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Background To develop and validate a radiomics method via integrating tumor and lymph node radiomics for the preoperative prediction of lymph node (LN) status in gastric cancer (GC). Materials and methods We retrospectively collected 170 contrast-enhanced abdominal CT images from GC patients. Five times repeated random hold-out experiment was employed. Tumor and nodal radiomics features were extracted from each individual tumor and LN respectively, and then multi-step feature selection was performed. The optimal tumor and nodal features were selected using Pearson correlation analysis and sequential forward floating selection (SFFS) algorithm. After feature fusion, the SFFS algorithm was used to develop radiomics signatures. The performance of the radiomics signatures developed based on logistic regression classifier was further analyzed and compared using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Results The AUC values, reported as mean ± standard deviation, were 0.9319 ± 0.0129 and 0.8546 ± 0.0261 for the training and validation cohorts respectively. The radiomic signatures could predict LN status, especially in T2-stage, diffuse-type and moderately/well differentiated GC. After integrating clinicopathologic information, the radiomic-clinicopathologic model (training cohort, 0.9432 ± 0.0129; validation cohort, 0.8764 ± 0.0322) showed a better discrimination capability than other radiomics models and clinicopathologic model. The radiomic-clinicopathologic model also showed superior performance to the gastroenterologist’ decision in all experiments, and outperformed the radiologist in some experiments. Conclusion Our proposed method presented good predictive performance and great potential for predicting LNM in GC. As a noninvasive preoperative prediction tool, it can be helpful for guiding the prognosis and treatment decision-making in GC patients.

Purpose: To investigate the clinical feasibility of diagnosing and classifying patent foramen ovale (PFO) in patients with cerebral disorders by cardiac cine MRI (CCMRI) without contrast.Materials and Methods: Forty-four patients (24 males and 20 females; mean age, 41.3 years; range, 21–64 years) with cerebral disorders underwent contrast transcranial Doppler sonography (cTCD) and non-enhanced CCMRI examinations between October 2019 and March 2020. CCMRI was performed with a 3.0T magnetic resonance (MR) scanner using the OBL FIESTA CINE 4CH sequence. The scanning direction was perpendicular to the interatrial septum (IAS). The obtained MR images were analyzed by AW station 4.4. Pseudo-color coding was performed based on the different phases. The blood shunt condition was observed and recorded, noting the PFO length and width and whether it was complicated by IAS aneurysm or secondary septum thickening.Results: Thirty-nine of the 44 patients with cerebral disorders were confirmed to have right-to-left shunt by cTCD, and 37 of them were diagnosed with PFO by CCMRI. Two of the five remaining patients were also diagnosed with PFO by CCMRI. Compared with cTCD as a standard, CCMRI assessment resulted in the following: sensitivity, 94.9%; specificity, 60.0%; accuracy, 90.9%; positive predictive value, 94.9%; negative predictive value, 60.0%; area under the curve, 0.774. Using pseudo-color coding, a right-to-left color jet was observed in 34 patients, and a two-way shunt was found in five. IAS aneurysm and secondary septum thickening were found in five and three patients (11.4% and 6.8%), respectively. The maximum PFO diameters ranged from 1.7 to 16.8 mm, and the mean diameter was 5.4 ± 3.4 mm.Conclusion: The noninvasive CCMRI without contrast proved an excellent method for PFO identification, evaluation, and classification, with high sensibility (92.85%) and concordance (90.9%) compared to cTCD.

Because of the important diagnostic value, computed tomography (CT) has been widely used in clinic. However, there are still some limitations in CT examination of small intestinal lesions. At present, the diagnosis of these lesions mainly depends on doctors' experience in CT image so that there would be some problems such as high labor cost, low efficiency and misdiagnosis risk. Therefore, a segmentation and identification method for small intestinal lesions based on U-Net with batch normalization (BN) and virtual sample, named as U-NetBV, is proposed in this paper. BN can help to improve the performance of the network and virtual sample can increase the number of samples which is usually small in CT image. Through U-NetBV, these lesions can be identified and segmented automatically. The experimental results show that the proposed U-NetBV has a promising prospect in the field of segmentation and identification of small intestinal lesions.

Accumulation of iron has been associated with the pathobiology of various disorders of the central nervous system. Our previous work has shown that hephaestin (Heph) and ceruloplasmin (Cp) double knockout (KO) mice induced iron accumulation in multiple brain regions and that this was paralleled by increased oxidative damage and deficits in cognition and memory. In this study, we enriched astrocytes and oligodendrocytes from the cerebral cortex of neonatal wild-type (WT), Heph KO and Cp KO mice. We demonstrated that Heph is highly expressed in oligodendrocytes, while Cp is mainly expressed in astrocytes. Iron efflux was impaired in Cp KO astrocytes and Heph KO oligodendrocytes and was associated with increased oxidative stress. The expression of Heph, Cp, and other iron-related genes was examined in astrocytes and oligodendrocytes both with and without iron treatment. Interestingly, we found that the expression of the mRNA encoding ferroportin 1, a transmembrane protein that cooperates with CP and HEPH to export iron from cells, was positively correlated with Cp expression in astrocytes, and with Heph expression in oligodendrocytes. Our findings collectively demonstrate that HEPH and CP are important for the prevention of glial iron accumulation and thus may be protective against oxidative damage.

The recent emergence of the plasmid-mediated colistin resistance gene mcr-1 poses a substantial clinical threat to the severe infections caused by CRE (Carbapenem Resistant Enterobacteriaceae), as the treatment failure of the mcr-1-positive CRE “Superbug” most likely occurs by using the combination of carbapenem and polymixins. Therefore, our study aims to seek a potent MCR-1 inhibitor to fight this infection. A checkerboard MIC (Minimum Inhibitory Concentration) assay, time-killing assay, MPNP (Modified rapid polymyxin Nordmann/Poirel) test, combined disk test and molecular modelling analysis were performed on different mcr-1-positive strains to confirm the synergistic effects of the combination of colistin and osthole (OST). And a thigh mouse infection model was also used to evaluate such synergies. We identified that OST regained the bactericidal activity of polymyxins (FIC (Fractional Inhibitory Concentration) index = 0.11±0.04 − 0.29±0.10) against mcr-1-positive Enterobacteriaceae including Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The in-vitro time-killing assays showed that either OST or polymyxins failed to eradicate mcr-1-positive Enterobacteriaceae, but the combination eliminated mcr-1-positive Enterobacteriaceae by 3–7-h post-inoculation. The mouse infection model demonstrated that the combination therapy significantly reduced the bacterial load in the thighs following subcutaneous administration. Our results established that OST is a promising natural compound that could be used to extend the life of polymyxins and to tackle the inevitability of serious infections caused by polymyxin-resistant bacteria.

Targeted delivery of enzyme-activatable probes into cancer cells to facilitate accurate imaging and on-demand photothermal therapy (PTT) of cancers with high spatiotemporal precision promises to advance cancer diagnosis and therapy. Here, we report a tumor-targeted and matrix metalloprotease-2 (MMP-2)-activatable nanoprobe (T-MAN) formed by covalent modification of Gd-doping CuS micellar nanoparticles with cRGD and an MMP-2-cleavable fluorescent substrate. T-MAN displays a high r1 relaxivity (∼60.0 mM–1 s–1 per Gd3+ at 1 T) and a large near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence turn-on ratio (∼185-fold) in response to MMP-2, allowing high-spatial-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and low-background fluorescence imaging of gastric tumors as well as lymph node (LN) metastasis in living mice. Moreover, T-MAN has a high photothermal conversion efficiency (PCE, ∼70.1%) under 808 nm laser irradiation, endowing it with the ability to efficiently generate heat to kill tumor cells. We demonstrate that T-MAN can ac...

Since redox-responsive hydrogels have a wide range of applications especially in biochemistry, such as drug release and biosensors, a kind of redox-responsive hydrogel was fabricated based on iron which has two stable oxidation states, while xanthan gum (XG) was selected as a matrix. In this work, characterization of XG-based hydrogel with Fe3+ ions coordination and its reversible sol-gel conversion property were studied. Xanthan gum solutions with different concentrations were coordinated in situ with constant trivalent iron ions concentration to form hydrogels under ambient temperature. The chemical features of XG-based hydrogels were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and ultraviolet visible light spectrum (UV–vis), while scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to observed the morphologies of XG-based hydrogels cross-sections. In addition, the mechanical properties, thermal stability and swelling behavior of xanthan gum hydrogels were also investigated, respectively. The results showed that xanthan gum hydrogels possessed relatively uniform layered structure, in addition to possessing enhanced mechanical strength and excellent swelling behavior. Furthermore, the sol-gel conversion of XG-based hydrogel could be realized by UV light in the presence of sodium lactate. The process of changes in viscosity was studied. The result indicated that the XG-based hydrogel could be recycled and these characteristic studies may be of reference for future use of xanthan gum hydrogels in the field of biomedical materials or sensors.

Pediatric sepsis is the most common disease in pediatric critical illness, because the main reason for the disease is that children's immune level is not high or the immune system is not perfect, when children's lung, abdominal cavity and blood system are infected, it will cause systemic inflammation and immune dysfunction. Early clinical symptoms are mainly irregular and intermittent fever. When the disease develops to severe sepsis, the children will suffer from acute heart failure, oliguria, respiratory alkalosis and even multiple organ failure. The incidence of death is high. It is reported that the incidence rate of sepsis in children can reach 0.3%, and the mortality rate is 50%. High incidence rate, high mortality rate and high treatment cost are the biggest problems in the pediatric field. In the past, the clinical hope of clearing away heat and toxin, promoting blood circulation and removing stasis, strengthening inflammation and other methods in traditional Chinese medicine, but the treatment effect is not ideal. With the improvement of modern medical understanding of sepsis, continuous blood purification therapy is introduced into the treatment of children with severe sepsis. In order to further explore the effect of continuous blood purification in the treatment of children with severe sepsis, the author summarizes the clinical practice experience and relevant literature, hoping to provide reference for relevant medical staff.

To evaluate the performance of a deep learning radiomic nomogram (DLRN) model at predicting tumor relapse in patients with soft tissue sarcomas (STS) who underwent surgical resection. In total, 282 patients who underwent MRI and resection for STS at three independent centers were retrospectively enrolled. In addition, 113 of the 282 patients received additional contrast-enhanced MRI scans. We separated the participants into a development cohort and an external test cohort. The development cohort consisted of patients from one center and the external test cohort consisted of patients from two other centers. Two MRI-based DLRNs for prediction of tumor relapse after resection of STS were established. We universally tested the DLRNs and compared them with other prediction models constructed by using widespread adopted predictors (i.e., staging systems and Ki67) instead of radiomics features. The DLRN1 model incorporated plain MRI-based radiomics signature into the clinical data, and the DLRN2 model integrated radiomics signature extracted from plain and contrast-enhanced MRI with the clinical predictors. Across both study sets, the two MRI-based DLRNs had relatively better prognostic capability (C index ≥ 0.721 and median AUC ≥ 0.746; p < 0.05 compared with most other models and predictors) and less opportunity for prediction error (integrated Brier score ≤ 0.159). The decision curve analysis indicates that the DLRNs have greater benefits than staging systems, Ki67, and other models. We selected appropriate cutoff values for the DLRNs to divide STS recurrence into three risk strata (low, medium, and high) and calculated those groups’ cumulative risk rates. The DLRNs were shown to be a reliable and externally validated tool for predicting STS recurrence by comparing with other prediction models. • The prediction of a high recurrence rate of STS before emergence of local recurrence can help to determine whether more active treatment should be implemented. • Two MRI-based DLRNs for prediction of tumor relapse were shown to be a reliable and externally validated tool for predicting STS recurrence. • We used the DLRNs to divide STS recurrence into three risk strata (low, medium, and high) to facilitate more targeted postoperative management in the clinic.

Objectives. To explore the application of computed tomography (CT) texture analysis in differentiating lymphomas from other malignancies of the small bowel. Methods. Arterial and venous CT images of 87 patients with small bowel malignancies were retrospectively analyzed. The subjective radiological features were evaluated by the two radiologists with a consensus agreement. The region of interest (ROI) was manually delineated along the edge of the lesion on the largest slice, and a total of 402 quantified features were extracted automatically from AK software. The inter- and intrareader reproducibility was evaluated to select highly reproductive features. The univariate analysis and minimum redundancy maximum relevance (mRMR) algorithm were applied to select the feature subsets with high correlation and low redundancy. The multivariate logistic regression analysis based on texture features and radiological features was employed to construct predictive models for identification of small bowel lymphoma. The diagnostic performance of multivariate models was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results. The clinical data (age, melena, and abdominal pain) and radiological features (location, shape, margin, dilated lumen, intussusception, enhancement level, adjacent peritoneum, and locoregional lymph node) differed significantly between the nonlymphoma group and lymphoma group ( p < 0.05 ). The areas under the ROC curve of the clinical model, arterial texture model, and venous texture model were 0.93, 0.92, and 0.87, respectively. Conclusion. The arterial texture model showed a great diagnostic value and fitted performance in preoperatively discriminating lymphoma from nonlymphoma of the small bowel.

Background: Radiomics can quantify tumor phenotypic characteristics non-invasively by applying feature algorithms to medical imaging data. In this study, we investigated the association between radiomics features and the tumor histological subtypes, and we aimed to establish a nomogram for the classification of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: This was a retrospective single center study. In total, 468 cases including 202 patients with SCLC and 266 patients with NSCLC were enrolled in our study, and were randomly divided into a training set (n = 327) and a validation set (n = 141) in a 7:3 ratio. The clinical data of the patients, including age, sex, smoking history, tumor maximum diameter, clinical stage, and serum tumor markers, were collected. All patients underwent enhanced computed tomography (CT) scans, and all lesions were pathologically confirmed. A radiomics signature was generated from the training set using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator algorithm. Independent risk factors were identified by multivariate logistic regression analysis, and a radiomics nomogram based on the radiomics signature and clinical features was constructed. The capability of the nomogram was evaluated in the training set and validated in the validation set. Results: Fourteen of 396 radiomics parameters were screened as important factors for establishing the radiomics model. The radiomics signature performed well in differentiating SCLC and NSCLC, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.86 (95% CI: 0.82-0.90) in the training set and 0.82 (95% CI: 0.75-0.89) in the validation set. The radiomics nomogram had better predictive performance [AUC = 0.94 (95% CI: 0.90-0.98) in the validation set] than the clinical model [AUC = 0.86 (95% CI: 0.80-0.93)] and the radiomics signature [AUC = 0.82 (95% CI: 0.75-0.89)], and the accuracy was 86.2% (95% CI: 0.79-0.92) in the validation set. Conclusion: The enhanced CT radiomics signature performed well in the classification of SCLC and NSCLC. The nomogram based on the radiomics signature and clinical factors has better diagnostic performance for the classification of SCLC and NSCLC than the simple application of the radiomics signature.

Background Knowing the genetic phenotype of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) is essential for patients who receive therapy with tyrosine kinase inhibitors.Methods We enrolled 106 patients (80 in the training set, 26 in the validation set) with clinicopathologically confirmed GISTs from two centers. Preoperative and postoperative clinical characteristics were selected and analyzed to construct the clinical model. Arterial phase (A-phase), venous phase (V-phase), delayed phase (D-phase), and combined radiomics algorithms were generated from the training set based on contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CE-CT) images. Various radiomics feature selection methods were used, namely least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO); minimum redundancy maximum relevance (mRMR); and generalized linear model (GLM) as a machine-learning classifier. Independent predictive factors were determined to construct preoperative and postoperative radiomics nomograms by multivariate logistic regression analysis. The performances of the clinical model, radiomics algorithm, and radiomics nomogram in distinguishing GISTs with the KIT exon 11 mutation were evaluated by area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC).Results The combined radiomics algorithm was found to be the best prediction model for differentiating the expression status of the KIT exon 11 mutation (AUC = 0.836; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.640–0.951) in the validation set. The clinical model, and preoperative and postoperative radiomics nomograms had AUCs of 0.606 (95% CI, 0.397–0.790), 0.715 (95% CI, 0.506–0.873), and 0.679 (95% CI, 0.468–0.847), respectively, with the validation set.Conclusion The radiomics algorithm could distinguish GISTs with the KIT exon 11 mutation based on CE-CT images and could potentially be used for selective genetic analysis to support the precision medicine of GISTs.

Background We sought to evaluate the performance of a computed tomography (CT)-based radiomics nomogram we devised in distinguishing benign from malignant bone tumours. Methods Two hundred and six patients with bone tumours were spilt into two groups: a training set (n = 155) and a validation set (n = 51). A feature extraction process based on 3D Slicer software was used to extract the radiomics features from unenhanced CT images, and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator logistic regression was used to calculate the radiomic score to generate a radiomics signature. A clinical model comprised demographics and CT features. A radiomics nomogram combined with the clinical model and the radiomics signature was constructed. The performance of the three models was comprehensively evaluated from three aspects: identification ability, accuracy, and clinical value, allowing for generation of an optimal prediction model. Results The radiomics nomogram comprised clinical and radiomics signature features. The nomogram model displayed good performance in training and validation sets with areas under the curve of 0.917 and 0.823, respectively. The areas under the curve, decision curve analysis, and net reclassification improvement showed that the radiomics nomogram model could obtain better diagnostic performance than the clinical model and achieve greater clinical net benefits than the clinical and radiomics signature models alone. Conclusions We constructed a combined nomogram comprising a clinical model and radiomics signature as a noninvasive preoperative prediction method to distinguish between benign and malignant bone tumours and assist treatment planning.

BACKGROUND Preoperative discrimination between malignant and benign sinonasal tumors is important for treatment plan selection. PURPOSE To build and validate a radiomic nomogram for preoperative discrimination between malignant and benign sinonasal tumors. STUDY TYPE Retrospective. POPULATION In all, 197 patients with histopathologically confirmed 84 benign and 113 malignant sinonasal tumors. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCES Fast-spin-echo (FSE) T1 -weighted and fat-suppressed FSE T2 -weighted imaging on a 1.5T and 3.0T MRI. ASSESSMENT T1 and fat-suppressed T2 -weighted images were selected for feature extraction. The least absolute shrinkage selection operator (LASSO) algorithm was applied to establish a radiomic score. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was applied to determine independent risk factors, and the radiomic score was combined to build a radiomic nomogram. The nomogram was assessed in a training dataset (n = 138/3.0T MRI) and tested in a validation dataset (n = 59/1.5T MRI). STATISTICAL TESTS Independent t-test or Wilcoxon's test, chi-square-test, or Fisher's-test, univariate analysis, LASSO, multivariate logistic regression analysis, area under the curve (AUC), Hosmer-Lemeshow test, decision curve, and the Delong test. RESULTS In the validation dataset, the radiomic nomogram could differentiate benign from malignant sinonasal tumors with an AUC of 0.91. There was no significant difference in AUC between the combined radiomic score and radiomic nomogram (P > 0.05), and the radiomic nomogram showed a relatively higher AUC than the combined radiomic score. There was a significant difference in AUC between each two of the following models (the radiomic nomogram vs. the clinical model, all P

Self-healing hydrogels with robust mechanical properties is the primary objective of hydrogel materials. In this work, we report the synthesis of iron (III) containing hydroxyethyl cellulose based hydrogel (HEC/PAA-Fe3+) through dynamic metal-ligand (M-L) interactions with enhanced self-healing and mechanical properties. The decoration of ferric ions (Fe3+) in a physically cross-linked polymer network (HEC/PAA) introduces dynamic energy dissipative coordination bonds, which dramatically enhance the overall mechanical properties and self-healing efficiency. The mechanical properties and self-healing ability can be optimized by a variety of parameters such as HEC, Fe3+ ions, and AA monomer concentration. The HEC/PAA-Fe3+ hydrogel exhibits high tensile strength (1.35 MPa), extensive fracture strain (1660%), high toughness (8.8 MJ m−3) and outstanding self-healing efficiency (87%) without any external intervention. We predict that this forthright dynamic bond archetype fabrication can improve the self-healing efficiency of hydrogels with enhanced mechanical properties.

Hydrogels have been considered as promising materials in tissue engineering and biomedical areas. However, the weak and brittle nature of common synthetic hydrogels largely hinders their potential applications. Therefore, it is challenging to fabricate tough hydrogels for biomedical applications. In this manuscript, well-defined and thermo-responsive polyurethane-poly(ethylene glycol) (PU-PEG) hydrogels were prepared via thermally-induced copper-catalyzed 1,3-dipolar azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) using azido-pendent PU-PEG and dialkynyl PEG as the gel precursors. The physical properties of the as-formed hydrogels were investigated by swelling ratios and mechanical tests. The PU-PEG hydrogels not only possess thermo-responsive and excellent mechanical properties, but also exhibit good biocompatibility.

Light-weight and high-performance nanocomposites that contain reinforcements with preferred orientation have attracted significant attention. Here, a hierarchical, lightweight, and nacre-like graphene oxide (GO) and xanthan gum (XG) nanocomposite film was fabricated via a simple, rapid, economic, and green method. Graphene oxide and xanthan gum were used in making of “bricks and mortar” and forced to self-assemble into GO/XG-Fe(III) hydrogel via ferric ions coordination. Oriented and hierarchical GO/XG-Fe(III) nanocomposite film was obtained by drying the hydrogel. Due to the well-defined hierarchical structure and coordination bond, the GO/XG-Fe(III) nanocomposite film exhibited high strength of 93.6 ± 3.82 MPa. Accompanied by the mechanical strength, specific thermal conductivity on the parallel and perpendicular direction was obtained due to the anisotropy of the GO nanosheets in the nanocomposite film. Furthermore, the stability of the GO/XG-Fe(III) nanocomposite film against various organic solvents and acidic solution was demonstrated. It may enable these materials to be used in aerospace, electronic devices, biological membranes and scaffolds. Keywords: Hierarchical, Graphene oxide, Xanthan gum, Ferric ions coordination, Composite film

Background: To evaluate the predictive value of CT radiomics features derived from primary lesions in discriminating occult peritoneal metastasis (PM) in advanced gastric cancer (AGC). Methods: Preoperative CT images of 233 patients with AGC were retrospectively analyzed. The region of interest was manually drawn along the margin of the lesion on the largest slice of venous CT images, and a total of 539 quantified features were extracted automatically. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and the absolute correlation coefficient (ACC) were calculated for selecting influential features. The predictive value of each influential feature was assessed using the Mann-Whitney U test and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. A multivariate logistic regression model was constructed based on the training cohort (124 without PM, 34 with PM), and the testing cohort (64 without PM, 11 with PM) validated the reliability of the model. Moreover, another model based on the preoperative clinicopathological features was also developed. A comparison between the diagnostic performances of the two models was performed using ROC analysis and the Akaike information criterion (AIC) value. Results: Our results showed that 6 radiomics features (ID_Energy, LoG(0.5)_Energy, Compactness2, Max Diameter, Orientation and Surface Area Density) differed significantly between AGCs with and without PM (all P < 0.05) and performed well in distinguishing AGCs with PM from those without PM in the primary cohort (AUC = 0.618-0.658, all P

An alginate-based, stable and high mechanical strength hydrogel was fabricated by trivalent ions coordination in the presence of neodymium Ions. The chemical components and morphology of the hydrogel were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The effects of pH values on the swelling properties of hydrogels were investigated as it reveals that the pH values have an obvious effect on the swelling ratio. The as-prepared hydrogel exhibited high compressive strength and stability, which is much higher than that of the alginate hydrogel formed by Ca2+ ionic cross-linked. Moreover, the Nd(III)-Alg hydrogel also exhibited the properties of fluorescence. The easy and fast fabrication, outstanding mechanical and stable properties indicated the hydrogel as a promising material that can be used in cartilage tissue.

Cu2O@aptamer nanospheres were prepared via a facile one-step synthesis using aptamer as template. The precursor CuSO4 was reduced in the presence of aptamer to form Cu2O@aptamer nanospheres. In comparison with the pristine Cu2O immobilized with aptamer, the resultant Cu2O@aptamer nanospheres exhibit high sensitivity for detecting thrombin. The results showed that the developed electrochemical biosensor based on Cu2O@aptamer nanospheres has a detection limit of 0.01 ng mL−1 (0.33 pM) within the linear range from 0.1 to 50 ng mL−1 toward the thrombin detection. Moreover, excellent selectivity toward interfering proteins, such as IgG, IgE, and BSA, was achieved. The fabricated electrochemical immunobiosensor provides a promising alternative for determining other biological samples.

ObjectivesBioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is a simple and inexpensive method to estimate body composition. However, the accuracy of BIA is unknown. We aimed to assess the accuracy of BIA in estimating visceral fat area (VFA) in patients with gastric cancer.Study designThis was a cross-sectional study comparing the accuracy of BIA in estimating VFA with the gold standard method measured by CT. VFA was measured in enrolled patients both by CT and BIA. VFA by CT at umbilical level ≥100 cm2 was considered as visceral obesity. Reliability between the two methods was assessed by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and consistency was assessed by Bland-Altman method (95% limits of agreement). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was used to assess the performance of BIA in diagnosing visceral obesity.SettingThe study was conducted in China.ParticipantsFrom 1 January 2017 to 1 December 2018, a total of 157 patients diagnosed with gastric cancer were enrolled.ResultsOverall, VFA by CT and BIA in patients was 84.39±46.43 cm2 and 71.94±22.44 cm2, respectively. VFA estimated by BIA was positively correlated with VFA measured by CT using Pearson’s test (r=0.650, p2. The 95% limits of agreement ranged from −58.36 cm2 to 83.26 cm2. The cut-off value for diagnosing visceral obesity by BIA was 81 cm2 (AUROC: 0.822, pConclusionsVFA measured by BIA showed satisfactory reliability with that measured by CT. However, the absolute values of the two methods were not interchangeable. The cut-off value for VFA by BIA in diagnosing visceral obesity was 81 cm2 for patients with gastric cancer in the Chinese population.

This prospective study explored the application of texture features extracted from T2WI and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps in predicting recurrence of advanced cervical cancer patients treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). We included 34 patients with advanced cervical cancer who underwent pelvic MR imaging before, during and after CCRT. Radiomic feature extraction was performed by using software at T2WI and ADC maps. The performance of texture parameters in predicting recurrence was evaluated. After a median follow-up of 31 months, eleven patients (32.4%) had recurrence. At four weeks after CCRT initiated, the most textural parameters (four T2 textural parameters and two ADC textural parameters) showed significant difference between the recurrence and nonrecurrence group (P values range, 0.002~0.046). Among them, RunLengthNonuniformity (RLN) from T2 and energy from ADC maps were the best selected predictors and together yield an AUC of 0.885. The support vector machine (SVM) classifier using ADC textural parameters performed best in predicting recurrence, while combining T2 textural parameters may add little value in prognosis. T2 and ADC textural parameters have potential as non-invasive imaging biomarkers in early predicting recurrence in advanced cervical cancer treated with CCRT.

To investigate the ability of CT texture analysis to assess and predict the expression statuses of E-cadherin, Ki67, VEGFR2 and EGFR in gastric cancers, the enhanced CT images of 139 patients with gastric cancer were retrospectively reviewed. The region of interest was manually drawn along the margin of the lesion on the largest slice in the arterial and venous phases, which yielded a series of texture parameters. Our results showed that the standard deviation, width, entropy, entropy (H), correlation and contrast from the arterial and venous phases were significantly correlated with the E-cadherin expression level in gastric cancers (all P

Background/Aims: Treatments targeting cancer stem cells (CSCs) are most effective cancer therapy, whereas determination of CSCs is challenging. We have recently reported that Lgr5-positive cells are cancer stem cells (CSCs) in human skin squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Ginsenoside Rh2 (GRh2) has been shown to significantly inhibit growth of some types of cancers, whereas its effects on the SCC have not been examined. Methods: Here, we transduced human SCC cells with lentivirus carrying GFP reporter under Lgr5 promoter. The transduced SCC cells were treated with different doses of GRh2, and then analyzed cell viability by CCK-8 assay and MTT assay. The effects of GRh2 on Lgr5-positive CSCs were determined by fow cytometry and by tumor sphere formation. Autophagy-associated protein and β-catenin were measured by Western blot. Expression of short hairpin small interfering RNA (shRNA) for Atg7 and β-catenin were used to inhibit autophagy and β-catenin signaling pathway, respectively, as loss-of-function experiments. Results: We found that GRh2 dose-dependently reduced SCC viability, possibly through reduced the number of Lgr5-positive CSCs. GRh2 increased autophagy and reduced β-catenin signaling in SCC cells. Inhibition of autophagy abolished the effects of GRh2 on β-catenin and cell viability, while increasing β-catenin abolished the effects of GRh2 on autophagy and cell viability. Conclusion: Taken together, our data suggest that GRh2 inhibited SCC growth, possibly through reduced the number of Lgr5-positive CSCs. This may be conducted through an interaction between autophagy and β-catenin signaling.

Lots of patients suffer from lack of motion ability or even lost of limbs. Rehabilitation robot aims to assist them to regain some motion ability. We study the recognition of ten upper limb movements based on surface electromyography (sEMG) signals for future potential robotic arm control. After sEMG are collected and denoised, wavelet transform is used to construct the feature vector. Recognition rate among ten movements reaches 96.75% revealed by eight channel sEMG signals and 96.25% by two channels sEMG. This provides the basis for further real-time control of robotic arm.

Three-dimensional xanthan gum (XG)/graphene oxide (GO) hybrid aerogels were fabricated by ice crystal templating without using chemical modifiers. The hybrid aerogels were prepared by the stirring of xanthan gum-graphene oxide hybrid solution, followed by freezing at low temperature and finally by freeze-drying. The whole preparation could be completed within 12h without producing any contamination and thus considered a fast, simple, economical, and green method for aerogel fabrication. XG/GO hybrid aerogels possessed different hierarchical pore structures because of various freezing temperatures. A network composed of co-aligned pore channels was obtained at a freezing temperature of -40°C. The as-prepared hybrid aerogels exhibited stability and excellent adsorption capacity for organic dyes and heavy metal ions. Therefore, these aerogels could be used as efficient adsorbents in water purification. This study provided a basis for the cost-effective and large-scale commercial production of high-performance graphene oxide-based aerogels for water purification.

To explore the role of texture analysis of computed tomography (CT) images in predicting the malignancy risk of gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs).Seventy-eight patients with histopathologically confirmed GISTs underwent preoperative CT. Texture analysis was performed on unenhanced and contrast-enhanced CT images, respectively. Fourteen CT texture parameters were obtained and compared among GISTs at different malignancy risks with one-way analysis of variance or independent-samples Kruskal-Wallis test. Correlations between CT texture parameters and malignancy risk were analysed with Spearman's correlation test. Diagnostic performance of CT texture parameters in differentiating GISTs at low/very low malignancy risk was tested with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.Three parameters on unenhanced images (r=-0.268-0.506), four parameters on arterial phase (r=-0.365-0.508), and six parameters on venous phase (r=-0.343-0.481) imaging correlated significantly with malignancy risk of GISTs, respectively (all p0.05). For identifying GISTs at low/very low malignancy risk, three parameters on unenhanced images (area under ROC curve [AUC], 0.676-0.802), four parameters on arterial phase (AUC, 0.637-0.811), and six parameters on venous phase (AUC, 0.636-0.791) imaging showed significant diagnostic performance, respectively (all p0.05), especially maximum frequency on both unenhanced and contrast-enhanced images (AUC, 0.791-0.811).Texture analysis of CT images holds great potential to predict the malignancy risk of GISTs preoperatively.

To explore the application of computed tomography (CT) texture analysis in predicting histopathological features of gastric cancers. Preoperative contrast-enhanced CT images and postoperative histopathological features of 107 patients (82 men, 25 women) with gastric cancers were retrospectively reviewed. CT texture analysis generated: (1) mean attenuation, (2) standard deviation, (3) max frequency, (4) mode, (5) minimum attenuation, (6) maximum attenuation, (7) the fifth, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th percentiles, and (8) entropy. Correlations between CT texture parameters and histopathological features were analysed. Mean attenuation, maximum attenuation, all percentiles and mode derived from portal venous CT images correlated significantly with differentiation degree and Lauren classification of gastric cancers (r, −0.231 ~ −0.324, 0.228 ~ 0.321, respectively). Standard deviation and entropy derived from arterial CT images also correlated significantly with Lauren classification of gastric cancers (r = −0.265, −0.222, respectively). In arterial phase analysis, standard deviation and entropy were significantly lower in gastric cancers with than those without vascular invasion; however, minimum attenuation was significantly higher in gastric cancers with than those without vascular invasion. CT texture analysis held great potential in predicting differentiation degree, Lauren classification and vascular invasion status of gastric cancers. • CT texture analysis is noninvasive and effective for gastric cancer. • Portal venous CT images correlated significantly with differentiation degree and Lauren classification. • Standard deviation, entropy and minimum attenuation in arterial phase reflect vascular invasion.

We report on an efficient method for the production carboxy-modified graphene (carboxy-GR), and its application to a highly sensitive immunoassay for the livestock feed additive clenbuterol. Octadecanoic acid is shown to self-assemble on carboxy-GR via intermolecular interaction. Goat anti-mouse IgG was conjugated to 1-octadecanethiol-modified carboxy-GR and then deposited by self-assembly on a C18-modified gold surface. The resulting sensor surface was used to quantify clenbuterol by both surface plasmon resonance and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The assay works in the 0.01 ng∙mL−1 to 10 ng∙mL−1 concentration range and the lower detection limit is 6.57 pg∙mL−1. It is concluded that this fairly simple method can be extended to immunoassays for other food additives.

Multicopper ferroxidases (MCFs) play an important role in cellular iron homeostasis. However, the role of MCFs in renal metabolism remains unclear. We used Hephaestin (Heph) and Ceruloplasmin (Cp) single or double (Heph/Cp) knockout (KO) mice to study the roles of MCFs in the kidney. Renal iron levels and the expression of iron metabolism genes were examined. The non-heme iron content both in the renal cortex and medulla of Heph/Cp KO mice was significantly increased. Perls’ Prussian blue staining showed iron accumulation on the apical side of renal tubular cells in Heph/Cp KO mice. A significant increase in ferritin protein expression was also observed in the renal medulla and cortex of Heph/Cp KO mice. Both DMT1 and TfR1 protein expression were significantly decreased in the renal medulla of Heph/Cp KO mice, while the expression of DMT1 protein was significantly increased in the renal cortex of these animals. Significant increase in proteinuria and total urinary iron was observed in the double knockout mice, and this was associated with compromised structural integrity. These results suggest that KO of both the HEPH and CP genes leads to kidney iron deposition and toxicity, MCFs could protect kidney against a damage from iron excess.

Rationale To examine atypical manifestations of Kawasaki disease (KD) in children. Background Cardiovascular complications during acute KD are a major contributor to its mortality rate. It can involve the pericardium, the myocardium, the endocardium, and/or the coronary arteries; however, cardiomegaly and nephrotic syndrome (NS) during the acute stage of KD have seldom been reported. Patient concerns Two children, each with a fever lasting more than 5 days, were diagnosed with cardiomegaly using echocardiography in the early phase of Kawasaki disease (within 2 weeks). Case 1 was misdiagnosed with NS because of the proteinuria, hypoalbuminemia, and edema present at the onset of the disease. Diagnoses A diagnosis of incomplete KD was based on a constellation of clinical manifestations and symptoms and was supported by laboratory results. Interventions Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and aspirin were administered, supplemented with and without supplemental steroid therapy (case dependent). Outcomes The clinical manifestations and syndromes of the two cases were completely resolved and their heart size restored to normal within 2 weeks, with no evidence of coronary artery lesions (CAL). Main lessons Physical findings and manifestations are atypical in incomplete KD. Cardiomegaly and nephrotic syndrome can be an early manifestation of KD; cardiomegaly, especially, should be recognized as a possible manifestation of the acute stage of KD. Furthermore, these symptoms can be rapidly relieved by treatment with IVIG, with or without supplemental steroid therapy.

It is generally accepted that spermatozoa capacitation is associated with protein kinase A-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation. In our previous study, we identified the fibrous sheath CABYR binding protein (FSCB), which was phosphorylated by PKA. However, the phosphorylation status of FSCB protein during spermatozoa capacitation should be further investigated. To this aim, in this study, we found that phosphorylation of this 270-kDa protein occurred as early as 1 min after mouse spermatozoa capacitation, which increased over time and remained stable after 60 min. Immunoprecipitation assays demonstrated that the tyrosine and Ser/Thr phosphorylation of FSCB occurred during spermatozoa capacitation. The extent of phosphorylation and was closely associated with the PKA activity and spermatozoa motility characteristics. FSCB phosphorylation could be induced by PKA agonist DB-cAMP, but was blocked by PKA antagonist H-89.Therefore, FSCB contributes to spermatozoa capacitation in a tyrosine-phosphorylated format, which may help in further elucidating the molecular mechanism of spermatozoa capacitation.

Aim To prospectively evaluate the degeneration of intervertebral discs (IVDs) in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Materials and methods Forty-three AIS patients and 12 healthy volunteers (HC) underwent 3 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) including DTI sequences. The mean diffusivity (MD) and fractional anisotropy (FA) values of lumbar IVDs were obtained and compared between HC and AIS patients with two independent samples t-tests. Further analyses were done and focused on degenerative and non-degenerative discs and different lumbar segmental with two independent samples t-tests. Results The MD and FA values of IVDs in AIS patients differed significantly with healthy controls (MD: 1.25±0.17 versus 1.56±0.23×10−3 mm2/s, p Conclusion DTI demonstrated degeneration of lumbar IVDs in AIS patients even without visible signs on T2-weighted images, and L4–5 IVDs were more prone to degenerate. DTI could serve as a sensitive technique to evaluate the degeneration of IVDs in AIS patients non-invasively and quantitatively.

Rationale: The case report aims to discuss the clinical symptoms and treatment of encephalopathy caused by a novel syntaxin- binding protein 1 (STXBP1) genetic mutation. Patient concerns: The patient, a girl, was born at 38+4 weeks of gestation. She had frequent spasm attacks accompanied by obvious psychomotor development retardation since the neonatal period. Genetic screening identified a novel STXBP1 genetic mutation. Diagnoses: Early-onset epileptic encephalopathy with STXBP1 mutation. Interventions: We adjusted the antiepileptic strategy to oral levetiracetam and topiramate, and intravenous administration of adrenocorticotropic hormone(ACTH) for 2 weeks. Subsequently, prednisone was continued, and gradually reduced and withdrawn over 3 months. Outcomes: The treatment was effective with complete control of the epileptic seizures and improvements in the electroencephalogram readings. However, the effects on psychomotor ability were slow and limited. A literature review of STXBP1 mutation cases in which ACTH was administered showed that complete seizure control is observed in 60% of cases, 20% are partially affected, and the remaining 20% show no effect. Lessons: ACTH and levetiracetam had good therapeutic effects in epilepsy control in this case of de novo STXBP1 mutation. ACTH is an effective drug for early-onset epileptic encephalopathy caused by STXBP1 mutation. However, controlling epilepsy using this therapy does not alter the psychomotor development retardation caused by the STXBP1 mutation.

The regeneration of the auditory neural system remains a challenge in hearing restoration. Acoustic signals may induce a site-specific cell replacement in the auditory system. This hypothesis was tested with grafted implantation of neural precursor cells (NPCs) along the cochlear nucleus in the adult host followed by an augmented acoustic stimulation. NPCs were obtained from the olfactory bulbs at embryonic day 14-16 and were transplanted into the inside border of cochlear nucleus. The labeled cells survived at least 2 weeks, verified by Hoechst 33342 fluorescence, and by immunostaining for a neuronal marker. In some cases NPCs had migrated directionally to the root of the auditory nerve. This observation demonstrates the survival and migration of NPCs from the olfactory bulb (OB) along the adult auditory nerve in an augmented acoustic environment following implantation.

The objective of this study is to evaluate the role of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p57 in EB1089-inhibited proliferation of human laryngeal squamous carcinoma cells (HEp-2). HEp-2 cells were treated with the vitamin D3 analogue EB1089 for 48 h and total RNA was extracted for reverse transcription-PCR amplification using primers for the p57 coding sequence. Proteins were detected by Western blot analysis. For interference using silencing RNA (siRNA), HEp-2 cells were transfected with siRNA specific for p57 (siRNA-p57) or a negative control sequence (siRNA-con) followed by treatment with 10 nmol/L EB1089. The effects of EB1089 on cell proliferation were evaluated by 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine incorporation and `3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. Cell death and cell cycle dynamics were monitored using flow cytometry. EB1089 significantly inhibited HEp-2 cell proliferation and increased p57 mRNA and protein levels; this was blocked by siRNA-p57 but not by siRNA-con. The EB1089-induced suppression of HEp-2 cell proliferation recovered to near-normal levels with siRNA-p57 transfection. EB1089 inhibits the proliferation of HEp-2 cells and p57 plays an important role in this. [Mol Cancer Ther 2008;7(5):1268–74]

Regulatory T cells (Treg) contribute to the crucial immunological processes of self-tolerance and immune homeostasis. Genomic mechanisms that regulate cell fate decisions leading to Treg or conventional T cells (Tconv) lineages and those underlying Treg function remain to be fully elucidated, especially at the histone modification level. We generated high-resolution genome-wide distribution maps of monomethylated histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4me1) and trimethylated H3K4 (H3K4me3) in human CD4(+)CD25(+)FOXP3(+) Tregs and CD4(+)CD25(+)FOXP3(-) activated (a)Tconv cells by DNA sequencing-by-synthesis. 2115 H3K4me3 regions corresponded to proximal promoters; in Tregs, the genes associated with these regions included the master regulator FOXP3 and the chemokine (C-C motif) receptor 7 (CCR7). 41024 Treg-specific H3K4me1 regions were identified. The majority of the H3K4me1 regions differing between Treg and aTconv cells were located at promoter-distal sites, and in vitro reporter gene assays were used to evaluate and identify novel enhancer activity. We provide for the first time a comprehensive genome-wide dataset of lineage-specific H3K4me1 and H3K4me3 patterns in Treg and aTconv cells, which may control cell type-specific gene regulation. This basic principle is likely not restricted to the two closely-related T cell populations, but may apply generally to somatic cell lineages in adult organisms.