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The dynamics of excited‐state charge transfer (CT) in second near‐infrared (NIR‐II) fluorophore proceeds with conformational change that govern fluorescence. Unveiling the relationship between CT dynamics and conformational change in excited state is of great fundamental significance in optimizing NIR‐II fluorescence but remains less explored. This study unveils the pivotal role of large conformational change in promoting the evolution of emissive CT state into nonemissive CT state in NIR‐II fluorophore (CA‐BBT). Spectroscopic and computational results reveal that large conformational rotation/twisting leads to a pronounced increase in the CT character in excited state. This heightened CT character in CA‐BBT enables a rapid evolution of emissive CT state into a nonemissive CT state within 1.4 ps, as observed by ultrafast spectroscopy. Subsequently, this nonemissive state dominates nonradiative decay, resulting in very low NIR‐II fluorescence. Preventing such detrimental evolution by constraining the conformational dynamics of CA‐BBT results in a 10‐fold enhancement of NIR‐II fluorescence, enabling high‐resolution dynamic visualization of vasculature within osteosarcoma. This study offers a profound understanding of the relationship between CT dynamics and conformational changes in NIR‐II fluorescence, presenting innovative perspectives to develop bright NIR‐II fluorophores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fe–Si3N4 was introduced to improve the service performance of corundum‐based dry vibratable refractories in the casting industry, specifically enhancing their thermal shock resistance and resistance to slag corrosion. The study analyzed the effects of Fe–Si3N4 powder content on the refractories' mechanical properties, phase compositions, slag corrosion resistance, and microstructures. The addition of Fe–Si3N4 facilitated the production of magnesium aluminate spinel in the refractory matrix, while also decreasing the wettability between the molten slag and refractory. Increasing the Fe–Si3N4 content resulted in accelerating the replacing Mg2+ (0.072 nm) with Al3+ (0.053 nm) in the spinel. Simultaneously, Fe3+ (0.055 nm) was effectively dissolved into the alumina crystals. The bulk density, compressive strength, and slag corrosion resistance of the refractories were improved. However, the thermal shock resistance initially increased but then decreased. In industrial tests, a corundum‐based dry vibratable refractory with a 1 wt.% Fe–Si3N4 content effectively prolonged the lifespan of an induction melting furnace when used as a lining refractory. Importantly, the refractory did not spall or generate cracks in the matrix after induction melt furnace industrial test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Create a virtual ArcCHECK‐MR phantom, customized for a 1.5T MR‐linac, with consideration of the different density regions within the quality assurance (QA) phantom, aiming to streamline the utilization of this specialized QA device. A virtual phantom was constructed in the treatment planning system (TPS) to replicate the ArcCHECK‐MR's composition, consisting of five distinct layers: "Outer" (representing the outer PMMA ring), "Complex" (simulating the printed circuit boards), "Detectors" (encompassing the detector area), "Inner" (signifying the inner PMMA ring) and "Insert" (representing the PMMA insert). These layers were defined based on geometric data and represented as contour points on a set of dummy CT images. Additionally, a setup platform was integrated as contoured structures. To determine the relative electron density (RED) values of the external and internal PMMA components, measurements were taken at 25 points in the insert using an ion chamber. A novel method for establishing the exit/entrance dose ratio (EEDR) for ArcCHECK‐MR was introduced. The RED of higher density region was derived by evaluating the local gamma index passing rate results with criteria of 2% dose difference and 2 mm distance‐to‐agreement. The performance of the virtual phantom was assessed for Unity 7 FFF beams with a 1.5T magnetic field. The radii of the five ring structures within the virtual phantom measured 133.0 mm, 110.0 mm, 103.4 mm, 100.0 mm, and 75.0 mm for the "Outer," "Complex," "Detectors," "Inner" and "Insert" regions, respectively. The RED values were as follows: ArcCHECK‐MR PMMA had a RED of 1.130, "Detectors" were assumed to have a RED of 1.000, "Complex" had a RED of 1.200, and the setup QA phantom justified a RED of 1.350. Early validation results demonstrate that the 5‐layer virtual phantom, when compared to the commonly used bulk overridden phantom, offers improved capability in MR‐linac environments. This enhancement led to an increase in passing rates for the local gamma index by approximately 5 ∼ 6%, when applying the criteria of 2%, 2 mm. We have successfully generated a virtual representation of the distinct regions within the ArcCHECK‐MR using a TPS, addressing the challenges associated with its use in conjunction with a 1.5T MR‐linac. We consistently observed favorable local gamma index passing rates across two 1.5T MR‐linac and ArcCHECK‐MR unit combinations. This approach has the potential to minimize uncertainties in the creation of the QA phantom for ArcCHECK‐MR across various institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high incidence of restenosis after angioplasty has been the leading reason for the recurrence of coronary heart disease, substantially increasing the mortality risk for patients. However, current anti‐stenosis drug‐eluting stents face challenges due to their limited functions and long‐term safety concerns, significantly compromising their therapeutic effect. Herein, a stent‐free anti‐stenosis drug coating (denoted as Cur‐NO‐Gel) based on a peptide hydrogel is proposed. This hydrogel is formed by assembling a nitric oxide (NO) donor‐peptide conjugate as a hydrogelator and encapsulating curcumin (Cur) during the assembly process. Cur‐NO‐Gel has the capability to release NO upon β‐galactosidase stimulation and gradually release Cur through hydrogel hydrolysis. The in vitro experiments confirmed that Cur‐NO‐Gel protects vascular endothelial cells against oxidative stress injury, inhibits cellular activation of vascular smooth muscle cells, and suppresses adventitial fibroblasts. Moreover, periadventitial administration of Cur‐NO‐Gel in the angioplasty model demonstrate its ability to inhibit vascular stenosis by promoting reendothelialization, suppressing neointima hyperplasia, and preventing constrictive remodeling. Therefore, the study provides proof of concept for designing a new generation of clinical drugs in angioplasty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the surface modification of perovskite by wide band‐gap insulating materials has been one of the main strategies to achieve efficient and stable perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Unfortunately, a significant hurdle in this approach is the dilemma surrounding the quality of passivation and the transport of charges. Here, this trade‐off is overcome by introducing self‐assembled diphenylphosphinic acid (DPPA) porous layer. Applying highly concentrated DPPA solution on the perovskite surface not only provides excellent passivation of entire surface, but also the excess DPPA will form a self‐assembled porous insulating layer (PIL), which forms random submicron‐sized openings at the interface of the insulating layer for accelerated charge transport. In addition, the energy level of the perovskite surface can be modulated by this insulating material to facilitate carrier transport. As a result, an impressive power conversion efficiency (PCE) over 24% has been achieved in methylammonium‐free p‐i‐n devices with an ultrahigh fill factor (FF) of 84.7%. The unencapsulated devices exhibit excellent thermal and operational stability. This work paves a way for establishment of an effective passivation and facilitated transport simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses a study on the use of endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) as a treatment for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) within different time windows. The study analyzed data from the National Stroke Registry in China and found that EVT within 24 hours of stroke onset was associated with early neurological improvement. However, the proportion of functional improvement was lower compared to EVT within 6 hours. The study suggests the importance of shortening prehospital delay time and considering EVT beyond the recommended time window for better neurological outcomes. The document is a data availability statement for the study, indicating that the data can be obtained from the corresponding author upon request. [Extracted from the article]

In order to adjust the pore structures and improve the thermal insulation property and mechanical strength of fly ash‐based insulation materials prepared by a foaming gel‐casting technique, the rheological behaviors of foaming slurries were adjusted. Furthermore, the effects of heating temperatures on the properties and microstructure of the insulation materials were investigated. The results showed that as the content of the dispersant increased, the viscosity of slurries increased first and then decreased. When the content of the dispersant reached 0.2 wt.%, the slurries showed excellent flow ability, which caused a lot of big pores to generate in the matrix. Moreover, the thickening agent, binder and solid content had a great influence on the thixotropy of the slurries. As the content of the thickening agent and binder were 0.25 wt % and 5.0 wt.%, respectively, the slurries with 45 wt.% solid content exhibited outstanding thixotropy, which was beneficial to improve the stability of generated closed pores. After treating at 1300°C for 2 h, the bulk density, compressive strengths, and thermal conductivity of the insulation materials prepared using the optimized slurries were 0.44 g cm−3, 3.27 MPa, and 0.13 W·m−1·K−1, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insight into how mutations affect protein stability is crucial for protein engineering, understanding genetic diseases, and exploring protein evolution. Numerous computational methods have been developed to predict the impact of amino acid substitutions on protein stability. Nevertheless, comparing these methods poses challenges due to variations in their training data. Moreover, it is observed that they tend to perform better at predicting destabilizing mutations than stabilizing ones. Here, we meticulously compiled a new dataset from three recently published databases: ThermoMutDB, FireProtDB, and ProThermDB. This dataset, which does not overlap with the well‐established S2648 dataset, consists of 4038 single‐point mutations, including over 1000 stabilizing mutations. We assessed these mutations using 27 computational methods, including the latest ones utilizing mega‐scale stability datasets and transfer learning. We excluded entries with overlap or similarity to training datasets to ensure fairness. Pearson correlation coefficients for the tested tools ranged from 0.20 to 0.53 on unseen data, and none of the methods could accurately predict stabilizing mutations, even those performing well in anti‐symmetric property analysis. While most methods present consistent trends for predicting destabilizing mutations across various properties such as solvent exposure and secondary conformation, stabilizing mutations do not exhibit a clear pattern. Our study also suggests that solely addressing training dataset bias may not significantly enhance accuracy of predicting stabilizing mutations. These findings emphasize the importance of developing precise predictive methods for stabilizing mutations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19), a global pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2), has posed a catastrophic threat to human health worldwide. Human stem cell‐derived organoids serve as a promising platform for exploring SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. Several review articles have summarized the application of human organoids in COVID‐19, but the research status and development trend of this field have seldom been systematically and comprehensively studied. In this review, we use bibliometric analysis method to identify the characteristics of organoid‐based COVID‐19 research. First, an annual trend of publications and citations, the most contributing countries or regions and organizations, co‐citation analysis of references and sources and research hotspots are determined. Next, systematical summaries of organoid applications in investigating the pathology of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, vaccine development and drug discovery, are provided. Lastly, the current challenges and future considerations of this field are discussed. The present study will provide an objective angle to identify the current trend and give novel insights for directing the future development of human organoid applications in SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium‐oxygen batteries (LOBs) hold great potential for electrochemical energy storage due to their high theoretical energy density. However, the utilization of conventional liquid electrolytes raises safety concerns such as flammability and leakage, which are also problematic in lithium‐ion batteries. The development of practical open battery systems employing volatile liquid electrolytes, with the ultimate goal of lithium‐air batteries, presents particular challenges. Solid‐state electrolytes (SSEs) have emerged as a promising solution to tackle these issues. In the past two decades, SSEs have garnered significant attention and have been successfully implemented in LOBs. This review aims to highlight recent advancements in SSEs for LOBs, exploring the opportunities and challenges associated with developing SSEs possessing high ionic conductivity, interfacial compatibility, and stability. The objective is to enhance reversibility, promote an increase in stable triple‐phase boundaries, and safeguard the Li anode in open battery systems. Finally, we put forth future directions for the advancement of solid‐state Li‐air batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atherosclerosis can form intimal plaques in the arteries and undergo plaque rupture with followed stroke or myocardial infarction under certain pathological conditions. However, suboptimal intraplaque accumulation, along with severe off‐target effects, remain formidable obstacles for efficient pharmacotherapy of atherosclerosis. A characteristic feature of the progression of atherosclerosis is the continuous recruitment of inflammatory monocytes that differentiate into foamy macrophages with the generation of legumain in the plaques. In this study, a bio‐activatable nano‐shuttle based on human serum albumin is conceived that contained curcumin to allow the precise inhibition of atherosclerosis progression. Following intravenous injection, the nano‐shuttles are almost exclusively engulfed by inflammatory monocytes in an efferocytosis‐mimetic manner and selectively co‐migrated with the monocytes towards the plaques. The nano‐shuttles are readily activated to release the initially arrested curcumin in response to the generation of legumain upon the differentiation of monocytes into foamy macrophages within the plaques. Treatment assessments on atheroprone apolipoprotein‐E‐deficient mice indicated that the nano‐shuttles substantially inhibit the progression of atherosclerosis by attenuating the plaque inflammation burden without any obvious adverse effects. The integration of highly selective accumulation and specific drug activation of the nano‐shuttles in plaques can arouse an advanced therapeutic strategy to prevent atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Quality control (QC) is performed routinely through professional guidelines. However, the recommended QC frequency may not be optimal among different institutional settings. Here we propose a novel method for determining the optimal QC frequency using risk matrix (RM) analysis. Methods and materials: A newly installed Magnetic Resonance linac (MR‐linac) was chosen as the testing platform and six routine QC items were investigated. Failures of these QC items can adversely affect treatment outcome for the patient. Accordingly, each QC item with its assigned frequency forms a unique failure mode (FM). Using FM‐effect analysis (FMEA), the severity (S), occurrence (O), and detection (D) of each FM was obtained. Next, S and D based on RM was used to determine the appropriate QC frequency. Finally, the performance of new frequency for each QC item was evaluated using the metric E = O/D. Results: One new QC frequency was the same as the old frequency, two new QC frequencies were less than the old ones, and three new QC frequencies were higher than the old ones. For six QC items, E values at the new frequencies were not less than their values at the old frequencies. This indicates that the risk of machine failure is reduced at the new QC frequencies. Conclusions: The application of RM analysis provides a useful tool for determining the optimal frequencies for routine linac QC. This study demonstrated that linac QC can be performed in a way that maintains high performance of the treatment machine in a radiotherapy clinic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fiberglass porous ceramics were successfully prepared via a foam‐gelcasting process with fiberglass and glass particles. The effects of fiber content on the rheology of foaming slurries and the structure and mechanical properties of as‐prepared porous ceramics were investigated. The results showed that as the ratio of fiberglass to glass particles increased, the thixotropy of slurries decreased, which affected the foamability of slurries. When the ratio of fiberglass to particle was 75:25, the slurries exhibited excellent flowability and outstanding foamability, which was beneficial to optimize the structure of pores and improve the properties of the porous ceramics. The porosity, compressive strength, and thermal conductivity of porous ceramics with a content of 75 wt.% fiberglass treated at 750°C were 78.3%, 2.15 MPa, and.11 W/(m·K) (room temperature), respectively. Therefore, the prepared porous ceramics with a ratio of fiberglass to particle 75:25 were regarded as an ideal candidate for thermal insulation materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbonate electrolytes have been extensively used as commercial electrolytes in lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) because of its high oxidative stability. However, the organic‐inorganic solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formed on the lithium (Li) metal surface is too fragile to endure huge volume fluctuation during Li plating/stripping cycles in carbonate electrolytes. Herein, a chemically stable inorganic‐rich SEI was constructed on Li metal anodes by dissolving 5.5 M LiNO3 in N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF) into carbonate electrolytes as an additive. The Li+ solvation structure coordinated with NO3− and DMF molecules favors the formation of LixNy, LiNxOy, and LiF in the SEI film, which have been proved to increase the interfacial energy and improve the ionic diffusion as well as the mechanical strength of the SEI. Therefore, the designed carbonate electrolyte enhances the stable cycling of Li symmetric cells up to 700 h, with a high Coulombic efficiency (CE) of 99.0 % by Aurbach CE test. When paired with LiFePO4 cathode, the coin cells achieve an outstanding average CE of 99.5 % and 86.5 % retention of initial capacity after 300 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hot dry rock (HDR) geothermal resource is a renewable green energy source with great exploitation potential. The burial depth of HDR generally exceeds 2500 m and is typically under high in situ stress conditions, resulting in an ultralow permeability of the rock formations. To enhance the permeability of these formations, hydraulic fracturing is widely used as a reservoir stimulation technique in HDR geothermal resource exploitation. The differences in burial depth, in situ stress, and geological environment require different engineering designs when implementing hydraulic fracturing. Therefore, the confining pressure and injection rate play significant roles in determining the effectiveness of hydraulic fracturing, as they affect the propagation and distribution of fractures in the rock formation. To quantify the impact of these factors on the effectiveness of hydraulic fracturing, simulation experiments, and permeability tests were conducted using granite specimens under various confining pressure and injection rate conditions. The results of these experiments revealed the relationships among the confining pressure, injection rate, breakdown pressure, and permeability enhancement of the granite. The breakdown pressure of granite increased with the confining pressure, while the injection rate had little effect on the breakdown pressure. The hydraulic fractured sample produced new penetrating fractures, which increased the reservoir permeability, and owing to the higher complexity of hydraulic fractures under low confining pressure, the increase of permeability is correspondingly higher. The research results can provide an important reference for efficient stimulation development technology of deep HDR geothermal resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the fracture law of different overlying strata during mining of the lower protective seam under a close distance coal seam at a depth of 1000 m, roof bed‐separation and fissure imaging monitoring were carried out in the inlet roadway ahead of the working face of the JI15‐31040 lower protective seam in the Pingdingshan XII coal mine. The results show that with the overlying strata of the lower protective seam being affected by mining, the displacement of the overlying strata in the roof of 0–4 m was relatively large, and the fissure development was very significant. The displacement of the overlying strata in the roof of 4–12 m was relatively small, the fissures in this range were mostly randomly closed fissures, and this area was stable. Bed separation occurred in the roof of 12–16 m, and the bed‐separating fissures were mostly located at the coal–rock junction. During the mining process, the fractal dimension of the roof gradually increased, and the fissure network developed continuously. The changing process of the fractal dimension of the roof can be roughly divided into three typical change areas: less influence area (distance from the working face > 70 m), rapid increase area (15 m < distance from the working face < 70 m), and stable area (distance from the working face < 15 m), and the area within 70 m in front of the working face was the key supporting area. Under the influence of mining, the roof fissures showed an overall change trend of "from zero to some, from short to long, from small to large, and from narrow to wide." This study can provide a reference for mining of the protective seam in deep coal seams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluating the contributions of geographic distance and environmental heterogeneity to the genetic divergence can inform the demographic history and responses to environmental change of natural populations. The isolation‐by‐distance (IBD) reveals that genetic differentiation among populations increases with geographic distance, while the isolation‐by‐environment (IBE) assumes a linear relationship between genetic variation and environmental differences among populations. Here, we sampled and genotyped 330 individuals from 18 natural populations of Cephalotaxus oliveri throughout the species' distribution. Twenty‐eight EST‐SSR markers were applied to analyze population genetics, for the investigation of the driving factors that shaped spatial structure. In addition, we identified the outlier loci under positive selection and tested their association with environmental factors. The results showed a moderate genetic diversity in C. oliveri and high genetic differentiation among populations. Population structure analyses indicated that 18 populations were clustered into two major groups. We observed that the genetic diversity of central populations decreased and the genetic differentiation increased towards the marginal populations. Additionally, the signatures of IBD and IBE were detected in C. oliveri, and IBE provided a better contribution to genetic differentiation. Six outlier loci under positive selection were demonstrated to be closely correlated with environmental variables, among which bio8 was associated with the greatest number of loci. Genetic evidence suggests the consistency of the central‐marginal hypothesis (CMH) for C. oliveri. Furthermore, our results suggest that temperature‐related variables played an important role in shaping genetic differentiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We performed a meta‐analysis to evaluate the effect of low‐frequency ultrasound as an added treatment for chronic wounds. A systematic literature search up to May 2022 was performed and 838 subjects with chronic wounds at the baseline of the studies; 412 of them were using the low‐frequency ultrasound (225 low‐frequency high‐intensity contact ultrasound for diabetic foot wound ulcers, and 187 low‐frequency low‐intensity non‐contact ultrasound for a venous leg wound ulcers), and 426 were using standard care (233 sharp debridements for diabetic foot wound ulcers and 193 sham treatments for venous leg wound ulcers). Odds ratio (OR), and mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to assess the effect of low‐frequency ultrasound as an added treatment for chronic wounds using the dichotomous, and contentious methods with a random or fixed‐effect model. The low‐frequency high‐intensity contact ultrasound for diabetic foot wound ulcers had significantly lower non‐healed diabetic foot wound ulcers at ≥3 months (OR, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.24‐0.56, P <.001), a higher percentage of diabetic foot wound ulcers area reduction (MD, 17.18; 95% CI, 6.62‐27.85, P =.002) compared with sharp debridement for diabetic foot wound ulcers. The low‐frequency low‐intensity non‐contact ultrasound for a venous leg wound ulcers had a significantly lower non‐healed venous leg wound ulcers at ≥3 months (OR, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.15‐0.62, P =.001), and higher percentage venous leg wound ulcers area reduction (MD, 18.96; 95% CI, 2.36‐35.57, P =.03) compared with sham treatments for a venous leg wound ulcers. The low‐frequency ultrasound as an added treatment for diabetic foot wound ulcers and venous leg wound ulcers had significantly lower non‐healed chronic wound ulcers at ≥3 months, a higher percentage of chronic wound ulcers area reduction compared with standard care. The analysis of outcomes should be with caution because of the low sample size of all the 17 studies in the meta‐analysis and a low number of studies in certain comparisons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To investigate the safety of inactivated COVID‐19 vaccine in Chinese pregnant women and their fetuses when inoculated during the peri‐pregnancy period. Methods: Eligible pregnant women were prospectively collected and divided into a vaccine group (n = 93) and control group (n = 160) according to whether they had been vaccinated against COVID‐19 within 3 months before their last menstruation period (LMP) and after pregnancy. Demographic data of couples, complications during pregnancy and delivery of pregnant women, and data of newborns at birth were collected. Results: Sixty‐six women were vaccinated with a median time of 35.5 (range = 0–91) days before LMP, and 27 women were vaccinated with a median time of 17 (range = 1–72) days after LMP. The incidence of premature rupture of membrane (PROM) in the vaccine group was significantly higher than that in the control group (16.13% vs. 6.88%, p = 0.019). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that maternal peri‐pregnancy COVID‐19 vaccination was not an independent risk factor for PROM (odds ratio: 2.407, 95% confidence interval: 0.932–6.216, p = 0.069). There was no difference in the incidence of other complications during pregnancy and delivery between the two groups. A total of 253 neonates were delivered, including two cases with congenital abnormalities in each group. The incidence of congenital abnormalities between the two groups was similar (2.15% vs. 1.25%, p = 0.626). There was no difference in neonatal length, weight, head circumference, and Apgar score between the two groups (p > 0.05), but the incidence of neonatal jaundice in the vaccine group was significantly higher than that in the control group (20.43% vs. 7.5%, p = 0.002). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that maternal peri‐pregnancy vaccination, postpartum blood loss, cesarean section, 1‐min Apgar score, and paternal smoking were independent risk factors for neonatal jaundice. Conclusions: It is safe for pregnant women and their fetuses to be inoculated the inactivated COVID‐19 vaccine during the peri‐pregnancy period, but attention should be paid to neonatal jaundice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thanks to progress in the development of three‐dimensional (3D) culture technologies, human central nervous system (CNS) development and diseases have been gradually deciphered by using organoids derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) or human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). Selforganized neural organoids (NOs) have been used to mimic morphogenesis and functions of specific organs in vitro. Many NOs have been reproduced in vitro, such as those mimicking the human brain, retina, and spinal cord. However, NOs fail to capitulate to the maturation and complexity of in vivo neural tissues. The persistent issues with current NO cultivation protocols are inadequate oxygen supply and nutrient diffusion due to the absence of vascular networks. In vivo, the developing CNS is interpenetrated by vasculature that not only supplies oxygen and nutrients but also provides a structural template for neuronal growth. To address these deficiencies, recent studies have begun to couple NO culture with bioengineering techniques and methodologies, including genetic engineering, coculture, multidifferentiation, microfluidics and 3D bioprinting, and transplantation, which might promote NO maturation and create more functional NOs. These cutting‐edge methods could generate an ever more reliable NO model in vitro for deciphering the codes of human CNS development, disease progression, and translational application. In this review, we will summarize recent technological advances in culture strategies to generate vascularized NOs (vNOs), with a special focus on cerebral‐ and retinal‐organoid models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Etching, considered as the reverse process of growth, has drawn intensive interests in the past decades. Rather from offering building blocks for formation of materials, etching is served as removing basic units from the matrix. Generally, etching plays a critical role in three aspects: first, it can serve as direct top‐down method to precisely make designed patterns for electronic devices. Second, it can offer an indirect way to probe the detailed growth mechanism of 2D materials, enhancing understanding of growth process. Finally, it can be an efficient and facile way to visualize grain boundaries. Herein, several commonly used etching techniques for 2D materials are presented of which chemical vapor deposition etching has attracted the most intensive attentions. Thereafter, the typical etching modes of 2D materials are demonstrated, wherein linear etching, anisotropic etching, and fractal etching are comprehensively exhibited, respectively. Furthermore, the etching mechanism of 2D materials is elucidated, thereby offering a guideline for probing their in‐depth etching dynamics and kinetics. Finally, relevant concerns regarding uniformity and reproducibility within etching process are discussed and the expected future is envisaged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organoids are 3D multicellular structures derived from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) or adult stem cells (ASCs), which have attracted increasing interest in the fields of drug screening, cell therapy, and regenerative medicine. Despite considerable success in culturing organoids with native microanatomy, challenges to achieving a physiologically relevant microenvironment remain. Complex dynamic feedback between cells and the extracellular matrix and uncontrollable mechano‐physiological cues hamper the further study of organoid systems. Innovative engineering approaches are needed to produce, control, and analyze organoids and their microenvironment. Organoids‐on‐a‐chip, inspired by organs‐on‐a‐chip, presents a major technological breakthrough in providing physiologically relevant environmental parameters. Organoids cultured on a chip recapitulate the anatomical and physiological features of organs during development and disease. In this review, the authors examine how microfluidic approaches integrate biomaterials, microscale technology, and stem cell biology to construct a biomimetic microenvironment that is suitable for building high‐fidelity human organ structures in vitro. Applying engineering techniques in organoids‐on‐a‐chip, such as genome editing and omics analysis, can greatly contribute to a better understanding of molecular pathogenesis. Moreover, the next‐generation organoid culture system may integrate multiple organoids in a single chip device to explore multi‐organoid platforms to fulfill the goal of building 3D organotypic models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: In vitro fertilization‐embryo transfer (IVF‐ET) may increase the risk of mother‐to‐child transmission (MTCT) of hepatitis B virus (HBV). The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact and safety of IVF‐ET on MTCT in women with chronic HBV infection (CHB). Methods: The data of 298 women who got pregnant by IVF‐ET and their 375 children were collected retrospectively. Mothers were divided into the CHB group (n = 224) and the control group (HBsAg negative, n = 74). After birth, newborns were routinely vaccinated with the hepatitis B vaccine, and infants in the CHB group were injected with hepatitis B immunoglobulin within 2 h after birth. Demographic information, clinical data and laboratory test results were collected. The primary outcome measures were the MTCT rate of HBV, and the secondary outcome measures were the safety of the mother and infant. Results: There was no case of HBV MTCT in all 282 newborns born in the CHB group and 93 neonates born in the control group. Of the two groups, the birth weight (3056.74 ± 601.65 vs. 2926.24 ± 704.86, P =.083), length (49.22 ± 1.97 vs. 48.74 ± 3.09, P =.167), 5‐min Apgar score (9.97 ± 0.21 vs. 9.90 ± 0.51, P =.212), days of pregnancy (265.70 ± 12.73 vs. 262.02 ± 17.50, P =.064) and neonatal malformation rate (0.71% vs. 0, P = 1.000) were similar. Two cases of neonatal malformation occurred in the CHB group. The incidences of pregnancy and childbirth complications were similar between the two groups. Conclusion: IVF‐ET does not increase the risk of MTCT in women with chronic HBV infection, and it is safe for mothers and infants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Assessment of thyroid nodules is usually relied on the experience of the radiologist and is time‐consuming. Classification model of thyroid nodules cannot only reduce the burden on physicians but also provide objective recommendations. However, most classification models based on deep learning simply give a prediction result of the benignity or malignancy of nodules; thus, physicians have no way of knowing how the deep learning gets the prediction result due to the black‐box nature of neural networks. In this work, we integrate the explainability directly into the outputs generated by the model through combining thyroid imaging reporting and data system (TI‐RADS). The inference process of the proposed method is consistent with doctor's clinical diagnosis process; therefore, doctors can better explain the diagnosis results of the model to the patient. Methods: A multitask network based on TI‐RADS (MTN‐TI‐RADS) for the classification of thyroid nodules is proposed. In this network, a set of TI‐RADS classifications of nodules is first obtained by multitask learning, then the TI‐RADS points and the corresponding risk levels are calculated, and finally, nodules are classified as benign and malignant. The classification process through the network is consistent with the diagnostic process of physician; thus, the results of classification can be easily understood by physicians. In addition, the attention modules are introduced to the spatial and channel domains to let the network focus more on critical features. Results: To verify the classification performance of our method, we compared the results obtained through our method with the results of the radiologist's evaluation. For the 781 test nodules in the internal dataset and the 886 test nodules in the external dataset, the sensitivity and specificity of MTN‐TI‐RADS were 0.988, 0.912 in internal dataset, 0.949, 0.930 in external dataset, versus the senior radiologist of 0.925 (p<0.001$p<0.001$), 0.816 (p=0.005$p=0.005$), and 0.910 (p=0.009$p=0.009$), 0.836 (p<0.001$p<0.001$), respectively. And the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of MTN‐TI‐RADS was 0.981 in internal dataset, 0.973 in external dataset, versus the senior radiologist of 0.905, 0.923. For the internal dataset, we also computed the accuracy of the risk level (TR1 to TR5) and the mean absolute error (MAE). The accuracy of the risk level of the proposed method is 78%, and the MAE is 1.30. The MAE of the total points (0–14 points) is 1.30. Conclusions: An effective and result‐interpretable end‐to‐end thyroid nodule classification network (MTN‐TI‐RADS) is proposed. MTN‐TI‐RADS has superior ability to classify malignant and benign thyroid nodules compared to senior radiologists. Based on MTN‐TI‐RADS, a classification model with strong interpretation and a high degree of physician trust is constructed. The proposed classification network is consistent with the diagnosis process of physicians, thus is more reliable and interpretable, and has great potential for clinical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Backgrounds: Inflammation underlies the mechanism of different kinds of heart disease. Cytoplasmic membrane localized N‐terminal fragment of gasdermin‐D (GSDMD‐N) could induce inflammatory injury to cardiomyocyte. However, effects and dynamic changes of GSDMD during the process of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) related inflammatory stress induced cardiomyocyte injury are barely elucidated to date. In this study, LPS related cardiomyocyte injury was investigated based on potential interaction of GSDMD‐N induced mitochondrial injury and mitophagy mediated mitochondria quality control. Methods: HL‐1 cardiomyocytes were treated with LPS and Nigericin to induce inflammatory stress. The dual‐fluorescence‐labelled GSDMD expressed HL‐1 cardiomyocytes were constructed to study the translocation of GSDMD. The mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) was measured by JC‐1 staining. Mitophagy and autophagic flux were recorded by transmission electron microscopy and fluorescent image. Results: GSDMD‐N showed a time‐dependent pattern of translocation from mitochondria to cytoplasmic membrane under LPS and Nigericin induced inflammatory stress in HL‐1 cardiomyocytes. GSDMD‐N preferred to localize to mitochondria to permeablize its membrane and dissipate the MMP. This effect couldn't be reversed by cyclosporine‐A (mPTP inhibitor), indicating GSDMD‐N pores as alternative mechanism underlying MMP regulation, in addition to mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP). Moreover, the combination between GSDMD‐N and autophagy related Microtubule Associated Protein 1 Light Chain 3 Beta (LC3B) was verified by co‐immunoprecipitation. Besides, mitophagy alleviating GSDMD‐N induced mitochondrial injury was proved by pre‐treatment of autophagy antagonist or agonist in GSDMD‐knock out or GSDMD‐overexpression cells. A time‐dependent pattern of GSDMD translocation and mitochondrial GSDMD targeted mitophagy were verified. Conclusion: Herein, our study confirmed a crosstalk between GSDMD‐N induced mitochondrial injury and mitophagy mediated mitochondria quality control during LPS related inflammation induced cardiomyocyte injury, which potentially facilitating the development of therapeutic target to myocardial inflammatory disease. Our findings support pharmaceutical intervention on enhancing autophagy or inhibiting GSDMD as potential target for inflammatory heart disease treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Right ventricular pacing (RVP) dependence could impair left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). This study aimed to illuminate the relationship between RVP proportion and LVEF, as well as disclosing independent predictors of RVP dependence. Methods and results: Patients indicated for permanent pacemaker implantation were included (2016–2020). The ventricular pacing lead was placed in right ventricular apex or septum. Pacing mode programming followed universal standard. Electrocardiographic, echocardiographic, and serological parameters were collected. RVP dependence was defined according to its influence on LVEF. This study was of case–control design. Included patients were matched by potentially confounding factors through propensity score matching. A total of 1183 patients were included, and the mean duration of follow‐up was 24 months. Percentage of RVP < 80% hardly influenced LVEF; however, LVEF tended to decrease with higher RVP proportion. High degree/complete atrioventricular block (AVB) [odds ratio (OR) = 5.71, 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.66–8.85], atrial fibrillation (AF) (OR = 2.04, 95% CI: 1.47–2.82), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (OR = 2.89, 95% CI: 1.24–6.76), maximum heart rate (HRmax) < 110 b.p.m. (OR = 2.74, 95% CI: 1.58–4.76), QRS duration > 120 ms (OR = 2.46, 95% CI: 1.42–4.27), QTc interval > 470 ms (OR = 2.01, 95% CI: 1.33–3.05), and pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) > 40 mmHg (OR = 1.93, 95% CI: 1.46–2.56) were proved to predict RVP dependence. Conclusions: High RVP percentage (>80%) indicating RVP dependence significantly correlates with poor prognosis of cardiac function. High degree/complete AVB, AF, ischaemic aetiology, PCI history, HRmax < 110 b.p.m., QRS duration > 120 ms, QTc interval > 470 ms, and PASP > 40 mmHg were verified as independent risk factors of RVP dependence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several hepatitis B virus (HBV) serum markers have been identified as risk factors for liver fibrosis in patients with chronic HBV infection, and several noninvasive fibrosis tests based on serum indexes are now used to identify the severity of liver fibrosis. We aimed to identify the relationship between hepatitis B core‐related antigen (HBcrAg) serum levels and liver fibrosis in treatment‐naive chronic HBV infection patients. A total of 246 treatment‐naive chronic HBV infection patients were enrolled in this study. All of the patients underwent liver biopsies at baseline. Using the METAVIR fibrosis stages, there were 15, 140, 50, 26 and 15 patients in the F0, F1, F2, F3 and F4 stages (METAVIR scoring system), respectively. The biochemical, serological and virological parameters were measured using standard laboratory procedures. The HBcrAg serum levels of the patients were examined via ELISA. HBcrAg serum levels of F2, F3 and F4 stage patients were significantly higher than those of nonsignificant liver fibrosis patients (METAVIR F0‐F1), but there were no significant differences among F2, F3 and F4 stage patients. Serum HBcrAg (OR, 2.18; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.51–3.16), albumin (ALB) (OR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.41–0.87), prothrombin activity (PTA) (OR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.40–0.83) and platelet (PLT) counts (OR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.25–0.57) were associated with significant liver fibrosis (METAVIR F2‐F4). The serum HBcrAg value enabled the correct identification of patients with significant fibrosis, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.81 (95% CI, 0.75–0.88). The APRI, FIB‐4 index and ALBI score can identify significant liver fibrosis with an area under the ROC curve of 0.74 (95% CI, 0.66–0.81), 0.73 (95% CI, 0.65–0.80) and 0.63 (95% CI, 0.55–0.72), respectively. Compared with these three indexes, the accuracy rate of diagnosis of significant fibrosis based on HBcrAg was higher than that of the FIB‐4 index (p = 0.0479) and ALBI score (p = 0.0030). HBcrAg, ALB, PTA serum levels and PLT counts were associated with significant liver fibrosis in treatment‐naive chronic HBV infection patients. HBcrAg serum levels enabled the correct identification of patients with significant fibrosis (METAVIR F2–F4), and HBcrAg was more effective than the FIB‐4 index and ALBI score. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi play a vital role in plant's resistance against soil‐borne pathogens including Phytophthora capsici, which causes the devastating Phytophthora blight and threatens pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) cultivation worldwide. In order to understand the interaction of indigenous AM fungal community and P. capsici during the aggravation of Phytophthora blight, a survey was performed in a facility shed in Southwest China. The blight severity of pepper plants was evaluated based on a 0–5 scale (L0–L5), and the corresponding root AM fungal colonization, and the abundance and community composition of AM fungi as well as the population of P. capsici in root‐adjacent soil, were all investigated. Along with the rise of disease severity, increased soil P. capsici population was shown. In contrast, there were significant decreases in root colonization rate and the diversity indices rather than the abundance of soil AM fungi. The root colonization rate and the diversity indices of AM fungi all showed significant negative correlations with soil P. capsici population. Compared to plants with lower disease severities (L0–L2), higher severities (L3–L5) significantly modified soil AM fungal community composition, mainly through replacing the beneficial Glomus phylotypes by Paraglomus ones. Overall, the results disclosed the dynamic competition between indigenous AM fungi and P. capsici behind the onset of pepper Phytophthora blight, which highlights the importance of establishing soil suppressiveness on the control of soil‐borne diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pediatric reconstruction of lateral malleolus was necessary and challengeable. Up to now, vascularized fibular was the optimal graft to reconstruct epiphyseal defection. However, the sophisticated microvascular operation has limited the wide application of this technique. Case Presentation: We present the case of a 9‐year‐old boy with Ewing sarcoma in left distal fibula. In order to restore the growth capacity, we used reverse‐flow vascularized fibular epiphyseal graft with tibialis anterior artery to reconstruct the bone defect after tumor resection with no microvascular anastomosis. More than 4 years after the operation and adjuvant chemotherapy, the patient was free of pain and recurrence, and the function and stability of ankle joint was perfect. Radiology examination revealed satisfied bony union of fibula and normal growth of the fibular head transplant. Conclusions: The advantage of reverse‐flow vascularized fibular epiphyseal graft is requiring no microvascular anastomosis which could not only shorten operating time, but also reduce factitious damage of vessels. This report presented that this technique might be an available option for reconstruction of lateral malleolus in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three materials of polylactic acid (PLA), polyamide 12 (PA12), and light curing resin (LCR) were used to construct phantom using 3D printing technology. The mechanical and medical imaging properties of the three materials, such as elastic modulus, density, effective atomic number, X‐ray attenuation coefficient, computed tomography (CT) number, and acoustic properties, were investigated. The results showed that the elastic modulus for PLA was 1.98 × 103 MPa, for PA12 was 848 MPa, for LCR was 1.18×103 MPa, and that of three materials was close to some bones. In the range of 40∼120 kV, the X‐ray attenuation coefficient of three materials decreased with increasing tube voltage. The CT number for PLA, PA12, and LCR was 144, −88, and 312 Hounsfield units at 120 kV tube voltage, respectively. The density and the effective atomic number product (ρ*Zeff) were computed from three materials and decreased in the order of LCR, PLA, and PA12. The acoustic properties of materials were also studied. The speeds of sound of three materials were similar with those of some soft tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(C) Neutralization of different variants by sera collected at Day 14 post booster vaccination. We then evaluated the neutralizing activity of 6-month longitudinal serum samples from individuals after a third booster vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 WT, Delta variant, Omicron variant, and its sublineages. (A) Serum neutralization ID50 over time for individuals vaccinated with homologous or heterologous booster following two doses of BBIBP-CorV against PsVs of WT, Delta, and Omicron sublineages. [Extracted from the article]

Magnetic anomaly detection (MAD) is a technique to find ferromagnets hiding in strong and complicated magnetic background. In many practical cases, the targets are very far from the detection sensor, which leads to low signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) and high detection difficulty. Most of the current methods determine the existence of target by some approaches based on signal analysis, such as the orthogonal basis function (OBF) and the minimum entropy (ME). However, although these methods consume low resources, the detection performances are not satisfactory enough. In recent years, due to the increase of computer capability, complex methods become applicable in MAD. In this study, a deep neural network (DNN) is adopted to detect the magnetic anomalies. The DNN has shown its better ability to represent natural data in many applications. A feature automatically learned by a DNN from data in the raw form is more effective for detecting target signals and suppressing irrelevant variations. Herein, a convolutional network with residual structure to implement the feature extraction is designed and an MAD method based on it is proposed. Through the semi‐real tests, the proposed method exhibits a strong capability to extract features and shows excellent performances on detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil microbiomes play important roles in both transformation and utilization of phosphorus (P) in agroecosystems. By targeting at 18S rRNA, pqqC, and phoD genes, respectively, the community compositions of soil arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and inorganic P‐solubilizing and organic P‐mineralizing prokaryotes were investigated across fields with annual crops or vegetables and orchards with peach trees or tea bushes in a common Agri‐technology Park, representing four typical agricultural land‐use types in Eastern China. Both annual crop and vegetable fields exhibited higher soil fertility and phosphatase activity, while both peach tree and tea bush orchards contained greater abundances of AM fungal and pqqC genes. Land‐use type also significantly affected the community compositions of soil AM fungi, and pqqC‐ and phoD‐harboring prokaryotes, with soil available P as the common driver for all functional groups above. Three main ecological clusters (modules) with distinctive interactive features, that is, synergistic, competitive, and inactive were observed in the co‐occurrence network comprised of the three groups involved in P‐cycling. The modules exhibited various distributions among the four land‐use types, and the correlations with soil pH, available P and K, and N:P were shown. Altogether, the results demonstrated the changes in gene abundances, diversity indices, community compositions, and interrelationships of functional groups involved in P‐cycling in response to distinct land‐use types, and highlighting the synergistic potential among groups to alleviate P deficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To develop a deep learning method to predict patient‐specific dose volume histograms (DVHs) for radiotherapy planning. Methods: Patient data included 180 cases with nasopharyngeal cancer, of which 153 cases were used for training and 27 for testing. A network (named "DVHnet") based on a convolutional neural network (CNN) was designed for directly predicting DVHs of organs at risk (OARs). Two‐channel images with contoured structures were generated as the inputs for training the model. A one‐dimensional array consisting of 256 continuous volume percentages on a DVH curve for each slice was calculated as the corresponding output. The combined DVH was then calculated. Sixteen OARs were modeled in the study. Prediction accuracy was evaluated against the corresponding DVH curve of ground truth (GT) plans. A global DVH analysis and critical dosimetry metrics for each OAR were calculated for quantitative evaluation. The performance of DVHnet also was evaluated against two baselines: DosemapNet (developed by our research group) and commercial RapidPlan software. Results: The predicted mean difference in average dose of all OARs using DVHnet was 0.30 ± 0.95 Gy. And the predicted differences in D2% and D50 can be control within 2.32 and 0.69 Gy. For most OARs, there were no obvious differences between the dosimetric metrics of the predicted and GT values for both DVHnet and DosemapNet (P ≥ 0.05). Only the predicted D2% of the optic organs for DVHnet, and of brain stem PRV for DosemapNet displayed statistically significant differences. Except for the optic organs, DVHnet performs better than or comparably with RapidPlan. The mean difference in proportion of points of interest was 3.59% ± 7.78%. Conclusions: A deep learning network model was developed to automatically extract useful features for accurate prediction of patient‐specific DVH curves directly. The performance of DVHnet was comparable to DosemapNet and RapidPlan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic amendments are powerful tools for mitigating land degradation, improving soil fertility and biodiversity. Nevertheless, changes in the diversity and activity of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi during the initial period of soil restoration under different organic amendments (e.g., crop residues and livestock manure) remains poorly understood despite their growing roles in improving soil sustainability. We conducted a six‐month experiment with the application of rice straw (RS), horse manure (HM), and both amendments (RH) to an artificially degraded field in Eastern China, and the AM fungal community structure was assessed through Illumina sequencing. The dominance (35.2%) of the identified operational taxonomic units (OTUs) belonged to Glomus, whereas the majority (66.0%) of the recovered sequence reads belonged to Paraglomus. Although no notable changes in AM fungal abundance were observed, the relative abundance of Claroideoglomus significantly increased (p <.05) to 4.3% in the HM‐treated soil compared with that in the control (0.1%), and Acaulospora was only detected in the three treated soils. In addition to shaping AM fungal communities, the RH appeared to be the strongest treatment for increasing AM fungal diversity, alkaline phosphatase activity, and glomalin‐related soil protein (GRSP) concentrations, and these parameters were positively correlated (p <.05) with edaphic factors, notably the organic carbon concentration. Furthermore, GRSP could be used as an ecological indicator of AM fungal functioning. This study highlights that the combined application of crop residues and livestock manure could have synergistic effects that help to ameliorate the community structure and diversity of AM fungi in degraded fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fe–Si3N4 was introduced to improve the service performance of corundum‐based dry vibratable refractories in the casting industry, specifically enhancing their thermal shock resistance and resistance to slag corrosion. The study analyzed the effects of Fe–Si3N4 powder content on the refractories' mechanical properties, phase compositions, slag corrosion resistance, and microstructures. The addition of Fe–Si3N4 facilitated the production of magnesium aluminate spinel in the refractory matrix, while also decreasing the wettability between the molten slag and refractory. Increasing the Fe–Si3N4 content resulted in accelerating the replacing Mg2+ (0.072 nm) with Al3+ (0.053 nm) in the spinel. Simultaneously, Fe3+ (0.055 nm) was effectively dissolved into the alumina crystals. The bulk density, compressive strength, and slag corrosion resistance of the refractories were improved. However, the thermal shock resistance initially increased but then decreased. In industrial tests, a corundum‐based dry vibratable refractory with a 1 wt.% Fe–Si3N4 content effectively prolonged the lifespan of an induction melting furnace when used as a lining refractory. Importantly, the refractory did not spall or generate cracks in the matrix after induction melt furnace industrial test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Radiotherapy plays an important role in the treatment of lung cancer, and both coplanar beam arrangements (CBA) and noncoplanar beam arrangements (NCBA) are adopted in clinic practice. The aim of this study is to answer the question whether NCBA are dosimetrically superior to CBA. Methods: Search of publications were performed in PubMed, Web of Science, and the Cochran Library till March 2020. The searching terms were as following: ((noncoplanar) or ("non coplanar") or ("4pi") or ("4π")) AND (("lung cancer") or ("lung tumor") or ("lung carcinoma")) AND ((radiotherapy) or ("radiation therapy")). The included studies and extracted data were manually screened. All forest and funnel plots were carried out with RevMan software, and the Egger's regression asymmetry tests were conducted with STATA software. Results: Nine studies were included and evaluated in the meta‐analysis and treatment plans were designed with both CBA and NCBA. For the planning target volumes (PTV), D98%, D2%, the conformity index (CI), and the gradient index (GI) had no statistically significant difference. For organs‐at‐risk (OAR), V20 of the whole lung and the maximum dose of the spinal cord were significantly reduced in NCBA plans compared with CBA ones. But V10, V5, and mean dose of the whole lung, the maximum dose of the heart, and the maximum dose of the esophagus exhibited no significant difference when the two types of beam arrangements were compared. Conclusion: After combining multicenter results, NCBA plans have significant advantages in reducing V20 of the whole lung and max dose of spinal cord. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Aims: Non‐invasive assessment criteria to rule out high‐risk varices (HRV) in compensated hepatitis B virus (HBV) cirrhosis on antiviral therapy remains unclear. Methods: HBV‐related compensated cirrhotic patients who underwent screening endoscopy during antiviral therapy were enrolled and randomly divided into the derivation and validation sets. HRV were defined as medium to large varices or small varices with red signs. Univariate and multivariate logistic analysis were used to determine the parameters associated with HRV. Results: A total of 436 HBV‐related compensated cirrhotic patients screened for varices were enrolled, the median duration of antiviral therapy was 4 years (IQR: 2.5‐5.5 years). In the derivation set (N = 290, 17.2% with HRV), only platelet (PLT) count (OR = 0.972, 95% CI 0.961‐0.984, P <.05) was independently associated with HRV, whereas liver stiffness measurement was not associated with the presence of HRV. With a PLT count cut‐off value of 105 × 109/L, unnecessary endoscopies could be spared in 56.9% patients, with a 3.6%. risk of missing HRV. In the validation cohort (N = 146, 16.4% with HRV), the proportion of patients that could safely spare endoscopies (61.0%) identified by this PLT count cut‐off value was higher than that obtained by using Baveno VI criteria (34.9%), with an acceptable risk of missing HRV (3.4%). Conclusion: Compared with the 'Baveno VI criteria or beyond' criteria, PLT count higher than 105 × 109/L could safely spare more screening endoscopies without increasing the risk of missing HRV in patients with HBV‐related compensated cirrhosis on antiviral therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of a multileaf collimator (MLC) system for the high magnetic field of the Elekta Unity magnetic resonance linear accelerator (MR‐linac). Methods: Performance was evaluated as recommended in AAPM Report Nos. 72 and 142, and MLC motor radiofrequency (RF) shielding was also evaluated. Fields of 99.8 × 99.8 mm2 and 199.6 × 199.6 mm2 were examined to calculate the leaf width. Profiles of 28.4 × 28.4 mm2, 57.0 × 57.0 mm2, 99.8 × 99.8 mm2, and 199.6 × 199.6 mm2 fields at center and off‐axis positions were measured using a microDiamond detector and BEAMSCAN® MR water phantom to determine the field penumbra. EBT3 film was exposed to a 190.0 × 220.0 mm2 field composed of two strip segments to assess the tongue‐and‐groove (T&G) effect. Outputs of 100.0 × 100.0 mm2 open and blocked fields at center and off‐axis positions were measured using a PTW TW31021 ion chamber and a film with the full MLC‐blocked field to determine transmission. The minimum gap fields were also exposed on EBT3 film at center and off‐axis positions to assess leakage between leaf tips in the "closed" position. The picket fence test was performed using a megavoltage imager to analyze leaf positional reproducibility. RF shielding was measured via real‐time MR imaging of a homogeneous phantom and quantified using the signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR). Results: The leaf widths were 7.00 ± 0.00 and 7.10 ± 0.00 mm for 99.8 × 99.8 and 199.6 × 199.6 mm2 fields, respectively. The leaf side penumbra ranged from 5.11 ± 0.08 to 11.28 ± 0.29 mm and the leaf tips penumbra ranged from 4.47 ± 0.03 to 6.25 ± 0.15 mm for the field size range of 28.4 × 28.4 mm2 to 199.6 × 199.6 mm2. The T&G effect resulted in an underdose of up to 23.41 ± 0.88%. The max leaf transmission was 0.33 ± 0.00% when MLCs were all closed and diaphragms were all opened, and this value was reduced to 0.18 ± 0.00% when the diaphragm blocked the field with a minimum MLC gap. The leaf tip leakage rates were 60.08 ± 0.05% at field center and 2.94 ± 0.00% approximately 100 mm off‐axis. At 6 months, the short‐term leaf position reproducibility was 0.11 mm (2σ), and the long‐term leaf position reproducibility was 0.19 mm (2σ). Leaf motion led to small fluctuations of the SNR of up to 1.64%. Conclusion: The new MLC system has a comparable T&G effect, low radiation leakage, high positioning reproducibility, and good RF shielding for the Elekta Unity MR‐linac. However, more attention is required for the positional change of the leaf side penumbra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to evaluate the relation of the ankle–brachial index (ABI) with the prevalence of stroke and to examine any possible effect modifiers among hypertensive patients without atrial fibrillation. A total of 10 750 subjects with hypertension aged 27‐96 years were included in the current study. The outcome was a stroke. Odds ratios of stroke concerning ABI were calculated using multivariate logistic regression models. Among 10 750 hypertensive participants, 690 (6.42%) had a stroke. Multivariate logistic analyses showed that ABI was negatively correlated with the prevalence of stroke (per SD increment; adjusted OR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.82‐0.94). Compared with participants in Q 1, the odds ratios (95% CI) for those in the Q2 (1.05 to 1.10), Q3 (1.10 to 1.15), and Q4 (≥1.15) were 0.71 (0.56, 0.90), 0.87 (0.70, 1.08), and 0.81 (0.65, 1.01), respectively. However, compared with higher ABI value, lower ABI value (<1.05) would significantly increase the odds of stroke (OR: 1.26, 95% CI [1.05‐1.50]), especially in the elderly over 65 years old. A generalized additive model and a smooth curve fitting showed that there existed an L‐shaped association between ABI and the prevalence of stroke. Our results suggest that an L‐shaped association between ABI and the prevalence of stroke was found in general hypertensive patients, with a turning point at about 1.05. Compared with higher ABI value, lower ABI value (<1.05) would significantly increase the prevalence of stroke (OR: 1.26, 95% CI [1.05‐1.50]), especially in the elderly over 65 years old. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a widespread blood‐borne pathogen associated with the complication of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, particularly in south‐east Asian and African countries where HBV is highly endemic and the budget and resources are limited. Therefore, simple, rapid, and portable field detection methods are crucial to efficiently control HBV infection. In this study, using heat‐treated DNA, we developed two‐field applicable detection assays for HBV based on recombinase‐aided amplification (RAA). One was an internal controlled duplex RAA assay using a portable real‐time fluorescence detection device, another was an instrument‐free visual observation assay using lateral flow dipsticks. The entire experimental time was greatly shortened to less than 40 minutes at 39.0°C. The sensitivities, specificities, and clinical performance of both assays were evaluated. Compared with quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay as a reference, our results demonstrated that the two RAA‐based assay obtained 97.18% and 95.77% of sensitivity, respectively, and the specificity was 100%, by testing a total of 157 serum samples with HBsAg positive. We conclude that the advantages of rapidity, simplicity, portability, and visualization of proposed two assays make them great potentials in point‐of‐care testing of HBV infection by untrained people in resource‐limited situations. Research Highlights: HBV is a widespread blood‐borne pathogen associated with the complication of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. We present a rapid RAA assay to detect HBV without DNA extraction. This assay can be performed in a single closed tube at 39℃ within 30 min. The sensitivity of the internally controlled RAA assay was 102 IU/ml. The introduction of IAC effectively reduced the occurrence of false negatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors aimed to evaluate the relationship of serum albumin with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and investigate any possible effect modifiers in hypertensive patients. In the cross-sectional study, a total of 10,900 Chinese hypertensive patients aged ≥18 years were enrolled. The outcome was PAD, defined as an ankle-brachial index (ABI) <0.90 in either leg. The overall mean (SD) serum albumin was 46.8 (4.2) g/L. There were significant inverse associations of serum albumin with PAD (per SD increment; OR: 0.83; 95% CI: 0.72, 0.94). Compared with the lowest tertile (<45.1 g/L), the multivariate-adjusted ORs (95% CI) for participants in the middle tertile (45.1-48.2 g/L) and highest tertile (≥48.2 g/L) of serum albumin were 0.89 (95% CI: 0.67, 1.16) and 0.65 (95% CI: 0.47, 0.90), respectively. Conversely, lower albumin (<48.2 g/L) concentrations were associated with increased odds of PAD (OR: 1.45; 95% CI: 1.08-1.96) compared with higher concentrations. Furthermore, the albumin-PAD association was significantly stronger in males (OR: 2.08; 95% CI: 1.31, 3.30) than in females (OR: 1.06; 95% CI: 0.70, 1.58; p interaction = .024). In conclusion, among Chinese hypertensive adults, lower serum albumin was associated with the prevalence of PAD only in males but not in females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]