Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital leads the establishment of the first National Engineering Research Center in the field of minimally invasive medicine in China

With the rapid development of science and technology,the minimally invasive surgery(MIS)has become a reality.MIS is associated with less pain,a shorter hospital stay and fewer complications.The higher-quality minimally invasive instruments allow the surgeons to perform the surgical interventions efficiently without sacrificing patient safety.Therefore,the academic research,technology development,achievement transformation as well as clinical application of minimally invasive devices is extremely important。

Altered Expression of Nicotinic Receptors in Perinatal Life Related to Prenatal Exposure to Toxics—An Overview of the Research Carried Out on This Topic at the “Lino Rossi” Research Center of the Milan University

The article aims to underline the impact of nicotine and pesticides on neuronal α7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptors expression in brainstem regions receiving cholinergic projections, given their fundamental role during the neuronal development. The in-depth histopathological/immunohistochemical examination of the autonomic nervous system performed at the “Lino Rossi” Research Center of the Milan University on a wide group of sudden unexpected fetal and infant deaths, highlighted the frequent hypodevelopment of brainstem structures checking the vital functions associated to altered expression of α7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and smoke absorption in pregnancy. A dysregulation of the catecholamine system was also observed in the cerebellar cortex of the same cases. However, in a not negligible percentage of sudden deaths with altered expression of α7-nicotinic receptors, the mothers never smoked but lived in rural areas. Specific analytical procedures showed the presence of agricultural pesticides in cerebral cortex samples of these victims. Therefore, it is possible to believe that the exposition to pesticides during pregnancy can produce the same harmful effects as nicotine on the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Moreover, alterations of α7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptors receptor expression were also detected in the lungs of many sudden perinatal death victims, allowing to consider even these findings as possible consequence of maternal exposure to toxic factors.

Optimizing the cancer research landscape for the benefit of patients and society: A strategic perspective of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and its partnerships with university medical centers

This issue of Cancer Biology & Medicine, a premium Chinese international scientific journal in this field, focuses on cooperation between Chinese and German cancer research, particularly between the Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital and the German Cancer Research Center(DKFZ) with its networking partners. This editorial provides a brief overview on DKFZ’s research strategy with a focus on how a national integrated cancer research and care ecosystem is evolving that benefits patients and society.

Introduction of International Research Center on Karst under the Auspices of UNESCO

On December 15,2008,the International Research Center on Karst under the Auspices of UNESCO (hereinafter referred as IRCK)was formally established in Guilin,China.It is also the first category Ⅱ center concerning geosciences.Since its foundation,it has organized 11 international symposia, attracted over 200 foreign scientists from more than 40 countries for academic exchange,and signed 16 international cooperation agreements with 14 countries.It has played an active role for international exchange,set firm foundation for cooperative projects.

Yundi Behavior and Health Research Center Joins Hands with Five Neighboring Countries to Carry out Online Training on COVID-19 Community Prevention and Control

The Belt and Road Initiative has brought rich and diverse possibilities to global cooperation,recommending that countries strengthen multilateral cooperation,help each other,and jointly face and resolve various risks.

WALKING THE TALK AND WALKING THE WALK AT THE WOODS HOLE RESEARCH CENTER: Design and Performance of an Award-Winning Green Headquarters

The Woods Hole Research Center’s mission in“environmental science,policy,and education for a habitable Earth”means it’s important to practice what we preach.A key part of doing that is our very green headquarters—the Center’s Gilman Ordway Campus—on Cape Cod.Designed by the noted green architect Bill McDonough,this state-ofthe-art scientifi c research and offi ce facility demonstrates the successful integration of energy-and resource-conserving design,a ground-source heating and cooling system,and a robust renewable-energy supply.The facility was designed with the express goal of being a zero net-energy building(achieving CO_(2)-neutral operation)and has been instrumented with a whole-facility monitoring system that provides the basis for an on-line educational display system and long-term study of energy performance.The 1793 m2(19,300ft2)facility used 50.7 kWh of electricity per m2 from March 2004–February 2005 of which 16.9 kWh/m2 or 33%was supplied by the rooftop photovoltaic system.Electricity is the only externally supplied source of energy.The incorporation of a 100kW wind turbine now on order will provide the remaining balance of the power used by the facility and a surplus for export to the grid.The building has won numerous awards including selection as one of the American Institute of Architects’2004 Top Ten Green Projects and a fi rst prize in the 2004 Northeast Green Building Awards,and it is listed in the DOE High Performance Buildings Database.

BIOLOGY AND BUILDING—THE LIVING LEARNING CENTER AT WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY’S TYSON RESEARCH CENTER: A Journey on the Path to the Living Building Challenge “In a time of drastic change it is the learners who inherit the future.”-Eric Hoffer

The result of equal parts serendipity,exploration,creativity,and the enduring persistence of a dedicated team of designers and its university client,Washington University’s Living Learning Center,has quickly become a locus of sustainability.It is a deep green place fi lled with fresh air and daylight,an ongoing achievement in zero net waste,zero net water,and zero net energy design,a space that inspires higher learning about the natural world.The Center is also well on its way to certifi cation as the fi rst living building in the world.

The evolution of robotics:research and application progress of dental implant robotic systems

The use of robots to augment human capabilities and assist in work has long been an aspiration.Robotics has been developing since the 1960s when the first industrial robot was introduced.As technology has advanced,robotic-assisted surgery has shown numerous advantages,including more precision,efficiency,minimal invasiveness,and safety than is possible with conventional techniques,which are research hotspots and cutting-edge trends.This article reviewed the history of medical robot development and seminal research papers about current research progress.Taking the autonomous dental implant robotic system as an example,the advantages and prospects of medical robotic systems would be discussed which would provide a reference for future research.

Recent progress in the research on magnesium and magnesium alloy foils:A short review

Magnesium and magnesium alloy foils have great potential for application in battery anodes,electromagnetic shielding,optics and acoustics,and biology because of their excellent specific damping,internal dissipation coefficients,magnetic and electrical conductivities,as well as high theoretical specific capacity.However,magnesium alloys exhibit poor deformation ability due to their hexagonal close-packed crystal structure.Preparing magnesium and magnesium alloy foils with thicknesses of less than 0.1 mm is difficult because of surface oxidation and grain growth at high temperatures or severe anisotropy after cold rolling that leads to cracks.Numerous methods have been applied to prepare magnesium alloy foils.They include warm rolling,cold rolling,accumulative roll bonding,electric plastic rolling,and on-line heating rolling.Defects of magnesium and magnesium alloy foils during preparation,such as edge cracks and breakage,are important factors for consideration.Herein,the current status of the research on magnesium and magnesium alloy foils is summarized from the aspects of foil preparation,defect control,performance characterization,and application prospects.The advantages and disadvantages of different preparation methods and defect(edge cracks and breakage)mechanisms in the preparation of foils are identified.

Exosomal microRNAs in hepatocellular carcinoma,expanding research field

In this editorial we comment on the review by Wang et al published in the recent issue of the World Journal of Gastroenterology in 2023.Small extracellular vesicles(exosomes)play important roles in the tumor microenvironment.In this review,the authors introduce the following points:(1)The composition and function of exosomal microRNAs(miRNAs)of different cell origins in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC);(2)the crosstalk between exosomal miRNAs from stromal cells and immune cells in the tumor microenvironment and the progression of HCC;and(3)the potential applicability of exosomal miRNAs derived from mesenchymal stem cells in the treatment of HCC.In addition,the potential applicability of exosomal miRNAs derived from mesenchymal stem cells in the treatment of HCC was introduced.In this review,the authors give us an overview of the exosomal RNA and summarize the function of exosomal RNA in HCC,which provides a deeper understanding of exosomal miRNAs to the readers.

Current status of early gastric cancer screening research

Gastric cancer is a predominant threat to the health and well-being of China's residents. Data from the World Health Organization(WHO) in 2020 revealed that gastric cancer in China notably accounted for 44.0% of new cases worldwide and 48.6% of global deaths attributed to this malignancy~1.

Nomogram based on liver stiffness and spleen area with ultrasound for posthepatectomy liver failure:A multicenter study

BACKGROUND Liver stiffness(LS)measurement with two-dimensional shear wave elastography(2D-SWE)correlates with the degree of liver fibrosis and thus indirectly reflects liver function reserve.The size of the spleen increases due to tissue proliferation,fibrosis,and portal vein congestion,which can indirectly reflect the situation of liver fibrosis/cirrhosis.It was reported that the size of the spleen was related to posthepatectomy liver failure(PHLF).So far,there has been no study combining 2D-SWE measurements of LS with spleen size to predict PHLF.This prospective study aimed to investigate the utility of 2D-SWE assessing LS and spleen area(SPA)for the prediction of PHLF in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)patients and to develop a risk prediction model.AIM To investigate the utility of 2D-SWE assessing LS and SPA for the prediction of PHLF in HCC patients and to develop a risk prediction model.METHODS This was a multicenter observational study prospectively analyzing patients who underwent hepatectomy from October 2020 to March 2022.Within 1 wk before partial hepatectomy,ultrasound examination was performed to measure LS and SPA,and blood was drawn to evaluate the patient’s liver function and other conditions.Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator logistic regression and multivariate logistic regression analysis was applied to identify independent predictors of PHLF and develop a nomogram.Nomogram performance was validated further.The diagnostic performance of the nomogram was evaluated with receiver operating charac-teristic curve compared with the conventional models,including the model for end-stage liver disease(MELD)score and the albumin-bilirubin(ALBI)score.RESULTS A total of 562 HCC patients undergoing hepatectomy(500 in the training cohort and 62 in the validation cohort)were enrolled in this study.The independent predictors of PHLF were LS,SPA,range of resection,blood loss,international normalized ratio,and total bilirubin.Better diagnostic performance of the nomogram was obtained in the training[area under receiver operating characteristic curve(AUC):0.833;95%confidence interval(95%CI):0.792-0.873;sensitivity:83.1%;specificity:73.5%]and validation(AUC:0.802;95%CI:0.684-0.920;sensitivity:95.5%;specificity:52.5%)cohorts compared with the MELD score and the ALBI score.CONCLUSION This PHLF nomogram,mainly based on LS by 2D-SWE and SPA,was useful in predicting PHLF in HCC patients and presented better than MELD score and ALBI score.

Cancer survival statistics in China 2019-2021:a multicenter,population-based study

Background:A milestone goal of the Healthy China Program(2019-2030)is to achieve 5-year cancer survival at 43.3%for all cancers combined by 2022.To assess the progress towards this target,we analyzed the updated survival for all cancers combined and 25 specific cancer types in China from 2019 to 2021.Methods:We conducted standardized data collection and quality control for cancer registries across 32 provincial-level regions in China,and included 6,410,940 newly diagnosed cancer patients from 281 cancer registries during 2008-2019,with follow-up data on vital status available until December 2021.We estimated the age-standardized 5-year relative survival overall and by site,age group,and period of diagnosis using the International Cancer Survival Standard Weights,and quantified the survival changes to assess the progress in cancer control.Results:In 2019-2021,the age-standardized 5-year relative survival for all cancers combined was 43.7%(95%confidence interval[CI],43.6-43.7).The 5-year relative survival varied by cancer type,ranging from 8.5%(95%CI,8.2-8.7)for pancreatic cancer to 92.9%(95%CI,92.4-93.3)for thyroid cancer.Eight cancers had 5-year survival of over 60%,including cancers of the thyroid,breast,testis,bladder,prostate,kidney,uterus,and cervix.The 5-year relative survival was generally lower in males than in females.From 2008 to 2021,we observed significant survival improvements for cancers of the lung,prostate,bone,uterus,breast,cervix,nasopharynx,larynx,and bladder.The most significant improvement was in lung cancer.Conclusions:Progress in cancer control was evident in China.This highlights the importance of a comprehensive approach to control and prevent cancer.

Big data-driven water research towards metaverse

Although big data is publicly available on water quality parameters,virtual simulation has not yet been adequately adapted in environmental chemistry research.Digital twin is different from conventional geospatial modeling approaches and is particularly useful when systematic laboratory/field experiment is not realistic(e.g.,climate impact and water-related environmental catastrophe)or difficult to design and monitor in a real time(e.g.,pollutant and nutrient cycles in estuaries,soils,and sediments).Data-driven water research could realize early warning and disaster readiness simulations for diverse environmental scenarios,including drinking water contamination.

Review of the Research Status of Practical Superconducting Materials and Their Current Carrying Performance

Superconducting materials hold great potential in high field magnetic applications compared to traditional conductive materials.At present,practical superconducting materials include low-temperature superconductors such as NbTi and Nb3Sn,high-temperature superconductors such as Bi-2212,Bi-2223,YBCO,iron-based superconductors and MgB2.The development of low-temperature superconducting wires started earlier and has now entered the stage of industrialized production,showing obvious advantages in mechanical properties and cost under low temperature and middle-low magnetic field.However,due to the insufficient intrinsic superconducting performance,low-temperature superconductors are unable to exhibit excellent performance at high temperature or high fields.Further improvement of supercurrent carrying performance mainly depends on the enhancement of pinning ability.High-temperature superconductors have greater advantages in high temperature and high field,but many of them are still in the stage of further performance improvement.Many high-temperature superconductors are limited by the deficiency in their polycrystalline structure,and further optimization of intergranular connectivity is required.In addition,it is also necessary to further enhance their pinning ability.The numerous successful application instances of high-temperature superconducting wires and tapes also prove their tremendous potential in electric power applications.

Current progress of research on heat -resistant Mg alloys: A review

With the increasing attention received by lightweight metals,numerous essential fields have increased requirements for mag-nesium(Mg)alloys with good room-temperature and high-temperature mechanical properties.However,the high-temperature mechanic-al properties of commonly used commercial Mg alloys,such as AZ91D,deteriorate considerably with increasing temperatures.Over the past several decades,extensive efforts have been devoted to developing heat-resistant Mg alloys.These approaches either inhibit the gen-eration of thermally unstable phases or promote the formation of thermally stable precipitates/phases in matrices through solid solution or precipitation strengthening.In this review,numerous studies are systematically introduced and discussed.Different alloy systems,includ-ing those based on Mg–Al,Mg–Zn,and Mg–rare earth,are carefully classified and compared to reveal their mechanical properties and strengthening mechanisms.The emphasis,limitations,and future prospects of these heat-resistant Mg alloys are also pointed out and dis-cussed to develop heat-resistant Mg alloys and broaden their potential application areas in the future.

Regression Method for Rail Fastener Tightness Based on Center-Line Projection Distance Feature and Neural Network

In the railway system,fasteners have the functions of damping,maintaining the track distance,and adjusting the track level.Therefore,routine maintenance and inspection of fasteners are important to ensure the safe operation of track lines.Currently,assessment methods for fastener tightness include manual observation,acoustic wave detection,and image detection.There are limitations such as low accuracy and efficiency,easy interference and misjudgment,and a lack of accurate,stable,and fast detection methods.Aiming at the small deformation characteristics and large elastic change of fasteners from full loosening to full tightening,this study proposes high-precision surface-structured light technology for fastener detection and fastener deformation feature extraction based on the center-line projection distance and a fastener tightness regression method based on neural networks.First,the method uses a 3D camera to obtain a fastener point cloud and then segments the elastic rod area based on the iterative closest point algorithm registration.Principal component analysis is used to calculate the normal vector of the segmented elastic rod surface and extract the point on the centerline of the elastic rod.The point is projected onto the upper surface of the bolt to calculate the projection distance.Subsequently,the mapping relationship between the projection distance sequence and fastener tightness is established,and the influence of each parameter on the fastener tightness prediction is analyzed.Finally,by setting up a fastener detection scene in the track experimental base,collecting data,and completing the algorithm verification,the results showed that the deviation between the fastener tightness regression value obtained after the algorithm processing and the actual measured value RMSE was 0.2196 mm,which significantly improved the effect compared with other tightness detection methods,and realized an effective fastener tightness regression.

Research advances of magnesium and magnesium alloys globally in 2023

Magnesium materials have attracted the attention of many researchers,and the related research is expanding.This article summarizes the advance in the research and development of magnesium materials globally in 2023 from bibliometric and scientific perspectives.More than 4680 articles on Mg and its alloys were published and indexed in the Web of Science(WoS)Core Collection database last year.The bibliometric analyses show that the traditional structural Mg alloys,functional Mg materials,and corrosion and protection of Mg alloys are still the main research focus.Therefore,this review paper mainly focuses on the research progress of Mg cast alloys,Mg wrought alloys,bio-magnesium alloys,Mg-based energy storage materials,corrosion and protection of Mg alloys in 2023.In addition,future research directions are proposed based on the challenges and obstacles identified throughout this review.

Impact of microplastics and nanoplastics on liver health:Current understanding and future research directions

With continuous population and economic growth in the 21st century,plastic pollution is a major global issue.However,the health concern of microplastics/nanoplastics(MPs/NPs)decomposed from plastic wastes has drawn public attention only in the recent decade.This article summarizes recent works dedicated to understanding the impact of MPs/NPs on the liver-the largest digestive organ,which is one of the primary routes that MPs/NPs enter human bodies.The interrelated mechanisms including oxidative stress,hepatocyte energy re-distribution,cell death and autophagy,as well as immune responses and inflammation,were also featured.In addition,the disturbance of microbiome and gut-liver axis,and the association with clinical diseases such as metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease,steatohepatitis,liver fibrosis,and cirrhosis were briefly discussed.Finally,we discussed potential directions in regard to this trending topic,highlighted current challenges in research,and proposed possible solutions.

Synthesis of Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Aluminum Hypophosphite Microspheres Flame Retardant and Its Flame Retardant Research on Thermoplastic Polyurethane

Aluminum hypophosphite microspheres(AHP) were synthesized by hydrothermal method using NaH2PO2·H2O and AlCl3·6H2O as raw materials, and then the AHP microspheres were polymerized by surface polymerization of micro-nanospheres with cyclic cross-linked poly(cyclotriphosphazene-co-4,4'-sulfonyldiphenol)(PZS). A new organic-inorganic poly(phosphonitrile)-modified aluminum hypophosphite microspheres(PZS-AHP) were synthesized by encapsulation and applied to flame retardant thermoplastic polyurethane(TPU). The microstructure and chemical composition of the PZS-AHP microsphere were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray spectroscopy. The thermal stability of PZS-AHP microsphere was explored with thermogravimetric analysis. Thermogravimetric data indicate that the PZS-AHP microspheres have excellent thermal stability. The thermal and flame-retarding properties of the TPU composites were evaluated by thermogravimetric(TG), limited oxygen index tests(LOI), and cone calorimeter test(CCT). The TPU composite achieved vertical burning(UL-94) V-0 grade and LOI value reached 29.2% when 10 wt% PZS-AHP was incorporated. Compared with those of pure TPU, the peak heat release rate(pHRR) and total heat release(THR) of TPU/10%PZS-AHP decreased by 82.2% and 42.5%, respectively. The results of CCT indicated that PZS-AHP microsphere could improve the flame retardancy of TPU composites.