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Abstract Background Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is characterized by aggressive spread and poor prognosis, but has limited treatment options. Results of prognostic factors from randomized trials on treatment arrangement are conflicting and large‐scale real‐world analysis is lacking. Methods Patients diagnosed SCLC between 2008 and 2018 in Peking University Cancer Hospital were included in this study. Kaplan–Meier methods were adopted, and univariate analysis and multivariate Cox regression models were constructed to analyze prognostic factors. Results Among 1045 patients who presented to our center, 988 eligible patients were identified. Median overall survival (OS) was 16.0 months for the whole group, 24.0 months and 11.0 months for limited stage small cell lung cancer (LS‐SCLC) and extensive stage small cell lung cancer (ES‐SCLC), separately. Limited‐stage, good performance status (PS) (ECOG 0–1), response to primary systemic treatment, and patients who received initiative irradiation and three or more lines of chemotherapy were predicted to have better OS in the whole group. Only response to first‐line systemic therapy and prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) were independent prognostic factors of survival in LS‐SCLC; while good PS (ECOG 0–1), without liver, bone, or subcutaneous metastases, response to first‐line therapy, initial local irradiation, and three or more lines of systemic therapy predicted a favorable prognosis in ES‐SCLC. Conclusions The present study retrieved from large real–world data suggested that response to primary systemic therapy and aggressive radiotherapy are independent prognostic factors for SCLC. PCI and initiative irradiation for original or metastatic sites improved the OS in LS‐SCLC and ES‐SCLC, respectively.

The primary function of odorant‐binding proteins (OBPs) is thought to be binding and transporting odorants molecules. The research on the molecular mechanisms of SfruOBPs binding with sex pheromones is beneficial to the prevention and control of Spodoptera frugiperda (S. frugiperda). Herein, two screened SfruOBPs (Sfru10933 and Sfru21187) were knocked down by RNA interference, and then the changes in electroantennogram (EAG) and behavioral responses of male mutants to their main sex pheromone components were recorded. Upon interfering with Sfru10933, the EAG response and behavioural preferences of males to sex pheromones were significantly reduced or eliminated. The interference with Sfru21187 resulted in a weakening of the behavioural preference, while the EAG response remained unchanged. However, the co‐interference of Sfru10933/Sfru21187 led to a significant reduction in the EAG activity of male to sex pheromones. These results reveal that Sfru10933 and Sfru21187 play a crucial role in sex pheromone recognition, and there may be a synergistic effect between them. Furthermore, these results will help clarify the perception of sex pheromones by S. frugiperda, which may provide new targets for the development of mating inhibitors in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the spectral properties of the black hole X-ray transient binary 4U 1630–472 during its 2022 and 2023 outbursts with Insight-HXMT observations. We find that the outbursts are in peculiar soft states. The effect of the hardening factor on the disk temperature is taken into account by the kerrbb model, and the flux and temperature of the disk are found to follow F ∝ T eff 3.92 ± 0.13 and F ∝ T eff 4.91 ± 1.00 for the two outbursts, respectively. The flux–temperature relation is roughly consistent with a standard disk. By fitting with a p -free model, the p -value, the exponent of the radial dependence of the disk temperature, is found to have an anticorrelation with disk temperature. Combining a joint diagnostic analysis with a diagram of the relation between the nonthermal fraction and luminosity, we find a possible scenario that the disk evolves from 2022 to 2023 toward a slim one with a decreasing radiation efficiency, where such an evolution may depend on the fraction of the nonthermal emission in the high soft state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work we analyzed the long-term X-ray variation of Cir X-1 and its NICER spectra. The dip width and the peak flux after periastron are obtained. Our findings show a negative correlation between the dip width and the peak flux. A new scenario is introduced to explain the correlation. The disk height is higher at a larger radius in the standard model. When the neutron star (NS) moves away from periastron, the contraction of the equipotential surface causes the height of the outer disk to increase significantly. It blocks the X-ray emission near the NS. Subsequently, the height of the outer disk gradually decreases due to the viscosity. The viscous timescale is inversely proportional to the height of the disk, and the height of the outer disk is proportional to the mass transferred from the companion near periastron, thus the peak flux. Consequently, the duration of the obscuring, corresponding to the dip width, is inversely proportional to the peak flux. Moreover, we introduce a new ephemeris MJD(N) = 43075.0 + 16.5843N − 4.778 × 10−5N2 based on the dip-in phases (ingress phase of the dip). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this study is to investigate how Guilu Erxian gum treats osteoporosis by using network pharmacology and related experiments. Methods: The TCMSP database, ETCM database, Chemical Specialties database, and DrugBank database were used to retrieve the potential active ingblueients and corresponding targets of Guilu Erxian gum. Therapeutic targets associated with osteoporosis were obtained from the OMIM and Genecards databases. The network was analyzed using Cytoscape 3.8.0 software to determine topological parameters and identify key active ingblueients and targets. Additionally, the effects of Guilu Erxian gum on osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells were evaluated through alkaline phosphatase assay and alizarin blue calcium nodule staining. The expression of osteogenesis-related genes (Runx2, Osterix, OPN) was assessed using RT-PCR and Western blot. Results: The analysis revealed that Guilu Erxian gum contained 41 active ingblueients and 236 targets, while there were 5,262 known therapeutic targets for osteoporosis. A protein-protein interaction network diagram was constructed using the String database. Enrichment analysis suggested that Guilu Erxian gum may regulate osteoporosis through various signaling pathways and cellular metabolism. The experiments demonstrated that Guilu Erxian gum could promote osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, potentially contributing to the treatment of osteoporosis. Moreover, the results showed that Guilu Erxian gum could increase the expression of osteogenesis-related genes (Runx2, Osterix, OPN). Conclusion: Guilu Erxian gum may have anti-osteoporosis effects by stimulating the osteogenic differentiation of stem cells. This study provides a theoretical basis for further understanding the pharmacological mechanism of Guilu Erxian gum in treating osteoporosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The black hole candidate system SLX 1746–331 was back to business in 2023, after a long silence of roughly 13 years. An outburst was observed thoroughly by Insight-HXMT and NICER. The outburst is characterized by spectral dominance of the soft state, where the joint Insight-HXMT and NICER spectral analysis shows the temperature dependence of the disk flux follows T in 3.98 , and thus suggests that the inner disk reaches its innermost stable circular orbit during almost the entire outburst. By assuming 0.3 L Edd for the peak flux and an inclination angle of zero degrees, the lower limit of the compact object hosted in this system is estimated as 3.28 ± 2.14 M ⊙. We also look into the relation between the disk temperature and disk flux for a sample of black hole systems, and by taking the disk temperature derived in the outburst of SLX 1746–331, such a relation results in a mass estimation of 5.2 ± 4.5 M ⊙. Finally, the spin of the compact object is constrained to be larger than 0.8 with the spectral model KERRBB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Introduction We described the clinical characteristics of a patient with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) who had undergone transcoronary ablation of septal hypertrophy (TASH) twice and developed atrial flutter after radiofrequency ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) due to pulmonary vein reconnection. This case of HOCM is unique because of its complex complications and multiple complex atrial arrhythmias. The treatment of HOCM was successful and the postoperative follow-up results was good. Methods and results A 71-year-oldfemale, developed exertional dyspnea with palpitations 12 years ago, with a valid diagnosis of HOCM according to the echocardiography which showed an absolute increase in the interventricular septum thickness (22.8 mm). She underwent two rounds of TASH and only the second round was successful. During a visit due to recurrent palpitations, the patient was diagnosed with AF based on electrocardiographic examination. Circumferential pulmonary vein isolation (CPVI) was performed to treat AF. However, the recurrence of atrial flutter was detected on her electrocardiograms (ECGs) three years after the operation. Since the patient had an interstitial lung injury, there were relative contraindications for antiarrhythmic drugs. Due to restrictive use of antiarrhythmic drugs and continuous palpitation, the patient agreed to receive a second radiofrequency ablation. Left-sided macroreentrant circuits were identified via high-density mapping and successful ablation was performed at the isthmus. Conclusions Performing catheter ablation and TASH respectively in patients with HOCM associated with AF would be tricky. But taking such a comprehensive and respective clinical treatment would be beneficial to patients in the long term.

Abstract Background To explore the application value of syndecan-1 (SDC-1) in the diagnosis of coronary artery lesions (CALs) in Kawasaki disease (KD) patients and the correlation of multiple laboratory indicators in KD patients. Methods 86 pediatric Kawasaki disease (KD) patients and 52 healthy controls admitted from January 2018 to December 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. Venous blood samples from KD patients were analyzed for white blood cells (WBC), platelets (PLT), C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), syndecan-1 (SDC-1), coagulation parameters, and lipid profiles. Correlations between these laboratory indicators were assessed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis determined the diagnostic value of SDC-1 for coronary artery lesions (CALs) in KD patients. SDC-1 levels were further compared across different CAL severity groups. Results The levels of ALT, AST, WBC, PLT, CRP, IL-6, and SDC-1 in the KD group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P

Abstract Focus on the implications of common perioperative drugs for mitochondrial quality control and their subsequent impact on the overall physiological condition has been increasing. This review discusses the effects of perioperative drugs, such as intravenous and inhaled anesthetics, analgesics, local anesthetics on mitochondrial quality and their underlying mechanisms. These drugs influence mitochondrial properties, including morphology, dynamics, energy metabolism, and protein expression, thereby affecting the clinical outcomes of patients undergoing surgery. Such effects can be either protective or detrimental and are contingent upon multiple variables such as the specific drug used, dosage, application timing, and the patient's overall health status. Recognizing the effects of these perioperative drugs on mitochondrial quality control is crucial to selecting safer anesthetic protocols, reducing postoperative complications, enhancing postoperative recovery, and gaining insights into the development of innovative treatment methodologies and optimization of perioperative care.

The X-ray pulsar 1A 0535+262 exhibited a giant outburst in 2020, offering us a unique opportunity for X-ray polarimetry of an accreting pulsar in the supercritical state. Measurement with PolarLight yielded a nondetection in 3–8 keV; the 99% upper limit of the polarization fraction (PF) is found to be 0.34 averaged over spin phases, or 0.51 based on the rotating vector model. No useful constraint can be placed with phase-resolved polarimetry. These upper limits are lower than a previous theoretical prediction of 0.6–0.8, but consistent with those found in other accreting pulsars, like Her X-1, Cen X-3, 4U 1626−67, and GRO J1008−57, which were in the subcritical state, or at least not confidently in the supercritical state, during the polarization measurements. Our results suggest that the relatively low PF seen in accreting pulsars cannot be attributed to the source not being in the supercritical state, but could be a general feature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Hysteroscopy is the preferred method for the diagnosis and treatment of uterine diseases. With the increasing demand for outpatient hysteroscopy, disposable digital hysteroscopy has emerged, which can meet the requirements of diagnosis and treatment integration, and greatly reduce the labour and storage costs.Methods A total of 108 outpatients who underwent hysteroscopy using disposable digital hysteroscope were divided into two groups: the non-porous group (group A, n=49) and the married with child group (group B, n=59). The patients’ general information and clinical data were recorded and statistical analysis was performed.Results No differences were found between the age, weight, body mass index, menopausal status and indication for hysteroscopy of the two groups. The most common indication was embryo transfer failure. The surgical success rate of 108 patients was 100%, the concordance rate between hysteroscopic diagnosis of chronic endometritis and pathological diagnosis was 94.44% (68/72), while the false positive rate stood at 38.89% (14/36). Additionally, incidental findings rate for endometrial polyps was 92.00% (23/25) with a low false positive rate of only 6% (5/83). The mean visual analogue scale score of group A was 2.285±0.180, which was not significantly different from group B (p=0.483, 95% CI(−0.60-0.44)). The pregnancy rate among patients who received assisted reproductive technology and were followed up for 1 year after surgery was 66.67% (40/60), while the abortion rate stood at 5.00% (3/60).Conclusions The disposable digital hysteroscope is a valuable and effective tool for outpatient hysteroscopy.

IntroductionMillet bran is an abundant dietary fibre resource, but it is rarely used in Foods.MethodsTo enhance the functional properties and applications of foxtail millet bran dietary fibre (MBDF), MBDF modified by heating, cellulase and xylanase hydrolysis combined with acrylic-grafting (MBDF-HDEAG) or hydroxypropylation (MBDF-HDEH) were prepared, and the effects of these modified MBDFs on heat-induced egg white protein gel (H-EWPG) were studies.Results and discussionThe results showed that heating and enzymolysis united with acrylic-grafting or hydroxypropylation both enhanced the surface area, soluble fibre content, water-retention and expansion abilities of MBDF. The addition of unmodified MBDF, MBDF-HDEAG and MBDF-HDEH increased the β-sheet content of H-EWPG and made its microstructure denser and granular. Compared with MBDF, MBDF-HDEAG and MBDF-HDEH more effectively improved the gel and texture properties of H-EWPG including water-holding ability (from 20.45 to 34.63 g/100 g), pH (from 4.53 to 7.66), hardness (from 63.92 to 104.53 g), chewiness (from 57.97 to 122.84 g), and gumminess (from 63.92 to 118.18), and a reduction in transparency and springiness (p

A Type I burst could influence the accretion process through radiation pressure and Comptonization both for the accretion disk and the corona/boundary layer of an X-ray binary, and vice versa. We investigate the temporal evolution of a bright photospheric radius expansion (PRE) burst of 4U 1608â€"52 detected by Insight-HXMT in 1â€"50 keV, with the aim to study the interplay between the burst and persistent emission. Apart from the emission from the neutron star (NS) surface, we find residuals in both the soft (<3 keV) and hard (>10 keV) X-ray bands. Time-resolved spectroscopy reveals that the excess can be attributed to either an enhanced preburst/persistent emission or the Comptonization of the burst emission by the corona/boundary layer. The Comptonization model is a convolution thermal-Comptonization model (thcomp in XSPEC), and the Comptonization parameters are fixed at the values derived from the persistent emission. We find, during the PRE phase, after the enhanced preburst/persistent emission or the Comptonization of the burst emission is removed, the NS surface emission shows a plateau and then a rise until the photosphere touches down on the NS surface, resulting in a flux peak at that moment. We speculate that the findings above correspond to the lower part of the NS surface that is obscured by the disk being exposed to the line of sight due to the evaporation of inner disk by the burst emission. The consistency between the f a model and convolution thermal-Comptonization model indicates the interplay between thermonuclear bursts and accretion environments. These phenomena do not usually show up in conventional blackbody model fittings, which may be due to the low count rate and narrow energy coverage in previous observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the foundation of human survival, the development of agriculture has always played an important role in social development. The quality of agricultural development determines the speed of social progress. With the development of computer science, using computer technology to solve problems related to agricultural development has become an important research direction in current computer development. In recent years, remote sensing detection has received widespread attention, and the application of remote sensing detection technology in agriculture can provide great convenience for the development of agriculture. Benefit from the development of deep learning, remote sensing detection has made gigantic achievements. However, we have to face some challenges. First, deep learning depends on large scale of data with annotations, which expends inestimable human resources. In addition, as the depth of detection network increases, the amount of parameters explosively extends. In this work, we carry out the research based on the two problems. At the beginning, an active learning method considering classification and localization task is proposed. Our method can choose some few but valuable images. It uses 34.48% amount of training set, up to 97.4% baseline performance, and realize the compression of the scale of dataset, which reduces the trouble of manual labeling. Due to imaging and other factors, there exists many small objects in remote sensing images. So we add the mixed convolution, dilated convolution, and mosaic data augmentation modules into HRDNet network. Experiments on the agriculture dataset indicate that the improved algorithm can obtain about 2% higher than HRDNet. To reduce the number of parameters, we adjust the weighted sum ratio of importance scores dynamically. With the pruning ratio of 80%, the model volume has only 184 MB, degrading 70%. Model compression accelerates the detection speed for seven times on NVIDIA AGX Xavier, with a speed of 6 FPS. Our work will lay a foundation for remote sensing detection.

Carbon emission reduction was a crucial objective for China’s green transformation, yet establishing regional cooperation with neighboring areas posed a significant challenge in carbon governance. We investigated the spillover effects of carbon emissions trading (CET) on carbon emissions among Chinese cities, employing spatial difference-in-differences (DID), Callaway and Sant’Anna DID (CSDID), and other methodologies. Our paper integrated datasets on high-speed rails, dialects, and carbon emissions at the prefecture-level city scale. The findings revealed that (1) CET reduces emissions by 11.55% in pilot regions, although the impact of the second policy pilot was not significant. (2) In terms of spillover effects, CET increased emissions in neighboring cities with economic and geographic ties, creating a “beggar-thy-neighbor” reduction model. Conversely, it reduced emissions in cities with shared cultural ties, fostering a “good neighbor” reduction model. (3) The policy spillover effect exhibited an “inverted N” curve, first decreasing, then increasing, and finally decreasing as economic and geographic distance increased. (4) Technological advancement was identified as the primary mechanism driving the spillover effects of CET. To achieve the dual-carbon goal, avoiding harmful economic competition and promoting low-carbon cultural exchanges were essential.

The exploration of microbial genetic resources for the production of fFen-flavor Baijiu has not only enriched the microbial library for baijiu production but has also laid the foundation for process improvement and strain optimization in baijiu brewing. In this study, a total of 177 fungal isolates were screened, including Saccharomyces cerevisiae, non-Saccharomyces cerevisiae, molds, and some pathogenic bacteria. Among them, Saccharomyces cerevisiae was the most abundant with 119 isolates, playing a major role in the fermentation of baijiu production. A total of 148 bacterial isolates were obtained from the fermentation mash samples, showing greater diversity compared to fungi. Bacillus species were the most abundant, with 94 isolates. Bacillus licheniformis, in particular, can produce a rich enzymatic system and flavor precursors, making it an important contributor to the sensory quality of baijiu. Lactic acid bacteria were the second most abundant, with 16 isolates. Additionally, five pathogenic fungal species were identified, including Candida pelliculosa, Candida lusitaniae, Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium solani and Talaromyces marneffei. Six pathogenic bacterial species were also isolated, namely Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus xylosus, Moraxella osloensis, Actinomyces meyeri and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. Finally, two strains of high acetate ethyl ester-producing yeast and lactate-degrading bacteria with good tolerance to temperature, pH, and ethanol concentration were identified as Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Bacillus licheniformis, respectively.

PSR B1259-63 is a g-ray binary system, where the compact object is a pulsar. The system has an orbital period of 1236.7 days and shows peculiar g-ray flares (in 100MeV–300 GeV) after its periastron time. We analyzed the Fermi-LAT observation of PSR B1259-63 during its latest periastron passage, as well as its previous three periastrons. The bright GeV flares started about 60 days after the periastron epoch in 2021. This delay is larger than that around the 2017 periastron and much larger than earlier periastrons. The delay of the GeV flux peak time in each periastron passage is apparent in our results. We discussed the possible origin of this delay and made a prediction of the GeV flux peak time in next periastron passage, based on observation of the previous delays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficacy and safety of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) or plus with chemotherapy in older patients. Methods: We enrolled 110 older patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC ≥75 years) who received either chemotherapy alone (chemo), ICI plus chemotherapy (ICI + chemo), or ICI alone and ICI plus other therapies, which included anti-angiogenesis drugs or other novel ICI (ICIs). Patient characteristics, treatment response, survival, and toxicity were evaluated. Results: In total population, the ICIs group has the highest disease control rate (DCR 75%). There were no significant differences in progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) among older patients between ICI + chemo and ICIs groups (PFS: 5.3 months vs. 5.5 months, p = 0.70, OS: 10.7 months vs. 20.3 months, p = 0.995). Meanwhile, we observed ICIs had a longer PFS and OS than chemo group (PFS: 3.9 months vs. 5.5 months, p = 0.01, OS: 10.9 months vs. 20.3 months, p = 0.05). Subgroup analysis showed that patients with programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) ≥ 1% had a distinct longer trend toward OS in ICIs group compared to ICI + chemo group (22.4 months vs. 10.7 months, p = 0.605), even though there was no significant difference. In terms of safety, ICIs was more tolerable and had a lower discontinuation rate than ICI + chemo group. Conclusion: In the real world, ICI + chemo is more likely to be discontinued due to adverse effects and does not significantly improve patient survival compared with ICIs treatment in total population and subgroup. Therefore, ICI alone or ICIs plus other therapies, such as anti-angiogenesis drugs or other novel ICI (ICIs) could be recommended for older cases with PD-L1 positive NSCLC.

Heart sound detection technology plays an important role in the prediction of cardiovascular disease, but the most significant heart sounds are fleeting and may be imperceptible. Hence, obtaining heart sound information in an efficient and accurate manner will be helpful for the prediction and diagnosis of heart disease. To obtain heart sound information, we designed an audio data analysis tool to segment the heart sounds from single heart cycle, and validated the heart rate using a finger oxygen meter. The results from our validated technique could be used to realize heart sound segmentation. Our robust algorithmic platform was able to segment the heart sounds, which could then be compared in terms of their difference from the background. A combination of an electronic stethoscope and artificial intelligence technology was used for the digital collection of heart sounds and the intelligent identification of the first (S1) and second (S2) heart sounds. Our approach can provide an objective basis for the auscultation of heart sounds and visual display of heart sounds and murmurs.

BackgroundThe development of endometrial cancer (EC) is closely related to the abnormal activation of the estrogen signaling pathway. Effective diagnostic markers are important for the early detection and treatment of EC.MethodWe downloaded single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and spatial transcriptome (ST) data of EC from public databases. Enrichment scores were calculated for EC cell subpopulations using the "AddModuleScore" function and the AUCell package, respectively. Six predictive models were constructed, including logistic regression (LR), Gaussian naive Bayes (GaussianNB), k-nearest neighbor (KNN), support vector machine (SVM), extreme gradient boosting (XGB), and neural network (NK). Subsequently, receiver-operating characteristics with areas under the curves (AUCs) were used to assess the robustness of the predictive model.ResultWe classified EC cell coaggregation into six cell clusters, of which the epithelial, fibroblast and endothelial cell clusters had higher estrogen signaling pathway activity. We founded the epithelial cell subtype Epi cluster1, the fibroblast cell subtype Fib cluster3, and the endothelial cell subtype Endo cluster3 all showed early activation levels of estrogen response. Based on EC cell subtypes, estrogen-responsive early genes, and genes encoding Stage I and para-cancer differentially expressed proteins in EC patients, a total of 24 early diagnostic markers were identified. The AUCs values of all six classifiers were higher than 0.95, which indicates that the early diagnostic markers we screened have superior robustness across different classification algorithms.ConclusionOur study elucidates the potential biological mechanism of EC response to estrogen at single-cell resolution, which provides a new direction for early diagnosis of EC.

Water inrush disaster of karst tunnel often lead to significant economic losses and serious casualties, which is an urgent engineering roadblock to be solved in the construction of tunnel in karst area. In this paper, three-dimensional discrete element method considering fluid-solid coupling effect and structural characteristics of water-mud resistant rock mass is adopted to systematically study the evolution law of displacement field and seepage field of intermittent joint type water-mud resistant rock mass of tunnel face and its water inrush critical characteristics during the process of sequential excavation of karst tunnel close to the frontal high-pressure water-rich karst cavity. The results show that: With the tunnel face gradually approaching the front-concealed high-pressure water-rich karst cavity, the stability of water-mud resistant rock mass is increasingly affected by high-pressure karst water, and karst water pressure gradually becomes the main control factor. The closer the tunnel face is to the front-concealed high-pressure water-rich karst cavity, the greater the extrusion displacement of karst tunnel face and its increase amplitude, the higher damage degree of water-mud resistant rock mass of face. With the advance of tunnel excavation, the intermittent cracks in the water-mud resistant rock mass of face gradually connect and form a stable hydraulic connection. The flow velocity and seepage pressure of karst water rise significantly at the moment of overall instability of face and the formation of water inrush channel, showing obvious precursor characteristics. The research achievements provide a reference for early warning and prevention and control of water inrush disaster of karst tunnel face.

Abstract Background Lung Adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is a major component of lung cancer. Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) has emerged as a new target for some tumor treatments. Methods The expression and clinical data of LUAD samples were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and The Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, followed by acquiring ERS-related genes (ERSGs) from the GeneCards database. Differentially expressed endoplasmic reticulum stress-related genes (DE-ERSGs) were screened and used to construct a risk model by Cox regression analysis. Kaplan–Meier (K-M) curves and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted to determine the risk validity of the model. Moreover, enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the high- and low- risk groups was conducted to investigate the functions related to the risk model. Furthermore, the differences in ERS status, vascular-related genes, tumor mutation burden (TMB), immunotherapy response, chemotherapy drug sensitivity and other indicators between the high- and low- risk groups were studied. Finally, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to validate the mRNA expression levels of prognostic model genes. Results A total of 81 DE-ERSGs were identified in the TCGA-LUAD dataset, and a risk model, including HSPD1, PCSK9, GRIA1, MAOB, COL1A1, and CAV1, was constructed by Cox regression analysis. K-M and ROC analyses showed that the high-risk group had a low survival, and the Area Under Curve (AUC) of ROC curves of 1-, 3- and 5-years overall survival was all greater than 0.6. In addition, functional enrichment analysis suggested that the risk model was related to collagen and extracellular matrix. Furthermore, differential analysis showed vascular-related genes FLT1, TMB, neoantigen, PD-L1 protein (CD274), Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE), and T cell exclusion score were significantly different between the high- and low-risk groups. Finally, qRT-PCR results showed that the mRNA expression levels of 6 prognostic genes were consistent with the analysis. Conclusion A novel ERS-related risk model, including HSPD1, PCSK9, GRIA1, MAOB, COL1A1, and CAV1, was developed and validated, which provided a theoretical basis and reference value for ERS-related fields in the study and treatment of LUAD.

To develop functional seabuckthorn lyophilized effervescent tablets, in this study, the appearance, taste and disintegration time were taken as the inspection indicators, the best preparation process was determined through fuzzy mathematics combined with response surface optimization test, and the quality of the effervescent tablets was analyzed. The results showed that the optimum formula was as follows: The additive amount of seabuckthorn lyophilized powder was 40.00%, the acid base ratio of disintegrant was 1:1.28, the additive amount of disintegrant was 41.89%, and the amount of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC-Na) was 3%. Under the best process conditions, the effervescent tablets have smooth surface, good taste and unique aroma of seabuckthorn, reaching a comprehensive score of 79.80±1.20. The effervescent tablets contained 5.85 mg/g of vitamin C and 5.26 mg/g of flavonoids, and the scavenging rates of DPPH free radicals and hydroxyl free radicals were 56.8% and 54.9%, respectively. This study enhanced the added value of seabuckthorn, and provided a theoretical basis for the development of seabuckthorn functional products.

Abstract Background Currently there is no standard therapy recommended for second‐line treatment for thymic carcinoma. Our study compared multidrug chemotherapy, single‐agent chemotherapy, and PD‐1 inhibitors in patients diagnosed with advanced thymic carcinoma who had previous platinum‐based chemotherapy at the clinic. Methods The study included patients with thymic carcinoma who failed first‐line platinum‐based chemotherapy. Kaplan–Meier methods were applied in the study for estimating the progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) curves. Pearson chi‐square or Fisher's exact chi‐square test was adopted to make comparisons of the objective response rate (ORR) between treatment groups. Cox regression was used for the multivariate analyses in PFS and OS. Results Among the 92 patients enrolled, multidrug chemotherapy was used in 51 (55.4%) patients for second‐line therapy. Thirty‐six patients (35.9%) received single‐agent chemotherapy, and eight patients (8.7%) underwent PD‐1 inhibitors. The multidrug chemotherapy group showed better efficacy than the other two groups, with an ORR of 35.3% (p = 0.006). The median PFS of multidrug chemotherapy, single‐agent chemotherapy and PD‐1 inhibitors were 5.0 months, 3.0 months, and 4.0 months, respectively (p = 0.008). Patients in the multidrug chemotherapy group also showed an advantage in OS in comparison with the other two treatment groups (p = 0.045), with a median OS of 30.4 months. Multivariate analysis showed that second‐line treatment was independent factor for both PFS (p = 0.035) and OS (p = 0.037). Grade 3–4 AEs were mostly detected in patients receiving multidrug chemotherapy and were primarily hematologic. Treatment‐related mortality was not found in any of the groups. Conclusions Multidrug chemotherapy had a trend toward a more positive response rate and outcomes in longer survival time than single‐agent chemotherapy and PD‐1 inhibitors. Multidrug chemotherapy is a choice worth considering for second‐line therapy in patients with thymic carcinoma if tolerable.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to detect circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and circulating tumor-derived endothelial cells (CTECs) in patients with advanced lung cancer, for describing the distribution characteristics of CTC and CTEC subtypes, exploring the correlation between CTC/CTEC subtypes and novel prognostic biomarkers.MethodsA total of 52 patients with advanced lung cancer were enrolled in this study. Using the subtraction enrichment-immunofluorescence in situ hybridization (SE-iFISH) system, CTCs and CTECs derived from these patients were identified.ResultsBased on cell size, there were 49.3% small and 50.7% large CTCs, and 23.0% small and 77.0% large CTECs. Triploidy, tetraploidy, and multiploidy varied in the small and large CTCs/CTECs. Besides these three aneuploid subtypes, monoploidy was found in the small and large CTECs. Triploid and multiploid small CTCs and tetraploid large CTCs were associated with shorter overall survival (OS) in patients with advanced lung cancer. However, none of the CTECs subtypes showed a significant correlation with patient prognosis. In addition, we found strong positive correlations (P

BackgroundThe progress of Moyamoya disease (MMD) is often accompanied by the occurrence of new ischemia or hemorrhagic events, which was difficult to predict. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to identify predictors for progression in MMD patients.MethodsWe searched PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Embase databases up to December 10th, 2022 for randomized controlled trials, case-control studies, or cohort studies reporting predictors of disease progression in MMD patients. The results of each predictor were pooled by meta-analysis and further analyzed by subgroup analysis for predictors of unilateral to bilateral progression of MMD.ResultsA total of 842 patients from 12 studies were included. The estimated pooled means indicated lower age (standard mean difference [SMD]: −0.29, 95% confidence interval [CI]: −0.55 to −0.03; P = 0.03), family history (odds ratio [OR] 3.97, 95% CI: 1.96 to 8.03; P < 0.001) and contralateral abnormality (OR 3.95, 95% CI: 1.10 to 14.20; P = 0.04) were associated with progression in MMD patients. Subgroup analyses indicated that the same three factors were associated with the progression of unilateral to bilateral MMD.ConclusionsThis meta-analysis revealed that lower age, family history and contralateral abnormality were associated with progression in MMD patients. The same three factors are associated with the progression of unilateral to bilateral MMD. Further studies are needed to validate our results.