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Background: Combining epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) with chemotherapy (ETC) offers more advantages for patients with EGFR-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) than using EGFR TKIs alone (ET). However, whether this conclusion applies to patients with brain metastases (BM) remains controversial. This meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the benefits and risks of the two groups. Methods: Six databases were systematically searched for relevant literatures comparing ETC versus ET in treating EGFR-positive NSCLC patients with BM. The primary outcome assessed was overall survival (OS), while secondary outcomes included progression-free survival (PFS), and central nervous system (CNS)-PFS, responses, progression status and safety. Results: Seven studies based on five randomized clinical trials with 550 patients were included. The ETC group exhibited better OS (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.64 [0.48, 0.87]), PFS (HR: 0.42 [0.34, 0.52]), and CNS-PFS (HR: 0.42 [0.31, 0.57]). The benefits in survival for OS, PFS, and CNS-PFS were validated in nearly all subgroups. Meanwhile, the overall objective response rate (ORR) (risk ratio [RR]: 1.25 [1.02, 1.52]) and CNS-ORR (RR: 1.19 [0.93, 1.51]) also tended to favor the ETC group. However, the addition of chemotherapy also brought about more grade 3-5/serious adverse events (AEs). The top five grade 3-5 AEs in the ETC group were alanine aminotransferase increase (11.25%), neutropenia (7.5%), nausea (7.5%), anorexia (5%), and diarrhea (5%). Conclusions: ETC appears to be better than ET in treating EGFR-positive NSCLC patients with BM, with better OS, PFS, CNS-PFS, and responses. However, its poorer safety profile also needs to be taken into consideration. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier CRD42024551073. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) is a common and challenging complication following pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD), occurring in 2% to 46% of cases. Despite various pancreaticojejunostomy techniques, an effective method to prevent POPF has not been established. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a novel 3D-printed biodegradable pancreatic duct stent to simplify the surgical process of pancreaticojejunostomy, reduce anastomotic complexity, and minimize postoperative complications. Methods: Data from 32 patients undergoing total laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy were utilized. Preoperative CT scans were transformed into 3D reconstructions to guide the design and printing of customized stents using polylactic acid (PLA). The stents were assessed for mechanical integrity, surface texture, and thermal stability. Animal experiments were conducted on 16 mini pigs, with the experimental group receiving the novel stent and the control group receiving traditional silicone stents. Results: The 3D-printed stents demonstrated accurate dimensional replication and mechanical reliability. In the animal experiments, the experimental group showed no significant difference in postoperative complications compared to the control group. At 4 weeks post-surgery, CT scans revealed well-healed anastomoses in both groups, with no significant inflammation or other complications. Histological examination and 3D reconstruction models confirmed good healing and device positioning in the experimental group. Conclusion: The 3D-printed biodegradable pancreatic duct stent offers a promising solution for pancreaticojejunostomy, with comparable safety and efficacy to traditional methods. Further research is needed to validate its clinical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bats (Chiroptera), the second largest group of mammals, are known for their unique immune system and their ability to act as vectors for various zoonoses. Bats also act as important carriers of fungi, which include plant, animal, and human pathogens. Their roosting areas, foraging behaviors, and even migration routes make bats ideal vectors for fungi. We isolated 75 culturable fungal species from bats in Yunnan Province, China, with 36 species representing known pathogens of plants, animals, and humans, while 39 species are non-pathogenic fungi. Among these species, 77% (58 species) belonged to Ascomycota, 9% (seven species) belonged to Basidiomycota, and 13% (10 species) belonged to Mucoromycota. Even though several taxonomic studies on fungi associated with bats have been published, studies exploring the role of bats as fungal vectors are lacking. This study discusses the fungi host-specific traits and pathogenicity and the impact and ecological significance of bats as fungal vectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The unique dormancy of Mycobacterium tuberculosis plays a significant role in the major clinical treatment challenge of tuberculosis, such as its long treatment cycle, antibiotic resistance, immune escape, and high latent infection rate. Methods: To determine the function of MtrA, the only essential response regulator, one strategy was developed to establish its regulatory network according to high-quality genome-wide binding sites. Results and discussion: The complex modulation mechanisms were implied by the strong bias distribution of MtrA binding sites in the noncoding regions, and 32.7% of the binding sites were located inside the target genes. The functions of 288 potential MtrA target genes predicted according to 294 confirmed binding sites were highly diverse, and DNA replication and damage repair, lipid metabolism, cell wall component biosynthesis, cell wall assembly, and cell division were the predominant pathways. Among the 53 pathways shared between dormancy/resuscitation and persistence, which accounted for 81.5% and 93.0% of the total number of pathways, respectively, MtrA regulatory genes were identified not only in 73.6% of their mutual pathways, but also in 75.4% of the pathways related to dormancy/resuscitation and persistence respectively. These results suggested the pivotal roles of MtrA in regulating dormancy/resuscitation and the apparent relationship between dormancy/resuscitation and persistence. Furthermore, the finding that 32.6% of the MtrA regulons were essential in vivo and/or in vitro for M. tuberculosis provided new insight into its indispensability. The findings mentioned above indicated that MtrA is a novel promising therapeutic target for tuberculosis treatment since the crucial function of MtrA may be a point of weakness for M. tuberculosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastrointestinal motility symptoms may be closely related to thyroid diseases. Sometimes, such symptoms are the only thyroid disease-related clue although the degree of the symptoms may vary. The exact mechanism of action of thyroid hormones on gastrointestinal motility is not completely understood, however, a clue lies in the fact that muscle cell receptors can be directly acted upon by thyroxines. Both hypo- and hyperthyroidism can cause impairment of gastrointestinal motility, modifying structure and function of pharynx and esophagus, and regulating esophageal peristalsis through neuro-humoral interaction. In hyperthyroid patients, alterations of postprandial and basic electric rhythms have been observed at gastro-duodenal level, often resulting in slower gastric emptying. Gastric emptying may also be delayed in hypothyroidism, but an unrelated gastric mucosa-affecting chronic modification may also cause such pattern. Hyperthyroidism commonly show malabsorption and diarrhoea, while hypothyroidism frequently show constipation. In summary, it can be stated that symptoms of gastrointestinal motility dysfunction can be related to thyroid diseases, affecting any of the gastrointestinal segment. Clinically, the typical thyroid disease manifestations may be missing, borderline, or concealed because of intercurrent sicknesses. Motility-linked gastrointestinal problems may easily conceal a misdetected, underlying dysthyroidism that should be carefully analyzed. Here, we aim to elaborate on the associations between thyroid disorders and GI dysmotility and the common clinical manifestations associated with GI dysmotility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastrointestinal motility symptoms may be closely related to thyroid diseases. Sometimes, such symptoms are the only thyroid disease-related clue although the degree of the symptoms may vary. The exact mechanism of action of thyroid hormones on gastrointestinal motility is not completely understood, however, a clue lies in the fact that muscle cell receptors can be directly acted upon by thyroxines. Both hypo- and hyperthyroidism can cause impairment of gastrointestinal motility, modifying structure and function of pharynx and esophagus, and regulating esophageal peristalsis through neuro-humoral interaction. In hyperthyroid patients, alterations of postprandial and basic electric rhythms have been observed at gastro-duodenal level, often resulting in slower gastric emptying. Gastric emptying may also be delayed in hypothyroidism, but an unrelated gastric mucosa-affecting chronic modification may also cause such pattern. Hyperthyroidism commonly show malabsorption and diarrhoea, while hypothyroidism frequently show constipation. In summary, it can be stated that symptoms of gastrointestinal motility dysfunction can be related to thyroid diseases, affecting any of the gastrointestinal segment. Clinically, the typical thyroid disease manifestations may be missing, borderline, or concealed because of intercurrent sicknesses. Motility-linked gastrointestinal problems may easily conceal a misdetected, underlying dysthyroidism that should be carefully analyzed. Here, we aim to elaborate on the associations between thyroid disorders and GI dysmotility and the common clinical manifestations associated with GI dysmotility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Juxtaglomerular cell tumor (JCT) is an endocrine tumor marked by elevated renin levels and high blood pressure. This case report presents the clinical findings of a 47-year-old woman with a history of recurrent hypokalemia, headaches, hypertension, and increased plasma renin activity (PRA). Dynamic enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a small nodule on the upper part of the right kidney. Selective renal venous sampling indicated a higher PRA only in the right upper pole renal vein. The patient underwent surgical removal of the right kidney mass, and the pathology results confirmed the diagnosis of JCT. This case underscores the importance of conducting selective renal venous sampling for accurate JCT diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resistance to chemotherapy in cancer leads to poor therapeutic outcomes and also leads to challenges in treatment. The present work evaluated the mechanism involved in the resistance of 5‐flurouracil (5‐FU) in pancreatic cancer. At least 14 different pancreatic cancer (PC) cell lines were used for the study. For in vivo study female nude mice were selected. Patient‐derived tumor xenograft samples were obtained from patients. The study involved, study for glucose uptake, fluorescence‐activated cell sorting for glucose transporter, 3‐[4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl]‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide for cell survival, Picto‐micrography for clonogenic assay, glutamine uptake assay, extracellular acidification and oxygen consumption rate, carbon dioxide release assay and lactate assay were also done. In addition to this, quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction analysis for expression of genes, chromatin immunoprecipitation assay, western blot for protein expression, and immunohistochemical analysis in tumor sections, the tumors were studied by imaging for hypoxia and localization of TKT and CTPS‐2. Also, patient‐derived xenograft tumors were engrafted in nude mice, followed by a glucose uptake assay. We reported that elevated glycolytic flux causes dependence on glucose in cancer cells and, at the same time, increases pyrimidine biosynthesis. It was also found that stem cell factor‐mediated stabilization of hypoxia‐inducible factor‐1a (HIF‐1α) modulates the resistance in PC. Targeting HIF‐1α in combination with 5‐FU, strongly reduced the tumor burden. The study concludes that stem cell factor modulates HIF‐1α and decreases the sensitivity in 5‐FU resistant pancreatic cancer cells by targeting glucose metabolism. Deceased expression levels of CTPS‐2 and TKT, which are regulators of pyrimidine biosynthesis could better the chance of survival in patients of pancreatic cancer receiving treatment of 5‐FU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The treatment of bone defects remains a significant challenge to be solved clinically. Immunomodulatory properties of orthopedic biomaterials have significance in regulating osteoimmune microenvironment for osteogenesis. A lactic acid‐co‐glycolic acid (PLGA) scaffold incorporates black phosphorus (BP) fabricated by 3D printing technology to investigate the effect of BP on osteoimmunomodulation and osteogenesis in site. The PLGA/BP scaffold exhibits suitable biocompatibility, biodegradability, and mechanical properties as an excellent microenvironment to support new bone formation. The studies' result also demonstrate that the PLGA/BP scaffolds are able to recruit and stimulate macrophages M2 polarization, inhibit inflammation, and promote human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) proliferation and differentiation, which in turn promotes bone regeneration in the distal femoral defect region of steroid‐associated osteonecrosis (SAON) rat model. Moreover, it is screened and demonstrated that PLGA/BP scaffolds can promote osteogenic differentiation by transcriptomic analysis, and PLGA/BP scaffolds promote osteogenic differentiation and mineralization by activating PI3K‐AKT signaling pathway in hBMSC cells. In this study, it is shown that the innovative PLGA/BP scaffolds are extremely effective in stimulating bone regeneration by regulating macrophage M2 polarization and a new strategy for the development of biomaterials that can be used to repair bone defects is offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth of yield outputs is dwindling after the first green revolution, which cannot meet the demand for the projected population increase by the mid- century, especially with the constant threat from extreme climates. Cereal yield requires carbon (C) assimilation in the source for subsequent allocation and utilization in the sink. However, whether the source or sink limits yield improvement, a crucial question for strategic orientation in future breeding and cultivation, is still under debate. To narrow the knowledge gap and capture the progress, we focus on maize, rice, and wheat by briefly reviewing recent advances in yield improvement by modulation of i) leaf photosynthesis; ii) primary C allocation, phloem loading, and unloading; iii) C utilization and grain storage; and iv) systemic sugar signals (e.g., trehalose 6-phosphate). We highlight strategies for optimizing C allocation and utilization to coordinate the source-sink relationships and promote yields. Finally, based on the understanding of these physiological mechanisms, we envisage a future scenery of "smart crop" consisting of flexible coordination of plant C economy, with the goal of yield improvement and resilience in the field population of cereals crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Constructing an efficient and accurate epilepsy detection system is an urgent research task. In this paper, we developed an EEG-based multi-frequency multilayer brain network (MMBN) and an attentional mechanism based convolutional neural network (AM-CNN) model to study epilepsy detection. Specifically, based on the multi-frequency characteristics of the brain, we first use wavelet packet decomposition and reconstruction methods to divide the original EEG signals into eight frequency bands, and then construct MMBN through correlation analysis between brain regions, where each layer corresponds to a specific frequency band. The time, frequency and channel related information of EEG signals are mapped into the multilayer network topology. On this basis, a multi-branch AM-CNN model is designed, which completely matches the multilayer structure of the proposed brain network. The experimental results on public CHB-MIT datasets show that eight frequency bands divided in this work are all helpful for epilepsy detection, and the fusion of multi-frequency information can effectively decode the epileptic brain state, achieving accurate detection of epilepsy with an average accuracy of 99.75%, sensitivity of 99.43%, and specificity of 99.83%. All of these provide reliable technical solutions for EEG-based neurological disease detection, especially for epilepsy detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An inclusion complex formation with cyclodextrin is a promising method to improve the bioavailability of water-insoluble drugs. The pharmacokinetic characteristics of Hyperoside- 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin inclusion complex in rats were evaluated. Compared with Hyperoside, the results showed that maximum plasma concentration and AUC0-t indexes of Hyperoside inclusion complex in rat plasma were increased, the value of half-life time was prolonged, and the value of apparent clearance was decreased, which proved that Hyperoside complexed with 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin could improve its bioavailability and increase its blood concentration. Secondly, the therapeutic effect of Hyperoside before and after complexing was further compared through the dextran sodium sulfate-induced colitis in mice. The experimental results showed that under the same dose, the Hyperoside inclusion complex had a better therapeutic effect, which could significantly increase the body weight of mice, improve the disease activity index, alleviate colon shortening, improve pathological colon changes, and have a better protective effect on colitis mice. According to 16S rDNA sequencing analyses, Hyperoside-2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin may have an anti-inflammatory effect by increasing the abundance of beneficial bacteria (e.g. Firmicuria) and decreasing the proportion of harmful bacteria (e.g. Bacteroidetes) to balance the colon's microbiota. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polygonati Rhizoma, a typical homology of medicine and food, possesses remarkable anti-fatigue, anti-aging, metabolic regulatory, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, anti-diabetes, and anti-cancer effects. Among bioactive phytochemicals in Polygonati Rhizoma, polysaccharides play important roles in the health-promoting activities through the mechanisms mentioned above and potential synergistic effects with other bioactives. In this review, we briefly introduce the updated biosynthesis of polysaccharides, the purification method, the structure characterization, and food applications, and discuss in detail the biological activities of Polygonati Rhizoma polysaccharides and associated mechanisms, aiming at broadening the usage of Polygonati Rhizoma as functional food and medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polarized structured nitride semiconductors are attractive due to their unique and environment-friendly electronic properties. The stability, ferroelectricity and photocatalytic and photovoltaic properties of super-wurtzite Mg2XN3 (X = Bi, Mo, Nb, Sb, Ta, Tc and W) were determined based on first principles calculations in this study. The calculated results indicate that Mg2XN3 (X = Sb, Ta, Bi and Nb) are stable polar nitrides by phonon frequencies, elastic coefficients and ferroelectric analysis. Mg2XN3 (X = Sb, Ta and Nb) with large ferroelectric polarization strength could absorb ultraviolet light to promote photocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen production. Mg2BiN3 is a new excellent photovoltaic candidate due to its ideal energy band, high electron mobility, high absorption coefficient and large ferroelectric polarization strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) is one of the most severe complications in advanced cirrhosis. Type‐1 HRS is relatively uncommon, yet carries considerably higher mortality rate. Effective treatment for HRS, especially therapy towards survival benefits, is still limited. However, the role for dialysis in HRS has been questioned over the years. The initiation of dialysis remains controversial for those who aren't transplant candidates. Meanwhile, there's a growing attention towards the successful use of peritoneal dialysis (PD) in cirrhotic patients. Herein, we report a case of HRS‐1 in a 76‐year‐old male patient with decompensated cirrhosis. Through a series of adjustments of hemodialysis regimens and pharmacological prescriptions, patient stabilized and the opportunity for transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) insertion was gained. PD was initiated after TIPS placement. With a gradual decrease of dialysis dose, patient successfully weaned off PD and achieved both reversal of HRS and kidney recovery. Markedly improved nutritional status and quality of life were reported. The potential role of dialysis and TIPS in HRS may be worth revisiting. Further studies regarding the optimal timing of dialysis initiation, choices of dialysis modality, and efficacy of dialysis therapy in combination with TIPS in HRS patients are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate whether a cocktail therapy of dexamethasone, ropivacaine, dexmedetomidine, and vitamin B12 can achieve satisfactory pain relief and promote early functional recovery after PPECD. Methods: Eighty single-level patients with CDH who received PPECD were retrospectively divided into two groups: the cocktail and control groups. Clinical data were recorded and evaluated by a dedicated physician who was not involved in the patient's treatment. The primary clinical outcomes included visual analog scores (VASs) for upper limber pain and neck disability index (NDI) scores. The follow-up time points were preoperatively and postoperative 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months. The modified MacNab criteria was used to evaluate the surgical effect of the last follow-up. Results: The follow-up data of 74 cases were complete, except 6 cases lost to follow-up. There was no significant difference between the two groups in demographics, duration of symptoms, operation stage (p > 0.05), and operation time (80.5 ± 5.5 vs. 81.5 ± 3.5 min). The VAS in the upper limbs pain was significantly higher postoperatively than preoperatively in both groups (p < 0.05). The cocktail group had a lower VAS than the control group 1 week postoperatively (p < 0.05); however, VAS not different between groups at the remaining time points. The NDI scores were significantly better postoperatively than preoperatively, and no significant differences were seen when comparing nodes at postoperative follow-up (p > 0.05). In the control group, two cases with foraminal stenosis were found to have unrelieved pain in the early postoperative period, but the pain was relieved at the final follow-up and did not convert to open decompression surgery. Conclusions: Cocktail treatment, in which a drug sustained-release material made of gelatin sponge was impregnated with dexamethasone, ropivacaine, dexmedetomidine and vitamin B12, facilitates pain relief and early postoperative recovery after PPECD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitochondria-targeted iridium complexes for anticancer studies have received increasing attention in recent years. Herein, three cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes Ir1–Ir3 [Ir(N^C)2(N^N)](PF6) (N^N = 2,2′-bipyridine (bpy)) or 2-(5-bromopyridin-2-yl)benzo[d]thiazole (bpybt); [N^C = 2-phenylpyridine (ppy) or 2-phenylquinoline (pq) or 2-(4-bromophenyl)benzo[d]thiazole (bpbt)] had been explored as potential mitochondria-targeted anticancer agents. All of the complexes mainly localized in the mitochondria and could be fixed on the mitochondria through a nucleophilic reaction with reactive mitochondrial proteins. Further studies revealed that these complexes showed high anticancer activity, induced mitochondrial depolarization, elevated intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, restrained thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) activity, and inhibited the formation of tumor cell colonies and angiogenesis. Further mechanistic studies showed that complex Ir2 could markedly stimulate the activation of caspase-3, regulate the expression of Bax and KI67, and trigger apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: CirRNA F-circEA-2a and miR-3613-3p are two recently identified novel cancer-related RNAs. To date, their participation in colorectal cancer (CRC) is unknown. This research was therefore conducted to analyze their participation in CRC. Patients and Methods: Plasma and paired CRC and non-tumor tissues from CRC patients (n=64) and plasma samples from healthy controls (HCs, n=64) were collected. F-circEA-2a and miR-3613-3p levels in these samples were analyzed using RT-qPCR. The 64 CRC patients were followed up for five years to analyze the prognostic value of plasma F-circEA-2a for CRC. The direct interaction between wild type F-circEA-2a (F-circEA-2a-wt) or mutant F-circEA-2a (F-circEA-2a-mut) and miR-3613-3p was analyzed through RNA-RNA pulldown assay. The role of F-circEA-2a and miR-3613-3p in regulating each other's expression was analyzed through overexpression assay. Their roles in cell proliferation were analyzed using BrdU assay. The role of F-circEA-2a in regulating EZH2 expression was analyzed by RT-qPCR and Western blot. Results: CircEA-2a was overexpressed in CRC, while miR-3613-3p was under-expressed in CRC. Most patients who died during the follow-up had high F-circEA-2a levels. F-circEA-2a-wt, but not F-circEA-2a-mut, directly interacted with miR-3613-3p. F-circEA-2a and miR-3613-3p showed no role in regulating each other's expression. F-circEA-2a reduced the inhibitory effects of miR-3613-3p on cell proliferation. F-circEA-2a upregulated EZH2 at both mRNA and protein levels. Conclusion: F-circEA-2a may suppress the role of miR-3613-3p in CRC by direct sponging and predicts poor survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multi-party semi-quantum key agreement protocol was proposed based on delegating quantum computation with the four-qubit cluster states. By randomly inserting confusion states into the encoding particle sequences, the proposed protocol can defend against the eavesdropping attack from quantum center. Since quantum center does not perform joint measurement until all participants have completed the encoding processes, the protocol is immune to the participant attack. In addition, the protocol is free from outside attack because of the properties of entanglement states. And the qubit efficiency of the proposed multi-party semi-quantum key agreement protocol is higher than those of most existing multi-party quantum key agreement protocols when more than five participants are involved. It is demonstrated that the proposed multi-party semi-quantum key agreement protocol is effective and fair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD) is challenging at all stages due to variable symptomatology, comorbidities, and mimicking conditions. Postmortem assessment remains the gold standard for a definitive diagnosis. While it is well recognized that PD manifests pathologically in the central nervous system with aggregation of α-synuclein as Lewy bodies and neurites, similar Lewy-type synucleinopathy (LTS) is additionally found in the peripheral nervous system that may be useful as an antemortem biomarker. We have previously found that detection of LTS in submandibular gland (SMG) biopsies is sensitive and specific for advanced PD; however, the sensitivity is suboptimal especially for early-stage disease. Further, visual microscopic assessment of biopsies by a neuropathologist to identify LTS is impractical for large-scale adoption. Here, we trained and validated a convolutional neural network (CNN) for detection of LTS on 283 digital whole slide images (WSI) from 95 unique SMG biopsies. A total of 8,450 LTS and 35,066 background objects were annotated following an inter-rater reliability study with Fleiss Kappa = 0.72. We used transfer learning to train a CNN model to classify image patches (151 × 151 pixels at 20× magnification) with and without the presence of LTS objects. The trained CNN model showed the following performance on image patches: sensitivity: 0.99, specificity: 0.99, precision: 0.81, accuracy: 0.99, and F-1 score: 0.89. We further tested the trained network on 1230 naïve WSI from the same cohort of research subjects comprising 42 PD patients and 14 controls. Logistic regression models trained on features engineered from the CNN predictions on the WSI resulted in sensitivity: 0.71, specificity: 0.65, precision: 0.86, accuracy: 0.69, and F-1 score: 0.76 in predicting clinical PD status, and 0.64 accuracy in predicting PD stage, outperforming expert neuropathologist LTS density scoring in terms of sensitivity but not specificity. These findings demonstrate the practical utility of a CNN detector in screening for LTS, which can translate into a computational tool to facilitate the antemortem tissue-based diagnosis of PD in clinical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high throwing power (TP) value is one of the most important parameters for the Cu electroplating of through-holes in flexible printed circuit (FPC). It was found that an ultra-high TP value could be obtained using a specific suppressor, i.e., iodonitrotetrazolium chloride (INT) in the electrolyte. The ultra-high TP value was attributed to fast-consumption of this suppressor instead of traditional convection-dependence adsorption mechanism. A consumption model was built and simulated to clarify the formation of the ∆θ, i.e., the difference of suppressor fractional coverage between the entrance and center of through-holes sidewalls. It revealed that the TP, proportional to the ∆θ, was determined by the consumption rate of a suppressor. This simulation results were well consistent with the results of electroplating using INT with different concentration. The electrochemical analysis verified the characteristics of fast consumption of INT due to the reduction reaction. The difference of residual INT between the entrance and center of the plated through-holes confirmed the occurrence of ∆θ. These results supported the opinion that the ultra-high TP value was obtained by fast-consumption mechanism of INT suppressor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Preoperative serum gamma-glutamyl transferase (γ-GT) levels is significantly related to the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but its clinical value in the management of postoperative adjuvant transarterial chemoembolization (PA-TACE) has rarely been explored. This study aimed to investigate whether γ-GT levels could be taken as a biomarker to guide the management of PA-TACE in resectable HCC.Methods: HCC patients receiving radical resection were identified through the primary liver cancer big data (PLCBD) from December 2012 to December 2015. Prognostic factors of overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were identified by univariate and multivariate cox analyses, and subgroup analysis was conducted between PA-TACE group and non-TACE stratified by γ-GT levels before and after 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM).Results: γ-GT level was found to be an independent risk factor of OS and DFS in 1847 HCC patients receiving radical resection (both P < 0.05), and patients with elevated γ-GT(> 54.0 U/L) have a shortened median OS and DFS, compared with those with normal γ-GT (both P < 0.001). In the subgroup of patients with normal γ-GT, there were no significant differences between groups of PA-TACE and non-TACE in terms of median OS and DFS before and after PSM (all P > 0.05), and PA-TACE was not a significant prognostic factor of both OS and DFS before and after PSM (all P > 0.05). In the subgroup of patients with elevated γ-GT, significant differences were found between groups of PA-TACE and non-TACE in terms of median OS and DFS before and after PSM (all P < 0.05), and PA-TACE was an independent prognostic factor of both OS and DFS (all P < 0.05).Conclusion: Currently, we concluded that patients with more advanced HCC also have more elevated γ-GT, and these patients with elevated γ-GT would be benefited more from PA-TACE after radical resection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) reactor was run for 320 d to study the effect of phosphate deficiency on the removal efficiency of anammox’s nitrogen and sludge characteristics. The results showed that long-term phosphate deficiency would lead to the death of anammox bacteria, whereas the nitrogen removal efficiency of anammox deteriorated slowly and continuously. After 28 d of operation, the nitrogen removal rate of the reactor decreased from 23.23 to 10.36 kg N/m³ /d. The addition of phosphate could not prevent the decrease in the removal efficiency of nitrogen. However, the removal efficiency of nitrogen of the reactor could be recovered slowly by reducing the nitrogen loads and adding exogenous phosphate at the same time. The reduction of exogenous phosphate led to the slow release of endogenous phosphate in the sludge system. Phosphate deficiency caused the surface of granular sludge to be coated with calcium carbonate. The volatile suspended solid/suspended solid value decreased, and the extracellular polymeric substances concentration of sludge decreased significantly. The lack of phosphate led to a decrease in the diversity of the microbial communities in the sludge. In short, in order to maintain the long-term stable operation of anammox, the presence of sufficient phosphorus in the system must be ensured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The blockchain is a distributed ledger that records all transactions and operations in a shared manner. Public blockchains such as Bitcoin realize decentralization at the cost of mining overhead, which is not suitable for real‐life scenarios requiring high throughput. Techniques such as the consortium blockchain improve efficiency through partial decentralization. However, the consensus algorithms used in the existing state‐of‐the‐art consortium blockchains face many challenges when dealing with commercial applications. For example, the high communication overhead hinders the scalability of PBFT‐based consensus algorithms even though they are efficient at small scale. Hashgraph, one of the most popular Directed Acyclic Graph‐based (DAG‐based) consensus algorithms, achieves good performance in scalability; however, it does not allow users' dynamic participation. To deal with these challenges, we propose Jointgraph, a Byzantine fault‐tolerance consensus algorithm for consortium blockchains based on DAG. In Jointgraph, transactions are packed into events and validated by no less than 2/3 of all members. A supervisor is introduced in our design, who monitors member behaviors and improves consensus efficiency. Simulation results demonstrate that Jointgraph outperforms Hashgraph in both throughput and latency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the spatially separated polarization radiation and Faraday rotation regions to simulate complex interstellar media, we study synchrotron polarization gradient techniques' measurement capabilities. We explore how to trace the direction of projected magnetic field of emitting-source region at the multifrequency bands, using the gradient technique compared with the traditional polarization vector method. Furthermore, we study how Faraday rotation density in the foreground region, i.e. a product of electron number density and parallel component of magnetic fields along the line of sight, affects the measurement of projected magnetic field. Numerical results show that synchrotron polarization gradient technique could successfully trace projected magnetic field within emitting-source region independent of radio frequency. Accordingly, the gradient technique can measure the magnetic field properties for a complex astrophysical environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The elastic and photocatalytic properties of multiferroic material InFeO3 under strain are calculated through density functional theory. The calculated results indicate that the intrinsic InFeO3 and the strained InFeO3 meet the mechanical stability conditions and hold a relatively larger elastic coefficient than popular multiferroic material BiFeO3. The calculated bandgap and band edge of InFeO3 under tensile strain show that InFeO3 could be a high-efficiency photocatalytic hydrogen production material. InFeO3 under tensile strain holds the ability of photocatalytic water splitting to produce hydrogen with excellent ferroelectric, mechanical properties and absorption of visible light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through the Betula nigra afforestation test in the engineering treatment area of the Wuxi Section of the Daning River in Chongqing, the feasibility of arbor vegetation restoration in the comprehensive management of the engineering treatment areas of the Three Gorges Reservoir was explored. The results showed that; (J) before the flooding in the project area, the survival rate of B. nigra seedlings was high, over 95%, and (2) in 2021, after a water storage period, affected by factors such as seedling specifications, flood and flooding time, the survival rate of the seedlings planted in 2020 was low, and the one-year-old seedlings were greatly competed by weeds and grew less. Two-year-old B. nigra seedlings were replanted in 2021, and the survival rate of the B. nigra seedlings was 100% in 2022. Two-year-old B. nigra seedlings have strong adaptability and have little impact on the stability of the engineering treatment area, and can be used as afforestation tree species in engineering treatment areas of hydro-fluctuation zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Bladder urothelial carcinoma (BUC) is a common urological malignancy with molecular heterogeneity. However, the genetic feature of Chinese BUC patients is still not well-identified. Methods: We performed deep sequencing by a large panel (450 genes) on 22 BUC samples and using matched normal bladder tissue as control. Genomic alterations (GAs), pathways and Tumor Mutation Burden (TMB) were investigated. Results: The frequencies of GAs (TERT , 54.5%; CREBBP , 27.3%; GATA3 , 22.7%; BRAF , 18.2%; TEK , 18.2% and GLI1 , 18.2%) were significantly higher in Chinese than Western BUC patients. Other GAs' frequencies were in accordance with previous study (TP53 , 50.0%; KDM6A , 31.8%; KMT2D , 22.7%; etc.). Besides, we detected gene amplification in ERBB2, FRS2, FAS , etc. The gene fusion/rearrangement took place in the chromosome 11, 12, 14, 17, 19, 22, and Y. Other than cell cycle and PI3K-AKT-mTOR, mutated genes were more associated with the transcription factor, chromatin modification signaling pathways. Interestingly, the TMB value was significantly higher in the BUC patients at stages T1–T2 than T3–T4 (P = 0.025). Conclusion: Deep genomic sequencing of BUC can provide new clues on the unique GAs of Chinese patients and assist in therapeutic decision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A phytochemical investigation on the whole plant of Plantago maxima Juss. ex Jacq led to the isolation of a new and rare chlorinated iridoid glycoside named plantomoside (1), along with three known compounds, geniposidic acid (2), 10-deoxygeniposidic acid (3), and viteoid II (4). The structure of 1 was determined through 1 D and 2 D NMR spectroscopic data analysis, HR-ESI-MS, and acid hydrolysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy levels, transition energies, transition probabilities, weighted oscillator strengths, and line strengths of Li-like ions (Z = 7–11) in dense plasmas are investigated in this work. The relativistic effects and electron correlation effects are described by the MCDHF method. The ion sphere model is applied to include the dense plasma screening effect. The ground configuration 1s22s and the excited 1s22p, 1s23l (l = 0–2) are considered. The configuration sets are enlarged until n = 7 where the calculated energy levels have converged. The critical free electron densities of 1s23d states are estimated. Except for 1s23s–1s23p transitions, the transition energies for Δ n = 0 increase, and for Δ n ≠ 0 decrease with increasing free electron densities. For 1s23s–1s23p transitions, the spectra show blue-shift at lower free electron densities and red-shift at higher free electron densities, and the energy level crossing phenomens are observed at higher free electron densities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

JCLedger is a BlockChain-based distributed ledger for JointCloud that can improve the reliability and convenience of cloud resource exchanges by empowering cooperation among multiple clouds. The biggest challenge for the implementation of JCLedger is the approach to consensus. The existing consensus algorithms for the public BlockChain, such as proof of work (PoW) or proof of stake (PoS) does not apply to the JointCloud, because they require a massive computing power with a low throughput or monopoly risk. In this paper, we propose a practical Byzantine-fault-tolerance (PBFT)-based consensus algorithm called proof of previous transactions (PoPT), in which the accountants are selected by a specific hash function from a certain number of candidates. The candidates are chosen according to the users’ participation in JointCloud, and only candidates that join the PBFT-based consensus process instead of all users. We also propose a new BlockChain structure for parallel accounting to improve the scalability of JCLedger, and a consistent hashing algorithm is used to assign the transactions to different accountants. Simulation experiments show that the PoPT can shield the unequal computing power of the users to provide them equal accounting opportunities, and the parallel accounting can handle the massive and high-frequency transactions in JointCloud more efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have been studying a sightseeing support application using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons and mobile phones since 2014 to support sightseeing in Nikko, one of Japan's World Heritage sites. Travelers can receive information relating to their position by using this application. We tried to use some psychological effects to increase travelers' satisfaction when they receive such information. Moreover, we tried to emphasize travel memories of the place (scenery, culture, food, etc.) to encourage them to revisit or inspire their friends to visit it. Our tests prove the usefulness of our sightseeing support application for enhancing the travel experience. However, we had not yet developed a function to provide information that met the travelers' intentions or needs. Moreover, it is hazardous to use a smartphone during walking, especially in an unfamiliar place. If a traveler uses a smartphone during walking, they might miss the beautiful scenery, historic buildings, and exotic atmosphere. We tried to adapt our sightseeing support application for use with a wearable device (smartwatch) to avoid using a smartphone during walking and introduced a prospect theory to evaluate information according to personal interest and behavior. Our experiments proved that our application provided the most appropriate sightseeing information to travelers and prevented danger during walking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum dense coding properties between two identical and spatially separated atoms in free space with different initial states is investigated. It shows that dense coding capacity χ experienced a sharp decline firstly and then gradually increased to be one steady value 1 with increasing Γt. The realization of dense coding capacity χ is found to be strongly dependent on the initial states. It is worth noting that the initial pure state |ee〉 is not useful for dense coding in this system, due to the dense coding capacity χ is always less than 1(a valid dense coding capacity satisfies χ > 1). Otherwise, for the initial entangled state and mixed state, one can obtain the valid dense coding capacity, the results show that one threshold value of tc is exists, and when t < tc the dense coding capacity is valid. Tuning the atomic distance between the two atoms slightly broaden the valid dense coding region and improve the value of tc. Decreasing the purity a of initial states not only broaden the region but also prolong the effective time where one can carry out the valid dense coding successfully. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We used two XMM-Newton and six Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer observations to investigate the fractional rms amplitude of the millihertz quasiperiodic oscillations (mHz QPOs) in the neutron-star low-mass X-ray binary 4U 1636–53. We studied, for the first time, the fractional rms amplitude of the mHz QPOs versus energy in 4U 1636–53 down to 0.2 keV. We find that, as the energy increases from ∼0.2 to ∼3 keV, the rms amplitude of the mHz QPOs increases, different from the decreasing trend that has been previously observed above 3 keV. This finding has not yet been predicted by any current theoretical model; however, it provides an important observational feature to speculate whether a newly discovered mHz oscillation originates from the marginally stable nuclear burning process on the neutron-star surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To compare the difference in clinical and radiographic outcomes between anterior transcorporeal and transdiscal percutaneous endoscopic cervical discectomy (ATc-PECD/ATd-PECD) approaches for treating patients with cervical intervertebral disc herniation (CIVDH). Method. We selected 77 patients with single-segment CIVDH and received ATc-PECD or ATd-PECD in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University between March 1, 2010, and July 1, 2015. 35 patients suffered from ATc-PECD, and there were 42 patients in the ATd-PECD group. Obtaining the data of 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months postoperatively, the VAS for neck and arm pain and the modified MacNab criteria were used to evaluate the clinical outcomes, comparing radiographic outcomes and complications of these two groups. Results. We found that the mean operative time was significantly longer in the ATc-PECD group (P < 0.05). At the 2-year follow-up, the mean VAS score for neck and arm pain was significantly decreased in both two groups. There was no significant difference in the VAS score for arm pain and neck pain between the two groups at the 2-year follow-up (P = 0.783 and P = 0.785 , respectively). For the ATc-PECD group, the difference in the height of IVS or vertebral body was significant between the preoperative and postoperative groups (P < 0.05 , respectively). For the ATd-PECD group, there was only a significant decrease in the height of the IVS (P < 0.05); the decrease in the surgical vertebral body was not significant between the preoperative and postoperative groups (P > 0.05). Conclusion. In the 2-year follow-up, there is no significant difference in the clinical outcomes between the 2 approaches. While the longer time was consumed in the ATc-PECD group, the lower rate of disc collapse and recurrence is notable. Additionally, when the center diameter of tunnel was limited to 6 mm, the bony defect can be healed without the occurrence of the collapse of the superior endplate, and ATc-PECD may be preferable in the endoscopic treatment of CIVDH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]