Identification of a Novel Aflatoxin B1-Degrading Strain, Bacillus halotolerans DDC-4, and Its Response Mechanisms to Aflatoxin B1.

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) contamination is a food safety issue threatening human health globally. Biodegradation is an effective method for overcoming this problem, and many microorganisms have been identified as AFB1-degrading strains. However, the response mechanisms of these microbes to AFB1 remain unclear. More degrading enzymes, especially of new types, need to be discovered. In this study, a novel AFB1-degrading strain, DDC-4, was isolated using coumarin as the sole carbon source. This strain was identified as Bacillus halotolerans through physiological, biochemical, and molecular methods. The strain's degradation activity was predominantly attributable to thermostable extracellular proteins (degradation rate remained approximately 80% at 90 °C) and was augmented by Cu2+ (95.45% AFB1 was degraded at 48 h). Alpha/beta hydrolase (arylesterase) was selected as candidate AFB1-degrading enzymes for the first time as a gene encoding this enzyme was highly expressed in the presence of AFB1. Moreover, AFB1 inhibited many genes involved in the nucleotide synthesis of strain DDC-4, which is possibly the partial molecular mechanism of AFB1's toxicity to microorganisms. To survive under this stress, sporulation-related genes were induced in the strain. Altogether, our study identified a novel AFB1-degrading strain and explained its response mechanisms to AFB1, thereby providing new insights for AFB1 biodegradation.

Substitute or coexistence? mediastinoscopy-assisted versus thoracoscope-assisted esophagectomy in esophageal cancer - a meta-analysis of perioperative outcomes and long-term survival.

BACKGROUND: Currently, mediastinoscopy-assisted esophagectomy (MAE) and thoracoscope-assisted esophagectomy (TAE) represent two prevalent forms of minimally invasive esophagectomy extensively employed in the management of esophageal cancer (EC). The aim of this meta-analysis is to assess and compare these two surgical approaches concerning perioperative outcomes and long-term survival, offering valuable insights for refining surgical strategies and enhancing patient outcomes in this field. METHODS: Adhering to PRISMA guidelines, we systematically searched PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, and CNKI databases until March 1, 2024, for studies comparing MAE and TAE. Outcomes of interest included perioperative outcomes (intraoperative outcomes, postoperative recovery, postoperative complications) and survival rates. Statistical analyses were performed using RevMan 5.4, with heterogeneity dictating the use of fixed or random-effects models. RESULTS: Totally 21 relevant studies were finally included. MAE was associated with significantly shorter operation times ((MD=-59.58 min, 95% CI: -82.90, -36.26) and less intraoperative blood loss (MD=-68.34 mL, 95% CI: -130.45, -6.23). However, MAE resulted in fewer lymph nodes being dissected (MD=-3.50, 95% CI: -6.23, -0.78). Postoperative recovery was enhanced following MAE, as evidenced by reduced hospital stays and tube times. MAE significantly reduced pulmonary complications (OR=0.59, 95% CI: 0.44, 0.81) but increased the incidence of recurrent laryngeal nerve injury (OR=1.84, 95% CI: 1.30, 2.60). No significant differences were observed in anastomotic leakage, chylothorax, cardiac complications, wound infections, and gastric retention between MAE and TAE. The long-term survival outcomes showed no statistical difference (HR=1.05, 95% CI: 0.71-1.54). CONCLUSIONS: MAE offers advantages in reducing operation time, blood loss, and specific postoperative complications, particularly pulmonary complications, with a shorter recovery period compared to TAE. However, it poses a higher risk of recurrent laryngeal nerve injury and results in fewer lymph nodes being dissected. No difference in long-term survival was observed, indicating that both techniques have distinct benefits and limitations. These findings underscore the need for personalized surgical approaches in EC treatment, considering individual patient characteristics and tumor specifics.

Mapping of lymph node metastasis from esophageal squamous cell carcinoma after neoadjuvant treatment: a prospective analysis from a high-volume institution in China.

The study aimed to describe the prevalence of lymph node metastases per lymph node station for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) after neoadjuvant treatment. Clinicopathological variables of ESCC patients were retrieved from the prospective database of the Surgical Esophageal Cancer Patient Registry in West China Hospital, Sichuan University. A two-field lymphadenectomy was routinely performed, and an extensive three-field lymphadenectomy was performed if cervical lymph node metastasis was suspected. According to AJCC/UICC 8, lymph node stations were investigated separately. The number of patients with metastatic lymph nodes divided by those who underwent lymph node dissection at that station was used to define the percentage of patients with lymph node metastases. Data are also separately analyzed according to the pathological response of the primary tumor, neoadjuvant treatment regimens, pretreatment tumor length, and tumor location. Between January 2019 and March 2023, 623 patients who underwent neoadjuvant therapy followed by transthoracic esophagectomy were enrolled. Lymph node metastases were found in 212 patients (34.0%) and most frequently seen in lymph nodes along the right recurrent nerve (10.1%, 58/575), paracardial station (11.4%, 67/587), and lymph nodes along the left gastric artery (10.9%, 65/597). For patients with pretreatment tumor length of >4 cm and non-pathological complete response of the primary tumor, the metastatic rate of the right lower cervical paratracheal lymph nodes is 10.9% (10/92) and 10.6% (11/104), respectively. For patients with an upper thoracic tumor, metastatic lymph nodes were most frequently seen along the right recurrent nerve (14.2%, 8/56). For patients with a middle thoracic tumor, metastatic lymph nodes were most commonly seen in the right lower cervical paratracheal lymph nodes (10.3%, 8/78), paracardial lymph nodes (10.2%, 29/285), and lymph nodes along the left gastric artery (10.4%, 30/289). For patients with a lower thoracic tumor, metastatic lymph nodes were most frequently seen in the paracardial station (14.2%, 35/247) and lymph nodes along the left gastric artery (13.1%, 33/252). The study precisely determined the distribution of lymph node metastases in ESCC after neoadjuvant treatment, which may help to optimize the extent of lymphadenectomy in the surgical management of ESCC patients after neoadjuvant therapy.

Recent advances and mechanism of plasmonic metal-semiconductor photocatalysis.

Benefiting from the unique surface plasmon properties, plasmonic metal nanoparticles can convert light energy into chemical energy, which is considered as a potential technique for enhancing plasmon-induced semiconductor photocatalytic reactions. Due to the shortcomings of large bandgap and high carrier recombination rate of semiconductors, their applications are limited in the field of sustainable and clean energy sources. Different forms of plasmonic nanoparticles have been reported to improve the photocatalytic reactions of adjacent semiconductors, such as water splitting, carbon dioxide reduction, and organic pollutant degradation. Although there are various reports on plasmonic metal-semiconductor photocatalysis, the related mechanism and frontier progress still need to be further explored. This review provides a brief explanation of the four main mechanisms of plasmonic metal-semiconductor photocatalysis, namely, (i) enhanced local electromagnetic field, (ii) light scattering, (iii) plasmon-induced hot carrier injection and (iv) plasmon-induced resonance energy transfer; some related typical frontier applications are also discussed. The study on the mechanism of plasmonic semiconductor complexes will be favourable to develop a new high-performance semiconductor photocatalysis technology.

A radiomics strategy based on CT intra-tumoral and peritumoral regions for preoperative prediction of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for esophageal cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Develop a method for selecting esophageal cancer patients achieving pathological complete response with pre-neoadjuvant therapy chest-enhanced CT scans. METHODS: Two hundred and one patients from center 1 were enrolled, split into training and testing sets (7:3 ratio), with an external validation set of 30 patients from center 2. Radiomics features from intra-tumoral and peritumoral images were extracted and dimensionally reduced using Student's t-test and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator. Four machine learning classifiers were employed to build models, with the best-performing models selected based on accuracy and stability. ROC curves were utilized to determine the top prediction model, and its generalizability was evaluated on the external validation set. RESULTS: Among 16 models, the integrated-XGBoost and integrated-random forest models performed the best, with average ROC AUCs of 0.906 and 0.918, respectively, and RSDs of 6.26 and 6.89 in the training set. In the testing set, AUCs were 0.845 and 0.871, showing no significant difference in ROC curves. External validation set AUCs for integrated-XGBoost and integrated-random forest models were 0.650 and 0.749. CONCLUSION: Incorporating peritumoral radiomics features into the analysis enhances predictive performance for esophageal cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy, paving the way for improved treatment outcomes.

Increased resected lymph node stations improved survival of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) and surgery have been recommended as the standard treatments for locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). In addition, nodal metastases decreased in frequency and changed in distribution after neoadjuvant therapy. This study aimed to examine the optimal strategy for lymph node dissection (LND) in patients with ESCC who underwent nCRT. METHODS: The hazard ratios (HRs) for overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were calculated using the Cox proportional hazard model. To determine the minimal number of LNDs (n-LNS) or least station of LNDs (e-LNS), the Chow test was used. RESULTS: In total, 333 patients were included. The estimated cut-off values for e-LNS and n-LNS were 9 and 15, respectively. A higher number of e-LNS was significantly associated with improved OS (HR: 0.90; 95% CI 0.84-0.97, P = 0.0075) and DFS (HR: 0.012; 95% CI: 0.84-0.98, P = 0.0074). The e-LNS was a significant prognostic factor in multivariate analyses. The local recurrence rate of 23.1% in high e-LNS is much lower than the results of low e-LNS (13.3%). Comparable morbidity was found in both the e-LNS and n-LND subgroups. CONCLUSION: This cohort study revealed an association between the extent of LND and overall survival, suggesting the therapeutic value of extended lymphadenectomy during esophagectomy. Therefore, more lymph node stations being sampled leads to higher survival rates among patients who receive nCRT, and standard lymphadenectomy of at least 9 stations is strongly recommended.

Impact of deep muscle invasion on nodal status and survival in patients with pT2 esophageal squamous cancer.

BACKGROUND: Whether T2 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma should be subclassified remains controversial. We aimed to investigate the impact of the depth of muscularis propria invasion on nodal status and survival outcomes. METHODS: We identified patients with pT2 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who underwent primary surgery from January 2009 to June 2017. Clinical data were extracted from prospectively maintained databases. Tumor muscularis propria invasion was stratified into superficial or deep. Binary logistic regression was used to determine risk factors for lymph node metastases. The impact of the depth of muscularis propria invasion on survival was investigated using Kaplan‒Meier analysis and a Cox proportional hazard regression model. RESULTS: A total of 750 patients from three institutes were investigated. The depth of muscularis propria invasion (odds ratio [OR]: 3.95, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.46-6.35; p < 0.001) was correlated with lymph node metastases using logistic regression. T substage (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.37, 95% CI: 1.05-1.79; p < 0.001) and N status (HR: 1.51, 95% CI: 1.05-2.17; p < 0.001) were independent risk factors in multivariate Cox regression analysis. The deep muscle invasion was associated with worse overall survival (HR: 1.52, 95% CI: 1.19-1.94; p = 0.001) than superficial, specifically in T2N0 patients (HR: 1.38, 95% CI: 1.08-1.94; p = 0.035). CONCLUSIONS: We found that deep muscle invasion was associated with significantly worse outcomes and recommended the substaging of pT2 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in routine pathological examination.

Vitamin D receptor induces oxidative stress to promote esophageal squamous cell carcinoma proliferation via the p53 signaling pathway.

Background: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a common pathological esophageal cancer with poor prognosis. Vitamin D deficiency reportedly occurs in ESCC patients, and this is related to single nucleotide polymorphism of vitamin D receptor (VDR). Objective: We investigated the effect of VDR on ESCC proliferation, invasion, and metastasis and its potential mechanism. Methods: ESCC and normal tissues were collected from 20 ESCC patients. The ESCC tissue microarray contained 116 pairs of ESCC and normal tissues and 73 single ESCC tissues. VDR expression and its clinicopathological role were determined by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, and immunohistochemistry staining. sh-VDR and VDR overexpression were used to validate the effect of VDR on ESCC cell phenotype, and tandem mass tag-based quantitative proteomics and bioinformatics methods identified differential VDR-related proteins. The downstream pathway and regulatory effect were analyzed using ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA). Differentially expressed proteins were verified through parallel reaction monitoring and Western blot. In vivo imaging visualized subcutaneous tumor growth following tail vein injection of VDR-deficient ESCC cells. Results: High VDR expression was observed in ESCC tissues and cells. Gender, T stage, and TNM stage were related to VDR expression, which was the independent prognostic factor related to ESCC. VDR downregulation repressed ESCC cell proliferation, invasion, and migration in vitro and subcutaneous tumor growth and lung metastases in vivo. The cell phenotype changes were reversed upon VDR upregulation, and differential proteins were mainly enriched in the p53 signaling pathway. TP53 cooperated with ABCG2, APOE, FTH1, GCLM, GPX1, HMOX1, JUN, PRDX5, and SOD2 and may activate apoptosis and inhibit oxidative stress, cell metastasis, and proliferation. TP53 was upregulated after VDR knockdown, and TP53 downregulation reversed VDR knockdown-induced cell phenotype changes. Conclusions: VDR may inhibit p53 signaling pathway activation and induce ESCC proliferation, invasion, and metastasis by activating oxidative stress.

Mendelian randomization analysis of atopic dermatitis and esophageal cancer in East Asian and European populations.

Background: Emerging observational studies showed an association between atopic dermatitis (AD) and gastrointestinal cancers. However, it remains unclear whether this association is causal, particularly in the case of cancers like esophageal cancer, which exhibit ancestral genetic traits. Methods: To assess the potential causal relationship between AD and esophageal cancer across diverse ancestral backgrounds, we conducted a 2-sample Mendelian randomization study. Independent genetic instruments for AD from the FinnGen consortium (N case = 7024 and N control = 198 740), BioBank Japan (N case = 2385 and N control = 209 651) and Early Genetics and Lifecourse Epidemiology (EAGLE) eczema consortium (N case = 18 900 and N control = 84 166, without the 23andMe study) were used to investigate the association with esophageal cancer in the UK Biobank study (N case = 740 and N control = 372 016) and BioBank Japan esophageal cancer sample (N case = 1300 and N control = 197 045). Results: When esophageal cancer extracted from East Asian ancestry was used as a outcome factor, AD data extracted from BioBank Japan (OR = 0.90, 95% CI: 0.83-0.98), FinnGen consortium (OR = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.77-0.96), and EAGLE consortium (OR = 0.92, 95% CI: 0.81-1.06) were negatively associated with esophageal cancer susceptibility. However, AD as a whole did not show an association with esophageal cancer from European ancestry. Conclusion: This study provides support for a causal relationship between AD and esophageal cancer in East Asian populations but not between AD and esophageal cancer from European ancestry. The specific associations between esophageal cancer and AD appear to exhibit significant disparities between the East Asian and European regions.

Spinel Phase Engineering Boosted Visible-Light Photocatalytic Activity in Co1-xSrxCr2O4.

We synthesized Sr-doped spinel CoCr2O4 using the solution combustion method and characterized the structure, morphology, chemical state, and photocatalytic properties through different techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). 30-50 nm cuboid CoCr2O4 nanocrystals with Sr doping levels ranging from 0 to 0.6% were obtained; the increasing Sr doping deformed the coordination number of Co and Cr, transitioning to octahedral and tetrahedral units, inducing the phase transition from spinel to inverse spinel at 0.6% Sr content. This modification enhanced optical absorption, reduced the energy band gap, increased photoluminescence intensity, and maintained a high-spin state with oxygen vacancies. 0.6% Sr-doped CoCr2O4 demonstrated the highest photocatalytic efficiency at 93%. The XRD structure and photocatalytic activity remained at 87% over 7 cycles after 14 h. Employing degradation pathways and Mott-Schottky curves elucidated the enhancement mechanism.

Will synchronous esophageal and lung resection increase the incidence of anastomotic leaks? A multicenter retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Reports on combined resection for synchronous lung lesions and esophageal cancer (CRLE) cases are rare and mostly individual cases. Furthermore, the feasibility of CRLE has always been a controversial topic. In the current study, the authors retrospectively analyzed the feasibility of CRLE and established an individualized prediction model for esophageal anastomotic leaks after CRLE by performing a multicenter retrospective study. METHODS: Patients who underwent esophagectomy between January 2009 and June 2021 were extracted from a four-center prospectively maintained database, and those with CRLE at the same setting were matched in a 1:2 propensity score-matched (PSM) ratio to esophagectomy alone (EA) patients. A nomogram was then established based on the variables involved in multivariate logistic regression analysis. Internal validation of the nomogram was conducted utilizing Bootstrap resampling. Decision and clinical impact curve analysis were computed to assess the practical clinical utility of the nomogram. A prognosis analysis for CRLE and EA patients by Kaplan-Meier curves was conducted. RESULTS: Of the 7152 esophagectomies, 216 cases of CRLE were eligible, and 1:2 ratio propensity score-matched EA patients were matched. The incidence of anastomotic leaks following CRLE increased significantly ( P =0.035). The results of the multivariate analysis indicated the leaks varied according to the type of lung resection (anatomic>wedge resection, P =0.016) and site of resected lobe (upper>middle/low lobe; P =0.027), and a nomogram was established to predict the occurrence of leaks accurately (area under the curve=0.786). Although no statistically significant difference in overall survival (OS) was observed in the CRLE group ( P =0.070), a trend toward lower survival rates was noted. Further analysis revealed that combined upper lobe anatomic resection was significantly associated with reduced OS ( P =0.027). CONCLUSION: Our study confirms that CRLE is feasible but comes with a significantly increased risk of anastomotic leaks and a concerning trend of reduced survival, particularly when upper lobe anatomic resections are performed. These findings highlight the need for careful patient selection and surgical planning when considering CRLE.

NaxSb Alloy-Based Low-Frequency Mechanical Energy Harvesters for Virtual Taste Sensations.

Batteries can be activated by external mechanical force and generate current, enabling a smart class of electrochemical-mechanical strain energy harvesters therefrom. Here, we have developed a NaxSb alloy-based harvester that is able to electrochemically convert low-frequency bending or pressing mechanical energy into electrical energy. The device is designed as a flexible symmetric cell incorporating two sodiated antimony nanoflake electrodes, whose peak power and energy output are more than twice those of other sodium-alloyed electrochemical-mechanical strain energy harvesters reported. We demonstrate that the open-circuit voltage of the device is an asymptotic function of the curvature radius in the bending mode and a linear function of pressure in the pressing mode. Taking advantage of the tunability of voltage, we present a new technology that simulates various tastes by releasing low-voltage electrical signals from the harvester. This technology can not only help people with impaired taste but also be integrated into a virtual reality system to create immersive taste experiences.

High-Pressure Synthesis, Crystal Structure, and Physical Properties of a Spinel Compound Co0.7Al2S4.

In this paper, we report on the discovery of a spinel compound, Co0.7Al2S4, which was synthesized at high-pressure. The systematic characterizations were carried out by structural, magnetic, and heat capacity measurements. The compound crystallizes into a cubic structure with the space group Fd3̅m (no. 227) and the lattice constant a = 9.9580(1) Å. Magnetic susceptibility measurements suggest that Co0.7Al2S4 exhibits a spin glass ground state, freezing at Tf ∼ 7.2 K with a Weiss temperature Tθ ∼ -115.9 K, which is verified by ac magnetic susceptibility and heat capacity measurements. The frustration parameter f for Co0.7Al2S4 is calculated to be about 16.6, based on the formula f = | Tθ/Tf |, indicating that Co0.7Al2S4 is a high-frustration magnet. Specific heat data displays a T2 dependence below the freezing temperature, which is different from the linear dependence observed in a common spin glass system. Compared with the similar compound CoAl2O4, it is suggested that the vacancies in the Co sites should be responsible for the occurrence of the spin glass behavior of Co0.7Al2S4.

Cesium-doped ammonium vanadium bronze nanosheets as high capacity aqueous zinc-ion battery cathodes with long cycle life and superb rate capability.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) are emerging as a promising candidate for large grid energy storage due to their abundant availability and high safety. To meet long cycle life requirements, developing a stable cathode with high rate capability is of great importance. Herein, cesium-doped ammonium vanadium bronze Cs0.07NH4V4O10·0.28H2O (CNVO) is synthesized and proposed as a potential cathode material in AZIBs. The doping of Cs+ ions expands the interlayer spacing of the (001) plane from 9.7 to 10.5 Å, which leads to enhanced kinetics and a low energy barrier for the intercalation of Zn2+ ions. The as-synthesized CNVO boasts a two-dimensional (2D) sheet-like morphology with a lateral dimension of about 500 and a low thickness of 9 nm, which enables robust stability during cycling. Additionally, the synergistic interactions among Cs, NH4 and V enhance the electrochemical stability of CNVO during the Zn2+/H+ intercalation/deintercalation reactions. The three-pronged approaches make CNVO nanosheet cathodes deliver a high specific capacity of 475.6 mA h g-1 at 0.1 A g-1, a high energy density of 347.4 W h kg-1 at 74.4 W kg-1 and superb cycling stability with 90.1% capacity retention after 5000 cycles at 10 A g-1. Electrochemical studies indicate that Zn2+ ion storage in CNVO is a comprehensive process involving intercalation and pseudocapacitance, with the latter not only providing extra capacity but also facilitating fast charge-discharge capability.

Deep Learning in Barrett's Esophagus Diagnosis: Current Status and Future Directions.

Barrett's esophagus (BE) represents a pre-malignant condition characterized by abnormal cellular proliferation in the distal esophagus. A timely and accurate diagnosis of BE is imperative to prevent its progression to esophageal adenocarcinoma, a malignancy associated with a significantly reduced survival rate. In this digital age, deep learning (DL) has emerged as a powerful tool for medical image analysis and diagnostic applications, showcasing vast potential across various medical disciplines. In this comprehensive review, we meticulously assess 33 primary studies employing varied DL techniques, predominantly featuring convolutional neural networks (CNNs), for the diagnosis and understanding of BE. Our primary focus revolves around evaluating the current applications of DL in BE diagnosis, encompassing tasks such as image segmentation and classification, as well as their potential impact and implications in real-world clinical settings. While the applications of DL in BE diagnosis exhibit promising results, they are not without challenges, such as dataset issues and the "black box" nature of models. We discuss these challenges in the concluding section. Essentially, while DL holds tremendous potential to revolutionize BE diagnosis, addressing these challenges is paramount to harnessing its full capacity and ensuring its widespread application in clinical practice.

The predictive value of a computed tomography-based radiomics model for the surgical separability of thymic epithelial tumors from the superior vena cava and the left innominate vein.

Background: The aim of this study was to develop a radiomics machine learning model based on computed tomography (CT) that can predict whether thymic epithelial tumors (TETs) can be separated from veins during surgery and to compare the accuracy of the radiomics model to that of radiologists. Methods: Patients who underwent thymectomy at our hospital from 2009 to 2017 were included in the screening process. After the selection of patients according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the cohort was randomly divided into training and testing groups, and CT images of these patients were collected. Subsequently, two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) regions of interest were labelled using ITK-SNAP 3.8.0 software, and Radiomics features were extracted using Python software (Python Software Foundation) and selected through the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression model. To construct the classifier, a support vector machine (SVM) was employed, and a nomogram was created using logistic regression to predict vascular inseparable TETs based on the radiomics score (radscore) and image features. To assess the accuracy of these models, area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of these models were calculated, and differences among the models were identified using the Delong test. Results: In this retrospective study, 204 patients with TETs were included, among whom 21 were diagnosed with surgical vascularly inseparable TETs. The area under ROC curve (AUC) of the 2D model, 3D model, 2D + 3D model, and radiologist diagnoses were 0.94, 0.92, 0.95, and 0.87 in the training cohort and 0.95, 0.92, 0.98, and 0.78 in testing cohort, respectively. The Delong test revealed a significant improvement in the performance of the radiomics models compared to radiologists' diagnoses. The logistic regression selected 3 image features, namely maximum diameter of the tumor, degree of abutment of vessel circumference >50%, and absence of the mediastinal fat layer or space between the tumor and surrounding structures. These features, along with the radscore, were included to develop a nomogram. The AUCs of this nomogram were 0.99 in both the training set and testing set, and the Delong test did not find a significant difference between ROC plots of the nomogram and radiomics models. Conclusions: The proposed radiomics model could accurately predict surgical vascularly inseparable TETs preoperatively and was shown to have a higher predictive value than the radiologists.

Causal relationship between lung diseases and risk of esophageal cancer: insights from Mendelian randomization.

BACKGROUND: An increasing number of cohort studies have indicated a correlation between lung diseases and esophageal cancer, but the exact causal relationship has not been definitively established. Therefore, the objective of this study is to assess the causal relationship between lung diseases and esophageal cancer. METHODS: Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) related to lung diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), along with outcomes data on esophageal cancer, were extracted from public genome-wide association studies (GWAS). A two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was then performed using publicly available GWAS data to investigate the potential causal relationship. The effect estimates were primarily calculated using the fixed-effects inverse-variance-weighted method. RESULTS: Totally, 81 SNPs related to asthma among 218,792 participants in GWAS. Based on the primary causal effects model using MR analyses with the inverse variance weighted (IVW) method, asthma was demonstrated a significantly related to the risk of esophageal cancer (OR 1.0006; 95% CI 1.0003-1.0010, p = 0.001), while COPD (OR 1.0306; 95% CI 0.9504-1.1176, p = 0.466), lung cancer (OR 1.0003, 95% CI 0.9998-1.0008, p = 0.305), as well as IPF (OR 0.9999, 95% CI 0.9998-1.0000, p = 0.147), showed no significant correlation with esophageal cancer. CONCLUSIONS: The two-sample MR analysis conducted in this study revealed a positive causal relationship between asthma and esophageal cancer. In contrast, esophageal cancer demonstrated no significant correlation with COPD, lung cancer, or IPF. Further large-sample prospective studies are needed to validate these findings and to provide appropriate recommendations regarding esophageal cancer screening among patients with asthma.

Cover cropping impacts on soil water and carbon in dryland cropping system.

Incorporating cover crops into the rotation is a practice applied across many parts of the globe to enhance soil biological activities. In dryland farming, where crop production is highly dependent on rainfall and soil water storage, cover cropping can affect soil water, yet its effects on soil hydrological and biological health require further investigation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different timing of summer sorghum cover crop termination on soil water, total and labile organic carbon, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and their mediating effects on wheat yield. Through on-farm trial, soil characteristics along with wheat biomass, yield and grain quality were monitored. In comparison with the control (fallow), the early terminated cover crop was the most effective at retaining greater soil water at wheat sowing by 1~4% in 0-45cm soil profile. An increase in water use efficiency, yield and grain protein by 10%, 12% and 5% was observed under early termination. Under late terminated summer cover crop, there was 7% soil water depletion at wheat planting which resulted in 61% decline in yield. However, late-terminated cover crop achieved the greatest gain in soil total and particulate organic carbon by 17% and 72% and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal Group A and B concentration by 356% and 251%. Summer cover crop incorporation resulted in a rapid gain in labile organic carbon, which constituted hotspots for arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi growth, conversely, fungal activities increased labile organic carbon availability. The combined effect of increased soil water at sowing and over the growing season, organic carbon, and microbial activities contributed to greater yield. The findings suggest that summer cover cropping with timely termination can have implications in managing soil water at sowing time and enhancing soil water storage during the season, soil carbon, and facilitating microbial activities while enhancing productivity in the dryland cropping system.

MTHFD1L confers a poor prognosis and malignant phenotype in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma by activating the ERK5 signaling pathway.

MTHFD1L, a key enzyme of folate metabolism, is seldom reported in cancer. In this study, we investigate the role of MTHFD1L in the tumorigenicity of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). ESCC tissue microarrays (TMAs) containing 177 samples from 109 patients were utilized to evaluate whether MTHFD1L expression, determined using immunohistochemical analysis, is a prognostic indicator for ESCC patients. The function of MTHFD1L in the migration and invasion of ESCC cells was studied with wound healing, Transwell, and three-dimensional spheroid invasion assays in vitro and a lung metastasis mouse model in vivo. The mRNA microarrays and Ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA) were used to explore the downstream of MTHFD1L. Elevated expression of MTHFD1L in ESCC tissues was significantly associated with poor differentiation and prognosis. These phenotypic assays revealed that MTHFD1L significantly promote the viability and metastasis of ESCC cell in vivo and in vitro. Further detailed analyses of the molecular mechanism demonstrated that the ESCC progression driven by MTHFD1L was through up-regulation ERK5 signaling pathways. These findings reveal that MTHFD1L is positively associated with the aggressive phenotype of ESCC by activating ERK5 signaling pathways, suggesting that MTHFD1L is a new biomarker and a potential molecular therapeutic target for ESCC.

Integrated analysis reveals the microenvironment of non-small cell lung cancer and a macrophage-related prognostic model.

Background: In the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), recent advances in immunotherapy have heralded a new era. Despite the success of immune therapy, a subset of patients persistently fails to respond. Therefore, to better improve the efficacy of immunotherapy and achieve the purpose of precision therapy, the research and exploration of tumor immunotherapy biomarkers have received much attention. Methods: Single-cell transcriptomic profiling was used to reveal tumor heterogeneity and the microenvironment in NSCLC. The Cell-type Identification by Estimating Relative Subsets of RNA Transcripts (CIBERSORT) algorithm was utilized to speculate the relative fractions of 22 infiltration immunocyte types in NSCLC. Univariate Cox and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analyses were used for the construction of risk prognostic models and predictive nomograms of NSCLC. Spearman's correlation analysis was employed to explore the relationship between risk score and tumor mutation burden (TMB) and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Screening of chemotherapeutic agents in the high- and low-risk groups was performed with the "pRRophetic" package in R. Intercellular communication analysis was conducted using the "CellChat" package. Results: We found that most tumor-infiltrating immune cells were T cells and monocytes. We also found that there was a significant difference in the tumor-infiltrating immune cells and ICIs across different molecular subtypes. Further analysis showed that M0 and M1 mononuclear macrophages were significantly different in different molecular subtypes. The risk prediction model was shown to have to ability to accurately predict the prognosis, immune cell infiltration, and chemotherapy efficacy of patients in the high and low-risk groups. Finally, we found that the carcinogenic effect of migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is mediated by binding to CD74, CXCR4, and CD44 receptors involved in MIF cell signaling. Conclusions: We have revealed the tumor microenvironment (TME) of NSCLC through single-cell data analysis and constructed a prognosis model of macrophage-related genes. These results could provide new therapeutic targets for NSCLC.