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The positive relationship between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19)‐related psychological distress and adolescents' cyberbullying behaviours has garnered attention. Although the global COVID‐19 pandemic has ended, examining adolescents' cyberbullying behaviours in the context of this disaster and revealing the potential complex interaction effects of COVID‐19 anxiety and peer and teacher factors on adolescents' cyberbullying behaviours, especially in non‐Western cultural contexts, hold inspirational value for developing more effective prevention or intervention programs for future disasters. We examined the moderation effects of bullying victimization and teachers' emotional violence (TEV) on the association between COVID‐19 anxiety and cyberbullying among adolescents in China. Data were collected from a recruited sample of 514 junior high school students in Beijing, China. Adolescent anxiety about COVID‐19 was positively correlated with cyberbullying. The moderating effects of the TEV and bullying victimization on the association between COVID‐19 anxiety and cyberbullying among adolescents were significant. The positive link between COVID‐19 anxiety and cyberbullying was stronger among adolescents with high bullying victimization and TEV. This study offers preliminary evidence on the risk of TEV and bullying victimization in the association between COVID‐19 anxiety and cyberbullying in Eastern cultures. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) has been the third most prevalent cancer worldwide. Liver metastasis is the critical factor for the poor prognosis of CRC. Here, we investigated the expression and role of PLOD3 in CRC. Methods: Different liver metastasis models were established by injecting PLOD3 stable knockdown or overexpression CT26 or MC38 mouse CRC cells into the spleen of mice to verify the tumorigenicity and metastasis ability in vivo. Results: We identified PLOD3 is significantly overexpressed in liver metastasis samples of CRC. High expression of PLOD3 was significantly associated with poor survival of CRC patients. The knockdown of PLOD3 exhibited remarkable inhibition of proliferation, migration, and invasion in CRC cells, while the opposite results could be found in different PLOD3-overexpressed CRC cells. Stable knockdown of PLOD3 also significantly inhibited liver metastasis of CRC cells in different xenografts models, while stable overexpression of PLOD3 promotes liver metastasis and tumor progression. Further studies showed that PLOD3 facilitated the T cell activation in the tumor microenvironment and affected the TNF-α/ NF-κB pathway. Conclusions: This study revealed the essential biological functions of PLOD3 in colon cancer progression and metastasis, suggesting that PLOD3 is a promising translational medicine target and bioengineering targeting PLOD3 overcomes CRC liver metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Human primary hepatocytes (PHCs) are considered to be the best cell source for cell-based therapies for the treatment of end-stage liver disease and acute liver failure. To obtain sufficient and high-quality functional human hepatocytes, we have established a strategy to dedifferentiate human PHCs into expandable hepatocyte-derived liver progenitor-like cells (HepLPCs) through in vitro chemical reprogramming. However, the reduced proliferative capacity of HepLPCs after long-term culture still limits their utility. Therefore, in this study, we attempted to explore the potential mechanism related to the proliferative ability of HepLPCs in vitro culture. Results: In this study, analysis of assay for transposase accessible chromatin using sequencing (ATAC-seq) and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) were performed for PHCs, proliferative HepLPCs (pro-HepLPCs) and late-passage HepLPCs (lp-HepLPCs). Genome-wide transcriptional and chromatin accessibility changes during the conversion and long-term culture of HepLPCs were studied. We found that lp-HepLPCs exhibited an aged phenotype characterized by the activation of inflammatory factors. Epigenetic changes were found to be consistent with our gene expression findings, with promoter and distal regions of many inflammatory-related genes showing increased accessibility in the lp-HepLPCs. FOSL2, a member of the AP-1 family, was found to be highly enriched in the distal regions with increased accessibility in lp-HepLPCs. Its depletion attenuated the expression of aging- and senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP)-related genes and resulted in a partial improvement of the aging phenotype in lp-HepLPCs. Conclusions: FOSL2 may drive the aging of HepLPCs by regulating inflammatory factors and its depletion may attenuate this phenotypic shift. This study provides a novel and promising approach for the long-term in vitro culture of HepLPCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) has become a global health problem, and the prevalence of obesity at all stages of life makes MetS research increasingly important and urgent. However, as a comprehensive and complex disease, MetS has lacked more appropriate research models. The advent of organoids provides an opportunity to address this issue. However, it should be noted that organoids are still in their infancy. The main drawbacks are a lack of maturity, complexity, and the inability to standardize large-scale production. Could organoids therefore be a better choice for studying MetS than other models? How can these limitations be overcome? Here, we summarize the available data to present current progress on pancreatic and hepatobiliary organoids and to answer these open questions. Organoids are of human origin and contain a variety of human cell types necessary to mimic the disease characteristics of MetS in their development. Taken together with the discovery of hepatobiliary progenitors in situ, the dedifferentiation of beta cells in diabetes, and studies on hepatic macrophages, we suggest that promoting endogenous regeneration has the potential to prevent the development of end-stage liver and pancreatic lesions caused by MetS and outline the direction of future research in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although repeated cryopreservation is an occasional occurrence, the effect on perinatal outcomes is unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the perinatal outcomes of singletons after embryo re-cryopreservation. Methods: In this retrospective study, a total of 647 singleton live births after blastocyst freeze-thaw embryo transfer cycles were investigated. They were divided into two groups: vitrified-warmed blastocysts (once-vitrified group) and vitrified-warmed blastocysts derived from thawed cleaved embryos (re-vitrified group). Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to control for potential confounding factors. Results: A total of 592 infants were included in the once-vitrified group, and 55 infants were included in the re-vitrified group. After PSM, 108 cases were generated for comparison. The median gestational age was 38 weeks for both groups, and the birthweights were comparable (3390.6 ± 601.5 g vs. 3412.8 ± 672.6 g, P > 0.05). The incidence of preterm birth (PTB) (20.4% vs. 16.7%), low birthweight (LBW) (3.7% vs. 7.4%), macrosomia (11.1% vs. 16.7%) and large for gestational age (LGA) (29.6% vs. 22.2%) were not significantly different between the two groups. Logistic regression analysis indicated that double vitrification-warming procedures did not affect the occurrence of PTB (OR, 2.58 [95% CI, 0.77, 8.63]), LBW (OR, 0.83 [95% CI, 0.08, 8.29]), macrosomia (OR, 0.60 [95% CI, 0.13, 2.69]), or LGA (OR, 1.51 [95% CI, 0.53, 4.27]) (P > 0.05, for all). Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that double vitrification-warming procedures do not increase the risk of adverse neonatal outcomes compared with those of once-vitrified embryos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although repeated cryopreservation is an occasional occurrence, the effect on perinatal outcomes is unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the perinatal outcomes of singletons after embryo re-cryopreservation. Methods: In this retrospective study, a total of 647 singleton live births after blastocyst freeze-thaw embryo transfer cycles were investigated. They were divided into two groups: vitrified-warmed blastocysts (once-vitrified group) and vitrified-warmed blastocysts derived from thawed cleaved embryos (re-vitrified group). Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to control for potential confounding factors. Results: A total of 592 infants were included in the once-vitrified group, and 55 infants were included in the re-vitrified group. After PSM, 108 cases were generated for comparison. The median gestational age was 38 weeks for both groups, and the birthweights were comparable (3390.6 ± 601.5 g vs. 3412.8 ± 672.6 g, P > 0.05). The incidence of preterm birth (PTB) (20.4% vs. 16.7%), low birthweight (LBW) (3.7% vs. 7.4%), macrosomia (11.1% vs. 16.7%) and large for gestational age (LGA) (29.6% vs. 22.2%) were not significantly different between the two groups. Logistic regression analysis indicated that double vitrification-warming procedures did not affect the occurrence of PTB (OR, 2.58 [95% CI, 0.77, 8.63]), LBW (OR, 0.83 [95% CI, 0.08, 8.29]), macrosomia (OR, 0.60 [95% CI, 0.13, 2.69]), or LGA (OR, 1.51 [95% CI, 0.53, 4.27]) (P > 0.05, for all). Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that double vitrification-warming procedures do not increase the risk of adverse neonatal outcomes compared with those of once-vitrified embryos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The estrogen receptor (ER), a ligand-dependent transcription factor, is critical for vertebrate reproduction. However, its role in bivalves is not well understood, with ongoing debates regarding its function in regulating reproduction similarly to vertebrates. To investigate ER's function, we conducted a 21-day RNA interference experiment focusing on its role in gonadal development in bivalves. Histological analyses revealed that ER inhibition significantly suppressed ovarian development in females and, conversely, promoted gonadal development in males. Additionally, levels of 17β-estrogen (E2) were markedly reduced in the gonads of both sexes following ER suppression. Transcriptomic analysis from RNA-seq of testes and ovaries after ER interference showed changes in the expression of key genes such as Vtg, CYP17, 3β-HSD, and 17β-HSD. These genes are involved in the estrogen signaling pathway and steroid hormone biosynthesis. Furthermore, ER suppression significantly affected the expression of genes linked to gametogenesis and the reproductive cycle. Our findings highlight ER's crucial, yet complex and sex-specific roles in gonadal development in bivalves, emphasizing the need for further detailed studies. • RNAi reduces ER expression in Manila clams Ruditapes philippinarum effectively. • ER interference slows ovarian growth, speeds testicular development. • ER disruption alters estrogen signaling and steroid biosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The solubility of 5-chloro-2-nitroaniline in twelve mono-solvent systems were measured. • The modified Apelblat, Margules, Wilson, NRTL and UNIQUAC models were employed to correlate the solubility. • HS and MEPS were used to determine the internal interactions within 5-chloro-2-nitroaniline solutions. • The mixing thermodynamic characteristics were derived by the NRTL model. The solubility of 5-chloro-2-nitroaniline in twelve mono-solvents (water, methanol, ethanol, n -propanol, isopropanol, n -butanol, isobutanol, acetone, 2-butanone, acetonitrile, methyl acetate, ethyl acetate) at 101.2 kPa (T = 283.15 ∼ 323.15 K) was investigated by experimental determination and molecular simulation. The static gravimetric tests showed that the solubility of 5-chloro-2-nitroaniline increased with the increase of absolute temperature, in the following order: 2-butanone > acetone > methyl acetate > ethyl acetate > acetonitrile > n -butanol > n -propanol > ethanol > isopropanol > isobutanol > methanol > water. The modified Apelblat, Wilson, NRTL, UNIQUAC and Margules models were used to correlate the experimental data, and the fitting results of the five models were satisfactory. By comparing the average ARD and RMSD values of the five models, the correlation results of the modified Apelblat model were the best. Hirshfrld surface analysis (HS) and molecular electrostatic potential surface (MEPS) were used to determine the internal interaction of 5-chloro-2-nitroaniline solution. The Hansen solubility parameters (HSPs) was utilized to assess the solvents' capability and to elucidate its ability to dissolve 5-chloro-2-nitroaniline. Furthermore, mixing thermodynamic characteristics of 5-chloro-2-nitroaniline in selected solvents were calculated by the NRTL model, which revealed that the mixing process was spontaneous and entropy-driven. These experimental results could be utilized for the purification, crystallization, and industrial applications of 5-chloro-2-nitroaniline as well as similar substances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Image-guided local ablation has becoming a promising treatment option for patients unsuitable for surgical resection. Currently, magnetic resonance (MR) imaging has been used as guidance for ablation due to its good soft-tissue contrast, high image quality and absence of ionizing radiation. However, the limited operating space and interrupted and delayed imaging of the conventional MR equipment increased the difficulty of puncture during operation. Therefore, we utilized an easy-to-use optical navigation system with a 0.4 T 360° open MR system to perform MR-guided microwave ablation (MWA) to treat liver tumor patients in risk areas.Aim: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of MR-guided MWA in treating liver tumors using a 0.4 T open and navigated MR system.Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 19 liver tumor patients who underwent MR-guided MWA between August 2014 and August 2017. The complications, complete ablation, and long-term outcomes were analyzed and evaluated.Results: It was found that navigated MRI guidance allowed for precise needle placement in the targeted tumor, and ablation was successfully performed in all patients without serious intraoperative complications and death. Additionally, complete ablation was reached at 94.74% (18/19), with only one patient discovered with residual tumor, and therefore received another MWA session within three months.Conclusion: 360° open MR system combined with navigation systems conveniently enhanced the operation of MR-guided ablation, producing effective outcomes. Therefore, this option may be a safe and effective therapy for liver tumors in patients, especially for those situated in risk areas and those not visible to identify by ultrasound or computerized tomography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compared the static theoretical modelling, numerical simulation, and experimental results of a 3D electro-thermal actuator that is built by three fingers. Each finger is composed of a U-shaped (two DOFs) and a V-shaped (one DOF) electrothermal actuator for three DOFs. The heating source of those actuators is from polyimide films that is attaching with those beam actuators. When voltage or current (Joule heating) is applied to the polyimide film, the temperature of the beam increases since the thermal energy is transmitted from the film to the beam actuator. Then, the beam elongates due to the thermal expansion of the metal, resulting in displacement of the beam. In addition, we also perform the parameter analysis to discuss the effect of parameter change on the output displacement of actuator. Finally, the 3D electrothermal microgripper is used to implement micromanipulation experiments such as picking, moving and rotating on micro balls and zebrafish embryos in 3D space to verify its usability. • The static theoretical model of the 3D U-shaped actuator has been established and verified with FEM simulations. • The parameter analyses of the 3D U-shaped actuator are conducted. • The micro-manipulation experiments using the developed 3D electrothermal microgripper are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The objective of this study was to assess whether PGT conducted with previously untested vitrified embryos affect the clinical outcomes. Methods: A total of 49 patients who underwent biopsy on vitrification‐warming embryos for PGT were enrolled from January 2016 to January 2019. The cleavage‐stage embryos were thawed and cultured into the blastocyst stage for biopsy. During this period, 195 patients underwent routine PGT and FET, whose embryos were biopsied before frozen were used as the control group. The clinical outcomes were further compared between the two groups after a 1:2 PSM. Results: There were 47 transferable blastocysts in 30 patients, while 19 patients without transferable embryos, who performed biopsy on vitrification‐warming embryos for PGT. During this study period, 27 patients have already underwent FET with the clinical pregnancy rate was 66.7% (18/27). After 1:2 PSM, 24 patients in the biopsy on vitrification‐warming embryo group and 48 patients in the control group were compared, the clinical pregnancy rate (68.8% vs. 70.8%, p = 0.86), miscarriage rate (18.2% vs. 11.8%, p = 0.86), or live birth rate (52.1% vs. 62.5%, p = 0.40) had no significant difference. And the transferable blastocyst rate or the clinical pregnancy rate in the vitrification‐warming cleavage‐stage embryo group was not significantly different from those in the vitrification‐warming blastocyst group. In addition, the PGT clinical outcomes of biopsy on vitrification‐warming embryos had no significant difference between IVF‐fertilized embryos and ICSI‐fertilized embryos. Conclusion: Biopsy on the vitrification‐warming embryos with a dual vitrified cryopreservation does not affect the embryo quality or the PGT clinical outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Glioblastoma (GBM) has a high incidence rate, invasive growth, and easy recurrence, and the current therapeutic effect is less than satisfying. Pyroptosis plays an important role in morbidity and progress of GBM. Meanwhile, the tumor microenvironment (TME) is involved in the progress and treatment tolerance of GBM. In the present study, we analyzed prognosis model, immunocyte infiltration characterization, and competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network of GBM on the basis of pyroptosis-related genes (PRGs).Methods: The transcriptome and clinical data of 155 patients with GBM and 120 normal subjects were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx). Lasso (Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator) Cox expression analysis was used in predicting prognostic markers, and its predictive ability was tested using a nomogram. A prognostic risk score formula was constructed, and CIBERSORT, ssGSEA algorithm, Tumor IMmune Estimation Resource (TIMER), and TISIDB database were used in evaluating the immunocyte infiltration characterization and tumor immune response of differential risk samples. A ceRNA network was constructed with Starbase, mirtarbase, and lncbase, and the mechanism of this regulatory axis was explored using Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA).Results: Five PRGs (CASP3, NLRP2, TP63, GZMB, and CASP9) were identified as the independent prognostic biomarkers of GBM. Prognostic risk score formula analysis showed that the low-risk group had obvious survival advantage compared with the high-risk group, and significant differences in immunocyte infiltration and immune related function score were found. In addition, a ceRNA network of messenger RNA (CASP3, TP63)-microRNA (hsa-miR-519c-5p)-long noncoding RNA (GABPB1-AS1) was established. GSEA analysis showed that the regulatory axis played a considerable role in the extracellular matrix (ECM) and immune inflammatory response.Conclusions: Pyroptosis and TME-related independent prognostic markers were screened in this study, and a prognosis risk score formula was established for the first time according to the prognosis PRGs. TME immunocyte infiltration characterization and immune response were assessed using ssGSEA, CIBERSORT algorithm, TIMER, and TISIDB database. Besides a ceRNA network was built up. This study not only laid foundations for further exploring pyroptosis and TME in improving prognosis of GBM, but also provided a new idea for more effective guidance on clinical immunotherapy to patients and developing new immunotherapeutic drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new ternary flu topological metal–organic framework based upon the torsional cubic 8-connected [Sc4O2(COO)8] cluster and the tetrahedral 4-connected [Cu4OCl6] cluster, namely, [Sc4O2(Cu4Cl6O)2(L)8·5H2O]·xGuest (SNNU-Bai69; SNNU-Bai = Shaanxi Normal University, Bai's group; HL = isonicotinic acid) has been successfully obtained by a solvothermal reaction of ScCl3·6H2O, Cu(NO3)2·3H2O and HL. Very interestingly, this is the first ternary MOF based upon both the torsional cubic 8-connected [Sc4O2(COO)8] cluster and the tetrahedral 4-connected [Cu4OCl6] cluster. Furthermore, its gas adsorption isotherms and breakthrough experiments reveal that it exhibits highly selective C3H8/CH4, C3H8/C2H6 and C2H6/CH4 adsorption and may be used for the pipeline natural gas upgrading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LINKED CONTENT: This article is linked to Dunne et al paper. To view this article, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17252 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the clinical factors that could be used predict the number of transferable blastocysts in preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) cycles based on next-generation sequencing (NGS) and formed form a mathematical model to predict the chance likelihood of obtaining one transferable blastocyst, which is helpful for genetic counseling. Methods: This retrospective study enrolled couples undergoing PGT cycles for chromosomal structural rearrangement (PGT-SR, n = 363, 202 with reciprocal translocation carriers, 131 with Robertsonian translocation carriers, 30 with inversion carriers), monogenic diseases (PGT-M, n = 47), and for Aneuploidies (PGT-A, n = 132) from January 2015 to October 2018. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis was used to identify the factors relevant for obtaining at least one transferable blastocyst. The factors that predict the number of biopsied blastocysts were further analyzed. Results: The transferable blastocyst rates were 29.94, 41.99, 49.09, 41.42, and 44.37% in the reciprocal translocation carrier, Robertsonian translocation carrier, inversion carrier, PGT-M, and PGT-A cycles, respectively. The number of transferable blastocysts in these cycles were 0.3004 × the number of biopsied blastocysts (NBB) − 0.0031, 0.4063 × NBB + 0.0460, 0.5762 × NBB − 0.3128, 0.3611 × NBB + 0.1910, and 0.4831 × NBB − 0.0970, respectively. Furthermore, the number of MII oocytes and female age were clinical predictors of NBB in reciprocal translocation and PGT-A couples, while the number of MII oocytes was the only clinical predictor in Robertsonian translocation carriers, inversion carriers, and PGT-M couples. Conclusions: The number of biopsied blastocysts was the only clinical predictor of the ability to obtain a transferable blastocyst in PGT cycles; therefore, for clinical practice, theoretically the minimum numbers of biopsied blastocysts is 4 in reciprocal translocation carrier and 3 in couples undergoing PGT for other reasons. The number of MII oocytes and female age were clinical predictors of the number of biopsied blastocysts. With the mathematical models in our study as a reference, in clinical practice, clinicians will be able to conduct a more targeted genetic consultation for different kinds of PGT patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the interference mitigation for Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) radar system with a dechirping receiver is investigated. After dechirping operation, the scattered signals from targets result in beat signals, i.e., the sum of complex exponentials while the interferences lead to chirp-like short pulses. Taking advantage of these different time and frequency features between the useful signals and the interferences, the interference mitigation is formulated as an optimization problem: a sparse and low-rank decomposition of a Hankel matrix constructed by lifting the measurements. Then, an iterative optimization algorithm is proposed to tackle it by exploiting the Alternating Direction of Multipliers (ADMM) scheme. Compared to the existing methods, the proposed approach does not need to detect the interference and also improves the estimation accuracy of the separated useful signals. Both numerical simulations with point-like targets and experiment results with distributed targets (i.e., raindrops) are presented to demonstrate and verify its performance. The results show that the proposed approach is generally applicable for interference mitigation in both stationary and moving target scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is contributed to the structural stability of multi-wave configurations to Cauchy problem for the compressible non-isentropic Euler system with adiabatic exponent γ ∈ (1, 3]. Given some small BV perturbations of the initial state, the author employs a modified wave front tracking method, constructs a new Glimm functional, and proves its monotone decreasing based on the possible local wave interaction estimates, then establishes the global stability of the multi-wave configurations, consisting of a strong 1-shock wave, a strong 2-contact discontinuity, and a strong 3-shock wave, without restrictions on their strengths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel matrix-pencil (MP)-based interference mitigation approach for frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) radars is proposed in this article. The interference-contaminated segment of the beat signal is first cut out, and then, the signal samples in the cutout region are reconstructed by modeling the beat signal as a sum of complex exponentials and using the MP method to estimate their parameters. The efficiency of the proposed approach for the interference with different parameters (i.e., interference duration, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and different target scenarios) is investigated by means of numerical simulations. The proposed interference mitigation approach is intensively verified on experimental data. Comparisons of the proposed approach with the zeroing and other beat-frequency interpolation techniques are presented. The results indicate the broad applicability and superiority of the proposed approach, especially in low SNR and long interference duration situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We are concerned with the structural stability of composite wave patterns to the Cauchy problem for the relativistic full Euler equations consisting of a large 1-shock, a large 2-contact discontinuity, and a large 3-shock. When the initial data are bounded but possibly large total variations, approximate solutions have been constructed via the wave front tracking scheme, a weighted Glimm functional has been introduced and its monotonicity has been proved on the basis of the local wave interaction estimates, and then the global stability of these wave patterns has been established. Moreover, the non-relativistic limits of such solutions can be obtained as the light speed c → +∞. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is devoted to studying one-dimensional piston problem for the compressible Magnetohydrodynamics when the piston is pushed forward relatively. If the initial data and the piston speed are both given some small BV perturbations, then global stability of large shock waves to this problem has been established, and the long time behavior has been also considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is contributed to the 1-D piston problem for the compressible relativistic full Euler system. Given some small BV perturbations of both the piston velocity and the initial state, we establish the structural stability of a contact discontinuity when the piston moves relatively still to the gas. We also consider the non-relativistic limits of such entropy solutions to piston problem as the light speed c → + ∞. Moreover, we study the long time behavior of these solutions as t → + ∞. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indole is a major metabolite of tryptophan, which plays an important role in the intestinal microecological balance and human physiological activities. The determination of indole becomes important for its researches. So, it is urgent to establish a sensitive and cost-effective method for indole detection. Herein, a sensitive electrochemical method was constructed to determine the concentration of indole using screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) with the signal amplification strategy by gold/iron-oxide composite nanoparticles (Au/Fe 3 O 4). Au/Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles were successfully synthesized under the irradiation by high-energy electron beams. 4-aminothiophenol (4-ATP) was connected to Au/Fe 3 O 4 via Au-S bond. And then NaNO 2 reacted with 4-ATP to form the azo bond, which could form the final product of Au/Fe 3 O 4 @ATP-azo-indole by the coupling reaction. Thus, the concentration of indole was detected by the electrochemical signal produced by Au/Fe 3 O 4 @ATP-azo-indole indirectly. The detection sensitivity was greatly improved by the large specific surface area provided by Au/Fe 3 O 4 after the modification. The linear range of indole was from 0.50 to 120.00 μg L−1 and the limit of detection (LOD) was as low as 0.10 μg L−1 (S/N = 3). Furthermore, the developed method exhibited acceptable intra-day and inter-day precisions with the coefficient of variations (CV) less than 4.9% and 8.2%, respectively. And the recoveries were from 97.2% to 105.4%. An innovative, sensitive, cost-effective method was established for indole determination in human plasma matrix in this manuscript, which provides a promising way for indole detection in conventional laboratories. Image 1 • Au/Fe 3 O 4 was synthesized by high-energy electron beam irradiation. • Indole was fixed on the surface of 4-ATP modified Au/Fe 3 O 4 by the diazotization-coupling reaction. • An electrochemical method was used for indole detection in plasma matrix. • The established method is innovative, sensitive and cost-effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the dynamics of quantum coherence of a system consisting of two interacting atoms coupling with a common cavity which is filled with a nonlinear Kerr-like medium, in the presence of intrinsic decoherence. It is shown that the stationary quantum coherence can arise in the system as the time approach to infinite. In particular, the amount of stationary quantum coherence can be enhanced by adjusting the Kerr interaction and dipole-dipole interaction. Furthermore, we also explore the influence of Kerr interaction and dipole-dipole interaction on the transfer of quantum information by a witness of the trace distance and find that the transferred information and stationary quantum information can be controlled by the Kerr interaction and dipole-dipole interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in the levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), cortisol and chromogranin A (CgA) in saliva of subjects with occupational fatigue were investigated. Doctors in the Emergency Department were selected as research subjects. Saliva was collected before work (after full rest) and after work (≥24 h). Electroencephalogram (EEG) was performed. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the levels of IL-1β, cortisol and CgA in saliva. In order to obtain permission for human specimens, the study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University of Engineering and registered for clinical trials (registration no. ChiC-TR-DCD-14005746). As there were only 4 subjects in this study without fatigue waves in EEG, and the number of these subjects was not sufficient to constitute a control group, the comparison of the contents of IL-1β, cortisol and CgA of all subjects before and after working for 18 h was just a confirmation of the statistical results of 43 cases with fatigue waves in the EEG. According to the results, there was no change in the contents of IL-1β and cortisol in the saliva of subjects with occupational fatigue before and after fatigue, whereas, there was a significant change in the content of CgA before and after fatigue. However, there was no correlation between the content of CgA and fatigue. The results of the present study revealed that IL-1β, cortisol and CgA indicators are not suitable diagnostic markers for occupational fatigue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the growing penetration of wind power, the wind power forecasting is fundamental in aiding the grid scheduling and electricity trading. In this paper, a numerical weather prediction wind speed error correction model based on gated recurrent unit neural networks is proposed for short-term wind power forecasting. Firstly, the standard deviation of numerical weather prediction wind speed error is extracted as weights, and these weights are rearranged according to the numerical weather prediction wind speed time series to get the weight time series. Then, the bidirectional gated recurrent unit neural networks based error correction model is proposed to correct error of numerical weather prediction wind speed with the inputs as numerical weather prediction wind speed, trend and detail terms of the weight time series. The wind power curve model is applied to forecast short-term wind power by using corrected numerical weather prediction wind speed. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is compared with benchmark models by using actual data of wind farm, and the results show that the proposed model outperforms these benchmark models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xiaoyue Shen, Min Ding and Yuan Yan contributed equally to this work. 1 Flowchart of the inclusion and exclusion of participants in this study Reference 1 Shen X, Ding M, Yan Y. Perinatal outcomes of singletons following double vitrification-warming procedures: a retrospective study using propensity score analysis. [Extracted from the article]

Xiaoyue Shen, Min Ding and Yuan Yan contributed equally to this work. 1 Flowchart of the inclusion and exclusion of participants in this study Reference 1 Shen X, Ding M, Yan Y. Perinatal outcomes of singletons following double vitrification-warming procedures: a retrospective study using propensity score analysis. [Extracted from the article]

To evaluate the feasibility and safety of ultrasound-guided iodine-125 interstitial implants for high-risk hepatocellular carcinoma. From October, 2016, to August, 2018, 49 patients suffering from a total of 66 hepatocellular carcinoma lesions were treated with ultrasound-guided iodine-125 interstitial implantation. Treatment planning system was applied to make preoperative plan. The response evaluation criteria in solid tumors were used to evaluate the curative effect. The evaluated outcomes included postoperative complications and complete disease control rate, 6-month disease-free survival, and 6-month overall survival. All 49 patients underwent iodine-125 seed implantation successfully. Patients were followed up for 5 to 27.5 months. No patients developed serious complications and only 2 (4.1%) patients had slight pain. The complete response was seen in 21 lesions (31.8%), partial response in 26 lesions (39.4%), stable disease in eight lesions (12.1%), and progressive disease in 11 lesions (16.7%). The overall disease control rate was reached to 83.3%. The 6-month disease-free survival rate was 46.4% with a median disease-free survival time of 5.0 months. The 6-month overall survival rate was 83.6% with a median overall survival time of 15.0 months. Iodine-125 interstitial implantation is a kind of safe and feasible treatment for high-risk hepatocellular carcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Research question Can next-generation sequencing (NGS) based on copy number variation sequencing (CNV-Seq) identify normal/balanced embryos in balanced reciprocal translocation carriers and what are their reproductive outcomes? Design One hundred couples with balanced reciprocal translocation who underwent a total of 134 preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) cycles between January 2015 and October 2017 were evaluated. Trophectoderm cells of blastocysts were biopsied for CNV-Seq-based NGS. All the balanced/normal blastocysts were vitrified and cryopreserved. Single balanced/normal blastocysts were warmed and transferred in the subsequent frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycle. Results During the study period, 400 blastocysts were analysed by NGS-PGT, of which 109 (27.25%) were balanced and euploid. A total of 52 blastocysts were transferred in the FET cycle. Clinical pregnancy was confirmed in 34 women (65.38%), with a miscarriage rate of 2.94%; 26 healthy term babies were born, including 24 singletons and one set of twins, while eight couples had ongoing pregnancies. Amniocentesis revealed a fetal chromosome status that was consistent with the NGS-PGT results. Female carriers had a significantly higher blastocyst rate than did the male carriers (37.01% versus 31.27%, P = 0.04). The transferable blastocyst rate was higher in couples treated with gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist than in those treated with GnRH agonist (38.20% versus 24.37%, P = 0.01). However, neither carrier sex nor ovarian stimulation protocol influenced the clinical pregnancy rate. Conclusions CNV-Seq-based NGS is an efficient and reliable PGT method for balanced reciprocal translocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a safe, highly effective, and novel method used to treat benign thyroid nodules. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a combination of RFA and hydrodissection for treating benign thyroid nodules larger than 2 cm.Materials and Methods: The data of 137 patients with at least one thyroid nodule ≥2 cm who underwent RFA combined with hydrodissection at our medical center from November 2014 to October 2016 were analyzed. Ultrasound-guided RFA was applied to 532 nodules, including 139 nodules ≥2 cm and 393 nodes <2 cm.Results: The volumes of thyroid nodules, complications, and changes in thyroid function were analyzed. Ablation treatments were successfully performed without intraoperative skin burns, serious bleeding, or serious thyroid storm. A positive correlation was observed between ablation time and nodule size (R2 = 0.674). Only one patient (0.7%) experienced laryngeal nerve injury after operation. Moreover, the results of thyroid function tests (free triiodothyronine, free thyroxine, and thyroid-stimulating hormone) remained within normal ranges both before and after ablation. The complete ablation rate was 99.06%. The volumes of both nodules ≥2 cm and <2 cm significantly decreased after ablation. Six months after ablation, the average volume of nodules ≥2 cm had decreased to 1.02 ± 2.42 mL, and the volume reduction ratio was 83.11%.Conclusion: The combination of ultrasound-guided RFA with hydrodissection very effectively treats benign thyroid nodules while reducing damage to the surrounding tissues. This method is safe and effective for treating benign thyroid nodules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: High glucose (HG)-induced pancreatic β-cell apoptosis may be a major contributor to the progression of diabetes mellitus (DM). NADPH oxidase (NOX2) has been considered a crucial regulator in β-cell apoptosis. This study was designed to evaluate the impact of GLP-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1Ra) liraglutide on pancreatic β-cell apoptosis in diabetes and the underlying mechanisms involved.Methods: The diabetic rat models induced by streptozotocin (STZ) and a high fat diet (HFD) received 12 weeks of liraglutide treatment. Hyperglycemic clamp test was carried out to evaluate β-cell function in vivo. Flow cytometry analysis was used to measure apoptosis rates in vitro. DCFH-DA method was used to detected ROS level in vivo and in vitro.Results: Liraglutide significantly improved islet function and morphology in diabetic rats and decreased cell apoptosis rates. Thr183/Thr185 p-JNK1/2 and NOX2 levels reduced in diabetic rats and HG-induced INS-1 cell following liraglutide treatment. In addition, liraglutide upregulated the phosphorylation of AMPKα (p-AMPKα), which prevented NOX2 activation and alleviated HG-induced β-cell apoptosis.Conclusion: The p-AMPKα/NOX2/JNK1/2 pathway is essential for liraglutide to attenuate HG-induced β-cell apoptosis, which further proves that GLP-1Ras may become promising therapeutics for diabetes mellitus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 1-D piston problem for the pressure gradient equations arising from the flux-splitting of the compressible Euler equations is considered. When the total variations of the initial data and the velocity of the piston are both sufficiently small, the author establishes the global existence of entropy solutions including a strong rarefaction wave without restriction on the strength by employing a modified wave front tracking method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Acute kidney injury (AKI), especially oliguric AKI, is a recognized complication following microwave ablation (MWA) of large liver tumors. This study evaluated the clinical features, mechanisms, risk factors and prevention strategies for oliguric AKI after MWA of large liver tumors. Methods: From March 2011 to May 2015, 441 patients with liver tumors ≧5 cm received MWA in our hospital. The clinical features, prevention strategies, further mechanisms and possible risk factors for oliguric AKI after MWA were analyzed. Results: One hundred four (23.6%) patients had AKI after MWA; 11 (10.6%) patients had oliguric AKI, and 93 (89.4%) patients had nonoliguric AKI. All patients with nonoliguric AKI recovered without any special treatments. The eleven patients with oliguric AKI received appropriate treatments and had completely normal renal function three months later. Using double needles for ablation was a risk factor for nonoliguric AKI, while high preoperative levels of red blood cells (RBC), hemoglobin (HGB) and albumin (Alb) were risk factors for oliguric AKI. The decrease levels of hemoglobin were significantly high in oliguric AKI patients (p < .05). Patients with oliguric AKI had abnormally high postoperative transaminase and renal function indicators. Compared to postoperative prevention, intraoperative prevention significantly lowered the occurrence of oliguric AKI (0% vs. 3.7%, p = .018) and shortened the hospital stay. Conclusions: Patients who underwent MWA for large liver tumors are prone to develop oliguric AKI. Implementation of intraoperative strategies during MWA can effectively prevent the occurrence of this severe complication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serum total bile acids (TBA) level is used as a sensitive and reliable index for hepatobiliary diseases in clinics. Herein, a novel electrochemical biosensor was fabricated using enzymatic reaction coupling with the double oxidation circular amplification strategy for the detection of human serum TBA. With the catalysis of 3α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3α-HSD), 3α-bile acids reacted specifically with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD + ). And then, the reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) was produced. After that, the NADH reacted with the electron mediator of tris(2,2'-bipyridine) ruthenium(Ⅲ) (Ru(bpy) 3 3+ ), which was then transformed to Ru(bpy) 3 2+ . Ultimately, Ru(bpy) 3 2+ was further oxidized to Ru(bpy) 3 3+ under a certain voltage, which was detected by the chronoamperometry assay. The detection was performed using a disposable unmodified screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) without sample preparation. The proposed biosensor showed high sensitivity and accuracy with the linear range from 5.0 to 150.0 pmol/L in 10 6 -fold dilution serum. The established method had a good correlation with the enzymatic cycling method ( r  = 0.9372, P  < 0.001, n  = 72) commonly used in clinic. The electrochemical biosensor is simple, ultrasensitive and without sample pretreatment, showing great potential for point-of-care testing (POCT) of serum TBA in clinical samples. In addition, the biosensor is cost-effective with a small volume of samples, especially suitable for those who have difficulties in blood collection, such as infants, children and some small animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this study was to compare the safety, efficacy, and prognostic value of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and microwave ablation (MWA) for lung tumors. Methods: Between March 2012 and January 2018, 238 patients with lung cancer were treated with MWA (139, 58.4%) or RFA (99, 41.6%) in our center. Patient and tumor characteristics, complications, complete ablation (CA) rate, and prognosis were compared between the groups. Meta‐analysis was used to systematically compare the outcomes of RFA and MWA for the treatment of lung tumors. Results: Ablation was successfully completed in all patients and no procedure‐related death occurred. The total complication rates in the RFA and MWA groups were 24.2% (24/99) and 16.5% (23/139), respectively, and there was no statistically significant difference (P = 0.142). The initial and total CA rates were similar at P > 0.05 (RFA vs. MWA: initial CA, 97.0% vs. 96.4%; total CA, 99.0% vs. 98.6%, respectively). During follow‐up, there was no significant difference in median progression‐free (RFA vs. MWA: 12.5 months, 95% confidence interval [CI] 5.002–19.998 vs. 9.5 months, 95% CI 6.623–12.377; P = 0.673) or overall survival (RFA vs. MWA: 33 months, 95% CI 27.070–38.930 vs. 30 months, 95% CI, 18.482–41.518; P = 0.410) between the groups. Combined with the results of published comparison studies, meta‐analysis further confirmed that the outcomes of these two treatments were similar. Conclusion: Both RFA and MWA are safe and effective treatments with a survival benefit for selected patients with primary and metastatic lung tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A coordinated look‐ahead reactive power optimisation method is proposed to minimise the required number of operating control devices for a time horizon of 24 h. The aim is to determine, via solving a mixed integer non‐linear programming (MINLP) problem, optimum value settings of transformer taps, capacitor banks and reactive power output of distributed generators (DGs) based on the day‐ahead load demand and active power output of DGs satisfying the engineering and operational constraints. The proposed method employs a three‐stage method: assessment stage, time‐period‐partitioning stage, and coordinated reactive power optimisation stage. The first stage assesses the hourly voltage profile and available delivery capability margin of the system, while the time‐period‐partitioning stage uses clustering algorithm based on power‐flow solution to partition time periods into coherent time durations. The MINLP problem is solved in the proposed coordinated optimisation stage. A modified IEEE13 case and IEEE123 case are used to verify the effectiveness of the proposed three‐stage method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Adipocyte fatty acid‐binding protein (A‐FABP) has been recognized as an important player in macrophage cholesterol trafficking and inflammation, and may promote the development of atherosclerosis. To further elucidate the role of A‐FABP in atherosclerosis in diabetes, we investigated the relationship between serum A‐FABP concentrations and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: In all, 488 inpatients with T2DM were enrolled in the study (254 men, 234 women; mean (±SD) age 57.3 ± 13.0 years). The severity of peripheral arterial stenosis was assessed by ultrasound examination. Serum A‐FABP concentrations were determined by ELISA. Results: Serum A‐FABP concentrations were significantly higher in patients with than without PAD (8.0 ± 3.3 vs 6.2 ± 1.6 ng/mL, respectively; P < 0.05). Interestingly, there was an obvious gender‐related difference in PAD patients with T2DM, with the stenosis rate being higher for female than male T2DM patients in the third A‐FABP tertile. Logistic regression analysis revealed that serum A‐FABP concentrations were an independent risk factor for PAD in female T2DM patients (odds ratio 1.890, 95% confidence interval 1.041–3.432; P = 0.036), but not in male T2DM patients. Correlation analyses revealed that A‐FABP concentrations were correlated with body mass index (BMI), diastolic blood pressure, urinary microalbumin, and serum creatinine in male patients, and with BMI, duration of T2DM, fasting blood glucose, and serum creatinine in female patients. Conclusions: Serum A‐FABP concentrations are closely associated with PAD in Chinese women with T2DM. The study findings suggest that A‐FABP may be a more specific marker of PAD in diabetic women than men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of micro Al 2 O 3 particles additions on microstructures and thermal and mechanical properties of the Sn-9Zn-1Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles on low temperature wetting and soldering of 6061 aluminum alloys are investigated in this study. The results show that the melting temperature of the alloys firstly slightly decreases and then slightly increases with the increase in the micro Al 2 O 3 particles concentration, while the pasty ranges of the alloys are simultaneously increased. The spreading coefficient of Sn-9Zn-1Al 2 O 3 -0.25microAl 2 O 3 is about 13.75%, and is increased to about 41.5% of Sn-9Zn-1Al 2 O 3 -0.75microAl 2 O 3 . Both the surface diffusion, rapid adsorption and phase flow contribute to the formation of precursor film. When micro Al 2 O 3 is added to the composite solder alloys, acicular Sn-Zn eutectic structures are smaller in size from acicular to acicular or circular spot. The strengthening mechanisms with bimodal size Al 2 O 3 particles are on account of grain refinement and load transfer effect of bimodal sized Al 2 O 3 . The strength induced by particles is a very important part, which it can account for 21% of the total tensile strength of the solder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider 1-D piston problem for the compressible Euler equations when the piston is static relatively to the gas in the tube. By a modified wave front tracking method, we prove that a contact discontinuity is structurally stable under the assumptions that the total variation of the initial data and the perturbation of the piston velocity are both sufficiently small. Meanwhile, we study the asymptotic behavior of the solutions by the generalized characteristic method and approximate conservation law theory as t → + ∞ . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider the 1-D piston problem for the compressible relativistic full Euler equations when the total variations of the initial data and the piston velocity are both sufficiently small. By using a modified wave front tracking method, we establish the global existence of entropy solutions including a strong rarefaction wave without restriction on the strength. Moreover, we study the asymptotic behavior of the solutions as t → + ∞ . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the 1-D piston problem for compressible full Euler equations under the assumptions that the total variation of the initial data and the perturbation of the piston velocity are sufficiently small. By a modified wave front tracking method, we establish the global existence of entropy solutions including a strong rarefaction wave without restriction on the strength. Moreover, we establish the asymptotic behavior of the solutions as t → ∞ . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the 1-D piston problem for the relativistic Euler equations under the assumption that the total variations of both the initial data and the velocity of the piston are sufficiently small. By a modified wave front tracking method, we establish the global existence of entropy solutions including a strong rarefaction wave without restriction on the strength. Meanwhile, we consider the convergence of the entropy solutions to the corresponding entropy solutions of the classical non-relativistic Euler equations as the light speed $$c\rightarrow +\infty $$ . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long noncoding RNA taurine-upregulated gene 1 (lncRNA TUG1) has been reported to play a key role in the progression of diabetic nephropathy (DN). However, the role of lncRNA TUG1 in the regulation of diabetic nephropathy remains largely unknown. The aim of the present study is to identify the regulation of lncRNA TUG1 on extracellular matrix accumulation via mediating microRNA-377 targeting of PPARγ, and investigate the underlying mechanisms in progression of DN. Microarray was performed to screen differentially expressed miRNAs in db/db DN mice. Afterwards, computational prediction programs (TargetScan, miRanda, PicTar and miRGen) was applied to predict the target gene of miRNAs. The complementary binding of miRNA and lncRNA was assessed by luciferase assays. Protein and mRNA expression were detected by western blot and real time quantitate PCR. MiRNA-377 was screened by miRNA microarray and differentially up-regulated in db/db DN mice. PPARγ was predicted to be the target of miR-377 and the prediction was verified by luciferase assays. Expression of miR-377 was up-regulated in mesangial cell treated with high glucose (25 mM), and overexpression of miR-377 inhibited PPARγ expression and promoted PAI-1 and TGF-β1 expression. The expression of TUG1 antagonized the effect of miR-377 on the downregulation of its target PPARγ and inhibited extracellular matrix accumulation, including PAI-1, TGF-β1, fibronectin (FN) and collagen IV (Col IV), induced by high glucose. LncRNA TUG1 acts as an endogenous sponge of miR-377 and downregulates miR-377 expression levels, and thereby relieving the inhibition of its target gene PPARγ and alleviates extracellular matrix accumulation of mesangial cells, which provides a novel insight of diabetic nephropathy pathogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We prove the vanishing viscosity limit of the Navier–Stokes equations to the Euler equations for a two-dimensional compressible isentropic flow in the whole space. It is shown that there exists a unique regular solution of compressible Navier–Stokes equations with density-dependent viscosities, arbitrarily large initial data and far field vacuum, whose life span is uniformly positive in the vanishing viscosity limit. It is worth paying special attention to the fact that, introducing two different symmetric structures, we can also give some uniform estimates of ρ γ − 1 2 and of u in H 3 and of ∇ ρ / ρ in L 6 ∩ D 1 , which provide the convergence of the regular solution of the viscous flow to that of the inviscid flow in L ∞ ( [ 0 , T ] ; H s ′ ) for any s ′ ∈ [ 2 , 3 ) with a rate of ϵ 2 ( 1 − s ′ 3 ) . Moreover, our results can be extended to the two-dimensional shallow water equations after slight modifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes of ultrasound-guided percutaneous microwave ablation (US-guided PMWA) for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with the analysis of prognostic factors. Materials and methods: The treatment and survival parameters of 433 patients with HCC (≤10 cm), who met the inclusion criteria and had received US-guided PMWA in Renji Hospital from July 2010 to November 2014, were retrospectively analyzed. Imaging examination (contrast-enhanced CT or MR) and tumor markers (AFP and CA199) 1 month after MWA were used to evaluate the efficacy of US-guided PMWA. SPSS software was used to perform all statistical analyses. Results: The initial complete ablation (CA) rate was 94.9 % (411/433). Twenty-two patients with incomplete ablation received repeat PMWA, and the total CA rate was up to 98.6 % (427/433). Multiple tumor number, tumor >5 cm in diameter, and higher serum AFP level (>20 ng/ml) were significant unfavorable prognosticators of progression-free survival (PFS). The cumulative 1-, 2-, and 3-year overall survival (OS) rates were 83.5, 66.1, and 58.7 %, respectively (median: 43 months). Tumor >5 cm in diameter and serum AFP >400 ng/ml were significant unfavorable prognosticators of OS. Conclusions: PMWA is well tolerated in HCC patients and capable of offering high CA rate. Tumor number, tumor size, and AFP level were significant prognosticators of patients' PFS, whereas tumor size and AFP level were significant prognosticators of OS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Cellular immunotherapy has appeared to be a promising modality for the treatment of malignant tumor. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of cellular immunotherapy combined with minimally invasive therapy. Methods: We searched PubMed, Web of Science and The Cochrane Library through March 2016 for relevant studies. Short-term efficacy (the disease control rate, the control rate of quality life and the AFP descent rate) and long-term efficacy (overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) rate) were compared as the major outcome measures. The meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.3. Results: A total of 1174 references in 3 databases were found of which 19 individual studies with 1774 HCC patients enrolled in this meta-analysis. Meta-analysis results showed that cellular immunotherapy combined with minimally-invasive treatment significantly improved the measures of short-term response (the disease control rate (OR = 5.91, P = 0.007), the control rate of quality lift (OR = 3.38, P = 0.003) and the AFP descent rate (OR = 4.48, P = 0.02)). Also higher 6-month PFS (OR = 2.78, P = 0.05), ≥12-month PFS (OR = 3.56, P<0.00001) rate and 6-month OS (OR = 2.81, P = 0.0009), 12-month OS (OR = 3.05, P<0.00001) and 24-month OS (OR = 3.52, P<0.0001) rate were observed in patients undergoing cellular immunotherapy. Conclusions: This meta-analysis suggested that cellular immunotherapy is a feasible adjuvant treatment that could be beneficial for the improvement of the clinical outcomes for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients after minimally invasive treatment, including short-term response and long-term survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The bio-inspired PANI@CNT-BC film is fabricated by a dual cross-linking strategy. • The PANI@CNT-BC film can be used in actuators, supercapacitors, and EMI shielding devices. • The idea of the functionalized and hierarchical is used to construct the multi-functional actuators. Soft actuators have emerged as flexible platforms that can integrate many functional electronic devices to build intelligent electronic systems. The energy supply and wireless signal transmission of electronic systems of the multi-functional actuators are challenging research areas. Here, the idea of the functionalized and hierarchical design is proposed to construct the multi-functional and integrated actuators. Inspired by the structure of cobwebs, multi-functional carbon nanotube (CNT)-polymer composites with network structures are proposed and applied in multi-responsive actuators, supercapacitors, and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding devices. Two multi-functional and integrated actuators are highlighted to demonstrate the practical applications. One is a light-driven actuator integrated with an EMI shielding function, which can be used as an intelligent shielding curtain. The other is an electrical-driven actuator integrated with an energy storage function. Especially, the functions of actuation and energy storage can be simultaneously/independently used without interfering with each other. We provide comprehensive research from the material level (CNT-polymer composites) to the device level (actuators, supercapacitors, EMI shielding devices), and then to the system level (multi-functional actuators). We believe that the integration design of the multi-functional actuators will open up new avenues for the development of soft robotics, wireless signal transmission switch, and deformable supercapacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to reveal the classical signal pathways and important potential targets of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for treating Alzheimer's disease (AD), and provide support for further investigation on TCM and its active ingredients. Literature survey was conducted using PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, CNKI, and other databases, with "Alzheimer's disease," "traditional Chinese medicine," "medicinal herb," "Chinese herb," and "natural plant" as the primary keywords. TCM could modulate signal pathways related to AD pathological progression, including NF-κB, Nrf2, JAK/STAT, ubiquitin-proteasome pathway, autophagy-lysosome pathway-related AMPK/mTOR, GSK-3/mTOR, and PI3K/Akt/mTOR, as well as SIRT1 and PPARα pathway. It could regulate crosstalk between pathways through a multitarget, thus maintaining chronic inflammatory interaction balance, inhibiting oxidative stress damage, regulating ubiquitin-proteasome system function, modulating autophagy, and eventually improving cognitive impairment in patients with AD. TCM could be multilevel, multitargeted, and multifaceted to prevent and treat AD. In-depth research on the prevention and treatment of AD with TCM could provide new ideas for exploring the pathogenesis of AD and developing new anti-AD drugs. [Display omitted] • Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is important source for developing novel anti-Alzheimer's disease (AD) drugs. • The important signal pathways of TCM against AD were summarized. • Interactions between signal pathways were emphasized. • TCM can treat AD synergistically with multiple targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four genes involved in DNA double-strand break repair and chromosome synapsis, i.e., testis expressed gene 11 ( TEX11), testis expressed gene 15 ( TEX15), mutL homolog 1 ( MLH1), and homolog 3 ( MLH3), play critical roles in genome integrity, meiotic recombination, and gametogenesis. We explored the possible association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in these genes and idiopathic male infertility involving azoospermia or oligozoospermia. A total of 614 fertile control and infertile men were recruited to this study in Sichuan, China. The latter group included 244 men with azoospermia and 72 men with oligozoospermia. Six SNPs in the TEX11, TEX15, MLH1, and MLH3 genes were investigated in both patients and controls by sequencing. The frequency distributions of SNPs rs6525433, rs175080, rs6525433-rs4844247, and rs1800734-rs175080 were found to be significantly different between patients and control groups ( p < 0.05), while rs4844247, rs323344, rs323346, and rs1800734 showed no significant difference between the two cohorts. Thus, the SNPs TEX11 rs6525433, MLH3 rs175080, rs6525433-rs4844247, and rs1800734-rs175080 might be associated with male infertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For beam dynamic finite element analysis, according to differential equation of motion of beam with distributed mass, general analytical solution of displacement equation for the beam vibration is obtained. By applying displacement element construction principle, the general solution of displacement equation is conversed to the mode expressed by beam end displacements. And taking the mode as displacement trial function, element stiffness matrix and element mass matrix for beam flexural vibration and axial vibration are established, respectively, by applying principle of minimum potential energy. After accurate integral, explicit form of element matrix is obtained. The comparison results show that the series of relative error between the solution of analytical trial function element and theoretical solution is about 1×10-9 and the accuracy and efficiency are superior to that of interpolation trial function element. The reason is that interpolation trial function cannot accurately simulate the displacement mode of vibrating beam. The accuracy of dynamic stiffness matrix method is almost identical with that of analytical trial function. But the application of dynamic stiffness matrix method in engineering is limited. The beam dynamic element obtained in this paper is analytical and accurate and can be applied in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]