Endogenously Gated DNA Walking Machine for Prescreened MicroRNA Detection in Extracellular Vesicles.

Tumor-derived extracellular vesicle (T-EV) microRNAs have been investigated as promising biomarkers in clinical diagnosis as well as disease progression monitoring. However, the expression profiles of microRNA in different tissues vary widely, the precise monitoring of microRNA levels in EVs originating from diseased tissues is susceptible to background interference, thus remains a challenge. Conventional assays require extensive processing, such as EV isolation and even sample lysis, which is both slow and laborious, and the cumbersome pretreatment could spoil the downstream analysis. To address this issue, we developed a generalizable strategy for T-EVs-selective activation and therefore specific amplified microRNA imaging. The conditional signal amplification is established by integrating a traditional DNA walker system with endogenously activated motif to achieve sensitized microRNA imaging in T-EVs. The preorganized endogenous activation with additional sensing criteria narrowed the scope against the complex specimens, and the amplified sensing with reduced off-target signals was supposed to be sensitive to monitor the tiny changes of microRNA expression during the disease course, which holds great potential for accurate diagnosis and prognosis.

Ionic Liquids Modulating Local Microenvironment of Ni-Fe Binary Single Atom Catalyst for Efficient Electrochemical CO2 Reduction.

The Ni and Fe dual-atom catalysts still undergo strikingly attenuation under high current density and high overpotential. To ameliorate the issue, the ionic liquids with different cations or anions are used in this work to regulate the micro-surface of nitrogen-doped carbon supported Ni and Fe dual-atom sites catalyst (NiFe-N-C) by an impregnation method. The experimental data reveals the dual function of ionic liquids, which enhances CO2 adsorption ability and modulates electronic structure, facilitating CO2 anion radical (CO2 •¯) stabilization and decreasing onset potential. The theoretical calculation results prove that the attachment of ionic liquids modulates electronic structure, reduces energy barrier of CO2 •¯ formation, and enhances overall ECR performance. Based on these merits, BMImPF6 modified NiFe-N-C (NiFe-N-C/BMImPF6) achieves the high CO faradaic efficiency of 91.9% with a CO partial current density of -120 mA cm-2 at -1.0 V. When the NiFe-N-C/BMImPF6 is assembled as cathode of Zn-CO2 battery, it delivers the highest power density of 2.61 mW cm-2 at 2.57 mA cm-2 and superior cycling stability. This work will afford a direction to modify the microenvironment of other dual-atom catalysts for high-performance CO2 electroreduction.

Rapidly Prepared Lithophilic Frameworks Stabilizes Lithium Anodes via Altered Lithium Deposition Patterns.

Lithium metal batteries are regarded as promising candidates for next-generation energy storage systems. However, their anodes are susceptible to interfacial instability due to significant volume changes, which significantly impacts the cycle life of lithium metal batteries. Here, a rapid method for the fabrication of 3D-hosts with interface modified layers is reported. A simple infiltration and heating process enables the transformation of copper foam into Zn-BDC-modified copper foam within 1 min, rendering it suitable for use as a current collector for lithium metal anodes. The Zn-BDC nanosheets with high lithiophilicity are uniformly distributed on the surface of the current collector, facilitating the uniform deposition of lithium and reducing the volume change. Consequently, the half cell exhibits a remarkably low overpotential (26 mV) at a current-density of 4 mA cm-2 and is cycled stably for 1000 h. Furthermore, it demonstrates a significant enhancement in performance in the LiFePO4 full cell. This study provides a crucial reference on the connection between the interfacial modification of the current collector and the lithium deposition behavior, which promotes the practicalization of lithium metal anodes.

Horizontal inequity trends of health care utilization in rural China after the medicine and healthcare system reform: based on longitudinal data from 2010 to 2018.

BACKGROUND: To assess the effectiveness of China's medicine and health care reform in promoting equity in health care utilization among rural residents, it is necessary to analyze temporal trends in equity in health care utilization among rural residents in China. This study is the first to assess horizontal inequity trends in health care utilization among rural Chinese residents from 2010 to 2018 and provides evidence for improving government health policies. METHODS: Longitudinal data obtained from China Family Panel Studies from 2010 to 2018 were used to determine trends in outpatient and inpatient utilization. Concentration index, concentration curve, and horizontal inequity index were calculated to measure inequalities. Decomposition analysis was applied to measure the contribution of need and non-need factors to the unfairness. RESULTS: From 2010 to 2018, outpatient utilization among rural residents increased by 35.10%, while inpatient utilization increased by 80.68%. Concentration indices for health care utilization were negative in all years. In 2012, there was an increase in the concentration index for outpatient utilization (CI = -0.0219). The concentration index for inpatient utilization decreased from -0.0478 in 2010 to -0.0888 in 2018. Except for outpatient utilization in 2012 (HI = 0.0214), horizontal inequity indices for outpatient utilization were negative in all years. The horizontal inequity index for inpatient utilization was highest in 2010 (HI = -0.0068) and lowest in 2018 (HI = -0.0303). The contribution of need factors to the inequity exceeded 50% in all years. CONCLUSIONS: Between 2010 and 2018, low-income groups in rural China used more health services. This seemingly pro-poor income-related inequality was due in large part to the greater health care need among low-income groups. Government policies aimed at increasing access to health services, particularly primary health care had helped to make health care utilization in rural China more equitable. It is necessary to design better health policies for disadvantaged groups to reduce future inequities in the use of health services by rural populations.

Preparation of Heavily Doped P-Type PbSe with High Thermoelectric Performance by the NaCl Salt-Assisted Approach.

Thermoelectric (TE) technology, which can convert scrap heat into electricity, has attracted considerable attention. However, broader applications of TE are hindered by lacking high-performance thermoelectric materials, which can be effectively progressed by regulating the carrier concentration. In this work, a series of PbSe(NaCl)x (x = 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5) samples were synthesized through the NaCl salt-assisted approach with Na+ and Cl- doped into their lattice. Both theoretical and experimental results demonstrate that manipulating the carrier concentration by adjusting the content of NaCl is conducive to upgrading the electrical transport properties of the materials. The carrier concentration elevated from 2.71 × 1019 cm-3 to 4.16 × 1019 cm-3, and the materials demonstrated a maximum power factor of 2.9 × 10-3 W m-1 K-2. Combined with an ultralow lattice thermal conductivity of 0.7 W m-1 K-1, a high thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) with 1.26 at 690 K was attained in PbSe(NaCl)4.5. This study provides a guideline for chemical doping to improve the thermoelectric properties of PbSe further and promote its applications.

Oncological safety of reconstruction with autologous fat grafting in breast cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

To evaluate the oncological safety of autologous fat grafting and its effect on disease-free survival and local recurrence in breast cancer patients with autologous fat grafting (AFG) reconstruction. A literature search was performed using the Pubmed, Medline, Web of Science, and Cochrane libraries from January 2011 to March 2020, in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, to identify all relevant studies involving the application of autologous fat grafting in breast cancer reconstruction procedures. The primary outcome of the meta-analysis was a difference in incidence rates of locoregional recurrence and disease-free survival (DFS) between patients who had autologous fat grafting and controls. A total of 11 studies were included. Eight studies reported local-regional recurrences (LRR) and five studies reported disease-free survival (DFS) in 5,886 patients. Our meta-analysis of all included studies about survival outcomes showed AFG was not associated with increased LRR and DFS. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) (95% CIs) for LRR and DFS were 1.26 (0.90-1.76) and 1.27 (0.96-1.69), respectively. According to the published literature, autologous fat grafting did not result in an increased rate of LRR and DFS in patients with breast cancer. Autologous fat grafting can, therefore, be performed safely in breast reconstruction after breast cancer.

iTRAQ-based proteomic analysis of sperm reveals candidate proteins that affect the quality of spermatozoa from boars on plateaus.

BACKGROUND: Tibetan pigs (TP) exhibit heritable adaptations to their hypoxic environments as a result of natural selection. However, candidate proteins that affect the sperm quality of boars on plateaus have not yet been clearly investigated. METHODS: In this study, to reveal the candidate proteins that affect the quality of spermatozoa of boars on plateaus, we analyzed the sperm quality using computer-assisted semen analysis (CASA) system and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. We also compared the proteomes of sperm proteomes between TP and Yorkshire pigs (YP) raised at high altitudes using the isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) in combination with the liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) proteomic method, and confirmed the relative expression levels of the four proteins by western blotting. RESULTS: The sperm quality of the TP was superior to that of the YP on plateaus. Of the 1,555 quantified proteins, 318 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified. Gene ontology (GO) analysis revealed that the DEPs were predominantly associated with the sorbitol metabolic process, removal of superoxide radicals, cellular response to superoxide, response to superoxide and regulation of the mitotic spindle assembly. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways were mainly enriched in pathways involved in the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton, glutathione metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation, and estrogen signaling. Based on the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis, we identified 8 candidate proteins (FN1, EGF, HSP90B1, CFL1, GPX4, NDUFA6, VDAC2, and CP) that might play important roles and affect the sperm quality of boars on plateaus. Moreover, the relative expression levels of four proteins (CFL1, EGF, FN1, and GPX4) were confirmed by western blot analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed 8 candidate proteins (FN1, EGF, HSP90B1, CFL1, GPX4, NDUFA6, VDAC2, and CP) that affect the sperm quality of boar on plateaus and provide a reference for further studies on improving sperm quality and the molecular breeding of boars on plateaus.

Risk Factors of Infectious Complications following Ureteroscopy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the potential risk factors of infectious complications following ureteroscopy (URS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Studies reporting risk factors of infectious complications following URS were searched via PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases up to August 30, 2019. OR or mean difference (MD) with 95% CI was calculated to assess the potential risk factors. RESULTS: A total of 14 studies containing 9,532 patients were included. Positive preoperative urine culture was the most significant risk factor (OR 2.95, 95% CI 1.96-4.43, p < 0.01), followed by female gender (OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.48-2.57, p < 0.01), diabetes mellitus (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.13-2.13, p < 0.01), pre- and postoperative stent (OR 1.53, 95% CI 1.11-2.11, p = 0.01, OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.01-2.03, p = 0.04, relatively), and extended operative time (MD -11.54, 95% CI -16.10 to 6.98, p < 0.01). Age (MD -2.59, 95% CI -5.36 to 0.18, p = 0.07), cumulative stone diameter (MD -1.54; 95% CI -4.63 to 1.55, p = 0.33), and renal insufficiency (OR 1.22, 95% CI 0.80-1.88, p = 0.36) were not the potential risk factors. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of infectious complications following URS was correlated with female gender, diabetes mellitus, preoperative urine culture, pre- and postoperative stent insertion, and extended operative time. Publication bias and high heterogeneity were observed in some risk factors. Further studies are warranted for a valid conclusion.

Efficacy and Safety of Transurethral Laser Surgery Versus Transurethral Resection for Non-Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy and safety of transurethral laser surgery and transurethral resection of a bladder tumor (TURBT) for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). MATERIAL AND METHODS: A research was carried out in Medline via PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science up to October 20, 2019, to identify articles related to transurethral laser surgery and TURBT for NMIBC. All analyses were done using RevMan5.3 and Stata14. RESULTS: A total of 17 studies involving 2,439 participants were included. The analysis showed no significant difference in operation times (mean difference = -0.2; 95% CI -2.29 to 1.89; p = 0.85) or occurrences of urethral stricture (OR = 0.7; 95% CI 0.24-2.06; p = 0.52). Transurethral laser surgery was associated with a lower incidence of obturator nerve reflex (OR = 0.04; 95% CI 0.02-0.09; p < 0.00001) and bladder perforation (OR = 0.09; 95% CI 0.04-0.23; p < 0.00001), a higher rate of detrusor muscle acquisition (OR = 5.28; 95% CI 2.42-11.49; p < 0.0001), shorter catheterization (mean difference = -1.05; 95% CI -1.41 to -0.68; p < 0.00001) and hospitalization times (mean difference = -0.96; 95% CI -1.59 to -0.33; p = 0.003), and lower rates of bladder irrigation (OR = 0.21; 95% CI 0.13-0.35; p < 0.00001) and recurrence both at 12 months (OR = 0.66; 95% CI 0.48-0.9, p = 0.008) and at 24 months (OR = 0.6; 95% CI 0.41-0.86; p = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Transurethral laser surgery for NMIBC, as compared to TURBT, is associated with a lower incidence of complications, a lower recurrence rate, and faster postoperative recovery.

The genetic status and rescue measure for a geographically isolated population of Amur tigers.

The Amur tiger is currently confronted with challenges of anthropogenic development, leading to its population becoming fragmented into two geographically isolated groups: smaller and larger ones. Small and isolated populations frequently face a greater extinction risk, yet the small tiger population's genetic status and survival potential have not been assessed. Here, a total of 210 samples of suspected Amur tiger feces were collected from this small population, and the genetic background and population survival potentials were assessed by using 14 microsatellite loci. Our results demonstrated that the mean number of alleles in all loci was 3.7 and expected heterozygosity was 0.6, indicating a comparatively lower level of population genetic diversity compared to previously reported studies on other subspecies. The genetic estimates of effective population size (Ne) and the Ne/N ratio were merely 7.6 and 0.152, respectively, representing lower values in comparison to the Amur tiger population in Sikhote-Alin (the larger group). However, multiple methods have indicated the possibility of genetic divergence within our isolated population under study. Meanwhile, the maximum kinship recorded was 0.441, and the mean inbreeding coefficient stood at 0.0868, both of which are higher than those observed in other endangered species, such as the African lion and the grey wolf. Additionally, we have identified a significant risk of future extinction if the lethal equivalents were to reach 6.26, which is higher than that of other large carnivores. Further, our simulation results indicated that an increase in the number of breeding females would enhance the prospects of this population. In summary, our findings provide a critical theoretical basis for further bailout strategies concerning Amur tigers.

Two-sample Mendelian randomization study reveals no causal relationship between inflammatory bowel disease and urological cancers.

Background: The relationship between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and urological cancers has been identified in epidemiological and observational studies, while the causality remains uncertain. We examined whether IBD is causally associated with urological cancers in a Mendelian randomization (MR) study. Methods: The causal relationship between IBD, its main subtypes, and urological cancers was investigated using genome-wide association study data. To obtain more reliable conclusions, all outcomes were divided into training and validation sets. Eligible single-nucleotide polymorphisms were selected as instrumental variables based on MR analysis assumptions. The inverse variance-weighted (IVW) method was employed as the main method along with four other complementary methods. Results: In this two-sample MR study, no genetic evidence for the causal effect of IBD on urological cancers was found in either the training or validation sets using the IVW method. Similarly, we did not observe any significant association between Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis and urological cancers. The results of the other methods are in accordance with those obtained using the IVW method. Conclusion: In this study, we confirmed that IBD is not a causal genetic risk factor for urological cancer in a European population.

Clinicopathological characteristics of HER2-low breast cancer: a retrospective study.

Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-2 (HER2)-negative breast cancers (BCs) contain HER2-low and HER2-zero ones. HER2-low breast cancer has been receiving wide-spread concerns as the marvelous effect of novel anti-HER2 antibody-drug conjugates, however, the characteristic remains unknown. Our aim was to explore the differences of clinicopathological indicators and survival outcomes between HER2-low and HER2-0 breast cancers. We retrospectively analyzed 501 invasive breast cancer patients with complete data on HER2 status from 2017 to 2021 in our single center, of whom 415 HER2 negative patients were included for subsequent analysis. Each cohort was further divided into hormone receptor (HR) positive and HR negative subgroup. Clinicopathological factors and survival outcomes were collected and compared between HER2-low BCs and HER2-0 BCs. HER2-low BCs was obviously higher in HR positive BCs, with 277 (90.5%) HER2-low HR positive patients, 29 (9.5%) HER2-low HR negative patients, 68 (62.4%) HER2-0 HR positive patients and 41 (37.6%) HER2-0 HR negative patients (P < 0.001). Significant differences between HER2-low BCs and Her2-0 BCs were observed in lymph node ratio (LNR) (mean rank, 215 vs. 188 P = 0.014), estrogen receptor (ER)expression (90.5% vs. 62.4% P < 0.001), progesterone receptor (PR) expression (84.3% vs. 56.9% P < 0.001), Ki-67 expression (46.4% vs. 61.5% P < 0.001), androgen receptor (AR) expression (68% vs. 50.5% P < 0.001), adjuvant chemotherapy (69% vs. 79.8% P = 0.03). HER2-low BCs had lower histological grade than HER2-0 BCs, with grade I-II (68.7% vs. 43.1%) and grade III (22.2% vs. 43.1%) P < 0.01. No statistical differences were detected between the two groups for DFS and DDFS. Our results demonstrated that HR and AR status was closely related to HER2-low breast cancers. Further exploration about survival prognosis of HER2-low breast cancer is badly needed.

Water-Resistant Thermoelectric Ionogel Enables Underwater Heat Harvesting.

The energy crisis is one of the most critical and urgent problems in modern society; thus, harvesting energy from ubiquitous low-grade heat energy with thermoelectric (TE) materials has become an available strategy in sustainable development. Recently, emerging ionic TE materials have been widely used to harvest low-grade heat energy, owing to their excellent performance in high ionic Seebeck coefficient, low thermal conductivity, and mechanical flexibility. However, the instability of ionic conductive materials in the underwater environment seriously suppresses underwater energy-harvesting, resulting in a waste of underwater low-grade heat energy. Herein, we developed a water-resistant TE ionogel (TEIG) with excellent long-term underwater stability utilizing a hydrophobic structure. Due to the hydrophobic polymer network and hydrophobic ionic liquid (IL), the TEIG exhibits high hydrophobicity and antiswelling capacity, which meets the requirement of environment stability for underwater thermoelectric application. Furthermore, the water resistance endows the TEIG with great thermoelectric performances in the underwater environment, including satisfactory ionic Seebeck coefficient, outstanding durability, and superior salt tolerance. Therefore, this investigation provides a promising strategy to design water-resistant TE materials, enabling a remarkable potential in harvesting low-grade heat energy under water.

KL is a favorable prognostic factor related immune for clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is a prevalent cancer in adult urology, often leading to metastasis and poor prognosis. Recently, advances in tumor immunology and aging research have opened up new possibilities for the treatment of kidney cancer. Therefore, the identification of potential targets and prognostic biomarkers for immunotherapy has become increasingly urgent. METHODS: Using GSE168845 data, we identified immune-aging-associated differentially expressed genes (IAR-DEGs) by intersecting differentially expressed immune-related genes and aging-related genes. The prognostic value of IAR-DEGs was determined via univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis, revealing KL as an independent prognostic factor for ccRCC. We also investigated the correlation between KL and various immune-related factors, including immune cell infiltration, immune score, immune checkpoint, MSI, and TIED score. To confirm the expression of KL in ccRCC, we conducted qRT-PCR assays on both ccRCC cell lines and clinical tissue samples, and compared KL expression levels between normal kidney cell line (HK-2) and ACHN, a ccRCC cell line. Finally, we assessed KL protein expression levels in tissues using immunohistochemistry (IHC). RESULTS: In this study, we utilized Venn diagram analysis to identify 17 co-expressed immune-aging related DEGs from GSE168845, import database, and MSigDB database. GO and KEGG analysis revealed that the functions of the 17 IAR-DEGs were primarily related to "aging". Univariate and multivariate Cox analysis validated these 17 genes, and KL was determined to be an independent prognostic factor for ccRCC. The downregulation of KL was observed in ccRCC tissues and was negatively associated with T stage, M stage, pathological stage, and histologic grade (p < 0.05). This downregulation indicated disease deterioration and a shortened overall survival period. Our calibration curves and nomogram demonstrated the excellent predictive potential of KL. GSEA analysis showed that KL gene mediated immune and aging-related pathways, and was significantly correlated with immune infiltration and MS and TIED score. More research has revealed a significant reduction in KL mRNA expression levels in human renal cancer cells, particularly in ccRCC tissues compared to adjacent normal kidney tissues. Moreover, immunohistochemistry data have demonstrated a marked decrease in KL protein expression levels in ccRCC cells when compared to adjacent normal tissues. CONCLUSIONS: KL was a potential aging-related target for immunotherapy and valid prognostic biomarker for ccRCC patients.

Development and external validation of a novel nomogram to predict prostate cancer in biopsy-naïve patients with PSA <10 ng/ml and PI-RADS v2.1 = 3 lesions.

OBJECTIVE: To develop and externally validate a novel nomogram in biopsy-naïve patients with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) <10 ng/ml and PI-RADS v2.1 = 3 lesions. METHODS: We retrospectively collected 307 men that underwent initial biopsy from October 2015 to January 2022 in Cohort 1 (The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University). External cohort (Cohort 2, Kunshan Hospital) included 109 men that met our criteria from July 2016 to June 2021. By Slicer-3D Software, the volume of all lesions was divided into two subgroups (PI-RADS v2.1 = 3a and 3b). Logistic regression analysis was performed to screen for variables and construct nomogram by analyzing clinical data from Cohort 1. Receiver operating characteristics curve analysis, calibration plot and decision curve analysis (DCA) were plotted to validate the nomogram in external cohort. RESULTS: A total of 70 (22.8%) patients was diagnosed with prostate cancer in Institution 1. Among them, 34 (11.1%) had clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa). Age, prostate-specific antigen density, digital rectal examination, PI-RADS v2.1 = 3 subgroups (3a and 3b) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC, <750 mm2 /s) were predictive factors for prostate cancer (PCa) and csPCa. High area under the curve of the nomogram was found in Cohort 1 and Cohort 2 for PCa (0.857 vs. 0.850) and for csPCa (0.896 vs. 0.893). Calibration curves showed excellent agreement between the predicted probability and actual risk for the models in internal and external validation. The DCA demonstrated net benefit of our nomogram. CONCLUSION: Until now, this is the first nomogram that predicts PCa and csPCa in biopsy-naïve patients with PSA <10 ng/ml and PI-RADS v2.1 = 3 lesions. Furthermore, PI-RADS v2.1 = 3 subgroups were considered to be an independent risk factor in our model. Our nomogram may assist urologists in biopsy decision making for these so-called "double gray zone" patients.

The Value of Circulating Tumor Cells and Tumor Markers Detection in Lung Cancer Diagnosis.

OBJECTIVE: Circulating tumor cells are complete tumor cells with multi-scale analysis values that present a high potential for lung cancer diagnosis. To enhance the accuracy of lung cancer diagnosis, we detected circulating tumor cells by the innovated conical micro filter integrated microfluidic system. METHODS: We recruited 45 subjects of study, including 22 lung cancer patients, 2 precancerous patients, the control group including 14 healthy participants, and 7 patients with lung benign lesions in this prospective study. We calculated the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of circulating tumor cells, cytokeratin19 fragment, carcinoma embryonic antigen, squamous cell carcinoma, neuron-specific enolase, and their combination, respectively, while compared the circulating tumor cells levels between vein blood and arterial blood. A conical shape filter embedded in a microfluidic chip was used to improve the detection capability of circulating tumor cells. RESULTS: The study indicated that the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of circulating tumor cells detection were 81.8%, 90.5%, 90.0%, and 82.6%, respectively. The circulating tumor cells level of lung cancer patient was significantly higher than that of the control group (P < .05). The area under the curve of circulating tumor cells, cytokeratin19 fragment, carcinoma embryonic antigen, squamous cell carcinoma, and neuron-specific enolase alone was 0.838, 0.760, 0.705, 0.614, and 0.636, respectively. The combination area under the curve of the 4 tumor markers (cytokeratin19 fragment, carcinoma embryonic antigen, squamous cell carcinoma, and neuron-specific enolase) was 0.805 less than that of circulating tumor cells alone. Together, the total area under the curve of circulating tumor cell and the 4 tumor markers were 0.847, showing the highest area under the curve value among all biomarkers. In addition, this study found that there was no significant difference in positive rate of circulating tumor cell between arterial and venous blood samples. CONCLUSION: The circulating tumor cells detection technology by conical micro filter integrated microfluidic could be used for lung cancer diagnosis with high sensitivity and specificity. Complementary combination of circulating tumor cells and conventional 4 lung cancer markers could enhance the clinical application accuracy. Venous blood should be used as a routine sample for circulating tumor cells detections.

Sprayed PAA-CaO2 nanoparticles combined with calcium ions and reactive oxygen species for antibacterial and wound healing.

The most common socioeconomic healthcare issues in clinical are burns, surgical incisions and other skin injuries. Skin lesion healing can be achieved with nanomedicines and other drug application techniques. This study developed a nano-spray based on cross-linked amorphous calcium peroxide (CaO2) nanoparticles of polyacrylic acid (PAA) for treating skin wounds (PAA-CaO2 nanoparticles). CaO2 serves as a 'drug' precursor, steadily and continuously releasing calcium ions (Ca2+) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) under mildly acidic conditions, while PAA-CaO2 nanoparticles exhibited good spray behavior in aqueous form. Tests demonstrated that PAA-CaO2 nanoparticles exhibited low cytotoxicity and allowed L929 cells proliferation and migration in vitro. The effectiveness of PAA-CaO2 nanoparticles in promoting wound healing and inhibiting bacterial growth in vivo was assessed in SD rats using full-thickness skin defect and Staphylococcus aureus (S.aureus)-infected wound models based thereon. The results revealed that PAA-CaO2 nanoparticles demonstrated significant advantages in both aspects. Notably, the infected rats' skin defects healed in 12 days. The benefits are linked to the functional role of Ca2+ coalesces with H2O2 as known antibacterial and healing-promoted agents. Therefore, we developed nanoscale PAA-CaO2 sprays to prevent bacterial development and heal skin lesions.

A new model to accurately measure the radon exhalation rate from soil using AlphaGUARD.

Radon exhalation rate from soil is a critical factor in evaluating environmental radon levels. However, AlphaGUARD PQ2000PRO may have some sensitivity towards thoron, which can have a significant impact on radon measurement. The traditional radon exhalation models generally ignore the presence of thoron, leading to an overestimation of the radon exhalation rate from soil. To handle this issue, a new model was proposed based on an analysis of several previous studies on radon exhalation theories. To prove the feasibility of the model, the radon exhalation rate measurements were performed by two different types of detectors-AlphaGUARD PQ2000PRO and RAD7. The radon exhalation rate obtained by using the new model is in good agreement with that obtained by using the theoretical model of radon exhalation of RAD7 within one standard error. This new model can be applied to accurately measure radon exhalation rate from soil by the PIC detector (PQ2000PRO).

Design of intermittent continuous measurement of radon concentration in water.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency established the maximum contaminant level limit for radon concentration in drinking water as 11.1 Bq L-1. A new device based on the bubbling method with a 290 mL sample bottle was designed for intermittent continuous measurement of water radon concentration. A STM32 is used to control the switch of the water pump and the valves. The Water-Radon-Measurement software written in C# is to connect RAD7 and calculate the water radon concentration automatically.

COMPARISON OF RADON EXHALATION RATE MEASUREMENTS ON REFERENCE DEVICE IN OPEN AND CLOSED LOOP BY ALPHAGUARD IN FLOW-THROUGH MODE.

Radon-222 (Rn-222) exhalation rate is vital for estimating radiation risk from many kinds of materials. AlphaGUARD measures the radon concentration based on the ionization chamber principle, which is currently recognized as a reference instrument to measure radon. In China, measurements of radon exhalation rate are performed by AlphaGUARD operated in flow-through mode on a reference device to verify measurement accuracy. These measurements are performed in both open and closed loop. AlphaGUARD can fast rapidly the variation of the radon concentration in the chamber, which is tightly pressed against the surface of the medium to accumulate the exhaled radon. When the model is used to obtain the radon exhalation rate, the radon exhalation rates obtained by nonlinear data fitting on the measured radon concentrations are similar to the reference value of the device. The difference of radon exhalation rate values of six measurements is small.