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Bone defects caused by trauma or tumor led to high medical costs and poor life quality for patients. The exosomes, micro vesicles of 30–150 nm in diameter, derived from macrophages manipulated bone regeneration. However, the role of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in the biogenesis and function of exosomes and its effects on bone regeneration remains elusive. In this study, we used H2S slow releasing donor GYY4137 to stimulate macrophages and found that H2S promoted the polarization of M2 macrophages to increase bone regeneration of MSCs in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, we developed the H2S pre-treated M2 macrophage exosomes and found these exosomes displayed significantly higher capacity to promote bone regeneration in calvarial bone defects by re-establishing the local immune microenvironment. Mechanically, H2S treatment altered the protein profile of exosomes derived from M2 macrophages. One of the significantly enriched exosomal proteins stimulated by H2S, moesin protein, facilitated the exosomes endocytosis into MSCs, leading to activated the β-catenin signaling pathway to promote osteogenic differentiation of MSCs. In summary, H2S pretreated M2 exosomes promoted the bone regeneration of MSCs via facilitating exosomes uptake by MSCs and activate β-catenin signaling pathway. This study not only provides new strategies for promoting bone regeneration, but also provides new insights for the effect and mechanism of exosomes internalization.

Background To compare the impact of tunneled cuffed catheters (TCCs) and arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) on outcomes in elderly hemodialysis (HD) patients.Methods A retrospective matched cohort study was performed. Propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to balance the baseline conditions, and we compared all-cause mortality, major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs), hospitalization, and infection rates between AVF and TCC patients ≥70 years old. Cox survival analysis was used to analyze the risk factors for death.Results There were 2119 patients from our center in the Chinese National Renal Data System (CNRDS) between 1 January 2010 and 10 October 2023. Among these patients, 77 TCC patients were matched with 77 AVF patients. There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality between the TCC and AVF groups (30.1/100 vs. 33.3/100 patient-years, p = 0.124). Among the propensity score-matched cohorts, no significant differences in Kaplan–Meier curves were observed between the two groups (log-rank p = 0.242). The TCC group had higher rates of MACCEs, hospitalization, and infection than the AVF group (33.7/100 vs. 29.5/100 patient-years, 101.2/100 vs. 79.5/100 patient-years, and 30.1/100 vs. 14.1/100 patient-years, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that high Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) score was a risk factor for death.Conclusions There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality between elderly HD patients receiving TCCs and AVFs. Compared with those with a TCC, elderly HD patients with an AVF have a lower risk of MACCEs, hospitalization, and infection.

Abstract Purpose To assess the efficacy of neoadjuvant endocrine therapy in female HR‐positive/HER2‐negative breast cancer patients. Data and Methods We identified female patients aged ≥18 years with cT1‐4N0‐XM0, HR(+), and HER2(−) breast cancer from the National Cancer Database. The patients who underwent surgery first were categorized as “surgery‐first,” while those who received NET before surgery were classified as “NET.” Propensity score‐matching, Cox proportional‐hazard model, variance inflation factors, and interaction analysis were employed to estimate the correlation between NET and survival outcomes. Results Among 432,387 cases, 2914 NET patients and 2914 surgery‐first patients were matched. Compared with the surgery‐first group, the NET group received less adjuvant chemotherapy (p

Abstract This article presents a torque distribution control strategy for electrical trains equipped with driven independently rotating wheels (DIRW) to realise the coordination of guidance control and adhesion control. For DIRW, active guidance control is required to restore self‐centring ability. Besides, the adhesion condition determines the wheel‐rail tangential force, affecting the realisation of the guidance function. A zero lateral displacement guidance control based on an active disturbance rejection controller and an adhesion control based on optimal adhesion coefficient utilisation are applied. According to the wheel‐rail adhesion state, several torque distribution rules are designed. The primary principle of rule design is to ensure the normal operation of trains, that is, to avoid the occurrence of train idling/sliding. Next, the self‐centring function should be achieved. Finally, the train traction/braking performance should be as close as possible to the requirements of the traction/braking characteristic curve determined by the driver handle instruction. The torque distribution strategy proposed can achieve the traction/braking and guidance function on the adhesion limit. The control performance is verified through MATLAB/Simulink‐SIMPACK co‐simulation.

PurposeEarly judgment of the progress of acute pancreatitis (AP) and timely intervention are crucial to the prognosis of patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the application value of CT-based radiomics of pancreatic parenchyma in predicting the prognosis of early AP.Materials and methodsThis retrospective study enrolled 137 patients diagnosed with AP (95 cases in the progressive group and 42 cases in the non-progressive group) who underwent CT scans. Patients were randomly divided into a training set (n = 95) and a validation set (n = 42) in a ratio of 7: 3. The region of interest (ROI) was outlined along the inner edge of the pancreatic parenchyma manually, and the Modified CT Severity Index (MCTSI) was assessed. After resampling and normalizing the CT image, a total of 2,264 radiomics features were extracted from the ROI. The radiomics features were downscaled and filtered using minimum redundancy maximum correlation (mRMR) and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator algorithm (LASSO) regression, in turn, and the more optimal subset of radiomics features was selected. In addition, the radiomics score (rad-score) was calculated for each patient by the LASSO method. Clinical data were also analyzed to predict the prognosis of AP. Three prediction models, including clinical model, radiomics model, and combined clinical–radiomics model, are constructed. The effectiveness of each model was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The DeLong test was employed to compare the differences between the ROC curves. The decision curve analysis (DCA) is used to assess the net benefit of the model.ResultsThe mRMR algorithm and LASSO regression were used to select 13 radiomics features with high values. The rad-score of each texture feature was calculated to fuse MCTSI to establish the radiomics model, and both the clinical model and clinical–radiomics model were established. The clinical–radiomics model showed the best performance, the AUC and 95% confidence interval, accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of the clinical–radiomics model in the training set were 0.984 (0.964–1.000), 0.947, 0.955, and 0.931, respectively. In the validation set, they were 0.942 (0.870–1.000), 0.929, 0.966, and 0.846, respectively. The Delong test showed that the predictive efficacy of the clinical–radiomics model was higher than that of the clinical model (Z = 2.767, p = 0.005) and the radiomics model (Z = 2.033, p = 0.042) in the validation set. Decision curve analysis demonstrated higher net clinical benefit for the clinical–radiomics model.ConclusionThe pancreatic parenchymal CT clinical–radiomics model has high diagnostic efficacy in predicting the progression of early AP patients, which is significantly better than the clinical or radiomics model. The combined model can help identify and determine the progression trend of patients with AP and improve the prognosis and survival of patients as early as possible.

Abstract High‐quality few‐layer M4C3Tx (M = V, Nb, Ta) MXenes are very important for applications and are necessary for clarifying their physicochemical properties. However, the difficulty in etching for themselves and the existence of MC/MC1−δ and M‐Al alloy impurities in their M4AlC3 precursors seriously hinder the achievement of defect‐free few‐layer M4C3Tx (M = V, Nb, Ta) MXenes nanosheets. Herein, three different defect‐free few‐layer M4C3Tx (M = V, Nb, Ta) nanosheets are obtained by using a universal synthesis strategy of calcination, selective etching, intercalation, and exfoliation. Comprehensive characterizations confirm their defect‐free few‐layer structure feature, large interlayer spacing (1.702–1.955 nm), types of functional groups (–OH, –F, –O), and abundant valance states (M5+, M4+, M3+, M2+, M0). M4C3Tx (M = V, Nb, Ta) free‐standing films obtained by vacuum filtration of few‐layer M4C3Tx inks show good hydrophilia, high thermostability, and conductivity. A roadmap on synthesis of defect‐free few‐layer M4C3Tx (M = V, Nb, Ta) nanosheets are proposed and three key points are summarized. This work provides detailed guidelines for the synthesis of other defect‐free few‐layer MXenes nanosheets, but also will stimulate extensive functional explorations for M4C3Tx (M = V, Nb, Ta) MXenes nanosheets in the future.

Abstract Introduction Immediate postmastectomy reconstruction for breast cancer has been widely used due to its unique esthetic and psychological effects. However, no other population‐based study has investigated the effects of different reconstruction types on the survival in patients with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Methods We selected patients who met the eligibility criteria from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results cancer registry (N = 9760). We then assessed the effect of different reconstructive surgical approaches (implant, autologous, implant and autologous combined reconstruction) on the overall survival (OS) and breast cancer‐specific survival (BCSS) by using the Kaplan–Meier survival curve and Cox proportional hazard regression analyses. The nomograms were used to predict OS and BCSS. And the competitive risk model was used to assess breast cancer‐specific death (BCSD) and non‐breast cancer‐specific death (NBCSD). Results Statistical analysis suggested that the three reconstruction methods had better OS and BCSS with lower hazard than mastectomy alone (log‐rank test, p 60 years of age. The survival prediction model quantified the survival benefits of TNBC patients undergoing different surgeries. Moreover, the C‐indexes showed the good predictive ability of the nomograms. Conclusions Our results suggest that for TNBC patients, there is a survival benefit of immediate postmastectomy reconstruction compared with mastectomy alone. Among them, implant reconstruction has the most obvious advantage.

Abstract Background Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignant tumor worldwide. Apoptosis and hypoxia are involved in the progression of BC, but reliable biomarkers for these have not been developed. We hope to explore a gene signature that combined apoptosis and hypoxia‐related genes (AHGs) to predict BC prognosis and immune infiltration. Methods We collected the mRNA expression profiles and clinical data information of BC patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. The gene signature based on AHGs was constructed using the univariate Cox regression, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator, and multivariate Cox regression analysis. The associations between risk scores, immune infiltration, and immune checkpoint gene expression were studied using single‐sample gene set enrichment analysis. Besides, gene signature and independent clinicopathological characteristics were combined to establish a nomogram. Finally, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) were performed on the potential functions of AHGs. Results We identified a 16‐AHG signature (AGPAT1, BTBD6, EIF4EBP1, ERRFI1, FAM114A1, GRIP1, IRF2, JAK1, MAP2K6, MCTS1, NFKBIA, NFKBIZ, NUP43, PGK1, RCL1, and SGCE) that could independently predict BC prognosis. The median score of the risk model divided the patients into two subgroups. By contrast, patients in the high‐risk group had poorer prognosis, less abundance of immune cell infiltration, and expression of immune checkpoint genes. The gene signature and nomogram had good predictive effects on the overall survival of BC patients. GO and KEGG analyses revealed that the differential expression of AHGs may be closely related to tumor immunity. Conclusion We established and verified a 16‐AHG BC signature which may help predict prognosis, assess potential immunotherapy benefits, and provide inspiration for future research on the functions and mechanisms of AHGs in BC.

Introduction: Cancer is the leading cause of death among children. Objectives: We report on the latest estimates of the burden of cancer among children at the global, regional, and national levels from 1990 to 2019. Methods: Based on the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019, children’s cancer data were analyzed by sex, age, year, and location. Age-standardized rates were used to compare the burdens among regions and nations. Joinpoint analysis was applied to assess the temporal trend of the global childhood cancer burden. Results: In 2019, 291,319 (95% uncertainty interval [UI], 254,239 to 331,993) new cases and 98,834 (86,124 to 113,581) deaths from childhood cancer were documented globally. Further, 8,302,464 (7,230,447 to 9,555,118) DALYs and 1,806,630 (1,567,808 to 2,089,668) prevalent cases were recorded in the same year. Age-standardized incidence and prevalence rates of childhood cancer were greatest in higher SDI settings and increased most significantly in Australasia and Southern Latin America over the last 30 years. However, although age-standardized death and DALY rates of childhood cancer have remarkably decreased in all regions since 1990, countries with a lower SDI showed the highest rates in 2019, particularly in countries in Eastern Sub-Saharan Africa. Among all cancers, leukemia has shown the largest decrease in burden since 1990. Despite this, leukemia was still the most common cancer and the leading cause of death among children in 2019, followed by brain and central nervous system cancer. Conclusions: On a global scale, the childhood cancer burden has significantly fallen over the last 30 years, but is still higher in lower SDI countries. Effective interventions and collaborations among nations should be facilitated to improve healthcare among children with cancer in countries with lower SDI.

Abstract Background Diabetes mellitus (DM)-related complications are important health problems worldwide. The underlying mechanisms for diabetic male subfertility/infertility are considerably complicated and need to be unveiled for therapeutic intervention. Melatonin treatment was investigated to assess the beneficial effects on injured steroidogenic function in DM due to its regulatory roles in mitochondria and autophagy. Methods Diabetic hyperglycaemia was induced in rats injected with streptozotocin (STZ, 55 mg/kg/d) or simulated in TM3 Leydig cell line cultured with medium containing 30 mM D-glucose. Then, diabetic rats or the TM3 cells under high glucose were treated with melatonin. The diabetic rats were randomly divided into diabetes mellitus group (DM group), insulin treatment group (DM + INS group) and melatonin treatment group (DM + MT group). The TM3 Leydig cells were divided into a normal glucose control group (NG group), a high glucose treatment group (HG group), and a melatonin treatment group (HG + MT group). Then, Sirt1 (silent mating type information regulation 2 homologue) 1 expression was knocked down by siRNA. Results The results showed that hyperglycaemia induced a decline in steroidogenesis, accompanied by autophagy defects, mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress, in rats in the DM group or TM3 Leydig cells in the HG group. Furthermore, reduced SIRT1 expression levels and hyperacetylation were found in Leydig cells of DM group. Melatonin treatment ameliorated hyperglycaemia-induced impairment of Leydig cell function with simultaneous stimulation of 5’-adenosine monophosphate activated protein kinase (AMPK)/SIRT1 activity and the expression of autophagy-related genes. With regards to mitochondrial function, it promoted mitochondrial biogenesis with elevated PGC-1α, NRF1 and mtTFA, improved mitochondrial morphology, increased BNIP3L-related mitophagy and alleviated oxidative stress. Further results revealed that knockdown of Sirt1 in Leydig cells prevented the protective effects provided by melatonin against high glucose treatment, and interestingly, neutralization of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by N-acetyl-L-cysteine pretreatment abolished the stimulatory effect of melatonin on AMPK/SIRT1 activity in Leydig cells and prevented the induction of autophagy and mitochondrial biogenesis in the context of high glucose, indicating that modulation of SIRT1 pathway by melatonin was closely linked to ROS levels and oxidative stress. Conclusions These findings suggest that SIRT1 pathway plays essential roles in the pleiotropic actions of melatonin on Leydig cells and in the prevention of hyperglycaemia-induced steroidogenic dysfunction. The stimulatory action of melatonin on SIRT1 pathway is related to oxidative stress and its antioxidant property. Our data provide new evidence for the relationship of melatonin and SIRT1 pathway in the context of hyperglycaemia, and melatonin as a combination therapy may be useful to combat DM-related complications, especially male reproductive system injury.

Abstract Background Abnormal glycosylation in a variety of cancer types is involved in tumor progression and chemoresistance. Glycosyltransferase C1GALT1, the key enzyme in conversion of Tn antigen to T antigen, is involved in both physiological and pathological conditions. However, the mechanisms of C1GALT1 in enhancing oncogenic phenotypes and its regulatory effects via non-coding RNA are unclear. Methods Abnormal expression of C1GALT1 and its products T antigen in human bladder cancer (BLCA) were evaluated with BLCA tissue, plasma samples and cell lines. Effects of C1GALT1 on migratory ability and proliferation were assessed in YTS-1 cells by transwell, CCK8 and colony formation assay in vitro and by mouse subcutaneous xenograft and trans-splenic metastasis models in vivo. Dysregulated circular RNAs (circRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) were profiled in 3 pairs of bladder cancer tissues by RNA-seq. Effects of miR-1-3p and cHP1BP3 (circRNA derived from HP1BP3) on modulating C1GALT1 expression were investigated by target prediction program, correlation analysis and luciferase reporter assay. Functional roles of miR-1-3p and cHP1BP3 on migratory ability and proliferation in BLCA were also investigated by in vitro and in vivo experiments. Additionally, glycoproteomic analysis was employed to identify the target glycoproteins of C1GALT1. Results In this study, we demonstrated upregulation of C1GALT1 and its product T antigen in BLCA. C1GALT1 silencing suppressed migratory ability and proliferation of BLCA YTS-1 cells in vitro and in vivo. Subsets of circRNAs and miRNAs were dysregulated in BLCA tissues. miR-1-3p, which is reduced in BLCA tissues, inhibited transcription of C1GALT1 by binding directly to its 3′-untranslated region (3′-UTR). miR-1-3p overexpression resulted in decreased migratory ability and proliferation of YTS-1 cells. cHP1BP3 was upregulated in BLCA tissues, and served as an miR-1-3p “sponge”. cHP1BP3 was shown to modulate migratory ability, proliferation, and colony formation of YTS-1 cells, and displayed tumor-suppressing activity in BLCA. Target glycoproteins of C1GALT1, including integrins and MUC16, were identified. Conclusions This study reveals the pro-metastatic and proliferative function of upregulated glycosyltransferase C1GLAT1, and provides preliminary data on mechanisms underlying dysregulation of C1GALT1 via miR-1-3p / cHP1BP3 axis in BLCA.

Outphasing power amplifiers (OPAs) can be used in wireless information and power transfer systems due to their excellent conversion efficiency. With the rapid advancement of technology, there is a strong demand for OPAs to achieve wideband and multi-band operations to enhance frequency coverage. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the research progress on the development of broadband and multi-band board-level OPAs. Firstly, the paper introduces the fundamental components of an OPA. Then, the paper delves into a detailed analysis of the load modulation of OPAs. Subsequently, previous works on the circuit topology and design methods for broadband and multi-band OPAs are discussed and compared. The paper highlights various design strategies and their respective advantages and disadvantages. Finally, the paper explores some potential design methods for broadband and multi-band OPAs, discussing emerging technologies and highlighting potential research directions.

Transition metal selenides have garnered considerable attention in the field of electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). However, their OER performances still lag behind those of Ir-based materials due to limited exposed active sites, inefficient electron transfer and inadequate stability. In this study, we have successfully synthesized nitrogen-doped NiSe2 nanosheets, which exhibit high efficiency and long-term stability for the OER, requiring only 320 mV to reach a current density of 10 mA cm−2. The nitrogen doping plays a crucial role in effectively regulating the work function and semiconductor characteristics of NiSe2, which facilitates the electron transport and optimizes the catalytic sites. Furthermore, the NiSe2 nanosheets present a larger surface area with more exposed active sites, thus resulting in exceptional OER catalytic activity. The nitrogen-doped NiSe2 nanosheets also display superior stability, maintaining a sustained current density throughout an 8-h OER operation.

IntroductionIt is still unclear whether radiotherapy affects the long-term survival of breast cancer (BC) patients after immediate breast reconstruction (IBR). This study aims to evaluate the actual prognostic impact of radiotherapy on BC patients undergoing IBR, and to construct survival prediction models to predict the survival benefit of radiotherapy.MethodsData on eligible BC patients were retrieved from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Competing risk models were used to assess breast cause-specific death (BCSD) and non-breast cancer cause-specific death (NBCSD). Kaplan‐Meier curve, Cox risk regression model and forest map were used to evaluate and demonstrate overall survival (OS) and breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS). Survival prediction nomograms were used to predict OS and BCSS probabilities.ResultsA total of 22,218 patients were selected, 24.9% received radiotherapy and 75.1% were without radiotherapy. Competing risk models showed that whether BCSD or NBCSD, the cumulative long-term risk of death in the radiotherapy group was higher than that in the non-radiotherapy group. The Kaplan‐Meier curve showed that patients with different lymph node metastasis had different radiotherapy benefits. Multivariate stratified analysis showed that radiotherapy after autologous reconstruction was associated with poor BCSS in patients with stage N0, and radiotherapy after autologous reconstruction and combined reconstruction improved OS and BCSS in patients with stage N3. The C-indexes of nomogram (between 0.778 and 0.847) and calibration curves showed the good prediction ability of survival prediction model.ConclusionsRadiotherapy can improve OS and BCSS in N3 stage BC patients undergoing immediate autologous reconstruction after mastectomy. The practical nomograms can be used to predict OS and BCSS of patients with or without radiotherapy, which is helpful for individualized treatment.

BackgroundBreast cancer is one of the most important diseases in women around the world. Glycosylation modification correlates with carcinogenesis and roles of glycogenes in the clinical outcome and immune microenvironment of breast cancer are unclear.MethodsA total of 1297 breast cancer and normal cases in the TCGA and GTEx databases were enrolled and the transcriptional and survival information were extracted to identify prognostic glycogenes using Univariate Cox, LASSO regression, Multivariate Cox analyses and Kaplan-Meier method. The immune infiltration pattern was explored by the single sample gene set enrichment method. The HLA and immune checkpoint genes expression were also compared in different risk groups. The expressions of a glycogene MGAT5 as well as its products were validated by immunohistochemistry and western blotting in breast cancer tissues and cells.ResultsA 19-glycogene signature was identified to separate breast cancer patients into high- and low-risk groups with distinct overall survival rates (P < 0.001). Compared with the high-risk group, proportion of naive B cells, plasma cells and CD8+ T cells increased in the low-risk group (P < 0.001). Besides, expressions of HLA and checkpoint genes, such as CD274, CTLA4, LAG3 and TIGIT3, were upregulated in low-risk group. Additionally, highly expressed MGAT5 was validated in breast cancer tissues and cells. Downstream glycosylation products of MGAT5 were all increased in breast cancer.ConclusionsWe identified a 19-glycogene signature for risk prediction of breast cancer patients. Patients in the low-risk group demonstrated a higher immune infiltration and better immunotherapy response. The validation of MGAT5 protein suggests a probable pathway and target for the development and treatment of breast cancer.

It has been well demonstrated that melatonin plays an important protective role in photosynthesis of plants under various environmental stresses, while the detailed mechanisms by which melatonin protects photosystem II (PSII) under environmental stress are still unclear. In the study, the effects of melatonin on photosynthetic efficiency, energy dissipation, PSII protein composition, and reversible phosphorylation of thylakoid proteins were investigated in wheat plants under osmotic stress. The results showed that osmotic stress significantly reduced pigment content, photochemical efficiency of PSII, oxygen-evolving activity, and dissipation of excess excitation energy, while 25 μM melatonin applications greatly alleviated their decline under osmotic stress. Western blot data of PSII proteins revealed that melatonin upregulated the levels of D1, Lhcb5, Lhcb6, PsbQ, and PsbS proteins in wheat exposed to osmotic stress. In addition, thylakoid membrane proteins were strongly phosphorylated in wheat under osmotic stress with or without melatonin. Furthermore, the results from PSII protein dephosphorylation showed that exogenous melatonin promoted the dephosphorylation of LCHII, CP43, and D1 under osmotic stress. Therefore, our findings suggest that melatonin can provide an effective protection for the photosynthetic apparatus by the regulation of PSII proteins and the reversible phosphorylation of thylakoid proteins under drought stress.

The main challenge of scene classification is to understand the semantic context information of high-resolution remote sensing images. Although vision transformer (ViT)-based methods have been explored to boost the long-range dependencies of high-resolution remote sensing images, the connectivity between neighboring windows is still limited. Meanwhile, ViT-based methods commonly contain a large number of parameters, resulting in a huge computational consumption. In this paper, a novel lightweight dual-branch swin transformer (LDBST) method for remote sensing scene classification is proposed, and the discriminative ability of scene features is increased through combining a ViT branch and convolutional neural network (CNN) branch. First, based on the hierarchical swin transformer model, LDBST divides the input features of each stage into two parts, which are then separately fed into the two branches. For the ViT branch, a dual multilayer perceptron structure with a depthwise convolutional layer, termed Conv-MLP, is integrated into the branch to boost the connections with neighboring windows. Then, a simple-structured CNN branch with maximum pooling preserves the strong features of the scene feature map. Specifically, the CNN branch lightens the LDBST, by avoiding complex multi-head attention and multilayer perceptron computations. To obtain better feature representation, LDBST was pretrained on the large-scale remote scene classification images of the MLRSN and RSD46-WHU datasets. These two pretrained weights were fine-tuned on target scene classification datasets. The experimental results showed that the proposed LDBST method was more effective than some other advanced remote sensing scene classification methods.

Preeclampsia (PE) is one of the leading causes of maternal death worldwide. Elevated fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) levels have been observed in patients with PE, however, the mechanism by which FABP4 contributes to the pathogenesis of PE remains unclear. In this study, we compared the levels of FABP4 and cytokines between 20 PE patients and 10 healthy pregnant women by using ELISA, immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis, and flow cytometry (fluorescence-activated cell sorting, FACS). Elevated FABP4 was accompanied by regulatory T (Treg)/T helper type 17 (Th17) imbalance in PE. Knockdown of FABP4 attenuated lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation and interleukin-17A (IL-17A) production in primary macrophages. In addition, silencing of FABP4 also suppressed Th17 differentiation via paracrine signaling. Overexpression of FABP4 promoted Th17 differentiation via increasing IL-17A/IL-23 release. Reciprocally, IL-17A upregulated FABP4 and activated the NLRP3 inflammasome in vitro and in vivo. The in vivo studies revealed that FABP4 inhibitor BMS309403 ameliorated PE clinical phenotypes, the Treg/Th17 imbalance, and NLRP3 inflammasome activation in PE mice model. In conclusion, FABP4 facilitates inflammasome activation to induce the imbalance of Treg/Th17 in PE via forming a positive feedback with IL-17A.

ObjectiveThe efficacy of primary tumor surgery on survival in female patients with de novo stage IV breast cancer (BC) remains unclear. Our study endeavored to develop comprehensive competing risk nomograms to predict clinical outcomes and guide precision treatment in these patients.Participants and MethodsA total of 12281 patients who had distant metastasis at initial BC diagnosis between 2010 and 2017 in the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database, were enrolled in this study. First, we assessed the impacts of primary tumor surgery on overall survival (OS) and breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) using the Kaplan-Meier curves. Then subgroup analyses stratified by different metastatic patterns were performed using Cox and competing risk models (CRM). Based on the filtered independent prognostic parameters by CRM, we established two nomograms to predict the probability of breast cancer-specific death (BCSD) at 1-,2- and 3-year intervals. Furthermore, calibration curves and area under the curves (AUC) were conducted for validation.ResultsKaplan-Meier analysis revealed that surgery was associated with better OS and BCSS (P

Liver cirrhosis represents a type of end-stage liver disease with few effective therapies, which was characterized by damaged functional liver tissue due to long-term inflammation. Gasdermin D (GSDMD)-executed programmed necrosis is reported to be involved in inflammation. However, the role of GSDMD in liver cirrhosis remains unclear. In this study, we used a CCl4-induced cirrhosis model and found stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) infusion showed profound therapeutic effects for liver cirrhosis. Mechanistically, NLRP3 inflammasome-activated GSDMD and its pyroptosis were upregulated in liver cirrhosis, while SHED infusion could suppress the expression of GSDMD and Caspase-1, resulting in reduced hepatocyte pyroptosis and inflammatory cytokine IL-1β release. Consistently, SHED could inhibit the elevated expression of NLRP3, GSDMD and Caspase-1 induced by CCl4 treatment in vitro co-culture system, which was mediated by decreasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Moreover, the pyroptosis inhibitor disulfiram showed similar therapeutic effects for liver cirrhosis as SHED. In conclusion, SHED alleviates CCl4-induced liver cirrhosis via inhibition of hepatocytes pyroptosis. Our findings could provide a potential treatment strategy and novel target for liver cirrhosis.

Photosynthetic capacity is usually affected by light intensity in the field. In this study, photosynthetic characteristics of four different Triticeae crops (wheat, triticale, barley, and highland barley) were investigated based on chlorophyll fluorescence and the level of photosynthetic proteins under high light. Compared with wheat, three cereals (triticale, barley, and highland barley) presented higher photochemical efficiency and heat dissipation under normal light and high light for 3 h, especially highland barley. In contrast, lower photoinhibition was observed in barley and highland barley relative to wheat and triticale. In addition, barley and highland barley showed a lower decline in D1 and higher increase in Lhcb6 than wheat and triticale under high light. Furthermore, compared with the control, the results obtained from PSII protein phosphorylation showed that the phosphorylation level of PSII reaction center proteins (D1 and D2) was higher in barley and highland barley than that of wheat and triticale. Therefore, we speculated that highland barley can effectively alleviate photodamages to photosynthetic apparatus by high photoprotective dissipation, strong phosphorylation of PSII reaction center proteins, and rapid PSII repair cycle under high light.

Abstract Background The epidemiology of esophageal cancer (EC) can elucidate its causes and risk factors and help develop prevention strategies. We aimed to provide an overview of the burden, trends, and risk factors of EC in China from 1990 to 2017. We also investigated the differences between China, Japan, and South Korea and discussed the possible causes of the disparities. Methods We used the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 to obtain data on incident cases, deaths, disability-adjusted life-year (DALY) cases, age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR), age-standardized death rate (ASDR), and age-standardized DALY rate of EC in China, Japan, and South Korea from 1990 to 2017. Trend analysis was performed using joinpoint analysis. We measured the associations between ASIR, ASDR, and age-standardized DALY rate and the socio-demographic index (SDI) for 1990–2017. We also analyzed the risk factors associated with EC deaths and DALYs. Results China recorded 234,624 (95% uncertainty intervals: 223,240–246,036) incident cases of and 212,586 (202,673–222,654) deaths from EC in 2017. The ASIR and ASDR declined from 1990 to 2017. Until 2017, the ASIR was 12.23, and ASDR was 11.25 per 100,000 persons. The DALYs were 4,464,980 (4,247,816–4,690,846) with an age-standardized rate of 222.58 per 100,000 persons in 2017. The ASIR, ASDR, and age-standardized DALY rate in China were twice those of Japan and South Korea. These three indicators showed a decreasing trend, whereas SDI increased, in all three countries from 1990 to 2017. Tobacco and alcohol use remained the major risk factors for EC death and DALYs, especially for men in China and women in Japan and South Korea. High body mass index (BMI) and low-fruit diet were the main risk factors for women in China. Conclusions The incident cases and deaths of EC in China, Japan, and South Korea increased from 1990 to 2017, whereas the ASIR, ASDR, and age-standardized DALY rate declined. China had the greatest burden of EC among three countries. SDI and aging along with tobacco use, alcohol use, high BMI, and low-fruit diet were the main risk factors of death and DALYs and should be paid more attention.

Abstract Background LncRNA MEG3 expressed abnormally in various cancers including breast cancer, but no studies reported the correlation between MEG3 SNPs and breast cancer susceptibility among Chinese women. Methods This study is aimed to explore the association between three SNPs of MEG3 (rs3087918, rs7158663, rs11160608) and breast cancer. The study is a population-based case-control study including 434 breast cancer patients and 700 healthy controls. Genotyping was performed using Sequenom MassArray technique. Function prediction of rs3087918 were based on RNAfold and lncRNASNP2 databases. Results Pooled analysis indicated that rs3087918 was related to a decreased risk of breast cancer [GG vs. TT: OR (95%) = 0.67(0.45–0.99), P = 0.042; GG vs. TT + TG: OR (95%) = 0.69(0.48–0.99), P = 0.046], especially for women aged

Various safety assessment models for predicting the future state of systems based on online monitoring data have been proposed. However, the complexity and interdependencies of mechatronics systems make it improbable to predict and prevent all possible failures/faults. Thus, it is also vital to assess the passive safety of mechatronics systems after a small or local fault occurs in order to make up for the shortcomings of online safety assessment. Hence, this paper proposes a passive safety assessment framework for a holistic system, according to the core chain of events related to component malfunction. The main contributions of this paper include three aspects. First, a component risk coefficient is proposed to more comprehensively reflect the risk degree of the component through analysis of a large number of fault data. Second, the fault propagation mechanism is explored to decrease the subjective effect based on the system topology and fault data. Third, a mapping function between system risk and system safety level is constructed; this function can provide support for management and maintenance personnel. A practical example of the bogie system for a high-speed train is examined to demonstrate the implementation and effectiveness and illustrate a potential application of the proposed passive safety method for assessing mechatronics system safety.

Background: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been discovered to play a regulatory role in genomic instability (GI), which participates in the carcinogenesis of various cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We endeavored to establish a GI-derived lncRNA signature (GILncSig) as a potential biomarker and explore its impact on immune infiltration and prognostic significance.Methods: Combining expression and somatic mutation profiles from The Cancer Genome Atlas database, we identified GI-related lncRNAs and conducted functional analyses on co-expressed genes. Based on Cox regression analysis, a GILncSig was established in the training cohort (n = 187), and an independent testing patient cohort (n = 183) was used to validate its predictive ability. Kaplan-Meier method and receiver operating characteristic curves were adopted to evaluate the performance. The correlation between GI and immune infiltration status was investigated based on the CIBERSORT algorithm and single sample gene set enrichment analysis. In addition, a comprehensive nomogram integrating the GILncSig and clinicopathological variables was constructed to efficiently assess HCC patient prognosis in clinical applications.Results: A total of 88 GI-related lncRNAs were screened out and the functional analyses indicated diversified effects on HCC progression. The GILncSig was established using four independent lncRNAs (AC116351.1, ZFPM2-AS1, AC145343.1, and MIR210HG) with significant prognostic value (p < 0.05). Following evaluation with the GILncSig, low-risk patients had significantly better clinical outcomes than high-risk patients in the training cohort (p < 0.001), which was subsequently validated in the independent testing cohort. High-risk group exhibited more immunocyte infiltration including B cells memory, macrophages M0 and neutrophils and higher expression of HLA gene set and immune checkpoint genes. Compared to existing HCC signatures, the GILncSig showed better prognosis predictive performance [area under the curve (AUC) = 0.709]. Furthermore, an integrated nomogram was constructed and validated to efficiently and reliably evaluate HCC patient prognosis (3-years survival AUC = 0.710 and 5-years survival AUC = 0.707).Conclusion: The GILncSig measuring GI and impacting immune infiltration serves as a potential biomarker and independent predictor of HCC patient prognosis. Our results highlight further investigation of GI and HCC molecular mechanisms.

Background: Exposure to ambient particulate matter pollution (APMP) is a global health issue that directly affects the human respiratory system. Thus, we estimated the spatiotemporal trends in the burden of APMP-related respiratory diseases from 1990 to 2019.Methods: Based on the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019, data on the burden of APMP-related respiratory diseases were analyzed by age, sex, cause, and location. Joinpoint regression analysis was used to analyze the temporal trends in the burden of different respiratory diseases over the 30 years.Results: Globally, in 2019, APMP contributed the most to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), with 695.1 thousand deaths and 15.4 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs); however, the corresponding age-standardized death and DALY rates declined from 1990 to 2019. Similarly, although age-standardized death and DALY rates since 1990 decreased by 24% and 40%, respectively, lower respiratory infections (LRIs) still had the second highest number of deaths and DALYs attributable to APMP. This was followed by tracheal, bronchus, and lung (TBL) cancer, which showed increased age-standardized death and DALY rates during the past 30 years and reached 3.78 deaths per 100,000 persons and 84.22 DALYs per 100,000 persons in 2019. Among children aged < 5 years, LRIs had a huge burden attributable to APMP, whereas for older people, COPD was the leading cause of death and DALYs attributable to APMP. The APMP-related burdens of LRIs and COPD were relatively higher among countries with low and low-middle socio-demographic index (SDI), while countries with high-middle SDI showed the highest burden of TBL cancer attributable to APMP.Conclusions: APMP contributed substantially to the global burden of respiratory diseases, posing a significant threat to human health. Effective actions aimed at air pollution can potentially avoid an increase in the PM2.5-associated disease burden, especially in highly polluted areas.

BackgroundThe treatment for locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) is a severe clinical problem. The postoperative radiotherapy is a conventional treatment method for patients with LABC, whereas the effect of preoperative radiotherapy on outcome of LABC remains controversial. This study aimed to examine and compare the overall survival (OS) in patients with LABC who underwent preoperative radiotherapy or postoperative radiotherapy.MethodsThis retrospective cohort study included 41,618 patients with LABC from the National Cancer Database (NCDB) between 2010 and 2014. We collected patients’ demographic, clinicopathologic, treatment and survival information. Propensity score was used to match patients underwent pre-operative radiotherapy with those who underwent post-operative radiotherapy. Cox proportional hazard regression model was performed to access the association between variables and OS. Log-rank test was conducted to evaluate the difference in OS between groups.ResultsThe estimated median follow-up of all included participants was 69.6 months (IQR: 42.84-60.22); 70.1 months (IQR: 46.85-79.97) for postoperative radiotherapy, 68.5 (IQR: 41.13-78.23) for preoperative radiotherapy, and 67.5 (IQR: 25.92-70.99) for no radiotherapy. The 5-year survival rate was 80.01% (79.56-80.47) for LABC patients who received postoperative radiotherapy, 64.08% (57.55-71.34) for preoperative radiotherapy, and 59.67% (58.60-60.77) for no radiotherapy. Compared with no radiation, patients receiving postoperative radiotherapy had a 38% lower risk of mortality (HR=0.62, 95%CI: 0.60-0.65, p

Abstract Introduction It remains unclear whether marital status could affect the breast cancer‐caused special survival (BCSS) of patients with breast cancer. Therefore, we sought to explore the influence of demographic and pathological factors on prognosis of patients with breast cancer. Materials and methods We selected patients meeting the eligibility criteria from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) cancer registry program. We assessed the effect of marital status on overall survival (OS) and BCSS using Kaplan‐Meier curve and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression. Results Compared with divorced/separated/widowed (DSW) patients, the married (AHR 0.7483, 95% CI: 0.729‐0.7682, P

Abstract Background It is well known that hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been one of the most life-threatening diseases all over the world. Plenty of internal and extrinsic factors have been proven to be related to HCC, such as gene mutation, viral hepatitis, and Nitrosamines. Though previous studies demonstrated that glutathione S-transferase (GST) genotypes are associated with HCC, the conclusions are inconsistent. Therefore, we carried on a renewed meta-analysis to expound the connection between the null GSTM1, GSTT1 polymorphisms and the risk of HCC. Methods We searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and CNKI databases to select qualified researches which satisfied the inclusion criteria up to July 31, 2018. Finally, we selected 41 articles with 6124 cases and 9781 controls in this meta-analysis. We use ORs and 95% confidence interval (CI) to evaluate the correlation intension between the GSTM1 and GSTT1 null genes and the risk of HCC. All the statistical processes were executed by Stata (version 12.0). Results The pooled analysis showed that both GSTM1 null genotypes (OR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.18–1.59) and GSTT1 null genotypes (OR = 1.43, 95% CI = 1.23–1.66) increased the risk of HCC. And GSTM1–GSTT1 dual-null genotypes also increased the risk of HCC (OR = 1.58, 95% CI = 1.22–2.05). In the subgroup analysis, we obtained significant results among Asians when stratified by race, and the results are GSTM1 null OR = 1.44, 95% CI = (1.22–1.71), GSTT1 null OR = 1.48, 95% CI = (1.25–1.77), GSTM1–GSTT1 null OR = 1.58, 95% CI = (1.19–2.09), while we didn’t obtain significant results among Caucasians or Africans. Stratified analyses on the type of control indicated a higher risk of HCC associated with GSTM1, GSTT1 single null genotypes and GSTM1–GSTT1 dual-null genotypes in healthy people. No evidence of significant connection was discovered in chronic liver disease (CLD) except in GSTT1 single null. Conclusions Our study indicated that an individual who carries the GSTM1, GSTT1 single null genotypes and GSTT1–GSTM1 dual-null genotypes is more likely to develop HCC.

Abstract Background Estrogen exposure is a widely known risk factor for BC. And the interaction of estrogen with estrogen receptor (ER) plays an important role in breast cancer development. This case–control study aims to assess the association of genetic polymorphisms in the estrogen receptor genes with breast cancer (BC) susceptibility in Chinese Han women. Methods Four polymorphisms (rs2881766, rs9383951, rs9340799 in ESR1 and rs3020449 in ESR2) were genotyped in 459 patients and 549 healthy controls using the Sequenom MassARRAY method. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated to evaluate the associations. False-positive report probability (FPRP) was utilized to examine the noteworthiness of significant findings. Results We observed that rs2881766 was associated with a decreased BC risk (GG vs. TT: OR = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.44–0.91; GG vs. TT/GT: OR = 0.68, 95% CI = 0.49–0.95), while rs3020449 was associated with an increased risk of BC (CT vs. TT: OR = 1.58, 95% CI = 1.21–2.06; CT/CC vs. TT: OR = 1.54, 95% CI = 1.20–1.98; TT/CC vs. CT: OR = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.15–1.90). The other two polymorphisms have no relation with BC susceptibility. In addition, rs2881766 was correlated with lymph node metastasis and ER expression, and rs3020449 was related to tumor size, histological grade and ER expression. The values of false-positive report probability indicated that the significant associations of BC risk with both rs2881766 and rs3020449 were noteworthy. Conclusions Our study suggests that polymorphisms rs2881766 and rs3020449 in estrogen receptor genes were associated with BC susceptibility as well as clinical features in Chinese women. These findings need further validation in a large population.

Motor neuron and pancreas homeobox 1 (MNX1) is a key developmental gene. Previous studies found that it was upregulated in several tumors, but its role in breast cancer (BC) remains unclear. In order to have a better understanding of this gene in BC, we examined the expression of MNX1 in BC tissues and normal breast tissues by qRT-PCR and by analyzing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. We also assessed the association of MNX1 expression with BC clinicopathological features and investigated the impact of MNX1 on BC survival. Potential molecular function of MNX1 was predicted through protein-protein interactions and functional enrichment. The results showed that the expression of MNX1 was significantly increased in BC tissues, especially in the HER2-positive subtype, and MNX1 expression was associated with several clinical characteristics, including menopause status, receptor status, subtypes, tumor size, lymph node metastasis, and race. In addition, patients with higher MNX1 expression had poorer survival. Enrichment analysis suggested that MNX1 is probably involved in biological processes and pathways related to nuclear division, cell cycle, and p53 signaling. In conclusion, our study suggests that MNX1 may act as a tumor promoter in BC. We hope these findings will draw more attention to MNX1 in future cancer studies. Keywords: motor neuron and pancreas homeobox 1, MNX1, breast cancer, clinical, expression, prognosis

The composition and change of runoff are closely related to climate change and human activities. To design effective watershed water resources management measures, there is a need for a clear understanding of the impact of climate change and human activities on baseflow and surface runoff. The purpose of this essay is to quantify their impact on the annual total stream flow, surface runoff, and base flow in the Weihe River Basin (WRB) using a two-stage annual precipitation partitioning method, wherein the surface runoff and base flow are separated from the measured total flow by using a one-parameter digital filter method for which the common filter parameter value is 0.925. The stream flow records were split into two periods: 1960–1970 (pre-change period) and 1971–2005 (post-change period) based on the hydrological breakpoints detected. We found that climate change and human activities have different impacts on base flow and surface runoff. We attributed the decrease in surface runoff due to climate change accounting for 76–78%, while we determined that human activities were responsible to the decrease in base flow accounting for 59–73% of the total observed change. We concluded that both climate change and human beings contributed to the hydrologic change through different hydrological processes: climate change dominated the surface runoff change, while human influences controlled the base flow change. To achieve the expected goals of ecological restoration, appropriate measures must be taken by watershed management in the WRB to mitigate the likely impacts of climate change on water hydrology.

As a type of spatial transmission mechanism, noncircular bevel gears (NBGs) can transfer power and motion between two intersecting axes with variable transmission following a suitable program of motion. Utilizing the spherical triangle theorem and meshing principle, parametric equations are established in the spherical polar coordinate system for the driving and driven gears, for the pitch curves, and for the addendum and dedendum curves of a NBG for a given transmission ratio and axis angle. A formulation of the tooth profile of a NBG is deduced using an analytic method. Three-dimensional models of the 3- and 4-lobed NBGs are derived in verifying this method.

Dysregulation of multiple long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) was reported to play major roles in breast cancer (BC). Here we aimed to collect most of the relevant literature to assess the prognostic value of lncRNAs in BC. To this end, we systematically searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wanfang to identify published articles on the associations of lncRNAs with clinicopathology and/or survival of BC. Via this searching, we identified 70 articles involving 9,307 BC patients and regarding 48 lncRNAs. The expression of 41 lncRNAs was related to one or more clinicopathological parameters of BC, including tumor size; lymph node metastasis; histological grade; TNM stage; and estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) statuses (p < 0.05). Dysregulation of 28 lncRNAs was associated with overall survival, and abnormal expression of 9 lncRNAs was linked to disease-free survival. Furthermore, the expression level of 3 lncRNAs was correlated with metastasis-free survival, 3 lncRNAs with relapse-free survival, and 3 lncRNAs with progression-free survival. Our analysis showed that multiple lncRNAs were significantly associated with BC clinicopathology and survival. A large-scale study is needed to verify the prognostic value of these lncRNAs in BC. Keywords: long non-coding RNA, breast cancer, clinicopathology, survival, prognosis

Abstract Background Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a particular breast cancer subtype with poor prognosis due to its aggressive biological behavior and lack of targets for therapy. This study aimed to explore the expression profile and potential function of lncRNAs in TNBC through bioinformatic methods. Methods Two microarrays of TNBC were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs were screened out and the expressions of top lncRNAs and overlapping lncRNAs were validated using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. The co-expression analysis of lncRNAs and mRNAs was conducted using R software and functional enrichment analysis for was performed by Metascape. Kaplan–Meier Plotter was used for survival analysis. Results A total of 1034 dysregulated lncRNAs were found in the two microarrays, and there were 8 overlapped lncRNAs. Among them, 537 lncRNAs were significantly correlated with 451 protein-coding genes (PCGs). The co-expressed PCGs were mainly enriched in terms including cell division, cell cycle, and protein/DNA binding, and were involved in pathways in cancer and other pathways such as PI3K-Akt, MAPK, ErbB and p53 signaling pathways. Hub-genes in the co-expression network were identified, and 7 of them were associated with relapse-free survival of TNBC (MAGI2-AS3: HR = 0.51; GGTA1P: HR = 0.54; NAP1L2: HR = 0.59; CRABP2: HR = 0.41; SYNPO2: HR = 0.50; MKI67: HR = 2.23; COL4A6: HR = 1.91; all P

As vital infrastructures, high-speed railways support the development of transportation. To maintain the punctuality and safety of railway systems, researchers have employed manual and computer vision methods to monitor overhead contact systems (OCSs), but they have low efficiency. Investigators have also used light detection and ranging (LiDAR) to generate point clouds by emitting laser beams. The point cloud is segmented for automatic OCS recognition, which improves recognition efficiency. However, existing LiDAR point cloud segmentation methods have high computational/model complexity and latency. In addition, they cannot adapt to embedded devices with different architectures. To overcome these issues, this article presents a lightweight neural network EffNet consisting of three modules: ExtractA, AttenA, and AttenB. ExtractA extracts the features from the disordered and irregular point clouds of an OCS. AttenA keeps information flowing in EffNet while extracting useful features. AttenB uses channel and spatialwise statistics to enhance important features and suppress unimportant ones efficiently. To further speed up EffNet and match it with diverse architectures, we optimized it with a generation framework of tensor programs and deployed it on embedded systems with different architectures. Extensive experiments demonstrated that EffNet has at least a 0.57% higher mean accuracy, but with 25.00% and 9.30% lower computational and model complexity for OCS recognition than others, respectively. The optimized EffNet can be adapted to different architectures. Its latency decreased by 51.97%, 56.47%, 63.63%, 82.58%, 85.85%, and 91.97% on the NVIDIA Nano CPU, TX2 CPU, UP Board CPU, Nano GPU, TX2 GPU, and RTX 2,080 Ti GPU, respectively.

Abstract c‐Myc overexpression has been implicated in several malignancies including gastric cancer. Here, we report that acidified bile acids enhance tumor progression and telomerase activity in gastric cancer via c‐Myc activation both in vivo and in vitro. c‐Myc mRNA and protein levels were assessed in ten primary and five local recurrent gastric cancer samples by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction and western blotting analysis. The gastric cancer cell line MGC803 was exposed to bile salts (100 μmol/L glycochenodeoxycholic acid and deoxycholic acid) in an acid medium (pH 5.5) for 10 min daily for 60 weeks to develop an MGC803‐resistant cell line. Control MGC803 cells were grown without acids or bile salts for 60 weeks as a control. Cell morphology, proliferation, colony formation and apoptosis of MGC803‐resistant cells were analyzed after 60 weeks. To determine the involvement of c‐Myc in tumor progression and telomere aging in MGC803‐resistant cells, we generated xenografts in nude mice and measured xenograft volume and in vivo telomerase activity. The c‐Myc and hTERT protein and mRNA levels were significantly higher in local recurrent gastric cancer samples than in primary gastric cancer samples. MGC803‐resistant cells showed a marked phenotypic change under normal growth conditions with more clusters and acini, and exhibited increased cell viability and colony formation and decreased apoptosis in vitro. These phenotypic changes were found to be dependent on c‐Myc activation using the c‐Myc inhibitor 10058‐F4. MGC803‐resistant cells also showed a c‐Myc‐dependent increase in xenograft growth and telomerase activity in vivo. In conclusion, these observations support the hypothesis that acidified bile acids enhance tumor progression and telomerase activity in gastric cancer and that these effects are dependent on c‐Myc activity. These findings suggest that acidified bile acids play an important role in the malignant progression of local recurrent gastric cancer.

Background: Hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] is an occupational carcinogen that can cause lung and nasal cancers, but its association with mortality and incidence in many other cancers is unclear.Objectives: In this meta-analysis, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between exposure to Cr(VI) and the mortality and incidence of human cancers.Methods: We performed a search of the literature and extracted the standardized mortality ratios (SMRs), standardized incidence ratios (SIRs), and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs), to estimate risk values. Subgroup analyses were conducted by sex, occupation, and types of cancer to identify groups that were at high-risk or predisposed to certain cancers.Results: A total of 47 cohort studies covering the period 1985–2016 were included (37 studies reporting SMRs and 16 studies reporting SIRs). The summary SMR for all studies combined was 1.07 (95% CI: 1.01–1.15). Summary SMRs were higher among chromate production workers, chrome platers, and masons, and especially male workers. In the subgroup analysis, Cr(VI) exposure was related to a higher risk of death owing to lung, larynx, bladder, kidney, testicular, bone, and thyroid cancer. The meta-SIR of all studies combined was 1.06 (95% CI: 1.04–1.09). Summary SIRs were elevated among cement industry workers and tanners. Cr(VI) exposure was related to an elevated risk of respiratory system, buccal cavity, pharynx, prostate, and stomach cancers.Conclusions: Cr(VI) might cause cancers of the respiratory system, buccal cavity and pharynx, prostate, and stomach in humans, and it is related to increased risk of overall mortality owing to lung, larynx, bladder, kidney, testicular, bone, and thyroid cancer. In addition, there was a strong association between incidence and mortality risk of cancers and concentration of Cr(VI) in the air and the exposure time.

c-Fos is an immediate-early gene that modulates cellular responses to a wide variety of stimuli and also plays an important role in tissue regeneration. However, the sequence and functions of c-Fos are still poorly understood in newts. This study describes the molecular cloning and characterization of the c-Fos gene (Co-c-Fos) of the Chinese fire-bellied newt, Cynops orientalis. The full-length Co-c-Fos cDNA sequence consists of a 1290 bp coding sequence that encoded 429 amino acids. The alignment and phylogenetic analyses reveal that the amino acid sequence of Co-c-Fos shared a conserved basic leucine zipper domain, including a nuclear localization sequence and a leucine heptad repeat. The Co-c-Fos mRNA is widely expressed in various tissues and is highly and uniformly expressed along the newt limb. After limb amputation, the expression of Co-c-Fos mRNA was immediately upregulated, but rapidly declined. However, the significant upregulation of Co-c-Fos protein expression was sustained for 24 h, overlapping with the wound healing stage of C. orientalis limb regeneration. To investigate if Co-c-Fos participate in newt wound healing, a skin wound healing model is employed. The results show that the treatment of T-5224, a selective c-Fos inhibitor, could largely impair the healing process of newt’s skin wound, as well as the injury-induced matrix metalloproteinase-3 upregulation, which is fundamental to wound epithelium formation. These data suggest that Co-c-Fos might participate in wound healing by modulating the expression of its potential target gene matrix metalloproteinase-3. Our study provides important insights into mechanisms that are responsible for the initiation of newt limb regeneration.

As overhead contact (OC) is an essential part of power supply systems in high-speed railways, it is necessary to regularly inspect and repair abnormal OC components. Relative to manual inspection, applying LiDAR (light detection and ranging) to OC inspection can improve efficiency, accuracy, and safety, but it faces challenges to efficiently and effectively segment LiDAR point cloud data and identify catenary components. Recent deep learning-based recognition methods are rarely employed to recognize OC components, because they have high computational complexity, while their accuracy needs to be improved. To track these problems, we first propose a lightweight model, RobotNet, with depthwise and pointwise convolutions and an attention module to recognize the point cloud. Second, we optimize RobotNet to accelerate its recognition speed on embedded devices using an existing compilation tool. Third, we design software to facilitate the visualization of point cloud data. Our software can not only display a large amount of point cloud data, but also visualize the details of OC components. Extensive experiments demonstrate that RobotNet recognizes OC components more accurately and efficiently than others. The inference speed of the optimized RobotNet increases by an order of magnitude. RobotNet has lower computational complexity than other studies. The visualization results also show that our recognition method is effective.

High-speed railways have been one of the most popular means of transportation all over the world. As an important part of the high-speed railway power supply system, the overhead catenary system (OCS) directly influences the stable operation of the railway, so regular inspection and maintenance are essential. Now manual inspection is too inefficient and high-cost to fit the requirements for high-speed railway operation, and automatic inspection becomes a trend. The 3D information in the point cloud is useful for geometric parameter measurement in the catenary inspection. Thus it is significant to recognize the components of OCS from the point cloud data collected by the inspection equipment, which promotes the automation of parameter measurement. In this paper, we present a novel method based on deep learning to recognize point clouds of OCS components. The method identifies the context of each single frame point cloud by a convolutional neural network (CNN) and combines some single frame data based on classification results, then inputs them into a segmentation network to identify OCS components. To verify the method, we build a point cloud dataset of OCS components that contains eight categories. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method can detect OCS components with high accuracy. Our work can be applied to the real OCS components detection and has great practical significance for OCS automatic inspection.

The overhead contact system (OCS) is a critical railway infrastructure for train power supply. Periodic inspections, aiming at acquiring the operational condition of the OCS and detecting problems, are necessary to guarantee the safety of railway operations. One of the OCS inspection means is to analyze data of point clouds collected by mobile 2D LiDAR. Recognizing OCS components from the collected point clouds is a critical task of the data analysis. However, the complex composition of OCS makes the task difficult. To solve the problem of recognizing multiple OCS components, we propose a new deep learning-based method to conduct semantic segmentation on the point cloud collected by mobile 2D LiDAR. Both online data processing and batch data processing are supported because our method is designed to classify points into meaningful categories of objects scan line by scan line. Local features are important for the success of point cloud semantic segmentation. Thus, we design an iterative point partitioning algorithm and a module named as Spatial Fusion Network, which are two critical components of our method for multi-scale local feature extraction. We evaluate our method on point clouds where sixteen categories of common OCS components have been manually labeled. Experimental results show that our method is effective in multiple object recognition since mean Intersection-over-Unions (mIoUs) of online data processing and batch data processing are, respectively, 96.12% and 97.17%.

Negative thermal expansion (NTE) and magnetic properties were investigated for antiperovskite Ga1−xCrxN0.83Mn3 compounds. As x increases, the temperature span (ΔT) of NTE related with Γ5g antiferromagnetic (AFM) order is expanded and shifted to lower temperatures. At x = 0.1, NTE happens between 256 and 318 K (ΔT = 62 K) with an average linear coefficient of thermal expansion, αL = −46 ppm/K. The ΔT is expanded to 81 K (151–232 K) in x = 0.2 with αL = −22.6 ppm/K. Finally, NTE is no longer visible for x ≥ 0.3. Ferromagnetic order is introduced by Cr doping and continuously strengthened with increasing x, which may impede the AFM ordering and thus account for the broadening of NTE temperature window. Moreover, our specific heat measurement suggests the electronic density of states at the Fermi level is enhanced upon Cr doping, which favors the FM order rather than the AFM one.

The Clark-Ocone formula in the theory of discrete-time chaotic calculus holds only for square integrable functionals of discrete-time normal noises. In this paper, we aim at extending this formula to generalized functionals of discrete-time normal noises. Let Z be a discrete-time normal noise that has the chaotic representation property. We first prove a result concerning the regularity of generalized functionals of Z. Then, we use the Fock transform to define some fundamental operators on generalized functionals of Z and apply the abovementioned regularity result to prove the continuity of these operators. Finally, we establish the Clark-Ocone formula for generalized functionals of Z and show its application results, which include the covariant identity result and the variant upper bound result for generalized functionals of Z.

One or several component failures may lead to more related component malfunction and ultimately cause system reliability reduction. Based on this, we focus on the assessment system reliability of complex electromechanical systems (CEMSs) in a fault-propagation view. First, failure propagation model taking into consideration failure data based on network theory and improved polychromatic sets is proposed for system reliability evaluation. From the node point of view, system effectiveness index is constructed to investigate the variation of efficiency of the holistic network. Subsequently, from the system’s perspective, system reliability measurement is provided and estimated in combination with system effectiveness index and failure propagation models. Finally, the application of proposed method to a bogie system of high-speed train assesses system reliability, and meanwhile, the effectiveness of the proposed method is able to be illustrated.

Previous studies have investigated the association between cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) polymorphisms and breast cancer susceptibility, but the results remained inconsistent. Therefore, we evaluated the relationship between four common CTLA-4 polymorphisms and breast cancer risk by a meta-analysis, aiming to derive a comprehensive and precise conclusion. We searched EMBASE, Pubmed, Web of Science, CNKI, and Wanfang databases until July 18th, 2016. Finally, ten eligible studies involving 4,544 breast cancer patients and 4,515 cancer-free controls were included; all these studies were from Asia. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to evaluate the breast cancer risk in five genetic models. The results indicated that the CTLA-4 +49A>G (rs231775) polymorphism had a significant association with decreased breast cancer risk in allelic, homozygous, dominant and recessive models. Also, the +6230G>A (rs3087243) polymorphism reduced breast cancer risk especially in the Chinese population under homozygous and recessive models. In contrast, the −1661A>G (rs4553808) polymorphism increased breast cancer risk in allelic, heterozygous and dominant models, whereas −1722 T>C (rs733618) did not relate to breast cancer risk. In conclusion, CTLA-4 polymorphisms significantly associate with breast cancer susceptibility in Asian populations, and different gene loci may have different effects on breast cancer development. Further large-scale studies including multi-racial populations are required to confirm our findings.

In view of the negative impact of component importance measures based on system reliability theory and centrality measures based on complex networks theory, there is an attempt to provide improved centrality measures (ICMs) construction method with fuzzy integral for measuring the importance of components in electromechanical systems in this paper. ICMs are the meaningful extension of centrality measures and component importance measures, which consider influences on function and topology between components to increase importance measures usefulness. Our work makes two important contributions. First, we propose a novel integration method of component importance measures to define ICMs based on Choquet integral. Second, a meaningful fuzzy integral is first brought into the construction comprehensive measure by fusion multi-ICMs and then identification of important components which could give consideration to the function of components and topological structure of the whole system. In addition, the construction method of ICMs and comprehensive measure by integration multi-CIMs based on fuzzy integral are illustrated with a holistic topological network of bogie system that consists of 35 components.

Background: Our previous study revealed that the combination of Saikosaponin-d (SSd) and radiation is more effective in the treatment of liver cancer than the application of either of these monotherapeutic methods. However, the molecular mechanisms of the radiosensitizing effect of SSd on liver cancer remained ill defined. Methods: Cells were treated with different interventions; afterward, cell viability, apoptosis, and cell survival of SMMC-7721 and HepG2 hepatoma cells were examined. Xenograft tumor models were established by subcutaneously injecting SMMC-7721 cells. The molecular mechanism was assessed by western blot. Results: SSd dose-dependently increased radiosensitivity of hepatoma cells under hypoxic condition. The growth inhibitory effect of the combined treatment was correlated with cell apoptosis. Further mechanistic analysis indicated that SSd induced the upregulation of p53 and Bax as well as the downregulation of Bcl-2 by attenuating HIF-1α expression under hypoxic condition. These effects were enhanced when the HIF-1α inhibitor PX-478 was introduced. In vivo data also presented a more significant suppression of tumor xenograft growth from the combined therapy than from either of the monotherapeutic methods. Conclusions: Our study provides evidence for a radiosensitizing effect of SSd on hepatoma cells under hypoxic conditions by inhibiting HIF-1α expression. Thus, SSd can be used as a potential sensitizer in hepatoma radiotherapy.

Rapamycin (Rapa), an inhibitor of mammalian target of Rapamycin (mTOR), is an immunosuppressive agent that has anti-proliferative effects on some tumors. This study aims to investigate the effects of Rapa suppressing proliferation of pancreatic carcinoma PC-2 cells in vitro and its molecular mechanism involved in antitumor activities. MTT assays showed that the inhibition of proliferation of PC-2 cells in vitro was in a time- and dose-dependent manner. By using transmission electron microscopy, apoptosis bodies and formation of abundant autophagic vacuoles were observed in PC-2 cells after Rapa treatment. Flow cytometry assays also showed Rapa had a positive effect on apoptosis. MDC staining showed that the fluorescent density was higher and the number of MDC-labeled particles in PC-2 cells was greater in the Rapa treatment group than in the control group. RT-PCR revealed that the expression levels of p53, Bax and Beclin 1 were up-regulated in a dose-dependent manner, indicating that Beclin 1 was involved in Rapa induced autophagy and Rapa induced apoptosis as well as p53 up-regulation in PC-2 cells. The results demonstrated that Rapa could effectively inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis and autophagy in PC-2 cells.