Hyperon Polarization along the Beam Direction Relative to the Second and Third Harmonic Event Planes in Isobar Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV

The polarization of Λ and Λ[over ¯] hyperons along the beam direction has been measured relative to the second and third harmonic event planes in isobar Ru+Ru and Zr+Zr collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV. This is the first experimental evidence of the hyperon polarization by the triangular flow originating from the initial density fluctuations. The amplitudes of the sine modulation for the second and third harmonic results are comparable in magnitude, increase from central to peripheral collisions, and show a mild p_{T} dependence. The azimuthal angle dependence of the polarization follows the vorticity pattern expected due to elliptic and triangular anisotropic flow, and qualitatively disagrees with most hydrodynamic model calculations based on thermal vorticity and shear induced contributions. The model results based on one of existing implementations of the shear contribution lead to a correct azimuthal angle dependence, but predict centrality and p_{T} dependence that still disagree with experimental measurements. Thus, our results provide stringent constraints on the thermal vorticity and shear-induced contributions to hyperon polarization. Comparison to previous measurements at RHIC and the LHC for the second-order harmonic results shows little dependence on the collision system size and collision energy.

[Analysis of clinical characteristics and treatment status of atopic dermatitis in a children's hospital in Beijing from 2015 to 2019]

To analyze the clinical characteristics and treatment status of atopic dermatitis (AD) in children in the outpatient department of a children's hospital in Beijing from 2015 to 2019. This study used a cross-sectional study method to retrospectively analyze the data of AD patients who visited the Dermatology outpatient department of Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, from April 2015 to April 2019. A total of 1 926 AD patients aged 0-17.5 years old living in Beijing and its surrounding areas were included, and the general situation, severity and distribution of AD disease, clinical characteristics and severity of AD, relevant influencing factors of AD onset, AD disease prognosis and treatment status were recorded. SAS 9.4, SPSS19.0, and R software were used for data processing, and descriptive statistical analysis, Chi-square test, Analysis of Variance, and correspondence analysis were used for statistical analysis. The results showed that the male to female ratio of AD patients in children included in this study was 1.4∶1; 79.0% (1 522/1 926), 86.1%(1 658/1 926), 91.3%(1 758/1 926), and 97.3%(1 907/1 926) of AD onset at the age of 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, and 5 years, respectively; mild of AD patients accounted for 13.2% (255/1 926)(SCORAD score 0-24), moderate of AD patients accounted for 50.1%(965/1 926) (SCORAD score 25-50), and severe of AD patients accounted for 36.7% (706/1 926)(SCORAD score>50).The age of severe AD patients were younger than mild and moderate AD patients. The face, head, trunk, and lower limbs were common areas of onset for moderate to severe AD, while the hands, feet, and ears were common areas of onset for severe AD patients. Temperature changes, hot water factors, mental and emotional states, and spring and winter were the main aggravation factors of AD;35.2% (678/1 926) aggravated and 61.8% (1 191/1 926) persistent. The more frequent bathing, the less severity of AD disease (χ2=29.791,P<0.001); 28.0% (520/1 856) of AD patients have no moisturizing habits, which were correlated with the severity of AD disease (χ2=15.908, P<0.05); the proportion of combined treatment medications in children with moderate to severe AD was significantly higher than mild AD patients. In conclusion, the patients with AD who went to specialist clinics were mainly moderate to severe patients and developed disease before the age of 5 years from 2015 to 2019.The severity of AD were mainly moderate to severe, and most of these patients had poor disease control. Traditional treatment plans had limitations. Identifying the clinical characteristics and treatment status of childhood AD would help us to carry out more targeted prevention and management work.

Application of the Ion Chamber Array in Magnetic Resonance Accelerator QA

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

The magnetic resonance accelerator (MR-Linac) is gradually widely used due to high-quality soft tissue contrast and real-time tracking. However, the special dosimetry characteristics and wide field sizes of MR-Linac increase the QA difficulty with conventional measurement method. The purpose of this study was to confirm an ion chamber array could be used for measuring the beam quality, the profiles, as well as the positioning accuracy of all MLC leaves efficiently, by comparing results with the conventional method. To propose a new QA approach for solving the common problem in data acquisition caused by the wide fields of MR-Linac.

MATERIALS/METHODS

The research was based on a MR-Linac fixed with 1.5T MR and 7MeV energy photon beam. The conventional QA method adopted the MR water tank with a gantry angle of 0°and an SSD of 133.5 cm, both microdiamond and ionization chamber detector were used to acquire the dose profiles (PDD, inline, crossline and diagonal). Field sizes 1 × 1 cm2, 2 × 2 cm2, 3 × 3 cm2, 5 × 5 cm2, 10 × 10 cm2, 15 × 15 cm2, 22 × 22 cm2, 40 × 22 cm2,57 × 22 cm2 were measured with depth 13mm, 50mm, 100mm for vertical beam. As for the wide fields (larger than 15 × 15 cm2), two profiles of x axis (one from left to right, the other from right to left) needed to be gathered and then stitched into one final profile. A boot phantom with an ionization chamber detector was used for measuring beam quality. We defined the profiles measured by conventional method as the baseline. An ion chamber array was adopted to acquire TPR, PDD, profiles and MLC positioning, comparing to the conventional method. The center of ion chamber array was placed to the isocenter of MR-Linac, the array could move to the right and left offset positions through engaging the pin into correct hole of QA platform, such 'once positioning and twice movements' operation could finish within 3 minutes. The central detector of the ion chamber array was used for measuring beam quality. TPRs for different depths were acquired by stacking solid water on the ion chamber array. As for the profiles, we could get the final profile by 'once positioning and twice movements' efficiently. As for the positioning accuracy of MLC leaves, firstly the central leaf pair was put on y = 0 to measure 'open profile' under the open field. Then we moved the MLC leaves to different positions to get the n profile (n for different leaf positions). The ratio of n profile to open profile could show the positioning accuracy of MLC.

RESULTS

We adopted 2D gamma (1mm / 2%) to compare the profiles between the ion chamber array and the conventional method, the results were within 98%. The beam quality consistency of ion chamber array comparing to the wedge tank was within 1% according to daily measurement. The ion chamber array could reflect the MLC positioning differences, the sensitivity was 0.5 mm.

CONCLUSION

The ion chamber array showed a convenient QA method both for the dosimetry and for the MLC positioning accuracy which did reduce the overall measurement time, it was recommended for daily and monthly QA for MR-Linac.

Performance Evaluation in Automatic Plan Generation for Ethos Intelligent Optimization Engine

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

To evaluate the automatic optimization performance and clinical feasibility of the Intelligent Optimization Engine (IOE) of Ethos online adaptive radiotherapy platform.

MATERIALS/METHODS

Eleven patients with cervical cancer treated with Halcyon accelerator were retrospectively selected. All the patients manually planned with four full arc volume rotating intensity modulated radiotherapy (VMAT) (Manual-4Arc), and the prescription dose was 45 Gy/25F. All patient images and structures were imported into Ethos simulator, and clinical goals were added appropriately based on clinical requirements. The target coverage was normalized to 95%. 7F, 9F, 12F IMRT plans and 2Arc, 3Arc VMAT plans were automatically generated by IOE. Dosimetric index comparisons were made among the Manual-4Arc plans and five group IOE generated plan to evaluate the automatic optimization performance of IOE.

RESULTS

In terms of hot dose area, for PTV, D1% of IMRT-12F plans was the lowest, and there were significant differences between IMRT-12F plans and Manual-4Arc plans (46.936 ± 0.241 vs 48.639 ± 2.395, p = 0.004); In terms of target coverage, the CTVs of all groups meet clinical requirements. Although the Ethos online adaptive plans have been normalized during planning, the PTV coverage is slightly insufficient (12F: 94.913 ± 0.154; 9F: 94.585 ± 1.148). For OARs close to target, such as bladder, V30Gy, V40Gy and Dmean have significant differences among the six group plans. The order of bladder dose is basically followed by IMRT-12F

CONCLUSION

The plans automatically generated by Ethos IOE can achieve similar performance as the manual plan, and the automatically generated IMRT-12F and 9F plans are preferred for clinical use.

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Clinical prior Knowledge-Based One-Shot Learning for Automatic Delineation of Clinical Target Volumes in Adaptation Radiotherapy of Cervical Cancer

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Rapid and accurate delineation of clinical target volumes (CTV) of cervical cancer is the crux to ensure the efficiency and benefits of adaptation radiotherapy (ART). However, contour propagation using deformation image registration (DIR) is difficult to ensure the accuracy of CTV contours due to the significant tumor recession in next fraction, and the tumor progress in each fraction is not considered by conventional automatic delineation methods based on deep learning (DL). Currently, one-shot learning (OSL) is feasible to learn the tumor progress from former fractions to improve the accuracy of automatically delineating CTV.

MATERIALS/METHODS

We retrospectively collected 45 patients with cervical cancer from January 2021 to May 2022 in our department. All patients consist of a pair of planning CT and daily CT in ART. A personalized automatic delineation method based on one-shot learning was developed to delineate CTV in daily CT by learning the clinical prior knowledge from the CTV contours and images of planning CT. The performance of our proposed method was evaluated by dice similarity coefficient (DSC), 95% Harsdorff distance (95HD) and average surface distance (ASD) with human experts, and its automatic delineation performance were compared with DIR and DL in daily CT.

RESULTS

Our automatic delineation method OSL performed the best results in all evaluation metrics (denoted by mean ± standard deviation) as shown in Table 1, it is superior to method DL: 0.92 & 0.90 of DSC, 2.33 mm & 2.68 mm of HD95, 0.68 mm & 0.82 mm of ASD, P < 0.05 for DSC and ASD. Specifically, our method is significantly superior to the automatic delineation results by method DIR: 0.92 & 0.84 of DSC, 2.33 mm & 4.11 mm of HD95, 0.68 mm & 1.52 mm of ASD, P < 0.05 for all. In addition, OSL can significantly overcome the delineation problems in fuzzy boundary and delineation missing and perform better generalization for some unusual images, compared with DIR and DL.

CONCLUSION

We proposed an automatic delineation method based on one-shot learning for CTV of cervical cancer in ART, the results demonstrated that the proposed method could improve the precision and generalization of automatically delineating CTV compared against current popular methods. Therefore, it is potential to improve the quality and efficiency of ART for personalized patients and have a positive impact on tumor control and patient survival.

Adipose-Derived Stem Cell Exosomes Antagonize the Inhibitory Effect of Dihydrotestosterone on Hair Follicle Growth by Activating Wnt/β-Catenin Pathway

The most prevalent type of alopecia is androgenetic alopecia (AGA), which has a high prevalence but no effective treatment. Elevated dihydrotestosterone (DHT) level in the balding area was usually thought to be critical in the pathophysiology of AGA. The canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway plays a key role in promoting hair follicle development and sustaining the hair follicle cycle. Adipose-derived stem cell exosomes (ADSC-Exos) are widely used in the field of regenerative medicine due to the advantages of being cell free and immune privileged. Still, few studies have reported the therapeutic effect on hair disorders. As a result, we sought to understand how ADSC-Exos affected hair growth and explore the possibility that ADSC-Exos could counteract the hair-growth-inhibiting effects of DHT. This research using human hair follicle organs, in vitro dermal papilla cells, and in vivo animal models showed that ADSC-Exos not only encouraged healthy hair growth but also counteracted the inhibitory effects of DHT on hair growth. Additionally, we discovered that ADSC-Exos increased Ser9 phosphorylated glycogen synthase kinase-3β levels and facilitated nuclear translocation of β-catenin, which may have been blocked by the specific Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway inhibitor dickkopf-related protein 1. Our findings suggested that ADSC-Exos are essential for hair regeneration, which is anticipated to open up new therapeutic possibilities for clinical alopecia, particularly for the treatment of AGA.

UHPLC-HRMS-based serum untargeted lipidomics: Phosphatidylcholines and sphingomyelins are the main disturbed lipid markers to distinguish colorectal advanced adenoma from cancer

Colorectal advanced adenoma (CAA) is a key precancerous lesion of colorectal cancer (CRC), and early diagnosis can lessen CRC morbidity and mortality. Although abnormal lipid metabolism is associated with the development of CRC, there are no studies on the biomarkers and mechanism of lipid metabolism linked to CAA carcinogenesis. Hence, we performed a lipidomics study of serum samples from 46 CAA, and 50 CRC patients by the ultra high-performance liquid chromatography tandem high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS) in both electrospray ionization (ESI) modes. Differential lipids were selected by univariate and multivariate statistics analysis, and their diagnostic performance was evaluated using a receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis. Combining P < 0.05 and variable importance in projection (VIP) > 1, 59 differential lipids were obtained totally. Ten of them showed good discriminant ability for CAA and CRC (AUC > 0.900). Especially, the lipid panel consisting of PC 44:5, PC 35:6e, and SM d40:3 showed the highest selection frequency and outperformed (AUC = 0.952). Additionally, phosphatidylcholine (PC) and sphingomyelin (SM) were the main differential and high-performance lipids. In short, this is the first study to explore the biomarkers and mechanism for CAA-CRC sequence with large-scale serum lipidomics. The findings should provide valuable reference and new clues for the development of diagnostic and therapeutic strategies of CRC.

BATF relieves hepatic steatosis by inhibiting PD1 and promoting energy metabolism

The rising prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become a global health threat that needs to be addressed urgently. Basic leucine zipper ATF-like transcription factor (BATF) is commonly thought to be involved in immunity, but its effect on lipid metabolism is not clear. Here, we investigated the function of BATF in hepatic lipid metabolism. BATF alleviated high-fat diet (HFD)-induced hepatic steatosis and inhibited elevated programmed cell death protein (PD)1 expression induced by HFD. A mechanistic study confirmed that BATF regulated fat accumulation by inhibiting PD1 expression and promoting energy metabolism. PD1 antibodies alleviated hepatic lipid deposition. In conclusion, we identified the regulatory role of BATF in hepatic lipid metabolism and that PD1 is a target for alleviation of NAFLD. This study provides new insights into the relationship between BATF, PD1, and NAFLD.

[Risk factors analysis of protein energy wasting in children with chronic kidney disease]

Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics and risk factors of protein energy wasting (PEW) in children with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Methods: Clinical data of 231 children with chronic kidney disease hospitalized in Beijing Children's Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University from January 2018 to January 2023 were retrospectively analyzed to explore the incidence of PEW. According to the diagnostic criteria of CKDPEW, they were divided into a CKDPEW group and a non PEW group. The comparison between the groups was performed by independent-sample t test and Chi-squared test, and the risk factors were analyzed by multivariate Logistic regression. Results: Among the 231 children, there were 138 males and 93 females, with a visiting age of 9.9 (7.9, 16.0) years; 6 cases were in stage 1, 14 cases in stage 2, 51 cases in stage 3, 36 cases in stage 4, and 124 cases in stage 5. A total of 30 children (13.0%) with CKD PEW were diagnosed at the age of 7. 1 (3.8, 13.2) years, including 1 case in stage 1, 1 case in stage 2, 5 cases in stage 3, 5 cases in stage 4, and 18 cases in stage 5. There were a total of 201 cases (87.0%) in the non PEW group, diagnosed at the age of 11.8 (8.5, 12.2) years, including 5 cases in stage 1, 13 cases in stage 2, 46 cases in stage 3, 31 cases in stage 4, and 106 cases in stage 5. The Chi-squared test and t test showed that the systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, birth weight and carbon dioxide binding capacity of the CKD PEW group were lower than those of the non PEW group ((109±22) vs. (120±20) mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa), (72±19) vs. (79±16) mmHg, (2.9±0.5) vs. (3.2±0.6) kg, (17±4) vs. (19±4) mmol/L,t=2.85, 2.14, 0.67, 2.63, all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that carbon dioxide binding capacity and birth weight were independent protective factors of CKDPEW in children (OR=0.81 and 0.36, 95%CI=0.73-0.90 and 0.17-0.77, respectively; both P<0.01); the risk of PEW in CKD children decreased by 0.187 times for every 1 mmol/L increment in carbon dioxide binding capacity, and 0.638 times for every 1 kg increment in birth weight. Conclusions: The incidence of protein energy expenditure in children with chronic kidney disease is lower than that in the previous researches. PEW can appear in CKD 1-2 stage, and attention should be paid to it in the early stage of CKD in clinical practice. Low birth weight CKD children are susceptible to PEW, and actively correcting metabolic acidosis can reduce the risk of CKDPEW.

Erratum: Global Polarization of Ξ and Ω Hyperons in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV [Phys. Rev. Lett. 126, 162301 (2021)]

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.162301.

[Curative effects of foot microflap free transplantation in the repair of full-thickness electric burn wounds deep to tendon or even bone in fingers]

Objective: To explore the curative effects of foot microflap free transplantation in the repair of full-thickness electric burn wounds deep to tendon or even bone in fingers. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted. From July 2017 to February 2022, 20 patients with full-thickness electric burn wounds deep to tendon or even bone in fingers who met the inclusion criteria were admitted to Zhengzhou First People's Hospital, including 19 males and 1 female, aged 18 to 64 years. Among the 20 wounds, 15 wounds were located on the palm side, including 8 on the thumb, 5 on the index finger, and 2 on the middle finger; 5 wounds were located on the back, including 1 on the index finger and 4 on the middle finger. After debridement, the wound area ranged from 4.5 cm×2.0 cm to 7.0 cm×3.0 cm. According to the principle of tissue structure similarity, 10 wounds were repaired with plantar medial flaps, 5 wounds were repaired with hallux peroneal flaps, and 5 wounds were repaired with dorsalis pedis artery flaps, with flap area of 5.0 cm×2.5 cm-8.0 cm×3.5 cm. The flaps were transplanted freely and arteries and veins and/or nerves were anastomosed at the same time. The wound in the donor site was repaired with thigh medium-thick skin graft. The survival of flaps and skin grafts were observed after surgery. The appearance of flap, temperature and color of the distal end in the affected finger were observed during follow-up. At the last follow-up, the joint function and flap sensory recovery of the affected finger were evaluated with the trial standard for the evaluation of the functions of the upper limbs of the Hand Surgery Society of the Chinese Medical Association; the two-point discrimination distance of skin in the area of flaps with nerve anastomosis was measured; the satisfaction of patients with the curative effect was investigated by using the curative effect satisfaction rating scale, and the very satisfied rate was calculated; the repair effect of flap was evaluated by the comprehensive evaluation scale, and the excellent and good rate was calculated. Results: All the flaps and skin grafts survived after surgery. During the follow-up of 10-18 months after surgery, the appearance of flap was natural and not bloated; the temperature and color of the distal end in the affected finger were basically the same as that of normal finger skin. At the last follow-up, the function recovery of the affected finger joints was as follows: 11 affected fingers were within the normal range of motion, 6 affected fingers had their total active range of motion recovered to 85% of the healthy side, and 3 affected fingers had their total active range of motion recovered to 75% of the healthy side; the flap sensory recovery was as follows: the sense of 15 flaps with nerve anastomosis all recovered to grade S3+, and the two-point discrimination distance of skin in the flap area was 7.0-9.0 mm; the sense of 1 flap without nerve anastomosis recovered to grade S2 and the sense of 4 flaps recovered to grade S1. The satisfaction with curative effect of 20 patients was very satisfied in 16 cases and moderately satisfied in 4 cases, with the very satisfied rate of 80%; the repair result of 20 flaps was excellent in 16 cases, good in 2 cases, and fair in 2 cases, with excellent and good rate of 90%. Conclusions: Due to the similar tissue structure of donor site and recipient site, foot microflap free transplantation in the repair of full-thickness electric burn wounds deep to tendon or even bone in fingers can achieve good appearance and function, with better functional and sensory recovery of the affected finger in the case of nerve anastomosis. Patients have high degree of satisfaction with the curative effects, which is worthy of promotion.

Echinocystic acid prevents obesity and fatty liver via interacting with FABP1

Long-term high-fat diet (HFD) will lead to obesity and their complications. Echinocystic acid (EA), a triterpene, shows anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. We predict that EA supplementation can prevent obesity, diabetes, and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. To test our hypothesis, we investigated the effects of EA supplementation on mice with HFD-induced obesity in vivo and in vitro by adding EA to the diet of mice and the medium of HepG2 cells, the protein target of EA was analyzed by molecular docking. The results showed that EA ameliorated obesity and inhibited blood triglyceride and liver triglyceride concentrations than those in the HFD groups. The data on molecular docking indicated that FABP1 was a potential target of EA. Further experimental results confirmed that EA affected the triglyceride level by regulating the function of FABP1. This study may provide a new potential inhibitor for FABP1 and a new strategy for the treatment of obesity.

A case report of gastrointestinal hemorrhage caused by small intestinal hemangioma

RATIONALE

Small intestinal hemangioma is a rare condition and very difficult to diagnose preoperatively. It can occur in all segments of the small intestine, but jejunum is common. Its common symptoms are gastrointestinal bleeding and chronic anemia, while intussusception, intestinal obstruction and perforation are rare. In recent years, the popularization and application of capsule endoscopy, computed tomographic enterography and double-balloon enteroscopy play vital roles in the diagnosis and management of small bowel bleeding. We report a case of gastrointestinal hemorrhage caused by of the small intestine hemangioma.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A 56-year-old male complaint of hematochezia for 1 day with dizziness, fatigue, and vomiting of gastric contents.

DIAGNOSIS

Based on the clinical, laboratory, imaging tests, endoscopy, laparoscopic approach and pathological examination, the patient was diagnosed with small intestinal hemangioma.

INTERVENTIONS

Segmental resection was performed for the small intestinal hemangioma by a laparoscopic approach.

OUTCOMES

The patient was discharged without operation complications, and his hemoglobin increased to 130 g/L at the second month after the operation.

LESSONS

Small intestinal hemangioma is a rare condition without specific symptoms and can cause gastrointestinal bleeding. The possibility of small intestinal hemangioma should be considered with unexplained gastrointestinal bleeding. Surgical resection is the preferred treatment option for symptomatic hemangiomas. Furthermore, double-balloon enteroscopy can increase the diagnostic yield. Applying endoscopic titanium clip combined with Indian ink marking can obtain an accurate positioning before surgery.

Measurements of the Elliptic and Triangular Azimuthal Anisotropies in Central ^{3}He+Au, d+Au and p+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV

The elliptic (v_{2}) and triangular (v_{3}) azimuthal anisotropy coefficients in central ^{3}He+Au, d+Au, and p+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV are measured as a function of transverse momentum (p_{T}) at midrapidity (|η|<0.9), via the azimuthal angular correlation between two particles both at |η|<0.9. While the v_{2}(p_{T}) values depend on the colliding systems, the v_{3}(p_{T}) values are system independent within the uncertainties, suggesting an influence on eccentricity from subnucleonic fluctuations in these small-sized systems. These results also provide stringent constraints for the hydrodynamic modeling of these systems.

Observation of Directed Flow of Hypernuclei _{Λ}^{3}H and _{Λ}^{4}H in sqrt[s_{NN}]=3 GeV Au+Au Collisions at RHIC

We report here the first observation of directed flow (v_{1}) of the hypernuclei _{Λ}^{3}H and _{Λ}^{4}H in mid-central Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=3  GeV at RHIC. These data are taken as part of the beam energy scan program carried out by the STAR experiment. From 165×10^{6} events in 5%-40% centrality, about 8400 _{Λ}^{3}H and 5200 _{Λ}^{4}H candidates are reconstructed through two- and three-body decay channels. We observe that these hypernuclei exhibit significant directed flow. Comparing to that of light nuclei, it is found that the midrapidity v_{1} slopes of _{Λ}^{3}H and _{Λ}^{4}H follow baryon number scaling, implying that the coalescence is the dominant mechanism for these hypernuclei production in the 3 GeV Au+Au collisions.

Beam Energy Dependence of Triton Production and Yield Ratio (N_{t}×N_{p}/N_{d}^{2}) in Au+Au Collisions at RHIC

We report the triton (t) production in midrapidity (|y|<0.5) Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=7.7-200  GeV measured by the STAR experiment from the first phase of the beam energy scan at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. The nuclear compound yield ratio (N_{t}×N_{p}/N_{d}^{2}), which is predicted to be sensitive to the fluctuation of local neutron density, is observed to decrease monotonically with increasing charged-particle multiplicity (dN_{ch}/dη) and follows a scaling behavior. The dN_{ch}/dη dependence of the yield ratio is compared to calculations from coalescence and thermal models. Enhancements in the yield ratios relative to the coalescence baseline are observed in the 0%-10% most central collisions at 19.6 and 27 GeV, with a significance of 2.3σ and 3.4σ, respectively, giving a combined significance of 4.1σ. The enhancements are not observed in peripheral collisions or model calculations without critical fluctuation, and decreases with a smaller p_{T} acceptance. The physics implications of these results on the QCD phase structure and the production mechanism of light nuclei in heavy-ion collisions are discussed.

Trends in intentional and unintentional poisonings among older adults - A national register-based study in Sweden

BACKGROUND

Among older people intentional poisoning outnumber unintentional ones. While there are indications that time trends differ by poisoning intent, studies are scarce. We assessed how the annual prevalence of intentional and unintentional poisoning changed over time, overall and by demographic groups.

METHODS

We conducted a national open cohort study of individuals aged 50-100 years, resident in Sweden during 2005-2016. Individuals were followed up in population-based registers for their demographic and health attributes from 2006-2016. Annual prevalence of hospitalization and death by poisoning intent (unintentional vs. intentional or undetermined; ICD-10 definitions) were compiled for the categories of four demographic attributes (age, sex, marital status, and birth cohort "baby boomers"). The time trends were assessed by multinomial logistic regression with year as an independent variable.

RESULTS

The annual overall prevalence of hospitalization and death by intentional poisonings consistently exceeded that of unintentional poisonings. There was a significant downward trend in intentional poisonings but not in unintentional ones. This difference in trends also applied when considering men and women separately, married and unmarried people, the young-old individuals (but not the older- or oldest-old ones), and the baby boomers and non-baby boomers. The largest demographic differences within intent were found between married and unmarried people, and the smallest one between men and women.

CONCLUSION

As expected, the annual prevalence of intentional poisonings considerably exceed that of unintentional ones among Swedish older people. The recent trends reveal a significant reduction of intentional poisonings, consistent across a range of demographic attributes. The scope for action regarding this preventable cause of mortality and morbidity remains considerable.

Timing of endoscopy for acute variceal bleeding in patients with cirrhosis (CHESS1905): A nationwide cohort study

BACKGROUND

Endoscopy plays an important role in the management of acute variceal bleeding (AVB) in patients with cirrhosis. This study aimed at determining the optimal endoscopy timing for cirrhotic AVB.

METHODS

Patients with cirrhosis with AVB across 34 university hospitals in 30 cities from February 2013 to May 2020 who underwent endoscopy within 24 hours were included in this study. Patients were divided into an urgent endoscopy group (endoscopy <6 h after admission) and an early endoscopy group (endoscopy 6-24 h after admission). Multivariable analysis was performed to identify risk factors for treatment failure. Primary outcome was the incidence of 5-day treatment failure. Secondary outcomes included in-hospital mortality, need for intensive care unit, and length of hospital stay. A propensity score matching analysis was performed. In addition, we performed an analysis, in which we compared the 5-day treatment failure incidence and the in-hospital mortality among patients with endoscopy performed at <12 hours and 12-24 hours.

RESULTS

A total of 3319 patients were enrolled: 2383 in the urgent endoscopy group and 936 in the early endoscopy group. After propensity score matching, on multivariable analysis, Child-Pugh class was identified as an independent risk factor for 5-day treatment failure (HR, 1.61; 95% CI: 1.09-2.37). The incidence of 5-day treatment failure was 3.0% in the urgent endoscopy group and 2.9% in the early group ( p = 0.90). The in-hospital mortality was 1.9% in the urgent endoscopy group and 1.2% in the early endoscopy group ( p = 0.26). The incidence of need for intensive care unit was 18.2% in the urgent endoscopy group and 21.4% in the early endoscopy group ( p = 0.11). The mean length of hospital stay was 17.9 days in the urgent endoscopy group and 12.9 days in the early endoscopy group ( p < 0.05). The incidence of 5-day treatment failure in the <12-hour group was 2.3% and 2.2% in the 12-24 hours group ( p = 0.85). The in-hospital mortality was 2.2% in the <12-hour group and 0.5% in the 12-24 hours group ( p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The data suggest that performance of endoscopy within 6-12 or within 24 hours of presentation among patients with cirrhosis with AVB led to similar treatment failure outcomes.

[Rapid detection and genotyping of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.4/5 variants using a RT-PCR and CRISPR-Cas12a-based assay]

OBJECTIVE

To establish a rapid detection and genotyping method for SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.4/5 variants using CRISPPR-Cas12a gene editing technology.

METHODS

We combined reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and CRISPR gene editing technology and designed a specific CRISPPR RNA (crRNA) with suboptimal protospacer adjacent motifs (PAM) for rapid detection and genotyping of SARS- CoV-2 Omicron BA.4/5 variants. The performance of this RT- PCR/ CRISPPR-Cas12a assay was evaluated using 43 clinical samples of patients infected by wild-type SARS-CoV-2 and the Alpha, Beta, Delta, Omicron BA. 1 and BA. 4/5 variants and 20 SARS- CoV- 2-negative clinical samples infected with 11 respiratory pathogens. With Sanger sequencing method as the gold standard, the specificity, sensitivity, concordance (Kappa) and area under the ROC curve (AUC) of RT-PCR/CRISPPR-Cas12a assay were calculated.

RESULTS

This assay was capable of rapid and specific detection of SARS- CoV-2 Omicron BA.4/5 variant within 30 min with the lowest detection limit of 10 copies/μL, and no cross-reaction was observed in SARS-CoV-2-negative clinical samples infected with 11 common respiratory pathogens. The two Omicron BA.4/5 specific crRNAs (crRNA-1 and crRNA-2) allowed the assay to accurately distinguish Omicron BA.4/5 from BA.1 sublineage and other major SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern. For detection of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.4/5 variants, the sensitivity of the established assay using crRNA-1 and crRNA-2 was 97.83% and 100% with specificity of 100% and AUC of 0.998 and 1.000, respectively, and their concordance rate with Sanger sequencing method was 92.83% and 96.41%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

By combining RT-PCR and CRISPPR-Cas12a gene editing technology, we successfully developed a new method for rapid detection and identification of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.4/5 variants with a high sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility, which allows rapid detection and genotyping of SARS- CoV-2 variants and monitoring of the emerging variants and their dissemination.

Functions and interaction of plant lipid signalling under abiotic stresses

Lipids are the primary form of energy storage and a major component of plasma membranes, which form the interface between the cell and the extracellular environment. Several lipids - including phosphoinositide, phosphatidic acid, sphingolipids, lysophospholipids, oxylipins, and free fatty acids - also serve as substrates for the generation of signalling molecules. Abiotic stresses, such as drought and temperature stress, are known to affect plant growth. In addition, abiotic stresses can activate certain lipid-dependent signalling pathways that control the expression of stress-responsive genes and contribute to plant stress adaptation. Many studies have focused either on the enzymatic production and metabolism of lipids, or on the mechanisms of abiotic stress response. However, there is little information regarding the roles of plant lipids in plant responses to abiotic stress. In this review, we describe the metabolism of plant lipids and discuss their involvement in plant responses to abiotic stress. As such, this review provides crucial background for further research on the interactions between plant lipids and abiotic stress.

Efficacy of erector spinae nerve block for pain control after lumbar spinal surgeries: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

The review aimed to examine the evidence on the efficacy of erector spinae nerve block (ESPB) for pain control after lumbar spinal surgeries.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

PubMed, CENTRAL, Embase, and Web of Science were examined for published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing ESPB with control for lumbar spinal surgery patients. The primary review outcome was 24-hour total opioid consumption in morphine equivalents. The secondary review outcomes were pain at rest at 4-6 hours, 8-12 hours, 24 hours and 48 hours, first rescue analgesic timing, needing rescue analgesics number, and postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV).

RESULTS

16 trials were eligible. Total opioid consumption was significantly lower with ESPB as compared to controls (MD: -12.68 95% CI: -18.09, -7.28 I2=99% p<0.00001). Pain scores at 4-6 hours (MD: -1.37 95% CI: -1.98, -0.76 I2=95% p<0.0001), 8-12 hours (MD: -1.18 95% CI:-1.84, -0.52 I2=98% p=0.0004), 24 hours (MD: -0.53 95% CI:-1.03, -0.04 I2=96% p=0.04) and 48 hours (MD: -0.36 95% CI:-0.84, 0.13 I2=88% p=0.15) were significantly lower in the ESPB group. The meta-analysis found that the ESPB group required a significantly longer time for the first analgesic request (MD: 5.26 95% CI: 2.53, 7.99 I2=100% p=0.002), had lower demand for rescue analgesics (OR: 0.12 95% CI: 0.07, 0.21 I2=2% p<0.00001) and fewer incidence of PONV (OR: 0.27 95% CI: 0.15, 0.49 I2=51% p<0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

ESPB can be highly efficacious for postoperative analgesia in lumbar surgery patients. The block has the capability of reducing opioid consumption in the first 24 hours and pain scores up to 48 hours along with a significant reduction in the need for rescue analgesics and PONV.

[Application effects of nitrous oxide and oxygen mixed inhalation technology on analgesia and sedation during debridement and dressing change in children with moderate or severe burns]

Objective: To investigate the application effects of nitrous oxide and oxygen mixed inhalation technology on analgesia and sedation during debridement and dressing change in children with moderate or severe burns. Methods: A retrospective non-randomized contemporary controlled study was conducted. From December 2019 to November 2021, 140 burn children with moderate or severe burns, aged 1 to 3 years, who met the inclusion criteria were admitted to Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University. During debridement and dressing change 3 to 14 days after injury, 42 children, including 23 males and 19 females, who received nurse-centered pain management mode and analgesia and sedation with nitrous oxide and oxygen mixed inhalation technology were included in nitrous oxide group (the dressing change process using the above-mentioned technology for the first time was selected for the follow-up study). Another 42 children, including 24 males and 18 females, were included in non-nitrous oxide group from 98 children who did not apply analgesia or sedation treatment during dressing change with stratified random sampling (one dressing change process was randomly selected for the follow-up study). The face, legs, activity, cry, and consolability scale and Ramsay sedation scale were used to evaluate the pain intensity and degree of sedation, respectively, at 30 minutes before dressing change (hereinafter referred to as before dressing change), immediately after debridement, and at 30 minutes after finishing dressing change (hereinafter referred to as after dressing change). After dressing change, the self-made satisfaction scale was used to evaluate the satisfaction degree of dressing change surgeons and guardians of children for analgesic effects during dressing change. The duration of dressing change and the healing time of deep partial-thickness burn wounds were recorded. The heart rate and percutaneous arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2) before, during, and after dressing change and the occurrence of adverse events such as nausea and vomiting during dressing change were recorded. Data were statistically analyzed with Mann-Whitney U test, chi-square test, analysis of variance for repeated measurement, independent sample t test, and Bonferroni correction. Results: There were no significant differences in the score of pain intensity and score of sedation degree between children in two groups before and after dressing change (P>0.05). Immediately after debridement, the score of pain intensity of children in nitrous oxide group was 2.5±0.7, which was significantly lower than 7.6±1.0 in non-nitrous oxide group (t=-26.69, P<0.05); the score of sedation degree of children in nitrous oxide group was 1.83±0.38, which was significantly higher than 1.21±0.42 in non-nitrous oxide group (t=7.15, P<0.05). After dressing change, the satisfaction degree scores of dressing change surgeons and guardians of children for analgesic effects during dressing change of children in nitrous oxide group were significantly higher than those in non-nitrous oxide group (with t values of 10.53 and 2.24, respectively, P<0.05). The dressing change duration of children in nitrous oxide group was significantly shorter than that in non-nitrous oxide group (t=-5.33, P<0.05). The healing time of deep partial-thickness burn wounds in children between the two groups had no significant difference (P>0.05). The heart rate of children in nitrous oxide group was significantly lower than that in non-nitrous oxide group during dressing change (t=-12.40, P<0.05), while the SpO2 was significantly higher than that in non-nitrous oxide group (t=5.98, P<0.05). During dressing change, 2 children had nausea and 1 child had euphoria in nitrous oxide group, while heart rate of all children in non-nitrous oxide group continued to be higher than the normal range. Conclusions: In the process of debridement and dressing change in children with moderate or severe burns, the use of nurse-centered pain management mode and the standardized use of nitrous oxide and oxygen mixed inhalation technology can safely and effectively control pain and sedation.

Measurement of Sequential ϒ Suppression in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV with the STAR Experiment

We report on measurements of sequential ϒ suppression in Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV with the STAR detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) through both the dielectron and dimuon decay channels. In the 0%-60% centrality class, the nuclear modification factors (R_{AA}), which quantify the level of yield suppression in heavy-ion collisions compared to p+p collisions, for ϒ(1S) and ϒ(2S) are 0.40±0.03(stat)±0.03(sys)±0.09(norm) and 0.26±0.08(stat)±0.02(sys)±0.06(norm), respectively, while the upper limit of the ϒ(3S) R_{AA} is 0.17 at a 95% confidence level. This provides experimental evidence that the ϒ(3S) is significantly more suppressed than the ϒ(1S) at RHIC. The level of suppression for ϒ(1S) is comparable to that observed at the much higher collision energy at the Large Hadron Collider. These results point to the creation of a medium at RHIC whose temperature is sufficiently high to strongly suppress excited ϒ states.

MGF360-12L of ASFV-SY18 is an immune-evasion protein that inhibits host type I IFN, NF-κB, and JAK/STAT pathways

African swine fever virus (ASFV) causes feverous and hemorrhagic disease of domestic pigs and European wild boars with high mortality, yet no commercial vaccine is currently available. Several ASFV strains with natural deletion or gene-targeted knockout of multiple MGF360 and MGF505 genes are attenuated in vitro and in vivo, and can offer full protection against homologous challenge. However, the mechanisms underlying the protection are not fully understood. This study aims to investigate the effects of MGF360-12L of ASFV-SY18 on the cGAS-STING signaling pathway and explore the potential mechanisms. We identified that ASFV-SY18 MGF360-12L could inhibit cGAS-STING, TBK1, or IRF3-5D-stimulated IFN-β expression and ISRE activation. Specifically, MGF360-12L inhibits both the activation of PRD(III-I) in a dose-dependent manner, and suppresses the exogenous expression of TBK1 and IRF3-5D. MGF360-12L could block NF-κB activation induced by overexpression of cGAS-STING, TBK1, IKKβ. Downstream of the IFN-β signaling, MGF360-12L blocks the ISRE promoter activation by reducing total protein level of IRF9. Moreover, MGF360-12L protein can inhibit IFN-β-mediated antiviral effects. In conclusion, our findings suggest that MGF360-12L is a multifunctional immune-evasion protein that inhibits both the expression and effect of IFN-β, which could partially explain the attenuation of relevant gene-deleted ASFV strains, and shed light on the development of efficient ASFV live attenuated vaccines in the future.