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In this paper, a novel transistor based on a hybrid conduction mechanism of band-to-band tunneling and drift-diffusion is proposed and investigated with the aid of TCAD tools. Besides the on and off states, the proposed device presents an additional intermediate state between the on and off states. Based on the tri-state behavior of the proposed TDFET (tunneling and drift-diffusion field-effect transistor), a ternary inverter is designed and its operation principle is studied in detail. It was found that this device achieves ternary logic with only two components, and its structure is simple. In addition, the influence of the supply voltage and the key device parameters are also investigated.

Background and objectives: Patients with bladder cancer (BC) are at high risk for recurrence rates and readmission costs. However, the evidence about obesity and metabolic abnormalities on the BC prognosis was inconsistent. Our primary aim was to determine the impact of obesity and different metabolic status on the readmission risk in patients with BC. Design and methods: We identified 16,649 patients with BC using the 2018 Nationwide Readmissions Database who were hospitalized from January to June 2018 and followed for 180 days. The primary outcome was 180-day readmission. The multivariate Cox regression analysis and ordered logistic regression were performed to analyze data. Results: Obesity and metabolic abnormalities were associated with an increased readmission risk in patients with BC [obesity: adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 1.08, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01–1.16; hyperglycemia: aHR = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.05–1.17; hypertension: aHR = 1.09, 95% CI: 1.03–1.15]. Compared with non-obese and no metabolic abnormalities, the risk of readmission was significantly increased in patients with metabolic abnormalities, irrespective of obesity (non-obese and metabolic abnormalities: aHR = 1.07, 95% CI: 1.02–1.13; obese and metabolic abnormalities: aHR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.10–1.31), but not in obese and no metabolic abnormalities. These associations were consistent in patients aged 60 years or older and the surgery group. Moreover, hyperglycemia, hypertension, and a graded increment of metabolic risk were associated with an increased readmission risk. We also found increased length of stay for readmission in patients with obesity and metabolic abnormalities (aOR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.00–1.36). Conclusion: Obesity with metabolic abnormalities and metabolic abnormalities alone were associated with higher readmission risks in patients with BC. It is suggested that prevention should focus not only on obesity but also on metabolic abnormalities to decrease the risk of readmission.

PurposeTo evaluate the diagnostic performance of a deep learning model based on multi-modal images in identifying molecular subtype of breast cancer.Materials and methodsA total of 158 breast cancer patients (170 lesions, median age, 50.8 ± 11.0 years), including 78 Luminal A subtype and 92 non-Luminal A subtype lesions, were retrospectively analyzed and divided into a training set (n = 100), test set (n = 45), and validation set (n = 25). Mammography (MG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images were used. Five single-mode models, i.e., MG, T2-weighted imaging (T2WI), diffusion weighting imaging (DWI), axial apparent dispersion coefficient (ADC), and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI), were selected. The deep learning network ResNet50 was used as the basic feature extraction and classification network to construct the molecular subtype identification model. The receiver operating characteristic curve were used to evaluate the prediction efficiency of each model.ResultsThe accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of a multi-modal tool for identifying Luminal A subtype were 0.711, 0.889, and 0.593, respectively, and the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.802 (95% CI, 0.657- 0.906); the accuracy, sensitivity, and AUC were higher than those of any single-modal model, but the specificity was slightly lower than that of DCE-MRI model. The AUC value of MG, T2WI, DWI, ADC, and DCE-MRI model was 0.593 (95%CI, 0.436-0.737), 0.700 (95%CI, 0.545-0.827), 0.564 (95%CI, 0.408-0.711), 0.679 (95%CI, 0.523-0.810), and 0.553 (95%CI, 0.398-0.702), respectively.ConclusionThe combination of deep learning and multi-modal imaging is of great significance for diagnosing breast cancer subtypes and selecting personalized treatment plans for doctors.

Summary: Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a prevalent neurodegenerative disorder that poses a worldwide public health challenge. A neuroimaging biomarker would significantly improve early diagnosis and intervention, ultimately enhancing the quality of life for affected individuals and reducing the burden on healthcare systems. Methods: Cross-sectional and longitudinal data (10,099 participants with 13,380 scans) from 12 independent datasets were used in the present study (this study was performed between September 1, 2021 and February 15, 2023). The Individual Brain-Related Abnormalities In Neurodegeneration (IBRAIN) score was developed via integrated regional- and network-based measures under an ensemble machine learning model based on structural MRI data. We systematically assessed whether IBRAIN could be a neuroimaging biomarker for AD. Findings: IBRAIN accurately differentiated individuals with AD from NCs (AUC = 0.92) and other neurodegenerative diseases, including Frontotemporal dementia (FTD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Vascular dementia (VaD) and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) (AUC = 0.92). IBRAIN was significantly correlated to clinical measures and gene expression, enriched in immune process and protein metabolism. The IBRAIN score exhibited a significant ability to reveal the distinct progression of prodromal AD (i.e., Mild cognitive impairment, MCI) (Hazard Ratio (HR) = 6.52 [95% CI: 4.42∼9.62], p

In order to study the mechanical behavior of concrete-filled steel tube(CFST) short column with different void ratios under a certain eccentricity. A fiber model of concrete-filled steel tube section with different void heights was established. Compared with existing model test data, the axial force and flexural moment strength models of concrete-filled steel tube columns with different void ratios were established. The results show that, in the case of different void ratios, the cross-section strength envelope shows an overall contraction tendency with the increase of void ratio, and each line is basically parallel. A model for calculating the coefficient of axial load degradation was established. The Han’s flexural moment strength model of the flexural component was revised, and the strength model of concrete-filled steel tube column under eccentric compression considering void ratio was established, which provides a theoretical basis and method for the safety assessment during the operation of concrete-filled steel tube arch bridges.

This paper conducts research based on the hollow slab members in the reconstruction and expansion project of expressways, two types of numerical finite element models with and without considering bond-slip relationship of reinforcement and concrete are established, and verified by tests. The distribution characteristics of crack spacing in reinforced concrete beams are studied. The results show that the bond-slip characteristics of reinforced concrete have little effect on the load-deflection characteristics of 8m hollow slab beam. Due to the influence of the bond-slip relationship of reinforced concrete, the load-deflection curve is partially serrated, while without considering the bond-slip relationship of reinforced concrete, the load-deflection curve is smooth. In the numerical model without considering the bond-slip characteristics, almost all damage occurs in the longitudinal direction, and the distribution characteristics of cracks can’t be accurately determined. Regardless of whether the bond-slip is considered or not, the macroscopic characteristics of the stress distribution is: smaller near the support and larger at the mid-span. As secondary flexural cracks expand, models with and without consideration of bond-slip characteristics can’t calculate crack spacing based on the stress distribution characteristics of the reinforcement.

Gout is an acute arthritis caused by the elevated levels of serum uric acid (UA), and its prevalence has been rapidly increasing. Alcohol abuse could lead to a series of health problems. Multiple pieces of evidence suggest that alcohol intake affects the development and progression of gout, while the gut microbiota plays an important role in the development of gout and the long-term alcohol consumption could affect the stability of the gut microbiota. This study aimed to explore the effects of alcohol intake at different concentrations on gouty arthritis based on the gut microbiota. We investigated the effects of different concentrations of alcohol on gouty arthritis in mouse models of acute gouty arthritis established by injection of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals into C57BL/6 mice. The results indicated that the high-alcohol consumption not only exacerbated joint swelling and pain, increased the levels of UA, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and interleukin-6 (IL-6), but also showed dramatic effects on the composition and structure of the gut microbiota in gouty mice. Two key microorganisms, Parasutterella and Alistipes, could aggravate gout symptoms through lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis, riboflavin metabolism, phenylalanine metabolism, and arginine and proline metabolisms. In conclusion, our study suggested that high-concentrations of alcohol altered the gut microbiota structure in gouty mice induced by MSU crystals, which could exacerbate gouty symptoms by enhancing pro-inflammatory pathways.

Background:: There is an urgent need to develop a cytomegalovirus (CMV) vaccine as it remains the leading cause of birth defects in the United States. While several CMV vaccine candidates are currently in late-stage clinical trials, the most effective vaccination program remains an open research question. Methods:: To take into account the critical uncertainties when evaluating the vaccine impact on both vertical (congenital) and horizontal CMV transmissions, we developed a CMV agent-based model representative of the US population and contact network structures. Results:: We evaluated 648 vaccination scenarios under various assumptions of vaccination age, vaccine efficacy, protection duration, and vaccination coverage. The optimal age of vaccination under all scenarios is shown to be during early childhood. However, a relatively modest benefit was also seen with vaccination of females of reproduction age (around age of 25) assuming near universal coverage and long vaccine-mediated protection. Conclusions:: This study highlights the important need for a pediatric vaccination program in mitigating CMV in the United States. Our model is poised to investigate further location-based vaccine effectiveness questions in future planning of both clinical trials as well as eventual program implementation.

Abstract Non-traumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) relies on multiple pathogenic factors, including intravascular coagulation, osteoporosis and lipid metabolism disorders. Despite extensively explored from various aspects, genetic mechanism underlying non-traumatic ONFH has not been fully elucidated. We randomly collected blood and necrotic tissue samples from 32 patients with non-traumatic ONFH as well as blood samples from 30 healthy individuals for whole exome sequencing (WES). Germline mutation and somatic mutation were analyzed to identify new potential pathogenic genes responsible for non-traumatic ONFH. Three genes might correlate with non-traumatic ONFH: VWF, MPRIP (germline mutations) and FGA (somatic mutations). Germline or somatic mutations in VWF, MPRIP and FGA correlate with intravascular coagulation, thrombosis, and consequently, ischemic necrosis of the femoral head.

Asphalt mixture has complex gradation and mesostructure. Accurate prediction of the relationship between gradation and mesostructure is of great significance for the establishment of mesostructure numerical simulation model and image-based gradation detection. In this paper, featurization, stepwise regression, econometric hypothesis test are utilized for establishing the predicting models. Firstly, asphalt mixtures with 64 kinds of gradation are scanned by Computed Tomography (CT) to obtain the mesostructure images; Then a series of mesostructure parameters of voids and aggregates are put forward. On this basis, the relationship model between gradation and mesostructure is established and verified by featurization and statistical modeling method. The results show that for predicting the passing percentage of the 4.75 mm sieve and the mean value of average distance between aggregate centroids for 9.5–4.75 mm aggregates, the prediction error of passing percentage is acceptable. It illustrates that the relationship model between gradation and mesostructure established by statistical method is effective, and it is significance for material design and testing under the condition of big data in the future.

Taking Docynia delavayi as the raw material, the extraction of flavonoids by ultrasonic-assisted enzymatic method was optimized using response surface methodology, and the in vitro antioxidant and hypoglycemic activities were determined. The results showed that the optimal process parameters were extraction temperature of 50 ℃, complex enzyme (pectinase and cellulase) of 3:2, extraction time of 50 min, liquid-material ratio of 30 mL/g, ethanol concentration of 55%, and pH of 4.5. Under these conditions, the yield of flavonoids from D. delavayi was as high as 13.10%, which was close to the predicted value (13.01%). In vitro antioxidant assays showed that flavonoids from D. delavayi scavenged DPPH, ABTS+ and hydroxyl radicals with IC50 values of 0.04, 0.29 and 0.70 mg/mL, and the scavenging rates of DPPH, ABTS+ and hydroxyl radicals were 93.98%, 97.60% and 84.26% when the flavonoid concentrations were 0.24, 1.40 and 4.00 mg/mL, respectively. At the same time, D. delavayi flavonoids also presented certain ability to reduce iron ions, which indicated that D. delavayi flavonoids possessed strong antioxidant activities. In vitro hypoglycemic assays found that flavonoids from D. delavayi inhibited α-glucosidase and α-amylase with IC50 values of 0.86 and 0.37 mg/mL, and the α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibition rates were 81.83% and 82.72% when the flavonoid concentrations were 12.0 and 5.0 mg/mL, respectively, which demonstrated that D. delavayi flavonoids possessed excellent inhibitory ability against α-glucosidase and α-amylase. This paper would provide an experimental basis for the comprehensive development and utilization of D. delavayi.

Utilizing the Marangoni effect, miniaturized machineries can be endowed with self-propulsion. Here, the authors report high-performance Marangoni hydrogel rotors with asymmetric porosity and drag reduction profile and demonstrate multiple potential functionalities.

The effect of Tremella fuciformis polysaccharide (TFP) on the retrogradation property and aroma profile changes of tteok during storage was investigated. Results indicated that addition of TFP significantly increased the stability to thermal and mechanical shearing of starch, decreased short-term retrogradation, the hardness and the retrogradation enthalpy (ΔH) of tteok during storage, but had no significant effect on the amylopectin chain length of tteok. The possible mechanism for the retarding staling effect of TFP is related to the interaction between TFP and starch chains that interferes with the alignment of starch chains. Electronic nose and gas chromatography-mass spectrum (GC-MS) analysis results showed that the difference in the concentrations of volatile compounds and fatty acids of tteoks at different storage time gradually increased with the advancement of storage period. The addition of TFP to tteok inhibited the development of unpleasant volatile compounds, probably by delaying the oxidation and decomposition of lipids and preserving the antioxidant phenolic compounds in tteok, thus slowing down the flavor deterioration of tteok and contributing to flavor maintainace. Overall, this study could help food manufacturers to choose a high-effective and natural polysaccharide to control the retrogradation rate and flavor loss of tteok.

ABSTRACT: Hericium erinaceus polypeptide (HEP) was prepared by an ultrasound-microwave assisted enzymatic method. Using an ultrafiltration membrane with molecular weights of 5 and 10 kDa, HEP was fractionated into three fractions, namely, (HEP-I (< 5 kDa), HEP-II (5–10 kDa), and HEP-III (> 10 kDa)). In vitro chemical methods were used to compare the antioxidant and hypolipidemic abilities of the polypeptide fractions from H. erinaceus before and after simulated gastrointestinal digestion. By constructing a hyperlipidemia model, the hypolipidemic ability of the high active fraction (HEP-II) was verified. The results showed that the antioxidant and hypolipidemic abilities of the polypeptide fractions from H. erinaceus did not change dramatically during simulated gastrointestinal digestion in vitro. The polypeptide fractions from H. erinaceus exhibited high tolerance to simulated gastrointestinal digestion in vitro, with strong antioxidant and hypolipidemic activities. HEP-II with a molecular weight of 5–10 kDa had the best stability, antioxidant, and hypolipidemic abilities in gastrointestinal digestion. The secondary structure of HEP-II was mainly composed of random coil (18.36%) and α-helix (47.71%) structures, which was beneficial to the hypolipidemic ability of HEP-II. Animal experiments showed that compared to the high-fat model group, HEP-II could inhibit the weight gain of the mice, decrease the liver index and serum levels of the serum total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), nitric oxide synthase (NOS), alanine aminotransferase (AST), and glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (ALT), increase the levels of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), decrease the arteriosclerosis index (AI), and improve the hemorheological indices of the mice. In addition, the whole blood and plasma viscosities of the mice decreased, and HEP-II increased the level of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the liver, reducing the level of malondialdehyde (MDA), and the degree of oxidative stress in the liver of hypolipidemia mice. Furthermore, HEP-II improved liver steatosis. These results indicated that the polypeptide fractions from H. erinaceus all had a potential hypolipidemic effect, and HEP-II had the strongest potential hypolipidemic effect.

Key points The model simultaneously segments infarcts and estimates ASPECTS by using baseline CT. A mirror-assembly module plus dual-path DCNN model improved the segmentation efficiency. We evaluated the model in a multi-reader and multicenter (MRMC) setting.

Additive manufacturing (AM), or 3D printing, is an emerging technology that “adds” materials up and constructs products through a layer-by-layer procedure. Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is a powder-bed-based AM technology that can fabricate a large variety of metallic materials with excellent quality and accuracy. However, various defects such as porosity, cracks, and incursions can be generated during the printing process. As the most universal and a near-inevitable defect, porosity plays a substantial role in determining the mechanical performance of as-printed products. This work presents a comprehensive review of literatures that focused on the porosity in LPBF printed metals. The formation mechanisms, evaluation methods, effects on mechanical performance with corresponding models, and controlling methods of porosity have been illustrated and discussed in-depth. Achievements in four representative metals, namely Ti−6Al−4V, 316L, Inconel 718, and AlSi10Mg, have been critically reviewed with a statistical analysis on the correlation between porosity fraction and tensile properties. Ductility has been determined as the most sensitive property to porosity among several key tensile properties. This review also provides potential directions and opportunities to address the current porosity-related challenges.

To ensure the safety of infrastructure users, the long-term skid resistance is a crucial factor and is determined in large by the mineralogical and morphological characteristics of surfacing aggregate. Most studies have investigated these aggregate properties separately without considering the interrelation between one another. The objective of this study is to consider the morphological characteristics as well as the mineralogical fingerprint of aggregate to develop an innovative approach to optimize the aggregate selection process. The investigations are based on 11 different aggregate types with a broad range of mineralogy, commonly used in Germany. The long-term influence of polishing and wearing on the surface aggregate was simulated by means of the Aachen Polishing Machine and the Micro-Deval test respectively. To evaluate the impact of these tests, the aggregate shape was characterized by means of an imaging system called Aggregate Image Measurement System while the skid resistance of aggregates was evaluated with the British Pendulum Test. The test results show that the quartz and calcite are the key crystals to determine the anti-wear resistance of aggregates. A correlation between the skid resistance, morphological properties and mineralogy is derived, which proves the mineralogical fingerprint technology is practical for characterization of aggregates used in pavement surface layers.

Electric interconnection is an essential trend for future large-scale development and utilization of renewable energy. China has proposed the concept of Global Energy Interconnection to realize the clean utilization of energy through the interconnection of power grids and optimize the allocation of global energy resources. This study proposes the Kazakhstan-China-Republic of Korea networking scheme, analyzing the characteristics of power supply and demand in these countries. Based on the regional economic analysis and power development, four interconnection schemes are proposed utilizing UHVDC technology. Accordingly, existing problems and favorable factors are fully considered. The investment analysis of ± 1100 kV and ± 800 kV lines, configuration scheme of the converter station, and investment estimation of four interconnection schemes are given.

In the absence of management strategies, canine distemper virus threatens the future existence of the endangered Amur leopard.

Abstract Background Thirteen essential maternal child health (MCH) commodities, identified by the UN Commission on Life-Saving Commodities for Women and Children, could save the lives of more than 6 million women and children in Low-and-Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) if made available at the point of care. To reduce stockout of those commodities and improve the health supply chains in LMICs, the Electronic TRAcking system for healthcare commodities (E+TRA Health), an all-in-one out-of-box solution, was developed to track and manage medical commodities at lower-level health facilities in rural areas. It aims to support real-time monitoring and decision-making to (1) reduce the time needed to prepare orders, (2) reduce stockout and overstock cases of targeted medical supplies, (3) help improve patient outcomes. In this study, we adopted an integrated approach to analyze the process of information flow, identify and address critical paths of essential supplies associated with maternal health in the Ugandan health system. Methods We apply system engineering principles and work with community partners in hospitals to develop care process workflow charts (based on essential services) for the lifecycle of maternal health continuum of care. Based on this chart, we develop a cloud-based offline-compatible smart sync platform named “E+TRA Health” to triangulate (1) patient admission, diagnoses, delivery information, testing reports from laboratories, (2) inventory information from main store, stores in MCH unit, and (3) lab, to identify the critical list of medical and laboratory supplies, their lead times for procurement and then generate reports and suggested procurement plans for real time decision-making. Results The E+TRA Health platform was piloted in two Healthcare Center IV facilities in Uganda over a period of 6 months. The system collected more than 5000 patient records and managed more than 500 types of medicines. The pilot study demonstrated the functionalities of E+TRA Health and its feasibility to sense demand from point of care. Conclusion E+TRA Health is the first to triangulate supply and demand data from three different departments (main store, lab, and MCH) to forecast and generate orders automatically to meet patient demands. It is capable of generating reports required by Ministry of Health in real time compared to one-week lead-time using paper-based systems. This prompts frontline stakeholders to generate efficient, reliable and sustainable strategic healthcare plans with real time data. This system improves patient outcomes through better commodity availability by sensing true patient demands.

Abstract Objectives To investigate the outcomes of internal ureteral stents in comparison with ureteroscopy (URS) for pregnant women with urolithiasis. Data sources Relevant studies published from January 1980 to June 2022 were identified through systematic literature searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library. Methods of study selection A total of 499 studies were initially identified. We included pregnant women in any stages of gestation who underwent double-J (D-J) stent insertion only or ureteroscopy for the treatment of urolithiasis; for a study to be included, the number of participants needed to exceed 10. This systematic review was registered on the PROSPERO website (Reference: CRD42020195607). Results A total of 25 studies were identified with 131 cases undergoing serial stenting and 789 cases undergoing URS. The pooled operative success rate was 97% for D-J stent insertion and 99% for URS. Only a few patients passed stones spontaneously after serial D-J stenting. The pooled stone free rate (SFR) in URS operations was about 91%. For internal ureteral stent therapy, the rate of normal fertility outcomes was 99%, although the pooled incidence of complications was approximately 45%. For group receiving URS treatment, the rate of normal fertility outcome was 99% and the pooled incidence of complications was approximately 1%. However, the pooled rate of premature birth and abortion were the similar between the two groups (

Abstract Background The laboratory mouse was domesticated from the wild house mouse. Understanding the genetics underlying domestication in laboratory mice, especially in the widely used classical inbred mice, is vital for studies using mouse models. However, the genetic mechanism of laboratory mouse domestication remains unknown due to lack of adequate genomic sequences of wild mice. Results We analyze the genetic relationships by whole-genome resequencing of 36 wild mice and 36 inbred strains. All classical inbred mice cluster together distinctly from wild and wild-derived inbred mice. Using nucleotide diversity analysis, Fst, and XP-CLR, we identify 339 positively selected genes that are closely associated with nervous system function. Approximately one third of these positively selected genes are highly expressed in brain tissues, and genetic mouse models of 125 genes in the positively selected genes exhibit abnormal behavioral or nervous system phenotypes. These positively selected genes show a higher ratio of differential expression between wild and classical inbred mice compared with all genes, especially in the hippocampus and frontal lobe. Using a mutant mouse model, we find that the SNP rs27900929 (T>C) in gene Astn2 significantly reduces the tameness of mice and modifies the ratio of the two Astn2 (a/b) isoforms. Conclusion Our study indicates that classical inbred mice experienced high selection pressure during domestication under laboratory conditions. The analysis shows the positively selected genes are closely associated with behavior and the nervous system in mice. Tameness may be related to the Astn2 mutation and regulated by the ratio of the two Astn2 (a/b) isoforms.

Based on the model of emotion as social information, this study explores the effects of facial emotions and trustworthy behavior on trust decision-making in trust game through two experiments. The present study used trust game explores the impact of players’ facial emotion, arousal and trustworthy behavior on individual trust decision-making through two experiments. The results can be summed up as follows: (1) in the repeated interaction with four players, individuals invest more in trustworthy players than untrustworthy players; (2) individuals invested more in trustworthy players with happy facial emotions, while untrustworthy players with angry facial emotions received less investment. High-arousal facial emotion results in a more extreme investment by the individual; (3) when the players’ facial emotion and behavior are inconsistent, the individual will judge according to the player’s current behavior, rather than the facial emotion or past behavior.

BackgroundPreoperative prediction models for histologic subtype and grade of stage IA lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) according to the update of the WHO Classification of Tumors of the Lung in 2021 and the 2020 new grade system are yet to be explored. We aim to develop the noninvasive pathology and grade evaluation approach for patients with stage IA LUAD via CT-based radiomics approach and evaluate their performance in clinical practice.MethodsChest CT scans were retrospectively collected from patients who were diagnosed with stage IA LUAD and underwent complete resection at two hospitals. A deep learning segmentation algorithm was first applied to assist lesion delineation. Expansion strategies such as bounding-box annotations were further applied. Radiomics features were then extracted and selected followed by radiomics modeling based on four classic machine learning algorithms for histologic subtype classification and grade stratification. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to evaluate model performance.ResultsThe study included 294 and 145 patients with stage IA LUAD from two hospitals for radiomics analysis, respectively. For classification of four histological subtypes, multilayer perceptron (MLP) algorithm presented no annotation strategy preference and achieved the average AUC of 0.855, 0.922, and 0.720 on internal, independent, and external test sets with 1-pixel expansion annotation. Bounding-box annotation strategy also enabled MLP an acceptable and stable accuracy among test sets. Meanwhile, logistic regression was selected for grade stratification and achieved the average AUC of 0.928, 0.837, and 0.748 on internal, independent, and external test sets with optimal annotation strategies.ConclusionsDL-enhanced radiomics models had great potential to predict the fine histological subtypes and grades of early-stage LUADs based on CT images, which might serve as a promising noninvasive approach for the diagnosis and management of early LUADs.

Primary liver cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in China. The vast majority of primary liver cancer are hepatocellular carcinoma. Due to its high incidence and mortality from HCC, HCC has always been a feared type of cancer. Liver transplantation, as one of the important means to treat advanced liver cancer, has brought new hope to patients. However, as patients have been in a state of immunosuppression after liver transplantation, these patients face new problems of HCC recurrence and metastasis. A increasing number of studies have proved that blocking the PD-1/PD-L1 signaling pathway and restoring the immune killing inhibition of T cells can produce better therapeutic effects on tumors and chronic infectious diseases. As a promising treatment in the field of tumor immunotherapy, PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors have achieved important results in liver cancer patients, but their application in liver transplantation patients is still highly controversial. This paper will introduce the mechanism of action of PD-1/PD-L1 signaling pathway and the current basic and clinical studies of PD-1/PD-L1 signaling pathway associated with immune response in HCC transplantation.

Objective: In this study, we utilized bibliometric methods to assess the worldwide scientific output and identify hotspots related to the research on the volume-regulated anion channel (VRAC) from 2014 to 2022.Methods: From Web of Science, we obtained studies related to VRAC published from 2014 to 2022. To analyzed the data, we utilized VOSviewer, a tool for visualizing network, to create networks based on the collaboration between countries, institutions, and authors. Additionally, we performed an analysis of journal co-citation, document citation, and co-occurrence of keywords. Furthermore, we employed CiteSpace (6.1. R6 Advanced) to analyzed keywords and co-cited references with the strongest burst.Results: The final analysis included a total of 278 related articles and reviews, covering the period from 2014 to 2022. The United States emerged as the leading country contributing to this field, while the University of Copenhagen stood out as the most prominent institution. The author with most publications and most citations was Thomas J. Jentsch. Among the cited references, the article by Voss et al. published in Science (2014) gained significant attention for its identification of LRRC8 heteromers as a crucial component of the volume-regulated anion channel VRAC. Pflügers Archiv European Journal of Physiology and Journal of Physiology-London were the leading journals in terms of the quantity of associated articles and citations. Through the analysis of keyword co-occurrence, it was discovered that VRAC is involved in various physiological processes including cell growth, migration, apoptosis, swelling, and myogenesis, as well as anion and organic osmolyte transport including chloride, taurine, glutamate and ATP. VRAC is also associated with related ion channels such as TMEM16A, TMEM16F, pannexin, and CFTR, and associated with various diseases including epilepsy, leukodystrophy, atherosclerosis, hypertension, cerebral edema, stroke, and different types of cancer including gastric cancer, glioblastoma and hepatocellular carcinoma. Furthermore, VRAC is involved in anti-tumor drug resistance by regulating the uptake of platinum-based drugs and temozolomide. Additionally, VRAC has been studied in the context of pharmacology involving DCPIB and flavonoids.Conclusion: The aim of this bibliometric analysis is to provide an overall perspective for research on VRAC. VRAC has become a topic of increasing interest, and our analysis shows that it continues to be a prominent area. This study offers insights into the investigation of VRAC channel and may guide researchers in identifying new directions for future research.

Drowned carbonate platforms on passive margins present a paradox, because their great growth potential exceeds the typical rates of passive margin subsidence and any relative sea-level rise driven by long-term processes in the geologic record. In this study, manned submersible observations, sampling, and high-resolution acoustic data were used to investigate a drowned isolated carbonate platform cropping out at a water depth of 536–800 m in the northern South China Sea. Based on the results, the Early Miocene strata of the platform are grouped into three units (AU1, AU2, and AU3) that formed on the fault-created topography. The fault-created topography served as a template for the onset of the carbonate platform deposition and as a pedestal for the localization of backstepped platforms in response to accommodation space variations, primarily driven by rapid subsidence and eustatic rises during the Early Miocene. The Middle Miocene strata of the platform are grouped into four units (AU4, PU1, PU2, and PU3), exhibiting a general switch from dominantly aggrading to dominantly prograding platform margins, in tandem with the cessation of faulting. The biostratigraphy and established seismic–stratigraphic correlations indicate that the carbonate platform was submerged during the late Middle Miocene. The banktop consists of a heterozoan carbonate factory dominated by large benthic foraminifera and coralline algae. This facies was deposited during a time interval when summer monsoon-induced upwelling triggered heterozoan factory turnover in other carbonate platforms in the region, such as at well XK-1 (Xuande Platform). The asymmetric backstepping of the platform margins demonstrates that summer monsoon-driven currents influenced the platform drowning. Therefore, summer monsoon-induced upwelling was a major factor influencing platform drowning during the late Middle Miocene. Platform growth did not persist due to the high subsidence rate throughout the Late Miocene. This study provides new insights into the drowning mechanism of a Miocene carbonate platform in the northern South China Sea and a new seismic analog for other ancient, isolated platforms worldwide.

Abstract Chinese jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) is a globally popular and economically important fruit that is rich in bioactive compounds with strong anti‐cancer effects. Rain‐proof cultivation is widely used to cultivate Chinese jujube, as it helps avoid rainfall damage during fruit harvest. Although the sugar content of jujube fruits differs between rain‐proof and open‐field cultivation, the underlying molecular mechanisms are unknown. Here, we analyzed the levels of sugar content, sugar accumulation pattern, and transcriptome profiles of jujube fruits at five developmental stages grown under rain‐proof and open‐field cultivation modes. The sugar content of jujube fruits was significantly higher under rain‐proof cultivation than under open‐field cultivation, although the sugar composition and sugar accumulation patterns were comparable. Comparative analysis of transcriptomic profiles showed that rain‐proof cultivation enhanced the intrinsic metabolic activity of fruit development. Gene expression and correlation analyses suggested that ZjSPS, ZjSS, ZjHXK, and ZjINV regulate the development‐related changes in sugar content in jujube fruits grown under rain‐proof cultivation. Temperature, humidity, and moisture conditions were key climatic factors affecting sugar accumulation. Our results provide insights into the molecular mechanisms regulating sugar content and sugar accumulation in Chinese jujube fruits grown under rain‐proof cultivation, and we provide genetic resources for studying the development mechanism of Chinese jujube fruit.

BackgroundCancer as a deathly disease with high prevalence has impelled researchers to investigate its causative mechanisms in the search for effective therapeutics. Recently, the concept of phase separation has been introduced to biological science and extended to cancer research, which helps reveal various pathogenic processes that have not been identified before. As a process of soluble biomolecules condensed into solid-like and membraneless structures, phase separation is associated with multiple oncogenic processes. However, there are no bibliometric characteristics for these results. To provide future trends and identify new frontiers in this field, a bibliometric analysis was conducted in this study.MethodsThe Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) was used to search for literature on phase separation in cancer from 1/1/2009 to 31/12/2022. After screening the literature, statistical analysis and visualization were carried out by the VOSviewer software (version 1.6.18) and Citespace software (Version 6.1.R6).ResultsA total of 264 publications, covering 413 organizations and 32 countries, were published in 137 journals, with an increasing trend in publication and citation numbers per year. The USA and China were the two countries with the largest number of publications, and the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences was the most active institution based on the number of articles and cooperations. Molecular Cell was the most frequent publisher with high citations and H-index. The most productive authors were Fox AH, De Oliveira GAP, and Tompa P. Overlay, whilst few authors had a strong collaboration with each other. The combined analysis of concurrent and burst keywords revealed that the future research hotspots of phase separation in cancer were related to tumor microenvironments, immunotherapy, prognosis, p53, and cell death.ConclusionPhase separation-related cancer research remained in the hot streak period and exhibited a promising outlook. Although inter-agency collaboration existed, cooperation among research groups was rare, and no author dominated this field at the current stage. Investigating the interfaced effects between phase separation and tumor microenvironments on carcinoma behaviors, and constructing relevant prognoses and therapeutics such as immune infiltration-based prognosis and immunotherapy might be the next research trend in the study of phase separation and cancer.

Chronic inflammation is a key player in metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) progression. Necroptosis, an inflammatory cell death pathway, is elevated in MAFLD patients and mouse models, yet its role is unclear due to the diverse mouse models and inhibition strategies. In our study, we inhibited necroptosis by targeting mixed lineage kinase domain-like pseudokinase (MLKL), the terminal effector of necroptosis, in a high-fat, high-fructose, high-cholesterol (HFHFrHC) mouse model of diet-induced MAFLD. Despite the HFHFrHC diet upregulating MLKL (2.5-fold), WT mice livers showed no increase in necroptosis markers or associated proinflammatory cytokines. Surprisingly, Mlkl−/− mice experienced exacerbated liver inflammation without protection from diet-induced liver damage, steatosis, or fibrosis. In contrast, Mlkl+/− mice showed a significant reduction in these parameters that was associated with elevated Pparα and Pparγ levels. Both Mlkl−/− and Mlkl+/− mice on the HFHFrHC diet resisted diet-induced obesity, attributed to the increased beiging, enhanced oxygen consumption, and energy expenditure due to adipose tissue, and exhibited improved insulin sensitivity. These findings highlight the tissue-specific effects of MLKL on the liver and adipose tissue, and they suggest a dose-dependent effect of MLKL on liver pathology.

Circular synthetic aperture radar (CSAR) possesses the capability of multi-angle observation, breaking through the geometric observation constraints of traditional strip SAR and holding the potential for three-dimensional imaging. Its sub-wavelength level of planar resolution, resulting from a long synthetic aperture, makes CSAR highly valuable in the field of high-precision mapping. However, the motion geometry of CSAR is more intricate compared to traditional strip SAR, demanding high precision from navigation systems. The accumulation of errors over the long synthetic aperture time cannot be overlooked. CSAR exhibits significant coupling between the range and azimuth directions, making traditional motion compensation methods based on linear SAR unsuitable for direct application in CSAR. The dynamic nature of flight, with its continuous changes in attitude, introduces a significant deformation error between the non-rigidly connected Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and the Global Positioning System (GPS). This deformation error makes it difficult to accurately obtain radar position information, resulting in imaging defocus. The research in this article uncovers a correlation between the deformation error and radial acceleration. Leveraging this insight, we propose utilizing radial acceleration to estimate residual motion errors. This paper delves into the analysis of Position and Orientation System (POS) errors, presenting a novel high-resolution CSAR motion compensation method based on airborne platform acceleration information. Once the system deformation parameters are calibrated using point targets, the deformation error can be directly calculated and compensated based on the acceleration information, ultimately resulting in the generation of a high-resolution image. In this paper, the effectiveness of the method is verified with airborne flight test data. This method can compensate for the deformation error and effectively improve the peak sidelobe ratio and integral sidelobe ratio of the target, thus improving image quality. The introduction of acceleration information provides new means and methods for high-resolution CSAR imaging.

Integrating the relaying drone and non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) technique into post-disaster emergency communications (PDEComs) is a promising way to accomplish efficient network recovery. Motivated by the above, by optimizing the drone three-dimensional (3D) deployment optimization and spectrum allocation, this paper investigates a quality of service (QoS)-driven sum rate maximization problem for drone-and-NOMA-enhanced PDEComs that aims to improve the data rate of cell edge users (CEUs). Due to the non-deterministic polynomial (NP)-hard characteristics, we first decouple the formulated problem. Next, we obtain the optimal 3D deployment with the aid of a long short-term memory (LSTM)-based recurrent neural network (RNN). Then, we transform the spectrum allocation problem into an optimal matching issue, based on which the Hungarian algorithm is employed to solve it. Finally, the simulation results show that the presented scheme has a significant performance improvement in the sum rate compared with the state-of-the-art works and benchmark scheme. For instance, by adopting the NOMA technique, the sum rate can be increased by 9.72% and the needs of CEUs can be satisfied by enabling the relaying drone. Additionally, the convergence, complexity, and performance gap caused by iterative optimization are discussed and analyzed.

This letter reports the demonstration and electrical characterization of high-voltage AlN metal-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MESFETs) on single-crystal AlN substrates. Compared with AlN MESFETs on foreign substrates, the AlN-on-AlN MESFETs showed high breakdown voltages of over 2 kV for drain-to-gate spacing of 15 μm and one of the highest average breakdown fields among reported AlN MESFETs. Additionally, the devices also exhibited decent drain saturation current and on/off ratio without complicated regrown or graded contact layers, which are several times higher than those of reported AlN-on-sapphire MESEFTs. This work is beneficial for the future development of ultrawide bandgap AlN power electronics.

This letter reports the demonstration of lateral AlN Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) on single-crystal AlN substrates by metalorganic CVD (MOCVD) with an ultra-low ideality factor ( η ) of 1.65, a high Schottky barrier height of 1.94 eV, a breakdown voltage ( BV ) of 640 V, and a record high normalized BV by the anode-to-cathode distance. The device current was dominated by thermionic emission, while most previously reported AlN SBDs suffered from defect-induced current with higher η (>4). This work represents a significant step towards high-performance ultra-wide bandgap AlN-based high-voltage and high-power devices.

This letter reports the demonstration of Aluminum nitride (AIN) Schottky barrier diodes on bulk AlN substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor phase deposition with breakdown voltages exceeding 3 kV. The devices exhibited good rectifying characteristics with ON/OFF ratios of 10 ^6 –10 ^8 and excellent thermal stability from 298 to 623 K. The device Schottky barrier height increased from 0.89 to 1.85 eV, and the ideality factor decreased from 4.29 to 1.95 with increasing temperature, ascribed to the inhomogeneous metal/AlN interface. This work demonstrates the potential of AlN as an ultra-wide bandgap semiconductor for developing multi-kV AlN high-voltage and high-power devices.

Future generation communication systems are exemplified by 5G and 6G wireless technologies, and the utilization of integrated air-to-sea (A2S) communication infrastructure is employed to extend network coverage and enhance data throughput to support data-driven maritime applications. These ground-breaking techniques have promoted the rapid development of the maritime internet of things (MIoT). In particular, the integration of air base stations (ABSs) in the MIoT can achieve broadband, low-delay, and reliable wireless transmissions. Considering the potential of ABS-enabled communications, this survey presents the state of the art in the A2S integrated MIoT. More specifically, relevant A2S integrated MIoT architectures are discussed together with the role of their building blocks. Next, we introduce the enabling technologies, including the sensor, communication, data processing and storage, and security and privacy protection techniques. Then, resource allocation, cloud/edge computing and caching, routing protocols, and spatial location optimization in the maritime environment are discussed and grouped based on their performance targets. Additionally, we also show the potential applications of the A2S integrated MIoT in marine environment monitoring, traffic, navigation safety, and resources management. Finally, several future challenges in the area of the A2S integrated MIoT are given, related to the technical security, reliability, and energy efficiency, etc.

Abstract The frequency of extreme weather events, including floods, storms, droughts, extreme temperatures, and wildfires, has intensified globally over recent decades due to climate change, affecting human society profoundly. Among all the impacts of these extreme weather events, the consequences to our reliable water supply have gained increasing attention as they exacerbate the inequities in health and education, especially in marginalized populations. In this perspective, we emphasize that extreme weather events are able to undermine a stable supply of drinking water through a number of approaches, and conventional centralized water treatment is insufficient at addressing these challenges. We urge that greater recognition, increased public awareness, and more efforts on technological innovation on decentralized, especially point-of-use (POU), water treatment should be prioritized to better help tackle the challenges faced by increasingly frequent extreme weather events.

Abstract Purpose To evaluate the effectiveness of pelvic packing (PP) in pelvic fracture patients with hemodynamic instability. Materials and methods Three databases—PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library—were systematically searched to identify studies presenting comparisons between a protocol including PP and a protocol without PP. Mortality, transfusion requirement and length of hospitalization were extracted and pooled for meta-analysis. Relative risk (RR) and standard mean difference (SMD), along with their confidence intervals (CIs), were used as the pooled statistical indices. Results Eight studies involving 480 patients were identified as being eligible for meta-analysis. PP usage was associated with significantly reduced overall mortality (RR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.47–0.79, p

Strigolactone agonists could potentially help control noxious weeds by promoting suicidal germination. Here the authors describe a series of small molecule agonists that stimulate germination via the Striga ShHTL7 receptor and show that stereochemistry and hydrolysis-independent signalling mediate potency.

Plant proteins are good alternative to animal sources in bioactive peptide production due to their safety, low-cost, rich resources and easy for large scale production. The bioactivities of the peptides derived from plant proteins including antihypertensive, hypocholesterolemic, immunomodulatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-diabetic, opiate and hepatoprotective effect are being increasingly recognized with regards to health promoting and disease prevention. In addition to bioactivities, the plant-derived bioactive peptides possess various functional properties including emulsifying and foaming properties, and water and oil retention capacities owning to the hydrophilic/lipophilic property, conformational flexibility and chain length of peptides. Hence, the plant-derived bioactive peptides are promising ingredients for the development of health-care and functional products. This review provides the research progress on the biological activities and functional properties of plant derived peptides. The mechanism of action and structure-activity relationships of the bioactive peptide were also described, when known. Furthermore, recent developments, major challenges and prospect in the application of the plant-derive bioactive peptides in the development of functional products are discussed and summarized. The objective of this review is to improve the understanding of plant-derive bioactive peptides, and provide some constructive inspirations for further research and industrial application in the food and medicine industry.

Functional oxides with coexisting states of comparable energy typically exhibit extraordinary responses to external stimuli. Here, the authors demonstrate that coexisting phase structures provide large electric field-triggered volume change.

Introduction The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy and security of a fixation method for fixing patellar fractures in elderly patients utilizing modified cerclage wire. Methods From January 2015 to December 2020, 31 cases (age≥65 years old) of closed patellar fracture were treated by modified cerclage wiring. Patients in these instances ranged in age from 65 to 87 (73.7 ± 7.2 years), with 15 men and 16 women. 4 instances were type 34-C1 (transverse fracture) according to the AO/OTA classification, 27 cases (87%) were comminuted fractures, including 11 cases that were type 34-C2 (3 fragments), and 16 cases that were type 34-C3 (more than 3 fragments). Postoperative problems such as fragment re-displacement, nonunion, internal fixation loosening, infection, and internal fixation rupture were evaluated. The clinical grading systems of Böstman were used to assess the postoperative clinical outcomes. Results Thirty one patients in all were monitored for 14 to 31 months (22.2 ± 4.5 months). After the procedure, the fracture took 2.5-3.5 months (2.92 ± .25 months) to heal. There were no postoperative issues like infection, dislocation, implant breakage, uncomfortable hardware, or post-traumatic osteoarthritis. According to the clinical grading scales of Böstman, the average score of the final follow-up was 28.6 ± 1.1 (range 26-30). 29 (94%) of the patients had excellent results, whereas just 2 (6%) had good results. The patient’s knee flexion activity ranged from 110 to 140°, making for a favorable prognosis. Conclusion Most patella fractures in the elderly are comminuted. Elderly patients with patellar fractures may be successfully treated with modified cerclage wire, with good results and no noticeable side effects.

BackgroundEwing sarcoma (ES) is a common primary bone tumor in children. Our study aimed to compare overall survival (OS) between pediatric and adult bone ES patients, identify independent prognostic factors and develop a nomogram for predicting OS in adult patients with ES of bone.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed data for the 2004–2015 period from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. To guarantee well-balanced characteristics between the comparison groups, propensity score matching (PSM) was used. Kaplan–Meier (KM) curves were used to compare OS between pediatric and adult patients with ES of bone. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to screen independent prognostic factors for ES of bone, and a prognostic nomogram was constructed by using the factors identified. The prediction accuracy and clinical benefit were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, areas under the curves (AUCs), calibration curves, and decision curve analysis (DCA).ResultsOur results showed that adult ES patients had lower OS than younger ES patients. Age, surgery, chemotherapy, and TNM stage were independent risk factors for bone ES in adults and were used to develop a nomogram. AUCs for 3-, 5-, and 10-year OS were 76.4 (67.5, 85.3), 77.3 (68.6, 85.9) and 76.6 (68.6, 84.5), respectively. Calibration curves and DCA results indicated excellent performance for our nomogram.ConclusionWe found that ES pediatric patients have better OS than adult ES patients, and we constructed a practical nomogram to predict the 3-, 5- and 10-year OS of adult patients with ES of bone based on independent prognostic factors (age, surgery, chemotherapy, T stage, N stage and M stage).

Viral hepatitis is a major worldwide public health issue, affecting hundreds of millions of people and causing substantial morbidity and mortality. The majority of the worldwide burden of viral hepatitis is caused by five biologically unrelated hepatotropic viruses: hepatitis A virus (HAV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), hepatitis D virus (HDV), and hepatitis E virus (HEV). Metabolomics is an emerging technology that uses qualitative and quantitative analysis of easily accessible samples to provide information of the metabolic levels of biological systems and changes in metabolic and related regulatory pathways. Alterations in glucose, lipid, and amino acid levels are involved in glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, the pentose phosphate pathway, and amino acid metabolism. These changes in metabolites and metabolic pathways are associated with the pathogenesis and medication mechanism of viral hepatitis and related diseases. Additionally, differential metabolites can be utilized as biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic responses. In this review, we present a thorough overview of developments in metabolomics for viral hepatitis.

Background: Urbanicity refers to the conditions that are particular to urban areas and is a growing environmental challenge that may affect hippocampus and neurocognition. This study aimed to investigate the effects of the average pre-adulthood urbanicity on hippocampal subfield volumes and neurocognitive abilities as well as the sensitive age windows of the urbanicity effects. Participants and methods: We included 5,390 CHIMGEN participants (3,538 females; age: 23.69 ± 2.26 years, range: 18–30 years). Pre-adulthood urbanicity of each participant was defined as the average value of annual night-time light (NL) or built-up% from age 0–18, which were extracted from remote-sensing satellite data based on annual residential coordinates of the participants. The hippocampal subfield volumes were calculated based on structural MRI and eight neurocognitive measures were assessed. The linear regression was applied to investigate the associations of pre-adulthood NL with hippocampal subfield volumes and neurocognitive abilities, mediation models were used to find the underlying pathways among urbanicity, hippocampus and neurocognition, and distributed lag models were used to identify sensitive age windows of urbanicity effect. Results: Higher pre-adulthood NL was associated with greater volumes in the left (β = 0.100, 95%CI: [0.075, 0.125]) and right (0.078, [0.052, 0.103]) fimbria and left subiculum body (0.045, [0.020, 0.070]) and better neurocognitive abilities in information processing speed (-0.212, [-0.240, −0.183]), working memory (0.085, [0.057, 0.114]), episodic memory (0.107, [0.080, 0.135]), and immediate (0.094, [0.065, 0.123]) and delayed (0.087, [0.058, 0.116]) visuospatial recall, and hippocampal subfield volumes and visuospatial memory showed bilateral mediations for the urbanicity effects. Urbanicity effects were greatest on the fimbria in preschool and adolescence, on visuospatial memory and information processing from childhood to adolescence and on working memory after 14 years. Conclusion: These findings improve our understanding of the impact of urbanicity on hippocampus and neurocognitive abilities and will benefit for designing more targeted intervention for neurocognitive improvement.

BackgroundA stent for patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) provides a requirement for a long-term antiplatelet therapy because of the high possibility of the development of stent thrombosis. It was against this background that both Cobra and Catania Polyzene-F (PzF) stents were designed to reduce the occurrence of stent thrombosis (ST). In this study, we review the safety and effectiveness of a PzF-nanocoated stent.MethodsThis systematic review with the title was registered in PROSPERO (No.398781). The inclusion criteria were including studies among patients with PzF-nanocoated coronary stents and reported target vessel failure (TVF) and ST as the outcomes, and the exclusion criteria were excluding reported patients who could not receive the adjunctive medical therapies or without the necessary endpoints. Reports about PzF-nanocoated stents were searched in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science and other sources. Because of the existence of few reports and a lack of comparison groups, a single-arm meta-analysis was conducted in R software (v3.6.2), using a random-effects model with the generic inverse variance method. After a heterogeneity test, assessment of evidence quality was conducted by using GRADE software. A funnel plot Egger's test was performed to evaluate publication bias, and a sensitivity analysis was done to determine the robustness of the overall effects.ResultsSix studies of 1,768 subjects were included. The primary endpoint that pooled the TVF rate was 8.9% (95% CI 7.5%–10.2%), which comprised the pooled cardiac death (CD) rate (1.5%, 95% CI 0%–3%), myocardial infarction (MI) rate (2.7%, 95% CI 0.4%–5.1%), target vessel revascularization (TVR) (4.8%, 95% CI 2.4%–7.2%), or target lesion revascularization (TLR) (5.2%, 95% CI 4.2%–6.4%), while the secondary endpoint ST was 0.4% (95% CI 0.1%–0.9%). The funnel plots of TVF, CD, TVR, and TLR did not show any serious publication bias, and TVF, TVR, and TLR showed evidence of moderate quality in GRADE assessment. The sensitivity analysis showed that TVF, TLR, and ST exhibited good stability (I2 = 26.9%, 16.4%, and 35.5%, respectively), while the other endpoints showed moderate instability.ConclusionThese data indicated that the PzF-nanocoated coronary stents of the Cobra and Catania systems demonstrated good safety and efficacy in clinical application. However, the sample size of patients included in the reports was relatively small, and this meta-analysis will be updated if more studies are published in the future.Systematic Review Registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier: CRD42023398781

BackgroundSurgery, including lobectomy and segmentectomy, is the major curative intervention for lung cancer. Surgical planning for pulmonary surgery is difficult due to the high variation rate of pulmonary arteries and needs a fine-grained atlas as a reference. We conducted a study to create a surgically oriented atlas and analyzed the error encountered during the production.MethodA total of 100 Chest CTs performed at Peking University People’s Hospital from 2013.09 to 2020.10 were randomly selected for segmental artery labeling. Dicom files were collected for 3D reconstruction. Manual segmentation of each segmental artery was performed by 4 thoracic surgeons. Cross-validation by surgeons was performed to establish the golden standard based on their consensus. Initial recognition errors were recorded accordingly.ResultThe most frequently seen variants for the right upper lobe is 2-branch RA1+2rec+3 and RA2asc; right middle lobe 2-branch RA4a and RA4b+5; right lower lobe 3-branch RA7, RA8 and RA9+10; left upper lobe 3-branch LA1+2a+3, LA1+2b, LA1+2c and 1-branch LA4+5; left lower lobe 2-branch LA8 and LA9+10. Top 5 segmental error occurs in RA4 (23%), LA8 (17%), RA9 (17%), RA8 (14%) and LA9 (11%). A rapid surgical planning tool form was created based on high frequency anatomic variants.ConclusionOur research provided an atlas for lobectomy and segmentectomy at the subsegmental or more distal level. We demonstrated that the recognition accuracy of pulmonary arteries in a non-time-sensitive experimental scenario was still unfavorable. We also suggest that extra attention should be paid to certain surgeries during the surgical planning process.

A colovesical fistula is a pathological communication between the colon and bladder. The symptoms include pneumaturia, fecaluria, and a lower urinary tract infection. The diagnosis is based on clinical symptoms, but the symptoms are not specific. Therefore, confirming the diagnosis is challenging. Urine cultures performed in patients with colovesical fistulas usually show growth of Escherichia coli or mixed growth of bowel organisms. Urinary tract infections caused by Lactococcus lactis are very rare, as it is rarely considered pathogenic in humans. We report the case of a 70-year-old woman who presented with symptoms of a recurrent urinary tract infection. Urine cultures were positive for L. lactis. Abdominopelvic computed tomography (CT) revealed focal thickening of the bladder wall and gas in the bladder. Cystoscopic examination and colonoscopy revealed sigmoid colon cancer and a sigmoido-vesical fistula. Laparoscopic surgical treatment was done. The patient recovered and was discharged 3 weeks later without chemoradiotherapy. On follow-up after 6 months, the patient was asymptomatic and stable. To our knowledge, this is the second reported case of L. lactis infection of the urinary tract and the first reported case in adults. L. lactis infection usually indicates the presence of serious underlying diseases such as malignancies, uncontrolled diabetes, and organ failure.

Summary: Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease associated with widespread disruptions in intrinsic local specialization and global integration in the functional system of the brain. These changes in integration may further disrupt the global signal (GS) distribution, which might represent the local relative contribution to global activity in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Methods: fMRI scans from a discovery dataset (n = 809) and a validated dataset (n = 542) were used in the analysis. We investigated the alteration of GS topography using the GS correlation (GSCORR) in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD. The association between GS alterations and functional network properties was also investigated based on network theory. The underlying mechanism of GSCORR alterations was elucidated using imaging-transcriptomics. Findings: Significantly increased GS topography in the frontal lobe and decreased GS topography in the hippocampus, cingulate gyrus, caudate, and middle temporal gyrus were observed in patients with AD (Padj