Peri-prostatic adipose tissue measurements using MRI predict prostate cancer aggressiveness in men undergoing radical prostatectomy

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the effect of peri-prostatic adipose tissue (PPAT) measurements using preoperative MRI on the prediction of prostate cancer (PCa) aggressiveness in men undergoing radical prostatectomy (RP).

METHODS

We performed a retrospective study on 179 consecutive patients receiving RP from June 2016 to October 2018. Clinical characteristics were collected. PPAT measurements including peri-prostatic fat area (PPFA) and peri-prostatic fat area to prostate area (PA) ratio (PPFA/PA) were calculated by MRI. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify independent predictors of PCa lymph node metastasis (LNM). The predictive performance was estimated through ROC curves. Nomograms were created based on the predictors.

RESULTS

Pathologic Gleason score positively correlated with digital rectal examination (DRE), PSA, PPFA/PA, P504S, and Ki-67 (all P < 0.05). ROC curves revealed that high PPFA and high PPFA/PA were associated with LNM (both P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that high PPFA/PA, pathologic Gleason score, pT stage, and Ki-67 were independently predictive of LNM. The nomograms were created and the C-index was 0.945.

CONCLUSIONS

PPFA/PA is an independent predictor for LNM along with Gleason score, pT stage, and Ki-67. PPFA/PA may help predict LNM in men undergoing RP, thus providing adjunctive information for therapeutic strategy and prognosis.

[C-reactive protein and direct bilirubin as the early diagnostic indicators of primary hepatocellular carcinoma combined with macrovascular invasion]

Objective: To explore the early clinical diagnostic indicators in patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) combined with macrovascular invasion. Methods: The clinical data of 180 cases of HCC diagnosed by histopathology examination in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from 2012 to 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. The factors influencing the development of macrovascular invasion in HCC patients were analyzed. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve) was used to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity. Results: Serum C-reactive protein (CRP) level was significantly correlated with various clinical characteristics of HCC patients, including the maximum tumor diameter, tumor number, and macrovascular invasion. Further analysis of the risk factors showed that serum direct bilirubin and CRP were independent risk factors for macrovascular invasion in HCC patients, with odds ratios of 1.747 (95% CI 1.119-2.728, P = 0.014) and 2.376 (95% CI 1.495-3.775, P < 0.001). ROC curve analysis showed that serum CRP, direct bilirubin, and the combination of the both had certain diagnostic value for hepatocellular carcinoma combined with macrovascular invasion. The area under the curve, sensitivity and specificity was 0.724, 0.668, 0.743, 79.1%, 70.1%, 79.1%, and 61.9%, 62.8%, 67.3%, respectively. Conclusion: The combination of CRP with direct bilirubin can be used as an important clinical diagnostic indicator for early diagnosis and prevention of hepatocellular carcinoma combined with macrovascular invasion.

Burden of respiratory infections and otitis media in the Inuit population of Nunavik, Quebec, Canada

BACKGROUND

Respiratory infections are a major health problem in the Inuit population of Nunavik, province of Quebec, Canada.

OBJECTIVES

A study was undertaken to assess the burden of lower (LRTI) and upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) and otitis media (OM) and to explore some of their determinants including the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) status.

METHODS

The reference population includes children less than 5 years of age born in 1994-2010 and a sample of 825 children was selected for this study. Outpatient medical records were reviewed. Visits with a diagnosis of LRTI, URTI and OM were extracted. Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses were performed to identify predictors of disease risk.

RESULTS

The average number of LRTI, URTI and OM episodes were, respectively, 2.6, 6.2 and 5.9 from birth up to the 5th birthday. Seasonal patterns were similar for URTI and OM, but was different for LRTI. Children who received the recommended 4 PCV doses had a lower LRTI and OM risk than unvaccinated children. There was a trend towards a lower OM risk associated with a mixed PCV10+ PCV13 schedule compared with PCV7.

CONCLUSION

Results suggest a lower LRTI and OM risk associated with PCV use in this high-risk population but respiratory disease risk remains high compared with the general population in Quebec.

[Application of two-stage crestal approach sinus elevation in severe atrophic posterior maxilla]

Objective: To investigate the feasibility of two-stage crestal approach sinus elevation in severe atrophic maxilla. Methods: A total of 25 patients (male: 13 cases,female: 12 cases) who attended Department of Implant Center, Stomatological Hospital, Southern Medical University from May 2016 to May 2018 were included in this study. The age of the patients was 32-49 years old. The inclusion criteria were: single or multiple tooth loss in posterior maxilla with residual bone height ranged from 1.5 to 3.0 mm and vertical bone width≥6 mm, no pathological changes or septum were detected in the sinus. The elevated sides were divided into three groups according to different buccal-palatal sinus width (SW): wide (16 case, SW＞15 mm), normal (12 case, 12 mm≤SW≤15 mm), narrow (5 case, SW<12 mm). Finally, 23 patients with 33 implants were placed by the two-stage crestal approach for sinus elevation. Six months after implant placement, final restorations were delivered. Implant survival rate, implant stability quotient (ISQ), immediate vertical bone height (VBH) after surgeries, changes of sinus elevation height (cSEH), marginal bone loss (MBL) at 1 year follow-up were examined. Results: Twenty-three patients were finally included in the study, including 12 males and 11 females, aged (41.2±7.6) years old. All implants healed uneventfully. ISQ (wide: 50.81±2.69; normal: 60.58±2.54; narrow: 63.12±3.58), immediate VBH after 1st surgery [wide: (7.99±1.13) mm; normal: (8.95±0.81) mm; narrow: (9.18±0.90) mm] and 2nd surgery [wide: (11.46±0.88) mm; normal: (12.77±0.49) mm; narrow: (12.57±0.55) mm], cSEH six months after 1st [wide: (3.87±0.43) mm; normal: (2.01±0.65) mm; narrow: (1.49±0.33) mm] and 2nd [wide: (1.16±0.29) mm; normal: (1.04±0.33) mm ; narrow: (0.97±0.41) mm] surgery, MBL [wide: (0.91±0.05) mm; normal: (0.79±0.10) mm; narrow: (0.74±0.07) mm] were significantly different among three groups (P<0.05). In all the three groups, cSEH was barely detected at 1-year follow-up (P>0.05). Conclusions: Two-stage crestal approach for sinus elevation might be an alternative protocol in severe atrophic posterior maxilla, especially in cases with narrow and normal buccal-palatal width. There is an urgent need for long time follow-up and more clinical cases.

[Progress in research of association of adverse childhood experiences with prevalence of common chronic diseases in adulthood]

The effects of adverse childhood experiences on adult health has aroused increasing concern in the world in recent years, but limited studies have been conducted in China. This study synthesized the measurement of adverse childhood experiences, the association between adverse childhood experiences and the prevalence common chronic diseases in adulthood and possible mechanisms. It was found that though measurement range of adverse childhood experiences might be different among studies, current used measurement scales basically met the requirement of disease prevention. Most categories of adverse childhood experiences were positively related to risk of common chronic diseases, and the relationship was influenced by social economic status, sex and age. However, people with exposure to famine in childhood had lower prevalence of hypertension compared with those without the exposure. The possible mechanisms might be that the occurrence of adverse childhood experiences might damage physiological functions or increase the adoption of poor healthy behaviors and lifestyles, and finally increased the risk of chronic diseases directly or indirectly. While premature death due to adverse childhood experiences might reverse the association because of nonrandom selection. It is necessary for us to select appropriate indexes of adverse childhood experiences and conduct more studies to prove the association between adverse childhood experiences and prevalence of common chronic diseases in adulthood and explore the related mechanism for the better prevention of chronic diseases in China.

Novel variants and uncommon cases among southern Chinese children with X-linked hypophosphatemia

PURPOSE

X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) is the most common inherited renal phosphate wasting disorder and is often misdiagnosed as vitamin D deficiency. This study aims to provide clinical and mutational characteristics of 65 XLH pediatric patients in southern China.

METHODS

In this work, a combination of DNA sequencing and qPCR analysis was used to study the PHEX gene in 80 pediatric patients diagnosed with hypophosphatemia. The clinical and laboratory data of confirmed 65 XLH patients were assessed and analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTS

In 65 XLH patients from 61 families, 51 different variants in the PHEX gene were identified, including 23 previously reported variants and 28 novel variants. In this cohort of XLH patients, the c.1601C>T(p.Pro534Leu) variant appears more frequently. Fourteen uncommon XLH cases were described, including four boys with de novo mosaic variants, eight patients with large deletions and a pair of monozygotic twins. The clinical manifestations in this cohort are very similar to those previously reported.

CONCLUSION

This study extends the mutational spectrum of the PHEX gene, which will contribute to accurate diagnosis. This study also suggests a supplementary qPCR or MLPA assay may be performed along with classical sequencing to confirm the gross insertion/deletion.

Resolvin D1 alleviates cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats by inhibiting NLRP3 signaling pathway

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the role of resolvin D1 (RvD1) in cerebral ischemia/ reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats and its mechanism. A total of 60 adult male Wistar rats were divided into 3 groups using a random number table, including sham-operation group (Sham group, n=20), cerebral I/R injury group (I/R group, n=20) and cerebral I/R injury + RvD1 pretreatment group (I/R + RvD1 group, n=20). The model of focal I/R injury was established using suture method through 30 min of ischemia and 24 h of reperfusion. In I/R + RvD1 group, the rats were intraperitoneally injected with RvD1 (4 mg/kg/d) at 7 d before operation, while those in the Sham group and I/R group were injected with an equal volume of normal saline. After reperfusion, the area of cerebral infarction was evaluated by means of 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining. Then hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining was applied to observe the status of brain tissue injury in each group of rats, and the expression of malondialdehyde (MDA), a marker of oxidative stress, in each group of brain tissues was detected via an oxidative stress detection kit. Moreover, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay was performed to measure the levels of inflammation-related genes [interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α)] in the brain tissues of each group of rats, and the neuronal apoptosis level in the brain tissues in each group was determined through terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. Finally, the expression levels of proteins related to the inflammasome signaling pathway were detected via Western blotting assay. It was indicated in the results of TTC staining and H&E staining that RvD1 could remarkably decrease the area of I/R-induced cerebral infarction and relieve nervous tissue injury (P<0.05). The results of TUNEL staining revealed that the cerebral neuronal apoptosis induced by I/R injury was alleviated by RvD1 (P<0.05). In addition, RvD1 lowered the levels of inflammatory factors and MDA in the brain tissues of rats with I/R injury (P<0.05). Furthermore, it was discovered that RvD1 repressed the protein expression of nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) in the brain tissues of rats with I/R injury (P<0.05). The protective effect of RvD1 on the rats against cerebral I/R injury may be related to its inhibition on NLRP3 inflammasome, and RvD1 is expected to become a targeted drug for the clinical treatment of cerebral I/R injury.

Measurement of the Low-Energy Antideuteron Inelastic Cross Section

In this Letter, we report the first measurement of the inelastic cross section for antideuteron-nucleus interactions at low particle momenta, covering a range of 0.3≤p<4  GeV/c. The measurement is carried out using p-Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon-nucleon pair of sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV, recorded with the ALICE detector at the CERN LHC and utilizing the detector material as an absorber for antideuterons and antiprotons. The extracted raw primary antiparticle-to-particle ratios are compared to the results from detailed ALICE simulations based on the geant4 toolkit for the propagation of (anti)particles through the detector material. The analysis of the raw primary (anti)proton spectra serves as a benchmark for this study, since their hadronic interaction cross sections are well constrained experimentally. The first measurement of the inelastic cross section for antideuteron-nucleus interactions averaged over the ALICE detector material with atomic mass numbers ⟨A⟩=17.4 and 31.8 is obtained. The measured inelastic cross section points to a possible excess with respect to the Glauber model parametrization used in geant4 in the lowest momentum interval of 0.3≤p<0.47  GeV/c up to a factor 2.1. This result is relevant for the understanding of antimatter propagation and the contributions to antinuclei production from cosmic ray interactions within the interstellar medium. In addition, the momentum range covered by this measurement is of particular importance to evaluate signal predictions for indirect dark-matter searches.

GW190521: A Binary Black Hole Merger with a Total Mass of 150 M_{⊙}

On May 21, 2019 at 03:02:29 UTC Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo observed a short duration gravitational-wave signal, GW190521, with a three-detector network signal-to-noise ratio of 14.7, and an estimated false-alarm rate of 1 in 4900 yr using a search sensitive to generic transients. If GW190521 is from a quasicircular binary inspiral, then the detected signal is consistent with the merger of two black holes with masses of 85_{-14}^{+21}  M_{⊙} and 66_{-18}^{+17}  M_{⊙} (90% credible intervals). We infer that the primary black hole mass lies within the gap produced by (pulsational) pair-instability supernova processes, with only a 0.32% probability of being below 65  M_{⊙}. We calculate the mass of the remnant to be 142_{-16}^{+28}  M_{⊙}, which can be considered an intermediate mass black hole (IMBH). The luminosity distance of the source is 5.3_{-2.6}^{+2.4}  Gpc, corresponding to a redshift of 0.82_{-0.34}^{+0.28}. The inferred rate of mergers similar to GW190521 is 0.13_{-0.11}^{+0.30}  Gpc^{-3} yr^{-1}.

Diagnostic value of combined nucleic acid and antibody detection in suspected COVID-19 cases

OBJECTIVES

Nucleic acid testing is the gold standard method for the diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); however, large numbers of false-negative results have been reported. In this study, nucleic acid detection and antibody detection (IgG and IgM) were combined to improve the testing accuracy of patients with suspected COVID-19.

STUDY DESIGN

The positive rate of nucleic acid detection and antibody detection (IgG and IgM) were compared in suspected COVID-19 patients.

METHODS

A total of 71 patients with suspected COVID-19 were selected to participate in this study, which included a retrospective analysis of clinical features, imaging examination, laboratory biochemical examination and nucleic acid detection and specific antibody (IgM and IgG) detection.

RESULTS

The majority of participants with suspected COVID-19 presented with fever (67.61%) and cough (54.93%), and the imaging results showed multiple small patches and ground-glass opacity in both lungs, with less common infiltration and consolidation opacity (23.94%). Routine blood tests were mostly normal (69.01%), although only a few patients had lymphopenia (4.23%) or leucopenia (12.68%). There was no statistical difference in the double-positive rate between nucleic acid detection (46.48%) and specific antibody (IgG and IgM) detection (42.25%) (P = 0.612), both of which were also poorly consistent with each other (kappa = 0.231). The positive rate of combined nucleic acid detection and antibody detection (63.38%) was significantly increased, compared with that of nucleic acid detection (46.48%) and that of specific antibody (IgG and IgM) detection (42.25%), and the differences were statistically significant (P = 0.043 and P = 0.012, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Nucleic acid detection and specific antibody (IgG and IgM) detection had similar positive rates, and their combination could improve the positive rate of COVID-19 detection, which is of great significance for diagnosis and epidemic control.

Probing the Effects of Strong Electromagnetic Fields with Charge-Dependent Directed Flow in Pb-Pb Collisions at the LHC

The first measurement at the LHC of charge-dependent directed flow (v_{1}) relative to the spectator plane is presented for Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV. Results are reported for charged hadrons and D^{0} mesons for the transverse momentum intervals p_{T}>0.2  GeV/c and 3<p_{T}<6  GeV/c in the 5%-40% and 10%-40% centrality classes, respectively. The difference between the positively and negatively charged hadron v_{1} has a positive slope as a function of pseudorapidity η, dΔv_{1}/dη=[1.68±0.49(stat)±0.41(syst)]×10^{-4}. The same measurement for D^{0} and D[over ¯]^{0} mesons yields a positive value dΔv_{1}/dη=[4.9±1.7(stat)±0.6(syst)]×10^{-1}, which is about 3 orders of magnitude larger than the one of the charged hadrons. These measurements can provide new insights into the effects of the strong electromagnetic field and the initial tilt of matter created in noncentral heavy ion collisions on the dynamics of light (u, d, and s) and heavy (c) quarks. The large difference between the observed Δv_{1} of charged hadrons and D^{0} mesons may reflect different sensitivity of the charm and light quarks to the early time dynamics of a heavy ion collision. These observations challenge some recent theoretical calculations, which predicted a negative and an order of magnitude smaller value of dΔv_{1}/dη for both light flavor and charmed hadrons.

MicroRNA-374b accelerates the development of lung cancer through downregulating PTEN expression via activating PI3K/Akt pathway

OBJECTIVE

To elucidate whether microRNA-374b could participate in the development of lung cancer (LC) through downregulating PTEN (gene of phosphate and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten) expression via activating PI3K/Akt pathway.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Expression levels of microRNA-374b and PTEN in LC tissues and adjacent normal tissues were detected by quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). Moreover, the expression level of microRNA-374b in LC cell lines was detected as well. The microRNA-374b inhibitor was constructed and transfected to downregulate microRNA-374b expression in A549 and H358 cells. The regulatory effects of microRNA-374b on migratory and proliferative capacities of LC cells were explored by wound healing and cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, respectively. After co-transfection of microRNA-374b inhibitor and si-PTEN in LC cells, expression levels of PTEN/PI3K/Akt were determined by qRT-PCR and Western blot.

RESULTS

QRT-PCR results showed that microRNA-374b expression was higher, while PTEN expression was lower in LC tissues than adjacent tissues. Identically, microRNA-374b was also highly expressed in LC cell lines. PTEN expression was negatively correlated with microRNA-374b expression in LC. The downregulation of microRNA-374b in A549 and H358 cells inhibited their migratory and proliferative potentials. Subsequently, we verified that microRNA-374b could bind to PTEN through dual-luciferase reporter gene assay. MicroRNA-374b could inhibit PTEN expression and activate the PI3K/Akt pathway. Furthermore, PTEN knockdown enhanced migratory and proliferative abilities of LC cells, which were attenuated by co-transfection of microRNA-374b inhibitor.

CONCLUSIONS

MicroRNA-374b promotes the development of LC by downregulating PTEN expression through activating PI3K/Akt pathway.

Evidence of Spin-Orbital Angular Momentum Interactions in Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collisions

The first evidence of spin alignment of vector mesons (K^{*0} and ϕ) in heavy-ion collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is reported. The spin density matrix element ρ_{00} is measured at midrapidity (|y|<0.5) in Pb-Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy (sqrt[s_{NN}]) of 2.76 TeV with the ALICE detector. ρ_{00} values are found to be less than 1/3 (1/3 implies no spin alignment) at low transverse momentum (p_{T}<2  GeV/c) for K^{*0} and ϕ at a level of 3σ and 2σ, respectively. No significant spin alignment is observed for the K_{S}^{0} meson (spin=0) in Pb-Pb collisions and for the vector mesons in pp collisions. The measured spin alignment is unexpectedly large but qualitatively consistent with the expectation from models which attribute it to a polarization of quarks in the presence of angular momentum in heavy-ion collisions and a subsequent hadronization by the process of recombination.

0970 Longitudinal Study Of Infant Sleep Problems And Influencing Factors

Introduction

To investigate the sleep problems and influence factors in infants at the age of 1 month and 6 months through longitudinal questionnaire survey.

Methods

600 healthy infants aged 1 month were selected from May to August 2014 from Chongqing health center for women and children. A self-made sleep questionnaire was used to investigate the infants’s sleep at the age of 1 month and 6 months respectively. Logistic regression model was used to analyze the correlation between sleep problems and factors.

Results

The incidence of nigt-waking, difficulty in falling asleep and night crying at 1 month of age were 30%, 17% and 14.1%, respectively, and at 6 months were 7.3%, 9.3% and 13.1%, respectively. Results of the Logistic regression analysis model of sleep problems of infants at 1 month old were: 1. body length grade, baby touch, sleep alone, putting the infants back into bed after being picked up and quiet, night feeding were the protective factors of night-waking, while diaper changing is the risk factor; 2.body length grade, listening to music, orderly bedtime routine, comforting without holding and putting the infants back into bed after being picked up and quiet were protective factors for difficulty in falling asleep, while diaper changing is the risk factor; 3. listening to music, orderly bedtime routine, watching and waiting, holding until sleep were all protective factors of night-crying. Logistic regression model analysis results of sleep problems of infants aged 6 months were: 1. The risk factors of night-waking include putting the infants back into bed after being picked up and quiet, holding the infants until falling asleep, diapers changing, and parent-children interaction before bedtime. 2. Listening to music and sleeping alone in a bed were protective factors for difficulty in falling asleep. 3. Touching, orderly bedtime routine and comforting without holding are protective factors of night-crying.

Conclusion

Sleep problems in infants are common and decrease with age. The factors of sleep problems at the age of 1 and 6 months are different, Targeted prevention are beneficial to the prevention of infant sleep problems.

Support

Chinese center for disease control and prevention grant

DR10601, a novel recombinant long-acting dual glucagon-like peptide-1 and glucagon receptor agonist for the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus

PURPOSE

Both glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucagon (GCG) belong to the incretin family. This study aimed to investigate the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of DR10601, a fully recombinant hybrid peptide with dual GLP-1/GCG receptor agonistic activity.

METHODS

The agonistic ability of DR10601 was indirectly assessed by inducing cAMP accumulation in Chinese hamster ovary cells transfected with GLP-1R or GCGR in vitro. Following s.c. administration, the plasma pharmacokinetics of DR10601 were analysed in male Sprague-Dawley rats. The antiobesity effects and improved glycaemic control of DR10601 in vivo were evaluated by administering DR10601 to high-fat DIO mice and ICR mice as a single dose or repeated s.c. doses once every 4 days for 24 days.

RESULTS

DR10601 exhibits dual agonistic activity on GLP-1 and glucagon receptors. The plasma half-life of DR10601 in Sprague-Dawley rats following s.c. administration was 51.9 ± 12.2 h. In an IPGTT, a single s.c. dose of DR10601 (30 nmol/kg) produced similar glycaemic control effects and a longer duration of action compared to dulaglutide (10 nmol/kg). Compared with that achieved with liraglutide (40 nmol/kg) s.c. administered daily, DR10601 administered s.c. once every 4 days at 90 nmol/kg exerted a nearly equivalent effect on food intake and significantly reduced the body weights of high-fat DIO mice at 24 days.

CONCLUSIONS

Repeated administration of DR1060 provides potent and sustained glycemic control and body weight loss effect in high-fat DIO mice. DR10601 is a promising long-acting agent deserving further investigation for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity.

Clinical characteristics and radiological features of children infected with the 2019 novel coronavirus

AIM

To identify and summarise the common findings from 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infections in children.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The clinical characteristics and radiological findings (chest radiography and chest computed tomography [CT]) of nine children infected with the 2019-nCoV were reviewed in this retrospective case series.

RESULTS

Among the children, six had fever (including two children with cough), one had only cough, one had a stuffy nose when initially diagnosed, and one was an asymptomatic carrier. Chest radiographs seemed mostly normal in six cases whereas increased and/or disordered bilateral bronchovascular shadows and dense hilar shadows were seen in three cases. Chest CT exhibited no obvious abnormal signs in four cases. Typical CT findings included patchy, peripheral ground-grass opacities, subpleural lamellar dense shadows, and parenchymal bands. Pleural effusions, mediastinal lymphadenopathy, cavitation, and pleural thickening were absent.

CONCLUSION

The clinical manifestations and radiological findings of the 2019-nCoV-infected children were mild and lacked a typical pattern.

Identification of the CD200R1 promoter and the association of its polymorphisms with the risk of Parkinson's disease

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Neuroinflammation is known to be involved in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). Abnormal activation of microglia plays a key role in this pathological process. CD200R1 is a membrane glycoprotein that is expressed primarily on myeloid cells including microglia and is involved in the maintenance of microglia in a stationary state. Our previous study reported that the regulation of CD200R1 expression is altered in PD patients. Such alteration will lead to neuroinflammation and is related to the pathogenesis of PD. The possible role of promoter polymorphisms for abnormal CD200R1 expression in PD was examined in this study.

METHOD

The UCSC database and dual-luciferase assays were used to confirm the promoter region of CD200R1. The promoter of CD200R1 was sequenced in 457 PD patients and 520 matched healthy controls from the Chinese Han population. Dual-luciferase assays were conducted to examine the promoter activity of CD200R1.

RESULTS

It was confirmed that the promoter of CD200R1 is located in the region 876-146 bp upstream of the coding DNA sequence. The frequencies of rs144721913 (P = 0.001) and rs72952157 (P = 0.022) in the promoter were significantly different between the PD group and control group. rs144721913 increases the risk of PD by approximately 14-fold and rs72952157 by 2.6-fold. The dual-luciferase assay indicated that the rs144721913 T allele and the rs72952157 G allele reduced the transcriptional activity of the CD200R1 promoter.

CONCLUSIONS

For the first time the promoter region of CD200R1 has been defined and two potential risk polymorphisms (rs144721913 and rs72952157) in the region for PD in Chinese Han populations have been reported.

Symposium review: One-carbon metabolism and methyl donor nutrition in the dairy cow

The present review focuses on methyl donor metabolism and nutrition in the periparturient and lactating dairy cow. Methyl donors are involved in one-carbon metabolism, which includes the folate and Met cycles. These cycles work in unison to support lipid, nucleotide, and protein synthesis, as well as methylation reactions and the maintenance of redox status. A key feature of one-carbon metabolism is the multi-step conversion of tetrahydrofolate to 5-methyltetrahyrofolate. Homocysteine and 5-methyltetrahyrofolate are utilized by vitamin B₁₂-dependent Met synthase to couple the folate and Met cycles and generate Met. Methionine may also be remethylated from choline-derived betaine under the action of betaine hydroxymethyltransferase. Regardless, Met is converted within the Met cycle to S-adenosylmethionine, which is universally utilized in methyl-group transfer reactions including the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine. Homocysteine may also enter the transsulfuration pathway to generate glutathione or taurine for scavenging of reactive oxygen metabolites. In the transition cow, a high demand exists for compounds with a labile methyl group. Limited methyl group supply may contribute to inadequate hepatic phosphatidylcholine synthesis and hepatic triglyceride export, systemic oxidative stress, and compromised milk production. To minimize the perils associated with methyl donor deficiency, the peripartum cow relies on de novo methylneogenesis from tetrahydrofolate. In addition, dietary supplementation of rumen-protected folic acid, vitamin B₁₂, Met, choline, and betaine are potential nutritional approaches to target one-carbon pools and improve methyl donor balance in transition cows. Such strategies have merit considering research demonstrating their ability to improve milk production efficiency, milk protein synthesis, hepatic health, and immune response. This review aims to summarize the current understanding of folic acid, vitamin B₁₂, Met, choline, and betaine utilization in the dairy cow. Methyl donor co-supplementation, fatty acid feeding strategies that may optimize methyl donor supplementation efficacy, and potential epigenetic mechanisms are also considered.

Noninvasive imaging evaluation of tumor immune microenvironment to predict outcomes in gastric cancer

BACKGROUND

The tumor immune microenvironment can provide prognostic and predictive information. A previously validated ImmunoScore of Gastric Cancer (IS_GC) evaluates both lymphoid and myeloid cells in the tumor core and invasive margin with immunohistochemical staining of surgical specimens. We aimed to develop a noninvasive radiomics-based predictor of IS_GC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In this retrospective study including four independent cohorts of 1778 patients, we extracted 584 quantitative features from the intratumoral and peritumoral regions on contrast-enhanced computed tomography images. A radiomic signature [radiomics ImmunoScore (RIS)] was constructed to predict IS_GC using regularized logistic regression. We further evaluated its association with prognosis and chemotherapy response.

RESULTS

A 13-feature radiomic signature for IS_GC was developed and validated in three independent cohorts (area under the curve = 0.786, 0.745, and 0.766). The RIS signature was significantly associated with both disease-free and overall survival in the training and all validation cohorts [hazard ratio (HR) range: 0.296-0.487, all P < 0.001]. In multivariable analysis, the RIS remained an independent prognostic factor adjusting for clinicopathologic variables (adjusted HR range: 0.339-0.605, all P < 0.003). For stage II and stage III disease, patients with a high RIS derived survival benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy {HR = 0.436 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.253-0.753], P = 0.002; HR = 0.591 (95% CI 0.428-0.818), P < 0.001, respectively}, whereas those with a low RIS did not.

CONCLUSION

The RIS is a reliable tool for evaluation of immunoscore and retains the prognostic significance in gastric cancer. Future prospective studies are required to confirm its potential to predict treatment response and select patients who will benefit from chemotherapy.

Scattering Studies with Low-Energy Kaon-Proton Femtoscopy in Proton-Proton Collisions at the LHC

The study of the strength and behavior of the antikaon-nucleon (K[over ¯]N) interaction constitutes one of the key focuses of the strangeness sector in low-energy quantum chromodynamics (QCD). In this Letter a unique high-precision measurement of the strong interaction between kaons and protons, close and above the kinematic threshold, is presented. The femtoscopic measurements of the correlation function at low pair-frame relative momentum of (K^{+}p⊕K^{-}p[over ¯]) and (K^{-}p⊕K^{+}p[over ¯]) pairs measured in pp collisions at sqrt[s]=5, 7, and 13 TeV are reported. A structure observed around a relative momentum of 58  MeV/c in the measured correlation function of (K^{-}p⊕K^{+}p[over ¯]) with a significance of 4.4σ constitutes the first experimental evidence for the opening of the (K[over ¯]^{0}n⊕K^{0}n[over ¯]) isospin breaking channel due to the mass difference between charged and neutral kaons. The measured correlation functions have been compared to Jülich and Kyoto models in addition to the Coulomb potential. The high-precision data at low relative momenta presented in this work prove femtoscopy to be a powerful complementary tool to scattering experiments and provide new constraints above the K[over ¯]N threshold for low-energy QCD chiral models.

Relationship of adiponectin, leptin, visfatin and IGF-1 in cow's venous blood and venous cord blood with calf birth weight

The Intrauterine fetal development process is complicated and affected by many regulating factors such as maternal nutritional status, transcription factors and adipokines. Adipokines are kinds of active substances secreted by adipose tissue, including more than 50 kinds of molecules. To explore the correlation between calf birth weights and adipokines including adiponectin, leptin, visfatin, and IGF-1 in cows venous and venous cord blood. Fifty-four healthy multiparous Chinese Holstein cows were used; in which, cows with a calf weight less than 40 kg were included in group A (n=9); those with a calf weight between 40 kg~45 kg were included in group B (n=25) and ≥45 kg were included in group C (n=20), venous blood and cord venous blood was collected. An ELISA kit was used to evaluate the concentration of adiponectin, leptin, visfatin, and IGF-1, correlations between index-index and index-calf birth weight were analysed. In both cows venous and cord venous blood, adiponectin, leptin, visfatin, and IGF-1 levels were significantly correlated with each other (p⟨0.01), and levels of these adipokines in venous blood were significantly higher than cord venous blood (p⟨0.01). Adiponectin, leptin, visfatin, and IGF-1 in venous cord blood were positively correlated with calf birth weights, and significantly correlated with calf birth weights respectively (p⟨0.01). Our study showed that adiponectin, leptin, and IGF-1 were found in venous blood and cord venous blood, and adiponectin, leptin, and IGF-1 in venous and cord venous blood potentially inter-regulated each other; adiponectin, leptin, and IGF-1 in venous blood were not significantly correlated with calf birth weights, while adiponectin, leptin, visfatin, and IGF-1 in venous cord blood were significantly correlated with calf birth weights, respectively.

Survival comparision of three-dimensional radiotherapy alone with concurrent chemoradiotherapy for non-surgical esophageal carcinoma

PURPOSE

Radiotherapy is the main treatment method for patients with locally advanced, unresectable esophageal cancer. The aim of this study is to compare overall survival (OS) using 3D radiotherapy (3DRT) alone with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) in 296 non-surgical esophageal carcinoma patients.

PATENTS AND METHODS

Over 10 years, of the 480 patients with esophageal carcinoma treated with 3DRT with or without chemotherapy, 148 patients each comprised 3DRT and CCRT groups after propensity score matching.

RESULTS

The 5- and 10-year OS (P=0.337) and PFS (P=0.715) rates for 3DRT alone were 22.0%, 14.4% and 26.1%, 23.2%, respectively, compared with 28.8%, 18.6% and 34.7%, 29.1% for CCRT, respectively. CCRT did not improve 5-year and 10-year OS or PFS in 60-70Gy group (OS: 27.5% and 25.2%; 17.9% and 17.0%, P=0.938; PFS: 38.3% and 31.8%; 31.9% and 27.8%, P=0.890) nor reduce 10-year hematogenous metastasis (31.7% and 28.3%, P=0.698). CCRT improved 5-year OS and PFS of 50.0-59.9Gy group (OS: 33.3% and 12.0%, P=0.029; PFS: 33.1% and 10.6%, P=0.081). For 3DRT, the 5-year OS and PFS rates were significantly better in the 60-70Gy group (P=0.017) compared with 50.0-59.9Gy group (P=0.002). For CCRT group, 5-year OS and PFS favored the 50.0-59.9Gy group, but the difference was insignificant. Major toxicities were greater with CCRT compared with 3DRT.

CONCLUSION

For non-surgical esophageal carcinoma patients, 3DRT combined with CCRT was effective in prolonging both OS and PFS.

A mixture of potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate improved fermentation quality of whole-plant corn silage by shifting bacterial communities

AIMS

To investigate the changes in fermentation quality of whole-plant corn silage ensiled with varying dosages of mixed organic acid salts (MS), and link these dosage changes to shifts in bacterial composition.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Fermentation quality and bacterial community of corn silage ensiled with MS at four application rates (0, 0·67 g kg^-1 , 1·33 g kg^-1 , and 2·00 g kg^-1 ) were investigated. The MS consisted of 40% potassium sorbate and 60% sodium benzoate. The corn silages were conserved for 42 days. Dry matter losses and ammonia nitrogen concentration were linearly declined by up to 19·10 and 33·3% with increasing dosages of MS. MS treatments significantly reduced the pH of silage vs the control group. Further analysis indicated that the improvement of fermentation quality was the result of shifts in bacterial composition, the relative abundance of Lactobacillus paralimentarius and Pediococcus spp. increased while Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus coryniformis and Klebsiella declined with increasing dosages of MS.

CONCLUSIONS

MS effectively improved the fermentation quality of whole-plant corn silage with an optimum dosage of 2·00 g kg^-1 .

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

The correlation between bacterial taxa and fermentation quality provides a potential for the development of novel silage inoculants and for the application of MS on controlling Klebsiella mastitis of livestock farms.

Prospects for observing and localizing gravitational-wave transients with Advanced LIGO, Advanced Virgo and KAGRA

We present our current best estimate of the plausible observing scenarios for the Advanced LIGO, Advanced Virgo and KAGRA gravitational-wave detectors over the next several years, with the intention of providing information to facilitate planning for multi-messenger astronomy with gravitational waves. We estimate the sensitivity of the network to transient gravitational-wave signals for the third (O3), fourth (O4) and fifth observing (O5) runs, including the planned upgrades of the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors. We study the capability of the network to determine the sky location of the source for gravitational-wave signals from the inspiral of binary systems of compact objects, that is binary neutron star, neutron star-black hole, and binary black hole systems. The ability to localize the sources is given as a sky-area probability, luminosity distance, and comoving volume. The median sky localization area (90% credible region) is expected to be a few hundreds of square degrees for all types of binary systems during O3 with the Advanced LIGO and Virgo (HLV) network. The median sky localization area will improve to a few tens of square degrees during O4 with the Advanced LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA (HLVK) network. During O3, the median localization volume (90% credible region) is expected to be on the order of 10 5 , 10 6 , 10 7 Mpc 3 for binary neutron star, neutron star-black hole, and binary black hole systems, respectively. The localization volume in O4 is expected to be about a factor two smaller than in O3. We predict a detection count of 1 - 1 + 12 ( 10 - 10 + 52 ) for binary neutron star mergers, of 0 - 0 + 19 ( 1 - 1 + 91 ) for neutron star-black hole mergers, and 17 - 11 + 22 ( 79 - 44 + 89 ) for binary black hole mergers in a one-calendar-year observing run of the HLV network during O3 (HLVK network during O4). We evaluate sensitivity and localization expectations for unmodeled signal searches, including the search for intermediate mass black hole binary mergers.