Search

As well known in bioactives delivery and cancer/inflammation theranostics, polycations have recently extended their biomedical potentials in reducing visceral fat, embolizing body fluid, modulating blood coagulation, and ameliorating hyperammonemia. However, positive charges that dominate various action mechanisms, often raise risks in biosafety concerns. Also, the lack of intrinsic imaging properties of polycations makes it challenging to uncover their pharmacokinetic profiles in living objects. Herein, dopamine conjugation is demonstrated controllable and highly efficient in boosting the fluorescence or even white color emission of various polycations including hyperbranched poly(amido amine) (HPAA), polyethyleneimine and poly‐L‐lysine. By shielding partial surface positive charges, increasing hydrophobicity, and inducing aqueous self‐assembly, dopamine conjugation can significantly enhance the biocompatibility and decrease the toxicity and immunogenicity of polycations. Furthermore, the catechol‐metal binding interaction facilitates the accessibility of polycation‐based positron emission tomography (PET) probes. Different tissue uptake and biodistributions of gallium‐68‐radiolabeled HPAA before and after dopamine conjugation indicate that PET imaging can be a useful supplement to evaluate the dynamic toxicities of polycations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider the parabolic–elliptic Keller–Segel system, which is coupled to the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations through transportation and friction. It is shown that when the system is diffused by Lévy motion, the well‐posedness of the mild solution to the corresponding Cauchy problem in homogeneous Besov spaces is established by means of the Banach fixed point theorem. Furthermore, we prove the Lorentz regularity in time direction and the maximal regularity of solutions. In addition, we obtain the additional regularity and explore the time decay property of global mild solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the Cauchy problem for time‐space fractional Keller‐Segel‐Navier‐Stokes model in ℝd(d≥2)$$ {\mathrm{\mathbb{R}}}^d\kern0.1em \left(d\ge 2\right) $$, which can describe the memory effect and anomalous diffusion of the considered system. The local and global existence and uniqueness in weak Lp$$ {L}^p $$ space are obtained by means of abstract fixed point theorem. Moreover, we explore the asymptotic stability of solutions as time goes to infinity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of radiolabeled cells for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging tracking has been a promising approach for monitoring cell‐based therapies. However, the presence of free radionuclides released from dead cells during tracking can interfere with the signal from living cells, leading to inaccurate results. In this study, the effectiveness of the iron chelators deferoxamine (DFO) and deferiprone in removing free radionuclides 89Zr and 68Ga, respectively, was demonstrated in vivo utilizing PET imaging. The use of DFO during PET imaging tracking of 89Zr‐labeled mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) significantly reduced uptake in bone while preserving uptake in major organs, resulting in more accurate and reliable tracking. Furthermore, the clearance of free 89Zr in vivo resulted in a significant reduction in radiation dose from 89Zr‐labeled MSCs. Additionally, the avoidance of free radionuclide accumulation in bone allowed for more precise observation of the homing process and persistence during bone marrow transplantation. The efficacy and safety of this solution suggest this finding has potential for widespread use in imaging tracking studies involving various cells. Moreover, since this method employed iron chelator drugs in clinical use, which makes it is a good prospect for clinical translation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study investigated the differences in target volumes between preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRIpre) and postoperative MRI (MRIpost) for breast radiotherapy after breast‐conserving surgery (BCS) using deformable image registration (DIR). Methods and Materials: Seventeen eligible patients who underwent whole‐breast irradiation in the prone position after BCS were enrolled. On MRIpre, the gross tumor volume (GTV) was delineated as GTVpre, which was then expanded by 10 mm to represent the preoperative lumpectomy cavity (LC), denoted as LCpre. The LC was expanded to the clinical target volume (CTV) and planning target volume (PTV) on the MRIpre and MRIpost, denoted as CTVpre, CTVpost, PTVpre, and PTVpost, respectively. The MIM software system was used to register the MRIpre and MRIpost using DIR. Differences were evaluated regarding target volume, distance between the centers of mass (dCOM), conformity index (CI), and degree of inclusion (DI). The relationship between CILC/CIPTV and the clinical factors was also assessed. Results: Significant differences were observed in LC and PTV volumes between MRIpre and MRIpost (p < 0.0001). LCpre was 0.85 cm3 larger than LCpost, while PTVpre was 29.38 cm3 smaller than PTVpost. The dCOM between LCpre and LCpost was 1.371 cm, while that between PTVpre and PTVpost reduced to 1.348 cm. There were statistically significant increases in CI and DI for LCpost–LCpre and PTVpost–PTVpre (CI = 0.221, 0.470; DI = 0.472, 0.635). No obvious linear correlations (p > 0.05) were found between CI and GTV, primary tumor volume‐to‐breast volume ratio, distance from the primary tumor to the nipple and chest wall, and body mass index. Conclusions: Despite using DIR technology, the spatial correspondence of target volumes between MRIpre and MRIpost was suboptimal. Therefore, relying solely on preoperative diagnostic MRI with DIR for postoperative LC delineation is not recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses a case of congenital hemangioma (CH) in the breast, accompanied by breast hypoplasia in a 12-year-old girl. CH is a rare cutaneous vascular tumor that develops in utero, and its relationship to breast development is uncertain. The authors suggest surgical intervention for CH in the breast before puberty to promote normal breast development. They emphasize the importance of accurate preoperative identification of CH subtypes and careful surgical dissection to avoid damage to the breast bud. The article calls for more reports on long-term postoperative breast development to evaluate the benefits of early surgical excision. [Extracted from the article]

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) integration into the host genome is an important factor in HPV(+)OPSCC carcinogenesis, in conjunction with HPV oncoproteins E6/E7. However, a well‐studied investigation about virus–host interaction still needs to be completed. Our objective is to characterise HPV integration to investigate potential mechanisms of tumourigenesis independent of E6/E7 oncoproteins. Materials and methods: High‐throughput viral integration detection was performed on 109 HPV(+)OPSCC tumours with relevant clinicopathological information. Of these tumours, 38 tumours underwent targeted gene sequencing, 29 underwent whole exome sequencing and 26 underwent RNA sequencing. Results: HPV integration was detected in 94% of tumours (with a mean integration count of 337). Tumours occurring at the tonsil/oropharyngeal wall that exhibit higher PD‐L1 expression demonstrated increased integration sites (p =.024). HPV exhibited a propensity for integration at genomic sites located within specific fragile sites (FRA19A) or genes associated with functional roles such as cell proliferation and differentiation (PTEN, AR), immune evasion (CD274) and glycoprotein biosynthesis process (FUT8). The viral oncogenes E2, E4, E6 and E7 tended to remain intact. HPV fragments displayed enrichment within host copy number variation (CNV) regions. However, insertions into genes related to altered homologous recombination repair were infrequent. Genes with integration had distinct expression levels. Fifty‐nine genes whose expression level was affected by viral integration were identified, for example, EPHB1, which was reported to be involved in cellular protein metabolic process. Conclusions: HPV can promote oncogenesis through recurrent integration into functional host genome regions, leading to subsequent genomic aberrations and gene expression disruption. This study characterises viral integrations and virus–host interactions, enhancing our understanding of HPV‐related carcinogenesis mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pressure ulcers, which can result from prolonged sitting, pose a significant challenge for wheelchair users. Soft robotics has considerable potential in preventing pressure ulcers. However, current soft robotics, constructed from flexible materials, face limitations including insufficient proprioception and controllability. Herein, a vacuum‐powered proprioceptive soft–rigid hybrid actuator (PSHA) module and a modular pressure redistribution cushion (MPRC) developed using this module are introduced. This PSHA module is capable of detecting both position and force. Each module within the MPRC is equipped with onboard control, proprioceptive sensation, and inter‐module communication. The MPRC incorporates a closed‐loop control system, enabling it to actively redistribute pressure, thereby preventing prolonged compression of local soft tissue during periods of inactivity. The proposed PSHA module, as evidenced in its application in pressure redistribution cushions, offers a promising approach for designs intent on reducing the risk of pressure ulcers. This study significantly contributes to the advancement of assistive technology, with the potential to enhance the quality of life for individuals with immobility or limited mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ureteral stents are commonly used in clinical treatment of ureteral diseases. There were a series of complications, such as biofilms and crusts caused by bacteria after surgery. Therefore, biodegradable with bacteriostatic ureteral scaffolds would be the potential to solve above mentioned problems. In this study, nanosilver (AgNP) was added to the polylactic‐co‐glycolic acid (PLGA) and polycaprolactone (PCL) to prepare biodegradable antibacterial ureteral scaffold samples by 3D printing. The biocompatibility, antibacterial properties, degradability, and mechanical properties of samples were observed. The samples were under a strong inhibitory effect on both Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), and the higher the concentration of AgNP, the stronger the antibacterial effect. When the concentration of AgNP was 10%, the antibacterial effect was up to 100%. AgNP was released continually with the degradation of samples, which can achieve a continuous antibacterial effect. The breaking strength of the samples without and with AgNP were 6.08 ± 1.16 MPa and 26.02 ± 2.00 MPa. The mechanical properties of samples with AgNP were higher than those without AgNP. It provides a potential way to design ureteral scaffolds based on biodegradable polymers with AgNP in the clinic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS) is an excellent scaffold material in tissue engineering due to good biocompatibility and tunable mechanical properties. The degradation properties of PGS have been primarily explored in static phosphate buffer solution or enzyme solution. It is vital to understand how the tensile stress affect the degradation rate. In this study, PGS was synthetized by melt polycondensation and its properties were characterized. Then an in vitro degradation device which could provide different constant tensile stresses was carefully designed and established, and the enzymatic degradation of PGS was tested under 0–150 kPa at 37°C. It was found that holes of PGS surface arranged almost parallel to each other and perpendicular to the direction of tensile stresses at 100 kPa and 150 kPa after 2–4 days degradation. After 8 days degradation, the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of PGS at 150 kPa was 0.28 MPa and the elastic modulus was 1.11 MPa, while the UTS of PGS was 0.44 MPa and the elastic modulus was 1.63 MPa before degradation, both of them have significant differences. Hence, the tensile stress and degradation time were proportional to the appear time and size of holes, leading to the decrease of mass loss, UTS and elastic modulus. The relationship between stress and PGS degradation rates was quantitatively described through our degradation experiments, providing guidance for suitable PGS applications in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Walnut shell is lightweight material with high‐strength and toughening characteristics, but it is different from other nut shells' microstructure with two or three short sclerotic cell layers and long bundle fibers. It is essential to explore the fracture resistance biomechanism of lightweight walnut shell and how to prevent damage of bionic structure. In this study, it is found that the asymmetric mass center and geometric center dissipated impact energy to the whole shell without loading concentration in the loading area. Diaphragma juglandis is a special structure improved walnut shell's toughening. The S‐shape gradient porosity/elastic modulus distribution combined with pits on single auxetic sclerotic cells requires higher energy to crack expansion, then decreases its fracture behavior. These fantastic findings inspire to design fracture resistance devices including helmets, armor, automobile anti‐collision beams, and re‐entry capsule in spacecraft. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi‐omics usually refers to the crossover application of multiple high‐throughput screening technologies represented by genomics, transcriptomics, single‐cell transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics, spatial transcriptomics, and so on, which play a great role in promoting the study of human diseases. Most of the current reviews focus on describing the development of multi‐omics technologies, data integration, and application to a particular disease; however, few of them provide a comprehensive and systematic introduction of multi‐omics. This review outlines the existing technical categories of multi‐omics, cautions for experimental design, focuses on the integrated analysis methods of multi‐omics, especially the approach of machine learning and deep learning in multi‐omics data integration and the corresponding tools, and the application of multi‐omics in medical researches (e.g., cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, aging, and drug target discovery) as well as the corresponding open‐source analysis tools and databases, and finally, discusses the challenges and future directions of multi‐omics integration and application in precision medicine. With the development of high‐throughput technologies and data integration algorithms, as important directions of multi‐omics for future disease research, single‐cell multi‐omics and spatial multi‐omics also provided a detailed introduction. This review will provide important guidance for researchers, especially who are just entering into multi‐omics medical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A successful 3D printing of a novel 3D architected auxetic for large‐volume soft tissue engineering is reported. The 3D auxetic design is analyzed through finite element (FE) simulation and created by selective laser sintering (SLS) of Poly‐ε‐caprolactone (PCL) for further in‐depth mechanical and biological analysis. High initial flexibility and nonlinear stress–strain response to the uniaxial compression are achieved despite the use of PCL, which is one of the biomaterials that is clinically approved but has the disadvantage of having relatively stiff and linear mechanical properties. The high mass transport properties of the 3D auxetic are also demonstrated by not only high cell viability but also cell functionality within a cell‐laden hydrogel in large sizes of the auxetic. The outstanding mechanical and biological performance of the 3D auxetic is a consequence of the synergistic effect of the novel architected auxetic design combined with the inherent printing characteristic of SLS. The current study demonstrates great potential of SLS‐based printing of 3D auxetics toward the development of clinically viable 3D implants for the reconstruction of large‐volume soft tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Customized computer‐aided‐design/computer‐aided‐manufacturing (CAD/CAM) titanium meshes have been adopted for alveolar bone augmentation. But the inaccuracies between planned and created bone volume/contour are quite common, and the surgical placement of the customized mesh was considered as the first critical factor. However, the evaluation of surgical placement accuracy of customized mesh is currently lacking. Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of the surgical placement of customized meshes. Methods: A total of 30 cases, 20 without the screws‐position‐guided template and 10 with the screws‐position‐guided template, were included in this study. The cone beam CT (CBCT) data sets of pre‐ and postoperative were converted into 3D models and digitally aligned. Then the actual placement of customized mesh and retainer titanium screws was compared to the virtual one to assess the surgical placement accuracy of customized mesh. At least 6 months after surgery, a new CBCT was taken and converted into 3D models. Planned bone volume, created bone volume, vertical bone augmentation, healing complications rate, pseudo‐periosteum rate, exposure rate, and infection rate were all evaluated. Results: The 3D digital reconstruction/registration analysis showed that the average difference between actual placement and planned one of customized mesh in positive and negative directions was 2.69 ± 0.70 mm and −1.41 ± 0.90 mm, respectively, without the screws‐position‐guided template. And the mean difference values between the actual and planned placement of the screws on the X and Y axes were 0.74 ± 0.85 mm and 0.89 ± 0.84 mm. In contrast, with the screws‐position‐guided template, the results were 2.38 ± 0.69 mm and −1.30 ± 1.13 mm. Accordingly, the mean difference values of screws were 0.76 ± 0.84 mm and 0.94 ± 0.72 mm. There was no statistical difference between the two groups, and the noninferiority of the control group compared to the test group was also confirmed by the comparative analysis. Conclusion: It can be concluded that there is a certain deviation between the planned surgical placement and actual one of customized mesh, and using screws‐position‐guided template is of limited help for its accurate placement. Further research is needed to achieve precise surgical placement of the customized mesh to achieve precise alveolar bone augmentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodegradable polymers have been widely used in tissue engineering for their good biocompatibility, controlled mechanical properties and processability. Among them, poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS) is a promising biodegradable polymer that has been used in diverse tissue engineering applications such as skin, muscle, cornea, nerve, vessel, cartilage, and so on. However, one of the synthesis parameters, curing time on PGS properties is still a confusing problem waiting to be resolved. In this article, PGS was cured for 0, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 84, and 96 h at 130°C and their properties were characterized by a series of techniques. Differential scanning calorimetry results indicated that the melting point, crystallization temperature, melting enthalpy and crystallization enthalpy of PGS decreased with the increase of curing time. Curing time was positively correlated to the degree of crosslinking. Longer curing time not only enhanced Young's modulus of PGS but also reduced its hydrophilicity. The Young's modulus of PGS curing for 96 h was about 5 times higher than that of PGS curing for 36 h. This study suggests that the effect of curing time on PGS properties provides detailed reference for potential applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Parotid lymphoepithelial carcinoma (LEC) is a rare malignant tumor. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinicopathological features of parotid LEC. Methods: All patients clinicopathological information diagnosed parotid LEC from 2005 to 2017 were analyzed. Results: A total of 146 cases of parotid LECs were identified. Of these, 126 (86.3%) were primary and 20 (13.7%) were secondary LECs. Patients with secondary LEC tended to have tumors with earlier TNM staging than those with primary (p = 0.031). The tumor cells in 87 (94.6%, 87/92) cases tested positive for Epstein–Barr virus (EBV). Cervical node metastases were present at diagnosis in 46 (31.5%) cases. Overall survival at 5 and 10 years was 97.0% and 90.8%, respectively. Older age was an adverse prognostic indicator for overall survival (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Parotid LEC is associated with EBV and an increased rate of cervical node metastases. However, most patients, especially younger ones, have a good prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer bone metastasis is not a random process. It is affected by the local microenvironment which determines the propensity of cancer cells to invade and colonize into the secondary sites. This microenvironment is termed a pre‐metastatic niche. With the flexibility to incorporate different biofactors, tissue‐engineering scaffolds provide an advantageous environment to promote "designed" osteogenesis that may mimic the bony pre‐metastatic niche. In the current study, designed polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffolds enriched with nano‐hydroxyapatite (nHA) were fabricated through three‐dimensional (3D) printing. Subsequently, human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) were seeded onto PCL‐nHA scaffolds for osteogenic differentiation to establish the pre‐metastatic niched microenvironment. Furthermore, transwell migration assay was used to investigate recruitment of MDA‐MB‐231, MCF‐7, and MDA‐MB‐453 breast cancer cells to the osseous PCL‐nHA scaffolds. Our results showed that the mRNA levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), runt‐related transcription factor 2 (Runx2), and osteocalcin (OCN) of hMSCs on the PCL‐nHA scaffolds were dramatically increased compared those with the PCL scaffolds (control) at day 7, 14, and 28. Meanwhile, the migration analysis showed that the higher maturation of osteogenesis and bone metabolism collectively contributed to the creation of a more favorable niched site for the cancerous invasion. Moreover, one of the hypothesized key mediators for the promoted migration, CXCL12, was confirmed using an assay of antagonist LIT‐927. This early study demonstrated that a designed tissue engineering scaffold can be utilized to create a bone‐mimicking environment that serves as a novel platform to recapitulate the pre‐metastatic niche and help interrogate the scheme of bone metastasis by breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Delignified wood‐based carbon material is a potential cost‐effective and environmentally‐friendly flexible electrode material. However, the abundant intertubular cavities not only endow excellent flexibility, but also inevitably deteriorate the conductivity, integrity and areal density of the delignified wood‐based flexible carbon material, which is not conducive to improve the energy storage performance. In this work, an aramid nanofiber‐based carbon aerogel was filled in the intertubular cavities via a series of processes, including filled by virtue of the unidirectional capillary forces, gelation, freeze‐drying and carbonization. The filled carbon aerogel can significantly increase the conductivity and the sheet resistance is as low as about 28±5 Ω sq−1. The filled carbon aerogel does not deteriorate its excellent energy storage behavior derived from the unique low‐tortuosity and open slender tubular microstructure. The filled carbon aerogel can improve the space utilization of the delignified wood‐based carbon. The areal specific capacitance has been increased from 20.8 to 51.9 mF cm−2 at a current density of 50 μA cm−2. The area specific capacitance still remains at 33.9 mF cm−2 when the current density increased to 1000 μA cm−2. The aramid nanofibers aerogel‐filled wood‐based carbon flexible interdigitated solid supercapacitors also exhibit excellent flexibility and folding endurance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In order to obtain the smaller delivery diameter, porcine pericardium had been used as a substitute material of bovine pericardium for the leaflet materials of transcatheter heart valve (THV). However, the differences between them had not been fully studied. Therefore, this study compared the microstructure, biochemical and mechanical properties of two materials and hydrodynamics of THV made by the two materials in detail. Methods: In this study, firstly, the microstructure of pericardium was analyzed by staining and scanning electron microscope; secondly, the biochemical properties of pericardium after different processes were compared by heat shrinkage temperature test, free amino and carboxyl concentration test, enzyme degradation test, subcutaneous implantation calcification analysis in rats; finally, the mechanical properties were evaluated by uniaxial tensile test before and after the pericardium being crimped, and then, the hydrodynamics of THV was studied according to the ISO5840 standard. Results: Compared with bovine pericardium, after the same process, porcine pericardium showed a looser and tinier fiber bundle, a similar free carboxyl concentration, a lower resistance to enzyme degradation, a significantly lower calcification, bearing capacity and damage after being crimped, a better hydrodynamic and adaption with lower cardiac output and deformation of implantation position. Meanwhile the dehydration process of pericardium almost had preserved all the biochemical advantages of two materials. Conclusion: In this study, porcine and bovine pericardium showed some significant differences in biochemical, mechanical properties and hydrodynamics. According to the results, it was presumed that the thinner porcine pericardium might be more suitable for THV of right heart system. Meanwhile, more attention should be taken for the calcification of THV made by the bovine pericardium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reach a closed‐loop material system and meet the urgent requirement of sustainable energy storage technologies, it is essential to incorporate efficient waste management into designing new energy storage materials. Here, a "two birds with one stone" strategy to transform rusty iron products into Prussian blue as high‐performance cathode materials, and recover the rusty iron products to their original status, is reported. Owing to the high crystalline and Na+ content, the rusty iron derived Prussian blue shows a high specific capacity of 145 mAh g−1 and excellent cycling stability over 3500 cycles. Through the in situ X‐ray diffraction and in situ Raman spectra, it is found that the impressive ion storage capability and stability are strongly related to the suppressed structure distortion during the charge/discharge process. The ion migration mechanism and the possibility to serve as a universal host for other kinds of ions are further illuminated by density functional theory calculations. This work provides a new strategy for recycling wasted materials into high value‐added materials for sustainable battery systems, and is adaptable in the nanomedicine, catalysis, sensors, and gas storage applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The selective and efficient monitoring of mercury (Hg2+) contamination found in the environment and ecosystem has been carried out. Thus, a new 1,8‐naphthalimide‐based fluorescent probe NADP for the detection of Hg2+ based on a fluorescence enhancement strategy has been designed and synthesized. The NADP probe can detect Hg2+ with high selectivity and sensitivity and a low detection limit of 13 nm. The detection mechanism was based on a Hg2+‐triggered deprotection reaction, resulting in a dramatic change in fluorescence from colorless to green at physiological pH. Most importantly, biological investigation has shown that the NADP probe can be successfully applied to the monitoring of Hg2+ in living cells and zebrafish with low cytotoxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR T)‐cell therapy has shown great potential in treating haematologic disease, but no breakthrough has been achieved in solid tumours. In order to clarify the antitumour mechanism of CAR T cell in solid tumours, the pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) investigations of CD19 CAR T cell were performed in human leukaemic xenograft mouse models. For PK investigation, we radiolabelled CD19 CAR T cell with 89Zr and used PET imaging in the CD19‐positive and the CD19‐negative K562‐luc animal models. For PD evaluation, optical imaging, tumour volume measurement and DNA copy‐number detection were performed. Unfortunately, the qPCR results of the DNA copy number in the blood were below the detection limit. The tumour‐specific uptake was higher in the CD19‐positive model than in the CD19‐negative model, and this was consistent with the PD results. The preliminary PK and PD studies of CD19 CAR T cell in solid tumours are instructive. Considering the less efficiency of CAR T‐cell therapy of solid tumours with the limited number of CAR T cells entering the interior of solid tumours, this study is suggestive for the subsequent CAR T‐cell design and evaluation of solid tumour therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Salivary gland extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of mucosa‐associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma (MALT lymphoma) is uncommon and has not been studied extensively. We aimed to investigate the features of clinicopathological and molecular changes of salivary MALT lymphoma. Methods: Seventy‐two cases of primary salivary MALT lymphoma that had clinicopathological information available were utilized in this study. MALT1 gene translocation, trisomy 3, and trisomy 18 were detected by interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The data were analyzed using SPSS 17.0 software package. Results: The ratio of male to female was 1:2.8, and the median age was 57.0 years. 12.5% (9/72) of the patients presented with multiple swellings. Among the others with solitary mass, the parotid gland was involved most frequently (47/63,74.6%), followed by the palate (7/63, 11.1%). 34.7% of patients had an autoimmune disease, with Sjögren syndrome (SS) being the most common. Among the 70 cases successfully performed, it was identified that trisomy 3 was the most frequent molecular change (41/70, 58.6%), followed by trisomy 18 (7/70, 10%) and MALT1 translocation (5/70, 7.1%). The tumor tissue tended to exhibit trisomy 3 in patients without SS (p = 0.038). The 5‐year overall survival was 94.1%, and the 5‐year disease‐free survival was 85.3% (mean follow‐up time: 104.7 months). The patients without SS and trisomy 18 had a prolonged recurrence‐free survival (p = 0.015, p = 0.001 respectively). Conclusion: Salivary gland MALT lymphoma is associated with autoimmune diseases, and trisomy 3 is the most common genetic change. Trisomy 18 can be used to predict the possibility of tumor relapse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to improve the accuracy of the hippocampus segmentation through multitask edge‐aware learning. Method: We developed a multitask framework for computerized hippocampus segmentation. We used three‐dimensional (3D) U‐net as our backbone model with two training objectives: (a) to minimize the difference between the targeted binary mask and the model prediction; and (b) to optimize an auxiliary edge‐prediction task which is designed to guide the model detection of the weak boundary of the hippocampus in model optimization. To balance the multiple task objectives, we proposed an improved gradient normalization by adaptively adjusting the weight of losses from different tasks. A total of 247 T1‐weighted MRIs including 131 without contrast and 116 with contrast were collected from 247 patients to train and validate the proposed method. Segmentation was quantitatively evaluated with the dice coefficient (Dice), Hausdorff distance (HD), and average Hausdorff distance (AVD). The 3D U‐net was used for baseline comparison. We used a Wilcoxon signed‐rank test to compare repeated measurements (Dice, HD, and AVD) by different segmentations. Results: Through fivefold cross‐validation, our multitask edge‐aware learning achieved Dice of 0.8483 ± 0.0036, HD of 7.5706 ± 1.2330 mm, and AVD of 0.1522 ± 0.0165 mm, respectively. Conversely, the baseline results were 0.8340 ± 0.0072, 10.4631 ± 2.3736 mm, and 0.1884 ± 0.0286 mm, respectively. With a Wilcoxon signed‐rank test, we found that the differences between our method and the baseline were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Our results demonstrated the efficiency of multitask edge‐aware learning in hippocampus segmentation for hippocampal sparing whole‐brain radiotherapy. The proposed framework may also be useful for other low‐contrast small organ segmentations on medical imaging modalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stiffness is an important parameter to evaluate the condition of trabecular bone in biomechanical and clinical research. Microstructural parameters are commonly used to evaluate stiffness, but the accuracy needs to be improved. In this study, the electrical conductance of trabecular bone was calculated based on an idealized condition: trabeculae were electrically conductive and isotropy, other constituents in the trabecular bone were not considered in the simulation. The idealized conductance was calculated to evaluate the stiffness of trabecular bone, and the accuracy was compared with microstructural parameters. Twenty‐one cubic trabecular cubes (5 × 5 × 5 mm3) from three femoral heads were investigated. Microstructural parameters were measured through Micro‐CT scanning. Nominal elastic modulus (E) and idealized conductance (G) of trabecular cubes were measured through micro‐finite element analysis. Bone volume fraction (BV/TV) is the major microstructural parameter that determine the stiffness of trabecular bone. The correlation coefficient between BV/TV and E along three directions were 0.815 (X‐axis), 0.729 (Y‐axis) and 0.914 (Z‐axis). The correlation between G and E were stronger (X‐axis: r = 0.986, Y‐axis: r = 0.986, Z‐axis: r = 0.991). A regression model combining different microstructural parameters was built to evaluate stiffness, but the correlation between them were not significantly improved (X‐axis: r = 0.831, Y‐axis: r = 0.807, Z‐axis: r = 0.905). Compared with microstructural parameters, idealized conductance was a better parameter to evaluate stiffness of trabecular bone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2023; 39(10): e3737. doi: 10.1002/cnm.3737 6 Lin B, Zhang X, Xu J, Ni H, Lv X. Numerical simulation and experimental validation of thrombolytic therapy for patients with venous isomer and normal venous valves. The papers in the special issue address a wide range of problems spanning the diagnosis or treatment of vascular diseases, optimization of artificial heart valves, and evaluation of orthokeratology lens therapy. Computational modeling, owing to its advantages over traditional in vivo or in vitro measurements in high-precision quantification of key variables, integrative analysis of multiple factors, and flexible adaptability to various clinical scenarios, represents a promising means for addressing biomechanical problems associated with the diagnosis or treatment of cardiovascular/musculoskeletal diseases. [Extracted from the article]

A new phenothiazine‐based sensor PHE‐Ad for monitoring Hg2+ has been designed and synthesized based on the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) mechanism. The probes were characterized by FTIR, 1H NMR, and HRMS, and their optical properties were detected by UV and FL. It's showed the probes detection of Hg2+ compared to other metal ions (Mg2+, Cu2+, Hg2+, Ag+, Co2+, Cr3+, Al3+, Ni2+, Zn2+, Ca2+, Fe3+, Fe2+, K+, Na+, and Cd2+) based on the test results. Besides, the detection limits were determined to be 2.12 × 10−8 M through the standard curve plot. In addition, sensor PHE‐Ad shows high selectivity and sensitivity for Hg2+ with a fast response in a suitable pH range. Furthermore, taking into account its good "turn‐on" fluorescent sensing behavior and low cell cytotoxicity, PHE‐Ad was successfully applied to detect and image Hg2+ in real water samples and living cells, which shows great potentials for application in environmental and biological systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A spatial colocation pattern is a group of spatial features whose instances frequently appear together in close proximity to each other. The proximity of instances is generally measured by the distance between them. If the distance is smaller than a distance threshold that is specified by users, they have a neighbor relationship. However, it is difficult for users to give a suitable distance threshold and mining results also vary widely with different distance thresholds. In addition, using distance thresholds are hard to accurately obtain neighborhoods of instances in heterogeneous distribution density data sets. In this study, we propose a new method for determining the neighbor relationship of instances in space without the distance threshold based on Delaunay triangulation (DT). We design three filtering strategies, such as a feature invalid edge, a global positive edge, and a local positive edge, to constrain the original DT to accurately extract the neighborhoods of instances in space. Then, a miner called DT‐based colocation (DTC) pattern mining is developed. Different from the traditional algorithms which adopt the time‐consuming generate‐test candidate model, DTC directly collects the table instances of colocation patterns from the constrained DT by building neighboring polygons and filters prevalent patterns. We compare the results mined by DTC with by the traditional algorithms at macrolevel and microlevel on both real and synthetic data sets to prove that the DTC algorithm improves the effectiveness and fineness of mining results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to assess the efficacy of Hibiscus sabdariffa (Roselle) in regulating blood lipids among patients with metabolic syndrome and related disorders. PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, and Clinical Trials were searched to identify the randomised controlled trials meeting the inclusion criteria. Study selection, data extraction, and risk assessment were performed according to Cochrane handbook; available data were analysed using STATA 15.0 software. Eventually, nine trials involving 503 participants were included in this meta-analysis. The results showed that compared with the control group, H. sabdariffa supplementation could reduce total cholesterol (WMD = -14.66; 95% CI [-18.22, -11.10]; p = .000; I2 = 46.9%) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (WMD = -9.46; 95% CI [-14.93, -3.99]; p = .001; I2 = 50.1%) but could not effectively reduce triglyceride (WMD = -0.77; 95% CI [-7.87, 6.33]; p = 0.832; I2 = 0%). Meanwhile, there were no serious adverse reactions reported in the included studies. To summarise, current evidence suggests that the benefits of H. sabdariffa supplementation to patients with metabolic diseases are associated with its cholesterol-lowering effects; however, more high-quality clinical trials are needed to confirm these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infantile and congenital hemangiomas are difficult to distinguish in infants. The aim of this study was to compare the conventional ultrasonographic (US) and elastographic features of infantile and congenital hemangiomas. The US findings in 118 patients with congenital hemangioma (58 non‐involuting, 36 rapidly involuting, 24 partially involuting) and 111 with 120 infantile hemangioma were retrospectively evaluated. On US imaging, 31.7% of infantile hemangiomas were hyperechoic, 31.7% hypoechoic and 36.6% mixed‐echoic with hyperechoic and hypoechoic areas; 57.6% of congenital hemangiomas were mixed‐echoic with a hypoechoic area and many vessels visible, 39.0% hypoechoic and 3.4% were mixed‐echoic with hyperechoic and hypoechoic area. Calcifications were present in 6.8% and visible vessels involving muscle in 24.6% of congenital hemangiomas. All infantile hemangiomas and 82.2% of congenital hemangiomas were well‐defined. All congenital hemangiomas were subcutaneous whereas 17.5% of the infantile hemangiomas were superficial. The maximum diameter and vascular density were greater in congenital hemangiomas. Elastography demonstrated that the congenital hemangiomas were softer than the infantile hemangiomas. The maximum diameter (including of visible vessels), thickness, vascular density, venous blood flow velocity and elasticity scores were greater for rapidly and partially involuting congenital hemangiomas than for non‐involuting ones. The density of visible vessels in congenital hemangiomas decreased in the order of non‐involuting, partially involuting and rapidly involuting. In conclusion, congenital hemangiomas have distinctive US imaging characteristics, including a greater maximum diameter, vascular density, number of visible vessels, visible vessels involving muscle, calcifications and elasticity score. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cover image by Dandan Dou (supervised by Lizhen Wang) shows how biodegradable antibacterial ureteral scaffold samples (PLGA/PCL/AgNP) were prepared by 3D printing. With good biocompatibility, the samples were under a strong inhibitory effect on Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. [Extracted from the article]

Kaposiform hemangioendothelioma (KHE) and tufted angioma (TA) primarily occurring in infants are difficult to distinguish. This study evaluated ultrasonography (US) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of KHE and TA. Pathologically proven TA (n = 21) and KHE (n = 40 [11 KHE + Kasabach–Merritt phenomenon [KMP]]) occurring between January 2015 and December 2017 were reviewed. US (n = 61) and MRI (n = 50) findings were retrospectively evaluated. On US, KHE and TA lesions were subcutaneous, while 40% of KHE exhibited an infiltrative pattern extending into adjacent muscles. Of TA lesions, 42.9% were hyperechoic and 96.15% of KHE lesions exhibited mixed echogenicity. Of TA lesions, 76.2% exhibited well‐defined margins and all KHE lesions exhibited ill‐defined margins. The depth and vascular density of KHE and KHE + KMP were significantly increased compared with TA. The arterial peak systolic blood flow velocity of KHE + KMP was significantly higher than that in TA and KHE. KHE and KHE + KMP were significantly harder than TA on elastography. 3‐D color Doppler revealed branch‐shape blood flow for KHE and KHE + KMP lesions; for TA, it revealed a dot‐like and striped pattern. Considering MRI findings, KHE and KHE + KMP were more likely to exhibit diffuse heterogeneous enhancement after contrast than TA. KHE was infiltrative and more likely to be thick, hypoechoic, ill‐defined, richly vascular and hard than TA on US. KHE lesions were subcutaneous and reticular, with heterogeneous enhancement on MRI. Awareness of these features should prompt radiologists in the differential diagnosis of pediatric masses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CD147/basigin (BSG) is highly upregulated in many types of cancer, our previous study has found that CD147/BSG is highly expressed in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) stem cells, but its role in HNSCC and the underlying mechanism is still unknown. In this study, we investigated the role of CD147 in the progression of HNSCC. Real‐time PCR, western blot and immunohistochemistry were used to detect the expression of CD147 in total 189 HNSCC tissues in compared with normal tissues. In addition, we used proliferation, colony formation, cell cycle and apoptosis, migration and invasion as well as wound‐healing assay to determine the biological roles of CD147 in HNSCC. Then, a xenograft model was performed to evaluate tumor‐promoting and metastasis‐promoting role of CD147 in HNSCC. The results showed that upregulated CD147 expression was associated with aggressive clinicopathologic features in HNSCC. In addition, CD147 promoted proliferation, migration and reduced the apoptosis phenotype of HNSCC cells in vitro as well as tumor initiation and progression in vivo. Furthermore, we demonstrated that CD147 promoted HNSCC progression through nuclear factor kappa B signaling. Therefore, we concluded that CD147 promoted tumor progression in HNSCC and might be a potential prognostic and treatment biomarker for HNSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Two hybrid A2‐D‐A1‐D‐A2 (A=acceptor, D=donor) molecules, that is, (E)‐5,5′‐bis[5‐(4‐fluorophenyl)thiophen‐2‐yl]‐1,1′‐dioctyl‐[3,3′‐bipyrrolylidene]‐2,2′(1H,1′H)‐dione (FBBPD) and (E)‐1,1′‐dioctyl‐5,5′‐bis[5‐(3,4,5‐trifluorophenyl)thiophen‐2‐yl]‐[3,3′‐bipyrrolylidene]‐2,2′(1H,1′H)‐dione (TFBBPD), were synthesized and characterized. Each of these compounds contain the Pechmann dye derivative (E)‐[3,3′‐bipyrrolylidene]‐2,2′(1H,1′H)‐dione (BPD) as the electron‐accepting core, which is flanked by an electron‐donor moiety (i.e., thiophene) and other electron acceptors (i.e., 4‐fluorobenzene or 3,4,5‐trifluorobenzene). Organic field‐effect transistor (OFET) results of FBBPD show ambipolar properties with electron (μemax) and hole mobilities (μhmax) up to 0.20 and 0.023 cm2 V−1 s−1, respectively. In comparison, the electron and hole mobilities of the OFET based on TFBBPD, which contains a more electron‐accepting moiety, are higher (μemax=0.58 cm2 V−1 s−1 and μhmax=0.054 cm2 V−1 s−1). X‐ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy studies were carried out to investigate the variations in the mobilities. Overall, these studies show the potential of BPD in hybrid D‐A molecules to act as the electron‐acceptor moiety in organic semiconducting studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of macroscopic 3D sponges is of great technological importance for various applications. An outstanding challenge is the facile fabrication of sponges with the desirable combination of good stability, high electrical conductivity, and absorption ability. Here free-standing 3D OMS-2 sponges are demonstrated, with various densities, which possess a combination of desirable physical properties including high porosity, robustness, permeability, recyclability, high electrical conductivity, and selective water absorption in preference to oil. Some of these properties have systematic trends with various densities. The stress of the OMS-2 sponge, made by nanowire-based freeze-drying process, is four orders of magnitude higher than that made by calcination-related process. These new materials should find practical applications in environmental, catalysis, sensing, absorption, and energy storage, particularly in the removal of water spill cleanup, and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) has been found in many malignant tumours including salivary malignancy. HER-2-targeted therapy has been applied in the treatment of HER-2-overexpressing carcinoma. The aim of this study was to determine the status of HER-2 in salivary invasive carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma (ICXPA) in a relatively large Chinese sample, which may provide HER-2-targeted therapy with profound support in the future.Methods and Results: We collected 140 ICXPAs and their related clinicopathological and follow-up data. All cases were examined for HER-2 expression by immunohistochemistry and gene amplification by fluorescence in situ hybridization, if necessary. The study showed that the ratio of HER-2 positivity was only 25% (35/140) in all cases, but the positive ratio in ICXPAs with luminal differentiation for malignant component (32/79, 40.5%) was much higher than that in cases with non-luminal differentiation (3/61, 4.9%). The overexpression of HER-2 was closely associated with gender, histological grade and N stage. HER-2-positive tumours conferred short overall survival time (P = 0.036) and short disease-specific survival time (P = 0.042) in patients, but HER-2 status was not an independent predictor of prognosis.Conclusions: Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 amplification is significantly associated with cell differentiation of the malignant component in ICXPA and it implies an unfavourable prognosis. Although HER-2 positivity is not common in the tumour, HER-2-targeted therapy for those HER-2-positive patients is still worth expecting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The applications of poly (lactide- co-glycolide) acid (PLGA) for coating or fabricating polymeric biodegradable stents (BDSs) have drawn more attention. The fluid shear stress has been proved to affect the in vitro degradation process of PLGA membranes. During the maintenance, BDSs could be suffered different patterns of fluid shear stress, but the effect of these different patterns on the whole degradation process is unclear. In this study, in vitro degradation of PLGA membranes was examined with steady, sinusoid, and squarewave fluid shear stress patterns in 150 mL deionized water at 37°C for 20 days, emphasizing on the changes in the viscosity of the degradation solution, mechanical, and morphological properties of the samples. The unsteady fluid shear stress with the same average magnitude as the steady one accelerate the in vitro degradation process of PLGA membranes in terms of maximum fluid shear stress and 'window' of effectiveness. Maximum fluid shear stress accelerates the in vitro degradation of molecular fragments that diffused out in the solution while the 'window' of effectiveness affects too in the early stage. Besides, maximum fluid shear stress and 'window' of effectiveness accelerates the in vitro loss of tensile modulus and ultimate strength of the PLGA membranes while the maximum fluid shear stress plays the leading role in the decrease of tensile modulus at the early degradation stage. This study could help advance the degradation design of PLGA membranes under different fluid shear stress patterns for biomedical applications like stents and drug release systems. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 105A: 23-30, 2017. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the case study of a 45 year old female patient who was born with erythema lesions in the right nuchal and occipital area. The lesions were flat and non-hypertrophic. Recently several nodules began forming above the erythema. The biopsy is performed in the nodules and flat erythema lesion site in the nuchal area and the tissues were sent for pathologic and genetic study.

Poly(lactide- co-glycolide) acid (PLGA) has been widely used as a biodegradable polymer material for coating stents or fabricating biodegradable stents. Its mechanism of degradation has been extensively investigated, especially with regard to how tensile and compressive loadings may affect the in vitro degradation of PLGA. Fluid shear stress is also one of the most important factors in the development of atherosclerosis and restenosis. But the effect of fluid shear stress on the degradation process is still unclear. The purpose of this study was to characterize the in vitro degradation of PLGA membranes that experienced different fluid shear stresses in 150 mL of deionized water at 37°C for 20 days. Particular emphasis was given to changes in the viscosity of the degradation solution, as well as the mechanical and morphological properties of the samples. The viscosity of the degradation solution with the mechanical loaded specimens was more severely affected than that of the control group. Increasing the fluid shear stress could accelerate the loss of the ultimate strength of PLGA membranes while it slowed down the change of the tensile elastic modulus in the early period. With regard to morphology, the surface roughness was more obviously reduced in the loaded groups. This indicated that the fluid shear stress could affect the in vitro degradation of PLGA membranes. Therefore, this study could help improve the design of PLGA membranes for biomedical applications. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A, 2016. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contrast to numerous researches on static or quasi-static stiffness of cervical spine segments, very few investigations on their dynamic stiffness were published. Currently, scale factors and estimated coefficients were usually used in multi-body models for including viscoelastic properties and damping effects, meanwhile viscoelastic properties of some tissues were unavailable for establishing finite element models. Because dynamic stiffness of cervical spine segments in these models were difficult to validate because of lacking in experimental data, we tried to gain some insights on current modeling methods through studying dynamic stiffness differences between these models. A finite element model and a multi-body model of C6-C7 segment were developed through using available material data and typical modeling technologies. These two models were validated with quasi-static response data of the C6-C7 cervical spine segment. Dynamic stiffness differences were investigated through controlling motions of C6 vertebrae at different rates and then comparing their reaction forces or moments. Validation results showed that both the finite element model and the multi-body model could generate reasonable responses under quasi-static loads, but the finite element segment model exhibited more nonlinear characters. Dynamic response investigations indicated that dynamic stiffness of this finite element model might be underestimated because of the absence of dynamic stiffen effect and damping effects of annulus fibrous, while representation of these effects also need to be improved in current multi-body model. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims To investigate the histopathological predictors of overall survival and metastatic failure of oral mucosal melanoma ( OMM), of which the histopathological classification and microstaging has not been established. Methods and results The pathological data, including cell type ( CT), level of invasion, ulceration, mitotic rate, pigmentation, necrosis, tumour-infiltrating lymphocyte ( TIL) and vascular invasion, of 82 OMM patients from April 2002 to April 2012 were reviewed and analysed retrospectively. CT, ulceration, mitotic rate, pigmentation, necrosis and vascular invasion were found to be of significance in predicting the overall survival of OMM patients. CT was an independent prognostic factor of overall survival in multivariate analysis. In patients with localized OMM, CT, level of invasion, mitotic rate, pigmentation and necrosis were associated with overall survival but none of them proved to be an independent prognostic factor. CT, mitotic rate and TIL were associated with the risk of distant metastasis. TIL was revealed to be an independent factor of distant metastases risk in multivariate analysis. Conclusions CT was an independent prognostic factor of overall survival. Patients with epithelioid cell type OMM had a poor prognosis. Patients without TIL had a higher risk of distant metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY The aim of this study is to investigate the dynamic response of a multi-segment model of the thoracolumbar spine and determine how the sitting posture affects the response under the impact of ejection. A nonlinear finite element model of the thoracolumbar-pelvis complex (T9-S1) was developed and validated. A multi-body dynamic model of a pilot was also constructed so an ejection seat restraint system could be incorporated into the finite element model. The distribution of trunk mass on each vertebra was also considered in the model. Dynamics analysis showed that ejection impact induced obvious axial compression and anterior flexion of the spine, which may contribute to spinal injuries. Compared with a normal posture, the relaxed posture led to an increase in stress on the cortical wall, endplate, and intradiscal pressure of 43%, 10%, 13%, respectively, and accordingly increased the risk of inducing spinal injuries. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]