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The accurate semantic segmentation of point cloud data is the basis for their application in the inspection of extra high-voltage transmission lines (EHVTL). As deep learning evolves, point-wise-based deep neural networks have shown great potential for the semantic segmentation of EHVTL point clouds. However, EHVTL point cloud data are characterized by a large data volume and significant class imbalance. Therefore, the down-sampling method and point cloud feature extraction method used in current point-wise-based deep neural networks hardly meet the needs of computational accuracy and efficiency. In this paper, we proposed a two-step down-sampling method and a point cloud feature extraction method based on local feature aggregation of the point clouds after down-sampling in each layer of the model (LFAPAD). We then established a deep neural network named PowerLine-Net for the semantic segmentation of the EHVTL point clouds. Furthermore, in order to test and analyze the performance of PowerLine-Net, we constructed a point cloud dataset for the EHVTL scenes. Using this dataset and the Semantic3D dataset, we implemented network parameter testing, semantic segmentation, and an accuracy comparison of different networks based on PowerLine-Net. The results illustrate that the semantic segmentation model proposed in this paper has a high computational efficiency and accuracy in the semantic segmentation of EHVTL point clouds. Compared with conventional deep neural networks, including PointCNN, KPConv, SPG, PointNet++, and RandLA-Net, PowerLine-Net also achieves a higher accuracy in the semantic segmentation of EHVTL point clouds. Moreover, based on the results predicted by PowerLine-Net, the risk point detection for EHVTL point clouds has been achieved, which demonstrates the important value of this network in practical applications. In addition, as shown by the results of Semantic3D, PowerLine-Net also achieves a high segmentation accuracy, which proves its powerful capability and wide applicability in semantic segmentation for the point clouds of large-scale scenes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Barley is one of the world's oldest cereal crops forming an important component of many traditional diets. Barley is rich in a variety of bioactive phytochemicals with potentially health-promoting effects. However, its beneficial nutritional attributes are not being fully realized because of the limited number of foods it is currently utilized in. It is therefore crucial for the food industry to produce novel barley-based foods that are healthy and cater to customers' tastes. This article reviews the nutritional and functional characteristics of barley, with an emphasis on its ability to improve glucose/lipid metabolism. Then, recent trends in barley product development are discussed. Finally, current limitations and future research directions in glucolipid modulation mechanisms and barley bioprocessing are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gravity anomalies (GAs) and vertical gravity gradient anomalies (VGGs) are regularly used to predict bathymetry. However, few studies have explored the combination of the GAs and VGGs to predict bathymetry. We introduce the back propagation (BP) neural network into bathymetric prediction field and propose a method to predict depth from GAs and VGGs. The method was tested in the Mariana Trench region, and a neural network bathymetry model was constructed using feature data obtained from GAs and VGGs as the input of the BP neural network. Additionally, single‐beam sounding data were used as label data. By comparing the neural network and the gravity‐geologic method (GGM), the neural network was found to provide better performance with an accuracy improvement of 19%. The root‐mean‐square of the absolute difference between the neural network bathymetry model and the single‐beam sounding data was 72.40 m, with a relative accuracy of 1.71%. Approximately 50% of the differences were distributed within ±20 m, and 90% were distributed within ±100 m. The neural network bathymetry model was also compared with the GGM bathymetry model for different depths and topographies, and the results verified the feasibility and effectiveness of the BP neural network method. Plain Language Summary: The gravity data currently used to predict bathymetry include gravity anomalies and vertical gravity gradient anomalies. We propose a new method that introduces the back propagation neural network into bathymetric prediction, based on two kinds of gravity data, which are used to predict depth. The results show that the depths predicted by the neural network are closer to the shipborne depths than are those estimated with the current method. We also test the adaptability of the neural network method for different depths and topographies (seamount, trench, and plain). Finally, we find that the BP neural network method is competent for various inversion tasks. Key Points: A new method is proposed to predict depth using gravity data derived from a back propagation neural networkBathymetric prediction using gravity anomalies and vertical gravity gradient anomaliesThe BP neural network method displays outstanding performance compared to the gravity‐geologic method for different depths and topographies [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calibration and validation (Cal/Val) of the sea surface height as measured by satellite radar altimeters is essential to understand altimeter biases, observation trends, and instrument aging. It also supports the long-term stability of the produced climate change records of sea level as determined by altimetry. In this article, we report the calibration of HY-2B and Jason-2/3 using the established research infrastructure and data sharing initiative introduced by the Altimetry Calibration Cooperation Plan (ACCP) of China. Currently, three ACCP calibration sites encompass the Wanshan Islands, and two national oceanic sites are located along the China coastline. For each Cal/Val site, the components of the facilities—the geodetic, sea level, and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) infrastructure—and the followed monitoring procedures and calibration methods are described. The HY-2B performance was primarily evaluated using about two years data, which indicated a mean bias of −0.2 ± 4.2 cm. Confidence in the results is strong, because the HY-2B biases were cross compared and confirmed by all the three independent sites and the three satellite ground tracks. Compared with its predecessor HY-2A, HY-2B shows very stable observations with no linear drift at present. In addition, Jason-2 and Jason-3 were mainly assessed using Qianliyan site. Our results indicate that the Jason-3 sea-surface height bias is approximately 2–3 cm smaller than that of Jason-2 and that the long-term stability of Jason-2/3 shows no significant trend, which in good agreement with the international dedicated sites. The instrument noises of Jason-2/3 and HY-2B were estimated based on the ACCP sites. The results show that the instrument noise in the previous literature is underestimated. This was also consolidated by the result from wavenumber spectrum and global crossover point analysis. The code and Wanshan data used in these Cal/Val experiments are publicly available to facilitate further work in this domain (https://github.com/GenericAltimetryTools/CalAlti). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

β-glucan is an important functional active component with relatively high content in barley. It is reported to possess various biological activities, including anti-oxidative stress, but its mechanism of action remains obscure. In the current study, C. elegans was used as an in vivo animal model to explore its anti-oxidative stress mechanism. We found that both RBG (raw barley β-glucan) and FBG (fermented barley β-glucan) could significantly reduce the ROS level in C. elegans under oxidative emergency conditions. In addition, both FBG and RBG had positive effects on SOD and CAT enzyme activity, and FBG treatment obviously reduced the MDA content in nematodes under oxidative stress. Moreover, FBG and RBG pretreatment could extend the median lifespan of C. elegans under oxidative stress. The CB1370 and CF1038 mutants further confirmed that daf-2 and daf-16 were necessary for FBG or RBG to participate in anti-oxidative stress, and the RT-PCR results also evidenced that β-glucans resist oxidative stress in C. elegans partially through the daf-2 / daf-16 pathway. In summary, barley β-glucan has high potential to defense oxidative stress as a natural polysaccharide. [Display omitted] • RBG and FBG could increase the average survival rate of C. elegans under acute oxidative stress. • FBG and RBG reduce the level of ROS and MDA in C. elegans under oxidative stress. • FBG and RBG prolong the average lifespan of C. elegans under oxidative stress conditions without affecting the normal lifespan. • FBG and RBG change the expression of related oxidative stress genes in C. elegans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This study achieves automated qualitative and quantitative assessment of weld quality. • Optimal parameters of the ultrasonic sensor can be obtained through numerical simulation. • Ultrasound B-scan images carry information from growth to solidification of liquid nugget. • Diameter of weld nugget is measured by fitting curve between B-scan and C-scan. The inspection of resistance spot welding (RSW) quality is crucial in the sheet metal joining industries. This paper proposes an enhanced approach for the automated real-time measurement of weld nugget diameter in welded joints, utilizing an ultrasonic probe integrated within the electrode. The ultrasonic signals received by the probe are sequentially arranged to generate consecutive ultrasonic B-scan images, which effectively capture the entire weld nugget growth and solidification process. The corresponding maximum time of flight (TOF) for the liquid nugget is extracted from the B-scan image. In the condition of qualified welding quality, a mathematic equation between maximum TOF and weld nugget diameter is established, while the opposite is alarmed. The on-line quality inspection of RSW can autonomously determine the qualification of welding quality, as well as quantitatively evaluate the weld nugget diameter in qualified weld joints. The research is applicable to various processing and manufacturing fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Barley, a kind of cereal, is rich in polysaccharides, phenols, proteins, β‐glucan, etc. Our previous studies discovered that extracts from Lactobacillus plantarum dy‐1‐fermented barley (LFBE) held strong anti‐obesity property in obese rats through inhibiting inflammation and suppressing the differentiation in 3T3‐L1 preadipocytes; however, the precise mechanism of LFBE regulating lipid metabolism remains elusive. Results suggested LFBE and its main active components, especially the total phenols, exhibited fat‐lowering effects in glucose treated Caenorhabditis elegans at a certain concentration. Additionally, LFBE and the main components changed related genes in the insulin signaling pathway, fatty acid oxidation, and synthesis. Following verification study using mutants confirmed that the daf‐2 gene rather than the daf‐16 gene was required in LFBE and main components regulating lipid metabolism, which also involved in the process of fatty acid β‐oxidation and unsaturated fatty acid synthesis. Results demonstrated that LFBE and its main bioactivate compounds inhibited fat accumulation partly in a daf‐2‐dependent mechanism. Practical applications: Our previous studies have reported that extracts of fermented barley exhibited anti‐obesity activity. However, little is known about which functional factors play a leading role in decreasing fat deposition and its precise mechanism. Results indicated that daf‐2 mediated signaling pathways involved in the fat‐lowering effects of LFBE and its main components. Our findings are beneficial to understand the main nutritional ingredients in LFBE which are ideal and expected in functional foods for the obese. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gymnocypris namensis, the only commercial fish in Namtso Lake of Tibet in China, is rated as nearly threatened species in the Red List of China's Vertebrates. As one of the highest-altitude schizothorax fish in China, G. namensis has strong adaptability to the plateau harsh environment. Although being an indigenous economic fish with high value in research, the biological characterization, genetic diversity, and plateau adaptability of G. namensis are still unclear. Here, we used Pacific Biosciences single molecular real time long read sequencing technology to generate full-length transcripts of G. namensis. Sequences clustering analysis and error correction with Illumina-produced short reads to obtain 319,044 polished isoforms. After removing redundant reads, 125,396 non-redundant isoforms were obtained. Among all transcripts, 103,286 were annotated to public databases. Natural selection has acted on 42 genes for G. namensis, which were enriched on the functions of mismatch repair and Glutathione metabolism. Total 89,736 open reading frames, 95,947 microsatellites, and 21,360 long non-coding RNAs were identified across all transcripts. This is the first study of transcriptome in G. namensis by using PacBio Iso-seq. The acquisition of full-length transcript isoforms might accelerate the transcriptome research of G. namensis and provide basis for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The preparation and application of aptamer-functionalized chitosan magnetic nanoparticles (Fe 3 O 4 @CTS@Apt nanoparticles) for selective extraction and determination ochratoxin A (OTA) were described in this study. Magnetic nanoparticle was synthesized by the coprecipitation method followed by coating with chitosan to improve its stability and biocompatibility. Further characterization was performed by scan electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and magnetic property measurement, and the results clearly indicated that the obtained magnetic chitosan nanoparticle was composed of magnetic core and chitosan coating layer. Aptamers specific to OTA were coupled onto the magnetic chitosan nanoparticles, and an extraction procedure was developed by optimization. When challenged with food samples fortified with OTA at 5 and 10 μg/kg, recoveries ranging from 91.3% to 99.1% with relative standard deviation (RSD) ≤ 4.2% were achieved by aptamer-functionalized magnetic extraction, which is very close to the results obtained by immunoaffinity chromatography extraction, indicating that this magnetic adsorbent could be hopefully used to achieve a fast and efficient extraction and detection of OTA in food samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The depth and breadth of knowledges on genetic variation are growing exponentially. At the same time, the latest web API technology revamps the way we collect, manage and publish the fast-growing variant annotations. First, users can fetch annotation data from web APIs with much lower latency compared to downloading and analyzing data sources separately. Second, web APIs return data in standard formats (e.g., JSON or XML), which enables easy integration with other applications such as knowledge discoveries. These benefits reduce the burden of data wrangling on researchers and therefore accelerate their research. Here we represent MyVariant.info, a high-performance, scalable web API for variant annotations. Currently, it integrates variant annotation from 21 data sources (including ClinGen, Clinvar, dbSNP, dbNSFP, CIViC, Geno2MP, GRASP, gnomAD and Wellderly). All data are parsed to JSON format and merged by shared HGVS IDs. To provide superior query performance and rich query syntax, MyVariant.info leverages ElasticSearch to index the JSON data. With the standard JSON format and highly usable query interface, MyVariant.info can easily contribute to downstream studies such as drug repurposing, gene regulatory networks, and pathway analyses. With the latest release in Jan. 2023, MyVariant.info is holding 1.42 billion annotation documents for variants in hg19, and 1.45 billion for hg38. We proudly receive 2.6 million monthly requests and serve more than 2,000 unique IP addresses with 99.99% uptime. MyVariant.info is accessible at https://myvariant.info ; its source code is hosted at GitHub, https://github.com/biothings/myvariant.info , under the Apache License, Version 2.0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High resolution multibeam bathymetry revealed the occurrence of numerous craterlike depressions, so-called pockmarks, in the sea floor of the North Yellow Sea Basin (NYSB). To investigate whether these pockmarks are related to any type of fluid flow or gas seepage from subsurface stratum, acoustic survey and box samplings were conducted in a selected area containing several typical pockmarks. This allowed for an integrated analysis of the morphology, distribution, and subsurface strata as well as a direct comparison of seafloor characteristics among different areas inside and outside of a pockmark. Additionally, surface sediments were analyzed for particle structure and grain size. Based on the combination of multibeam bathymetry and backscatter intensity data, 282 seafloor depressions were accurately identified. Moreover, the formation of pockmark can be attributed to existence of gas chimneys and other shallow gases revealed by shallow seismic profile records in the subsurface strata. Sediments inside and outside the pockmark showed remarkable discrepancies in terms of grain size, and benthic fauna. Additionally, strong internal reflection area was observed inside the depressions where benthic habitats are abundant and sediments contain strawberry pyrite and carbonate cementation. Side scan sonar also recorded sediment plumes in the water column, which indicates that the pockmarks are still active. Several "pearl-string-like" accumulations of pockmark were found in the study area, which well agree with the distribution of buried channels and lakes. These results thus provide new insights in interpreting shallow water fluid seepage, with implications for our current knowledge of overall sedimentation process in offshore continental shelves. • Active fluid seepage in shallow water continental shelf environment • Shallow-gas related acoustic features recorded on sub-bottom acoustic data • Benthic fauna anomalies, and strawberry pyrite associated with seafloor seeps • The large but shallow pockmarks can be ascribed to low fluid pressure. • String like distribution of pockmarks controlled by subsurface buried channels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Novel axial chiral biscarboline amide 7 provided high up to 98%ee in asymmetric hydrogenation reactions of β-enamine esters and ketimines. A series of new axial chiral biscarboline ethers were synthesized using L-tryptophan aminoacid after dehydrogenation and oxidations using m -CPBA. These diastereoisomers can be obtained by column chromatography and used as catalysts in asymmetric hydrogenation reactions of β-enamine esters and ketimines. Chiral catalysts 6 and 7 exhibited very high enantioselectivity in the reactions. For example, high up to 98%ee was achieved in the enantioselective hydrogenations when only 1%mol of catalyst was used. Highly efficient axially biscarboline ethers as catalysts used in 1,2- and 1,4-transfer hydrogenations of ketimines and β-enamino esters [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytopathogenic fungi often secrete effector proteins that suppress host immunity and facilitate infection. Penicillium expansum is an important postharvest fruit rot pathogen that caused blue mold. However, little is known about the function of effectors secreted by P. expansum. In this study, a LC-MS/MS based proteomic approach was used to analyze the secretomes of P. expansum grown in apple juice, a medium used to mimic natural in planta condition. A total of 103 and 148 effector candidates were identified after incubation for 24 and 72 h, respectively. As expected, the majority of the proteins identified with known function were hydrolytic enzymes, such as cell-wall degrading enzymes and peptidases/proteases. One of the identified effector candidates is a serine carboxypeptidase (PeSCP) which was detected at 24 h after incubation and significantly up-regulated at the early stage of infection on apple fruit. Deletion of PeSCP gene led to reduced conidiation, germination as well as affected fungal growth and morphology, and also resulted in altered tolerance to environmental stresses, greatly reduced extracellular carboxypeptidase activity and virulence of P. expansum on apple fruit. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the knockout of PeSCP in P. expansum impaired its ability to penetrate host plant tissues. Together, our findings demonstrate an important role of PeSCP in the virulence of P. expansum on apple fruit. • Secretome profiles of Penicillium expansum grown in apple juice were analyzed. • PeSCP, a secreted protein, was involved in fungal growth and development. • PeSCP was required for the virulence of P. expansum on apple fruits. • Deletion of PeSCP in P. expansum impaired its ability to penetrate host plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease involving activation of adaptive and innate immune responses to modified lipoproteins. Dendritic cells (DCs), which are professional antigen-presenting cells that activate T cells, are present in atherosclerotic lesions but their role for atherosclerosis-related immunity is unclear. Methods and results: To evaluate the role of DC in atherosclerosis, DCs pulsed with malondialdehyde modified low density lipoprotein (MDA-LDL) were transferred into Apoe −/− mice. The extent of disease was measured in the aortic root and was compared to that in animals treated with Keyhole Limpet Hemocyanin (KLH) pulsed DCs and to untreated animals. Mice receiving MDA-LDL pulsed DCs showed significantly larger atherosclerotic lesions compared to controls, with increased inflammation in the lesions and antigen-specific immune responses. Furthermore, MDA-LDL administration in complete Freund''s adjuvant, which is atheroprotective, led to the induction of regulatory T cells whereas MDA-LDL-DCs treatment did not, suggesting that modulation of immune properties can result in different effects on atherosclerosis. Conclusions: DCs presenting components of LDL promote specific immunity to their antigen, increase lesion inflammation and accelerate atherosclerosis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In recent years, noticeable subsidence depressions have occurred along the coastal zone of the Yellow River Delta. Consistent with these changes, dramatic human modifications within the coastal zone stand out, and the coastline is altered from an undisturbed natural area to an artificial coastline. However, very few studies have attempted to quantitatively analyze the relationship between subsidence depression and human activities. Here, the subsidence characteristics of the different land-use types in the Yellow River Delta are examined, and their spatiotemporal trends are quantified using a long-term satellite-observed time series of 30 years (1984–2017) regarding the land use map in combination with the InSAR-derived vertical ground deformations during three typical periods (P1: 1992–2000, P2: 2007–2010, and P3: 2016–2017). Noticeably, the highest subsidence rates were observed in areas where substantial human activities were observed, such as the subsidence in the salt fields ranging from 13 mm/year to 32 mm/year to 453 mm/year, respectively. Moreover, through the land-use prediction of Land Change Modeler (LCM), it is found that the salt field area will be further expanded in the future. The ecological vulnerability of the Yellow River Delta coastal zone should receive more attention in the future in terms of planning environmental protection strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shallow-water depth information is essential for ship navigation and fishery farming. However, the accurate acquisition of shallow-water depth has been a challenge for marine mapping. Combining Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) bathymetry data with multispectral data, satellite-derived bathymetry is a promising solution through which to obtain bathymetric information quickly and accurately. This study proposes a photon refraction correction method considering sea-surface undulations to address errors in the underwater photons obtained by the ICESat-2. First, the instantaneous sea surface and beam emission angle are integrated to determine the sea-surface incidence angle. Next, the distance of photon propagation in water is determined using sea-surface undulation and Snell's law. Finally, position correction is performed through geometric relationships. The corrected photons were combined with the multispectral data for bathymetric inversion, and a bathymetric map of the Yongle Atoll area was obtained. A bathymetric chart was created using the corrected photons and the multispectral data in the Yongle Atoll. Comparing the results of different refraction correction methods with the data measured shows that the refraction correction method proposed in this paper can effectively correct bathymetry errors: the root mean square error is 1.48 m and the R2 is 0.86. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chitosan has wide-spectrum antimicrobial activity but knowledge of its antifungal mechanism is still incomplete. In this study, transcriptome of Penicillium expansum upon chitosan treatment was analyzed by RNA-Seq. KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that endocytosis as well as other physiological pathways was regulated by chitosan treatment. Clathrin adaptor protein mu-subunit (PeCAM) gene, which encodes a protein associated with clathrin-dependent endocytosis, was up-regulated after chitosan treatment. Deletion of PeCAM resulted in changes of conidial, hyphal and colonial morphology. Confocal microscopy images of the distribution of fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled chitosan confirmed cellular internalization of chitosan. However, deletion of PeCAM almost completely blocked uptake of chitosan into fungal cells and Δ PeCAM mutant exhibited less sensitivity to chitosan compared with wild type, suggesting that chitosan uptake is mediated by clathrin-dependent endocytosis and internalized chitosan also plays an important role in its antifungal activity. Collectively, our results provide a new insight into the antifungal mechanism of chitosan. • RNA-Seq reveals chitosan-regulated biological pathways in Penicillium expansum. • Chitosan enters into Penicillium expansum through clathrin-dependent endocytosis. • Internalized chitosan plays an important role in its antifungal action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• BPS significantly induced fat accumulation in Caenorhabditis elegans. • BPS promoted fat synthesis depending on daf-16, fat-5, fat-6 and fat-7. • BPS inhibited fatty acid oxidation via nhr-49 and acs-2. Bisphenol S (BPS), a structural analog of Bisphenol A (BPA), has been widely used as a substitute for epoxy resin, food packaging materials, and other products due to the limited application of BPA. Studies in vivo and in vitro have indicated that BPA could induce fat accumulation like an obesogen. The main goal of this study was to investigate the role and mechanism of BPS in lipid metabolism using Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) as a model. Results showed that both the overall fat deposition and the triglyceride level were significantly increased in a non-monotonically increasing trend, and the low dose of BPS (0.01 μM) exhibited a stronger influence. Additionally, BPS enhanced fat synthesis depending on daf-16 , fat-5 , fat-6 and fat-7 , and inhibited fatty acid oxidation via nhr-49 and acs-2. This study further indicate that fat accumulation induced by BPS requires nhr-49 , which also mediated the nuclear hormone signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• β-glucan extracted from fermented barley showed lower molecular weight. • The glycosidic bond ratio and structure of β-glucan altered after barley fermented. • Fermentation process changed the effects of β-glucan on physiological activities. The effects of fermentation by Lactobacillus plantarum dy-1 on the main structural changes of barley β-glucan and their in vitro activities were studied. Molecular characteristics, infrared spectroscopy, monosaccharide composition, methylation, 1D and 2D-NMR analyses and scanning electron microscopy revealed that both (raw barley β-glucan) RBG and fermented barley β-glucan (FBG) are polysaccharides predominanted by β-(1→3) and β-(1→4) linked glucose. However, different molecular weight (decreasing from 1.13×105 D to 6.35×104 D), the ratio of the β-(1→3) residues to the β-(1→4) residues (ranging from 1:1.98-1:2.50 to 1:1.8-1:2.24) and microstructure features (transforming from a rod-like to sheet-like structure) were observed. Bioassay results showed that FBG exhibited improved inhibitory activities of α-amylase, α-glucosidase and lipase, as well as the adsorption of cholesterol under acidic conditions compared to RBG. These results suggested that fermentation may enhance in vitro physiological activities of barley β-glucan, especially related to glucose and lipid metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study analyzed and explored the relationship between isthmic spondylolisthesis and disc degeneration by comparing the degree of disc degeneration in patients with isthmic spondylolisthesis, lumbar disc herniation, and asymptomatic healthy individuals., Methods: This study included a total of 138 cases, consisting of L5-S1 single segment lesion patients and a normal lumbar spine population. The cases were divided into 3 groups based on the type of disease: fifty eight cases in the isthmic spondylolisthesis (IS) group, 50 cases in the lumbar disc herniation (LDH) group, and 30 cases in the normal lumbar vertebrae (NLV) group., Results: The research findings indicate that the proportion of intervertebral disc degeneration in the LDH group is significantly higher than that in the IS group and NLV group (65.3% vs. 33.3% vs. 25.8%, P < 0.05). The Pfirrmann grades of lumbar intervertebral discs (L1-L4) in the LDH group are significantly higher than those in the IS group and NLV group (P < 0.05), and the intervertebral height index (IHI) (L1-L4) of lumbar vertebrae in the LDH group is significantly lower than that in the IS group and NLV group (P < 0.05)., Conclusions: The results showed that the degree of intervertebral disc degeneration in patients with isthmic spondylolisthesis was lighter than that in patients with LDH, and even similar to that in healthy individuals. The occurrence of IS may have slowed down the degeneration of nonaffected segment intervertebral discs through certain factors., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The purpose of this study was to analyze the independent risk factors of malignant subpleural pulmonary lesions (SPLs) on B-mode ultrasound (US) images, to construct the combined predictive indicators, and to prospectively verify their predictive efficacy., Methods: A total of 336 patients with SPLs were included in the prospective study, of whom the single-center included patients between September 2019 and December 2019 were the development cohort (DC) (n = 219); Patients who were concurrently enrolled in three centers between January and February 2020 were the validation cohort (VC) (n = 117). The clinical features and B-mode US parameters were collected. Based on the DC, a combined predictive indicators model was developed using binary logistic regression. Then the discrimination was verified externally in the VC. The reference criteria were from the comprehensive diagnosis of clinical-radiological-pathological made by two senior respiratory physicians., Results: The combined predictive indicators model was finally constructed by five parameters: age, borderline, angle between the lesion border and thoracic wall, posterior echo of the lesion and invasion of the pleura. The fitting degree of the model was good (χ 2 = 9.198, p = 0.326). The area under ROC curve of the model was 0.872 (DC) and 0.808 (VC), yielding a higher net benefit than individual risk factors., Conclusion: The combined predictive indicators are useful in the assessment of malignant SPLs and are a useful adjunct diagnostic tool, especially in primary healthcare settings in developing countries., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this article., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Purpose: Ferroptosis is a form of cell death driven by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation. Intriguingly, KRAS-mutant cancers are particularly vulnerable to ferroptosis. Osthole is a natural coumarin extracted from Cnidium spp. and other Apiaceous plants. In the present study, we explored the antitumor potential of osthole in KRAS-mutant colorectal cancer (CRC) cells., Methods: Cell viability assay, EdU incorporation assay, flow cytometry, tumor xenograft model, western blot, immunochemistry staining, immunofluorescence, transcriptome RNA sequencing and quantitative reverse transcription-PCR were performed to evaluate the influence of osthole treatment on KRAS-mutant CRC cells., Results: We found that osthole treatment suppressed proliferation and tumor growth of KRAS-mutant CRC cell lines HCT116 and SW480. Moreover, osthole treatment increased ROS production and induced ferroptosis. Osthole treatment also promoted autophagy, but inhibition of autophagy by ATG7 knockdown or 3-MA showed no influence on osthole-induced ferroptosis. In comparison, osthole increased lysosomal activation, and co-treatment with lysosome inhibitor Baf-A1 attenuated osthole-induced ferroptosis. Besides, osthole treatment reduced the phosphorylation of AMPK, Akt and mTOR in HCT116 and SW480 cells, while restored AMPK signaling by AMPK agonist AICAR partially abrogated ferroptosis induced by osthole treatment. Finally, co-treatment with osthole increased the cytotoxicity of cetuximab in KRAS-mutant CRC cells in vitro and in vivo., Conclusion: Our results suggested that the natural product osthole exerted its anticancer effects in KRAS-mutant CRC cells via inducing ferroptosis, and this was partially through inhibiting AMPK/Akt/mTOR signaling. Our results may expand our current knowledge for the use of osthole as an anticancer agent., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Gene definitions and identifiers can be painful to manage-more so when trying to include gene function annotations as this can be highly context-dependent. Creating groups of genes or gene sets can help provide such context, but it compounds the issue as each gene within the gene set can map to multiple identifiers and have annotations derived from multiple sources. We developed MyGeneset.info to provide an API for integrated annotations for gene sets suitable for use in analytical pipelines or web servers. Leveraging our previous work with MyGene.info (a server that provides gene-centric annotations and identifiers), MyGeneset.info addresses the challenge of managing gene sets from multiple resources. With our API, users readily have read-only access to gene sets imported from commonly-used resources such as Wikipathways, CTD, Reactome, SMPDB, MSigDB, GO, and DO. In addition to supporting the access and reuse of approximately 180k gene sets from humans, common model organisms (mice, yeast, etc.), and less-common ones (e.g. black cottonwood tree), MyGeneset.info supports user-created gene sets, providing an important means for making gene sets more FAIR. User-created gene sets can serve as a way to store and manage collections for analysis or easy dissemination through a consistent API., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.)

Background: Biomedical researchers are strongly encouraged to make their research outputs more Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR). While many biomedical research outputs are more readily accessible through open data efforts, finding relevant outputs remains a significant challenge. Schema.org is a metadata vocabulary standardization project that enables web content creators to make their content more FAIR. Leveraging Schema.org could benefit biomedical research resource providers, but it can be challenging to apply Schema.org standards to biomedical research outputs. We created an online browser-based tool that empowers researchers and repository developers to utilize Schema.org or other biomedical schema projects., Results: Our browser-based tool includes features which can help address many of the barriers towards Schema.org-compliance such as: The ability to easily browse for relevant Schema.org classes, the ability to extend and customize a class to be more suitable for biomedical research outputs, the ability to create data validation to ensure adherence of a research output to a customized class, and the ability to register a custom class to our schema registry enabling others to search and re-use it. We demonstrate the use of our tool with the creation of the Outbreak.info schema-a large multi-class schema for harmonizing various COVID-19 related resources., Conclusions: We have created a browser-based tool to empower biomedical research resource providers to leverage Schema.org classes to make their research outputs more FAIR., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

In response to the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, the global scientific community, through unprecedented effort, has sequenced and shared over 11 million genomes through GISAID, as of May 2022. This extraordinarily high sampling rate provides a unique opportunity to track the evolution of the virus in near real-time. Here, we present outbreak.info , a platform that currently tracks over 40 million combinations of Pango lineages and individual mutations, across over 7,000 locations, to provide insights for researchers, public health officials and the general public. We describe the interpretable visualizations available in our web application, the pipelines that enable the scalable ingestion of heterogeneous sources of SARS-CoV-2 variant data and the server infrastructure that enables widespread data dissemination via a high-performance API that can be accessed using an R package. We show how outbreak.info can be used for genomic surveillance and as a hypothesis-generation tool to understand the ongoing pandemic at varying geographic and temporal scales., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature America, Inc.)

Outbreak.info Research Library is a standardized, searchable interface of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) publications, clinical trials, datasets, protocols and other resources, built with a reusable framework. We developed a rigorous schema to enforce consistency across different sources and resource types and linked related resources. Researchers can quickly search the latest research across data repositories, regardless of resource type or repository location, via a search interface, public application programming interface (API) and R package., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature America, Inc.)

Biomedical datasets are increasing in size, stored in many repositories, and face challenges in FAIRness (findability, accessibility, interoperability, reusability). As a Consortium of infectious disease researchers from 15 Centers, we aim to adopt open science practices to promote transparency, encourage reproducibility, and accelerate research advances through data reuse. To improve FAIRness of our datasets and computational tools, we evaluated metadata standards across established biomedical data repositories. The vast majority do not adhere to a single standard, such as Schema.org, which is widely-adopted by generalist repositories. Consequently, datasets in these repositories are not findable in aggregation projects like Google Dataset Search. We alleviated this gap by creating a reusable metadata schema based on Schema.org and catalogued nearly 400 datasets and computational tools we collected. The approach is easily reusable to create schemas interoperable with community standards, but customized to a particular context. Our approach enabled data discovery, increased the reusability of datasets from a large research consortium, and accelerated research. Lastly, we discuss ongoing challenges with FAIRness beyond discoverability., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Endosulfan, as an effective broad-spectrum insecticide, has been banned in agricultural areas because of the potential harmful effects on human health. This study aimed to develop an indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ic-ELISA) and colloidal gold immunochromatographic (ICA) strip based on a prepared monoclonal antibody (mAb) for quantitative and qualitative detection of endosulfan. A new mAb with high sensitivity and affinity was designed and screened. The ic-ELISA showed a 50% inhibition concentration (IC 50 ) value of 5.16 ng/mL for endosulfan. Under optimum conditions, the limit of detection (LOD) was determined to be 1.14 ng/mL. The average recoveries of endosulfan in spiked pear and apple samples ranged from 91.48-113.45% and 92.39-106.12% with an average coefficient of variation (CV) of less than 7%, respectively. The analysis of colloidal gold ICA strip could be completed within 15 min by naked eye and the visual limit of detection (vLOD) was both 40 ng/mL in pear and apple samples. In conclusion, both developed immunological methods were suitable and reliable for the on-site detection of endosulfan in real samples at trace levels.

From in situ growth to invasive dissemination is the most lethal attribute of various tumor types. This transition is majorly mediated by the dynamic interplay between two cancer hallmarks, EMT and cell cycle. In this study, we applied nonlinear association analysis in 33 cancer types and found that most signaling receptors simultaneously associating with EMT and cell cycle are potential tumor suppressors. Here we find that a top co-associated receptor, Neogenin (NEO1), inhibits colorectal cancer (CRC) and Glioma in situ growth and metastasis by forming a complex with Merlin (NF2), and subsequent simultaneous promoting the phosphorylation of YAP. Furthermore, Neogenin protein level is associated with good prognosis and correlates with Merlin status in CRC and Glioma. Collectively, our results define Neogenin as a tumor suppressor in CRC and Glioma that acts by restricting oncogenic signaling by the Merlin-YAP pathway, and suggest Neogenin as a candidate therapeutic agent for CRC and Glioma., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Penicillium expansum is the causal agent of blue mold decay on apple fruits and is also known to be the major producer of patulin, a mycotoxin that represents serious hazard to human health. Several mechanisms have been suggested to explain the pathogenesis of P. expansum in host plants. Secreted effector proteins are vital for the pathogenicity of many fungal pathogens through manipulating their hosts for efficient colonization. In this study, we performed a RNA-Seq analysis followed by computational prediction of effector proteins from P. expansum during infection of the host apple fruits, and a total of 212 and 268 candidate effector protein genes were identified at 6 and 9 h after inoculation (hai), respectively. One of the candidate effector protein genes was identified as a concanavalin A-like lectin/glucanase ( Peclg ), which was dramatically induced during the pathogen-host interaction. Targeted knockout of Peclg resulted in significant reduction in conidial production and germination relative to the wild type. Further studies showed that in addition to salt stress, the mutant was much more sensitive to SDS and Congo red, suggesting a defect in cell wall integrity. Pathogenicity assays revealed that the Δ Peclg mutant showed significant decrease in virulence and infectious growth on apple fruits. All these results suggest that Peclg is required for fungal growth, stress response, and the virulence of P. expansum .

Objectives: To explore the effect of infrared irradiation combined with mannitol and Kinesiology tape on postoperative swelling and pain in patients with a periarticular ankle fracture., Methods: The research subjects of this study were 88 patients with periarticular ankle fracture treated by surgery in the Department of Orthopedics of Baoding No.1 Central Hospital from October, 2019 to May, 2021. They were randomly divided into the observation group and the control group based on the random number table method, with 44 cases in each group. All patients were treated after the operation. Patients in the control group were treated with conventional drugs; while those in the observation group were provided with infrared irradiation combined with mannitol and Kinesiology tape. Further comparison was conducted on the degree of swelling, pain and satisfaction after treatment at three, five and seven days after operation., Results: At three, five and seven days after operation, the cross-section diameter of the injured limb was significantly smaller in the observation group than that in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant ( p< 0. 05). The degree of pain in both groups was significantly lower at three, five and seven days after operation than that before treatment; moreover, the degree of pain in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant ( p< 0. 05). Besides, the comparison of posttreatment satisfaction in both groups after treatment revealed that the total satisfaction of patients in the observation group (97.73%) was higher than that in the control group (79.55%), with a statistically significant difference ( p< 0.05)., Conclusion: Infrared irradiation combined with mannitol and Kinesiology tape can effectively alleviate postoperative swelling and pain of patients with a periarticular ankle fracture., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest: None., (Copyright: © Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences.)

Background: STAM-binding protein-like 1 (STAMBPL1) functions as a deubiquitinase to cleave Lys63 ubiquitin linkage, and is associated with cancer dissemination and progression. The role of STAMBPL1 in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains unclear., Methods: STAMBPL1 expression was determined by western blot and qRT-PCR. Cell proliferation was detected by colony formation and MTT assays, and apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry. The metastasis was evaluated by transwell and wound healing assays. An animal xenograft experiment was used to investigate the effect of STAMBPL1 on tumor growth., Results: The expression of STAMBPL1 was elevated in CRC cells. Knockdown of STAMBPL1 reduced cell viability of CRC and suppressed the proliferation, invasion, and migration. Apoptosis of CRC was induced by silence of STAMBPL1. Tumor growth of CRC was also suppressed by the silence of STAMBPL1. Knockdown of STAMBPL1 increased IκB and decreased phosphorylation of IκB to reduce p65 phosphorylation., Conclusion: Knockdown of STAMBPL1 inhibited cell growth and metastasis of CRC through inactivation of the NF-κB pathway., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Background: Though ultrasound-guided percutaneous lung needle biopsy (US-PLNB) is a first-line small biopsy method for peripheral lung lesions, quality of cellularity in specimens obtained via US-PLNB is uncertain. This study investigated the accuracy, sensitivity, and cellularity of US-PLNB. It examined the ability of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) to improve the effectiveness of US-PLNB., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed all data of patients with subpleural lung lesions who underwent US-PLNB. The cellularity of US-PLNB from malignant lesions included the tumor cell number and proportion. The definition of high-quality cellularity (HQC) was concurrently achieving a tumor cell number ≥400 and a proportion ≥20%. The sensitivity, the actual numbers of tumor cell number/proportion, and the rate of HQC were calculated and compared between the CEUS and non-enhanced US groups after propensity score matching (PSM) with subgroup analyses by lesion size (small lesion ≤30 mm and large lesion >30 mm)., Results: A total of 345 patients undergoing 345 US-PLNBs were evaluated, with 3.7±1.1 of punctures on average. There were 201 malignant and 144 benign lesions with a mean size of 43.8±24.1 mm. Among the 201 malignant lesions, 124 cases underwent CEUS and 77 underwent non-enhanced US. The quantity of tumor cells, the proportion of tumor cells, and the rate of HQC in 201 cases of US-PLNB from malignant lesions were 2,862.1±2,288.0, 44.6%±24.5%, and 82.1% [95% confidence interval (CI): 76.6% to 87.1%], respectively. The quantity of tumor cells, the proportion of tumor cells, and rate of HQC were significantly higher in the CEUS group than that in the non-enhanced US group, both in the analysis of overall malignant lesions and in large malignant lesions (all P<0.05)., Conclusions: The US-PLNB has high sensitivity and thereby obtains HQC samples for subpleural lung malignant lesions. The CEUS helps improve the rate of HQC and tissue cellularity of lung malignancies., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://qims.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/qims-22-119/coif). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2022 Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and Surgery. All rights reserved.)

Background: Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a highly invasive malignant tumor. Ultrasound guidance has the advantages of real-time, convenience and nonradiative. We sought to identify diagnostic value and its influenced factors of ultrasound-guided percutaneous pleural needle biopsy (US-PPNB) for MPM., Methods: Patients who underwent US-PPNB between March 2014 and March 2020 and were finally diagnosed with MPM were retrospectively analyzed. We retrospectively analyzed the US-PPNBs pathological results of all patients clinically confirmed as MPM, and divided US-PPNBs into correctly and incorrectly diagnosed groups. Patient, thoracic, and biopsy variables that affected diagnostic accuracy were assessed. All variables significant on univariate analyses were subjected to multivariate logistic regression to identify significant predictors of diagnostic accuracy. We derived cutoffs for all significant continuous variables and used the Mantel-Haenszel test to determine whether the diagnostic accuracy of US-PPNB for MPM increased with pleural thickness., Results: In total, 49 patients with clinically confirmed MPM underwent US-PPNB; 37 diagnoses were correct and 12 were incorrect (accuracy = 75.5%). The pleura was significantly thicker in the correctly diagnosed group ( p  < 0.001). The pleural thickness cutoff was 4.15 mm and diagnostic accuracy increased with pleural thickness grade ( p for trend <0.05). The diagnostic accuracy was significantly higher when 16-G rather than 18-G biopsy needles were used ( p  < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression showed that pleural thickness (odds ratio: 17.2, 95% confidence interval: 2.8-104.1, p  = 0.002) and needle size (odds ratio: 6.8, 95% confidence interval: 1.0-44.5, p  = 0.044) independently predicted diagnostic accuracy., Conclusion: US-PPNB afforded high MPM diagnostic accuracy, and pleural thickness and needle size significantly impacted accuracy., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2022 Zhang, Tang, Zhou, Chen, Zhang, Li, Zhou, He and Tang.)

Summary: To meet the increased need of making biomedical resources more accessible and reusable, Web Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) or web services have become a common way to disseminate knowledge sources. The BioThings APIs are a collection of high-performance, scalable, annotation as a service APIs that automate the integration of biological annotations from disparate data sources. This collection of APIs currently includes MyGene.info, MyVariant.info and MyChem.info for integrating annotations on genes, variants and chemical compounds, respectively. These APIs are used by both individual researchers and application developers to simplify the process of annotation retrieval and identifier mapping. Here, we describe the BioThings Software Development Kit (SDK), a generalizable and reusable toolkit for integrating data from multiple disparate data sources and creating high-performance APIs. This toolkit allows users to easily create their own BioThings APIs for any data type of interest to them, as well as keep APIs up-to-date with their underlying data sources., Availability and Implementation: The BioThings SDK is built in Python and released via PyPI (https://pypi.org/project/biothings/). Its source code is hosted at its github repository (https://github.com/biothings/biothings.api)., Supplementary Information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press.)

A rapid colloidal gold immunochromatography assay (GICA) for the detection of pefloxacin (PEF) was established and optimized. The anti-PEF monoclonal antibody (mAb) was used to target PEF as a colloidal gold-mAb conjugate. The mAb belonged to the IgG2b subtype, lambda light chain, the affinity constant (Ka) was 5.21 × 10 9 L·mol -1 , and its half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC 50 ) was 0.23 ng·mL -1 . No obvious cross-reactivity (CR) was observed with other common fluoroquinolone antibiotics, including ciprofloxacin (CIP), norfloxacin (NOR), lomefloxacin (LOM) and ofloxacin (OFL). The visual limit of detection (vLOD) of the optimized GICA was 2 ng·g -1 under the conventional pretreatment method, and the assay was completed in 15 min. Liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was employed to confirm the performance of the strip. In addition, a novel pretreatment was established and compared with conventional pretreatment. Without the removal of organic solvents, the novel pretreatment method reduced the sample pretreatment time (more than 10 min). The vLOD of the optimized GICA was also 2 ng·g -1 when applying the novel pretreatment method. In conclusion, the proposed PEF-GICA could detect samples containing PEF rapidly and accurately, and the novel pretreatment method saved the time of sample pretreatment and improved the efficiency of detection.

Bisphenol S (BPS) has been gradually used in all kinds of productions. Our previous study has demonstrated that BPS increases the obesogenic effects of a high-glucose diet through regulating lipid metabolism in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). Whether the effects pass on to the next generations remains uncovered. In the present study, C. elegans was selected as the model organism to investigate the effects of BPS on lipid metabolism in multiple generations. Oil Red O staining and triglyceride assays showed that multi-generational exposure to BPS in C. elegans significantly increased the fat accumulation in wild type worms, while not in the daf-16 gene-deficient worms. In addition, BPS affected the expressions of fat-7 and acs-2 in four generations of C. elegans. Furthermore, BPS promotes fat storage in C. elegans of multiple generations by the daf-16/nhr-49-mediated signaling pathway., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: Endoscopic management is the mainstay for biliary strictures after liver transplantation. However, this method is often failed in cases associated with hepatolithiasis or refractory strictures. The aim of this study is to investigate whether 1-step percutaneous transhepatic biliary cholangiography (PTC) combined with high-frequency needle-knife electrotomy can be an alternative method in biliary strictures after liver transplantation that could not be treated by endoscopic management., Methods: Clinical data of 14 patients suffering from biliary strictures after liver transplantation from June 2014 to January 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. One-step PTC combined with high-frequency needle-knife electrotomy was used to resolve the strictures., Results: One-step PTC was successfully performed in all 14 patients. In 10 of 12 (83.3%) patients with hepatolithiasis, the stones were removed completely. Stricture resolution was detected in 13 of 14 (92.9%) patients at first postoperative choledochoscopy. Three mild adverse events occurred (cholangitis, 2 patients; delayed hemobilia, 1 patient), but were resolved with conservative treatment. The follow-up after supporting catheter removal was 15.7±4.5 months. Only 1 patient (8.3%) had stone recurrence and no stenosis occurred during supporting-catheter-free follow-up., Conclusions: One-step PTC combined with high-frequency needle-knife electrotomy seems to be a useful for treating biliary strictures after liver transplantation., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) may be inappropriate for most patients with choledocholithiasis. This study aimed to evaluate one-step percutaneous transhepatic cholangioscopic lithotripsy (PTCSL) in the treatment of patients with choledocholithiasis who could not undergo ERCP (e.g., failed ERCP, altered anatomy, and/or contra-indications)., Method: This was a retrospective single-centre series of 67 patients who underwent choledocholithiasis between November 2015 and March 2018: 35 with one-step PTCSL (Group A) and 32 with laparoscopic common bile duct (CBD) exploration (Group B)., Results: Compared with Group B, Group A showed shorter duration of operation, length of stay in the hospital, postoperative hospital stay, postoperative drainage time, and time to oral intake (all P<0.05). Intraoperative blood loss, costs, conversion to open surgery (one in group A vs. seven in group B; P=0.023), and bile leakage (none in group A vs. four in group B; P=0.047) were lower in Group A than in Group B. There were no significant differences between the two groups regarding the intraoperative clearance rate, ultimate clearance rate, and several postoperative complications., Conclusion: One-step PTCSL could be an alternative for patients with choledocholithiasis, especially when ERCP is not feasible., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

In the past decade, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been widely used for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA), and exosomes may play a major role. Here, we acquired a special kind of MSCs from the bone marrow of surgically resected tissue from the hand of a patient with polydactyly. Experiments were focused on the role of polydactyly bone marrow-derived MSCs (pBMSCs) in osteoarthritis. The results showed that the pBMSCs had a greater ability than the BMSCs to differentiate into chondrocytes. Mechanistically, the expression of BMP4 was significantly higher in the pBMSCs than it was in the BMSCs. Furthermore, we showed that the migration and proliferation of chondrocytes were stimulated by exosomes secreted by pBMSC (pBMSC-EXOs). Notably, the downregulation of BMP4 in pBMSCs by siRNA inhibited both the chondrogenic differentiation potential of the MSCs and the function of the chondrocytes. In addition, the injection of pBMSC-EXOs and BMSC-EXOs attenuated OA in an OA mouse model, but the pBMSC-EXOs had a superior therapeutic effect compared with that of the BMSC-EXOs. Taken together, the data indicate that pBMSCs have greater ability to differentiate into chondrocytes and regulate chondrocyte formation through BMP4 signaling. Therefore, pBMSC-EXOs may represent a novel treatment for OA.

Objective: This experiment will explore the effect of LncRNA DRAIC/miR-149-5p/NFIB molecular network on esophageal cancer (EC) cells' biological behavior and autophagy., Methods: We bought human EC cells and normal esophageal epithelial cells HEEC. DRAIC, miR-149-5p and NFIB protein expression were tested. The low expression plasmid of DRAIC and empty vector of DRAIC, miR-149-5p miR-mimics, miR-149-5p inhibitors and negative control groups, NFIB high expression plasmid, NFIB low expression plasmid and empty vector were transfected into EC cells (Eca-109 and EC9706) to detect changes in cell biological behavior and autophagy protein expression. The targeted relationship between DRAIC/miR-149-5p/NFIB was verified through dual-luciferase report and pull-down experiment., Results: DRAIC and NFIB showed high expression in EC cells, while miR-149-5p showed low expression. Down-regulating DRAIC, NFIB and over-expressing miR-149-5p can inhibit EC cells' proliferation and invasion, and improve apoptosis and autophagy. Dual-luciferase report and pull-down experiment confirmed that DRAIC targeted miR-149-5p regulation, and down-regulating DRAIC could reverse miR-149-5p inhibitor's effect on the biological behavior of EC cells. However, dual-luciferase report revealed that miR-149-5p directly targeted NFIB, and miR-149-5p inhibitor could weaken the effect of down-regulating NFIB on apoptosis and autophagy of EC cells. Moreover, DRAIC has an effect on the autophagy of EC cells through miR-149-5p/NFIB., Conclusion: LncRNA DRAIC is relevant to cell biology and autophagy of EC. In the future, DRAIC may be developed as a key gene for EC diagnosis and treatment., Competing Interests: Disclosure None., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: Hemoptysis is the most frequently reported complication of ultrasound-guided transthoracic needle lung biopsy (US-TTLB). However, factors influencing the occurrence of hemoptysis as a result of US-TTLB remain uncertain. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of hemoptysis as a complication of US-TTLB and to identify the related risk factors., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed all data of patients who underwent US-TTLB from February 2013 through December 2016. The incidence, severity, and treatment of hemoptysis in each case were carefully recorded. Study variables were classified into patient-related factors (age, sex, smoking history, pulse oxygen saturation, laboratory tests and emphysema), biopsy-related factors (use of contrast agent, number of punctures and operators), and lesion-related factors (lesion location, size, pathology, length of puncture path and the grade of air bronchial sign). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to analyze the risk factors of hemoptysis. We investigated whether incidence of hemoptysis increased according to increased grade of air bronchial sign by Mantel-Haenszel test., Results: A total of 209 patients were evaluated. Hemoptysis occurred in 20 of the 209 patients (9.6%). In univariate analysis, the lesion pathology (P=0.037) and grade of air bronchial sign (P<0.001) were statistically significant factors between the hemoptysis group and the non-hemoptysis group. In multivariate analysis, the presence of multi-air bronchogram in sonographic image (odds ratio =8.946; 95% confidence interval: 2.873-27.863; P<0.001) was a statistically significant predictive risk factor for hemoptysis complicating US-TTLB. There was a significant tendency for incidence of hemoptysis with the grade of air bronchial sign (P<0.001)., Conclusions: We found that the rate of hemoptysis complicating US-TTLB was 9.6% and the severity of hemoptysis was not serious. Target lesion without air bronchogram is a safety sign, minor bronchogram means relatively low-risk, while multiple bronchogram is a highly dangerous ultrasound sign of hemoptysis., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at http://dx.doi.org/10.21037/jtd-20-1247). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2020 Journal of Thoracic Disease. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The pathogenesis of atherosclerosis involves inflammation and immune reactions. Low-density lipoproteins accumulate and are oxidized (oxLDL) in the arterial intima during hypercholesterolemia, leading to activation of endothelial cells, macrophages and T cells. We have previously found that severe hypercholesterolemia can induce a switch of autoimmune responses from T helper (Th)1 to Th2 effector type in atherosclerotic apoE knockout (E0) mice. The present study was performed to investigate whether Th3 immune effector responses and their inducing cytokine, transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) are affected by hypercholesterolemia., Methods and Results: In E0 mice fed with high cholesterol diet and in C57BL/6J mice treated with poloxamer P-407, an agent that elevates plasma cholesterol and triglycerides, severe hypercholesterolemia led to elevated circulating TGF-beta1 levels, increased TGF-beta1(+)CD4(+) Th3 cells in lesions and spleen, and increased Th3 dependent IgG2b antibodies to oxLDL. A positive correlation was observed between plasma TGF-beta1 and cholesterol levels and between plasma TGF-beta1 and IgG2b anti-oxLDL., Conclusions: Such elevation of TGF-beta may increase the stability of plaques by inhibiting T cell responses and macrophage activation and by stimulating collagen synthesis. This new finding could be important in the regulation of immune activity, inflammation and fibrosis in the atherosclerotic plaque.