FEASIBILITY OF WHOLE BODY DIFFUSION WEIGHTED IMAGING IN DETECTING BONE METASTASIS ON 3.0T MR SCANNER

Objective To evaluate the feasibility of whole body diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) in bone metastasis detection using bone scintigraphy as comparison. Methods Forty-five patients with malignancy history were enrolled in our study. All the patients received the whole body DWI and bone scintigraphy scan within 1 week. The magnetic resonance (MR) examination was performed on 3.0T MR scanner using embedded body coil. The images were reviewed separately by two radiologists and two nuclear medicine physicians, who were blinded to the results of the other imaging modality. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of the two techniques for detecting bone metastasis were analyzed. Results A total of 181 metastatic lesions in 77 regions of 34 patients were detected by whole body DWI, and 167 metastatic lesions in 76 regions of 31 patients were identified by bone scintigraphy. The patient-based sensitivity and PPV of whole body DWI and bone scintigraphy were similar (89.5% vs. 81.6%, 97.1% vs. 91.2%), whereas, the patient-based specificity and NPV of whole body DWI were obviously higher than those of bone scintigraphy (85.7% vs. 57.1%, 60.0% vs. 36.4%). Ten regions negative in scintigraphy but positive in whole body DWI, mainly located in spine, pelvis, and femur; nine regions only detected by scintigraphy, mainly located in skull, sternum, clavicle, and scapula. The region-based sensitivity and specificity of whole body DWI were slightly higher than those of bone scintigraphy (89.5% vs. 88.4%, 95.6% vs. 87.6%). Conclusion Whole body DWI reveals excellent concordance with bone scintigraphy regarding detection of bone metastasis, and the two techniques are complementary for each other.

ASYMPTOTIC BEHAVIOR OF SOLUTION BRANCHES OF NONLOCAL BOUNDARY VALUE PROBLEMS

In this article, by employing an oscillatory condition on the nonlinear term,a result is proved for the existence of connected component of solutions set of a nonlocal boundary value problem, which bifurcates from infinity and asymptotically oscillates over an interval of parameter values. An interesting and immediate consequence of such oscillation property of the connected component is the existence of infinitely many solutions of the nonlinear problem for all parameter values in that interval.

Long-term adoptive immunotherapy achieves complete response and bone lesion repair in an elderly patient with macrofocal multiple myeloma

Managing Editor:Peng Lyu Macrofocal multiple myeloma(MFMM)is a distinct entity within multiple myeloma(MM)characterized by the presence of multiple lytic bone lesions,with clonal plasma cells in the bone marrow accounting for<10%.1,2 The revised 2022 Chinese guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of MM state:in patients with<10%clonal plasma cells in multi-site bone marrow aspirates,attention should be given to MFMM,characterized by single or multiple bone destructive lesions,often accompanied by involvement of surrounding soft tissues or lymph nodes.3 Research is limited regarding the long-term use of adoptive immunotherapy for the treatment of MFMM;as such,we report herein the case of an elderly patient diagnosed with MFMM who experienced severe chemotherapy side effects and subsequently underwent adoptive immunotherapy.Remarkably,the patient benefited from 14 years of treatment[Figure 1A].

钨铜梯度材料热震过程中显微组织及热性能

针对目前W-Cu功能梯度材料(FGM)在长期热震循环过程中的稳定性缺乏相应研究的问题,以化学镀W-10wt%Cu复合粉体和Cu粉为原料,通过叠层压制和常压气氛烧结的工艺制备了W-10wt%Cu/W-20wt%Cu/W-30wt%Cu层状梯度材料。在600℃、800℃、1000℃温度下进行热震试验,对试样在不同热震温度、热震次数下的显微组织和热学性能变化进行了研究。试验结果表明,随着热震温度升高,渗出至试样各梯度层表面的Cu逐渐增加。当热震温度达到1000℃时,试样各梯度层表面出现大量Cu聚集成片的现象,同时在W-20wt%Cu/W-30wt%Cu界面处发现了界面裂纹。随着热震次数的提高,在W-10Cu层中,Cu逐渐渗出表面并在内部留下微孔。此外,W-Cu FGM的热导率随热震次数的增加而减小,在1000℃经过200次热震后,室温热导率由200.54 W·(m·K)^(−1)降至159.23 W·(m·K)^(−1),降低了20.60%。该结果揭示了热震循环中裂纹形成与显微组织变化的耦合失效机制,明确了W-Cu FGM安全服役的范围。

Profile and determinants of delayed care-seeking and diagnosis among patients with imported malaria: a retrospective study in China, 2014–2021

Background: In areas where malaria has been eliminated, delayed care-seeking and diagnosis of imported malaria are constant threats. This study aimed to describe the profile and determinants of delayed care-seeking and diagnosis among patients with imported malaria in China.Methods: This retrospective study assessed surveillance data obtained from 2014 to 2021 in the Chinese provincial-level administrative divisions (PLADs) of Anhui, Henan, Hubei, and Zhejiang, and Guangxi. Epidemiological characteristics were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Furthermore, factors associated with delayed care-seeking and diagnosis among imported malaria cases were identified using multivariate logistic regression.Results: Overall, 11.81% and 30.08% of imported malaria cases had delays in seeking care and diagnosis, respectively. During the study period, there was a decreasing trend in the proportion of imported malaria cases with delayed care-seeking (χ^(2) = 36.099,P < 0.001) and diagnosis (χ^(2) = 11.395,P = 0.001). In multivariate analysis, independent risk factors associated with delayed care-seeking include PLADs (Guangxi as reference), consultations in high-level facilities for the first medical visit, infections with non-Plasmodium falciparum species, and older age. However, PLADs (Guangxi as reference), the purpose of traveling (labour as reference), and infections with non-P. falciparum species increased the risk of delayed diagnosis. Delayed care-seeking (adjusted odds ratio: 1.79,P = 0.001) and diagnosis (adjusted odds ratio: 1.62,P = 0.004) were risk factors for severe disease development.Conclusions: Based on this study’s findings, we strongly advocate for improved access to quality healthcare to reduce the rate of misdiagnosis at the first visit. Infections caused by non-P. falciparum species should be highlighted, and more sensitive and specific point-of-care detection methods for non-P. falciparum species should be developed and implemented. In addition, education programs should be enhanced to reach target populations at risk of malaria infection. All these factors may reduce delayed care-seeking and diagnosis of imported malaria.

Magnetic resonance imaging for non-invasive clinical evaluation of normal and regenerated cartilage

With the development of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine,it is much desired to establish bioimaging techniques to monitor the real-time regeneration efficacy in vivo in a non-invasive way.Herein,we tried magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)to evaluate knee cartilage regeneration after implanting a biomaterial scaffold seeded with chondrocytes,namely,matrix-induced autologous chondrocyte implantation(MACI).After summary of the T2 mapping and the T1-related delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI imaging of cartilage(dGEMRIC)in vitro and in vivo in the literature,these two MRI techniques were tried clinically.In this study,18 patients were followed up for 1 year.It was found that there was a significant difference between the regeneration site and the neighboring normal site(control),and the difference gradually diminished with regeneration time up to 1 year according to both the quantitative T1 and T2 MRI methods.We further established the correlation between the quantitative evaluation of MRI and the clinical Lysholm scores for the first time.Hence,the MRI technique was confirmed to be a feasible semiquantitative yet non-invasive way to evaluate the in vivo regeneration of knee articular cartilage.

Importance of storage time in mesophilic anaerobic digestion of food waste

Storage was used as a pretreatment to enhance the methanization performance of mesophilic anaerobic digestion of food waste. Food wastes were separately stored for 0, 1,2, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 12 days, and then fed into a methanogenic reactor for a biochemical methane potential（BMP） test lasting up to 60 days. Relative to the methane production of food waste stored for 0–1 day（285–308 m L/g-added volatile solids（VSadded））, that after2–4 days and after 5–12 days of storage increased to 418–530 and 618–696 m L/g-VSadded,respectively. The efficiency of hydrolysis and acidification of pre-stored food waste in the methanization reactors increased with storage time. The characteristics of stored waste suggest that methane production was not correlated with the total hydrolysis efficiency of organics in pre-stored food waste but was positively correlated with the storage time and acidification level of the waste. From the results, we recommend 5–7 days of storage of food waste in anaerobic digestion treatment plants.

Langmuir-Blodgett Films of C_(60)-end-capped Poly(ethylene oxide)

Buckyballs(C_(60)) are linked to one end and two ends of linear poly(ethylene oxide)(PEO) chains through highly efficient click chemistry to obtain giant amphiphilic molecules C_(60)-PEO and C_(60)-PEO-C_(60), respectively. C_(60)-PEO and C_(60)-PEO-C_(60) molecules are spread on water surface and then transferred to solid substrates with Langmuir-Blodgett(LB) film deposition approach. C_(60)-PEO and C_(60)-PEO-C_(60) exhibit fractal growth behavior on the solid substrate under certain conditions owing to the crystallization ability of PEO segment. PEO chain length and the end capped mode both affect the fractal growth pattern.

Surveillance and Response to Imported Malaria During the COVID-19 Epidemic—Anhui Province,China,2019–2021

Summary What is already known about this topic?China was certified malaria-free on June 30,2021.However,imported malaria continuously threatens the effort to prevent re-establishment of malaria in China.What is added by this report?Measures such as international travel restrictions,entry quarantine,and screening in fever clinics during the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)period were associated with a significant decrease of imported malaria cases in Anhui Province,a higher proportion of non-Plasmodium falciparum(non-P.falciparum)malaria reported infections,and a higher proportion of cases requiring medical attention at their initial visit.What are the implications for public health practices?It is necessary to be vigilant about imported malaria during the COVID-19 epidemic,especially for non-P.falciparum infections which are more difficult to detect,and to promote research,development,and introduction of more sensitive and specific point-ofcare detection methods for non-P.falciparum species.

Room-temperature ferromagnetism enhancement in Fe-doped VSe2nanosheets synthesized by a chemical method

Two-dimensional(2 D)few-layerVSe_(2),V_(1-x)Fe_(x)Se_(2) nanosheets have been synthesized by a hightemperature organic solution-phase method. The thickness of VSe_(2) nanosheets can be tuned from 12 to 5 layers by decreasing the precursor concentrations. The few-layer VSe_(2) nanosheets show the room-temperature ferromagnetism. The coercivity and magnetization reach 0.024 T and 0.036 mA·m^(2)·g^(-1) at room temperature. The chargedensity wave behavior is also confirmed in VSe_(2) by the hysteresis loops and zero-field-cooling curve. V_(1-x)Fe_(x)Se_(2) nanosheets can be obtained by doping Fe(acac)3 in the reaction process. The room-temperature coercivity and magnetization of V_(0.8)Fe_(0.2)Se_(2) nanosheets are 5 times higher than those of the pure VSe_(2) nanosheets without destroying the structures. The enhancement of magnetization is due to the coupling interaction of 3 d orbits between V and Fe atoms. Higher Fe concentration is beneficial to improve the coercivity, which is attributed to the formation of the second phase Fe3 Se4. This simple chemical preparation method can be extended to prepare the other 2 D materials.

Quantitatively relating magnetic resonance T_(1)and T_(2)to glycosaminoglycan and collagen concentrations mediated by penetrated contrast agents and biomacromolecule-bound water

Magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)is a promising non-invasive method to assess cartilage regeneration based on the quantitative relationship between MRI features and concentrations of the major components in the extracellular matrix(ECM).To this end,in vitro experiments are performed to investigate the relationship and reveal the underlying mechanism.A series of collagen(COL)and glycosaminoglycan(GAG)solutions at different concentrations are prepared,and T_(1)and T_(2)relaxation times are measured with or without a contrast agent(Gd-DTPA2−)by MRI.Fourier transform infrared spectrometry is also used to measure the contents of biomacromolecule-bound water and other water,allowing theoretical derivation of the relationship between biomacromolecules and the resulting T_(2)values.It has been revealed that the MRI signal in the biomacromolecule aqueous systems is mainly influenced by the protons in hydrogens of biomacromolecule-bound water,which we divide into inner-bound water and outer-bound water.We have also found that COL results in higher sensitivity of bound water than GAG in T_(2)mapping.Owing to the charge effect,GAG regulates the penetration of the contrast agent during dialysis and has a more significant effect on T_(1)values than COL.Considering that COL and GAG are the most abundant biomacromolecules in the cartilage,this study is particularly useful for the real-time MRI-guided assessment of cartilage regeneration.A clinical case is reported as an in vivo demonstration,which is consistent with our in vitro results.The established quantitative relation plays a critical academic role in establishing an international standard ISO/TS24560-1:2022‘Clinical evaluation of regenerative knee articular cartilage using delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage(dGEMRIC)and T_(2)mapping’drafted by us and approved by International Standard Organization.

Seasonal malaria chemoprevention in Africa and China's upgraded role as a contributor:a scoping review

Background Children under five are the vulnerable population most at risk of being infected with Plasmodium para-sites,especially in the Sahel region.Seasonal malaria chemoprevention(SMC)recommended by World Health Organi-zation(WHO),has proven to be a highly effective intervention to prevent malaria.Given more deaths reported during the COVID-19 pandemic than in previous years due to the disruptions to essential medical services,it is,therefore,necessary to seek a more coordinated and integrated approach to increasing the pace,coverage and resilience of SMC.Towards this end,fully leverage the resources of major players in the global fight against malaria,such as China could accelerate the SMC process in Africa.Methods We searched PubMed,MEDLINE,Web of Science,and Embase for research articles and the Institutional Repository for Information Sharing of WHO for reports on SMC.We used gap analysis to investigate the challenges and gaps of SMC since COVID-19.Through the above methods to explore China's prospective contribution to SMC.Results A total of 68 research articles and reports were found.Through gap analysis,we found that despite the delays in the SMC campaign,11.8 milion children received SMC in 2020.However,there remained some challenges:(1)a shortage of fully covered monthly courses;(2)lack of adherence to the second and third doses of amodiaquine;(3)four courses of SMC are not sufficient to cover the entire malaria transmission season in areas where the peak transmission lasts longer;(4)additional interventions are needed to consolidate SMC efforts.China was certified malaria-free by WHO in 2021,and its experience and expertise in malaria elimination can be shared with high-burden countries.With the potential to join the multilateral cooperation in SMC,including the supply of quality-assured health commodities,know-how transfer and experience sharing,China is expected to contribute to the ongoing Scale-up of SMC.Conclusions A combination of necessary preventive and curative activities may prove beneficial both for targeted populations and for health system strengthening in the long run.More actions are entailed to promote the partner-ship and China can be one of the main contributors with various roles.

Fractal Growth of Giant Amphiphiles in Langmuir-Blodgett Films

Fractal structures have attracted considerable scientific interest,and fractal geometry is an effective tool to study the complicated structure and dynamic processes,such as dilation symmetry of disorder structure,percolation,gelation,and metal-insulator transition.Here,we summarized our findings of fractal growth of giant amphiphiles in Langmuir-Blodgett(LB)film.Giant amphiphiles composed of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes(POSS)derivatives and poly(ethylene oxide)(PEO),with structural diversities of POSS head modification,POSS head number,PEO chain length,are precisely synthesized.The effect of molecular structures and operation parameters on the fractal growth patterns are discussed,in addition,other fractal growth patterns in LB films and in Langmuir films are included,aiming to understand the basic molecular principle of fractal growth in LB system.

Effect of Metformin-Induced Stimulation on the Expression of Insulin Receptor Substrate 1 through Negative Regulation of P70S6k

Objective:The aim is to study the effects of metformin on the expression of 70 kDa ribosomal protein S6 kinase(P70S6k),insulin receptor substrate 1(IRS-1),and IRS-1Ser307 phosphorylation in human luteinized granulosa cells.Methods:Granulosa cells in the experimental group were cultured in M199 medium containing 0.1 mmol/L metformin for 24 h and those in control group were cultured in M199 medium.The expression levels of P70S6k and IRS-1 mRNA were detected by reverse-transcriptiom polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR)and real-time PCR.P70S6k,IRS-1,p-ser307-IRS-1,and p-thr389-P70S6k protein expression levels were detected by immunofluorescence and western blotting.Results:P70S6k mRNA level was higher and IRS-1 was significantly lower in the experimental group than those in the control group.IRS-1 and p-ser307-IRS-1 were expressed in cell plasma,and P70S6k and p-thr389-P70S6k were expressed in cell nucleus.The results of Western blot analysis indicated that the expression levels of P70S6k,p-thr389-P70S6k,IRS-1,and p-ser307-IRS-1 proteins had significant difference between the experimental group and the control group.Compared to the control group,the relative intensity illustrated that the expression levels of P70S6K and p-thr389-P70S6k significantly increased in the experimental group;however,those of IRS-1 and p-ser307-IRS-1 proteins significantly decreased.Conclusion:Metformin can inhibit the P70S6k mRNA and protein expression levels in the granulosa cells and improve insulin sensitivity by regulating IRS-1 expression through Akt/P70S6k/IRS-1-dependent pathway.

Conserved hypothetical BB0462 protein enhances the transcription activity of oppAV promoter

Borrelia burgdorferi BB0462 ORF encodes an unknown functional protein with 110 amino acids.A BLAST search in protein databases and the secondary structure being predicted by the program JUFO showed that the conserved hypothetical BB0462 protein was similar to the members of the YbaB protein family in both amino acid composition and protein structure.The co-transformation of BB0462 ORF and oppA upstream regulation DNA into E.coli host cells and β-galactosidase activity assay demonstrated that the BB0462 protein enhanced the transcriptional activity of the oppAV promoter,but does not affect those of oppAI,II,III and IV promoters.Analysis of DNA retardation and competitive repression also confirmed that the BB0462 protein bound to the 409 bp upstream regulation DNA fragment close to the initiation codon of the oppAV gene.All data in our study suggested that the BB0462 protein was involved in the transcriptional regulation of the oppAV gene.

Ultrasensitive liquid level sensor based on slice-shaped composite long period fiber grating

In this paper,a novel liquid level sensor with ultra-high sensitivity is proposed.The proposed sensor is configured by a sliceshaped composite long period fiber grating(SSC-LPFG).The SSC-LPFG is prepared by polishing two opposite sides of a composite multimode-single-mode-multimode fiber structure using a CO;laser.The method improves the sensitivity of the sensor to external environment.Based on the simulation calculation,a liquid level sensor with a length of 3 mm is designed.The experimental transmission spectrum agrees well with the simulation result.The experimental results show that the sensitivity reaches 7080 pm/mm in the liquid level range of 0-1400 μm in water.The temperature sensitivity is24.52 pm/℃ in the range of 20℃-90℃.Due to the ultra-high sensitivity,good linearity,and compact structure,the SSC-LPFG has potential application in the field of high-Drecision liquid level measurement.