Establishment of a prognosis predictive model for liver cancer based on expression of genes involved in the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway

BACKGROUND The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway(UPP)has been proven to play important roles in cancer.AIM To investigate the prognostic significance of genes involved in the UPP and develop a predictive model for liver cancer based on the expression of these genes.METHODS In this study,UPP-related E1,E2,E3,deubiquitylating enzyme,and proteasome gene sets were obtained from the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)database,aiming to screen the prognostic genes using univariate and multivariate regression analysis and develop a prognosis predictive model based RESULTS Five genes(including autophagy related 10,proteasome 20S subunit alpha 8,proteasome 20S subunit beta 2,ubiquitin specific peptidase 17 like family member 2,and ubiquitin specific peptidase 8)were proven significantly correlated with prognosis and used to develop a prognosis predictive model for liver cancer.Among training,validation,and Gene Expression Omnibus sets,the overall survival differed significantly between the high-risk and low-risk groups.The expression of the five genes was significantly associated with immunocyte infiltration,tumor stage,and postoperative recurrence.A total of 111 differentially expressed genes(DEGs)were identified between the high-risk and low-risk groups and they were enriched in 20 and 5 gene ontology and KEGG pathways.Cell division cycle 20,Kelch repeat and BTB domain containing 11,and DDB1 and CUL4 associated factor 4 like 2 were the DEGs in the E3 gene set that correlated with survival.CONCLUSION We have constructed a prognosis predictive model in patients with liver cancer,which contains five genes that associate with immunocyte infiltration,tumor stage,and postoperative recurrence.

Hepatic MR imaging using IDEAL-IQ sequence:Will Gd-EOB-DTPA interfere with reproductivity of fat fraction quantification?

BACKGROUND Iterative decomposition of water and fat with echo asymmetry and least squares estimation quantification sequence(IDEAL-IQ)is based on chemical shift-based water and fat separation technique to get proton density fat fraction.Multiple studies have shown that using IDEAL-IQ to test the stability and repeatability of liver fat is acceptable and has high accuracy.AIM To explore whether Gadoxetate Disodium(Gd-EOB-DTPA)interferes with the measurement of the hepatic fat content quantified with the IDEAL-IQ and to evaluate the robustness of this technique.METHODS IDEAL-IQ was used to quantify the liver fat content at 3.0T in 65 patients injected with Gd-EOB-DTPA contrast.After injection,IDEAL-IQ was estimated four times,and the fat fraction(FF)and R2* were measured at the following time points:Precontrast,between the portal phase(70 s)and the late phase(180 s),the delayed phase(5 min)and the hepatobiliary phase(20 min).One-way repeated-measures analysis was conducted to evaluate the difference in the FFs between the four time points.Bland-Altman plots were adopted to assess the FF changes before and after injection of the contrast agent.P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.RESULTS The assessment of the FF at the four time points in the liver,spleen and spine showed no significant differences,and the measurements of hepatic FF yielded good consistency between T1 and T2[95%confidence interval:-0.6768%,0.6658%],T1 and T3(-0.3900%,0.3178%),and T1 and T4(-0.3750%,0.2825%).R2* of the liver,spleen and spine increased significantly after injection(P<0.0001).CONCLUSION Using the IDEAL-IQ sequence to measure the FF,we can obtain results that will not be affected by Gd-EOB-DTPA.The high reproducibility of the IDEAL-IQ sequence makes it available in the scanning interval to save time during multiphase examinations.

上消化道异物的特点及其并发症的危险因素分析

目的总结上消化道异物的临床特点并分析其所致并发症的危险因素。方法回顾性分析该院上消化道异物患者的临床资料,研究其并发症发生的危险因素。结果 (1)上消化道异物的类型以枣核多见,异物最常见的部位为食管上段;(2)通过Logistic回归分析得出上消化道异物所致并发症的危险因素为:异物存在的时间≥12 h(OR=9.04,95%CI:2.91~28.04;P=0.000)及边缘锐利(OR=7.95,95%CI:2.09~30.21;P=0.002)。结论异物存在的时间≥12 h及其边缘锐利是上消化道异物导致并发症的危险因素。

免充喉罩与气管内插管用于全身麻醉下经气管镜超声引导针吸活检的临床研究

目的探讨免充喉罩与气管插管用于全身麻醉下经气管镜超声引导针吸活检(EBUS-TBNA)对患者围手术期血流动力学、气道峰压、麻醉恢复时间及围手术期不良反应的影响。方法选择全身麻醉下行EBUS-TBNA的患者64例,随机分为喉罩组(L组,n=32)和气管插管组(T组,n=32)。观察两组患者麻醉诱导前(T_(0))、诱导后插入喉罩/气管导管前(T_(1))、诱导后插入喉罩/气管导管后即刻(T_(2))、超声支气管镜置入即刻(T_(3))、针吸活检时(T_(4))、拔管即刻(T_(5))和拔管后10 min(T_(6))的血流动力力学变化;记录插入免充喉罩/气管插管后(P_(1))、活检镜置入后(P_(2))和拔出活检镜后(P_(3))的气道峰压;记录两组患者呼吸恢复时间、清醒拔管时间、阿片类药物和顺式阿曲库铵使用量;比较两组患者围手术期不良反应发生率。结果T组T_(2)和T_(5)时点收缩压(SBP)、舒张压(DBP)和心率(HR)均明显高于L组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05);在P_(2)时点,T组气道峰压明显高于L组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05);L组呼吸恢复时间与清醒拔管时间均短于T组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05);T组瑞芬太尼使用量大于L组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05);T组拔管躁动发生率高于L组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论与气管插管相比,免充喉罩应用于全身麻醉下EBUS-TBNA,可维持血流动力学平稳,缩短麻醉恢复时间,是围手术期较为安全可行的麻醉管理方式。

水平角膜直径和前房直径与睫状沟直径的相关性研究

目的:探讨水平角膜直径(WTW)、水平前房直径(HACD)与水平睫状沟直径(S-S)间的相关性和影响因素。方法:回顾性研究。收集我院2015-08/2016-08高度近视患者62例115眼,用SIRIUS眼前节分析系统测量WTW和HACD,UBM测量S-S,对比分析测量结果。结果:所有患者中,WTW为11.91±0.37mm,HACD为12.45±0.43mm,S-S为11.78±0.46mm;且HACD和S-S与年龄呈负相关(r=-0.423、-0.386,均P<0.05);与中央前房深度(ACD)的相关性比较:ACD≤3.5mm组中WTW、HACD与S-S有相关性;ACD>3.5mm组中WTW、HACD与S-S无明显相关关系。结论:(1)WTW与S-S相关性更好,受年龄、前房深度影响,患者年龄≥40岁或ACD>3.5mm时建议参照UBM测量S-S对ICL型号进行确定;(2)SIRIUS测量的WTW、HACD安全、简单、重复性好。

Ligustrazine monomer against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury

Ligustrazine （2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine） is a major active ingredient of the Szechwan lovage rhizome and is extensively used in treatment of ischemic cerebrovascular disease. The mecha- nism of action of ligustrazine use against ischemic cerebrovascular diseases remains unclear at present. This study summarizes its protective effect, the optimum time window of administra- tion, and the most effective mode of administration for clinical treatment of cerebral ischemia/ reperfusion injury. We examine the effects of ligustrazine on suppressing excitatory amino acid release, promoting migration, differentiation and proliferation of endogenous neural stem cells. We also looked at its effects on angiogenesis and how it inhibits thrombosis, the inflammatory response, and apoptosis after cerebral ischemia. We consider that ligustrazine gives noticeable protection from cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. The time window of ligustrazine admin- istration is limited. The protective effect and time window of a series of derivative monomers of ligustrazine such as 2-[（1,1-dimethylethyl）oxidoimino]methyl]-3,5,6-trimethylpyrazine, CXC137 and CXC 195 after cerebral ischemia were better than ligustrazine.

Eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis in East Asians

Chronic rhinosinusitis(CRS) is a common disease worldwide, with a prevalence rate of 5%-15% in the general population. CRS is currently classified into two types: CRS with and without nasal polyps. CRS may also be divided into eosinophilic CRS(ECRS) and non-ECRS subtypes based on the presence of tissue eosinophilic infiltration or not. There are significant geographic and ethnic differences in the tissue eosinophilic infiltration, which is predominant in Western white patients and less common in East Asians, despite an increasing tendency for its prevalence in East Asia countries. ECRS differs significantly from non-ECRS in clinical characteristics, treatment outcomes and strategies, and underlying pathogenic mechanisms. ECRS commonly demonstrates more severe symptoms, polyp diseases with a higher incidence of bilateral polyps and sinonasal diseases on computed tomography, and the increase in blood eosinophils. ECRS is considered a special and recalcitrant subtype of CRS, commonly with poor treatment outcomes compared to non-ECRS. The differentiation of specific subtypes and clinical features of CRS will be important for developing novel treatment strategies and improving treatment outcomes for individual phenotypes of CRS. This review discusses clinical features, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of ECRS in East Asians.

Optimal design of pressure vessel using an improved genetic algorithm

As the idea of simulated annealing (SA) is introduced into the fitness function, an improved genetic algorithm (GA) is proposed to perform the optimal design of a pressure vessel which aims to attain the minimum weight under burst pressure con- straint. The actual burst pressure is calculated using the arc-length and restart analysis in finite element analysis (FEA). A penalty function in the fitness function is proposed to deal with the constrained problem. The effects of the population size and the number of generations in the GA on the weight and burst pressure of the vessel are explored. The optimization results using the proposed GA are also compared with those using the simple GA and the conventional Monte Carlo method.

EGFR gene copy number as a predictive biomarker for resistance to anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies in metastatic colorectal cancer treatment:a meta-analysis

Objective：The epidermal growth factor receptor （EGFR） inhibitors monoclonal antibodies （MoAbs） have already shown the therapeutic effectiveness in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer （mCRC）.But many patients resist to the treatment.The aim of this meta-analysis was to assess EGFR gene copy number （GCN） as a candidate predictive biomarker for resistance to anti-EGFR MoAbs in mCRC treatment.Methods：Systematic computerized searches of the PubMed,EMBase and Cochrane Library were performed.The primary endpoint was objective response rate （ORR）.The second endpoints included progression-free survival （PFS）,and overall survival （OS）.The pooled odd ratio （OR） and pooled sensitivity,specificity,and summary receiver operator characteristic （SROC） for ORR were estimated.The pooled hazard ratios （HR） for PFS and OS were also calculated.Results：Fourteen studies with 1,021 patients were included.Increased EGFR GCN was associated with increased ORR （OR=6.905; 95％ CI：4.489-10.620）.It was also found in wild-type KRAS mCRC patients,with the pooled OR of 8.133 （95 ％ CI：4.316-15.326）.GCN has medium value for predicting ORR,with the pooled sensitivity of 0.79 （95％ CI：0.73-0.84）,the pooled specificity of 0.59 （95％ CI：0.55-0.62）.In wildtype KRAS mCRC patients,the sensitivity and the specificity were 0.80 （95％ CI：0.70-0.87） and 0.60 （95％CI：0.53-0.66）,respectively.Increased EGFR GCN was associated with increased PFS （HR=0.557; 95％ CI：0.382-0.732） and OS （HR=0.579; 95％ CI：0.422-0.737）.Conclusions：This meta-analysis suggests that EGFR GCN represents a predictive biomarker for tumor response in mCRC patients treated with MoAbs regardless of KRAS mutation.mCRC patients with increased EGFR GCN are more likely to have a better response,PFS,and OS when treated with cetuximab or panitumumab.

Anterior cervical corpectomy decompression and fusion for cervical kyphosis in a girl with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome:A case report

BACKGROUND Spinal deformities in Ehlers-Danlos syndrome(EDS; type VI) are generally progressive and severe. Surgical treatment has been described for kyphoscoliosis in the thoracolumbar spine. However, there are few studies describing the consequences of an anterior approach in cervical kyphosis. An anterior approach may not be able to fully decompress the spinal canal and restore the normal curvature of the cervical spine. Therefore, the anterior approach for cervical kyphosis in young children is hard. We describe the first case in an EDS girl with cervical kyphosis who received satisfactory anterior cervical corpectomy decompression and fusion.CASE SUMMARY The chief complaints of a 16-year-old girl with EDS were double upper limb weakness for 7 years and double lower limb walking instability for 2 years.Moreover, the imaging results revealed that the degree of kyphosis from cervical vertebra 2 to 4 accompanying with spinal cord compression was 30°. An anterior cervical corpectomy involving cervical vertebra 3 and a titanium mesh implant were performed with internal fixation. The results at 3 mo after surgery demonstrated that the anterior fusion was solid, and the kyphosis of the cervical spine was corrected. Additionally, the power of all four extremities was significantly improved.CONCLUSION The incidence rate of cervical kyphosis in EDS is rare. The surgical treatment for these patients, especially an anterior approach, is challenging. Therefore, to develop safer and more effective strategies to treat cervical kyphosis in EDS,there is still much work to do.

XRCC1 Polymorphisms and Pancreatic Cancer:A Meta-Analysis

Objective：To assess the association between X-ray repair cross-complementating group 1 （XRCC1） polymorphisms and pancreatic cancer.Methods：We searched MEDLINE,Web of Science and HuGE Navigator at June 2010,and then quantitatively summarized associations of the XRCC1 polymorphisms with pancreatic cancer risk using meta-analysis.Results：Four studies with 1343 cases and 2302 controls were included.Our analysis found：at codon 194,the Trp allele did not decrease pancreatic cancer risk （Arg/Arg versus Trp/Trp：OR=0.97;95% CI：0.48-1.96;P=0.97;Arg/Arg versus Arg/Trp：OR=0.89;95% CI：0.70-1.13;P=0.55;Arg/Trp versus Trp/Trp：OR=1.06;95% CI：0.52-2.16;P=0.90）;at codon 280,only a study showed a nonsignificant association between single nucleotide polymorphism with pancreatic cancer risk;at codon 399,the Gln allele also showed no signi？cant effect on pancreatic cancer compared to Arg allele （Arg/Arg versus Gln/Gln：OR=0.94;95% CI：0.74-1.18;Arg/Arg versus Arg/Gln：OR=0.97;95% CI：0.83-1.13;Arg/Gln versus Gln/Gln：OR=0.97;95% CI：0.77-1.22）.The shape of the funnel plot and the Egger＇s test did not detect any publication bias.Conclusion：There is no evidence that XRCC1 polymorphisms （Arg194Trp,Arg280His,and Arg399Gln） are associated with pancreatic cancer risk.

人星状病毒1型野毒株的培养及生物学鉴定

目的研究人星状病毒1(HAst V-1)型野毒株的分离方法、细胞培养适应条件及相应生物学性质。方法对收集的腹泻粪便样品,采用间接酶联免疫吸附法和逆转录聚合酶链反应(RT-PCR)进行HAst V检测。阳性样品按常规方法处理,并进行细胞培养分离及最佳培养条件确定,将毒株连续传10代,采用实时荧光定量聚合酶链反应和免疫荧光法检测病毒的增殖,细胞荧光灶法进行滴度测定,采用RT-PCR进行特异性基因组稳定性检测。结果通过检测野毒株为HAst V-1d亚型。将其中编号为JZ-10的毒株进行传代培养。该毒株在传代过程中无明显细胞病变,在人结肠癌细胞株(Caco-2)中传代适应培养10代(P10)后,病毒能够稳定增殖并具有良好的识别HAst V抗体的能力。随着传代次数增加,病毒基因拷贝数与病毒滴度增加,P10代病毒基因拷贝数达2.7×107,病毒感染性滴度达6.97 log FFU/ml。在传代过程中,病毒基因组核酸序列稳定,无突变。结论该实验获得HAst V-1型JZ-10细胞适应毒株,为后续进行该病毒的基础研究奠定基础。

FastCluster: a graph theory based algorithm for removing redundant sequences

In many cases, biological sequence databases contain redundant sequences that make it difficult to achieve reliable statistical analysis. Removing the redundant sequences to find all the real protein families and their representatives from a large sequences dataset is quite important in bioinformatics. The problem of removing redundant protein sequences can be modeled as finding the maximum independent set from a graph, which is a NP problem in Mathematics. This paper presents a novel program named FastCluster on the basis of mathematical graph theory. The algorithm makes an improvement to Hobohm and Sander’s algorithm to generate non-redundant protein sequence sets. FastCluster uses BLAST to determine the similarity between two sequences in order to get better sequence similarity. The algorithm’s performance is compared with Hobohm and Sander’s algorithm and it shows that Fast- Cluster can produce a reasonable non-redundant pro- tein set and have a similarity cut-off from 0.0 to 1.0. The proposed algorithm shows its superiority in generating a larger maximal non-redundant (independent) protein set which is closer to the real result (the maximum independent set of a graph) that means all the protein families are clustered. This makes Fast- Cluster a valuable tool for removing redundant protein sequences.

Tunable magneto-Seebeck effect in Co_(2)FeSi/MgO/Co_(2)FeSi heterostructure via optimized interfacial engineering

Enhancing the tunneling magneto-Seebeck(TMS) ratio and uncovering its underlying mechanism are greatly demanded in spin caloritronics.The magnitude and sign of the TMS effect depend on the type of atom and the stacking order of atoms at the interfaces.Herein,we demonstrate that TMS ratios can be effectively manipulated by altering heterogonous or homogeneous interface through decoration on the CoFeSi(001) surface inserted on the MgO insulating layers.The maximum TMS ratio of pure Co_(2)/O termination is 4565% at 800 K.Notably,the TMS ratio of the FeSi/O termination has two peak values,of which the maximum could reach up to-3290% at 650 K.By comparing two different atom arrangements at the interface,we reveal that the sign and symbol of the TMS ratio can be controlled by the temperature and different atomic configurations at the Co_(2)FeSi/MgO interface.Furthermore,the spin-Seebeck coefficient up to ~150 μV/K is also possible when we select suitable terminations and temperatures.These findings will provide useful insights into how to control the sign and symbol of the TMS ratio and accordingly stimulate the development field of magneto-thermoelectric power and spin caloritronic devices based on the magneto-Seebeck effect in Heusler-based metallic multilayers.

Strong-coupling superconductivity with Tc above 70 K in Be-decorated monolayer T-graphene

Using first-principles calculations,we predict a new type of two-dimensional(2D)beryllium(Be)-decorated T-graphene named BeC_(2),where Be atoms are inserted into C–C bonds linking the carbon tetrarings of T-graphene.The band structure shows that BeC_(2)is metallic,thus,the possible phonon-mediated superconductivity is explored based on the Eliashberg equation.The calculated electron-phonon coupling(EPC)constantλis up to 4.07,and the corresponding superconducting critical temperature(Tc)is 72.1 K,approaching the liquid nitrogen temperature.The reason for the high Tc is the strong EPC.And it is proved to be an anisotropic single-gap superconductor by analyzing the superconducting gap?kof BeC_(2).The electronic susceptibility calculation shows strong nesting effect in BeC_(2).Since rare 2D superconductors show such a strong EPC constantλwhich originates from the coupling between electrons in C-pzorbital and in-plane vibrations of Be and C atoms,the predicted BeC_(2)provides a new platform for investigating strong EPC 2D superconductor.

A novel mechanism fusion data control method for slab camber in hot rolling

For asymmetric plate shape,control over the hot rolling process mainly depends on the subjective judgement and personal experience of the operator as there are great deviations and much instability in hot rolling.Unfortunately,the intrinsic mechanisms and sensitivity affecting characteristic parameters and variables in the asymmetric rolling process remain understudied.Therefore,a novel mechanism fusion data control method for slab camber in hot rolling using dimensional analysis and data-driven technique was proposed.The approach of dimensional analysis was used to establish a mathematical model and analyse the main parameters affecting the slab camber of the rough rolling.Subsequently,the established mathematical model combined with the data-driven techniques was employed to accurately predict the slab bending value.Furthermore,the superiority and effectiveness of the proposed model were demonstrated by a comparison with three regression models.Finally,the proposed control strategy was successfully applied in a 1580 mm hot rolling industrial process.The automatic control results show that the hit rate of slab cambers in different sizes from 10 to 30 mm is improved,and the quality stability of intermediate slab is significantly improved.

Metatranscriptome of human lung microbial communities in a cohort of mechanically ventilated COVID-19 Omicron patients

The Omicron variant of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS‑CoV‑2)infected a substantial proportion of Chinese population,and understanding the factors underlying the severity of the disease and fatality is valuable for future prevention and clinical treatment.We recruited 64 patients with invasive ventilation for COVID-19 and performed metatranscriptomic sequencing to profile host transcriptomic profiles,plus viral,bacterial,and fungal content,as well as virulence factors and examined their relationships to 28-day mortality were examined.In addition,the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF)samples from invasive ventilated hospital/community-acquired pneumonia patients(HAP/CAP)sampled in 2019 were included for comparison.Genomic analysis revealed that all Omicron strains belong to BA.5 and BF.7 sub-lineages,with no difference in 28-day mortality between them.Compared to HAP/CAP cohort,invasive ventilated COVID-19 patients have distinct host transcriptomic and microbial signatures in the lower respiratory tract;and in the COVID-19 non-survivors,we found significantly lower gene expressions in pathways related viral processes and positive regulation of protein localization to plasma membrane,higher abundance of opportunistic pathogens including bacterial Alloprevotella,Caulobacter,Escherichia-Shigella,Ralstonia and fungal Aspergillus sydowii and Penicillium rubens.Correlational analysis further revealed significant associations between host immune responses and microbial compositions,besides synergy within viral,bacterial,and fungal pathogens.Our study presents the relationships of lower respiratory tract microbiome and transcriptome in invasive ventilated COVID-19 patients,providing the basis for future clinical treatment and reduction of fatality.

Design and Analysis of a Novel 2T2R Parallel Mechanism with the Closed-loop Limbs

This paper presents a novel four degrees of freedom(DOF) parallel mechanism with the closed-loop limbs, which includes two translational(2 T) DOF and two rotational(2 R) DOF. By connecting the proposed parallel mechanism with the guide rail in series,the 5-DOF hybrid robot system is obtained, which can be applied for the composite material tape laying in aerospace industry. The analysis in this paper mainly focuses on the parallel module of the hybrid robot system. First, the freedom of the proposed parallel mechanism is calculated based on the screw theory. Then, according to the closed-loop vector equation, the inverse kinematics and Jacobian matrix of the parallel mechanism are carried out. Next, the workspace stiffness and dexterity analysis of the parallel mechanism are investigated based on the constraint equations, static stiffness matrix and Jacobian condition number. Finally, the correctness of the inverse kinematics and the high stiffness of the parallel mechanism are verified by the kinematics and stiffness simulation analysis, which lays a foundation for the automatic composite material tape laying.

Synthesis of well-defined functional crystals by high temperature gas-phase reactions

Over the past decades,there have been many synthesis methods on producing well-defined crystals,due to their enormous application potentials in industrial field.Among them,high temperature gas-phase reactions(HTGR)approach may be one of the most promising processes for fabrication of well-defined crystals with controllable structure,size,shape,and composition.This review is focused on the recent progresses in synthesizing well-defined crystalline TiO2dominated with,respectively,{001}facets and{105}facets,one-dimensional ZnO and SnO2nanorods/nanowires,MoS2nanosheets as well as GaP,InP,and GaAs nanowires via HTGR approach.Although these research works were currently carried out on experimental scale,it is worth to note that the industrial importance of this HTGR approach for design and fabrication of well-defined crystals in the future owing to its advantages of continuous and scalable production with controlled dimensions and low cost.