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Background: Platelets can dynamically regulate tumor development and progression. Nevertheless, research on the predictive value and specific roles of platelets in gastric cancer (GC) is limited. This research aims to establish a predictive platelets-related gene signature in GC with prognostic and therapeutic implications. Methods: We downloaded the transcriptome data and clinical materials of GC patients (n=378) from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Prognostic platelets-related genes screened by univariate Cox regression were included in Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) analysis to construct a risk model. Kaplan-Meier curves and receiver operating characteristic curves (ROCs) were performed in the TCGA cohort and three independent validation cohorts. A nomogram integrating the risk score and clinicopathological features was constructed. Functional enrichment and tumor microenvironment (TME) analyses were performed. Drug sensitivity prediction was conducted through The Cancer Therapeutics Response Portal (CTRP) database. Finally, the expression of ten signature genes was validated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Results: A ten-gene (SERPINE1 , ANXA5 , DGKQ , PTPN6 , F5 , DGKB , PCDH7 , GNG11 , APOA1 , and TF) predictive risk model was finally constructed. Patients were categorized as high- or low-risk using median risk score as the threshold. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) values for the 1-, 2-, and 3-year overall survival (OS) in the training cohort were 0.670, 0.695, and 0.707, respectively. Survival analysis showed a better OS in low-risk patients in the training and validation cohorts. The AUCs of the nomogram for predicting 1-, 2-, and 3-year OS were 0.708, 0.763, and 0.742, respectively. TME analyses revealed a higher M2 macrophage infiltration and an immunosuppressive TME in the high-risk group. Furthermore, High-risk patients tended to be more sensitive to thalidomide, MK-0752, and BRD-K17060750. Conclusion: The novel platelets-related genes signature we identified could be used for prognosis and treatment prediction in GC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In our ongoing research on bambusicolous Xylariomycetidae fungi, three new microfungi taxa were collected and identified as members of the genera Amphibambusa, Arecophila, and Nigropunctata. Amphibambusa aureae sp. nov., Arecophila gaofengensis sp. nov., and Nigropunctata xiaohensis sp. nov. are introduced based on morphological comparisons and phylogenetic analyses using combined ITS , LSU, tub2, and tef1α loci. Comprehensive morphological descriptions, illustrations, and a phylogenetic tree showcasing the placement of these new taxa are provided. Additionally, keys to Amphibambusa and Nigropunctata are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using carbon-based materials (CBMs) to facilitate phytoremediation shows great promise for simultaneously enhancing the restoration efficiency of contaminated soil and reducing carbon dioxide in the context of global warming, which is still in the exploring and attempting phase. In addition to direct degradation or alteration of pollutant bioavailability, CBMs can enhance phytoremediation by alleviating plant nutrient deprivation and oxidative stress, as well as by modulating soil microbial communities and root secretions. Photosynthetic carbon fixation predominantly affects both phytoremediation efficiency and carbon cycle turnover in terrestrial ecosystems. In this regard, CBMs have extremely positive properties in facilitating plant carbon capture, with intrinsic mechanisms including (1) promoting photosynthetic pigment synthesis and acting as artificial built-in antennae to improve photon capture efficiency, (2) accelerating the photosynthetic electron transport rate in photosystems, (3) improving the Calvin cycle, and (4) maintaining the structural integrity of chloroplasts. Besides, as an ultra-stable type of CBM derived from waste biomass, biochar can preserve the native biomass carbon in the soil environment for decades and attenuate the rhizosphere priming effect by influencing the structure of rhizosphere soil aggregates and microbial communities, thus retarding the native soil organic carbon efflux. This review critically elaborates on the mechanisms by which CBMs assist in improving the efficiency of phytoremediation and their positive effects on the plant-root soil carbon balance. Additionally, a simple full-life cycle analysis encompassing cost analysis as well as ecological, economic, and social benefits is concluded to evaluate the feasibility and sustainability of CBMs-phytoremediation systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.) is a widespread deciduous shrub, of which the fruits (elderberries) are used in the food industry to produce different types of dietary supplement products. These berries have been found to show multiple bioactivities, including antidiabetic, anti-infective, antineoplastic, anti-obesity, and antioxidant activities. An elderberry extract product, Sambucol®, has also been used clinically for the treatment of viral respiratory infections. As the major components, phenolic compounds, such as simple phenolic acids, anthocyanins and other flavonoids, and tannins, show promising pharmacological effects that could account for the bioactivities observed for elderberries. Based on these components, salicylic acid and its acetate derivative, aspirin, have long been used for the treatment of different disorders. Dapagliflozin, an FDA-approved antidiabetic drug, has been developed based on the conclusions obtained from a structure–activity relationship study for a simple hydrolyzable tannin, β-pentagalloylglucoside (β-PGG). Thus, the present review focuses on the development of therapeutic agents from elderberries and their small-molecule secondary metabolites. It is hoped that this contribution will support future investigations on elderberries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To investigate the recurrent and metastatic characteristics, prognosis and efficacy of palliative trastuzumab treatment in advanced HER2-positive breast cancer patients with different hormone receptor status. Methods We analyzed retrospectively the clinicopathologic data of 237 patients with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer. Patients were divided into HR+/HER2+ and HR-/HER2+ groups according to HR status. Clinicopathologic features, recurrent and metastatic characteristics, prognosis and palliative trastuzumab treatment efficacy were analyzed between two groups. Results Compared with HR-/HER2+ group, HR+/HER2+ group were more presented to be premenopausal, and clinical stage were mainly Ⅰ-Ⅱ stage, with lower T stage and less axillary lymphocytic infiltration. Comparing the first and subsequent sites of recurrence, patients with HR+/HER2+ were more likely to have bone metastasis and less likely to have lung metastasis. The median metastases overall survivals (M-OS) was 34 (range: 5-102) months in the HR+/HER2+ group, and 29 (range: 3-70) months in HR-/HER2+ group, with significant difference. In patients with palliative trastuzumab plus chemotherapy treatment, 68.6% of ER < 50% and 46.2% of ER≥50% patients were partial remission, with statistically significant difference (P=0.037). Multivariate analysis showed that ER status was an independent predictor for the survival of advanced HR+/ HER2+ breast cancer patients; liver metastasis and palliative anti-HER2 targeted treatment were the independent predictors for the survival of advanced HR-/HER2+ breast cancer patients. Conclusion Compared with HR-/HER2+ patients, HR+/HER2+ patients have more bone metastases and less lung metastases, with better prognosis; patients with higher proportion of ER-positive cells have a poorer response to trastuzumab.

The existence of vugs or cavities in naturally fractured reservoirs has long been observed. Even though these vugs can be largely attributed to reserves of oil, natural gas, and groundwater, few investigations of vuggy fractured reservoirs have been conducted. In this paper, a new multi-continuum conceptual model is developed, based on geological data and observations of core examples from carbonate formations in China, to investigate multiphase flow behavior in such vuggy fractured reservoirs. The conceptual model has been implemented into a three-dimensional, three-phase reservoir simulator with a generalized multi-continuum modeling approach. The conceptual model considers vuggy fractured rock as a triple-continuum medium, consisting of (1) highly permeable fractures, (2) low-permeability rock matrix, and (3) various-sized vugs. The matrix system may contain a large number of small or isolated cavities (of centimeters or millimeters in diameter), whereas vugs are larger cavities, with sizes from centimeters to meters in diameter, indirectly connected to fractures through small fractures or microfractures. Similar to the conventional double-porosity model, the fracture continuum is responsible for the occurrence of global flow, while vuggy and matrix continua, providing storage space, are locally connected to each other (and interacting with globally connecting fractures). For practical application of the multi-continuum concept in reservoir simulation, we propose a novel upscaling method for computing equivalent gridblock permeabilities of coarse blocks containing large isolated vugs, in which the local problems consisting of Darcy and Stokes flows are solved. In addition, we describe an efficient boundary condition for accurate computation of upscaled permeabilities. In the numerical implementation, a control-volume, integral finite-difference method is used for spatial discretization, and a first-order finite-difference scheme is adapted for temporal discretization of governing flow equations in each continuum. The resulting discrete nonlinear equations are solved fully implicitly by Newton iteration. The numerical scheme is verified and applied to simulate water-oil flow through the fractured vuggy reservoirs of Tahe Oil Field in China.

The mode of urban renewal in China has changed from incremental expansion to a value-added stage, and the development of cities has increasingly focused on the human experience and quality improvement. However, Cultural Street Vending and the unique street spaces in the historic districts that bear important connotations to the city have shown a trend of rapid decline and even disappearance. Therefore, how to identify the characteristics and connotations of such street vending spaces, grasp the relationship between perception of locality and built environment elements in different states and formulate targeted protection and renewal strategies is presently an urgent problem to be solved. Many studies have now discussed in detail the identification of elements, street perception and preservation strategies for historic districts. However, the Cultural Street Vending space, which carries special urban memory connotations, has been neglected, especially the characterisation of this type of space in different time dimensions. This paper takes the Cultural Street Vending space as a research object and focuses on the perceptual differences between its market day and non-market day, aiming at grasping the perceptual characteristics and constituent elements of this type of street space in different time states, as well as the patterns of changes they undergo. This paper took the Baxian Temple, a typical Cultural Street Vending space in a historic district of Xi'an, as the research object and took 30 architecture students as the evaluators to score 33 pairs of adjectives and recall the elements of nine streets. This paper compared and analysed the differences in the structure of people's psychological perception of the street in the state of market day and non-market day by SD method. It was found that the activities of the vendors obviously promoted people's positive emotions, and three commonality factors including impression, vitality and morphosis were extracted through the factor analysis. Moreover, through the element recall method to understand the change in element perception on the market day, we found that the range of people's perception was smaller on the market day and summarised the element map of the space and the element components of high, medium and low characteristics. The correlation analysis between psychological quantities and environmental elements revealed that people's positive psychology has a positive correlation with vendors, goods and street components and a negative correlation with greening, colour and texture. This study can provide an important research basis for the development of conservation and renewal strategies for this type of Cultural Street Vending space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]