Demonstration of a low loss, highly stable and re-useable edge coupler for high heralding efficiency and low g(2)(0) SOI correlated photon pair sources.

We report a stable, low loss method for coupling light from silicon-on-insulator (SOI) photonic chips into optical fibers. The technique is realized using an on-chip tapered waveguide and a cleaved small core optical fiber. The on-chip taper is monolithic and does not require a patterned cladding, thus simplifying the chip fabrication process. The optical fiber segment is composed of a centimeter-long small core fiber (UHNA7) which is spliced to SMF-28 fiber with less than -0.1 dB loss. We observe an overall coupling loss of -0.64 dB with this design. The chip edge and fiber tip can be butt coupled without damaging the on-chip taper or fiber. Friction between the surfaces maintains alignment leading to an observation of ±0.1 dB coupling fluctuation during a ten-day continuous measurement without use of any adhesive. This technique minimizes the potential for generating Raman noise in the fiber, and has good stability compared to coupling strategies based on longer UHNA fibers or fragile lensed fibers. We also applied the edge coupler on a correlated photon pair source and observed a raw coincidence count rate of 1.21 million cps and raw heralding efficiency of 21.3%. We achieved an auto correlation function g H(2)(0) as low as 0.0004 at the low pump power regime.

Anemoside B4, a new pyruvate carboxylase inhibitor, alleviates colitis by reprogramming macrophage function.

OBJECTIVES: Colitis is a global disease usually accompanied by intestinal epithelial damage and intestinal inflammation, and an increasing number of studies have found natural products to be highly effective in treating colitis. Anemoside B4 (AB4), an abundant saponin isolated from Pulsatilla chinensis (Bunge), which was found to have strong anti-inflammatory activity. However, the exact molecular mechanisms and direct targets of AB4 in the treatment of colitis remain to be discovered. METHODS: The anti-inflammatory activities of AB4 were verified in LPS-induced cell models and 2, 4, 6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic (TNBS) or dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis mice and rat models. The molecular target of AB4 was identified by affinity chromatography analysis using chemical probes derived from AB4. Experiments including proteomics, molecular docking, biotin pull-down, surface plasmon resonance (SPR), and cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA) were used to confirm the binding of AB4 to its molecular target. Overexpression of pyruvate carboxylase (PC) and PC agonist were used to study the effects of PC on the anti-inflammatory and metabolic regulation of AB4 in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS: AB4 not only significantly inhibited LPS-induced NF-κB activation and increased ROS levels in THP-1 cells, but also suppressed TNBS/DSS-induced colonic inflammation in mice and rats. The molecular target of AB4 was identified as PC, a key enzyme related to fatty acid, amino acid and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. We next demonstrated that AB4 specifically bound to the His879 site of PC and altered the protein's spatial conformation, thereby affecting the enzymatic activity of PC. LPS activated NF-κB pathway and increased PC activity, which caused metabolic reprogramming, while AB4 reversed this phenomenon by inhibiting the PC activity. In vivo studies showed that diisopropylamine dichloroacetate (DADA), a PC agonist, eliminated the therapeutic effects of AB4 by changing the metabolic rearrangement of intestinal tissues in colitis mice. CONCLUSION: We identified PC as a direct cellular target of AB4 in the modulation of inflammation, especially colitis. Moreover, PC/pyruvate metabolism/NF-κB is crucial for LPS-driven inflammation and oxidative stress. These findings shed more light on the possibilities of PC as a potential new target for treating colitis.

Safety and effectiveness of the three-dimensional-printed guide plate-assisted rotation axis positioning of a hinged external fixator for the elbow.

PURPOSE: We aimed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of three-dimensional (3D)-printed guide plates for assisting in the positioning of the rotation axis of an elbow-hinged external fixator. METHODS: Terrible triad (TT) patients, who were screened using the predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, underwent installation of a hinged external fixator on the basis of internal fixation; 3D-printed guide plates, generated from the patient's imaging data, assisted in positioning the rotation axis. All patients received the same peri-operative management and were followed up at six, 12, 24, and 48 weeks postoperatively. The duration of positioning pin placement, the number of fluoroscopies, pin placement success rate, types and incidence of post-operative complications, and the Mayo elbow performance score (MEPS) of the diseased elbow and range of motion (ROM) of both elbows were assessed. RESULTS: In 25 patients who completed the follow-up, the average time required for positioning pin placement was 329.32 ± 42.38 s (263-443 s), the average number of fluoroscopies was 2.32 ± 0.48 times (2-3 times), and the pin placement success rate was 100%. At the last follow-up, the mean MEPS of the diseased elbow was 97.50 ± 6.92 (75-100), with an excellent and good rate of 100%, and all patients demonstrated stable concentric reduction. The average range of flexion and extension was 135.08° ± 17.10° (77-146°), while the average range of rotation was 169.21° ± 18.14° (108-180°). No significant difference was observed in the average ROM between the both elbows (P > 0.05). Eight (32%) patients developed post-operative complications, including elbow stiffness due to heterotopic ossification in three (12%) patients, all of whom did not require secondary intervention. CONCLUSION: Utilizing 3D-printed guide plates for positioning the rotation axis of an elbow-hinged external fixator significantly reduced intra-operative positioning pin placement time and the number of fluoroscopies with excellent positioning results. Satisfactory results were also obtained in terms of post-operative complications, elbow ROM, and functional scores.

Development and validation of a coagulation-related genes prognostic model for hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has a high incidence and mortality worldwide, which seriously threatens people's physical and mental health. Coagulation is closely related to the occurrence and development of HCC. Whether coagulation-related genes (CRGs) can be used as prognostic markers for HCC remains to be investigated. METHODS: Firstly, we identified differentially expressed coagulation-related genes of HCC and control samples in the datasets GSE54236, GSE102079, TCGA-LIHC, and Genecards database. Then, univariate Cox regression analysis, LASSO regression analysis, and multivariate Cox regression analysis were used to determine the key CRGs and establish the coagulation-related risk score (CRRS) prognostic model in the TCGA-LIHC dataset. The predictive capability of the CRRS model was evaluated by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and ROC analysis. External validation was performed in the ICGC-LIRI-JP dataset. Besides, combining risk score and age, gender, grade, and stage, a nomogram was constructed to quantify the survival probability. We further analyzed the correlation between risk score and functional enrichment, pathway, and tumor immune microenvironment. RESULTS: We identified 5 key CRGs (FLVCR1, CENPE, LCAT, CYP2C9, and NQO1) and constructed the CRRS prognostic model. The overall survival (OS) of the high-risk group was shorter than that of the low-risk group. The AUC values for 1 -, 3 -, and 5-year OS in the TCGA dataset were 0.769, 0.691, and 0.674, respectively. The Cox analysis showed that CRRS was an independent prognostic factor for HCC. A nomogram established with risk score, age, gender, grade, and stage, has a better prognostic value for HCC patients. In the high-risk group, CD4+T cells memory resting, NK cells activated, and B cells naive were significantly lower. The expression levels of immune checkpoint genes in the high-risk group were generally higher than that in the low-risk group. CONCLUSIONS: The CRRS model has reliable predictive value for the prognosis of HCC patients.

Sub-pm linewidth, high pulse energy, high beam quality microsecond-pulse Ti:sapphire laser at 766.699†nm.

In this letter, a sub-pm linewidth, high pulse energy and high beam quality microsecond-pulse 766.699 nm Ti:sapphire laser pumped by a frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser is demonstrated. At an incident pump energy of 824 mJ, the maximum output energy of 132.5 mJ at 766.699 nm with linewidth of 0.66 pm and a pulse width of 100 µs is achieved at a repetition rate of 5 Hz. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest pulse energy at 766.699 nm with pulse width of hundred micro-seconds for a Ti:sapphire laser. The beam quality factor M2 is measured to be 1.21. It could be precisely tuned from 766.623 to 766.755 nm with a tuning resolution of 0.8 pm. The wavelength stability is measured to be less than ±0.7 pm over 30 min. The sub-pm linewidth, high pulse energy and high beam quality Ti:sapphire laser at 766.699 nm can be used to create a polychromatic laser guide star together with a home-made 589 nm laser in the mesospheric sodium and potassium layer for the tip-tilt correction resulting in the near-diffraction limited imagery on a large telescope.

Broadband ultraviolet plasmonic enhanced AlGaN/GaN heterojunction photodetectors with close-packed Al nanoparticle arrays.

Plasmonic metallic nanostructures could concentrate optical fields into nanoscale volumes and support efficient light scattering and absorption, which therefore stimulates the continuing development of advanced plasmonic-assisted semiconductor photodetectors. In this work, by fabricating Al nanoparticle (NP) arrays in AlGaN surface using the AAO template transferring method, significant broadband ultraviolet (UV) photoresponse enhancement was demonstrated on AlGaN/GaN heterojunction photodetectors. By deliberately designing the close-packed Al NP arrays, the broadband UV plasmonic resonance with large optical field absorption and strong interface field enhancement are enabled, hence, the highest responsivity exceeding 8.1 A W-1 and maximum external quantum efficiency of 3500% was obtained at the resonance wavelength 292 nm, revealing more than 80 times the excellent enhancement in responsivity. Specifically, owing to coupling among NPs at the Al/AlGaN interface, the smaller size Al NP array exhibits an excellent photoresponse enhancement encompassing the entire UV band compared to the relatively larger size Al NP array. In addition, different photoresponse enhancements depending on the applied bias were observed. The Al NPs detector also demonstrates a fast photoresponse with a rise time of around 60 ms and a relatively long fall time of 1.42 s. This work could be of great significance for gaining a low and efficient approach to achieve plasmonic-empowered heterojunction broadband UV detectors.

MiRNA-206 Affects the Recovery of Sciatic Function by Stimulating BDNF Activity through the Down-regulation of Notch3 Expression.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects and mechanisms of microRNA 206 (miRNA-206) on neurological recovery through Notch receptor 3 (Notch3). METHODS: The sciatic functional index (SFI), nerve conduction velocity (NCV), tricipital muscle wet weight (TWW) and cross-sectional area of the muscular fiber, and grip strength of posterior limbs were detected by establishing a model of the sciatic nerve to evaluate the effect of sciatic nerve injury model. miRNA-206 expression in the model was detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), to regulate the effects of miRNA-206 on the proliferation of gastrocnemius myocytes by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8). RESULTS: SFI of the model established by immediate epineurium suture after sciatic nerve resection was in the range of -150% to -100% and TWW, the average area of gastrocnemius myocytes, the NCV, and the grasping power of the hind limbs in the model were all lower than those in the normal group. And in the model, TWW, the average area of gastrocnemius myocytes, NCV, and grip strength of posterior limbs were lower in the normal group, which verified the successful establishment of the model. CONCLUSION: Over-expression of miRNA-206 can down-regulate Notch3 expression, and then stimulate brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) activity to promote the repair and functional recovery of sciatic nerve injury.

Is remnant preservation in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction superior to the standard technique? An overview of systematic reviews.

BACKGROUND: Anterior cruciate ligament injury is a common knee joint injury. Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction is a common surgical treatment to treat anterior cruciate ligament injury. It may have certain advantages to retain the ligament stump during the operation, but the results of systematic evaluation on whether to retain the ligament stump are different. The conclusion is still controversial, and the quality needs to be strictly evaluated. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the methodological quality, risk of bias, reporting quality and evidence quality of the systematic review of remnant preservation in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, and to provide reference for clinical work. METHODS: We systematically searched the system evaluations in 8 electronic databases, the languages were limited to Chinese and English, and the time limit was from the establishment of the database to June 2023. Two reviewers independently screened literature and extracted data. The methodological quality, risk of bias, reporting quality and quality of evidence were evaluated by AMSTAR-2, ROBIS, PRISMA and GRADE tools. RESULTS: A total of 14 systematic reviews were included. The evaluation of results showed that the methodological quality of the included systematic reviews was relatively low, of which 5 were low quality and 9 were critically low quality. A small number of systematic reviews were low risk of bias. The system evaluation reports are relatively complete, but the lack of program registration is a common problem. A total of 111 pieces of clinical evidence were extracted from the included 14 systematic reviews. The quality of evidence was generally low, with only 7 pieces of high-quality evidence, 45 pieces of medium-quality evidence, and the rest were low and very low-quality evidence. Among the reasons for relegation, imprecision is the most common, followed by inconsistency and indirectness. The existing evidence shows that patients after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with remnant preservation have certain advantages in knee joint function, joint stability and proprioception recovery, which may be a more effective surgical method. However, it may also increase the incidence of postoperative complications and adverse reactions. CONCLUSION: Compared with Standard Technique, Remnant Preservation in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction has more advantages in restoring joint function and stability and proprioception. But the potential risks should also be considered by surgeons. At present, the quality of evidence is generally low, and the reliability of the conclusion is insufficient. It still needs to be verified and further in-depth research is needed.

Hederasaponin C inhibits LPS-induced acute kidney injury in mice by targeting TLR4 and regulating the PIP2/NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common clinical condition associated with increased incidence and mortality rates. Hederasaponin C (HSC) is one of the main active components of Pulsatilla chinensis (Bunge) Regel. HSC possesses various pharmacological activities, including anti-inflammatory activity. However, the protective effect of HSC against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced AKI in mice remains unclear. Therefore, we investigated the protective effect of HSC against LPS-induced renal inflammation and the underlying molecular mechanisms. Herein, using MTT and LDH assays to assess both cell viability and LDH activity; using dual staining techniques to identify different cell death patterns; conducting immunoblotting, QRT-PCR, and immunofluorescence analyses to evaluate levels of protein and mRNA expression; employing immunoblotting, molecular docking, SPR experiments, and CETSA to investigate the interaction between HSC and TLR4; and studying the anti-inflammatory effects of HSC in the LPS-induced AKI. The results indicate that HSC inhibits the expression of TLR4 and the activation of NF-κB and PIP2 signaling pathways, while simultaneously suppressing the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome. In animal models, HSC ameliorated LPS-induced AKI and diminished inflammatory response and the level of renal injury markers. These findings suggest that HSC has potential as a therapeutic agent to mitigate sepsis-related AKI.

A Novel Motor Structure with Extended Particle Swarm Optimization for Space Robot Control.

This paper studies motor structures and optimization methods for space robots, proposing an optimized stepped rotor bearingless switched reluctance motor (BLSRM) to solve the poor self-starting ability and significant torque fluctuation issues in traditional BLSRMs. Firstly, the advantages and disadvantages of the 12/14 hybrid stator pole type BLSRM were analyzed, and a stepped rotor BLSRM structure was designed. Secondly, the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm was improved and combined with finite element analysis for motor structure parameter optimization. Subsequently, a performance analysis of the original and new motors was conducted using finite element analysis software, and the results showed that the stepped rotor BLSRM had an improved self-starting ability and significantly reduced torque fluctuation, verifying the effectiveness of the proposed motor structure and optimization method.

Biochemical and Structural Analyses Shed Light on the Mechanisms of RadD DNA Binding and Its ATPase from Escherichia coli.

DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are the most perilous and harmful type of DNA damage and can cause tumorigenesis or cell death if left repaired with an error or unrepaired. RadD, a member of the SF2 family, is a recently discovered DNA repair protein involved in the repair of DSBs after radiation or chemical damage. However, the function of RadD in DNA repair remains unclear. Here, we determined the crystal structures of RadD/ATPγS and RadD/ATP complexes and revealed the novel mechanism of RadD binding to DNA and ATP hydrolysis with biochemical data. In the RadD catalytic center, the Gly34 and Gly36 on the P-loop are key residues for ATP binding besides the conserved amino acids Lys37 and Arg343 in the SF2 family. If any of them mutate, then RadD loses ATPase activity. Asp117 polarizes the attacking water molecule, which then starts a nucleophilic reaction toward γ-phosphate, forming the transition state. Lys68 acts as a pocket switch to regulate substrate entry and product release. We revealed that the C-terminal peptide of single-stranded DNA-binding protein (SSB) binds the RadD C-terminal domain (CTD) and promotes the RadD ATPase activity. Our mutagenesis studies confirmed that the residues Arg428 on the zinc finger domain (ZFD) and Lys488 on the CTD of RadD are the key sites for binding branched DNA. Using the Coot software combined with molecular docking, we propose a RadD-binding DNA model for the DNA damage repair process.

Discovery of New Heterocyclic/Benzofuran Hybrids as Potential Anti-Inflammatory Agents: Design, Synthesis, and Evaluation of the Inhibitory Activity of Their Related Inflammatory Factors Based on NF-κB and MAPK Signaling Pathways.

NF-κB and MAPK are classic inflammation signaling pathways which regulate inflammation signal transmission and induce the expression of many inflammatory factors. Based on the potent anti-inflammatory activity of benzofuran and its derivatives, several new heterocyclic/benzofuran hybrids were first designed and synthesized by molecular hybridization. Their structure was confirmed by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, HRMS or X-single crystal diffraction. The anti-inflammatory activity of these new compounds was screened by compounds; compound 5d exhibited an excellent inhibitory effect on the generation of NO (IC50 = 52.23 ± 0.97 µM), and low cytotoxicity (IC50 > 80 µM) against the RAW-264.7 cell lines. To further elucidate the possible anti-inflammatory mechanisms of compound 5d, the hallmark protein expressions of the NF-κB and MAPK pathways were studied in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. The results indicate that compound 5d not only significantly inhibits the phosphorylation levels of IKKα/IKKß, IKßα, P65, ERK, JNK and P38 in the classic MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathway in a dose-dependent manner, but also down-regulates the secretion of pro-inflammatory factors such as NO, COX-2, TNF-α and IL-6. Further, the in vivo anti-inflammatory activity of compound 5d indicated that it could regulate the involvement of neutrophils, leukocytes and lymphocytes in inflammation processes, and reduce the expression of IL-1ß, TNF-α and IL-6 in serum and tissues. These results strongly suggest that the piperazine/benzofuran hybrid 5d has a good potential for developing an anti-inflammatory lead compound, and the anti-inflammatory mechanism might be related to the NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways.

Dihydrotanshinone Triggers Porimin-Dependent Oncosis by ROS-Mediated Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer.

Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death. Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for the majority of lung cancer diagnoses. Dihydrotanshinone (DHT) is a compound extract from Salvia miltiorrhiza, which has favorable anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities. However, the role of DHT in NSCLC has not been fully studied. The anti-cancer drugs used for treating lung cancer often lead to apoptosis; however, the drug resistance of apoptosis restricts the effect of these drugs. Oncosis is a passive form of cell death that is different from apoptosis. It is characterized by cell swelling, and Porimin is a specific marker for oncosis. In this study, the role of DHT in mediating oncosis in A549 cells was investigated. In vitro, the MTS assay was used to detect cell activity after DHT treatment. Microscopy and electron microscopy were used to observe cell morphology changes. Western blotting was used to detect protein expression. Flow cytometry was used to detect intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, calcium ion (Ca2+) level, and cell mortality. The intracellular Lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) level was detected by an LDH detection kit after DHT treatment. The ATP level was detected using an ATP detection kit. In vivo, Lewis lung cancer (LLC) xenograft mice were used to evaluate the anti-tumor effect of DHT. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining was used to detect the pathology of lung cancer tumors. The detection of Porimin in the tumor tissues of the mice after DHT administration was assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC). The results of this study showed that DHT treatment changed the cell morphology; destroyed the mitochondrial structure; increased the expression of Porimin; increased the levels of LDH, ROS, and Ca2+; decreased the mitochondrial membrane potential and ATP level; and played an anti-tumor role in vitro by mediating oncosis in A549 cells. The in vivo studies showed that DHT could effectively inhibit tumor growth. The results of protein detection and IHC detection in the tumor tissues showed that the expression of Porimin was increased and that oncosis occurred in the tumor tissues of mice. DHT triggered Porimin-dependent oncosis by ROS-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction in NSCLC. The in vivo studies showed that DHT could inhibit tumor growth in LLC xenograft mice by triggering oncosis. This study indicates the potential for DHT to treat NSCLC.

Efficient extraction and antioxidant activity of polyphenols from Antrodia cinnamomea.

BACKGROUND: Antrodia cinnamomea, a rare medicinal fungus, has been increasingly studied in recent years because of its abundant secondary metabolites which are beneficial to humans. However, there is a lack of research on its polyphenols which are of good research value due to their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic and other activities. RESULTS: In this study, the effects of different extraction conditions on the yield of its polyphenols were investigated. Deep-Eutectic Solvents composed of choline chloride and malonic acid had the best extraction efficiency, with the optimal extraction conditions being as follows: a solid-liquid ratio of 40 mg/mL, an extraction temperature of 55 °C, an extraction time of 70 min and a DES with 20% water content. Under these conditions, the extraction yield of polyphenols reached 22.09 mg/g which was about 2 times that of alcohol-based extraction (10.95 mg/g). In vitro antioxidant test results further showed that polyphenols from A. cinnamomea had strong antioxidant activities. When the concentration of polyphenols reached 0.1 mg/mL of polyphenols, the scavenging activity of free radical basically reached its maximum, with values of 94.10%, 83.34% and 95.42% for DPPH, ABTS+ and ·OH scavenging. In this case, the corresponding IC50 values were 0.01, 0.014 and 0.007 mg/mL, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study lays the foundation for the efficient extraction and application of polyphenols from A. cinnamomea.

Haze optical-model-based nighttime image dehazing by modifying attenuation and atmospheric light.

Scene imaging is often affected by artificial light sources within a hazy environment at night, causing degraded images with low brightness, color distortion, and glow. These problems render the traditional atmospheric scattering optical model obsolete and incompatible. To address this issue, we established an optical imaging model suitable for nighttime dehazing, and an illumination component is incorporated into the attenuation term. We also introduced the near-light source coefficient to redefine the glow. Based on this model, we propose a new nighttime dehazing method. First, the rough atmospheric light is estimated using its low-frequency characteristics. Then, the glow is calculated by the near-light source coefficient. Finally, we remove the haze and illumination to get a clear image. Extensive experiments prove that our method exhibits a better color recovery effect, which effectively improves the visibility and detail. Furthermore, we believe our method outperforms other methods, both qualitatively and quantitatively.

Aqueous Extract of Sea Squirt (Halocynthia roretzi) with Potent Activity against Human Cancer Cells Acts Synergistically with Doxorubicin.

Marine ascidian is becoming one of the main sources of an antitumor drug that has shown high bioactivity and extensive application in cancer treatment. Halocynthia roretzi, an edible marine sea squirt, has been demonstrated to have various kinds of biological activities, such as anti-diabetic, anti-hypertension, and enhancing immunity. In this study, we reported that aqueous extracts from the edible parts of H. roretzi presented significantly inhibiting the efficiency on HepG-2 cell viability. The separate mixed compound exhibited strong effects of inhibitory proliferation and induced apoptosis via the generation of ROS along with the concurrent loss of mitochondrial membrane potential on tumor cells. Furthermore, we found that there existed a significantly synergistic effect of the ascidian-extracted compound mixture with the anti-cancer drug doxorubicin. In the presence of the extracts from H. roretzi, the dose of doxorubicin at the cellular level could be reduced by a half dose. The extracts were further divided by semipreparative-HPLC and the active ingredients were identified as a mixture of fatty amide, which was composed of hexadecanamide, stearamide, and erucamide by UHPLC-MS/MS. Our results suggest that the potential toxicity of ascidian H. roretzi in tumor cells, and the compounds extracted from H. roretzi could be potentially utilized on functional nutraceuticals or as an adjunct in combination with chemotherapy.

Neuroendocrine Carcinoma of the Endometrium with Ectopic Secretion of Parathyroid Hormone Presenting as Hypercalcemia- Related Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy syndrome: A Case Report.

PURPOSE: Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) displayed various acute neurological symptoms. PRES is a rare presentation of hypercalcemia. Here we present a case with ectopic secretion of parathyroid hormone from neuroendocrine carcinoma of the endometrium presenting as hypercalcemia-related PRES. CASE REPORT: A 67-year-old woman presented with acute generalized tonic-clonic seizure followed by post-ictal confusion and neuropsychiatric behaviors. The diagnosis is PRES. Investigations showed uterine cervical region with multiple liver metastasis complicated with hypercalcemia, elevated intact parathyroid hormone. Further pathology concluded as a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma of the endometrium with neuroendocrine differentiation and immunoreactive for PTH. The patient's neurologic manifestations had resolved. Serum free calcium level and intact-PTH had declined after first course of definitive chemoradiation. CONCLUSION: Immunostaining of the tumor tissue can be used to estimate the ectopic PTH production within the tumor cells. Early detection and appropriate clinical treatment hold the potential to improve the prognosis of refractory hypercalcemia and hypercalcemia related PRES. Keyword: Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome; hypercalcemia; intact-parathyroid hormone; parathyroid hormone-related peptide; neuroendocrine carcinoma of endometrium.

Scale Enhancement Pyramid Network for Small Object Detection from UAV Images.

Object detection is challenging in large-scale images captured by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), especially when detecting small objects with significant scale variation. Most solutions employ the fusion of different scale features by building multi-scale feature pyramids to ensure that the detail and semantic information are abundant. Although feature fusion benefits object detection, it still requires the long-range dependencies information necessary for small objects with significant scale variation detection. We propose a simple yet effective scale enhancement pyramid network (SEPNet) to address these problems. A SEPNet consists of a context enhancement module (CEM) and feature alignment module (FAM). Technically, the CEM combines multi-scale atrous convolution and multi-branch grouped convolution to model global relationships. Additionally, it enhances object feature representation, preventing features with lost spatial information from flowing into the feature pyramid network (FPN). The FAM adaptively learns offsets of pixels to preserve feature consistency. The FAM aims to adjust the location of sampling points in the convolutional kernel, effectively alleviating information conflict caused by the fusion of adjacent features. Results indicate that the SEPNet achieves an AP score of 18.9% on VisDrone, which is 7.1% higher than the AP score of state-of-the-art detectors RetinaNet achieves an AP score of 81.5% on PASCAL VOC.

Successful Resection of Retrobulbar Carcinosarcoma without Recurrence: A Case Report.

Carcinosarcomas are biphasic tumors comprising carcinoma and sarcoma components that occur in many tissues but are rarely found in the orbit. A 70-year-old male presented to the ophthalmic clinic with progressive proptosis, having decreased vision in the left eye for 8 months. On examination, severe exophthalmos and lagophthalmos with limited extraocular movement were noted. Orbital computed tomography scans revealed a large, well-defined, heterogeneously enhanced mass in the left retrobulbar orbital cavity. The tumor was completely resected, and the pathological examination revealed a carcinosarcoma. The prognosis was excellent without local recurrence at 48 months postoperatively. Thus, when considering treatment for effective management of such tumors, tumor resection followed by radiotherapy or chemotherapy is highly recommended.

Mediator complex subunit 16 is down-regulated in papillary thyroid cancer, leading to increased transforming growth factor-ß signaling and radioiodine resistance.

Mediator complex subunit 16 (MED16) is a component of the mediator complex and functions as a coactivator in transcriptional events at almost all RNA polymerase II-dependent genes. In this study, we report that the expression of MED16 is markedly decreased in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) tumors compared with normal thyroid tissues. In vitro, MED16 overexpression in PTC cells significantly inhibited cell migration, enhanced sodium/iodide symporter expression and iodine uptake, and decreased resistance to radioactive 131I (RAI). Conversely, PTC cells in which MED16 had been further knocked down (MED16KD) exhibited enhanced cell migration, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and RAI resistance, accompanied by decreased sodium/iodide symporter levels. Moreover, cell signaling through transforming growth factor ß (TGF-ß) was highly activated after the MED16 knockdown. Similar results were obtained in MED12KD PTC cells, and a co-immunoprecipitation experiment verified interactions between MED16 and MED12 and between MED16 and TGF-ßR2. Of note, the application of LY2157299, a potent inhibitor of TGF-ß signaling, significantly attenuated MED16KD-induced RAI resistance both in vitro and in vivo In conclusion, our findings indicate that MED16 reduction in PTC contributes to tumor progression and RAI resistance via the activation of the TGF-ß pathway.