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Objective: To assess the effects of Yi Qi Jie Du Formula (YQJDF) combined with salinomycin (SAL) on nasopharyngeal carcinoma stem cells (NPC-SCs) and investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms. Methods: Cell counting methods, the CCK-8 assay, transwell migration assay and JC-1 staining, were used to observe the effects of the combination on the proliferation, migration and apoptosis of NPC stem cells, respectively. Western blot was used to detect the levels of protein in NPC-SCs. Results: YQJDF combined with SAL had a synergistic effect on the inhibition of proliferation and migration and induction of NPC-SC apoptosis. Mechanistically, YQJDF combined with SAL synergistically upregulated the levels of apoptotic proteins, including cleaved Caspase-3, cleaved Caspase-7 and cleaved Caspase-9. Moreover, YQJDF combined with SAL synergistically decreased the levels of CD44, p-c-Src, Ras, p-PKCδ, p-MEK, p-c-Raf, p-ERK1/2 and p-AKT proteins. Conclusions: The combination of YQJDF and SAL has a synergistic effect on the inhibition of NPC-SC proliferation and migration and induction of apoptosis, which may be closely related to the downregulation of the CD44/Ras signaling pathway.

Objective: This aim of this study was to analyze the correlations between clinical manifestations, treatment strategies, and the prognosis in cryptococcal meningitis (CM) in China. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of the clinical data of CM patients treated during the years 2002–2019. The clinical features and supplementary examinations, treatment strategies, and prognosis were summarized and then a correlation analysis was performed. Results: Fifty patients were enrolled. The most common symptoms were fever, headache, and vomiting. Five of these patients died and five had visual impairment sequelae; nine of these patients were treated before 2010. Correlation analysis suggested that cerebral hernia, consciousness disorder, visual impairment, hydrocephalus, and an intracranial pressure >300 mmH2O in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were associated with a poor prognosis. Whether or not the application of intrathecal administration had little effect on prognosis. Early surgical intervention with internal drainage helped to reduce the mortality and incidence of visual impairment sequelae, whether or not Cryptococcus was present in the CSF before surgery. Conclusions: Clinically, the presence of a cerebral hernia, consciousness disorder, hydrocephalus, visual impairment, or intracranial pressure >300 mmH2O often indicates a poor prognosis in patients with CM. The prognosis improved significantly after 2010, following an adjustment of the treatment strategy. Early internal drainage is the key factor, and CSF positive for Cryptococcus before surgery is not a contraindication.

ObjectiveTo explore the etiology of infantile spasms (IS) in a large Chinese cohort based on the United States National Infantile Spasms Consortium (NISC) classification.MethodsIn the present study, we recruited IS patients diagnosed at a single center (Xiangya Hospital, Central South University) between Jan 2010 and Aug 2019. Thereafter, we collected their clinical and genetic information retrospectively. Their underlying etiologies were classified according to the NISC classification and then compared in different scenarios to understand their distribution.ResultsA total of 541 patients with IS from 18 provinces were included in this study. The underlying etiology was identified in 53.2% of the cases: structural-acquired, 25.3%; genetic, 12.9%; genetic-structural, 7.2%; structural-congenital, 5.0%; metabolic, 2.4%; infections, 0.4% and immune, 0%. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) provided the highest diagnostic yield (26.9%). In structural-acquired IS, the proportion of hypoglycemic brain injuries was significant, second only to hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. There was no patient discovered to have Down syndrome. STXBP1, CDKL5, TSC2, KCNQ2, IRF2BPL, and TSC1 were the most frequently implicated genes. Genetic causes were found to be the most common cause of IS in the early onset group, while structural-acquired etiologies were common in males and preterm babies. Patients with pre-spasm seizures were associated with a higher proportion of identified causes than those without. Non-acquired structural etiologies were more common in patients without hypsarrhythmia than in those with hypsarrhythmia.SignificanceThe most prevalent cause of IS was structural acquired followed by genetic causes. When brain MRI fails to detect the etiology, we propose WES as the next step. Structural-acquired IS and cases with genetic disorders are characteristic of the Chinese cohort, however, the etiology differs with the patient's age of onset, gestation age at birth, sex, and the presence/absence of both pre-spasm seizures, and hypsarrhythmia.

ObjectiveThe limitations of adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) treatment for infantile spasms (ISs), such as high costs, limited availability, and adverse effects (AEs), make it necessary to explore whether corticosteroids are optimal alternatives. Many other compelling treatments have gone through trials due to the suboptimal effectiveness of hormonal therapy. A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of hormonal therapy for patients with ISs.MethodsEMBASE, Ovid MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and online registers were searched through April 2021 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs).ResultsA total of 19 RCTs (N = 1,279) were included. There was no significant difference in the effectiveness of oral corticosteroids and ACTH in electro-clinical response (risk ratio [RR] = 0.85, 95% CI 0.41–1.76). Low-dose ACTH had similar effectiveness in electro-clinical response compared to usual-dose group (RR = 0.94, 95% CI 0.60–1.47) but conferred a lower risk of AEs (RR = 1.71, 95% CI 1.08–2.71). ACTH was more beneficial in controlling spasms than vigabatrin (VGB) (RR = 1.31, 95% CI 1.05–1.64) for patients without tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). All RCTs were connected through network meta-analysis, and we found that ketogenic diet (KD), zonisamide, methylprednisolone, or combined treatment of hormonal therapy with topiramate (TPM) or pyridoxine was not different in electro-clinical response compared to usual-dose ACTH.ConclusionOur analysis showed that oral corticosteroids could be optional alternatives when ACTH is not applicable, and ACTH is more beneficial for patients without TSC. Moreover, low-dose ACTH is recommended due to comparative effectiveness but lower risk of AEs. However, due to the high heterogeneity of included patients and treatment protocols, these results must be interpreted with caution. RCTs with multicentric involvement and larger sample size are needed for solid evaluation of other alternative treatments.

Executing code containing side-channel vulnerabilities exhibits different non-functional behaviors related to inputs.Attackers can obtain these behaviors by leveraging micro architecture side-channel attacks and then analyze the pattern between the behaviors and the inputs to access sensitive data.Vulnerability repairing at the software layer brings low overheads to a program’s execution.Besides, it does not require modifying hardware or system, which enables fast patching and widespread deployment.It becomes the mainstream strategy applied to the current cryptographic implementations.However, existing solutions are deeply bound to the program’s implementation and requires manual intervention.This brings challenge to implement and is not versatile enough.A general patching method was proposed for side-channel vulnerabilities that combined dynamic obfuscated execution with hardware atomic transaction.To hide the real accesses of the side-channel vulnerabilities of a program, the proposed method inserted dynamic confusing accesses into the vulnerabilities.To avoid an attacker using fine-grained side-channel attack to distinguish the real access and the confusing access, both of them were encapsulated as transactions and they were guaranteed to be uninterrupted during the running period.In addition, a prototype system called SC-Patcher was implemented based on the LLVM compiler.Various optimization strategies were supported, including secure springboard and transaction aggregation, to further improve system security and performance.Experimental results show that the proposed method makes it impossible for an attacker to restore accurate sensitive data through side-channel attack, and it also brings almost no additional performance overhead to the program.

Object: Perimenopause depression disorder (PDD) is a very common problem in clinical practice and is characterized by depression and autonomic nervous symptoms, including hot flashes, palpitation, and night sweating. In addition, the comorbidity of menopause depression has long been an integral component of the estradiol (E2) shortage. Previous studies have suggested that the mechanisms underlying this comorbidity involved overlap of endocrine and cerebellar networks. Emerging evidence has shown that the endocrine–brain–gut–microbiota axis plays a key role in the regulation of affective disorders. Yangyin-ningshen formula (YYNS) is a traditional Chinese decoction tailored by Yijintang for menopausal depression intervention. Thus, we hypothesized that the YYNS may be involved in the menopause depression alleviation through the endocrine–brain–gut–microbiota axis. Methods: To verify this, we constructed a bilateral ovariectomy (OVX) mouse model to simulate menopausal-related depression. Subsequently, behavioral tests including the open field test (OFT) and the forced swimming test (FST) were conducted to examine the depression state post-OVX. With YYNS or E2 intervention, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine the serum sex hormones level. 16S rRNA gene sequencing and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) were used to analyze the microbiome of the colon samples collected from mice in the sham surgery group (CSH), the OVX model group (CMD), the OVX with E2 hormone intervention group (CHM), and the OVX with YYNS intervention group (CYYNS). One week after OVX, CMD, CHM, and CYYNS showed depression in OFT, FST. Three weeks post-OVX, CHM and CYYNS showed a notable relief of depression; CMD shaped the OTUs shrinkage; and OTUs were raised in the sham, CHM, and CYYNS group. The CMD group showed that the abundance of Actinobiota decreased but that of Bacteriodia increased. The relative abundance of the genus varied in each group. Moreover, functional correlation of changes in sex hormone and gut microbes between different groups showed that the PRL level was negatively correlated with Odoribacter. T level was positively correlated with Lachnospiraceae NK4A136 group and Odoribacter abundance (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Our results not only offer novel insights into the sex hormones and depression with OVX mice but also build an important basis for E2 or YYNS therapeutic efficacy on PDD, which provide for future research on this etiology through the endocrine–brain–gut–microbiota network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses a case of relapsed nasal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma with an intravascular pattern in a 59-year-old woman. The patient had previously been diagnosed with stage I extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma and had undergone surgery and radiotherapy. The skin involvement in this case presented as erythematous nodules, ulcerated lesions, telangiectases, and subcutaneous nodules. Laboratory tests revealed abnormalities such as mild anemia, thrombocytopenia, hypertriglyceridemia, and elevated ferritin levels. The diagnosis of cutaneous intravascular invasion by nasal extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma was established based on histopathology, immunocytochemical analysis, and PET-CT findings. The article emphasizes the need for early diagnosis and treatment of these rare lymphomas. [Extracted from the article]

Geopolymer is a green substitute for Portland cement but has low tensile strength, high brittleness and easy cracking. Therefore, fibers and nanomaterials are used to strengthen and toughen geopolymer composites. The influence of nano-calcium carbonate and PVA fiber on the properties of fresh and hardened geopolymer mortar were studied herein. The hybrid of long and short fibers with small content (0.8 vol.%) is conducive to flowability, while the hybrid with large content (1.6 vol.%) and nano-calcium carbonate is conducive to flowability. The slump flow and flow rate of geopolymer mortars with low fiber factor (product of fiber volume fraction and length-diameter ratio) decrease with the growth in nano-calcium carbonate content. As the PVA fiber factor reaches 464.8%, the slump flow and flow rate values of mortars with 0, 1 wt.% and 2 wt.% nano-calcium carbonate are close to each other. About 450% is the density packing threshold of PVA fiber in geopolymer composites. The combination of 0.8 vol.% 12 mm + 0.4 vol.% 6 mm fiber + 1 wt.% nano-calcium carbonate presents the highest flexural strength and flexural to compressive strength ratio, with a compressive strength of about 36 MPa. The optimal fiber factor range of PVA fiber in cement and geopolymer mortar is about 400% and higher than 600%, respectively. PVA fibers show more effective enhancement of flexural strength and toughness in geopolymer than cement mortar. The ultrasonic wave velocity and apparent density of geopolymer mortar show a downward trend as a whole with the increase in fiber factor. The intensity rise of the hump between 17° and 38° (2 θ) in the XRD pattern is observed. The SEM indicates that the surface of PVA fiber in geopolymer mortar with nano-calcium carbonate is heavily scratched, and the fiber filaments are rolled up, demonstrating improved bonding between PVA fiber and geopolymer mortar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is often computationally intensive to solve combinatorialoptimisation problems due to the inherent large solution space. These problems are commonly observed in the fields of engineering system design and operations. Traditional techniques are limited in handling the growing complexity and size of these problems efficiently. This paper presents a twofold update quantum-inspired genetic algorithm to solve combinatorial optimisation problems. It is generalised as an improved version of quantum-inspired evolutionary algorithm. The paper proposes a new problem formulation and the solution procedure for quantum-inspired evolutionary algorithms. An improved quantum-inspired genetic algorithm is proposed with a twofold update mechanism along with various operators. The proposed method is applied to solving a real-life engineering system optimisation problem of modular design. The results are compared using a classical genetic algorithm versus a quantum-inspired evolutionary algorithm, indicating that the proposed method outperforms the traditional methods and is more robust and more efficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ganoderma lucidum has been used as a rare medical mushroom for centuries in China, due to its health-promoting properties. Successive cropping obstacles are common in the cultivation of G. lucidum, although the remaining nutrients in the germ substrate are sufficient for a second fruiting. Here, we aimed to study the metabolite profile of G. lucidum via nontargeted metabonomic technology. Metabonomic data revealed that organic acids played an important role in the cropping obstacles of G. lucidum, which is accordance with the pH decrease in the germ substrate. A Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis indicated that most differential acids participated in the metabolic pathways. Five acids were all significantly upregulated by two MS with high energy (MSE) modes in two cultivars, among which 5-hydroxy-2-oxo-4-ureido-2,5-dihydro-1H-imidazole-5-carboxylic acid is also involved in purine metabolism regulation and microbial metabolism in diverse environments. Taken together, this work illustrated the organic acid stress generated by G. lucidum, which formed the autotoxicity feedback, and resulted in cropping obstacles. Determining the cause of the cropping obstacles in G. lucidum will promote the utilization rate of fungus substrate to realize the sustainable use of this resource. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though many techniques were proposed for the optimization of Permutation Flow-Shop Scheduling Problem (PFSSP), current techniques only provide a single optimal schedule. Therefore, a new algorithm is proposed, by combining the k-means clustering algorithm and Genetic Algorithm (GA), for the multimodal optimization of PFSSP. In the proposed algorithm, the k-means clustering algorithm is first utilized to cluster the individuals of every generation into different clusters, based on some machine-sequence-related features. Next, the operators of GA are applied to the individuals belonging to the same cluster to find multiple global optima. Unlike standard GA, where all individuals belong to the same cluster, in the proposed approach, these are split into multiple clusters and the crossover operator is restricted to the individuals belonging to the same cluster. Doing so, enabled the proposed algorithm to potentially find multiple global optima in each cluster. The performance of the proposed algorithm was evaluated by its application to the multimodal optimization of benchmark PFSSP. The results obtained were also compared to the results obtained when other niching techniques such as clearing method, sharing fitness, and a hybrid of the proposed approach and sharing fitness were used. The results of the case studies showed that the proposed algorithm was able to consistently converge to better optimal solutions than the other three algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR), a class of immune-associated sequences in bacteria, have been developed as a powerful tool for editing eukaryotic genomes in diverse cells and organisms in recent years. The CRISPR-Cas9 system can recognize upstream 20 nucleotides (guide sequence) adjacent to the protospacer-adjacent motif site and trigger double-stranded DNA cleavage as well as DNA repair mechanisms, which eventually result in knockout, knockin, or site-specific mutagenesis. However, off-target effect caused by guide sequence misrecognition is the major drawback and restricts its widespread application. In this study, global analysis of specificities of all guide sequences in Arabidopsis thaliana, Oryza sativa (rice), and Glycine max (soybean) were performed. As a result, a simple pipeline and three genome-wide databases were established and shared for the scientific society. For each target site of CRISPR-Cas9, specificity score and off-target number were calculated and evaluated. The mean values of off-target numbers for A. thaliana, rice, and soybean were determined as 27.5, 57.3, and 174.7, respectively. Comparative analysis among these plants suggested that the frequency of off-target effects was correlated to genome size, chromosomal locus, gene density, and guanine-cytosine (GC) content. Our results contributed to the better understanding of CRISPR-Cas9 system in plants and would help to minimize the off-target effect during its applications in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Chitosan oligosaccharides (COS), hydrolyzed products of chitosan, was found to display various biological activities. Herein, we assessed the immunostimulatory activity of COS both in in vitro and in vivo studies. In vitro cytotoxicity studies to murine macrophage RAW264.7 revealed that COS is safe even at the maximum tested concentration of 1000 μg/mL. It also stimulates the production of nitric oxide (NO) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF‐α) and enhances the phagocytosis in COS‐stimulated RAW264.7. We have shown that the COS could significantly (P < 0.05) restore the reduced immune organs indices, phagocytic index, lymphocyte proliferation, natural killer cell activity, and antioxidant enzyme activities in a cyclophosphamide‐induced immunosuppressed mice model. COS can also improve the survival rate in irradiation injury mice and significantly (P < 0.05) increased the spleen indices and up‐regulates the CD4+/CD8+ ratio in splenocytes. In sum, the aforementioned results suggest that COS might has the potential to be used as an immunostimulatory agent in patients with immune dysfunctions or be a model for functional food development. Practical Application: COS might has the potential to be used as an immunostimulatory agent in patients with immune dysfunctions or be a model for functional food development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colon cancer is the third most common cancer, and yet there is a lack of effective therapeutic method with low side effects. Chitosan oligosaccharides (COS) is derived from chitosan after chitin deacetylation, and attracts more interests due to smaller molecular weight and soluble property. Previously, COS, mainly absorbed through intestinal epithelia, has been reported to exhibit many bioactivities, especially its anti-tumor effect. Recent references pay little attention to molecular weight distribution which is crucial for understanding its biological behavior. Here, we studied reducing sugar content and degree of polymerization (DP) of COS. 86.73% reducing sugar exists in COS sample and the content of chitosan fractions with 2–6 is 85.8%. COS suppressed the growth of HCT116 cells in vitro and in vivo , and the inhibition rate of tumor weight in vivo was high up to 58.6%. Moreover, the morphology observation, flow cytometry analysis and mRNA expression were applied to study the apoptosis related mechanism. COS treatment promoted mitosis, late stage apoptosis and S cell cycle arrest in HCT116 cells, and enhanced the mRNA expression of BAK and reduce BCL-2 and BCL-x L . These findings may provide an important clue for clinical applications of COS as anti-tumor drug or pharmaceutic adjuvant in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, an in situ acylation combined with solid-phase microextraction coupled to gas chromatography and mass spectrometry method has been developed for simultaneously determining haloanisoles (2,4,6-trichloranisole, 2,4,6-tribromoanisole), and their direct precursors (2,4,6-trichlorophenol, 2,4,6-tribromophenol) and indirect precursors (2-chloropenol, 2,4-dichlorophenol, 2-bromophenol, 2,4-dibromophenol) in water. The key parameters for the solid-phase microextraction were determined by using Plackett-Burman screening and optimized by central composite optimization. Under optimal conditions, the eight compounds can be analyzed in a short time (33 min) with a strong linearity ranging from 2 to 200 ng/L (correlation coefficient greater than 0.996), showing good sensitivities with the limit of detection in a range of 0.23-0.91 ng/L and a limit of quantification of 0.77-3.03 ng/L, good repeatability (2.00-9.10%) and interday precision (1.67-11.3%). When environmental water samples were treated, the recoveries of target compounds were 75.5-127.3%, suggesting that the developed method could be applied in probing the origin of haloanisoles and monitoring halophenols and haloanisoles in natural waters at concentration levels of ng/L. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chitosan oligosaccharides (COSs) are hydrolysate mixture of chitin and possess various biomedical properties, such as antimicrobial, immunoenhancing, and antitumor effects. Antiproliferation activity of COS and commercially available samples was compared in the terms of A549 and HCT-116 cells. Ten tumor cells were used to estimate cytotoxicity of COS. Although there were some researches on the antitumor effects of COS, we highlighted the in vivo antitumor activities of COS administrated orally and intraperitoneally on S180-bearing/residual mouse. Results turned out that in vitro IC50 values of COS were 48.6 ± 7.0 to 1329.9 ± 93.4 μg/mL against 10 different tumor cell lines. Then, the in vivo experiments proved that the inhibition rate was high up to 58.5%. Significant cell death and necrosis were observed in COS-treated groups by histological analysis. COS stimulated the mRNA expression of tumor necrosis factor alpha. In summary, COS may be considered promising candidate as antitumor functional food or pharmaceutic adjuvant in oncotherapy, especially for patients after surgical resection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A tremendous amount of work has been done in the recent years in the optimization of input parameters, however, current optimization techniques can only provide a single optimal input process parameter combination. Although alternative techniques have been developed to provide multiple solutions with identical objective values, these techniques have low efficiency when searching for multiple solutions. In this paper, a two-stage filter split-optimization approach is proposed to obtain multiple solutions, at a higher efficiency than for a single-objective optimization problem. The aforementioned tasks are accomplished by first performing an initial split-optimization and then performing a second optimization after excluding input parameters from having their range split into sub-ranges based on the results of the initial optimization. The proposed approach enables the algorithm to explore input parameters that have a more significant impact on the objective function, thereby enabling it to find multiple optimal solutions more efficiently. The proposed approach was validated by using it to optimize the input process parameters of an electrochemical machining problem with five input parameters. The results from the case study show that though the proposed approach provided fewer optimal solutions it was able to obtain them at twice the efficiency when compared to the original method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spinetoram (XDE-175-J/L), a new spinosyn-based insecticide, is one of the most widely used bio-pesticide worldwide and its registration for direct application on cauliflower to control Plutella xylostella is currently under review in China. In this study, an accredited method for simultaneous determination of spinetoram and its two metabolites in cauliflower was established and validated using QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) preparation coupled with ultra-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The average recoveries using this method were ranged from 74 to 99% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 2.4–10.5%. The dissipation kinetics and terminal residues of spinetoram and its two metabolites in cauliflower were studied in Tianjin and Guizhou over two years under open field conditions. The dissipation experiments revealed that spinetoram was swiftly degraded in cauliflower, with the half-lives less than or equal to 4.85 days. The terminal residues of total spinetoram (sum of spinetoram and its two metabolites) detected in cauliflower samples were in the range of 0.009 mg/kg-0.337 mg/kg. Dietary risk assessment study was implemented based on the scientific data of field trials, food consumption and acceptable daily intake (ADI). The estimated long-term dietary risk probability (RQ) of total spinetoram from cauliflower was between 5.79% and 5.91%, indicating that spinetoram was associated with acceptable risk for dietary cauliflower consumption. The results would provide scientific guidance for proper usage of spinetoram in cauliflower field ecosystem. Image 1 • A reliable method for analysis of spinetoram and its two metabolites was developed. • A two-year field experiment of cauliflower was carried out in Tianjin and Guizhou. • The residue of spinetoram and its metabolites were determined under field condition. • Dietary risk of total spinetoram was evaluated based on the field trial data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The perivascular niche (PVN) plays an essential role in brain tumor stem‐like cell (BTSC) fate control, tumor invasion, and therapeutic resistance. Here, a microvasculature‐on‐a‐chip system as a PVN model is used to evaluate the ex vivo dynamics of BTSCs from ten glioblastoma patients. BTSCs are found to preferentially localize in the perivascular zone, where they exhibit either the lowest motility, as in quiescent cells, or the highest motility, as in the invasive phenotype, with migration over long distance. These results indicate that PVN is a niche for BTSCs, while the microvascular tracks may serve as a path for tumor cell migration. The degree of colocalization between tumor cells and microvessels varies significantly across patients. To validate these results, single‐cell transcriptome sequencing (10 patients and 21 750 single cells in total) is performed to identify tumor cell subtypes. The colocalization coefficient is found to positively correlate with proneural (stem‐like) or mesenchymal (invasive) but not classical (proliferative) tumor cells. Furthermore, a gene signature profile including PDGFRA correlates strongly with the "homing" of tumor cells to the PVN. These findings demonstrate that the model can recapitulate in vivo tumor cell dynamics and heterogeneity, representing a new route to study patient‐specific tumor cell functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel detection method of small molecules, competitive bio-barcode amplification immunoassay, was developed and described in this report. Through the gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) probe and magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) probe we prepared, only one monoclonal antibody can be used to detect small molecules. The competitive bio-barcode amplification immunoassay overcomes the obstacle that the bio-barcode assay cannot be used in small molecular detection, as two antibodies are unable to combine to one small molecule due to its small molecular structure. The small molecular compounds, triazophos, were selected as targets for the competitive bio-barcode amplification immunoassay. The linear range of detection was from 0.04 ng mL−1 to 10 ng mL−1, and the limit of detection (LOD) was 0.02 ng mL−1, which was 10-20 folds lower than ELISA (Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay). A practical application of the proposed immunoassay was evaluated by detecting triazophos in real samples. The recovery rate ranged from 72.5% to 110.5%, and the RSD was less than 20%. These results were validated by GC-MS, which indicated that this convenient and sensitive method has great potential for small molecular in real samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hepatic cancer is a common cancer in clinical practice. Current drug therapies for this condition include targeted therapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. Tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) is the most serious complication of oncology treatment. According to the literature, several cases reported TLS occurred with targeted therapies for hepatic cancer., Methods: Reporting odds ratio and information component were used to measure the disproportionate signals for TLS associated with targeted therapies, using data from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). A stepwise sensitivity analysis was conducted to test the robustness of signals. Time-to-onset analysis was used to describe the latency of TLS events associated with targeted therapies. The Bradford Hill criteria were used to perform a global assessment of the evidence., Results: Sorafenib, lenvatinib, cabozantinib, and bevacizumab showed higher disproportionate signals for TLS than chemotherapy. The median number of days to TLS occurrence after drug therapy was 5.5, 6.5, and 6.5 days for sorafenib, lenvatinib, and bevacizumab, respectively., Conclusions: There is a significant association between tumor lysis syndrome and targeted therapies for hepatic carcinoma, with particularly strong signals for sorafenib and lenvatinib. Clinicians should be aware of the potential for tumor lysis syndrome in targeted therapies for hepatic carcinoma.

Objective: With the rapid advancement of Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (ChatGPT) in medical research, our study aimed to identify global trends and focal points in this domain., Method: All publications on ChatGPT in medical research were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) by Clarivate Analytics from January 1, 2023, to January 31, 2024. The research trends and focal points were visualized and analyzed using VOSviewer and CiteSpace., Results: A total of 1,239 publications were collected and analyzed. The USA contributed the largest number of publications (458, 37.145%) with the highest total citation frequencies (2,461) and the largest H -index. Harvard University contributed the highest number of publications (33) among all full-time institutions. The Cureus Journal of Medical Science published the most ChatGPT-related research (127, 10.30%). Additionally, Wiwanitkit V contributed the majority of publications in this field (20). "Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)," "Education and Training," "Healthcare Applications," and "Data Analysis and Technology" emerged as the primary clusters of keywords. These areas are predicted to remain hotspots in future research in this field., Conclusion: Overall, this study signifies the interdisciplinary nature of ChatGPT research in medicine, encompassing AI and ML technologies, education and training initiatives, diverse healthcare applications, and data analysis and technology advancements. These areas are expected to remain at the forefront of future research, driving continued innovation and progress in the field of ChatGPT in medical research., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Liu, Qu, Zhao, Kong, Xie, Jiang and Zou.)

To evaluate demographic characteristics and distribution of pediatric supracondylar fractures (SCFs) at a tertiary hospital in South China. A retrospective observational study was conducted on children aged 15 years or younger with a diagnosis of SCFs during the period from January 2016 to December 2018. Patients' medical records and radiographs were retrospectively analyzed for age at the time of injury, sex, site and mechanism of traumatic injury. A total of 760 patients with 761 SCFs were reviewed (453 males, 59.6%, and 307 females, 40.4%). There were 748 extension-type fractures (98.3%) and 13 flexion-type fractures (1.7%). Associated injuries were identified in 30/760 (3.9%) patients: associated fracture ( n  = 15; 2%), nerve injury ( n  = 12; 1.6%), open fracture ( n  = 2; 0.2%) and compartment syndrome ( n  = 1; 0.1%). Age at the time of fracture has a bimodal pattern with a first peak around the age of 1 year and a second peak around the age of 4-5 years. The fractures occurred mostly around 11 a.m. and between 4 and 9 p.m. in the evening. Most fractures occurred at home (50.7%), and falling down (62.2%) was the most frequent mechanism of injury. SCFs occurred most frequently in children aged 1 and 4-5 years, and during daylight hours. In about 96% of cases, these were isolated injuries, and falling down was found to be the most frequent traumatic mechanism. Based on our findings, targeted educational efforts and interventions can be set up in order to prevent the occurrence of SCFs in South China. Level of evidence: III., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)