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Background: Ewing sarcoma remains the second most prevalent primary aggressive bone tumor in teens and young adults. The aim of our study was to develop and validate a web-based nomogram to predict the overall survival for Ewing sarcoma in children. Methods: A total of 698 patients, with 640 cases from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (the training set) and 58 cases (the external validation set), were included in this study. Cox analyses were carried out to determine the independent prognostic indicators, which were further included to establish a web-based nomogram. The predictive abilities were tested through the concordance index, calibration curve, decision curve analysis, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. Results: As suggested by univariate and multivariate Cox analyses, age, primary site, tumor size, metastasis stage (M stage), and chemotherapy were included as the independent predictive variables. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve values, calibration curves, concordance index, and decision curve analysis from training and validation groups suggested the model has great clinical applications. Conclusion: We developed a convenient and precise web-based nomogram to evaluate overall survival for Ewing sarcoma in children. The application of this nomogram would assist physicians and patients in making decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Medial meniscus extrusion (MME) refers to the protrusion of the medial meniscus beyond the tibial edge by more than 3 mm, leading to a deficiency of the hoop strain. MME commonly occurs in conjunction with osteoarthritis (OA) or medial meniscal tears (MMT). However, factors associated with concomitant MME in patients with OA or MMT have not been systematically reviewed. This study aims to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify factors associated with concomitant MME in OA or MMT. Methods: The systematic review of the literature was performed according to PRISMA. A literature search was conducted in 4 databases. All original human studies that reported the available evidence on factors associated with concomitant MME in patients with OA or MMT were included. Pooled binary variables were analyzed by odds ratios (OR) and 95% CIs, and pooled continuous variables were evaluated by mean difference (MD) and 95% CIs. Results: Ten studies on OA (5993 patients) and eight studies on MMT (872 patients) met the inclusion criteria. The overall pooled incidence of MME was 43% (95% CI, 37–50%) for OA, 61% (95% CI 43–77%) for MMT, and 85% (95% CI 72–94%) for medial meniscal root tears (MMRT). For the population with OA, Factors significantly associated with MME included radiographic OA [OR 4.24; 95% CI 3.07–5.84; P < 0.0001], bone marrow lesions [OR, 3.35; 95% CI 1.61–6.99; P = 0.0013], cartilage damage [OR, 3.25; 95% CI 1.60–6.61; P = 0.0011], and higher body mass index (BMI) [MD, 1.81; 95% CI 1.15–2.48; P < 0.0001]. Factors strongly associated with increased risk of MME for MMT included medial meniscal root [OR, 8.39; 95% CI 2.84–24.82; P < 0.0001] and radial tears [OR, 2.64; 95% CI 1.18–5.92; P < 0.0001]. Conclusion: Radiographic OA, bone marrow lesions, cartilage damage, and higher BMI were significantly associated with concomitant MME with OA. Furthermore, medial meniscal root and radial tears were significantly associated with an increased risk of MME in patients with MMT. Level of evidence: IV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Cognitive Linguistics, the noun-participle compound is a grammatical category with instances of different degrees of membership. The purpose of this study is to explore the categorization processes and schematic networks in noun-participle compounding. Working with the data of noun-participle compounds from COHA, we identified three types of participles: deverbal, denominal and ambicategorical. Two schemas [Nj-Vk-ed]A and [Nj-Nk-ed]A are established as generalizations of compounds of deverbal (e.g. man-made) and denominal participles (e.g. life-sized). Compounds of ambicategorical participles (e.g. snow-covered), are sanctioned by two schemas simultaneously, which give rise to ambiguous morphological readings. This study confirms the labor division between mother-daughter links and sister links in a schema network. The higher-level generalization is encoded by paradigmatically-related sister schemas, with the sister relations built on the shared structure links and a bi-directional conversion of the stem of ppl (i.e., noun-to-verb or verb-to-noun). The sister schemas as a paradigm is a more parsimonious generalization of the compounds, than the posited mother schema. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bone bruises and concomitant ligament injuries after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries have attracted attention, but their correlation and potential clinical significance remain unclear. Purpose: To assess the relationship between bone bruises and concomitant ligamentous injuries in ACL injuries. Study design: Systematic review. Methods: A comprehensive search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library was completed from inception to October 20, 2021. All articles that evaluated the relationship between bone bruises and related ligaments injuries were included. Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies (MINORS) was used for quality assessment as well as Review Manager 5.3 was used for data analysis. Results: A total of 19 studies evaluating 3292 patients were included. After meta-analysis, anterolateral ligament (ALL) injuries were associated with bone bruising on the lateral tibial plateau (LTP) (RR = 2.33; 95% CI 1.44–3.77; p = 0.0006), lateral femoral condyle (LFC) (RR = 1.97; 95% CI 1.37–2.85; p = 0.0003) and medial tibial plateau (MTP) (RR = 1.62; 95% CI 1.24–2.11; p = 0.0004); Moreover, medial collateral ligament (MCL) injuries were associated with bone bruising on the femur (RR = 1.49; 95% CI 1.17–1.90; p = 0.001), and no statistical significance was found between bone bruising on the MTP and Kaplan fiber (KF) injuries (RR = 1.58; 95% CI 1.00–2.49; p = 0.05). Nonetheless, the current evidence did not conclude that bone bruises were associated with lateral collateral ligament (LCL) injuries. Conclusion: For individuals with an ACL injury, bone bruises of the LTP, LFC, and MTP can assist in the diagnosis of ALL injuries. Furthermore, femoral bruising has potential diagnostic value for MCL injuries. Knowing these associations allows surgeons to be alert to ACL-related ligament injuries on MRI and during operations in future clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concept-based instruction (C-BI) has proven to be effective in improving students' command of grammar items used out of context by offering the students revision lessons, but its effect in teaching newly-introduced grammar items in a complex context of a specific genre remains unclear. To probe C-BI's effect on students' use of the past simple and present perfect tenses out of context and in the context of a narrative by its description of the grammar concept in its materialization, that is, the Schemas of a Complete Orienting Basis of an Action (SCOBAs), we taught the two tenses to 40 eighth-graders in a Chinese middle school in our three-week teaching experiment. The qualitative and quantitative analysis of the results shows that i) in both out-of-context use and in-context use, accuracy of using the target tenses is higher after C-BI intervention; ii) by improving their conceptual knowledge through C-BI, the students are helped to pin down reference time and are hence more certain in using the target tenses. Moreover, they are encouraged to use the newly-introduced tenses in the complex context of the narrative genre; iii) both in simple contexts or complex contexts, the SCOBAs are effective in helping students navigate the learning task and determine their intended meaning by establishing temporal reference in the context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A reflective dual-function beam splitter with bilayer trapezoidal structure is presented, which exhibits two standalone functionalities under normal incidence at 1550 nm. The performance of the bilayer trapezoidal structure is thoroughly investigated using simulated annealing algorithm and rigorous coupled-wave analysis, with validation conducted through finite element method. The findings demonstrate that this grating possesses exceptional characteristics, offering a wide incident bandwidth and manufacturing tolerance. The grating demonstrates a consistent three-port output with an efficiency of 32.36% for ±2nd order and 33.02% for 0th order at transverse electric polarization. By the same token, for transverse magnetic polarization, the grating is capable of achieving similar five-port output, exhibiting efficiencies of 19.98%, 19.51%, and 19.37% for the 0th, ±1st , and ±2nd diffraction orders, individually. Therefore, this proposed splitter has a high reference value in the research of optical communication, laser, optical imaging, and other fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We sought to determine the diagnostic efficacy of Breast-specific gamma imaging (BSGI) in Chinese women with BI-RADS 4 category lesions and to compare this efficacy to that of ultrasound/mammography.Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from 177 women that had undergone BSGI of BI-RADS 4 category lesions originally detected via ultrasound and/or mammography.Results: Of these 177 cases, 117 (66.1%) were malignant lesions and 60 (33.9%) were benign. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values, and negative predictive values of BSGI were 94.9% (111/117), 78.3% (47/60), 89.5% (111/124), and 88.7% (47/53), respectively. The specificity and positive predictive values for mammography were 48.3% (29/60) and 77.5% (107/138), while for ultrasound they were 53.3% (32/60) and 79.6% (109/137), respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of BSGI for the detection of lesions ≤1 cm in size were 90.9% (10/11) and 88.0% (22/25), respectively, while for breast lesions >1 cm in size these values were 94.3% (100/106) and 71.4% (25/35), respectively. In addition, BSGI sensitivity and specificity values for dense breast tissue were 94.0% (79/84) and 78.0% (39/50), respectively, whereas for non-dense breast tissue these vales were 97.0% (32/33) and 80.0% (8/10), respectively. The sensitivity of BSGI for invasive ductal carcinomas (IDC) and ductal carcinomas in situ (DCIS) was 98.9% (95/96) and 75.0% (9/12), respectively. The tumor to normal tissue ratio of BSGI for malignant lesions was significantly higher than for benign lesions (2.18 ± 1.17 vs 1.66 ± 0.40, t = 7.56, P<0.05).Conclusions: These results indicate that BSGI is highly sensitive for the detection of such lesions, achieving good positive/negative predictive values. This suggests that for IDC in particular, BSGI is superior to ultrasound and mammography for the diagnosis of BI-RADS 4 category lesions, although this was less apparent for the diagnosis of DCIS lesions. BSGI exhibited excellent performance in dense breast tissue and for the detection of lesions ≤1 cm in size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An integrated system incorporating a nuclear unit, multi-stage flash desalination, and proton exchange membrane electrolyzer is proposed for peak shaving. The extraction steam is used for seawater desalination to produce freshwater, the generator output power is employed to drive the electrolyzer for hydrogen production, and the electrolyzer outlet water heats the feedwater for power boosting. Thermodynamic analysis shows that 53.76 MW is used for seawater desalination-hydrogen production (electrolyzer voltage =2.0 V). The system efficiency is 37.44 % with output hydrogen energy of 37.86 MW, and the specific energy consumption is 4.72 kWh/Nm3. The electrolyzer exergy efficiency of the integrated system is 81.94 %, higher than the standalone electrolyzer with 61.17 %. Sensitivity analysis shows higher voltage and lower water flow rates are conducive to higher hydrogen production rates. Economic analysis shows that the cost of hydrogen production is 15.16 CNY/kg and the annual net income can reach 7.68·106 CNY. • Nuclear unit coupled with MSF desalination and PEM electrolyzer for polygeneration. • Whole-process seawater desalination-hydrogen production for peak shaving. • Real internal temperature distribution of the electrolyzer is revealed. • The integrated system is subject to thermodynamic and economic analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diagnosing breast cancer during the early stage may be helpful for decreasing cancer-related mortality. In Western developed countries, mammographies have been the gold standard for breast cancer detection. However, Chinese women usually have denser and smaller-sized breasts compared to Caucasian women, which decreases the diagnostic accuracy of mammography. However, breast specific gamma imaging, a type of molecular functional breast imaging, has been used for the accurate diagnosis of breast cancer and is not influenced by breast density. Our objective was to analyze the breast specific gamma imaging (BSGI) diagnostic value for Chinese women.Methods: During a 2-year period, 357 women were diagnosed and treated at our oncology department and received BSGI in addition to mammography (MMG), ultrasound (US) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for diagnostic assessment. We investigated the sensitivity and specificity of each method of detection and compared the biological profiles of the four imaging methods.Results: A total of 357 women received a final surgical pathology diagnosis, with 168 malignant diseases (58.5 %) and 119 benign diseases (41.5 %). Of these, 166 underwent the four imaging tests preoperatively. The sensitivity of BSGI was 80.35 and 82.14 % by US, 75.6 % by MMG, and 94.06 % by MRI. Furthermore, the breast cancer diagnosis specificity of BSGI was high (83.19 % vs. 77.31 % vs. 66.39 % vs. 67.69 %, respectively). The BSGI diagnostic sensitivity for mammographic breast density in women was superior to mammography and more sensitive for non-luminal A subtypes (luminal A vs. non-luminal A, 68.63 % vs. 88.30 %).Conclusions: BSGI may help improve the ability to diagnose early stage breast cancer for Chinese women, particularly for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), mammographic breast density and non-luminal A breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data from the 400-million-word Corpus of Historical American English (COHA) and the 450-million-word Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA), this study investigates both diachronically and synchronically the use of the -free compound and its counterparts, the free of/from phrases. A close examination of the frequency, distribution, and structural and semantic functions of the constructions yields the following key findings. First, frequency-wise, free of has exhibited a steady slow growth, and free from has declined dramatically; in contrast -free has increased enormously, although its archaic use in the senses of ‘free to’ and ‘free with’ disappeared by the 1940s. Second, the -free compound boasts a high potential productivity index. Third, while both the compound and the phrasal constructions may be used as predicative and postnominal adjectives, objective complements, and adverbials, only the -free compound is used as a prenominal (attributive) adjective. Fourth, whereas the -free compound is used almost exclusively nonreferentially, the free of/from constructions are used significantly more referentially. Fifth, even in the contexts where the constructions may all be used, often only one is allowed or preferred due to certain internal structural and semantic factors. Finally, condensation of information along with changes in language and life styles appears to have driven the increased use of the compound over its phrasal counterparts, although the phrase free of charge has resisted the change: its high frequency likely has blocked its *charge-free compound counterpart. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports the synthesis and evaluation studies of 6′-cyclopentadienyl tricarbonyl technetium-99m 6′-oxo-11-(hexanamide)undecanoic acid (1). 1 was prepared with 26.5 ± 4.3% of radiochemical yield and more than 98% of radiochemical purity. Tissue distribution in mice showed that high radioactivity accumulated in the heart with moderate clearance. However, unfortunately, similar to those of other technetium-labeled fatty acid analogs, the biodistribution studies of 1 in mice showed poor heart-to-blood ratios, which suggested that 1 cannot be used as myocardial imaging agent, and it may provide a theoretical basis or a lab experience for corresponding fatty acid tracers studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The present retrospective study was designed to evaluate the relative diagnostic utility of breast-specific gamma imaging (BSGI) and breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as means of evaluating female breast cancer patients in China. Methods: A total of 229 malignant breast cancer patients underwent ultrasound, mammography, BSGI, and MRI between January 2015 and December 2018 for initial tumor staging. Of these patients, 73 were subsequently treated via definitive breast surgery following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), of whom 17 exhibited a complete pathologic response (pCR) to NAC. Results: BSGI and MRI were associated with 76.8% (43/56) and 83.9% (47/56) sensitivity (BSGI vs. MRI, p = 0.341) values, respectively, as a means of detecting residual tumors following NAC, while both these approaches exhibited comparable specificity in this diagnostic context. The specificity of BSGI for detecting residual tumors following NAC was 70.6% (12/17), and that of MRI was 58.8% (10/17) (BSGI vs. MRI, p = 0.473). Conclusion: These results demonstrate that BSGI is a useful auxiliary approach to evaluating pCR to NAC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Positron emission tomography (PET) offers the possibility of monitoring the reporter distribution and quantifying reporter expression in vivo, thus 18F labeled vitamin D analogs might be used to imaging vitamin D receptor distribution in living subjects. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]