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Hepatoblastoma is a kind of extreme malignancy frequently diagnosed in children. Although surgical resection is considered as the first-line treatment for hepatoblastoma, a relatively large population of patients have lost the preferred opportunity for surgery. Administration of locoregional ablation enables local tumor control but with the deficiency of insufficient ablation, residual tumor, and rapid progression. In this study, we integrated 219 hepatoblastoma and 121 non-cancer liver tissues to evaluate the expression of NR2F6, from which a higher NR2F6 level was found in hepatoblastoma compared with non-cancer livers with a standard mean difference (SMD) of 1.04 (95% CI: 0.79, 1.29). The overexpression of NR2F6 also appeared to be an efficient indicator in distinguishing hepatoblastoma tissues from non-cancer liver tissues from the indication of a summarized AUC of 0.90, with a pooled sensitivity of 0.76 and a pooled specificity of 0.89. Interestingly, nude mouse xenografts provided direct evidence that overexpressed NR2F6 was also detected in residual tumor compared to untreated hepatoblastoma. Chromatin immunoprecipitation-binding data in HepG2 cells and transcriptome analysis of HepG2 xenografts were combined to identify target genes regulated by NR2F6. We finally selected 150 novel target genes of NR2F6 in residual tumor of incomplete ablation, and these genes appeared to be associated with the biological regulation of lipid metabolism-related pathway. Accordingly, targeting NR2F6 holds a therapeutic promise in treating residual recurrent hepatoblastoma after incomplete ablation., GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

SummaryWe performed a retrospective analysis to investigate dynamic peri-hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) minimal/measurable residual disease (MRD) on outcomes in patients with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). A total of 271 patients were enrolled and classified into three groups: unchanged negative MRD pre- and post-HSCT group (group A), post-MRD non-increase group (group B), and post-MRD increase group (group C). The patients in group B and group C experienced a higher cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) (42% vs. 71% vs. 16%, Pvs. 21% vs. 70%, Pvs. 28% vs. 72%, Pvs. 12% vs. 8%, P=0.752). Multivariate analysis showed that dynamic peri-HSCT MRD was associated with CIR (HR=2.392, 95% CI, 1.816–3.151, PPPversus-host disease (GVHD). This risk scoring system could better distinguish CIR (c=0.730) than that for pre-HSCT MRD (c=0.562), post-HSCT MRD (c=0.616) and pre- and post-MRD dynamics (c=0.648). Our results confirm the outcome predictive value of dynamic peri-HSCT MRD either alone or in combination with other variables for patients with T-ALL.

Background Osteoporosis is a common disease in aging populations. However, osteoporosis treatment is still challenging. Here, we aimed to investigate the role of neohesperidin (NEO) in osteoporosis progression and the potential mechanism. Methods Bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) were isolated and treated with different concentrations of NEO (0, 10, 30, 100 μM). Cell proliferation was analyzed by cell count kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. RNA-sequencing was performed on the isolated BMSCs with control and NEO treatment. Differentially expressed genes were obtained by R software. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining and Alizarin red staining (ARS) were performed to assess the osteogenic capacity of the NEO. qRT-PCR was used to detect the expression of osteoblast markers. Western blot was used to evaluate the protein levels in BMSCs. Results NEO treatment significantly improved hBMSC proliferation at different time points, particularly when cells were incubated with 30 μM NEO (P < 0.05). NEO dose-dependently increased the ALP activity and calcium deposition than the control group (P < 0.05). A total of 855 differentially expressed genes were identified according to the significance criteria of log2 (fold change) > 1 and adj P < 0.05. DKK1 partially reversed the promotion effects of NEO on osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. NEO increased levels of the β-catenin protein in BMSCs. Conclusion NEO plays a positive role in promoting osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs, which was related with activation of Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

Objectives To identify the clinical value of ultrasound radiomic features in the preoperative prediction of tumor stage and pathological grade of bladder cancer (BLCA) patients. Methods We retrospectively collected patients who had been diagnosed with BLCA by pathology. Ultrasound-based radiomic features were extracted from manually segmented regions of interest. Participants were randomly assigned to a training cohort and a validation cohort at a ratio of 7:3. Radiomic features were Z-score normalized and submitted to dimensional reduction analysis (including Spearman's correlation coefficient analysis, the random forest algorithm, and statistical testing) for core feature selection. Classifiers for tumor stage and pathological grade prediction were then constructed. Prediction performance was estimated by the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic curve and was verified by the validation cohort. Results A total of 5936 radiomic features were extracted from each of the ultrasound images obtained from 157 patients. The BLCA tumor stage and pathological grade prediction models were developed based on 30 and 35 features, respectively. Both models showed good predictive ability. For the tumor stage prediction model, the AUC was 0.94 in the training cohort and 0.84 in the validation cohort. For the pathological grade model, the AUCs obtained were 0.84 in the training cohort and 0.75 in the validation cohort. Conclusions The ultrasound-based radiomics models performed well in the preoperative tumor staging and pathological grading of BLCA. These findings should be applied clinically to optimize treatment and to assess prognoses for BLCA.

Asymmetric surface acoustic waves have been shown useful in separating particles and cells in many microfluidics designs, mostly notably sessile microdroplets. However, no one has successfully extracted target particles or cells for later use from such samples. We present a novel omnidirectional spiral surface acoustic wave (OSSAW) design that exploits a new cut of lithium niobate, 152 Y-rotated, to rapidly rotate a microliter sessile drop to ∼10 g, producing efficient multi-size particle separation. We further extract the separated particles for the first time, demonstrating the ability to target specific particles, for example, platelets from mouse blood for further integrated point-of-care diagnostics. Within ∼5 s of surface acoustic wave actuation, particles with diameter of 5 μm and 1 μm can be separated into two portions with a purity of 83% and 97%, respectively. Red blood cells and platelets within mouse blood are further demonstrated to be separated with a purity of 93% and 84%, respectively. These advancements potentially provide an effective platform for whole blood separation and point-of-care diagnostics without need for micro or nanoscale fluidic enclosures.

Objectives:The aim of this study was to investigate risk factors and psychological stress of health-care workers (HCWs) with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a nonfrontline clinical department.Methods:Data of 2 source patients and all HCWs with infection risk were obtained in a department in Wuhan from January to February 2020. A questionnaire was designed to evaluate psychological stress of COVID-19 on HCWs.Results:The overall infection rate was 4.8% in HCWs. Ten of 25 HCWs who contacted with 2 source patients were diagnosed with confirmed COVID-19 (8/10) and suspected COVID-19 (2/10). Other 2 HCWs were transmitted by other patients or colleagues. Close care behaviors included physical examination (6/12), life nursing (4/12), ward rounds (4/12), endoscopic examination (2/12). Contacts fluctuated from 1 to 24 times and each contact was short (8.1 min ± 5.6 min). HCWs wore surgical masks (11/12), gloves (7/12), and isolation clothing (3/12) when providing medical care. Most HCWs experienced a mild course with 2 asymptomatic infections, taking 9.8 d and 20.9 d to obtain viral shedding and clinical cure, respectively. Psychological stress included worry (58.3%), anxiety (83.3%), depression (58.3%), and insomnia (58.3%).Conclusions:Close contact with COVID-19 patients and insufficient protection were key risk factors. Precaution measures and psychological support on COVID-19 is urgently required for HCWs.

TiO2 films were prepared by sol-gel method with butyl titanate, anhydrous ethanol, acetyl acetone and hydrochloric acid as raw materials, which were sintered at 380 °C and 530 °C respectively to obtain TiO2 films. XRD was used for analyzing the crystal structure of TiO2 film, and ImageJ software was used to detect the light transmittance of TiO2 film samples. The results show that the film sintered at 530 °C is brookite structure and the film sintered at 380 °C is anatase structure. The increase of sintering temperature is not conducive to the growth of TiO2 film grains. TiO2 films sintered at 380 °C have good light transmittance.

Deep neural networks have underpinned much of the recent progress in the field of hyperspectral image (HSI) classification owing to their powerful ability to learn discriminative features. However, training a deep neural network often requires the availability of a large number of labeled samples to mitigate over-fitting, and these labeled samples are not always available in practical applications. To adapt the deep neural network-based HSI classification approach to cases in which only a very limited number of labeled samples (i.e., few or even only one labeled sample) are provided, we propose a novel few-shot deep learning framework for HSI classification. In order to mitigate over-fitting, the framework borrows supervision from an auxiliary set of unlabeled samples with soft pseudo-labels to assist the training of the feature extractor on few labeled samples. By considering each labeled sample as a reference agent, the soft pseudo-label is assigned by computing the distances between the unlabeled sample and all agents. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, we evaluate it on three benchmark HSI classification datasets. The results indicate that our method achieves better performance relative to existing competitors in few-shot and one-shot settings.

Background Both 1 Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) are reported to benefit upper limb motor function rehabilitation in patients with stroke. However, the efficacy of combining 1 Hz rTMS and iTBS has not been adequately explored. Objective We aimed to compare the effects of 1 Hz rTMS and the combination of 1 Hz rTMS and iTBS on the upper limb motor function in the subacute phase post-stroke. Methods Twenty-eight participants were randomly assigned to three groups: Group A (1 Hz rTMS over the contralesional primary motor cortex (M1) and iTBS over the ipsilesional M1), Group B (contralesional 1 Hz rTMS and ipsilesional sham iTBS), and Group C (contralesional sham 1 Hz rTMS and ipsilesional sham iTBS). The participants received the same conventional rehabilitation accompanied by sessions of transcranial magnetic stimulation for two weeks (5 days one week). Motor-evoked potential (MEP), upper extremity Fugl-Meyer Assessment (UE-FMA), and Barthel Index (BI) were performed before and after the sessions. Results Group A showed greater UE-FMA, BI, and MEP amplitude improvement and more significant decrement in MEP latency compared to Group B and Group C in testable patients. Correlation analyses in Group A revealed a close relation between ipsilesional MEP amplitude increment and UE-FMA gain. Conclusions The combining of 1 Hz rTMS and iTBS protocol in the present study is tolerable and more beneficial for motor improvement than the single use of 1 Hz rTMS in patients with subacute stroke.

We developed a luminescence lifetime-based nanothermometer with a single-exponential luminescence decay in the ∼s time scope via a photochemical reaction. The luminescence lifetime imaging in vivo can be performed on an EMCCD and consumer-grade camera, which significantly reduces the technical threshold of luminescence lifetime imaging.

The tumor microenvironment (TME), as a potent and pervasive factor of tumorigenesis and tumor progression, has a profound impact on the clinical outcomes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A systematic analysis of TME factors in HCC is still lacking and urgently needed. In this retrospective analysis and multicenter validation study, a total of 987 HCC patients with RNA-seq or microarray data and the corresponding clinical information from five cohorts were included. A TME risk score was developed based on five factors (hypoxia, nucleotide, TCA cycle, T helper cells and activated CD8 T cells). We also identified various types of clinical parameters and molecular features associated with the TME risk score. The TME risk factor network depicts close associations among the factors. Our TME risk score could be a practical and reliable predictor that can stratify patients according to distinct clinical outcomes and was validated by integrating five HCC patient cohorts (HR= 2.27, 95% CI: 1.79-2.86, P

BACKGROUND Dinoprostone is the recommended primary option for induction of labor (IOL) in late-term pregnancies (LTPs). However, oxytocin is used in developing and rural areas, and studies have supported similar effectiveness for oxytocin and dinoprostone in reducing the rate of cesarean delivery of LTPs with a Bishop's score of between 4-6. This study aimed to compare dinoprostone and oxytocin for IOL in LTPs and the rate of cesarean section in ten centers in South China. MATERIAL AND METHODS A retrospective study included 1,408 women with LTP, with subgroups including a Bishop's score of 0-3 and 4-6. Rates of cesarean delivery were compared between women given vaginal dinoprostone and intravenous oxytocin for IOL. Secondary outcomes included the duration of labor, and maternal and fetal complications. RESULTS Comparison between women who received oxytocin (N=365) and dinoprostone (N=1,043) showed significantly lower rates of cesarean delivery with dinoprostone, but no significant difference between the subgroups with Bishop's scores of 0-3 and 4-6. The interval between induction to labor and duration of the active phase of labor were significantly reduced in the dinoprostone group with a Bishop's score of between 4-6. CONCLUSIONS For LTPs with a Bishop's score of 0-3, dinoprostone was superior to oxytocin for IOL with a lower rate of cesarean delivery, but both agents had a similar outcome for women with a Bishop's score of 4-6. These findings may have implications for the choice of agent used in IOL when dinoprostone is unavailable.

To determine the integrative value of contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT), transcriptomics data and clinicopathological data for predicting the survival of bladder urothelial carcinoma (BLCA) patients. RNA sequencing data, radiomics features and clinical parameters of 62 BLCA patients were included in the study. Then, prognostic signatures based on radiomics features and gene expression profile were constructed by using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox analysis. A multi-omics nomogram was developed by integrating radiomics, transcriptomics and clinicopathological data. More importantly, radiomics risk score–related genes were identified via weighted correlation network analysis and submitted to functional enrichment analysis. The radiomics and transcriptomics signatures significantly stratified BLCA patients into high- and low-risk groups in terms of the progression-free interval (PFI). The two risk models remained independent prognostic factors in multivariate analyses after adjusting for clinical parameters. A nomogram was developed and showed an excellent predictive ability for the PFI in BLCA patients. Functional enrichment analysis suggested that the radiomics signature we developed could reflect the angiogenesis status of BLCA patients. The integrative nomogram incorporated CECT radiomics, transcriptomics and clinical features improved the PFI prediction in BLCA patients and is a feasible and practical reference for oncological precision medicine. • Our radiomics and transcriptomics models are proved robust for survival prediction in bladder urothelial carcinoma patients. • A multi-omics nomogram model which integrates radiomics, transcriptomics and clinical features for prediction of progression-free interval in bladder urothelial carcinoma is established. • Molecular functional enrichment analysis is used to reveal the potential molecular function of radiomics signature.

PurposeThe present study aims to comprehensively investigate the prognostic value of a radiomic nomogram that integrates contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) radiomic signature and clinicopathological parameters in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC).MethodsA total of 136 and 78 KIRC patients from the training and validation cohorts were included in the retrospective study. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to assess reproducibility of radiomic feature extraction. Univariate Cox analysis and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) as well as multivariate Cox analysis were utilized to construct radiomic signature and clinical signature in the training cohort. A prognostic nomogram was established containing a radiomic signature and clinicopathological parameters by using a multivariate Cox analysis. The predictive ability of the nomogram [relative operating characteristic curve (ROC), concordance index (C-index), Hosmer–Lemeshow test, and calibration curve] was evaluated in the training cohort and validated in the validation cohort. Patients were split into high- and low-risk groups, and the Kaplan–Meier (KM) method was conducted to identify the forecasting ability of the established models. In addition, genes related with the radiomic risk score were determined by weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) and were used to conduct functional analysis.ResultsA total of 2,944 radiomic features were acquired from the tumor volumes of interest (VOIs) of CECT images. The radiomic signature, including ten selected features, and the clinical signature, including three selected clinical variables, showed good performance in the training and validation cohorts [area under the curve (AUC), 0.897 and 0.712 for the radiomic signature; 0.827 and 0.822 for the clinical signature, respectively]. The radiomic prognostic nomogram showed favorable performance and calibration in the training cohort (AUC, 0.896, C-index, 0.846), which was verified in the validation cohort (AUC, 0.768). KM curves indicated that the progression-free interval (PFI) time was dramatically shorter in the high-risk group than in the low-risk group. The functional analysis indicated that radiomic signature was significantly associated with T cell activation.ConclusionsThe nomogram combined with CECT radiomic and clinicopathological signatures exhibits excellent power in predicting the PFI of KIRC patients, which may aid in clinical management and prognostic evaluation of cancer patients.

ObjectivesThis study was to determine the incidence of falls and identify baseline factors increased risk for incident falls over time among people with diabetes.DesignThis study was a secondary analysis using the baseline and 4 years of follow-up data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS).SettingA nationally representative survey of 17 500 Chinese residents aged 45 years and older were recruited in the baseline national survey in 2011. These participants were followed up every 2 years.ParticipantsA total of 1238 middle-aged and older adults with diabetes and no history of falls at baseline were included in the current study.Primary and secondary outcome measuresInformation on incidence of falls and medical treatment resulting from falls were determined by self-report.ResultsThe findings showed that the incidence of falls was 29.4% during 4 years of follow-up. Participants with incident falls were younger, were more likely to be women, had lower education level and were less likely to be current drinkers. In addition, former drinkers were 2.22 times more likely to fall. Socially active individuals were 47% less likely to fall compared with those without social activities. Every 5 kg increase in grip strength was associated with a 13% lower risk of falls. A 10 mg/dL higher total cholesterol and 1 mg/dL higher blood urea nitrogen were associated with a 4% and 6% higher risk of falls. Finally, participants with depressive symptoms were 1.47 times more likely to fall compared with those without depressive symptoms.ConclusionsThese findings underscore the importance of developing a fall prevention programme for those with diabetes, and this programme should address potentially modifiable risk factors, including levels of total cholesterol, blood urea nitrogen, social activity, depressive symptoms and grip strength.

Objectives. This paper aims to investigate the feasibility and the validity of applying deep convolutional neural networks (CNN) to identify motor unit (MU) spike trains and estimate the neural drive to muscles from high-density electromyography (HD-EMG) signals in real time. Two distinct deep CNNs are compared with the convolution kernel compensation (CKC) algorithm using simulated and experimentally recorded signals. The effects of window size and step size of the input HD-EMG signals are also investigated. Approach. The MU spike trains were first identified with the CKC algorithm. The HD-EMG signals and spike trains were used to train the deep CNN. Then, the deep CNN decomposed the HD-EMG signals into MU discharge times in real time. Two CNN approaches are compared with the CKC: (a) multiple single-output deep CNN (SO-DCNN) with one MU decomposed per network, and (b) one multiple-output deep CNN (MO-DCNN) to decompose all MUs (up to 23) with one network. Main results. The MO-DCNN outperformed the SO-DCNN in terms of training time (3.2–21.4 s epoch−1 vs 6.5–47.8 s epoch−1, respectively) and prediction time (0.04 vs 0.27 s sample−1, respectively). The optimal window size and step size for MO-DCNN were 120 and 20 data points, respectively. It results in sensitivity of 98% and 85% with simulated and experimentally recorded HD-EMG signals, respectively. There is a high cross-correlation coefficient between the neural drive estimated with CKC and that estimated with MO-DCNN (range of r-value across conditions: 0.88–0.95). Significance. We demonstrate the feasibility and the validity of using deep CNN to accurately identify MU activity from HD-EMG with a latency lower than 80 ms, which falls within the lower bound of the human electromechanical delay. This method opens many opportunities for using the neural drive to interface humans with assistive devices.

Background The tumor microenvironment is largely orchestrated by the immune cells. Considerable evidence has shown their excellent clinicopathological application value in assessment of clinical outcomes and immunotherapy efficacy. Hence, a moderate, individualized prognostic signature based on immune cells that can estimate prognosis and reflect the immune microenvironment in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients is greatly needed. Material/Methods Here, we systematically analyzed the expression differences and survival prediction value of tumor infiltrating immune cells by analyzing 638 HCC patients from 3 public cohorts, including 2 microarray datasets and 1 RNA sequencing dataset. CIBERSORT software, a computational algorithm, was used to calculate the relative levels of immune cells. Three immune microenvironment subtypes were defined via ConsensuClusterPlus package. Univariate and multivariate survival analyses were used to develop an individualized immune prognostic index based on immune cell pairs. Results Notably, HCC patients with higher immune signatures score, utterly appreciable, suffered inferior prognosis (hazard ratio=2.742; 95% confidence interval: 1.887–3.983; P

The nephrotoxicity of aristolochic acids (AAs), p-cresyl sulfate (PCS) and indoxyl sulfate (IS) were well-documented, culminating in tubulointerstitial fibrosis (TIF), advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) and fatal urothelial cancer. Nonetheless, information regarding the attenuation of AAs-induced nephropathy (AAN) and uremic toxin retention is scarce. Propolis is a versatile natural product, exerting anti-oxidant, anti-cancer and anti-fibrotic properties. We aimed to evaluate nephroprotective effects of propolis extract (PE) in a murine model. AAN was developed to retain circulating PCS and IS using C57BL/6 mice, mimicking human CKD. The kidney sizes/masses, renal function indicators, plasma concentrations of PCS/IS, tissue expressions of TIF, &alpha, SMA, collagen IaI, collagen IV and signaling pathways in transforming growth factor-&beta, (TGF-&beta, ) family were analyzed among the control, PE, AAN, and AAN-PE groups. PE ameliorated AAN-induced renal atrophy, renal function deterioration, TIF, plasma retention of PCS and IS. PE also suppressed &alpha, SMA expression and deposition of collagen IaI and IV in the fibrotic epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Notably, PE treatment in AAN model inhibited not only SMAD 2/3-dependent pathways but also SMAD-independent JNK/ERK activation in the signaling cascades of TGF-&beta, family. Through disrupting fibrotic epithelial-mesenchymal transition and TGF-&beta, signaling transduction pathways, PE improves TIF and thereby facilitates renal excretion of PCS and IS in AAN. In light of multi-faced toxicity of AAs, PE may be capable of developing a new potential drug to treat CKD patients exposed to AAs.

Goals The main aim of this study was to investigate the significance of a pale area via flexible spectral imaging color enhancement (FICE) in the diagnosis of esophageal dysplasia and cancer. Background The early diagnosis of esophageal squamous cancer is challenging, and the indication of Lugol's chromoendoscopy has not yet been well established. Study The esophageal mucosa of patients at our endoscopic center were sequentially evaluated with white-light endoscopy and FICE during insertion of the endoscope, followed by staining with Lugol's solution during withdrawal. Patients were divided into 2 groups depending on whether esophageal leukoplakia was detected by white-light endoscopy and 2 groups depending on whether a pale area was detected by FICE. We compared cases of patients with abnormal iodine staining, and cases of dysplasia or cancer in esophageal leukoplakia-or pale area-positive and negative groups. Results Cases of abnormal staining in the esophageal leukoplakia-or pale area-positive group were far more numerous than cases without esophageal leukoplakia or pale area, respectively (P=0.000). Cases of esophageal dysplasia and cancer in the esophageal leukoplakia-or pale area-positive group were far more numerous than cases without esophageal leukoplakia or pale area, respectively (P=0.000). Conclusions Iodine staining should be performed in patients with esophageal leukoplakia or pale areas. Esophageal dysplasia and early-stage cancer were more easily detected in those with esophageal leukoplakia or pale areas.

Background: Novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) outbreak caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has rapidly spread over the globe. The knowledge about SARS-CoV-2 infection in immunocompromised patients was limited. Case presentation: We presented here two human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected cases with laboratory confirmed COVID-19 and clinically confirmed COVID-19, respectively. The patients both presented with fever at illness onset and patchy shadows in radiological images of lungs. Laboratory findings revealed leukopenia, lymphopenia and positive anti-HIV antibody. The younger case had a moderate course and was discharged after a 28-day hospitalization. However, the elder case with multiple comorbidities developed dyspnea and died on the fourth day after admission. Conclusions: Combining our data with two case reports, we summarize that disease course varies in HIV-infected patients with COVID-19. More attention should be paid to the management of these patients. Whether there is any difference about clinical characteristics and prognosis of COVID-19 between HIV-infected and non-HIV infected patients, remains to be further investigated.

Background/Aims: Liver cancer has the second highest cancer-related death rate globally and has relatively few targeted therapeutics. Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) is a fascinating trigger of the cell cycle; however, the still-rudimentary understanding of PLK1 at present is a significant barrier to its clinical applications. Here, we comprehensively clarified the clinicopathological value and potential functions of PLK1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: HCC-related microarrays, RNA-sequencing datasets and published studies were deeply mined and integrated from The Cancer Genome Atlas, Gene Expression Omnibus, ArrayExpress, Oncomine, literature databases, and immunohistochemistry experiments. Meanwhile, the associations between PLK1 expression and its clinicopathological implications and prognostic value in HCC patients were assessed. The standardized mean difference, summary receiver operating characteristic curve and the corresponding area under the curve, hazard ratios, odds ratios (ORs), and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were examined by STATA 12.0. Additionally, several bioinformatics methods were used to identify the potential function of PLK1 in HCC. Results: Comprehensive analyses revealed that PLK1 was significantly increased in HCC (standardized mean difference = 1.34, 95% CI: 1.03–1.65, P < 0.001). The results of diagnostic tests specified that in the summary receiver operating characteristic curve, the area under the curve was 0.88 (95% CI: 0.85–0.90). Furthermore, an elevated PLK1 level significantly predicted unfavorable overall survival (hazard ratio = 1.78, 95% CI: 1.10–2.88, P = 0.019) and was correlated with female gender (OR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.56–0.95, P = 0.017), tumor thrombus (OR = 3.97, 95% CI: 1.46–10.78, P < 0.001), metastasis (OR = 3.46, 95% CI: 1.33–9.01, P = 0.011), pathologic stage (OR = 1.56, 95% CI: 1.17–2.07, P = 0.002), Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage (OR = 5.76, 95% CI: 2.17–15.28, P < 0.001) and histologic grade (OR = 2.33, 95% CI: 1.12–487, P = 0.024). Through bioinformatics methods, we determined that enhancing the proliferative effect of PLK1 in HCC was associated with a series of hub genes and the activation of the cell cycle pathway. Conclusions: These findings substantiated that PLK1 may be an independent prognostic biomarker in HCC and may facilitate the development of targeted precision oncology.

The photoelectric effect in semiconductors is the main mechanism for most modern optoelectronic devices, in which the adequate bandgap plays the key role for acquiring high photoresponse. Among numerous material categories applied in this field, the complex oxides exhibit great possibilities because they present a wide distribution of band gaps for absorbing light with any wavelength. Their physical properties and lattice structures are always strongly coupled and sensitive to light illumination. Moreover, the confinement of dimensionality of the complex oxides in the heterostructures can provide more diversities in designing and modulating the band structures. On the basis of this perspective, we have chosen itinerary ferromagnetic SrRuO3 as the model material, and fabricated it in one-unit-cell thickness in order to open a small band gap for effective utilization of visible light. By inserting this SrRuO3 monolayer at the interface of the well-developed two-dimensional electron gas system (LaAlO3/SrTiO3...

CONTEXT An artificial oasis is a desert area suitable for human occupation and agriculture by human management. Agricultural reclamation in artificial oases provides a means for population growth and urban expansion in arid regions, but it comes at an environmental cost. OBJECTIVE Xinjiang is a largely arid region in northwest China, in which agricultural cultivation is concentrated in piedmont oases. Xinjiang's agriculture expansion has placed it as the largest cotton and grape producing area in China. This study seeks to understand better the successes and challenges facing oasis agriculture and propose possible solutions. METHODS Through field investigation, experiments, and data collection, we reviewed a typical case of agricultural development over the past 60 years in the Mosuowan irrigation area of Xinjiang. We summarized the experiences and problems that emerged and then put forward some suggestions. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS We identified four factors that are critical for successful agricultural development: (1) irrigation infrastructure and water conservancy projects; (2) land consolidation; (3) intensive agricultural management; and (4) irrigation technology improvements. After nearly 60 years of rapid agricultural reclamation, we identified several challenges in sustainable agricultural development: (1) soil salinization; (2) ecological and environmental deterioration; (3) declines in economic benefits; (4) and soil and environment pollution. We propose the following measures that may feasibly address these concerns, respectively: (1) comprehensively harness saline-alkali land by means of improvers, biological methods, and drainage infrastructure; (2) establish desert-oasis ecological buffer zones; (3) adjust agricultural management policies; (4) and improve plastic recycling or degradability and adjusting irrigation and fertilization strategies to reduce soil pollution. SIGNIFICANCE Oasis agriculture is a complex and fragile system, and its sustainable development needs to be rooted in scientific management. We hope that our review can provide some reference for agricultural development in similar areas.

// Zhi-Hua Ye 1 , Dong-Yue Wen 2 , Xiao-Yong Cai 3 , Liang Liang 3 , Pei-Rong Wu 1 , Hui Qin 1 , Hong Yang 2 , Yun He 2 and Gang Chen 1 1 Department of Pathology, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, People’s Republic of China 2 Department of Ultrasonography, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, People’s Republic of China 3 Department of General Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University (West), Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, People’s Republic of China Correspondence to: Gang Chen, email: chen_gang_triones@163.com Keywords: miR-204-5p, TCGA, prognostic, malignancies, bioinformatics Received: January 04, 2017 Accepted: September 23, 2017 Published: October 23, 2017 ABSTRACT Purpose: The prognostic role of miR-204-5p (previous ID: miR-204) is varied and inconclusive in diverse types of malignant neoplasm. Therefore, the purposes of the study comprehensively explore the overall prognostic role of miR-204-5p based on high-throughput microRNA sequencing data, and to investigate the potential role of miR-204-5p via bioinformatics approaches. Materials and Methods: The data of microRNA sequencing and survival were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and the prognostic value of miR-204-5p was analyzed by using Kaplan-Meier and univariate cox regressions. Then a meta-analysis was conducted with all TCGA data and relevant studies collected from literature. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. The prospective molecular mechanism of miR-204-5p was also assessed at a functional level with Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), and protein-to-protein interactions (PPI) network. Results: From TCGA data, the prognostic value of miR-204-5p obviously varied among 20 types of cancers. The pooled HR was 0.928 (95% CI: 0.774–1.113, P = 0.386, 6203 cases of malignancies). For the meta-analysis based on 15 studies from literature, the pooled HR was 0.420 (95% CI: 0.306–0.576, P < 0.001, 1783 cases of malignancies) for overall survival (OS). Furthermore, the combined HR from both TCGA and literature was 0.708 (95% CI: 0.600–0.834, P < 0.001, 7986 cases of malignancies). Subgroup analyses revealed that miR-204-5p could act as a prognostic marker in cancers of respiratory system and digestive system. Functional analysis was conducted on genes predicted as targets ( n = 2057) after the overlay genes from six out of twelve software were extracted. Two significant KEGG pathways were enriched (hsa04360: Axon guidance and hsa04722: Neurotrophin signaling pathway). PPI network revealed some hub genes/proteins (CDC42, SOS1, PIK3R1, MAPK1, PLCG1, ESR1, MAPK11, and AR). Conclusions: The current study demonstrates that over-expression of miR-204-5p could be a protective factor for a certain group of cancers. Clinically, the low miR-204-5p level could gain a predictive value for a poor survival in cancers of respiratory system and digestive system. The detailed molecular mechanisms of miR-204-5p remain to be verified.

The clinical significance of microRNA (miR)-136-5p in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not been verified. Therefore, in the current study, the authors aimed to explore miR-136-5p expression and its clinical significance in HCC, as well as to investigate its potential target genes function. The authors detected the levels of miR-136-5p in 101 pairs of HCC and para-cancer tissues via reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Gene Expression Omnibus database and the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database were used to further verify the clinical significance of miR-136-5p expression in HCC. The target genes prediction analysis of miR-136-5p, natural language processing (NLP) analysis of HCC in PubMed and gene functional enrichment analysis were conducted. The miR-136-5p level was markedly downregulated in HCC tissue, compared to para-non-tumor tissue. MiR-136-5p expression decreased in HCC patients with metastasis (P=0.004), advance TNM stage (P

Background Growing evidence has demonstrated that Ki-67/MIB-1 has an effect on the clinical progression and prognosis in cancers. However, the diagnostic and prognostic values of Ki-67/MIB-1 in thyroid cancer remain unclear. Materials and methods The meta-analysis was conducted in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Studies were retrieved from PubMed, EBSCO, EMBASE, ISI Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang and Chinese VIP databases. MetaDiSc and STATA12.0 were used to analyze the meta-analysis. Fixed-effect analysis and random-effect analysis were applied to pool the relative ratio based on heterogeneity in this meta-analysis. Results In the meta-analysis, 51 eligible studies were included. The pooled sensitivity of Ki-67/MIB-1 was 0.61 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.59–0.63) and specificity was 0.75 (95% CI: 0.74–0.77) in thyroid cancer. The pooled positive likelihood ratio was 3.19 (95% CI: 2.30–4.42) and negative likelihood ratio was 0.43 (95% CI: 0.35–0.54). In the diagnosis of thyroid cancer, the pooled diagnostic odds ratio of Ki-67/MIB-1 was 8.54 (95% CI: 5.03–14.49). The area under the symmetric receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.804 (standard error =0.031). Our results showed that there were statistical associations between Ki-67/MIB-1 and age (odds ratio [OR] =1.71, 95% CI: 1.14–2.57, P=0.010), tumor size (OR =1.86, 95% CI: 1.17–2.96, P=0.008), lymph node metastasis (OR =2.49, 95% CI: 1.42–4.39, P=0.002), metastasis status (OR =6.96, 95% CI: 2.46–19.69, P

// Yi-Huan Luo 1, * , Liang Liang 2, * , Rong-Quan He 3 , Dong-Yue Wen 4 , Guo-Fei Deng 1 , Hong Yang 4 , Yun He 4 , Wei Ma 5 , Xiao-Yong Cai 2 , Jun-Qiang Chen 1 and Gang Chen 5 1 Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, P.R. China 2 Department of General Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University (West Branch), Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, P.R. China 3 Department of Medical Oncology, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, P.R. China 4 Department of Ultrasonography, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, P.R. China 5 Department of Pathology, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, P.R. China * These authors contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Jun-Qiang Chen, email: nnhans@163.com Gang Chen, email: chen_gang_triones@163.com Keywords: papillary thyroid cancer, lncRNA, prognosis, AC079630.2, CRNDE Received: January 30, 2017 Accepted: May 15, 2017 Published: May 26, 2017 ABSTRACT Scholars are striving to apply molecular biology involving long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) in the prognostication of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). However, the clinical role of lncRNAs in the prognostic setting of PTC is still unclear. Herein, a comprehensive inquiry was performed to screen lncRNA expression profiling with 507 PTC patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas RNA-sequencing datasets. A total of 734 lncRNAs were detected to be aberrantly expressed, among which three novel lncRNAs including AC079630.2, CRNDE and CTD-2171N6.1 were markedly related to the progression and survival of PTC. Furthermore, the aberrant expression of these lncRNAs could be verified by other cohorts from gene expression omnibus (GEO) as detected by microarrays. Next, we established a three-lncRNA signature and divided the PTC patients into two subgroups of high- and low-risk. Interestingly, patients with high-risk tended to gain obviously poorer outcome. Most importantly, this three-lncRNA signature was an independent biomarker to predict the patient survival of PTC. The accurate molecular roles of these three lncRNAs remains unclarified and warrants further characterization, but our current data propose that they might play pivotal roles in PTC tumorigenesis and more importantly, these novel lncRNAs are closely related to patients’ survival. These discoveries will have far-reaching consequences with respect to molecular prediction of PTC.

Zhi-hua Ye,1,* Li Gao,1,* Dong-yue Wen,2 Yun He,2 Yu-yan Pang,1 Gang Chen1 1Department of Pathology, 2Department of Ultrasonography, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Background: IRAK1 has been reported to play an essential role in the development of multiple cancers. However, the clinical significance of IRAK1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and the underlying molecular mechanism remain unclear. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the role of IRAK1 in the pathogenesis of HCC in this study. Materials and methods: HCC tissues and para-carcinoma tissues were collected for immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis to evaluate IRAK1 expression. Data of IRAK1 expression were downloaded from the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) for analyzing the clinical significance of IRAK1. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and survival analyses were carried out to assess the diagnostic and prognostic significance of IRAK1 in IHC and TCGA data. Additionally, we investigated the alteration of IRAK1 gene in HCC from cBioPortal to generate a network of the interaction between IRAK1 and the neighboring genes. The influence of IRAK1 gene alteration on the prognosis of HCC patients was evaluated by survival analysis. Results: Analysis of both IHC and TCGA data revealed a significant upregulation of IRAK1 in HCC tissues. The IHC analysis revealed there was an increasing trend in IRAK1 expression among normal liver tissues, liver cirrhosis tissues, para-carcinoma tissues and HCC tissues. The ROC curves for IHC and TCGA data demonstrated that IRAK1 exhibited a significant diagnostic value for HCC. Moreover, IRAK1 expression was observed to be associated with tumor size, metastasis and T-stage. The survival analysis indicated that the upregulation of IRAK1 predicted a worse overall survival of HCC. Additionally, data from cBioPortal confirmed that 29% of HCC tissues possessed an alteration of the IRAK1 gene. Conclusion: IRAK1 may act as an oncogene in the development of HCC with its overexpression in HCC. Moreover, IRAK1 might serve as a promising diagnostic and therapeutic target for HCC. Keywords: IRAK1, hepatocellular carcinoma, immunohistochemistry, RNA-seq, diagnosis, prognosis

Background: An emerging outbreak of COVID-19 has rapidly caused global pandemic Few studies were reported on the incidence and role of influenza virus co-infec

Background: The contralesional hemisphere compensation may play a critical role in the recovery of stroke when there is extensive damage to one hemisphere. There is little research on the treatment of hemiplegia by high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) delivered to the contralesional cortex. Objective: We conducted a 2-week randomized, sham-controlled, single-blind trial to determine whether high-frequency rTMS (HF-rTMS) over the contralesional motor cortex can improve motor function in severe stroke patients. Methods: Forty-five patients with ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke in the middle cerebral artery territory were randomly assigned to treatment with 10 Hz rTMS (HF group), 1 Hz rTMS (LF group) or sham rTMS (sham group) applied over the contralesional motor cortex (M1) before physiotherapy daily for two weeks. The primary outcome was the change in the Fugl-Meyer Motor Assessment (FMA) Scale score from baseline to 2 weeks. The secondary endpoints included root mean square of surface electromyography (RMS-SEMG), Barthel Index (BI), and contralesional hemisphere cortical excitability. Results: The HF group showed a more significant improvement in FMA score (p

Background This study aimed to investigate the effect of the Phellinus linteus (Mesima) decoction on podocyte injury in a rat model of focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and evaluate the potential mechanisms. Methods FSGS resembling primary FSGS in humans was established in rats by uninephrectomy and the repeated injection of doxorubicin. The FSGS rats were randomly divided into the model group, low-dose group of P. linteus decoction (PLD-LD), medium-dose group of P. linteus decoction (PLD-MD), and high-dose group of P. linteus decoction (PLD-HD). Blood and urine analysis were performed after 12 weeks and the molecular indicators of renal function and the renal pathological changes were examined. Results FSGS developed within 12 weeks in the test group and showed progressive proteinuria and segmental glomerular scarring. Urinary protein, serum creatinine, urea nitrogen, triglycerides and cholesterol were significantly reduced following the 12-week intervention with P.linteus decoction, especially in the PLD-LD group. Renal nephrin and podocin were markedly increased. Moreover, the pathological damage in the renal tissue was alleviated by the PLD-LD intervention. Conclusion The P. linteus decoction alleviated the podocyte injury in the FSGS rat model, thus minimizing the progression of glomerular sclerosis and improving renal function.

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to examine the incidence of depressive symptoms, and determine if baseline risk factors conferred a risk for incident depressive symptoms in nationally representative sample of mid-aged and elderly Chinese adults.DesignThis study was a secondary analysis of a prospective cohort from a nationally representative sample.SettingCommunity samples were recruited from the baseline survey of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. A four-stage, stratified, cluster probability sampling strategy was used, which included 10 257 households with members aged 45 years or older and their spouse.ParticipantsA total of 11 533 participants free of depressive symptoms at baseline were identified, and 10 288 were re-examined in either the first and/or the second follow-up surveys. The current analysis was conducted among the 10 288 participants.Primary and secondary outcome measuresDepressive symptoms were measured by the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale short form.ResultsThe findings showed that the incidence of depressive symptoms in a 4-year follow-up was as high as 22.3%. The incidence was much higher in rural areas (25.7%) and in women (27.9%). Furthermore, participants with 1 hour longer of night-time sleep had a 10% lower risk of developing depressive symptoms. Compared with individuals who perceived their health status as poor, those who perceived their health status as excellent had a 62% lower risk of developing depressive symptoms. In addition, having diabetes (OR=1.19), chronic kidney disease (OR=1.32), chronic digestive disorders (OR=1.15) and arthritis (OR=1.43) at baseline increased the risk of depressive symptoms. However, baseline body mass index was not associated with the subsequent depressive symptoms in this population.ConclusionsThis study highlights the importance of developing an appropriate screening test to identify depressive symptoms for those who are vulnerable and ensure these individuals can receive early interventions for depressive symptoms.

Small intestinal gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) have different clinical outcomes when KIT mutations are in exons 11 or 9, which are also the most common sites of neoplastic KIT mutations. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the CT imaging features in those two groups. A total of 35 patients were enrolled, and both quantitative and qualitative CT imaging features were compared between patient groups with KIT exon 9 mutations (KIT–9) and exon 11 mutations (KIT–11). The KIT–9 group was statistically associated with a tumor size larger than 10 cm and a higher enhancement ratio when compared with those of the KIT–11 group (both P P = 0.022) and KIT–9 (β = 0.389; P = 0.006) were independent factors associated with tumor necrosis. Taken together, KIT–9 mutant tumors tended to have CT imaging features indicative of more aggressive neoplasms. These findings may be helpful in identifying more aggressive small intestinal GISTs and optimizing treatment.

Rationale and Objectives The purpose of this study was to establish and validate radiomics signatures based on ultrasound (US) medicine images to assess the biological behaviors of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) in a noninvasive manner. Materials and Methods This study consisted of 128 ICC patients. We focused on evaluating six pathological features: microvascular invasion, perineural invasion, differentiation, Ki-67, vascular endothelial growth factor, and cytokeratin 7. Region of interest (ROI) of ICC was identified by manually plotting the tumor contour on the grayscale US image. We extracted radiomics features from medical US imaging. Then, dimensionality reduction methods and classifiers were used to develop radiomic signatures for evaluating six pathological features in ICC. Finally, independent validation datasets were used to assess the radiomic signatures performance. Results We extracted 1076 quantitative characteristic parameters on the US medicine images. Based on extracted radiomics features, the best performing radiomic signatures for evaluating microvascular invasion features were produced by hypothetical test + support vector machine (SVM), perineural invasion subgroup were least absolute shrinkage and selection operator + principal component analysis + support vector machine, differentiation subgroup were hypothetical test + decision tree, Ki-67 subgroup were hypothetical test + logistic regression, vascular endothelial growth factor subgroup were hypothetical test + Gradient Boosting Decision Tree (GBDT), and cytokeratin 7 subgroup were hypothetical test + bagging, respectively. Conclusion Through the high-throughput radiomics analysis based on US medicine images, we proposed radiomics signatures that have moderate efficiency in predicting the biological behaviors of ICC noninvasively.

Optical encryption with easy operation, multichannel and high security has been one of the most significant technologies for information security. Stimuli-responsive luminescent materials have emerged as an ideal candidate for optical encryption, owing to its smart responsive property and high security. Herein, a type of light-responsive multicolor luminescent materials for high-security information encryption, which are fabricated by combining sensitizer, consumption unit, and emitter is developed. Different types of sensitizers to achieve different stimulus light responses, and multicolor light-responsive luminescent can be obtained by varying the composition of perovskite nanocrystals emitter can be selected. Both stimulus light and emission color can be used as distinguishable encoding dimensions, which enable multiplexed encoding with high capacity and complexity. Importantly, the controllable consumption can be manipulated by varying the concentration of consumption unit, so the programmed information encoded in different channels can be selectively read and erased simultaneously by varying stimulus light. The method makes the encryption information highly resistive to brute force trial-and-error attacks, which achieves high security level of information protection.

This work presents a driver and controller integrated circuit (IC) for depletion-mode gallium nitride (GaN) high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs). The dual-mode driver can be configured for cascode-drive (CD) or HEMT-drive (HD) mode. In the CD mode, a cascode low-voltage DMOS is driven to achieve high-speed normally OFF operation. An active clamping circuit is proposed for the DMOS breakdown protection. In the HD mode, an HEMT gate driver with negative drive-voltage capability and programmable slope control is presented. A digital peak current-mode controller is also integrated with the dual-mode driver. The IC was implemented in a 140-nm automotive bipolar-CMOS-DMOS silicon-on-insulator process. The driver/controller IC is copackaged with an optimized 600-V GaN HEMT fabricated in a GaN-on-Si process. The solution was verified to operate at up to 1 MHz in a 35-W boost converter prototype and achieves a programmable switching-node $dv/dt$ of up to 20 V/ns. To the best of the author's knowledge, this is the first monolithic integration of a cascode MOSFET, device driver, and digital current-mode controller that is designed specifically for high-voltage GaN devices.

Supplemental digital content is available in the text., This case report describes the first patient with avascular necrosis of the femoral head of Association Research Circulation Osseous stage IV, treated with radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy. By contrast, previous studies demonstrated the efficacy of a single treatment of focused extracorporeal shock wave therapy in improving pain and Harris Hip Scale in patients with avascular necrosis of the femoral head of Association Research Circulation Osseous stage I to III. The affected hip was treated with 6000 impulses of radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy at 10 Hz and an intensity ranging from 2.5 to 4.0 bar at 7-day intervals for 24 mos. The Harris Hip Scale values were 33, 43, 56, 77, 81, 88, and 92 at baseline and 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 mos, respectively. The radiographs showed that the subluxation of the right hip was slightly aggravated. Joint effusion was reduced, bone marrow edema disappeared, the density became more uniform, and the gluteal muscles were more developed based on magnetic resonance imaging. Increased tracer uptake was evident along the joint margin and superolateral aspect of the head both before and after radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy. This case report demonstrates the feasibility of long-term radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy in Association Research Circulation Osseous stage IV patients.

A novel artificially created MnO2 monolayer system is demonstrated in atomically controlled epitaxial perovskite heterostructures. With careful design of different electrostatic boundary conditions, a magnetic transition as well as a metal-insulator transition of the MnO2 monolayer is unveiled, providing a fundamental understanding of dimensionality-confined strongly correlated electron systems and a direction to design new electronic devices.

Objectives Total hip arthroplasty is a reliable therapeutic intervention in patients with ankylosing spondylitis, in whom the aims of surgery are to reduce pain, restore hip function and improve quality of life. The current study is a retrospective analysis of the clinical and radiographic findings in a consecutive series of patients with hip ankylosis associated with severe ankylosing spondylitis who underwent bilateral primary total hip arthroplasty using non-cemented components. Methods From June 2008 to May 2012, total hip arthroplasty was performed on 34 hips in 17 patients with bilateral ankylosis caused by ankylosing spondylitis. The study patients included 13 men and 4 women with a mean age of 24.2 years. The mean duration of disease was 8.3 years and the average duration of hip involvement was 7.6 years. All patients had severe hip pain and dysfunction with bilateral bony ankylosis and no range of motion preoperatively and all underwent bilateral cementless total hip arthroplasty performed by a single surgeon. Joint pain, range of motion (ROM), and Harris hip scores were assessed to evaluate the postoperative results. Results At a mean follow-up of 31.7 months, all patients had experienced significant clinical improvement in function, ROM, posture and ambulation. At the final follow-up, the mean postoperative flexion ROM was 134.4° compared with 0° preoperatively. Similar improvements were seen in hip abduction, adduction, internal rotation and external rotation. Postoperatively, 23 hips were completely pain-free, six had only occasional discomfort, three mild to moderate pain and two severe pain. The average Harris Hip Score improved from 23.7 preoperatively to 65.8 postoperatively. No stems had loosened at the final follow-up in any patient, nor had any revision surgery been required. Conclusions Bilateral severe hip ankylosis in patients with ankylosing spondylitis can be treated with cementless bilateral synchronous total hip arthroplasty, which can greatly improve hip joint function and relieve pain without significant complications. Provided the overall physical condition of a patient and their economic situation make surgery a feasible option and the surgeon is experienced, this treatment is a worthwhile surgical intervention for bilateral hip bony ankylosis. However, the technically demanding nature of the procedure and potential pre- and post-operative problems should not be underestimated.

Aim to study how to evaluate the service quality of commercial fitness clubs, this paper studies the service quality evaluation of Yate fitness clubs on the basis of SERVQUAL scale combined with interviews and questionnaires. We make correlation analysis of service quality evaluation dimensions and overall service quality, and the analysis of value function, to obtain the demand of consumers for a specific index and the effect of the index on the overall satisfaction. The results verify the validity of the SERVQUAL evaluation model, enrich and perfect the research method of service quality evaluation model, and also provide accurate and specific improvement measures for Yate club.

Objective: Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis is a severe autoimmune disorder that mainly affects children and young women. The Fas system contains both membrane-bound versions of Fas (mFas) and Fas ligand (mFasL), and soluble versions (sFas and sFasL), which play important roles in apoptosis and regulation of the immune system. Both the levels of sFas and sFasL and the role they play in anti-NMDAR disease pathogenesis remain unclear. Methods: Forty-eight pairs of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum were collected from patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis, encephalitis of other causes or peripheral neuropathy. The CSF and serum concentrations of sFas and sFasL were determined with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: CSF concentrations of sFas and sFasL were both increased in anti-NMDAR encephalitis patients compared with controls patients. Serum sFas levels were also elevated in anti-NMDAR encephalitis patients relative to controls. sFas and sFasL concentrations in CSF positively correlated with the modified Rankin scale (mRS) both at onset and 6-months follow-up. Conclusion: CSF sFas and sFasL levels were elevated in anti-NMDAR encephalitis patients, and reflect the disease severity of anti-NMDAR encephalitis.

In a multi-market environment, electricity retailers need to allocate the proportion of electricity purchased from the contract market, the day-ahead market and the real-time market in order to reduce risks and increase profits. This article considers the implementation of peak-valley prices on the side of power sales, studies the income space of electricity procurement and sale for electricity retailers, and uses CVaR to quantify the losses that electricity retailers may suffer; since CVaR mainly reflects the size of losses, it cannot adjust the proportion of power purchases in various markets to increase the income from electricity retailers; therefore, under the condition of satisfying CVaR, the skewness constraint is introduced into the portfolio purchasing optimization model, this article adjusts the proportion of electricity purchased in each market by controlling the degree of skewness, so as to control the return of electricity retailers, the greater the skewness, the lower the probability of a low rate of income and the greater the probability of a high rate of income; this article takes the maximization of the income of electricity retailers as a target function, the skewness-CVaR based portfolio purchasing optimization model for electricity retailers under peak - valley prices is established. The example results show that this model provides new risk measurement indicators and power purchase plans for electricity retailers.

In this work, supersonic biplanes of the Busemann concept have been analysed, focusing on the unsteady aerodynamic characteristic due to flow disturbance using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) codes in viscous flow. Flow disturbance is modelled by sinusoidal pitch motion simulated by mesh morphing using radial basis functions (RBF) method. The results suggest that there are two flow patterns of the Busemann biplane: oblique wave sequences flow (Pattern A) and choke-flow (Pattern B) with higher wave drag. Unsteady aerodynamic disturbance represented by pitch motion may cause flow pattern transformation. We have also obtained that Pattern B is more stable than Pattern A and choke-flow cannot be eliminated even after returning to the initial flight attitude. Moreover, amplitudes and frequencies of sinusoidal pitch motion play important roles in flow pattern transformation and there exist critical amplitudes and frequencies.

The effect of adatom adsorption on the magnetism and band structure of graphene-like GaN monolayer at different coverages (1/8 and 1/2) was studied by spin-polarized density functional theory calculations. Generally speaking, though bare GaN monolayer is an indirect-band gap semiconductor, it could be turned to magnetic half-metal/metal by adsorbing F or N atoms at certain coverage. The Curie temperatures for half-metallic F-adsorbed and metallic N-adsorbed GaN monolayer are estimated to be about 480 and 420 K by Monte Carlo simulations, respectively. The induced magnetism mainly comes from the spin splitting of N 2p (2pz or 2px/2py) orbitals. In the meantime, the adsorption of O atoms reduces the gap of the system. These excellent electronic and magnetic properties indicate great potential application of 2D GaN-based materials in future spintronics and optoelectronics.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has a profound effect on health, and current treatments are of limited effect. Recent advances in immunotherapy have allowed us to view HHC therapy in a new light. Methods: To increase our understanding of immune-related genes (IRGs) in HCC, we combined RNA sequencing data and clinical information to identify HCC-specific IRGs. We developed an IRG-based prognostic index (IRGPI) to estimate the prognosis of HCC patients by using univariate and multivariate Cox regression model. Furthermore, weighted correlation network analysis and assessment of immune cells infiltration levels were conducted to explore the biological understanding of IRGPI. To explore the multidimensional molecular characteristics of IRGs, we also analyzed copy number alterations, transcription factor (TF) regulatory relationships, methylation status and alternative splicing events of IRGs with several bioinformatics tools, including cBioPortal, Cistrome Cancer, MethylMix and SpliceSeq. Connectivity Map (CMAP) combined with molecular docking analysis were conducted to explore and identify certain novel drugs with immunotherapeutic potential for HCC. Findings: A total 35 HCC-specific IRGs could be promising clinical biomarkers for distinguishing among HCC types and monitoring disease progression. A prognostic predictor IRGPI we proposed was excellent in distributing HCC patients into different groups with distinct clinical outcome. This IRGPI was developed by correlating immune cell infiltration levels to functional enrichment analyses which may be associated with T cell activation and chemokine signaling pathways. Exploration into the immune transcription factor (TF) regulatory network uncovered several TFs playing regulatory roles on HCC-specific IRGs that could have significant clinical potential. Furthermore, methylations status and alternative splicing events of IRGs that could also have important implications for the prognostic landscape of HCC. With the help of the CMAP database, we proposed that several molecules (lycorine, amphotericin B, chloroquine, dobutamine, econazole, pralidoxime, and metixene) might be used for HCC immunotherapy. Interpretation: Overall, this study provides a valuable prognostic biomarker resource, novel and multidimensional molecular insights into IRGs, and potential novel drugs for HCC treatment. Funding Statement: This work was supported by the Guangxi Medical University Training Program for Distinguished Young Scholars (2017); Medical Excellence Award Funded by the Creative Research Development Grant from the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University; Innovation Project of Guangxi Graduate Education (YCSW2018104). Declaration of Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

This paper describes an integrated power management IC with bidirectional current capability, aimed at compensating differences in output current between series-connected cells in concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) systems. The integrated 3.6-MHz power stage allows building a small-form-factor converter per cell. A hysteretic current-mode controller regulates the bidirectional converter's current to equalize neighboring cell voltages. A phase-locked loop controls the inductor current ripple around the average value to stabilize the switching frequency. The use of hysteretic current-mode control with a novel bidirectional senseFET scheme provides inherent current protection and high reliability. The converter can operate from an input voltage as low as 1.8 V and with an inductor current up to $\pm$ 1.5 A, while achieving a system efficiency above 90% for current mismatches between cells up to 60%. Measurement results show that the converter maximizes the output power of series-connected CPV cells with mismatched output currents.