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Shuo Yuan,&ast; Xuanyu Lu,&ast; Lei Zang, Yuqi Mei, Ning Fan, Peng Du Department of Orthopedics, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100043, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Lei Zang, Department of Orthopedics, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, 5 JingYuan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100043, People’s Republic of China, Email zanglei@ccmu.edu.cnPurpose: Percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy (PTED) was used as a minimally invasive treatment option for lumbar disc herniation (LDH). However, studies focusing on the clinical outcomes of PTED for elderly patients with adjacent segment disease (ASD) were limited. This study aims to compare the clinical outcomes of PTED between ASD and LDH in elderly patients.Patients and Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 39 patients with ASD and 39 patients with LDH. Both groups had undergone PTED in Beijing Chaoyang Hospital from July 4, 2016 to July 30, 2021. Visual analog scale for back pain (VAS-BP) and leg pain (VAS-LP) and Oswestry disability index (ODI) were used to value the clinical outcomes of patients preoperatively, immediately postoperatively, 12, and 24 months postoperatively, and at final follow-up. Patients’ satisfaction was evaluated based on the MacNab criteria.Results: All operations were completed. The excellent or good clinical outcomes at final follow-up was demonstrated by 87.15% (34/39) and 89.74% (35/39) in ASD and non-ASD patients, respectively. Clinical improvement was observed immediately postoperatively in both groups and sustained stability during the postoperative follow-up. The ASD group demonstrated significantly longer hospital stays (p = 0.02) and operative time (p < 0.01) than the non-ASD group.Conclusion: PTED is an effective and minimally invasive treatment option for revision surgery of ASD, especially for elderly patients. However, the long-term prognosis of PTED treating ASD still needs further exploration.Keywords: adjacent segment degeneration, percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy, clinical outcomes, geriatric patients, minimally invasive

Qichao Wu,&ast; Shuo Yuan,&ast; Lei Zang, Tianyi Wang, Xuanyu Lu, Aobo Wang, Fangda Si, Ning Fan, Peng Du Department of Orthopedics, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Lei Zang, Department of Orthopedics, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China, Email zanglei@ccmu.edu.cnObjective: To investigate the correlation between postoperative imaging parameters and clinical outcomes in patients with foraminal stenosis (FS) and lateral recess stenosis (LRS) who underwent percutaneous endoscopic transforaminal decompression (PETD).Methods: The study included 104 eligible patients who underwent PETD, and the mean follow-up time was 2.4 years (range 2.2– 3.6 years). Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores, and the modified MacNab criteria were used to evaluate the clinical outcomes. The related parameters of the FS and LRS based on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging were measured before and after surgery. Correlations between the imaging parameters and clinical outcomes were investigated.Results: The proportion of excellent and good results following MacNab evaluation was 82.6%. In the treatment of LRS, VAS-back, VAS-leg, and ODI at the 2-year follow-up were negatively correlated with postoperative facet joint length based on computed tomography. In the treatment of FS, the above clinical results were positively correlated with the variation of foraminal width and nerve root-facet distance before and after surgery based on magnetic resonance imaging.Conclusion: PETD can achieve good clinical outcomes in the treatment of patients with LRS or FS. Postoperative facet joint length was negatively correlated with clinical outcomes of LRS patients. In FS patients, the variation in foraminal width and nerve root-facet distance before and after surgery were positively correlated with their clinical outcomes. These findings may help surgeons optimize treatment strategies and selection of surgical candidates.Keywords: lumbar spinal stenosis, clinical outcomes, percutaneous endoscopic transforaminal decompression, microsurgery, spinal endoscopy

Lei Wang, Tianyi Wang, Ning Fan, Shuo Yuan, Peng Du, Fangda Si, Aobo Wang, Lei Zang Department of Orthopedics, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Lei Zang, Department of Orthopedics, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, 5 JingYuan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100043, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 13601252787, Email zanglei@ccmu.edu.cnPurpose: To evaluate the efficacy of repeat percutaneous endoscopic lumbar decompression (PELD) in lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) reoperation.Patients and Methods: This study included patients with LSS who relapsed following treatment with PELD therapy between March 2017 and March 2020. Visual analog scale (VAS) scores and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) were analyzed preoperatively, postoperatively at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months, and at final follow-up. The modified MacNab criteria were used to assess clinical effects. All complications were recorded.Results: At a mean follow-up of 3 years, 24 patients with LSS who underwent repeat PELD were identified. The patients’ mean operative time was 122.3± 29.2 min, blood loss was 12.5± 5.3 mL, and mean hospital stay was 7.0± 1.9 days. VAS leg-pain score improved from 6.1± 1.0 to 2.0± 1.2 (P< 0.001), VAS back-pain score improved from 6.2± 0.8 to 2.1± 1.1 (P< 0.001), and ODI improved from 68.9± 6.0 to 20.9± 5.6 (P < 0.001). According to the modified MacNab criteria, the good-to-excellent rate was 83.3%. Postoperative complications, including hematoma, nerve root injury, and dural injury, developed in four patients.Conclusion: Repeat PELD for reoperation in patients with LSS has a good clinical effect, and is recommended in routine clinical practice. Careful intraoperative manipulation is recommended to prevent complications.Keywords: lumbar spinal stenosis, percutaneous endoscopic lumbar decompression, reoperation, complication

Aobo Wang,&ast; Fangda Si,&ast; Tianyi Wang, Shuo Yuan, Ning Fan, Peng Du, Lei Wang, Lei Zang Department of Orthopedics, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Lei Zang, Department of Orthopedics, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, 5 JingYuan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100043, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 13601252787, Email zanglei@ccmu.edu.cnPurpose: To identify the incidence rates and risk factors for early readmission and reoperation after percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic decompression (PTED) for degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (DLSS).Patients and Methods: A total of 1011 DLSS patients who underwent PTED were retrospectively evaluated. Of them, 58 were readmitted, and 31 underwent reoperation. The patients were matched with 174 control patients to perform case-control analyses. The clinical and preoperative imaging data of each patient were recorded. Univariate analyses were performed using independent sample t-tests and Fisher’s exact tests. Furthermore, the risk factors for early readmission and reoperation were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression analyses.Results: The incidence rates of readmission and reoperation within 90 days after PTED were 5.7% and 3.1%, respectively. Age (odds ratio [OR]=1.054, p=0.001), BMI (OR=1.104, p=0.041), a history of lumbar surgery (OR=3.260, p=0.014), and the number of levels with radiological lumbar foraminal stenosis (LFS, OR=2.533, p< 0.001) were independent risk factors for early readmission. The number of levels with radiological LFS (OR=5.049, p< 0.001), the grade of surgical-level facet joint degeneration (OR=2.010, p=0.023), and a history of lumbar surgery (OR=10.091, p< 0.001) were independent risk factors for early reoperation.Conclusion: This study confirmed that aging, a higher BMI, a history of lumbar surgery, and more levels with radiological LFS were associated with a higher risk of early readmission. More levels with radiological LFS, a higher grade of surgical-level facet joint degeneration, and a history of lumbar surgery were predictors of early reoperation. These results are helpful in patient counseling and perioperative evaluation of PTED.Keywords: spinal stenosis, minimally invasive, readmission, reoperation, risk factor

Aobo Wang,&ast; Tianyi Wang,&ast; Lei Zang, Shuo Yuan, Ning Fan, Peng Du, Qichao Wu Department of Orthopedics, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Lei Zang, Department of Orthopedics, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, 5 JingYuan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100043, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 13601252787, Email zanglei@ccmu.edu.cnPurpose: This study aimed to evaluate the degeneration patterns of the facet joints (FJs) in patients with lumbar foraminal stenosis (LFS) and investigate the correlation between quantitative parameters and FJ osteoarthritis (FJ OA).Patients and Methods: A total of 171 patients with LFS at the L4/5 level and 146 control patients were enrolled in this study. The severity of FJ OA was graded according to the Weishaupt classification. The FJ orientation, FJ tropism, superior articular process cross-sectional area (SAPA), and FJ area were measured at the L3/4, L4/5, and L5/S1 spinal levels. Associations among the parameters were assessed using Pearson’s correlation coefficients. Independent sample t-tests and Pearson’s chi-square tests were used for univariate analyses. The association between LFS and the quantitative parameters was also analyzed using multivariate logistic regression models adjusted for age, gender, and body mass index.Results: Patients with LFS had more sagittal FJ orientation (37.9 vs 45.0, p < 0.001), more FJ tropism (5.6 vs 3.8, p < 0.001), larger SAPA (129.0 vs 97.8, p < 0.001), and less FJ area (21.7 vs 23.3, p = 0.016). Logistic regression analysis showed that LFS was significantly associated with FJ tropism (odds ratio [OR]: 1.153; p = 0.003) and SAPA (OR: 1.113; p < 0.001). The SAPA showed the largest area under the curve (0.908, 95% confidence interval: 0.875– 0.942) for the diagnosis of LFS. The optimal cutoff value was 114.75 mm2 with 85.4% sensitivity and 87.0% specificity. Additionally, a significant correlation was observed between FJ OA and SAPA and FJ area at each studied spinal level.Conclusion: This study confirmed that LFS is significantly associated with FJ hypertrophy and tropism. FJ hypertrophy and joint space narrowing correlated with the severity of FJ OA. These results are helpful in understanding the morphology and pathology of FJs.Keywords: spinal stenosis, facet joint, articular process, osteoarthritis

Fangda Si,&ast; Shuo Yuan,&ast; Lei Zang, Ning Fan, Qichao Wu, Tianyi Wang, Aobo Wang Department of Orthopedics, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100043, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Lei Zang, Department of Orthopedics, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100043, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-13601252787, Email zanglei@ccmu.edu.cnBackground: The paraspinal muscle is essential for maintaining normal spine function and structure, which degeneration is closely related to various spinal diseases. The main objective of this study was to identify the potential role of paraspinal muscle degeneration in the occurrence of new vertebral compression fractures (NVCF) and develop a clinically applicable nomogram for prospective NVCF risk prediction.Methods: A total of 202 patients with single-level osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF) who underwent percutaneous kyphoplasty treatment between January 2016 and March 2019 were included in this study. Demographic, clinical, radiological, and treatment data were collected and analyzed. The paraspinal muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) and fat signal fraction (FSF) were measured to quantify the extent of muscle degeneration. Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis was performed to select risk factors to build a nomogram that predicted the occurrence of NVCF. The concordance index (C-index) and calibration curve were used to evaluate the discriminative capacity and predictive accuracy of the nomogram.Results: NVCF occurred in 54 of 202 patients (26.7%). The erector spinae FSF (OR = 1.064; P = 0.001), psoas major FSF (OR = 1.326; P < 0.001), and the difference index of the muscle CSA between multifidus and psoas major (OR = 1.048; P < 0.001) were independent risk factors for the occurrence of NVCF. The nomogram performance was good after evaluation using the calibration curves and C-index (95% confidence interval, 0.854– 0.943).Conclusion: Paraspinal muscle degeneration is a potential risk factor for NVCF occurrence. A nomogram was designed to precisely predict the risk of NVCF. This predictive nomogram may help clinicians to make better clinical decisions and provide more accurate functional exercise protocol for OVCF patients.Keywords: paraspinal muscle degeneration, new vertebral compression fractures, percutaneous kyphoplasty, risk factors, nomogram

Lele Zang,1 Qin Chen,1 Xiaozhen Zhang,2 Xiaohong Zhong,3 Jian Chen,1 Yi Fang,1 An Lin,1 Min Wang1 1Department of Gynecological Oncology, Fujian Medical University Cancer Hospital, Fujian Cancer Hospital, Fuzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Radiology, The Affiliated People’s Hospital of Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Radiotherapy, Fujian Medical University Cancer Hospital, Fujian Cancer Hospital, Fuzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Min Wang; An LinDepartment of Gynecological Oncology, Fujian Medical University Cancer Hospital, Fujian Cancer Hospital, Fuzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 1500597710Fax +86 591 83660063Email zanglele2009@163.comPurpose: To present a nomogram to predict overall survival in patients with FIGO-2018 II to III squamous cell cervical carcinoma undergoing radical radiotherapy.Patients and Methods: Patients diagnosed with FIGO-2018 II to III squamous cell cervical cancer between December 2013 and December 2014 were analyzed retrospectively. The optimal cutoff point for tumor length and width were determined by R package. We identified prognostic factors by univariate and multivariate Cox proportional-hazard regression, then built a nomogram to visualize the prediction model. Our model was compared to the 2018 FIGO staging prediction model. Harrell’s concordance index, receiver operating characteristic curve, calibration plot were used to evaluate the discriminability and accuracy of the predictive models, and decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to show the net benefits.Results: Data from 469 patients were included in the final analyses. The cutoff values of tumor length and width were 5.10 cm and 4.13 cm, respectively. Four independent prognostic variables—tumor length, tumor width, lower one-third vaginal involvement, and lymph node metastases—were used to establish the nomogram. The C-index of the nomogram was 0.71 (95%, CI = 0.66– 0.77), which was better than that of the 2018 FIGO stage prediction model (C-index: 0.62, 95% CI = 0.58– 0.66, p = 0.009). The calibration plot of the nomogram was a good fit for both 3-year and 5-year overall survival predictions. And DCA curves showed that net benefits for our model were higher than FIGO-2018 staging system.Conclusion: A clinically useful nomogram for calculating overall survival probability in FIGO-2018 II to III squamous cell cervical cancer patients who had received radical radiotherapy was developed. Tumor length, tumor width, lower one-third vaginal involvement, and lymph node metastases were found to be independent prognostic factors. Our model performed better than the 2018 FIGO staging model. The findings could help clinicians in China to predict the survival of these patients in clinical care and research.Keywords: cervical carcinoma, overall survival, radiotherapy, nomogram

Wenjun Hu,1,2,* Shuchun Li,1,2,* Sen Zhang,1,2 Bowen Xie,1 Minhua Zheng,1,2 Jing Sun,1,2 Xiao Yang,1,2 Lu Zang1,2 1Department of General Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 2Shanghai Minimally Invasive Surgery Center, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Lu Zang; Xiao Yang Email zanglu@163.com yangxiao19890125@163.comPurpose: Previous studies found that gap junction alpha-1 protein (GJA1) was a potent tumor suppressor in colorectal cancer (CRC). We designed the present study to evaluate the clinical importance and molecular mechanisms of GJA1 in CRC.Methods: Clinical and transcriptomic data from TCGA and GEO datasets were retrospectively collected. CRC patients were divided into two subgroups according to the expression level of GJA1 mRNA. Difference between survival time and response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy was then evaluated. Functional assays including wound-healing assay, transwell invasion assay and flow cytometry assay were performed to investigate the effects of GJA1 on invasive ability and response to chemotherapy drugs of CRC cells. Moreover, we explored the mechanisms of GJA1 by which it regulates CRC malignant phenotypes.Results: The expression level of GJA1 was significantly higher in normal tissue than cancer tissue, indicating a tumor suppressive role of GJA1 in CRC. Patients with higher expression of GJA1 showed better prognosis than those with low GJA1 expression level. Consistently, overexpression of GJA1 suppressed the invasive ability of CRC cells while enhancing the sensitivity of CRC cells to oxaliplatin-induced apoptosis. Mechanically, we found that GJA1 suppressed the epithelial mesenchymal transition process. Moreover, GJA1 could modulating infiltrating levels of several immune cells in the tumor microenvironment.Conclusion: These findings suggested that GJA1 was correlated with prognosis and immune infiltrating levels of CD8+ T cells, macrophages, neutrophils, and DCs in CRC. In addition, GJA1 expression contributes to regulation of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and tumor infiltrating neutrophils (TINs) in CRC. These findings suggest that GJA1 is a promising biomarker for determining prognosis and immune infiltration in colorectal cancer.Keywords: colorectal cancer, the gap junction channel protein, metastasis, chemotherapy, immune infiltrates

Rubo Sui, Lie Zang, Yanjuan BaiDepartment of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou 121001, Liaoning, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Rubo SuiDepartment of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, 2 Renmin Road, Jinzhou 121000, Liaoning, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail yaanddoy@sina.comBackground: Cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury (I/R injury) is an important pathological process for nervous system. The I/R injury usually causes cerebral hypoxia, infarct or stroke. This study aimed to evaluate effects of troxerutin and cerebroprotein hydrolysate injection (TC) on I/R injury in rat models.Methods: Middle-cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (MCAO/R) rat models were established. Rats were divided into normal control (NC), MCAO/R rat model (injecting saline) and MCAO/R rats administrating with TC group (injecting with TC at concentration of 2 mL/100 g body weight). Neurological scores were evaluated with Garcia scale. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was employed to observe infarct area, contralateral area and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values. Cerebral infarct size was examined and visualized by staining with 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC). Western blotting assay was used to determine caspase-1, caspase-3 and caspase-8 expression.Results: The infarct size of mice in MCAO/R+TC group was smaller significantly compared to that in MCAO/R group (p

Juan Li,1 Shuangyan Tian,1 Qi Tao,2 Yawen Zhao,1 Ruyi Gui,1 Fan Yang,1 Lingquan Zang,3 Yanzhong Chen,4 Qineng Ping,5 Dongzhi Hou1 1Department of Pharmaceutics, Guangdong Provincial Engineering Center of Topical Precise Drug Delivery System, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2CAS Key Laboratory of Mineralogy and Metallogeny & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mineral Physics and Materials, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 4Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Delivery Systems, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 5College of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China Background: To date, the rapid clearance from ocular surface has been a huge obstacle for using eye drops to treat glaucoma, since it has led to the short preocular residence time and low bioavailability. Methods: The novel nanoparticles (NPs) were designed for topical ophthalmic controlled drug delivery system through intercalating the BH into the interlayer gallery of Na-montmorillonite (Na+Mt) and then further enchasing chitosan nanoparticles. The resulting nanoparticles had a positive charge (+29±0.18 mV) with an average diameter of 460±0.6 nm. Results: In vitro study of drug release profiles suggested controlled release pattern. The irritation experiment analysis on both human immortalized cornea epithelial cell (iHCEC) and chorioallantoic membrane-trypan blue staining (CAM-TBS) showed good tolerance for ocular tissues. It was interestingly found that the nanoparticles could enter into iHCEC from the result of cellular uptake experiment measured by confocal layer scan microscopy (CLSM). Meanwhile, multilayered iHCEC was used to simulate the barrier of corneal epithelial cells for in vivo preocular retention capacity study, which suggested that BH-Mt/CS NPs could prolong the retention time in comparison with BH solution. The ocular pharmacokinetics studied by microdialysis sampling technique showed that AUC0-t and MRT0-t of BH-Mt/CS NPs were 1.99-fold and 1.75-fold higher than those of BH solution, indicating higher bioavailability. Moreover, the study of blood drug concentration, few researchers have reported, showed that low level drug could enter into blood, suggesting lower systematic side effect. Importantly, pharmacodynamics studies suggested that BH-Mt/CS NPs could make a significant decreased intraocular pressure on glaucomatous rabbits. Conclusion: Inspired by these advance of montmorillonite/chitosan nanoparticles, we envision that the BH-Mt/CS NPs will be a potential carrier for BH, opening up the possible applications in glaucoma therapy. Keywords: montmorillonite, glaucoma, chitosan, betaxolol hydrochloride, preocular retention

A new neutral particle analyzer (NPA) diagnostic based on single crystal chemical vapor deposition (sCVD) diamond detector that provides measurements of fast ions has been designed and installed on HL-2A tokamak. Diamond detectors have been applied in some magnetic confinement fusion devices due to their outstanding properties of compact size and radiation hardness. This DNPA can measure energies above 13.4 keV. The line of sight (LOS) of the DNPA intersects with the NBI No. 2 with a tangency radius of 154.8 cm. Due to the pitch angle defined by the LOS and geometry of the diagnostic, the DNPA is mainly sensitive to trapped ions. To interpret the energy spectrum and verify the feasibility of the design of the DNPA, a Monte Carlo code called FIDASIM, which is a synthetic diagnostic code that simulates fast ion D-alpha and NPA signals, is applied to model the neutral flux reaching the detector. The results show that the flux is mainly contributed by the low energy fast ions (E < 10 keV) and it is mainly coming from the active components, the passive signal is dominant in the high energy region (E > 15 keV). The modeling features the ability to distinguish between active and passive signals, and the simulated strong passive signals are suggested to come from charge exchange between cold neutrals and fast ions around the plasma edge. In addition, despite the large ratio of halo neutrals, essentially it has a limited contribution to the energy spectrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most common cardiovascular diseases is coronary artery disease (CAD). Thus, it is crucial for early CAD diagnosis to control disease progression. Computer-aided CAD detection often converts heart sounds into graphics for analysis. However, this method relies heavily on the subjective experience of experts. Therefore, in this study, we proposed a method for CAD detection using raw heart sound signals by constructing a fusion framework with two CAD detection models: a multidomain feature model and a medical multidomain feature fusion model. We collected heart sound signal datasets from 400 participants, extracting 206 multidomain features and 126 medical multidomain features. The designed framework fused the same one-dimensional deep learning features with different multidomain features for CAD detection. The experimental results showed that the multidomain feature model and the medical multidomain feature fusion model achieved areas under the curve (AUC) of 94.7 % and 92.7 %, respectively, demonstrating the effectiveness of the fusion framework in integrating one-dimensional and cross-domain heart sound features through deep learning algorithms, providing an effective solution for noninvasive CAD detection.

Complex interaction between emissions, meteorology and atmospheric chemistry makes accurate predictions of particulate pollution difficult. Advanced data mining techniques can dig out potential laws from massive data, providing new possibilities for understanding the evolution and causes of particulate pollution. Based on the Granger method and block modeling analysis, this study explored the spillover effects of hourly PM2.5 to determine the specific role (i.e., overflow, bilateral, inflow and limited inflow) of each city in Hubei, China. The results suggest that the northern and central cities with high level PM concentration in Hubei have a significant spillover effect, while the eastern and southern cities generally play a role as the sink of pollutant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hydrogen/deuterium (H/D) isotope effect on a zonal flow and its configuration dependence are experimentally studied in a helical device, Heliotron J. The isotope dependence of a toroidally symmetric potential fluctuation in the frequency range of <∼4 kHz, a zonal flow, is observed in low-density electron cyclotron resonance heated plasmas in Heliotron J. In the standard configuration, the zonal flow interacting with turbulence is enhanced as the D gas fraction increases. The zonal flow is more dominated against turbulent fluctuation in D plasmas, which should have a favourable impact on turbulence transport. Interestingly, however, the opposite dependence of the zonal flow activity on the isotope ratio is also observed in the different magnetic configurations. The configuration dependence observed in this experiment could be one of the factors to explain the difference in the isotope effect of confinement improvement between tokamaks and helical devices. Impurities and radial electric field, which can also be influenced by isotope mass through the difference in neoclassical transport and plasma-wall interaction, have insignificant influences on the zonal flow behaviour in this experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective·To explore the effect of C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 9 (CXCL9) expression on the prognosis of breast cancer patients and its correlation with tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs).Methods·Transcriptome data of 1 100 breast tumor tissues and 112 adjacent tissues were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. CIBERSORT deconvolution algorithm was used to analyze the proportion of TIIC subgroups in breast cancer immune microenvironment and its effect on the prognosis of patients. Differentially expressed genes, immune-related genes and breast cancer prognostic-related genes were downloaded from TCGA database, ImmPort database and GEPIA2 data platform, respectively. The intersection relationships of the three gene sets were analyzed by using R language, and the target genes were screened. Based on the downloaded transcriptome data, CXCL9 positive-related genes, the difference of CXCL9 mRNA expression in breast cancer tissues and adjacent tissues and its effect on the prognosis of patients were analyzed. STRING data platform was used to analyze the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of CXCL9. Gene Ontology (GO) function analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome (KEGG) pathway analysis were performed on CXCL9 positive correlation genes and the genes corresponding to the interacting proteins obtained from the PPI network by using R language. Spearman correlation coefficient was used to analyze the correlation between CXCL9 mRNA expression and TIIC subgroups and immune checkpoint-related genes. Paraffin tissue samples of 60 clinical breast cancer patients were collected and made into tissue chips. The correlation between CXCL9 expression and CD8+ T cells infiltration in the tissue chips was detected by immunohistochemical staining (IHC). The types of CXCL9+ cells in breast cancer interstitium were analyzed by multiplex immunohistochemistry staining (mIHC). Kaplan-Meier (KM) survival curve was used to analyze the effect of CXCL9 mRNA expression and CD8+ T cell infiltration on the prognosis of breast cancer patients.Results·CIBERSORT algorithm analysis showed that the distribution proportion of TIIC subgroups in breast cancer immune microenvironment varied greatly, and their effect on patients′ prognosis was also different. The Venn diagram of three types of gene sets was drawn, and CXCL9 was screened out. The top 150 positive correlation genes with CXCL9 were obtained. CXCL9 mRNA expression levels in four molecular types of breast cancer were higher than those in adjacent tissues (all P=0.000), and their high expressions were significantly associated with good prognosis of patients (P=0.013). A total of 41 interacting proteins were obtained through PPI network analysis. GO and KEGG analysis showed that CXCL9 and its related genes were mainly enriched in biological functions and pathways related to immune regulation. Spearman correlation coefficient analysis showed that the expression level of CXCL9 mRNA was positively correlated with CD8+ T cells infiltration ratio, negatively correlated with M2-type macrophages infiltration ratio, and positively correlated with most immune checkpoint genes expression (all P

This study explores the application of extensive data analysis to library information resources, focusing on enhancing the efficiency of resource utilization and user satisfaction through personalized recommendation services. We employ cluster analysis algorithms, and least squares support vector machines to model library users’ borrowing behaviors. Additionally, we use the Apriori algorithm and collaborative filtering to recommend books effectively. This study’s experimental outcomes show a notable 11.36% increase in the index of network resource demand satisfaction, indicating a significant enhancement in the library’s ability to meet resource update demands. The adoption of big data analytics has been instrumental in advancing library information management and expanding extensive data services. The findings underscore the pivotal role of big data in enhancing the efficiency of information resource utilization and elevating user satisfaction, mainly through personalized recommendations.

A new bimetallic coordination polymer [In2Na(H2O)2(ddca)3](NO3)·4H2O (1, H2ddca = 6,6′-dithiodinicotinic acid) is produced via a hydrothermal reaction of In(NO3)3, H2ddca with NaOH as the pH modulator. Various characterization methods, such as thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), elemental analysis (EA), single crystal and powder X-ray diffraction measurements, are used. Furthermore, a process of sonochemistry with oleic acid at 453 K is used to produce nanoparticles of 1 (nano-1). In terms of the biological function of the synthesized complex, the real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction is carried out to explore the relative mRNA expression of miR-181 in MGC-803, BGC-823, and SGC-7901 gastric cancer cell lines, and the western blot is used to explore the protein expression of apoptotic protein Bcl-2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have performed micromagnetic simulations to investigate the magnetic behavior of exchange spring grains for hard disk recording applications. The thickness ratio between magnetically hard and soft layers was varied while the soft layer anisotropy was altered to maintain a suitable energy barrier between opposite magnetization states. The minimum required magnetic field for switching a grain and the corresponding field angle were both significantly reduced in exchange spring material compared with single-phase grains. This could lead to reduced cross-track write errors in hard drive systems and assist the development of magnetic multilayer recording technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cetuximab is one of the most valuable targeted therapy monoclonal antibodies in the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the mechanisms affecting cetuximab resistance in CRC treatment remain unclear. Metabolism, especially fatty acid metabolism, has been reported to play an important role in tumor treatment. The correlation between cetuximab resistance and metabolism and whether it can be a new biomarker to evaluate the sensitivity of cetuximab in CRC treatment still need to be further explored. In this study, we perform a comprehensive analysis to confirm the relationship between fatty acid metabolism and cetuximab resistance, and the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to cetuximab drug resistance in CRC are screened by bioinformatics technology. We find that acetyl-CoA carboxylase beta (ACACB), ADH1C, CES1, MGLL, FMO5, and GPT are the hub DEGs, and ACACB is the most important biomarker among them. In addition, we systematically analyze the role of ACACB in the tumorigenesis of CRC, including tissue expression, CRC cell growth, cetuximab sensitivity, and potential downstream pathways, by using bioinformatics techniques, in vitro experiments and clinical cohort validation. Our results confirm that cetuximab resistance is correlated with metabolism. ACACB can lead to decreased sensitivity to cetuximab in CRC, and its mechanism may be related to EGFR phosphorylation, which could affect the activation of the mTOR/Akt signaling pathway and regulation of CDT1-, cyclin D1-, and p21-related cell cycle modulation.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can be obtained from almost all tissues and present promising therapeutic effects for metabolic diseases. Human adipose-derived MSCs (hASCs) have recently been widely studied due to their easy access and low immunity. Thus, we intended to figure out the effects and potential mechanism of hASCs on obesity in high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced obese mice. Following 16 weeks of being fed HFD, hASCs were intravenously injected. Two weeks later, body weight, body composition, and energy expenditure were evaluated. Additionally, the phenotypes of macrophages infiltrating adipose tissue were analyzed. The results revealed that hASCs administration significantly reduced adipose tissue weight, adipocyte size, and fat mass and exerted beneficial effects in serum lipid profile. This anti-obesity effect was mediated by the increased O2 consumption, CO2 production, and energy expenditure, which was further evidenced by the upregulation of uncoupling protein-1 (UCP-1) and metabolism-associated genes. Furthermore, hASCs infusion increased the amount of alternatively activated (M2) macrophages in adipose tissue, and the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines-related genes was reduced. Taken together, these results indicated that hASCs suppressed obesity by increasing UCP-1 expression and enhancing energy expenditure, and this effect might be due to the increased M2 macrophages.