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Pingping Yao,1 Yuying Jia,1 Xuewei Kan,1 Jiaqi Chen,1 Jinliang Xu,1 Huichao Xu,1 Shuyang Shao,1 Bing Ni,2 Jun Tang1 1Department of Dermatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230000, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Pathophysiology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Bing Ni; Jun Tang, Email nibing@tmmu.edu.cn; tangjun0212@ustc.edu.cnBackground: Psoriasis is a common chronic, recurrent, and inflammatory skin disease. Identifying novel and potential biomarkers is valuable in the treatment and diagnosis of psoriasis. The goal of this study was to identify novel key biomarkers of psoriasis and analyze the potential underlying mechanisms.Methods: Psoriasis-related datasets were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database to screen differential genes in the datasets. Functional and pathway enrichment analyses were performed on the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Candidate biomarkers for psoriasis were identified from the GSE30999 and GSE6710 datasets using four machine learning algorithms, namely, random forest (RF), least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) logistic regression, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), and support vector machine recursive feature elimination (SVM-RFE), and were validated using the GSE41662 dataset. Next, we used CIBERSORT and single-cell RNA analysis to explore the relationship between ADAM23 and immune cells. Finally, we validated the expression of the identified biomarkers expressions in human and mouse experiments.Results: A total of 709 overlapping DEGs were identified, including 426 upregulated and 283 downregulated genes. Enhanced by enrichment analysis, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were spatially arranged in relation to immune cell involvement, immune-activating processes, and inflammatory signals. Based on the enrichment analysis, the DEGs were mapped to immune cell involvement, immune-activating processes, and inflammatory signals. Four machine learning strategies and single-cell RNA sequencing analysis showed that ADAM23, a disintegrin and metalloprotease, may be a unique, critical biomarker with high diagnostic accuracy for psoriasis. Based on CIBERSORT analysis, ADAM23 was found to be associated with a variety of immune cells, such as macrophages and mast cells, and it was upregulated in the macrophages of psoriatic lesions in patients and mice.Conclusion: ADAM23 may be a potential biomarker in the diagnosis of psoriasis and may contribute to the pathogenesis by regulating immunological activity in psoriatic lesions.Keywords: psoriasis, machine learning, differential gene analysis, CIBERSORT, ADAM23

Shuangshuang Chen,1– 3,* Xinqiang Wang,4,* Danhui Li,5,* Jiawen Zhao,4 Jingjing Zhang,3 Yongzhong Zhang,6 Xiujun Zhang,4 Xiaohong Kan2– 4 1Department of Tuberculosis Prevent and Control, Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Hefei, Hefei, Anhui, 230051, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Scientific Research and Education, Anhui Chest Hospital, Hefei, Anhui, 230022, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Scientific Research and Education, Anhui Provincial Tuberculosis Institute, Hefei, Anhui, 230022, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, 230032, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Hospital Infection and Management, Anhui Chest Hospital, Hefei, Anhui, 230022, People’s Republic of China; 6Department of Tuberculosis Prevent and Control, Anhui Provincial Tuberculosis Institute, Hefei, Anhui, 230022, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Xiaohong Kan, Department of Scientific Research and Education, Anhui Chest Hospital (Anhui Provincial Tuberculosis Institute), Hefei, Anhui, 230022, People’s Republic of China, Email ahfidelis@126.com Xiujun Zhang, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, 230032, People’s Republic of China, Email zhangxiujun@ahmu.edu.cnIntroduction: Evidence has shown that air pollutant exposure plays a vital role in the progression of tuberculosis (TB). The aim of this research was to assess the short-term effects of ozone (O3) exposure and TB outpatient visits in 16 prefecture-level cities of Anhui, China, 2015– 2020.Methods: Distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM), Poisson generalized linear regression model and random effects model were applied in this study. The effects of different age and gender on TB were investigated by stratified analysis, and then we performed sensitivity analyses to verify the stability of the results.Results: A total of 186,623 active TB cases were registered from January 1, 2015 to December 31,2020 in Anhui. The average concentration of ozone is 92.77 ± 42.95 μg/m3. The maximum lag-specific and cumulative relative risk (RR) of TB outpatient visits was 1.0240 (95% CI: 1.0170– 1.0310, lag 28 days) for each 10 μg/m³ increase in O3 in the single-pollutant model. Estimation for 16 prefecture-level cities indicated that the strong association between O3 and the risk of TB outpatient visits was in tongling (RR = 1.0555, 95% CI: 1.0089– 1.1042), Suzhou (RR = 1.0475, 95% CI: 1.0268– 1.0687), wuhu (RR = 1.0358, 95% CI: 1.0023– 1.0704). Stratified analysis showed that the health effects of ozone exposure remained significant in male and older adults, and there was no significant association between exposure to ozone in children and adolescents and the risk of tuberculosis.Discussion: We found that ozone exposure increases the risk of TB infection in outpatient patients, with males and the elderly being more susceptible, and it is necessary for government departments to develop targeted publicity and prevention measures in response to the local air quality conditions.Keywords: air pollution, ozone, tuberculosis, distributed lag nonlinear model, Poisson generalized linear regression model

Shuangshuang Chen,1,* Xinqiang Wang,2,* Jiawen Zhao,2 Yongzhong Zhang,3 Xiaohong Kan1,2 1Department of Scientific Research and Education, Anhui Chest Hospital (Anhui Provincial Tuberculosis Institute), Hefei, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Tuberculosis Prevent and Control, Anhui Provincial Tuberculosis Institute, Hefei, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Xiaohong Kan, Department of Scientific Research and Education, Anhui Chest Hospital (Anhui Provincial Tuberculosis Institute), Hefei, 230022, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 0551-63615340, Email kanxiaohong@ahmu.edu.cnObjective: Forecasting the seasonality and trend of pulmonary tuberculosis is important for the rational allocation of health resources. In this study, we predict the incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis by establishing the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model and providing support for pulmonary tuberculosis prevention and control during COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: Registered tuberculosis(TB) cases from January 2013 to December 2020 in Anhui province were analysed using traditional descriptive epidemiological methods. Then we used the monthly incidence rate of TB from January 2013 through June 2020 to construct ARIMA model, and used the incidence rate from July 2020 to December 2020 to evaluate the forecasting accuracy. Ljung Box test, Akaike’s information criterion(AICc), Bayesian information criterion(BIC) and Realtive error were used to evaluate the model fitting and forecasting effect, Finally, the optimal model was used to forecast the expected monthly incidence of tuberculosis for 2021 and 2022 to learn about the incidence trend.Results: A total of 255,656 TB cases were registered. The reported rate of tuberculosis was highest in 2013 and lowest in 2020. The peak incidence was in March, Tongling (71.97/100,000), Chizhou (59.93/100,000), and Huainan (58.36/100,000) had the highest number of cases. The ratio of male to female incidence was 2.59:1, with the largest proportion of people being between 66 and 75 years old. The main occupation of patients was farmer. ARIMA (0, 1, 1) (0, 1, 1)12 model was the optimal model to forecast the incidence trend of TB.Conclusion: Tongling, Chizhou, and Huainan should strengthen measures for TB. In particular, the government should pay more attention on elderly people to prevent tuberculosis infections. The rate of TB patient registration and reporting has decreased under the pandemic of COVID-19. The ARIMA model can be a useful tool for predicting future TB cases.Keywords: tuberculosis, incidence, epidemiological characteristics, COVID-19, time-series study, ARIMA model

Yusheng Guo,1,2,* Yanqiao Ren,1,2,* Xiangjun Dong,1,2 Xuefeng Kan,1,2 Chuansheng Zheng1,2 1Department of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, People’s Republic of China; 2Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Wuhan, 430022, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Chuansheng Zheng, Department of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +86-27-85726290, Email hqzcsxh@sina.comAbstract: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a commonly used treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), however, various complex conditions in clinical practice may lead to insufficient radiofrequency ablation (IRFA), allowing residual HCC to survive. In clinical practice and laboratory models, IRFA plays an important role in rapid tumor progression. Therefore, targeting the residual HCC and avoiding IRFA were worthwhile methods. A deeper understanding of IRFA is required; IRFA contributes to the improvement of proliferative activity, migration rates, and invasive capacity, and this may be due to the involvement of multiple complex processes or proteins, including epithelial mesenchymal transitions (EMTs), cancer stem cells (CSCs), autophagy, heat shock proteins (HSPs), changes of non-tumor cells and extracellular matrix, altered immune microenvironment, hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs), growth factors, epigenetic alterations, and metabolic reprogramming. We focus on the processes of the above mechanisms and possible therapeutic approach, with a review of the literature. Additionally, we recapitulated the construction methods of various experimental models of IRFA (in vivo and in vitro).Keywords: hepatocellular carcinoma, insufficient radiofrequency ablation, epithelial mesenchymal transitions, residual viable tumors

Liangliang Yan,1,2,* Lei Chen,1,2,* Kun Qian,1,2 Xuefeng Kan,1,2 Hongsen Zhang,1,2 Bin Liang,1,2 Chuansheng Zheng1,2 1Department of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, People’s Republic of China; 2Hubei Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Wuhan, 430022, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Chuansheng ZhengDepartment of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail cszheng@hust.edu.cnPurpose: Resection of the hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the caudate lobe (CL) is challenging even for accomplished surgeons. This retrospective study evaluated the safety and efficacy of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) and iodine 125 seeds implantation (ISI) for unresectable or “ablation unsuitable” HCC-CL detected at the initial presentation in clinical practice.Patients and Methods: A total of 20 HCC-CL patients undergoing sequential TACE and ISI from January 2014 to October 2018 were enrolled in this study. The overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), tumor response rate, and complication rates were analyzed and compared to non-caudate lobe (NCL) HCC patients. Multivariate analyses for potential clinical and radiological factors were performed using the Cox proportional hazard model.Results: The technical success rate was 100%, as all the patients received 28 ISI treatments. The median OS was 35 months. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS rates were 100%, 63.2%, and 11.1%, respectively. The median PFS was 16 months. The objective response rate was 60.0%. The puncture tract bleeding (2/20) and pneumothorax (1/20) were the most common complications in operation, but no operation-related deaths occurred. One year after the surgery, biliary tract injury occurred in 1 patient, necessitating percutaneous biliary intervention. No statistical difference was observed between the CL and NCL groups. Multivariable analysis revealed that Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage B and tumor size > 3 cm were two significant factors associated with OS.Conclusion: Sequential TACE and ISI were associated with the survival benefits in HCC-CL and should be considered as a reliable therapy for surgeons and interventional radiologists.Keywords: transarterial chemoembolization, iodine 125 seeds implantation, hepatocellular carcinoma, caudate lobe, survival

Objective: The regulation of food intake is a major research area in the study of obesity, which plays a key role in the development of metabolic syndrome. Gene targeting studies have clarified the roles of hypothalamic neurons in feeding behavior, but the deletion of a gene has a long-term effect on neurophysiology. Our understanding of short-term changes such as appetite under physiological conditions is therefore still limited. Methods: Targeted recombination in active populations (TRAP) is a newly developed method for labeling active neurons by using tamoxifen-inducible Cre recombination controlled by the promoter of activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (Arc/Arg3.1), a member of immediate early genes. Transgenic mice for TRAP were fasted overnight, re-fed with normal diet, and injected with 4-hydroxytamoxifen 1 h after the refeeding to label the active neurons. The role of labeled neurons was examined by expressing excitatory or inhibitory designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADDs). The labeled neurons were extracted and RNA sequencing was performed to identify genes that are specifically expressed in these neurons. Results: Fasting-refeeding activated and labeled neurons in the compact part of the dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH) that project to the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus. Chemogenetic activation of the labeled DMH neurons decreased food intake and developed place preference, an indicator of positive valence. Chemogenetic activation or inhibition of these neurons had no influence on the whole-body glucose metabolism. The labeled DMH neurons expressed prodynorphin (pdyn), gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP), cholecystokinin (CCK), and thyrotropin-releasing hormone receptor (Trhr) genes. Conclusions: We identified a novel cell type of DMH neurons that can inhibit food intake and promote feeding-induced positive valence. Our study provides insight into the role of DMH and its molecular mechanism in the regulation of appetite and emotion.

Xuefeng Kan,*,1,2 Yong Wang,*,1–3 Ping Han,1,2 Qi Yao,1,2 Kun Qian,1,2 Bin Xiong,*,1,2 Chuansheng Zheng*,1,21Department of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China; 2Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Wuhan 430022, China; 3Department of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Haikou 570311, China*These authors contributed equally to this workPurpose: To assess the value of the combined ultrasound (US)/computed tomography (CT) guidance (US guidance was firstly used for puncture with the electrode needle to the site close to the tumor, and subsequently, CT guidance was used for precise positioning of the electrode tips) in percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) after transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the hepatic dome.Methods: From January 1, 2013 to June 30, 2017, medical records of 65 patients with HCCs in the hepatic dome who received TACE treatment before RFA procedure were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 34 patients with 35 liver tumors underwent percutaneous RFA under combined US/CT guidance, and 31 patients with 35 liver tumors received percutaneous RFA under CT guidance alone. The efficacy of combined US/CT-guided RFA was analyzed, and the procedure time and safety between the two groups were compared.Results: In the combined US/CT-guided RFA group, the 1-, 3-, and 5-year local recurrence rates were 3%, 6%, 9%, respectively, and the 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival rates were 100%, 97%, 94%, respectively. The mean procedure time in the CT-guided RFA group was significantly longer than that of the combined US/CT-guided RFA group (P

Lei Qiu,1 Chao Dong,2 Xuan Kan3 1Department of Internal Medicine Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Shandong Academy of Medical Science, Ji’nan, Shandong Province, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Oncology, 105 Hospital of People’s Liberation Army, Heifei, Anhui Province, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Oncology, Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Laiwu City, Laiwu, Shandong Province, People’s Republic of China Purpose: B-cell lymphoma is the most frequently diagnosed lymphoid tumor. Folic acid (FA)-decorated systems were found to be preferentially internalized on the B-cell lymphoma cell line which is reported to express the folate receptor. This study was designed to develop an FA-decorated vincristine (VCR)-loaded system for targeted lymphoma treatment. Methods: FA-decorated lipid was synthesized. VCR-loaded lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles (LPNs) were fabricated. In vitro cell lines and an in vivo lymphoma animal model was used to evaluate the anti B-cell lymphoma effect. Results: FA-decorated, VCR-loaded LPNs (FA-VCR/LPNs) have shown a targeted effect in delivery to B-cell lymphoma cells. FA-VCR/LPNs also showed the highest anti-tumor effect in murine-bearing lymphoma xenografts. Conclusion: FA-VCR/LPNs can achieve targeted delivery of VCR, bring about an outstanding therapeutic effect to treat lymphoma, and also reduce the systemic toxicity. FA-VCR/LPNs could be an excellent system for lymphoma therapy. Keywords: lymphoma, drug delivery system, lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles, folic acid, vincristine

FeNi/SrFe12O19 (FeNi/SrM) composites were prepared by ball milling using atomized FeNi powder and SrM in a certain proportion. The effects of SrM content on microwave absorption properties and magnetism were studied. The SEM results showed that the SrM was broken into fine crumb-like and granular by ball milling, which adhered to the surface of the iron–nickel alloy. The addition of SrM significantly enhances the absorbing performance of the SrM-coated FeNi absorber. The maximum reflection loss of the FeNi/60wt%SrM composite was − 29.56 dB at 9.5 GHz, and the effective absorption bandwidth is 4.1 GHz. It had a good microwave absorption performance because SrM increased the coercivity of the composite, reduced the dielectric constant and the eddy current loss, and enhanced the effects of exchange resonance and natural resonance. Therefore, the FeNi/SrM composite was a potential microwave absorbing material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the structural, magnetic, and magnetodielectric properties of DyMn0.5Cr0.5O3. The sample can be indexed with an orthorhombic phase with B site disordered space group Pbnm. The valence state of both Mn and Cr ions are suggested to be +3 based on the results of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Two thermally excited dielectric relaxation at temperatures TN23+/Cr3+ ions associated with electron hopping between them are observed. The absence of any noticeable magnetoresistance effect (MR<0.5%) demonstrates that the observed magnetodielectric effect is an intrinsic behavior. These results suggest that DyMn0.5Cr0.5O3 is a magnetodielectric compound, whose dielectric properties are dependence of the applied magnetic field, which exhibits such effects near room temperature and holds great promise for future device applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on a systematic study of the single-crystal GdCrO3, which shows various novel magnetic features, such as temperature-induced magnetization reversal (TMR), temperature-induced magnetization jump (TMJ), spin reorientation, and giant magnetocaloric effect (MCE). In the field-cooled cooling process with modest magnetic field along the c axis, GdCrO3 first shows a TMR at Tcomp ~ 120 - 130K and then an abrupt TMJ with a sign change of magnetization at Tjump ~ 52 - 120K, and finally a spin reorientation at TSR ~ 4 - 7K. Interestingly, the remarkable TMJ behavior, which was not reported ever before, persists at higher fields up to 10 kOe even when TMR disappears. In addition, giant MCE with the maximum value of magnetic entropy change reaching ~31.6 J/kg K for a field change of 44 kOe was also observed in GdCrO3 single crystal, suggesting it could be a potential material for low-T magnetic refrigeration. A possible mechanism for these peculiar magnetic behaviors is discussed based on the various competing magnetic interactions between the 3d electrons of Cr3+ ions and 4f electrons of Gd3+ ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a solution to the active vibration control of a microsatellite with two solar panels. At first, the microsatellite is processed as a finite element model containing a rigid body and two flexible bodies, according to the principles of mechanics, and that the dynamic characteristics are solved by modal analysis. Secondly, the equation involving vibration control is established according to the finite element calculation results. There are several actuators composed of macro fibre composite on the two solar panels for outputting control force. Furthermore, the control voltage for driving actuator is calculated by using fuzzy algorithm. It is clear that the smart structure consists of the flexible bodies and actuators. Finally, the closed-loop control simulation for suppressing harmful vibration is established. The simulation results illustrate that the responses to the external excitation are decreased significantly after adopting fuzzy control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a new antiperovskite nitride, ZnFe3N was synthesized and characterized by almost completely substituting iron atoms at corner positions of γ′-Fe4N. The magnetic interactions of the system with the space group Pm3¯m are fully investigated. The critical behavior was investigated based on the measured magnetic data around the ferromagnetic phase transition temperature. In this work, the values of critical exponents (β, γ and δ) were obtained systematically using the Kouvel–Fisher method in the critical region. The Widom scaling law (δ = 1 + γβ−1) and the scaling equation (m = f±(h)) were used to reveal the reliability of these values. The values of the critical exponents (β = 0.325, γ = 1.228, and δ = 4.778) are different from those predicted by the three-dimensional (3D) Heisenberg model and mean-field model, and are very close to those of the 3D-Ising model. Combined with ESR analysis, the spin clusters induced by changes in chemical bonds are considered to be the cause for the existence of an anisotropic short-range ordered state in this ferromagnetic system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the short-range order and lattice distortions in the electron-type superconductor Nd[sub1.85]Ce[sub0.15]CuO[sub4-y] using anomalous x-ray diffuse scattering. Physical mechanism for superconductivity; Impact of the discovery of the electron-doped superconductors Ln[sub2-x]M[subx]CuO[sub4-y]; Crystal structure of Nd[sub1.85]Ce[sub0.15]CuO[sub4-y].