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Multiparty delegated quantum computation (MDQC) allows multiple clients with limited quantum capability to jointly complete a quantum computational task with the aid of an untrusted quantum server. But in existing MDQC protocols, the verifiability that clients should verify whether the server executed the protocol correctly and gave correct results was not handled. Therefore, in this paper, we improve a typical MDQC protocol to enable clients to verify the correctness of computation by inserting trap qubits and develop a novel method to enforce clients to send qubits honestly while avoiding the positions of trap qubits being leaked to the server. The security and verifiability of the improved MDQC protocol are also analyzed. In addition, a specific example of the proposed verifiable MDQC protocol is given and simulated on IBM’s quantum platform.

The novel Zombie by American author Joyce Carol Oates describes the entire self-destructive process of the main character Quentin, who turns from a college student into a ruthless serial killer. This article attempts to interpret the serial killer Quentin in Zombie from the perspective of criminal psychology, mainly the factors influencing the formation of crime, to analyse how Quentin descended into the abyss of crime step by step, which is critical for us to better understand the formation of crime and to take relevant preventive measures.

Visceral fat (VF) influences left ventricular (LV) structure and diastolic function in type 2 diabetes (T2DM). However, there are limited data on the association among them based on different BMI levels as well as accounting for arterial stiffness. This study investigated the association of fat distribution, arterial stiffness, left ventricular (LV) structure and diastolic function in T2DM patients.This cross-sectional study comprised 905 patients. VF area (VFA) and subcutaneous fat area (SFA) were assessed by a dual bioelectrical impedance analyzer. Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) was measured by a volume-plethysmographic apparatus and LV structure and diastolic function were echocardiography. Patients were divided into three groups based on BMI levels. Linear and logistic regression analysis were used to investigate the association.In multivariate linear regression, relative wall thickness (RWT) was negatively correlated with E/A in obese patients (β = -0.203, p = 0.004). LV mass/heightsup2.7/supwas positively correlated with E/E' in normal weight (β = 0.232, p = 0.002) and obese patients (β = 0.232, p = 0.008). In multivariate logistic regression, baPWV was an independent determinant of LV remodeling (LVRM) in normal weight (OR = 1.001; 95% CI, 1.000, 1.002; P = 0.006), overweight (OR = 1.001; 95% CI, 1.000, 1.002; P = 0.008) and obese groups (OR = 1.003; 95% CI, 1.001, 1.004; P = 0.001), while VFA was correlated with arterial stiffness in normal weight (OR = 1.032; 95% CI, 1.017, 1.047; P lt; 0.001) and overweight groups (OR = 1.011; 95% CI, 1.002, 1.021; P = 0.015).VF might impact LVRM through changes in baPWV in T2DM patients, thus influencing diastolic function.

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) are important immune cells, and their activation is a key step for cancer immunotherapy. Precise evaluation of CTL activity

ContextExogenous insulin antibody syndrome (EIAS) can lead to unexpected and potentially life-threatening recurrent hypoglycemia.ObjectiveWe aimed to better define autoimmune hypoglycemia caused by EIAS in patients with diabetes and shed light on the improvements in the identification and intervention for this rare but possibly life-threatening condition.MethodsWe summarized the clinical characteristics of autoimmune hypoglycemia caused by EIAS in 23 patients with diabetes. Furthermore, we performed human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genotyping of 10 patients.ResultsWe identified a high frequency of autoimmune comorbidities (21.7%), food or drug allergy (48%), insulin allergy (30%), lipodystrophy at the insulin injection sites (22%), and antinuclear antibodies (25%) in the patients. Alternation between hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia was observed in more than 90% of the patients. Most patients showed a high insulin autoantibody titer (>90%) and inappropriately increased insulin concentration (insulin/C-peptide molar ratio >7, >85%). We detected similar frequencies of DRB1*0405-DQB1*0401 and DRB1*0901-DQB1*0303 compared with previously reported frequencies in type 1 diabetes, and a lower frequency of DRB1*0406 compared with insulin autoimmune syndrome. The spontaneous remission rate exceeded 70%.ConclusionPredisposing factors for autoimmune hypoglycemia caused by EIAS include a strong autoimmune background. Susceptible HLA genotypes for type 1 diabetes or insulin autoimmune syndrome might not explain susceptibility to this condition. Additionally, insulin autoantibodies and the insulin/C-peptide molar ratio are reliable screening options. The prognosis for this condition is favorable. Monitoring of insulin and insulin autoantibodies may contribute to treatment effectiveness.

Prenatal and infant daily exposures to pyrethroid pesticides (PYRs), used in the elimination of harmful organisms in the family environment and agricultural activities, may have an impact on children's language development.To determine the impacts of prenatal and infant PYRs exposure on 2-year-old toddlers' language development.From January 2016 to December 2018, women in the third trimester of pregnancy, in Yunnan rural area, China, were recruited, and the development of their newborns was observed from birth till the age of two. We examined three PYRs metabolites: 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3PBA), 4-fluoro-3-phenoxybenzoic acid (4F3PBA), and cis-2,2dibromovinyl-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (DBCA) in urine samples collected from women in the third trimester of pregnancy and their infants of 6-8 months after birth, and assessed language development of 2-year-old toddlers by the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-Third Edition (BSID-III). Generalized linear models were used to analyze the impacts of exposure to PYRs on 2-year-old toddlers' language development.The median concentrations of 3PBA, 4F3PBA and DBCA creatinine-adjusted were 0.21, 0.19, and 0.15 μg/g in pregnancy, and 0.25, 0.72, andLOD μg/g in infancy, respectively. The average scores of Language Composite (LC), Receptive Communication (RC), and Expressive Communication (EC) in 2-year-old toddlers were 100.0 ± 16.5, 10.0 ± 3.1, and 10.0 ± 3.1, respectively. Multiple linear regression analyses manifested that the concentration of 4F3PBA in infancy was negatively correlated with toddlers' RC scores [β = -0.43 (95 % CI: -0.85, -0.01), p = 0.046]; the total PYRs metabolites in infancy were negatively correlated with boys' LC scores and RC scores [β = -1.14 (95 % CI: -2.25, -0.04, p = 0.042 and β = -0.23 (95 % CI: -0.44, -0.01), p = 0.039, respectively]. Generalized linear models showed that exposure versus non-exposure to PYRs with DBCA in infancy increased 4.58 times risk of language development delay (OR = 5.58, 95 % CI: 1.76-17.68, p = 0.004) and a 21 % risk of not passing expressive communication items (OR = 1.21, 95 % CI: 1.01-1.45, p = 0.040). The risk of not passing RC items increased 9 % with 4F3PBA increasing per 1 μg/g in infancy (OR = 1.09, 95 % CI: 1.02-1.15, p = 0.007). The probability of not passing RC items ascended with infant 4F3PBA (rWomen in the third trimester of pregnancy and their infants were widely exposed to low-dose PYRs. Infant daily exposure to PYRs may negatively impact toddlers' language development, with the 6-8 months age bracket being a sensitive window. The probability of toddlers' language development delay may be predicted by PYRs metabolites of infants aged 6-8 months.

In contrast to the widely used sequence stratigraphic models for passive continental margins, the stacking patterns of strata within epeiric seas, which are influenced by regional tectonic activity, may display opposing characteristics during the same geological period. These variations serve as a record of basin evolution and also affect the accumulation of hydrocarbons within the strata. Our study investigated the development potential of the deep Longmaxi Shale in the southern Sichuan Basin by examining the sequence stratigraphy and sedimentary fill patterns. Using a combination of core observation, well-logging data analysis, and 3D seismic profile interpretation, we aimed to gain an understanding of the sedimentary fill history of the Longmaxi Shale during the Early Silurian. Our analysis revealed that deglaciation and regional tectonic events affected the sequence stratigraphy, resulting in unconformities that were identifiable using seismic data and wireline logs. Through an analysis of thirty wireline logs and two seismic profiles, we identified two third-order sequences suggested in the Lower Longmaxi Formation. Within the two third-order sequences were five systems tracts, with the first exhibiting a complete cycle of sea-level change and the second cycle being incomplete due to regional tectonic events. The graptolite succession on the upper Yangtze Platform provided a temporal view of the sequence stratigraphy and sedimentation rates of the Longmaxi Shale. The thickness trends of the systems tracts reflected the interplay of short-term eustasy fluctuations, subsidence, and uplift. Our analysis suggests that regional subsidence played a significant role in the deposition of the second transgressive systems tract (TST) in the Weiyuan and Luzhou areas, which represents a promising target for shale gas exploration, in addition to the first TST. However, the Changning area experienced a relative sea-level decrease due to the intense uplift of the Qianzhogn Paleo-uplift and the increased supply of sediment and is interpreted as a highstand systems tract (HST); it is not considered to have shale gas exploration potential.

Shale pore systems are the result of the geological evolution of different matrix assemblages, and the composition of gas shale is considered to affect the pore systems in shale reservoirs. This study aimed to investigate the impact of both organic and inorganic constituents on the shale pore system, including specific surface area (SSA) and pore volume in Wufeng–Longmaxi Shale. Multiple linear regression (MLR) was employed to examine the contributions of different components to shale pore structure. The pore structure parameters, including pore SSA and pore volume, were obtained by gas adsorption experiments in 32 Wufeng–Longmaxi Shale (Late Ordovician–Early Silurian) samples. Both pore SSA and pore volume were calculated by the density functional theory (DFT) model on shale samples, and the pore types were determined by high-resolution field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The results of the X-ray diffractometer (XRD) analysis indicate that the Wufeng–Longmaxi Shale is dominated by quartz, clays, carbonates, feldspar, pyrite, and organic matter. Four models were made using SPSS software, all of which showed significant correlation between shale pore size and organic matter (OM) and clays. The content of organic matter played the biggest role in determining the size and structure of the pores. Although the content of quartz is the highest and serves as a rigid skeleton in shale reservoirs, it has complicated effects on the pore structure. In this study, most of the quartz is biogenetic and part of it is transformed from clays in deep shale. Therefore, these two parts of quartz are, respectively, related to organic matter and clays. In essence, the pores related to these two parts of quartz should be attributed to organic matter and clays, which also support the conclusion of the MLR models.

Methyl methacrylate (MMA) material is considered to be a suitable material for repairing concrete crack, provided that its large volume shrinkage during polymerization is resolved. This study was dedicated to investigating the effect of low shrinkage additives polyvinyl acetate and styrene (PVAc + styrene) on properties of the repair material and further proposes the shrinkage reduction mechanism based on the data of FTIR spectra, DSC testing and SEM micrographs. The results showed that PVAc + styrene delayed the gel point during the polymerization, and the formation of two-phase structure and micropores compensated for the volume shrinkage of the material. When the proportion of PVAc + styrene was 12%, the volume shrinkage could be as low as 4.78%, and the shrinkage stress was reduced by 87.4%. PVAc + styrene improved the bending strength and fracture toughness of most ratios investigated in this study. When 12% PVAc + styrene was added, the 28 d flexural strength and fracture toughness of MMA-based repair material were 28.04 MPa and 92.18%, respectively. After long-term curing, the repair material added with 12% PVAc + styrene showed a good adhesion to the substrate, with a bonding strength greater than 4.1 MPa and the fracture surface appearing at the substrate after the bonding experiment. This work contributes to the obtaining of a MMA-based repair material with low shrinkage, while its viscosity and other properties also can meet the requirements for repairing microcracks.

Background：China is rapidly transforming into an aging society and houses the largest elderly population in the world. Diet patterns increase inflammation and oxidative stress, which may provide effective intervention strategies for mitigating the health burden in aging societies. This study sought to develop a Chinese empirical dietary inflammatory index(CEDII) that assesses Chinese diet quality based on its inflammatory potential and examine whether the index was associated with an accelerated aging process. Methods:A cross-sectional study conducted in the community of Beijing recruited 388 participants. Dietary intake was collected based on 24-h dietary recalls. The Chinese Diet Balance Index(DBI) and its derivatives, as well as the empirical dietary inflammatory pattern(EDIP) based on the western diet, were calculated to assess dietary quality in different aspects. Chinese empirical dietary inflammatory index(CEDII) was derived using reduced-rank regression(RRR) according to Chinese diet patterns. The population was categorized into tertiles of the CEDII. Leukocyte telomere length(LTL) and mitochondrial DNA copy number(mtDNAcn) were determined by polymerase chain reaction assay. Tumor necrosis factor α(TNFα) and interleukin-6(IL-6), 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dG), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities, and glutathione reductase (GR) were measured. ResultsA total of 388 subjects were enrolled. High CEDII group was characterized by high intake of carbohydrates. This pattern predicted higher levels of TNFα, IL-6, shorter LTL and lower mtDNAcn. Neither DBI nor EDIP was correlated with biomarkers of inflammation or aging. High CEDII scores were associated with short LTL and decreased mtDNAcn using multivariate linear regression with adjustment for confounding variables. The stratified analysis demonstrated that the high CEDII group had an increased risk of short LTL in subjects with abnormal metabolic status. Conclusions: This study developed a Chinese empirical dietary inflammatory index(CEDII). High CEDII scores were associated with an increased risk of aging. Compared with indexes related to DBI and EDIP, CEDII was much more effective in assessing inflammation and aging potential of diet patterns for Chinese residents.

ObjectiveMotor recovery is crucial in stroke rehabilitation, and acupuncture can influence recovery. Neuroimaging and machine learning approaches provide new research directions to explore the brain functional reorganization and acupuncture mechanisms after stroke. We applied machine learning to predict the classification of the minimal clinically important differences (MCID) for motor improvement and identify the neuroimaging features, in order to explore brain functional reorganization and acupuncture mechanisms for motor recovery after stroke.MethodsIn this study, 49 patients with unilateral motor pathway injury (basal ganglia and/or corona radiata) after ischemic stroke were included and evaluated the motor function by Fugl–Meyer Assessment scores (FMA) at baseline and at 2-week follow-up sessions. Patients were divided by the difference between the twice FMA scores into one group showing minimal clinically important difference (MCID group, n = 28) and the other group with no minimal clinically important difference (N-MCID, n = 21). Machine learning was performed by PRoNTo software to predict the classification of the patients and identify the feature brain regions of interest (ROIs). In addition, a matched group of healthy controls (HC, n = 26) was enrolled. Patients and HC underwent magnetic resonance imaging examination in the resting state and in the acupuncture state (acupuncture at the Yanglingquan point on one side) to compare the differences in brain functional connectivity (FC) and acupuncture effects.ResultsThrough machine learning, we obtained a balance accuracy rate of 75.51% and eight feature ROIs. Compared to HC, we found that the stroke patients with lower FC between these feature ROIs with other brain regions, while patients in the MCID group exhibited a wider range of lower FC. When acupuncture was applied to Yanglingquan (GB 34), the abnormal FC of patients was decreased, with different targets of effects in different groups.ConclusionFeature ROIs identified by machine learning can predict the classification of stroke patients with different motor improvements, and the FC between these ROIs with other brain regions is decreased. Acupuncture can modulate the bilateral cerebral hemispheres to restore abnormal FC via different targets, thereby promoting motor recovery after stroke.Clinical trial registrationhttps://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=37359, ChiCTR1900022220.

Objective: Excessive fluoride intake results in fluorosis, which is responsible for skeletal fluorosis and neuroinflammation. Fluoride activates microglia in the central nervous system to release inflammatory factors that exaggerate nerve injury. Sodium butyrate (NaB) has the potential to regulate the immune response; however, its function in fluorosis still needs to be clarified. Methods: This study involved the development of an animal model of chronic fluorosis, which was then treated with NaB. We evaluated animal activities, pathological features, and inflammation-associated signaling pathways in vivo and considered cell viability and inflammatory signaling in vitro. Results: The results revealed that NaB treatment induced a reliable preventative effect on fluorosis in mice based on restored learning and memory, decreased intranuclear NF-κB signaling, and inflammatory factors. Additionally, 0.2 mM NaB restored cell viability and corrected the elevated inflammatory signaling in BV-2 cells under sodium fluoride stress. Conclusion: NaB can alleviate fluorosis by suppressing NF-κB signaling and inflammasomes, providing a reliable method for the treatment of clinical fluorosis.

Saliva has emerged as a promising noninvasive biofluid for the diagnosis of oral and systemic diseases, including viral infections. During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a growing number of studies focused on saliva-based detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Taking advantage of the WoS core collection (WoSCC) and CiteSpace, we retrieved 1021 articles related to saliva-based detection of SARS-CoV-2 and conducted a comprehensive bibliometric analysis. We analyzed countries, institutions, authors, cited authors, and cited journals to summarize their contribution and influence and analyzed keywords to explore research hotspots and trends. From 2020 to 2021, research focused on viral transmission via saliva and verification of saliva as a reliable specimen, whereas from 2021 to the present, the focus of research has switched to saliva-based biosensors for SARS-CoV-2 detection. By far, saliva has been verified as a reliable specimen for SARS-CoV-2 detection, although a standardized procedure for saliva sampling and processing is needed. Studies on saliva-based detection of SARS-CoV-2 will promote the development of saliva-based diagnostics and biosensors for viral detection. Collectively, our findings could provide valuable information to help scientists perceive the basic knowledge landscapes on saliva-based detection of SARS-CoV-2, the past and current research hotspots, and future opportunities.

Metastasis-induced high mortality of cancers urgently demands new approaches to simultaneously inhibit primary tumor metastasis and distant tumor growth. Herein, by rational design of a trident molecule Nap-Phe-Phe-Lys(SA-CPT)-Lys(SA-HCQ)-Tyr(H

Methionine and its hydroxy analogue (MHA) have been shown to benefit mouse intestinal regeneration. The intestinal organoid is a good model that directly reflects the impact of certain nutrients or chemicals on intestinal development. Here, we aimed to establish a chicken intestinal organoid culture method first and then use the model to explore the influence of methionine deficiency and MHA on intestinal organoid development. The results showed that 125-μm cell strainer exhibited the highest efficiency for chicken embryo crypt harvesting. We found that transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) inhibitor (A8301) supplementation promoted enterocyte differentiation at the expense of the proliferation of intestinal stem cells (ISC). The mitogen-activated protein kinase p38 inhibitor (SB202190) promoted intestinal organoid formation and enterocyte differentiation but suppressed the differentiation of enteroendocrine cells, goblet cells and Paneth cells. However, the suppression of enteroendocrine cell and Paneth cell differentiation by SB202190 was alleviated at the presence of A8301. The glycogen synthase kinase 3 inhibitor (CHIR99021), valproic acid (VPA) alone and their combination promoted chicken intestinal organoid formation and enterocyte differentiation at the expense of the expression of Paneth cells and goblet cells. Chicken serum significantly improved organoid formation, especially in the presence of A8301, SB202190, CHIR99021, and VPA, but inhibited the differentiation of Paneth cells and enteroendocrine cells. Chicken serum at a concentration of 0.25% meets the requirement of chicken intestinal organoid development, and the beneficial effect of chicken serum on chicken intestinal organoid culture could not be replaced by fetal bovine serum and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). Moreover, commercial mouse organoid culture medium supplemented with A8301, SB202190, CHIR99021, VPA, and chicken serum promotes chicken organoid budding. Based on the chicken intestinal organoid model, we found that methionine deficiency mimicked by cycloleucine suppressed organoid formation and organoid size, and this effect was reinforced with increased cycloleucine concentrations. Methionine hydroxy analogue promoted regeneration of ISC but decreased cell differentiation compared with the results obtained with L-methionine. In conclusion, our results provide a potentially excellent guideline for chicken intestinal organoid culture and insights into methionine function in crypt development.

Developing earth-abundant and highly effective electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a prerequisite for the upcoming hydrogen energy society. Two-dimensional (2D) high-entropy metal phosphorus trichalcogenides (MPCh

To analyze the clinical characteristics of patients with pancreatic cancer (PC) and diabetes and to explore the impact of diabetes duration, weight loss, and hypoglycemic drugs on the tumor biological behavior of PC.This is a retrospective study on patients with PC and diabetes. Subjects were grouped according to the onset age of PC, distant metastasis, duration of diabetes, degree of weight loss (∆Wt), and type of hypoglycemic drugs. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between diabetes duration, weight loss, hypoglycemic drugs, and early-onset PC, distant metastasis.Compared with late-onset PC, patients with early-onset PC had a higher proportion of new-onset DM (35 [79.5%] vs. 217 [46.9%], p 0.001), smoker, drinker, and more obvious weight loss (8.5 [3.8, 15] kg vs. 5 [0, 10] kg, p 0.001). Patients with remote metastasis had an earlier diagnosis age, heavier weight loss, lower body mass index, and were more likely to be smokers but had cancer less likely to be localized in the head of pancreas. Regression analysis showed that new-onset diabetes and weight loss were independently correlated to early-onset PC: odds ratio (OR) = 3.38 (95% CI 1.36-8.4, p = 0.09; OR = 1.56 (95% CI 1.16-2.1), p = 0.003, respectively. In contrast, long-term diabetes, and heavy weight loss were independently associated with remote metastasis: OR = 3.38 (95% CI 1.36-8.4, p = 0.09; OR = 1.56 (95% CI 1.16-2.1), p = 0.003, respectively.New-onset diabetes and weight loss were common presentation and risk factors of early-onset PC, which required more attention. Long-term diabetes and heavy weight loss were risk factors contributing to distant metastases, indicating potential risk factors contributing to the adverse prognosis of patients with PC.目的: 分析胰腺癌(PC)合并糖尿病患者的临床特点, 探讨糖尿病病程、体重减轻及降糖药物对PC肿瘤生物学行为的影响。 方法: 对PC合并糖尿病患者进行回顾性研究。受试者根据PC的发病年龄、远处转移、糖尿病病程、体重减轻程度(∆Wt)和降糖药物的类型进行分组。采用Logistic回归分析评估糖尿病病程、体重减轻、降糖药物与早发性PC、远处转移之间的关系。 结果: 与晚发PC相比, 早发PC患者新发DM比例更高(35[79.5%]vs 217[46.9%], p0.001), 吸烟、饮酒和体重减轻更明显(8.5[3.8, 15]kg vs 5[0, 10]kg, p0.001)。远处转移的患者诊断年龄较早, 体重减轻较大, 体重指数较低, 且更有可能是吸烟者, 但癌症不太可能发生在胰头。回归分析显示, 新发糖尿病和体重减轻与早发PC独立相关:分别为优势比(OR)=3.38(95%置信区间(CI) 1.36~8.4, P=0.09), OR=1.56(95%CI 1.16~2.1), P=0.003。相反, 长期糖尿病和严重的体重减轻与远处转移独立相关:分别为OR=3.38(95%CI 1.36-8.4, p=0.09, OR=1.56(95%CI 1.16-2.1), p=0.003)。 结论: 新发糖尿病和体重减轻是早发性PC的常见表现和危险因素, 应引起更多重视。长期糖尿病和体重减轻是导致远处转移的危险因素, 这表明潜在的危险因素导致了PC患者的不良预后。.

Brain informatics is a novel interdisciplinary area that focuses on scientifically studying the mechanisms of human brain information processing by integrating experimental cognitive neuroscience with advanced Web intelligence-centered information technologies. Web intelligence, which aims to understand the computational, cognitive, physical, and social foundations of the future Web, has attracted increasing attention to facilitate the study of brain informatics to promote human health. A large number of articles created in the recent few years are proof of the investment in Web intelligence-assisted human health. This study systematically reviews academic studies regarding article trends, top journals, subjects, countries/regions, and institutions, study design, artificial intelligence technologies, clinical tasks, and performance evaluation. Results indicate that literature is especially welcomed in subjects such as medical informatics and health care sciences and service. There are several promising topics, for example, random forests, support vector machines, and conventional neural networks for disease detection and diagnosis, semantic Web, ontology mining, and topic modeling for clinical or biomedical text mining, artificial neural networks and logistic regression for prediction, and convolutional neural networks and support vector machines for monitoring and classification. Additionally, future research should focus on algorithm innovations, additional information use, functionality improvement, model and system generalization, scalability, evaluation, and automation, data acquirement and quality improvement, and allowing interaction. The findings of this study help better understand what and how Web intelligence can be applied to promote healthcare procedures and clinical outcomes. This provides important insights into the effective use of Web intelligence to support informatics-enabled brain studies.

IntroductionMonitoring the response after treatment of liver cancer and timely adjusting the treatment strategy are crucial to improve the survival rate of liver cancer. At present, the clinical monitoring of liver cancer after treatment is mainly based on serum markers and imaging. Morphological evaluation has limitations, such as the inability to measure small tumors and the poor repeatability of measurement, which is not applicable to cancer evaluation after immunotherapy or targeted treatment. The determination of serum markers is greatly affected by the environment and cannot accurately evaluate the prognosis. With the development of single cell sequencing technology, a large number of immune cell-specific genes have been identified. Immune cells and microenvironment play an important role in the process of prognosis. We speculate that the expression changes of immune cell-specific genes can indicate the process of prognosis.MethodTherefore, this paper first screened out the immune cell-specific genes related to liver cancer, and then built a deep learning model based on the expression of these genes to predict metastasis and the survival time of liver cancer patients. We verified and compared the model on the data set of 372 patients with liver cancer.ResultThe experiments found that our model is significantly superior to other methods, and can accurately identify whether liver cancer patients have metastasis and predict the survival time of liver cancer patients according to the expression of immune cell-specific genes.DiscussionWe found these immune cell-specific genes participant multiple cancer-related pathways. We fully explored the function of these genes, which would support the development of immunotherapy for liver cancer.

AimsTo assess the association of rectus femoris mass index (RFMI) with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).MethodsTotally 948 T2DM cases were enrolled. Nerve conduction parameters, quantitative sensory threshold and rectus femoris cross-sectional area (RFCSA) were obtained, and rectus femoris mass index (RFMI=RFCSA/height2) was derived. The patients were assigned to four groups based on interquartile spacing of RFMI.ResultsMotor/sensory nerve amplitude and conduction velocity (CV) were significantly lower in the low-level RFMI groups (all PConclusionDPN is significantly associated with reduced RFMI in T2DM patients. Decreased muscle mass seems to be associated with motor/sensory nerve amplitude and CV. RFMI combined with T2DM duration may represent a potent tool for predicting DPN occurrence in T2DM cases.Clinical trial registrationhttp://www.chictr.org.cn, identifier ChiCTR2100049150.

Background At present, thyrotropin-secreting pituitary adenoma (TSHoma) is recognized as a rare disease. Mixed TSHomas accounted for 20-25% of all TSHomas. This study aimed to report an extremely rare case of mixed TSHoma coexisted with Graves’ disease(GD) and review the literature. Case presentation A 36-year-old male patient presented with both elevated levels of free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), but non-suppressed thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level. His anti-thyroglobulin antibody (TGAb), anti-thyroid peroxidase autoantibody (TPOAb), and thyrotropin receptor antibody (TRAb) were positive. The symptoms of palpitations, hyperhidrosis, heat intolerant, and irritability appeared 2 years before his admission. But he showed neither signs nor symptoms of acromegaly. Contrast-enhanced pituitary magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed enlarged pituitary fossa, with an irregular abnormal signal mass. The patient underwent endoscopic partial pituitary resection via transsphenoidal approach. Postoperative pathology suggested mixed pituitary adenoma. The patient had postoperative thyroid function recurrence of hyperthyroidism and the recurrence of TSHoma was confirmed by positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) 11months after surgery. After administration of lanreotide, his levels of FT3, FT4, TSH, TPOAb and TGAb became normal, and levels of TRAb and IGF-1 improved. Conclusion A rare case of TSHoma coexisted with GD was reported. When circulating levels of both FT4 and FT3 were upregulated, non-suppressed TSH levels and positive thyroid antibodies were found. Importantly, TSHoma associated with GD should be carefully taken into account to avoid the potential risk of treatment-induced tumor progression.

Objective For the sake of discussion on the methods that enhance the reporting quality of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), regarding the assessment of the quality of RCT report in the treatment of allergic rhinitis with acupuncture and Moxibustion by the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials 2010 statement (CONSORT) 、the Standards for Reporting Interventions in Controlled Trials of Acupuncture 2010 (STRICTA) and the Standards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Moxibustion (STRICTOM). Methods Eight related databases from launch to September 2022 containing PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), Wan fang Database (WF), China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP). Searching for acupuncture treatments were published in English and Chinese randomized controlled trials of AR. Results There were 67 RCTs, which were included sequentially. On account of the CONSORT statement, the positivity ratio was around 70%, and the project reports were fine performance “Structured summary,” “backdrop,” “Description of trial design,” “Eligibility criteria,” “Data acquisition,” “The meddle,” “Generation of random sequences” and “Registration”. Nevertheless, the positivity ratio was approximately 10%, the quality of the project report is no chop “Specific objectives or hypotheses,” “Research evaluation index modification,” “Any variation to the test outcomes,” “End and termination reasons,” “Type of randomization,” “Similarities in intervention programmers and specific content of blinding,” “Statistical methods for other data,” “Dichotomy outcomes,” “Why the trial ended or was stopped Ancillary analyses,” “Harms,” and “Generalizability Interpretation”. On the basis of the STRICTA guidelines, the positivity ratio was about 80%, the quality of the project reports good performance “Style of acupuncture,” “Names,” “Treatment regimen,”. The positivity rate about 50%, quality project report performance was poor “The degree of treatment varies,” “Number of needle insertions,” “Treat other components,” “Practitioner backdrop,” and “Reasonable regulate and comparison”. On the strength of the STRICTOM guidelines, the positivity ratio was around 80%, and quality project report performance was good “Type of moxibustion,” “Materials used for moxibustion,” “Names of acupoints,” “Treatment regimen,” and “Setting and context”. Quality project report “The degree of treatment varies,” “Patient posture and treatment environment,” “Treatment provider background,” and “Regulate and comparison interventions”, relatively low, with positivity ratio around 10%. Most projects were rated as "modest and substantive". Conclusion Though many RCTs of allergic rhinitis have been published in diverse journals, the entirety reporting quality of these articles was suboptimal, it cannot offer valid proof for clinical decision and systematic reviews. Nevertheless good quality reports provide scientific, effectiveness and safety for clinical treatment .Therefore, more journals should approve the CONSORT statement、STRICTA and STRICTOM Guidelines, when reporting articles, authors should rigorously follow these relevant provisions.

AimClinical heterogeneity exists in overall obesity and abdominal obesity in terms of insulin secretion and sensitivity. Further, the impact of visceral fat (VF) on the first- and second-phase insulin secretion (FPIS and SPIS) is controversial. We aim to investigate insulin secretion and sensitivity in Chinese patients with T2DM according to different BMI and VF levels.MethodsThis study enrolled 300 participants. A dual bioelectrical impedance analyzer was used to assess the visceral and subcutaneous fat area (VFA and SFA). VF levels were categorized as normal or high, with the cutoff value of 100 cm2. FPIS and SPIS were evaluated by arginine stimulation test and standardized steamed bread meal tolerance test, respectively. β-cell function (HOMA2-β), insulin resistance (HOMA2-IR), and Gutt’s insulin sensitivity index (Gutt-ISI) were also calculated. Spearman’s correlation analysis and multivariate linear regression analysis were adopted for statistical analysis.ResultsParticipants were categorized into four groups: normal weight-normal VF, normal weight-high VF, overweight/obese-normal VF and overweight/obese-high VF. Multivariate linear regression showed that both VFA and SFA were correlated with FPIS, HOMA2-IR and Gutt-ISI after controlling for gender and diabetes duration. After further adjustment for BMI and VFA, some associations of SFA with insulin secretion and sensitivity disappeared. After adjustment for gender, diabetes duration, BMI and SFA, VFA was positively correlated with FPIS, SPIS and HOMA2-IR. Subjects with overweight/obese-high VF were more likely to have higher FPIS, HOMA2-IR and lower Gutt-ISI (all p < 0.05).ConclusionVF affects both FPIS and SPIS, and worsens insulin sensitivity independent of BMI and subcutaneous fat in Chinese patients with T2DM.Clinical trial registrationhttp://www.chictr.org.cn, identifier ChiCTR2200062884.

Galectin-3 (Gal-3) participates in myocardial fibrosis (MF) in a variety of ways. Inhibiting the expression of Gal-3 can effectively interfere with MF. This study aimed to explore the value of Gal-3 short hairpin RNA (shRNA) transfection mediated by ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction (UTMD) in anti-myocardial fibrosis and its mechanism. A rat model of myocardial infarction (MI) was established and randomly divided into control and Gal-3 shRNA/cationic microbubbles + ultrasound (Gal-3 shRNA/CMBs + US) groups. Echocardiography measured the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) weekly, and the heart was harvested to analyze fibrosis, Gal-3, and collagen expression. LVEF in the Gal-3 shRNA/CMB + US group was improved compared with the control group. On day 21, the myocardial Gal-3 expression decreased in the Gal-3 shRNA/CMBs + US group. Furthermore, the proportion of the myocardial fibrosis area in the Gal-3 shRNA/CMBs + US group was 6.9 ± 0.41% lower than in the control group. After inhibition of Gal-3, there was a downregulation in collagen production (collagen I and III), and the ratio of Col I/Col III decreased. In conclusion, UTMD-mediated Gal-3 shRNA transfection can effectively silence the expression of Gal-3 in myocardial tissue, reduce myocardial fibrosis, and protect the cardiac ejection function.

The characteristics of the parABS system in polyploid bacteria are barely understood. We initially analyzed the physiological functions and mechanisms of the megaplasmid parABSm system in the thermophilic polyploid bacterium Thermus thermophilus. Deletion of parABm was possible only when a plasmid-born copy of parABm was provided, indicating that these genes are conditionally essential. The cell morphology of the parABm deletion mutant (ΔparABm) was changed to some extent, and in certain extra-large or twisted cells, the nucleoids were dispersed and damaged. Compared with that of the wild type, the frequency of anucleate cells was significantly increased. Genome content analyses showed that ΔparABm had lost ∼160 kb of megaplasmid and ∼23 kb of chromosomal sequences, respectively. Genome fluorescent tagging and PFGE experiments demonstrated that the truncated megaplasmid was frequently interlinked and could not be segregated correctly; thus, certain daughter cells eventually lost the entire megaplasmid and became twisted or enlarged with damaged nucleoids. Further, we found that when the megaplasmid was lost in these cells, the toxins encoded by the megaplasmid toxin–antitoxin (TA) systems (VapBC64_65 and VapBC142_143) would exert detrimental effects, such as to fragment DNA. Thus, parABSm might ensure the existence of these TA systems, thereby preventing genomic degradation. Together, our results suggested that in T. thermophilus, the megaplasmid-encoded parABS system plays an essential role in the megaplasmid partitioning process; also it is an important determination factor for the genome integrity maintenance.

Currently, many low-carbon approaches are being applied in the power dispatching process, such as dynamic economic emission dispatch (DEED), wind power integration and carbon trading. Furthermore, these approaches may influence the carbon emission from electricity. To investigate such joint influence, this paper firstly builds a stochastic DEED model in the forms of chance-constrained programming related to wind power uncertainties. After that, the established model is transformed to a deterministic form by discussing relevant statistical characteristics. Next, an auxiliary decision-making method is designed to draw the optimal dispatching solution upon real-time price of carbon trading. Finally, empirical analysis shows that: (1) the minimization of carbon emissions and fuel costs comes at the expense of the reliability of wind power integrated system, for reasons that the decrement rate of thermal power output is about 60.8% from higher reliability level to lower level, (2) the decrement rate of carbon emissions (0.01%–0.012%) is superior to the growth rate of fuel costs (0.0011%–0.0022%) as the carbon trading price increases, which proves that carbon emission reduction can be effectively realized by carbon trading rather than substantial increase in fuel costs, and (3) carbon trading is conducive to the improvement of carbon emission efficiency.