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Abstract To detect the contaminate of faucets in hospitals and the splash during hand washing, and to explore the reasonable layout of hand washing pools. Two faucets with roughly the same spatial layout in the ICU of a third-class first-class general hospital were selected, and the farthest splashing distance and specific splashing points were measured by color paper. Samples were detected by ATP detection technology and routine microbial detection method, and the contaminate of faucets was analyzed. After 72 h of daily hand-washing activities, the furthest distance to the splash point was about 100 cm around the faucet, and the place 40–110 cm around the faucet was contaminated seriously. The farthest distance that the splash point reached was about 80 cm around the faucet with the center of the circle, and the area 40–60 cm around the faucet was heavily contaminated. The distance from the water outlet of the long handle and the short handle faucet to the detection point had a high negative correlation (r = − 0.811, P

Abstract More than 90% of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cases develop in the presence of fibrosis or cirrhosis, making the tumor microenvironment (TME) of HCC distinctive due to the intricate interplay between cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and cancer stem cells (CSCs), which collectively regulate HCC progression. However, the mechanisms through which CSCs orchestrate the dynamics of the tumor stroma during HCC development remain elusive. Our study unveils a significant upregulation of Sema3C in fibrotic liver, HCC tissues, peripheral blood of HCC patients, as well as sorafenib-resistant tissues and cells, with its overexpression correlating with the acquisition of stemness properties in HCC. We further identify NRP1 and ITGB1 as pivotal functional receptors of Sema3C, activating downstream AKT/Gli1/c-Myc signaling pathways to bolster HCC self-renewal and tumor initiation. Additionally, HCC cells-derived Sema3C facilitated extracellular matrix (ECM) contraction and collagen deposition in vivo, while also promoting the proliferation and activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). Mechanistically, Sema3C interacted with NRP1 and ITGB1 in HSCs, activating downstream NF-kB signaling, thereby stimulating the release of IL-6 and upregulating HMGCR expression, consequently enhancing cholesterol synthesis in HSCs. Furthermore, CAF-secreted TGF-β1 activates AP1 signaling to augment Sema3C expression in HCC cells, establishing a positive feedback loop that accelerates HCC progression. Notably, blockade of Sema3C effectively inhibits tumor growth and sensitizes HCC cells to sorafenib in vivo. In sum, our findings spotlight Sema3C as a novel biomarker facilitating the crosstalk between CSCs and stroma during hepatocarcinogenesis, thereby offering a promising avenue for enhancing treatment efficacy and overcoming drug resistance in HCC.

Abstract The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade MEK2-SIPK/WIPK is essential for immunity in Solanaceae plants. This cascade is tightly controlled to prevent harmful hyperactivation. However, the E3 ubiquitin ligases utilized by plants to reduce MEK2- SIPK/WIPK protein levels remain largely elusive. Here, we confirmed the essential role of Nicotiana benthamiana MEK2-SIPK/WIPK in resistance to the oomycete pathogen Phytophthora capsici. Using tobacco rattle virus (TRV)-based gene silencing, we screened prevalent plant U-box protein (PUB)-type E3 ligases with Armadillo (ARM) repeats to characterize those involved in Phytophthora resistance and MEK2-SIPK/WIPK degradation. We found that pub40 knockdown mutants exhibited significantly enhanced resistance to P. capsici. NbPUB40 was under ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation in planta, with two conserved sites (Cys28 and Val41) in the U-box domain being essential for its activity. NbPUB40 was shown to interact with the whole MEK2-SIPK/WIPK cascade and promote their degradation, the ubiquitination levels of which were also notably reduced in the pub40 mutant. Our results reveal a mechanism in which a PUB E3 ubiquitin ligase negatively regulates plant P. capsici resistance by destabilizing the MEK2-SIPK/WIPK cascade.

Abstract Background Assessing the aggressiveness of pure ground glass nodules early on significantly aids in making informed clinical decisions. Objective Developing a predictive model to assess the aggressiveness of pure ground glass nodules in lung adenocarcinoma is the study’s goal. Methods A comprehensive search for studies on the relationship between computed tomography(CT) characteristics and the aggressiveness of pure ground glass nodules was conducted using databases such as PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Wanfang, CNKI, VIP, and CBM, up to December 20, 2023. Two independent researchers were responsible for screening literature, extracting data, and assessing the quality of the studies. Meta-analysis was performed using Stata 16.0, with the training data derived from this analysis. To identify publication bias, Funnel plots and Egger tests and Begg test were employed. This meta-analysis facilitated the creation of a risk prediction model for invasive adenocarcinoma in pure ground glass nodules. Data on clinical presentation and CT imaging features of patients treated surgically for these nodules at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, from September 2020 to September 2023, were compiled and scrutinized using specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. The model’s effectiveness for predicting invasive adenocarcinoma risk in pure ground glass nodules was validated using ROC curves, calibration curves, and decision analysis curves. Results In this analysis, 17 studies were incorporated. Key variables included in the model were the largest diameter of the lesion, average CT value, presence of pleural traction, and spiculation. The derived formula from the meta-analysis was: 1.16×the largest lesion diameter + 0.01 × the average CT value + 0.66 × pleural traction + 0.44 × spiculation. This model underwent validation using an external set of 512 pure ground glass nodules, demonstrating good diagnostic performance with an ROC curve area of 0.880 (95% CI: 0.852–0.909). The calibration curve indicated accurate predictions, and the decision analysis curve suggested high clinical applicability of the model. Conclusion We established a predictive model for determining the invasiveness of pure ground-glass nodules, incorporating four key radiological indicators. This model is both straightforward and effective for identifying patients with a high likelihood of invasive adenocarcinoma.

Abstract The progression of human degenerative and hypoxic/ischemic diseases is accompanied by widespread cell death. One death process linking iron-catalyzed reactive species with lipid peroxidation is ferroptosis, which shows hallmarks of both programmed and necrotic death in vitro. While evidence of ferroptosis in neurodegenerative disease is indicated by iron accumulation and involvement of lipids, a stable marker for ferroptosis has not been identified. Its prevalence is thus undetermined in human pathophysiology, impeding recognition of disease areas and clinical investigations with candidate drugs. Here, we identified ferroptosis marker antigens by analyzing surface protein dynamics and discovered a single protein, Fatty Acid-Binding Protein 5 (FABP5), which was stabilized at the cell surface and specifically elevated in ferroptotic cell death. Ectopic expression and lipidomics assays demonstrated that FABP5 drives redistribution of redox-sensitive lipids and ferroptosis sensitivity in a positive-feedback loop, indicating a role as a functional biomarker. Notably, immunodetection of FABP5 in mouse stroke penumbra and in hypoxic postmortem patients was distinctly associated with hypoxically damaged neurons. Retrospective cell death characterized here by the novel ferroptosis biomarker FABP5 thus provides first evidence for a long-hypothesized intrinsic ferroptosis in hypoxia and inaugurates a means for pathological detection of ferroptosis in tissue.

Abstract Personalized, ultra-fractionated stereotactic adaptive radiotherapy (PULSAR) is designed to administer tumoricidal doses in a pulsed mode with extended intervals, spanning weeks or months. This approach leverages longer intervals to adapt the treatment plan based on tumor changes and enhance immune-modulated effects. In this investigation, we seek to elucidate the potential synergy between combined PULSAR and PD-L1 blockade immunotherapy using experimental data from a Lewis Lung Carcinoma (LLC) syngeneic murine cancer model. Employing a long short-term memory (LSTM) recurrent neural network (RNN) model, we simulated the treatment response by treating irradiation and anti-PD-L1 as external stimuli occurring in a temporal sequence. Our findings demonstrate that: (1) The model can simulate tumor growth by integrating various parameters such as timing and dose, and (2) The model provides mechanistic interpretations of a “causal relationship” in combined treatment, offering a completely novel perspective. The model can be utilized for in-silico modeling, facilitating exploration of innovative treatment combinations to optimize therapeutic outcomes. Advanced modeling techniques, coupled with additional efforts in biomarker identification, may deepen our understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying the combined treatment.

Abstract Water pollution deteriorates ecosystems and has a great threaten to the environment. The environmental benefits of wastewater treatment are extremely important to minimize pollutants. Here, the biochar purchased from the related industry was used to treat the wastewater which contained high concentration of vanadium (V). The concentration of vanadium was measured by the IC-OES and the results showed that 96.1% vanadium (V) was reduced at selected reaction conditions: the mass ratio of biochar to vanadium of 5.4, reaction temperature of 90 °C, reaction time at 60 min and concentration of H2SO4 of 10 g/L, respectively. Response surface methodology confirmed that all the experimental parameters had positive effect on the reduction of vanadium (V), which could improve the reduction efficiency of vanadium (V) as increased. The influence of each parameter on the reduction process followed the order: A (Concentration of H2SO4) > C (mass ratio of biochar to vanadium) > B (mass ratio of biochar to vanadium). Especially, the mass ratio of biochar to vanadium and concentration of H2SO4 had the greatest influence on the reduction process. This paper provides a versatile strategy for the treatment of wastewater containing vanadium (V) and shows a bright tomorrow for wastewater treatment.

Abstract Objective To evaluate the early and mid-term outcomes of open repair in patients with thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA) after thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR). Methods This was a retrospective single center study. Data were retrospectively collected and analyzed for consecutive patients undergoing open TAAA repair (TAAAR) after TEVAR from November 2016 to June 2021. Indications for TAAAR included aneurysm progression due to endoleak, persisted false lumen perfusion, proximal/distal disease progression, and aorta rupture. The risk factor of operative mortality was analyzed by multivariable logistic regression model and the survival was evaluated by Kaplan–Meier. Results Sixty-three patients who met the inclusion criteria for the study were identified. The mean age at TAAAR was 41 ± 12 years and 43 (68.3%) were male. Marfan syndrome (MFS) was presented in 39 patients (61.9%). 60 (95.2%) patients presented with post-dissection aneurysm and 3 (4.8%) patients with degenerative aneurysm. The extent of TAAA was Crawford I in 9 (14.3%), II in 22 (34.9%), III in 23 (36.5%), and IV in 9 (14.3%). Emergent TAAAR was done in 10 (15.9%) patients, and deep hypothermic circulatory arrest was used in 22 (34.6%). Endograft was explanted in 31 (49.2%). Operative mortality was 11 (17.5%). Stroke, paraplegia, and acute kidney failure occurred in 5 (7.9%), 7 (11.1%), and 6 (9.5%) patients, respectively. Pulmonary complications occurred in 19 (30.2%) patients. The estimated survival was 74.8 ± 4.9% at 5 years. Late reoperations were performed in 2 patients at 2.5 years and 1.3 years, respectively. Conclusions In this series of TAAA after TEVAR, TAAAR was related with a high risk of operative mortality and morbidity and the midterm outcomes represented a durable treatment and were respectable.

Abstract Background Aimed to assess clinical effect of three-port inflatable robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery in mediastinal tumor resection by comparing results of the robot group with the video group. Methods Retrospectively analyze 179 patients diagnosed with anterior mediastinal tumor from May 2017 to August 2021. Two groups were divided according to the surgical approach, including 92 cases in the RATS group and 87 cases in the VATS group. The results were analyzed between two groups with variables of age, sex, BMI, tumor size, and diagnosis. Perioperative clinical data was gathered to compare. Result There were no significant differences between the 2 groups with regards to demographic data and clinical features. There were no significant differences inoperative time and duration of chest tube via RATS vs. VATS. The intraoperative blood loss was statistically significantly different among the RATS and VATS groups (75.9 ± 39.6 vs. 97.4 ± 35.8 ml p = 0.042). The postoperative stay of patients in RATS group were significantly shorter than that in VATS group (2.3 ± 1.0 vs. 3.4 ± 1.4 day p = 0.035), Conclusion Three-port inflatable robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for mediastinal tumor is feasible and reliable it is more advantageous, and it provides the surgeon with advice on treatment choice.

In recent years, there has been widespread attention on hypergraphs as a research hotspot in network science.The unique structure of hypergraphs, which differs from traditional graphs, is characterized by hyperedges that can connect multiple nodes simultaneously, resulting in more complex and higher-order relationships.Effectively identifying important nodes and hyperedges in such network structures poses a key challenge.Eigenvector centrality, a common metric, has limitations in its application due to its locality when dealing with hub nodes with extremely high degree values in the network.To address this issue, the hypergraphs were transformed into their corresponding line graphs, and non-backtracking matrix centrality was employed as a method to measure the importance of hyperedges.This approach demonstrated better uniformity and differentiation in assessing the importance of hyperedges.Furthermore, the application of both eigenvector centrality and non-backtracking matrix centrality in assessing the importance of nodes in hypergraphs was explored.Comparative analysis revealed that non-backtracking matrix centrality effectively distinguished the importance of nodes.This research encompassed theoretical analysis, model construction, and empirical studies on real-world data.To validate the proposed method and conclusion, six real-world hypergraphs were selected as experimental subjects.The application of these methods to these hypergraphs confirmed the effectiveness of non-backtracking matrix centrality in identifying important nodes and hyperedges.The findings of this research offer a fresh perspective and approach for identifying key elements in hypergraphs, holding significant theoretical and practical implications for understanding and analyzing complex network systems.

Abstract This study aimed to assess the feasibility and safety of robot-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) for resecting benign tumors of the cervicothoracic junction. Between 2017 and 2021, a total of 54 patients with benign cervicothoracic junction tumors were included. Among them, 46 underwent RATS while 8 underwent open surgery. Using a propensity score based on four variables (age, sex, comorbidity, and tumor size). The outcomes compared included short-term outcomes such as blood loss, as well as long-term outcomes including respiratory function and patients' postoperative health-related quality of life. No operative deaths occurred in this study. RATS was associated with less intraoperative blood loss (102 0.650, P 5 cm (mean ± SD = 0.768 ± 0.111, P = 0.028) and neurogenic tumors (mean ± SD = 0.702 ± 0.082, P

Reliable, lane-level, absolute position determination for connected and automated vehicles (CAV’s) is near at hand due to advances in sensor and computing technology. These capabilities in conjunction with high-definition maps enable lane determination, per lane queue determination, and enhanced performance in applications. This project investigated, analyzed, and demonstrated these related technologies. Project contributions include: (1) Experimental analysis demonstrating that the USDOT Mapping tool achieves internal horizontal accuracy better than 0.2 meters (standard deviation); (2) Theoretical analysis of lane determination accuracy as a function of both distance from the lane centerline and positioning accuracy; (3) Experimental demonstration and analysis of lane determination along the Riverside Innovation Corridor showing that for a vehicle driven within 0.9 meters of the lane centerline, the correct lane is determined for over 90% of the samples; (4) Development of a VISSIM position error module to enable simulation analysis of lane determination and lane queue estimation as a function of positioning error; (5) Development of a lane-level intersection queue prediction algorithm; Simulation evaluation of lane determination accuracy which matched the theoretical analysis; and (6) Simulation evaluation of lane queue prediction accuracy as a function of both CAV penetration rate and positioning accuracy. Conclusions of the simulation analysis in item (6) are the following: First, when the penetration rate is fixed, higher queue length estimation error occurs as the position error increases. However, the disparity across different position error levels diminishes with the decrease of penetration rate. Second, as the penetration rate decreases, the queue length estimation error significantly increases under the same GNSS error level. The current methods that exist for queue length prediction only utilize vehicle position and a penetration rate estimate. These results motivate the need for new methods that more fully utilize the information available on CAVs (e.g., distance to vehicles in front, back, left, and right) to decrease the sensitivity to penetration rate.View the NCST Project Webpage

Surface transportation systems (e.g., arterial roadways with signalized intersections) are inherently inefficient, particularly at higher traffic volumes. In general, both the infrastructure (e.g., traffic signals) and the vehicles operate independently, with little coordination between them. Previous research has shown that implementing strategies that take advantage of infrastructure-tovehicle communication can improve overall mobility and reduce environmental impacts, e.g., the Eco-Approach and Departure (EAD) application that takes advantage of communicating signal phase and timing information to the vehicles. In this paper, the authors build upon this past research to develop a new cooperative traffic operation approach that takes advantage of not only infrastructure-to-vehicle communications, but also vehicle-to-infrastructure communications. This effort integrates a dynamic traffic signalization algorithm together with EAD algorithm to achieve even greater traffic efficiency. The research was carried out in a high-fidelity simulation environment and shows upwards of 15% fuel savings and 85% reductions in waiting time. View the NCST Project Webpage

Summary: Cellular protein homeostasis is maintained by the disposal of aggregated misfolded proteins. Here, we present a protocol for investigating the involvement of the proteins of interest in misfolded protein degradation via Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression in Nicotiana benthamiana. We describe in detail the steps of misfolded protein design, transient protein expression in N. benthamiana, subsequent total protein extraction, and quantification of misfolded proteins through western blotting. This generalizable system can be used for misfolded proteins derived from various plants or microbes.For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Ai et al.1 : Publisher’s note: Undertaking any experimental protocol requires adherence to local institutional guidelines for laboratory safety and ethics.