Novel subtype of obesity influencing the outcomes of sleeve gastrectomy:Familial aggregation of obesity

BACKGROUND Differences in the preoperative characteristics and weight loss outcomes after sleeve gastrectomy(SG)between patients with familial aggregation of obesity(FAO)and patients with sporadic obesity(SO)have not been elucidated.AIM To explore the impact of SG on weight loss and the alleviation of obesity-related comorbidities in individuals with FAO.METHODS A total of 193 patients with obesity who underwent SG were selected.Patients with FAO/SO were matched 1:1 by propensity score matching and were categorized into 4 groups based on the number of first-degree relatives with obesity(1 SO vs 1FAO,2SO vs 2FAO).The baseline characteristics,weight loss outcomes,prevalence of obesity-related comorbidities and incidence of major surgeryrelated complications were compared between groups.RESULTS We defined FAO as the presence of two or more first-degree relatives with obesity.Patients with FAO did not initially show significant differences in baseline data,short-term postoperative weight loss,or obesity-related comorbidities when compared to patients with SO preoperatively.However,distinctions between the two groups became evident at the two-year mark,with statistically significant differences in both percentage of total weight loss(P=0.006)and percentage of excess weight loss(P<0.001).The FAO group exhibited weaker remission of type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)(P=0.031),hyperlipidemia(P=0.012),and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)(P=0.003)as well as a lower incidence of acid reflux(P=0.038).CONCLUSION FAO patients is associated with decreased mid-to-long-term weight loss outcomes;the alleviation of T2DM,hyperlipidemia and NAFLD;and decreased incidence of acid reflux postoperatively.

A combined method using Lattice Boltzmann Method(LBM)and Finite Volume Method(FVM)to simulate geothermal reservoirs in Enhanced Geothermal System(EGS)

With the development of industrial activities,global warming has accelerated due to excessive emission of CO_(2).Enhanced Geothermal System(EGS)utilizes deep geothermal heat for power generation.Although porous medium theory is commonly employed to model geothermal reservoirs in EGS,Hot Dry Rock(HDR)presents a challenge as it consists of impermeable granite with zero porosity,potentially distorting the physical interpretation.To address this,the Lattice Boltzmann Method(LBM)is employed to simulate CO_(2)flow within geothermal reservoirs and the Finite Volume Method(FVM)to solve the energy conservation equation for temperature distribution.This combined method of LBM and FVM is imple-mented using MATLAB.The results showed that the Reynolds numbers(Re)of 3,000 and 8,000 lead to higher heat extraction rates from geothermal reservoirs.However,higher Re values may accelerate thermal breakthrough,posing challenges to EGS operation.Meanwhile,non-equilibrium of density in fractures becomes more pronounced during the system's life cycle,with non-Darcy's law becoming significant at Re values of 3,000 and 8,000.Density stratification due to buoyancy effects significantly impacts temperature distribution within geothermal reservoirs,with buoyancy effects at Re=100 under gravitational influence being noteworthy.Larger Re values(3,000 and 8,000)induce stronger forced convection,leading to more uniform density distribution.The addition of proppant negatively affects heat transfer performance in geothermal reservoirs,especially in single fractures.Practical engineering considerations should determine the quantity of proppant through detailed numerical simulations.

Protective antitumor immunity induced by tumor cell lysates conjugated with diphtheria toxin and adjuvant epitope in mouse breast tumor models

Cancer cell vaccine-based immunotherapy has received increasing interest in many clinical trials involving patients with breast cancer. Combining with appropriate adjuvants can enhance the weak immunogenic properties of tumor cell lysates (TCL). In this study, diphtheria toxin (DT) and two tandem repeats of mycobacterial heat shock protein 70 (mHSP70) fragment 407-426 (M2) were conjugated to TCL with glutaraldehyde, and the constructed cancer cell vaccine was named DT-TCL-M2. Subcutaneous injection of DT-TCL-M2in mice effectively elicited tumor-specific polyclonal immune responses, including humoral and cellular immune responses. High levels of antibodies against TCL were detected in the serum of immunized mice with ELISA and verified with Western blot analyses. The splenocytes from immunized mice showed potent cytotoxicity on Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells. Moreover, the protective antitumor immunity induced by DT-TCL-M2 inhibited tumor growth in a mouse breast tumor model. DT-TCL-M2 also attenuated tumor-induced angiogenesis and slowed tumor growth in a mouse intradermal tumor model. These findings demonstrate that TCL conjugated with appropriate adjuvants induced effective antitumor immunity in vivo. Improvements in potency could further make cancer cell vaccines a useful and safe method for preventing cancer recurrence after resection.

Self-assembled liquid crystal architectures for soft matter photonics

Self-assembled architectures of soft matter have fascinated scientists for centuries due to their unique physical properties originated from controllable orientational and/or positional orders,and diverse optic and photonic applications.If one could know how to design,fabricate,and manipulate these optical microstructures in soft matter systems,such as liquid crystals(LCs),that would open new opportunities in both scientific research and practical applications,such as the interaction between light and soft matter,the intrinsic assembly of the topological patterns,and the multidimensional control of the light(polarization,phase,spatial distribution,propagation direction).Here,we summarize recent progresses in self-assembled optical architectures in typical thermotropic LCs and bio-based lyotropic LCs.After briefly introducing the basic definitions and properties of the materials,we present the manipulation schemes of various LC microstructures,especially the topological and topographic configurations.This work further illustrates external-stimuli-enabled dynamic controllability of self-assembled optical structures of these soft materials,and demonstrates several emerging applications.Lastly,we discuss the challenges and opportunities of these materials towards soft matter photonics,and envision future perspectives in this field.

Adhesive aero-hydrogel hybrid conductor assembled from silver nanowire architectures

Conductive and adhesive hydrogels are promising materials for designing bioelectronics.To satisfy the high conductivity of bioelectronic devices,metal nanomaterials have been used to fabricate composite hydrogels.However,the fabrication of a conductive-nanomaterial-incorporated hydrogel with high performance is a great challenge because of the easy aggregation nature of conductive nanomaterials making processing difficult.Here,we report a kind of adhesive aero-hydrogel hybrid conductor(AAHC)with stretchable,adhesive and anti-bacteria properties by in situ formation of a hydrogel network in the aerogel-silver nanowires(AgNWs)assembly.The AgNWs with good conductivity are wellintegrated on the inner-surface of shape-memory chitosan aerogel,which created a conductive framework to allow hydrogel back-filling.Reinforcement by the aerogel-silver makes the hybrid hydrogel tough and stretchable.Functional groups from the hydrogel allow strong adhesion to wet tissues through molecular stitches.The inherent bacteria-killing ability of silver ions endows the conductive hydrogel with excellent anti-bacteria performance.The proposed facile strategy of aerogel-assisted assembly of metal nanomaterials with hydrogel opens a new route to incorporate functional nanoscale building blocks into hydrogels.

Adding a vacuum erection device to regular use of Tadalafil improves penile rehabilitation after posterior urethroplasty

This study aimed to evaluate whether adding a vacuum erection device(VED)to regular use of Tadalafil could achieve better penile rehabilitation following posterior urethroplasty for pelvic fracture-related urethral injury(PFUI).Altogether,78 PFUI patients with erectile dysfunction(ED)after primary posterior urethroplasty were enrolled and divided into two treatment groups:VED combined with Tadalafil(Group 1,n=36)and Tadalafil only(Group 2,n=42).Changes in penile length,testosterone level,International Index of Erectile Function-5(IIEF-5)questionnaire,Quality of Erection Questionnaire(QEQ),and nocturnal penile tumescence(NPT)testing were used to assess erectile function before and after 6 months of ED treatment.Results showed that the addition of VED to regular use of Tadalafil preserved more penile length statistically(0.4±0.9 vs-0.8±0.7 cm,P<0.01).IIEF-5 score and QEQ score in Group 1 were higher than Group 2(both P<0.05).After treatment,21/36(5&3%)Group 1 patients and 19/42(45.2%)Group 2 patients could complete vaginal penetration.Group 1 patients also had markedly improved testosterone levels(P=0.01).Unexpectedly,there was no significant difference in NPT testing between two therapies.For PFUI patients with ED after posterior urethroplasty,the addition of VED to regular use of Tadalafil could significantly improve their conditions-improving erection and increasing penile length-thus increasing patient satisfaction and confidence in penile rehabilitation.

Knockin of the G275E mutation of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) α6 confers high levels of resistance to spinosyns in Spodoptera exigua

Spinosyns,including spinosad and spinetoram,act on the insect central nervous system,gradually paralyzing or destroying the target insect.Spinosad resistance is associated with loss-of-function mutations in the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor(nAChR)α6 subunit in a number of agricultural pests.Using gene editing,nAChRα6 has been verified as a target for spinosyns in five insect species.Recently,a point mutation(G275E)in exon 9 of nAChRα6 was identified in spinosad-resistant strains of Thrips palmi and Tuta absoluta.To date,no in vivo functional evidence has been obtained to support that this mutation is involved in spinosyn resistance in lepidopteran pests.In this study,the G275E mutation was introduced into the nAChR of Spodoptera exigua using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats(CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9(Cas9)gene-editing technology.Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and sequencing confirmed that this mutation was present in exon 9 of the nAChR transcripts in the edited 275E strain.The results of bioassays showed that the 275E strain was highly resistant to spinosad(230-fold)and spinetoram(792-fold)compared to the unedited background strain,directly confirming that the G275E mutation of the nAChRα6 subunit confers high levels of spinosyn resistance in S.exigua.Inheritance analysis showed that the resistance trait is autosomal and incompletely recessive.This study employs a reverse genetics approach to validate the functional role played by the G275E mutation in nAChRα6 of S.exigua in spinosyns resistance and provides another example of the use of CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology to confirm the role played by candidate target site mutations in insecticide resistance.

Descriptions of Atractides aprojectus sp. nov. and male of A.huaxiensis Yi & Jin(Acari: Hydrachnidia) from China

A water mite species is described as new to science, Atractides （Tympanomegapus） aprojectus sp. nov. The male ofAtractides （Tympanomegapus） huaxiensis Yi ＆ Jin, 2010 is described for the first time from Guizhou Province, China. The materials were collected during a survey in 2011 from the rivers in Guizhou. The specimens are deposited in the Institute of Entomology, Guizhou University （GUGC）.