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A two-phase closed thermosyphon (TPCT) is introduced to improve fluid temperature distribution in wellbores by utilizing its characteristics of efficient heat transfer. Laboratory experiments show that TPCT in wellbores can heat the upper fluid in wellbores by absorbing the surplus energy of the lower fluid in the wellbore, and no extra energy is consumed. The roles of TPCT are affected by several factors. The type of working media needs to match with the inlet temperature of simulation oil. A filling ratio of 15% is optimal for different TPCT wellbores in experiments. With higher vacuum degree in the TPCT cavity, TPCT has a better role. With higher simulation oil flow rate, the role of TPCT is worse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intracranial epidermoid cyst is a rare pseudotumor of the nervous system, accounting for 0.2%-1.8% of all intracranial tumors. It is usually located in the cerebellopontine Angle or parasellar area, with insipid onset, slow growth and usually less than 2 cm in diameter. Giant epidermoid cysts that invade the bone have rarely been reported in the literature. Herein, we report a case of giant ECs extradural to the parietal bone, penetrating the skull and continuing to expand outward. In addition, a systematic search of four authoritative databases was conducted to collect the relevant reports of giant epidermoid cyst with diameter > 5cm for the first time, and to discuss the clinical and radiographic features of patients with giant epidermoid cyst and the influence of treatment options.

Abnormal regulation of cell signaling pathways on cell survival, proliferation and migration contributes to the development of malignant tumors. Among them, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is one of the most important biomarkers in many types of malignant solid tumors. Its over-expression and mutation status can be served as a biomarker to identify patients who can be benifit from EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors and anti-EGFR monocloncal antibody (mAb) therapy. For decades, researches on EGFR targeted ligands were actively carried out to identify potent candidates for cancer therapy. An ideal EGFR ligand can competitively inhibit the binding of endogenous growth factor, such as epidermal growth factor (EGF) and transforming growth factor-α(TGF-α) to EGFR, thus block EGFR signaling pathway and downregulate EGFR expression. Alternatively, conjugation of EGFR ligands on drug delivery systems (DDS) can facilitate targeting delivery of therapeutics or diagnostic agents to EGFR over-expression tumors via EGFR-mediated endocytosis. GE11 peptide is one of the potent EGFR ligand screened from a phage display peptide library. It is a dodecapeptide that can specifically binds to EGFR with high affinity and selectivity. GE11 has been widely used in the diagnosis and targeted delivery of drugs for radiotherapy, genetherapy and chemotherpy against EGFR positive tumors. In this review, the critical factors affecting the in vivo and in vitro targeting performance of GE11 peptide, including ligand-receptor intermolecular force, linker bond properties and physiochemical properties of carrier materials, are detailedly interpreted. This review provides a valuable vision for the rational design and optimization of GE11-based active targeting strategies for cancer treatment, and it will promote the translation studies of GE11 from lab research to clinical application., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Recently, the Age-Bleeding-Organ Dysfunction (ABO) algorithm was recommended by the Asian Pacific Society of Cardiology Consensus as a binary approach to evaluate bleeding risk. This analysis made comparison of the predictive performances between the PRECISE-DAPT and ABO bleeding score in identifying the risk of 12-months major bleeding in Chinese elderly patients over 65 years old patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) during dual-antiplatelet therapy period., Methods: A total of 2,037 elderly coronary artery disease (CAD) patients (≥65 years) receiving dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after PCI were enrolled in the study. The predictive accuracy of the two bleeding risk scores (PRECISE-DAPT and ABO) was compared for identifying the risk of bleeding during the dual-antiplatelet therapy in patients who underwent PCI. Major clinically relevant bleeding events were defined according to the Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) criteria., Results: The PRECISE-DAPT score in the no bleeding, BARC = 1 bleeding, BARC ≥ 2 bleeding patients was 23.55 ± 10.46, 23.23 ± 10.03, and 33.54 ± 14.33 ( p < 0.001), respectively. Meanwhile, the ABO score in the three groups was 0.72 ± 0.80, 0.69 ± 0.81, and 1.49 ± 0.99 ( p < 0.001), respectively. The C-statistic of the PRECISE-DAPT model for prediction of BARC ≥ 2 bleeding in overall patients was 0.717 (95% CI, 0.656-0.777) and 0.720 (95% CI, 0.656-0.784) in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients. Similar discriminatory capacity was demonstrated in the ABO risk score [overall, patients, AUC: 0.712 (95% CI, 0.650-0.774); ACS patients, AUC: 0.703 (95% CI, 0.634-0.772)]. No differences were observed when the ABO model was in comparison with the PRECISE-DAPT model, regardless in overall patients ( z = -0.199, p = 0.842) or ACS patients ( z = -0.605, p = 0.545). The calibration for BARC ≥ 2 bleeding of the PRECISE-DAPT and ABO score were acceptable, regardless in overall patients [goodness-of-fit (GOF) Chi-square = 0.432 and 0.001, respectively; p -value = 0.806 and 0.999, respectively] or ACS patients (GOF Chi-square = 0.008 and 0.580, respectively; p -value = 0.996 and 0.748, respectively)., Conclusion: No matter of clinical presentation in Asian 65-years older patients with DAPT, the PRECISE-DAPT, and ABO scores had the similar discriminative ability for 12-months BARC ≥ 2 bleeding. Considering the simplicity and reliability, the PRECISE-DAPT score might be more clinically applicable in the overall population and ACS patients in bleeding prediction., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Dong, Lu, Wensen, Fuzhong, Khalid, Xiaoyu, Guangjuan, Yanxia, Yufeng, Xinjian, Leilei and Junhong.)

Objective: To explore the advantages of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in "prevention" and "control" of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic., Methods: In this paper, we wish to estimate the effect on the virus transmission of scenarios assuming TCM were used to build the first defense line at the very early stage of the spread in Wuhan. We therefore first developed a classic susceptible infected removed (susceptible infected removed, SIR) transmission model based on the national data in China and then updated it to a TCM-SIR model to assess the potential impact of such assumptions, i.e. the underlying risk of lives lost and social economy loss., Results: (a) With the nationwide community lockdown, the risk value was from 90 000 to 250 000 without TCM intervention and the risk value was from 70 000 to 220 000 with TCM intervention; (b) Based the risk assessment method, we forecasted that the infections peak would be 58016 without TCM intervention, which happened on February 17 2020. However, the infections peak would be 45713 with TCM intervention, which happened on 16 February 2020., Conclusions: The adoption of nationwide community lockdown is conducive to timely control the epidemic and protect people's lives and safety. At the same time, we can get lower infections if TCM intervention can be considered. We can also get the benefits from TCM prevention of COVID-19 pandemic by the basic number of infections.

Background: The mechanism of miR-320d in EGFR-positive colorectal cancer (CRC) has not been fully elucidated. The aim of the present study was to explore the molecular mechanism of miR-320d in CRC. Methods: The miRNA microarray analysis was conducted to identify differential expressed miRNAs. The expression of miR-320d was validated using quantitative real-time PCR. EGFR-positive CRC cells were transfected with miR-320d mimic and inhibitor, after which cell proliferation, migration, and invasion were assayed. The relationship between miR-320d and TUSC3 was confirmed using bioinformatics and dual-luciferase reporter gene assays. Proteins involved in signaling pathways and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition were detected with Western blot. Results: We found that the miR-320d expression is associated with tumor size and distant metastasis in colorectal cancer. Overexpression of miR-320d in EGFR-positive HCT-116 and SW480 cells decreased not only the proliferation ability but also the invasion and migration ability. In addition, miR-320d had the ability to inhibit epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Luciferase assays revealed that miR-320d directly targets the 3'-UTR of TUSC3. TUSC3 was downregulated by miR-320d at both the protein and mRNA levels in EGFR-positive CRC cell lines. Conclusion: Generally, our results demonstrated that miR-320d could inhibit the malignant phenotype of EGFR-positive CRC through targeting TUSC3. The miR-320d might be a potential therapeutic target for EGFR-positive CRC., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Yufeng, Ming and Dandan.)

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignant tumor worldwide. The present study was aimed to identify potential hub genes involved in the progression of HCC and investigate its clinical and prognostic significance., Method: First, the dataset GSE76427 was used to construct a co-expression network. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was used to investigate the meaningful module. Then protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) were applied to study hub genes correlated with the HCC progression. The hub gene expression and their prognostic correlation were further analyzed by a series of database. Paraffin-embedded HCC tissues obtained by biopsy from 225 patients were subjected to immunohistochemistry., Result: Twelve co-expressed gene modules were identified using WGCNA. The pink module showed a higher correlation with overall survival years (r = 0.69, P = 0.02). Bioinformatics analysis show the real hub gene was PABPC1 and the PABPC1 mRNA expression was higher in HCC tissues compared with normal tissues. GSEA analysis indicated that PABPC1 expression was associated with P53 signaling pathway. High expression of PABPC1 was correlated with TNM stage (P = 0.004) and serum AFP (P = 0.001). High expression of PABPC1 was correlated with worse overall survival for HCC. Multivariate analysis showed that PABPC1 was an independent prognostic factor for HCC (HR = 4.137, 95%CI: 2.454-6.974, P = 0.001)., Conclusion: In general, PABPC1 may contribute to the progression of HCC. Moreover, PABPC1 has potential to be used as prognostic markers in HCC., (Copyright © 2020 IJS Publishing Group Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide. The aim of this study is to identify candidate genes by bioinformatics and investigate its clinical pathological characters and prognostic significance., Method: First, we identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in CRC by analyzing gene expression datasets from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Then we performed a bioinformatics analysis by using Oncomine, STRING and Oncolnc databases. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was performed using TCGA data set. Then, the protein expression level of PPP2CA was detected by immunohistochemistry in 196 pairs of primary colorectal cancer and corresponding non-tumor tissues., Result: Total 81 differential expressed genes were identified in the overlap of datasets. PPI network show the hub genes were CCND1, PPP2CA and YAP1. We investigated Oncomine databases and found that PPP2CA mRNA expression was lower in CRC tissues compared with normal tissues. Bioinformatics analysis indicated that PPP2CA expression was associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition signaling pathway. Low expression of PPP2CA was associated with T stage, N stage, and M stage. Low expression of PPP2CA was associated with worse overall survival for CRC, and retained significance as an independent prognostic factor for CRC., Conclusion: PPP2CA may act as an oncogene in the progression of colorectal cancer. Moreover, PPP2CA has potential to be used as prognostic markers or therapeutic targets in CRC., (Copyright © 2018 IJS Publishing Group Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Nanoscale inverted pyramid structures (NIPs) have always been regarded as one of the paramount light management schemes to achieve extraordinary performance in various devices, especially in solar cells, due to their outstanding antireflection ability with relative lower surface enhancement ratio. However, current approaches to fabricating NIPs are complicated and not cost-effective for massive cell production in the photovoltaic industry. Here, controllable NIPs are fabricated on crystalline silicon (c-Si) wafers by Ag-catalyzed chemical etching and alkaline modification, which is a preferable all-solution-processed method. Through applying the NIPs to c-Si solar cells and optimizing the cell design, we have successfully achieved highly efficient textured solar cells with NIPs of a champion efficiency of 20.5%. Significantly, these NIPs are further demonstrated to possess a quasi-omnidirectional property over broad sunlight incident angles of approximately 0°-60°. Moreover, NIPs are theoretically revealed to offer light trapping advantages for ultrathin c-Si solar cells. Hence, NIPs formed by a controllable method exhibit great potential to be used in the future photovoltaic industry as surface texture.

Iron and calcium carbonate were added in wastewater treatments as the adjusting agents to improve the contaminant removal performance and regulate the variation of carbon source in integrated treatments. At different temperatures, the addition of the adjusting agents obviously improved the nitrogen and phosphorous removals. TN and TP removals were respectively increased by 29.41% and 23.83% in AC-100 treatment under 1-day HRT. Carbon source from dead algae was supplied as green microbial carbon source and Fe 2+ was supplied as carbon source surrogate. COD concentration was increased to 30mg/L and above, so the problem of the shortage of carbon source was solved. Dead algae and Fe 2+ as carbon source supplement or surrogate played significant role, which was proved by microbial community analysis. According to the denitrification performance in the treatments, dead algae as green microbial carbon source combined with iron and calcium carbonate was the optimal supplement carbon source in wastewater treatment., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) are main contaminants and P removal was restrained by several factors: season, N/P, and chemical compounds (CCs) in water ecosystems. In this paper, two algal ponds combined with constructed wetlands were built to increase the removal performance. Different hydraulic retention time (HRT), different N/P and chemical compounds were chosen to investigate the influences of the above factors on the contaminant removal performance. The optimum phosphorus removal rate was 69.74% under the nitrogen removal of 92.85% in influent containing PO 4 3- after 3-day HRT in algal pond combined with constructed wetlands. The investigation results indicated that these factors improved the nutrient removal efficiencies. Seasonal influence on the removal performance can be avoided by choosing the optimal HRT length of 3days. The higher N/P at 60 can improve the phosphorus removal and the lower N/P at 15 showed the stronger synergistic effect between phosphorus and nitrogen removals. Compared with PO 3 - and P 2 O 7 4- in influent, PO 4 3- affected phosphorus removal more significantly. The better linear fitting between organic phosphorus removal and nitrogen removal in influent contained P 2 O 7 4- was found. Algae can absorb nutrients for growth, and oxygen release, microbial activity intensification and microbial carbon replenishment induced by algae will improve the performance. The study suggested that the control of HRTs, N/Ps, CCs, and algae might be an effective way to improve wastewater treatment performance., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: The Woman's Condom, a second-generation female condom, is currently being manufactured in China by the Shanghai Dahua Medical Apparatus Company. The manufacturer plans to launch the product in China., Methods: A survey and focus group discussions were conducted with 73 women and 57 men from nine potential user groups in the Shanghai area to explore, on the basis of visual inspection of the Woman's Condom and product information, their perceptions and attitudes toward the Woman's Condom and lubricant. The potential user groups were male and female university students, male and female college-educated young people, married women and men, migrant women and men, and women working in the entertainment industry., Results: Female condoms were a new concept for almost all study participants. Women (49%) and men (51%) reported that the Woman's Condom would make "some" or a "great" difference in their lives. Participants reported interest in using the Woman's Condom for sexually transmitted infection (STI) (50%) or dual protection (43%) rather than for pregnancy prevention alone (33%). Findings highlighted comfort, partner approval and lubricant as possible concerns., Conclusions: Product introduction activities should be oriented toward the most likely early adopter groups (i.e. university students, college-educated young people, migrant women and women working in the entertainment industry). Lack of interest in using the new device by married women/men and migrant men may indicate that they do not perceive a need for a dual protection product since they are already using a contraceptive method and/or do not perceive themselves at risk of STIs.

Periodontal disease is characterized by the destruction of periodontal tissues. Various methods of regenerative periodontal therapy, including the use of barrier membranes, bone replacement grafts, growth factors and the combination of these procedures have been investigated. The development of biomaterials for tissue engineering has considerably improved the available treatment options above. They fall into two broad classes: ceramics and polymers. The available ceramic-based materials include calcium phosphate (eg, tricalcium phosphate and hydroxyapatite), calcium sulfate and bioactive glass. The bioactive glass bonds to the bone with the formation of a layer of carbonated hydroxyapatite in situ. The natural polymers include modified polysaccharides (eg, chitosan,) and polypeptides (collagen and gelatin). Synthetic polymers [eg, poly(glycolic acid), poly(L-lactic acid)] provide a platform for exhibiting the biomechanical properties of scaffolds in tissue engineering. The materials usually work as osteogenic, osteoconductive and osteoinductive scaffolds. Polymers are more widely used as a barrier material in guided tissue regeneration (GTR). They are shown to exclude epithelial downgrowth and allow periodontal ligament and alveolar bone cells to repopulate the defect. An attempt to overcome the problems related to a collapse of the barrier membrane in GTR or epithelial downgrowth is the use of a combination of barrier membranes and grafting materials. This article reviews various biomaterials including scaffolds and membranes used for periodontal treatment and their impacts on the experimental or clinical management of periodontal defect.

Background: The Woman's Condom, a second-generation female condom, is poised for introduction in China., Study Design: This single-arm couples' use study was conducted in China in 2010 to assess performance and safety of the Woman's Condom and feasibility of mobile phone technology to record adherence data., Results: Sixty couples were enrolled in this study, and 59 couples completed all four of the condom uses, resulting in 234 condom uses. Two condoms were opened but not used. Total breakage was 0.85% (two non-clinical breakages). Misdirection (2%), invagination (0.85%) and slippage (1%) were consistent with data on condom failure from other studies. Total clinical failure was 4%. Fifteen mild and no serious adverse events were reported during the study., Conclusions: This study has shown that in China, the Woman's Condom performs well. Mobile phones cannot yet replace the use of a coital log and questionnaire. Further work on effectiveness is required.