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Background: This study explores the significance of computed tomography (CT) radiomic features, along with inflammation and nutrition biomarkers, in the prognosis of postoperative patients with T3N0M0 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). The study aims to construct a related nomogram. Methods: A total of 114 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to training and validation cohorts in a 7:3 ratio. Radiomic features were extracted from their preoperative chest‐enhanced CT arterial images of the primary tumor, and inflammatory and nutritional indices, including neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lymphocyte‐to‐monocyte ratio (LMR), platelet‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (PLR), systemic immune‐inflammation index (SII), and prognostic nutritional index (PNI), were calculated based on laboratory data from the 3 days before surgery. Intra‐class correlations coefficient (ICC) and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso) were applied to screen valuable radiomics features predicting overall survival (OS), and the Rad‐score was calculated. In the training cohort, univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses identified independent prognostic factors, which were adopted to establish the nomogram. Results: Eight radiomic features were selected for Rad‐score calculation. Multivariate Cox regression revealed Rad‐score, PNI, NLR, and PLR as independent prognostic factors for ESCC patients (p < 0.05). A nomogram was constructed based on these variables. The concordance index (C‐index) for the nomogram was 0.797 (95% CI: 0.726–0.868) in the training cohort and 0.796 (95% CI: 0.702–0.890) in the validation cohort. Calibration curves indicated good calibration ability, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis demonstrated superior discriminative ability for the nomogram in comparison to the Rad‐score alone. Decision curve analysis (DCA) confirmed the clinical utility of the nomogram. Conclusion: We developed and validated a nomogram for predicting the OS of postoperative T3N0M0 ESCC patients, integrating nutritional, inflammatory markers, and radiomic signature. The combined nomogram can serve as a robust tool for risk stratification and clinical management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. The relative contribution of some products with prebiotic effects, such as inulin, together with medications specific to the human gut microbiome has not been comprehensively studied. The present study determined the potential for manipulating populations in the gut microbiome using inulin alone and combined with other agents in individuals with metabolic syndrome (MetS). The study also assessed whether there is relationship variability in multiple clinical parameters in response to intervention with the changes in the gut milieu. Participants/Methods. This single-centre, single-blinded, randomised community-based pilot trial randomly assigned 60 patients (mean age, 46.3 y and male, 43%) with MetS to receive either inulin, inulin+traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), or inulin+metformin for 6 months. Lipid profiles, blood glucose, and uric acid (UA) levels were analysed in venous blood samples collected after overnight fast of 8 h at baseline and at the end of the follow-up period. Microbiota from stool samples were taxonomically analysed using 16S RNA amplicon sequencing, and an integrative analysis was conducted on microbiome and responsiveness data at 6 months. Results. The results of 16S rRNA sequencing showed that inulin resulted in a higher proportion of Bacteroides at the endpoint compared with inulin+TCM and inulin+metformin (p = 0.024). More Romboutsia (p = 0.043), Streptococcus (p < 0.001), and Holdemanella (p = 0.011) were found in inulin+TCM and inulin+metformin samples. We further identified gut microbiota relationships with lipids, UA, and glucose that impact the development of MetS. Conclusion. Among the groups, inulin alone or combined with metformin or TCM altered specific gut microbiota taxa but not the general diversity. Accordingly, we analysed metabolites associated with microbiota that might provide more information about intrinsic differences. Consequently, a reliable method could be developed for treating metabolic syndrome in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Fatigue is a common symptom in adults that may cause physical and psychological problems and reduce quality of life. Aromatherapy could possibly provide relief for those suffering from fatigue. Here, we evaluated the effect of aromatherapy on fatigue in adults. Methods. We searched the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biomedical Literature, SinoMed, Wanfang, and Chinese Scientific Journal Database databases for randomized controlled trials of aromatherapy treatment for fatigue in adults from their inception to June 2021. Two reviewers searched independently, extracted the characteristics of the studies, and assessed the risk of bias using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool and Stata v. 14.0. Results. Nineteen studies were included in this systematic review. Aromatherapy had a significant effect on fatigue (standardized mean difference −0.64, 95% confidence interval−1.14, −0.15, I2 94.4%, P < 0.001). Subgroup analysis according to aromatic type, substance, frequency, treatment duration, intervention, outcomes measurement, and population type showed that aromatherapy had a significantly greater effect in the intervention group, compared to the control group. Funnel plots and Egger's test indicated no significant publication bias. Conclusion. Our results suggest that aromatherapy ameliorates fatigue in adults who suffer from chronic diseases. A rigorous intervention program and larger randomized controlled trials are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the capability of computed tomography (CT) radiomic features to predict the therapeutic response and local control of the locoregional recurrence lymph node (LN) after curative esophagectomy by chemoradiotherapy. Methods: This retrospective study included 129 LN from 77 patients (training cohort: 102 LN from 59 patients; validation cohort: 27 LN from 18 patients) with postoperative esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). The region of the tumor was contoured in pretreatment contrast‐enhanced CT images. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator with logistic regression was used to identify radiomic predictors in the training cohort. Model performance was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC). The Kaplan–Meier method was used to determine the local recurrence time of cancer. Results: The radiomic model suggested seven features that could be used to predict treatment response. The AUCs in training and validated cohorts were 0.777 (95% CI: 0.667–0.878) and 0.765 (95% CI: 0.556–0.975), respectively. A significant difference in the radiomic scores (Rad‐scores) between response and nonresponse was observed in the two cohorts (p < 0.001, 0.034, respectively). Two features were identified for classifying whether there will be relapse in 2 years. AUC was 0.857 (95% CI: 0.780–0.935) in the training cohort. The local control time of the high Rad‐score group was higher than the low group in both cohorts (p < 0.001 and 0.025, respectively). As inferred from the Cox regression analysis, the low Rad‐score was a high‐risk factor for local recurrence within 2 years. Conclusions: The radiomic approach can be used as a potential imaging biomarker to predict treatment response and local control of recurrence LN in ESCC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) causes psychological distress and can have a negative impact on the general mental health and rehabilitation in affected patients under currently implemented isolation guidelines. Auricular point pressure (APP) as well-established technique in traditional Chinese medicine may help to relieve sleep disturbance and anxiety in COVID-19 patients. Methods. During the early phase of the epidemic/pandemic, patients were enrolled in this study (02/2020 until 03/2020 n = 84). They were strictly isolated on specific wards at the Hubei Provincial Hospital of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine in Hubei. The retrospective cohort study design included two groups. Group A patients were treated with an auricular point pressure (APP) in addition to standard intensive care medicine while Group B participants (No-APP) received routine nursing measures alone. Treatment outcome was measured using the St. Mary's Hospital Sleep Questionnaire (SMH) Score and the 7-Item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7). Both scores were measured in each patient at baseline and on the discharge day. Results. The SMH score and sleep status changed in APP patients at the end of the treatment period when compared with No-APP patients (P < 0.01). APP-treated patients demonstrated lower GAD-7 scores than No-APP controls (P < 0.01). Further, no significant differences in safety or adverse events between the APP and No-APP groups were observed. Conclusion. The results from our snapshot study during the early phase of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic/pandemic suggest that auricular point pressure could be a simple and effective tool to relieve insomnia and situational anxiety in hospitalized patients suffering from COVID-19 and kept under disconcerting conditions of isolation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There are no standard therapeutic strategies for local lymph node (LN) recurrence after radical resection of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), and prognostic risk factors remain controversial. We assessed clinical outcomes and prognostic factors of chemoradiotherapy (CRT) or radiotherapy (RT) for LN recurrence of ESCC after curative resection. Methods: A total of 117 ESCC patients with LN recurrence after radical resection receiving salvage treatment at our hospital were retrospectively reviewed from 2014 to 2017. Overall survival (OS) was estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method; clinical characteristics were assessed using the Log rank test in the univariate analysis. Multivariate prognostic analysis was performed using the Cox proportional hazard model. Results: With a median follow-up of 19 months, the 1-, 2- and 3-year OS rates were 75.2%, 40.2% and 27.4%, respectively. The median survival time (MST) was 19.0 months. On univariate analysis for OS, pathological TNM stage, number of LN metastasis, LN maximum (Max) diameter, salvage treatment mode and tumor response were significantly associated with OS (P = 0.0074, P = 0.015, P = 0.0011, P = 0.028, P < 0.000, respectively). On multivariate analysis, tumor response [Response vs No-response hazard ratio (HR), 2.43; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.53– 3.90, P < 0.000] and LN Max diameter (≤ 28 mm vs > 28 mm HR, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.33– 3.32, P = 0.012) were independent prognostic factors. Conclusion: Salvage CRT or RT was safe and effective for treating LN recurrence after radical resection in ESCC. Patients with the small LN Max diameter (≤ 28 mm) and obtained response after salvage therapy appeared to achieve long-term OS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this study was to explore the influence of preoperative tumor volume, length, maximum diameter and the number of postoperative pathologically lymph node metastasis (LNM) regions on survival prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients. Methods: A total of 296 patients with ESCC treated by standard curative esophagectomy were retrospectively analyzed. These patients were grouped for further analysis according to the optimal threshold of preoperative tumor volume, length, maximum diameter and the number of postoperative pathologically LNM regions. Kaplan–Meier method was used to calculate survival rate and survival comparison was performed by Log rank test. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to carry out univariate and multivariate analyses. Nomogram model was established by integrating statistically significant clinicopathological parameters, and the predictive value was further verified by calibration curve, concordance index (C-index) and decision curve. Results: The univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis all showed that differentiation grade, TNM stage, adjuvant therapy, preoperative tumor volume and the number of post operative pathologically LNM regions were independent prognostic factors for PFS and OS (all P< 0.05). The C-indexes of PFS and OS by nomograms were predicted to be 0.747 (95% CI: 0.717– 0.777) and 0.732 (95% CI: 0.697– 0.767), respectively, which were significantly higher than the 7th AJCC TNM stage, the C-indexes 0.612 (95% CI: 0.574– 0.650) and 0.633 (95% CI: 0.595– 0.671), separately. In addition, the calibration curves of nomogram models were highly consistent with actual observation for the five-year PFS and OS rate, and the decision curve analysis also showed that nomogram models had higher clinical application potentials than TNM staging model in predicting survival prognosis of thoracic ESCC after surgery. Conclusion: The nomograms incorporated preoperative tumor volume and the number of postoperative pathologically LNM areas are of great value in predicting survival prognosis of patients with thoracic ESCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. To report the application of 14-MHz ultrasonography with tissue harmonic imaging (14 MHz + THI) to determine the integrity of the posterior capsule (PC) in traumatic cataract (TC). Methods. Patients with TC who were scheduled to undergo cataract extraction and whose PC could not be observed by slit lamp examination were included in the study. The status of the PC was determined by 14 MHz + THI before cataract extraction and confirmed during surgery. The results regarding PC integrity obtained from 14 MHz + THI and intraoperative direct observation were compared. Result. The study enrolled 52 eyes of 52 patients (49 men and 3 women), with a mean age of 42.15 years ± 11.23 (SD). The nature of the trauma was blunt (3 eyes) or sharp (49 eyes). The 14 MHz + THI method showed 21 PCs to be intact and 31 to have ruptured before cataract surgery. During surgery, 23 PCs were observed to be intact, while 29 PCs were ruptured. 27 PCs were ruptured and 19 were intact, as determined by the two methods. The 14 MHz + THI observations were consistent with the intraoperative observations of the PC (kappa = 0.764), with no significant difference between the two methods (P=0.687). The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 14 MHz + THI for observation of the PC were 93.10%, 82.60%, and 88.46%, respectively. Conclusion. The 14 MHz + THI method can accurately reveal the integrity of the PC in TC. It has important clinical value in the selection of cataract surgery methods and the prediction of complications during TC surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To investigate the effect of establishing clinical nurse educators in standardized training for newly recruited nurses. Methods Totally 88 nurses recruited in 2016 were set as the control group, another 121 nurses recruited in 2017 were set as the intervention group. The convention teaching method was adopted in the control group. In the intervention group, clinical nurse educators were established to regulate the standardized training. The outcomes of theoretical and practical arseesments of two groups were compared. Nurses-perceptions on normalization and quality of clinical standardized training were evaluated. Results Nurses in the intervention group achieved higher scores of theoretical and practical nseesments compared with those in the control group (P < 0.05). Standardized training organized by clinical nurse educators received higher ratings of normalization and quality (P < 0. 05). Cunclusion Establishment of clinical nurse educators can effectively improve the standardized training effect for newly recruited nurses, by improving their theoretical knowledge and practical skiils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: The HOX transcript antisense intergenic RNA (HOTAIR), a long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), plays an important role in the pathogenesis and progression of multiple tumors. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in HOTAIR are related to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) susceptibility in a Chinese population. Methods: We genotyped three SNPs of HOTAIR in a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) case-control study, including 482 cases and 520 control subjects. SNPs were genotyped using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Associations between gene polymorphisms and HCC were evaluated using multiple logistic regression analysis. The allelespecific effects on HOTAIR expression in HCC were confirmed by real time quantitative PCR and luciferase activity assays. The influence of HOTAIR SNPs on the proliferation of HCC cells was evaluated using a CCK-8 assay. Results: Significant associations were observed between the HOTAIR rs920778 C>T polymorphism and HCC risk (TT versus CC: OR = 1.634, 95% CI =1.028- 2.598, P = 0.046) and the allelic model (allele T versus allele C: OR =1.293, 95% CI = 1.060- 1.577, P = 0.011). However, no statistically significant differences of rs4759314 and rs1899663 genotypes were observed between patients and controls (both P > 0.05). The increased risk for rs920778 TT genotype carriers was more evident in a sub-group of drinkers (OR = 3.103, 95% CI = 1.151-8.368, p=0.025) and in people positive for HBV infection (OR = 2.885, 95% CI = 1.086-7.663, p=0.034). RT-PCR and luciferase activity assay confirmed that the rs920778 TT genotype induced significantly higher HOTAIR levels than did the CC genotype (P < 0.05). CCK-8 assays and colony formation assays demonstrated that the rs920778 TT genotype had a higher proliferation rate of HCC cells than did the CC genotype (P < 0.05). Conclusion: These results suggest that SNP rs920778 of HOTAIR acts as a potential biomarker for predicting hepatocellular carcinoma, and further studies are warranted to confirm these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: A growing body of evidence indicates that the abnormal expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in sensitizing the cellular response to ionizing radiation (IR). The aim of this study was to investigate whether the expression of miR-124 correlated with radiosensitivity in the context of non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Methods: Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to quantify miR-124 expression in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. The role of miR-124 in NSCLC proliferation and radiosensitivity was analyzed using CCK-8 and flow cytometry apoptosis assays. Luciferase activity assays, RT-PCR, and Western blot assays were performed to confirm the target gene of miR-124. Results: In this study, we found that miR-124 was downregulated both in clinical NSCLC samples and in cell lines. miR-124 inhibited the proliferation of NSCLC cells and enhanced the apoptosis of NSCLC cells exposed to ionizing radiation. We identified signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) as a direct target of miR-124 by using target prediction algorithms and luciferase assays. Overexpression of STAT3 in A549 cell lines restored the enhanced radiosensitivity induced by miR-124. Conclusion: Taking these observations into consideration, we illustrated that miR-124 is a potential target for enhancing the radiosensitivity of NSCLC cells by targeting STAT3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a nonmonotone inexact Newton-type method for the extended linear complementarity problem (ELCP). We first reformulate the optimization system of the ELCP problem into a system of smoothed equations. Then we solve this system by a nonmonotone inexact Newton-type algorithm. The global convergence is obtained and numerical tests for some classes of ELCP include linear complementarity, horizontal linear complementarity, and generalized linear complementarity problems are also given to show the efficiency of the proposed algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background and Aims: Single nucleotide polymorphisms in miRNA binding sites, which are located in mRNA 3' untranslated regions (3'-UTRs), were recently found to influence microRNA-target interactions. Specifically, such polymorphisms can modulatebinding affinity or create or destroy miRNA-binding sites;such variants have also been found to be associated with cancer risk. In this study, we explored the effect of a functional variant at the miR-214 binding site in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene (rs114673809) on gastric cancer (GC) risk in a hospital-based case-control study in a Chinese Han population. Methods and Results: We genotyped the rs114673809 polymorphism in 345 gastric cancer patients and 376 cancer-free controls using the polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCRRFLP) technique. The functions of rs114673809 were investigated using a luciferase activity assay and validated by immunoblotting. We found that participants carrying the rs114673809 AA genotype or A allele had a significantly increased risk of gastric cancer (OR = 1.667, 95% CI = 1.044–2.660, P = 0.034; OR = 1.261, 95% CI = 1.017–1.563, P = 0.037, respectively) compared to those carrying the GG genotype and G allele. In addition, rs114673809 modified the binding of hsa-miR-214 to MTHFR as well as MTHFR protein levels in gastric cancer patients. Conclusion: Our data suggested that rs114673809, which is located at the miR- 214 binding site in the 3'-UTR of MTHFR, may play an important role in the development of gastric cancer in a Chinese Han population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BRAF activated non-coding RNA (BANCR), a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), is crucial for cell migration in melanoma cells and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. However, little is known regarding the role of this gene in the proliferation of colorectal cancer. Therefore, we investigated the involvement of BANCR in the proliferation of colorectal cancer cells. In this study, we show that BANCR expression was significantly down-regulated in colorectal cancer tissues compared with normal tissues, and overexpression of BANCR suppressed colorectal cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo. We also determined that pCDNA-BANCR-mediated colorectal cancer cell proliferation was associated with induction of G0/G1 cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis enhancement through regulation of p21, and its effects were most likely posttranscriptional. Taken together, our findings suggest that down-regulation of BANCR contributes to the proliferation of colorectal cancer cells, at least in part, through the regulation of p21 protein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated photonics provides a miniaturized and potentially implantable platform to manipulate and enhance the interactions between light and biological molecules or tissues in in-vitro and in-vivo settings, and is thus being increasingly adopted in a wide cross-section of biomedical applications ranging from disease diagnosis to optogenetic neuromodulation. However, the mechanical rigidity of substrates traditionally used for photonic integration is fundamentally incompatible with soft biological tissues. Cytotoxicity of materials and chemicals used in photonic device processing imposes another constraint towards these biophotonic applications. Here we present thin film TiO2 as a viable material for biocompatible and flexible integrated photonics. Amorphous TiO2 films were deposited using a low temperature (<250 °C) sol-gel process fully compatible with monolithic integration on plastic substrates. High-index-contrast flexible optical waveguides and resonators were fabricated using the sol-gel TiO2 material, and resonator quality factors up to 20,000 were measured. Following a multi-neutral-axis mechanical design, these devices exhibit remarkable mechanical flexibility, and can sustain repeated folding without compromising their optical performance. Finally, we validated the low cytotoxicity of the sol-gel TiO2 devices through in-vitro cell culture tests. These results demonstrate the potential of sol-gel TiO2 as a promising material platform for novel biophotonic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]