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Abstract Background Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a frequent complication of community acquired pneumonia (CAP). However, the impact of AKI on in-hospital outcomes of patients with CAP in the Chinese population remains unclear. Methods Patients diagnosed with CAP were evaluated in this retrospective observational study. Multiple Cox regression models were employed to identify the association between AKI and in-hospital mortality and 30-day mortality, respectively. Results A total of 4213 patients were recruited; 950 (22.5%) patients were diagnosed with AKI. Independent risk factors for AKI were age, male gender, hypertension, cardiac dysfunction, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, acute respiratory failure, use of diuretics, use of vasoactive drugs, and CURB-65. Cox proportional hazards regression revealed AKI, use of angiotensin receptor blocker, hypertension, CURB-65, acute respiratory failure, and use of vasoactive drugs to be independent risk factors for both in-hospital and 30-day mortality. Compared to patients without AKI, those suffering AKI were found to have 1.31-fold (HR 1.31, 95% CI, 1.04–1.66; P = 0.023) and 1.29-fold (HR 1.29, 95% CI, 1.02–1.62; P = 0.033) increased in-hospital and 30-day mortality risks, respectively. In addition, patients with AKI were likely to require admission to intensive care unit (ICU) (42.9% versus 11.4%; P

AutoDock Vina is one of the most popular molecular docking tools. In the latest benchmark CASF-2016 for comparative assessment of scoring functions, AutoDock Vina won the best docking power among all the docking tools. Modern drug discovery is facing a common scenario of large virtual screening of drug hits from huge compound databases. Due to the seriality characteristic of the AutoDock Vina algorithm, there is no successful report on its parallel acceleration with GPUs. Current acceleration of AutoDock Vina typically relies on the stack of computing power as well as the allocation of resource and tasks, such as the VirtualFlow platform. The vast resource expenditure and the high access threshold of users will greatly limit the popularity of AutoDock Vina and the flexibility of its usage in modern drug discovery. In this work, we proposed a new method, Vina-GPU, for accelerating AutoDock Vina with GPUs, which is greatly needed for reducing the investment for large virtual screens and also for wider application in large-scale virtual screening on personal computers, station servers or cloud computing, etc. Our proposed method is based on a modified Monte Carlo using simulating annealing AI algorithm. It greatly raises the number of initial random conformations and reduces the search depth of each thread. Moreover, a classic optimizer named BFGS is adopted to optimize the ligand conformations during the docking progress, before a heterogeneous OpenCL implementation was developed to realize its parallel acceleration leveraging thousands of GPU cores. Large benchmark tests show that Vina-GPU reaches an average of 21-fold and a maximum of 50-fold docking acceleration against the original AutoDock Vina while ensuring their comparable docking accuracy, indicating its potential for pushing the popularization of AutoDock Vina in large virtual screens.

Multi-axis Laser Engraving Machine Tools (LEMT) are widely used in precision processing of parts with complex surface. The accuracy of kinematic model and parameter measurement are the key factors determining the processing quality of LEMT. In this paper, a kinematic model of multi-axis LEMT was established based on Homogeneous Transformation Matrix (HTM). Two types of unknown parameters, linkage parameters and positioning parameters, were measured in the presented model. Taking advantage of the characteristics of laser processing, this paper proposed a rapid measurement method of linkage parameters by combining the machine tool motion with the laser marking action. For positioning parameters, this study proposed a non-contact measurement method based on structured light scanner, which can obtain the translation values and the rotation values from the Workpiece Coordinate System (WCS) to the Basic Coordinate System (BCS) simultaneously. After the measurement of two kinds of parameters of a multi-axis LEMT was completed, the processing of a spatial curve was performed and the average contour error was controlled at 15.1 μm, which is sufficient to meet the project requirements.

Background: The differentiation of large vessel occlusion caused by intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS) or intracranial embolism significantly impacts the course of treatment (i.e., intravenous thrombolysis versus mechanical thrombectomy) for acute cerebral infarction. Currently, there is no objective evidence to indicate ICAS-related middle cerebral artery M1 segment occlusion before treatment. In cases of ICAS, it is often observed that the infarct core caused by ICAS-related M1 segment middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) is located in deeper parts of the brain (basal ganglia or semiovoid region).Objective: To evaluate whether the location of the infarct core, identified using diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), can be used to differentiate ICAS from intracranial embolism.Methods: Thirty-one consecutive patients diagnosed with acute cerebral infarction caused by middle cerebral artery M1 segment occlusion were retrospectively included based on angiographic findings to distinguish ICAS from embolic occlusion. Patients were divided into two groups based on the location of the infarct core on DWI: in the deep part of the brain (basal ganglia or semiovoid region) or more superficially (i.e., cortex).Results: In 16 patients, the infarct core was mainly in the deep part of the brain on DWI [14 of 16 patients in the ICAS group and only 2 in the non-ICAS group (93.3 vs. 6.7%, respectively; P < 0.001)]. The diagnostic sensitivity of DWI for ICAS was 93.3%, with a specificity of 87.5%, a Positive predictive value (PPV) of 87.5%, and an Negative predictive value (NPV) of 93.3%, the accuracy was 88.5%.Conclusion: Intracranial atherosclerotic disease-related acute MCAO can be predicted using DWI.

Objective To analyze clinical and pathological characteristics of mitochondrial myopathy (MM) in 15 patients, and to study the value of simplified serum lactic acid exercise test in the screening of mitochondrial myopathy. Methods A total of 15 patients with mitochondrial myopathy diagnosed clinically and pathologically, 11 patients with other muscular diseases (OM), and 21 normal controls were collected. All subjects went up and down stairs for 5 min with medium effort. Blood samples for serum lactic acid detection were collected from all subjects before exercise, immediately after exercise and 10 min after exercise. Serum lactic acid levels were compared among 3 groups and among 3 time points. Results Patients with mitochondrial myopathy mainly presented as paroxysmally progressive muscular soreness and weakness. Histopathological examination showed there were 8 cases with the proportion of ragged red fibers (RRF) more than 5%. Serum lactic acid level before exercise, immediately after exercise and 10 min after exercise were (3.57 ± 1.88), (10.98 ± 4.84) and (7.87 ± 4.38) mmol/L in MM group, (1.89 ± 0.98), (6.05 ± 4.07) and (4.13 ± 3.14) mmol/L in OM group, (1.91 ± 0.53), (3.37 ± 1.22) and (2.52 ± 0.89) mmol/L in control group. Serum lactic acid level in MM group was significantly higher than that in control and OM groups before exercise (P = 0.000, 0.001), immediately after exercise (P = 0.000, 0.001), and 10 min after exercise (P = 0.000, 0.003). Serum lactic acid level in OM group was significantly higher than that in control group immediately after exercise (P = 0.042). Serum lactic acid level in 3 groups immediately after exercise (P = 0.000, 0.000, 0.003) and 10 min after exercise (P = 0.000, 0.000, 0.013) was significantly higher than that before exercise. Serum lactic acid level immediately after exercise was significantly higher than that 10 min after exercise in 3 groups (P = 0.000, 0.000, 0.003). Serum lactic acid level had most obvious elevation in MM group, while had flattest elevation in control group. Conclusions Simplified serum lactic acid exercise test is useful in the creening of mitochondrial myopathy, especially in primary hospitals. DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1672-6731.2016.12.009

As multisensor measurement technology is rapidly applied in industrial production, one key issue is the data fusion procedure by combining several datasets from multiple sensors to obtain the overall geometric measurement. In this paper, a multisensor data fusion method based on a Gaussian process model is proposed for complex surface measurements. A robust surface registration method based on the adaptive distance function is firstly used to unify the coordinate systems of different measurement datasets. By introducing an adjustment model, the residuals between several independent datasets from different sensors are then approximated to construct a Gaussian process model-based data fusion system. The proposed method is verified through both simulation verification and actual experiments, indicating that the proposed method can fuse multisensor measurement datasets with better fusion accuracy and faster computational efficiency compared to the existing method.

Abstract Background Systemic administration of oncolytic adenovirus for cancer therapy is still a challenge. Mesenchymal stem cells as cell carriers have gained increasing attention in drug delivery due to their excellent tumor tropism, immunosuppressive modulatory effects, and paracrine effects. However, the potential of human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) loaded with oncolytic adenovirus for cancer biotherapy has not been investigated yet. Methods The stemness of hDPSCs was characterized by FACS analysis and Alizarin red staining, Oil Red O staining, and immunofluorescence assays. The biological fitness of hDPSCs loaded with oncolytic adenovirus YSCH-01 was confirmed by virus infection with different dosages and cell viability CCK-8 assays. Additionally, the expression of CAR receptor in hDPSCs was detected by qPCR assay. Tumor tropism of hDPSC loaded with YSCH-01 in vitro and in vivo was investigated by Transwell assays and living tumor-bearing mice imaging technology and immunohistochemistry, Panoramic scanning of frozen section slices assay analysis. Furthermore, the antitumor efficacy was observed through the different routes of YSCH-01/hPDSCs administration in SW780 and SCC152 xenograft models. The direct tumor cell-killing effect of YSCH-01/hDPSCs in the co-culture system was studied, and the supernatant of YSCH-01/hDPSCs inhibited cell growth was further analyzed by CCK-8 assays. Results hDPSCs were found to be susceptible to infection by a novel oncolytic adenovirus named YSCH-01 and were capable of transporting this virus to tumor sites at 1000 VP/cell infectious dosage in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, it was discovered that intraperitoneal injection of hDPSCs loaded with oncolytic adenovirus YSCH-01 exhibited potential anti-tumor effects in both SW780 and SCC152 xenograft models. The crucial role played by the supernatant secretome derived from hDPSCs loaded with YSCH-01 significantly exerted a specific anti-tumor effect without toxicity for normal cells, in both an active oncolytic virus and an exogenous protein-independent manner. Furthermore, the use of hDPSCs as a cell carrier significantly reduced the required dosage of virus delivery in vivo compared to other methods. Conclusions These findings highlight the promising clinical potential of hDPSCs as a novel cell carrier in the field of oncolytic virus-based anti-cancer therapy.

Rhodium-containing homogeneous catalysts are the most active catalysts for homogeneous hydrogenation. Spent homogeneous catalysts contain 100–2000 g∙t–1 of rhodium (Rh) and plenty of hazardous organic components, making them an essential resource of Rh. The recovery of Rh from homogeneous catalysts has excellent economic and environmental benefits. Based on Rh in the spent homogeneous catalysts, a new technology for green dissociation of the Rh–P chemical bond and complexation leaching of Rh was developed, allowing the green and efficient recovery of Rh. Compared with traditional incineration-fragmentation and acid leaching methods, the proposed technology eliminated issues such as long process times, severe environmental pollution, and a low recovery rate of Rh. In this study, first, the low-melting-point organics were removed using distillation. Then, the Rh+ in the homogeneous rhodium–phosphine complex was oxidized as Rh3+ through H2O2, which reduced the binding of organic ligands to Rh. Meanwhile, the RhCl63− formed by Rh3+ and Cl– dissolved into the aqueous solution. The effects of distillation temperature, the concentration of Cl–, the dosage of H2O2, the concentration of H+, and reaction time on the recovery efficiency of Rh were studied. The parameters listed above were optimized using response surface methodology. The results showed that the influence of each parameter on the recovery efficiency of Rh was as follows: H2O2 dosage > Cl– concentration > reaction time. The recovery efficiency of Rh reached 98.22% after 4 h of distillation at 260 °C, leaching Rh in the mixture solution of 3.0 mol∙L–1 Cl–, 37% (volume fraction) of the spent homogeneous catalyst dosage of H2O2, 1.0 mol∙L–1 H+, and at 90 °C for 4.5 h. Finally, the oxidation–complexation kinetic behavior of Rh was studied using spectrophotometry. The activation energy of the leaching reaction was 39.24 kJ∙mol–1, indicating that the rate-controlling step of this process was a surface chemical reaction.

The most important secondary resources of platinum group metals (PGMs) are spent automotive exhaust catalysts, which are called “mobile PGM mines.” Low-temperature iron-capture technology is a promising technology for recovering PGMs due to its high efficiency and low pollution. Because of the content of aluminosilicates and toxic heavy metals (Cr, Ba, Ni, and Mn), the disposal of iron-capture smelting slag is necessary. This paper is devoted to the solidification of heavy metals and the resource utilization of iron-capture smelting slag. Glass-ceramics were made by a one-step method using aluminosilicates as network formers. Heavy metals and CaF2 are employed as nucleating agents in pickling sludge. According to the analysis of differential scanning calorimetry, the glass transition temperature and crystallization temperature of samples are in the range of 650 ℃–700 ℃ and 800 ℃–920 ℃, respectively. The gap between the glass transition temperature and crystallization temperature of samples decreased from 211 ℃ to 150 ℃ when increasing the amount of pickling sludge from 7% to 28% (mass fraction). The devitrification activation energy decreased from 321.8 to 303.5 kJ·mol−1, while the Avrami index increased from 1.7 to 3.7. It demonstrates that pickling sludge can reduce the temperature difference between nucleation and crystallization, which is beneficial in realizing the one-step process. The effects of pickling sludge and heat treatment systems on glass-ceramics were investigated. The diopside phase is the main crystalline phase of glass-ceramics. Nepheline and Magnetite phases were detected when the amount of pickling sludge (mass fraction) reached 28%. The physical properties of the glass-ceramics were improved with the increase in heat treatment temperature and time. When the addition amount of pickling sludge (mass fraction) was 21%, the glass-ceramics prepared by heat treatment at 900 ℃ for 1.2 h had the best properties; namely, the density was 3.04 g·cm−3, the water absorption (mass fraction) was 0.11%, and the Vickers hardness and flexural strength were 742.72 HV and 119.32 MPa, respectively. The Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) leaching standard was met by heavy metals such as Cr, Ba, and Ni in the toxicity test. Glass structure analysis revealed that the pickling sludge increased the nonbridging oxygen content in the base glass while reducing the degree of glass network polymerization, resulting in an enhanced crystallization tendency. The pickling sludge proved to have potential as an inexpensive nucleating agent in the preparation of glass-ceramics with excellent performance. The glass-ceramics with these unique properties are promising to be applied as building materials.

By exploiting the reactivity of a vinyl-Pd species, we control the regioselectivity in hydroallylation of alkynes under Pd-hydride catalysis. A monophosphine ligand and carboxylic acid combination promotes 1,5-dienes through a pathway involving isomerization of alkynes to allenes. In contrast, a bisphosphine ligand and copper cocatalyst favor 1,4-dienes via a mechanism that involves transmetalation. Our study highlights how to access different isomers by diverting a common organometallic intermediate.

Emerging evidence indicates that transfer RNA (tRNA)‐derived small RNAs (tsRNAs), originated from tRNA with high abundance RNA modifications, play an important role in many complex physiological and pathological processes. However, the biological functions and regulatory mechanisms of modified tsRNAs in cancer remain poorly understood. Here, it is screened for and confirmed the presence of a novel m7G‐modified tsRNA, m7G‐3′‐tiRNA LysTTT (mtiRL), in a variety of chemical carcinogenesis models by combining small RNA sequencing with an m7G small RNA‐modified chip. Moreover, it is found that mtiRL, catalyzed by the tRNA m7G‐modifying enzyme mettl1, promotes bladder cancer (BC) malignancy in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, mtiRL is found to specifically bind the oncoprotein Annexin A2 (ANXA2) to promote its Tyr24 phosphorylation by enhancing the interactions between ANXA2 and Yes proto‐oncogene 1 (Yes1), leading to ANXA2 activation and increased p‐ANXA2‐Y24 nuclear localization in BC cells. Together, these findings define a critical role for mtiRL and suggest that targeting this novel m7G‐modified tsRNA can be an efficient way for to treat BC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circular RNA DLGAP4 (circ_DLGAP4) participates in the progression of ischemic stroke (IS), but whether it could regulate microglia activation to affect IS injury is unclear. This study aimed to explore the effect of circ_DLGAP4 on IS-induced microglia polarization and inflammatory cytokines, and the underlying mechanism. BV-2 cells (microglia) were transfected with circ_DLGAP4 overexpression (oeCirc), short hairpin RNA plasmid (shCirc), or corresponding negative control plasmids (oeNC and shNC). oeCirc or oeNC transfected cells were also treated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). Subsequently, BV-2 cells were treated with oxygen-glucose deprivation and reperfusion (OGD/R) to mimic IS. Circ_DLGAP4 was reduced in OGD/R-stimulated microglia versus normal microglia. Circ_DLGAP4 overexpression decreased cluster of differentiation (CD)68 and CD86, but increased CD206 and arginase-1 in OGD/ R-stimulated microglia, suggesting that circ_DLGAP4 overexpression might inhibit M1 but facilitate M2 polarization of microglia. Besides, circ_DLGAP4 overexpression reduced tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6, but elevated IL-10 in OGD/R-stimulated microglia, indicating that circ_DLGAP4 overexpression reduced proinflammatory cytokines but facilitated anti-inflammatory cytokines. Circ_ DLGAP4 overexpression decreased p-nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) and p-NF-κB inhibitor (IκB)-α in OGD/R-stimulated microglia, suggesting its inhibition of the NF-κB pathway. Notably, circ_DLGAP4 downregulation reversed the above phenomenon. PMA facilitated M1 polarization and proinflammatory cytokines but inhibited M2 polarization and anti-inflammatory cytokines in OGD/R-stimulated microglia. Interestingly, PMA attenuated the effect of circ_DLGAP4 overexpression on the above-mentioned processes in OGD/R-stimulated microglia. In conclusion, circ_DLGAP4 may attenuate IS injury by inhibiting microglia M1 polarization and proinflammatory cytokine production, which may be attributed to the inactivation of the NF-κB pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Dexmedetomidine (DEX) has been described as a safe sedative in clinical practice, but its effects on the pathophysiological traits of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are unclear. We estimated the effects of DEX sedation on the four key pathophysiological traits of OSA (pharyngeal collapsibility, dilator muscle function, arousal threshold, and loop gain) in adult patients with OSA by conducting a secondary analysis of a prospective diagnostic trial. Pathophysiological traits estimated from polysomnography and the respiratory parameters under natural sleep and DEX‐induced sleep were compared. Bivariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were used to estimate the relationship between pathophysiological traits and OSA severity for both sleep states. Adult patients with OSA had a significantly higher pharyngeal collapsibility (Vpassive: 44.9 [15.7 to 53.8] vs. 53.3 [34.2 to 66.3] %eupnea, p < 0.001), arousal threshold (178.5 [132.5 to 234.6] vs. 140.5 [123.2 to 192.3] %eupnea, p < 0.001), and loop gain (LG1: 0.74 ± 0.25 vs. 0.60 ± 0.17, p < 0.001; LGn: 0.52 ± 0.12 vs. 0.44 ± 0.08, p < 0.001) during DEX‐induced sleep compared with natural sleep. There was no significant difference in dilator muscle function or PSG respiratory parameters between natural versus DEX‐induced sleep states. Bivariate regression analysis showed varying degrees of correlation between OSA traits and severity. Multiple regression analysis indicated that collapsibility was the strongest predictor of the apnea–hypopnea index for both sleep states. Dexmedetomidine sedation in patients with OSA increased the pharyngeal collapsibility without impairing dilator muscle function, while elevating arousal threshold and increasing loop gain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visible-light photocatalysis has evolved as a powerful technique to enable controllable radical reactions. Exploring unique photocatalytic mode for obtaining new chemoselectivity and product diversity is of great significance. Herein, we present a photo-induced chemoselective 1,2-diheteroarylation of unactivated alkenes utilizing halopyridines and quinolines. The ring-fused azaarenes serve as not only substrate, but also potential precursors for halogen-atom abstraction for pyridyl radical generation in this photocatalysis. As a complement to metal catalysis, this photo-induced radical process with mild and redox neutral conditions assembles two different heteroaryl groups into alkenes regioselectively and contribute to broad substrates scope. The obtained products containing aza-arene units permit various further diversifications, demonstrating the synthetic utility of this protocol. We anticipate that this protocol will trigger the further advancement of photo-induced alkyl/aryl halides activation. Visible-light photocatalysis has evolved as a powerful technique to enable controllable radical reactions and the exploration of new photocatalytic mode for product diversity is of great significance. Herein, the authors present a photo-induced chemoselective 1,2-diheteroarylation of unactivated alkenes utilizing halopyridines and quinolines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In China, the reserves of platinum group metals (PGMs) are scarce, but the consumption of PGMs is enormous, which has resulted in a high external dependence. As more than 90% of PGMs are used by the catalyst industry, spent catalysts are the most important secondary source. Therefore, recycling PGMs from spent catalysts is the most significant strategy for relieving the risk of shortage in the PGMs supply. In this review, the consumption distribution of PGMs and their recycling status were introduced and recycling technologies were discussed in detail. The volume of recycled PGMs has been estimated to be approximately 20%–30% of the global mine production and this trend is increasing. Sample analysis is considered to be crucial for determining the recovery efficiency of PGMs. Extensive studies have shown that pretreatment methods such as reduction, calcination, and mechanical milling can improve the efficiency of PGMs recovery. Compared with traditional cyanide leaching and aqua regia dissolution, more environmentally friendly leaching methods have been developed in recent years, including chlorination leaching, supercritical fluids extraction, and substrates leaching. However, although some hydrometallurgical processes have been industrialized, their disadvantages include the generation of wastewater, emission of hazardous gases, and low recovery efficiency of Rh, which must be carefully evaluated. Pyrometallurgical methods have been widely used to concentrate PGMs due to the generally low PGMs content in spent catalysts. Lead, copper, iron, and matte are good PGMs collectors, whereby the PGMs form alloys with the collector metals and supporting materials, then enter the slag phase. These melting collection methods were reviewed and their advantages and disadvantages were summarized. Based on the serious environmental problems and low recovery efficiency of PGMs by current technologies, future trends for PGMs recycling have been proposed, including activation pretreatments, co-recovery of valuable metals and carrier materials, base metals synergistic smelting, iron melting capture, and electrolysis. These recycling technologies may indicate the development directions and can serve as effective references for further research in this field.

Breast cancer (BC) poses a significant threat to women's health, with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) representing one of the most challenging and aggressive subtypes due to the lack of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) expression. Traditional TNBC treatments often encounter issues such as low drug efficiency, limited tumor enrichment, and substantial side effects. Therefore, it is crucial to explore novel diagnostic and treatment systems for TNBC. Multifunctional molecular probes (MMPs), which integrate target recognition as well as diagnostic and therapeutic functions, introduce advanced molecular tools for TNBC theranostics. Using an MMP system, molecular drugs can be precisely delivered to the tumor site through a targeted ligand. Real-time dynamic monitoring of drug release achieved using imaging technology allows for the evaluation of drug enrichment at the tumor site. This approach enables accurate drug release, thereby improving the therapeutic effect. Therefore, this review summarizes the recent advancements in MMPs for TNBC theranostics, encompassing the design and synthesis of MMPs as well as their applications in the field of TNBC theranostics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]