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We aimed to assess the value of dose distribution-based dosiomics and planning computed tomography-based radiomics to predict radiation-induced temporal lobe injury (TLI) and guide individualized intensity modulated radiation therapy.A total of 5599 nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients were enrolled, including 2503, 1072, 988, and 1036 patients in the training, validation, prospective test, and external test cohorts, respectively. The concordance index (C-index) was used to compare the performance of the radiomics and dosiomics models with that of the quantitative analyses of normal tissue effects in the clinic and Wen's models. The predicted TLI-free survival rates of redesigned simulated plans with the same dose-volume histogram but different dose distributions for same patient in a cohort of 30 randomly selected patients were compared by the Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test.The radiomics and dosiomics signatures were constructed based on 30 selected computed tomography features and 10 selected dose distribution features, respectively, which were important predictors of TLI-free survival (all P.001). However, the radiomics signature had a low C-index. The dosiomics risk model combining the dosiomics signature, DThe dosiomics risk model was superior to traditional models in predicting the risk of TLI. This is a promising approach to precisely predict radiation-induced toxicities and guide individualized intensity modulated radiation therapy.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease characterized by proliferative synovitis, which can cause cartilage and bone damage as well as functional limitations. Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs have significantly improved the prognosis of RA patients. However, people with RA, when combined with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, may experience reactivation of HBV during treatment with anti-rheumatic drugs. The outcome of HBV reactivation (HBVr) varies from liver inflammation to liver failure, while insufficient HBV screening in RA patients has been reported in various countries. Therefore, it is necessary to identify patients at high risk before starting immunosuppressive therapy. The immune response plays an important role in anti-HBV infection. However, most anti-rheumatic drugs exert an inhibitory effect on the body’s immune system, resulting in HBVr. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive evaluation based on host factors, viral factors, and drug factors. In this paper, we summarize the mechanism of HBVr, the risk of HBVr caused by anti-rheumatic drugs, and the appropriate diagnosis and treatment process for RA patients so that clinicians can have a more comprehensive understanding of HBVr in RA patients.

Objectives We aimed to develop and validate radiologic scores from [18F]FDG PET/CT and MRI to guide individualized induction chemotherapy (IC) for patients with T3N1M0 nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Methods A total of 542 T3N1M0 patients who underwent pretreatment [18F]FDG PET/CT and MRI were enrolled in the training cohort. A total of 174 patients underwent biopsy of one or more cervical lymph nodes. Failure-free survival (FFS) was the primary endpoint. The radiologic score, which was calculated according to the number of risk factors from the multivariate model, was used for risk stratification. The survival difference of patients undergoing concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) with or without IC was then compared in risk-stratified subgroups. Another cohort from our prospective clinical trial (N = 353, NCT03003182) was applied for validation. Results The sensitivity of [18F]FDG PET/CT was better than that of MRI (97.7% vs. 87.1%, p p n = 329) stratified by radiologic score benefited from IC (5-year FFS: IC + CCRT 83.5% vs. CCRT 70.5%; p = 0.0044), while low-risk patients (n = 213) did not. These results were verified again in the validation cohort. Conclusions T3N1M0 patients were accurately staged by both [18F]FDG PET/CT and MRI. The radiologic score can correctly identify high-risk patients who can gain additional survival benefit from IC and it can be used to guide individualized treatment of T3N1M0 NPC. Key Points • [18F]FDG PET/CT was more accurate than MRI in diagnosing histologically proven cervical lymph nodes. • Radiologic lymph node characteristics were reliable independent risk factors for FFS in T3N1M0 nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients. • High-risk patients identified by the radiologic score based on [18F]FDG PET/CT and MRI could benefit from the addition of induction chemotherapy.

Background To test the advantages of positron emission tomography and computed tomography (PET/CT) for diagnosing lymph nodes and staging nasopharyngeal carcinoma and to investigate its benefits for survival and treatment decisions. Methods The performance of PET/CT and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in diagnosis was compared based on 460 biopsied lymph nodes. Using the propensity matching method, survival differences of T3N1M0 patients with (n = 1093) and without (n = 1377) PET/CT were compared in diverse manners. A radiologic score model was developed and tested in a subset of T3N1M0 patients. Results PET/CT performed better than MRI with higher sensitivity, accuracy, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (96.7% vs. 88.5%, p p p p p = 0.006) for the high-risk patients selected by the model but not for those without risk stratification (p = 0.78). Conclusion PET/CT showed advantages in staging nasopharyngeal carcinoma due to a more accurate diagnosis of lymph nodes and this contributed to a survival benefit. PET/CT combined with MRI provided prognostic factors that could identify high-risk patients and guide individualized treatment.

Background AK098656 may be an adverse factor for coronary heart disease (CHD), especially in patients with hypertension. This study aimed to analyze the effect of AK098656 on CHD and CHD with various complications. Methods A total of 117 CHD patients and 27 healthy control subjects were enrolled in the study. Plasma AK098656 expression was determined using the quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Student’s t-test was used to compare AK098656 expression levels in different groups. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and area under the curve (AUC) were used to quantify the discrimination ability between CHD patients and health controls and between CHD and CHD + complications patients. The relationship between AK098656 and coronary stenosis was analyzed using Spearman’s correlation. Results AK098656 expression was remarkably higher in CHD patients than in healthy controls (P = 0.03). The ROC curve revealed an effective predictive AK098656 expression value for CHD risk, with an AUC of 0.656 (95% CI 0.501–0.809). Moreover, AK098656 expression was increased in CHD + complications patients compared to CHD patients alone (P = 0.005), especially in patients with hypertension (CHD + hHTN, P = 0.030). The ROC curve revealed a predictive AK098656 prognostic value for discriminating between CHD and CHD + hHTN patients, with an AUC of 0.666 (95% CI 0.528–0.805). There was no significant difference in AK098656 expression in CHD patients with diabetes mellitus compared to CHD patients alone. In addition, AK098656 expression in CHD patients was positively correlated with stenosis severity (R = 0.261, P = 0.006). Conclusion AK098656 expression was significantly increased in patients with CHD, especially those with hypertension, and its expression level was positively correlated with the degree of coronary stenosis. This implied that AK098656 may be a risk factor for CHD and can potentially be applied in clinical diagnosis or provide a novel target for treatment.

Background We aimed to testify the advantage of positron emission tomography and computed tomography(PET/CT) in diagnosing cervical lymph nodes and staging nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and investigate whether PET/CT could bring about benefit in survival and serve for individualized treatment. Methods A total of 2759 patients were enrolled in this study. 460 biopsied cervical lymph nodes were named cohort A. Cohort B consisted of 1093 T3N1M0 patients who received both PET/CT and magnetic resonance imaging(MRI), while Cohort C contained 1377 T3N1M0 patients who underwent MRI alone. Cohort D enrolled 838 patients receiving concurrent chemoradiotherapy(CCRT) with or without induction chemotherapy(IC) to develop radiologic score model to guide IC. Results In cohort A, the sensitivity, accuracy, and area under the curve of PET/CT were much higher than those of MRI (96.7%versus88.5%, p

Sexual reproduction in angiosperms is siphonogamous, and the interaction between pollen tube and pistil is critical for successful fertilization. Our previous study demonstrated that mutation of the Arabidopsis turgor regulation defect 1 (TOD1) gene leads to reduced male fertility, a result of retarded pollen tube growth in the pistil. TOD1 encodes a Golgi-localized alkaline ceramidase, a key enzyme for the production of sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), which is involved in the regulation of turgor pressure in plant cells. However, whether TOD1s play a conserved role in the innovation of siphonogamy is largely unknown. In this study, we provide evidence that OsTOD1, which is similar to AtTOD1, is also preferentially expressed in rice pollen grains and pollen tubes. OsTOD1 knockout results in reduced pollen tube growth potential in rice pistil. Both the OsTOD1 genomic sequence with its own promoter and the coding sequence under the AtTOD1 promoter can partially rescue the attod1 mutant phenotype. Furthermore, TOD1s from other angiosperm species can partially rescue the attod1 mutant phenotype, while TOD1s from gymnosperm species are not able to complement the attod1 mutant phenotype. Our data suggest that TOD1 acts conservatively in angiosperms, and this opens up an opportunity to dissect the role of sphingolipids in pollen tube growth in angiosperms.

Background: AK098656 may be an adverse factor for coronary heart disease (CHD), especially in patients with hypertension. This study aimed to analyze the effect of AK098656 on CHD and CHD with various complications.Methods: A total of 117 CHD patients and 27 healthy control subjects were enrolled in the study. Plasma AK098656 expression was determined using the quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Student’s t-test was used to compare AK098656 expression levels in different groups. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and area under the curve (AUC) were used to quantify the discrimination ability between CHD patients and health controls and between CHD and CHD+complications patients. The relationship between AK098656 and coronary stenosis was analyzed using Spearman’s correlation.Results: AK098656 expression was remarkably higher in CHD patients than in healthy controls (P=0.03). The ROC curve revealed an effective predictive AK098656 expression value for CHD risk, with an AUC of 0.656 (95% CI: 0.501–0.809). Moreover, AK098656 expression was increased in CHD+complications patients compared to CHD patients alone (P=0.005), especially in patients with hypertension (CHD+HHTN, P=0.030). The ROC curve revealed a predictive AK098656 prognostic value for discriminating between CHD and CHD+HHTN patients, with an AUC of 0.666 (95% CI: 0.528–0.805). There was no significant difference in AK098656 expression in CHD patients with diabetes mellitus compared to CHD patients alone. In addition, AK098656 expression in CHD patients was positively correlated with stenosis severity (R=0.261, P=0.006).Conclusion: AK098656 expression was significantly increased in patients with CHD, especially those with hypertension, and its expression level was positively correlated with the degree of coronary stenosis. This implied that AK098656 may be a risk factor for CHD and can potentially be applied in clinical diagnosis or provide a novel target for treatment.

The present study investigated the effects of electroacupuncture on blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) by regulating the immune balance of T helper 17 cells (Th17 cells) and regulatory T cells (Treg cells). This study investigated the role of electroacupuncture in the immune balance of SHRs using Western blot, flow cytometry, and ELISA techniques. Electroacupuncture significantly improved blood pressure, downregulated the expression of RORγt, and upregulated the expression of Foxp3, reduced the production of Th17 cells, promoted the production of Treg cells, reduced the secretion of IL-6 and IL-17, and increased the secretion of TGF-β1 and IL-10. These findings suggest that electroacupuncture therapy effectively improved the systolic blood pressure of SHRs, and its mechanism may be related to promotion of the immune balance between Th17 and Treg.

Astrocytes are the most abundant cells in the central nervous system, which has been demonstrated to be one of the targets for the treatment of ischemic stroke. Many studies have confirmed that acupuncture can effectively regulate astrocyte activity in ischemic stroke through these approaches: repairing astrocyte morphology structure, regu-lating energy metabolism, inhibiting excitotoxicity, inhibiting inflammation response and promoting nerve regeneration. In this paper, the authors summarized the relationship between astrocyte and ischemic stroke, and discussed the mechanisms of acupuncture therapy underlying improvement of ischemic stroke. Additionally, the authors also put forward some suggestions about future researches on acupuncture in ischemic stroke.

The effect of initial headspace (IH) O2 level on the shelf-life of fresh-cut pineapple was evaluated in this study. The results showed that although the IH O2 level had a minor effect on the growth of Candida argentea, Candida sake and Meyerozyma caribbica on pineapple agar, the quantities of the volatile organic metabolites produced by these yeasts was generally smaller the lower the IH O2 level. The only exception was the production of ethyl acetate by C. argentea, which was higher at low IH O2 levels. In triangle tests performed with trained panellists, pineapple cubes packaged in an IH of 5% O2 were determined to be significantly different (P < 0.05) to those packaged in 21% O2 from day 5 of storage. Preference was shown for the pineapple cubes packaged in an IH of 5% O2. The results imply that packaging in an IH O2 level of 5% could be used to extend the shelf-life of fresh-cut pineapple.

Fresh-cut fruit such as pineapple have a very limited shelf-life. The study aims at prolonging the shelf-life of fresh-cut pineapple by means of modified atmospheres (MAs). The effect of MAs combining high O2 (21–70%) and CO2 (21–50%) levels on microbial spoilage and sensory quality of fresh-cut pineapple was therefore evaluated. In the first part of the study, the behaviour of two spoilage yeasts (Candida sake and Candida argentea) and one lactic acid bacterium (Leuconostoc citreum), which had previously been isolated from spoiled commercial fresh-cut pineapple cubes, were monitored on pineapple agar separately. In the second part of the study, the shelf-life of commercial fresh-cut pineapple cubes packaged in selected MAs was evaluated at 7 °C. The results showed that MAs combining high O2 and high CO2 levels had a large inhibitory effect on the growth and volatile metabolite production of C. sake and C. argentea on pineapple agar. A MA with 50% O2 and 50% CO2 was in both cases the most inhibitive. Although MAs induced the production of ethyl acetate by the yeasts, the quantity of ethyl acetate was much lower in high O2 and high CO2 than that in air due to lower yeast population density in MAs. With regards to growth, L. citreum was not sensitive to high O2 and CO2 levels. The fresh-cut pineapple packaged in air had deteriorated and were not acceptable any more by day 7, while those packaged in 50% O2 combined with 50% CO2, which also retarded the growth of aerobes and yeasts on pineapple cubes during storage, were still acceptable. It can be concluded that a MA with 50% O2 and 50% CO2 shows the best potential for extension of the shelf-life of fresh-cut pineapple.

The paper puts forward a method of reconstructing a vivid virtual gallbladder geometric modeling. We use Visual C++ to write import program, save the geometry information of gallbladder contour which is related to reconstruction, and discarded something irrelevant such as materials, textures and so on. In the process of reconstruction, it need to import the data of gallbladder contour vertexes and facets, but not to read the entire 3DS file again, which will undoubtedly save more time and benefit more to real-time interactive. Then we change the independent facets into an interrelated whole through indexing and finding out storage location of triangular facets vertexes in vertex array. So that we can change the position and the shape of the gallbladder by changing the coordinate values of vertexes.

Usually the gear modification is a main measure to reduce the vibration and noise of the gears, but in view of the complexity of the gear modification, topology optimization method was used to optimize the structure of the gear. The minimum volume was set as the direct optimization goal. To achieve the target of reducing contact stress, tooth root bending stress and improving flexibility, the upper bound of the stress and lower bound of the flexibility were set appropriately, thus realizing multi-objective optimization indirectly. A method for converting topology result into parametric CAD model which can be modified was presented, by fitting the topology result with simple straight lines and arcs, the model can be smoothed automatically, after further regulating, the geometry reconstruction was finished. After topology optimization, the resulting structure and properties of the gear are consistent with cavity gear. While reducing the weight of the gear, the noise can be reduced and its life would be extended through increasing flexibility and reducing tooth root stress.

Sweet bell peppers are a significant constituent of retail, chilled-stored and packaged food products like fresh salads, marinades and ready-to-eat (RTE) meals. Previously, through general screening of the Belgian market and by means of source tracking analysis in a plant manufacturing minimally processed, vegetable salads the susceptibility of fresh-cut sweet bell peppers to lactic acid bacterium (LAB) contamination was substantiated. The determination of the metabolic profiles of Leuconostoc gelidum subsp. gasicomitatum and Lactococcus piscium, two major psychrotrophic, spoilage-related LAB species, on sweet bell pepper (SBP) simulation medium under different packaging conditions - 1.) vacuum: 100% N2, 2.) air: 21% O2, 79% N2, 3.) MAP1: 30% CO2, 70% N2 and 4.) MAP2: 50% O2, 50% CO2 - facilitated a better understanding of the spoilage potential of these microbes as well as the presumptive contribution of O2 in the spectrum of produced volatile organic compounds (VOCs) associated with poor organoleptic properties of food products. Generally, none of the applied gas compositions inhibited the growth of the 4 L. gelidum subsp. gasicomitatum isolates, however the presence of O2 resulted in buttery off-odors by inducing primarily the accumulation of diacetyl and pungent "vinegar" smell due to acetic acid. The 3 tested isolates of L. piscium varied greatly among their growth dynamics and inhibition at MAP2. They exhibited either weak spoilage profile or very offensive metabolism confirming significant intraspecies diversity.

This study evaluated the potential of modified atmospheres (MAs) combining high oxygen (O₂) and high carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels to extend the shelf-life of fresh-cut honeydew melon. Firstly, the effect of MA on the growth and volatile organic metabolite production of Candida sake, Leuconostoc mesenteroides and Leuconostoc gelidum, which had all been previously isolated from spoiled commercial fresh-cut honeydew melon, was evaluated separately on honeydew melon agar at 7 °C. Additionally, the effect of selected MAs on the microbial, physico-chemical and sensory quality of commercial fresh-cut honeydew melon cubes was evaluated at 7 °C. The results showed that MAs with high O₂ and high CO₂ levels greatly retarded the growth, CO₂ and volatile metabolite production (i.e. ethanol, 2-methyl-1-butanol, ethyl acetate, phenylacetic acid, nonanal) of C. sake on honeydew melon agar; especially MAs consisting of 50% O₂+50% CO₂ and 70% O₂+30% CO₂. In contrast, the MAs evaluated only had a minor effect on the growth and volatile metabolite production of L. mesenteroides and L. gelidum. Overall, the effect of MAs on colour, juice leakage, juiciness, and firmness of fresh-cut honeydew melon was small during storage. Sensory preference was generally for fresh-cut honeydew melon cubes packaged in MA of 50% O₂+50% CO₂. These were still acceptable on day five of storage and had appreciably lower populations of yeasts and lactic acid bacteria, lower quantities of volatile organic compounds, but slightly stronger colour oxidation compared to honeydew melon that was packaged in air. Additionally, most of the samples packed in air had blown by day five due to the large quantity of CO₂ production during storage. Therefore, 50% O₂+50% CO₂ is a potential MA solution for extending the shelf-life of fresh-cut honeydew melon.

It is generally known that intracellular pH (pH i ) plays a vital role in cell physiology and that pH i homeostasis is essential for normal cellular functions. Therefore, it is desirable to know the pH i during cell life cycle or under various growth conditions. Different methods to measure pH i have been developed and among these methods, the use of pH-sensitive green fluorescent protein (GFP) as a pH i indicator is a promising technique. By using this approach, not only can more accurate pH i results be obtained but also long-term experiments on pH i can be performed. In this study, the wild type Zygosaccharomyces bailii , a notorious food spoilage yeast, was transformed with a plasmid encoding a pH-sensitive GFP (i.e. pHluorin), enabling the pH i of the yeast to be determined based on cellular fluorescent signals. After the transformation, growth and pH i of the yeast were investigated in four different acidic conditions at 22 °C during 26 days. From the experimental results, the transformation effectiveness was verified and a good correlation between yeast growth and pH i was noticed. Particularly, it was observed that the yeast has an ability to tolerate a significant pH i drop during exponential phase and a subsequent pH i recovery in stationary phase, which may underlie the exceptional acid resistance of the yeast. This was the first time that a GFP-based approach for pH i measurement was applied in Z. bailii and that the pH i of the yeast was monitored during such a long period (26 days). It can be expected that greater understanding of the physiological properties and mechanisms behind the special acid resistance of the yeast will be obtained from further studies on this new yeast strain.

In order to conveniently locate available parking spaces in city CBD, Parking Guidance Information System (PGIS) is established to provide real-time parking information to drivers. But locations of PGI signs are mostly selected by subjective experience. The paper presents PGIS application in Xujiahui area of Shanghai, based on parking guidance behavior survey. The amount of guidance information is the objective function. An optimization model is established with three constraints: the total number of PGI signs; 3 parking lots at most are displayed at each intersection approach; and the information of each parking lots involved in PGIS should be displayed on PGI signs at least once. Genetic Algorithm is applied to solve this model. Finally, the scale, locations and their functions of Xujiahui PGI signs can be obtained. The result shows that the model is applicable in practice.