Time Division Colorful Multiplexing Based on Carbon Nanodots with Modifiable Colors and Lifetimes.

Optical multiplexing technology plays a crucial role in various fields such as data storage, anti-counterfeiting, and time-resolved biological imaging. Nevertheless, employing single-wavelength phosphorescence for multiplexing often results in spectral overlap among the emission peaks of various channels, which can precipitate crosstalk and misinterpretation in the information-decoding process, thereby compromising the integrity and precision of the encrypted data. This paper proposes a time-divided colorful multiplexing technology based on phosphorescent carbon nanodots with different colors and lifetimes. Using different luminescence colors to symbolize varying information levels helps achieve multitiered information encryption and storage. By modulation of the lifetime and the emission wavelength, intricate information can be encoded, thereby enhancing the intricacy and security of the encryption mechanism. By assigning different data bits to each color, more information can be encoded in the same physical space. This method enables higher-density information storage and fortifies encryption, ensuring the compactness and security of information.

Thermally Enhanced Phosphorescent Carbon Nanodots for Monitoring Cold-Chain Logistics.

Room-temperature phosphorescent materials, renowned for their long luminescence lifetimes, have garnered significant attention in the field of optical materials. However, the challenges posed by thermally induced quenching have significantly hindered the advancement of luminescence efficiency and stability. In this study, thermally enhanced phosphorescent carbon nanodots (CND) are developed by incorporating them into fiber matrices. Remarkably, the phosphorescence lifetime of the thermally enhanced CND exhibits a twofold enhancement, increasing from 326 to 753 ms, while the phosphorescence intensity experienced a tenfold enhancement, increasing from 25 to 245 as the temperature increased to 373 K. Rigid fiber matrices can effectively suppress the non-radiative transition rate of triplet excitons, while high temperatures can desorb oxygen adsorbed on the surface of the CND, disrupting the interaction between the CND and oxygen. Consequently, a thermally enhanced phosphorescence is obtained. In addition, benefiting from the thermally enhanced phosphorescence property of CND, a warning indicator with an anti-counterfeiting function for monitoring cold-chain logistics is demonstrated based on CND.

A Novel Classification System of Renal Hilar Tumors for Surgical Guidance: Technique, Outcome, and Safety.

BACKGROUND: This study was designed to develop an innovative classification and guidance system for renal hilar tumors and to assess the safety and effectiveness of robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) for managing such tumors. METHODS: A total of 179 patients undergoing RAPN for renal hilar tumors were retrospectively reviewed. A novel classification system with surgical techniques was introduced and the perioperative features, tumor characteristics, and the efficacy and safety of RAPN were compared within subgroups. RESULTS: We classified the tumors according to our novel system as follows: 131 Type I, 35 Type II, and 13 Type III. However, Type III had higher median R.E.N.A.L., PADUA, and ROADS scores compared with the others (all p < 0.001), indicating increased operative complexity and higher estimated blood loss [180.00 (115.00-215.00) ml]. Operative outcomes revealed significant disparities between Type III and the others, with longer operative times [165.00 (145.00-200.50) min], warm ischemia times [24.00 (21.50-30.50) min], tumor resection times [13.00 (12.00-15.50) min], and incision closure times [22.00 (20.00-23.50) min] (all p < 0.005). Postoperative outcomes also showed significant differences, with longer durations of drain removal (77.08 ± 18.16 h) and hospitalization for Type III [5.00 (5.00-6.00) d] (all p < 0.05). Additionally, Type I had a larger tumor diameter than the others (p = 0.009) and pT stage differed significantly between the subtypes (p = 0.020). CONCLUSIONS: The novel renal hilar tumor classification system is capable of differentiating the surgical difficulty of RAPN and further offers personalized surgical steps tailored to each specific classification. It provides a meaningful tool for clinical practice.

Creating a SNOMED CT reference set for common endocrine disorders based on routine clinic correspondence.

BACKGROUND: Routine clinical coding of clinical outcomes in outpatient consultations still lags behind the coding of episodes of inpatient care. Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine Clinical Terms (SNOMED CT) offers an opportunity for standardised coding of key clinical information. Identifying the most commonly required SNOMED terms and grouping these into a reference set will aid future adoption in routine clinical care. OBJECTIVE: To create a common endocrinology reference set to standardise the coding for outcomes of outpatient endocrine consultations, using a semi-automated extraction of information from existing clinical correspondence. METHODS: Retrospective review of data from an adult tertiary outpatient endocrine clinic between 2018 and 2019. A total of 1870 patients from postcodes within two regional areas of NHS Grampian (Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire) attended the clinic. Following consultation, an automated script extracted each problem statement which was manually coded using the 'disorder' concepts from SNOMED CT (UK edition). RESULTS: The review identified 298 relevant endocrine diagnoses, 99 findings and 142 procedures. There were a total of 88 (29.5%) commonly seen endocrine conditions (e.g., Graves' disease, anterior hypopituitarism and Addison's disease) and 210 (70.5%) less commonly seen endocrine conditions. Subsequently, consultant endocrinologists completed a survey regarding the common endocrine conditions; 28 conditions have 100% agreement, 25 have 90%-99% agreement, 31 have 50%-89% agreement and 4 have less than 59% agreement (which were excluded). CONCLUSION: Automated text parsing of structured endocrine correspondence allowed the creation of a SNOMED CT reference set for common endocrine disorders. This will facilitate funding and planning of service provision in endocrinology by allowing more accurate characterisation of the patient cohorts needing specialist endocrine care.

Synthesis of the DEF-Ring Spirocyclic Core of Cyclopamine.

A stereoselective synthesis of the DEF-ring spirocyclic core of cyclopamine was accomplished using commercially available materials. The key steps in the synthesis were (i) the enantioselective vinylogous Mannich reaction, followed by lactamization to generate the piperidine F ring, and (ii) intramolecular oxidative dearomative spiroetherification to construct the DEF-ring spirocyclic core of cyclopamine. We found that the stereochemistry of the spirocyclization was controlled by the configuration of the methyl group (C-20) in the substrate.

Analysis of Anatomy and Age-related Changes in Infraorbital Cheek Using Computed Tomography.

BACKGROUND: There is no consensus regarding age-related facial anatomical changes. In this study, aging-related changes in soft and hard cheek tissues were quantitatively analyzed using computed tomography. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of 90 Asian females who underwent facial computed tomography. Three-dimensional model of soft tissue in apple zone was reconstructed, and age-related changes in fat volume and pyriform aperture area were quantified using Mimics software. RESULTS: The apple zone is an aesthetic unit of the infraorbital cheek, with soft tissue located between the lateral wall of the pyriform aperture and the zygomatic major muscle. The superficial fat volume significantly decreased with age (P < 0.05). In contrast, a significant decrease in total fat volume was only observed between the young and old groups (P < 0.05). In linear regression modeling, age was a significant predictor of pyriform aperture area (R2 = 0.194, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that superficial fat atrophy and bone remodeling in the cheek with age, and both of which combine to contribute to an aging facial appearance. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Asymmetric Synthesis of Cyclopamine, a Hedgehog (Hh) Signaling Pathway Inhibitor.

Cyclopamine is a teratogenic steroidal alkaloid, which inhibits the Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway by targeting the Smoothened (Smo) receptor. Suppression of Hh signaling with synthetic small molecules has been pursued as a therapeutic approach for the treatment of cancer. We report herein the asymmetric synthesis of cyclopamine based on a two-stage relay strategy. Stage-I: total synthesis of veratramine through a convergent approach, wherein a crucial photoinduced excited-state Nazarov reaction was applied to construct the basic [6-6-5-6] skeleton of C-nor-D-homo-steroid. Stage-II: conversion of veratramine to cyclopamine was achieved through a sequence of chemo-selective redox manipulations.

Fabrication of azimuthally/radially symmetric liquid crystal plates using two-step photoalignments.

Fabrication of azimuthally/radially symmetric liquid crystal plates (A/RSLCPs) using two-step photoalignments with the two dichroic dyes methyl red (MR) and brilliant yellow (BY) is demonstrated. BY molecules coated onto a substrate and MR molecules doped in LCs in a cell can azimuthally and radially align LCs by illuminating radially and azimuthally symmetric polarized light with specific wavelengths, respectively. In contrast to the previous fabrication methods, the fabrication method proposed here can prevent the contamination/damage of photoalignment films on substrates. A method to improve the proposed fabrication to avoid generating undesirable patterns is also elucidated.

Integrative Analysis Developing and Validating Potential Candidate Biomarkers for Cancer Stemness Features of Pan-Renal Cell Carcinoma.

In our study, 49 key genes significantly associated with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) stemness were obtained. Next, we developed a molecular prognostic signature associated with stemness features of pan-RCC. The difference in overall survival (OS) between the high- and low-risk groups was statistically significant (p < .05). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for 1-year OS, 5-year OS, and 10-year OS was 0.759, 0.712, and 0.918, respectively. The results of validation in The Cancer Genome Atlas cohort and International Cancer Genome Consortium cohort revealed the predictive capability of this signature. Furthermore, we selected three genes and further validation showed that these three hub genes were potential hub biomarkers for pan-RCC stemness features.

Head-to-head comparisons of [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT, multiparametric MRI, and prostate-specific antigen for the evaluation of therapeutic responses to neoadjuvant chemohormonal therapy in high-risk non-metastatic prostate cancer patients: a prospective study.

PURPOSE: The optimal tool to evaluate the tumour therapeutic responses to neoadjuvant chemohormonal therapy (NCHT) in patients with high-risk non-metastatic prostate cancer (PCa) remains uncertain. We compared the role of [68Ga]-labeled prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-11 positron emission tomography/computerized tomography ([68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT), multiparametric MRI (mpMRI), and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and assessed the practical value of the recent European Association of Urology and European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EAU/EANM) recommended criteria of PSMA PET/CT to evaluate the therapeutic responses to NCHT in patients with high-risk non-metastatic PCa. METHODS: This prospective study included 72 high-risk non-metastatic PCa patients receiving NCHT followed by radical prostatectomy from June 2021 to March 2022. PSA testing, [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT, and mpMRI scanning were conducted in all patients before and after NCHT. Therapeutic responses to NCHT were evaluated with PSA, RECIST 1.1, PERCIST 1.0, and EAU/EANM recommended criteria. Postoperative pathological results were considered the reference standard. A favourable pathological response was defined as pathologic complete remission (pCR) or minimal residual disease (MRD). Diagnostic accuracy was assessed by sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and Cohen's kappa index. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent predictive value of [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT-derived parameters. RESULTS: All cases experienced a marked decrease in PSA levels after NCHT. Twenty-four (33.33%) cases experienced a favourable pathological response, including five (6.94%) cases of pCR and 19 (26.39%) cases of MRD. According to the results of [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT, EAU/EANM recommended criteria indicated that 20 (27.78%) cases had a CR, whereas PERCIST 1.0 criteria indicated that 23 (31.94%) cases had a CR. There was a strong association between EAU/EANM recommended criteria and PERCIST 1.0 criteria (Pearson's R=0.857). The sensitivity (75.00%, 79.17% vs. 58.33%, 58.33%), specificity (95.83%, 91.67% vs. 83.33%, 68.75%), PLR (18.00, 9.50 vs. 3.50, 1.87), NLR (0.26, 0.23 vs. 0.50, 0.61), PPV (90.0%, 82.6% vs. 63.6%, 48.3%), and NPV (88.5%, 89.8% vs. 80.0%, 76.7%) of [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT (including EAU/EANM recommended criteria and PERCIST 1.0 criteria) to predict favourable pathological responses were all superior to those of mpMRI and nadir PSA. The kappa index to predict a favourable pathological response was 0.257 for PSA, 0.426 for RECIST 1.1, 0.716 for PERCIST 1.0, and 0.739 for EAU/EANM recommended criteria. Multivariate logistic analysis revealed that the post-NCHT maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) before radical prostatectomy was an independent predictor of a favourable pathological response to NCHT. CONCLUSIONS: [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT had a better concordance with a favourable pathological response to NCHT compared with nadir PSA and mpMRI. EAU/EANM recommended criteria and PERCIST 1.0 criteria performed equally to identify pathological responders when [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT was used as a therapeutic response assessment tool.

Risk factors for lymphorrhea and lymphocele after radical prostatectomy: a retrospective case-control study.

PURPOSE: To investigate the risk factors for postoperative lymphorrhea or/and lymphocele (PLL) in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy (RP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The clinical data of 606 patients were retrospectively collected. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was utilized to identify the optimal cutoff value. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to screen the independent predictors of PLL. RESULTS: Univariate analysis showed that nine factors differed between the PLL and non-PLL group. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that low preoperative fibrinogen level, extraperitoneal surgery, robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALRP), and hypoalbuminemia were risk factors and the use of fibrin glue was a protective factor. Correlation analysis showed that the scope of LN dissection (LND) and number of lymph nodes (LNs) dissected were positively correlated with PLL in the extraperitoneal approach, but were not significantly correlated with PLL in the transperitoneal approach. The use of fibrin glue was negatively associated with PLL in the overall procedure and the extraperitoneal approach, but not significantly so in the transperitoneal approach. Comparison of LNs clearance between the two surgical approaches revealed that the extent of LND and number of LNs dissected in the extraperitoneal approach were less than in the transperitoneal approach. CONCLUSION: During RALRP, more attention should be paid to fully clotting the broken end of lymphatic vessels. The use of fibrin glue could reduce the probability of PLL. The extent of LND or number of LNs dissected were positively correlated with PLL in the extraperitoneal approach.

Soft, flexible pressure sensors for pressure monitoring under large hydrostatic pressure and harsh ocean environments.

Traditional rigid ocean pressure sensors typically require protection from bulky pressure chambers and complex seals to survive the large hydrostatic pressure and harsh ocean environment. Here, we introduce soft, flexible pressure sensors that can eliminate such a need and measure a wide range of hydrostatic pressures (0.1 MPa to 15 MPa) in environments that mimic the ocean, achieving small size, high flexibility, and potentially low power consumption. The sensors are fabricated from lithographically patterned gold thin films (100 nm thick) encapsulated with a soft Parylene C film and tested in a customized pressure vessel under well-controlled pressure and temperature conditions. Using a rectangular pressure sensor as an example, the resistance of the sensor is found to decrease linearly with the increase of the hydrostatic pressure from 0.1 MPa to 15 MPa. Finite element analysis (FEA) reveals the strain distributions in the pressure sensor under hydrostatic pressures of up to 15 MPa. The effect of geometry on sensor performance is also studied, and radially symmetric pressure sensors (like circular and spike-shaped) are shown to have more uniform strain distributions under large hydrostatic pressures and, therefore, have a potentially enhanced pressure measurement range. Pressure sensors of all geometries show high consistency and negligible hysteresis over 15 cyclic tests. In addition, the sensors exhibit excellent flexibility and operate reliably under a hydrostatic pressure of 10 MPa for up to 70 days. The developed soft pressure sensors are promising for integration with many platforms including animal tags, diver equipment, and soft underwater robotics.

Pharmacokinetics of danofloxacin after single oral and intravenous administration in non-laying hens.

The current study aimed to explore the pharmacokinetics of danofloxacin in non-laying hens after a single oral (PO) and intravenous (IV) dose, both at 5 mg/kg body weight (BW). Eighteen 13-week-old healthy hens were equally and randomly divided into two groups. After both doses, blood samples (approximately 1 ml) were collected at different time points. Danofloxacin concentrations were quantified by a validated high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method followed by a non-compartmental analysis using the software of WinNonLin. The elimination half-lives (t1/2λz s) after PO and IV routes were determined as 8.15 ± 3.37 and 7.69 ± 3.40 h, respectively. After IV administration, danofloxacin had an initial concentration (C0 ) of 3.62 µg/ml, a volume of distribution at steady state (VSS ) of 3579.72 ± 454.29 ml/kg, and a total body clearance (Cl) of 0.49 ml/h/g. After PO administration, the absolute bioavailability and absorption half-life (t1/2ka ) were calculated as 100.99% ± 23.10% and 0.82 ± 0.58 h, respectively. Based on the calculated ratio values of AUC/MIC and Cmax /MIC, an oral dose of 5 mg/kg danofloxacin would be expected to successfully treat hens infected with strains with MIC values ≤0.1 µg/ml.

Head-to-head comparisons of enhanced CT, 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT and 18F-FDG PET/CT in identifying adverse pathology of clear-cell renal cell carcinoma: a prospective study.

OBJECTIVES: Accurate preoperative prediction of adverse pathology is crucial for treatment planning of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Previous studies have emphasized the potential of prostate-specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography / computed tomography (PSMA PET/CT) in differentiating between benign and malignant localized renal tumors. However, there is a scarcity of case reports elucidating the identification of aggressive pathological features using PET/CT. Our study was designed to prospectively compare the diagnostic value of enhanced CT, 68Ga-PSMA-11 and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) PET/CT in clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) with necrosis or sarcomatoid or rhabdoid differentiation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective case series of patients with a newly diagnosed renal mass who underwent enhanced CT, 68Ga-PSMA-11 and 18F-FDG PET/CT within 30 days prior to nephrectomy was included. Complete preoperative and postoperative clinicopathological data were recorded. Patients who received neoadjuvant targeted therapy, declined enhanced CT or PET/CT scanning, refused surgical treatment or had non-ccRCC pathological indications were excluded. Radiological parameters were compared within subgroups of pathological characteristics. Bonferroni corrections were used to adjust for multiple testing and statistical significance was set at a p-value less than 0.017. RESULTS: Seventy-two patients were available for the final analysis. Enhanced CT demonstrated poor performance in identifying necrosis, sarcomatoid or rhabdoid differentiation and adverse pathology (all P > 0.05). The maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT was more effective than 18F-FDG PET/CT in identifying tumor necrosis and adverse pathology, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.85 (cutoff value=25.26, p<0.001; Delong test z=2.709, p=0.007) for tumor necrosis and AUC of 0.90 (cutoff value=25.26, p<0.001; Delong test z=3.433, p<0.001) for adverse pathology. However, no significant statistical difference was found between 68Ga-PSMA-11 and 18F-FDG PET/CT in predicting sarcomatoid or rhabdoid feature (AUC of 0.91 vs.0.75, Delong test z=1.998, p=0.046). Subgroup analyses based on age, sex, tumor location, maximal diameter, stage and WHO/ISUP grade demonstrated that 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT SUVmax had a significant predictive value for adverse pathology. Enhanced CT value and SUVmax demonstrated strong reliability [intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) > 0.80], indicating a robust correlation. CONCLUSIONS: 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT demonstrates distinct advantages in identifying aggressive pathological features of primary ccRCC when compared to enhanced CT and 18F-FDG PET/CT. Further research and assessment are warranted to fully establish the clinical utility of 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT in ccRCC.

Deep Classification with Linearity-Enhanced Logits to Softmax Function.

Recently, there has been a rapid increase in deep classification tasks, such as image recognition and target detection. As one of the most crucial components in Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) architectures, softmax arguably encourages CNN to achieve better performance in image recognition. Under this scheme, we present a conceptually intuitive learning objection function: Orthogonal-Softmax. The primary property of the loss function is to use a linear approximation model that is designed by Gram-Schmidt orthogonalization. Firstly, compared with the traditional softmax and Taylor-Softmax, Orthogonal-Softmax has a stronger relationship through orthogonal polynomials expansion. Secondly, a new loss function is advanced to acquire highly discriminative features for classification tasks. At last, we present a linear softmax loss to further promote the intra-class compactness and inter-class discrepancy simultaneously. The results of the widespread experimental discussion on four benchmark datasets manifest the validity of the presented method. Besides, we want to explore the non-ground truth samples in the future.

Individualized management of genetic diversity in Niemann-Pick C1 through modulation of the Hsp70 chaperone system.

Genetic diversity provides a rich repository for understanding the role of proteostasis in the management of the protein fold in human biology. Failure in proteostasis can trigger multiple disease states, affecting both human health and lifespan. Niemann-Pick C1 (NPC1) disease is a rare genetic disorder triggered by mutations in NPC1, a multi-spanning transmembrane protein that is trafficked through the exocytic pathway to late endosomes (LE) and lysosomes (Ly) (LE/Ly) to globally manage cholesterol homeostasis. Defects triggered by >300 NPC1 variants found in the human population inhibit export of NPC1 protein from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and/or function in downstream LE/Ly, leading to cholesterol accumulation and onset of neurodegeneration in childhood. We now show that the allosteric inhibitor JG98, that targets the cytosolic Hsp70 chaperone/co-chaperone complex, can significantly improve the trafficking and post-ER protein level of diverse NPC1 variants. Using a new approach to model genetic diversity in human disease, referred to as variation spatial profiling, we show quantitatively how JG98 alters the Hsp70 chaperone/co-chaperone system to adjust the spatial covariance (SCV) tolerance and set-points on an amino acid residue-by-residue basis in NPC1 to differentially regulate variant trafficking, stability, and cholesterol homeostasis, results consistent with the role of BCL2-associated athanogene family co-chaperones in managing the folding status of NPC1 variants. We propose that targeting the cytosolic Hsp70 system by allosteric regulation of its chaperone/co-chaperone based client relationships can be used to adjust the SCV tolerance of proteostasis buffering capacity to provide an approach to mitigate systemic and neurological disease in the NPC1 population.

Second-harmonic generation in a high-index doped silica micro-ring resonator.

We report the first, to the best of our knowledge, observation of second-harmonic generation (SHG) in a high-index doped silica micro-ring resonator, due to the symmetry-breaking-induced χ(2) at the core and cladding interface of the waveguide. The generated SH power is shown to have quadratic dependence on the in-cavity power of the fundamental pump at around 1550 nm. The pumping wavelength sweep method is adopted to fulfill the phase-matching condition for maximum conversion efficiency of SHG. This work offers a new approach to generate a visible source for the visible-light integrated optical platform from infrared-visible light conversion.

Study of an acoustic energy harvester consisting of electro-spun polyvinylidene difluoride nanofibers.

Sound pollution has been capturing more and more attention around the world. Piezoelectric materials convert acoustic energy into electrical energy and actively attenuate the sound simultaneously. In this paper, an electro-spun nonwoven polyvinylidene difluoride nanofiber membrane as a high-performance piezoelectric material is found to have an ultra-high acoustoelectric conversion capability at the low sound frequency range. The novelty of the material in this paper is the proposed electro-spun piezoelectric nano-fiber web, which presents a strong acoustic-to-electric conversion performance. The piezoelectric acoustic energy harvester consists of the polyvinylidene difluoride nanofiber membrane that vibrates under the sound wave excitation. The piezoelectric acoustic energy harvester device can precisely detect the sound of 72.5 Hz with a sensitivity as high as 711.3 mV Pa-1 which is higher than the sensitivity of a commercial piezoelectric poly (vinylidene fluoride) membrane device. The energy harvesting performance of the piezoelectric acoustic energy harvester device is simulated by the comsol software and then validated with the experimental results to illustrate its excellent energy harvesting ability. Based on the validated simulation model, a regression parameter model is developed from the comsol software simulation results using the response surface method. The empirical regression parameter model is applied to predict the energy harvesting performance of the acoustic energy harvester from input design parameters or material property parameters where the sensitivity of the design parameters or material property parameters and their interactions can be analyzed. The design or material property parameters can be optimized for the best energy harvesting performance based on the regression parameter model. The optimization results show a significant improvement in the energy harvesting performance. The sensitivity of the parameters on the energy harvesting performance also indicates the potential of the large-scale application of this acoustic energy harvester.

An immune-related lncRNA prognostic model in papillary renal cell carcinoma: A lncRNA expression analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To screen several immune-related long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and construct a prognostic model for papillary renal cell carcinoma (pRCC). METHODS: Transcriptome-sequencing data of pRCC was downloaded and a prognostic model was constructed. Time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted and the area under curve (AUC) was calculated. We conducted quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to verify the model. The gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was used to show the connection of our model with immune pathways. RESULT: We identified four lncRNAs to constructed the model. The model was significantly associated with the survival time and survival state. The expression-levels of the four lncRNAs were measured and the prognosis of high-risk patients was significantly worse. The two immune-gene sets had an active performance in the high-risk patients. CONCLUSION: We constructed a prognostic model in pRCC which provided more reference for treatment.

SABA prescriptions and asthma management practices in patients treated by specialists in Taiwan: Results from the SABINA III study.

PURPOSE: Limited data exist on asthma medication patterns in Taiwan. The objectives of the SABINA III cross-sectional study in Taiwan were thus, to describe patient demographics and clinical features and estimate short-acting ß2-agonist (SABA) and inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) prescriptions per patient. METHODS: Patients (≥18 years) with asthma were classified by investigator-defined asthma severity per the 2017 Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) recommendations. Data on asthma symptom control (per GINA 2017 recommendations), severe exacerbation history, and prescribed treatments in the 12 months before study visit were collected using electronic case-report forms. Analyses were descriptive. RESULTS: Overall, all 294 analyzed patients (mean [SD] age, 57.9 [15.6] years; female, 69%) were enrolled by specialists and had fully reimbursed healthcare. Most patients were classified with moderate-to-severe asthma (93.2%; GINA steps 3-5), were obese (53.4%) and nonsmokers (79.6%), reported high school or university and/or postgraduate education (61.9%), and had ≤2 comorbidities (89.1%). Mean (SD) asthma duration was 8.3 (10.0) years, with 37.8% of patients experiencing ≥1 severe exacerbation 12 months before the study visit. Overall, 62.2%, 26.2%, and 11.6% of patients had well-controlled, partly controlled, and uncontrolled asthma, respectively. Crucially, 19.3% of patients were prescribed ≥3 SABA canisters in the preceding 12 months (overprescription). ICS, ICS + long-acting ß2-agonist fixed-dose combination, and oral corticosteroid bursts were prescribed to 6.5%, 97.3%, and 31.6% of patients, respectively. CONCLUSION: Despite treatment by specialists and fully reimbursed healthcare, findings indicate room for improvement in asthma control and SABA prescription practices in Taiwan, emphasizing the need to adhere to latest evidence-based guidelines.