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Automated tooth segmentation and identification on dental radiographs are crucial steps in establishing digital dental workflows. While deep learning networks have been developed for these tasks, their performance has been inferior in partially edentulous individuals. This study proposes a novel semi-supervised Transformer-based framework (SemiTNet), specifically designed to improve tooth segmentation and identification performance on panoramic radiographs, particularly in partially edentulous cases, and establish an open-source dataset to serve as a unified benchmark. A total of 16,317 panoramic radiographs (1589 labeled and 14,728 unlabeled images) were collected from various datasets to create a large-scale dataset (TSI15k). The labeled images were divided into training and test sets at a 7:1 ratio, while the unlabeled images were used for semi-supervised learning. The SemiTNet was developed using a semi-supervised learning method with a label-guided teacher–student knowledge distillation strategy, incorporating a Transformer-based architecture. The performance of SemiTNet was evaluated on the test set using the intersection over union (IoU), Dice coefficient, precision, recall, and F1 score, and compared with five state-of-the-art networks. Paired t-tests were performed to compare the evaluation metrics between SemiTNet and the other networks. SemiTNet outperformed other networks, achieving the highest accuracy for tooth segmentation and identification, while requiring minimal model size. SemiTNet's performance was near-perfect for fully dentate individuals (all metrics over 99.69%) and excellent for partially edentulous individuals (all metrics over 93%). In edentulous cases, SemiTNet obtained statistically significantly higher tooth identification performance than all other networks. The proposed SemiTNet outperformed previous high-complexity, state-of-the-art networks, particularly in partially edentulous cases. The established open-source TSI15k dataset could serve as a unified benchmark for future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic cerebral ischemia (CCI) is a common neurological disorder, characterized by progressive cognitive impairment. Acupoint catgut embedding (ACE) represents a modern acupuncture form that has shown neuroprotective effects; nevertheless, its effects on CCI and the mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here, we aimed to explore the therapeutic action of ACE in CCI-induced cognitive impairment and its mechanisms. The cognitive function of CCI rats was determined using Morris water maze test, and histopathological changes in the brain were assessed through hematoxylin–eosin (HE) staining. To further explore the molecular mechanisms, the expression levels of oxidative stress markers and the Ang II/AT1R/NOX axis-associated molecules in the hippocampus were evaluated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. Here, we observed that ACE treatment alleviated cognitive dysfunction and histopathological injury in CCI rats. Intriguingly, candesartan (an AT1R blocker) enhanced the beneficial effects of ACE on ameliorating cognitive impairment in CCI rats. Mechanistically, ACE treatment blocked the Ang II/AT1R/NOX pathway and subsequently suppressed oxidative stress, thus mitigating cognitive impairment in CCI. Our findings first reveal that ACE treatment could suppress cognitive impairment in CCI, which might be partly due to the suppression of Ang II/AT1R/NOX axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We aim to construct a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based multi-sequence multi-regional radiomics model that will improve the preoperative prediction ability of lymph node metastasis (LNM) in T3 rectal cancer. Methods: Multi-sequence MRI data from 190 patients with T3 rectal cancer were retrospectively analyzed, with 94 patients in the LNM group and 96 patients in the non-LNM group. The clinical factors, subjective imaging features, and the radiomic features of tumor and peritumoral mesorectum region of patients were extracted from T2WI and ADC images. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, Mann–Whitney's U test, and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator were used for feature selection and dimensionality reduction. Logistic regression was used to construct six models. The predictive performance of each model was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). The differences of each model were characterized by area under the curve (AUC) via the DeLong test. Results: The AUCs of T2WI, ADC single-sequence radiomics model and multi-sequence radiomics model were 0.73, 0.75, and 0.78, respectively. The multi-sequence multi-regional radiomics model with improved performance was created by combining the radiomics characteristics of the peritumoral mesorectum region with the multi-sequence radiomics model (AUC, 0.87; p < 0.01). The AUC of the clinical model was 0.68, and the MRI-clinical composite evaluation model was obtained by incorporating the clinical data with the multi-sequence multi-regional radiomics features, with an AUC of 0.89. Conclusion: The MRI-based multi-sequence multi-regional radiomics model significantly improved the prediction ability of LNM for T3 rectal cancer and could be applied to guide surgical decision-making in patients with T3 rectal cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The limited exciton diffusion length (LD) of organic semiconductors constraints exciton dissociation in pseudo-planar heterojunction (PPHJ) organic solar cells (OSCs), which is deemed the bottleneck hampering the further improvement in their power conversion efficiencies (PCEs). Herein, a solid-additive strategy was proposed to efficiently prolong the LD in PPHJ OSCs by developing a volatile solid additive, SA-5F, and blending it in non-fullerene acceptors. The addition of SA-5F endowed a Y6+ film with improved crystallinity and more compact molecular stacking, resulting in a higher photoluminescence quantum yield, larger overlap between its absorption and emission spectra, and shorter intermolecular distance compared with a pristine Y6 film. Thus, the Y6+ film achieved a higher exciton diffusion coefficient of 1.36 × 10−3 cm2 s−1 and, thus, ∼24% improvement in the LD to 10.27 nm. The prolonged LD enabled D18/Y6+-based PPHJ devices to realize more efficient exciton dissociation and weaker charge recombination compared with their D18/Y6 counterparts. Therefore, D18/Y6+-based PPHJ OSCs afforded an impressive PCE of 19.11%, which is among the highest values reported to date. Moreover, this strategy exhibits excellent universality in improving the photovoltaic performance of different systems. Thus, it was demonstrated that introducing a solid additive is an efficient and universal strategy to prolong the LD in PPHJ OSCs and consequently boost their PCEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polythiophenes (PTs) are one of the most promising donor materials for organic solar cells (OSCs), because of their low-cost production. However, most PT-based OSCs suffer from inferior power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) currently, mainly due to the mismatched energy levels and hyper-miscibility of PTs with state-of-the-art fused ring electron acceptors (FREAs). On account of the issues, two ternary PT donors, PT-CN and PT-2CN, are developed by inserting the simple and strong electron-withdrawing units (3-cyanothiophene and 3,4-dicyanothiophene) into a low-cost PT, PTVT-T, via random copolymerization, respectively. Introducing the ternary unit not only deepens the highest occupied molecular orbital energy level and brings down the miscibility of PTs with FREAs, but also makes the crystallinity of the PTs first increase then decrease from PTVT-T, PT-CN to PT-2CN. Thus, the moderate miscibility and highest crystallinity of PT-CN endows the PT-CN:BTP-eC9 blend film with proper phase separation having orderly molecular stacking to achieve the most efficient exciton dissociation and lowest trap density. Such enables PT-CN:BTP-eC9 based devices to achieve the highest charge carrier mobilities and lifetime, suppressing charge carrier recombination and facilitating charge carrier extraction. Therefore, the PT-CN:BTP-eC9 based OSC affords a higher PCE of 17.27% than PTVT-T:BTP-eC9 and PT-2CN:BTP-eC9 based counterparts, which, to the best of our knowledge, is the highest value for PT-based OSCs so far. The results demonstrate that ternary copolymerization is a facile and efficient route to realize high-efficiency but low-cost PT donors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Although contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) detects early-stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) not detected by endoscopic-guided biopsy (EGB), a short contrast-free screening MRI would be desirable for NPC screening programs. This study evaluated a screening MRI in a plasma Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)-DNA NPC screening program. Methods EBV-DNA-screen-positive patients underwent endoscopy, and endoscopy-positive patients underwent EGB. EGB was negative if the biopsy was negative or was not performed. Patients also underwent a screening MRI. Diagnostic performance was based on histologic confirmation of NPC in the initial study or during a follow-up period of at least 2 years. Results The study prospectively recruited 354 patients for MRI and endoscopy; 40/354 (11.3%) endoscopy-positive patients underwent EGB. Eighteen had NPC (5.1%), and 336 without NPC (94.9%) were followed up for a median of 44.8 months. MRI detected additional NPCs in 3/18 (16.7%) endoscopy-negative and 2/18 (11.1%) EGB-negative patients (stage I/II, n = 4; stage III, n = 1). None of the 24 EGB-negative patients who were MRI-negative had NPC. MRI missed NPC in 2/18 (11.1%), one of which was also endoscopy-negative. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of MRI, endoscopy, and EGB were 88.9%, 91.1%, 34.8%, 99.4%, and 91.0%; 77.8%, 92.3%, 35.0%, 98.7%, and 91.5%; and 66.7%, 92.3%, 31.6%, 98.1%, and 91.0%, respectively. Conclusion A quick contrast-free screening MRI complements endoscopy in NPC screening programs. In EBV-screen-positive patients, MRI enables early detection of NPC that is endoscopically occult or negative on EGB and increases confidence that NPC has not been missed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To explore white matter network topological properties changes in middle-aged and elderly patients with functional constipation (Functional Constipation, FC) by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and to evaluate the correlation between the abnormal changes and clinical data. Methods: 29 FC patients and 31 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HC) were recruited. Magnetic resonance imaging and clinical data were collected. The white matter network changes in FC patients were analyzed using deterministic fiber tracking methods, graph theory algorithms, and partial correlation analysis with clinical data. Results: The nodal clustering coefficient and nodal local efficiency of FC patients in the right orbital inferior frontal gyrus, right medial superior frontal gyrus, right rectus muscle, right hippocampus, left paracentral lobule and left temporal pole, and the nodal clustering coefficient in right orbital superior frontal gyrus, left cuneus lobe and right superior occipital gyrus, the nodal local efficiency in the right medial and paracingulate gyrus, right precuneus and right dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus of FC patients are lower than that of HC. The nodal local efficiency and clustering coefficient of FC patients in left hippocampus, left amygdala, right parietal inferior limbic angular gyrus and right angular gyrus, the nodal local efficiency in the right fusiform gyrus, left supplementary motor cortex and the nodal efficiency in the left lateral temporal gyrus and right orbital middle frontal gyrus (ORBmid.R) of FC patients are higher than that of HC. The nodal efficiency of ORBmid.R in FC was positively correlated with the Patient Assessment of Constipation quality of life questionnaire (PAC-QoL). Conclusion: Middle-aged and elderly FC patients have differences in the nodal level properties in the limbic system, supplementary motor cortex, and default mode network brain regions, and the nodal efficiency of ORBmid.R was positively correlated with the PAC-QoL score, revealing that FC may be related to the abnormal processing of visceral sensorimotor in ORBmid.R and providing potential imaging diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets for middle-aged and elderly FC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Skeletal Class III malocclusion is one type of dentofacial deformity that significantly affects patients' facial aesthetics and oral health. The orthodontic treatment of skeletal Class III malocclusion presents challenges due to uncertainties surrounding mandibular growth patterns and treatment outcomes. In recent years, disease-specific radiographic features have garnered interest from researchers in various fields including orthodontics, for their exceptional performance in enhancing diagnostic precision and treatment effect predictability. The aim of this narrative review is to provide an overview of the valuable radiographic features in the diagnosis and management of skeletal Class III malocclusion. Based on the existing literature, a series of analyses on lateral cephalograms have been concluded to identify the significant variables related to facial type classification, growth prediction, and decision-making for tooth extractions and orthognathic surgery in patients with skeletal Class III malocclusion. Furthermore, we summarize the parameters regarding the inter-maxillary relationship, as well as different anatomical structures including the maxilla, mandible, craniofacial base, and soft tissues from conventional and machine learning statistical models. Several distinct radiographic features for Class III malocclusion have also been preliminarily observed using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Knockout, a crime television drama, emerged during the Spring Festival holiday of 2023 and quickly sparked a wide discussion both online and offline. Different from previous shows of the same genre, it adopts a three-timeline narrative structure and abandons stereotypical characterization. The heroes are made of flesh and blood and the villains are not born to be evil and cruel. Their choices and the consequences echo the changes in Chinese society over the past twenty years. This article features our interview with the screenwriter Zhu Junyi and, from the perspective of sociocultural contexts, briefly analyses why The Knockout became a phenomenal hit, revealing changes in the screenwriting trend of main melody works. The interview consists of three parts, covering the ecology for screenwriters in China, the birth of The Knockout and Zhu's characterization of the television drama script. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although nivolumab has shown clinical benefits for relapsed malignant mesothelioma, its cost-effectiveness requires further investigation. Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of nivolumab compared to placebo for relapsed malignant mesotheliomas from the perspective of the Chinese healthcare system. Method: A three-state Markov model was developed based on data from the phase 3 randomized CONFIRM clinical trial. The drug cost and utility values for the health state were obtained from the relevant literature. The measured outcomes included quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). Probabilistic and one-way sensitivity analyses (OWSA) were performed to assess the uncertainty of the model. Results: Patients receiving nivolumab gained more health benefits (0.65 QALYs vs. 0.43 QALYs). The cost was higher ($25,806.08 vs. $9,310.74) than for patients in the placebo group, resulting in an ICER of $75,805.11/QALY, which was above the willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold of three times per capita GDP ($35,864.61) in China. The result of OWSA indicated that the cost of nivolumab, the utility of the disease progression, and the discount rate were the most significant factors. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis suggested that the probability that nivolumab was not cost-effective as was 100.00% above the specified WTP threshold. Conclusion: From the perspective of the Chinese healthcare system, nivolumab was not as cost-effective as placebo for relapsed malignant mesothelioma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a correction notice for an article titled "CKLF1 Aggravates Focal Cerebral Ischemia Injury at Early Stage Partly by Modulating Microglia/Macrophage Toward M1 Polarization Through CCR4" published in Cellular & Molecular Neurobiology. The correction addresses an error in Figure 10 of the original article, specifically the merge image of microglia stained with CD206. The corrected figure is provided, and the authors apologize for any inconvenience caused. The publisher, Springer Nature, remains neutral regarding jurisdictional claims and institutional affiliations. [Extracted from the article]

Diarylethenes (DAEs) exhibiting photochromic behavior have emerged as a popular research topic owing to their superior thermal stability, rapid photo‐responsiveness, robust fatigue resistance, and remarkable solution/solid‐state photochromic properties. However, the overlapped reading wavelength and absorption of DAEs can lead to a partial photochromic reaction, resulting in destructive readout that erodes pre‐existing information in memory and data processing. To address this issue, researchers have implemented a range of strategies, including gated reactivity, infrared (IR) absorption, and Raman scattering readout. Among them, gating functions as a "key" or "lock" to regulate the photochromic reactivity through external stimuli, such as reactions, chemicals, additional photons, or heat, making it a viable solution. This review presents a summary of recent developments in gated DAEs, with a particular focus on gating strategies and principles, including modulation of the 1,3,5‐hexatriene moiety and molecular conformation, and regulation of activation energy. Additionally, the challenges and opportunities of gated DAEs systems for future non‐destructive readout and functional materials are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dihydromyricetin (DMY) is extracted from vine tea, a traditional Chinese herbal medicine with anti-cancer, liver protection, and cholesterol-lowering effects. This study investigated the mechanism of DMY against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Potential DMY, HCC, and cholesterol targets were collected from relevant databases. PPI networks were created by STRING. Then, the hub genes of co-targets, screened using CytoHubba. GO and KEGG pathway enrichment, were performed by Metascape. Based on the above results, a series of in vitro experiments were conducted by using 40–160 μM DMY for 24 h, including transwell migration/invasion assay, western blotting, and Bodipy stain assay. Network pharmacology identified 98 common targets and 10 hub genes of DMY, HCC, and cholesterol, and revealed that the anti-HCC effect of DMY may be related to the positive regulation of lipid rafts. Further experiments confirmed that DMY inhibits the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cells and reduces their cholesterol levels in vitro. The IC50 is 894.4, 814.4, 467.8, 1,878.8, 151.8, and 156.9 μM for 97H, Hep3B, Sk-Hep1, SMMC-7721, HepG2, and Huh7 cells, respectively. In addition, DMY downregulates the expression of lipid raft markers (CAV1, FLOT1), as well as EGFR, PI3K, Akt, STAT3, and Erk. The present study reveals that DMY suppresses EGFR and its downstream pathways by reducing cholesterol to disrupt lipid rafts, thereby inhibiting HCC, which provides a promising candidate drug with low toxicity for the treatment of HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The clinical and genetic characteristics of a child with inherited bone marrow failure syndrome as prominent clinical manifestations and special facial features were analyzed, and the etiology and mechanism were explored in, combination with clinical practice. Methods: Blood samples and clinical information were collected separately from the proband and their biological parents. The pathogenic variant was verified using next-generation sequencing technology screening, and the candidate variable sites were confirmed by using Sanger sequencing among all members of the family. Results: A heterozygous nonsense mutation in exon 17 of KAT6A (NM_006766), c.4177G > T (p.E1393*) predicted to cause truncation within the acidic domain of the protein was identified. Pedigree analysis did not reveal any variation in this locus between the proband's father and mother. No report of this pathogenic variant was found in a literature search of domestic and foreign databases, indicating that it is a newly discovered mutation. According to the guidelines of the American College of Medical Genetics, the variation was preliminarily determined to be a pathogenic. The newly discovered heterozygous mutation in KAT6A may be the cause of the disease in this child. Additionally, inherited bone marrow failure syndrome is a prominent manifestation. Conclusion: This study not only provides us with an in-depth understanding of this rare syndrome but also deepens our understanding of the function of KAT6A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Held annually during late July in Xi'ning in northwest China, the FIRST International Film Festival (hereafter FIRST) is an exhibition event and cultivation platform for new emerging Chinese filmmakers developing at home and expanding overseas visibility. It is probably the only festival in the country that persevered with offline activities over three years from 2020 to 2022, during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Conducted in July 2022, this interview focuses upon Mr. Wen Song and Mr. Yinglong Tong, the founder and the Head of Publicity of the festival, respectively. It contains three parts and through these conversations, readers can learn about the festival's core tenets and industry positioning, the impact of the pandemic on the festival's programmes and on its operation. More important, this primary information reveals how Chinese film festivals in general and FIRST in particular survived and sustained itself in the pandemic period (2020) and the post-pandemic period (after 2020). It offers a lens through which readers can see the cultural landscape of the Chinese film industry in this uncertain period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth in video-sharing social media platform use has changed modes of communication, which has helped to improve the visibility of gender and sexual minority groups. This tendency became evident given the social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Likewise, the use of these platforms empowers LGBTQ individuals living in China to share knowledge and experiences, receive social and emotional support and so on. Previous studies rarely interrogate Chinese queer groups' socially sanctioned performance of identities on popular video-sharing platforms such as Douyin. This article undertakes a preliminary discussion of that research gap. It examines the conditions that enable such activities and concludes with a discussion of the strategies and methods that Chinese queer uploaders use in the process. Simply put, this article explores how the queer uploaders accommodate and negotiate their identity performances within a heterosexual and mainstream popular social media environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are more vulnerable to social disconnection compared with the general population; however, there are few relevant studies investigating this issue. Aims To investigate whether social isolation or loneliness may be associated with subsequent risk of developing major adverse cardiovascular events, whether these associations vary according to fatal and non-fatal outcomes and how behavioural, psychological and physiological factors mediate these associations. Methods This longitudinal analysis included data from 19 360 individuals with T2DM at baseline (2006–2010) from the UK Biobank. Social isolation and loneliness were measured using self-report questionnaires. The study outcomes included the first events of myocardial infarction (MI) or stroke (n=2273) and all-cause (n=2820) or cardiovascular disease-related mortality through linked hospital data or death registries. Results Over a median follow-up of 12.4 years (interquartile range (IQR): 11.6–13.3 years), participants who were more socially isolated (most social isolation vs least social isolation) experienced increased risks for allcause (hazard ratio (HR) : 1.33, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.19 to 1.47) and cardiovascular disease (HR: 1.36, 95% CI: 1.17 to 1.59) mortality but not first MI or stroke. Loneliness (yes vs no) was associated with a greater risk for a composite of incident MI or stroke (HR: 1.37, 95% CI: 1.19 to 1.57) but not mortality. Social isolation was associated with fatal MI and stroke, whereas loneliness was associated with non-fatal MI and stroke. The significant associations of social isolation and loneliness with outcomes were mainly mediated by behavioural factors (mediating proportion: 17.8%–28.2% and 17.6%– 17.8%, respectively). Conclusions Among individuals with T2DM, social isolation and loneliness are associated with a greater risk of developing major adverse cardiovascular events, with differences in both risks stratified according to fatal and non-fatal events and underlying mediating factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This review systematically evaluated radiomics analysis procedures for characterizing salivary gland tumors (SGTs) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Radiomics analysis showed potential for characterizing SGTs on MRI, but its clinical application is limited due to complex procedures and a lack of standardized methods. This review summarized radiomics analysis procedures, focusing on reported methodologies and performances, and proposed potential standards for the procedures for radiomics analysis, which may benefit further developments of radiomics analysis in characterizing SGTs on MRI. Radiomics analysis can potentially characterize salivary gland tumors (SGTs) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The procedures for radiomics analysis were various, and no consistent performances were reported. This review evaluated the methodologies and performances of studies using radiomics analysis to characterize SGTs on MRI. We systematically reviewed studies published until July 2023, which employed radiomics analysis to characterize SGTs on MRI. In total, 14 of 98 studies were eligible. Each study examined 23–334 benign and 8–56 malignant SGTs. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) was the most common feature selection method (in eight studies). Eleven studies confirmed the stability of selected features using cross-validation or bootstrap. Nine classifiers were used to build models that achieved area under the curves (AUCs) of 0.74 to 1.00 for characterizing benign and malignant SGTs and 0.80 to 0.96 for characterizing pleomorphic adenomas and Warthin's tumors. Performances were validated using cross-validation, internal, and external datasets in four, six, and two studies, respectively. No single feature consistently appeared in the final models across the studies. No standardized procedure was used for radiomics analysis in characterizing SGTs on MRIs, and various models were proposed. The need for a standard procedure for radiomics analysis is emphasized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world-class Jinchuan magmatic Ni-Cu-PGE (platinum-group element) sulfide deposit comprises four large orebodies (No. 1, 2, 3 and 24). Underground fan drilling discovered significant lateral extension of No. 2 orebody, referred as No. 2a in this study. From base to top, the No. 2a orebody comprises disseminated sulfide in olivine pyroxenites, net-textured ore in lherzolite, and massive ore. Despite different host rocks, the contents of Ni, Cu and PGE of the same types of sulfide ores from No. 2 and No. 2a orebodies are comparable. Mass balance calculation indicates that the parental magmas contained 0.01–0.05 ppb Ir and 0.2-0.8 ppb Pd, which are about one order of magnitude less than PGE abundances of undepleted continental flood basalts. PGE tenors (recalculated to 100% sulfides) of the net-textured ores from both orebodies increase upward. We attribute this to variations in magma:sulfide ratios of successive batches of recharged magmas and/or reaction of sulfides with less evolved magma. We propose that the No. 2a and No. 2 orebodies were located in the upstream and downstream parts of an originally sub-horizontal magma conduit, respectively. Sulfide liquids accumulated in the wider parts of the magma conduit to form No. 2a and No. 2 orebodies progressively. Variable locations within the intrusion and sharp contacts with other types of sulfide ore indicate that the massive ores formed by injection of pooled sulfide melt. Significant Pt-depletion of the massive ores and Pt enrichment in the adjacent net-textured ores suggest migration of residual fractionated sulfide liquids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Toxin‐antitoxin systems are highly variable, even among strains of the same bacterial species. The MazEF toxin‐antitoxin system is found in many bacteria and plays important roles in various biological processes such as antibiotic tolerance and phage defense. However, no interplay of MazEF systems between different species was reported. Materials and Methods: MazEF toxin‐antitoxin system of Helicobacter macacae was examined in three Escherichia coli strains with and without endogenous MazEF knockout. In vivo toxicity, antibiotic tolerance, and live/dead staining followed by flowcytometry analysis were performed to evaluate the functionality and interplay of the toxin‐antitoxin system between the two species. Results: Controlled ectopic expression of MazF of H. macacae (MazFhm) in E. coli did not affect its growth. However, in endogenous MazEF knockout E. coli strains, MazFhm expression caused a sharp growth arrest. The toxicity of MazFhm could be neutralized by both the antitoxin of MazE homolog of H.macacae and the antitoxin of MazE of E. coli, indicating interplay of MazEF toxin‐antitoxin systems between the two species. Induced expression of MazFhm enhanced tolerance to a lethal dose of levofloxacin, suggesting enhanced persister formation, which was further confirmed by live/dead cell staining. Conclusions: The MazEF toxin‐antitoxin system of H. macace enhances persister formation and thus antibiotic tolerance in E. coli. Our findings reveal an interplay between the MazEF systems of H. macacae and E. coli, emphasizing the need to consider this interaction while evaluating the toxicity and functionality of MazF homologs from different species in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to discover intra-tumor heterogeneity signature and validate its predictive value for adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) following concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) in locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LA-NPC). Materials and methods: 397 LA-NPC patients were retrospectively enrolled. Pre-treatment contrast-enhanced T1-weighted (CET1-w) MR images, clinical variables, and follow-up were retrospectively collected. We identified single predictive radiomic feature from primary gross tumor volume (GTVnp) and defined predicted subvolume by calculating voxel-wised feature mapping and within GTVnp. We independently validate predictive value of identified feature and associated predicted subvolume. Results: Only one radiomic feature, gldm_DependenceVariance in 3 mm-sigma LoG-filtered image, was discovered as a signature. In the high-risk group determined by the signature, patients received CCRT + ACT achieved 3-year disease free survival (DFS) rate of 90% versus 57% (HR, 0.20; 95%CI, 0.05–0.94; P = 0.007) for CCRT alone. The multivariate analysis showed patients receiving CCRT + ACT had a HR of 0.21 (95%CI: 0.06–0.68, P = 0.009) for DFS compared to those receiving CCRT alone. The predictive value can also be generalized to the subvolume with multivariate HR of 0.27 (P = 0.017) for DFS. Conclusion: The signature with its heterogeneity mapping could be a reliable and explainable ACT decision-making tool in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All-solution-processed inverted quantum dot (QD) light-emitting diodes (QLEDs) with transparent bottom cathodes can be directly connected to the n-type thin-film transistors, offering a feasible solution for low-cost active matrix-driven QD displays. However, the subsequent solution-deposition of the hole-transporting layer destroys the underneath QD films, resulting in largely deteriorated device performance. Various strategies have been implemented to prevent QD film from dissolution, but all at a heavy cost of device performance suffering from either reduced efficiency or increased driving voltage. Here, a facile and effective water-treatment approach for QD film to fabricate inverted QLEDs through all solution processing is reported. The water treatment substitutes the long-chain oleate ligands with hydroxyl groups, resulting in significantly improved non-polar solvent resistance of the QD films. Importantly, the QD films reserve their excellent photoluminescence efficiency after water treatment. With the water-treated QD film as the emissive layer, all-solution-processed inverted red QLED with a peak external quantum efficiency of 19.6%, a turn-on voltage of 1.8 V, and a T50 operational lifetime of 150,000 h at 100 cd·m−2 was achieved. Furthermore, efficient and low-voltage-driven green and blue QLEDs can also be prepared with this method. This work provides a feasible strategy for the fabrication of high-performance all-solution-processed inverted QLEDs, paving the way toward achieving QLEDs by all ink-jet printing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acorus tatarinowii Schott (A. tatarinowii) is a natural medicinal plant. It plays an indispensable role in the treatment of diseases by the empirical medicine system and has achieved remarkable curative effects. A. tatarinowii is often used to treat various diseases, such as depression, epilepsy, fever, dizziness, heartache, stomachache, etc. More than 160 compounds of different structural types have been identified in A. tatarinowii, including phenylpropanoids, terpenoids, lignans, flavonoids, alkaloids, amides, and organic acids. These bioactive ingredients make A. tatarinowii remarkable for its pharmacological effects, including antidepressant, antiepileptic, anticonvulsant, antianxiety, neuroprotective, antifatigue, and antifungal effects, improving Alzheimer's disease, and so on. It is noteworthy that A. tatarinowii has been widely used in the treatment of brain diseases and nervous system diseases and has achieved satisfactory therapeutic effects. This review focused on the research publications of A. tatarinowii and aimed to summarize the advances in the botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacology, which will provide a reference for further studies and applications of A. tatarinowii. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dual-switching spin crossover metal-organic framework (SCO-MOF) [Fe(TPB){PtII(CN)4}]·3iPrOH·4H2O (TPB = 1,2,4,5-tetra(pyridin-4-yl)benzene) is developed via the combination of redox-active framework and tunable guests. The reversible structural transformation between [PtII(CN)4]2− and [PtIVBr2(CN)4]2− moieties can be manipulated by redox post-synthetic modification (PSM), which results in the change of SCO behaviors from step-wise to one-step. The influences of the oxidative addition of bromides on the ligand field splitting of Fe side are further explored by density functional theory calculations. Besides, the modulation of hysteretic four-/three-step, one-step and four-step SCO behaviors can be achieved by tuning the composition of guest molecules. Therefore, the combination of electronic bistability, redox reaction and guest recognition in a homogeneous lattice provides a utility platform for designing multi-responsive molecule-based materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The commercialization of the American film industry has affected the development of cinematic product placement. A similar but distinct situation has happened in China. The difference is that the Chinese film industry achieved considerable commercial progress in a short time from the late 1990s to the 2000s. This rampant commercialization was customarily accompanied by resistance coming from inside the Chinese film industry. This resistance valued artistic integrity in relation to the impact of business interests. Therefore, during this period, Chinese film professionals first resisted, then tried, and eventually accepted product placement. With attention to the historical development, this article aims to investigate the connection between the localization of product placement and the Chinese film industry's commercialization, and how the connection causes this cinematic advertising practice to develop its own cultural peculiarities in such context. It also reveals the causes of the formation of these peculiarities, from the perspective of the country's ideological shifts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the first demonstration using π-conjugated radicals for reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging. The ester-derived 1,2,4-benzotriazinyl monoradical VER and its carboxyl counterpart VAR exhibit typical antiferromagnetic behavior with a thermally populated spin-triplet state. Upon self-assembly with DSPE-PEG1000, VER formed ∼25 nm size nanoparticles (NPs) with good water dispersibility and stability, no obvious aggregation and degradation were observed after storing at ambient environment for 14 days. In contrast, VAR NPs were unstable and visible aggregates appeared on the seventh day. These radical NPs show good biocompatibility, there was almost no decrease in the cell viability after being incubated with either NPs even at a concentration of 100 μg/mL. Importantly, excessive ROS of the studied model RAW264.7 cells was scavenged to normal concentration when incubated with VER NPs, whereas ROS of VAR NPs treated model cells was almost not changed or even increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tetraploid emmer wheat (Triticum turgidum L., BBAA) is the founder progenitor of bread wheat, providing the valuable genetic resource and gene pool for wheat improvement. However, the evolutionary trajectory of tetraploid wheat, especially the evolutionary fate of different types of genes has not been well studied. In this study, the rate of non‐synonymous substitution (dN) and synonymous substitution (dS) was calculated by comparing the orthologs between the wild emmer and cultivated durum wheat at the whole genome and subgenome levels to obtain the positively selected genes (PSGs) and negatively selected genes (NSGs). Then, mutation rate, gene length, exon number, GC content, codon bias, and expression level were comprehensively investigated and compared between the PSGs and NSGs. Within both wild emmer and cultivated durum wheat, PSGs between A and B subgenome displayed shorter gene and exon lengths as well as fewer exon numbers compared with NSGs, whereas from wild emmer to cultivated durum wheat, PSGs showed longer gene length and more exon numbers. Furthermore, PSGs displayed much higher expression levels and stronger codon usage bias, but lower genetic diversity compared with NSGs. Finally, two PSGs TdER1‐6B, and TdLC7‐2A, were found to play the crucial roles in regulating grain width and plant height of tetraploid wheat, respectively. This study systematically investigated the evolutionary, structural, and functional difference between PSGs and NSGs in tetraploid wheat, which will contribute to a better understanding of the selective mode and evolutionary trajectory during wheat domestication and evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: MRI radiomics shows promise in discriminating salivary gland tumors (SGTs) but a consistent radiomics signature has not emerged, partly due to the multitude of initial features fed into the radiomics pipeline. In this study, we investigated the impact of reducing the number of initial radiomic features on the performance of the radiomic models to discriminate between benign and malignant SGTs, by applying six feature categories separately and all feature categories in combination from three anatomical-based MRI sequences. The best models were built by a combination of T1-weighted + logarithm and fat-suppressed T2-weighted + exponential features, which reduced the initial features by 94.0% (from 1015 × 3 to 91 × 2) and achieved an average area under the curve of 0.846. Our results show reducing the number of radiomic features initially analyzed improved feature selection stability without compromising performance. This approach may improve future consensus building on a radiomics signature for discriminating SGTs. The lack of a consistent MRI radiomic signature, partly due to the multitude of initial feature analyses, limits the widespread clinical application of radiomics for the discrimination of salivary gland tumors (SGTs). This study aimed to identify the optimal radiomics feature category and MRI sequence for characterizing SGTs, which could serve as a step towards obtaining a consensus on a radiomics signature. Preliminary radiomics models were built to discriminate malignant SGTs (n = 34) from benign SGTs (n = 57) on T1-weighted (T1WI), fat-suppressed (FS)-T2WI and contrast-enhanced (CE)-T1WI images using six feature categories. The discrimination performances of these preliminary models were evaluated using 5-fold-cross-validation with 100 repetitions and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). The differences between models' performances were identified using one-way ANOVA. Results show that the best feature categories were logarithm for T1WI and CE-T1WI and exponential for FS-T2WI, with AUCs of 0.828, 0.754 and 0.819, respectively. These AUCs were higher than the AUCs obtained using all feature categories combined, which were 0.750, 0.707 and 0.774, respectively (p < 0.001). The highest AUC (0.846) was obtained using a combination of T1WI + logarithm and FS-T2WI + exponential features, which reduced the initial features by 94.0% (from 1015 × 3 to 91 × 2). CE-T1WI did not improve performance. Using one feature category rather than all feature categories combined reduced the number of initial features without compromising radiomic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic conjugated radicals are promising materials for organic magnets and spintronics; however, their solid-state properties are difficult to control and predict. We report the synthesis and magnetic properties of carboxylic acid-functionalized 1,2,4-benzotriazinyl radicals DAR, TAR and their corresponding coordination particles. These hydrogen bond containing compounds exhibit a typical antiferromagnetic behavior and good thermal stability up to 300 °C. Moreover, DAR and TAR possess stronger intermolecular spin–spin interactions than their ester counterparts as supported by their wider ESR line widths. Nanosize coordination particles are obtained upon sonication of these two radicals with metal ions at 0 °C. Diamagnetic Zn2+-based cubic UD-Zn and spherical UT-Zn show stronger spin–spin interactions than their corresponding ligands, along with the retained forbidden transition signal Δms = ±2. In sharp contrast, paramagnetic Cu2+-derived CPs display very weak magnetic signals due to the redox reaction between Cu2+ and radicals. This work is useful for the future design of conjugated radicals and radical ligand-based magnetic coordination particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autoimmune disorders are common in patients with primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDs). However, the prevalence of autoimmunity is low in patients with X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA), mostly due to the absence of antibodies. Chronic or persistent immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), which is usually considered an antibody-mediated disease, is uncommon in patients with XLA. In this study, we detailly described a surprising autoimmune phenomenon, chronic ITP, in a small boy diagnosed with XLA. This is an interesting phenotype found in XLA, and it is helpful to understand the immune pathogenesis of autoimmunity in patients with XLA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of the most influential novelists in the 19th century in the United States. His work The Scarlet Letter mainly tells the tragic ethical story of the heroine Hester because of the immoral love during the colonial North America. It is the masterpiece of American romantic novel. The paper, from the perspective of ethical literary criticism, returns to the historical scene, analyzes Hester's ethical choices under a specific ethical dilemma and complex ethical identity, and explores the inevitability of her ethical return in the constant conflict and struggle between her free will and rational will. After that we can further search out the ethical value in the novel, which is to enlighten people to abide by the social ethical norms, otherwise they must wash away their sins and realize the ethical return through complete confession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Novel artificial intelligence (AI) learning algorithms in dento-maxillofacial radiology (DMFR) are continuously being developed and improved using advanced convolutional neural networks. This review provides an overview of the potential and impact of AI algorithms in DMFR. Materials and methods: A narrative review was conducted on the literature on AI algorithms in DMFR. Results: In the field of DMFR, AI algorithms were mainly proposed for (1) automated detection of dental caries, periapical pathologies, root fracture, periodontal/peri-implant bone loss, and maxillofacial cysts/tumors; (2) classification of mandibular third molars, skeletal malocclusion, and dental implant systems; (3) localization of cephalometric landmarks; and (4) improvement of image quality. Data insufficiency, overfitting, and the lack of interpretability are the main issues in the development and use of image-based AI algorithms. Several strategies have been suggested to address these issues, such as data augmentation, transfer learning, semi-supervised training, few-shot learning, and gradient-weighted class activation mapping. Conclusions: Further integration of relevant AI algorithms into one fully automatic end-to-end intelligent system for possible multi-disciplinary applications is very likely to be a field of increased interest in the future. Clinical relevance: This review provides dental practitioners and researchers with a comprehensive understanding of the current development, performance, issues, and prospects of image-based AI algorithms in DMFR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate whether melatonin receptor type 1B (MTNR1B) rs10830963 polymorphism interacts with night shift work on the risk of incident stroke. Methods This study included individuals free of stroke at baseline from the UK Biobank. Night-shift work was assessed by the self-reported questions. MTNR1B rs10830963 was directly genotyped (CC, GC, and GG). Incident stroke was ascertained through hospital records and death registries. Cox proportional hazards models were employed to examine the associations of night shift work and MTNR1B rs10830963 with the risk of incident stroke. Results A total of 242 194 participants were finally included (mean age: 52.95 years; 51.63% women). Over 12-year follow-up, 3287 incident stroke events occurred. Night shift work increased the risk of incident stroke [hazard ratio (HR) 1.13, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.00–1.28] after adjusting for socio-demographics, and this association attenuated after additional adjustment for lifestyle factors (HR 1.06, 95% CI 0.94–1.20). MTNR1B rs10830963 polymorphism modified the association between night shift work and incident stroke (Pfor interaction =0.010). In the Cox models adjusted for socio-demographics and lifestyle factors, among night-shift workers, minor allele G was associated with a reduced risk of incident stroke (GC versus CC, HR 0.74, 95% CI 0.58–0.95; GG versus CC, HR 0.65, 95% CI 0.40–1.06; Pfor trend=0.010); while night shift work was associated with a higher stroke risk only among MTNR1B rs10830963 CC carriers (HR 1.23, 95% CI 1.05–1.44) but not GC/GG carriers. Conclusions These results suggest that MTNR1B rs10830963 may potentially modify the associations between night shift work and incident stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The composition and structural characteristics of Shengli lignite were characterized by ultimate analysis, 13C-NMR, and FTIR. Pyrolysis volatiles products of lignite were studied by TG-FTIR-GC/MS. Solid 13C-NMR analysis showed that the most abundant in Shengli lignite skeleton structure was aromatic carbon, followed by aliphatic carbon, and some carbonyl carbon. TG-FTIR-GC/MS analysis indicated that the main components of the small molecular gas released by Shengli lignite were CO2, CO, CH4, light arenes, etc., mainly from the carboxyl, carbonyl, aliphatic chains and aromatic structure in the lignite. Normalization method was used to describe the distribution of volatiles products. The release temperature of aliphatic, aromatic, phenolic and naphthalene substances is concentrated around 450–600 °C. The relative content of CO released at 540 °C is the highest, mainly from the pyrolysis of phenol. And the initial release temperature of CO is about 300 °C which is higher than that of CO2 and lower than that of CH4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: In this study, we investigated the potential of radiomic models to discriminate nasopharyngeal carcinoma from benign hyperplasia on MRI, which is important to enable screening programs to detect cancer early. We found that whereas radiomics showed promising performance, instability was presented by the feature selection step in the radiomics pipeline, which could undermine its reliability. Therefore, we built a radiomics model using 17 features selected from a pool of 422 features by a proposed ensemble technique that improved the feature selection stability using a combination of bagging and boosting. This radiomic model achieved an area under the curve of 0.85 and 0.80 for discriminating the two abnormalities on the training and testing data, respectively. In addition, the proposed feature selection technique significantly improved stability when compared to well-established techniques. Discriminating early-stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) from benign hyperplasia (BH) on MRI is a challenging but important task for the early detection of NPC in screening programs. Radiomics models have the potential to meet this challenge, but instability in the feature selection step may reduce their reliability. Therefore, in this study, we aim to discriminate between early-stage T1 NPC and BH on MRI using radiomics and propose a method to improve the stability of the feature selection step in the radiomics pipeline. A radiomics model was trained using data from 442 patients (221 early-stage T1 NPC and 221 with BH) scanned at 3T and tested on 213 patients (99 early-stage T1 NPC and 114 BH) scanned at 1.5T. To verify the improvement in feature selection stability, we compared our proposed ensemble technique, which uses a combination of bagging and boosting (BB-RENT), with the well-established elastic net. The proposed radiomics model achieved an area under the curve of 0.85 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.82–0.89) and 0.80 (95% CI: 0.74–0.86) in discriminating NPC and BH in the 3T training and 1.5T testing cohort, respectively, using 17 features selected from a pool of 422 features by the proposed feature selection technique. BB-RENT showed a better feature selection stability compared to the elastic net (Jaccard index = 0.39 ± 0.14 and 0.24 ± 0.06, respectively; p < 0.001). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Our previous studies have suggested that the first trimester fasting plasma glucose (FPG) level is associated with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and is a predictor of GDM. The aim of the present study was to provide valuable insights into the accuracy of the first trimester FPG level in the screening and diagnosis of GDM in southern China.Methods: This retrospective study included pregnant women who had their first trimester FPG level recorded at 9-13+6 weeks and underwent screening for GDM using the 2-h 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) between the 24th and 28th gestational weeks. Differences between the GDM and non-GDM groups were assessed by Student's t test and the chi-squared test according to the nature of the variables. A restricted cubic spine was used to explore the relationship between the first trimester FPG level and the odds ratio (OR) of GDM in pregnant women. Cut-off values of first trimester FPG were determined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and the area under the curve (AUC), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), the positive predictive value (PPV) and the negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated.Results: The medical records of 28,030 pregnant women were analysed, and 4,669 (16.66%) of them were diagnosed with GDM. The average first trimester FPG level was 4.62 ± 0.37 mmol/L. The OR of GDM increased with increasing first trimester FPG levels and with a value of first trimester FPG of approximately 4.6 mmol/L, which was equal to 1 (Chi-Square = 665.79, P < 0.001), and then started to increase rapidly afterwards. The ROC curve for fasting plasma glucose in the first trimester (4.735 mmol/L) for predicting gestational diabetes mellitus in pregnant women was 0.608 (95% CI: 0.598-0.617), with a sensitivity of 0.490 and a specificity of 0.676.Conclusion: Based on the research, we recommend that all pregnant women undergo FPG testing in the first trimester, particularly at the first antenatal visit. Furthermore, we suggest that the risks of GDM should be given increased attention and management as soon as the first trimester FPG value is more than 4.7 mmol/L. First trimester FPG levels should be considered a screening marker when diagnosing GDM in pregnant women but this needs to be confirmed by more prospective studies. These factors may have a significant impact on the clinical treatment of pregnant women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion is extremely common, especially unilateral artery, which can result in a significant incidence of cerebral infarction.Objective: To assess the value of whole-brain computed tomography perfusion (CTP) imaging combined with dynamic CT angiography (dCTA) in the evaluation of pial collateral circulation in patients with MCA occlusion.Methods: Whole-brain CTP and dCTA images were acquired in 58 patients with unilateral MCA occlusion. All patients were divided into three groups according to the American Society of Interventional and Therapeutic Neuroradiology/Society of Interventional Radiology (ASITN/SIR) collateral score (by CTA). The CTP parameters were analysed, including relative cerebral blood flow (rCBF), relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV), relative mean transit time (rMTT), and relative time to peak (rTTP). Patients were followed up with the modified Rankin scale (mRS). All cases in this study were confirmed by DSA.Results: The CTP parameters of the MCA blood supply area on the affected side of patients with different degrees of stenosis were significantly different from those on the unaffected side. There are significant differences in the CTP parameters and openings of the Willis circle in patients with different degrees of stenosis. Significant differences were found in the number of patients with good prognosis.Conclusions: Whole-brain CT perfusion combined with dynamic CTA can structurally and functionally evaluate the establishment of pial collateral circulation and its effect on cerebral hemodynamic changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have now become the standard therapy for malignancies like non-small cell lung cancer and classical Hodgkin's lymphoma. ICIs are associated with unique immune-related adverse events (irAEs) caused by dysregulated immune activation. Treatment of lower gastrointestinal (GI) tract irAEs, such as colitis, is more common. However, for upper gastrointestinal tract irAEs, there is a lack of consensus in terms of globally standardized disease classification and treatment guidelines. Here, we report a case of sintilimab-induced acute erosive hemorrhagic gastritis. Case Presentation: A 54-year-old man with metastatic NSCLC (PT2N2M1 stage IV) underwent treatment with eight courses of sintilimab + bevacizumab, followed by maintenance therapy with sintilimab alone. However, he presented with epigastric pain and melena at the end of the first sintilimab treatment, and the symptoms occurred repeatedly after regular treatment with acute erosive hemorrhagic gastritis. Repeat esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) showed severe hemorrhagic gastritis; symptomatic relief and improvement in EGD images were noted for as long as he was being treated with steroids, methylprednisolone sodium. Conclusion: As far as we are aware, we here describe the first case of sintilimab-associated acute erosive hemorrhagic gastritis, an upper gastrointestinal toxicity event. Throughout the treatment progression, differential diagnosis, multidisciplinary discussion, and the use of immunosuppressants were instrumental in clarifying the diagnosis and were crucial to the prognosis of the patient and continued treatment with ICIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crosstalk between tumors and their local microenvironment has been well studied, whereas the effect of tumors on distant tissues remains understudied. Studying how tumors affect other tissues is important for understanding the systemic effect of tumors and for improving the overall health of cancer patients. In this study, we focused on the changes in the intestine during liver tumor progression, using a previously established liver tumor model through inducible expression of the oncogene xmrk in zebrafish. Progressive disruption of intestinal structure was found in the tumor fish, displaying villus damage, thinning of bowel wall, increase in goblet cell number, decrease in goblet cell size and infiltration of eosinophils, most of which were observed phenotypes of an inflammatory intestine. Intestinal epithelial cell renewal was also disrupted, with decreased cell proliferation and increased cell death. Analysis of intestinal gene expression through RNA-seq suggested deregulation of genes related to intestinal function, epithelial barrier and homeostasis and activation of pathways in inflammation, epithelial mesenchymal transition, extracellular matrix organization, as well as hemostasis. Gene set enrichment analysis showed common gene signatures between the intestine of liver tumor fish and human inflammatory bowel disease, the association of which with cancer has been recently noticed. Overall, this study represented the first systematic characterization of the disruption of intestine under the liver tumor condition and suggested targeting intestinal inflammation as a potential approach for managing cancer cachexia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To propose and evaluate a convolutional neural network (CNN) algorithm for automatic detection and segmentation of mucosal thickening (MT) and mucosal retention cysts (MRCs) in the maxillary sinus on low-dose and full-dose cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Materials and methods: A total of 890 maxillary sinuses on 445 CBCT scans were analyzed. The air space, MT, and MRCs in each sinus were manually segmented. Low-dose CBCTs were divided into training, training-monitoring, and testing datasets at a 7:1:2 ratio. Full-dose CBCTs were used as a testing dataset. A three-step CNN algorithm built based on V-Net and support vector regression was trained on low-dose CBCTs and tested on the low-dose and full-dose datasets. Performance for detection of MT and MRCs using area under the curves (AUCs) and for segmentation using Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) was evaluated. Results: For the detection of MT and MRCs, the algorithm achieved AUCs of 0.91 and 0.84 on low-dose scans and of 0.89 and 0.93 on full-dose scans, respectively. The median DSCs for segmenting the air space, MT, and MRCs were 0.972, 0.729, and 0.678 on low-dose scans and 0.968, 0.663, and 0.787 on full-dose scans, respectively. There were no significant differences in the algorithm performance between low-dose and full-dose CBCTs. Conclusions: The proposed CNN algorithm has the potential to accurately detect and segment MT and MRCs in maxillary sinus on CBCT scans with low-dose and full-dose protocols. Clinical relevance: An implementation of this artificial intelligence application in daily practice as an automated diagnostic and reporting system seems possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The FIRST International Film Festival is an annual grand event for young Chinese film professionals who have just started their careers as film directors. Its current development situation highlights the festival's importance in the pandemic context. This article is comprised of interviews with attendees at the festival, especially the competitors, and provides a lens through which to interrogate how Chinese young film professionals as neophytes adapt to the post-pandemic environment of the Chinese film industry. By seeking their views on film production, distribution and the festival, this article aims to reveal the state of the film industry during the pandemic and in the post-pandemic period, the current living situation of young Chinese film professionals, how these film professionals connect with the industry and market and how these connections impact on their filmmaking practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Menkes disease (MD) is a rare X-linked connective tissue disorder of copper metabolism caused by pathogenic variant(s) in ATP7A gene. The aim of the present study is to determine the clinical characteristics and molecular basis of one patient with MD. Methods: One 10-month-old Chinese boy who met the clinical manifestations of MD was enrolled in this study. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) was performed in the patient in order to identify the variant(s), followed by Sanger sequencing. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) from whole blood was subsequently applied to assess the effect of variant on transcription levels, and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed for further validation. In addition, X chromosome inactivation (XCI) status of the patient's mother at the DNA level was measured by capillary electrophoresis. Results: The patient suffered from intermittent convulsions for more than 6 months, with psychomoto retardation and neurodegenerations. The patient also had curly hair, hypopigmented skin, cutis laxa, decreased muscle strength and hypotonia. MRI showed the intracranial arteries were tortuous with some "spiral" changes. The patient's serum ceruloplasmin level was low. WGS revealed one novel hemizygous variant, c.2627-501C > T (NM_000,052.7), located in the deep intronic sequence of ATP7A gene. Sanger sequencing confirmed that the variant was inherited from his mother. RNA-seq confirmed the variant itself, and identified a pseudo-exon inserted between exons 12 and 13 in mRNA of ATP7A. The sequencing results of RT-PCR from the patient confirmed this finding, while neither of his parents detected aberrant splicing. The Capillary electrophoresis results showed that the patient's mother had a skewed XCI. Conclusion: Our finding of the variant enlarges the variant spectrum in the ATP7A gene. This is a novel deep intronic variant which leads to the activation of a pseudo-exons in the ATP7A gene, and it demonstrates the usefulness of WGS combined with RNA-seq, in terms of revealing disease-causing variants in non-coding regions. Furthermore, the fact that the deep intronic variants cause disease by the activation of pseudo-exon inclusion indicates that in MD this might be an important mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: CCCH transcription factors are important zinc finger transcription factors involved in the response to biotic and abiotic stress and physiological and developmental processes. Barley (Hordeum vulgare) is an agriculturally important cereal crop with multiple uses, such as brewing production, animal feed, and human food. The identification and assessment of new functional genes are important for the molecular breeding of barley. Results: In this study, a total of 53 protein-encoding CCCH genes unevenly dispersed on seven different chromosomes were identified in barley. Phylogenetic analysis categorized the barley CCCH genes (HvC3Hs) into eleven subfamilies according to their distinct features, and this classification was supported by intron–exon structure and conserved motif analysis. Both segmental and tandem duplication contributed to the expansion of CCCH gene family in barley. Genetic variation of HvC3Hs was characterized using publicly available exome-capture sequencing datasets. Clear genetic divergence was observed between wild and landrace barley populations in HvC3H genes. For most HvC3Hs, nucleotide diversity and the number of haplotype polymorphisms decreased during barley domestication. Furthermore, the HvC3H genes displayed distinct expression profiles for different developmental processes and in response to various types of stresses. The HvC3H1, HvC3H2 and HvC3H13 of arginine-rich tandem CCCH zinc finger (RR-TZF) genes were significantly induced by multiple types of abiotic stress and/or phytohormone treatment, which might make them as excellent targets for the molecular breeding of barley. Conclusions: Overall, our study provides a comprehensive characterization of barley CCCH transcription factors, their diversity, and their biological functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate and identify first-trimester fasting plasma glucose (FPG) is related to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and other adverse pregnancy outcomes in Shenzhen population. Methods: We used data of 48,444 pregnant women that had been retrospectively collected between 2017 and 2019. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluated the associations between first-trimester FPG and GDM and adverse pregnancy outcomes, and used to construct a nomogram model for predicting the risk of GDM. The performance of the nomogram was evaluated by using ROC and calibration curves. Decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to determine the clinical usefulness of the first-trimester FPG by quantifying the net benefits at different threshold probabilities. Results: The mean first-trimester FPG was 4.62 ± 0.42 mmol/L. A total of 6998 (14.4%) pregnancies developed GDM.489(1.01%) pregnancies developed polyhydramnios, the prevalence rates of gestational hypertensive disorder (GHD), cesarean section, primary cesarean section, preterm delivery before 37 weeks (PD) and dystocia was 1130 (2.33%), 20,426 (42.16%), 7237 (14.94%), 2386 (4.93%), and 1865 (3.85%), respectively. 4233 (8.74%) of the newborns were LGA, and the number of macrosomia was 2272 (4.69%), LBW was 1701 (3.51%) and 5084 (10.49%) newborns had admission to the ICU, which all showed significances between GDM and non-GDM groups (all P < 0.05). The univariate analysis showed that first-trimester FPG was strongly associated with risks of outcomes including GDM, cesarean section, macrosomia, GHD, primary cesarean section, and LGA (all OR > 1, all P < 0.05), furthermore, the risks of GDM, primary cesarean section, and LGA was increasing with first-trimester FPG as early as it was at 4.19–4.63 mmol/L. The multivariable analysis showed that the risks of GDM (ORs for FPG 4.19–4.63, 4.63–5.11 and 5.11–7.0 mmol/L were 1.137, 1.592, and 4.031, respectively, all P < 0.05) increased as early as first-trimester FPG was at 4.19–4.63 mmol/L, and first-trimester FPG which was also associated with the risks of cesarean section, macrosomia and LGA (OR for FPG 5.11–7.0 mmol/L of cesarean section: 1.128; OR for FPG 5.11–7.0 mmol/L of macrosomia: 1.561; OR for FPG 4.63–5.11 and 5.11–7.0 mmol/L of LGA: 1.149 and 1.426, respectively, all P < 0.05) and with its increasing, the risks of LGA increased. Furthermore, the nomogram had a C-indices 0.771(95% CI: 0.763~0.779) and 0.770(95% CI:0.758~0.781) in training and testing validation respectively, which showed an acceptable consistency between the observed, validation and nomogram-predicted probabilities, the DAC curve analysis indicated that the nomogram had important clinical application value for GDM risk prediction. Conclusions: FPG in the first trimester was an independent risk factor for GDM which can be used as a screening test for identifying pregnancies at risk of GDM and adverse pregnancy outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although stratifying individuals with respect to nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) risk with Epstein-Barr virus-based markers is possible, the performance of diagnostic methods for detecting lesions among screen-positive individuals is poorly understood.Methods: The authors prospectively evaluated 882 participants aged 30 to 70 years who were enrolled between October 2014 and November 2018 in an ongoing, population-based NPC screening program and had an elevated NPC risk. Participants were offered endoscopy and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and lesions were identified either by biopsy at a follow-up endoscopy or further contact and linkage to the local cancer registry through December 31, 2019. The diagnostic performance characteristics of endoscopy and MRI for NPC detection were investigated.Results: Eighteen of 28 identified NPC cases were detected by both methods, 1 was detected by endoscopy alone, and 9 were detected by MRI alone. MRI had significantly higher sensitivity than endoscopy for NPC detection overall (96.4% vs 67.9%; Pdifference = .021) and for early-stage NPC (95.2% vs 57.1%; P = .021). The sensitivity of endoscopy was suggestively lower among participants who had previously been screened in comparison with those undergoing an initial screening (50.0% vs 81.2%; P = .11). The authors observed a higher overall referral rate by MRI versus endoscopy (17.3% vs 9.1%; P < .001). Cases missed by endoscopy had early-stage disease and were more commonly observed for tumors originating from the pharyngeal recess.Conclusions: MRI was more sensitive than endoscopy for NPC detection in the context of population screening but required the referral of a higher proportion of screen-positive individuals. The sensitivity of endoscopy was particularly low for individuals who had previously been screened. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the spectral computed tomography (CT) imaging parameters between squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and adenocarcinoma (AC) at the gastroesophageal junction (GEJ).Methods: A total of 80 patients were enrolled in this retrospective study. Among them, 35 were diagnosed with SCC (SCC group) and 45 were diagnosed with AC (AC group). All patients underwent an enhanced scan with spectral CT. The following CT imaging parameters were evaluated: iodine concentration (IC), water content (WC), effective atomic number (Eff-Z) and slope of the spectral HU curve (λHU) of lesions. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the predictive value of spectral CT imaging parameters for diagnosis of SCC and AC.Results: Patients with SCC had lower IC, Eff-Z, and λHU in arterial phase and venous phase compared with AC (p< 0.05). There were no significant differences in WC between the two groups. ROC curve analyses revealed that IC, Eff-Z, and λHU in arterial phase and venous phase were predictors for diagnosis of SCC and AC (AUC > 0.5). Moreover, the IC, Eff-Z and λHU in venous phase had better differential diagnostic performances than that in arterial phase.Conclusions: Spectral CT could be useful in the differential diagnosis of SCC and AC at the GEJ. Therefore, a routine spectral CT scan is recommended for patients with carcinoma of the GEJ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]