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Abstract Objectives Previous studies have demonstrated that obesity may impact the efficacy of anti‐PD1 therapy, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In this study, our objective was to determine the prognostic value of obesity in patients with oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) treated with pembrolizumab and establish a subtype based on fatty acid metabolism‐related genes (FAMRGs) for immunotherapy. Materials and Methods We enrolled a total of 56 patients with OTSCC who underwent neoadjuvant anti‐PD1 therapy. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses, Kaplan–Meier survival analysis, and immunohistochemistry staining were performed. Additionally, we acquired the gene expression profiles of pan‐cancer samples and conducted GSEA and KEGG pathway analysis. Moreover, data from TCGA, MSigDB, UALCAN, GEPIA and TIMER were utilized to construct the FAMRGs subtype. Results Our findings indicate that high Body Mass Index (BMI) was significantly associated with improved PFS (HR = 0.015; 95% CI, 0.001 to 0.477; p = 0.015), potentially attributed to increased infiltration of PD1 + T cells. A total of 91 differentially expressed FAMRGs were identified between the response and non‐response groups in pan‐cancer patients treated with immunotherapy. Of these, 6 hub FAMRGs (ACSL5, PLA2G2D, PROCA1, IL4I1, UBE2L6 and PSME1) were found to affect PD‐1 expression and T cell infiltration in HNSCC, which may impact the efficacy of anti‐PD1 therapy. Conclusion This study demonstrates that obesity serves as a robust prognostic predictor for patients with OTSCC undergoing neoadjuvant anti‐PD1 therapy. Furthermore, the expression of 6 hub FAMRGs (ACSL5, PLA2G2D, PROCA1, IL4I1, UBE2L6 and PSME1) plays a pivotal role in the context of anti‐PD1 therapy and deserves further investigation.

Rosin has a great influence on the bonding of Pinus massoniana wood, and surface modification is an important way to solve this problem. In this study, Pinus massoniana wood was treated by plasma, and the effects of plasma treatment on the bonding performance and surface characteristics were investigated. The results showed the following: (1) After plasma treatment, the contact angle of Pinus massoniana wood was significantly reduced and the surface energy was significantly increased from 28.42 × 10−7 to 74.75 × 10−7 J·cm−2, and the surface wettability was also greatly improved. (2) Plasma high-energy particles experience simultaneous physical and chemical effects on the surface of Pinus massoniana wood. The former formed a micro-etched roughness on the wood surface and led to the increase in surface dispersion force, while the latter increased the aggregation and activity of polar groups on the wood surface and the degradation of some wood components and rosin, resulting in the increase in surface polar force and the enhancement of wettability. (3) After plasma treatment, the reactivity of wood was enhanced, and the cross-linking degree with adhesive and the heat release were increased. The bonding strength of Pinus massoniana wood could be improved: dry bonding from 5.08 to 5.38 MPa, boiling-water bonding strength from 4.12 to 4.53 MPa, cold-water bonding strength from 3.84 to 4.51 MPa, and the bonding stability and reliability of glued specimens were also improved.

Whole-biomass adhesives are the research hotspot of wood adhesives andcan improve the competitiveness of adhesives. The tannin–sucrose adhesive studied by our research group shows good bonding performance, but poor bonding stability induced by low viscosity. In this study, the tannin–sucrose adhesive was modified by isolated soybean protein (SPI), the effect of the SPI substitution ratio for tannin on the properties of the tannin–sucrose–SPI composite adhesive was investigated, and the bonding mechanism was explored using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetry (TG), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy (GC–MS). The results showed that: (1) when the SPI substitution ratio was above 40%, the viscosity of the composite adhesive increased significantly, which effectively avoided adhesive leakage. (2) The tannin–sucrose–SPI composite adhesive displayed high bonding performance and water resistance. (3) The FTIR and GC–MS results revealed that the curing mechanism of the tannin–sucrose–SPI adhesive was very complicated, but it was certain that the conversion of sucrose into furan compounds, especially 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), was the core of the cross-linking reaction of the adhesive when elevating temperature. (4) The macromolecules and high reactivity of SPI compensated for the shortage of high temperature required for the conversion of sucrose into furanic cross-linkers so that the tannin–sucrose–SPI adhesive experienced an efficient curing reaction at a low temperature, and the reaction degree and thermal stability of the curing product increased.

Fully bio-based adhesives are beneficial to reduce the dependence of the wood adhesive industry on synthetic resins based on petrochemical resources and enhance the market competitiveness of adhesives. A fully bio-based wood adhesive composed of tannin and sucrose was developed and successfully used in the preparation of plywood. Effects of the preparation technology on the bonding strength and water resistance of plywood were investigated, and the properties of the adhesive were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetry (TG) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) in this study. The results showed that: (1) Compared with other biomass adhesives, tannin–sucrose adhesive had the characteristics of high-solid content and low viscosity, which had the potential to prepare particleboard and fiberboard. (2) A proper mass ratio of tannin to sucrose was key to obtaining a tannin–sucrose adhesive with better properties. (3) The optimum preparation process of tannin–sucrose adhesive for plywood was as follows: hot-pressing temperature of 210 °C, hot-pressing time of 1.2 min/mm, m(tannin):m(sucrose) of 60:40 and adhesive loading of 160 g/m2. Under these conditions, the water-resistant bonding strength of the plywood was 0.89 MPa, which met the strength requirements of the Type II standard of plywood in GB/T 17657-2013. (4) The hot-pressing temperature played a decisive role in the tannin–sucrose adhesive, and the good performance of the plywood was maintained when the temperature was 210 °C or above. Thus, the prepared tannin–sucrose adhesive had high-bonding strength, good water resistance and thermal stability.

In order to improve the initial viscosity and stability of Camellia oleifera cake-protein adhesive, Camellia oleifera cake-protein was blended with defatted soybean protein (DSP), soybean protein isolate (SPI), and casein, followed by adhesive preparation through degradation and crosslinking methods. The performance of Camellia oleifera cake-protein adhesive was investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopic (SEM), and thermogravimetric (TG) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results showed that DSP, SPI, and casein likely promoted the effective degradation of Camellia oleifera cake-protein, and, thus, more active groups were formed in the system, accompanied by more reactivity sites. The prepared adhesive had a lower curing temperature, and higher initial viscosity and stability, but the storage time was shortened. Moreover, DSP, SPI, and casein, themselves, were degraded into peptide chains with lower molecular weights; thus, improving the overall flexibility of the adhesive, facilitating a better elastic contact and regular array between crosslinking products, and further strengthening the crosslinked structure and density of the products. After curing, a compact and coherent reticular structure was formed in the adhesive layer, with both bonding strength and water resistance being significantly improved. According to the results obtained, the next step will be to study the DSP-modified Camellia oleifera cake-protein adhesive in depth.

Screw connection is a type most commonly applied to timber structures. As important commercial tree species in China, Masson pine and Chinese fir have the potential to prepare wood structures. In this study, the effects of the diameter of the self-tapping screw and the guiding bores on the nail holding performance on different sections of Masson pine and Chinese fir dimension lumbers were mainly explored. The results showed that: (1) The nail holding strength of the tangential section was the maximum, followed by that of the radial section, and that of the cross section was the minimum. (2) The nail holding strength of Masson pine was higher than that of Chinese fir. (3) The nail holding strength grew with the increase in the diameter of self-tapping screws, but a large diameter would lead to plastic cracking of the timber, thus further affecting the nail holding strength. Masson pine and Chinese fir reached the maximum nail holding strength when the diameter of self-tapping screws was 3.5 mm. (4) Under a large diameter of screws, prefabricated guiding bores could mitigate timber cracking and improve its nail holding strength. (5) Prefabricated guiding bores were more necessary for the screw connection of Masson pine. The results obtained could provide a scientific basis for the screw connection design of Masson pine and Chinese fir timber structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Melatonin (MLT) is a known antioxidant. We present here the changes of serum melatonin levels in adult patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI)-induced coma. Material and methods: Sixty-one adult patients with TBI-induced coma, assessed according to Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores on admission, were divided into very severe injury, severe injury and moderate injury groups. Thirty-one adult healthy volunteers were selected as the control group. Blood samples were collected twice at day 1, day 3 and day 7 after admission. The prognosis of these patients was evaluated 3 months after TBI. Results: The serum MLT levels of each TBI group at each time point were significantly lower than those of the control group (p < 0.05). The MLT levels of very severe and severe TBI groups were significantly lower than those of the moderate TBI group (p < 0.05). The MLT level of the very severe group was significantly lower than that of the severe group (p < 0.05). The lower the serum MLT level, the more severe was the condition of TBI (by GCS scoring), and the lower were the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) scores. Conclusions: Lower serum MLT levels may indicate worse condition, and serum melatonin levels may correlate with the severity and prognosis of patients with TBI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Intracranial-pressure (ICP) monitoring is useful for patients with increased ICP following hemorrhagic stroke. In this study, the changes in pressure gradients between the two cerebral hemispheres were investigated after hemorrhagic stroke of one side, and after a craniotomy. Methods Twenty-four patients with acute cerebral hemorrhages and intracerebral hematomas who exhibited mass effect and midline shift to the contralateral side on computed tomography were selected for this study. After admission, both sides of the cranium were drilled, and optical fiber sensors were implanted to monitor the brain parenchyma pressure (BPP) in both cerebral hemispheres. All patients underwent surgical hematoma evacuations. The preoperative and postoperative BPP data from both cerebral hemispheres were collected at various time points and compared pairwise. Results There were statistically significant differences (P < 0.01) in the preoperative BPP values between the two hemispheres at three different time points. Differences in the BPP values between the two hemispheres at the time of surgery, and 24 and 48 h after surgery, were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). The posteroperative BPPs of both hemispheres were statistically significantly lower than preoperative recordings. Conclusions BPP sensors should be applied to the injured cerebral hemisphere, because this becomes the source of increased ICP. Hematoma evacuation surgery effectively decreases ICP and eliminates pressure gradients between the two cerebral hemispheres, consequently enabling brain shift correction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]