Ultralight, Heat-Insulated, and Tough PVA Hydrogel Hybridized with SiO2 @cellulose Nanoclaws Aerogel via the Synergy of Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic Interfacial Interactions

Lightweight porous hydrogels provide a worldwide scope for functional soft mateirals. However, most porous hydrogels have weak mechanical strength, high density (>1 g cm-3 ), and high heat absorption due to weak interfacial interactions and high solvent fill rates, which severely limit their application in wearable soft-electronic devices. Herein, an effective hybrid hydrogel-aerogel strategy to assemble ultralight, heat-insulated, and tough polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/SiO2 @cellulose nanoclaws (CNCWs) hydrogels (PSCG) via strong interfacial interactions with hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interaction is demonstrated. The resultant PSCG has an interesting hierarchical porous structure from bubble template (≈100 µm), PVA hydrogels networks introduced by ice crystals (≈10 µm), and hybrid SiO2 aerogels (<50 nm), respectively. PSCG shows unprecedented low density (0.27 g cm-3 ), high tensile strength (1.6 MPa) & compressive strength (1.5 MPa), excellent heat-insulated ability, and strain-sensitive conductivity. This lightweight porous and tough hydrogel with an ingenious design provides a new way for wearable soft-electronic devices.

Enhancing the performance of 16384QAM based on delta-sigma modulation using geometric shaping in an IMDD system

In this Letter, a new, to the best of our knowledge, geometric shaping method for an ultrahigh-order 16384-ary quadrature amplitude modulation (16384QAM) constellation based on the delta-sigma modulation technique is proposed. Based on the characteristics of delta-sigma modulation, the constellation was optimized to obtain greater constellation gain and improve the maximum performance of the system. Finally, the proposed scheme was demonstrated on an intensity-modulated direct detection (IMDD) system through a 25 km single-mode fiber transmission. On performing experiments, it was found that the suggested approach increases the receiver sensitivity of ultrahigh-order QAM communication systems based on delta-sigma modulation by around 0.5 dB and further enhances the error performance limit.

Temporal Structures in Positron Spectra and Charge-Sign Effects in Galactic Cosmic Rays

We present the precision measurements of 11 years of daily cosmic positron fluxes in the rigidity range from 1.00 to 41.9 GV based on 3.4×10^{6} positrons collected with the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) aboard the International Space Station. The positron fluxes show distinctly different time variations from the electron fluxes at short and long timescales. A hysteresis between the electron fluxes and the positron fluxes is observed with a significance greater than 5σ at rigidities below 8.5 GV. On the contrary, the positron fluxes and the proton fluxes show similar time variation. Remarkably, we found that positron fluxes are modulated more than proton fluxes with a significance greater than 5σ for rigidities below 7 GV. These continuous daily positron fluxes, together with AMS daily electron, proton, and helium fluxes over an 11-year solar cycle, provide unique input to the understanding of both the charge-sign and mass dependencies of cosmic rays in the heliosphere.

Measuring multivariate phase synchronization with symbolization and permutation

Phase synchronization is an important mechanism for the information processing of neurons in the brain. Most of the current phase synchronization measures are bivariate and focus on the synchronization between pairs of time series. However, these methods do not provide a full picture of global interactions in neural systems. Considering the prevalence and importance of multivariate neural signal analysis, there is an urgent need to quantify global phase synchronization (GPS) in neural networks. Therefore, we propose a new measure named symbolic phase difference and permutation entropy (SPDPE), which symbolizes the phase difference in multivariate neural signals and estimates GPS according to the permutation patterns of the symbolic sequences. The performance of SPDPE was evaluated using simulated data generated by Kuramoto and Rössler model. The results demonstrate that SPDPE exhibits low sensitivity to data length and outperforms existing methods in accurately characterizing GPS and effectively resisting noise. Moreover, to validate the method with real data, it was applied to classify seizures and non-seizures by calculating the GPS of stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) data recorded from the onset zones of ten epilepsy patients. We believe that SPDPE will improve the estimation of GPS in many applications, such as EEG-based brain-computer interfaces, brain modeling, and simultaneous EEG-fMRI analysis.

Burst of hopping trafficking correlated reversible dynamic interactions between lipid droplets and mitochondria under starvation

Dynamic membrane contacts between lipid droplets (LDs) and mitochondria play key roles in lipid metabolism and energy homeostasis. Understanding the dynamics of LDs under energy stimulation is thereby crucial to disclosing the metabolic mechanism. Here, the reversible interactions between LDs and mitochondria are tracked in real-time using a robust LDs-specific fluorescent probe (LDs-Tags). Through tracking the dynamics of LDs at the single-particle level, spatiotemporal heterogeneity is revealed. LDs in starved cells communicate and integrate their activities (i.e., lipid exchange) through a membrane contact site-mediated mechanism. Thus the diffusion is intermittently alternated between active and confined states. Statistical analysis shows that the translocation of LDs in response to starvation stress is non-Gaussian, and obeys nonergodic-like behavior. These results provide deep understanding of the anomalous diffusion of LDs in living cells, and also afford guidance for rationally designing efficient transporter.

Carbon Monoxide Releasing Molecule-3 Alleviates Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis in Selenite-Induced Cataract in Rats via Activating Nrf2/HO-1 Pathway

PURPOSE

This study investigated the protective effect of carbon monoxide releasing molecule-3 (CORM-3), the classical donor of carbon monoxide, on selenite-induced cataract in rats and explore its possible mechanism.

METHODS

Sprague-Dawley rat pups treated with sodium selenite (Na2SeO3) were chosen as the cataract model. Fifty rat pups were randomly divided into 5 groups: Control group, Na2SeO3 (3.46 mg/kg) group, low-dose CORM-3 (8 mg/kg/d) + Na2SeO3 group, high-dose CORM-3 (16 mg/kg/d) + Na2SeO3 group, and inactivated CORM-3 (iCORM-3) (8 mg/kg/d) + Na2SeO3 group. The protective effect of CORM-3 was tested by lens opacity scores, hematoxylin and eosin staining, TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling assay, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Besides, quantitative real-time PCR and western blotting were used for mechanism validation.

RESULTS

Na2SeO3 induced nuclear cataract rapidly and stably, and the achievement ratio of Na2SeO3 group was 100%. CORM-3 alleviated lens opacity of selenite-induced cataract and attenuated the morphological changes of the rat lens. The levels of antioxidant enzymes GSH and SOD in rat lens were also increased by CORM-3 treatment. CORM-3 significantly reduced the ratio of apoptotic lens epithelial cells, besides, CORM-3 decreased the expression of Cleaved Caspase-3 and Bax induced by selenite and increased the expression of Bcl-2 in rat lens inhibited by selenite. Moreover, Nrf-2 and HO-1 were upregulated and Keap1 was downregulated after CORM-3 treatment. While iCORM-3 did not exert the same effect as CORM-3.

CONCLUSIONS

Exogenous CO released from CORM-3 alleviates oxidative stress and apoptosis in selenite-induced rat cataract via activating Nrf2/HO-1 pathway. CORM-3 may serve as a promising preventive and therapeutic strategy for cataract.

Localizing epileptogenic zones with high-frequency oscillations and directed connectivity

PURPOSE

Precise localization of the epileptogenic zone (EZ) is essential for epilepsy surgery. Existing methods often fail to detect slow onset patterns or similar neural activities presented in the recorded signals. To address this issue, we propose a new measure to quantify epileptogenicity, i.e., the connectivity high-frequency epileptogenicity index (cHFEI).

METHODS

The cHFEI method combines directed connectivity and high-frequency oscillations (HFOs) to measure the epileptogenicity of regions involved in a brain network. By applying this method to stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) recordings of 49 seizures in 20 patients, we calculated the accuracy, sensitivity, and precision with a visually identified epileptogenic zone as a reference. The performance was evaluated by the confusion matrix and the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.

RESULTS

Epileptic network estimation based on cHFEI successfully distinguished brain regions involved in seizure onset from the propagation network. Moreover, cHFEI outperformed other existing detection methods in the estimation of EZs in all patients, with an average area under the ROC curve of 0.88 and an accuracy of 0.85.

CONCLUSIONS

cHFEI can characterize EZ in a robust manner despite various seizure onset patterns and has potential application in epilepsy therapy.

Examining the Efficacy and Safety Profile of Palliative Radiotherapy Using 30 Gy in 5 Fractions

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Higher biological equivalent doses of radiotherapy (RT) can improve symptom palliation and local control in select tumor sites. However, not all patients meet criteria for treatment with stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR). Furthermore, SABR is a resource intensive technique which may limit its use in many centers. The 30 Gray in 5 fractions regimen (30/5) stems from a modification of 5-fraction SABR regimens. It is a conformal, homogenous hypo-fractionated regimen that delivers higher dose than conventional palliative RT while still respecting the normal tissue constraints for 5-fraction SABR. It uses streamlined contouring and planning with less stringent requirements for immobilization and image guidance, compared to what is required for SABR. This study evaluates the clinical outcomes of patients receiving 30/5.

MATERIALS/METHODS

A single institution retrospective review of clinical and treatment data was performed for patients who received 30/5 from October 2020 to August 2022. Local control (LC) was calculated for all treatment courses. Distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) were calculated for all patients. Survival analyses were analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method and curves compared by log-rank test. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using cox-regression analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 77 patients and 92 courses of 30/5 were available for analysis. The most common primary tumor was lung (44%), followed by gastrointestinal (GI; 20%), breast (10%), and genitourinary (10%). The median age of patients was 64 years (range: 37-93). The median tumor size treated was 11.4 cm^3 (range: 0.3 - 210.9 cm^3). Treatment sites included lung (31%), lymph nodes (22%), non-spine bone (20%), and spine (15%). At median follow-up of 10.1 months (mo), 25 deaths occurred. Median LC after receiving 30/5 was 18.5 mo (95% CI: 15.7-21.3 mo), median DMFS was 6.6 months (95% CI: 4.6-8.6 mo), median PFS was 6.4 mo (95% CI: 4.9-8.0 mo), and median OS was 18.1 mo (95% CI: 13.1-23.1 mo). Median time to initiating, restarting, or changing systemic therapy was 12.8 mo (95% CI: 7.6-18.0 mo). Radiosensitive (lung, prostate, breast, gynecological, and head/neck) tumors had better LC than radioresistant (GI, renal cell, sarcoma, melanoma) tumors (median 20.9 vs 12.1 mo, p < 0.02). Six grade 2 toxicities occurred (6.5% of all treatments). No grade 3 or higher toxicities occurred.

CONCLUSION

The 30/5 regimen is a safe, well-tolerated, and resource efficient regimen with effective local control. This may serve as a practical alternative for patients who require palliative RT but not optimal candidates for SABR. As expected, radiosensitive tumors had better local control than radioresistant tumors. Future research can further explore the safety, efficacy, and indications of 30/5 as a palliative RT option.

Efficient visible light-initiated hydrogenation of nitrobenzene for chemoselective production of aniline, azoxybenzene, azobenzene and hydrazobenzene over CQDs/CdS nanocomposites

Carbon quantum dot (CQD)-decorated CdS nanocomposites were successfully fabricated via the self-assembly of CdS in the presence of preformed CQDs and were found to be efficient photocatalysts for the hydrogenation of nitrobenzene under visible light. Due to the presence of the frustrated Lewis acid-base pairs (FLPs) in their structure, CQDs act as an efficient catalyst to promote the proton-coupled hydrogenation of nitrobenzene over CQDs/CdS nanocomposites. Controllable and chemoselective hydrogenation of nitrobenzene to produce aniline, azoxybenzene, azobenzene and hydrazobenzene can be realized over CQDs/CdS via simply regulating the reaction medium including the hydrogen source, the solvent and the alkalinity. This study provides a highly efficient and economical photocatalytic system for the controllable and chemoselective hydrogenation of nitrobenzene under visible light. This work also highlights the great potential of semiconductor-based photocatalysis in light-initiated organic syntheses.

[Analysis of differences in health awareness among urban and rural elderly population under the background of aging]

Objective: To explore the status quo, differences and influencing factors of health concern among the elderly in urban and rural areas. Methods: The data of China Health and Retirement Tracking Survey (CHARLS) in 2018 were used to describe the health concerns of the elderly in urban and rural areas by selecting relevant indicators. The differences of health concerns of the elderly in urban and rural areas were compared from two aspects of social demographic characteristics and health status. Multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the factors affecting the health concern of the elderly in urban and rural areas. Results: A total of 7 758 urban and rural elderly were included, including 1 913 urban elderly and 5 845 rural elderly. Half (3 899, 50.3%) of the elderly are at the average level of health concern, and there is a difference between urban and rural elderly (χ2=186.61,P<0.05). The rural and urban elderly with different characteristics had different health concerns. The rural elderly with more than two diseases had higher health concerns (χ2=13.71, P=0.001), and different living types of urban elderly people have different health concerns (χ2=28.96, P<0.001). Regression analysis showed that the health concern of the elderly in urban and rural areas was affected by many factors, gender (OR=1.51, P<0.001), health status (OR=2.18, P<0.001), cognitive function impairment (OR=2.93, P<0.001), depression (OR=0.49, P<0.001) is the main factor affecting the difference of health attention of the elderly in urban and rural areas. Whether to receive pension was the influential factor of health concern of the rural elderly (OR=0.63, P<0.05); Disability was an influential factor in the health concern of the urban elderly (OR=2.11, P<0.05). Conclusion: There is much room to improve the health attention of the elderly in urban and rural areas. It is suggested to increase the economic security of the elderly in rural areas and pay special attention to the disabled elderly in urban areas, so as to further improve the health status of the elderly groups.

Deep Learning for Noninvasive Assessment of H3 K27M Mutation Status in Diffuse Midline Gliomas Using MR Imaging

BACKGROUND

Determination of H3 K27M mutation in diffuse midline glioma (DMG) is key for prognostic assessment and stratifying patient subgroups for clinical trials. MRI can noninvasively depict morphological and metabolic characteristics of H3 K27M mutant DMG.

PURPOSE

This study aimed to develop a deep learning (DL) approach to noninvasively predict H3 K27M mutation in DMG using T2-weighted images.

STUDY TYPE

Retrospective and prospective.

POPULATION

For diffuse midline brain gliomas, 341 patients from Center-1 (27 ± 19 years, 184 males), 42 patients from Center-2 (33 ± 19 years, 27 males) and 35 patients (37 ± 18 years, 24 males). For diffuse spinal cord gliomas, 133 patients from Center-1 (30 ± 15 years, 80 males).

FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE

5T and 3T, T2-weighted turbo spin echo imaging.

ASSESSMENT

Conventional radiological features were independently reviewed by two neuroradiologists. H3 K27M status was determined by histopathological examination. The Dice coefficient was used to evaluate segmentation performance. Classification performance was evaluated using accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve.

STATISTICAL TESTS

Pearson's Chi-squared test, Fisher's exact test, two-sample Student's t-test and Mann-Whitney U test. A two-sided P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

In the testing cohort, Dice coefficients of tumor segmentation using DL were 0.87 for diffuse midline brain and 0.81 for spinal cord gliomas. In the internal prospective testing dataset, the predictive accuracies, sensitivities, and specificities of H3 K27M mutation status were 92.1%, 98.2%, 82.9% in diffuse midline brain gliomas and 85.4%, 88.9%, 82.6% in spinal cord gliomas. Furthermore, this study showed that the performance generalizes to external institutions, with predictive accuracies of 85.7%-90.5%, sensitivities of 90.9%-96.0%, and specificities of 82.4%-83.3%.

DATA CONCLUSION

In this study, an automatic DL framework was developed and validated for accurately predicting H3 K27M mutation using T2-weighted images, which could contribute to the noninvasive determination of H3 K27M status for clinical decision-making.

EVIDENCE LEVEL

2 Technical Efficacy: Stage 2.

Comparison of 68Ga-DOTA-FAPI-04 and 18F-FDG PET/CT in Patients With SAPHO Syndrome

PATIENTS AND METHODS

68Ga-DOTA-FAPI-04 PET/CT was performed on a cohort of 21 patients with known SAPHO syndrome. All patients underwent 68Ga-DOTA-FAPI-04 and 18F-FDG PET/CT on 2 consecutive days. The positive rates of the PET/CT scans at the sites of the osteoarticular symptom, the uptake values, and agreement with clinical osteoarticular symptom were compared.

RESULTS

A total of 38 sites of involvement were detected. 18F-FDG PET/CT revealed 28 lesions. In contrast, 68Ga-DOTA-FAPI-04 PET/CT detected not only all lesions shown on 18F-FDG PET/CT but additional 10 lesions. 68Ga-DOTA-FAPI-04 scan also demonstrated significantly higher uptake and target-to-background ratio than 18F-FDG studies in the skeletal involvements. The agreement between 68Ga-DOTA-FAPI-04-positive lesions and current osteoarticular lesions was substantial (κ = 0.79, P < 0.001), whereas 18F-FDG had low to moderate agreement with clinical symptoms (κ = 0.52, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

68Ga-DOTA-FAPI-04 has potential as a promising imaging agent for the evaluation of SAPHO syndrome.

Circ_0021350 plays an oncogene role by regulating miR-1207-3p/PIK3R3 in glioblastoma

BACKGROUND

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most malignant glioma, with poor survival rates and prognosis. Several studies have reported the abnormal expression of circular RNAs (circRNAs) and their functions in the malignant biological behavior of GBM. However, such research is still in the preliminary stages, and further study is needed to confirm the therapeutic potential of circRNAs in GBM.

METHODS

RNA-seq was performed using four tumor tissues from patients with GBM and their adjacent non-tumor brain tissues to screen differentially expressed circRNAs. Fluorescence in situ hybridization assay was used to examine the location of circ_0021350 in glioma cells. In addition, a series of biological function assays were employed to verify the oncogenic role of circ_0021350 in GBM. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR was used to examine circular, micro- (miRNA), and messenger RNA (mRNA) levels. Furthermore, dual-luciferase reporter, RNA pull-down, and RNA binding protein immunoprecipitation assays were applied to verify the interaction between circ_0021350 and its downstream effectors.

RESULTS

Circ_0021350 was significantly elevated in GBM tissues and glioma cells. Overexpression of circ_0021350 promoted glioma cell proliferation and metastatic ability; silencing of circ_0021350 had the opposite effect. Mechanistic analysis revealed that circ_0021350 sponged miR-1207-3p to regulate PIK3R3, whose overexpression reversed the reduction in the malignant biological behavior of glioma cells caused by silencing circ_0021350.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that circ_0021350 is an oncogenic circRNA in GBM, and the circ_0021350/miR-1207-3p/PIK3R3 axis may serve as a potential therapeutic target in GBM treatment.

116.66-Tb/s WDM transmission over 16 Km field deployed 7-core fiber based on sub-constellations overlap constellation shaping

Constellation shaping (CS) has always been a popular research hotspot in optical communication. Recently, most researchers have focussed on using constellation-shaping technology to improve the system's performance, ignoring the additional penalty it brings to the coherent system. This paper proposes a method of constellation truncation using sub-constellation overlap to perform CS on quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). The experimental results show that compared with the traditional probabilistic shaping 16QAM, the proposed scheme can effectively avoid the extra penalty brought by CS and achieve a gain from 0.5 to 1.5 dB in optical signal-to-noise ratio. To practically verify the proposed scheme's performance, 7-core 16 km fiber span is deployed in the field to experimentally perform space division multiplexed coherent transmission. The wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) of 93 carriers was used to achieve coherent transmission at a net rate of 116.66-Tb/s.

A Quadruplex Ultrasensitive Immunoassay for Simultaneous Assessment of Human Reproductive Hormone Proteins in Multiple Biofluid Samples

Reproductive hormones play vital roles in reproductive health and can be used to assess a woman's ovarian function and diagnose diseases associated with reproductive endocrine disorders. As these hormones are important biomarkers for reproductive health monitoring and diagnosis, a rapid, high-throughput, and low-invasive detection and simultaneous assessment of the levels of multiple reproductive hormones has important clinical applications. In this work, a quadruplex ultrasensitive immunoassay was developed for simultaneous assessment of 4 human reproductive hormone proteins (follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), prolactin (PRL), and anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH)) in a variety of human biofluid samples. This assay takes advantage of single-molecule imaging of microwell arrays and capture antibody beads as a reaction interface to construct multiplex bead array immunoassays. The analyte-bound beads can easily be parsed to individual wells and detected via fluorophores, emitting distinct wavelengths associated to the beads. As a result, this proposed quadruplex immunoassay exhibits four good 4-parameter logistic calibration curves ranging from 2.7 to 2000, 1.6 to 1200, 1.8 to 1300, and 0.3 to 220 pg/mL with limits of detection of 0.32, 0.28, 0.14, and 0.02 pg/mL for FSH, LH, PRL, and AMH, respectively. Furthermore, the developed quadruplex immunoassay was used to test clinical venous serum samples where it showed remarkable consistency with clinical test results in methodological comparison and the diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome. In addition, we successfully applied the ultrasensitive capability of this assay to the simultaneous testing and evaluation of four proteins in fingertip blood as well as urine samples, in which the urinary AMH level (1.42-156 pg/mL) was measured and assessed quantitatively for the first time.

Three birds, one stone: Disinfecting and turning waste medical masks into valuable carbon dots for sodium hydrosulfite and Fe3+ detection enabled by a simple hydrothermal treatment

Disposable medical masks are widely used to prevent respiratory infections due to their ability to block virus particles from entering the human body. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic highlighted the importance of medical masks, leading to their widespread use around the world. However, a large number of disposable medical masks have been discarded, some carrying viruses, which have posed a grave threat to the environment and people's health, as well as wasting resources. In this study, a simple hydrothermal method was used for the disinfection of waste medical masks under high-temperature conditions as well as for their transformation into high-value-added carbon dots (CDs, a new type of carbon nanomaterial) with blue-emissive fluorescence, without high energy consumption or environmental pollution. Moreover, the mask-derived CDs (m-CDs) could not only be used as fluorescent probes for sensing sodium hydrosulfite (Na₂S₂O₄), which is widely used in the food and textile industries but is seriously harmful to human health, but also be used for detecting Fe³⁺ which is harmful to the environment and human health due to its wide use in industries.

Development and Validation of a Prediction Model for Nd:YAG Laser Capsulotomy: A Retrospective Cohort Study of 9768 eyes

INTRODUCTION

Posterior capsular opacification (PCO) is the most common complication of cataract surgery. In this study, we develop a model to quantitatively predict the probability of Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy for vision-threatening PCO to improve the life quality of postoperative patients.

METHODS

A registry analysis of cataract procedures performed between the years 2010 and 2021. Following the screening of 16,802 patients (25,883 eyes), 9768 patients (eyes) were enrolled. The cohort was randomly divided into two groups: training (n = 6838) and validation (n = 2930). To identify relevant risk factors, univariate, multivariate, and Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) algorithm Cox regression analysis were employed, and a nomogram was created to demonstrate the prediction result.

RESULTS

At 5 years, the overall cumulative incidence of Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy was 12.0% (1169/9768). The following variables were included in the prediction model: sex [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.53, 95% CI 1.32-1.76], age (HR = 0.71, 95% CI 0.56-0.88), intraocular lens (IOL) material (HR = 2.65, 95% CI 2.17-3.24), high myopia (HR = 2.28, 95% CI 1.90-2.75), and fibrinogen (HR = 0.79, 95% CI 0.72-0.88). In the validation cohort, the area under the curve (AUC) of 1-, 3-, and 5-year predictions for Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy were 0.702, 0.691, and 0.688, respectively. For a subgroup of patients with high myopia, the protective effect of hydrophobic IOL disappeared (HR = 0.68, 95% CI 0.51-1.12, P = 0.127).

CONCLUSION

This model could predict the probability of Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy for vision-threatening PCO after cataract surgery by taking into account factors such as age, gender, IOL material, high myopia, and fibrinogen. Meanwhile, implantation of a hydrophobic IOL in individuals with high myopia did not demonstrate a protective impact against vision-threatening PCO.

Oxidase-like Fe-N/C single atom nanozyme enables sensitive detection of ascorbic acid and acid phosphatase

The development of cost-effective and easy-to-use strategies for the detection of ascorbic acid (AA) and acid phosphatase (ACP) is in high demand but challenging. Thus, we report a novel colorimetric platform based on Fe-N/C single atom nanozyme with efficient oxidase mimicking activity for their highly sensitive detection. The designed Fe-N/C single atom nanozyme can directly oxidize 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) to produce a blue oxidation product (oxTMB) in the absence of H₂O₂. In addition, L-ascorbic acid 2-phosphate can be hydrolyzed to ascorbic acid in the presence of ACP, which inhibits the oxidation reaction and results in a significant bleaching of the blue color. Based on these phenomena, a novel colorimetric assay with high catalytic activity was developed for the determination of ascorbic acid and acid phosphatase with detection limits of 0.092 μM and 0.048 U/L, respectively. Notably, this strategy was successfully applied to the determination of ACP in human serum samples and evaluate ACP inhibitors, indicating its potential as a valuable tool for clinical diagnosis and research.

DNA methylation meningioma biomarkers: attributes and limitations

Meningioma, one of the most common primary central nervous system tumors, are classified into three grades by the World Health Organization (WHO) based on histopathology. The gold-standard treatment, surgical resection, is hampered by issues such as incomplete resection in some cases and a high recurrence rate. Alongside genetic alterations, DNA methylation, plays a crucial role in progression of meningiomas in the occurrence and development of meningiomas. The epigenetic landscape of meningioma is instrumental in refining tumor classification, identifying robust molecular markers, determining prognosis, guiding treatment selection, and innovating new therapeutic strategies. Existing classifications lack comprehensive accuracy, and effective therapies are limited. Methylated DNA markers, exhibiting differential characteristics across varying meningioma grades, serve as invaluable diagnostic tools. Particularly, combinatorial methylated markers offer insights into meningioma pathogenesis, tissue origin, subtype classification, and clinical outcomes. This review integrates current research to highlight some of the most promising DNA and promoter methylation markers employed in meningioma diagnostics. Despite their promise, the development and application of DNA methylation biomarkers for meningioma diagnosis and treatment are still in their infancy, with only a handful of DNA methylation inhibitors currently clinically employed for meningioma treatment. Future studies are essential to validate these markers and ascertain their clinical utility. Combinatorial methylated DNA markers for meningiomas have broad implications for understanding tumor development and progression, signaling a paradigm shift in therapeutic strategies for meningiomas.

Re-irradiation for local primary-recurrence esophageal squamous cell carcinoma treated with IMRT/VMAT

PURPOSE

Local primary-recurrence of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) after definitive treatment has the potential for increasing overall survival with re-irradiation (Re-RT), especially with advanced technique. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and toxicities of Re-RT using intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT)/volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) for local primary-recurrence of ESCC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 130 ESCC patients with local primary-recurrence from Xijing hospital between 2008 and 2021 were enrolled and 30 patients underwent IMRT/VMAT based salvage Re-RT. Cox regression analysis was used to analyze the prognostic factors for overall survival (OS) and after recurrence survival (ARS). The toxicities of 30 patients receiving Re-RT were also assessed.

RESULTS

The median OS and ARS of the 130 recurrent patients were 21 months (1-164 months) and 6 months (1-142 months). The 1-, 2-, and 3-year OS rates were 81.5%, 39.2%, and 23.8%, respectively. Besides, the 1-, 2-, and 3-year ARS rates were 30.0%, 10%, and 6.2%. Multivariate analysis showed that Re-RT ± chemotherapy (p = 0.043) and chemotherapy alone (p < 0.001) and esophageal stents (p = 0.004) were independent prognostic factors for OS. The median OS of 30 patients treated with Re-RT were significantly better than that of 29 patients treated with chemotherapy (34.5 months vs. 22 months, p = 0.030). Among 30 ESCC patients treated with Re-RT, the median OS and ARS were 34.5 months (range 12-163 months) and 6 months (range 1-132 months), respectively. The recurrence-free interval (RFI) (> 12 months) and initial radiation dose (> 60 Gy) were significantly associated with improved OS. Radiation esophagitis (Grade 1-2) occurred in 16 patients and myelosuppression (Grade1-2) occurred in 10 patients. Grade 3 toxicities (radiation esophagitis and myelosuppression) were only 13.3%. There were no grade 4 toxicities.

CONCLUSION

Our results demonstrated that IMRT/VMAT-based Re-RT was an effective therapeutic option for ESCC patients with local primary-recurrence compared with chemotherapy alone or without any treatment. Re-RT had improved OS but unfavorable ARS.

Highly sensitive and ratiometric detection of nitrite in food based on upconversion-carbon dots nanosensor

Nitrite (NO₂^-) is extensively found in the daily dietary environment. However, consuming too much NO₂^- can pose serious health risks. Thus, we designed a NO₂^--activated ratiometric upconversion luminescence (UCL) nanosensor which could realize NO₂^- detection via the inner filter effect (IFE) between NO₂^--sensitive carbon dots (CDs) and upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs). Due to the exceptional optical properties of UCNPs and the remarkable selectivity of CDs, the UCL nanosensor exhibited a good response to NO₂^-. By taking advantage of NIR excitation and ratiometric detection signal, the UCL nanosensor could eliminate the autofluorescence thereby increasing the detection accuracy effectively. Additionally, the UCL nanosensor proved successful in detecting NO₂^- quantitatively in actual samples. The UCL nanosensor provides a simple as well as sensitive sensing strategy for NO₂^- detection and analysis, which is anticipated to extend the utilization of upconversion detection in food safety.

Discrete unified gas-kinetic wave-particle method for flows in all flow regimes

This work proposes a discrete unified gas-kinetic wave-particle (DUGKWP) method for simulation of flows in all flow regimes. Unlike the discrete velocity method (DVM) and the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method which solve the governing equations by either the deterministic method or the stochastic method, the DUGKWP combines the advantages of these two methods. In the DUGKWP, the information of microscopic particles as well as macroscopic flow variables are both evolved. Specifically, the microscopic particles are updated by the free-transport and resampling processes, while the macroscopic flow properties are evolved via solving the macroscopic governing equations of conservation laws with the finite volume method. According to the discrete characteristic solution to the Boltzmann-BGK equation utilized in the DUGKWP, in the highly rarefied flow regime, the motion of microscopic particles greatly determines the fluxes for the macroscopic governing equations. Conversely, for the continuum flow, no microscopic particle exists in the computational domain and the DUGKWP is degraded to the Navier-Stokes solver. Numerical studies validate that the DUGKWP can accurately predict the flow properties in all flow regimes. Furthermore, compared with the deterministic method, the DUGKWP enjoys superior efficiency with less memory consumption for both high-speed rarefied flows and flows close to the continuum regime.

Light-responsive benzobisthiazole as oxidase mimic for rapid determination of glutathione in food and vegetable

Accurate determination of glutathione (GSH) in food and vegetable is significant to instruct the appropriate supplementation of GSH in the human body. Light-responsive enzyme mimics have been widely used in detecting GSH due to controllable temporal and spatial accuracy. However, exploring a potential organic mimic enzyme with excellent catalytic efficiency keeps challenging. Herein, a benzobisthiazole organic oxidase mimic was successfully prepared by a simple and low-cost method. Based on its high light-responsive oxidase-like activity, it was used for high reliable colorimetric determination of GSH in food and vegetable for only 1 min with a large linear range of 0.02-30 μM and a low detection limit of 5.3 nM. This study provides a novel strategy to obtain powerful light-responsive oxidase mimics and holds great potential for rapid and accurate detection of GSH in food and vegetables.

Leptin and melatonin's effects on OVX rodents' bone metabolism

Purpose

This study aims to examine the effects of leptin and melatonin intervention on bone metabolism in ovariectomize (OVX) rodents, as well as their potential mechanisms of action.

Methods

Prepare an OVX model of osteoporosis in rodents and validate the model by collecting bilateral tibia samples for Micro-CT scanning and histological analysis. A control group of normal size, the OVX group, the OVX+Sema4D (Semaphorin 4D) group, the OVX+Sema4D+Leptin group, the OVX+Sema4D+ Melatonin(MT) group and the OVX+Sema4D+Leptin+ MT group were the experimental groups. Adenovirus vector construction and tibial medullary injection validation were conducted in accordance with the aforementioned experimental groups. Four groups of rats were injected with the Sema4D overexpression adenovirus vector into the tibial medullary cavity, and two groups were injected with the Leptin overexpression adenovirus vector. The repair of osteoporosis was observed using micro-CT and histological analysis. Immunohistochemical detection of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) expression in bone tissue was employed to ascertain the amount of osteoclasts in the upper tibial metaphysis, utilizing TRAP(tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase) staining.

Results

Increased levels of BV/TV, Tb.N, BMD, and BMC were seen in the OVX+ Sema4D+Leptin, OVX+ Sema4D+MT, and OVX+ Sema4D+Leptin+ MT groups compared to the OVX group, whereas Tb. Sp levels were lowered. When compared to the Sema4D overexpression group, the trabecular bone structure of the OVX + Sema4D + Leptin, OVX + Sema4D + MT, and OVX + Sema4D + Leptin + MT groups is largely intact, tends to be closer, and the amount of trabecular bone increases. The OVX + Sema4D + Leptin + MT group in particular.The expression of BMP-2 was dramatically upregulated (p<0.05), the number of TRAP-stained osteoclasts was significantly reduced (p<0.05), and BALP(bone-derived alkaline phosphatase) and TRAP-5b(tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-5b) activities were significantly downregulated (p<0.05).

Conclusion

In rats with osteoporosis, leptin and melatonin can be seen to augment the trabecular microstructure of the bone, augment bone growth, diminish trabecular harm, and mend the bone. The combined effect is more powerful.