Predicting the risk category of thymoma with machine learning-based computed tomography radiomics signatures and their between-imaging phase differences.

The aim of this study was to develop a medical imaging and comprehensive stacked learning-based method for predicting high- and low-risk thymoma. A total of 126 patients with thymomas and 5 patients with thymic carcinoma treated at our institution, including 65 low-risk patients and 66 high-risk patients, were retrospectively recruited. Among them, 78 patients composed the training cohort, while the remaining 53 patients formed the validation cohort. We extracted 1702 features each from the patients' arterial-, venous-, and plain-phase images. Pairwise subtraction of these features yielded 1702 arterial-venous, arterial-plain, and venous-plain difference features each. The Mann‒Whitney U test and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and SelectKBest methods were employed to select the best features from the training set. Six models were built with a stacked learning algorithm. By applying stacked ensemble learning, three machine learning algorithms (XGBoost, multilayer perceptron (MLP), and random forest) were combined by XGBoost to produce the the six basic imaging models. Then, the XGBoost algorithm was applied to the six basic imaging models to construct a combined radiomic model. Finally, the radiomic model was combined with clinical information to create a nomogram that could easily be used in clinical practice to predict the thymoma risk category. The areas under the curve (AUCs) of the combined radiomic model in the training and validation cohorts were 0.999 (95% CI 0.988-1.000) and 0.967 (95% CI 0.916-1.000), respectively, while those of the nomogram were 0.999 (95% CI 0.996-1.000) and 0.983 (95% CI 0.990-1.000). This study describes the application of CT-based radiomics in thymoma patients and proposes a nomogram for predicting the risk category for this disease, which could be advantageous for clinical decision-making for affected patients.

Dietary Live Microbes Intake Associated with Biological Aging and Mortality.

PURPOSE: This observational study aimed to investigate associations between dietary live microbe intake and mortality, as well as biological aging. METHODS: Adults from the 1999-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were categorized into low, medium, and high dietary live microbe groups. Foods with medium and high live microbe content were aggregated into a medium-high consumption category. The outcomes included all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality, along with biological age (BA) acceleration assessed by the Klemera-Doubal method (KDM) and PhenoAge. Multiple regression analyses and mediation analyses were conducted to assess associations, adjusting for potential confounders. RESULTS: A total of 34,133 adults were included in our analyses. Over an average follow-up period of 9.92 years, 5,462 deaths occurred. In multivariate adjusted models, every 100 grams of medium-high group foods consumed was associated with reduced all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR] 0.94, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.91 to 0.97, P < 0.001) and cardiovascular mortality (HR 0.91, 95% CI 0.86 to 0.96, P < 0.001), but not with cancer mortality (HR 1.01, 95% CI 0.95 to 1.07, P = 0.768). Every 100 grams medium-high group foods consumption was associated with decreased KDM BA acceleration (fully adjusted regression coefficient -0.09, 95% CI -0.15 to -0.04, P = 0.001) and PhenoAge acceleration (fully adjusted regression coefficient -0.07, 95% CI -0.11 to -0.03, P < 0.001). Mediation analysis showed that BA acceleration partially mediated live microbes-mortality associations. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that higher dietary live microbe intake is associated with lower mortality risk and slower biological aging. However, further research is needed to verify these findings.

Intermittent Fasting Targets Osteocyte Neuropeptide Y to Relieve Osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis is a highly prevalent progressive joint disease that still requires an optimal therapeutic approach. Intermittent fasting is an attractive dieting strategy for improving health. Here this study shows that intermittent fasting potently relieves medial meniscus (DMM)- or natural aging-induced osteoarthritic phenotypes. Osteocytes, the most abundant bone cells, secrete excess neuropeptide Y (NPY) during osteoarthritis, and this alteration can be altered by intermittent fasting. Both NPY and the NPY-abundant culture medium of osteocytes (OCY-CM) from osteoarthritic mice possess pro-inflammatory, pro-osteoclastic, and pro-neurite outgrowth effects, while OCY-CM from the intermittent fasting-treated osteoarthritic mice fails to induce significant stimulatory effects on inflammation, osteoclast formation, and neurite outgrowth. Depletion of osteocyte NPY significantly attenuates DMM-induced osteoarthritis and abolishes the benefits of intermittent fasting on osteoarthritis. This study suggests that osteocyte NPY is a key contributing factor in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis and intermittent fasting represents a promising nonpharmacological antiosteoarthritis method by targeting osteocyte NPY.

Hypoxia-enhanced YAP1-EIF4A3 interaction drives circ_0007386 circularization by competing with CRIM1 pre-mRNA linear splicing and promotes non-small cell lung cancer progression.

BACKGROUND: The progression of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is significantly influenced by circular RNAs (circRNAs), especially in tumor hypoxia microenvironment. However, the precise functions and underlying mechanisms of dysregulated circRNAs in NSCLC remain largely unexplored. METHODS: Differentially expressed circRNAs in NSCLC tissues were identified through high-throughput RNA sequencing. The characteristics of circ_0007386 were rigorously confirmed via Sanger sequencing, RNase R treatment and actinomycin D treatment. The effects of circ_0007386 on proliferation and apoptosis were investigated using CCK8, cloning formation assays, TUNEL staining, and flow cytometry assays in vitro. In vivo, xenograft tumor models were used to evaluate its impact on proliferation. Mechanistically, the regulatory relationships of circ_0007386, miR-383-5p and CIRBP were examined through dual luciferase reporter assays and rescue experiments. Additionally, we detected the binding of EIF4A3 to CRIM1 pre-mRNA by RNA immunoprecipitation and the interaction between YAP1 and EIF4A3 under hypoxic conditions by co-immunoprecipitation. RESULTS: Our investigation revealed a novel circRNA, designated as circ_0007386, that was upregulated in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. Circ_0007386 modulated proliferation and apoptosis in NSCLC both in vitro and in vivo. Functionally, circ_0007386 acted as a sponge for miR-383-5p, targeting CIRBP, which influenced NSCLC cell proliferation and apoptosis via the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Furthermore, under hypoxic conditions, the interaction between YAP1 and EIF4A3 was enhanced, leading to the displacement of EIF4A4 from binding to CRIM1 pre-mRNA. This facilitated the back-splicing of CRIM1 pre-mRNA, increasing the formation of circ_0007386. The circ_0007386/miR-383-5p/CIRBP axis was significantly associated with the clinical features and prognosis of NSCLC patients. CONCLUSIONS: Circ_0007386, regulated by YAP1-EIF4A3 interaction under hypoxia conditions, plays an oncogenic role in NSCLC progression via the miR-383-5p/CIRBP axis.

Silencing of the long non-coding RNA LINC00265 triggers autophagy and apoptosis in lung cancer by reducing protein stability of SIN3A oncogene.

Background: Long non-coding RNAs are important regulators in cancer biology and function either as tumor suppressors or as oncogenes. Their dysregulation has been closely associated with tumorigenesis. LINC00265 is upregulated in lung adenocarcinoma and is a prognostic biomarker of this cancer. However, the mechanism underlying its function in cancer progression remains poorly understood. Methods: Here, the regulatory role of LINC00265 in lung adenocarcinoma was examined using lung cancer cell lines, clinical samples, and xenografts. Results: We found that high levels of LINC00265 expression were associated with shorter overall survival rate of patients, whereas knockdown of LINC00265 inhibited proliferation of cancer cell lines and tumor growth in xenografts. Western blot and flow cytometry analyses indicated that silencing of LINC00265 induced autophagy and apoptosis. Moreover, we showed that LINC00265 interacted with and stabilized the transcriptional co-repressor Switch-independent 3a (SIN3A), which is a scaffold protein functioning either as a tumor repressor or as an oncogene in a context-dependent manner. Silencing of SIN3A also reduced proliferation of lung cancer cells, which was correlated with the induction of autophagy. These observations raise the possibility that LINC00265 functions to promote the oncogenic activity of SIN3A in lung adenocarcinoma. Conclusions: Our findings thus identify SIN3A as a LINC00265-associated protein and should help to understand the mechanism underlying LINC00265-mediated oncogenesis.

Young osteocyte-derived extracellular vesicles facilitate osteogenesis by transferring tropomyosin-1.

BACKGROUND: Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) can undergo inadequate osteogenesis or excessive adipogenesis as they age due to changes in the bone microenvironment, ultimately resulting in decreased bone density and elevated risk of fractures in senile osteoporosis. This study aims to investigate the effects of osteocyte senescence on the bone microenvironment and its influence on BMSCs during aging. RESULTS: Primary osteocytes were isolated from 2-month-old and 16-month-old mice to obtain young osteocyte-derived extracellular vesicles (YO-EVs) and senescent osteocyte-derived EVs (SO-EVs), respectively. YO-EVs were found to significantly increase alkaline phosphatase activity, mineralization deposition, and the expression of osteogenesis-related genes in BMSCs, while SO-EVs promoted BMSC adipogenesis. Neither YO-EVs nor SO-EVs exerted an effect on the osteoclastogenesis of primary macrophages/monocytes. Our constructed transgenic mice, designed to trace osteocyte-derived EV distribution, revealed abundant osteocyte-derived EVs embedded in the bone matrix. Moreover, mature osteoclasts were found to release osteocyte-derived EVs from bone slices, playing a pivotal role in regulating the functions of the surrounding culture medium. Following intravenous injection into young and elderly mouse models, YO-EVs demonstrated a significant enhancement of bone mass and biomechanical strength compared to SO-EVs. Immunostaining of bone sections revealed that YO-EV treatment augmented the number of osteoblasts on the bone surface, while SO-EV treatment promoted adipocyte formation in the bone marrow. Proteomics analysis of YO-EVs and SO-EVs showed that tropomyosin-1 (TPM1) was enriched in YO-EVs, which increased the matrix stiffness of BMSCs, consequently promoting osteogenesis. Specifically, the siRNA-mediated depletion of Tpm1 eliminated pro-osteogenic activity of YO-EVs both in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggested that YO-EVs played a crucial role in maintaining the balance between bone resorption and formation, and their pro-osteogenic activity declining with aging. Therefore, YO-EVs and the delivered TPM1 hold potential as therapeutic targets for senile osteoporosis.

Extracellular vesicles from human urine-derived stem cells delay aging through the transfer of PLAU and TIMP1.

Aging increases the risks of various diseases and the vulnerability to death. Cellular senescence is a hallmark of aging that contributes greatly to aging and aging-related diseases. This study demonstrates that extracellular vesicles from human urine-derived stem cells (USC-EVs) efficiently inhibit cellular senescence in vitro and in vivo. The intravenous injection of USC-EVs improves cognitive function, increases physical fitness and bone quality, and alleviates aging-related structural changes in different organs of senescence-accelerated mice and natural aging mice. The anti-aging effects of USC-EVs are not obviously affected by the USC donors' ages, genders, or health status. Proteomic analysis reveals that USC-EVs are enriched with plasminogen activator urokinase (PLAU) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 1 (TIMP1). These two proteins contribute importantly to the anti-senescent effects of USC-EVs associated with the inhibition of matrix metalloproteinases, cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A (P16INK4a), and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1A (P21cip1). These findings suggest a great potential of autologous USC-EVs as a promising anti-aging agent by transferring PLAU and TIMP1 proteins.

Reassessing endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition in mouse bone marrow: insights from lineage tracing models.

Endothelial cells (ECs) and bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) play crucial roles in supporting hematopoiesis and hematopoietic regeneration. However, whether ECs are a source of BMSCs remains unclear. Here, we evaluate the contribution of endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition to BMSC generation in postnatal mice. Single-cell RNA sequencing identifies ECs expressing BMSC markers Prrx1 and Lepr; however, this could not be validated using Prrx1-Cre and Lepr-Cre transgenic mice. Additionally, only a minority of BMSCs are marked by EC lineage tracing models using Cdh5-rtTA-tetO-Cre or Tek-CreERT2. Moreover, Cdh5+ BMSCs and Tek+ BMSCs show distinct spatial distributions and characteristic mesenchymal markers, suggestive of their origination from different progenitors rather than CDH5+ TEK+ ECs. Furthermore, myeloablation induced by 5-fluorouracil treatment does not increase Cdh5+ BMSCs. Our findings indicate that ECs hardly convert to BMSCs during homeostasis and myeloablation-induced hematopoietic regeneration, highlighting the importance of using appropriate genetic models and conducting careful data interpretation in studies concerning endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition.

Ångstrom-scale silver particles ameliorate collagen-induced and K/BxN-transfer arthritis in mice via the suppression of inflammation and osteoclastogenesis.

OBJECTIVE: Nanoparticles (NPs) hold a great promise in combating rheumatoid arthritis, but are often compromised by their toxicities because the currently used NPs are usually synthesized by chemical methods. Our group has previously fabricated Ångstrom-scale silver particles (AgÅPs) and demonstrated the anti-tumor and anti-sepsis efficacy of fructose-coated AgÅPs (F-AgÅPs). This study aimed to uncover the efficacy and mechanisms of F-AgÅPs for arthritis therapy. METHODS: We evaluated the efficacy of F-AgÅPs in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mice. We also compared the capacities of F-AgÅPs, the commercial AgNPs, and the clinical drug methotrexate (MTX) in protecting against K/BxN serum-transfer arthritis (STA) mice. Moreover, we evaluated the effects of F-AgÅPs and AgNPs on inflammation, osteoclast formation, synoviocytes migration, and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) production in vitro and in vivo. Meanwhile, the toxicities of F-AgÅPs and AgNPs in vitro and in vivo were also tested. RESULTS: F-AgÅPs significantly prevented bone erosion, synovitis, and cartilage damage, attenuated rheumatic pain, and improved the impaired motor function in mouse models of CIA or STA, the anti-rheumatic effects of which were comparable or stronger than AgNPs and MTX. Further studies revealed that F-AgÅPs exhibited similar or greater inhibitory abilities than AgNPs to suppress inflammation, osteoclast formation, synoviocytes migration, and MMPs production. No obvious toxicities were observed in vitro and in vivo after F-AgÅPs treatment. CONCLUSIONS: F-AgÅPs can effectively alleviate arthritis without notable toxicities and their anti-arthritic effects are associated with the inhibition of inflammation, osteoclastogenesis, synoviocytes migration, and MMPs production. Our study suggests the prospect of F-AgÅPs as an efficient and low-toxicity agent for arthritis therapy.

Application of high-dimensional uniform manifold approximation and projection (UMAP) to cluster existing landfills on the basis of geographical and environmental features.

Due to extreme conditions, which are influenced by the location of landfills, the release of pollutants has been recently proven to be more severe in estuary landfills, as these landfill locations are affected by both sea-water and river-water interactions. To identify geographic and environmental features linked to the extreme conditions of certain landfills, a high-dimensional clustering method combining Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection (UMAP) with the Louvain algorithm is proposed. A case study was conducted using 17 noteworthy features that transform to Landfill Suitability Index (LSI) applied to hundreds of landfill sites in Taiwan. This study clustered landfills into 10 clusters and identified several clusters with significant extreme locations, including estuary landfills (7.9 %), fault-water-body landfills (8.2 %), and densely-populated-water-body landfills (17.6 %). Furthermore, a critical discovery of endangered Platalea minor habitats near these estuary landfills was made. Additionally, this work identified "healthy" landfills (11.2 %) that are minimally affected by the considered features. These findings demonstrate the promising potential of our framework for managers to systematically improve landfill management strategies. Moreover, our framework was tested by incorporating rainfall and flooding features in relation to climate change scenarios. To address the demand for land release from occupied landfills in Taiwan, there is a pressing need to expedite the transition to a circular economy, and our framework can provide further assistance in this regard. This approach is promising, as it provides a new method to evaluate the environmental risks linked to landfills and also identifies potential opportunities related to landfill mining. Finally, this work was extended to include a case study in England, which has 19,801 landfills and a dataset containing 15 relevant landfill features; in this case study, our framework identified 110 landfill clusters, and several placed in extreme locations, demonstrating that our framework is flexible for use in other regions outside of Taiwan.

Metformin accelerates bone fracture healing by promoting type H vessel formation through inhibition of YAP1/TAZ expression.

Due to increasing morbidity worldwide, fractures are becoming an emerging public health concern. This study aimed to investigate the effect of metformin on the healing of osteoporotic as well as normal fractures. Type H vessels have recently been identified as a bone-specific vascular subtype that supports osteogenesis. Here, we show that metformin accelerated fracture healing in both osteoporotic and normal mice. Moreover, metformin promoted angiogenesis in vitro under hypoxia as well as type H vessel formation throughout fracture healing. Mechanistically, metformin increased the expression of HIF-1α, an important positive regulator of type H vessel formation, by inhibiting the expression of YAP1/TAZ in calluses and hypoxia-cultured human microvascular endothelial cells (HMECs). The results of HIF-1α or YAP1/TAZ interference in hypoxia-cultured HMECs using siRNA further suggested that the enhancement of HIF-1α and its target genes by metformin is primarily through YAP1/TAZ inhibition. Finally, overexpression of YAP1/TAZ partially counteracted the effect of metformin in promoting type H vessel-induced angiogenesis-osteogenesis coupling during fracture repair. In summary, our findings suggest that metformin has the potential to be a therapeutic agent for fractures by promoting type H vessel formation through YAP1/TAZ inhibition.

[Effect of procalcitonin on lipopolysaccharide-induced expression of nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3 and caspase-1 in human umbilical vein endothelial cells]. / é™é’™ç´ åŽŸå¯¹è„‚å¤šç³–è¯±å¯¼çš„äººè„é™è„‰å† çš®ç»†èƒžNLRP3和caspase-1表达的影响.

OBJECTIVES: To study the effect of procalcitonin (PCT) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced expression of the pyroptosis-related proteins nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) and caspase-1 in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). METHODS: HUVECs were induced by LPS to establish a model of sepsis-induced inflammatory endothelial cell injury. The experiment was divided into two parts. In the first part, HUVECs were randomly divided into four groups: normal control, LPS (1 µg/mL), PCT (10 ng/mL), and LPS+PCT (n=3 each). In the second part, HUVECs were randomly grouped: normal control, LPS, and LPS+PCT of different concentrations (0.1, 1, 10, and 100 ng/mL) (n=3 each). Quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot were used to measure the mRNA and protein expression levels of NLRP3 and caspase-1 in each group. RESULTS: In the first experiment: compared with the normal control group, the PCT, LPS, and LPS+PCT groups had significantly upregulated mRNA and protein expression levels of NLRP3 and caspase-1 (P<0.05); compared with the LPS group, the LPS+PCT group had significantly downregulated mRNA and protein expression levels of NLRP3 and caspase-1 (P<0.05). In the second experiment: compared with those in the LPS group, the mRNA and protein expression levels of NLRP3 and caspase-1 in the LPS+PCT of different concentrations groups were significantly downregulated in a concentration-dependent manner (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: LPS can promote the expression of the pyroptosis-related proteins NLRP3 and caspase-1 in HUVECs, while PCT can inhibit the LPS-induced expression of the pyroptosis-related proteins NLRP3 and caspase-1 in HUVECs in a concentration-dependent manner.

The Unique Genetic Mutation Characteristics Based on Large Panel Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) Detection in Multiple Primary Lung Cancers (MPLC) Patients.

BACKGROUND: With the wide application of multislice spiral computed tomography (CT), the frequency of detection of multiple lung cancer is increasing. This study aimed to analyze gene mutations characteristics in multiple primary lung cancers (MPLC) using large panel next-generation sequencing (NGS) assays. METHODS: Patients with MPLC surgically removed from the Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University from Jan 2020 to Dec 2021 enrolled the study. NGS sequencing of large panels of 425 tumor-associated genes was performed. RESULTS: The 425 panel sequencing of 114 nodules in 36 patients showed that epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) accounted for the largest proportion (55.3%), followed by Erb-B2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinase 2 (ERBB2) (9.6%), v-Raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B1 (BRAF), and Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene (KRAS) (8.8%). Fusion target variation was rare (only 2, 1.8%). ERBB2 Y772_A775dup accounted for 73%, KRAS G12C for about 18%, and BRAF V600E for only 10%. AT-rich interaction domain 1A (ARID1A) mutations were significantly higher in invasive adenocarcinoma (IA) which contained solid/micro-papillary malignant components (p = 0.008). The tumor mutation burden (TMB) distribution was low, with a median TMB of 1.1 MUTS/Mb. There were no differences in the TMB distribution of different driver genes. In addition, 97.2% of MPLC patients (35/36) had driver gene mutations, and 47% had co-mutations, mainly in IA (45%) and invasive adenocarcinoma (MIA) (37%) nodule, with EGFR (39.4%), KRAS (9.1%), ERBB2 (6.1%), tumor protein 53 (TP53) (6.1%) predominately. CONCLUSIONS: MPLC has a unique genetic mutation characteristic that differs from advanced patients and usually presents with low TMB. Comprehensive NGS helps to diagnose MPLC and guides the MPLC clinical treatment. ARID1A is significantly enriched in IA nodules containing micro-papillary/solid components, suggesting that these MPLC patients may have a poor prognosis.

Brain-derived extracellular vesicles promote bone-fat imbalance in Alzheimer's disease.

Inadequate osteogenesis and excessive adipogenesis of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) are key factors in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis. Patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) have a higher incidence of osteoporosis than healthy adults, but the underlying mechanism is not clear. Here, we show that brain-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) from adult AD or wild-type mice can cross the blood-brain barrier to reach the distal bone tissue, while only AD brain-derived EVs (AD-B-EVs) significantly promote the shift of the BMSC differentiation fate from osteogenesis to adipogenesis and induce a bone-fat imbalance. MiR-483-5p is highly enriched in AD-B-EVs, brain tissues from AD mice, and plasma-derived EVs from AD patients. This miRNA mediates the anti-osteogenic, pro-adipogenic, and pro-osteoporotic effects of AD-B-EVs by inhibiting Igf2. This study identifies the role of B-EVs as a promoter of osteoporosis in AD by transferring miR-483-5p.

The use of the mean computed-tomography value to predict the invasiveness of ground-glass nodules: A meta-analysis.

The invasiveness of ground-glass nodules (GGNs) is difficult to characterize through morphological examination. Multiple studies have independently detected a close relationship between mean computed tomography value and invasiveness of GGNs, however, their relative diagnostic accuracy is uncertain. Here, we performed a meta-analysis to validate whether the mean computed tomography value can predict the invasiveness of GGNs. Briefly, we searched the Web of Science, Embase, PubMed, Cochrane, Google Scholar, CNKI, VIP, Wanfang and SinoMed databases. The sensitivity, specificity, 95% confidence interval (CI), symmetric receiver operating characteristic curve (SROC curve) and the area under curve (AUC) were obtained using STATA 16.0 to evaluate the predictive value of the mean computed tomography value for GGNs. The presence of heterogeneity was assessed using fixed effects sensitivity analysis and I2 statistics. We used the Deek's funnel plot to evaluate the possibility of publication bias. Thirteen studies encompassing 1564 GGNs were included in our meta-analysis. Six of these studies revealed that using the mean computed tomography value for the diagnosis of pre-invasive and invasive lesions had a sensitivity and specificity of 0.75 (95% CI: 0.61-0.85) and 0.81 (95% CI: 0.74-0.86), respectively. The optimal critical value was -557 Hu. Later, eight studies were examined for the use of the mean CT value for patients with minimally invasive adenocarcinoma (MIA) and invasive adenocarcinoma (IAC); the results showed that the sensitivity was 0.78 (95% CI: 0.66-0.86) and the specificity was 0.81 (95% CI: 0.68-0.89), and the optimal critical value was -484 Hu. Therefore, the mean computed tomography value assessed via CT scan could be a significant predictor of the invasiveness of GGNs as well as a good surgical treatment guide in patients diagnosed with lung cancer. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020177125.

AMOLED Pixel Circuit Using LTPO Technology Supporting Variable Frame Rate from 1 to 120 Hz for Portable Displays.

This paper proposes a new 6T1C pixel circuit based on low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) technology for portable active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) displays with variable refresh rates ranging from 1 to 120 Hz. The proposed circuit has a simple structure and is based on the design of sharing lines of switch-controlling signals. It also provides low-voltage driving and immunity to OLED degeneration issues. The calculation and analysis of programming time are discussed, and the optimal storage capacitor for the proposed circuit's high-speed driving is selected. The results of the simulation reveal that threshold voltage variations in driving thin-film transistors of ±0.33 V can be well sensed and compensated with a 1.8% average shift of OLED currents in high-frame-rate operation (120 Hz), while the maximum variation in OLED currents within all gray levels is only 3.56 nA in low-frame-rate operation (1 Hz). As a result, the proposed 6T1C pixel circuit is a good candidate for use in portable AMOLED displays.

VPS13A and VPS13C Influence Lipid Droplet Abundance.

Lipid transfer proteins mediate the exchange of lipids between closely apposed membranes at organelle contact sites and play key roles in lipid metabolism, membrane homeostasis, and cellular signaling. A recently discovered novel family of lipid transfer proteins, which includes the VPS13 proteins (VPS13A-D), adopt a rod-like bridge conformation with an extended hydrophobic groove that enables the bulk transfer of membrane lipids for membrane growth. Loss of function mutations in VPS13A and VPS13C cause chorea acanthocytosis and Parkinson's disease, respectively. VPS13A and VPS13C localize to multiple organelle contact sites, including endoplasmic reticulum (ER) - lipid droplet (LD) contact sites, but the functional roles of these proteins in LD regulation remains mostly unexplored. Here we employ CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing to generate VPS13A and VPS13C knockout cell lines in U-2 OS cells via deletion of exon 2 and introduction of an early frameshift. Analysis of LD content in these cell lines revealed that loss of either VPS13A or VPS13C results in reduced LD abundance under oleate-stimulated conditions. These data implicate two lipid transfer proteins, VPS13A and VPS13C, in LD regulation.

Theoretical Investigation of Cu-Au Alloy for Carbon Dioxide Electroreduction: Cu/Au Ratio Determining C1/C2 Selectivity.

Copper-gold alloy exhibits excellent catalytic performance for the carbon dioxide electroreduction (CO2ER) reaction, but the mechanism of the effect of the Cu/Au ratio on the selectivity of C1/C2 products has not been carefully investigated. In this work, (100) and (111) surfaces of three CuAu alloys with different Cu/Au (3:1, 1:1, 1:3) ratios are constructed. The properties of CuAu surfaces like density of states, Bader charge, and the whole CO2ER to C2H4 and C2H5OH mechanisms are investigated. Our calculation reveals that the adsorption capacity of the catalyst surface for the intermediates *COOH and *CO is enhanced with the increase of the Au ratio. The calculation results show that the Cu1Au1(100) surface has the highest activity for CO2ER to CO (UL = -0.32 V). Furthermore, the Cu3Au1(100) surface exhibits the best coupling performance, and ethanol is the dominant product for CO2ER to C2 products. Our work provides a useful guideline for further developing CO2ER electrocatalysts.

Recurrent de novo single point variant on the gene encoding Na+/K+ pump results in epilepsy.

The etiology of epilepsy remains undefined in two-thirds of patients. Here, we identified a de novo variant of ATP1A2 (c.2426 T > G, p.Leu809Arg), which encodes the α2 subunit of Na+/K+-ATPase, from a family with idiopathic epilepsy. This variant caused epilepsy with hemiplegic migraine in the study patients. We generated the point variant mouse model Atp1a2L809R, which recapitulated the epilepsy observed in the study patients. In Atp1a2L809R/WT mice, convulsions were observed and cognitive and memory function was impaired. This variant affected the potassium binding function of the protein, disabling its ion transport ability, thereby increasing the frequency of nerve impulses. Valproate (VPA) and Carbamazepine (CBZ) have limited therapeutic efficacy in ameliorating the epileptic syndromes of Atp1a2L809R/WT mice. Our work revealed that ATP1A2L809R variants cause a predisposition to epilepsy. Moreover, we provide a point variant mouse model for epilepsy research and drug screening.

Case Report and Literature Review: Bacterial Meningoencephalitis or Not? Naegleria fowleri Related Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis in China.

In China, a 9-year-old boy was transferred to the hospital with fever, vomiting, and headache. The disease rapidly deteriorated into vague consciousness. Applying conventional clinical examinations such as blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tests, the diagnosis of bacterial meningoencephalitis was first drawn, and expectant treatments were adopted immediately. However, the symptoms did not alleviate, adversely, this boy died 3 days after admission. Considering the skeptical points of the duration, such as the unknown infectious bacteria and the pathogen invasion path, blood and CSF samples were then sent for metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) to ascertain the cause of death. The 42,899 and 1,337 specific sequences of N. fowleri were detected by mNGS in the CSF sample and the blood sample, respectively. PCR results and pathological smear subsequently confirmed the mNGS detection. The patient was finally diagnosed as primary amoebic meningoencephalitis. Besides, in this article, 15 similar child infection cases in the past 10 years are summarized and analyzed to promote the early diagnosis of this rare disease.