Adverse effect of TWPs on soil fungi and the contribution of benzothiazole rubber additives

Tire wear particles (TWPs) pollution is widely present in soil, especially in areas severely affected by traffic. Herein, regular variation of fungal biomass with TWPs was found in soils with different distances from the highway. In addition, the concentrations of benzothiazole compounds (BTHs), an important class of rubber vulcanization accelerators, were found to be positively correlated to the TWPs abundance. Sixty days' soil microcosm experiments were conducted to further confirm the adverse effect of TWPs and BTHs on soil fungi. TWPs spiking at 1000 mg/kg, a detectable level in the roadside, resulted in significant reduction of biomass and significant changes of soil fungal community structure, with Eurotium and Polyporales being the sensitive species. BTH+ 2-hydroxybenzothiazole (OHBT) (the dominant BTHs in soil) spiking at 200 ng/kg, the dose equivalent to 1000 mg/kg TWPs pollution, also caused a similar magnitude of soil fungal biomass reduction. Adonis demonstrated no significant difference of fungal community structure between TWPs and BTH+OHBT spiked soil, suggesting the adverse effect of TWPs on soil fungi may be explained by the act of BTHs. Pure culture using the representative soil fungi Eurotium and Polyporales also confirmed that BTHs were the main contributors to the adverse effect of TWPs on soil fungi.

Establishment of a rabbit model of different degrees of testicular torsion

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

Different degrees of testicular torsion result in varying degrees of testicular damage, which influences treatment options and outcomes. Therefore, establishing a testicular torsion model with different degrees is necessary for clinical diagnosis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Rabbits were randomly divided into four groups and their spermatic cords were twisted at 0 °, 180 °, 360 °, and 720 °, respectively. Color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI) were performed to evaluate the blood supply in testicles. The twisted testicles were surgically removed at six hours post-operation and were evaluated by morphological observation and Hematoxylin and Eosin staining.

RESULTS

CDFI signals were gradually decreased as the degree of testicular torsion increased, and scores of CDFI in the 360 ° and 720 ° groups were significantly decreased at postoperative six hours compared to pre-surgery. Compared to the sham, the testicle in the 180 ° group exhibited slight congestion, whereas the testicles in the 360 ° and 720 ° groups were dark red in color and had severe congestion and unrecognizable vessels. Hematoxylin and Eosin staining showed mild spermatogenic cell reduction and testicular interstitial hemorrhage in the 180 ° group. In the 360 ° and 720 ° groups, disordered seminiferous tubules, shed spermatogenic cells in tubules, inflammatory cell infiltration, and severe hemorrhage were found. In comparison with the sham, interstitial hemorrhage scores in the 360 ° and 720 ° groups were significantly higher, and scores of germinal epithelial cell thickness in the three testicular torsion groups were significantly decreased.

CONCLUSIONS

Collectively, we successfully constructed a testicular torsion model with different degrees in rabbits.

[Application value of domestic single-port robot in nephron sparing surgery]

Objective: To explore the application value of the domestic precision ®single-port robotic system in nephron sparing surgery. Methods: The clinical data of patients with renal masses underwent nephron sparing surgery using the domestic precision ®single-port robotic system at the PLA General Hospital, Gulou Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University School of Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University and the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University from September to November 2023 were retrospectively included. Perioperative clinical data, pathological examination results, and postoperative complications were summarized. Results: A total of 12 patients were included, including 8 males and 4 females, with 26-75 (56±16) years. Body mass index (BMI) was (25.1±2.7) kg/m2. There were 6 cases on the left side and 6 case on the right side. The surgical approach was transabdominal in 9 cases and retroperitoneal in 3 case. The maximum diameter of the lesions was (2.7±0.7) cm, the warm ischemia time [M (Q1, Q3)] was 19 (15, 26) minutes, the surgical time was 180 (149, 216) minutes, and the intraoperative blood loss was 50 (28, 100) ml. Postoperative visual analogue scale (VAS) was (2.9±1.5) points. Postoperative pathology revealed malignant renal clear cell carcinoma in 9 cases, with nuclear grading of 3 cases for Grade 1, 3 cases for Grade 2, and 3 cases for Grade 3. Eight cases of pathological TNM staging were pT1aN0M0 and 1 case was pT3aN0M0, with no cancer at the resection margin. Three cases showed benign renal vascular smooth muscle lipoma. There were no postoperative blood transfusions and no complications such as fever, urine leakage and poor wound healing. Conclusion: The prliminary experience reveals that the domestic precision ®single-port laparoscopic robotic system has good clinical application value in urological nephron sparing surgery.

Whole genome sequencing reveals that five genes are related to BW trait in sheep

BW is an important economic trait in sheep that influences growth and development. Currently, most studies have used a single approach to screen genes associated with BW traits in sheep. To address this limitation, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) covering four different BW periods: birth, weaning, 6 months, and 12 months. Five new candidate genes: MAP3K1, ANKRD55, ABCB1, MEF2C and TRNAW-CCA-87 were screened using a combination of GWAS and quantitative trait loci analysis in sheep. Additionally, five genes were subjected to Gene ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analyses. These genes were primarily enriched in pathways related to growth hormone and energy metabolism. The results demonstrated that the above genes potentially influenced the growth and development of sheep. The five new candidate genes are closely related to the BW trait in sheep, which will be valuable for understanding the genetic mechanisms underlying BW traits and for guiding sheep breeding.

[Efficacy and safety of dupilumab in the treatment of moderate to severe atopic dermatitis]

Objective: To analyse the efficacy and safety of dupilumab in the treatment of moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD). Methods: The clinical data of moderate to severe AD patients who received dupilumab therapy in the Department of Dermatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University from August 2020 to November 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The efficacy was evaluated by Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI), SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD), Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), Patient Oriented Eczema Measure (POEM), and Dermatology Quality of Life Index (DLQI) before treatment and 2, 4, 16 and 24 weeks after treatment. Adverse events that occurred during treatment were recorded. Repeated Measures ANOVA and Generalized Estimating Equations were used to compare changes in scores and changes in laboratory indices at different time points before and after treatment. Results: The age of 259 patients was (35.4±25.9) years, the duration of AD was 4.00 (2.00, 9.00) years, and 64.1% (166 patients) were men patients. The scores of EASI, SCORAD, POEM, DLQI and NRS at 2, 4, 16 and 24 weeks after treatment with dupilumab were significantly lower than those before treatment (all P<0.001). The proportions of EASI50, EASI75, and EASI90 were 91.0% (101/111), 71.2% (79/111), and 40.5% (45/111) at 16 weeks, and 95.0% (76/80), 80.0% (64/80) and 45.0% (36/80) at 24 weeks, respectively. Basal total IgE levels (P=0.005) and EOS counts (P<0.001) at Week 24 were significantly lower than those before treatment. Adverse events occurred in 54 patients (20.9%), mainly manifested as intractable erythema of the face and neck (5.0%, 13 patients) and conjunctivitis (1.9%, 5 patients). Conclusions: Dupilumab can effectively improve the rash area, rash severity and itchiness of moderate to severe atopic dermatitis, improve the quality of life of patients, and reduce the incidence of adverse effects.

A lag bloom pattern of phytoplankton after freshwater input events revealed by daily samples during summer in Qinhuangdao coastal water, China

Phytoplankton blooms have become a global concern due to their negative impacts on public health, aquaculture, tourism, and the economic stability of coastal regions. Therefore, elucidating the shifts in phytoplankton community structure and abundance, as well as their environmental drivers, is crucial. However, existing studies often fail to capture the detailed dynamics of phytoplankton blooms and their environmental triggers due to low temporal observation resolution. In this study, high temporal resolution (daily) samples were collected over 43 days to investigate the influence of environmental factors on phytoplankton in Qinhuangdao in the summer. During the observation period, a total of 45 phytoplankton species were identified, comprising 26 Bacillariophyta species, 16 Dinophyta species, 2 Euglenophyta species, and 1 Chromophyta species. Interestingly, a lag bloom pattern of phytoplankton behind freshwater input was observed across day-to-day samples. Phytoplankton blooms typically lagged 1-3 days behind periods of decreased salinity and nutrient input, suggesting that freshwater influx provides the foundational materials and benefits for these blooms. Moreover, the phytoplankton blooms were triggered by six dominant species, i.e., Chaetoceros spp., Pseudo-nitzschia delicatissima, Skeletonema costatum, Protoperdinium spp., Leptocylindrus minimus, Pseudo-nitzschia pungens, and Thalassiosira spp. Consequently, the succession of phytoplankton showed a predominant genera shift in the following sequence: Nitzschia, Protoperdinium, and Prorocentrum - Skeletonema - Pseudo-nitzschia - Gymnodinium - Leptocylindrus. Besides that, a deterministic process dominated phytoplankton community assembly across time series, and DIP is a key factor in shifting the phytoplankton community structures in this area. In summary, our study offers high-resolution observations on the succession of phytoplankton communities and sheds light on the complex and differentiated responses of phytoplankton to environmental factors. These findings enhance our understanding of the dynamics of phytoplankton blooms and their environmental drivers, which is essential for the effective management and mitigation of their adverse impacts.

[Preliminary study on the role and mechanism of IL-6 receptor antagonists in improving post-infarction ventricular arrhythmia]

Objective: To investigate the effect of tocilizumab (TCZ) on ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) after myocardial infarction (MI) in Sprague-Dawley rats and explore its potential mechanism. Methods: The random number table method was used to divide 32 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats into 4 groups: Sham group, TCZ group, MI group and MI+TCZ group, with 8 rats in each group. The MI model was established by ligation of the left anterior descending branch of the coronary artery in the MI and MI+TCZ groups, and only sutured without ligation in the Sham and TCZ groups. TCZ was injected into the left superior cervical ganglion (SCG) of rats in the TCZ and MI+TCZ groups after successful modeling or sham operation, and the same amount of normal saline was injected in the Sham and MI groups. 24 h after successful modeling, ECG of rats in each group was recorded, heart rate variability (HRV, including low frequency power (LF), high frequency power (HF), LF/HF ratio), QT interval, QTc interval were calculated, and left ventricular effective refractory period (ERP) and VA inducibility were measured. Myocardial infarct size and tissue changes were observed with triphenyl tetrazolium chloride staining and HE staining. Real-time PCR analysis was used to detect the messager RNA (mRNA) expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 3 in SCG and potassium voltage-gated channel subfamily D member 2 (Kcnd2) in myocardial infarction periphery. The expression of c-fos in SCG was detected by immunofluorescence staining. Results: Compared with Sham group and MI+TCZ group, rats in MI group had higher LF and LF/HF ratio, longer QT interval and QTc interval, more VAs induced, lower HF and shorter ERP (P all<0.05). Triphenyl tetrazolium chloride staining and HE staining showed that rats in the Sham and TCZ groups had normal myocardial tissue structure, those in the MI group had severe myocardial injury, and those in the MI+TCZ group had less myocardial injury than those in the MI group. Real-ime PCR analysis showed that compared with Sham group and MI+TCZ group, mRNA expression levels of IL-6 and STAT3 in SCG of rats in MI group were higher, and mRNA expression level of myocardial Kcnd2 was lower (P all<0.05). Immunofluorescence staining showed that the content of c-fos in SCG of rats in MI group was higher than that of Sham group and MI+TCZ group (P all<0.05). Conclusions: TCZ may reduce neural activity of the SCG after MI by inhibiting the IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway, thereby alleviating myocardial injury and inhibiting VAs.

Improved diet-based nutritional interventions can improve childhood obesity with the synergistic regulation of gut microbiota

Childhood obesity is a crucial public health concern worldwide. Dietary intervention is the most common intervention for the treatment of obesity. Therefore, we tested an improved diet-based nutritional interventions to improve the childhood obesity and its gut microbiota. Thirty obese children received a 12-week intervention with the adjust-energy-restricted dietary pattern (A-CRD). Body composition was measured by bioelectrical impedance (Inbody S10) and faecal microbes were profiled by sequencing 16S rRNA. Compared to the NTB group (at 0 week), the NTA group (at 12 weeks) had a significantly greater decrease in body weight, body mass index (BMI) and percent body fat (PBF) ( P < 0.001, respectively), whereas skeletal muscle mass (SMM) and fat free mass (FFM) were not statistically significantly different ( P > 0.05). The gut microbiota was found significantly different between the NTB and NTA groups based on alpha and beta diversity. Bifidobacterium, Blautia, and Streptococcus was significantly increased, whereas Bacteroides and Megamonas was significantly decreased in the NTA group ( P < 0.05, respectively). Meanwhile, NTA group significantly increased the ability to produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs; e.g. acetic acid/total dietary energy) and changed he predictive metabolic functional features of the microbiota communities ( P < 0.05, respectively) than the NTB group. In conclusion, A-CRD can significantly improve childhood obesity, and the underlying mechanism may be its effect on gut microbiota and metabolism. Therefore, the diet-based nutrition intervention targeting gut microbiota will be more effective management of body weight and prevention of obesity. Chinese Clinical Trial Register: ChiCTR2300074571.

[Advances in the detection of arousal in obstructive sleep apnea]

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is primarily characterized by intermittent nocturnal hypoxia and sleep fragmentation. Arousals interrupt sleep continuity and lead to sleep fragmentation, which can lead to cognitive dysfunction, excessive daytime sleepiness, and adverse cardiovascular outcome events, making arousals important for diagnosing OSA and reducing the risk of complications, including heart disease and cognitive impairment. Traditional arousal interpretation requires sleep specialists to manually score PSG recordings throughout the night, which is time consuming and has low inter-specialist agreement, so the search for simple, efficient, and reliable arousal detection methods can be a powerful tool to clinicians. In this paper, we systematically reviewed different methods for recognizing arousal in OSA patients, including autonomic markers (pulse conduction time, pulse wave amplitude, peripheral arterial tone, heart rate, etc.) and machine learning-based automated arousal detection systems, and found that autonomic markers may be more beneficial in certain subgroups, and that deep artificial networks will remain the main research method for automated arousal detection in the future.

[Techniques for quantifying endotypes of obstructive sleep apnea]

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the frequent occurrence of apnea and/or hypopnea during sleep, leading to intermittent hypoxia, hypercapnia, and disruption of sleep architecture, further resulting in multisystem damage. The pathophysiological mechanisms include abnormal anatomical structure, low arousal threshold, high loop gain, and poor muscle reactivity, etc. As there are individual differences in the underlying mechanisms of OSA (i.e. endotypes), the effectiveness of treatment and prognosis may also vary according to these characteristics. Understanding the endotype of OSA is critical to understanding which patients are most likely to benefit from non-invasive ventilation therapy. Quantification of endotypes is central to the precision treatment of OSA and may provide the basis for accurate clinical treatment of OSA based on endotypes.

Risk of metastasis and survival in patients undergoing different treatment strategies with T1 colonic neuroendocrine tumors

PURPOSE

The efficacy and safety of local excision (LE) for small (< 1‒2 cm) colonic neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) is controversial due to the higher metastasis risk when compared with rectal NETs. The study aimed to evaluate the metastasis risk of T1 colonic NETs and compare patients' long-term prognosis after LE or radical surgery (RS).

METHODS

The Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results database was used to identify patients with T1 colonic NETs (2004‒2015). Multivariable logistic regression was performed to assess factors associated with metastasis risk. Propensity score matching was used to balance the variables. Cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) were calculated to estimate the prognosis of patients with T1N0M0 colonic NETs who underwent LE or RS.

RESULTS

Of the 610 patients with colonic NETs, 46 (7.54%) had metastasis at diagnosis. Tumor size (11-20 mm) (OR = 9.51; 95% confidence interval (CI): 4.32‒21.45; P < 0.001), right colon (OR = 15.79; 95% CI 7.20‒38.56; P < 0.001), submucosal infiltration (OR = 2.08; 95% CI 0.84‒5.57; P = 0.125) were independent risk factors associated with metastasis. Of the 515 patients with T1N0M0 colonic NETs, the overall long-term prognosis of LE was as good as that of RS groups (after matching, 5-year CSS: 97.9% vs. 94.6%, P = 0.450; 5-year OS: 92.7% vs. 85.6%, P = 0.009).

CONCLUSION

Tumor size (11‒20 mm) and site (right colon) are associated with metastasis in T1 colonic NETs. In the absence of metastasis, LE could be a viable option for 0‒10 mm T1 colonic NETs with well/moderate differentiation in the left colon in terms of long-term survival.

Copy Number Alterations Predict Development of OSCC from Oral Leukoplakia

Oral leukoplakia (OLK) is a common type of potentially malignant disorder. Early identification of the malignancy potential leads to a better management of OLK and prediction of development of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). However, there has been no effective biomarker to assess the risk of malignancy in OLK. Genomic copy number alteration (CNA) is a complex chromosomal structural variation in the genome and has been identified as a potential biomarker in multiple cancers. This study aimed to develop a predictive model for the malignant transformation risk of OLK by copy number analysis. A total of 431 OLK samples with long-term follow-up (median follow-up of 67 mo) from multiple academic centers were analyzed for CNAs. CNA events increased with the severity of hyperplasia, mild dysplasia, moderate dysplasia, and severe dysplasia. More CNA events were present in patients with OLK who later developed OSCC than in those with OLK who did not. By multivariate Cox regression analysis, the OLK of the CNA scorehigh group showed an increased risk of malignant transformation than the CNA scorelow group (P < 0.001). A CNA score model was developed to accurately predict the prognosis (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC] = 0.879; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.799-0.959) and was validated using data from 2 external centers (AUC = 0.836, 95% CI, 0.683-0.989; AUC = 0.876, 95% CI, 0.682-1.000), and all of them showed better prediction performances than histopathological grade in assessing the transformation risk of OLK. Furthermore, we performed CNA models among 4 subgroups of OLK with hyperplasia, mild dysplasia, moderate dysplasia, and severe dysplasia and found that CNA score can accurately predict malignant transformation of different subgroups. CNA score may be a useful biomarker to predict malignant transformation of OLK. Subtyping of OLK by the CNA score could contribute to better management of OLK and predicting development of OSCC.

[Prediction models for respiratory event types in OSA patients based on hypoxic parameters]

Objective: To analyze the hypoxic parameters in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), to explore the difference and association between different types of respiratory events and to construct predictive models for respiratory event types. Methods: Fifty patients [including 41 males and 9 females with age 18-74(45.72±13.39) years ] with OSA diagnosed by polysomnography (PSG) were selected for retrospective analysis, and all respiratory events with pulse oximetry (SpO2) desaturation in the recorded overnight data were divided into hypopnea group (Hyp, 3 316), obstructive apnea group (OA, 5 552), central apnea group (CA, 1 088) and mixed apnea group (MA, 1 369) according to the type of events, and all event records were exported separately from the PSG software as comma-separated variable (.csv) files, which were imported and analyzed using the in-house built Matlab software. A total of 13 hypoxic parameter differences were compared among the four groups, including minimum oxygen saturation of events (e-minSpO2), the depth of desaturation (ΔSpO2), the duration of desaturation and resaturation (DSpO2), the duration of desaturation (d.DSpO2), duration of resaturation (r.DSpO2), duration of SpO2<90% (T90), duration of SpO2<90% during desaturation (d.T90), duration of SpO2<90% during resaturation (r.T90), area under the curve of SpO2<90% (ST90), area under the curve of SpO2<90% during desaturation (d.ST90), area under the curve of SpO2<90% during resaturation (r.ST90), oxygen desaturation rate (ODR) and oxygen resaturation rate (ORR). Hyp model (H), OA model (O), CA model (C) and MA model (M) were constructed respectively; group differences for the different hypoxia parameters were assessed using single factor analysis and Kruskal-Wallis H test. For different categories of respiratory events, binary logistic regression was used to identify the variables included in the regression model. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated to assess and compare the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of the four models, thereby gauging the predictive precision of each model. Results: ΔSpO2, ODR, ORR, T90, d.T90, r.T90, ST90, d.ST90 and r.ST90 for each type of respiratory events showed MA>OA>CA>Hyp, and e-minSpO2 showed MA Collapse

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• Male
• Female
• Humans
• Adolescent
• Young Adult
• Adult
• Middle Aged
• Aged
• Retrospective Studies
• Oxygen
• Oximetry
• Hypoxia
• Sleep Apnea, Obstructive/diagnosis

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[Expressions of NLRP3, Caspase-1, and GSDMD in nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissue and association with recurrence and metastasis]

Objective: To investigate the expressions of Nod-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3), cysteine-aspartic acid protease 1 (Caspase-1), and Gasdermin D (GSDMD) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), and their relationships with the recurrence and metastasis of NPC. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 421 patients diagnosed with NPC between December 2014 and January 2020. The expressions of NLRP3, Caspase-1, and GSDMD in pathological specimens were examined with immunohistochemistry and multiplex immunofluorescence staining. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were applied to identify the factors influencing NPC recurrence and metastasis. In vitro experiments with NPC cell line HNE-2 were used to explore the functional mechanisms of NLRP3, Caspase-1, and GSDMD. Results: Multivariate Cox analysis revealed that tumor staging of Ⅲ-Ⅳ(HRrecurrence=2.74, 95%CIrecurrence: 1.61-4.65; HRmetastasis=1.90, 95%CImetastasis: 1.04-3.49) and pre-treatment plasma EBV-DNA levels≥1 500 copies/ml (HRrecurrence=1.91, 95%CIrecurrence: 1.13-3.23; HRmetastasis=2.07, 95%CImetastasis: 1.23-3.50)were independent risk factors for NPC recurrence and metastasis, while positive expression of NLRP3(HRrecurrence=0.17, 95%CIrecurrence: 0.08-0.35; HRmetastasis=0.30, 95%CImetastasis: 0.15-0.59), Caspase-1(HRrecurrence=0.32, 95%CIrecurrence: 0.18-0.59; HRmetastasis=0.43, 95%CImetastasis: 0.25-0.76), and GSDMD(HRrecurrence=0.48, 95%CIrecurrence: 0.25-0.91; HRmetastasis=0.96, 95%CImetastasis: 0.53-1.74) served as independent protective factors. Age (HR=1.02, 95%CI: 1.01-1.04) and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (HR=0.51, 95%CI: 0.30-0.88) were independent factors for NPC recurrence, whereas chemotherapy (HR=0.50, 95%CI: 0.29-0.88) acted as an independent protective factor for NPC metastasis (all P<0.05). NPC patients with positive expressions of the three proteins had higher locoregional recurrence-free survival, distant metastasis-free survival, and overall survival compared to those with negative expressions (all P<0.05). In vitro experiments revealed that the overexpression of NLRP3 activated the NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD signaling pathway, as evidenced by Western Blot analysis. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that overexpression of NLRP3 promoted pyroptosis in HNE-2 cells. Cellular functional assays further confirmed that overexpression of NLRP3 significantly inhibited the proliferation, invasion, and migration of HNE-2 cells. Conclusion: Positive expressions of NLRP3, Caspase-1, and GSDMD serves as independent protective factors for recurrence and metastasis of NPC, potentially by promoting cell pyroptosis and thus inhibiting NPC cell proliferation, invasion, and migration.

Observation of Single-Top-Quark Production in Association with a Photon Using the ATLAS Detector

This Letter reports the observation of single top quarks produced together with a photon, which directly probes the electroweak coupling of the top quark. The analysis uses 139  fb^{-1} of 13 TeV proton-proton collision data collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Requiring a photon with transverse momentum larger than 20 GeV and within the detector acceptance, the fiducial cross section is measured to be 688±23(stat) _{-71}^{+75}(syst)  fb, to be compared with the standard model prediction of 515_{-42}^{+36}  fb at next-to-leading order in QCD.

Observation of the γγ→ττ Process in Pb+Pb Collisions and Constraints on the τ-Lepton Anomalous Magnetic Moment with the ATLAS Detector

This Letter reports the observation of τ-lepton-pair production in ultraperipheral lead-lead collisions Pb+Pb→Pb(γγ→ττ)Pb and constraints on the τ-lepton anomalous magnetic moment a_{τ}. The dataset corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 1.44  nb^{-1} of LHC Pb+Pb collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV recorded by the ATLAS experiment in 2018. Selected events contain one muon from a τ-lepton decay, an electron or charged-particle track(s) from the other τ-lepton decay, little additional central-detector activity, and no forward neutrons. The γγ→ττ process is observed in Pb+Pb collisions with a significance exceeding 5 standard deviations and a signal strength of μ_{ττ}=1.03_{-0.05}^{+0.06} assuming the standard model value for a_{τ}. To measure a_{τ}, a template fit to the muon transverse-momentum distribution from τ-lepton candidates is performed, using a dimuon (γγ→μμ) control sample to constrain systematic uncertainties. The observed 95% confidence-level interval for a_{τ} is -0.057 Collapse

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Maintenance Therapy for Recurrent or Metastatic Cervical Cancer: A Multicenter, Cohort Study

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Maintenance therapy with alternative agents after chemotherapy was shown to improve the overall survival in some advanced cancers such as breast cancer, lung cancer, ovarian cancer and so on. However, maintenance therapy is not accepted as the standard treatment for recurrent/metastatic cervical cancer. Aim of this study is to elucidate the efficacy of maintenance therapy in cervical cancer and to explore the factors associated with the prognosis of recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer.

MATERIALS/METHODS

In this multicenter cohort study, we retrospectively collected patients with a diagnosis of either recurrent or stage IVB cervical cancer to receive first-line chemotherapy with or without maintenance therapy. Patients did not have disease progression with first-line chemotherapy and were divided into maintenance therapy group (Arm A) and conventional chemotherapy group (Arm B). Information on clinical characteristics, metastasis information, treatment outcome and survival of patients was collected using an electronic medical record system. The endpoints of the study were OS and PFS. Data were analyzed for general characteristics and survival using statistical software, and the results were considered statistically significant at P < 0.05.

RESULTS

Between January 2019 and July 2021, a total of 270 patients were enrolled from 6 institutions in China. 26 patients were excluded because of short treatment cycles (less than 3 cycles). Finally, a total of 66 patients in Arm A and 178 patients in Arm B were analyzed for survival. The addition of maintenance significantly prolonged overall survival. Overall survival at 3 year was 50.1% in Arm A and 27.8% in Arm B (median overall survival, ≥36 months vs. 22 months; P<0. 001). The median progression-free survival was 21 months in Arm A and 14 months in Arm B (P = 0.025). Univariate survival analysis showed that age, maintenance therapy, combined radiotherapy, and number of extra-pelvic metastases were associated with PFS. Further multifactorial analysis showed that maintenance therapy, combined radiotherapy, and number of extra-pelvic metastases were independent prognostic factors for patients with recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer.

CONCLUSION

The addition of maintenance therapy significantly prolonged overall survival as well as progression-free survival in patients with recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer and did not increase the incidence of serious adverse events. It is time to consider maintenance therapy as the standard treatment after conventional chemotherapy for recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer, rather than waiting for disease progression.

Source apportionment of microplastics in indoor dust: Two strategies based on shape and composition

Microplastic (MP) pollution is widely distributed in the environment. However, methods for source apportionment of MPs are still lacking. In this study, the shape and size of 102,860 MPs in indoor dust from 39 cities of China were analyzed by laser direct infrared, and accordingly, a shape index (fshape) based on MP's aspect ratio was developed to assess the contribution of textiles release. In addition, a composition index (fcomp) based on the ratio of the mass concentration of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) to polyamide (PA), which were detected by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, was proposed. The contribution of textile source and non-textile source to the indoor MPs were also estimated based on fcomp. It is estimated by fshape that 43% of MPs in indoor dust was released from textiles. Among the most abundant MPs in indoor dust, 98% of polyurethane, 94% of PA and 92% of PET come from the textile source, 76% of polypropylene and almost all of polyethylene come from the non-textile source. fcomp indicates that 83% of PET MPs comes from textile source, i.e., polyester. Considering the application proportion of PET in textile and non-textile industry, it is estimated that 59% of MPs in indoor dust comes from textile source, which is similar to the result obtained by fshape.

Strong Constraints on Jet Quenching in Centrality-Dependent p+Pb Collisions at 5.02 TeV from ATLAS

Jet quenching is the process of color-charged partons losing energy via interactions with quark-gluon plasma droplets created in heavy-ion collisions. The collective expansion of such droplets is well described by viscous hydrodynamics. Similar evidence of collectivity is consistently observed in smaller collision systems, including pp and p+Pb collisions. In contrast, while jet quenching is observed in Pb+Pb collisions, no evidence has been found in these small systems to date, raising fundamental questions about the nature of the system created in these collisions. The ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider has measured the yield of charged hadrons correlated with reconstructed jets in 0.36  nb^{-1} of p+Pb and 3.6  pb^{-1} of pp collisions at 5.02 TeV. The yields of charged hadrons with p_{T}^{ch}>0.5  GeV near and opposite in azimuth to jets with p_{T}^{jet}>30 or 60 GeV, and the ratios of these yields between p+Pb and pp collisions, I_{pPb}, are reported. The collision centrality of p+Pb events is categorized by the energy deposited by forward neutrons from the struck nucleus. The I_{pPb} values are consistent with unity within a few percent for hadrons with p_{T}^{ch}>4  GeV at all centralities. These data provide new, strong constraints that preclude almost any parton energy loss in central p+Pb collisions.

Search for Heavy Neutral Leptons in Decays of W Bosons Using a Dilepton Displaced Vertex in sqrt[s]=13 TeV pp Collisions with the ATLAS Detector

A search for a long-lived, heavy neutral lepton (N) in 139  fb^{-1} of sqrt[s]=13  TeV pp collision data collected by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider is reported. The N is produced via W→Nμ or W→Ne and decays into two charged leptons and a neutrino, forming a displaced vertex. The N mass is used to discriminate between signal and background. No signal is observed, and limits are set on the squared mixing parameters of the N with the left-handed neutrino states for the N mass range 3  GeV Collapse

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Test of CP Invariance in Higgs Boson Vector-Boson-Fusion Production Using the H→γγ Channel with the ATLAS Detector

A test of CP invariance in Higgs boson production via vector-boson fusion has been performed in the H→γγ channel using 139  fb^{-1} of proton-proton collision data at sqrt[s]=13  TeV collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The optimal observable method is used to probe the CP structure of interactions between the Higgs boson and electroweak gauge bosons, as described by an effective field theory. No sign of CP violation is observed in the data. Constraints are set on the parameters describing the strength of the CP-odd component in the coupling between the Higgs boson and the electroweak gauge bosons in two effective field theory bases: d[over ˜] in the HISZ basis and c_{HW[over ˜]} in the Warsaw basis. The results presented are the most stringent constraints on CP violation in the coupling between Higgs and weak bosons. The 95% C.L. constraint on d[over ˜] is derived for the first time and the 95% C.L. constraint on c_{HW[over ˜]} has been improved by a factor of 5 compared to the previous measurement.

[Relationship between respiratory event-related arousal and increased pulse rate in patients with obstructive sleep apnea]

Objective: To investigate the relationship between respiratory event-related arousal and increased pulse rate in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and to evaluate whether elevated pulse rate can be used as a surrogate marker of arousal. Methods: A total of 80 patients [40 males and 40 females, age range (18-63 years), mean age (37±13) years] who attended the Sleep Center of the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital for polysomnography (PSG) from January 2021 to August 2022 were enrolled. Stable PSG recordings of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep to compare the mean pulse rate (PR), the lowest PR 10 seconds before the onset of arousal, and the highest PR within 10 seconds after the end of arousal associated with each respiratory event. At the same time, the correlation between the arousal index and the pulse rate increase index (PRRI), as well as ΔPR₁ (highest PR-lowest PR) and ΔPR₂ (highest PR-mean PR), respectively, with the duration of respiratory events, the duration of arousal, the magnitude of pulse oximetry (SpO₂) decline, and the lowest SpO₂ was analyzed. Among the 53 patients, 10 events without arousal and 10 events with arousal (matched for the magnitude of SpO₂ decline) were selected for NREM in each of the 53 patients, and ΔPR before and after termination of respiratory events in the two groups was compared. In addition, 50 patients were simultaneously subjected to portable sleep monitoring (PM) and divided into non-severe OSA group (n=22) and severe OSA group (n=28), and ΔPR≥3 times,≥6 times,≥9 times, and≥12 times after respiratory events were used as surrogate markers of arousal, and ΔPR was scored manually and integrated into the respiratory event index (REI) of PM. Then, we compared the agreement between REI calculated from the four PR cut-off points and the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI_PSG) calculated by the gold standard PSG. Results: ΔPR₁ [(13±7)times/min] and ΔPR₂ [(11±6)times/min] were significantly higher in patients with severe OSA than in patients with non-OSA,mild and moderate OSA. The arousal index was positively correlated with the four PRRIs (r 0.968, 0.886, 0.773, 0.687, P<0.001, respectively), and the highest PR [(77±12) times/min] within 10 s after the end of arousal was significantly higher than the lowest PR [(65±10) times/min, t=113.24, P<0.001] and the mean PR [(67±11) times/min, t=103.02, P<0.001]. ΔPR₁ and ΔPR₂ were moderately correlated with the decrease in SpO₂ (r=0.490, 0.469, P<0.001). After matching the magnitude of SpO₂ decline, the ΔPR[(9±6)/min] before and after the termination of respiratory events with arousal was significantly higher than that of respiratory events without arousal [(6±5)/min, t=7.72, P<0.001]. The differences between REI+PRRI₃ and REI+PRRI₆ and AHI_PSG in the non-severe OSA group were not statistically significant (P values 0.055 and 0.442, respectively), and REI+PRRI₆ and AHI_PSG showed good agreement (the mean difference was 0.7 times/h, 95%CI 8.3-7.0 times/h). The four indicators of PM in the severe OSA group were statistically different from AHI_PSG (all P<0.05), and the agreement was poor. Conclusions: Respiratory event-related arousal in OSA patients is independently associated with increased PR, and frequent arousal may lead to increased frequency of PR fluctuations, and elevated PR may be used as a surrogate marker of arousal, especially in patients with non-severe OSA, where elevated PR≥6 times significantly improves the diagnostic agreement between PM and PSG.

Oxidative potential of heavy-metal contaminated soil reflects its ecological risk on earthworm

The ecological risk of heavy metal-contaminated soil is usually evaluated by its oxidative stress on terrestrial animals, which are vulnerable to the impact of individual differences of animals and environmental conditions. Oxidative potential (OP) is the potential of particles to induce the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In this study, OP of the in situ contaminated soils collected from an industrial site (i.e., 64.5-7783 mg/kg of Cu, 54.9-397 mg/kg of Pb, 278-2085 mg/kg of Zn and 0.615-121 mg/kg of Cd) were measured as 38.0-60.1 pmol/min/mg, and the water extractable Cu, Pb, Zn, and Cd in soils have been proved to contribute 89%-98% to OP. Oxidative stress in earthworms (Eisenia fetida) caused by the industrial contaminated soils can be reflected by the biomarkers such as 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine, metallothionein, and antioxidant enzymes, and a negative correlation presents between the comprehensive biomarker response index and the OP of soils (r = -0.979, p < 0.01). This is the first time to propose a dose-response relationship between OP and oxidative stress. Metabolomic analysis also verified that the regulation of four ROS-related metabolites (i.e., l-pipecolate, 1-methylhistidine, 5-methoxytryptamine, and xanthosine) in earthworms treated with contaminated soil were directly correlated with OP values. These results indicate that OP can be used as an indicator for ecological risk assessment of heavy metal-contaminated soil, which provides a fast, stable and easily testable chemical method.