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Background: Pharyngocutaneous fistula (PCF) is one of the most common complications of total laryngectomy. This study is to investigate the efficacy of a novel platform called transnasal negative pressure therapy (TNPT) in the management of PCF. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 47 patients who underwent total laryngectomy between April 2015 and February 2021 and developed PCF in our hospital. We focused on the healing rate, dressing change frequency, and healing time between the TNPT and non‐TNPT groups. The 2 years overall survival (OS) was compared through the log‐rank test. Results: There were 18 patients in the TNPT group and 29 in the non‐TNPT group. There was no significant between‐group difference in the healing rate (chi‐square test). However, the frequency of dressing changes was significantly lower (p < 0.001) and the healing time was significantly shorter (p = 0.0194) in the TNPT group than in the non‐TNPT group. The 2‐year OS rate was significantly higher in the TNPT group (p = 0.0473, log‐rank test). Conclusion: TNPT promoted wound healing after surgery for PCF and improved the 2‐year OS rate. This tool is worthy of clinical application and promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) can provide in vivo three‐dimensional microvasculature information of bio‐tissues, but it is sensitive to motion and time‐consuming. To overcome these limitations, we propose an adaptive multiple time interval correlation mapping OCTA with a time‐efficient scanning protocol and motion compensation algorithms. A spectral‐domain OCT with a center wavelength of 850 nm, A‐scan rate of 120 kHz and spatial resolution of 4.1 μm (axial) × 6.9 μm (lateral) is built to reconstruct the microvascular networks in the human arm. By adaptive optimization of the weights of different time interval B‐scan angiograms, our novel OCTA technique achieves better performance with a visible vascular density increase of ~67% and a signal‐to‐noise ratio enhancement of ~11.6%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Barley leaf stripe, caused by Pyrenophora graminea, is an essential systemic seed-borne disease in barley worldwide. Barley is a major cereal crop in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, and barley production has been threatened by leaf stripe in this region, particularly in organic farming regions. Detecting the pathogen in infected barley seeds is crucial for managing barley leaf stripe. In this study, a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay was developed to detect the pathogen based on primers designed based on the sequence of the pig 14 gene (GenBank: AJ277800) of P. graminea. The optimal concentrations of MgSO4, dNTPs, and enzymes in the LAMP reaction system were established as 10.0 mM, 1.0 mM, and 8 U in a 25 μL reaction volume, respectively. The established LAMP methods for detecting P. graminea were optimally performed at 63 °C for 70 min with high reliability. The minimum detection limit was 1 × 10−2 ng·μL−1 in the 25 μL reaction system. The specificity of LAMP for P. graminea was validated with eight fungal species. All DNA extracts from P. graminea-infected barley seeds with incubation, intact, and smashed treatments were applied in LAMP and confirmed to enable the detection of the pathogen. The LAMP assay in this study could facilitate the detection of P. graminea in barley seeds onsite, provide information for seed health certificates, and help decide on seed treatment in leaf stripe management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] To provide a reference for detection of barley seeds and effective prevention and control of barley stripe, this study established a detection system for barley stripe based on loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) technology. [Method] In this study, five sets of specific primers were de-signed based on the ITS-rDNA sequences of P. graminea, and one set was screened to optimize reaction temperature based on six gradients (60, 61, 62, 63, 64 and 65 °C). Then, the LAMP system for efficient detection of the pathogen was established. Its specificity was tested based on LAMP amplification of DNA of genes from P. graminea, Ustilago hordei, Ustilago nuda, Dactylobotrys graminicola, Alternaria alternata and Fusarium graminearum. The sensitivity was analyzed by testing genes at levels of 310, 31, 3. 1, 0.31, 0.031 and 0.003 1 pg/µL. At last, it was used for testing and verifying seeds of five barley varieties. [Result] The established LAMP methods for detecting P. graminea performed optimally at 63 °C for 70 min with specific primers of set 2. Under the optimal reaction conditions, this method had good specificity for P. graminea with minimum detection limit of 0.31 pg/µL. The P. graminea-carrying rates of Dulihuang, Chaiqing 1, 1141, Beiqing 9 and Kunlun 15 seeds were 68.18%, 72.73%, 100%, 77.27% and 68.18%, respectively. [Conclusion] The established LAMP method can be used to detect the P. graminea in barley seeds within 70 min at 63 µC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the properties of Fourier transform, Fourier single-pixel imaging uses the illumination lights with cosine distributions to obtain the Fourier spectrum of the object, and then apply the inverse Fourier transform to reconstruct the spatial information of the object. This technique does not require detector arrays, such as charge coupled device and has proven to be insensitive to distortion, which is a great improvement over traditional photography techniques. In this manuscript, we present a detailed analysis and discussion on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of Fourier single-pixel imaging. Compared with conventional imaging whose SNR is independent of pixel number N, Fourier single-pixel imaging achieves an improved SNR which is up to N times as high as the dynamic range of detection. Furthermore, this SNR benefit is further confirmed experimentally, in cases of one dimension and two dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common cancer in the world, yet current treatment options are associated with limited success. The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression of ferritin in HNSCC and clarify whether it may serve as a biomarker for predicting HNSCC metastasis. The chemiluminescent immunoassay method was used to investigate the differences in the serum ferritin (SF) levels between patients with and without tumors, and between HNSCC with and without lymph node metastasis. The iron content and expression levels of ferritin were detected to verify the differences between tumor and normal tissues, and between HNSCC without and with lymph node metastasis. Data from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) dataset was used to support the aforementioned results. No statistically significant difference in the SF level was observed between patients with and without tumors. Iron content and expression levels of ferritin heavy chain (FTH) and ferritin light chain (FTL) were higher in tumor tissues compared with normal tissues. The iron content and expression levels of SF, FTH and FTL were increased in HNSCC with metastasis compared with HNSCC without metastasis. The GEO dataset further verified the results and reported that the expression level of FTH was correlated with the prognosis of patients with HNSCC. Ferritin may not be a biomarker for the early diagnosis of HNSCC. However, an association exists between the expression level of ferritin and HNSCC cervical metastasis. SF may be a potential biomarker for predicting cervical lymph node metastasis in patients with HNSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposure to cigarette smoke including secondhand smoking is the most important risk factor in the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease where incidence has substantially increased in recent decades. The mechanisms responsible for cigarette smoke-induced pulmonary inflammation remain unclear, and thus lack of effective treatment. The present study investigated the effect of calpeptin on attenuating cigarette smoke induced pulmonary inflammation and its potential mechanism and function. When BALB/c mice were exposed to cigarette smoke and received calpeptin intraperitoneally injection after 90 days, calpeptin histologically attenuated the accumulation of neutrophils (P < 0.001), eosinophils (P < 0.001), macrophages (P < 0.01), fibrinous exudation and proliferation within the interstitial and alveolar spaces. BEAS-2B cells were added with cigarette smoke extract in vitro and treated with calpeptin for 24 h in the treatment group. The markedly upregulation of μ-calpain (P < 0.01), m-calpain (P < 0.001) and IκBα (P < 0.01) in cigarette smoke-induced lungs were simultaneously decreased by calpeptin treatment (P < 0.05). The increased expression of μ-calpain, m-calpain and IκBα (P < 0.05) in cigarette smoke extract-stimulated BEAS-2B cells were also decreased by calpeptin treatment (P < 0.05). These data indicated that calpeptin attenuated cigarette smoke-induced pulmonary inflammation by suppressing the pathway of μ-calpain, m-calpain and IκBα in vivo and in vitro . Calpeptin might have a potential for prevention of the development of inflammatory pulmonary diseases and warrant further pharmaceutical investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OCTA can provide in‐vivo 3D microvasculature of bio‐tissue but faces challenges with motion sensitivity and time constraints. Our adaptive, efficient scanning protocol and motion compensation algorithms address these issues. Employing a high‐resolution spectral‐domain OCT system, our innovative OCTA method enhances vascular imaging performance and reconstructs human skin's relative blood speed imaging. Further details can be found in the article by Bin He, Yuxin Zhang, Zhe Meng, Zhijun He, Chengming Wang, Zhenyu Chen, Zichen Yin, Zhangwei Hu, Yejiong Shi, Ning Zhang, Wenxin Zhang, Guihuai Wang, and Ping Xue (e202200340) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]