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Although British playwright Edward Bond is well known for his early plays during the 1960s–80s, his later works, from the late 1990s onward, have been relatively overlooked and underexplored. In this article, I aim to bridge these two phases and propose a theoretical framework to approach Bond’s evolution as a playwright. I will first examine Bond’s critical engagement with Brecht, and then I will proceed to analyse Bond’s evolving dramaturgy of the Holocaust, which will help to demonstrate how Bond has developed what we might call his post-Auschwitz dramaturgy. While criticizing Brecht’s theatre for being the “Theatre of Auschwitz,” Bond bases his post-Brechtian dramaturgy on his specific understanding of the infamous Nazi concentration camp. Bond regards Auschwitz as not only a localized historical event but also a trans-historical structure of biopolitics, manifested in both the camp and an ensuing neoliberal capitalist system. By drawing on two pivotal passages of the Palermo improvisation (which took place in 1983) and the Russian guard’s story, both of which Bond describes in “Commentary on The War Plays” (1991), I will elucidate how these examples herald a “post-Auschwitz” dramaturgical model that can be understood through Emmanuel Levinas’s ethics and Giorgio Agamben’s biopolitics. Building on this analysis, I will analyse Bond’s plays The Crime of the Twenty-First Century (1999) and Born (2006) to argue that it is the dissonance between the biopolitical paradigm exemplified in Auschwitz and the human subject’s fundamental creativity that defines Bond’s later works.

A computerized tool and interdisciplinary care were implemented to develop a novel model for older patients with delirium in the emergency department (ED).We developed a computerized tool using a delirium triage screen and brief confusion assessment in the hospital information system, performed education for the healthcare providers, and developed a continuous care protocol. Comparisons for outcomes between pre- and post-intervention periods were performed.Compared with the pre-intervention period, patients in the post-intervention period had shorter hospitalization stay, lower expenditure of hospitalization, more likely to return home, lower ED revisits of ≤ 3 days, re-hospitalization of ≤ 14 days, and mortality of ≤ 1 month. All mentioned differences were not statistically significant.A novel model was successfully developed for delirium management in older patients in the ED. Outcome differences were not significant; however, the result is promising, which gives us an important reference in the future.

The rapid development of the Internet has led to the prevalence of big data analysis. Data mining is crucial to extracting potentially valuable information from big data and has therefore received considerable attention from researchers. Python is a common programming language used in data mining. Because of its rich database and robust capacity for scientific calculations, Python is considered an irreplaceable tool for data mining. This study adopted Python to perform a data mining analysis on visitor comments on Booking.com. The study was divided into several stages, namely, data source selection, data acquisition, data saving, data preprocessing, indexing of comments on Booking.com through the Python-based Scrapy framework, and user operation simulation through Selenium to analyze the performance of the spider program. Data mining can be used to identify useful information, which can serve as references for consumers to make purchase decisions. Extraction of data from booking sites through spider programs enables site administrators to attract more visitors. Analysis of extracted data also facilitates the elimination of misjudged comments and helps hotels improve their service quality, hardware, and personnel training.

Due to the increasingly variable market competition, product modular design is gaining in importance. This study attempts to seek a balance in three perspectives on product design: connection intensity, cost-effectiveness, and environmental protection. A multi-objective grouping genetic algorithm is adopted. Grouping genetic algorithms feature the flexible grouping and correcting mechanisms of crossover and mutation to meet the requirements of grouping, making it possible to establish a reasonable multi-objective measurement method after grouping and further offer suggestions to improve the modular design. In this study, the ceiling fan is used as an example to verify the proposed method for evaluation of the grouping method in the Matlab program. Results of the ceiling fan case verify that the proposed multi-objective algorithm is effective in modular design.

The treatment options for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with brain metastases (BMs) include EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), whole-brain radiotherapy, brain surgery, and antiangiogenesis therapy. As treatment options evolve, redefining optimal treatment strategies to improve survival are crucial.A total of 150 EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients with BMs who received first- or second-generation EGFR-TKIs as first-line treatment between January 2012 and October 2019 were included in this analysis.After multivariate analysis, patients with the graded prognostic assessment for lung cancer using molecular markers (Lung-mol GPA) ≥3 (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.538, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.35-0.83), who received afatinib or erlotinib as first-line treatment (HR: 0.521, 95% CI: 0.33-0.82), underwent SRS therapy (HR: 0.531, 95% CI: 0.32-0.87), or were sequentially treated with osimertinib (HR: 0.400, 95% CI: 0.23-0.71) were associated with improved overall survival (OS). Furthermore, SRS plus EGFR-TKI provided more OS benefits in patients with Lung-mol GPA ≥3 compared with EGFR-TKI alone in our patient cohort (44.9 vs. 26.7 months, p = 0.005). The OS in patients who received sequential osimertinib therapy was significantly longer than those without osimertinib treatment (43.5 vs. 24.3 months, p 0.001), regardless of T790 mutation status (positive vs. negative vs. unknown: 40.4 vs. 54.6 vs.43.4 months, p = 0.227).The study demonstrated that EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients with BMs could be precisely treated with SRS according to Lung-mol GPA ≥3. Sequential osimertinib was associated with prolonged survival, regardless of T790M status.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze the publication trends during the past 25 years (1996-2020) in The Journal of Taiwan Academy of Periodontology (J Taiwan Periodontol). Material and Methods: The search strategy consisted of a manual search of the J Taiwan Periodontol in the library from September 1996 to December 2004, and an electronic search of the Taiwan Academy of Periodontology (TAP) website and Airiti Library for all the publications from March 2005 to December 2020. The bibliometric parameters, including year of publication, study design, scope of study, Taiwanese institute of origin, inter-in- stitute collaboration, authorship, inter-nation collaboration, and funding resource, were analyzed. Multivariable linear regression was used to analyze the publications trends. Sig- nificance was accepted when the P value was < 0.05. Results: The study design of reviews and case report/series consisted of the majority of publications, and the number of publications has been steady throughout the investigat- ed time periods (1996-2000, 2001-2005, 2006-2010, 2011-2015, 2016-2020). However, cross-sectional studies declined significantly throughout the time periods (P &nbsp

Objectives: This review aimed at investigating the impact of bioactive agents on alveolar ridge augmentation at peri-implant sites and edentulous ridges. Material and Methods: Electronic and manual literature searches were conducted for articles up to April 2021. Human randomized clinical trials, clinical trials, or retrospective studies reporting outcomes of alveolar ridge augmentation procedures with or without bioactive agents were included. Sinus lifting or extraction socket preservation articles were excluded in this study. A random-effect meta-analysis was conducted to investigate ridge dimensional changes and complication rate. Results: Overall, ten articles were included in the quantitative analysis. In bone width and height augmentation, the weighted mean difference (WMD) of the horizontal bone gain at edentulous ridges was 0.38 mm (95% CI = 0.07 to 0.69 mm, p = 0.02) when comparing sites with and without PRP/PRF. The WMD of the vertical bone gain at edentulous ridges was 0.46 mm (95% CI = 0.06 to 0.86 mm, p = 0.02) when comparing sites with and without platelet- rich plasma (PRP) or platelet-rich fibrin (PRF). When evaluating the effect of adjunctive use of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) at alveolar ridge augmentation sites compared to alveolar ridge augmentation sites without BMP application, the WMD of the horizontal bone gain at edentulous ridges was 0.90 mm (95% CI = 0.30 to 1.49 mm, p = 0.003). In addition, the odds ratio of the titanium mesh exposure was 0.13 (95% CI of 0.02 to 0.71, p = 0.02). All analyses showed favorable outcomes at the sites with bioactive agent. Conclusion: Within the limits of this review, application of bioactive agents during alveolar ridge augmentation procedures presents increased horizontal and vertical bone augmentative changes. The complication rate can also be reduced with usage of PRP/PRF in titanium mesh-guided alveolar ridge augmentation. &nbsp

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to critically evaluate the available literature to statistically analyze the effects of platform matched (PM) and platform switching (PS) implants on the peri-implant soft tissue changes and esthetic outcomes. Materials and methods: Electronic databases of the Cochrane Library, Embase, CINAHL and PubMed were searched for human randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with clearly outcome measurement in comparison between PM and PS implant. Primary outcomes included midfacial keratinized gingiva (KG) thickness, width of KG, marginal gingiva height gain, papilla height, and pink esthetic score. Secondary outcomes included bone level, probing depth, plaque index, and sulcus bleeding index. All the included studies had to follow up for at least 1 year after function. Results: A total of 7 RCTs were included in the meta-analysis. Midfacial KG thickness (weighted mean difference (WMD) = 1.34 mm, P < 0.0001), marginal gingiva height (WMD = 0.30 mm, P = 0.01), papilla height (WMD = 0.18 mm, P = 0.003), bone level (WMD = 0.34 mm, P < 0.00001) and probing depth (WMD = -0.22 mm, P = 0.002) demonstrated statistically difference in comparison of PS and PM implants. The result of width of KG (P = 0.92), PES score (P = 0.73), plaque index (P = 0.97) and sulcus bleeding index (P = 0.78) showed no statistical difference. Conclusion: Meta-analysis showed better performance of midfacial KG thickness, marginal gingiva height and papilla height in PS implant than that in PM implants. No statistically difference was found in width of KG and PES score between PS implants and PM implants. &nbsp

Purpose: Enamel matrix derivative (EMD), the active component of Emdogain®, has been demonstrated to affect cytokines related to fibroplasia, angiogenesis, inflammation, and chemotaxis both in vitro and in vivo. However, whether the adjunctive application of EMD has clinical benefits on treating peri-mucositis and peri-implantitis has not been investigated thoroughly. The aim of this systematic review is to investigate the clinical outcomes of treating peri-implant diseases with adjunctive EMD application. Materials and Methods: A systematic search of multiple electronic databases including PubMed, Cochrane library, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Embase, and Scopus was carried out based on the PICOs structure for articles published up to September 2020. The primary outcomes were bleeding on probing (BoP), probing depth (PD), and radiographic bone level (RBL). Data and risk of bias were explored qualitatively. Results: The search identified 942 studies with 7 studies included for qualitative analysis. These studies reported 200 participants with 270 implants diagnosed with peri-mucositis (n=41) and peri-implantitis (n=229). For implants with peri-mucositis, BoP reduced significantly (83 to 25%) at the 3-month follow-up period for those treated with non-surgical mechanical debridement combined with adjunctive EMD (EMD group), while there was limited improvement for those treated by mechanical debridement alone (control group). PD also decreased (4.5 to 3.12 mm) in EMD group whereas an increase to 5.17 mm was demonstrated in the control group. For cases diagnosed with peri-implantitis, the high prevalence rate (83% - 100%) of BoP at baseline was significantly reduced in 2 prospective studies at the 2-10-years follow-up after surgical debridement, surface decontamination with bone graft, and EMD application. However, there was no statistical difference between surgical treatment with or without adjunctive EMD application in the other randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and half of the implants still demonstrated persistent BoP. Moreover, the PD can also be reduced significantly from 8.12 to 3.17 mm for those treated with adjunctive EMD while the RBL reduced from 4.41 to 2.31 mm at 2-10 year follow-up. The overall survival rate was 85-100% at 2-10 years follow-up. Conclusion: This review investigated the efficacy of adjunctive EMD for treating peri-implant diseases and was able to demonstrate its effect in reducing PD, reducing BoP, and increasing survival rate of treated implants from 2 to 10 years. The beneficial impacts of traditional surgical therapy on implants diagnosed with peri-implantitis were investigated; however, in terms of treating peri-implantitis, the definite efficacy of adjunctive usage of EMD should be determined based on more quantitative analysis and research in future. &nbsp

The sterilisation of surgical instruments is a major factor in infection control in the operating room (OR). All items used in the OR must be sterile for patient safety. Therefore, the present study evaluated the effect of far-infrared radiation (FIR) on the inhibition of colonies on packaging surface during the long-term storage of sterilised surgical instruments. From September 2021 to July 2022, 68.2% of 85 packages without FIR treatment showed microbial growth after incubation at 35 °C for 30 days and at room temperature for 5 days. A total of 34 bacterial species were identified, with the number of colonies increasing over time. In total, 130 colony-forming units were observed. The main microorganisms detected were Staphylococcus spp. (35%) and Bacillus spp. (21%) , Kocuria marina and Lactobacillus spp. (14%), and mould (5%). No colonies were found in 72 packages treated with FIR in the OR. Even after sterilisation, microbial growth can occur due to movement of the packages by staff, sweeping of floors, lack of high-efficiency particulate air filtration, high humidity, and inadequate hand hygiene. Thus, safe and simple far-infrared devices that allow continuous disinfection for storage spaces, as well as temperature and humidity control, help to reduce microorganisms in the OR.

Background Bispecific antibody has garnered considerable attention in the recent years due to its impressive preliminary efficacy in hematological malignancies. For solid tumors, however, the main hindrance is the suppressive tumor microenvironment, which effectively impedes the activation of infiltrating T cells. Herein, we designed a bispecific antibody AP203 with high binding affinity to PD-L1 and CD137 and assessed its safety and anti-tumor efficacy, as well as explored the mechanism of action. Methods The optimal antibody binders against PD-L1 and CD137 were screened from the OmniMab phagemid library. The binding affinity of the constructed AP203 were evaluated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and biolayer interferometry (BLI). T-cell stimulatory capacity was assessed using the allogeneic mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR), antigen-specific recall response, and coculture with PD-L1-expressing cells. In vivo antitumor efficacy was evaluated using two models of tumor-xenografted humanized mice with profiling of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). The possible toxicity of AP203 was examined using in vitro cytokine release assay by human PBMCs. Results AP203, which simultaneously targeted PD-L1 and costimulatory CD137, elicit superior agonistic effects over parental antibodies alone or in combination in terms of T cell activation, enhanced memory recall responses, and overcoming Treg-mediated immunosuppression (P Conclusions AP203 exerts potent antitumor activity not only by blocking PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitory signaling, but also by activating CD137 costimulatory signaling in effector T cells that consequently counteracts Treg-mediated immunosuppression. Based on promising preclinical results, AP203 should be a suitable candidate for clinical treatment of solid tumors.

Background We conducted a retrospective observational study to explore the potential application of impulse oscillometry (IOS) as an alternative to high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) for detecting pulmonary involvement in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) because clinically evident interstitial lung disease (ILD) and airway involvement are common in this population. Methods We enrolled 72 patients with RA who underwent pulmonary function tests (PFTs) and IOS between September 2021 and September 2022. We aimed to identify the PFT and IOS variables associated with lung diseases shown on HRCT images. Results In our cohort of 72 patients, 48 underwent HRCT; of these, 35 had airway disease or ILD and 13 showed no obvious abnormalities on HRCT. Abnormal IOS and PFT parameters were observed in 34 and 23 patients, respectively, with abnormal HRCT images. The predicted percentages for forced vital capacity, the ratio of forced expiratory volume in the first one second to forced vital capacity, and forced mid-expiratory flow value were significantly lower in patients with abnormal HRCT. Lung resistance at 5 Hz, difference in resistance between 5 and 20 Hz, resonant frequency (Fres), and reactance area were higher in these patients and reactance at 5 Hz was lower. Compared to other parameters, Fres > 14.14 was significantly associated with alterations in HRCT and may be used as an indicator for monitoring disease. Conclusion Fres > 14.14 is significantly associated with lung involvement in RA patients. Performance of spirometry with IOS is more beneficial than spirometry alone for evaluating lung involvement in RA patients.

Asthma is often characterized by tissue-level mechanical phenotypes that include remodeling of the airway and an increase in airway tightening, driven by the underlying smooth muscle. Existing therapies only provide symptom relief and do not improve the baseline narrowing of the airway or halt progression of the disease. To investigate such targeted therapeutics, there is a need for models that can recapitulate the 3D environment present in this tissue, provide phenotypic readouts of contractility, and be easily integrated into existing assay plate designs and laboratory automation used in drug discovery campaigns. To address this, we have developed DEFLCT, a high-throughput plate insert that can be paired with standard labware to easily generate high quantities of microscale tissues in vitro for screening applications. Using this platform, we exposed primary human airway smooth muscle cell-derived microtissues to a panel of six inflammatory cytokines present in the asthmatic niche, identifying TGF-β1 and IL-13 as inducers of a hypercontractile phenotype. RNAseq analysis further demonstrated enrichment of contractile and remodeling-relevant pathways in TGF-β1 and IL-13 treated tissues as well as pathways generally associated with asthma. Screening of 78 kinase inhibitors on TGF-β1 treated tissues suggests that inhibition of protein kinase C and mTOR/Akt signaling can prevent this hypercontractile phenotype from emerging, while direct inhibition of myosin light chain kinase does not. Taken together, these data establish a disease-relevant 3D tissue model for the asthmatic airway, which combines niche specific inflammatory cues and complex mechanical readouts that can be utilized in drug discovery efforts.

Restricting the localization of the evolutionarily conserved centromeric histone H3 variant CENP-A to centromeres prevents chromosomal instability (CIN). The mislocalization of CENP-A to non-centromeric regions contributes to CIN in yeasts, flies and human cells. Even though overexpression and mislocalization of CENP-A have been reported in cancers, the mechanisms responsible for its mislocalization remain poorly understood. Here, we used an imaging-based high-throughput RNAi screen to identify factors that prevent mislocalization of overexpressed YFP-tagged CENP-A (YFP–CENP-A) in HeLa cells. Among the top five candidates in the screen – the depletion of which showed increased nuclear YFP–CENP-A fluorescence – were the histone chaperones CHAF1B (or p60) and CHAF1A (or p150). Follow-up validation and characterization experiments showed that CHAF1B-depleted cells exhibited CENP-A mislocalization, CIN phenotypes and increased enrichment of CENP-A in chromatin fractions. The depletion of DAXX, a histone H3.3 chaperone, suppressed CENP-A mislocalization and CIN in CHAF1B-depleted cells. We propose that in CHAF1B-depleted cells, DAXX promotes mislocalization of the overexpressed CENP-A to non-centromeric regions, resulting in CIN. In summary, we identified regulators of CENP-A localization and defined a role for CHAF1B in preventing DAXX-dependent CENP-A mislocalization and CIN.

Background Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is a serious complication during in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment. The upregulation of ovarian transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) is involved in the development of OHSS. The secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) is a secreted multifunctional matricellular glycoprotein. Although the regulatory effects of TGF-β1 on SPARC expression have been reported, whether TGF-β1 regulates SPARC expression in the human ovary remains unknown. In addition, the role of SPARC in the pathogenesis of OHSS is unclear. Methods A steroidogenic human ovarian granulosa-like tumor cell line, KGN, and primary culture of human granulosa-lutein (hGL) cells obtained from patients undergoing IVF treatment were used as experimental models. OHSS was induced in rats, and ovaries were collected. Follicular fluid samples were collected from 39 OHSS and 35 non-OHSS patients during oocyte retrieval. The underlying molecular mechanisms mediating the effect of TGF-β1 on SPARC expression were explored by a series of in vitro experiments. Results TGF-β1 upregulated SPARC expression in both KGN and hGL cells. The stimulatory effect of TGF-β1 on SPARC expression was mediated by SMAD3 but not SMAD2. The transcription factors, Snail and Slug, were induced in response to the TGF-β1 treatment. However, only Slug was required for the TGF-β1-induced SPARC expression. Conversely, we found that the knockdown of SPARC decreased Slug expression. Our results also revealed that SPARC was upregulated in the OHSS rat ovaries and in the follicular fluid of OHSS patients. Knockdown of SPARC attenuated the TGF-β1-stimulated expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and aromatase, two markers of OHSS. Moreover, the knockdown of SPARC reduced TGF-β1 signaling by downregulating SMAD4 expression. Conclusions By illustrating the potential physiological and pathological roles of TGF-β1 in the regulation of SPARC in hGL cells, our results may serve to improve current strategies used to treat clinical infertility and OHSS.

Background Extravillous trophoblast (EVT) cell invasion is a tightly regulated process that requires for a normal pregnancy. The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been implicated in EVT cell invasion. Growth differentiation factor-8 (GDF-8), a member of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) superfamily, is expressed in the human placenta and promotes EVT cell invasion by upregulating the expression of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2). However, the underlying molecular mechanism of GDF-8-induced MMP2 expression remains undetermined. Therefore, the present study aims to examine the role of Snail and Slug, the EMT-related transcriptional regulators, in GDF-8-stimulated MMP2 expression and cell invasion in HTR-8/SVneo human EVT cell line and primary cultures of human EVT cells. Methods HTR-8/SVneo and primary cultures of human EVT cells were used to examine the effect of GDF-8 on MMP2 expression and explore the underlying mechanism. For gene silencing and overexpression, the HTR-8/SVneo cell line was used to make the experiments more technically feasible. The cell invasiveness was measured by Matrigel-coated transwell invasion assay. Results GDF-8 stimulated MMP2 expression in both HTR-8/SVneo and primary EVT cells. The stimulatory effect of GDF-8 on MMP2 expression was blocked by the inhibitor of TGF-β type-I receptors, SB431542. Treatment with GDF-8 upregulated Snail and Slug expression in both HTR-8/SVneo and primary EVT cells. The stimulatory effects of GDF-8 on Snail and Slug expression were blocked by pretreatment of SB431542 and siRNA-mediated knockdown of SMAD4. Interestingly, using the siRNA knockdown approach, our results showed that Snail but not Slug was required for the GDF-8-induced MMP2 expression and cell invasion in HTR-8/SVneo cells. The reduction of MMP2 expression in the placentas with preeclampsia (PE) was also observed. Conclusions These findings discover the physiological function of GDF-8 in the human placenta and provide important insights into the regulation of MMP2 expression in human EVT cells.

S FIG. 2. S1P2 is required for S1P-induced mouse HCC cell proliferation.

Dysregulation of the Hippo pathway in the liver results in overgrowth and eventually tumorigenesis. To date, several upstream mechanisms have been identified that affect the Hippo pathway, which ultimately regulate YAP, the major downstream effector of the pathway. However, upstream regulators of the Hippo pathway in the liver remain poorly defined. Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is a bioactive sphingolipid metabolite that has been shown to stimulate hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell proliferation, but whether the Hippo pathway is involved in S1P-stimulated HCC cell proliferation remains to be determined. Here it is demonstrated that S1P activates YAP and that the S1P receptor 2 (S1PR2/S1P2) mediates S1P-induced YAP activation in both human and mouse HCC cells. S1P promotes YAP-mediated upregulation of cysteine-rich protein 61 and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), and stimulates HCC cell proliferation. By using siRNA-mediated knockdown approaches, only CTGF was required for S1P-stimulated cell proliferation. Of note, S1P activates YAP in a MST1/2-independent manner suggesting that the canonical Hippo kinase is not required for S1P-mediated proliferation in liver. The upregulation of CTGF and S1P2 were also observed in liver-specific YAP overexpression transgenic mouse hepatocytes. Moreover, YAP regulated liver differentiation–dependent gene expression by influencing the chromatin binding of HNF4α based on ChIP-seq analysis. Finally, results using gain- and loss-of-function approaches demonstrate that HNF4α negatively regulated S1P-induced CTGF expression.Implications: These findings reveal a role for S1P in stimulating HCC cell proliferation by upregulating CTGF expression through S1P2-mediated YAP activation. Mol Cancer Res; 16(10); 1543–55. ©2018 AACR.

Primers for RT-qPCR

Supplemental Figure Legends

S FIG. 3. HNF4α negatively regulates S1P-induced up-regulation of Ctgf in mouse HCC cells.

S FIG. 1. S1P treatment induces YAP YAP nuclear translocation in HepG2 and Hepa1-6 cells.

Recently, most background modeling (BM) methods claim to achieve real-time efficiency for low-resolution and standard-definition surveillance videos. With the increasing resolutions of surveillance cameras, full high-definition (full HD) surveillance videos have become the main trend and thus processing high-resolution videos becomes a novel issue in intelligent video surveillance. In this article, we propose a novel content-adaptive resizing framework (CARF) to boost the computation speed of BM methods in high-resolution surveillance videos. For each frame, we apply superpixels to separate the content of the frame to homogeneous and boundary sets. Two novel downsampling and upsampling layers based on the homogeneous and boundary sets are proposed. The front one downsamples high-resolution frames to low-resolution frames for obtaining efficient foreground segmentation results based on BM methods. The later one upsamples the low-resolution foreground segmentation results to the original resolution frames based on the superpixels. By simultaneously coupling both layers, experimental results show that the proposed method can achieve better quantitative and qualitative results compared with state-of-the-art methods. Moreover, the computation speed of the proposed method without GPU accelerations is also significantly faster than that of the state-of-the-art methods. The source code is available at https://github.com/nchucvml/CARF.

Periodontitis has been proposed to lead to Helicobacter pylori infection, which could cause many gastrointestinal tract cancers. This study aimed to determine the association or otherwise between periodontitis and survival outcomes in individuals with respect to H. pylori infection.The study population comprised 4955 subjects aged 20-90 who had received both periodontal examination and H. pylori serum test in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) database. Logistic regression models were used to analyse the association between periodontitis and H. pylori seropositivity (H. pylori infection). Survival analysis was performed using the NHANES III linked to mortality data. Cox proportional hazard regression was carried out to investigate the association between periodontitis and gastrointestinal tract cancer mortality in individuals with/without H. pylori infection.Compared to periodontal health, periodontitis was significantly associated with increased odds of H. pylori infection (OR = 1.271, 95% CI = 1.177-1.372). Periodontitis significantly increased the mortality risk from all causes (HR = 1.574, 95% CI = 1.327-1.866) and all cancers (HR = 1.948, 95% CI = 1.701-2.232), including gastrointestinal (GI) tract cancer (HR = 4.140, 95% CI = 3.656-4.687), gastric cancer (HR = 4.288, 95% CI = 3.969-4.632), and colorectal cancer (HR = 4.814, 95% CI = 3.849-6.020) in subjects with H. pylori infection after adjusting for health-related factors. Periodontitis was significantly related to the decreased survival time in subjects with GI tract (p = .001) or colorectal cancer (p = .002) and H. pylori infection.Our study demonstrated that periodontitis was significantly associated with higher mortality risk of GI tract, gastric, and colorectal cancer in subjects with H. pylori infection. Owing to an interactive effect between periodontitis and H. pylori infection on cancer mortality, H. pylori infection has a significant moderating effect in regulating the association between periodontitis and mortality due to all cancers, including GI tract cancer and colorectal cancer.

Pulmonary Aspergillus infection may have a variety of manifestations depending on the patients’ immunity status and pre-existing lung conditions. Radiographically, aspergilloma, which is usually associated with noninvasive Aspergillus fumigatus conidia, may feature a characteristic mass in a cavity commonly located in the upper lobes of the lung. It is typically encountered upon pre-existing lung damage. Here we report Aspergillus growing in a pulmonary metastatic cavity in a 47-year-old male worker with a history of tongue cancer after a radical operation with neck dissection and concurrent chemotherapy in 2014. Chest radiography and computed tomography showed a cavitary lesion with a ball-in-hole lesion in the right upper lobe (RUL) and two cystic lesions within the bilateral upper lung field. Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial biopsy (EBUS-TBB) from the RUL anterior segmental bronchus (RB3) revealed the presence of Aspergillus conidia and squamous cell carcinoma. Wedge resection of the cystic lesion within the left upper lobe confirmed the diagnosis of metastatic squamous cell carcinoma. This is a rare case of aspergillosis within cavities of pulmonary metastases in a patient who was diagnosed with tongue squamous cell carcinoma. The conclusive distinction between neoplasm and fungal infection is difficult to achieve by radiography, and a pathological biopsy by EBUS-TBB is necessary to aid diagnosis. Clinicians should be aware of such an atypical presentation of metastases coexisting with Aspergillus infection.

To figure out the differentially changed metabolites and disturbed pathways in follicular fluid (FF) of patients with OHSS in comparison to the control group undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF), we conducted this metabolomic analysis between two groups, the OHSS group included 30 patients treated with oocyte retrieval and developed OHSS in the next 7-14 days, while another 30 patients without OHSS tendency were selected as the control group. The FF samples were obtained during the process of oocyte retrieval. FF samples were analyzed using ultra-high liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS). The results identified a total of 59 differentially changed metabolites, including 33 decreased metabolites (P < 0.01) and 26 increased metabolites (P < 0.01) in FF of OHSS compared with the control group. 12 metabolites could be the most valuable biomarkers for OHSS based on ROC results. Our correlation analyses showed that deoxyinosine levels were found positively correlated with serum estradiol (E2) levels in OHSS patients, while L-isoleucine, pyruvic acid, maleamate, and arachidonic acid were found to be positively correlated with the number of retrieved oocytes. Furthermore, 4-hydroxyphenylacetaldehyde, deoxycorticosterone, creatinine, and creatine were found to be negatively associated with serum E2 levels, while 4-hydroxyphenylacetaldehyde, L-carnitine, isovaleric acid and L-2-hydroxyglutaric acid were negatively related with the number of oocytes retrieved in OHSS patients. Taken together, our study provides better identification of OHSS FF metabolic dynamics, suggesting the metabolic compounds can be used as valuable predictors or treatment targets of OHSS.