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Mengyang Li,1,* Yuting Wang,2,* He Liu,2 Xiaonan Huang,2 Huagang Peng,2 Yi Yang,2 Zhen Hu,2 Jianxiong Dou,2 Chuan Xiao,2 Juan Chen,3 Weilong Shang,2 Xiancai Rao1,2 1Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Army Medical University, Key Laboratory of Microbial Engineering Under the Educational Committee in Chongqing, Chongqing, 400038, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Pharmacy, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, 400037, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Xiancai Rao; Weilong Shang, Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Army Medical University, Key Laboratory of Microbial Engineering under the Educational Committee in Chongqing, Chongqing, 400038, People’s Republic of China, Email raoxiancai@126.com; shangwl0414@163.comIntroduction: Nanosized outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) from Gram-negative bacteria have attracted increasing interest because of their antitumor activity. However, the antitumor effects of MVs isolated from Gram-positive bacteria have rarely been investigated.Methods: MVs of Staphylococcus aureus USA300 were prepared and their antitumor efficacy was evaluated using tumor-bearing mouse models. A gene knock-in assay was performed to generate luciferase Antares2–MVs for bioluminescent detection. Cell counting kit-8 and lactic dehydrogenase release assays were used to detect the toxicity of the MVs against tumor cells in vitro. Active caspase-1 and gasdermin D (GSDMD) levels were determined using Western blot, and the tumor inhibition ability of MVs was determined in B16F10 cells treated with a caspase-1 inhibitor.Results: The vesicular particles of S. aureus USA300 MVs were 55.23 ± 8.17 nm in diameter, and 5 μg of MVs remarkably inhibited the growth of B16F10 melan

Hongxia Xin,1,2,* Shuoshuo Wei,1,3,* Hao Zheng,4,* Yanchao Qi,5,* Shuping Xu,6,* Bei Wang,2 Wangshu Jiang,7 Ning Deng,7,* Juan Chen1,2,* 1Department of Key Laboratory of Ningxia Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, Ningxia, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, Ningxia, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Affiliated Yijishan Hospital, Wannan Medical College, Wuhu, Anhui, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Yanchi County People’s Hospital, Wuzhong, Ningxia, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Second People’s Hospital of Shizuishan, Shizuishan, Ningxia, People’s Republic of China; 6Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine II, Wuzhong People’s Hospital, WuZhong, Ningxia, People’s Republic of China; 7Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Ning Deng, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, People’s Republic of China, Email zju.dengning@gmail.com Juan Chen, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yongan Lane, Xingqing District, Yinchuan, Ningxia, 750004, People’s Republic of China, Email chenjuan7419@163.comBackground: Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is an effective intervention for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, fewer than 5% of eligible individu

Medical image segmentation (MIS) aims to finely segment various organs. It requires grasping global information from both parts and the entire image for better segmenting, and clinically there are often certain requirements for segmentation efficiency. Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have made considerable achievements in MIS. However, they are difficult to fully collect global context information and their pooling layer may cause information loss. Capsule networks, which combine the benefits of CNNs while taking into account additional information such as relative location that CNNs do not, have lately demonstrated some advantages in MIS. Vision Transformer (ViT) employs transformers in visual tasks. Transformer based on attention mechanism has excellent global inductive modeling capabilities and is expected to capture longrange information. Moreover, there have been resent studies on making ViT more lightweight to minimize model complexity and increase efficiency. In this paper, we propose a U-shaped 3D encoder-decoder network named 3D-EffiViTCaps, which combines 3D capsule blocks with 3D EfficientViT blocks for MIS. Our encoder uses capsule blocks and EfficientViT blocks to jointly capture local and global semantic information more effectively and efficiently with less information loss, while the decoder employs CNN blocks and EfficientViT blocks to catch ffner details for segmentation. We conduct experiments on various datasets, including iSeg-2017, Hippocampus and Cardiac to verify the performance and efficiency of 3D-EffiViTCaps, which performs better than previous 3D CNN-based, 3D Capsule-based and 3D Transformer-based models. We further implement a series of ablation experiments on the main blocks. Our code is available at: https://github.com/HidNeuron/3D-EffiViTCaps., Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures, submitted to ICPR2024

Recent advances in surface-patterning techniques of liquid crystals have enabled the precise creation of topological defects, which promise a variety of emergent applications. However, the manipulation and application of these defects remain limited. Here, we harness the moiré effect to engineer topological defects in patterned nematic liquid crystal cells. Specifically, we combine simulation and experiment to examine a nematic cell confined between two substrates of periodic surface anchoring patterns; by rotating one surface against the other, we observe a rich variety of highly tunable, novel topological defects. These defects are shown to guide the three-dimensional self-assembly of colloids, which can conversely impact defects by preventing the self-annihilation of loop-defects through jamming. Finally, we demonstrate that certain nematic moiré cells can engender arbitrary shapes represented by defect regions. As such, the proposed simple twist method enables the design and tuning of mesoscopic structures in liquid crystals, facilitating applications including defect-directed self-assembly, material transport, micro-reactors, photonic devices, and anti-counterfeiting materials.

Spatiotemporal data analysis is pivotal across various domains, such as transportation, meteorology, and healthcare. The data collected in real-world scenarios are often incomplete due to device malfunctions and network errors. Spatiotemporal imputation aims to predict missing values by exploiting the spatial and temporal dependencies in the observed data. Traditional imputation approaches based on statistical and machine learning techniques require the data to conform to their distributional assumptions, while graph and recurrent neural networks are prone to error accumulation problems due to their recurrent structures. Generative models, especially diffusion models, can potentially circumvent the reliance on inaccurate, previously imputed values for future predictions; However, diffusion models still face challenges in generating stable results. We propose to address these challenges by designing conditional information to guide the generative process and expedite the training process. We introduce a conditional diffusion framework called C$^2$TSD, which incorporates disentangled temporal (trend and seasonality) representations as conditional information and employs contrastive learning to improve generalizability. Our extensive experiments on three real-world datasets demonstrate the superior performance of our approach compared to a number of state-of-the-art baselines.

Juan Chen,1,* Qiqiang Liang,1,* Shuo Ding,1 Yongshan Xu,1 Yanting Hu,1 Jingyu Chen,2,3 Man Huang1,3 1Department of General Intensive Care Unit, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 2Wuxi Lung Transplant Center, Wuxi People’s Hospital affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Lung Transplantation, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Man Huang, Department of General Intensive Care Unit, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +86 571 89713427, Email huangman@zju.edu.cn Jingyu Chen, Wuxi Lung Transplant Center, Wuxi People’s Hospital affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China, Email chenjy@wuxiph.comBackground: Experience of ceftazidime-avibactam (CAZ/AVI) for carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA) infection in recipients after lung transplantation (LT) is relatively limited.Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted on lung transplant recipients receiving CAZ/AVI therapy for CRPA infection. The primary outcomes were the 14-day and 30-day mortality. The secondary outcomes were clinical cure and microbiological cure.Results: Among 183 LT recipients, a total of 15 recipients with CRPA infection who received CAZ/AVI therapy were enrolled in this study. The mean age of recipients was 54 years and 73.3% of recipients were male. The median time from infection onset to initiation of CAZ/AVI treatment was 4 days (IQR, 3– 7) and the mean duration of CAZ/AVI therapy was 10 days. CAZ/AVI was mainly administered as monotherapy in LT recipients (80%). Among these eligible recipients, 14-day and 30-day

Jiong Zhang,1,2,* Juan Chen,3,* Qing Jiang,1,* Rui Feng,2 Xiaohu Zhao,2 Haolin Li,2 Cheng Yang,2 Xiaoliang Hua1 1Department of Urology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Urology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, People’s Republic of China; 3The Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medical Diagnostics, the College of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Cheng Yang, Department of Urology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, No. 218 Jixi Road, Shushan District, Hefei, 230022, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 0551 6292 3440, Fax +86 551 6363 3742, Email chengyang_md@163.com Xiaoliang Hua, Department of Urology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, No. 74 Linjiang Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400010, People’s Republic of China, TelFax +86 023 6369 3222, Email hua_xiaoliang@cqmu.edu.cnBackground: Resolvin D1 (RvD1), a member of the specialized pro-resolving lipid mediators family, has a potent anti-inflammatory effect and alleviates tissue damage. The purpose of the current research was to study the effect of RvD1 on CP/CPPS and the underlying mechanisms using a mouse model of experimental autoimmune prostatitis (EAP) mice.Materials and Methods: The EAP mouse model was successfully established, and was used to test the therapeutic effect of RvD1. Hematoxylin-eosin staining and dihydroethidium staining were used to evaluate the histological changes and oxidative stress levels of prostate tissues. Chronic pelvic pain was assessed by applying von Frey filaments to the lower abdomen. The superoxide dismutase enzyme and malondialdehyde levels were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The levels of inflammatio

Peng Chen,1 Juan Chen,2 Jinghe Ye,1 Limin Yang1 1Department of Urology, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command PLA, Shenyang, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Oncology, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command PLA, Shenyang, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Limin Yang, Department of Urology, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command PLA, No. 83, Wenhua Road, Shenhe District, Shenyang, 110000, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +86-17790993188, Email yang__limin@163.comPurpose: Sepsis is an organ dysfunction with high mortality. Early identification, diagnosis, and effective treatment of sepsis are beneficial to the survival of patients. This study aimed to find potential diagnosis and immune-related genes, and drug targets, which could provide novel diagnostic and therapeutic markers for sepsis.Patients and Methods: The GSE69063, GSE154918 and GSE28750 datasets were integrated to evaluate immune infiltration and identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and immune-related genes. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was applied to find the hub module related to immune score and sepsis. Immune-related key genes were screened out by taking interaction of DEGs, immune-related genes, and genes in hub module. Protein–protein interaction (PPI) analysis was used to further screen immune-related hub genes, followed by construction of a diagnostic model based on immune-related hub genes. Functional analysis and drug prediction of immune-related hub genes were, respectively, performed by David software and DGIdb database, followed by expression validation by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).Results: Totally, 93 immune-related key genes were identified between 561 DEGs, 1793 immune-related genes and 12,459 genes in the hub module of WGCNA. Through PPI analysis, a total of 5 diagnose and immune-related hub genes were further obtained, including IL7R, IL10, CD40LG, CD28 and LCN2. Relationship pa

Chunyan Luan,1,* Zhipeng Lu,2,* Juan Chen,3 Mengxing Chen,1 Ran Zhao,1 Xiaolan Li1 1Department of Dermatology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, People’s Republic of China; 2Southwest United Graduate School, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan, 650500, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Xiaolan Li, Department of Dermatology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, 374# Dianmian Avenue, Wuhua District, Kunming, Yunnan, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 13629684648, Email prolixl@163.comPurpose: Thalidomide (Tha) can be used as a selective treatment for mild pemphigus vulgaris (PV). However, the specific mechanism of action remains unclear.Patients and Methods: PV IgG extracted from patients’ serum was cocultured with HaCaT cells to construct a PV cell model, and different concentrations of Tha were used to screen the drug effect. The expression level of MYD88 was assessed in skin lesions of PV patients. Intracellular Ca2+ concentration, reactive oxygen species level, DSG3, PG, MYD88, apoptosis-related proteins (Caspase-3, Bcl-2, and Bax), NF-κB pathway–related proteins (IκBα, p-IκBα, p50, and p65), NLRP3, IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-8 levels were measured. PV IgG was subcutaneously injected into C57BL/6 neonatal mice to construct the animal model. Immunofluorescence was used to detect IgG deposition in the mouse epidermis, whereas immunohistochemistry and TUNEL methods were used to detect the expression of MYD88 and NLRP3 as well as cell apoptosis level in the mouse epidermis.Results: Tha reversed the decrease in Dsg3 and PG caused by PV IgG. The expression of MyD88 increased in the patients’ skin, PV cell model, and PV mouse model. The increase in MyD88 expressio

Charging lithium-oxygen batteries is characterized by large overpotentials and low Coulombic efficiencies. Charging mechanisms need to be better understood to overcome these challenges. Charging involves multiple reactions and processes whose specific timescales are difficult to identify. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is suited for this task, but its interpretation is ambiguous. Here, we combine the distribution of relaxation times (DRT) with the distribution of capacitive times (DCT) to identify the timescales of lithium-oxygen battery charging through EIS. In situ differential electrochemical mass spectrometry (DEMS) is used to validate the impedance results. The results show that the overpotential is mainly due to Li2O2’s charge transfer resistance at the initial and final stages of charging, whereas at mid-charging, Li2CO3 passivation becomes dominant. Mid-charging is particularly critical as Li2CO3 decomposition leads to electrolyte degradation and byproducts clogging the pores, inhibiting the diffusion process in the composite electrode. These methods provide a framework for studying other electrochemical systems.

Juan Wu,1,2 Hongrong Xu,1 Hui Li,1 Lei Ma,3 Juan Chen,3 Fei Yuan,1 Lei Sheng,1 Chao Liu,1 Weili Chen,1 Xuening Li1 1Department of Clinical Pharmacology & Cancer Center, ZhongShan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Pharmacy, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai JiaoTong University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 3Haihe Biopharma Co., Ltd, Shanghai, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Xuening Li, Department of Clinical Pharmacology & Cancer Center, ZhongShan Hospital, Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China, 200032, Tel +86 21 3158 7860, Fax +86 21 3158 7866, Email li.xuening@zs-hospital.sh.cnObjective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of food on the pharmacokinetics and safety profiles of SCC244, a novel oral c-Met inhibitor in healthy Chinese male subjects.Methods: It was a randomized, open-label, and 3-period crossover design, single-dose phase I clinical trial. A total of 18 healthy male subjects were enrolled. These subjects received a single oral 300 mg dose of SCC244 with a 14-day washout between each period. Blood samples were collected at the designated time points and determined using a validated liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method. Pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated by noncompartmental methods. Tolerability was assessed by physical examination, vital sign measurements, 12-lead ECG, clinical laboratory tests, and adverse events (AEs) monitoring throughout the study.Results: Eighteen eligible subjects were enrolled in the study. The ratios (90% CI) of Cmax values for SCC244 in high-fat and low-fat meal states to that observed in fasted state were 194.8% (174.3– 217.7%) and 194.6% (174.1– 217.5%), respectively. The ratios of AUC0-t and AUC0-inf in the high-fat meal state versus the fasted state were 237.4% (208.7– 270.0%) and 235.9% (207.5– 268.3%), respectively. The ratios of AUC0

Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) is an important cash crop for production of sugar and bioethanol. Red stripe caused by Acidovorax avenae subsp. avenae (Aaa) is a disease that occurs in numerous sugarcane-growing regions worldwide. In this study, 17 strains of Aaa were isolated from 13 symptomatic leaf samples in China. Nine of these strains produced white-cream colonies on nutrient agar medium while the other eight produced yellow colonies. In pairwise sequence comparisons of the 16S-23S rRNA internally transcribed spacer (ITS), the 17 strains had 98.4-100% nucleotide identity among each other and 98.2-99.5% identity with the reference strain of Aaa (ATCC 19860). Three RFLP patterns based on this ITS sequence were also found among the strains of Aaa obtained in this study. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) based on five housekeeping genes (ugpB, pilT, lepA, trpB, and gltA) revealed that the strains of Aaa from sugarcane in China and a strain of Aaa (30179) isolated from sorghum in Brazil formed a unique evolutionary subclade. Twenty-four additional strains of Aaa from sugarcane in Argentina and from other crops worldwide were distributed in two other and separate subclades, suggesting that strains of A. avenae from sugarcane are clonal populations with local specificities. Two strains of Aaa from China (CNGX08 forming white-cream colored colonies and CNGD05 forming yellow colonies) induced severe symptoms of red stripe in sugarcane varieties LC07-150 and ZZ8 but differed based on disease incidence in two separate inoculation experiments. Infected plants also exhibited increased salicylic acid (SA) content and transcript expression of gene PR-1, indicating that the SA-mediated signal pathway is involved in the response to infection by Aaa. Consequently, red stripe of sugarcane in China is caused by genetically different strains of Aaa and at least two morphological variants. The impact of these independent variations on epidemics of red stripe remains to be investigated.

Traditional convolutional neural networks are limited to handling Euclidean space data, overlooking the vast realm of real-life scenarios represented as graph data, including transportation networks, social networks, and reference networks. The pivotal step in transferring convolutional neural networks to graph data analysis and processing lies in the construction of graph convolutional operators and graph pooling operators. This comprehensive review article delves into the world of graph convolutional neural networks. Firstly, it elaborates on the fundamentals of graph convolutional neural networks. Subsequently, it elucidates the graph neural network models based on attention mechanisms and autoencoders, summarizing their application in node classification, graph classification, and link prediction along with the associated datasets., Comment: 18pages,4figures

Mitophagy has a critical role in maintaining cellular homeostasis through acidic lysosomes engulfing excess or impaired mitochondria, thereby pH fluctuation is one of the most significant indicators for tracking mitophagy. Then such precise pH tracking demands the fluorogenic probe that has tailored contemporaneous features, including mitochondrial-specificity, excellent biocompatibility, wide pH-sensitive range of 8.0-4.0, and especially quantitative ability. However, available molecular probes cannot simultaneously meet all the requirements since it is extremely difficult to integrate multiple functionalities into a single molecule. To fully address this issue, we herein integrate two fluorogenic pH sensitive units, a mitochondria-specific block, cell-penetrating facilitator, and biocompatible segments into an elegant silica nano scaffold, which greatly ensures the applicability for real-time tracking of pH fluctuations in mitophagy. Most significantly, at a single wavelength excitation, the integrated pH-sensitive units have spectra-distinguishable fluorescence towards alkaline and acidic pH in a broad range that covers mitochondrial and lysosomal pH, thus enabling a ratiometric analysis of pH variations during the whole mitophagy. This work also provides constructive insights into the fabrication of advanced fluorescent nanoprobes for diverse biomedical applications., Funding Agencies|Linkoping University

Background: Successful self-feeding reflects the readiness of early motor development and environmental impacts, and the onset of self-feeding as a developmental milestone might be a predictor of subsequent motor development in children. In this study, we explored the association between the onset of self-feeding and childhood risk of Developmental Coordination Disorder in children from one-child and two-child families. Methods: We conducted a data-linkage prospective cohort study from 38 kindergartens in 6 cities in China. A total of 11,727 preschoolers were included in the final analysis and were assessed with the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-second edition (MABC-2) Test. The information on early self-feeding onset was obtained from parents. The mixed and multi-level logistic models utilizing a random intercept were used to investigate the associations between the onset time of self-feeding and subsequent motor performance. Results: The results showed that, compared with those beginning self-feeding at or younger than 12 months of age, children starting self-feeding at 13-24 months, 25-36 months, and later than 36 months, showed a decrease in their total MABC-2 scores of 2.181, 3.026 and 3.874, respectively; and had an increased risk of suspected DCD by 36.0%, 101.6%, 102.6% respectively; they also had 30.2%, 46.6%, 71.2% increased prevalence of at risk of suspected DCD, when adjusting for both child and family characteristics (each p<0.05). Significant associations were observed in fine motor, gross motor, and balance subtests (each p<0.05) in groups with a delayed onset of self-feeding. However, the strength of the associations was mitigated in the fine motor and balance subtests in children with a sibling. Conclusion: The delayed onset time of self-feeding acts as an early behavioural marker for later childhood motor impairment. Moreover, children with a sibling may benefit from additional interaction and their motor developmental pattern may be aff

Mitophagy has a critical role in maintaining cellular homeostasis through acidic lysosomes engulfing excess or impaired mitochondria, thereby pH fluctuation is one of the most significant indicators for tracking mitophagy. Then such precise pH tracking demands the fluorogenic probe that has tailored contemporaneous features, including mitochondrial-specificity, excellent biocompatibility, wide pH-sensitive range of 8.0-4.0, and especially quantitative ability. However, available molecular probes cannot simultaneously meet all the requirements since it is extremely difficult to integrate multiple functionalities into a single molecule. To fully address this issue, we herein integrate two fluorogenic pH sensitive units, a mitochondria-specific block, cell-penetrating facilitator, and biocompatible segments into an elegant silica nano scaffold, which greatly ensures the applicability for real-time tracking of pH fluctuations in mitophagy. Most significantly, at a single wavelength excitation, the integrated pH-sensitive units have spectra-distinguishable fluorescence towards alkaline and acidic pH in a broad range that covers mitochondrial and lysosomal pH, thus enabling a ratiometric analysis of pH variations during the whole mitophagy. This work also provides constructive insights into the fabrication of advanced fluorescent nanoprobes for diverse biomedical applications., Funding Agencies|Linkoping University

Mitophagy has a critical role in maintaining cellular homeostasis through acidic lysosomes engulfing excess or impaired mitochondria, thereby pH fluctuation is one of the most significant indicators for tracking mitophagy. Then such precise pH tracking demands the fluorogenic probe that has tailored contemporaneous features, including mitochondrial-specificity, excellent biocompatibility, wide pH-sensitive range of 8.0-4.0, and especially quantitative ability. However, available molecular probes cannot simultaneously meet all the requirements since it is extremely difficult to integrate multiple functionalities into a single molecule. To fully address this issue, we herein integrate two fluorogenic pH sensitive units, a mitochondria-specific block, cell-penetrating facilitator, and biocompatible segments into an elegant silica nano scaffold, which greatly ensures the applicability for real-time tracking of pH fluctuations in mitophagy. Most significantly, at a single wavelength excitation, the integrated pH-sensitive units have spectra-distinguishable fluorescence towards alkaline and acidic pH in a broad range that covers mitochondrial and lysosomal pH, thus enabling a ratiometric analysis of pH variations during the whole mitophagy. This work also provides constructive insights into the fabrication of advanced fluorescent nanoprobes for diverse biomedical applications., Funding Agencies|Linkoping University

Background: Successful self-feeding reflects the readiness of early motor development and environmental impacts, and the onset of self-feeding as a developmental milestone might be a predictor of subsequent motor development in children. In this study, we explored the association between the onset of self-feeding and childhood risk of Developmental Coordination Disorder in children from one-child and two-child families. Methods: We conducted a data-linkage prospective cohort study from 38 kindergartens in 6 cities in China. A total of 11,727 preschoolers were included in the final analysis and were assessed with the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-second edition (MABC-2) Test. The information on early self-feeding onset was obtained from parents. The mixed and multi-level logistic models utilizing a random intercept were used to investigate the associations between the onset time of self-feeding and subsequent motor performance. Results: The results showed that, compared with those beginning self-feeding at or younger than 12 months of age, children starting self-feeding at 13-24 months, 25-36 months, and later than 36 months, showed a decrease in their total MABC-2 scores of 2.181, 3.026 and 3.874, respectively; and had an increased risk of suspected DCD by 36.0%, 101.6%, 102.6% respectively; they also had 30.2%, 46.6%, 71.2% increased prevalence of at risk of suspected DCD, when adjusting for both child and family characteristics (each p<0.05). Significant associations were observed in fine motor, gross motor, and balance subtests (each p<0.05) in groups with a delayed onset of self-feeding. However, the strength of the associations was mitigated in the fine motor and balance subtests in children with a sibling. Conclusion: The delayed onset time of self-feeding acts as an early behavioural marker for later childhood motor impairment. Moreover, children with a sibling may benefit from additional interaction and their motor developmental pattern may be aff

Alginate capillary hydrogels seeded with differentiated cells can fill the lesion cavity and promote axonal regeneration after grafting into the injured spinal cord. Neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs) can potentially repair the spinal cord; however, effects of alginate hydrogels (AHs) on NSPCs remain unknown. In this study, we fabricated AHs cross-linked by Ca2+ and seeded hydrogels with rat embryonic day 14 NSPCs. Immunocytochemistry and electron microscopy show that NSPCs survive, proliferate and differentiate into neurons in vitro within the capillaries. After transplantation into an acute T8 complete spinal cord transection site in adult rats, approximately one-third (38.3%) of grafted cells survive and differentiate into neurons (40.7%), astrocytes (26.6%) and oligodendrocytes (28.4%) at 8 weeks post-grafting. NSPCs promote the growth of host axons within the capillaries in a time-dependent manner. Host axons make synapse-like contacts with NSPC-derived neurons within the hydrogel channels, and graft-derived axons extend into the host white and gray matter making putative synapses. This is paralleled by improved electrophysiological conductivity across the lesion and partial hindlimb locomotor recovery.

Mitophagy has a critical role in maintaining cellular homeostasis through acidic lysosomes engulfing excess or impaired mitochondria, thereby pH fluctuation is one of the most significant indicators for tracking mitophagy. Then such precise pH tracking demands the fluorogenic probe that has tailored contemporaneous features, including mitochondrial-specificity, excellent biocompatibility, wide pH-sensitive range of 8.0-4.0, and especially quantitative ability. However, available molecular probes cannot simultaneously meet all the requirements since it is extremely difficult to integrate multiple functionalities into a single molecule. To fully address this issue, we herein integrate two fluorogenic pH sensitive units, a mitochondria-specific block, cell-penetrating facilitator, and biocompatible segments into an elegant silica nano scaffold, which greatly ensures the applicability for real-time tracking of pH fluctuations in mitophagy. Most significantly, at a single wavelength excitation, the integrated pH-sensitive units have spectra-distinguishable fluorescence towards alkaline and acidic pH in a broad range that covers mitochondrial and lysosomal pH, thus enabling a ratiometric analysis of pH variations during the whole mitophagy. This work also provides constructive insights into the fabrication of advanced fluorescent nanoprobes for diverse biomedical applications., Funding Agencies|Linkoping University

Juan Chen,&ast; Qiqiang Liang,&ast; Xinyi Chen, Jing Wu, Yanchao Wu, Gaoqin Teng, Man Huang Department of General Intensive Care Unit, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Man Huang, Department of General Intensive Care Unit, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +86 571 89713427, Email huangman@zju.edu.cnPurpose: Ceftazidime/avibactam (CAZ/AVI) monotherapy and polymyxin B-based combination therapy are currently two treatment options for patients with carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA) infection; however, few studies have contrasted the relative efficacy of the two antibiotic regimens. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of CAZ/AVI and polymyxin B against CRPA infection and analyze the independent predictors of 30-day mortality or survival.Patients and Methods: This single-center retrospective observational study included patients with CRPA infection treated with CAZ/AVI or polymyxin B between January 2018 and December 2020. The primary outcomes were the 14-day and 30-day mortality. The secondary outcomes were in-hospital mortality and bacterial clearance. Baseline characteristics and outcomes were compared between the two groups, and COX regression analysis was used to identify predictors of 30-day mortality.Results: A total of 136 patients with CRPA infection were enrolled, including 51 patients in the CAZ/AVI group and 85 patients in the polymyxin B group. The 14-day mortality (5.9% vs 27.1%, p=0.002), 30-day mortality (13.7% vs 47.1%, p< 0.001) and in-hospital mortality (29.4% vs 60.0%, p=0.001) in the CAZ/AVI group were significantly lower than the polymyxin B group. The bacterial clearance rate (45.1% vs 12.9%, p< 0.001) in the CAZ/AVI group were higher than in t

The production of low-carbon gaseous fuels from biomass has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote energy sustainability, stability and affordability around the world. Glycerol, a large-volume by-product of biodiesel production, is a potential feedstock for the production of low-carbon energy vectors. In this present work, an aqueous solution of pure glycerol was reacted under hydrothermal conditions using a total of 10 types of heterogeneous catalysts to evaluate its conversion to gas products (hydrogen, methane, CO, CO2 and C2–C4 hydrocarbon gases). Two bimetallic Ni-Fe and Ni-Cu catalysts, three Pt-based catalysts and physical mixtures of the five catalysts were tested. The reactions were carried out in a batch reactor for 1 h reaction time, using a 9:1 mass ratio of water/glycerol (10 wt%) and the reaction temperatures ranged between 250–350 °C using and without using 1 g of catalyst. The effects of the catalysts and reaction conditions on the conversion of glycerol in terms of carbon and hydrogen gasification efficiencies, selectivity and yields of components in the gas products were investigated. CO2 remained the most dominant gas product in all experiments. The results indicated that increasing the reaction temperature favoured gas formation and both carbon and hydrogen gasification efficiencies. The combination of Ni-Cu and Pt/C catalysts was the most selective catalyst for gas formation at 350 °C, giving carbon gasification efficiency of 95.6 wt%. Individually, the catalyst with the highest hydrogen production was Pt/C and the highest propane yield was obtained with the Ni-Cu bimetallic catalyst. Some catalysts showed good structural stability in hydrothermal media but need improvements towards better yields of desired fuel gases.

The production of low-carbon gaseous fuels from biomass has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote energy sustainability, stability and affordability around the world. Glycerol, a large-volume by-product of biodiesel production, is a potential feedstock for the production of low-carbon energy vectors. In this present work, an aqueous solution of pure glycerol was reacted under hydrothermal conditions using a total of 10 types of heterogeneous catalysts to evaluate its conversion to gas products (hydrogen, methane, CO, CO2 and C2–C4 hydrocarbon gases). Two bimetallic Ni-Fe and Ni-Cu catalysts, three Pt-based catalysts and physical mixtures of the five catalysts were tested. The reactions were carried out in a batch reactor for 1 h reaction time, using a 9:1 mass ratio of water/glycerol (10 wt%) and the reaction temperatures ranged between 250–350 °C using and without using 1 g of catalyst. The effects of the catalysts and reaction conditions on the conversion of glycerol in terms of carbon and hydrogen gasification efficiencies, selectivity and yields of components in the gas products were investigated. CO2 remained the most dominant gas product in all experiments. The results indicated that increasing the reaction temperature favoured gas formation and both carbon and hydrogen gasification efficiencies. The combination of Ni-Cu and Pt/C catalysts was the most selective catalyst for gas formation at 350 °C, giving carbon gasification efficiency of 95.6 wt%. Individually, the catalyst with the highest hydrogen production was Pt/C and the highest propane yield was obtained with the Ni-Cu bimetallic catalyst. Some catalysts showed good structural stability in hydrothermal media but need improvements towards better yields of desired fuel gases.

Image super-resolution reconstruction is an important task in the field of image processing technology, which can restore low resolution image to high quality image with high resolution. In recent years, deep learning has been applied in the field of image super-resolution reconstruction. With the continuous development of deep neural network, the quality of the reconstructed images has been greatly improved, but the model complexity has also been increased. In this paper, we propose two lightweight models named as MSwinSR and UGSwinSR based on Swin Transformer. The most important structure in MSwinSR is called Multi-size Swin Transformer Block (MSTB), which mainly contains four parallel multi-head self-attention (MSA) blocks. UGSwinSR combines U-Net and GAN with Swin Transformer. Both of them can reduce the model complexity, but MSwinSR can reach a higher objective quality, while UGSwinSR can reach a higher perceptual quality. The experimental results demonstrate that MSwinSR increases PSNR by $\mathbf{0.07dB}$ compared with the state-of-the-art model SwinIR, while the number of parameters can reduced by $\mathbf{30.68\%}$, and the calculation cost can reduced by $\mathbf{9.936\%}$. UGSwinSR can effectively reduce the amount of calculation of the network, which can reduced by $\mathbf{90.92\%}$ compared with SwinIR.

Leaf scald caused by Xanthomonas albilineans is one of the major bacterial diseases of sugarcane that threaten the sugar industry worldwide. Pathogenic divergence among strains of X. albilineans and interactions with the sugarcane host remain largely unexplored. In this study, 40 strains of X. albilineans from China were distributed into three distinct evolutionary groups based on multilocus sequence analysis and simple sequence repeats loci markers. In pathogenicity assays, the 40 strains of X. albilineans from China were divided into three pathogenicity groups (low, medium, and high). Twenty-four hours post inoculation (hpi) of leaf scald susceptible variety GT58, leaf populations of X. albilineans strain XaCN51 (high pathogenicity group) determined by qPCR were 3-fold higher than those of strain XaCN24 (low pathogenicity group). Inoculated sugarcane plants modulated the reactive oxygen species (ROS) homoeostasis by enhancing respiratory burst oxidase homolog (ScRBOH) expression and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and by decreasing catalase (CAT) activity, especially after infection by X. albilineans XaCN51. Furthermore, at 24 hpi, plants infected with XaCN51 maintained a lower content of endogenous salicylic acid (SA) and a lower expression level of SA-mediated genes (ScNPR3, ScTGA4, ScPR1, and ScPR5) as compared to plants infected with XaCN24. Altogether, these data revealed that the ROS production-scavenging system and activation of the SA pathway were involved in the sugarcane defense response to an attack by X. albilineans.

The dissociation of ligands by excitation of coordination complexes with visible and UV light is a field that is now over 100 years old, yet it is increasingly relevant due to the opportunities it provides for applications from photoinduced anionic polymerization and biomedical applications, for example, to release small molecules (CO, NO, etc.) of relevance to signaling or to release/activate drugs. In this chapter we will focus on the release of small molecules (primarily amine, CO and arene) with paradigms of the main classes of photochemically induced ligand dissociation. The discussion will focus on the processes themselves and not applications.

Mitophagy has a critical role in maintaining cellular homeostasis through acidic lysosomes engulfing excess or impaired mitochondria, thereby pH fluctuation is one of the most significant indicators for tracking mitophagy. Then such precise pH tracking demands the fluorogenic probe that has tailored contemporaneous features, including mitochondrial-specificity, excellent biocompatibility, wide pH-sensitive range of 8.0-4.0, and especially quantitative ability. However, available molecular probes cannot simultaneously meet all the requirements since it is extremely difficult to integrate multiple functionalities into a single molecule. To fully address this issue, we herein integrate two fluorogenic pH sensitive units, a mitochondria-specific block, cell-penetrating facilitator, and biocompatible segments into an elegant silica nano scaffold, which greatly ensures the applicability for real-time tracking of pH fluctuations in mitophagy. Most significantly, at a single wavelength excitation, the integrated pH-sensitive units have spectra-distinguishable fluorescence towards alkaline and acidic pH in a broad range that covers mitochondrial and lysosomal pH, thus enabling a ratiometric analysis of pH variations during the whole mitophagy. This work also provides constructive insights into the fabrication of advanced fluorescent nanoprobes for diverse biomedical applications., Funding Agencies|Linkoping University

Mitophagy has a critical role in maintaining cellular homeostasis through acidic lysosomes engulfing excess or impaired mitochondria, thereby pH fluctuation is one of the most significant indicators for tracking mitophagy. Then such precise pH tracking demands the fluorogenic probe that has tailored contemporaneous features, including mitochondrial-specificity, excellent biocompatibility, wide pH-sensitive range of 8.0-4.0, and especially quantitative ability. However, available molecular probes cannot simultaneously meet all the requirements since it is extremely difficult to integrate multiple functionalities into a single molecule. To fully address this issue, we herein integrate two fluorogenic pH sensitive units, a mitochondria-specific block, cell-penetrating facilitator, and biocompatible segments into an elegant silica nano scaffold, which greatly ensures the applicability for real-time tracking of pH fluctuations in mitophagy. Most significantly, at a single wavelength excitation, the integrated pH-sensitive units have spectra-distinguishable fluorescence towards alkaline and acidic pH in a broad range that covers mitochondrial and lysosomal pH, thus enabling a ratiometric analysis of pH variations during the whole mitophagy. This work also provides constructive insights into the fabrication of advanced fluorescent nanoprobes for diverse biomedical applications., Funding Agencies|Linkoping University

Yixin Sun,1,* Runzhu Liu,1,* Nanze Yu,1 Dingyue Zhang,2 Juan Chen,3 Jiuzuo Huang,1 Xiao Long1 1Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College & Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Clinical Medicine, Peking Union Medical College & Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 3Institute of Medical Information/Medical Library, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Jiuzuo Huang; Xiao Long, Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College & Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, No. 1, Shuaifuyuan, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100730, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +86-1069158730, Email hjz1983@126.com; pumclongxiao@126.comPurpose: Incisional double eyelid blepharoplasty is the most common cosmetic operation in East Asia. Although numerous articles on surgical techniques have been published, complications, such as fold loss, asymmetry, and visible scars, still exist. To create a stable and dynamic double-eyelid crease, the author has introduced a modified technique of double-eyelid blepharoplasty.Patients and Methods: The authors introduced a new surgical technique to reduce complications and create reliable and dynamic double eyelids. The orbicularis oculi muscle of the lower flap was anchored on the tarsus and sutured with the distal part of the septal flap. The skin incision was closed by skin–septal flap–skin suture. Postoperative evaluations were assessed at the twelfth postoperative month.Results: One hundred ninety-three patients underwent double eyelidplasty with the TOS fixation technique. The mean follow-up duration was

Jia He,1,2 Zhan Wang,3 Ting Zou,4 Ying Wang,5 Xiang-Ping Li,1,2 Juan Chen1,2 1Department of Pharmacy, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, People’s Republic of China; 2National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410008, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Medical Oncology, Lung Cancer and Gastrointestinal Unit, Hunan Cancer Hospital, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Changsha, 410013, People’s Republic of China; 4National Institution of Drug Clinical Trial, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, People’s Republic of China; 5Hunan clinical Research Center in Gynecologic Cancer, Hunan Cancer Hospital, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Changsha, 410013, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Juan Chen, Department of Pharmacy, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-731-89753491, Email cj1028@csu.edu.cnObjective: Platinum-based chemotherapy is the first-line treatment of lung cancer. However, different individual and genetic variation effect therapy for lung cancer. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between transport genes genetic polymorphisms and the prognosis of platinum-based chemotherapy in lung cancer patients.Methods: A series of 593 patients with treatment of platinum-based chemotherapy were recruited for this study. A total of 21 single-nucleotide polymorphisms in nine transporter genes were selected to investigate their associations with platinum-based chemotherapy prognosis.Results: Patients with ABCG2 rs1448784 CC genotype had a significantly shorter PFS than CT or TT genotypes (Additive model: HR = 1.54, 95% CI = 1.02– 2.35, P = 0.040). In stratification analysis, SLC22A2 rs316003, SLC2A1 rs4658 were related to PFS and AQP9 rs1867380, SLC2A1 rs3820589, SLC22A2 rs316003 indicated were

Yuting Guo,1,&ast; Juan Chen,2,&ast; Nan Liu,3 Zheng Liu,4 Bimin Shi,4 Hong Sun4 1Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Affiliated Kunshan Hospital of Jiangsu University, Kunshan, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Endocrinology, Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215006, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Hong Sun Email sunhong_611@126.comBackground and Aims: Thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP), a crucial modulator of the redox system, plays a crucial role in modulating lipid/glucose metabolism. Hence, this study aimed to explore whether circulating TXNIP is associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).Methods: We enrolled 110 new patients with T2DM. In this study, we determined hepatic fat fraction (HFF), which represents a hepatic fat level, by Dixon magnetic resonance imaging. TXNIP and the other biochemical profiles of the patients were measured using fasting plasma.Results: Among the 110 patients with T2DM, 41 were classified as without fatty liver, whereas 34 and 35 were with mild and moderate-to-severe fatty liver, respectively. The patients with diabetes and advanced fatty liver had significantly higher TXNIP levels (P < 0.001) than other patients. The prevalence of severe NAFLD showed an increasing trend with the increase in TXNIP quartiles (for all trends, P < 0.05). HFF showed a positive correlation with TXNIP (r = 0.516, P < 0.001). Even main risk factors were adjusted, TXNIP level was associated with NAFLD as analyzed by logistic re

[Background] As well as having a higher genetic vulnerability to psychiatric problems, children of a parent with schizophrenia suffer a significantly poorer quality of life than those with healthy parents. In mental healthcare settings, the well-being of these children is still overlooked. It is crucial to develop child-centered interventions for them. This scoping review focuses specifically on children of a parent with schizophrenia to identify the likely impacts on their life and development, the factors and strategies that may alleviate negative impacts, and available interventions. [Methods] We applied a systematic approach to search the following databases: PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Embase, Google Scholar, CNKI and CEPS to identify relevant English and Chinese publications focusing on children. Quality assessments of quantitative and qualitative studies were undertaken, using the Downs and Black instrument and the CASP Checklist respectively. [Results] After screening, thirty-three studies were included for review. The existing evidence indicates that children of a parent with schizophrenia experience multiple deficits. Although various factors have been identified that can potentially alleviate their negative experiences, few are well supported with solid empirical evidence that confirm causal effects. The needs of these children are commonly neglected: little professional support has been provided, and the usefulness of the available support has yet to be determined. [Conclusions] Based on the review, we argue that effective means should be implemented so that children of a parent with schizophrenia needing help can be identified and experts can overcome barriers to providing help. The potential modifiable factors that can alleviate the negative impacts of having a parent with schizophrenia on youngsters need to be tested and confirmed. Interventions should be evidence-based, schizophrenia-specific, and child-centered.

Background: Establishing the efficacy of novel photosensitizers (PSs) for phototherapy of lung cancer requires in vivo study prior to clinical evaluation. However, previously described animal models are not ideal for assessing transbronchial approaches with such PSs. Methods: An ultra-small parallel-type composite optical fiberscope (COF) with a 0.97 mm outer diameter tip. The integration of illumination and laser irradiation fibers inside the COF allows simultaneous white-light and fluorescence imaging, as well as real-time monitoring of tip position during laser phototherapy. An orthotopic lung cancer mouse model was created with three human lung cancer cell lines transbronchially inoculated into athymic nude mice. The COF was inserted transbronchially into a total of 15 mice for tumor observation. For in vivo fluorescence imaging, an organic nanoparticle, porphysome, was used as a PS. Laser excitation through the COF was performed at 50 mW using a 671 nm source. Results: The overall success rate for creating orthotopic lung tumors was 71%. Transbronchial white light images were successfully captured by COF. Access to the left main bronchus was successful in 87% of mice (13/15), the right main bronchus to the cranial lobe bronchus level in 100% (15/15), and to the right basal trifurcation of the middle lobe, caudal lobe and accessory lobe in 93% (14/15). For transbronchial tumor localization of orthotopic lung cancer tumors, PS-laden tumor with the strong signal was clearly contrasted from the normal bronchial wall. Conclusions: The ultra-small COF enabled reliable transbronchial access to orthotopic human lung cancer xenografts in vivo. This method could serve as a versatile preclinical research platform for PS evaluation in lung cancer, enabling transbronchial approaches in in vivo survival models inoculated with human lung cancer cells.

Background: Establishing the efficacy of novel photosensitizers (PSs) for phototherapy of lung cancer requires in vivo study prior to clinical evaluation. However, previously described animal models are not ideal for assessing transbronchial approaches with such PSs. Methods: An ultra-small parallel-type composite optical fiberscope (COF) with a 0.97 mm outer diameter tip. The integration of illumination and laser irradiation fibers inside the COF allows simultaneous white-light and fluorescence imaging, as well as real-time monitoring of tip position during laser phototherapy. An orthotopic lung cancer mouse model was created with three human lung cancer cell lines transbronchially inoculated into athymic nude mice. The COF was inserted transbronchially into a total of 15 mice for tumor observation. For in vivo fluorescence imaging, an organic nanoparticle, porphysome, was used as a PS. Laser excitation through the COF was performed at 50 mW using a 671 nm source. Results: The overall success rate for creating orthotopic lung tumors was 71%. Transbronchial white light images were successfully captured by COF. Access to the left main bronchus was successful in 87% of mice (13/15), the right main bronchus to the cranial lobe bronchus level in 100% (15/15), and to the right basal trifurcation of the middle lobe, caudal lobe and accessory lobe in 93% (14/15). For transbronchial tumor localization of orthotopic lung cancer tumors, PS-laden tumor with the strong signal was clearly contrasted from the normal bronchial wall. Conclusions: The ultra-small COF enabled reliable transbronchial access to orthotopic human lung cancer xenografts in vivo. This method could serve as a versatile preclinical research platform for PS evaluation in lung cancer, enabling transbronchial approaches in in vivo survival models inoculated with human lung cancer cells.

While photodynamic therapy (PDT) can induce acute inflammation in the irradiated tumor site, a sustained systemic, adaptive immune response is desirable, as it may control the growth of nonirradiated distant disease. Previously, we developed porphyrin lipoprotein (PLP), a ∼20 nm nanoparticle photosensitizer, and observed that it not only efficiently eradicated irradiated primary VX2 buccal carcinomas in rabbits, but also induced regression of nonirradiated metastases in a draining lymph node. We hypothesized that PLP-mediated PDT can induce an abscopal effect and we sought to investigate the immune mechanism underlying such a response in a highly aggressive, dual subcutaneous AE17-OVA+ mesothelioma model in C57BL/6 mice. Four cycles of PLP-mediated PDT was sufficient to delay the growth of a distal, nonirradiated tumor four-fold relative to controls. Serum cytokine analysis revealed high interleukin-6 levels, showing a 30-fold increase relative to phosphate-buffered solution (PBS) treated mice. Flow cytometry revealed an increase in CD4+ T cells and effector memory CD8+ T cells in non-irradiated tumors. Notably, PDT in combination with PD-1 antibody therapy prolonged survival compared to monotherapy and PBS. PLP-mediated PDT shows promise in generating a systemic immune response that can complement other treatments, improving prognoses for patients with metastatic cancers.

Background: Establishing the efficacy of novel photosensitizers (PSs) for phototherapy of lung cancer requires in vivo study prior to clinical evaluation. However, previously described animal models are not ideal for assessing transbronchial approaches with such PSs. Methods: An ultra-small parallel-type composite optical fiberscope (COF) with a 0.97 mm outer diameter tip. The integration of illumination and laser irradiation fibers inside the COF allows simultaneous white-light and fluorescence imaging, as well as real-time monitoring of tip position during laser phototherapy. An orthotopic lung cancer mouse model was created with three human lung cancer cell lines transbronchially inoculated into athymic nude mice. The COF was inserted transbronchially into a total of 15 mice for tumor observation. For in vivo fluorescence imaging, an organic nanoparticle, porphysome, was used as a PS. Laser excitation through the COF was performed at 50 mW using a 671 nm source. Results: The overall success rate for creating orthotopic lung tumors was 71%. Transbronchial white light images were successfully captured by COF. Access to the left main bronchus was successful in 87% of mice (13/15), the right main bronchus to the cranial lobe bronchus level in 100% (15/15), and to the right basal trifurcation of the middle lobe, caudal lobe and accessory lobe in 93% (14/15). For transbronchial tumor localization of orthotopic lung cancer tumors, PS-laden tumor with the strong signal was clearly contrasted from the normal bronchial wall. Conclusions: The ultra-small COF enabled reliable transbronchial access to orthotopic human lung cancer xenografts in vivo. This method could serve as a versatile preclinical research platform for PS evaluation in lung cancer, enabling transbronchial approaches in in vivo survival models inoculated with human lung cancer cells.

While photodynamic therapy (PDT) can induce acute inflammation in the irradiated tumor site, a sustained systemic, adaptive immune response is desirable, as it may control the growth of nonirradiated distant disease. Previously, we developed porphyrin lipoprotein (PLP), a ∼20 nm nanoparticle photosensitizer, and observed that it not only efficiently eradicated irradiated primary VX2 buccal carcinomas in rabbits, but also induced regression of nonirradiated metastases in a draining lymph node. We hypothesized that PLP-mediated PDT can induce an abscopal effect and we sought to investigate the immune mechanism underlying such a response in a highly aggressive, dual subcutaneous AE17-OVA+ mesothelioma model in C57BL/6 mice. Four cycles of PLP-mediated PDT was sufficient to delay the growth of a distal, nonirradiated tumor four-fold relative to controls. Serum cytokine analysis revealed high interleukin-6 levels, showing a 30-fold increase relative to phosphate-buffered solution (PBS) treated mice. Flow cytometry revealed an increase in CD4+ T cells and effector memory CD8+ T cells in non-irradiated tumors. Notably, PDT in combination with PD-1 antibody therapy prolonged survival compared to monotherapy and PBS. PLP-mediated PDT shows promise in generating a systemic immune response that can complement other treatments, improving prognoses for patients with metastatic cancers.

Background: Establishing the efficacy of novel photosensitizers (PSs) for phototherapy of lung cancer requires in vivo study prior to clinical evaluation. However, previously described animal models are not ideal for assessing transbronchial approaches with such PSs. Methods: An ultra-small parallel-type composite optical fiberscope (COF) with a 0.97 mm outer diameter tip. The integration of illumination and laser irradiation fibers inside the COF allows simultaneous white-light and fluorescence imaging, as well as real-time monitoring of tip position during laser phototherapy. An orthotopic lung cancer mouse model was created with three human lung cancer cell lines transbronchially inoculated into athymic nude mice. The COF was inserted transbronchially into a total of 15 mice for tumor observation. For in vivo fluorescence imaging, an organic nanoparticle, porphysome, was used as a PS. Laser excitation through the COF was performed at 50 mW using a 671 nm source. Results: The overall success rate for creating orthotopic lung tumors was 71%. Transbronchial white light images were successfully captured by COF. Access to the left main bronchus was successful in 87% of mice (13/15), the right main bronchus to the cranial lobe bronchus level in 100% (15/15), and to the right basal trifurcation of the middle lobe, caudal lobe and accessory lobe in 93% (14/15). For transbronchial tumor localization of orthotopic lung cancer tumors, PS-laden tumor with the strong signal was clearly contrasted from the normal bronchial wall. Conclusions: The ultra-small COF enabled reliable transbronchial access to orthotopic human lung cancer xenografts in vivo. This method could serve as a versatile preclinical research platform for PS evaluation in lung cancer, enabling transbronchial approaches in in vivo survival models inoculated with human lung cancer cells.

[Background] As well as having a higher genetic vulnerability to psychiatric problems, children of a parent with schizophrenia suffer a significantly poorer quality of life than those with healthy parents. In mental healthcare settings, the well-being of these children is still overlooked. It is crucial to develop child-centered interventions for them. This scoping review focuses specifically on children of a parent with schizophrenia to identify the likely impacts on their life and development, the factors and strategies that may alleviate negative impacts, and available interventions. [Methods] We applied a systematic approach to search the following databases: PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Embase, Google Scholar, CNKI and CEPS to identify relevant English and Chinese publications focusing on children. Quality assessments of quantitative and qualitative studies were undertaken, using the Downs and Black instrument and the CASP Checklist respectively. [Results] After screening, thirty-three studies were included for review. The existing evidence indicates that children of a parent with schizophrenia experience multiple deficits. Although various factors have been identified that can potentially alleviate their negative experiences, few are well supported with solid empirical evidence that confirm causal effects. The needs of these children are commonly neglected: little professional support has been provided, and the usefulness of the available support has yet to be determined. [Conclusions] Based on the review, we argue that effective means should be implemented so that children of a parent with schizophrenia needing help can be identified and experts can overcome barriers to providing help. The potential modifiable factors that can alleviate the negative impacts of having a parent with schizophrenia on youngsters need to be tested and confirmed. Interventions should be evidence-based, schizophrenia-specific, and child-centered.

Lin Luo,1– 3 Wen Wen,4 Chun-yi Wang,4 Mengyun Zhou,5 Jie Ni,6 Jingjie Jiang,4 Juan Chen,4 Ming-wei Wang,4 Zhanhui Feng,6 Yong-Ran Cheng7 1Hangzhou Ruolin Hospital Management Co. Ltd, Hangzhou, 310007, People’s Republic of China; 2Hangzhou Kaihong Technology Co., Ltd, Hangzhou, 310059, People’s Republic of China; 3Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Natural Products and Functional Food, College of Food Science and Engineering, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, 330045, People’s Republic of China; 4Hangzhou Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Hangzhou Medical Key Discipline, Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 310015, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Molecular & Cellular Physiology, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Nagano, 3900803, Japan; 6Internal Medicine-Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, People’s Republic of China; 7School of Public Health, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, 311300, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Yong-Ran Cheng; Zhanhui Feng Email chengyr@zjams.com.cn; h9450203@126.comBackground and Aim: Relevant studies show that population migration has a great impact on the early spread of infectious diseases. Therefore, it is important to explore whether there is an explicit relationship between population migration and the number of confirmed cases for the control of the COVID-19 epidemic. This paper mainly explores the impact of population migration on early COVID-19 transmission, and establishes a predictive nonlinear mathematical model to predict the number of early cases.Methods: Data of confirmed cases were sourced from the official website of the Municipal Health Committee, and the proportions of migration from Wuhan to other cities were sourced from the Baidu data platform. The data of confirmed cases and the migration proportions of 14 cities in Hubei Province were collected, the COVID-19 cases study period was determined as 10 days based on the

Jia He,1 Zhan Wang,2 Ying Wang,3 Ting Zou,4 Xiang-Ping Li,1 Lei Cao,1 Juan Chen1 1Department of Pharmacy, Xinagya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Medical Oncology, Lung Cancer and Gastrointestinal Unit, Hunan Cancer Hospital, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Changsha, 410013, People’s Republic of China; 3Hunan Clinical Research Center in Gynecologic Cancer, Hunan Cancer Hospital, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Changsha, 410013, People’s Republic of China; 4National Institution of Drug Clinical Trial, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Juan ChenDepartment of Pharmacy, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, People’s Republic of ChinaTel/Fax +86-731-89753491Email cj1028@csu.edu.cnPurpose: To investigate the relationships between Wnt1 inducible signaling pathway protein 1 (WISP1) polymorphisms and the prognosis of platinum-based chemotherapy in lung cancer patients.Patients and Methods: A total of 363 lung cancer patients were recruited in this study. All of them received at least two cycles of platinum-based chemotherapy. We used unconditional logistic regression analysis to assess the associations of 39 single nucleotide polymorphisms in WISP1 gene with platinum-based chemotherapy prognosis.Results: The results indicated that patients carried rs2929973 GT or GG genotypes had increased risk of disease progression (HR = 0.712, 95% CI = 0.553– 0.916, P = 0.015). Patients with rs2977551 TT genotype had a significantly decreased risk of progression-free survival than patients carrying CT or CC genotype (HR = 0.723, 95% CI = 0.561– 0.932, P = 0.032) and overall survival (HR = 0.725, 95% CI = 0.552– 0.913, P = 0.045). For rs2977549, patients carrying TT genotype had a significantly longer progression-free survival than patients with CC or CT genotypes (H

Xiudong Chen, Qing Liu, Juan Chen, Yuhai Liu Department of Pediatric, Zaozhuang Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Zaozhuang City, Shandong Province, 277100, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Yuhai LiuDepartment of Pediatric, Zaozhuang Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, No. 25, Wenhua East Road, Shizhong District, Zaozhuang City, Shandong Province, 277100, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86-13969417606Email liuyuhai2001860@163.comBackground: Pneumonia is a common infection of the lung parenchyma in children, and early and accurate diagnosis of childhood pneumonia (CP) is important for implementing appropriate preventive and treatment strategies. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value of the combination of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) RP11-248E9.5, RP11-456D7.1, c-reactive protein (CRP), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in CP.Patients and Methods: A total of 50 healthy children (HC) and 100 CP patients were enrolled. The serum expression of RP11-248e9.5 and RP11-456d7.1 was detected by qRT-PCR. The white blood cell (WBC), hemoglobin (HB), platelet (PLT), neutrophil, and lymphocyte were analyzed by automated hematology analyzer. The serum levels of CRP and procalcitonin (PCT) were analyzed by automatic biochemical analyzer. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were applied to evaluate the diagnostic value in CP.Results: The NLR and PLR, expression of RP11-248E9.5 and RP11-456D7.1, and serum levels of CRP and PCT were significantly higher in the CP group than those in the HC group. Both RP11-248E9.5 (AUC, 0.86; sensitivity, 84%; specificity, 78%) and RP11-456D7.1 (AUC, 0.89; sensitivity, 79%; specificity, 92%) exhibited certain diagnostic value in CP. The diagnostic values of PCT, CRP, NLR and PLR in CP were limited by low sensitivity (≤ 71%). The combination of multiple indicators improved the diagnostic value. The combination of RP11-248E9.5, RP11-456D7.

Lei Lei,1 Jing Zhao,1 Xue-Qi Liu,1 Juan Chen,1 Xiang-Ming Qi,1 Ling-Ling Xia,2 Yong-Gui Wu1 1Department of Nephropathy, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, 230022, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Infectious Disease, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, 230022, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Ling-Ling XiaDepartment of Infectious Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 0551 6292 2450Email 13966684365@163.comYong-Gui WuDepartment of Nephropathy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 0551 6292 2111Email wuyonggui@medmail.com.cnIntroduction: Kidney tubular epithelial injury is one of the key factors in the progression of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Wogonin is a kind of flavonoid, which has many pharmacological effects, such as anti-inflammation, anti-oxidation and anti-fibrosis. However, the effect of wogonin in renal tubular epithelial cells during DN is still unknown.Materials and Methods: STZ-induced diabetic mice were given doses of wogonin (10, 20, and 40 mg/kg) by intragastric administration for 16 weeks. The metabolic indexes from blood and urine and pathological damage of renal tubules in mice were evaluated. Human tubular epithelial cells (HK-2) were cultured in high glucose (HG) condition containing wogonin (2μM, 4μM, 8μM) for 24 h. Tubular epithelial cell inflammation and autophagic dysfunction both in vivo and in vitro were assessed by Western blot, qRT-PCR, IHC, and IF analyses.Results: The treatment of wogonin attenuated urinary albumin and histopathological damage in tubulointerstitium of diabetic mice. We also found that wogonin down-regulated the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and autophagic dysfunction in vivo and in vitro. Molecular docking and Cellular Thermal Shift Assay (CETSA) results revealed

Juan Chen,1,* Yong-Ran Cheng,2,* Wen Wen,1,* Chunyi Wang,1,* Jie Ni,1 Jingjie Jiang,1 Xinyan Fu,1 Mengyun Zhou,3 Lan Ye,4 Zhong-Jun Ge,5 Han-Xia Tan,6 Mingwei Wang,1 Zhan-Hui Feng,7 Xingwei Zhang1 1Department of Cardiology, Hangzhou Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2School of Public Health, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Nagano, Japan; 4Basic Medical College, Guizhou Medical University, Guizhou, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Cardiology, The Fourth People’s Hospital of Lin’an, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 6Department of Oncology, The Third People’s Hospital of Hangzhou, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 7Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Zhan-Hui FengAffiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, No. 28, Guiyi Street, Guiyang, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail h9450203@126.comXingwei ZhangHangzhou Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, 126 Wenzhou Road, Gongshu District, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail hsdzxw@126.comBackground: Many people have experienced novel coronavirus pneumonia since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Wuhan, China. The Chinese government has encouraged people to wear face masks in public places; however, due to the large population, there may be a series of problems related to this recommendation, including shortages of masks and lack of an optimal disposal method for used masks.Objective: The purpose of this study is to understand the current status of mask shortages and used masks in China.Me

This article examines the values that Chinese middle-class families desire for their offspring to acquire, through an analysis of the families’ motivations for pursuing overseas higher education. Based on fieldwork with Chinese tertiary students in the United Kingdom, this article analyses the values – described in interviews by students and their parents and grandparents – that drive these families’ overseas higher education strategies. The results show that in contrast to the current (dominant instrumentalist) understandings of international student motivations, some Chinese middle-class families’ belief in higher education is about the development of a socialist ideal personhood and the wish to make significant social contributions. Ultimately, the author argues that some Chinese middle-class families are experiencing a transition, from egoism to altruism, and in future, fulfilling Confucian values and making social contributions is highly likely to become part of middle-class subjectivities.

Time series analysis plays a vital role in various applications, for instance, healthcare, weather prediction, disaster forecast, etc. However, to obtain sufficient shapelets by a feature network is still challenging. To this end, we propose a novel robust temporal feature network (RTFN) that contains temporal feature networks and attentional LSTM networks. The temporal feature networks are built to extract basic features from input data while the attentional LSTM networks are devised to capture complicated shapelets and relationships to enrich features. In experiments, we embed RTFN into supervised structure as a feature extraction network and into unsupervised clustering as an encoder, respectively. The results show that the RTFN-based supervised structure is a winner of 40 out of 85 datasets and the RTFN-based unsupervised clustering performs the best on 4 out of 11 datasets in the UCR2018 archive., Comment: 10pages, 6 figures

Dynamic routing in software-defined networking (SDN) can be viewed as a centralized decision-making problem. Most of the existing deep reinforcement learning (DRL) agents can address it, thanks to the deep neural network (DNN)incorporated. However, fully-connected feed-forward neural network (FFNN) is usually adopted, where spatial correlation and temporal variation of traffic flows are ignored. This drawback usually leads to significantly high computational complexity due to large number of training parameters. To overcome this problem, we propose a novel model-free framework for dynamic routing in SDN, which is referred to as spatio-temporal deterministic policy gradient (STDPG) agent. Both the actor and critic networks are based on identical DNN structure, where a combination of convolutional neural network (CNN) and long short-term memory network (LSTM) with temporal attention mechanism, CNN-LSTM-TAM, is devised. By efficiently exploiting spatial and temporal features, CNNLSTM-TAM helps the STDPG agent learn better from the experience transitions. Furthermore, we employ the prioritized experience replay (PER) method to accelerate the convergence of model training. The experimental results show that STDPG can automatically adapt for current network environment and achieve robust convergence. Compared with a number state-ofthe-art DRL agents, STDPG achieves better routing solutions in terms of the average end-to-end delay., Comment: 6 pages,5 figures,accepted by IEEE ICC 2020

Xin Feng,1,* Gengfan Ye,1,* Ruoyao Cao,1 Peng Qi,2 Jun Lu,2 Juan Chen,2 Daming Wang1 1Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology, Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences; Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology, Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100730, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Daming WangDepartment of Neurosurgery, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology, Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences; Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, No. 1 DaHua Road, Dong Dan, Beijing 100730, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 10-85136281Fax +86 10-85132621Email dm.wang@bjhmoh.cnPurpose: This study aimed to identify independent predictors for the risk of hemorrhagic transformation (HT) in arterial ischemic stroke (AIS) patients.Methods: Consecutive patients with AIS due to large artery occlusion in the anterior circulation treated with mechanical thrombectomy (MT) were enrolled in a tertiary stroke center. Demographic and medical history data, admission lab results, and Circle of Willis (CoW) variations were collected from all patients.Results: Altogether, 90 patients were included in this study; among them, 34 (37.8%) had HT after MT. The final pruned decision tree (DT) model consisted of collateral score and platelet to lymphocyte ratios (PLR) as predictors. Confusion matrix analysis showed that 82.2% (74/90) were correctly classified by the model (sensitivity, 79.4%; specificity, 83.9%). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 81.7%. The DT model demonstrated that participants with collateral scores of 2– 4 had a 75.0% probability of HT. For participants with collateral scores of 0– 1

Understanding the biomolecular interactions in a specific organelle has been a long-standing challenge because it requires super-resolution imaging to resolve the spatial locations and dynamic interactions of multiple biomacromolecules. Two key difficulties are the scarcity of suitable probes for super-resolution nanoscopy and the complications that arise from the use of multiple probes. Herein, we report a quinolinium derivative probe that is selectively enriched in mitochondria and switches on in three different fluorescence modes in response to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), proteins, and nucleic acids, enabling the visualization of mitochondrial nucleoprotein dynamics. STED nanoscopy reveals that the proteins localize at mitochondrial cristae and largely fuse with nucleic acids to form nucleoproteins, whereas increasing H(2)O(2)level leads to disassociation of nucleic acid-protein complexes., Funding Agencies|National Natural Science Foundation of ChinaNational Natural Science Foundation of China [21775001, 21705001, 21974001, 21976183]; Anhui Provincial Natural Science Foundation of ChinaNatural Science Foundation of Anhui Province [1808085MB32]; Hefei Physical Science Center Foundation [2017FXZY001]

Wei Li,1 Wenyin Shi,1 Yujun Yin,2 Juan Chen,1 Lanlan Luo3 1Department of Gynecology, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Dantu District People’s Hospital, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Taizhou People’s Hospital, Taizhou, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Lanlan Luo Tel/Fax +86-523-86606267Email lanlanluo93@tom.comBackground: Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is a common vaginal inflammatory disease in females. The interleukin (IL)-23/IL-17 axis was involved in vaginal inflammation. Nevertheless, the relationship between gene polymorphisms in the IL-23/IL-17 axis and VVC risk is still unexplored.Methods: We enrolled 217 VCC cases and 326 controls in this study. The genotyping of all polymorphisms was implemented by PCR-RFLP methods.Results: Data indicated that IL-17F gene rs763780, IL-17A gene rs2275913, and IL-23R rs11209026 polymorphisms were linked with an elevated risk of VVC in Chinese ethnicity. Subgroup analyses uncovered that IL-23R rs11209026, IL-17A rs10484879 and IL-17F rs763780 polymorphisms increased the risk of VVC among smokers or individuals with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2. Additionally, IL-17F rs763780 polymorphism was shown to increase the risk of recurrent VVC (RVVC). Furthermore, IL-23 and IL-17 serum levels were higher among VVC cases than controls. We also observed that IL-23 and IL-17 gene polymorphisms were related to their serum levels. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis found that IL-17 and IL-23 serum levels were associated with the relapse of VVC.Conclusion: In conclusion, this study indicates that polymorphisms in the IL-23/IL-17 axis increase the risk of VVC.Keywords: IL-17, IL-23, case–control study, vulvovaginal candidiasis, polymorphism