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Background The covid-19 pandemic has presented unprecedented professional and personal challenges for the oncology community. Under the auspices of the Canadian Association of Medical Oncologists, we conducted an online national survey to better understand the impact of the pandemic on the medical oncology community in Canada. Methods An English-language multiple-choice survey, including questions about demographics, covid-19 risk, use of personal protective equipment (ppe), personal challenges, and chemotherapy management was distributed to Canadian medical oncologists. The survey was open from 30 March to 4 April 2020, and attracted 159 responses. Results More than 70% of medical oncologists expressed moderate-to-extreme concern about personally contracting covid-19 and about family members or patients (or both) contracting covid-19 from them. Despite that high level of concern, considerable variability in the use of ppe in direct cancer care was reported at the time of this survey, with 33% of respondents indicating no routine ppe use at their institutions and 69% indicating uncertainty about access to adequate ppe. Of the respondents, 54% were experiencing feelings of nervousness or anxiety on most days, and 52% were having feelings of depression or hopelessness on at least some days. Concern about aging parents or family and individual wellness represented the top personal challenges identified. The management of cancer patients has been affected, with adoption of telemedicine reported by 82% of respondents, and cessation of clinical trial accrual reported by 54%. The 3 factors deemed most important for treatment decision-making were ■ cancer prognosis and anticipated benefit from treatment, ■ risk of treatment toxicity during scarce health care access, and ■ patient risk of contracting covid-19. Conclusions This report describes the results of the first national survey assessing the impact of the covid-19 on Canadian medical oncologists and how they deliver systemic anticancer therapies. We hope that these data will provide a framework to address the challenges identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Little evidence has been generated for how best to manage patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) presenting with rarer clinical scenarios, including oligometastases, oligoprogression, and pseudoprogression. In each of those scenarios, oncologists have to consider how best to balance efficacy with quality of life, while maximizing the duration of each line of therapy and ensuring that patients are still eligible for later options, including clinical trial enrolment. Methods An expert panel was convened to define the clinical questions. Using case-based presentations, consensus practice recommendations for each clinical scenario were generated through focused, evidence-based discussions. Results Treatment strategies and best-practice or consensus recommendations are presented, with areas of consensus and areas of uncertainty identified. Conclusions In each situation, treatment has to be tailored to suit the individual patient, but with the intent of extending and maximizing the use of each line of treatment, while keeping treatment options in reserve for later lines of therapy. Patient participation in clinical trials examining these issues should be encouraged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background No standardized measures specifically assess cancer survivors' and healthcare providers' experience of Survivor Care Plans (scps). We sought to develop two care plan evaluation (cpe) measures, one for survivors (cpe-s) and one for healthcare providers (cpe-p), examine initial psychometric qualities in Alberta, and assess generalizability in Manitoba, Canada. Methods We developed the initial measures using convenience samples of breast (n = 35) and head and neck (n = 18) survivors who received scps at the end of active cancer-centre treatment. After assessing Alberta's scp concordance with Institute of Medicine (iom) recommendations using a published coding scheme, we examined psychometric qualities for the cpe-s and cpe-p. We examined generalizability in Manitoba, Canada, with colorectal survivors discharged to primary care providers for follow-up (n = 75). Results We demonstrated acceptable internal consistency for the cpe-s and cpe-p subscales and total score after eliminating one item per subscale for cpe-s, two for cpe-p, resulting in revised scales with four 7-item and 6-item subscales, respectively. Subscale scores correlated highly indicating that for each measure the total score may be the most reliable and valid. We provide initial cpe-s discriminant, convergent, and predictive validity using the total score. Using the Manitoba sample, initial psychometrics similarly indicated good generalizability across differences in tumour groups, scp, and location. Conclusions We recommend the revised cpe-s and cpe-p for further use and development. Studies documenting the creation and standardization of scp evaluations are few, and we recommend further development of patient experience measures to improve both clinical practice and the specificity of research questions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is often treated with surgery, with or without adjuvant radiation therapy (RT). We evaluated disease characteristics, treatments, and potentially prognostic variables in patients with acc. Methods Our retrospective analysis considered consecutive cases of acc presenting at a teRTiary care hospital between 2000 and 2014. Factors predictive of overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (dfs) were identified by univariate analysis. Results The 60 patients analyzed had a mean age of 58 years (range: 22-88 years), with a 2:1 female:male ratio. Tumour locations included the major salivary glands (40% parotid, 17% submandibular and sublingual), the oro-nasopharyngeal cavity (27%), and other locations (16%). Of the 60 patients, 35 (58%) received surgery with adjuvant RT; 12 (20%), RT only; 13 (22%), surgery only. Of 18 patients (30%) who experienced a recurrence within 5 years, 3 (5%) developed local recurrence only, and the remaining 15 (25%), distant metastasis. The 5-year os and dfs were 64.5% [95% confidence interval (CI): 45.9% to 78.1%] and 46.2% (95% ci: 29.7% to 61.2%) respectively. In patients without recurrence, 5-year os was 77% (95% ci: 52.8% to 89.9%), and in patients with recurrence, it was 42.7% (95% ci: 15.8% to 67.6%). Patients treated with RT only had a 5-year os of 9.2%. Predictors of 5-year dfs were TNM stage, T stage, nodal status, treatment received, and margin status; age, nodal status, treatment received, and margin status predicted 5-year os. Conclusions Despite surgery and RT, one third of patients with acc experience distant recurrence. Patients whose tumours are not amenable to surgery have a poor prognosis, indicating a need for alternative approaches to improve outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the performance of lightweight foamed concrete (LWFC) in widened embankments of high-speed railways, this study first conducted numerous strength, permeability, and water immersion tests to investigate the mechanical properties and water resistance of LWFC with designed dry densities of 550, 600, and 650 kg/m 3 . Secondly, a field test was performed to analyze the behavior of the deformation and the internal pressure within the LWFC-filled portions. Furthermore, a parametric study via numerical modeling was performed to investigate the effects of four key factors on the performance of the LWFC-filled, widened embankments. Results showed that LWFC possesses adequate bearing capacity and impermeability to meet high-speed railway embankment widening requirements. However, water seepage reduces LWFC strength. The additional pressure from LWFC filling increases initially but then decreases once dehydration occurs. The settlement induced by LWFC accounted for 71% of the total filling height, which is only 37.5% of the total settlement after construction. The parametric study results show that the maximum settlement of widened and existing portions induced by LWFC was 46.3-49.6% and 48.3-53.2% of those induced by traditional fillers due to the LWFC's lower density as well as their better self-supporting ability. Making an appropriate reduction in the thickness of the retain wall installed against the LWFC-filled widened embankment of the high-speed railway generates a few variations in the lateral deformation of the wall. Furthermore, the effects of the pile offset on the deformation of the LWFC-filled embankment were more sensitive compared to the diameter of the piles.

Although several studies have been conducted on artificial intelligence (AI) use in mammography (MG), there is still a paucity of research on the diagnosis of metachronous bilateral breast cancer (BC), which is typically more challenging to diagnose. This study aimed to determine whether AI could enhance BC detection, achieving earlier or more accurate diagnoses than radiologists in cases of metachronous contralateral BC. We included patients who underwent unilateral BC surgery and subsequently developed contralateral BC. This retrospective study evaluated the AI-supported MG diagnostic system called FxMammo™. We evaluated the capability of FxMammo™ (FathomX Pte Ltd., Singapore) to diagnose BC more accurately or earlier than radiologists' assessments. This evaluation was supplemented by reviewing MG readings made by radiologists. Out of 1101 patients who underwent surgery, 10 who had initially undergone a partial mastectomy and later developed contralateral BC were analyzed. The AI system identified malignancies in six cases (60%), while radiologists identified five cases (50%). Notably, two cases (20%) were diagnosed solely by the AI system. Additionally, for these cases, the AI system had identified malignancies a year before the conventional diagnosis. This study highlights the AI system's effectiveness in diagnosing metachronous contralateral BC via MG. In some cases, the AI system consistently diagnosed cancer earlier than radiological assessments.

The COVID-19 (C19) pandemic introduced challenges in all areas of the Canadian healthcare system. Along with adaptations to clinical care environments, there was increasing concern about physician burnout during this time. The Canadian Association of Medical Oncologists (CAMO) has examined the effects of the pandemic on the medical oncology (MO) workforce. A series of four multiple choice web-based surveys distributed to MOs who were identified using the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons directory and CAMO membership in May 2020 (S1), July 2020 (S2), December 2020 (S3), and March 2022 (S4). Descriptive analyses were performed for each survey, and a Chi-square test (α = 0.05) was used to assess factors associated with planned change in practice in S4. The majority of respondents work in a comprehensive cancer center S1/S2/S3/S4 (87%/86%81%/88%) and have been in practice >10 years (56%/61%/50%/64%). The most commonly reported personal challenges were physical (60%) and mental (60%) wellness. In S4, 47% of MOs reported dissatisfaction with their current work-life balance. In total, 83% reported that their workload has increased since the beginning of C19, and 51% of MOs reported their future career plans have been impacted by C19. In total, 56% of respondents are considering retiring or reducing total working hours in the next 5 years. Since the onset of the C19 pandemic, there are concerns identified with wellness, increasing workload, and job dissatisfaction among MOs, associated with experienced staff who have >10 years in practice. As rates of cancer prevalence rise and treatments become more complex, it is crucial to address the concerns raised in these surveys to ensure that we have a stable MO workforce in the future.

Alcohol misuse is associated with altered punishment and reward processing. Here, we investigated neural network responses to reward and punishment and the molecular profiles of the connectivity features predicting alcohol use severity in young adults. We curated the Human Connectome Project data and employed connectome-based predictive modeling (CPM) to examine how functional connectivity (FC) features during wins and losses are associated with alcohol use severity, quantified by Semi-Structured Assessment for the Genetics of Alcoholism, in 981 young adults. We combined the CPM findings and the JuSpace toolbox to characterize the molecular profiles of the network connectivity features of alcohol use severity. The connectomics predicting alcohol use severity appeared specific, comprising less than 0.12% of all features, including medial frontal, motor/sensory, and cerebellum/brainstem networks during punishment processing and medial frontal, fronto-parietal, and motor/sensory networks during reward processing. Spatial correlation analyses showed that these networks were associated predominantly with serotonergic and GABAa signaling. To conclude, a distinct pattern of network connectivity predicted alcohol use severity in young adult drinkers. These "neural fingerprints" elucidate how alcohol misuse impacts the brain and provide evidence of new targets for future intervention.

Rubber concrete has been applied to a certain extent in fatigue-resistant structures due to its good durability. Based on a cohesive model of rubber composed of a five-phase material containing mortar, aggregate, rubber, aggregate-mortar interfacial transition zone (ITZ), and rubber-mortar ITZ, this paper studies the influence of the cohesive parameters in the rubber-mortar ITZ on the fatigue problem of rubber concrete on the mesoscopic scale. As the weak part of cement-based composite materials, the ITZ has a great influence on the mechanical properties and durability of concrete, but the performance of the ITZ is difficult to test in macro experiments, resulting in difficulties in determining its simulation parameters. Based on the cohesive model with a rubber content of 5%, this study uses Monofactor analysis and the Plackett-Burman test to quickly and effectively determine the primary and secondary influences of the cohesive model parameters in the rubber-mortar ITZ; further, the response surface method is used to optimize the cohesive parameters in the rubber-mortar ITZ, and the numerical simulation results after optimizing the cohesive parameters are compared and analyzed with the simulation results before optimization. The results show that, under the setting of the optimized parameters, the simulation results of each item of the optimal cohesive model parameters in the rubber-mortar ITZ are in line with the reality and closer to the experimental data, and they are also applicable to rubber concrete models with different rubber dosing.

Structure-based virtual screening utilizes molecular docking to explore and analyze ligand-macromolecule interactions, crucial for identifying and developing potential drug candidates. Although there is availability of several widely used docking programs, the accurate prediction of binding affinity and binding mode still presents challenges. In this study, we introduced a novel protocol that combines our in-house geometry optimization algorithm, the conjugate gradient with backtracking line search (CG-BS), which is capable of restraining and constraining rotatable torsional angles and other geometric parameters with a highly accurate machine learning potential, ANI-2x, renowned for its precise molecular energy predictions reassembling the wB97X/6-31G(d) model. By integrating this protocol with binding pose prediction using the Glide, we conducted additional structural optimization and potential energy prediction on 11 small molecule-macromolecule and 12 peptide-macromolecule systems. We observed that ANI-2x/CG-BS greatly improved the docking power, not only optimizing binding poses more effectively, particularly when the RMSD of the predicted binding pose by Glide exceeded around 5 Å, but also achieving a 26% higher success rate in identifying those native-like binding poses at the top rank compared to Glide docking. As for the scoring and ranking powers, ANI-2x/CG-BS demonstrated an enhanced performance in predicting and ranking hundreds or thousands of ligands over Glide docking. For example, Pearson's and Spearman's correlation coefficients remarkedly increased from 0.24 and 0.14 with Glide docking to 0.85 and 0.69, respectively, with the addition of ANI-2x/CG-BS for optimizing and ranking small molecules binding to the bacterial ribosomal aminoacyl-tRNA receptor. These results suggest that ANI-2x/CG-BS holds considerable potential for being integrated into virtual screening pipelines due to its enhanced docking performance.

Wounds are breaks in the continuity of the skin and underlying tissues, resulting from external causes such as cuts, blows, impacts, or surgical interventions. Countless individuals suffer minor to severe injuries, with unfortunate cases even leading to death. In today's scenario, several commercial products are available to facilitate the healing process of wounds, although chronic wounds still present more challenges than acute wounds. Nevertheless, the huge demand for wound-care products within the healthcare sector has given rise to a rapidly growing market, fostering continuous research and development endeavors for innovative wound-healing solutions. Today, there are many commercially available products including those based on natural biopolymers, stem cells, and microRNAs that promote healing from wounds. This article explores the recent breakthroughs in wound-healing products that harness the potential of natural biopolymers, stem cells, and microRNAs. A comprehensive exploration is undertaken, covering not only commercially available products but also those still in the research phase. Additionally, we provide a thorough examination of the opportunities, obstacles, and regulatory considerations influencing the potential commercialization of wound-healing products across the diverse markets of Europe, America, and Asia.

Alpha-pinene is one of the main defensive components in conifers. Monochamus alternatus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), a wood borer feeding on Pinaceae plants, relies on its detoxifying enzymes to resist the defensive terpenoids. Here, we assayed the peroxide level and GST activity of M. alternatus larvae treated with different concentrations of α-pinene. Meanwhile, a gst gene ( MaGSTe3 ) was isolated and analyzed. We determined its expression level and verified its function. The results showed that α-pinene treatment led to membrane lipid peroxidation and thus increased the GST activity. Expression of MaGSTe3 was significantly upregulated in guts following exposure to α-pinene, which has a similar pattern with the malonaldehyde level. In vitro expression and disk diffusion assay showed that the MaGSTe3 protein had high antioxidant capacity. However, RNAi treatment of MaGSTe3 did not reduce the hydrogen peroxide and malonaldehyde levels, while GST activity was significantly reduced. These results suggested MaGSTe3 takes part in α-pinene adaptation, but it does not play a great role in the resistance of M. alternatus larvae to α-pinene.

The PACIFIC trial led to a new standard of care for patients with locally advanced lung cancer, but real-world practice has demonstrated that immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) pneumonitis can lead to significant clinical complications. This study aimed to examine the clinical predictors, outcomes, and healthcare utilization data in patients who received consolidation durvalumab. Using the Alberta Immunotherapy Database, NSCLC patients who received durvalumab in Alberta, Canada, from January 2018 to December 2021 were retrospectively evaluated. We examined incidence and predictive values of severe pneumonitis, with overall survival (OS) and time-to-treatment failure (TTF) using exploratory multivariate analyses. Of 189 patients, 91% were ECOG 0-1 and 85% had a partial response from chemoradiation prior to durvalumab. Median TTF and OS were not reached; 1-year OS was 82%. An amount of 26% developed any grade of pneumonitis; 9% had ≥grade 3 pneumonitis. Male gender and a pre-existing autoimmune condition were associated with severe pneumonitis. V20 was associated with any grade of pneumonitis. Pneumonitis development was found to be an independent risk factor for worse OS ( p = 0.038) and TTF ( p = 0.007). Our results suggest clinical and dosimetric predictive factors of durvalumab-associated pneumonitis. These results affirm the importance of careful patient selection for safe completion of consolidation durvalumab in real-world LA-NSCLC population.

Hyphantria cunea (Drury), a destructive polyphagous pest, has been spreading southward after invading northern China, which indicates that this insect species is facing a huge thermal challenge. Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) function as ATP-independent molecular chaperones that protect insects from heat stress damage. In order to explore the role of sHSPs in the thermotolerance of H. cunea , five novel sHSP genes of H. cunea were cloned, including an orthologous gene ( HcHSP21.4 ) and four species-specific sHSP genes ( HcHSP18.9 , HcHSP20.1 , HcHSP21.5 , and HcHSP29.8 ). Bioinformatics analysis showed that the proteins encoded by these five HcHSPs contained typical α-crystallin domains. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed the ubiquitous expression of all HcHSPs across all developmental stages of H. cunea , with the highest expression levels in pupae and adults. Four species-specific HcHSPs were sensitive to high temperatures. The expression levels of HcHSPs were significantly up-regulated under heat stress and increased with increasing temperature. The expression levels of HcHSPs in eggs exhibited an initial up-regulation in response to a temperature of 40 °C. In other developmental stages, the transcription of HcHSPs was immediately up-regulated at 30 °C or 35 °C. HcHSPs transcripts were abundant in the cuticle before and after heat shock. The expression of HcHSP21.4 showed weak responses to heat stress and constitutive expression in the tissues tested. These results suggest that most of the HcHSPs are involved in high-temperature response and may also have functions in the normal development and reproduction of H. cunea .

Phenotypically heterogeneous populations of tissue-resident macrophages and stem cells play important roles in the regeneration of the skeletal muscle tissue. Previous studies using animal and cell culture models implied a beneficial effect of fatty acid (FA) species on tissue regeneration. Here, we applied a human experimental model using excised muscle tissues from reconstructive surgeries to study the effects of FAs on resident macrophages and stem cells in the natural environment of human skeletal muscle tissue. Muscle tissue samples from 20 donors were included in this study. The expression of 34 cytokines/chemokines was determined, using multiplex protein analysis. The phenotypes of macrophages and stem cells were determined immunohistochemically. The numbers of CD80 + macrophages correlated with the expression levels of IL-1α, IL-1RA, IL-8, IL-17A, and MCP-1, while the PAX7 + and MyoD + stem cell counts were positively correlated with the expression level of CXCL12α, a recognized chemoattractant for muscle stem cells. Treatment of additional tissue sections with FAs revealed that CD80 + or MARCO + macrophages- and PAX7 + or MyoD + stem cells were simultaneously increased by unsaturated long-chain FAs. Taken together, this is the first experimental demonstration of a coordinated activation of macrophages and stem cells in human skeletal muscle tissue.

Current structural and functional investigations of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitor design are nearly entirely based on a fully active mutation (CETP Mutant ) constructed for protein crystallization, limiting the study of the dynamic structural features of authentic CETP involved in lipid transport under physiological conditions. In this study, we conducted comprehensive molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of both authentic CETP (CETP Authentic ) and CETP Mutant . Considering the structural differences between the N- and C-terminal domains of CETP Authentic and CETP Mutant , and their crucial roles in lipid transfer, we identified the two domains as binding pockets of the ligands for virtual screening to discover potential lead compounds targeting CETP. Our results revealed that CETP Authentic displays greater flexibility and pronounced curvature compared to CETP Mutant . Employing virtual screening and MD simulation strategies, we found that ZINC000006242926 has a higher binding affinity for the N- and C-termini, leading to reduced N- and C-opening sizes, disruption of the continuous tunnel, and increased curvature of CETP. In conclusion, CETP Authentic facilitates the formation of a continuous tunnel in the "neck" region, while CETP Mutant does not exhibit such characteristics. The ligand ZINC000006242926 screened for binding to the N- and C-termini induces structural changes in the CETP unfavorable to lipid transport. This study sheds new light on the relationship between the structural and functional mechanisms of CETP. Furthermore, it provides novel ideas for the precise regulation of CETP functions.

This study examined the real-world use of nivolumab in patients with recurrent/metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (R/M SCCHN). This was a multinational retrospective study (VOLUME) assessing treatment effectiveness and safety outcomes and a prospective study (VOLUME-PRO) assessing HRQoL and patient-reported symptoms. There were 447 and 51 patients in VOLUME and VOLUME-PRO, respectively. Across both studies, the median age was 64.0 years, 80.9% were male, and 52.6% were former smokers. Clinical outcomes of interest included real-world overall survival (rwOS) and real-world progression-free survival (rwPFS). The median rwOS was 9.2 months. Among patients with at least one assessment, 21.7% reported their best response as 'partial response', with 3.9% reporting 'complete response'. The median duration of response (DoR) and median rwPFS were 11.0 months and 3.9 months, respectively. At baseline, VOLUME-PRO patients reported difficulties relating to fatigue, physical and sexual functioning, dyspnea, nausea, sticky saliva, dry mouth, pain/discomfort, mobility, and financial difficulties. There were improvements in social functioning and financial difficulties throughout the study; however, no other clinically meaningful changes were noted. No new safety concerns were identified. This real-world, multinational, multicenter, retrospective and prospective study supports the effectiveness and safety of nivolumab for R/M SCCHN patients.

The incorporation of rubber can enhance concrete's durability and effectively reduce the damage caused by freeze-thaw cycling (FTC). Still, there has been only limited research on the damage mechanism of RC at the fine view level. To gain insight into the expansion process of uniaxial compression damage cracks in rubber concrete (RC) and summarize the internal temperature field distribution law during FTC, a fine RC thermodynamic model containing mortar, aggregate, rubber, water, and interfacial transition zone (ITZ) is established in this paper, and the cohesive element is selected for the ITZ part. The model can be used to study the mechanical properties of concrete before and after FTC. The validity of the calculation method was verified by comparing the calculated results of the compressive strength of concrete before and after FTC with the experimental results. On this basis, this study analyzed the compressive crack extension and internal temperature distribution of RC at 0, 5, 10, and 15% replacement rates before and after 0, 50, 100, and 150 cycles of FTC. The results showed that the fine-scale numerical simulation method can effectively reflect the mechanical properties of RC before and after FTC, and the computational results verify the applicability of the method to rubber concrete. The model can effectively reflect the uniaxial compression cracking pattern of RC before and after FTC. Incorporating rubber can impede temperature transfer and reduce the compressive strength loss caused by FTC in concrete. The FTC damage to RC can be reduced to a greater extent when the rubber incorporation is 10%.

Fetal movement (FM) is an important indicator of fetal health. However, the current methods of FM detection are unsuitable for ambulatory or long-term observation. This paper proposes a non-contact method for monitoring FM. We recorded abdominal videos from pregnant women and then detected the maternal abdominal region within each frame. FM signals were acquired by optical flow color-coding, ensemble empirical mode decomposition, energy ratio, and correlation analysis. FM spikes, indicating the occurrence of FMs, were recognized using the differential threshold method. FM parameters including number, interval, duration, and percentage were calculated, and good agreement was found with the manual labeling performed by the professionals, achieving true detection rate, positive predictive value, sensitivity, accuracy, and F1_score of 95.75%, 95.26%, 95.75%, 91.40%, and 95.50%, respectively. The changes in FM parameters with gestational week were consistent with pregnancy progress. In general, this study provides a novel contactless FM monitoring technology for use at home.

Photocatalytic degradation is an environmentally friendly way to eliminate environmental pollution. Exploring a photocatalyst with high efficiency is essential. In the present study, we fabricated a Bi 2 MoO 6 /Bi 2 SiO 5 heterojunction (BMOS) with intimate interfaces via a facile in situ synthesis method. The BMOS had much better photocatalytic performance than pure Bi 2 MoO 6 and Bi 2 SiO 5 . The sample of BMOS-3 (3:1 molar ratio of Mo:Si) had the highest removal efficiency by the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) up to 75% and tetracycline (TC) up to 62% within 180 min. The increase in photocatalytic activity can be attributed to constructing high-energy electron orbitals in Bi 2 MoO 6 to form a type II heterojunction, which increases the separation efficiencies of photogenerated carriers and transfer between the interface of Bi 2 MoO 6 and Bi 2 SiO 5 . Moreover, electron spin resonance analysis and trapping experiments showed that the main active species were h + and •O 2 - during photodegradation. BMOS-3 maintained a stable degradation capacity of 65% (RhB) and 49% (TC) after three stability experiments. This work offers a rational strategy to build Bi-based type II heterojunctions for the efficient photodegradation of persistent pollutants.

Rubber concrete (RC) exhibits high durability due to the rubber admixture. It is widely used in a large number of fatigue-resistant structures. Mesoscale studies are used to study the composition of polymers, but there is no method for fatigue simulation of RC. Therefore, this paper presents a finite element modeling approach to study the fatigue problem of RC on the mesoscale, which includes the random generation of the main components of the RC mesoscale structure. We also model the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) of aggregate mortar and the ITZ of rubber mortar. This paper combines the theory of concrete damage to plastic with the method of zero-thickness cohesive elements in the ITZ, and it is a new numerical approach. The results show that the model can simulate reasonably well the random damage pattern after RC beam load damage. The damage occurred in the middle of the beam span and tended to follow the ITZ. The model can predict the fatigue life of RC under various loads.

Dissimilarities in metal laser welding lead to brittleness in welded joints due to differences in the thermophysical and chemical properties between dissimilar base materials. To overcome such brittleness, the addition of a preset coating onto the base materials as an interlayer is a method for attaining reliable welded joints. Nd:YAG laser butt welding of DP590 dual-phase steel and 304 stainless, both with a thickness of 1 mm, was performed with a preset nickel coating as an interlayer using an electroplating process. The relationship between the microstructure and the mechanical properties of the welded joints was researched, the microstructure and composition of the weldment were analyzed, and the microhardness, tensile strength and corrosion resistance were tested. The results showed that the preset nickel coating increased the content of Ni element in the welded joints, which is beneficial to the formation of lath martensite. The average hardness of the welded joints increased by 12%, and the tensile strength was higher than 370 MPa. The corrosion rate of the welded joints can be slowed down, and the corrosion resistance can be improved by increasing the nickel coating.

Background: This article provides an overview of the current status and research progress of mesothelioma. Methods: A total of 2638 documents published from 1 January 2004 to 30 November 2022 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection and analyzed via Microsoft Office Excel 2019, VOSviewer 1.6.18, and Tableau 2022.2. Results: There was an obvious increase in the number of publications regarding mesothelioma in the last 18 years, with the United States dominating the research field with 715 publications and 23,882 citations, while the University of Turin contributed the most (118). Occupational & Environmental Medicine was the most popular journal (80), with Corrado Magnani being the most prolific author (52) and Michele Carbone obtaining the most citations (4472). "Oncology" and "Health Science of Environment & Occupation" were the two main subjects, while the keywords "asbestos", "lung cancer", "gene expression", "apoptosis", "survival", and "cisplatin" were the most popular. Conclusions: The containment of mesothelioma calls for more participation from low- and middle-income countries, and further attention needs to be paid to clinical research.

Calcium phosphate cement (CPC) has been widely studied, but its lack of osteoinductivity and inadequate mechanical properties limit its application, while strontium is able to promote bone formation and inhibit bone resorption. In this study, different proportions of tristrontium silicate were introduced to create a novel strontium-modified calcium phosphate cement (SMPC). The physicochemical properties of SMPC and CPC were compared, and the microstructures of the bone cements were characterized with scanning electron microscopy assays. Then, the effect of SMPC on cell proliferation and differentiation was examined. Furthermore, local inflammatory response and osteogenesis after SMPC implantation were also confirmed in the study. Finally, a rat model of isolated vertebral defects was used to test the biomechanical properties of the cements. The results showed that SMPC has better injectability and a shorter setting time than CPC. Meanwhile, the addition of tristrontium silicate promoted the mechanical strength of calcium phosphate cement, and the compressive strength of 5% SMPC increased to 6.00 ± 0.74 MPa. However, this promotion effect gradually diminished with an increase in tristrontium silicate, which was also found in the rat model of isolated vertebral defects. Furthermore, SMPC showed a more preferential role in promoting cell proliferation and differentiation compared to CPC. Neither SMPC nor CPC showed significant inflammatory responses in vivo. Histological staining suggested that SMPCs were significantly better than CPC in promoting new bone regeneration. Importantly, this osteogenesis effect of SMPC was positively correlated with the ratio of tristrontium silicate. In conclusion, 5% SMPC is a promising substitute material for bone repair with excellent physicochemical properties and biological activity.

Rural residential environment governance (RRE), as the first tough battle of China's rural revitalization strategy, relies on farmers' participation since farmers are the main laborers, builders, and administrators in environmental governance. However, lackluster farmers' enthusiasm and initiative have hindered RRE initiatives, prompting this paper. Based on the survey data of 1804 farmers in China, this paper, from the perspective of mobilization governance, empirically analyzes the impact of informal village institutions, the cadre-mass relationship, and their interaction on farmers' participation in RRE governance through the entropy method, ols, and quantile regression model. The empirical results indicate that informal institutions promoted farmers' participation through three mechanisms, with disciplinary supervision impact being the most significant and value-oriented next, but transmission internalization doesn't work as well as it should. Meanwhile, for farmers with varying degrees of participation, there is a general difference in the governance effect of informal institutions. Furthermore, the close cadre-mass relationship significantly strengthened disciplinary supervision and transmission internalization effects to mobilize farmers' participation. Therefore, the village committee should implement diverse informal institutions based on the actual situation of their village. Moreover, it is necessary to shape a close cadre-mass relationship to improve the accuracy of institutions' implementation.

Animal husbandry is an important source of carbon emissions. As a large country, China must measure the carbon emissions from animal husbandry to reveal the spatial and temporal characteristics and determine the influencing factors to realize low-carbon animal husbandry and carbon emission reduction. In this paper, the carbon emissions of the livestock industry in each province of China were calculated with the emission coefficient method, considering the temperature change factor. The spatial and temporal characteristics and influencing factors of livestock industry carbon emissions were analyzed using the kernel density model, the spatial autocorrelation model, and the Tobit model. The results indicated that: (1) From 2000 to 2020, carbon emissions from the livestock industry in China experienced four stages: rapid rise, rapid decline, slow rise, and fluctuating decline, with an overall downward trend. Carbon emissions in the eastern and central regions showed a downward trend, while carbon emissions in the western regions showed an upward trend. (2) In terms of time, the relative gap in carbon emissions among the provinces narrowed first and then widened; the spatial agglomeration of carbon emissions from livestock farming in China increased, gradually forming the characteristics of "high agglomeration, low agglomeration", and showing a gradually decreasing pattern from northwest to southeast. (3) Nationwide, industrial structure, population, and farmers' income levels have had significantly promoting effects on animal husbandry carbon emissions, and the urbanization and agricultural mechanization levels have had significant inhibitory effects on carbon emissions. Finally, based on the above factors, it can be concluded that recognizing the location conditions, promoting the upgrading of industrial structures, and adopting differentiated strategies will help to promote the reduction in carbon emissions in animal husbandry and achieve its high-quality development.

Cannabidiol (CBD) has emerged as a phytocannabinoid with various beneficial effects for the skin, including anti-photoaging effects, but its mechanisms of action are not fully elucidated. The study assessed CBD's photoprotective effects against acute ultraviolet B (UVB)-induced damage in HaCaT human keratinocyte cells and murine skin tissue. CBD (8 μM) alleviated UVB-induced cytotoxicity, apoptosis, and G2/M cell cycle arrest in HaCaT cells. The contents of γH2AX and cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers were decreased after CBD treatment. CBD reduced the production of reactive oxygen species and modulated the expression of antioxidant-related proteins such as nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 in UVB-stimulated HaCaT cells. Furthermore, CBD mitigated the UVB-induced cytotoxicity by activating autophagy. In addition, a cream containing 5% CBD showed effectiveness against UVB-induced photodamage in a murine model. The CBD cream improved the skin's condition by lowering the photodamage scores, reducing abnormal skin proliferation, and decreasing expression of the inflammation-related protein cyclooxygenase-2 in UVB-irradiated skin tissue. These findings indicate that CBD might be beneficial in alleviating UVB-induced skin damage in humans. The photoprotective effects of CBD might be attributed to its modulatory effects on redox homeostasis and autophagy.

Due to its high sensitivity, electrohysterography (EHG) has emerged as an alternative technique for predicting preterm labor. The main obstacle in designing preterm labor prediction models is the inherent preterm/term imbalance ratio, which can give rise to relatively low performance. Numerous studies obtained promising preterm labor prediction results using the synthetic minority oversampling technique. However, these studies generally overestimate mathematical models' real generalization capacity by generating synthetic data before splitting the dataset, leaking information between the training and testing partitions and thus reducing the complexity of the classification task. In this work, we analyzed the effect of combining feature selection and resampling methods to overcome the class imbalance problem for predicting preterm labor by EHG. We assessed undersampling, oversampling, and hybrid methods applied to the training and validation dataset during feature selection by genetic algorithm, and analyzed the resampling effect on training data after obtaining the optimized feature subset. The best strategy consisted of undersampling the majority class of the validation dataset to 1:1 during feature selection, without subsequent resampling of the training data, achieving an AUC of 94.5 ± 4.6%, average precision of 84.5 ± 11.7%, maximum F1-score of 79.6 ± 13.8%, and recall of 89.8 ± 12.1%. Our results outperformed the techniques currently used in clinical practice, suggesting the EHG could be used to predict preterm labor in clinics.

Findings from studies of muscle regeneration can significantly contribute to the treatment of age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass, which may predispose older adults to severe morbidities. We established a human experimental model using excised skeletal muscle tissues from reconstructive surgeries in eight older adults. Muscle samples from each participant were preserved immediately or maintained in agarose medium for the following 5, 9, or 11 days. Immunofluorescence analyses of the structural proteins, actin and desmin, confirmed the integrity of muscle fibers over 11 days of maintenance. Similarly, the numbers of CD80-positive M1 and CD163-positive M2 macrophages were stable over 11 days in vitro. However, the numbers of PAX7-positive satellite cells and MYOD-positive myoblasts changed in opposite ways, suggesting that satellite cells partially differentiated in vitro. Further experiments revealed that stimulation with unsaturated fatty acid C18[2]c (linoleic acid) increased resident M1 macrophages and satellite cells specifically. Thus, the use of human skeletal muscle tissue in vitro provides a direct experimental approach to study the regulation of muscle tissue regeneration by macrophages and stem cells and their responses to therapeutic compounds.

Tissue factor pathway inhibitor-2 (TFPI-2) is a Kunitz-type serine protease inhibitor. Previous reports have shown that TFPI-2 plays an important role in innate immunity, and the C-terminal region of TFPI-2 proved to be active against a broad-spectrum of microorganisms. In this study, the TFPI-2 homologue ( SsTFPI-2 ) of black rockfish ( Sebastods schegelii ) was analyzed and characterized, and the biological functions of its C-terminal derived peptide TS40 (FVSRQSCMDVCAKGAKQHTSRGNVRRARRNRKNRITYLQA, corresponding to the amino acid sequence of 187-226) was investigated. The qRT-PCR (quantitative real-time reverse transcription-PCR) analysis showed that the expression of SsTFPI-2 was higher in the spleen and liver. The expression of SsTFPI-2 increased significantly under the stimulation of Listonella anguillarum . TS40 had a strong bactericidal effect on L . anguillarum and Staphylococcus aureus . Further studies found that TS40 can destroy the cell structure and enter the cytoplasm to interact with nucleic acids to exert its antibacterial activity. The in vivo study showed that TS40 treatment could significantly reduce the transmission of L. anguillarum and the viral evasion in fish. Finally, TS40 enhanced the respiratory burst ability, reactive oxygen species production and the expression of immune-related genes in macrophages, as well as promoted the proliferation of peripheral blood leukocytes. These results provide new insights into the role of teleost TFPI-2.

Electrohysterogram (EHG) is a promising method for noninvasive monitoring of uterine electrical activity. The main purpose of this study was to characterize the multichannel EHG signals to distinguish between term delivery and preterm birth, as well as deliveries within and beyond 24 h. A total of 219 pregnant women were grouped in two ways: (1) term delivery (TD), threatened preterm labor (TPL) with the outcome of preterm birth (TPL_PB), and TPL with the outcome of term delivery (TPL_TD); (2) EHG recording time to delivery (TTD) ≤ 24 h and TTD > 24 h. Three bipolar EHG signals were analyzed for the 30 min recording. Six EHG features between multiple channels, including multivariate sample entropy, mutual information, correlation coefficient, coherence, direct partial Granger causality, and direct transfer entropy, were extracted to characterize the coupling and information flow between channels. Significant differences were found for these six features between TPL and TD, and between TTD ≤ 24 h and TTD > 24 h. No significant difference was found between TPL_PB and TPL_TD. The results indicated that EHG signals of TD were more regular and synchronized than TPL, and stronger coupling between multichannel EHG signals was exhibited as delivery approaches. In addition, EHG signals propagate downward for the majority of pregnant women regardless of different labors. In conclusion, the coupling and propagation features extracted from multichannel EHG signals could be used to differentiate term delivery and preterm birth and may predict delivery within and beyond 24 h.

The use, safety and effectiveness of crizotinib as part of the management of ROS1-rearranged NSCLC patients in a real-world Canadian clinical cohort was the focus of this retrospective review. Twenty-one ROS1-rearranged patients with advanced/metastatic disease receiving crizotinib between 2014-2020 were identified; crizotinib demonstrated tolerability and effectiveness in this population where outcomes were similar to those described in other crizotinib-treated real-world cohorts, but lower than those of the PROFILE 1001 clinical trial population. Systemic anti-cancer therapy prior to crizotinib initiation occurred in half of the study cohort, with platin-pemetrexed and immune checkpoint inhibitors being most common. Platin-pemetrexed showed good effectiveness in this cohort, but despite high prevalence of upregulated PD-L1 expression, immune checkpoint inhibitors showed poor effectiveness in his cohort. Among all systemic therapies received, crizotinib showed the most effective disease control, although longer intervals between diagnosis and crizotinib initiation were more common among those showing a lack of clinical response to crizotinib, and patients with brain metastases at the time of crizotinib initiation also showed increased diagnosis to crizotinib initiation intervals and decreased clinical response to crizotinib. This study reveals crizotinib has clinical benefit, but timely identification of ROS1-rearrangements and initiation targeted therapies appears important to maximize outcome in this population.

To date, many experiments have revealed that the functional balance between hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) plays a crucial role in viral mobility, production, and transmission. However, whether and how HA and NA maintain balance at the sequence level needs further investigation. Here, we applied principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering analysis on thousands of HA and NA sequences of A/H1N1 and A/H3N2. We discovered significant coevolution between HA and NA at the sequence level, which is closely related to the type of host species and virus epidemic years. Furthermore, we propose a sequence-to-sequence transformer model (S2STM), which mainly consists of an encoder and a decoder that adopts a multi-head attention mechanism for establishing the mapping relationship between HA and NA sequences. The training results reveal that the S2STM can effectively realize the "translation" from HA to NA or vice versa, thereby building a relationship network between them. Our work combines unsupervised and supervised machine learning methods to identify the sequence matching between HA and NA, which will advance our understanding of IAVs' evolution and also provide a novel idea for sequence analysis methods.

This study evaluates the progression of visual fatigue induced by visual display terminal (VDT) using automatically detected blink features. A total of 23 subjects were recruited to participate in a VDT task, during which they were required to watch a 120-min video on a laptop and answer a questionnaire every 30 min. Face video recordings were captured by a camera. The blinking and incomplete blinking images were recognized by automatic detection of the parameters of the eyes. Then, the blink features were extracted including blink number (BN), mean blink interval (Mean_BI), mean blink duration (Mean_BD), group blink number (GBN), mean group blink interval (Mean_GBI), incomplete blink number (IBN), and mean incomplete blink interval (Mean_IBI). The results showed that BN and GBN increased significantly, and that Mean_BI and Mean_GBI decreased significantly over time. Mean_BD and Mean_IBI increased and IBN decreased significantly only in the last 30 min. The blink features automatically detected in this study can be used to evaluate the progression of visual fatigue.

Age-related loss of skeletal muscle is associated with obesity and inflammation. In animal models, intramuscular fat deposits compromise muscle integrity; however, the relevant fat components that mediate muscular inflammation are not known. Previously, we hypothesized that free fatty acids (FFAs) may directly induce inflammatory gene expression in skeletal muscle cells of obese rats. Here, we examined this hypothesis in primary human skeletal myoblasts (SkMs) using multiplex expression analysis of 39 inflammatory proteins in response to different FFA species. Multiplex mRNA quantification confirmed that the IL6 , IL1RA , IL4 , LIF , CXCL8 , CXCL1 , CXCL12 and CCL2 genes were differentially regulated by saturated and unsaturated C16 or C18 FFAs. Fluorescence staining revealed that only saturated C16 and C18 strongly interfere with myoblast replication independent of desmin expression, mitochondrial abundance and oxidative activity. Furthermore, we addressed the possible implications of 71 human receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) in FFA-mediated effects. Phosphorylated EphB6 and TNK2 were associated with impaired myoblast replication by saturated C16 and C18 FFAs. Our data suggest that abundant FFA species in human skeletal muscle tissue may play a decisive role in the progression of sarcopenic obesity by affecting inflammatory signals or myoblast replication.

Rural revitalisation in China relies heavily on the rural residential environment and is vital to the well-being of farmers. The governance of rural human settlements is a kind of public good. The external economy of governance results in the free-riding behaviour of some farmers, which does not entice farmers to participate in governance. However, current research seldom considers the public good of rural human settlements governance. This research is based on the pure public goods attribute of rural human settlements governance. It begins with government information and, using structural equation modelling (SEM), researchers construct the influence mechanism of government information, attitude, attention, and participation ability on the depth of farmers' participation. The empirical results show that ability, attention, and attitude all have a dramatic positive influence on the depth of farmers' participation, and the degree of impact gradually becomes weaker. Additionally, government information stimulus is not enough to promote farmers' deep participation in governance. It needs to rely on intermediary variables to indirectly affect the depth of participation (ability, attention, attitude), and there is a path preference for the influence of government information on the depth of participation. As an important organisation in the management of rural areas, the village committee can significantly adjust the effect of the degree of attention on the depth of participation of farmers. Therefore, the government not only needs to provide farmers with reliable and useful information, but also needs to combine necessary measures to guide farmers to participate in the governance of rural human settlements.

Metabolomics has been applied to measure the dynamic metabolic responses, to understand the systematic biological networks, to reveal the potential genetic architecture, etc., for human diseases and livestock traits. For example, the current published results include the detected relevant candidate metabolites, identified metabolic pathways, potential systematic networks, etc., for different cattle traits that can be applied for further metabolomic and integrated omics studies. Therefore, summarizing the applications of metabolomics for economic traits is required in cattle. We here provide a comprehensive review about metabolomic analysis and its integration with other omics in five aspects: (1) characterization of the metabolomic profile of cattle; (2) metabolomic applications in cattle; (3) integrated metabolomic analysis with other omics; (4) methods and tools in metabolomic analysis; and (5) further potentialities. The review aims to investigate the existing metabolomic studies by highlighting the results in cattle, integrated with other omics studies, to understand the metabolic mechanisms underlying the economic traits and to provide useful information for further research and practical breeding programs in cattle.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devasting condition with no reliable treatment. Spina bifida is the most common cause of congenital SCI. Cell-based therapies using mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCS) have been largely utilized in SCI. Several clinical trials for acquired SCI use adult tissue-derived MSC sources, including bone-marrow, adipose, and umbilical cord tissues. The first stem/stromal cell clinical trial for spina bifida is currently underway (NCT04652908). The trial uses early gestational placental-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (PMSCs) during the fetal repair of myelomeningocele. PMSCs have been shown to exhibit unique neuroprotective, angiogenic, and antioxidant properties, all which are promising applications for SCI. This review will summarize the unique properties and current applications of PMSCs and discuss their therapeutic role for acquired SCI.

One of the remaining challenges for the scientific-technical community is predicting preterm births, for which electrohysterography (EHG) has emerged as a highly sensitive prediction technique. Sample and fuzzy entropy have been used to characterize EHG signals, although they require optimizing many internal parameters. Both bubble entropy, which only requires one internal parameter, and dispersion entropy, which can detect any changes in frequency and amplitude, have been proposed to characterize biomedical signals. In this work, we attempted to determine the clinical value of these entropy measures for predicting preterm birth by analyzing their discriminatory capacity as an individual feature and their complementarity to other EHG characteristics by developing six prediction models using obstetrical data, linear and non-linear EHG features, and linear discriminant analysis using a genetic algorithm to select the features. Both dispersion and bubble entropy better discriminated between the preterm and term groups than sample, spectral, and fuzzy entropy. Entropy metrics provided complementary information to linear features, and indeed, the improvement in model performance by including other non-linear features was negligible. The best model performance obtained an F1-score of 90.1 ± 2% for testing the dataset. This model can easily be adapted to real-time applications, thereby contributing to the transferability of the EHG technique to clinical practice.

Experimental burn models are essential tools for simulating human burn injuries and exploring the consequences of burns or new treatment strategies. Unlike clinical studies, experimental models allow a direct comparison of different aspects of burns under controlled conditions and thereby provide relevant information on the molecular mechanisms of tissue damage and wound healing, as well as potential therapeutic targets. While most comparative burn studies are performed in animal models, a few human or humanized models have been successfully employed to study local events at the injury site. However, the consensus between animal and human studies regarding the cellular and molecular nature of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), scarring, and neovascularization is limited. The many interspecies differences prohibit the outcomes of animal model studies from being fully translated into the human system. Thus, the development of more targeted, individualized treatments for burn injuries remains a major challenge in this field. This review focuses on the latest progress in experimental burn models achieved since 2016, and summarizes the outcomes regarding potential methodological improvements, assessments of molecular responses to injury, and therapeutic advances.

Comparative studies of human tissue damage caused by burns are challenging because precise information regarding the temperature, time, and duration of the exposure is often missing. Animal models cannot be fully translated to the human system due to interspecies differences in cutaneous tissues. We used a human composite tissue model to compare tissue damage caused by thermal burns with different dynamics. Equal subcutaneous/cutaneous composite tissue samples from six donors were first exposed to either preheated steel (100 °C) or a precision flame burner (300 °C) and were then maintained in vitro for seven days. Histological and immunohistochemical analyses revealed that flame burns instantly caused deep and stable damage to the subcutaneous tissue, which stayed constant for seven days. By contrast, contact burns inflicted tissue damage that was initially superficial but then expanded deeper into the adipose tissue. This spatiotemporal expansion of tissue damage was essentially accompanied by macrophage and fibroblast activation, which points towards inflammation resolution and wound healing. Our study suggests that thermal differences in burns directly influence the course of tissue damage, the cellular response and, consequently, the likely dynamics of repair processes days after burn injuries.

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women worldwide. The disease and its treatments exert profound effects on an individual's physical and mental health. There are many factors that impact an individual's risk of developing breast cancer, their response to treatments, and their risk of recurrence. The community of microorganisms inhabiting the gastrointestinal tract, the gut microbiota, affects human health through metabolic, neural, and endocrine signaling, and immune activity. It is through these mechanisms that the gut microbiota appears to influence breast cancer risk, response to treatment, and recurrence. A disrupted gut microbiota or state of 'dysbiosis' can contribute to a biological environment associated with higher risk for cancer development as well as contribute to negative treatment side-effects. Many cancer treatments have been shown to shift the gut microbiota toward dysbiosis; however, the microbiota can also be positively manipulated through diet, prebiotic and probiotic supplementation, and exercise. The objective of this review is to provide an overview of the current understanding of the relationship between the gut microbiota and breast cancer and to highlight potential strategies for modulation of the gut microbiota that could lead to improved clinical outcomes and overall health in this population.

The metabolic requirements of metastatic non-small cell lung (mNSCLC) tumors from patients receiving first-line platinum-doublet chemotherapy are hypothesized to imprint a blood signature suitable for survival prediction. Pre-treatment samples prospectively collected at baseline from a randomized phase III trial were assayed using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy ( n = 341) and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) ( n = 297). Distributions of time to event outcomes were estimated by Kaplan-Meier analysis, and baseline characteristics adjusted Cox regression modeling was used to correlate markers' levels to time to event outcomes. Sixteen polar metabolites were significantly correlated with overall survival (OS) by univariate analysis ( p < 0.025). Formate, 2-hydroxybutyrate, glycine and myo -inositol were selected for a multivariate model. The median OS was 6.6 months in the high-risk group compared to 11.4 months in the low risk group HR (Hazard Ratio) = 1.99, 95% C.I. (Confidence Interval) 1.45-2.68; p < 0.0001). Modeling of lipids by class (sphingolipids, acylcarnitines and lysophosphatidylcholines) revealed a median OS = 5.7 months vs. 11. 9 months for the high vs. low risk group. (HR: 2.23, 95% C.I. 1.55-3.20; p < 0.0001). These results demonstrate that metabolic profiles from pre-treatment samples may be useful to stratify clinical outcomes for mNSCLC patients receiving chemotherapy. Genomic and longitudinal measurements pre- and post-treatment may yield addition information to personalize treatment decisions further.

Background: Evidence supports organizational interventions as being effective for improving worker safety, health and well-being; however, there is a paucity of evidence-based interventions for subcontracting companies in commercial construction. Methods: A theory-driven approach supplemented by formative research through key stakeholder interviews and focus groups and an iterative vetting process with stakeholders, resulted in the development of an intervention for subcontractors in the commercial construction industry. We piloted the intervention in one subcontracting commercial construction company. We used these findings to adapt and finalize the intervention design to be tested in a future large-scale trial. Results: There were several key findings from the formative research, including challenges faced by companies and assets that should be considered in the intervention design. This resulted in a communication infrastructure company-based, continual improvement, participatory intervention design, consisting of a needs assessment and report, committee-led prioritization, action planning and implementation, and worker communication/feedback cycle. The pilot contributed to the final intervention design with modifications made with respect to timing, implementation support, capacity building, adaptability and sustainability. Conclusions: The use of a theory-driven participatory approach to developing an integrated organizational intervention for commercial construction subcontracting companies was important and necessary. It allowed us to consider the empirical evidence and relevant theories and tailor these to meet the needs of our target population. This study gives pragmatic insight into the early development of a complex intervention, with practical experience of how we adapted our intervention at each stage. This intervention will be tested in a future randomized trial.

The gas sensor array has long been a major tool for measuring gas due to its high sensitivity, quick response, and low power consumption. This goal, however, faces a difficult challenge because of the cross-sensitivity of the gas sensor. This paper presents a novel gas mixture analysis method for gas sensor array applications. The features extracted from the raw data utilizing principal component analysis (PCA) were used to complete random forest (RF) modeling, which enabled qualitative identification. Support vector regression (SVR), optimized by the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm, was used to select hyperparameters C and γ to establish the optimal regression model for the purpose of quantitative analysis. Utilizing the dataset, we evaluated the effectiveness of our approach. Compared with logistic regression (LR) and support vector machine (SVM), the average recognition rate of PCA combined with RF was the highest (97%). The fitting effect of SVR optimized by PSO for gas concentration was better than that of SVR and solved the problem of hyperparameters selection.