Scratching damages tight junctions through the Akt-claudin 1 axis in atopic dermatitis

BACKGROUND

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common, chronic, severely pruritic, eczematous skin disease that seriously deteriorates the quality of life of patients. Scratching is a cardinal symptom of AD. Although the vicious itch-scratch cycle continues and aggravates skin barrier dysfunction in AD, how scratching induces skin barrier dysfunction through tight junctions remains unclear.

AIM

To study the effect of scratching on tight junctions in the itch-scratch cycle.

METHODS

Scratching behaviour and skin barrier dysfunction on the neck and back in an AD mouse model were assessed. The expression of tight junction proteins was compared between the neck and back mice, and the mechanisms underlying the involvement of Akt/CLDN1 pathways in this process were explored.

RESULTS

We used oxazolone to induce AD on the neck or back of mice. There was significantly more scratching behaviour and more pronounced skin barrier dysfunction with the neck than with the back. Downregulation of claudin-1 (CLDN1) and upregulation of Akt phosphorylation in skin were well correlated with scratching behaviour in this AD model. Furthermore, SC79, an agonist of Akt phosphorylation, could downregulate CLDN1 expression in HaCaT cells. An antagonist of Akt phosphorylation (LY294002) was used to treat the AD mice; this treatment rescued CLDN1 expression through inhibiting Akt phosphorylation in skin, and importantly, also inhibited the scratching behaviour induced by AD.

CONCLUSION

The results reveal the underlying mechanism of tight junction damage promoted by scratching in the itch-scratch cycle of AD, and opens a new avenue to pruritus management in AD, through Akt antagonists.

CP Properties of Higgs Boson Interactions with Top Quarks in the tt[over ¯]H and tH Processes Using H→γγ with the ATLAS Detector

A study of the charge conjugation and parity (CP) properties of the interaction between the Higgs boson and top quarks is presented. Higgs bosons are identified via the diphoton decay channel (H→γγ), and their production in association with a top quark pair (tt[over ¯]H) or single top quark (tH) is studied. The analysis uses 139  fb^{-1} of proton-proton collision data recorded at a center-of-mass energy of sqrt[s]=13  TeV with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Assuming a CP-even coupling, the tt[over ¯]H process is observed with a significance of 5.2 standard deviations. The measured cross section times H→γγ branching ratio is 1.64_{-0.36}^{+0.38}(stat)_{-0.14}^{+0.17}(sys)  fb, and the measured rate for tt[over ¯]H is 1.43_{-0.31}^{+0.33}(stat)_{-0.15}^{+0.21}(sys) times the Standard Model expectation. The tH production process is not observed and an upper limit on its rate of 12 times the Standard Model expectation is set. A CP-mixing angle greater (less) than 43 (-43)° is excluded at 95% confidence level.

Viral Load Dynamics in Sputum and Nasopharyngeal Swab in Patients with COVID-19

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused a global pandemic associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Nasopharyngeal swabs and sputum samples are generally collected for serial viral load screening of respiratory contagions, but temporal profiles of these samples are not completely clear in patients with COVID-19. We performed an observational cohort study at Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, which involved 31 patients with confirmed COVID-19 with or without underlying diseases. We obtained samples from each patient, and serial viral load was measured by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. We found that the viral load in the sputum was inclined to be higher than samples obtained from the nasopharyngeal swab at disease presentation. Moreover, the viral load in the sputum decreased more slowly over time than in the nasopharyngeal group as the disease progressed. Interestingly, even when samples in the nasopharyngeal swab turned negative, it was commonly observed that patients with underlying diseases, especially hypertension and diabetes, remained positive for COVID-19 and required a longer period for the sputum samples to turn negative. These combined findings emphasize the importance of tracking sputum samples even in patients with negative tests from nasopharyngeal swabs, especially for those with underlying conditions. In conclusion, this work reinforces the importance of sputum samples for SARS-CoV-2 detection to minimize transmission of COVID-19 within the community.

Search for Heavy Higgs Bosons Decaying into Two Tau Leptons with the ATLAS Detector Using pp Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV

A search for heavy neutral Higgs bosons is performed using the LHC Run 2 data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139  fb^{-1} of proton-proton collisions at sqrt[s]=13  TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector. The search for heavy resonances is performed over the mass range 0.2-2.5 TeV for the τ^{+}τ^{-} decay with at least one τ-lepton decaying into final states with hadrons. The data are in good agreement with the background prediction of the standard model. In the M_{h}^{125} scenario of the minimal supersymmetric standard model, values of tanβ>8 and tanβ>21 are excluded at the 95% confidence level for neutral Higgs boson masses of 1.0 and 1.5 TeV, respectively, where tanβ is the ratio of the vacuum expectation values of the two Higgs doublets.

Influence of an InGaN superlattice pre-layer on the performance of semi-polar (11-22) green LEDs grown on silicon

It is well-known that it is crucial to insert either a single InGaN underlayer or an InGaN superlattice (SLS) structure (both with low InN content) as a pre-layer prior to the growth of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) served as an active region for a light-emitting diode (LED). So far, this growth scheme has achieved a great success in the growth of III-nitride LEDs on c-plane substrates, but has not yet been applied in the growth of any other orientated III-nitride LEDs. In this paper, we have applied this growth scheme in the growth of semi-polar (11–22) green LEDs, and have investigated the impact of the SLS pre-layer on the optical performance of semi-polar (11–22) green LEDs grown on patterned (113) silicon substrates. Our results demonstrate that the semi-polar LEDs with the SLS pre-layer exhibit an improvement in both internal quantum efficiency and light output, which is similar to their c-plane counterparts. However, the performance improvement is not so significant as in the c-plane case. This is because the SLS pre-layer also introduces extra misfit dislocations for the semi-polar, but not the c-plane case, which act as non-radiative recombination centres.

[Population's acceptance and attitude toward a novel fecal immunochemical test for colorectal cancer screening: a multi-center survey in China]

Objective: To investigate the acceptance and attitude toward a novel fecal immunochemical test (FIT) in colorectal cancer screening among populations in China. Methods: From May 2018 to May 2019, 2 474 people aged 50-74 years were recruited from five provinces of China (Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangsu, Hunan and Yunnan). The general demographic characteristics, acceptance of the new FIT technology and operational difficulties through the whole screening process were obtained through questionnaire survey. Multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the factors related to difficulties encountered in sampling stool, reading and uploading results. Results: The subjects were (60.0±6.4) years old, and female, high school of above educated, unemployed/retired/other, married and with medical insurance status of "new rural cooperative medical care (NRCMC)" accounted for 61.7% (1 526), 29.0%(718), 34.3% (849), 92.7% (2 293) and 31.3%(775), respectively. The population's acceptance of the FIT technology was 94.8%. In the process of FIT screening, the percentage of occurred difficulties in sampling stool, reading and uploading results were 33.1% (819), 46.4% (1 147) and 62.9% (1 557), respectively. The main difficulties were the uncertainty about whether the sampling operation was standard (28.0%), the inability to accurately judge the result displayed (32.5%) and the need for help without using a smartphone (44.2%). The results of multivariate logistic regression model analysis showed that people aged 65-74 years old and with medical insurance status of "NRCMC" were more likely to encounter difficulties in sampling, and those who were unemployed/retired/other and living with 3 or more family members were less likely to encounter difficulties in sampling. Those aged 65-74 years old, farmers or migrant workers, and those with "NRCMC" were more likely to encounter difficulties in readingresults, and those with 3 or more family members were less likely to encounter difficulties in reading result. Those with "NRCMC" were more likely to encounter difficulties in uploading results, and those with education level of high school or above, living with more than 3 family members were less likely to encounter difficulties in uploading results. Conclusion: The acceptance of the new FIT technology is relatively high among the subjects. Age, education level, occupation, number of family members living together and medical insurance status might be related to difficulties encountered in sampling stool, reading and uploading results, and it can be further strengthened in terms of the technology and characteristics of sub-populations.

Automatic Machine Learning to Differentiate Pediatric Posterior Fossa Tumors on Routine MR Imaging

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Differentiating the types of pediatric posterior fossa tumors on routine imaging may help in preoperative evaluation and guide surgical resection planning. However, qualitative radiologic MR imaging review has limited performance. This study aimed to compare different machine learning approaches to classify pediatric posterior fossa tumors on routine MR imaging.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This retrospective study included preoperative MR imaging of 288 patients with pediatric posterior fossa tumors, including medulloblastoma (n = 111), ependymoma (n = 70), and pilocytic astrocytoma (n = 107). Radiomics features were extracted from T2-weighted images, contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images, and ADC maps. Models generated by standard manual optimization by a machine learning expert were compared with automatic machine learning via the Tree-Based Pipeline Optimization Tool for performance evaluation.

RESULTS

For 3-way classification, the radiomics model by automatic machine learning with the Tree-Based Pipeline Optimization Tool achieved a test micro-averaged area under the curve of 0.91 with an accuracy of 0.83, while the most optimized model based on the feature-selection method χ2 score and the Generalized Linear Model classifier achieved a test micro-averaged area under the curve of 0.92 with an accuracy of 0.74. Tree-Based Pipeline Optimization Tool models achieved significantly higher accuracy than average qualitative expert MR imaging review (0.83 versus 0.54, P < .001). For binary classification, Tree-Based Pipeline Optimization Tool models achieved an area under the curve of 0.94 with an accuracy of 0.85 for medulloblastoma versus nonmedulloblastoma, an area under the curve of 0.84 with an accuracy of 0.80 for ependymoma versus nonependymoma, and an area under the curve of 0.94 with an accuracy of 0.88 for pilocytic astrocytoma versus non-pilocytic astrocytoma.

CONCLUSIONS

Automatic machine learning based on routine MR imaging classified pediatric posterior fossa tumors with high accuracy compared with manual expert pipeline optimization and qualitative expert MR imaging review.

[Technological innovation and patent transformation in rectal cancer surgery]

Surgery for rectal cancer has obtained quick improvement in techniques and concepts in recent years but still has challenging areas. Colorectal surgeons always seek to make operations clearer and easier, so that surgery can be safer and less time-consuming while guaranteeing surgical goals. With this purpose, our team have explored to make innovations in operations for rectal cancer and translate relevant patents from 2009. We summarize our achievements in this article as follows: (1) Reverse Miles operation (perineal operation first then laparoscopic abdominal operation) with two relevant patents-specialized instruments bag for laparoscopic operations (patent number ZL201520442331.0) and accessory spotlight for ultrasound scalpel (patent number ZL20102 0137689.X). (2) Laparoscopic sphincter-saving surgery for low rectal cancer through marker meeting approach with two patents-vacuum rectal drainage tube with functions of irrigation and ventilation (patent number ZL201520374385.8) and sterile sleeve cover of ultrasound scalpel handle (patent number ZL201920648102.2). (3) Laparoscopic radical resection of colorectal cancer and natural orifice specimen extraction. Different methods were designed according to the location of the tumor that classified as 20-40 cm, 10-20 cm and 5-10 cm to anus. Two relevant patents were specialized instruments for natural orifice specimen extraction (patent application number ZL2017101480141) and plastic film sleeve for natural orifice specimen extraction (patent application number ZL 201921169857.0). Reformation of surgical technique and innovation of surgical instruments should be conducted by surgeons with innovative thinking who always seek the way to translate ideas to patents and then real products to promote surgical treatment.

Measurement of the Lund Jet Plane Using Charged Particles in 13 TeV Proton-Proton Collisions with the ATLAS Detector

The prevalence of hadronic jets at the LHC requires that a deep understanding of jet formation and structure is achieved in order to reach the highest levels of experimental and theoretical precision. There have been many measurements of jet substructure at the LHC and previous colliders, but the targeted observables mix physical effects from various origins. Based on a recent proposal to factorize physical effects, this Letter presents a double-differential cross-section measurement of the Lund jet plane using 139  fb^{-1} of sqrt[s]=13  TeV proton-proton collision data collected with the ATLAS detector using jets with transverse momentum above 675 GeV. The measurement uses charged particles to achieve a fine angular resolution and is corrected for acceptance and detector effects. Several parton shower Monte Carlo models are compared with the data. No single model is found to be in agreement with the measured data across the entire plane.

Effects of atmospheric ammonia on the production performance, serum biochemical indices, and liver RNA-seq data of laying ducks

1. Ammonia is a toxic gas and an air pollutant of great concern. The effects of ammonia-induced damage in ducks are rarely reported. 2. A total of 176 laying ducks were randomly allocated to one of two groups with four replicates and were exposed to ammonia at 5 ± 5 ppm (low ammonia, LA) or 75 ± 5 ppm (high ammonia, HA), respectively, for 30 days. 3. The results showed that atmospheric ammonia exposure significantly decreased body weight and laying performance (P < 0.05). It significantly changed serum biochemical indices by increasing alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase (P < 0.05), and decreasing superoxide dismutase activity (P < 0.05). Haematoxylin and eosin staining of hepatocytes revealed severe fatty degeneration. Results of RNA-seq analyses revealed that eight genes were significantly up-regulated in the HA group, which were involved in catalytic activity, single-organism metabolic processes, oxidation-reduction processes, and carbohydrate metabolic processes. 4. These results indicated that atmospheric ammonia exposure reduced production performance, affected serum biochemical indices, and led to severe fatty degeneration in the liver of laying ducks. Differentially expressed genes in liver indicated that there were effects of ammonia exposure on the metabolism and detoxification capabilities in ducks.

Intraindividual Variation and Personal Specificity of Salivary Microbiota

Salivary microbiota is a typical habitat of the human microbiome. This study intended to use salivary microbiota as a model aiming to systematically address the influence of collection methods and temporal dynamics on the human microbiota compared to personal specificity. We carried out a supervised short-term longitudinal study to evaluate the influence of the change of collection methods and sampling time point on salivary microbiota in 10 systemically and orally healthy individuals with certain confounding factors (sex, oral and general health state, medication history, physical exercise, diet, and oral hygiene behavior) controlled before and during the sampling period. The microbial profiles were analyzed by 16S rDNA V3 to V4 hypervariable region amplicon sequencing. The taxonomic structure represented by the dominant species and the weighted UniFrac distance algorithm were used to demonstrate the individual specificity and the intraindividual variation introduced by the change of collection method and sampling time point. The findings suggested individual specificity existed in salivary microbiota from individuals with similar oral and general health status. The intraindividual variation brought by the change of collection method or sampling time point might introduce remarkable perturbation with the personal specificity. Insights into the intraindividual variation and personal specificity of salivary microbiota will enhance our understanding in salivary microbiota-related research. We recommend keeping collection conditions consistent within a study to avoid interference brought by the sampling. The strategy of repeated sampling at multiple time points as representative samples, as well as thorough interpretation of the complex relationships and causality between microbiome composition and disease without the interference of temporal dynamics, is optimal for research exploring the relationship between the salivary microbiome and disease.

Measurement of Azimuthal Anisotropy of Muons from Charm and Bottom Hadrons in pp Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV with the ATLAS Detector

The elliptic flow of muons from the decay of charm and bottom hadrons is measured in pp collisions at sqrt[s]=13  TeV using a data sample with an integrated luminosity of 150  pb^{-1} recorded by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The muons from heavy-flavor decay are separated from light-hadron decay muons using momentum imbalance between the tracking and muon spectrometers. The heavy-flavor decay muons are further separated into those from charm decay and those from bottom decay using the distance-of-closest-approach to the collision vertex. The measurement is performed for muons in the transverse momentum range 4-7 GeV and pseudorapidity range |η|<2.4. A significant nonzero elliptic anisotropy coefficient v_{2} is observed for muons from charm decays, while the v_{2} value for muons from bottom decays is consistent with zero within uncertainties.

Upregulation of gastric norepinephrine with beta-adrenoceptors and gastric dysmotility in a rat model of functional dyspepsia

Disordered motility is one of the most important pathogenic characteristics of functional dyspepsia (FD), although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Since the sympathetic system is important to the regulation of gastrointestinal motility, the present study aimed to investigate the role of norepinephrine (NE) and adrenoceptors in disordered gastric motility in a rat model with FD. The effect of exogenous NE on gastric motility in control and FD rats was measured through an organ bath study. The expression and distribution of beta-adrenoceptors were examined by real-time PCR, Western blotting and immunofluorescence. The results showed that endogenous gastric NE was elevated in FD rats, and hyperreactivity of gastric smooth muscle to NE and delayed gastric emptying were observed in the rat model of FD. The mRNA levels of beta1-adrenoceptor and norepinephrine transporter (NET) and the protein levels of beta2-adrenoceptor and NET were increased significantly in the gastric corpus of FD rats. All three subtypes of beta-adrenoceptors were abundantly distributed in the gastric corpus of rats. In conclusion, the enhanced NE and beta-adrenoceptors and NETs may be contributed to the disordered gastric motility in FD rats.

Emerging Use of Ultra-High-Field 7T MRI in the Study of Intracranial Vascularity: State of the Field and Future Directions

Cerebrovascular disease is a major source of mortality that commonly requires neurosurgical intervention. MR imaging is the preferred technique for imaging cerebrovascular structures, as well as regions of pathology that include microbleeds and ischemia. Advanced MR imaging sequences such as time-of-flight, susceptibility-weighted imaging, and 3D T2-weighted sequences have demonstrated excellent depiction of arterial and venous structures with and without contrast administration. While the advantages of 3T compared with 1.5T have been described, the role of ultra-high-field (7T) MR imaging in neurovascular imaging remains poorly understood. In the present review, we examine emerging neurosurgical applications of 7T MR imaging in vascular imaging of diverse conditions and discuss current limitations and future directions for this technique.

Enhanced β-glucan and pullulan production by Aureobasidium pullulans with zinc sulfate supplementation

The effects of mineral salts on the production of exopolysaccharides, including β-glucan and pullulan, by Aureobasidium pullulans CCTCC M 2012259 were investigated. Zinc sulfate at certain concentrations decreased dry biomass but favored to the biosynthesis of both exopolysaccharides. When 100 mg/L zinc sulfate was added to the fermentation medium, production of β-glucan and pullulan increased by 141.7 and 10.2%, respectively, when compared with that noted in the control without zinc sulfate addition. To reveal the physiological mechanism underlying improved β-glucan and pullulan production, key enzymes activities, energy metabolism substances, intracellular uridine diphosphate glucose (UDPG) levels, and gene expression were determined. The results indicated that zinc sulfate up-regulated the transcriptional levels of pgm1, ugp, fks, and kre6 genes, increased activities of key enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of UDPG, β-glucan and pullulan, enhanced intracellular UDPG content, and improved energy supply, all of which contributed to the increment in β-glucan and pullulan production. The present study not only provides a feasible approach to improve the production of exopolysaccharides but also contributes to better understanding of the physiological characteristics of A. pullulans.

[Analysis on the age of onset of malignant tumors in cancer registration areas in Zhejiang Province from 2000 to 2015]

Objective: To study the age of onset of malignant tumors in cancer registration areas in Zhejiang province from 2000 to 2015. Methods: Based on the incidence data of cancer from 14 national cancer registration areas in Zhejiang province between 2000 and 2015, the incidence rate, average/standardized average age of onset, and age-specific incidence proportion were calculated, and standardized by Segi's world population. The population was divided into 7 age groups (0-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, ≥80 years old). The average age of onset and age-specific incidence proportion were analyzed by using a linear regression. The change trend of the proportion; the average annual percent change (AAPC) of the incidence rate was calculated by using the Joinpoint log-linear regression model. The birth cohort was constructed by using the standardized incidence rate and the year of onset of cancer, and the distribution characteristics of the age groups were described. Results: From calendar year 2000 to 2015, the average age of onset of malignant tumors in Zhejiang Province decreased from 59.7 to 57.6, with an average annual percent decrease of 0.09 year (P=0.033). After the merge of age groups, the standardized incidence proportion of 30-49 and ≥60 years old group standardization increased by an average annual change of 0.38% and decreased by an average annual change of 0.39%, respectively (both P values <0.001). The results of the log-linear regression model showed that the standardized incidence rate of the 30-39 and 40-49 years old age groups increased rapidly, with the AAPC (95%CI) about 5.2% (4.4%-6.0%) and 3.4% (2.5%-4.3%), respectively. The incidence rate of female increased rapidly, especially for 30-39 and 40-49 years old age groups with the AAPC about 6.2% (5.1%-7.2%) and 4.9% (4.0%-5.9%), respectively. The results of the birth cohort analysis showed that the population with different birth years in the same age groups saw an increasing trend with the increase of the birth year. Conclusion: The age of onset of malignant tumors in the cancer registration areas in Zhejiang Province is getting younger. The incidence rate and number of people with malignant tumors in 30-49 years old age group is evident. These characteristics are more obvious in female than that in male.

[Application of low temperature thermoplastic plate combined with special abdominal band in fixing abdominal pedicled flap for repairing 17 patients with deep electric burn wounds in hands]

If the abdominal pedicled flaps are not well fixed after repair of deep electric burn wounds in hands, many problems such as poor blood supply may occur. In order to solve the above problems, we designed and manufactured the individualized low temperature thermoplastic plate combined with special abdominal band to fix abdominal pedicled flaps for repairing of 17 patients (12 males and 5 females, aged 2-35 years) with deep electric burn wounds in hands from February 2016 to August 2018, and achieved the desired results. The shoulder joint, elbow joint, and wrist joint were fixed by low temperature thermoplastic plate according to the 1/2 circumference of the patient's side chest and upper arm, and the braking of wrist joint and elbow joint was strengthened by special abdominal band. Application of the combined method of fixing abdominal pedicled flaps in repairing deep electric burn wounds in hands has high success rate of flap transplantation. It is simple to make and practical, and worthy of clinical promotion.