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Photothermal therapy (PTT) has garnered significant attention in recent years, but the standalone application of PTT still faces limitations that hinder its ability to achieve optimal therapeutic outcomes. Nitric oxide (NO), being one of the most extensively studied gaseous molecules, presents itself as a promising complementary candidate for PTT. In response, various nanosystems have been developed to enable the simultaneous utilization of PTT and NO‐mediated gas therapy (GT), with the integration of photothermal agents (PTAs) and thermally‐sensitive NO donors being the prevailing approach. This combination seeks to leverage the synergistic effects of PTT and GT while mitigating the potential risks associated with gas toxicity through the use of a single laser irradiation. Furthermore, additional internal or external stimuli have been employed to trigger NO release when combined with different types of PTAs, thereby further enhancing therapeutic efficacy. This comprehensive review aims to summarize recent advancements in NO gas‐assisted cancer photothermal treatment. It commences by providing an overview of various types of NO donors and precursors, including those sensitive to photothermal, light, ultrasound, reactive oxygen species, and glutathione. These NO donors and precursors are discussed in the context of dual‐modal PTT/GT. Subsequently, the incorporation of other treatment modalities such as chemotherapy (CHT), photodynamic therapy (PDT), alkyl radical therapy, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy (IT) in the creation of triple‐modal therapeutic nanoplatforms is presented. The review further explores tetra‐modal therapies, such as PTT/GT/CHT/PDT, PTT/GT/CHT/chemodynamic therapy (CDT), PTT/GT/PDT/IT, PTT/GT/starvation therapy (ST)/IT, PTT/GT/Ca2+ overload/IT, PTT/GT/ferroptosis (FT)/IT, and PTT/GT/CDT/IT. Finally, potential challenges and future perspectives concerning these novel paradigms are discussed. This comprehensive review is anticipated to serve as a valuable resource for future studies focused on the development of innovative photothermal/NO‐based cancer nanotheranostics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate and analyze the clinical features, diagnosis and treatment, and prognosis of rare Chlamydia psittaci pneumonia, and to improve the understanding of this rare disease. Methods: A retrospective analysis and exploration was performed for 33 cases of patients with Chlamydia psittaci pneumonia in the First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University from January 2017 to March 2024, and the clinical features, diagnosis, treatment and key points for differential diagnosis were summarized and analyzed. Meanwhile, the latest literature from PubMed was retrieved to systematically discuss the research progress in Chlamydia psittaci pneumonia. Results: A total of 33 patients with Chlamydia psittaci pneumonia were included in this study, including 21 males (63.64%) and 12 females (36.36%), with a median age of 59 (32– 79) years. There were 27 cases (81.82%) of patients accompanied with a history of poultry contact, 22 patients (66.67%) had underlying diseases. In our study, patients with Chlamydia psittaci pneumonia were mainly affected in Autumn (21.21%) and Winter (54.55%). All patients had undergone bronchoscopy and obtained bronchoalverolar lavage fluid (BALF) for metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) detection, and mNGS results showed that all patients (100%) were co-infected with multiple pathogens including Chlamydia psittaci. All patients were given antimicrobial therapy after diagnosis, and no treatment-related adverse reactions or adverse events were observed in our study, the average length of hospitalization was 11.09 days. Fortunately, no death was observed in our study, and patients were all discharged from hospital after recovery and in favourable physical and psychological conditions after discharge. Conclusion: Chlamydia psittaci pneumonia lacks specific clinical features or manifestations and tends to develop into severe exacerbation. mNGS could help to achieve an accurate diagnosis. Early administration of antibiotics can improve the prognosis of patients to the greatest extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Evaluation of the efficacy of high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for chronic disturbance of consciousness after severe craniocerebral injury based on magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Methods The clinical data of 106 patients with chronic disturbance of consciousness after severe craniocerebral injury from January 2018 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed, and they were divided into control group (conventional rehabilitation treatment) and observation group (high frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment) by propensity score matching method (1 • 1), with 53 cases in each group.Both groups were examined by magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) before and after treatment. The brain metabolic indexes [N-acetyl aspartate (NAA)/creatine (Cr) value, choline complex (Cho)/Crvalue], Glasgow coma scale (GCS) score, electroencephalogram (EEG) grading, coma recovery scale (CRS-R) score, brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP) grading, upper limb sensory evoked potential (SSEP) grading and Cerebral blood flow perfusion index [cerebral blood volume (CBV), mean transit time (MTT), cerebral blood flow (CBF)] were compared between the two groups. Results After treatment, the NAA/Cr values of the thalamus and brainstem in the two groups increased, while the Cho/Cr values decreased, and the levels of brain metabolic indexes in the observation group were significantly better than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The two groups' GCS score and CRS-R score increased, and the improvement of the observation group was better than that of the control group (P < 0.05). The BAEP grading, EEG grading, and SSEP grading of the two groups improved, and those of the observation group were better than the control group (P < 0.05 ). The CBF and CBV of the two groups increased, and MTT decreased, and the level of cerebral blood perfusion index in the observation group was better than that in the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusion High frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation has a significant effect on the recovery of patients with chronic consciousness disorders after severe craniocerebral injury. The mechanism may be related to improving the blood flow velocity of brain tissue and metabolism in the brain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immunoregulation is crucial to septic shock (SS) but has not been clearly explained. Our aim was to explore potential biomarkers for SS by pathway and transcriptional analyses of immune-related genes to improve early detection. GSE57065 and GSE95233 microarray data were used to screen differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in SS. Gene Ontology and KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) pathway enrichment analyses of DEGs were performed, and correlations between immune cell and pathway enrichment scores were analyzed. The predictive value of candidate genes was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. GSE66099, GSE4607, and GSE13904 datasets were used for external validation. Blood samples from six patients and six controls were collected for validation by qRT-PCR and western blotting. In total, 550 DEGs in SS were identified; these genes were involved in the immune response, inflammation, and infection. Immune-related pathways and levels of infiltration of CD4 + TCM, CD8 + T cells, and preadipocytes differed between SS cases and controls. Seventeen genes were identified as potential biomarkers of SS (areas under ROC curves >0.9). The downregulation of CD8A , CD247 , CD3G , LCK , and HLA-DRA in SS was experimentally confirmed. We identified several immune-related biomarkers in SS that may improve early identification of disease risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Heterogeneous MRI manifestations restrict the efficiency and consistency of neuroradiologists in diagnosing hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) due to complex injury patterns. This study aimed to develop and validate an intelligent HIE identification model (termed as DLCRN, deep learning clinical-radiomics nomogram) based on conventional structural MRI and clinical characteristics. Methods: In this retrospective case-control study, full-term neonates with HIE and healthy controls were collected in two different medical centers from January 2015 to December 2020. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was implemented to establish the DLCRN model based on conventional MRI sequences and clinical characteristics. Discrimination, calibration, and clinical applicability were used to evaluate the model in the training and validation cohorts. Grad-class activation map algorithm was implemented to visualize the DLCRN. Results: 186 HIE patients and 219 healthy controls were assigned to the training, internal validation, and independent validation cohorts. Birthweight was incorporated with deep radiomics signatures to create the final DLCRN model. The DLCRN model achieved better discriminatory power than simple radiomics models, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.868, 0.813, and 0.798 in the training, internal validation, and independent validation cohorts, respectively. The DLCRN model was well calibrated and has clinical potential. Visualization of the DLCRN highlighted the lesion areas that conformed to radiological identification. Conclusion: Visualized DLCRN may be a useful tool in the objective and quantitative identification of HIE. Scientific application of the optimized DLCRN model may save time for screening early mild HIE, improve the consistency of HIE diagnosis, and guide timely clinical management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A waveguide power divider based on ridge waveguide to microstrip line transition is presented in this paper. To improve the isolation performance, a probe insulator is inserted into the contact face from the center of the waveguide side wall, also two chip resistors are mounted on a planar substrate and connected with the probe to absorb the coupled energy. The impedance transformation is accomplished by ridge waveguide to microstrip line transition, which is hidden in the waveguide. This proposed power divider shows merits of waveguide power dividers and substrate-integrated waveguide power dividers simultaneously, i.e. planar output ports, compact size, and high isolation. For verification, a power divider operating at the Ka-band is simulated, fabricated, and measured. The obtained results show the return loss and isolation are better than 10 and 20 dB, respectively. The measured insertion loss is <1.5 dB, including the insertion loss of waveguide to microstrip line transitions at the output port in the range of 34.6–39 GHz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Corticospinal tract (CST) injury has been shown to exert a major influence on functional recovery after ischemic stroke. Purpose To evaluate the prognostic value of CST injury estimated using a recent developed tractometry‐based method. Study Type: Prospective. Population: Forty‐eight patients with CST damage induced by stroke lesion who underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging within 7 days from onset. Sequence Diffusion‐weighted imaging (b = 1000 seconds/mm2) and diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) spin‐echo echo‐planar sequence with three b‐values (0, 1250, and 2500 seconds/mm2) at 3.0 T. Assessment A recently developed approach that combines tract segmentation and orientation mapping was used for CST‐specific tractography and tractometry. CST injury was estimated using the proposed method with diffusion metrics extracted from DKI sequence and with the first principal component (PC1) of the metrics. We also calculated the weighted lesion load (wLL) for comparison. Clinical evaluation included the National Institutes of Health Stroke Score in the acute phase and the modified Rankin scale at 3 months post‐stroke. The correlations between CST injury and initial motor impairment, as well as the prognostic values of CST injury for functional outcomes were evaluated. Statistical Tests: Pearson correlation and logistic regression. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: CST injury calculated with diffusion metrics except fractional anisotropy all showed significant correlations with initial motor impairment. PC1 achieved the largest correlation coefficient (R = 0.65) compared with wLL and other diffusion metrics. In addition to wLL, DKI_AK, AFD_total, and PC1 maximum all showed predictive values for functional outcomes. Data Conclusion: Structural injury to CST is important for the assessment of the extent of injury and the prediction of functional outcome. The method proposed in our study could provide an imaging indicator to quantify the CST injury after ischemic stroke. Level of Evidence: 2 Technical Efficacy: Stage 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To establish a dynamic nomogram based on preoperative clinical data for prediction of lateral lymph node metastasis (LLNM) of papillary thyroid carcinoma. Study Design: Retrospective study. Setting: The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University. Methods: The data of 477 patients from 2 centers formed the training group and validation group and were retrospectively reviewed. Preoperative clinical factors influencing LLNM were identified by univariable and multivariable analysis and were to construct a predictive dynamic nomogram for LLNM. Receiver operating characteristic analysis and calibration curves were used to evaluate the predictive power of the nomogram. Results: The following were identified as independent risk factors for LLNM: male sex (odds ratio [OR] = 4.6, P =.04), tumor size ≥10.5 mm (OR = 7.9, P =.008), thyroid nodules (OR = 6.1, P =.013), irregular tumor shape (OR = 24.6, P =.001), rich lymph node vascularity (OR = 9.7, P =.004), and lymph node location. The dynamic nomogram constructed with these factors is available at https://zxh1119.shinyapps.io/DynNomapp/. The nomogram showed good performance, with an area under the curve of 0.956 (95% CI, 0.925-0.986), a sensitivity of 0.87, and a specificity of 0.91, if high-risk patients were defined as those with a predicted probability ≥0.3 or total score ≥200. The nomogram performed well in the external validation cohort (area under the curve, 0.915; 95% CI, 0.862-0.967). Conclusions: The dynamic nomogram for preoperative prediction of LLNM in papillary thyroid carcinoma can help surgeons identify high-risk patients and develop individualized treatment plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To meet the rapidly growing needs of current and future deep space exploration missions, China has developed three deep space stations: Jiamusi and Kashi, (China), and Argentina (South America), for providing continuous telemetry, tracking, and command (TT&C), reliable communication, and precise navigation services. Integrated with state-of-the-art technologies, these three deep space stations are not only powerful for transmission but also extremely sensitive for receiving. Many remarkable innovations and achievements were made during the construction process, including the beam waveguide (BWG), adjustable subreflector, high-power transmitter, cryogenic low-noise amplifier (LNA), antenna-arraying technique, digital baseband receiver, and interferometry. This article briefly reviews the system architecture, general performance, critical system design issues, and contributions made by these Chinese deep space stations (CDSSs) during Chang’e missions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To investigate the better time of initiation of enteral nutrition for critically ill patients, such as at admission or 24 to 48 hours after admission. Methods. This was a prospective, randomized, parallel-controlled, single-blind, interventional clinical trial. A total of 100 patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of our hospital between January 2017 and December 2018 were recruited in this study. These patients had been divided into the control group or intervention group by a computer-generated random number table, and each group had 50 patients. For the control group, a gastric tube was inserted to start enteral nutrition at 24 to 48 hours after admission. For the intervention group, a nasojejunal tube was placed to start enteral nutrition at admission. The main endpoints included serum albumin and prealbumin at admission and on days 3, 7, and 14 after admission, length of ICU stay, ventilator time, and complications such as diarrhea, gastric retention, esophageal reflux, and pulmonary infection. Results. The results showed that serum albumin and prealbumin were significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group (P < 0.05). The length of ICU stay (P < 0.05) and ventilator time (P < 0.05) were both significantly shorter in the intervention group than in the control group. The incidences of gastric retention, esophageal reflux, and pulmonary infection were significantly lower in the intervention group than those in the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusion. In the absence of contraindications, enteral nutrition can be initiated immediately after admission to the ICU (within 6 hours), and feeding nasojejunal tube is recommended. It can improve the nutritional status and prognosis of critical patients, improve the feeding effect, shorten the length of stay in the ICU and the use of the ventilator, and reduce the incidence of complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Centrifugal microfluidic chips offer rapid, highly integrable and simultaneous multi-channel microfluidic control without relying on external pressure pumps and pipelines. Current centrifugal microfluidic chips mainly separate particles of differing density based on the sedimentation method. However, in some biological cells, the volume difference is more notable than the density difference. In particular, cancer cells are generally larger than normal cells. The instability of particle velocity caused by the non-steady flow of the fluid in the centrifugal microfluidic chip leads to low separation purity of particles of different sizes. Thus, we propose herein a centrifugal microfluidic chip with a flow rectifier that transforms the centrifugal non-steady flow into locally steady flow with continuous flow. This chip resolves the problems caused by particle sedimentation in the sample chamber and non-steady flow and greatly improves the recovery ratio and separation purity of target particles. Therefore, it can be used to separate particles of differing size. The experimental results show that the chip can separate an equal-volume mixture of 25 μm and 12 μm polystyrene particles diluted 50 times with a ratio of 1 : 6 and obtain a recovery ratio and separation purity better than 95% for the 25 μm particles. In addition, rare tumour cells are separated from high-concentration white blood cells (ratio 1 : 25) with a recovery ratio of 90.4% ± 2.4% and separation purity of 83.0% ± 3.8%. In conclusion, this chip is promising for sorting of various biological cells and has significant potential for use in biomedical and clinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Increasing evidence has demonstrated that microRNAs (miRNAs) are closely related to the occurrence and development of tumors. MiR-216a-5p, located at 2p16.1, has been shown to suppress proliferation of cancerous cells. However, its expression and function in colorectal cancer (CRC) remain unclear. Materials and methods: The significance of miR-216a-5p in CRC was studied by analyzing miR-216a-5p expression in CRC tissues and its association with clinicopathological parameters. CRC cells, stably overexpressing miR-216a-5p, were evaluated for cell proliferation and metastasis using cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and transwell assay methods. Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) pathway was analyzed by Western blotting. Bioinformatics, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), and luciferase reporter assay were performed to define the regulation of PVT1/miR-216a-5p/Y Box Binding Protein 1 (YBX1) axis in CRC. Results: The expression of miR-216a-5p was found to be significantly downregulated in CRC and was correlated with the various stages and differentiation degree of the tumors. Moreover, the overexpression of miR-216a-5p could significantly inhibit the tumor growth, metastasis, and EMT progression in CRC. Furthermore, the expression of miR-216a-5p was negatively correlated with the expression of PVT1, and PVT1 could reverse tumor suppressive effect of miR-216a-5p in CRC cells. Finally, YBX1 might be the key target of PVT1/miR-216a-5p axis in CRC. Conclusion: Downregulation of miR-216a-5p by PVT1 could suppress CRC progression via modulating YBX1 expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The second member of the Middle Jurassic Shaximiao Formation in the rejuvenated Western Sichuan Foreland Basin contains tens of metres of thick incised valley successions. Incised valleys have been widely discussed in traditional models; however, quantitative and detailed analyses of geometric variations and their interpreted controls on ancient incised valleys have rarely been attempted in the past. Using an integrated dataset of seismic profiles, well logs and cores, this study quantifies the geometric parameters of incised valleys and investigates the smaller-scale depositional patterns. (1) During this period, incised valleys (IV) were 5-17 km wide, 20-60 m deep and traceable for 120 km along their axis, placing these valleys among the longest seismically imaged incised valleys in the world. (2) Three nested incised valley successions IV-1, IV-2 and IV-3 can be identified. Except for IV-2, the incised valleys decrease in width and depth downstream. (3) In the downstream segment, the role of tectonism diminishes gradually, and periodic base-level changes control the form and evolution of the incised valleys. A downstream decrease in the stream power appears to be responsible for the decreasing trend in the incised valley geometry. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the effective measures for heterogeneity and to uncover the relationship between investor heterogeneity and stock returns. Design/methodology/approach – The paper employs dispersion in analysts’ earnings forecasts and unexpected trading volume as proxies of heterogeneity. Portfolio strategies and Fama-Macbeth regression are used to uncover the relationship between the two proxies and stock returns in the Chinese A-share market. Findings – The result indicates that stock returns are significantly related to unexpected trading volume, i.e., higher unexpected trading volume implies higher stock returns now but lower future stock returns. In contrast, there is no statistically significant relationship between analysts’ forecast dispersion and stock returns. Originality/value – The findings suggest that unexplained trading volume is an effective measure for investor heterogeneity in the Chinese A-share market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]