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The Permian source rocks in the southern depression of the South Yellow Sea Basin have been proved to be fair-good source rocks. Based on the analysis of recent Paleozoic oil and gas exploration and research results, the thermal evolution and hydrocarbon generation process of Permian source rocks was analyzed by selecting appropriate geological parameters and using TSM basin simulation method, and then the potential of oil and gas resources was evaluated. The research shows that the Permian source rocks distributed in Cenozoic fault depression in the southern depression experienced a two-stage hydrocarbon generation and expulsion process. The first hydrocarbon generation and expulsion occurred from the Late Triassic to the Early-Middle Jurassic and the secondary hydrocarbon generation and expulsion mainly occurred in Paleogene. However, the Permian source rocks distributed in the uplift area only experienced the first hydrocarbon generation and expulsion process. The Permian source rocks have a total resource scale of 20.76×108 t and a resource abundance of 12.2×104 t/km2, reaching a medium abundance level, which can provide a certain material basis for the formation of oil and gas fields. The secondary hydrocarbon generation resources of the Permian source rocks in the whole southern depression account for 30.4% of the total resources, but it can reach 55% in the Cenozoic fault depression. The Cenozoic fault depression with Permian source rocks and Cenozoic source rocks developed is a favorable exploration area.

Ultrafast laser that directly emits vortex beam has broad application prospects in many research fields and applications, such as telecommunication, bio-sampling and quantum information science. In this article, we demonstrate a wavelength-tunable and OAM-switchable ultrafast fiber laser enabled by intracavity polarization controlling elements. The mode-locked laser can emit vortex beam outputs with a topological charge of l = +1 or l = −1 and the center wavelength can be continuously tuned from 1015 nm to 1038nm. The obtained output pulse has a pulse energy of 3.3 nJ and a compressed pulse duration of 87 fs. Compared with previous results, this laser can emit OAM-switchable output with a shorter pulse duration and a broad wavelength tuning range. The concept of adding polarization control elements to a mode-locked fiber laser can be further expanded to build laser with more sophisticated and customizable outputs.

COVID-19 has developed into a global public health emergency and has led to restrictions in numerous nations. Thousands of deaths have resulted from the infection of millions of individuals globally. Additionally, COVID-19 has had a significant impact on social and economic activity around the world. The elderly and those with existing medical issues, however, are particularly vulnerable to the effects of COVID-19. Pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, organ failure, death, etc. are all possible outcomes in severe cases…Traditional prediction approaches like the ARIMA model and multiple linear regression model to handle the linear prediction problem because the new crown virus is in the process of continual mutation. Deep learning models that can take into account nonlinear elements include BP neural network prediction and LSTM neural network prediction. To combine the benefits of traditional and deep learning predictive models and create superior predictive models, we can blend traditional and deep learning predictive models. When the MSE, RMSE, and MAE of these three combined models, PSO-LSTM-ARIMA, MLR-LSTM-ARIMA, and BPNN-LSTM-ARIMA, are compared. We discovered that the third model, which included MSE, RMSE, and MAE, had the best prediction accuracy. The LSTM model and the ARIMA model were selected for this investigation. To begin, it employed a single model to forecast pandemic data in Germany. The BP neural network, particle swarm method, and multiple linear regression were then utilized to merge it. To corroborate this finding, we re-predicted the epidemic data from Japan and retrieved the MSE, RMSE, and MAE values of the BPNN-LSTM-ARIMA model, which were 6141895.956, 2478.285 and 1249.832. The most accurate model is still this integrated model. The BP neural network coupled LSTM model and ARIMA model offers the highest accurate prediction effect, according to our research. Combinatorial models anticipate outbreak data through our study, which can aid governments and public health authorities in improving their responses and educating the public about pandemic trends and potential future directions. As a result, industries and enterprises may make better risk-management decisions to protect the health and safety of their operations and personnel. It also helps healthcare facilities better prepare and deploy medical resources to better meet the demands from the pandemic.

Ferroptosis is a type of programmed cell death that pathogens can leverage to enhance their replication, transmission, and pathogenicity. Hosts typically combat pathogenic infections by utilizing oxidative stress as a defense mechanism. Nonetheless, some pathogens can trigger considerable oxidative stress while infecting, inducing an intense inflammatory response in the host’s immune system and activating cell death. The process of ferroptosis is closely linked to oxidative stress, with their interaction exerting a substantial impact on the outcome of infectious diseases. This article presents an overview of the interrelated mechanisms of both Ferroptosis and oxidative stress in infectious diseases, identifying potential targets for treating such diseases in the context of their interaction.

The Yellow River Basin (YRB) constitutes an important grain-producing area, as well as an economic core area in China. However, drought and water shortage have always been important factors restricting the agricultural sustainable development of this region. The intensity of agricultural drought in the YRB and the factors affecting it need to be urgently clarified. Based on this, this study attempts to assess the spatio-temporal characteristics of agricultural drought in the YRB using the improved traditional temperature vegetation dryness index (ITVDI) and to identify the type and intensity of constraint effects of human activities (population, GDP, land use type), climate change (temperature, precipitation) and topography (elevation, slope) on drought in the YRB with the constraint line method. Results appeared that from 2001 to 2015, the drought intensity in the YRB exhibited fluctuating changes, while it decreased after 2015. Spatially, the drought characteristics of the YRB existed large heterogeneous, with drought showing a significant increase in the northwestern and downstream areas and a significant decrease in the central part of the basin. There were eight types of constraining effects of human activities, climate change, and topographic factors on drought intensity in the YRB, including U-shaped curve, positive linear, negative linear, logarithmic, negative convex, positive convex, exponential, and hump-shaped. Precipitation and temperature were the most direct factors affecting drought intensity and would exert a binding effect on both the upper and lower boundaries of drought intensity. The constraint effect of precipitation on drought varied in space. In the upstream and midstream, precipitation constrained the upper and lower boundaries of ITVDI, and the constraint effect increased with the increase of precipitation. In the downstream, the constraint effect of precipitation did not change significantly, and the maximum value of ITVDI was always less than 0.8. Temperature had upper and lower boundary constraint effects at three scales. The constraining effects of elevation, slope, GDP, and population were stable across scales. It should be noted that the constraint effect of land use type on drought exhibited U-shaped, and the threshold point of minimum values appeared in the areas covered by grassland and water. The constraint line method can improve the drought monitoring ability of ITVDI, as well as help to clarify the constraint factors and mechanism of drought intensity in the YRB and provide scientific decision-making support to mitigate regional drought and promote regional sustainable development.

Geothermal resource, a green and sustainable energy resource, plays an important role in achieving ‘emission peak’ and ‘carbon neutrality’ targets. The Yingjiang Basin is located in the eastern branch of the Mediterranean-Himalayan high-temperature geothermal belt and exhibits considerable potential for geothermal resources. However, current investigations into the distribution of deep geothermal resources in this region are somewhat limited. In this paper, the transient plane source (TPS) method is used to measure the thermal conductivity parameters of 31 rock samples within the study area. Additionally, the one-dimensional steady-state heat conduction equation is employed to calculate the deep geothermal field, considering the constraints of rock thermal properties and terrestrial heat flow in the study area. Furthermore, the “stripping method” is used to determine the contribution rate of sedimentary layer to terrestrial heat flow, while the volume method is applied to estimate the geothermal resources at burial depths of 3000–5000 m. The results show that (1) The heat generation rate of granite is the highest with an average value of 4.52 μW/m3, followed by gneiss with an average value in the range of 2.0–3.5 W/(m·K), mudstone and sandstone being the lowest with an average value between 1.0 and 2.0 W/(m·K). (2) The main contributor of terrestrial heat flow in the study area is mantle heat flow, and the contribution of sedimentary layers to terrestrial heat flow only accounts for about 2%. (3) The geothermal resources in Yingjiang Basin within the depth range of 3000–5000 m is 93.6 × 1015 kJ, or 3.2 × 109 tonnes standard coal equivalent (SCE).

Spatiotemporal optical vortex (STOV) wavepacket is a new type of vortex optical field carrying transverse orbital angular momentum (OAM). Due to the presence of imbalanced dispersion and diffraction phase, the STOV pulse undergoes fragmentation during free space propagation, leading to the disappearance of the spatiotemporal vortex phase structure. For practical applications, having a stable long-distance propagation of STOV pulse is critical. Recent work demonstrates the transmission of transverse OAM in few-mode fiber. However, the maximum transmission distance is limited to 100 cm due to excessive group velocity dispersion between modes. In this work, we optimize the transmission of transverse OAM by engineering fiber parameters. By tuning the radius of the fiber core and the relative refractive index difference, the group time delay difference values between the LP01 and LP11 modes and their corresponding group velocity dispersion coefficients are minimized. The simulation results show that the optimized fiber allows the first-order STOV pulse to propagate up to 500 cm, and the second-order STOV pulse up to 300 cm without distorting the spatiotemporal vortex phase structure. Long-distance propagation of STOV pulse can create new opportunities and facilitate applications such as developing novel transverse OAM lasers and telecommunication approaches.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a worldwide disease posing serious threats to people’s life. Surgery and postsurgical chemotherapy are still the first choices to control the rapid progression of cancer. However, tumor recurrence and even distant metastasis are prone to occur. As a result, it is in urgent demand to find a new method to control CRC progression while inhibiting distant metastasis. On this basis, this study developed the three-layered functionalized hydrogel-fibrous membrane-hydrogel composite materials. The Chinese traditional drugs 20 (S)-ginsenoside Rg3 (Rg3) and chemotherapeutic agent 5-fluorouracil (5-Fu) were loaded in the inner hydrogel and middle fibrous membrane and could be constantly released at the same time and space. The outer hydrogel was decorated with phenylboronic acid (PA) to interact with sialic acid expressed on the CRC cell surface. The composite materials possessed biocompatibility and showed no toxicity to normal human intestinal mucosa endothelial cells HIEC. According to the results, the cell viability of CT26 could be significantly decreased in vitro. The three-layered functionalized materials inhibited the original tumor progression and distant tumor metastasis to the liver in an orthotopic colon cancer mouse model by increasing the caspase3 expression and inhibiting the expressions of Bcl-2, Ki-67, and VEGF. In addition, the functions of major organs were not significantly damaged. Our study provides a safe and efficacious method of this three-layered functionalized hydrogel-fibrous membrane-hydrogel composite materials for CRC treatment.

Abstract Nanomaterials are developing rapidly in the medical field, bringing new hope for treating various refractory diseases. Among them, polymer nanomaterials, with their excellent properties, have been used to treat various diseases, such as malignant tumors, diabetes, and nervous system diseases. Gastrointestinal cancer is among the cancers with the highest morbidity and mortality worldwide. Cancer stem cells are believed to play an important role in the occurrence and development of tumors. This article summarizes the characteristics of gastrointestinal cancer stem cells and reviews the latest research progress in treating gastrointestinal malignant tumors using polymer nanoparticles to target cancer stem cells. In addition, the review article highlights the potential of polymer nanoparticles in targeting gastrointestinal cancer stem cells.

Ferroptosis has emerged to be a promising approach in cancer therapies; however, colorectal cancer (CRC) is relatively insensitive to ferroptosis. Exactly how the gut microenvironment impacts the ferroptotic sensitivity of CRC remains unknown. Herein, by performing metabolomics, we discovered that butyrate concentrations were significantly decreased in CRC patients. Butyrate supplementation sensitized CRC mice to ferroptosis induction, showing great in vivo translatability. Particularly, butyrate treatment reduced ferroptotic resistance of cancer stem cells. Mechanistically, butyrate inhibited xCT expression and xCT-dependent glutathione synthesis. Moreover, we identified c-Fos as a novel xCT suppressor, and further elucidated that butyrate induced c-Fos expression via disrupting class I HDAC activity. In CRC patients, butyrate negatively correlated with tumor xCT expression and positively correlated with c-Fos expression. Finally, butyrate was found to boost the pro-ferroptotic function of oxaliplatin (OXA). Immunohistochemistry data showed that OXA non-responders exhibited higher xCT expression compared to OXA responders. Hence, butyrate supplementation is a promising approach to break the ferroptosis resistance in CRC.

Background and aimsMalnutrition is strongly linked to adverse outcomes in patients with Crohn’s disease (CD). In this study, our objective was to validate the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria and develop a fast and accurate diagnostic approach for identifying malnutrition in CD patients.MethodsThis study assessed 177 CD patients from four general hospitals. The efficacy of the GLIM criteria for the diagnosis of CD malnutrition was compared. By analyzing the independent factors, a nomogram model was derived and internally validated to predict the diagnosis of malnutrition in patients with CD. Model performance was assessed using discrimination and calibration, decision curves, and net benefit analyses.ResultsCompared with the SGA criteria, the GLIM criteria was consistent in sensitivity (88.89%) and specificity (78.43%) [AUC = 0.84; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.77–0.89]. The Harvey-Bradshaw index(HBI) score (OR: 1.58; 95% CI: 1.15–2.18), body mass index (OR: 0.41; 95% CI: 0.27–0.64), and mid-upper arm circumference (OR: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.47–0.9) were independent factors associated with malnutrition. The nomogram was developed based on these indicators showing good discrimination in malnutrition diagnosis (AUC = 0.953; 95% CI: 0.922–0.984), with agreement after calibration curve and decision curve analysis.ConclusionThe GLIM criteria are appropriate for diagnosing malnutrition in CD patients. The HBI score may be used to diagnose malnutrition in patients with CD and become a possible selection for the GLIM etiologic criteria of inflammation. The HBM nomogram could be a simple, rapid, and efficient method for diagnosing malnutrition in CD patients.

Abstract Background This study aimed to assess the clinical and radiologic outcomes of a functional brace in combination with physical therapy (FBPT) for early correction of cubitus varus in young children. Methods Eighteen consecutive patients with cubitus varus secondary to supracondylar fractures were enrolled between July 2017 and March 2019. We used the FBPT technique to correct varus and sagittal plane deformity for early cubitus varus in young children. The clinical evaluation included measurement of varus angulation, sagittal plane, and range of motion at three, six, and twelve months post-intervention. The clinical and radiographic results were assessed according to the Bellemore criteria. Results Pre-treatment humerus-elbow-wrist (HEW) angle measured on the affected side (varus deformity) ranged between -38° and -12° (average, -23.2°) while the post-treatment HEW angle ranged between -10° and + 15° (average, 8.8°). Compared with the unaffected side, no statistically significant difference was found in the affected side post-intervention (P > 0.05). According to the Bellemore criteria, we got excellent results in fourteen patients (77.8%), good results in three patients (16.7%), and poor result in one patient (5.5%). All patients and their parents (except one patient with residual varus deformities) were satisfied with the functional and cosmetic outcomes. Conclusions The FBPT is effective for the treatment of cubitus varus in children, especially for young children within 6 months of the injury.

Abstract As is well known that the global optimization ability of the Fruit fly Optimization Algorithm (FOA)is weak because it is easy to fall into local optimum. In this paper, a Fruit Fly Optimization Algorithm based on Locality Sensitive Hashing-aware (LSHFOA)was proposed. The locality sensitive hashing mechanism to optimize the generation mechanism for swarm population individuals was used, which can improve the individual diversity of the population. Meanwhile, when the fruit fly population falls into the local optimum, the locality sensitive hashing mechanism was adopted to change the population location, which is used for jumping out of local optimal limits. To verify the performance of LSHFOA, it was compared with FOA and its improvement algorithms CFOA, and IFFO with 8 representative benchmark functions. A large number of experimental results showed that LSHFOA has a faster convergence speed and higher precision of optimization for function optimization, especially in high-dimensional multi-peak functions. In addition to the theoretical evaluation, we also evaluate its performance in a real-world scenario. Generally, an edge computing environment, as an extension of cloud computing, can allow the users to access the network in a low-latency manner. In this way, to capture the high-speed convergence advantage, this paper makes the first attempt to tackle a classic research problem in the edge computing environment, i.e., the edge server placement problem. The experimental results show that the new algorithm has an excellent application effect.

Abstract Objective Fear aura has traditionally been considered relevant to epileptic discharges from mesial temporal areas, and few studies have investigated its effect on surgical outcome in drug‐resistant epilepsy. We aim to assess the localizing and lateralizing value as well as prognostic significance of fear aura in patients with focal epilepsy. Methods The occurrence of fear aura in relation to epileptogenic origin and its association with postoperative outcome were analyzed in 146 consecutive patients undergoing resective surgery for intractable epilepsy. Results Ninety‐four (64.4%) patients reported auras, and 31 (21.2%) reported fear aura in their seizures. One hundred ten (75.3%) patients had an Engel class I outcome until last follow‐up, of whom 24 experienced fear aura preoperatively. Fear aura appeared more frequently during temporal and frontal lobe seizures, but did not lateralize the seizure onset zone. There were no significant baseline differences between patients with and without fear aura. No correlation was found between postoperative outcome and the presence of auras. Occurrence of fear aura failed to show predictive value in surgical outcome whether in pooled or subgroup analysis. Interpretation This study advances our understanding of the origin of fear aura, and is helpful for presurgical evaluation and outcome prediction. Without lateralizing value, fear aura is more commonly seen with temporal or frontal origin. When taken as a whole, auras do not have a significant impact on seizure outcome in focal epilepsy. Patients with fear aura are no more likely to become seizure‐free than those without fear aura.

The emergence of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) following androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is associated with increased malignancy and limited treatment options. This study aims to investigate potential connections between immune cell infiltration and inflammatory cytokines with the YAP1/AR/PSA axis by exploring their interactions with autophagy. Our research reveals heightened levels of Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1) expression in CRPC tissues compared with tissues from androgen-dependent prostate cancer (ADPC) and benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). Additionally, a correlation was observed between YAP1 and PSA expressions in CRPC tissues, suggesting that YAP1 may exert a regulatory influence on PSA expression within CRPC. Enhanced YAP1 expression in C4-2 cells resulted in the upregulation of androgen receptor (AR) nuclear translocation and intracellular prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels. Conversely, the suppression of YAP1 led to a decrease in PSA expression, suggesting that YAP1 may positively regulate the PSA in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) by facilitating AR nuclear import. The modulation of the autophagy activity exerts a significant impact on the expression levels of YAP1, the AR, and the PSA. Moreover, recent advancements in immunity and inflammation studies present promising avenues for potential therapies targeting prostate cancer (PC).

In order to achieve the enrichment of sulforaphane, polyphenols, flavonoids and other bioactive substances in broccoli sprouts so as to reduce production costs, this study used plasma treatment induction method to treat broccoli sprouts. The plasma treatment conditions and its effects on the sprouts of different varieties of broccoli were studied. The results showed that the plasma treatment voltage and time had significant effects(P

Background/Aims Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is prevalent in East Asia. However, information on CAM in East Asian patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is scarce. We aimed to profile the prevalence and pattern of CAM use among East Asian IBD patients and to identify factors associated with CAM use. We also compared physicians’ perspectives on CAM. Methods Patients with IBD from China, Japan, and South Korea were invited to complete questionnaires on CAM use. Patient demographic and clinical data were collected. Logistic regression analysis was applied for predictors of CAM use. Physicians from each country were asked about their opinion on CAM services or products. Results Overall, 905 patients with IBD participated in this study (China 232, Japan 255, and South Korea 418). Approximately 8.6% of patients with IBD used CAM services for their disease, while 29.7% of patients sought at least 1 kind of CAM product. Current active disease and Chinese or South Korean nationality over Japanese were independent predictors of CAM use. Chinese doctors were more likely to consider CAM helpful for patients with IBD than were Japanese and South Korean doctors. Conclusions In 8.6% and 29.7% of East Asian patients with IBD used CAM services and products, respectively, which does not differ from the prevalence in their Western counterparts. There is a significant gap regarding CAM usage among different Asian countries, not only from the patients’ perspective but also from the physicians’ point of view.

Abstract Background The genus Swertia is of great medicinal importance and one of the most taxonomically challenging taxa within Gentianaceae, largely due to the morphological similarities of species within this genus and with its closely related genera. Previous molecular studies confirmed its polyphyly but suffered from low phylogenetic resolutions because only limited sequence loci were used. Thus, we conducted the structural, gene evolutionary, and phylogenetic analyses of 11 newly obtained plastomes of Swertia. Our result greatly improved the phylogenetic resolutions in Swertia, shed new light on the plastome evolution and phylogenetic relationships of this genus. Results The 11 Swertia plastomes together with the published seven species proved highly similar in overall size, structure, gene order, and content, but revealed some structural variations caused by the expansion and contraction of the IRb region into the LSC region, due to the heterogeneous length of the ψycf1. The gene rps16 was found to be in a state flux with pseudogenes or completely lost. Similar situation was also documented in other genera of Gentianaceae. This might imply loss of the gene in the common ancestor of Gentianaceae. The distribution plot of ENC vs. GC3 showed all these plastomes arranging very close in the Wright line with an expected ENC value (49–52%), suggesting the codon usage of Swertia was mainly constrained by a GC mutation bias. Most of the genes remained under the purifying selection, however, the cemA was identified under positive selection, possibly reflecting an adaptive response to low CO2 atmospheric conditions during the Late Miocene. Our phylogenomic analyses, based on 74 protein-coding genes (CDS), supported the polyphyly of Swertia with its close allies in the subtribe Swertiinae, presumably due to recent rapid radiation. The topology inferred from our phylogenetic analyses partly supported the current taxonomic treatment. Finally, several highly variable loci were identified, which can be used in future phylogenetic studies and accurate identification of medicinal genuineness of Swertia. Conclusions Our study confirmed the polyphyly of Swertia and demonstrated the power of plastome phylogenomics in improvement of phylogenetic resolution, thus contributing to a better understanding of the evolutionary history of Swertia.

Introduction: A spin exchange relaxation free atomic magnetometer, as an ultra-highly sensitive magnetic field sensor, is limited by the performance of the probe laser system. The probe laser pumping effect (PLPE) hinders the increase in the performance of probe laser system.Methods: This study investigated the PLPE and proposed a method for suppressing the same. Through changes to the angle of a quarter wave plate and the addition of a triangular modulated magnetic field to the alkali atoms, the suppression point was determined.Results and discussion: Further, related parameters were measured for different degree of polarizations of the probe laser, which confirmed that the influence of PLPE on the magnetic field was the least at the suppressed point.

Introduction: The effectiveness and safety of vedolizumab (VDZ) against ulcerative colitis (UC) have been validated in several randomized controlled trials and real-world studies in Western countries. However, there are few studies on VDZ in Asia, and the follow-up period for these studies is generally short. Therefore, this study evaluates the long-term effectiveness and safety of VDZ in Chinese patients with UC.Methods: This retrospective study included patients with moderate to severe UC treated with VDZ between September 2019 and April 2022 at Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, College of Medicine Zhejiang University. Clinical response and remission were assessed using the patient reported outcomes and the partial Mayo Score, and mucosal remission and healing were assessed using the Mayo Endoscopy Score. The primary endpoint was defined as clinical remission at week 14, and secondary endpoints included clinical response and steroid-free clinical remission at week 14, clinical response, clinical remission, and steroid-free clinical remission at week 52, and mucosal remission and healing at weeks 14 ± 8 and 52 ± 8.Results: Overall, 64 patients with moderate to severe UC were enrolled. The clinical response, clinical remission, and steroid-free clinical remission rates at week 14 were 73.4% (47/64), 65.6% (42/64), and 54.7% (35/64), respectively. Mucosal remission and healing rates at week 14 ± 8 were 64.7% (22/34) and 38.2% (13/34), respectively. A total of 48 patients were treated with VDZ for 52 weeks. Based on intention-to-treat analysis, the clinical response, clinical remission, and steroid-free clinical remission rates at week 52 were 68.8% (44/64), 64.1% (41/64), and 64.1% (41/64), respectively. Mucosal remission and healing rates at week 52 ± 8 were 70.6% (12/17) and 35.3% (6/17), respectively. During the follow-up period, the most common adverse event was skin rash (6/64). No cases of acute infusion reactions, delayed allergic reactions, new hepatitis B infections, active tuberculosis, or malignant tumors were reported.Conclusion: In this single-center retrospective real-world study, the effectiveness of long-term use of VDZ for Chinese patients with UC was similar to the outcomes previously reported in other geographical regions and populations; no new safety signals were found compared with other registered studies.

Background: The ulcerative colitis (UC) Mayo endoscopy score is a useful tool for evaluating the severity of UC in patients in clinical practice. Objectives: We aimed to develop and validate a deep learning-based approach to automatically predict the Mayo endoscopic score using UC endoscopic images. Design: A multicenter, diagnostic retrospective study. Methods: We collected 15120 colonoscopy images of 768 UC patients from two hospitals in China and developed a deep model based on a vision transformer named the UC-former. The performance of the UC-former was compared with that of six endoscopists on the internal test set. Furthermore, multicenter validation from three hospitals was also carried out to evaluate UC-former’s generalization performance. Results: On the internal test set, the areas under the curve of Mayo 0, Mayo 1, Mayo 2, and Mayo 3 achieved by the UC-former were 0.998, 0.984, 0.973, and 0.990, respectively. The accuracy (ACC) achieved by the UC-former was 90.8%, which is higher than that achieved by the best senior endoscopist. For three multicenter external validations, the ACC was 82.4%, 85.0%, and 83.6%, respectively. Conclusions: The developed UC-former could achieve high ACC, fidelity, and stability to evaluate the severity of UC, which may provide potential application in clinical practice. Registration: This clinical trial was registered at the ClinicalTrials.gov (trial registration number: NCT05336773)

Based on the understandings of previous studies and exploration results, with the analyses of regional geophysical profiles and drilling data, it was discussed in this paper the deformation and distribution of marine sediments in the northern Jiangsu area under the superimposed transformation of Indosinian-Yanshanian compressional structures and Himalayan extensional structures. On this basis, the possible types of hydrocarbon accumulation and their key controlling factors of the study area were summarized by comprehensive analysis of accumulation assemblage. Results indicate that: (1) Bounded by Huaiyin-Dongtai fault, the Lower Paleozoic strata dominate the remaining strata of the west side, which basically show a stratum inversion in vertical direction and gradually change from old to new from north to south. The remaining strata of the east side are dominated by the Upper Paleozoic, which are normally distributed vertically and gradually change from old to new from north to south. (2) There are four types of hydrocarbon accumulation related to marine strata in the northern Jiangsu area, including early-stage primary-generation and residual type, late-stage new-generation and ancient-storage type, late-stage ancient-generation and new-storage type, and ancient-generation and ancient-storage type. For the early-stage primary-generation and residual type, two factors must be occurred: the favorable area for early accumulation and the weak degree of reconstruction and damage in the Yanshanian period. For the late-stage new-generation and ancient-storage type, the connection between continental hydrocarbon kitchen and marine reservoir is needed. For the late-stage ancient-generation and new-storage type, there must be late hydrocarbon generation kitchen and vertical migration channel to continental reservoir. For the late-stage ancient-generation and ancient-storage type, there must be late hydrocarbon generation kitchen and vertical regional cap rocks. The late-stage ancient-generation and new-storage type is a favorable target for recent breakthroughs in marine exploration, and the late-stage ancient-generation and ancient-storage type is favorable for further exploration.

Abstract Background Prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is increasing in China. The EXPLORE study evaluated the incidence and indicators of suboptimal responses to first-line anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn’s disease (CD). We present results for the mainland China subgroup. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed in adults with IBD at 10 centers in mainland China who initiated anti-TNF therapy between 01 March 2010 and 01 March 2015. The cumulative incidence of suboptimal response to first-line anti-TNF therapy was assessed over 24 months using the Kaplan–Meier method. Indicators of suboptimal response were: dose escalation, discontinuation, augmentation with non-biologic therapy, or IBD-related surgery/hospitalization. At site initiation, a survey was conducted with participating physicians to identify barriers to anti-TNF use. Results Of 287 patients (72% male) examined, 16/35 (45.7%) with UC and 123/252 (48.8%) with CD experienced a suboptimal response to first-line anti-TNF therapy at any point during the observation period (median 27.6 and 40.0 months, respectively). At 1 and 2 years post anti-TNF initiation, the cumulative incidence of suboptimal response was 51.4% and 75.7% for UC and 45.4% and 57.0% for CD, respectively. Median time to first suboptimal response was 7.2 months for UC and 14.3 months for CD. The most frequent indicator of suboptimal response was discontinuation of anti-TNF therapy (9/16, 56.3%) for UC and IBD-related hospitalization for CD (69/123, 56.1%) followed by augmentation with non-biologic therapy for both cohorts (5/16, 31.3% for UC and 28/123, 22.8% for CD). Dose escalation was the least frequent indicator of suboptimal response to anti-TNF therapy (CD: 4/123, 3.3%; UC: not cited as an indicator). The cumulative incidence of suboptimal response within 4 months of first-line anti-TNF therapy (primary non-response) was over 30% in both cohorts. Financial reasons and reimbursement were identified by surveyed physicians as the most common barriers to prescribing an anti-TNF therapy. Conclusions Over one-half of patients with IBD are at risk of experiencing a suboptimal response to first-line anti-TNF therapy at 2 years post-initiation in China. This study highlights a substantial unmet need associated with anti-TNF therapies in China. (Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT03090139).

We propose and demonstrate a new simultaneous optical and radio frequency (RF) transmission scheme using optical phase stabilization combined with phase conjugate technology. The acousto-optical modulator (AOM) is used as a frequency actuator to compensate the optical frequency phase noise introduced by the optical fiber link, and the electro-optical modulator (EOM) is used to modulate two optical carrier sidebands simultaneously to stabilize the RF phase by phase conjugate technology. The novelty is that forward and backward RFs are distinguished by the AOMs used in standard optical carrier transfer to avoid the backscattering without WDM, so that the optical link is more symmetric, reducing the degradation of frequency stability due to polarization fluctuation and chromatic dispersion thermal sensitivity. We experimentally demonstrate 193.4 THz optical frequency transfer with a frequency stability of 1.2 $ \times $ 10−17 at the integral time of 1 s and 3.3 $ \times $ 10−19 at 10000 s, 1 GHz RF with a frequency stability of 7 $ \times $ 10−13 at 1 s and 3 $ \times $ 10−16 at 10000 s over a 50.4 km fiber spools. This novel scheme demonstrates the compatibility of two contrasting fiber noise cancellation techniques, and is superior to the current optical frequency and RF simultaneous transmission schemes in terms of cost and complexity.

With the popularization of logistics technology and the improvement of people’s living standards, the number of chain restaurants with delivery service is increasing continuously due to the convenient service and special discounts. However, the inappropriate management mode and delivery delays often lead to high delivery cost, especially during the peak meal period. Therefore, to solve the problems, two delivery modes, Modern Delivery Mode of Chain Restaurants (MDMCR) and Improved Delivery Mode of Chain Restaurants (IDMCR) were first proposed. IDMCR is an one-stage approach to directly solve the delivery routing problem of multiple branches. Furthermore, we presented an adaptive genetic algorithm for delivery of chain restaurants (AGA-DCR) specifically for IDMCR, which adjusts adaptively the traditional crossover and mutation operations to the fitness of individual and population, therefore, local optimal is avoid. The experiments were conducted with the same dataset to compare different approaches. The results demonstrated that AGA-DCR avoided falling into the local optimal while improved the quality of the solution. Moreover, IDMCR combined with AGA-DCR achieved the best performance, reducing the delivery delay cost by 56.2% compared to MDMCR with GA. Additionally, the optimal delivery routes for chain restaurants were visualized to provide a reference solution for the practical applications.

Abstract Background Neonicotinoids are widely applied in the control of the destructive agricultural pest Bemisia tabaci, and resistance against these chemicals has become a common, severe problem in the control of whiteflies. To investigate the molecular mechanism underlying resistance against nenonicotinoids in whiteflies, RNA-seq technology was applied, and the variation in the transcriptomic profiles of susceptible whiteflies and whiteflies selected by imidacloprid, acetamiprid and thiamethoxam treatment was characterized. Results A total of 90.86 GB of clean sequence data were obtained from the 4 transcriptomes. Among the 16,069 assembled genes, 584, 110 and 147 genes were upregulated in the imidacloprid-selected strain (IMI), acetamiprid-selected strain (ACE), and thiamethoxam (THI)-selected strain, respectively, relative to the susceptible strain. Detoxification-related genes including P450s, cuticle protein genes, GSTs, UGTs and molecular chaperone HSP70s were overexpressed in the selected resistant strains, especially in the IMI strain. Five genes were downregulated in all three selected resistant strains, including 2 UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 2B18-like genes (LOC 109030370 and LOC 109032577). Conclusions Ten generations of selection with the three neonicotinoids induced different resistance levels and gene expression profiles, mainly involving cuticle protein and P450 genes, in the three selected resistant whitefly strains. The results provide a reference for research on resistance and cross-resistance against neonicotinoids in B. tabaci.

Objective: To analyze the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and survivin in breast cancer, and different molecular subtypes of breast cancer and to assess their relationship with recurrence and prognosis. Methods: The expression levels of HIF-1α and survivin genes in breast cancer were investigated using bioinformatics. Their protein expression levels were then verified through immunohistochemistry (IHC), and their relationship with recurrence and prognosis was assessed. Results: Expression levels of HIF-1α and survivin genes and proteins were increased in breast cancer tissues compared with normal tissues. Both were associated with clinical features of breast cancer and differentially expressed in different molecular subtypes of breast cancer, and both are related to the signal pathway of breast cancer growth and invasion. HIF-1α and survivin gene and protein expression levels were correlated, and both were associated with breast cancer recurrence (R = 0.380, P

BackgroundTo analyze the changing characteristics of continuous monitoring of refined lymphocyte subsets in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) during ART period.MethodsRefined lymphocyte subsets was continuously monitored using flow cytometry for 173 PLWHA, who were hospitalized in Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University from August 17, 2021 to September 14, 2022. The effect of ART status and duration of ART on changes of refined lymphocyte subsets were compared in different groups. Then, the levels of refined lymphocyte subsets in PLWHA treated for more than 10 years were compared to those of 1086 healthy individuals.ResultsIn addition to conventional CD4+ T lymphocytes and CD4+/CD8+ ratio, gradually increasing in numbers of CD3+CD4+CD45RO cells, CD3+CD4+CD45RA cells, CD45RA+CD3+CD4+CD25+CD127low and CD45RO+CD3+CD4+CD25+CD127low cells were found with the increase of ART duration. The number of CD4+CD28+ cells and CD8+CD28+ cells were 174/ul and 233/ul at 6 months post-ART, which gradually increased to 616/ul and 461/ul after ART initiation more than 10 years. Moreover, in ART ≤ 6 months, 6 months-3years, 3-10 years and >10 years groups, the percentage of CD3+CD8+HLA-DR+/CD8 were 79.66%, 69.73%, 60.19% and 57.90%, respectively, and the differences between groups showed statistical significance (F=5.727, P=0.001). For those PLWHA with ART more than 10 years, the levels of CD4+ T lymphocytes, CD3+CD4+CD45RO cells, CD3+CD4+CD45RA cells, CD4+CD28+ cells and CD8+CD28+ cells can increase to levels similar to those of healthy control. However, for those PLWHA with ART more than 10 years, CD4+/CD8+ ratio was 0.86 ± 0.47, which was lower than that of healthy control (0.86 ± 0.47 vs 1.32 ± 0.59, t=3.611, P=0.003); absolute counts and percentage of CD3+CD8+HLA-DR+ cells were 547/ul and 57.90%, which were higher than those of healthy control(547/ul vs 135/ul, t=3.612, P=0.003; 57.90% vs 22.38%, t=6.959, P

The impact of thermal pollution caused by cooling water discharge of power plant on the surrounding marine ecology has been a hot issue in oceanographic research. To reveal the distribution pattern of cooling water discharge of Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant in summer and the impact on the surrounding marine environment, this research established a high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) numerical model based on ECOMSED in the Daya Bay. The model results are consistent with the observations on the distribution of tide level and temperature. The simulated horizontal distribution of temperature rise is consistent with the distribution trend of remote sensing images. The study showed that the stratification of the Daya Bay water is stronger in summer. The cooling water mainly spreads in the surface layer, and the temperature rise in the bottom layer is not apparent. Quantitative analysis showed that around 18.8-21.6 km2 of the area has 1°C surface temperature rises. The area of temperature rises that exceeds 2 °C is between 6.2 and 8.1 km2. The area of temperature rises that exceeds 4 °C is between no more than 1.2 km2. The area with a bottom temperature rises of 1 °C does not exceed 2.2 km2, and there is no area that has a bottom temperature rise over 1 °C. The tidal dynamics process influences on the dispersion of cooling water discharge from Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant, where the influence is more significant in the spring tide period than in the neap tide period. Our findings are consistent with previous researches.

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a severe life-threatening inflammatory disease showing primary characteristics of excessive inflammatory response and oxidative stress. Based on the pathophysiology of AP, several anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative stress agents have been studied. However, the low accumulated concentrations and scattered biodistributions limit the application of these agents. With the development of nanotechnology, functional nanomaterials can improve the bioavailability of drugs and extend their half-life by reducing immunogenicity to achieve targeted drug delivery. The biomaterial-based carriers can mediate the passive or active delivery of drugs to the target site for improved therapeutic effects, such as anti-oxidation and anti-inflammation for AP treatment. Other biomaterials-based nanomedicine may exhibit different functions with/without targeting effects. In this review, we have summarized the targeting and functional effects of biomaterials-based nanoagents specifically for AP treatment.

Based on the relationship between the gut microbiota and colorectal cancer, we developed a new probiotic powder for treatment of colorectal cancer. Initially, we evaluated the effect of the probiotic powder on CRC using hematoxylin and eosin staining, and evaluated mouse survival rate and tumor size. We then investigated the effects of the probiotic powder on the gut microbiota, immune cells, and apoptotic proteins using 16S rDNA sequencing, flow cytometry, and western blot, respectively. The results showed that the probiotic powder improved the intestinal barrier integrity, survival rate, and reduced tumor size in CRC mice. This effect was associated with changes in the gut microbiota. Specifically, the probiotic powder increased the abundance of Bifidobacterium animalis and reduced the abundance of Clostridium cocleatum. In addition, the probiotic powder resulted in decreased numbers of CD4+ Foxp3+ Treg cells, increased numbers of IFN-γ+ CD8+ T cells and CD4+ IL-4+ Th2 cells, decreased expression of the TIGIT in CD4+ IL-4+ Th2 cells, and increased numbers of CD19+ GL-7+ B cells. Furthermore, the expression of the pro-apoptotic protein BAX was significantly increased in tumor tissues in response to the probiotic powder. In summary, the probiotic powder ameliorated CRC by regulating the gut microbiota, reducing Treg cell abundance, promoting the number of IFN-γ+ CD8+ T cells, increasing Th2 cell abundance, inhibiting the expression of TIGIT in Th2 cells, and increasing B cell abundance in the immune microenvironment of CRC, thereby increasing the expression of BAX in CRC.

Abstract Exosomes are extracellular vesicles secreted by various cells, mainly composed of lipid bilayers without organelles. In recent years, an increasing number of researchers have focused on the use of exosomes for drug delivery. Targeted drug delivery in the body is a promising method for treating many refractory diseases such as tumors and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Finding a suitable drug delivery carrier in the body has become a popular research today. In various drug delivery studies, the exosomes secreted by mesenchymal stem cells (MSC-EXOs) have been broadly researched due to their immune properties, tumor-homing properties, and elastic properties. While MSC-EXOs have apparent advantages, some unresolved problems also exist. This article reviews the studies on MSC-EXOs for drug delivery, summarizes the characteristics of MSC-EXOs, and introduces the primary production and purification methods and drug loading methods to provide solutions for existing problems and suggestions for future studies.

In this paper, we focus on the global dynamics of a neoclassical growth system incorporating patch structure and multiple pairs of time-varying delays. Firstly, we prove the global existence, positiveness and boundedness of solutions for the addressed system. Secondly, by employing some novel differential inequality analyses and the fluctuation lemma, both delay-independent and delay-dependent criteria are established to ensure that all solutions are convergent to the unique positive equilibrium point, which supplement and improve some existing results. Finally, some numerical examples are afforded to illustrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the theoretical findings.

We investigated the distribution, sources, and ecological risks of heavy metals (As, Hg, Zn, Cd, Pb, Cu, and Cr) in seawater, sediments, and shellfish in the inner and outer waters of Daya Bay. 42 seawater quality survey sites, 21 sediment survey sites and 21 biological survey sites were set up in the study area. Our results showed that Daya Bay’s seawater is both clean and has a high Cu exceedance factor. The sediment heavy metal potential ecological hazard indices are all less than 40, which indicates a minimal degree of risk. ERI in the bay (mean value of ERIis 25.43) and that outside the bay (mean value of 23.56) is lower than 150, so the potential impact on the ecosystem is relatively low. In the Bay, Hg and Zn are primarily from fossil fuel and coal combustion, which enter the ocean via dry and wet deposition or surface runoff. Outside the Bay, Cr, Cu, Zn and Pb are derived the combustion waste gases of ships that enter the ocean via atmospheric deposition. Concerningly, arsenic and lead level in shellfish organisms appear to be above the standard values.However, because THQ and TTHQ are less than 1, there is no potential risk to human health. The weekly assessed intakes (EWIs) of Hg, AS, Pb, and Cd in shellfish inside and outside Daya Bay were 0.093 (0.058 outside the Bay), 0.594 (0.534), 1.115 (1.489), and 0.201 (0.190), respectively, all of these values were lower than the provisional PTWI for humans established by WHO. This indicates that the probability of carcinogenic risk to the population from heavy metals in shellfish are all below unacceptable levels.

The contamination of heavy metals due to human activities has attracted great attention and may lead to serious environmental problems. This research was performed on seawater, sediments, and organisms in Jieshi Bay, China. The level of Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Hg, and As, respectively, was measured in each environment to acquire a comprehensive understanding of their sources and distribution and to accomplish a risk assessment. The results showed that the concentration of heavy metals in autumn was higher than those in spring, and surface water has a higher heavy metal content than bottom water. The main sources of these heavy metals could be surface runoff and industrial wastewater discharge in the said bay. Hg was the main pollutant in the seawater. Hg, Cu, Zn, and Cd could easily accumulate in organisms than other heavy metal contents. In addition, even though the concentration of Pb did not exceed the Seawater Quality Standard, decision-makers should still be attentive to the Pb content in fish because of bioaccumulation from seafood product consumption.

Helium, as an important strategic resource, is widely used in medical and sophisticated high-tech, but its distribution is seriously imbalanced, mainly concentrated in the United States, Qatar, Algeria and Russia. In this paper, based on the systematic study of the global distribution and supply and demand of helium, the current situation and future trend of helium consumption in china were analyzed. In view of the shortage of helium resources in China and the high dependence on foreign countries, suggestions were put forward to strengthen the comprehensive research on domestic helium resources, enhance the investigation and utilization of associated helium resources, deepen the research on helium exploration and development technology, and promote the process of commercial exploration and development.

BackgroundThis study aims to explore the epidemiological trends of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) over the past three decades in China and further predict the trends of IBD in the next 25 years.MethodsThe prevalence, incidence, mortality, years of life lived with disability (YLDs), years of life lost (YLLs), disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and annual percentage changes of the above metrics of IBD in China from 1990 to 2019 were extracted from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The corresponding trends in the next 25 years were predicted.ResultsFrom 1990 to 2019, the cases of IBD in China raised to 484 thousand [95% uncertainty interval (UI) 411–571] and 427 thousand (366–498) among males and females, respectively. The age-standardized incidence rate of IBD increased from 1.72 per 100,000 population (1.44–2.05) to 3.35 per 100,000 population (2.88–3.88) among males and from 1.20 per 100,000 population (1.02–1.42) to 2.65 per 100,000 population (2.29–3.08) among females. The highest incidence rate occurred in people aged 35–39 years. The total YLDs attributed to IBD significantly increased, but the YLLs showed a decreasing trend, resulting in minor alterations of the DALYs. In the next 25 years, the incidence of IBD would continue to increase until a plateau by 2030, and IBD-related deaths would also increase to about 7.57 thousand by 2044 despite the decreasing age-standardized mortality rate. Similar trends were observed for both sexes, with a slight male predominance.ConclusionsAlthough China is still a low-endemic area of IBD, the prevalence and incidence of IBD dramatically increased in the past three decades. The burden of IBD in China is expected to grow continuously in the next 25 years due to the large population base and severe aging problem. China is estimated to enter the Compounding Prevalence stage around 2030.

Background/Aims Risk of venous thrombosis is increased in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); data on Asian IBD patients is limited and status quo of thrombosis screening and prophylaxis are unknown. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the incidence, screening, prophylaxis, and risk factors for venous thrombosis among Asian IBD patients. Methods Medical files of patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) from 17 hospitals across China between 2011 and 2016 were reviewed for venous thrombosis, use of screening and prophylaxis. A case-control study was performed among hospitalized patients with venous thrombosis and their age-, sex-matched IBD controls hospitalized around the same period; disease characteristics and known provoking factors of venous thrombosis were recorded. Risk factors were analyzed in both univariate and logistic regression analyses. Results A total of 8,459 IBD patients were followed for 12,373 person-year. Forty-six patients (0.54%) had venous thrombosis, yielding an incidence of 37.18 per 10,000 person-year. Incidence increased with age, especially among CD. Less than 20% of patients received screening tests and 35 patients (0.41%) received prophylaxis. Severe disease flare was an independent risk factor for venous thrombosis (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: CD, 9.342 [1.813– 48.137]; UC, 5.198 [1.268–21.305]); past use of steroids and extensive involvement were 2 additional risk factors in CD and UC, respectively. Conclusions Incidence of venous thrombosis in China was 37.18 per 10,000 person-year (0.54%). Use of screening and prophylaxis were rare. Severe disease flare was an independent risk factor for thrombosis among hospitalized patients.

The urbanization process can alter the structure of urban land use and result in variations in urban ecosystem services (ESs). Researching the driving mechanism of multi-level indicators of urbanization on the supply and demand of ESs can enhance our understanding of the ecological and environmental impacts of urbanization. This study investigates the driving mechanisms underlying the relationship between urbanization and the supply–demand dynamics of ecosystem services (ESs) in the Yangtze River Middle Reaches Urban Agglomeration (YRMRUA). First, we assessed the variation in the key ESs (food production, carbon storage, and culture service) from 2000 to 2019 at both city and provincial levels. Second, ES demand and the supply–demand index (SDI) were calculated utilizing socioeconomic indicators. The Geographical Detector model was applied to analyze the individual and combined effects of urbanization on the supply and SDI of ESs. The results showed that an increase in areas of supply and demand was unbalanced in the YRMRUA from 2000 to 2019, with a predominant concentration observed in the provincial capital cities. Scale urbanization exhibits the most substantial influence on the SDI, with a q-value of 0.6, while land urbanization exerts the most pronounced effect on ES supply, with a q-value of 0.7. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that the combined effect of urbanization on ESs surpasses the individual effect, with q-values exceeding 0.5. The interaction between scale urbanization and other indicators has the greatest impact on the SDI of carbon storage. Population and economic urbanization exhibit a more substantial impact on food production and cultural service compared to other primary indicators. Simultaneously, the joint effects of secondary indicators between per capita living area and per capita road area have a greater impact on ES supply than other secondary indicators. These findings illustrate that urbanization indicators are not independent of each other, but have a combined effect. Furthermore, the urbanization process in the YRMRUA has exhibited a gradual deceleration, leading to a diminishing influence on ESs. This study can contribute to the comprehension of urbanization and ESs when dealing with the conflict between urban development and ecological sustainability.

Objective: The ulcerative colitis endoscopic index of severity (UCEIS) and the Mayo endoscopic score (MES) are developed as objective methods of evaluating endoscopic severity in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). The aim of this study is to investigate the diagnostic accuracy of the UCEIS and MES in predicting the patient's response to mesalazine. Methods: Consecutive patients with UC who had undergone colonoscopy within 1 month before starting mesalazine between October 2011 and July 2016 were retrospectively collected at the Department of Gastroenterology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine. The median follow-up was 81 months, and all the data were analyzed in January 2021. The primary outcome was the need for step-up treatment, which included the use of corticosteroids, immunomodulatory, or surgery during admission and follow-up. Data were analyzed using the χ2 or Fisher exact test, Spearman test, t-test, and Mann–Whitney U test. Results: Totally, 65 patients were enrolled, of whom 12 (18.5%) needed step-up treatment due to nonresponse to mesalazine. The UCEIS score, MES, and the ulcerative colitis disease activity index (UCDAI) score were significantly higher in patients who had nonresponse to mesalazine (UCEIS score: 6.92 ± 0.69 vs. 4.45 ± 1.17, p

The coastal area in the northern South China Sea (nSCS) is one of China’s most economically active regions. The fast-growing industry of marine sector and the shipping has increased the probability of oil spill accidents. An oil spill is a usually unexpected incident that is harmful to the ecological environment and marine organisms of the coastal area. As a result, utilizing a numerical model to simulate the fate and transport trajectory of spilled oil and to assess the potential risk of an oil spill accident to the coastal marine environment is of great necessity. The present study aimed to examine the impact of the risk of oil spills on the coastal environment in the nSCS. We built a hydrodynamic model and an oil spill dispersion model based on MIKE21 FM to study the tidal dynamics and oil spill dispersion in the coastal area in the nSCS. Moreover, the stochastic approach was used to simulate and predict the fastest arrival time and the probability distribution of the pollution of the oil film to the surrounding environment in the coastal regions of the nSCS. We examined the mechanisms for the influences of tides and wind on the fastest arrival time of oil film and the spatial distribution of the pollution probability of oil spill incidents at different locations in the nSCS based on the model. The results showed that the wind direction has a dominating effect on the direction of the oil dispersion. Due to the differences in the tidal dynamics in different regions, the migration and dispersion of the oil are also affected by the tidal current. This research provides guidance on the risk assessment of oil spill accidents for marine environmental management.

Spatiotemporal vectorial pulse shaping can produce ultrafast optical pulses that enable unprecedented coherent control for light–matter interactions. A traditional pulse shaper produces ultrafast pulses with scalar programmable waveforms for various quantum control applications. However, quantum systems are three dimensional in nature; thus, the interactions are inevitability vectorial. Existing polarization pulse shaping techniques, which are often difficult to align and cumbersome to handle, can only produce dynamic polarization modulation in the temporal domain. Through simply introducing a quarter-wave plate in a pulse shaper using a two-dimensional spatial light modulator, we show that wavepackets with much more sophisticated spatiotemporal vectorial structures such as spatiotemporal spin grating, spatiotemporal spin lattice, and spatiotemporally twisting polarization can be generated, significantly expanding our ability in coherently controlling light–matter interactions that may find broad applications.

Anastomotic leak (AL) represents one of the most detrimental complications after colorectal surgery. The patient-related factors and surgery-related factors leading to AL have been identified in previous studies. Through early identification and timely adjustment of risk factors, preventive measures can be taken to reduce potential AL. However, there are still many problems associated with AL. The debate about preventive measures such as preoperative mechanical bowel preparation (MBP), intraoperative drainage, and surgical scope also continues. Recently, the gut microbiota has received more attention due to its important role in various diseases. Although the underlying mechanisms of gut microbiota on AL have not been validated completely, new strategies that manipulate intrinsic mechanisms are expected to prevent and treat AL. Moreover, laboratory examinations for AL prediction and methods for blood perfusion assessment are likely to be promoted in clinical practice. This review outlines possible risk factors for AL and suggests some preventive measures in terms of patient, surgery, and gut microbiota.

BackgroundDistinguishing Crohn's disease (CD) and intestinal Behçet's disease (BD) is difficult in clinical practice.AimTo evaluate the ability of CT enterography (CTE) to enhance the diagnostic value of endoscopy in differentiating CD from intestinal BD and to establish differential diagnosis models.MethodsA total of 113 patients with CD and 70 patients with intestinal BD from seven tertiary inflammatory bowel disease centers were enrolled. The univariate and multivariate analyses were used by SAS software version 9.2. Three differential scoring models based on the multivariate analysis of endoscopic features alone (model 1), endoscopic features combined with clinical symptoms (model 2), and endoscopic features combined with clinical symptoms and CTE (model 3) were established.ResultsThe results showed that model 2 increased the efficacy of model 1 in differential diagnosis and model 3 had the highest accuracy of 84.15% at a cutoff value of two points. The scoring of model 3 was as follows: genital ulcer (−3 points), skin lesions (−3 points), oval ulcer (-2 points), longitudinal ulcer (1 point), number of ulcers > 5 (3 points), inflammatory polyps (2 points), mucosal severe enhancement (2 points), and fibrofatty proliferation (1 point).ConclusionClinical symptoms and CTE increased the ability of endoscopy to differentiate CD from intestinal BD.

Schwannoma is a type of tumor originating from Schwann cells of peripheral nerves. In this study, we report a rare case of two giant connected retroperitoneal schwannomas. The patient presented to our department with a 1-day history of abdominal pain and without other symptoms. There were no abnormalities in the patient’s tumor markers. Abdominal plain computed tomography (CT) revealed two (combined) retroperitoneal masses appearing as soft tissue-density shadows with uneven internal density, cystic low-density shadows, and patchy calcification shadows. The larger mass measured approximately 12.0 cm × 12.3 cm in size. The tumors were completely excised by a reasonable surgical approach while the surrounding organs closely related to the tumor were preserved. Postoperative pathology confirmed that the tumors were benign schwannomas. In the 18-month follow-up, the patient had no recurrences and was asymptomatic. We summarize the diagnosis and treatment of two rare combined giant retroperitoneal schwannomas in a single patient. Laparotomy for the management of retroperitoneal giant schwannomas may be safe and effective.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a worldwide disease threatening people's lives. Surgery and chemotherapy are still the main methods for CRC treatment. However, the side effects and chemotherapeutic drug resistance restrict the application of chemotherapy. Trametes Robiniophila Murr, also known as Huaier, is a traditional Chinese medicine that has been used for more than 1,600 years. Huaier extracts have promising anti-cancer effects on hepatoma, breast cancer, and gastric cancer. Nowadays, the tumor inhibition of Huaier on CRC has attracted more and more attention. This review mainly provides the possible anti-tumor mechanisms of Huaier for CRC treatment in apoptosis and inhibiting proliferation of tumor cells, preventing epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT), weakening proliferation and differentiation of CRC stem cells, decreasing the vessel density in tumor tissues, and enhancing the immune system and chemotherapeutic efficacy. Huaier extract may be a good candidate for CRC treatment, especially when combined with other chemotherapeutic agents.

Quantum error correction technology is a vital method to eliminate noise during the operation of quantum computers. To solve the problem caused by noise, in this paper, reinforcement learning is used to encode defects of Semion codes, and the experience replay technique is used to realize the design of decoder. Semion codes are quantum topological error correction codes with the same symmetry group Z2 as Kitaev toric codes, we used the topological characteristics of error correction codes to map qubits to multi-dimensional space, and error correction accuracy of the decoder is calculated to be 77.5%. Calculate the threshold of topological quantum Semion code, depending on the code distance, resulting in different thresholds, pthreshold = 0.081574 when the code distance is d = 3, 5, 7 and threshold pthreshold = 0.09542 when the code distance is d = 5, 7, 9. And we design the Q-network to optimize the cost of quantum circuit gates and compare the size of the cost reduction under different thresholds. Reinforcement learning is an important method for designing Semion code decoders and optimizing numerical values, providing more general error models and error correction codes for future machine engineering decoders.

Urbanization brings dramatic changes in land cover and significantly alters urban morphology, which in turn affects the urban ecological processes and environment. To promote urban sustainability, it is necessary to accurately quantify dynamic changes in urban form and reveal the associated influencing factors. This study selected seven periods of urban boundary data and socioeconomic data for 31 provincial capitals in China from 1990 to 2018. The evolution characteristics and influencing factors of urban landscape patterns in different dimensions were analyzed based on stepwise regression method. Results indicated that the patch area and aggregation of urban land showed a significant increasing trend from 1990 to 2018, whereas the landscape fragmentation exhibited a significant decreasing trend. The shape complexity of each city showed an increasing trend from 1990 to 2005, and that of eastern cities and megacities tended to decrease thereafter. This suggest that when urban development reaches a certain level, landscape shape will gradually become regular. There was obvious spatial heterogeneity in the influencing factors of urban landscape pattern evolution. Social and economic development promoted urban expansion whereas reduced urban fragmentation, resulted a negative effect on patch density. For the economically developed cities in the east, after 2005, the urban form has tended to be regularized, and the further increase of the output value of tertiary industry will reduce the landscape shape index (LSI). Urbanization rate played major role in contagion for megacities and other cities were mainly influenced by fixed-asset investment. Therefore, heterogeneous measures should be considered for future urban landscape pattern optimization at various economic zone or hierarchical city scales.