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Abstract Chirality constitutes an inherent attribute of nature. The catalytic asymmetric synthesis of molecules with central, axial, and helical chirality is a topic of intense interest and is becoming a mature field of research. However, due to the difficulty in synthesis and the lack of a prototype, less attention has been given to planar chirality arising from the destruction of symmetry on a single planar ring. Herein, we report the catalytic asymmetric synthesis of planar-chiral dianthranilides, a unique class of tub-shaped eight-membered cyclic dilactams. This protocol is enabled by cinchona alkaloid-catalyzed (dynamic) kinetic resolution. Under mild conditions, various C 2 - or C 1 -symmetric planar-chiral dianthranilides have been readily prepared in high yields with excellent enantioselectivity. These dianthranilides can serve as an addition to the family of planar-chiral molecules. Its synthetic value has been demonstrated by kinetic resolution of racemic amines via acyl transfer, enantiodivergent synthesis of the natural product eupolyphagin, and preliminary antitumor activity studies.

Abstract A mechanism of the heavy quark dominance in the orbital excitation is proposed in this paper which is testified to be reasonable for singly and doubly heavy baryons. In the relativistic quark model, an analysis of the Hamiltonian figures out the mechanism that the excitation mode with lower energy levels is always associated with the heavy quark(s), and the splitting of the energy levels is suppressed by the heavy quark(s). So, the heavy quarks dominate the orbital excitation of singly and doubly heavy baryons. Furthermore, a physical understanding of this mechanism is given in a semi-classical way. Accordingly, the predicted mass spectra of singly and doubly heavy baryons confirm the rationality of this mechanism. In addition, an interesting consequence of this mechanism is that a heavy-light meson is more likely to be produced in the strong decay of the high-orbital excited states, which is supported by experiments. This mechanism is rooted in the breakdown of the mass symmetry. Therefore, it may be also valid for other multi-quark systems, such as the tetraquarks Qqqq and QQqq, or the pentaquarks Qqqqq and QQqqq.

Detoxification genes are crucial to insect resistance against chemical pesticides, yet their expression may be altered by exposure to biopesticides such as spores and insecticidal proteins of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Increased enzymatic levels of selected detoxification genes, including glutathione S-transferase (GST), cytochrome P450 (CYP450), and carboxylesterase (CarE), were detected in chlorantraniliprole (CAP)-resistant strains of the diamondback moth (DBM, Plutella xylostella) from China when compared to a reference susceptible strain. These CAP-resistant DBM strains displayed distinct expression patterns of GST 1, CYP6B7, and CarE-6 after treatment with CAP and a Bt pesticide (Bt-G033). In particular, the gene expression analysis demonstrated significant upregulation of the CYP6B7 gene in response to the CAP treatment, while the same gene was downregulated following the Bt-G033 treatment. Downregulation of CYP6B7 using RNAi resulted in increased susceptibility to CAP in resistant DBM strains, suggesting a role of this gene in the resistant phenotype. However, pretreatment with a sublethal dose of Bt-G033 inducing the downregulation of CYP6B7 did not significantly increase CAP potency against the resistant DBM strains. These results identify the DBM genes involved in the metabolic resistance to CAP and demonstrate how their expression is affected by exposure to Bt-G033.

Abstract Background The continuously developing pesticide resistance is a great threat to agriculture and human health. Understanding the mechanisms of insecticide resistance is a key step in dealing with the phenomenon. Insect cuticle is recently documented to delay xenobiotic penetration which breaks the previous stereotype that cuticle is useless in insecticide resistance, while the underlying mechanism remains scarce. Results Here, we find the integument contributes over 40.0% to insecticide resistance via different insecticide delivery strategies in oriental fruit fly. A negative relationship exists between cuticle thickening and insecticide penetration in resistant/susceptible, also in field strains of oriental fruit fly which is a reason for integument-mediated resistance. Our investigations uncover a regulator of insecticide penetration that miR-994 mimic treatment causes cuticle thinning and increases susceptibility to malathion, whereas miR-994 inhibitor results in opposite phenotypes. The target of miR-994 is a most abundant cuticle protein (CPCFC) in resistant/susceptible integument expression profile, which possesses capability of chitin-binding and influences the cuticle thickness-mediated insecticide penetration. Our analyses find an upstream transcriptional regulatory signal of miR-994 cascade, long noncoding RNA (lnc19419), that indirectly upregulates CPCFC in cuticle of the resistant strain by sponging miR-994. Thus, we elucidate the mechanism of cuticular competing endogenous RNAs for regulating insecticide penetration and demonstrate it also exists in field strain of oriental fruit fly. Conclusions We unveil a regulatory axis of lnc19419 ~ miR-994 ~ CPCFC on the cuticle thickness that leads to insecticide penetration resistance. These findings indicate that competing endogenous RNAs regulate insecticide resistance by modulating the cuticle thickness and provide insight into the resistance mechanism in insects.

To find superior guidance strategies for preventing possible interception threats from space debris, out-of-control satellites, etc., this paper investigates an orbital pursuit–evasion–defense game problem with three players called the pursuer, the evader, and the defender, respectively. In this game, the pursuer aims to intercept the evader, while the evader tries to escape the pursuer. A defender accompanying the evader can protect the evader by actively intercepting the pursuer. For such a game, a linear-quadratic duration-adaptive (LQDA) strategy is first proposed as a basic strategy for the three players. Later, an advanced pursuit strategy is designed for the pursuer to evade the defender when they are chasing the evader. Meanwhile, a cooperative evasion–defense strategy is proposed for the evader and the defender to build their cooperation. Simulations determined that the proposed LQDA strategy has higher interception accuracy than the classic LQ strategy. Meanwhile, the proposed two-sided pursuit strategy can improve the interception performance of the pursuer against a non-cooperative defender. But if the evader and defender employ the proposed cooperation strategy, the pursuer’s interception will be much more difficult.

Abstract Inspired by recent progresses in observations of the fully charmed tetraquark states by LHCb, CMS, and ATLAS collaborations, we perform a systematic study of the ground states and the first radial excitations of the S- and P-wave $$\textrm{cc}\bar{\textrm{c}}\bar{\textrm{c}}$$ cc c ¯ c ¯ system. Their mass spectra, root mean square (r.m.s.) radii and radial density distributions are studied with the relativized quark model. The calculations show that there is no stable bound states for the fully charmed tetraquark states, and the r.m.s. radii of these tetraquark states are smaller than 1 fm. Our results support assigning X(6600) structure, M $$_{X(6600)}=6552\pm 10\pm 12$$ X ( 6600 ) = 6552 ± 10 ± 12 MeV, as one of the $$0^{++}$$ 0 + + (1S) and $$2^{++}$$ 2 + + (1S) states or their mixtures. Another structure also named as X(6600) by CMS Collaboration, M $$_{X(6600)}=6.62\pm 0.03^{+0.02}_{-0.01}$$ X ( 6600 ) = 6.62 ± 0 . 03 - 0.01 + 0.02 GeV, may arise from the lowest 1P states with $$J^{PC}=0^{-+}$$ J PC = 0 - + , $$1^{-+}$$ 1 - + , and $$2^{-+}$$ 2 - + . The possible assignments for X(6900) include the $$0^{++}$$ 0 + + (2S), $$2^{++}$$ 2 + + (2S) states, and the highest 1P state with $$J^{PC}=0^{-+}$$ J PC = 0 - + . As for X(7200), it can be interpreted as one of the highest 2P states with $$J^{PC}=0^{-+}$$ J PC = 0 - + , $$1^{-+}$$ 1 - + , and $$2^{-+}$$ 2 - + , and the 3S states can not be completely excluded from the candidates.

Based on examination of syntype specimens deposited at P, the lectotype for the name Deutzia setchuenensis Franch. is designated here. By consulting literature and specimen records, the type locality of D. setchuenensis var. longidentata Rehder, ‘Chin-Ting shan’ in the protologue is likely a misspelling of ‘Chiuting shan’ which is now called Jiuding shan located in southern Mao county, Sichuan province. In addition, a new variety, Deutzia setchuenensis var. macrocarpa Q.L.Gan, Z.Y.Li & S.Z.Xu from western Hubei, Central China, is described and illustrated. It differs from other varieties of D. setchuenensis Franch. by the orange anthers, broader outer filaments, obtuse inner filaments, and larger fruits.

A new species Veronica hongii, from western Hubei Province, Central China is described and illustrated. The species is morphologically similar to V. henryi Yamazaki, but mainly differs in the glabrous plant, except pedicels, broadly ovate leaf blades, glandular-pubescent pedicels, obovate calyx lobes, smaller corolla, broadly ovate capsule and much smaller seeds.

Plutella xylostella, a destructive crucifer pest, can rapidly develop resistance to most classes of pesticides. This study investigated the molecular resistance mechanisms to chlorpyrifos, an organophosphate pesticide. Two P. xylostella genes, ace1 and ace2, were described. The nucleotide sequence results revealed no variation in ace2, while the resistant strain (Kar-R) had four amino acid alterations in ace1, two of which (A298S and G324A) were previously shown to confer organophosphate resistance in P. xylostella. In the present study, the 3D model structures of both the wild-type (Gu-S) and mutant (Kar-R) of P. xylostella ace1 strains were studied through molecular dynamics (MDs) simulations and molecular docking. Molecular dynamics simulations of RMSD revealed less structural deviation in the ace1 mutant than in its wild-type counterpart. Higher flexibility in the 425–440 amino acid region in the mutant active site (Glu422 and Acyl pocket) increased the active site’s entropy, reducing the enzyme’s affinity for the inhibitors. Gene expression analysis revealed that the relative transcription levels of ace1 were significantly different in the Kar-R strain compared with the Gu-S strain. This study enhances the understanding of the mechanisms governing ace1′s resistance to insecticide and provides essential insights for new insecticides as well as valuable insights into environmentally conscious pest management techniques.

Abstract Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) has become curable over 95% patients under a complete chemo-free treatment with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and arsenic trioxide in low-risk patients. Minimizing chemotherapy has proven feasible in high-risk patients. We evaluated oral arsenic and ATRA without chemotherapy as an outpatient consolidation therapy and no maintenance for high-risk APL. We conducted a multicenter, single-arm, phase 2 study with consolidation phases. The consolidation therapy included Realgar–Indigo naturalis formula (60 mg/kg daily in an oral divided dose) in a 4-week-on and 4-week-off regimen for 4 cycles and ATRA (25 mg/m2 daily in an oral divided dose) in a 2-week-on and 2-week-off regimen for 7 cycles. The primary end point was the disease-free survival (DFS). Secondary end points included measurable resident disease, overall survival (OS), and safety. A total of 54 participants were enrolled at seven centers from May 2019. The median age was 40 years. At the median follow-up of 13.8 months (through April 2022), estimated 2-year DFS and OS were 94% and 100% in an intention-to-treat analysis. All the patients achieved complete molecular remission at the end of consolidation phase. Two patients relapsed after consolidation with a cumulative incidence of relapse of 6.2%. The majority of adverse events were grade 1–2, and only three grade 3 adverse events were observed. Oral arsenic plus ATRA without chemotherapy was active as a first-line consolidation therapy for high-risk APL. Trial registration: chictr.org.cn number, ChiCTR1900023309.

Trichosporeae is the largest and most taxonomically difficult tribe of Gesneriaceae due to its diverse morphology. Previous studies have not clarified the phylogenetic relationships within this tribe on several DNA markers, including the generic relationships within subtribes. Recently, plastid phylogenomics have been successfully employed to resolve the phylogenetic relationships at different taxonomic levels. In this study, plastid phylogenomics were used to explore the relationships within Trichosporeae. Eleven plastomes of Hemiboea were newly reported. Comparative analyses, phylogeny and morphological character evolution within Trichosporeae were conducted on 79 species representing seven subtribes. The Hemiboea plastomes range from 152,742 bp to 153,695 bp in length. Within Trichosporeae, the sampled plastomes range from 152,196 bp to 156,614 bp and GC content from 37.2% to 37.8%. A total of 121–133 genes were annotated in each species, including 80–91 protein-coding genes, 34–37 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. The contraction and expansion of IR borders were not detected, and gene rearrangements and inversions did not occur. The 13 hypervariable regions were proposed as the potential molecular markers for species identification. A total of 24,299 SNPs and 3,378 indels were inferred, and most of the SNPs were functionally missense and silent variations. There were 1968 SSRs, 2055 tandem repeats and 2802 dispersed repeats. The RSCU and ENC values indicated that the codon usage pattern was conserved in Trichosporeae. Both the phylogenetic frameworks based on the whole plastome and 80 CDSs were basically concordant. The sister relationships between Loxocarpinae and Didymocarpinae were confirmed, and Oreocharis was a sister group of Hemiboea with high support. The morphological characters showed a complex evolutionary pattern of Trichosporeae. Our findings may contribute to future research on genetic diversity, morphological evolutionary patterns, and conservation of the tribe Trichosporeae.

Motivated by great progresses in experiments in searching for the heavy baryons, we systematically analyze the mass spectra and root mean square radius of single heavy baryons ΛQ, ΣQ and ΩQ. The calculations of the mass spectra are carried out in the frame work of relativized quark model, where the baryon is regarded as a three-body system of quarks. Our results show that the mass of single heavy baryon with λ-mode is lower than those of the ρ-mode and λ-ρ mixing mode, which indicates that the lowest state is dominated by the λ-mode. Basing on this research, we systematically calculate the mass spectra and the root mean square radius of the baryons with λ excited mode. With these predicated mass spectra, the Regge trajectories in the (J, M2) plane are constructed, and the slopes, intercepts of the Regge trajectories are obtained by linear fitting. It is found that all available experimental data are well reproduced by model predictions and fit nicely to the constructed Regge trajectories.

A new species, Prunus wangii Q.L.Gan, Z.Y.Li & S.Z.Xu from western Hubei, Central China is described and illustrated. It is morphologically similar to P. clarofolia Schneid. and P. pseudocerasus Lindl., but differs in larger height, nearly erect branches, densely and horizontally arranged lenticels, straight lateral veins of leaves, persistent brownish bracts, reflexed and entire calyx lobes, 2-lobed petals with narrowly triangular sinus, earlier flowering and broadly ellipsoid fruits. Furthermore, P. wangii blooms in late February and the colour of flower changes with time, which makes it possible to be a new breeding material for ornamental cherry with early spring blooms.

Background: Compared with other subtypes, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is more aggressive and has a lower survival rate with chemotherapy being the only acknowledged systemic treatment option. Recently, PD-1/PD-L1 (programmed cell death-1 and programmed death-ligand 1) inhibitors have demonstrated survival benefits in locally advanced or metastatic TNBC patients. However, the effects of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in neoadjuvant chemotherapy remain controversial. Methods: Extensive literature searches were conducted in the PubMed, Embase and Cochrane databases. A pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) was analyzed. Results: Seven randomized controlled trials (N = 1707) were included. PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor chemotherapy group showed pathological complete response (pCR) benefit of 59.0% vs. 40.4% (OR 1.98, 95% CI 1.38–2.82, p < 0.001). Hematological adverse events were similar. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of anemia (OR 1.25, 95% CI 0.93–1.68, p = 0.14; I2 = 0%, p = 0.99) or neutropenia (OR 1.00, 95% CI 0.82–1.21, p = 0.96; I2 = 0%, p = 0.70). Conclusions: Adding PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors to neoadjuvant chemotherapy can improve pCR rates in TNBC patients without increasing hematological toxicities. The data suggests that PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors may be a viable option for patients with TNBC.

Age/autoimmunity-associated B cells (ABCs) are a novel B cell subpopulation with a unique transcriptional signature and cell surface phenotype. They are not sensitive to BCR but rely on TLR7 or TLR9 in the context of T cell-derived cytokines for the differentiation. It has been established that aberrant expansion of ABCs is linked to the pathogenesis of systemic autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus. Recently, we and other groups have shown that increased ABCs is associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease activity and have demonstrated their pathogenic role in RA, indicating that targeting specific B cell subsets is a promising strategy for the treatment of inflammatory arthritis. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of ABCs, focusing on their emerging role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory arthritis. A deep understanding of the biology of ABCs in the context of inflammatory settings in vivo will ultimately contribute to the development of novel targeted therapies for the treatment of inflammatory arthritis.

Background: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy has become the standard treatment for patients with locally advanced breast cancer. However, patients with hormone receptor positive (especially human epidermal growth receptor 2 negative) breast cancer show low response rate to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Whether neoadjuvant chemo-endocrine therapy (NCET) can improve the pathological complete response (pCR) rate of these patients remains controversial. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases. Pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) was calculated. Results: Five randomized controlled trials were included (N = 566). NCET did not significantly improve pCR (OR 1.35, 95% CI 0.77–2.38, p = 0.30). Conclusions: NCET did not to improve the pCR rates in patients with hormone receptor positive breast cancer.

ObjectivesFibrinogen A alpha-chain amyloidosis (AFib amyloidosis) is the most common form of hereditary renal amyloidosis in the United Kingdom and Europe, but has rarely been reported in Asia. In this study, we reported two AFib amyloidosis patients in China, reviewing the literature and summarizing main characteristics of AFib amyloidosis in Asia.MethodsTwo unrelated Chinese patients were diagnosed with AFib amyloidosis by clinical presentation, renal biopsy, mass spectrometry and DNA sequencing in Peking University First Hospital of China from 2014 to 2016.ResultsBoth of the patients presented with proteinuria, edema and hypertension. Renal biopsies of two patients showed extensive amyloid deposits (Congo red positive) in glomeruli, and focal tubulointerstitial amyloid deposits was also found in patient 1. Besides, hepatic involvement of amyloidosis has been detected by liver biopsy in patient 1. By electron microscopy, randomly arranged fibrils in a diameter of 8–12 nm was identified in mesangial matrix and subendothelial area of glomeruli. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated amyloid deposits were strongly positive for fibrinogen Aα in glomeruli and positive for LECT2 in the interstitium of renal medulla and the liver in Patient 1. Unevenly positive staining for both fibrinogen Aα and ApoA-I were found in Patient 2. Fibrinogen Aα was the most abundant amyloidogenic protein in both patients identified by laser microdissection and mass spectrometry-based proteomic analysis. Genetic analysis revealed the fibrinogen A a-chain gene (FGA) mutation in both patients, including a new deletion mutation [c.1639delA (p.Arg547Glyfs*21; NM_000508)] in Patient 2. Genetic analysis of the LECT2 gene in patient 1 revealed a codon change from ATC to GTC at position 172 [c.172A>G (p.Ile58Val; NM_002302)], which is a common polymorphism (SNP rs31517) in all ALECT2 amyloidosis patients.ConclusionsWe reported two AFib amyloidosis patients in China, one of them coexisted with ALECT2 amyloidosis simultaneously.

Astragali Radix polysaccharides (APSs) have a wide range of biological activities. Our preliminary experiment showed that APS-Ⅱ (10 kDa) was the main immunologically active component of APSs. However, the characteristic structure related to activity of APS-Ⅱ needs further verification and clarification. In this study, APS-II was degraded by endo α-1,4-glucosidase. The degraded products with different degrees of polymerization [1–3 (P1), 3–6 (P2), 7–14 (P3), and 10–18 (P4)] were obtained using a polyacrylamide gel chromatography column. The structural features of the different products were characterized by HPGPC, monosaccharide composition, Fourier transform infrared spectrum, GC–MS, nuclear magnetic resonance, and UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS analysis. Specific immune and non-specific immune cell tests were used to identify the most immunogenic fractions of the products. The backbone of P4 was speculated to be α-D-1,4-linked glucans and rich in C2 (25.34%) and C6 (34.54%) branches. Immune screening experiments indicated that the activity of P4 was better than that of APS-II and the other three components. In this research, the relationship between the structure of APS-Ⅱ and the immune activity from the degradation level of polysaccharides was studied, laying a foundation for the quality control and product development of APSs.

A new species, Petrocosmea nanchuanensis Z.Y. Liu, Z.Y. Li & Z.J. Qiu from Mt. Jinfo at Banhe valley of Nanchuan District in Chongqing Municipality (China) is described and illustrated for the first time. Even though this new species is similar to Petrocosmea barbata, it has several significant morphological differences, which includes smaller leaves, repand leaf margin, densely appressed longer pubescences on both surfaces of leaves, larger flower with length of its lower lips about three times longer than that of the upper lips, oblong lower lip lobes, shorter pistil, ovate anthers and styles that are shortly pubescent or approximately glabrous above the middle. The distinct features of P. nanchuanensis and four relative species namely, P. barbata, P. longipedicellata, P. cavaleriei and P. xanthomaculata were also represented in depth. However, P. nanchuanensis is most closely related to P. barbata, based on molecular studies.

In this study, a networked spatiotemporal chaotic map model is proposed based on the traditional coupled map lattice system. In addition, the time delay and variable topology parameters are considered to make the system more practical. The chaotic properties are analyzed using a bifurcation diagram, Lyapunov exponents, and entropies. In addition, institute of standards and technology tests are conducted to further analyze the randomness of the system signal. Based on the proposed system, a three-dimensional encryption algorithm is designed to encrypt multiple color images with scrambling and diffusion at the bit level. Several analyses, including histogram analysis, information entropy analysis, correlation analysis, key sensitivity, differential attack analysis, and resistance analyses, are performed to test the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed multiple image encryption algorithm with a networked chaotic map model.

Background: Diamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella (L.), has developed resistance to many insecticides. The molecular mechanism of DBM resistance to Bt-G033A combined with chlorantraniliprole (CL) remains undefined.Methods: In this study, field-resistant strains of Plutella xylostella to three pesticides, namely, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxin (Bt-G033A), CL, and a mixture of Bt + CL, were selected to evaluate the resistance level. Additionally, transcriptomic profiles of a susceptible (SS-DBM), field-resistant (FOH-DBM), Bt-resistant (Bt-DBM), CL-resistant (CL-DBM), and Bt + CL-resistant (BtC-DBM) strains were performed by comparative analysis to identify genes responsible for detoxification.Results: The Bt-G033A was the most toxic chemical to all the DBM strains among the three insecticides. The comparative analysis identified 25,518 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between pairs/combinations of strains. DEGs were enriched in pathways related to metabolic and catalytic activity and ABC transporter in resistant strains. In total, 17 metabolic resistance-related candidate genes were identified in resistance to Bt-G033A, CL, and Bt + CL by co-expression network analysis. Within candidate genes, the majority was upregulated in key genes including cytochrome P450, glutathione S-transferase (GST), carboxylesterase, and acetylcholinesterase in CL- and BtC-resistant strains. Furthermore, aminopeptidase N (APN), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), cadherin, trypsin, and ABC transporter genes were eminent as Bt-resistance-related genes. Expression patterns of key genes by the quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) proved the credibility of transcriptome data and suggest their association in the detoxification process.Conclusion: To date, this study is the most comprehensive research presenting functional transcriptome analysis of DBM using Bt-G033A and CL combined insecticidal activity.

Objective To investigate the clinical significance of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-E levels in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Methods The levels of HLA-E immunostaining in ESCC lesions and 47 corresponding adjacent normal tissues were measured using immunohistochemistry. The correlation between the levels of immunostaining and clinical parameters was analysed. Results This study analysed 110 paraffin-embedded primary tumour lesions and 47 case–controlled paracancerous tissues that were surgically resected from 110 patients with ESCC. Positive immunostaining for HLA-E was observed in 88.2% (97 of 110) of ESCC lesions and 29.8% (14 of 47) of normal oesophageal tissues. There was no correlation between HLA-E immunostaining in ESCC lesions and clinicopathological characteristics such as lymph node metastasis, tumour–node–metastasis stage and differentiation grade. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis revealed a significantly better prognosis in patients with higher levels of HLA-E immunostaining than in those with lower levels of HLA-E immunostaining; overall survival was 28.6 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 23.2, 34.0) versus 15.3 months (95% CI, 11.5, 19.1), respectively. Furthermore, multivariate analysis showed that the HLA-E level was an independent prognostic factor in patients with ESCC. Conclusion A higher level of HLA-E immunostaining was associated with favourable survival in patients with ESCC.

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of positron emission tomography (PET) parameters and the PET texture features of fluorine 18-fluorodeoxyglucose ([18F]FDG) uptake on pretreatment PET/computed tomography (CT) in patients with locally advanced salivary gland carcinoma treated with interstitial brachytherapy. Methods Forty-three patients with locally advanced salivary gland carcinoma of the head and neck were treated with 125I interstitial brachytherapy as the sole modality and underwent [18F]FDG PET/CT scanning before treatment. Tumor segmentation and texture analysis were performed using the 3D slicer software. In total, 54 features were extracted and categorized as first-order statistics, morphology and shape, gray-level co-occurrence matrix, and gray-level run length matrix. Up to November 2018, the follow-up time ranged from 6 to 120 months (median 18 months). Cumulative survival was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Factors between groups were compared by the log-rank test. Multivariate Cox regression analysis with a backward conditional method was used to predict progression-free survival (PFS). Results The 3- and 5-year locoregional control (LC) rates were 55.4% and 37.0%, respectively. The 3- and 5-year PFS rates were 51.2% and 34.1%, respectively. The 3- and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were 77.0% and 77.0%, respectively. Univariate analysis revealed that minimum intensity, mean intensity, median intensity, root mean square, and long run emphasis (LRE) were significant predictors of PFS, whereas clinicopathological factors, conventional PET parameters, and PET texture features failed to show significance. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that minimum intensity and LRE were significant predictors of PFS. Conclusions The texture analysis of pretreatment [18F]FDG PET/CT provided more information than conventional PET parameters for predicting patient prognosis of locally advanced salivary gland carcinoma treated with interstitial brachytherapy. The minimum intensity was a risk factor for PFS, and LRE was a favorable factor in prognostic prediction according to the primary results.

Abstract In this article, we analyze tensor-vector-pseudoscalar(TVP) type of vertices $$D_{2}^{*+}D^{+}\rho $$ D2∗+D+ρ , $$D_{2}^{*0}D^{0}\rho $$ D2∗0D0ρ , $$D_{2}^{*+}D^{+}\omega $$ D2∗+D+ω , $$D_{2}^{*0}D^{0}\omega $$ D2∗0D0ω , $$B_{2}^{*+}B^{+}\rho $$ B2∗+B+ρ , $$B_{2}^{*0}B^{0}\rho $$ B2∗0B0ρ , $$B_{2}^{*+}B^{+}\omega $$ B2∗+B+ω , $$B_{2}^{*0}B^{0}\omega $$ B2∗0B0ω , $$B_{s2}^{*}B_{s}\phi $$ Bs2∗Bsϕ and $$D_{s2}^{*}D_{s}\phi $$ Ds2∗Dsϕ in the frame work of three point QCD sum rules(QCDSR). According to these analysis, we calculate their strong form factors which are used to fit into analytical functions of $$Q^{2}$$ Q2 . Then, we obtain the strong coupling constants by extrapolating these strong form factors into deep time-like regions. As an application of this work, the coupling constants for radiative decays of these heavy tensor mesons are also calculated at the point of $$Q^{2}=0$$ Q2=0 . With these coupling constants, we finally obtain the radiative decay widths of these tensor mesons.

Single spore isolation is a fundamental approach in plant pathology and mycology to isolate and identify plant fungal pathogens from diseased samples. However, routine single spore isolation procedure is time-consuming and has a high risk of contamination by other microorganisms. In this study, we developed a rapid approach for isolating a single spore of the fungal pathogen, Pyricularia oryzae, from rice blast diseased leaves in the paddy field with low potential of contamination. First, rice blast leaves with single lesions were selected in the paddy field, and a single lesion was cut out and pressed and dragged gently across the surface of water agar. Next, a germinated single spore with a barely visible piece of agar was cut out of water agar with a dissecting needle under a stereomicroscope at approximately 120-fold magnification. Last, the germinated single spore with water agar was transferred onto oatmeal tomato agar for growth and preservation. Based on our experience, a skilled technician or student can successfully isolate single spore from over 150 independent diseased samples with nearly no contaminations in a single working day. This approach is also suitable for isolating single spore from other fungal disease samples that produce abundant aerial conidia.

Introduction Glycyrrhizinic acid is a natural product of pharmacological relevance and its anticancer activity against breast cancer cell lines has not been evaluated. Therefore the main purpose of the present study was to investigate the anticancer effects of glycyrrhizinic acid in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells. Material and methods The MTT assay was used to evaluate the anticancer effects while a clonogenic assay was used to study its effects on colony formation tendency. Flow cytometry was used to study the effects on cell cycle phase distribution and apoptosis. Western blot assay was used to study changes in protein expression of the m-TOR/PI3K/Akt pathway. Results The results indicated that glycyrrhizinic acid caused significant (p < 0.01). The growth inhibitory effects MCF-7 human breast cancer cells. The growth inhibitory effects of glycyrrhizinic acid exhibited concentration-dependent as well as time-dependent growth inhibitory trend. Different doses of glycyrrhizinic acid had a tendency to significantly (p < 0.01) inhibit the colony formation tendency of MCF-7 cells. As compared to the control group, glycyrrhizinic acid-treated cells showed a high percentage of apoptotic cells. Cells treated with a 10, 50 and 100 µM dose of glycyrrhizinic acid led to a 24.3%, 41.5% and 82.1% increase in the sub-G1 phase (apoptotic) cells. Glycyrrhizinic acid also led to significant (p < 0.01) inhibition of cell invasion along with downregulation of m-TOR/PI3K/Akt protein expression. Conclusions Glycyrrhizinic acid inhibited MCF-7 human breast cancer cell growth and therefore may prove essential lead molecule in the treatment of breast cancer.

A novel wood species spectral classification scheme is proposed based on a fuzzy rule classifier. The visible/near-infrared (VIS/NIR) spectral reflectance curve of a wood sample’s cross section was captured using a USB 2000-VIS-NIR spectrometer and a FLAME-NIR spectrometer. First, the wood spectral curve—with spectral bands of 376.64–779.84 nm and 950–1650 nm—was processed using the principal component analysis (PCA) dimension reduction algorithm. The wood spectral data were divided into two datasets, namely, training and testing sets. The training set was used to generate the membership functions and the initial fuzzy rule set, with the fuzzy rule being adjusted to supplement and refine the classification rules to form a perfect fuzzy rule set. Second, a fuzzy classifier was applied to the VIS and NIR bands. An improved decision-level fusion scheme based on the Dempster–Shafer (D-S) evidential theory was proposed to further improve the accuracy of wood species recognition. The test results using the testing set indicated that the overall recognition accuracy (ORA) of our scheme reached 94.76% for 50 wood species, which is superior to that of conventional classification algorithms and recent state-of-the-art wood species classification schemes. This method can rapidly achieve good recognition results, especially using small datasets, owing to its low computational time and space complexity.

Background Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is associated with higher aggressiveness and mortality than hormone-positive breast cancer because of the lack of approved therapeutic targets. Patients with TNBC who attain a pathological complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy have improved survival. Platinum-based agents show promising activity in TNBC; however, their use remains controversial. We conducted a meta-analysis to assess the role of platinum-based agents in neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with TNBC. Methods We performed an extensive literature search of the Pubmed, Embase, and Cochrane databases. We calculated pooled odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the identified studies. Results Eight randomized controlled trials with 1345 patients were included in the analysis. The addition of platinum-based agents improved pCR compared with neoadjuvant therapy based on anthracyclines, cyclophosphamide, taxanes, and fluorouracil (49.1% vs. 35.9%; OR: 1.87, 95% CI: 1.23–2.86). Hematological adverse events were similar in both groups, except for more thrombocytopenia in the platinum-based group (OR: 7.96, 95% CI: 3.18–19.93). Conclusion The addition of platinum-based agents to neoadjuvant chemotherapy improved pCR rates in patients with TNBC, with a slight increase in hematological toxicities. Platinum-based agents might thus be an accessible and economically viable option in patients with TNBC.

Aliphatic polyamides and derivatives are widely used as curing agents for epoxy resin (EP) to obtain excellent transparency and refractive index in optical applications. However, these EPs are more flammable than EPs cured using other curing agents. When sufficient curing agents meet requirement for flame safety, optical properties are often diminished. To solve the problem, an intrinsic curing agent (PTDP) consisting of phosphorus and sulfur was designed and prepared from polyethylenimine (PEI), thiourea and diphenylphosphinyl chloride. This curing agent was used to obtain a multi-functional epoxy resin (PTDP-EP). PTDP-EP displayed excellent transparency with transmittance up to 90% due to no change in the amorphous structure of EP. In addition, owing to the introduction of sulfur in PTDP, the refractive index of PTDP-EP increased to 1.591 from 1.495 for reference PEI-EP. Further, the EP with the addition of 30 wt% PTDP displayed a UL-94 V-0 rating and a limiting oxygen index of 30.4%. Moreover, the total heat release and total smoke production were respectively decreased by 61.0% and 64.3% compared with the corresponding values for EP containing no PTDP. Further study confirmed that joint action in the gas and condensed phase led to the fire safety of PTDP-EP during burning. Keywords: Epoxy resin, Fire safety, Transparency, Refractive index, Aliphatic polyamides

Aim. The slow coronary flow (SCF) phenomenon was characterized by delayed perfusion of epicardial arteries, and no obvious coronary artery lesion in coronary angiography. The prognosis of patients with slow coronary flow was poor. However, there is lack of rapid, simple, and accurate method for SCF diagnosis. This study aimed to explore the utility of plasma choline as a diagnostic biomarker for SCF. Methods. Patients with coronary artery stenosis

This paper studies an orbital inspection game, which involves two spacecraft competing for imaging conditions in an on-orbit inspection mission. First, the main factors affecting the imaging conditions, including the sun angle, sun-angle changing rate, relative distance, and distance changing rate, are analyzed to formulate a realistic multiple-factor inspection game. An approximate switching-type payoff function is specially designed to incorporate all the boundary constraints of those factors into the game model. Then, the analytical necessary conditions for the Nash equilibrium are derived and converted as a two-point boundary value problem (TPBVP). But different from conventional routes to solve the challenging TPBVP, a lighter costate optimization method is proposed, which transforms the TPBVP to a direct optimization problem by employing the conclusion that the optimal thrust directions of both sides are the same and utilizing the theory of the epsilon-Nash equilibrium. The existence of the epsilon-Nash equilibrium is proven, and the necessary conditions for a small epsilon are derived to support the method. Finally, simulations of the GEO inspection missions demonstrated the superiority of the proposed game formulation and the high efficiency and accuracy of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present wood species classification systems can usually process the limited wood species quantity. We propose a novel incremental self-adaptive wood species classification system to solve the above-mentioned issue. The visible/near-infrared (VIS/NIR) spectrometer is used to pick up the spectral curves of wood samples for the subsequent wood species classification. First, when new wood samples of unknown wood species are added, they are classified as an unknown category by our one-class classifier, Support Vector Data Description (SVDD), while the existent wood species are classified as a known category by the SVDD. Second, the wood samples of known species are sent into the BP neural network for subsequent wood species classification. Third, the new wood samples of unknown species are sent into the Clustering by Fast Search and Find of Density Peaks (CFSFDP) algorithm for the unsupervised clustering, and the clustering result is evaluated by the internal and external norms. Last, if one cluster of one unknown species has an adequate amount of wood samples, these wood samples are removed and identified by human experts or other schemes to ensure to get the correct wood species name. Then, these wood samples are considered as a new known species and are sent into the classifiers, SVDD and BP neural network, to train them again. Experiments on 13 wood species prove the effectiveness of our prototype system with an overall classification accuracy of above 95%.

Concerns about resistance development to conventional insecticides in diamondback moth (DBM) Plutella xylostella (L.), the most destructive pest of Brassica vegetables, have stimulated interest in alternative pest management strategies. The toxicity of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. aizawai (Bt GO33A) combined with chlorantraniliprole (Chl) has not been documented. Here, we examined single and combined toxicity of chlorantraniliprole and Bt to assess the levels of resistance in four DBM strains. Additionally, enzyme activities were tested in field-original highly resistant (FOH-DBM), Bt-resistant (Bt-DBM), chlorantraniliprole-resistant (CL-DBM), and Bt + chlorantraniliprole-resistant (BtC-DBM) strains. The Bt product had the highest toxicity to all four DBM strains followed by the mixture of insecticides (Bt + Chl) and chlorantraniliprole. Synergism between Bt and chlorantraniliprole was observed; the combination of Bt + (Bt + Chl) (1:1, LC50:LC50) was the most toxic, showing a synergistic effect against all four DBM strains with a poison ratio of 1.35, 1.29, 1.27, and 1.25. Glutathione S-transferase (GST) and carboxyl-esterase (CarE) activities showed positive correlations with chlorantraniliprole resistance, but no correlation was observed with resistance to Bt and Bt + Chl insecticides. Expression of genes coding for PxGST, CarE, AChE, and MFO using qRT-PCR showed that the PxGST and MFO were significantly overexpressed in Bt-DBM. However, AChE and CarE showed no difference in the four DBM strains. Mixtures of Bt with chlorantraniliprole exhibited synergistic effects and may aid the design of new combinations of pesticides to delay resistance in DBM strains substantially.

Carboxylesterase is a multifunctional superfamily and can be found in almost all living organisms. As the metabolic enzymes, carboxylesterases are involved in insecticides resistance in insects for long time. In our previous studies, the enhanced carboxylesterase activities were found in the chlorantraniliprole resistance strain of diamondback moth (DBM). However, the related enzyme gene of chlorantraniliprole resistance has not been clear in this strain. Here, a full-length cDNA of carboxylesterase pxCCE016b was cloned and exogenously expressed in Escherichia coli at the first time, which contained a 1693 bp open reading frame (ORF) and encoded a protein of 542 amino acids. Sequence analysis showed that this cDNA has a predicted mass of 61.56 kDa and a theoretical isoelectric point value of 5.78. The sequence of deduced amino acid possessed the classical structural features: a type-B carboxylesterase signature 2 (EDCLYLNVYTK), a type-B carboxylesterase serine active site (FGGDPENITIFGESAG) and the catalytic triad (Ser186, Glu316, and His444). The real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis showed that the expression level of the pxCCE016b was significantly higher in the chlorantraniliprole resistant strain than in the susceptible strain. Furthermore, pxCCE016b was highly expressed in the midgut and epidermis of the DBM larvae. When the 3rd-instar larvae of resistant DBM were exposed to abamectin, alpha-cypermethrin, chlorantraniliprole, spinosad, chlorfenapyr and indoxacarb insecticides, the up-regulated expression of pxCCE016b was observed only in the group treated by chlorantraniliprole. In addition, recombinant vector pET-pxCCE016b was constructed with the most coding region (1 293 bp) and large number of soluble recombinant proteins (less than 48 kDa) were expressed successfully with prokaryotic cell. Western blot analysis showed that it was coded by pxCCE016b. All the above findings provide important information for further functional study, although we are uncertainty whether the pxCCE016b gene is actually involved in chlorantraniliprole resistance.