Seawater-Associated Highly Pathogenic Francisella hispaniensis Infections Causing Multiple Organ Failure.

A rare case of Francisella hispaniensis infection associated with seawater exposure occurred in a deep-sea diving fisherman in Zhejiang, China. He had skin and soft tissue infection that progressed to bacteremia and multiple organ failure. Moxifloxacin treatment cleared the infections, but the patient suffered a sequela of heart damage.

ROS1-ADGRG6: a case report of a novel ROS1 oncogenic fusion variant in lung adenocarcinoma and the response to crizotinib.

BACKGROUND: ROS1 rearrangements are validated drivers in lung cancer, which have been identified in a small subset (1-2%) of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). To date, 18 fusion genes of ROS1 have been identified in NSCLC. The ALK inhibitor (crizotinib) exhibits therapeutic effect against ROS1-rearranged NSCLC. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology represents a novel tool for ROS1 detection that covers many fusion genes. CASE PRESENTATION: A 55-year-old female with EGFR mutation (L858R) was diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, who was responsive to first-generation EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). Afterwards, she developed acquired resistance accompanied with a ROS1 rearrangement. A NGS assay showed that the tumor had a novel ROS1-ADGRG6 rearrangement generated by the fusion of exons of 1-33 of ROS1 on chr6: q22.1 to exons of 2-26 of ADGRG6 on chr6: q24.2. The patient was obviously responsive to crizotinib. CONCLUSION: We firstly identified ROS1-ADGRG6 fusion variant in NSCLC by NGS, which should be considered in further ROS1 detecting assays.

[Retracted] MicroRNA­671­5p inhibits cell proliferation, migration and invasion in non­small cell lung cancer by targeting MFAP3L.

Following the publication of this paper, it was drawn to the Editors' attention by a concerned reader that the western blotting data shown in Fig. 4B and the Transwell cell invasion data shown in Figs. 2D and 4E were strikingly similar to data appearing in different form in other articles written by different authors at different research institutes that had already been published elsewhere prior to the submission of this paper to Molecular Medicine Reports (one of which has been retracted). Moreover, there appeared to be inappropriately edited western blot bands featured in Figs. 4 and 5. In view of the fact that certain of the abovementioned data had already apparently been published previously, the Editor of Molecular Medicine Reports has decided that this paper should be retracted from the Journal. After having been in contact with the authors, they agreed with the decision to retract the paper. The Editor apologizes to the readership for any inconvenience caused. [Molecular Medicine Reports 25: 30, 2022; DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2021.12546].

Gradient gyroid Ti6Al4V scaffolds with TiO2 surface modification: Promising approach for large bone defect repair.

Large bone defects, particularly those exceeding the critical size, present a clinical challenge due to the limited regenerative capacity of bone tissue. Traditional treatments like autografts and allografts are constrained by donor availability, immune rejection, and mechanical performance. This study aimed to develop an effective solution by designing gradient gyroid scaffolds with titania (TiO2) surface modification for the repair of large segmental bone defects. The scaffolds were engineered to balance mechanical strength with the necessary internal space to promote new bone formation and nutrient exchange. A gradient design of the scaffold was optimized through Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations to enhance fluid flow and cell adhesion. In vivo studies in rabbits demonstrated that the G@TiO2 scaffold, featuring a gradient structure and TiO2 surface modification, exhibited superior healing capabilities compared to the homogeneous structure and TiO2 surface modification (H@TiO2) and gradient structure (G) scaffolds. At 12 weeks post-operation, in a bone defect representing nearly 30 % of the total length of the radius, the implantation of the G@TiO2 scaffold achieved a 27 % bone volume to tissue volume (BV/TV) ratio, demonstrating excellent osseointegration. The TiO2 surface modification provided photothermal antibacterial effects, enhancing the scaffold's biocompatibility and potential for infection prevention. These findings suggest that the gradient gyroid scaffold with TiO2 surface modification is a promising candidate for treating large segmental bone defects, offering a combination of mechanical strength, bioactivity, and infection resistance.

Myopic loss aversion or equate-to-differentiate heuristic? A heuristic decision making model for both single and aggregated plays.

Myopic loss aversion (MLA)-a combination of myopic loss and a greater sensitivity to losses than gains-has been proposed to explain the equity premium puzzle and then extended to myopic prospect theory (MPT). However, such an expected-value/utility-based theory has been challenged and the underlying mechanism remains debatable. In the current study, we applied the modified equate-to-differentiate model to address this phenomenon. In Experiment 1, we first directly explored the relationship between individuals' degree of loss aversion and their investment amounts in risky lotteries for both single and repeated plays. We found no correlations between these variables; this was inconsistent with the MLA/MPT prediction. Experiment 2 showed that individuals' evaluation scores of the differences within the dimension (probability or outcome) that has larger differences highly predicted their investment behavior, which supported the equate-to-differentiate model.

MicroRNA­671­5p inhibits cell proliferation, migration and invasion in non­small cell lung cancer by targeting MFAP3L.

MicroRNA (miR)­671­5p serves as a tumor suppressor in several types of cancer, including gastric and breast cancer. However, the function of miR­671­5p in non­small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has not been described in detail. The present study aimed to investigate the role of miR­671­5p in NSCLC. The expression levels of miR­671­5p were determined in NSCLC tissue samples and cell lines using reverse transcription­quantitative PCR. Prediction of miR­671­5p targets was performed using the TargetScan database and verified by luciferase reporter assay and western blot analysis. Functional experiments, including Cell Counting Kit­8, wound healing and Transwell assays, were performed in NSCLC cells. The results of the present study demonstrated that lower expression levels of miR­671­5p were observed in NSCLC tissues and cell lines compared with those in the corresponding controls. Low miR­671­5p levels were significantly associated with an advanced Tumor­Node­Metastasis stage and lymph node metastasis in patients with NSCLC. Microfibril­associated protein 3­like (MFAP3L) was confirmed to be a direct target of miR­671­5p. The proliferative, migratory and invasive abilities of NSCLC cells were suppressed following transfection with miR­671­5p mimics and promoted by the miR­671­5p inhibitor compared with those in the respective control groups. In addition, the effects of miR­671­5p on cell proliferation, migration and invasion, as well as the expression levels of proliferating cell nuclear antigen, E­cadherin, N­cadherin and vimentin were reversed by MFAP3L overexpression. In conclusion, targeting the miR­671­5p/MFAP3L signaling pathway may be a promising therapeutic strategy for NSCLC treatment.

Clinical Features of Pulmonary Nocardiosis in Patients with Different Underlying Diseases: A Case Series Study.

Objective: To investigate the clinical features of pulmonary nocardiosis (PN) in patients with different underlying diseases. Methods: Clinical, imaging, treatment and prognosis data from patients diagnosed with PN from July 2011 to June 2021 at the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine were collected and analyzed. According to different underlying diseases, patients were grouped into immunocompromised host (ICH) group and immunocompetent host (ICO) group, and clinical characteristics were compared between the two groups. Results: There were 64 patients with PN, including 42 males, aged from 21 to 86 (57.1 ± 15.7) years. The most common clinical manifestations were cough, expectoration, fever. There were 41 cases in the ICH group and 23 cases in the ICO group. There were 11 cases with underlying pulmonary diseases in the ICH group, including 2 cases of bronchiectasis, 4 cases of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), etc. There were 11 cases of underlying pulmonary basic diseases in ICO group, including 7 cases of bronchiectasis and COPD, 1 case of bronchiectasis, 1 case of COPD, etc. The proportion of patients with bronchiectasis and COPD in the ICO group was significantly higher (P < 0.05). Extrapulmonary nocardiosis infection occurred in 6 patients of the ICH group. During the period of hospitalization, 87.0% patients in ICO group received SMZ/TMP therapy, 73.2% of patients in ICH group received two drug combination therapy. In the ICH group, mortality at 28 days was 14.6% and 8.7% in the ICO group. Conclusion: PN mainly occurred in ICH patients, but also occurred in the ICO cases to a lesser extent, especially in patients with bronchiectasis and/or COPD. Complicated with extrapulmonary infections mainly occurred in ICH population and combination of two antibiotics was often used in ICH group. The case fatality rates were 14.6% in ICH and 8.7% in ICO cases, respectively.

A Clinical Analysis and Literature Review of Six Cases with Primary Pulmonary Lymphoepithelioma-Like Carcinoma.

Methods: The clinical data of six patients with primary pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma treated in Zhejiang Taizhou Hospital of Taizhou Enze Medical Center (Group) from May 2014 to December 2018 were summarized and analyzed. Combined with the relevant literature, the primary pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma was analyzed retrospectively. Results: The main manifestations of six patients were respiratory symptoms, and cough was the most common. The imaging features of six patients were mainly round-like high-density mass shadow or nodule shadow. All patients were diagnosed by pathology. Microscopically, the cancer cells were nested, with large nuclei and vacuoles and abundant lymphocyte infiltration in the tumor stroma. The positive rates of EBER, p63, CK5/6, and Ki-67 were high, and TTF-1 was negative. Five patients received surgical treatment. One patient developed brain metastasis 12 months after operation and received craniocerebral radiotherapy. The other patients did not receive radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and one patient did not receive treatment. After follow-up, four patients survived so far, the longest survival time was 82 months, one patient lost follow-up, and one patient died of lung metastasis 24 months after operation. Conclusion: Primary pulmonary lymphoepitheliomatoid-like carcinoma is a rare lung malignant tumor, whose pathogenesis is related to Epstein-Barr virus infection. The clinical manifestations are nonspecific, but with unique pathological characteristics. Surgical resection is the proper treatment for early-stage patients, and comprehensive treatment with surgery as the main treatment is suitable for late-stage patients. The prognosis is good.

The Audience-Tuning Effect of Negative Stereotypes in Communication.

Shared reality theory states that people allow others to influence their own judgments and behaviors when a shared reality is achieved (Hardin and Higgins, 1996; Echterhoff et al., 2009a). Based on this theory, this research has explored how audience attitude affects the communicator's memory of negative stereotype-related information in interpersonal communication. Two experiments have been conducted, using the negative stereotypes of Chinese "rich second-generation" as the research materials. The results show that the audience-tuning effect of negative stereotypes does in fact occur in interpersonal communication. The participants have tuned their descriptions of both stereotype-related and neutral information to suit their audience's attitude toward the target. The audience-tuning affects the participants' recall valence of stereotype-related information while not affecting the recall valence of neutral information. The relational motivation moderates the effect of audience-tuning on the communicator's memory of stereotype-related information. Only participants who communicated with a desired audience displayed an audience-congruent memory bias of stereotype-related information. The results of this research reveal the bidirectional nature of stereotype-sharedness in interpersonal communication. In actual interpersonal communication, the audience could express a positive attitude toward the target who suffers from negative stereotypes, and the communicator would then convey and recall the stereotype-related information in a more positive manner based on the audience-tunning effect, which could ultimately help to decrease negative stereotypes in communication.

Clinical Characteristics and Early Interventional Responses in Patients with Severe COVID-19 Pneumonia.

Progressive acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is the most lethal cause in patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia due to uncontrolled inflammatory reaction, for which we found that early intervention of combined treatment with methylprednisolone and human immunoglobulin is a highly effective therapy to improve the prognosis of COVID-19-induced pneumonia patients. Objective. Herein, we have demonstrated the clinical manifestations, laboratory, and radiological characteristics of patients with severe Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia, as well as measures to ensure early diagnosis and intervention for improving clinical outcomes of COVID-19 patients. Summary Background Data. The COVID-19 is a new infection caused by a severe acute respiratory syndrome- (SARS-) like coronavirus that emerged in China in December 2019 and has claimed millions of lives. Methods. We included 37 severe COVID-19 pneumonia patients who were hospitalized at Taizhou Public Health Medical Center in Zhejiang province from January 17, 2020, to February 18, 2020. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory features; imaging characteristics; treatment history; and clinical outcomes of all patients were collected from electronic medical records. Results. The patients' mean age was 54 years (interquartile range, 43-64), with a slightly higher male preponderance (57%). The most common clinical features of COVID-19 pneumonia were fever (29 (78%)), dry cough (28 (76%)), dyspnea (9 (24%)), and fatigue (9 (24%)). Serum interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-10 were elevated in 35 (95%) and 19 (51%) patients, respectively. Chest computerized tomography scan revealed bilateral pneumonia in 35 (95%) patients. Early intervention with a combination of methylprednisolone and human immunoglobulin was highly effective in improving the prognosis of these patients. Conclusions. Progressive acute respiratory distress syndrome is the most common cause of death in patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia owing to an uncontrolled inflammatory response. Early intervention with methylprednisolone and human immunoglobulin was highly effective in improving their prognosis.

The Diminishing Effect of Transformational Leadership on the Relationship Between Task Characteristics, Perceived Meaningfulness, and Work Engagement.

The topic of employee work engagement in the public sector has attracted broad attention because it is critical to the efficiency and effectiveness of public services. Based on the Job Characteristics Model (JCM) and the Integrative Theory of Employee Engagement (ITEE), the present research adopts a multilevel design to examine a moderated mediation model in which task characteristics (i.e., task autonomy and task significance as level-1 predictors) and social context (i.e., transformational leadership as a level-2 moderator) jointly impact employee work engagement via individual perception of meaningfulness in work. A total of 349 grassroots police officers from 35 police substations were invited to anonymously complete a survey via mobile app. After performing the cross-sectional analysis, the results indicated that in contrast to task significance, the conditional effect of task autonomy on work engagement via perceived meaningfulness was more positive at a lower level of transformational leadership. Implications, limitations, and future research directions are discussed.

Dynamics of Plasma EGFR T790M Mutation in Advanced NSCLC: A Multicenter Study.

BACKGROUND: Droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) is an emerging technology for quantitative cell-free DNA oncology applications. However, a ddPCR assay for the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) p.Thr790Met (T790M) mutation suitable for clinical use remains to be established with analytical and clinical validations. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to develop and validate a new ddPCR assay to quantify the T790M mutation in plasma for monitoring and predicting the progression of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: Specificity of the ddPCR assay was evaluated with genomic DNA samples from healthy individuals. The inter- and intraday variations of the assay were evaluated using mixtures of plasmid DNA containing wild-type EGFR and T790M mutation sequences. We assessed the clinical utility of the T790M assay in a multicenter prospective study in patients with advanced NSCLC receiving tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment by analyzing longitudinal plasma DNA samples. RESULTS: We set the criteria for a positive call when the following conditions were satisfied: (1) T790M mutation frequency > 0.098% (3 standard deviations above the background signal); (2) at least two positive droplets in duplicate ddPCR reactions. Among the 62 patients with advanced NSCLC exhibiting resistance to TKI treatment, 15 had one or more serial plasma samples that tested positive for T790M. T790M mutation was detected in the plasma as early as 205 days (median 95 days) before disease progression, determined by imaging analysis. Plasma T790M concentrations also correlated with intervention after disease progression. CONCLUSIONS: We developed a ddPCR assay to quantify the T790M mutation in plasma. Quantification of longitudinal plasma T790M mutation may allow noninvasive assessment of drug resistance and guide follow-up treatment in TKI-treated patients with NSCLC. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trials.gov identifier: NCT02804100.

The Influence of the Tri-reference Points on Fairness and Satisfaction Perception.

We examined the influence of three reference points (minimum requirements [MR], the status quo [SQ], and goal [G]) proposed by the tri-reference point (TRP) theory on fairness and satisfaction perceptions of pay in three laboratory experiments. To test the effects, we manipulated these three reference points both implicitly (Experiment 1) and explicitly (Experiments 2 and 3). We also provided the information of the salary offered to a peer person that was lower than, equal to, or higher than the salary offer to the participant. As hypothesized, the results demonstrated the important role of these reference points in judging the fairness of and satisfaction with pay when they were explicitly set (an interaction between reference points and social comparison in Experiments 2 and 3, but not in Experiment 1). Participants altered their judgments when the salary was in different regions. When the salary was below MR, participants perceived very low fairness and satisfaction, even when the offer was equal to/exceeded others. When the salary was above G, participants perceived much higher fairness and satisfaction, even with disadvantageous inequality. Participants were more impacted when they were explicitly instructed of the reference points (Experiments 2 and 3) than when they were not (Experiment 1). Moreover, MR appeared to be the most important, followed by G. A Salary below MR was judged as very unacceptable, with very low fairness and satisfaction ratings.

A response prediction model for taxane, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil chemotherapy in hypopharyngeal carcinoma.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common cancer worldwide. The five-year survival rate of HNSCC has not improved even with major technological advancements in surgery and chemotherapy. Currently, docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5-fluoruracil (TPF) treatment has been the most popular chemotherapy method for HNSCC; but only a small percentage of HNSCC patients exhibit a good response to TPF treatment. Unfortunately, at present, no reasonably effective prediction model exists to assist clinicians with patient treatment. For this reason, patients have no other alternative but to risk neoadjuvant chemotherapy in order to determine their response to TPF. In this study, we analyzed the gene expression profile in TPF-sensitive and non-sensitive patient samples. We identified a gene expression signature between these two groups. We further chose 10 genes and trained a support vector machine (SVM) model. This model has 88.3% sensitivity and 88.9% specificity to predict the response to TPF treatment in our patients. In addition, four more TPF responsive and four more TPF non-sensitive patient samples were used for further validation. This SVM model has been proven to achieve approximately 75.0% sensitivity and 100% specificity to predict TPF response in new patients. This suggests that our 10-genes SVM prediction model has the potential to assist clinicians to personalize treatment for HNSCC patients.

A ratiometric fluorescent probe for in vivo tracking of alkaline phosphatase level variation resulting from drug-induced organ damage.

Clinical drug-induced organ toxicity and damage have been recognized as an important public health issue, and an effective approach capable of in vivo detection of biomarkers resulting from drug-induced organ damage is being actively pursued. Herein, we demonstrate a ratiometric fluorescent probe that can trace the variation in alkaline phosphatase (ALP, an organ damage biomarker) levels spatially in vivo. The probe was synthesized by incorporating a phosphate group and an amine-N-oxide group on a 1,8-naphthalimide derivative. The presence of ALP cleaves the phosphate group from naphthalimide and remarkably alters the probe's photophysical properties, thus achieving ratiometric detection of ALP. The incorporation of amine-N-oxide ensures excellent water solubility and biocompatibility, which guarantees the ratiometric detection of ALP in aqueous media and in the cells overexpressed with ALP. With a detection limit of 0.38 U L-1, the probe was successfully used in detecting ALP in human serum samples. Moreover, the probe can be employed to monitor and spatially map the endogenous variation in ALP levels in zebrafishes. This is the first observation, to our knowledge, of organ-scale ALP pattern in vivo as a result of clinical drug (APAP) induced damage.

Novel supramolecular elastomer films based on linear carboxyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane oligomers: preparation, characterization, biocompatibility, and application in wound dressings.

A novel supramolecular elastomer (SESi) based on multiple hydrogen bond associations between low-molecular-weight polydimethylsiloxane chains was obtained through a two-step reaction of linear carboxyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane oligomers with diethylenetriamine and urea, and the reaction mechanism was characterized. The results of differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction analyses indicated that the supramolecular network structure is completely amorphous, endowing SESi with rubber-like elastic behavior at room temperature. The transparent SESi film prepared by hot pressing displayed nice viscoelasticity, benign water absorption, water vapor transition rates, and ideal biocompatibility; and did not show cytotoxicity or skin irritation. These properties allow the elastomer to function as an occlusive wound dressing. To demonstrate its potential in wound dressings, a detailed comparison of commercial 3M Tegaderm(™) film and the SESi film was conducted. The SESi film exhibited similar effects in wound healing, and the wound bed was covered by the SESi film without the occurrence of significant adverse reactions.

The use of vacuum ultraviolet irradiation to oxidize SO2 and NOx for simultaneous desulfurization and denitrification.

A simple and efficient method for simultaneous desulfurization and denitrification via vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) irradiation and with no additional chemicals is presented. The simultaneous removal of 90% SO2 and 96% NOx (NO+NO2) was achieved from the simulated flue gas under the irradiation from a low-pressure mercury lamp with main wavelengths of 185 and 254 nm, respectively. The composition, flow rate, and temperature of the simulated flue gas, as well as the VUV light intensity, were evaluated as the factors impacting on the efficiency of SO2 and NOx removal. The OH, HO2, O, and O3 produced from the photolysis of H2O and O2 were concluded as the major reactive oxygen species that oxidized SO2 and NOx. The additional OH and HO2 generated through the reactions of NO+HO2 and SO2+OH/HO2 improved treatment efficiency, while the oxidation products of NOx, e.g., NO2, HNO2, HNO3, and HNO4, consumed massive reactive oxygen species (such as O, OH, and HO2) and thereby reducing the removal efficiencies. The main reaction products were characterized as H2SO4 and HNO3 by ion chromatography, which could be used as chemical or fertilizer raw materials.