Monitoring Methods of Marine Pollution Range Based on Big Data Technology

With the development of big data technology, traditional monitoring methods for the scope of marine pollution can no longer meet the current needs of accuracy and timeliness. In light of the outstanding topic, this study proposed to use big data technology to monitor the scope of marine pollution. The intelligent digital remote sensing technology was used for multi-dimensional monitoring of ocean water quality and completed the calculation of data collected by water quality sensors through the improved big data comparative analysis method. Finally, the scope of pollution monitoring was realized. The results verified that the proposed monitoring method could achieve high-precision and time-sensitive monitoring of the range of marine pollutants, and could identify the basic information of pollutants.

Belantamab mafodotin for the treatment of multiple myeloma

Multiple myeloma is the second most common hematologic malignancy worldwide. Despite the growing number of available therapeutic options and advances in the treatment since the 2000s, relapse of multiple myeloma is inevitable. Currently, the main therapeutic agents for multiple myeloma treatment include proteasome inhibitors, immunomodulatory drugs, monoclonal antibodies and others. Patients who relapse or are refractory to the above-mentioned treatments have poor prognosis. B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) is a cell-surface receptor which is expressed on the membrane of multiple myeloma cells, but absent on naive and memory B cells, making it an ideal target for multiple myeloma treatment. Belantamab mafodotin (GSK-2857916) is a first-in-class BCMA antibody-drug conjugate with an overall response rate of 32% in the phase II clinical trial DREAMM-2, which is a phase II study designed to investigate the efficacy and safety of belantamab mafodotin in relapsed/refractory patients with multiple myeloma. In August 2020, based on the results of this pivotal DREAMM-2 study, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved belantamab mafodotin as a monotherapy for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. Thereafter, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) also approved this indication. Although belantamab mafodotin has demonstrated single-agent activity in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma, further studies to evaluate its efficacy and its combinational use with other drugs are necessary and ongoing.

[Clinical comparative study of free posterior tibial artery perforator flap and radial forearm free flap for head and neck reconstruction]

Objective: To compare the clinical application results of the FPTF (free posterior tibial artery perforator flap) and RFFF (radial forearm free flap) for reconstruction of head and neck defects. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 27 cases treated with FPTF (19 males and 8 females, aged 14-69 years) and 24 cases with RFFF (11 males and 13 females, aged 22-69 years) for head and neck defect reconstruction at Beijing Tongren Hospital of Capital Medical University from January 2015 to December 2020 was conducted. Flap size, vascular pedicle length, matching degree of recipient area blood vessels, preparation time, total operation time, hospital stay, recipient area complications, donor area complications and scale-based patient satisfaction were compared between two groups of patients with FTPF and RFFF. SPSS 26.0 statistical software was used for statistical analysis. Results: There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups of patients in tumor T staging (P=0.38), primary sites (P=0.05) and mean flap areas ((53.67±29.84) cm² vs. (41.13±11.08) cm², t=-1.472, P=0.14). However the mean vascular pedicle length of FPTF was more than that of RFFF ((11.15±2.48)cm vs. (8.50±1.69)cm, t=-4.071, P<0.01). The donor sites of 4 patients in FPTF group could be sutured directly, while all the 24 patients in RFFF group received skin grafts from the donor sites. There was no statistically significant difference in the recipient area arteries between two groups of flaps (P=0.10), with more commonly using of the facial artery (RFFF: FPTF=21∶27), but there was significant difference in the recipient area veins (P<0.01), with more commonly using of the external jugular vein in RFFF (14/24) than FPTF (4/32) and the posterior facial vein in FPTF (27/32) than RFFF (9/24). There were 10 recipient complications and 3 donor complications in RFFF group; no recipient complication and 3 donor complications occurred in FPTF group. With patient's subjective evaluation of the donor site at 12 months after surgery, FPTF was better than RFFF (χ²=22.241, P<0.01). Conclusions: FPTF is an alternative to RFFF in head and neck reconstruction and has unique advantages in aesthetics and clinical application.

Anti-biofilm potential of kefir-derived Lactobacillus paracasei L10 against Vibrio parahaemolyticus

Vibrio parahaemolyticus, a kind of biofilm-forming foodborne bacterium, presents formidable challenges to the effectiveness of antimicrobial agents. Increasingly, the safety of chemical antimicrobials has aroused the widespread attention of the public. The development of the novel nature antimicrobial agents has become critical for controlling biofilm-related pollution and infections. In this paper, we investigated the antibacterial activity of Lactobacillus paracasei L10, and evaluated the inhibition and eradication effects of the cell-free supernatant (CFS) of the strain on V. parahaemolyticus biofilms in detail. We found that the CFS exhibited marked antibacterial activity against all tested pathogenic bacteria. In co-cultural assay, L. paracasei L10 could notably reduce cell viability in both plankton and biofilm of V. parahaemolyticus and this antagonism effect in biofilm was greater than that in planktonic state. Meanwhile, the growth of V. parahaemolyticus was completely inhibited when 6% (v/v) of the CFS was added, and the supernatant also showed a concentration-dependent manner to inhibit and eradicate the biofilms of V. parahaemolyticus while decreased the metabolic activity of the biofilm in the same way. Moreover, the fluorescence microscopic and confocal laser scanning microscopy images confirmed the anti-biofilm activity of the CFS. This study elucidates that L. paracasei L10 displays a significant anti-biofilm effect on V. parahaemolyticus and the mechanism of its antagonism merits further study, which provides theoretical support for further development and application of L. paracasei L10 as anti-biofilm agents.

[Retrospective study of thyroid invasion and central lymph node metastasis in 124 patients with hypopharyngeal carcinoma]

Objective: To investigate the characteristics of thyroid invasion and central lymph node metastasis of hypopharyngeal carcinoma, and the impact on survival rate and quality of life. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 124 cases (122 males and 2 females with age range from 36 to 78 years old) with laryngopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma who were initially treated in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Tongren Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University from January 2014 to December 2017 was performed. The clinical data included tumor location, pathological T stage, pathological N stage, invasion of thyroid gland, central lymph node metastasis, surgical procedures and so on. Patients were grouped according to if presence of thyroid invasion and central lymph node metastasis. With follow-up, the survival was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier method, and tumor recurrence and metastasis were evaluated. Results: Of the patients, 12 patients had thyroid involvement and 5 patients had central lymph node metastasis. The incidence of thyroid involvement was 8.16% (8/98) in pyriform sinus, 1/18 in posterior pharyngeal wall and 3/8 in posterior cricoid wall, with statistically significant difference (χ²=15.076,P=0.008). The incidence of central lymph node metastasis was 1.02% (1/98) in pyriform sinus, 3/18 in posterior pharyngeal wall and 1/8 in posterior cricoid wall, also with statistically significant difference (χ²=11.205, P=0.008). There was no statistical correlation between thyroid invasion or central lymph node metastasis and gender, smoking or alcohol exposure history and tumor pathological differentiation (all P>0.05). The 3-year overall survival rate was 80.65% and the 3-year recurrence free rate was 85.48%. Totally 24 patients died in 3 years, including 4 cases in thyroid invasion group and 1 case in central lymph node metastasis group. Local recurrence occurred in 18 patients, including 4 cases in thyroid invasion group and 1 case in central lymph node metastasis group. There was no significant difference in survival between patients with and without thyroid invasion and central lymph node metastasis (all P>0.05). There were significantly difference in 3-year overall survival and relapse-free survival among the groups with different T stages, N stages, pathological stages and tumor pathological differentiation levels (all P<0.05). There were significantly differences in the levels of serum calcium and FT3 between the groups with or without thyroid invasion and central lymph node metastasis (all P<0.05). Conclusion: The incidences of thyroid invasion and central lymph node metastasis of hypopharyngeal carcinoma are rare, and the risk of occurrence is related to the primary site of tumor. Comprehensive evaluation, correct decision-making and accurate treatment could be helpful to cure radically the tumor, to prevent recurrence and to improve the quality of life of patients.

Tunable stiffness enables fast and efficient swimming in fish-like robots

Fish maintain high swimming efficiencies over a wide range of speeds. A key to this achievement is their flexibility, yet even flexible robotic fish trail real fish in terms of performance. Here, we explore how fish leverage tunable flexibility by using their muscles to modulate the stiffness of their tails to achieve efficient swimming. We derived a model that explains how and why tuning stiffness affects performance. We show that to maximize efficiency, muscle tension should scale with swimming speed squared, offering a simple tuning strategy for fish-like robots. Tuning stiffness can double swimming efficiency at tuna-like frequencies and speeds (0 to 6 hertz; 0 to 2 body lengths per second). Energy savings increase with frequency, suggesting that high-frequency fish-like robots have the most to gain from tuning stiffness.

[Application of deep convolutional neural networks in the diagnosis of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma based on narrow band imaging endoscopy]

Objective: To explore the possibility of using artificial intelligence (AI) technology based on convolutional neural network (CNN) to assist the clinical diagnosis of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) through deep learning algorithm. Methods: A deep CNN was developed and applied in narrow band imaging (NBI) endoscopy of 4 799 patients with laryngeal lesions, including 3 168 males and 1 631 females, aged from 21 to 87 years, from 2015 to 2017 in Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University. A simple randomization method was used to select the laryngeal NBI images of 2 427 patients (1 388 benign lesions and 1 039 LSCC lesions) for the training and correction the CNN model. The remaining laryngeal NBI images of 2 372 patients (including 1 276 benign lesions and 1 096 LSCC lesions) were used as validation data set to compare performance between CNN and otolaryngologists. SPSS 21.0 software was used for Chi-square test to calculate the accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of AI and otolaryngologists. The area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating curve (ROC) was used to evaluate the diagnostic ability of the algorithm for NBI images. Results: The accuracy, sensitivity and specificity for NBI predictions were respectively 90.91% (AUC=0.96), 90.12% and 91.53%, which were equivalent to those for otolaryngologists' predictions (accuracy, sensitivity and specificity were (91.93±3.20)%, (91.33±3.25)% and (93.02±2.59)%, t values were 0.64, 0.75 and 1.17, and P values were 0.32, 0.28 and 0.21, respectively). The diagnostic efficiency of CNN was significantly higher than that of otolaryngologists (0.01 vs. 5.50, t =9.15, P<0.001). Conclusion: AI based on deep CNN is effective for using in the laryngeal NBI image diagnosis, showing a good application prospect in the diagnosis of LSCC.

[A single-arm prospective study on induction chemotherapy and subsequent comprehensive therapy for advanced hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma: report of 260 cases in a single center]

Objective: To study the significance of induction chemotherapy and subsequent comprehensive therapy for overall survival rate (OS) and larynx dysfunction-free survival rate (LDFS) in patients with advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma. Methods: Patients who met the inclusion criteria with the diagnoses of advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma between 2011 and 2017 received 2 or 3 cycles of TPF regimen induction chemotherapy. Patients who attained complete response (CR) received radical chemotherapy. Patients who attained partial response (PR) and the reduction of tumor volume was more than 70% were defined as large PR and received concurrent chemoradiotherapy. When the tumor volume reduction of PR patients was less than 70%, they were defined as small PR. (CR+large PR) group was defined as effective group. Patients who did not reach CR and large PR were defined as uneffective group and underwent radical surgery and received adjuvant radiotherapy as appropriate after the surgery. The end points of the study were OS, progression-free survival (PFS) and LDFS. Chi-square (χ(2)) test was used for correlation analysis. Survival analysis was performed by the Kaplan-Meier method with a Log-rank test. Cox proportional hazards model was used for univariate and multivariate survival analysis. Results: A total of 260 patients were enrolled in the study. The follow-up period ranged from 5 to 83 months, with an average of 24.7 months. The 3-year and 5-year OS rate was 46.0% and 32.6%, respectively. The 3-year and 5-year PFS rate was 41.0% and 26.6%, respectively. The 3-year and 5-year LDFS rate was 37.9% and 24.8%, respectively. Poor outcome of induction chemotherapy, advanced N stage, strong positive Ki-67 immunohistochemistry (all P<0.001) were negative prognostic factors. The advanced clinical stage was positively related to the poor outcome of induction chemotherapy (P=0.015). There was no significant difference in OS and PFS between the large PR group and the small PR group (all P>0.005). Conclusion: TPF regimen induction chemotherapy and subsequent comprehensive therapy for patients with advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma may improve the quality of life of patients, with high OS rate and LDFS rate.

Role of miR-579-3p in the development of squamous cell lung carcinoma and the regulatory mechanisms

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to explore the role of microRNA-579-3p (miR-579-3p) in the development of squamous cell lung carcinoma (SCLC). Our findings might provide new insights into the treatment of SCLC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to examine the expression level of miR-579-3p in 30 pairs of CRC tissues and para-cancerous tissues. The relation between miR-579-3p expression and clinical features of SCLC patients was analyzed. MiR-579-3p expression in SCLC cells was further verified by qRT-PCR as well. In addition, the effects of miR-579-3p on the migration and invasion of SK-MES-1 cells were examined through the transwell assay.

RESULTS

QRT-PCR results revealed for the first time that miR-579-3p was significantly down-regulated in SCLC tissues. This indicated that miR-579-3p was possibly involved in the development of SCLC. According to bioinformatics prediction websites and the luciferase activity assay, macrophage scavenger receptor 1 (MSR1) was predicted and verified as the target gene of miR-579-3p. Transfection of miR-579-3p mimics significantly reduced the protein expression level of MSR1 in cells, eventually inhibiting the proliferation, invasion, and migration of SCLC cells.

CONCLUSIONS

The miR-579-3p/MSR1 axis might be a novel regulatory pathway of apoptosis, which could be used as potential therapeutic sites in SCLC.

Hierarchical Construction of Higher-Order Exceptional Points

The realization of higher-order exceptional points (HOEPs) can lead to orders of magnitude enhancement in light-matter interactions beyond the current fundamental limits. Unfortunately, implementing HOEPs in the existing schemes is a rather difficult task, due to the complexity and sensitivity to fabrication imperfections. Here we introduce a hierarchical approach for engineering photonic structures having HOEPs that are easier to build and more resilient to experimental uncertainties. We demonstrate our technique by an example that involves parity-time symmetric optical microring resonators with chiral coupling among the internal optical modes of each resonator. Interestingly, we find that the uniform coupling profile is not required to achieve HOEPs in this system-a feature that implies the emergence of HOEPs from disorder and provides resilience against some fabrication errors. Our results are confirmed by using full-wave simulations based on Maxwell's equation in realistic optical material systems.

[Protection of nerve function during transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy by vestibular approach]

Objective: To explore the method of functional protection in transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy by vestibular approach. Methods: Retrospective analysis was performed on the case data of 66 patients who underwent transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy by vestibular approach in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery of Beijing Tongren Hospital from February 2018 to February 2020. There were 11 males and 55 females aged 22-64 years, including 19 patients with benign diseases and 47 patients with malignant diseases. Important neurological functions were protected by a combination of anatomical exposure and intraoperative nerve monitoring. The clinical data and the effect of neurofunctional protection were summarized. SPSS 25.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Results: All operations were successfully completed with none transferred to open surgery. Three weeks after surgery, the numbness and tingling symptoms in the lower jaw and lower lip were basically relieved. There was no permanent mental nerve palsy, no permanent recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy but 2 cases with temporary recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy, no external branch injury of superior laryngeal nerve. There were 3 cases of temporary parathyroid gland dysfunction, 1 case of neck infection, 2 cases of subcutaneous effusion, 1 case of neck skin injury, and 2 cases of postoperative eye conjunctivitis. Conclusion: In transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy by vestibular approach, anatomical exposure can decrease mental nerve injury, and anatomical exposure combined with intraoperative nerve monitoring can protect the functions of the external branches of the superior laryngeal nerve and the recurrent laryngeal nerve.

Functional diversification of three delta-class glutathione S-transferases involved in development and detoxification in Tribolium castaneum

Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are members of a multifunctional enzyme superfamily. Forty-one GSTs have been identified in Tribolium castaneum; however, none of the 41 GSTs has been functionally characterized. Here, three delta-class GSTs, TcGSTd1, TcGSTd2 and TcGSTd3, of T. castaneum were successfully cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. All of the studied GSTs catalysed the conjugation of reduced glutathione with 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene. Insecticide treatment showed that the expression levels of TcGSTd3 and TcGSTd2 were significantly increased after exposure to phoxim and lambda-cyhalothrin, whereas TcGSTd1 was slightly upregulated only in response to phoxim. A disc diffusion assay showed that overexpression of TcGSTD3, but not TcGSTD1 or TcGSTD2, in E. coli increased resistance to paraquat-induced oxidative stress. RNA interference knockdown of TcGSTd1 caused metamorphosis deficiencies and reduced fecundity by regulating insulin/target-of-rapamycin signalling pathway-mediated ecdysteroid biosynthesis, and knockdown of TcGSTd3 led to reduced fertility and a decreased hatch rate of the offspring, probably caused by the reduced antioxidative activity in the reproductive organs. These results indicate that TcGSTd3 and TcGSTd2 may play vital roles in cellular detoxification, whereas TcGSTd1 may play essential roles in normal development of T. castaneum. These delta-class GSTs in T. castaneum have obtained different functions during the evolution.

[Analysis for potential targeting genes of TPF regimen induction chemotherapy in hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma]

Objective: To analyze the differentially expressed genes related to the chemosensitivity with the TPF regimen for hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma and to measure potential functional targeting genes expressions. Methods: Twenty-nine patients with primary hypopharyngeal cancer who underwent induction chemotherapy with TPF from January 2013 to December 2017 in Beijing Tongren Hospital were enrolled for microarray analysis, including 28 males and 1 female, aged from 43 to 73 years old. Among them, 16 patients were sensitive to chemotherapy while 13 patients were non-sensitive. Illumina Human HT-12 Bead Chip was applied to analyze the gene expressions and online bioinformatics analysis was used to analyze the differentially expressed genes. Reverse transcription and quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to measure the mRNA expression of potential functional genes of TPF induction chemotherapy in 43 samples, 29 from original patients and 14 from additional patients. Graphpad prism 7.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Results: A total of 1 381 significantly differentially expressed genes were screened out. By GO analysis, up-regulated genes included sequestering in extracellular matrix, chemokine receptor binding and potassium channel regulator activity; down-regulated genes included regulation of angiogenesis, calcium ion binding and natural killer cell activation involved in immune response. With KEGG database analysis, down-regulated pathways included ECM-receptor interaction and peroxisome and up-regulated pathways included Glutathione metabolism and PPAR signaling pathway. The expressions of CD44 and IL-6R were significantly different and appeared biologically significant. CD44 was significantly upregulated in insensitive tissues (0.54±0.06) compared with sensitive tissues (0.33±0.04)(P<0.01). IL-6R was significantly downregulated in insensitive tissues (0.44±0.03) compared with sensitive tissues. (0.68±0.03) (P<0.01). Conclusion: CD44 and IL-6R may be potentially functional genes of TPF induction chemotherapy in hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

[Spectrum analysis of pathological classification in 463 cases with nasal and paranasal sinuses malignant tumors]

Objective:The characteristics of pathological histological classification of nasal and paranasal sinuses malignant tumors in the past 10 years were analyzed, so as to provide possible basis, direction and ideas for the development of relevant effective treatment measures for nasal and paranasal sinuses malignant tumors in clinical practice. Method:The clinical data of patients with nasal and paranasal sinuses malignant tumors admitted to PLA general hospital from January 2009 to December 2018 were collected. Pathological types were retrospectively analyzed, and disease spectrum distribution, composition ratio and variation tendency of these patients were calculated. Result:Among the 463 patients, the overall pathological types in the top 5 were as follows: squamous cell carcinoma, adenoid cystadenocarcinoma, olfactory neuroblastoma, melanoma, adenocarcinoma. As for male patients, the pathological types in the top 5 were squamous cell carcinoma, adenoid cystic carcinoma, olfactory neuroblastoma, adenocarcinoma, neuroendocrine carcinoma and rhabdomyosarcoma were tied for fifth; the top 5 most common pathological types in female patients were squamous cell carcinoma, adenoid cystic carcinoma, melanoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, and adenocarcinoma. From 2009 to 2013, there were 183 patients with nasal and paranasal sinuses malignant tumors, the top 5 pathological types were squamous cell carcinoma, adenoid cystadenocarcinoma, olfactory neuroblastoma, melanoma, neuroendocrine carcinoma and rhabdomyosarcoma were tied for fifth; From 2014 to 2018, 280 patients with nasal and paranasal sinuses malignant tumors were diagnosed, the top 5 pathological types were squamous cell carcinoma, adenoid cystadenocarcinoma, melanoma, adenocarcinoma, and rhabdomyosarcoma. The ratio of the number of patients from 2009 to 2013 and 2014 to 2018 was about 0.65∶1. Malignant tumors of the nasal and paranasal sinuses tend to occur between the ages of 41 and 60, and the pathological types in the top 5 were squamous cell carcinoma,adenoid cystic carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, melanoma, neuroendocrine carcinoma. Conclusion:Malignant tumors of nasal cavity and sinus were more common in male, and the pathological types such as squamous cell carcinoma, adenoid cystic carcinoma, olfactory neuroblastoma were more common. All age groups have the disease, but the age group of 41-60 years old is the high-risk group of nasal and nasal sinus malignant tumors. However, the incidence rate of melanoma has gradually increased in the past five years, which needs to be paid more attention to.

Experimental Observation of PT Symmetry Breaking near Divergent Exceptional Points

Standard exceptional points (EPs) are non-Hermitian degeneracies that occur in open systems. At an EP, the Taylor series expansion becomes singular and fails to converge-a feature that was exploited for several applications. Here, we theoretically introduce and experimentally demonstrate a new class of parity-time symmetric systems [implemented using radio frequency (rf) circuits] that combine EPs with another type of mathematical singularity associated with the poles of complex functions. These nearly divergent exceptional points can exhibit an unprecedentedly large eigenvalue bifurcation beyond those obtained by standard EPs. Our results pave the way for building a new generation of telemetering and sensing devices with superior performance.

Controlling directional absorption with chiral exceptional surfaces

Significant efforts have been dedicated to engineering optical systems with predefined, excitation-dependent light absorption. An important concept along this line is that of exceptional points which allow for engineering directional light absorbing schemes. Current systems, however, do not lend themselves to easy design criterion or robust experimental realization. Here we demonstrate that an optical microring resonator coupled to a waveguide terminated with a mirror supports a chiral exceptional surface that can be used as a platform for tailoring directional light absorption in a straightforward fashion. We further demonstrate that this configuration can be used to implement a unidirectional coherent perfect absorber with controllable differential loss by tuning only a single parameter.