Young patient with a giant gastric bronchogenic cyst:A case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND Gastric bronchogenic cysts(BCs)are extremely rare cystic masses caused by abnormal development of the respiratory system during the embryonic period.Gastric bronchial cysts are rare lesions that were first reported in 1956;as of 2023,only 33 cases are available in the PubMed online database.BCs usually have no clinical symptoms in the early stage,and imaging findings also lack specificity.Therefore,they are difficult to diagnose before histopathological examination.CASE SUMMARY A 34-year-old woman with respiratory distress presented at our hospital.Endoscopic ultrasound revealed an anechoic mass between the spleen,left kidney and gastric fundus,with hyperechogenic and soft elastography textures and with a size of approximately 6.5 cm×4.0 cm.Furthermore,a computed tomography scan demonstrated high density between the posterior stomach and the spleen and the left kidney,with uniform internal density and a small amount of calcification.The maximum cross section was approximately 10.1 cm×6.1 cm,and the possibility of a cyst was high.Because the imaging findings did not suggest a malignancy and because the patient required complete resection,she underwent laparotomy surgery.Intraoperatively,this cystic lesion was found to be located in the posterior wall of the large curvature of the fundus and was approximately 8 cm×6 cm in size.Finally,the pathologists verified that the cyst in the fundus was a gastric BC.The patient recovered well,her symptoms of chest tightness disappeared,and the abdominal drain was removed on postoperative day 6,after which she was discharged on day 7 for 6 months of follow-up.She had no tumor recurrence or postoperative complications during the follow-up.CONCLUSION This is a valuable report as it describes an extremely rare case of gastric BC.Moreover,this was a very young patient with a large BC in the stomach.

Changes in visual performance after implantation of different intraocular lenses

AIM:To evaluate the trending visual performance of different intraocular lenses(IOLs)over time after implantation.METHODS:Ninety-one patients received cataract surgery with implantations of monofocal(Mon)IOLs,segmental refractive(SegRef)IOLs,diffractive(Dif)IOLs,and extendeddepth-of-focus(EDoF)IOLs were included.The aberrations and optical quality collected with iTrace and OQAS within postoperative 6mo were followed and compared.RESULTS:Most of the visual parameters improved over the postoperative 6mo.The postoperative visual acuity(POVA)of the Mon IOL,SegRef IOL,and EDoF IOL groups achieved relative stability in earlier states compared with the Dif IOL group.Nevertheless,the overall visual performance of the 3 IOLs continued to upturn in small extents within the postoperative 6mo.The optical quality initially improved in the EDoF IOL group,then in the Mon IOL,SegRef IOL,and Dif IOL groups.POVA and objective visual performance of the Mon IOL and EDoF IOL groups,as well as POVA and visual quality of the Dif IOL group,improved in the postoperative 1mo and stabilized.Within the postoperative 6mo,gradual improvements were observed in the visual acuity and objective visual performance of the SegRef IOL group,as well as in the postoperative optical quality of the Dif IOL group.CONCLUSION:The visual performance is different among eyes implanted with different IOLs.The findings of the current study provide a potential reference for ophthalmologists to choose suitable IOLs for cataract patients in a personalized solution.

Development and validation of a prognostic nomogram for colorectal cancer after surgery

BACKGROUND A nomogram is a diagram that aggregates various predictive factors through multivariate regression analysis,which can be used to predict patient outcomes intuitively.Lymph node(LN)metastasis and tumor deposit(TD)conditions are two critical factors that affect the prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer(CRC)after surgery.At present,few effective tools have been established to predict the overall survival(OS)of CRC patients after surgery.AIM To screen out suitable risk factors and to develop a nomogram that predicts the postoperative OS of CRC patients.METHODS Data from a total of 3139 patients diagnosed with CRC who underwent surgical removal of tumors and LN resection from 2010 to 2015 were collected from the Surveillance,Epidemiology,and End Results program.The data were divided into a training set(n=2092)and a validation set(n=1047)at random.The Harrell concordance index(C-index),Akaike information criterion(AIC),and area under the curve(AUC)were used to assess the predictive performance of the N stage from the American Joint Committee Cancer tumor-node-metastasis classification,LN ratio(LNR),and log odds of positive lymph nodes(LODDS).Univariate and multivariate analyses were utilized to screen out the risk factors significantly correlating with OS.The construction of the nomogram was based on Cox regression analysis.The C-index,receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve,and calibration curve were employed to evaluate the discrimination and prediction abilities of the model.The likelihood ratio test was used to compare the sensitivity and specificity of the final model to the model with the N stage alone to evaluate LN metastasis.RESULTS The predictive efficacy of the LODDS was better than that of the LNR based on the C-index,AIC values,and AUC values of the ROC curve.Seven independent predictive factors,namely,race,age at diagnosis,T stage,M stage,LODDS,TD condition,and serum carcinoembryonic antigen level,were included in the nomogram.The C-index of the nomogram for OS prediction was 0.8002(95%CI:0.7839-0.8165)in the training set and 0.7864(95%CI:0.7604-0.8124)in the validation set.The AUC values of the ROC curve predicting the 1-,3-,and 5-year OS were 0.846,0.841,and 0.825,respectively,in the training set and 0.823,0.817,and 0.835,respectively,in the validation test.Great consistency between the predicted and actual observed OS for the 1-,3-,and 5-year OS in the training set and validation set was shown in the calibration curves.The final nomogram showed a better sensitivity and specificity than the nomogram with N stage alone for evaluating LN metastasis in both the training set(-4668.0 vs-4688.3,P<0.001)and the validation set(-1919.5 vs-1919.8,P<0.001)through the likelihood ratio test.CONCLUSION The nomogram incorporating LODDS,TD,and other risk factors showed great predictive accuracy and better sensitivity and specificity and represents a potential tool for therapeutic decision-making.

Mesozoic–Cenozoic stress field magnitude in Sichuan Basin, China and its adjacent areas and the implication on shale gas reservoir: Determination by acoustic emission in rocks

The Sichuan Basin is one of the vital basins in China,boasting abundant hydrocarbon reservoirs.To clarify the intensity of the tectonic stress field of different tectonic episodes since the Mesozoic and to identify the regional dynamic background of different tectonic movements in the Sichuan Basin and its adjacent areas,the characteristics of the acoustic emission in rocks in different strata of these areas were researched in this paper.Meanwhile,the tectonic stress magnitude in these areas since the Mesozoic was restored.The laws state that the tectonic stress varied with depth was revealed,followed by the discussion of the influence of structural stress intensity on structural patterns in different tectonic episodes.These were conducted based on the paleostress measurement by acoustic emission method and the inversion principle of the stress fields in ancient periods and the present,as well as previous research achievements.The results of this paper demonstrate that the third episode of Yanshanian Movement(Yanshanian III)had the maximum activity intensity and tremendously influenced the structural pattern in the study area.The maximum horizontal principal stress of Yanshanian III varied with depth as follows:0.0168 x+37.001(MPa),R^2=0.8891.The regional structural fractures were mainly formed in Yanshanian III in Xujiahe Formation,west Sichuan Basin,of which the maximum paleoprincipal stress ranging from 85.1 MPa to 120.1 MPa.In addition,the law stating the present maximum horizontal principal stress varies with depth was determined to be 0.0159 x+10.221(MPa),R^2=0.7868 in Wuling Mountain area.Meanwhile,it was determined to be 0.0221 x+9.4733(MPa),R^2=0.9121 in the western part of Xuefeng Mountain area and 0.0174 x+10.247(MPa),R^2=0.8064 in the whole study area.These research results will not only provide data for the simulation of stress field,the evaluation of deformation degree,and the prediction of structural fractures,but also offer absolute geological scientific bases for the elevation of favorable shale gas preservation.

睑板腺功能障碍的危险因素研究进展

睑板腺功能障碍(MGD)是一类主要以睑板腺终末导管阻塞和/或睑板腺分泌物质和/或量的改变为特征,从而引起泪膜变化所导致的眼表疾病,其涵盖了包括从先天性到获得性的数种睑板腺疾病。随着临床研究的进展,近年来研究发现与MGD相关的危险因素众多,其中包括眼科疾病、系统性疾病、各种治疗手段(如局部和全身用药、手术治疗等)、环境因素等,均可导致不同类型MGD。因此,正确认识导致MGD的各类危险因素能更有助于MGD的临床诊治。

Purification and characterization of cholecystokinin from the skin of salamander Tylototriton verrucosus

As a group of intestinal hormones and neurotransmitters, cholecystokinins（CCKs） regulate and affect pancreatic enzyme secretion, gastrointestinal motility, pain hypersensitivity, digestion and satiety, and generally contain a DYMGWMDFG sequence at the C-terminus. Many CCKs have been reported in mammals. However, only a few have been reported in amphibians, such as Hyla nigrovittata, Xenopus laevis, and Rana catesbeiana, with none reported in urodele amphibians like newts and salamanders. Here, a CCK called CCK-TV was identified and characterized from the skin of the salamander Tylototriton verrucosus. This CCK contained an amino acid sequence of DYMGWMDF-NH2 as seen in other CCKs. A c DNA encoding the CCK precursor containing 129 amino acid residues was cloned from the c DNA library of T. verrucosus skin. The CCK-TV had the potential to induce the contraction of smooth muscle strips isolated from porcine gallbladder, eliciting contraction at a concentration of 5.0x10-11 mol/L and inducing maximal contraction at a concentration of 2.0x10-6 mol/L. The EC50 was 13.6 nmol/L. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to identify the presence of a CCK in an urodele amphibian.

Thiazoloisoindigo-based Polymer Semiconductors: Synthesis,Structure-Property Relationship, Charge Carrier Polarity, and Field-Effect Transistor Performance

Developing new polymeric semiconductors with excellent device performance is essential for organic electronics. Herein, we synthesized two new thiazoloisoindigo(Tz II)-based polymers, namely, P(Tz II-d Th-d Th) and P(Tz II-d Th-d Tz), by copolymerizing thiophene-flanked Tz II with bithiophene and bithiazole, respectively. Owing to the more electron-deficient nature of bithiazole than bithiophene, P(Tz II-d Th-d Tz)possesses deeper LUMO/HOMO levels of-3.45/-5.47 e V than P(Tz II-d Th-d Th)(-3.34/-5.32 e V). The organic field-effect transistor(OFET) devices based on P(Tz II-d Th-d Th) exhibited p-type behaviors with an average hole mobility value as high as 1.43 cm^(2)·V^(-1)·s^(-1), while P(Tz II-d Th-d Tz)showed typical ambipolar characteristics with average hole and electron mobilities of 0.38 and 0.56 cm^(2)·V^(-1)·s^(-1). In addition, we compared the performances of both polymers with other Tz II-based polymers reported in our previous work, and showed that the charge carrier polarity can be manipulated by adjusting the number of the thiophene units between the acceptor unit. As the increase of the number of thiophene rings,charge carrier polarity shifts from electron-dominated ambipolar transport to hole-dominated ambipolar transport and then to unipolar hole transport in OFETs, which provides an effective molecular design strategy for further optimization of polymer OFET performance.

Output feedback stabilizer design of Boolean networks based on network structure

In genetic regulatory networks,a stable configuration can represent the evolutionary behavior of cell death or unregulated growth in genes.We present analytical investigations on output feedback stabilizer design of Boolean networks(BNs)to achieve global stabilization via the semi-tensor product method.Based on network structure information describing coupling connections among nodes,an output feedback stabilizer is designed to achieve global stabilization.Compared with the traditional pinning control design,the output feedback stabilizer design is not based on the state transition matrix of BNs,which can efficiently determine pinning control nodes and reduce computational complexity.Our proposed method is efficient in that the calculation of the state transition matrix with dimension 2^n×2^n is avoided;here n is the number of nodes in a BN.Finally,a signal transduction network and a D.melanogaster segmentation polarity gene network are presented to show the efficiency of the proposed method.Results are shown to be simple and concise,compared with traditional pinning control for BNs.

Microglia polarization in ischemic stroke:complex mechanisms and therapeutic interventions

Stroke is the second leading cause of death and the third leading contributor to the loss of disability-adjusted life-years.The fatality rate of all stroke patients ranges from 15%to 50%at 1 month to 5 years after stroke.Ischemic stroke is the most common type of stroke and accounts for 87%of all stroke cases.

Intracellular enzyme-activatable prodrug for real-time monitoring of chlorambucil delivery and imaging

Carboxylesterase,a necessary enzyme in various mammalian cells,has been employed in various biological applications.Herein,we designed and synthesized a novel carboxylesterase-based prodrug,which can realize simultaneous drug-release imaging and cancer chemotherapy.This prodrug comprises three parts：coumarin as the fluorophore and the cleavable architecture,chlorambucil as the anticancer drug,and acetyl group as the enzyme-responsive unit.The presence of carboxylesterase leads to the activation of coumarin fluorescence,and this fluorescence serves as the reporting signal for assessing the enzyme level and drug release.Moreover,the prodrug was incorporated in liposome for monitoring drug release and chemotherapeutic effect in living cells.Upon internalization by HeLa cells,the prodrug can release chlorambucil and exhibit high cytotoxicity.This approach may provide some helpful insights for enhancing therapeutic effect and tracking the release of prodrug.

Systematic Discovery and Pathway Analyses of Metabolic Disturbance in COVID-19

Background:The ongoing global coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic is posing a serious public health threat to nations worldwide.Understanding the pathogenesis of the disease and host immune responses will facilitate the discovery of therapeutic targets and better management of infected patients.Metabolomics technology can provide an unbiased tool to explore metabolic perturbation.Methods:Twenty-six healthy controls and 50 COVID-19 patients with mild,moderate,and severe symptoms in the Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital from January 22 to February 16,2020 were recruited into the study.Fasting blood samples were collected and subject to metabolomics analysis by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry.Metabolite abundance was measured by peak area and was log-transformed before statistical analysis.The principal component analysis,different expression analysis,and metabolic pathway analysis were performed using R package.Co-regulated metabolites and their associations with clinical indices were identified by the weighted correlation network analysis and Spearman correlation coefficients.The potential metabolite biomarkers were analyzed using a random forest model.Results:We uncovered over 100 metabolites that were associated with COVID-19 disease and many of them correlated with disease severity.Sets of highly correlated metabolites were identified and their correlations with clinical indices were presented.Further analyses linked the differential metabolites with biochemical reactions,metabolic pathways,and biomedical MeSH terms,offering contextual insights into disease pathogenesis and host responses.Finally,a panel of metabolites was discovered to be able to discriminate COVID-19 patients from healthy controls,and also another list for mild against more severe cases.Our findings showed that in COVID-19 patients,citrate cycle,sphingosine 1-phosphate in sphingolipid metabolism,and steroid hormone biosynthesis were downregulated,while purine metabolism and tryptophan metabolism were disturbed.Conclusion:This study discovered key metabolites as well as their related biological and medical concepts pertaining to COVID-19 pathogenesis and host immune response,which will facilitate the selection of potential biomarkers for prognosis and discovery of therapeutic targets.

Interfacial Improvement of Carbon Fiber/Epoxy Composites by Incorporating Superior and Versatile Multiscale Gradient Modulus Intermediate Layer with Rigid-flexible Hierarchical Structure

In order to enhance the interfacial adhesion of carbon fiber(CF)and polymer matrix,a multiscale gradient modulus intermediate layer with rigid-flexible(GO-PA)hierarchical structure was designed and fabricated between CFs and matrix by a facile and businesslike strategy.The polarity,roughness and wettability of CFs surface as well as the thickness of intermediate layer in composite have been significantly increased after rigid-flexible hierarchical structure was constructed.The IFSS,ILSS,compression and impact toughness manifested that the hierarchical structure could bring about a fantastic improvement(76.8%,46.4%,40.7%and 37.8%)for the interfacial and mechanical properties than other previous reports.Consequently,the establishment of CF surface with gradient modulus rigid-flexible hierarchical structure via regulation of nanoparticles and polymer array would open a new,viable and promising route to obtaining high-performance composites.

Additive effects of warming and grazing on fine-root decomposition and loss of nutrients in an alpine meadow

Fine-root decomposition is a critical process regulating ecosystem carbon cycles and affecting nutrient cycling and soil fertility.However,whether interaction between warming and grazing affects fine-root decomposition is still under-researched in natural grasslands.A two-factorial experiment with asymmetric warming(i.e.daytime vs.nighttime and growing season vs.nongrowing season)and moderate grazing(i.e.about average 50%forage utilization rate)was conducted to explore whether warming and grazing affect fine-root decomposition and loss of nutrients during a 2-year decomposition period in an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau.Both warming and grazing facilitated carbon cycling through increase in fine-root decomposition,and influenced element cycling which varies among elements.The effects of warming and grazing on fine-root decomposition and loss of nutrients were additive.Both warming and grazing significantly increased cumulative percentage mass loss and total organic carbon loss of fine roots during the 2-year experiment.Only warming with grazing treatment reduced percentage nitrogen loss,whereas warming,regardless of grazing,decreased percentage phosphorus loss.Warming and grazing alone increased percentage loss of potassium,sodium,calcium and magnesium compared with control.There were no interactions between warming and grazing on fine-root decomposition and loss of nutrients.There was greater temperature sensitivity of decreased phosphorus loss than that of decreased nitrogen loss.Different temperature sensitivities of percentage loss of nutrients from fine-root decomposition would alter ratios of the available nutrients in soils,and may further affect ecosystem structure and functions in future warming.

Robust Variable Selection and Estimation in Threshold Regression Model

We combine the robust criterion with the lasso penalty together for the high-dimensional threshold model.It estimates regression coefficients as well as the threshold parameter robustly that can be resistant to outliers or heavy-tailed noises and perform variable selection simultaneously.We illustrate our approach with the absolute loss,the Huber’s loss,and the Tukey’s loss,it can also be extended to any other robust losses.Simulation studies are conducted to demonstrate the usefulness of our robust approach.Finally,we use our estimators to investigate the presence of a shift in the effect of debt on future GDP growth.

Thiazole-Flanked Thiazoloisoindigo as a Monomer for Balanced Ambipolar Polymeric Field-effect Transistors

Electron-rich thiophene-flanked thiazoloisoindigo(Th-TzII)has been reported as a building block for ambipolar polymeric field-effect transistors however with preferable hole transport.Here,we report that by using an electron deficient thiazole as the flanked moiety,the corresponding thiazoloisoindigo(Tz-TzII)can still be synthesized,although in a more sinuous way.Theoretical calculation and experimental results demonstrate that Tz-TzII is more electron-deficient than Th-TzII,and the corresponding polymer P(TzII-Tz-T-Tz)exhibits high and balanced hole/electron mobility of 0.70/0.64 cm^(2)·V^(-1)·s^(-1).