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Background: Condyloma acuminatum (CA) is caused by low-risk human papillomavirus, and is characterized by high recurrence after treatment. The RNA modification N6-methyladenosine (m6A) plays an important role during diverse viral infections, including high-risk HPV infection in cervical cancer. However, it is unclear whether low-risk HPV infection changes the RNA m6A methylation in CA. Methods: High-throughputm6A-sequencing was performed to profile the transcriptome-wide mRNA modifications of CA tissues infected by LR-HPVs and the paired normal tissues from CA patients. We further investigated the regulation of alternative splicing by RNA binding proteins (RBPs) with altered m6A modification and constructed a regulatory network among these RBPs, regulated alternative splicing events (RASEs) and regulated alternative splicing genes (RASGs) in CA. Results: The results show that the m6A level in CA tissues differed from that in the paired controls. Furthermore, cell cycle- and cell adhesion- associated genes with m6A modification were differentially expressed in CA tissues compared to the paired controls. In particular, seven RNA binding protein genes with specific m6A methylated sites, showed a higher or lower expression at the mRNA level in CA tissues than in the paired normal tissues. In addition, these differentially expressed RNA binding protein genes would regulate the alternative splicing pattern of apoptotic process genes in CA tissue. Conclusions: Our study reveals a sophisticated m6A modification profile in CA tissue that affects the response of host cells to HPV infection, and provides cues for the further exploration of the roles of m6A and the development of a novel treatment strategy for CA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-sensitivity interferometers are one of the basic tools for precision measurement, and their sensitivity is limited by their shot noise limit (SNL), which is determined by vacuum fluctuations of the probe field. The quantum interferometer with novel structures can break the SNL and measure the weak signals, such as the direct observation of gravity wave signal. Combining classical interferometers and the optical parametric amplifier (OPA) can enhance the signal; meanwhile, the quantum noise is kept at the vacuum level, so that the sensitivity of the nonlinear interferometer beyond the SNL can be achieved. By analyzing in detail the influence of system parameters on the precision of quantum metrology, including the intensity of optical fields for phase sensing, the gain factor of OPA, and the losses inside and outside the interferometers, the application conditions of high-sensitivity nonlinear quantum interferometers are obtained. Quantum interferometer-based OPAs provide the direct references for the practical development of quantum precise measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Byline: Sha. Zhou, Jianjun. Qiao, Juan. Bai, Yinhua. Wu, Xiaoling. Jiang, Yunlei. Pan, Lina. Xu, Hong. Fang Sir, A 54-year-old Chinese woman presented to our department with multiple itchy erythematous [...]

Accumulating evidence has revealed that delocalization of the transmembrane proteins, Claudin-1 and Claudin-7, to the cytoplasm and/or nucleus occurs in various tumors. However, their subcellular distribution in terms of the membrane, cytoplasm, and nucleus and relationship with signaling pathways have not been elucidated during carcinogenesis. We first determined the expression of these proteins in the membrane, cytoplasm, and nucleus using ImageJ software and automatically collected the immunohistochemical quantification of dysplasia (actinic keratosis (AK)), carcinoma in situ (CIS; Bowen's disease (BD)), and invasive cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) for digital image analysis (DIA). The activity of p-ERK, p-AKT, and p-mTOR and their correlation with subcellular Claudin-1 and Claudin-7 were also performed. Finally, we validated Claudin-1 and Claudin-7 delocalization at the cytoplasm and nucleus in cultured human normal keratinocytes and cutaneous SCC cells. Claudin-1 and Claudin-7 were delocalized as revealed by membranous, cytoplasmic, and nuclear staining in sun-exposed skin, AK, BD, and SCC. In BD, both membranous and cytoplasmic Claudin-1 (nuclear Claudin-1 decrease but no significant difference) were higher than AK, while Claudin-7 almost had the opposite situation. In SCC, cytoplasmic and nuclear Claudin-1 (membranous Claudin-1 no significant difference) was lower than in AK and sun-exposed skin, while Claudin-7 had higher membranous and cytoplasmic but lower nuclear expression. Moreover, p-AKT and p-mTOR (but not p-ERK) were downregulated in the SCC. Subcellular Claudin-1 and Claudin-7 were not only correlated with each other, but also correlated with p-ERK in BD and p-AKT and p-mTOR in SCC. Together, these results imply the delocalization of Claudin-1 and Claudin-7 and their correlation with MAPK/ERK and PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling pathways in tumorigenesis and infiltration in cutaneous SCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coherent-dispersion spectrometer (CODES) is a new exoplanet detection instrument using the radial velocity (RV) method. This attempts mainly to improve environmental sensitivity and energy utilization by using an asymmetric, common-path Sagnac interferometer instead of a traditional Michelson interferometer. In order to verify its feasibility and to choose the appropriate key parameters to obtain the optimal performance, research on data processing for the design stage of the CODES is performed by systematic simulation and analysis. First, the instrument modelling is carried out for further data analysis according to the principle of the CODES, and the reliability of the model is verified by experiments. Second, the influence of key parameters on fringe visibility is analysed systematically, which provides a certain reference for the choice of the key parameters. Third, the RV inversion method for the CODES is proposed and optimized according to the related analysis results so as to promote RV inversion precision. Finally, the recommended values for the key parameters of the CODES are given. The experimental results show that the data processing error of RV inversion is less than 0.6 m s–1 within the recommended range of key parameters. This indicates that the scheme of the CODES is reasonable and feasible, and that the proposed data processing method is effective and well matched with the instrument design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the diversity and abundance of skin microbiome are mainly determined by intrinsic factors, including gender, age, anatomical site, and ethnicity, we question whether facial microbiome could be affected by long-term exposure to airborne pollution. Using 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene amplicon sequencing, we analyzed the facial bacterial microbiome of healthy and young Chinese women (25–35 years old) between two districts with different air quality indices (AQIs) in Zhejiang Province. The overall microbiome structure was obviously different between these two districts. It revealed an increase in both the abundance and diversity of facial bacterial microbiome in Hangzhou (HZ) with higher AQI compared with those in Yunhe (YH) with lower AQI. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and Lefse analysis identified a total of 45 genera showing significant overrepresentation in the HZ group. Furthermore, PICRUSt analysis showed that functional pathways associated with metabolism of saturated fatty acid were relatively more predominant in the HZ group, whereas those with DNA repair or mitochondrial DNA replication were more predominant in the YH group. Our present data can provide useful information for further researches on the composition and function of the skin microbiome related to air pollution factors as well as for the development of therapeutic agents targeting the microbes and their metabolites to resist damages of airborne pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Persistent pruritic eruptions (PPEs), presenting with dyskeratotic keratinocytes histologically, are characteristic skin rash in patients with adult‐onset Still's disease (AOSD). The lesions may be histologically similar to other entities that present with dyskeratosis. In the present study, we compared the histopathological features between PPEs and other entities presenting with dyskeratosis. Methods and results: To investigate whether histopathological findings can be used to discriminate among PPEs and other entities presenting with dyskeratotic keratinocytes, cutaneous histopathological changes of PPEs associated with AOSD (n = 26) were compared with those of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (n = 16), dermatomyositis (n = 19), and drug eruption (n = 16). Dyskeratosis was observed in the upper one‐third of the epidermal layer in all 26 PPEs. The rate of dyskeratosis for PPEs was higher than that for SLE (18.8%) and dermatomyositis (15.8%). In drug eruptions, the dyskeratotic cells were distributed in all levels of the epidermis. Variable densities of neutrophils were found in the dermis in all PPEs. Conclusions: Although this was a retrospective study conducted at a single centre, presentation of dyskeratotic keratinocytes in the upper one‐third of the epidermal layer is a distinctive histopathological reactive pattern of PPEs. This pattern may be a useful histopathological marker for early diagnosis of AOSD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Object-based hyperspectral image classification (OBHIC) converts the basic unit from ‘pixel’ to ‘object’ by image segmentation, in order to take advantage of the spatial distribution law of geographical substances, as well as increase classification performances. However, it involves the problem of scale selection, i.e. the segmentation parameters are set manually by empirical values. In this paper, a novel OBHIC algorithm based on adaptive segmentation is proposed. Here, hyperspectral images (HSIs) are first segmented through a new segmentation scheme with constraint ability, and the thresholds for segmentation are calculated adaptively by utilizing training samples. And then K-nearest neighbor algorithm (KNN) is applied to classify the centers of each region after segmentation. In addition, based on the semisupervised idea, semi-known samples are obtained to further improve the classification performance. Experimental results are presented on two HSI datasets. For different HSIs, the adaptive thresholds calculated are consistent with empirical ones, and the developed classification algorithm has achieved good classification results, thus demonstrating strong robustness of the algorithm. For the HSI Indian Pines from AVIRIS sensor, the Overall Accuracy (OA) and kappa are 95.13% and 0.9444 respectively with 10% training samples, and for the HSI Pavia University from ROSIS sensor, the OA and kappa are 95.52% and 0.9416 respectively with 2% training samples. And good classification performance is still maintained for small number of training samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an improved fast SPIHT algorithm has been presented. SPIHT and NLS (Not List SPIHT) are efficient compression algorithms, but the algorithms application is limited by the shortcomings of the poor error resistance and slow compression speed in the aviation areas. In this paper, the error resilience and the compression speed are improved. The remote sensing images are decomposed by Le Gall5/3 wavelet, and wavelet coefficients are indexed, scanned and allocated by the means of family blocks. The bit-plane importance is predicted by bitwise OR, so the N bit-planes can be encoded at the same time. Compared with the SPIHT algorithm, this improved algorithm is easy implemented by hardware, and the compression speed is improved. The PSNR of reconstructed images encoded by fast SPIHT is higher than SPIHT and CCSDS from 0.3 to 0.9db, and the speed is 4-6 times faster than SPIHT encoding process. The algorithm meets the high speed and reliability requirements of aerial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to estimate serum IL-17A and Claudin-1 levels, investigate their correlation, and evaluate their diagnostic significance as potential blood-based biomarkers in psoriasis., Methods: Serum IL-17A and Claudin-1 concentrations were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Statistical analyses were performed to determine differences in serum levels of IL-17A and Claudin-1, their bivariable correlation with psoriasis severity, as Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI), and their predictive abilities using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves., Results: Significantly higher IL-17A and lower Claudin-1 levels were found in psoriasis ( p  < 0.05). PASI did not correlate significantly with either IL-17A or Claudin-1 in psoriasis and their subtypes. The only significant correlation between serum IL-17A and Claudin-1 was shown in late-onset psoriasis ( r   =   0 . 630 , p   =   0 . 028 ). ROC curve analysis indicated the serum IL-17A, serum Claudin-1, and combination of IL-17A and serum Claudin-1 for predicting psoriasis with the areas under the curve (AUC) of 0.951 ( p  < 0.0001), 0.709 ( p  = 0.0119), and 0.949 ( p  < 0.0001), respectively. Moreover, the potential role in distinguishing between early-onset and late-onset psoriasis: we obtained serum IL-17A, serum Claudin-1, and their combination AUC of 0.590 ( p  = 0.3126), 0.741 ( p  = 0.0045), and 0.741 ( p  = 0.0067), respectively. However, none of the serum IL-17A, serum Claudin-1, and their combination was well-performed discriminating mild psoriasis from moderate-to-severe psoriasis with AUC of 0.553 ( p  = 0.5596), 0.518 ( p  = 0.8539), and 0.559 ( p  = 0.5225), respectively., Conclusion: These preliminary results suggest that the serum Claudin-1 as a potential biomarker and the relationship and possible regulatory interactions between IL-17A and Claudin-1 in psoriasis are distinguishable by age of onset., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Lina Xu et al.)

Optical path difference (OPD) is a very significant parameter in the asymmetric common-path coherent-dispersion spectrometer (CODES), which directly determines the performance of the CODES. In order to improve the performance of the instrument as much as possible, a temperature-compensated optimal optical path difference (TOOPD) method is proposed. The method does not only consider the influence of temperature change on the OPD but also effectively solves the problem that the optimal OPD cannot be obtained simultaneously at different wavelengths. Taking the spectral line with a Gaussian-type power spectral density distribution as a representative, the relational expression between the OPD and the visibility of interference fringes formed by the CODES is derived for the stellar absorption/emission line. Further, the optimal OPD is deduced according to the efficiency function, and the relationship between the optimal OPD and wavelength is analyzed. Then, based on the materials' dispersion characteristics, different optical materials are combined and added to the interferometer's reflected and transmitted optical path to implement the optimal OPD at different wavelengths, thereby improving the detection precision. Meanwhile, the materials whose refractive index negatively changes with temperature are selected to reduce or even offset the temperature impact on OPD, and hence the system's stability is improved and further improves the detection precision. Under certain input conditions, the material combination that approximates the optimal OPD is performed within the range of 0.66-0.9 µm. The simulation results show that the maximal difference between the optimal OPD obtained by the efficiency function and the OPD produced by the material combination is 0.733 mm for the absorption line and 1.122 mm for the emission line, which is reduced by 1 time compared with only one material. The influence of temperature on the OPD can be reduced by 2-3 orders of magnitude by material combination, which greatly ameliorates the stability of the whole spectrometer. Hence, the TOOPD method provides a new idea for further improving the high-precision radial velocity detection of the asymmetric common-path CODES.

Hyperspectral anomaly detection has garnered much research in recent years due to the excellent detection ability of hyperspectral remote sensing in agriculture, forestry, geological surveys, environmental monitoring, and battlefield target detection. The traditional anomaly detection method ignores the non-linearity and complexity of the hyperspectral image (HSI), while making use of the effectiveness of spatial information rarely. Besides, the anomalous pixels and the background are mixed, which causes a higher false alarm rate in the detection result. In this paper, a hyperspectral deep net-based anomaly detector using weight adjustment strategy (WAHyperDNet) is proposed to circumvent the above issues. We leverage three-dimensional convolution instead of the two-dimensional convolution to get a better way of handling high-dimensional data. In this study, the determinative spectrum-spatial features are extracted across the correlation between HSI pixels. Moreover, feature weights in the method are automatically generated based on absolute distance and the spectral similarity angle to describe the differences between the background pixels and the pixels to be tested. Experimental results on five public datasets show that the proposed approach outperforms the state-of-the-art baselines in both effectiveness and efficiency.

We report the case of a 54-year-old woman with concurrent Sweet's syndrome, pathergy phenomenon and eythema nodosum-like lesions associated with suppurative tonsillitis. Tender, violaceous and highly edematous papules and plaques were detected on the forearms and legs, some of which were pseudovesicular. Similar edematous papules were detected on the dorsum of the hands at the sites of intravenous injection. Biopsies of a plaque on the forearm and a papule at the site of intravenous injection confirmed the presence of Sweet's syndrome. Multiple, tender, violet-red, subcutaneous erythematous nodules were revealed on the legs. A biopsy taken from a nodule on the leg revealed septal panniculitis. To our knowledge, no patient with concurrent Sweet's syndrome, pathergy phenomenon, and erythema nodosum-lesions had been reported yet in previous literature.

Vulvovaginal-gingival syndrome is characterized by erosions and desquamation of the vulva, vagina, and gingiva. We reported a case of a 32-year-old woman presenting with an 8-year history of damage to the vulval and perianal anatomy and limitation of mouth opening. The patient's symptoms were relieved after treatment with topical tacrolimus cream.