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A ϕ570 mm alloy ingot was utilized as the electrode for vacuum arc remelting， and a ϕ660 mm vacuum arc remelting ingot was prepared through the three stages of arc initiation， stabilized melting， and thermal capping. The melting process lasted a total of 860 minutes.The distribution of inclusions in the industrial ingot of vacuum arc remelting GH4742 alloy and its characteristic positions （crown， shelf and skin） was analyzed by field emission scanning electron microscope and inclusion automatic scanning system. The results of the study showed that there were four main types of inclusions in GH4742 alloy vacuum arc remelting ingots， including Ti（C，N）， LaAlO3-Ti（C，N）， Ti（C，N）-（Ti，Nb，Mo）C， and LaAlO3-Ti（C，N）-（Ti，Nb，Mo）C. The size of inclusions was mainly dominated by small-sized inclusions less than 3 μm. From the center to the edge， the size of inclusions gradually decreased and the number density gradually increased. The largest size of inclusions was observed at the middle center of the ingot， with a maximum average size of 4.14 μm. The lowest number of inclusions was observed at the bottom center of the ingot with a number density of 13.23 N/mm2. The aggregated oxide inclusions were distributed in the ingot crown， skin and shelf， which were formed when the oxides dislodged from the electrodes move to the edges of the ingot under the action of the flow field of the molten pool and are captured by the solidified regions at the edges.

Abstract Background Observational data indicates a connection between emotional discomfort, such as anxiety and depression, and uterine fibroids (UFs). However, additional investigation is required to establish the causal relationship between them. Hence, we assessed the reciprocal causality between four psychological disorders and UFs utilizing two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR). Methods To evaluate the causal relationship between four types of psychological distress (depressive symptoms, severe depression, anxiety or panic attacks, mood swings) and UFs, bidirectional two-sample MR was employed, utilizing single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with these conditions. Both univariate MR (UVMR) and multivariate MR (MVMR) primarily applied inverse variance weighted (IVW) as the method for estimating potential causal effects. Complementary approaches such as MR Egger, weighted median, simple mode, and weighted mode were utilized to validate the findings. To assess the robustness of our MR results, we conducted sensitivity analyses using Cochran’s Q-test and the MR Egger intercept test. Results The results of our UVMR analysis suggest that genetic predispositions to depressive symptoms (Odds Ratio [OR] = 1.563, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] = 1.209–2.021, P = 0.001) and major depressive disorder (MDD) (OR = 1.176, 95% CI = 1.044–1.324, P = 0.007) are associated with an increased risk of UFs. Moreover, the IVW model showed a nominally significant positive correlation between mood swings (OR: 1.578; 95% CI: 1.062–2.345; P = 0.024) and UFs risk. However, our analysis did not establish a causal relationship between UFs and the four types of psychological distress. Even after adjusting for confounders like body mass index (BMI), smoking, alcohol consumption, and number of live births in the MVMR, the causal link between MDD and UFs remained significant (OR = 1.217, 95% CI = 1.039–1.425, P = 0.015). Conclusions Our study presents evidence supporting the causal relationship between genetic susceptibility to MDD and the incidence of UFs. These findings highlight the significance of addressing psychological health issues, particularly depression, in both the prevention and treatment of UFs.

Background: Multiple empirical investigations have indicated a connection between asthma and adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs). Nevertheless, the effects of asthma on APOs remain uncertain. Methods: We performed bi-directional Univariable Mendelian randomization (UVMR) analyses using combined information obtained from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) data that is publicly accessible. The principal approach used to analyze the causal association between asthma or age when diagnosed and APOs was the inverse variance weighted (IVW) method. The two types of data regarding exposure originate from the IEU Open GWAS project, which includes 56,167 and 47,222 European asthma patients, respectively. The data of four APOs were acquired via the GWAS dataset of the FinnGen collaboration. In addition, we implemented multivariable Mendelian randomization (MVMR), controlling for confounding factors such as smoking status, frequent drinking, body mass index (BMI), and live birth quantity. Furthermore, we executed several meticulous sensitivity studies to ascertain the reliability of our MR results. Results: Following the implementation of the Bonferroni adjustment, the UVMR assessment revealed that in the IVW model, asthma was significantly linked to an elevated risk of spontaneous abortion (SA) (odds ratio [OR]: 1.115; 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 1.031–1.206; P = 0.006) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) (OR: 1.125; 95 % CI: 1.037–1.220; P = 0.005). However, there was no causal correlation between asthma and preterm birth (PTB) (OR: 0.979; 95 % CI: 0.897–1.068; P = 0.629) or preeclampsia (PE) (OR: 1.059; 95 % CI: 0.951–1.179; P = 0.297). After adjusting for confounding factors, including smoking status, frequent drinking, BMI, and live birth quantity, the MVMR analysis shows a statistically significant causal relationship between asthma and SA or GDM. Furthermore, our investigation's findings did not reveal a substantial correlation between the age of asthma onset based on genetics and the likelihood of SA or GDM. The inverse MR outcomes indicate a lack of causal connection linking APOs to the incidence of asthma. The validity of these findings were verified by sensitivity analyses. Conclusions: The evidence provided by this study proves that genetically determined asthma is linked to a higher likelihood of SA and GDM. Further research is required to examine potential pathways. However, no conclusive evidence has been found to support the increased risk of SA and GDM in early asthma diagnosis or the interaction between asthma and PTB or PE, indicating that confounding factors may affect the results of previous observational studies.

BackgroundIn recent years, the prevalence of obesity has continued to increase as a global health concern. Numerous epidemiological studies have confirmed the long-term effects of exposure to ambient air pollutant particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) on obesity, but their relationship remains ambiguous.MethodsUtilizing large-scale publicly available genome-wide association studies (GWAS), we conducted univariate and multivariate Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses to assess the causal effect of PM2.5 exposure on obesity and its related indicators. The primary outcome given for both univariate MR (UVMR) and multivariate MR (MVMR) is the estimation utilizing the inverse variance weighted (IVW) method. The weighted median, MR-Egger, and maximum likelihood techniques were employed for UVMR, while the MVMR-Lasso method was applied for MVMR in the supplementary analyses. In addition, we conducted a series of thorough sensitivity studies to determine the accuracy of our MR findings.ResultsThe UVMR analysis demonstrated a significant association between PM2.5 exposure and an increased risk of obesity, as indicated by the IVW model (odds ratio [OR]: 6.427; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.881–21.968; PFDR = 0.005). Additionally, PM2.5 concentrations were positively associated with fat distribution metrics, including visceral adipose tissue (VAT) (OR: 1.861; 95% CI: 1.244–2.776; PFDR = 0.004), particularly pancreatic fat (OR: 3.499; 95% CI: 2.092–5.855; PFDR =1.28E-05), and abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (ASAT) volume (OR: 1.773; 95% CI: 1.106–2.841; PFDR = 0.019). Furthermore, PM2.5 exposure correlated positively with markers of glucose and lipid metabolism, specifically triglycerides (TG) (OR: 19.959; 95% CI: 1.269–3.022; PFDR = 0.004) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) (OR: 2.462; 95% CI: 1.34–4.649; PFDR = 0.007). Finally, a significant negative association was observed between PM2.5 concentrations and levels of the novel obesity-related biomarker fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF-21) (OR: 0.148; 95% CI: 0.025–0.89; PFDR = 0.037). After adjusting for confounding factors, including external smoke exposure, physical activity, educational attainment (EA), participation in sports clubs or gym leisure activities, and Townsend deprivation index at recruitment (TDI), the MVMR analysis revealed that PM2.5 levels maintained significant associations with pancreatic fat, HbA1c, and FGF-21.ConclusionOur MR study demonstrates conclusively that higher PM2.5 concentrations are associated with an increased risk of obesity-related indicators such as pancreatic fat content, HbA1c, and FGF-21. The potential mechanisms require additional investigation.

Cytotoxicity assays are crucial for assessing the efficacy of drugs in killing cancer cells and determining their potential therapeutic value. Measurement of the effect of drug concentration, which is an influence factor on cytotoxicity, is of great importance. This paper proposes a cytotoxicity assay using microwave sensors in an end-point approach based on the detection of the number of live cells for the first time. In contrast to optical methods like fluorescent labeling, this research uses a resonator-type microwave biosensor to evaluate the effects of drug concentrations on cytotoxicity by monitoring electrical parameter changes due to varying cell densities. Initially, the feasibility of treating cells with ultrapure water for cell counting by a microwave biosensor is confirmed. Subsequently, inhibition curves generated by both the CCK-8 method and the new microwave biosensor for various drug concentrations were compared and found to be congruent. This agreement supports the potential of microwave-based methods to quantify cell growth inhibition by drug concentrations.

In order to explore the adsorption performance and mechanism of tricalcium phosphate for removing the U（Ⅵ）, the tricalcium phosphate powder was synthesized by the solid phase method using calcium carbonate and diammonium hydrogen phosphate as the raw materials. And then, the physical and chemical properties of tricalcium phosphate powder were characterized by X-ray diffraction（XRD）, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy（FTIR）, scanning electron microscopy（SEM） and specific surface area analyzer（Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, BET). The effects of pH, solid-liquid ratio, adsorption time, initial U（Ⅵ） concentration, adsorption temperature on the U（Ⅵ） adsorption performance of tricalcium phosphate were also investigated. The kinetic adsorption, isothermal adsorption, thermodynamic adsorption models, as well as XRD, FTIR, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy（XPS）, SEM, energy dispersive spectroscopy（EDS）, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer（ICP-OES） were used to reveal the U（Ⅵ） adsorption mechanism of tricalcium phosphate. The results show that the adsorption capacity of U（Ⅵ） by tricalcium phosphate is up to 999.25 mg/g, when the adsorption conditions are as follows: pH of 3.0, solid-liquid ratio of 0.1 g/L, adsorption time of 60 min, initial U（Ⅵ） mass concentration of 120 mg/L and adsorption temperature of 308 K. The adsorption process conforms to the pseudo-second-order kinetic model(chemical adsorption) and Langmuir model(monolayer adsorption), which is a spontaneous endothermic process. The U（Ⅵ） adsorption mechanism of tricalcium phosphate is the dissolution and precipitation process. In acidic aqueous solution, Ca2+ and PO3-4 dissolved from tricalcium phosphate can combine with UO2+2 to form meta-autunite (Ca(UO2)2-(PO4)2·6H2O) on the surface of tricalcium phosphate. The aforementioned results suggest that tricalcium phosphate can be utilized as a kind of promising adsorption materials for U（Ⅵ） containing wastewater treatment.

This study presents a biosensor fabricated based on integrated passive device (IPD) technology to measure microbial growth on solid media in real-time. Yeast (Pichia pastoris, strain GS115) is used as a model organism to demonstrate biosensor performance. The biosensor comprises an interdigital capacitor in the center with a helical inductive structure surrounding it. Additionally, 12 air bridges are added to the capacitor to increase the strength of the electric field radiated by the biosensor at the same height. Feasibility is verified by using a capacitive biosensor, and the change in capacitance values during the capacitance detection process with the growth of yeast indicates that the growth of yeast can induce changes in electrical parameters. The proposed IPD-based biosensor is used to measure yeast drop-added on a 3 mm medium for 100 h at an operating frequency of 1.84 GHz. The resonant amplitude of the biosensor varies continuously from 24 to 72 h due to the change in colony height during vertical growth of the yeast, with a maximum change of 0.21 dB. The overall measurement results also fit well with the Gompertz curve. The change in resonant amplitude between 24 and 72 h is then analyzed and reveals a linear relationship with time with a coefficient of determination of 0.9844, indicating that the biosensor is suitable for monitoring yeast growth. Thus, the proposed biosensor is proved to have potential in the field of microbial proliferation detection.

Since different quantities of white blood cells (WBCs) in solution possess an adaptive osmotic pressure of cells, the WBCs themselves and in solution have similar concentrations, resulting in them having similar dielectric properties. Therefore, a microwave sensor could have difficulty in sensing the quantity variation when WBCs are in solution. This paper presents a highly sensitive, linear permittivity-inspired microwave biosensor for WBCs, counting through the evaporation method. Such a measurement method is proposed to record measurements after the cell solution is dripped onto the chip and is completely evaporated naturally. The proposed biosensor consists of an air-bridged asymmetric differential inductor and a centrally located circular fork-finger capacitor fabricated on a GaAs substrate using integrated passive fabrication technology. It is optimized to feature a larger sensitive area and improved Q-factor, which increases the effective area of interaction between cells and the electromagnetic field and facilitates the detection of their changes in number. The sensing relies on the dielectric properties of the cells and the change in the dielectric constant for different concentrations, and the change in resonance properties, which mainly represents the frequency shift, corresponds to the macroscopic change in the concentration of the cells. The microwave biosensors are used to measure biological samples with concentrations ranging from 0.25 × 106 to 8 × 106 cells per mL in a temperature (26.00 ± 0.40 °C) and humidity (54.40 ± 3.90 RH%) environment. The measurement results show a high sensitivity of 25.06 Hz/cells·mL−1 with a highly linear response of r2 = 0.99748. In addition, a mathematical modeling of individual cells in suspension is performed to estimate the dielectric constant of individual cells and further explain the working mechanism of the proposed microwave biosensor.

Abstract Background Pathologic complete response (pCR) following preoperative systemic therapy is associated with improved outcomes after subsequent liver transplant/resection in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the relationship between radiographic and histopathological response remains unclear. Methods We retrospectively examined patients with initially unresectable HCC who received tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) plus anti–programmed death 1 (PD-1) therapy before undergoing liver resection between March 2019 and September 2021 across 7 hospitals in China. Radiographic response was evaluated using mRECIST. A pCR was defined as no viable tumor cells in resected samples. Results We included 35 eligible patients, of whom 15 (42.9%) achieved pCR after systemic therapy. After a median follow-up of 13.2 months, tumors recurred in 8 non-pCR and 1 pCR patient. Before resection, there were 6 complete responses, 24 partial responses, 4 stable disease cases, and 1 progressive disease case, per mRECIST. Predicting pCR by radiographic response yielded an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.727 (95% CI: 0.558–0.902), with an optimal cutoff value of 80% reduction in the enhanced area in MRI (called major radiographic response), which had a 66.7% sensitivity, 85.0% specificity, and a 77.1% diagnostic accuracy. When radiographic response was combined with α-fetoprotein response, the AUC was 0.926 (95% CI: 0.785–0.999); the optimal cutoff value was 0.446, which had a 91.7% sensitivity, 84.6%, specificity, and an 88.0% diagnostic accuracy. Conclusions In patients with unresectable HCC receiving combined TKI/anti–PD 1 therapy, major radiographic response alone or combined with α-fetoprotein response may predict pCR.

AIM: To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of ultrasonic ciliary plasty(UCP)combined with injection of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)in the treatment of neovascular glaucoma(NVG).METHODS: A total of 30 NVG patients(30 eyes)admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College from September 2020 to September 2021 were selected. After admission, all the eyes of the patients were injected with anti-VEGF drug(ranibizumab). After surgery, 15 patients were randomly selected for UCP treatment(UCP group), and the other 15 patients received trabeculectomy(trabeculectomy group). During the 10mo postoperative follow-up, the decrease of intraocular pressure was compared between the two groups and the changes of the degree of ocular pain and the occurrence of related complications were evaluated at each follow-up visit.RESULTS: The intraocular pressure and pain degree of the UCP and trabeculectomy groups were significantly lower than those before operation, and the complication probability of the UCP group was less than that of the trabeculectomy group.CONCLUSION: With fewer complications and high safety, UCP combined with anti-VEGF injection can effectively control intraocular pressure and pain in NVG patients.