[Dental pulp stem cells in tooth regeneration: advancement and emerging directions]

Regenerating tissues similar to dental structure with normal function are putatively to be the aim in tooth regeneration filed. Currently, researchers preliminarily achieved tooth regeneration by applying dental pulp stem cells (DPSC) and stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED). However, the regeneration efficiency remains unstable and needs further investigation. The development of single-cell RNA sequencing and organoid culture system provide potential of precise, targeted and controllable functional regeneration. This article reviews the current state of DPSC/SHED on tooth regeneration, and analyzes characteristics and hotspots of them, aiming to shed light on clinical translational application of stable and efficient tooth regeneration.

A blueprint for tumor-infiltrating B cells across human cancers

B lymphocytes are essential mediators of humoral immunity and play multiple roles in human cancer. To decode the functions of tumor-infiltrating B cells, we generated a B cell blueprint encompassing single-cell transcriptome, B cell-receptor repertoire, and chromatin accessibility data across 20 different cancer types (477 samples, 269 patients). B cells harbored extraordinary heterogeneity and comprised 15 subsets, which could be grouped into two independent developmental paths (extrafollicular versus germinal center). Tumor types grouped into the extrafollicular pathway were linked with worse clinical outcomes and resistance to immunotherapy. The dysfunctional extrafollicular program was associated with glutamine-derived metabolites through epigenetic-metabolic cross-talk, which promoted a T cell-driven immunosuppressive program. These data suggest an intratumor B cell balance between extrafollicular and germinal-center responses and suggest that humoral immunity could possibly be harnessed for B cell-targeting immunotherapy.

Optimization of nutrient management improves productivity, quality and sustainability of albino tea cultivar Baiye-1

Proper nutrient management is crucially important to the sustainable development of tea production. Compared to normal green-leaf cultivars, albino tea cultivars produce green tea of superior quality characterized by high contents of amino acids as a result of the hydrolysis of chloroplast proteins at albinism. However, the advantage of albino tea cultivars was offset by inferior growth and yield performance because of low contents of chlorophylls and limited photosynthesis capacity. Our understanding about the nutrition characteristics of albino tea cultivars was very limited. A four-year field experiment was conducted to develop proper nutrient management for Baiye-1 to overcome its weakness of low productivity without a tradeoff in tea quality and environmental risks. The nutrient management schemes were formulated by optimizing the rate and ratio of nitrogen (N), phosphorus, potassium and magnesium together with substitution of chemical fertilizers with organic manures. The total amounts of nutrients in the optimized schemes were reduced by 25% compared to the local farmers' practice (FP). Results showed that optimized rates and ratio of nutrients together with partial substitution of chemical fertilizers with rapeseed cake manure more considerably improved albino tea yield, the contents of free amino acids, total polyphenol and catechins relative to FP. Partial substitution of chemical fertilizers with commercial livestock manure decreased tea quality, which was likely caused by a dilution effect of increasing tea yield and decreasing N status of tea plants. Full organic substitution of chemical fertilizers by rapeseed cake manure improved tea yield and quality but had relatively low agronomic efficiency and profit. The effect of optimized nutrient management schemes was associated with the improvement of nutritional status in tea plants. The present work demonstrated that the optimization of nutrient management considerably improved albino tea yield, quality and profit while decreased the application rate of fertilizers and the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions.

Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals immune cell dysfunction in the peripheral blood of patients with highly aggressive gastric cancer

Highly aggressive gastric cancer (HAGC) is a gastric cancer characterized by bone marrow metastasis and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). Information about the disease is limited. Here we employed single-cell RNA sequencing to investigate peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), aiming to unravel the immune response of patients toward HAGC. PBMCs from seven HAGC patients, six normal advanced gastric cancer (NAGC) patients, and five healthy individuals were analysed by single-cell RNA sequencing. The expression of genes of interest was validated by bulk RNA-sequencing and ELISA. We found a massive expansion of neutrophils in PBMCs of HAGC. These neutrophils are activated, but immature. Besides, mononuclear phagocytes exhibited an M2-like signature and T cells were suppressed and reduced in number. Analysis of cell-cell crosstalk revealed that several signalling pathways involved in neutrophil to T-cell suppression including APP-CD74, MIF-(CD74+CXCR2), and MIF-(CD74+CD44) pathways were increased in HAGC. NETosis-associated genes S100A8 and S100A9 as well as VEGF, PDGF, FGF, and NOTCH signalling that contribute to DIC development were upregulated in HAGC too. This study reveals significant changes in the distribution and interactions of the PBMC subsets and provides valuable insight into the immune response in patients with HAGC. S100A8 and S100A9 are highly expressed in HAGC neutrophils, suggesting their potential to be used as novel diagnostic and therapeutic targets for HAGC.

A Hybrid Scaffold Induces Chondrogenic Differentiation and Enhances In Vivo Cartilage Regeneration

Extensively researched tissue engineering strategies involve incorporating cells into suitable biomaterials, offering promising alternatives to boost tissue repair. In this study, a hybrid scaffold, Gel-DCM, which integrates a photoreactive gelatin-hyaluronic acid hydrogel (Gel) with an oriented porous decellularized cartilage matrix (DCM), was designed to facilitate chondrogenic differentiation and cartilage repair. The Gel-DCM exhibited excellent biocompatibility in vitro, promoting favorable survival and growth of human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs) and articular chondrocytes (hACs). Gene expression analysis indicated that the hACs expanded within the Gel-DCM exhibited enhanced chondrogenic phenotype. In addition, Gel-DCM promoted chondrogenesis of hADSCs without the supplementation of exogenous growth factors. Following this, in vivo experiments were conducted where empty Gel-DCM or Gel-DCM loaded with hACs/hADSCs were used and implanted to repair osteochondral defects in a rat model. In the control group, no implants were delivered to the injury site. Interestingly, macroscopic, histological, and microcomputed tomography scanning results revealed superior cartilage restoration and subchondral bone reconstruction in the empty Gel-DCM group compared with the control group. Moreover, both hACs-loaded and hADSCs-loaded Gel-DCM implants exhibited superior repair of hyaline cartilage and successful reconstruction of subchondral bone, whereas defects in the control groups were predominantly filled with fibrous tissue. These observations suggest that the Gel-DCM can provide an appropriate three-dimensional chondrogenic microenvironment, and its combination with reparative cell sources, ACs or ADSCs, holds great potential for facilitating cartilage regeneration.

Arthroscopic Resection for Extra-articular Ganglion Cysts of Gastrocnemius Near Vessels

Extra-articular ganglion cysts arising from the gastrocnemius tendon near popliteal vessels can cause pain and claudication. Open resection of this kind of cyst has been described frequently because the vessels can be well protected with a retractor. However, it's a challenge to remove cysts that are near vessels under arthroscopy, because a retractor cannot be used in arthroscopic surgery. This article will report a method of arthroscopic resection for extra-articular ganglion cysts near popliteal vessels.

Hydroponic barley supplementation fed with high protein diets improves the production performance of lactating dairy cows

The study investigated the effects of dietary protein level and the inclusion of hydroponic barley sprouts (HB) on lactation performance, blood biochemistry and N use efficiency in mid-lactation dairy cows. Treatments were arranged in a 2 × 2 factorial design with 2 crude protein (CP) levels [16.8% and 15.5% of dry matter (DM)], with HB (4.8% of DM, replacing 4.3% of alfalfa hay and 0.5% of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS)) or without HB. Forty-eight multiparous Holstein dairy cows (146 ± 15 d in milk, 40 ± 5 kg/d of milk) were randomly allocated to 1 of 4 diets: high protein diet (16.8% CP, HP), HP with HB (HP+HB), low protein diet (15.5% CP, LP), or LP with HB (LP+HB). An interaction between CP × HB on dry matter intake (DMI) was detected, with DMI being unaffected by HB inclusion in cows fed the high CP diets, but was lower in cows fed HB when the low CP diet was fed. A CP × HB interaction was also observed on milk and milk protein yield, which was higher in cows fed HB with HP, but not LP. Inclusion of HB also tended to reduce milk fat content, and feeding HP resulted in a higher milk protein and milk urea N content, but lower milk lactose content. Feed efficiency was increased by feeding HP or HB diets, whereas N efficiency was higher for cows fed LP or HB diets. There was an interaction on the apparent total-tract digestibility of DM and CP, which was higher when HB was fed along with HP, but reduced when fed with LP, whereas the digestibility of ADF was increased by feeding low protein diets. In conclusion, feeding a low protein diet had no adverse effect on cow performance, while feeding HB improved milk and milk component yield, and N efficiency when fed with a high CP diet, but compromised cow performance with a low CP diet.

Fast and flexible profiling of chromatin accessibility and total RNA expression in single nuclei using Microwell-seq3

Single cell chromatin accessibility profiling and transcriptome sequencing are the most widely used technologies for single-cell genomics. Here, we present Microwell-seq3, a high-throughput and facile platform for high-sensitivity single-nucleus chromatin accessibility or full-length transcriptome profiling. The method combines a preindexing strategy and a penetrable chip-in-a-tube for single nucleus loading and DNA amplification and therefore does not require specialized equipment. We used Microwell-seq3 to profile chromatin accessibility in more than 200,000 single nuclei and the full-length transcriptome in ~50,000 nuclei from multiple adult mouse tissues. Compared with the existing polyadenylated transcript capture methods, integrative analysis of cell type-specific regulatory elements and total RNA expression uncovered comprehensive cell type heterogeneity in the brain. Gene regulatory networks based on chromatin accessibility profiling provided an improved cell type communication model. Finally, we demonstrated that Microwell-seq3 can identify malignant cells and their specific regulons in spontaneous lung tumors of aged mice. We envision a broad application of Microwell-seq3 in many areas of research.

Construction of single-cell cross-species chromatin accessibility landscapes with combinatorial-hybridization-based ATAC-seq

Despite recent advances in single-cell genomics, the lack of maps for single-cell candidate cis-regulatory elements (cCREs) in non-mammal species has limited our exploration of conserved regulatory programs across vertebrates and invertebrates. Here, we developed a combinatorial-hybridization-based method for single-cell assay for transposase-accessible chromatin using sequencing (scATAC-seq) named CH-ATAC-seq, enabling the construction of single-cell accessible chromatin landscapes for zebrafish, Drosophila, and earthworms (Eisenia andrei). By integrating scATAC censuses of humans, monkeys, and mice, we systematically identified 152 distinct main cell types and around 0.8 million cell-type-specific cCREs. Our analysis provided insights into the conservation of neural, muscle, and immune lineages across species, while epithelial cells exhibited a higher organ-origin heterogeneity. Additionally, a large-scale gene regulatory network (GRN) was constructed in four vertebrates by integrating scRNA-seq censuses. Overall, our study provides a valuable resource for comparative epigenomics, identifying the evolutionary conservation and divergence of gene regulation across different species.

Accuracy of machine learning in the preoperative identification of ovarian borderline tumors: a meta-analysis

AIM

The objective of this study is to explore the diagnostic value of machine learning (ML) in borderline ovarian tumors through meta-analysis.

METHODS

Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were comprehensively retrieved from database inception untill February 16, 2023. The Prediction Model Risk of Bias Assessment Tool (PROBAST) was adopted to evaluate the risk of bias in the original studies. Sub-group analyses of ML were conducted according to clinical features and radiomics features. We separately discussed the discriminative value of ML for borderline vs benign and borderline vs malignant tumors.

RESULTS

Eighteen studies involving 12,778 subjects were included in our analysis. The modeling variables mainly consisted of radiomics features (n=13) and a small number of clinical features (n=5). When distinguishing between borderline and benign tumors, the ML model based on radiomic features achieved a c-index of 0.782 (95% CI: 0.732-0.831), sensitivity of 0.75 (95% CI: 0.67-0.82), and specificity of 0.75 (95% CI: 0.67-0.81) in the validation set. When distinguishing between borderline and malignant tumors, the ML model based on radiomic features achieved a c-index of 0.916 (95% CI: 0.891-0.940), sensitivity of 0.86 (95% CI: 0.78-0.91), and specificity of 0.88 (95% CI: 0.82-0.92) in the validation set. In addition, we analyzed the discriminatory ability of radiologists and found that their sensitivity was 0.26 (95% CI: 0.12-0.46) and specificity was 0.94 (95% CI: 0.90-0.97).

CONCLUSIONS

ML has tremendous potential in the preoperative diagnosis and differentiation of borderline ovarian tumors and may be more accurate than radiologists in diagnosing and differentiating borderline ovarian tumors.

Discovery of New Isotopes ^{160}Os and ^{156}W: Revealing Enhanced Stability of the N=82 Shell Closure on the Neutron-Deficient Side

Using the fusion-evaporation reaction ^{106}Cd(^{58}Ni,4n)^{160}Os and the gas-filled recoil separator SHANS, two new isotopes _{76}^{160}Os and _{74}^{156}W have been identified. The α decay of ^{160}Os, measured with an α-particle energy of 7080(26) keV and a half-life of 201_{-37}^{+58}  μs, is assigned to originate from the ground state. The daughter nucleus ^{156}W is a β^{+} emitter with a half-life of 291_{-61}^{+86}  ms. The newly measured α-decay data allow us to derive α-decay reduced widths (δ^{2}) for the N=84 isotones up to osmium (Z=76), which are found to decrease with increasing atomic number above Z=68. The reduction of δ^{2} is interpreted as evidence for the strengthening of the N=82 shell closure toward the proton drip line, supported by the increase of the neutron-shell gaps predicted in theoretical models.

Dynamics of oxidative stress and immune responses in neonatal calves during diarrhea

Oxidative stress is the imbalanced redox status between oxidant production and their scavengers leading to intestinal physiological dysfunction. However, the role of systemic and local oxidative status during neonatal calf diarrhea is not known. This study assessed systemic (serum) and local (fecal) oxidative status when calves either naturally developed diarrhea or naturally recovered. Healthy calves were enrolled in the study at d 18 of age, and their health status was monitored from the enrollment. Based on their enteric health status on d 21 and 28, calves were grouped as continuous diarrhea from d 21 to 28 (n = 14), diarrhea at d 21 but recovered at d 28 (DH group, n = 19), healthy at d 21 but developed diarrhea at d 28 (HD group, n = 15), and healthy throughout the study (HH group, n = 16). Serum and fecal samples were collected at d 21 and 28 from all calves in the morning 2 h after feeding. Dynamics of oxidative stress indicators including reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA), H2O2, 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHDG), glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, catalase (CAT), and total antioxidant capacity and inflammatory indicators TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, and IFN-γ were evaluated using serum samples. In addition, fecal oxidative stress indicators ROS and MDA were measured. Serum ROS, MDA, 8-OHDG, as well as fecal ROS and MDA, were higher, whereas serum CAT and H2O2 were lower in diarrheic calves than those of healthy calves. Serum ROS, MDA, and 8OHDG and fecal ROS and MDA increased in the HD group from d 21 to 28 as they developed diarrhea. In contrast, all these oxidative stress markers decreased in the DH group from d 21 to 28 as they recovered. However, serum H2O2 had an opposite changing trend, which became lower in the HD group and higher in the DH group at d 28. In conclusion, both systemic and local oxidative stress markers and cytokine profiles altered as calves moved from being healthy to having diarrhea or vice versa. Serum ROS, MDA, and 8-OHDG can be used to develop biomarkers to screen calves prone to enteric infections during the preweaning period.

Pan-Cancer Single-Nucleus Total RNA Sequencing Using snHH-Seq

Tumor heterogeneity and its drivers impair tumor progression and cancer therapy. Single-cell RNA sequencing is used to investigate the heterogeneity of tumor ecosystems. However, most methods of scRNA-seq amplify the termini of polyadenylated transcripts, making it challenging to perform total RNA analysis and somatic mutation analysis.Therefore, a high-throughput and high-sensitivity method called snHH-seq is developed, which combines random primers and a preindex strategy in the droplet microfluidic platform. This innovative method allows for the detection of total RNA in single nuclei from clinically frozen samples. A robust pipeline to facilitate the analysis of full-length RNA-seq data is also established. snHH-seq is applied to more than 730 000 single nuclei from 32 patients with various tumor types. The pan-cancer study enables it to comprehensively profile data on the tumor transcriptome, including expression levels, mutations, splicing patterns, clone dynamics, etc. New malignant cell subclusters and exploring their specific function across cancers are identified. Furthermore, the malignant status of epithelial cells is investigated among different cancer types with respect to mutation and splicing patterns. The ability to detect full-length RNA at the single-nucleus level provides a powerful tool for studying complex biological systems and has broad implications for understanding tumor pathology.

Cucumis sativus CsbZIP90 suppresses Podosphaera xanthii resistance by modulating reactive oxygen species

Resistance to disease in plants requires the coordinated action of multiple functionally related genes, as it is difficult to improve disease resistance with a single functional gene. Therefore, the use of transcription factors to regulate the expression of multiple resistance genes to improve disease resistance has become a recent focus in the field of gene research. The basic leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factor family plays vital regulatory roles in processes, such as plant growth and development and the stress response. In our previous study, CsbZIP90 (Cucsa.134370) was involved in the defense response of cucumber to Podosphaera xanthii, but the relationship between cucumber and resistance to powdery mildew remained unclear. Herein, we detected the function of CsbZIP90 in response to P. xanthii. CsbZIP90 was localized to the cytoplasm and nucleus, and its expression was significantly induced during P. xanthii attack. Transient overexpression of CsbZIP90 in cucumber cotyledons resulted in decreased resistance to P. xanthii, while silencing CsbZIP90 increased resistance to P. xanthii. CsbZIP90 negatively regulated the expression of reactive oxygen species (ROS)-related genes and activities of ROS-related kinases. Taken together, our results show that CsbZIP90 suppresses P. xanthi resistance by modulating ROS. This study will provide target genes for breeding cucumbers resistant to P. xanthii.

Notch signaling regulates Th17 cells differentiation through PI3K/AKT/mTORC1 pathway and involves in the thyroid injury of autoimmune thyroiditis

PURPOSE

Autoimmune Thyroiditis (AIT) is the most common thyroid disease; however, there were no measures to prevent the progression of the disease. The present study attempts to identify that Notch signaling regulates the differentiation of T helper 17 (Th17) cells by activating downstream Phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase/protein kinase/mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (PI3K/AKT/mTORC1) pathway participating in the thyroid injury of the experimental autoimmune thyroiditis (EAT).

METHODS

In vivo experiments, mice were randomly divided into 4 groups: a control group, an EAT group, and two groups with LY294002 treatment (pTg plus 25 mg/kg or 50 mg/kg LY294002, respectively). The degrees of thyroiditis were evaluated, and the percentage of Th17 cells, expression of interleukin-17A (IL-17A), and the main components of the Notch-PI3K signaling pathway were detected in different groups. In vitro experiments, two different dosages of LY294002 (25 and 50 μM) were used to intervene splenic mononuclear cells (SMCs) from EAT mice to further evaluate the regulatory effect of Notch-PI3K pathway on Th17 cells.

RESULTS

Our data demonstrate that the infiltration of Th17 cells and the expressions of IL-17A, Notch, hairy and split 1 (Hes1), p‑AKT (Ser473), p‑AKT (Thr308), p‑mTOR (Ser2448), S6K1, and S6K2 increased remarkably in EAT mice. After PI3K pathway was blocked, the degrees of thyroiditis were significantly alleviated, and the proportion of Th17 cells, the expression of IL-17A, and the above Notch-PI3K pathway-related molecules decreased in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, the proportion of Th17 cells was positively correlated with the concentration of serum thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb), IL-17A, and Notch-PI3K pathway-related molecules mRNA levels.

CONCLUSIONS

Notch signal promotes the secretion of IL-17A from Th17 cells by regulating the downstream PI3K/AKT/mTORC1 pathway through Hes-Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) and participates in thyroid autoimmune damage, and the PI3K pathway inhibitor may play important effects on AIT by affecting Th17 cells differentiation.

Influence of Organic and Inorganic Fertilizers on Tea Growth and Quality and Soil Properties of Tea Orchards' Top Rhizosphere Soil

Organic-based fertilizers have been ratified to be effective in ameliorating tea growth and the fertility of soil. However, the effect of integrated fertilization on tea growth and quality and the chemical properties of the soil in tea gardens are unclear. To address this, from 2020 to 2021, five different treatments were carried out in the greenhouse of the Tea Research Institute, Hangzhou, CAAS, including CK (control), NPK (chemical fertilizers), RC (rapeseed cake), NPK+B (chemical fertilizer + biochar), and NPK+RC, to investigate the effects of different fertilizations on soil chemistry and tea growth and quality. The results indicated that NPK+B and NPK+RC significantly improved the different amino acid and catechin concentrations in the young shoots, stems, and roots of the tea compared to the CK. The plant growth parameters, e.g., the plant height, no. of leaves, mid-stem girth, and fresh weights of stems and leaves, were significantly increased with integrated fertilization (NPK+B and NPK+RC) compared to the CK and solo organic and inorganic fertilizers. The chlorophyll contents (Chl a, Chl b, and Chl a+b) were generally higher with NPK+RC than with the CK (37%, 35%, and 36%), RC (14%, 26%, and 18%), and NPK (9%, 13%, and 11%) treatments. Integrated fertilization buffered the acidic soil of the tea garden and decreased the soil C:N ratio. NPK+RC also significantly increased the soil's total C (31% and 16%), N (43% and 31%), P (65% and 40%), available P (31% and 58%), K (70% and 25%), nitrate (504% and 188%), and ammonium (267% and 146%) concentrations compared to the CK and RC. The soil macro- (Mg and Ca) and micronutrients (Mn, Fe, Zn, and Cu) were significantly improved by the RC (100% and 72%) (49%, 161%, 112%, and 40%) and NPK+RC (88% and 48%) (47%, 75%, 45%, and 14%) compared to the CK. The chlorophyll contents and soil macro- and micronutrients were all significantly positively correlated with tea quality (amino acids and catechin contents) and growth. These results indicated that integrated fertilization improved the soil nutrient status, which is associated with the improvement of tea growth and quality. Thus, integrated nutrient management is a feasible tool for improving tea growth, quality, and low nutrient levels in the soil.

Analysis of differentially expressed genes in torn rotator cuff tendon tissues in diabetic patients through RNA-sequencing

BACKGROUND

Rotator cuff tears (RCT) is a common musculoskeletal disorder in the shoulder which cause pain and functional disability. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is characterized by impaired ability of producing or responding to insulin and has been reported to act as a risk factor of the progression of rotator cuff tendinopathy and tear. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in the development of various diseases, but little is known about their potential roles involved in RCT of diabetic patients.

METHODS

RNA-Sequencing (RNA-Seq) was used in this study to profile differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs in RCT samples between 3 diabetic and 3 nondiabetic patients. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis were performed to annotate the function of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). LncRNA-mRNA co-expression network and competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network were constructed to elucidate the potential molecular mechanisms of DM affecting RCT.

RESULTS

In total, 505 lncRNAs and 388 mRNAs were detected to be differentially expressed in RCT samples between diabetic and nondiabetic patients. GO functional analysis indicated that related lncRNAs and mRNAs were involved in metabolic process, immune system process and others. KEGG pathway analysis indicated that related mRNAs were involved in ferroptosis, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, Wnt signaling pathway, JAK-STAT signaling pathway and IL-17 signaling pathway and others. LncRNA-mRNA co-expression network was constructed, and ceRNA network showed the interaction of differentially expressed RNAs, comprising 5 lncRNAs, 2 mRNAs, and 142 miRNAs. TF regulation analysis revealed that STAT affected the progression of RCT by regulating the apoptosis pathway in diabetic patients.

CONCLUSIONS

We preliminarily dissected the differential expression profile of lncRNAs and mRNAs in torn rotator cuff tendon between diabetic and nondiabetic patients. And the bioinformatic analysis suggested some important RNAs and signaling pathways regarding inflammation and apoptosis were involved in diabetic RCT. Our findings offer a new perspective on the association between DM and progression of RCT.

Involvement of GA3-oxidase in inhibitory effect of nitric oxide on primary root growth in Arabidopsis

Both NO and GAs are essential for regulating various physiological processes and stress responses in plants. However, the interaction between these two molecules remains unclear. We investigated the distinct response patterns of Arabidopsis thaliana Col-0 and GA synthesis functional deficiency mutants to NO by measuring root length. To investigate underlying mechanisms, we detected bioactive GA content using UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS, assessed the accumulation of ROS by chemical staining Arabidopsis roots. We also conducted RNA-seq analysis and compared results between Col-0 and ga3ox1, with and without SNP (as NO donor) treatment. Phenotypic results revealed that the inhibitory effect of NO on primary roots of Arabidopsis was primarily mediated by GA3-oxidase, rather than GA20-oxidase or GA2-oxidase. The content of GA3 decreased in Col-0 treated with SNP, whereas this decrease was not observed in ga3ox1. The deficiency of GA3-oxidase alleviated the buildup of H2 O2 in roots when treated with SNP. We identified 222 DEGs. GO annotation of these DEGs revealed that all top 20 GO terms were related to stress responses. Moreover, three DEGs were annotated to GA-related processes (DDF1, DDF2, EXPA1), and seven DEGs were associated with root development (RAV1, RGF2, ERF71, ZAT6, MYB77, XT1, and DTX50). In summary, NO inhibits primary root growth partially by repressing GA3-oxidase catalysed GA3 synthesis in Arabidopsis. ROS, Ca2+ , DDF1, DDF2, EXPA1 and seven root development-related genes may be involved in crosstalk between NO and GAs.

Identification and verification of feature biomarkers associated with immune cells in recurrent pregnancy loss

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to investigate the causes, diagnostic markers, and treatment methods for recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) using bioinformatics approaches.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Bioinformatics methods were utilized to analyze gene expression databases to identify key genes and modules associated with RPL. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was employed to identify gene sets related to maternal-fetal immunity. Gene set variation analysis (GSVA) and protein-protein interaction networks were used to explore signaling pathways and molecular interactions in RPL. Immune cell infiltration was assessed using single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA).

RESULTS

Thirteen genes were identified as potential diagnostic markers, some of which were involved in placental amino acid transport, glucose absorption, and reactive oxygen species production. Several gene sets related to protein transport, steroid synthesis, and glycosaminoglycan degradation were found to be associated with RPL. Immune cell infiltration analysis found that CD56bright NK cells and monocytes showed significantly increased infiltration in RPL and were associated with key hub genes. The validation of hub genes, including PCSK5, CCND2, SLC5A3, RASAL1, MYZAP, MFAP4, and P2RY14, as potential diagnostic markers, showed promising value.

CONCLUSIONS

This study contributes to a better understanding of the etiology of RPL and potential diagnostic markers. The identified immune-related gene sets, signaling pathways, and immune cell infiltrations provide valuable insights for future research and therapeutic advancements in RPL.

Development of the Clinical pHysical rEsilience assEssment Scale (CHEES) in Chinese Older Adults

BACKGROUND

Physical resilience is an emerging concept that describes an individual's capacity to recover from stressors. However, few instruments are currently available for assessing physical resilience.

OBJECTIVE

To develop a scale to assess physical resilience in older adults.

DESIGN

Development of a clinical scale.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

A total of 172 hospitalized older adults were recruited.

MEASUREMENTS

This study comprised two stages. First, a pool of physical resilience scale items was created through a literature review, and the Delphi method was used to establish an initial scale. Second, the initial physical resilience scale was tested on hospitalized older adults.

RESULTS

Five primary and 19 secondary items were identified after reviewing the literature. After two rounds of expert consultations, three primary and 16 secondary items were determined. The overall Cronbach's alpha for the scale was 0.760. Except for items N2, N4, N5, N8, and N14, Pearson's correlation between the scores of the remaining items and the total score ranged from 0.407 to 0.672. Except for items N2, N4, and N5, the corrected item-total correlation results ranged from 0.301 to 0.580, indicating good consistency between each item and the overall scale. Factor analysis showed that except for N7, the factor loadings of the remaining items were between 0.584 and 0.844. After expert discussions, items N2, N4, N7, and N14 were included in the scale, and items N5 and N8 were removed.

CONCLUSION

A 14-item physical resilience scale, CHEES, was developed to assess physical resilience levels in older adults.

A novel chemokine biomarker to distinguish active tuberculosis from latent tuberculosis: a cohort study

BACKGROUND

Interferon-γ release assays (IGRAs), which are widely used to diagnose tuberculosis (TB), cannot effectively discriminate latent TB infection (LTBI) from active TB (ATB). This study aimed to identify potential antigen-specific biomarkers for differentiating LTBI cases from ATB cases.

METHODS

Ongoing recruitment was conducted of individuals meeting study inclusion criteria at Beijing Chest Hospital from May 2020 to April 2022; 208 participants were enrolled and assigned to three groups: HC (60 healthy controls), LTBI (52 subjects with LTBI) and ATB (96 ATB patients). After participants were assigned to the discovery cohort (20 or 21 subjects/group), all others were assigned to the verification cohort. Discovery cohort blood levels of 40 chemokines were measured using Luminex assays to identify chemokines that could be used to discriminate LTBI cases from ATB cases; candidate biomarkers were verified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-based testing of validation cohort samples.

RESULTS

Luminex results revealed highest ATB group levels of numerous cytokines, growth factors and chemokines. Receiving operating characteristic curve-based analysis of 40 biomarkers revealed CCL8 (AUC = 0.890) and CXCL9 (AUC = 0.883) effectively discriminated between LTBI and TB cases; greatest diagnostic efficiency was obtained using both markers together (AUC = 0.929). Interpretation of CCL8 and CXCL9 levels for validation cohort IGRA-positive subjects (based on a 0.658-ng/ml cutoff) revealed ATB group CCL8-based sensitivity and specificity rates approaching 90.79% and 100.00%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

TB-specific chemokines hold promise as ATB diagnostic biomarkers. Additional laboratory confirmation is needed to establish whether CCL8-based assays can differentiate between ATB and LTBI cases, especially for bacteriologically unconfirmed TB cases.

Erratum: Measurement of the 2νββ Decay Half-Life of ^{130}Te with CUORE [Phys. Rev. Lett. 126, 171801 (2021)]

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.171801.

[Prevention and control of pediatric tinea capitis]

Tinea capitis is a superficial fungal infection of the scalp and hair caused by Dermatophytes. It represents the most prevalent superficial fungal infection among preadolescent children worldwide, including in developing countries such as China. The highly contagious nature of tinea capitis can result in outbreaks within communal settings for children. Furthermore, pustular lesions associated with this condition can lead to permanent scarring and hair loss, imposing a significant psychological burden on affected children and their parents. This article aims to provide a comprehensive literature review encompassing the susceptible person, epidemiological characteristics, trends, etiology, modes of transmission, clinical manifestations, treatment, and prevention strategies of tinea capitis. The ultimate objective is to raise awareness, implement effective prevention and control measures, interrupt the transmission cycle, and ultimately reduce the incidence of tinea capitis in the pediatric population.

[Evaluating the efficiency of endoscope-assisted septo-rhinoplasty via intranasal approach]

Objective: To observe the functional and esthetic results of endoscope-assisted septo-rhinoplasty via intranasal approach. Methods: The clinical data of 12 patients with septal deviation and nasal deformity in the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital from June 2021 to June 2022 were analyzed, including 8 males and 4 females, aging 28 to 58 years. All patients were operated under general anesthesia. The septal deviation was corrected by hemitransfixion incision, combined with intercartilaginous incision and other intranasal or extranasal incisions to perform osteotomy, hump resection and saddle nose correction. Patient satisfaction with postoperative functional and aesthetic improvements was assessed through Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE), Rhinoplasty Outcome Evaluation (ROE), and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS).SPSS 25 software was used for statistical analysis. Results: The correction of nasal septum deviation was satisfactory in all 12 patients. Nasal obstruction was relieved, with NOSE score and VAS score of nasal ventilation decreased [(21.67±10.30) vs (70.83±14.12), (1.83±1.03) vs (8.33±0.89), t value was 9.49 and 16.30, respectively, both P<0.05]. The nasal appearance of 10 patients with crooked nose deformity was improved, with ROE score and VAS score of nasal appearance increased [(21.30±2.31) vs (8.10±3.31), (8.90±0.99) vs (3.80±1.62), t value was -11.85 and -9.33, respectively, both P<0.05];The nasal vestibule morphology of 2 patients with abnormal nasal vestibule was improved. During the follow-up of 12 to 24 months, no postoperative complication such as nasal septum perforation, nasal cavity adhesion or nasal dorsal collapse occurred in all patients. Conclusion: Endoscope-assisted septo-rhinoplasty via intranasal approach can resolve both functional and esthetic problems at the same time, improving outcomes while reducing surgical trauma.

[Outcomes after surgical repair of pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect and major aortopulmonary collateral arteries: a series of 104 cases]

Objective: To examine the early and midterm surgical outcome of pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect and major aortopulmonary collateral arteries (PA/VSD/MAPCA) using revised surgical strategies. Methods: A retrospective analysis of clinical data, surgical methods, and follow-up results was performed of 104 cases of PA/VSD/MAPCA in Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center from January 2017 to September 2022. There were 55 males and 49 females, aged (M(IQR)) 33.9(84.0) months (range: 0.5 to 209.6 months) at the first surgical procedures. The anatomical classification included 89 cases of type B and 15 cases of type C. The number of major aortopulmonary collateral arteries was 4.2 (3.0) (range: 1 to 8). The Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival estimation. Results: In the first stage of surgery, 50 patients underwent a complete primary repair, 12 patients underwent partial repair, 32 patients underwent palliative right ventricular-pulmonary artery connection, and only 10 patients chose the Blalock-Taussig shunt. There were 10 cases of early death. In the second stage, 14 patients underwent complete repair and 4 patients underwent partial repair with no early death. The interval between the two surgeries was 19 (10) months (range: 9 to 48 months). Finally, during the 40 (34) months follow-up period, a total of 64 patients were complete repair and the right/left ventricular pressure ratio after complete repair was 0.63±0.16 (range: 0.36 to 1.00). Survival analysis showed that survival rates at 1 and 5 years after first-stage surgery were both 89.4% (95%CI: 83.5% to 95.3%). At 28 (34) months (range: 1 to 67 months) of follow-up after complete repair, the survival analysis showed that the survival rates at 1 and 5 years were both 95.2% (95%CI: 89.9% to 100%). Conclusions: Using combined approaches tailored to individual patients and optimized unifocalization strategy, the complete repair rate at one stage and the cumulative complete repair rate at 5 years improved significantly with a lower right/left ventricular pressure ratio and satisfactory early and intermediate survival.

PDCA cycle management combined with detailed management of postoperative deep vein thrombosis in patients undergoing hip replacement surgery

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to analyze and explore the effect of Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle management combined with detailed management on postoperative deep venous thrombosis in patients undergoing hip replacement surgery.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients who underwent hip replacement surgery in our hospital between November 2021 and April 2023 were recruited for the study. After screening, patients who met all the inclusion criteria were assessed for eligibility. Finally, 80 adults were enrolled. All patients were assigned into observation and control groups (1:1) according to the sequence of admission, i.e., patients admitted between November 2021 and August 2022 were the control group, and patients admitted between September 2022 and April 2023 were the observation group.

RESULTS

The intraoperative blood loss and hospital stay in the observation group were significantly less than those in the control group (p<0.05). After the intervention, the levels of plasma prothrombin time (PT), thrombin time (TT), and thromboplastin time (APTT) in the observation group were higher than those in the control group, and the DD level was lower than that in the control group (p<0.05). There was one patient in the observation group who developed deep venous thrombosis after the operation, and the incidence was 2.50%. The rate was significantly lower than that of the control group (p<0.05). The hip joint function score of the observation group was higher than that of the control group, and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) scale score was lower than that of the control group (p<0.05). The incidence of adverse reactions in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

PDCA cycle management plus detailed management in patients with hip replacement surgery yields a favorable clinical outcome, which can effectively prevent postoperative deep vein thrombosis, and improve surgical indicators and postoperative coagulation function. Also, it reduces the incidence of adverse reactions in patients and facilitates recovery. It has a beneficial impact on the prognosis of patients and deserves promotion.

Prevalence and influencing factors of depressive and anxiety symptoms among hospital-based healthcare workers during the surge period of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Chinese mainland: a multicenter cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

From November 2022 to February 2023, the Chinese mainland experienced a surge in COVID-19 infection and hospitalization, and the hospital-based healthcare workers (HCWs) might suffer serious psychological crisis during this period. This study aims to assess the depressive and anxiety symptoms among HCWs during the surge of COVID-19 pandemic and to provide possible reference on protecting mental health of HCWs in future infectious disease outbreaks.

METHODS

A multicenter cross-sectional study was carried out among hospital-based HCWs in the Chinese mainland from 5 January to 9 February 2023. The PHQ-9 (nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire) and GAD-7 (seven-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire) were used to measure depressive and anxiety symptoms. Ordinal logistic regression analysis was performed to identify influencing factors.

RESULTS

A total of 6522 hospital-based HCWs in the Chinse mainland were included in this survey. The prevalence of depressive symptoms among the HCWs was 70.75%, and anxiety symptoms was 47.87%. The HCWs who perceived higher risk of COVID-19 infection and those who had higher work intensity were more likely to experience depressive and anxiety symptoms. Additionally, higher levels of mindfulness, resilience and perceived social support were negatively associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms.

CONCLUSION

This study revealed that a high proportion of HCWs in the Chinese mainland suffered from mental health disturbances during the surge of the COVID-19 pandemic. Resilience, mindfulness and perceived social support are important protective factors of HCWs' mental health. Tailored interventions, such as mindfulness practice, should be implemented to alleviate psychological symptoms of HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic or other similar events in the future.

Hyperon Polarization along the Beam Direction Relative to the Second and Third Harmonic Event Planes in Isobar Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV

The polarization of Λ and Λ[over ¯] hyperons along the beam direction has been measured relative to the second and third harmonic event planes in isobar Ru+Ru and Zr+Zr collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV. This is the first experimental evidence of the hyperon polarization by the triangular flow originating from the initial density fluctuations. The amplitudes of the sine modulation for the second and third harmonic results are comparable in magnitude, increase from central to peripheral collisions, and show a mild p_{T} dependence. The azimuthal angle dependence of the polarization follows the vorticity pattern expected due to elliptic and triangular anisotropic flow, and qualitatively disagrees with most hydrodynamic model calculations based on thermal vorticity and shear induced contributions. The model results based on one of existing implementations of the shear contribution lead to a correct azimuthal angle dependence, but predict centrality and p_{T} dependence that still disagree with experimental measurements. Thus, our results provide stringent constraints on the thermal vorticity and shear-induced contributions to hyperon polarization. Comparison to previous measurements at RHIC and the LHC for the second-order harmonic results shows little dependence on the collision system size and collision energy.

Patterns and abiotic drivers of soil organic carbon in perennial tea (Camellia sinensis L.) plantation system of China

Understanding soil organic carbon (SOC), the largest carbon (C) pool of a terrestrial ecosystem, is essential for mitigating climate change. Currently, the spatial patterns and drivers of SOC in the plantations of tea, a perennial leaf crop, remain unclear. Therefore, the present study surveyed SOC across the main tea-producing areas of China, which is the largest tea producer in the world. We analyzed the soil samples from tea plantations under different scenarios, such as provinces, regions [southwest China (SW), south China (SC), south Yangtze (SY), and north Yangtze (NY)], climatic zones (temperate, subtropical, and tropical), and cultivars [large-leaf (LL) and middle or small-leaf (ML) cultivars]. Preliminary analysis revealed that most tea-producing areas (45%) had SOC content ranging from 10 to 20 g kg-1. The highest SOC was recorded for Yunnan among the various provinces, the SW tea-producing area among the four regions, the tropical region among the different climatic zones, and the areas with LL cultivars compared to those with ML cultivars. Further Pearson correlation analysis demonstrated significant associations between SOC and soil variables and random forest modeling (RF) identified that total nitrogen (TN) and available aluminum [Ava(Al)] of soil explained the maximum differences in SOC. Besides, a large indirect effect of geography (latitude and altitude) on SOC was detected through partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM) analysis. Thus, the study revealed a high spatial heterogeneity in SOC across the major tea-producing areas of China. The findings also serve as a basis for planning fertilization strategies and C sequestration policies for tea plantations.

[Analysis of clinical characteristics and treatment status of atopic dermatitis in a children's hospital in Beijing from 2015 to 2019]

To analyze the clinical characteristics and treatment status of atopic dermatitis (AD) in children in the outpatient department of a children's hospital in Beijing from 2015 to 2019. This study used a cross-sectional study method to retrospectively analyze the data of AD patients who visited the Dermatology outpatient department of Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, from April 2015 to April 2019. A total of 1 926 AD patients aged 0-17.5 years old living in Beijing and its surrounding areas were included, and the general situation, severity and distribution of AD disease, clinical characteristics and severity of AD, relevant influencing factors of AD onset, AD disease prognosis and treatment status were recorded. SAS 9.4, SPSS19.0, and R software were used for data processing, and descriptive statistical analysis, Chi-square test, Analysis of Variance, and correspondence analysis were used for statistical analysis. The results showed that the male to female ratio of AD patients in children included in this study was 1.4∶1; 79.0% (1 522/1 926), 86.1%(1 658/1 926), 91.3%(1 758/1 926), and 97.3%(1 907/1 926) of AD onset at the age of 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, and 5 years, respectively; mild of AD patients accounted for 13.2% (255/1 926)(SCORAD score 0-24), moderate of AD patients accounted for 50.1%(965/1 926) (SCORAD score 25-50), and severe of AD patients accounted for 36.7% (706/1 926)(SCORAD score>50).The age of severe AD patients were younger than mild and moderate AD patients. The face, head, trunk, and lower limbs were common areas of onset for moderate to severe AD, while the hands, feet, and ears were common areas of onset for severe AD patients. Temperature changes, hot water factors, mental and emotional states, and spring and winter were the main aggravation factors of AD;35.2% (678/1 926) aggravated and 61.8% (1 191/1 926) persistent. The more frequent bathing, the less severity of AD disease (χ2=29.791,P<0.001); 28.0% (520/1 856) of AD patients have no moisturizing habits, which were correlated with the severity of AD disease (χ2=15.908, P<0.05); the proportion of combined treatment medications in children with moderate to severe AD was significantly higher than mild AD patients. In conclusion, the patients with AD who went to specialist clinics were mainly moderate to severe patients and developed disease before the age of 5 years from 2015 to 2019.The severity of AD were mainly moderate to severe, and most of these patients had poor disease control. Traditional treatment plans had limitations. Identifying the clinical characteristics and treatment status of childhood AD would help us to carry out more targeted prevention and management work.

Target of rapamycin (TOR) plays a role in regulating ROS-induced chloroplast damage during cucumber (Cucumis sativus) leaf senescence

In cucumber production, delaying leaf senescence is crucial for improving cucumber yield and quality. Target of rapamycin (TOR) is a highly conserved serine/threonine protein kinase in eukaryotes, which can integrate exogenous and endogenous signals (such as cell energy state levels) to stimulate cell growth, proliferation, and differentiation. However, no studies have yet examined the regulatory role of TOR signalling in cucumber leaf senescence. In this study, the effects of TOR signalling on dark-induced cucumber leaf senescence were investigated using the TOR activator MHY1485 and inhibitor AZD8055 combined with transient transformation techniques. The results indicate that TOR responds to dark-induced leaf senescence, and alterations in TOR activity/expression influence cucumber leaf resistance to dark-induced senescence. Specifically, in plants with elevated TOR activity/expression, we observed reduced expression of senescence-related genes, less membrane lipid damage, decreased cell apoptosis, lower levels of reactive oxygen species production, and less damage to the photosynthetic system compared to the control. In contrast, in plants with reduced TOR activity/expression, we observed higher expression of senescence-related genes, increased membrane lipid damage, enhanced cell apoptosis, elevated levels of reactive oxygen species production, and more damage to the photosynthetic system. These comprehensive results underscore the critical role of TOR in regulating dark-induced cucumber leaf senescence. These findings provide a foundation for controlling premature leaf senescence in cucumber production and offer insights for further exploration of leaf senescence mechanisms and the development of more effective control methods.

Au Doping PtNi Nanodendrites for Enhanced Electrocatalytic Methanol Oxidation Reaction

To boost the electrocatalytic methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) of Platinum (Pt), making binary PtM (M = transition metals, for example, Fe, Cu, and Ni) with specific morphology is known as a promising method. Although great progress has been made in the synthesis of shaped PtM catalysts toward MOR, enhancing the catalytic performance of the PtM to enable it to be commercialized is still a hotspot. In this work, the Au-doped PtNi dendritic nanoparticles (Au-PtNi DNPs) were obtained by doping a small amount of gold (Au) into initially prepared PtNi DNPs, greatly improving their MOR catalytic activity and durability. The energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy mapping (EDXS) indicates that the surface of DNPs is mainly composed of Au dopant and PtNi, while the core is mainly Pt, indicating the formation of Au-doped PtNi/Pt core-shell-like DNP structures. The electrocatalytic performance of the prepared Au-PtNi DNPs with different compositions for the MOR was evaluated using cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry, and CO-stripping tests. The experimental findings indicate that the Au-PtNi DNPs showed better MOR performance in comparison with PtNi DNPs and commercial Pt catalysts. Among all the catalysts, 6% Au-PtNi DNPs showed 4.3 times improved mass catalytic activity for the MOR in comparison with commercial Pt catalysts. In addition, all the prepared Au-PtNi DNPs display a remarkable CO tolerance compared to that of PtNi DNPs and commercial Pt catalysts. The dendritic structure of Au-PtNi DNPs can effectively enhance catalytic performance, combined with the electronic effect of Au, Pt, and Ni.

[A Meta-analysis of the predictive value of peripheral blood neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio in mortality of patients with acute paraquat poisoning]

Objective: To evaluate the predictive value of peripheral blood neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in mortality of patients with acute paraquat poisoning. Methods: In March 2022, all literatures about the studies on NLR assessing the mortality of patients with acute paraquat poisoning were searched in the National Library of Medicine PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library Database, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang Medicine Database, Weipu Database, China Biology Medicine disc (SinoMed). The data updated by March 2022, without the limitation of languages. Two researchers extracted literature information independently and conducted literature quality evaluation using QUADAS-2. And the data extracted from the literatures were analyzed with Stata 16 software. Results: A total of 9 studies were included in this Meta-analysis, including 967 patients. And the Meta-analysis results showed that the combined sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio and diagnostic odds ratio were 0.77 (95%CI: 0.72-0.82, P<0.05), 0.83 (95%CI: 0.74-0.90, P<0.05), 4.63 (95%CI: 2.99-7.15, P<0.05), 0.27 (95%CI: 0.22-0.34, P<0.05) and 17.06 (95%CI: 10.22-28.48, P<0.05), and the area under the curve (AUC) of the summary receiver operator characteristics curve (SROC) was 0.85 (95%CI: 0.81-0.88) . Conclusion: NLR has predictive value in 30-day mortality of patients with acute paraquat poisoning.

Measurement of the 2νββ Decay Rate and Spectral Shape of ^{100}Mo from the CUPID-Mo Experiment

Neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ) is a yet unobserved nuclear process that would demonstrate Lepton number violation, a clear evidence of beyond standard model physics. The process two neutrino double beta decay (2νββ) is allowed by the standard model and has been measured in numerous experiments. In this Letter, we report a measurement of 2νββ decay half-life of ^{100}Mo to the ground state of ^{100}Ru of [7.07±0.02(stat)±0.11(syst)]×10^{18}  yr by the CUPID-Mo experiment. With a relative precision of ±1.6% this is the most precise measurement to date of a 2νββ decay rate in ^{100}Mo. In addition, we constrain higher-order corrections to the spectral shape, which provides complementary nuclear structure information. We report a novel measurement of the shape factor ξ_{3,1}=0.45±0.03(stat)±0.05(syst) based on a constraint on the ratio of higher-order terms from theory, which can be reliably calculated. This is compared to theoretical predictions for different nuclear models. We also extract the first value for the effective axial vector coupling constant obtained from a spectral shape study of 2νββ decay.

Genetic Origins and Adaptive Evolution of the Deng People on the Tibetan Plateau

The Tibetan Plateau is populated by diverse ethnic groups, but most of them are underrepresented in genomics studies compared with the Tibetans (TIB). Here, to gain further insight into the genetic diversity and evolutionary history of the people living in the Tibetan Plateau, we sequenced 54 whole genomes of the Deng people with high coverage (30-60×) and analyzed the data together with that of TIB and Sherpas, as well as 968 ancient Asian genomes and available archaic and modern human data. We identified 17.74 million novel single-nucleotide variants from the newly sequenced genomes, although the Deng people showed reduced genomic diversity and a relatively small effective population size. Compared with the other Tibetan highlander groups which are highly admixed, the Deng people are dominated by a sole ancestry that could be traced to some ancient northern East Asian populations. The divergence between Deng and Tibetan people (∼4,700-7,200 years) was more recent than that between highlanders and the Han Chinese (Deng-HAN, ∼9,000-14,000 years; TIB-HAN, 7,200-10,000 years). Adaptive genetic variants (AGVs) identified in the Deng are only partially shared with those previously reported in the TIB like HLA-DQB1, whereas others like KLHL12 were not reported in TIB. In contrast, the top candidate genes harboring AGVs as previously identified in TIB, like EPAS1 and EGLN1, do not show strong positive selection signals in Deng. Interestingly, Deng also showed a different archaic introgression scenario from that observed in the TIB. Our results suggest that convergent adaptation might be prevalent on the Tibetan Plateau.

Comparison of Survival Outcomes between Adults and Pediatrics with Non-Metastatic Head and Neck Rhabdomyosarcoma: A SEER Database Analysis of 550 Patients

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Despite the long-term survival rate for children with head and neck rhabdomyosarcoma (HNRMS) has improved to over 70-80% due to advancements in therapeutic approaches, the survival outcomes for adult HNRMS have not been thoroughly investigated. Our study aims to compare and analyze the survival outcomes of adult and pediatric patients with non-metastatic HNRMS, with a focus on the effect of different local treatment methods on disease outcomes.

MATERIALS/METHODS

We conducted a retrospective analysis of data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database covering the period from 2004 to 2018. Our study population consisted of patients with Head and Neck Rhabdomyosarcoma (HNRMS) who had not developed distant metastases and received at least one local treatment, either radiotherapy or surgery. The comparison of overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) was performed between the adult and pediatric patient groups, and between patients who received surgery (with or without radiotherapy) and those who received radiotherapy only (non-surgery).

RESULTS

In the study of 550 patients diagnosed with Head and Neck Rhabdomyosarcoma (HNRMS), data was collected from 181 (32.9%) adult and 369 (67.1%) pediatric patients. The results showed that the adult patient group had a significantly worse outcome compared to the pediatric group in terms of 5-year overall survival (OS) rate (34.9% vs 81.6%, P<0.001) and 5-year cancer specific survival (CSS) rate (59.96% vs 87.48%, P<0.001). Of these patients, 308(56%) underwent radical surgery, with 228 (41.5%) receiving a combination of radiation and surgery and the remaining 242 (44%) receiving radiation therapy alone. No significant differences were found in 5-year OS and CSS rates between the surgery and non-surgery (radiation only) groups in adult patients (34.9% vs 35.0%, P = 0.900; 60.2% vs 59.6%, P = 0.988). However, there were slight differences observed in the pediatric patient group, with the 5-year OS and CSS rates being higher for the surgery group compared to the non-surgery group (86.9% vs 75.9%, P = 0.001 and 90.6% vs 84.2%, P = 0.054, respectively).

CONCLUSION

The results of this cohort study indicate that age plays a crucial role in predicting survival outcomes in patients diagnosed with Head and Neck Rhabdomyosarcoma (HNRMS). The findings highlight the need for age-specific treatment strategies for HNRMS patients. While the data suggests that radiotherapy may be a viable first-line option for non-metastatic adult HNRMS patients, additional research is required to validate these trends.

The Short-Term Efficacy and Safety of Induction Chemotherapy Combined with PD-1 Inhibitor or Anti-EGFR in Locoregionally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

This study aimed to investigate the short-term efficacy and safety of induction chemotherapy (IC) combined with PD-1 inhibitor or anti-EGFR in the treatment of locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LA-NPC).

MATERIALS/METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the clinical data of 206 patients with LA-NPC, including IC combined with anti-PD1 (57 patients), IC combined with anti-EGFR (28 patients), and IC alone (121 patients). The short-term efficacy was assessed at the end of IC and one month after overall treatment. According to the RECIST v1.1, the short-term efficacy of cervical lymph nodes and primary nasopharynx foci was divided into complete remission (CR), partial remission (PR), stable disease (SD), and progressive disease (PD). The overall response (ORR) was defined as the sum of CR and PR. Acute toxicities were graded according to the CTCAE v5.0. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare differences in the numerical variables among groups. Fisher Freeman-Halton test or Pearson Chi-square test was used to compare classified variables.

RESULTS

The ORR rates of primary nasopharynx foci in IC, anti-EGFR, and anti-PD1 group were 68.60%, 67.9%, and 94.7%, respectively, and the corresponding rates of ORR in cervical lymph nodes were 78.5%, 71.4%, and 93.0%, respectively. There was a statistical difference in the ORR between the three groups. Further analysis showed that after IC or overall treatment, the CR rate of primary nasopharynx foci in the anti-PD1 group was significantly higher than the other two groups. The most common adverse effects were hematotoxicity, gastrointestinal toxicity, and transaminase elevation. However, there were no statistical differences in the frequency of any common adverse effects between the three groups.

CONCLUSION

The addition of anti-PD1 based on IC significantly improved the short-term efficacy of LA-NPC and toxicities were tolerable.

Effect of artesunate on cardiovascular complications in periodontitis in a type I diabetes rat model and related mechanisms

PURPOSE

Both cardiovascular disease and periodontitis are complications of diabetes that have a great impact on human life and health. Our previous research found that artesunate can effectively improve cardiovascular disease in diabetes and has an inhibitory effect on periodontal disease. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore the potential therapeutic possibility of artesunate in the protection against cardiovascular complications in periodontitis with type I diabetes rats and to elucidate the possible underlying mechanisms.

METHODS

Sprague‒Dawley rats were randomly divided into the healthy, diabetic, periodontitis, diabetic with periodontitis, and artesunate treatment groups (10, 30, and 60 mg/kg, i.g.). After artesunate treatment, oral swabs were collected and used to determine changes in the oral flora. Micro-CT was performed to observe changes in alveolar bone. Blood samples were processed to measure various parameters, while cardiovascular tissues were evaluated by haematoxylin-eosin, Masson, Sirius red, and TUNEL staining to observe fibrosis and apoptosis. The protein and mRNA expression levels in the alveolar bone and cardiovascular tissues were detected using immunohistochemistry and RT‒PCR.

RESULTS

Diabetic rats with periodontitis and cardiovascular complications maintained heart and body weight but exhibited reduced blood glucose levels, and they were able to regulate blood lipid indicators at normal levels after artesunate treatment. The staining assays suggested that treatment with 60 mg/kg artesunate has a significant therapeutic effect on myocardial apoptotic fibrosis. The high expression of NF-κB, TLR4, VEGF, ICAM-1, p38 MAPK, TGF-β, Smad2, and MMP9 in the alveolar bone and cardiovascular tissue in the type I diabetes and type I diabetes with periodontitis rat models was reduced after treatment with artesunate in a concentration-dependent manner. Micro-CT showed that treatment with 60 mg/kg artesunate effectively alleviated alveolar bone resorption and density reduction. The sequencing results suggested that each model group of rats had vascular and oral flora dysbiosis, but artesunate treatment could correct the dysbacteriosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Periodontitis-related pathogenic bacteria cause dysbiosis of the oral and intravascular flora in type I diabetes and aggravate cardiovascular complications. The mechanism by which periodontitis aggravates cardiovascular complications involves the NF-κB pathway, which induces myocardial apoptosis, fibrosis, and vascular inflammation.

Evaluating the Effects of Bone Marrow Sparing Radiotherapy on Acute Hematologic Toxicity for Patients with Locoregionally Advanced Cervical Cancer: A Prospective Phase II Randomized Controlled Trial

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Bone marrow sparing intensity modulated radiotherapy (BMS-IMRT) can reduce the incidence of acute hematologic toxicity (HT) for locoregionally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) patients receiving concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT), but the norm has been controversial. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effects of bone marrow (BM) V40 <25% on decreasing the incidence of acute HT in a prospective clinical trial.

MATERIALS/METHODS

A total of 242 LACC patients were recruited from May 2021 to May 2022, who were evenly randomized into BMS-IMRT group and standard IMRT group according to a computer-generated random number list. All patients received pelvic irradiation with concurrent cisplatin (40 mg/m2 weekly), followed by brachytherapy. For patients in BMS-IMRT group, the outer contour of pelvic bone, lumbar spine and left and right femur heads were additionally delineated as a surrogate for BM, and V40 <25% was prescribed. Blood counts were tested weekly, of which nadirs during external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) were graded to assess acute HT as primary observation index. Second observation index were dosimetric parameters of EBRT plan from the dose volume histograms (DVHs). Binary logistic regression model and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used for predictive value analysis.

RESULTS

Baseline demographic, disease and treatment characteristics were all balanced between BMS-IMRT group and standard IMRT group. BMS-IMRT was associated with a lower incidence of grade ≥2 and grade ≥3 acute HT, leukopenia and neutropenia (72.70% vs 90.90%, P <0.001*; 16.50% vs 65.30%, P <0.001*; 66.10% vs 85.10%, P = 0.001*; 13.20% vs 54.50%, P <0.001*; 37.20% vs 66.10%, P <0.001*; 10.70% vs 43.80%, P <0.001*). Plan target volume (PTV) for all patients satisfied the clinical requirement of V(100%) ≥95%, and conformity and homogeneity were both comparable between 2 groups. BMS also decreased dose delivered to the organs at risk (OARs) including rectum, bladder and left and right femur head. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that BM V40 was an independent risk factor for grade ≥3 acute HT (odds ratio [OR] = 2.734, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.959-3.815, P <0.001*). Cutoff value was 25.036% and area under the curve (AUC) was 0.786. The nomogram was constructed, which was rigorously evaluated and internally cross-validated, showing good predictive performance.

CONCLUSION

BM V40 <25% can reduce the risks of acute HT for LACC patients receiving CCRT while the dose delivery of target volume and other normal tissues were not compromised. With great practicality and applicability, BM V40 <25% is a promising strategy, making BMS-IMRT widespread especially in the area where application of image guided radiotherapy (IGRT) such as 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18FDG-PET)/CT is not popularized. Chinese clinical trial registry (ChiCTR2200066485).

Metagenomic reconstructions of caecal microbiome in Landes, Roman and Zhedong White geese

1. The caecal microbiota in geese play a crucial role in determining the host's health, disease status and behaviour, as evidenced by extensive epidemiological data. The present investigation conducted 10× metagenomic sequencing of caecal content samples obtained from three distinct goose species, namely Landes geese, Roman geese and Zhedong White geese (n = 5), to explore the contribution of the gut microbiome to carbohydrate metabolism.2. In total, 337GB of Illumina data were generated, which identified 1,048,575 complete genes and construction of 331 metagenomic bins, encompassing 78 species from nine phyla. Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria and Bacteria were identified as the dominant phyla while Prevotella, Bacteroides, Streptococcus, and Subdoligranulum were the most abundant genera in the caecum of geese.3. The genes were allocated to 375 pathways using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome (KEGG) analysis. The most abundant classes in the caecum of geese were confirmed to be glycoside hydrolases (GHs), glycosyl transferases (GTs), as identified through the carbohydrate-active enzyme (CAZyme) database mapping. Subdoligranulum variabile and Mediterraneibacter glycyrrhizinilyticus were discovered to potentially facilitate carbohydrate digestion in geese.4. Notwithstanding, further investigation and validation are required to establish a connection between these species and CAZymes. Based on binning analysis, Mediterraneibacter glycyrrhizinilyticus and Ruminococcus sp. CAG:177 are potential species in LD geese that contribute to the production of fatty liver.

[The application of ultrasound in the diagnosis of small bowel volvulus in adults]

Objective: To analyze the ultrasound characteristics of small bowel volvulus among adults and to investigate the value of ultrasound in the diagnosis of small bowel volvulus. Methods: Totally 34 adults with small bowel volvulus confirmed by clinical diagnosis or surgery and who underwent ultrasound examination at Peking Union Medical College Hospital from August 2017 to October 2022 were enrolled, including 19 males and 15 females, aged (55.0±21.8) years (range: 19 to 94 years). The clinical characteristics, CT images and ultrasound images of the patients were retrospectively reviewed, and the ultra, sound features of small bowel volvulus and its diagnostic efficacy were analyzed. Results: Abdominal pain was the typical clinical symptom of all patients. Other symptoms included 21 cases of abdominal distension, 19 cases of nausea and vomiting, and 13 cases of cessation of passage of stool or flatus. Eight patients had signs of peritonitis and 22 patients had abnormal bowel sounds. Twenty patients had a history of abdominal surgery. Twenty-seven patients underwent surgery for intestinal obstruction, and the remaining 7 patients improved after conservative treatment. All cases were evaluated by ultrasound, 11 cases showed a "whirl sign" and were diagnosed as small bowel volvulus, the diagnostic accuracy rate was 32.4% (11/34), ultrasound simultaneously diagnosed intestinal obstruction in 21 cases, 17 cases of abdominal effusion, 4 cases of intestinal wall thickening, 2 cases of abdominal mass, 1 case of intussusception, 1 case of right sided inguinal hernia. CT and ultrasound had a consistent positive discovery in 88.2% (30/34) of all the patients. Conclusion: Ultrasound is valuable in the diagnosis of small bowel volvulus and the evaluation of complications.

Prospective Efficacy of Two Cycles Toripalimab Plus Induction Chemotherapy in T4 or N3 Locoregionally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: A Retrospective and Mechanistic Study

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Gemcitabine-cisplatin (GP) as the most commonly used induction chemotherapy is the standard first-line systemic treatment for advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma. However, the toxicity of three cycles induction chemotherapy following on chemoradiotherapy remains a pertinent issue. Additional monoclonal antibody against human programmed death-1 (PD-1) has shown promising efficacy in recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

MATERIALS/METHODS

In this study, we compared three cycles of gemcitabine and cisplatin as classical induction chemotherapy with two cycles of induction chemotherapy plus toripalimab, and then both groups treated with the similar concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma staging T4 or N3 were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive gemcitabine (at a dose of 1 g per square meter of body-surface area on days 1 and 8) plus cisplatin (80 mg per square meter on day 1-3), administered every 3 weeks for three cycles, or GP combined with toripalimab (at a dose of 240mg) for two cycles. The primary end point was recurrence-free survival (i.e., freedom from disease recurrence [distant metastasis or locoregional recurrence] or death from any cause) in the intention-to-treat population. Secondary end points included overall survival, treatment adherence, and safety.

RESULTS

A total of 60 patients were included in the trial (30 patients in the toripalimab combined induction chemotherapy group and another 30 in the standard-therapy group). Among 60 patients evaluable for response assessment after induction therapy, all patients had overall response in combined group, including 10 patients (30%) with complete response (CR) in the primary tumor site. 21 patients (70%) were evaluated as partial response (PR) in the standard induction chemotherapy, and another 9 patients were assessed as SDa. At a median follow-up of 27.6 months, the 6-months, 1-, 2-year recurrence-free survival was 100% vs 86.7%, 100% vs 80%, 93% vs 70% in the toripalimab combined induction chemotherapy group and standard-therapy group (stratified hazard ratio for recurrence or death, 0.62; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.38 to 0.87; P = 0.001). Overall survival at 2 years was 93.3% and 100%, respectively (stratified hazard ratio for death, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.29 to 0.79). The incidence of acute adverse events of grade 3 or 4 was 76.8% in the standard-induction chemotherapy group and 56% in the standard-therapy group, with a higher incidence of neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, anemia, nausea, and vomiting in the induction chemotherapy group. The incidence of grade 3 or 4 late toxic effects was 10.2% in the induction chemotherapy group and 10.4% in the combined-therapy group.

CONCLUSION

Two cycles of toripalimab combined with induction chemotherapy of and CCRT shows excellent distant metastatic control with acceptable safety, which is a new promising and effective systemic therapy regimen for high-risk of metastatic NPC patients.

Combining Radiotherapy with Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy as First-Line Treatment for De Novo Metastatic Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: A Dual-Center Retrospective Analysis

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Local regional radiotherapy combined with systemic chemotherapy significantly improves the prognosis of patients with metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Immunochemotherapy has become the first-line treatment for initial metastatic NPC. This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of local regional radiotherapy combined with immunochemotherapy as the first-line treatment of metastatic NPC.

MATERIALS/METHODS

Patients with histologically proven de novo metastatic NPC who received immunotherapy and chemotherapy followed by local-regional radiotherapy were included from 2 cancer centers. Toxicity and treatment response were assessed using CTCAE 5.0 and RECIST 1.1, respectively. Overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method.

RESULTS

From 2019 to 2021, a total of 16 patients were retrospectively analyzed. The median age was 44.5-year-old (range 16-76). Patients with ≥3 metastatic lesions accounts for 58.8%. Bone metastasis was the most common metastatic site. The chemotherapy regimens were paclitaxel/gemcitabine and cisplatin. Toripalimab, camrelizumab and sintilimab were used for immunotherapy. All patients completed the local regional radiotherapy with 69.96Gy for primary nasopharyngeal tumor and positive lymph nodes, 60.06Gy for high-risk region and 50ཞ54.45Gy for low-risk region. Seven patients underwent radiotherapy for metastatic lesions. The median follow-up was 20.5 months (range 6-38 months). Two-year OS was 100%. Three patients experienced distant progression. One-year and 2-year PFS rate was 93.8% and 76.7%, respectively. After combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy, the overall response rate (ORR) was 93.7% with a complete response (CR) of 6.3%. At the end of radiotherapy, the ORR was 100%. Nine patients (56.3%) achieved CR. Radiotherapy related acute severe (grade 3 or higher) toxicity was dermatitis (1/16, 6.3%) and mucositis (2/16, 12.5%). Immunotherapy related hypophysitis and capillary hyperplasia was 6.3% and 6.3%, respectively. No long-term toxicity was observed.

CONCLUSION

Loco-regional radiotherapy provided a promising efficacy with modest toxicity for patients with metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma who received immunochemotherapy.

Measurement of the Prompt D^{0} Nuclear Modification Factor in p-Pb Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=8.16 TeV

The production of prompt D^{0} mesons in proton-lead collisions in both the forward and backward rapidity regions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of sqrt[s_{NN}]=8.16  TeV is measured by the LHCb experiment. The nuclear modification factor of prompt D^{0} mesons is determined as a function of the transverse momentum p_{T}, and the rapidity in the nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass frame y^{*}. In the forward rapidity region, significantly suppressed production with respect to pp collisions is measured, which provides significant constraints on models of nuclear parton distributions and hadron production down to the very low Bjorken-x region of ∼10^{-5}. In the backward rapidity region, a suppression with a significance of 2.0-3.8 standard deviations compared to parton distribution functions in a nuclear environment expectations is found in the kinematic region of p_{T}>6  GeV/c and -3.25 Collapse

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[Perspectives on molecular diagnosis and targeted therapy for complex vascular malformations in pediatrics]

Vascular malformations are due to abnormal development of blood and/or lymphatic vessels during embryonic life without endothelial cell proliferation. Most of the previous treatments were symptomatic methods as surgery and sclerotherapy because the pathogenic mechanism was not clearly understood. With advances in molecular biology, the pathogenesis of vascular malformations is thought to be related to inherited and/or somatic mutations that eventually activate the PI3K/ATK/mTOR, Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK pathways. Also, related studies have promoted the use of targeted inhibitors. This article provides a review of current causative genes and targeted drugs for pediatric vascular malformations, aiming to provide a basis for promoting accurate molecular diagnosis and precision targeted therapy for these diseases.

[Effect of different respiratory motion correction methods on PET image quality in chest PET/MRI]

Objective: To investigate the effect of different respiratory motion correction methods on PET images during chest PET/MRI scans. Methods: The data of 35 patients (24 males and 11 females, aged from 29 to 84 year) of pulmonary lesions with significantly high uptake in thoracic PET/MRI scan were retrospective collected from Jingling Hospital. Four different methods were used to reconstruct the PET data. Group A was the full-time 20 min without respiratory motion correction static acquisition (Static) as a control, group B was the end-expiration static collection (Q.Static), and group C was the multi-bins respiratory gating (Gated-Respiratory). In addition, the influence of the time being considered, group D was added for reconstruction in the first 1/3 period (6 min 40 s) of group A. Then, the maximum value (L-SUVmax) and the mean value (L-SUVmean) of the SUV of the lesion, the mean value (B-SUVmean) and the standard deviation (B-SUVsd) of the SUV of the background under each reconstruction results were measured, and for each lesion the signal-to-noise ratio (L-SNR) was calculated. In order to exclude the interference of the background, the mean of the relative SUV (L-dSUVmean) of the L-SUVmean relative to the B-SUVmean was also calculated. Finally, One-Way Repeated Measures ANOVA was used, and the post-hoc pairwise comparison between groups was tested by Bonferroni's modified test. Results: There was statistically significant difference among group B or group C compared to group A and group D in L-SUVmax, L-SUVmean and L-dSUVmean [L-SUVmax:group B vs group A or group D was 8.06±3.57 vs 7.73±3.45 or 7.61±3.50, group C vs group A or group D was 8.04±3.56 vs 7.73±3.45 or 7.61±3.50 (all P<0.05); L-SUVmean: group B vs group A or group D was 4.12±1.78 vs 3.98±1.72 or 3.91±1.71, group C vs group A or group D was 4.13±1.78 vs 3.98±1.72 or 3.91±1.71 (all P<0.05); L-dSUVmean: group B vs group A or group D was 3.52±0.16 vs 3.39±0.18 or 3.31±0.18, group C vs group A or group D was 3.53±0.18 vs 3.39±0.18 or 3.31±0.18 (all P<0.05)], but there was no statistically significant difference between group B and group C (all P>0.05). There were statistically significant differences between group D and group A in B-SUVsd (0.07±0.00 vs 0.07±0.00, P=0.023) and L-SNR (69.80±44.57 vs 85.35±68.98, P=0.001). There was no statistically significant difference between group D and group A in L-SUVmax, L-SUVmean, B-SUVmean and L-dSUVmean (all P>0.05). Conclusions: There was no significant difference in PET image quality between the Q.static and Gated-Respiratory group, both of the two groups were better than the Static group which with no Gated-Respiratory motion correction. If non-respiratory gated Static is used, the PET acquisition time is recommended to be 6 min 40 s.

Measurement of the Time-Integrated CP Asymmetry in D^{0}→K^{-}K^{+} Decays

The time-integrated CP asymmetry in the Cabibbo-suppressed decay D^{0}→K^{-}K^{+} is measured using proton-proton collision data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.7  fb^{-1} collected at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV with the LHCb detector. The D^{0} mesons are required to originate from promptly produced D^{*+}→D^{0}π^{+} decays, and the charge of the companion pion is used to determine the flavor of the charm meson at production. The time-integrated CP asymmetry is measured to be A_{CP}(K^{-}K^{+})=[6.8±5.4±1.6]×10^{-4} where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. The direct CP asymmetries in D^{0}→K^{-}K^{+} and D^{0}→π^{-}π^{+} decays, a_{K^{-}K^{+}}^{d} and a_{π^{-}π^{+}}^{d}, are derived by combining A_{CP}(K^{-}K^{+}) with the time-integrated CP asymmetry difference, ΔA_{CP}=A_{CP}(K^{-}K^{+})-A_{CP}(π^{-}π^{+}), and other inputs, giving a_{K^{-}K^{+}}^{d}=(7.7±5.7)×10^{-4},a_{π^{-}π^{+}}^{d}=(23.2±6.1)×10^{-4},with a correlation coefficient corresponding to ρ=0.88. The compatibility of these results with CP symmetry is 1.4 and 3.8 standard deviations for D^{0}→K^{-}K^{+} and D^{0}→π^{-}π^{+} decays, respectively. This is the first evidence for direct CP violation in a specific D^{0} decay.

Engineering enhanced chimeric antigen receptor-T cell therapy for solid tumors

The early clinical success and subsequent US Food and Drug Administration approval of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy for leukemia and lymphoma affirm that engineered T cells can be a powerful treatment for hematologic malignancies. Yet this success has not been replicated in solid tumors. Numerous challenges emerged from clinical experience and well-controlled preclinical animal models must be met to enable safe and efficacious CAR-T cell therapy in solid tumors. Here, we review recent advances in bioengineering strategies developed to enhance CAR-T cell therapy in solid tumors, focusing on targeted single-gene perturbation, genetic circuits design, cytokine engineering, and interactive biomaterials. These bioengineering approaches present a unique set of tools that synergize with CAR-T cells to overcome obstacles in solid tumors and achieve robust and long-lasting therapeutic efficacy.