Field-based physical fitness assessment in preschool children in China.

BACKGROUND: Physical fitness in the preschool years is considered a marker of current and future health. Therefore, understanding physical fitness levels of preschool children is necessary. Furthermore, the use of field-based methods to measure physical fitness is essential for assessing children in authentic venues such as schools. Hence, the main purpose of this study was to describe the physical fitness of Chinese preschool children across field-based methods considering a statement of confidence intervals for reference in physical fitness in each age and genders. METHODS: A total of 619 children (296 boys and 323 girls) aged 3-6 years old from China participated in the present study. Physical fitness was measured using the Chinese National Physical Fitness Measurement (CNPFM-Pre) battery, which included the tennis ball throw (upper-limb muscular strength), standing long jump (lower-limb muscular strength), shuttle run test (speed-agility), double-leg timed hop (coordination), sit-and-reach (flexibility), and balance beam test (dynamic balance). RESULTS: The results revealed significant differences in gender for standing long jump (SLJ; η2 = 0.012, p = 0.007), tennis ball throw (TT; η2 = 0.081, p < 0.001), sit-and-reach (SR; η2 = 0.114, p < 0.001), and one-legged stance test (OST; η2 = 0.037, p < 0.001). Age had positive effects on all physical fitness performance tests, as the shuttle run test (η2 = 0.672, p < 0.001), SLJ (η2 = 0.513, p < 0.001), TT (η2 = 0.394, p < 0.001), double-legged timed hop test (DTH; η2 = 0.445, p < 0.001), SR (η2 = 0.069, p < 0.001), balance beam test (BBT; η2 = 0.367, p < 0.001), and OST (η2 = 0.336, p < 0.001). Older preschool children performed better than their younger counterparts in all the tests. No significant interactions between age groups and gender were found. CONCLUSIONS: This study provided age- and gender-specific physical fitness performance data in Chinese preschool children. Gender differences in physical fitness tests performance already exists at the preschool age. All physical fitness component results increased with age in this cohort. These findings can help healthcare, physical education, and pediatric professionals understand the physical fitness development of preschool children at different ages and help design sports tasks for preschool boys and girls.

Identification Markers Responsible for Differentially Processed Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua by Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Quadruple-Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry.

The rhizome of Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua has been used as a traditional Chinese medicine for over 2000 years. The fresh Chinese herb possesses micro toxicity and is thus traditionally alternately steamed and basked nine times to alleviate the toxicity and enhance the pharmaceutical efficacy. Different processing cycles usually result in variable therapeutic effects in the processed Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua (P-PCH). However, it can be hard to tell these various P-PCHs apart at present. To identify the P-PCHs that had undergone repeated steaming one to nine times, the chemical constituents were profiled based on Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Quadruple-Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry, and the Principal Component Analysis and Cluster Analysis methods were adopted to discriminate different cycles of P-PCH. A total of 44 characteristic markers were identified, which allowed the P-PCHs to be discriminated exactly.

In Situ Decoration of Bi2S3 Nanosheets on Zinc Oxide/Cellulose Acetate Composite Films for Photodegradation of Dyes under Visible Light Irradiation.

A novel Bi2S3-zinc oxide/cellulose acetate composite film was prepared through a blending-wet phase conversion and in situ precipitate method. The results revealed that the incorporation of Bi2S3 in the film increased the cavity density and uniformity, which provided additional space for the growth of active species and improved the interaction between dye pollutants and active sites. Zinc oxide acted as a mediator to facilitate the separation of electron-hole pairs effectively preventing their recombination, thus reducing the photo-corrosion of Bi2S3. As a result, the Bi2S3-ZnO/CA composite film exhibited favorable photocatalytic activity in the degradation of various dyes. Additionally, the composite film displayed effortless separation and recovery without the need for centrifugation or filtration, while maintaining its exceptional catalytic performance even after undergoing various processes.

Association of Long-term Ambient Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) and Incident CKD: A Prospective Cohort Study in China.

RATIONALE & OBJECTIVE: Increasing evidence has linked ambient fine particulate matter (ie, particulate matter no larger than 2.5 µm [PM2.5]) to chronic kidney disease (CKD), but their association has not been fully elucidated, especially in regions with high levels of PM2.5 pollution. This study aimed to investigate the long-term association of high PM2.5 exposure with incident CKD in mainland China. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: 72,425 participants (age ≥18 years) without CKD were recruited from 121 counties in Hunan Province, China. EXPOSURE: Annual mean PM2.5 concentration at the residence of each participant derived from a long-term, full-coverage, high-resolution (1 × 1 km2), high-quality dataset of ground-level air pollutants in China. OUTCOMES: Incident CKD during the interval between the baseline examination of each participant (2005-2017) and the end of follow-up through 2018. ANALYTICAL APPROACH: Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the independent association of PM2.5 with incident CKD and the joint association of PM2.5 with temperature or humidity on the development of PM2.5-related CKD. Restricted cubic splines were used to model exposure-response relationships. RESULTS: Over a median follow-up of 3.79 (IQR, 2.03-5.48) years, a total of 2,188 participants with incident CKD were identified. PM2.5 exposure was associated with incident CKD with an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.71 (95% CI, 1.58-1.85) per 10-µg/m3 greater long-term exposure. Multiplicative interactions between PM2.5 and humidity or temperature on incident CKD were detected (all P < 0.001 for interaction), whereas an additive interaction was detected only for humidity (relative risk due to interaction, 3.59 [95% CI, 0.97-6.21]). LIMITATIONS: Lack of information on participants' activity patterns such as time spent outdoors. CONCLUSIONS: Greater long-term ambient PM2.5 pollution is associated with incident CKD in environments with high PM2.5 exposure. Ambient humidity has a potentially synergetic effect on the association of PM2.5 with the development of CKD. PLAIN-LANGUAGE SUMMARY: Exposure to a form of air pollution known as fine particulate matter (ie, particulate matter ≤2.5 µm [PM2.5]) has been linked to an increased risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD), but little is known about how PM2.5 affects CKD in regions with extremely high levels of PM2.5 pollution. This longitudinal cohort study in China investigates the effect of PM2.5 on the incidence of CKD and whether temperature or humidity interact with PM2.5. Our findings suggest that long-term exposure to high levels of ambient PM2.5 significantly increased the risk of CKD in mainland China, especially in terms of cumulative average PM2.5. The associations of PM2.5 and incident CKD were greater in high-humidity environments. These findings support the recommendation that reducing PM2.5 pollution should be a priority to decrease the burden of associated health risks, including CKD.

Machine learning-based method for tacrolimus dose predictions in Chinese kidney transplant perioperative patients.

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVES: Tacrolimus (TAC), a first-line immunosuppressant in solid-organ transplant, has a narrow therapeutic window and large inter-individual variability, which affects its use in clinical practice. Successful predictions using machine learning algorithms have been reported in several fields. However, a comparison of 10 machine learning model-based TAC pharmacogenetic and pharmacokinetic dosing algorithms for kidney transplant perioperative patients of Chinese descent has not been reported. The objective of this study was to screen and establish an appropriate machine learning method to predict the individualized dosages of TAC for perioperative kidney transplant patients. METHODS: The records of 2551 patients were collected from three transplant centres, 80% of which were randomly selected as a 'derivation cohort' to develop the dose prediction algorithm, while the remaining 20% constituted a 'validation cohort' to validate the final algorithm selected. Important features were screened according to our previously established population pharmacokinetic model of tacrolimus. The performances of the algorithms were evaluated and compared using R-squared and the mean percentage in the remaining 20% of patients. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: This study identified several factors influencing TAC dosage, including CYP3A5 rs776746, CYP3A4 rs4646437, haematocrit, Wuzhi capsules, TAC daily dose, age, height, weight, post-operative time, nifedipine and the medication history of the patient. According to our results, among the 10 machine learning models, the extra trees regressor (ETR) algorithm showed the best performance in the training set (R-squared: 1, mean percentage within 20%: 100%) and test set (R-squared: 0.85, mean percentage within 20%: 92.77%) of the derivation cohort. The ETR model successfully predicted the ideal TAC dosage in 97.73% of patients, especially in the intermediate dosage range (>5 mg/day to <8 mg/day), whereby the ideal TAC dosage could be successfully predicted in 99% of the patients. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: The results indicated that the ETR algorithm, which was chosen to establish the dose prediction model, performed better than the other nine machine learning models. This study is the first to establish ETR algorithms to predict TAC dosage. This study will further promote the individualized medication of TAC in kidney transplant patients in the future, which has great significance in ensuring the safety and effectiveness of drug use.

Two New Alkaloids from Fuzi and Their Metabolites Study.

Former study suggests alkaloids from herbs of Aconitum genus plants possess excellent bioactivities, which exert great value for related deeper chemical constituent investigation. Herein, chemical isolation was performed and four alkaloids were isolated from Fuzi, of which two were new ones, and the other two were reported NMR data for the first time. Their chemical structures were identified by NMR data, high resolution MS, UV and IR analysis. Additionally, the MS fragmentation patterns were explored, formerly, that of hetisane alkaloid was rarely reported, and fragmentation mechanism of the diagnostic ion was proposed. Based on these fragment pathway, metabolites and metabolic pathways of four compounds were investigated in rat liver microsomes using UPLC-Q/TOF-MS, and dehydrogenation product was firstly found from metabolites of hetisane alkaloid.

Coronavirus Disease 2019: Coronaviruses and Kidney Injury.

PURPOSE: The first case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was identified and confirmed in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. COVID-19 is gradually posing a serious threat to global public health. In this review the characteristics and mechanism of kidney injury caused by SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 infection are summarized and contrasted. In particular, urine-oral transmission, prevention and management of the kidney injury caused by SARS-CoV-2 are emphasized. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We searched PubMed® for English language articles published since 2003 with the keywords "SARS," "MERS," "COVID-19" or "kidney injury." ClinicalTrials.gov was queried for ongoing studies. We also used relevant data from websites, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. RESULTS: Similar to 2 other coronaviruses including SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2 caused severe respiratory syndrome with rapid progression and kidney injury. The infection process of SARS-CoV-2 is mediated by specifically binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2. Cases of COVID-19 combined with kidney impairment are associated with a higher risk of mortality than those without comorbidities. The pathological changes of the kidney are mainly due to local SARS-CoV-2 replication or indirectly by pro-inflammatory cytokine response. In addition, studies have confirmed the isolation of infectious SARS-CoV-2 in urine, raising the possibility of urine-oral transmission. Ultimately this is significant for preventing potential urine-oral transmission and improving the cure rate of acute kidney injury with COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: Emerging evidence supports that in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infections the prevalence of kidney injury is high and usually leads to a poor prognosis. Optimal prevention and management of kidney injury will benefit patients with COVID-19.

Autologous Flap Transfer for Esophageal Stricture Prevention After Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection in a Porcine Model.

BACKGROUND: Esophageal stricture caused by endoscopic submucosal dissection for a mucosal defect that covers more than three quarters of the circumference of the esophagus has a high incidence. To date, no method for preventing such strictures has been widely recognized as effective in clinical practice. AIMS: We examined whether esophageal stricture caused by circumferential endoscopic submucosal dissection could be prevented by autologous flap transfer. METHODS: Six pigs (N = 6) underwent circumferential esophageal endoscopic submucosal dissection under general anesthesia. For animals in the flap group (N = 3), an autologous flap was constructed and then placed at the resection site and secured with metal clips. Animals in the control group (N = 3) underwent endoscopic submucosal dissection only. Endoscopy was performed 3 weeks postoperative to evaluate the effects of flap transfer. RESULTS: Animals in the flap group gained more weight than animals in the control group. At 3 weeks postoperative, animals in the flap group developed clinically slight stricture; in these animals, an endoscope could be passed through the stricture with slight resistance. In contrast, in the control group, significant stricture was observed, and the stricture was difficult to cross with an endoscope. CONCLUSION: Autologous flap transfer after circumferential esophageal endoscopic submucosal dissection is a novel approach that remarkably decreases the degree of esophageal stricture that arises.

Comparison of linked color imaging and white-light colonoscopy for detection of colorectal polyps: a multicenter, randomized, crossover trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Linked color imaging (LCI), a recently developed technology, uses a laser endoscopic system to enhance the color separation of red color to depict red and white colors more vividly. The benefits of LCI in the detection of colorectal polyps remain unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the ability of LCI to improve the detection of colorectal polyps compared with white-light (WL) endoscopy. METHODS: We performed a multicenter, crossover, prospective, randomized controlled trial in 3 hospitals in China. All patients underwent crossover colonoscopies with LCI and WL endoscopy in a randomized order. All lesions were removed during the second endoscopic procedure. The primary outcome measure was the difference in sensitivity between LCI and WL endoscopy for the detection of colorectal polyps. The secondary outcome measures were the adenoma detection rate per patient in the 2 groups and the factors associated with polyp miss rates. RESULTS: A total of 152 patients were randomized, and 141 were included in the analysis. The overall polyp detection rate increased significantly by 24% for LCI colonoscopy, corresponding to a higher sensitivity with LCI than with WL endoscopy (91% vs 73%, P < .0001). Furthermore, LCI identified significantly more patients (32%) with polyps. The per-patient adenoma detection rate was significantly higher for LCI than for WL endoscopy (37% vs 28%; 95% confidence interval, 2.39%-19.41%). CONCLUSIONS: LCI improves the detection of colorectal polyps and adenomas during colonoscopy. (Clinical trial registration number: NCT02724397.).

RADIOACTIVE IODINE THERAPY WITHOUT RECENT ANTITHYROID DRUG PRETREATMENT FOR HYPERTHYROIDISM COMPLICATED BY SEVERE HYPERBILIRUBINEMIA DUE TO HEPATIC DYSFUNCTION: EXPERIENCE OF A CHINESE MEDICAL CENTER.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this work is to report our experience with (131)I therapy without recent antithyroid drug (ATD) pretreatment for refractory severe hyperthyroidism complicated by hyperbilirubinemia due to hepatic dysfunction. METHODS: Five patients with refractory severe hyperthyroidism were treated with (131)I at 90 to 120 µCi/g-thyroid (total activity, 6.2 to 10.1 mCi). The patients previously had received ATD treatment from 2 months to 12 years and discontinued ATDs from 2 months to 4 years before (131)I treatment due to treatment failure or severe jaundice. Prior to (131)I therapy, the patients were asked to take a low-iodine diet and were treated with bisoprolol fumarate, digoxin, furosemide, S-adenosylmethionine, polyene phosphatidylcholine, and plasma exchange as supportive treatment for related clinical conditions. Four of the patients also received lithium carbonate in conjunction with their (131)I treatment. The patients were followed for 4 to 9 years after (131)I therapy. RESULTS: After (131)I treatment, jaundice disappeared completely within 3 to 4 months in all patients, and liver function tests returned to normal. Concurrent atrial fibrillation and heart failure, leukopenia and thrombocytopenia, or thrombocytopenia and left cardiac enlargement improved remarkably in 3 patients during the follow-up period. Three to 45 months after (131)I treatment, hypothyroidism was noted in the patients and they were treated with L-thyroxine replacement therapy. CONCLUSION: (131)I therapy without recent ATD pretreatment for refractory severe hyperthyroidism complicated by serious jaundice appears to be safe and effective, with good long-term results. It may be the preferred therapy for such patients and should be used as early as possible.

Growth differentiation factor-15 induces expression of ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 through PI3-K/PKCζ/SP1 pathway in THP-1 macrophages.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine whether ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) was up-regulated by growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) via the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase Cζ (PKCζ)/specificity protein 1 (SP1) pathway in THP-1 macrophages. METHODS AND RESULTS: We investigated the effects of different concentrations of GDF-15 on ABCA1 expression in THP-1 macrophages. The results showed that GDF-15 dramatically increased cholesterol efflux and decreased cellular cholesterol levels. In addition, GDF15 increased ABCA1 mRNA and protein levels. The effects of GDF-15 on ABCA1 protein expression and cellular cholesterol efflux were abolished by wither inhibition or depletion of PI3K, PKCζ and SP1, respectively, suggesting the potential roles of PI3K, PKCζ and SP1 in ABCA1 expression. Taken together, GDF-15 appears to activate PI3K, PKCζ and SP1 cascade, and then increase ABCA1 expression, thereby promoting cholesterol efflux and reducing foam cell formation. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that GDF-15 has an overall protective effect on the progression of atherosclerosis, likely through inducing ABCA1 expression via the PI3K/PKCζ/SP1 signaling pathway and enhancing cholesterol efflux.

Advanced oxidation protein products exacerbates lipid accumulation and atherosclerosis through downregulation of ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 and G1 expression in apolipoprotein E knockout mice.

BACKGROUND: Both clinical data and basic science studies suggest that advanced oxidation protein products (AOPPs) may contribute to the progression of atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of AOPPs on ATP-binding cassette transporter (ABC) A1 and ABCG1 expression, lipid accumulation and atherosclerotic lesions in apolipoprotein E knockout (apoE-KO) mice. METHODS AND RESULTS: Male 8-week-old apoE-KO mice were fed a high-fat/high-cholesterol diet. Mice received intraperitoneal injections of AOPPs (5 mg/kg) and/or Janus Kinase (JAK) inhibitor AG-490 (5 mg/kg) once every other day for 8 weeks. As shown in our data, AOPPs increased lipid levels of plasma, and promoted advanced lesions in the aortic regions in apoE-KO mice. The ABCA1, ABCG1 and liver X receptor alpha (LXRα) expression were downregulated in apoE-KO mice treated with AOPPs, whereas the lesions in the aortas were decreased, and the ABCA1, ABCG1 and LXRα expression were upregulated in mice treated with AOPPs plus AG-490, compared to the mice treated with AOPPs only. The ABCA1 and LXRα expressions of aortas, liver and intestine were downregulated in the AOPPs group, while the expressions were upregulated in the AOPPs-plus-AG-490 group when compared to the AOPPs group. The same results can be also observed in peritoneal macrophages. CONCLUSIONS: AOPPs increase accumulation of lipids and exacerbate atherosclerosis through downregulation of ABCA1 and ABCG1 expression, and the JAK-LXRα signaling pathway in apoE-KO mice.

Two modified surgical procedures for treating early stage breast cancer in China.

Conventional pedicled-flap based surgeries in treating breast cancer have their limitations. New surgical regimens are yet to be explored, which will follow the oncological principle of being "total tumor free", whilst fit into the unique characteristics of China's own medical system as well as patients' demand. From 2007 to 2013, 143 patients with early stage breast cancer were included in the study, with the average age of 46.1 years. Fifty-three patients were subjected to modified breast conserving surgery (MBCS)+latissimus dorsi (LD) flap reconstruction, 41 to skin sparing mastectomy (SSM)+implant+LD flap reconstruction, 29 to MBCS+distal transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous (DTRAM) flap reconstruction, and 20 to SSM+DTRAM flap reconstruction. The results showed that out of the 143 patients, there was no graft loss. Minor complications included 4 cases of fat liquefaction, and 6 cases of seratoma, which all resolved after conservative treatment. Five patients had visible protuberance in the abdomen, but not leading to any gastrointestinal symptoms. The reconstructed breasts all presented good shape. 96.7% of the patients were satisfied with the outcome. The follow-up period varied from 6 months to 60 months, and only one patient died from tumor metastasis in the brain. No local recurrence occurred. It was concluded that these two modified pedicled-flap surgeries are readily practical, and aesthetically satisfactory, with high applicability in China. They do not compromise the oncological outcomes, but also are well-accepted by Chinese patients.

The attitude of online fans: perceived value, expectation, and identification on VAR satisfaction.

This study explores online fan satisfaction with the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. A structural equation model comprising perceived value, fan expectation, fan identification, and fan satisfaction was run. The online questionnaires were distributed among Chinese football fans. A total of 224 valid responses were received. Using indicators like Cronbach's alpha coefficient, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) statistic, and Bartlett's test of sphericity, the results were assessed for reliability, validity, and suitability. From the statistical results, the overall satisfaction of fans with VAR is the middle. Both fan expectation and perceived value positively affect satisfaction (p < 0.01); the path coefficients were 0.26 and 0.57. Contrastingly, fan identification exerts no significant effect on fan satisfaction (p > 0.05); and fan expectation indirectly affects fan satisfaction through perceived value (p < 0.01); the path coefficient was 0.29. The highest effect value for fan satisfaction is perceived value, followed by fan expectation. Consequently, to improve online fan satisfaction with VAR, researchers should focus on perceived value. This research contributes to a greater more comprehensive of Chinese online fans' preference towards VAR at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

Oral konjac glucomannan for prevention of ionizing radiation-induced injury by regulating gut microbiota and increasing short chain fatty acids.

Ionizing radiation-induced injury commonly happens in radiotherapy, leading to damages of the hematopoietic and gastrointestinal systems. Radioprotective medications are mainly applied in hospitals, although only injections are available and their gut protection is limited. Here, oral konjac glucomannan (KGM), a natural macromolecule and soluble dietary fiber, was used against ionizing radiation-induced injury. The mice were fed with KGM (0.4 g/kg) for 3 days or injected with a clinical medication amifostine before 6.5 Gy γ-ray whole body irradiation (WBI) or 13 Gy whole abdominal irradiation (WAI). In the WBI experiments, KGM improved blood cell recovery and bone marrow cell proliferation in the femur and spleen, though its effect was weaker than or similar to that of amifostine. In the WBI experiments, the gut protection of KGM was similar to or a little better than that of amifostine, involving regenerated crypts numbers, villus length, and gut permeability. Moreover, KGM remarkably enhanced the survival rates of WBI and WAI mice, consistent with amifostine. KGM, as a prebiotic, enhanced gut microbiota abundance, probiotic numbers, and short chain fatty acid production, maintaining gut homeostasis. Moreover, KGM inhibited the apoptosis of irradiated human intestinal epithelial cells. KGM is a promising natural macromolecule against ionizing radiation-induced injury.

A decellularized nerve matrix scaffold inhibits neuroma formation in the stumps of transected peripheral nerve after peripheral nerve injury.

Traumatic painful neuroma is an intractable clinical disease characterized by improper extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition around the injury site. Studies have shown that the microstructure of natural nerves provides a suitable microenvironment for the nerve end to avoid abnormal hyperplasia and neuroma formation. In this study, we used a decellularized nerve matrix scaffold (DNM-S) to prevent against the formation of painful neuroma after sciatic nerve transection in rats. Our results showed that the DNM-S effectively reduced abnormal deposition of ECM, guided the regeneration and orderly arrangement of axon, and decreased the density of regenerated axons. The epineurium-perilemma barrier prevented the invasion of vascular muscular scar tissue, greatly reduced the invasion of α-smooth muscle actin-positive myofibroblasts into nerve stumps, effectively inhibited scar formation, which guided nerve stumps to gradually transform into a benign tissue and reduced pain and autotomy behaviors in animals. These findings suggest that DNM-S-optimized neuroma microenvironment by ECM remodeling may be a promising strategy to prevent painful traumatic neuromas.

Artificial intelligence for assessing the severity of microtia via deep convolutional neural networks.

Background: Microtia is a congenital abnormality varying from slightly structural abnormalities to the complete absence of the external ear. However, there is no gold standard for assessing the severity of microtia. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to develop and test models of artificial intelligence to assess the severity of microtia using clinical photographs. Methods: A total of 800 ear images were included, and randomly divided into training, validation, and test set. Nine convolutional neural networks (CNNs) were trained for classifying the severity of microtia. The evaluation metrics, including accuracy, precision, recall, F1 score, receiver operating characteristic curve, and area under the curve (AUC) values, were used to evaluate the performance of the models. Results: Eight CNNs were tested with accuracy greater than 0.8. Among them, Alexnet and Mobilenet achieved the highest accuracy of 0.9. Except for Mnasnet, all CNNs achieved high AUC values higher than 0.9 for each grade of microtia. In most CNNs, the grade I microtia had the lowest AUC values and the normal ear had the highest AUC values. Conclusion: CNN can classify the severity of microtia with high accuracy. Artificial intelligence is expected to provide an objective, automated assessment of the severity of microtia.

Fluorescent porous organic cage with good water solubility for ratiometric sensing of gold(III) ion in aqueous solution.

Fluorescent porous organic cage with good water solubility is of great interest but still challenging for its fluorescent sensing application. Poor water solubility and single signal of most previous probes are unfavorable for the monitoring of Au3+ generated from the potential dissociation of gold nanoparticles in environmental and biological samples. Here we report a water-soluble porous organic cage as a ratiometric fluorescent probe for Au3+ in aqueous solution. The prepared porous organic cage with good water solubility showed specific redox interaction with Au3+ in pH 5, leading to the change of dual emission at 420 and 484 nm. Based on the change of fluorescence ratio, a simple ratiometric sensing method for Au3+ from the dissociation of gold nanoparticles in aqueous solution was developed. The proposed method gave a calibration function of F484/F420 = 0.0370[Au3+] + 0.5689 (where F484/F420 is the intensity ratio of fluorescence at 484 nm to that at 420 nm; [Au3+] in µM) (R2 = 0.9975) in the concentration range of 1-60 µM, the limit of detection (3s) of 8 nM, and the relative standard deviation of 0.26% for 10 replicate detections of 50 µM Au3+. The recoveries of spiked Au3+ in domestic wastewater and human serum samples ranged from 94.66% to 105.61%.

Tumor-Derived Exosomal Non-Coding RNAs: The Emerging Mechanisms and Potential Clinical Applications in Breast Cancer.

Breast cancer (BC) is the most frequent malignancy and is ranking the leading cause of cancer-related death among women worldwide. At present, BC is still an intricate challenge confronted with high invasion, metastasis, drug resistance, and recurrence rate. Exosomes are membrane-enclosed extracellular vesicles with the lipid bilayer and recently have been confirmed as significant mediators of tumor cells to communicate with surrounding cells in the tumor microenvironment. As very important orchestrators, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are aberrantly expressed and participate in regulating gene expression in multiple human cancers, while the most reported ncRNAs within exosomes in BC are microRNAs (miRNAs), long-noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs). Notably, ncRNAs containing exosomes are novel frontiers to shape malignant behaviors in recipient BC cells such as angiogenesis, immunoregulation, proliferation, and migration. It means that tumor-derived ncRNAs-containing exosomes are pluripotent carriers with intriguing and elaborate roles in BC progression via complex mechanisms. The ncRNAs in exosomes are usually excavated based on specific de-regulated expression verified by RNA sequencing, bioinformatic analyses, and PCR experiments. Here, this article will elucidate the recent existing research on the functions and mechanisms of tumor-derived exosomal miRNA, lncRNA, circRNA in BC, especially in BC cell proliferation, metastasis, immunoregulation, and drug resistance. Moreover, these tumor-derived exosomal ncRNAs that existed in blood samples are proved to be excellent diagnostic biomarkers for improving diagnosis and prognosis. The in-depth understanding of tumor-derived exosomal ncRNAs in BC will provide further insights for elucidating the BC oncogenesis and progress and exploring novel therapeutic strategies for combating BC.

Knockout of E2F1 Inhibits Adipose Stem Cell Proliferation and Differentiation in Fat Transplantation by Repressing Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Expression.

Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) possess pluripotent differentiation potential and self-replication ability, which is highly significant in the field of tissue engineering. Cell-assisted lipotransfer (CAL) with ADSCs benefits fat survival. In this study, we focus on the effect of transcription factor E2F1 during CAL. The wild-type (WT) ADSCs were mixed with WT adipocytes, and the E2F1-/- ADSCs were mixed with E2F1-/- adipocytes. Then 2 cell mixtures were inoculated on the back 2 sides of E2F1-/- mice, respectively denoted as the WT group (WT ADSCs + WT adipose cells) and E2F1-/- group (E2F1-/- ADSCs + E2F1-/- adipose cells). At week 4, the fat graft was heavier in the WT group, with less necrotic area, more survival of mature adipocytes, and more proliferating ADSCs, compared with the E2F1-/- group. More capillaries were transformed from ADSCs in the WT group than in the E2F1-/- group. The in vitro protein levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) were higher in WT ADSCs than in E2F1-/- ADSCs. Therefore, these findings suggest that knockout of E2F1 could affect ADSCs to inhibit the survival of fat grafts by downregulating PPAR-γ expression.