A Cross-Sectional Study on Appetite, Nutritional Status and Nutritional Support of Hospitalized Patients

Objective: To understand the appetite and nutritional status of hospitalized patients in a tertiary A general hospital in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of appetite and nutritional status assessment on inpatients in 44 wards of the hospital was conducted. Taking all “conscious patients hospitalized for more than 48 hours” in the hospital on November 25, 2020 as the survey subjects, the patients’ appetite, dietary intake, nutrition and nutritional support in the past week were investigated. Results: A total of 890 cases were investigated, among which 25 cases (2.81%) with missing data were excluded, and thus 865 investigated cases were considered effective. The incidence of nutritional risk was 28.67%, malnutrition 13.29%, external tube feeding nutrition 3.24%, parenteral nutrition 7.05%, and oral nutritional supplement 10.40%. The average score of appetite assessment was (6.99 ± 2.43) points. Among them, cases with appetite assessment scores < 5 points accounted for 15.84%, and 52 patient cases utilized appetite-improving drugs. Among the 137 patients with appetite scores < 5, only 7 patients utilized appetite-improving drugs. The patients’ dietary self-evaluation scores were averagely (4.08 ± 1.16) points, and the daily intake compliance rate of patients was 85.78%. Appetite assessment score was correlated with dietary intake score (r = 0.548) and daily intake compliance rate (r = 0.263) (p < 0.01). The differences in body weight, BMI, grip strength, albumin, and hemoglobin concentration of patients with different appetite states were statistically different (p < 0.01). Appetite was an influencing factor of weight change (β = −0.079, p = 0.023). The difference between the appetite assessment scores and the daily intake compliance rates of patients with different nutritional support methods was statistically significant (p < 0.05);the individualized diet group had the highest appetite assessment score (8.57 ± 1.70), while the parenteral nutrition group had the lowest appetite assessment score (4.90 ± 2.99);the individualized diet group had the highest daily intake rate of 100%, followed by the parenteral nutrition group with 96.72%, and the regular diet group had the lowest rate of 84.02%. Conclusion: The appetite of hospitalized patients is closely related to nutritional status, and therefore, attention should be paid to the appetite status and nutritional status of hospitalized patients. Inpatients with different nutritional support methods should be given individualized appetite and nutritional interventions.

Neoantigen cancer vaccines:a new star on the horizon

Immunotherapy represents a promising strategy for cancer treatment that utilizes immune cells or drugs to activate the patient's own immune system and eliminate cancer cells.One of the most exciting advances within this field is the targeting of neoantigens,which are peptides derived from non-synonymous somatic mutations that are found exclusively within cancer cells and absent in normal cells.Although neoantigen-based therapeutic vaccines have not received approval for standard cancer treatment,early clinical trials have yielded encouraging outcomes as standalone monotherapy or when combined with checkpoint inhibitors.Progress made in high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics have greatly facilitated the precise and efficient identification of neoantigens.Consequently,personalized neoantigen-based vaccines tailored to each patient have been developed that are capable of eliciting a robust and long-lasting immune response which effectively eliminates tumors and prevents recurrences.This review provides a concise overview consolidating the latest clinical advances in neoantigen-based therapeutic vaccines,and also discusses challenges and future perspectives for this innovative approach,particularly emphasizing the potential of neoantigen-based therapeutic vaccines to enhance clinical efficacy against advanced solid tumors.

Differential protein expression between EBV-positive and negative epithelial cells

Epstein Barr virus infection is believed to play a role in the development of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. In order to investigate the function of EBV in epithelial cell, proteomic methods were used to find and identify the differential proteins and expected to elucidate the mechanism of EBV. Altered protein expressions were found between 293 cell (HEK293) and EBV infected cell (293-EBV). In this study, we separated differential expressed proteins using 2D-DIGE method while matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization tandem time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) method was used to identify proteins. The results showed that 14 proteins were up regulated and 3 proteins were down regulated in 293-EBV cells. Bioinformatic analysis showed that these proteins are involved in cell proliferation, metastasis, apoptosis, metabolism, and signal transduction. Western blotting analysis was further carried out to verify the MS results. Thus, EBV may exert its functions by mediating differential expression of these proteins.

Sucrose-associated SnRK1a1-mediated phosphorylation of Opaque2 modulates endosperm filling in maize

During maize endosperm filling,sucrose not only serves as a source of carbon skeletons for storage-reserve synthesis but also acts as a stimulus to promote this process.However,the molecular mechanisms underlying sucrose and endosperm filling are poorly understood.In this study,we found that sucrose promotes the expression of endosperm-filling hub gene Opaque2(O2),coordinating with storage-reserve accumulation.We showed that the protein kinase SnRK1a1 can attenuate O2-mediated transactivation,but sucrose can release this suppression.Biochemical assays revealed that SnRK1a1 phosphorylates O2 at serine 41(S41),negatively affecting its protein stability and transactivation ability.We observed that mutation of SnRK1a1 results in larger seeds with increased kernel weight and storage reserves,while overexpression of SnRK1a1 causes the opposite effect.Overexpression of the native O2(O2-OE),phospho-dead(O2-SA),and phospho-mimetic(O2-SD)variants all increased 100-kernel weight.Although O2-SA seeds exhibit smaller kernel size,they have higher accumulation of starch and proteins,resulting in larger vitreous endosperm and increased test weight.O2-SD seeds display larger kernel size but unchanged levels of storage reserves and test weight.O2-OE seeds show elevated kernel dimensions and nutrient storage,like a mixture of O2-SA and O2-SD seeds.Collectively,our study discovers a novel regulatory mechanism of maize endosperm filling.Identification of S41 as a SnRK1-mediated phosphorylation site in O2 offers a potential engineering target for enhancing storage-reserve accumulation and yield in maize.

PD-L1-driven efficient enrichment and elimination of circulating cancer cells by magnetic MoSe_(2) nanosheet

Circulating tumor cells(CTCs)are important biomarkers in the development and progression of lung cancer because they can reach other organs through the blood circulation and form distant metastases,exacerbating lung cancer progression.The presence of CTCs is also the main reason for the failure of nanomedicine-based lung cancer treatments.Therefore,magnetic MoSe_(2) nanosheets loaded with programmed death-ligand 1(PD-L1),named PD-L1-MFP NS,were employed here to precisely capture lung cancer CTCs in the blood circulation through the tumor-targeting effect of PD-L1 killing CTCs with highly effective photothermal therapy(PTT).In addition,by increasing the expression of cytomegalovirus UL16-binding protein(ULBP)ligands on tumor cells,the PD-L1-MFP NS further activated natural killer(NK)cells and triggered NK cell-induced cancer immunotherapy,thereby enhancing the overall tumor-killing effect.In summary,this material designed to capture CTCs provides a substantial advancement for personalized PTT-triggered immunotherapy and has great clinical translational potential.

海藻酸微球及骨架片中苯基偶氮苯的释放特性(英文)

目的 :研究海藻酸微球及由海藻酸微球、果胶、HPMC组成的骨架片中苯基偶氮苯的释放特性。方法 :海藻酸微球通过喷雾 凝聚法制得 ,苯基偶氮苯 (PAA)作为疏水性模型药物通过吸附法被微球载运。制备了由海藻酸微球、果胶、HPMC组成的骨架片。测定了海藻酸微球及骨架片中苯基偶氮苯的释放。为进一步探讨药物释放机制 ,进行了骨架片的溶胀实验。结果 :微球中PAA的释放依赖于释放介质 ,其中在水中释放不完全 ,在人工胃肠液中呈延缓到肠内释放的特性。在骨架片中也观察在人工胃肠液中的延缓释放行为。果胶酶有一定的加速骨架片释放的的作用。释放度和溶胀实验数据均证明骨架片为溶胀控制。结论

Distributed Packet-Aware Routing Scheme Based on Dynamic Network Coding

In this paper, we study transmission of packets with time constraints in cooperative 5G wireless networks. As we know, the packets which are transmitted with large delay become useless and have to be dropped. In order to minimize packet dropping probability, we consider multiple transmission methods and integrate packet scheduling with adaptive network coding method selection. Firstly we introduce queue length to obtain the gain of network. Based on this, we present the dynamic coding-aware routing metric, which can increase potential coding opportunities. Moreover, we propose a distributed packet-aware transmission routing scheme based on the above routing metric, which can discover the available paths timely and efficiently. Simulation results show that the proposed method can reduce average packet dropping probability with lower computational complexity.

Hemodynamics of Enhanced External Counterpulsation with Different Coronary Stenosis

Enhanced external counterpulsation(EECP)is able to treat myocardial ischemia,which is usually caused by coronary artery stenosis.However,the underlying mechanisms regarding why this technique is effective in treating myocardial ischemia remains unclear and there is no patient-specific counterpulsation mode for different rates of coronary artery stenosis in clinic.This study sought to investigate the hemodynamic effect of varied coronary artery stenosis rates when using EECP and the necessity of adopting targeted counterpulsation mode to consider different rates of coronary artery stenosis.Three 3-dimensional(3D)coronary models with different stenosis rates,including 55%(Model 1),65%(Model 2),and 75%(Model 3),were generated,then coupled with a 0-dimensional(0D)lumped parametric model of the blood circulatory system.EECP was applied to the 0D/3D coupled models to study the hemodynamic response of the coronary artery.Under the same counterpulsation mode,the ratio of diastolic blood pressure to systolic blood pressure of 3 models during counterpulsation was 1.4,and the cardiac output and coronary artery flow rate increased significantly.The low wall shear stress(WSS)and high oscillatory shear index(OSI)areas were mainly located at the posterior end of the stenosis and coronary artery bifurcation.Moreover,with an increase in the rate of coronary artery stenosis,the increased percentage of flow rate through the coronary artery stenosis and area-averaged WSS decreased.The geometric multiscale model in this study can be used to effectively simulate the hemodynamic characteristics of cardiovascular system following the application of EECP.Local precise hemodynamic effect of the coronary artery stenosis can be observed.It was found from the hemodynamic factors that the coronary artery with lower stenosis rate more likely led to better vascular endothelial remodeling.Thus,it is necessary to adopt patient-specific counterpulsation mode accounting for different condition of coronary artery stenosis.

Drug repurposing against coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19):A review

Since December 2019,severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has been found to be the culprit in the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19),causing a global pandemic.Despite the existence of many vaccine programs,the number of confirmed cases and fatalities due to COVID-19 is still increasing.Furthermore,a number of variants have been reported.Because of the absence of approved anticoronavirus drugs,the treatment and management of COVID-19 has become a global challenge.Under these circumstances,drug repurposing is an effective method to identify candidate drugs with a shorter cycle of clinical trials.Here,we summarize the current status of the application of drug repurposing in COVID-19,including drug repurposing based on virtual computer screening,network pharmacology,and bioactivity,which may be a beneficial COVID-19 treatment.

Third-line or above anlotinib in relapsed and refractory small cell lung cancer patients with brain metastases:A post hoc analysis of ALTER1202,a randomized,double-blind phase 2 study

Background:The prognosis of patients with small cell lung cancer(SCLC)and brain metastases(BM)was poor.This study aimed to explore the efficacy and safety of anlotinib as third-line or above treatment in SCLC with BM.Methods:This was a subgroup analysis of the ALTER1202 trial,which was a randomized,placebo-controlled trial aimed to evaluate the role of anlotinib as third-line treatment or above in patients with SCLC.This study included patients with BM at baseline.The efficacy and safety outcomes included progression-free survival(PFS),overall survival(OS),central nervous system(CNS),objective response rate(ORR),CNS disease control rate(DCR),time to CNS progression,and adverse events(AEs).Results:Twenty-one and nine patients with BM were included in the anlotinib and placebo groups,respectively.The median PFS and OS were 3.8 months(95%confidence interval[CI]:1.8-6.1)and 6.1 months(95%CI:4.1-8.0)in the anlotinib group.Anlotinib was associated with a significant improvement in PFS(hazard ratio[HR]=0.15,95%CI:0.04-0.51,p=0.0005)and OS(HR=0.26,95%CI:0.09-0.73,p=0.0061)than placebo.Anlotinib significantly prolonged the time to CNS progression(p<0.0001).The anlotinib group had a higher CNS DCR than placebo(95.2%vs.22.2%,p=0.0001).The most common grade 3 or higher AEs were increased lipase(19.0%),hypertension(14.3%),and hyponatremia(14.3%)in the anlotinib group.Conclusions:Anlotinib proved to have potential CNS activity and a manageable toxicity profile in patients with SCLC and BM,significantly delaying CNS progression.

Analysis of status and countermeasures of cancer incidence and mortality in China

Cancer is the leading cause of human deaths in the world and produces serious economic burdens. On September 12, 2018, the academic journal A Cancer Journal for Clinicians published an article about the latest statistics of cancers worldwide, which provided a status report on the global burden of 36 cancers in 185 countries worldwide. Cancer has also become a serious public health problem in China and caused more and more attention of the government and people in recent years. This review analyzes the incidence, mortality and prevalent trend of cancers in China, discusses the reasons behind this status, and reviews the potential countermeasures for cancer prevention and control in China.

Combined use of phospholipid complexes and self-emulsifying microemulsions for improving the oral absorption of a BCS class IV compound, baicalin

The aim of this study was to develop a formulation to improve the oral absorption of baicalin(BA)by combining a phospholipid complex(PC)and self-emulsifying microemulsion drug delivery system(SMEDDS),termed BA–PC–SMEDDS.BA–PC was prepared by a solvent evaporation method and evaluated by complexation percentage(CP).The physicochemical properties of BA–PC were determined.The synergistic effect of PC and SMEDDS on permeation of BA was studied in vitro with Caco-2 cells and in situ with a single pass intestinal perfusion model.The improved bioavailability of BA in BA–PC–SMEDDS was confirmed in an in vivo rat model.The CP of BA–PC reached 100%when the molar ratio of drug to phospholipid(PP)was Z1:1.The solubility of BA–PC increased in both water and octanol,and the log P o/w of BA–PC was increased significantly.BA–PC–SMEDDS could be dispersed more evenly in water,compared to BA and BA–PC.Both the Caco-2 cell uptake and single-pass intestinal perfusion models illustrated that transport of BA in BA–PC was lower than that of free BA,while improved significantly in BA–PC–SMEDDS.The relative bioavailability of BA–PC(1:2)–SMEDDS was 220.37%.The combination system of PC and SMEDDS had a synergistic effect on improving the oral absorption of BA.

Anlotinib as third- or further-line therapy for short-term relapsed small-cell lung cancer: subgroup analysis of a randomized phase 2 study (ALTER1202)

Patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) relapse within months after completing previous therapies. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of anlotinib as third- or further-line therapy in patients with short-term relapsed SCLC from ALTER1202. Patients with short-term relapsed SCLC (disease progression within 3 months after completing ≥ two lines of chemotherapy) in the anlotinib (n = 67) and placebo (n = 34) groups were analyzed. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). The secondary endpoints included overall survival, objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate, and safety. Anlotinib significantly improved median PFS/OS (4.0 vs. 0.7 months, P < 0.0001)/(7.3 vs. 4.4 months, P = 0.006) compared with placebo. The ORR was 4.5%/2.9% in the anlotinib/placebo group (P = 1.000). The DCR in the anlotinib group was higher than that in the placebo group (73.1% vs. 11.8%, P < 0.001). The most common adverse events (AEs) were hypertension (38.8%), loss of appetite (28.4%), and fatigue (22.4%) in the anlotinib group and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase elevation (20.6%) in the placebo group. No grade 5 AEs occurred. For patients with short-term relapsed SCLC, third- or further-line anlotinib treatment was associated with improved survival benefit. Further studies are warranted in this regard.

Emerging role of metabolic reprogramming in tumor immune evasion and immunotherapy

Mounting evidence has revealed that the therapeutic efficacy of immunotherapies is restricted to a small portion of cancer patients.A deeper understanding of how metabolic reprogramming in the tumor microenvironment(TME)regulates immunity remains a major challenge to tumor eradication.It has been suggested that metabolic reprogramming in the TME may affect metabolism in immune cells and subsequently suppress immune function.Tumor cells compete with infiltrating immune cells for nutrients and metabolites.Notably,the immunosuppressive TME is characterized by catabolic and anabolic processes that are critical for immune cell function,and elevated inhibitory signals may favor cancer immune evasion.The major energy sources that supply different immune cell subtypes also undergo reprogramming.We herein summarize the metabolic remodeling in tumor cells and different immune cell subtypes and the latest advances underlying the use of metabolic checkpoints in antitumor immunotherapies.In this context,targeting both tumor and immune cell metabolic reprogramming may enhance therapeutic efficacy.

SRSF1 inhibits autophagy through regulating Bcl-x splicing and interacting with PIK3C3 in lung cancer

Alternative splicing is a critical process to generate protein diversity.However,whether and how alternative splicing regulates autophagy remains largely elusive.Here we systematically identify the splicing factor SRSF1 as an autophagy suppressor.Specifically,SRSF1 inhibits autophagosome formation by reducing the accumulation of LC3-ⅡI and numbers of autophagosomes in different cell lines.Mechanistically,SRSF1 promotes the splicing of the long isoform of Bcl-x that interacts with Beclinl,thereby dissociating the Beclin1-PIK3C3 complex.In addition,SRSF1 also directly interacts with PIK3C3 to disrupt the interaction between Beclinl and PIK3C3.Consequently,the decrease of SRSF1 stabilizes the Beclinl and PIK3C3 complex and activates autophagy.Interestingly,SRSF1 can be degraded by starvation-and oxidative stresses-induced autophagy through interacting with LC3-Ⅱ,whereas reduced SRSF1 further promotes autophagy.This positive feedback is critical to inhibiting Gefitinib-resistant cancer cell progression both in vitro and in vivo.Consistently,the expression level of SRSF1 is inversely correlated to LC3 level in clinical cancer samples.Our study not only provides mechanistic insights of alternative splicing in autophagy regulation but also discovers a new regulatory role of SRSF1 in tumorigenesis,thereby offering a novel avenue for potential cancer therapeutics.

Trend analysis of cancer incidence and mortality in China

The National Central Cancer Registry of China(NCCRC)updated their nationwide statistics of cancer incidence and mortality in China according to 2013 population-based cancer registration data(due to the time required for data collection,quality control and analysis,the latest cancer statistics available in China have a 3-year lag behind the current year).In this report,the NCCRC provides a comprehensive review of cancer incidence and mortality rates,as well as the statistics overall and by geographical area,cancer sites or age groups(Chen et al.,2017a).It shows that the burden of cancer

Control of sludge settleability and nitrogen removal under low dissolved oxygen condition

Low dissolved oxygen （DO） is an energy- saving condition in activated sludge process. To investi- gate the possible application of limited filamentous bulking （LFB） in sequencing batch reactor （SBR）, two lab-scale SBRs were used to treat synthetic domestic wastewater and real municipal wastewater, respectively. The results showed that prolonging low DO aeration duration and setting pre-anoxic （anaerobic） phase were effective strategies to induce and inhibit filamentous sludge bulking, respectively. According to the sludge settleability, LFB could be maintained steadily by adjusting operation patterns. Filamentous bacteria content and sludge volume index （SVI） were likely correlated. SVI fluctuated dramatically within a few cycles when around 200 mL-g~, where altering operation pattern could change sludge settleability in spite of the unstable status of activated sludge system. Energy consumption by aeration reduced under low DO LFB condition, whereas the nitrification performance deteriorated. However, short-cut nitrification and simultaneous nitrification denitrification （SND） were prone to take place under such conditions. When the cycle time kept constant, the anoxic （anaerobic） to aerobic time ratio was determining factor to the SND efficiency. Similarity keeping aerobic time as constant, the variation trends of SND efficiency and specific SND rate were uniform. SBR is a promising reactor to apply the LFB process in practice.

BRD7 plays an anti-inflammatory role during early acute inflammation by inhibiting activation of the NF-кB signaling pathway

Increasing evidence has shown a strong association between tumor-suppressor genes and inflammation.However,the role of BRD7 as a novel tumor suppressor in inflammation remains unknown.In this study,by observing BRD7 knockout mice for 6–12 months,we discovered that compared with BRD7+/+mice,BRD7^(−/−)mice were more prone to inflammation,such as external inflammation and abdominal abscess.By using mouse embryo fibroblast(MEF)cells from the BRD7 knockout mouse,an in vitro lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-stimulated MEF cell line was established.The mRNA levels of interleukin-6(IL-6),tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),chemokine(C-X-C motif)ligand 1(CXCL-1)and inducible nitric oxide synthase(iNOS)were significantly increased in BRD7^(−/−)MEF cells compared with BRD7+/+MEF cells after LPS stimulation for 1 or 6 h.In addition,the cytoplasm-to-nucleus translocation of nuclear factor kappa-B(NF-κB;p65)and an increased NF-κB reporter activity were observed in BRD7^(−/−)MEF cells at the 1 h time point but not at the 6 h time point.Furthermore,an in vivo dextran sodium sulfate(DSS)-induced acute colitis model was created.As expected,the disease activity index(DAI)value was significantly increased in the BRD7^(−/−)mice after DSS treatment for 1–5 days,which was demonstrated by the presence of a significantly shorter colon,splenomegaly and tissue damage.Moreover,higher expression levels of IL-6,TNF-α,p65,CXCL-1 and iNOS,and an increased level of NF-κB(p65)nuclear translocation were also found in the DSS-treated BRD7^(−/−)mice.These findings suggest that BRD7 has an anti-inflammatory role during early acute inflammation by inhibiting activation of the NF-кB signaling pathway,which provides evidence to aid in understanding the therapeutic effects of BRD7 on inflammatory diseases.

低水位增加灌木多样性和生物量但降低土壤有机碳含量:以鄂西南贫营养泥炭地为例

地下水位变化对泥炭地的植被组成及多样性具有明显的调控作用,从而可能会深刻改变泥炭地的储碳潜力。目前,有关泥炭地植物多样性和土壤有机碳含量对水位波动的响应还存在较大争议,且有关亚热带贫营养泥炭地地下水位对植物多样性及生物量与土壤有机碳含量影响的研究鲜有报道。本研究选择鄂西南贫营养泥炭地为研究对象,调查了4个地下水位梯度(-4 cm、-8 cm、-12 cm、-20 cm)下的植被组成、多样性、生物量及土壤有机碳含量,以探究不同水位梯度对鄂西南贫营养泥炭地植物多样性、生物量及土壤有机碳含量的影响。结果表明:(1)地下水位下降,土壤含水量、土壤有机碳含量和总酚含量显著降低,而溶解氧含量显著增加(P<0.05)。并且,低水位(-20 cm)处土壤有机碳含量是高水位(-4 cm)处土壤有机碳含量的72%。(2)地下水位显著改变鄂西南贫营养泥炭地物种组成,随着地下水位下降,灌木物种数量增加,且以浅根系的杜鹃花科和蔷薇科植物为主。(3)总体上,随着地下水位的降低,灌木多样性呈现显著增加的趋势(P<0.05),而草本植物多样性变化不显著。(4)地下水位对植被地上总体生物量影响不显著,但随地下水位的降低,灌木生物量极显著增加(P<0.01)、草本生物量显著增加(P<0.05),而苔藓生物量降低。本研究表明,较高的地下水位是维持鄂西南贫营养泥炭地土壤有机碳含量的关键,维管植物多样性的提升并不能增加该泥炭地的固碳潜力。