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Abstract Background Prostate cancer (PCa) represents a significant health challenge for men, and the advancement of the disease often results in a grave prognosis for patients. Therefore, the identification of biomarkers associated with the diagnosis and prognosis of PCa holds paramount importance in patient health management. Methods The datasets pertaining to PCa were retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was conducted to investigate the modules specifically associated with the diagnosis of PCa. The hub genes were identified using the LASSO regression analysis. The expression levels of these hub genes were further validated by qRT-PCR experiments. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and nomograms were employed as evaluative measures for assessing the diagnostic value. Results The blue module identified by WGCNA exhibited a strong association with PCa. Six hub genes (SLC14A1, COL4A6, MYOF, FLRT3, KRT15, and LAMB3) were identified by LASSO regression analysis. Further verification confirmed that these six genes were significantly downregulated in tumor tissues and cells. The six hub genes and the nomogram demonstrated substantial diagnostic value, with area under the curve (AUC) values ranging from 0.754 to 0.961. Moreover, patients with low expression levels of these six genes exhibited elevated T/N pathological stage and Gleason score, implying a more advanced disease state. Meanwhile, their progression-free survival (PFS) was observed to be potentially poorer. Finally, a significant association could be observed between the expression of these genes and the dysregulation of immune cells, along with drug sensitivity. Conclusions In summary, our study identified six hub genes, namely SLC14A1, COL4A6, MYOF, FLRT3, KRT15, and LAMB3, which can be utilized to establish a diagnostic model for PCa. The discovery may offer potential molecular targets for clinical diagnosis and treatment of PCa.

Abstract Face reshaping aims to adjust the shape of a face in a portrait image to make the face aesthetically beautiful, which has many potential applications. Existing methods 1) operate on the pre-defined facial landmarks, leading to artifacts and distortions due to the limited number of landmarks, 2) synthesize new faces based on segmentation masks or sketches, causing generated faces to look dissatisfied due to the losses of skin details and difficulties in dealing with hair and background blurring, and 3) project the positions of the deformed feature points from the 3D face model to the 2D image, making the results unrealistic because of the misalignment between feature points. In this paper, we propose a novel method named face shape transfer (FST) via semantic warping, which can transfer both the overall face and individual components (e.g., eyes, nose, and mouth) of a reference image to the source image. To achieve controllability at the component level, we introduce five encoding networks, which are designed to learn feature embedding specific to different face components. To effectively exploit the features obtained from semantic parsing maps at different scales, we employ a straightforward method of directly connecting all layers within the global dense network. This direct connection facilitates maximum information flow between layers, efficiently utilizing diverse scale semantic parsing information. To avoid deformation artifacts, we introduce a spatial transformer network, allowing the network to handle different types of semantic warping effectively. To facilitate extensive evaluation, we construct a large-scale high-resolution face dataset, which contains 14,000 images with a resolution of 1024 × 1024. Superior performance of our method is demonstrated by qualitative and quantitative experiments on the benchmark dataset.

Abstract Background Prostate cancer (PCa) stands as the second most prevalent malignancy impacting male health, and the disease’s evolutionary course presents formidable challenges in the context of patient treatment and prognostic management. Charged multivesicular body protein 4 C (CHMP4C) participates in the development of several cancers by regulating cell cycle functions. However, the role of CHMP4C in prostate cancer remains unclear. Methods In terms of bioinformatics, multiple PCa datasets were employed to scrutinize the expression of CHMP4C. Survival analysis coupled with a nomogram approach was employed to probe into the prognostic significance of CHMP4C. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was conducted to interrogate the functional implications of CHMP4C. In terms of cellular experimentation, the verification of RNA and protein expression levels was executed through the utilization of qRT-PCR and Western blotting. Upon the establishment of a cell line featuring stable CHMP4C knockdown, a battery of assays, including Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), wound healing, Transwell, and flow cytometry, were employed to discern the impact of CHMP4C on the proliferation, migration, invasion, and cell cycle function of PCa cells. Results The expression of CHMP4C exhibited upregulation in both PCa cells and tissues, and patients demonstrating elevated CHMP4C expression levels experienced a notably inferior prognosis. The nomogram, constructed using CHMP4C along with clinicopathological features, demonstrated a commendable capacity for prognostic prediction. CHMP4C knockdown significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of PCa cells (LNcaP and PC3). CHMP4C could impact the advancement of the PCa cell cycle, and its expression might be regulated by berberine. Divergent CHMP4C expression among PCa patients could induce alterations in immune cell infiltration and gene mutation frequency. Conclusions Our findings suggest that CHMP4C might be a prognostic biomarker in PCa, potentially offering novel perspectives for the advancement of precision therapy for PCa.

Summary: The association between anti-obesity medications (AOMs) as well as their weight-loss effects and cardiovascular outcomes need to be comprehensively investigated. We searched PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Center Register of Controlled Trials for Studies, and Clinicaltrial.gov website from the inception to April 2024 and included 129 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of AOMs. When compared with placebo, every 5 kg weight reduction mediated by AOMs was associated with the reduced risks of 3-point major adverse cardiovascular events (relative risk [RR] 0.72, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.60–0.85), myocardial infarction (RR 0.75, 95% CI 0.60–0.95), stroke (RR 0.60, 95% CI 0.42–0.85), and heart failure (RR 0.71, 95% CI 0.54–0.95). As for glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA)-users, similar cardiovascular benefits were also observed with 5 kg weight loss. This study indicated that the weight reductions mediated by AOMs were associated with cardiovascular benefits observed in AOM-users.

Therapeutics for eradicating hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection are still limited and current nucleos(t)ide analogs (NAs) and interferon are effective in controlling viral replication and improving liver health, but they cannot completely eradicate the hepatitis B virus and only a very small number of patients are cured of it. The TCR-like antibodies recognizing viral peptides presented on human leukocyte antigens (HLA) provide possible tools for targeting and eliminating HBV-infected hepatocytes. Here, we generated three TCR-like antibodies targeting three different HLA-A2.1-presented peptides derived from HBV core and surface proteins. Bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) were developed by fuzing variable fragments of these TCR-like mAbs with an anti-CD3ϵ antibody. Our data demonstrate that the BsAbs could act as T cell engagers, effectively redirecting and activating T cells to target HBV-infected hepatocytes in vitro and in vivo. In HBV-persistent mice expressing human HLA-A2.1, two infusions of BsAbs induced marked and sustained suppression in serum HBsAg levels and also reduced the numbers of HBV-positive hepatocytes. These findings highlighted the therapeutic potential of TCR-like BsAbs as a new strategy to cure hepatitis B.

Abstract Aims Whether sodium‐glucose co‐transporter 2 inhibitors are effective for heart failure caused by ATTR‐CA (transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis) remains uncertain. The aim of this study is to investigate the cardiovascular prognosis in ATTR‐CA mice model with dapagliflozin treatment. Methods and results Humanized RBP4/TTRVal50Met and RBP4/TTR mice models were constructed with clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats and associated Cas9 endonuclease (CRISPR‐Cas9) techniques and multiple generations breeding. A total of 6 RBP4/TTR mice received placebo treatment, when 12 RBP4/TTRVal50Met received dapagliflozin (1 mg/kg/day, 6 mice) and placebo (6 mice) treatment. Fasting glucose, intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test, and plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) concentration were measured at Day 0, Week 2, and Week 4. BNP, transforming growth factor‐beta (TGF‐β), collagen type I alpha 1 (COL1A1) protein levels, and Cola1, TGFβ1, TNFα, IL‐1β, BNP relative quantities in cardiac, along with cardiac pathology examination including right ventricular collagen percentage, ventricular septum thickness, left ventricular wall thickness, and left ventricular internal diameter were measured at Week 4 after treatment procedure. All 18 mice completed the experiment. The baseline characteristics were balanced among three treatment groups. In placebo‐treated mice, the cardiac BNP relative quantity was significantly higher in RBP4/TTRVal50Met mice than RBP4/TTR mice (RBP4[KI/KI], TTR [KI/KI]: 0.72 ± 0.46, RBP4[KI/KI], TTRVal50Met[KI/KI]: 1.44 ± 0.60, P = 0.043), indicating more significant heart failure progression in ATTR‐CA mice than normal mice. In ATTR‐CA mice, the cardiovascular prognosis measurements including heart failure (plasma BNP concentration and relative quantities of BNP), cardiac inflammation (relative quantities of Cola1, TGFβ1, TNFα, and IL‐1β), and pathological changes (right ventricular collagen percentage, ventricular septum thickness, left ventricular wall thickness, and left ventricular internal diameter) were statistically comparable between those under dapagliflozin and placebo treatment. Conclusions Dapagliflozin did not improve cardiovascular prognosis including the progression of heart failure, cardiac inflammation, and pathological changes in ATTR‐CA mice compared with placebo. The results of this study were not in support of dapagliflozin's therapeutic effects for ATTR‐CA. More pre‐clinical and clinical researches to validate these findings and demonstrate the underlying mechanisms are still required.

Abstract Cytidine triphosphate (CTP), as a substance involved in the metabolism of phospholipids, proteins and nucleic acids, has precise drug effects and is a direct precursor for the synthesis of drugs such as citicoline. In this study, we established an in vitro six-enzyme cascade system to generate CTP. To avoid thermodynamic bottlenecks, we employed a circuitous and two-stage reaction strategy. Using cytidine as the key substrate, the final product CTP is obtained via the deamination and uridine phosphorylation pathways, relying on the irreversible reaction of cytidine triphosphate synthase to catalyze the amination of uridine triphosphate. Several extremophilic microbial-derived deaminases were screened and characterized, and a suitable cytidine deaminase was selected to match the first-stage reaction conditions. In addition, directed evolution modification of the rate-limiting enzyme CTP synthetase in the pathway yielded a variant that successfully relieved the product feedback inhibition, along with a 1.7-fold increase in activity over the wild type. After optimizing the reaction conditions, we finally carried out the catalytic reaction at an initial cytidine concentration of 20 mM, and the yield of CTP exceeded 82% within 10.0 h. Graphical Abstract

Background/Objectives: Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is one of the most common liver disorders associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome, and poses a significant global health burden with limited effective treatments. The aim of this study was to assess the protective effects of mulberry twig alkaloids (SZ-A) on MAFLD and to further investigate the underlying mechanisms including the specific targets or pathways. Methods: Diet-induced obesity (DIO) and normal mouse models were established by feeding C57Bl/6J mice with a high-fat diet (HFD) or common diet for 12 weeks. SZ-A, dapagliflozin, and placebo were administered to corresponding mouse groups for 8 weeks. Data of fasting blood glucose, glucose tolerance, insulin tolerance, and the body weight of mice were collected at the baseline and termination of the experiment. Serum liver enzymes and lipids were measured by ELISA. Western blotting, qPCR, and pathological section staining were implemented to evaluate the degrees of liver steatosis, fibrosis, and oxidative stress in mice. Results: In DIO mouse models, high-dose SZ-A (800 mg/kg/d) treatment significantly inhibited HFD-induced weight gain, improved insulin tolerance, and reduced serum alanine aminotransferase, total cholesterol, and triglyceride levels compared with placebo. In DIO mice, SZ-A could alleviate the pathological changes of hepatic steatosis and fibrosis compared with placebo. Lipid catabolism and antioxidant stress-related proteins were significantly increased in the livers of the high-dose SZ-A group (p < 0.05). Inhibition of PGC1α could inhibit the function of SZ-A to enhance lipid metabolism in hepatocytes. PGC1α might interact with NRF2 to exert MAFLD-remedying effects. Conclusions: By regulating the expression of PGC1α and its interacting KEAP1/NRF2 pathway in mouse liver cells, SZ-A played important roles in regulating lipid metabolism, inhibiting oxidative stress, and postponing liver fibrosis in mice with MAFLD.

Prostate cancer (PCa), the most prevalent epithelial malignant neoplasm in the male group globally, is the fifth largest cause of cancer-related death in males. ZW10 Interactor (ZWINT) is involved in the chromosome segregation process, which is linked to the formation of several tumor cells. However, its function in PCa remains unknown. Therefore, our aim was to explore the potential mechanisms of ZWINT in PCa progression. We obtained RNA-seq as well as clinical data from The Cancer Genome Atlas Program (TCGA), University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) database. Assessment of ZWINT expression in clinical subgroups, immune infiltration, and prognostic relevance using the R program. Search Tool for Recurring Instances of Neighbouring Genes (STRING) tool was applied to construct a ZWINT co-expression network and the potential biological functions involved in differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were investigated by enrichment analysis. ZWINT was upregulated in prostate cancer tissues and showed to be significantly associated with T stage, N stages, Gleason score (GS), and prognosis of prostate cancer patients. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that ZWINT-related genes were mainly related to cell cycle, meiosis, myogenic fiber synthesis, and muscle contraction. In addition, High-expression of ZWINT may have possessed immunosuppressive effects through adverse regulation of several immune cells and factors. ZWINT is overexpressed in prostate cancer and correlated with immune infiltration, which is expected to be a potential biomarker for PCa prognosis.

Upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is a relatively rare malignant neoplasm of the urinary system. Due to its highly aggressiveness, the tumor has already undergone invasive growth when most UTUC patients are diagnosed. In addition, the most common cause of fever in cancer patients is infection, and cancer patients with neoplastic fever are relatively rare. We reported a 58-year-old man with invasive high-grade UTUC accompanied by hyperthermia.

A series of styrene-butadiene di-block copolymers with high cis-1,4 unit content (greater than 92%) polybutadiene (PB) and isotactic-rich polystyrene (PS) (mmmm > 65%) was synthesized using α-diimine nickel catalysts (Ni-diimine). Four different Ni-diimine catalysts were synthesized via a complexing reaction between nickel (II) naphthenate and laboratory-made α-diimine ligands L1, L2, L3 and L4, which have different steric volume structures. The results indicate that the Ni-diimine catalyst prepared using the L4 ligand with a higher steric volume can effectively initiate the block polymerization of butadiene and styrene, and the resulting polymer has distinguished cis-1,4 structure unit PB and high isotactic-selective PS block. Differential scanning calorimetry and electrochemical performance tests show that these block copolymers with cis-1,4-regulated and isotactic-selective polymerization have advantages in terms of high-temperature and low-temperature resistance as well as corrosion resistance. Therefore, these copolymers are expected to be widely used in some harsh industrial environments.

Ectopic hepatocellular carcinoma (EHCC) originates from the ectopic liver, which refers to a liver organ or tissue unrelated to surrounding tissues. EHCC is a rare disease that lacks specific clinical signs, and preoperative diagnosis is often difficult. In a 61-year-old male patient with positive hepatitis B virus antibody, abdominal contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan showed a large heterogenously enhancing mass both on arterial and portal venous phase imaging arising from the right adrenal gland. Similar enhancement features were seen on magnetic resonance imaging. Serum potassium, aldosterone, cortisol, and plasma metanephrines were normal. The tumor markers of serum alpha-fetoprotein and alpha-fetoprotein-L3% were increased to 23.69 ng/mL and 82.1%, respectively. Exploratory laparotomy was performed and operative findings showed that the retroperitoneal tumor was disconnected from the right kidney and the liver, but invaded the right adrenal gland. Immunohistochemical examination showed that Arginase-1 was positive expression, and the retroperitoneal tumor was finally diagnosed as EHCC. We report a rare EHCC with adrenal infiltration that is difficult to diagnose preoperatively and mimics a retroperitoneal tumor or adrenal tumor, and we present a review of the literature on EHCC case reports.

Summary: Background: Curbing or reversing high glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and body mass index (BMI) are two essential parts in the clinical management of type 2 diabetes (T2D). We delineated the changing patterns of the baseline HbA1c and BMI in patients with T2D from placebo-controlled randomised trials to reflect the unmet clinical needs. Methods: PubMed, Medline, Embase and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) databases were searched from inception to December 19, 2022. Placebo-controlled trials of T2D with reports of baseline HbA1c and BMI were included, of which summary data from published reports were extracted. Pooled effect sizes of baseline HbA1c and BMI of from studies published in the same year were computed in Random-effects model due to the high level of heterogeneity among studies. The main outcome was correlations between the pooled baseline HbA1c, the pooled baseline BMI, and study years. This study was registered in PROSPERO as CRD42022350482. Findings: We identified 6102 studies, of which 427 placebo-controlled trials with 261, 462 participants were finally included in the study. Baseline HbA1c level declined with time (Rs = −0.665, P ＜ 0.0001, I2 = 99.4%). Baseline BMI increased over the past 35 years (R = 0.464, P = 0.0074, I2 = 99.4%), rising by around 0.70 kg/m2 per decade. Patients with BMI ≤25.0 kg/m2 dropped substantially from the half in 1996 to none in 2022. Patients with BMI ranging from 25 kg/m2 to 30 kg/m2 stabilized at 30–40% since 2000. Interpretation: A substantial decline in baseline HbA1c levels and a constant increase in baseline BMI levels was found in placebo-controlled trials through the past 35 years, which indicated the improvement in glycemic control and the urgency for the management of obesity in T2D. Funding: National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.81970698), Beijing Natural Science Foundation (No.7202216) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.81970708).

According to the guidelines, transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) followed by intravesical therapy remains the standard strategy for the management of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). However, even if patients receive standard strategy, the risk of postoperative recurrence and progression is high. From the clinical perspective, the standard strategy needs to be optimized and improved. Compared to conventional TURBT, the technique of en bloc resection of bladder tumor (ERBT) removes the tumor tissue in one piece, thus following the principles of cancer surgery. Meanwhile, the integrity and spatial orientation of tumor tissue is protected during the operation, which is helpful for pathologists to make accurate histopathological analysis. Then, urologists can make a postoperative individualized treatment plan based on the patient’s clinical characteristics and histopathological results. To date, there is no strong evidence that NMIBC patients treated with ERBT achieve better oncological prognosis, which indicates that ERBT alone does not yet improve patient outcomes. With the development of enhanced imaging technology and proteogenomics technology, en bloc resection combined with these technologies will make it possible to achieve precise diagnosis and treatment of bladder cancer. In this review, the authors analyze the current existing shortcomings of en bloc resection and points out its future direction, in order to promote continuous optimization of the management strategy of bladder cancer.

Abstract Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) acts as a crucial energy currency in vivo, and it is a widely used energy and/or phosphate donor for enzyme-catalyzed reactions in vitro. In this study, we established an in vitro multi-enzyme cascade system for ATP production. Using adenosine and inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) as key substrates, we combined adenosine kinase and two functionally distinct polyphosphate kinases (PPKs) in a one-pot reaction to achieve chain-like ATP regeneration and production. Several sources of PPK were screened and characterized, and two suitable PPKs were selected to achieve high rates of ATP production. Among these, Sulfurovum lithotrophicum PPK (SlPPK) exhibited excellent activity over a wide pH range (pH 4.0–9.0) and synthesized ATP from ADP using short-chain polyP. Furthermore, it had a half-life > 155.6 h at 45 °C. After optimizing the reaction conditions, we finally carried out the coupling-catalyzed reaction with different initial adenosine concentrations of 10, 20, and 30 mM. The highest yields of ATP were 76.0, 70.5, and 61.3%, respectively. Graphical Abstract

Background: Pyroptosis is a form of programmed cell death accompanied by specific inflammatory and immune responses, and it is closely related to the occurrence and progression of various cancers. However, the roles of pyroptosis-related genes (PRGs) in the prognosis, treatment response, and tumor microenvironment (TME) of prostate cancer (PCa) remain to be investigated.Methods: The mRNA expression data and clinical information of PCa patients were obtained from the Cancer Genome Atlas database (TCGA) and the cBioPortal for Cancer Genomics website, and the 52 PRGs were obtained from the published papers. The univariate, multivariate, and LASSO Cox regression algorithms were used to obtain prognostic hub PRGs. Meanwhile, qRT-PCR was used to validate the expression of hub genes between PCa lines and normal prostate epithelial cell lines. We then constructed and validated a risk model associated with the patient’s disease-free survival (DFS). Finally, the relationships between risk score and clinicopathological characteristics, tumor immune microenvironment, and drug treatment response of PCa were systematically analyzed.Results: A prognostic risk model was constructed with 6 hub PRGs (CHMP4C, GSDMB, NOD2, PLCG1, CYCS, GPX4), and patients were divided into high and low-risk groups by median risk score. The risk score was confirmed to be an independent prognostic factor for PCa in both the training and external validation sets. Patients in the high-risk group had a worse prognosis than those in the low-risk group, and they had more increased somatic mutations, higher immune cell infiltration and higher expression of immune checkpoint-related genes. Moreover, they were more sensitive to cell cycle-related chemotherapeutic drugs and might be more responsive to immunotherapy.Conclusion: In our study, pyroptosis played a significant role in the management of the prognosis and tumor microenvironment of PCa. Meanwhile, the established model might help to develop more effective individual treatment strategies.

BackgroundIndocyanine green (ICG) imaging-guided lymphadenectomy has been introduced in gastric cancer (GC) surgery and its clinical value remains controversial. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of ICG fluorescence imaging-guided lymphadenectomy in radical gastrectomy for GC.MethodsStudies comparing lymphadenectomy in radical gastrectomy between use and non-use of ICG fluorescence imaging up to July 2022 were systematically searched from PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and Cochrane Library. A pooled analysis was performed for the available data regarding the baseline features, the number of retrieved lymph nodes (LNs), the number of metastatic LNs and surgical outcomes as well as oncological outcomes. RevMan 5.3 software was used to perform the statistical analysis. Quality evaluation and publication bias were also conducted.Results17 studies with a total of 2274 patients (1186 in the ICG group and 1088 in the control group) undergoing radical gastrectomy and lymphadenectomy were included. In the pooled analysis, the baseline features were basically comparable. However, the number of retrieved LNs in the ICG group was significantly more than that in the control group (MD = 7.41, 95% CI = 5.44 to 9.37, P < 0.00001). No significant difference was found between the ICG and control groups in terms of metastatic LNs (MD = -0.05, 95% CI = -0.25 to 0.16, P = 0.65). In addition, the use of ICG could reduce intraoperative blood loss (MD = -17.96, 95% CI = -27.89 to -8.04, P = 0.0004) without increasing operative time (P = 0.14) and overall complications (P = 0.10). In terms of oncological outcomes, the use of ICG could reduce the overall recurrence rate (OR = 0.50; 95% CI 0.28-0.89; P = 0.02) but could not increase the 2-year overall survival rate (OR = 1.25; 95% CI 0.72-2.18; P = 0.43).ConclusionsICG imaging-guided lymphadenectomy is valuable for complete LNs dissection in radical gastrectomy for GC. However, more high-quality randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm this benefit.

BackgroundThe optimal surgical approach, whether transabdominal (TA) or transthoracic (TT), for Siewert type II adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction (AEG) remains controversial. This study compares the efficacy of TA and TT surgical approaches for Siewert type II AEG.MethodsStudies comparing the surgical and oncological outcomes of TA and TT surgical approaches for Siewert type II AEG up to June 2021 were systematically searched on the Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library. A pooled analysis was performed for the available data regarding the baseline features, surgical, and oncological outcomes. The RevMan 5.3 software was used to perform the statistical analysis. Quality evaluation and publication bias were also conducted.ResultsTwelve studies with a total of 2,011 patients, including 985 patients in the TA group and 1,026 patients in the TT group, were included in this study. In the pooled analysis, the surgical outcomes, namely, operative time (MD = −54.61, 95% CI = −123.76 to 14.54, P = 0.12), intraoperative blood loss (MD = −28.85, 95% CI = −71.15 to 13.46, P = 0.18), the number of dissected lymph nodes (MD = 1.90, 95% CI = −1.32 to 5.12, P = 0.25), postoperative complications (OR = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.65 to 1.07, p = 0.16), anastomotic leakage rate (OR = 1.02, 95% CI = 0.63 to 1.65, p = 0.93), and postoperative death rate (OR = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.46 to 1.72, p = 0.73), and the oncological outcomes, namely, overall recurrence rate (OR = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.37 to 1.50, p = 0.41), 3-year overall survival (OS) rate (OR = 1.19, 95% CI = 0.54 to 2.65, p = 0.66), and 5-year OS rate (OR = 1.21, 95% CI = 0.84 to 1.74, p = 0.30) of the two groups were all comparable.ConclusionsBoth TA and TT surgical approaches are appropriate for Siewert type II AEG, and neither has a significant advantage in terms of short- and long-term outcomes. However, more high-quality randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm this conclusion.

The exploration of hydrocarbon resources plays a critical role in fulfilling the world’s increasing demand for energy. In this regard, the distribution and source rock characteristics of coal measure stratum in the whole basin are important and must be studied. However, systematic research has not been conducted yet. In this study, organic geochemical data, drilling data, and fieldwork were used to examine the source rock distribution of the Upper Paleozoic stratum. The results revealed that Upper Paleozoic coal-bearing rock series are mostly present in the Benxi, Taiyuan, and Shanxi formations, and mudstones and coals are formed frequently in tidal flat deposits. The layers of the coal and mudstone are primarily thick on the western sides, eastern sides, and northern sides, thin in the middle region, and gradually thinner from north to south. The source rocks are mostly enriched in the east and west of the basin. The results of the Rock-Eval pyrolysis analysis indicated that the overwhelming majority of the coal comprises excellent source rocks, all limestones are poor source rocks, and most mudstones are good–excellent source rocks. The kerogen type of most of the rock samples is type Ⅲ, suggesting typical “gas source” kerogen. Humus is derived from terrestrial organism and aquatic algae remnants, indicating a diversified parent material input. These results evidence that studied source rocks are at the postmature-dry gas stage.

BackgroundComplete omentectomy is considered to be essential in the radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer (GC), but its clinical benefit remains unclear. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of omentum-preserving gastrectomy (OPG) for patients with GC.MethodsStudies comparing the surgical and oncological outcomes of OPG and gastrectomy with complete omentectomy (GCO) for GC up to March 2021 were systematically searched from PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library. A pooled analysis was performed for the available data regarding the baseline features, surgical and oncological outcomes. The RevMan 5.3 software was used to perform the statistical analysis. Quality evaluation and publication bias were also conducted.ResultsNine studies with a total of 3335 patients (1372 in the OPG group and 1963 in the GCO group) undergoing gastrectomy were included. In the pooled analysis, the baseline data in two groups were all comparable (p > 0.05). However, the OPG group was associated with shorter operative time (MD = −18.67, 95% CI = −31.42 to −5.91, P = 0.004) and less intraoperative blood loss (MD = −38.09, 95% CI = −53.78 to −22.41, P < 0.00001) than the GCO group. However, the number of dissected lymph nodes (MD = 2.16, 95% CI = −0.61 to 4.93, P = 0.13), postoperative complications (OR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.74 to 1.15, p = 0.47), overall recurrence rate (OR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.66 to 1.06, p = 0.14), peritoneal recurrence rate (OR = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.65 to 1.29, p = 0.60), 3-year relapse-free survival (RFS) rate (OR = 1.40, 95% CI = 0.86 to 2.27, p = 0.18), and 5-year RFS rate (OR = 1.21, 95% CI = 0.95 to 1.55, p = 0.12) of the two groups were comparable.ConclusionsOPG might be an oncologically safe procedure with better surgical outcomes for patients with GC than GCO. However, high-quality randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm this benefit.

When the tunnel boring machine (TBM) construction method is used to build tunnels, if the type of TBM is not appropriate, problems, such as low construction efficiency and increased construction cost, will easily occur. Therefore, it is necessary to build a TBM selection decision-making model to guide TBM selection. In this paper, seven evaluation indexes are selected according to engineering experience and expert suggestions, and the quantitative standards of each index are unified. The modified analytic hierarchy process (MAHP) method is used to determine the weight of each evaluation index. The technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS) method is adopted as the decision-making method of TBM selection. Finally, a TBM selection decision-making model is proposed based on the above methods. In order to verify the reliability of the TBM selection decision-making model proposed in this paper, we selected three projects for case verification and compared them with the previous TBM selection methods. The results show that the decision-making results of the method proposed in this paper are good. Additionally, the method proposed in this paper is more comprehensive and accurate than the previous methods. The model proposed in this paper can provide better suggestions for TBM selection in the project planning stage.

When a TBM carries out tunnelling in complex strata, there is often low tunnelling efficiency and an increase in tunnelling costs due to the improper selection of tunnelling parameters, the wrong estimation of geological conditions, or adverse geology, so it is necessary to evaluate the tunnelling adaptability of TBM construction. In this paper, based on hydraulic engineering in Xinjiang, 11 evaluation indexes of TBM tunnelling adaptability are determined by comprehensively considering the influence of tunnelling parameters, geological conditions, and adverse geological factors on TBM tunnelling adaptability. After that, the membership function of each evaluation index is determined by referring to the existing research results and fuzzy mathematics method, and the weight of each evaluation index is determined and adjusted by the analytic hierarchy process (AHP)–entropy weight (EW) method. Finally, the adaptability evaluation method and evaluation model of TBM tunnelling are put forward. The TBM tunnelling adaptability evaluation model proposed in this paper is verified by relying on the actual situation of three interval tunnels in the project, and good effects are obtained. This study can provide a reference for the evaluation of TBM tunnelling adaptability in similar strata.

With over 1 billion tons of food waste generated annually, there is potential for the waste to be re-purposed. The generation of products from food-industry waste not only reduces the environmental burden of the materials but gives a new value to waste. A common waste material from the food industry is chicken feathers (ChF), a by-product of the chicken meat processing industry. In this work, ChF were subjected to slow pyrolysis at varying temperatures. A complete analysis was completed to determine the yield, ash, chemical composition and morphology of the samples. X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that lower temperature samples were more amorphous, whereas higher temperature samples exhibited more graphitic content. After characterization, the biocarbon was combined with poly(lactic acid) (PLA) to generate sustainable 100% biobased composites. Both composites had moduli that were more than 115% greater than that of the neat polymer. The success of the composites demonstrated that ChF biocarbon can be used as a sustainable and cost effective filler. The use of this material gives new purpose to a waste product and contributes to the goal of sustainable product development.

With the intensive development of China’s high-speed railway network and intercity railway network, the construction of the large-diameter shield tunnels and cross-passages is gradually increasing. The construction of large diameter shield tunnels and the excavation of cross-passages puts forward higher requirements for the stability and safety of segment structure. Based on the Wangjing tunnel project, this paper studies the segment displacement and mechanical response of the shield tunnel with a diameter of 10.5 m in the process of shield construction and cross-passage construction. The results show that during the construction of large diameter shield tunnels, the vault and invert produce inward displacement, the invert uplift usually is more severe than the vault settlement, and the arch waist on both sides produces outward displacement. Near the segment K (capping block), the mechanical performance of the segment is close to that of the hinge or chain rod, which can only effectively transmit the axial force but cannot resist the bending moment and shear force. During construction of the cross-passage, the maximum deformation and stress of shield tunnel segment are symmetrically located at the interface of the main tunnel and cross-passage. The upper and lower edges of the segment at the interface tend to change from compression to tension. At the same time, the steel bars on the inside and outside of the segment vault and the arch waist change from compressive stress to tensile stress, which can easily lead to segment damage, so these positions can be reinforced by erecting section steel frames before construction.

Miscanthus biocarbon (MB), a renewable resource-based, carbon-rich material, was melt-processed with poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) to produce sustainable biocomposites. The addition of the biocarbon improved the Young’s modulus of PHBV from 3.6 to 5.2 GPa at 30 wt % filler loading. An increase in flexural modulus, up to 48%, was also observed. On the other hand, the strength, elongation-at-break and impact strength decreased. Morphological study of the impact-fractured surfaces showed weak interaction at the interface and the existence of voids and agglomerates, especially with high filler contents. The thermal stability of the PHBV/MB composites was slightly reduced compared with the neat PHBV. The biocarbon particles were not found to have a nucleating effect on the polymer. The degradation of PHBV and the formation of unstable imperfect crystals were revealed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis. Higher filler contents resulted in reduced crystallinity, indicating more pronounced effect on polymer chain mobility restriction. With the addition of 30 wt % biocarbon, the heat deflection temperature (HDT) became 13 degrees higher and the coefficient of linear thermal expansion (CLTE) decreased from 100.6 to 75.6 μm/(m·°C), desired improvement for practical applications.

Underwater wireless sensor network (UWSN) features many unique characteristics, including slow propagation speed, high end-to-end delay, low available bandwidth, variable link quality, and energy constraint. All these problems pose a big challenge to devise a transmission efficient, energy-saving, and low delay routing protocol for UWSNs. In this paper we devise a relative distance based forwarding (RDBF) routing protocol, which aims to provide transmission efficient, energy-saving, and low delay routing. We utilize a fitness factor to measure and judge the degree of appropriateness for a node to forward the packets. Under the limitations of the fitness factor, RDBF can confine the scope of the candidate forwarders and find the beneficial relays to forward packets. In this way, only a small fraction of nodes are involved in forwarding process, which can distinctly reduce the energy consumption. Moreover, using only the selected beneficial nodes as forwarders can both enhance the transmission efficiency and reduce the end-to-end delay. This is because the distances of these nodes to the sink are the shortest and the hop counts of routing paths consisted by these nodes are minimum. We use the ns-2 based simulator to conduct our experiment; the results show that RDBF performs better in terms of packet delivery ratio, end-to-end delay, and energy efficiency.

Degeneracy and symmetry have a profound relation in quantum systems. Here, we report gate-tunable subband degeneracy in PbTe nanowires with a nearly symmetric cross-sectional shape. The degeneracy is revealed in electron transport by the absence of a quantized plateau. Utilizing a dual gate design, we can apply an electric field to lift the degeneracy, reflected as emergence of the plateau. This degeneracy and its tunable lifting were challenging to observe in previous nanowire experiments, possibly due to disorder. Numerical simulations can qualitatively capture our observation, shedding light on device parameters for future applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blind Face Super-Resolution (BFSR) has recently gained widespread attention, which aims to super-resolve Low-Resolution (LR) face images with complex unknown degradation to High-Resolution (HR) face images. However, existing BFSR methods suffer from two major limitations. First, most of them are trained on synthetic degradation data pairs with pre-defined degradation models, which leads to poor performance due to the degradation mismatch between other unknown complex degradations in real-world scenarios. Second, some methods rely on hand-crafted face priors as constraints, such as facial landmarks and parsing maps, which require additional callouts and laborious hyperparameter tuning for real cases. To tackle these issues, we propose a simple and effective self-supervised cooperative learning framework via a conditional diffusion contraction method for BFSR, dubbed DifBFSR, which establishes the posterior distribution of HR images from degraded LR images with unknown degradation via a powerful diffusion model without expensive supervised training or additional constraint design. Specifically, we first transform the degraded LR face image to an intermediate HR face prediction with degradation-invariant by a simple Super-Resolution module (SRM), which only relies on self-supervised optimization. To enhance the face pre- diction, we propose a Contraction Filter Module (CFM) to gradually contract the restoration error by adaptive dynamic filtering, which efficiently leverages rich nature face prior encapsulated in the pre-trained diffusion model through conditional posterior sampling. Finally, by combining the SRM, CFM, and diffusion model in a self-supervised cooperative learning framework, DifBFSR can robustly handle unknown complex degradations, which favorably avoids the cumbersome training and parameter tuning. Extensive qualitative and quantitative experiments on complex degraded synthetic and real-world datasets show that our method outperforms state-of-the-art BFSR methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The boundary element method (BEM) is a popular method for solving acoustic wave propagation problems, especially those in exterior domains, owing to its ease in handling radiation conditions at infinity. However, BEM models must meet the requirement of 6-10 elements per wavelength, using the conventional constant, linear, or quadratic elements. Therefore, a large storage size of memory and long solution time are often needed in solving higher-frequency problems. In this work, we propose two new types of enriched elements based on conventional constant boundary elements to improve the computational efficiency of the 2D acoustic BEM. The first one uses a plane wave expansion, which can be used to model scattering problems. The second one uses a special plane wave expansion, which can be used to model radiation problems. Five examples are investigated to show the advantages of the enriched elements. Compared with the conventional constant elements, the new enriched elements can deliver results with the same accuracy and in less computational time. This improvement in the computational efficiency is more evident at higher frequencies (with the nondimensional wave numbers exceeding 100). The paper concludes with the potential of our proposed enriched elements and plans for their further improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]