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Organized malicious shilling attackers influence the output of the collaborative filtering recommendation systems by inserting fake users into the rating matrix within the database. The existence of shilling attack poses a serious risk to the stability of the system. To counter this specific security threat, many attack detection methods are proposed. Some of the past methods suffer from two disadvantages, the first being that they only analyze the rating matrix from a single perspective of user rating values and ignore other perspectives. Another is that some methods only use a single classifier to handle the classification of malicious attackers. Considering the above disadvantages, this paper proposes a gradient boosting method (named XGB-SAD) to achieve attack detection by combining double-view and gradient boosting. We first analyze the rating matrix with a double-view of time and item, which in turn defines the TPUS collection. Then our method uses eXtreme Gradient Boosting to perform heuristic iterative optimization of the model's objective function and uses the idea of ensemble learning to integrate multiple sets of base classifiers into strong classifier. The integrated strong classifiers are used to complete the detection of malicious attackers. Finally, we perform several experiments and the results demonstrate that XGB-SAD outperforms the comparison methods in terms of small-scale attack detection and overall detection, which proves the performance of our method.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the association of circular RNA itchy E3 ubiquitin protein ligase (circ-ITCH) expression with disease risk, clinical characteristics, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of multiple myeloma (MM), and to explore the influence of circ-ITCH overexpression on MM cell activities n vitro . Methods: Bone marrow samples from 92 MM patients and 30 healthy controls were collected, and circ- ITCH expression was detected by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. PFS and OS in MM patients were calculated. Circ-ITCH in human MM cell lines and normal bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMCs) were detected. Circ-ITCH overexpression and control overexpression plasmids were transfected to U226 cell line, and cell proliferation as well as apoptosis were assessed. Results: Circ-ITCH expression was under-expressed in MM patients compared to healthy controls. And receiver operating characteristic curve displayed that circ-ITCH could distinguish MM patients from healthy controls [area under curve: 0.809 (95% CI: 0.722–0.895)]. Additionally, circ-ITCH high expression was associated with decreased International Staging System (ISS) stage in MM patients. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox’s regression analysis displayed that circ-ITCH expression was positively correlated with PFS and OS. In vitro , circ-ITCH expression was lower in MM cell lines (including RPMI8226, U226 and NCI-H929) compared to normal BMMCs. In U226 cells, cell proliferation was decreased but apoptosis was elevated by circ-ITCH overexpression. Conclusions: Circ-ITCH might serve as a potential biomarker and treatment target for MM.

Aiming at the problem of the thermal environment at the bottom of the launch vehicle in the high-altitude flight stage, taking the launch vehicle with core stage four-way machine as the model, the coupled convection / radiation heat transfer problem at the high-altitude of the launch vehicle is deeply studied through the numerical simulation method, the gas jet flow model of the launch vehicle in the high-altitude flight stage is established, and the flow field information of the rocket under different working conditions and the heat flow at the bottom of the rocket are obtained. The numerical results are compared with the experimental data to verify the effectiveness of the selected model and calculation method. The research shows that the external flow field of the rocket body will have a great impact on the thermal environment at the bottom. With the continuous increase of flight altitude, the convective heat flow at the bottom of the rocket body first rises and then decreases. In the high-altitude stage, the total heat flow at the bottom of the rocket body is dominated by radiant heat flow, the convective heat flow outside the main nozzle is dominant, and the radiant heat flow outside the traveling jet nozzle is dominant.

Each variation of the cortical folding pattern implies a particular rearrangement of the geometry of the fibers of the underlying white matter. While this rearrangement only impacts the ends of the long pathways, it may affect most of the trajectory of the short bundles. Therefore, mapping the short fibers of the human brain using diffusion-based tractography requires a dedicated strategy to overcome the variability of the folding patterns. In this paper, we propose a fiber-based stratification strategy splitting the population into homogeneous groups for disentangling the superficial white matter bundle organization. This strategy introduces a new refined fiber distance which includes angular considerations for inferring fine-grained atlases of the short bundles surrounding a specific sulcus and a subtractogram distance that quantifies the similitude between fiber sets of two different subjects. The stratification splits the population into groups with similar regional fiber organization using manifold learning. We first successfully test the hypothesis that the main source of variability of the regional fiber organization is the variability of the regional folding pattern. Then, in each group, we proceed with the automatic identification of the most stable bundles, at a higher granularity level than what can be achieved with the non-stratified whole population, enabling the disentanglement of the very variable configuration of the short fibers. Finally, the method searches for bundle correspondence across groups to build a population level atlas. As a proof of concept, the atlas refinement achieved by this strategy is illustrated for the fibers that surround the central sulcus and the superior temporal sulcus using the HCP dataset.

Background: Our previous study confirmed the beneficial effects of chestnut polysaccharides on the spermatogenesis process, but the exact mechanism is not clear. Several studies have demonstrated the importance of a balanced gut microbiota in maintaining normal reproductive function. In this study, we investigated the biological functions of chestnut polysaccharides from the perspective of gut microbiota function, expecting to elaborate the specific mechanism of chestnut polysaccharides beneficial to spermatogenesis.Results: Compared with the Vehicle group, germ cell quantity, intestinal structure and tight junction of intestinal tissue were altered in the Busulfan-treated mice, and the intestinal microbiota was also disturbed at several levels, including phylum and genus. The Firmicutes was predominant bacteria in all group followed by Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Tenericutes, Cyanobacteria and unidentified-Bacteria, however, the composition of those gut microbiota changes caused by different treatment. Busulfan disturbed the homeostasis of the intestinal microenvironment. Chestnut polysaccharides could rescue this aberrance and improve spermatogenesis via steroid hormone synthesis process. Conclusions: Chestnut polysaccharides can change gut structure and tight junctions to rescue Busulfan-impaired spermatogenesis by altering the composition of different groups of gut microbes, a rescue process that is most likely related to hormone synthesis processes. It will provide a new insight for treating the male-related infertility.

Background: Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer death around the world, while the Transthyretin (TTR) is a specific biomarkers for clinical diagnosis. However, its role in lung cancer remains to be unknown. Methods: In the present study, we made attempt to investigate effect of abnormal expression of TTR on Non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) by overexpression or knockdown of TTR.To further investigate the mechanisms underlying the potential role of TTR in NSCLC, we searched and verified several signal pathways . In vivo experiments, to verify the effect of TTR overexpression on tumors.Results: We finded that up-regulated TTR obviously suppressed cell proliferation, migration, invasion and increased apoptosis.Significant suppression of phosphor-MAPK/ERK was observed in TTR-treated NSCLC cells, implying that TTR was important for cellular progress by regulating MAPK/ERK signaling pathway. In vivo experiment, overexpression of TTR promoted cell apoptosis and inhibited tumor growth. Conclusions: Overall, our results suggest that TTR has a potential anti-tumor effect in human NSCLC progression, which provides theoretical basis for the diagnosis and treatment of NSCLC.Above all, further understanding of TTR was useful for clinical care.

To study the safety, durability and effectiveness of a new medical liquid silicone rubber elastomer (LSRE) compound Urolastic in penile augmentation in beagle dogs.A total of 30 beagle dogs were included in the experiment. The diameters of the proximal, middle and distal penis of the animals were measured and the indexes of blood routine, liver and kidney function and electrolytes obtained before and at 1 week and 3 months after penile subcutaneous injection of the LSRE compound. CT scanning and pathological examinations of the liver, kidney and penile tissues were performed at 1 and 3 months after treatment.The diameters of the proximal, middle and distal penis of the dogs were increased by (0.4 ± 0.3) cm, (0.6 ± 0.1) cm and (0.5 ± 0.3) cm at 1 week, and (0.4 ± 0.2) cm, (0.5 ± 0.1) cm and (0.6 ± 0.2) cm at 3 months after injection of the LSRE compound, with statistically significant difference from the baseline (P0.01 or P0.05) but not between the 1st week and the 3rd month (P0.05). The counts of leukocytes and neutrophils were markedly increased compared with the baseline (［18.16 ± 2.57］ vs ［15.16 ± 3.17］ g/L, P0.05; ［77.34 ± 9.21］% vs ［67.18 ± 8.25］%, P0.05), but not the other blood routine indexes. There were no statistically significant differences in the liver and kidney functions or electrolytes before and after the injection. At 1 and 3 months after treatment, Urolastic was clearly visible and the injection points were irregular in shape at CT imaging. The anatomical findings were consistent with the CT manifestations and showed that the material was easily separated from the surrounding tissues. No significant inflammatory cell infiltration was observed in pathological examinations at 1 and 3 months.The new medical LSRE compound Urolastic has a good clinical application prospect in penile augmentation for its advantages of significant effectiveness and high safety.

To investigate the clinical effect of suprapubic V-Y incision versus that of Sun's coronal sulcus ring incision plus suprapubic liposuction (CSRI+SPLS) for penile elongation.From December 2010 to January 2018, 100 adult males with congenital short penis underwent suprapubic V-Y incision (the V-Y group, n = 50) or CSRI+SPLS (n = 50) for penile elongation surgery in our department. We statistically analyzed the clinical data on the two groups of patients, including age, body mass index (BMI), pre- and post-operative penile lengths in flaccid and erectile states, operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative use of analgesics, postoperative hospital stay, stage-Ⅰ wound healing, incidence of postoperative complications, and quality of pre- and post-operative sexual life.The average ages of the patients in the V-Y and CSRI+SPLS groups were 23.5 and 23.0 years, their BMIs (26.59 ± 1.16) and (26.44 ± 0.96) kg/m2, preoperative flaccid penile lengths (5.11 ± 0.30) and (5.12 ± 0.35) cm, preoperative erectile penile lengths (7.57 ± 0.65) and (7.35 ± 0.59) cm, postoperative flaccid penile lengths (7.80 ± 0.40) and (7.79 ± 0.42) cm, postoperative erectile penile lengths (11.59 ± 0.55) and (11.47 ± 0.64) cm, none with statistically significant difference between the two groups (P0.05). Compared with the V-Y group, the CSRI+SPLS group showed a markedly shorter operation time (108 ［90－120］ vs 51 ［45－58］ min, P0.01), less intraoperative blood loss (30 ［15－45］ vs 15 ［5－25］ ml, P0.01), shorter postoperative hospital stay 8 ［6－11］ vs 4 ［2－6］ d, P0.01), lower incidence rates of postoperative hematoma (23.33% ［7 cases］ vs 0, P0.05) and infection (20.00% ［6 cases］ vs 0, P0.05), higher stage-Ⅰ healing rate (76.67% ［23 cases］ vs 100.00% ［30 cases］, P0.05), lower rate of postoperative use of analgesics (26.67% ［8 cases］ vs 3.33% ［1 case］, P0.05), and higher score on the quality of postoperative sexual life (36.73 ± 5.41 vs 42.07 ± 3.64, P0.01) though with no statistically significant difference preoperatively (28.70 ± 4.87 vs 28.27 ± 3.40, P0.05).As a surgical procedure for penile elongation, Sun's coronal sulcus ring incision plus suprapubic liposuction is superior to suprapubic V-Y incision for its advantages of lower invasiveness, shorter operation time, less intraoperative blood loss, and lower incidence of postoperative complications.

Correction for ‘Chestnut polysaccharides restore impaired spermatogenesis by adjusting gut microbiota and the intestinal structure’ by Zhong-Yi Sun et al., Food Funct., 2022, 13, 425–436, DOI: 10.1039/D1FO03145G.

Zearalenone (ZEA), a kind of nonsteroidal mycotoxin with estrogenic effects, can influence animal reproductive capacity through interfering with estrogen signaling pathway. Previous studies have shown exposure to ZEA at high doses (higher than No-Observed Effect Level, NOEL) had a significant impact on mouse sperm quality and pregnant rate, but little is known about the effect of exposure to ZEA at low doses (lower than NOEL) on mouse reproductive capacity. This study evaluated the effects of exposure to low-dose ZEA on mouse spermatogenesis and semen quality. Male mice (CD-1) of 21days were exposed to ZEA at 20, or 40μg/kg body weight for 14, 28 or 42days. After exposure to ZEA for 14days, the spermatogenic cells in seminiferous tubules were declined dose-independently; however in groups treated by ZEA for 28days, the spermatogenic cells were declined dose-dependently. Moreover, after treatment for 28days or 42days, the DNA double stand break (DSB) in spermatogenic cells were increased in a dose-dependent manner in treated groups. Compared with the control group, the sperm concentration, viability, motility, and hyperactive rate in treated groups were decreased dose-dependently and time-dependently. Meanwhile, deformity and mortality rate of sperm in treated groups were increased remarkably dose-dependently too. In conclusion, low dose ZEA impaired male reproductive capacity especially in spermatogenesis and semen quality of mouse.

The capacity to read develops throughout intensive academic learning and training. Several studies have investigated the impact of reading on the brain, and particularly how the anatomy of the brain changes with reading acquisition. In the present study, we investigated the converse issue, namely whether and how reading acquisition is constrained by the anatomy of the brain. Using multimodal MRI, we found that (a) the pattern (continuous or interrupted sulcus) of the posterior part of the left lateral occipito-temporal sulcus (OTS) hosting the visual word form area (VWFA) predicts reading skills in adults; that (b) this effect is modulated by the age of reading acquisition; and that (c) the length of the OTS sulcal interruption is associated with reading skills. Because the sulcal pattern is determined in utero, our findings suggest that individual difference in reading skills can be traced back to early stages of brain development in addition to the well-established socioeconomic and educational factors.

// Ya-Jun Li 1,2 , Ping-Yong Yi 1,2 , Ji-Wei Li 1,2 , Xian-Ling Liu 3 , Xi-Yu Liu 1,2 , Fang Zhou 1,2 , Zhou OuYang 1,2 , Zhong-Yi Sun 1,2 , Li-Jun Huang 1,2 , Jun-Qiao He 1,2 , Yuan Yao 1,2 , Zhou Fan 1,2 , Tian Tang 2,4 and Wen-Qi Jiang 5,6 1 Department of Lymphoma and Hematology, Hunan Cancer Hospital, Changsha, Hunan, China 2 The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China 3 Cancer Center of the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China 4 Radioactive Interventional Department, Hunan Cancer Hospital, Changsha, Hunan, China 5 State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangzhou, China 6 Department of Medical Oncology, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China Correspondence to: Ping-Yong Yi, email: // Wen-Qi Jiang, email: // Keywords : body mass index, extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma, prognosis, IPI, KPI Received : April 26, 2016 Accepted : November 30, 2016 Published : December 16, 2016 Abstract Objectives: The role of body mass index (BMI) in lymphoma survival outcomes is controversial. The prognostic significance of BMI in extranodal natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTL) is unclear. We evaluated the prognostic role of BMI in patients with ENKTL. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 742 patients with newly diagnosed ENKTL. The prognostic value of BMI was compared between patients with low BMIs ( 60 years, mass > 5 cm, stage III/IV, elevated LDH levels, albumin levels < 35 g/L and low BMIs were independent adverse predictors of OS. The BMI classification was found to be superior to the IPI with respect to predicting patient outcomes among low-risk patients and the KPI with respect to distinguishing between intermediate-low- and high-intermediate-risk patients. Conclusions: Higher BMI at the time of diagnosis is associated with improved overall survival in ENKTL. Using the BMI classification may improve the IPI and KPI prognostic models.

The present study examined whether lipoxin A4 (LXA4) increases the expression of HO‑1, and inhibits the production of interleukin 6 (IL‑6) and monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP‑1) in LXA4‑induced protection during hyperoxia‑induced injury in murine lung epithelial cells (MLE‑12) and what signal pathway may participate in the actions of LXA4 inhibiting IL‑6 and MCP‑1. MLE‑12 cells were exposed to air or hyperoxia with or without pretreatment with LXA4, Zinc protoporphyrin IX (ZnPP‑IX), IL‑6, anti‑IL‑6, MCP‑1, anti‑MCP‑1, inhibitors of p38 mitogen‑activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK), protein kinase B (Akt) and extracellular signal‑regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) signaling pathways. The cell survival rates, cell viability, apoptosis rates, expression of superoxide dismutase (SOD), heme oxygenase‑1 (HO‑1), IL‑6 and MCP‑1, and the activations of p38 MAPK, ERK1/2 and Akt were measured. LXA4 significantly increased the cell survival rates, cell viability, SOD levels and HO‑1 expression, reduced the apoptosis rates, and inhibited the MCP‑1 and IL‑6 levels induced by hyperoxia in cells. ZnPP‑IX, an inhibitor of HO‑1, blocked LXA4‑induced protection on cell viability in cells exposed to hyperoxia. Anti‑IL‑6 and anti‑MCP‑1 improved the cell viability of cells exposed to hyperoxia. Inhibition of p38 MAPK and ERK1/2 blocked the expression of MCP‑1 and IL‑6 induced by hyperoxia. LXA4 inhibited the activation of p38 MAPK and ERK1/2 induced by hyperoxia, and increased the activation of the Akt signaling pathway, which was inhibited by hyperoxia. Therefore, LXA4 attenuated hyperoxia‑induced injury in MLE‑12 cells via the upregulation of HO‑1 expression. The protection of LXA4 in hyperoxia‑induced cell injury may be associated with the downregulation IL‑6 and MCP‑1 levels via the inhibition of the p38 MAPK and ERK1/2 signaling pathways.

Deficiency of surfactant proteins (SPs) is the main cause of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and chronic lung diseases. Our previous study demonstrated that miR‑431 was differentially expressed between infants with RDS and infants without RDS using microarray analysis. However, the potential role of miR‑431 in the development of lung function is still unknown. In the present study, the morphological characteristics of lung tissues and the expression levels of miR‑431 were examined at three time points of rat lung development [gestational days 19 and 21 (E19, and E21) and postnatal day (P3)]. The protein and mRNA levels of SMAD4 and SPs (SP‑A, SP‑B, SP‑C and SP‑D) were also validated by reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‑qPCR) and western blot analysis, respectively. The expression levels of miR‑431 were gradually decreased over time periods of E19, E21 and P3, as determine using RT‑qPCR and fluorescence in situ hybridization. Dual luciferase‑reporter assays revealed that SMAD4 is a direct target of miR‑431. The mRNA and protein expression levels of SMAD4 and SPs increased gradually in rat lung tissues from E19 to P3. The order of magnitude was as follows: E19, E21 and P3. The present study demonstrated that the expression level of miR‑431 decreased in the order of E19, E21 and P3 during rat lung development. The target gene of miR‑431, SMAD4, was negatively regulated by miR‑431, and its expression levels in the rat lung tissue increased from E19 to the P3. Surfactant synthesis was further increased over the E19 to P3 time period. Further studies are required to determine how miR‑431 regulates pulmonary surfactant synthesis by targeting SMAD4.

OBJECTIVE: To study the role of miR-431 in lung development and morphology. METHODS: According to the stage of lung development in rats, Sprague-Dawley rats at embryonic day 16 (E16), embryonic day (E19), embryonic day (E21), postnatal day 1 (P1), postnatal day 3 (P3), postnatal day 7 (P7), postnatal day 14 (P14) and 10 weeks after birth (P10 weeks) were selected, and lung tissue samples were collected for observation. Hematoxylin-eosin staining and transmission electron microscopy were performed to observe the morphology of lung tissue. Fluorescence in situ hybridization and real-time PCR were used to measure the expression of miR-431 during the critical stages of lung development (E19, E21 and P3). RESULTS: The E19 group had the formation of the lamellar body and type Ⅱ alveolar epithelial cells in the fetal lung tissue. The number of lamellar bodies increased with the increasing gestational age, with aggregation and excretion. Pulmonary alveoli formed rapidly, the lung interstitium became thinner, and the microvascular system became mature after birth. Fluorescence in situ hybridization and real-time PCR showed that the expression of miR-431 gradually decreased with the increasing gestational age (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The systematic and continuous morphological data of lung development is obtained in this experiment. In addition, miR-431 may play an important role in the negative regulation of lung development, which provides basis and direction for further research on the mechanism of lung development and related diseases.

At present, thousands of circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been found in cancer and various tissues from different species. However, the expression of circRNAs during rat lung development remains largely unknown. In the present study, circRNA expression profiles were screened in three mixed rat lung tissues at 3 time-points [embryonic day (E) 19, E21 and post-natal (P) day 3] during fetal rat development with circRNA high-throughput sequencing. Preliminary results were verified by reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) at 4 time-points (E16, E19, E21 and P3). A total of 375 circRNAs were differently expressed in E19 vs. E21 (fold change ≥1.5; P

Cortical folding in humans is different for every individual, and is associated with functional specificities. It forms mainly during the last trimester of pregnancy, hence its development lacks description, especially in a longitudinal way. To cope with this issue, this study focused on the evolution of the central sulcus’ variability of 71 preterm infants studied longitudinally with MRI at 30 and 40 weeks (w) postmenstrual age (PMA). Our aim was to investigate the main shape characteristics and whether they are encoded early on or appear closer to term birth. We captured shape dissimilarity between the sulci using a distance matrix after pairwise co-registration using an Iterative Closest Point algorithm. We applied non-linear dimensionality reduction to this matrix using the Isomap algorithm in order to capture the most discriminative shape features among the central sulci. We characterized the three most discriminative features over the group, and found that the sulci evolved consistently from a given feature at 30w PMA to the 40w PMA equivalent feature. We incidentally captured a feature that could coincide with the most discriminative adult feature, both visually and by its asymmetry in left and right sulcal distribution. These results captured the main shape features of the central sulcus in preterm infants and suggest that they are already encoded at 30w PMA.

It is a fact that the brain cortical folding pattern morphology is specific to each human being. Neuroanatomists think that the folding pattern is strongly related to brain connectivity [1]. As each folding variation implies a specific rearrangement of the different white matter bundles, it also impacts the position of functional regions. This particularity raises an issue for precise brain spatial normalization, as nobody knows how to align brains with different folding patterns. For this reason, in the field of brain segmentation, old fashion approaches relying on a single model, often generated from a single subject or a group’s average, cannot overcome the folding variability. Therefore, modern strategies are often built from a multi-subject atlas, which has proven to be a very efficient solution to overcome this difficulty [2]. In order to design an analogous solution for brain mapping, it was recently proposed to restrict statistical analysis to groups of subjects with compatible folding pattern [3], which has been experimented to deal with the impact of the central sulcus morphology on fMRI-based activation maps [4]. Differences in the cortical folding have been proved to be associated with differences in the localization of functional areas. Therefore, we need to understand better how to relate to each other brains with different folding patterns. In this abstract, we propose a new step in this direction: we performed a first attempt to observe an effect of a simple morphological polymorphism related to central sulcus on the underlying U-fiber organization.

Cortical folding is a hallmark of brain topography whose variability across individuals remains a puzzle. In this paper, we call for an effort to improve our understanding of the pli de passage phenomenon, namely annectant gyri buried in the depth of the main sulci. We suggest that plis de passage could become an interesting benchmark for models of the cortical folding process. As an illustration, we speculate on the link between modern biological models of cortical folding and the development of the Pli de Passage Frontal Moyen (PPFM) in the middle of the central sulcus. For this purpose, we have detected nine interrupted central sulci in the Human Connectome Project dataset, which are used to explore the organization of the hand sensorimotor areas in this rare configuration of the PPFM.

To predict the early identification of recurrence based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) patients.The clinical and MRI data of 215 patients with local recurrent NPC were retrospectively reviewed. Logistic regression analysis was performed to distinguish the independent risk factors for the short-term (less than 24 months) local recurrence of NPC. The predictive score model was based on the regression coefficients of significant independent variables.Residual disease in the nasopharyngeal cavity (NC), masticator space invasion (MSI), skull base bone erosion (SBBE), and MRI-detected cranial nerve invasion (MDCNI) were all significant independent risk factors for the short-term recurrence of NPC (p 0.05). The receiver operating characteristic curve showed that the total score had a maximal AUC (area under the curve) value of 0.897, with a cutoff point of 10.50. The sensitivity and specificity were 79.4% and 80.5%, respectively.Residual lesions in NC, MSI, SBBE, and MDCNI are independent risk factors in predicting the short-term recurrence of NPC. The authors' findings suggest that patients with a score of more than 10.50 points should be hypervigilant regarding the possibility of short-term recurrence.

To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of Huanshao Capsules (HSC) in the treatment of oligoasthenospermia with spleen and kidney asthenia.This randomized, open, multicentered, positive drug controlled clinical trial included 200 cases of oligoasthenospermia with spleen and kidney asthenia, which were assigned to a trial and a control group of equal number to be treated with HSC at the dose of 3 capsules tid and Wuziyanzong Pills at 6 g bid, respectively, both for 12 weeks. We compared the semen volume, sperm concentration, sperm count, sperm motility and percentage of progressively motile sperm (PMS) as the main therapeutic indicators as well as the pregnancy rate as the secondary therapeutic indicator between the two groups of patients before and at 4, 8 and 12 weeks after medication.Totally, 190 of the patients completed the clinical observation, 96 in the trial and 94 in the control group. Compared with the baseline, the patients of the trial group showed significant time-dependent increases at 4, 8 and 12 weeks after medication in the mean sperm concentration (14.78 vs 15.33, 20.98 and 28.78 ×10⁶/ml, P0.05), percentage of grade a sperm (12.17% vs 15.05%, 21.17% and 26.97%, P0.05), PMS (24.78% vs 28.97%, 37.23% and 47.67%, P0.05), and sperm viability (38.64% vs 44.18%, 51.67% and 60.45%, P0.05). The pregnancy rate was significantly higher in the trial than in the control group 29.17% vs 18.09%, P0.05).Huanshao Capsules can improve the semen quality and pregnancy rate in the treatment of oligoasthenospermia patients with spleen and kidney asthenia, and therefore deserves a wide clinical application.目的： 观察还少胶囊治疗少弱精子症（脾肾虚损证）患者的安全性和有效性。方法： 采用随机、开放、多中心、阳性药物对照的临床研究方法，选取200例少弱精子症患者，治疗组和对照组各100例。治疗组患者口服还少胶囊，3粒/次(1粒=0.38 g)，每日3次，对照组患者口服五子衍宗丸，6 g/次，每日2次，两组均治疗12周。治疗第4、8、12周记录精液量、精子浓度、a级精子百分率、a+b级精子百分率以及精子存活率，配偶妊娠率，中医症状评分。结果： 治疗组96例，对照组94例完成了临床观察。治疗组在治疗前、用药后4周、8周和12周，精子浓度平均值分别为14.78 × 10⁶/ml、15.33 × 10⁶/ml、 20.98× 10⁶/ml、28.78× 10⁶/ml，a级精子百分率平均值分别为12.17%、 15.05%、21.17%、26.97%，a+b级精子百分率平均值分别为24.78%、28.97%、37.23%、47.67%， 精子存活率平均值分别为38.64%、44.18%、51.67%、60.45%。经过8周的治疗后，与治疗前比较，两组患者的精子活率、精子浓度及a级及a+b级精子百分率具有显著改善(P0.05)，且随着治疗时间的延长，改善效果更明显; 与对照组相同的时段相比，治疗组精液各参数均有显著改善(P0.05) 。对照组患者配偶妊娠率为18.09%，治疗组患者配偶妊娠率为29.17%，治疗组的患者配偶妊娠率高于对照组，差异有统计学意义(P0.05) 。两组患者治疗12周后中医症状评分均有明显下降(P0.05)，且治疗组下降更为明显(P0.05)。结论： 还少胶囊能明显提高少弱精子症患者的精液质量，提高受孕率，安全有效，值得临床推广。

To study the therapeutic efficacy of compound amino acid combined with vitamin E in the treatment of idiopathic asthenospermia.This study included 120 cases of idiopathic asthenospermia treated in the Outpatient Department of our hospital between February 2014 and January 2015. We randomized the patients into a treatment group( n = 70,aged23- 43 [mean 32. 5] years) and a control group( n = 50,aged 23- 44 [mean 31. 7] years),the former treated with compound amino acid plus vitamin E while the latter with vitamin E only. After 90 days of medication, we evaluated the therapeutic effects by comparing the total sperm motility( progressive motility + non-progressive motility, PR + NP),the percentage of progressively motile sperm( PR),and the pregnancy rate between the two groups.Before treatment, PR + NP and PR were(26. 24 ± 6. 56) %and(24. 65 ± 6. 43) % in the treatment group and(15. 13 ± 5. 68) % and(14. 73 ± 6. 16) in the control, with no statistically significant differences between the two groups( P0. 05). After 90 days of medication, PR + NP and PR were( 49. 63 ± 9. 78) % and(33. 33 ± 5. 64)% in the former and(37. 67 ± 7. 98)% and(27. 23 ± 6. 46)% in the latter, remarkably increased in both groups as compared with the baseline( P0. 05),but significantly more in the treatment than in the control group( P0. 05). Four pregnancies(5. 71%) were achieved in the former group but only 1(2. 00%) in the latter. The total rate of effectiveness was markedly higher in the treatment group than in the control(74. 28% vs 44. 00%,P0. 05). No adverse reactions were observed in either group.Compound amino acid combined with vitamin E can safely and effectively improve sperm motility in idiopathic asthenospermia patients.

To investigate the therapeutic efficacy and safety of Gujing Maisiha Tablets combined with natural vitamin E in the treatment of idiopathic asthenospermia.This study included 135 outpatients with idiopathic asthenospermia received in our hospital from February 2015 to January 2016. We randomly divided them into a treatment group (n = 65, aged 22－44 ［mean 32.8］ yr) and a control group (n = 55, aged 21－43 ［mean 33.7］ yr) to be treated with Gujing Maisiha Tablets combined with natural vitamin E or natural vitamin E only, both for 90 days. We obtained total sperm motility and the percentage of progressively motile sperm (PMS) from the patients before and after medication and evaluated the clinical effects by comparing the collected parameters and pregnancy rates between the two groups.The baseline total sperm motility and PMS were (25.23 ± 5.57)% and (17.53 ± 5.78)% in the treatment group, with no statistically significant differences from (26.05 ± 6.77)% and (15.11 ± 6.55)% in the control (P0.05). After 90 days of medication, both the treatment and the control groups showed remarkable increases in total sperm motility (［48.73 ± 8.66］% and ［36.54 ± 8.09］%, P0.05) and PMS (［32.77 ± 6.04］% and ［26.99 ± 6.87］%, P0.05). However, both total sperm motility and PMS were significantly higher in the treatment than in the control group after medication (P0.05), and so was the total rate of clinical effectiveness (73.85% vs 54.55%, P0.05). No adverse reactions were observed in either of the two groups during the treatment.Gujing Maisiha Tablets combined with natural vitamin E is safe and effective for the treatment of idiopathic asthenospermia.目的： 研究固精麦斯哈片联合天然维生素E治疗特发性弱精子症的临床效果。方法： 纳入2015年1月至2016年1月门诊135例弱精子症患者。随机分为两组，治疗组患者72例，年龄22~44岁, 平均年龄33.6岁；对照组患者63例，年龄21~43岁, 平均年龄32.8岁。治疗组服用固精麦斯哈片(每次６片，每日２次)和天然维生素E(每次100 mg，每日２次)，对照组服用天然维生素E(每次100 mg，每日２次)，连续服用30 d为1个疗程，总共3个疗程。治疗前及治疗90 d后通过对精子总活力（PR+NP）、精子前向运动率（PR）和配偶妊娠情况比较，评估其临床有效性。 结果： 治疗组和对照组在治疗前，精液中PR+NP、PR分别为(25.23±5.57)%和(17.53±5.78)%、(26.05±6.77)%和(15.11±6.55)% ，数据无统计学差异(P0.05)。治疗组治疗90 d后精液中PR+NP、PR分别为(48.73±8.66)%、(32.77±6.04)%，与治疗前比较，差异具有统计学意义(P0.05)；对照组治疗90 d后精液中PR+NP、PR分别为(36.54±8.09)%、(26.99±6.87)%，与治疗前比较同样具有统计学意义（P0.05）。但是治疗组精液中PR+NP、PR改善明显优于对照组，差异具有统计学意义(P0.05)。临床疗效上，治疗组总有效率（73.85%）明显高于对照组（54.55%），两组间差异具有统计学意义（P0.05）。在整个治疗过程中，两组均无不良反应。结论： 固精麦斯哈片联合天然维生素E用药对不明原因弱精子症有较好的临床效果。.

Interleukin‑23 (IL‑23, also known as IL23A), is an important proinflammatory cytokine whose role in the development and progression of tumors remains controversial. The present study on IL‑23 focused on its impact on the tumor microenvironment. Existing studies on its direct role on tumor cells are limited. Previously, we reported that the expression level of IL‑23 in human bladder urothelial carcinoma was significantly higher than that in adjacent tissues as determined by immunohistochemistry. In this study, we further validated the results of immunohistochemistry using the Oncomine database and we found that IL23A expression in non‑muscle invasive bladder urothelial carcinoma (NMIBC) was significantly higher than that in muscle invasive bladder urothelial carcinoma (MIBC). Expression of IL23A was negatively correlated with the clinical stage of bladder urothelial carcinoma and had a positive correlation with prognosis. In vitro experiments revealed that different concentrations of IL‑23 had different effects on T24 cells. A low concentration of 20 ng/ml IL‑23 promoted T24 cell proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT transformation, while a high concentration of 40 ng/ml IL‑23 inhibited these functions. These results indicated that IL‑23 plays a dual role in the progression of bladder cancer. Low concentrations of IL‑23 promote bladder tumor progression, while high concentrations of IL‑23 have the opposite effect.

Zearalenone (ZEA) is a nonsteroidal estrogen-like mycotoxin widely distributed in maize, wheat, rice and other cereals with its derivants. It also presents in meat or dairy products or even in the aquatic ecosystem via rain, and thus can affect human health. ZEA affects the body function in various ways. On the one hand, it can disturb the synthesis of estrogen and its combination with the receptor, influence the reproductive ability via the estrogen signaling pathway, and cause the dysfunction of the reproductive systems. On the other hand, it can disturb the synthesis of DNA and proteins and result in lipid peroxidation and cytotoxicity by inducing the apoptosis of germ cells. It is known that exposure to different doses of ZEA can affect the female reproductive system by increasing the apoptosis of germ cells and inducing germ cell prematurity, sexual precocity, endocrine disorder, reproductive cycle disorder, and so on. But studies of its influence on the male reproductive system are relatively rare, especially about its unique male-related action mechanisms. This review presents an overview of the studies on the mechanisms of ZEA affecting male fertility and the phenotype changes in the male reproductive system after exposure to ZEA, hoping to provide some new ideas for the protection of human fertility.玉米赤霉烯酮（ZEA）是一种具有类雌激素作用的非甾体类霉菌毒素，ZEA及其衍生物广泛分布于水稻、玉米和小麦等农作物中，还可以富集于牲畜的肉制品、奶制品中，并可以通过雨水等途径进入水生系统，具有影响人类健康的充分条件。ZEA可以通过多种途径影响机体的功能，一方面，它能够扰乱雌激素的合成代谢及与受体的结合，通过干扰雌激素信号通路来影响动物的生殖能力，造成生殖机能紊乱；另一方面，它还能够干扰DNA和蛋白质合成，引起脂质过氧化作用等，通过诱导凋亡等途径对细胞产生毒性作用，导致生殖细胞的异常死亡。目前已知各种剂量的ZEA暴露可以对雌性生物的生殖系统产生诸如增加生殖细胞凋亡、导致生殖细胞早衰、性早熟、内分泌紊乱、生殖周期紊乱等影响。但对雄性生殖系统的影响研究相对较少，尤其缺少对雄性生物生殖毒性作用途径不同的、雄性性别相关的特有机制的研究。本文将介绍已知的ZEA对雄性生物生殖毒性的作用机制，并总结ZEA暴露使雄性生物生殖系统发生的表象变化，旨在为人类男性生殖能力下降的研究提供新的理论依据和研究方向，进而为人类生殖能力的保全和提升提供新的思路。.

It is generally accepted in neuroscience that anatomy and function go hand in hand. Accordingly, a local morphological variability could lead to a corresponding functional variability. In this study, we tested this hypothesis by linking the variability of the cortical folding pattern of 252 right-handed subjects to the localization or the pattern of functional activations induced by hand motion or silent reading. Three regions are selected: the central sulcus, the precentral sulcus and the superior temporal sulcus (STS). "Essential morphological variability traits" are identified using a method building upon multidimensional scaling. The link between variability in anatomy and function is confirmed by the perfect match between the central sulcus morphological "hand knob" and the corresponding motor activation: as the location of the hand knob moves more or less dorsally along the central sulcus, the motor hand activation moves accordingly. Furthermore, the size of the left hand activation in the right hemisphere is correlated with the knob location in the central sulcus. A new link between functional and morphological variability is discovered relative to the location of a premotor activation induced by silent reading. While this reading activation is located next to the wall of the central sulcus when the hand knob has a ventral positioning, it is pushed into a deep gyrus interrupting the precentral sulcus when the knob is more dorsal. Finally, it is shown that the size of the reading activation along the STS is larger when the posterior branches are less developed.

To study the anti-fertility effect of a DNA vaccine using Bin1b as the target antigen in male mice.A novel recombinant eukaryotic vector containing a fusion gene sequence of mouse Bin1b in tandem with three copies of C3d fragment (C3d3) was used to construct pSG.SS.C3d3.YL.Bin1b. The correct expression of the Bin1b-C3d3 protein was confirmed in transfected HEK293 cells by indirect immunofluorescence and western blot analysis. The fertility of immunised mice was determined by a mating experiment and sperm motility test. Anti-Bin1b antibody titres in sera were examined by ELISA assays. Binding activity of C3d3 fragment of the fusion protein was verified in C3d receptor-expressing Raji cells and flow cytometric analysis.Immunisation of pSG.SS.C3d3.YL.Bin1b recombinant DNA vaccine significantly decreased sperm motility and compromised fertility in male mice. ELISA results showed that the titres of anti-Bin1b IgG in sera of immunised mice increased markedly with the immunisation process. Further, the anti-fertility effect of pSG.SS.C3d3.YL.Bin1b was significantly better than that of pSG.SS.YL.Bin1b DNA vaccine and generated higher titres of anti-Bin1b antibody.Our results show that recombinant DNA vaccine targeting Bin1b can markedly reduce fertility in male mice, providing an alternative approach for birth control.

Objectives Nasal-type extranodal natural killer NK/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTCL) is a distinct type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma with poor prognosis. This research aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the GELOXD or P-GEMOXD regimens in patients with ENKTCL. Methods Newly diagnosed ENKTCL patients treated with either the GELOXD or the P-GEMOXD regimen were identified from three cancer centers between January 2010 and December 2016. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were used to calculate overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) and to investigate prognostic factors. Results One hundred and eighty-four cases were identified from three cancer centers. After 1-5 treatment cycles of GELOXD or P-GEMOXD chemotherapy, 155 (84%) patients showed a complete response (CR). The 3-year OS (73.0% vs 38.2%, P = .001) and PFS (72.8% vs 32.4%, P = .000) rates were significantly higher in early-stage patients compared with advanced-stage patients. A multivariate analysis revealed that patient CR status was a significant independent factor in disease prognosis. Grade 3/4 leukopenia occurred in 43 (23.4%) patients. Major non-hematological toxicities included nausea (n = 117, 63.6%) and vomiting (n = 66, 35.9%). Conclusions The GELOXD and P-GEMOXD chemotherapy regimens are well tolerated and provide favorable survival outcomes in patients with ENKTCL.

Ochratoxin A (OTA), a common mycotoxin found in nature, has been implicated as effecting the function of male reproductive systems. OTA exposure has been shown to decrease sperm production and quality, however, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. In the current investigation boar sperm exposed to 10 and 100μM OTA in vitro for 24h resulted in significantly decreased motility, in the 100μM OTA treatment group when compared with the control group. The level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was significantly increased in both of the OTA treatment groups. The increase in ROS activated phosphatase and the tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN) and inhibited the activation of protein kinase B (PKB, AKT), activated adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP), and activated protein kinase (AMPK) in the exposed sperm. Furthermore, activation of AMPK was enhanced by a decrease in ATPase. These changes culminated in a decline in boar sperm motility. PTEN/AMPK inhibitors significantly inhibited the expression of the two proteins in the OTA treatment group. In addition, there was increased expression of apoptosis markers in the OTA exposed sperm. In conclusion, these data suggest that OTA exposure affects the sperm motility via the AMPK and PTEN signaling pathways.

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) superfamily members are key regulators for lung development and progress of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). The mechanisms by which lipoxin A

Summary To analyze the pathogenesis of persistent and refractory haematospermia and to evaluate the aetiological diagnostic value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for this type of haematospermia. Clinical data from 102 patients with persistent and refractory haematospermia was retrospectively analysed. Data collected included history, symptoms, as well as ultrasound and MRI of the morphological features of the bilateral seminal vesicles (SV) and ejaculatory duct (ED) areas. Criteria for inclusion were haematospermia symptoms that occurred more than six times, that lasted more than 6 months, and that did not improve after >1 month of conservative treatment. Patients underwent seminal vesiculoscopy with a post-surgery follow-up of 3–48 months [average (18.1 ± 10.3) months]. Of the 102 patients that underwent MRI examination, data from 88 patients (86.3%) showed typical and characteristic changes in the ED area, including the signal intensity changes in 60 (58.8%), SV volume changes in 32(31.4%), the formation of cysts such as prostatic utricular cysts in 27 (26.5%), Mullerian cysts in 4 (3.9%), ED cysts in 5 (4.9%) and a SV cyst in 1(1.0%). The MRI findings were confirmed by seminal vesiculoscopy and all patients received appropriate treatment. In 14 patients (13.7%), no obvious abnormal changes were observed with MRIs, however, these patients were diagnosed and successfully managed using seminal vesiculoscopy. Some degrees of ED obstruction was usually found during surgery. The symptoms of haematospermia disappeared 1–2 months after surgery in all patients. Two patients had a recurrence of haematospermia, underwent the same treatment, and recovered during the follow-up period. The aetiology of the most cases of the refractory haematospermia can be distinguished using the three-dimensional MRI. Typical abnormalities observed on MR images are signal intensity, SV volume changes and cyst formation. MRI has significant etiological diagnostic value and provides reliable information for the subsequent treatment of patients with persistent and refractory haematospermia.

The balance between osteogenesis and adipogenesis of bone marrow stromal cells is impaired in many human diseases. Knowledge of how to fine-tune this balance is of medical importance. CCAAT/enhancer binding protein α (C/EBPα) has been shown to regulate the balance between osteogenesis and adipogenesis of C3H10T1/2 cells, with epigenetic modifications of the C/EBPα promoter playing an important role. The present study aimed to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms. The results showed that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) binds the -1286 bp/-1065 bp region of the C/EBPα promoter to activate C/EBPα expression during osteogenesis and adipogenesis of C3H10T1/2 cells. DNA hypermethylation in the -1286 bp/-1065 bp region, observed at the terminal stage of osteogenesis, prevented PPARγ binding, and then histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) occupied this region to reduce the level of histone acetylation. We regulated the balance between osteogenesis and adipogenesis of mouse bone marrow stromal cells through modulation of DNA methylation and histone acetylation status. In addition, in bone marrow stromal cells from the glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIO) mouse, hypomethylation of CpG sites, higher binding of PPARγ, acetylated histones 3 and 4, and reduced binding of HDAC1 in the -1286 bp/-1065 bp region of C/EBPα promoter were observed, compared with normal mice. This study provides a deeper insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying the balance between osteogenesis and adipogenesis regulated by C/EBPα in synergy with PPARγ, and suggests a molecular model for how DNA methylation and histone acetylation are linked by PPARγ to regulate differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells.

One new chromone, rel-(1S,2S,3S)-2,8-dihydroxy-6-methoxy-1,3-dimethyl-3,4-dihydro-1H-xanthen-9(2H)-one (1), together with one known compound wentiquinone A (2), were isolated from solid culture of endophytic fungus strain Bambusicola massarinia. The structures of all compounds were determined mainly by analysis of their NMR spectroscopic data. The relative configuration of compound 1 was determined by the single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses.

Background: Abnormal maturation of brain connectivity is supposed to underlie the dysfunctional emotion regulation in patients with bipolar disorder (BD). To test this hypothesis, white matter integrity is usually investigated using measures of water diffusivity provided by MRI. Here we consider a more intuitive aspect of the morphometry of the white matter tracts: the shape of the fibre bundles, which is associated with neurodevelopment. We analyzed the shape of 3 tracts involved in BD: the cingulum (CG), uncinate fasciculus (UF) and arcuate fasciculus (AF). Methods: We analyzed diffusion MRI data in patients with BD and healthy controls. The fibre bundles were reconstructed using Q-ball–based tractography and automated segmentation. Using Isomap, a manifold learning method, the differences in the shape of the reconstructed bundles were visualized and quantified. Results: We included 112 patients and 82 controls in our analysis. We found the left AF of patients to be further extended toward the temporal pole, forming a tighter hook than in controls. We found no significant difference in terms of shape for the left UF, the left CG or the 3 right fasciculi. However, in patients compared with controls, the ventrolateral branch of the left UF in the orbitofrontal region had a tendency to be larger, and the left CG of patients had a tendency to be smaller in the frontal lobe and larger in the parietal lobe. Limitations: This was a cross-sectional study. Conclusion: Our results suggest neurodevelopmental abnormalities in the left AF in patients with BD. The statistical tendencies observed for the left UF and left CG deserve further study.