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Purpose: To investigate various anatomical features of the prostate using preoperative MRI and patients' clinical factors to identify predictors of successful Holmium:YAG laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP). Methods: 71 patients who had received HoLEP and undergone a 3.0-T prostate MRI scan within 6 months before surgery were retrospectively enrolled. MRI features (e.g., total prostate and transitional zone volume, peripheral zone thickness [PZT], BPH patterns, prostatic urethral angle, intravesical prostatic protrusion, etc.) and clinical data (e.g., age, body mass index, surgical technique, etc.) were analyzed using univariable and multivariable logistic regression to identify predictors of successful HoLEP. Successful HoLEP was defined as achieving the Trifecta, characterized by the contemporary absence of postoperative complications within 3 months, a 3-month postoperative maximum flow rate (Qmax) > 15 mL/s, and no urinary incontinence at 3 months postoperatively. Results: Trifecta achievement at 3 months post-surgery was observed in 37 (52%) patients. Patients with Trifecta achievement exhibited a lower preoperative IPSS-quality of life score (QoL) (4.1 vs. 4.5, P = 0.016) and a thinner preoperative peripheral zone thickness (PZT) on MRI (7.9 vs.10.3 mm, P < 0.001). In the multivariable regression analysis, a preoperative IPSS-QoL score < 5 (OR 3.98; 95% CI, 1.21–13.07; P = 0.017) and PZT < 9 mm (OR 11.51; 95% CI, 3.51–37.74; P < 0.001) were significant predictors of Trifecta achievement after HoLEP. Conclusions: Alongside the preoperative QoL score, PZT measurement in prostate MRI can serve as an objective predictor of successful HoLEP. Our results underscore an additional utility of prostate MRI beyond its role in excluding concurrent prostate cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In our previous study, we developed a triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtype classification that correlated with the TNBC molecular subclassification. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the predictor variables of this subtype classification on the whole slide and to validate the model's performance by using an external test set. We explored the characteristics of this subtype classification and investigated genomic alterations, including genomic scar signature scores. First, TNBC was classified into the luminal androgen receptor (LAR) and non-luminal androgen receptor (non-LAR) subtypes based on the AR Allred score (≥ 6 and < 6, respectively). Then, the non-LAR subtype was further classified into the lymphocyte-predominant (LP), lymphocyte-intermediate (LI), and lymphocyte-depleted (LD) groups based on stromal tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) (< 20%, > 20% but < 60%, and ≥ 60%, respectively). This classification showed fair agreement with the molecular classification in the test set. The LAR subtype was characterized by a high rate of PIK3CA mutation, CD274 (encodes PD-L1) and PDCD1LG2 (encodes PD-L2) deletion, and a low homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) score. The non-LAR LD TIL group was characterized by a high frequency of NOTCH2 and MYC amplification and a high HRD score. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a life-threatening viral zoonosis. The causative agent of this disease is the Dabie bandavirus, which is usually known as the SFTS virus (SFTSV). Although the role of vertebrates in SFTSV transmission to humans remains uncertain, some reports have suggested that dogs could potentially transmit SFTSV to humans. Consequently, preventive measures against SFTSV in dogs are urgently needed. In the present study, dogs were immunized three times at two-week intervals with formaldehyde-inactivated SFTSV with two types of adjuvants. SFTSV (KCD46) was injected into all dogs two weeks after the final immunization. Control dogs showed viremia from 2 to 4 days post infection (dpi), and displayed white pulp atrophy in the spleen, along with a high level of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labelling assay (TUNEL) positive area. However, the inactivated SFTSV vaccine groups exhibited rare pathological changes and significantly reduced TUNEL positive areas in the spleen. Furthermore, SFTSV viral loads were not detected at any of the tested dpi. Our results indicate that both adjuvants can be safely used in combination with an inactivated SFTSV formulation to induce strong neutralizing antibodies. Inactivated SFTSV vaccines effectively prevent pathogenicity and viremia in dogs infected with SFTSV. In conclusion, our study highlighted the potential of inactivated SFTSV vaccination for SFTSV control in dogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aliphatic allylic amines are common in natural products and pharmaceuticals. The oxidative intermolecular amination of C(sp3)-H bonds represents one of the most straightforward strategies to construct these motifs. However, the utilization of widely internal alkenes with amines in this transformation remains a synthetic challenge due to the inefficient coordination of metals to internal alkenes and excessive coordination with aliphatic and aromatic amines, resulting in decreasing the reactivity of the catalyst. Here, we present a regioselective Cu-catalyzed oxidative allylic C(sp3)-H amination of internal olefins with azodiformates to these problems. A removable bidentate directing group is used to control the regiochemistry and stabilize the π-allyl-metal intermediate. Noteworthy is the dual role of azodiformates as both a nitrogen source and an electrophilic oxidant for the allylic C-H activation. This protocol features simple conditions, remarkable scope and functional group tolerance as evidenced by >40 examples and exhibits high regioselectivity and excellent E/Z selectivity.The oxidative intermolecular amination of C-H bonds represents a straightforward method to construct aliphatic allylic amines. However, the utilization of widely available internal alkenes remains a synthetic challenge. Here, the authors present a regioselective Cu-catalyzed oxidative allylic C-H amination of internal olefins with azodiformates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Astaxanthin (ASX) shows strong antioxidant property and is widely used as a fish feed additive. However, the underlying molecular mechanism of how ASX improves the ability of fish to resist bacterial infection remains largely unknown. To investigate the effects of dietary ASX from Haematococcus pluvialis on pearl gentian grouper, transcriptome combined with intestinal microbe analysis was conducted. The results of RNA-Seq analysis demonstrated that compared with the control group, the differently expressed genes of ASX-treated group were enriched in AMPK, autophagy, HIF-1, and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. 16 s rDNA of intestinal microbiota analysis revealed that the dominant bacteria in the intestine of fish fed with ASX were Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes. Moreover, ASX-fed significantly reduced the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and NF-κb mRNA expression in fish with bacterial infection. ASX treatment also prolonged the survival time of fish in the infection condition. Our work reveals that ASX systematically improves the antibacterial ability of grouper by regulating AMPK, autophagy, HIF-1, and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and assisting in the colonization of intestinal dominant flora. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A specimen of Macaca was discovered in the Sungho cave no. 3, Sungho County, North Hwanghae Province, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The only available skull remains are represented by a mandible, which displays a combination of mandibular and dental features indicating that the specimen may belong to the species Macacamulatta. This discovery extends the geographical range of the genus Macaca. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammation contributes to deep vein thrombosis (DVT) formation in patients with aSAH after endovascular treatment. The relationship between systemic immune-inflammatory index (SII) as an inflammatory marker and DVT formation remains unclear. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the association between SII and aSAH-associated DVT following endovascular treatment. We enrolled 562 consecutive patients with aSAH after endovascular treatment at three centers from January 2019 to September 2021. The endovascular treatments included simple coil embolization and stent-assisted coil embolization. Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) was assessed by Color Doppler ultrasonography (CDUS). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to establish the model. We assessed the association of the SII, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), the systemic inflammatory response index (SIRI), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and DVT by using restricted cubic spline (RCS). ASAH-associated DVT was found in 136 (24.20%) patients. Based on the multiple logistic regression analysis, the correlation was found between aSAH-associated DVT and elevated SII (fourth quartile) (adjusted odds ratio = 8.20 [95% confidence interval, 3.76–17.92]; p < 0.001 [p for trend < 0.001]), elevated NLR (fourth quartile) (adjusted odds ratio = 6.94 [95% confidence interval, 3.24–14.89]; p < 0.001 [p for trend < 0.001]), elevated SIRI (fourth quartile) (adjusted odds ratio = 4.82 [95% confidence interval, 2.36–9.84]; p < 0.001 [p for trend < 0.001]), and elevated PLR (fourth quartile) (adjusted odds ratio = 5.49 [95% confidence interval, 2.61–11.57]; p < 0.001 [p for trend < 0.001]). The increased SII was correlated with the formation of aSAH-associated DVT after endovascular treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The light environment affects the growth and morphology of vegetables grown in greenhouses. Although many studies have attempted to improve plant growth using spectrum conversion films (SCFs), their effects depend on the plant species, and the reasons are not clearly resolved. The objective of this study was to investigate the long-term effect of SCF on the growth, morphology, and photosynthetic activity of Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa L. ssp. pekinensis) and romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. var. longifolia) plants. SCF used in this study absorbed 14.8% of low photosynthetic efficiency wavelengths (500–600 nm) and emitted 14.4% of high photosynthetic efficiency (600–700 nm) wavelengths than polyethylene film (PE). The leaf optical properties, chlorophyll content, leaf nitrogen content, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, and photosynthetic rate of two leafy vegetables grown under PE and SCF were compared at 20 or 25 days after transplanting. The electron transport rates of photosystems II and I and the photosynthetic rates of Chinese cabbage grown under SCF were significantly increased compared to those grown under PE. The leaf dry weight and leaf area of Chinese cabbage grown under SCF were also significantly increased by 33.0% and 33.3%, respectively, compared to those grown under PE. However, the lettuce grown under SCF showed no significant differences in photosynthetic activity, growth, or morphological characteristics compared to those grown under PE. We concluded that the solar spectrum modified by SCF could help increase photosynthetic efficiency and improve the yield of Chinese cabbage but not lettuce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Postoperative minimal residual disease (MRD) detection using circulating-tumour DNA (ctDNA) requires a highly sensitive analysis platform. We have developed a tumour-informed, hybrid-capture ctDNA sequencing MRD assay. Methods: Personalised target-capture panels for ctDNA detection were designed using individual variants identified in tumour whole-exome sequencing of each patient. MRD status was determined using ultra-high-depth sequencing data of plasma cell-free DNA. The MRD positivity and its association with clinical outcome were analysed in Stage II or III colorectal cancer (CRC). Results: In 98 CRC patients, personalised panels for ctDNA sequencing were built from tumour data, including a median of 185 variants per patient. In silico simulation showed that increasing the number of target variants increases MRD detection sensitivity in low fractions (<0.01%). At postoperative 3-week, 21.4% of patients were positive for MRD by ctDNA. Postoperative positive MRD was strongly associated with poor disease-free survival (DFS) (adjusted hazard ratio 8.40, 95% confidence interval 3.49–20.2). Patients with a negative conversion of MRD after adjuvant therapy showed significantly better DFS (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Tumour-informed, hybrid-capture-based ctDNA assay monitoring a large number of patient-specific mutations is a sensitive strategy for MRD detection to predict recurrence in CRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, several probiotic products have been developed; however, most probiotic applications focused on prokaryotic bacteria whereas eukaryotic probiotics have received little attention. Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strains are eukaryotes notable for their fermentation and functional food applications. The present study investigated the novel yeast strains isolated from Korean fermented beverages and examined their potential probiotic characteristics. We investigated seven strains among 100 isolates with probiotic characteristics further. The strains have capabilities such as auto-aggregation tendency, co-aggregation with a pathogen, hydrophobicity with n-hexadecane,1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl scavenging effect, survival in simulated gastrointestinal tract conditions and the adhesion ability of the strains to the Caco-2 cells. Furthermore, all the strains contained high cell wall glucan content, a polysaccharide with immunological effects. Internal transcribed spacer sequencing identified the Saccharomyces strains selected in the present study as probiotics. To examine the effects of alleviating inflammation in cells, nitric oxide generation in raw 264.7 cells with S. cerevisiae showed that S. cerevisiae GILA could be a potential probiotic strain able to alleviate inflammation. Three probiotics of S. cerevisiae GILA strains were chosen by in vivo screening with a dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis murine model. In particular, GILA 118 down-regulates neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio and myeloperoxidase in mice treated with DSS. The expression levels of genes encoding tight junction proteins in the colon were upregulated, cytokine interleukin-10 was significantly increased, and tumor necrosis factor-α was reduced in the serum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains controversial, especially for tumors larger than 5 cm. We compared the short- and long-term outcomes of laparoscopic and open liver resection (OLR) for large HCC. Methods: Patients with large HCC after curative hepatectomy were enrolled. To compare the short-term outcomes, propensity score matching (PSM) and inverse probability treatment weighting (IPTW) were performed to reduce the effect of confounding factors, respectively. Subsequently, Cox-regression analyses were conducted to identify the independent risk factors associated with decreased recurrence-free survival (RFS) and poor overall survival (OS). Result: There were 265 patients enrolled in the final analysis: 146 who underwent OLR and 119 who underwent LLR. There was no significant difference between the OLR and LLR groups according to PSM and IPTW analysis (all P > 0.05). Multivariable analysis revealed that LLR was not independently associated with poorer OS (HR 1.15, 95% CI 0.80–1.67, P = 0.448) or RFS (HR 1.22, 95% CI 0.88–1.70, P = 0.238). Conclusion: There were no significant differences in perioperative complications or long-term prognosis between LLR and OLR for large HCC, which provides evidence for standard laparoscopic surgical practice with adequate surgeon experience and careful patient selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides an overview of the diagnosis and the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms in older adults complicated by the neurodegenerative changes in the micturition reflex and further confounded by age-related decline in hepatic and renal clearance raising the propensity of adverse drug reactions. The first-line drug treatment for lower urinary tract symptoms, orally administered antimuscarinics, fails to reach the equilibrium dissociation constant of muscarinic receptors even at their maximum plasma concentration and tends to evoke a half-maximal response at a muscarinic receptor occupancy of just 0.206% in the bladder with a minimal difference from exocrine glands, which raises the adverse drug reaction risk. On the contrary, intravesical antimuscarinics are instilled at concentrations 1000-fold higher than the oral maximum plasma concentration and the equilibrium dissociation constant erects a downhill concentration gradient that drives passive diffusion and achieves a mucosal concentration around ten-fold lower than the instilled concentration for a long-lasting occupation of muscarinic receptors in mucosa and sensory nerves. A high local concentration of antimuscarinics in the bladder triggers alternative mechanisms of action and is supposed to engage retrograde transport to nerve cell bodies for neuroplastic changes that underlie a long-lasting therapeutic effect, while an intrinsically lower systemic uptake of the intravesical route lowers the muscarinic receptor occupancy of exocrine glands to lower the adverse drug reaction relative to the oral route. Thus, the traditional pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of oral treatment are upended by intravesical antimuscarinics to generate a dramatic improvement (~ 76%) noted in a meta-analysis of studies enrolling children with neurogenic lower urinary tract symptoms on the primary endpoint of maximum cystometric bladder capacity as well as the secondary endpoints of filling compliance and uninhibited detrusor contractions. The therapeutic success of intravesical multidose oxybutynin solution or oxybutynin entrapped in the polymer for sustained release in the pediatric population bodes well for patients with lower urinary tract symptoms at the other extreme of the age spectrum. Though generally used to predict oral drug absorption, Lipinski's rule of five can also explain the ten-fold lower systemic uptake from the bladder of positively charged trospium over oxybutynin, a tertiary amine. Chemodenervation by an intradetrusor injection of onabotulinumtoxinA is merited for patients with idiopathic overactive bladder discontinuing oral treatment because of a lack of efficacy. However, age-related peripheral neurodegeneration potentiates the adverse drug reaction risk of urinary retention that motivates the quest of liquid instillation, delivering larger fraction of onabotulinumtoxinA to the mucosa as opposed to muscle by an intradetrusor injection can also probe the neurogenic and myogenic predominance of idiopathic overactive bladder. Overall, the treatment paradigm of lower urinary tract symptoms in older adults should be tailored to individual's overall health status and the risk tolerance for adverse drug reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a zoonotic disease with a high mortality rate for humans and cats. The clinical course and prognosis of SFTS in dogs remains unclear. In the present study, we investigated the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of SFTS virus (SFTSV) infection in dogs. All evaluated dogs exhibited an acute course and symptoms including fever (57.1%), anorexia (57.1%), depression (42.9%), and vomiting (35.7%). Thrombocytopenia was present in 45.5% of dogs, while jaundice was not observed. C-reactive protein, alanine transaminase, and alkaline phosphatase were elevated in some cases. Viral clearance occurred within 6 to 26 days. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the SFTSV sequences were consistent with viruses circulating in the Republic of Korea. As dogs often live in close contact with humans, awareness of the clinical and epidemiological features of SFTS in dogs is crucial. Further large-scale studies are necessary to investigate SFTSV infection in dogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rare earth (RE)–transition metal (TM) ferrimagnetic alloys are gaining increasing attention because of their potential use in the field of antiferromagnetic spintronics. The moment from RE sub-lattice primarily originates from the 4f-electrons located far below the Fermi level (EF), and the moment from TM sub-lattice arises from the 3d-electrons across the EF. Therefore, the individual magnetic moment configurations at different energy levels must be explored to clarify the microscopic mechanism of antiferromagnetic spin dynamics. Considering these issues, here we investigate the energy-level-selective magnetic moment configuration in ferrimagnetic TbCo alloy. We reveal that magnetic moments at deeper energy levels are more easily altered by the external magnetic field than those near the EF. More importantly, we find that the magnetic moments at deeper energy levels exhibit a spin-glass-like characteristics such as slow dynamics and magnetic moment freezing whereas those at EF do not. These unique energy-level-dependent characteristics of RE-TM ferrimagnet may provide a better understanding of ferrimagnet, which could be useful in spintronic applications as well as in spin-glass studies. In a ferrimagnet, there are two magnetic sublattices coupled antiferromagnetically. The dynamics of the two magnetic sublattices isn't well understood, as the magnetic moments for each reside at different energy levels. Here, Park et al show that the magnetic moments at deeper energy levels show spin-glass like characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) has been spotlighted as an attractive biomarker because of its easy accessibility and real-time representation of tumour genetic profile. However, the clinical utility of longitudinal ctDNA monitoring has not been clearly defined. Methods: Serial blood samples were obtained from metastatic colorectal cancer patients undergoing first-line chemotherapy. ctDNA was sequenced using a targeted next-generation sequencing platform which included 106 genes. Changes in ctDNA profile and treatment outcome were comprehensively analysed. Results: A total of 272 samples from 62 patients were analysed. In all, 90.3% of patients had detectable ctDNA mutation before treatment. ctDNA clearance after chemotherapy was associated with longer progression-free survival which was independent of radiological response (adjusted hazard ratio 0.22, 95% confidence interval 0.10–0.46). Longitudinal monitoring was able to detect ctDNA progression which preceded radiological progressive disease (PD) in 58.1% (median 3.3 months). Diverse resistant mutations (34.9%) and gene amplification (7.0%) at the time of PD were discovered. For 16.3% of the PD patients, the newly identified mutations could be potential candidates of targeted therapy or clinical trial. Conclusion: ctDNA profile provided a more accurate landscape of tumour and dynamic changes compared to radiological evaluation. Longitudinal ctDNA monitoring may improve personalised treatment decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic composites have received increasing attention for electromagnetic wave absorption (EMA) applications. However, the practical EMA performance of the materials is severely hampered by mismatching impedance characteristics and finite electromagnetic attenuation capacity. Controlling the components and building the architecture fabrication is necessary to solve these issues. Herein, a series of Fe3O4, Fe3O4&Fe and Fe microspheres with flower-like hierarchical structures were constructed through a solvothermal method followed by an annealed process. This hierarchical structure and the synergy effect of dielectric dissipation and magnetic loss capacity offer Fe3O4 a perfect impedance matching, providing an excellent EMA performance of an effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 4.0 GHz and a reflection loss (RL) of 67.9 dB. Meanwhile, the coordination of the hierarchical structures and the multiple components endow Fe3O4&Fe composites with an EAB as wide as 5.7 GHz (9.0–14.7 GHz) and a RL as strong as 78.7 dB at 1.88 mm, which covers 75% X and 45% Ku bands. Such a remarkable lightweight and broad properties is due to the decent X band impedance matching and appropriate attenuation capacity. Therefore, this work highlights the significant of regulating the hierarchical structure and components to enhance the EMA performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study aimed to report the surgical outcomes in patients with high-energy induced subtrochanteric fracture and determine the risk factors for nonunion using statistical analysis. Methods: This study evaluated 88 patients with high-energy induced subtrochanteric fractures who underwent surgeries with indirect reduction technique and intramedullary nailing between March 2015 and December 2020. Outcome measures, including union time and nonunion incidence, were assessed by radiologic evaluation. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the risk factors for nonunion, using age, sex, injury severity score, body mass index, preoperative mobility score, implant, and isthmic fixation as covariates. Results: Five nonunions and two delayed unions were identified. The average union time was 17.4 weeks. Multiple logistic regression analyses showed that poor isthmic fixation was the only risk factor for nonunion (odds ratio 15.294, 95% confidence interval 1.603–145.894, P value 0.018). Out of five nonunion cases, four were confirmed as hypertrophic, and one was confirmed as atrophic. Conclusion: Although surgical treatment using an indirect reduction technique and intramedullary nailing showed good outcomes, hypertrophic nonunion due to distal instability could occur if a firm fixation at the level of the isthmus cannot be achieved. Level of evidence: Level III, retrospective cohort study [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An in-situ analysis of local strain accommodation on transformation induced plasticity (TRIP) aided multi-phase steel was performed with a correlative application of characterization techniques such as digital image correlation (DIC), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), and micro-mechanical testing. The local strain on the complex microstructure of the multi-phase steel was measured during a tensile test using an innovative DIC method (which does not employ artificial patterns), in conjunction with a scanning electron microscope. The constituent phases of the examined surface were identified by postprocessing implemented on the EBSD maps. This was further verified by nano-indentation, consequently enabling systematic and quantitative analyses of the strain partitioning between the phases. Soft acicular ferrite accommodated the largest strain with sites of intense strain localization around the hard, neighboring martensite. The retained austenite transformed gradually into martensite because of the applied strain and caused strain localization in the neighboring acicular ferrite. This verified that DIC method proposed in this study enables precise and effective data collection at the interfaces between different phases that could have certainly been blocked by the DIC patterns in the conventional method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We investigated the patterns and timing of recurrence and death as well as prognostic factors based on clinicopathological and radiological factors in patients who underwent surgical treatment for invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma (IMA). Methods: We reviewed clinicopathological findings including spread through air spaces (STAS) and CT findings of IMA such as morphology, solidity, margin, well-defined heterogeneous ground-glass opacity, CT angiogram, and air bronchogram signs from 121 consecutive patients who underwent surgical resection. Prognostic factors for disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were identified. Hazard rate analyses were performed for the survival dynamics. Results: T stage (hazard ratio [HR] = 4.102, p = 0.03), N stage (N2 vs. N0, HR = 7.653, p < 0.001), and consolidative CT morphology (HR = 3.556, p = 0.008) remained independent predictors for DFS. Age (HR = 1.110, p = 0.002), smoking (HR = 12.893, p < 0.001), T stage (HR = 13.005, p = 0.006), N stage (N2 vs. N0, HR = 7.653, p = 0.004), STAS (HR = 7.463, p = 0.008), and consolidative CT morphology (HR = 6.779, p = 0.007) remained independent predictors for OS. Consolidative morphology, higher T and N stage, and presence of STAS revealed initial sharp peaks after steep decline of the hazard rate curves for recurrence or death in follow-up period. Conclusions: Consolidative morphology, higher T and N stage, smoking, and STAS were indicators of significantly greater risk of early recurrence or death in patients with IMA. Thus, these findings could be incorporated into future surveillance strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitochondrial dysfunction is a key element in the progression of Parkinson's disease (PD). The inefficient operation of the electron transport chain (ETC) impairs energy production and enhances the generation of oxidative stress contributing to the loss of dopaminergic cells in the brain. ATPase inhibitory factor 1 (IF1) is a regulator of mitochondrial energy metabolism. IF1 binds directly to the F1Fo ATP synthase and prevents ATP wasting during compromised energy metabolism. In this study, we found treatment with IF1 protects mitochondria against PD-like insult in vitro. SH-SY5Y cells treated with IF1 were resistant to loss of ATP and mitochondrial inner membrane potential during challenge with rotenone, an inhibitor of complex I in the ETC. We further demonstrated that treatment with IF1 reversed rotenone-induced superoxide production in mitochondria and peroxide accumulation in whole cells. Ultimately, IF1 decreased protein levels of pro-apoptotic Bax, cleaved caspase-3, and cleaved PARP, rescuing SH-SY5Y cells from rotenone-mediated apoptotic death. Administration of IF1 significantly improved the results of pole and hanging tests performed by PD mice expressing human α-synuclein. This indicates that IF1 mitigates PD-associated motor deficit. Together, these findings suggest that IF1 exhibits a neuroprotective effect preventing mitochondrial dysfunction in PD pathology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study developed a triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) surrogate subtype classification that represents TNBC subtypes based on the Vanderbilt subtype classification. Methods: Patients who underwent primary curative surgery for TNBC were included. Representative FFPE blocks were used for gene expression analysis and tissue microarray construction for immunohistochemical (IHC) staining. The Vanderbilt subtypes were re-classified into four groups: basal-like (BL), mesenchymal-like (M), immunomodulatory (IM) and luminal androgen receptor (LAR) subtype. Classification and regression tree (CART) modeling was applied to develop a surrogate subtype classification. Results: A total of 145 patients were included. The study cohort was allocated to the Vanderbilt 4 subtypes as LAR (n = 22, 15.2%), IM (n = 32, 22.1%), M (n = 38, 26.2%), BL (n = 25, 17.2%) and unclassified (n = 28, 19.3%). After excluding nine (6.2%) patients due to poor IHC staining quality, CART modeling was performed. TNBC surrogate subtypes were defined as follows: LAR subtype, androgen receptor Allred score 8; IM subtype, LAR-negative with a tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) score > 70%; M subtype, LAR-negative with a TIL score < 20%; BL subtype, LAR-negative with a TIL score 20–70% and diffuse, strong p16 staining. The study cohort was classified by the surrogate subtypes as LAR (n = 26, 17.9%), IM (n = 21, 14.5%), M (n = 44, 30.3%), BL1 (n = 27, 18.6%) and unclassified (n = 18, 12.4%). Surrogate subtypes predicted TNBC Vanderbilt 4 subtypes with an accuracy of 0.708. Conclusion: We have developed a TNBC surrogate subtype classification that correlates with the Vanderbilt subtype. It is a practical and accessible diagnostic test that can be easily applied in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The minimally invasive surgical technique was modified in suture (MISTms) in this study. The trial was to determine the efficacy of MISTms with and without regenerative materials for the treatment of intrabony defect and to identify factors influencing 1-year clinical attachment level (CAL) gain. Methods: Thirty-six patients with interdental intrabony defects were randomly assigned to MISTms (MISTms alone, 18) or MISTms plus deproteinized bovine bone mineral and collagen membrane (MISTms combined, 18). Wound healing was evaluated by early healing index (EHI) at 1, 2, 3, and 6 weeks. Probing depth (PD), CAL, gingival recession, radiographic defect depth, and distance from the base of defect to the cementoenamel junction were recorded at baseline and 1 year postoperatively. A one-year composite outcome measure based on the combination of CAL gain and post-surgery PD was evaluated. Factors influencing 1-year CAL gain were analyzed. Results: Fifteen patients in MISTms-alone and 16 in the MISTms-combined group finished the study. The MISTms-alone group showed significantly better wound healing at 1 week. CAL significantly gained in the MISTms-alone and MISTms-combined group, with 2.53 ± 1.80 mm and 2.00 ± 1.38 mm respectively. The radiographic bone gain was 3.00 ± 1.56 mm and 3.85 ± 1.69 mm respectively. However, there were no significant differences between the two groups about 1-year outcomes. Lower EHI (optimal wound healing) and more baseline CAL positively influenced 1-year CAL gain. Conclusions: MISTms is an effective treatment for intrabony defects. The regenerative materials do not show an additional effect on 1-year outcomes. Early wound healing and baseline CAL are factors influencing 1-year CAL gain. Clinical relevance: MISTms with and without regenerative materials are both effective treatments for intrabony defect. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: ChiCTR2100043272 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functional films have been used in greenhouses to improve the light environment for plant growth. Among them, a spectrum conversion film converting the green light of incident sunlight into red light has been reported to increase the crop productivity. However, the results are not always consistent, and the reasons for the improvement are not fully understood. The objectives of this study were to reveal the cumulative effects of a green-to-red spectrum conversion film (SCF) on the electron transport and photosynthetic performance of Fragaria × ananassa Duch. The photosynthetic efficiency, leaf optical properties, chlorophyll content, chlorophyll fluorescence, growth, and fruit qualities when the plant was grown under a transparent polyethylene film (PE) and SCF were evaluated. The sunlight modified by SCF did not change the leaf optical properties and chlorophyll content but significantly increased the chlorophyll fluorescence parameters related to reduction end electron acceptors at PSI acceptor side and the efficiency of electron transport. Without an increase in nonphotochemical quenching, the effective quantum yields of PSII and PSI of leaves grown under SCF were significantly higher than those parameters when grown under PE. Forty eight days after transplanting, the photosynthetic efficiency and photosynthetic rates of leaves and whole plants increased significantly under SCF compared to PE. The vegetative growth was not affected by SCF, but the fruit weight, sweetness, acidity, and firmness under SCF were significantly improved. These results indicated that sunlight modified by SCF stimulates electron flow and improves photosynthetic capacity and fruit quality of Fragaria × ananassa Duch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Transsphenoidal surgery (TSS) is the first-line treatment for patients with Cushing's disease (CD). However, the reported remission rates of patients who received TSS vary widely between different studies, and the predictors of surgical outcomes remain controversial. The present study analyzed the early outcome of TSS in a large population of patients with CD at a single center, and identified potential predictors of initial remission of TSS in patients with CD. Methods: The clinical features and surgical outcomes of CD patients who underwent TSS between 1988 and 2018 at Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) were collected and analyzed from their medical records. Results: Of the 1604 CD patients who underwent TSS at PUMCH between February 1988 and October 2018, 1106 patients had complete medical data and pathological results. After surgery, the overall postoperative initial remission rate was 72.5, and 27.5% of patients maintained persistent hypercortisolism. The initial remission rate of patients with preoperative noninvasive adenoma based on MRI (77.1%), intraoperative noninvasiveness (72.5%), microadenoma (74.3%), pathological confirmation (76.4%), and first TSS (73.9%) was significantly higher than that in patients with preoperative invasive adenoma (53.0%), intraoperative invasiveness (60.7%), macroadenomas (65.9%), pathologically negative (49.7%), and repeat TSS (56.0%), respectively (all P < 0.05). The initial remission rate in patients with pseudocapsule-based extracapsular resection (88.1%), MRI-visible adenoma (74.2%) was higher than that in patients without pseudocapsule-based extracapsular resection (77.1%), and with MRI-negative results (64.5%), respectively, but did not reach statistical significance (All P > 0.05). Striking, there was no significant differences in initial remission rates between patients who underwent selective adenomectomy and enlarged adenomectomy (P > 0.05). Whereas, the initial remission rates in patients who underwent partial hypophysectomy only was 51.0%, which was much lower than that in patients underwent selective adenomectomy and enlarged adenomectomy (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The TSS is a safe and effective procedure for the treatment of CD. Whereas, preoperative invasiveness based on MRI, intraoperative invasiveness, macroadenomas pathologically negative, and repeat TSS are related to lower initial remission rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interfacial moiré superlattices in van der Waals vertical assemblies effectively reconstruct the crystal symmetry, leading to opportunities for investigating exotic quantum states. Notably, a two-dimensional nanosheet has top and bottom open surfaces, allowing the specific case of doubly aligned super-moiré lattice to serve as a toy model for studying the tunable lattice symmetry and the complexity of related electronic structures. Here, we show that by doubly aligning a graphene monolayer to both top and bottom encapsulating hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), multiple conductivity minima are observed away from the main Dirac point, which are sensitively tunable with respect to the small twist angles. Moreover, our experimental evidences together with theoretical calculations suggest correlated insulating states at integer fillings of −5, −6, −7 electrons per moiré unit cell, possibly due to inter-valley coherence. Our results provide a way to construct intriguing correlations in 2D electronic systems in the weak interaction regime. The alignment of three 2D nanosheets leads to the formation of super-moiré atomic lattices, which can influence the electronic properties of van der Waals structures. Here, the authors report evidence of possible correlated insulating states in doubly-aligned hBN/graphene/hBN heterostructures, in a weak-interaction regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adult-onset ataxias are a genetically and clinically heterogeneous group of movement disorders. In addition to nuclear gene mutations, sequence changes have also been described in the mitochondrial genome. Here, we present findings of mutation analysis of the mitochondrial gene MT-ATP6. We analyzed 94 patients with adult-onset spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA), including 34 sporadic cases. In all patients, common sequence changes found in SCAs such as repeat expansions and point mutations had been excluded previously. We found pathogenic MT-ATP variants in five of these patients (5.32%), two of whom were sporadic. Four of the five mutations have not previously been described in ataxias. All but one of these mutations affect transmembrane helices of subunit-α of ATP synthase. Two mutations (p.G16S, and p.P18S) disrupt transmembrane helix 1 (TMH1), one mutation (p.G167D) affects TMH5, and another one (p.L217P) TMH6. The fifth mutation (p.T96A) describes an amino acid change in close proximity to transmembrane helix 3 (TMH3). The level of heteroplasmy was either complete or very high ranging from 87 to 99%. The high prevalence of pathogenic MT-ATP6 variants suggests that analysis of this gene should be included in the routine workup of both hereditary and sporadic ataxias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To achieve highly efficient electromagnetic wave absorber, elaborately designing magnetic–dielectric Co@TiO2 microspheres with core–shell configuration are successfully constructed through a facile sequential process of liquid phase reduction–sol–gel–annealing. Owing to the core–shell configuration and the synergistic effect among magnetic and dielectric components, the annealed sample shows outstanding electromagnetic wave absorption (EMA) in X and Ku band. Impressively, a maximum reflection loss (RLmax) is reached –56.6 dB at a coating thickness of 2.3 mm with corresponding effective absorption bandwidth (EAB10) of 7.2 GHz (including 65% of Ku band and 82.5% of X band), much stronger than those of as-prepared Co (EAB10 of 1.6 GHz, RLmax of 14.6 dB) and pristine Co@TiO2 (EAB10 of 2.9 GHz, RLmax of 16.3 dB). An EAB10 covering completely the whole X and Ku band could be obtained by controlling the thickness only from 2.0 mm to 2.5 mm. The composites have both outstanding RL and wide EAB10 with the thin coating thickness, reinforcing that fabricating core–shell configuration composites is an efficient strategy to boost the EMA efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spin Hall effect, an electric generation of spin current, allows for efficient control of magnetization. Recent theory revealed that orbital Hall effect creates orbital current, which can be much larger than spin-Hall-induced spin current. However, orbital current cannot directly exert a torque on a ferromagnet, requiring a conversion process from orbital current to spin current. Here, we report two effective methods of the conversion through spin-orbit coupling engineering, which allows us to unambiguously demonstrate orbital-current-induced spin torque, or orbital Hall torque. We find that orbital Hall torque is greatly enhanced by introducing either a rare-earth ferromagnet Gd or a Pt interfacial layer with strong spin-orbit coupling in Cr/ferromagnet structures, indicating that the orbital current generated in Cr is efficiently converted into spin current in the Gd or Pt layer. Our results offer a pathway to utilize the orbital current to further enhance the magnetization switching efficiency in spin-orbit-torque-based spintronic devices. Manipulation of the magnetization is of major importance in spintronics. The authors demonstrate that an electric field triggers a transverse flow of orbital moment: the so-called orbital Hall effect. This enables the efficient magnetization control, holding the promise for fast and miniaturized memories and sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) may reveal dynamic tumor status during therapy. We conducted serial ctDNA analysis to investigate potential association with clinical outcome in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients receiving chemotherapy. Tissue KRAS/NRAS wild-type mCRC patients were enrolled and treated with first-line cetuximab-containing chemotherapy. ctDNA isolated from plasma were analyzed by next generation sequencing (NGS) with 16 targeted gene panel. Among 93 patients, 84 (90.3%) had at least 1 somatic mutation in baseline ctDNA samples (average 2.74). Five patients with KRAS or NRAS hotspot mutation in the ctDNA showed significantly worse progression-free survival (PFS) (p = 0.029). Changes in average variant allele frequency (VAF) in ctDNA showed significant correlation with tumor size change at the time of first response evaluation (p = 0.020) and progressive disease (PD) (p = 0.042). Patients whose average VAF decreased below cutoff (< 1%) at the first evaluation showed significantly better PFS (p < 0.001), and the average VAF change further discriminated the PFS in the patients in partial response (p = 0.018). At the time of PD, 54 new mutations including KRAS and MAP2K1 emerged in ctDNA. ctDNA sequencing can provide mutation profile that could better reflect tumor mutation status and predict treatment outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of SARS-CoV-2 mutants, including the emerging variant B.1.1.7, has raised great concerns in terms of pathogenesis, transmission, and immune escape. Characterizing SARS-CoV-2 mutations, evolution, and effects on infectivity and pathogenicity is crucial to the design of antibody therapies and surveillance strategies. Here, we analyzed 454,443 SARS-CoV-2 spike genes/proteins and 14,427 whole-genome sequences. We demonstrated that the early variant B.1.1.7 may not have evolved spontaneously in the United Kingdom or within human populations. Our extensive analyses suggested that Canidae, Mustelidae or Felidae, especially the Canidae family (for example, dog) could be a possible host of the direct progenitor of variant B.1.1.7. An alternative hypothesis is that the variant was simply yet to be sampled. Notably, the SARS-CoV-2 whole-genome represents a large number of potential co-mutations. In addition, we used an experimental SARS-CoV-2 reporter replicon system to introduce the dominant co-mutations NSP12_c14408t, 5′UTR_c241t, and NSP3_c3037t into the viral genome, and to monitor the effect of the mutations on viral replication. Our experimental results demonstrated that the co-mutations significantly attenuated the viral replication. The study provides valuable clues for discovering the transmission chains of variant B.1.1.7 and understanding the evolutionary process of SARS-CoV-2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology detects specific mutations that can provide treatment opportunities for colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. We included 145 CRC patients who underwent surgery. We analyzed the mutation frequencies of common actionable genes and their association with clinicopathological characteristics and oncologic outcomes using targeted NGS. Approximately 97.9% (142) of patients showed somatic mutations. Frequent mutations were observed in TP53 (70%), APC (60%), and KRAS (49%). TP53 mutations were significantly linked to higher overall stage (p = 0.038) and lower disease-free survival (DFS) (p = 0.039). ATM mutation was significantly associated with higher tumor stage (p = 0.012) and shorter overall survival (OS) (p = 0.041). Stage 3 and 4 patients with ATM mutations (p = 0.023) had shorter OS, and FBXW7 mutation was significantly associated with shorter DFS (p = 0.002). However, the OS of patients with or without TP53, RAS, APC, PIK3CA, and SMAD4 mutations did not differ significantly (p = 0.59, 0.72, 0.059, 0.25, and 0.12, respectively). Similarly, the DFS between patients with RAS, APC, PIK3CA, and SMAD4 mutations and those with wild-type were not statistically different (p = 0.3, 0.79, 0.13, and 0.59, respectively). In multivariate Cox regression analysis, ATM mutation was an independent biomarker for poor prognosis of OS (p = 0.043). A comprehensive analysis of the molecular markers for CRC can provide insights into the mechanisms underlying disease progression and help optimize a personalized therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To obtain soft electronics, it is essential to develop high-performance and mechanically flexible energy storage at the industry level. Herein, we report flexible high-energy-density lithium-sulfur (Li–S) batteries based on all-fibrous sulfur cathodes and separators. To implement free-standing and flexible sulfur cathodes, electrically conductive single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are impregnated with cellulose nanofibers. This fibrous structure forms a 3D porous electrode with a large surface area to improve redox kinetics and achieve a high sulfur loading content without the use of a metal collector, which can then be applied in high-energy-density batteries. These flexible sulfur cathodes are combined with a commercial glass fiber separator coated with a CNT layer through a cost-effective solution process to suppress the shuttle effects of lithium–polysulfide, thereby exhibiting robust cycling stability. The prepared Li–S batteries exhibit high capacities of 940 mAh g−1 at a charge current density of 1.57 mA cm−2 and at 25 °C, and the Coulombic efficiency exceeds 90% even after 50 charge/discharge cycles. Moreover, Li-S batteries with a high gravimetric energy density of 443 Wh kg−1 per cell is achieved, and these batteries demonstrate excellent reliability in regard to electrochemical performance even under severe mechanical stress conditions for over 100 cycles. Flexible and high-energy-density lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries based on all-fibrous sulfur cathodes and separators have structural uniqueness and chemical functionality, exhibit a high gravimetric energy density of 435 Wh kg−1 per cell and excellent reliability in terms of electrochemical performance with a slow decay rate of < 1% per cycle, even under severe mechanical stress/deformation conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to compare the accuracy of novel lipid indices, including the visceral adiposity index (VAI), lipid accumulation product (LAP), triglycerides and glucose (TyG) index, TyG-body mass index (TyG-BMI), and TyG-waist circumference (TyG-WC), in identifying insulin resistance and establish valid cutoff values. This cross-sectional study used the data of 11,378 adults, derived from the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999–2016). Insulin resistance was defined as a homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance value above the 75th percentile for each sex and race/ethnicities. The area under the curves (AUCs) were as follows: VAI, 0.735; LAP, 0.796; TyG index, 0.723; TyG-BMI, 0.823, and; TyG-WC, 0.822. The AUCs for TyG-BMI and TyG-WC were significantly higher than those for VAI, LAP, and TyG index (vs. TyG-BMI, p < 0.001; vs. TyG-WC, p < 0.001). The cutoff values were as follows: VAI: men 1.65, women 1.65; LAP: men 42.5, women 42.5; TyG index: men 4.665, women 4.575; TyG-BMI: men 135.5, women 135.5; and TyG-WC: men 461.5, women 440.5. Given that lipid indices can be easily calculated with routine laboratory tests, these values may be useful markers for insulin resistance risk assessments in clinical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a numerical method for damage evaluation of steel structures under fire conditions based on degraded material property values. As the measure of structural damage to fire, a damage index is proposed which indicates how much a structure loses its material strength when exposed to fire. The index is formulated with the ratio of a volume-weighted average of material strength at elevated temperatures to that of the strength at room temperature. To investigate the feasibility of proposed damage index, fire testing and the corresponding structural fire analysis of steel–concrete composite beams are performed using a design fire load. The fire is modeled using a standard fire curve proposed in American Society for Testing and Materials E119. A regular real-scale composite beam and the beam protected by a fire-resistant material layer, the latter of which is typical of structural members used in nuclear power plant buildings in Korea, are considered for the fire damage evaluation. The damage state of the composite beams is evaluated using the fire damage index at each time the fire progresses, and it is compared with the value of the post-fire damage index of the beams. By the use of the proposed damage index, the effect of fire-resistant materials on structural integrity is quantified, and it is investigated whether the damage state of each beam at the end of the fire load satisfies the design performance of composite beams used for nuclear power plant structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the precise intracellular localization of lead (Pb) is a key in deciphering processes in Pb-induced toxicology. However, it is a great challenge to trace Pb in vitro, especially in cultured cells. We aimed to find an innovative and efficient approach to investigate distribution of Pb in cells and to validate it through determining the subcellular Pb content. We identified its ultra-structural distribution with autometallography under electron microscopy in a choroidal epithelial Z310 cell line. Electron microscopy in combination with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscope (EDS) was employed to provide further evidence of Pb location. In addition, Pb content was determined in the cytosol, membrane/organelle, nucleus and cytoskeleton fractions with atomic absorption spectroscopy. Pb was found predominantly inside the nuclear membranes and some was distributed in the cytoplasm under low-concentration exposure. Nuclear existence of Pb was verified by EDS under electron microscopy. Once standardized for protein content, Pb percentage in the nucleus fraction reached the highest level (76%). Our results indicate that Pb is accumulated mainly in the nucleus of choroid plexus. This method is sensitive and precise in providing optimal means to study the ultra-structural localization of Pb for in vitro models. In addition, it offers the possibility of localization of other metals in cultured cells. Some procedures may also be adopted to detect target proteins via immunoreactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Instead of commercial lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) using organic liquid electrolytes, all-solid-state lithium-ion batteries (ASSBs) employing solid electrolytes (SEs) are promising for applications in high-energy–density power applications and electric vehicles due to their potential for improving safety and achieving high capacity. Although remarkable progress in SEs has been achieved and has resulted in high ionic conductivity, which now reaches values comparable to those of liquid electrolytes, the typical use of a slurry process for the fabrication of conventional ASSBs inevitably causes harmful reactions between sulfide materials and polar solvents. Here, we studied the efficient infiltration process of SE slurry into conventional composite LIB electrodes (NCM622) for achieving high-energy-density ASSBs via a scalable solution-based fabrication process. Two methods are proposed to ensure that SE materials are evenly distributed and sufficiently infiltrated into the porous structures of LIB electrodes. The LPSCl SE solutions were effectively infiltrated into the electrodes at higher processing temperatures and the temperature was subsequently optimized at above the boiling point of the ethanol solvent due to the dynamic motion of SE molecules via a convective flow during solvent vaporization. Moreover, the porous LIB composite electrodes with a mixture of active materials of different particle sizes formed and filled capillary pores resulting in a high electrode density. The LPSCl SE-infiltrated NCM622 electrodes that used this strategy could remarkably improve the initial discharge capacity of ASSBs to as high as 177 mAh/g. These ASSBs also showed excellent performance even at high loading values (about 17 mg/cm2), making them competitive with LIBs using conventional liquid electrolytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grain development of Triticum aestivum is being studied extensively using individual OMICS tools. However, integrated transcriptome and proteome studies are limited mainly due to complexity of genome. Current study focused to unravel the transcriptome-proteome coordination of key mechanisms underlying carbohydrate metabolism during whole wheat grain development. Wheat grains were manually dissected to obtain grain tissues for proteomics and transcriptomics analyses. Differentially expressed proteins and transcripts at the 11 stages of grain development were compared. Computational workflow for integration of two datasets related to carbohydrate metabolism was designed. For CM proteins, output peptide sequences of proteomic analyses (via LC–MS/MS) were used as source to search corresponding transcripts. The transcript that turned out with higher number of peptides was selected as bona fide ribonucleotide sequence for respective protein synthesis. More than 90% of hits resulted in successful identification of respective transcripts. Comparative analysis of protein and transcript expression profiles resulted in overall 32% concordance between these two series of data. However, during grain development correlation of two datasets gradually increased up to ~ tenfold from 152 to 655 °Cd and then dropped down. Proteins involved in carbohydrate metabolism were divided in five categories in accordance with their functions. Enzymes involved in starch and sucrose biosynthesis showed the highest correlations between proteome-transcriptome profiles. High percentage of identification and validation of protein-transcript hits highlighted the power of omics data integration approach over existing gene functional annotation tools. We found that correlation of two datasets is highly influenced by stage of grain development. Further, gene regulatory networks would be helpful in unraveling the mechanisms underlying the complex and significant traits such as grain weight and yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electric-field-driven ion migration can significantly modulate the electric and magnetic properties of solids, creating novel functionalities useful for advanced electromagnetic devices. Earlier works have used vertically stacked structures for this purpose, in which the redox process results from ion migration driven by a vertical electric field through the interfaces. However, the existence of the interfaces between the dissimilar layers causes the oxidation and reduction processes to have high and asymmetric energy barriers, which means that a large electric field is required to control the devices. Here, we show that in a partially oxidized single GdOx wire using a lateral electric field configuration, low and symmetric energy barriers for the oxidation and reduction processes can be achieved. We provide evidence that the redox process is the result of the lateral motion of oxygen ions by directly visualizing the electric-field-driven real-time ionic motion using an optical microscope. An electric field as low as 105 V/m was able to drive oxygen ions at room temperature, allowing controllable modulation of the electrical resistance using a lateral electric field. A large negative magnetoresistance was also observed in the GdOx wire, and its magnitude was significantly enhanced up to 20% at 9 T through oxygen ion control. Our results suggest that the electrical and magnetic properties of single GdOx can be efficiently controlled through oxygen ion motion driven by a lateral electric field, which paves the way for fully functional electromagnetic devices such as artificial synapses. Biomimetic devices: Oxygen ion migration mimics synapse function A new approach for creating tiny wires that move oxygen ions instead of electrons can offer researchers efficient control over devices with brain-like conductivity. According to neuroscientists, synapses, the junctions where two neurons meet, store information by activating different types of conductive states. Soogil Lee and Kab-Jin Kim from the KAIST institute in Daejeon, South Korea, and colleagues report similar behavior in nanoscale-thin wires made from gadolinium oxide, a rare-earth material in which oxygen ions can move freely. By pushing ions in the wire laterally between a cathode and an anode using an electric field, the team could establish two different conductivity levels due to slight changes in redox chemistry. The simplicity of this design enables lower-energy ion manipulation than previous studies employing vertically stacked films of gadolinium oxide and other metals. Electric-field-driven ion migration is an effective way to control many physical properties such as electric and magnetic properties of materials. In this research, we demonstrated that remarkably small electric field as low as 105 V/m can effectively modulate resistance of a GdOx microwire due to the lateral motion of oxygen ions. This result enables mimicking a synaptic device with low power consumption like as a brain. Furthermore, huge MR modulation of the GdOx microwire with the electric field provides novel functionality as an electromagnetic device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to compare clinical outcomes and recurrence rates after arthroscopic Bankart repair with selective Remplissage procedure, between patients with off-track and on-track Hill-Sachs lesions.Methods: Patients who underwent arthroscopic Bankart repair with selective Remplissage procedure for recurrent anterior shoulder instability and were followed up for at least 2 years were included. Patients with a glenoid defect greater than 25% were excluded. According to the glenoid track concept, patients were divided into group I (off-track lesions) and group II (on-track lesions). After Bankart repair, an additional Remplissage procedure was performed selectively in patients who sustained engagement of the humeral head. The clinical outcomes and recurrence rates were evaluated.Results: A total of 193 patients (23 in group I and 170 in group II) were enrolled. No significant differences were found in clinical outcomes (n.s.) or recurrence rates (n.s.) between the two groups, despite larger glenoid defects in group I (group I:17.1 ± 6.1%, and group II:13.0 ± 6.4%, P = 0.003). In all patients, the incidence of off-track lesions was not significantly different according to the occurrence of postoperative recurrence (n.s.), whereas the glenoid defect size showed a significant difference (with recurrence: 17.9 ± 3.9%, and without recurrence: 13.2 ± 6.5%, P = 0.002).Conclusions: The presence of an off-track lesion did not alter the clinical outcomes and recurrence rates after arthroscopic Bankart repair with selective Remplissage procedure. The glenoid defect size rather than the presence of an off-track lesion can more reliably predict postoperative recurrence. Arthroscopic Bankart repair with selective Remplissage procedure is considered one surgical option for the treatment of off-track lesions.Level Of Evidence: III. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For evaluating microbial community changes in a Siberian larch stand disturbed by forest fire or clear-cutting, 357 clones were randomly selected and sequenced using a culture-independent approach and 16S rRNA sequencing to characterize the bacterial composition and diversity from the different disturbed Siberian larch stands. Interestingly, the burned larch stand had an increase in the relative amounts of β-proteobacteria and Firmicutes and a decrease in Acidobacteria, while Gemmatimonadetes increased Verrucomicrobia decreased in the harvested larch stand. Microbial diversity and richness were higher in the undisturbed larch stand than the disturbed (burned or clear-cut) larch stands, and the influence of clear-cutting was more negative than that of the forest fire. This study indicates that evaluating the microbial diversity of undisturbed, burned, and clear-cutting Siberian larch stands provides information about the impact of forest disturbances on soil microbial communities, which may be helpful for understanding and evaluating soil health and devising reafforestation strategies for larch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To make sure that the bubbles will not block the impeller passage in the process of the transient cavitation, a section-constrained design is adopted in the hydraulic design of the CAP1400 Reactor Coolant Pump's(RCP's) impeller blade, and the cavitation bubble distribution on the suction side of the blade in the CAP1400 RCP under the transient cavitation condition and the internal pressure pulsation are studied. To study the performance of the section-constrained impeller blade, simulations are carried out by using the CFX software, the cavitation bubble distribution on the suction side and the pulsation dynamics at each monitoring point in different extents of cavitation are obtained based on the Reynolds-averaged N-S equation and the SST k - ω equation. The results show that the section-constrained blade has a good constraint capacity on the cavitation, and could enhance the passing ability of the blade in some extent. The main causes of the pressure pulsation inside a pump are the rotor-stator interaction, the separated flow at the round-like pump chamber, and the reflux inside the flow passage. The pressure pulsation inside the impeller and the guide vane is characterized by the significant periodicity, which are both affected by the rotor-stator interaction. And the impeller outlet and the guide vane inlet are more susceptible to the rotor-stator interaction. Studies of the vapor-liquid two-phase flow and the pressure pulsation inside the RCP's impeller with the transient cavitation are of great significance for the prediction of the RCP's dynamic characteristics after the cavitation, and for the safety and the stable running of the RCP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The impact of evodiamine in combination with histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors on survival of thyroid carcinoma cells was identified. Methods: TPC-1 and SW1736 human thyroid carcinoma cells were used. Results: After treatment with evodiamine and PXD101, cell viability, the percentage of viable cells and Bcl2 protein levels decreased, whereas cytotoxic activity, the percentage of apoptotic cells, the protein levels of γH2AX, acetyl. histone H3 and cleaved PARP, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production increased. In cells treated with both evodiamine and PXD101, compared with PXD101 alone, decrement of cell viability, the percentage of viable cells, and Bcl2 protein levels as well as increment of cytotoxic activity, the percentage of apoptotic cells, the protein levels of γH2AX and cleaved PARP, and ROS production were significant, causing decrement of Bcl2/Bax ratio. Furthermore, all of the combination index values were <1.0, suggesting synergistic cytotoxicity of two agents. Wortmannin decreased cell viability and the percentage of viable cells, whereas it increased cytotoxic activity and the percentage of apoptotic cells without alteration in ROS production. The changes in cells treated with both evodiamine and suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid or trichostatin A were similar to those in cells treated with both evodiamine and PXD101. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that evodiamine synergizes with HDAC inhibitors in inducing cytotoxic activities by involving survival-related proteins and ROS in thyroid carcinoma cells. Moreover, repression of PI3K/Akt signaling synergistically reinforces cytotoxicity of evodiamine combined with HDAC inhibitors in thyroid carcinoma cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]