Identifying autism spectrum disorder from multi-modal data with privacy-preserving

The application of deep learning models to precision medical diagnosis often requires the aggregation of large amounts of medical data to effectively train high-quality models. However, data privacy protection mechanisms make it difficult to perform medical data collection from different medical institutions. In autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis, automatic diagnosis using multimodal information from heterogeneous data has not yet achieved satisfactory performance. To address the privacy preservation issue as well as to improve ASD diagnosis, we propose a deep learning framework using multimodal feature fusion and hypergraph neural networks for disease prediction in federated learning (FedHNN). By introducing the federated learning strategy, each local model is trained and computed independently in a distributed manner without data sharing, allowing rapid scaling of medical datasets to achieve robust and scalable deep learning predictive models. To further improve the performance with privacy preservation, we improve the hypergraph model for multimodal fusion to make it suitable for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis tasks by capturing the complementarity and correlation between modalities through a hypergraph fusion strategy. The results demonstrate that our proposed federated learning-based prediction model is superior to all local models and outperforms other deep learning models. Overall, our proposed FedHNN has good results in the work of using multi-site data to improve the performance of ASD identification.

Fatty liver disease protective MTARC1 p.A165T variant reduces the protein stability of MTARC1

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common causes of liver disease worldwide. MTARC1, encoded by the MTARC1 gene, is a mitochondrial outer membrane-anchored enzyme. Interestingly, the MTARC1 p.A165T (rs2642438) variant is associated with a decreased risk of NAFLD, indicating that MTARC1 might be an effective target. It has been reported that the rs2642438 variant does not have altered enzymatic activity so we reasoned that this variation may affect MTARC1 stability. In this study, MTARC1 mutants were generated and stability was assessed using a protein stability reporter system both in vitro and in vivo. We found that the MTARC1 p.A165T variant has dramatically reduced the stability of MTARC1, as assessed in several cell lines. In mice, the MTARC1 A168T mutant, the equivalent of human MTARC1 A165T, had diminished stability in mouse liver. Additionally, several MTARC1 A165 mutants, including A165S, A165 N, A165V, A165G, and A165D, had dramatically decreased stability as well, suggesting that the alanine residue of MTARC1 165 site is essential for MTARC1 protein stability. Collectively, our data indicates that the MTARC1 p.A165T variant (rs2642438) leads to reduced stability of MTARC1. Given that carriers of rs2642438 show a decreased risk of NAFLD, the findings herein support the notion that MTARC1 inhibition may be a therapeutic target to combat NAFLD.

Disturbance of mitochondrial dynamics in myocardium of broilers with pulmonary hypertension syndrome

1. The following study investigated the relationship between pulmonary hypertension syndrome (PHS) and mitochondrial dynamics in broiler cardiomyocytes.2. An animal model for PHS was established by injecting broiler chickens with CM-32 cellulose particles. Broiler myocardial cells were cultured under hypoxic conditions to establish an in vitro model. The ascites heart index, histomorphology, mitochondrial ultrastructure, and mitochondrial dynamic-related gene and protein expression were evaluated.3. The myocardial fibres from PHS broilers had wider spaces and were wavy and twisted and the number of mitochondria increased. Compared with the control group, the gene and protein expression levels were decreased for Opa1, Mfn1, and Mfn2 in the myocardium of PHS broilers. The gene and protein expression was significantly increased for Drp1 and Mff.4. This study showed that PHS in broilers may cause myocardial mitochondrial dysfunction, specifically by diminishing mitochondrial fusion and enhancing fission, causing disturbances in the mitochondrial dynamics of the heart.

Modeling the impact of high thermal conductivity paper on the performance and life of power transformers

Degradation of insulation paper is a key contributor to the failure of power transformers. Insulation degradation accelerates at elevated temperatures, which highlights the potential for better thermal management to prolong life. While several studies have analyzed the benefits of high thermal conductivity oil for reducing temperatures inside a transformer, this study is an initial assessment of the benefits of high thermal conductivity paper on transformer life. Blending particulates with cellulosic fibers offers a pathway for high thermal conductivity paper (with good dielectric properties), which can reduce internal temperatures. Presently, life extensions that can be achieved by the use of such thermally conducting papers were estimated, with the thermal conductivity of the paper being the key parameter under study. The analytical-numerical thermal model used in this study was validated against experimental measurements in a distribution transformer, adding confidence to the utility of the model. This model was then used to provide estimates of hot-spot temperature reduction resulting from the use of papers with higher thermal conductivity than baseline. Transformer life was predicted conventionally by tracking the degree of polymerization of paper over time, based on an Arrhenius model. Results indicate that increasing the thermal conductivity of paper from 0.2 W/mK (baseline) to 1 W/mK reduces the hot spot temperature by 10 °C. While degradation significantly depends on the moisture and oxygen content, the model shows that such a temperature reduction can increase life for all conditions, by as much as a factor of three.

The influence of respiratory movement on preoperative CT-guided localization of lung nodules

AIM

To evaluate the motion amplitude of lung nodules in different locations during preoperative computed tomography (CT)-guided localization, and the influence of respiratory movement on CT-guided percutaneous lung puncture.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A consecutive cohort of 398 patients (123 men and 275 women with a mean age of 53.9 ± 10.7 years) who underwent preoperative CT-guided lung nodule localization from May 2021 to Apr 2022 were included in this retrospective study. The respiratory movement-related nodule amplitude in the cranial-caudal direction during the CT scan, characteristics of patients, lesions, and procedures were statistically analyzed. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the influence of these factors on CT-guided localization.

RESULTS

The nodule motion distribution showed a statistically significant correlation within the upper/middle (lingular) and lower lobes (p<0.001). Motion amplitude was an independent risk factor for CT scan times (p=0.011) and procedure duration (p=0.016), but not for the technical failure rates or the incidence of complications. Puncture depth was an independent risk factor for the CT scan times, procedure duration, technical failure rates, and complications (p<0.01). Female, prone, and supine (as opposed to lateral) positions were significant protective factors for pneumothorax, while the supine position was an independent risk factor for parenchymal hemorrhage (p=0.025).

CONCLUSION

Respiratory-induced motion amplitude of nodules was greater in the lower lobes, resulting in more CT scan times/radiation dose and longer localization duration, but showed no statistically significant influence on the technical success rates or the incidence of complications during preoperative CT-guided localization.

Hemodynamic-based virtual surgery design of double-patch repair for pulmonary arterioplasty in tetralogy of Fallot

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Surgical correction of pulmonary artery stenosis (PAS) is essential to the prognosis of patients with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF). The double-patch method of pulmonary arterioplasty is usually applied in case of multiple stenosis in TOF patients' pulmonary artery (PA) and when PAS cannot be relieved by the single-patch method. The surgical planning for the double-patch design remains challenging. The purpose of this study is to investigate the double-patch design with different angulations between the left pulmonary artery (LPA) and the right pulmonary artery (RPA), and to understand postoperative hemodynamic alterations by the application of computer-aided design (CAD) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques.

METHODS

The three-dimensional model of the PA was reconstructed based on preoperative computed tomography imaging data obtained from the patient with TOF. Three postoperative models with different designs of double-patch were created by "virtual surgery" using the CAD technique. Double-Patch 120 Model was created with double patches implanted in the main pulmonary artery (MPA) and the PA bifurcation and without changing the spatial position of PA. The angulation between the LPA and the RPA was defined as θ, which equaled to 120° in Pre-Operative Model and Double-Patch 120 Model. Based on Double-Patch 120 Model, Double-Patch 110 Model and Double-Patch 130 Model were generated with θ equaled to 110° and 130°, respectively. Combined with CFD, the differences of velocity streamlines, wall shear stress (WSS), flow distribution ratio (FDR), and energy loss (EL) were compared to analyze postoperative pulmonary flow characteristics.

RESULTS

The values of velocity and WSS decreased significantly after virtual surgery. Obvious vortices and swirling flows were observed downstream of the stenosis of RPA and LPA in Pre-Operative Model, while fewer vortices developed along the anterior wall of the expanded lumens of RPA, especially in Double-Patch 110 Model. With the relief of PAS, two relatively higher WSS regions were observed at the posterior walls of RPA and LPA. The maximum WSS values in these regions of Double-Patch 110 Model were lower than those in Double-Patch 120 Model and Double-Patch 130 Model. Furthermore, the FDRs were elevated and the ELs were greatly reduced. It was found that Double-Patch 110 Model with the angulation between the LPA and the RPA equaled to 110° showed relatively better properties of hemodynamics than other models.

CONCLUSIONS

The angulation between the LPA and the RPA is an important factor that should be integrated in the double-patch design for TOF repair. Virtual surgery based on patient-specific vascular model and computational hemodynamics can be used to provide assistance for individualized surgical planning of double-patch arterioplasty.

Assessment of right ventricular diastolic function in pediatric patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot by cardiovascular magnetic resonance and echocardiography

OBJECTIVES

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging is routinely performed for assessing right ventricular (RV) systolic but not diastolic function. We aimed to investigate CMR-based assessment of RV diastolic function in pediatric patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot (rTOF), compared to transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) measurements.

METHODS

A total of 130 consecutive pediatric patients with rTOF who underwent clinically indicated CMR and same-day TTE were included. Forty-three controls were recruited. Phase-contrast images were used to measure trans-tricuspid valve flow velocities during early (E) and late diastolic (A) phases (measured in cm/s). Feature tracking of the tricuspid annulus was performed to derive early (e') and late diastolic (a') myocardial velocities (measured in cm/s). RV diastolic function was evaluated by E/A ratio, E/e' ratio, and E-wave deceleration time (measured in milliseconds). Regression analyses were utilized to identify potential variables associated with RV diastolic dysfunction (DD). The performance of CMR-derived parameters in diagnosing RV DD was assessed using receiver-operating characteristic analyses.

RESULTS

Good agreement was found between CMR and TTE measurements (ICC 0.70-0.89). Patients with RV DD (n = 67) showed significantly different CMR-derived parameters including E and e' velocities, and E/A and E/e' ratio, compared to patients without DD (n = 63) (all p < 0.05). CMR-derived E and e' velocities and E/e' ratio were independent predictors of RV DD. E/e' of 5.8 demonstrated the highest discrimination of RV DD (AUC 0.76, sensitivity 70%, specificity 86%).

CONCLUSIONS

CMR-derived parameters showed good agreement with TTE parameters in determining RV DD. CMR-derived E/e' was proved to be the most effective in identifying RV DD.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT

This study demonstrated the feasibility and efficacy of CMR in assessing diastolic function in pediatric patients. RV DD was presented in over half of patients according to current TTE guidelines, highlighting the need for assessing RV diastolic function during follow-up.

KEY POINTS

• Routinely acquired cine and phase-contrast cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) images yielded right ventricular (RV) diastolic parameters which demonstrated good agreement with transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) measurements. • There was a high prevalence of RV diastolic function impairment in pediatric patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot (rTOF). • CMR is a reliable complementary modality of TTE for RV diastolic function evaluation.

[Activation of HIF-1α/ACLY signaling axis promotes progression of clear cell renal cell carcinoma with VHL inactivation mutation]

Objective: To explore the potential pathogenesis of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) based on the HIF-1α/ACLY signaling pathway, as well as to provide new ideas for the treatment of ccRCC. Methods: Seventy-eight ccRCC cases diagnosed at the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China were collected. The VHL mutation was examined using exon sequencing. The expression of HIF-1α/ACLY in VHL-mutated ccRCC was evaluated using immunohistochemical staining and further validated in VHL-mutated ccRCC cell lines (786-O, A498, UM-RC-2, SNU-333, and Caki-2) using Western blot. The mRNA and protein levels of ACLY were detected using real-time quantitative PCR and Western blot after overexpression or interference with HIF-1α in ccRCC cell lines. HeLa cells were treated with CoCl2 and hypoxia (1%O2) to activate HIF-1α and then subject to the detection of the ACLY mRNA and protein levels. The potential molecular mechanism of HIF-1α-induced ACLY activation was explored through JASPAR database combined with chromatin immunoprecipitation assay (ChIP) and luciferase reporter gene assay. The effect of HIF-1α/ACLY regulation axis on lipid accumulation was detected using BODIPY staining and other cell biological techniques. The expression of ACLY was compared between patients with ccRCC and those with benign lesions, and the feasibility of ACLY as a prognostic indicator for ccRCC was explored through survival analysis. Results: Exon sequencing revealed that 55 (70.5%) of the 78 ccRCC patients harbored a VHL inactivation mutation, and HIF-1α expression was associated with ACLY protein levels. The protein levels of ACLY and HIF-1α in ccRCC cell lines carrying VHL mutation were also correlated to various degrees. Overexpression of HIF-1α in A498 cells increased the mRNA and protein levels of ACLY, and knockdown of HIF-1α in Caki-2 cells inhibited the mRNA and protein levels of ACLY (P<0.001 for all). CoCl2 and hypoxia treatment significantly increased the mRNA and protein levels of ACLY by activating HIF-1α (P<0.001 for all). The quantification of transcriptional activity of luciferase reporter gene and ChIP-qPCR results suggested that HIF-1α could directly bind to ACLY promoter region to transcriptionally activate ACLY expression and increase ACLY protein level (P<0.001 for all). The results of BODIPY staining suggested that the content of free fatty acids in cell lines was associated with the levels of HIF-1α and ACLY. The depletion of HIF-1α could effectively reduce the accumulation of lipid in cells, while the overexpression of ACLY could reverse this process. At the same time, cell function experiments showed that the proliferation rate of ccRCC cells with HIF-1α knockdown was significantly decreased, and overexpression of ACLY could restore proliferation of these tumor cells (P<0.001). Survival analysis further showed that compared with the ccRCC patients with low ACLY expression, the ccRCC patients with high ACLY expression had a poorer prognosis and a shorter median survival (P<0.001). Conclusions: VHL mutation-mediated HIF-1α overexpression in ccRCC promotes lipid synthesis and tumor progression by activating ACLY. Targeting the HIF-1α/ACLY signaling axis may provide a theoretical basis for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of ccRCC.

Computed tomography-based radiomics to assess risk stratification in pediatric malignant peripheral neuroblastic tumors

This study aimed to develop and validate an analysis system based on preoperative computed tomography (CT) to predict the risk stratification in pediatric malignant peripheral neuroblastic tumors (PNTs). A total of 405 patients with malignant PNTs (184 girls and 221 boys; mean age, 33.8 ± 29.1 months) were retrospectively evaluated between January 2010 and June 2018. Radiomic features were extracted from manually segmented tumors on preoperative CT images. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) were used to eliminate redundancy and select features. A risk model was built to stratify low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups. An image-defined risk factor (IDRFs) model was developed to classify 266 patients with malignant PNTs and one or more IDRFs into high-risk and non-high-risk groups. The performance of the predictive models was evaluated with respect to accuracy (Acc) and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, including the area under the ROC curve (AUC). The risk model demonstrated good discrimination capability, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.903 to distinguish high-risk from non-high-risk groups, and 0.747 to classify intermediate- and low-risk groups. In the IDRF-based risk model with the number of IDRFs, the AUC was 0.876 for classifying the high-risk and non-high-risk groups. Radiomic analysis based on preoperative CT images has the potential to stratify the risk of pediatric malignant PNTs. It had outstanding efficiency in distinguishing patients in the high-risk group, and this predictive model of risk stratification could assist in selecting optimal aggressive treatment options.

[Clinical observation on the efficacy and safety of dupilumab in the treatment of moderate to severe atopic dermatitis]

To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of dupilumab in the treatment of moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD) in China. A small sample self-controlled study before and after treatment was conducted to retrospective analysis patients with moderate to severe AD treated with dupilumab in the department of dermatology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from July 2020 to March 2022. Dupilumab 600 mg was injected subcutaneously at week 0, and then 300 mg was injected subcutaneously every 2 weeks. The condition was evaluated by SCORAD(severity scoring of atopic dermatitis), NRS(numerical rating scale), DLQI(dermatology life quality index) and POEM(patient-oriented eczema measure). The improvement of SCORAD, NRS, DLQI and POEM was analyzed by paired t test and non-parametric paired Wilcoxon. The results showed that a total of 67 patients with moderate to severe AD received dupilumab treatment, of which 41 patients (the course of treatment was more than 6 weeks) had reduced the severity of skin lesions, improved quality of life and reduced pruritus. A total of 23 patients completed 16 weeks of treatment. At 4, 8, 12 and 16 weeks, SCORAD, NRS, DLQI and POEM decreased compared with the baseline, and the differences were statistically significant. SCORAD (50.13±15.19) at baseline, SCORAD (36.08±11.96)(t=6.049,P<0.001) at week 4,SCORAD (28.04±11.10)(t=10.471,P<0.001) at week 8, SCORAD (22.93±9.72)(t=12.428,P<0.001) at week 12, SCORAD (16.84±7.82)(t=14.609,P<0.001) at week 16, NRS 7(6,8) at baseline, NRS 4(3,5)(Z=-3.861,P<0.001) at week 4, NRS 2(1,4)(Z=-4.088,P<0.001) at week 8, NRS 1(0,2)(Z=-4.206,P<0.001) at week 12, NRS 2(0,2)(Z=-4.222,P<0.001) at week 16, DLQI (13.83±5.71) at baseline, DLQI (8.00±4.02)(t=6.325,P<0.001) at week 4, DLQI (5.61±3.50)(t=8.060,P<0.001) at week 8, DLQI (3.96±1.99)(t=8.717,P<0.001) at week 12, DLQI (2.70±1.89)(t=10.355,P<0.001) at week 16, POEM (18.04±6.41) at baseline, POEM (9.70±4.70)(t=7.031,P<0.001) at week 4, POEM (7.74±3.48)(t=8.806,P<0.001) at week 8, POEM (6.35±3.33)(t=10.474,P<0.001) at week 12, POEM (4.26±2.51)(t=11.996,P<0.001) at week 16. In the 16th week, 100%(23 patients), 91.3%(21 patients), 34.8%(8 patients) and 8.7%(2 patients) of 23 patients reached SCORAD30, SCORAD50, SCORAD70, and SCORAD90 statuses, respectively. There were 82.6%(19 patients), 95.7%(22 patients) and 95.7%(22 patients) of 23 patients with NRS, DLQI and POEM improved by≥4 points compared with baseline. Twelve patients with AD who continued to receive dupilumab after 16 weeks showed further improvement in skin lesions. The adverse events were conjunctivitis and injection site reaction. In conclusion, dupilumab is an effective and safe treatment for moderate and severe AD. However, the longer-term efficacy and safety require further studies involving larger sample sizes and a longer follow-up time.

Efficacy and Safety of Local Radiotherapy Combined with Chemotherapy ± Bevacizumab in the Treatment of Patients with Advanced and Recurrent Metastatic Cervical Cancer

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

To observe the efficacy and safety of local radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy ± bevacizumab in the treatment of patients with advanced or recurrent metastatic cervical cancer.

MATERIALS/METHODS

A total of 53 patients with advanced and recurrent metastatic cervical cancer who had received local radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy ± bevacizumab in Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Guizhou Medical University from July 2018 to October 2021 were collected. The recurrence types included 21 patients of pelvic recurrence, 7 patients of distant metastasis, 14 patients of complex pelvic recurrence and distant metastasis, and 11 patients of advanced stage (initial diagnosis stage IVB). The primary endpoints were objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR). The secondary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and incidence of adverse reactions.

RESULTS

(1) Complete response (CR) was achieved in 4 patients (7.5%), partial response (PR) in 34 patients (64.2%), stable disease (SD) in 12 patients (22.6%), and disease progression (PD) in 3 patients (5.7%), ORR was 71.7%, DCR was 94.3%. (2) The follow-up time was 5.3 to 45.7 months, the median OS was 29.3 months, the median PFS was 15.7 months, the one-year and two-year OS were 83.0% and 59.2%, and the 1-year and two-year PFS were 62.2% and 34.4%. (3) Recurrence type, tumor size at the time of recurrence, and efficacy after radiotherapy were significant factors for PFS and OS rates in multivariate analysis. (4) The main adverse reactions were myelosuppression, gastrointestinal reaction and urinary reaction. Grade IV leukopenia occurred at 13.2%, grade IV neutropenia at 11.3%, grade IV thrombocytopenia at 15.1%, and grade IV anemia at 5.7%, all of which were tolerable. The gastrointestinal and urinary reactions were mainly grade I-II, and the incidence of vesical or rectovaginal fistulas was about 7.5% (2 patients had rectovaginal fistulas and 2 patients had vesto-vaginal fistulas).

CONCLUSION

Local radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy ± bevacizumab can improve the efficacy and survival of patients with advanced and recurrent metastatic cervical cancer. Adverse reactions are tolerable and may provide survival benefits in these patients.

Fibulin-1 Regulates Initiation of Successional Dental Lamina

In humans, teeth are replaced only once, and the successional dental lamina (SDL) of the permanent tooth is maintained in a quiescent state until adolescence. Recently, we showed that biomechanical stress generated by the rapid growth of the deciduous tooth inhibits SDL development via integrin β1-RUNX2 signaling at embryonic day 60 (E60) in miniature pigs. However, the mechanism by which RUNX2 regulates SDL initiation within the SDL stem cell niche remains unclear. In the current study, we transcriptionally profiled single cells from SDL and surrounding mesenchyme at E60 and identified the landscape of cellular heterogeneity. We then identified a specific fibroblast subtype in the dental follicle mesenchyme between the deciduous tooth and the SDL of the permanent tooth (DFDP), which constitutes the inner part of the niche (deciduous tooth side). Compared with traditional dental follicle cells, the specific expression profile of DFDP was identified and found to be related to biomechanical stress. Subsequently, we found that RUNX2 could bind to the enhancer regions of Fbln1 (gene of fibulin-1), one of the marker genes for DFDP. Through gain- and loss-of-function experiments, we proved that the biomechanical stress-mediated RUNX2-fibulin-1 axis inhibits the initiation of SDL by maintaining SDL niche homeostasis.

Introducing an Experimental Approach to Predict Spot Scanning Time Parameters for a Superconducting Cyclotron Proton Therapy Machine

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Proton pencil beam scanning (PBS) delivery sequence varies a lot among institutions due to the differences in vendors, machine types, and beamline configurations, which impacts PBS interplay effects and treatment delivery time estimation. This study aims to develop an independent experimental approach to predict the spot scanning time parameters for a clinical superconducting cyclotron proton therapy machine.

MATERIALS/METHODS

This independent experimental approach employed an open-air parallel-plate detector with a temporal resolution of 0.05ms. A series of spot, energy, and dose rate patterns were designed and delivered, including (1) Spot switching time (SSWT) under different spot spacing for IEC-X, IEC-Y directions and diagonal direction (traveling in both X and Y direction) for three energy layers (110, 170 and 230 MeV); The Wilcoxon test is used to validate the prediction of SSWT along the diagonal direction. (2) Energy layer switching time (ELST) with different descending energy gaps for a fixed initial energy and different initial energies for a fixed descending energy gap. (3) Dose rate (MU/min) are measured for different minimum-MU-per-energy-layer (MMPEL), which are compared with the previous publication.

RESULTS

A SSWT jump at 10mm (can be customized) spot spacing is observed because of triggering the machine's "raster mode" threshold. Discontinuous two variable piecewise linear functions were used to fit the SSWT in X/Y for spot spacing and energy. SSWT in X/Y is increasing as spot spacing and energy increase. SSWT in the diagonal direction is determined by the time either in the x-direction or y-direction, whichever takes longer (see Table 1 for one example of validations). ELST is linear depending on descending energy gap. The dose rate dependence on MMPEL is confirmed with previous publications of a similar type of machine.

CONCLUSION

The study provided the first independent quantitative experimental modeling of the beam delivery time parameters without any information from vendors. Such machine-specific delivery sequence models could pave the foundation of precise interplay effect evaluation for clinical decision-making.

Effect of Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy on Regulatory T Cells,CD8/Treg Ratio,PD1 and CTLA-4 in Patients with Cervical Cancer

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

To investigate the significance of chemoradiotherapy on regulatory T (Treg) cells, CD8 / Treg ratio, squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC), PD1, and CTLA-4 in the peripheral blood of cervical cancer (CC)patients.

MATERIALS/METHODS

A retrospective study was performed 56 cervical cancer patients treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy from September 06, 2019 to April 19, 2021 were selected, in patients who underwent surgery. Flow cytometry was used to determine the levels of regulatory T cells, CD8 / Treg ratio, squamous cell carcinoma antigen, PD1, and CTLA-4 in the peripheral blood of patients before and after concurrent therapy, Differences in relative level values before and after treatment were calculated using statistical protocols such as the paired samples t-test.

RESULTS

The proportion of CD4+CD25+CD127low Treg in CD4+T cells was (15.96±4.29) % in cervical cancer patients and (9.76±4.21) % in healthy controls, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). In different age groups, Treg, CD8 levels, CD4/CD8 ratio and CD8/Treg ratio before and after radiotherapy and chemotherapy had no significant relationship with age and pathological types (P > 0.05), but CD8/Treg ratio was higher in patients with adenocarcinoma than in patients with squamous cell carcinoma after radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and the difference was statistically significant (Z = -2.076 P = 0.038). For postoperative patients, CD8 levels were lower before and after chemoradiotherapy than after chemoradiotherapy (T = -2.320 P = 0.020). In terms of PD1, regardless of age, pathological type, the level of PD1 after radiotherapy and chemotherapy was higher than that before chemotherapy, and the difference was statistically significant. The level of adenocarcinoma (53.50±10.16) % was significantly higher than that of squamous carcinoma (43.72±11.89) % (T = -2.609 P = 0.011). The PD1 level of patients with cervical cancer radical resection (41.64±13.29) % was lower than that of patients without cervical cancer radical resection (46.84±10.61) %, the difference was statistically significant (T = 2.187 P = 0.031). The PD1 level of patients without pelvic lymph node metastasis (48.84±10.04) was significantly higher than that of patients with pelvic lymph node metastasis (42.96±10.85), and the difference was statistically significant (T = -2.019 P = 0.049), There were no significant differences in vascular positivity, invasion depth, stump positivity, pelvic lymph node positivity and Treg level, CD8 level, CTLA4 level, SCC, CD4/CD8 ratio, CD8/Treg ratio (ALL P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The level of Treg cells in patients with cervical cancer is significantly higher than that in healthy people, and it does not decrease immediately after radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Peripheral blood Treg, PD1, CD8 and CD8/Treg can reflect the immune function of the body, which may provide a certain reference for immunotherapy.

Efficacy of Nimotuzumab plus Concurrent Chemo-Radiotherapy for Unresectable Esophageal Cancer: A Real-World Study

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

The esophageal cancer ranked 7th in the morbidity of malignant cancer and the 6th contributed to carcinoma deaths. Most patients are diagnosed of advanced stage at first visiting. The 5-year survival rate of unresectable esophageal cancer is about 20% after the standard treatment of concurrent chemo-radiotherapy. Nimotuzumab, a humanized anti-EGFR antibody, has shown good efficacy and low toxicity in epithelial tumors. This two-center, real-world study evaluated the efficacy and safety of nimotuzumab combined with concurrent chemoradiotherapy in unresectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

MATERIALS/METHODS

Totally 503 eligible unresectable ESCC patients from Jan 2014 to Dec 2020 were included. 1:2 nearest neighbor propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to match the Nimo group (nimotuzumab plus concurrent chemo-radiotherapy) and CRT group (concurrent chemo-radiotherapy), and the covariates included age, gender, tumor location, lesion length, TNM stage, clinical stage, and radiotherapy dose. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). The secondary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), and disease control rate (DCR).

RESULTS

A total of 61 patients were in Nimo group which received nimotuzumab (200 mg/w, 4-6 weeks) combined with concurrent chemo-radiotherapy (chemotherapy: S-1/FP/TP/DP for 2-4 cycles; radiotherapy: 2DRT,3D-CRT or IMRT, 50-70 Gy in 25-35 fractions) and 107 patients in CRT group only received concurrent chemo-radiotherapy. The baseline characteristics were well balanced between the two groups. The efficacy of Nimo group was better than that of CRT group. The ORR was 85.2% vs. 71.0%, (P=0.037), the DCR was 98.4% vs. 91.6%, (P>0.05). The median PFS was 28.07 months vs. 19.54 months, and the 1-, 3- and 5-year PFS rates were 78.2% vs. 72.9%, 37.5% vs. 28.3%, and 29.1% vs. 21.3%, respectively (HR: 0.6860, 95% CI: 0.4902-0.9600, P=0.034). The median OS was 34.93 months vs. 24.30 months and the 1-, 3- and 5-year OS rates were 88.5% vs. 81.3%, 46.8% vs. 35.2% and 37.4% vs. 28.0%, respectively (HR: 0.6701, 95% CI: 0.4792-0.9372, P=0.024). The adverse events including radiation esophagitis, radiation pneumonitis, bone marrow suppression, nausea, vomiting, and rash were no significantly different between the two groups (P>0.05).

CONCLUSION

Nimotuzumab combined with concurrent chemo-radiotherapy improved the ORR, and prolonged PFS and OS in unresectable ESCC patients with a good tolerance.

Silva Classification System for HPV-Related EAC of Stage I ∼ IIIc1p Cervical Adenocarcinoma and Its Effect on Prognosis and Survival

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

The proportion of adenocarcinoma in cervical cancer gradually increased and presented a younger trend. The previous pathological classification of cervical adenocarcinoma is difficult to provide reference for clinical treatment. In recent years, Silva classification, a new pathologic system for cervical adenocarcinoma, has been confirmed to be suitable for HPV-associated adenocarcinoma (HPVA), and has shown certain clinical application value in subsequent studies. Therefore, this study will retrospectively analyze the distribution of Silva typing system in patients with HPVA under standard treatment mode and its relationship with prognosis and survival.

MATERIALS/METHODS

From January 2010 to September 2021, 124 cervical adenocarcinoma patients with HPVA were retrospectively included, who underwent radical resection of cervical cancer. The HE staining sections of the patients were divided into SilvaA, SilvaB, and SilvaC types according to the Silva typing system. Kaplan-Meier calculation was used for single-factor analysis, and COX stepwise regression model was used for multi-factor analysis.

RESULTS

Of the 124 patients with HPVA who could be graded according to the Silva system, 16 (12.9%, 16/124) were SilvaA, 27 (21.7%, 27/124) SilvaB, and 81 (65.4%, 81/124) SilvaC. In Silva classification, FIGO staging of Silva A and B was stage I. And FIGO staging of Silva C was more significantly later than the staging of Silva A and B. All lymph node metastases and paruterine infiltrates were found only in Silva C. In addition, the patients with Silva C large mass accounted for a higher proportion (41.7%). SilvaA type cervical adenocarcinoma patients were in a survival state by the end of follow-up. Among Silva B, 3 patients died due to tumor, and the 5-year OS rate were 91.3%. Among SilvaC, 15 patients died due to tumor, and the 5-year OS rate were 76.5%. FIGO stage and lymph node invasion were the influencing factors for survival and prognosis of Silva classification (P <0.05). FIGO stage, tumor size, lymph node invasion, and paralegal invasion were the influencing factors for survival and prognosis of SilvaC patients (P <0.05).

CONCLUSION

Silva model classification system combined with clinicopathological features has certain clinical value for the prognostic guidance of HPVA patients. Among Silva classification, SilvaC had the worst prognosis. Late FIGO stage, lymph node metastasis, and paralegal infiltration are the influencing factors for survival and prognosis of SilvaC type.

Suprapatellar pouch effusion is associated with an increased risk of neglected osteochondral fractures in primary acute traumatic patellar dislocation: a consecutive series of 113 children

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to investigate the risk factors of neglected osteochondral fractures in primary acute traumatic patellar dislocation in the pediatric population.

METHODS

A total of 113 patients with primary acute traumatic patellar dislocation for whom coincident osteochondral fractures could not be confirmed by X-ray examination at initial diagnosis between January 2010 and February 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Medical history, physical examination, and radiographic images were recorded in detail. The greatest dimension of the suprapatellar pouch (SP) effusion on radiograph was measured. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging were used to confirm the presence of neglected osteochondral fractures and measure the fragment size. Potential risk factors were calculated and correlated with reference to the neglected osteochondral fractures and fragment size using multivariate linear regression analysis.

RESULTS

Weight, walking ability, effusion grade, and SP measurement had a significant correlation with neglected osteochondral fractures in primary acute traumatic patellar dislocation (p = 0.046; p < 0.001; p = 0.048; p < 0.001). The cutoff point was 53.5 kg for weight and 18.45 mm for SP measurement. In the neglected fractures group, SP measurement was statistically significant with larger fragment size (beta value = 0.457; p < 0.001), and the cutoff point was 26.2 mm.

CONCLUSIONS

SP effusion is not only associated with an increased risk of neglected osteochondral fractures in primary acute traumatic patellar dislocation but also with larger fragment size. Knee radiograph, medical history, and physical examination can predict the need for further imaging examination and even surgery in primary acute traumatic patellar dislocation.

Characterization of bacterial community in tobacco leaves at flue-curing and redrying processing stages

During the processing of tobacco leaves, flue-curing and redrying can affect the structure of bacterial community, having an effect on the aging quality of tobacco leaves. In order to characterize the effects of flue-curing and redrying on the bacterial community of tobacco leaves, the bacterial community of samples at different processing stages (before flue-curing, after flue-curing, before redrying and after redrying) was analyzed using Illumina sequencing. A total of 33 phyla, 79 classes, 195 orders, 344 families, 826 genera and 7922 ASVs were obtained from 36 samples. There was no significant difference in the core bacterial groups of tobacco leaf at four processing stages. Proteobacteria dominated at the phylum level. Sphingomonas, Pseudomonas and Methylobacterium were the main genera shared by all samples. The functional prediction by PICRUSt showed an increase in the relative abundance of pathway related to metabolism after flue-curing and pathway related to environmental information processing after redrying. This study, we analyzed the changes of bacterial community and structural composition of tobacco leaves from flue-curing to redrying, and found that flue-curing had a greater effect on the microbial community than redrying. This is conducive for the exploration of microbial resources and improvement of tobacco leaf quality.

Analysis of differences in tobacco leaf microbial communities after redrying in Chinese provinces and from abroad

Microorganisms play an important role in the tobacco aging process. Before the aging process, raw tobacco leaves must be threshed and redried. In order to explore the differences of microbial community structure of threshed and redried tobacco leaves from different origins at home and abroad, 14 groups of tobacco leaves from 8 different countries were tested by high-throughput DNA sequencing and microbiology analysis. Then, through amplicon sequence variants (ASV) cluster analysis, Venn diagram and species labeling and other microbial diversity analysis, the dominant bacteria and fungi on the surface of threshed and redried tobacco leaves were obtained. The results showed that there were significant differences in the composition of tobacco bacteria and fungi after threshing and redrying from different geographical areas. The relative abundance of Microbacterium and Sphingomonas in domestic tobacco leaves was significantly higher than that of foreign tobacco leaves. The relative abundance of Pseudomonas in foreign tobacco bacterial colonies was significantly higher than that of domestic tobacco leaves. In terms of fungi, the relative abundance of Aspergillus and Alternaria in domestic tobacco leaves was significantly higher than that of foreign tobacco leaves. Septoria, Sampaiozyma, Cladosporium and Phoma account for significantly higher proportions of foreign tobacco leaves. These microorganisms may be indispensable in aging process to form different flavors of tobacco leaves. It provides an important theoretical basis for the further use of microorganisms to promote tobacco leaf aging.

[Effects of cadmium chloride on testicular autophagy and blood-testis barrier integrity in prepubertal male rats]

Objective: To study the effects of cadmium chloride (CdCl(2)) exposure on testicular autophagy levels and blood-testis barrier integrity in prepubertal male SD rats and testicular sertoli (TM4) cells. Methods: In July 2021, 9 4-week-old male SD rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: control group (normal saline), low dose group (1 mg/kg·bw CdCl(2)) and high dose group (2 mg/kg·bw CdCl(2)), and were exposed with CdCl(2) by intrabitoneal injection. 24 h later, HE staining was used to observe the morphological changes of testis of rats, biological tracer was used to observe the integrity of blood-testis barrier, and the expression levels of microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 (LC3) -Ⅰ and LC3-Ⅱ in testicular tissue were detected. TM4 cells were treated with 0, 2.5, 5.0 and 10.0 μmol/L CdCl(2) for 24 h to detect the toxic effect of cadmium. The cells were divided into blank group (no exposure), exposure group (10.0 μmol/L CdCl(2)), experimental group[10.0 μmol/L CdCl(2)+60.0 μmol/L 3-methyladenine (3-MA) ] and inhibitor group (60.0 μmol/L 3-MA). After 24 h of treatment, Western blot analysis was used to detect the expression levels of LC3-Ⅱ, ubiquitin binding protein p62, tight junction protein ZO-1 and adhesion junction protein N-cadherin. Results: The morphology and structure of testicular tissue in the high dose group were obvious changed, including uneven distribution of seminiferous tubules, irregular shape, thinning of seminiferous epithelium, loose structure, disordered arrangement of cells, abnormal deep staining of nuclei and vacuoles of Sertoli cells. The results of biological tracer method showed that the integrity of blood-testis barrier was damaged in the low and high dose group. Western blot results showed that compared with control group, the expression levels of LC3-Ⅱ in testicular tissue of rats in low and high dose groups were increased, the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Compared with the 0 μmol/L, after exposure to 5.0, 10.0 μmol/L CdCl(2), the expression levels of ZO-1 and N-cadherin in TM4 cells were significantly decreased, and the expression level of p62 and LC3-Ⅱ/LC3-Ⅰ were significantly increased, the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Compared with the exposure group, the relative expression level of p62 and LC3-Ⅱ/LC3-Ⅰ in TM4 cells of the experimental group were significantly decreased, while the relative expression levels of ZO-1 and N-cadherin were significantly increased, the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05) . Conclusion: The mechanism of the toxic effect of cadmium on the reproductive system of male SD rats may be related to the effect of the autophagy level of testicular tissue and the destruction of the blood-testis barrier integrity.

Achieving Diamond-Like Wear in Ta-Rich Metallic Glasses

Most metals and alloys suffer from high friction and wear due to their low hardness and lack of self-lubrication. Although plenty of strategies have been proposed, it is still a long-standing challenge to achieve diamond-like wear in metals. Metallic glasses (MGs) are supposed to possess low coefficient of friction (COF) because of their high hardness and fast surface mobility. However, their wear rate is larger than that of diamond-like materials. Here, this work reports the discovery of Ta-rich MGs that exhibit diamond-like wear. This work develops an indentation approach for high-throughput characterization of crack resistance. By employing deep indentation loading, this work is able to efficiently identify the alloys that exhibit better plasticity and crack resistance according to the differences of indent morphology. With high temperature stability, high hardness, improved plasticity, and crack resistance, the discovered Ta-based MGs exhibit diamond-like tribological properties, featured by COF as low as ≈0.05 for diamond ball test and ≈0.15 for steel ball test, and specific wear rate of only ≈10^-7 mm³ N^{- 1} m^-1 . The discovery approach and the discovered MGs exemplifie the promise to substantially reduce friction and wear of metals and may unleash the potential of MGs in tribological applications.

Apical Papilla Regulates Dental Follicle Fate via the OGN-Hh Pathway

Root apical complex, including Hertwig's epithelial root sheath, apical papilla, and dental follicle (DF), is the germinal center of root development, wherein the DF constantly develops into periodontal tissue. However, whether DF development is regulated by the adjacent apical papilla remains largely unknown. In this study, we employed a transwell coculture system and found that stem cells from the apical papilla (SCAPs) inhibit the differentiation and maintain the stemness of dental follicle stem cells (DFSCs). Meanwhile, partial SCAP differentiation markers were upregulated after DFSC coculture. High-throughput RNA sequencing revealed that the Hedgehog (Hh) pathway was significantly downregulated in DFSCs cocultured with SCAPs. Upregulation or downregulation of the Hh pathway can respectively activate or inhibit the multidirectional differentiation of DFSCs. Osteoglycin (OGN) (previously known as mimecan) is highly expressed in the dental papilla, similarly to Hh pathway factors. By secreting OGN, SCAP regulated the stemness and multidirectional differentiation of DFSCs via the OGN-Hh pathway. Finally, Ogn^-/- mice were established using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. We found that the root length growth rate was accelerated during root development from PN0 to PN30 in Ogn^-/- mice. Moreover, the hard tissues (including dentin and cementum) of the root in Ogn^-/- mice were thicker than those in wild-type mice. These phenotypes were likely due to Hh pathway activation and the increased cell proliferation and differentiation in both the apical papilla and DF. The current work elucidates the molecular regulation of early periodontal tissue development, providing a theoretical basis for future research on tooth root biology and periodontal tissue regeneration.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of five drugs for treating postmenopausal women in the United States with osteoporosis and a very high fracture risk

PURPOSE

Five strategies were recommended by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists/American College of Endocrinology (AACE/ACE) guidelines for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMO) patients with a very high fracture risk. We aimed to assess their cost-effectiveness in the United States (US).

METHODS

A microsimulation Markov model was created to compare the cost-effectiveness of five treatment strategies, including zoledronate, denosumab, abaloparatide, teriparatide, and romosozumab in PMO patients with a recent fracture from the healthcare perspective of the US. The data used in the model were obtained from published studies or online resources. Base-case analysis, one-way deterministic sensitivity analysis (DSA) and probability sensitivity analysis (PSA) were conducted for 65-, 70-, 75-, and 80-year-old patients.

RESULTS

In base case, at 65 years, zoledronate was the cheapest strategy. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER, which represent incremental costs per QALY gained) of denosumab, teriparatide, abaloparatide, and romosozumab against zoledronate were $13,020/QALY (quality-adjusted years), $477,331 /QALY, $176,287/QALY, and $98,953/QALY, respectively. Under a willing-to-pay (WTP, which means the highest price a consumer will pay for one unit of a good of service) threshold of $150,000/QALY, denosumab and romosozumab were cost-effective against zoledronate. The PSA results showed that denosumab was the most cost-effective option with WTP thresholds of $50,000/QALY, $100,000/QALY and $150,000/QALY. The results were similar in other age groups. The DSA results indicated that the most common parameters that have important influence on the outcome were drug persistence, incidence of adverse events, the efficacy of drugs on hip fractures and the cost of the drug.

CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE

Among PMO patients with a very high fracture risk in the US, zoledronate is the cheapest strategy and denosumab is the most cost-effective choice among these five strategies.

[Present situation of myopia among primary and junior high school students in Yinzhou District, Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province]

Objective: To determine the situation of myopia among primary and junior high school students from 2019 to 2021 in Yinzhou District, Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Department of Ophthalmology, The Affiliated People's Hospital of Ningbo University, carried out a cross-sectional study by reviewing the results of five times visual acuity screens among primary and junior high school students from 2019 to 2021 in Yinzhou District, Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province. The myopia rate, High myopia rate and spherical equivalent refraction were calculated according to the uncorrected distance visual acuity and non-cycloplegic subjective refraction. Chi-square test and analysis of variance were used to analysis the difference of myopia among term, sex and eye. Results: The visual acuity screen had been completed five times from 2019 to 2021 in Yinzhou District, with a total of 458 654 people, of which 454 812 people met the inclusion criteria. The myopia rate of each screen is 56.6%(50 443/89 122),52.5%(48 463/92 311),63.7%(57 968/91 002),53.2%(48 351/90 886),64.4%(58 920/91 491). The rate of Myopia increased gradually with promoting to high grade, and it was obviously in low grade,up to 17.6%. Conclusion: The myopia rate of primary and junior high school students was raising volatility from 2019 to 2021 in Yinzhou District, Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province.

A novel victorivirus isolated from the tobacco spot blight fungus Stagonosporopsis cucurbitacearum in China

Stagonosporopsis cucurbitacearum is an important plant-pathogenic fungus that causes stem and leaf blight diseases in a variety of crops. Here, we report the characterization of a novel victorivirus, tentatively named "Stagonosporopsis cucurbitacearum victorivirus 1" (ScVV-1), isolated from the S. cucurbitacearum isolate M-7. The ScVV-1 genome is 5,165 bp in length with a predicted GC content of 60.1% and contains two large open reading frames (ORF 1 and ORF2) encoding putative proteins that share significant sequence similarity with coat proteins (CPs) and RNA-dependent RNA polymerases (RdRps) of mycoviruses of the family Totiviridae. The ScVV-1 RdRp appears to be translated using a stop-initiation pentanucleotide UAAUG sequence. Phylogenetic analysis based on CP and RdRp amino acid (aa) sequences both indicated that ScVV-1 belongs to the genus Victorivirus in the family Totiviridae. To our knowledge, this is the first full-length genome sequence of a victorivirus infecting S. cucurbitacearum.

6-Shogaol protects against isoproterenol-induced cardiac injury in rats through attenutating oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis and activating nuclear respiratory factor-2/heme oxygenase-1 signaling pathway

The current study investigated the preventive effect of 6-Shogaol on isoproterenol hydrochloride (ISO)-induced myocardial cardiac injury. 6-Shogaol (50 mg/kg b.w.) was administered for 14 days at pretreatment and ISO-induction (85 mg/kg b.w.) for the last two days (13th and 14th days) by subcutaneous injection. Cardiac markers in serum like creatine kinase (CK), creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), cardiac troponins T (cTn T) and I (cTn I) increased in ISO-induced rats. Moreover, lipid peroxidative markers like thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and lipid hydroperoxides (LOOH) were raised, and the activities/level of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and reduced glutathione (GSH) were diminished in ISO-treated heart tissue. In addition, inflammatory and nuclear respiratory factor (Nrf)-2 signalling molecules were upregulated in ISO-induced ischemic rats. 6-Shogaol pretreatment decreased the activities of cardiac and lipid peroxidative markers and enhanced the antioxidant status in ISO-induced cardiac injury rats. Further, 6-Shogaol pretreatment inhibited serum inflammatory markers: tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB), Nrf-2 molecule and heme oxygenase (HO)-1 in ISO-induced cardial damage rats. We noticed the effect of 6-Shogaol inhibited pro-apoptotic genes like B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2)-associated X protein (Bax), Fas, caspase-3, -8, -9, cytochrome C, and inflammatory genes and increased Bcl-2 expression in ISO-treated rats. The cardioprotective activity of 6-Shogaol in rats with ISO-induced myocardial damage may be due to its ability to reduce oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis, perhaps via the Nrf-2/HO-1 signalling pathway.

[Cadmium induces apoptosis of mouse spermatocytes (GC-2 spd) by promoting mitochondrial fission]

Objective: To study the underlying mechanism of cadmium-induced apoptosis of mouse spermatocytes (GC-2 spd) . Methods: In March 2021, GC-2 spd cells were exposed to different concentrations of CdCl(2) for 24 hours, namely 5 μmol/L CdCl(2) (low-dose) group and 10 μmol/L CdCl(2) (high-dose) group, and unexposed GC-2 spd cells were used as control group. Mitochondrial morphology was observed in the cells stained with Mito-Track Red CMXRos fluorescent probes by confocal microscopy and the mitochrondrial membrane potential was measured by flow cytometry with JC-1 fluorescent probes. Mitochrondrial proteins, cytosolic proteins and total cellular proteins of GC-2 spd cells were extracted using cell mitochondria isolation kit and RIPA buffer, respectively. The expression of mitochondrial homeostasis regulatory proteins (FIS1 and OPA1), and apoptosis-related proteins (Cytochrome c and cleaved Caspase-3) were examined by Western blot. Results: Compared with the cells in the control group, the relative ratio of JC-1 red/green fluorescence signal in the cells of the low-dose and high-dose CdCl(2) groups decreased significantly (0.740±0.071, 0.570±0.028), with a statistically significant difference (P=0.017, 0.004) ; The morphology of mitochondria changed from long tube to point, and the proportion of cells containing point mitochondria increased significantly (45.1%±3.7% and 25.7%±4.9%), the difference was statistically significant (P=0.005, 0.001) ; The relative expression level of mitochondrial FIS1 in cells of low and high dose CdCl(2) groups was significantly higher (1.271±0.120, 1.693±0.155), the difference was statistically significant (P=0.046, 0.000) ; The relative expression level of OPA1 decreased significantly (0.838±0.050, 0.682±0.040), and the difference was statistically significant (P=0.049, 0.001). Compared with the control group, the relative expression level of cytochrome c protein in the cytoplasm of cells in the low dose group of CdCl(2) was not significantly increased (1.249±0.151), and the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.075). However, the relative expression level in the cytoplasm of cells in the high dose group of CdCl(2) was significantly increased (2.355±0.110), and the difference was statistically significant (P=0.000) ; The relative expression level of Cytochrome c in mitochondria of low and high dose CdCl(2) groups decreased significantly (0.681±0.043, 0.619±0.114), with a statistically significant difference (P=0.004, 0.001) ; Moreover, the level of cleaved Caspase-3 protein in cells gradually increased (5.486±0.544, 11.493±1.739), the difference was statistically significant (P=0.004, 0.000) . Conclusion: Cadmium induced cleaved Caspase-3 mediated apoptosis of GC-2 spd cells via promoting mitochrondrial fission and the release of Cytochrome c from the mitochrondria to the cytosol.

Hierarchical Structures Composed of Cu(OH)2 Nanograss within Directional Microporous Cu for Glucose Sensing

Cu(OH)₂ nanomaterials are widely investigated for non-enzymatic glucose sensors due to their low-cost and excellent performance. Cu(OH)₂ nanomaterials usually grow on substrates to form sensor electrodes. Reported works mainly focus on structure adjusting of the Cu(OH)₂ nanostructures, while the optimization of substrates is still lacking. In the present work, directional porous Cu (DPC) was applied as the substrate for the growth of Cu(OH)₂ nanograss (NG), and hierarchical structures of Cu(OH)₂@DPC were prepared by alkaline oxidation. The morphology and microstructure evolution of the prepared hierarchical structures was investigated, and the non-enzymatic glucose sensing performance was evaluated. Cu(OH)₂@DPC exhibits enhanced comprehensive non-enzymatic glucose sensing performance compared to the reported ones, which may benefit from both the effective adsorption of the Cu(OH)₂ NG with a relatively high surface area and the high solute exchange of the DPC by a channel effect. This work provides new insights into the further improvement of the non-enzymatic glucose sensing performance of Cu(OH)₂ nanostructures by optimizing the substrate structure.

A universal coating strategy for inhibiting the growth of bacteria on materials surfaces

The development of a versatile antibacterial coating, irrespective of material characteristics, is greatly attractive but still a challenge. In this work, mussel-inspired dopamine-modified sodium alginate (SA-DA) was successfully synthesized as the adhesion layer, and antibacterial coatings on three types of substrates, namely cotton fabric, aluminum sheet, and polyurethane membrane, were constructed through the layer-by-layer (LbL) deposition of polyhexamethylene guanidine and sodium alginate. Among the coated materials, the coated cotton fabric was systematically characterized, and the results showed that it still exhibited ideal hydrophilicity, and its liquid absorption capacity increased with an increase in the coating layers. The growth of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus was notably inhibited on the coated cotton fabric, and 10 coating bilayers achieved 100% inhibition of bacterial growth within 10 min. Furthermore, an ideal antibacterial ability maintained after 10 cycles of antibacterial trials or 50 washing or soaping cycles. In vitro evaluation of the hemostatic effect indicated that the coated cotton fabric could promote blood clotting by concentrating the components of blood and activating the platelets, and no significant hemolysis and cytotoxicity were observed in the coated cotton fabric. Moreover, the coated aluminum and polyurethane film also displayed an obvious antibacterial effect, which proved that the constructed coating could successfully adhere to the metal and polymer surfaces. Therefore, this work provided a proper way for the progress of a current antibacterial coating tactics for different substrate surfaces.

Circadian nuclear receptor Rev-erbalpha is expressed by platelets and potentiates platelet activation and thrombus formation

Background

Adverse cardiovascular events have day/night patterns with peaks in the morning, potentially related to endogenous circadian clock control of platelet activation. Circadian nuclear receptor Rev-erbα is an essential and negative component of the circadian clock.

Purpose

We aim to investigate the expression profile and biological function of Rev-erbα in platelets.

Methods and results

Here we report the presence and functions of circadian nuclear receptor Rev-erbα in human and mouse platelets. Both human and mouse platelet Rev-erbα showed a circadian rhythm that positively correlated with platelet aggregation. Global Rev-erbα knockout and platelet-specific Rev-erbα knockout mice exhibited defective in hemostasis as assessed by prolonged tail-bleeding times. Rev-erbα deletion also reduced ferric chloride-induced carotid arterial occlusive thrombosis, prevented collagen/epinephrine-induced pulmonary thromboembolism, and protected against microvascular microthrombi obstruction and infarct expansion in an acute myocardial infarction model. In vitro thrombus formation assessed by CD41-labeled platelet fluorescence intensity was significantly reduced in Rev-erbα knockout mouse blood. Platelets from Rev-erbα knockout mice exhibited impaired agonist-induced aggregation responses, integrin αIIbβ3 activation and α-granule release. Consistently, pharmacological inhibition of Rev-erbα by specific antagonists decreased platelet activation markers in both mouse and human platelets. Mechanistically, mass spectrometry and co-immunoprecipitation analyses revealed that Rev-erbα potentiated platelet activation via oligophrenin-1-mediated RhoA/ERM (ezrin/radixin/moesin) pathway.

Conclusion

We provide the first evidence that circadian protein Rev-erbα is functionally expressed in platelets and potentiates platelet activation and thrombus formation. Rev-erbα may serve as a novel therapeutic target for managing thrombosis-based cardiovascular disease.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: Foundation. Main funding source(s): This work was supported by grants from the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (81625002), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81930007).

[Clinical characteristics of 272 437 patients with different histopathological subtypes of primary esophageal malignant tumors]

Objective: To characterize the histopathological subtypes and their clinicopathological parameters of gender and onset age by common, rare and sparse primary esophageal malignant tumors (PEMT). Methods: A total of 272 437 patients with PEMT were enrolled in this study, and all of the patients were received radical surgery. The clinicopathological information of the patients was obtained from the database established by the State Key Laboratory of Esophageal Cancer Prevention & Treatment from September 1973 to December 2020, which included the clinical treatment, pathological diagnosis and follow-up information of esophagus and gastric cardia cancers. All patients were diagnosed and classified by the criteria of esophageal tumor histopathological diagnosis and classification (2019) of the World Health Organization (WHO). The esophageal tumors, which were not included in the WHO classification, were analyzed separately according to the postoperative pathological diagnosis. The χ² test was performed by the SPSS 25.0 software on count data, and the test standard α=0.05. Results: A total of 32 histopathological types were identified in the enrolled PEMT patients, of which 10 subtypes were not included in the WHO classification. According to the frequency, PEMT were divided into common (esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, ESCC, accounting for 97.1%), rare (esophageal adenocarcinoma, EAC, accounting for 2.3%) and sparse (mainly esophageal small cell carcinoma, malignant melanoma, etc., accounting for 0.6%). All the common, rare, and sparse types occurred predominantly in male patients, and the gender difference of rare type was most significant (EAC, male∶ female, 2.67∶1), followed with common type (ESCC, male∶ female, 1.78∶1) and sparse type (male∶ female, 1.71∶1). The common type (ESCC) mainly occurred in the middle thoracic segment (65.2%), while the rare type (EAC) mainly occurred in the lower thoracic segment (56.8%). Among the sparse type, malignant melanoma and malignant fibrous histiocytoma were both predominantly located in the lower thoracic segment (51.7%, 66.7%), and the others were mainly in the middle thoracic segment. Conclusion: ESCC is the most common type among the 32 histopathological types of PEMT, followed by EAC as the rare type, and esophageal small cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma as the major sparse type, and all of which are mainly occur in male patients. The common type of ESCC mainly occur in the middle thoracic segment, while the rare type of EAC mainly in the lower thoracic segment. The mainly sparse type of malignant melanoma and malignant fibrous histiocytoma predominately occur in the lower thoracic segment, and the remaining sparse types mainly occur in the middle thoracic segment.

[Development and validation of a prognostic model based on SEER data for patients with esophageal carcinoma after esophagectomy]

OBJECTIVE

To develop a nomogram to predict the long-term survival of patients with esophageal cancer following esophagectomy.

METHODS

We collected the data of 7215 patients with esophageal carcinoma from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database during the period from 2004 and 2016. Of these patients, 5052 were allocated to the training cohort and the remaining 2163 patients to the internal validation cohort using bootstrap resampling, with another 435 patients treated in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery of Jinling Hospital between 2014 and 2016 serving as the external validation cohort.

RESULTS

In the overall cohort, the 1-, 3-, and 5-year cancer-specific mortality rates were 14.6%, 35.7% and 41.6%, respectively. Age (≥80 years vs < 50 years, P < 0.001), gender (male vs female, P < 0.001), tumor site (lower vs middle segment, P=0.013), histology (EAC vs ESCC, P=0.012), tumor grade (poorly vs well differentiated, P < 0.001), TNM stage (Ⅳ vs Ⅰ, P < 0.001), tumor size (> 50 mm vs 0-20 mm, P < 0.001), chemotherapy (yes vs no, P < 0.001), and LNR (> 0.25 vs 0, P < 0.001) were identified as independent risk factors affecting long-term survival of the patients. The nomograms established based on the model for predicting the survival probability of the patients at 1, 3 and 5 years after operation showed a C-index of 0.726 (95% CI: 0.714-0.738) for predicting the overall survival (OS) and of 0.735 (95% CI: 0.727-0.743) for cancer-specific survival (CSS) in the training cohort. In the internal validation cohort, the C-index of the nomograms was 0.752 (95% CI: 0.738-0.76) for OS and 0.804 (95% CI: 0.790-0.817) for CSS, as compared with 0.749 (95% CI: 0.736-0.767) and 0.788 (95%CI: 0.751-0.808), respectively, in the external validation cohort. The nomograms also showed a higher sensitivity than the TNM staging system for predicting long-term prognosis.

CONCLUSION

This prognostic model has a high prediction efficiency and can help to identify the high-risk patients with esophageal carcinoma after surgery and serve as a supplement for the current TNM staging system.

Polyhexamethylene guanidine hydrochloride modified sodium alginate nonwoven with potent antibacterial and hemostatic properties for infected full-thickness wound healing

The development of multifunctional wound dressings has always been considered as a promising strategy to promote blood coagulation, inhibit bacterial infection, and accelerate wound healing. Herein, an antibacterial and hemostatic dressing (SA-PHMG) was developed based on sodium alginate (SA) nonwoven and polyhexamethylene guanidine hydrochloride (PHMG) through a completely green industrial route, including dipping, padding, and drying. According to studies, SA-PHMG dressings exhibited excellent liquid absorption capacity and water vapor permeability. Moreover, bactericidal assays have demonstrated that SA-PHMG dressings have ideal antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and mixed bacteria, maintaining potent antibacterial activity even after 10 cycles of antibacterial trials or 50 times of washing or soaping. The in vitro evaluation of the hemostatic effect indicated that the SA-PHMG could significantly promote blood clotting by activating platelets, and in vitro and in vivo hemolysis, cytotoxicity and skin irritation studies demonstrated the ideal biocompatibility of the dressings. In addition, better wound closure and tissue regeneration were recorded using SA-PHMG nonwoven as the dressing based on an infected full-thickness wound model. In conclusion, this antibacterial, hemostatic, biocompatible, and environmentally friendly SA-PHMG nonwoven exhibit the potential for infected wound healing.

AB0784 Symptoms compatible with Rome IV functional bowel disorder in patients with ankylosing spondylitis

Background

Clinical manifestations of gut problems except for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have not been well-established in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). One study investigated that 30% patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) had irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms meeting Rome III criteria.[1]

Objectives

To determine the frequency of symptoms meeting Rome IV functional bowel disorder (FBD) in patients with AS, investigate factors associated with FBD symptoms, and assess whether having FBD symptoms might influence AS disease activity.

Methods

In this cross-sectional study, we consecutively enrolled 153 AS patients without known colonic ulcer and 56 sex- and age-matched controls to evaluate FBD (or its subtypes) symptoms.[2] In AS group, logistic regression models were used to explore whether demographic data, disease activity, level of gut inflammation, drug use, and fibromyalgia [3] were associated with presence of gut symptoms. Finally, potential impacts of gut symptoms on AS disease status were assessed in linear regression models.

Results

Sixty (39.2%) of 153 AS patients had FBD symptoms, which was more prevalent than controls (23.2%). Besides, symptoms compatible with IBS and chronic diarrhea were detected in 18 and 43 AS patients respectively. For AS group, multivariable logistic regression analyses showed that symptoms of FBD, IBS, and chronic diarrhea were negatively associated with using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), and positively associated with comorbid fibromyalgia, respectively. In exploration about effects of FBD (or its subtypes) symptoms on AS disease activity by multivariable linear regression analyses, FBD symptoms and chronic diarrhea had positive associations with assessments of AS respectively.

Conclusion

Patients with AS had frequent symptoms compatible with FBD, IBS, and chronic diarrhea, proportions of which were lower in those with NSAID-use. The improvement of FBD symptoms, especially chronic diarrhea, might be conducive to disease status of AS patients.

References

[1]Wallman JK, et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 2020;79:159-61.

[2]Mearin F, et al. Gastroenterology. 2016;18:S0016-5085(16)00222-5.

[3]Wolfe F, et al. J Rheumatol. 2011;38:1113-22.

Figure 1.

Frequencies with symptoms meeting FBD criteria

Table 1.

Univariable and multivariable associations between gut symptoms and assessments of AS

Gut symptomsUnivariableMultivariableβpβpASDAS-CRPaFBD symptoms0.2340.1120.294< 0.001IBS symptoms0.0390.863Chronic diarrhea0.2170.1720.3010.002BASDAIbFBD symptoms0.747< 0.0010.764< 0.001IBS symptoms0.2020.560Chronic diarrhea0.7610.0020.845< 0.001BAS-GcFBD symptoms0.936< 0.0010.979< 0.001IBS symptoms0.0590.889Chronic diarrhea0.9030.0030.9490.001ASAS HIdFBD symptoms1.941< 0.0011.6730.003IBS symptoms2.2630.0081.7690.046Chronic diarrhea1.5000.0151.3430.030BASFIeFBD symptoms0.4330.0490.4280.048IBS symptoms0.2960.376Chronic diarrhea0.4480.0600.4250.069BASMIfFBD symptoms-0.3730.190-0.4930.075IBS symptoms-0.4420.304Chronic diarrhea-0.1790.564　　

Besides gut symptoms, other clinical variables (Block-1) being chosen into hierarchical multivariable models were as follows: aHLA-B27, lnCRP, and lnESR; bHLA-B27 and lnESR; cHLA-B27 and lnCRP; dsex and TNFi; eHLA-B27, lnESR, and TNFi; fage and lnESR. Missing data ranging from 1-7%.

Disclosure of Interests

None declared

Bioequivalence and Safety of Levetiracetam Granules and Oral Solution: A Randomized, Single-Dose, 2-Period Crossover Study in Healthy Chinese Volunteers Under a Fasting Condition

The bioequivalence and safety of levetiracetam granules (test formulation) and oral solution (reference formulation) were evaluated in Chinese healthy volunteers under a fasting condition. A total of 24 subjects randomly received the test or reference formulation at the rate of 1:1. The alternative formulation was administered after a 7-day washout period. The blood samples were collected at designated time points. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was applied to determine the plasma concentrations of levetiracetam. Adverse events were monitored and recorded. The 90% CIs for the geometric mean ratios of maximum plasma concentration, area under the plasma concentration-time curve from time 0 to the last quantifiable concentration, and area under the plasma concentration-time curve from time 0 to infinity between test preparation and reference preparation were 95.5% to 110.7%, 100.2% to 105.3%, and 100.3% to 105.7%, respectively, all within an acceptable bioequivalence range of 80.00% 125.00%. Both test and reference preparations were well tolerated. The trial confirmed that a single dose of 500-mg levetiracetam granules was bioequivalent to oral solution under a fasting condition, and may serve as a new dosage form of levetiracetam for clinical practice.

Highly sensitive time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay for the quantitative onsite detection of Alternaria longipes in tobacco

AIMS

Alternaria longipes is a causal agent of brown spot of tobacco, which remains a serious threat to tobacco production. Herein, we established a detection method for A. longipes in tobacco samples based on the principle of time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay, in order to fulfil the requirement of rapid, sensitive and accurate detection in situ.

METHODS AND RESULTS

A monoclonal antibody against A. longipes was generated, and its purity and titration were assessed using western blot and ELISA. The size of europium (III) nanospheres was measured to confirm successful antibody conjugation. The method described here can detect A. longipes protein lysates as low as 0.78 ng ml-1 , with recovery rates ranging from 85.96% to 99.67% in spiked tobacco. The specificity was also confirmed using a panel of microorganisms.

CONCLUSIONS

The fluorescent strips allow rapid and sensitive onsite detection of A. longipes in tobacco samples, with high accuracy, specificity, and repeatability.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

This novel detection method provides convenience of using crude samples without complex procedures, and therefore allows rapid onsite detection by end users and quick responses towards A. longipes, which is critical for disease control and elimination of phytopathogens.

Ventricular flow analysis and its association with exertional capacity in repaired tetralogy of Fallot: 4D flow cardiovascular magnetic resonance study

BACKGROUND

Four-dimensional (4D) flow cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) allows quantification of biventricular blood flow by flow components and kinetic energy (KE) analyses. However, it remains unclear whether 4D flow parameters can predict cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) as a clinical outcome in repaired tetralogy of Fallot (rTOF). Current study aimed to (1) compare 4D flow CMR parameters in rTOF with age- and gender-matched healthy controls, (2) investigate associations of 4D flow parameters with functional and volumetric right ventricular (RV) remodelling markers, and CPET outcome.

METHODS

Sixty-three rTOF patients (14 paediatric, 49 adult; 30 ± 15 years; 29 M) and 63 age- and gender-matched healthy controls (14 paediatric, 49 adult; 31 ± 15 years) were prospectively recruited at four centers. All underwent cine and 4D flow CMR, and all adults performed standardized CPET same day or within one week of CMR. RV remodelling index was calculated as the ratio of RV to left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic volumes. Four flow components were analyzed: direct flow, retained inflow, delayed ejection flow and residual volume. Additionally, three phasic KE parameters normalized to end-diastolic volume (KEiEDV), were analyzed for both LV and RV: peak systolic, average systolic and peak E-wave.

RESULTS

In comparisons of rTOF vs. healthy controls, median LV retained inflow (18% vs. 16%, P = 0.005) and median peak E-wave KEiEDV (34.9 µJ/ml vs. 29.2 µJ/ml, P = 0.006) were higher in rTOF; median RV direct flow was lower in rTOF (25% vs. 35%, P < 0.001); median RV delayed ejection flow (21% vs. 17%, P < 0.001) and residual volume (39% vs. 31%, P < 0.001) were both greater in rTOF. RV KEiEDV parameters were all higher in rTOF than healthy controls (all P < 0.001). On multivariate analysis, RV direct flow was an independent predictor of RV function and CPET outcome. RV direct flow and RV peak E-wave KEiEDV were independent predictors of RV remodelling index.

CONCLUSIONS

In this multi-scanner multicenter 4D flow CMR study, reduced RV direct flow was independently associated with RV dysfunction, remodelling and, to a lesser extent, exercise intolerance in rTOF patients. This supports its utility as an imaging parameter for monitoring disease progression and therapeutic response in rTOF. Clinical Trial Registration https://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT03217240.

Effects of Exercise-Diet Therapy on Cognitive Function in Healthy Elderly People Evaluated by Deep Learning Based on Basic Blood Test Data

BACKGROUND

Recent studies reported that vascular cognitive impairment in the elderly caused by arteriosclerosis plays an important role in cognitive disorders in both vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease. In addition, systemic metabolic disorders such as oxygen metabolism dysfunction could be risk of dementia. Based on these findings, we have developed a deep neural network-based screening test (DNN-based test) of cognitive function using basic blood test data, which allowed prediction of cognitive function expressed by Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores.

AIM

Here, we investigated whether the DNN-based test could be applicable to assessment of the effects of exercise-diet on cognitive function.

METHODS

We studied the following two groups: (1) seven subjects of the local fitness gym (68.6 ± 3.2 years old). We evaluated cognitive function by the DNN-based test using blood data before and after the intervention (for 3 months). These results were compared with the measured MMSE score. (2) we studied a total of 230 subjects (67.9 ± 7.4 years old) who were members of the Tsuminory health class (Apple classroom). We assessed cognitive function by the DNN-based test before and after the intervention (for 2 months). We compared the predicted MMSE scores by the DNN-based test before and after the 2-month intervention.

RESULTS

In the first group, the MMSE score predicted by the DNN-based test increased from 27.1 ± 0.8 to 27.6 ± 0.7 after the intervention period (p = 0.024). The measured MMSE score also increased after exercise, but not significant (P = 0.28). In the second group, the exercise-diet therapy increased the predicted MMSE scores in 189 cases (p < 0.001). In contrast, the therapy significantly reduced the mean MMSE score (p < 0.001).

DISCUSSION

The MMSE score predicted by the DNN-based test were increased by exercise-diet therapy in most subjects. The DNN-based test may be useful to monitor the effect of exercise-diet therapy on cognitive function aged people.

Construction of a TRFIC strip for rapid and sensitive detection of Ralstoniasolanacearum

The development of a sensitive and rapid screening method for Ralstonia solanacearum is critical for the control of tobacco wilt. In the present study, tissue homogenates of three tobacco varieties (Honda, Yunnan 87 and K326) with different resistance to R. solanacearum, were individually used as additives to the bacteria culture medium. The changes in R. solanacearum secretome were investigated and one of the most abundant secretary proteins with increased expression, polygalacturonase (PG), was selected as a marker for R. solanacearum identification. Then PG gene was cloned into E. coli, and the expressed protein was used as the immunogen to develop monoclonal antibodies. Subsequently, the monoclonal antibody against PG was coupled with synthesized polystyrene microspheres, and a rapid test strip system was developed for the detection of R. solanacearum based on time-resolved fluorescent immunochromatographic (TRFIC) method. Under optimal conditions, the detection limit of the strips could reach 72 cells/mL; while it was 422 cells/mL with a linear range from 4 × 10² to 5.12 × 10⁴ cells/mL when testing tobacco samples, which is 1000 times lower than that of colloidal gold-labeled strips. Notably, no cross-reactivity was observed with nine tobacco-related pathogens. Finally, this TRFIC strips was applied to detect R. solanacearum existed in the tobacco and soils of fields with or without bacterial wilt. The results demonstrated that this TRFIC strips could distinguish the difference in bacterial concentration existed in tobacco and soil between the two fields. In summary, this test strip is suitable for sensitive, quick screening of R. solanacearum in tobacco.