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Cu(II) adulteration in preserved vegetables by unreliable producers to increase their visual appeal or compensate for natural colour changes is most common. Methanobactin (Mb) is a Cu(II)-coordinated peptide, which plays crucial role in Cu(II) capture and absorption and the catalysis of Cu(II)-containing methane monooxygenase in methanotrophs. In this study, Mb-functionalized gold nanoparticles (Mb-AuNPs) was applied to develop a dual readout colorimetric detection for Cu(II) adulteration in preserved vegetables. In the presence of Cu(II), Mb-AuNPs was assembled into nanocluster driven by Cu(II)/Mb coordination, and the assembly process was monitored by the visible spectrum on the variation of surface plasmon resonance peak. The results showed that, Mb-AuNPs possessed excellent peroxidase-like activity after Cu(II) coordination. In the presence of Mb-AuNPs, the amount of Cu(II) obviously affected the rate of hydroquinone oxidation by H2O2 and the change of A246. The visible and ultraviolet dual-readout detection system containing Mb-AuNPs, hydroquinone and H2O2 exhibited high sensitivity and selectivity for Cu(II). The linear range of visible and UV detection towards Cu(II) was 0.05–0.4 μmol/L, the limit of detection were 37.50 nmol/L and 4.48 nmol/L, respectively. In conclusion, the Cu(II) coordination driven Mb-AuNPs assembly makes it able to detect Cu(II) adulteration in preserved vegetables by dual channel methods to eliminate the occurrence of false positives and improve the accuracy of measurement results. Such non-spatially separated Mb-AuNPs assembly and it catalyzed hydroquinone oxidation dual channel readout was simple, fast, reliable and significantly facilitated the detection efficiency of Cu(II).

An intelligent cleaning vehicle improves the efficiency of road cleaning to a great extent. In this case, road garbage recognition is fundamental and crucial. Usually, the pebbles are too small, and the sand has an inconspicuous boundary and unfixed shape on the roads. These issues make the stones and sand too hard to be detected by a garbage recognition system. Hence, we designed a novel semantic segmentation network that acquires the areas and categories of road garbage. We designed a Deep Supervision and High Fusion (DSHF) block to improve the road garbage segmentation accuracy. The designed block with a backbone network of HFCN and UNet++ is comparable with a model that only has either a deep supervision block or a high fusion block. According to the collected road garbage segmentation dataset comprising four categories (stones, leaves, sand and bottles), the model we designed has improved the metric value of MPA by 3% over the state-of-art methods and achieved the highest MIoU (Mean Intersection over Union) with the value of 77.92%. The results of our experiments show that the semantic segmentation of road garbage is feasible and that the proposed DSHF block is practical for improving the segmentation effect of road garbage.

Macrophages play an essential role in the pathogenesis of most inflammatory diseases. Recent studies have shown that mechanical load can influence macrophage function, leading to excessive and uncontrolled inflammation and even systemic damage, including cardiovascular disease and knee osteoarthritis. However, the molecular mechanism remains unclear. In this study, murine RAW264.7 cells were treated with mechanical stretch (MS) using the Flexcell-5000T Tension System. The expression of inflammatory factors and cytokine release were measured by RT-qPCR, ELISA, and Western blotting. The protein expression of NF-κB p65, Iκb-α, p-Iκb-α, RhoA, ROCK1, and ROCK2 was also detected by Western blotting. Then, Flow cytometry was used to detect the proportion of macrophage subsets. Meanwhile, Y-27632 dihydrochloride, a ROCK inhibitor, was added to knockdown ROCK signal transduction in cells. Our results demonstrated that MS upregulated mRNA expression and increased the secretion levels of proinflammatory factors iNOS, IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6. Additionally, MS significantly increased the proportion of CD11b+CD86+ and CD11b+CD206+ subsets in RAW264.7 macrophages. Furthermore, the protein expression of RhoA, ROCK1, ROCK2, NF-κB p65, and IκB-α increased in MS-treated RAW264.7 cells, as well as the IL-6 and iNOS. In contrast, ROCK inhibitor significantly blocked the activation of RhoA-ROCK and NF-κB pathway, decreased the protein expression of IL-6 and iNOS, reduced the proportion of CD11b+CD86+ cells subpopulation, and increased the proportion of CD11b+CD206+ cell subpopulation after MS. These data indicate that mechanical stretch can regulate the RAW264.7 macrophage polarization and enhance inflammatory responses in vitro, which may contribute to activation the RhoA-ROCK/NF-κB pathway.

Ubiquitous in fast-urbanising China, land-driven urban growth is increasingly inter-urban in nature – a trend that is underexplored in the literature. Grounded in a conceptual framework concerning the rescaling of the land regime, this study probes the unfolding land development processes of city-regionalism. Key findings of an examination of the Shenzhen–Shanwei Special Cooperation Zone in the Pearl River Delta are as follows: land regime rescaling is an emergent driving force for city-region making in China; the rescaled land regime centres on uneven capacities among the states of cooperating cities and benefit sharing (immediate land-related profit and potential long-term profit); provincial government engagement is fundamental to legitimatising this contested process; the rescaled land regime has been orchestrated by state interests in land development, rather than business interests released by marketisation, spawning a ‘stretching’ state territoriality of the central city. This article furthers the field’s understanding of a ‘world of city-regionalisms’ through a situated account of emerging city-regionalism characterised by land development in the Chinese context.

The sandy area along the Great Wall in northern Shaanxi Province of China, is located in the transition zone between the Maowusu Desert and the loess hills and gullies region, with a vast territory and large per capita of cultivated agricultural land. However, the cultivated land quality is generally poor due to the local natural conditions. It is of practical significance to find ways to improve the quality of agricultural land and put forward targeted measures for its improvement. Through the analysis of farmland gradation results in the study area, we calculated an improvement potential index with a model to determine the primary limiting factors of agricultural land quality in the study area. The results indicate that both singe-factor and combined-factor limitations exist in the region. The single-factor limiting types include soil thickness, organic content, irrigation, salinization, etc., while the combined-factor limiting types include the combinations of the irrigation water source and irrigation firm probability, soil structure and organic matter, soil thickness and soil texture, and so on. Through the analysis of the potential index model results, we determined the main limiting factors in agricultural production, which vary spatially throughout the region, and suggested targeted measures to improve the cultivated land quality. These measures will then promote revitalization of sandy rural areas along the great wall in northern Shaanxi Province, China.

Following rapid growth, China’s economy is entering a period of high-quality economic growth. High-quality economic development has a profound impact on China’s current economic development. It can be said that the improvement of economic quality is an inevitable choice for China’s new stage of economic development. From this point of view, promoting high-quality economic development has become an important practical issue in my country’s current economic and social development. As the integration and innovation of digital technology and taxation, the blessing of digital technology maximizes integration and precision, which can effectively meet the needs of higher stages of economic development. Perfect and inclusive development has become an important support for sustainable and healthy economic development. At present, behind the rapid economic growth, human economic activities have led to the emergence of an ecological and environmental crisis. The growth mode characterized by high input, high consumption support, and high emissions has resulted in insufficient supply of regional ecological and environmental resources, pollution, and damage to the ecological environment and also intensified. Therefore, this paper first examines the concept of digital finance and its enlightenment to economic development, and believes that digital finance has a good role in promoting economic development. Second, an evaluation model for the relationship between environmental environment and economic development is established, and an evaluation index system is obtained. Finally, through the comprehensive evaluation and analysis of economic development and ecological environment, it is concluded that in the era of digital finance, the level of regional economic development has been greatly improved, and my country’s regional economic development has been greatly improved, which is significantly faster than my country’s ecological environment improvement level.

RNA molecules contain diverse modifications that play crucial roles in a wide variety of biological processes. Adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-Ino) RNA editing is one of the most prevalent modifications among all types of RNA. Abnormal A-to-InoRNA editing has been demonstrated to be associated with many human diseases. Identification of A-to-Ino editing sites is indispensable to deciphering their biological roles. Herein, by employing the unique property of human endonuclease V (hEndoV), we proposed a hEndoV-mediated sequencing (hEndoV-seq) method for the single-base resolution detection of A-to-InoRNA editing sites. In this approach, the terminal 3'OH of RNA is first blocked by 3'-deoxyadenosine (3'-deoxy-A). Specific cleavage of Ino sites by hEndoV protein produces new terminal 3'OH, which can be identified by sequencing analysis, and therefore offers the site-specific detection of Ino in RNA. The principle of hEndoV-seq is straightforward and the analytical procedure is simple. No chemical reaction is involved in the sequencing library preparation. The whole procedure in hEndoV-seq is carried out under mild conditions and RNA is not prone to degradation. Taken together, the proposed hEndoV-seq method is capable of site-specific identification of A-to-Ino editing in RNA, which provides a valuable tool for elucidating the functions of A-to-Ino editing in RNA.

The topography of human callosal fibers in the midsagittal corpus callosum (mid-CC), in terms of cortical termination, is inconsistent in the literature. Despite being a high-profile and controversial topic, heterotopic callosal bundles (HeCBs) have not been studied from a whole-brain perspective. Here, we used multi-modal magnetic resonance imaging data from Human Connectome Project Development to explore these two topographic aspects by combining whole-brain tractography based on multi-shell multi-tissue constrained spherical deconvolution, the post-tractography reducing-false-positive-streamline algorithm of Convex Optimization Modeling for Microstructure Informed Tractography 2, and the new cortex parcellation atlas of Human Connectome Project multi-modal parcellation, version 1.0. We proposed that the callosal streamlines would demonstrate a topological arrangement of coronal segments arranged from anterior to posterior, with each perpendicular to the long axis of the mid-CC following its natural curvature, and the adjacent segments overlapping one another owing to the existence of HeCBs. We found that the cortices connected by the coronal segments, from anterior to posterior, corresponded exactly to the cortices from anterior to posterior in the flattened cortical surfaces of this atlas, indicating the original relative positions of the neocortex before curling and flipping during brain evolution. For each cortical area defined by this atlas, the sum strength of the HeCBs was far greater than that of the homotopic callosal bundle. Our findings on the topography of the whole CC would help in further understanding the network between the bilateral hemispheres and preventing disconnection syndromes in clinical settings.

Background The endoscopic endonasal approach (EEA) and the endoscopic supraorbital keyhole approach (eSKA) provide minimally invasive access to tuberculum sellae (TS) tumors. Evaluation of the operating maneuverability is helpful for approach selection. Herein, we compared the two approaches and aimed to provide quantitative anatomic data for surgical decision-making in the management of TS lesions. Methods Fifteen dissections were performed on five silicone-injected cadaveric heads. The EEA and eSKA (both right and left) were performed on each head. Surgical freedom and working angles in the axial and sagittal planes were calculated using the stereotactic navigation system in the selected six targets: the midpoint of the leading edge of the sphenoid sinus (leSS), the midpoint of the edge of the dorsum sellae (eDS), the ipsilateral medial opticocarotid recess (imOCR), the contralateral medial opticocarotid recess (cmOCR), the ipsilateral lateral opticocarotid recess (ilOCR), and the contralateral lateral opticocarotid recess (clOCR). Results The surgical freedom at the ilOCR and the axial working angles at the leSS, ilOCR, and imOCR (imOCR with excessive manipulation of the optic apparatus) were greater in the eSKA. The EEA provided greater surgical freedom and/or working angles at most targets than eSKA (the surgical freedom at the imOCR, cmOCR, clOCR, and eDS; the axial working angles at the cmOCR and clOCR; and the sagittal working angles at the leSS, imOCR, cmOCR, clOCR, and eDS). Conclusion The EEA provides greater surgical freedom and working angles for paramedian lesions, whereas the eSKA provides better surgical maneuverability for lesions with lateral extension.

Background Roux-en-Y (R-Y) anastomoses have been widely used in distal gastrectomy, while the incidence of Roux stasis syndrome remains common. Uncut R-Y anastomosis maintains the neuromuscular continuity, thus avoiding the ectopic pacemaker of the Roux limb and reducing the occurrence of Roux stasis. However, retrospective studies of Uncut R-Y anastomosis remain scarce and randomized controlled trials have not been reported. Methods We conducted a randomized controlled trial to compare the surgical safety, nutritional status, and postoperative quality of life (QOL) between uncut and classic Roux-en-Y (R-Y) reconstruction patients. Patients with Stage I gastric cancer were randomly enrolled and underwent laparoscopic distal gastrectomy followed by uncut or classic R-Y reconstruction. Body mass index and blood test were used to evaluate the nutritional status. QOL was evaluated using European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QOL Questionnaire (STO22) and laboratory examinations at postoperative month (POM) 3, 6, 9, and 12. Computed tomography scanning was used to evaluate the skeletal muscle index (SMI) at POM 6 and 12. Endoscopy was performed at POM 12. Results Operation time, blood loss, time to recovery, complication morbidities, and overall survival were similar between the two groups. Compared with the classic R-Y group, the uncut R-Y group displayed a significantly decreased QOL at POM 9, possibly due to loop recanalization, determined to be occupied 34.2% of the uncut R-Y group. Post-exclusion of recanalization, the QOL was still higher in the classic R-Y group than in the uncut R-Y group, despite their hemoglobin and total protein levels being better than those in the classic R-Y group. Preoperative pre-albumin level and impaired fasting glycemia significantly correlated with the postoperative recanalization. Conclusion We found no significant benefit of uncut over classic R-Y reconstruction which challenges the superiority of the uncut R-Y reconstruction. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02644148.

Purpose To develop a bidirectional slide guide to assist screw placement in the axial lamina and to preliminarily discuss the accuracy and feasibility of auxiliary screw placement. Methods CT data from 40 randomly selected patients were imported into the software for modelling, and cross-pinning was used to simulate pinning. According to the different crossing methods of the upper and lower laminar screws, they are divided into two groups. In the software, the position of the needlepoint of each screw is accurately measured, and the needle point is kept unchanged to simulate the movable range of the screw tail under the condition that the body does not penetrate the cortical bone. The data were compared by grouping and gender. Finally, the guide was designed by combining the screw exit point and fine adjustment angle data of all patients with the centripetal principle of the slide rail. Results The needle exit data L1/L2/L3/L4 were 6.44 ± 0.52 mm, 7.05 ± 0.48 mm, 3.55 ± 0.75 mm and 5.09 ± 0.74 mm, respectively, and the fine adjustment angle of the slide rail was 10.51° ± 0.87°. There was no significant difference between the two groups or between men and women (p > 0.05). Conclusion In this experiment, using the data obtained from the simulation of screw insertion, a two-way slide guide was designed to assist the insertion of axial laminar screws. The guide locks the screw outlet point to position and guides the screw inlet point, which improves the accuracy and safety of screw placement.

Objective Biochemical remission rates of endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal surgery (EETS) and its associated predictive factors were evaluated in patients with somatotrophin pituitary adenomas. Methods The patients who underwent EETS in Jinling Hospital were identified between 2011 and 2020. The surgeons' experience, preoperative insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), basal growth hormone (GH) levels, nadir GH levels, and the tumor characteristics were analyzed for their relationships with endocrine outcomes. Total 98 patients were included for single factor analysis and regression analysis. They were divided into three groups according to the admission chronologic order. Results The overall remission rate of the patients was 57% (56/98) for all the patients over 10 years. In the single factor analysis, we found that the tumor size, cavernous invasion, and sellar invasion were valuable to predict the endocrine outcome after surgery. As for the suprasellar invasion, no significant difference was found between the noninvasive group and the invasive group. The preoperative IGF-1 level (p = 0.166), basal GH level (p = 0.001), and nadir GH level (p = 0.004) were also different between the remission group and the nonremission group in the single factor analysis. The logistic regression analysis indicated that the preoperative nadir GH (odds ratio = 0.930, 95% confidence interval = 0.891–0.972, p = 0.001) was a significant predictor for the endocrine outcomes after surgery. Conclusion The surgeons' experience is an important factor that can affect the patients' endocrine outcomes after surgery. The macroadenomas with lateral invasion are more difficult to cure. Patients with higher preoperative nadir GH levels are less likely to achieve remission.

A new bioink consisted of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) conjugated with anti-HBsAg antibodies (SWCNT-Ab) was applied for the detection of HBsAg. The electrical conductivity of the printed film was optimized by printing multiple layers of the SWCNT-Ab bioink. The biosensors showed a linear response range from 1-10 mM HBsAg, and the response began to plateau after 10 mM, with a detection limit of 0.5 mM. The inkjet printed biosensors showed stable resistance and a linear response to increasing concentrations of HBsAg. The study suggests that this method has the potential for producing low-cost and sensitive biosensors for the early detection and accurate diagnosis of HBV in resource-limited settings.

IntroductionEarly and accurate identification of pathogens is essential for improved outcomes in patients with viral encephalitis (VE) and/or viral meningitis (VM).MethodsIn our research, Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) which can identify viral pathogens unbiasedly was performed on RNA and DNA to identify potential pathogens in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from 50 pediatric patients with suspected VEs and/or VMs. Then we performed proteomics analysis on the 14 HEV-positive CSF samples and another 12 CSF samples from health controls (HCs). A supervised partial least squaresdiscriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and orthogonal PLS-DA (O-PLS-DA) model was performed using proteomics data.ResultsTen viruses in 48% patients were identified and the most common pathogen was human enterovirus (HEV) Echo18. 11 proteins overlapping between the top 20 DEPs in terms of P value and FC and the top 20 proteins in PLS-DA VIP lists were acquired.DiscussionOur result showed mNGS has certain advantages on pathogens identification in VE and VM and our research established a foundation to identify diagnosis biomarker candidates of HEV-positive meningitis based on MS-based proteomics analysis, which could also contribute toward investigating the HEV-specific host response patterns.

The same viral infection in different hosts may result in varying levels of clinical symptoms, which is related to the genetic background of the host itself. A total of 406 common cases and 452 severe cases of enterovirus 71 (EV71) infection in Yunnan Province were selected as the research subjects, and SNaPshot technology was used to detect genetic polymorphisms for 25 Tag single-nucleotide polymorphisms (TagSNPs) in the selectin P ligand (SELPLG) and scavenger receptor class B member 2 (SCARB2) genes. Our results demonstrate that SCARB2 polymorphisms (rs74719289, rs3733255 and rs17001551) are related to the severity of EV71 infection (A vs G: OR 0.330; 95% CI 0.115 - 0.947; T vs C: OR 0.336; 95% CI 0.118 - 0.958; and A vs G: OR 0.378; 95% CI 0.145 - 0.984). The SELPLG polymorphisms were not significantly different between common cases and severe cases. Therefore, we conclude that the SCARB2 gene has a protective effect on the course of hand, foot and mouth disease caused by EV71 infection and that SCARB2 gene mutations can reduce the severity of the disease.

Methane is the second most important greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide, and 8–11% is emitted from paddy fields. Methanogenic microbial processes in water-saturated soils can be alleviated through the oxygenation of soils, which may hamper methane production and emissions in paddies. Here, by mimicking O2 release from rice roots, we report the use of man-made (i.e., silicone tube-based) aerenchymatous tissues (MAT) to continuously release O2 to abate methane emission from paddies. High O2-releasing rates (such as 5 kg O2/ha/d) can be easily achieved by adjusting MAT density (e.g., 0.2 m2 tube/m2 soil) and its inner air pressure (e.g., 25 kPa). Following deployment, MAT significantly increased soil redox potential (from -150 mV to -88.6 mV) and induced active iron redox cycling. This decreased the availability of organic substrates of methanogens and therefore dramatically reduced their abundance (-25.1% active mcrA gene). We quantified the decrease in methane emission both in mesocosms and paddy field trials and found in both setups that ~ 50% of methane emission was reduced. Moreover, we showed that the performance of MAT can be further improved by simply increasing the air pressure in MAT (e.g., -74.2% methane emission at 200 kPa air pressure). This work provides a powerful and sustainable method for mitigating methane emission from rice paddies. Graphical Abstract

Analyzing how the underlying mechanism influences land value changes is essential to understanding the land market, which contributes to sustainable urbanization. Drawing upon a land transaction dataset, we analyze the determinants of urban land prices from 2008 to 2020, considering land supply and demands, with particular attention to natural restrictions and government interventions in China. The statistical analysis suggests that the inequality in industrial and commercial land prices rose from 2008 to 2015 and decreased after 2015. The inequality in residential land prices has kept rising from 2008 to 2020 because land finance is still essential to local government. Discriminatory price strategy for industrial land prices in eastern China is getting more popular. The regression models reveal the significant negative impact of natural restrictions on land price, and such impact from natural restrictions is decreasing after 2015. The market forces represented by city-level socioeconomic factors are becoming more important after 2015, indicating a more free land market in China. We also find the gaps between cities and counties in land prices are closing, which might benefit the recent development in rural and county region of China. These findings provide important insights into the transition in the land market in China from 2008 to 2020, which also contribute to a better understanding of the spatial inequality in the land market and the heterogeneity in different land-use types.

This paper presents high quality YBa2Cu3O7-δ (YBCO) thin films on LaAlO3 substrate for microwave devices prepared by Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD). The double-sided YBCO films cover a large area and have been optimized for key parameters relevant to microwave device applications, such as surface morphology and surface resistance (R s). This was achieved by improving target quality and increasing oxygen pressure during deposition, respectively. To evaluate the suitability of the YBCO films for microwave devices, a pair of microwave filters based on microstrip fabricated on films from this work and a commercial company were compared. The results show that the YBCO films in this work could completely meet the requirements for microwave devices.

Clathrin-mediated endocytosis is essential for the removal of transmembrane proteins from the plasma membrane in all eukaryotic cells. Many transmembrane proteins are glycosylated. These proteins collectively comprise the glycocalyx, a sugar-rich layer at the cell surface, which is responsible for intercellular adhesion and recognition. Previous work has suggested that glycosylation of transmembrane proteins reduces their removal from the plasma membrane by endocytosis. However, the mechanism responsible for this effect remains unknown. To study the impact of glycosylation on endocytosis, we replaced the ectodomain of the transferrin receptor, a well-studied transmembrane protein that undergoes clathrin-mediated endocytosis, with the ectodomain of MUC1, which is highly glycosylated. When we expressed this transmembrane fusion protein in mammalian epithelial cells, we found that its recruitment to endocytic structures was substantially reduced in comparison to a version of the protein that lacked the MUC1 ectodomain. This reduction could not be explained by a loss of mobility on the cell surface or changes in endocytic dynamics. Instead, we found that the bulky MUC1 ectodomain presented a steric barrier to endocytosis. Specifically, the peptide backbone of the ectodomain and its glycosylation each made steric contributions, which drove comparable reductions in endocytosis. These results suggest that glycosylation constitutes a biophysical signal for retention of transmembrane proteins at the plasma membrane. This mechanism could be modulated in multiple disease states that exploit the glycocalyx, from cancer to atherosclerosis.

PDF file - 2MB, Effect of SPINDLIN1 depletion on cancer cell proliferation and WNT/TCF-4 signaling. A. The siRNA interference sequence against SPINDLIN1 or an oligonucleotide control sequence was transfected into HeLa cells, and RT-PCR was used to examine the expression of SPINDLIN1, using �-ACTIN as an internal standard. B. HeLa cells treated with the same methods as A were used for the CCK-8 assay to analyze cell proliferation. The absorbance at 450 nm was monitored every 24 h over 7 d. N=6. C. Five hundred HeLa cells per well were treated with the same methods as A and were plated in 6-well plates and incubated for 2-3 weeks. Colonies were stained with crystal violet (top panels) and the numbers of colonies were counted (bottom panel). N=3, **p

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We explore machine learning-based jet and event identification at the future Electron-Ion Collider (EIC). We study the effectiveness of machine learning-based classifiers at relatively low EIC energies, focusing on (i) identifying the flavor of the jet and (ii) identifying the underlying hard process of the event. We propose applications of our machine learning-based jet identification in the key research areas at the future EIC and current Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider program, including enhancing constraints on (transverse momentum dependent) parton distribution functions, improving experimental access to transverse spin asymmetries, studying photon structure, and quantifying the modification of hadrons and jets in the cold nuclear matter environment in electron-nucleus collisions. We establish first benchmarks and contrast the estimated performance of flavor tagging at the EIC with that at the Large Hadron Collider. We perform studies relevant to aspects of detector design including particle identification, charge information, and minimum transverse momentum capabilities. Additionally, we study the impact of using full event information instead of using only information associated with the identified jet. These methods can be deployed either on suitably accurate Monte Carlo event generators, or, for several applications, directly on experimental data. We provide an outlook for ultimately connecting these machine learning-based methods with first principles calculations in quantum chromodynamics., Final version after journal review

Background Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a neuromuscular disease characterised by progressive muscular weakness and atrophy. Currently, studies on DMD muscle function mostly focus on individual muscles; little is known regarding the effect of gluteal muscle group damage on motor function. Objective To explore potential imaging biomarkers of hip and pelvic muscle groups for measuring muscular fat replacement and inflammatory oedema in DMD with multimodal quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Materials and methods One hundred fifty-nine DMD boys and 32 healthy male controls were prospectively included. All subjects underwent MRI examination of the hip and pelvic muscles with T1 mapping, T2 mapping and Dixon sequences. Quantitatively measured parameters included longitudinal relaxation time (T1), transverse relaxation time (T2) and fat fraction. Investigations were all based on hip and pelvic muscle groups covering flexors, extensors, adductors and abductors. The North Star Ambulatory Assessment and stair climbing tests were used to measure motor function in DMD. Results T1 of the extensors (r = 0.720, P r = 0.558, P r = 0.697, P r = -0.711, P r = -0.753, P b = 0.013, t = 2.052, P = 0.042), T2 of the adductors (b = -0.234, t = -2.554, P = 0.012) and fat fraction of the extensors (b = -0.637, t = − 4.096, P Conclusion Magnetic resonance biomarkers of hip and pelvic muscle groups (particularly T1 values of the abductor muscles) have the potential to be used as independent risk factors for motor dysfunction in DMD.

Purpose To compare the biomechanical properties of a novel 3D-printed cervical interfacet self-locking cage (CISC) using medical titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) material with the lateral mass screw–rod system. Methods CT scans were performed on seven preserved human cervical spine specimens (C2–T1) to exclude deformities, infections, tumors, fractures and other lesions, and titanium CISCs were 3D-printed based on the CT scan data. A moment of 1.5 Nm was applied to the specimen using a biomechanics machine. The range of motion (ROM) in bending, extension, lateral bending and rotation directions of each specimen in the different groups was measured, including an intact group (group A), a C5–C6 posterior ligamentous complex (PLC) resection group (group B), a C5–C6 lateral mass screw–rod system fixation group (group C), and a C5–C6 novel CISC fixation group (group D). Results Groups C and D had smaller ROM than groups A and B in flexion–extension, lateral bending and rotation directions, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Group D had significantly greater ROM than group C in the forward flexion and posterior extension directions (P < 0.05). Conclusions Injury to the posterior ligament complex of the lower cervical spine can cause flexion and extension, lateral bending, and instability in the direction of axial rotation. CISC fixation is equivalent to the fixation effect of the lateral mass screw-rod system, and can be used as a simple fixation or supplementary fixation for the posterior cervical spine.

BackgroundAbout 20% of breast cancers in humans are basal-like, a subtype that is often triple negative and difficult to treat. An effective translational model for basal-like breast cancer (BLBC) is currently lacking and urgently needed. To determine if spontaneous mammary tumors in pet dogs could meet this need, we subtyped canine mammary tumors and evaluated the dog-human molecular homology at the subtype level.MethodsWe subtyped 236 canine mammary tumors from 3 studies by applying various subtyping strategies on their RNA-seq data. We then performed PAM50 classification with canine tumors alone, as well as with canine tumors combined with human breast tumors. We investigated differential gene expression, signature gene set enrichment, expression association, mutational landscape, and other features for dog-human subtype comparison.ResultsOur independent genome-wide subtyping consistently identified two molecularly distinct subtypes among the canine tumors. One subtype is mostly basal-like and clusters with human BLBC in cross-species PAM50 classification, while the other subtype does not cluster with any human breast cancer subtype. Furthermore, the canine basal-like subtype recaptures key molecular features (e.g., cell cycle gene upregulation, TP53 mutation) and gene expression patterns that characterize human BLBC. It is enriched histological subtypes that match human breast cancer, unlike the other canine subtype. However, about 33% of canine basal-like tumors are estrogen receptor negative (ER-) and progesterone receptor positive (PR+), which is rare in human breast cancer. Further analysis reveals that these ER-PR+ canine tumors harbor additional basal-like features, including upregulation of genes of interferon-γ response and of the Wnt-pluripotency pathway. Interestingly, we observed an association ofPGRexpression with gene silencing in all canine tumors, and with the expression of T cell exhaustion markers (e.g.,PDCD1) in ER-PR+ canine tumors.ConclusionsWe identify a canine mammary tumor subtype that molecularly resembles human BLBC overall, and thus could serve as a vital spontaneous animal model of this devastating breast cancer subtype. Our study also sheds light on the dog-human difference in the mammary tumor histology and the hormonal cycle.

Cisplatin (DDP) chemotherapy is effective to treat tumors but potentially limited to drug resistance. The research studied miR-6838-5p in controlling LC cells’ DDP resistance. First, clinical samples of DDP-resistant LC and DDP-sensitive LC were obtained and clinicopathological information was analyzed. Then, a DDP-resistant cell model (A549/DDP) was established and transfected with the plasmid vector that interfered with the expression of miR-6838-5p or SYPL1. Cell viability and half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50), apoptosis, migration and invasion were detected by CCK-8, flow cytometry, and Transwell, respectively. miR-6838-5p, SYPL1, MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression was determined by RT-qPCR or immunoblot analysis. Finally, the targeting relationship between miR-6838-5p and SYPL1 was verified by bioinformatics website and luciferase reporter assay. Experiment result showed that reduced miR-6838-5p and upregulated SYPL1 were presented in DDP-resistant LC. Elevating miR-6838-5p or suppressing SYPL1 repressed proliferative, migratory, and invasive activities and DDP resistance, but promoted apoptosis in A549/DDP cells. MiR-6838-5p targeted SYPL1. Moreover, SYPL1 overexpression turned around elevated miR-6838-5p-mediated effect on A549/DDP metastasis and DDP resistance. In conclusion, miR-6838-5p targets SYPL1 to restrain metastasis and DDP resistance of LC cells.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether PET–CT or PET–MRI is more appropriate for imaging prostate cancer, in terms of primary tumor detection, local staging and recurrence, as well as lymph nodes and distant metastases. METHODS: A systematic literature search was conducted on Embase, PubMed/MEDLINE, and the Cochrane Library database. Studies evaluating the diagnostic performance of PET–CT vs PET–MRI in prostate cancer patients were emphasized. RESULTS: We reviewed 57 original research articles during the period 2016–2021: 14 articles regarding the radiotracer PSMA; 18 articles regarding the primary tumor detection, local tumor staging, managing local recurrence; 17 articles for managing lymph node metastases; and eight articles for managing bone and other distant metastases. PSMA PET could be complementary to mpMRI for primary prostate cancer localization and is particularly valuable for PI-RADS three lesions. PET–MRI is better than PET–CT in local tumor staging due to its specific benefit in predicting extracapsular extension in MRI-occult prostate cancer patients. PET–MRI is likely superior as compared with PET–CT in detecting local recurrence, and has slightly higher detection rates than PET–CT in lymph node recurrence. PET–CT and PET–MRI seem to have equivalent performance in detecting distant bony or visceral metastases. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, PET–MRI is suitable for local and regional disease, either primary staging or restaging, whereas PET–CT is valuable for managing distant bony or visceral metastasis. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: We reviewed the emerging applications of PET–MRI and PET–CT in clinical aspects. Readers will gain an objective overview on the strength and shortfalls of PET–MRI or PET–CT in the management of prostate cancer.

Kaposi varicelliform eruption (KVE) is a cutaneous dissemination of a viral infection, which is mostly caused by herpes simplex virus (HSV) in the setting of certain underlying skin diseases. KVE occurs mainly in infants and children, but very rarely in adults. Here, we report a case of KVE with contact dermatitis in a 36-year-old man with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), who was referred to our deparment with pruritic well-defined facial erythema and multiple vesicular lesions. A punch biopsy and immunohistochemical examination established the diagnosis of KVE with contact dermatitis. After treatment with valacyclovir and antihistamines, facial lesions achieved complete remission. With this case report, KVE has specific manifestation in clinic, histopathology and immunohistochemistry, which could guide the early diagnosis and improve prognosis.

An 86-year-old man presented to the emergency room with vomiting and melena. The patient was hemodynamically stable and remained alert and orientated. According to his family, ingestion of a pack of disposable hand warmers, which he mistook for black sesame powder, occurred 17 h prior to admission. Before ingestion, he mixed the powder with warm water. Physical examination revealed no thermal injury of the oral mucosa with no abdominal pain or tenderness. An abdominal plain film showed multiple scattered radiopaque material with zonal distribution over the right abdomen. An intravenous 500-mg deferoxamine challenge test showed no vin rosé urine discoloration. Serial serum iron levels remained within the normal range. The patient remained clinically stable with no medical complications. He was discharged 3 days after admission. The hand warmers consisted of iron powder (50% w/w), sodium chloride, activated charcoal, and nontoxic vermiculite: a potential risk for intestinal thermal injury. In this case, the water added beforehand rapidly terminated the iron oxidation reaction. This explained the lack of thermal injury. Ferric oxide is poorly absorbed by the digestive tract and explained the absence of iron intoxication. Therefore, clinicians should clarify the method of ingestion. If a hand warmer has been premixed with water, less mucosa injury can be expected with a lower risk of iron intoxication. This report also provided evidence that abdominal plain films can be used to confirm the ingestion of iron and monitor its elimination.

Winds are commonly observed in luminous active galactic nuclei (AGNs). A plausible model of those winds is magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) disc winds. In the case of disc winds from a thin accretion disc, isothermal or adiabatic assumption is usually adopted in such MHD models. In this work we perform two-dimensional MHD simulations implementing different thermal treatments (isothermal, adiabatic and radiative) to study their effects on winds from a thin accretion disc. We find that both the isothermal model and the adiabatic model overestimate the temperature, underestimate the power of disc winds, and cannot predict the local structure of the winds, compared to the results obtained by solving the energy equation with radiative cooling and heating. Based on the model with radiative cooling and heating, the ionization parameter, the column density and the velocity of the disc winds have been compared to the observed ultrafast outflows (UFOs). We find that in our simulations the UFOs can only be produced inside hundreds of Schwarzschild radius. At much larger radii, no UFOs are found. Thus, the pure MHD winds cannot interpret all the observed UFOs., Comment: 11 pages, 14 figures, published in MNRAS

Retroreflectors that can accurately redirect the incident waves in free space back along their original channels provide unprecedented opportunities for light manipulation. However, to the best of our knowledge, they suffer from either the bulky size, narrow angular bandwidths, or time-consuming postprocessing, which essentially limits their further applications. Here, a scheme for designing ultrathin all-angle real-time retroreflectors based on hyperbolic plasmonic metasurfaces is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The physical mechanism underlying the scheme is the orthogonality between the traveling waves in free space and the canalized spoof surface plasmon on the hyperbolic plasmonic metasurfaces, which guarantee their high-efficiency and all-angle mutual conversion. In this case, the strong confinement characteristic that benefited from the enhanced light-matter interaction enables us to route and retroreflect the canalized spoof surface plasmon with extremely thin structures. As proof of the scheme, a retroreflector prototype with a thickness approximately equal to the central wavelength is designed and fabricated. Further experimental investigation obtains a half-power field of view up to 53° and a maximum efficiency of 83.2%. This scheme can find promising applications in target detection, remote sensing, and diverse on-chip light control devices.

Alcohol consumption is a critical risk factor contributing to a verity of human diseases. The incidence of alcohol use disorder increases across adolescence in recent years. Accumulating line of evidence suggests that alcohol-induced changes of DNA cytosine methylation (5-methyl-2′-deoxycytidine, 5mC) in genomes play an important role in the development of diseases. However, systemic investigation of the effects of adolescent alcohol exposure on DNA and RNA modifications is still lacked. Especially, there hasn't been any report to study the effects of alcohol exposure on RNA modifications. Similar to DNA modifications, RNA modifications recently have been identified to function as new regulators in modulating numbers of biological processes. In the current study, we systematically investigated the effects of alcohol exposure on both DNA and RNA modifications in peripheral blood of adolescent rats by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) analysis. The developed LC-ESI-MS/MS method enabled the sensitive and accurate determination of 2 DNA modifications and 12 RNA modifications. As for the alcohol exposure experiments, the adolescent rats were intraperitoneally injected with ethanol with an interval of one day for a total 14 days. The quantification results by LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis showed that adolescent alcohol exposure could alter both DNA and RNA modifications in peripheral blood. Specifically, we observed an overall decreased trend of RNA modifications. The discovery of the significant alteration of the levels of DNA and RNA modifications under alcohol exposure indicates that alcohol consumption may increase the risk of the incidence and development of diseases through dysregulating DNA and RNA modifications.

Wastewater is typically complicated with spilled oil, water soluble toxic dyes and microorganisms, making it hard to be processed and causing a significant threat to the environmental safety and human health. In this paper, we demonstrate a simple solution immersion method to obtain a multifunctional cellulose-based membrane (CBM) that possesses both superhydrophobicity with a water contact angle of 163° and superior functionalities including self-cleaning, oil-water separation, anti-biofouling, and photocatalytic degradation capabilities. The achievement of separation efficiency (96%), comparatively high flux (141 L·m