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Objective To investigate the surgical treatment effect of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) combined with bile duct tumor thrombus and the impact of Satoh classification on patient prognosis. Methods The clinical data of 29 patients with HCC combined with bile duct tumor thrombus who underwent radical surgery (anatomical liver resection/irregular liver resection + bile duct incision and embolectomy) in the Affiliated Huai'an No.1 People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from January 2010 to October 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. According to Satoh classification, there were 9 cases of type Ⅰ, 6 cases of type Ⅱ, and 14 cases of type Ⅲ. Results All 29 patients successfully completed the operation, with perioperative death in 1 case (type Ⅲ) and loss to follow-up in 1 case (type Ⅱ). The overall 1-year and 3-year survival rates of patients after surgery were 60.7% and 53.6%, respectively. The 1-year disease-free survival rates of types Ⅰ, Ⅱ, and Ⅲ were 6/9, 3/5, and 6/14, respectively, and the 3-year disease-free survival rates were 5/9, 2/5, and 3/14, respectively. Conclusion For HCC patients combined with bile duct tumor thrombus, active anatomical liver resection/irregular liver resection + bile duct incision and embolectomy can achieve good surgical results. Satoh classification has certain guiding significance for judging patient prognosis.

Background To better address the problems and challenges facing primary health care services in China, China's National Health Commission and the Gates Foundation have been collaborated to implement primary health care projects in areas such as Shanxi Province, Hubei Province, and part of the rural areas of Henan Province from 2017 to 2022. The overall goal of the project is to explore an effective model for basic health care services and to contribute to health poverty alleviation, which will enhance experience sharing within China and benefit other developing countries. Objective To summarize the experience of implementing person-centered integrated health management project in rural populations with priority diseases, represented by hypertension and diabetes. Methods The collection of information and data for the person-centered integrated health management project encompassed multiple sources, including hospital information system, statistical reporting information, basic public health information system, qualitative interviews, patient surveys, physician surveys and quality surveys of medical records. Descriptive statistical analysis as well as before-and-after comparisons were used as the main evaluation methods. Results The proportion of patients with hypertension and diabetes under standardized management increased steadily, the average hospitalization cost of inpatients decreased, with a gradual increase in healthy living behaviors and a significant improvement medication adherence. In terms of health outcomes, the control rate of hypertension improved significantly but the control rate for blood glucose did not change significantly. Conclusion The service concept and capacity of person-centered integrated health management for priority diseases have been significantly improved. The relevant measures have been transformed into policies to be promoted and implemented in the project areas. Various types of experts are the key factors in promoting the implementation of the project, the sustainability of the measures needs to be maintained.

The acoustic signals generated by power equipment such as converter transformers and AC filters tend to contain crucial status information. Traditional methods relying on manual auscultation to locate equipment faults suffer from subjectivity， low efficiency， and limited reliability. Therefore， a novel approach is proposed， utilizing mobile microphone arrays for abnormal sound source localization. The derivation of the error formula for the translated short-time Fourier transform （STFT） quantitatively assesses the reasonable range of array movement speed and sampling time. In the frequency domain， a positional function relationship between the mobile microphone array and the sound source is established. Building upon this new function relationship， the traditional beamforming algorithm is optimized. A triangulation method is introduced to address the limitation of the beamforming algorithm， which can only determine direction， enabling precise localization of abnormal sound sources in converter stations. Based on on-site test data， a simulation model is constructed to validate the accuracy of the approach for localizing abnormal sound sources in converter stations using mobile microphone arrays.

The application of biogas and biomass charcoal to terrestrial crops and vegetables can promote their growth. The effects of the combined application of the two on soil carbon and nitrogen fractions and soil microbiological properties are not well-studied. Therefore, in this experiment, the red and yellow soil of Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, was used as the research object, and two factors, biomass charcoal and biogas, were set up to investigate the soil changes under the conditions of biomass charcoal-biogas application. One-way ANOVA and correlation analysis examined the differences in soil and crop radish under biomass charcoal-biogas application technology. The experimental results showed that the 2% application of hog manure charcoal at 350°C and 100% N amount of replacement of biosolids dosing treatments were the most effective, which could increase the content of organic matter, soluble organic carbon, etc., as well as the content of nitrogen in the soil, and improve the activity of soil enzymes. The enhancement of radish yield was greater with the application of swine manure charcoal with biogas than with the single application of both, and the maximum radish yield was achieved with the 100% N amount substitution of biogas with the application of swine manure charcoal at 2%-350°C treatment. The heavy metal contents in radish were below the limit values after 9 months of application of both biogas and biomass charcoal, which did not affect the edible safety of radish.

Selenium-binding protein 1 (SELENBP1) is frequently dysregulated in various malignancies including colorectal cancer (CRC); however, its roles in progression of CRCs and the underlying mechanism remain to be elucidated. In this study, we compared the expression of SELENBP1 between CRCs and colorectal normal tissues (NTs), as well as between primary and metastatic CRCs; we determined the association between SELENBP1 expression and CRC patient prognoses; we conducted both in vitro and in vivo experiments to explore the functional roles of SELENBP1 in CRC progression; and we characterized the potential underlying mechanisms associated with SELENBP1 activities. We found that the expression of SELENBP1 was significantly and consistently decreased in CRCs than that in adjacent NTs, while significantly and frequently decreased in metastatic than primary CRCs. High expression of SELENBP1 was an independent predictor of favorable prognoses in CRC patients. Overexpression of SELENBP1 suppressed, while silencing of SELENBP1 promoted cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and in vivo tumorigenesis of CRC. Mechanically, SELENBP1 may suppress CRC progression by inhibiting the epithelial–mesenchymal transition.

Cryptosporidium is a globally distributed zoonotic protozoan parasite that can cause severe diarrhea in humans and animals. L-type lectins are carbohydrate-binding proteins involved in multiple pathways in animals and plants, including protein transportation, secretion, innate immunity, and the unfolded protein response signaling pathway. However, the biological function of the L-type lectins remains unknown in Cryptosporidium parvum. Here, we preliminarily characterized an L-type lectin in C. parvum (CpLTL) that contains a lectin-leg-like domain. Immunofluorescence assay confirmed that CpLTL is located on the wall of oocysts, the surface of the mid-anterior region of the sporozoite and the cytoplasm of merozoites. The involvement of CpLTL in parasite invasion is partly supported by experiments showing that an anti-CpLTL antibody could partially block the invasion of C. parvum sporozoites into host cells. Moreover, the recombinant CpLTL showed binding ability with mannose and the surface of host cells, and competitively inhibited the invasion of C. parvum. Two host cell proteins were identified by proteomics which should be prioritized for future validation of CpLTL-binding. Our data indicated that CpLTL is potentially involved in the adhesion and invasion of C. parvum.

Chinese students nowadays have more opportunities to engage in interactions with people from different cultures, but meanwhile, their performance in authentic intercultural communications may be impeded by a variety of barriers. In this study, we qualitatively explored and summarized various types of barriers of intercultural communication as perceived by 40 Chinese students, based on Rozkwitalska’s (2010) model. The findings revealed a series of universal barriers that coincided previous studies (e.g., lack of confidence, shyness, feelings of remoteness, nonproficient use of functional language), and enriched Rozkwitalska’s (2010) model with newly identified barriers (e.g., lack of stress tolerance, self-centered communication, protection of face, discrepant performance concerning SES and age). Our study examined intercultural communications in a more comprehensive manner and made an attempt to develop a well-established, coherent frame of theory-building in international education research. Practical implications for educators and schools are discussed.

Gap junction protein, alpha 1 (GJA1), which is correlated with recurrences and unfavorable prognoses in hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs), is one of the specific proteins expressed by activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs).

Little is known about the functional roles of gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor subunit delta (GABRD) in colorectal cancer (CRC). The expression of GABRD between CRCs and adjacent normal tissues (NTs), metastasis and primary tumors was compared using public transcriptomic datasets. A tissue microarray and immunohistochemical staining (IHC) were used to determine the clinical and prognostic significance of the GABRD in CRC. We used gain-of-function and loss-of-function experiments to investigate the in vitro roles of GABRD in cultured CRC cells. We characterized the potential mechanism of GABRD’s activities in CRC using a Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) with The Cancer Genome Atlas Colon Adenocarcinoma (TCGA-COAD) dataset. We found that the GABRD expression was significantly increased in CRCs compared to that in NTs, but was similar between metastasis and primary tumors. Overexpression of GABRD was significantly associated with later pTNM stages and unfavorable patient survival. Overexpression of GABRD accelerated while knock-down of GABRD inhibited cell growth and migration. Mechanistically, the function of GABRD might be ascribed to its influence on major oncogenic events such as epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), angiogenesis, and hedgehog signaling. Collectively, GABRD could be a novel prognostic predictor for CRC that deserves further investigation.

Cryptosporidium spp., Enterocytozoon bieneusi and Giardia duodenalis are significant zoonotic intestinal pathogens that can cause gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea and induce a host immune response. A total of 1237 fecal samples were collected from laboratory rodents (rats, mice and guinea pigs) from four different locations in China to investigate the infection rates and molecular characterization of these pathogens on experimental animals. Genomic DNA was extracted from each sample, and PCR amplifications were done. Overall, the Cryptosporidium spp. infection rate was 3.8% (47/1237). Four known Cryptosporidium species were identified, namely C. parvum, C. muris, C. tyzzeri and C. homai, the three former being zoonotic species. The overall E. bieneusi infection rate was 3.0% (37/1237). Seven known E. bieneusi genotypes, namely S7, BEB6, J, Henan-IV, CHG10, D and WL6, were detected by sequence analysis. Among these, genotypes D, Henan-IV and CHG10 have a high zoonotic risk. Giardia duodenalis was not detected at any of the three loci (SSU rRNA, bg and gdh) after PCR amplification. This study provides basic data for these pathogens in laboratory rodents in China and lays the foundation for their prevention and control in laboratory animals.

Rational manipulation and assembly of discrete colloidal particles into architected superstructures have enabled several applications in materials science and nanotechnology. Optical manipulation techniques, typically operated in fluid media, facilitate the precise arrangement of colloidal particles into superstructures by using focused laser beams. However, as the optical energy is turned off, the inherent Brownian motion of the particles in fluid media impedes the retention and reconfiguration of such superstructures. Overcoming this fundamental limitation, we present on-demand, three-dimensional (3D) optical manipulation of colloidal particles in a phase-change solid medium made of surfactant bilayers. Unlike liquid crystal media, the lack of fluid flow within the bilayer media enables the assembly and retention of colloids for diverse spatial configurations. By utilizing the optically controlled temperature-dependent interactions between the particles and their surrounding media, we experimentally exhibit the holonomic microscale control of diverse particles for repeatable, reconfigurable, and controlled colloidal arrangements in 3D. Finally, we demonstrate tunable light-matter interactions between the particles and 2D materials by successfully manipulating and retaining these particles at fixed distances from the 2D material layers. Our experimental results demonstrate that the particles can be retained for over 120 days without any change in their relative positions or degradation in the bilayers. With the capability of arranging particles in 3D configurations with long-term stability, our platform pushes the frontiers of optical manipulation for distinct applications such as metamaterial fabrication, information storage, and security.

A growing body of research has examined the relations of dispositions toward information and communication technology (ICT) to intercultural competence among university students. However, there is little research exploring the associations between ICT-related dispositions and intercultural competence among adolescent students. The mechanism of such relationships also remains unknown. Therefore, from a self-determination theory perspective, this study investigated the relationships of perceived autonomy, competence, and relatedness in ICT usage with global competence--intercultural knowledge, skills and attitudes--among 17,055 15-year-old students from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan in PISA 2018. Results of Multilevel Structural Equation Modelling (MSEM) analyses indicated that perceived autonomy in ICT use, perceived competence in ICT use and perceived relatedness in ICT use all positively affected intercultural knowledge, skills and attitudes. Further, the results of the study revealed that the use of social media was a partial mediator in the relationship between perceived autonomy/competence in ICT use and intercultural knowledge/skills; and between perceived relatedness/competence in ICT use and intercultural attitudes. Our findings emphasized the importance of satisfying students' ICT-related needs and acknowledged the role of the use of social media in cultivating their global competence. Implications for teachers, schools and parents were discussed.

The bloom of technologies has witnessed the urgent need to develop high quality STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education. For this reason, there has been increasing emphases on understanding how STEM teachers perceive about STEM education, which would directly influence their classroom instructions. Scholars have designed and implemented interventions aiming at promoting STEM perceptions of teachers at different teaching levels. Yet a synthesis of these studies is necessary to provide an overall evaluation of the effectiveness of these interventions to help both teachers and teacher educators make better decisions in STEM implementation. A meta-analysis of 23 relevant empirical studies was conducted to examine the magnitudes of the relationships between STEM interventions/programs and teachers' STEM perceptions. Overall, all types of interventions reviewed in this study were found to be effective in developing teachers' perceptions about STEM knowledge, STEM teaching skills, and student STEM learning. The strongest effect of curriculum-based interventions and interventions focusing on professional development was observed on the improvement of teachers' STEM knowledge. Further moderator analyses showed that in-service teachers were inclined to benefit more from interventions in both STEM knowledge and STEM teaching skill perceptions. Findings were discussed in STEM teacher education contexts.