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BackgroundMaternal polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) has potential detrimental effects on the neurodevelopment of offspring. This study aimed to evaluate the brain metrics in fetuses of women with PCOS based on fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).MethodsThis retrospective study included 60 pregnant women with PCOS (PCOS group) and 120 pregnant non-PCOS women (control group). Fetal MRI was performed followed an ultrasound and for numerous clinical indications including known or suspected fetal pathology, history of fetal abnormality in previous pregnancy or in a family member. Fetal brain biometry and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value were analysed.ResultsAfter adjusting for potential confounders, fetuses in the PCOS group showed the following characteristics compared to fetuses in the control group: (1) smaller cerebral fronto-occipital diameter (FOD), vermian height (VH) and anteroposterior diameter of the pons (APDP) (evident before 32 weeks;P = 0.042,P = 0.002 andP = 0.016, respectively); (2) larger left and right biparietal index (evident before 32 weeks;P = 0.048 andP = 0.025, respectively); (3) smaller left lateral ventricle (LV) (evident after 32 weeks;P = 0.005); (4) larger anteroposterior diameter of the vermis (APDV) and hippocampal infolding angle (HIA) (evident after 32 weeks;P = 0.003 andP P ConclusionsThere exist a different pattern of brain metrics in PCOS offspringin utero.

The technical progress of Ga2O3 power diodes is now stuck at a critical point where a lack of performance evaluation and reliability validation at the system-level applications seriously limits their further development and even future commercialization. In this letter, by implementing beveled-mesa NiO/Ga2O3 p–n heterojunction diodes (HJDs) into a 500-W power factor correction (PFC) system circuit, high conversion efficiency of 98.5% with 100-min stable operating capability has been demonstrated. In particular, rugged reliability is validated after over 1 million times dynamic breakdown with a 1.2-kV peak overvoltage. Meanwhile, superior device performance is achieved, including a static breakdown voltage (BV) of 1.95 kV, a dynamic BV of 2.23 kV, a forward current of 20 A (2 kA/cm2 current density), and a differential specific on -resistance of 1.9 mΩ·cm2. These results indicate that Ga2O3 power HJDs are developing rapidly with their own advantages, presenting the enormous potential in high-efficiency, high-power, and high-reliability applications.

Virtual power plant (VPP) has gradually become a key technology to the increasing penetration of renewable energy. The uncertainty and variability of renewable energy and load demand pose significant challenges of ensuring the efficiency and stability of VPPs operation. In this paper, a data-driven two-stage stochastic robust optimization (SRO) scheduling model is proposed for a VPP considering wind power, solar power, and load demand uncertainties. The objective is to maximize the profit of the VPP in the energy market and minimize the total system cost of the VPP in the reserve market under the worst-case realization of the uncertainties. Maximum likelihood estimation and Dirichlet process mixture model are employed for constructing the data-driven uncertainty ambiguity set. The tailored column-and-constraint generation algorithm is developed to solve the SRO model iteratively by reformulating the second stage with the application of the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker conditions. Compared with traditional robust optimization, the validity of the proposed SRO scheduling model of the VPP is verified.

Driven by the massively growing applications in Internet of Things (IoT) and the new requirements of the six-generation (6G) wireless network, the amount of terrestrial mobile devices (TMDs) and data traffic in wireless communications have increased explosively. Consequently, the integrated terrestrial-satellite relay networks (ITSRNs) have emerged to address the issue of the huge wireless traffic with the limited allocated resources, which attracts extensive research attention to the field of IoT. However, previous research works in ITSRN mostly focus on terrestrial relays (TRs) configured on the ground, which can only perform limited improvement to the networks on system throughput. In this paper, by introducing an aerial relay (AR), we propose a novel structure of ITSRN and investigate the system throughput maximization and energy consumption minimization problems by jointly optimizing power allocation and AR altitude. In this system, the system implementation includes two periods: satellite to relay (S-R) period and satellite to devices (S-D) period. To maximize the overall system throughput, we propose a joint optimization scheme of the power allocation and altitude of AR. Specifically, due to the non-convexity of the original formulated problem, a bilevel programming method is proposed to obtain the global optimal solution, where the closed-form expressions of power allocation and the optimal altitude of AR are derived to reduce the complexity of the proposed scheme. Subsequently, we investigate the energy consumption minimization problem during S-R period, which is formulated as a convex problem. To achieve the minimum energy consumption, we propose a low complexity algorithm and derive the optimal closed-form solution based on the rigorous mathematical analysis. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithms and solutions are verified by extensive simulations.

A patient with mutilated dentition was treated to an acceptable result with the help of mini-implants for anchorage, autotransplantation of 2 teeth, one dental implant, and multiple prostheses. The major problems for this mutilated dentition were multiple missing teeth, bite collapse with posterior crossbites, deepbite with a canted gummy smile, and severe skeletal discrepancy of maxillary protrusion and mandibular retrusion. Mini-implant anchorage was applied to retract and intrude the maxillary arch to reduce the protrusion and rotate the mandible counterclockwise to improve the chin projection. Two autotransplantations, one dental implant, and multiple prostheses were used to accomplish a satisfactory full mouth rehabilitation with an interdisciplinary approach, including orthodontics, periodontics, endodontics, prosthodontics, and implantology. The understanding of biological principles, improvement in surgical protocol makes it possible to preserve the periodontal ligament (PDL) cells with atraumatic extraction after loosening the donor with orthodontic force and reduce the extraoral time with the 3-dimensional print-out replica segmented from cone-beam computed tomography for trying fitness. Soft wire splinting to gain initial stabilization and root canal treatment to avoid endotoxin further reduce the risk of root resorption, loss of attachment, and ankylosis. Autotransplantation could be considered as a part of full mouth rehabilitation. Orthodontic space management is also an important procedure to confirm the site of dental implant installation in the interdisciplinary collaboration.

The progression of breast cancer is closely related to obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). Low concentrations of cannabinoids promote tumor proliferation. However, the role of cannabinoid receptors (CBs) in chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH)-induced breast cancer has not been reported. The migration and invasion of breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and T47D) were measured by scratch assay and transwell assay. Gene and protein expressions were analyzed by qPCR and western blotting. Tumor xenograft mice model were established to evaluate the function of CBs. We observed that chronic hypoxia (CH) and CIH increased CBs expression and promoted migration and invasion in breast cancer. Mice grafted with MCF-7 exhibited obvious tumor growth, angiogenesis, and lung metastasis in CIH compared with CH and control. In addition, CIH induced CBs expression, which subsequently activated insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R)/AKT/glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) axis. Knockdown of CBs alleviated CIH-induced migration and invasion of breast cancer in vitro. Furthermore, CIH exaggerated the malignancy of breast cancer and silencing of CBs suppressed tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. Our study contributed to understanding the role of CIH in breast cancer development modulation., Graphical abstract, The role of CBs in CIH-induced breast cancer remains unknown. In this study, we found that CIH induced CBs expression via activating IGF-1R/AKT/GSK-3β signaling. CBs knockdown inhibited CIH-induced progression of breast cancer. Our study revealed that CBs might be a new therapeutic strategy for breast cancer.

With the aid of temporary skeletal anchorage devices, a patient with severe skeletal Class II bimaxillary protrusion combined with a high mandibular plane angle and retruded chin can be treated to an acceptable result without orthognathic surgery. Combined intrusion and retraction force systems on both arches with 6 miniscrews were used in this case report for maximal retraction and active vertical control to improve facial profile and chin projection. The infrazygomatic crest and buccal shelf temporary skeletal anchorage devices helped achieve maximal retraction of both dentitions and lips, significantly reducing the protrusion. The anterior subapical miniscrews helped to control the overbite and the incisor torque. Moreover, active vertical control was achieved to reduce the mandibular plane angle and resulted in counterclockwise rotation of the mandible and an improved chin projection. A fairly good treatment result was achieved with adequate communication between the orthodontist, periodontist, and prosthodontist.

Robustness of GaN power diodes must consider the device ruggedness against out of safe-operating-area events, especially the transient spikes in voltage and current. In this work, intriguing resistive energy dissipating capability against transients was realized in the AlGaN/GaN Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs), delivering a kilowatt-level sustaining power, which alternatively overcomes the technological bottleneck of non-avalanche behavior in AlGaN/GaN SBDs. In particular, the GaN SBDs achieved a high dissipating energy of 1.5 mJ and a low transient voltage of 445 V, thanks to the partially metallized anode design. Together with rugged repetitive sustaining capability and high-temperature stability, the GaN SBDs with this advanced technical design present enormous potential in high-power, and high-reliability applications.

PURPOSE: To develop a novel multi-contrast four-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging (MC-4D-MRI) technique that expands single image contrast 4D-MRI to a spectrum of native and synthetic image contrasts and to evaluate its feasibility in liver tumor patients. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The MC-4D-MRI technique integrates multi-parametric MRI fusion, 4D-MRI, and deformable image registration (DIR) techniques. The fusion technique consists of native MRI as input, image preprocessing, fusion algorithm, adaptation, and fused multi-contrast MRI as output. Four-dimensional deformation vector fields (4D-DVF) were generated from an original T2/T1-w 4D-MRI by deforming end-of-inhalation (EOI) to nine other phase volumes via DIR. The 4D-DVF were applied to multi-contrast MRI to generate a spectrum of 4D-MRI in different image contrasts. The MC-4D-MRI technique was evaluated in five liver tumor patients on tumor contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), internal target volume (ITV) contouring consistency, diaphragm motion range, and tumor motion trajectory; and in digital anthropomorphic phantoms on 4D-DIR introduced errors in tumor motion range, centroid location, extent, and volume. RESULTS: MC-4D-MRI consisting of 4D-MRIs in native image contrasts (T1-w, T2-w, and T2/T1-w) and synthetic image contrasts, such as tumor-enhanced contrast (TEC) were generated in five liver tumor patients. Patient tumor CNR increased from 2.6 ± 1.8 in the T2/T1-w MRI, to −4.4 ± 2.4, 6.6 ± 3.0, and 9.6 ± 3.9 in the T1-w, T2-w, and TEC MRI, respectively. Patient ITV inter-observer mean Dice similarity coefficient (mDSC) increased from 0.65 ± 0.10 in the original T2/T1-w 4D-MRI, to 0.76 ± 0.14, 0.77 ± 0.12, and 0.86 ± 0.05 in the T1-w, T2-w, and TEC 4D-MRI, respectively. Patient diaphragm motion range absolute differences between the three new 4D-MRIs and original T2/T1-w 4D-MRI were 1.2 ± 1.3, 0.3 ± 0.7, and 0.5 ± 0.5 mm, respectively. Patient tumor displacement phase-averaged absolute differences between the three 4D-MRIs and the original 4D-MRI were 0.72 ± 0.33, 0.62 ± 0.54, and 0.74 ± 0.43 mm in the superior-inferior (SI) direction, and 0.59 ± 0.36, 0.51 ± 0.30, and 0.50 ± 0.24 mm in the anterior-posterior (AP) direction, respectively. In the digital phantoms, phase-averaged absolute tumor centroid shift caused by the 4D-DIR were at or below 0.5 mm in SI, AP, and left-right (LR) directions. CONCLUSION: We developed an MC-4D-MRI technique capable of expanding single image contrast 4D-MRI along a new dimension of image contrast. Initial evaluations in liver tumor patients showed enhancements in image contrast variety, tumor contrast, and ITV contouring consistencies using MC-4D-MRI. The technique might offer new perspectives on the image contrast of MRI and 4D-MRI in MR-guided radiotherapy.

Background Increasing evidence suggests that the death of a child is associated with increased risks of ischemic heart diseases and atrial fibrillation and the association is in part attributable to stress-related mechanisms. However, knowledge regarding the risk of heart failure (HF) after the death of a child is very limited. Purpose To study the association between the death of a child and the parents' risk of HF. Methods We conducted a population-based cohort study involving parents of live-born children recorded in the Danish and Swedish Medical Birth Registers during 1973–2016 and 1973–2014, respectively (n=6,717,531). We retrieved information on child death, HF diagnosis and parents' sociodemographic characteristics from several nationwide registries. We performed Poisson regression models to estimate incidence rate ratio (IRR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for HF. Results A total of 129,829 (1.9%) parents lost at least one child during the follow-up. Bereaved parents had a 35% higher risk of HF than non-bereaved parents [IRR (95% CI): 1.35 (1.29–1.41)]. The association was present not only if the child died due to cardiovascular or other natural causes [IRR (95% CI): 1.48 (1.25–1.75) and 1.35 (1.27–1.44), respectively], but also in case of unnatural deaths [IRR (95% CI): 1.32 (1.24–1.42)]. There was a trend toward a U-shaped association according to the deceased child's age at loss and the risk of HF. Bereaved parents who lost their only child or had three or more remaining live children at the time of loss had higher HF risk than those with one or two live children at the time of loss. We found no clear evidence for a difference in the association of interest over time. Conclusions The death of a child was associated with an increased risk of HF. The finding that not only cardiovascular and other natural deaths, but also unnatural deaths were associated with HF suggests that stress-related mechanisms may contribute to the development of HF. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: Foundation. Main funding source(s): Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research and Karolinska Institutet's Research Foundation

Objective: p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR) is associated with the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, its role is not fully understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between ALS and the extracellular domain of p75NTR(p75ECD) in urine. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive literature search using keywords in the PubMed, Embase, Science, and the Cochrane Library, and identified five case control studies, with the latest date of search being 18 April 2021. Results: The results showed that urinary p75ECD levels were significantly higher in patients with ALS compared to non-neurological control (weighted mean difference (WMD) = 4.18, 95% CI [2.525, 6.990], p < 0.001), and other neurological diseases (WMD = 6.005, 95% CI [1.596, 10.414], p = 0.008). Increased urinary p75ECD levels were inversely associated with ALSFRS-R in ALS patients (r = -0.32, 95% CI [-0.43, -0.21], p < 0.001). Conclusions: Given the associations between p75ECD and ALS found in this meta-analysis, urinary p75ECD levels have potential to be used as a diagnostic biomarker and a progression indicator in the future.

Background Depression imposes immense public health burden, demonstrating an urgent need of the identification of modifiable risk factors. Only a few cohort studies have analyzed the association between Mediterranean dietary pattern (MDP) and depression but with mixed results. We examined the impact of MDP on clinically ascertained depression in a large population-based dataset. Methods In 1991/92, detailed information on diet, using a food frequency questionnaire, and potential confounding factors (body weight, height, educational attainment, smoking, previous diabetes and hypertension, and physical activity) was collected, in a random sample of 49,261 Swedish women aged 29-49. Adherence to MDP was calculated. Clinical depression was extracted from the National Patient Register. Study participants were followed up through 2012. Results During an average follow-up of 20.4 years, 1677 incident cases of depression were diagnosed. We observed a lower risk of depression for medium (score 4-5) and high (6-9) adherence to MDP, compared with low (0-3) adherence (Medium: hazard ratio (HR) = 0.90, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.81-1.00; High: HR = 0.82, 95%CI = 0.71-0.94). Per unit increase of adherence, the risk of depression was reduced by 5% (HR = 0.95, 95%CI = 0.92-0.98). The association became stronger when restricting to severe form of depression (HR = 0.51, 95%CI = 0.33-0.76). The HRs were higher from age 50 onward both over the first and the second 10-year follow-up period, compared with before age 50, indicating stronger association with increasing age. Results remained after extensive sensitivity analyses. Conclusion Higher adherence to a Mediterranean diet at middle age was associated with a lower risk of depression later in life among Swedish women.

Facial expression recognition (FER) is challenging because the appearance of an expression varies significantly depending on head pose and inter-subject characteristics. With existing techniques, it is often difficult to learn both pose-aware and identity-invariant representations of facial expressions effectively due to the complex distribution of intra-class variation and similarity caused by these two factors. In this study, we propose a dynamic multi-channel metric learning network for pose-aware and identity-invariant FER, called DML-Net, which can reduce the effects of pose and identity for robust FER performance. Specifically, DML-Net uses three parallel multi-channel convolutional networks to learn fused global and local features from different facial regions. Then it uses joint embedded feature learning to explore identity-invariant and pose-aware expression representations from fused region-based features in an embedding space. DML-Net is end-to-end trainable by minimizing deep multiple metric losses, FER loss, and pose estimation loss with dynamically learned loss weights, thereby suppressing overfitting and significantly improving recognition. We evaluate DML-Net on three widely-used multi-view facial expression datasets, namely, KDEF, BU-3DFE, and Multi-PIE, as well as a wild dataset SFEW2.0. Extensive experiments demonstrate that our approach outperforms several other popular methods with accuracies of 88.2% on KDEF, 83.5% on BU-3DFE, 93.5% on Multi-PIE, and 54.36% on SFEW.

Ga2O3 power diodes with high voltage/current ratings, superior dynamic performance, robust reliability, and potentially easy-to-implement are a vital milestone on the Ga2O3 power electronics roadmap. In this letter, a better tradeoff between fast reverse-recovery and rugged surge-current capability has been demonstrated in NiO/Ga2O3 p-n heterojunction diodes (HJDs). With the double-layered p-NiO design, the HJD exhibits superior electrostatic performances, including a high breakdown voltage of 1.37 kV, a forward current of 12.0 A with a low on-state resistance of 0.26 Ω, yielding a static Baliga's figure of merit (FOM) of 0.72 GW/cm2. Meanwhile, the fast switching performance has been observed with a short reverse recovery time in nanosecond timescale (11 ns) under extreme switching conditions of d i /d t up to 500 A/μs. In particular, for a 9-mm2 HJD, a large surge current of 45 A has also been obtained in a 10-ms surge transient, thanks to the conductivity modulation effect. These results are comparable with those of the advanced commercial SiC SBDs and have significantly outperformed the past reported Ga2O3 HJDs, fulfilling the enormous potential of Ga2O3 in power applications.

A parallel power/refrigeration cogeneration Kalina cycle (PPR-KC) system with adjustable refrigeration/power ratio that developed on the basis of the triple-pressure Kalina cycle system was analyzed. The PPR-KC system can produce refrigeration with temperature ranging in either air conditioning or ice making by switching the exhaust refrigerant vapor to the mid-pressure absorber or to the low-pressure one. The influences of the dilute solution from generator to the destination of either mid-pressure absorber (plan A) or low-pressure absorber (plan B) via recuperators on the performances of the PPR-KC system for air conditioning were investigated. The results show that the PPR-KC system matches well the heat source in cascade arranged boiler and generator thus showing excellent thermal performance by optimizing the solution concentrations, boiler superheat and other parameters. Under the given temperatures of heat source 400°C and cooling water 30°C respectively, the variation trends of the cycle parameters and performances of both plan A and plan B are presented. The power recovery efficiency of plan B is about 1.6% higher than that of plan A. When boiler bubble point temperature difference increases from 20 K to 60 K the refrigeration/power ratio of plan B climbs from 0.475 to 1.192.

The irradiation forecasting technology is important for the effective utilization of solar power. Existing irradiation forecasting methods have achieved excellent performance with a massive amount of data in a centralized way. However, concerns about privacy protection and data security, which may arise in the process of data collection and transmission from distributed points to the centralized server, pose challenges to current forecasting methods. In this article, a novel federated probabilistic forecasting scheme of solar irradiation is proposed based on deep learning, variational Bayesian inference, and federated learning (FL). In this scheme, the training data are stored and computed in local Internet of Things devices, only forecasting models are shared. Two real-world datasets from SolarGIS and National Solar Radiation Database, and one benchmark dataset of Folsom are used to verify the feasibility and performance of the federated-based scheme. Comprehensive case studies are conducted to analyze the performance of the proposed scheme in multihorizon. And the effects of using meteorological features and variational Bayesian inference are evaluated. Compared with other state-of-the-art probabilistic centralized models, when data can be shared, the proposed scheme achieves competitive forecasting performance on the basis of data privacy protection. When data sharing is unavailable, due to the cooperative nature inherent (model-sharing) of FL, the performance advantage of the proposed scheme is more obvious.

Objectives. To quantify disparities in health and economic burdens of cancer attributable to suboptimal diet among US adults. Methods. Using a probabilistic cohort state-transition model, we estimated the number of new cancer cases and cancer deaths, and economic costs of 15 diet-related cancers attributable to suboptimal intake of 7 dietary factors (a low intake of fruits, vegetables, dairy, and whole grains and a high intake of red and processed meats and sugar-sweetened beverages) among a closed cohort of US adults starting in 2017. Results. Suboptimal diet was estimated to contribute to 3.04 (95% uncertainty interval [UI] = 2.88, 3.20) million new cancer cases, 1.74 (95% UI = 1.65, 1.84) million cancer deaths, and $254 (95% UI = $242, $267) billion economic costs among US adults aged 20 years or older over a lifetime. Diet-attributable cancer burdens were higher among younger adults, men, non-Hispanic Blacks, and individuals with lower education and income attainments than other population subgroups. The largest disparities were for cancers attributable to high consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and low consumption of whole grains. Conclusions. Suboptimal diet contributes to substantial disparities in health and economic burdens of cancer among young adults, men, racial/ethnic minorities, and socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. (Am J Public Health. 2021;111(11):2008–2018. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306475 )

Background Limited evidence is available regarding the association between OSA and coronary plaque assessed by using quantitative coronary CT angiography. Research Question Are there any associations between OSA severity-related indexes and the presence and burden of coronary plaque? Study Design and Methods Cross-sectional data from 692 patients who underwent sleep monitoring and coronary CT angiography were used for this study. Of these patients, 120 (17.3%) underwent polysomnography, and 572 (82.7%) underwent respiratory polygraphy. Multivariable logistic and linear regression analyses were used to investigate the associations of OSA severity-related indexes with the presence, volume, and composition of plaque. Results In multivariable analyses, patients with moderate to severe OSA were more likely to have coronary plaques (P = .037), and plaques were more likely to contain a noncalcified plaque (NCP) component (P = .032) and a low-density NCP (LD NCP) component (P = .030). Furthermore, the apnea-hypopnea index and oxygen desaturation index as continuous variables were both associated with the presence of plaque, NCP, and LD NCP (all, P Interpretation OSA was independently associated with the presence and burden of coronary plaque, which suggests an increased risk of coronary events. Clinical Trial Registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry; No. ChiCTR-ROC-17011027; http://chictr.org.cn .

Aim: Determine the influence of SLCO1B3 polymorphisms on outcomes in kidney transplant recipients. Materials & methods: We retrospectively evaluated 181 adult kidney transplant recipients receiving mycophenolate. Outcomes included treated biopsy-proven acute rejection (tBPAR), de novo donor-specific antibody (dnDSA) formation, graft survival, patient survival and mycophenolate-related adverse effects among SLCO1B3 genotypes. Results: The presence of SLCO1B3 variants was not associated with increased risk of tBPAR (HR: 1.45, 95% CI: 0.76–2.74), dnDSA (HR: 0.46, 95% CI: 0.16–1.36) or composite of tBPAR or dnDSA (HR: 1.14, 95% CI: 0.64–2.03). Graft and patient survival were reduced among variant carriers; however, inconsistent findings with the primary analysis suggest these associations were not due to genotype. Adverse effects were similar between groups. Conclusion: Presence of SLCO1B3 polymorphisms were not predictive of rejection or dnDSA in kidney transplant recipients.

In this letter, we achieved significantly enhanced avalanche ruggedness and surge current capability in GaN junction barrier Schottky (JBS) diode for highly reliable power operation. Based on the selective Mg-ion implantation technology, the GaN JBS diode obtains superior electrostatic performances, including 830-V breakdown voltage, 150-mΩ specific on -state resistance, and 0.5-V turning on voltage. Meanwhile, zero reverse recovery behaviors are observed even under extreme switching conditions of 600 V/10 A. During the reliability evaluation in the inductive load circuits, crucial avalanche capability with avalanche breakdown voltage over 965 V, avalanche energy up to 57.8 mJ, and more than 10 000 repetitive avalanche breakdown events are demonstrated. Together with the surge current tolerance up to 65 A and surge energy of 6.0 J, a large safe-operation-area under both forward and reverse inductive spikes is realized for the GaN-based rectifier.

INTRODUCTION To improve compliance with voiding diaries in children with primary monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis (PMNE), a new modified 3-day weekend frequency-volume chart (FVC) was designed, and the compliance and validity of this modified FVC was evaluated by comparing with the International Children's Continence Society (ICCS) recommended voiding diary. METHODS A total of 1200 patients with PMNE were enrolled in the study from 13 centers in China and were randomly assigned to record this modified FVC or the ICCS-recommended voiding diary. The primary outcome measure was the compliance, assessed by comparing the completing index and the quality score of diaries between two groups. The secondary outcome measure was the validity, evaluated by comparing the constituent of subtypes, micturition parameters and response rate to desmopressin. RESULTS Among the 1200 participants enrolled in the study, 447 patients completed the ICCS-recommended voiding diary and 469 completed the modified diary. The diurnal completing index and the quality score of the modified FVC group were better than those of the ICCS group. In addition, there was no significant difference between these two groups in the subtype classification, or in the response rate to desmopressin. CONCLUSIONS The modified FVC could be applied to obtain the voiding characteristics of children with PMNE as the ICCS-recommended voiding diary does and offers a reasonable and better choice for children with PMNE from the unselected population in the future.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES The aims of this study were to (1) document currently available guidelines aimed at healthcare professionals and including some information on the nutritional management of cancer survivors in Europe; (2) assess the quality of these guidelines and (3) document the nutrition recommendations promoted. METHODS Four search strategies were implemented in 2018 and updated in 2021 to locate guidelines. Papers were included if they described a European guideline or recommendation for cancer survivors that contained nutrition guidance and there were no language restrictions. Two reviewers independently assessed guideline quality using the AGREE II instrument and nutrition content was extracted and summarised. RESULTS Five guidelines (of 593 documents located through the searches) met the inclusion criteria. The ESPEN guidelines were deemed to have the highest methodological quality. Limited information on nutrition was available in these guidelines with the majority of focus being on the promotion of fruit, vegetables and wholegrains and reducing fat, red meat and alcohol. Weight management was mentioned by all five guidelines. There was no detailed information available for cancer survivors or their healthcare team and no practical strategies for the implementation of recommendations. CONCLUSIONS There is a need for nutrition guidelines specific for cancer survivors in a European setting. Current guidelines are limited and focus on broad recommendations, while lacking in practical strategies for implementation. There is also a tendency to recommend cancer prevention guidelines be used for cancer survivors rather than developing specific guidance for this group.

Background The long interspersed element-1 (LINE-1, L1) participates in memory formation, and DNA methylation patterns of L1 may suggest resilience or vulnerability factors for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), of which the principal manifestation is a pathological exacerbation of fear memory. However, the unique roles of L1 in the reconsolidation of fear memory remain poorly understood. Objective The present study investigated the roles of L1 in the reconsolidation of context-dependent fear memory. Methods The current study used male mice obtained at two months of age. Mice underwent fear conditioning and fear recall in observation chambers. Fear memory was assessed by calculating the percentage of time spent freezing in a total of 5 min. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and hippocampus of the mice were removed and snap-frozen in nitrogen liquid for further analysis. Open Reading Frame 1 (ORF1) mRNA, and Open Reading Frame 2 (ORF2) mRNA of L1 were analyzed by Real-Time Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction. After the reactivation of fear memory, lamivudine was administered to inhibit L1 retrotransposition and its effects on fear memory reconsolidation were observed. Results The expression of ORF1 and ORF2 mRNA in the mPFC and hippocampus after the recent (24 hours) and remote (14 days) fear memory recall exhibited an augmentation via different temporal and spatial patterns. The reconsolidation and spontaneous recovery of fear memory were markedly inhibited in mice administrated with lamivudine, which could block L1. The expression of DNA methyltransferase (Dnmt) mRNA was diminished following lamivudine treatment in the remote fear memory recall. Conclusions The retrotransposition of L1 participated in the reconsolidation of fear memory after the reactivation of fear memory , and with lamivudine treatment, spontaneous recovery was decreased with time after the recent and remote fear memory recall, which might provide more clues for understanding the roles of L1 in fear memory and the possible strategy for treating PTSD.

A convenient and efficient strategy for the synthesis of dibenzoxazepinamines and dibenzothiazepinamines has been developed. This three-component approach started from 2-nitrobenzaldehydes, 2-aminophenols, and methoxyammonium chlorides under metal-free conditions. The protocol has the advantages of readily available starting materials, simple and facile conditions, gram-scale synthesis, and broad substrate scope, providing an efficient and practical strategy for the preparation of potential drug-active dibenzoxazepinamines and dibenzothiazepinamines in one pot.

GNE myopathy is a heterogeneous group of ultrarare neuromuscular disorders caused by mutations in the GNE gene. An estimated prevalence of 1~21/1,000,000 leads to a deficiency of data and a lack of availability of samples to conduct clinical research on this neuromuscular disorder. Although GNE, which is the mutated gene responsible for the disease, is well known as the key enzyme in the biosynthesis pathway of sialic acid, the clinicopathological‐genetic spectrum of GNE mutant patients is still unclear and expanding. This study presents ten unrelated patients with GNE myopathy, discovering five novel missense mutations. Clinical, electrophysiological, imaging, pathological and genetic data are presented in a retrospective manner. Interestingly, several patients in the cohort were found to have peripheral neuropathy and inflammatory cell infiltration in muscle biopsies, which have seldom been reported. This study, conducted by a neuromuscular centre in China, is the first attempt to highlight these abnormal clinicopathological features and associate them with genetic mutations in GNE myopathy.

Documenting requirements specification requires a lot of effort from stakeholders and developers. Time and knowledge limitations are also obstacles in creating structured requirements document. Our previous works proposed a framework for automated generation of requirements specifications called Rule-Based Ontology Framework (ROF).The requirements documentation phase produces two outputs: process modeling according to the Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) standard and Software Requirements Specification (SRS) documents following the ISO/IEC/IEEE 29148:2018 standard. In this paper, we do performance measurement of ROF in the IS project case study which includes validating ROF prototype by performing User Acceptance Test (UAT); measuring effectiveness by calculating notation error and requirements error; and measuring efficiency by calculating the time spent in producing documents. The efficiency and effectiveness of both are measured by comparing BPMN graph and SRS document generated by ROF with BPMN graph and SRS document that are created manually by the stakeholders.

Purpose: Suboptimal diet is a preventable cause of cancer. We aimed to estimate the economic burden of diet-associated cancer among US adults. Methods: We used a Comparative Risk Assessment model to quantify the number of new cancer cases attributable to seven dietary factors among US adults ages 20+ years. A Markov cohort model estimated the 5-year medical costs for 15 diet-associated cancers diagnosed in 2015. We obtained dietary intake from 2013-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, cancer incidence and survival from 2008-2014 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program, and medical costs from 2007-2013 linked SEER-Medicare data. Results: The estimated 5-year medical costs of new diet-associated cancer cases diagnosed in 2015 were $7.44 (2018 US$). Colorectal cancer had the largest diet-related 5-year medical costs of $5.32B. Suboptimal consumption of whole grains ($2.76B), dairy ($1.82B) and high consumption of processed meats ($1.5B) accounted for the highest medical costs. Per-person medical costs attributable to suboptimal diet vary by gender, race and age group.Conclusions: Suboptimal diet contributes substantially to the economic burden of diet-associated cancers among US adults. This study highlights the need to implement population-based strategies to improve diet and reduce cancer burden in the US.

Hundreds of C60 derivatives stand out as electrontransporting materials(ETMs), for example, in perovskite solar cells(PSCs), due to their properties on electron extraction or defect passivation. However, it still lacks of guidelines to update C60-based ETMs with excellent photoelectric properties. In this work, crystallographic data of eight C60-based ETMs, including pristine C60 and the well-known PCBM as well as six newly synthesized fullerenes, are analyzed to establish the connections between derivatized structures and photoelectric properties for the typical carbon cluster of C60. In terms of packing centroid-centroid distance between neighboring carbon cages, the crystallographic data are useful for probing photoelectric properties, such as electrochemical properties, electron mobility and photovoltaic performances, and therefore facilitate to design novel C60-based ETMs for PSCs with high performances.

Objective To evaluate the body mass index and neurologic development of 1-2 years offspring born to mothers with polycystic ovary syndrome. Study design A case-control study. Place and duration of study Dongyang Women and Children's Hospital, Zhejiang Province, China, between June 2018 and January 2019. Methodology A total of 145 children were included in the final analysis, including 16 daughters of mothers with PCOS, 13 sons of mothers with PCOS, 55 daughters of mothers without PCOS and 61 sons of mothers without PCOS. Developmental assessments for each child were conducted, including anthropometric measurements and ability developments using the Denver developmental screening test. Results The body mass index of children was significantly lower in polycystic ovary syndrome group than control group (p=0.022). Children of mothers with polycystic ovary syndrome and control group had no significant differences in the outcomes of the Denver developmental screening test (all p >0.05). Conclusion Maternal polycystic ovary syndrome may affect body mass index of offspring aged 1-2 years and had no negative effects on neurologic development. However, this conclusion may be limited due to the small sample size. Key Words: Neurologic development, Polycystic ovary syndrome, Offspring, Denver development screening test, Body mass index.

Background: Network structure is a critical issue for efficient interfirm knowledge sharing. The optimal node degree turns out to be decisive because it is generally regarded as a core proxy of network structural characteristics. This paper is to examine what is the optimal node degree for an efficient network structure. Methods: Based on an interaction rule combining the barter rule and the gift rule, we first describe and then build a knowledge diffusion process. Then using four factors, namely network size, network randomness, knowledge endowment of network, and knowledge stock of each firm, we examine the factors that influence the optimal node degree for efficient knowledge sharing. Results: The simulation results show that the optimal node degree can be determined along the change in outer factors. Furthermore, changing the network randomness and network size has little impact on node degree. Instead, knowledge endowment of network and knowledge stock of each firm both have significant impact on the node degree. Conclusion: We find that an optimal node degree can always be found in any condition, which confirms the existence of a balanced state. Thus, policymakers can determine the appropriate number of links to avoid redundancy and thus reduce cost in interfirm networks. We also examine how different factors influence the size of the optimal node degree, and as a result, policymakers can set an appropriate number of links under different situations.

Background and Purpose: Systemic inflammation is recognized as a hallmark of stroke. We aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of various inflammatory factors using blood at admission in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Methods: In a multicenter observational study of patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage, the counts of neutrophil, platelet, and lymphocyte were collected on admission. Patients were stratified based on neutrophil counts with propensity score matching to minimize confounding. We calculated the adjusted odds ratios with 95% CIs for the primary outcome of in-hospital mortality and hospital-acquired infections. Results: A total of 6041 patients were included in this study and 344(5.7%) of them died in hospital. Propensity score matching analyses indicated that compared with the lower neutrophil counts, higher neutrophil counts were associated with increased risk of in-hospital mortality (odds ratio, 1.53 [95% CI, 1.14–2.06]), hospital-acquired infections (odds ratio, 1.61 [95% CI, 1.38–1.79]), and delayed neurological ischemic deficits (odds ratio, 1.52 [95% CI, 1.09–1.97]). Moreover, out of all the inflammatory factors studied, neutrophil counts demonstrated the highest correlation with in-hospital mortality and hospital-acquired infections. Conclusions: Among patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage, high neutrophil counts at admission were associated with increased mortality and hospital-acquired infections. The neutrophil count is a simple, useful marker with prognostic value in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Background Due to the limitations like reverse causation and residual confounding commonly seen in the observational studies, the relationship between serum immunoglobulins and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) remains unclear. Methods Summary statistics from large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS) among European ancestry populations (~15,000 individuals for serum immunoglobulins, and more than 36,000 individuals for ALS) were accessed and used in the discovery and replication phase, respectively. Polygenic risk score analysis was performed to test the polygenic association, and Mendelian randomization analysis was used to infer the causality. Results An inverse polygenic association was discovered between IgA and ALS, as well as between IgM and ALS. Such associations were however not replicated using a larger GWAS of ALS, and no causal association was observed for either IgA-ALS or IgM-ALS. For IgG and ALS, a positive polygenic association was both discovered [odds ratio (OR) = 1.18, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.12–1.25, P = 5.9x10-7] and replicated (OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.06–1.20, P = 0.001). A causal association between IgG and ALS was suggested in the discovery analysis (OR = 1.06, 95 %CI: 1.02–1.10, P = 0.009), but it was not statistically significant in the replication analysis (OR = 1.07, 95 %CI: 0.90–1.24, P = 0.420). Conclusion This study suggests a positive polygenic association between serum IgG and ALS.

Recently, the evolution of Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) has embarked on a journey of revolutionizing the field of artificial and computational intelligence. To improve the generating ability of GANs, various loss functions are introduced to measure the degree of similarity between the samples generated by the generator and the real data samples, and the effectiveness of the loss functions in improving the generating ability of GANs. In this paper, we present a detailed survey for the loss functions used in GANs, and provide a critical analysis on the pros and cons of these loss functions. First, the basic theory of GANs along with the training mechanism are introduced. Then, the most commonly used loss functions in GANs are introduced and analyzed. Third, the experimental analyses and comparison of these loss functions are presented in different GAN architectures. Finally, several suggestions on choosing suitable loss functions for image synthesis tasks are given.

BACKGROUND: To assess the risk of cardiovascular mortality among cancer survivors who developed breast cancer as a second malignancy (BCa-2) compared with patients with first primary breast cancer (BCa-1) and the general population. METHODS: Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database, we conducted a population-based cohort study including 1,024,047 BCa-1 and 41,744 BCa-2 patients diagnosed from the age 30 between 1975 and 2016, and the corresponding US female population (994,415,911 person-years; 5,403,551 cardiovascular deaths). Compared with the general population and BCa-1 patients, we calculated incidence rate ratios (IRRs) of cardiovascular deaths among BCa-2 patients using Poisson regression. To adjust for unmeasured confounders, we performed a nested, case-crossover analysis among BCa-2 patients who died from cardiovascular disease. RESULTS: Although BCa-2 patients had a mildly increased risk of cardiovascular mortality compared with the population (IRR 1.08) and BCa-1 patients (IRR 1.15), the association was pronounced among individuals aged 30–49 years (BCa-2 vs. population: IRR 6.61; BCa-2 vs. BCa-1: IRR 3.03). The risk elevation was greatest within the first month after diagnosis, compared with the population, but comparable with BCa-1 patients. The case-crossover analysis confirmed these results. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that patients with BCa-2 are at increased risk of cardiovascular mortality.

Biogenic amines (BAs) are potential amine hazards that are detected in fermented foods and alcoholic beverages. Excessive intake of BAs may lead to allergic symptoms such as difficulty in breathing, nausea, and vomiting. Degradation of BAs by multicopper oxidase (MCO) is a promising method as it has little effect on the fermentation process, food nutrition, and flavor. However, the application of MCO in food industry was restricted due to its poor catalytic properties and low productivity. In this work, food-grade expression of the Bacillus amyloliquefaciens MCO (MCOB) and its three mutants were successfully constructed in Lactococcus lactis NZ3900. The expression level of MCOB in L. lactis NZ3900 was dramatically enhanced by optimizing the cultivation conditions, and the highest expression level reached 4488.1 U/L. This was the highest expression level of food-graded MCO reported so far, to our knowledge. Interestingly, the optimal reaction pH of MCOB expressed in L. lactis NZ3900 switched to 4.5, it would be more suitable for degrading BAs in food as the pH value of most fermented foods was found to be 4.5. Moreover, MCOB expressed in L. lactis NZ3900 was quite stable (with more than 80% residual activity) in the pH range of 4.0–5.5, the catalytic rate constant (kcat) and specific activity of MCOBLS were all dramatically increased compared with that of MCOB expressed in Escherichia coli. Using histamine as the substrate, the degradation of BAs within 24 h by MCOB expressed in L. lactis NZ3900 was 69.7% higher than that expressed in E. coli. The results demonstrated the potential applications of MCOB in food industry for reduction of biogenic amines.

Objective: The relationship between smoking and clinical outcomes after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is poorly clarified, and current pieces of evidence are inconsistent. The purpose of this multicenter cohort study is therefore to explore the relationship between smoking and mortality as well as several complications after aSAH. Methods: Databases of patient records were from 4 tertiary hospitals. We assessed the impact of tobacco use and tobacco dose (categorized based on smoking index [SI]) on several complication and overall outcome variables. The primary outcome was mortality within the longest follow-up. Logistic models were used to investigate univariate and multivariate relationships between predictors and outcomes. We also developed a propensity score matching for smoking status by using all known confounders. Results: A total of 6,578 patients with aSAH were analyzed. Current smoking and former smoking did not show association with mortality within the longest follow-up (odds ratio [OR], 0.95, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.69–1.30, p = 0.726; OR, 0.66, 95% CI: 0.38–1.15, p = 0.139, respectively). In addition, patients who were current smokers showed an independent association with the decreased occurrence of hydrocephalus (OR, 0.60; 95% CI: 0.41–0.88; p = 0.009) after matching all known confounders. We also found moderate smoking (SI between 384 and 625) was associated with reduced mortality in hospital. Conclusions: Our results indicated that in patients with aSAH, current smoking or former smoking was not associated with all-cause mortality up to 7-year follow-up.

The six-generation (6G) wireless network is expected to satisfy the requirements of ubiquitous connectivity and intelligent endogenous. Terrestrial-satellite networks (TSN) enable seamless coverage for terrestrial users in a wide area, making it very promising in 6G. As data traffic in TSNs surges, the integrated management for caching, computing, and communication (3C) has attracted much research attention. In this paper, we investigate the multi-resource management in the uplink and downlink transmission of TSN, respectively. In particularly, we aim to guarantee both throughput fairness and data security in the uplink transmission of TSN. Considering the intermittent communication of the satellite, we introduce two kinds of relays, i.e., terrestrial relays (TRs) and aerial relays (ARs) to improve the system throughput performance in the downlink transmission of TSN. Finally, we study a specific case of TSN with the uplink and downlink transmission, and the corresponding simulation results validate the effectiveness of our proposed schemes.

Configuration and operation are key to the successful deployment of a renewable energy integrated microgrid. Considering that wind generator, photovoltaic array, and storage battery may belong to different investors in market-oriented operation modes, game theory can be used to tackle the conflict between the overall optimal operation of the microgrid and the maximum profit of each investor. To handle the tradeoff among multiple investors and the uncertainties in wind and solar power, this article develops a new two-layer game model, where a planned output game and a capacity allocation game are considered. The inner layer is a master–slave game to optimize the planned renewable energy output, which is used to predetermine the operation strategy of the microgrid under the initial capacity allocation. In the outer layer, based on the optimized planned output obtained from the inner layer, a noncooperative game and a cooperative sequential game dominated by wind–photovoltaic cooperative alliance are formed to determine the optimal capacity allocations. The equilibrium solution, achieved from the iterative optimization between inner and outer layers, determines the optimal capacity allocation of the microgrid. The effectiveness of the proposed model is verified using a case study of a wind/photovoltaic/battery/gas microgrid.

Objective To describe the clinical features and prognosis of pediatric anti-N-methyl- d -aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis from a single center in northern China. Methods The clinical and laboratory characteristics of hospitalized patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis, stratified by age, were retrospectively studied. Risk factors including relapse and long-term (follow-up ≥1 year) outcomes were analyzed. Results A total of 273 patients were included between November 2011 and December 2019, and the average age of onset was 7.5 ± 4.0 years (0.5–15.8 years). Of them, 159（58.2%） were female, and the proportion of females increased with age. Seizures were the most common initial symptom. Movement disorders（86.1%） and psychiatric（82.4%） symptoms were most frequent in the acute phase. In the acute stage, the incidence of movement disorders decreased with age (χ2 = 10.676, p = 0.011), while the proportion of psychiatric symptoms increased with age (χ2 = 21.85, p Conclusions The characteristics of anti-NMDAR encephalitis in children are age-dependent. Early-onset, the precursor of viral encephalitis, and ICU admission may indicate poor prognosis. Demyelination may be a risk factor for recurrence.

Background and purpose The efficacy of clinical trials and the outcome of patient treatment are dependent on the quality assurance (QA) of radiation therapy (RT) plans. There are two widely utilized approaches that include plan optimization guidance created based on patient‐specific anatomy. This study examined these two techniques for dose‐volume histogram predictions, RT plan optimizations, and prospective QA processes, namely the knowledge‐based planning (KBP) technique and another first principle (FP) technique. Methods This analysis included 60, 44, and 10 RT plans from three Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) multi‐institutional trials: RTOG 0631 (Spine SRS), RTOG 1308 (NSCLC), and RTOG 0522 (H&N), respectively. Both approaches were compared in terms of dose prediction and plan optimization. The dose predictions were also compared to the original plan submitted to the trials for the QA procedure. Results For the RTOG 0631 (Spine SRS) and RTOG 0522 (H&N) plans, the dose predictions from both techniques have correlation coefficients of >0.9. The RT plans that were re‐optimized based on the predictions from both techniques showed similar quality, with no statistically significant differences in target coverage or organ‐at‐risk sparing. The predictions of mean lung and heart doses from both methods for RTOG1308 patients, on the other hand, have a discrepancy of up to 14 Gy. Conclusions Both methods are valuable tools for optimization guidance of RT plans for Spine SRS and Head and Neck cases, as well as for QA purposes. On the other hand, the findings suggest that KBP may be more feasible in the case of inoperable lung cancer patients who are treated with IMRT plans that have spatially unevenly distributed beam angles.

Radiomics is a high-throughput approach to image phenotyping. It uses computer algorithms to extract and analyze a large number of quantitative features from radiological images. These radiomic features collectively describe unique patterns that can serve as digital fingerprints of disease. They may also capture imaging characteristics that are difficult or impossible to characterize by the human eye. The rapid development of this field is motivated by systems biology, facilitated by data analytics, and powered by artificial intelligence. Here, as part of Abdominal Radiology's special issue on Quantitative Imaging, we provide an introduction to the field of radiomics. The technique is formally introduced as an advanced application of data analytics, with illustrating examples in abdominal radiology. Artificial intelligence is then presented as the main driving force of radiomics, and common techniques are defined and briefly compared. The complete step-by-step process of radiomic phenotyping is then broken down into five key phases. Potential pitfalls of each phase are highlighted, and recommendations are provided to reduce sources of variation, non-reproducibility, and error associated with radiomics.

BACKGROUND Endometrial stromal tumors originate from the endometrial stroma and account for < 2% of all uterine tumors. Uterine tumor resembling an ovarian sex cord tumor (UTROSCT) is a rare histological class of endometrial stromal and related tumors according to the latest World Health Organization classification of female genital tumors. Here, we report a case of UTROSCT in a 51-year-old woman. CASE SUMMARY A 51-year-old woman had irregular menses for 6 mo. The patient visited a local hospital for vaginal bleeding. Pelvic computed tomography (CT) showed a mass in the pelvic cavity. Five days later, she came to our hospital for further diagnosis. The results of contrast-enhanced CT and pelvic ultrasound at our hospital suggested a malignant pelvic tumor. She then underwent total removal of the uterus with bilateral salpingectomy. Postoperative histological examination showed that the tumor cells had abundant cytoplasm, ovoid and spindle-shaped nuclei, fine chromatin, a high nucleoplasm ratio, and a lamellar distribution. The findings were consistent with UTROSCT, and the results of immunohistochemical analysis supported that diagnosis. The tumor was International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage IB. No adjuvant therapy was administered after radical surgery. The patient was followed up for 58 mo, and no recurrence was found. CONCLUSION We report a case of UTROSCT with abnormal menstruation as a symptom, which is one of the most common symptoms. In patients with vaginal bleeding, ultrasonography can be used as a screening test because of its convenience, speed, and lack of radiation exposure. For patients with long-term tamoxifen use, routine monitoring of the endometrium is recommended. As UTROSCT may have low malignant potential, surgery remains the primary management strategy. Additionally, fertility preservation in patients of childbearing age is a vital consideration.

Introduction GATA binding protein 2 (GATA2) gene, involved in progression of hematologic malignancies and various solid tumors, is a susceptibility gene for inherited acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, the influence of its single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on AML remains unknown. Methods We used allele-specific PCR to genotype GATA2 rs2335052 and rs78245253 in 159 newly diagnosed AML (non-M3) patients and 300 healthy volunteers, and all of participants came from China. And 34 common hematological tumor gene mutations in 159 AML patients were detected by next-generation sequencing. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox proportional hazard regression were used to analyze the association between the two SNPs and the prognosis of AML. Results We found GATA2 rs2335052 C/T genotype, rs2335052 T/T genotype and rs78245253 G/C genotype in 51.6%, 13.8% and 11.3% AML patients. Our results demonstrated that GATA2 rs2335052 and rs78245253 were associated with certain laboratory features in AML patients, which had no effect on the pathogeny, chemotherapy response and recurrence of patients. Nevertheless, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that, compared with rs78245253 G/G genotype, rs78245253 G/C genotype was significantly related to a decrease in overall survival (OS) (P = .020). Additionally, multivariate cox regression analysis showed that GATA2 rs78245253 was an independent risk factor for OS of AML patients in China. Conclusion GATA2 rs78245253 was an independent predictor for prognosis of AML patients in China and may be used as a potential indicator to predict the survival of AML patients in China. Further studies are needed to validate these findings and clarify the underlying mechanism.

Non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is the most common malignancy. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is effective for the treatment of certain NMSCs. However, the clinical response rates of some NMSCs to single PDT are still far from ideal. The reason may be that PDT has shown limited efficacy in managing thicker NMSCs. To explore the efficacy and safety of dermabrasion combined with PDT (D-PDT) for the treatment of NMSCs. This was a retrospective, single-arm, multi-centre study. In total, 172 tumours from 40 patients were treated with D-PDT during the study period. The mean follow-up period was 40 months (range 15–110 months). D-PDT was performed with 633-nm red light at 80 m W/cm2 after lesion dermabrasion and 4 h of photosensitizer exposure. Six nodular basal cell carcinomas (nBCCs) from 6 patients, 9 squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) from 9 patients, 17 Bowen diseases (BDs) from 10 patients and 140 actinic keratoses (AKs) from 15 patients treated with D-PDT were examined in this study. Only two patients with three AKs experienced recurrence over 12 months. The mean final follow-up periods of patients with AKs, BDs, nBCCs and SCCs were 30, 33, 45 and 60 months, respectively. Thirty-four of the 40 patients treated with D-PDT reported excellent or good cosmetic results. The mean Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) scores of the patients improved significantly after treatment (estimated MD 9.72 [95% CI 8.69 to 10.75]; p

Driven by the increasing demand for high reliability and low latency, finite blocklength communications have recently become the focus of the communication research field. In this letter, to achieve high reliability and low latency communication, we propose the cross-layer design of fountain coded two-user non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) system with finite blocklength. Specifically, the message for each user is firstly encoded by an application-layer fountain code at the base station (BS). Then, each fountain-coded packet for each user is encoded by a physical-layer channel code into a frame. Finally, the BS sends the frames to these two users by using superposition modulation. Under the reliability constraints of two users, the relationship among the application-layer code rate, the physical-layer data rate, and the optimal power allocation coefficient is derived to minimize the transmission latency. The numerical analysis and simulation results show that the message transmission latency of the proposed cross-layer scheme is much lower than that of the scheme which only adopts physical-layer channel codes in the finite blocklength NOMA system.

Background This study aimed to evaluate the effect of perioperative transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) on postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) in older patients who were diagnosed with gastrointestinal tumor and received radical resection of gastrointestinal tumors under general anesthesia. Methods A total of 68 patients who received radical resection of gastrointestinal tumors under general anesthesia were randomly divided into two groups. TEAS group patients received TEAS treatment. The treatment time was 30 min before the induction of anesthesia until the end of the surgery, 1 day before operation and from the first day to the third day after the operation. Except on the day of surgery, we treated the patients for 30 min once a day. In the sham TEAS group, the electronic stimulation was not applied and the treatment was the same as the TEAS group. The primary outcome was perioperative cognition evaluated by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and secondary outcomes were the perioperative level of interleukin-6 (IL-6), S100 calcium-binding protein β (S100β), and C-reactive protein (CRP). Results The postoperative score of MMSE, orientation, memory, and short-term recall in the sham TEAS group was significantly lower than the preoperative and TEAS group (P PP Conclusions Perioperative TEAS treatment reduced the postoperative inflammatory response and increased the postoperative cognitive function score and decrease the incidence of POCD in geriatric patients with gastrointestinal tumor. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04606888. Registered on 27 October 2020. https://register.clinicaltrials.gov.

The repair of peripheral nerve injury has always been a difficult clinical problem. Although a variety of treatment methods are available in clinical practice, their efficacy is limited. In recent years, the components carried by adipose stem cell exosomes and their functions have been increasingly discovered. A large number of experiments conducted around the world have shown that adipose-derived stem cell exosomes have a positive effect on the repair of peripheral nerve injury. This article reviews recent progress toward the use of adipose-derived stem cell exosomes in the repair of injured peripheral nerves and possible future research directions involving adipose-derived stem cell exosomes.