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For a continuous function f : R → R we define the corresponding graph by setting Γf ≔ {(x1, f(x1)) : x1 ∈ R }. We give the optimal Sobolev extension properties for the upper and lower domains corresponding to the graph Γ ψ c α for ψ c α (x1) = d(x1, C )α, where C is the classical ternary Cantor set in the unit interval and α ∈ (0, 1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: OsMKK1, a MAPK gene, positively regulates rice Xa21-mediated resistance response and also plays roles in normal growth and development process of rice. The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade was highly conserved among eukaryotes, which played crucial roles in plant responses to pathogen infection. Bacterial blight is the most devastating bacterial disease. Xa21 confers broad-spectrum resistance to Xanthomonas oryzae pv. Oryzae (Xoo). This study identified that the transcription level of OsMKK1 was up-regulated in resistant response against Xoo, thus overexpression (OsMKK1-OX) and RNA interference (OsMKK1-RNAi) transgenic rice lines under the background of Xa21 was constructed. Compared with recipient control plants 4021, the OsMKK1-OX lines significantly enhanced disease resistance to Xoo, on the contrary, the resistance of OsMKK1-RNAi lines was weakened, demonstrated that OsMKK1 played a positive role in Xa21-mediated disease resistance pathway. A number of pathogenesis-related proteins, including PR1A, PR2 and PR10A showed enhanced expression in OsMKK1-OX lines, supported that these PR genes may be regulated by OsMKK1 to participate in the defense responses. In addition, the agronomic traits of OsMKK1 transgenic plants were affected. Overall, these results revealed the role of OsMKK1 in Xa21-mediated resistance against Xoo and in the normal growth and development process in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Accumulating evidence suggests that anoikis resistance is a key process in cancer cell metastasis, making it an attractive therapeutic target. Therefore, anoikis may become a new treatment for gastric cancer. Methods: We used the univariate Cox regression method to screen gastric cancer-related anoikis genes, and a prognostic risk model was established. We analyzed differences between high- and low-risk groups in terms of tumor infiltrating immune cells, gene mutation signatures, and treatment of gastric cancer. Analysis of model associated genes at single-cell resolution was performed. Results: We filtered to 12 anoikis-related genes and built a prognostic risk model using seven of them, which performed well in multiple datasets. Patients with CCDC178 mutations had a worse prognosis. We also found that patients at low risk were more likely to benefit from chemotherapy and immunotherapy. ERBB2 was found to be highly expressed in epithelial cells and fibroblasts. Our analysis also indicated that gastric cancer samples with high infiltration of iCAFs had a worse prognosis. Conclusion: Seven anoikis-related genes were selected to establish a risk model. The model can be used to predict the prognosis of patients and guide the drug treatment, which provides a new idea for the evaluation and treatment of gastric cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Colon cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers of the digestive tract. There is mounting evidence that genes associated with oxidative stress might affect the tumour immune microenvironment during tumour growth, maintenance, and treatment response. However, how oxidative stress-related genes affect prognostic importance, tumour microenvironment features, and treatment outcomes in colon cancer patients has not been fully elucidated. Methods: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset was used to construct a signature model and nomogram using step and Cox regression approaches to investigate how gene expression affected immunological responses to colon cancer, including the degree of immune infiltration, MSI, and drug sensitivity. Results and conclusions: The nomogram and the signature model had strong prognostic potential for colon cancer, with gene expression highly correlated with multiple immune cells. The first signature model and nomogram including oxidative stress-related genes were constructed for use in clinical decision-making. In addition, SRD5A1, GSR, TXN, TRAF2 and TRAP1 were identified as potential biomarkers for colon cancer diagnosis and indicators for immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated to what extent socioeconomic status (SES) disparity associates with cognitive and physical impairment within older Asian Americans in comparison with other races/ethnicities. Data were from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011–2018 that included 3,297 White, 1,755 Black, 1,708 Hispanic, and 730 Asian Americans aged ≥ 60. Physical functioning was measured by activities of daily living (ADL) or instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). Memory and language fluency were evaluated using the Alzheimer's Disease Word List Memory Task and Animal Fluency Tests, respectively. Multivariate logistic regressions were conducted to investigate the association between SES and physical and cognitive impairment within racial/ethnic groups, and seemingly unrelated regressions compared coefficients across subgroups. Asians with ≤ high school education had the highest prevalence of age- and sex-adjusted memory impairment among all races/ethnicities, while no difference was observed for those with > high school education. ADL/IADL disability odds did not differ between Asians and Whites, but Asians were more likely to exhibit impaired verbal fluency. Education disparity for ADL disability (OR, 3.40; 95% CI, 2.20–5.25) and memory impairment (OR, 11.57; 95% CI, 6.59–20.31) were largest among Asians compared to Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics. Income disparity for function impairment showed no significant difference across racial/ethnic groups (all P > 0.05). Asians experienced the highest burden of physical functioning and memory impairment due to education disparity. Efforts should focus on strengthening research infrastructure and creating targeted programs and services to improve cognitive and physical health for racially/ethnically underrepresented older adults with lower education attainment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Turbine blades, mainly formed by investment casting, are one of the core components of an aero-engine. However, the profile accuracy of turbine blades shaped by investment casting sometimes cannot directly meet the design requirements, and there will be some local areas exceeding the given form tolerance. In order to reduce the blade rejection rate and develop an advanced CNC correcting method, a new process model construction method for CNC correction of turbine blades is proposed. In this method, a new multi-constraint optimization model for the design sectional curve position of turbine blades is developed, which not only enables the process model constructed from the optimized sectional curves to best fit the actual blade geometry but also minimizes the local error areas to be corrected on the actual geometry. Two typical turbine blades have been successfully performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results show that the proposed method can significantly reduce the local error areas compared to the existing method while not exceeding the given multiple constraints. Therefore, the constructed process model can be used to generate CNC tool paths to correct the minimum local error areas and thus convert the scrap turbine blades into qualified ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The identification of subgroups of people living with HIV in China based on the severity of symptom clusters and individual symptoms is crucial to determine group-specific symptom management strategies. Participants reported 27 highly prevalent HIV/AIDS-related symptoms. Latent profile analysis based on symptom severity was used to identify person-centered subtypes of HIV/AIDS-related symptoms. Symptom networks were compared among subgroups identified by latent profile analysis. A total of 2927 eligible people living with HIV (PWH) were included in the analysis. Five profiles were identified: "Profile 1: all low symptom severity" (n2 = 2094, 71.54%), "Profile 2: medium symptom severity with syndemic conditions" (n3 = 109, 3.72%), "Profile 3: medium symptom severity with low functional status" (n1 = 165, 5.64%), "Profile 4: medium symptom severity in transitional period" (n4 = 448, 15.31%), and "Profile 5: all high symptom severity" (n5 = 111, 3.79%). Except for Profile 1 and Profile 5, the symptom severity was similar among the other three profiles. Profiles 1 (2.09 ± 0.52) and 4 (2.44 ± 0.66) had the smallest ∑s values, and Profiles 2 (4.38 ± 1.40) and 5 (4.39 ± 1.22) had the largest ∑s values. Our study demonstrates the need for health care professionals to provide PWH with group-specific symptom management interventions based on five profiles to improve their physical and psychological well-being. Future studies should be conducted in different contexts using different symptom checklists to further validate our results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice bacterial blight, caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), is one of the most serious diseases affecting rice production worldwide. Xa21 was the first disease resistance gene cloned in rice, which encodes a receptor kinase and confers broad resistance against Xoo stains. Dozens of components in the Xa21-mediated pathway have been identified in the past decades, however, the involvement of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) genes in the pathway has not been well described. To identify MAPK involved in Xa21-mediated resistance, the level of MAPK proteins was profiled using Western blot analysis. The abundance of OsMPK17 (MPK17) was found decreased during the rice-Xoo interaction in the background of Xa21. To investigate the function of MPK17, MPK17-RNAi and over-expression (OX) transgenic lines were generated. The RNAi lines showed an enhanced resistance, while OX lines had impaired resistance against Xoo, indicating that MPK17 plays negative role in Xa21-mediated resistance. Furthermore, the abundance of transcription factor WRKY62 and pathogenesis-related proteins PR1A were changed in the MPK17 transgenic lines when inoculated with Xoo. We also observed that the MPK17-RNAi and -OX rice plants showed altered agronomic traits, indicating that MPK17 also plays roles in the growth and development. On the basis of the current study and published results, we propose a "Xa21-MPK17-WRKY62-PR1A" signaling that functions in the Xa21-mediated disease resistance pathway. The identification of MPK17 advances our understanding of the mechanism underlying Xa21-mediated immunity, specifically in the mid- and late-stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this methodology, a nanomagnetic copper catalyst prepared via the immobilization of CuCl2 on the surface of Fe3O4@SiO2-APA-Amide/Imid ligand and its structure identified by several spectroscopic techniques including XRD, FT-IR, VSM, SEM, TEM, ICP-OES, TGA, EDX and elemental mapping analysis. This Fe3O4@SiO2-APA-Amide/Imid-CuCl2 nanomaterial can catalyze the preparation of 1,2,3-triazole derivatives through reactions of alkyne derivatives with NaN3 and aryl halides under ecofriendly conditions. It is noteworthy that the 1,2,3-triazole products were obtained with high yields when 2-phenylthiirane was used instead of aryl halides. In this research, one-pot three-component reactions were successfully performed in water, and the corresponding triazole products were obtained with high to excellent yields. After the end of the reaction, the Fe3O4@SiO2-APA-Amide/Imid-CuCl2 catalyst was recovered by magnetic separation and reused for 8 runs with a constant efficiency.Graphical abstract: In this methodology, a nanomagnetic copper catalyst prepared via the immobilization of CuCl2 on the surface of Fe3O4@SiO2-APA-Amide/Imid ligand and its structure identified by several spectroscopic techniques including XRD, FT-IR, VSM, SEM, TEM, ICP-OES, TGA, EDX and elemental mapping analysis. This Fe3O4@SiO2-APA-Amide/Imid-CuCl2 nanomaterial can catalyze the preparation of 1,2,3-triazole derivatives through reactions of alkyne derivatives with NaN3 and aryl halides under ecofriendly conditions. It is noteworthy that the 1,2,3-triazole products were obtained with high yields when 2-phenylthiirane was used instead of aryl halides. In this research, one-pot three-component reactions were successfully performed in water, and the corresponding triazole products were obtained with high to excellent yields. After the end of the reaction, the Fe3O4@SiO2-APA-Amide/Imid-CuCl2 catalyst was recovered by magnetic separation and reused for 8 runs with a constant efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper aims to shed light on the influence of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and immune cell infiltration on colorectal cancer (CRC). We downloaded workflow-type data and xml-format clinical data on CRC from The Cancer Genome Atlas project. The relationship between lncRNA and m6A was identified by using Perl and R software. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis was performed. Lasso regression was utilized to construct a prognostic model. Survival analysis was used to explore the relationship between clusters of m6A lncRNAs and clinical survival data. Differential analysis of the tumor microenvironment and an immune correlation analysis were used to determine immune cell infiltration levels in different clusters and their correlation with clinical prognosis. The expression of lncRNA was tightly associated with m6A. The univariate Cox regression analysis showed that lncRNA was a risk factor for the prognosis. Differential expression analysis demonstrated that m6A lncRNAs were partially highly expressed in tumor tissue. m6A lncRNA-related prognostic model could predict the prognosis of CRC independently. "ECM_RECEPTOR_INTERACTION" was the most significantly enriched gene set. PARP8 was overexpressed in tumor tissue and high-risk cluster. CD4 memory T cells, activated resting NK cells, and memory B cells were highly clustered in the high-risk cluster. All of the scores were higher in the low-risk group. m6A lncRNA is closely related to the occurrence and progression of CRC. The corresponding prognostic model can be utilized to evaluate the prognosis of CRC. m6A lncRNA and related immune cell infiltration in the tumor microenvironment can provide novel therapeutic targets for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, the combination of hot casting and numerical control polishing is an effective and appreciated process to manufacture aero-engine turbine blades. However, casting is a hot forming process, and turbine blade will engender some geometric deviations compared to the design model, which results in a critical problem in subsequent numerical control polishing process. To solve this problem and reduce the rejection rate of blade blank, this manuscript attempts to present a novel process model reconstruction strategy in adaptive polishing of turbine blade. Firstly, the design model was sliced into several 2D sectional curves based on design manner, and these designed 2D sectional curves were measured separately using on-machine measurement (OMM) system. And then, the iterative closest point (ICP) was used to find the best position between the design model and the on-machine measurement points. Afterwards, appropriate geometrical tolerances of each 2D sectional curve were added into a constrained optimization model, which was established for finding the optimized sectional curve. Finally, the final process model was reconstructed by lofting these optimized sectional curves, which can be used for adaptive polishing. A typical turbine blade has been successfully performed to demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed model reconstruction strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an interesting relationship between the orthogonality catastrophe (OC) and the quantum speed limit (QSL) for a spin chain with uniform nearest neighbour couplings perturbed by an impurity spin. We thoroughly study the catastrophic QSL that specifies a bound on the evolution time between the initial and final states and in this respect, link it to the emerging OC effect. It is found that the speed of state evolution subtle but fundamental, and the bound characterized by QSL shows the same behaviours as the OC effect in the thermodynamic limit. It allows us to reveal some universal properties, in particular finite temperature effects. Significantly, the threshold of temperature and system size is clearly demonstrated for the QSL under finite temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caragana is potentially an alternative biomass feedstock in China. The influences of different torrefaction conditions on the physical characteristics and fuel properties of pellets made from Caragana were investigated. The Caragana pellets were torrefied under the temperature of 225, 250, and 275 °C with the residence time of 10, 15, and 20 min, respectively. The results showed that the density of torrefied pellet reduced by 24.07 to 35.20%. Compression strength decreased to 7.62 N/mm2 for treated pellets under the condition of 275 °C and 20 min with the maximum weight loss of 29.93%, and the higher heating value increased to 20.95~22.93 MJ/kg. The equilibrium moisture content of the torrefied pellets decreased by 46.17% compared with raw materials. The mass yield and energy yield of torrefied pellet were 70.07 to 88.54% and 70.93 to 90.79%, respectively. With the increase of the torrefaction severity, the mechanical and physical properties of the pellets decreased, while the storage performance and fuel properties enhanced. Simultaneously, the torrefaction temperature had more influence on the fuel properties of Caragana pellets than the residence time. The Caragana pellets torrefied at 250 °C for 20 min maintained not only almost the same mechanical and physical properties as the untreated pellets but performed better storage and fuel properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the most important part of an aero-engine, blade has a critical effect on its manufacturing level. Especially, surface quality and profile accuracy of the leading and trailing edges have a direct influence on the aerodynamic performance of an aero-engine. At present, the machining methods of the leading and trailing edges are milling or grinding firstly, and then polishing by hand. This combination pattern of milling or grinding and polishing by hand has low efficiency and poor consistency. Therefore, a novel polishing technology for leading and trailing edges of blade using the flexible polishing wheel is proposed in this manuscript. Firstly, the overview of proposed novel polishing technology is presented. And then the basic principle and flexible polishing law of the flexible polishing wheel are introduced and analyzed. Finally, the verification experiments are carried out, including sample verification and blade verification. And the experiments results validate the feasibility of the proposed polishing technology. This novel polishing technology which instead of combination pattern of milling and polishing can simultaneously guarantee both profile accuracy and surface roughness, and the machining efficiency of blade edges will improve 2 times than the conventional method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To evaluate carotid stiffening in participants without conventional cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) by using ultrafast pulse wave velocity (ufPWV). Methods: The present study enrolled 517 participants without conventional CVRFs (CVRF-Free total population). Subjects in this population were defined as current non-smokers with untreated blood pressure < 140/90 mmHg, fasting blood glucose (FBG) < 7.0 mmol/L, total cholesterol (TC) < 6.2 mmol/L, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol < 4.1 mmol/L, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ≥ 1.0 mmol/L. Participants in the subgroup with optimal CVRFs (CVRF-Optimal subgroup; n = 188) were defined as having blood pressure < 120/80 mmHg, TC < 5.2 mmol/L, and FBG < 5.6 mmol/L. Clinical interviews, physical examinations, serum draw, carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT), and ufPWV were evaluated. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals and ordinal logistic regression models were used. Results: Carotid stiffening was present in 46.2–54.5% of CVRF-Free subjects. Age, male sex, and body mass index (BMI) were independently associated with carotid stiffening in both the CVRF-Free total population and CVRF-Optimal subgroup (OR for age = 1.10–1.11, OR for male sex = 2.65–7.19, OR for BMI = 1.34–1.62; p < 0.05). Carotid stiffening was associated with TC only in the CVRF-Free total population (OR for TC = 1.84; p = 0.034). Conclusions: Many CVRF-Free individuals have carotid stiffening. ufPWV for atherosclerotic stiffening aids the assessment of early atherogenesis and may further clarify the true status of healthy adults without CVRFs. Key Points: • CVRF-Optimal individuals have a lower carotid stiffness than CVRF-Free populations. • ufPWV is a quantitative predictor for the early assessment of AS. • Absent major CVRFs cannot be considered low risk for carotid stiffening and atherosclerosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate and summarize the characteristics of spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea cases and the efficacy of transnasal endoscopic repair of spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea with the assistance of computer-assisted navigation system. Methods: This is a retrospective study including 21 adult patients with spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea who underwent transnasal endoscopic repair with the assistance of computer-assisted navigation system between January 2007 and December 2017. Data collected included patient demographics, body mass index, patient symptoms, biochemical findings, radiographic findings, location of defect, type and size of defect, type of repair, follow-up time, reoccurrence, and complications. Results: Spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea was more commonly seen in females who were middle-aged and overweight in our series. The effluent was determined as cerebrospinal fluid by testing of glucose concentration and β2-transferrin. The location of the lesion was determined by rigid nasal endoscopy combined with radiologic study. Intraoperatively, the skull base defects were found most frequently on the ethmoid roof in 12 cases (57.1%), followed by the cribriform plate in seven cases (33.3%), and sphenoid sinus in two cases (9.5%). The size of the skull base defect was < 5 mm in 13 cases, 5 mm ~ 10 mm in six cases and two cases involved defects of ≥ 10 mm. The graft materials were chosen based on the size of the defect. In small leaks, the thigh muscle was dumbbell-shaped herniated into the bony defect, reinforced by fascia lata. Larger defects were packed with the anterior part of middle turbinate with an overlay of fascia lata. All 21 patients had no recurrence of cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea during the follow-up period, which ranged from 11 to 24 months. Conclusion: The transnasal endoscopic approach with assistance of computer-assisted navigation system is a safe and effective procedure for the repair of spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To evaluate the value of ultrafast pulse wave velocity (ufPWV) for the quantitative assessment of carotid stiffness and its associated with atherosclerosis (AS) risk.Methods: The present study included 233 patients with hyperlipoidaemia (AS risk group) and 114 healthy adults as the control group. The carotid (n = 694) intima-media thickness (cIMT), pulse wave velocity-beginning of systole (PWV-BS) and pulse wave velocity-end of systole (PWV-ES) were measured on sample images. Differences, distributive characteristics and correlation evaluation were assessed in patients (ages 18-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69 and ≥70) and carotids (control group vs AS risk group).Results: The cIMT, PWV-BS and PWV-ES increased with age; PWV-ES and cIMT showed an early significant increase in the 30-39 years group, whereas PWV-BS displayed a significant increase at 40-49 years compared with the 18- to 29-years group. Besides, PWV-ES correlated well with age compared with PWV-BS and cIMT. For carotid level, cIMT, PWV-BS and PWV-ES measurements were higher in the AS risk group compared with control. To compare the value of ufPWV and cIMT in early AS assessment, we subdivided groups into cIMT subgroups using a cut-off thickness of 0.050 cm. PWV-ES measurements were higher in the AS risk group compared with the control in the 0.040-0.050 cm (not thickened) and 0.051-0.060 cm (thickened) cIMT subgroups.Conclusions: Carotid ufPWV measurement at PWV-ES is a novel modality for the early diagnosis and quantitative assessment of arterial stiffness associated with atherosclerotic risk.Key Points: • ufPWV technique is real-time and well repeatable for assessing carotid stiffness • ufPWV measurements increase and correlate well with age • PWV-ES is a quantitative predictor for the early assessment of AS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Several anatomical studies regarding the value of hip rotation center (HRC) and femoral offset (FO) have been performed in Western populations. However, there are a few data on hip morphological values in the Chinese population based on CT scans. This study measured the values of the hip and pelvis, especially HRC and FO, in a Chinese population and compared them with the published values obtained from Western populations.Patients and methods: One hundred patients (50 females and 50 males) were included in the present study, and 3D-CT reconstructions of the hip and pelvis were generated. The mean age was 51.4 ± 8.9 years and mean body mass index (BMI) was 23.5 ± 2.6 kg/m2. All the morphologic measurements were compared between genders and sides, and the relationships between different parameters were analyzed.Results: The mean FO values were 38.4 ± 4.7 mm and 35.6 ± 4.4 mm for the males and females, respectively. A significant negative correlation was noted between FO and neck shaft angle (NSA) in both genders (r = − 0.262, P = 0.009 for the males, r = − 0.350, P ≤ 0.001 for the females). A significant positive correlation was found between horizontal distance (HD) and diameter of the femoral head (DFH) in both genders (r = 0.734, P ≤ 0.001 for the males, r = 0.658, P ≤ 0.001 for the females). A significant positive correlation was noted between HD and pelvic width (PW) in males (r = 0.455, P ≤ 0.001). A significant positive correlation was also noted between HD and pelvic height (PH) in males (r = 0.318, P ≤ 0.001). A significant positive correlation was observed between FO and pelvic cavity height (PCH) in males (r = 0.411, P ≤ 0.001), and a significant positive correlation was observed between VD and PCH in females (r = 0.497, P ≤ 0.001). The tip of the greater trochanter was, on average, 7.0 mm higher than the femoral head center. Relationships between DFH and pelvic morphometric parameters were also observed.Conclusion: The present morphological data and the relationships between them can be applied to design better ethnic-specific THA prostheses and preoperative plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To determine the performance of chemical shift signal intensity index (CS-SII) values for distinguishing minimal-fat renal angiomyolipoma (mfAML) from renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and to assess RCC subtype characterisation.Methods: We identified eligible studies on CS magnetic resonance imaging (CS-MRI) of focal renal lesions via PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library. CS-SII values were extracted by lesion type and evaluated using linear mixed model-based meta-regression. RCC subtypes were analysed. Two-sided p value <0.05 indicated statistical significance. Methodological quality was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2 tool.Results: Eleven articles involving 850 patients were included. Minimal-fat AML had significantly higher CS-SII value than RCC (p < 0.05); there were no significant differences between mfAML and clear cell RCC (cc-RCC) (p = 0.112). Clear cell RCC had a significantly higher CS-SII value than papillary RCC (p-RCC) (p < 0.001) and chromophobe RCC (ch-RCC) (p = 0.045). The methodological quality was relatively high, and Begg's test data points indicated no obvious publication bias.Conclusions: The CS-SII value for differentiating mfAML from cc-RCC remains unproven, but is a promising method for differentiating cc-RCC from p-RCC and ch-RCC.Key Points: • RCC CS-SII values are significantly lower than those of mfAML overall. • CS-SII values cannot aid differentiation between mfAML and cc-RCC. • CS-SII values might help characterise RCC subtypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of degenerative-related arthritis, which can be aggravated by low-grade synovitis. It is known that arachidonic acid (AA) dysmetabolism brings OA synovitis. However, the impact of synovial AA metabolism pathway (AMP) related genes on OA remains uncovered. Methods: Here, we conducted a comprehensive analysis to explore the impact of AA metabolism genes in OA synovium. We obtained transcriptome expression profiles from three raw datasets related to OA synovium (GSE12021, GSE29746, GSE55235) and identified the hub genes of AA metabolism pathways (AMP) in OA synovium. An OA occurrence diagnostic model was constructed and validated based on the identified hub genes. Then, we explored the correlation between hub gene expression and the immune-related module using CIBERSORT and MCP-counter analysis. The unsupervised consensus clustering analysis and weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) were utilized to identify robust clusters of identified genes in each cohort. Moreover, the interaction between the hub genes of AMP and immune cells was elucidated through single-cell RNA (scRNA) analysis by scRNA sequencing data from GSE152815. Results: We found that the expression of AMP-related genes was up-regulated in OA synovium, and seven hub genes (LTC4S, PTGS2, PTGS1, MAPKAPK2, CBR1, PTGDS, and CYP2U1) were identified. The diagnostic model that combined the identified hub genes showed great clinical validity in diagnosing OA (AUC = 0.979). Moreover, significant associations were noticed between the hub genes' expression, immune cell infiltration, and inflammatory cytokine levels. The 30 OA patients were randomized and clustered into three groups using WGCNA analysis based on the hub genes, and diverse immune status was found in different clusters. Of interest, older patients were more likely to be classified into a cluster with higher levels of inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and less infiltration of immune cells. Based on the scRNA-sequencing data, we found that the hub genes had relatively higher expression in macrophages and B cells than other immune cells. Moreover, inflammation-related pathways were significantly enriched in macrophages. Conclusion: These results suggest that AMP-related genes are closely involved in alterations of OA synovial inflammation. The transcriptional level of hub genes could serve as a potential diagnostic marker for OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to describe the refinements to the classic enlarged translabyrinthine approach (ETLA) by modifying the bony dissection range of temporal bone and to analyze the main outcomes achieved in a series of vestibular schwannoma (VS) cases submitted to microsurgery by ETLA. This was a retrospective study of 382 patients who underwent VS surgical removal via ETLA between January 2001 and December 2012. Among those cases, 332 were via classic ETLA, while 28 cases were via ETLA with blind sac technique and middle ear eradication and 22 via transotic approach. Total tumor removal was achieved in 368 cases, whereas near total removal in 11 patients and subtotal in 3 patients. In cases of large VS (>3 cm) via classic ETLA, good short-term and long-term facial nerve function (HB I-II) was gained in 27.8 % (32/115) and 42.6 % (49/115) cases, respectively, meanwhile in VS operated via blind sac technique, good short-term ( p = 0.048) and long-term ( p = 0.044) facial nerve function was reached in 44.0 % (22/50) and 60.0 % (30/50) cases, respectively. Postoperative facial nerve function was proved to be better in modified ETLA group. CSF leakage occurred in 16 (4.2 %) patients via classic ETLA. In 115 cases of large VS (>3 cm), postoperative CSF leakage occurred in 10 (8.7 %) patients. Whereas in 50 cases via blind sac technique, none developed CSF leakage ( p = 0.03). The incidence of CSF leakage was lower in modified ETLA group. Our refinements to classic ETLA by changing the temporal bone resection range provide a wide surgical field, well prevention of CSF leakage and preservation of facial nerve function in large VS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a novel method that direct intramyocardial injection of low-dose plasmid DNA and microbubbles combined with insonation could further augment gene expression in normal and ischemic canine myocardium. Plasmids encoding enhanced green fluorescent protein (pEGFP) and hepatocyte growth factor (pHGF) (500 μg) were individually mixed with 0.5 ml of microbubble solution (MB) and injected into the normal or acute ischemic canine myocardium. The dogs in the plasmid + MB/US group underwent insonation (US). Other dogs were randomly divided into three treatment groups: plasmid and insonation, plasmid and MB injection, and plasmid injection only. The EGFP and HGF mRNA expressions were assessed in the myocardium at the injection site and at sites 0.5 and 1 cm remote from the injection site. Compared to plasmid transfer alone, a mean 13.4-fold enhancement of gene expression was achieved in the EGFP + MB/US group at 48 h ( p < 0.01). HGF mRNA expression in ischemic zones was markedly elevated after 28 days, with a mean 9.0-fold enhancement in the HGF + MB/US group ( p < 0.01). EGFP protein expression was detected in the normal myocardium at 1 cm remote from the injection site in the EGFP + MB/US group. Similarly, HGF protein expression was detected in the ischemic myocardium at 0.5 cm remote from the injection site in the HGF + MB/US group. These findings indicate that the radius of gene expression was partly extended in the two plasmid + MB/US groups. The capillary density increased from 20.9 ± 5.3/mm in control myocardial infarction dogs without treatment to 126.7 ± 38.2/mm in the HGF + MB/US group ( p < 0.01). Taken together, the present data demonstrate that direct intramyocardial injection of an angiogenic gene and microbubbles combined with insonation can augment gene expression and angiogenesis. Consequently, this strategy may be a useful tool for gene therapy of ischemic heart disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum dots are highly fluorescent and photostable, making them excellent tools for imaging. When using these quantum dots in cells and animals, however, intracellular biothiols (such as glutathione and cysteine) can degrade the quantum dot monolayer, compromising function. Here, we describe a label-free method to quantify the intracellular stability of monolayers on quantum dot surfaces that couples laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Using this new approach we have demonstrated that quantum dot monolayer stability is correlated with both quantum dot particle size and monolayer structure, with appropriate choice of both particle size and ligand structure required for intracellular stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The radial symmetric motion problem was examined for a spherical shell composed of a class of imperfect incompressible hyper-elastic materials, in which the materials may be viewed as the homogeneous incompressible isotropic neo-Hookean material with radial perturbations. A second-order nonlinear ordinary differential equation that describes the radial motion of the inner surface of the shell was obtained. And the first integral of the equation was then carried out. Via analyzing the dynamical properties of the solution of the differential equation, the effects of the prescribed imperfection parameter of the material and the ratio of the inner and the outer radii of the underformed shell on the motion of the inner surface of the shell were discussed, and the corresponding numerical examples were carried out simultaneously. In particular, for some given parameters, it was proved that, there exists a positive critical value, and the motion of the inner surface with respect to time will present a nonlinear periodic oscillation as the difference between the inner and the outer presses does not exceed the critical value. However, as the difference exceeds the critical value, the motion of the inner surface with respect to time will increase infinitely. That is to say, the shell will be destroyed ultimately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The differential quadrature method (DQM) has been applied successfully to solve numerically many problems in the fluid mechanics. But it is only limited to the flow problems in regular regions. At the same time, here is no upwind mechanism to deal with the convective property of the fluid flow in traditional DQ method. A local differential quadrature method owning upwind mechanism (ULDQM) was given to solve the coupled problem of incompressible viscous flow and heat transfer in an irregular region. For the problem of flow past a contraction channel whose boundary does not parallel to coordinate direction, the satisfactory numerical solutions were obtained by using ULDQM with a few grid points. The numerical results show that the ULDQM possesses advantages including well convergence, less computational workload and storage as compared with the low-order finite difference method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many extracellular signals are transmitted to the interior of the cell by receptors with seven membrane-spanning helices that trigger their effects by means of heterotrimeric guanine-nucleotide-binding regulatory proteins (G proteins). These G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) control various physiological functions in evolution from pheromone-induced mating in yeast to cognition in humans. The potential role of the G-protein signalling system in the control of animal ageing has been highlighted by the genetic revelation that mutation of a GPCR encoded by methuselah extends the lifespan of adult Drosophila flies. How methuselah functions in controlling ageing is not clear. A first essential step towards the understanding of methuselah function is to determine the ligands of Methuselah. Here we report the identification and characterization of two endogenous peptide ligands of Methuselah, designated Stunted A and B. Flies with mutations in the gene encoding these ligands show an increase in lifespan and resistance to oxidative stress. We conclude that the Stunted-Methuselah system is involved in the control of animal ageing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new numerical method for the fractional integral that only stores part history data is presented, and its discretization error is estimated. The method can be used to solve the integro-differential equation including fractional integral or fractional derivative in a long history. The difficulty of storing all history data is overcome and the error can be controlled. As application, motion equations governing the dynamical behavior of a viscoelastic Timoshenko beam with fractional derivative constitutive relation are given. The dynamical response of the beam subjected to a periodic excitation is studied by using the separation variables method. Then the new numerical method is used to solve a class of weakly singular Volterra integro-differential equations which are applied to describe the dynamical behavior of viscoelastic beams with fractional derivative constitutive relations. The analytical and unmerical results are compared. It is found that they are very close. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamic stability of simple supported viscoelastic column, subjected to a periodic axial force, is investigated. The viscoelastic material was assumed to obey the fractional derivative constitutive relation. The governing equation of motion was derived as a weakly singular Volterra integro-partial-differential equation, and it was simplified into a weakly singular Volterra integro-ordinary-differential equation by the Galerkin method. In terms of the averaging method, the dynamical stability was analyzed. A new numerical method is proposed to avoid storing all history data. Numerical examples are presented and the numerical results agree with the analytical ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Borderline personality disorder (BoPD or BPD) is highly prevalent and characterized by reactive moods, impulsivity, behavioral dysregulation, and distorted self-image. Yet the BoPD diagnosis is underutilized and patients with BoPD are frequently misdiagnosed resulting in lost opportunities for appropriate treatment. Automated screening of electronic health records (EHRs) is one potential strategy to help identify possible BoPD patients who are otherwise undiagnosed. We present the development and analytical validation of a BoPD screening algorithm based on routinely collected and structured EHRs. This algorithm integrates rule-based selection and machine learning (ML) in a two-step framework by first selecting potential patients based on the presence of comorbidities and characteristics commonly associated with BoPD, and then predicting whether the patients most likely have BoPD. Leveraging a large-scale US-based de-identified EHR database and our clinical expert's rating of two random samples of patient EHRs, results show that our screening algorithm has a high consistency with our clinical expert's ratings, with area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) 0.837 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.778–0.892], positive predictive value 0.717 (95% CI 0.583–0.836), accuracy 0.820 (95% CI 0.768–0.873), sensitivity 0.541 (95% CI 0.417–0.667) and specificity 0.922 (95% CI 0.880–0.960). Our aim is, to provide an additional resource to facilitate clinical decision making and promote the development of digital medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of carbon sphere supported with adjustable alkyl length substitutes polymeric ionic liquids bearing hydroxylamino-anchored functional groups by covalent connection were fabricated from copolymerization of carbon sphere with vinyl based monomeric ionic liquids, which were constructed from 1-glycidyl-3-vinylimidazolium bromide and alkyl amines. The carbon sphere hybrid polymeric ionic liquids were characterized by FT-IR, SEM–EDS, N2 adsorption/desorption isotherm, elemental analysis, 13C MAS NMR and XPS, which were candidated as heterogeneous catalysts for CO2-epoxide cycloaddition reactions to product cyclic carbonates at mild conditions without co-catalyst and metal ion. The introduced functional groups on carbon sphere could accelerate the reaction process and yields of above 90% were obtained for various cyclic carbonates under optimized conditions. Finally, kinetic experiments were also carried out to reveal reaction mechanism and the activated energy was determined as 114.9 kJ/mol. Therefore, this study provides a new approach to fabricate multifunctional heterogeneous materials for coupling reaction of CO2 under mild conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To explore the effectiveness of micturition interruption exercise in improving the incidence of urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy. Materials and methods: With a retrospective case–control study, 96 patients admitted in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University from August 2014 to August 2020 and underwent radical prostatectomy were collected as the subjects. Those patients who used micturition interruption exercise (n = 48) were set as the therapy group, and the control group was collected according to the ratio of 1:1; the patients used Kegel exercise (n = 48) to compare the rehabilitation of urinary incontinence in patients and the effect of training compliance on rehabilitation. Results: The recovery time of urinary incontinence in the therapy group was significantly shorter than that of the control group. In the therapy group, 83.3% of patients with training compliance reached an average or above, while the control group only accounted for 58.3%. International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Short-Form score of the therapy group was lower than that of the control group after surgery. Spearman analysis suggests that there is a negative correlation between the postoperative urinary incontinence recovery time and compliance with the micturition interruption exercise. Conclusions: Micturition interruption exercise could not only improve the compliance of patients with exercise, but also significantly shorten the recovery time of urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cu2Se has been considered as a promising thermoelectric material due to its unique structure and excellent performance. Herein, a series of Cu2-xNaxSe (x = 0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, and 0.04) polycrystalline samples were synthesized by combining hydrothermal synthesis and hot pressing to investigate the effects of Na-doping on the microstructure and thermoelectric properties of Cu2Se. Compared with the pristine Cu2Se, the Na-doping introduces numerous micro-pores that can optimize the thermal transport performance by strong phonon scattering effects of interfaces between the micro-pores and grains. The doped samples have excellent electrical properties and low thermal conductivity. The maximum value of ZT = 2.1 is obtained at 973 K for the Cu1.96Na0.04Se sample with nominal composition. The results confirm that introducing Na into Cu2Se is an effective and convenient strategy to improve the thermoelectric performance of the Cu2Se alloy by decreasing the lattice thermal conductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bi2Te3 and Lutetium-doped Lu0.1Bi1.9Te3 nanopowders were prepared by the hydrothermal method. Different amounts of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were dispersed into Lu0.1Bi1.9Te3 nanopowders and hot pressed into bulk samples with nominal chemical formula of Lu0.1Bi1.9Te3 + xwt% CNT (x = 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.5, 1) to assess the effects of lutetium doping and CNT dispersing on the thermoelectric properties. The electrical resistivity decreased because of the increase of the carrier concentration and carrier mobility at a low CNTs content. Herein, a small amount of CNTs were used as conducting filler to provide a free path of carriers which would lead to an increase of carrier mobility, though a large number of CNTs mainly played an energy-filtering effect. The thermal conductivity of Lu0.1Bi1.9Te3 + xwt% CNT nanocomposite showed an evident decrease, which resulted from the enhanced phonon scattering by the point defects caused by Lu doping and the interfaces between Lu0.1Bi1.9Te3 and CNTs. Due to the decrease in the electrical resistivity and thermal conductivity, the figure of merit (ZT) of Lu0.1Bi1.9Te3 + 0.05 wt% CNT nanocomposite was higher than that of Bi2Te3 and Lu0.1Bi1.9Te3 when the temperature was below 473 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-stoichiometric Cu2−xSe is considered as a potential “phonon liquid electronic crystal” thermoelectric material. Cu1.98Se has higher thermal conductivity than Cu2Se, but the power factor of Cu1.98Se is about twice that of Cu2Se. Its thermal conductivity could be further depressed by optimizing its thermal transport performance. In this work, lead-doped Cu1.98−xPbx/2Se (x = 0-0.03) nanopowders were synthesized using a hydrothermal method, and hot-pressed into bulk pellets to assess the effects of Pb doping on the thermoelectric properties of Cu1.98Se. The electrical resistivity and the Seebeck coefficients were increased by Pb doping. Ionization impurity scattering, together with decrease of hole concentration, appeared to decrease the electrical transport performance. The point defects and reduced carrier concentration together result in low thermal conductivity and lead to a high dimensionless figure of merit (ZT) value of 1.52 at 973 K for the nominal component Cu1.95Pb0.015Se sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Children with acute leukemia have suffered from a considerable symptom burden during chemotherapy. However, few studies have focused on exploring the mechanisms among symptoms in children with acute leukemia. Our study aims to explore core symptoms and describe the interrelationships among symptoms in children with acute leukemia during chemotherapy. Methods: From January 2021 to March 2023, 469 children with acute leukemia were recruited from 20 Chinese cities. The Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale 10–18 (MSAS 10–18) was used to evaluate the prevalence and severity of symptoms during chemotherapy. A network analysis was performed by the R software based on 31 symptoms. Centrality indices and density were used to explore core symptoms and describe interrelationships among symptoms in the network during chemotherapy. Results: Worrying and feeling irritable were the central symptoms across the three centrality indices, including strength, closeness, and betweenness. Lack of energy was the most prevalent symptom; however, it was less central than other symptoms. The density of the "induction and remission" network significantly differed from other cycles' counterparts (p < 0.001). Global strength was greater in the " ≥ 8 years group " network than the " < 8 years group " network (p = 0.023). Conclusion: Network analysis provides a novel approach to identifying the core symptoms and understanding the interrelationships among symptoms. Our study indicates the need to assess emotional symptoms in children with acute leukemia during chemotherapy, especially during the induction and remission phases, as well as in older children. Future research is imperative to construct trajectories of dynamic symptom networks and centrality indices in longitudinal data to investigate the causal relationships among symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the primary cause of death among pulmonary cancer patients. Upregulation of CD80 may interact with cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA4) to promote tumor progression and provide a potential target for biological antitumor therapy. However, the role of CD80 in LUAD is still unclear. To investigate the function of CD80 in LUAD, we collected transcriptomic data from 594 lung samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas of America (TCGA) database, along with the corresponding clinical information. We systematically explored the role of CD80 in LUAD using bioinformatics methods, including GO enrichment analysis, KEGG pathway analysis, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA), co-expression analysis, and the CIBERSORT algorithm. Finally, we investigated the differences between the two subgroups of CD80 expression in terms of some drug sensitivity, using the pRRophetic package to screen small molecular drugs for therapeutic use. A predictive model based on CD80 for LUAD patients was successfully constructed. In addition, we discovered that the CD80-based prediction model was an independent prognostic factor. Co-expression analysis revealed 10 CD80-related genes, including oncogenes and immune-related genes. Functional analysis showed that the differentially expressed genes in patients with high CD80 expression were mainly located in immune-related signaling pathways. CD80 expression was also associated with immune cell infiltration and immune checkpoints. Highly expressing patients were more sensitive to several drugs, such as rapamycin, paclitaxel, crizotinib, and bortezomib. Finally, we found evidence that 15 different small molecular drugs may benefit the treatment of LUAD patients. This study found that elevated CD80 pairs could improve the prognosis of LUAD patients. CD80 is likely to be a potential as a prognostic and therapeutic target. The future use of small molecular drugs in combination with immune checkpoint blockade to enhance antitumor therapy and improve prognosis for LUAD patients is promising. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of hyperelastic deformations of bi-conformal energy is developed as an extension of quasiconformality. These deformations are homeomorphisms h : X → onto Y between domains X , Y ⊂ R n of the Sobolev class W loc 1 , n (X , Y) whose inverse f = = def h - 1 : Y → onto X also belongs to W loc 1 , n (Y , X) . Thus the paper opens new topics in Geometric Function Theory (GFT) with connections to mathematical models of Nonlinear Elasticity (NE). In seeking differences and similarities with quasiconformal mappings we examine closely the modulus of continuity of deformations of bi-conformal energy. This leads us to a new characterization of quasiconformality. Specifically, it is observed that quasiconformal mappings behave locally at every point like radial stretchings; if a quasiconformal map h admits a function ϕ as its optimal modulus of continuity at a point x ∘ , then f = h - 1 admits the inverse function ψ = ϕ - 1 as its modulus of continuity at y ∘ = h (x ∘) . That is to say, a poor (possibly harmful) continuity of h at a given point x ∘ is always compensated by a better continuity of f at y ∘ , and vice versa. Such a gain/loss property, seemingly overlooked by many authors, is actually characteristic of quasiconformal mappings. It turns out that the elastic deformations of bi-conformal energy are very different in this respect. Unexpectedly, such a map may have the same optimal modulus of continuity as its inverse deformation. In line with Hooke's Law, when trying to restore the original shape of the body (by the inverse transformation), the modulus of continuity may neither be improved nor become worse. However, examples to confirm this phenomenon are far from being obvious; indeed, elaborate computations are on the way. We eventually hope that our examples will gain an interest in the materials science, particularly in mathematical models of hyperelasticity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current mobile information technologies fundamentally influence evidence dissemination from the perspective of both evidence seekers and evidence providers. However, there is no related study which tried using a mobile-based platform to disseminate evidence in China. The main object of this study is to develop a mobile-based evidence resource platform and to evaluate its effects of improving nurses’ access to evidence-based practice resources and meeting users’ demands. The mobile-based evidence resource platform was developed in 2014. A cross-sectional study was conducted over a period of 2 months between December 2015 and January 2016 to evaluate user experiences of and preferences regarding the platform. Descriptive analysis was adopted to analyze information and its communication effects from December 2014 to March 2017. A total of 472 participants met the inclusion criteria and responded to the survey. High scores were received for the overall rating (4.34 ± 0.67), evidence section (4.30 ± 0.63), learning materials section (4.26 ± 0.65), news section (4.27 ± 0.66), readability (4.38 ± 0.63), design and structure (4.38 ± 0.63), and interactivity (3.58 ± 0.84). As of March 31, 2017, the total number of followers was 28,954. The total number of readings was 584,834. The most current WCI value was 388.72. Our study demonstrated that the mobile-based platform for evidence transfer can promote the accessibility of evidence and meet users’ demands. This mobile-based platform is currently available in the WeChat application environment. It will be a wise option for healthcare professionals for the purposes of learning about EBP and disseminating evidence in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accumulating evidence indicates that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are abnormal expression in various malignant tumors. Our previous research demonstrated that focally amplified long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) on chromosome 1 (FALEC) is an oncogenic lncRNA in prostate cancer (PCa). However, the role of FALEC in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) is poorly understood. In this study, we showed FALEC was upregulated in post-castration tissues and CRPC cells, and increased FALEC expression was associated with poor survival in post-castration PCa patients. RNA FISH demonstrated FALEC was translocated into nucleus in CRPC cells. RNA pulldown and followed Mass Spectrometry (MS) assay demonstrated FALEC directly interacted with PARP1 and loss of function assay showed FALEC depletion sensitized CRPC cells to castration treatment and restored NAD+. Specific PARP1 inhibitor AG14361 and NAD+ endogenous competitor NADP+ sensitized FALEC-deleted CRPC cells to castration treatment. FALEC increasing PARP1 meditated self PARylation through recruiting ART5 and down regulation of ART5 decreased CRPC cell viability and restored NAD+ through inhibiting PARP1meditated self PARylation in vitro. Furthermore, ART5 was indispensable for FALEC directly interaction and regulation of PARP1, loss of ART5 impaired FALEC and PARP1 associated self PARylation. In vivo, FALEC depleted combined with PARP1 inhibitor decreased CRPC cell derived tumor growth and metastasis in a model of castration treatment NOD/SCID mice. Together, these results established that FALEC may be a novel diagnostic marker for PCa progression and provides a potential new therapeutic strategy to target the FALEC/ART5/PARP1 complex in CRPC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The correlation of pre-eclampsia (PE) and intestinal microbiome has been widely demonstrated in existing research, whereas their causal relationship has been rarely explored. The causal relationship between intestinal microbiome and PE risk was examined using large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS) summary statistics. To be specific, the causal microbial taxa for PE were identified using the two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) method. The results were verified to be robust through comprehensive sensitive analyses, and the independence of causal relationship was ensured through novel multivariable MR analyses. The possibility of reverse relationships was ruled out through reverse-direction MR analyses. Lastly, the biofunction was explored through enrichment analysis, and a series of validations of PE results in a second GWAS were performed to confirm the results. After correction, four microbial taxa, including Streptococcus genus for PE (FDR q = 0.085), Olsenella genus for PE (FDR q = 0.085), Enterobacteriales order for PE (FDR q = 0.0134), and Akkermansia genus for PE (FDR q = 0.015), had a causal relationship to diverse joint PE (FDR q < 0.15). Moreover, when three different methods were employed on basis of the nominal significance (P < 0.05), five suggestive microbial taxa took on significance. The effect of heterogeneity and horizontal pleiotropy was excluded through sensitive analysis, and the possibility of horizontal pleiotropy of BMI was ruled out through multivariable MR analysis. The protective mechanism of the identified taxa against PE was illustrated through GO enrichment analysis and KEGG pathways. A number of microbial taxa had a causal relationship to PE. The result of this study provides more insights into intestinal microbiome in the pathology of PE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prognosis of advanced gastric cancer (GC) invading the gastric serosa remains poor, mainly owing to high incidence of peritoneal recurrence. Patients with peritoneal metastases are often treated with neoadjuvant intraperitoneal and systemic chemotherapies (NIPS). Good responders to NIPS often undergo conversion gastrectomy. This study aims to explore biomarkers predicting the occurrence of peritoneal metastasis (PM) and evaluating the efficacy of NIPS in GC patients. Methods: We collected six peritoneal lavage (PL) samples from two patients with PM, two without PM, and two with diminished PM after NIPS via intraperitoneal access ports. We equally isolated microRNAs from exosomes derived from PL samples for deep sequencing. Two microRNAs (hsa-let-7g-3p and hsa-miR-10395-3p) were identified, and their expression levels were examined in PL samples of 99 GC patients using qRT-PCR. Moreover, we performed in vivo and in vitro functional assays to investigate effects of these microRNAs on metastasis and chemoresistance of GC cells. Results: Exosomal microRNA expression profiling of six PL samples indicated that the microRNA signature in exosomes of PLs from patients with diminished PM was similar to that from patients without PM. Expression levels of hsa-let-7g-3p and hsa-miR-10395-3p were associated with PM. In vivo and in vitro functional assays confirmed that hsa-let-7g-3p and hsa-miR-10395-3p are involved in GC metastasis and chemoresistance. Conclusion: PL-derived exosomes in GC contain large amounts of microRNAs related to PM. Moreover, hsa-let-7g-3p and hsa-miR-10395-3p could be used as biomarkers predicting PM and NIPS efficacy and are involved in GC metastasis and chemoresistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metabolomics quantitatively measures metabolites in a given biological system and facilitates the understanding of physiological and pathological activities. With the recent advancement of mass spectrometry (MS) technology, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) with data-independent acquisition (DIA) has been emerged as a powerful technology for untargeted metabolomics due to its capability to acquire all MS2 spectra and high quantitative accuracy. In this trend article, we first introduced the basic principles of several common DIA techniques including MSE, all ion fragmentation (AIF), SWATH, and MSX. Then, we summarized and compared the data analysis strategies to process DIA-based untargeted metabolomics data, including metabolite identification and quantification. We think the advantages of the DIA technique will enable its broad application in untargeted metabolomics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess the role of time-intensity curves (TICs) of the normal peripheral zone (PZ) in the identification of biopsy-proven prostate nodules using contrast-enhanced transrectal ultrasound (CETRUS). This study included 132 patients with 134 prostate PZ nodules. Arrival time (AT), peak intensity (PI), mean transit time (MTT), area under the curve (AUC), time from peak to one half (TPH), wash in slope (WIS) and time to peak (TTP) were analyzed using multivariate linear logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves to assess whether combining nodule TICs with normal PZ TICs improved the prediction of prostate cancer (PCa) aggressiveness. The PI, AUC (p < 0.001 for both), MTT and TPH (p = 0.011 and 0.040 respectively) values of the malignant nodules were significantly higher than those of the benign nodules. Incorporating the PI and AUC values (both, p < 0.001) of the normal PZ TIC, but not the MTT and TPH values (p = 0.076 and 0.159 respectively), significantly improved the AUC for prediction of malignancy (PI: 0.784-0.923; AUC: 0.758-0.891) and assessment of cancer aggressiveness (p < 0.001). Thus, all these findings indicate that incorporating normal PZ TICs with nodule TICs in CETRUS readings can improve the diagnostic accuracy for PCa and cancer aggressiveness assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of this study was to synthesize qualitative research regarding communication of costs and financial burdens between patients and healthcare providers to provide evidence for the subsequent development of intervention programs. Methods: Studies published prior to 11 February 2023 were collected from electronic databases, including PubMed/MEDLINE, MEDLINE (Ovid), Web of Science, EMBASE (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCO), and ProQuest. A checklist for qualitative research drawn from the Joanna Briggs Institute Reviewer’s Manual was applied to assess the quality of the included studies. Meta-aggregation was performed to synthesize the findings of the included studies. Results: Four synthesized findings were derived from 15 studies: cost communication offered more benefits than drawbacks, and most patients were willing to engage in cost communication; cost communication has been implemented in clinical practice but continued to face shortcomings and barriers; an expected cost communication should take into account timing, location, personnel, personality, and content; healthcare providers required education, information, tools, standardized processes, and policy and organizational support to increase their ability to deliver cost communication. Conclusions: Cost communication can help optimize decision-making and reduce the risk of financial difficulties, as has been widely recognized by patients and healthcare providers. However, a complete clinical practice plan to facilitate cost communication has not yet been created. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To develop and validate a radiomics-based model for predicting radiation-induced temporal lobe injury (RTLI) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) by pretreatment MRI of the temporal lobe. Methods: A total of 216 patients with diagnosed NPC were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were randomly allocated to the training (n = 136) and the validation cohort (n = 80). Radiomics features were extracted from pretreatment contrast-enhanced T1- or fat-suppressed T2 weighted MRI. A radiomics signature was generated by the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression algorithm, Pearson correlation analysis, and univariable logistic analysis. Clinical features were selected with logistic regression analysis. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to develop three models for RTLI prediction in the training cohort: namely radiomics signature, clinical variables, and clinical-radiomics parameters. A radiomics nomogram was used and assessed with respect to calibration, discrimination, reclassification, and clinical application. Results: The radiomics signature, composed of two radiomics features, was significantly associated with RTLI. The proposed radiomics model demonstrated favorable discrimination in both the training (AUC, 0.89) and the validation cohort (AUC, 0.92), outperforming the clinical prediction model (p < 0.05). Combining radiomics and clinical features, higher AUCs were achieved (AUC, 0.93 and 0.95), as well as a better calibration and improved accuracy of the prediction of RTLI. The clinical-radiomics model showed also excellent performance in predicting RTLI in different clinical-pathologic subgroups. Conclusion: A radiomics model derived from pretreatment MRI of the temporal lobe showed persuasive performance for predicting radiation-induced temporal lobe injury in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Key Points: • Radiomics features from pretreatment MRI are associated with radiation-induced temporal lobe injury in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. • The radiomics model shows better predictive performance than a clinical model and was similar to a clinical-radiomics model. • A clinical-radiomics model shows excellent performance in the prediction of radiation-induced temporal lobe injury in different clinical-pathologic subgroups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In aquatic toxicity tests, responses of interest from organisms exposed to varying concentration levels of the toxicant or other adverse treatment are recorded. These responses are modeled as functions of the concentration and the concentration associated with specified levels of estimated adverse effect are used in risk management. While aquatic toxicity analyses often focus on outcomes from a single experiment, laboratories commonly have a history of conducting such experiments using the same species, following a similar experimental protocol. So it is often reasonable to believe that the same underlying biological process generates the historical and current experiments. This connection may facilitate the design of more efficient experiments. In the present study, we propose a simulation-based Bayesian sample size determination approach using historical control outcomes as prior input and illustrate it using a C. dubia reproduction experiment with count outcomes. Simulation results show that precision of the potency estimates is improved via incorporation of historical data. For a standard EPA required test of 60 total organisms, when a single historical control study is incorporated assuming moderate relevance, the mean length (AL) of the 95 % interval of RI 25 (the concentration associated with 25 % inhibition relative to control) is reduced by 17 % . So more precision is possible from the historical control data or a reduction of 40 % of the 60 organism would result in the same precision for a pre-specified AL criterion. The incorporation of multiple historical controls assuming moderate relevance would reduce AL by 37 % , translating into a reduction of 70 % of the current default sample size. Supplementary materials accompanying this paper appear online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To compare the diagnostic accuracy of 3D contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS)/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging with 2D-CEUS in assessing the response of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) to locoregional therapies in a multicenter prospective study.A consecutive series of patients with HCC scheduled for locoregional treatment were enrolled between April 2021 and March 2023. Patients were randomly divided into 3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging group (3D/fusion group) or 2D-CEUS group (2D group). CEUS was performed 1 week before and 4–6 weeks after locoregional treatment. Contrast-enhanced MRI (CE-MRI) 4–6 weeks after treatment was set as the reference standard. CEUS images were evaluated for the presence or absence of viable tumors. Diagnostic performance criteria, including sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and area under the curve (AUC), were determined for each modality.A total of 140 patients were included, 70 patients in the 2D group (mean age, 60.2 ± 10.4 years) and 70 patients in the 3D/fusion group (mean age, 59.8 ± 10.6 years). The sensitivity of the 3D/fusion group was 100.0% (95% CI: 75.9, 100.0), higher than that of the 2D group (55.6%, 95% CI: 22.7, 84.7; p = 0.019). The specificity of the 3D/fusion group was 96.3% (95% CI: 86.2, 99.4), which was comparable to that of the 2D group (98.4%, 95% CI: 90.0, 99.9; p = 0.915). The AUC of the 3D/fusion group was 0.98 (95% CI: 0.95, 1.00), higher than that of the 2D group (0.77, 95% CI: 0.56, 0.98; p = 0.020).3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging exhibits superior diagnostic accuracy in evaluating the treatment response to locoregional therapies for HCC.3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging can be applied for post-treatment assessment of residual tumors in HCC undergoing locoregional treatment, offering potential benefits in terms of accurate diagnosis and clinical management.Evaluating for HCC recurrence following locoregional therapy is important.3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging achieved a higher sensitivity than 2D-CEUS in assessing residual tumors after locoregional therapies.3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging can help clinicians intervene early in residual HCC lesions after locoregional treatment.Evaluating for HCC recurrence following locoregional therapy is important.3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging achieved a higher sensitivity than 2D-CEUS in assessing residual tumors after locoregional therapies.3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging can help clinicians intervene early in residual HCC lesions after locoregional treatment.Materials and methods: To compare the diagnostic accuracy of 3D contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS)/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging with 2D-CEUS in assessing the response of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) to locoregional therapies in a multicenter prospective study.A consecutive series of patients with HCC scheduled for locoregional treatment were enrolled between April 2021 and March 2023. Patients were randomly divided into 3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging group (3D/fusion group) or 2D-CEUS group (2D group). CEUS was performed 1 week before and 4–6 weeks after locoregional treatment. Contrast-enhanced MRI (CE-MRI) 4–6 weeks after treatment was set as the reference standard. CEUS images were evaluated for the presence or absence of viable tumors. Diagnostic performance criteria, including sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and area under the curve (AUC), were determined for each modality.A total of 140 patients were included, 70 patients in the 2D group (mean age, 60.2 ± 10.4 years) and 70 patients in the 3D/fusion group (mean age, 59.8 ± 10.6 years). The sensitivity of the 3D/fusion group was 100.0% (95% CI: 75.9, 100.0), higher than that of the 2D group (55.6%, 95% CI: 22.7, 84.7; p = 0.019). The specificity of the 3D/fusion group was 96.3% (95% CI: 86.2, 99.4), which was comparable to that of the 2D group (98.4%, 95% CI: 90.0, 99.9; p = 0.915). The AUC of the 3D/fusion group was 0.98 (95% CI: 0.95, 1.00), higher than that of the 2D group (0.77, 95% CI: 0.56, 0.98; p = 0.020).3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging exhibits superior diagnostic accuracy in evaluating the treatment response to locoregional therapies for HCC.3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging can be applied for post-treatment assessment of residual tumors in HCC undergoing locoregional treatment, offering potential benefits in terms of accurate diagnosis and clinical management.Evaluating for HCC recurrence following locoregional therapy is important.3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging achieved a higher sensitivity than 2D-CEUS in assessing residual tumors after locoregional therapies.3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging can help clinicians intervene early in residual HCC lesions after locoregional treatment.Evaluating for HCC recurrence following locoregional therapy is important.3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging achieved a higher sensitivity than 2D-CEUS in assessing residual tumors after locoregional therapies.3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging can help clinicians intervene early in residual HCC lesions after locoregional treatment.Results: To compare the diagnostic accuracy of 3D contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS)/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging with 2D-CEUS in assessing the response of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) to locoregional therapies in a multicenter prospective study.A consecutive series of patients with HCC scheduled for locoregional treatment were enrolled between April 2021 and March 2023. Patients were randomly divided into 3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging group (3D/fusion group) or 2D-CEUS group (2D group). CEUS was performed 1 week before and 4–6 weeks after locoregional treatment. Contrast-enhanced MRI (CE-MRI) 4–6 weeks after treatment was set as the reference standard. CEUS images were evaluated for the presence or absence of viable tumors. Diagnostic performance criteria, including sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and area under the curve (AUC), were determined for each modality.A total of 140 patients were included, 70 patients in the 2D group (mean age, 60.2 ± 10.4 years) and 70 patients in the 3D/fusion group (mean age, 59.8 ± 10.6 years). The sensitivity of the 3D/fusion group was 100.0% (95% CI: 75.9, 100.0), higher than that of the 2D group (55.6%, 95% CI: 22.7, 84.7; p = 0.019). The specificity of the 3D/fusion group was 96.3% (95% CI: 86.2, 99.4), which was comparable to that of the 2D group (98.4%, 95% CI: 90.0, 99.9; p = 0.915). The AUC of the 3D/fusion group was 0.98 (95% CI: 0.95, 1.00), higher than that of the 2D group (0.77, 95% CI: 0.56, 0.98; p = 0.020).3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging exhibits superior diagnostic accuracy in evaluating the treatment response to locoregional therapies for HCC.3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging can be applied for post-treatment assessment of residual tumors in HCC undergoing locoregional treatment, offering potential benefits in terms of accurate diagnosis and clinical management.Evaluating for HCC recurrence following locoregional therapy is important.3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging achieved a higher sensitivity than 2D-CEUS in assessing residual tumors after locoregional therapies.3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging can help clinicians intervene early in residual HCC lesions after locoregional treatment.Evaluating for HCC recurrence following locoregional therapy is important.3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging achieved a higher sensitivity than 2D-CEUS in assessing residual tumors after locoregional therapies.3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging can help clinicians intervene early in residual HCC lesions after locoregional treatment.Conclusion: To compare the diagnostic accuracy of 3D contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS)/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging with 2D-CEUS in assessing the response of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) to locoregional therapies in a multicenter prospective study.A consecutive series of patients with HCC scheduled for locoregional treatment were enrolled between April 2021 and March 2023. Patients were randomly divided into 3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging group (3D/fusion group) or 2D-CEUS group (2D group). CEUS was performed 1 week before and 4–6 weeks after locoregional treatment. Contrast-enhanced MRI (CE-MRI) 4–6 weeks after treatment was set as the reference standard. CEUS images were evaluated for the presence or absence of viable tumors. Diagnostic performance criteria, including sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and area under the curve (AUC), were determined for each modality.A total of 140 patients were included, 70 patients in the 2D group (mean age, 60.2 ± 10.4 years) and 70 patients in the 3D/fusion group (mean age, 59.8 ± 10.6 years). The sensitivity of the 3D/fusion group was 100.0% (95% CI: 75.9, 100.0), higher than that of the 2D group (55.6%, 95% CI: 22.7, 84.7; p = 0.019). The specificity of the 3D/fusion group was 96.3% (95% CI: 86.2, 99.4), which was comparable to that of the 2D group (98.4%, 95% CI: 90.0, 99.9; p = 0.915). The AUC of the 3D/fusion group was 0.98 (95% CI: 0.95, 1.00), higher than that of the 2D group (0.77, 95% CI: 0.56, 0.98; p = 0.020).3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging exhibits superior diagnostic accuracy in evaluating the treatment response to locoregional therapies for HCC.3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging can be applied for post-treatment assessment of residual tumors in HCC undergoing locoregional treatment, offering potential benefits in terms of accurate diagnosis and clinical management.Evaluating for HCC recurrence following locoregional therapy is important.3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging achieved a higher sensitivity than 2D-CEUS in assessing residual tumors after locoregional therapies.3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging can help clinicians intervene early in residual HCC lesions after locoregional treatment.Evaluating for HCC recurrence following locoregional therapy is important.3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging achieved a higher sensitivity than 2D-CEUS in assessing residual tumors after locoregional therapies.3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging can help clinicians intervene early in residual HCC lesions after locoregional treatment.Clinical relevance statement: To compare the diagnostic accuracy of 3D contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS)/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging with 2D-CEUS in assessing the response of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) to locoregional therapies in a multicenter prospective study.A consecutive series of patients with HCC scheduled for locoregional treatment were enrolled between April 2021 and March 2023. Patients were randomly divided into 3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging group (3D/fusion group) or 2D-CEUS group (2D group). CEUS was performed 1 week before and 4–6 weeks after locoregional treatment. Contrast-enhanced MRI (CE-MRI) 4–6 weeks after treatment was set as the reference standard. CEUS images were evaluated for the presence or absence of viable tumors. Diagnostic performance criteria, including sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and area under the curve (AUC), were determined for each modality.A total of 140 patients were included, 70 patients in the 2D group (mean age, 60.2 ± 10.4 years) and 70 patients in the 3D/fusion group (mean age, 59.8 ± 10.6 years). The sensitivity of the 3D/fusion group was 100.0% (95% CI: 75.9, 100.0), higher than that of the 2D group (55.6%, 95% CI: 22.7, 84.7; p = 0.019). The specificity of the 3D/fusion group was 96.3% (95% CI: 86.2, 99.4), which was comparable to that of the 2D group (98.4%, 95% CI: 90.0, 99.9; p = 0.915). The AUC of the 3D/fusion group was 0.98 (95% CI: 0.95, 1.00), higher than that of the 2D group (0.77, 95% CI: 0.56, 0.98; p = 0.020).3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging exhibits superior diagnostic accuracy in evaluating the treatment response to locoregional therapies for HCC.3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging can be applied for post-treatment assessment of residual tumors in HCC undergoing locoregional treatment, offering potential benefits in terms of accurate diagnosis and clinical management.Evaluating for HCC recurrence following locoregional therapy is important.3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging achieved a higher sensitivity than 2D-CEUS in assessing residual tumors after locoregional therapies.3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging can help clinicians intervene early in residual HCC lesions after locoregional treatment.Evaluating for HCC recurrence following locoregional therapy is important.3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging achieved a higher sensitivity than 2D-CEUS in assessing residual tumors after locoregional therapies.3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging can help clinicians intervene early in residual HCC lesions after locoregional treatment.Key Points: To compare the diagnostic accuracy of 3D contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS)/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging with 2D-CEUS in assessing the response of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) to locoregional therapies in a multicenter prospective study.A consecutive series of patients with HCC scheduled for locoregional treatment were enrolled between April 2021 and March 2023. Patients were randomly divided into 3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging group (3D/fusion group) or 2D-CEUS group (2D group). CEUS was performed 1 week before and 4–6 weeks after locoregional treatment. Contrast-enhanced MRI (CE-MRI) 4–6 weeks after treatment was set as the reference standard. CEUS images were evaluated for the presence or absence of viable tumors. Diagnostic performance criteria, including sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and area under the curve (AUC), were determined for each modality.A total of 140 patients were included, 70 patients in the 2D group (mean age, 60.2 ± 10.4 years) and 70 patients in the 3D/fusion group (mean age, 59.8 ± 10.6 years). The sensitivity of the 3D/fusion group was 100.0% (95% CI: 75.9, 100.0), higher than that of the 2D group (55.6%, 95% CI: 22.7, 84.7; p = 0.019). The specificity of the 3D/fusion group was 96.3% (95% CI: 86.2, 99.4), which was comparable to that of the 2D group (98.4%, 95% CI: 90.0, 99.9; p = 0.915). The AUC of the 3D/fusion group was 0.98 (95% CI: 0.95, 1.00), higher than that of the 2D group (0.77, 95% CI: 0.56, 0.98; p = 0.020).3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging exhibits superior diagnostic accuracy in evaluating the treatment response to locoregional therapies for HCC.3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging can be applied for post-treatment assessment of residual tumors in HCC undergoing locoregional treatment, offering potential benefits in terms of accurate diagnosis and clinical management.Evaluating for HCC recurrence following locoregional therapy is important.3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging achieved a higher sensitivity than 2D-CEUS in assessing residual tumors after locoregional therapies.3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging can help clinicians intervene early in residual HCC lesions after locoregional treatment.Evaluating for HCC recurrence following locoregional therapy is important.3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging achieved a higher sensitivity than 2D-CEUS in assessing residual tumors after locoregional therapies.3D-CEUS/MRI–CEUS fusion imaging can help clinicians intervene early in residual HCC lesions after locoregional treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Obesity has been proposed to promote the progression of diabetic retinopathy (DR), but previous studies have not shown consistent results. We aimed to explore the association between generalized and abdominal obesity and DR risk, and to assess the joint effect of these two different types of obesity on DR development. Methods: A nested case–control study within a large prospective study on type 2 diabetes was conducted in communities in Huai'an City, Jiangsu Province, China. Cases were individuals who had diagnoses of DR during the 6-year follow-up. A total number of 1544 DR cases and 1:1 matched controls were included. Binomial and multinomial logistic regression models were used to investigate the effects of obesity on DR occurrence and DR severity. Results: Compared with individuals in the first tertile of the baseline waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), subjects in the third tertile at baseline had significantly higher risk of DR (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.17–1.78) during the follow-up period. Conversely, body mass index (BMI) (continuous) had an adjusted OR of 0.97 (95% CI 0.95–0.99) of developing DR. Individuals with low BMI and high WHR levels were identified as a high-risk population with a higher likelihood of developing DR (OR 1.65, 95% CI 1.17–2.33) than those in the lowest BMI category and simultaneously in the first WHR tertile. Conclusions: Type 2 diabetic individuals with low BMI levels and high WHR levels had a significantly increased risk of developing DR which indicated that isolated abdominal obesity might be involved in the pathogenesis of DR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]