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Guomiao Su,&ast; Zifan Xu,&ast; Shiyue Liu,&ast; Dou Hao, Yanxi Li, Guoqing Pan Department of Pathology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Guoqing Pan, Department of Pathology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan, People’s Republic of China, Email guoqing_pan@163.comPurpose: Semaphorin 5A (SEMA5A) and autophagy-related genes (ARGs) are pivotal in the pathogenesis of gastric cancer (GC). However, the potential regulatory role of SEMA5A in autophagy via its associated ARGs and the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unresolved.Patients and Methods: GC-related datasets from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) were analyzed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between GC and control samples. The intersection of DEGs with ARGs produced candidate genes, which were further analyzed using Spearman correlation with SEMA5A to identify signature genes. Stratification of GC samples based on signature gene expression, followed by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, identified key genes. Subsequent analyses, including gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), immune infiltration, and immune checkpoint evaluation, were conducted on the key genes and SEMA5A. The mRNA expression level was quantified using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR).Results: Ninety candidate genes were identified for Spearman correlation with SEMA5A, revealing TNFSF11, BMP6, ITPR1, and DLC1 with correlation coefficients exceeding 0.3. Survival analysis underscored DLC1 and BMP6 as key genes due to significant prognostic differences. GSEA implicated SEMA5A, BMP6, and DLC1 in the ECM receptor interaction pathway. Immune infiltration analysis indicated a negative correlation of SEMA5A and BMP6 with M1 macrophages, while DLC1 exhibited the strongest association with the immune checkpoint PDCD1LG2 (p < 0.05, cor = 0.43). The mRNA expression level of SEMA5A was significantly upregulated in AGS parental cells compared to GES-1 cells (p < 0.01), whereas DLC1 and BMP6 mRNA levels were markedly downregulated in AGS parental cells relative to GES-1 (p < 0.0001).Conclusion: ARGs BMP6 and DLC1, associated with SEMA5A, were identified, and their prognostic significance in GC was demonstrated. Additionally, their regulatory mechanisms were further elucidated through immune infiltration analysis and molecular network construction, providing a theoretical foundation for future research on the molecular mechanisms in patients with GC.Keywords: GC, SEMA5A, autophagy, ARGs, bioinformatics analysis

Abstract Background People with serious mental illness (SMI) and people with intellectual disabilities/developmental disabilities (ID/DD) are at higher risk for COVID-19 and more severe outcomes. We compare a tailored versus general best practice COVID-19 prevention program in group homes (GHs) for people with SMI or ID/DD in Massachusetts (MA). Methods A hybrid effectiveness-implementation cluster randomized control trial compared a four-component implementation strategy (Tailored Best Practices: TBP) to dissemination of standard prevention guidelines (General Best-Practices: GBP) in GHs across six MA behavioral health agencies. GBP consisted of standard best practices for preventing COVID-19. TBP included GBP plus four components including: (1) trusted-messenger peer testimonials on benefits of vaccination; (2) motivational interviewing; (3) interactive education on preventive practices; and (4) fidelity feedback dashboards for GHs. Primary implementation outcomes were full COVID-19 vaccination rates (baseline: 1/1/2021–3/31/2021) and fidelity scores (baseline: 5/1/21–7/30/21), at 3-month intervals to 15-month follow-up until October 2022. The primary effectiveness outcome was COVID-19 infection (baseline: 1/1/2021–3/31/2021), measured every 3 months to 15-month follow-up. Cumulative incidence of vaccinations were estimated using Kaplan-Meier curves. Cox frailty models evaluate differences in vaccination uptake and secondary outcomes. Linear mixed models (LMMs) and Poisson generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs) were used to evaluate differences in fidelity scores and incidence of COVID-19 infections. Results GHs (n=415) were randomized to TBP (n=208) and GBP (n=207) including 3,836 residents (1,041 ID/DD; 2,795 SMI) and 5,538 staff. No differences were found in fidelity scores or COVID-19 incidence rates between TBP and GBP, however TBP had greater acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility. No overall differences in vaccination rates were found between TBP and GBP. However, among unvaccinated group home residents with mental disabilities, non-White residents achieved full vaccination status at double the rate for TBP (28.6%) compared to GBP (14.4%) at 15 months. Additionally, the impact of TBP on vaccine uptake was over two-times greater for non-White residents compared to non-Hispanic White residents (ratio of HR for TBP between non-White and non-Hispanic White: 2.28, p = 0.03). Conclusion Tailored COVID-19 prevention strategies are beneficial as a feasible and acceptable implementation strategy with the potential to reduce disparities in vaccine acceptance among the subgroup of non-White individuals with mental disabilities. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04726371, 27/01/2021. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04726371 .

Yongxin Yi,1 Jiayang Fang,1 Yunzhu Liu,1 Yidong Gao,1 Weizhi Lin,1 Dongdong Hao,2 Xing Zhang,3,4 Min Zhang1 1Department of Encephalopathy, the Third People’s Hospital Affiliated to Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Outpatient, Lanzhou 7th Rest Center for Retired Cadre, Gansu Military Region, Lanzhou, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Medicine, the State Key Laboratory of Translational Medicine and Innovative Drug Development, Jiangsu Simcere Diagnostics Co., Ltd, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Medicine, Nanjing Simcere Medical Laboratory Science Co., Ltd, Nanjing, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Min Zhang, Department of Encephalopathy, the Third People’s Hospital Affiliated to Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, People’s Republic of China, Email minzhang_2018@163.comIntroduction: There is no effective treatment plan for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We employed a combination of Chinese and Western medicine treatment for some COVID-19 inpatients.Methods: This study was a prospective cohort study that observed non-critical COVID-19 inpatients. The differences will be observed in the time from admission to two consecutive 2019-nCoV nucleic acid test negatives and the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score between the two groups.Results: A total of 254 confirmed COVID-19 patients were included in this study. The median time from the admission to two consecutive negative nucleic acid tests was 14 days for the integrated Chinese and Western Medicine (ICWM) group, while the Western Medicine (WM) group was 16 days. Besides, the median VAS score of the ICWM group was 0, which was an average decrease of 2 points compared to the time of admission.Conclusion: For non-critical COVID-19 patients, it was safe and have more benefits to add traditional Chinese medicine decoction based on WM treatment.Keywords: clinical characteristics, COVID-19 inpatients, efficacy, integrated Chinese and Western medicine treatment

Dingqian Hao, Yisha Wu, Ping Li, Chunhao Li, Tianjiao Jiang, Qian Zhang, Shengyang Liu, Li Shi Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Shandong Provincial ENT Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Li Shi; Shengyang Liu, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Shandong Provincial ENT Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250000, People’s Republic of China, Email shili126@sina.com; 454415082@qq.comObjective: Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is mainly characterised by type 1 (T1), type 2 (T2) and type 3 (T3) inflammatory endotypes. However, correlations between inflammatory endotypes and clinical features in CRSwNP have not been demonstrated sufficiently. This study aimed to determine the endotype-phenotype associations in CRSwNP.Methods: Clinical data of 31 control subjects and 106 CRSwNP patients were analysed. Interferon (IFN)-γ (T1), Charcot-Leyden crystal galectin (CLC) (T2) and Interleukin (IL)-17A (T3) were used as biomarkers to identify the inflammatory endotypes.Results: The mRNA expression level of IFN-γ was positively correlated with IL-17A (r = 0.817; P < 0.0001). Headache/facial pain (P = 0.039) was associated with T1 endotype. Smell loss (P = 0.025) was associated with T2 endotype. Purulent rhinorrhea (P = 0.001) was associated with T3 endotype. Atopy (P = 0.030), asthma (P = 0.005) and recurrence (P = 0.022) were more frequent in T2 endotype. Total Symptom Scores (TSS) of T2 (P < 0.001) and T3 (P = 0.009) endotype were higher than non-T2 and non-T3, respectively. Sino Nasal Outcome Test-22 (SNOT-22) total scores of T3 (P = 0.054) endotype were higher than non-T3.Conclusion: Identifications of endotype-phenotype associations are useful in clinical diagnoses and targeted therapies for patients with CRSwNP.Keywords: chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, endotype, phenotype, diagnosis, therapy

Aiyun Li,1,&ast; Ming Fang,2,&ast; Dongjie Hao,1 Qiaoai Wu,1 Yaqi Qian,1 Hao Xu,3,4 Bo Zhu1 1Department of Clinical Medicine, The Women’s Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2Institute of Infection Disease Control, Shandong Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Jinan, People’s Republic of China; 3State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Disease, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Structure and Morphology, Jinan Microecological Biomedicine Shandong Laboratory, Jinan, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Hao Xu; Bo Zhu, Email xuhao0523@zju.edu.cn; 5202054@zju.edu.cnBackground: Late-onset group B Streptococcus (LOGBS) sepsis is a cause of infection and death in infants. Infected breast milk has been considered a source of neonatal GBS infection and invasive infection. However, mother-to-infant transmission of GBS detected by the high-resolution diagnostic method is rarely reported.Methods: This study describes a low-weight premature infant who developed late-onset GBS septicemia 21 days after birth. GBS strains isolated from the mother’s cervical secretion, the mother’s milk, and the baby’s blood were cultured to identify the source of GBS infection. We further confirmed the GBS isolates through matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). Finally, we performed whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and phylogenetic analyses on the GBS strains recovered.Results: GBS isolates were cultured from the bloodstream of the premature infant and the mother’s milk, respectively. Subsequently, WGS and phylogenetic analyses on three GBS isolates demonstrated that the GBS strain from the infant’s bloodstream was 100% homologous to that from the mother’s breast milk, which had some different gene fragments from the GBS strain from the mother’s cervical secretion. It provided evidence that this infant’s late-onset GBS septicemia originated from his mother’s breast milk instead of the vertical mother-to-infant transmission.Conclusion: Through WGS and phylogenetic analysis of the GBS strains, we proved in this study that the late-onset GBS sepsis in a premature infant was derived from his mother’s breast milk. It indicated that WGS diagnosis is an effective tool for infection tracing. Furthermore, this report provides direction for preventing late-onset GBS infection.Keywords: group B Streptococcus, late-onset GBS sepsis, breast milk, whole-genome sequencing, phylogenetic analysis

Qin Zhao,1,&ast; Jing Shi,1,&ast; Siyuan Chen,1 Doudou Hao,1 Sha Wan,1 Haomeng Niu,2 Yongqun Zhang1 1Biobank, Hospital of Chengdu Office of People’s Government of Tibetan Autonomous Region (Hospital.C.T.), Chengdu, Sichuan Povince, People’s Republic of China; 2Medical School, Tibet University, Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yongqun Zhang, Biobank, Hospital of Chengdu Office of People’s Government of Tibetan Autonomous Region (Hospital.C.T.), No. 20 Ximianqiao Road, Chengdu, Sichuan Povince, 610041, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-28-85593218, Fax +86 28-85558071, Email yongqun_zhang@163.comPurpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the regulatory effect of salidroside on the intestinal flora of mice with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and its protective effect in the body.Patients and Methods: We acclimated 8-week-old mice for 7 days, divided them into 4 groups, and continued dosing for 8 weeks. We recorded weekly blood glucose levels and body weight for each mouse. After the completion of the feeding cycle, the 16S rRNA of the intestinal flora in the mice was sequenced, and the insulin and C-peptide levels in each group of mice were measured. Four samples were taken from each group for liver and kidney section staining.Results: Our results showed that gut microbiota diversity and function were significantly different between the diabetic mice and healthy mice and that insulin levels, body weight, and blood glucose levels could significantly influence gut microbiota changes at the genus level. The gut microbiota diversity and function of db/db mice were also altered after salidroside administration. Salidroside could attenuate inflammatory damage, lipid accumulation and inflammatory changes in the diabetic liver, as well as diabetic kidney damage. Candidatus arthromitus and Odoribacter are important species of the microbiota during diabetes and may serve as potential therapeutic targets.Conclusion: Our investigation of the associated pathological conditions and fecal microbiota in db/db mice provides new insights into the pathogenesis of T2DM and provides implications for the diagnosis and treatment of T2DM.Keywords: salidroside, db/db mice, T2DM, intestinal microbiota

Chao Jiang,1,2,&ast; Si Yin,1,&ast; Jianmin Wei,3,&ast; Weigong Zhao,1 Xiaohui Wang,1,2 Yongyuan Zhang,1,2 Dingjun Hao,2 Heng Du1 1Department of Orthopaedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Spine Surgery, Honghui Hospital, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Spine Surgery, Baoji City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Baoji, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Heng DuDepartment of Orthopaedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail drdu18@126.comObjective: The purpose of this study was to introduce and evaluate the early clinical outcomes of the full-endoscopic posterior lumbar interbody fusion (Endo-PLIF) technique with epidural anesthesia (EA) for single-segment lumbar degenerative diseases.Methods: In this retrospective case series study, we explored the feasibility and effectiveness of the Endo-PLIF with EA for single-segment lumbar degenerative diseases. Between March 2018 and January 2019, a series of 24 patients with single-segment lumbar degenerative diseases underwent Endo-PLIF surgery and were followed up for a minimum of 12 months (15.21± 2.27 months). Clinical outcomes including visual analog scale (VAS) scores for back and leg pain, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores, and the Short Form-36 health survey questionnaire (SF-36) were evaluated preoperatively, and postoperatively at 3 days and at 3, 6, and 12-months.Results: All patients underwent successful single-segment Endo-PLIF surgery. The mean operation time was 209.17± 39.49 min, and average amount of bleeding was 43.33± 14.87 mL. The VAS for lower extremity pain and back pain significantly improved at 3 days, and at 3, 6, 12 months compared with preoperative, respectively. The ODI scores decreased from 42.04± 3.96 to 12.75± 2.71 (P< 0.001) at preoperative and 12 months postoperatively, respectively. The SF-36 Physical Component Scores (PCS) improved from 34.96± 4.63 preoperatively to 52.08± 6.05 (P< 0.001) at 12 months postoperatively. Additionally, the SF-36 Mental Component Scores (MCS) improved from 39.38± 5.70 at preoperative to 53.13± 5.97 (P< 0.001) at 12 months postoperatively. Two patients experienced dysesthesia, and one patient had a wound infection.Conclusion: Endo-PLIF with EA is a feasible and valuable technique for the treatment of single-segment lumbar degenerative diseases in selected patients.Keywords: full-endoscopic posterior lumbar interbody fusion, lumbar degenerative disease, lumbar fusion, clinical outcome

Abstract Background The critical role of antibody Fc-mediated effector functions in immune defense has been widely reported in various viral infections. These effector functions confer cellular responses through engagement with innate immune cells. The precise mechanism(s) by which immunoglobulin G (IgG) Fc domain and cognate receptors may afford protection are poorly understood, however, in the context of HIV/SHIV infections. Many different in vitro assays have been developed and utilized to measure effector functions, but the extent to which these assays capture distinct antibody activities has not been fully elucidated. Results In this study, six Fc-mediated effector function assays and two biophysical antibody profiling assays were performed on a common set of samples from HIV-1 infected and vaccinated subjects. Biophysical antibody profiles supported robust prediction of diverse IgG effector functions across distinct Fc-mediated effector function assays. While a number of assays showed correlated activities, supervised machine learning models indicated unique antibody features as primary contributing factors to the associated effector functions. Additional experiments established the mechanistic relevance of relationships discovered using this unbiased approach. Conclusions In sum, this study provides better resolution on the diversity and complexity of effector function assays, offering a clearer perspective into this family of antibody mechanisms of action to inform future HIV-1 treatment and vaccination strategies.

Yang Song,1,2 Dake Hao,3 Huan Jiang,4 Mingguang Huang,2 Qingjun Du,2 Yi Lin,2 Fei Liu,1 Bin Chen1 1Division of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Department of Orthopaedics, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, People’s Republic of China; 2Division of Traumatology and Joint, Department of Orthopaedics, Shunde Hospital, Southern Medical University, Foshan, 528308, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA; 4Department of Anesthesiology, Shunde Hospital, Southern Medical University, Foshan, 528308, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Bin ChenDivision of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Department of Orthopaedics, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail chb@smu.edu.cnIntroduction: Post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) is an inflammatory condition that occurs following mechanical joint trauma and that results in joint degeneration. This study sought to evaluate the regulatory function of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) in a murine model of anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT)-induced PTOA and in an in vitro model of synoviocyte inflammation induced by LPS treatment with the goal of exploring the role of chitinase 3-like-1 (CHI3L1) in this pathogenic context.Methods: PTOA model mice were intra-articularly injected with Nrf2 overexpression lentiviral vector, and safranin O-fast green staining as well as the Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) Scoring System were used to evaluate the severity of cartilage damage. Protein expression in the synovial tissue was evaluated by Western blotting, immunohistochemical staining, and ELISA. Additionally, murine synoviocytes were infected with Nrf2 overexpression lentivirus and stimulated with LPS. The levels of inflammatory cytokines were detected by ELISA. ROS levels were measured using dihydroethidium (DHE) dye.Results: We determined that the overexpression of Nrf2 was sufficient to reduce cartilage degradation in the context of PTOA in vivo, and we observed a significant decrease in the expression of matrix metalloproteinase 13 (MMP13) in the articular cartilage of samples from mice overexpressing Nrf2 relative to control mice. Synovial CHI3L1 expression and serum TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 levels were reduced in animals overexpressing this transcription factor relative to PTOA model controls. Consistent with these findings, murine synoviocytes treated with LPS exhibited dose-dependent increases in ROS, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, Nrf2, and CHI3L1 levels, whereas Nrf2 overexpression was sufficient to suppress these increases.Conclusion: Our data indicated that Nrf2 negatively regulates CHI3L1, suggesting that this signaling axis may regulate PTOA progression and may thus be a viable therapeutic target in individuals affected by this condition.Keywords: post-traumatic osteoarthritis, synovium, Nrf2, CHI3L1, oxidative stress, inflammation

Aiyun Li,1,* Hao Xu,2,* Xiaoyu Li,3 Hong Ye,1 Donghao Shan,1 Nan Feng,1 Yaqi Qian,1 Xiangzhe Huang,1 Dongjie Hao,1 Xiaoxiao Zhang,1 Bo Zhu,1 Beiwen Zheng2 1Department of Clinical Medicine, The Women’s Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Disease, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Clinical Medicine, Hangzhou Children’s Hospital, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Beiwen Zheng; Bo Zhu Email zhengbw@zju.edu.cn; 5202054@zju.edu.cnIntroduction: There are few investigations describing the pregnancy-associated listeriosis in China, and the molecular characteristics of Listeria monocytogenes causing such infections remain largely unknown. We aim to investigate the phenotypic and genomic profiles of pregnancy-associated L. monocytogenes isolates and their association with isolates recovered from human and non-human in China.Materials and Methods: In this study, we conducted a 3-year surveillance of listeriosis in a women’s hospital in Zhejiang province, using whole genome sequencing and bioinformatics tools.Results: From 2016 to 2018, we identified 13 clinical L. monocytogenes isolates. Among these pregnancy-associated isolates, we found seven sequence types (STs), with the prevalent STs of ST87 and ST7. Serotyping divided the strains into four serotypes, including serotype 1/2a, 1/2b, 3a, and 4b. Antimicrobial resistance testing showed that all the isolates were susceptible to 10 antibiotics. Comparative genomics analysis clearly classified our genome collection into four distinct evolutionary lineages with most isolates grouping into lineages I and II. Interestingly, we found three pairs of isolates with high identity, although no evident epidemiological association was observed.Conclusion: This study reports for the first time the surveillance of pregnancy-associated listeriosis in Zhejiang province, China, which indicates that the infection rate is low in this region. Our findings provide insight into the evolution and genetic diversity of pregnancy-associated L. monocytogenes from Zhejiang province. Additional investigations involving more human and non-human isolates with a “one health” strategy are needed for prediction of the listeriosis risk associated with a typical prevalent clone in Zhejiang province, such as ST87.Keywords: Listeria monocytogenses, pregnancy-associated, ST87, whole genome sequencing, comparative genomics analysis

Jianan Zhang, Yong Fan, Xin He, Jinpeng Du, Dingjun Hao Department of Spine Surgery, Hong Hui Hospital, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710054, Shaan’xi Province, China Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of bracing after percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) for thoracolumbar osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF). Methods: This is a retrospective study where we recruited 138 patients with single-level thoracolumbar OVCF who underwent PVP from January 2018 to March 2018 without bracing after PVP (Group A). The visual analog score (VAS) and vertebral body compression ratio (VCR) were recorded at preoperation, on the second day, at 2 weeks, 1 month, and 6 months after operation. Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) was recorded at preoperation, 2 weeks, 1 month, and 6 months after operation. Propensity score matching identified 138 historical patients (Group B) as controls, who used rigid brace for 3 weeks after the surgery, from January 2017 to December 2017 using six independent variables (preoperation): age, sex, VAS, ODI, bone mineral density, and body mass index. The indicators and complications were compared between the two groups. Results: Compared with preoperation, VAS and VCR were significantly improved (P0.05). There were no significant differences between Groups A and B in ODI at 2 weeks and 6 months after operation (P>0.05) but ODI for Group B at 1 month after operation was significantly higher than Group A (P

Xin He,1 Yang Liu,2 JiaNan Zhang,1 ShuaiJun Jia,1 YiBin Meng,1 YunFei Huang,1 QiNing Wu,1 DingJun Hao1 1Department of Spine Surgery, Hong Hui Hospital, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an 710054, Shaan’xi Province, China; 2Department of Bone Microsurgery, Hong Hui Hospital, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an 710054, Shaan’xi Province, China Objective: This study is to assess an innovative technique – a vertebral osteotome (VO) combined with side-opening injection cannula for percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP). Methods: A retrospective study by propensity score matching. From January 2016 to April 2016, 63 patients who were diagnosed with monosegmental osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture received the innovative technique. The epidemiologic data, surgical indexes, and recovery outcomes were collected in the follow-up period. Propensity score matching identified 63 pairs form historical controls by traditional unilateral PVP approach in 2015 using six independent variables: age, sex, preoperative visual analog score (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), body mass index, and bone mineral density. Results: The surgical duration and cement distribution were longer and larger in patients by VO method. Besides, postoperative VAS and ODI in the VO group were lower than those in the control group. However, there were no differences in radiation exposure times, improvement of Cobb angle, cement leakage, or adjacent vertebral fracture between two groups. Cement volume in the VO group was less than that in the control group. Conclusion: This new innovative technique makes PVP safe and effective. Although it lasts longer, the restoration rate of vertebral height and cement distribution can be improved, which contributes to a better pain relief. Keywords: technique, percutaneous vertebroplasty, vertebral osteotome, osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture, side-opening injection cannula

The Na-X (X = Si, Ag, Cu, Cr) systems have been critically reviewed and modeled by means of the CALPHAD approach. The two compounds, NaSi and Ag2Na, are treated as stoichiometric ones. By means of first-principles calculations, the enthalpies of formation at 0 K for the LT-NaSi (low temperature form of NaSi) and Ag2Na have been computed to be -5210 and -29821.8 Jmol-1, respectively, with the desire to assist thermodynamic modeling. One set of self-consistent thermodynamic parameters is obtained for each of these binary systems. Comparisons between calculated and measured phase diagrams show that most of the experimental information can be satisfactorily accounted for by the present thermodynamic descriptions.

Noninterceptive beam profile monitors are of great importance for many particle accelerators worldwide. Extra challenges are posed by high energy, high intensity machines and low energy low intensity accelerators. For these applications, existing diagnostics are no longer suitable due to the high power of the beam or the very low intensity. In addition, many other accelerators, from medical to industrial will benefit from a noninvasive, real time beam profile monitor. In this paper we present a new beam profile monitor with a novel design for the nozzle and skimmer configuration to generate a supersonic gas jet meeting ultrahigh vacuum conditions and we describe the first results for such a beam profile monitor at the Cockcroft Institute. This monitor is able to measure two-dimensional profiles of the particle beam while causing negligible disturbance to the beam or to the accelerator vacuum. The ultimate goal for this diagnostic is to provide a versatile and universal beam profile monitor suitable for measuring any beams.

Superabsorbent water beads have found many uses as household decorative items, crafts, and other industrial uses. We report a case of ingestion of several LiquiBlock Rainbow brand superabsorbent beads by a ten month old girl leading to small bowel obstruction requiring laparotomy and removal of the beads.

BackgroundThe critical role of antibody Fc-mediated effector functions in immune defense has been widely reported in various viral infections. These effector functions confer cellular responses through engagement with innate immune cells. The precise mechanism(s) by which immunoglobulin G (IgG) Fc domain and cognate receptors may afford protection are poorly understood, however, in the context of HIV/SHIV infections. Many different in vitro assays have been developed and utilized to measure effector functions, but the extent to which these assays capture distinct antibody activities has not been fully elucidated.ResultsIn this study, six Fc-mediated effector function assays and two biophysical antibody profiling assays were performed on a common set of samples from HIV-1 infected and vaccinated subjects. Biophysical antibody profiles supported robust prediction of diverse IgG effector functions across distinct Fc-mediated effector function assays. While a number of assays showed correlated activities, supervised machine learning models indicated unique antibody features as primary contributing factors to the associated effector functions. Additional experiments established the mechanistic relevance of relationships discovered using this unbiased approach.ConclusionsIn sum, this study provides better resolution on the diversity and complexity of effector function assays, offering a clearer perspective into this family of antibody mechanisms of action to inform future HIV-1 treatment and vaccination strategies.

Diverse Ab effector functions mediated by the Fc domain have been commonly associated with reduced risk of infection in a growing number of nonhuman primate and human clinical studies. This study evaluated the anti-HIV Ab effector activities in polyclonal serum samples from HIV-infected donors, VAX004 vaccine recipients, and healthy HIV-negative subjects using a variety of primary and cell line-based assays, including Ab-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), Ab-dependent cell-mediated viral inhibition, and Ab-dependent cellular phagocytosis. Additional assay characterization was performed with a panel of Fc-engineered variants of mAb b12. The goal of this study was to characterize different effector functions in the study samples and identify assays that might most comprehensively and dependably capture Fc-mediated Ab functions mediated by different effector cell types and against different viral targets. Deployment of such assays may facilitate assessment of functionally unique humoral responses and contribute to identification of correlates of protection with potential mechanistic significance in future HIV vaccine studies. Multivariate and correlative comparisons identified a set of Ab-dependent cell-mediated viral inhibition and phagocytosis assays that captured different Ab activities and were distinct from a group of ADCC assays that showed a more similar response profile across polyclonal serum samples. The activities of a panel of b12 monoclonal Fc variants further identified distinctions among the ADCC assays. These results reveal the natural diversity of Fc-mediated Ab effector responses among vaccine recipients in the VAX004 trial and in HIV-infected subjects, and they point to the potential importance of polyfunctional Ab responses.