Search

Objective To explore the effect and safety of magnetic resonance imaging and transrectal ultrasound (mpMRI-TRUS) image fusion targeted transperineal biopsy technique using electromagnetic needle tracking under local anesthesia. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical and pathological data of 81 patients with mpMRI-TRUS image fusion targeted transperineal prostate biopsy using electromagnetic needle tracking under local anesthesia. Visual analog scale (VAS) and visual numeric scale (VNS) were used to evaluate the pain level and satisfaction of patients during prostate biopsy (VAS-1 and VNS-1), one hour after puncture (VAS-2 and VNS-2), and one day after surgery (VAS-3 and VNS-3). The perioperative clinical data and tumor positive rate of postoperative biopsy were recorded. Results The average prostate volume of 81 patients was 53.39±29.46 cm3. The PSA values of patients with PI-RADS scores of 2, 3, 4, and 5 were 9.14±2.31, 9.95±4.10, 14.77±6.36, and 32.17±24.39 ng/ml, respectively. The scores of VAS-1, VAS-2, and VAS-3 were 1.70±0.73, 1.16±0.58, and 0.53±0.55, respectively; the scores of VNS-1, VNS-2, and VNS-3 were 2.74±0.44, 3.69±0.46, and 3.84±0.37, respectively. The average surgical time was 17.47±3.44 minutes. Postoperative pathological results showed that the tumor positive rate of targeted prostate biopsy was 64.20%. According to the PI-RADS score for subgroup analysis, the tumor positive rates of patients with PI-RADS scores of 2, 3, 4, and 5 were 21.43%, 44.44%, 61.11%, and 96.77%, respectively. After transperineal prostate biopsy, gross hematuria occurred in 19.75% patients, and urinary retention occurred in 3.70%. The latter were relieved after symptomatic treatment. All patients did not experience complications, such as perineal puncture area hematoma, urinary tract infection, hematospermia, hematoma in perineal puncture area, urinary tract infection, hematospermia, vagus nerve reaction, or septic shock. Conclusion For suspected prostate cancer patients, mpMRI-TRUS image fusion targeted transperineal biopsy technique using electromagnetic needle tracking under local anesthesia is a feasible and easily tolerated surgical procedure. It has good safety and high tumor positive-detection rate, indicating that this technique is worthy of further clinical promotion and application.

The ecological environment of mining areas in the Loess Plateau is extraordinary fragile, so it is crucial to achieve the carbon neutral vision to scientifically understand the mechanism and potential of carbon sequestration and sink enhancement in ecological restoration of mining areas in the Loess Plateau. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the key processes of carbon sink formation, the adaptability and resilience of restoration, and the potential of increasing carbon sink in the ecological restoration of the mining area in the Loess Plateau, as well as reveal the stability mechanism of the carbon pool in the reclaimed soil of the mining area. Finally, the key technologies of carbon fixation and sink enhancement in the ecological restoration of the mining area are clarified and elucidated. The results showed that: ① The critical processes of carbon sink formation in ecological restoration of mining areas in the Loess Plateau included plant photosynthetic carbon allocation, soil carbon sequestration, microbial carbon sequestration, soil respiration and so on; ② The ecological restoration adaptability of the mining areas in the Loess Plateau generally presented a trend of high in the southeast and low in the northwest, while the areas with poor adaptability were mainly distributed at the border between northern Shanxi and Inner Mongolia, as well as between central Ningxia and Inner Mongolia. The order of ecological resilience of typical mining areas was shown as follows: Mixed forest (43.2%-100.0%) > Broad-leaved forest (49.2%-83.2%) > Coniferous forest (47.9%-76.5%) > Grassland (39.1%-70.7%) > Shrub grassland (43.0%-69.0%). There was a positive correlation between the remediation years and soil carbon sink potential. The highest carbon sink potential generally occurred at 10-15 years of restoration. The mixed forests spent the longest ecological restoration time, but possessed the largest carbon sequestration potential; ③ The stability mechanism of reclaimed soil carbon pool was related to litter decomposition, clay mineral interaction, aggregate physical protection and microbial regulation; ④ The coupling repair technology including landform reconstruction, soil reconstruction, pioneer plant/microorganism and exogenous material is the optimal path for ecological restoration of coal mining areas in the Loess Plateau to fix carbon and increase carbon sink, and it is also conducive to the long-term stability and improvement of carbon sink.

Bladder cancer (BC) is a common malignant tumor of the urinary system. Common white light cystoscopy is the most important method in the diagnosis and treatment of BC, but its ability to identify small tumors and residual tumors at surgical sites is limited, so it is urgent to develop new diagnosis and treatment techniques. With the rise of the concept of precision medicine, a group of targeted molecules that can specifically bind to BC at the cellular and molecular levels have been discovered in recent years, and the molecular image and targeted therapy based on them can significantly improve the diagnosis and treatment efficiency of BC, with a great potential for clinical application. Based on the latest progress and the research work of our research group, this paper comprehensively analyzes and systematically summarizes the application of targeted molecular carriers in the diagnosis and treatment of BC.

Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are extracellular DNA webs released from neutrophils to mediate the host antimicrobial defense. As NETs could also induce thrombosis and cause organ injury, their release should be strictly controlled; however, the intrinsic mechanisms that prevent unfavorable NETs are not well understood. Herein, an accidental finding of NET release from human peripheral neutrophils was first described in a serum-free culture, which was later determined to be a conserved NET prevention effect of serum. In contrast to canonical NETs induced by phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA), NET formation by serum-free culture was rapid and without prevalent NETosis. Next, albumin was screened out as a key serum component that mediated the suppression of NETs. Moreover, NETs induced upon serum or albumin deficiency were independent of the canonical pathway that involves NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2) activation and cytosol reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Instead, the generation of mitochondrial ROS (mtROS) was upregulated to promote NET release. Albumin exhibited mtROS scavenging activity and thus inhibited NETs. Serum-free culture also induced the release of NET-bound oxidized mtDNA, which stimulated interferon-[beta] (IFN-[beta]) production. Overall, our research provides new evidence that characterizes the NET production in serum-free culture and determines the mechanisms by which serum albumin inhibits NETs. Key words: neutrophils, NETs, serum, albumin, mtROS. Les pieges extracellulaires des neutrophiles (ou NET pour << neutrophil extracellular traps >>) sont des toiles d'ADN extracellulaires liberees des neutrophiles pour la mediation de la defense antimicrobienne de l'hote. Comme les NET peuvent aussi provoquer des thromboses et causer des lesions organiques, leur liberation doit faire l'objet d'un controle strict. Cependant, on ne comprend pas tres bien les modes d'action intrinseques qui previennent les NET defavorables. Ci-inclus la description de l'observation fortuite de la liberation de NET de neutrophiles peripheriques humains en culture sans serum, ce que l'on a ensuite etabli s'agir d'un effet de prevention des NET conserve du serum. Contrairement aux NET bien decrits comme engendres par le PMA (phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate), la formation de NET en culture sans serum etait rapide, sans << NETose >> en place. Nous avons ensuite ecarte l'albumine comme composante serique cle assurant l'inhibition de la presence de NET. En outre, les NET engendres en situation de deficit de serum ou d'albumine etaient independants de la voie de signalisation etablie, qui met en jeu l'activation de la NOX2 (NADP oxydase 2) et la production de derives reactifs de l'oxygene (DRO) cytosoliques. Au lieu de cela, la production de DRO mitochondriaux (DROmt) etait regulee a la hausse pour favoriser la liberation de NET. L'albumine a presente une activite de piegeage des DROmt, et donc d'inhibition des NET. Les cultures sans serum engendraient aussi la liberation de DROmt oxydes lies aux NET, ce qui stimulait la production d'interferon [beta] Dans son ensemble, notre recherche fournit de nouvelles donnees qui caracterisent la production de NET en culture sans serum et etablit les modes d'action par lesquels l'albumine serique entraine l'inhibition des NET. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles : neutrophiles, pieges extracellulaires des neutrophiles, serum, albumine, derives reactifs de l'oxygene mitochondriaux., Introduction Neutrophils play a pivotal role in host innate immune response against infection (Mantovani et al. 2011; Mayadas et al. 2014). In addition to their characterized role in phagocytosis and [...]

Interactions between carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P), the vital indicators of ecological restoration, play an important role in signaling the health of ecosystems. Rapidly and accurately mapping foliar C, N, and P is essential for interpreting community structure, nutrient limitation, and primary production during ecosystem recovery. However, research on how to rapidly map C, N, and P in restored areas with mixed plant communities is limited. This study employed laser imaging, detection, and ranging (LiDAR) and hyperspectral data to extract spectral, textural, and height features of vegetation as well as vegetation indices and structural parameters. Causal band, multiple linear regression, and random forest models were developed and tested in a restored area in northern China. Important parameters were identified including (1), for C, red-edge bands, canopy height, and vegetation structure; for N, textural features, height percentile of 40–95%, and vegetation structure; for P, spectral features, height percentile of 80%, and 1 m foliage height diversity. (2) R2 was used to compare the accuracy of the three models as follows: R2 values for C were 0.07, 0.42, and 0.56, for N they were 0.20, 0.48, and 0.53, and for P they were 0.32, 0.39, and 0.44; the random forest model demonstrated the highest accuracy. (3) The accuracy of the concentration estimates could be ranked as C > N > P. (4) The inclusion of LiDAR features significantly improved the accuracy of the C concentration estimation, with increases of 22.20% and 47.30% in the multiple linear regression and random forest models, respectively, although the inclusion of LiDAR features did not notably enhance the accuracy of the N and P concentration estimates. Therefore, LiDAR and hyperspectral data can be used to effectively map C, N, and P concentrations in a mixed plant community in a restored area, revealing their heterogeneity in terms of species and spatial distribution. Future efforts should involve the use of hyperspectral data with additional bands and a more detailed classification of plant communities. The application of this information will be useful for analyzing C, N, and P limitations, and for planning for the maintenance of restored plant communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is of great significance for scientific land use planning and ecological security protection to clarify the impacts of land use changes on an ecosystem's health. Based on the dynamic evolution of land use and ecosystem health on the Northern Slope of Tianshan Mountain (NSTM) from 2000 to 2020, this study utilized the patch-generating land use simulation (PLUS) model, the Vitality–Organization–Resilience–Services (VORS) model, and the elasticity approach to assess the impacts of land use changes on ecosystem health under four different scenarios: Natural Development Scenario (ND), Farmland Conservation Priority Scenario (FP), Ecological Conservation Priority Scenario (EP), and Urban Development Priority Scenario (UD). The results indicate that (1) land use on the NSTM from 2000 to 2020 was predominantly characterized by barren land and grassland. (2) The overall level of ecosystem health on the NSTM was poor from 2000 to 2020 but showed a gradual improvement trend. (3) Ecosystem health levels vary greatly across scenarios. In general, ecosystem health improves under FP and EP scenarios but deteriorates significantly under ND and UD scenarios. The resilience of ecosystem health varies significantly across different land categories. In the future, optimizing the current land use pattern and refining the ecological protection policy are essential to enhance ecosystem health and services in the NSTM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effective and efficient monitoring of revegetation outcomes is a key component of ecosystem restoration. Monitoring often involves labor‐intensive manual methods, which are difficult to deploy when sites are inaccessible or involve large areas of revegetation. This study aimed to identify plant species and quantify α‐diversity index on a sub‐meter scale at Manlailiang Mine Site in Northwestern China using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as a means to semiautomate large‐scale vegetation monitoring. UAVs equipped with multispectral sensors were combined with three industry‐standard supervised classification algorithms (support vector machine [SVM], maximum likelihood, and artificial neural network) to classify plant species. Spectral vegetation indices (normalized difference vegetation index [NDVI], difference vegetation index [DVI], visible‐band difference vegetation index, soil‐adjusted vegetation index, modified soil‐adjusted vegetation index, and excess green–excess red) were used to assess vegetation diversity obtained from on‐ground survey plot data (the Margalef, Pielou, Simpson, and Shannon–Wiener indices). Our results showed that SVM outperformed other algorithms in species identification accuracy (overall accuracy of 84%). Significant relationships were observed between vegetation indices and diversity indices, with the DVI performing significantly better than many more commonly used indices such as the NDVI. The findings highlight the potential of combining UAV multispectral data, spectral vegetation indices and ground surveys for effective and efficient fine‐scale monitoring of vegetation diversity in the ecological restoration of mining areas. This has significant practical benefits for improving adaptive management of restoration through improved monitoring tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atherosclerosis, which is a vascular pathology characterized by inflammation and plaque build-up within arterial vessel walls, acts as the important cause of most cardiovascular diseases. Except for a lipid-depository and chronic inflammatory, increasing evidences propose that epigenetic modifications are increasingly associated with atherosclerosis and are of interest from both therapeutic and biomarker perspectives. The chronic progressive nature of atherosclerosis has highlighted atherosclerosis heterogeneity and the fact that specific cell types in the complex milieu of the plaque are, by far, not the only initiators and drivers of atherosclerosis. Instead, the ubiquitous effects of cell type are tightly controlled and directed by the epigenetic signature, which, in turn, is affected by many proatherogenic stimuli, including low-density lipoprotein, proinflammatory, and physical forces of blood circulation. In this review, we summarize the role of DNA methylation and histone post-translational modifications in atherosclerosis. The future research directions and potential therapy for the management of atherosclerosis are also discussed. 3_oGVuwH1TkeHfgUq_GtC4 Video Abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: In cervicothoracic junction, the use of strong fixation device such as pedicle screw placement is often needed. OBJECTIVE: The current study aimed to evaluate the accuracy and safety of pedicle screw placement using stress conduction analysis in the clinical application. METHODS: We retrospectively collected patients who underwent pedicle screw internal fixation in cervicothoracic junction. Patients were divided into conventional nail placement (Group A) and modified pedicle screw implantation under guidance of stress analysis (Group B) according to the methods of pedicle screw placement. The accuracy of pedicle screw placement was assessed by computed tomography (CT) examination, and the success rate was calculated. RESULTS: A total of 80 patients who underwent pedicle screw internal fixation in cervicothoracic junction were included. There were no obvious differences in baseline characteristics between two groups. The success rate of total screw placement, cervical spine screw placement and upper thoracic spine screw placement in Group B was higher than those in Group A (P < 0.001, P = 0.005, P = 0.008). Additionally, Heary Grade I in the Group B was higher than Group A (P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Stress analysis-guided technique can increase the accuracy of pedicle screw placement. Importantly, it meets the requirements of internal fixation of the cervicothoracic junction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]