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Abstract Background A series of patients harboring pineal region meningiomas were respectively analyzed to explore the origin of these tumors and the true meaning of the term “velum interpositum (VI) meningiomas”. Methods 21 patients with pineal meningiomas underwent operation in Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University from January 2005 to December 2016 were retrospectively included to analyze the clinical features, imaging findings and surgical video data of these patients. According to the method of literature, the data of this group were also divided into falcotentorial (FT) meningiomas and VI meningiomas, and the differences between the two types of tumors were compared. Results Among the 21 cases of tumor, there were 12 cases of FT meningiomas, including 4 cases originating from cerebral falx, 4 cases from tentorium of cerebellum and 4 cases from straight sinus; there were 9 cases of VI meningiomas, 7 of which originated from the arachnoid sleeve of the Galen vein, 1 from the posterior part of the internal cerebral vein and 1 from the posterior surface of the pineal gland. Postoperative pathological examination showed meningiomas in all the 21 patients, including 16 cases of total resection and 5 cases of subtotal resection. Postoperatively limitation of binocular vertical motion was found in 3 cases, homotropic hemianopia in 7 cases, hemiplegia in 1 case and death in 1 case. Conclusions This study suggests that pineal meningiomas are more suitable to be described by FT meningioma and meningiomas of the arachnoid of the pineal region by analyzing the origin of tumors. The term “VI meningiomas” can only reflect a part of meningiomas of the arachnoid of the pineal region. Before the removal of pineal meningiomas, more attention should be paid to the effects of the two types of tumors on the Galen vein and the straight sinus, and the establishment of venous collateral circulation.

Intracranial germ cell tumors (ICGCTs) are highly heterogeneous tumors that tend to occur in children and adolescents, and their diagnosis and treatment strategies are closely related to their pathological components. However, due to their low surgical treatment rate, limited access to pathological specimens of tumors, and difficult or incomplete pathological biopsy, it is difficult to make clinical diagnosis and treatment. Specific tumor markers play an important role in the auxiliary diagnosis, treatment and prognosis prediction of ICGCTs. This paper intends to review the studies on classical histological markers, serology and/or cerebrospinal fluid tumor markers of ICGCTs, so as to provide references for clinical application and research. DOI：10.3969/j.issn.1672⁃6731.2020.04.004

Abstract. Background. In consideration of the difficulty in diagnosing high heterogeneous glioma, valuable prognostic markers are urgent to be investigated. This study aimed to verify that connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is associated with the clinical prognosis of glioma, also to analyze the effect of CTGF on the biological function. Methods. In this study, glioma and non-tumor tissue samples were obtained in 2012 to 2014 from the Department of Neurosurgery of Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China. Based on messenger RNA (mRNA) data from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and CCGA dataset, combined with related clinical information, we detected the expression of CTGF mRNA in glioma and assessed its effect on the prognosis of glioma patients. High expression of CTGF mRNA and protein in glioma were verified by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, immunohistochemistry, and Western blotting. The role of CTGF in the proliferation, migration, and invasion of gliomas were respectively identified by methylthiazoletetrazolium assay, Transwell and Boyden assay in vitro. The effect on glioma cell circle was assessed by flow cytometry. For higher expression of CTGF in glioblastoma (GBM), the biological function of CTGF in GBM was investigated by gene ontology (GO) analysis. Results. In depth analysis of TCGA data revealed that CTGF mRNA was highly expressed in glioma (GBM, n = 163; lowly proliferative glioma [LGG], n = 518; non-tumor brain tissue, n = 207; LGG, t = 2.410, GBM, t = 2.364, P

At present, the growth mechanism of TiO2 nanotubes in different electrolytes is still controversial. Field assisted dissolution (FAD) theory believes that fluoride ion is the main factor affecting the growth of TiO2 nanotubes. In this paper, we conducted a comparative experiment in HBF4 and NH4F electrolytes which containing the same fluoride ion molarity. By comparing the growth morphology of TiO2 nanotubes in two electrolytes, orderly nanotube arrays were obtained in NH4F electrolyte. However, only dense films and nanotube embryos were formed in HBF4 electrolyte. Obviously, FAD theory cannot explain these phenomena. Ionic current and electronic current theories and oxygen bubble model are reasonable for these phenomena. In the NH4F electrolyte, there are high electronic current and intense oxygen evolution, so the nanotube embryos cannot be seen. The low electronic current in the HBF4 electrolyte and the slow evolution of oxygen gas lead to the discovery of the nanotube embryos. This phenomenon also confirms that the formation process of TiO2 nanotubes is that anodic oxides grow upward around the oxygen bubble to form the nanotube walls.

Background: Gliomas are highly lethal brain tumors. Despite multimodality therapy with surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy, glioma prognosis remains poor. Ferroptosis is a crucial tumor suppressor mechanism that has been proven to be effective in anticancer therapy. However, the implications of ferroptosis on the clinical prognosis, chemotherapy, and immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy for patients with glioma still need elucidation.Methods: Consensus clustering revealed two distinct ferroptosis-related subtypes based on the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) glioma dataset (n = 663). Subsequently, the ferroptosis-related gene prognostic index (FRGPI) was constructed by weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and “stepAIC” algorithms and validated with the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) dataset (n = 404). Subsequently, the correlation among clinical, molecular, and immune features and FRGPI was analyzed. Next, the temozolomide sensitivity and ICI response for glioma were predicted using the “pRRophetic” and “TIDE” algorithms, respectively. Finally, candidate small molecular drugs were defined using the connectivity map database based on FRGPI.Results: The FRGPI was established based on the HMOX1, TFRC, JUN, and SOCS1 genes. The distribution of FRGPI varied significantly among the different ferroptosis-related subtypes. Patients with high FRGPI had a worse overall prognosis than patients with low FRGPI, consistent with the results in the CGGA dataset. The final results showed that high FRGPI was characterized by more aggressive phenotypes, high PD-L1 expression, high tumor mutational burden score, and enhanced temozolomide sensitivity; low FRGPI was associated with less aggressive phenotypes, high microsatellite instability score, and stronger response to immune checkpoint blockade. In addition, the infiltration of memory resting CD4+ T cells, regulatory T cells, M1 macrophages, M2 macrophages, and neutrophils was positively correlated with FRGPI. In contrast, plasma B cells and naïve CD4+ T cells were negatively correlated. A total of 15 potential small molecule compounds (such as depactin, physostigmine, and phenacetin) were identified.Conclusion: FRGPI is a promising gene panel for predicting the prognosis, immune characteristics, temozolomide sensitivity, and ICI response in patients with glioma.

A trade-off between the capacity for flight and reproduction has been documented extensively in wing polymorphic female insects, thereby supporting the possible fitness gain due to flightlessness. However, most of these studies were conducted without considering the effect of flight behavior. In the present study, we assessed the flight duration by long-winged (LW) females in the cricket species Velarifictorus aspersus on different days after adult emergence and examined the effect of flight on ovarian development in LW females with different flight capacities. Our results showed that the flight capacity increased with age and peaked after 5 days. In addition, the flight capacity varied among individuals, where most LW females could only take short flights (sustained flight time < 10 min) and only a few individuals could take long flights (sustained flight time > 20 min). In LW female crickets demonstrating only short flights, repeated flying for 30 or 60 min significantly promoted reproductive development. However, in those capable of long flights, reproductive development was affected only after a flight of 60 min. The flight muscles degraded after the start of rapid reproduction in those with both short and long flights. Our results indicated that the critical flight time for switching from flight to reproduction varies among LW V. aspersus female crickets with polymorphic flight behavior.

Abstract Background Spindle and kinetochore associated protein 1 (SKA1) is a protein involved in chromosome congression and mitosis. It has been found to be upregulated and oncogenic in several human cancers. Herein, we investigated the precise role of SKA1 in the progression and malignant phenotype of human glioma. Methods Bioinformatic analysis was carried out based on the RNA-seq data and corresponding clinical data from GEO, TCGA and CGGA databases. Western blot was performed to analyze the expression of SKA1 in clinical samples and signaling pathway proteins in glioma cells, respectively. CCK8 assay, colony forming assay and EdU assay were performed to assess the cell viability. Cell migration and invasion assays were also performed. Moreover, xenograft model was established and the expression of SKA1 was assessed in the xenograft by immunohistochemistry. Results SKA1 expression is positively correlated with glioma grade and could be a promising biomarker for GBM. Moreover, overexpression of SKA1 may lead to poor prognosis in glioma. Downregulation of SKA1 attenuated cell viability, migration, and invasion in U251, U87, LN229 and T98 cells. Furthermore, GSEA analysis demonstrated that SKA1 was involved in the cell cycle, EMT pathway as well as Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, which were then confirmed with Western blot analysis. Conclusion SKA1 promotes malignant phenotype and progression of glioma via multiple pathways, including cell cycle, EMT, Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Therefore, SKA1 could be a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of human gliomas.

The growth mechanism of anodic TiO2 nanotubes has been a hot topic in recent years. The classical field-assisted dissolution (FAD) theory holds that the atmospheric pressure does not affect the growth of nanotubes, while the oxygen bubble model holds that the decrease of pressure is beneficial to the nanotube growth. In order to verify the oxygen bubble model, anodizing processes at three different pressures (0.1 MPa, 0.05 MPa and 0.005 MPa), three different currents and three different NH4F concentrations were studied. To the best our knowledge, some interesting results are obtained which cannot be obtained at standard atmospheric pressure (1 atm = 0.1 MPa). (1) In the same NH4F electrolyte, the same current density and the same temperature, the reduction of anodizing atmospheric pressure can improve the growth rate of TiO2 nanotubes. (2) Under the condition of the same temperature and current density, with the increase of NH4F concentration (0.3 wt%, 0.4 wt% and 0.5 wt%), the porosity of the nanotubes increases, and the growth rate of the nanotubes decreases obviously. These findings can serve as counterevidence to the FAD theory.

Suaeda salsa (L.) Pall., a medicinal and edible plant, has green and red-violet ecotypes that exhibit different phenotypes, tastes, and growth characteristics. However, few studies have focused on these differences from the aspect of differentially expressed proteins under the conditions of different habitats in the field. In this study, two ecotypes of S. salsa from the intertidal (control) and supratidal (treatment) habitats of the Yellow River Delta were selected. A total of 30 individual leaves were mixed into six samples (three biological replicates for each) and subjected to protein extraction by using tandem mass tag-labeled quantitative proteomic technology. A total of 4771 proteins were quantitated. They included 317 differentially expressed proteins (2.0-fold change, p < 0.05), among which 143 were upregulated and the remaining 174 were downregulated. These differentially expressed proteins mainly participated in biological processes, such as response to stimulus, stress, and biotic stimulus; in molecular functions, such as methyltransferase activity, transferase activity, one-C group transfer, and tetrapyrrole binding; and in cell components, such as non-membrane-bound organelles, intracellular non-membrane-bound organelles, chromosomes, and photosystems. The differentially expressed proteins were mainly enriched in eight pathways, among which the ribosome, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, and photosynthesis pathways had higher protein numbers than the other pathways. The upregulation of differentially expressed proteins related to the ribosome and photosynthesis increased the relative growth rate and reduced the N:P ratio of S. salsa from the supratidal habitat, thereby improving its palatability. By contrast, most of the differentially expressed proteins involved in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis were downregulated in S. salsa from the intertidal habitat. This result indicated that S. salsa from the intertidal habitat might accumulate flavonoids, lignin, and other secondary metabolites in its leaves that confer a bitter taste. However, these secondary metabolites might increase the medicinal value of S. salsa from the intertidal habitat. This work could provide a theoretical basis and data support for the sustainable and high-value utilization of medicinal and edible plants from coastal wetlands.

A highly controversial topic, the mechanism of the anodization of the formation of porous structures of metals is still believed by many researchers to be field-assisted dissolution by fluoride ions. In this paper, evidence against this mechanism is provided. Using SEM images of titanium oxides anodized in four fluoride-free electrolytes—NaNO3, KNO3, H2SO4, and H3PO4 solutions—and the corresponding current−time curves, this paper supports the newly grown oxides growing upward around the oxygen bubble mold in a viscous flow mode to form nanotubes. The electronic current is high enough to ensure the continuous release of oxygen gas, which is necessary to form nanotubes, such as in NaNO3 and KNO3 solutions. When the electronic current is small enough, the oxygen bubbles can only form porous structure similar to those found in bread, such as in H2SO4 and H3PO4 solutions.

Indiscriminate neuroendoscopic biopsy of pineal region tumors is not advisable. For germ cell tumors with elevatedtumor markers ( β ⁃ human chorionic gonadotropin and alpha ⁃ fetoprotein), biopsy is not necessary, and neoadjuvant chemotherapy can be used for stratified management. If diagnosis of germ cell tumors is clinically highly suggestive, neuroendoscopic biopsy or diagnostic chemotherapy may be recommended. Except for those two types of the pineal tumors, others can be removed by craniotomy, followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy according to the pathological results or only followed up. DOI：10.3969/j.issn.1672⁃6731.2020.04.002

Faujasite (FAU) zeolites with abundant exchangeable sites are ideal hosts for the intake of Ag+ and the stabilization of highly luminescent silver nanoclusters (Ag NCs), while theoretical calculations on the spectral characteristics, charge states, and electronic energies of Ag NCs that are confined inside FAU zeolite were seldom reported. In this research, the Na-type FAU zeolites with varying silicon-to-aluminum (Si/Al) ratios were first synthesized with the hydrothermal method and then applied as matrixes to stabilize Ag NCs to obtain tunable emissions. With the decrease in the Si/Al ratio, the Ag NCs show red-shifted emission from 515 to 548 nm and broadened photoluminescence of excitation (PLE) and photoluminescence (PL) spectral profile. The time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) method was carried out to probe the effect of Al substitution on the charge states and the optical properties of Ag NCs confined inside the double-six ring (D6r) cavity. The simulated results of the absorption spectra and energy levels suggest that the S1 → S0 transition of the monovalent Ag3+ cluster is responsible for the visible emission, and the increased full width at half-maximum (fwhm) of the PLE and PL spectra in the low Si/Al ratio FAU zeolites is due to the inhomogeneous broadening brought by the increased isomer numbers of the Al-substituted neutral zeolite framework. It is noted that the peak of the simulated absorption spectra red-shifted with the decrease in the Si/Al ratio, which is consistent with the experimental observation. This research provided an effective method for the manipulation of Ag NC emission in FAU zeolites through framework cation substitution and meanwhile theoretically explained the Si/Al ratio dependence of tunable emission properties, which may benefit the design of zeolite-confined Ag NCs with desirable optical performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Speech recognition has the problem of low recognition accuracy because of poor denoising effect and low endpoint detection accuracy. Therefore, a new intelligent speech multifeature recognition method based on deep machine learning is proposed. In this method, speech signals are digitally processed, a first-order finite impulse response (FIR) high pass digital filter is used to preemphasize digital speech signals, and short-term energy and zero crossing rate are combined to detect speech signals to expand endpoints. The detected speech signal is input into the depth autoencoder, and the features of the speech signal are extracted through deep learning. The Gaussian mixture model of deep machine learning is constructed using a continuous distribution hidden Markov model, and the extracted features are input into the model to complete feature recognition. The experimental results show that the proposed method has high endpoint detection accuracy, good denoising effect, and high recognition accuracy, and this method has higher application value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both furan and 1,4‐dihydropyridine (1,4‐DHP) are key structural motifs in pharmaceuticals. Herein, we report the synthesis of 4‐(furan‐2‐ylmethyl)‐1,4‐dihydropyridines from pyridiniums and furfural derivatives under NHC catalysis. This reaction involves the generation of NHC‐bounded trienolates from furfural derivatives and following addition to the C‐4 position of N‐aryl pyridinium salts. This protocol features good yields (41–99%), and high levels of regioselectivity (>20:1 for all cases). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cooperative visible-light mediated and NHC-catalyzed dearomative arylation-acylation of N-(2-bromobenzoyl)indoles with aldehydes was developed, affording the corresponding highly functionalized polycyclic indolines in moderate to good yields with exclusive diastereoselectivities. Mechanism investigations support the activation of CAr–Br bond via visible-light mediated energy transfer (EnT) and the following single-electron-transfer (SET) with Breslow intermediate under NHC catalysis to give key aryl radical and ketyl radical. This protocol demonstrates the cleavage of CAr–Br bond under mild cooperative EnT/NHC catalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between rapid weight gain and early wheezing. Methods This study screened 701 infants with lower respiratory tract infection who were no more than 4 months from Jan 1st to Dec 31st in 2018. According to weight-for-age Z-value (WAZ), these infants were divided into the considerably slow weight gain group (group I), the normal weight gain group (group II) and the excessively rapid weight gain group (group III), respectively. The clinical characteristics, weight growth speeds and serum lipid levels were analyzed, and multivariable Logistic model was conducted to select significant variables. Results Our results showed that male (OR = 1.841, 95%CI: 1.233–2.751), family wheezing (OR = 5.118, 95%CI: 2.118–12.365), age (OR = 1.273, 95%CI: 1.155–1.403), eczema (OR = 2.769, 95%CI: 1.793–4.275), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection (OR = 1.790, 95%CI: 1.230–2.604), birth weight (OR = 1.746, 95%CI: 1.110–2.746) and total cholesterol (TC) (OR = 1.027, 95%CI: 1.019–1.036) and ΔWAZ (OR = 1.182, 95%CI: 1.022–1.368) were associated with early wheezing. Results indicated that serum TC (P = 0.018) and ΔWAZ (P = 0.023) were positive correlation with wheezing days. Conclusion Besides male, family wheezing, age, eczema, RSV infection, birth weight and TC, the rapid weight growth as a risk factor should be concerned in the early wheezing infants.

In this work, nickel metal supported on different supports (SiO2, Al2O3, ZSM-5) were prepared by spraying nickel nitrate on the supports and calcined at 873 K. Then, they were characterized by XRD, XRF, N2 adsorption–desorption, NH3-TPD, MCH-TPD, H2-TPR, and pyridine-FTIR, and tested as catalysts for the dehydrogenation aromatization and isomerization of methylcyclohexane (MCH) under the conditions of S-Zorb catalytic adsorption desulfurization (T = 673 K, P = 1.5 MPa, WHSV = 5 h−1). The H2-TPR results showed that the interaction of NiO with support decreased in the order of NiO/ZSM-5-Fe

Background: Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) is an opportunistic infection with a difficult diagnosis, rapid progression, high mortality rate and poor prognosis. The primary treatment and prevention of PCP is trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMZ). However, there are many cases of intolerance or resistance to the drug, so the convenient and effective alternatives are deficient. Case presentation: A 66-year-old woman who took an immunosuppressive agent for a long time was diagnosed with PCP. Poor compliance of treatment was found out after monitoring TMP/SMZ plasma concentrations in this patient. She stopped taking the drug herself because of nausea. As a result of intolerance to TMP/SMZ, caspofungin combined with clindamycin were chosen to continue anti-PCP treatment in this patient. She finally improved and discharged from hospital. Conclusion: The new combination of caspofungin and clindamycin may be beneficial for patients with PCP who have failed treatment or are intolerant of TMP/SMZ. In addition, the trend of β-glucan levels can be a predictor of therapeutic efficacy in PCP. Keywords: Caspofungin, Clindamycin, Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia

Carbon-based materials hybridized with metal sulfides have gained growing attention as catalytic materials for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) due to their synergistic effects in terms of richer structural features and higher electrochemical activities. Here, a series of Zn/Co/Fe-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as the precursors, which can be adopted as efficient ORR catalysts, were synthesized through a sulfuration–calcination treatment. The effects of precursor composition, heteroatom doping, and pyrolysis temperature on the structure and electrochemical performance of the catalysts were discussed in detail. It is found that well-grown carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the surface of graphitic carbon matrix are formed under the synergy effect of trimetallic-based species during pyrolysis. Benefiting from the three-dimensional unique structure with appropriate dopants and high porosity, the catalyst derived from the optimized Zn/Co/Fe-MOFs achieves a half-wave potential of 0.87 V in an alkaline medium for ORR, which is comparable with commercial electrocatalysts. In addition, an outstanding ORR durability of the proposed catalyst in alkaline media was also demonstrated. This work highlights the potential to rationally design and fabricate high-performance ORR catalysts for commercialization.

Porous anodic TiO2 nanotubes have been widely studied because of their interesting prospects and mysterious mechanism of formation. However, most traditional anodization is done in a single beaker, and few changes have been made to the method by which titanium is anodized. In this study, a double-anode anodizing method involving a wired anode and a wireless anode in two beakers was used for the first time. Nanotubes were found to form at the two anodes. The effect of changing the electrolytes in the two beakers was studied. The current–time curve showed the normal three stages when the electrolytes in both beakers were the same. However, when the electrolytes in the two beakers were different, the time–current curve showed a tendency to decrease, and ginseng-root-shaped nanotubes (where a thick nanotube splits into several thinner nanotubes) appeared at a high voltage (100 V).

Background Preeclampsia (PE) is a pregnancy-specific syndrome, belongs to the gestational hypertension diseases category and is considered among the causes of maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity. However, the pathogenesis of PE is still vague. Methods In the present study, the circular RNA (circRNA) expression patterns of normal pregnant women and PE patients were investigated using whole RNA sequencing. Results A total of 151 differential expressed circRNAs were identified including 121 upregulated and 30 downregulated ones. Functional and pathway enrichment analysis was conducted on the differentially expressed circRNAs using Gene Ontology and KEGG databases. The results of this analysis indicated that several crucial biological processes and pathways were enriched in PE patients. circRNA–microRNA (miRNA) interaction analysis indicated that the reported differentially expresse circRNAs may be associated with some regulatory functions through miRNAs in PE patients. Two ceRNAs networks were constructed according to the targeting relationship between circRNAs/miRNAs and miRNAs/mRNAs. One sub-network contained one upregulated circRNA, four downregulated miRNAs and five upregulated mRNAs, and another sub-network contained 10 downregulated circRNAs, 21 upregulated miRNAs and 15 downregulated mRNAs. Conclusion CircRNA expression patterns have been investigated and this analysis revealed their potential regulatory mechanisms in PE patients. We constructed the ceRNAs (competing endogenous RNA) to reveal the potential molecular roles of dysregulated circRNAs in the PE patients using RNA sequencing data. circRNA_13301 was the only one upregulated circRNA in ceRNA being targeted by four miRNAs.

Objectives: To develop a two-dimensional normalized cross-correlation (NCC)-based ultrasonic speckle-tracking algorithm for right diaphragm deformation analysis.Methods: Six healthy and eight mechanical ventilation patients were enrolled in this study. Images were acquired by a portable ultrasound system in three sections. DICOM data were processed with NCC to obtain the interframe/cumulative vertical and horizontal displacements, as well as the global strain of the right diaphragm, with continuous tracking and drift correction.Results: The NCC algorithm can track the contraction and relaxation of the right diaphragm by following the respiratory movement continuously. For all three sections, the interframe and accumulated horizontal displacements were both significantly larger than the corresponding vertical displacements (interframe p values: 0.031, 0.004, and 0.000; cumulative p values: 0.039, 0.001, and 0.05), regardless of whether the horizontal interval of the initial diaphragm point was 1, 3, 5, or 10 times in the sampling interval.Conclusions: This study developed a novel diaphragm deformation ultrasound imaging method. This method can be used to estimate the diaphragm interframe/accumulated displacement in the horizontal and vertical directions and the global strain on three different imaging planes, and it was found that the strain was not sensitive to the imaging plane.