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Nonperiodic body movements is one of the most challenging issues in noncontact vital sign detection. The considerable and irregular displacements of the human body could corrupt the vital sign signals, drastically reducing detection accuracy. In this article, an adaptive motion noise cancellation scheme based on frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) virtual antenna array radar is proposed for real-time monitoring of vital signs with large body movements. This scheme suppresses the nonlinear noise caused by body motion and extracts accurate vital sign data. The proposed method is validated through simulation using a model of the vital sign detection system. Experiments were then carried out using a 77 GHz noncontact vital sign detection system, and the results were compared with data from a wearable device (MI6). The static experimental outcomes show that the errors in respiratory rate (RR) and heart rate (HR) are within 2 and 3 bpm, respectively. The results of exercise test, with a velocity range of 0–0.5 m/s, show that the error of RR and HR is kept within 5 bpm. The experimental results demonstrate the high efficiency of the algorithm in suppressing motion noise and accurately extracting RR and HR.

In this article, a compact low-sidelobe 2-D monopulse antenna array has been proposed based on mixed gap waveguide (GWG)/hollow waveguide (HW) multilayer feeding network and a GWG monopulse comparator. The proposed antenna array is arranged and divided into multilayers based on the function for miniaturization and low losses. First, slot antenna elements, unequal power divider based on the GWG, and layers transition between different ridge GWGs are proposed. Then, monopulse comparator composed by groove GWG 3 dB 90° coupler and 90° phase shifter is proposed according to the network diagram for forming $\sum $ , $\Delta _{\text {E}}$ , $\Delta _{\text {H}}$ beams. By vertically integrating the above functional elements, the compact low-sidelobe 2-D monopulse antenna array is obtained. The measurement results show its impedance fractional bandwidth (FBW) is 12.6%, antenna gain is greater than 29 dBi, and the efficiency is 35%. Moreover, the levels of the sidelobe and null depth are about −25 and −35 dB, respectively.

A sparse antenna array with flat-top and sharp cutoff radiation patterns is presented in this work. The array consists of 16 antenna elements, which is realized by applying a symmetrical sparse configuration with uniform excitation phase. This configuration simplifies the excitations of the array while maintaining excellent radiation performance. The dual-band dual-polarized base station antenna based on the proposed sparse antenna arrays in the bands of 1.71–2.17 and 2.30–2.69 GHz is fabricated and measured. The measured results are in very good agreement with the predicted ones, showing that the port reflection coefficient is less than −15.0 dB, and the isolation is greater than 28.5 dB. In addition, the array has a gain of 10.1–12.3 dB, a half-power beamwidth (HPBW) of $45^{\circ } \pm 5^{\circ }$ in both the horizontal and vertical planes, a cutoff transition of less than 17.4° from −3 to −20 dB between the main beam and the sidelobe area, and a sidelobe level suppressed to below −21.1 dB. Apart from the good radiation performance, the proposed sparse antenna array has a compact size with very few antenna elements, which is very suitable for communication in a crowded scene.

In this letter, a compact dual-band multiple-input–multiple-output antenna, consisting of four antenna pairs, is presented for fifth-generation mobile terminal applications. Each pair includes two tightly arranged monopoles. By folding the L-shaped monopoles into U-shaped structures, both the 3.5 GHz band and 4.9 GHz band can share the same decoupling inductor. By adding stop-band filter on the monopole, dual-band operation can be provided by a single branch. The size of the dual-band antenna pair is merely 19 × 4 mm2. The measured −6 dB bandwidth can cover 3.4–3.6 GHz and 4.8–5.0 GHz, with port isolation higher than 12 dB. The measured radiation efficiency varies from 41% to 59% in the lower band, and varies from 38% to 62% in the upper band.

Background and Aims: Chromoendoscopy with Lugol’s staining is used to screen for early esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Its efficacy is greatly limited by unstandardized defoaming preparation. This study aimed to confirm whether pre-procedure oral administration of pronase could improve the diagnostic performance of Lugol chromoendoscopy in high-risk patients being screened for early ESCC. Methods: A total of 955 patients at-risk were prospectively recruited for screening for ESCC. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to groups with or without (control group) pronase administration. Endoscopic diagnosis of early ESCC was based on the presence of pink-color sign in Lugol’s unstained area, and a biopsy was routinely conducted if the Lugol’s unstained lesion was larger than 0.5 cm. The early cancer detection rate was used as the primary endpoint. Results: Pre-procedure oral administration of pronase improved mucosal visibility during Lugol chromoendoscopy (P= 0.008). There were no differences in the number of Lugol’s unstained lesions between the 2 groups (23.27% [111/477] vs. 25.11% [120/478], P= 0.508). Meaningfully, the detection rate of ESCC (confirmed by histopathology) was significantly higher in the pronase group than in the control group (27.03% [30/111] vs. 17.50% [21/120], P= 0.041), as well as the detection rate of lesions with pink-color sign during chromoendoscopy (35.14% [39/111] vs. 13.33% [16/120], P< 0.001). The diagnostic performance of Lugol chromoendoscopy had improved with the use of pronase (area under the curve = 0.85 vs. 0.69, P= 0.019), accompanied by an increased sensitivity (86.67% vs. 47.62%, P= 0.004). There was no difference in the adverse events between the 2 groups (P= 0.793). Conclusions: Pre-procedure oral administration of pronase significantly increased the detection rate of early ESCC and optimized the diagnostic performance of Lugol chromoendoscopy, which should be recommended during routine endoscopic screening for early ESCC in high-risk patients. Trial registration: Pronase improves efficacy of Lugol chromoendoscopy screening on esophageal cancerous lesions (NCT02030769).

Background: Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) is a burgeoning approach with the potential to significantly enhance cognition and functional abilities in individuals who have undergone a stroke. However, the current evidence lacks robust comparisons and rankings of various NIBS methods concerning the specific stimulation sites and parameters used. To address this knowledge gap, this systematic review and meta-analysis seek to offer conclusive evidence on the efficacy and safety of NIBS in treating post-stroke cognitive impairment. Methods: A systematic review of randomized control trials (RCT) was performed using Bayesian network meta-analysis. We searched RCT in the following databases until June 2022: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), PUBMED, and EMBASE. We compared any active NIBS to control in terms of improving cognition function and activities of daily living (ADL) capacity following stroke. Results: After reviewing 1577 retrieved citations, a total of 26 RCTs were included. High-frequency (HF)-repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) (mean difference 2.25 [95% credible interval 0.77, 3.66]) was identified as a recommended approach for alleviating the global severity of cognition. Dual-rTMS (27.61 [25.66, 29.57]) emerged as a favorable technique for enhancing ADL function. In terms of stimulation targets, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex exhibited a higher ranking in relation to the global severity of cognition. Conclusions: Among various NIBS techniques, HF-rTMS stands out as the most promising intervention for enhancing cognitive function. Meanwhile, Dual-rTMS is highly recommended for improving ADL capacity.

Background: COVID-19 is erupting globally. Mass quarantine had been implemented all around China which could influence the psychological status of patients with memory disorders and their caregivers. Aim: To investigate the psychological impact of mass quarantine on patients with memory disorders and their caregivers in China. Methods: We completed a cross-sectional study in 787 patients and their caregivers registered from 2010 to 2019 in Memory Clinic, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, by telephone interviews. The performance in neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPSs), sleep, nutrition, chronic diseases of patients, and the burden of care, anxiety and depression of caregivers was assessed by six assessment scales (MNA-SF, PSQI, NPI, RSS, PHQ-9 and GAD-7). Results: Only 68 (8.6%) patients worried about the outbreak of COVID-19. The prevalence of NPSs among all subjects was nearly 60.0%. Approximately 50.0% of the caregivers reported distress. More than 70.0% of patients remained stable in NPSs. However, anxiety, depression, aberrant motor disorder and delusion were exacerbated (22.9%, 18.6%, 17.1% and 16.8%, respectively). Appetite and eating disorder led alleviation rate by 25.8% while disappearing rate of agitation led by 5.8%. 7.5% of caregivers manifested depressive symptoms while 4.9% expressed anxiety symptoms, and 40.8% showed care burden. The coefficients of RSS and PHQ-9, RSS and GAD-7, RSS and NPI-D, PHQ-9 and GAD-7 were 0.7, 0.5, 0.5 and 0.6, respectively (p< 0.01). Conclusion: Changes in NPSs during COVID-19 were observed in some patients with memory disorders and their caregivers, and adherence to medication contributed to the stabilization of NPSs.

We report compounds 5(CG416) and 6(CG428) as two first-in-class tropomyosin receptor kinase (TRK) degraders that target the intracellular kinase domain of TRK. Degraders 5and 6reduced levels of the tropomyosin 3 (TPM3)-TRKA fusion protein in KM12 colorectal carcinoma cells and inhibited downstream PLCγ1 signaling at sub-nanomolar concentrations. Both degraders also degraded human wild-type TRKA with similar potency. Interestingly, both degraders, especially 6, showed selectivity for the degradation of endogenous TPM3-TRKA over ectopically expressed ATP/GTP binding protein-like 4 (AGBL4)-TRKB or ETS variant transcription factor 6 (ETV6)-TRKC fusion proteins in KM12 cells. Global proteomic profiling assays demonstrated that 5is highly selective for the intended target. TPM3-TRKA protein degradation induced by 5and 6was further confirmed to be mediated through cereblon and the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Compared with the parental TRK kinase inhibitor, both degraders exhibited higher potency for inhibiting growth of KM12 cells. Moreover, both 5and 6showed good plasma exposure levels in mice. Therefore, 5and 6are valuable chemical tool compounds for investigating the in vivofunction of TRK fusion during tumorigenesis. Our study also paves the way for pharmacological degradation of TRK.

BRAF is among the most frequently mutated oncogenes in human cancers. Multiple small molecule BRAF kinase inhibitors have been approved for treating melanoma carrying BRAF-V600 mutations. However, the benefits of BRAF kinase inhibitors are generally short-lived. Small molecule-mediated targeted protein degradation has recently emerged as a novel pharmaceutical strategy to remove disease proteins through hijacking the cellular ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS). In this study, we developed thalidomide-based heterobifunctional compounds that induced selective degradation of BRAF-V600E, but not the wild-type BRAF. Downregulation of BRAF-V600E suppressed the MEK/ERK kinase cascade in melanoma cells and impaired cell growth in culture. Abolishing the interaction between degraders and cereblon or blocking the UPS significantly impaired the activities of these degraders, validating a mechanistic role of UPS in mediating targeted degradation of BRAF-V600E. These findings highlight a new approach to modulate the functions of oncogenic BRAF mutants and provide a framework to treat BRAF-dependent human cancers.

•This study explores the role of MBNL1-AS1 in colon cancer via miR-412-3p and MYL9.•MBNL1-AS1 and MYL9is downregulated in colon cancer.•MBNL1-AS1 acts as a sponge of miR-412-3p and negatively regulates miR-412-3p.•MBNL1-AS1 mediates colon cancer stem cell properties by sponging miR-412-3p.•This study provides a promising therapeutic strategy for colon cancer treatment.

Synthetic saponite (Sap) easily delaminates in water to form a transparent sol and hydrogel with excellent rheological performance and is thus widely used in paints, cosmetics, and nanomaterials. The thixotropic property of Sap hydrogels is heavily dependent on the nature of Sap and the external electrolyte and polyelectrolyte; yet, details on the relationship between rheological behaviors of saponite hydrogels and Sap composition and polyelectrolyte remain unclear. In this work, thixotropic rheological behaviors of a series of synthetic Sap hydrogels, with and without added sodium polyacrylate polyelectrolyte (NaPA), were investigated. The Sap samples, with a Si/Al molar ratio from 5 to 25, were successfully synthesized using hydrothermal methods and characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The rheological performances of aqueous Sap dispersions and particle sizes and ζ-potentials of Sap were measured. The results showed that the crystallinity of the Sap increased with an increasing Si/Al molar ratio. All Sap samples, with the exception of the Sap with a Si/Al molar ratio of 5, dispersed well in water (3 wt %) to form hydrogels. The rheological behaviors of the hydrogels were related to the chemical composition and the layer charge of the Sap. The Sap with a Si/Al molar ratio of 25 had higher viscosity due to improved delamination. The addition of the NaPA, an anionic polyelectrolyte, into the hydrogels decreased the viscosity and altered the thixotropic properties such that the hydrogel becomes a sol. The addition of NaPA facilitated the dispersion and delamination of Sap, because under the electric field of negatively charged Sap particles in the hydrogel, the anionic NaPA was instantaneously polarized and thereby entered the hydration layer of the Sap particles.

ABSTRACTWe aimed at the effects of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) SNHG5 on proliferation, metastasis and migration of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. We also investigated regulatory relationships among miR-132-3p, SNHG5 and CREB5and their roles in CRC. 25 pairs of samples containing CRC tissues and matched para-tumor tissues were obtained to examine SNHG5, miR-132-3p and CREB5expression by qRT-PCR or Western blot. The targeted relationship between miR-132-3p and SNHG5 or CREB5was confirmed by dual luciferase report assay as well as RNA pull down assay. The expression of SNHG5, miR-132-3p and CREB5in CRC cells were regulated by cell transfection. CRC cellular proliferation was assayed by CCK-8 and meanwhile flow cytometry was adopted to observe apoptosis. Metastasis and migration of CRC cells were determined respectively by means of Transwell assay and scratch test. The effects of SNHG5 on CRC were researched in vivo, too. SNHG5 or CREB5was up-regulated in CRC tissues and cells, whereas miR-132-3p was down-regulated. Overexpression of SNHG5 and CREB5resulted in the enhancement of proliferation, metastasis, migration and the inhibition of apoptosis in CRC cells, while miR-132-3p led to the opposite result. LncRNA SNHG5 promoted proliferation, migration and metastasis of CRC cells but inhibited apoptosis by modulating miR-132-3p/CERB5.

Chrysotile asbestos has excellent physical and chemical properties, but its high biotoxicity is very damaging to human health, due to its durability, high aspect ratio, and the exist of iron. By simple chemical treatment of chrysotile asbestos, silicon oxide nanofibers rich in hydroxyl groups on the surface can be prepared.

•Orange fluorescence and steady OVA-CuNCs was exploited.•A new ratiometric fluorescent probe was used for the assay of OPD/RA.•Analyzing the action mechanisms of the two systems.

ABSTRACTObjective: This study was conducted to investigate the effects of ADP dependent glucokinase antisense RNA 1 (ADPGK-AS1)/ miR-205-5p/ zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) on PC cells.Methods: Differentially expressed lncRNAs and miRNAs in pancreatic cancer (PC) were identified by microarray analysis. In silico ceRNA analysis was conducted to find out the interactions among lncRNAs, miRNAs and mRNAs. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was utilized to examine the expression of miR-205-5p and lncRNA ADPGK-AS1 in PC and non-cancerous cells. The association between miR-205-5p and ADPGK-AS1 as well as miR-205-5p and ZEB1was determined by dual-luciferase reporter gene assay. After manipulating the expression of ADPGK-AS1, mir-205-5p and ZEB1 in PANC-1 and SW-1990 cells, cell proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis were respectively confirmed by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, transwell assay and TUNEL. Western blot was applied to examine the expression of Epithelial-mesenchymal Transition-related proteins. In vivoexperiment was conducted to further determine the effect of miR-205-5p/ZEB1on tumorigenic ability of PC cells.Results: MiR-205-5p was low-expressed while ZEB1and ADPGK-AS1 were high-expressed in PC tissues and cells compared with the normal. Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay proved that ADPGK-AS1 could directly target miR-205-5p and miR-205-5p could directly target ZEB13′UTR. The expression of MiR-205-5p was negatively correlated with proliferation, migration and invasion, and positively correlated with apoptosis rate of PC cells, while ZEB1and ADPGK-AS1 had an inversed effect. Further in vitroand in vivoinvestigation indicated that epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) could be restrained by miR-205-5p through targeting ZEB1. ADPGK-AS1 strongly promoted the tumorigenesis via downregulating miR-205-5p expression and induced the EMT process in vivo.Conclusion: ADPGK-AS1 inhibited miR-205-5p and therefore promoted PC progression through activating ZEB1-induced EMT.

Hepatocyte nuclear factor 1b (HNF1b) is a transcription factor belonging to the HNF family. We aimed to investigate the role of HNF1b in white adipocyte differentiation. The expression of HNF1b was reduced in white adipose tissue (WAT) of both diet-induced and genetic obese mice and decreased during the process of 3T3-L1 adipocyte differentiation. Downregulation of HNF1b enhanced 3T3-L1 adipocyte differentiation and upregulation of HNF1b inhibited this process. Upregulation of HNF1b inhibited peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) and its target gene expression, while downregulation of HNF1b increased those genes expression. Overexpression of PPARγ suppressed HNF1b upregulation-induced inhibition of adipocyte differentiation. HNF1b can directly bind with the promoter of PPARγ in 3T3-L1 cells, which was decreased after adipogenic differentiation. HNF1b promoted apoptotic and autophagic cell death in early differentiated adipocytes through regulation of cell cycle progress and cell death-related factors, and thus inhibited the process of mitotic clonal expansion (MCE). HNF1b acted as an antioxidant regulator through regulating various antioxidant enzymes via binding with antioxidant response element. Oxidant treatment suppressed HNF1b upregulation-induced inhibition of adipocyte differentiation. Overall, our results suggest that HNF1b is a novel negative regulator of adipocyte differentiation through regulation of PPARγ signaling, MCE and redox state.

The use of H2SO4-, HCl-, H3PO4-, and CH3COOH-activated montmorillonite (Mt) and WOx/H3PO4-activated Mt as catalysts for the gas-phase dehydration of glycerol was investigated. The WOx/H3PO4-activated Mt catalysts were prepared by an impregnation method using H3PO4-activated Mt (Mt-P) as the support. The catalysts were characterized using powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, N2adsorption-desorption, diffuse reflectance ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, temperature-programmed desorption of NH3, and thermogravimetric analysis. The acid activation of Mt and WOxloaded on Mt-P affected the strength and number of acid sites arising from H+exchange, the leaching of octahedral Al3+cations from Mt octahedral sheets, and the types of WOx(2.7 ≤ x≤ 3) species (i.e., isolated WO4/WO6-containing clusters, two-dimensional [WO6] polytungstates, or three-dimensional WO3crystals). The strong acid sites were weakened, and the weak and medium acid sites were strengthened when the W loading on Mt-P was 12 wt% (12%W/Mt-P). The 12%W/Mt-P catalyst showed the highest catalytic activity. It gave a glycerol conversion of 89.6% and an acrolein selectivity of 81.8% at 320 °C. Coke deposition on the surface of the catalyst led to deactivation.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have received considerable attention in recent years. Particularly exciting is the prospect that MSCs could be differentiated into specialized cells of interest, which could then be used for cell therapy and tissue engineering. MSCs derived from nonhuman primates could be a powerful tool for investigating the differentiation potential in vitro and in vivo for preclinical research. The purpose of this study was to isolate cynomolgus mesenchymal stem cells (cMSCs) from adult bone marrow and characterize their growth properties and multipotency. Mononuclear cells were isolated from cynomolgus monkey bone marrow by density-gradient centrifugation, and adherent fibroblast-like cells grew well in the complete growth medium with 10μM Tenofovir. cMSCs expressed mesenchymal markers, such as CD29, CD105, CD166 and were negative for hematopoietic markers such as CD34, CD45. Furthermore, the cells were capable of differentiating into osteogenic, chondrogenic, and adipogenic lineages under certain conditions, maintaining normal karyotype throughout extended culture. We also compared different methods (lipofection, nucleofection and lentivirus) for genetic modification of cMSCs and found lentivirus proved to be the most effective method with transduction efficiency of up to 44.6% and lowest level of cell death. The cells after transduction stably expressed green fluorescence protein (GFP) and maintained the abilities to differentiate down osteogenic and adipogenic lineages. In conclusion, these data showed that cMSCs isolated from cynomolgus bone marrow shared similar characteristics with human MSCs and might provide an attractive cell type for cell-based therapy in higher-order mammalian species disorder models.

Background: Sudden unexpected death of epilepsy (SUDEP) is a severe outcome of epilepsy. This study aimed to report the clinical and pathological findings in patients with SUDEP. Methods: The record of patients with sudden death was screened. When the reason of death matched with the definition of SUDEP, the clinical and pathological data were analyzed. Eleven patients with SUDEP were included in the study. Results: Eight patients died after a generalized tonic-clonic seizure, seizures were induced by emotional changes in five patients, four cases were found dead in bed. Carbamazepine was prescribed in six patients. The autopsy showed brain edema and pulmonary edema in all eleven patients. Loss of neurons and gliosis were presented in some brains of SUDEP subjects. The main pathological changes in SUDEP include brain edema, pulmonary edema, loss of neurons and gliosis. Conclusions: Risk factors for SUDEP in the study are generalized tonic-clonic seizure, emotional disturbance and carbamazepine treatment.