Glypican-3 versus alpha-fetoprotein as a biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma: a diagnostic meta-analysis

Objective:To assess the diagnostic accuracy of serum GPC3 versus alpha-fetoprotein(AFP)for HCC by using the method of system review.Methods:PubMed and EMBASE were searched from its inception to 20,April 2014 for studies that compared diagnostic accuracy of serum GPC3 with AFP for HCC.Sensitivity,specificity and other measures were pooled using random-effects models.Summary receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to summarize the overall test performance.Results:Fourteen studies were included in this meta-analysis.Summary estimates for serum GPC3 and AFP in diagnosing HCC were as follows:sensitivity,69%(95%confidence interval(CI),56-80%)vs.60%(95%CI,50-69%);specificity,91%(95%CI,76-97%)vs.92%(95%CI,84-98%);diagnostic odds ratio(DOR),22(95%CI,6-83)vs.18(95%CI,8-41);and area under sROC,0.85(95%CI,0.81-0.88)vs.0.80(95%CI,0.76-0.83).The pooled sensitivity and specificity for(GPC3+AFP)and AFP were:sensitivity 80%(95%CI,75-85%)vs.64%(95%CI,53-73%)and specificity 86%(95%CI,74-93%)vs.96%(95%CI,86-99%).A significant heterogeneity was found among the ten studies,and meta-regression and subgroup meta-analysis suggested that race and assay type were probably responsible for the heterogeneity.Conclusions:Serum GPC3 may be a promising diagnostic marker of HCC and it was helpful for early detection of primary hepatocellular carcinoma when combined with AFP.More studies for specific race of patients,and using certain methods for detecting GPC3 are required to further confirm the diagnostic value of GPC3 for HCC.

Walking of spider on water surface studied from its leg shadows

Different from sculling forward of water striders with their hairy water-repellent legs, water spiders walked very quickly on water surfaces. By using a shadow method, the walking of water spiders had been studied. The three-dimensional trajectories and the supporting forces of water spider legs during walking forward were achieved. Results showed that the leg movement could be divided into three phases： slap, stroke, and retrieve. Employing an effective strategy to improving walking efficiency, the sculling legs supported most of its body weight while other legs were lifted to reduce the lateral water resistance, which was similar to the strategy of water striders. These findings could help guiding the design of water walking robots with high efficiency.

Revealing stepping forces in sub-mg tiny insect walking

Measuring walking forces of small or tiny insects can help the comprehension of their locomotion principles.However,as their size and force are generally too small,walking forces of small insects in sub-mg mass have never been actually measured.In this work,a convenient multi-lens and jelly surface based shadow method was developed for simultaneous multiple walking forces measuring,ranged from nN to mN with a sensitivity of sub-nN/pixel under ambient conditions.Walking force of six legs of a 0.3 mg water treader was demonstrated.The obtained results disclosed a rapid and extending middle leg strategy of water treader in walking forward above a jelly surface.This method is cost-effective and high-resolution,which could be easily used in measuring other tiny forces.

Network-Initialized Monte Carlo Based on Generative Neural Networks

We design generative neural networks that generate Monte Carlo configurations with complete absence of autocorrelation from which only short Markov chains are needed before making measurements for physical observables,irrespective of the system locating at the classical critical point,fermionic Mott insulator,Dirac semimetal,or quantum critical point.We further propose a network-initialized Monte Carlo scheme based on such neural networks,which provides independent samplings and can accelerate the Monte Carlo simulations by significantly reducing the thermalization process.We demonstrate the performance of our approach on the two-dimensional Ising and fermion Hubbard models,expect that it can systematically speed up the Monte Carlo simulations especially for the very challenging many-electron problems.

Insights into the influences of biochar on the fate and transport of pesticides in the soil environment:a critical review

Pesticide misuse and overuse severely pollute agricultural soils,water,and crop yields,harming people and animals.This situation raises serious concerns about environmental pollution on a global scale.As an eco-friendly material for soil remediation,biochar can efficiently immobilize pesticides in the soil.Several studies have focused on the feasibility of biochar in remediating polluted soil.However,its influences during the remediation of pesticide-polluted soils remain indistinct.The present review illuminates the positive and negative influences of biochar on the dissemination of pesticides,the underlying mechanisms,the regulating factors,and critical considerations in the ongoing development of biochar for pesticide use.It also delineates the positive and negative impacts of biochar on pesticides in the soil,evaluates potential pitfalls based on recent research,and offers suggestions for prospective biochar applications crucial for remediating contaminated soil.This review reveals that the fate and types of pesticides,along with the physicochemical properties of soil and biochar types,can significantly influence the remediation of pesticide-polluted soil using biochar.Biochar has the potential to enhance the abundance of certain bacteria and the colonization of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi,both of which play crucial roles in soil remediation.Biochar can also modify soil moisture,microbial communities,and other factors that impact the rate of pesticide degradation while simultaneously reducing other types of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.This review underscores the importance of thoroughly understanding the properties of biochar before its application to polluted soils.This review can serve as a basis for subsequent studies on the biochar-mediated remediation of contaminated soils.

HBB-deficient Macaca fascicularis monkey presents with human β-thalassemia

Dear Editor,β-Thalassemia is a common severe genetic disease caused by mutations in HBB and affects approximately 1.5% of the global population (Origa, 2017). In southern China, the carrier rate of β-thalassemia is as high as 6.43%, creating a high socio-economic burden (Xiong et al., 2010). In adult humans, there are three types of hemoglobin: HbA1 (~97%), HbA2 (~2%) and HbF (~1%). HbA1 (α2β2) is composed of two a-globin and two β-globi n sub units en coded by HBA and HBB, respectively;HbF (α2β2)is made up of two α-globin subunits and two β-globin sub units en coded by HBG. Mutations in the coding region or regulatory region of HBB are involved in β-thalassemia pathogenesis. Except for some rare dominant mutations, most HBB mutations are recessive (Origa, 2017). Depending on the mutation type, the β-globin level will either be reduced or completely depleted, resulting in α-globin accumulation and precipitation. These α-globin precipitates lead to red blood cell death, resulting in anemia and tissue damage, and even death in thalassemia major patients. Blood transfusions can help slow disease progression but lead to iron overload, ultimately resulting in iron toxicity. Bone marrow transfer is the only cure in the clinic and is available only to a small percentage of patients with human leukocyte antigervmatched donors. Recently, gene therapy and gene editing therapy have shown great promise in curing β-thalassemia (Glaser et al., 2015;Thompson et al., 2018). However, no appropriate animal models are available for evaluating the safety and efficacy of such advanced therapeutic strategies in vivo.β-thalassemia mice are the sole animal model available for research. However, substantial differences have been reported between the types and expressi on patter ns of human and mouse globins (McColl and Vadolas, 2016). Moreover, mice contain no fetal globin gene equivalent, and homozygous mutations of HBB in mouse for early models of β-thalassemia major or Cooley anemia are all embryonic lethal (Huo et al., 2009). Recently, significant phenotype and physiology differences have been reported between SIRT6- null mice and the non-human primate model (Zhang et al., 2018). Thus, an appropriate non-human primate model is needed for human β-thalassemia studies and treatments.

Propulsion Principles of Water Striders in Sculling Forward through Shadow Method

Semi-aquatic arthropods skate on water surfaces with synergetic actions of their legs. The sculling forward locomotion of water striders was observed and analyzed in situ to understand and reproduce the abovementioned feature. The bright-edged elliptical shadows of the six legs of a water strider were recorded to derive the supporting force distributions on legs. The propulsion principles of water striders were quantitatively disclosed. A typical sculling forward process was accomplished within approximately 0.15 s. Water striders lifted their heads slightly and supported their weight mainly by the two driving legs to increase the propulsion force and reduce the water resistance during the process. The normalized thrust-area ratio （defined as the ratio of the propulsion force to the projected area） was usually lower than 0.4 after sculling for approximately 0.08 s. The entire normal supporting force remained nearly constant during a stroke to reduce the mass center fluctuation in the normal direction. In addition, water striders could easily control the locomotion direction and speed through the light swinging of the two hind legs as rudders. These sculling principles might inspire sophisticated biomimetic wa- ter-walking robots with high propulsion efficiency in the future.

Robust scalable reversible strong adhesion by gecko-inspired composite design

Bio-inspired reversible adhesion has significant potential in many fields requiring flexible grasping and manipulation,such as precision manufacturing,flexible electronics,and intelligent robotics.Despite extensive efforts for adhesive synthesis with a high adhesion strength at the interface,an effective strategy to actively tune the adhesion capacity between a strong attachment and an easy detachment spanning a wide range of scales has been lagged.Herein,we report a novel soft-hard-soft sandwiched composite design to achieve a stable,repeatable,and reversible strong adhesion with an easily scalable performance for a large area ranging from~1.5 to 150 cm2 and a high load ranging from~20 to 700 N.Theoretical studies indicate that this design can enhance the uniform loading for attachment by restraining the lateral shrinkage in the natural state,while facilitate a flexible peeling for detachment by causing stress concentration in the bending state,yielding an adhesion switching ratio of~54 and a switching time of less than~0.2 s.This design is further integrated into versatile grippers,climbing robots,and human climbing grippers,demonstrating its robust scalability for a reversible strong adhesion.This biomimetic design bridges microscopic interfacial interactions with macroscopic controllable applications,providing a universal and feasible paradigm for adhesion design and control.