Detection of carcinoembryonic antigen mRNA in peritoneal washes from gastric cancer patients and its clinical significance

AIM： To establish a more sensitive method for detection of free cancer cells in peritoneal washes from gastric cancer patients during surgery and to evaluate its clinical significance. METHODS： The carcinoembryonic antigen （CEA） mRNA levels in peritoneal washes from 65 cases of gastric cancer were detected by real-time RT-PCR. Peritoneal lavage cytology （PLC） was applied simultaneously to detection of free cancer cells. Negative controls included peritoneal washes from 5 cases of benign gastric disease and blood samples from 5 adult healthy volunteers. RESULTS： There was no CEA mRNA in peritoneal washes from benign gastric disease patients and in blood of adult healthy volunteers. The positive percentage of free cancer cells detected by real-time RT-PCR was 47.7% and only 22.3% by PLC. The positive rate of CEA mRNA was significantly related with serosa invasion between peritoneal metastasis and stage of gastric cancer. CONCLUSION： Real-time RT-PCR is a sensitive and rapid method for the detection of free cancer cells in peritoneal washes. The presence of free cancer cells in peritoneal washes is related to the Pathologic stage of gastric cancer.

Improved efficiency and stability of inverse perovskite solar cells via passivation cleaning

Amidst the global energy and environmental crisis,the quest for efficient solar energy utilization intensifies.Perovskite solar cells,with efficiencies over 26%and cost-effective production,are at the forefront of research.Yet,their stability remains a barrier to industrial application.This study introduces innovative strategies to enhance the stability of inverted perovskite solar cells.By bulk and surface passivation,defect density is reduced,followed by a"passivation cleaning"using Apacl amino acid salt and isopropyl alcohol to refine film surface quality.Employing X-ray diffraction(XRD),scanning electron microscope(SEM),and atomic force microscopy(AFM),we confirmed that this process effectively neutralizes surface defects and curbs non-radiative recombination,achieving 22.6%efficiency for perovskite solar cells with the composition Cs_(0.15)FA_(0.85)PbI_(3).Crucially,the stability of treated cells in long-term tests has been markedly enhanced,laying groundwork for industrial viability.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Lower-Level Health Care Facilities of Dar es Salaam Region in Tanzania: Status towards Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and Way Forward

Background: Improving Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in health care settings is a critical prerequisite for achieving national health goals and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The World Health Organization (WHO) has set a target for each United Nations member state to reach by 2030. Each member state is required to reach by 2022, 2025 and 2030 at least 60%, 80% and 100%, respectively of basic level of service of the five elements which are water, sanitation, hygiene, waste management and environmental cleaning. Methods: This study aimed to evaluate and document the current state of basic water, sanitation, and hygiene services in all lower-level health care facilities in the Dar es Salaam region of Tanzania as of July 2022. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 99 public dispensaries in the Dar es Salaam region’s five councils: Ubungo, Kigamboni, Kinondoni and Temeke Municipalities, and Ilala City. The interviewee form and observational checklists were both digitalized using the Kobo tool software. The respondents were health care facility in-charges or nurse in-charges. Data were downloaded, validated, and imported to Stata version 15 for analysis. Results: The basic WASH level per JMP is far below the target in 2022. Each member state by 2022 is required to reach at least 60% of the basic level of service of each element. We found a low coverage of basic WASH in the 99 dispensaries included in this study. The basic WASH coverage was met in only 10 (10.1%) of the dispensaries, while the remaining 89 (89.9%) dispensaries fall on limited WASH services. Conclusion: This study revealed lower coverage of basic WASH services in dispensaries. An urgent need is required to improve the status of WASH in all the dispensaries and facilitate the provision of quality health care services, patient safety and reduce health care associated infections.

The Logic That Washes Whiter

In the red corner, Aristotle. In the blue corner, Buddha.It’s the fight of the century, and it’s a grudge match. "Fuzzy theory is wrong, wrong, and pernicious. What we need is more logical thinking, not less," fulminates Professor William Kahan of Berkeley. "Fuzzy logic is the cocaine of science. "

Methane production from Sargassum muticum:effects of seasonality and of freshwater washes

Biogas production from Sargassum muticum,an invasive seaweed species to Europe,is hampered by low methane(CH_(4))yields during anaerobic digestion(AD),but causes are unclear.This research is the first to demonstrate the impact of extensive freshwater washing of spring-and summer-harvested S.muticum on the CH_(4)production rates and the biochemical methane potential(BMP).The findings reveal that the rate profile of CH_(4)production is affected by extensively washing the seaweed and is dependent on seasonality.Spring-harvested S.muticum had higher initial CH_(4)production rates compared to summer-harvested S.muticum.For spring-harvested S.muticum,the initial rate of CH_(4)production was lowered by extensive washing.In contrast,extensively washed summer-harvested S.muticum had a higher degradation rate and CH_(4)production rate relative to its non-extensively washed counterpart.The highest CH_(4)potentials accumulated by the treated and non-treated S.muticum are,however,statistically similar and not influenced by seasonality or extensive washing(p>0.05).Potential causes for differences in the rate of CH_(4)production between summer-and spring-harvested S.muticum are discussed.The differences in CH_(4)production from treated summer-and spring-harvested S.muticum acts as a stepping stone to understanding the causes for low CH_(4)yields,which could allow for further enhancements in CH_(4)production from S.muticum.

卫星波束标校信号码型对比分析

针对GEO轨道通信卫星同步定点后会出现周期性漂移,导致波束指向不确定的问题,本文对波束标校系统中的信号捕获进行了研究。由于标校信号捕获依赖于标校信号之间的正交性及其自相关特性,因此文中提出了标校系统中信号码型选择需要考虑的关键问题。特别是在天线存在指向误差时,Ka频段标校站接收信号功率最大差异可达近30 dB,这给标校信号码型设计和标校信号的捕获带来了困难,因此文中从码型的抗干扰性能、实现复杂度、能量估计精度和捕获特性等几个方面,分析和对比了m序列信号、Walsh信号、单频信号和Chirp信号(扫频信号)这4种码型各自的优点和缺点,并用MATLAB进行了仿真。结果表明:在抗干扰性能上,伪随机序列信号和Walsh信号最好,Chirp信号次之,单频信号最差;在复杂度方面,Chirp最复杂,伪随机序列和Walsh序列次之,单频方式最简单;在估计精度方面,三者的估计精度相当;在捕获性能方面,Walsh信号的捕获性能明显优于m序列,而且当两个标校站的接收信号功率之间存在较大差异时,Walsh信号的捕获性能明显优于m序列。因此标校系统可优先选择Walsh码作为标校信号。

Uniaxial compressive behaviour of a FRP standing support made of mine wastes

Twenty-seven specimens were tested to investigate the uniaxial compression behaviour of an innovative standing support for underground space applications.The innovative standing support consisted of an external fibre reinforced polymer(FRP)jacket and the infill column made of cementitious grout,tailings and coal wash rejects.Effects of the FRP layers number and water to the cementitious grout(w/g)ratio were evaluated.Test results indicated that lower w/g ratios produced stronger infill columns.With FRP confinement,the standing support demonstrated strain-hardening loading characteristics with a significant improvement in both strength and ductility.The highest strength and strain of the specimens achieved was 58.4 MPa and 11.8%respectively.Compared with the unconfined specimens,the confinement with four FRP layers increased the specimen strength and associated strain up to 3.6 and 27.0 times respectively.A correlation between the compressive strength of the infill material and the ultrasonic pulse velocity was also investigated.Furthermore,a simple design-oriented model was proposed to predict the peak strength and the corresponding strain of the innovative standing support.

Remediation of oily soil using acidic sophorolipids micro-emulsion

A sophorolipids(SLs)micro-emulsion in Winsor type Ⅰ form was used for crude oil contaminated soil washing treatment.The micro-emulsion shows higher oil removal rate than SLs aqueous solution and diesel oil.The type Ⅰ micro-emulsion with w(SLs)=6%,w(NaCl)=1%,w(diesel)=13.36% gave a high oil removal rate of 95.6% and the eluate remained in type Ⅰ state.The recovered oil showed lower viscosity,mainly caused by the entering of diesel from the micro-emulsion phase into the oil phase and the lower removal rate of the heavier components,such as the resin and asphaltene.The initial heavily saline-alkaline soil changed into mildly saline-alkaline state after washing treatment,favoring the germination and growth of plants,with ryegrass showing better germination and growth effect than alfalfa.The ryegrass showed good phytoremediation effect on the contaminated soil after SLs micro-emulsion washing.The combination process of SL micro-emulsion washing and ryegrass phytoremediation is prospective for oily soil treatment.

Orientational Separation of Sulfur in Petroleum Coke by Alkali Calcining and Reflux Washing

The application of high-sulfur petroleum coke after desulfurization in aluminum electrolysis anodes is an important development trend. However, removing sulfur from high-sulfur petroleum coke is still a significant challenge.This study proposes alkali calcining and reflux washing to examine the impacts of temperature, particle size, the mass ratio of Na_(2)CO_(3) to NaOH, and total sodium addition on the desulfurization efficiency and mechanism. The results show that the desulfurization rate increases with increasing temperature, increasing total sodium content, and decreasing particle size. The addition of alkali can significantly reduce the opening-ring reaction temperature of thiophene and convert organic sulfur into inorganic sulfur(Na_(2)S). Three washing methods were compared, and reflux washing was selected to separate inorganic sulfur(Na_(2)S) from calcined petroleum coke. The sulfur content in petroleum coke decreased from 7.29% to 1.90%, with a desulfurization rate of 80.13% under optimal conditions. The petroleum coke was analyzed before and after desulfurization using X-Ray diffraction(XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy(SEM), Infrared Spectroscopy(IR), Thermogravimetric Analysis and Differential Scanning Calorimetry(TG-DSC), Gaschromatography-mass Spectrometry(GC-MS). The results show that thiophene and benzothiophene in petroleum coke are decomposed and converted into octane and ethyl cyclohexane. These new observations are expected to provide further understanding and guidance for the utilization of highsulfur petroleum coke.

In the Lake Zone of Tanzania, Behavioral Determinants Are Associated with Hygiene but Not Sanitation Practice

Understanding why individuals do or do not adopt optimal water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) practices is critical to designing successful behavior change interventions. However, policy makers and program implementers often fail to obtain the context-specific information on behavioral determinants of WASH practices. This two-stage, randomized survey among 5000 female primary caregivers in the Lake Zone of Tanzania assessed associations between behavioral determinants and a range of hygiene and sanitation practices. Behavioral determinants of hygiene were almost always significantly associated with cleaning one’s own hands after cleaning the baby’s bottom and being able to show at least one place where family members wash their hands. In regression models, those who knew when to wash their own hands (OR = 1.8, 95% CI: 1.5, 2.1) and their child’s hands (OR = 1.5, 95% CI: 1.3, 1.7) and mothers who thought that their female friends washed their hands after cleaning the baby’s bottom (OR = 5.5, 95% CI: 4.5, 6.7) were significantly more likely to frequently clean their own hands after cleaning the baby’s bottom. This research suggests that in the Lake Zone of Tanzania, numerous determinants are associated with hygiene practices. Identifying context-specific determinants of WASH behaviors is the first step toward developing effective interventions.

Discussion on the Treatment of Palmoplantar Keratosis by TCM Soaking and Washing

By combing the mechanism and advantages of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)soaking and washing and combining TCM syndrome differentiation with western medicine differentiation of diseases,guided by the view that"the principle of external treatment is that of internal treatment",this article discusses the differentiation and treatment ideas of palmoplantar keratosis by TCM soaking and washing,which will provide a reference for clinical treatment.

Hand Hygiene by Ward Staff at Dapaong Regional Hospital in Togo

Introduction: Hand hygiene (HH) is an effective way to fight infections in healthcare settings. The general purpose of our study was to explore the knowledge, attitudes and practices of health care providers on HH at Dapaong regional hospital (DRH). Methodology: This was a prospective, descriptive cross-sectional study conducted from March to June 2022 in the DRH wards. Data were collected using a questionnaire and observation grid. Results: 90 care providers were surveyed. Males and non-physician personnel predominated with 57.8%, and 94.4% respectively. The survey on staff’s knowledge reported: 31.1% of practitioners did not wash their hands on arrival and departure in services. 24% did not know the difference between simple hand washing (SHW) and hygienic hand washing (HHW). 23.3% did not know the type of soap to use for HHW. The caregivers did not know the type of hand washing (HW) required after a septic and non-septic procedure in respectively 41.6%, and 37.8%. They did not know that there are two types of hand antiseptics (45.4%), nor the amount of antiseptic for HW (78.9%). The survey on staff’s attitude regarding HW found that: 70% did not remove all jewels prior HW, and 51.1% did not know that wearing gloves cannot replace the HW. For HW Staff Practice: 62.2% did not wash their hands before treatment. 91.1% did not spread the soap on their hands and forearms after wetting them. 65.55% did not rinse hands from nails to elbows. Conclusion: The HH was poorly known, the attitude of the staff was dangerous in relation to the HH and the practice of HH was very inadequate at the RHC-Dapaong. As a result, there is a need to retrain staff to increase their capacity to prevent care-related infections and enhance patient safety in the hospital.

Sulfur phase and sulfur removal in high sulfur-containing bauxite

The sulfur phase in high sulfur-containing bauxite was studied by an X-ray diffraction analysis and a chemistry quantitative analysis.The methods for the removal of different shaped sulfur were also discussed.The results show that sulfur phases in high sulfur-containing bauxites exist in the main form of sulfide sulfur （pyrite） or sulfate sulfur,and the main sulfur forms of bauxites from different regions are not the same.Through a combination of an X-ray diffraction analysis and a chemistry quantitative analysis,the sulfur phases of high sulfur-containing bauxite could be accurately investigated.Deciding the main sulfur form of high sulfur-containing bauxite could provide theoretical instruction for choosing methods for the removal of sulfur from bauxite,and an oxidizing-roasting process is an effective way to remove sulfide sulfur from high sulfur-containing bauxite,the content of S^2-in crude ore in the digestion liquor is above 1.7 g/L,but in the roasted ore digestion liquor,it is below 0.18 g/L.Using the sodium carbonate solution washing technology to wash bauxite can effectively remove sulfate sulfur,the content of the total sulfur in ore is lowered to below 0.2% and can meet the production requirements for the sulfur content.

Recovery of titanium from undissolved residue(tionite) in titanium oxide industry via NaOH hydrothermal conversion and H_2SO_4 leaching

To recover titanium from tionite, a new process consisting of NaOH hydrothermal conversion, water washing, and H2SO4 leaching for TiO2 preparation was developed. The experimental results show that under the optimum hydrothermal conversion conditions, i.e., 50% NaOH （mass fraction） solution, NaOH/tionite mass ratio of 4：1, reaction temperature of 240 ℃reaction time of 1 h and oxygen partial pressure of 0.25 MPa, the titanium was mainly converted into Na2TiO3, and the conversion was 97.2%. The unwanted product Na2TiSiO5 remained stable in water washing, and its formation was prevented by improving NaOH concentration. In water washing process, about 97.6% of Na＋ could be recycled by washing the hydrothermal product. The NaOH solutions could be reused after concentration. 96.7% of titanium in the washed product was easily leached in H2SO4 solution at low temperatures, forming titanyl sulfate solution to further prepare TiO2.

An updated review of gastric cancer in the next-generation sequencing era:Insights from bench to bedside and vice versa

Gastric cancer(GC)is one of the most common malignancies and remains the second leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide.There is an increasing understanding of the roles that genetic and epigenetic alterations play in GCs.Recent studies using nextgeneration sequencing(NGS)have revealed a number of potential cancer-driving genes in GC.Whole-exome sequencing of GC has identified recurrent somatic mutations in the chromatin remodeling gene ARID1A and alterations in the cell adhesion gene FAT4,a member of the cadherin gene family.Mutations in chromatin remodeling genes(ARID1A,MLL3 and MLL)have been found in 47%of GCs.Whole-genome sequencing and whole-transcriptome sequencing analyses have also discovered novel alterations in GC.Recent studies of cancer epigenetics have revealed widespread alterations in genes involved in the epigenetic machinery,such as DNA methylation,histone modifications,nucleosome positioning,noncoding RNAs and microRNAs.Recent advances in molecular research on GC have resulted in the introduction of new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies into clinical settings.The antihuman epidermal growth receptor 2(HER2)antibody trastuzumab has led to an era of personalized therapy in GC.In addition,ramucirumab,a monoclonal antibody targeting vascular endothelial growth factor receptor(VEGFR)-2,is the first biological treatment that showed survival benefits as a single-agent therapy in patients with advanced GC who progressed after firstline chemotherapy.Using NGS to systematically identify gene alterations in GC is a promising approach with remarkable potential for investigating the pathogenesis of GC and identifying novel therapeutic targets,as well as useful biomarkers.In this review,we will summarize the recent advances in the understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of GC,focusing on the potential use of these genetic and epigenetic alterations as diagnostic biomarkers and novel therapeutic targets.

Graphical Simulator for Chinese Ink-Wash Drawing

Simulating the traditional painting art by computer graphics is a challenging and attractive subject. Basing on the experience in the ink wash drawing, in this paper, we expound the artistic characters of ink wash painting and particularly analyze the characteristics of the materials used in the ink wash drawing and the relationships between them. A simulation model is presented and some typical visual effects of the ink wash painting are realized.

WASH通过与核内不均一核糖核蛋白A1(hnRNP A1)的相互作用调控选择性剪接和基因转录

目的探讨Wiskott-Aldrich综合征蛋白和富含脯氨酸同源物(WASH)与核内不均一核糖核蛋白A1(hnRNP A1)的相互作用及其生物学功能.方法利用质谱鉴定、免疫共沉淀技术,研究WASH复合体核心成员WASH/FAM21与hnRNP A1相互作用.使用实时定量PCR检测WASH沉默细胞与对照细胞中端粒长度.使用RNA-Seq检测WASH沉默细胞与对照细胞转录谱.结果质谱鉴定结果显示包括hnRNP A1在内的多种hnRNP家族成员与FAM21-d219N相互作用.免疫沉淀结果验证了内源WASH/FAM21与hnRNP A1的相互作用.WASH沉默并未对端粒的相对长度产生影响,但明显提高了外显子跳跃的数量,并且影响包括部分核因子κB(NF-κB)靶基因在内的数百基因的转录.结论细胞核内的WASH可与hnRNP A1相互作用,参与选择性剪接和基因转录的调控.

Value of early diagnosis of sepsis complicated with acute kidney injury by renal contrast-enhanced ultrasound

BACKGROUND The incidence of acute kidney injury(AKI)in patients with sepsis is high,and the prognosis of patients with septic AKI is poor.The early diagnosis and treatment of septic AKI is of great significance in improving the prognosis of patients with sepsis.AIM To explore the value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound(CEUS),serum creatinine(Scr),and other indicators in the early diagnosis of septic AKI.METHODS Ninety patients with sepsis during hospitalization at Tongji Hospital of Tongji University were recruited as subjects.Each patient was recorded with relevant basic data,clinical indicators,and CEUS results.The patients were divided into AKI group and non-AKI group according to the results of renal function diagnosis after 48 h.On the 7th day,the renal function of the non-AKI group was re-evaluated and the patients were further divided into AKI subgroup and non-AKI subgroup.The differences of the indicators in different groups were compared,and the diagnostic value of each indicator and their combination for septic AKI was analyzed.RESULTS Systemic inflammatory response score(2.58±0.75),blood lactic acid(3.01±1.33 mmol/L),Scr(141.82±27.19μmol/L),blood urea nitrogen(4.41±0.81mmol/L),and rise time(10.23±2.63 s)in the AKI group were higher than those in the non-AKI group.Peak intensity(PI)(10.78±3.98 dB)and wash in slope(WIS)(1.07±0.53 dB/s)were lower than those in the non-AKI group.The differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).The PI(12.83±3.77 dB)and WIS(1.22±0.68 dB/s)in the AKI subgroup were lower than those in the non-AKI subgroup,and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).The area under curve(AUC)of Scr for the diagnosis of septic AKI was 0.825 with a sensitivity of 56.76% and a specificity of 100%.The AUCs of WIS and PI(0.928 and 0.912)were higher than those of Scr.Their sensitivities were 100%,but the specificities were 71.70% and 75.47%.The AUC of the combination of three indicators for the diagnosis of septic AKI was 0.943,which was significantly higher than the AUC diagnosed by each single indicator.The sensitivity was 94.59%,and the specificity was 81.13%.CONCLUSION The combination of Scr,PI,and WIS can improve the diagnostic accuracy of septic AKI.PI and WIS are expected to predict the occurrence of early septic AKI.

Efficient Extraction of Astaxanthin from Phaffia rhodozyma with Polar and Non-polar Solvents after Acid Washing

method of extracting astaxanthin from Phaffia rhodozyma with various solvents after acid washing was investigated. The extraction efficiency was distinctly increased after acid washing of P. rhodozyma cells. When the concentration of HCl was 0.4 mol.L^-1, the highest extraction efficiency of astaxanthin was achieved which was about three times higher than the control. Acetone or benzene as single polar or non-polar solvent was the most ef- fective solvent in our research. With a combination of isopropanol and n-hexane （volume ratio of 2 ： 1）, the maxi- mal extraction efficiency was achieved, approximately 60% higher than that obtained with a single solvent. The liquid-solid ratio and the extracting time were also optimized. Under the optimum extraction conditions, the extraction yield of astaxanthin exceeded 98%.