Search

Globally, Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most common cancer in the male population worldwide, but clinically significant prostate cancer (CSPCa) is more aggressive and causes to more deaths. The authors aimed to construct the risk category based on Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System score version 2.1 (PI-RADS v2.1) in combination with Prostate-Specific Antigen Density (PSAD) to improve CSPCa detection and avoid unnecessary biopsy. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression and receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves were performed to compare the efficacy of the different predictors. The results revealed that PI-RADS v2.1 score and PSAD were independent predictors for CSPCa. Moreover, the combined factor shows a significantly higher predictive value than each single variable for the diagnosis of CSPCa. According to the risk stratification model constructed based on PI-RADS v2.1 score and PSAD, patients with PI-RADS v2.1 score of ≤2, or PI-RADS V2.1 score of 3 and PSA density of

Introduction The thyroid cancer incidence has been increasing all over the world. However, the aetiology of thyroid cancer remains unclear. A growing body of evidence suggested exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) may play a role in the initiation of thyroid cancer, but the results are generally inconsistent across studies. This review aims to synthesise the evidence for the health effects of POPs on the risk of thyroid cancer.Methods and analysis This protocol was reported in accordance to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols (PRISMA) statements. A comprehensive search, including electronic database search (eg, PubMed, Embase, ProQuest and CNKI), website search and manual search, will be performed to identify all eligible studies. The Population, Exposure, Comparator and Outcome framework was used to clarify the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale will be used to assess the quality of included studies. Maximally adjusted effect estimates from individual studies will be summarised with random-effect models in a conservative manner. I2 statistics and Q-tests will be used to test the heterogeneity across studies. We will perform extensive sensitivity analyses, such as confounding risk ratio (confounding), E-value, fixed-effect models, excluding the most relatively weighted study, including only the high-quality studies and many predesigned subgroup analyses, etc. The findings will be reported in accordance to the PRISMA guidelines.Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval is not required in this systematic review of published literatures. The results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at relevant conferences.PROSPERO registration number CRD42020181343.

Background: Currently, some advanced treatments such as Levodopa-Carbidopa intestinal gel infusion (LCIG), deep-brain stimulation (DBS), and subcutaneous apomorphine infusion have become alternative strategies for advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). However, which treatment is better for individual patients remains unclear. This review aims to compare therapeutic effects of motor and/or non-motor symptoms of advanced PD patients between LCIG and DBS.Methods: We manually searched electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library) and reference lists of included articles published until April 04, 2019 using related terms, without language restriction. We included case-controlled cohort studies and randomized-controlled trials, which directly compared differences between LCIG and DBS. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale (NOS), proposed by the Cochrane Collaboration, was utilized to assess the quality of the included studies. Two investigators independently extracted data from each trial. Pooled standard-mean differences (SMDs) and relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by meta-analysis. Outcomes were grouped according to the part III and part IV of the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) and adverse events. We also descriptively reviewed some data, which were unavailable for statistical analysis.Results: This review included five cohort trials of 257 patients for meta-analysis. There were no significant differences between LCIG and subthalamic nucleus deep-brain stimulation (STN-DBS) on UPDRS-III and adverse events comparisons: UPDRS-III (pooled SMDs = 0.200, 95% CI: −0.126–0.527, P = 0.230), total adverse events (pooled RRs = 1.279, 95% CI: 0.983–1.664, P = 0.067), serious adverse events (pooled RRs = 1.539, 95% CI: 0.664–3.566, P = 0.315). Notably, the improvement of UPDRS-IV was more significant in STN-DBS groups: pooled SMDs = 0.857, 95% CI: 0.130–1.584, P = 0.021. However, the heterogeneity was moderate for UPDRS-IV (I2 = 73.8%).Conclusion: LCIG has comparable effects to STN-DBS on motor function for advanced PD, with acceptable tolerability. More large, well-designed trials are needed to assess the comparability of LCIG and STN-DBS in the future.

Abstract Background S100β is a biomarker of astroglial damage, the level of which is significantly increased following brain injury. However, the characteristics of S100β and its association with prognosis in patients with acute ischemic stroke following intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) remain unclear. Methods Patients in this multicenter prospective cohort study were prospectively and consecutively recruited from 16 centers. Serum S100β levels were measured 24 h after IVT. National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and hemorrhagic transformation (HT) were measured simultaneously. NIHSS at 7 days after stroke, final infarct volume, and modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores at 90 days were also collected. An mRS score ≥ 2 at 90 days was defined as an unfavorable outcome. Results A total of 1072 patients were included in the analysis. The highest S100β levels (> 0.20 ng/mL) correlated independently with HT and higher NIHSS at 24 h, higher NIHSS at 7 days, larger final infarct volume, and unfavorable outcome at 3 months. The patients were divided into two groups based on dominant and non-dominant stroke hemispheres. The highest S100β level was similarly associated with the infarct volume in patients with stroke in either hemisphere (dominant: β 36.853, 95% confidence interval (CI) 22.659–51.048, P

Abstract Magnetoelectric materials, which encompass coupled magnetic and electric polarizabilities within a single phase, hold great promises for magnetic controlled electronic components or electric-field controlled spintronics. However, the realization of ideal magnetoelectric materials remains tough due to the inborn competion between ferroelectricity and magnetism in both levels of symmetry and electronic structure. Herein, we introduce a methodology for constructing single phase paramagnetic ferroelectric molecule [TMCM][FeCl4], which shows low-magnetic-field magnetoelectricity at room temperature. By applying a low magnetic field (≤1 kOe), the halogen Cl‧‧‧Cl distance and the volume of [FeCl4]− anions could be manipulated. This structural change causes a characteristic magnetostriction hysteresis, resulting in a substantial deformation of ~10−4 along the a-axis under an in-plane magnetic field of 2 kOe. The magnetostrictive effect is further qualitatively simulated by density functional theory calculations. Furthermore, this mechanical deformation significantly dampens the ferroelectric polarization by directly influencing the overall dipole configuration. As a result, it induces a remarkable α 31 component (~89 mV Oe−1 cm−1) of the magnetoelectric tensor. And the magnetoelectric coupling, characterized by the change of polarization, reaches ~12% under 40 kOe magnetic field. Our results exemplify a design methodology that enables the creation of room-temperature magnetoelectrics by leveraging the potent effects of magnetostriction.

Backgroud Li-Fraumeni syndrome is a hereditary tumor syndrome characterized by an elevated risk of malignancy, particularly acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), which can be caused by the heterozygous germline mutation. TP53 gene germline mutation is considered a potential risk factor and crucial prognostic parameter for acute leukemia development and diagnosis, but rarely occurs in adults, and its specific pathogenic significance in acute leukemia is unclear.Case presentation We describes a case of a 45-year-old woman diagnosed with ALL. Whole-exome sequencing approach identified one of the TP53 germline mutations from her bone marrow sample with possible pathogenic significance, c.848G>A (p.Arg283His) heterozygous missense mutation located on exon 8, which was further verified in her hair, oral mucous and nail samples. Family pedigree screening revealed that the same TP53 genetic variant was present in the patient's father and non-donor son, whereas not in the donor. Digital PCR observed that this point mutation frequency dropped post-transplantation but remained low during maintenance therapy when the patient was leukemia-free.Conclusion This suspected Li-Fraumeni syndrome case report with a likely pathogenic heterozygous TP53 variant expands the cancer genetic spectrum. Screening her family members for mutations facilitates identifying the optimal relative donor and avoids unnecessary treatment by monitoring TP53 germline mutations for minimal residual disease following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Its potential roles in hematological malignant tumor development and clinical pathogenic implications necessitate further probing.

Background: Prophylactic antibacterial drugs are used for patients with liver cirrhosis and upper gastrointestinal bleeding, and independent studies have concluded that they can decrease the rate of infection, mortality, and rebleeding in these diseases. However, no comprehensive assessment of this effect has been reported in recent years and available data pertaining to the prognostic implications of diverse categories of antibiotic prophylaxis in individuals afflicted with cirrhosis are notably limited. The objective of this article is to assess the clinical effectiveness of prophylactic antibacterial drugs for patients with liver cirrhosis and upper gastrointestinal bleeding.Methods: Relevant randomized controlled studies and cohort studies which examined the value of prophylactic antibacterial drugs for patients with liver cirrhosis and upper gastrointestinal bleeding were retrieved via Cochrane Library, EMBASE, MedLine, and Web of Science. The search period was from database inception until 30 April 2023. Summing up the relevant data, the dichotomous variable was statistically analysed using the relative risk (RR) value and its 95% confidence interval (CI) and the continuous variable using the mean difference (MD) value and its 95% CI. All analyses were performed using Revman 5.4 software. The study has been registered on the PROSPERO website under registration number CRD42022343352.Results: Twenty-six studies (18 RCTs and 8 cohort studies, including 13,670 participants) were included to evaluate the effect of antibacterial prophylaxis versus no antibacterial prophylaxis or placebo. Prophylactic antibiotics reduced mortality rates (RR 0.66, 95% CI 0.51–0.83), infection rates (RR 0.41, 95% CI 0.35–0.49), rebleeding rates (RR 0.42, 95% CI 0.31–0.56), and length of hospital stay (MD −5.29, 95% CI −7.53, −3.04). Subgroup analysis revealed that the prophylactic administration of quinolone antimicrobials demonstrated the most favorable efficacy, followed by cephalosporins. Both interventions were effective in averting infections frequently observed in patients with liver cirrhosis and upper gastrointestinal bleeding.Conclusion: Based on our investigation, the prophylactic antibacterial drugs confers noteworthy advantages in patients afflicted by liver cirrhosis with upper gastrointestinal bleeding. It has been associated with reductions in mortality, infection incidence, rebleeding occurrences, and the duration of hospitalization. Among prophylactic antibacterial options, quinolones emerged as the foremost choice, with cephalosporins ranking closely thereafter.Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42022343352, identifier CRD42022343352.

Background: Quantum image processing is rapidly developing in the field of quantum computing, and it can be successfully implemented on the Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) device. Quantum image encryption holds a pivotal position in this domain. However, the encryption process often encounters security vulnerabilities and entails complex computational complexities, thereby consuming substantial quantum resources. To address this, the present study proposes a quantum image encryption algorithm based on four-dimensional chaos.Methods: The classical image is first encoded into quantum information using the Generalized Quantum Image Representation (GQIR) method. Subsequently, the trajectory of the four-dimensional chaotic system is randomized, and multi-dimensional chaotic keys are generated to initially encrypt the pixel values of the image. Then, the Arnold transformation is applied to randomly encrypt the pixel positions, resulting in the encrypted image. During the decryption process, the inverse process of encryption is employed to restore the original image.Results: We simulated this process in the Python environment, and the information entropy analysis experiment showed that the information entropy of the three encrypted images reached above 7.999, so the system has good encryption. At the same time, the correlation of the pixel distribution after the encryption algorithm is weak, which proves that the control parameters of the chaotic system can effectively reduce the correlation between pixels in the image. In the final key space analysis, the key space issued by our encryption can reach $10140\gg 2128$.Conclusion: Our method is resistant to destructive attacks and can produce scrambled images with higher encryption and usability. This algorithm solves the problems of general encryption algorithms such as periodicity, small key space, and vulnerability to statistical analysis, and proposes a reliable and effective encryption scheme. By making full use of the characteristics of Arnold transformation permutation, ergodicity and the randomness of the four-dimensional chaotic system, the encryption algorithm uses the larger key space provided by the four-dimensional Lorenz system.

Objective To observe the injury of intestinal mucosal barrier and the expression of autophagy protein in colon tissue of rats with chronic renal failure. Methods Thirty SPF healthy male SD rats were randomly divided into sham operation group (10 rats) and model group (20 rats). The model group was given adenine 200 mg/(kg·d) by gavage for 4 weeks after left nephrectomy. The general conditions of rats were observed. Serum, renal tissue and colon tissue samples were collected at 4 and 8 weeks after gavage. The levels of serum creatinine, urea nitrogen, TNF-α, IL-6 and LPS were measured by ELISA. Renal and colon tissue were examined by HE staining and microscopy. The protein expressions of LC3, beclin-1, ZO-1 and claudin-1 were detected by Western blot. Results Compared with the sham operation group, the model group rats gradually showed a slow response to external stimuli, slow action, withered and yellow hair color, dull luster, pale conjunctiva and slow weight gain. The levels of serum creatinine, urea nitrogen and inflammatory factors in the model group were all higher than those in the sham operation group, and increased at 8 weeks compared with 4 weeks (P＜0.05). Renal pathology in the model group showed renal tubular dilatation, lymphatic and monocyte infiltration, glomerulosclerosis and interstitial fibrosis. Histopathology of colon in model group showed atrophy and collapse of intestinal villi, infiltration of inflammatory cells in mucosal layer and aggravation of pathological changes, which was more serious at 8 weeks than at 4 weeks. The expression of LC3Ⅱ/Ⅰ, Beclin-1, ZO-1 and Claudin-1 in the model group decreased as compared to those of sham operation group(P＜0.05), and much decreased at 8 weeks as compared with 4 weeks (P＜0.05). Conclusions Autophagy disorder may be a potential mechanism causing intestinal mucosal barrier injury in rats with chronic renal failure.

This article discusses the efficacy of high-voltage, long-duration pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) for the treatment of acute herpes zoster-related trigeminal neuralgia in a patient with a permanent pacemaker. The study focuses on the use of PRF as a neuroregulatory approach for managing herpes zoster neuralgia and postherpetic neuralgia. The authors present a case study of an 83-year-old female patient with intractable trigeminal neuralgia who underwent high-voltage, long-duration PRF treatment, which resulted in immediate pain relief and sustained pain reduction for six months. The article emphasizes the need for comprehensive preoperative evaluation and careful surgical planning when considering this treatment option for patients with permanent pacemakers. Further research is needed to establish the safety and efficacy of this treatment on a larger scale. [Extracted from the article]

Objective: Accurate biomarkers for evaluating mortality rates in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remain scarce. This study aimed to explore the relationships between mortality rates in patients with COPD and blood eosinophil counts, neutrophil counts, and lymphocyte counts, along with the neutrophil--to--lymphocyte ratio (NLR). Additionally, we sought to identify the optimal response values for these biomarkers when utilizing inhaled corticosteroids (ICS). Methods: Utilizing a nationally representative, multistage cross--sectional design and mortality correlation study, we analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999--2018 involving US adults aged 40 years or older with COPD. The primary endpoint was all--cause mortality, with Kaplan--Meier survival curves and restricted cubic splines applied to illustrate the relationship between leukocyte--based inflammatory markers and mortality. The analysis was conducted in 2023. Results: Our analysis included 1,715 COPD participants, representing 6,976,232 non--institutionalized US residents [weighted mean age (SE), 62.09 (0.28) years; range, 40--85 years]. Among the participants, men constituted 50.8% of the population, and the weighted mean follow--up duration was 84.9 months. In the ICS use group, the weighted proportion of participants over 70 years old was significantly higher compared with the non--ICS use group (31.39% vs 25.52%, p < 0.0001). The adjusted hazard ratios for all--cause mortality related to neutrophil counts, lymphocyte counts, and NLR were 1.10 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.04--1.16, p < 0.001], 0.83 (95% CI, 0.71--0.98; p = 0.03), and 1.10 (95% CI, 1.05-- 1.15; p < 0.0001), respectively. Optimal ICS response was linked with higher levels of eosinophil count (≥240 cells/mL), neutrophil count (≥3,800 cells/mL), NLR (≥4.79), and lower levels of lymphocyte count (<2,400 cells/mL). Conclusion: Adjusted baseline neutrophil, lymphocyte counts, and NLR serve as independent risk factors for all--cause mortality in patients with COPD. Further, ICS application appears to mitigate mortality risk, particularly when NLR levels reach 4.79 or higher, underlining the importance of ICS in COPD management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the SM2 digital signature standard,a proxy-protected proxy signature scheme was designed.Through the design of the agent authorization mechanism,the protection of the proxy signer was realized.The proxy signature was realized by the proxy signer who represents the original signer through the improvement of the SM2 digital signature algorithm.The security analysis shows that the designed algorithm is verifiable,identifiable,distinguishable,non-repudiation,and strong unforgeability.Finally,the program was implemented using the C language and the Polarssl library,and the performance was compared with the SM2 digital signature.The analysis shows that the algorithm has good usability in performance.