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Most ovarian cancer patients experience disease recurrence and chemotherapeutic resistance, and the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Identifying relevant pathways could reveal new therapeutic targets. Here we examined expression of transmembrane protein 102 (TMEM102), a biomarker of prognosis and chemoresistance, in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), and assessed its role in inhibiting tumor cell apoptosis. We performed qRT-PCR to investigate the association of TMEM102 expression with clinical outcomes in 226 EOC patients. We also conducted in vitro studies to explore possible mechanisms through which TMEM102 may influence chemoresistance, including the effects of downregulating TMEM102 expression with small interfering RNA. Serous and high-grade carcinomas expressed significantly higher TMEM102 than normal ovarian tissues. TMEM102 was also overexpressed in patients with advanced-stage disease and chemoresistance. Reduction of TMEM102 expression by small interfering RNA induced ovarian cancer cell apoptosis after cytotoxic treatment. TMEM102 overexpression enhanced chemoresistance via upregulation of heat shock proteins 27, 60, and 70; and survivin, resulting in decreased cytochrome c in the mitochondria and decreased caspase 9 expression. Our results indicate that TMEM102 overexpression may promote chemoresistance via inhibition of a mitochondria-associated apoptotic pathway.

A strategy to recruit monocytes (MCs) from blood to regenerate vascular tissue from unseeded (cell-free) tissue engineered vascular grafts is presented. When immobilized on the surface of vascular grafts, the fusion protein, H2R5 can capture blood-derived MC under static or flow conditions in a shear stress dependent manner. The bound MC turns into macrophages (Mϕ) expressing both M1 and M2 phenotype specific genes. When H2R5 functionalized acellular-tissue engineered vessels (A-TEVs) are implanted into the mouse aorta, they remain patent and form a continuous endothelium expressing both endothelial cell (EC) and MC specific proteins. Underneath the EC layer, multiple cells layers are formed coexpressing both smooth muscle cell (SMC) and MC specific markers. Lineage tracing analysis using a novel CX3CR1-confetti mouse model demonstrates that fluorescently labeled MC populates the graft lumen by two and four weeks postimplantation, providing direct evidence in support of MC/Mϕ recruitment to the graft lumen. Given their abundance in the blood, circulating MCs may be a great source of cells that contribute directly to the endothelialization and vascular wall formation of acellular vascular grafts under the right chemical and biomechanical cues.

Background Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is a critical complication of acute myocardial infarction, especially ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). This study identified the risk factors for SCA in patients with STEMI before receiving catheterization. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the data of patients with STEMI and cardiac arrest who presented to a tertiary care center in Taiwan between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2019. Only patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) confirmed by coronary angiography were included in this study. We collected the patients’ demographic and clinical data, such as age, sex, medical history, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and coronary angiographic findings. The primary outcome of this study was SCA in patients with STEMI. Continuous and nominal variables were compared using the two-sample Student's t-test and chi-squared test, respectively. The results of logistic regression were subjected to multivariate analysis with adjustment for possible confounders. Results A total of 920 patients with STEMI and coronary angiography–documented CAD and 108 patients with SCA who presented between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2019, were included. The bivariate logistic regression analysis of patients’ demographic data revealed that patients with STEMI and SCA were slightly younger, were more likely to have diabetes mellitus, and had a lower eGFR than did the patients without SCA. The coronary angiographic findings indicated a higher prevalence of left main CAD and three-vessel disease in patients with SCA than in patients without SCA. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that left main CAD (odds ratio [OR]: 3.77; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.84 to 7.72), a lower eGFR (OR: 0.97; 95% CI, 0.96 to 0.98), and younger age (OR: 0.98; 95% CI, 0.96 to 0.99) were the risk factors for SCA in patients with STEMI. Conclusions Left main CAD, lower eGFR, and younger age are the risk factors for cardiac arrest in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

The matrix expression, topological index and atomic attribute of molecular topological structure are reviewed. Nine ma- trices, twenty-six kinds of indices and eight methods dealing with weighted molecular graphs are summed up in three tables. Some shortcomings of the topological indices are discussed as: (1) the physical-chemical meaning of topological index is not explicit; (2) it is difficult to interpret the QSAR and QSPR models derived from the topological indices; and (3) topological index usually neglects the stereochemical information or the three-dimensional structure of the molecule. Three directions of topological index are focused on: (1) description of local information; (2) studies on inter-correlation of topological index; and (3) variable index.

BackgroundColonic diverticulitis is a leading cause of abdominal pain. The monocyte distribution width (MDW) is a novel inflammatory biomarker with prognostic significance for coronavirus disease and pancreatitis; however, no study has assessed its correlation with the severity of colonic diverticulitis.MethodsThis single-center retrospective cohort study included patients older than 18 years who presented to the emergency department between November 1, 2020, and May 31, 2021, and received a diagnosis of acute colonic diverticulitis after abdominal computed tomography. The characteristics and laboratory parameters of patients with simple versus complicated diverticulitis were compared. The significance of categorical data was assessed using the chi-square or Fisher’s exact test. The Mann–Whitney U test was used for continuous variables. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to identify predictors of complicated colonic diverticulitis. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves were used to test the efficacy of inflammatory biomarkers in distinguishing simple from complicated cases.ResultsOf the 160 patients enrolled, 21 (13.125%) had complicated diverticulitis. Although right-sided was more prevalent than left-sided colonic diverticulitis (70% versus 30%), complicated diverticulitis was more common in those with left-sided colonic diverticulitis (61.905%, p = 0.001). Age, white blood cell (WBC) count, neutrophil count, C-reactive protein (CRP) level, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and MDW were significantly higher in the complicated diverticulitis group (p < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis indicated that left-sided location and the MDW were significant and independent predictors of complicated diverticulitis. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was as follows: MDW, 0.870 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.784–0.956); CRP, 0.800 (95% CI, 0.707–0.892); NLR, 0.724 (95% CI, 0.616–0.832); PLR, 0.662 (95% CI, 0.525–0.798); and WBC, 0.679 (95% CI, 0.563–0.795). The MDW had the largest AUC for diagnosing complicated diverticulitis; when the MDW cutoff was 20.38, the sensitivity and specificity were maximized to 90.5% and 80.6%, respectively.ConclusionsPatients with complicated diverticulitis were significantly older and predominantly had left-sided colonic diverticulitis. A large MDW was a significant and independent predictor of complicated diverticulitis. The MDW may aid in planning antibiotic therapy for patients with colonic diverticulitis in the emergency department.

Information metasurfaces have attracted much attention in recent years due to the capability to link the physical world and information science. However, most of the current information metasurfaces are either phase-only coding or amplitude-only coding, limiting their functions and applications. Here, a broadband and programmable amplitude-phase-joint-coding (APJC) information metasurface is proposed and experimentally demonstrated, from which the phase and amplitude of reflected electromagnetic waves can be independently controlled by adjusting the bias voltage of PIN diode integrated in the meta-atom. In particular, the reflection amplitude can be continuously controlled from 0.1 to 0.9, and the reflection phase can be switched between two states with about 180° phase difference. Thus, the proposed metasurface is capable of realizing independent 1-bit or multibit amplitude coding and 1-bit phase coding, and both of them can be reprogrammed in real time in broad band from 8 to 13 GHz. The abilities of the programmable APJC information metasurface in manipulating the electromagnetic waves are demonstrated by both numerical simulations and experiments, including to suppress the sidelobes of scattering beam, generate the diffractive waves with arbitrary magnitudes, and so on. These results show unique advantages of APJC information metasurface in real-time independent controls of energy allocation and wavefront tailoring of the electromagnetic waves in a wide frequency band.

PurposeWhite matter hyperintensities (WMHs) are frequently found in elderly individuals with or without dementia. However, the association between WMHs and clinical presentations of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) has rarely been studied.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective analysis of patients with DLB registered in a dementia database. WMHs were rated visually using the Fazekas scale, and its associated factors including dementia severity, cognitive functions, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and core clinical features were compared among different Fazekas scores. Domains in the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), Cognitive abilities Screening Instruments (CASI), and Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) were compared among different Fazekas groups after adjusting for age, sex, education, and disease duration.ResultsAmong the 449 patients, 76, 207, 110, and 56 had Fazekas score of 0, 1, 2, and 3, respectively. There was a positive association between dementia severity and WMHs severity, and the mean sums of boxes of the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR-SB) were 5.9, 7.8, 9.5, and 11.2 (f = 16.84, p < 0.001) for the Fazekas scale scores 0, 1, 2, and 3, respectively. There was a negative association between cognitive performance and WMHs severity, and the mean CASI were 57.7, 45.4, 4.06, and 33.4 (f = 14.22, p < 0.001) for the Fazekas scale scores 0, 1, 2, and 3, respectively. However, WMHs were not associated with the core clinical features of DLB. After adjustment, all cognitive domains in CDR increased as the Fazekas score increased. In addition, performance on all cognitive domains in CASI decreased as the Fazekas score increased (all p < 0.001). Among neuropsychiatric symptoms, delusions, euphoria, apathy, aberrant motor behavior, and sleep disorders were significantly worse in the higher Fazekas groups compared to those in the group with Fazekas score of 0 after adjustment.ConclusionWMHs in DLB might contribute to deterioration of cognitive function, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and dementia stages. However, core clinical features were not significantly influenced by WMHs in DLB.

This study compared the casualties and types of rescues conducted on the main climbing route (MCR) and accessory climbing routes (ACRs) in Yushan National Park (YSNP) between 2008 and 2019.We collected the following information for all documented mountain rescue operations conducted on the MCRs and ACRs in YSNP between 2008 and 2019: accident location, casualty type, victim number, and type of rescue. The victims were categorized as to injury, illness, mortality, or no medical problem (NMP) groups according to their condition at the time of rescue.Two-hundred forty-four rescue operations involving 329 victims were conducted during the 12-y study period. Among them, 105 (32%) did not require medical treatment, 102 (31%) were injured, 82 (25%) were ill, and 40 (12%) were deceased. Of the 82 individuals with illness, 69 (84%) had acute altitude sickness. The accident and mortality rates on the ACRs were significantly higher than those on the MCR (P0.001; χAcute altitude sickness accounted for most of the rescues. ACRs had higher injury and mortality rates and required more helicopter-based rescues for patients who did not have medical problems. This study may serve as a reference to reduce casualties and overuse of helicopters by educating tourists on the appropriate use of maps and the evaluation of trails in relation to weather conditions.

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of anti-cytomegalovirus (anti-CMV) therapy at different stages on retinal detachment in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and cytomegalovirus retinitis (CMVR). Ninety-seven patients with AIDS and CMVR diagnosed and treated at the Ophthalmology and Infection Center of Beijing You’an Hospital, affiliated with Capital Medical University, from November 2017 to January 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Of the 138 eyes included, 30 eyes with concomitant retinal detachment were enrolled as the study subjects. The eyes with retinal detachment were divided into a pre-induction group, an intra-induction group, and a post-induction group of anti-CMV therapy. The occurrence and characteristics of retinal detachment at different stages of anti-CMV therapy were observed. Retinal detachment occurred in 30 of the 138 eyes of 97 patients, with an incidence of retinal detachment of 21.74%. Retinal detachment occurred in eight eyes in the pre-induction group, with an incidence of 26.67%, and in four eyes in the intra-induction group, with an incidence of 13.33%. The difference in incidence between the two groups was statistically significant (P = 0.000). Retinal detachment occurred in 18 eyes in the post-induction group, with an incidence of 60%. The difference in incidence between the intra-induction group and the post-induction group was statistically significant (P = 0.001). The incidence of retinal detachment at the intra-induction stages of anti-CMV therapy was lower than that at the pre-induction stage, and retinal detachment during the anti-CMV therapy predominantly occurred after the end of the induction stage.

In the Ankeng Light Rail MRT system (ALRMS) project, the U7 box girder passes crossing the Erbads creek and needs a temporary supporting system for the construction work. In this study, three temporary shoring system options were proposed to be the construction method. The D-B Contractor, New Asia construction and Development Corporation, evaluated and selected the optimal choice, The Steel truss frame with supporting beams, to serve as the temporary supporting system. Compare the deflection of Δmax and Δactual, which are 1.609 cm and 1.59 cm, respectively. This result presented that the shoring system composed of the H912*302*18*37 supporting beams and steel truss frame had achieved outstanding performance and work to construct the U7 box girder. This paper presents how the three options are evaluated and the detailed construction processes along with the survey verification for the method.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to develop and empirically test a model that can predict factors affecting student recycling behavior. The theoretical model was based on motivation, place attachment, environmental concern and interpersonal altruism. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional study was conducted with college students in Taiwan using self-report questionnaires. Of the 800 distributed questionnaires, 523 were completed (response rate of 65.4%) and were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Partial least squares (PLS) were used to test the models and hypotheses. Findings The results showed that environmental concern, motivation, interpersonal altruism and place attachment have significant positive effects on recycling behavior and motivation and place attachment have significant positive effects on interpersonal altruism. This research contributes to the existing literature by discriminating between two sorts of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic. Based on these findings, suggestions for future research and practical implications are presented. Originality/value Few studies have linked motivation, interpersonal altruism, environmental concern and place attachment to recycling behavior. Therefore, this study aimed to explore these relationships, specifically as they affect college students’ behavior. This paper anticipates that increased knowledge about recycling behavior could be used to support the wider adoption of recycling practices.