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Background Methods Results Conclusion The existing literature regarding the treatment strategy for high‐power short‐duration (HPSD) ablation in patients diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (AF) is currently insufficient. The objective of this study is to perform a comparative analysis evaluating the effectiveness, safety, and procedural efficiency of HPSD versus cryoballoon ablation (CBA) for AF.A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases to identify trials comparing HPSD with CBA for AF from their inception until December 25, 2023. Treatment effect measures were expressed as odds ratio (OR), mean difference (MD), accompanied by a 95% confidence interval (CI).The analysis comprised six eligible trials involving a total enrollment of 2481 patients. No statistically significant disparities were observed in recurrent atrial arrhythmia (OR 0.90; 95% CI, 0.71–1.16) or total complications (OR 0.65; 95% CI, 0.38–1.12) between the two ablation techniques examined in this study. However, HPSD technique exhibited a significantly prolonged procedure time (MD 27.42; 95% CI, 19.03 to 35.81). Conversely, no significant differences were observed between the two modalities in terms of total fluoroscopy duration (MD −4.37; 95% CI −10.70 to 1.96) and ablation time (MD 7.95; 95% CI −3.97 to 19.88). Furthermore, HPSD demonstrated significantly higher odds of extrapulmonary vein (PV) trigger ablation compared to CBA (OR 18.86; 95% CI, 5.12–69.49). The subgroup analyses revealed that CBA continued to exhibit superior procedure time (except for the paroxysmal AF subgroup: [MD 29.52; 95% CI −4.25 to 63.60]), while no significant differences in safety and efficacy (except for the HPSD ≥ 70 W subgroup: [OR 0.44, 95% CI 0.20–0.97]) outcomes were still observed.Among patients undergoing ablation therapy for AF, both HPSD and CBA demonstrate comparable efficacy and safety profiles; however, HPSD is associated with longer procedural time and higher rates of extra‐PV trigger ablation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pivotal problem in reliability analysis is how to use as few actual assessments as possible to obtain an accurate failure probability. Although adaptive Kriging provides a viable method to address this problem, unsatisfied Kriging surrogate accuracy and reliability modeling samples often lead to an unacceptable computing burden. In this paper, an adaptive optimized Kriging combining efficient sampling (AOK‐ES) is proposed: first, to enhance the Kriging approximation ability, a high‐fidelity optimized Kriging model (OKM) is established; further, to ensure the samples quality of OKM modeling and reliability calculation, an improved Latin hypercube sampling method and an optimized importance sampling approach are developed correspondingly. Six different types of case studies demonstrate the superiority of the proposed AOK‐ES. The analysis results demonstrate that the proposed AOK‐ES holds the potential to reduce computing cost while ensuring accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This study investigates the potential utility of IKZF1 deletion as an additional high‐risk marker for paediatric acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). The prognostic impact of IKZF1 status, in conjunction with minimal/measurable residual disease (MRD), was evaluated within the MRD‐guided TPOG‐ALL‐2013 protocol using 412 newly diagnosed B‐ALL patients aged 1–18. IKZF1 status was determined using multiplex ligation‐dependent probe amplification. IKZF1 deletions, when co‐occurring with CDKN2A, CDKN2B, PAX5 or PAR1 region deletions in the absence of ERG deletions, were termed IKZF1plus. Both IKZF1 deletion (14.6%) and IKZF1plus (7.8%) independently predicted poorer outcomes in B‐ALL. IKZF1plus was observed in 4.1% of Philadelphia‐negative ALL, with a significantly lower 5‐year event‐free survival (53.9%) compared to IKZF1 deletion alone (83.8%) and wild‐type IKZF1 (91.3%) (p < 0.0001). Among patients with Day 15 MRD ≥0.01%, provisional high‐risk patients with IKZF1plus exhibited the worst outcomes in event‐free survival (42.0%), relapse‐free survival (48.0%) and overall survival (72.7%) compared to other groups (p < 0.0001). Integration of IKZF1plus and positive Day 15 MRD identified a subgroup of Philadelphia‐negative B‐ALL with a 50% risk of relapse. This study highlights the importance of assessing IKZF1plus alongside Day 15 MRD positivity to identify patients at increased risk of adverse outcomes, potentially minimizing overtreatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon‐based nanoparticles are widely regarded as promising nanofillers in nanocomposites to pursue advanced properties. To date, there has been a lack of systematic investigation into the structural variations of nanofillers and their influences on dispersion characteristics, as well as the resulting mechanical properties of nanocomposites. In this study, nanodiamond (ND), carbon nanotube (CNT), and graphene (GNP) were selected as the representative zero‐, one‐, and two‐dimensional nanofillers, respectively. A novel functionalization technique utilizing carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) was employed to disperse nanofillers. The various characterization techniques and experimental results revealed that CMC functionalization was effective in reducing the agglomeration and improving the distribution uniformity of all three nanofillers. Among the three nanofillers, zero‐dimensional ND exhibited the most homogeneous dispersion quality in epoxy nanocomposites. The strongest abrasion resistance was found in ND‐reinforced epoxy nanocomposites, while CNT‐reinforced epoxy nanocomposites exhibited the best tensile properties. Highlights: Nanodiamond with a spherical structure had better dispersion characteristics.Cylindrical carbon nanotube and planar graphene tended to agglomerate.Nanodiamond reinforced nanocomposites had better abrasion resistance.Carbon nanotube reinforced nanocomposites had better tensile properties.Carboxymethyl cellulose functionalization was valid for all three nanofillers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photonic neural networks (PNNs) show tremendous potential for artificial intelligence applications due to their higher computational rates than their traditional electronic counterpart. However, the scale‐up of PNN relies on the number of cascaded computing units, which is limited by the accumulated transmission attenuation. Here, a topology of PNN with Mach–Zehnder interferometers based on a single‐tuned phase shifter that implements arbitrary nonnegative or real‐valued matrices for vector‐matrix multiplication is proposed. Compared with the universal matrix mesh, the new configuration exhibits two orders of magnitude lower optical path loss and a twofold reduction in the number of the tunable phase shifter. An 8 × 8 reconfigurable chip is designed and fabricated, and it is experimentally verified that the 2 × 4 nonnegative‐valued matrix and the 2 × 2 real‐valued matrix are implemented in the proposed topology. Higher than 85% inference accuracies are obtained in the Modified National Institute of Standards and Technology handwritten digit recognition tasks with these matrices in the PNNs. Therefore, with much lower optical path loss and comparable computing accuracy, the proposed PNN configuration can be easily scaled up to tackle higher dimensional matrix multiplication, which is highly desired in tasks like voice and image recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) are heterogeneous and complex malignancies. The present study aimed to explore potential molecular classifications and establish promising prognostic candidate biomarkers for human papillomavirus (HPV)‐negative HNSCC. Methods: We performed unsupervised clustering in HPV‐negative patients from the TCGA‐HNSCC database and identified molecular subclusters based on HNSCC prognosis. Weighted gene co‐expression network analysis was used to identify cluster‐related gene modules and identify reliable candidate genes. Biomarker signature was established from these candidate genes via 10‐fold cross validation in a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox regression model and validated in The Cancer Genome Atlas Program (TCGA) cohort and four external Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) validation cohorts. Results: We identified three molecular subclusters (C1–C3), and tumour microenvironment and survival evaluation results showed that C3 had high immune cell infiltration and better prognosis. However, C1 and C2 had low immune cell infiltration, and C1 had a worse survival outcome. A 20‐gene signature was established from the input candidate genes via 10‐fold cross validation in the LASSO Cox regression model. The signature was first validated in a training cohort, followed by a testing cohort and the entire cohort. A total of 347 patients from four external GEO validation cohorts indicated great performance of the signature in predicting outcomes. Conclusion: Compared with HPV‐positive patients, those with HPV‐negative HNSCC had an immunosuppressed tumour microenvironment. The 20‐gene signature was developed based on the characteristic unsupervised clustering molecular subclusters to predict survival outcomes in patients with HPV‐negative HNSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a trinuclear iron(III) cyanido‐bridged complex trans‐[CpMe3FeIII(dppe)(CN)]2[FeIII(LN4)][PF6]4 (2[PF6]4) as the oxidation product of binuclear complex [CpMe3(dppe)FeIICN‐FeIII(LN4)][PF6] (1[PF6]) (CpMe3=1, 2, 4‐trimethyl‐1,3‐cyclo‐pentadienyl, dppe=1,2‐bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane, LN4=pentane‐2,4‐dione‐bis(S‐methylisothiosemicarbazonato). Complex 1[PF6] possesses an intermediate‐spin five‐coordinated FeIII (S=3/2) which couples antiferromagnetically to the π‐radical ligand (L⋅N4)2− and shows a LMCT (ligand to metal charge transfer) transition from (L⋅N4)2− to FeIII and the FeII→FeIII MMCT transition. Upon oxidation of 1[PF6], (L⋅N4)2− loses one electron to be the strong electron‐attracting ligand (LOxN4)− and the intermediate‐spin five‐coordinated FeIII (S=3/2) becomes a low‐spin six‐coordinated FeIII (S=1/2) in 2[PF6]4. Also interestingly, 2[PF6]4 presents the coexistence of three different spin states (one S=3/2 and two S=1/2) and an uncommon FeIII→(LOxN4)− MLCT transition, confirmed by the experimental results and supported by the TDDFT calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a joint detection strategy of Willie based on two phases observation is proposed and an energy‐efficient covert communication scheme with an adaptive assist nodes group (AANG) based on uniform jamming power (UJP) strategy is proposed to against the joint‐phase detection of Willie, which achieves covert communication with lower energy cost and higher average covert rate (ACR). The probability of detection error (PDE) at Willie with joint‐phase detection and ACR are derived. Furthermore, the optimal power allocation of legitimate transmitters is resolved to maximize ACR. Numerical results demonstrate the benefit of the proposed scheme over the covert rate and consumed jamming power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In vaccine research towards the prevention of infectious diseases, immune response biomarkers serve as an important tool for comparing and ranking vaccine candidates based on their immunogenicity and predicted protective effect. However, analyses of immune response outcomes can be complicated by differences across assays when immune response data are acquired from multiple groups/laboratories. Motivated by a real‐world problem to accommodate the use of two different neutralization assays in COVID‐19 vaccine trials, we propose methods based on left‐censored multivariate normal model assuming common assay differences across settings, to adjust for differences between assays with respect to measurement error and the lower limit of detection. Our proposed methods integrate external paired‐sample data with bridging assumptions to achieve two objectives, both using pooled data acquired from different assays: (i) comparing immunogenicity between vaccine regimens, and (ii) evaluating correlates of risk. In simulation studies, for the first objective, our method leads to unbiased calibrated assay mean with good coverage of bootstrap confidence interval, as well as valid test for immunogenicity comparison, while the alternative method assuming constant calibration model between assays leads to biased estimate of assay mean with undercoverage problem and invalid test with inflated type‐I error; for the second objective, in the presence of noticeable left‐censoring rate, our proposed method can drastically outperform the existing method that ignores left‐censoring, in terms of reduced bias and improved precision. We apply the proposed methods to SARS‐CoV‐2 spike‐pseudotyped virus neutralization assay data generated in vaccine and convalescent samples by two different laboratories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To explore the short‐ and long‐term outcomes in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)‐detected residual disease at 3 months post‐treatment who received intervention either promptly (0 month) or following observation (after an additional 3 months). Methods: A total of 272 patients with residual disease at 3 months post‐treatment (observation [observation for additional 3 months]: 122, intervention [prompt intervention]: 150) were analyzed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to examine the survival. Adverse events were analyzed in all patients. Results: Patients in the observation group had a lower 3‐year overall survival (77.1% vs. 85.2%), progression‐free survival (10.2% vs. 18.1%), and locoregional relapse‐free survival (10.2% vs. 20.6%) (all p <.05), but not distant metastasis‐free survival (83.8% vs. 78.4%, p =.189), whereas patients in the intervention group achieved higher complete remission (CR) rates (43.3% vs. 21.2%, p =.003). Patients who achieved CR after prompt intervention had a better survival rate than those who achieved observation‐CR or non‐CR (p <.001). Multivariate analyses revealed that a wait‐and‐see policy was an independent prognostic factor for impaired survival (p <.001). No significant differences of acute or late toxicities were observed between the two groups. Conclusions: Patients with NPC with MRI‐detected residual disease 3 months post‐radiotherapy should be encouraged to undergo prompt intervention rather than adopting a passive wait‐and‐see policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates different uses of the Journal Impact Factor (JIF) in national journal rankings and discusses the merits of supplementing metrics with expert assessment. Our focus is national journal rankings used as evidence to support decisions about the distribution of institutional funding or career advancement. The seven countries under comparison are China, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Norway, Poland, and Turkey—and the region of Flanders in Belgium. With the exception of Italy, top‐tier journals used in national rankings include those classified at the highest level, or according to tier, or points implemented. A total of 3,565 (75.8%) out of 4,701 unique top‐tier journals were identified as having a JIF, with 55.7% belonging to the first Journal Impact Factor quartile. Journal rankings in China, Flanders, Poland, and Turkey classify journals with a JIF as being top‐tier, but only when they are in the first quartile of the Average Journal Impact Factor Percentile. Journal rankings that result from expert assessment in Denmark, Finland, and Norway regularly classify journals as top‐tier outside the first quartile, particularly in the social sciences and humanities. We conclude that experts, when tasked with metric‐informed journal rankings, take into account quality dimensions that are not covered by JIFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition of δ‐phase formamidinium lead triiodide (δ‐FAPbI3) to pure α‐phase FAPbI3 (α‐FAPbI3) typically requires high processing temperature (150 °C), which often results in unavoidable residual stress. Besides, using methylammonium chloride (MACl) as additive in fabrication will cause MA residue in the film, compromising the compositional purity. Here, a stress‐released and compositional‐pure α‐FAPbI3 thin‐film is fabricated using 3‐chloropropylammonium chloride (Cl‐PACl) by two‐step annealing. The 2D template of n = 2 can preferentially form in perovskite with the introduction of Cl‐PACl at a temperature as low as 80 °C. Such a 2D template can guide the free components to form ordered α‐FAPbI3 and promote the transition of the formed δ‐FAPbI3 to α‐FAPbI3 by reducing the phase transition energy. As a result, the obtained perovskite films via low‐temperature phase‐transition have a high degree of crystal orientation and reduced residual stress. More importantly, most of the Cl‐PACl is volatilized during the subsequent high‐temperature annealing process accompanied by the disintegration of the 2D templates. The residual trace of Cl‐PA+ is mainly concentrated at the grain boundary near the perovskite surface layer, stabilizing α‐FAPbI3 and passivating defects. Perovskite solar cell based on pure α‐FAPbI3 achieves a power conversion efficiency of 23.03% with excellent phase stability and photo‐stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In light of the prelingual deafness and early-adulthood-onset dystonia in this case, combined with the family history and negative results of laboratory and imaging tests, the diagnosis of DDS was suspected. 9 Havránková P, Jech R, Roth J, Urgosík D, Ruzicka E. Beneficial effect of deep brain stimulation of GPi in a patient with dystonia-deafness phenotype. Keywords: dystonia; subthalamic nucleus; stimulation EN dystonia subthalamic nucleus stimulation 1124 1127 4 11/07/22 20221101 NES 221101 Dystonia-deafness syndrome (DDS) is a distinct clinical entity with an unclear pathophysiological mechanism. 8 Dulski J, Schinwelski M, Mandat T, Pienczk-Reclawowicz K, Slawek J. Long-term follow-up with video of a patient with deafness-dystonia syndrome treated with DBS-GPi. [Extracted from the article]

In order to counter the double attack with wardens and eavesdroppers in the practical scenario, a distributed transmission scheme with security and covertness is proposed, which combines coding techniques and transmission protocol. The covert message is encoded by rateless codes and transmitted embedded in normal frames. The security is based on the random essence of rateless coding, and the covertness is achieved by ignoring the error frames and maintaining the signal waveform. The inter‐collusion between multiple wardens and eavesdroppers greatly increases the potential security hazards, which is first discussed in this paper. The authors can counter the inter‐collusion attack by adjusting the ratio of covert frame transmission in the distributed transmission scheme with security and covertness. Compared with the related work, this paper has many advantages, such as good robustness, lower extra complexity, and the insurance of the performance for both normal message and covert message. The analysis and simulation results show that our distributed transmission scheme with security and covertness can achieve both covertness and security based on the effective design under the existing communication system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This letter proposes a joint weighted power detector based on maximum a posteriori probability criterion for Willie aiming at two‐hop covert communication scenario, which is a near optimal detector. Instead of only supervising one single phase, Willie combines the observations of two phases to make joint decision in the proposed scheme. The proposed scheme achieves lower probability of detection error than adding‐power‐directly‐detector scheme and the existing single‐phase‐detector scheme due to sufficient utilization of the two‐phase observations. Numerical results demonstrate the benefit of authors' proposed scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Naturally occurring α‐pyrones with biological activities are mostly synthesised by polyketide synthases (PKSs) via iterative decarboxylative Claisen condensation steps. Remarkably, we found that some enzymes related to the fatty acid β‐oxidation pathway in Escherichia coli, namely the CoA ligase FadD and the thiolases FadA and FadI, can synthesise styrylpyrones with phenylpropionic acids in vivo. The two thiolases directly utilise acetyl‐CoA as an extender unit for carbon‐chain elongation through a non‐decarboxylative Claisen condensation, thus making the overall reaction more efficient in terms of carbon and energy consumption. Moreover, using a cell‐free approach, different styrylpyrones were synthesised in vitro. Finally, targeted feeding experiments led to the detection of styrylpyrones in other species, demonstrating that the intrinsic ability of the β‐oxidation pathway allows for the synthesis of such molecules in bacteria, revealing an important biological feature hitherto neglected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Naturally occurring α‐pyrones with biological activities are mostly synthesised by polyketide synthases (PKSs) via iterative decarboxylative Claisen condensation steps. Remarkably, we found that some enzymes related to the fatty acid β‐oxidation pathway in Escherichia coli, namely the CoA ligase FadD and the thiolases FadA and FadI, can synthesise styrylpyrones with phenylpropionic acids in vivo. The two thiolases directly utilise acetyl‐CoA as an extender unit for carbon‐chain elongation through a non‐decarboxylative Claisen condensation, thus making the overall reaction more efficient in terms of carbon and energy consumption. Moreover, using a cell‐free approach, different styrylpyrones were synthesised in vitro. Finally, targeted feeding experiments led to the detection of styrylpyrones in other species, demonstrating that the intrinsic ability of the β‐oxidation pathway allows for the synthesis of such molecules in bacteria, revealing an important biological feature hitherto neglected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: A gene upregulated in Nicotiana benthamiana after Bamboo mosaic virus (BaMV) infection was revealed as 1‐deoxy‐d‐xylulose‐5‐phosphate reductoisomerase (NbDXR). DXR is the key enzyme in the 2‐C‐methyl‐d‐erythritol‐4‐phosphate (MEP) pathway that catalyzes the conversion of 1‐deoxy‐d‐xylulose 5‐phosphate to 2‐C‐methyl‐d‐erythritol‐4‐phosphate.Knockdown and overexpression of NbDXR followed by BaMV inoculation revealed that NbDXR is involved in BaMV accumulation. Treating leaves with fosmidomycin, an inhibitor of DXR function, reduced BaMV accumulation. Subcellular localization confirmed that DXR is a chloroplast‐localized protein by confocal microscopy. Furthermore, knockdown of 1‐hydroxy‐2‐methyl‐2‐(E)‐butenyl‐4‐diphosphate reductase, one of the enzymes in the MEP pathway, also reduced BaMV accumulation. The accumulation of BaMV increased significantly in protoplasts treated with isopentenyl pyrophosphate. Thus, the metabolites of the MEP pathway could be involved in BaMV infection.To identify the critical components involved in BaMV accumulation, we knocked down the crucial enzyme of isoprenoid synthesis, NbGGPPS11 or NbGGPPS2. Only NbGGPPS2 was involved in BaMV infection. The geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP) synthesized by NbGGPPS2 is known for gibberellin synthesis. We confirmed this result by supplying gibberellic acid exogenously on leaves, which increased BaMV accumulation.The de novo synthesis of gibberellic acid could assist BaMV accumulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lymph node (LN) metastasis is crucial in determining the prognosis and treatment options for colon cancer patients. Our work was to study whether the lymph nodes beyond D3 station in transverse colon cancer, especially 206 LN, should be dissected. Methods: A total of 225 patients within our department were reviewed. The primary and secondary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and disease‐free survival (DFS). We employed Propensity score weighting (PSW) for weighing participants to balance observed confounders between the 206D+ group and the 206D− group. Results: The rate of metastasis in station 206 was 9.3%. Only T stage (OR, 3.009; 95% CI, 1.018–8.892), N stage (OR, 9.818; 95% CI, 1.158–83.227), and M stage (OR, 26.126; 95% CI, 1.274–535.945) were an independent risk factor for 206 station metastasis in multivariate logistic analysis. The 206D+ group had a similarly survival than the 206D− group (3‐year DFS, 89.6% v 85.9%; p = 0.389; 3‐year OS, 94.6% v 85.3% p = 0.989). PSW further verified it. Metastasis of 206 station LN is not an independent prognostic factor, but a predictive factor of DFS. Conclusion: Station 206 LN positive is a predictive factor for DFS. Only the patient with T1‐3, N+ who is at a high risk of 206 station LN metastases should consider dissecting 206 station LN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, twenty‐six peanut varieties and their cold‐pressed oils from eleven provinces in China were investigated for their oil content, acid value, peroxide value, fatty acid profiles, bioactive constituents, and induction period (IP) of lipid oxidation. Meanwhile, the effect of the geographical origin of peanut on the quality of cold‐pressed peanut oils (CPOs) was studied. The average acid value of CPOs in southern China was higher than that in northern China (0.49 mg KOH/g versus 0.22 mg KOH/g, p >.05). In addition, the average of oleic acid content, ratio of oleic acid to linoleic acid (O/L), and IP were also higher in southern China than that in northern China (p <.05). However, the average content of campesterol, β‐sitosterol, total phytosterol, linoleic acid, and ratio of unsaturated fatty acid to saturated fatty acid (UFA/SFA) exhibited reverse results (p <.05). At last, the comprehensive evaluation of CPOs based on principal component analysis (PCA) was performed. In all samples, Silihong from Liaoning province, northern China was No.1, and Zhonghua 21 from Xiaogan City, Hubei Province was No.4 which was the first one from southern China. Moreover, heat map clustering analysis further revealed the differences and similarities among different samples, and those results were in accordance with the comprehensive evaluation results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In shadow detection area, deep learning‐based methods have achieved outstanding performance. However, the potential ambiguity in shadow images is still the main reason for the poor performance of the algorithms. By analysing the relationships among shadow edges, shadow false‐positive information, and shadow areas, an edge‐guided disambiguation module for better shadow detection performance is proposed. The edge‐guided disambiguation module consists two parts: 1) the shadow edge feature is used to guide the comprehensive shadow area feature generation of different resolution. 2) The shadow false‐positive features is applied to reduce ambiguity in the comprehensive shadow area features. In this way, the missed detections is added in the first step and the false detections is reduced in the second step. More accurate detection results is obtained. The comprehensive experiments are proceeded on the three public shadow detection datasets: SBU, UCF, and ISTD. The experimental results demonstrated the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming for increased nickel and lower cobalt content in layered transition metal oxide cathodes (NCM) is a feasible strategy for achieving increased energy density and cost competitiveness in commercial lithium‐ion batteries. However, the practical long‐term cycling of NCM cathodes suffers from severe capacity degradation due to irreversible interface phase transformation and unavoidable crack formation. Herein, an in situ modification strategy is used to form a uniform and conformal Li1.8Sc0.8Ti1.2(PO4)3 (LSTP) protective layer by interconnecting the single‐crystal‐layered LiNi0.6Co0.1Mn0.3O2 (SC‐NCM) particles. LSTP surface modification helps to construct a robust cathode‐electrolyte interphase thin film between the cathode and the electrolyte, which can prevent SC‐NCM corrosion by electrolyte, and the stability of the mechanics can improve the intergranular cracks caused by long cycles under harsh conditions. Moreover, the LSTP conductive modification layer facilitates the lithium‐ion transport among cathode particles, effectively enhancing the rate capability. Impressively, the LSTP modified SC‐NCM exhibits a high reversible capacity of 144.3 mAh g−1 at the high discharge rate of 5 C and maintains a capacity retention of 90.27% even at the ultrahigh charge voltage of 4.6 V operation after 500 cycles. Moreover, in a pouch‐type full battery, the graphite/LSTP modified SC‐NCM maintains a capacity retention of 89.6% after 1700 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To explore the clinical factors associated with pathologic complete response (pCR) for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) patients treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) and develop a web‐based dynamic nomogram. Methods: Retrospective analysis of patients with examination confirmed LARC from 2011 to 2022. Patients from the Union Hospital of Fujian Medical University were included as the training cohort (n = 1579) and Zhangzhou Hospital of Fujian Medical University as the external validation cohort (n = 246). Results: In the training cohort, after nCRT, 350 (22.2%) patients achieved pCR. More stomas were avoided in pCR patients (73.9% vs. 69.7%, p = 0.043). After a median follow‐up time of 47.7 months (IQR 2–145) shown OS (5‐year: 93.7% vs. 81.0%, HR = 0.310, 95%CI: 0.189–0.510, p < 0.001) and DFS (5‐year: 91.2% vs. 75.0%, HR = 0.204, 95%CI: 0.216–0.484, p < 0.001) were significantly better among patients with pCR than non‐pCR. Multivariable Logistic analysis shown pCR was significantly associated with Pre‐CRT CEA (HR = 0.944, 95%CI: 0.921–0.968; p < 0.001), histopathology (HR = 4.608, 95%CI: 2.625–8.089; p < 0.001), Pre‐CRT T stage (HR = 0.793, 95%CI: 0.634–0.993; p = 0.043), Pre‐CRT N stage (HR = 0.727, 95%CI: 0.606–0.873; p = 0.001), Pre‐CRT MRI EMVI (HR = 0.352, 95%CI: 0.262–0.473; p < 0.001), total neoadjuvant therapy (HR = 2.264, 95%CI: 1.280–4.004; p = 0.005). Meanwhile, the online version of the nomogram established in this study was publicized on an open‐access website (URL: https://pcrpredict.shinyapps.io/LARC2/). The model predicted accuracy with a C‐index of 0.73 (95% CI: 0.70–0.75), with an average C‐index of 0.73 for the internal cross validation and 0.78 (95% CI: 0.72–0.83) for the external validation cohort, showing excellent model accuracy. Delong test results showed the model has an important gain value for clinical characteristics to predict pCR in rectal cancer. Conclusions: Patients with pCR had a better prognosis, including OS and DFS, and were independently associated with Pre‐CRT CEA, histopathology, Pre‐CRT T/N stage, Pre‐CRT MRI EMVI, and TNT. A web‐based dynamic nomogram was successfully established for clinical use at any time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drimane‐type sesquiterpenes exhibit various biological activities and are widely present in eukaryotes. Here, we completely elucidated the biosynthetic pathway of the drimane‐type sesquiterpene esters isolated from Aspergillus calidoustus and we discovered that it involves a drimenol cyclase having the same catalytic function previously only reported in plants. Moreover, since many fungal drimenol derivatives possess a γ‐butyrolactone ring, we clarified the functions of the cluster‐associated cytochrome P450 and FAD‐binding oxidoreductase discovering that these two enzymes are solely responsible for the formation of those structures. Furthermore, swapping of the enoyl reductase domain in the identified polyketide synthase led to the production of metabolites containing various polyketide chains with different levels of saturation. These findings have deepened our understanding of how fungi synthesize drimane‐type sesquiterpenes and the corresponding esters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drimane‐type sesquiterpenes exhibit various biological activities and are widely present in eukaryotes. Here, we completely elucidated the biosynthetic pathway of the drimane‐type sesquiterpene esters isolated from Aspergillus calidoustus and we discovered that it involves a drimenol cyclase having the same catalytic function previously only reported in plants. Moreover, since many fungal drimenol derivatives possess a γ‐butyrolactone ring, we clarified the functions of the cluster‐associated cytochrome P450 and FAD‐binding oxidoreductase discovering that these two enzymes are solely responsible for the formation of those structures. Furthermore, swapping of the enoyl reductase domain in the identified polyketide synthase led to the production of metabolites containing various polyketide chains with different levels of saturation. These findings have deepened our understanding of how fungi synthesize drimane‐type sesquiterpenes and the corresponding esters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The objective of this work was to extract high methoxyl (HM) pectin with oxalic acid, characterise its physicochemical properties and evaluate its dispersion stability in acidified milk drink (AMD). HPSEC–MALLS analysis revealed that the obtained HM pectin was high in molecular weight (522.4 kDa). The ζ‐potential of the obtained HM pectin in aqueous solution at pH 4.0 was −31.5 mV. The AFM images proved that the obtained HM pectin contained several long linear molecules. The apparent diameter of AMD stabilised by the obtained HM pectin was 636 nm at the concentration of 3.0‰. The stability analysis of AMD and the microscopic observation with confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) proved that the obtained HM pectin was a prominent stabiliser in AMD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porous materials, especially metal–organic frameworks, covalent organic frameworks, and supramolecular organic frameworks, are widely used in heterogeneous catalysis, adsorption, and ion exchange. Cucurbit[n]urils (Q[n]s) suitable building units for porous materials because they possess cavities with neutral electrostatic potential, portal carbonyls with negative electrostatic potential, and outer surfaces with positive electrostatic potential, which may result in the formation of Q[n]‐based supramolecular frameworks (QSFs) assembled through the interaction of guests within Q[n]s, the coordination of Q[n]s with metal ions, and outer‐surface interaction of Q[n]s (OSIQ). This review summarizes the various QSFs assembled via OSIQs. The QSFs can be classified as being assembled by 1) self‐induced OSIQ, 2) anion‐induced OSIQ, and 3) aromatic‐induced OSIQ. The design and construction of QSFs with novel structures and specific functional properties may establish a new research direction in Q[n] chemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porous materials, especially metal–organic frameworks, covalent organic frameworks, and supramolecular organic frameworks, are widely used in heterogeneous catalysis, adsorption, and ion exchange. Cucurbit[n]urils (Q[n]s) suitable building units for porous materials because they possess cavities with neutral electrostatic potential, portal carbonyls with negative electrostatic potential, and outer surfaces with positive electrostatic potential, which may result in the formation of Q[n]‐based supramolecular frameworks (QSFs) assembled through the interaction of guests within Q[n]s, the coordination of Q[n]s with metal ions, and outer‐surface interaction of Q[n]s (OSIQ). This review summarizes the various QSFs assembled via OSIQs. The QSFs can be classified as being assembled by 1) self‐induced OSIQ, 2) anion‐induced OSIQ, and 3) aromatic‐induced OSIQ. The design and construction of QSFs with novel structures and specific functional properties may establish a new research direction in Q[n] chemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to encourage innovative medicine to address Chinese unmet medical needs, China has changed its drug regulatory landscape to speed up access to new medicines. In order to understand the fast‐changing landscape and to enable planning of more global drug development programs and study designs in China, we reviewed 15 published clinical pharmacology‐related guidances by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), and compared them with reference guidances from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the European Medicines Agency (EMA), or the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH), to understand the similarities and differences, especially any China‐specific requirements, such as ethnic sensitivity analysis. Overall, by reviewing these clinical pharmacology‐related NMPA guidances, it is clear that NMPA guidances are very similar to FDA, EMA, and ICH guidances. There are no relevant differences in the major principles, but some differences in structure, contents, and focus were noted. The NMPA is adapting flexibility statements into newly published guidances. Ethnic sensitivity analysis needs to be implemented early in drug development plans. The NMPA encourages sponsors to conduct early clinical trials in China or include China early in multiregional clinical trials, and to obtain safety, efficacy, and pharmacokinetic data for ethnic sensitivity analysis. Depending on the stage of development, ethnic sensitivity analysis can be conducted using in vitro or literature data, other Asian clinical data, or Chinese clinical data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese English‐language journals in science, technology, and medicine have received scholarly attention, but little is known about their counterparts in the humanities and social sciences. A full understanding of the internationalization of Chinese English‐language humanities and social sciences journals (CELHSSJs) is not possible without an exploration of the phenomenon's social, political, and economic roots. Based on interviews with 26 stakeholders, including journal editors, heads of academic institutes, personnel from related regulatory state administrations, and international publishers, this article explores the implications of the development of CELHSSJs. Rather than treating the realms of academia and politics as distinct, opposing factors, we examine the complicated situation in China. English‐language journals carry out the political mission of the government's 'going out' propaganda policy. For academics and universities, they are largely a means for competing for resources domestically and a venue for power negotiations with overseas publishing groups. Based on our investigation of the dynamics and contradictions involved in the development of CELHSSJs, we argue that the power dynamics and social contexts in which Chinese English‐language journals operate shape China's knowledge production and dissemination as much as the content of these journals does. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the piscine rhabdoviruses, Siniperca chuatsi rhabdovirus (SCRV) has caused considerable losses to mandarin fish aquaculture industry. RNA‐seq, as efficient transcriptome research method, has been widely used to study the immune response of fish to pathogens. This study reported the effect of SCRV infection at 0, 24 and 60 hr on S. chuatsi at the transcriptome level. A total of 61,527 unigenes with high quality were obtained, and 3,095, 1,854 and 227 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were labelled between the Sc24 and Sc0 groups, the Sc60 and Sc0 groups and the Sc60 and Sc24 groups, respectively. Genes involved in innate and adaptive immunity were highlighted. In Gene Ontology analysis, the DEGs that participated in immune response, innate immune response and the regulation of apoptotic process were identified as enriched classes. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway results indicated that most DEGs caused by SCRV infection were identified in the immune system (retinoic acid‐inducible gene‐I‐like receptor/Toll‐like receptor/nucleotide‐binding oligomerization domain‐like receptor/C‐type lectin receptor signalling pathway), cellular processes, cell growth and death (p53 signalling pathway, cellular senescence, apoptosis and phagosome), and metabolism. Quantitative real‐time PCR was used to further verify the expression levels of 15 immune‐related DEGs. The transcriptome database obtained in this study provided further in‐depth insight into the immune response of S. chuatsi against SCRV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID‐19 has hit the world by surprise, causing substantial mortality and morbidity since 2020. This narrative review aims to provide an overview of the epidemiology, induced impact, viral kinetics and clinical spectrum of COVID‐19 in the Asia‐Pacific Region, focusing on regions previously exposed to outbreaks of coronavirus. COVID‐19 progressed differently by regions, with some (such as China and Taiwan) featured by one to two epidemic waves and some (such as Hong Kong and South Korea) featured by multiple waves. There has been no consensus on the estimates of important epidemiological time intervals or proportions, such that using them for making inferences should be done with caution. Viral loads of patients with COVID‐19 peak in the first week of illness around days 2 to 4 and hence there is very high transmission potential causing community outbreaks. Various strategies such as government‐guided and suppress‐and‐lift strategies, trigger‐based/suppression approaches and alert systems have been employed to guide the adoption and easing of control measures. Asymptomatic and pre‐symptomatic transmission is a hallmark of COVID‐19. Identification and isolation of symptomatic patients alone is not effective in controlling the ongoing outbreaks. However, early, prompt and coordinated enactment predisposed regions to successful disease containment. Mass COVID‐19 vaccinations are likely to be the light at the end of the tunnel. There is a need to review what we have learnt in this pandemic and examine how to transfer and improve existing knowledge for ongoing and future epidemics. See relatedEditorial [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of voltage source converter based high-voltage direct current, power flow analysis becomes increasingly important for AC/DC hybrid systems. This study extends the holomorphic embedding (HE) method to the VSC-based AC/DC power flow problem. With an appropriate embedding technique, a general embedded model is established for AC/DC power flow with VSCs, which can not only preserve the deterministic property of HE that enables it to derive the desired solution in an explicit manner but also flexibly accommodate various bus types, VSC configurations, control strategies and operating conditions. Moreover, the sparsity of the recursive matrix in power series calculations and the introduction of the iterative calculation of the inverse matrix (ICIM) to rational approximants contribute to the high computational efficiency of the model. The proposed method is shown to be feasible and efficient by illustrative cases and is further extended to multi-terminal (VSC-MTDC) configurations to verify its flexibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of voltage source converter based high‐voltage direct current, power flow analysis becomes increasingly important for AC/DC hybrid systems. This study extends the holomorphic embedding (HE) method to the VSC‐based AC/DC power flow problem. With an appropriate embedding technique, a general embedded model is established for AC/DC power flow with VSCs, which can not only preserve the deterministic property of HE that enables it to derive the desired solution in an explicit manner but also flexibly accommodate various bus types, VSC configurations, control strategies and operating conditions. Moreover, the sparsity of the recursive matrix in power series calculations and the introduction of the iterative calculation of the inverse matrix (ICIM) to rational approximants contribute to the high computational efficiency of the model. The proposed method is shown to be feasible and efficient by illustrative cases and is further extended to multi‐terminal (VSC‐MTDC) configurations to verify its flexibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Based on the ageing population and the inadequate healthcare system in China, the majority of care for patients with Alzheimerʼs disease (AD) is provided by family caregivers. Caregivers suffer a long‐term heavy care burden and pressure, which affects their physical and mental health. The present study aims at investigating health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) among family caregivers of AD patients and exploring its influencing factors. Methods: This study included 206 family caregivers (76 male, 130 female) of AD patients recruited from one Tier 3 hospital, one psychiatric hospital, two gerocomiums and three communities in Ganzhou city, Jiangxi Province, China. Measures included the World Health Organization (WHO) Quality of Life (WHO/ QOL‐BREF) questionnaire, Zarit burden of care scale (ZBI), and social support rating scale (SSRS).We performed face‐to‐face or telephone interviews with patients and caregivers. The association between possible factors and changes in HRQOL was examined through stepwise multiple regression analysis. Results: The majority of family caregivers felt moderate to severe level of burden. The average HRQOL score was 54.24 ± 10.36. The mean SSRS score was 30.4 ± 10.9. The average ZBI score was 41.2 ± 12.8. The HRQOL of family caregivers of AD patients was negatively correlated with the neuropsychiatric questionnaire score, ZBI score, and chronic diseases of caregivers (P < 0.05), and positively correlated with the SSRS score (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Reduced QOL was highly prevalent among AD patient family caregivers, and the level of burden, neuropsychiatric symptoms of patients, social support, and chronic diseases of caregivers were factors associated with HRQOL, and the effect of care burden is greatest. Interventions aimed at reducing the level of burden should focus not only on the patient but also on the caregiver. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) is one of the most devastating plant viruses and often causes severe crop losses worldwide. Generally, mature plants become more resistant to pathogens, known as adult plant resistance. In this study, we demonstrated a new phenomenon involving developmentally regulated susceptibility of Arabidopsis thaliana to TSWV. We found that Arabidopsis plants become more susceptible to TSWV as plants mature. Most young 3‐week‐old Arabidopsis were not infected by TSWV. Infection of TSWV in 4‐, 5‐, and 6‐week‐old Arabidopsis increased from 9%, 21%, and 25%, respectively, to 100% in 7‐ to 8‐week‐old Arabidopsis plants. Different isolates of TSWV and different tospoviruses show a low rate of infection in young Arabidopsis but a high rate in mature plants. When Arabidopsis dcl2/3/4 or rdr1/2/6 mutant plants were inoculated with TSWV, similar results as observed for the wild‐type Arabidopsis plants were obtained. A cell‐to‐cell movement assay showed that the intercellular movement efficiency of TSWV NSm:GFP fusion was significantly higher in 8‐week‐old Arabidopsis leaves compared with 4‐week‐old Arabidopsis leaves. Moreover, the expression levels of pectin methylesterase and β‐1,3‐glucanase, which play critical roles in macromolecule cell‐to‐cell trafficking, were significantly up‐regulated in 8‐week‐old Arabidopsis leaves compared with 4‐week‐old Arabidopsis leaves during TSWV infection. To date, this mature plant susceptibility to pathogen infections has rarely been investigated. Thus, the findings presented here should advance our knowledge on the developmentally regulated mature host susceptibility to plant virus infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solid‐state Li metal batteries (SSLMBs) have attracted considerable interests due to their promising energy density as well as high safety. However, the realization of a well‐matched Li metal/solid‐state electrolyte (SSE) interface remains challenging. Herein, we report g‐C3N4 as a new interface enabler. We discover that introducing g‐C3N4 into Li metal can not only convert the Li metal/garnet‐type SSE interface from point contact to intimate contact but also greatly enhance the capability to suppress the dendritic Li formation because of the greatly enhanced viscosity, decreased surface tension of molten Li, and the in situ formation of Li3N at the interface. Thus, the resulting Li‐C3N4|SSE|Li‐C3N4 symmetric cell gives a significantly low interfacial resistance of 11 Ω cm2 and a high critical current density (CCD) of 1500 μA cm−2. In contrast, the same symmetric cell configuration with pristine Li metal electrodes has a much larger interfacial resistance (428 Ω cm2) and a much lower CCD (50 μA cm−2). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solid‐state Li metal batteries (SSLMBs) have attracted considerable interests due to their promising energy density as well as high safety. However, the realization of a well‐matched Li metal/solid‐state electrolyte (SSE) interface remains challenging. Herein, we report g‐C3N4 as a new interface enabler. We discover that introducing g‐C3N4 into Li metal can not only convert the Li metal/garnet‐type SSE interface from point contact to intimate contact but also greatly enhance the capability to suppress the dendritic Li formation because of the greatly enhanced viscosity, decreased surface tension of molten Li, and the in situ formation of Li3N at the interface. Thus, the resulting Li‐C3N4|SSE|Li‐C3N4 symmetric cell gives a significantly low interfacial resistance of 11 Ω cm2 and a high critical current density (CCD) of 1500 μA cm−2. In contrast, the same symmetric cell configuration with pristine Li metal electrodes has a much larger interfacial resistance (428 Ω cm2) and a much lower CCD (50 μA cm−2). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covariates associated with treatment-effect heterogeneity can potentially be used to make personalized treatment recommendations towards best clinical outcomes. Methods for treatment-selection rule development that directly maximize treatment-selection benefits have attracted much interest in recent years, due to the robustness of these methods to outcome modeling. In practice, the task of treatment-selection rule development can be further complicated by missingness in data. Here, we consider the identification of optimal treatment-selection rules for a binary disease outcome when measurements of an important covariate from study participants are partly missing. Under the missing at random assumption, we develop a robust estimator of treatment-selection rules under the direct-optimization paradigm. This estimator targets the maximum selection benefits to the population under correct specification of at least one mechanism from each of the two sets-missing data or conditional covariate distribution, and treatment assignment or disease outcome model. We evaluate and compare performance of the proposed estimator with alternative direct-optimization estimators through extensive simulation studies. We demonstrate the application of the proposed method through a real data example from an Alzheimer's disease study for developing covariate combinations to guide the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To minimize the gastric and esophageal injury effect, a system to deliver doxycycline hyclate (DOXY) to the duodenum area is needed. DOXY‐containing modified‐release oral pellets (DMOP) coated with hydroxypropyl methylcellulose phthalate HP‐55 (HPMCP HP‐55) and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose E15 (HPMC E15) appear to be a reasonable choice. This coating layer dissolves at pH 5.5, which is the pH of the duodenum, but not at a gastric pH (1.2). The formulation and preparation of DMOP were optimized, and a scale‐up test was performed. The results showed that the production reproducibility was acceptable, and the quality of DMOP well met the standards of Chinese Pharmacopeia (Ch.P, 2015 edition). Notably, the accumulated DOXY release was lower than 50% at pH 1.2 (20 min) and higher than 85% at pH 5.5, which met the USP40‐NF35 standard for DOXY modified‐release formulations. Moreover, the storage stability of DMOP with different packages was investigated by stress testing, accelerated and long‐term testings. The stability of DMOP was maintained up to 12 months, in terms of DOXY content and in vitro release behavior. The results seem to suggest that DMOP could be a promising duodenum delivery system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: RNA silencing is a major defense mechanism against invading viruses in plants. Argonaute proteins (AGOs) are the key players in RNA silencing. The number of AGO family members involved varies depending on the plant species and they play distinct or sometimes redundant roles in antiviral defense.By using a virus‐induced gene silencing technique, it was found that Nicotiana benthamiana AGO1 restricted Bamboo mosaic virus (BaMV) accumulation, but NbAGO10, the closest paralog of NbAGO1, positively regulated BaMV accumulation.Immunoprecipitation assay revealed BaMV virus‐derived small interfering RNAs (vsiRNAs) in NbAGO10 complexes. Transient overexpression of NbAGO10 increased BaMV RNA accumulation, but with co‐expression of NbAGO1, BaMV RNA accumulation was reduced, which suggests that NbAGO10 may have competed with NbAGO1 for sequestering BaMV vsiRNA and prevented the formation of RNA‐induced silencing complexes. In addition, overexpression of NbAGO10 decreased BaMV vsiRNA accumulation. A host enzyme, small RNA degrading nuclease 1 (SDN1), also was found to interact with NbAGO10 on in vivo pull‐down assay. Silencing of SDN1 elevated BaMV vsiRNA level and decreased BaMV RNA accumulation in N. benthamiana, indicating that NbAGO10 might recruit SDN1 for BaMV vsiRNA degradation.The results herein suggested that NbAGO10 plays a pro‐viral role by BaMV vsiRNA sequestration and degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is the most common leukaemia in Western countries but very rare in Asia. Peripheral blood or bone marrow mononuclear cells obtained at initial diagnosis from 194 patients with CLL were analysed to determine the ethnic difference in genetic abnormalities. Mutated IGHV was detected in 71·2% of Taiwanese CLL and IGHV3‐23 was the most frequently used gene. Stereotyped BCR was present in 18·3% with subset 8 being the most frequent. All cases with subset 8 belonged to IGHV 4‐39 and were exclusively associated with un‐mutated IGHV and poor outcome. Mutation frequencies of SF3B1 (9·7%), NOTCH1 (8·6%), BIRC3 (1·1%), ATM (16·9%) or TP53 (8·1%), and frequencies of cytogenetic abnormalities including trisomy 12 (18·6%), del(17p) (10·4%), del(13q) (43·7%) and IGH translocation (10·1%) were comparable to those reported from Western countries, except del(11q) (6·9%) which was lower in our patients. Patients with un‐mutated IGHV, subset 8, disrupted TP53, trisomy 12, and SF3B1 mutations had a worse outcome compared to patients without these mutations. In conclusion, IGHV3‐23 usage, stereotyped subset 8 and lower frequency of del(11q) show an ethnicity‐dependent association in Taiwanese CLL patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A host‐guest inclusion complex comprising an inverted cucurbit[7]uril (iQ[7]) and a biologically important dye, Hoechst‐33258 (H33258), was selected as a probe to test the response to various metal cations, including alkali metals, alkali earth metals, lanthanides, transition metals and other cations in aqueous HCl solution (pH=2) and NaOH solution (pH=11), respectively. The experimental results revealed that the host‐guest interaction showed a similar inclusion mode in the two selected aqueous solution conditions (pH=2 and 11), which was a dumbbell‐like inclusion complex in which one iQ[7] included the piperazine moiety, and another iQ[7] included the phenol moiety of H33258. The probe exhibited specific recognition of Hg2+ cation in all metal systems containing Hg2+ via obvious fluorescence quenching under acidic solution conditions. The probe also exhibited specific recognition of Al3+, Fe3+, Cr3+, and especially Ce3+ cations in the lanthanide system via obvious fluorescence enhancement under basic solution conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three‐dimensional printing (3DP) of surimi requires a structural modifier to achieve a stable construct. This work investigated the effect of addition of sweet potato starch (0–10% wt/wt) on the physical properties (rheological properties, gel strength, water‐holding capacity [WHC], and microstructural characteristics) of surimi gels and the 3D printed behavior of these gels. The results showed that as the starch content increased, the viscosity of the starch–surimi mixture decreased facilitating the flow of the surimi out of the printer nozzle. The surimi gel with 8% sweet potato starch concentration showed good gel strength (2,021.70 g mm), WHC (82.39%), microstructural characteristics, and less cooking loss (1.95%). A comparison of the traditional surimi preparation method with 3DP showed that the surimi gel prepared by a 3D printed construct was softer in gel strength (1,398.65 g mm) and lower in hardness (945.17 g) although showing slightly higher cooking loss (6.76%) and lower WHC (72.66 g) than the conventional product. The results suggest that sweet potato starch can be effectively used as a structural enhancer for 3DP complex‐shaped surimi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Para-aortic lymph node (PALN) metastasis is a rare systemic metastasis from colorectal cancer (CRC), ranging in incidence from 1.2% to 2.1% [[1]]. Since 2012, laparoscopic surgery has been routinely performed on patients with PALN metastasis in our institution, with more than 10 patients undergoing robotic-assisted PALN dissection. Postoperative pathology demonstrated residual rectal cancer that infiltrated the muscular layer, together with four apical lymph node metastases and 13 PALN metastases. [Extracted from the article]

BACKGROUND: Fresh Agaricus bisporus is popular and consumed throughout the world because of its taste, as well as its nutritional and medicinal properties, but it is also prone to microbial growth. There is very limited information about the dynamic changes of microbial communities during storage. The present study aimed to analyze the microbial diversity of button mushroom during cold storage using Illumina HiSeq sequencing. Bacteria isolated from the later storage period were identified by MALDI‐TOF mass spectrometry and a bioassay of pathogenicity was carried out. RESULTS: High‐throughput sequencing showed that Pseudomonas was the predominant genus throughout the storage period. Pedobacter and Flavobacterium grew prolifically on the eighth day, while the relative abundance of Oscillospira continued to decrease. Pseudomonas, Ewingella and Chryseobacterium were isolated at the later period of mushroom storage. A pathogenicity bioassay on the cap of mushrooms showing brown blotch indicated an infection by Pseudomonas tolaasii. However, Ewingella americana did not have a pathogenic effect in our study. CONCLUSION: Bacterial communities of fresh Agaricus bisporus during cold storage were characterized by high‐throughput sequencing. MALDI‐TOF MS provides a good analytical procedure, in addition to 16S rRNA gene sequencing. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theta‐burst stimulation (TBS) is a varied form of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and has more rapid and powerful effects than rTMS. Experiments on the human motor cortex have demonstrated that intermittent TBS has facilitatory effects, whereas continuous TBS has inhibitory effects. Huang's simplified model provides a solid basis for elucidating such after‐effects. However, evidence increasingly indicates that not all after‐effects of TBS are as expected, and high variability among individuals has been observed. Studies have suggested that the GABAergic and glutamatergic neurotransmission play a vital role in the aforementioned after‐effects, which might explain the interindividual differences in these after‐effects. Herein, we reviewed the latest findings on TBS from animal and human experiments on glutamatergic and GABAergic neurotransmissions in response to TBS. Furthermore, an updated theoretical model integrating glutamatergic and GABAergic neurotransmissions is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the use of PD-1 (PDCD1) inhibitors for the treatment of Richter syndrome (RS). Topics include the programmed death receptor-1 blocking antibodies, and nivolumab, have shown efficacy in prospective clinical trials with a small number of RS patients; mentions ten patients with biopsy-proven RS with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma histology; and the treatment of RS demonstrates by using PD-1 inhibitors demonstrates poor efficacy with a short time to treatment failure.

Decellularized (DC) organs/tissues offer a promising scaffold for regenerative bioengineering. However, it is not clear whether the diabetic mellitus (DM) pancreas can be used in decellularized and recellularized bioengineering. For assessment of these questions, murine pancreatic scaffolds of normal, type 1DM (T1DM) and type 2 DM (T2DM) pancreas were generated using a perfusion decellularization technique and assessed by histology, scanning electron microscopy, immunohistochemistry, and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The capacity of DC pancreatic scaffolds to support attachment and proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and MIN‐6 β cells was also assessed. Our results showed that DC pancreatic scaffolds were successfully produced from T1DM and T2DM pancreas and maintained their extracellular matrix (ECM) composition, 3D ultrastructure, and various cytokines. All of the pancreatic scaffolds were sufficiently cytocompatible and were able to support proliferation and adhesion of HUVECs and MIN‐6 β cells. The preliminary results support the biological utility of diabetes mellitus pancreatic scaffolds and pave the way for further investigations to assess the potential ability of using diabetes mellitus pancreas as scaffolds for recellularization and eventual medical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomarkers are playing an increasingly important role in disease screening, early detection, and risk prediction. The two-phase case-control sampling study design is widely used for the evaluation of candidate biomarkers. The sampling probabilities for cases and controls in the second phase can often depend on other covariates (sampling strata). This biased sampling can lead to invalid inference on a biomarker's classification accuracy if not properly accounted for. In this paper, we adopt the idea of inverse probability weighting and develop inverse probability weighting-based estimators for various measures of a biomarker's classification performance, including the points on the receiver operating characteristics (ROCs) curve, the area under the ROC curve (area under the curve), and the partial area under the curve. In particular, we consider classification accuracy estimators using sampling weights estimated conditionally on sampling strata and further improve their efficiency through the use of estimated weights that additionally take into account the auxiliary variables available from the phase-one cohort. We develop asymptotic properties of the proposed estimators and provide analytical variance for making inference. Extensive simulation studies demonstrate excellent performance of the proposed weighted estimators, while the traditional empirical estimator can be severely biased. We also investigate the advantages in efficiency gain for estimating various classification accuracy estimators through the use of auxiliary variables in addition to sampling strata and apply the proposed method to examples from a renal artery stenosis study and a prostate cancer study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]