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Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has significantly contributed to protecting human health and promoting the progress of world civilization. A total of 2,711 TCMs are included in the 2020 version of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, which is an integral part of the world’s medical resources. Tu Youyou and her team discovered and purified artemisinin. And their contributions made the values and advantageous effects of TCM more and more recognized by the international community. There has been a lot of studies on TCM to treat diseases through antioxidant mechanisms, the reports on the new mechanisms beyond antioxidants of TCM has also increased year by year. Recently, many TCMs appear to have significant effects in regulating ferroptosis. Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent, non-apoptotic, regulated cell death characterized by intracellular lipid peroxide accumulation and oxidative membrane damage. Recently, accumulating studies have demonstrated that numerous organ injuries and pathophysiological process of many diseases are companied with ferroptosis, such as cancer, neurodegenerative disease, acute renal injury, arteriosclerosis, diabetes, and ischemia-reperfusion injury. This work mainly introduces dozens of TCMs that can regulate ferroptosis and their possible mechanisms and targets.

Sirtuin 2 (SIRT2), as a member of the sirtuin family, has representative features of evolutionarily highly conserved nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+)-dependent deacetylase activity. In addition, SIRT2, as the only sirtuin protein colocalized with tubulin in the cytoplasm, has its own functions and characteristics. In recent years, studies have increasingly shown that SIRT2 can participate in the regulation of gene expression and regulate signal transduction in the metabolic pathway mainly through its post-translational modification of target genes; thus, SIRT2 has become a key centre in the metabolic pathway and participates in the pathological process of metabolic disorder-related diseases. In this paper, it is discussed that SIRT2 can regulate all aspects of gene expression, including epigenetic modification, replication, transcription and translation, and post-translational modification, which enables SIRT2 to participate in energy metabolism in life activities, and it is clarified that SIRT2 is involved in metabolic process-specific signal transduction mechanisms. Therefore, SIRT2 can be involved in metabolic disorder-related inflammation and oxidative stress, thereby triggering the occurrence of metabolic disorder-related diseases, such as neurodegenerative diseases, tumours, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Currently, although the role of SIRT2 in some diseases is still controversial, given the multiple roles of SIRT2 in regulating physiological and pathological signal transduction, SIRT2 has become a key target for disease treatment. It is believed that with increasing research, the clinical application of SIRT2 will be promoted.

Shoulder is the most injured part in table tennis players, and it takes multiple roles in transmitting power and striking the center of the ball during the stroke. Proprioception is strongly correlated with high level of athletic performance. It is customary to assume that there is a correlation between proprioception and muscle strength and therefore proprioceptive assessment and rehabilitation is often neglected.To investigate the correlation between isokinetic muscle strength and proprioception in the internal and external rotation muscle groups of elite Chinese male table tennis players, to provide reference for physical training and rehabilitation of elite table tennis players.A total of 19 national elite table tennis players from the Chinese National Table Tennis Team were recruited in this research. All of them had more than 10 years training experience and had participated major competitions such as the National Games and World Youth Championships. IsoMed 2000 was used to test the peak torque of internal and external rotation isokinetic concentric contraction of the athletes' bilateral shoulder joints at low speed (60°/s) and high speed (180°/s) respectively; IsoMed 2000 was used to conduct the Joint Position Reproduction test to evaluate the athletes' proprioceptive ability capacity at low speed (60°/s) and high speed (180°/s) respectively. If the data satisfied the normal distribution, the correlation between the differences in peak torque s and angles in different directions was analyzed using a Pearson simple linear model; otherwise, Spearman correlation analysis was used. The comparison of proprioceptive ability between the table tennis racket-holding hand and non-racket-holding hands was performed using independent samplesThere was no direct linear correlation between the strength and proprioceptive correlation analysis at slow speed (60°/s) and fast speed (180°/s) in the racket-holding hand; At the slow speed (60°/s) and fast speed (180°/s), there was no correlation between muscle strength and proprioception in the non-racket-holding hand except for the internal rotation variable error (VE) and external rotation relative peak torque, which showed a moderate positive correlation (There was no correlation between muscle strength and proprioceptive function in the internal and external rotation of the racket-holding hand's shoulder in elite Chinese male table tennis players. These results may be useful for interventions for shoulder injuries and for the inclusion of proprioceptive training in rehabilitation programs.

Correct identification together with information on distribution range, geographical origin and evolutionary history are the necessary basis for the management and control of invasive species. The bean bug Megacopta cribraria is a crucial agricultural pest of soybean. Recently, M. cribraria has invaded the United States and spread rapidly, causing severe reductions in soybean yields. However, the species boundary and phylogeographical pattern of this invasive bean bug are still unclear.The results of different species delimitation methods (Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery, Assemble Species by Automatic Partitioning, Bayesian Poisson Tree Processes and Bayesian Phylogenetics and Phylogeography) strongly demonstrated that M. cribraria and Megacopta punctatissima represent the same species. M. punctatissima should not be considered a distinct species but rather a variety of M. cribraria. Phylogenetic analyses revealed three well-supported clades (Southeast Asia [SEA], East Asia continent [EAC] and Japan [JA]) with distinct geographical structures in the M. cribraria-M. punctatissima complex. The SEA clade was at the base of the phylogenetic tree, and the sister relationship between the EAC clade and JA clade was strongly supported. The split between the EAC clade and JA clade occurred at approximately 0.71 Ma, corresponding to the submergence period of the East China Sea land bridge.This study clarified the species boundary between M. cribraria and its closely related species and revealed the phylogeographical pattern and evolutionary history of M. cribraria. The species delimitation and phylogeography results achieved in this study could provide new insights into the monitoring and management of this agricultural pest. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Nearly all autologous tissue techniques and engineered tissue substitutes utilized for nipple reconstruction are hindered by scar contracture and loss of projection of the reconstructed nipple. The use of unprocessed costal cartilage (CC) as an internal support for the reconstructed nipple has not been widely adopted because of the excessively firm resultant construct. Herein we use a 3D-printed Poly-4-Hydroxybutyrate (P4HB) bioabsorbable scaffold filled with mechanically processed patient-derived CC to foster ingrowth of tissue in vivo to protect the regenerated tissue from contractile forces as it matures. After 6 months in vivo, newly formed spongy fibrovascular cartilaginous tissue was noted in processed CC filled 3D-printed scaffolds, which maintained significantly greater projection than reconstructions without scaffolds. Interestingly, 3D-printed P4HB scaffolds designed with an internal 3D lattice of P4HB filaments (without CC) displayed the fastest material absorption and vascularized adipose-fibrous tissue as demonstrated by SEM and histological analysis, respectively. Using 3D-printed P4HB scaffolds filled with either processed CC, a 3D P4HB lattice or no fills, we have engineered neo-nipples that maintain projection over time, while approximating the biomechanical properties of the native human nipple. We believe that this innovative 3D-printed P4HB nipple reconstruction scaffold will be readily translatable to the clinic. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Nearly all autologous tissue techniques and engineered tissue substitutes utilized for nipple reconstruction are hindered by scar contracture and substantial loss of projection of the reconstructed nipple, leading to significant patient dissatisfaction. Using 3D-printed P4HB scaffolds filled with either processed costal cartilage or 3D P4HB lattices, we have engineered neo-nipples that resist the forces induced by scar contracture, resulting in maintenance of neo-nipple projection over time and biomechanically approximating human nipples after 6 months in vivo implantation. This novel 3D-printed bioabsorbable P4HB scaffold will be readily translatable to the clinic to reconstruct nipples with patient-specific dimensions and long-lasting projection.

Polydatin has attracted much attention as a potential cardioprotective agent against ischemic heart disease and diabetic cardiomyopathy. However, the effect and mechanism of polydatin supplementation on alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM) are still unknown. This study aimed to determine the therapeutic effect of polydatin against ACM and to explore the molecular mechanisms with a focus on SIRT6-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling and mitochondrial function. The ACM model was established by feeding C57/BL6 mice with an ethanol Lieber-DeCarli diet for 12 weeks. The mice received polydatin (20 mg kg

Background Laser photocoagulation is an effective procedure for the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME). However, the beneficial effects of conventional laser photocoagulation (CLP) are accompanied by the destruction of retinal photoreceptors. Therefore, subthreshold micropulse laser photocoagulation (SMLP) was proposed for DME. Objectives This meta-analysis study was performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of SMLP compared with CLP for the management of DME. Methods The PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane, SinoMed, ClinicalTrials.gov, Wanfang and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases, published until Dec 2021, were searched to identify studies evaluating the clinical outcomes of SMLP for DME. Results 8 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were selected for this meta-analysis involving a total of 546 eyes (275 eyes in SMLP group and 271 eyes in CLP group). SMLP of different wavelengths (577nm and 810nm) and duty cycles (5% and 15%) were applied. The pooled outcomes showed that SMLP group, especially 577nm and 810nm 15% duty cycle parameter settings, had a statistically significant higher efficacy than CLP group in terms of BCVA(MD = -0.02, 95% CI: -0.03 to -0.01, P0.05); In the field of CS, SMLP group (no matter parameter settings) resulted in better preservation of CS compared to CLP group (MD = 1.96, 95% CI: 1.47 to 2.46, P

The combination of multiple components or structures into integrated micro/nanostructures for practical application has been pursued for many years. Herein, a series of hierarchical organic microwires with branch, core/shell (C/S), and branch C/S structures are successfully constructed based on organic charge transfer (CT) cocrystals with structural similarity and physicochemical tunability. By regulating the intermolecular CT interaction, single microwires and branch microstructures can be integrated into the C/S and branch C/S structures, respectively. Significantly, the integrated branch C/S microwires, with multicolor waveguide behavior and branch structure multichannel waveguide output characteristics, can function as an optical logic gate with multiple encoding features. This work provides useful insights for creating completely new types of organic microstructures for integrated optoelectronics.

Myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury is a pathological process characterized by cardiomyocyte apoptosis, which leads to cardiac dysfunction. Increasing evidence shows that abnormal expression of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) plays a crucial role in cardiovascular diseases. In this study we investigated the role of lncRNAs in myocardial I/R injury. Myocardial I/R injury was induced in mice by ligating left anterior descending coronary artery for 45 min followed by reperfusion for 24 h. We showed that lncRNA KnowTID_00006395, termed lncRNA-6395 was significantly upregulated in the infarct area of mouse hearts following I/R injury as well as in H(2)O(2)-treated neonatal mouse ventricular cardiomyocytes (NMVCs). Overexpression of lncRNA-6395 led to cell apoptosis and the expression change of apoptosis-related proteins in NMVCs, whereas knockdown of lncRNA-6395 attenuated H(2)O(2)-induced cell apoptosis. LncRNA-6395 knockout mice (lncRNA-6395(+/−)) displayed improved cardiac function, decreased plasma LDH activity and infarct size following I/R injury. We demonstrated that lncRNA-6395 directly bound to p53, and increased the abundance of p53 protein through inhibiting ubiquitination-mediated p53 degradation and thereby facilitated p53 translocation to the nucleus. More importantly, overexpression of p53 canceled the inhibitory effects of lncRNA-6395 knockdown on cardiomyocyte apoptosis, whereas knockdown of p53 counteracted the apoptotic effects of lncRNA-6395 in cardiomyocytes. Taken together, lncRNA-6395 as an endogenous pro-apoptotic factor, regulates cardiomyocyte apoptosis and myocardial I/R injury by inhibiting degradation and promoting sub-cellular translocation of p53.

Background Intraoperative goal-directed fluid therapy (GDFT) has been reported to reduce postoperative complications of patients undergoing major abdominal surgery. The clinical benefits of pleth variability index (PVI)-directed fluid management for gastrointestinal (GI) surgical patients remain unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the impact of PVI-directed GDFT on GI surgical outcomes in elderly patients. Methods This randomised controlled trial was conducted in two university teaching hospitals from November 2017 to December 2020. In total, 220 older adults undergoing GI surgery were randomised to the GDFT or conventional fluid therapy (CFT) group (n = 110 each). The primary outcome was a composite of complications within 30 postoperative days. The secondary outcomes were cardiopulmonary complications, time to first flatus, postoperative nausea and vomiting, and postoperative length of stay. Results The total volumes of fluid administered were less in the GDFT group than in the CFT group (2.075 L versus [vs.] 2.5 L, P = 0.008). In intention-to-treat analysis, there was no difference in overall complications between the CFT group (41.3%) and GDFT group (43.0%) (odds ratio [OR] = 0.935; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.541–1.615; P = 0.809). The proportion of cardiopulmonary complications was higher in the CFT group than in the GDFT group (19.2% vs. 8.4%; OR = 2.593, 95% CI, 1.120–5.999; P = 0.022). No other differences were identified between the two groups. Conclusions Among elderly patients undergoing GI surgery, intraoperative GDFT based on the simple and non-invasive PVI did not reduce the occurrence of composite postoperative complications but was associated with a lower cardiopulmonary complication rate than usual fluid management. Trial registration This trial was registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR-TRC-17012220) on 1 August 2017.

Organic molecules which can undergo excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) process have been considered as ideal gain materials for near-infrared organic lasers owing to their effective four-level systems. However, extending lasing wavelength beyond 800 nm with present ESIPT-active gain materials is still in challenge. Herein, we established a molecular design strategy that operates via extending the π-conjugated system of the ESIPT parent core to enhance the cascaded double ESIPT process and thus to achieve the red-shifted six-level system lasing. Concretely, a model molecule with 1,9-dihydroxyanthracene as the ESIPT parent core was designed and synthesized, which was proved to undergo twice cascaded ESIPT processes while the 1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene-based analogue can only undergo once ESIPT process based on DFT calculations and ultrafast dynamics analyses. Finally, a six-level system lasing toward 900 nm was achieved with a low threshold of 27.4 μJ cm

Background Emphysematous pyelonephritis (EPN) is a potentially life-threatening disease caused by a gas-producing necrotizing bacterial infection that involves the renal parenchyma, collecting system, and/or perinephric tissue. EPN is often complicated by a previous diagnosis of diabetes mellitus, and venous air bubbles are an uncommon complication of it. We describe a 52-year-old woman who was admitted in coma, with a history of vomiting, and was found to have EPN with air bubbles in the uterine veins. We discuss the presentation, diagnosis, and pathogenesis of this uncommon but clinically significant event, and briefly review other case reports of venous gas or thrombosis caused by EPN. Case presentation We report the case of a 52-year-old woman with past history of type 2 diabetes mellitus, presenting with loss of consciousness after vomiting for half a day. Abdominal computed tomography scan revealed unilateral EPN with air bubbles in the uterine veins. The blood, pus, and urine cultures were positive for extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli. The patient’s condition improved well after conservative management comprising supportive measures, broad-spectrum antibiotics, percutaneous drainage therapy, and an open operation. Conclusions Venous air bubbles are rare but fatal complication of EPN. Early diagnosis and treatment are critical to ensure good results.

Kai Yuan,1,2 Jin Long Zhang,2 Jie Yu Yan,2 Bing Yuan,1 Jin Xin Fu,2 Yan Wang,2 Xue Dong Sun,3 Yang Guan,2 Feng Duan,2 Mao Qiang Wang1,2 1Medical School of Chinese PLA, Beijing, 100853, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Interventional Radiology, The Fifth Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100853, People’s Republic of China; 3School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Mao Qiang WangDepartment of Interventional Radiology, The Fifth Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, 28 Fu-Xing Road, Beijing, 100853, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 10-66937190Email wangmq@vip.sina.comPurpose: To assess the long-term outcome of performing uterine artery embolization (UAE) using small particles in women with symptomatic adenomyosis (AD).Methods: Twenty-seven consecutive women (median age 42 years, range 29– 53 years) with AD, in eight cases AD combined with fibroids, who underwent UAE between February 2015 and January 2019, were retrospectively analyzed. The embolization was performed using small-sized polyvinyl alcohol particles (100 μm and 300 μm). The patients completed the Uterine Fibroid Symptom and Quality of Life questionnaire at baseline and at a 42-month follow-up (range 24– 71). The junction zone (JZ) thickness and uterine volume were also calculated at baseline and at a three-month follow-up.Results: The total symptom severity score (SSS) decreased from a median of 59 (range 34– 78) at baseline to a median of 9 (range 3– 47) at the end of this study; the health-related quality of life score (HRQOL) increased from a median of 38 (range 23– 49) at baseline to a median of 84 (range 46– 97) at 42 months. Twenty of the 27 patients were asymptomatic. The clinical response of the remaining seven women was little improvement in their symptoms, and one of the seven women underwent a hysterectomy at 35 months. Twenty-six of the 27 (96%) patients had a preserved uterus at the 42-month follow-up. There was no difference after UAE in SSS, HRQOL, junction zone (JZ) thickness, and uterus volume between patients with pure AD and those with AD combined with fibroids (p = 0.729, 0.710, 0.973, and > 0.99). There was no difference in the JZ thickness and uterus volume at baseline between the asymptomatic women and the women with an insufficient response (p = 0.854 and 0.253), and there were no major complications afterwards.Conclusion: From the long-term follow-ups, it could be seen that UAE using small particles is safe and effective in treating AD, especially in preserving the uterus. There is no relationship between the clinical outcomes and the initial presence of AD, with or without fibroids, and the JZ thickness at baseline does not seem to be a predictor for the long-term outcome of UAE.Keywords: adenomyosis, uterine artery embolization, UFS–QoL, interventional radiology

The aim of this study was to formulate osmotic pump capsules (OPCs) to control the release of nifedipine (NP). NP solid dispersion was prepared by solvent evaporation method. The prepared mixture of NP solid dispersion and various excipients were filled into the commercial HPMC hard capsule shells and then coated with cellulose acetate (CA) solution to form NP-OPC. The CA coating solution consisted of CA as semi-permeable membrane, and Poloxamer 188 as pore formers. The impact of addition agents, citric acid and pore formers on in vitro drug release were investigated. Furthermore, the study has highlighted the impact of paddle speed and the pH value of release media, on the release and compared the release with the commercial controlled release tablets. The in vitro drug release study indicated that drug release could reach 95% in 24 h with optimal formulation, and interestingly model fitting showed that the drug release behavior was closely followed to zero-order release kinetics. The pharmacokinetic studies were performed in rabbits with commercial controlled release tablets as reference, both preparations showed a sustained release effect. Compared with traditional preparation methods of OPCs, the new preparation process was simplified without the operation of laser drilling and the sealing process of capsule body and cap, which improved the feasibility of industrial production.

The rapid development of information technology has resulted in a growing demand for low-dimensional photonic materials. Organic semiconductor materials play an important role in various photonic devices due to their adjustable physicochemical properties, while individual organic crystals do not exhibit the desired performance due to the limitations of their simple structure. Branched organic crystals with inherent multichannel characteristics based on π-conjugated molecules are favorable components in optoelectronics. However, the preparation of branched organic crystals still faces great challenges before they can be applied in integrated optoelectronic devices. In this Review, the development and representative examples of branched organic crystals in terms of molecular design, synthesis, and advanced applications are discussed. We also provide a summary and outlook for the direction of future research on branched organic crystals as excellent candidates in photonic integrated circuits.

In vertebrates, 5ʹ-Hoxd genes (Hoxd9), which are expressed in the hindlimb bud mesenchyme, participate in limb growth and patterning in early embryonic development. In the present study, We investigated the mechanisms by which ATRA regulates cultured E12.5 rat embryo hindlimb bud mesenchymal cells (rEHBMCs). Following exposure to ATRA over 24 h, mRNA and protein expression levels of HoxD9 were evaluated by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), and western blotting. Flow cytometry was used to detect apoptosis. ATRA inhibited the condensation and proliferation, and promoted the apoptosis rate of the rEHBMCs in a dose-dependent manner. Sox9 and Col2a1 in rEHBMCs were downregulated by ATRA in a dose-dependent manner at both mRNA and protein levels. Similarly, HoxD9 was downregulated by ATRA in a dose-dependent manner, in parallel with the cartilage-specific molecules Sox9 and Col2a1. Both qPCR and western blotting showed that both Shh and Gli3 were downregulated. Overexpression of HoxD9 reversed the effects of ATRA. These results demonstrate that ATRA suppresses chondrogenesis in rEHBMCs by inhibiting the expression of HoxD9 and its downstream protein targets, including Sox9 and Col2a1. This effect may also be correlated with inhibition of the Shh-Gli3 signaling pathway.

Objectives To develop a nanoparticle-based MRI protocol based on transrectal administration of intestine-absorbable nanoparticle contrast agents to evaluate ulcerative colitis (UC). Methods Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) were synthesized by loading gadolinium diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (Gd-DTPA) and octadecylamine-fluorescein isothiocyanate to produce Gd-FITC-SLNs as T1 contrast agents. Twenty mice with acute UC were divided into four groups: enema with Gd-FITC-SLNs, intravenous injection of Gd-FITC-SLNs, enema with Gd-DTPA, and intravenous injection of Gd-DTPA. Five mice with chronic UC and five mice without UC underwent enema with Gd-FITC-SLNs. Axial T1- and T2-weighted MR images were obtained before and 20, 40, 60, 80,100, and 120 min after enema or intravenous injection of the contrast agent. The signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) of the colorectal wall were measured in both groups. The MRI findings were correlated with subsequent histological confirmation. Results At 20 min after enema with Gd-FITC-SLNs, MRI showed the following contrast enhancement pattern: acute UC > normal intestinal wall > chronic UC. A continuous enhancement effect was observed in mice with acute UC, whereas a slight continuous enhancement of the colorectal wall was observed in mice with chronic UC. The normal intestinal wall rapidly metabolized the contrast agent, and the enhancement decreased on sequential scans. There was no significant difference between the SNRs of the intestinal wall at 20 min after intravenous Gd-DTPA and transrectal Gd-FITC-SLN administration. Conclusions Enema with Gd-FITC-SLNs may be helpful for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of acute and chronic UC and can confer the same or better results than with intravenous Gd-DTPA. Key Points • Enema with Gd-FITC-SLNs may be helpful for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of acute and chronic UC. • Enema with Gd-FITC-SLNs can achieve the same or better result than that with intravenous Gd-DTPA. • SLN-based MR colonography enhances the colorectal wall inflammation, based on the colonic absorption of the nanoparticle contrast agents.

This study explored a new model of Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (PIRADS) and adjusted prostate-specific antigen density of peripheral zone (aPSADPZ) for predicting the occurrence of prostate cancer (PCa) and clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa). The demographic and clinical characteristics of 853 patients were recorded. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA), PSA density (PSAD), PSAD of peripheral zone (PSADPZ), aPSADPZ, and peripheral zone volume ratio (PZ-ratio) were calculated and subjected to receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The calibration and discrimination abilities of new nomograms were verified with the calibration curve and area under the ROC curve (AUC). The clinical benefits of these models were evaluated by decision curve analysis and clinical impact curves. The AUCs of PSA, PSAD, PSADPZ, aPSADPZ, and PZ-ratio were 0.669, 0.762, 0.659, 0.812, and 0.748 for PCa diagnosis, while 0.713, 0.788, 0.694, 0.828, and 0.735 for csPCa diagnosis, respectively. All nomograms displayed higher net benefit and better overall calibration than the scenarios for predicting the occurrence of PCa or csPCa. The new model significantly improved the diagnostic accuracy of PCa (0.945 vs 0.830, P0.01) and csPCa (0.937 vs 0.845, P0.01) compared with the base model. In addition, the number of patients with PCa and csPCa predicted by the new model was in good agreement with the actual number of patients with PCa and csPCa in high-risk threshold. This study demonstrates that aPSADPZ has a higher predictive accuracy for PCa diagnosis than the conventional indicators. Combining aPSADPZ with PIRADS can improve PCa diagnosis and avoid unnecessary biopsies.

The present meta-analysis was conducted to compare the safety and effectiveness of reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) and hemiarthroplasty (HA) in the treatment of osteoporotic proximal humeral fractures in elderly patients. The Embase, Pubmed Central, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, Cochrane Library and Chinese Biomedical databases were searched between January 2009 and January 2022 to identify relevant studies. According to the search strategy, a total of 210 associated studies were retrieved and 16 were finally included. Review Manager 5.4 software was used for the data analysis. This study indicated that patients in the RSA group had significantly improved treatment outcomes compared with patients in the HA group, as assessed by Constant-Murley Shoulder Outcome Score (95% CI, 1.69-3.76; P0.001), American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score (95% CI, 11.81-24.88; P0.001) and shoulder range of motion (ROM; 95% CI, 3.41-9.07; P0.001). However, the HA group was superior to the RSA group in terms of the Oxford Shoulder score (95% CI, 2.89-11.11; P0.001). There was no significant statistical difference between the two groups in terms of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand score and complications. Overall, for the treatment of osteoporotic proximal humeral fractures in the elderly, the RSA group had improved postoperative ROM and functional scores compared with the HA group, without significant difference in the incidence of complications. However, HA remains a safe and reliable treatment option.

Optical interconnects exhibit superior potential in the precise regulation of photon transmission for organic photonic circuits. However, the rational design of well-defined organic heterostructures toward active optoelectronics remains challenging. Herein, we designed organic branched heterostructures (OBHs) with accurate spatial organization for optical interconnection. Notably, the precise regulation of OBHs has been controllably achieved including the trunk morphologies and the branched microwire number. Significantly, these as-prepared OBHs inherently exhibit the multichannel coupling outputs and the excitation position-dependent waveguide characteristics, leading to various outcoupling signals with tunable intensity and emission colors. The optical interconnects are realized due to the occurrence of exciton conversion and photon propagation between branch and trunk at the heterojunction, benefiting the application possibilities of two-dimensional (2D) optical barcodes.

In order to better understand the bacterial distribution characteristics in a whole microecosystem, the bacterial communities in different components of an artificial aquarium (i.e., plants, fishes, sand and water) were characterized using high throughput sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes. Across all samples, 2873 operational taxonomic units were identified and assigned to 771 genera in 36 phyla. In a principle coordinate analysis, samples clustered according to their origin, indicating that bacterial communities from the same component were most similar. Further taxonomic analysis revealed that most dominant genera, even those with the similar functions, were biased to one component: Nitrospira and Rhodobacter were mainly abundant in plant samples; Rhodococcus, Serratia, Ralstonia, Sphingobacterium and Pseudomonas were most common in sand samples; Cetobacterium and Aeromonas dominated fish samples; and Flavobacterium, Alpinimonas and Limnobacter were especially common in water samples. Functional predictions performed by PICRUSt and the dominant genera exhibited that bacteria detected in each component could participate in all nutrient cycles in the aquarium. However, those involved in carbon and nitrogen cycling were most common in plant and fish samples, while phosphate metabolism-related pathways were more abundant in sand and water samples. Moreover, the aquarium plants, in association with their bacterial communities might be the most important component in the aquarium, as indicated by their highest bacterial richness and diversity. This study adds to our understanding on the differences in the microbiome of different components and their possible contributions to nutrient cycling in a self-sustaining aquarium.

Background Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) is one of the most common cause of vision loss in diabetic patients, and the incidence age of PDR patients gradually gets younger. This study aims to compare the characteristics of PDR and outcomes following vitrectomy in young and senior patients. Methods This is a retrospective case series study. Data of 116 eyes of 92 patients who underwent vitrectomy for PDR from February 2012 to February 2017 were reviewed, which were divided into young and senior patient groups. All patients were followed up for 24 months at least. Results There were 62.1% of eyes with tractional retinal detachment secondary to PDR in the young patient group, while only 12.1% of eyes in the senior patient group with this surgery indication. (P P = 0.085) Postoperative complications mainly included recurrent vitreous hemorrhage (24.1%), retinal detachment (3.4%), neovascular glaucoma (NVG) (27.6%) and nuclear sclerosis (53.4%) in young patients, and it was 19.0, 0.0, 1.7 and 3.4% in senior patients respectively. Conclusion PDR of young patients is more severe than that of senior patients, and vitrectomy is an effective and safe method for PDR treatment. NVG is a main and severe complication besides nuclear sclerosis in young patients, and the incidence of NVG is higher compared to that in senior patients.

BACKGROUND We investigated rotation using insecticides with multiple modes of action as a resistance management strategy for Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri, Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae), in Florida. The stability of thiamethoxam resistance was investigated in the laboratory by establishing populations of field-collected, resistant D. citri and rearing them under no insecticide exposure. Furthermore, recovery of susceptibility was investigated in the field by initiating rotation to insecticides in plots that previously were treated with consecutive thiamethoxam applications. RESULTS The resistance ratio (RR) for thiamethoxam reached between 1266.29- and 1395.00-fold after three and four consecutive applications of thiamethoxam, respectively. However, the RR for thiamethoxam remained low (1.71-5.28-fold) under both rotations at both Lake Alfred and Wauchula. Thiamethoxam was cross-resistant with imidacloprid (RR site 1 = 1059.65-fold, RR site 2 = 1595.43-fold) and clothianidin (RR site 1 = 1798.78-fold, RR site 2 = 1270.57-fold) in the nonrotated treatment at both sites. There was very low cross-resistance to other insecticides with different modes of action. Both laboratory and field investigations indicated that susceptibility to thiamethoxam fully recovered after five D. citri generations. Expression of CYP4C67 was significantly increased in resistant populations. CONCLUSION Our results revealed that D. citri populations develop a high level of resistance following only three or four consecutive neonicotinoid sprays; this was associated with subsequent product failure. Our data suggest that metabolic detoxification by cytochrome P450s contributes to thiamethoxam resistance in D. citri. Overall, the investigation demonstrated that resistance to thiamethoxam can be managed readily in populations of D. citri by rotating modes of action.

Genome-wide identification of WD40-like genes reveals a duplication of COP1-like genes, one of the key players involved in regulation of flowering time and photomorphogenesis, with strong functional diversification in Rosaceae. WD40 proteins play crucial roles in a broad spectrum of developmental and physiological processes. Here, we conducted a systematic characterization of this family of genes in Rosa chinensis 'Old Blush' (OB), a founder genotype for modern rose domestication. We identified 187 rose WD40 genes and classified them into 5 clusters and 15 subfamilies with 11 of RcWD40s presumably generated via tandem duplication. We found RcWD40 genes were expressed differentially following stages of vegetative and reproductive development. We detected a duplication of CONSTITUTIVE PHOTOMORPHOGENIC1-like genes in rose (RcCOP1 and RcCOP1L) and other Rosaceae plants. Featuring a distinct expression pattern and a different profile of cis-regulatory-elements in the transcriptional regulatory regions, RcCOP1 seemed being evolutionarily conserved while RcCOP1L did not dimerize with RcHY5 and RcSPA4. Our data thus reveals a functional diversification of COP1-like genes in Rosacaeae plants, and provides a valuable resource to explore the potential function and evolution of WD40-like genes in Rosaceae plants.

Background The aim of this study was to compare quilting suture with conventional suture on the formation of seroma at pectoral area after mastectomy (ME) with sentinel lymph nodes biopsy (SLN) or axillary lymph nodes dissection (ALND) for breast cancer. Methods Two hundred thirty-five consecutive breast cancer patients were retrospectively analyzed. The primary outcome was the incidence of Grade 2 or Grade 3 seroma at anterior pectoral area within 1 month postoperatively. We categorized seroma into early or late seroma according to the drainage removal time. Cox regression was used for analysis. Results The incidence of Grade 2 and 3 seroma was significantly higher in the conventional suture group compared with that in the quilting suture group (19.3% vs. 9.5%, p = 0.032), which was attributed to the late seroma in Grade 2 and 3. Quilting suture was associated with longer time for fixing flaps compared with that of conventional suture (504.7 s vs. 109.1 s, p Conclusions Quilting suture decreased the incidence of Grade 2 and 3 seroma at pectoral area within 1 month after mastectomy, especially the late seroma in Grade 2 and 3.

Insecticide resistance is an increasing problem in citrus production. The Asian citrus psyllid,Diaphornia citriKuwayama, is recognized as one of the most important citrus pests worldwide and it has developed resistance in areas where insecticides have been overused. The development of insecticide resistance is often associated with fitness costs that only become apparent in the absence of selection pressure. Here, the fitness costs associated with resistance to thiamethoxam and imidacloprid were investigated in three agricultural populations ofD. citrias compared with susceptible laboratory colonies. Results showed that all field populations had greater resistance than laboratory susceptible colonies. For both thiamethoxam and imidacloprid, aCandidatusLiberibacter asiaticus-positive (CLas+) colony was more susceptible than theCLas−colony. Resistance ratios ranged from 7.65–16.11 for imidacloprid and 26.79–49.09 for thiamethoxam in field populations as compared with a susceptible,CLas−laboratory strain. Among three resistant field populations, a significantly reduced net reproductive rate and finite rate of population increase were observed in a population from Lake Wales, FL as compared to both susceptible strains. The fecundity of field populations from Lake Wales, FL was statistically lower than both laboratory susceptible populations. Certain changes in morphological characteristics were observed among resistant, as compared, with susceptible strains. Our data suggest fitness disadvantages associated with insecticide resistance inD. citriare related to both development and reproduction. The lower fitness ofD. citripopulations that exhibit resistance to neonicotinoid insecticides should promote recovery of sensitivity when those populations are no longer exposed to thiamethoxam and/or imidacloprid in the field. The results are congruent with a strategy of insecticide rotation for resistance management.

Coreoidea (Insecta: Hemiptera: Heteroptera) is a widely distributed and agriculturally important bugs. However, the phylogeny of Coreoidea lacked consensus on higher-level relationships and several studies by comparative morphological characters and molecular data suggested the non-monophyly of two families: Coreidae and Alydidae. The mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) has long been thought to be a significant marker to understand phylogenetic relationships, but the mitogenome in Alydidae is scarce to date. In the present study, we gathered the mitogenomes of 28 species from four families of Coreoidea excluding Hyocephalidae (Alydidae, Coreidae, Rhopalidae, and Stenocephalidae), including four newly sequenced mitogenomes of Alydidae, and conducted mitogenomic organization and phylogenetic studies. We used maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference methods to infer the higher-level phylogeny from the perspective of mitogenomes, primarily to investigate the phylogenetic relationship betweeen Coreidae and Alydidae. We add evidence that neither Alydidae nor Coreidae are monophyletic based on mitogenomes. Newly sequenced mitogenomes of Alydidae have traditional gene structure and gene rearrangement was not found. Alydinae was always recovered as closely related to Pseudophloeinae of the coreid subfamily with high support. The placement of the coreid subfamily Hydarinae and alydid subfamily Micrelytrinae are unstable depending on approach used. In terms of the length and nucleotide composition of the protein coding genes in mitogenomes, Pseudophloeinae and Hydarinae of coreid were more similar to Alydidae. The unsettled classification issues of Coreidae and Alydidae by mitogenomes were demonstrated in this work, indicating that further study is needed.

Clinical staging, Gleason score, and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) have been accepted as factors for evaluating the prognosis of prostate cancer (PCa). With the in-depth study of iron metabolism and the development of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging technology, we used q-Dixon magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to measure the iron content of the PCa patients' lesions, and used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to measure the iron metabolism indicators in the patients' serum samples, combined with the patients' postoperative clinical data for analysis. We found that the serum indexes were correlated with the T2 star values, International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) grade, and pathological classification in PCa patients (all Plt; 0.001) but not in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients (all Pgt; 0.05). The utilization of q-Dixon-based MRI and serum indexes allows the noninvasive measurement of iron content in prostate lesions and the assessment of differential iron metabolism between PCa and BPH, which may be helpful for evaluating the prognosis of PCa.

Bin Li, Xue-dong Shi Department of Urology, Yuyao People’s Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315400, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Xue-dong Shi, Department of Urology, Yuyao People’s Hospital of Zhejiang Province, No. 800 Chengdong Road, Yuyao, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315400, People’s Republic of China, Email shixuedongtg@163.comObjective: To investigate the significance of lysosomal protein transmembrane 5 (LAPTM5) in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC).Methods: Bioinformatics analysis as an efficient and accurate method was employed to explore the expression levels, prognostic significance, and regulatory pathways of LAPTM5 in KIRC. Finally, the association of LAPTM5 with tumor immune infiltrates was initially investigated.Results: High LAPTM5 expression was observed in KIRC, and its mRNA expression was correlated with gender, stage, and grade (all P < 0.05) but regardless of age. Besides, high LAPTM5 mRNA expression predicted poor overall survival (OS) of KIRC patients (P < 0.01). Further, Cox regression analysis revealed the independent prognostic value of LAPTM5 for OS in KIRC patients (P < 0.001). In addition, the genetic alteration frequency of LAPTM5 was low and had no significant impact on KIRC patient prognosis. However, the low methylation levels of the two methylated sites in the LAPTM5 gene was closely linked to poor OS (all P < 0.05). Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) results showed that the common regulatory pathway was immune- and inflammatory-related pathway. Moreover, LAPTM5 was also associated with tumor immune infiltrates (all P < 0.001).Conclusion: LAPTM5 served as an independent prognostic factor for KIRC patients. LAPTM5 might affect the OS of KIRC patients through the involvement of the immune-related pathway. Therefore, LAPTM5 served as a potential biomarker for OS of KIRC patients.Keywords: lysosomal protein transmembrane 5, prognosis, regulatory pathway, kidney renal clear cell carcinoma

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) have been shown to be an essential component of the tumor microenvironment and facilitate the proliferation and invasion of a variety of malignancies. However, the contribution of TAMs to meningioma progression has not been characterized in detail. In this study, we aimed to discover a novel regulatory pathway by which exosome-mediated M2-polarized macrophages participate in meningioma tumorigenesis and progression. Methods. First, the distribution and functional phenotype of macrophages in meningioma tissues were assessed by immunohistochemistry. Macrophage-derived exosomes (MDEs) were characterized, and further cell coculture experiments were performed to explore the effects of M2-MDEs on the proliferation, migration, and invasion of meningioma cells. RNA sequencing was used to analyze the transcriptomic signatures in meningioma cells treated with M2-MDEs. Three-dimensional tumorspheres and xenograft tumor models were used to evaluate the effects of M2-MDEs on meningioma tumorigenesis and development. Results. We found that M2 macrophages were enriched in meningioma tissue. Coculture with meningioma cells induced the M2 polarization of macrophages. We also found that M2-MDEs were able to significantly promote cell proliferation, cell migration, cell invasion, and tumorigenesis in meningiomas. Bioinformatic analysis suggested that the TGF-β pathway was activated in meningioma cells treated with M2-MDEs. Functional experiments demonstrated that blocking the TGF-β signaling pathway could effectively reverse the tumor-promotive effects mediated by M2-MDEs. Conclusions. Overall, our study showed that M2-MDEs promoted meningioma development and invasion by activating the TGF-β signaling pathway. Targeting exosome-mediated intercellular communication in the tumor microenvironment may be a novel therapeutic strategy for meningioma patients.

Thoracic aortic disease affects people of all ages and the majority of those aged

Internet addiction is associated with a range of psychological risk factors such as childhood trauma and depression. Studies have also suggested sex differences in internet and other behavioral addictions. However, it remains unclear how childhood trauma, depression and internet addiction inter-relate differently between the sexes. A total of 1749 adolescents and young adults aged 12–27 participated in a survey of sociodemographic characteristics and standardized assessments to evaluate internet addiction (Internet Addiction Test), childhood trauma (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire) and depression (Beck Depression Inventory). Mediation and path analyses were used to examine the relationship between childhood trauma, depression and internet addiction. Internet-addicted females relative to males showed more severe depression but the control participants showed the opposite. Childhood trauma was associated with depression for both internet-addicted males and females; however, internet-addicted females but not males showed significant associations between depression and the severity of internet addiction as well as between childhood trauma and the severity of internet addiction. Further, in females, depression mediated the correlations between all types of childhood trauma and the severity of internet addiction. A path analysis suggested that sexual abuse and emotional neglect contributed most significantly to internet addiction when all types of childhood trauma were examined in one model. The findings suggest sex differences in the relationship between childhood trauma, depression and internet addiction. Childhood trauma contributes to internet addiction through depression only in females. The findings may guide future prevention and intervention strategies of internet addiction.

Purpose To characterize vitreous microparticles (MPs) in patients with traumatic proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) and investigate their role in PVR pathogenesis. Methods Vitreous MPs were characterized in patients with traumatic PVR, patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) complicated with PVR, and control subjects by flow cytometry. The presence of M2 macrophages in epiretinal membranes was measured by immunostaining. Vitreous cytokines were quantified by ELISA assay. For in vitro studies, MPs isolated from THP-1 cell differentiated M1 and M2 macrophages, termed M1-MPs and M2-MPs, were used. The effects and mechanisms of M1-MPs and M2-MPs on RPE cell proliferation, migration, and epithelial to mesenchymal transition were analyzed. Results Vitreous MPs derived from photoreceptors, microglia, and macrophages were significantly increased in patients with traumatic PVR in comparison with control and patients with RRD (PVR), whereas no significance was identified between the two control groups. M2 macrophages were present in epiretinal membranes, and their signature cytokines were markedly elevated in the vitreous of patients with traumatic PVR. Moreover, MPs from M2 macrophages were increased in the vitreous of patients with traumatic PVR. In vitro analyses showed that M2-MPs promoted the proliferation and migration of RPE cells via activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway. However, M2-MPs did not induce the expression of fibrotic proteins, including fibronectin, α-smooth muscle actin, and N-cadherin in RPE cells. Conclusions This study demonstrated increased MP shedding in the vitreous of patients with traumatic PVR; specifically, MPs derived from M2 polarized macrophages may contribute to PVR progression by stimulating RPE cell proliferation and migration.

The electrothermal effect of hysteroscopic bipolar electrosurgical resection may cause damage to the endometrium, leading to intrauterine adhesion (IUA). Although some studies have demonstrated the efficacy and feasibility of auto-cross-linked hyaluronic (ACP) gel in preventing IUAs, controversy over its use continues. In this randomized controlled multi-center 2-arm parallel trial, we aimed to examine the efficacy and safety of ACP gel in preventing IUA after hysteroscopic electrosurgical resection and facilitate pregnancy in patients.Patients from 4 centers in China were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive an intrauterine infusion of ACP gel or nothing after hysteroscopic electrosurgical resection. The randomization assignment was generated by computer and kept in a sealed envelope. A second-look hysteroscopy was performed within 3 months of the surgery.From June 2018 to May 2021, 200 patients were recruited. Ultimately, 82 patients in both groups were included in the result analysis. The baseline characteristics were comparable. The outcomes were assessed by using per-protocol analysis. The incidence of IUA in the ACP gel group was lower than that in the control group [3.66%The present study showed that the use of ACP gel appeared to reduce both the tendency of IUA and American Fertility Society (AFS) scores and improve the subsequent pregnancy rate during hysteroscopic electrosurgical resection when treating polyps, fibroids, and uterine septum. ACP might be recommended to prevent IUA after such surgery. Further studies should be conducted with larger numbers of participants.Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2100047165.

Background To explore the risk factors for severe bleeding complications after percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) according to the modified Clavien scoring system. Methods We retrospectively analysed 2981 patients who received percutaneous nephrolithotomies from January 2014 to December 2020. Study inclusion criteria were PCNL and postoperative mild or severe renal haemorrhage in accordance with the modified Clavien scoring system. Mild bleeding complications included Clavien 2, while severe bleeding complications were greater than Clavien 3a. It has a good prognosis and is more likely to be underestimated and ignored in retrospective studies in bleeding complications classified by Clavien 1, so no analysis about these was conducted in this study. Clinical features, medical comorbidities and perioperative characteristics were analysed. Chi-square, independent t tests, Pearson’s correlation, Fisher exact tests, Mann–Whitney and multivariate logistic regression were used as appropriate. Results Of the 2981 patients 70 (2.3%), met study inclusion criteria, consisting of 51 men and 19 women, 48 patients had severe bleeding complications. The remaining 22 patients had mild bleeding. Patients with postoperative severe bleeding complications were more likely to have no or slight degree of hydronephrosis and have no staghorn calculi on univariate analysis (p p value 0.218, 0.068–0.700, 0.010) and hydronephrosis (OR, 95% CI, p value 0.271, 0.083–0.887, 0.031) were independent predictors for severe bleeding via multivariate logistic regression analysis. Other factors, such as history of PCNL, multiple kidney stones, site of puncture calyx and mean corrected intraoperative haemoglobin drop were not related to postoperative severe bleedings. Conclusions The absence of staghorn calculi and a no or mild hydronephrosis were related to an increased risk of post-percutaneous nephrolithotomy severe bleeding complications.

Introduction Insufficient vascularization of currently available clinical biomaterials has limited their application to optimal wound beds. We designed a hydrogel scaffold with a unique internal microstructure of differential collagen densities to induce cellular invasion and neovascularization. Methods Microsphere scaffolds (MSS) were fabricated by encasing 1% (w/v) type 1 collagen microspheres 50–150 μm in diameter in 0.3% collagen bulk. 1% and 0.3% monophase collagen scaffolds and Integra® disks served as controls. Mechanical characterization as well as in vitro and in vivo invasion assays were performed. Cell number and depth of invasion were analyzed using Imaris™. Cell identity was assessed immunohistochemically. Results In vitro, MSS exhibited significantly greater average depth of cellular invasion than Integra® and monophase collagen controls. MSS also demonstrated significantly higher cell counts than controls. In vivo, MSS revealed significantly more cellular invasion spanning the entire scaffold depth at 14 days than Integra®. CD31+ expressing luminal structures suggestive of neovasculature were seen within MSS at 7 days and were more prevalent after 14 days. Multiphoton microscopy of MSS demonstrated erythrocytes within luminal structures after 14 days. Conclusion By harnessing simple architectural cues to induce cellular migration, MSS holds great potential for clinical translation as the next generation dermal replacement product. Statement of Significance Large skin wounds require tissue engineered dermal substitutes in order to promote healing. Currently available dermal replacement products do not always adequately incorporate into the body, especially in complex wounds, due to poor neovascularization. In this paper, we present a hydrogel with an innovative microarchitecture that is composed of dense type I collagen microspheres suspended in a less-dense collagen bulk. We show that cell invasion into the scaffold is driven solely by mechanical cues inherent within this differential density interface, and that this induces robust vascular cell invasion both in vitro and in a rodent model. Our hydrogel performs favorably compared to the current clinical gold standard, Integra®. We believe this hydrogel scaffold may be the first of the next generation of dermal replacement products.

Purpose Accurate and timely organs-at-risk (OARs) segmentation is key to efficient and high-quality radiation therapy planning. The purpose of this work is to develop a deep learning-based method to automatically segment multiple thoracic OARs on chest computed tomography (CT) for radiotherapy treatment planning. Methods We propose an adversarial training strategy to train deep neural networks for the segmentation of multiple organs on thoracic CT images. The proposed design of adversarial networks, called U-Net-generative adversarial network (U-Net-GAN), jointly trains a set of U-Nets as generators and fully convolutional networks (FCNs) as discriminators. Specifically, the generator, composed of U-Net, produces an image segmentation map of multiple organs by an end-to-end mapping learned from CT image to multiorgan-segmented OARs. The discriminator, structured as an FCN, discriminates between the ground truth and segmented OARs produced by the generator. The generator and discriminator compete against each other in an adversarial learning process to produce the optimal segmentation map of multiple organs. Our segmentation results were compared with manually segmented OARs (ground truth) for quantitative evaluations in geometric difference, as well as dosimetric performance by investigating the dose-volume histogram in 20 stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) lung plans. Results This segmentation technique was applied to delineate the left and right lungs, spinal cord, esophagus, and heart using 35 patients' chest CTs. The averaged dice similarity coefficient for the above five OARs are 0.97, 0.97, 0.90, 0.75, and 0.87, respectively. The mean surface distance of the five OARs obtained with proposed method ranges between 0.4 and 1.5 mm on average among all 35 patients. The mean dose differences on the 20 SBRT lung plans are -0.001 to 0.155 Gy for the five OARs. Conclusion We have investigated a novel deep learning-based approach with a GAN strategy to segment multiple OARs in the thorax using chest CT images and demonstrated its feasibility and reliability. This is a potentially valuable method for improving the efficiency of chest radiotherapy treatment planning.

Assessment of the bacterial diversity associated with a decaying fern, Athyrium wallichianum Ching, revealed the presence of a novel bacterial strain named M46T. It was Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped, non-motile and aerobic with cellulose and xylan degradation abilities. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain M46T was affiliated to the genus Sphingobacterium , exhibiting the highest sequence similarity of 97.9 % to Sphingobacterium ginsenosidimutans THG 07T, Sphingobacterium canadense CR11T and Sphingobacterium detergens 6.2 ST. Multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) based on concatenated sequences of the rpoB, cpn60 and 16S rRNA genes showed that strain M46T clustered together with S. canadense CR11T. The genome of strain M46T had a G+C content of 40.6 mol% and chromosome of 6 853 865 bp. Average nucleotide identity (ANI) between strain M46T and S. detergens 6.2 ST and S. siyangense SY1T was 85.1 and 78.1 %, respectively. DNA–DNA relatedness values among strain M46T and other closely related Sphingobacterium species were

Background: Pulmonary vein (PV) occlusion generally depends on repetitive contrast agent injection when cryoballoon ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF). The present study was to compare the effect of cryoballoon ablation for AF guided by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) vs. contrast agent injection. Methods: Eighty patients with paroxysmal AF (PAF) were enrolled in the study. About 40 patients underwent cryoballoon ablation without TEE (non-TEE group) and the other 40 underwent cryoballoon ablation with TEE for PV occlusion (TEE group). In the TEE group during the procedure, PVs were displayed in 3-dimensional images to guide the balloon to achieve PV occlusion. The patients were followed up at regularly scheduled visits every 2 months. Results: No differences were identified between the groups in regard to the procedure time and cryoablation time for each PV. The fluoroscopy time (6.7±4.2 min vs. 17.9±5.9 min, P

A sensitive dual mode competitive electrochemical immunosensor for the detection of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) was successfully fabricated, which based on differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and amperometric i-t curve response modes. Polyaniline (PAN) and tin dioxide (SnO2) were loaded on graphene sheets (GS), which could effectively promote the electron transfer process, thereby amplifying the current signal and increasing the sensitivity of the immunosensor. To promote biocompatibility, gold nanoparticles (Au) were incorporated on GS/SnO2/PAN (GS/SnO2/PAN-Au). GS/SnO2/PAN-Au complex was gotten to act as the platform which could provide a clearly DPV signals. N-doped carbon nanotubes (N-CNTs) embellished by ZnCo2O4 quantum dots (ZnCo2O4/N-CNTs) with excellent catalytic properties for the reduction of H2O2 was gotten to act as the label of the antibody-BNP (Ab), providing an obviously current signal through amperometric i-t curve method. A large quantity of BNP could be stable loaded in the modified electrode via GS/SnO2/PAN-Au with excellent electrical conductivity and good biocompatibility, which could compete with target-BNP to combine Ab that labelled by ZnCo2O4/N-CNTs. Under the optimum conditions, the immunosensor exhibited remarkable analytical performance of a linear range from 0.01 pg/mL to 1 ng/mL with a detection limit of 3.4 fg/mL for quantitative detection of BNP (S/N = 3). This method was able to become a universal strategy for other biological detection.