Search

The fragment molecular orbital (FMO) method is a fast quantum-mechanical method that divides systems into pieces of fragments and performs ab initio calculations. The system truncation enables further speed improvement. In this article, we systematically study the effects of system truncations on binding affinity calculations obtained with FMO in combination with either the polarizable continuum model (FMO/PCM) or in combination with the Møller-Plesset method (FMO-MP2). We have used five protein complexes with ligands of several charged states. The calculated binding energies of the size variants of the truncated system, including only a restricted number of atoms around the ligand, are compared to the energy obtained from a full system. The result shows that the systems could be truncated to a radius of 8 Å from neutral ligands within an error of 0.7 kcal/mol, and 12 Å from charged ligands within an error of 1.1 kcal/mol for calculating the binding energy in solution.

Phosphatidylserine (PS)-deficient small extracellular vesicle (sEV) subpopulations (PSBulk sEVs collected from a cell culture supernatant via ultracentrifugation were subjected to an enzymatic reaction using phosphatidylserine decarboxylase (PSD). The yield of PSEnzymatic depletion of PS exposed on sEV surfaces using PSD increased the yield of PSTreatment of sEVs with PSD successfully reduced surface PS levels and increased the amount of the PS

The accuracy of lymph node (LN) dissection in robotic surgery for lung cancer remains controversial. We compared the accuracy of LN dissection in robot-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) vs. video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS).The subjects of this retrospective analysis were 226 patients with cN0 primary lung cancer who underwent robot-assisted or video-assisted thoracic lobectomy with LN dissection, in our department, between April, 2016 and February, 2021. We compared the numbers of all LNs and mediastinal LNs dissected, the time required for LN dissection, complications, and upstaging rates of the N factor between the groups. Furthermore, we performed an inverse probability of treatment weighting-adjusted analysis to reduce potential bias between the groups.The number of dissected LNs was higher in the RATS group in both the unweighted and weighted analyses. The time required for lymph node dissection was also longer in RATS. There was no significant difference in complications or in the upstaging rate of the N factor between the groups.More LNs were dissected with RATS. Thus, the usefulness of robot-assisted surgery for LN dissection needs to be investigated further.

Antenatal steroids (ANSs) are routinely administered to women judged to be at imminent risk of preterm delivery. Their principal benefit is precocious functional maturation of the preterm fetal lung. Current dosing regimens expose the mother and fetus to high steroid levels that may be unnecessary, increasing the potential risks of disruption to the maternal and fetal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and glucose regulation, alterations in placental function, and reduced fetal growth. Using a sheep model of pregnancy, we tested the hypothesis that direct fetal administration of an ultra-low dose course of betamethasone phosphate (∼0.33 mg) would be sufficient to elicit functional maturation of the fetal lung. A jugular catheter was installed in singleton ovine fetuses at 122-day gestation under general anesthesia. Animals were randomized to receive either: 1) fetal intravenous betamethasone phosphate to target fetal plasma betamethasone mean levels of 2 ng/mL for 26 h (fetal treatment group; n = 16); 2) fetal intravenous saline for 26 h and two maternal intramuscular injections of 0.25 mg/kg betamethasone phosphate + betamethasone acetate, simulating a standard clinical treatment (maternal treatment group; n = 12); or 3) fetal intravenous saline only for 26 h (negative control group; n = 10). Fetuses were delivered 48 h after surgery, ventilated for 30 min to allow the collection of lung function and physiological data, and euthanized. Quantitative PCR and Western blots were used to assess markers of lung maturation. The average total betamethasone phosphate dose for the fetal treatment group was 1% (0.3 mg) of the maternal treatment group (31-mg betamethasone phosphate + betamethasone acetate). At 30 min of ventilation, arterial [Formula: see text], pH, heart rate, and ventilation efficacy index (VEI) were significantly ( P < 0.05) and equivalently improved in both the fetal treatment group and maternal treatment group, relative to the negative control group. Similarly, SP-A, SP-C, and AQ-5 mRNA expression was significantly higher in both the fetal treatment group and maternal treatment group, relative to negative control. Maternal steroid administration was not required to generate preterm fetal lung maturation in sheep. Using a low dose and targeting steroid treatments directly to the fetus has the potential to significantly reduce maternal exposures, while simultaneously reducing the potential risk of adverse outcomes associated with current clinical dosing regimens.

Allergic rhinitis is caused by a breakdown of the Th1/Th2 balance, in which the allergen-induced Th2 immune response predominates over the Th1 immune response, culminating in IgE-mediated anaphylaxis. In this study, we used small extracellular vesicles (sEVs), cell-derived membrane vesicles with a particle size of 100 nm, as simultaneous delivery carriers for allergens (ovalbumin, OVA) and CpG DNA, an adjuvant that can induce a Th1 immune response, for the treatment of allergic rhinitis. sEVs loaded with CpG DNA and OVA(CpG-OVA-sEVs) were successfully prepared. CpG-OVA-sEVs possessed an average particle size of 90 nm and average zeta potential of -30 mV. CpG DNA modification did not influence the uptake of sEVs by dendritic cells and CpG-OVA-sEV can activate dendritic cells. The CpG-OVA-sEVs were delivered to the nasopharynx-associated lymphoid tissue (NALT) of mice and were primarily taken up by the CD11c positive cells after intranasal administration. Intranasally administering CpG-OVA-sEVs significantly enhanced OVA-specific IgG antibody titers in mice models of allergic rhinitis, suggesting a transformed Th1/2 balance. Moreover, The CpG-OVA-sEV administration alleviated allergic symptoms compared to the control group. Further, the amount of IgE secreted in mouse serum decreased. Thus, CpG-OVA-sEVs could be a useful therapeutic method for treating allergic rhinitis.

BACKGROUND Although some studies have described the association between serum ferritin levels and specific disorders in child and adolescent psychiatry, few have focused on mental health with low serum ferritin levels in children and adolescents. This study examined the effects of iron administration on psychological state of children and adolescents with reduced serum ferritin concentration. METHODS This prospective study evaluated 19 participants aged 6-15 years with serum ferritin levels

Background: The characteristics of high-risk coronary atherosclerosis evaluated using optical coherence tomography can have a prognostic role. Inflammatory biomarkers may be related to the severity of coronary artery disease. This study investigated the association of high-risk morphological features of coronary plaques on optical coherence tomography with circulating levels of inflammatory biomarkers and adverse cardiovascular events. Methods: We prospectively analyzed the data of 30 consecutive patients with chronic coronary syndrome who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention using optical coherence tomography between April 2020 and November 2020 at our university hospital. Estimation of inflammatory biomarker levels and optical coherence tomography analysis focused on high-risk coronary plaque features were performed. Based on the coronary plaque risk score, patients were defined as having a low coronary plaque risk score (coronary plaque risk score≤3) or high coronary plaque risk score (coronary plaque risk score≥4). The primary outcome was target lesion revascularization. Results: Targetlesion revascularization was achieved in 6 (20%) patients within 15 months of percutaneous coronary intervention. High coronary plaque risk score on optical coherence tomography was directly correlated with target lesion revascularization (P=0.029). In logistic regression analysis, coronary plaque risk score was associated with target lesion revascularization (odds ratio, 10.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.34–74.5). Serum monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 level was significantly correlated with the coronary plaque risk score (P=0.020). Conclusions: In patients with chronic coronary syndrome, coronary plaque risk score may be a surrogate predictor of target lesion revascularization. Serum monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 may aid detection of high-risk coronary atherosclerosis.

Introduction The occurrence of massive haemorrhages in various emergency situations increases the need for blood transfusions and increases the risk of mortality. Fibrinogen concentrate (FC) use may increase plasma fibrinogen levels more rapidly than fresh-frozen product or cryoprecipitate use. Previous several systematic reviews and meta-analyses have not effectively demonstrated FC efficacy in significantly improving the risk of mortality and reducing transfusion requirements. In this study, we investigated the use of FC for haemorrhages in emergency situations. Methods and analysis In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we included controlled trials, but excluded randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in elective surgeries. The study population consisted of patients with haemorrhages in emergency situations, and the intervention was emergency supplementation of FC. The control group was administered with ordinal transfusion or placebo. The primary and secondary outcomes were in-hospital mortality and the amount of transfusion and thrombotic events, respectively. The electronic databases searched included MEDLINE (PubMed), Web of Science, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Results Nine RCTs in the qualitative synthesis with a total of 701 patients were included. Results showed a slight increase in in-hospital mortality with FC treatment (RR 1.24, 95% CI 0.64–2.39, p = 0.52) with very low certainty of the evidence. There was no reduction in the use of red blood cells (RBC) transfusion in the first 24 h after admission with FC treatment (mean difference [MD] 0.0 Unit in the FC group, 95% CI − 0.99–0.98, p = 0.99) with very low certainty of the evidence. However, the use of fresh-frozen plasma (FFP) transfusion significantly increased in the first 24 h after admission with FC treatment (MD 2.61 Unit higher in the FC group, 95% CI 0.07–5.16, p = 0.04). The occurrence of thrombotic events did not significantly differ with FC treatment. Conclusions The present study indicates that the use of FC may result in a slight increase in in-hospital mortality. While FC did not appear to reduce the use of RBC transfusion, it likely increased the use of FFP transfusion and may result in a large increase in platelet concentrate transfusion. However, the results should be interpreted cautiously due to the unbalanced severity in the patient population, high heterogeneity, and risk of bias.

Promyelocytic leukemia (PML) has been implicated in a variety of functions, including control of TP53 function and modulation of cellular senescence. Sumolated PML is the organizer of mature PML bodies, recruiting a variety of proteins onto these nuclear domains. The PML gene is predicted to encode a variety of protein isoforms. Overexpression of only one of them, PML-IV, promotes senescence in human diploid fibroblasts, whereas PML-III was proposed to specifically interact with the centrosome. We show that all PML isoform proteins are expressed in cell lines or primary cells. Unexpectedly, we found that PML-III, PML-IV, and PML-V are quantitatively minor isoforms compared with PML-I/II and could not confirm the centrosomal targeting of PML-III. Stable expression of each isoform, in a pml-null background, yields distinct subcellular localization patterns, suggesting that, like in other RBCC/TRIM proteins, the COOH-terminal domains of PML are involved in interactions with specific cellular components. Only the isoform-specific sequences of PML-I and PML-V are highly conserved between man and mouse. That PML-I contains all conserved exons and is more abundantly expressed than PML-IV suggests that it is a critical contributor to PML function(s). (Cancer Res 2006; 66(12): 6192-8)

Supplementary Figures from Characterization of Endogenous Human Promyelocytic Leukemia Isoforms

Supplementary Table from Characterization of Endogenous Human Promyelocytic Leukemia Isoforms

Background. Although intraoperative peritoneal lavage often is performed routinely with the aim of reducing peritoneal contamination, evidence of lavage benefit in elective pancreatic surgery is limited. Methods. We retrospectively classified patients who had undergone pancreatic surgery to groups given or not given peritoneal lavage, then comparing clinical results. This saline lavage was performed at the end of the operation. The primary endpoint was rate of surgical site infection. Results. Among all 104 patients in the study, incidence of infectious complications in the lavage group (n = 65) was significantly higher than in the non-lavage group (n = 39; 35% vs. 15%, P = 0.041), while incidences of postoperative complications overall and surgical site infection did not differ between lavage (80% and 26%) and non-lavage groups (67% and 10%, P = 0.162 and 0.076, respectively). Among 63 patients undergoing pancratoduodenectomy, frequencies of positive bacterial cultures of drainage fluids on postoperative days 1 and 3 were greater in the non-lavage group (P P = 0.012), but surgical site infection was significantly more frequent in the lavage group (P = 0.043). Among patients with pancreatic and biliary cancer, lavage did not affect frequency of peritoneal recurrence. Conclusions. Intraoperative lavage did not prevent surgical site infection or peritoneal recurrence of pancreatobiliary cancer.

The bronchopulmonary vascular bifurcation patterns in the upper lobe of the left lung are diverse. Therefore, it is important for general thoracic surgeons to understand the detailed anatomy of the pulmonary segments when performing thoracoscopic anatomical pulmonary resection. This study aimed to analyze the bronchovascular patterns of the left upper lobe and summarize the anatomical information associated with pulmonary anatomical pulmonary resection.We reviewed the anatomical patterns of pulmonary vessels and the left lung bronchus of 539 patients using computed tomography imaging data including those obtained using three-dimensional computed tomography. We herein report the anatomic structure in the left upper lobe.Regarding the superior division bronchi, a pattern of trifurcation into BThe bifurcation patterns of the bronchovascular region in the upper lobe of the left lung were clarified. These results should be carefully noted when performing anatomical pulmonary resection.

Diseases in shrimp farms in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam cause significant crop losses and are therefore of great concern to producers. Once a pond becomes infected, it is difficult to prevent spread of the disease to nearby shrimp farming areas. Thus, predicting the occurrence of disease is an essential part of reducing the risk for shrimp farmers. In this study, we applied an integrated geographic information system and machine learning system to predict three serious diseases of shrimp, namely, acute hepatopancreatic necrosis, white spot syndrome disease, and Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei infection, based on data collected from shrimp farms in the Tra Vinh, Bac Lieu, Soc Trang, and Ca Mau provinces of Vietnam. We first constructed a map showing the distribution of these diseases using the locations of affected farms, and then we conducted spatial analysis to acquire the geographical features of the affected locations. This latter information was combined with environmental factors and clinical signs to form the set of independent variables affecting the outbreak of diseases. The neural network model outperformed the logistic regression, random forest, and gradient boosting methods in terms of predicting infection to estimate the probability of disease occurrence in farmed areas. Acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease infected farms downstream of the Co Chien and Hau Rivers of Tra Vinh and west of Ca Mau. Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei infection is distributed in Soc Trang Province, while white spot syndrome virus has spread to the coastal districts of Soc Trang and Bac Lieu Provinces, where it is highly associated to water from a complex canal system.

The subsuperior segment (S*) is not frequently observed between the superior (S6) and posterior basal segments (S10). We present a case of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery of S6+S* segmentectomy for a primary lung cancer patient. A 71-year-old man with a 20-mm nodule on the right S6, suspected of primary lung cancer( cT1bN0M0, stageⅠA2), was admitted to our hospital. Three-dimensional chest computed tomography (CT) revealed a subsuperior segmental bronchus (B*), originating from the common trunk of the lateral basal segmental bronchus( B9) and posterior basal segmental bronchus (B10). In order to obtain enough surgical margin, we performed S6+S* segmentectomy. The pathological diagnosis was invasive adenocarcinoma( pT1cN0M0, stageⅠA3). S* segmentectomy was considered to be useful method to ensure sufficient surgical margin when the lesion is in S* or in segments adjacent to it.

The subsuperior segmental bronchi (B*) forms the subsuperior segment (S*) between the superior (S6) and basal segment (S7, S8, S9, S10) of the lung. However, the anatomical planes of S* remains undefined. The present study clarified the anatomical features of S*. We reviewed the anatomical patterns of pulmonary vessels and the left lung bronchus in 539 patients using three-dimensional computed tomography. We report the anatomic structure in S*. A total of 537 patients were analyzed. B* was observed in 129 (24.0%) patients. The intersegmental vein between S6 and S* was complete in all cases. The absence of intersegmental veins of S* was observed in 77 (14.3%) patients, reaching 59.7% of B* cases. Twenty-two (4.1%) cases of B* diverged from the trunk of the basal bronchus, and about half of the B* branched to the dorsolateral (n = 77, 14.3%) or dorsal (n = 2, 0.37%) direction. Our study revealed the branching patterns of B* and anatomical intersegmental veins of S*. Our results provide useful information regarding anatomical segmentectomy including or adjusting to the left S*.

Resumen: Una placenta artificial es una plataforma de soporte vital para bebés prematuros o que tuvieron menos de 37 semanas de gestación completa. Aunque existe la posibilidad de utilizar esta plataforma para la reparación intraoperatoria de anomalías congénitas (p. ej., hernia diafragmática congénita) en bebés prematuros tardíos, o para el estudio del desarrollo fetal, el objetivo principal de esta tecnología es actualmente el tratamiento de bebés extremadamente prematuros, o aquellos nacidos durante el período peri-viable entre las 21-24 semanas de gestación completa.Los bebés que nacen en este período peri-viable, generalmente tienen malos resultados debido a la necesidad de ventilar mecánicamente sus pulmones extremadamente inmaduros, a menudo a altas presiones máximas. Las plataformas de soporte vital basadas en placenta artificial están diseñadas para evitar la necesidad de ventilar como un medio para facilitar el intercambio de gases y así evitar lesiones en el pulmón prematuro inmaduro. En cambio, el intercambio de gases altamente eficiente y fácilmente regulado se realiza mediante dispositivos de intercambio de gases conectados a la vasculatura fetal. Dependiendo de la forma del sistema utilizado, se han probado diseños de circuitos venoso-venosos y arterio-venosos, con los prototipos arterio-venosos más recientes que utilizan el corazón fetal, en lugar de una bomba externa, para generar la presión del circuito.A pesar de tener la apariencia de un concepto futurista, el trabajo de desarrollar una placenta artificial se ha llevado a cabo de forma intermitente desde al menos finales de los años 50. El hecho de que la tecnología aún no haya entrado en servicio clínico, a pesar de que han pasado más de 60 años, refleja los desafíos técnicos que rodean el desarrollo y uso de la placenta artificial. Esta demora en la introducción también refleja el panorama cambiante de la atención neonatal y, en particular, los avances en la ventilación mecánica y los modos de soporte respiratorio no invasivo, como la presión positiva continua en las vías respiratorias, la introducción de esteroides prenatales y la disponibilidad de terapia con surfactante exógeno.Como tal, es razonable argumentar que el grupo demográfico objetivo para la tecnología de placenta artificial ha cambiado significativamente desde que comenzó su desarrollo. Los bebés que antes se consideraban peri-viables y probables candidatos para la terapia con placenta artificial (es decir, los que nacieron antes de las 28 semanas de gestación) ahora tienen tasas mucho mejores de supervivencia libre de enfermedad con la tecnología disponible en la actualidad. El grupo demográfico con los peores resultados, y los posibles candidatos para la terapia de placenta artificial contemporánea, son aquellos nacidos de embarazos significativamente comprometidos (por ejemplo, infección intrauterina, sepsis, preeclampsia severa, insuficiencia placentaria severa) a las 21-24 semanas de gestación y con un peso de aprox. 300 gramos.Este artículo proporcionará una revisión del historial de desarrollo de la placenta artificial, un resumen de la situación actual y concluirá discutiendo los desafíos restantes que deberán abordarse antes de que esta tecnología pueda introducirse en la práctica clínica. Summary: An artificial placenta is a life support platform for babies born preterm, or prior to 37 weeks’ completed gestation. Although there is potential to use this platform for the intraoperative repair of congenital abnormalities (e.g. congenital diaphragmatic hernia) in late preterm babies, or for the study of fetal development, the primary target for this technology is currently treatment of extremely preterm infants, or those delivered during the peri-viable period between 21-24 weeks’ completed gestation.Babies born in this peri-viable period generally have poor outcomes due to the need to mechanically ventilate their extremely immature lungs–often at high peak pressures. Artificial placenta-based life support platforms are designed to obviate the need to ventilate as a means of facilitating gas exchange, and thus avoid injury to the immature preterm lung. Instead, highly efficient, and easily regulated gas exchange is performed by gas-exchange devices connected to the fetal vasculature. Depending on the form of the system used, venous-venous and arterio-venous circuit designs have been trialled, with the more recent arterio-venous prototypes using the fetal heart, rather than an external pump, to generate circuit pressure.Despite having the appearance of a futuristic concept, work to develop an artificial placenta has been undertaken intermittently since at least the late 1950s. That the technology is yet to enter clinical service, despite 60-plus years of work, reflects the technical challenges surrounding the development and use of the artificial placenta. This delay in introduction also reflects the changing neonatal care landscape, and notably advances in mechanical ventilation and non-invasive respiratory support modes such as continuous positive airway pressure, the introduction of antenatal steroids, and the availability of exogenous surfactant therapy.As such, it is reasonable to argue that the target demographic for artificial placenta technology has changed significantly since development first began. Babies once considered peri-viable and a probable candidate for artificial placenta therapy (i.e. those born below 28 weeks’ gestation) now have much improved rates of disease-free survival using currently available technology. The demographic with the poorest outcomes, and the likely candidates for contemporary artificial placenta therapy, are those born from significantly compromised pregnancies (e.g. intrauterine infection, sepsis, severe pre-eclampsia, severe placental insufficiency) at 21-24 weeks’ gestation and weighing as little as 300 grams.This paper will provide a review of the development history of the artificial placenta, a summary of the current state-of-play, and conclude by discussing the remaining challenges that will need to be addressed before this technology might be introduced to clinical practice.

Multicellular spheroids are expected to be used for in vivo-like tissue models and cell transplantation. Microwell devices are useful for the fabrication of multicellular spheroids to improve productivity and regulate their size. However, the high cell density in microwell devices leads to accelerated cell death. In this study, we developed O2-generating microwells by incorporating calcium peroxide (CaO2) into polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based microwells. The CaO2-containing PDMS was shown to generate O2 for 3 d. Then, CaO2-containing PDMS was used to fabricate O2-generating microwells using a micro-molding technique. When human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) spheroids were prepared using the conventional microwells, the O2 concentration in the culture medium reduced to approx. 67% of the cell-free level. In contrast, the O2-generating microwells maintained O2 at constant levels. The HepG2 spheroids prepared using the O2-generating microwells had a larger number of live cells than those prepared using the conventional microwells. In addition, the O2-generating microwells rescued hypoxia in the HepG2 spheroids and increased cell viability. Lastly, the O2-generating microwells were also useful for the preparation of multicellular spheroids of other cell types (i.e., MIN6, B16-BL6, and adipose-derived stem cells) with high cell viability. These results showed that the O2-generating microwells are useful for preparing multicellular spheroids with high cell viability.

Small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) are nano-sized vesicles secreted from various cells that contain bioactive metabolites and function as key regulators for intercellular communication. sEVs modulate diverse biological and pathological processes in the body, and the amount of circulating sEVs has been reported to correlate with certain disease progression. Therefore, the identification of small molecular compounds that can control sEV production may become a novel therapeutic strategy. In this study, a rapid, highly sensitive sEV quantification method utilizing fusion proteins consisting of Gaussia luciferase (gLuc) reporter protein and sEV markers (CD63 and CD82) was developed. A total of 480 compounds were screened to identify potent inducers and inhibitors of gLuc activity. Two novel compounds, KPYC08425 and KPYC12163, showed significant and dose-dependent changes in gLuc activity with minimal cytotoxicity based on the LDH assay. The efficacy of these two compounds was further evaluated by protein quantification of the isolated sEVs. Further evaluation of KPYC12163 suggested that the autolysosomal pathway may be involved in its inhibitory effect on sEV production.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to analyze the efficacy of the LigaSure(TM) vessel sealing system for lung cancer resection with node dissection, as this has not been sufficiently evaluated. METHODS: From 2004 to 2018, 948 patients underwent anatomical pulmonary resection with node dissection for non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) via the video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) approach. Medical records of these patients were reviewed retrospectively. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to determine the risk factors for chylothorax and blood loss. RESULTS: Of the 948 patients, 318 (33.5%) who underwent anatomical lung resection with node dissection by conventional methods without vessel sealing system and 630 (66.5%) who underwent lung resection with node dissection with the vessel sealing system were included. The median intraoperative blood loss was 100 mL. Postoperative chylothorax occurred in 9 (2.8%) patients in the conventional method group with 2 (0.3%) patients in the vessel sealing system group (P=0.001). Patients in the vessel sealing group who developed chylothorax were cured by conservative treatment. Univariate and multivariate analyses identified male sex [odds ratio (OR) 2.053; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.494–2.820; P

Accurately predicting the price of exported fishery products is an important task for fisheries because it will enable market trends to be determined, leading to the development of high-quality fishery products. In this study, we predicted prices in selected base periods (2, 3, 6, and 12 months) to investigate how historical data influenced the Vietnamese export price. A dataset (from May 1995 to May 2019) was collected from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). We initially hypothesized that the dependent variable, Vietnamese export price, was affected by 33 independent variables, but ultimately used 15 key variables, which were chosen on the basis of Akaike information criterion (AIC) to train the models. A tree-based machine learning technique, including the random forest and gradient boosting tree algorithms, was applied for predictions. It was found that the random forest algorithm performed well for historical data for periods of more than 6 months, while the gradient boosting tree algorithm was better over short durations of less than 6 months.

The aim of this study was to clarify the effect of a stable concentration of propofol on interictal high-frequency oscillations (HFOs), which may contribute to identifying the epileptogenic zone intraoperatively for resection surgery. Nine patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy who underwent invasive pre-surgical evaluation with chronic subdural electrodes were recruited. Five-minute electrocorticograms during wakefulness, slow-wave sleep, and under a stable brain concentration of propofol were recorded with the same electrodes. In each patient, 1-10 pairs of electrodes were selected for both electrodes with EEG changes within 5 seconds from the ictal onset (ictal pattern for 5 seconds [IP5]) and those outside the area of IP5 with no interictal epileptiform discharges (non-epileptiform [nEPI]). The numbers of ripples (80-250 Hz) and fast ripples (>250 Hz) were measured semi-automatically using an established algorithm. Statistical testing was performed with a mixed effect model. Thirty-seven pairs of electrodes from nine patients were analysed for IP5 and 29 pairs from seven patients were analysed for nEPI. The numbers of HFOs differed between the areas (IP5 and nEPI) and among the conditions (wakefulness, slow-wave sleep, propofol anaesthesia) (all p