Detection of thyroglobulin for diagnosis of metastatic lateral cervical lymph nodes in papillary thyroid carcinoma: accuracy and application in clinical practice.

Background: Accurate assessment of lateral cervical lymph node metastasis (LLNM) involvement is important for treating papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Thyroglobulin is associated with LLNM, but there may be differences in the diagnostic value of serum thyroglobulin (sTg) and fine needle aspiration washout fluid thyroglobulin (FNA-Tg). Herein, we investigated the optimal cutoff value (OCV) of sTg and FNA-Tg and their diagnostic performance. Methods: We enrolled 116 PTC patients who underwent radical resection of thyroid carcinoma with lateral cervical lymph node dissection at the Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University from June 2018 to July 2022. We used the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to determine the OCV for sTg and FNA-Tg to diagnose LLNM in PTC patients. We also evaluated the performance of FNA-Tg, sTg, fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC), and their combinations for diagnosis. Pathological results were the gold standard. Results: We performed 125 lymph node dissections, 106 had metastasis, and 19 did not. The OCV for sTg was 17.31 ng/mL [area under the curve (AUC) =0.760, sensitivity =78.30%, specificity =73.68%, and accuracy =77.60%]. Meanwhile, the OCV for FNA-Tg was 4.565 ng/mL (AUC =0.948, sensitivity =89.62%, specificity =100%, and accuracy =91.20%). The combination of FNAC and FNA-Tg presented the greatest diagnostic performance for LLNM detection in PTC patients. Moreover, serum antithyroglobulin antibody (TgAb) was not correlated with sTg or FNA-Tg levels. Conclusions: The cutoff value for the diagnosis of LLNM in PTC are sTg >17.31 ng/mL or FNA-Tg >4.565 ng/mL. The combination method of FNA-Tg and FNAC is the most optimal choice for the diagnosis of LLNM and is highly recommended for further clinical application.

Expanding from unilateral to bilateral: A robust deep learning-based approach for predicting radiographic osteoarthritis progression.

OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate a deep learning (DL) model for predicting osteoarthritis (OA) progression based on bilateral knee joint views. METHODS: In this retrospective study, knee joints from bilateral posteroanterior knee radiographs of participants in the Osteoarthritis Initiative were analyzed. At baseline, participants were divided into testing set 1 and development set according to the different enrolled sites. The development set was further divided into a training set and a validation set in an 8:2 ratio for model development. At 48-month follow-up, eligible patients were formed testing set 2. The Bilateral Knee Neural Network (BikNet) was developed using bilateral views, with the knee to be predicted as the main view and the contralateral knee as the auxiliary view. DenseNet and ResNext were also trained and compared as the unilateral model. Two reader tests were conducted to evaluate the model's value in predicting incident OA. RESULTS: Totally 3583 participants were evaluated. The BikNet we proposed outperformed ResNext and DenseNet (all area under the curve [AUC] < 0.71, P < 0.001) with AUC values of 0.761 and 0.745 in testing sets 1 and 2, respectively. With assistance of the BikNet increased clinicians' sensitivity (from 28.1-63.2% to 42.1-68.4%) and specificity (from 57.4-83.4% to 64.1-87.5%) of incident OA prediction and improved inter-observer reliability. CONCLUSION: The DL model, constructed based on bilateral knee views, holds promise for enhancing the assessment of OA and demonstrates greater robustness during subsequent follow-up evaluations as compared with unilateral models. BikNet represents a potential tool or imaging biomarker for predicting OA progression.

Electrospun VO2/carbon fibers for aqueous zinc-ion batteries.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) have become one of the most potential energy storage devices due to their high safety and low cost. Vanadium oxide is an ideal cathode material for AZIBs because of its unique tunnel structure and multivalent nature. In this work, electrospun VO2/carbon fibers (VO2@CPAN) with a three-dimensional (3D) network are obtained by an electrospinning strategy combining with a controlled heat treatment. As cathode for AZIBs, the 3D network of the carbon fiber significantly improves the conductivity of VO2, avoids the agglomeration of VO2, and increases the stability of VO2. Therefore, VO2@CPAN delivers a specific capacity of 323.2 mA h g-1 at 0.2 A g-1, which is higher than pure VO2. At the same time, excellent capacity retention of 76.6% is obtained at high current density of 10 A g-1 after 3000 cycles.

W-doped VO2 for high-performance aqueous Zn-ion batteries.

Aqueous Zn-ion batteries (AZIBs) have become one of the most promising energy storage devices due to their high safety and low cost. However, the development of stable cathodes with fast kinetics and high energy density is the key to achieving large-scale application of AZIBs. In this work, W-doped VO2 (W-VO2) is developed by a one-step hydrothermal method. Benefiting from the pre-insertion of W6+ and the introduction of the W-O bond, accomplishing an expanded lattice spacing and a stable structure, both improved kinetics and long cycle life are achieved. The W-VO2 delivers a specific capacity of 340.2 mA h g-1 at 0.2 A g-1, an excellent high-rate capability with a discharge capacity of 186.9 mA h g-1 at 10 A g-1, and long-term cycling stability with a capacity retention of 76.5% after 2000 cycles. The electrochemical performance of the W-VO2 has been greatly improved, compared with the pure VO2. The W doping strategy proposed here also presents an encouraging pathway for developing other high-energy and stable cathodes.

Bonding wood with uncondensed lignins as adhesives.

Plywood is widely used in construction, such as for flooring and interior walls, as well as in the manufacture of household items such as furniture and cabinets. Such items are made of wood veneers that are bonded together with adhesives such as urea-formaldehyde and phenol-formaldehyde resins1,2. Researchers in academia and industry have long aimed to synthesize lignin-phenol-formaldehyde resin adhesives using biomass-derived lignin, a phenolic polymer that can be used to substitute the petroleum-derived phenol3-6. However, lignin-phenol-formaldehyde resin adhesives are less attractive to plywood manufacturers than urea-formaldehyde and phenol-formaldehyde resins owing to their appearance and cost. Here we report a simple and practical strategy for preparing lignin-based wood adhesives from lignocellulosic biomass. Our strategy involves separation of uncondensed or slightly condensed lignins from biomass followed by direct application of a suspension of the lignin and water as an adhesive on wood veneers. Plywood products with superior performances could be prepared with such lignin adhesives at a wide range of hot-pressing temperatures, enabling the use of these adhesives as promising alternatives to traditional wood adhesives in different market segments. Mechanistic studies indicate that the adhesion mechanism of such lignin adhesives may involve softening of lignin by water, filling of vessels with softened lignin and crosslinking of lignins in adhesives with those in the cell wall.

Treatment of refractory organics in biologically treated landfill leachate by a zero valent iron enhanced Peroxone process: Degradation efficiency and mechanism study.

A zero valent iron (ZVI) enhanced Peroxone process (ZVI/Peroxone) was used to treat biologically treated landfill leachate (BTL). The treatment efficiency of the ZVI/Peroxone process was compared to single (ZVI, O3 and H2O2) and dual (ZVI/H2O2, Fe0/O3 and Peroxone) processes. The results showed that ZVI can greatly enhance the treatment capability of the Peroxone process, and the color number (CN), absorbance at 254 nm (UV254), and total organic carbon (TOC) removal efficiencies were 98.82, 84.30 and 66.38%, respectively. In the ZVI/Peroxone process, higher O3 and ZVI dosages improved organics removal, and H2O2 could promote organics removal within a certain dosage range. However, too much H2O2 decreased treatment efficiency. The best treatment performance by the ZVI/Peroxone process was obtained under acidic conditions. The three-dimensional excitation and emission matrix analysis showed that BTL mainly contained two fluorescent substances, which were fulvic-like substances in the ultraviolet region (Ex/Em = 235-255 nm/410-450 nm) and fulvic-like substances in the visible light region (Ex/Em = 310-360 nm/370-450 nm). Fluorescent substances could be substantially degraded by the ZVI/Peroxone process during the early stages of the reaction. An analysis of ZVI morphology and element valency changes showed that the micro Fe0 particles used in this study remained highly reactive during the process. The ZVI enhanced the homogenous Fenton, heterogeneous Fenton, and coagulation-flocculation effects during the Peroxone process.

NiFe-LDH/MXene nano-array hybrid architecture for exceptional capacitive lithium storage.

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) have great advantages in the domain of energy storage because of their exchangeable anions and large specific surface area. Nevertheless, the shortcomings of their poor electrical conductivity, easy stacking of nanosheets, and large volume variation in the cycling processes lead to unsatisfactory cycling stability and rate performance, which severely limits their further application. Therefore, we generated homogeneous nanoarrays of NiFe-LDH on the surface of Ti3C2Tx-MXene by a refluxing process. The resulting NiFe-LDH/MXene-500 hybrid material was applied as an anode of a lithium-ion battery (LIB) and exhibited a discharge capacity of 894.8 mA h g-1 at 200 mA g-1 (over 300 cycles) and could maintain a reversible capacity of 547.1 mA h g-1 even at 1 A g-1. With the addition of MXene, the volume increases of the NiFe-LDH/MXene hybrid materials were also significantly alleviated. The thickness of the NiFe-LDH/MXene-500 electrode only increased by 31% after 50 cycles, which was far better than the prepared NiFe-LDH electrode. On the hand, the synergistic interaction of NiFe-LDH and MXene could stabilize the structure, reduce the activation barrier of ion/electron diffusion, and promote electron transfer in the electrode. MXene with high conductivity can be used as electrical and ionic conductance media to promote the transformation reaction of NiFe-LDH. According to the detailed kinetic analysis, the capacitance control behavior is the main electrochemical reaction of NiFe-LDH/MXene electrodes.

Revisiting alkaline cupric oxide oxidation method for lignin structural analysis.

Lignin structural analysis is important for the comprehensive utilization of lignin as well as delignification and bleaching during pulping while it is difficult to completely elucidate lignin structure due to its structural complexity and heterogeneity. Depolymerization of lignin into simple monomers via alkaline cupric oxide oxidation (OxCuO) followed by chromatographic analysis of the monomers is an effective method for lignin structural analysis. Here we revisited the OxCuO of lignin model compounds (monomers and dimers) and three representative lignocelluloses (i.e., Eucalyptus, Masson pine, and corn stover) to understand the effects of reaction conditions and lignin sub-structures on oxidation product yields and distributions. The improved OxCuO was found to be effective in oxidatively breaking the robust interunit C-C bonds in the ß-ß' and ß-5' moieties of lignin other than ß-O-4' linkages at an elevated temperature (210°C). Further degradation of the monomeric oxidation products could also occur to reduce the monomer yields under a severe condition (i.e., high temperature and long reaction time). In addition, O2 inputs could reduce the monomer yields via nonselective overoxidation, thus having negative effects on accurate structural analysis of lignin. The O2 removal via ultrasonication combined with N2 flushing prior to the oxidation reaction could improve the monomer yield about 1.2 times (compared to that without O2 removal) at a low biomass loading of 5 wt%. By using the improved method of OxCuO, a monomer yield of 71.9% could be achieved from Eucalyptus (hardwood) lignin, which was much higher than conventional nitrobenzene oxidation (59.8%) and reductive depolymerization (51.9%). Considering the low cost, high availability, and low toxicity of CuO, the improved OxCuO could be a convenient and economic method for more accurate lignin structural analysis.

Bioinspired Cellulase-Mimetic Solid Acid Catalysts for Cellulose Hydrolysis.

Glucose produced by catalytic hydrolysis of cellulose is an important platform molecule for producing a variety of potential biobased fuels and chemicals. Catalysts such as mineral acids and enzymes have been intensively studied for cellulose hydrolysis. However, mineral acids show serious limitations concerning equipment corrosion, wastewater treatment and recyclability while enzymes have the issues such as high cost and thermal stability. Alternatively, solid acid catalysts are receiving increasing attention due to their high potential to overcome the limitations caused by conventional mineral acid catalysts but the slow mass transfer between the solid acid catalysts and cellulose as well as the absence of ideal binding sites on the surface of the solid acid catalysts are the key barriers to efficient cellulose hydrolysis. To bridge the gap, bio-inspired or bio-mimetic solid acid catalysts bearing both catalytic and binding sites are considered futuristic materials that possess added advantages over conventional solid catalysts, given their better substrate adsorption, high-temperature stability and easy recyclability. In this review, cellulase-mimetic solid acid catalysts featuring intrinsic structural characteristics such as binding and catalytic domains of cellulase are reviewed. The mechanism of cellulase-catalyzed cellulose hydrolysis, design of cellulase-mimetic catalysts, and the issues related to these cellulase-mimetic catalysts are critically discussed. Some potential research directions for designing more efficient catalysts for cellulose hydrolysis are proposed. We expect that this review can provide insights into the design and preparation of efficient bioinspired cellulase-mimetic catalysts for cellulose hydrolysis.

Using poly(N-Vinylcaprolactam) to Improve the Enzymatic Hydrolysis Efficiency of Phenylsulfonic Acid-Pretreated Bamboo.

Chemical pretreatment followed by enzymatic hydrolysis has been regarded as a viable way to produce fermentable sugars. Phenylsulfonic acid (PSA) pretreatment could efficiently fractionate the non-cellulosic components (hemicelluloses and lignin) from bamboo and result in increased cellulose accessibility that was 10 times that of untreated bamboo. However, deposited lignin could trigger non-productive adsorption to enzymes, which therefore significantly decreased the enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency of PSA-pretreated bamboo substrates. Herein, poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) (PNVCL), a non-ionic surfactant, was developed as a novel additive for overcoming the non-productive adsorption of lignin during enzymatic hydrolysis. PNVCL was found to be not only more effective than those of commonly used lignosulfonate and polyvinyl alcohol for overcoming the negative effect of lignin, but also comparable to the robust Tween 20 and bovine serum albumin additives. A PNVCL loading at 1.2 g/L during enzymatic hydrolysis of PSA pretreated bamboo substrate could achieve an 80% cellulosic enzymatic conversion and meanwhile reduce the cellulase loading by three times as compared to that without additive. Mechanistic investigations indicated that PNVCL could block lignin residues through hydrophobic interactions and the resultant PNVCL coating resisted the adsorption of cellulase via electrostatic repulsion and/or hydration. This practical method can improve the lignocellulosic enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency and thereby increase the productivity and profitability of biorefinery.

Understanding the promoting effect of non-catalytic protein on enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency of lignocelluloses.

Lignin deposits formed on the surface of pretreated lignocellulosic substrates during acidic pretreatments can non-productively adsorb costly enzymes and thereby influence the enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency of cellulose. In this article, peanut protein (PP), a biocompatible non-catalytic protein, was separated from defatted peanut flour (DPF) as a lignin blocking additive to overcome this adverse effect. With the addition of 2.5 g/L PP in enzymatic hydrolysis medium, the glucose yield of the bamboo substrate pretreated by phenylsulfonic acid (PSA) significantly increased from 38 to 94% at a low cellulase loading of 5 FPU/g glucan while achieving a similar glucose yield required a cellulase loading of 17.5 FPU/g glucan without PP addition. Similar promotion effects were also observed on the n-pentanol-pretreated bamboo and PSA-pretreated eucalyptus substrates. The promoting effect of PP on enzymatic hydrolysis was ascribed to blocking lignin deposits via hydrophobic and/or hydrogen-bonding interactions, which significantly reduced the non-productive adsorption of cellulase onto PSA lignin. Meanwhile, PP extraction also facilitated the utilization of residual DPF as the adhesive for producing plywood as compared to that without protein pre-extraction. This scheme provides a sustainable and viable way to improve the value of woody and agriculture biomass. Peanut protein, a biocompatible non-catalytic protein, can block lignin, improve enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency and thereby facilitate the economics of biorefinery.

Application of Geophysical and Hydrogeochemical Methods to the Protection of Drinking Groundwater in Karst Regions.

To provide theoretical support for the protection of centralized drinking groundwater sources in karst areas, it is necessary to accurately identify the development of karst conduits and analyze the differences in hydrogeochemical characteristics of different karst systems. This provides a scientific basis for the accurate designation of risk zones that may cause drinking groundwater pollution. In this study, a geophysical survey, hydrogeological chemical process analysis and optimized fuzzy cluster analysis were used to gradually improve the understanding of karst water systems. AMT and HDR methods were used to calibrate the resistivity around the water-filling karst conduits, which ranged from 39 to 100 Ω•m. A total of seven karst systems were identified, including four karst systems in the north of the study area, one karst system in the west and two karst systems in the south. Analysis of the hydrochemical data showed that HCO3-Ca and HCO3-Mg-Ca types accounted for 90% of all samples. The δD and δ18O values of their main conduits were -51.70‱ to -38.30‱ and -7.99‱ to -5.96‱, respectively. The optimized fuzzy clustering analysis method based on the weight of variables assigned by AHP more accurately verified karst water systems. Based on these findings, the drinking groundwater source risk zone was designated with an area of 33.90 km2, accounting for 34.5% of the study area. This study effectively improved the rationality and accuracy of the designation of drinking groundwater source risk zones in karst areas, and provided a scientific basis for the identification of karst water systems and decision-making of drinking groundwater source protection in karst areas.

Efficacy and safety of cycloserine-containing regimens in the treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis: a nationwide retrospective cohort study in China.

BACKGROUND: Our aim was to assess whether the use of cycloserine (CS) would bring additional benefit for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) patients, and to estimate the incidence and associated risk factors of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) from CS. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this study, we retrospectively reviewed the clinical outcomes and ADRs of MDR-TB patients treated with CS containing regimens between January 2012 and June 2015 in China. RESULTS: A total of 623 MDR-TB cases enrolled in this study received regimens containing CS. Of these cases, in 411 of the patients 374 (66.0%) were "cured" and 37 (5.9%) "complete treatment" by the end of the study. The elderly, patients with prolonged previous exposure to and history of anti-TB drugs, and pre-existing co-morbidity were more likely to be associated with adverse outcomes of MDR-TB patients (P<0.05). Hyperuricemia (22.8%, 142/623) was the most frequently observed ADR among these cases, while the most noted ADRs associated with the administration of CS was psychiatric symptoms, accounting for 4.3% (27/623) of study population. Nineteen (70.4%) out of 27 cases with psychiatric symptoms occurred before the 6-month timepoint, and were notably, the highest proportion of serious adverse, 29.6% (8/27) of which were noted after discontinuation of CS. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates that a CS-containing regimen achieved a highly successful outcome in the treatment of MDR-TB and promising tolerance in Chinese population. The potential emergence of serious psychiatric symptoms highlights that patients need to be closely monitored for these conditions during treatment that includes CS.

Novel Kinetic Models of Xylan Dissolution and Degradation during Ethanol Based Auto-Catalyzed Organosolv Pretreatment of Bamboo.

Due to the invalidity of traditional models, pretreatment conditions dependent parameter of susceptible dissolution degree of xylan (dX) was introduced into the kinetic models. After the introduction of dX, the dissolution of xylan, and the formation of xylo-oligosaccharides and xylose during ethanol based auto-catalyzed organosolv (EACO) pretreatments of bamboo were well predicted by the pseudo first-order kinetic models (R² > 97%). The parameter of dX was verified to be a variable dependent of EACO pretreatment conditions (such as solvent content in pretreatment liquor and pretreatment temperature). Based on the established kinetic models of xylan dissolution, the dissolution of glucan and the formation of degradation products (furfural and acetic acid) could also be empirically modeled (R² > 97%). In addition, the relationship between xylan and lignin removal can provide guidance for alleviating the depositions of lignin or pseudo-lignin. The parameter of dX derived novel kinetic models can not only be used to reveal the multi-step reaction mechanisms of xylan, but also control the final removal of main components in bamboo during EACO pretreatments, indicating scientific and practical significance for governing the biorefinery of woody biomass.

The change in blood glucose levels in tuberculosis patients before and during anti-tuberculosis treatment in China.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to observe (i) changes in fasting blood glucose (FBG) in tuberculosis (TB) patients before and during anti-TB treatment, (ii) whether FBG levels were stable or unstable and (iii) baseline characteristics associated with an unstable FBG. METHOD: TB patients consecutively attended six clinics or hospitals. FBG measurements were made at months 0, 2 and 6. Data analysis was performed using the chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Of 232 patients without diabetes mellitus (DM) whose initial FBG < 6.1 mmol/L, over 90% maintained FBG < 6.1 mmol/L during treatment and no patient developed DM. Of 17 patients without DM and initial FBG between 6.1 and 6.9 mmol/L, over half had FBG < 6.1 mmol/L during treatment and no patient had DM at the end of treatment. Eight DM patients with already known DM had their FBG controlled at < 7.0 mmol/L during treatment. There were 13 DM patients newly diagnosed with FBG ≥ 7.0 mmol/L, and 69% continued to have FBG ≥ 7.0 mmol/L. After adjustment for confounding, the odds for an unstable FBG were higher for HIV-positive status, already having DM, smoking and coming to hospitals rather than clinics. CONCLUSION: TB patients who do not have DM based on FBG measurements do not develop DM during anti-TB treatment. Those newly diagnosed with DM on screening in general maintain their DM status with high FBG and need to be better managed.

MicroRNA-mediated signal amplification coupled with GNP/dendrimers on a mass-sensitive biosensor and its applications in intracellular microRNA quantification.

Here, a mass-sensitive microRNA sensing surface is developed by utilizing a probe DNA/gold nanoparticles (GNP)/dendrimer composite coupling with an enzymatic amplification process. The probe DNA/GNP/dendrimer composite is prepared via the covalent coupling between the NH2 groups in PAMAM or DNA and the COOH group on GNP. Target microRNA binds to a stem-loop-structured DNA on maganatic NPs, forming a heteroduplex. By enzyme recycling amplification, a large number of linker sequences are produced on MNPs. Via the combination of probe DNA, the linker DNA on MNPs and a capture DNA on gold chip, the DNA/GNP/dendrimer probe could be assembled on the surface of gold chip inducing a sensitive frequency response. It presents an excellent performance in microRNA-203 quantification with a detection linear range of 1.0×10(-11)-1.0×10(-9)M. Both the success in discriminating expressing miroRNA-203 in MCF-7 cell and the well agreement with the commercial qRT-PCR detection method implied its potential application in early cancer diagnosis for future.

Multiple turnovers of DNAzyme for amplified detection of ATP and reduced thiol in cell homogenates.

A conveniently amplified DNAzyme-based fluorescence strategy was designed for highly sensitive detection of ATP or reduced thiol based on the introduction of an ATP aptamer or a disulfide bond in the bioconjugates of magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) and polystyrene microsphere-DNAzyme complexes (PSM-DNAzyme).

Ultrasensitive detection of ATP based on ATP regeneration amplification and its application in cell homogenate and human serum.

A conformation-switching aptamer molecule that could be circularized without ligation DNA was designed. Pyrophosphate (PPi) was converted to ATP, resulting in higher signals for ATP detection. Meanwhile, the method has significant implications for real applications.