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Qi-Hao Yao, Ze-Hu Liu Department of Dermatology, Hangzhou Third People’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Ze-Hu Liu, Department of Dermatology, Hangzhou Third People’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, West Lake Road 38, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310009, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-571-87827181, Email zehuliu@yahoo.comAbstract: Rosacea is a common dermatosis with multiple pathogeneses, among which, rosacea fulminans may serve as a rare but severe subtype. This inflammatory disease usually presents as abrupt multiple erythema, pustules, and nodules localized on the face. Pregnancy and related changes of hormone levels may play a key role in the development and progression of the disease, although the exact mechanisms are unknown. In particular, treatment options, which includes systemic glucocorticosteroids, isotretinoin, and partial oral antibiotics, may be limited in pregnancy. Owing to the limited number of reported cases, standard diagnosis, treatment, and management guidelines remain unclear. Here, we report a case of rosacea fulminans happening in pregnancy treated successfully with oral erythromycin and short-term glucocorticosteroids, and share our review of the characteristics of RF cases during pregnancy.Keywords: rosacea fulminans, erythromycin, dermatology, pregnancy, ocular involvements

Ying Lu,* Ze-Hui Liu,* Ying-Xiang Li, Hui-Ling Xu, Wei-Huan Fang, Fang He Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine & Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Fang He, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine & Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou, 310058, People’s Republic of China, Email hefangzj@zju.edu.cnBackground: Dendritic cell (DC) targeted antigen delivery is a promising strategy to enhance vaccine efficacy and delivery of therapeutics. Self-assembling peptide-based nanoparticles and virus-like particles (VLPs) have attracted extensive interest as non-replicating vectors for nanovaccine design, based on their unique properties, including molecular specificity, biodegradability and biocompatibility. DCs are specialized antigen-presenting cells involved in antigen capture, processing, and presentation to initiate adaptive immune responses. Using DC-specific ligands for targeted delivery of antigens to DCs may be utilized as a promising strategy to drive efficient and strong immune responses.Methods: In this study, several candidates for DC-binding peptides (DCbps) were individually integrated into C-terminal of porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) Cap, a viral protein that could self-assemble into icosahedral VLPs with 60 subunits. The immunostimulatory adjuvant activity of DC-targeted VLPs was further evaluated in a vaccine model of PCV2 Cap.Results: With transmission electron microscopy (TEM), E. coli expressed Cap-DCbp fusion proteins were observed self-assembled into highly ordered VLPs. Further, in dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis, chimeric VLPs exhibited similar particle size uniformity and narrow size distribution as compared to wild type Cap VLPs. With a distinctly higher targeting efficiency, DCbp3 integrated Cap VLPs (Cap-DCbp3) displayed enhanced antigen uptake and increased elicitation of antigen presentation-related factors in BM-DCs. Mice subcutaneously immunized with Cap-DCbp3 VLPs exhibited significantly higher levels of Cap-specific antibodies, neutralizing antibodies and intracellular cytokines than those with other DCbp integrated or wild type Cap VLPs without any DCbp. Interestingly, Cap-DCbp3 VLPs vaccine induces robust cellular immune response profile, including the efficient production of IFN-γ, IL-2 and IL-10. Meanwhile, the improved proliferation index in lymphocytes with Cap-DCbp3 was also detected as compared to other VLPs.Conclusion: This study described the potential of DC-binding peptides for further improved antigen delivery and vaccine efficacy, explainning nanovaccine optimization in relation to a range of emerging and circulating infectious pathogens.Keywords: dendritic cell-targeted delivery, self-assembling peptide-based nanoparticles, virus-like particles, nanovaccine, enhanced immunogenicity

Zhi-Jia Li,1 Da-Ya Wang,1 Zhi-Hu Liu2 1Department of Urology, Wenzhou Central Hospital, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325000, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Urology, Bei Da Huang Industry Group General Hospital, Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150088, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Zhi-Hu LiuDepartment of Urology, Bei Da Huang Industry Group General Hospital, No. 235, Hashuang Road, Nangang District, Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150088, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86-15804508010Email liuzhihu208@163.comObjective: Bladder cancer is a common malignant tumor of the urinary system, with an incidence ranking the first in the urinary system. Without timely and effective treatment, the tumor may spread to other parts of the body. Traditional partial cystectomy (PC) and plasmakinetic transurethral resection of bladder tumor (PKRBT) are common surgical methods for superficial bladder cancer (SBC). This study aims to clarify the clinical efficacy of bladder carcinoma (BC) patients treated by either PC or PKRBT and their effects on the quality of life (QOL) of patients.Methods: A total of 142 patients with SBC treated in Wenzhou Central Hospital and Bei da huang Industry Group General Hospital from March 2018 to June 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. According to the surgical method, patients undergoing PKRBT were included in the research group (n = 74) while those treated by PC were included in the control group (n = 69). Surgical indicators (intraoperative blood loss, IBL; operating time, OT; bladder irrigation time; catheter retention time; length of hospital stay, LOS), postoperative complication rate, and one-year recurrence rate were compared between the two groups. Besides, the levels of inflammatory factors [tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, IL-10], psychological and emotional scores (Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, SAS; Self-Rating Depression Scale, SDS), and living conditions (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, PSQI) before and after treatment were compared.Results: Compared with the control group, patients in the research group had 1) less IBL, less time of OT, bladder irrigation and indwelling catheter time, as well as shorter postoperative LOS; 2) lower contents of inflammatory factors TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-8, and higher IL-10; 3) lower SAS and SDS scores and higher PSQI; and 4) fewer postoperative complications and lower one-year recurrence rate.Conclusion: Compared with PC, PKRBT contributes to higher efficacy and better postoperative QOL in patients SBC.Keywords: partial cystectomy, plasmakinetic transurethral resection of bladder tumor, superficial bladder cancer, inflammatory factors, SAS, SDS, PSQI

Zhi-He Liu,1 Lin Zhang,2 Fan-Jing Jing,1 Shu-Xin Xiao,1 Yan Gao,1 Hai-Yan Bian,1 Xia Zhao1 1Department of Hematology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266000, Shandong, People’s Republic of China; 2Laboratory of Molecular Diagnosis and Regenerative Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266000, Shandong, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Xia ZhaoDepartment of Hematology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, 16 Jiangsu Road, Shinan District, Qingdao, 266000, Shandong, People’s Republic of ChinaTel/Fax +8653282911201Email alice-xia@163.comPurpose: The role of NLRP3 inflammasome in the progression of many diseases has been increasingly recognized. However, the function of this molecular assembly in the development and progression of B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma remains unclear.Patients and Methods: In this study, we investigated the polymorphisms in the NLRP3 inflammasome associated genes in 281 patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and 385 age- and gender-matched healthy controls.Results: We found that IL-18 (rs1946518) and NFκB-94 ins/del (rs28362491) contributed to susceptibility to B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Specifically, the allele “G” in IL-18 (rs1946518) and allele “ins” in NFκB-94 ins/del (rs28362491) were significantly associated with the risk of disease. The AA genotype of CARD8 (rs2043211) and the higher level of serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) led to statistically poorer B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma survival. Less frequent genotype TT of CARD8 (rs2043211) was observed in patients with higher LDH level, clinical stages III–IV of disease, and IPI 3– 5, although the relationship did not reach statistical significance. However, IPI is an independent prognostic factor for B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.Conclusion: IL-18 (rs1946518) and NFκB-94 ins/del (rs28362491) gene polymorphisms appear to be the factors influencing the risk of B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. CARD8 (rs2043211) polymorphisms are important factors for the survival of patients with this disease.Keywords: NLRP3, inflammasome, B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, susceptibility, survival

Jin-Kai Feng,1,* Ju-Xian Sun,1,* Zong-Han Liu,1,* Jing-Wen Gu,2,* Zhen-Hua Chen,3 Chang Liu,1 Wei-Xing Guo,1 Jie Shi,1 Shu-Qun Cheng1 1Department of Hepatic Surgery VI, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 2College of Basic Medical Sciences, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of General Surgery, Zhejiang Provincial Armed Police Corps Hospital, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Shu-Qun ChengDepartment of Hepatic Surgery VI, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, 225 Changhai Road, Shanghai, 200433, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 21- 81875251Fax +86 21- 65562400Email chengshuqun@aliyun.comBackground: The occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with bile duct tumor thrombus (BDTT) is rare. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for patients with unresectable HCC with BDTT.Methods: This retrospective study was conducted on newly diagnosed HCC and BDTT patients who were initially treated with TACE or conservative management (CM) from 2009 to 2018. Survival outcomes of patients treated with TACE were compared with those of patients given CM. Multivariate analyses were performed to identify independent prognostic factors related to survival.Results: Out of 100 patients included in this study, 40 patients underwent TACE, while the remaining 60 received CM. The median survival time of the TACE group was 8.0 months longer than that of the CM group (13.0 versus 5.0 months, P < 0.001). The 6-, 12-, 18-, 24-month overall survival (OS) rates were 90.0%, 52.5%, 22.5%, and 12.5%, respectively, for the TACE group compared with 26.7%, 8.3%, 5.0%, and 3.3%, respectively, for the CM group. Multivariate analyses showed that treatment allocation (hazard ratio [HR], 0.421; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.243– 0.730; P = 0.002), Child–Pugh status (HR, 2.529; 95% CI, 1.300– 4.920; P = 0.006) and total bilirubin level (HR, 1.007; 95% CI, 1.004– 1.009; P < 0.001) on first admission were independent predictors of OS. There was no procedure-related mortality within one month after TACE treatment.Conclusion: TACE is a safe and effective treatment method that may improve the OS of patients with unresectable HCC with BDTT.Keywords: hepatocellular carcinoma, bile duct tumor thrombus, transarterial chemoembolization, conservative management, overall survival

Zheng-Hong Liu,1 Cheng-Xi Yang,1 Lei Zhang,1 Cong-Ying Yang,1 Xiu-Quan Xu2 1Department of Oncology, The First People’s Hospital of Lianyungang, Lianyungang 222061, People’s Republic of China; 2School of Pharmacy, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Cheng-Xi YangDepartment of Oncology, The First People’s Hospital of Lianyungang, Lianyungang 222061, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail fengw125@126.comXiu-Quan XuSchool of Pharmacy, Jiangsu University, 301, Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang 212013, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail xxq781026@ujs.edu.cnBackground: Baicalein, a natural flavonoid derived from traditional Chinese herb Scutellaria baicalensis Georg (known as Huang Qin in Chinese), has been reported to exhibit notable antitumor activity in various cancer cells, including breast cancer. However, the detailed mechanisms underlying its induced apoptosis as a prooxidant in breast cancer cells are still unknown.Materials and methods: In this study, we investigated the effect of endogenous copper on cytotoxic activity of baicalin against human breast cancer MCF-7 cells in vitro.Results: Baicalein could remarkably reduce the cell viability in both dose- and time-dependent manners in MCF-7 cells but with lower cytotoxic effects on normal breast epithelial cells, MCF-10A. Such cell death could be prevented by pretreatment with Cu (I)-specific chelator neocuproine (Neo) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavengers. Meanwhile, baicalein could induce MCF-7 cell morphological changes, promote apoptotic cell death and increase the apoptotic cell number. Moreover, DCHF-DA staining, flow cytometry and Western blotting analyses proved that baicalein triggered the mitochondrial-dependent apoptotic pathway, as indicated by enhancement the level of intracellular ROS, disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), downregulation of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2, upregulation of pro-apoptotic protein Bax, release of cytochrome C and activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3 in MCF-7 cells. The pretreatment with Neo remarkably weakened these effects of baicalein. Furthermore, we confirmed that the prooxidant action of baicalein involved the direct production of hydroxyl radicals through redox recycling of copper ions.Conclusion: These findings suggested that baicalein, acting as a prooxidant, could trigger apoptosis in MCF-7 cells occurs via the ROS-mediated intrinsic mitochondria-dependent pathway.Keywords: baicalein, human breast cancer MCF-7 cells, apoptosis, mitochondria-dependent pathways, prooxidant

Mingzhi Xie,1 Yufeng Lv,2 Zhihui Liu,1 Jingyan Zhang,1 Chaoyong Liang,1 Xiaoli Liao,1 Rong Liang,1 Yan Lin,1 Yongqiang Li1 1First Department of Chemotherapy, Medical Oncology, Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, P.R. China; 2Department of Oncology, Affiliated Langdong Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, P.R. China Purpose: Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is one of the most common cancers with high mortality worldwide. However, biomarkers for predicting prognosis in ccRCC are limited. In this study, we attempted to identify potential prognostic biomarkers of ccRCC. Methods: Clinical information and the preprocessed ccRCC mature miRNA expression profiles in The Cancer Genome Atlas database were downloaded from UCSC Xena. The miRNAs differentially expressed between ccRCCs and matched normal tissues were analyzed using the “limma” package. A miRNA-based signature was constructed using the multivariate Cox regression model with prognosis index (PI) formula. Patients with ccRCC were divided into low-risk and high-risk subgroups according to median PI. The survival times were compared between the two groups using Kaplan–Meier analysis with log-rank test. The training set was used to construct a miRNA-based signature for predicting prognosis. The test set was used to verify the signature. Target gene prediction and functional enrichment analysis of the four miRNAs were performed using miRNet. Results: We identified four miRNAs, miRNA-21-5p, miRNA-9-5p, miR-149-5p, and miRNA-30b-5p, as independent prognostic indicators. Next, we used these four miRNAs to construct a four-miRNA PI for each patient. Results revealed that patients in the high-risk group (n=119) had significantly shorter survival time than those in the low-risk group (n=118) (high-risk/low-risk group log-rank P=0.000). This four-miRNA signature is an independent prognostic factor compared with routine clinicopathological features in the test set. These miRNAs targeted 1,634 genes, and a miRNA-target gene network was constructed using miRNet. The target genes of these four miRNAs were involved in various pathways related to cancer. Conclusion: Our observations suggest that the four-miRNA signature correlated with the survival of patients with ccRCC and can be used as a prognostic biomarker of ccRCC. Keywords: ccRCC, miRNA signature, overall survival, prognostic biomarkers

Zhihua Liu, Yan Cai, Jincai He Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China Purpose: Although previous studies have investigated oxidative stress biomarkers in association with depression in non-stroke subjects, the association between oxidative deoxyribonucleic acid damage and post-stroke depression (PSD) remains unelucidated. Patients and methods: Two hundred forty-one first-ever ischemic stroke patients were consecutively recruited within the first 24 h of stroke onset and were followed up at 1 month. Serum 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and catalase (CAT) levels were measured within 24 h of admission using a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The 17-item Hamilton Depression Scale was used to evaluate depressive symptoms. Diagnosis of PSD was made in line with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition criteria for depression. Results: Serum levels of 8-OHdG (P

Jin-Kai Feng, Ju-Xian Sun, Zong-Han Liu, Shu-Qun Cheng Department of Hepatic Surgery VI, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, 200433, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Shu-Qun ChengEastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, 225 Changhai Road, Shanghai, 200433, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 21-81875251Fax +86 21-65562400Email chengshuqun@aliyun.com Dear editorWe read with great interest the recently published article in Cancer Management and Research by Yang et al, 1 in which they conducted a retrospective study to compare the long-term prognosis between hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) and those with bile duct tumor thrombus (BDTT). The authors reported that HCC patients with BDTT had worse overall survival (OS) and a higher tumor recurrence rate compared to patients with PVTT. This article, with its novelty and clinical implication, adds to the current knowledge and provides the rationale for further study to assess the prognostic differences among HCC patients with distinct types of tumor thrombus. However, we would like to raise the following concerns.First, the number of patients in this study is too small to draw a conclusive result regarding whether the prognosis of BDTT patients is inferior or superior to that of PVTT patients. Sufficient sample size is a critical factor to guarantee the validity and credibility of scientific reports. Therefore, we suggest the authors enlarge the sample size. View the original paper by Yang and colleaguesA Response to Letter has been published for this article.

Zihao Liu, Ying Liang, Honghua Wang, Zhenhe Lu, Jinsheng Chen, Qiaodong Huang, Lei Sheng, Yinghong Ma, Huiying Du, Qingjuan GongDepartment of Pain Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China Abstract: Neuropathic pain is a common and refractory chronic pain that affects millions of people worldwide. Its underlying mechanisms are still unclear, but they may involve long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), which play crucial roles in a variety of biological functions, including nociception. We used microarrays to investigate the possible interactions between lncRNAs and neuropathic pain and identified 22,213 lncRNAs and 19,528 mRNAs in the spinal cord in a mouse model of spared nerve injury (SNI)-induced neuropathic pain. The abundance levels of 183 lncRNAs and 102 mRNAs were significantly modulated by both SNI and administration of minocycline. A quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis validated expression changes in three lncRNAs (NR_015491, ENSMUST00000174263, and ENSMUST00000146263). Class distribution analysis of differentially expressed lncRNAs revealed intergenic lncRNAs as the largest category. Functional analysis indicated that SNI-induced gene regulations might be involved in the activities of cytokines (IL17A and IL17F) and chemokines (CCL2, CCL5, and CCL7), whereas minocycline might exert a pain-alleviating effect on mice through actin binding, thereby regulating nociception by controlling the cytoskeleton. Thus, lncRNAs might be responsible for SNI-induced neuropathic pain and the attenuation caused by minocycline. Our study could implicate lncRNAs as potential targets for future treatment of neuropathic pain. Keywords: LncRNA, neuropathic pain, spinal cord, minocycline

Nan Jiang,1,2 Pinggong Du,2 Weidong Qu,2 Lin Li,2 Zhonghao Liu,2 Songsong Zhu1 1State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases and Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 2Yantai City Stomatological Hospital, Yantai, People’s Republic of China Abstract: For several decades, titanium and its alloys have been commonly utilized for endosseous implantable materials, because of their good mechanical properties, chemical resistance, and biocompatibility. But associated low bone mass, wear and loss characteristics, and high coefficients of friction have limited their long-term stable performance, especially in certain abnormal bone-metabolism conditions, such as postmenopausal osteoporosis. In this study, we investigated the effects of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment and TiO2 nanoporous modification on the stability of titanium implants in osteoporotic bone. After surface morphology, topographical structure, and chemical changes of implant surface had been detected by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy, contact-angle measurement, and X-ray diffraction, we firstly assessed in vivo the effect of PRP treatment on osseointegration of TiO2-modified implants in ovariectomized rats by microcomputed tomography examinations, histology, biomechanical testing, and SEM observation. Meanwhile, the potential molecular mechanism involved in peri-implant osseous enhancement was also determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The results showed that this TiO2-modified surface was able to lead to improve bone implant contact, while PRP treatment was able to increase the implant surrounding bone mass. The synergistic effect of both was able to enhance the terminal force of implants drastically in biomechanical testing. Compared with surface modification, PRP treatment promoted earlier osteogenesis with increased expression of the RUNX2 and COL1 genes and suppressed osteoclastogenesis with increased expression of OPG and decreased levels of RANKL. These promising results show that PRP treatment combined with a TiO2-nanomodified surface can improve titanium-implant biomechanical stability in ovariectomized rats, suggesting a beneficial effect to support the success of implants in osteoporotic bone. Keywords: TiO2 nanotubes, PRP, titanium implants, ovariectomized rats

Wei-Wei Tang,1 Zi-Hao Liu,2 Tong-Xin Yang,2 Han-Jin Wang,1 Xiu-Feng Cao2 1Department of General Surgery, 2Department of Surgical Oncology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China Abstract: Esophageal cancer is a common type of cancer in the People’s Republic of China. Many genes have been reported to be linked with it. Melanoma antigen gene family A (MAGEA) genes are frequently highly expressed in various types of carcinoma. However, the specific role of MAGEA gene expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) still remains unclear. MAGEA4 is a member of MAGEA genes. We aimed to investigate the expression and prognosis of MAGEA4 expression in ESCC. MAGEA4 messenger RNA expression levels of 120 pairs of tumor and nontumor tissues of patients with ESCC were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The results showed that MAGEA4 messenger RNA was significantly elevated in tumor tissues of patients with ESCC compared to nontumor ones. In addition, overexpression of MAGEA4 messenger RNA was significantly correlated with poorer overall survival (P=0.018) in early stage of patients with ESCC (I–IIA). In conclusion, MAGEA4 played an important role in the early stage of ESCC and overexpression of MAGEA4 was expected to become a potential prognostic marker for patients with early stage of ESCC. Keywords: ESCC, metastasis, expression, survival, prognosis

Qi-ping Zeng,* Zhi-hong Liu,* Ai-wen Huang, Jing Zhang, Hong-tao Song Department of Pharmacy, Fuzhou General Hospital of Nanjing Command PLA, Fuzhou, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: The pharmacological activity of herbal medicine is an overall action of each component in accordance with their original proportion. An efficient, sustained, and controlled-release drug delivery system of herbal medicine should ensure the synchronized drug release of each active component during the entire release procedure. In this study, silymarin (SM), a poorly soluble herbal medicine, was selected as a model drug to develop a synchronized-release drug delivery system: an SM microporous osmotic pump (MPOP) tablet. The SM was conjugated with phospholipid (SM phytosome complex, SM-PC) to improve the solubility, and the difference in the apparent octanol–water partition coefficient between the two components was significantly reduced. The dissolution rate of SM-PC was significantly higher than SM active pharmaceutical ingredients and was the same as that of the commercial SM capsule. The SM-PC was used to generate the MPOP tablet. SM was mixed with poly(ethylene) oxide and sodium chloride (an osmotic agent) to form the MPOP core, followed by coating with cellulose acetate and poly(ethylene) oxide to generate the SM MPOP. The results demonstrated that SM MPOP could synchronically and sustainably release the five active components within 12 hours (the similar coefficient f2 between two components was >65), and the average cumulative release rate was 85%. Fitting of the drug-release curve showed a zero-order release profile for SM MPOP. Our study showed that the phytosome complex technique combined with the MPOP system will achieve synchronized release of the various active components of herbal medicine and have potential applications in developing sustained release preparations in herbal medicine. Keywords: silymarin, synchronized release, sustained release, phytosome complex, microporous osmotic pump tablets, dissolution test

Hao-Ting Sun,1,2,* Xin Wen,3,* Tian Han,4,* Zhen-Hua Liu,5 Shao-Bo Li,1 Ji-Gang Wang,1 Xiu-Ping Liu61Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 2Department of General Surgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 3Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Canton, Guangdong Province, 4Key Lab of Myopia, Ministry of Health, Department of Ophthalmology, Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, 5Urology Department and Institute of Urology, Peking University First Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, 6Department of Pathology, The Fifth People’s Hospital of Shanghai, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workAims: Cytoplasmic polyadenylation element binding proteins (CPEBs) are RNA-binding proteins that regulate translation by inducing cytoplasmic polyadenylation. CPEB4 has been reported in association with tumor growth, vascularization, and invasion in several cancers. To date, the expression of CPEB4 with clinical prognosis of breast cancer was never reported before. We aim to investigate the expression of CPEB4 and its prognostic significance in invasive ductal breast carcinoma.Methods: Immunohistochemical staining of CPEB4 and estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor was performed in 107 invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) samples, and prognostic significance was evaluated.Results: High expression of CPEB4 was observed in 48.6% of IDC samples. Elevated CPEB4 expression was possibly related to increased histological grading (P=0.037) and N stage (P

Wei-Wei Tang,1,* Qingquan Wu,3,* Su-Qing Li,1 Yu-Suo Tong,1 Zi-Hao Liu,1 Tong-Xin Yang,1 Yong Xu,1,2 Xiu-Feng Cao1 1Department of Surgical Oncology, Nanjing First Hospital, 2Cancer Center, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Huaian No 1 People’s Hospital, Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China *Indicates both are first authors Abstract: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), transcripts as longer than 200 nt in length with a great number of varieties in human genomics, play important roles in the regulation of genetics and epigenetics including gene transcription and post-transcription. Increasing evidence have demonstrated the upregulation of lncRNAs in tumorigenesis and metastasis of esophageal cancer (EC), a type of malignant tumors particularly in Asia. In this review, we briefly discuss the profiles and functions of lncRNAs involved in the progression of EC, which may provide a new approach to improve EC diagnosis and treatment. Keywords: long non-coding RNAs, esophageal cancer, biomarker, review

Liangpeng Ge,1–5,* Qingtao Li,2,3,* Junzi Jiang,2,3 Xiaoyan You,1 Zuohua Liu,1 Wen Zhong,6 Yong Huang,1 Malcolm MQ Xing2,31Chongqing Academy of Animal Sciences, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada; 3Manitoba Institute of Child Health, Winnipeg, MB, Canada; 4Key Laboratory of Pig Industry Sciences, Ministry of Agriculture,Chongqing, People’s Republic of China; 5Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pig Industry Sciences, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China; 6Department of Textile Sciences, Faculty of Human Ecology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada*These authors contributed equally to this workAbstract: Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a serious health issue affecting many adult women. Complications of POP include pelvic pressure, pelvic pain, and problems in emptying their bowels or bladder. Sometimes, POP may even cause urinary outflow obstruction and lead to bladder or kidney infections. Currently, synthetic and naturally derived materials have been chosen for treatment of POP to reduce the high recurrence rates after surgical interventions. However, existing materials for POP treatment cannot meet the clinical requirements in terms of biocompatibility, mechanics, and minimal risk of rejection. Especially, erosion in synthetic polymers and rapid degradation in natural polymers limit their further applications in clinics. To address these concerns, we report a novel POP replacement using core–sheath polystyrene/gelatin electrospun nanofiber mesh. The outside gelatin sheath provides a hydrophilic surface and implantable integrity between host and guest, while the inner PS core offers the necessary mechanical support. The composite mesh shows graft accommodation in pelvic submucosa after implantation in vivo, as shown in hematoxylin–eosin staining and T helper cell phenotype and macrophage phenotype stainings. Qualitative analysis of inducible nitric oxide synthase, arginase, interferon-γ, and interleukin-10 gene expressions also indicates that the implanted composite mesh switches to accommodation mode 2 weeks postimplantation. Thus, these novel core–sheath polystyrene/gelatin nanofibrous membranes are promising in pelvic reconstruction.Keywords: core-sheath nanofibrous patch, polystyrene, gelatin, pelvic reconstruction

CABYR is a protein that regulates calcium-binding tyrosine phosphorylation located in sperm flagella, which increases significantly during sperm capacitation and is primarily involved in sperm capacitation and motility. This study aimed to analyze the expression regulation pattern, sequence characteristics and potential biological function of CABYR gene in Banna mini-pig inbred line (BMI). The testes of adult BMI boars were used for RNA-seq; the complete coding sequence of CABYR was cloned; the sequence, structural characteristics, interacting proteins, KEGG and GO of CABYR were analyzed; the ceRNA regulatory network of CABYR was built using RNA-seq data. The average expression level and TPM value of CABYR gene obtained by RNA-seq was 11 187.50 and 225.29, respectively. The full-length CDS of CABYR was 1149 bp (GenBank accession number: OK042309) encoding 382 amino acids (GenBank login number: UYO37316). The amino acid sequence alignment analysis of multiple species revealed that the similarity between BMI and other species exceeded 73%, indicating a relatively conserved sequence. The CABYR protein was found to contain the DD_CABYR_SP17 conserved domain, the results of species phylogenetic tree analysis met the clustering criteria. Other analyses, including protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks, KEGG, and GO, revealed that BMI CABYR interacts with 50 proteins involved in a variety of functions, such as sexual reproduction and reproductive processes. CABYR was involved in 7 GOs, including five cellular components, one molecular functions, and one biological processes, according to functional annotation. Six miRNAs were found to regulate the CABYR gene via targeted interactions. Additionally, 8, 6, and 1 lncRNAs were found to interact with ssc-miR-4331-3p, ssc-miR-744, and ssc-miR-491, respectively, in association with CABYR. This study examines the expression of CABYR in the testis of BMI, as well as its molecular structure characteristics and expression regulatory network. These findings provide a foundation for future research on the involvement of the CABYR gene in spermatogenesis processes in BMI pigs, particularly in relation to crucial biological processes such as sperm motility and fibrous sheath development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nano-ZnO/transition metal composites (NZTC) were prepared via sol-gel method where transition metal (Cu2+, Ag+, Co2+ and Ni2+) and ZnSO4 were used as the substrate. NZTC was characterized using scanning electronic microscope (SEM), ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer (UV), fluorescence spectrophotometer (XRF), infrared spectrometer (IR), and so on. The photocatalytic degradation behaviors of nano-ZnO and NZTC for formaldehyde in gas and solution were investigated. The results indicated that nano-ZnO and NZTC could achieve the degradation of formaldehyde by photocatalytic process, and the degradation rates were up to 43.75% and 67.2% in gas and solution, respectively, thus thereby leading to good application prospects in the degradation of organic compounds.

Purposes For improving the mechanical properties of GO incorporated cement paste, two types of nano-silica (crystalline and amorphous) and coal-bearing metakaolin (CMK) were used seprately to improve GO dispersion in cement paste. Methods UV-vis spectrophotometry was used to investigate the effects of ultrasound time and different dosages of amorphous nano-silica (ANS) and crystalline nano-silica (CNS) on the dispersion of GO in saturated calcium hydroxide solution. The effects of different particle materials on GO dispersion were characterized by using compressive strength results. The dehydration and decomposition processes of various phases of hydration products were observed by thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, and the effect of adding different particle materials and GO on the pore structure of cement paste was analyzed by mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP). Findings According to UV-vis spectroscopic study, when the contents of ANS and CNS were 2% and 1.5% by weight of cement, respectively, GO dispersion in saturated Ca(OH)2 solution is improved greatly. Compared with two nano-silicas, CMK is more effective to improve the compressive strength of GO incorporated cement paste. At the age of 28 d, the flexural strength and compressive strength of the cement paste incorporated with 4% CMK and 0.03% GO are 26.93% and 30.41%, respectively, higher than those of a plain cement paste sample. The results of TG and MIP tests showed that the pozzolanic reaction of CMK can effectively refine the pore structure of cement paste, improve GO dispersion, and enhance the bonding between hydration products and GO, which is the main reason why CMK can effectively improve the mechanical properties of GO incorporated cement paste.

Optoelectronic synaptic devices have been regarded as the key component in constructing neuromorphic computing systems. However, the optoelectronic synapses based on conventional 2D transistor are still suffering low photosensitivity and volatile retention behavior, which can affect the recognition accuracy and long-term memory. Here, a novel optoelectronic synaptic device based on surface-state-rich CdSe nanobelt photosensitized 2D MoS2 transistor is demonstrated. Benefiting from the excellent light absorption of CdSe and effective charge trapping at the hetero-interface, the device exhibits not only high photosensitivity but also long retention time (>1,500 s). In addition, typical synaptic functions including the excitatory postsynaptic current, paired-pulse facilitation, the transformation from short-term to long-term plasticity, the transformation from short-term to long-term plasticity, spike-amplitude-dependent plasticity, and learning-forgetting-relearning process are successfully simulated and modulated by light stimulation. Most importantly, an artificial neural network is simulated based on the optical potentiation and electrical habituation characteristics of the synaptic devices, with recognition accuracy rates of 89.2, 93.8, and 91.9 % for file type datasets, small digits, and large digits are achieved. This study demonstrates a simple and efficient way to fabricate highly photosensitive optoelectronic synapse for artificial neural networks by combining the merits of specific materials and device architecture.

Two-dimensional (2D) layered materials without centrosymmetry, such as GaSe, have emerged as promising novel optical materials due to large second-order nonlinear susceptibilities. However, their nonlinear responses are severely limited by the short interaction between the 2D materials and light, which should be improved by coupling them with photonic structures with strong field confinement. Here, we theoretically design photonic crystal circular Bragg gratings (CBG) based on hole gratings with a quality factor as high as Q = 8 × 103, a mode volume as small as V = 1.18 (λ/n)3, and vertical emission of light field in silicon nitride thin film platform. Experimentally, we achieved a Q value up to nearly 4 × 103, resulting in a 1,200-fold enhancement of second harmonic generation from GaSe flakes with a thickness of 50 nm coupling to the CBG structures under continuous-wave excitation. Our work endows silicon-based photonic platforms with significant second-order nonlinear effect, which is potentially applied in on-chip quantum light sources and nonlinear frequency conversion.

Abstract Background This study was intended to investigate the correlation between depression and suicidal ideation among Chinese college students during the COVID-19 pandemic and the potential mediating roles of chronotype and sleep quality in this relationship . Methods A sample of 4,768 college students was selected from four institutions in Anhui Province, China, and the study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic (November to December 2020) using a stratified, cluster, multi-stage sampling method. This study used the two-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2) to assess depressive symptoms, the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire 19 (MEQ-19) to determine individual sleep chronotypes (i.e., morning or evening preference), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) to evaluate sleep quality. Participants were asked about suicidal ideation. MPLUS 8.3 software was used to analyze the mediating effect of chronotype and sleep quality on the relationship between depression and suicidal ideation. Results During the COVID-19 pandemic, the prevalence of suicidal ideation among Chinese college students was 5.4%. Depression was inversely correlated with chronotype (beta = − 0.346, P

In 2024, the Chinese Meridian Project (CMP) completed its construction, deploying 282 instruments across 31 stations. This achievement not only provides a robust foundation but also serves as a reference template for the International Meridian Circle Program (IMCP). The IMCP aims to integrate and establish a comprehensive network of ground-based monitoring stations designed to track the propagation of space weather events from the Sun to Earth. Additionally, it monitors various disturbances generated within the Earth system that impact geospace. Over the past two years, significant progress has been made on the IMCP. In particular, the second phase of construction for the China-Brazil Joint Laboratory for Space Weather has been completed, and the North Pole and Southeast Asia networks are under active construction. The 2024 IMCP joint observation campaign was successfully conducted. To facilitate these developments, the scientific program committee of IMCP was established, following the success of 2023 IMCP workshop and the space weather school, which was co-hosted with the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (APSCO) and sponsored by Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Scientific Committee on Solar-Terrestrial Physics (SCOSTEP). Preparations are now underway for the 2024 workshop in collaboration with the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) in Brazil.

Abstract To develop the Head and Neck Cancer Psychosocial Distress Scale (HNCPDS) with the aim of identifying high-risk individuals for psychosocial distress among patients, and to assess its reliability, validity and applicability. Using the classical test theory, a total of 435 head and neck cancer patients from six tertiary hospitals in China were recruited for developing the HNCPDS. Delphi expert consultation and item analysis were used to improve the content validity of the preliminary HNCPDS. Factor analysis (FA) and Structural equation modeling (SEM) were used to test the structural validity of HNCPDS. Cronbach's alpha coefficient, Spearman-Brown coefficient and Intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) were used to test the internal consistency and retest reliability of HNCPDS. Multiple stepped-linear regression was used to analyze the risk factors of psychological disorder, and Pearson correlation coefficient was used to analyze the correlation between psychosocial distress and quality of life (QOL). The HNCPDS consisted of 14 items, which were divided into 3 subscales: 3 items for cancer discrimination, 5 items for anxiety and depression, and 6 items for social phobia. The HNCPDS had good validity [KMO coefficient was 0.947, Bartlett’s test was 5027.496 (P

AIM: To investigate the effects of placement of the absorbable packing material Nasopore around the anastomosis site on postoperative re-bleeding, discomfort, and on the success rate of endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy(En-DCR).METHODS: Prospective randomized controlled study. A total of 101 patients(101 eyes)diagnosed with chronic dacryocystitis that underwent En-DCR in the ophthalmology department, Renmin Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine from November 2020 to October 2021 were collected. The patients were randomly divided into two groups according to whether they were packed with Nasopore at the end of operation, namely, the packed group(49 eyes)and the non-packed group(52 eyes). The postoperative follow-up was 9 mo, the degree of re-bleeding, discomfort, and postoperative success rate(including anatomical success rate and functional success rate)were compared between the two groups of patients.RESULTS: This study included 94 patients, including 45(45 eyes)and 49(49 eyes)in packed group and non-packed group, respectively. The En-DCR was performed successfully in all patients. Postoperative re-bleeding occurred in 1 eye(2%)in the packed group, and 9 eyes(18%)in the non-packed group(P0.05). The postoperative functional success rate was 89%(40/45)in the packed group and 86%(42/49)in the non-packed group(P>0.05). Other complications such as orbital fat prolapse, cerebrospinal fluid leakage, sinusitis, visual impairment and double vision were not observed in all patients during the follow-up.CONCLUSION: Nasal packing absorbable material Nasopore around the anastomosis at the end of En-DCR operation can reduce postoperative re-bleeding and postoperative discomfort of patients, and it has no obvious effect on the postoperative success rate.

C17H12FN3O, orthorhombic, Pbca (no. 61), a = 14.7608(7) Å, b = 7.2802(4) Å, c = 24.4842(13) Å, V = 2,631.1(2) Å3, Z = 8, Rgt(F) = 0.0900, wRref(F2) = 0.1841, T = 170 K.

C16H16N2O2, orthorhombic, P212121 (no. 19), a = 9.370(2) Å, b = 10.265(2) Å, c = 15.863(4) Å, V = 1525.8(6) Å3, Z = 4, R gt(F) = 0.0753, wRref (F 2) = 0.198, T = 273 K.

Purposes The economic dispatch of Integrated Energy Systems (IES) is a key research topic of energy technology reform, inherently a complex Mixed-Integer Nonlinear Programming problem. Traditional optimization methods have high computational complexity and struggle to adapt to the source-load uncertainty in IES coupled with renewable energy systems. Utilizing Deep Reinforcement Learning to decompose and accelerate the original problem enhances the efficiency of the IES economic dispatch model. Methods To address these issues, in this paper, an IES optimization dispatch framework based on an improved Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO) algorithm is proposed. The PPO algorithm is used to approximate some variables of the nonlinear constraints in the original model, converting them into linear constraints to speed up the solution. Findings The effectiveness and efficiency of this method over others are validated through case studies, predicting significant computational advantages in large-scale IES optimization problems.

Objective: In order to solve the phenomenon of low mechanical shelling efficiency and high kernel breakage rate of hazelnut, a vertical cone shell breaking machine was designed with automatic adjustment of clearance through compression spring. Methods: The key structure of the shell breaker was composed of three core components: the vertical cone inner roller, the slatted screen outer roller and the pressure spring device, and the stress of the hazelnuts in the shelling cavity of the shell breaker was analyzed. Results: The main parameters of the vertical cone hazelnut shell breaker were determined: the taper of the uniform cone was 30°, the inclination angle of the inner roller bus was 75°, the half cone angle was 15°, the surface groove was spiral, the groove depth was 3 mm, the inclination angle of the outer roller bus was 73°, the half cone angle was 17°, the free stroke of the compression spring design was 230 mm, the middle warp was 160 mm, the wire diameter was 24 mm, the effective number of turns was 6, the total number of turns was 8, and the effective speed range of the inner roller was 229.2～881.5 r/min. Conclusion: This design can automatically adjust the compression amount of the vertical cone shell breaker and adjust the shell breaking gap through the feeding amount, which can adapt to the fruit shape size of different hazelnuts, so that the hazelnut shelling efficiency and kernel preparation rate can be improved.

The mechanical properties of rolled 7075 aluminum alloy treated by non-isothermal retrogression and re-aging can exceed the traditional peak aging (T6) and isothermal retrogression and re-aging. After non-isothermal retrogression and re-aging (NIA 180/60) treatment, compared with the T6 state alloy, the alloy has obvious grain boundary precipitate-free zone, and the tensile strength is increased from 558 ± 1.2 MPa to 611 ± 1 MPa. The main mechanism leading to the increase of mechanical properties is precipitation strengthening, followed by grain boundary strengthening, which is not related to crystal orientation, dislocation strengthening and solid solution strengthening. During the non-isothermal retrogression and re-aging treatment, the partial dissolution of the existing precipitates (GP zone and η′ phase), the growth of the remaining precipitates and the precipitation of new η′ phase, as well as the secondary precipitation in the re-aging stage, lead to the increase of the size and density of the intragranular precipitates compared with the T6 state alloy, and the maximum precipitation strengthening effect is obtained. This paper also discusses the relationship between performance changes and microstructure, which can provide a reference for optimizing the regression re-aging process.

No intervention definitively extends transplant-free survival in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). Statins, inhibitors of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR), may enhance PSC prognosis, but their efficacy is debated.

Objective(s): Wnt5a, which regulates the activities of osteoblasts and osteoclasts, is reportedly overexpressed in osteoarthritis (OA) tissues. The purpose of this study was to elucidate its role in the development of OA by deleting Wnt5a in osteocalcin (OCN)-expressing cells.Materials and Methods: Knee OA was induced by anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) in OCN-Cre;Wnt5afl/fl knockout (Wnt5a-cKO) mice and control littermates. Eight weeks after surgery, histological changes, cell apoptosis, and matrix metabolism of cartilage were evaluated by toluidine blue, TUNEL staining, and im-immunohistochemistry analyses, respectively. In addition, the subchondral bone microarchitecture of mice was examined by micro-computed tomography (micro-CT).Results: Histological scores show substantial cartilage degeneration occurred in ACLT knees, coupled with decreased collagen type II expression and enhanced matrix metalloproteinase 13 expression, as well as higher proportions of apoptotic cells. Micro-CT results show that ACLT resulted in decreased bone mineral density, bone volume/trabecular volume, trabecular number, and structure model index of subchondral bones in both Wnt5a-cKO and control littermates; although Wnt5a-cKO mice display lower BMD and BV/TV values, no significant difference was observed between Wnt5a-cKO and control mice for any of these values. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that Wnt5a deficiency in OCN-expressing cells could not prevent an osteoarthritic phenotype in a mouse model of post-traumatic OA.

Through a close examination of various platforms and content offered by the top three Chinese streaming services, iQiyi, Tencent Video and YouKu, this study provides an overview of these services’ international operation and starts mapping out the global presence of Chinese pop culture content.

This study aimed to elucidate the influence of various culture medium components, including carbon sources, nitrogen sources, inorganic salts, suspension agents, and temperature, on the mycelial growth characteristics of Phallus dongsun. Employing single-factor experiments and response surface methodology within glass Petri dishes, the research identified that carrot powder, soybean powder, and ZnSO4 notably enhanced the proliferation of aerial mycelium, significantly augmenting the growth rate of P. dongsun mycelium. The resultant mycelium was observed to be dense, robust, and fluffy in texture. In particular, ZnSO4 markedly accelerated the mycelium growth rate. Furthermore, xanthan gum was found to effectively modulate the medium’s viscosity, ensuring a stable suspension and facilitating nutrient equilibrium. The optimal cultivation temperature was determined to be 25°C, with mycelial growth ceasing below 5°C and mycelium perishing at temperatures exceeding 35°C. The optimal medium composition was established as follows: wheat starch 5 g/l, carrot powder 5 g/l, soybean powder 7.50 g/l, glucose 10 g/l, ZnSO4 0.71 g/l, NH4Cl 0.68 g/l, xanthan gum 0.5 g/l, and agar 20 g/l. Under these optimized conditions, the mycelium of P. dongsun exhibited a rapid growth rate (1.04 ± 0.14 mm/day), characterized by a thick, dense, and well-developed structure. This investigation provides a theoretical foundation for the conservation, strain selection, and breeding of P. dongsun.

Abstract Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a non‐interposition imaging technique that provides rich anatomical and physiological information. Yet it is limited by the long imaging time. Recently, deep neural networks have shown potential to significantly accelerate MRI. However, most of these approaches ignore the correlation between adjacent slices in MRI image sequences. In addition, the existing deep learning‐based methods for MRI are mainly based on convolutional neural networks (CNNs). They fail to capture long‐distance dependencies due to the small receptive field. Inspired by the feature similarity in adjacent slices and impressive performance of Transformer for exploiting the long‐distance dependencies, a novel multislice texture transformer network is presented for undersampled MRI reconstruction (TTMRI). Specifically, the proposed TTMRI is consisted of four modules, namely the texture extraction, correlation calculation, texture transfer and texture synthesis. It takes three adjacent slices as inputs, in which the middle one is the target image to be reconstructed, and the other two are auxiliary images. The multiscale features are extracted by the texture extraction module and their inter‐dependencies are calculated by the correlation calculation module, respectively. Then the relevant features are transferred by the texture transfer module and fused by the texture synthesis module. By considering inter‐slice correlations and leveraging the Transformer architecture, the joint feature learning across target and adjacent slices are encouraged. Moreover, TTMRI can be stacked with multiple layers to recover more texture information at different levels. Extensive experiments demonstrate that the proposed TTMRI outperforms other state‐of‐the‐art methods in both quantitative and qualitative evaluationsions.

Abstract Background Ensuring the safety of dental unit waterlines (DUWLs) has become a pivotal issue in dental care practices, focusing on the health implications for both patients and healthcare providers. The inherent structure and usage conditions of DUWLs contribute to the risk of biofilm formation and bacterial growth, highlighting the need for effective disinfection solutions.The quest for a disinfection method that is both safe for clinical use and effective against pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli in DUWLs underscores the urgency of this research. Materials Chlorine dioxide disinfectants at concentrations of 5, 20, and 80 mg/L were used to treat biofilms of S. aureus and E. coli cultured in DUWLs. The disinfection effectiveness was assessed through bacterial counts and culturing. Simultaneously, human skin fibroblast cells were treated with the disinfectant to observe changes in cell morphology and cytotoxicity. Additionally, the study included corrosion tests on various metals (carbon steel, brass, stainless steel, aluminum, etc.). Results Experimental results showed that chlorine dioxide disinfectants at concentrations of 20 mg/L and 80 mg/L significantly reduced the bacterial count of S. aureus and E. coli, indicating effective disinfection. In terms of cytotoxicity, higher concentrations were more harmful to cellular safety, but even at 80 mg/L, the cytotoxicity of chlorine dioxide remained within controllable limits. Corrosion tests revealed that chlorine dioxide disinfectants had a certain corrosive effect on carbon steel and brass, and the degree of corrosion increased with the concentration of the disinfectant. Conclusion After thorough research, we recommend using chlorine dioxide disinfectant at a concentration of 20 mg/L for significantly reducing bacterial biofilms in dental unit waterlines (DUWLs). This concentration also ensures satisfactory cell safety and metal corrosion resistance.

SignificanceThe mechanization, automation and intelligentization of agricultural equipment are key factors to improve operation efficiency, free up labor force and promote the sustainable development of agriculture. It is also the hot spot of research and development of agricultural machinery industry in the future. In China, hills and mountains serves as vital production bases for agricultural products, accounting for about 70% of the country's land area. In addition, these regions face various environmental factors such as steep slopes, narrow road, small plots, complex terrain and landforms, as well as harsh working environment. Moreover, there is a lack of reliable agricultural machinery support across various production stages, along with a shortage of theoretical frameworks to guide the research and development of agricultural machinery tailored to hilly and mountainous locales.ProgressThis article focuses on the research advances of tractor leveling and anti-overturning systems in hilly and mountainous areas, including tractor body, cab and seat leveling technology, tractor rear suspension and implement leveling slope adaptive technology, and research progress on tractor anti-overturning protection devices and warning technology. The vehicle body leveling mechanism can be roughly divided into five types based on its different working modes: parallel four bar, center of gravity adjustable, hydraulic differential high, folding and twisting waist, and omnidirectional leveling. These mechanisms aim to address the issue of vehicle tilting and easy overturning when traversing or working on sloping or rugged roads. By keeping the vehicle body posture horizontal or adjusting the center of gravity within a stable range, the overall driving safety of the vehicle can be improved to ensure the accuracy of operation. Leveling the driver's cab and seats can mitigate the lateral bumps experienced by the driver during rough or sloping operations, reducing driver fatigue and minimizing strain on the lumbar and cervical spine, thereby enhancing driving comfort. The adaptive technology of tractor rear suspension and implement leveling on slopes can ensure that the tractor maintains consistent horizontal contact with the ground in hilly and mountainous areas, avoiding changes in the posture of the suspended implement with the swing of the body or the driving path, which may affect the operation effect. The tractor rollover protection device and warning technology have garnered significant attention in recent years. Prioritizing driver safety, rollover warning system can alert the driver in advance of the dangerous state of the tractor, automatically adjust the vehicle before rollover, or automatically open the rollover protection device when it is about to rollover, and timely send accident reports to emergency contacts, thereby ensuring the safety of the driver to the greatest extent possible.Conclusions and ProspectsThe future development directions of hill and mountain tractor leveling, anti-overturning early warning, unmanned, automatic technology were looked forward: Structure optimization, high sensitivity, good stability of mountain tractor leveling system research; Study on copying system of agricultural machinery with good slope adaptability; Research on anti-rollover early warning technology of environment perception and automatic interference; Research on precision navigation technology, intelligent monitoring technology and remote scheduling and management technology of agricultural machinery; Theoretical study on longitudinal stability of sloping land. This review could provide reference for the research and development of high reliability and high safety mountain tractor in line with the complex working environment in hill and mountain areas.

Copper and copper alloy are commonly used to fabricate ship propellers and sealing valves that encounter harsh corrosion and wear. To improve their service life, Cu coating and Cu–AlN composite coatings with different volume content of AlN (10%, 20%, 30%) were prepared by cold spraying. The investigation focused on analyzing the coatings’ microstructure, microhardness, resistance to wear, and corrosion. Results show that the composite coatings with AlN have fewer pores and denser microstructure than the Cu coating. The coating demonstrates a relatively low deposition efficiency, resulting in the attainment of only 3.8 vol% of AlN when the feedstock AlN powder content was 30 vol%. The microhardness of Cu-3.8AlN coating is 159.7 HV, about 53.1% higher than that of Cu coating. The specific wear rate of Cu-3.8AlN coating is reduced by about 73.5% compared to that of Cu coating, measuring at 1.69 × 10−3 mm3/(N·m). Compared with other coatings, Cu-3.8AlN has the highest corrosion resistance (Ecorr = −0.199 V, Icorr = 1.2 μA/cm2, Rct = 3200 Ω·cm2). The Cu-3.8AlN coating exhibits superior wear and corrosion resistance among the four coatings, attributed to its highest level of densification and the presence of AlN particles.

The change of water content, mildew of Liupao tea at 35 ℃, 30 ℃, 25 ℃ and humidity of 90%, 80% and 70% were studied. The influence of temperature and humidity on water content and mildew of Liupao tea was analyzed, and the temperature and humidity conditions of Liupao tea were determined. The parameters of spore counting method applied to Liupao tea were optimized and the feasibility of spore counting method in predicting the mildew degree of Liupao tea was evaluated. The results showed that temperature below 25 ℃ and humidity below 70% were the best storage conditions for Liupao tea to prevent mildew. The increase level of spore number and the degree of mildew were synchronized. This method was feasible for rapid assessment of mildew of Liupao tea, and the critical value of the number of spores with mildew was preliminarily determined to be 30.00×107 ·g–1. The results of this study could provide a theoretical basis for the safe storage conditions of Liupao tea, and a new method for rapid assessment of its mildew degree.

Purposes The liquid redistributor is an important internal component of packed bed reactor. Most liquid redistributors are optimized for gas-liquid solid coexisting systems, but in the process of lithium extraction from salt lake brine by adsorption, the adsorption tower belongs to the liquid-solid system. It is necessary to research and develop new liquid redistributors to adapt to this special working condition. Methods A new type of standard elliptical head liquid redistributor is proposed, which utilizes an elliptical curved surface to achieve flow collection and a combination structure of a central circular hole and circumferential seams to achieve uniform liquid redistribution in the central area. Findings The results of computational fluid dynamic analysis show that when three circumferential seams with the size of 7 mm are arranged along the center of the ellipsoid with the diameter of 100, 200, and 290 mm outward, the liquid distribution effect is the best. Conclusions Compared with the existing structural scheme of completely cutting off wall flow in liquid redistributors, only reducing the flow area of the wall flow and using an ellipsoidal surface to guide the wall flow to the outside of the mainstream area can solve the problem of liquid flow rate in the near wall area is much lower than that of the center caused by wall viscosity, achieving full and uniform distribution of liquid.

Purposes 38CrMoAl steel is often used as pistons in a hydraulic pump, its surface performance is especially important for long-life safe working. Wear is the main failure mode of pistons in a hydraulic pump. With surface strengthening treatment, it is able to break through its performance limit and realize high performance and reliable operation of a hydraulic pump. Methods In this work, the pattern and performance on the surface of 38CrMoAl steel has been regulated by a duplex treatment of surface texturing (ST) and active screen plasma nitriding (ASPN), aiming to achieve strengthening on its surface. Dimple texture with different shapes were first prepared on 38CrMoAl steel surface by laser processing technology. 38CrMoAl steel samples with and without textured surface have been treated by ASPN. A ball-on-disc friction and wear testing machine was employed to investigate the effect of surface texture-active screen plasma nitriding duplex treatment on the tribological behavior of 38CrMoAl steel. Findings The results show that ASPN layer is mainly built up by the phases of ε-Fe2-3N, γ′-Fe4N and CrN. The ASPN layer is compact, and free of obvious cracks and holes. Meanwhile, it is found that the uniform and continuous ASPN layer consists of a white bright layer and a diffusion layer. The hardness across surface to the inside of the ASPN layer has demonstrated a gradient distribution, where the highest hardness value is detected on the surface, and the hardness decreases as the distance from the surface increases. According to the dry sliding friction results of 38CrMoAl steel related samples against Al2O3 balls, the coefficients of friction of 38CrMoAl steel and ST＋ASPN-38CrMoAl steel are 0.40 and 0.36, respectively. The ST＋ASPN-38CrMoAl steel presents a 92.5% reduction in mass loss, as compared with 38CrMoAl steel. It can be concluded that surface texturing-active screen plasma nitriding duplex treatment endows the working surface of 38CrMoAl steel with enhanced tribological performance.

Summary: Background: Since 1992, when recombinant hepatitis B vaccine was introduced in China, government health officials have used nationally representative serological surveys to monitor progress in prevention and control of hepatitis B. In 2020, we conducted the fourth seroepidemiological survey, which for the first time included medical evaluation of the clinical status of HBsAg positive subjects over the age of 15 and their medical management. We report survey results in comparison with the three previous surveys. Methods: Consistent with previous national surveys, the 2020 survey used a stratified, three-stage cluster random sampling method to select for evaluation 1-69-year-olds in 120 national disease surveillance points. Blood samples were tested for HBsAg, anti-HBV surface antigen (anti-HBs), and anti-HBV core antigen (anti-HBc) in the National Hepatitis Laboratory of the Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention of China CDC. HBsAg positive subjects aged ≥15-year were evaluated for evidence of liver disease, and through face-to-face questionnaire-based survey, we determined the healthcare management cascade of HBV-infected individuals. Findings: HBsAg prevalence in 1–69-year-olds was 5.86%; in children 1–4 years of age, seroprevalence was 0.30%; 75 million people were living with HBV nationwide. Among HBsAg-positive individuals 15 years and older, expert medical examination found that 78.03% were HBsAg carriers with no evidence of liver damage, 19.63% had chronic HBV with liver enzyme abnormalities, 0.84% had evidence of cirrhosis, and 0.15% had evidence of liver cancer. 59.78% of HBsAg + individuals were aware that they were positive before the survey, 30 million were unaware; 38.25% of those who knew they were positive (17 million) had medical indications for antiviral treatment, and 17.33% of these individuals (3 million) were being treated with antivirals. Interpretation: The decline in HBsAg prevalence in the general population, from 9.72% in 1992 to 5.86% in 2020, and in 1–4-year-olds from 9.67% in 1992 to 0.30% in 2020, shows progress that continues on track toward WHO targets for prevention of new infections. Implementation of acceptable strategies to identify infected individuals and offer long-term medical monitoring and management will be important to prevent complications from hepatitis B infection and for meeting WHO cascade-of-care targets. Funding: The study was funded by the Major Science and Technology Special Project of China’s 13th 5-Year Plan (grant no. 2017ZX10105015); Central finance-operation of public health emergency response mechanism of Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (131031001000200001, 102393220020010000017).

Summary: This paper presents the design of an ultra-wide-angle multispectral narrow-band absorber for reconstructing infrared spectra. The absorber offers several advantages, including polarization sensitivity, robustness against structural wear, wide azimuthal angle coverage, high narrow-band absorption, and adjustable working wavelength. To accomplish infrared spectrum reconstruction, an absorber is employed as a spectral sampling channel, eliminating the influence of slits or complex optical splitting elements in spectral imaging technology. Additionally, we propose using a truncation regularization algorithm based on the design matrix singular value ratio, namely IReg, which can enable high-precision spectral reconstruction under largely disturbed environments. The results demonstrate that, even when the number of absorption spectrum curve is reduced to a range of 1/2 to 1/3, high-precision spectral reconstruction is achievable for both flat and high-energy steep mid- and long-infrared spectral targets, while effectively accomplishing data dimension reduction.

Developing practical microstructural solutions that simultaneously enable excellent corrosion resistance and mechanical properties in Al-Si-Cu-based alloys has been increasingly in demand. In this study, we attempt to tailor the microstructural evolution to manipulate the mechanical performance and corrosion resistance of Al-7Si-3Cu-(0.4 Mg)-(0.5Ge) alloys fabricated by GPa-level pressure combined with solution and/or aging treatments. It was found that as the solidification pressure increased, the dendritic growth tendency of the α-Al phase became less pronounced, and the modification of eutectic Si became increasingly significant. Complete solid solution alloys were even achieved under 6 GPa. The corresponding kinetic and thermodynamic mechanisms of pressure-induced microstructural evolution were explored in detail. Upon aging treatment, dense irregular Si precipitates emerged from the supersaturated matrix in Al-7Si-3Cu alloys solidified at 5 GPa and 6 GPa, while denser and finer Si precipitates growing along the 〈100〉Al directions dominated the matrix of Al-7Si-3Cu-0.4 Mg-0.5Ge alloys, which resulted in considerable enhancement of mechanical properties. The electrochemical corrosion behavior was evaluated in the as-cast and heat-treated conditions. The underlying corrosion mechanisms were discussed in terms of pressure, supersaturated solutes and precipitates. These results reveal the feasibility of designing high-strength and corrosion-resistant Al-Si-Cu series alloys via the manipulation of pressure and heat treatment.

Photonic-integrated circuits based on erbium-doped thin film lithium niobate on insulator has attracted broad interests with insofar various waveguide amplifiers and microlasers demonstrated. Wideband operation facilitated by the broadband absorption and emission of erbium ions necessitates the functional integration of wavelength filter and multiplexer on the same chip. Here, a low-loss wavelength division multiplexer at the resonant pumping and emission wavelengths (∼1480 nm and 1530–1560 nm) of erbium ions based on angled multimode interferometer is realized in the erbium-doped thin film lithium niobate on insulator fabricated by the photolithography assisted chemomechanical etching technique. The minimum on-chip insertion losses of the fabricated device are 20 nm is measured at the telecom C-band. Besides, direct visualization of the multimode interference pattern by the visible upconversion fluorescence of erbium ions compares well with the simulated light propagation in the multimode interferometer. Spectral tuning of the wavelength division multiplexer by structural design is also demonstrated and discussed.