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BACKGROUND Oncocytic adrenocortical tumor (OACT) is rare, with few cases reported in the literature. No more than 20 cases in children have been reported. The clinical characteristics, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of children with OACT are summarized based on a literature review, in order to improve the understanding of OACT in children. CASE SUMMARY We report a case of a 17-mo-old patient who was admitted to our hospital due to symptoms of odynuria and fever, which are clinical features consistent with a functional adrenocortical tumor. The patient was diagnosed with OACT of uncertain malignant potential. Computed tomography indicated a soft tissue giant tumor in the right adrenal region, approximately 4.3 cm × 5.5 cm in size. Multiple nodular and speckled calcifications were observed in the lesion. The patient received robot-assisted laparoscopic right adrenal tumor resection. Postoperative pathological results were consistent with OACT, and immunohistochemical results showed cytokeratin+/-, chromogranin A+, synaptophysin-, neuron-specific enolase-, S100-, Ki67 about 10%, CD34- and D2-40-. After surgery, urinary tract ultrasonography was reviewed monthly, catecholamine hormone and sex hormone levels were examined every 2 mo and computed tomography was performed every 6 mo. To date, no tumor metastasis or recurrence has been identified in this patient. The levels of sex hormones and catecholamine hormones decreased to normal 1 mo after surgery. CONCLUSION OACT is rare in the pediatric population, with few cases reported in the literature. Although most pediatric OACTs are benign, malignant cases have been reported. Surgical resection is the preferred option in most patients.

sRecent evidence suggests that CD147 serves as a novel receptor for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Blocking CD147 via anti-CD147 antibody could suppress the in vitro SARS-CoV-2 replication. Meplazumab is a humanized anti-CD147 IgG2 monoclonal antibody, which may effectively prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. Here, we conducted a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled phase 1 trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of meplazumab in healthy subjects, and an open-labeled, concurrent controlled add-on exploratory phase 2 study to determine the efficacy in COVID-19 patients. In phase 1 study, 59 subjects were enrolled and assigned to eight cohorts, and no serious treatment-emergent adverse event (TEAE) or TEAE grade ≥3 was observed. The serum and peripheral blood Cmax and area under the curve showed non-linear pharmacokinetic characteristics. No obvious relation between the incidence or titer of positive anti-drug antibody and dosage was observed in each cohort. The biodistribution study indicated that meplazumab reached lung tissue and maintained >14 days stable with the lung tissue/cardiac blood–pool ratio ranging from 0.41 to 0.32. In the exploratory phase 2 study, 17 COVID-19 patients were enrolled, and 11 hospitalized patients were involved as concurrent control. The meplazumab treatment significantly improved the discharged (P = 0.005) and case severity (P = 0.021), and reduced the time to virus negative (P = 0.045) in comparison to the control group. These results show a sound safety and tolerance of meplazumab in healthy volunteers and suggest that meplazumab could accelerate the recovery of patients from COVID-19 pneumonia with a favorable safety profile.

Background and purpose The chemokine monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) is involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study aimed to investigate whether urinary MCP-1 can distinguish patients with AD, patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and cognitively normal (CN) subjects. Methods A total of 754 participants, including 97 patients with AD, 50 patients with aMCI and 84 age- and sex-matched CN controls as well as a cohort of 523 CN subjects of different ages, were enrolled from five hospitals located in different areas of China. Urinary MCP-1 levels were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The correlations between urinary MCP-1 levels and cognition test scores or age were analysed. The optimal diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were determined using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Results In the cohort of CN subjects of different ages, urinary MCP-1 levels increased with ageing and were correlated with age. The urinary MCP-1 levels were higher in females than in males. In the cohort composed of patients with AD, aMCI and age- and sex-matched CN controls, urinary MCP-1 levels were significantly higher in patients with AD and aMCI than in CN controls. There were no differences in urine MCP-1 levels between the AD group and the aMCI group. The urinary MCP-1 levels were correlated with the Mini-Mental State Examination scores and age, and were able to differentiate patients with AD and aMCI from CN subjects. Conclusions Urinary MCP-1 is a potential biomarker for the diagnosis of AD and aMCI.

Background: For extremely low-birth-weight infants (ELBWIs), mechanical ventilation and total parenteral nutrition are generally required in the early stages and lose the protective effect of early gastrointestinal nutrition of colostrum. We conducted a prospective randomized controlled trial to explore the effectiveness of early colostrum oropharyngeal administration on the feeding status of ELBWIs on mechanical ventilation. Materials and Methods: We randomly divided mechanically ventilated ELBWIs into an intervention group and a control group. In the intervention group, we provided oropharyngeal administration of colostrum during mechanical ventilation. The first colostrum oropharyngeal administration ended within 24 hours of birth. In the control group, we gave colostrum only for gastrointestinal nutrition, and other interventions were the same as for the intervention group. We collected the 1st and 6th day of life airway secretions and urine specimens from both groups. We recorded feeding status, including corrected gestational age at onset of enteral nutrition, corrected gestational age of no gastric retention during feeding, corrected gestational age of full enteral nutrition, corrected gestational age of sucking began, and corrected gestational age of per oral feeding. We also recorded growth of body mass, the incidence of feeding intolerance, and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Results: On the 6th day of life, concentrations of secretory immunoglobulin A, and lactoferrin in airway secretions and urine of the intervention group were significantly higher than those of the control group (p < 0.05). The intervention group showed younger corrected gestational age of no gastric retention during feeding, corrected gestational age of full enteral nutrition, the corrected gestational age of sucking began and per oral feeding than those in the control group (p < 0.05). The day of recovery to birth weight was earlier than those in the control group (p < 0.05). The rate of feeding intolerance and NEC incidence in the intervention group was significantly lower than in the control group (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Early oropharyngeal administration of colostrum improves immune function of the gastrointestinal tract and the systemic anti-infective capability in ELBWI on mechanical ventilation, promoting the maturity of gastrointestinal function, improving feeding condition, and reducing the risk of feeding intolerance and NEC.

Background Sleep disorder-associated cognitive impairments are often accompanied by impaired synaptic plasticity. In the pathological process of sleep deprivation, microglia, as an important innate immune cell in central nervous system, are involved and mediate the synaptic pruning, in which the CX3C-chemokine receptor 1 receptor (CX3CR1) plays an indispensable role. In this study, the potential role of CX3CR1 in modulating the cognition decline during sleep deprivation was evaluated in terms of microglial neuroinflammation and synaptic pruning. Methods Middle-aged wild type C57BL/6 mice (WT) (13 months) and age-matched CX3CR1 -/- mice were either subjected to sleep deprivation (SD) or allowed normal sleep (S) for 8 h to mimic the pathophysiological changes of middle-aged people after staying up all night in real life. The hippocampus-dependent cognition was assessed by fear conditioning test. Mice brains were extracted for neuroinflammation and synaptic pruning studies. Data were analyzed by Student’s t-test and one-way analysis of variance (one-way ANOVA). Results The CX3CR1 deficiency mice differed from WT mice in many measures. CX3CR1 deficiency prevented SD-induced cognitive impairments, in which the levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and phosphorylated cAMP-responsive element binding protein (p-CREB) were markedly increased in the hippocampus. Compared with the CX3CR1 -/- -S group, the CX3CR1 -/- -SD mice reported a markedly decreased microglial density in the dentate gyrus, notably-decreased levels of cellular oncogene fos (c-fos), and pro-inflammatory cytokines and increased levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines in the hippocampus, and a significant increase in the density of spines of the dentate gyrus area. Furthermore, the CX3CR1 -/- -SD group also showed a decreasing expression of microglial phagocytosis-related factors. Conclusion These findings suggest that CX3CR1 deficiency leads to different cerebral behaviors and responses to sleep deprivation. CX3CR1 deletion can alleviate the sleep deprivation-induced cognitive impairment. The inflammation-attenuating activity and the related modification of synaptic pruning are possible mechanism candidates, which indicate CX3CR1 as a candidate therapeutic target for the prevention of the sleep loss-induced cognitive impairments.

Circulating exosomal microRNAs (ex-miRNAs) are reflective of the characteristics of the tumor and are valuable biomarkers in different types of tumor. In addition, miRNAs serve important roles in tumor progression and metastasis. The present study aimed to investigate the circulating ex-miRNA-21 and miRNA-210 as novel biomarkers for patients with pancreatic cancer (PC). For this purpose, serum ex-miRNAs were extracted from the serum of patients with PC (n=30) and chronic pancreatitis (CP) (n=10) using an RNA isolation kit. For exosome identification in serum, transmission electron micrographs were used to determine crystalline structure, western blotting was used to identify exosomal markers, and NanoSight was used for nanoparticle characterization. The relative expression levels of ex-miRNAs were quantified using quantitative PCR and compared between patients with PC and CP. The expression levels of both ex-miRNA-21 and miRNA-210 were significantly higher in patients with PC compared with patients with CP (both P0.05). ex-miRNA-21 and miRNA-210 were associated with tumor stage, as well as other factors. The diagnostic potential of ex-miRNA-21 and miRNA-210 levels was 83 and 85%, respectively. In addition, when ex-miRNA and serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9 expression levels were combined, the accuracy increased to 90%. The present study identified that serum ex-miRNAs, miRNA-21 and miRNA-210 may be of value as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for the diagnosis and treatment of PC.

With the advantages of agility and mobility, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been widely applied for various civil and military missions. To dynamically control and monitor UAV, it is necessary to broadcast their location information. However, flying in the aerial environment and the fixed operation location also make UAV communications more vulnerable to privacy attacks. In this paper, we present the machine learning (ML)-based attack of UAV-based wireless networks when an attacker can obtain both plaintext and ciphertext. The collected plaintext-ciphertext pairs can be used to train an ML classifier which can help decrypt the UAV messages. By simulations, we show that a simple neural network (NN) can decrypt UAV location data with high probability. Finally, we conclude the work and present a network coding based encryption scheme as our future research direction.

// Xiang Tang 1,* , Di Wu 1,* , Li-Hua Gu 1 , Bin-Bin Nie 2 , Xin-Yang Qi 1 , Yan-Juan Wang 1 , Fang-Fang Wu 1 , Xiao-Li Li 1 , Feng Bai 1 , Xiao-Chun Chen 3 , Lin Xu 4,5 , Qing-Guo Ren 1 and Zhi-Jun Zhang 1 1 Department of Neurology, Affiliated ZhongDa Hospital, Neuropsychiatric Institute, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China 2 Key Laboratory of Nuclear Analytical Techniques, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China 3 Department of Neurology and Geriatrics, Fujian Institute of Geriatrics, Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, Fuzhou, Fujian, China 4 Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms, Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Kunming, Yunnan, China 5 Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China * These authors have contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Zhi-Jun Zhang, email: // Qing-Guo Ren, email: // Keywords : Alzheimer’s disease, 5XFAD mice, cognition, neuroimaging, manganese enhanced MRI, Pathology Section Received : March 25, 2016 Accepted : July 19, 2016 Published : August 17, 2016 Abstract Dysfunction of neuronal activity is a major and early contributor to cognitive impairment in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). To investigate neuronal activity alterations at early stage of AD, we encompassed behavioral testing and in vivo manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MEMRI) in 5XFAD mice at early ages (1-, 2-, 3- and 5-month). The 5XFAD model over-express human amyloid precursor protein (APP) and presenilin 1 (PS1) harboring five familial AD mutations, which have a high APP expression correlating with a high burden and an accelerated accumulation of the 42 amino acid species of amyloid-β. In the Morris water maze, 5XFAD mice showed longer escape latency and poorer memory retention. In the MEMRI, 5XFAD mice showed increased signal intensity in the brain regions involved in spatial cognition, including the entorhinal cortex, the hippocampus, the retrosplenial cortex and the caudate putamen. Of note, the observed alterations in spatial cognition were associated with increased MEMRI signal intensity. These findings indicate that aberrant increased basal neuronal activity may contribute to the spatial cognitive function impairment at early stage of AD, and may further suggest the potential use of MEMRI to predict cognitive impairments. Early intervention that targets aberrant neuronal activity may be crucial to prevent cognitive impairment.

Using the Minifilter framework and AES group encryption algorithm, the paper develops a filter driver for encrypting the file of particular types under the security directory. The principle of the file system filter driver is discussed here, and makes a special research about the file operation process especially for word format. This paper also makes a deep analysis of transformation mechanism between the plaintext and ciphertext, and the implementation algorithms of encryption and decryption. Finally, the paper describes the method of path filtering in detail.

In the current wireless network technology, the most important research is Ad-hoc, and the most promising is the WSN. Ad-hoc which develops on the basis of packet radio network is a wireless mobile network with self-organizing, peer to peer and multi-hop. WSN combines Ad-hoc and sensor technology to collaboratively perceive, collect and process the message of sensing objects in the coverage area of network, and send to the viewer.

Top management support (TMS) is one of critical success factors of information systems. However, prior research had no agreement on the contents, forms and roles of TMS. Especially, studies conducted in Chinese manufacturing industry context were scarce. This paper constructed a model to describe the effects of TMS on information systems success and the reactions. Following multi-case study approach, it collected the qualitative data from eleven manufacturing enterprises, and nine of which were got together through interviewing the CIOs. As result, the conceptual model was supported. The findings have significant meanings for practice.

Fiber images taken by optical microscope tend to have poor focus, uneven brightness or blurred edge. Using mathematical morphology method, such as open or close operation to preprocess the fiber image, which is likely to lead to distortion of the edge of the fiber image and affect the subsequent separation operation. B-spline curve is used to fit the background of the image, then the fitting background is subtracted from the original image. Next, the complex domain nonlinear anisotropic diffusion process is used to denoise and enhance the image edge. Finally, Binarized the image and filling area to get a clear picture of the target fiber image. Introduction At present, the method of computer automatic recognition technology of fiber image has achieved more attention by domestic and foreign researchers[1-4], several features for evaluation have also been put forward. However, the available technology of intelligent fiber identification depends on a number of extraction of feature indicators, such as longitudinal and cross-sectional morphological characteristics of cotton fibers. These indicators are often based on precise measurements of the individual fibers, but the actual test of the required sample image usually includes a plurality of fibers. So how to separate a plurality of overlapping target is the first problem to solve. Fiber images taken by optical microscope tends to have poor focus, uneven brightness or blurred edge. Using mathematical morphology method, such as open or close operation to preprocess the fiber image, which is likely to lead to distortion of the edge of the fiber image and affect the subsequent separation operation. Medical image processing[5] can adopt methods as image contour pits, watershed algorithm, and morphology and corrosion algorithm for segmentation of overlapping cells or drugs. Their shapes are relatively regular but different from those of the fibers. For a fiber image, the phenomenon of cross, torsion or adhesion between the fibers makes the separation very difficult. In this paper, the B-spline curve fitting and complex domain nonlinear anisotropic diffusion process are used to deal with the edge of fiber image. B-spline curve is used to fit the background of the image, and the fitting background is subtracted from the original image. Next, the complex domain nonlinear anisotropic diffusion process is used to denoise and enhance the image edge. Finally, the binarization and region filling processing is used to get the clear fiber object. Algorithm Description The B-spline curve gray fitting of fiber image The B-spline curve fitting method is used to get the fitting background of image, then the fitting background is subtracted from the original fiber image to obtain the target image. This process is able to remove the image background and improve the uneven illumination impact of image. The algorithm uses a bi-cubic B-spline curve to fit the background, restricted by the least squares. The gray value of fiber image is defined as F(xi, xj), where 1 M, n > N. For a given range: Xu : 0 = u0 < ...

Prior research has provided valuable insight into how and why individual make a decision on the acceptance and use of information technologies (ITs) in the organizations. In practice, however, the diversity of IT and managerial task make these theoretical models not always work. To reinforce understanding about the drive mechanism of users’ IT usage, we draw from the representative researches on the technology acceptance model (TAM), and: (i) review and develop an integrated model of determinants of individual level IT usage from both cognitive and emotional perspectives; (ii) discuss the moderating effects of experience, commitment to use, task complexity, network externalities and instrumental on the relationships between determinants and user behavior.

CIO and top management team, called as information system leadership team (ISLT), are the key leaders during the development of information systems (IS). Without the coordination among the members of ISLT, IS success will be impossible. The quality of the partnership is one of the key successful factors of IS. However, the measurement of the relationship remains unsolved. In prior studies, two concepts (i.e. shared knowledge and shared understanding) are often found in literatures. Even so, some authors think they are the same construct and use them alternatively. And others distinguish one from the other and measure them with different scales. In this way, this paper will reconstruct the two concepts and put forward the propositions to describe the relationships between them.

The changes of the market bring new challenge for modern organizations. The focus of the customers transfers from the price, quality, and delivery time to the meet of personalized demand. Under this background, the firms in market have to transform themselves to take the challenge. The new operation mode is called as mass customization (MC), which depends on information technology (IT) deeply. This paper explores the critical role of IT in MC firms, and then puts forward the implementation key factors and the leadership structure and mechanism which dominate the whole process, which is followed by the influence of senior leadership on IT implementation. The paper ends with the conclusions and implications. The proposals have sufficient meaning for the business organizations.

INTRODUCTION: Spinal meningoceles are uncommon entities, mostly associated with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1). Their intrusion into the thoracic cavity, which compresses lung tissue, is quite often mistaken as a "pleural effusion." The withdrawal of a large amount of "pleural effusion" can lead to the intracranial hypotension syndrome (IHS), herniation, or even death. CASE REPORT: A 43-year-old woman, with NF-1 and a large "pleural effusion" which compressed lung tissue, was admitted to the Thoracic Department due to the patient's shortness of breath during her physical activities. The patient complained of headache shortly after withdrawal of about 250 mL of "pleural effusion." She was diagnosed with IHS according to the typical symptoms of postural headache, low cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure and magnetic resonance imaging findings of diffuse pachymeningeal gadolinium enhancement. The "pleural effusion" was examined and found to be CSF. CONCLUSION: The reported case is the first 1 in the literature in which the intrusion of the NF-1 patient's spinal meningoceles into the thoracic cavity was diagnosed as a "pleural effusion" and large CSF withdrawal led to IHS. We highlight the possibility that thoracic meningoceles can coexist with a thoracic spinal deformity and the caution that needs to be taken when cases with similar symptoms are subjected to withdrawal of fluid.

Head-up tilt testing has gained acceptance as a tool for assessing susceptibility to neurally mediated syncopal syndromes (e.g., vasovagal syncope), and is currently being evaluated as a means of testing therapeutic interventions in these conditions. To assess reproducibility of head-up tilt testing and thereby assess the potential of such testing for immediate evaluation of a planned treatment, findings during 2 sequential 80 ° headup tilt tests were compared in 23 patients (age range 6.5 to 74 years) undergoing evaluation of syncope of unknown origin. Upright tilt was performed initially in the absence of drugs, and repeated if necessary during pharmacologic provocation by means of isoproterenol infusions of 1 and 3 μg/min (tilt 1). End points were syncope, maximal tolerated isoproterenol dose, or a tilt duration of 10 minutes. The second tilt test (tilt 2) was conducted after approximately 30 minutes of supine rest using the maximal provocative conditions used in tilt 1. Fifteen of 23 patients (65%) developed syncope in either tilt l or 2, while 8 of 23 (35%) remained asymptomatic. Tilt testing results were concordant (i.e., positive in both tests, or negative in both tests) in 20 of 23 (87%) patients. Concordance was, however, less among tilt-positive patients (12 of 15, 80%) since 3 patients were tilt-positive in tilt 1 only. In the 15 tiltpositive patients, heart rates, systolic and diastolic blood pressures at time of maximal tilt provocation were similar for both tilts (heart rate 1, 67 ± 27; 2, 82 ± 34 beats/min; systolk blood pressure 1: 50 ± 11 mm Hg; 2, 60 ± 21 mm Hg [p = not significant (NS)]; diastolic Wood pressure 1, 27 ± 12 mm Hg; 2, 33 ± 18 mm Hg [p = NS]). Furthermore, time from tilt onset to syncope did not differ in tilt 1 and 2. Among the 15 patients who were tilt-positive in tilt 1, the procedure was tolerated for 3.7 ± 2.1 minutes during the first test compared with 4.5 ± 3.2 minutes in the second test (p = NS). The outcomes were even closer if only patients developing syncope during both tests are considered (tilt 1, 3.7 ± 2.1 minutes vs tilt 2, 3.1 ± 1.8 minutes). Similarly, in the 8 tilt-test negative patients, minimal recorded systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure did not differ in the 2 tests. Thus, upright tilt testing appears to exhibit a relatively high degree of reproducibility when a second study is performed on the same day. Consequently, 2 sequential tilt tests may be useful for assessing the immediate effect of therapeutic interventions on susceptibility to neurally mediated hypotension-bradycardia syndrome.

The serine protease Omi/HtrA2 is released from mitochondria into the cytosol after apoptotic stimuli, inducing apoptosis in a caspase-independent manner through its protease activity and in a caspase-dependent manner by neutralizing the inhibition of inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) on caspases. Alteration of apoptosis is essential for cancer development, and cancer cell death by radiation and chemotherapy is largely dependent upon apoptosis. Thus, analysis of the expression status of Omi/HtrA2, a regulator of apoptosis, in cancer tissues is needed for an understanding of cancer development. In the current study we analyzed the expression of Omi/HtrA2 in 65 prostate cancer, 40 benign prostatic hyperplasia and 10 normal prostate specimens by immunohistochemistry. Omi/HtrA2 mRNA levels of in vivo prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia samples were also assayed by semiquantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Immunopositivity (defined asor =30%) was observed for Omi/HtrA2 in most of the prostate cancers, and the positive rate of Omi/HtrA2 was lower in the well-differentiated group than in the poorly and moderately differentiated groups (p0.005). By contrast, the cells in the normal prostate and benign prostatic hyperplasia groups showed no or only weak expression of Omi/HtrA2. Meanwhile, the Omi/HtrA2 mRNA level of prostate cancer is much higher than that of benign prostatic hyperplasia (p0.001). Taken together, these results suggest that prostate cancer cells in vivo may need Omi/HtrA2 expression for apoptosis, and that Omi/HtrA2 expression might be involved in prostate cancer development.

Using polymer droplets formed in dewetting of polymer film on silicon surface as template, the silicon columns capped with circular polymer plates are fabricated via plasma etching. By blanket deposition of a gold layer on the structure, an array of metallic microcavities featured by a metal circular plate separated by a silicon column with the bottom metallic film is achieved. The geometrical parameters of the stereo structures can be tuned. We show that the electric field at the edge of the cap is greatly enhanced, which can be used as the hot spot for trace amount of chemical detection.

Metal films perforated with two types of Sierpinski carpet patterns (SCP) are fabricated on silicon wafer, where one pattern possesses open square aperture as the building block and the other has square ring-shaped aperture as the building block. Enhanced transmissions are observed in both structures. However, for SCP made of square ring-shaped apertures, resonance of surface plasmon of both surface and localized modes has been identified. This feature does not exist in SCP made of open square apertures. This finding provides an effective way to control the extraordinary transmission through the metal film perforated with fractal-like structures.