Microbiologic risk factors of recurrent choledocholithiasis postendoscopic sphincterotomy

BACKGROUND Choledocholithiasis is a severe disorder that affects a significant portion of the world’s population.Treatment using endoscopic sphincterotomy(EST)has become widespread;however,recurrence post-EST is relatively common.The bile microbiome has a profound influence on the recurrence of choledocholithiasis in patients after EST;however,the key pathogens and their functions in the biliary tract remain unclear.AIM To investigate the biliary microbial characteristics of patients with recurrent choledocholithiasis post-EST,using next-generation sequencing.METHODS This cohort study included 43 patients,who presented with choledocholithiasis at the Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital between May and June 2020.The patients had undergone EST or endoscopic papillary balloon dilation and were followed up for over a year.They were divided into either the stable or recurrent groups.We collected bile samples and extracted microbial DNA for analysis through next-generation sequencing.Resulting sequences were analyzed for core microbiome and statistical differences between the diagnosis groups;they were examined using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway hierarchy level using analysis of variance.Correlation between the key genera and metabolic pathways in bile,were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation test.RESULTS The results revealed distinct clustering of biliary microbiota in recurrent choledocholithiasis.Higher relative abundances(RAs)of Fusobacterium and Neisseria(56.61%±14.81%vs 3.47%±1.10%,8.95%±3.42%vs 0.69%±0.32%,respectively)and the absence of Lactobacillus were observed in the bile of patients with recurrent disease,compared to that in stable patients.Construction of a microbiological co-occurrence network revealed a mutual relationship among Fusobacterium,Neisseria,and Leptotrichia,and an antagonistic relationship among Lactobacillales,Fusobacteriales,and Clostridiales.Functional prediction of biliary microbiome revealed that the loss of transcription and metabolic abilities may lead to recurrent choledocholithiasis.Furthermore,the prediction model based on the RA of Lactobacillales in the bile was effective in identifying the risk of recurrent choledocholithiasis(P=0.03).CONCLUSION We demonstrated differences in the bile microbiome of patients with recurrent choledocholithiasis compared to that in patients with stable disease,thereby adding to the current knowledge on its microbiologic etiology.

The scaling laws of cabin structures subjected to internal blast loading:Experimental and numerical studies

This paper presents a combination of experimental and numerical investigations on the dynamic response of scaling cabin structures under internal blast loading.The purpose of this study is to modify the similar relationship between the scaled-down model and the prototype of the cabin structures under internal blast loading.According to the Hopkinson’s scaling law,three sets of cabin structure models with different scaling factors combined with different explosive masses were designed for the experimental study.The dynamic deformation process of the models was recorded by a three-dimensional digital imaging correlation(DIC)method and a 3D scanning technology was used to reconstruct the deformation modes of the specimen.In addition,a finite element model was developed for the modification of the scaling law.The experimental results showed that the final deflection-to-thickness ratio was increased with the increase of the model size despite of the similar trend of their deformation processes.The reason for this inconsistency was discussed based on the traditional scaling law and a modified formula considering of the effects of size and strain-rate was provided.

Solitary primary pulmonary synovial sarcoma:A case report

BACKGROUND Synovial sarcoma(SS)is an uncommon and highly malignant soft tissue sarcoma in the clinic,with primary pulmonary SS(PPSS)being extremely rare.Here,we describe the clinical characteristics,diagnosis,and treatment of a solitary PPSS case confirmed via surgical resection and fluorescence in situ hybridization(FISH).CASE SUMMARY A 33-year-old man was admitted because of intermittent coughing and hemoptysis for one month,with lung shadows observed for two years.Wholebody positron emission tomography-computed tomography(PET-CT)revealed a solitary mass in the upper lobe of the right lung,with uneven radioactivity uptake and a maximum standardized uptake value of 5.6.The greyish-yellow specimen obtained following thoracoscopic resection was covered with small multinodulated structures and consisted of soft tissue.Hematoxylin and eosin staining revealed spindle-shaped malignant tumor cells.Immunohistochemistry indicated these tumor cells were CD99 and BCL-2-positive.Furthermore,the FISH test revealed synovial sarcoma translocation genetic reassortment,which confirmed the diagnosis of SS.CONCLUSION PPSS is extremely rare and tends to be misdiagnosed as many primary pulmonary diseases.PET-CT,histologic analysis,and FISH tests can be used to differentiate PPSS from other diseases.Surgical resection is regularly recommended for the treatment of solitary PPSS and is helpful for improving the prognosis.

A fiber bundle structure with uniform transmission characteristics for high-density astronomical optical cables

Transmission efficiency(TE) and focal ratio degradation(FRD) are two important parameters for evaluating the quality of an optical fiber system used for astronomy. Compared to TE, the focal ratio is more easily influenced by external factors, such as bending or stress. Optical cables are widely implemented for multi-object telescopes and integral field units(IFUs). The design and fabrication process of traditional optical cables seldom considers the requirements of astronomical applications. In this paper, we describe a fiber bundle structure as the basic unit for miniaturized high-density FASOT-IFU optical cables,instead of the micro-tube structure in stranded cables. Seven fibers with hexagonal arrangement were accurately positioned by ultraviolet(UV)-curing acrylate to form the bundle. The coating diameter of a fiber is0.125 mm, and the outer diameter of the bundle is 0.58 mm. Compared with the 0.8 mm micro-tube structure of a traditional stranded cable, the outer diameter of the fiber bundle was reduced by 27.5%. Fiber paste was filled into the bundle to reduce stress between the fibers. We tested the output focal ratio(OFR) in95% of the encircled energy(EE95) of the fibers in the bundle under different conditions. With the incident focal ratio F/8, the maximum difference of OFR is 0.6. In particular, when the incident focal ratio is F/5,the maximum difference of OFR is only 0.1. The jacket formed by the UV-curing acrylate can withstand a certain stress of less than 1.38 N mm-1. The fiber bundle can maintain uniform emitting characteristics with a bending radius of 7.5 cm and with tension less than 6 N. The test results show that the structure of the fiber bundle can be used as a basic unit for miniaturized high-density astronomical optical cables.