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Background Microbiomes are essential components of the human body, and their populations are substantial. Under normal circumstances, microbiomes coexist harmoniously with the human body, but disturbances in this equilibrium can lead to various diseases. The oral microbiome is involved in the occurrence and development of many oral and gastrointestinal diseases. This review focuses on the relationship between oral microbiomes and oral and upper gastrointestinal diseases, and therapeutic strategies aiming to provide valuable insights for clinical prevention and treatment.Methods To identify relevant studies, we conducted searches in PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science using keywords such as “oral microbiome,” “oral flora, ” “gastrointestinal disease, ” without any date restrictions. Subsequently, the retrieved publications were subject to a narrative review.Results In this review, we found that oral microbiomes are closely related to oral and gastrointestinal diseases such as periodontitis, dental caries, reflux esophagitis, gastritis, and upper gastrointestinal tumors (mainly the malignant ones). Oral samples like saliva and buccal mucosa are not only easy to collect, but also display superior sample stability compared to gastrointestinal tissues. Consequently, analysis of the oral microbiome could potentially serve as an efficient preliminary screening method for high-risk groups before undergoing endoscopic examination. Besides, treatments based on the oral microbiomes could aid early diagnosis and treatment of these diseases.Conclusions Oral microbiomes are essential to oral and gastrointestinal diseases. Therapies centered on the oral microbiomes could facilitate the early detection and management of these conditions.

ObjectsThe aim of this study was to investigate the morphologic changes of a novel fully biodegradable implantable device after closing a perimembranous ventricular septal defect (Pm-VSD) and to evaluate the effect of the occluder on the myocardial function in patients during a 3-year follow-up period.MethodsOne-year, 2-year, and 3-year follow-ups were carried out after implantation with a total of 30 Pm-VSD patients who had successful closure by the fully biodegradable occluder. In total, 30 healthy children were enrolled as controls. At discharge and at every follow-up visit, the lengths of the left and right discs of the novel device were measured in the apical three- and four-chamber as well as short-axis views. At the end of the follow-up, using three-dimensional speckle-tracking conditions, the values of myocardial deformation, including global longitudinal strain, global circumferential strain, and global area strain, were acquired.ResultsThe fully bioabsorbable double-disc occluder gradually decreased over time and was eventually invisible under echocardiographic scanning during the follow-up (p 0.05).ConclusionThe novel fully biodegradable occluder is a safe, effective, and perfect alternative for the treatment of VSD. Echocardiography plays a crucial role in the follow-up of this new type of occluder implantation.

ABSTRACT During the harvesting of waste straw in the field, a self-propelled baler undergoes significant oscillations in the longitudinal direction around its centre of gravity, which greatly affect the stability of operation and the comfort of the driver. In order to analyse the vibration characteristics of the main frame under multi-source excitation, the complete frame is divided into a chassis frame and a baling frame. A nine-degree-of-freedom vibration system model of the whole machine is established based on the relationship between the internal motion devices, and simulations are carried out using MATLAB/Simulink. In addition, a multi-body dynamics simulation of the compression device is carried out, and the law governing the variation in force at different unit points of the mechanism is analysed. Finally, the vibration response of the main frame under different working conditions is explored. The results show that the main frequency component of the frame in the no-load state is 80 Hz, and the main response frequency of the frame is about 1.6 Hz, a finding that is consistent with the operating frequency of the compression mechanism. In particular, the displacement amplitude of the simulated signal at the centroid position is consistent with that measured in experiments, which verifies the validity of the dynamic model. Our results can provide guidance for future work aiming to further reduce the body vibration amplitude and optimise the design of the frame.

Chinese herbs are a huge treasure trove of natural products and an important source of many active molecules. The theory of traditional Chinese medicine compatibility (TCMC) is widely applied in clinical practice, but its mechanism is still ambiguous. This study aims to open a new window for this predicament by studying the interaction between the main active ingredients from a drug pair. Carrier-free assembly of natural products improves the shortcomings of traditional nanodelivery systems and opens a new path for the development of new nanomaterials. The drug pair “Pueraria and Hedyotis diffusa” has been commonly used in clinical practice, with a predominant therapeutic effect. This study is devoted to the study of the binary small molecule co-assembly of the main active molecules from the drug pair. In this study, we introduce a carrier-free composite gel, formed by the co-assembly of puerarin (PUE) and deacetylasperulosidic acid (DAA) via non-covalent bonds including π–π packing, intermolecular hydrogen bonding, and C=O π interactions. With a strain point 7-fold higher than that of P gel, the P − D gel exhibited favorable rheological properties. The survival rate of SW1990 cells in the P − D group was only 21.39% when the concentration of administration reached 200 μM. It thus demonstrated activity in inhibiting SW1990 cells’ survival, suggesting potential in combating pancreatic cancer. Furthermore, this research offers a valuable concept for enhancing the mechanical properties and bioactivity of hydrogel materials through the utilization of a multi-component natural small molecule co-assembly approach. More importantly, this provides new ideas and methods for the treatment of pancreatic cancer and the analysis of traditional Chinese medicine compatibility theory.

In the rainy season, which often has uncertain rainfall, crawler combine harvesters have difficulty traversing wet and soft rice fields. A large amount of clay is often accumulated on the track surfaces, resulting in frequent slipping and sinking, which greatly affects the operational performance and harvesting efficiency of crawler combine harvesters. To address this issue, this paper proposes a high-traction track grouser based on the structure of an ostrich’s foot sole. First, a traction force mathematical model is constructed to analyze the interaction between a track grouser and wet and soft rice fields, and parameter optimization is conducted. Then, the bionic information of a dung beetle’s non-smooth body surface is extracted, and the surface of the track is designed with biomimetic convex hull patterns based on the geometric similarity principle and adhesive experiments. Finally, the analysis results indicate that the optimized track grouser significantly improved the traction of the track in wet and soft rice fields. For the track plate with a bionic desorption convex hull pattern, a convex hull diameter of 6 mm, convex hull spacing of 8.25 mm, and convex hull height of 3 mm led to good adhesion reduction and desorption effects in wet and soft soil.

The utilization of steel slag with high added value is an important means for sustainable development of the iron and steel industry and environment. A new nano-scaled V/CeO2-functionalized steel-slag-based catalyst (V/CeO2-SC) was prepared. The XPS results revealed that V was embedded in the CeO2 lattice with V4+ and V5+ forms. The regression equation analysis of variance told that the order of influencing factors on malachite green dye degradation rate is: catalyst dosage > V doping amount > malachite green dye concentration. The optimum values of the parameters were dye concentration 10 mg/L, catalyst dosage 0.1 g, and V doping amount 1wt%. Under the optimal condition, the predicted and actual response values of the degradation rate of malachite green dye were 100.00%. UV–Visible light absorption spectroscopy results demonstrated that after the photocatalytic degradation reaction, the absorption peak of the malachite green dye solution almost completely disappeared, indicating that the malachite green dye solution was almost completely degraded. The excellent degradation activity of the 1V/CeO2-SC specimen was attributed to the co-action of the high SBET, large mesoporous volume, and the coupled semiconductors formed by V-doped CeO2 and FeO in the catalyst carrier. A possible photocatalytic degradation mechanism of the V/CeO2-SC specimen was proposed.

Although the wide variety of bioactivities of curcumin has been reported by researchers, the clinical application of curcumin is still limited due to its poor aqueous solubility. In view of this, a series of dimethylaminomethyl-substituted curcumin derivatives were designed and synthesized (compounds 1–15). Acetate of these derivatives were prepared (compounds 1a–15a). The Mannich reaction and aldol condensation reaction are the main reactions involved in this study. Compounds 6, 10, 12, 3a, 5a, 6a, 7a, 8a, 10a, 11a, 12a, 13a, 14a, and 15a exhibited better in vitro anti-inflammatory activity compared to curcumin in the RAW264.7 cell line. Compounds 5, 1a, 5a, 8a, and 12a exhibited better in vitro antioxidant activity compared to curcumin in the PC 12 cell line. Compounds 11, 13, 5a, 7a, and 13a exhibited better in vitro radiation protection compared to curcumin in the PC 12 cell line. The aqueous solubilities of all the curcumin derivative acetates were greatly improved compared to curcumin.

ABSTRACT In the process of rice harvesting, the passability of the track combine harvester is often limited by the state of the soil. Meanwhile, wet and soft paddy soil is compacted under the rolling of harvesting machinery, which also affects the soil function and the ecological environment. Therefore, the relationship between the physical and mechanical properties of wet and soft paddy soil was studied in this paper. In addition, compaction from a track combine harvester on field soil with and without rice stubble was studied. The density and gradation of wet and soft paddy soil were positively correlated with cohesion and negatively correlated with the internal friction angle. In paddy soil with a moisture content of 16–36%, the soil moisture content was negatively correlated with cohesion and internal friction angle. Additionally, the plastic deformation of soil with rice stubble under compaction was greater than that without rice stubble, and the plastic deformation of the field with rice stubble mainly occurred in the second rolling stage. Increasing the speed of the track combine harvester effectively reduced the compaction risk of rice stubble soil.

ObjectivesEarly gastric cancer (EGC) is defined as aggressive gastric cancer involving the gastric mucosa and submucosa. Early detection and treatment of gastric cancer are beneficial to patients. In recent years, many studies have focused on endoscopic diagnosis and therapy for EGC. Exploring new methods to analyze data to enhance knowledge is a worthwhile endeavor, especially when numerous studies exist. This study aims to investigate research trends in endoscopy for EGC over the past 20 years using bibliometric analysis.MethodsOriginal articles and reviews examining the use of endoscopy for EGC published from 2000 to 2022 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection, and bibliometric data were extracted. Microsoft Office Excel 2016 was used to show the annual number of published papers for the top 10 countries and specific topics. VOSviewer software was used to generate network maps of the cooccurrences of keywords, authors, and topics to perform visualization network analysis.ResultsIn total, 1,009 published papers met the inclusion criteria. Japan was the most productive country and had the highest number of publications (452, 44.8%), followed by South Korea (183, 18.1%), and China (150, 14.9%). The National Cancer Center of Japan was the institution with the highest number of publications (48, 4.8%). Ono was the most active author and had the highest number of cited publications. Through the network maps, exploring endoscopic diagnosis and therapy were major topics. Artificial intelligence (AI), convolutional neural networks (CNNs), and deep learning are hotspots in endoscopic diagnosis. Helicobacter pylori eradication, second-look endoscopy, and follow-up management were examined.ConclusionsThis bibliometric analysis investigated research trends regarding the use of endoscopy for treating EGC over the past 20 years. AI and deep learning, second-look endoscopy, and management are hotspots in endoscopic diagnosis and endoscopic therapy in the future.

Conditional Monte Carlo or pre-integration is a powerful tool for reducing variance and improving the regularity of integrands when using Monte Carlo and quasi-Monte Carlo (QMC) methods. To select the variable to pre-integrate, one must consider both the variable's importance and the tractability of the conditional expectation. For integrals over a Gaussian distribution, any linear combination of variables can potentially be pre-integrated. Liu and Owen [SIAM J. Numer. Anal., 61 (2023), pp. 495-514] propose to select the linear combination based on an active subspace decomposition of the integrand. However, pre-integrating the selected direction might be intractable. In this work, we address this issue by finding the active subspace subject to constraints such that pre-integration can be easily carried out. The proposed algorithm also provides a computationally efficient alternative to dimension reduction for pre-integrated functions. The method is applied to examples from computational finance, density estimation, and computational chemistry and is shown to achieve smaller errors than previous methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ultrasound (US)- or computed tomography-guided drainage for abdominal abscess is currently the first-line options for drainage, but both options have disadvantages. Patients without adequate windows for drainage mostly undergo surgical drainage. However, surgical drainage is invasive and expensive. Endoscopic US (EUS)-guided drainage is a minimally invasive alternative for abdominal abscess, but there is less consensus on its efficacy, safety and complications. This meta-analysis aims to evaluate EUS-guided drainage for abdominal abscess. Materials and Methods: We retrieved relevant papers on EUS-guided drainage for abdominal abscess from the PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and EMBASE databases. Each paper was reviewed, and data were extracted. We used R software version 3.6.3 to perform the meta-analysis. Fixed effects models were used for merging data. Results: A total of 11 papers met the inclusion criteria, with a total sample population of 264 patients. The meta-analysis showed that the pooled clinical success rate was 90% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.85–0.95), the technical success rate was 99% (95% CI, 0.97–1.00) and the recurrence rate was 1% (95% CI, 0.00–0.03). Three studies reported the complications, including perforation, bleeding and stent migration; none of the other eight studies reported complications. There were no significant differences between subgroups. There was no publication bias in either the clinical or the technical success rates. Conclusions: This meta-analysis showed that EUS-guided drainage for abdominal abscess was effective and safe, with an excellent technical success rate. In addition, EUS-guided drainage could be used for abscesses with complex anatomy. Nevertheless, complications and stent type should be considered.

BackgroundThe prediction models for primary duodenal adenocarcinoma (PDA) are deficient. This study aimed to determine the predictive value of the lymph node ratio (LNR) in PDA patients and to establish and validate nomograms for predicting overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) for PDAs after surgical resection.MethodsWe extracted the demographics and clinicopathological information of PDA patients between 2004 and 2018 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database. After screening cases, we randomly divided the enrolled patients into training and validation groups. X-tile software was used to obtain the best cut-off value for the LNR. Univariate and multivariate Cox analyses were used in the training group to screen out significant variables to develop nomograms. The predictive accuracy of the nomograms was evaluated by the concordance index (C-index), calibration curves, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and decision curve analysis (DCA). Finally, four risk groups were created based on quartiles of the model scores.ResultsA total of 978 patients were included in this study. The best cut-off value for the LNR was 0.47. LNR was a negative predictive factor for both OS and CSS. Age, sex, grade, chemotherapy and LNR were used to construct the OS nomogram, while age, grade, chemotherapy, the number of lymph nodes removed and LNR were incorporated into the CSS nomogram. The C-index, calibration curves and AUC of the training and validation sets revealed their good predictability. DCA showed that the predictive value of the nomograms was superior to that of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) TNM staging system (8th edition). In addition, risk stratification demonstrated that patients with higher risk correlated with poor survival.ConclusionsThe LNR was an adverse prognostic determinant for PDAs. The nomograms provided an accurate and applicable tool to evaluate the prognosis of PDA patients after surgery.

During the harvesting of cut-stem vegetables, the structural parameters of cutters have an important influence on the harvesting effect. Structural parameters of stalks directly affect the cutting effect of the cutter. The thickness of the stalk xylem has a strong influence on the cutting stability and cutting surface effect of the cutter. In this paper, the effect of the broccoli stalk xylem on conventional toothless cutters was investigated using broccoli stalks as the cutting object. It was found that a thicker xylem leads to shear force fluctuations, which in turn affects the smooth operation of the cutting device. Taking locust mouthparts as the research object, a bionic multi-tooth cutting method is proposed in this paper to obtain the contour curve based on the locust upper jaw cutting tooth lobe. By establishing the regression equation, the contour curve of the cutting teeth is fitted accurately. The cutter edge is designed with the locust’s maxillary incisive lobe as the bionic object. ANSYS software was used to simulate the cutting of a double disc cutter and broccoli stalk. The effect of each factor was analyzed by response-surface regression to determine the optimal cutter speed, machine forward speed, cutting inclination, blade overlap, and optimal cutting position. The cutting test is verified via broccoli stalks and a cutting test bench to further determine the cutting device operating parameters. The optimal operating parameters of the cutting device were 0.239 m/s forward speed, 30.974-degree cutting edge angle, 10.066 mm blade overlap, and 467.511 rpm.

Alkaloids are a material treasure bestowed on humans by nature owing to their numerous biological activities. Orychophragine D, an alkaloid isolated from the seeds of Orychophragmus violaceus was identified as bearing a novel skeleton and proved to have an excellent radioprotective effect. Different from the common alkaloid structure, the main block of orychophragine D is constructed of an oxotriazine and an oxopiperazine, which are connected in parallel by a C-N bond. In this paper, a preparation method for the novel heterocycle skeleton of orychophragine D is proposed for the first time. N-Boc-L-serine was utilized as the original material to complete the preparation with 11 steps in a 13% overall yield. A hydroxyl group was established on the side chain of the skeleton as the reaction site for researchers to conduct further structural modification or derivatization.

ABSTRACT In view of the fact that the design of the cab structure of wheeled combine harvesters in China lacks ergonomic design parameters exclusive for Chinese drivers, there are generally problems such as high vibration and poor comfort of the whole machine structure during the harvesting process. Firstly, this paper designed the cab structure of a wheeled grain combine harvester based on ergonomics. Then, the driver's handling comfort and visibility were simulated and analyzed using Creo. Finally, the relevant dimensions of the driver's control device were optimized. The results show that the wheeled grain combine harvester cab based on ergonomic design better meets their driving comfort needs. In addition, it is found that the operating frequencies of the key components, such as the main shaft of the conveyor spindle, the vibrating screen, the threshing drum, and the intermediate shaft of the engine, partially overlap with the frequency of human discomfort. Therefore, modal planning is also needed for this harvester to meet human comfort requirements better. This paper provides the basic parameters for the design of the cab structure of the combine harvester with high comfort for the Chinese harvesting machinery driver.

PurposeThis study aimed to investigate the prognostic significance of the metastatic lymph node ratio (LNR) in patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs) and to develop and validate nomograms to predict 5-, 7-, and 10-year overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) rates for pNETs after surgical resection.MethodsThe demographics and clinicopathological information of T1-4N0-1M0 pNET patients between 2004 and 2018 were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database. X-tile software was used to determine the best cutoff value for the LNR. Patients were randomly divided into the training and the validation groups. A Cox regression model was used in the training group to obtain independent prognostic factors to develop nomograms for predicting OS and CSS. The concordance index (C-index), calibration curves, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and decision curve analysis (DCA) were used to assess the nomograms. Patients were divided into four groups according to the model scores, and their survival curves were generated by the Kaplan–Meier method.ResultsA total of 806 patients were included in this study. The best cutoff value for the LNR was 0.16. The LNR was negatively correlated with both OS and CSS. Age, sex, marital status, primary site, grade, the LNR and radiotherapy were used to construct OS and CSS nomograms. In the training group, the C-index was 0.771 for OS and 0.778 for CSS. In the validation group, the C-index was 0.737 for OS and 0.727 for CSS. The calibration curves and AUC also indicated their good predictability. DCA demonstrated that the nomograms displayed better performance than the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) TNM staging system (8th edition). Risk stratification indicated that patients with higher risk had a worse prognosis.ConclusionsThe LNR is an independent negative prognostic factor for pNETs. The nomograms we built can accurately predict long-term survival for pNETs after surgery.

Two new compounds, ardisiapunine B (1) and ardisiapunine C (2), were isolated from Ardisia lindleyana D. Dietr. Their structures were examined using HR–ESI–MS, IR, (1D, 2D) NMR spectroscopic analyses, single–crystal X–ray diffraction, and ECD calculation. It was found that the two new compounds belong to unusual oleanane-type triterpenes, with compound 1 bearing an acetal unit and a C–13–C–18 double bond, and compound 2 bearing a C–28 aldehyde group and a C–18–C–19 double bond. The anti-inflammatory properties of compounds 1 and 2 were tested on NO production and cellular morphology using RAW264.7 cells, and their anti-tumor properties were tested on cytotoxic activities, cellular morphology, cell apoptosis, and cell cycle. The results showed that compound 1 exhibited a potent cytotoxicity against HepG2 cell lines with an IC50 of 12.40 μM. Furthermore, it is possible that compound 1 inhibits cell proliferation by blocking the cell G2/M phase and promoting cell apoptosis. Compound 2 exhibited a potential anti-inflammatory activity by decreasing the production of NO in LPS–stimulated RAW264.7 cells. Comparative analysis of the structures of compounds 1 and 2 revealed that the acetal structure and double bond positions were the main differences between them, and these are presumed to be the main reasons for the extreme differences in their cytotoxicity and anti-inflammatory activities. From these new findings, two promising lead compounds were identified for the future development of potential anti–inflammatory or anti–tumor agents.

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have raised great attention, particularly in regions of rapid urbanization. Zhangjiakou and Beijing will jointly host the Winter Olympic Games in 2022, which will likely increase local PFASs pollution and their associated risks over the coming period. In this study, we identified ecological process of PFASs, including sources, environmental fate, and risks, from the Yongding Watershed to the Guanting Reservoir. The concentrations of total 12 PFASs in water of the Guanting Reservoir were higher than that from the Yongding Watershed, with mean of 48.9 and 33.7 ng/L, respectively. The concentrations of PFASs in sediment of the Yongding Watershed and the Guanting Reservoir were similar, with mean of 1.01 and 0.827 ng/g dry weight, respectively. Detected levels of PFASs in the Guanting Reservoir significantly increased during the past eight years, possibly due to an improving economy and a rapidly developed service industry. Moderate PFASs levels in fish of the Guanting Reservoir were detected relative to other lakes and reservoirs. The daily intake of PFASs via fish and water ranged from 4.96 to 15.0 ng/kg bw/day, with higher levels found in children relative to adults. In total, approximately 9.06 kg of PFASs from riverine flow and atmospheric deposition annually entered the Guanting Reservoir. PFASs from the Yongding River significantly contributed to the pollution of Guanting Reservoir, with predominance of perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) in water, and long-chain perfluorinated carboxylic acids (PFCAs) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in sediment in both the Yongding Watershed and the Guanting Reservoir. Most of the PFASs (23.5 kg) were stored in water of the Guanting Reservoir, while the annual storage of PFASs in sediment and fish was only 4.68 × 10−2 kg and 4.36 × 10−2 kg via deposition and accumulation, respectively. The results suggest that water quality management of the Yongding Watershed is necessary for effective control on PFASs pollution in the Guanting Reservoir. Keywords: PFASs, Yongding watershed, Guanting Reservoir, Risk, Ecological process

Knowledge base (KB) is an important aspect in artificial intelligence. One significant challenge faced by KB construction is that it contains many noises, which prevent its effective usage. Even though some KB cleansing algorithms have been proposed, they focus on the structure of the knowledge graph and neglect the relation between the concepts, which could be helpful to discover wrong relations in KB. Motived by this, we measure the relation of two concepts by the distance between their corresponding instances and detect errors within the intersection of the conflicting concept sets. For efficient and effective knowledge base cleansing, we first apply a distance-based model to determine the conflicting concept sets using two different methods. Then, we propose and analyze several algorithms on how to detect and repair the errors based on our model, where we use a hash method for an efficient way to calculate distance. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approaches could cleanse the knowledge bases efficiently and effectively.