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Abstract Dark matter is believed to be the essential building blocks of galaxy formation. While instances of galaxies lacking dark matter have been observed, these occurrences are typically linked to specific formation mechanisms, making them stand out as unique cases. In spiral galaxies, the presence of flat rotation curves is a common observation, indicating the need for dark matter to support these dynamics. However, the galaxies displaying minimal or no dark matter are likely not exceptional cases. We report several spiral galaxies where the flat rotation areas exhibit an average dynamical to baryonic mass ratio value of $$M_{dyn}/M_{bary}\sim 1.09$$ M dyn / M bary ∼ 1.09 . The low dynamical to baryonic mass ratios indicate that the kinematics of these galaxies can be supported by their baryonic mass only. The existence of spiral galaxies devoid of dark matter suggests that, in specific scenarios, the influence of dark matter on galaxy formation may not be as universally essential as previously believed.

Abstract Background This study investigates the potential of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in identifying penumbral volume (PV) compared to the standard gadolinium-required perfusion–diffusion mismatch (PDM), utilizing a stack-based ensemble machine learning (ML) approach with enhanced explainability. Methods Sixteen male rats were subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion. The penumbra was identified using PDM at 30 and 90 min after occlusion. We used 11 DTI-derived metrics and 14 distance-based features to train five voxel-wise ML models. The model predictions were integrated using stack-based ensemble techniques. ML-estimated and PDM-defined PVs were compared to evaluate model performance through volume similarity assessment, the Pearson correlation analysis, and Bland–Altman analysis. Feature importance was determined for explainability. Results In the test rats, the ML-estimated median PV was 106.4 mL (interquartile range 44.6–157.3 mL), whereas the PDM-defined median PV was 102.0 mL (52.1–144.9 mL). These PVs had a volume similarity of 0.88 (0.79–0.96), a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.93 (p

Background The widely used Bentall procedure is the criterion standard treatment for aortic root pathology. Studies comparing the long‐term outcomes of bioprosthetic and mechanical valves in patients undergoing the Bentall procedure are limited. Methods and Results Patients who underwent the Bentall procedure with a bioprosthetic or mechanical valve between 2001 and 2018 were identified from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. The primary outcome of interest was all‐cause mortality. Inverse probability of treatment weighting was performed to compare the 2 prosthetic types. In total, 1052 patients who underwent the Bentall procedure were identified. Among these patients, 351 (33.4%) and 701 (66.6%) chose bioprosthetic and mechanical valves, respectively. After inverse probability of treatment weighting, no significant differences in the in‐hospital mortality (odds ratio, 0.96 [95% CI, 0.77–1.19]; P=0.716) and all‐cause mortality (34.1% vs. 38.1%; hazard ratio, 0.90 [95% CI, 0.78–1.04]; P=0.154) were observed between the groups. The benefits of relative mortality associated with mechanical valves were apparent in younger patients and persisted until ≈50 years of age. Conclusions No differences in survival benefits were observed between the valves in patients who underwent the Bentall procedure. Additionally, bioprosthetic valves may be a reasonable choice for patients aged >50 years when receiving the Bentall procedure in this valve‐in‐valve era.

Background: Although changes in diffusion characteristics of the brain parenchyma in neurological disorders are widely studied and used in clinical practice, the change in diffusivity in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) system is rarely reported. In this study, free water diffusion in the subarachnoid cisterns and ventricles of the rat brain was examined using diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and the effects of neurological disorders on diffusivity in CSF system were investigated. Methods: Diffusion MRI and T2-weighted images were obtained in the intact rats, 24 h after ischemic stroke, and 50 days after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). We conducted the assessment of diffusivity in the rat brain in the subarachnoid cisterns around the midbrain, as well as the lateral ventricles. One-way ANOVA and Kruskal–Wallis test were used to evaluate the change in mean diffusivity (MD) and MD histogram, respectively, in CSF system following different neurological disease. Results: A significant decrease in the mean MD value of the subarachnoid cisterns was observed in the stroke rats compared with the intact and mTBI rats (p

Olibanum, a golden oleo-gum resin from species in the Boswellia genus (Burseraceae family), is a famous traditional herbal medicine widely used around the world. Previous phytochemical studies mainly focused on the non-polar fractions of olibanum. In this study, nine novel diterpenoids, boswellianols A–I (1–9), and three known compounds were isolated from the polar methanolic fraction of the oleo-gum resin of Boswellia carterii. Their structures were determined through comprehensive spectroscopic analysis as well as experimental and calculated electronic circular dichroism (ECD) data comparison. Compound 1 is a novel diterpenoid possessing an undescribed prenylmaaliane-type skeleton with a 6/6/3 tricyclic system. Compounds 2–4 were unusual prenylaromadendrane-type diterpenoids, and compounds 5–9 were new highly oxidized cembrane-type diterpenoids. Compounds 1 and 5 showed significant transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) inhibitory activity via inhibiting the TGF-β-induced phosphorylation of Smad3 and the expression of fibronectin and N-cadherin (the biomarker of the epithelial–mesenchymal transition) in a dose-dependent manner in LX-2 human hepatic stellate cells, indicating that compounds 1 and 5 should be potential anti-fibrosis agents. These findings give a new insight into the chemical constituents of the polar fraction of olibanum and their inhibitory activities on the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway.

The development of surface modification techniques has brought about a major paradigm shift in the clinical applications of bone tissue regeneration. Biofabrication strategies enable the creation of scaffolds with specific microstructural environments and biological components. Lithium (Li) has been reported to exhibit anti-inflammatory, osteogenic, and chondrogenic properties by promoting several intracellular signaling pathways. Currently, research focuses on fabricating scaffolds with simultaneous dual bioactivities to enhance osteochondral regeneration. In this study, we modified the surface of calcium silicate (CS) scaffolds with Li using a simple immersion technique and evaluated their capabilities for bone regeneration. The results showed that Li ions could be easily coated onto the surfaces of CS scaffolds without affecting the microstructural properties of CS itself. Furthermore, the modifications did not affect the printing capabilities of the CS, and porous scaffolds could be fabricated via extrusion. Moreover, the presence of Li improved the surface roughness and hydrophilicity, thus leading to enhanced secretion of osteochondral-related regeneration factors, such as alkaline phosphatase (ALP), bone sialoprotein (BSP), and collagen II (Col II) proteins. Subsequent in vivo studies, including histological and micro-CT analyses, confirmed that the Li-modified CS scaffolds promoted osteochondral regeneration. The transcriptome analysis suggested that the enhanced osteochondrogenic capabilities of our scaffolds were influenced by paracrine exosomes. We hope this study will inspire further research on osteochondral regeneration.

There are abundant biomass resources in China’s rural areas, which can be converted into biogas energy through fermentation systems. However, the rewards of the investments of the pure biogas projects is poor because biogas is a cheap resource. This paper proposes a 100% renewable grid-connected wind-solar-biogas integrated energy system which utilizes the complementarity between solar energy, wind energy, and biogas to provide users with biogas and electricity. The battery-like characteristics of biogas are modeled based on the microbial fermentation kinetic model and the temperature-sensitive characteristics of biogas fermentation. In addition, the demand-side response is considered to further increase the flexibility of the system, and the time-of-use electricity price is used to save power purchase costs, thereby minimizing investment costs and annual operating costs. Case studies show that the wind-solar-biogas micro-energy network can effectively reduce the total investment cost by 3% to 9% while increasing the benefit by 1.27 to 2.40 times.

Background/purpose: Tissue engineering in dentistry has fundamentally changed the way endodontists assess treatment options. Our previous study found that quercetin-contained mesoporous calcium silicate/calcium sulfate (MSCSQ) could induce hard tissue defect region regeneration. This study focused on whether the MSCSQ scaffold could also be effective in regulating odontogenesis and dentin regeneration. Methods: In this study, we fabricated MSCSQ composite scaffolds using the 3D printing technique. The characteristics of the MSCSQ scaffold were examined by scanning electron microscope (SEM), and mechanical properties were also assessed. In addition, we evaluated the cell viability, cell proliferation, odontogenic-related protein expression, and mineralization behavior of human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) cultured on different scaffolds. Results: We found the precipitation of spherical-apatite on the scaffold surface rapidly in short periods. The in-vitro results for cell behavior revealed that hDPSCs with an MSCSQ scaffold were significantly higher in cell viability as followed time points. In addition, the specific makers of odontogenesis, such as DSPP and DMP-1 proteins, were induced obviously after culturing the hDPSCs on the MSCSQ scaffold. Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that MSCSQ scaffolds could enhance physicochemical and biological behaviors compared to mesoporous calcium silicate/calcium sulfate (MSCS) scaffolds. In addition, MSCSQ scaffolds also enhanced odontogenic and immuno-suppressive properties compared to MSCS scaffolds. These results indicated that MSCSQ scaffolds could be considered a potential bioscaffold for clinical applications and dentin regeneration.

We assessed the effects of a 12-week shoulder corrective training program for shoulder flexibility and strengthening on pitching loads and sonographic morphology of the elbow joints in youth baseball players. Seventeen subjects were recruited and underwent evaluations before and after the training program. We found that following training, subjects demonstrated significantly increased ranges of shoulder internal rotation (38.9 ± 12.9° vs. 69.2 ± 10.8°, p < 0.001), external rotation (91.2 ± 14.6° vs. 107.3 ± 9.5°, p = 0.004), and horizontal adduction (21.5 ± 8.0° vs. 32.7 ± 7.3°, p = 0.002); improved strength in the shoulder internal rotators (8.7 ± 1.6 kg vs. 9.8 ± 2.1 kg, p = 0.04), external rotators (6.5 ± 1.9 kg vs. 7.5 ± 2.8 kg, p = 0.04), middle trapezius (12.7 ± 2.1 kg vs. 14.3 ± 2.4 kg, p = 0.04), and middle deltoid muscles (10.8 ± 3.3 kg vs. 14.8 ± 3.2 kg, p = 0.001); and decreased thickness of the ulnar collateral ligament (6.1 ± 0.6 mm vs. 4.8 ± 0.7 mm, p = 0.002). Although there was no substantial change in elbow torque and arm speed, significantly increased ball speed (51.2 ± 4.6 mph vs. 54.1 ± 4.5 mph, p < 0.001) and decreased arm slot (63.8 ± 11.9° vs. 53.0 ± 12.7°, p = 0.02) were observed. We suggest that adequate corrective training should be performed regularly to minimize or mitigate adverse soft tissue changes at the elbow in youth baseball players. Balanced shoulder strength and flexibility may decrease medial elbow stress during pitching. Future studies should consider the kinetic and kinematic effects of other corrective training programs on the shoulder or elbow joint during pitching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/purpose: Several growth factors were proven to be effective in the treatment of bone defects and fractures and thus have great potential for bone regeneration applications. However, it needs low-temperature storage and transportation. This study aimed to investigate the herbal extract quercetin, a candidate for natural flavonoid compounds that have been reported to be involved in regulating inflammation and improving immunity and health. Methods: In this study, we prepared quercetin (Q)/mesoporous calcium silicate calcium sulfate (MSCS)/polycaprolactone (PCL) composite scaffolds using the 3D printing technique, where we immersed it in simulated body fluid (SBF) solution and soaked it for up to 60 days. The characteristics of quercetin scaffold were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), immunofluorescence, and Alizarin Red S staining. Results: We found precipitation of apatite on the surface of the scaffold. The in vitro results for cell proliferation, cytotoxicity, and immunofluorescence staining revealed that Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cells (WJMSCs) with a 2% quercetin (Q2) scaffold were significantly higher in number than with 1% quercetin (Q1) and MSCS scaffolds. The phalloidin staining of cell skeletons on the surface of Q2 revealed powerful cell-to-cell adhesion and high expression of green fluorescence. The Q2 scaffold also had the highest calcium deposit levels based on Alizarin Red S staining in all scaffolds. This indicated that quercetin was able to induce cell growth and mitosis, echoing the previous preliminary results. Conclusion: Our initial results indicate that this natural herbal extract can be a good bone-based gene substitution for bone regeneration.

Background and PurposeBenzimidazoles have attracted much attention over the last few decades due to their broad-spectrum pharmacological properties. Increasing evidence is showing the potential use of benzimidazoles as anti-angiogenic agents, although the mechanisms that impact angiogenesis remain to be fully defined. In this study, we aim to investigate the anti-angiogenic mechanisms of MFB, a novel 2-aminobenzimidazole derivative, to develop a novel angiogenesis inhibitor.Experimental ApproachMTT, BrdU, migration and invasion assays, and immunoblotting were employed to examine MFB’s effects on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-induced endothelial cell proliferation, migration, invasion, as well as signaling molecules activation. The anti-angiogenic effects of MFB were analyzed by tube formation, aorta ring sprouting, and matrigel plug assays. We also used a mouse model of lung metastasis to determine the MFB’s anti-metastatic effects.Key ResultsMFB suppressed cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and endothelial tube formation of VEGF-A-stimulated human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs) or VEGF-C-stimulated lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs). MFB suppressed VEGF-A and VEGF-C signaling in HUVECs or LECs. In addition, MFB reduced VEGF-A- or tumor cells-induced neovascularization in vivo. MFB also diminished B16F10 melanoma lung metastasis. The molecular docking results further showed that MFB may bind to VEGFR-2 rather than VEGF-A with high affinity.Conclusions and ImplicationsThese observations indicated that MFB may target VEGF/VEGFR signaling to suppress angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis. It also supports the role of MFB as a potential lead in developing novel agents for the treatment of angiogenesis- or lymphangiogenesis-associated diseases and cancer.

The presence of a swallow-tail sign in the nigrosome-1 with hyperintense signal shown on the susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) has been shown to be sensitive in detecting the abnormal iron deposits in this area. A systematic evaluation in healthy subjects is required before this tool can be recommended in a widespread application. We evaluated a simple and practical SWI approach using a multiecho gradient-echo sequence with an improved contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). We also evaluated the association of the neuromelanin imaging contrast behavior with the susceptibility and relaxation measurements. Twenty-five older and 23 young healthy adults were evaluated. The CNRs of the nigrosome-1 were compared along with method and group. Correlations of the nigrosome-1 neuromelanin signal in the neuromelanin-sensitive imaging with CNRs in the susceptibility, T1 and T2 mappings were examined. Two different coils were used to confirm the reproducibility. Compared with the single-echo, multiecho SWI can improve the CNR of the swallow-tail sign. We found significant correlations between neuromelanin signal and CNRs in the susceptibility and T2 mappings, and T1 value. The older subjects exhibited increased CNRs compared with the young adults. No significant difference was observed in the measurements between 20 and 64 channels. The multiecho technique allows the high-quality nigrosome-1 images in SWI and allows for a joint analysis of T2* and quantitative-susceptibility mapping at high spatial resolution. The correlations of neuromelanin-sensitive imaging with susceptibility and T2 imply that the iron content in the nigrosome-1 may have significant influences on the hyperintensity of neuromelanin in the magnetization transfer-related contrast.

Deep learning for digital pathology is hindered by the extremely high spatial resolution of whole slide images (WSIs), which requires researchers to adopt patch-based methods and laborious free-hand contouring. Here, the authors develop a whole-slide training method to classify types of lung cancers using slide-level diagnoses with deep learning.

Fifth-generation mobile communication networks (5G)/Beyond 5G (B5G) can achieve higher data rates, more significant connectivity, and lower latency to provide various mobile computing service categories, of which enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine-type communications (mMTC), and ultra-reliable and low latency communications (URLLC) are the three extreme cases. A symmetrically balanced mechanism must be considered in advance to fit the different requirements of such a wide variety of service categories and ensure that the limited resource capacity has been properly allocated. Therefore, a new network service architecture with higher flexibility, dispatchability, and symmetrical adaptivity is demanded. The cloud native architecture that enables service providers to build and run scalable applications/services is highly favored in such a setting, while a symmetrical resource allocation is still preserved. The microservice function in the cloud native architecture can further accelerate the development of various services in a 5G/B5G mobile wireless network. In addition, each microservice part can handle a dedicated service, making overall network management easier. There have been many research and development efforts in the recent literature on topics pertinent to cloud native, such as containerized provisioning, network slicing, and automation. However, there are still some problems and challenges ahead to be addressed. Among them, optimizing resource management for the best performance is fundamentally crucial given the challenge that the resource distribution in the cloud native architecture may need more symmetry. Thus, this paper will survey cloud native mobile computing, focusing on resource management issues of network slicing and containerization.

Background/Purpose: Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is an autoimmune disease and its conventional treatment has exhibited limited therapeutic efficacy. Traditional Chinese medicine has been demonstrated to ameliorate the sicca symptoms of SS by decreasing the level of TH1 and TH2 cytokines and increasing salivary flow rate. A newly designed traditional Chinese medicine, SS-1, showed improved efficacy in alleviating the dryness symptoms of SS patients in the National Taiwan SS cohort investigation. Here, we investigated the effect of SS-1 on T cell responses. Methods: SS-1 was authenticated and its major compounds were verified by high-performance liquid chromatography. We examined the effects of SS-1 on the activation and TH1, TH2, and TH17 polarization of murine T cells. We also determined the level of TH1, TH2, and TH17 cytokine RNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of SS patients before and after SS-1 treatment. Results: SS-1 treatment inhibits the activation and TH1, TH2, and IL-17A+IFNγ+ TH polarization of murine T cells. SS-1 treatment also significantly reduces IFN-γ, IL-4, and IL-13 expression, and moderately reduces IL-17A expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of SS patients. Conclusion: Our results suggest that SS-1 inhibits T cell activation and diminishes TH1, TH2, and IL-17+IFN-γ+ TH responses in SS patients.

Attosecond pulses, produced through high-order harmonic generation in gases, have been successfully used for observing ultrafast, subfemtosecond electron dynamics in atoms, molecules and solid state systems. Today’s typical attosecond sources, however, are often impaired by their low repetition rate and the resulting insufficient statistics, especially when the number of detectable events per shot is limited. This is the case for experiments, where several reaction products must be detected in coincidence, and for surface science applications where space charge effects compromise spectral and spatial resolution. In this work, we present an attosecond light source operating at 200 kHz, which opens up the exploration of phenomena previously inaccessible to attosecond interferometric and spectroscopic techniques. Key to our approach is the combination of a high-repetition rate, few-cycle laser source, a specially designed gas target for efficient high harmonic generation, a passively and actively stabilized pump-probe interferometer and an advanced 3D photoelectron/ion momentum detector. While most experiments in the field of attosecond science so far have been performed with either single attosecond pulses or long trains of pulses, we explore the hitherto mostly overlooked intermediate regime with short trains consisting of only a few attosecond pulses. We also present the first coincidence measurement of single-photon double-ionization of helium with full angular resolution, using an attosecond source. This opens up for future studies of the dynamic evolution of strongly correlated electrons.

Abstract Background Knowledge is growing on how gut microbiota are established, but the effects of maternal symbiotic microbes throughout early microbial successions in birds remain elusive. In this study, we examined the contributions and transmission modes of maternal microbes into the neonatal microbiota of a passerine, the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata), based on fostering experiments. Results Using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, we found that zebra finch chicks raised by their biological or foster parents (the society finch Lonchura striata domestica) had gut microbial communities converging with those of the parents that reared them. Moreover, source-tracking models revealed high contribution of zebra finches’ oral cavity/crop microbiota to their chicks’ early gut microbiota, which were largely replaced by the parental gut microbiota at later stages. The results suggest that oral feeding only affects the early stage of hatchling gut microbial development. Conclusions Our study indicates that passerine chicks mainly acquire symbionts through indirect maternal transmission—passive environmental uptake from nests that were smeared with the intestinal and cloacal microbes of parents that raised them. Gut microbial diversity was low in hand-reared chicks, emphasizing the importance of parental care in shaping the gut microbiota. In addition, several probiotics were found in chicks fostered by society finches, which are excellent foster parents for other finches in bird farms and hosts of brood parasitism by zebra finches in aviaries; this finding implies that avian species that can transfer probiotics to chicks may become selectively preferred hosts of brood parasitism in nature. Video Abstract

Abstract Background Recent trials have shown promise in intra-arterial thrombectomy after the first 6–24 h of stroke onset. Quick and precise identification of the salvageable tissue is essential for successful stroke management. In this study, we examined the feasibility of machine learning (ML) approaches for differentiating the ischemic penumbra (IP) from the infarct core (IC) by using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)-derived metrics. Methods Fourteen male rats subjected to permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO) were included in this study. Using a 7 T magnetic resonance imaging, DTI metrics such as fractional anisotropy, pure anisotropy, diffusion magnitude, mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity, and radial diffusivity were derived. The MD and relative cerebral blood flow maps were coregistered to define the IP and IC at 0.5 h after pMCAO. A 2-level classifier was proposed based on DTI-derived metrics to classify stroke hemispheres into the IP, IC, and normal tissue (NT). The classification performance was evaluated using leave-one-out cross validation. Results The IC and non-IC can be accurately segmented by the proposed 2-level classifier with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) between 0.99 and 1.00, and with accuracies between 96.3 and 96.7%. For the training dataset, the non-IC can be further classified into the IP and NT with an AUC between 0.96 and 0.98, and with accuracies between 95.0 and 95.9%. For the testing dataset, the classification accuracy for IC and non-IC was 96.0 ± 2.3% whereas for IP and NT, it was 80.1 ± 8.0%. Overall, we achieved the accuracy of 88.1 ± 6.7% for classifying three tissue subtypes (IP, IC, and NT) in the stroke hemisphere and the estimated lesion volumes were not significantly different from those of the ground truth (p = .56, .94, and .78, respectively). Conclusions Our method achieved comparable results to the conventional approach using perfusion–diffusion mismatch. We suggest that a single DTI sequence along with ML algorithms is capable of dichotomizing ischemic tissue into the IC and IP.

Background: To investigate whether serial morphometric measurements of the brainstem using high resolution trans-foramen-magnum ultrasound (US) in premature neonates correlate with neurological outcomes.Methods: Serial brain ultrasound scans were performed in 36 consecutive preterm infants born at

Background: Cholinergic deficiency has been suggested to associate with the abnormal accumulation of Aβ and tau for patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, no studies have investigated the effect of APOE-ε4 and group differences in modulating the cholinergic basal forebrain–amygdala network for subjects with different levels of cognitive impairment. We evaluated the effect of APOE-ε4 on the cholinergic structural association and the neurocognitive performance for subjects with different levels of cognitive impairment.Methods: We used the structural brain magnetic resonance imaging scans from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative dataset. The study included cognitively normal (CN, n = 167) subjects and subjects with significant memory concern (SMC, n = 96), early mild cognitive impairment (EMCI, n = 146), late cognitive impairment (LMCI, n = 138), and AD (n = 121). Subjects were further categorized according to the APOE-ε4 allele carrier status. The main effects of APOE-ε4 and group difference on the brain volumetric measurements were assessed. Regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the associations among cholinergic structural changes, APOE-ε4 status, and cognitive performance.Results: We found that APOE-ε4 carriers in the disease group showed higher brain atrophy than non-carriers in the cholinergic pathway, while there is no difference between carriers and non-carriers in the CN group. APOE-ε4 allele carriers in the disease groups also exhibited a stronger cholinergic structural correlation than non-carriers did, while there is no difference between the carriers and non-carriers in the CN subjects. Disease subjects exhibited a stronger structural correlation in the cholinergic pathway than CN subjects did. Moreover, APOE-ε4 allele carriers in the disease group exhibited a stronger correlation between the volumetric changes and cognitive performance than non-carriers did, while there is no difference between carriers and non-carriers in CN subjects. Disease subjects exhibited a stronger correlation between the volumetric changes and cognitive performance than CN subjects did.Conclusion: Our results confirmed the effect of APOE-ε4 on and group differences in the associations with the cholinergic structural changes that may reflect impaired brain function underlying neurocognitive degeneration in AD.

Introduction: Recent trials have demonstrated the superior efficacy of mechanical thrombectomy over other medical treatments for acute ischemic stroke; however, not every large vessel occlusion (LVO) can be recanalized using a single thrombectomy device. Rescue devices were proved to increase the reperfusion rate, but the efficacy is unclear.Objective: In this retrospective study, we evaluated the efficacy of rescue therapy in different locations of LVO.Methods: We analyzed the outcomes of mechanical thrombectomy from a prospective registry of consecutive 82 patients in Taipei Medical University Hospital. The reperfusion rate and the functional outcome were compared in patients who received first-line therapy only and patients who need rescue therapy.Results: An 84.1% reperfusion rate was achieved in our cohort. We applied first-line stent retriever (SR) treatment in 6 patients, among which 4 (66.6%) achieved successful reperfusion. We applied a direct-aspiration first-pass technique (ADAPT) as the first-line treatment in 76 patients, among which 46 (60.5%) achieved successful reperfusion. Successful reperfusion could not be achieved in 30 cases (39.5%); therefore, we applied a second-line rescue SR for 28 patients, and reperfusion was established in 18 (64.3%) of them. These results revealed that the LVO in anterior circulation has a higher chance to respond to SR rescue therapy than posterior circulation lesions (68 vs. 33.3%, P < 0.001). Patients who received only first-line therapy exhibited significantly better functional outcomes than those who were also treated with rescue SR therapy (41.2 vs. 16.7%, P = 0.001). In addition, patients with LVO in the anterior circulation were found to have a higher probability of achieving functional independence than patients with posterior circulation lesions (10.7 vs. 0.0%, P < 0.001). The adjusted multivariate analysis revealed that successful reperfusion and treatment type (first-line or rescue therapy) were significantly related to a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score at 90 days.Conclusion: This study reveals that rescue SR therapy improves the reperfusion rate. Patients who require rescue SR therapy have a lower likelihood of functional independence. LVO in the anterior circulation responds better to rescue SR therapy and results in better functional outcomes than posterior circulation lesions.

We describe a numerical algorithm for approximating the equilibrium-reduced density matrix and the effective (mean force) Hamiltonian for a set of system spins coupled strongly to a set of bath spins when the total system (system + bath) is held in canonical thermal equilibrium by weak coupling with a "super-bath". Our approach is a generalization of now standard typicality algorithms for computing the quantum expectation value of observables of bare quantum systems via trace estimators and Krylov subspace methods. In particular, our algorithm makes use of the fact that the reduced system density, when the bath is measured in a given random state, tends to concentrate about the corresponding thermodynamic averaged reduced system density. Theoretical error analysis and numerical experiments are given to validate the accuracy of our algorithm. Further numerical experiments demonstrate the potential of our approach for applications including the study of quantum phase transitions and entanglement entropy for long range interaction systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: Besides hospital size, clinical diagnosis and severity of patient cases determine the total platelet usage. Therefore, the appropriateness of platelet usage could not be compared simply with the total units of platelet usage in each hospital. This study aimed to objectively monitor and analyze platelet usage after implementing a single‐unit issuing policy for each platelet transfusion in our hospital in October 2020. Materials and Methods: We used three objective indices, X, Y, and Z, to monitor platelet usage and compared it with other hospitals. Three indices were generated by dividing the annual total units of platelet usage by the total annual reimbursement, total number of admissions, and average total reimbursement per admission for each hospital. Results: The new indices X and Y alleviated hospital size–dependent differences. Index Y was preferred over X because its value fluctuated less during the COVID‐19 pandemic. The Z index was adjusted for the average total reimbursement per admission, and the results showed that more patients with higher disease complexity did not have increased platelet usage during the COVID‐19 pandemic. In our hospital (H1), index Z decreased from 2019 to 2021 due to a policy of issuing a single unit for each platelet transfusion. Conclusion: These three objective indices are suitable for peer comparison and monitoring platelet usage in hospitals, irrespective of their size. They could be applied to promote patient blood management and provide an early response to the gradual shortage of blood resources owing to the aging population and declining birth rate in Taiwan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Many women quit smoking during pregnancy resume in postpartum period and difficult to prevent. No studies had focused on their psychosocial response in Taiwan. We analyzed data from a trial of Taiwan Smoker's Helpline (TSH) to determine factors associated with smoking relapse after delivery. Materials and methods: A prospective cohort was conducted at Taipei City Hospital during Sep. 2014 and Nov. 2015 period. We collected data by self-developed questionnaire combining theory of planned behavior (TPB), Fagerstrom test for nicotine dependence (FTND) and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) from 68 women immediately after delivery, 2 months later and followed up until 6 months. Multivariable logistic models for relapse of smoking at the end of 3rd month and 6th month were created. Results: At 6th month, 42.6% participants relapsed with odds lower among first parity (OR = 0.04, 95% CI =

Abstract Background Recent studies have proposed several gene signatures as biomarkers for different grades of gliomas from various perspectives. However, most of these genes can only be used appropriately for patients with specific grades of gliomas. Methods In this study, we aimed to identify survival-relevant genes shared between glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and lower-grade glioma (LGG), which could be used as potential biomarkers to classify patients into different risk groups. Cox proportional hazard regression model (Cox model) was used to extract relative genes, and effectiveness of genes was estimated against random forest regression. Finally, risk models were constructed with logistic regression. Results We identified 104 key genes that were shared between GBM and LGG, which could be significantly correlated with patients’ survival based on next-generation sequencing data obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas for gene expression analysis. The effectiveness of these genes in the survival prediction of GBM and LGG was evaluated, and the average receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) area under the curve values ranged from 0.7 to 0.8. Gene set enrichment analysis revealed that these genes were involved in eight significant pathways and 23 molecular functions. Moreover, the expressions of ten (CTSZ, EFEMP2, ITGA5, KDELR2, MDK, MICALL2, MAP 2 K3, PLAUR, SERPINE1, and SOCS3) of these genes were significantly higher in GBM than in LGG, and comparing their expression levels to those of the proposed control genes (TBP, IPO8, and SDHA) could have the potential capability to classify patients into high- and low- risk groups, which differ significantly in the overall survival. Signatures of candidate genes were validated, by multiple microarray datasets from Gene Expression Omnibus, to increase the robustness of using these potential prognostic factors. In both the GBM and LGG cohort study, most of the patients in the high-risk group had the IDH1 wild-type gene, and those in the low-risk group had IDH1 mutations. Moreover, most of the high-risk patients with LGG possessed a 1p/19q-noncodeletion. Conclusion In this study, we identified survival relevant genes which were shared between GBM and LGG, and those enabled to classify patients into high- and low-risk groups based on expression level analysis. Both the risk groups could be correlated with the well-known genetic variants, thus suggesting their potential prognostic value in clinical application.

Objective: Gallbladder polyps (GBPs) are an increasingly common incidental finding and 3% to 8% of GBPs become malignant. A poor prognosis is expected in patients with gallbladder cancer. No studies have considered the relationship between diet and the development of GBPs in the Taiwanese population. The objective of this study was to investigate whether a vegetarian diet protects against GBP development. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 11,717 individuals who received a health checkup at Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital (New Taipei City, Taiwan) between October 2011 and October 2016. All individuals completed questionnaires that collected data about their characteristics, dietary patterns, and lifestyle. Physical examinations were conducted, and blood chemistry tests were performed. The presence of GBPs was determined using ultrasonography. We subsequently evaluated the association between diet and GBP prevalence using multivariate analysis. Results: The prevalence of GBPs for the entire group was 8.3%. GBPs were significantly less common in the vegetarian groups (vegans 9.0%, ovo-lacto vegetarians 7.5%, and semi-vegetarians 7.2%) compared with the omnivore group (9.6%) (P = 0.002). Step-wise logistic regression revealed that an ovo-lacto vegetarian diet was a possible protective factor (odds ratio = 0.83, P = 0.015). Conclusions: The study findings showed a strong negative association between an ovo-lacto vegetarian diet and GBP occurrence.

Objective: We present digynic triploidy in a fetus with semilobar holoprosencephaly (HPE). Case report: A 32-year-old, gravid 1, para 0, woman underwent prenatal ultrasound examination at 12 weeks of gestation, and the ultrasound showed relative macrocephaly, a small non-cystic placenta, and a fetus with absent nasal bone and semilobar HPE. The pregnancy was terminated subsequently, and a 50-g fetus was delivered with a relatively enlarged head and premaxillary agenesis. The placenta was small and non-cystic. Postnatal cytogenetic analysis of the umbilical cord revealed a karyotype of 69, XXX. Postnatal DNA marker analysis using quantitative fluorescent polymerase chain reaction assays and the polymorphic short tandem repeat markers for chromosome 18 and 20 on the placental tissues showed a diallelic pattern with a dosage of 1:2 (paternal allele to maternal allele ratio), indicating a maternal origin of the triploidy. Conclusion: Fetuses with digynic triploidy may present relative macrocephaly, semilobar HPE and a small placenta on prenatal ultrasound. Keywords: Semilobar holoprosencephaly, Digynic triploidy

PurposeMedulloblastoma (MB) is a highly malignant pediatric brain tumor. In the latest classification, medulloblastoma is divided into four distinct groups: wingless (WNT), sonic hedgehog (SHH), Group 3, and Group 4. We analyzed the magnetic resonance imaging radiomics features to find the imaging surrogates of the 4 molecular subgroups of MB.Material and methodsFrozen tissue, imaging data, and clinical data of 38 patients with medulloblastoma were included from Taipei Medical University Hospital and Taipei Veterans General Hospital. Molecular clustering was performed based on the gene expression level of 22 subgroup-specific signature genes. A total 253 magnetic resonance imaging radiomic features were generated from each subject for comparison between different molecular subgroups.ResultsOur cohort consisted of 7 (18.4%) patients with WNT medulloblastoma, 12 (31.6%) with SHH tumor, 8 (21.1%) with Group 3 tumor, and 11 (28.9%) with Group 4 tumor. 8 radiomics gray-level co-occurrence matrix texture (GLCM) features were significantly different between 4 molecular subgroups of MB. In addition, for tumors with higher values in a gray-level run length matrix feature-Short Run Low Gray-Level Emphasis, patients have shorter survival times than patients with low values of this feature (p = 0.04). The receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed optimal performance of the preliminary prediction model based on GLCM features for predicting WNT, Group 3, and Group 4 MB (area under the curve = 0.82, 0.72, and 0.78, respectively).ConclusionThe preliminary result revealed that 8 contrast-enhanced T1-weighted imaging texture features were significantly different between 4 molecular subgroups of MB. Together with the prediction models, the radiomics features may provide suggestions for stratifying patients with MB into different risk groups.

Abstract Background Resistance to chemotherapy drugs (e.g. taxol) has been a major obstacle in successful cancer treatment. In A549 human lung adenocarcinoma, acquired resistance to the first-line chemotherapy taxol has been a critical problem in clinics. Sphingolipid (SPL) controls various aspects of cell growth, survival, adhesion, and motility in cancer, and has been gradually regarded as a key factor in drug resistance. To better understand the taxol-resistant mechanism, a comprehensive sphingolipidomic approach was carried out to investigate the sphingolipid metabolism in taxol-resistant strain of A549 cell (A549T). Methods A549 and A549T cells were extracted according to the procedure with optimal condition for SPLs. Sphingolipidomic analysis was carried out by using an UHPLC coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight (Q-TOF) MS system for qualitative profiling and an UHPLC coupled with triple quadrupole (QQQ) MS system for quantitative analysis. The differentially expressed sphingolipids between taxol-sensitive and -resistant cells were explored by using multivariate analysis. Results Based on accurate mass and characteristic fragment ions, 114 SPLs, including 4 new species, were clearly identified. Under the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode of QQQ MS, 75 SPLs were further quantified in both A549 and A549T. Multivariate analysis explored that the levels of 57 sphingolipids significantly altered in A549T comparing to those of A549 (p 1), including 35 sphingomyelins (SMs), 14 ceramides (Cers), 3 hexosylceramides (HexCers), 4 lactosylceramides (LacCers) and 1 sphingosine. A significant decrease of SM and Cer levels and overall increase of HexCer and LacCer represent the major SPL metabolic characteristic in A549T. Conclusions This study investigated sphingolipid profiles in human lung adenocarcinoma cell lines, which is the most comprehensive sphingolipidomic analysis of A549 and A549T. To some extent, the mechanism of taxol-resistance could be attributed to the aberrant sphingolipid metabolism, “inhibition of the de novo synthesis pathway” and “activation of glycosphingolipid pathway” may play the dominant role for taxol-resistance in A549T. This study provides insights into the strategy for clinical diagnosis and treatment of taxol resistant lung cancer.