Cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis of bone age maturation during peri-pubertal growth in children with type I, III and IV osteogenesis imperfecta

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI)is a rare genetically heterogeneous disorder caused by changes in the expression or processing of type I collagen. Clinical manifestations include bone fragility, decreased linear growth, and skeletal deformities that vary in severity. In typically growing children, skeletal maturation proceeds in a predictable pattern of changes in the size, shape, and mineralization on the hand and wrist bones that can be followed radiographically known at the bone age. Assessment of bone age can be clinically used to assess time remaining for linear growth, and the onset and duration of puberty, both of which can be useful in determining the timing of some surgeries or the interpretation of other imaging modalities such as bone densitometry. Additionally, deviations in the expected maturation process of the bone age may prompt or assist in the work up of a significant delay or advancement in a child's growth pattern. The primary aim of our study was to determine whether the bone age in children with a skeletal disorder such as OI follow the same pattern and rate of bone maturation compared to a control population. Using participants from the Natural History Study of the Brittle Bone Disorders Consortium, we analyzed 159 left hand and wrist radiographs (bone age) for a cross-sectional analysis and 55 bone ages repeated at approximately 24 months for a longitudinal analysis of skeletal maturation. Bone ages were read by a pediatric endocrinologist and by an automated analysis using a program called BoneXpert. Our results demonstrated that in children with mild-to-moderate OI (types I and IV), the skeletal maturation is comparable to chronological age-mated controls. For those with more severe forms of OI (type III), there is a delayed pattern of skeletal maturation of less than a year (10.5 months CI 5.1-16) P = 0.0012) at baseline and a delayed rate of maturation over the two-year follow up compared to type I (P = 0.06) and type III (P = 0.02). However, despite these parameters being statistically different, they may not be clinically significant. We conclude the bone age, with careful interpretation, can be used in the OI population in a way that is similar to the general pediatric population.

Tumor habitat and peritumoral region evolution-based imaging features to assess risk categorization of thymomas

AIM

To develop an aggregate model that integrated clinical data, habitat characteristics, and intratumoral and peritumoral features to assess the risk categorization of thymomas.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed 140 thymoma patients (70 low-risk and 70 high-risk), including pathological data. The patients were randomly divided into training cohort (n = 114) and test cohort (n = 26). The k-means clustering was utilized to partition the primary tumor into habitats based on intratumoral radiomic features, 6 distinct habitats were identified. By expanding the region of interest (ROI) mask, 2 peritumoral regions were obtained. Finally, 7 clinical characteristics, 3 habitat values, 20 radiomic features were utilized to develop an aggregated model, to predict the risk of thymoma. Shapley additive explanations (SHAP) interpretation was used for features importance ranking. The accuracy and area under curve (AUC) were used to analyze the performance of the models.

RESULTS

The aggregated model, which utilized the XGBoost classifier, demonstrated the best performance with an AUC of 0.811 and an accuracy of 0.769. In comparison, the radiomic model produced an AUC of 0.654 and an accuracy of 0.692. Additionally, the Intratumoral + peritumoral model exhibited an AUC of 0.728 and an accuracy of 0.769.

CONCLUSION

Our study establishes a novel tool to predict the risk of thymoma with a good performance. If prospectively validated, the model may refine thymoma patient selection for risk-adaptative therapy and improve prognosis.

Predictive value of spectral computed tomography parameters for EGFR gene mutation in non-small-cell lung cancer

AIM

To explore the predictive value of morphological signs and quantitative parameters from spectral CT for EGFR gene mutations in intermediate and advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This retrospective observational study included patients with intermediate or advanced NSCLC at Xinjiang Medical University Affiliated Tumor Hospital between January 2017 and December 2019. The patients were divided into the EGFR gene mutation-positive and -negative groups.

RESULTS

Seventy-nine patients aged 60.75 ± 9.66 years old were included: 32 were EGFR mutation-positive, and 47 were negative. There were significant differences in pathological stage (P<0.001), tumor diameter (P=0.019), lobulation sign, intrapulmonary metastasis, mediastinal lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis (P<0.001), bone metastasis (P<0.001), arterial phase normalized iodine concentration (NIC) (P=0.001), venous phase NIC (P=0.001), slope of the energy spectrum curve (λ) (P<0.001), and CT value at 70 keV in arterial phase (P=0.004) and venous phase (P=0.003) between the EGFR mutation-positive and -negative patients. The multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that intrapulmonary metastasis, distant metastasis, venous phase NIC, venous phase λ, and pathological stage were independent factors predicting EGFR gene mutations, with high diagnostic power (AUC = 0.975, 91.5% sensitivity, and 90.6% specificity).

CONCLUSION

The pathological stage and the spectral CT parameters of intrapulmonary metastasis, distant metastasis, venous phase NIC, and venous phase λ might pre-operatively predict EGFR gene mutations in intermediate and advanced NSCLC.

Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for detecting acute myocardial injury of fulminant myocarditis survivors after extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) treatment in adults

AIMS

To detect the acute myocardial injury in fulminant myocarditis (FM) survivors after extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and to demonstrate its significant differences from non-FM patients by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This retrospective study enrolled 59 patients with acute myocarditis (AM), including 35 non-FM patients, 24 FM patients, and 54 controls. The peak value of cardiac troponin T (cTnT) was recorded. Tissue parameters, including native T1, extracellular volume (ECV), late gadolinium-enhancement (LGE)%, and T2 by CMR were assessed.

RESULTS

The mean age was 35 ± 14 years, and 45.8% of the population were males in the AM group. Patients had higher levels of peak cTnT, peak NT-proBNP and peak C-reactive protein in the FM group (all p<0.05). Comparing with non-FM, the values of T1-based imaging parameters were significantly higher in the FM group (all p<0.05). In contrast, no difference was observed among the two groups in terms of T2 value (p=0.707). The septal area was more frequently involved in FM survivors after ECMO treatment, both in T1 and T2-based images. In addition, the cubic relationship was the relative best fit of LGE% against logcTnT and indicated that cTnT value exceeding 300ng/L exhibited a rapid upward trend of LGE%.

CONCLUSION

Comparing to non-FM, higher myocardial necrosis and fibrosis but similar edema determined by T1 and T2 based imaging was found in FM survivors after ECMO treatment. Furthermore, the inter-ventricular septal area was more frequently involved by acute myocardial injury in FM survivors after ECMO treatment. In addition, LGE% showed an overall increasing trend with cTnT values elevating with rapidly increasing with cTnT exceeding 300 ng/L.

Spectral and conformational characteristics of phycocyanin associated with changes of medium pH

C-phycocyanin (C-PC) is the main component of water-soluble light-harvesting complexes (phycobilisomes, PBS) of cyanobacteria. PBS are involved in the absorption of quantum energy and the transfer of electronic excitation energy to the photosystems. A specific environment of C-PC chromophoric groups is provided by the protein matrix structure including protein-protein contacts between different subunits. Registration of C-PC spectral characteristics and the fluorescence anisotropy decay have revealed a significant pH influence on the chromophore microenvironment: at pH 5.0, a chromophore is more significantly interacts with the solvent, whereas at pH 9.0 the chromophore microenvironment becomes more viscous. Conformations of chromophores and the C-PC protein matrix have been studied by Raman and infrared spectroscopy. A decrease in the medium pH results in changes in the secondary structure either the C-PC apoproteins and chromophores, the last one adopts a more folded conformation.

[Interim efficacy of a multicenter cohort study for China Net Childhood Lymphoma mature B-cell lymphoma 2017 regimen in the treatment of pediatric High-grade-B cell lymphoma]

Objective: To analyze the mid-term efficacy of the China Net Childhood Lymphoma mature B-cell lymphoma 2017 (CNCL-B-NHL-2017) regimen in treating children with high-grade B-cell lymphoma (HGBL). Methods: Clinical and pathological data of HGBL children aged≤18 years admitted to 16 hospitals of the Chinese Children's Lymphoma Collaborative Group (CNCL) from May 2017 to April 2021 were collected retrospectively. They were divided in to high-grade B-cell lymphoma with double hit/triple hit (HGBL-DH/TH) group and high-grade B-cell lymphoma non-specified (HGBL-NOS) group, according to the 2016 version of the World Health Organization (WHO) Hematopoietic and Lymphoid Tissues Cancer Classification. Both groups of patients were treated with stratified chemotherapy by risk according to the CNCL-B-NHL-2017 scheme. The deadline for follow-up was December 31, 2023. All the patients were examined by chromosome fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and the rearrangement of genes MYC, BCL-2 and BCL-6 was confirmed. The clinical and pathological characteristics of patients at disease onset were analyzed, and the therapeutic effects of patients in different clinical stages and risk groups were compared. Survival analysis was drawn by Kaplan Meier method, the log-rank test was used to compare the differences in the cumulative survival rate between different groups, and multivariate Cox regression model was used to identify the prognostic factors. Results: A total of 62 patients were included, with an onset age [M(Q1, Q3)] of 7 (4, 11) years, including 48 males and 14 females. There were 11 (17.7%) patients in stageⅡ, 33(53.2%)patients in stage Ⅲ and 18(29.1%)patients in stage Ⅳ. FISH testing showed that 4 cases (6.5%) were HGBL-DH and 3 (4.8%) were HGBL-TH. The remaining 55 cases (88.7%) were HGBL-NOS, with 18 cases accompanied by MYC rearrangement. There were 7 cases in the HGBL-DH/TH group and 55 cases in the HGBL-NOS group. Thirteen cases (20.9%) were treated with the B1 regimen, 3 cases (4.8%) with B2 regimen, 37 cases (59.6%) with C1 regimen, and 9 cases (14.7%) with the C2 regimen. Forty-eight cases (77.4%) received rituximab therapy at the same time. Five cases (8.0%) progressed during treatment. The follow-up time [M(Q1, Q3)] was 43.5 (36.1, 53.7) months. The complete remission rate was 91.9% (57/62). The 3 year overall survival rate was 93.5% and event-free survival (EFS) rate was 91.9%. The 3-year overall survival rate in the HGBL-NOS group was higher than that in the HGBL-DH/TH group (96.3% vs 71.4%, P=0.011). The 3-year EFS rate of the HGBL-NOS group was higher than that of the HGBL-DH/TH group (94.5% vs 71.4%, P=0.037). In the HGBL-NOS subgroup, the overall survival rate of children with MYC rearrangement was lower (100% vs 88.9%,P=0.039). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that central invasion (HR=6.05, 95%CI: 1.96-38.13, P=0.046) was a risk factor for overall survival. Conclusion: CNCL-B-NHL-2017 regimen shows significant effects in the treatment of pediatric HGBL, with a good prognosis.

[Effect of peri-implant soft-tissue phenotype on peri-implant health]

Dental implant is a commonly used therapeutic option for reconstruction of edentulous space. Adequate peri-implant soft tissue is crucial for preventing biological and esthetic complications. Peri-implant soft-tissue phenotypes including supracrestal tissue height, mucosa thickness and keratinized mucosa width could reflect the quality and quantity of peri-implant soft tissue. Different soft-tissue phenotypes might impact the stability of implant restoration through altering the tissue remodeling or inflammatory response. This review will discuss the influence of peri-implant soft-tissue phenotypes on tissue remodeling and inflammatory response after implant placement.

[Analysis of the relationship between solar greenhouse operation and occupational high incidence diseases]

Objective: To understand the health status of solar greenhouse workers, to provide scientific basis for the development of occupational high incidence diseases prevention and control strategies. Methods: In July 2019, a random cluster sampling method was used to select 245 workers engaged in solar greenhouse vegetable cultivation in Daba Village, Jingyuan County, Baiyin City, Gansu Province as the solar greenhouse operation group. Matched by gender, age, marital status, body mass index (BMI), 282 people from adjacent Shaliang Village who did not engage in solar greenhouse operation were selected as the control group. Field investigation and health examination were carried out among the study subjects. The general situation, facial features examination results, ophthalmic examination results, bone and joint examination results and skin examination results were compared between the two groups. And the multiple logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the influencing factors of abnormal bone and joint examination (upper limbs, lower limbs, hands and spine bone joints) in study subjects. Results: There were statistically significant differences in smoking age and alcohol consumption between the two groups (P<0.001). Compared with the control group, the abnormal detection rates of nose examination, throat examination, slit lamp examination, conjunctival examination, lower limb bone joint examination, hand bone joint examination, spine examination, head and neck skin examination, trunk skin examination, upper limb skin examination, and lower limb skin examination in the solar greenhouse operation group were higher, and the differences were statistically significant (χ(2)=11.53, 7.94, 9.92, 27.93, 79.32, 81.42, 9.43, 6.79, 9.76, 4.34, 8.29, P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that after adjusting for gender, age, marital status, education level, BMI, compared with the control group, solar greenhouse operation was a risk factor for abnormal bone and joint examination (OR=1.178, 95%CI: 1.151-2.143, P=0.001) . Conclusion: Solar greenhouse operation has a certain harmful effect on health of workers, and solar greenhouse workers have an increased risk of abnormal diseases of upper limbs, lower limbs, hands and spine bone joints.

The gene CmPYL6 strongly contributes to cold tolerance in oriental melon

The current simple and crude facilities make melon production more susceptible to cold stress during off-season cultivation in China. The ABA signalling pathway is an important target for breeding cold-tolerant melon. Cold-tolerant No. 330 and cold-sensitive No. 410 oriental melon genotypes were used to analyse the relationship between ABA and cold tolerance. 12 CmPYLs, ABA receptors, were identified from the melon genome database according to sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis. Gene function of CmPYL6 in cold tolerance was analysed using VIGS in No. 330 and overexpression in Arabidopsis WT. A total of 12 CmPYL members contain the representative domain and conserved sites. Under cold treatment, No.330 seedlings had lower electrolyte leakage and MDA content, higher ABA content and CmPYL6 expression than seedlings of No. 410. Exogenous application of ABA upregulated expression of CmPYL6 and enhanced cold tolerance of both genotypes, while inhibiting ABA accumulation reduced expression of CmPYL6 and cold tolerance of both genotypes. CmPYL6-silenced No. 330 seedlings had reduced cold tolerance, increased electrolyte leakage and MDA content as well as limited proline and soluble sugar content, while CmPYL6 overexpressed transgenic Arabidopsis plants had enhanced cold tolerance, with limited electrolyte leakage and MDA content, as well as increased proline and soluble sugar content. The CmPYL6 gene is probably an important ABA receptor in regulating cold tolerance of oriental melon. Our study provides a direction for improving breeding of cold tolerance of oriental melon.

Evidence for particle acceleration approaching PeV energies in the W51 complex

The γ-ray emission from the W51 complex is widely acknowledged to be attributed to the interaction between the cosmic rays (CRs) accelerated by the shock of supernova remnant (SNR) W51C and the dense molecular clouds in the adjacent star-forming region, W51B. However, the maximum acceleration capability of W51C for CRs remains elusive. Based on observations conducted with the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO), we report a significant detection of γ rays emanating from the W51 complex, with energies from 2 to 200 TeV. The LHAASO measurements, for the first time, extend the γ-ray emission from the W51 complex beyond 100 TeV and reveal a significant spectrum bending at tens of TeV. By combining the "π0-decay bump" featured data from Fermi-LAT, the broadband γ-ray spectrum of the W51 region can be well-characterized by a simple pp-collision model. The observed spectral bending feature suggests an exponential cutoff at ∼400 TeV or a power-law break at ∼200 TeV in the CR proton spectrum, most likely providing the first evidence of SNRs serving as CR accelerators approaching the PeV regime. Additionally, two young star clusters within W51B could also be theoretically viable to produce the most energetic γ rays observed by LHAASO. Our findings strongly support the presence of extreme CR accelerators within the W51 complex and provide new insights into the origin of Galactic CRs.

Long-term success and influencing factors of regenerative surgery for intra-bony defects: A retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

The composite outcome measure (COM) more comprehensively assesses the clinical efficacy of regenerative surgery than a single probing measurement. We aimed to assess long-term success defined by the COM (clinical attachment level [CAL] gain of ≥3 mm and postsurgery probing pocket depth [PPD] ≤ 4 mm) and influencing factors of regenerative surgery using bone substitutes and resorbable collagen membrane (RM) for intra-bony defects (IBDs).

METHODS

We retrospectively collected data from patients who underwent regenerative surgery using deproteinized bovine bone mineral (DBBM) and RM for IBDs. CAL and PPD values were compared at baseline (preoperative), 1 year (short-term), and at the last follow-up (5-10 years). Multivariate logistic regressions were performed to identify factors influencing COM-based long-term success.

RESULTS

Eighty-one defects in 75 teeth of 33 patients who completed follow-up (6.5 ± 1.4 years) were included. One tooth was lost. All defects with complete follow-up exhibited long-term average CAL gain (3.00 ± 2.00 mm, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.56-3.44 mm, p < 0.001) and PPD reduction (2.06 ± 1.91 mm, 95% CI: 1.64-2.49 mm, p < 0.001). Long-term success was achieved in 38.8% of IBDs. CAL and PPD values were comparable between 1 year and the last follow-up. Logistic regression analyses revealed that male sex (odds ratio [OR] = 0.23, 95% CI: 0.07-0.75) and bleeding on probing (BOP) during supportive periodontal therapy (OR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.94-0.99) were risk factors for long-term success.

CONCLUSIONS

Regenerative surgery with DBBM and RM for IBDs can achieve some degree of long-term success defined by COM. However, within this study's limitations, male sex and higher BOP incidence postoperatively are negatively associated with optimal long-term success.

CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER

ChiCTR2300069016.

The New Nematicide Cyclobutrifluram Targets the Mitochondrial Succinate Dehydrogenase Complex in Bursaphelenchus xylophilus

Bursaphelenchus xylophilus is a dangerous quarantine pest that causes extensive damage to pine ecosystems worldwide. Cyclobutrifluram, a succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor (SDHI), is a novel nematicide introduced by Syngenta in 2013. However, the nematocidal effect of cyclobutrifluram against plant-parasitic nematodes remains underexplored. Therefore, here, we aim to address this knowledge gap by evaluating the toxicity, effects, and mode of action of cyclobutrifluram on B. xylophilus. The result shows that cyclobutrifluram is the most effective agent, with an LC50 value of 0.1078 mg·L-1. At an LC20 dose, it significantly reduced the population size to 10.40 × 103 ± 737.56-approximately 1/23 that of the control group. This notable impact may stem from the agent's ability to diminish egg-laying and hatching rates, as well as to impede the nematodes' development. In addition, it has also performed well in the prevention of pine wilt disease, significantly reducing the incidence in greenhouses and in the field. SDH consists of a transmembrane assembly composed of four protein subunits (SDHA to SDHD). Four sdh genes were characterized and proved by RNAi to regulate the spawning capacity, locomotion ability, and body size of B. xylophilus. The mortality of nematodes treated with sdhc-dsRNA significantly decreased upon cyclobutrifluram application. Molecular docking further confirmed that SDHC, a cytochrome-binding protein, is the target. In conclusion, cyclobutrifluram has a good potential for trunk injection against B. xylophilus. This study provides valuable information for the screening and application of effective agents in controlling and preventing PWD in forests.

Structural Design and Parameter Optimization of Magnetic Gradient Tensor Measurement System

Magnetic anomaly detection (MAD) technology based on the magnetic gradient tensor (MGT) has broad application prospects in fields such as unexploded ordnance detection and mineral exploration. The difference approximation method currently employed in the MGT measurement system introduces measurement errors. Designing reasonable geometric structures and configuring optimal structural parameters can effectively reduce measurement errors. Based on research into differential MGT measurement, this paper proposes three simplified planar MGT measurement structures and provides the differential measurement matrix. The factors that affect the design of the baseline distance of the MGT measurement system are also theoretically analyzed. Then, using the magnetic dipole model, the error analysis of the MGT measurement structures is carried out. The results demonstrate that the planar cross-shaped structure is optimal, with the smallest measurement error, only 3.15 × 10-10 T/m. Furthermore, employing the control variable method, the impact of sensor resolution constraints, noise level, target magnetic moment, and detection distance on the design of the optimal baseline distance of the MGT measurement system is simulated and verified. The results indicate that the smaller the target magnetic moment, the farther the detection distance, the lower the magnetometer resolution, the greater the noise, and the greater the baseline distance required. These conclusions provide reference and guidance for the construction of the MGT measurement system based on triaxial magnetometers.

[Clinical characteristics and literature review of ectopic gastric mucosa in the small intestine]

The study aims to summarize the clinical characteristics of patients with ectopic gastric mucosa in the small intestine, comparing clinical presentation differences between domestic and foreign patients through literature review. The clinical characteristics of cases diagnosed with ectopic gastric mucosa in the small intestine at Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2000 to January 2024 were retrospectively analyzed. By searching databanks, such as PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, Wanfang, VIP, CNKI, and etc (the inclusion period was from the establishment of the database to January 1, 2024). The literature review was conducted on ectopic gastric mucosa in the small intestine. A total of 10 cases were included, all male, age [M (Q1, Q3)] was 27 (13-69) years old. Gastrointestinal bleeding was the first manifestation in most cases, with severe cases leading to hemorrhagic shock. Abdominal CT indicated local intestinal wall thickening and luminal narrowing in 3 cases. Four cases lesions were located at the beginning of the jejunum and 6 lesions were located in the end segment of ileum. All cases underwent local lesion resection, with postoperative pathology confirming ectopic gastric mucosa. Symptoms disappeared postoperatively, with a follow-up period of 0.5-3.0 years. Literature review indicates that the main clinical manifestation of gastric mucosa ectopia in the small intestine in China is gastrointestinal bleeding, while foreign patients are often complicated with intestinal duplication and intussusception, with abdominal pain and vomiting as the primary and main symptoms. The occurrence rate of intestinal obstruction in female patients, both domestically and abroad, is higher than that in male patients. The occurrence rate of ileal lesions with intestinal obstruction and small intestinal duplication is higher than that of duodenal lesions in both domestic and foreign patients. Local small intestine resection is an effective treatment method with generally good prognosis. Ectopic small intestinal mucosa is relatively rare, with symptoms of gastrointestinal bleeding and intestinal obstruction being common presentations, which can serve as one of the differential diagnoses for unexplained gastrointestinal bleeding.

Programmable quantum emitter formation in silicon

Silicon-based quantum emitters are candidates for large-scale qubit integration due to their single-photon emission properties and potential for spin-photon interfaces with long spin coherence times. Here, we demonstrate local writing and erasing of selected light-emitting defects using femtosecond laser pulses in combination with hydrogen-based defect activation and passivation at a single center level. By choosing forming gas (N2/H2) during thermal annealing of carbon-implanted silicon, we can select the formation of a series of hydrogen and carbon-related quantum emitters, including T and Ci centers while passivating the more common G-centers. The Ci center is a telecom S-band emitter with promising optical and spin properties that consists of a single interstitial carbon atom in the silicon lattice. Density functional theory calculations show that the Ci center brightness is enhanced by several orders of magnitude in the presence of hydrogen. Fs-laser pulses locally affect the passivation or activation of quantum emitters with hydrogen for programmable formation of selected quantum emitters.

[Adolescent female reproductive system dysplasia: a clinical study of 356 cases]

Objective: To explore the age of onset and consultation, the main clinical manifestations, common types of combined malformations, the relationship of endometriosis, surgical prognosis and different types of proportion of adolescent female reproductive system dysplasia. Methods: The medical records of 356 patients (aged 10-19) with female reproductive system dysplasia in Women's Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University from January 2003 to August 2018 were collected and retrospectively analyzed. Results: (1) Among the 356 adolescent dysplasia patients, uterine dysplasia (23.6%, 84/356), oblique vaginal septum syndrome (OVSS; 22.5%, 80/356) and vaginal dysplasia (21.6%, 77/356) were the most frequent ones, followed by multi-sectional dysplasia (16.0%, 57/356), other types of developmental abnormalities like external genitaliaand urogenital fistula (13.5%, 48/356) and Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome (MRKH syndrome; 2.8%, 10/356). (2) There were significant differences between the median age of onset and the age of consultation of patients with OVSS and other types of abnormalities except hymen atresia (both P<0.05). In contrast, there were no significant differences between the age of onset and the age of consultation of the patients of uterine dysplasia, vaginal dysplasia, hymen atresia, MRKH syndrome and multi-sectional dysplasia (all P>0.05). (3) The clinical manifestations were lack of specificity, and mainly abnormal finding was lower abdominal pain. (4) After admission, the majority of patients underwent comprehensive cardiopulmonary examination (71.3%, 254/356) and urinary system examination (63.5%, 226/356). Only 18.3% (65/356) of patients had completed abdominal organ examination, and 5.9% (21/356) skeletal system examination. About other systemic malformations, urological malformations were the most common (27.5%, 98/356), followed by anorectal malformation (0.6%, 2/356), heart malformations (0.3%, 1/356), and spinal malformations (0.3%, 1/356). 46.4% (84/181) of the surgical patients were diagnosed with combined endometriosis. Patients with obstructive genital tract malformations were more likely to combine with endometriosis than non-obstructive ones [50.3% (74/147) vs 29.4% (10/34); P<0.05]. However, there was no significant difference between the severity of endometriosis of those two kinds (P>0.05). (5) Totally 308 patients were followed up successfully with a median of 25.0 years old, and 20 cases were treated again; 12.0% (37/308) of them were suffering from menstrual disorder and 33.1% (102/308) of them with dysmenorrhea. Totally 130 patients had sexually active reported no sexual problems. Conclusions: Uterine dysplasia, OVSS and vaginal dysplasia are the most common syndromes in adolescent female reproductive system dysplasia along with frequent cases of coexisting urinary malformations and increasing risks of endometriosis. Meanwhile, the lack of specificity of clinical manifestations might delay the timely diagnosis and treatment after the onset of symptoms. Nonetheless, most patients could achieve good surgical outcomes.

Maresin1 alleviates neuroinflammation by inhibiting caspase-3/ GSDME-mediated pyroptosis in mice cerebral ischemia-reperfusion model

OBJECTIVE

To explore the mechanism of Maresin1 in reducing cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided (n = 5 in each group), and focal middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model was used to simulate cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. TTC and the Longa score were used to detect the degree of neurological deficits. Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of GSDME, GSDME-N, caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-3 in cerebral ischemic penumbra tissue, and immunofluorescence was used to detect the expression levels of GSDME-N. The mRNA expression levels of GSDME and pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α) were detected by RT-PCR.

RESULTS

Compared with sham group, GSDME mRNA levels in MCAO group were significantly increased at 12 h and 24 h after reperfusion, and GSDME and GSDME-N significantly increased at 6-48 h after reperfusion. Compared with sham group, the percentage of infarct size, the Longa score, the mRNA expression levels of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α, and GSDME, GSDME-N, caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-3 in MCAO group was significantly increased. Then, the percentage of infarct size and the Longa score significantly decreased after MaR1 administration, the mRNA expression levels of IL-1β and IL-6 downregulated, and GSDME, GSDME-N, caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-3 were also reduced. After administration of Z-DEVD-FMK(ZDF), the expression of caspase-3, cleaved caspase-3 and GSDME-N was decreased, which in MCAO+MaR1+ZDF group was not statistically significant compared with MCAO+ ZDF group.

CONCLUSION

Maresin1 alleviates cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury by inhibiting pyroptosis mediated by caspase-3/GSDME pathway and alleviating neuroinflammation.

DMAF-NET: Deep Multi-Scale Attention Fusion Network for Hyperspectral Image Classification with Limited Samples

In recent years, deep learning methods have achieved remarkable success in hyperspectral image classification (HSIC), and the utilization of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) has proven to be highly effective. However, there are still several critical issues that need to be addressed in the HSIC task, such as the lack of labeled training samples, which constrains the classification accuracy and generalization ability of CNNs. To address this problem, a deep multi-scale attention fusion network (DMAF-NET) is proposed in this paper. This network is based on multi-scale features and fully exploits the deep features of samples from multiple levels and different perspectives with an aim to enhance HSIC results using limited samples. The innovation of this article is mainly reflected in three aspects: Firstly, a novel baseline network for multi-scale feature extraction is designed with a pyramid structure and densely connected 3D octave convolutional network enabling the extraction of deep-level information from features at different granularities. Secondly, a multi-scale spatial-spectral attention module and a pyramidal multi-scale channel attention module are designed, respectively. This allows modeling of the comprehensive dependencies of coordinates and directions, local and global, in four dimensions. Finally, a multi-attention fusion module is designed to effectively combine feature mappings extracted from multiple branches. Extensive experiments on four popular datasets demonstrate that the proposed method can achieve high classification accuracy even with fewer labeled samples.

Dynamics of magnetization at infinite temperature in a Heisenberg spin chain

Understanding universal aspects of quantum dynamics is an unresolved problem in statistical mechanics. In particular, the spin dynamics of the one-dimensional Heisenberg model were conjectured as to belong to the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) universality class based on the scaling of the infinite-temperature spin-spin correlation function. In a chain of 46 superconducting qubits, we studied the probability distribution of the magnetization transferred across the chain's center, [Formula: see text]. The first two moments of [Formula: see text] show superdiffusive behavior, a hallmark of KPZ universality. However, the third and fourth moments ruled out the KPZ conjecture and allow for evaluating other theories. Our results highlight the importance of studying higher moments in determining dynamic universality classes and provide insights into universal behavior in quantum systems.

Vitamin D inhibits ferroptosis and mitigates the kidney injury of prediabetic mice by activating the Klotho/p53 signaling pathway

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a serious public health problem worldwide, and ferroptosis is deeply involved in the pathogenesis of DN. Prediabetes is a critical period in the prevention and control of diabetes and its complications, in which kidney injury occurs. This study aimed to explore whether ferroptosis would induce kidney injury in prediabetic mice, and whether vitamin D (VD) supplementation is capable of preventing kidney injury by inhibiting ferroptosis, while discussing the potential mechanisms. High-fat diet (HFD) fed KKAy mice and high glucose (HG) treated HK-2 cells were used as experimental subjects in the current study. Our results revealed that serious injury and ferroptosis take place in the kidney tissue of prediabetic mice; furthermore, VD intervention significantly improved the kidney structure and function in prediabetic mice and inhibited ferroptosis, showing ameliorated iron deposition, enhanced antioxidant capability, reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipid peroxidation accumulation. Meanwhile, VD up-regulated Klotho, solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11) and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) expression, and down-regulated p53, transferrin receptor 1 (TFR1) and Acyl-Coenzyme A synthetase long-chain family member 4 (ACSL4) expression. Moreover, we demonstrated that HG-induced ferroptosis is antagonized by treatment of VD and knockdown of Klotho attenuates the protective effect of VD on ferroptosis in vitro. In conclusion, ferroptosis occurs in the kidney of prediabetic mice and VD owns a protective effect on prediabetic kidney injury, possibly by via the Klotho/p53 pathway, thus inhibiting hyperglycemia-induced ferroptosis.

Deteriorated bone microarchitecture caused by sympathetic overstimulation in pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma

PURPOSE

Despite the potentially destructive effect of sympathetic activity on bone metabolism, its impact on bone microarchitecture, a key determinant of bone quality, has not been thoroughly investigated. This study aims to evaluate the impact of sympathetic activity on bone microarchitecture and bone strength in patients with pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma (PPGL).

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted in 38 PPGL patients (15 males and 23 females). Bone turnover markers serum procollagen type 1 N-terminal propeptide (P1NP) and β-carboxy-terminal crosslinked telopeptide of type 1 collagen (β-CTX) were measured. 24-h urinary adrenaline (24hUE) and 24-h urinary norepinephrine levels (24hUNE) were measured to indicate sympathetic activity. High-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) was conducted to evaluate bone microarchitecture in PPGL patients and 76 age-, sex-matched healthy controls (30 males and 46 females). Areal bone mineral density (aBMD) was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) simultaneously.

RESULTS

PPGL patients had a higher level of β-CTX. HR-pQCT assessment revealed that PPGL patients had notably thinner and more sparse trabecular bone (decreased trabecular number and thickness with increased trabecular separation), significantly decreased volume BMD (vBMD), and bone strength at both the radius and tibia compared with healthy controls. The deterioration of Tt.vBMD, Tb.Sp, and Tb.1/N.SD was more pronounced in postmenopausal patients compared with the premenopausal subjects. Moreover, subjects in the highest 24hUNE quartile (Q4) showed markedly lower Tb.N and higher Tb.Sp and Tb.1/N.SD at the tibia than those in the lowest quartile (Q1). Age-related bone loss was also exacerbated in PPGL patients to a certain extent.

CONCLUSIONS

PPGL patients had significantly deteriorated bone microarchitecture and strength, especially in the trabecular bone, with an increased bone resorption rate. Our findings provide clinical evidence that sympathetic overstimulation may serve as a secondary cause of osteoporosis, especially in subjects with increased sympathetic activity.