% versus 50.5% (p = 0.020), respectively. Distant metastasis was still the primary reason (57.6%), and local failure rate was 42.3%, the local recurrence rate was significantly lower in CT+RT group, compared with CT group (13.6% versus 45.5%, p = 0.016). In terms of toxicity, CT+RT group mainly presented with acute hematological toxicities, with no statistically significant difference with CT group when compared with grade III intestinal adverse effects (3/44 versus 6/88, p = 0.480).

CONCLUSION

This report demonstrates that long-term disease-free survival could be achieved in stage III epithelial ovarian cancer patients treated with IMRT preventive radiation to abdominal and pelvic lymphatic area. Compared with CT group, DFS and OS were significantly prolonged and adverse effects were acceptable.

The radiomic biomarker in non-small cell lung cancer: 18F-FDG PET/CT characterisation of programmed death-ligand 1 status

AIM

To present an integrated 2-[18F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (18F-FDG) positron-emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) radiomic characterisation of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) status in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this retrospective study, 18F-FDG PET/CT images and clinical data of 394 eligible patients were divided into training (n=275) and test sets (n=119). Next, the corresponding nodule of interest was segmented manually on the axial CT images by radiologists. After which, the spatial position matching method was used to match the image positions of CT and PET, and radiomic features of the CT and PET images were extracted. Radiomic models were built using five different machine-learning classifiers and the performance of the radiomic models were further evaluated. Finally, a radiomic signature was established to predict the PD-L1 status in patients with NSCLC using the features in the best performing radiomic model.

RESULTS

The radiomic model based on the PET intranodular region determined using the logistic regression classifier preformed best, yielding an area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) of 0.813 (95% CI: 0.812, 0.821) on the test set. The clinical features did not improve the test set AUC (0.806, 95% CI: 0.801, 0.810). The final radiomic signature for PD-L1 status was consisted of three PET radiomic features.

CONCLUSION

This study showed that an 18F-FDG PET/CT-based radiomic signature could be used as a non-invasive biomarker to discriminate PD-L1-positive from PD-L1-negative in patients with NSCLC.

Measurement of the Dependence of the Hadron Production Fraction Ratios f_{s}/f_{u} and f_{d}/f_{u} on B Meson Kinematic Variables in Proton-Proton Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV

The dependence of the ratio between the B_{s}^{0} and B^{+} hadron production fractions, f_{s}/f_{u}, on the transverse momentum (p_{T}) and rapidity of the B mesons is studied using the decay channels B_{s}^{0}→J/ψϕ and B^{+}→J/ψK^{+}. The analysis uses a data sample of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, collected by the CMS experiment in 2018 and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 61.6  fb^{-1}. The f_{s}/f_{u} ratio is observed to depend on the B p_{T} and to be consistent with becoming asymptotically constant at large p_{T}. No rapidity dependence is observed. The ratio of the B^{0} to B^{+} meson production fractions, f_{d}/f_{u}, is also measured, for the first time in proton-proton collisions, using the B^{0}→J/ψK^{*0} decay channel. The result is found to be within 1 standard deviation of unity and independent of p_{T} and rapidity, as expected from isospin invariance.

Exploring non-equilibrium processes and spatio-temporal scaling laws in heated egg yolk using coherent X-rays

The soft-grainy microstructure of cooked egg yolk is the result of a series of out-of-equilibrium processes of its protein-lipid contents; however, it is unclear how egg yolk constituents contribute to these processes to create the desired microstructure. By employing X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy, we investigate the functional contribution of egg yolk constituents: proteins, low-density lipoproteins (LDLs), and yolk-granules to the development of grainy-gel microstructure and microscopic dynamics during cooking. We find that the viscosity of the heated egg yolk is solely determined by the degree of protein gelation, whereas the grainy-gel microstructure is controlled by the extent of LDL aggregation. Overall, protein denaturation-aggregation-gelation and LDL-aggregation follows Arrhenius-type time-temperature superposition (TTS), indicating an identical mechanism with a temperature-dependent reaction rate. However, above 75 °C TTS breaks down and temperature-independent gelation dynamics is observed, demonstrating that the temperature can no longer accelerate certain non-equilibrium processes above a threshold value.

Search for Exotic Higgs Boson Decays H→AA→4γ with Events Containing Two Merged Diphotons in Proton-Proton Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV

We present the first direct search for exotic Higgs boson decays H→AA, A→γγ in events with two photonlike objects. The hypothetical particle A is a low-mass spin-0 particle decaying promptly to a merged diphoton reconstructed as a single photonlike object. We analyze the data collected by the CMS experiment at sqrt[s]=13  TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 136  fb^{-1}. No excess above the estimated background is found. We set upper limits on the branching fraction B(H→AA→4γ) of (0.9-3.3)×10^{-3} at 95% confidence level for masses of A in the range 0.1-1.2 GeV.

Preliminary results of the 105 GHz collective Thomson scattering system on HL-2A

A 105 GHz collective Thomson scattering (CTS) diagnostic has been successfully developed for fast-ion measurements on the HL-2A tokamak, and it has been deployed during an experimental campaign. Enhanced signals exhibiting synchronous modulation characteristics have been observed across all CTS channels upon the launch of a modulated probe wave. Results show that the intensity of the CTS signal increases with Neutral Beam Injection (NBI) power and is proportional to neutron count, indicating that the scattering signal contains a contribution from fast ions. Compared with the signal without NBI, the enhanced scattering spectrum due to NBI is slightly wider than the predicted fast ion range. Such broadening might be attributed to the heating effects of the gyrotron.