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The vertebrate brain and spinal cord arise from a common precursor, the neural tube, which forms very early during embryonic development. To shape the forming neural tube, changes in cellular architecture must be tightly co-ordinated in space and time. Live imaging of different animal models has provided valuable insights into the cellular dynamics driving neural tube formation. The most well-characterised morphogenetic processes underlying this transformation are convergent extension and apical constriction, which elongate and bend the neural plate. Recent work has focused on understanding how these two processes are spatiotemporally integrated from the tissue- to the subcellular scale. Various mechanisms of neural tube closure have also been visualised, yielding a growing understanding of how cellular movements, junctional remodelling and interactions with the extracellular matrix promote fusion and zippering of the neural tube. Additionally, live imaging has also now revealed a mechanical role for apoptosis in neural plate bending, and how cell intercalation forms the lumen of the secondary neural tube. Here, we highlight the latest research on the cellular dynamics underlying neural tube formation and provide some perspectives for the future.

To explore the synergistic effect of vitamin D deficiency and sarcopenia on vertebral osteoporostic fracture (VF) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).A total of 188 patients with RA and 158 control subjects were enrolled. Bone mineral density (BMD) at the total hip, neck of femur, lumbar vertebra 1-4, and skeletal muscle mass was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and biological electrical impedance, respectively. Serum 25(OH)D was tested by electrochemiluminescence. The prevalence of VF and osteoporosis (OP) were compared between RA and controls. The synergism of sarcopenia and vitamin D deficiency on VF in patients with RA was tested by χThe prevalence of OP at all measured sites and VF in RA patients were all higher than those in controls (P 0.0001). The incidence of VF in RA either with sarcopenia or with vitamin D deficiency was higher than for those without sarcopenia or without vitamin D deficiency (χVF, sarcopenia, and vitamin D deficiency are common in patients with RA. Sarcopenia and vitamin D deficiency may be risk factors for the incidence of VF in RA patients.• RA patients had a higher incidence of OP and VF, also a high prevalence of sarcopenia and vitamin D deficiency. • Vitamin D deficiency and sarcopenia may might have a synergistic effect on VF in RA. • Aging and sarcopenia are risk factors for VF in RA patients, and sarcopenia were associated with disease activity and structural damage.

Objective: This study aimed to observe the drug distribution ex-vivo after transdermal drug delivery (TDD) by Shock Wave (SW) and to explore the different effects of the two types of shock waves. Materials and Methods: Nine female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: (i) control group; (ii) RESW group (0.35mJ/mm2, 2 Hz, 400 pulse); (iii) FESW group (0.16mJ/mm2, 2 Hz, 400 pulse). Micro positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) was used to observe the distribution of [18]F-NaF. Furthermore, 12 SD rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: (i) control group; (ii) FESW group 1 (0.03mJ/mm2, 2 Hz, 400 pulse); (iii) FESW group 2 (0.16mJ/mm2, 2 Hz, 400 pulse); (iv) FESW group 3 (0.35mJ/mm2, 2 Hz, 400 pulse). High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) tested diclofenac sodium and glucose percutaneously TDD by FESW. Statistical significance was conducted by analysis of variance of repeated measurement. Results: The micro PET/CT observed FESW could penetrate [18]F-NaF through the skin, while RESW could not. The second study found the higher the energy of the FESW, the more diclofenac sodium and glucose penetration. Repeated measures analysis of variance found a within-subject effect (diclofenac sodium, F = 4.77, p = 0.03), (glucose, F = 8.95, p = 0.006), significant differences between the control group, FESW group 1, and FESW group 2 (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The study found that FESW can penetrate [18]F-NaF, sugar and diclofenac sodium into the rat body. FESW has a good indication of drug penetration, which provides new biological evidence for route administration.

In this paper, we calculate the next-to-next-to-leading-order (NNLO) QCD corrections to $e^+e^- \to J/\psi+\eta_c$ at the $B$ factories. After including the NNLO corrections, the cross section of $e^+e^- \to J/\psi+\eta_c$ is enhanced by about $17\%$, and the perturbative series of the prediction shows the convergent behavior. It is also found that the contribution from bottom quark starts at the $\alpha_s^3$-order, which is about $2.4\%$ of the total prediction. The renormalization scale $\mu_R$ dependence of the cross section is reduced at the NNLO level, but the prediction is sensitive to the charm quark mass $m_c$. By considering the uncertainties caused by renormalization scale $\mu_R$, charm quark mass $m_c$ and the NRQCD factorization scale $\mu_\Lambda$, our prediction shows agreement with the BABAR and BELLE measurements within errors., Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures. Published version

Chemokines play a significant role in cancer. CXC-motif chemokine ligands (CXCLs) are associated with the tumorigenesis and progression of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC); however, their specific functions in the tumor microenvironment remain unclear. Here, we analyzed the molecular networks and transcriptional data of HNSC patients from the Oncomine, GEPIA, String, cBioPortal, Metascape, TISCH, and TIMER databases. To verify immune functions of CXCLs, their expression was analyzed in different immune cell types. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the correlation between CXCL9-12 and 14 expression and advanced tumor stage. CXCL2, 3, 8, 10, 13, and 16 were remarkably related to tumor immunity. Kaplan-Meier and TIMER survival analyses revealed that high expression of CXCL1, 2, 4, and 6-8 is correlated with low survival in HNSC patients, whereas high expression of CXCL9, 10, 13, 14, and 17 predicts high survival. Only CXCL13 and 14 were associated with overall survival in human papilloma virus (HPV)-negative patients. Single-cell datasets confirmed that CXCLs are associated with HNSC-related immune cells. Thus, CXCL1-6, 8-10, 12-14, and 17 could be prognostic targets for HNSC, and CXCL13 and 14 could be novel biomarkers of HPV-negative HNSC.

The two-photon radiative decay process was studied, and the main contribution processes, and , were calculated. With the specific conditions at the BESIII, this rare decay process and the main background process were investigated. The results show that the ratio of signal to background can reach 1.24 with optimized selection criteria at the BESIII. In addition, distributions of the signal and background are presented. All the results show that the signal is large enough to be experimentally measured.

Jian-Xiong Wang,&ast; Xu Zhao,&ast; Sheng-Qian Xu Department of Rheumatology & Immunology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Sheng-Qian Xu, Email xsqian-1112@163.comBackground: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are important regulators in ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Few studies have examined the lncRNA-RNA binding protein (RBP) interaction in AS. This study performed bioinformatics analysis and clinical verification to identify key lncRNAs and propose their RBP interaction.Methods: Three GEO datasets of AS were analyzed by differential expression analysis. The differentially expressed lncRNAs between the AS and control groups were screened out, and the intersecting lncRNAs were regarded as target lncRNAs. Functional was performed to identify target lncRNAs by enrichment analysis, co-expressed RNA analysis, and lncRNA-RBP interaction analysis. Finally, this study analyzed the differential expression level and clinical value of lncRNAs between the AS and control groups.Results: Linc00304, linc00926, and MIAT were differentially expressed and upregulated. Enrichment analysis indicated that the key KEGG terms were the T-cell receptor signaling pathway and B-cell receptor signaling pathway. The key molecular function term was protein binding, and the key biological process term was adaptive immune response. In qRT-PCR results, 44 samples were validated. linc00304 expression was positively correlated with bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index (BASDAI), bath ankylosing spondylitis functional index (BASFI), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and c-reactive protein (CRP). linc00926 expression was only positively correlated with ESR, whereas MIAT expression was positively correlated with BASFI, ESR, and CRP. Logistic regression revealed that linc00304, ESR, and CRP were the independent risk factors for BASDAI activation. The area under the curve (AUC) of serum linc00304 level in the diagnosis of AS was 0.687 (cutoff value: 0.413, specificity: 0.423, sensitivity: 0.900). AUC of linc00926 was 0.664 (cutoff value: 0.299, sensitivity: 0.882, specificity: 0.417). AUC of MIAT was 0.623 (cutoff value: 0.432, specificity: 0.443, sensitivity: 0.890) (all P < 0.05).Conclusion: Overall, this study uncovered three novel lncRNAs, which were upregulated in AS, and proposed a new lncRNA-RBP-mRNA interaction that might regulate adaptive immune response.Keywords: ankylosing spondylitis, long non-coding RNA, RNA binding protein, RNA sequencing

Background Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have shown the efficacy and safety of Roxadustat and conclude that it has the potential to change the treatment for anemia associated with chronic kidney disease. However, the experience of its use from clinical perspectives post-approval is lacking. Aim Using a clinical practice context, this study aims to compare Roxadustat's effectiveness and tolerability with Erythropoietin (EPO) in patients with renal anemia undergoing dialysis. Methods We examined the clinical records of patients with a diagnosis of renal anemia on dialysis who were prescribed Roxadustat or Erythropoietin at the department of nephrology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University from January 2021 to December 2021. Eligible hemodialysis (HD) or peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients with renal anemia, aged18 or75 years, without infection, active bleeding, and malignancy were recruited. These patients received Roxadustat or EPO based on the preferential prescription choice made by the nephrologists of the department. We retrospectively attempted to determine the treatment response measured by the change in hemoglobin rate, from baseline up to six months. We also explored the impact of various factors on the treatment response and reported adverse events. Results A total of 106 patients have been included in the final analysis, with 53 patients in each group. The mean age of the study group was 49.9 ± 13.6 years with the main Hb level at the baseline of 8.1 g/dL ± 1.23 g/dl. The gain of hemoglobin from the baseline averaged over six months was 2.2 ± 2.11 g/dl in the Roxadustat group compared with 1.1 ± 1.67 g/dL in the EPO group (

A new approach for tree-level amplitudes with multiple fermion lines is presented. It mainly focuses on the simplification of fermion lines. By calculating two vectors recursively without any matrix multiplications, the result of a fermion line is reduced to a very compact form depending only on the two vectors. The comparisons with other packages are presented, and the results show that our package FDC gives a very good performance in the processes of multiple fermion lines with this new approach and some other improvements. A further comparison with WHIZARD shows that this new approach has a competitive efficiency in computing pure amplitude square without phase space integration., 9 pages, 1 figure

Li Lian,1,&ast; Jian-Xiong Wang,1,&ast; Yue-Chen Xu,2 He-Xiang Zong,1 Yu-Zhu Teng,1 Sheng-Qian Xu1 1Department of Rheumatology & Immunology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230022, Anhui, People’s Republic of China; 2Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Sheng-Qian Xu, Department of Rheumatology & Immunology, the first Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, No. 218, Ji-xi Road, Hefei, 230022, Anhui, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +86 551 62922262, Email xushengqian16@sina.comPurpose: Osteoporosis (OP) has been classically considered a co-morbidity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This investigation determined the clinical significance of sarcopenia in patients with RA combined with OP or whether sarcopenia influences RA when combined with OP.Materials and Methods: Data pertaining to the duration of RA, C-reactive protein (CRP) level, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were collected from 549 RA cases and 158 healthy individuals. Disease activity score at 28 joints (DAS28), the body mass index (BMI), health assessment questionnaire (HAQ), bone mineral density (BMD), and Sharp score were compared between the 2 groups.Results: The prevalence of OP (33.3% vs 12.7%, χ2= 69.992, P < 0.0001) and sarcopenia (61.7% vs 9.0%, χ2= 135.336, P < 0.01) was greater in patients with RA than in healthy controls. RA patients with sarcopenia had a higher incidence of OP at all measured sites than RA patients without sarcopenia (all P < 0.0001), and the incidence of OP was significantly higher than in patients with mild-to-moderate or severe RA without sarcopenia (P < 0.0001). Differences in age, gender, course of disease, CRP level, ESR, DAS28, BMI, HAQ, BMD, and Sharp score were statistically different between the RA with or without sarcopenia groups (P < 0.01). The incidence of OP and sarcopenia was higher in RA patients treated than not treated with glucocorticoids [GCs] (36.4% vs 29.3%, P < 0.05 and 66.1% vs 56.0%, respectively; P < 0.05). Logistic regression showed that the risk factors for OP in RA individuals were female (OR, 14.671; 95% CI, 6.877– 31.300; P < 0.0001), age (OR, 1.100; 95% CI, 1.076– 1.124; P < 0.0001), and sarcopenia (OR, 3.561; 95% CI, 2.214– 5.726; P < 0.0001).Conclusion: OP and sarcopenia are common in RA patients. Sarcopenia may be a risk factor for OP occurrence in Chinese patients with RA.Keywords: rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, sarcopenia, muscle

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) had higher incidences of sarcopenia, falls, osteoporosis, and vertebral osteoporotic fractures (VOPF). Sarcopenia was associated with longer disease duration, higher disease activity, and more severe RA. The interactive effect of sarcopenia and falls was associated with a higher risk of VOPF in patients with RA. Whether sarcopenia and falls are a risk factor for vertebral fracture in RA patients has not been demonstrated. This study aimed to explore the incidence of vertebral osteoporotic fracture (VOPF) and its relationship with sarcopenia and falls in RA patients. A total of 474 RA patients and 156 controls were enrolled in this study. Anteroposterior and lateral X-ray examinations of the vertebral column (T4-L4) were used for the semiquantitative assessment of VOPF. Bone mineral density was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Skeletal muscle mass was measured by direct segmental multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (DSM-BIA method). RA patients had an increased risk of sarcopenia (62.4% vs 9.0%, x2 = 47.478, P

This work aims to analyze and construct a novel competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) with bone bridge formation, lncRNA. Using RNA sequencing and bioinformatics, we analyzed expression profiles of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), microRNAs (miRNAs), and mRNAs in whole blood cells from 5 AS patients and 3 healthy individuals. Next, we verified the expression levels of candidate lncRNAs in 97 samples using the ΔΔCt value of real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). We used multivariate logistic regression analysis to screen lncRNAs and clinical indicators for use in the prediction model. Both SPSS 24.0 and R software were used for data analysis and prediction model construction. The results showed that compared with the normal controls, 205 long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), 961 microRNAs (miRNAs), and 200 mRNAs (DEmRNAs) were differentially expressed in the AS patients. We identified lncRNA 122K13.12 and lncRNA 326C3.7 among 205 lncRNAs differentially expressed between AS patients and healthy humans. Then, we noted that 30 miRNAs and five mRNAs formed a ceRNA network together with these two lncRNAs. These ceRNA networks might regulate the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling pathway in AS development. In addition, the expression level of lncRNA 122K13.12 and lncRNA 326C3.7 correlated with various structural damage indicators in AS. Specifically, the lncRNA 326C3.7 expression level was an independent risk factor in bone bridge formation [area under the ROC curve (AUC) = 0.739 (0.609–0.870) and p = 0.003], and the best Youden Index was 0.405 (sensitivity = 0.800 and specificity = 0.605). Moreover, we constructed a lncRNA-based nomogram that could effectively predict bone bridge formation [AUC = 0.870 (0.780–0.959) and p < 0.001, and the best Youden Index was 0.637 (sensitivity = 0.900 and specificity = 0.737)]. In conclusion, we uncovered a unique ceRNA signaling network in AS with bone bridge formation and identified novel biomarkers and prediction models with the potential for clinical applications.

ObjectiveThe study aimed to compare the Steroid 5 alpha-reductase 3 (SRD5A3) expression levels in breast cancer (BC) and normal tissues, to investigate the prognostic value of SRD5A3 mRNA expression in BC patients and to identify the SRD5A3-related signaling pathways using bioinformatics approaches.MethodsWe evaluated the expression levels of SRD5A3 and survival data in BC patients using different bioinformatic databases. Further, Cox regression analysis was conducted to predict the independent prognostic factors for BC. Moreover, the association of SRD5A3 with clinicopathological factors was measured through LinkedOmics database. And the potential role of SRD5A3 was determined by Gene Ontology and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. Finally, protein network of SRD5A3 was constructed and genetic alterations were analyzed.ResultsBioinformatic data indicated that both mRNA and protein expression levels of SRD5A3 were higher in BC group than those in the normal group (P< 0.05). Besides, BC patients with higher SRD5A3 mRNA expression levels had a lower overall survival (allP< 0.05). Cox regression analysis further demonstrated the independent prognostic value of SRD5A3 in BC (P= 0.015). SRD5A3 mRNA expression was significantly associated with N stage (P< 0.001), age (P< 0.05), and histologic subtype (P< 0.001) but had no significant relationship with other clinical characteristics (allP> 0.05). Moreover, the functional enrichment analysis revealed that the SRD5A3 was involved in metabolism-related pathways (allP< 0.05).ConclusionsSRD5A3 was highly expressed in BC tissues and high SRD5A3 expression was related to poorer prognosis. SRD5A3 serves as an oncogene and might function as a potential biomarker for prognosis and a therapeutic target for BC.

To investigate the rate of subclinical inflammation in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)/anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α drug-induced clinical remission and to explore factors influencing clinical and imaging remission.One hundred twenty-five patients with axSpA followed up for at least 6 months were enrolled in this prospective study and randomly divided into two groups. Ninety patients were treated with anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α or anti-TNF-α combined with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (anti-TNF-α treatment group), and thirty-five patients were treated with only NSAIDs (non anti-TNF-α treatment group). The improvements in the clinical remission rate, imaging remission rate, and disease parameters before and after the different treatments were compared. Risk factors for clinical and imaging remission were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression analysis.The clinical and imaging remission rate was increased after treatment especially in the anti-TNF-α group (P 0.001). The remission rate of imaging in the group with clinical remission was higher than that in the group with clinical non-remission (P 0.05). After treatment, the remission rates of imaging in the clinical remission and non-remission group were significantly higher than those before treatment (P 0.0001). The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that higher CRP was a risk factor for failure of clinical remission in axSpA (OR = 2.034, 95% CI:1.595 ~ 2.617, P 0.001), while higher ASDAScrp was a risk factor for failure of imaging remission (OR = 1.306, 95% CI:1.026 ~ 1.688, P 0.05). Anti-TNF-α treatment was a protective factor for both clinical (OR = 0.234, 95% CI:0.091 ~ 0.605, P 0.05) and imaging remission (OR = 0.511, 95% CI:0.286 ~ 0.914, P 0.05).Even after regular treatment, some clinical remission patients continued to have evidence of subclinical inflammation. Higher CRP and ASDAScrp are risk factors for clinical and imaging non-remission in axSpA respectively, Continuous NSAID treatment (more than 1 year) can effectively improve clinical and MRI inflammation in patients, but anti-TNF-α treatment is more beneficial for clinical and imaging remission. Key Points • Some patients achieving ASDAScrp remission status continue to have inflammation when assessed with objective imaging techniques. • MRI can sensitively measure bone marrow inflammation and may provide a more accurate assessment of remission. • Controlling inflammation, especially reducing CRP and ASDAScrp levels, is a key factor for achieving clinical and imaging remission in patients with axSpA.

Research using avian embryos has led to major conceptual advances in developmental biology, virology, immunology, genetics and cell biology. The avian embryo has several significant advantages, including ready availability and ease of accessibility, rapid development with marked similarities to mammals and a high amenability to manipulation. As mechanical forces are increasingly recognised as key drivers of morphogenesis, this powerful model system is shedding new light on the mechanobiology of embryonic development. Here, we highlight progress in understanding how mechanical forces direct key morphogenetic processes in the early avian embryo. Recent advances in quantitative live imaging and modelling are elaborating upon traditional work using physical models and embryo manipulations to reveal cell dynamics and tissue forces in ever greater detail. The recent application of transgenic technologies further increases the strength of the avian model and is providing important insights about previously intractable developmental processes.

As human life expectancy increases, there is an increased prevalence of neurodegenerative disorders and dementia. There are many ongoing research trials for early diagnosis and management of dementia, and neuroimaging is a critical part of such studies. However, conventional neuroimaging often fails to provide enough diagnostic findings in patients with neurodegenerative disorders. In this context, different MRI sequences are currently under investigation to facilitate the accurate diagnosis of such disorders. Susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) is an innovative MRI technique that utilizes "magnitude" and "phase" images to produce an image contrast that is sensitive for the detection of susceptibility differences of the tissues. As many neurodegenerative disorders are associated with accelerated iron deposition and/or microhemorrhages in different parts of the brain, SWI can be applied to detect these diagnostic clues. For instance, in cerebral amyloid angiopathy, SWI can demonstrate cortical microhemorrhages, which are predominantly in the frontal and parietal regions. Or in Parkinson disease, abnormal swallow-tail sign on high-resolution SWI is highly diagnostic. Also, SWI is a useful sequence to detect the low signal intensity of precentral cortices in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Being familiar with SWI findings in neurodegenerative disorders is critical for an accurate diagnosis. In this paper, the authors review the technical parameters of SWI, physiologic, and pathologic iron deposition in the brain, and the role of SWI in the evaluation of neurodegenerative disorders in daily practice.

This study aimed to investigate the synergistic effect of sarcopenia and poor balance on osteoporotic vertebral fracture (VOPF) in Chinese patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).A total of 238 RA patients and 158 normal subjects were enrolled in the case-control study. Poor balance capability (Berg balance scale (BBS) score40) and sarcopenia (skeletal muscle mass index (SMI)7.0 (male)/5.7 (female)) between RA patients and normal subjects were compared. Associations of poor balance capability or sarcopenia with disease activity, structural damage, and joint function in different groups were also investigated.The incidence of sarcopenia in RA was 58.4%, significantly higher than that in controls (P0.0001). Moreover, the percentages of low balance capacity (BBS40) in RA were 43.7%, which was higher than that in controls (P0.0001). The prevalence of VOPF in the case group was 19.3%, which was higher than that in the controls (P0.0001). In the RA group, compared to RA patients without VOPF, RA patients with VOPF had higher percentages of poor balance and sarcopenia (P0.05). Compared with RA patients without sarcopenia or good balance, RA patients with sarcopenia or poor balance had a higher incidence of VOPF, higher disease activity, severer structural damage, and worse joint function (P0.05). The incidence of VOPF in patients combined with good balance and non-sarcopenia (4.8%) was significantly lower than that in patients combined with poor balance and sarcopenia (38.2%) (P0.0001). Logistic regression indicated that higher SMI and higher BBS scores were protective factors for VOPF in RA patients, while age was a risk factor for VOPF in RA patients (P0.0001).Sarcopenia and poor balance are popular in Chinese patients with RA, and they are associated with disease activity and structural damage. There is a synergistic effect of sarcopenia and poor balance on VOPF in RA. Key Points • Sarcopenia and balance capability were popular (about a half) in patients with RA. • Sarcopenia and poor balance had a synergistic effect on VOPF in RA.

BackgroundHypersplenism is a common consequence of liver cirrhosis and a risk factor of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development. The objective of the current study was to identify whether splenectomy for treatment of hypersplenism has any impact on risk of HCC. ­­MethodsPatients who underwent splenectomy for hypersplenism secondary to liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension between 2008 and 2012 were included from seven University Hospitals in China, whereas patients receiving medication treatments for liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension (non-splenectomy) at this time period were also included as control. ResultsA total of 871 patients with liver cirrhosis and hypertension were included synchronously from 7 tertiary hospitals. Among them, 407 patients had a history of splenectomy for hypersplenism, whereas 464 patients who received medical treatment but not splenectomy (non-splenectomy group). The cumulative incidence of HCC development at 1, 3, 5 and 7 years were 1%, 6%, 11% and 16% in splenectomy group, and 2%, 10%, 17% and 24% in non-splenectomy group in the unadjusted cohort (Breslow test = 7.7, p=0.005). Consistently, in the matched cohort, the cumulative rates of HCC diagnosis at 1, 3, 5 and 7 years were 1%, 6%, 7% and 15% in splenectomy group, and 1%, 6%, 15% and 23% in non-splenectomy group (Breslow test = 4.9, p=0.028). On multivariable analysis, splenectomy was independently associated with decreased risk of HCC development (HR 0.55, 95% CI, 0.32-0.95, p=0.031). ConclusionSplenectomy for treatment of hypersplenism may decrease the risk of HCC development.

The prompt $$J/\psi $$J/ψ photoproduction within the non-relativistic QCD (NRQCD) framework at the future Circular Electron Positron Collider (CEPC) is studied, including the contributions from both direct and resolved photons. Employing different sets of long distance matrix elements, the total cross section is dominated by the color-octet channel. We present different kinematic distributions of $$J/\psi $$J/ψ production and the results show there will be about 50 $$J/\psi $$J/ψ events when the transverse momentum of $$J/\psi $$J/ψ is up to 20 GeV. It renders that the $$J/\psi $$J/ψ photoprodution at the CEPC is a well laboratory to test the NRQCD and further clarify the universality problem in NRQCD between electron positron collider and hadron collider.

Introduction The efficacy of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) for the rehabilitation of stroke remains controversial. We conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to explore the influence of VNS on the rehabilitation of stroke. Methods We search PubMed, EMbase, Web of science, EBSCO, and Cochrane library databases through March 2020 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effect of VNS on the rehabilitation of stroke. This meta-analysis is performed using the random-effect model. Results Three RCTs are included in the meta-analysis. Overall, compared with control group in stroke, VNS is associated with significantly improved FMA-UE (SMD = 3.86; 95% CI = 1.19 to 6.52; P = 0.005) and Motor Function Test (SMD = 0.33; 95% CI = 0.04 to 0.62; P = 0.03), but has no obvious impact on Box and Block Test (SMD = −0.31; 95% CI = −3.48 to 2.86; P = 0.85), Nine-Hole Peg Test (SMD = 8.35; 95% CI = −40.59 to 57.28; P = 0.74), atrial fibrillation (RR = 3.46; 95% CI = 0.39 to 30.57; P = 0.26) or adverse events (RR = 0.59; 95% CI = 0.21 to 1.61; P = 0.30). Conclusions VNS may be beneficial to the rehabilitation of stroke.

Background: The efficiency of insert electro-acupuncture stimulation (EAS) on improving pressure ulcer (PU) healing was still unclear. This study explored the effects of insert EAS on PU and provided the regulation information of acid-sensing ion channel 3 (Asic3) during EAS intervention.Methods: A total of 32 BALB/c mice were randomly divided into control group, model group, EAS group, ESA + APETx2 (Asic3 inhibitor) group, each for eight mice. The ulcer tissues of all mice were havest at 14 days after modeling. HE stains and mmunohistochemical staining evaluated the pathologic change, Western blot, and RT-PCR evaluated Asic3 expression. Results: Compared with the model group, EAS group showed alleviated epithelial thickness, increased number of fibroblasts, and reduced inflammatory cell infiltration. Thickened epithelium, decreased number of fibroblasts, and obvious inflammatory cell infiltration in the EAS+APETx2 group were no significant differences with the model group. Asic3 expression in PU tissues in the EAS group was elevated compared with the model group. In addition, Asic3 expression was decreased in EAS + APETx2 group than the EAS group. Conclusion: EAS can accelerate the PU healing process in mice, and EAS also could improve the expression of Asic3 in PU tissues.Trial-registration: Not applicaple.

Cutaneous melanoma (CM) is known as an aggressive malignant cancer; some of which are directly derived from melanocytic nevi, which have been attracting growing attention from the last decades. This study focused on comprehensive identification, validation, and functional annotations of prognostic differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between melanocytic nevus and malignant melanoma in genome-wide profiles. DEGs were obtained using three chip datasets from GEO database to identify after standardization annotation. A total of 73 DEGs were identified as possible candidate prognostic biomarkers between melanocytic nevus and malignant melanoma. In addition, survival curves indicated that six hub genes, including FABP5, IVL, KRT6A, KRT15, KRT16, and TIMP2, were significant prognostic signatures for CM and of significant value to predict transformation from nevi to melanoma. Furthermore, immunohistochemistry staining was performed to validate differential expression levels and prognostic implications of six hub genes between CM tissue and nevus tissues from the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University cohort. It suggested that significantly elevated FABP5, IVL, KRT6A, KRT15, KRT16, and TIMP2 proteins expressed in the CM than in the nevus tissues. Functional enrichment and significant pathways of the six significant hub genes indicated that the mostly involved hallmarks include the P53 pathway, K-ras signaling, estrogen response late, and estrogen response early. In summary, this study identified significant DEGs participating in the process of malignant transformation from nevus to melanoma tissues based on comprehensive genomic profiles. Transcription profiles of FABP5, IVL, KRT6A, KRT15, KRT16, and TIMP2 provided clues of prognostic implications, which might help us evaluate malignant potential of nevus and underlying carcinogenesis progress from melanocytic nevus to melanoma.

IntroductionNeuropathic pain is one of the common complications of spinal cord injuries (SCI), which will slow down the recovery process and result in lower quality of life. Previous studies have shown that repeated transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the motor cortex (M1) can reduce the average pain and the most severe pain of neuropathic pain after SCI. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) area is a common target of rTMS. Recently, a few studies found that rTMS of DLPFC may relieve the neuropathic pain of SCI. Compared with the M1 area, the efficacy of rTMS treatment in the DLPFC area in improving neuropathic pain and pain-related symptoms in patients with SCI is still unclear. Therefore, our study aims to evaluate the non-inferiority of rTMS in the DLPFC vs M1 in patients with neuropathic pain after SCI, in order to provide more options for rTMS in treating neuropathic pain after SCI.Methods and analysisWe will recruit 50 subjects with neuropathic pain after SCI. They will be randomly assigned to the DLPFC- rTMS and M1-rTMS groups and be treated with rTMS for 4 weeks. Except for the different stimulation sites, the rTMS treatment programmes of the two groups are the same: 10 Hz, 1250 pulses, 115% intensity threshold, once a day, five times a week for 4 weeks. VAS, simplified McGill Pain Questionnaire, Spinal Cord Injury Pain Date Set, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Hamilton Anxiety Scale will be evaluated at baseline, second week of treatment, fourth week of treatment and 4 weeks after the end of treatment. And VAS change will be calculated.Ethics and disseminationThe Ethics Committee of the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University has approved this trial, which is numbered KY2020041. Written informed consent will be provided to all participants after verification of the eligibility criteria. The results of the study will be published in peer-reviewed publications.Trial registration numberChiCTR2000032362.

The Hamadi gold deposit is located in North Sudan, and occurs in the Neoproterozoic metamorphic strata of the Arabian–Nubian Shield. Two types of gold mineralization can be discerned: gold-bearing quartz veins and altered rock ores near ductile shear zones. The gold-bearing quartz veins are composed of white to gray quartz associated with small amounts of pyrite and other polymetallic sulfide minerals. Wall-rock alterations include mainly beresitization, epidotization, chloritization, and carbonatization. CO2-rich inclusions are commonly seen in gold-bearing quartz veins and quartz veinlets from gold-bearing altered rocks; these include mainly one-phase carbonic (CO2 ± CH4 ± N2) inclusions and CO2–H2O inclusions with CO2/H2O volumetric ratios of 30% to ∼80%. Laser Raman analysis does not show the H2O peak in carbonic inclusions. In quartz veins, the melting temperature of solid CO2 (Tm,CO2) of carbonic inclusions has a narrow range of −59.6 to −56.8 °C. Carbonic inclusions also have CO2 partial homogenization temperatures (Th,CO2) of −28.3 to +23.7 °C, with most of the values clustering between +4.0 and +20 °C; all of these inclusions are homogenized into the liquid CO2 state. The densities range from 0.73 to 1.03 g/cm3. XCH4 of carbonic fluid inclusions ranges from 0.004 to 0.14, with most XCH4 around 0.05. In CO2–H2O fluid inclusions, Tm,CO2 values are recorded mostly at around −57.5 °C. The melting temperature of clathrate is 3.8–8.9 °C. It is suggested that the lowest trapping pressures of CO2 fluids would be 100 to ∼400 MPa, on the basis of the Th,CO2 of CO2-bearing one-phase (LCO2) inclusions and the total homogenization temperatures (Th,tot) of paragenetic CO2-bearing two-phase (LCO2–LH2O) inclusions. For altered rocks, the Tm,CO2 of the carbonic inclusions has a narrow range of −58.4 to ∼−57.0 °C, whereas the Th,CO2 varies widely (−19 to ∼+29 °C). Most carbonic inclusions and the carbonic phases in the CO2–H2O inclusions are homogenized to liquid CO2 phases, which correspond to densities of 0.70 to ∼1.00 g/cm3. Fluid inclusions in a single fluid inclusion assemblage (FIA) have narrow Tm,CO2 and Th,CO2 values, but they vary widely in different FIAs and non-FIAs, which indicates that there was a wide range of trapping pressure and temperature (P–T) conditions during the ore-forming process in late retrograde metamorphism after the metamorphism peak period. The carbonic inclusions in the Hamadi gold deposit are interpreted to have resulted from unmixing of an originally homogeneous aqueous–carbonic mixture during retrogress metamorphism caused by decreasing P–T conditions. CO2 contributed to gold mineralization by buffering the pH range and increasing the gold concentration in the fluids.

To understand the $J/\ensuremath{\psi}+{X}_{\mathrm{non}\text{\ensuremath{-}}c\overline{c}}$ production mechanism in ${e}^{+}{e}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ annihilation, in this work, we propose to measure the cross section for $J/\ensuremath{\psi}$ production without the association of a charm quark pair without any constraint on the number of charged tracks in the final state events except for the ${\ensuremath{\mu}}^{+}{\ensuremath{\mu}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ from $J/\ensuremath{\psi}$ decay, which we will refer to here as $J/\ensuremath{\psi}$ production with light hadrons at B factories. We also present a detailed study on its QED background due to $\ensuremath{\psi}(2S)$ feed-down, where the $\ensuremath{\psi}(2S)$ is produced through ${e}^{+}{e}^{\ensuremath{-}}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\psi}(2S)+\ensuremath{\gamma}$ and ${e}^{+}{e}^{\ensuremath{-}}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\psi}(2S)+f\overline{f}$ ($f=\mathrm{lepton}$, light quark), as well as those due to the QED contribution to the direct $J/\ensuremath{\psi}+q\overline{q}$ production with $q=u$, $d$, $s$ quark. We find that the QED background is huge in the whole phase space region; however, it can be largely reduced when a suitable kinematic cut condition on ${p}_{J/\ensuremath{\psi}}$ and ${\ensuremath{\theta}}_{J/\ensuremath{\psi}}$ is implemented, where ${p}_{J/\ensuremath{\psi}}$ is the momentum of $J/\ensuremath{\psi}$ and ${\ensuremath{\theta}}_{J/\ensuremath{\psi}}$ is the angle between $J/\ensuremath{\psi}$ and the ${e}^{+}{e}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ beam. In the range of $\ensuremath{\pi}/9l{\ensuremath{\theta}}_{J/\ensuremath{\psi}}l8\ensuremath{\pi}/9$ and ${p}_{J/\ensuremath{\psi}}g3\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{GeV}$, the cross section of the QED background is of the same order as that of the QCD contribution. Therefore, studying the $J/\ensuremath{\psi}$ production with light hadrons is helpful to clarify the $J/\ensuremath{\psi}$ production mechanism at B factories.