Terahertz in vivo imaging of human skin: Toward detection of abnormal skin pathologies

Terahertz (THz) imaging has long held promise for skin cancer detection but has been hampered by the lack of practical technological implementation. In this article, we introduce a technique for discriminating several skin pathologies using a coherent THz confocal system based on a THz quantum cascade laser. High resolution in vivo THz images (with diffraction limited to the order of 100 μm) of several different lesion types were acquired and compared against one another using the amplitude and phase values. Our system successfully separated pathologies using a combination of phase and amplitude information and their respective surface textures. The large scan field (50 × 40 mm) of the system allows macroscopic visualization of several skin lesions in a single frame. Utilizing THz imaging for dermatological assessment of skin lesions offers substantial additional diagnostic value for clinicians. THz images contain information complementary to the information contained in the conventional digital images.

[Investigation and analysis of airborne allergenic pollen in 4 districts and 5 counties of Hohhot City]

Objective: To investigate the species, concentration and seasonal trends of main airborne allergenic pollen in 4 districts and 5 counties of Hohhot City. Methods: The Department of allergy, Beijing Shijitan Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University conducted a cross-sectional study about monitoring the airborne allergenic pollen from August 1, 2021 to July 31, 2022 by the gravitational method in 4 districts and 5 counties of Hohhot City, which include Yuquan District, Xincheng District, Huimin District, Saihan District, Tuoketuo County, Helingeer County, Tumotezuoqi County, Wuchuan County and Qingshuihe County. Daily pollens were counted and identified by optical microscopy, and the data were analyzed. Results: The airborne allergenic pollen was collected every month all year round in 4 districts and 5 counties of Hohhot city. Through the whole year of the total quantity of pollens ranged from 24 850 to 50 154 grains per 1 000 mm2 and two peaks of pollen concentration in air were observed,which happened in spring (from March to May) and in summer and autumn (from July to September). In spring, the main pollens were tree pollens, which principally distributed in Populus pollen (18.29%), Ulmus pollen (8.36%), Pinus pollen (6.20%), Cupressaceae pollen (5.23%), Betulaceae pollen (2.73%), Salix pollen (1.80%) and Quercus pollen (1.16%). In summer and autumn, the main pollens were weed pollens, which mainly included Artemisia pollen (42.73%), Chenopodiaceae pollen or Amaranthaceae pollen (7.46%), Poaceae pollen (2.26%), Humulus pollen or Cannabis pollen (0.60%). Conclusion: There were two peaks of main airborne allergenic pollen in 4 districts and 5 counties of Hohhot City. In the spring peak of pollen, the main airborne pollens were tree pollens. In the summer and autumn peak of pollen, the main airborne pollens were weed pollens. The Artemisia pollen was the most major airborne pollen in this area.

[Progress of researches on albendazole for treatment of alveolar echinococcosis]

Alveolar echinococcosis, caused by Echinococcus multilocularis infection, is a highly deadly zoonotic parasitic disease. As a benzimidazole compound, albendazole has a strong and broad-spectrum anti-parasitic action. For alveolar echinococcosis patients that are unwilling to receive surgical treatment, lose the timing for surgery, or are intolerant to surgery due to poor physical status, administration of albendazole may delay disease progression. Recently, a large number of advances have been achieved in experimental studies on alveolar echinococcosis. In order to increase the understanding of the therapeutic efficacy of albendazole for alveolar echinococcosis, this review summarizes the advances in albendazole treatment for alveolar echinococcosis, so as to provide insights into the clinical treatment of alveolar echinococcosis with albendazole.

Effect of almond hulls on the performance, egg quality, nutrient digestibility, and body composition of laying hens

The objective of this study was to evaluate 2 varieties of almond hulls (prime and California type hulls) as an alternative feed ingredient on the performance, egg quality, nutrient digestibility, and body composition using a total of 100 23-week-old Hy-Line W36 hens. Treatments consisted of a control diet based on corn and soybean meal; T2 and T3 were formulated to contain 7.5 and 15% of prime hulls; and T4 and T5 contained 7.5 and 15% of California type hulls. Inclusion of prime hulls and California type hulls had no effects on feed intake, egg laying rate, and feed conversion ratio, but California type hulls at 7.5% decreased (P < 0.001) body weight gain compared to the control. Prime hulls at 7.5% and California type hulls at both levels improved (P ≤ 0.022) AMEn and N digestibility. Both prime hulls and California type hulls had no effects on egg size, specific gravity, Haugh unit, and percentages of yolk, albumen and shell, but yolk color appeared greener and less yellow (P ≤ 0.009) by prime hulls and less yellow (P = 0.001) by California type hulls. For body composition, prime hulls and California type hulls at both levels lowered (P ≤ 0.017) body fat, and California type hulls at 7.5% decreased (P = 0.001) lean weight. In summary, inclusion of prime hulls and California type hulls up to 15% had no negative effect on egg production and egg quality while reduced the body fat percentage and mass.

Declarations: management of a pulmonary arteriovenous fistulae by uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery: a case report

BACKGROUND

A pulmonary arteriovenous fistula (PAVF) is a rare condition that is associated with pulmonary arteriovenous malformation (PAVM). Few reports have described managing PAVMs using uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS).

CASE PRESENTATION

A 13-year-old child with PAVF in the left inferior pulmonary artery was treated by uniportal VATS with left lower lobectomy. After surgery, hemoptysis did not recur and there were no postoperative complications. Six months after the operation, postoperative review of computerized tomography showed no recrudescence of PAVF.

CONCLUSIONS

PAVF is a rare case that should be diagnosed and treated early. 3D- computerized tomography (CT) reconstruction is useful for diagnosis and preoperative assessment. The case shows that PAVF can be managed with uniportal VATS.

Maintenance treatment in advanced HER2-negative gastric cancer

Survival for patients with advanced gastric cancer (GC) remains poor. Systemic chemotherapy which has reached a plateau stays the standard first-line (1L) treatment for advanced human epidermal growth-factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative GC. To maximize the benefit of 1L treatment, the concept of maintenance treatment is constantly being explored. In advanced HER2-negative GC, current clinical guidelines do not recommend a standard maintenance therapy strategy. In addition to the monotherapy maintenance with fluorouracil after 4-6 cycles of 1L chemotherapy, some agents that are active against novel targets have been evaluated in clinical trials for maintenance treatment. Whereas most of these trials do not reach their primary endpoints, they open new horizons for the 1L treatment of advanced HER2-negative GC. Therefore, we reviewed the clinical trials in the field of maintenance treatment in advanced HER2-negative GC and discussed some of the problems in clinical trials.

Diversity and ochratoxin A-fumonisin profile of black Aspergilli isolated from grapes in China

Aspergillus spp. are a common contaminant of grapes and a major source of mycotoxins. China is the largest producer of grape in the world now, however, the toxigenic Aspergillus population on grape in this country is still largely unknown. In this study, a total of 345 strains were isolated from grapes of 13 main grapevine producing regions in China. Based on calmodulin gene sequences, eight species within Aspergillus section Nigri were identified. Among them, Aspergillus tubingensis (48.7%) was predominant, followed by Aspergillus welwitschiae (20.6%) and Aspergillus aculeatinus (11%). Average of contamination level was up to 64.19%, and we found the occurrence of section Nigri species on the surface of fresh grapes was significantly influenced by the climate (P<0.05). The subtropical monsoon climate showed the highest fungal detection rate (72.45%), followed by the temperate monsoon climate (49.82%), and the lowest frequency was found in the temperate continental climate (37.23%). Regarding mycotoxin-producing capacity, 4.4% of the total tested section Nigri isolates (137) were positive for ochratoxin A (OTA) production and 59.6% were fumonisin B2 (FB2) producers. Of those, Aspergillus carbonarius was the main OTA producer and A. welwitschiae and Aspergillus niger were the main FB2 producers with different toxigenic ability. Our results highlight the potential risk of OTA and FB2 contamination by A. carbonarius and A. welwitschiae on grape in China, respectively; management strategies should be considered for preventing and reducing the toxigenic Aspergillus and its mycotoxins.

Integrated analysis of different mRNA and miRNA profiles in human hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma sensitive and resistant to chemotherapy

The purpose of this study was to identify potential miRNAs and mRNAs involved in chemotherapy insensitivity in hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HSCC) and to explore the underlying mechanisms involved to provide diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets for HSCC. We used microarrays to identify differences in both the mRNA and miRNA expression profiles between a group (twelve patients) sensitive to chemotherapy and a resistant group (nine patients). We then employed bioinformatics tools to examine the functions and pathways involved. The genes and miRNAs most related to chemotherapy sensitivity in HSCC were screened. Finally, a miRNA-mRNA-phenotype network was constructed with an integrated analysis based on the identified miRNAs and mRNAs. Nine differentially expressed miRNAs and one hundred differentially expressed mRNAs were identified, and the functions of these genes and miRNAs were predicted. Bioinformatics analysis revealed a regulatory network consisting of eight genes and two miRNAs that influenced HSCC chemosensitivity. According to our analysis, CCL4L1 may be a potential molecular marker for HSCC chemotherapy, and excess CCL4L1 leads to the upregulation of PRAME and the downregulation of miR-375, thus decreasing HSPB8 expression and promoting chemotherapy sensitivity. Our work provides reliable data for further studies investigating the mechanism of HSCC chemotherapy sensitivity.

Molecular mechanisms of azole resistance in Candida tropicalis isolates causing invasive candidiasis in China

OBJECTIVE

We investigated molecular mechanisms responsible for azole resistance in Candida tropicalis isolates.

METHODS

We studied 507 C. tropicalis isolates causing invasive candidiasis from ten hospitals over 5 years. Antifungal susceptibility was determined by broth microdilution methods. Point mutations in the C. tropicalis ERG11 gene that may confer azole resistance were explored and verified. The expression levels of ERG11, CYTb, MDR1 and CDR1 genes were compared in 20 fluconazole-susceptible and 20 fluconazole-resistant isolates.

RESULTS

Fluconazole-susceptible, -susceptible dose-dependent and -resistant strains accounted for 76.7% (389/507), 10.5% (53/507) and 12.8% (65/507) of C. tropicalis isolates, respectively. The ERG11 mutation A395T/W occurred in 10.7% (54/507) of isolates, all of which were resistant to fluconazole. The nucleotide mutation C461T/Y was the second most common (50/507 isolates, 9.9%), and all isolates carrying C461T/Y also had the mutation A395T/W. However, the presence of C461T did not contribute to the azole-resistant phenotype. Substitutions V125A, Y257H and G464S (<2% of isolates), which were reported for the first time in C. tropicalis, also conferred fluconazole non-susceptible phenotypes. Compared with fluconazole susceptible isolates, fluconazole-resistant isolates had higher ERG11 (fold expression level 1.42 versus 0.79, p < 0.01) but lower CYTb (fold expression level 1.26 versus 2.67, p < 0.01) gene expression levels. Three azole-resistant isolates carrying the wild-type ERG11 gene had higher levels of CDR1 and MDR1 expression.

CONCLUSIONS

ERG11 missense mutations were the major mechanism responsible for azole resistance in C. tropicalis isolates, but overexpression of ERG11, CDR1 and MDR1, as well as reduced expression of CYTb, also contributed to resistance.

Trends in atmospheric particles and their light extinction performance between 1980 and 2015 in Beijing, China

This study explored the interdecadal variations and their horizontal and vertical light extinction performances of atmospheric particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters ≤2.5 μm (PM_2.5), particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters ≤ 10 μm (PM₁₀), and total suspended particulates (TSPs) in Beijing from 1980 to 2015, using data available from historical publications. Prominent declines of PM_2.5, PM₁₀, and TSPs were detected with long-term linear trends of -6.7, -4.3, and -1.9 μg m^-3 yr^-1, respectively. Generally, on the annual scale during the studied period, it was found that PM_2.5 displayed negative correlation (R² = 0.38, p < 0.01) with visibility and positive correlation (R² = 0.41, p < 0.01) with aerosol optical depth (AOD). Comparably, PM₁₀ exhibited robust negative correlation (R² = 0.61, p < 0.01) with visibility and positive correlation (R² = 0.82, p < 0.01) with AOD. The complicated interdecadal variations and light extinction performances of PM_2.5 were found, suggesting the changes on particle composition and vertical distribution of PM_2.5 in the atmosphere.

Porphyromonas gingivalis B cell Antigen Epitope Vaccine, pIRES-ragB'-mGITRL, Promoted RagB-Specific Antibody Production and Tfh Cells Expansion

The outer membrane protein RagB is one of the major virulence factors of Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis). To prevent periodontitis and associated systemic diseases induced by P. gingivalis, we built B cell antigen epitope vaccine characterized by pIRES-ragB'-mGITRL to induce a protective immune responses. The B cell antigen epitope and scrambled peptide of ragB were predicted, cloned into pIRES and constructed pIRES-ragB', pIRES-scrambled epitopes and pIRES-ragB'-mGITRL. pIRES-ragB'-mGITRL was transfected into COS-7 cells. Subsequently, the 6-week-old female BALB/c mice were challenged by P. gingivalis following three time immunization by pIRES, pIRES-ragB', pIRES-scrambled epitopes and pIRES-ragB'-mGITRL. The levels of RagB-specific antibody in the serum and Tfh cells in the spleen were measured by ELISA and flow cytometry, respectively. And higher levels of RagB-specific IgG were produced in the immunized mice with pIRES-ragB'-mGITRL. Additionally, the number of Tfh cells was also expanded and lesions were diminished in pIRES-ragB'-mGITRL mice comparing with control groups. Our results clearly demonstrated that P. gingivalis B cell antigen epitope vaccine, pIRES-ragB'-mGITRL, could induce protective immune responses. Furthermore, our data also indicated that pIRES-ragB'-mGITRL was a potential therapeutic vaccine against P. gingivalis.