Measurement of Electron Antineutrino Oscillation Amplitude and Frequency via Neutron Capture on Hydrogen at Daya Bay

This Letter reports the first measurement of the oscillation amplitude and frequency of reactor antineutrinos at Daya Bay via neutron capture on hydrogen using 1958 days of data. With over 3.6 million signal candidates, an optimized candidate selection, improved treatment of backgrounds and efficiencies, refined energy calibration, and an energy response model for the capture-on-hydrogen sensitive region, the relative ν[over ¯]_{e} rates and energy spectra variation among the near and far detectors gives sin^{2}2θ_{13}=0.0759_{-0.0049}^{+0.0050} and Δm_{32}^{2}=(2.72_{-0.15}^{+0.14})×10^{-3}  eV^{2} assuming the normal neutrino mass ordering, and Δm_{32}^{2}=(-2.83_{-0.14}^{+0.15})×10^{-3}  eV^{2} for the inverted neutrino mass ordering. This estimate of sin^{2}2θ_{13} is consistent with and essentially independent from the one obtained using the capture-on-gadolinium sample at Daya Bay. The combination of these two results yields sin^{2}2θ_{13}=0.0833±0.0022, which represents an 8% relative improvement in precision regarding the Daya Bay full 3158-day capture-on-gadolinium result.

Association between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and metabolic abnormalities in children with different weight statuses

OBJECTIVES

Both obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) increase the risk of metabolic abnormalities. However, the metabolic status of children suffering from NAFLD and exhibiting various subtypes of obesity is currently unclear. We aimed to explore the association between NAFLD and metabolic abnormalities in children with different weight statuses.

METHODS

We included 6086 participants aged 6-18 years from the China Child and Adolescent NAFLD Study (CCANS), all of whom had undergone ultrasonography or magnetic resonance imaging-proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF) to identify NAFLD and metabolic abnormalities, including hyperglycemia, high triglycerides (TG), low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high total cholesterol, and hyperuricemia.

RESULTS

Among the participants, there were 2408 children with obesity and NAFLD, 174 with NAFLD, 2396 with obesity, and 1108 without obesity and NAFLD. The odds ratios (ORs) of suffering from individual metabolic abnormalities were significantly greater in children with obesity and NAFLD than in children without obesity and NAFLD, with ORs ranging from 6.23 (95% CI: 4.56, 8.53) to 1.77 (95% CI: 1.06, 2.94). The ORs of metabolic abnormalities, except for low HDL-C, were greater in children with NAFLD alone than in children without obesity or NAFLD, with ORs ranging from 4.36 (95% CI: 2.77, 6.84) to 2.08 (95% CI: 1.14, 3.78). Notably, obesity and NAFLD had a multiplicative effect on overall metabolic abnormalities, high TG levels, and low HDL-C levels.

CONCLUSIONS

Children with obesity and NAFLD could be at a significantly increased risk of metabolic abnormalities. Even for children without obesity, NAFLD appears to be associated with an increased risk of experiencing a worsened metabolic status.

[Therapeutic efficacy of transoral robotic surgery with the da Vinci robot system for the treatment of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma]

Objective: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of transoral robotic surgery (TORS) with the da Vinci robot system in the treatment of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). Methods: A mixed cohort study was conducted to collect and analyze the clinical data of OPSCC patients who underwent TORS at the Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan University between July 2020 and February 2023 (TORS group). OPSCC patients who underwent conventional surgery between January 2016 and September 2020 were included as the control group. The baseline information, incidence of complications and follow-up data were compared between the two groups. Results: A total of 166 patients were included, with 102 cases (81 males and 21 females) in the TORS group [mean age: (59.1±9.8) years] and 64 cases (54 males and 10 females) in the control group [ mean age: (57.6±9.7) years]. Compared with the control group, the TORS group had lower postoperative bleeding rate [2.9% (3/102) vs 10.9% (7/64), P=0.035] and infection rate [1.0% (1/102) vs 18.8% (12/64), P<0.001]. No statistically significant differences were observed in tracheotomy rate [46.1% (47/102) vs 59.4% (38/64), P=0.070] and median length of hospital stay [8 (7, 10) d vs 10 (4, 12) d, P=0.088]. After propensity score matching, compared with the control group, the TORS group had lower postoperative infection rate [0 (0/31) vs 19.4% (6/31), P=0.032] and median length of hospital stay [7 (7, 10) d vs 10 (8, 12) d, P=0.031]. No statistically significant differences were found in postoperative bleeding rate [3.2% (1/31) vs 6.5% (2/31), P=1.000] and tracheotomy rate [22.6% (7/31) vs 45.2% (14/31), P=0.060] between the two groups. Moreover, 1-and 2-year disease-free survival rates were 96.3% and 94.6% in the TORS group, and 90.6% and 84.3% in the control group, respectively (P=0.233). The 1-and 2-year cancer-specific survival rates were both 100% in the TORS group, and 96.9% and 93.8% in the control group, respectively (P=0.539). Conclusion: TORS for OPSCC is associated with high clinical safety and favorable oncological outcomes.

Long-term prognostic value of thyroid hormones in left ventricular noncompaction

PURPOSE

Thyroid function is closely related to the prognosis of cardiovascular diseases. This study aimed to explore the predictive value of thyroid hormones for adverse cardiovascular outcomes in left ventricular noncompaction (LVNC).

METHODS

This longitudinal cohort study enrolled 388 consecutive LVNC patients with complete thyroid function profiles and comprehensive cardiovascular assessment. Potential predictors for adverse outcomes were thoroughly evaluated.

RESULTS

Over a median follow-up of 5.22 years, primary outcome (the combination of cardiovascular mortality and heart transplantation) occurred in 98 (25.3%) patients. For secondary outcomes, 75 (19.3%) patients died and 130 (33.5%) patients experienced major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). Multivariable Cox analysis identified that free triiodothyronine (FT3) was independently associated with both primary (HR 0.455, 95%CI 0.313-0.664) and secondary (HR 0.547, 95%CI 0.349-0.858; HR 0.663, 95%CI 0.475-0.925) outcomes. Restricted cubic spline analysis illustrated that the risk for adverse outcomes increased significantly with the decline of serum FT3. The LVNC cohort was further stratified according to tertiles of FT3 levels. Individuals with lower FT3 levels in the tertile 1 group suffered from severe cardiac dysfunction and remodeling, resulting in higher incidence of mortality and MACE (Log-rank P < 0.001). Subgroup analysis revealed that lower concentration of FT3 was linked to worse prognosis, particularly for patients with left atrial diameter ≥ 40 mm or left ventricular ejection fraction ≤ 35%. Adding FT3 to the pre-existing risk score for MACE in LVNC improved its predictive performance.

CONCLUSION

Through the long-term investigation on a large LVNC cohort, we demonstrated that low FT3 level was an independent predictor for adverse cardiovascular outcomes.

Prognostic significance of serum cystatin C in acute brainstem infarctions patients

OBJECTIVES

Some studies show that high circulating cystatin C (CysC) may predict cardiovascular events and death after ischemic stroke onset. However, the association between serum CysC and outcome in ischemic stroke patients remains contradictory. We sought to assess the association between a specific stroke subgroup, brainstem infarction (BSI) and serum CysC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 324 acute BSI patients were included in the study. Serum CysC was used to calculate estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFRCysC) at baseline. Modified Rankin scale score ((mRS) ≥3) six months after acute BSI indicates poor functional outcome. Patients were categorized into two groups according to mRS and eGFRCysC. Logistic regression analyses were performed to determine independent risk factors.

RESULTS

Lower eGFRCysC was associated with hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). This risk remained statistically significant after controlling for age, hypertension, initial National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, HbA1c, fibrinogen and homocysteine. The serum eGFRCysC levels were significantly lower in the poor functional outcome group than the good functional outcome group (P<0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that eGFRCysC level was significantly lower in the poor outcome group after adjusting for age, previous infarctions, initial NIHSS score, and HbA1c.

CONCLUSIONS

Lower eGFRCysC levels were strongly associated with poor functional outcome of acute BSI patients with a higher HbA1c level. Lower eGFRCysC may be a more helpful serologic biomarker for the prediction of prognosis in BSI.

[Dihydroartemisinin enhances sensitivity of nasopharyngeal carcinoma HNE1/DDP cells to cisplatin-induced apoptosis by promoting ROS production]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of dihydroartemisinin (DHA) for enhancing the inhibitory effect of cisplatin (DDP) on DDP-resistant nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell line HNE1/DDP and explore the mechanism.

METHODS

CCK-8 method was used to assess the survival rate of HNE1/DDP cells treated with DHA (0, 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, and 160 μmol/L) and DDP (0, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128 μmol/L) for 24 or 48 h, and the combination index of DHA and DDP was calculated using Compusyn software. HNE1/DDP cells treated with DHA, DDP, or their combination for 24 h were examined for cell viability, proliferation and colony formation ability using CCK-8, EdU and colony-forming assays. Flow cytometry was used to detect cell apoptosis and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). The expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins cleaved PARP, cleaved caspase-9 and cleaved caspase-3 were detected by Western blotting. The effects of N-acetyl-cysteine (a ROS inhibitor) on proliferation and apoptosis of HNE1/DDP cells with combined treatment with DHA and DDP were analyzed.

RESULTS

Different concentrations of DHA and DDP alone both significantly inhibited the viability of HNE1/DDP cells. The combination index of DHA (5 μmol/L) combined with DDP (8, 16, 32, 64, 128 μmol/L) were all below 1. Compared with DHA or DDP alone, their combined treatment more potently decreased the cell viability, colony-forming ability and the number of EdU-positive cells, and significantly increased the apoptotic rate, intracellular ROS level, and the expression levels of cleaved PARP, cleaved caspase-9 and cleaved caspase-3 in HNE1/DDP cells. N-acetyl-cysteine pretreatment obviously attenuated the inhibitory effect on proliferation and apoptosis-inducing effect of DHA combined with DDP in HNE1/DDP cells (P<0.01).

CONCLUSION

DHA enhances the growth-inhibitory and apoptosis-inducing effect of DDP on HNE1/DDP cells possibly by promoting accumulation of intracellular ROS.

A standard set of outcome measures for the comprehensive assessment of oral health and occlusion in individuals with osteogenesis imperfecta

BACKGROUND

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a group of inherited connective tissue disorders of varying severity characterized by bone fragility. The primary objective of this international multidisciplinary collaboration initiative was to reach a consensus for a standardized set of clinician and patient-reported outcome measures, as well as associated measuring instruments for dental care of individuals with OI, based on the aspects considered important by both experts and patients. This project is a subsequent to the Key4OI project initiated by the Care4BrittleBones foundation which aims to develop a standard set of outcome measures covering a large domain of factors affecting quality of life for people with OI. An international team of experts comprising orthodontists, pediatric dentists, oral and maxillofacial surgeons, and prosthetic dentists used a modified Delphi consensus process to select clinician-reported outcome measures (CROMs) and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) to evaluate oral health in individuals with OI. Important domains were identified through a literature review and by professional expertise (both CROMs and PROMs). In three focus groups of individuals with OI, important and relevant issues regarding dental health were identified. The input from the focus groups was used as the basis for the final set of outcome measures: the selected issues were attributed to relevant CROMs and, when appropriate, matched with validated questionnaires to establish the final PROMs which represented best the specific oral health-related concerns of individuals with OI.

RESULTS

Consensus was reached on selected CROMs and PROMs for a standard set of outcome measures and measuring instruments of oral health in individuals with OI.

CONCLUSIONS

Our project resulted in consensus statements for standardization oral health PROMs and CROMs in individuals with OI. This outcome set can improve the standard of care by incorporating recommendations of professionals involved in dental care of individuals with OI. Further, it can facilitate research and international research co-operation. In addition, the significant contribution of the focus groups highlights the relevance of dental and oral health-related problems of individuals with OI.

Search for a Sub-eV Sterile Neutrino Using Daya Bay's Full Dataset

This Letter presents results of a search for the mixing of a sub-eV sterile neutrino with three active neutrinos based on the full data sample of the Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Experiment, collected during 3158 days of detector operation, which contains 5.55×10^{6} reactor ν[over ¯]_{e} candidates identified as inverse beta-decay interactions followed by neutron capture on gadolinium. The analysis benefits from a doubling of the statistics of our previous result and from improvements of several important systematic uncertainties. No significant oscillation due to mixing of a sub-eV sterile neutrino with active neutrinos was found. Exclusion limits are set by both Feldman-Cousins and CLs methods. Light sterile neutrino mixing with sin^{2}2θ_{14}≳0.01 can be excluded at 95% confidence level in the region of 0.01  eV^{2}≲|Δm_{41}^{2}|≲0.1  eV^{2}. This result represents the world-leading constraints in the region of 2×10^{-4}  eV^{2}≲|Δm_{41}^{2}|≲0.2  eV^{2}.

Natural and simulated weathering of polystyrene: A molecular view of the polymeric interface

This work presents the changing abundance of surface functional groups (SFGs) on polystyrene (PS) upon weathering within one or a few molecular monolayers from a molecular point of view. PS particles were aged by exposing it to a gas flow of typically (5 %) O3 in O2 (PSO3), UV radiation using a solar simulator under controlled conditions in the laboratory (PSSS) and to the water/air interface immerged in a freshwater lake for 2 months (PSL). The chemical composition of the interface of weathered, compared to pristine (virgin or PSV) material was established using a titration technique that probed the chemical composition of the molecular interface of the polymer. The main conclusions of this exploratory study are: (a) The interface of PS changes significantly compared to ATR-FTIR spectra that do not show additional absorptions in the mid-IR spectrum over a penetration depth of more than hundred monolayers at 10 μm; (b) The average surface functionalization of the gas-solid interface, corresponding to the sum of all examined types of SFG, increases from 20 % of a monolayer for PSV to 40, 50 and 84 % for PSL, PSO3 and PSSS, respectively; (c) in all cases the most important SFG was surface -OH ranging from 11.2 to 64 % for PSV and PSSS, respectively; (d) each PS sample shows a characteristic SFG pattern or fingerprint using several probe gases; (e) O3 interaction led to interface acidification; (f) UV treatment leads to the highest degree of surface -OH functionalization compared to PSO3 and PSL. The accumulation of SFG's renders the interface more reactive towards adsorption of probe gases.

[The application of induction chemotherapy in the treatment of locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma]

Standard treatment for patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (LAHNSCC) whose larynx could not be preserved surgically consists mainly of concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). Induction chemotherapy (ICT) followed by radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy is also an alternative option. However, whether ICT could provide survival benefits for patients with LAHNSCC, besides its role in laryngeal preservation and selecting the treatment modality, is still controversial. The article summarizes the current position of ICT for LAHNSCC and discusses the standard regimen of ICT, its role in larynx preservation, its ability to predicting the result of chemoradiotherapy, clinical outcomes regarding the survival benefits after ICT, its role in the treatment deintensification for human papillomavirus-positive LAHNSCC and its application in the era of immunotherapy.

[Comparison of the efficacy of carelizumab combined with chemotherapy and chemotherapy alone in the induction therapy of locally advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma]

Objective: To compare the efficacy and safety of carrelizumab combined with the modified TPF regimen (docetaxel, cisplatinand capecitabine) and TPF regimen alone in larynx preservation strategy for locally advanced resectable hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Methods: A cohort study was conducted. Patients with locally advanced resectable hypopharyngeal carcinoma (cT3-4aN0-3bM0) who were treated at the Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University from January 2017 to April 2023 were enrolled in the study. One group was treated with a modified TPF regimen (TPF group) for 2-3 cycles (retrospective data), and the other group was a prospective phase Ⅱ trial with a modified TPF regimen combined with carrelizumab (TPFC group) for three cycles. The patients with complete or partial remission of the primary focus were treated with sequential radical radiotherapy and/or drug therapy. The patients in the TPFC group were treated with carrelizumab at the end of radiotherapy with a maximum of up to 18 doses. The patients with stable or progressive disease were given radical surgery, and those who refused the surgery were given radical chemoradiotherapy. Objective response rate (ORR), overall survival rate, progression-free survival (PFS) rate, larynx preservation rate (LPR), and adverse reactions were compared between the two groups. Results: There were 51 male patients in the TPFC group, with an median age of 57 (35, 69) years. Meanwhile, 44 patients were in the TPF group, among which 43 were male and one was female, with an median age of 62 (46, 70) years. The ORR of the TPFC group was higher than that of the TPF group [82.4% (42/51) vs 63.6% (28/44), P=0.039]. During a median follow-up of 24.4 (18.5, 31.4) months, the TPFC group showed a higher 2-year survival rate (84.8% vs 64.6%, P=0.013) and 2-year LPR (66.6% vs 48.6%, P=0.045) than those in the TPF group. In patients with poor effect of induction therapy for hypopharyngeal carcinoma, surgical combination therapy significantly prolonged the 2-year PFS rate (77.9% vs 18.2%, P<0.001) and 2-year survival rate (76.9% vs 45.5%, P=0.005)than those of non-surgical combination therapy. The incidences of nausea and/or vomiting, reactive cutaneous capillary endothelial proliferation, thyroid dysfunction, and rash were increased in the TPFC group (all P<0.05). There was no treatment-related death. Conclusion: Carrelizumab combined with a modified TPF regimen has good efficacy and safety and can improve the LPR of locally advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma.

[Hinokiol regulates the cell cycle and apoptosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma CNE1 cells via Hippo-YAP signaling pathway]

Objective: To explore the effects of hinokiol on the cell cyle and apoptosis of CNE1 nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells and the relevant molecular mechanism. Methods: The CNE1 cells were cultured in vitro and incubated with different concentrations of honokiol, and the cells were divided into blank control group, 10 μmol/L, 20 μmol/L and 40 μmol/L hinokiol treatment groups, and 10 μg/ml cisplatin group. Cell viability was determined by methylthiazolyldiphenyl- tetrazolium bromide (MTT) method, the cell cycle distribution was detected by flow cytometry, mitochondrial membrane potential was detected by mitochondrial membrane potential test kit, apoptosis was detected by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) method, and the proteins expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and G1/S specific cyclin D1 (cyclin D1) were detected by immunoblotting. RNA-Seq was conducted in the hinokiol-treated cells. The mRNA expression of yes-associated protein delta (YAP) was detected by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The proteins expression of phosphor-YAP (p-YAP) and nuclear YAP were detected by immunoblotting, the nuclear distribution of YAP protein was detected by immunofluorescence in the cells with or without treated with the mammalian STE20-like kinase 1/2 (MST1/2) inhibitor (XMU-MP-1), hinokiol, and XMU-MP-1+hinokiol. Statistical analysis of the data was conducted using GraphPad Prism 8.0 software. Resluts Compared with the control group, the cell viablity of CNE1 cells, the levels of mitochondrial membrane potential, the proteins expression of PCNA and cyclin D1 in hinokiol treatment groups were markedly decreased (all P values<0.05), while the proportion of G0/G1 phase cells and the ratio of TUNEL-positive cells were significantly increased (both P values<0.05). Transcriptome analysis showed that differential genes were mainly enriched in Wnt signaling pathway, tumor necrosis factor pathway, and Hippo signaling pathway. The mRNA level of YAP and the protein expression of YAP in the nucleus were decreased and the level of p-YAP protein was increased in cells treated with hinokiol, which were significantly different from control group (all P values<0.05). Compared with the hinokiol group, XMU-MP-1+hinokiol groups showed the decrease of p-YAP protein expression (1.157±0.076 vs 0.479±0.038, t=37.120, P<0.05), the increase of YAP protein expression in the nucleus (0.143±0.012 vs 0.425±0.031, t=29.181, P<0.05), the reduced proportion of cells in G0/G1 phase [(72.494±3.309)% vs (58.747±2.865)%, t=17.265, P<0.05], and the decrease of apoptosis ratio [(53.158±3.376)% vs (29.621±2.713)%, t=28.584, P<0.05]. Conclusion: Hinokiol can arrest the cell cycle and induce the cell apoptosis of CNE1 cells via Hippo/YAP signaling pathway.