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Ochratoxins were important secondary metabolites secreted by fungi, and OTA and OTB are mainly significant mycotoxin, having toxic effects on humans and animals. Therefore, it is important to establish a rapid, sensitive, and precise method for ochratoxins detection and quantification in real samples. In this study, a stable monoclonal antibody (mAb) that recognizing both OTA and OTB toxins was employed for the establishment of indirect competitive ELISA (ic-ELISA), colloidal gold nanoparticles (CGNs), and nanoflowers gold strips (AuNFs) for detection of ochratoxins in real samples. A 6E5 hybridoma cell line stable secreting mAb against both OTA and OTB toxins was obtained by fusion of splenocytes with myeloma SP2/0 cells. The 6E5 mAb had a high affinity (3.7 × 108 L/mol) to OTA, and also showed similar binding activity to OTB. The optimized ic-ELISA resulted in a linear range of 0.06–0.6 ng/mL for ochratoxins (OTA and OTB) detection. The IC50 was 0.2 ng/mL and the limit of detection (LOD) was 0.03 ng/mL. The mean recovery rate from the spiked samples was 89.315 ± 2.257%, with a coefficient variation of 2.182%. The result from lateral flow immunoassays indicated that the LOD of CGNs and AuNFs were 5 and 1 μg/mL, respectively. All these results indicated that the developed ic-ELISA, CGNs, and AuNFs in this study could be used for the analysis of the residual of ochratoxins (OTA and OTB) in food and agricultural products.

Progressive microforming of bulk microparts by directly using sheet metals has been developed to address the issues of preform/billet positioning, transportation and ejection in microforming, and it has potential to be used for making complex pin-shaped microparts with high productivity and material utilization. In this research, a progressive microforming system with blanking and extrusion operations to make two types of pin-shaped plunger parts by using brass sheets was developed, and the grain size effect was investigated from the aspects of deformation load, dimensional accuracy, microstructural evolution and surface quality. It is revealed that the grain size effect results in the deviation of punch stroke and the variation of part dimension. The formation and characteristics of shear band and dead metal zone are related to velocity gradient and strain accumulation. The forming defects including micro cracks, micro pits, uneven surface and longitudinal surface texture easily occur on the body and tail feature, and micro voids appear with the coarse-grained material. The circular surface, however, shows the desirable quality with each grain size. All these findings provide a basis for mass production of complex pin-shaped microparts by progressive microforming and enrich the knowledges from deformation behavior and product quality assurance aspects. Keywords: Progressive microforming, Grain size effect, Shear band, Forming defects

Pulmonary artery smooth muscle cell (PASMC) proliferation contributes to pulmonary vascular remodeling, which ultimately leads to pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Osthole has been previously shown to inhibit tumor cell growth. Our previous experiments demonstrated that osthole could prevent monocrotaline-induced PAH and pulmonary artery remodeling in rats and that its effects might be associated with inhibiting PASMC proliferation. However, the exact mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we observed the inhibitory effect of osthole on platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB-induced rat PASMC growth, cell cycle progression and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression, as measured by CCK-8 assay, flow cytometric analysis and western blotting, respectively. We also detected the expression and activities of the cell cycle regulators cyclin D1/CDK4, cyclin E1/CDK2, p53, p27 and p21 and the TGF-β1/Smad/p38 signaling pathways in rat PASMCs by western blotting. Our results show that osthole effectively suppressed PDGF-BB-stimulated proliferation, PCNA protein expression, and cell cycle progression in rat PASMCs in vitro. We further demonstrated that treatment with osthole significantly induced cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase in PASMCs, which was supported by the finding that osthole significantly decreased cyclin D1/CDK4 and cyclin E1/CDK2 protein levels and increased p53, p27 and p21 protein levels. These effects may partly be attributed to the downregulation of TGF-β1/Smad/p38 signaling pathway activation. Our findings suggest that osthole is a potential therapeutic candidate that warrants further investigation regarding its potential use for the treatment of PAH.

This study aims to explore the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of infant patients with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) infection. Clinical and epidemiological data of a 3-month-old patient with COVID-19 were collected, including general status, clinical results, laboratory tests, imaging characteristics, and epidemiological reports. The infant had no fever but had mild respiratory symptoms. The major laboratory results included normal white blood cell counts and lymphocytopenia, notably with elevated interleukin (IL-)-17A, IL-17F, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-)-α. The main manifestation of his chest computed tomography scan was pulmonary patchy shadows. All throat swabs and urine of the infant detected via Real-time Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) were negative, but his anal swab continued to test positive up to 40 days after onset of illness. Our study indicated that infants infected with COVID-19 may have relatively mild symptoms or clinical signs, IL-17A, IL-17 F, and TNF-α could be involved in the immune response of COVID-19. In addition, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2) may shed through the gastrointestinal tract and convalescent carriers may exist among infant patients. We cannot rule out the possibility that infants may acquire infection from breastfeeding. Intensive care and nutrition support are recommended for infant patients with mild symptoms.

The role of root exudates has long been recognized for its potential to improve nutrient use efficiency in cropping systems. However, studies addressing the variability of root exudates involved in phosphorus solubilization across plant developmental stages remain scarce. Here, we grew Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings in sterile liquid culture with a low, medium, or high concentration of phosphate and measured the composition of the root exudate at seedling, vegetative, and bolting stages. The exudates changed in response to the incremental addition of phosphorus, starting from the vegetative stage. Specific metabolites decreased in relation to phosphate concentration supplementation at specific stages of development. Some of those metabolites were tested for their phosphate solubilizing activity, and 3-hydroxypropionic acid, malic acid, and nicotinic acid were able to solubilize calcium phosphate from both solid and liquid media. In summary, our data suggest that plants can release distinct compounds to deal with phosphorus deficiency needs influenced by the phosphorus nutritional status at varying developmental stages.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0230712.].

BackgroundAlthough it is well acknowledged that persistent infection with high-risk human papillomavirus types in genital sites plays a crucial role in the development of squamous cell cervical carcinoma, there is no unanimous consensus on the association between non-HPV sexually transmitted infections and abnormal cervical cytology.MethodsIn the present study, we evaluated cervical cytology status, sexually transmitted infections and bacterial vaginosis status, and collected social-demographic information among recruited participants to explore the association of STIs and bacterial vaginosis with abnormal cervical cytology.Results9,090 women's specimens were successfully tested, with a total of 8,733 (96.1%) women had normal cytology and 357 (3.9%) women exhibited abnormal cytology. The prevalence of HPV, Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and bacterial vaginosis was significantly higher in the ≥ASC-US group than the NILM group (PConclusionsOur results demonstrated that Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection in genital sites and/or bacterial vaginosis may independently increase the risk for cervical cytology abnormalities after adjusted for carcinogenic HPV-positive status. Besides, these results improved our understanding of the etiology of abnormal cervical cytology and may be useful for the management of women with ASC-US cytology.

Root pile (hereafter called RP), which is a promising new type of noncircular cross-section-shaped pile and meets the requirements of the development of the uplift pile, was introduced for promotion. On the basis of validation of experimental and numerical results, finite element models were established to study the influence of the arrangement of roots and dimension parameters on the uplift bearing capacity and the economy of RP compared with that of the straight-shaft pile and pedestal pile (hereafter called SP and PP, respectively). The results show that the uplift bearing capacity of RP is higher than that of SP and PP, and the longer the pile length is, the more the bearing capacity of RP would increase compared with that of SP and PP. In order to further improve the bearing capacity of RP, the bearing mechanism of the root was analysed, and the suggested values of root size and spacing of layers are given. In addition, the most economical way to increase pile bearing capacity is to increase pile length rather than increasing pile diameter.

Understanding of pathogenesis and protection mechanisms underlying influenza-Streptococcus pneumoniae co-infection may provide potential strategies for decreasing its high morbidity and mortality. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is an important cytokine that acts to limit infection-related inflammation; however, its role in co-infected pneumonia remains unclear. Here we show that the clinically relevant co-infected mice displayed dramatically elevated IL-6 levels; which was also observed in patients with co-infected pneumonia. IL-6−/− mice presented with increased bacterial burden, early dissemination of bacteria to extrapulmonary sites accompanied by aggravated pulmonary lesions and high mortality when co-infection. This protective function of IL-6 is associated with cellular death and macrophage function. Importantly, therapeutic administration of recombinant IL-6 protein reduced cells death in BALF, and enhanced macrophage phagocytosis through increased MARCO expression. This protective immune mechanism furthers our understanding of the potential impact of immune components during infection and provides potential therapeutic avenues for influenza-Streptococcus pneumoniae co-infected pneumonia.

Abstract Background Anoikis resistance has been demonstrated to facilitate distant metastases of cancers. MicroRNA-133b (miR-133b) is found to be down-regulated in various tumors, including esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), and closely correlates with the malignant phenotype of ESCC. This study aimed to evaluate the roles of miR-133b in metastases of ESCC via regulating anoikis. Methods The expression of miR-133b and related molecules were detected in ESCC tissues and cells. The target relationship between miR-133b and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) was verified by dual luciferase reporter assay. Cell proliferation was detected by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. Anoikis and anchorage-independent growth were assessed by anoikis assay and soft agar assay. Migration and invasion were evaluated by scratch and transwell assays. The expressions of related molecules were detected by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. The in vivo results were determined by tumor xenografts in nude mice. Results MiR-133b level was decreased in ESCC tissues and cells, which negatively correlated with EGFR, integrin β4 (ITGB4), and phosphorylated focal adhesion kinase levels. Moreover, miR-133b down-regulated EGFR expression in ESCC cells. Overexpression of miR-133b inhibited the anoikis resistance, migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of ESCC cells via targeting EGFR. Finally, miR-133b overexpression suppressed tumor growth and lung metastases of ESCC in vivo. ITGB4/FAK/growth factor receptor-bound protein 2 (Grb2), protein kinase B (AKT), and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathways were involved in the regulatory mechanisms of miR-133b/EGFR axis in ESCC metastases in vitro and in vivo. Conclusions The results suggested that miR-133b/EGFR axis regulated metastases of ESCC by affecting anoikis resistance via ITGB4/FAK/Grb2, AKT, and ERK pathways.

Human platelets play important roles in several physiologic and pathologic processes. Any defects in platelet number and function can lead to a variety of bleeding complications; platelet transfusions are commonly used to improve platelet count and hemostatic function in these cases. However, transfusions are complicated by the short storage life of donated platelets and contamination risks. Synthetic platelet substitutes can render efficient hemostasis while allowing advantages of large-scale preparation, minimum contamination risk via effective sterilization, longer shelf-life, no need for blood type matching, and reduced risks of biologic or pathologic side effects. Recent efforts in synthetic platelet design have additionally focused on applications including hemostasis, drug delivery, and targeted delivery of cancer therapeutics. In the present review, we summarize the advancement of platelet-inspired nanomedicine for artificial blood component, tumor research, and treatment of thrombi.

Drosophila transgenic RNAi can have drawbacks such as false positives and negative results. Here the authors develop a next generation RNAi system with reduced leakiness of expression and simultaneous knockdown.

Abstract Background Traditional Chinese medicine injections (TCMIs) have been widely used to treat severe and acute diseases due to their high bioavailability, accurate curative effect, and rapid effect. However, incidence rates of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) of TCMIs have also increased in recent years. Xueshuantong injection (XSTI) is a commonly-used TCMI comprised of Panax notoginseng total sapiens for the treatment of stroke hemiplegia, chest pain, and central retinal vein occlusion. Its safety remains uncelar. Therefore, post-marketing safety of XSTI was studied in this research. Methods In present study, post-marketing safety surveillance and re-evaluation of XSTI were reported. Thirty thousand eight hundred eighty-four patients in 33 hospitals from 7 provinces participated in this study. Incidence rate, most common clinical manifestations, types, severity, occurrence time, and disposal of ADRs were calculated. Results Incidence rate of ADR of XSTI was 4.14‰ and the most common clinical manifestations were skin and its appendages damage. Type A accounts for 95.49% of ADRs of XSTI and most of them (41.41%) were occurred within 24 h after receiving XSTI treatment. Severities of most ADRs of XSTI were moderate reactions (86.72%). Main disposition of ADRs of XSTI was drug withdrawal and symptomatic treatment (54.69%). Conclusions Our data provide basis for improvement of instructions of XSTI and clinical safety of XSTI. Post-marketing surveillance of TCMIs in this study is a powerful tool to identify types and manifestations of ADRs to improve safety and effectiveness of drugs in clinical applications. Trial registration This protocol has international registration in China clinical trial registration center (ChiCTR~OPC~ 14,005,718) at December 22, 2014.

Abstract Background Plants are capable of building up beneficial rhizosphere communities as is evidenced by disease-suppressive soils. However, it is not known how and why soil bacterial communities are impacted by plant exposure to foliar pathogens and if such responses might improve plant performance in the presence of the pathogen. Here, we conditioned soil by growing multiple generations (five) of Arabidopsis thaliana inoculated aboveground with Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato (Pst) in the same soil. We then examined rhizosphere communities and plant performance in a subsequent generation (sixth) grown in pathogen-conditioned versus control-conditioned soil. Moreover, we assessed the role of altered root exudation profiles in shaping the root microbiome of infected plants. Results Plants grown in conditioned soil showed increased levels of jasmonic acid and improved disease resistance. Illumina Miseq 16S rRNA gene tag sequencing revealed that both rhizosphere and bulk soil bacterial communities were altered by Pst infection. Infected plants exhibited significantly higher exudation of amino acids, nucleotides, and long-chain organic acids (LCOAs) (C > 6) and lower exudation levels for sugars, alcohols, and short-chain organic acids (SCOAs) (C ≤ 6). Interestingly, addition of exogenous amino acids and LCOA also elicited a disease-suppressive response. Conclusion Collectively, our data suggest that plants can recruit beneficial rhizosphere communities via modification of plant exudation patterns in response to exposure to aboveground pathogens to the benefit of subsequent plant generations.

Abstract Background Tumor necrosis (TN) correlates with adverse outcomes in numerous solid tumors. However, its prognostic value in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) remains unclear. In this study, we performed a meta-analysis to evaluate associations between TN and cancer-specific survival (CSS), overall survival (OS), recurrence-free survival (RFS) and progression-free-survival (PFS) in RCC. Methods Electronic searches in PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science were conducted according to the PRISMA statement. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated to evaluate relationships between TN and RCC. A fixed- or random-effects model was used to calculate pooled HRs and 95%CIs according to heterogeneity. Results A total of 34 cohort studies met the eligibility criteria of this meta-analysis. The results showed that TN was significantly predictive of poorer CSS (HR = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.23–1.53, p

Objective To establish an analytical method of the endosulfan concentrations （α-endosulfan and β-endosulfan） in biological samples by GC-MS/MS. To observe the distribution of endosulfan in aquatic animals and provide experimental evidence for forensic identification of relevant cases. Methods Acetonitrile was added to the blood and muscle samples for precipitating the protein. The endosulfan concentrations were determined by GC-MS/MS in multiple reaction monitoring mode. Qualitative analysis was performed according to the retention time and ion rate, and quantitative analysis was performed by external standard working curve method. Results In blood samples, the calibration curves of α-endosulfan and β-endosulfan ranging from 0.062 5 to 10 μg/mL had good linear relationship, the correlation coefficients （r） of which were >0.99. The limits of detection （LOD） were 1 ng/mL and 2 ng/mL and the limits of quantification （LOQ） were 4 ng/mL and 8 ng/mL, respectively. In muscle samples, the calibration curves of α-endosulfan and β-endosulfan ranging from 0.062 5 to 10 μg/g, the r of which were >0.98. The LOD were 1 ng/g and 4 ng/g and the LOQ were 4 ng/g and 16 ng/g, respectively. The accuracy of α-endosulfan and β-endosulfan was 90.76%-108.91% both in blood and muscle samples, the interday and intraday precision were 2.35%-8.71% and 5.44%-10.29%, respectively. In poisoning cases, endosulfan were detected in all parts of fish and crab and the content difference was statistically significant. Conclusion The endosulfan detection method based on GC-MS/MS established in the present study is rapid, sensitive and accurate, which can be applied to the endosulfan detection in traces biological samples. The distribution of endosulfan in fish and crab was different, which can provide evidence to the sample collection and analysis for toxicological analysis in relevant forensic identification.

Abstract Background and purpose Although numerous studies have shown that positive surgical margin (PSM) is linked to biochemical recurrence (BCR) in prostate cancer (PCa), the research results have been inconsistent. This study aimed to explore the association between PSM and BCR in patients with PCa following radical prostatectomy (RP). Materials and methods In accordance with the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), PubMed, EMBASE and Wan Fang databases were searched for eligible studies from inception to November 2017. The Newcastle–Ottawa Scale was used to assess the risk of bias of the included studies. Meta-analysis was performed by using Stata 12.0. Combined hazard ratios (HRs) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using random-effects or fixed-effects models. Results Ultimately, 41 retrospective cohort studies of high quality that met the eligibility criteria, comprising 37,928 patients (94–3294 per study), were included in this meta-analysis. The results showed that PSM was associated with higher BCR risk in both univariate analysis (pooled HR = 1.56; 95% CI 1.46, 1.66; p

AIM: To investigate the expression of connexin43(Cx43)in retina of Sprague Dawley(SD)rats with diabetes mellitus(DM), and the effects of celecoxib, inhibitor of cyclooxygenase 2(COX-2), on expression of Cx43 in retina of them. METHODS: DM was induced in SD rats by the administration of streptozotocin(STZ). DM rats were divided into two groups: COX-2 treated group(CTG, n=15), and diabetic group(DG, n=15). Normal control group(NCG)consisted of 15 rats was given. Three months' treatment was given after DM development. Sample of retina were made at the end of 3mo. Expression of Cx43 in retina were investigated by immunohistochemistry. Expression of Cx43 mRNA in retina were analyzed by RT-PCR. RESULTS: Cx43 was expressed in the ganglion cell layer, the nerve fiber layer, the inner plexiform layer, and the pigment epithelium layer of retina with a different degree. Computer image analysis showed that celecoxib had elevated the expression of Cx43 in experimental diabetic rats, gray values were: 0.233±0.025, 0.124±0.014, 0.197±0.021; multiple comparisons found statistically significant difference(PPCONCLUSION: Expression of Cx43 decreases in retina of SD rats with DM. Celecoxib can relieve the decrease of Cx43 expression in retina of them.

A road cave-in accident caused by tunneling is described, and the possible mechanism of failure is analyzed. The cave-in measured about 30 m × 27 m in plane, and about 15 m in depth. At about 19 m below the ground surface at the site, a tunnel construction was underway. Immediately above the tunnel, there was a weathered shale layer approximately t 2.66 m thick; above this layer, there were sand and gravel layers. The groundwater level was estimated to be about 5 m below the ground surface. By arch analysis, it is shown that the most likely cause of the accident was the low strength of the weathered shale layer and the high water pressure above the tunnel, which resulted in tensile failure of the weathered shale layer. The All Ground Fasten (AGF) pre-support measure was adopted, but it might make very limited contribution to the increase in the tensile strength of the shale layer in the cross-sectional direction of the tunnel. Keywords: Tunneling, Road cave-in, Arch analysis, Tensile failure

Abstract Background Rivaroxaban, a direct factor Xa inhibitor, has seldom been used in patients with coronary artery disease. In this analysis, we aimed to systematically compare the efficacy and safety of rivaroxaban in addition to the anti-platelet regimen in patients with coronary artery disease. Methods Online databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane database, www.ClinicalTrials.gov and Google scholar were searched for randomized controlled trials which were exclusively based on patients with coronary artery disease; and which compared efficacy (cardiovascular outcomes) and safety (bleeding outcomes) outcomes with the addition of rivaroxaban to the other anti-platelet agents. Analysis was carried out by the RevMan 5.3 software whereby odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were generated following data input. Results Four trials with a total number of 40,148 patients were included (23,231 participants were treated with rivaroxaban whereas 16,919 participants were treated with placebo) in this analysis. Patients’ enrollment period varied from years 2006 to 2016. The current results showed addition of rivaroxaban to significantly lower composite endpoints (OR: 0.81, 95% CI: 0.74–0.88; P = 0.00001). In addition, all-cause death, cardiac death, myocardial infarction, and stent thrombosis were also significantly reduced (OR: 0.82, 95% CI: 0.72–0.92; P = 0.0009), (OR: 0.80, 95% CI: 0.69–0.92; P = 0.002), (OR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.77–0.98; P = 0.03) and (OR: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.55–0.97; P = 0.03) respectively. However, stroke was not significantly different. However, TIMI defined minor and major bleeding were significantly higher with rivaroxaban (OR: 2.27, 95% CI: 1.47–3.49; P = 0.0002) and (OR: 3.44, 95% CI: 1.13–10.52; P = 0.03) respectively. In addition, intracranial hemorrhage and bleeding which was defined according to the International Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis criteria were also significantly higher with rivaroxaban (OR: 1.63, 95% CI: 1.04–2.56; P = 0.03) and (OR: 1.80, 95% CI: 1.45–2.22; P = 0.00001) respectively. Nevertheless, fatal bleeding was not significantly different. Conclusions Addition of rivaroxaban to the anti-platelet regimen was effective in patients with coronary artery disease, but the safety outcomes were doubtful. Further future trials will be able to completely solve this issue.

AIM: To explore clinical effect of pranoprofen combined with deproteinized calf blood extract eye drops for moderate to severe dry eye. METHODS: A total of 84 patients(132 eyes)who received treatment at the Zhengzhou Second Hospital were selected from January 2016 to January 2017. According to random number table method they were divided into control group 42 cases(68 eyes)and observation group 42 cases(64 eyes), the control group using polyvinyl alcohol eye drops with pranoprofen, observation group with pranoprofen with deproteinized extract of calf blood eye drops. Subjective and objective scores before and after treatment were recorded. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference on the four objective indicators of pretreatment FL, BUT, SⅠt, and vision between the two groups(P>0.05). Dry eye symptom scores of the two groups decreased after treatment, both with significantly different(PPPPCONCLUSION: The clinical effect of praprofen on the treatment of moderate to severe dry eye with the deproteinized calf blood extract is better.

R2R printing: organic devices closer to commercialization Roll-to-roll printing is getting close to the large-scale fabrication of reliable and stable state-of-the-art organic optoelectronic devices. A collaborative team led by Junliang Yang from Central South University, China presents roll-to-roll (R2R) micro-gravure printing method to fabricate high performance and highly stable organic photodetectors on PET or paper substrates in large scale. They find that the bulk heterojunction structure of PBDTT-ffQx/PCBM, a well-known system for organic solar cell, also works as a high-performance photodetector, showing broadband responsivity, high detectivity, and a high photocurrent to dark current ratio. The performance retains over 80% after 10,000 bending cycles or ambient exposure for 50 days. The printed photodetectors have demonstrated good homogeneity, reliability, stability, and reproducibility, showing the promises for large-scale production of printed organic optoelectronic devices.

Abstract Background Although numerous studies have shown that perineural invasion (PNI) is linked to prostate cancer (PCa) risk, the results have been inconsistent. This study aimed to explore the association between PNI and biochemical recurrence (BCR) in patients with PCa following radical prostatectomy (RP) or radiotherapy (RT). Methods According to the PRISMA statement, we searched the PubMed, EMBASE, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Wan Fang databases from inception to May 2017. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were extracted from eligible studies. Fixed or random effects model were used to calculate pooled HRs and 95% CIs according to heterogeneity. Publication bias was calculated by Begg’s test. Results Ultimately, 19 cohort studies that met the eligibility criteria and that involved 13,412 patients (82-2,316 per study) were included in this meta-analysis. The results showed that PNI was associated with higher BCR rates in patients with PCa after RP (HR=1.23, 95% CI: 1.11, 1.36, p

Optical frequency comb (OFC) generation based on four-wave mixing in highly nonlinear fiber (HNLF) is investigated using dual-transverse-mode square microlaser as a seed source. Dual-mode lasing microlasers with wavelength intervals from 1.11 to 0.36 nm are realized and applied for OFC generation at different square side lengths. For an 18- μm-side-length microlaser, a frequency comb with 50 nm bandwidth and 102 GHz line spacing is achieved using two stages of erbium-doped fiber amplifier and HNLF. A phase-locked comb with a pulse width of 1 ps is also verified using frequency resolved optical gating analyses. In addition, the comb linewidths are nearly linearly increased with the comb order, which is in agreement with the linewidth behavior determined by 1/ f noise. The results indicate that 1/f noise deteriorates the laser linewidth greatly.

We demonstrate an approach to achieve optically tunable microwave frequency downconversion based on an optoelectronic oscillator (OEO) incorporating a tunable microwave photonic filter. The wideband tunable local oscillation (LO) is generated in the OEO through simply tuning the frequency difference between the optical carrier and the reflection notch of a phase-shifted fiber Bragg grating (PS-FBG). The LO and the input radio-frequency (RF) signal are combined and added to the OEO loop by a single-phase modulator. Through transmitting one modulation sideband of the LO via the reflection notch of the PS-FBG and combining it with the optical carrier split from the laser source, the oscillation of the LO in the OEO is maintained. The reflected modulation sidebands of the LO and the RF signal from the PS-FBG are exported out of the OEO loop and enter a narrow-band photodetector to achieve optically tunable microwave frequency downconversion. Our method is experimentally evaluated, in which optically tunable LOs in the frequency range 6-15 GHz are generated, and RF signals in the frequency range 7-16 GHz are successfully downconverted to intermediate frequency band around 1 GHz.

Background: The diagnosis and treatment of small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) play a vital role in the prognosis of patients with HCC. The purpose of our study was to evaluate angio-computed tomography (angio-CT)-guided immediate lipiodol CT (a CT scan performed immediately after transarterial chemoembolization [TACE]) in the diagnosis of potential HCCs ≤1 cm in diameter. Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed 31 patients diagnosed with HCCs after routine imaging (contrast-enhanced CT or magnetic resonance imaging) or pathologic examinations with undefined or undetermined tumor lesions (diameter ≤1 cm) from February 2016 to September 2016. After TACE guided by digital subtraction angiography of the angio-CT system, potential HCC lesions with a diameter ≤1 cm were diagnosed by immediate lipiodol CT. The number of well-demarcated lesions was recorded to calculate the true positive rate. The correlation between the number of small HCCs detected by immediate lipiodol CT and the size of HCC lesions (diameter >1 cm) diagnosed preoperatively was analyzed 1 month after TACE. A paired t-test was used to analyze differences in liver function. Pearson analysis was used to analyze correlation. Chi-square test was used to compare the rates. Results: Fifty-eight lesions were detected on preoperative routine imaging examinations in 31 patients including 15 lesions with a diameter ≤1 cm. Ninety-one lesions were detected on immediate lipiodol CT, of which 48 had a diameter ≤1 cm. After 1 month, CT showed that 45 lesions had lipiodol deposition and three lesions had lipiodol clearance. Correlation analysis showed that the number of small HCCs detected by lipiodol CT was positively correlated with the size of HCC lesions diagnosed by conventional imaging examination (R2 = 0.54, P < 0.05). Conclusion: Immediate lipiodol CT may be a useful tool in the diagnosis of potential HCC lesions with a diameter of ≤1 cm.

This paper presents a novel method for automatic segmentation of dental X-ray images into single tooth sections and for placing every segmented tooth onto a precise corresponding position table. Moreover, the proposed method automatically determines the tooth’s position in a panoramic X-ray film. The image-processing step incorporates a variety of image-enhancement techniques, including sharpening, histogram equalization, and flat-field correction. Moreover, image processing was implemented iteratively to achieve higher pixel value contrast between the teeth and cavity. The next image-enhancement step is aimed at detecting the teeth cavity and involves determining the segment and points separating the upper and lower jaw, using the difference in pixel values to cut the image into several equal sections and then connecting each cavity feature point to extend a curve that completes the description of the separated jaw. The curve is shifted up and down to look for the gap between the teeth, to identify and address missing teeth and overlapping. Under FDI World Dental Federation notation, the left and right sides receive eight-code sequences to mark each tooth, which provides improved convenience in clinical use. According to the literature, X-ray film cannot be marked correctly when a tooth is missing. This paper utilizes artificial center positioning and sets the teeth gap feature points to have the same count. Then, the gap feature points are connected as a curve with the curve of the jaw to illustrate the dental segmentation. In addition, we incorporate different image-processing methods to sequentially strengthen the X-ray film. The proposed procedure had an 89.95% accuracy rate for tooth positioning. As for the tooth cutting, where the edge of the cutting box is used to determine the position of each tooth number, the accuracy of the tooth positioning method in this proposed study is 92.78%.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical, imaging and pathological features of extraskeletal osteosarcoma (EOS) and to improve the understanding of this disease and other similar lesions. Methods: The data for 11 patients with pathologically confirmed extraosseous osteosarcoma, including tumour site and size and imaging and clinical manifestations, were analysed retrospectively. Results: Six patients were male (60%), and 5 were female (40%); patient age ranged from 23 to 76 years (average age 47.1 years). Among the 11 patients, 7 had clear calcifications or ossification with different morphologies, and 2 patients showed a massive mature bone tumour. MRI showed a mixed-signal mass with slightly longer T1 and T2 signals in the tumour parenchyma. Enhanced CT and MRI scans showed enhancement in the parenchyma. Ten patients had different degrees of necrosis and cystic degeneration in the mass, 2 of whom were complicated with haemorrhage, and MRI showed "fluid‒fluid level" signs. Of the 11 patients, five patients survived after surgery, and no obvious recurrence or metastasis was found on imaging examination. One patient died of lung metastasis after surgery, and 2 patients with open biopsy died of disease progression. One patient died of respiratory failure 2 months after operation. 2 patients had positive surgical margins, and 1 had lung metastasis 6 months after operation and died 19 months after operation. Another patient had recurrence 2 months after surgery. Conclusion: The diagnosis of EOS requires a combination of clinical, imaging and histological examinations. Cystic degeneration and necrosis; mineralization is common, especially thick and lumpy mineralization. Extended resection is still the first choice for localized lesions. For patients with positive surgical margins or metastases, adjuvant chemoradiotherapy is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]