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The phenotypic switch of vascular smooth cells (VSMCs) from a contractile to a synthetic state is associated with the development and progression of aortic aneurysm (AA). However, the mechanism underlying this process remains unclear. In this issue of the JCI, Song et al. identified SLC44A2 as a regulator of the phenotypic switch in VSMCs. Inhibition of SLC44A2 facilitated the switch to the synthetic state, contributing to the development of AA. Mechanistically, SLC44A2 interacted with NRP1 and ITGB3 to activate the TGF-[beta]/SMAD signaling pathway, resulting in VSMCs with a contractile phenotype. Furthermore, VSMC-specific SLC44A2 overexpression by genetic or pharmacological manipulation reduced AA in mouse models. These findings suggest the potential of targeting the SLC44A2 signaling pathway for AA prevention and treatment., Aortic aneurysm and the phenotypic switch of VSMCs Aortic aneurysm (AA) is characterized by a permanently localized enlargement or expansion of the aorta, involving vascular inflammation and damage to the [...]

Surface guided radiation therapy (SGRT) is a non-radiation, non-invasive technology that provides continuous postural monitoring of patients during radiotherapy. Using advanced 3D optical surface localization and tracking technology, SGRT quickly captures the surface contour information of patients through optical means to generate high-precision 3D surface contours, enabling real-time monitoring of patients during radiotherapy to ensure its accuracy. This image-guided technology has been widely applied in radiotherapy for tumors in different parts of the body, such as breast, intracranial, head and neck, and limbs. SGRT can reduce initial setup errors and provide real-time monitoring during treatment, or be combined with respiratory gating and deep inspiration breath-hold techniques. SGRT can also reduce radiation dose by reducing the use of CBCT, improve patient comfort with the use of immobilization devices, and enhance clinical speed, efficiency, and safety. This review aims to provide an overview of the commonly used technology and clinical applications of SGRT, and discuss its current limitations and future prospects.

BackgroundAlthough many patients with follicular lymphoma (FL) undergo routine radiographic surveillance during their first remission, no consensus exists on the modality, duration, frequency, or need for routine imaging studies. The authors retrospectively examined the effect of surveillance imaging on relapse detection and overall survival (OS) in patients with FL.MethodsPatients with newly diagnosed FL who had a response to induction therapy were identified from the Lymphoid Malignancies Enterprise Architecture Database (LEAD) at Emory University and from the Molecular Epidemiology Resource (MER) of the University of Iowa/Mayo Clinic. Patients were evaluated for both relapse and method of relapse detection (ie, clinical concerns vs radiologic detection through surveillance imaging in an asymptomatic patient).ResultsOf 148 patients in the LEAD cohort, 55 (37%) relapsed, and the majority (n = 35; 64%) of relapses were detected clinically. In the MER cohort, 63 of 177 relapses (54%) were detected clinically. There was no significant difference in OS from the date of diagnosis between the 2 methods of relapse detection in the LEAD (hazard ratio [HR], 0.61; 95% CI, 0.13-2.94; P = .54) and MER (HR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.47-2.21; P = .96) cohorts. Similarly, there was no significant difference in OS from the date of relapse between the 2 methods of relapse detection in the LEAD (HR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.10-2.27; P = .35) and MER (HR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.47-2.21; P = .96) cohorts.ConclusionsThese findings suggest a limited role for routine surveillance imaging in patients with FL who complete front-line therapy. Future studies should evaluate which patients may benefit from a more aggressive surveillance approach and should explore novel methods of relapse detection.

Programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) is an ideal checkpoint for immunohistochemical detection. The method of obtaining PD-L1 expression through biopsy can impact the accurate assessment of PD-L1 expression due to the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of tumors. Because of the limited sample size, biopsies often give only a localized picture of the tumor. In this retrospective study, a total of 2,386 metabolic tumor volume (MTV) features were extracted from 18F-FDG PET-CT images. A radiomics model was developed to holistically and non-invasively assess PD-L1 expression in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma by identifying seven independent factors through feature screening. The radiomics model shows effective discrimination, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.888 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.831–0.945] and 0.889 (95% CI: 0.706–1.000) for the training and validation cohorts, respectively. The results of the decision curve analysis demonstrated that utilizing the radiation model to forecast PD-L1 expression levels yielded more net benefits at threshold probabilities below 0.669. The clinical impact curves demonstrate that when the threshold probability is less than 0.501, the loss-to-benefit ratio is less than one in all cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Respiratory co-exposure to ambient PM2.5 and electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) frequently occurs in public. However, the combined effects on human respiratory health have not been well documented. To discuss potential co-effects and possible biological mechanisms, A549/THP-1 co-cultures and BEAS-2B cells were exposed to unvapedtobacco or mint-flavored e-liquids (0–7.2% v/v), e-cigarette aerosol extract (ECE, 0–50% v/v), PM2.5 (60 μg/mL), or PM2.5 + ECE for 24 h. Cell viability assessments on e-liquids, ECE, PM2.5 + ECE showed that the mint flavor exhibited higher cytotoxicity compared to the tobacco flavor in both A549/THP-1 and BEAS-2B. However, the influence of flavors on ROS levels and mRNA expression of inflammatory markers (IL-6, TNF-α, IL-8, IL-1β) after ECE exposure demonstrated inconsistency in the two cell models. PM2.5 + ECE treatment notably elevated ROS production and inflammation responses compared to ECE alone exposure. Only co-exposure induced a significant increase in nuclear transcription factor-κB p65 (NF-κB p65) and NOD-like receptor 3 (NLRP3) protein expression regardless of flavors. Our results indicate that PM2.5-treated cells exacerbate the adverse effects induced by ECE in both A549/THP-1 and BEAS-2B cells. Flavors in unvaped e-liquids affect cytotoxicity, oxidative stress and inflammation response, but these effects vary depending on the vaping process and the specific cell line. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar steam interfacial evaporation represents a promising strategy for seawater desalination and wastewater purification owing to its environmentally friendly character1–3. To improve the solar-to-steam generation, most previous efforts have focused on effectively harvesting solar energy over the full solar spectrum4–7. However, the importance of tuning joint densities of states in enhancing solar absorption of photothermal materials is less emphasized. Here we propose a route to greatly elevate joint densities of states by introducing a flat-band electronic structure. Our study reveals that metallic λ-Ti3O5 powders show a high solar absorptivity of 96.4% due to Ti–Ti dimer-induced flat bands around the Fermi level. By incorporating them into three-dimensional porous hydrogel-based evaporators with a conical cavity, an unprecedentedly high evaporation rate of roughly 6.09 kilograms per square metre per hour is achieved for 3.5 weight percent saline water under 1 sun of irradiation without salt precipitation. Fundamentally, the Ti–Ti dimers and U-shaped groove structure exposed on the λ-Ti3O5 surface facilitate the dissociation of adsorbed water molecules and benefit the interfacial water evaporation in the form of small clusters. The present work highlights the crucial roles of Ti–Ti dimer-induced flat bands in enchaining solar absorption and peculiar U-shaped grooves in promoting water dissociation, offering insights into access to cost-effective solar-to-steam generation.A route to greatly elevate joint densities of states by introducing a flat-band electronic structure is demonstrated, showing metallic λ-Ti3O5 powders have a high solar absorptivity and offering insights into access to cost-effective solar-to-steam generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a classic in-situ reaction, the Al-TiO2 reaction is expected to prepare aluminum matrix composites with high thermal stability. In this study, it was found that the preparation method of ensuring sufficient reaction using higher temperatures in previous studies was not conducive to acquiring optimized high-temperature strength. With the increase of hot-pressing temperature and the extension of holding time, the in-situ reaction became more thorough, but the strength of the composites first increased and then decreased. Coarsening of the microstructure at high temperatures would lead to degradation of strength and controlling the in-situ reaction process by the hot-pressing parameters could optimize the mechanical properties of the composites. Strengthening mechanisms at room and high temperatures were studied, and it was found that the load-transfer and Orowan strengthening mechanisms are the main strengthening effects at room temperature, while the pinning effect of fine particles became more crucial at elevated temperatures. As a result, the coarsening of the reinforcing phases was more detrimental to the high-temperature strength. Therefore, an insufficient in-situ reaction led to more excellent mechanical properties, and the composite hot-pressed at 605°C and held for 2 h exhibited the highest strength, which was 367 MPa at room temperature and 170 MPa at 350°C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]