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Abstract Background and aims Preoperative prediction of microvascular invasion (MVI) using a noninvasive method remain unresolved, especially in HBV-related in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). This study aimed to build and validate a preoperative prediction model for MVI in HBV-related ICC. Methods Patients with HBV-associated ICC undergoing curative surgical resection were identified. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the independent risk factors of MVI in the training cohort. Then, a prediction model was built by enrolling the independent risk factors. The predictive performance was validated by receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC) and calibration in the validation cohort. Results Consecutive 626 patients were identified and randomly divided into the training (418, 67%) and validation (208, 33%) cohorts. Multivariate analysis showed that TBIL, CA19-9, tumor size, tumor number, and preoperative image lymph node metastasis were independently associated with MVI. Then, a model was built by enrolling former fiver risk factors. In the validation cohort, the performance of this model showed good calibration. The area under the curve was 0.874 (95% CI: 0.765–0.894) and 0.729 (95%CI: 0.706–0.751) in the training and validation cohort, respectively. Decision curve analysis showed an obvious net benefit from the model. Conclusion Based on clinical data, an easy model was built for the preoperative prediction of MVI, which can assist clinicians in surgical decision-making and adjuvant therapy.

We report a photonic approach to achieve simultaneous radio frequency (RF) self-interference cancellation (SIC) and frequency downconversion with immunity to power fading based on an optoelectronic oscillator (OEO) for an in-band full-duplex (IBFD) radio-over-fiber (ROF) system. A dual-drive Mach–Zehnder modulator (DDMZM) in a polarization-division multiplexing Mach–Zehnder modulator (PDM-MZM) is used to cancel the RF self-interference (SI) signal and generate optical carrier-suppressed double sidebands (CS-DSBs) of the signal of interest (SOI). Meanwhile, another DDMZM in the PDM-MZM is used to construct an OEO loop to generate optical CS-DSBs of the local oscillation (LO) signal. After detection at a photodetector (PD), a frequency downconverted signal is recovered with the RF self-interference cancellation (SIC). The proposed scheme can directly cancel the RF SI signal in the optical domain, meaning that it can overcome the limitation of SIC in the electrical domain. With the phase compensation introduced by a polarization controller, the desired signal is unaffected by the power fading over fiber transmission, which is significant for IBFD ROF systems. In addition, instead of an external microwave source, an OEO loop is used to generate an LO signal with a high spectral purity, which is very promising for integrated microwave photonics systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Approximately 30% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) respond poorly to combination therapy of multiple drugs. The molecular mechanisms of different responses to methotrexate + leflunomide + infliximab therapy in patients with RA were explored in this study. Methods: Infliximab was administered to patients with RA whose disease activity score was higher than 5.1 after 1 month of combination therapy with methotrexate and leflunomide. After 14 weeks of undergoing triple therapy, patients with RA were classified as responders and non-responders. Protein profiles at baseline and 14th week were investigated via isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ), and proteins with significant differences ≥ 1.2 folds change or ≤ 0.8 folds change were defined as differentially expressed proteins (DEPs). Overlapping DEPs between responders and non-responders were confirmed by parallel reaction monitoring (PRM). Bioinformatic analyses were performed for DEPs. Results: The results revealed 5 non-responders (NRs) and 15 responders (Rs). iTRAQ analysis indicated 13 overlapping DEPs and included 6 opposite change DEPs such as testicular tissue protein Li 70, cofilin 1, fibrinogen beta chain, galectin-10, serotransferrin (TF) and albumin. The difference in serotransferrin between responders and non-responders confirmed by PRM was significant. Verification by PRM indicated that TF was elevated in the Rs group and was reduced in the NRs group. Bioinformatic analysis indicated that serotransferrin was involved in the hypoxia-inducible factor-1 pathway and ferroptosis. Conclusion: Serotransferrin-related molecular mechanism may be a new direction to study refractory RA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by progressive joint erosion. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonists are the most widely used biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug in RA. However, there continue to be one third of RA patients who have poor or no response to TNF antagonists. Following consideration of the uncertainty of therapeutic effects and the high price of TNF antagonists, it is worthy to predict the treatment responses before anti-TNF therapy. According to the comparisons between the responders and non-responders to TNF antagonists by omic technologies, such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, rheumatologists are eager to find significant biomarkers to predict the effect of TNF antagonists in order to optimize the personalized treatment in RA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) electrodes based on pristine single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and acid-treated single-walled carbon nanotubes (A-SWCNTs) were prepared by spray coating technique. Flexible A-SWCNTs electrodes showed enhanced electrochemical properties compared to the pristine SWCNTs electrodes. The electrochemical properties of the flexible A-SWCNTs electrodes were optimized with various types of aqueous electrolytes including sulfuric acid (H2SO4), sodium sulfate (Na2SO4), potassium chloride (KCl), sodium hydroxide (NaOH), and potassium hydroxide (KOH). The electrochemical performance of the A-SWCNTs electrodes as a function of bending to 30° were evaluated using cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and galvanostatic charge/discharge (GCD) measurements in 1 M H2SO4. The specific capacitance value of the unbent A-SWCNTs electrode was 67 F g−1, which decreased to 63 F g−1(94% retention) after 1000 GCD cycles. Interestingly, the specific capacitance of the unbent A-SWCNTs electrode with application of the 1000 GCD cycles was retained even after 500 bending to 30° with 6000 GCD cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the risk factors for the occurrence of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) and to provide a clinical basis for reducing the occurrence of PDA in early preterm infants., Methods: A total of 136 early preterm infants (gestational age≤32 weeks) who were hospitalized between January 2013 and December 2014 and diagnosed with hemodynamicalhy significant PDA (hs-PDA) were enrolled as the case group. Based on the matched case-control principle, 136 early preterm infants without hs-PDA were selected among those who were hospitalized within the same period at a ratio of 1:1 and enrolled as the control group. The two groups were matched for sex and gestational age. The basic information of neonates and maternal conditions during the pregnancy and perinatal periods were collected. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the risk factors for the development of PDA., Results: Univariate analysis showed that neonatal infectious diseases, neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, decreased platelet count within 24 hours after birth, and low birth weight were associated with the development of hs-PDA (P<0.05). Multivariate conditional logistic regression analysis revealed that neonatal infectious diseases (OR=2.368) and decreased platelet count within 24 hours after birth (OR=0.996) were independent risk factors for hs-PDA., Conclusions: Neonatal infectious diseases and decreased platelet count within 24 hours after birth increase the risk of hs-PDA in early preterm infants.

Objective: To compare the growth of preterm infants fed standard protein-fortified human milk with that containing human milk fortifier (HMF) with a higher-than-standard protein content., Methods: Published articles reporting randomized controlled trials and prospective observational intervention studies listed on the PubMed®, Embase®, CINAHL and Cochrane Library databases were searched using the keywords 'fortifier', 'human milk', 'breastfeeding', 'breast milk' and 'human milk fortifier'. The mean difference with 95% confidence intervals was used to compare the effect of HMF with a higher-than-standard protein content on infant growth characteristics., Results: Five studies with 352 infants with birth weight ≤ 1750 g and a gestational age ≤ 34 weeks who were fed human milk were included in this meta-analysis. Infants in the experimental groups given human milk with higher-than-standard protein fortifier achieved significantly greater weight and length at the end of the study, and greater weight gain, length gain, and head circumference gain, compared with control groups fed human milk with the standard HMF., Conclusions: HMF with a higher-than-standard protein content can improve preterm infant growth compared with standard HMF., (© The Author(s) 2015 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.)

Chitosan (CTS), a linear binary copolymer of (1-->8)-linked 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranose (GlcNAc unit) and 2-amino-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranose (GlcNH2 unit), is derived from chitin by alkaline deacetylation. In the present work, the narrow molecular weight distribution chitooligosaccharides were prepared by degraded CTS with a microwave-assisted-cleavage method of metal-coordinating template-absorption catalytic oxidation. Under physiological pH conditions, the interaction of CTS and the narrow distribution chitooligosaccharides with Human serum albumin (HSA) was preliminarily explored by fluorescence spectra. Low molecular weight CTS in different concentration was added into HSA solution respectively, the absorptivity of the HSA solution decreased considerably. This phenomenon indicated that there was an interaction between these six different low molecular weight CTS with HSA, and the smaller the DP of the narrow distribution chitooligosaccharides, the stronger the interaction with HSA. However, the interaction gradually failed in as the DP was less than eight. The interaction almost disappeared when using glucosamine, the final product of degraded CTS, which revealed that there was a scale effect between chain-like CTS molecule and protein biomacromolecule. The results suggest that the strongest interaction binding occurs in CTS with DP approximately =8. Whether the DP increases or decreases, the interaction will weaken.

Four sulfur-contained D(+)-glucosamine metal complexes were synthesized (M-GLUS, M = Co, Cu, Ni and Zn)and characterized by elementary analysis, molar conductance, and proton nuclear magnetic resonance. The yield of the complex was about 70%, and it dissolved easily in water. The ligand coordinates with metalions mainly between sulphur and metalions, the coordination molar ratio of the ligand to metalion was 2 : 1, and the molar conductivity indicated that all the complexes are nonelectrolyte. The mechanism of the interaction between metal complexes and calf thymus (ct) DNA in Tris buffer (pH = 7. 08), was studied by ultraviolet absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. The results from varied experiments showed that the intensity of the maximal absorption peaks increased with gradual addition of metal complexes, but the metalions can decrease the maximal absorption and the ligand has no effect on it. Meanwhile, metal complexes could remarkably quench the emission intensity of the DNA-EB system, and the metal complexes could be bound to ct DNA. The quenching mechanism was discussed by Stern-Volmer's equation, the figure showed that it is influenced by static quenching and dynamic quenching, so the partial interaction of the complexes and ct DNA was the major mode. Under physiological pH condition, this study was designed to examine the effect of complexes on human serum albumin and bovine serum albumin by fluorescence. The binding constants and sites of the interaction with SA were analyzed by the Scatchard's equation, the results indicated that there was a strong interaction between the four metal complexes and serum albumin and the binding force was Co-GLUS > Zn-GLUS > Cu-GLUS > Cu-GLUS, and the binding site is only one.