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Purpose The treatment of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) is greatly challenging for surgeons. In this study, we reviewed patients with MRONJ treated in our hospital in the past 5 years and explored the risk factors of recurrence. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted to review the patients with MRONJ from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2020. All patients received a monthly intravenous application of zoledronic acid. The primary outcome variable was the treatment outcome during follow-up. The predictor variables were local and systemic factors related to the treatment outcome. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the risk factors of recurrence after MRONJ treatment. Results A total of 58 patients (62 sites) were included in this study. In multivariate regression analysis, the risk factor associated with recurrence after MRONJ treatment was the duration of medication of more than 18 months (odds ratio = 7.346; 95% confidence interval: 1.461-36.946; P = .016). Conclusions Using zoledronic acid over 18 months may increase the risk of recurrence in MRONJ patients.

Objective/Background Proliferation is a widely recognized trigger for pulmonary hypertension (PH), a life‐threatening, progressive disorder of pulmonary blood vessels. This study was aimed to identify some proliferation associated genes/targets for better comprehension of PH pathogenesis. Methods Human pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (hPASMCs) were cultured in the presence or absence of human recombinant platelet derived growth factor (rhPDGF)‐BB. Cells were collected for metabolomics or transcriptomics study. Gene profiling of lungs of PH rats after hypoxia exposure or of PH patients were retrieved from GEO database. Results 90 metabolites (VIP score >1, fold change >2 or 2 or, Proliferation associated hub genes in pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) in response to platelet derived growth factor‐BB (PDGF‐BB) were explored by virtue of transcriptomics and metabolomics. Those hub genes might be responsible for proliferating PASMCs phenotype and associated with immune cell infiltrates into the lung tissues, contributing to the development of pulmonary vascular remodeling (created with BioRender.com).

Radio airplay is still a popular direct-to-consumer (DTC) channel for music products. In this paper, we investigate the effect of radio airplay on album sales, mediated by consumer social media eng...

In this letter, an appropriate approach is proposed for modeling the electromagnetic (EM) scattering from composite rough surfaces made up of wake due to a submerged body and wind-driven sea waves. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method is used to extract the air–seawater surface wake generated by an underwater moving body at different speeds and depths. Then, the wake is superimposed on the randomly rough wind-driven sea surfaces that obey the Pierson–Moskowitz power spectrum. The small slope approximation (SSA) method is adopted to calculate the EM scattering by the composite surfaces. The simulation results are obtained and justified.

Background Overweight and obesity rates have increased rapidly in Chinese school-age children, and previous studies have indicated that poor dietary literacy can lead to unhealthy eating behaviours. However, few studies have investigated the association between the dietary literacy of daily diet providers and the eating behaviours and nutritional status of school-age children raised by the providers. Thus, we aimed to explore this association. Methods We collected data on the eating behaviours and nutritional status of children in two primary schools in Anhui Province, as well as the dietary literacy of their daily diet providers. T-tests, one-way ANOVA, chi-square tests, and multiple linear regression were used to analyse the association. Results We found significant differences in the scores on the Questionnaire of Children's Daily Diet Providers' Dietary Literacy (QCDDPDL) by region, relationship with the child, age, and educational level of the daily diet provider (all p p p = .006). Conclusions Our study showed that the dietary literacy of diet providers may influence children's health and eating behaviours. Improving the dietary literacy of diet providers may promote the health status and eating behaviours of school-age children.

Electroacupuncture (EA) is a safe and effective method for treating obesity. However, how it modulates reward-related brain activity/functional connectivity and gut hormones remains unclear. We employed resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS-fMRI) and resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) to investigate EA induced changes in resting-state activity and RSFC in reward-related regions and its association with gut hormones in overweight/obese subjects who received real (n = 20) and Sham (n = 15) stimulation. Results showed reduced leptin levels was positively correlated with reduced body mass index (BMI) and negatively correlated with increased cognitive-control as measured with Three-Factor-Eating-Questionnaire (TFEQ). Significant time effects on RSFC between dorsal caudate (DC) and precuneus were due to significant increased RSFC strength in both EA and Sham groups. In addition, increased RSFC of DC-precuneus was negatively correlated with reduced BMI and leptin levels in the EA group. Mediation analysis showed that the relationship between increased DC-precuneus RSFC strength and reduced BMI was mediated by reduced leptin levels. These findings reflect the association between EA-induced brain reward-related RSFC and leptin levels, and decreased leptin levels mediated altered DC-precuneus RSFC strength and consequent weight-loss, suggesting the potential role of EA in reducing weight and appetite.

Luteolin is a flavonoid in a variety of fruits, vegetables, and herbs, which has shown anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-cancer neuroprotective activities. In this study, we investigated the potential beneficial effects of luteolin on memory deficits and neuroinflammation in a triple-transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) (3 × Tg-AD). The mice were treated with luteolin (20, 40 mg · kg(−1) · d(−1), ip) for 3 weeks. We showed that luteolin treatment dose-dependently improved spatial learning, ameliorated memory deficits in 3 × Tg-AD mice, accompanied by inhibiting astrocyte overactivation (GFAP) and neuroinflammation (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, NO, COX-2, and iNOS protein), and decreasing the expression of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress markers GRP78 and IRE1α in brain tissues. In rat C6 glioma cells, treatment with luteolin (1, 10 µM) dose-dependently inhibited LPS-induced cell proliferation, excessive release of inflammatory cytokines, and increase of ER stress marker GRP78. In conclusion, luteolin is an effective agent in the treatment of learning and memory deficits in 3 × Tg-AD mice, which may be attributable to the inhibition of ER stress in astrocytes and subsequent neuroinflammation. These results provide the experimental basis for further research and development of luteolin as a therapeutic agent for AD.

Autonomous object detection powered by cutting-edge artificial intelligent techniques has been an essential component for sustaining complex smart city systems. Fine-grained image classification focuses on recognizing subcategories of specific levels of images. As a result of the high similarity between images in the same category and the high dissimilarity in the same subcategories, it has always been a challenging problem in computer vision. Traditional approaches usually rely on exploring only the visual information in images. Therefore, this paper proposes a novel Knowledge Graph Representation Fusion (KGRF) framework to introduce prior knowledge into fine-grained image classification task. Specifically, the Graph Attention Network (GAT) is employed to learn the knowledge representation from the constructed knowledge graph modeling the categories-subcategories and subcategories-attributes associations. By introducing the Multimodal Compact Bilinear (MCB) module, the framework can fully integrate the knowledge representation and visual features for learning the high-level image features. Extensive experiments on the Caltech-UCSD Birds-200-2011 dataset verify the superiority of our proposed framework over several existing state-of-the-art methods.

Yeast is a fungus that is widely applied in the food industry to produce yeast-raised bread and fermented alcoholic beverages, sausages, and dairy products. The growth and applications of yeast str...

Background A novel and improved methodology is still required for the diagnosis of diabetic kidney disease (DKD). The aim of the present study was to identify novel biomarkers using extracellular vesicle (EV)-derived mRNA based on kidney tissue microarray data. Methods Candidate genes were identified by intersecting the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and eGFR-correlated genes using the GEO datasets GSE30528 and GSE96804, followed by clinical parameter correlation and diagnostic efficacy assessment. Results Fifteen intersecting genes, including 8 positively correlated genes, B3GALT2, CDH10, MIR3916, NELL1, OCLM, PRKAR2B, TREM1 and USP46, and 7 negatively correlated genes, AEBP1, CDH6, HSD17B2, LUM, MS4A4A, PTN and RASSF9, were confirmed. The expression level assessment results revealed significantly increased levels of AEBP1 in DKD-derived EVs compared to those in T2DM and control EVs. Correlation analysis revealed that AEBP1 levels were positively correlated with Cr, 24-h urine protein and serum CYC and negatively correlated with eGFR and LDL, and good diagnostic efficacy for DKD was also found using AEBP1 levels to differentiate DKD patients from T2DM patients or controls. Conclusions Our results confirmed that the AEBP1 level from plasma EVs could differentiate DKD patients from T2DM patients and control subjects and was a good indication of the function of multiple critical clinical parameters. The AEBP1 level of EVs may serve as a novel and efficacious biomarker for DKD diagnosis.

Currently, many companies around the world are actively developing COVID-19 vaccines. Fourteen vaccines with reliable safety and effectiveness are being successfully distributed to the public. However, there is no specific clinical trial data of the vaccines currently on the market on cancer patients at various stages, so the safety and effectiveness on cancer patients is unknown. This mini-review aims to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on cancer patients, and the urgent need of COVID-19 vaccines for cancer patients. In this review, we described the current status of the COVID-19 vaccine usages in cancer patients, as well as discussed potential problems in the use of vaccine. In addition, we included an original survey of the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccines in 209 cancer patients and their family members. COVID-19 vaccine can provide cancer patients with social and medical benefits; therefore, clinical trials of vaccines on cancer patients are in great need.

Hydraulic flushing drilling technology can not only improve the efficiency of high-pressure and low-permeability geological reservoir coalbed methane drainage but also effectively reduce the probability of coal and gas outburst disasters through pressure relief. The main mechanism of this technology is to expand the borehole diameter through hydraulic flushing measures, increase the strain of the coal around the borehole, and increase the development of cracked pores, to improve the permeability of the coal seam and realize the dual reduction of ground and gas pressure. However, in the actual application process, the interaction mechanism among the stress field, the structure field, and the seepage field is still not clear, and there is no clear method to accurately determine the pressure relief range based on the pressure relief mechanism in order to carry out reasonable drilling arrangements. Therefore, this article comprehensively uses laboratory experiments, numerical simulations, and field practices to fully explain the hydraulic flushing pressure relief mechanism and proposes a method to accurately determine the pressure relief range based on the radial line strain law. The results based on radial line strain showed that the effective relief radius expands to 0.86 m once adopting the Φ579 mm hydraulic flushing borehole compared to Φ160 mm; the borehole’s equivalent diameter of drilling field #11 is 2 to 3 times than that of #10 and 1.2 times the average CBM extraction amount. Therefore, as the borehole diameter increases, the permeability and radial line strain of the coal around the borehole increase significantly, but the tendency of the increase in permeability decreases with increasing vertical stress. The findings of this study can help for a better understanding of the pressure relief and permeability enhancement mechanism of hydraulic flushing, and the method of determining the pressure relief range based on radial strain can also provide a new way for other mines to practice ideas.

Background: Immunotherapy has profoundly changed the landscape of cancer management and represented the most significant breakthrough. Yet, it is a formidable challenge that the majority of cancers - the so-called "cold" tumors - poorly respond to immunotherapy. To find a general immunoregulatory modality that can be applied to a broad spectrum of cancers is an urgent need. Methods: Magnetic hyperthermia (MHT) possesses promise in cancer therapy. We develop a safe and effective therapeutic strategy by using magnetism-mediated targeting MHT-immunotherapy in "cold" colon cancer. A magnetic liposomal system modified with cell-penetrating TAT peptide was developed for targeted delivery of a CSF1R inhibitor (BLZ945), which can block the CSF1-CSF1R pathway and reduce M2 macrophages. The targeted delivery strategy is characterized by its magnetic navigation and TAT-promoting intratumoral penetration. Results: The liposomes (termed TAT-BLZmlips) can induce ICD and cause excessive CRT exposure on the cell surface, which transmits an "eat-me" signal to DCs to elicit immunity. The combination of MHT and BLZ945 can repolarize M2 macrophages in the tumor microenvironment to relieve immunosuppression, normalize the tumor blood vessels, and promote T-lymphocyte infiltration. The antitumor effector CD8+ T cells were increased after treatment. Conclusion: This work demonstrated that TAT-BLZmlips with magnetic navigation and MHT can remodel tumor microenvironment and activate immune responses and memory, thus inhibiting tumor growth and recurrence.

The intimate interactions of indigenous crops with their associated microbiomes during long-term co-evolution strengthen the capacity and flexibility of crops to cope with biotic and abiotic stresses. This represents a promising untapped field for searching novel tools to sustainably increase crop productivity. However, the current capability of harnessing the power of indigenous crop microbiomes for sustainable crop production is limited due to low efficiency of separating the targeted functional microbes. Here, we highlight the potential benefits and existing challenges of utilizing indigenous crop microbiomes to reduce agrochemical inputs and increase crop resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. We propose a framework using Raman-spectroscopy-based single-cell-sorting technology combined with a synthetic community approach to design and optimize a functionally reliable ‘beneficial biome’ under controlled conditions. This framework will offer opportunities for sustainable agriculture and provide a new direction for future studies. Crop microbiomes provide plants with beneficial functions including increased nutrient acquisition and stress tolerance, but the current capability of utilizing indigenous crop microbiomes is limited due to low efficiency of separating the targeted functional microbes. A newly proposed framework using single-cell-sorting Raman spectroscopy combined with a synthetic community approach has the potential to design and optimize a ‘beneficial biome’.

Amyloid-β (Aβ) accumulation in the brain is a pivotal event in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and its clearance from the brain is impaired in sporadic AD. Previous studies suggest that approximately half of the Aβ produced in the brain is cleared by transport into the periphery. However, the mechanism and pathophysiological significance of peripheral Aβ clearance remain largely unknown. The kidney is thought to be responsible for Aβ clearance, but direct evidence is lacking. In this study, we investigated the impact of unilateral nephrectomy on the dynamic changes in Aβ in the blood and brain in both humans and animals and on behavioural deficits and AD pathologies in animals. Furthermore, the therapeutic effects of the diuretic furosemide on Aβ clearance via the kidney were assessed. We detected Aβ in the kidneys and urine of both humans and animals and found that the Aβ level in the blood of the renal artery was higher than that in the blood of the renal vein. Unilateral nephrectomy increased brain Aβ deposition; aggravated AD pathologies, including Tau hyperphosphorylation, glial activation, neuroinflammation, and neuronal loss; and aggravated cognitive deficits in APP/PS1 mice. In addition, chronic furosemide treatment reduced blood and brain Aβ levels and attenuated AD pathologies and cognitive deficits in APP/PS1 mice. Our findings demonstrate that the kidney physiologically clears Aβ from the blood, suggesting that facilitation of Aβ clearance via the kidney represents a novel potential therapeutic approach for AD.

Purpose Implant rehabilitation after jaw reconstruction is challenging, and postoperative peri-implantitis is common. Our aim was to present our management protocol for implant rehabilitation after vascularized free-flap reconstruction and report the outcomes of soft tissue management. Methods This retrospective cohort study included patients who received vascularized free-flap reconstruction, implant rehabilitation, apical reposition flaps (ARFs), and free gingival grafts (FGGs) at Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology from January 1, 2009 to January 1, 2020. We assessed the association of age, gender, primary disease, flap choice, number and position of implants, timing of ARFs and FGGs, fixation stent use, and restoration type with the occurrence of peri-implantitis. Probing pocket depth, bleeding on probing, and marginal bone loss of the implants were measured as well. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, Kaplan-Meier statistics, and Cox regression analysis. Results In total, 19 patients with 65 implants were included. The implants were placed immediately or 7 to 44 months after reconstruction of the jaw with fibular (n = 17) or iliac flaps (n = 2). ARFs and FGGs were performed 0 to 11 months later. No implants were lost. The mean probing pocket depth, bleeding on probing, and marginal bone loss at 26.6 ± 16.8 months were 3.5 ± 0.9 mm, 70.4 ± 35.1%, and 0.6 ± 0.4 mm, respectively. The incidence of peri-implantitis was 32.3%, showing no significant associations with the gender, age, primary disease, flap choice, number and position of implants, timing of ARFs and FGGs, use of a fixation stent, and type of restoration based on the adjusted multivariate model (P > .05). Conclusions Soft tissue management helps generate firmly attached keratinized mucosa around the implants, leads to a more precise impression, and reduces peri-implant bone loss. It should be considered as a critical part of implant rehabilitation after vascularized free-flap reconstruction.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is considered a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease that causes great morbidity and shortens life expectancy; however, the precise pathogenesis of RA remains unclear. This study aimed to select hub genes correlated with the development of RA.Two gene expression profiles, GSE55235 and GSE12021, obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) were used to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in control and RA samples using GEO2R, followed by other bioinformatics methods, including functional enrichment analysis, protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks, miRNA-hub gene network, and drug-hub gene interactions. In addition, qRT-PCR was finally conducted to confirm the reliability and validity of the expression level of the novel DEGs via freshly collected heparinized blood samples of healthy controls and RA patients.A sum of 136 upregulated and 37 downregulated DEGs were selected. Functional enrichment analysis indicated that all the upregulated DEGs were correlated with immune response, B cell receptor signalling pathway, and adaptive immune response. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis revealed that the upregulated DEGs were mostly related to cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, primary immunodeficiency, chemokine signalling pathways, and cell adhesion molecules (CAMs). In total, 12 hub genes (IL15, KLRK1, GZMA, CXCR6, IGHV4-38-2, IGLL5, CXCL13, CXCL11, MS4A1, SDC1, SLAMF1, and PDCD1LG2) were identified and all these hub genes were upregulated, of which IGLL5 and IGHV4-38-2 were first reported to be correlated with the pathogenic mechanism and prognosis of RA. Furthermore, we also used qRT-PCR to validate the overexpression of IGLL5 and IGHV4-38-2 in RA patients compared to the healthy controls. In the miRNA-hub gene network, hsa-miR-1185-5p and hsa-miR-3679-5p might inhibit the expression of IGLL5 during the progression of RA. The 15 most promising candidate drugs, which were all approved by the Food and Drug Administration, may assist with the treatment of RA.Overall, these findings may assist with developing diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic biomarkers for RA. Key Points • IGLL5 and IGHV4-38-2 were first reported to be correlated with the pathogenic mechanism and prognosis of RA. • Besides, hsa-miR-1185-5p and hsa-miR-3679-5p may inhibit the expression of IGLL5 during the progression of RA.

The north-south transitional zone in China mainly consists of the Qinling-Daba Mountains. It is the most important West-East geo-ecological space in China, containing protected areas vital for biodiversity conservation and ecological security of China. The protection and rational development of its natural habitat is of great significance to China’s ecological security and integration of protected areas based on mountain forest ecosystems on a global scale. In this study, five important types of protected areas in the transitional zone were selected, and their spatial patterns were analysed. Spatial analysis methods, such as kernel density estimation and accessibility analysis, were employed for both point and areal data, and focused on four aspects: land use scale, shift in the centre of gravity, spatial agglomeration, and accessibility. In addition, policy background and evolution of spatial and temporal characteristics of the protected area system in the transitional zone from 1963 to 2017 were also examined. We analysed the characteristics and geographical significance of the West-east corridor using the spatial pattern of the protected area system from the perspective of ecological and economic spaces. We focused on spatial shape, type intersection, and key areas to analyse the spatial overlap of the protected areas. Protected area establishment was divided into three stages: initial (1956–1980), rapid development (1981–2013), and national park transformation (2014–present). These stages reflected the change in the concept of ‘simple protection—sustainable use—integration and upgrade’ for protected areas of China. The spatial centre of gravity of the protection zone system was located in the west Qinling-Daba Mountains, and its high-density core exhibited a relatively stable N-shaped structure composed of four gathering areas. Affected by factors such as geographic environment and socio-economic development density, the average access time for protected areas was high (1.56 h); wetland parks and scenic areas are located closer to the city centre. As the West-east corridor in the transitional zone extends from west to east, there is a clear spatial dislocation between the development of protected areas and the intensity of human activities. During development, differentiated goal orientation should be adopted based on the idea of zoning and classified governance. With the advancement of the construction of protected areas, the spatial overlap of protected areas in the transition zone has become more prominent. At present, the spatially overlapped protected areas in the transitional zone remain prominent, with inclusion overlap being the most common, and forest parks exhibiting the highest probability of overlap with other protected areas, we should focus on in the integration process of the corridor-type ecological space based on the mountain forest ecosystem.

Background: We recently developed the Coronary Artery Tree description and Lesion EvaluaTion (CatLet) angiographic scoring system. Our preliminary study demonstrated that the CatLet score better predicted clinical outcomes than the SYNTAX score. The current study aimed at assessing whether 3 clinical variables (CVs) – age, serum creatinine, and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) – improved the performance of the CatLet score in outcome predictions in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Methods: This study was a post hoc study of the CatLet score validation trial. Primary endpoint was major adverse cardiac or cerebrovascular events (MACCEs), and secondary endpoints were all-cause deaths and cardiac deaths. Results: Over 1,185 person-years (median [interquartile range], 4.3 [3.8–4.9] years), there were 64 MACCEs (20.8%), 56 all-cause deaths (18.2%), and 47 cardiac deaths (15.2%). The addition of the 3 CVs to the stand-alone CatLet score significantly increased the Harrell’s C-index by 0.0967 (p = 0.002) in MACCEs, by 0.1354 (p < 0.001) in all-cause deaths, and by 0.1187 (p = 0.001) in cardiac deaths. When compared with the stand-alone CatLet score, improved discrimination and better calibration led to a significantly refined risk stratification, particularly at the intermediate-risk category. Conclusions: CatLet score had a predicting value for clinical outcome in AMI patients. This predicting value can be improved through a combination with age, serum creatinine, and LVEF (http://www.chictr.org.cn; unique identifier: ChiCTR-POC-17013536).

Ag-alloyed Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 kesterite semiconductors have been attracting considerable attention recently because doping with Ag can suppress the CuZn related anti-site defects, which is the main factor that limits the efficiency of kesterite solar cells. Although the performance of the thin film and the device is enhanced (for example, better crystallinity, fewer deep level defects and longer lifetime of the minority carrier) by doping a small amount of Ag in the CZTS thin film, the density of the defects remains high, and the band alignment of CdS/CZTS is not fully optimized, and the interface carrier concentration is greatly decreased. These phenomena will limit any further improvement in efficiency. In this work, to further increase the performance of the device, the interface of CdS/CZTS for an Ag-alloyed CZTS thin film solar cell was doped with In or Al. Then the properties of the thin film, interface band structure and device performance were investigated. After doping the interface with In or Al, the concentrations of the n-type and p-type carriers at the CdS/CAZTS heterojunction were boosted, and the interface band alignment was optimized, resulting in over 11% efficiency for an Ag-alloyed CZTS (with Al interface doping) thin film solar cell. Moreover, low-cost Al-doped ZnO (AZO) was used to replace indium tin oxide (ITO) as the front electrode after optimization, and more than 10% efficiency of CAZTS device without In was obtained. This study demonstrates the feasibility of controlling the doping of the interface to improve the interface performance of a heterojunction by using a simple spin coating process, and also provided a suitable experimental basis for future low-cost thin film solar cells.

Despite bariatric surgery being the most effective treatment for obesity, a proportion of subjects have suboptimal weight loss post-surgery. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the mechanisms behind the variance in weight loss and identify specific baseline biomarkers to predict optimal weight loss. Here, we employed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with baseline whole-brain resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) and a multivariate prediction framework integrating feature selection, feature transformation, and classification to prospectively identify obese patients that exhibited optimal weight loss at 6 months post-surgery. Siamese network, which is a multivariate machine learning method suitable for small sample analysis, and K-nearest neighbor (KNN) were cascaded as the classifier (Siamese-KNN). In the leave-one-out cross-validation, the Siamese-KNN achieved an accuracy of 83.78%, which was substantially higher than results from traditional classifiers. RSFC patterns contributing to the prediction consisted of brain networks related to salience, reward, self-referential, and cognitive processing. Further RSFC feature analysis indicated that the connection strength between frontal and parietal cortices was stronger in the optimal versus the suboptimal weight loss group. These findings show that specific RSFC patterns could be used as neuroimaging biomarkers to predict individual weight loss post-surgery and assist in personalized diagnosis for treatment of obesity.

We investigate multiwavelength-pumped optical frequency combs (OFCs) based on a new kind of coupling systems - a biconical microfiber coupler (MFC) combined with a fiber laser. Compared with other comb generations, this device possesses the advantages of an easy implementation and of achieving tunable pump wavelengths, which would increase the flexibility of the OFC generation. In essence, the adjustable cascaded four-wave mixing (FWM) process at the beginning stage of the frequency comb generation arouses different forms of OFCs. The proposed MFC coupling system holds promising applications in optical filtering, sensing, mode-switching and frequency combs.

Immune checkpoint blockade therapy has become a first-line treatment in various cancers. But there are only a small percent of colorectal patients responding to PD-1/PD-L1 blockage immunotherapy. How to increase their treatment efficacy is an urgent and clinically unmet need. It is acknowledged that immunogenic cell death (ICD) induced by some specific chemotherapy can enhance antitumor immunity. Chemo-based combination therapy can yield improved outcomes by activating the immune system to eliminate the tumor, compared with monotherapy. Here, we develop a PD-L1-targeting immune liposome (P-Lipo) for co-delivering irinotecan (IRI) and JQ1, and this system can successfully elicit antitumor immunity in colorectal cancer through inducing ICD by IRI and interfering in the immunosuppressive PD-1/PD-L1 pathway by JQ1. P-Lipo increases intratumoral drug accumulation and promotes DC maturation, and thereby facilitates adaptive immune responses against tumor growth. The remodeling tumor immune microenvironment was reflected by the increased amount of CD8(+) T cells and the release of IFN-γ, and the reduced CD4(+)Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells (Tregs). Collectively, the P-Lipo codelivery system provides a chemo-immunotherapy strategy that can effectively remodel the tumor immune microenvironment and activate the host immune system and arrest tumor growth.

Deficits in the clearance of amyloid β-protein (Aβ) play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of sporadic Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The roles of blood monocytes in the development of AD remain unclear. In this study, we sought to investigate the alterations in the Aβ phagocytosis function of peripheral monocytes during ageing and in AD patients. A total of 104 cognitively normal participants aged 22–89 years, 24 AD patients, 25 age- and sex-matched cognitively normal (CN) subjects, 15 Parkinson’s disease patients (PD), and 15 age- and sex-matched CN subjects were recruited. The Aβ uptake by blood monocytes was measured and its alteration during ageing and in AD patients were investigated. Aβ1-42 uptake by monocytes decreased during ageing and further decreased in AD but not in PD patients. Aβ1-42 uptake by monocytes was associated with Aβ1-42 levels in the blood. Among the Aβ uptake-related receptors and enzymes, the expression of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) was reduced in monocytes from AD patients. Our findings suggest that monocytes regulate the blood levels of Aβ and might be involved in the development of AD. The recovery of the Aβ uptake function by blood monocytes represents a potential therapeutic strategy for AD.

Background:. Previously, we developed a novel Coronary Artery Tree description and Lesion EvaluaTion (CatLet©) angiographic scoring system, which was capable of accounting for the variability in the coronary anatomy and assisting in the risk-stratification of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Our preliminary study revealed that the CatLet score better predicted clinical outcomes for AMI patients than the Synergy between Percutaneous Coronary Intervention with Taxus and Cardiac Surgery score. However, the reproducibility of the CatLet score in both inter- and intra-observer remains to be evaluated. Methods:. A total of 30 consecutive AMI patients, admitted in September of 2015, were independently assessed by two experienced interventional cardiologists to evaluate the inter-observer reproducibility of the CatLet score. Another set of 49 consecutive AMI patients, admitted between September and October in 2014, were assessed by one of the two interventional cardiologists on two occasions 3 months apart to evaluate the intra-observer reproducibility of the CatLet score. The weighted kappa was used to express the degree of agreement. Results:. The weighted kappa values (95% confidence interval) for the intra- and inter-observer reproducibility of the CatLet Score were 0.82 (0.59–1.00, Z = 7.23, P 22). Regarding the adverse characteristics pertinent to lesions and dominance parameters, the kappa values for the inter-observer variability were 0.80 (0.56–1.00, Z = 6.47, P

The biological mediators that support cognitive-control and long-term weight-loss after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) remain unclear. We measured peripheral appetitive hormones and brain functional-connectivity (FC) using magnetic-resonance-imaging with food cue-reactivity task in 25 obese participants at pre, 1 month, and 6 month after LSG, and compared with 30 normal weight controls. We also used diffusion-tensor-imaging to explore whether LSG increases brain structural-connectivity (SC) of regions involved in food cue-reactivity. LSG significantly decreased BMI, craving for high-calorie food cues, ghrelin, insulin, and leptin levels, and increased self-reported cognitive-control of eating behavior. LSG increased FC between the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the pregenual anterior cingulate cortex (pgACC) and increased SC between DLPFC and ACC at 1 month and 6 month after LSG. Reduction in BMI correlated negatively with increased FC of right DLPFC-pgACC at 1 month and with increased SC of DLPFC-ACC at 1 month and 6 month after LSG. Reduction in craving for high-calorie food cues correlated negatively with increased FC of DLPFC-pgACC at 6 month after LSG. Additionally, SC of DLPFC-ACC mediated the relationship between lower ghrelin levels and greater cognitive control. These findings provide evidence that LSG improved functional and structural connectivity in prefrontal regions, which contribute to enhanced cognitive-control and sustained weight-loss following surgery.

Over the past few decades, seeding strategies for solution crystallization processes have been developed for various applications, and significant improvements in crystal quality and process robust...

Background: Paclitaxel plays a pivotal role in the chemotherapy of breast cancer, but resistance to this drug is an important obstacle in the treatment. It is reported that microRNA-152-3p (miR-152-3p) is involved in tamoxifen resistance in breast cancer, but whether it is involved in paclitaxel resistance in breast cancer remains unknown. Materials and methods: We examined the expression of miR-152-3p in breast cancer tissues and cells by qRT-PCR. After transfecting paclitaxel-resistant MCF-7/TAX cells with miR-152-3p mimics, we analyzed the function of miR-152-3p in these cells by MTT assay and flow cytometry. We screened the target gene, endothelial PAS domain-containing protein 1 (EPAS1), using bioinformatics analysis and verified it with the dual luciferase reporter gene experiment. The relationship between EPAS1 and miR-152-3p and their roles in paclitaxel resistance of breast cancer were further investigated using RNA interference and transfection techniques. Results: The expression of miR-152-3p in normal breast tissues and cells was markedly higher than that in breast cancer. Overexpression of miR-152-3p decreased the survival rate and increased the apoptosis rate and sensitivity of MCF-7/TAX cells to paclitaxel. We confirmed that EPAS1 is the target of miR-152-3p and is negatively regulated by this miRNA. Moreover, transfection with EPAS1 siRNA enhanced the susceptibility and apoptosis rate of MCF-7/TAX cells to paclitaxel. Co-transfection of miR-152-3p mimics and EPAS1 increased paclitaxel sensitivity and apoptosis induced by the drug. Conclusion: miR-152-3p inhibits the survival of MCF-7/TAX cells and promotes their apoptosis by targeting the expression of EPAS1, thereby, enhancing the sensitivity of these breast cancer cells to paclitaxel.

Modern advanced photonic integrated circuits require dense integration of high-speed electro-optic functional elements on a compact chip that consumes only moderate power. Energy efficiency, operation speed, and device dimension are thus crucial metrics underlying almost all current developments of photonic signal processing units. Recently, thin-film lithium niobate (LN) emerges as a promising platform for photonic integrated circuits. Here, we make an important step towards miniaturizing functional components on this platform, reporting high-speed LN electro-optic modulators, based upon photonic crystal nanobeam resonators. The devices exhibit a significant tuning efficiency up to 1.98 GHz V−1, a broad modulation bandwidth of 17.5 GHz, while with a tiny electro-optic modal volume of only 0.58 μm3. The modulators enable efficient electro-optic driving of high-Q photonic cavity modes in both adiabatic and non-adiabatic regimes, and allow us to achieve electro-optic switching at 11 Gb s−1 with a bit-switching energy as low as 22 fJ. The demonstration of energy efficient and high-speed electro-optic modulation at the wavelength scale paves a crucial foundation for realizing large-scale LN photonic integrated circuits that are of immense importance for broad applications in data communication, microwave photonics, and quantum photonics., Lithium niobate (LN) devices are promising for future photonic integrated circuits. Here, the authors demonstrate an electro-optic LN modulator with a very small modal volume based on photonic crystal resonator architecture.

Due to the complicated coalbed methane (CBM) occurrence conditions and the diverse geological structures in China, the promotion and application of the coal and gas simultaneous extraction technology have been seriously restricted. In view of this, this paper chooses Qingdong Coal Mine protection layer mining and CBM extraction field practice as the research background. Firstly, based on the similar material simulation experiment that simulates coal mining, the dynamic changing pattern of a mining field’s overburdened strata and corresponding stress are obtained, the relationship between gas desorption and stress can then be clarified. Further, with the help of the fractal theory and box counting method, the fracture development characteristics of the overlying strata are quantitatively described on the basis of experimental images. Finally, by building a model for calculating the penetrability coefficient of coal seam based on fractal dimension of mining fissure and analyzing the relationship between fissure development and fractal dimension, the gas migration law and the fissure development areas of #7 and #8 overburden strata where CBM concentrates can be revealed and determined. According to the orientation of the area mentioned above, the location of the CBM pumping field in relation to the coal seam roof and the arrangement of CBM extraction boreholes can be optimized, which make CBM extraction efficient. Meanwhile, the risk of coal and gas outburst is significantly reduced when the CBM concentration is controlled within 0.2% to 0.6% outside the corner of the working face and 0.1% to 0.35% in return flow, which is lower than 0.8%, the threshold of CBM concentration.

It is traditionally believed that cerebral amyloid-beta (Aβ) deposits are derived from the brain itself in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Peripheral cells such as blood cells also produce Aβ. The role of peripherally produced Aβ in the pathogenesis of AD remains unknown. In this study, we established a bone marrow transplantation model to investigate the contribution of blood cell-produced Aβ to AD pathogenesis. We found that bone marrow cells (BMCs) transplanted from APPswe/PS1dE9 transgenic mice into wild-type (Wt) mice at 3 months of age continuously expressed human Aβ in the blood, and caused AD phenotypes including Aβ plaques, cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), tau hyperphosphorylation, neuronal degeneration, neuroinflammation, and behavioral deficits in the Wt recipient mice at 12 months after transplantation. Bone marrow reconstitution in APPswe/PS1dE9 mice with Wt-BMCs at 3 months of age reduced blood Aβ levels, and alleviated brain Aβ burden, neuronal degeneration, neuroinflammation, and behavioral deficits in the AD model mice at 12 months after transplantation. Our study demonstrated that blood cell-produced Aβ plays a significant role in AD pathogenesis, and the elimination of peripheral production of Aβ can decrease brain Aβ deposition and represents a novel therapeutic approach for AD.

To analyze epidemiology, pattern, and management of pediatric maxillofacial trauma in North China.Clinical records of patients aged 0-18 years with maxillofacial trauma, from January 2008 to December 2016 were reviewed. 390 patients with an average age of 9.8 ±5.8 years (range: 8 months-18 years) and a male:female ratio of approximately 2:1 were included in the study. Epidemiological features (age, sex, etiology), characteristics of injuries (locations, types, associated injuries), treatments, and complications were analyzed.Among 55 patients with soft tissue injuries, palate was the most common site (32.7%). Among 335 fracture cases, the most common age group was 16-18 years (25.1%); falls was the main cause (38.2%). Overall, there were 450 fractures (1.78 per capita), primarily mandible (69.3%), followed by zygoma (12.9%), maxilla (7.7%) and other sites. Multiple fractures occurred in 61.5% of patients. The most common site of mandibular fractures was condyle. The proportion of mid-face fractures to mandibular fractures increased with age (p0.01) and stabilized gradually after 12 (approximately 1.14:1). 77.5% of fractures were treated surgically. There was an independent association of surgical intervention with age older than 6 years old (p0.05). Absorbable plates were mainly applied to mandibular fractures in patients aged 0-7 and only 1 was removed because of insufficient fixation strength.The primary cause of pediatric maxillofacial fractures in North China was falls; traffic accidents led more multiple fractures and associated injuries. Palate and mandible were the most common sites of pediatric maxillofacial soft tissue injuries and fractures, respectively. The proportion of mandibular fractures to mid-face fractures decreased with the increase of age until 12.

Background This study was performed to explore the clinical and prognostic significance of APOB mRNA expression, DNA methylation and APOB mutation in patients with low-grade glioma (LGG). Methods Bioinformatic analysis was conducted using genomic, clinical and survival data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) databases. Serum APOB protein levels were measured via immunoturbidimetry in 150 patients with LGG and 100 healthy controls from Hubei General Hospital. Results There was a negative association between the levels of APOB mRNA and DNA methylation (r=-0.355, P

Coal seam water injection is a widely used dust reduction technology in Chinese coal mines. During the process of coal seam water injection, a large amount of broken coal particles will accumulate in the pore, which will affect the flow characteristics of water. It's very important for improving the on-site coal seam water injection and dust reduction technology to study the influence of coal particles on the water migration law. In this paper, a spontaneous upward imbibition experiment was used to study the effect of coal particles stacked in front fractures on water migration in coal seam water infusion. Then, a mathematical model was established to express imbibition speed and stable imbibition height. The results show when the largest particle size is selected, theoretical calculation results of stable imbibition height is closest to the experimental data; coal particles with a size of 564–1589 μm have the greatest influence on the wetting phase of coal seam water infusion; the metamorphic grade and particle size of the samples mainly affect the initial stage of water migration, and the initial imbibition speed of each coal sample is quite different. However, with increasing imbibition height, the imbibition speed difference of each coal sample gradually decreases.

This study aimed to evaluate the remodeling of condyles reconstructed by transport distraction osteogenesis (DO) in patients with temporomandibular joint (TMJ) ankylosis.Twenty-one patients with 26 affected joints were followed up for 34.1 ± 13.3 months. Patients who had undergone gap arthroplasty and TMJ reconstruction by DO were included. Maximal mouth opening (MMO) and occlusion were recorded. Computed tomography images were obtained preoperatively (T0), upon completing distraction (T1), upon removal of the distraction device (T2), and2 years postoperatively (T3). The following were measured: mandibular ramus height, distance between gonion and Frankfurt plane (Go-FN), condylar width, and condyle-ramus angulation.Of the 21 patients, one showed re-ankylosis, while five exhibited anterior open bite. From T1 to T3, the total amount of resorption of ramus height reached up to 8.2 ± 4.6 mm (p 0.001), in comparison with a total distraction length of 13.8 ± 4.1 mm; the mean resorption rate was 59.4%. Similarly, Go-FN decreased by 6.2 ± 4.0 mm (p 0.001).Our findings indicated that DO combined with gap arthroplasty was an effective method for the treatment of TMJ ankylosis to improve MMO. The reconstructed condyle exhibited a high frequency of resorption in height.

Obese individuals have shown functional abnormalities in frontal–limbic regions, and bariatric surgery is an effective treatment for morbid obesity. The aim of the study was to investigate how bariatric surgery modulates brain regional activation and functional connectivity (FC) to food cues, and whether the underlying structural connectivity (SC) alterations contribute to these functional changes as well as behavioral changes. A functional magnetic resonance imaging cue-reactivity task with high- (HiCal) and low-calorie (LoCal) food pictures and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) with deterministic tractography were used to investigate brain reactivity, FC and SC in 28 obese participants tested before and 1 month after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). Twenty-two obese controls (Ctr) without surgery were also tested at baseline and 1 month later. LSG significantly decreased right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) activation to HiCal versus LoCal cues and increased FC between DLPFC and ventral anterior cingulate cortex (vACC), which are regions involved in self-regulation of feeding behaviors. LSG also increased SC between DLPFC and ACC as quantified by fractional anisotropy. Increases in SC and FC between DLPFC and ACC were associated with greater reductions in BMI, and SC changes were positively correlated with FC changes. Increased SC between right DLPFC and ACC mediated the relationship between reduced BMI and increased right DLPFC–vACC FC; likewise, increases in right DLPFC–vACC FC mediated the relationship between increased right DLPFC–ACC SC and reduced BMI. LSG might induce weight loss in part by increasing SC and FC between DLPFC and ACC, and thus strengthening top-down control over food intake.

Summary: Background: Gastric neuroendocrine carcinomas (G-NECs) are rare. This study aimed to explore the feasibility and clinical efficacy of laparoscopic surgery in patients with advanced G-NECs. Methods: The clinicopathological data of 175 G-NECs patients who underwent radical gastrectomy in a high-volume centre were collected. One hundred fifty-one cases with advanced G-NECs (laparoscopic gastrectomy [LG] = 30, open gastrectomy [OG] = 121) were finally selected for comparison of the short-term outcomes and oncologic efficacy. Results: In the postoperative recovery, when comparing the OG group, the time to ambulation (3.2 d vs. 2.6 d, respectively, p = 0.049), the time to first flatus (4.1 d vs. 3.6 d, respectively, p = 0.050), the time to first soft diet (7.9 d vs. 6.7 d, respectively, p = 0.007), and the postoperative hospital stay (13.1 d vs. 11.4 d, respectively, p = 0.047) of the LG group were shorter. There was no significant difference in the postoperative complication rates between the OG and LG groups (19.8% vs. 23.3%, p = 0.671). The 3-year overall survival (OS) rate was 57.0% in the OG group and 64.4% in the LG group (p = 0.349). The 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate was 51.7% in the OG group and 57.4% in the LG group (p = 0.357). There was no significant difference in the 3-year OS and DFS rates between the LG and OG groups at each stage. The recurrence rate was 35.5% in the OG group and 33.0% in the LG group (p = 0.821). Conclusions: The short-term outcomes and oncologic efficacy of laparoscopic gastrectomy and open gastrectomy for advanced G-NECs are comparable. Keywords: Gastric neuroendocrine carcinomas, Open surgery, Laparoscopic surgery, Short-term outcome, Oncologic efficacy

Recently, text style transfer has become a very hot research topic in the field of natural language processing. However, the conventional text style transfer is unidirectional, and it is not possible to obtain a model with multidirectional transformations through training once. To address this limitation, we propose a new task called multidirectional text style transfer. It aims to use a single model to transfer the underlying style of text among multiple style attributes and keep its main content unchanged. In this paper, we propose Unified Generative Adversarial Networks (UGAN), a practical approach that combines target vector and generative adversarial techniques to perform multidirectional text style transfer. Our model allows simultaneous training of multi-attribute data on a single network. Such unified structure makes our model more efficient and flexible than existing approaches. We demonstrate the superiority of our approach on three benchmark datasets. Experimental results show that our method not only outperforms other baselines, but also reduces training time by an average of 13%.

The tumor microenvironment (TME) and its major component tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) play a pivotal role in the development of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). An epigenetic drug-based combinatory therapeutic strategy was proposed and a deformable liposome system (D-Lipo) was developed for vorinostat and simvastatin codelivery for remodeling the TME. The application of deformable liposomes in systemic cancer drug delivery has been underexplored and its potential in cancer therapy is largely unknown. This work revealed that D-Lipo exhibited an enhanced intratumor infiltration ability. The proposed therapeutic strategy was characterized by a chemo-free regimen and TME remodeling function. D-Lipo efficiently inhibited the growth of the xenografted lung tumor. The anti-tumor mechanisms involved the repolarization of TAM from the M2 to M1 phenotype, anti-angiogenesis, and the consequent TME remodeling. As a result, the amounts of the anti-tumor M1 macrophages and the cytotoxic CD8+ T cells increased, while the amounts of the pro-tumor M2 macrophages and regulatory T cells (Tregs) reduced. It provides a promising avenue for epigenetic drug-based combination therapy for treating solid tumors.

黑龙江小多宝山Fe-Cu矿床是多宝山-三矿沟多金属成矿带内一典型的矽卡岩型矿床。根据矿物共生组合及矿脉穿切关系，将其成矿作用划分为两期：矽卡岩期和石英-硫化物期；进一步划分为五个阶段：石榴子石-辉石干矽卡岩阶段；绿帘石-阳起石等含水硅酸盐湿矽卡岩阶段；磁铁矿-镜铁矿-石英氧化物阶段；黄铁矿-黄铜矿-石英早期硫化物阶段以及方铅矿-闪锌矿-方解石晚期硫化物阶段。本文报道了该矿床成矿岩体花岗闪长岩的锆石U-Pb年龄、全岩地球化学及锆石Hf同位素数据。花岗闪长岩锆石加权年龄为176±1Ma（MSWD=0.10，n=23），反映小多宝山矿床成矿时代为早侏罗世。其岩石地球化学特征表现为：富钠（Na2O/K2O=1.45%~1.63%），准铝质（A/CNK=0.92~0.97），富集轻稀土元素（LREE）、大离子亲石元素（如Rb、Ba、Sr、K等），相对亏损高场强元素（如Ta、Nb、Ti等），（La/Yb）N=11.16~12.87，表现出弱的负Eu异常（δEu=0.85~0.92），显示出岛弧岩浆岩的地球化学亲缘性。综合岩石地球化学及同位素测试结果，小多宝山花岗闪长岩为准铝质高钾-钙碱性I型花岗岩，起源于幔源岩浆结晶分异作用。锆石Hf同位素eHf（t）为+7.6~+11.4，二阶段模式年龄（tDM2）为492~732Ma，指示其岩浆源区为古生代新生地壳的熔融。结合区域构造演化，推断小多宝山花岗闪长岩形成于古太平洋板块俯冲的构造环境。

As the integration of wind power into electrical energy network increasing, accurate forecast of wind speed becomes highly important in the case of large-scale wind power connected into the grid. In order to improve the accuracy of wind speed forecast and the generalization ability of the model, Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) as an improvement from gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT) is trained and deployed in the cheaper central processing unit (CPU) devices instead of graphics processing unit (GPU) devices, thus, a wind speed forecast model based on Extreme Gradient Boosting is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the historical data is taken as a part of the input vectors for the model. Moreover, considering the monthly change of wind speed characteristics, the dataset of wind power is divided into four parts by month so that the models are constructed in different complexity by month. Finally, compared with back propagation neural networks (BPNN) and linear regression (LR) models, the experimental results show that the improved XGBoost model can promote the forecast accuracy effectively.

Graphical abstract Flowchart of the method to explore the association between the type of WS and malaria infection among children under five years across sub-Saharan Africa., Current efforts for the prevention of malaria have resulted in notable reductions in the global malaria burden; however, they are not enough. Good hygiene is universally considered one of the most efficacious and straightforward measures to prevent disease transmission. This work analyzed whether improved drinking water and sanitation (WS) conditions were associated with a decreased risk of malaria infection. Data were acquired through surveys published between 2006 and 2018 from the Demographic and Health Program in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Multiple logistic regression was used for each national survey to identify the associations between WS conditions and malaria infection diagnosed by microscopy or a malaria rapid diagnostic test (RDT) among children (0–59 months), with adjustments for age, gender, indoor residual spraying (IRS), insecticide-treated net (ITN) use, house quality, and the mother’s highest educational level. Individual nationally representative survey odds ratios (ORs) were combined to obtain a summary OR using a random-effects meta-analysis. Among the 247,440 included children, 18.8% and 24.2% were positive for malaria infection based on microscopy and RDT results, respectively. Across all surveys, both unprotected water and no facility users were associated with increased malaria risks (unprotected water: aOR 1.17, 95% CI 1.07–1.27, P = 0.001; no facilities: aOR 1.35, 95% CI 1.24–1.47, P

Objective: To investigate the association between serum lipid levels in patients with primary non-small cell lung cancer and the risk of developing metastases, a retrospective cohort-based nested case-control study was conducted. Material and method: Patients with primary non-small cell lung cancer admitted to the First and the Third Hospitals of Jilin University from January 2008 through December 2015 were recruited retrospectively based on their electronic medical records. A total of 524 patients were initially considered, consisting of 138 in the case group and 386 as control. Out of these, 110 were finally included in the case group and 110 as control based on additional selection criteria. The following information is collected from all the patients, total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein (HDL-C) and triglyceride (TG). Logistic regressions were conducted to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients to have metastasis risk when having elevated serum lipid levels. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) curves were used to demonstrate the association between serum lipid levels and the risk of metastasis. Results: Patients with high TC level (P = 0.025, 0R = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.03-1.74) and patients with high LDL-C level (Q4: > 3.47 vs Q1: ≤2.54, P = 0.002, OR = 3.92, 95% CI: 1.31-11.77) are found to have an increased metastasis risk; and their dose-response relationship was validated by our restricted cubic spline analysis (TC: P overall association=0.02, P non-linear association = 0.73; LDL-C: P overall association=0.02, P non-linear association = 0.10). These associations were statistically significant, particularly in men who smoked, never drank, and were 65 years of age or younger. In addition, patients with simultaneously high levels of TC and LDL-C have a 60% increased risk of metastasis compared with patients with high levels of TC and normal LDL-C. Conclusion: Dyslipidemia may be a risk factor for metastasis among NSCLC patients. Examination of serum lipid level on a regular basis can provide early signal of metastasis for NSCLC patients.

With the growing concerns on the energy crisis and the strong support of policies, the development and construction of the multi-energy infrastructure are booming in the world. The post-evaluation for the multi-energy infrastructure investment projects can discover problems, giving advice for improvement, and guide the future project process management, which plays a significant role in achieving closed-loop and lean management. In this article, a comprehensive overview on the post-evaluation indicators of overall multi-energy infrastructure construction processes is illustrated. Then, the post-evaluation indicators on economic benefits are surveyed from the financial and national economic perspectives. Furthermore, the indicators to evaluate the impact on society and environment induced by the multi-energy infrastructure are thoroughly analyzed and investigated. Also, the post-evaluation indicators on the sustainability of the multi-energy infrastructure investment projects are summarized. Lastly, some challenges with great importance in the future research are presented. This review contributes to finding out the problems existing in the multi-energy infrastructure projects and analyzing the causes of the problems, which helps to guide the enterprise's future investment direction, decision-making, and realize an accurate investment.

Multiple studies have indicated that albendazole (ABZ) can disrupt the microtubule in worms and have anti-tumor potential in a variety of tumors. However, the therapeutic effect of ABZ on triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is largely unknown, and the therapeutic evaluation of ABZ by 18F-FDG PET imaging remains relatively unexplored. The effects of ABZ on TNBC cell lines (MDA-MB-231 cells) were investigated in vitro using MTT, wound-healing, transwell migration, flow cytometry and Western blotting analyses. In vivo treatment was conducted in an MDA-MB-231 tumor-bearing nude mouse model. Mouse body weight loss was also evaluated. PET imaging was performed before and after 3 days of treatment. Tumor tissues were harvested for immunofluorescence analysis. ABZ treatment inhibited the proliferation and migration and triggered the apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 cells. Furthermore, Western blotting analysis showed that ABZ induced the apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 cells via GLUT1/AMPK/P53 signaling pathway. Long-term treatment studies found that the tumor volume of the treatment group was smaller compared with the control group, and the survival time was prolonged. In vivo 18F-FDG PET imaging showed that 3-day ABZ treatment reduced standardized uptake value (SUV) values in MDA-MB-231 xenografts compared with the controls, and immunofluorescence analysis showed more TUNEL-positive cells in the ABZ-treated mice. Our study suggested that ABZ induced the apoptosis of MDA-MB-231 cells by inhibiting glucose uptake, and it could be considered as a potential drug for TNBC cells. Moreover, 18F-FDG PET imaging could be used to monitor the early anti-tumor effect of ABZ on MDA-MB-231 tumors.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of laterally-based pedicled cranial bone flap (LBPCBF) for the repair of secondary zygomaticomaxillary defects. Between December 2014 and December 2016, 6 patients with unilateral zygomaticomaxillary defects were selected; of these, 5 had trauma, and 1 was exposed to titanium mesh in the infraorbital area due to radiotherapy following total maxillectomy for right maxillary squamous cell carcinoma. Preoperatively, 3 patients suffered from an intraoral vestibular groove fistula, 2 suffered from an extraoral fistula, and 1 from local exposure of titanium mesh. Surgical treatment was implemented in all 6 patients, of which, the 5 trauma patients underwent debridement, reduction, and fixation of periorbital fracture, followed by repair of the defects in the infraorbital margin, anterior wall of maxillary sinus, and zygomatic body with LBPCBF, and then, reconstruction of the orbital floor with titanium mesh. The other patient with exposed titanium mesh underwent repair of defects in the infraorbital margin and anterior wall of the maxillary sinus with LBPCBF after titanium mesh trimming. Postoperative review at 6 months revealed disappearance of intraoral fistula, wound healing, and improvement of facial deformity in all 6 patients, of which 2 patients demonstrated postoperative ectropion. The application of LBPCBF can simultaneously repair bone defects in the infraorbital margin, anterior wall of maxillary sinus, and zygomatic body, as well as, supplement the soft tissue, thereby indicating a satisfactory treatment effect.

The study of water seepage characteristics in coal fracture networks is the key for accurately guiding the development of coal seam water injection technology. Based on the fractal geometry theory, we represented the shape of a fracture network in a water-injected coal body through a tree branch network; furthermore, we established a seepage model for the fracture network, determined the relationship between permeability, overburden pressure, and water pressure according to the relationship between fractal dimension and effective stress, and verified the applicability of the proposed model through a self-developed experimental system. This model was developed based on the “penny-shaped” single-fracture seepage model and did not contain any empirical constants. The results showed that the influence weight of the fracture diameter ratio ([Formula: see text] on permeability was the highest: when [Formula: see text], the permeability was almost 0, but when [Formula: see text], the permeability increased rapidly. Notably, the local and overall permeabilities of the fracture network decreased with the increase of the radial distance; when the radial distance was constant, however, the permeability of the fracture network decreased with the increase of the bifurcation series (m) and of the fracture radius. Lastly, the ratio of gap depth to length increased with the increase of the ratio of fracture depth to length ([Formula: see text]. Overall, our research results provide a theoretical basis for defining the seepage law of high-pressure water in coal bodies, as well as the relationship between permeability and several environmental parameters.

The quality of life and survival rates of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with congenital heart disease (CHD–PAH) have been greatly improved by defect-repair surgery and personalized treatments. However, those who survive surgery may remain at risk of persistent PAH, the prognosis may be considerably worse than those unoperated. Dynamic monitoring of clinical measures during the perioperative period of shunt correction is therefore indispensable and of great value. In this study, we explored the plasma-metabolite profiling in 13 patients with CHD–PAH during the perioperative period of defect repair. Plasma was harvested at four time points: prior to cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) after anesthesia (Pre), immediately after CPB (T0), 24 h (T24), and 48 h (T48) after defect repair. Untargeted metabolomics strategy based on UPLC Q-TOF MS was used to detect the metabolites. A total of 193 distinguishing metabolites were determined at different time points, enriched in pathways such as oxidation of branched-chain fatty acids. We found that 17 metabolite alterations were significantly correlated with the reduction in mean pulmonary arterial pressure (MPAP) at T48 versus Pre. Gradients in diastolic pulmonary arterial pressure (DPAP), bicarbonate in radial artery (aHCO(3)), bicarbonate in superior vena cava (svcHCO(3)), and the partial pressure of dissolved CO(2) gas in radial artery (aPCO(2)) were positively correlated with MPAP gradient. Notably, these clinical-measure gradients were correlated with alterations in shunt-correction-associated metabolites. In total, 12 out of 17 identified metabolites in response to defect repair were increased at both T24 and T48 (all P