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Yao Qin,1 Xingwu Zou,1 Yanghui Jin,2 Jinmeng Li,3 Qingshan Cai1 1Department of Tuberculosis, Hangzhou Red Cross Hospital, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Orthopaedic, Hangzhou Red Cross Hospital, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Red Cross Hospital, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Qingshan Cai, Department of Tuberculosis, Hangzhou Red Cross Hospital, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China, Email caiqs66@163.comAim: Cryptococcus neoformans osteomyelitis coupled with tuberculosis and tuberculous lymphadenitis, is a rare occurrence in clinical. Diagnostic challenges arise due to the clinical radiological similarity of this condition to other lung infections and the limited and sensitive nature of traditional approaches. Here, we present a case of co-infection diagnosed using Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing, highlighting the effectiveness of advanced genomic techniques in such complex scenarios.Case Presentation: We present a case of a 67-year-old female infected with cryptococcal osteomyelitis and presented with swelling and pain in the right ankle. Following a biopsy of the right ankle joint, Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing (mNGS) of the biopsy tissue revealed Cryptococcus neoformans infection. Positive results for Cryptococcus capsular antigen and pathological findings confirmed the presence of Cryptococcus neoformans. The patient underwent surgical debridement, coupled with oral fluconazole treatment (300mg/day), leading to the resolution of symptoms.Conclusion: Cryptococcus neoformans is an uncommon cause of ankle infection. Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing (mNGS) serves as a valuable diagnostic tool, aiding clinicians in differentiating cryptococcal osteomyelitis from other atypical infections.Keywords: Cryptococcus neoformans, tuberculosis, diagnosis, metagenomic next-generation sequencing, mNGS

Po-Chien Chang,1 Wenhui Zhang,1,2 Qihai Cai,1 Hongchi Guo3 1School of Business, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, People’s Republic of China; 2School of Public Administration, Guangdong University of Finance, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 3Beidahuang Group Co., Ltd, Heilongjiang, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Qihai Cai, School of Business, Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa, Macau, 999078, People’s Republic of China, Tel +853 88973657, Fax +853 28823281, Email qhcai@must.edu.moPurpose: The increasing integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within enterprises is generates significant technostress among employees, potentially influencing their intention to adopt AI. However, existing research on the psychological effects of this phenomenon remains inconclusive. Drawing on the Affective Events Theory (AET) and the Challenge–Hindrance Stressor Framework (CHSF), the current study aims to explore the “black box” between challenge and hindrance technology stressors and employees’ intention to adopt AI, as well as the boundary conditions of this mediation relationship.Methods: The study employs a quantitative approach and utilizes three-wave data. Data were collected through the snowball sampling technique and a structured questionnaire survey. The sample comprises employees from 11 distinct organizations located in Guangdong Province, China. We received 301 valid questionnaires, representing an overall response rate of 75%. The theoretical model was tested through confirmatory factor analysis and regression analyses using Mplus and the Process macro for SPSS.Results: The results indicate that positive affect mediates the positive relationship between challenge technology stressors and AI adoption intention, whereas AI anxiety mediates the negative relationship between hindrance technology stressors and AI adoption intention. Furthermore, the results reveal that technical self-efficacy moderates the effects of challenge and hindrance technology stressors on affective reactions and the indirect effects of challenge and hindrance technology stressors on AI adoption intention through positive affect and AI anxiety, respectively.Conclusion: Overall, our study suggests that AI-driven challenge technology stressors positively impact AI adoption intention through the cultivation of positive affect, while hindrance technology stressors impede AI adoption intention by triggering AI anxiety. Additionally, technical self-efficacy emerges as a crucial moderator in shaping these relationships. This research has the potential to make a meaningful contribution to the literature on AI adoption intention, deepening our holistic understanding of the influential mechanisms involved. Furthermore, the study affirms the applicability and relevance of Affective Events Theory (AET) and the Challenge-Hindrance Stressor Framework (CHSF). In practical terms, the research provides actionable insights for organizations to effectively manage employees’ AI adoption intention.Keywords: challenge and hindrance technology stressors, AI adoption intention, positive affect, AI anxiety, technical self-efficacy

Qian Cai,1 Sirui Chen,2 Yingqun Zhu,1 Zhe Li1 1Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Third Hospital of Changsha, Changsha City, Hunan Province, 410015, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Emergency Medicine, The Third Hospital of Changsha, Changsha City, Hunan Province, 410015, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Sirui Chen, Department of Emergency Medicine, The Third Hospital of Changsha, No. 176, Laodong West Road, Tianxin District, Changsha City, Hunan Province, 410015, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-0731-85171616, Email realcsr@163.comBackground: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a persistent chronic bronchitis disease, and its potential biomarkers have not been fully expounded. This study aims to explore the role of Guanine nucleotide binding protein like-3-like (GNL3L) in COPD induced by cigarette smoking (CS) in vivo.Methods: Two microarray datasets of COPD were selected to screen differentially expressed genes (DEGs). A protein–protein interaction network was constructed to find hub genes. The COPD model was conducted using CS/LPS-induced mouse and cigarette smoke extract induced human bronchial epithelial cells. The pathological changes of lung tissue in mice were observed by hematoxylin–eosin staining and mean linear intercept. Cell viability was measured by CCK8 assay. Oxidative stress-related indicators, inflammatory factors, and ATM/p53 related-proteins were assessed using ELISA and Western blot.Results: In this study, there were 110 common DEGs identified from the two datasets (GSE5058 and GSE38974). The key gene GNL3L was the optimal indicator to distinguish between samples with COPD and healthy controls. Through the in vivo and in vitro experiments, GNL3L knockdown significantly improved the pathological features of CS/LPS-induced COPD mice, promoted cell viability, inhibited inflammation (IL-1β, IL-8, and TNF-α), oxidative stress (MDA, SOD, and CAT), and ATM/p53 related-proteins (ATM, p53, and p21).Conclusion: GNL3L is a novel biomarker of COPD, and knockdown of GNL3L participates in the progression of COPD by inhibiting ATM/p53 pathway.Keywords: COPD, ATM/p53 pathway, hub genes, GNL3L

In cold pulse experiments in J-TEXT, the ion transport shows similar non-local response as the electron transport channel. Very fast ion temperature decreases are observed in the edge, while the ion temperature in the core promptly begin to rise after the injection of cold pulse. Moreover, the cutoff density is also found for the ion non-local effect. The experimental observed density fluctuation in a high frequency ranging from 500 kHz to 2 MHz is obviously reduced in the whole plasma region during non-local transport phase.

Chengkai Yang,1 Xiaoya Wu,2 Jianyong Liu,3 Huaxiang Wang,1 Yi Jiang,3 Zhihong Wei,3 Qiucheng Cai3 1The Fuzong Clinical Medical College of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, 350025, People’s Republic of China; 2Eastern Hospital Affiliated to Xiamen University, Fuzhou, 350025, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, 900 Hospital of The Joint Logistics Team, Fuzhou, 350025, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Qiucheng Cai; Zhihong Wei, Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, 900 Hospital of The Joint Logistics Team, No. 156 The Second West Ring Road, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350025, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 13514072408 ; +86 18059055977, Email caiqiucheng2211@163.com; 779349357@qq.comPurpose: In this study, we developed a nomogram based on the platelet–albumin–bilirubin (PALBI) score to predict recurrence-free survival (RFS) after curative resection in alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)-negative (≤ 20 ng/mL) hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients.Patients and Methods: A total of 194 pathologically confirmed AFP-negative HCC patients were retrospectively analyzed. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to screen the independent risk factors associated with RFS, and a nomogram prediction model for RFS was established according to the independent risk factors. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the C-index were used to evaluate the accuracy and the efficacy of the model prediction. The correction curve was used to assess the calibration of the prediction model, and decision curve analysis was performed to evaluate the clinical application value of the prediction model.Results: PALBI score, MVI, and tumor size were independent risk factors for postoperative tumor recurrence (P < 0.05). A nomogram prediction model based on the independent predictive factors was developed to predict RFS, and it achieved a good C-index of 0.704 with an area under the ROC curve of 0.661 and the sensitivity was 73.2%. Patients with AFP-negative HCC could be divided into the high-risk group or the low-risk group by the risk score calculated by the nomogram, and there was a significant difference in RFS between the two groups (P < 0.05). Decision curve analysis (DCA) showed that the nomogram increased the net benefit in predicting the recurrence of AFP-negative HCC and exhibited a wider range of threshold probabilities than the independent risk factors (PALBI score, MVI, and tumor size) by risk stratification.Conclusion: The nomogram based on the PALBI score can predict RFS after curative resection in AFP-negative HCC patients and can help clinicians to screen out high-risk patients for early intervention.Keywords: hepatocellular carcinoma, platelet–albumin–bilirubin score, alpha-fetoprotein-negative, recurrence-free survival, nomogram

Jing Zhang,1 Haijing Song,2 Yanan Dong,1 Ganghui Li,3 Jun Li,1 Qizhe Cai,4 Shoujun Yuan,5 Yi Wang,1 Haifeng Song1 1State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (Beijing), Beijing Institute of Lifeomics, Beijing, 102206, People’s Republic of China; 2Emergency Medicine, PLA Strategic Support Force Medical Center, Beijing, 100101, People’s Republic of China; 3China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Echocardiography, Beijing Chao Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100020, People’s Republic of China; 5Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, 100850, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Haifeng Song; Yi Wang, National Center for Protein Sciences (Beijing), Beijing Institute of Lifeomics, Beijing, 102206, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 10 81139169, Fax +86 10 81139169, Email songhf@vip.163.com; yves.wangy@vip.163.comBackground: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are considered a promising drug delivery platform. Naïve EVs face numerous issues that limit their applications, such as fast clearance, hepatic accumulations, and a lack of target-specific tropism. We aimed to explore a series of surface engineering approaches to: 1) reduce the non-specific adhesion of EVs, and 2) improve their enrichment in the target tissue. As a proof-of-concept, we investigated the therapeutic potentials of a multi-modal EVs system carrying a tumor-specific nanobody and the immuno-stimulant interleukin-12 (IL12) using in vivo models of hepatocellular carcinoma.Methods: The major cell adhesion molecule on the HEK293-derived EVs, integrin β 1 (ITGB1), was knocked out (KO) by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing, followed by deglycosylation to generate ITGB1−Deg EVs for the subsequent pharmacokinetic and biodistribution analyses. ITGB1−Deg EVs were further loaded with glypican-3 (GPC3)-specific nanobody (HN3) and mouse single-chain IL12 (mscIL12) to generate ITGB1−mscIL12+HN3+Deg EVs, for evaluation of tumor tropism and therapeutic potential in a mice model of hepatocellular carcinoma.Results: Removal of ITGB1 led to the broad suppression of integrins on the EVs surface, resulting in a decrease in cellular uptake. Deglycosylation of ITGB1− EVs gave rise to inhibition of the EVs uptake by activated RAW264.7 cells. ITGB1 removal did not significantly alter the pharmacokinetic behaviors of HEK293-EVs, whereas the ITGB1−Deg EVs exhibited enhanced systemic exposure with reduced hepatic accumulation. Loading of HN3 conferred the ITGB1−Deg EVs with tumor-specific tropism for both subcutaneous and metastasized tumors in mice. The ITGB1−mscIL12+HN3+Deg EVs activated mouse splenocytes with high potency. Systemic administration of the EVs with the equivalent dose of 1.5μg/kg of exosomal IL12 achieved satisfactory tumor growth inhibition and good tolerability.Conclusion: The combinatorial approach of EVs surface engineering conferred HEK293-EVs with reduced non-specific clearance and enhanced tumor targeting efficacy, which constituted an efficient delivery platform for critical cancer therapeutics like IL12.Keywords: exosome, glycosylation, glycan, drug delivery

Cai Q, Wang X, Wang S, et al. Int J Nanomedicine. 2020;15:253–262. The Editor and Publisher of International Journal of Nanomedicine wish to retract the published article. Following the authors request to make corrections an investigation found several images within Figure 5 appeared to have been duplicated. In addition, images within Figure 5 were also found to have been duplicated with images from Figure 8 in Cai Q, Wang S, Jin L, et al. Long non-coding RNA GBCDRlnc1 induces chemoresistance of gallbladder cancer cells by activating autophagy. Mol Cancer. 18, 82 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12943-019-1016-0. Specifically, Figure 5, p62, NIR, appears to have been duplicated with the same image for Figure 5, p62, Dox+NIR. Figure 5, PCNA, Dox+NIR, appears to have been duplicated with the same image for Figure 5, PCNA, CQ+Dox+NIR. Figure 5, Ki-67, Dox, appears to have been duplicated with the same image for Figure 5, Ki-67, CQ-Dox. Figure 5, p62, CQ, appears to have been duplicated with the same image for Figure 8, p62, GBC-SD/Dox Lv-shRNA+Dox from Cai et al, 2019. Figure 5, p62, Dox, appears to have been duplicated with the same image for Figure 8, p62, GBC-SD/Dox Lv-control+Dox from Cai et al, 2019. Figure 5, p62, CQ+Dox, appears to have been duplicated with the same image for Figure 8, ATG5, GBC-SD/Dox Lv-control+Dox from Cai et al, 2019. The authors cooperated with the investigation and provided data associated with the study. However, despite the authors’ assistance, it was still not clear how the images came to be duplicated, and, as we cannot verify the validity of the published work, we are therefore retracting the article and the authors were notified of this. We have been informed in our decision-making by our policy on publishing ethics and integrity and the COPE guidelines on retractions. The retracted article will remain online to maintain the scholarly record, but it will be digitally watermarked on each page as “Retracted”.

Zhi-Xin Huang,1,2,* Li-Hua Chen,3,* Ran Xiong,4 Yan-Ni He,4 Zhu Zhang,1,2 Jie Zeng,5 Qiankun Cai,6 Zhenguo Liu7 1Department of Neurology, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Neurology, The Second School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Neurology, BenQ Medical Center, The Affiliated BenQ Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Ultrasonography, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Methodology, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 6Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou, Fujian Province, People’s Republic of China; 7Center for Precision Medicine and Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, MO, USA*These authors contributed equally to this work.Correspondence: Zhi-Xin HuangDepartment of Neurology, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, 466 Middle Xingang Road, Guangzhou 510317, Guangdong, People’s Republic of ChinaTel/Fax +86 20 89168080Email hzxd6@163.comZhenguo LiuCenter for Precision Medicine and Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, MO, USAEmail liuzheng@health.missouri.eduBackground: Carotid atherosclerosis (CA) is closely related to stroke, and Framingham Risk Score (FRS) has been used for CA risk evaluation. However, FRS could only be used for subjects of up to 74 years old. The present study was to determine if Essen Stroke Risk Score (ESRS) could be used to estimate CA risk in community populations without age limits.Methods: In the present prospective multi-community screening study, we evaluated the prevalence of CA using high-resolution ultrasound in 521 males and 1039 females (35 to 91 years old). Both FRS and ESRS were calculated for the subjects. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the predictive values of FRS and ESRS for CA in these subjects.Results: Ultrasound data showed that CA was present in 56.2% of the participants (total of 1560). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that ESRS was associated with CA with odds ratio (OR): 1.34 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.12– 1.60, p=0.001). Central obesity (OR: 1.40, CI: 1.07– 1.83, p=0.015), female (OR: 0.55, CI: 0.39– 0.77, p < 0.001) and age (OR: 2.63, CI: 2.27– 3.06, p < 0.001) were also associated with CA. Based on the estimated area under curve (AUC), FRS (AUC 0.775) was better than ESRS (AUC 0.693) (z statistic 6.774, p < 0.001) for CA prediction for individuals of ≤ 74 years old. However, receiver operating characteristic analysis showed ESRS was a good CA predictor for all subjects (AUC of 0.715).Conclusion: ESRS could be used as an alternative to FRS to predict CA in community population of all age.Keywords: Essen Stroke Risk Score, ESRS, carotid atherosclerosis, risk factors, stroke

© 2015 by the American Diabetes Association.Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) has been recognized as an important indicator for the overall glycemic state preceding the onset of metabolic diseases. So far, most indentified genome-wide association loci for FPG w

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is one of the most common malignancies in women. Genome-wide association studies have identified FGFR2 as a breast cancer susceptibility gene. Common variation in other fibroblast growth factor (FGF) receptors might also modify risk. We tested this hypothesis by studying genotyped single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and imputed SNPs in FGFR1, FGFR3, FGFR4 and FGFRL1 in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium. METHODS: Data were combined from 49 studies, including 53 835 cases and 50 156 controls, of which 89 050 (46 450 cases and 42 600 controls) were of European ancestry, 12 893 (6269 cases and 6624 controls) of Asian and 2048 (1116 cases and 932 controls) of African ancestry. Associations with risk of breast cancer, overall and by disease sub-type, were assessed using unconditional logistic regression. RESULTS: Little evidence of association with breast cancer risk was observed for SNPs in the FGF receptor genes. The strongest evidence in European women was for rs743682 in FGFR3; the estimated per-allele odds ratio was 1.05 (95% confidence interval=1.02-1.09, P=0.0020), which is substantially lower than that observed for SNPs in FGFR2. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that common variants in the other FGF receptors are not associated with risk of breast cancer to the degree observed for FGFR2.

Chelsea A Isom,1 Martha J Shrubsole,2,3 Qiuyin Cai,2 Walter E Smalley,4,5 Reid M Ness,5 Wei Zheng,2,3 Harvey J Murff3,6 1Department of General Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; 2Division of Epidemiology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; 3GRECC, Department of Veterans Affairs, Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Nashville, TN, USA; 4Department of Health Policy, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; 5Division of Gastroenterology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; 6Division of General Internal Medicine and Public Health, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA Background: Previous studies have shown a link between increased dietary intake of arachidonic acid (ARA) and colorectal neoplasms. It has been shown that erythrocyte phospholipid membrane concentrations of ARA are strongly determined by genetic variation. Fatty acid desaturase (FADS) controls the rate limiting step in ARA production, and FADS variant rs174537 has been shown to be responsible for up to 18.6% of the variation seen. To determine if a causal association exists between erythrocyte membrane ARA concentrations and colorectal adenomas, we conducted a Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis using rs174537 as an instrumental variable (IV). MR analysis was chosen because it is less susceptible to bias and confounding. Patients and methods: A case-control study was performed using the Tennessee Colorectal Polyps Study. Patients were matched on age, gender, race, facility site, and year of colonoscopy. Cases were defined as any colorectal adenoma on colonoscopy (n=909) and controls were polyp free (n=855). A two-stage logistic regression was conducted using rs174537 as the IV with the dependent variable being the presence of a colorectal adenoma on colonoscopy. Results: Cases were older (59 vs 57 years of age, P

Machaon Bonafede,1 Joseph Feliciano,2 Qian Cai,1 Virginia Noxon,1 Nicole Princic,1 Akshara Richhariya,2 David J Straus3,4 1IBM Watson Health, Cambridge, MA, USA; 2Seattle Genetics, Inc., Bothell, WA, USA; 3Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA; 4John P Leonard Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the economic burden of frontline failure (FLF) among classical Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) patients during and after treatment.Patients and methods: The population consisted of adult HL patients identified from January 2010 through September 2015 without any other primary cancer prior to HL diagnosis, who also had a frontline (FL) regimen indicative of curative intent. Patients were characterized as FLF (those who restart, switch to any chemotherapy; had a hematopoietic stem cell transplant; or newly initiated radiation therapy [RT] after discontinuing FL) or non-FLF (those not considered as FLF). Direct health care utilization and expenditures were measured over both fixed and variable length follow-up periods and during FL therapy.Results: There were 77 FLF and 602 non-FLF patients who met the final inclusion criteria. FLF and non-FLF patients were demographically similar with mean age 38.5 years and 47.5% females. Average per patient per month (PPPM) costs were significantly higher for FLF patients during all follow-up (US$20,266 vs US$7,772, P

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the effects of robot-assisted gait training (RAGT) on improving walking ability, and to determine the optimal dosage of task-specific training based on RAGT for stroke patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two investigators independently searched electronic databases, including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) from inception to 31 January 2020. The study design was a systematic review with meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), comparing the intervention of RAGT plus conventional therapy to conventional therapy alone. RCTs mainly focus on lower limb motor function as the primary outcomes, while the secondary outcomes involve gait speed, walking distance, cadence, balance, and activities of daily living (ADL). Pooled effect estimates were calculated by comparing the change from baseline to the end of the study in each group. RESULTS: Twenty-eight RCTs were included. The pooled analysis showed that RAGT had a significantly short-term effect on improving lower limb function [standardized mean difference (SMD) 0.32, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.55]. Additionally, there were significant improvements in gait speed (MD 0.10, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.14) and ADL (SMD 0.17, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.32). Subgroup analyses indicated that RAGT lasting for 30-60 minutes per day over 4 weeks yielded a moderate effect size (SMD 0.53, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.90). Additionally, RAGT significantly promoted lower limb function recovery in the early stage after a stroke (SMD 0.33, 95% CI 0.07 to 0.58) or in non-ambulatory patients (SMD 0.35, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.59). CONCLUSIONS: RAGT demonstrated significant positive effects on lower limb function post-stroke. Our results provide additional evidence to support that RAGT is a potentially appropriate intervention to promote lower limb recovery in individuals who have had a stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]