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Background: The Node Reporting and Data System (Node-RADS) is a recently proposed classification system for the categorization of lymph nodes in radiological images. This study was conducted to retrospectively evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the Node-RADS score for metastatic cervical lymph nodes on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Methods: We retrospectively analyzed cervical lymph nodes of NPC cases. Two radiologists independently evaluated each lymph node on the MRI scans using Node-RADS. Interobserver agreement between 2 radiologists for Node-RADS score assessment was evaluated by linear weighted kappa statistics. The correlation between metastasis and the Node-RADS score of each lymph node was analyzed using multivariate regression analysis. To investigate the diagnostic performance of the Node-RADS score, we further conducted receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Correspondently, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of each different cutoff (>1, >2, >3, and >4) were computed. Results: In all, 119 patients with NPC were assessed, including 203 cervical lymph nodes consisting of 140 (69%) of 203 metastatic and 63 (31%) of 203 benign. The kappa agreement between the 2 readers for the Node-RADS score was 0.863 (95% CI = 0.830-0.897, P <.001). Node-RADS score on MRI scan was shown to be an independent predictive factor of lymph node metastasis after multivariate regression analysis (odds ratio [OR] = 6.745, 95% CI = 3.964-11.474, P <.001). Node-RADS achieved an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.950 (95% CI = 0.921-0.979) in diagnosing metastatic lymph nodes. When Node-RADS >2 was identified as the best cutoff based on balanced values, the sensitivity and positive predictive value were 0.92 and 0.94, respectively. Conclusions: Our study suggests that the Node-RADS score has high accuracy in predicting NPC cervical lymph node metastasis. Nevertheless, this conclusion requires confirmation in a larger cohort of patients with NPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colorectal cancer is the third most prevalent cancer worldwide, and its treatment has been a demanding clinical problem. Beyond traditional surgical therapy and chemotherapy, newly revealed molecular mechanisms diversify therapeutic approaches for colorectal cancer. However, the selection of personalized treatment among multiple treatment options has become another challenge in the era of precision medicine. Artificial intelligence has recently been increasingly investigated in the treatment of colorectal cancer. This narrative review mainly discusses the applications of artificial intelligence in the treatment of colorectal cancer patients. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science to identify relevant papers, resulting in 49 articles being included. The results showed that, based on different categories of data, artificial intelligence can predict treatment outcomes and essential guidance information of traditional and novel therapies, thus enabling individualized treatment strategy selection for colorectal cancer patients. Some frequently implemented machine learning algorithms and deep learning frameworks have also been employed for long-term prognosis prediction in patients with colorectal cancer. Overall, artificial intelligence shows encouraging results in treatment strategy selection and prognosis evaluation for colorectal cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines is poor in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs). The factors related to poor immunogenicity to vaccination in KTRs are not well defined. Here, observational study demonstrated no severe adverse effects were observed in KTRs and healthy participants (HPs) after first or second dose of SARS-CoV-2 inactivated vaccine. Different from HPs with excellent immunity against SARS-CoV-2, IgG antibodies against S1 subunit of spike protein, receptor-binding domain, and nucleocapsid protein were not effectively induced in a majority of KTRs after the second dose of inactivated vaccine. Specific T cell immunity response was detectable in 40% KTRs after the second dose of inactivated vaccine. KTRs who developed specific T cell immunity were more likely to be female, and have lower levels of total bilirubin, unconjugated bilirubin, and blood tacrolimus concentrations. Multivariate logistic regression analysis found that blood unconjugated bilirubin and tacrolimus concentration were significantly negatively associated with SARS-CoV-2 specific T cell immunity response in KTRs. Altogether, these data suggest compared to humoral immunity, SARS-CoV-2 specific T cell immunity response are more likely to be induced in KTRs after administration of inactivated vaccine. Reduction of unconjugated bilirubin and tacrolimus concentration might benefit specific cellular immunity response in KTRs following vaccination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with the time‐dependent acoustic–elastic interaction problem associated with a bounded elastic body immersed in a homogeneous air or fluid above an unbounded rough surface. The well‐posedness and stability of the problem are first established by using the Laplace transform and the energy method. A perfectly matched layer (PML) is then introduced to truncate the interaction problem above a finite layer containing the elastic body, leading to a PML problem in a finite strip domain. We further establish the existence, uniqueness, and stability estimate of solutions to the PML problem. Finally, we prove the exponential convergence of the PML problem in terms of the thickness and parameter of the PML, based on establishing an error estimate between the DtN operators of the original problem and the PML problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose and study the uniaxial perfectly matched layer (PML) method for three-dimensional time-domain electromagnetic scattering problems, which has a great advantage over the spherical one in dealing with problems involving anisotropic scatterers. The truncated uniaxial PML problem is proved to be well-posed and stable, based on the Laplace transform technique and the energy method. Moreover, the L2-norm and L∞-norm error estimates in time are given between the solutions of the original scattering problem and the truncated PML problem, leading to the exponential convergence of the time-domain uniaxial PML method in terms of the thickness and absorbing parameters of the PML layer. The proof depends on the error analysis between the EtM operators for the original scattering problem and the truncated PML problem, which is different from our previous work (Wei et al. [SIAM J. Numer. Anal.58 (2020) 1918–1940]). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Living alone can cause social isolation and is correlated with multiple adverse health outcomes. Evidence about the association of living alone and social isolation with sarcopenia is limited. This meta-analysis aims to investigate the correlation between living alone, social isolation, and sarcopenia. According to the PRISMA guidelines, we systematically searched Medline, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus for literature published up to June 30, 2023. We conducted reference checking to supplement the references. Two investigators independently screened the references for eligibility and assessed the quality of the references. We included references involving data on living alone, social isolation, and sarcopenia. Two investigators recorded study data for meta-analysis and study characteristics. Data regarding living alone and sarcopenia were available from 13 studies. Meta-analysis demonstrated that living alone is correlated with sarcopenia (odds ratio, 1.51; 95 % CI, 1.31–1.75; p < 0.001). The gender-stratified analysis demonstrated that women living alone are more likely to have sarcopenia (odds ratio, 1.81; 95 % CI, 1.32–2.48; p < 0.001) but not men (odds ratio, 1.24; 95 % CI, 0.56–2.74; p = 0.60). Data regarding social isolation and sarcopenia were available from five studies. Social isolation is also associated with sarcopenia (odds ratio, 1.70; 95 % CI, 1.51–1.92; p < 0.001). And subgroup analysis demonstrated that social isolation is a risk factor for sarcopenia (odds ratio, 1.79; 95 % CI, 1.55–2.06; p < 0.001). This meta-analysis revealed the association of living alone and social isolation with sarcopenia. Gender differences can help to screen high-risk groups of sarcopenia and reduce healthcare expenditures. As a further development of living alone, social isolation may play a more important role in sarcopenia than living alone. • Evidence of the association of living alone and social isolation with sarcopenia is limited. • Living alone is cross-sectionally correlated with sarcopenia. • Women living alone is more likely to have sarcopenia but not men. • Social isolation is cross-sectionally and longitudinally correlated with sarcopenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starch accumulation in wheat endosperm has spatial differences. In this study, the accumulation, granule size distribution, physicochemical properties of starch in different spatial positions in wheat endosperm and response to nitrogen treatment were analysed. Results indicated that the starch content in the inner endosperm was higher than that in the outer endosperm. The total starch and amylose contents in the inner and outer endosperms decreased and increased after nitrogen treatment, respectively. The starch granules that accumulated in the inner endosperm were larger than those in the outer endosperm 10 days after anthesis. The amount of C-type starch granules in the inner endosperm was less than that in the outer endosperm, and nitrogen treatment increased the C-type starch granules in the inner endosperm. After nitrogen treatment, the short chains decreased, whereas the middle and long chains increased in the inner and outer endosperms. Nitrogen treatment also increased the crystal area in the inner and outer endosperms, especially the single helix in the inner endosperm. These conclusions provide new insights into the mechanism of starch accumulation in wheat endosperm and its response to the external environment. [Display omitted] • Endosperm separation technology was used to extract starch from the inner and outer endosperms. • Considerable differences in the distribution of starch granule size were observed in the inner and outer endosperms of wheat. • Nitrogen treatment reduced the starch content and increased the proportion of C-type starch granules in the inner endosperm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consider the inverse acoustic scattering of time-harmonic point sources by a locally perturbed interface with buried obstacles in the lower half-space. A novel version of the sampling method is proposed to simultaneously reconstruct the local perturbation of the rough interface and buried obstacles by constructing a modified near-field equation associated with a special rough surface, yielding a fast imaging algorithm. Numerical examples are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the inversion algorithm. • A novel sampling method is proposed to simultaneously reconstruct the locally rough interface and buried obstacles. • The method relies on constructing a modified near-field equation associated with a special rough surface. • A fast imaging algorithm in frequencies is developed to reconstruct the interface and buried obstacles. • The algorithm is based on near-field data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) has been well studied among young people, but few data on clinicopathological characteristics, treatment response and outcomes for elderly IgAN patients are available. A cohort study of elderly IgAN patients was performed. The combined endpoints of renal outcome were a 50% decline in eGFR compared with the time of renal biopsy, end-stage kidney disease and/or death. Risk factors associated with poor renal outcomes were then determined. The benefits of immunosuppressant therapies were also evaluated by Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis. This study ultimately included 126 elderly patients with IgAN. Comparison between the endpoint and non-endpoint groups indicated that patients with poor outcomes had more severe clinical features, such as worse kidney function, severe hematuria and lower albumin levels. Cox regression analysis indicated that age (HR 1.15, 95% CI 1.02–1.29, p = 0.021), male gender (HR 9.71, 95% CI 1.00–97.56, p = 0.050), and urine red blood cells (HR 1.003, 95% CI 1.000–1.006, p = 0.029) were independent risk factors for poor renal outcome in elderly IgAN patients. To explore possible reasons accounting for the predictive value of age and sex, patients were divided into two groups based on these two variables. Patients in the geriatric group had lower serum albumin, estimated glomerular filtration rate, hemoglobin and aspartate aminotransferase levels than those in the quinquagenarian group. Male patients tended to have higher hemoglobin, higher alanine aminotransferase, and lower triglycerides and cholesterol levels than female patients. To investigate different treatment responses, patients were classified into two groups depending on treatment strategies (renin-angiotensin system inhibitors and immunosuppressive therapy), and the survival analysis indicated no significant difference in kidney outcome between the two groups (p > 0.05). This result still holds after adjusting for age, sex, eGFR, hematuria, and proteinuria. Advanced age, male, and hematuria might be independently associated with poor kidney outcomes in elderly patients with IgAN. Immunosuppressive therapy might confer no overall benefit to older IgAN patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cancer is a leading global cause of death. Conventional cancer treatments like surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy have associated side effects. Ferroptosis, a nonapoptotic and iron-dependent cell death, has been identified and differs from other cell death types. Research has shown that ferroptosis can promote and inhibit tumor growth, which may have prognostic value. Given the unclear role of ferroptosis in cancer biology, this meta-analysis aims to investigate its impact on cancer prognosis. Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis conducted searches on PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library databases. Eight retrospective studies were included to compare the impact of ferroptosis inhibition and promotion on cancer patient prognosis. The primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Studies lacking clear descriptions of hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals for OS and PFS were excluded. Random-effects meta-analysis and meta-regression were performed on the included study data to assess prognosis differences between the experimental and control groups. Meta-analysis results included HR and 95% confidence intervals. This study has been registered with PROSPERO, CRD 42023463720 on September 27, 2023. Results: A total of 2,446 articles were screened, resulting in the inclusion of 5 articles with 938 eligible subjects. Eight studies were included in the meta-analysis after bias exclusion. The meta-analysis, after bias exclusion, demonstrated that promoting ferroptosis could increase cancer patients' overall survival (HR 0.31, 95% CI 0.21–0.44) and progression-free survival (HR 0.26, 95% CI 0.16–0.44) compared to ferroptosis inhibition. The results showed moderate heterogeneity, suggesting that biological activities promoting cancer cell ferroptosis are beneficial for cancer patient's prognosis. Conclusions: This systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrated that the promotion of ferroptosis yields substantial benefits for cancer prognosis. These findings underscore the untapped potential of ferroptosis as an innovative anti-tumor therapeutic strategy, capable of addressing challenges related to drug resistance, limited therapeutic efficacy, and unfavorable prognosis in cancer treatment. Registration: CRD42023463720. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel BaCa2M3O9 (M = Si, Ge) microwave dielectric ceramics were prepared via solid‐state reaction with sintering at 1125°C–1275°C for 5 h. Single‐phase BaCa2M3O9 (M = Si, Ge) ceramics were obtained according to stoichiometry. The single‐phase BaCa2Ge3O9 ceramic was confirmed through Rietveld refinement and high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy/selected area electron diffraction and synthesized for the first time. The BaCa2M3O9 (M = Si, Ge) exhibited a triclinic structure with a P1¯$\bar 1$ space group and good microwave dielectric properties. The εr, Q × f, and τf values of BaCa2M3O9 (M = Si, Ge) ceramics are mostly dominated by the relative density, ionic polarizability, relative covalence, and bond energy of M–O bond, respectively. A high Q × f value (61 800 GHz at 16.3 GHz) was obtained in BaCa2Ge3O9 ceramic due to its high rc (Ge–O) and low intrinsic dielectric loss. The BaCa2Si3O9 ceramic exhibited small |τf| value (‒36.4 ppm/°C) due to its large ESi‐O. Excellent microwave dielectric properties (εr = 8.31, Q × f = 61 800 GHz, and τf = ‒58.7 ppm/°C) were obtained for the BaCa2Ge3O9 ceramic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dielectric properties of a Ga‐based melilite type ceramic Sr2Ga2SiO7 via theoretical prediction based on far‐infrared spectroscopy and experimental measurement by the Hakki–Coleman method were studied in this work. Dense and single‐phase ceramics were fabricated via solid‐state reaction at 1330°C and exhibited comprehensive microwave dielectric properties (εr ∼ 7.6, Q × f ∼ 23 600 GHz, and τf ∼ −35.2 ppm/°C) at 14.3 GHz. Chemical modifications were proposed to adjust the thermal stability and reduce the densification temperature. By adding 10 mol% CaTiO3, the negative τf can be compensated to a near‐zero value of −3.8 ppm/°C. The densification temperature was reduced to 940°C by adding 3 wt.% LiF. A patch antenna was designed using Sr2Ga2SiO7 ceramic with a high radiation efficiency of 99.1% and a gain of 2.788 dBi at the center frequency of 4.371 GHz. All results indicate that the Sr2Ga2SiO7 ceramic has promising application potential for 5G wireless communication technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel high-efficiency dielectric patch antenna was fabricated using Sr 3- x Ca x V 2 O 8 ceramics. A typically temperature-stable Sr 3- x Ca x V 2 O 8 was achieved by tailoring the Ca2+ substitution to 30 mol% (x = 0.3), where well-balanced microwave dielectric properties were obtained (a near-zero value of +5.2 ppm/°C, a low ε r ∼ 13.4, and a moderate Q × f ∼ 18,500 GHz). To manifest the application potentiality in wireless communication, a patch antenna was fabricated from the x = 0.3 ceramic based on the simulated result using the CST Microwave Studio software, and it showed a high simulated radiation efficiency (99.7%) and a gain (5.35 dBi) at 3.421 GHz. All results indicate that the Sr 3- x Ca x V 2 O 8 ceramics have promising application potential for 5 G technology due to their prominent microwave dielectric properties, lightweight, and low cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new topology of the power dividers is proposed, which has both good isolation performance and tunable wideband filtering. Based on the Wilkinson structure, on the one hand, to achieve good performance wideband port-to-port isolation, the two output ports are first connected in parallel through a resistor, and then through a quarter-wavelength parallel coupled line and transmission line. On the other hand, in order to realize the tunable wideband filtering response, a reconfigurable wideband filtering branch is formed, including stepped impedance open-circuit stubs, parallel coupled lines, and t-type tunable reflectors. The power divider prototype is theoretically calculated and verified by the odd-even mode method. The measurement results show that the tunable wideband filtering power divider centered at 3 GHz with a 66.7% fractional bandwidth, output port isolation maximum 15.8 dB, a return loss greater than 15 dB, while achieving wideband tunable in the range of about 0.6 GHz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-speed signal propagation systems require dielectric ceramics with low relative permittivity (ε r) and a high-quality factor (Qxf). In this paper, a novel low-permittivity borate ceramic (LiBO 2) was synthesized using a conventional solid-state reaction method. Based on the X-ray diffraction and Rietveld refinement, the LiBO 2 crystallized into a monoclinic structure with a space group of P21/c. Dense and single-phase ceramic was obtained at 640 °C with comprehensive microwave dielectric properties: a low relative permittivity (ε r) of 5.3, a moderate quality factor (Q × f) of 18,200 GHz at 16.3 GHz, and a temperature coefficient of resonant frequency (τ f) of − 66.2 ppm/°C. Good chemical compatibility with Ag electrode and thermal expansion coefficient of 25.4 ppm/°C was achieved demonstrating the potential applications as dielectric resonances in wireless communications and substrates in low-temperature cofired ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the clinical manifestation of COVID-19 is mainly respiratory symptoms, approximately 20% of patients suffer from cardiac complications. COVID-19 patients with cardiovascular disease have higher severity of myocardial injury and poor outcomes. The underlying mechanism of myocardial injury caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection remains unclear. Using a non-transgenic mouse model infected with Beta variant (B.1.351), we found that the viral RNA could be detected in lungs and hearts of infected mice. Pathological analysis showed thinner ventricular wall, disorganized and ruptured myocardial fiber, mild inflammatory infiltration, and mild epicardia or interstitial fibrosis in hearts of infected mice. We also found that SARS-CoV-2 could infect cardiomyocytes and produce infectious progeny viruses in human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte-like cells (hPSC-CMs). SARS-CoV-2 infection caused apoptosis, reduction of mitochondrial integrity and quantity, and cessation of beating in hPSC-CMs. In order to dissect the mechanism of myocardial injury caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection, we employed transcriptome sequencing of hPSC-CMs at different time points after viral infection. Transcriptome analysis showed robust induction of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, up-regulation of MHC class I molecules, activation of apoptosis signaling and cell cycle arresting. These may cause aggravate inflammation, immune cell infiltration, and cell death. Furthermore, we found that Captopril (hypotensive drugs targeting ACE) treatment could alleviate SARS-CoV-2 induced inflammatory response and apoptosis in cardiomyocytes via inactivating TNF signaling pathways, suggesting Captopril may be beneficial for reducing COVID-19 associated cardiomyopathy. These findings preliminarily explain the molecular mechanism of pathological cardiac injury caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection, providing new perspectives for the discovery of antiviral therapeutics. [Display omitted] • SARS-CoV-2 Beta strain infection causes heart injury in wild-type mice. • SARS-CoV-2 infection causes beating cessation and cell cycle arresting in hPSC-CMs. • SARS-CoV-2 infection induces apoptosis and inflammatory cytokines release. • Captopril alleviates SARS-CoV-2 infection induced inflammation and apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]