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Objective To investigate the influencing factors of the grading of acute kidney injury （AKI） caused by partial nephrectomy in patients with malignant renal tumors. Methods General information， surgery and treatment data， clinical and pathological grading， laboratory test results， surgical records and pathological reports and other clinical data of patients with malignant renal tumors who underwent partial nephrectomy in Qingdao Municipal Hospital from January 2013 to January 2023 were collected. All patients were divided into the non-AKI， stage1 and stage 2 AKI groups according to the incidence of AKI. The influencing factors of AKI were identified by Logistic regression analysis. The efficiency of serum creatinine in predicting AKI after partial nephrectomy was analyzed by the receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve. Results A total of 503 patients with malignant renal tumors underwent partial nephrectomy， including 378 cases （75.1%） of non-AKI， 83 cases （16.5%） of stage 1 AKI and 42 cases （8.3%） of stage 2 AKI， respectively. Patients with stage 1 AKI showed statistically significant differences in the proportion of hypertension and diabetes mellitus， changes of creatinine levels at preoperative 48 h， tumor volume， warm ischemia time， and body mass index （BMI） compared with non-AKI counterparts （all P <0.05）. Patients with stage 2 AKI showed statistically significant differences in the gender composition， proportion of hypertension and diabetes mellitus， R.E.N.A.L. score， changes of creatinine levels at preoperative 48 h，tumor volume， warm ischemia time and BMI compared with AKI counterparts （all P <0.05）. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the influencing factors of stage 1 AKI after partial nephrectomy included BMI， hypertension， diabetes mellitus， the changes of serum creatinine levels at preoperative 48 h， tumor volume and warm ischemia time， and the influencing factors of stage 2 AKI also consisted of gender and R.E.N.A.L score （all P <0.05）. The cutoff values of serum creatinine levels for the diagnosis of AKI and stage 2 AKI were 23.29 and 39.88 mmol/L， with a sensitivity of 98.1% and 99.8%， a specificity of 81.3% and 89.6%， and an area under the ROC curve （AUC） of 0.969 and 0.974， respectively. Conclusions The influencing factors for AKI after partial nephrectomy in patients with malignant renal tumors are hypertension， diabetes mellitus， changes in creatinine levels at preoperative 48 h， tumor volume， warm ischemia time and BMI. In addition， the influencing factors for patients with stage 2 AKI consist of gender and R.E.N.A.L. score. Early identification of these influencing factors and active interventions can reduce the incidence of postoperative AKI and alleviate the severity of AKI.

[Objective] In order to quantitatively evaluate the suitability and quality improvement potential of forest and grass in typical watersheds of complex underlying surface in the middle reaches of the Yellow River. [Methods] The evaluation index system and evaluation method of forest and grass suitability in Sanchuan River Basin were constructed by means of geographical detector, spatial analysis, mathematical statistics and other methods, and the forest and grass suitability and its potential for quality improvement under the current land use conditions in the basin were evaluated. [Results] (1) The dominant factors affecting the suitable distribution of forest land in the Sanchuan River Basin include the fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (FPAR), elevation, soil erosion intensity and soil type. The dominant factors affecting the suitable distribution of grass land include elevation, FPAR, soil type and soil moisture, etc. (2) The area of forest land with different suitability degrees was from large to small high suitability, unsuitable, mid-height suitability, moderate suitability, and the area above moderate suitable accounted for 81.9% of the total area of forest land. The area of grassland with different suitability degree was in order from large to small: moderate suitability, unsuitable, mid-height suitability, and high suitability, and area above moderate suitability accounts for 55.3% of the total area of grassland, and there was still a large space for optimization layout of grassland in the basin. (3) The area of forest land improvement was 223.2 km2, accounting for 15.4% of the total area of moderate suitability and above areas, and most of the forest land in the area had reached the coverage threshold level. The area of grade I upgrading potential of forest in each suitability area accounted for more than 89.0%, and the difficulty of upgrading was low. The area of grassland improvement was 222.3 km2, accounting for 43.1% of the total area of moderate suitability and above areas, and nearly half of the grassland in the area have not yet reached the coverage threshold; The area proportion of grade I upgrading potential of grassland in each suitability area decreased with the increase of suitability, and the difficulty of upgrading increased with the increase of suitability. (4) The forest land can implement weak intervention measures based on natural restoration by strengthening the control of closure; grassland needs to take appropriate intervention measures according to the potential zoning of different suitability to achieve the overall improvement of grassland coverage. [Conclusion] In the Sanchuan River Basin, the pattern of forest land was better than that of grassland and the potential of grassland improvement is higher than that of forest land. The evaluation method of forest and grass habitat suitability constructed in this study can provide a scientific basis for the rational allocation of plant measures and the improvement of quality and efficiency in the middle reaches of the Yellow River.

The complex network of fractures formed by randomly distributed natural fractures in hot-dry rocks (HDRs) complicates the heat transfer regularity of injected fluid. On the basis of the fracture network, exploring the characteristics of the fluid flow and heat transfer as influenced by different parameters helps enable efficient resource extraction and effectively promotes the construction of diversified energy utilization structures. Accordingly, accounting for the effect of the thermal shock on the evolution of the permeability of the rock matrix, a thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) coupling model is developed to analyze the influences of fracture network characteristics on the heat extraction performance of HDRs. In addition, a large-scale injection and production physical simulation experiment is performed using a newly developed, in-house, large-scale true triaxial experimental system. The corresponding numerical model is established and validated. The good agreement between the numerical and experimental results verifies the reliability and accuracy of the proposed THM model. Subsequently, a two-dimensional model is established under complex fracture network conditions, taking, as a research object, the natural fracture characteristics of HDR in the Qinghai Gonghe Basin in combination with the regional geological information. The effects of different parameters, including the production well location, rock matrix permeability, injection rate, initial fracture width, and number of fractures, on the production temperature and heat extraction performance are systematically analyzed. The results indicate that an increase in the number of fractures, the distance between the injection well and the production well, or the width of the initial fractures leads to an improved heat extraction performance. The number of fractures increased from 11 horizontal fractures and 22 high-angle fractures to 35 horizontal fractures and 70 high-angle fractures, with a 20% increase in heat extraction rate. While the influence of the rock matrix permeability is not highly significant, it cannot be ignored. It is crucial to select an injection rate that is neither too low nor too high, taking into consideration economic factors.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the performance of a clinical-radiomics model based on contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CE-CT) in assessing human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status in urothelial bladder carcinoma (UBC).MethodsFrom January 2022 to December 2023, 124 patients with UBC were classified into the training (n=100) and test (n=24) sets. CE-CT scans were performed on the patients. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to identify independent predictors of HER2 status in patients with UBC. We employed eight machine learning algorithms to establish radiomic models. A clinical-radiomics model was developed by integrating radiomic signatures and clinical features. Receiver operating characteristic curves and decision curve analysis (DCA) were generated to evaluate and validate the predictive capabilities of the models.ResultsAmong the eight classifiers, the random forest radiomics model based on CE-CT demonstrated the highest efficacy in predicting HER2 status, with area under the curve (AUC) values of 0.880 (95% CI: 0.813–0.946) and 0.814 (95% CI: 0.642–0.986) in the training and test sets, respectively. In the training set, the clinical-radiomics model achieved an AUC of 0.935, an accuracy of 0.870, a sensitivity of 0.881, and a specificity of 0.854. In the test set, the clinical-radiomics model achieved an AUC of 0.857, an accuracy of 0.760, a sensitivity of 0.643, and a specificity of 0.900. DCA analysis indicated that the clinical-radiomics model provided good clinical benefit.ConclusionThe radiomics nomogram demonstrates good diagnostic performance in predicting HER2 expression in patients with UBC.

Abstract Growing evidence has demonstrated that cold and humid environmental stress triggers gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. In this study, we explored the effects of intestinal microbiota homeostasis on the intestinal mucus barrier and GI disorders by cold and humid environmental stress. Moreover, the inner link between the intestinal mucosal microbiota and metabolites in mice with cold and humid environmental stress was interpreted by integrative analysis of PacBio HiFi sequencing microbial genomics and targeted metabolomics. In the current study, we found (1) after the cold and wet cold and humid environmental stress intervened in the intestinal microbiota disorder and homeostasis mice respectively, the bacterial culturing and fluorescein diacetate (FDA) microbial activity detection of intestinal microbiota including feces, intestinal contents, and intestinal mucosa suggested that the cold and humid environmental stress decreased the colony of culturable bacteria and microbial activity, in which intestinal microbiota disorder aggravated the injury of the intestinal mucus barrier and the GI symptoms related to cold and humid environmental stress; (2) the serum amino acid transferases such as glutamate pyruvic transa (GPT), and glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) in cold and humid environmental stressed mice increased significantly, indicating that the intestinal microbiota adapted to cold and humid environmental stress by regulating the host's amino acid metabolism; (3) the integrative analysis of multi-omics illustrated a prediction model based on the microbiota Lactobacillus reuteri abundance and host amino acid level that can predict intestinal mucoprotein Muc2 with an adjusted R2 of 75.0%. In conclusion, the cold and humid environmental stress regulates the neurotransmitter amino acids metabolic function both in intestinal mucosal microbiota and host serum by adjusting the composition of the dominant bacterial population Lactobacillus reuteri, which contributes to the intestinal mucus barrier injury and GI disorders caused by cold and humid environmental stress.

To study material erosion and deposition during different wall conditioning processes in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), two newly developed quartz crystal microbalances (QMBs) at the mid-plane of port C (C-QMB) and port J (J-QMB) with the same radial radius were used for in-situ and real-time measurements during the 2021 autumn experimental campaign. It was found that the material deposition was mainly influenced by the location of the antenna and the power of the ion cyclotron range of frequency (ICRF), rather than the location of the gas inlet, during the wall cleaning with helium plasma and siliconization assisted with ICRF plasma. The higher energy and density of plasma could result in higher deposition rates near the antenna. While, during lithium (Li) coating, the material deposition was greatly influenced by the location of the Li oven due to the deposition of unionized Li atoms. The ICRF power influenced the material deposition behavior far away from the Li ovens. Besides, a stronger effect on impurity suppression was observed with a more uniform deposition trend of Li coating. This necessitates further study on the influence of factors such as the location of the Li oven and ICRF antenna, the temperature of ovens, and ICRF power on the homogeneity of wall conditioning.

Objective: This study aimed to observe the inhibitory effects of xiaochaihu decoction (XCHD) on human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells resistant to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) (Bel-7402/5-FU) in vitro and in vivo and investigate its possible mechanisms. Methods: Bel-7402 ​cells and their resistant cells to 5-FU (Bel-7402/5-FU) were cultured, and a xenograft was established in nude mice. MTT assays were used to detect the cell viability after XCHD treatment, and an inverted phase contrast microscope was used to observe the morphology and flow cytometry and TUNEL assays were used to determine XCHD-induced apoptosis. Western blot was used to detect Bax and Bcl-2 expressions. Cyto-ID staining was used to assess XCHD-induced autophagy, and the autophagy-related protein (LC3, p62, and beclin) was determined. Finally, the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway was detected. Results: Bel-7402/5-FU cells were more resistant to 5-FU compared with Bel-7402 ​cells (P ​

As an important and universal petrophysics of heavy oil reservoirs, the two-phase flow ability inside porous medium is vital for heavy oil development. Utilizing the laminar flow theory and an ideal pore structure, especially cylinder model, the function of the relative permeability of heavy oil–water with water saturation is derived by incorporating the principles of momentum conservation and the characteristics of Bingham fluids, which was modified by validated experiment. Two-phase relative permeability, considering heavy oil as non-Newtonian fluid, is the function of water saturation, pore size, oil–water viscosity ratio, and yield stress. The results of the validated experiment show that the theoretical values calculated employing the modified equation exhibit better agreement with the experimental values, particularly when the viscosities of two-phase fluid are great. The results of the modified two-phase relative permeability show a decrease in water saturation interval corresponding to the two-phase flow area and a smaller value of permeability at equal two-phase relative permeability. The oil–water viscosity ratio in the hydrophobic pores affects the water-phase relative permeability, although the magnitude of its influence diminishes as the viscosity ratio increases. The behavior of relative permeability in hydrophilic pores is the opposite of that in hydrophobic pores. This work can afford good application prospects for mobility control in multilayered reservoirs through the heterogeneous-phase-composite fluid. The saturations of the remaining oil and irreducible water also play a vital role in the prediction of permeability. The work can afford good application prospects for the flow behavior of Bingham heavy oil in pores with different types of wettability.

Melatonin (Mel) is an endogenous active molecule whose metabolism progress significantly influences its bioactivity. However, the detailed metabolic pathway of Mel in the pathological state has not yet been fully illustrated. In this study, 16 metabolites of Mel in cancer cells and human liver microsomes were identified, of which seven novel metabolites were newly discovered. Among them, 2-hydroxymelatonin (2-O-Mel), as the major metabolite in cancer cells, was revealed for the first time, which was different from the metabolite found in the human liver. Furthermore, CYP1A1/1A2- and reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated 2-hydroxylation reactions of Mel were verified to be the two metabolic pathways in the liver and cancer cells, respectively. ROS-dependent formation of 2-O-Mel was the major pathway in cancer cells. Furthermore, the underlying catalytic mechanism of Mel to 2-O-Mel in the presence of ROS was fully elucidated using computational chemistry analysis. Therefore, the generation of 2-O-Mel from Mel could serve as another index for the endogenous reactive oxygen level. Finally, based on the ROS-dependent production of 2-O-Mel, Mel was successfully used for detecting the oxygen-carrying capacity of hemoglobin in human blood. Our investigation further enriched the metabolic pathway of Mel, especially for the ROS-dependent formation of 2-O-Mel that serves as a diagnostic and therapeutic target for the rational use of Mel in clinics.

The maintenance, inspection, and refurbishment of substation equipment are crucial for ensuring the stability of the power grid’s operation and the reliability of power supply to users. However, currently, there is a lack of methods for rapidly and effectively planning load transfer solutions during substation equipment maintenance periods. To address this, this study is founded on the principles of transmission network planning theory, and an analysis of the similarities and disparities between the planning methods for load transfer solutions during substation equipment maintenance and traditional approaches to transmission network planning is conducted. Furthermore, this paper integrates practical constraints related to maintenance engineering and power grid load flow balance constraints. With the primary optimization objectives of minimizing investment and operational costs during system maintenance while maximizing power grid reliability, a load transfer planning model for equipment maintenance in the substation has been developed. Simultaneously, in conjunction with linear programming theory, the nonlinear constraint terms of the model have been equivalently simplified to enhance the computational performance of the model. Simulation analysis is conducted on case studies constructed based on the IEE-RBTS6 and IEEE-RTS79 systems to validate the effectiveness of the proposed model in solving the optimal maintenance planning problem.

[Abstract]: Objective: To observe the effects of ursolic acid (UA) on the apoptosis, autophagy and mTOR of human colorectal cancer (CRC) cells resistant to 5-FU (HCT-8/5-FU), and explore the mechanisms of UA reversing the multidrug resistance (MDR) of CRC. Methods: HCT-8 cells and its resistant cells to 5-FU (HCT-8/5-FU) were cultured to calculate the resistant index and confirmed the resistance of HCT-8/5-FU. The MTT assays were used to screen the suitable concentrations and the reversal fold of UA. The efflux function, proliferation, apoptosis, autophagy and their correlated proteins were determined through Doxorubucin staining, Rhodamine 123 staining, colony formation, Annexin V-PI double staining, Cyto-ID staining and Western blot after the HCT-8/5-FU were intervened with UA for 48 h. Results: HCT-8/5-FU cells are resistant to different chemotherapeutics, UA could reverse the MDR effectively. Furtherly, UA down-regulates the expression of ABCB1, ABCG2, p62, up-regulates Bax/Bcl-2 and LC3II/LC3I to inhibit the drug-efflux (P

At present, the application prospect of superhydrophobic materials in oil-water separation, an-tibacterial and other aspects have attracted more and more attention. However, preparing a simple and low-cost superhydrophobic material remains a challenge. Using acetone as solvent, candle soot, silver/silica nanoparticles and polydimethylsiloxane were uniformly mixed to form a mixed solution, and the superhydrophobic sponge was successfully prepared by spraying method. The results show that the superhydrophobic sponge has high water contact Angle (162°) and excellent oil-water separation efficiency, which can realize effective treatment of polymerized wastewater. In addition, the superhydrophobic sponge showed better antibacterial properties on the surface of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. In this work, a simple way to prepare superhydro-phobic oil-water separation material is proposed. The preparation process is green, the material is easy to obtain, and it is expected to be widely used in practical production.

As the burial depth of shale exploitation increases, it is challenge to form fracture networks through hydraulic fracturing technology. When cryogenic fluid contacts with hot rock, heat exchange process occurs and temperature gradient is generated at the rock surface, resulting in thermal stress. Once the thermal stress exceeds the tensile strength, the fractures are generated. To study the initiation and propagation of fractures induced by thermal shock, a thermal-mechanical (TM) coupled two-dimensional model is developed in the paper. To simulate the heat exchange process, the heat convective boundary is applied in the surface between the fluid and the rock. In addition, the initiation and propagation of fractures are described by the cohesive zone model. The accuracy and reliability of the numerical model is validated by an existing analytical solution. Under the thermal shock, the temperature at the contact surface drops quickly. The stress distribution is determined by the temperature variation. The variations of temperature and stress are greatly affected by the heat exchange coefficient. With the fractures embedded in the model, the initiation and propagation of fractures are analysed. The multi-fracture propagation induced by thermal shock exhibits competition effect. With the propagation of fractures, the stress distribution in the rock changes. The heat exchange coefficient has a significant effect on fracture initiation and propagation, presenting more fractures generation in the larger coefficient.

Toxoplasma gondii is the causative agent of toxoplasmosis, a zoonotic disease that poses a threat to human health and a considerable loss to livestock farming. At present, clinical therapeutic drugs mainly target T. gondii tachyzoites and fail to eradicate bradyzoites. Developing a safe and effective vaccine against toxoplasmosis is urgent and important. Breast cancer has become a major public health problem and the therapeutic method needs to be further explored. Many similarities exist between the immune responses caused by T. gondii infection and the immunotherapy for cancers. T. gondii dense granule organelles secrete immunogenic dense granule proteins (GRAs). GRA5 is localized to the parasitophorous vacuole membrane in the tachyzoite stage and the cyst wall in the bradyzoite stage. We found that T. gondii ME49 gra5 knockout strain (ME49Δgra5) was avirulent and failed to form cysts but stimulated antibodies, inflammatory cytokines, and leukocytes infiltration in mice. We next investigated the protective efficacy of ME49Δgra5 vaccination against T. gondii infection and tumor development. All the immunized mice survived the challenge infection of either wild-type RH, ME49, VEG tachyzoites, or ME49 cysts. Moreover, ME49Δgra5 tachyzoite inoculation in situ attenuated the growth of murine breast tumor (4T1) in mice and prevented 4T1’s lung metastasis. ME49Δgra5 inoculation upregulated the levels of Th1 cytokines and tumor-infiltrating T cells in the tumor microenvironment and triggered anti-tumor responses by increasing the number of natural killer, B, and T cells, macrophages, and dendritic cells in the spleen. Collectively, these results suggested that ME49Δgra5 was a potent live attenuated vaccine against T. gondii infection and breast cancer.

By means of X-ray diffraction analysis, scanning electron probe microanalysis and optical microscopy, the chemical composition and mineral intercalation and particle size composition of potassium feldspar in Jilin were studied. The results show that main minerals in the ore is potassium feldspar, albite and quartz, and the iron elements are mainly distributed in hematite, limonite and magnetite. Potassium feldspar is present in the form of needle-shaped fine grain and some iron ore is embedded in the microcrystalline base of potassium feldspar and the edge of hole or immersed in gangue mineral, so the ore belongs to a more difficult ore. In the ore that particle size less than 0.0385 mm, the Fe2O3 content reaches 2.36%. All that means the sample needs to be desliming, magnetic separation, flotation and pickling in the follow-up treatment to make the product meet the high-end potassium feldspar market requirements.

Algorithms for noise removal are either complex or ineffective, and the optimal control with inequality constrains makes the algorithm even more complex. Now the condition is changed completely, and the tropical algebra is an extremely simple tool for this purpose. The tropical algebra-based filter has obvious advantages over traditional ones, and an inequality constrain can be converted to a tropical polynomial, making the tropical algebra much attractive in engineering applications. In this paper, idempotents on multiplicative semigroups of tropical matrices are studied. First, the concepts of tropical algebra and the semigroup of tropical matrices under multiplication are introduced. Second, the structure of idempotents on the semigroup of 3 × 3 tropical matrices under multiplication is given. Finally, as examples, the tropical addition is used as a filter for noise removal, and a simple optimization is given where the constraint is given by the tropical algebra. The paper has opened the path for a new way to noise removal and optimization.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs), as important liquid biopsy target, can provide valuable information for cancer progress monitoring and individualized treatment. However, current isolation platforms incapable of balancing capture efficiency, specificity, cell viability, and gentle release have restricted the clinical applications of CTCs. Herein, inspired by the structure and functional merits of natural membrane interfaces, we established an antibody-engineered red blood cell (RBC-Ab) affinity interface on microfluidic chip for high-performance isolation and release of CTCs. The lateral fluidity, pliability, and anti-adhesion property of the RBC microfluidic interface enabled efficient CTCs capture (96.5%), high CTCs viability (96.1%), and high CTCs purity (average 4.2-log depletion of leukocytes). More importantly, selective lysis of RBCs by simply changing the salt concentration was utilized to destroy the affinity interface for efficient and gentle release of CTCs without nucleic acid contamination. Using this chip, CTCs were successfully detected in colon cancer samples with 90% sensitivity and 100% specificity (20 patients and 10 healthy individuals). After the release process, KRAS gene mutations of CTCs were identified from all the 5 cancer samples, which was consistent with the results of tissue biopsy. We expect this RBC interface strategy will inspire further biomimetic interface construction for rare cell analysis.