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Abstract Goatpoxvirus (GTPV), sheeppoxvius (SPPV), and the Lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) is a Capripoxvirus belonging to the family poxviridae. They can cause significant economic losses in countries where this disease are endemic. However, effective and convenient diagnostic tools against sera antibody are not readily available until now. Toward this goal, a polyclonal antibody competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (c-ELISA) of detecting serogroup-specific antibody is established based on major LSDV antigen A33. Serum samples (n = 605) were collected to optimize the c-ELISA from different areas. The cut-off value for the c-ELISA was estimate using percent inhibition (PI) values. The diagnostic performance of test including sensitivity (sn) and specificity (sp) were obtained by receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysis. Among these analysis, > 57.61% PI value was accepted as cut-off of the c-ELISA, the diagnostic sn an diagnostic sp were reached to 96.4% and 98.5%, at > 95% confidence interval. These results show that the developed competitive ELISA is sensitive, specific, and reliable, which make it appropriate for serological investigation.

Abstract Background Lenvatinib is widely used in treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC), but the benefit of its combination with immunotherapy needs to be verified. This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of tislelizumab plus lenvatinib in systemic treatment-naïve patients with uHCC. Methods In this multicenter, single-arm, phase 2 study, systemic treatment-naïve patients with uHCC received tislelizumab 200 mg every three weeks plus lenvatinib (bodyweight ≥ 60 kg: 12 mg; 6 responders were needed in stage 1 (n = 30) to continue the study, and ≥ 18 responders were needed by the end of stage 2 (n = 60) to demonstrate statistical superiority to a historical control of lenvatinib monotherapy. Results Sixty-four patients were enrolled. No DLTs were reported. The study achieved statistical superiority (p = 0.0003) with 23 responders assessed by IRC per RECIST v1.1 in the first 60 patients of the efficacy evaluable analysis set (n = 62). After a median follow-up of 15.7 months, confirmed ORR and disease control rate were 38.7% (24/62, 95% confidence interval [CI], 26.6–51.9) and 90.3% (56/62, 95% CI, 80.1–96.4), respectively. Median progression-free survival was 8.2 months (95% CI, 6.8–not evaluable). Overall survival rate at 12 months was 88.6% (95% CI, 77.7–94.4). Grade ≥ 3 treatment-related adverse events occurred in 18 (28.1%) patients. Conclusions Tislelizumab plus lenvatinib demonstrated promising antitumor activity with favourable tolerability as first-line therapy for patients with uHCC. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT 04401800).

BackgroundCombining machine learning (ML) with gait analysis is widely applicable for diagnosing abnormal gait patterns.ObjectiveTo analyze gait adaptability characteristics in stroke patients, develop ML models to identify individuals with GAD, and select optimal diagnostic models and key classification features.MethodsThis study was investigated with 30 stroke patients (mean age 42.69 years, 60% male) and 50 healthy adults (mean age 41.34 years, 58% male). Gait adaptability was assessed using a CMill treadmill on gait adaptation tasks: target stepping, slalom walking, obstacle avoidance, and speed adaptation. The preliminary analysis of variables in both groups was conducted using t-tests and Pearson correlation. Features were extracted from demographics, gait kinematics, and gait adaptability datasets. ML models based on Support Vector Machine, Decision Tree, Multi-layer Perceptron, K-Nearest Neighbors, and AdaCost algorithm were trained to classify individuals with and without GAD. Model performance was evaluated using accuracy (ACC), sensitivity (SEN), F1-score and the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC).ResultsThe stroke group showed a significantly decreased gait speed (p = 0.000) and step length (SL) (p = 0.000), while the asymmetry of SL (p = 0.000) and ST (p = 0.000) was higher compared to the healthy group. The gait adaptation tasks significantly decreased in slalom walking (p = 0.000), obstacle avoidance (p = 0.000), and speed adaptation (p = 0.000). Gait speed (p = 0.000) and obstacle avoidance (p = 0.000) were significantly correlated with global F-A score in stroke patients. The AdaCost demonstrated better classification performance with an ACC of 0.85, SEN of 0.80, F1-score of 0.77, and ROC-AUC of 0.75. Obstacle avoidance and gait speed were identified as critical features in this model.ConclusionStroke patients walk slower with shorter SL and more asymmetry of SL and ST. Their gait adaptability was decreased, particularly in obstacle avoidance and speed adaptation. The faster gait speed and better obstacle avoidance were correlated with better functional mobility. The AdaCost identifies individuals with GAD and facilitates clinical decision-making. This advances the future development of user-friendly interfaces and computer-aided diagnosis systems.

This paper explores the scenario that a jammer attacks an intelligent transmitter which can sense and adapt to the jamming environment. Given the non-cooperative relationship between the transmitter and the jammer, two main challenges are addressed in this paper: how to model their interactions and how to devise a jamming strategy without prior knowledge of the transmitter. A non-zero-sum game is used to model and analyze such non-cooperative interactions. An approximate mixed-strategy Nash equilibrium (NE) under complete information is derived to serve as a benchmark for comparison. According to the non-zero-sum game model, a Deep Q-Network (DQN) approach is proposed to determine jamming strategies by exploiting the detection results of the legitimate signals, such as Acknowledgements (ACKs) feedback and the modulation recognition results obtained by the jammer. Simulation results demonstrate that, without requiring complete information about the transmitter, the proposed DQN approach can achieve a similar utility as the benchmark strategy using complete information. Compared to other learning-based jamming schemes and random jamming strategy, the proposed DQN approach achieves a higher packet error rate for the communication transceiver with reduced jamming power consumption.

Abstract Background Among the safest procedures for anastomosis in pancreaticoduodenectomy, Blumgart pancreaticojejunostomy is associated with low rates of postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) and postoperative complications. However, this technique is difficult to perform during laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy (LPD). This study presents a modified Blumgart method using a homemade crochet needle to facilitate laparoscopic pancreaticojejunostomy and evaluates its safety and reliability. Methods From February 2019 to October 2022, 96 LPD surgeries with the new technique were performed by the same surgeons in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine. The operative details (operative time, pancreaticojejunostomy time, POPF rate, postoperative complication rate, mortality rate) were analyzed along with clinical and pathological indicators (pancreatic duct diameter, pancreatic texture, and histopathological findings). Results There were 54 men and 42 women with a mean age of 63.38 ± 10.41 years. The intraoperative bleeding volume, operative time and postoperative length of hospital stay were 198.43 ± 132.97 mL, 445.30 ± 87.05 min and 13.68 ± 4.02 days, respectively. The operation time of pancreaticojejunostomy was 66.28 ± 10.17 min. Clinically relevant POPFs (grades B and C) occurred in 14.6% of patients. Only one patient had postoperative abdominal hemorrhage and was cured after reoperation. There were no operative or in-hospital deaths. With our proposed modification, the pancreatic duct and jejunal orifice are aligned correctly during duct-to-mucosa (DTM) after the application of external traction through the homemade crochet needle. The space between the posterior wall of pancreatic remnant and jejunal loop can be exposed by adjusting the tension of the external threads, which can facilitate DTM. Conclusions A modified Blumgart method using a homemade crochet needle could be technically feasible and safe during LPD. A randomized control trial is needed to confirm these findings.

BackgroundInflammation and liver function are associated with cognitive decline and dementia. Little is known about the serum albumin-to-globulin ratio on cognitive function.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to investigate the association between albumin-to-globulin ratio and cognitive function among the American older people.MethodsThe public data available on the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2011 to 2014 was used for this cross-sectional study. Participants aged ≥60 years completed the cognitive function assessments, including word learning and recall modules from the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease (CERAD), the animal fluency (AF) test, and the digit symbol substitution test (DSST). A composite cognition score was calculated to evaluate global cognition. The univariate and multivariate linear regression analysis, curve fitting, a threshold effect, along with a subgroup analysis and interaction tests were conducted.ResultsSerum albumin-to-globulin ratio (per 0.1 unit) was positively associated DSST score (β = 0.36, 95% CI: 0.21, 0.51), AF score (β = 0.1, 95% CI: 0.04, 0.16) and global cognition score (β = 0.05, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.07), after being fully adjusted, while albumin-to-globulin ratio was not related to CERAD score (β = 0.05, 95% CI: −0.02, 0.12). A non-linear was observed in the dose–response relationship between albumin-to-globulin ratio and global cognition (P for non-linearity < 0.001). The subgroup analysis was overall stable, yet the interaction test was significant for age on global cognition (P for interaction = 0.036).ConclusionThe findings of this cross-sectional study suggested a positive and non-linear association between albumin-to-globulin ratio and cognitive function in the American older people. Maintaining albumin-to-globulin ratio with an appropriate range may be one of the therapeutic strategies to limit the progression of cognitive decline for the older people.

Abstract Background Gastroduodenal artery (GDA) stump erosion hemorrhage is a fatal complication after pancreaticoduodenectomy. This study aimed to determine whether GDA stump wrapping with the teres hepatis ligament during pancreaticoduodenectomy decreased the incidence of postpancreatectomy hemorrhage (PPH). Methods We reviewed 307 patients who had undergone pancreaticoduodenectomy between March 2019 and June 2022. The patients were divided into two groups according to application of GDA stump wrapping with the teres hepatis ligament: GDA wrapping group (165 patients) and no-wrapping group (142 patients). The perioperative data were compared between the groups. Results The clinical characteristics were balanced between the two groups. Grades B and C PPH and GDA-stump-related hemorrhage were significantly reduced in the GDA wrapping group compared with the no-wrapping group (PPH B/C, 13.4% vs 6.1%, P = 0.029; GDA hemorrhage, 5.6% vs 0.6%, P = 0.014). No difference was observed in the incidence of clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula, biliary leak, intra-abdominal abscess, delayed gastric emptying, 90-day mortality, and postoperative hospital stay between the two groups. Conclusion Wrapping GDA stump with the teres hepatis ligament reduced the incidence of GDA-stump-related PPH. Therefore, the wrapping technique is a simple and effective strategy to prevent PPH. Prospective studies are needed to confirm the benefit of this procedure.

Abstract Objective To identify risk factors for infection complications in patients with gastrointestinal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (GI-DLBCL) and nodal DLBCL (N-DLBCL) during treatment, respectively. Methods Total 51 GI-DLBCL patients and 80 N-DLBCL patients were included after retrieving clinical data from a single medical center in the past ten years. Logistic regression analysis was utilized to analyze patients’ data, including baseline demographics, treatments and laboratory values, to determine independent risk factors of infection in these patients. Results Total 28 of 51 patients (54.9%) in the GI-DLBCL group and 52 of 80 patients (65%) in the N-DLBCL group were observed infection events during treatment. A multivariate logistic regression model revealed that Ann-arbor stage IV (P = 0.034; odds ratio [OR]: 10.635; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.152-142.712), extra-nodal lesions ≥ 2 (P = 0.041; OR: 23.116; 95%CI: 1.144-466.949) and high serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) at the time of diagnosis (LDH > 252U/L; P = 0.033; OR: 6.058; 95%CI: 1.159–31.659) were independent risk factors for the development of infection in patients with GI-DLBCL after systemic treatment. In the N-DLBCL group, high serum C-reactive protein (CRP) (P = 0.027; OR: 1.104; 95%CI: 1.011–1.204) and a low platelet count (P = 0.041; OR: 0.991; 95%CI: 0.982-1.000) at routine blood tests just before infection occurred were identified as significant risk factors related to infection events during treatment. Conclusions Discordant independent risk factors induced infection may be present during the treatment in patients with GI-DLBCL and N-DLBCL. Close monitoring these risk factors is likely an effective strategy to prevent microbial infections in these patients.

BackgroundMalignant Triton tumor (MTT) is a relatively rare subtype of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) characterized by rhabdomyosarcoma differentiation. There are no distinct features of MTT, and it is easy to misdiagnose preoperatively.Case presentationHere, we describe a rare case of primary hepatic MTT in a 56-year-old male who presented with nonspecific abdominal pain for 1 day. Magnetic resonance imaging and abdominal computed tomography revealed an extremely large mass located in the right liver with intratumoral hemorrhage, arterial-phase hypervascularity and subsequent washout on dynamic contrast-enhanced imaging and the possibility of intrahepatic metastasis. Tumor marker levels revealed only an elevated level of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP: 5304.0 ng/mL). Then, he received transcatheter arterial chemoembolization combined with lenvatinib and pembrolizumab, and he was diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma. After 3 months of neoadjuvant therapy, we resected the hepatic cancer and adherent diaphragmatic pleura. MTT was confirmed by postoperative pathology and immunohistochemistry.ConclusionDespite the preoperative diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma with a rising serum AFP level, typical CT and MRI findings, histopathology assessment showing MPNST with rhabdomyosarcoma differentiation confirms the diagnosis of primary hepatic MTT.

3,4-disubstituted maleimides find wide applications in various pharmacologically active compounds. This study presents a highly effective approach for synthesizing derivatives of 3,4-disubstituted maleimides through the direct isomerization of α-succinimide-substituted allenoates, followed by a cascade γ′-addition and aryl imines using PR3 as a catalyst. The resulting series of 3,4-disubstituted maleimides exhibited excellent stereoselectivities, achieving yields of up to 86%. To our knowledge, the phosphine-mediated γ′-addition reaction of allenoates is seldom reported.

In this paper, an interesting γ′-carbon 1,6-conjugate addition for phosphine-catalyzed α-succinimide substituted allenoates has been disclosed. A wide array of substrates was found to participate in the reaction, resulting in the production of diverse 4-diarylmethylated 3,4-disubstituted maleimides with satisfactory to outstanding yields. Furthermore, a plausible mechanism for the reaction was proposed by the investigators.

Abstract Background The surgical methods for periprosthetic distal femoral fractures (PDFFs) after total knee arthroplasty included locking compression plate (LCP), retrograde intramedullary nailing (RIMN), and distal femoral replacement (DFR). However, the optimal treatment remains controversial. We performed a network meta-analysis (NMA) to provide the optimal surgical method for PDFFs. Materials and methods Electronic databases, including Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and PubMed, were searched for studies that compared LCP, RIMN, and DFR for PDFFs. The quality of the included studies was assessed according to the Newcastle–Ottawa scale. Pairwise meta-analysis was performed by Review Manager version 5.4. The NMA was conducted in Aggregate Data Drug Information System software version 1.16.5. We calculated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for postoperative complications and reoperations. Results A total of 19 studies and 1198 patients were included, of whom 733 for LCP, 282 for RIMN, and 183 for DFR. Pairwise meta-analysis comparing LCP to RIMN and LCP to DFR showed no significant difference in complications and reoperations except that RIMN had a higher risk of malunion comparing to LCP (OR 3.05; 95% CI 1.46–6.34; P = 0.003). No statistically significant effects were found in the NMA of overall complications, infection, and reoperation. However, results of rank probabilities showed that DFR ranked best in overall complications and reoperation, RIMN ranked best in infection but worst in reoperation, and LCP ranked worst in infection and middle in reoperation. Discussion We found similar complication rate and reoperation rate between LCP, RIMN, and DFR. The results of rank probabilities favored DFR, and further studies with high-level evidence are expected to verify the optimal surgical method for PDFFs. Level of evidence Level II; network meta-analysis.

In this paper, a physical layer security scheme is proposed for index modulation aided orthogonal time frequency space (IM-OTFS) modulation systems working in Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) mode. In FDD systems, the channel reciprocity, which is the basic assumption for most physical layer security (PLS) techniques, is not applicable. To deal with the security challenge in FDD IM-OTFS systems, Chaos sequence is generated by exploiting the angular reciprocity of the legitimate link to construct the secure mapping rule between the information bits and the modulation symbols as well as the symbol indices. A PLS scheme based on the proposed secure mapping is introduced. The secrecy performance of the proposed PLS scheme is analyzed in terms of Bit Error Rate (BER) and the ergodic secrecy rate. Furthermore, a close-form approximated ergodic secrecy rate is derived to reduce the computational complexity. A truncation method is proposed to obtain robust secure transmissions when the angles of the uplink and downlink legitimate channels are estimated with errors. Simulation results show that the theoretical BER curve approaches the simulated BER curve closely for medium and high signal to noise ratio (SNR) regions, and the eavesdropper’s BER is always around 0.5 for all SNRs. The closed-form approximated ergodic secrecy rate fits the ergodic secrecy rate exactly in low and high SNR regions, and can work as a lower bound of the ergodic secrecy rate in medium SNR region. The secure mapping at the legitimate users is not affected by the angle estimation errors by using the truncation method, while the eavesdropper’s BER is influenced and the influence is analyzed.

Abstract Metabolic remodeling is the fundamental molecular feature of malignant tumors. Cancer cells require sufficient energy supplies supporting their high proliferative rate. MTHFD2, a mitochondrial one-carbon metabolic enzyme, is dysregulated in several malignancies and may serve as a promising therapeutic candidate in cancer treatment. Here, our data confirmed that MTHFD2 gene and protein was upregulated in the cancerous tissues of LUAD patients and was correlated with a poor survival in LUAD. MTHFD2 was involved in lung cancer cell proliferation, migration, and apoptosis by mediating its downstream molecules, such as DNA helicases (MCM4 and MCM7), as well as ZEB1, Vimentin and SNAI1, which contributed to tumor cell growth and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process. Moreover, we identified that miRNA-99a-3p appeared to be an upstream mediator directly regulating MTHFD2 and MCM4 expression. Moreover, specific inhibition of MTHFD2 functions by siRNA or a chemical compound, improved anti-tumor sensitivities induced by pemetrexed in LUAD. Taken together, our study revealed the underlying molecular mechanisms of MTHFD2 in regulating cell proliferation and identified a novel therapeutic strategy improving the treatment efficacies in LUAD.

BackgroundEx vivo liver resection and autotransplantation (ELRAT) may provide an opportunity for R0 resection of conventionally unresectable hepatobiliary cancers and hepatic metastases. To date, few studies of the surgery for malignant tumors have been conducted and there are no known reports of in vivo partial hepatectomy followed by ELRAT (IPH-ELRAT) for malignant tumors.MethodsBetween December 2021 and November 2022, ten patients with malignant hepatobiliary primary cancers or hepatic metastases underwent ELRAT at our institution. We shared the surgical skills and postoperative prognoses of these patients were assessed.ResultsThe types of tumors were biliary tract cancer (BTC, n=8), hepatic metastasis of colonic carcinoma (n=1), and hepatic metastasis of small-bowel stromal tumor (n=1). Five patients underwent in vivo total hepatectomy followed by ex vivo liver resection and autotransplantation (ITH-ELRAT), The other five received in vivo partial hepatectomy followed by ex vivo liver resection and autotransplantation (IPH-ELRAT). Four patients underwent inferior vena cava replacement using artificial blood vessels. The survival rate of all ten patients one month after surgery was 100%. Nine patients (90%) are currently alive, with a median follow-up of 8.5 months (range 6–16.5 months). To date, seven of the nine surviving patients have had no cancer recurrence, including six with BTC.ConclusionsWe report the world first five cases that received IPH-ELRAT for malignancies. We also demonstrated relatively favorable outcomes in patients who underwent ELRAT. ELRAT may be a recommendable surgical option for selected patients with conventionally unresectable hepatobiliary malignant tumors.

The recent spread of the monkeypox virus among humans has heightened concerns regarding orthopoxvirus infections. Consequently, conducting a comprehensive study on the immunobiology of the monkeypox virus is imperative for the development of effective therapeutics. Ectromelia virus (ECTV) closely resembles the genetic and disease characteristics of monkeypox virus, making it a valuable research tool for studying orthopoxvirus–host interactions. Guanylate-binding proteins (GBPs), highly expressed interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs), have antagonistic effects against various intracellular pathogenic microorganisms. Our previous research has shown that GBP2 has a mild but statistically significant inhibitory effect on ECTV infection. The presence of a significant number of molecules in the poxvirus genome that encode the host immune response raises questions about whether it also includes proteins that counteract the antiviral activity of GBP2. Using IP/MS and co-IP technology, we discovered that the poly(A) polymerase catalytic subunit (PAPL) protein of ECTV is a viral regulatory molecule that interacts with GBP2. Further studies have shown that PAPL antagonizes the antiviral activity of GBP2 by reducing its protein levels. Knocking out the PAPL gene of ECTV with the CRISPR/Cas9 system significantly diminishes the replication ability of the virus, indicating the indispensable role of PAPL in the replication process of ECTV. In conclusion, our study presents preliminary evidence supporting the significance of PAPL as a virulence factor that can interact with GBP2.

BackgroundRecently, in many Asian centers, laparoscopic anatomical liver resection (LALR) using the indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence imaging technique has been increasingly applied in resecting hepatocellular carcinoma, even in colorectal liver metastases. However, LALR techniques have not been fully standardized, especially in right superior segments. Due to the anatomical position, prevailing positive staining using a PTCD (percutaneous transhepatic cholangial drainage) needle was superior to negative staining in right superior segments hepatectomy, while it was difficult to manipulate. Herein, we design a novel method of ICG-positive staining for LALR of right superior segments.MethodsBetween April 2021 and October 2022, we retrospectively studied patients in our institute who underwent LALR of right superior segments using a novel method of ICG-positive staining, which comprised a customized puncture needle and an adaptor. Compared to the PTCD needle, the customized needle was not limited by the abdominal wall and could be punctured from the liver dorsal surface, which was more flexible to manipulate. The adapter was attached to the guide hole of the laparoscopic ultrasound (LUS) probe to ensure the precise puncture path of the needle. Guided by preoperative three-dimensional (3D) simulation and intraoperative laparoscopic ultrasound imaging, we punctured the transhepatic needle into the target portal vein through the adaptor and then slowly injected 5-10 ml of 0.025 mg/ml ICG solution into the vessel. LALR can be guided by the demarcation line under fluorescence imaging after injection. Demographic, procedural and postoperative data were collected and analyzed.ResultsIn this study, 21 patients underwent LALR of the right superior segments with ICG fluorescence-positive staining, and the procedures had a success rate of 71.4%. The average staining time was 13.0 ± 6.4 min, the operative time was 230.4 ± 71.7 min, R0 resection was 100%, the postoperative hospital stay was 7.1 ± 2.4 days, and no severe puncture complications occurred.ConclusionsThe novel customized puncture needle approach seems to be feasible and safe for ICG-positive staining in LALR of right superior segments, with a high success rate and a short staining time.

To deal with the smart jammer which can sense the legitimate communication and adjust its jamming policy, an anti-jamming game scheme is proposed in this paper to jointly optimize the transmission power and frequency hopping period. Considering that both parties in the game can only get the other’s channel gains in probabilistic form, the interaction between the legitimate transmitter and the jammer is modeled as Bayesian Stackelberg game, where the legitimate transmitter is set as the leader while the jammer acts as the follower. The transmitter and the jammer determine their optimal strategies in power domain and time domain to maximize their own utilities which are formulated based on the spectrum efficiency. Besides, the imperfect information including observation errors and the bounded rationality of the jammer is considered when formulating the utility functions. By using backward induction, the optimal solutions in time-power domain are obtained for the transmitter and the jammer. Simulation results show that the proposed multi-domain game scheme outperforms the single-domain game schemes and the multi-domain random scheme. Moreover, the impact of imperfect information is discussed through simulations.

Guanylate-binding proteins (GBPs) are highly expressed interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) that play significant roles in protecting against invading pathogens. Although their functions in response to RNA viruses have been extensively investigated, there is limited information available regarding their role in DNA viruses, particularly poxviruses. Ectromelia virus (ECTV), a member of the orthopoxvirus genus, is a large double-stranded DNA virus closely related to the monkeypox virus and variola virus. It has been intensively studied as a highly effective model virus. According to the study, GBP2 overexpression suppresses ECTV replication in a dose-dependent manner, while GBP2 knockdown promotes ECTV infection. Additionally, it was discovered that GBP2 primarily functions through its N-terminal GTPase activity, and the inhibitory effect of GBP2 was disrupted in the GTP-binding-impaired mutant GBP2K51A. This study is the first to demonstrate the inhibitory effect of GBP2 on ECTV, and it offers insights into innovative antiviral strategies.

From the in vitro level, this paper explores the synergistic inhibitory effects and mechanisms of sodium arsenite (NaAsO2) and astragaloside IV(AS-IV) on HepG2 cells. By screening the optimal concentration of each drug, the authors tested the combined and separate effects of the two drugs on HepG2 cell proliferation, migration and invasion, cell cycle and apoptosis, as well as key genes and proteins of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway (PI3K, p-PI3K, AKT, p-AKT, mTOR, and p-mTOR). The CCK-8 test and Transwell tests show that: the separate and joint uses of NaAsO2 and AS-IV reduced the viability and migration of cells to different degrees (p all NaAsO2 group > AS-IV group; GNGT1 siRNA group had an opposite trend with each treatment group. From in vitro level, the above results confirm that NaAsO2 and AS-IV can inhibit HepG2, and the two drugs has a synergistic effect. In addition, the two drugs could inhibit HepG2 cells through the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway; GNGT1 participates in the regulation of that signaling pathway.

Abstract Background The characteristics of immune-related long non-coding ribonucleic acids (ir-lncRNAs), regardless of their specific levels, have important implications for the prognosis of patients with bladder cancer. Methods Based on The Cancer Genome Atlas database, original transcript data were analyzed. The ir-lncRNAs were obtained using a coexpression method, and their differentially expressed pairs (DE-ir-lncRNAs) were identified by univariate analysis. The lncRNA pairs were verified using a Lasso regression test. Thereafter, receiver operating characteristic curves were generated, and an optimal risk model was established. The clinical value of the model was verified through the analysis of patient survival rates, clinicopathological characteristics, presence of tumor-infiltrating immune cells, and chemotherapy efficacy evaluation. Results In total, 49 pairs of DE-ir-lncRNAs were identified, of which 21 were included in the Cox regression model. A risk regression model was established on the premise of not involving the specific expression value of the transcripts. Conclusions The method and model used in this study have important clinical predictive value for bladder cancer and other malignant tumors.

BackgroundProprioception is important for our everyday activity, as it indicates the position, movement, and force on the body. This is important not only for ambulation but also for patients who are diagnosed with stroke.ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the influence of proprioceptive training on lower limb function in patients after a stroke using an ankle-foot robot.MethodIn total, 60 adult participants who met the criteria were randomly divided into a control group and an experimental group. The control group (RG) was given regular physical activity, and the sensory training group (SG) was given proprioceptive training based on an ankle-foot robot, the rest being the same as RG. Measurements for 10-meter walking time (10MWT), the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), the Fugl-Meyer assessment of lower extremity (FMA-LE), and active range of motion (AROM), passive range of motion (PROM), and ankle joint sensitivity before and after 6 weeks of treatment (30 sessions; five times per week) were assessed.ResultsThere was a significant decrease in both 10MWT and ankle joint sensitivity in both groups (p < 0.05), while there was a significant increase in BBS, FMA-LE, AROM, and PROM in both groups (p < 0.05). A significant relationship was identified between the two groups, the SG group had greater degrees of improvement compared to the RG group.ConclusionThe proprioceptive training based on an ankle-foot robot could improve proprioception and effectively improve the motor function and walking ability in patients after a stroke. Proprioceptive strength training is recommended to be emphasized in the regular rehabilitation of patients after a stroke.

Objective To compare the clinical outcomes of locking compression plate (LCP) and distal femoral replacement (DFR) for periprosthetic distal femoral fractures (PDFFs) after total knee arthroplasty. Methods This retrospective study identified patients with PDFFs in an institutional database between January 2012 and December 2021. Demographic data and clinical outcomes, including postoperative complications, reoperation, 1-year mortality, Knee Society Scores (KSS) and Knee Society Functional Score (KSFS) were analysed. Results In total, 12 patients treated with LCP and six patients treated with DFR were included. There was no significant difference between the LCP and DFR groups in terms of postoperative complications (25.0% versus 33.3%, respectively), reoperation (8.3% versus 0.0%), respectively, 1-year mortality (8.3% versus 16.7%, respectively) or mean ± SD KSS (80.3 ± 8.3 versus 78.0 ± 2.5, respectively). However, the mean ± SD KSFS was significantly better for patients with LCP than for those with DFR (51.8 ± 12.5 versus 37.0 ± 6.7, respectively). Conclusion DFR provides similar clinical outcomes compared with LCP for PDFFs. Patients with advanced age may benefit from DFR to allow early weight bearing.

In this paper, a modified distributed Nash equilibrium seeking problem with input saturation has been investigated. The payoff function of each player is related to the communication topology, which is closer to the actual scenes. The sigmoid function is utilized to limit the range of the input. Through the network communication between players and the gradient of the players’ payoff functions, the finite-time and fixed-time distributed Nash equilibrium seeking protocols with input saturation are given. Using the Lyapunov stability analysis, it is determined that the action of each player converges to the Nash equilibrium if all the players update their action according to the proposed algorithms. The numerical simulations are also provided to testify the algorithms.

ObjectiveTo describe the clinical features of a cohort of patients with thymic epithelial tumors (TETs) and to analyze their prognostic factors. In particular, we investigated the correlation between the genetic polymorphism of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C667T and the incidence of TETs.MethodsPathological records were reviewed from the database of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Jiaxing University, from January 2010 to December 2020, and 84 patients with TETs were recruited for this study. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the prognostic factors. The genetic polymorphism of MTHFR C667T was examined in the patients with TETs and in a group of healthy individuals. The correlation between MTHFR transcriptional levels and methylation was analyzed using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) thymoma dataset from the cBioPortal platform.ResultsKaplan–Meier univariate survival analysis showed that sex, age, the maximum tumor diameter, surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, WHO histological classification, Masaoka–Koga stage, and 8th UICC/AJCC TNM staging, were statistically significantly correlated with the prognosis of patients with TETs. The Masaoka–Koga stage and 8th UICC/AJCC TNM staging were strongly correlated with each other in this study (r=0.925, P

Abstract Background The prognostic value of external vs internal pancreatic duct stents after pancreaticoduodenectomy remains controversial. This study aimed to evaluate the benefits of external and internal stents using the Fistula Risk Score system with regard to the incidence of clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula. Methods A total of 382 patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy with duct to mucosa pancreaticojejunostomy were retrospectively enrolled from January 2015 to October 2019. The receiver operating characteristic curve was performed for subgroup analysis of the patients at different levels of risk for pancreatic fistula. Results There were no significant differences in terms of pancreatic fistula or other postoperative complications. According to the receiver operating characteristic curve threshold of 3.5, 172 patients with a Fistula Risk Score ≥ 4 and 210 patients with a Fistula Risk Score

Background: Laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) allows minimal incisions and relatively quicker post-operative recovery, while intraoperative massive haemorrhage led to conversion to laparotomy. This study aimed to introduce a new, safe and convenient device to serve as Pringle's manoeuver according to the demand in LLR. Methods: A liver circle consisting of a hole and a round stem with an obtuse small head was made by medical silica gel. It was applied in LLR to perform on-demand Pringle's manoeuver and developed its function in inferior vena cava (IVC) occlusion. The time of performing Pringle's manoeuver by liver circle, extracorporeal tourniquet and endo intestinal clip under laparoscopic simulator and LLR was compared. Results: The liver circle was successfully applied to perform Pringle's manoeuver, IVC exposure and occlusion. It took less time in the occluding step of Pringle's manoeuver than the extracorporeal tourniquet (4.15 ± 0.35 s vs. 9.90 ± 1.15 s, P < 0.05) and the endo intestinal clip (4.15 ± 0.35 s vs. 47.91 ± 3.98 s, P < 0.05) under LLR. The total manipulating time for Pringle's manoeuver with liver circle remained the shortest, and the advantages were more obvious with increased frequencies of intermittent Pringle's manoeuver. Conclusion: The new-designed liver circle is more convenient compared to other techniques in performing Pringle's manoeuver, especially the intermittent Pringle's manoeuver in LLR. It can be used to perform on-demand hepatic blood inflow occlusion in every LLR by pre-circling the hepatoduodenal ligament to control bleeding during surgery. It can also be applied to expose the surgical field of vision and perform IVC occlusion to reduce intraoperative blood loss.

To improve the phenomenon of exercise-induced fatigue that often occurs during horse racing, we previously studied the improvement in exercise tolerance by acupoint catgut embedding preconditioning in an exercise-induced fatigue rat model. We found that acupoint catgut embedding pretreatment effectively improved animal exercise tolerance. Here, by combining transcriptomics and metabolomics, we aimed to explore the underlying mechanisms of this improvement. We used blood biochemical detection combined with ELISA to detect triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and glucose (GLU), arachidonic acid (AA), and free fatty acid (FFA) content and found that acupoint embedding can correct FFA, AA, TG, LDH, and AST in the blood. We used RT-qPCR to measure the expression of genes in tissue from the quadriceps femoris muscle. We found that solute carrier family 27 member 2 (Slc27a2), fatty acid binding protein 1 (Fabp1), apolipoprotein C3 (Apoc3), and lipoprotein lipase (Lpl) genes in the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) signaling pathway were important. The regulation of lipid metabolism through the PPAR signaling pathway was important for improving the exercise endurance of rats in our exercise-induced fatigue model. Therefore, we conclude that acupoint catgut embedding can not only promote body fat decomposition and reduce lactic acid accumulation but also promote the repair of tissue damage and liver damage caused by exercise fatigue. Acupoint catgut embedding regulates the PPAR signaling pathway by upregulating Lpl expression and downregulating Slc27a2, Fabp1, and Apoc3 expression to further improve body fat metabolism.

To claim the features of nontumor tissue in gastric cancer patients, especially in those who have undergone gastrectomy, and to identify the molecular subtypes, we collected the immunogenic and hallmark gene sets from gene set enrichment analysis. The activity changes of these gene sets between tumor (375) and nontumor (32) tissues acquired from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA-STAD) were calculated, and the novel molecular subtypes were delineated. Subsequently, prognostic gene sets were determined using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (lasso) regression prognostic method. In addition, functional analysis was conducted. Totally, three subtypes were constructed in the present study, and there were differences in survival among three groups. Functional analysis showed genes from normal gene set were related to cell adhesion, and genes from tumor gene set were associated with focal adhesion, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, regulation of actin cytoskeleton, and VEGF signaling pathway. Our study created lasting value beyond molecular subtypes and underscored the significance of normal tissues in gastric cancer development, which drawn a novel prognostic model for gastric treatment.

Media-based modulation (MBM) is a recently proposed modulation scheme which has the advantages of increased spectral efficiency and improved performance. In this paper, a physical layer security (PLS) scheme is proposed for the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) media-based modulation system using generalized spatial modulation (GSM) to resist the passive eavesdropping from a multiple-antenna eavesdropper. Secure mapping rules between the information bits and the transmit patterns are designed based on the abundant legitimate channel realizations of the MIMO MBM system. Due to the independent fading of the legitimate link and the eavesdropping link, the designed mapping rules are unavailable and appear random to the eavesdropper. Therefore, the correct detection of the information bits at the eavesdropper is prevented, which is validated through bit error rate (BER) analysis and simulations. The ergodic secrecy rate is analyzed and a tight closed-form approximation is derived. Simulation results show that the proposed secure GSM MBM scheme outperforms the existing secure MBM schemes without consuming jamming power or requiring eavesdropper's channel state information.

In this paper, we study the influence of a smart jammer on the design of a three-node frequency hopping communication system using an amplify-and-forward relay. The jammer is smart that it senses the frequency and transmit powers used by the legitimate transmitters including the source node and the relay, and optimally adjusts the sensing time and the jamming power allocation to maximize the performance damage of the relay system. We jointly consider the time domain and the power domain to design a multi-domain anti-jamming strategy. To model the interaction between the legitimate transmitters and the jammer, we use Stackelberg game and let the legitimate transmitters act as the leader while the jammer act as the follower. Based on backward induction, a genetic algorithm based on exponential distribution algorithm is proposed to obtain the optimal frequency-hopping speed and the optimal transmit powers of the legitimate transmitters. Simulation results show that the proposed multi-domain strategy outperforms single-domain schemes and the multi-domain random scheme. Moreover, the optimal placement of the relay is also discussed through simulations.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PAAD) is one of the most common malignant tumors in digestive system. To find the new therapeutic targets and explore potential mechanisms underlying PAAD, the bioinformatics has been performed in our study. The PAAD gene expression profile GSE28735 was chosen to analyze the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between PAAD carcinoma tissues and normal adjacent tissues from 45 patients with PAAD. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis were performed using Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID). Moreover, a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was also constructed to help us screen the top 20 hub genes in this profile and demonstrated the underlying interactions among them. The Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) was further performed in order to valid the mRNA levels of top5 up-regulated and top5 down-regualted DEGs, apart from exploring their association with survival rate as well as tumor stage. Finally, Q-PCR was further employed to valid the top5 up-regulated and top5 down-regulated genes in patients with PAAD. In our study, there were a total of 444 DEGs captured (271 up-regulated genes and 173 down-regulated genes). Among these DEGs, the top5 up-regulated genes were CEACAM5, SLC6A14, LAMC2, GALNT5 and TSPAN1 while the top5 down-regulated genes were GP2, CTRC, IAPP, PNLIPRP2 and PNLIPRP1. GO analysis disclosed that the DEGs were predominantly enriched in cell adhesion, lipid metabolism, integrin binding, proteolysis and calcium ion binding. KEGG analysis disclosed that the enriched pathway included pancreatic secretion, protein digestion and absorption, fat digestion and absorption, ECM-receptor interaction, focal adhesion and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. Survival analysis unveiled that the high expression levels of SLC6A14, GALNT5 and TSPAN1 may correlate with the poor prognosis while high expression levels of IAPP may contribute to a better prognosis in patients with PAAD. Additionally, the levels of CEACAM5, SLC6A14, LAMC2 and GALNT5 were also associated with tumor stage. Furthermore, according to the connectivity degree of these DEGs, we selected the top20 hub genes, namely ALB, FN1, EGF, MMP9, COL1A1, COL3A1, FBN1, CXCL12, POSTIN, BGN, VCAN, THBS2, KRT19, MET, MMP14, COL5A2, GCG, MUC1, MMP1 and CPB1, which were expected to be promising therapeutic targets in PAAD. Collectively, our bioinformatics analysis showed that DEGs and hub genes may be defined as new biomarkers for diagnosis and for guiding the therapeutic strategies of PAAD.

Background: Haemorrhage during the splenic parenchyma transection is a major threat for laparoscopic partial splenectomy (LPS). We here aim to evaluate the feasibility and safety of pre-coagulation of a 915 MHz microwave (MW) device during LPS. Materials and Methods: Data of four patients admitted to our hospital between November 2016 and July 2018 were retrospectively analysed. The mean age was 24 years (range, 19–33); they all diagnosed with splenic unifocal lesion with a mean diameter of 4.6 cm (ranged from 3.7 to 6 cm) and underwent LPS with pre-coagulation of a 915 MHz MW. Results: The LPS with pre-coagulation was successfully resulted in complete resection without microscopic residual tumour (R0 resection). The mean operative time was 205 min, and the minimum blood loss was at the range of 30–50 ml. No complication was observed, and the length of stay in hospital was varied from 5 to 10 days. Conclusion: Based on our observation, pre-coagulation of a 915 MHz MW during LPS is a safe and efficient technique. More studies are required before applying extensively.

Hepatic insulin resistance is a crucial pathological process in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) associated with visceral adiposity and metabolic disorders. Echinops latifolius polysaccharide B (ETPB), a polysaccharide extracted from Echinops latifolius Tausch, increases insulin sensitivity in the high-fat diet-fed and STZ induced SD rat model and even prevented hepatic metabolic disorders. However, the mechanism by which ETPB improves carbohydrate and lipid metabolisms in the liver with insulin resistance remains largely unknown. In the present work, an lnsulin resistance cell model (IR-HepG2) was established. Glucose consumption, glycogen content, triglycerides (TG), and free fatty acids (FFAs) levels were detected. The result revealed that the intervention of ETPB significantly increased glucose consumption and glycogen synthesis and reduced FFAs and TG production in IR-HepG2 cells. Further, we also employed RNA-seq to identify differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) and mRNAs (DEGs) with a fold change of ≥ 1.5 and p-value of

ObjectiveWe investigated lenvatinib plus programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) inhibitors as a first-line treatment for initially unresectable biliary tract cancer (BTC).MethodsIn this Phase II study, adults with initially unresectable BTC received lenvatinib (body weight ≥60 kg, 12 mg;

Diabetes mellitus (DM), a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by high blood glucose, not only poses a serious threat to human life and health, but also places an economic burden on society. Currently available antidiabetic pharmacological agents have some adverse effects, which have stimulated researchers to explore novel antidiabetic agents with different mechanisms of action. G-protein Coupled Receptor 120 (GPR120), also known as free fatty acid receptor 4 (FFAR4), which is activated by medium-chain and long-chain fatty acids, has emerged as an interesting potential target for the treatment of metabolic disorders. Herein, we designed and synthesized a series of novel GPR120 agonists based on the structure of TUG-891, which is susceptible to β-oxidation and loses its GPR120 agonistic activity in vivo. Among the designed compounds, 14d showed excellent agonistic activity and selectivity and could improve glucose tolerance in normal mice in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, the compound 14d displayed good antidiabetic effects in diet-induced obese (DIO) mice and elevated insulin levels. Molecular simulations illustrated that compound 14d could enter the active site of GPR120 and interact with ARG99, which plays an important role in GPR120 activation. Based on these observations, compound 14d may be a promising lead compound deserving of further biological evaluation and structural modifications.

The number of applications (apps) available for smart devices or Android based IoT (Internet of Things) has surged dramatically over the past few years. Meanwhile, the volume of ill-designed or malicious apps (malapps) has been growing explosively. To ensure the quality and security of the apps in the markets, many approaches have been proposed in recent years to discriminate malapps from benign ones. Machine learning is usually utilized in classification process. Accurately characterizing apps' behaviors, or so-called features, directly affects the detection results with machine learning algorithms. Android apps evolve very fast. The size of current apps has become increasingly large and the behaviors of apps have become increasingly complicated. The extracting effective and representative features from apps is thus an ongoing challenge. Although many types of features have been extracted in existing work, to the best of our knowledge, no work has systematically surveyed the features constructed for detecting Android malapps. In this paper, we are motivated to provide a clear and comprehensive survey of the state-of-the-art work that detects malapps by characterizing behaviors of apps with various types of features. Through the designed criteria, we collect a total of 1947 papers in which 236 papers are used for the survey with four dimensions: the features extracted, the feature selection methods employed if any, the detection methods used, and the scale of evaluation performed. Based on our in-depth survey, we highlight the issues of exploring effective features from apps, provide the taxonomy of these features and indicate the future directions.

Background: The treatment options for intractable metastatic colorectal cancer include regorafenib, trifluridine/tipiracil, and fruquintinib. In this study, we aimed to conduct a network meta-analysis for comparing the efficacy of these agents. Methods: We searched the PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and ClinicalTrials databases for relevant literature, up to February 2020. The data were collected from randomized controlled trials on regorafenib, trifluridine/tipiracil, or fruquintinib, administered to patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who failed on treatment with oxaliplatin, irinotecan, or fluoropyrimidine. The primary end points, namely, the overall survival and progression-free survival, were analyzed for subsequent network analysis using the Review Manager and Aggregate Data Drug Information System software for performing direct and indirect comparisons. Results: A total of 7 trials were analyzed in this study. Trifluridine/tipiracil and regorafenib proved to be superior to the placebo, with respect to the overall survival (odds ratio: 0.38, 95% confidence interval: 0.27-0.52 for trifluridine/tipiracil; odds ratio: 0.47, 95% confidence interval: 0.26-0.84 for regorafenib) and progression-free survival (odds ratio: 0.18, 95% confidence interval: 0.05-0.67 for trifluridine/tipiracil; odds ratio: 0.06, 95% confidence interval: 0.04-0.09 for regorafenib). Regorafenib (80 mg) was superior to the placebo in terms of the overall survival and progression-free survival and inferior to trifluridine/tipiracil and fruquintinib. Network analysis revealed that the efficacy of trifluridine/tipiracil and fruquintinib was fundamentally similar, and both the agents were superior to regorafenib. Conclusion: Regorafenib (80 mg) was superior to the placebo, but inferior to 160 mg regorafenib, trifluridine/tipiracil, and fruquintinib. This study further revealed that the efficiency of trifluridine/tipiracil and fruquintinib is identical, but their toxicity profiles are different.

Background: Osteosarcoma is a rare type of bone tumor, and this study aimed to assess the clinicopathologic features and prognoses of osteosarcoma patients. Methods: Clinicopathologic and survival data of 1025 patients between 2010 and 2016, 230 between 2008 and 2009 were downloaded and analyzed from the SEER database. Patients’ survival was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier analysis; prognostic factors were assessed using the Cox regression hazards model. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were estimated with nomogram. Competitive risk models were used to identify prognostic risk factors related to endpoint events of osteosarcoma patients. Results: Overall, 722 samples were obtained from the extremities, 134 from the axial bones, and 119 from the cranial and mandible in SEER (2010-2016 cohort). After the preliminary diagnosis, the median survival time of patients with osteosarcoma was 39 months, and the 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were 87.3%, 67.2%, and 58.0%, respectively (P < 0.001). The competitive risk model revealed no competitive risks of the endpoint event. Conclusion: Our study found out the prognostic factors in patients with Osteosarcoma by Cox regression hazards model, after that, nomogram was established to predict the 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates, which may help oncologists to understand the highly malignant tumor.

Android platform has dominated the operating system of mobile devices. However, the dramatic increase of Android malicious applications (malapps) has caused serious software failures to Android system and posed a great threat to users. The effective detection of Android malapps has thus become an emerging yet crucial issue. Characterizing the behaviors of Android applications (apps) is essential to detecting malapps. Most existing works on detecting Android malapps were mainly based on string static features, such as permissions and API usage extracted from apps. There also exists work on the detection of Android malapps with structural features, such as control flow graph and data flow graph. As Android malapps have become increasingly polymorphic and sophisticated, using only one type of static features may result in false negatives. In this paper, we propose DroidEnsemble that takes advantages of both string features and structural features to systematically and comprehensively characterize the static behaviors of Android apps and thus build a more accurate detection model for the detection of Android malapps. We extract each app’s string features, including permissions, hardware features, filter intents, restricted API calls, used permissions, code patterns, as well as structural features like function call graph. We then use three machine learning algorithms, namely, support vector machine, k-nearest neighbor, and random forest, to evaluate the performance of these two types of features and of their ensemble. In the experiments, we evaluate our methods and models with 1386 benign apps and 1296 malapps. Extensive experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of DroidEnsemble. It achieves the detection accuracy as 95.8% with only string features and as 90.68% with only structural features. DroidEnsemble reaches the detection accuracy as 98.4% with the ensemble of both types of features, reducing 9 false positives and 12 false negatives compared to the results with only string features.

A well designed and accurate method of control of different shell thickness and electronic transmission in a Z-scheme core@shell system is conducive to obtaining an optimum photocatalytic performance. Herein, the Z-scheme heterojunction of egg-like core@shell CdS@TiO2photocatalysts with controlled shell thickness (13 nm, 15 nm, 17 nm, 22 nm) were synthesized by a facile reflux method, and the CdS@TiO2 structure was proved by a series of characterizations. The photodegradation ratio on methylene blue and tetracycline hydrochloride over the 0.10CdS@TiO2 composites with TiO2 shell thickness of 17 nm reached 90% in 250 min and 91% in 5 min, respectively, which was almost 9.8 times and 2.6 times than that of TiO2 and CdS on rhodamine B respectively under visible light. Besides, the higher total organic carbon removal ratio indicated that most of the pollutants were degraded to CO2 and H2O. The Z-scheme electronic transfer pathway was studied through radical species trapping experiments and electron spin resonance spectroscopy. Moreover, the relationship between shell thickness and photocatalytic activity demonstrated that different shell thickness affects the separation of the electron and holes, and therefore affected the photocatalytic performance. In addition, the effects of pollutants concentration, pH, and inorganic anions on photocatalytic performance were also investigated. This work can provide a novel idea for a well designed Z-scheme heterojunction of core@shell photocatalysts, and the study of photocatalytic performance under different factors has guiding significance for the treatment of actual wastewater.

Laparoscopic myomectomy is a minimally invasive, conservative surgical approach commonly used for the treatment of uterine fibroids. However, there is a lack of effective means to distinguish the nature of uterine tumors prior to surgery. The impact of fibroid morcellation during laparoscopic surgery on the dissemination of cancerous uterine fibroids and long-term survival of patients has gained increasing attention. A retrospective cohort study was conducted to analyze the impact of different surgical approaches on recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with a postoperative pathological diagnosis of uterine sarcoma at a single medical center. Patients who underwent the first surgery for uterine fibroids (confined to the uterus) and had a postoperative pathological diagnosis of uterine sarcoma were selected in the Chinese PLA General Hospital from January 2005 to January 2014. Based on the use of fibroid morcellation, the subjects were divided into fibroid morcellation (FM) and total hysterectomy (TH, non-morcellation) groups. Follow-up outcomes, including RFS and OS times, were observed. In total, 59 patients were included, with 30 cases in the FM group and 29 cases in the TH group. There were no significant differences in RFS and OS time between the two groups (RFS: P = 0.16, OS: P = 0.09). Multivariate correlation analysis showed that the impact of a higher grade level on RFS and OS was nearly 2-fold the impact of a lower grade level (RFS: P = 0.04, odds ratio (OR) = 1.97; OS: P = 0.03, OR = 2.29). Intraoperative morcellation, postoperative adjuvant therapy, age, tumor size, FIGO stage, and surgical approach were not risk factors affecting RFS and OS. Fibroid morcellation during laparoscopic surgery (including laparoscopic, transvaginal and transabdominal approaches) had no significant impact on RFS and OS time in patients. However, the 5-year RFS and OS rates were both lower in the FM group than in the TH group. Grade level was a significant risk factor for the prognosis of patients with uterine sarcoma.

The selenylation modification of Schisandra chinensis polysaccharide (SCP) was conducted by the HNO3-Na2SeO3 method respectively under nine conditions according to L9(34) orthogonal design. Nine selenizing SCPs, sSCP1-sSCP9, were obtained, and their antioxidant activities were compared. In vitro test, the free radical-scavenging rates of nine sSCPs were determined for DPPH., .OH and ABTS+. sSCP1 presented the most significant effect, and could inhibit the nonenzymatic protein glycation. In vivo test, 14-day-old chickens were injected respectively with sSCP1 and SCP, the serum contents of CAT, SOD and MDA were determined. The result showed that as compared with the SCP group, the SOD and CAT activities were significantly or numerically raised and MDA content was significantly or numerically lowered in the sSCP1 group. These results indicate that selenylation modification can significantly enhance the antioxidant and antiglycative activity of SCP in vitro or in vivo. sSCP1 possesses the best efficacy and its modification conditions can be as optimal modification conditions that were 200 mg of Na2SeO3 for 500 mg of SCP, reaction temperature of 50°C and reaction time of 6 h.

Five combinations of three ratios (PS9-sPS1, PS7-sPS3 and PS6-sPS4) were prepared with polysaccharide (PS) and sulfated polysaccharide (sPS). The antiviral activities of these compounds were subsequently compared in vitro using the MTT assay, observation of the virus structure and immunofluorescence. The results demonstrated that SP9-sCP1, CP7-sCA3, EP7-sAP3, CA9-sEP1 and EP7-sCA3 presented higher activities, and SP9-sCP1 displayed the highest virus inhibition rate and clearly killed the virus and inhibited viral antigen expression. In an in vivo test, 28-day-old chickens were challenged with Newcastle disease virus (NDV) and were administered the five drug combinations. On day 14 after the challenge, the morbidity, mortality and cure rate in each group were calculated. The results indicated that SP9-sCP1 presented the lowest morbidity and mortality and the highest cure rate. These results indicate that Solomonseal polysaccharide and sulfated Codonopsis pilosula polysaccharide synergistically resist NDV. Moreover, SP9-sCP1 had the highest efficacy and may be used as a new antiviral drug.

In order to enhance the photodegradation of methyl orange (MO) by ZnO under visible light irradiation, ZnO nanoparticles co-doped with Ag and N and supported on activated carbon (AC) with different properties were synthesized through the sol-gel method. The prepared photocatalysts were characterized in terms of the structure and properties through X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption-desorption, ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, photoluminescence, and electron spin resonance. The photocatalytic activities of these photocatalysts followed the order: Ag-N-ZnO/ACs > Ag-N-ZnO > N, or Ag single-doped ZnO > commercial ZnO. This result was attributed to the small particle size, large surface area, narrow band gap, and high charge separation of Ag-N-ZnO/ACs. The Ag-N-ZnO/coconut husk activated carbon (Ag-N-ZnO/CHAC) exhibited the highest degradation efficiency of 98.82% for MO under visible light irradiation. This outcome was due to the abundant pore structure of Ag-N-ZnO/CHAC, resulting in stronger adsorption than that of other Ag-N-ZnO/ACs. Moreover, the degradation of MO on photocatalysis followed first order kinetics. The reactive species ·OH and ·O2− played more important roles in the photocatalytic degradation of MO over composite photocatalyst. Ag-N-ZnO/CHAC photocatalyst exhibited higher photocatalytic activity than unsupported Ag-N-ZnO after five recycling runs.

The Internet of Things (IoT) represents a bright prospect that a variety of common appliances can connect to one another, as well as with the rest of the Internet, to vastly improve our lives. Unique communication and security challenges have been brought out by the limited hardware, low-complexity, and severe energy constraints of IoT devices. In addition, a severe spectrum scarcity problem has also been stimulated by the use of a large number of IoT devices. In this paper, cognitive IoT (CIoT) is considered where an IoT network works as the secondary system using underlay spectrum sharing. A wireless energy harvesting (EH) node is used as a relay to improve the coverage of an IoT device. However, the relay could be a potential eavesdropper to intercept the IoT device’s messages. This paper considers the problem of secure communication between the IoT device (e.g., sensor) and a destination (e.g., controller) via the wireless EH untrusted relay. Since the destination can be equipped with adequate energy supply, secure schemes based on destination-aided jamming are proposed based on power splitting (PS) and time splitting (TS) policies, called intuitive secure schemes based on PS (Int-PS), precoded secure scheme based on PS (Pre-PS), intuitive secure scheme based on TS (Int-TS) and precoded secure scheme based on TS (Pre-TS), respectively. The secure performances of the proposed schemes are evaluated through the metric of probability of successfully secure transmission ( P S S T ), which represents the probability that the interference constraint of the primary user is satisfied and the secrecy rate is positive. P S S T is analyzed for the proposed secure schemes, and the closed form expressions of P S S T for Pre-PS and Pre-TS are derived and validated through simulation results. Numerical results show that the precoded secure schemes have better P S S T than the intuitive secure schemes under similar power consumption. When the secure schemes based on PS and TS polices have similar P S S T , the average transmit power consumption of the secure scheme based on TS is lower. The influences of power splitting and time slitting ratios are also discussed through simulations.

The garlic polysaccharide was modified by HNO3-Na2SeO3 method according to orthogonal design L9(3(4)) to obtain nine selenizing garlic polysaccharides, sGPS1-sGPS9. Their effects on chicken peripheral lymphocytes proliferation in vitro were compared by MTT assay. The results showed that sGPSs could significantly promote lymphocytes proliferation, sGPS3, sGPS5 and sGPS6 presented stronger efficacy. In vivo experiment, 14-day-old chickens were injected respectively with sGPS3, sGPS5 and sGPS6 when they were vaccinated with ND vaccine taking unmodified GPS as control. The results showed that three sGPSs could significantly promote lymphocyte proliferation, enhance serum antibody titer, IFN-γ and IL-2 contents. These results indicated that selenylation modification could significantly enhance the immune-enhancing activity of GPS, sGPS6 possessed the best efficacy and could be as a candidate drug of immunoenhancer. Its optimal modification conditions were 400 mg of sodium selenite for 500 mg of GPS, reaction temperature of 70°C and reaction time of 6 h.