Single-cell transcriptome analysis reveals heterogeneity of neutrophils in non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer stands out as a highly perilous malignant tumor with severe implications for human health. There has been a growing interest in neutrophils as a result of their role in promoting cancer in recent years. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the heterogeneity of neutrophils in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: Single-cell RNA sequencing of tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs) and polymorphonuclear neutrophils sourced from the Gene Expression Omnibus database was analyzed. Moreover, cell-cell communication, differentiation trajectories and transcription factor analyses were performed. RESULTS: Neutrophils were found to be closely associated with macrophages. Four major types of TANs were identified: a transitional subcluster that migrated from blood to tumor microenvironment (TAN-0), an inflammatory subcluster (TAN-1), a subpopulation that displayed a distinctive transcriptional signature (TAN-2) and a final differentiation state that promoted tumor formation (TAN-3). Meanwhile, TAN-3 displayed a marked increase in glycolytic activity. Finally, transcription factors were analyzed to uncover distinct TAN cluster-specific regulons. CONCLUSIONS: The discovery of the dynamic characteristics of TANs in the present study is anticipated to contribute to yielding a better understanding of the tumor microenvironment and advancing the treatment of NSCLC.

Comparative Genomic Analysis of PEBP Genes in Cucurbits Explores the Interactors of Cucumber CsPEBPs Related to Flowering Time.

The family of phosphatidylethanolamine-binding proteins (PEBPs) participates in various plant biological processes, mainly flowering regulation and seed germination. In cucurbit crops, several PEBP genes have been recognized to be responsible for flowering time. However, the investigation of PEBP family members across the genomes of cucurbit species has not been reported, and their conservation and divergence in structure and function remain largely unclear. Herein, PEBP genes were identified from seven cucurbit crops and were used to perform a comparative genomics analysis. The cucurbit PEBP proteins could be classified into MFT, FT, TFL, and PEBP clades, and further, the TFL clade was divided into BFT-like, CEN-like, and TFL1-like subclades. The MFT-like, FT-like, and TFL-like proteins were clearly distinguished by a critical amino acid residue at the 85th position of the Arabidopsis FT protein. In gene expression analysis, CsaPEBP1 was highly expressed in flowers, and its expression levels in females and males were 70.5 and 89.2 times higher, respectively, than those in leaves. CsaPEBP5, CsaPEBP6, and CsaPEBP7 were specifically expressed in male flowers, with expression levels 58.1, 17.3, and 15.7 times higher, respectively, than those of leaves. At least five CsaPEBP genes exhibited the highest expression during the later stages of corolla opening. Through clustering of time-series-based RNA-seq data, several potential transcription factors (TFs) interacting with four CsaPEBPs were identified during cucumber corolla opening. Because of the tandem repeats of binding sites in promoters, NF-YB (Csa4G037610) and GATA (Csa7G64580) TFs appeared to be better able to regulate the CsaPEBP2 and CsaPEBP5 genes, respectively. This study would provide helpful information for further investigating the roles of PEBP genes and their interacting TFs in growth and development processes, such as flowering time regulation in cucurbit crops.

Robot Assisted Laparoscopy Combined with Thoracoscopy in the Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Inferior Vena Cava Tumor Thrombus.

BACKGROUND: Facing the 0.7-22% incidence rate of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with inferior vena cava tumor thrombus (IVCTT), there are usually no obvious symptoms and signs when the tumor thrombus completely blocks the IVCTT in the early stage.1.J Gastroenterol. 29:41-46;2.Hepatogastroenterology. 41:154-157;3.Clin Cardiol. 19:211-213; Once diagnosed, it is the end-stage manifestation without unified treatment for HCC with IVCTT, bringing poor prognosis. Without active treatment, the median survival time is only 3 months. Previous scholars believed that patients with IVCTT should not adopt active surgical treatment. With the advance of technology, active surgical treatment has significantly lengthened the survival time with IVCTT.4.Ann Surg Oncol. 20:914-22;5.World J Surg Oncol. 11:259;6.Hepatogastroenterology. 58:1694-1699; However, for patients with HCC and IVCTT, open surgery was always selected in the past by opening the diaphragm through the combined thoracoabdominal incision to block the superior and subhepatic vena cava, leading long incision and huge trauma. With the development of minimally invasive techniques, laparoscopy thoracoscopy has showed great advantages in the treatment of HCC with IVCTT. A patient underwent laparoscopic with thoracoscopic resection of tumor and cancer thrombectomy after neoadjuvant therapy and then survived after follow-up.7.Ann Surg Oncol. 29:5548-5549 Therefore, it used as a first reported case of robot-assisted laparoscopic with thoracoscopic treatment of HCC complicated inferior vena cava cancer thrombectomy. METHODS: A 41-year-old man had a liver space-occupying lesion discovered during his medical examination 2 months ago. The diagnosis of HCC with IVCTT was confirmed by enhanced CT and biopsy specimen in the first hospitalization. A combination of TACE, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy plan was applied for the patient after multidisciplinary treatment (MDT). Specifically, Lenvatinib was taken orally 8 mg daily and 160 mg of toripalimab was given intravenously every 3 weeks. His reexamination CT showed that the tumor was more advanced after 2 months of treatment. The surgical operation was performed based on comprehensive consideration. The patient was placed in the left lateral decubitus position, and a thoracoscopic prefabricated the inferior vena cava above diaphragm blocking device was pulled out of the incision. The patient was switched to a supine position with the head of the bed raised 30 degrees. The gallbladder was removed first after entering the abdominal cavity, then prefabricated first hilar blocking band. Sterile rubber glove edges and hemo-lock were used to fabricate the blocking device. The novel hepatic inflow occlusion device is a safe, reliable, and convenient technique that is associated with favorable perioperative outcomes and low risk of conversion.8.Surg Endosc. 34:2807-2813 The liver along the middle hepatic vein was cut to expose the anterior wall of the inferior vena cava, then prefabricated posterior inferior vena cava blocking belt and right hepatic vein blocking belt. Finally, the first portal of liver, right hepatic vein, retrohepatic inferior vena cava, and inferior vena cava above diaphragm were blocked in sequence, so that accomplishing tumor resection and thrombectomy of inferior vena cava. It should be emphasized that before the inferior vena cava is completely sutured, the retrohepatic inferior vena cava blocking device should be released to allow blood flow to flush the inferior vena cava. Moreover, transesophageal ultrasound is required to real-time monitor inferior vena cava blood flow and IVCTT. Some images of the operation are shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 1 (a) Layout of the trocar. ①Make a 3cm small incision between the right anterior axillary line and the midaxillary line, parallel to the fourth and fifth intercostal spaces; a puncture hole in the next intercostal space for endoscope; ②2cm above the intersection of umbilicus horizontal line and axillary front line; ③Intersection of right clavicular midline and umbilical horizontal line; ④Superior margin of umbilicus; ⑤The midpoint of '④ & ⑥'; ⑥2cm below the intersection of left clavicular midline and left costal margin. (b) Prefabricated the inferior vena cava blocking device above diaphragm by thoracoscopic. (c) The smooth tumor thrombus protruding into the inferior vena cava RESULTS: It took 475 min to finish the operation, and the loss of blood was estimated as 300 ml. The patient was discharged from hospital 8 days after the operation without postoperative complication. HCC was confirmed by postoperative pathology. CONCLUSIONS: Robot surgical system reduces the limitations of laparoscopic surgery by offering a stable three-dimensional view, 10-times-enlarged image, restored eye-hand axis, and excellent dexterity with the endowristed instruments, which has several advantages over open operation such as diminished blood loss, reduced morbidity, and shorter hospital stay.9.Chirurg. 88:7-11;10.BMC Surg. 11:2;11.Minerva Chir. 64:135-146; Furthermore, it could favor the operative feasibility of difficult resections reducing the conversion rate and playing a role to extend the indications of liver resection to minimally invasive approaches. It may provide new curative options in patients deemed inoperable with conventional surgery, such as HCC with IVCTT.12.Biosci Trends. 16:178-188;13.J Hepatobiliary Pancreat Sci. 29:1108-1123.

A Simple and Practical Bis-N-Heterocyclic Carbene as an Efficient Ligand in Cu-Catalyzed Glaser Reaction.

Conjugated diyne derivatives are important scaffolds in modern organic synthetic chemistry. Using the Glaser reaction involves the coupling of terminal alkynes which can efficiently produce conjugated diyne derivatives, while the use of a stoichiometric amount of copper salts, strong inorganic base, and excess oxidants is generally needed. Developing an environmentally friendly and effective method for the construction of symmetrical 1,3-diynes compounds by Glaser coupling is still highly desirable. In this study, we present an economical method for the production of symmetric diynes starting from various terminal acetylenes in a Glaser reaction. A simple and practical bis-N-heterocyclic carbene ligand has been introduced as efficient ligands for the Cu-catalyzed Glaser reaction. High product yields were obtained at 100 °C for a variety of substrates including aliphatic and aromatic terminal alkynes and differently substituted terminal alkynes including the highly sterically hindered substrate 2-methoxy ethynylbenzene or 2-trifluoromethyl ethynylbenzene and a series of functional groups, such as trifluoromethyl group, ester group, carboxyl group, and nitrile group. The established protocol is carried out in air under base-free condition and is operationally simple. These research work suggest that bis-N-heterocyclic carbene could also an appealing ligand for Glaser reaction and provide a reference for the preparation of symmetric 1,3-diynes in industrial filed.

The efficacy and feasibility of neoadjuvant immunotherapy plus chemotherapy followed by McKeown minimally invasive oesophagectomy for locally advanced oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Introduction: In immunotherapy, antibodies are activated to block immune checkpoints, resist tumour immunosuppression, shrink tumours and prevent a recurrence. As the science behind tumour immunotherapy continuously develops and improves, neoadjuvant immunotherapy bears more prominent advantages: antigen exposure not only enhances the degree of tumour-specific T-cell response but also prolongs the duration of actions. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of McKeown minimally invasive oesophagectomy (McKeown MIO) following neoadjuvant immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy (NICT) in patients with locally advanced oesophageal cancer (OC). Patients and Methods: In this retrospective study, 94 patients underwent either NICT or neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT) followed by MIO at our institution from January 2020 to October 2022. We assessed the therapy-related adverse events and perioperative outcomes and compared them between the two groups. Results: After completing at least two cycles of neoadjuvant therapy, all patients underwent McKeown MIO with negative margins within 4-7 weeks. Demographic data of the two cohorts were similar. Regarding perioperative characteristics, the median intraoperative blood loss was 50 ml in the NICT group, lower than that of the NCT group (100 ml, P < 0.05). In addition, the NICT group had significantly more harvested lymph nodes than the NCT group (P < 0.05). No significant differences were found in post-operative complications. The rate of objective response rate in the NICT group was higher than that in the NCT group (88.3% vs. 58.8%). Regarding tumour regression, the number of patients with TRG Grades 1-3 in the NICT group was more than that in the NCT. Adverse events experienced by the two groups included anaemia and elevated transaminase. We found no difference in the adverse events between the two groups. Conclusions: This study showed the efficacy and feasibility of NICT followed by McKeown MIO in treating locally advanced OC.

Laparoscopic Orthotopic Right Hemihepatectomy by Anterior Approach Combined with Inferior Vena Cava Thrombectomy.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly aggressive malignant disease with a high rate of vascular invasion. (Bruix et al. in Gastroenterology 150:835-853, 2016; Xia et al. in Oncol Lett 20:101, 2020) The conventional surgical strategy for HCC with inferior vena cava (IVC) tumor thrombus is open major surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass, combined with large trauma. (Liu et al. in Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol 24:186-194, 2012; Bai et al. in J Oncol 2020:3264079, 2020) We report a video of laparoscopic hemihepatectomy and thrombectomy without bypass. As far as we are aware, this is the first report on IVC thrombectomy using a minimally invasive surgical technique. PATIENT: A 52-year-old male was admitted to our institution for a giant hepatic mass in the right liver combined with IVC tumor thrombosis. After 2 months of preoperative systemic treatment, the tumor had reduced to 8 cm and the enhancement of tumor thrombosis in the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan was significantly reduced. METHODS: We used laparoscopy combined with thoracoscopy to perform the surgery, with the patient placed in the supine position. The abdominal trocar position is shown in Fig. 1b. First, we set the blocking band of the suprahepatic IVC in the thoracoscopy. Infrahepatic IVC occlusion and the Pringle maneuver device were prepared for laparoscopy. After fully exposing the retrohepatic IVC, we performed a thrombectomy and IVC suture completely in laparoscopy. Finally, the patient was transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU) for observation. Fig. 1 a Three-dimensional reconstruction model of the patient (a giant hepatic mass and tumor thrombosis extending to the suprahepatic IVC). b Trocar position for the laparoscopic surgery. The patient was placed in the supine position, and the 5, 6, and 7 intercostal axillary fronts were set for the thoracoscopic trocar, while the remaining five abdominal trocars were set for laparoscopic operation. c Retrohepatic IVC before being cut open. The fullness indicates the position of the tumor thrombosis. d Thrombectomy and suture of the IVC. IVC inferior vena cava, TT tumor thrombus RESULTS: Operation time was 495 mins and estimated blood loss was 1000 mL. The patient was discharged on the thirteenth day after the surgery. HCC was confirmed in histopathology. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic hepatectomy with IVC thrombectomy is a possible operation for HCC combined with IVC tumor thrombus, offering hope for minimally invasive treatment of such cases; however, it is still a highly challenging procedure.

Real-time imaging of optic nerve head collagen microstructure and biomechanics using instant polarized light microscopy.

Current tools lack the temporal or spatial resolution necessary to image many important aspects of the architecture and dynamics of the optic nerve head (ONH). We evaluated the potential of instant polarized light microscopy (IPOL) to overcome these limitations by leveraging the ability to capture collagen fiber orientation and density in a single image. Coronal sections through the ONH of fresh normal sheep eyes were imaged using IPOL while they were stretched using custom uniaxial or biaxial micro-stretch devices. IPOL allows identifying ONH collagen architectural details, such as fiber interweaving and crimp, and has high temporal resolution, limited only by the frame rate of the camera. Local collagen fiber orientations and deformations were quantified using color analysis and image tracking techniques. We quantified stretch-induced collagen uncrimping of lamina cribrosa (LC) and peripapillary sclera (PPS), and changes in LC pore size (area) and shape (convexity and aspect ratio). The simultaneous high spatial and temporal resolutions of IPOL revealed complex ONH biomechanics: i) stretch-induced local deformation of the PPS was nonlinear and nonaffine. ii) under load the crimped collagen fibers in the PPS and LC straightened, without torsion and with only small rotations. iii) stretch-induced LC pore deformation was anisotropic and heterogeneous among pores. Overall, with stretch the pores were became larger, more convex, and more circular. We have demonstrated that IPOL reveals details of collagen morphology and mechanics under dynamic loading previously out of reach. IPOL can detect stretch-induced collagen uncrimping and other elements of the tissue nonlinear mechanical behavior. IPOL showed changes in pore morphology and collagen architecture that will help improve understanding of how LC tissue responds to load.

Single medium-sized hepatocellular carcinoma treated with sequential conventional transarterial chemoembolization (cTACE) and microwave ablation at 4 weeks versus cTACE alone: a propensity score.

BACKGROUND: Microwave ablation (MWA) is a potentially curative treatment for unresectable patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ≤ 3 cm, while its therapeutic efficacy decreases significantly for HCC > 3cm. Previous studies have demonstrated that conventional transarterial chemoembolization (cTACE) combined with MWA (cTACE-MWA) may improve local tumor control rate and reduce the recurrence rate for HCC > 3cm. However, there have been few study designs to analyze the clinical efficacy of cTACE-MWA for medium-sized HCC (3-5cm). Therefore, this study aims to compare the clinical efficacy and safety of cTACE-MWA with cTACE alone for a single medium-sized HCC of 3-5 cm in diameter. METHODS: We retrospectively investigate the data of 90 patients with a single medium-sized HCC who were referred to our hospital and underwent cTACE-MWA or cTACE alone from December 2017 to March 2020. Then, patients were identified with propensity score-matched (1:1). The local tumor response to treatment and time to progression (TTP) were compared using mRECIST criteria between the cTACE-MWA group and the cTACE group. RESULTS: A total of 42 patients were included after matching (cTACE-MWA: 21; cTACE: 21). Comparing with cTACE, cTACE-MWA demonstrate significantly better local tumor control (ORR: 95.2% vs 61.9%, p = 0.02; DCR: 95.2% vs 66.7%, p = 0.045) and TTP (median 19.8 months vs 6.8 months, p < 0.001). The 1- and 2-year cumulative probabilities of OS were 100% and 95% in the cTACE-MWA group, which were significantly higher than those in the cTACE group (95% and 76%) (p = 0.032). Multivariate Cox regression analysis illustrates that cTACE-MWA was associated with better TTP (hazard ratio, 0.28; 95% CI: 0.1, 0.76; p = 0.012), but tumor size was associated with worse TTP (hazard ratio, 1.71; 95% CI: 1.01, 2.89; p = 0.045). CONCLUSIONS: cTACE followed by MWA improved TTP and OS in patients with a single medium-sized HCC, and no major complication was observed in this study.

Interplay between intraocular and intracranial pressure effects on the optic nerve head in vivo.

Intracranial pressure (ICP) has been proposed to play an important role in the sensitivity to intraocular pressure (IOP) and susceptibility to glaucoma. However, the in vivo effects of simultaneous, controlled, acute variations in ICP and IOP have not been directly measured. We quantified the deformations of the anterior lamina cribrosa (ALC) and scleral canal at Bruch's membrane opening (BMO) under acute elevation of IOP and/or ICP. Four eyes of three adult monkeys were imaged in vivo with OCT under four pressure conditions: IOP and ICP either at baseline or elevated. The BMO and ALC were reconstructed from manual delineations. From these, we determined canal area at the BMO (BMO area), BMO aspect ratio and planarity, and ALC median depth relative to the BMO plane. To better account for the pressure effects on the imaging, we also measured ALC visibility as a percent of the BMO area. Further, ALC depths were analyzed only in regions where the ALC was visible in all pressure conditions. Bootstrap sampling was used to obtain mean estimates and confidence intervals, which were then used to test for significant effects of IOP and ICP, independently and in interaction. Response to pressure manipulation was highly individualized between eyes, with significant changes detected in a majority of the parameters. Significant interactions between ICP and IOP occurred in all measures, except ALC visibility. On average, ICP elevation expanded BMO area by 0.17 mm2 at baseline IOP, and contracted BMO area by 0.02 mm2 at high IOP. ICP elevation decreased ALC depth by 10 µm at baseline IOP, but increased depth by 7 µm at high IOP. ALC visibility decreased as ICP increased, both at baseline (-10%) and high IOP (-17%). IOP elevation expanded BMO area by 0.04 mm2 at baseline ICP, and contracted BMO area by 0.09 mm2 at high ICP. On average, IOP elevation caused the ALC to displace 3.3 µm anteriorly at baseline ICP, and 22 µm posteriorly at high ICP. ALC visibility improved as IOP increased, both at baseline (5%) and high ICP (8%). In summary, changing IOP or ICP significantly deformed both the scleral canal and the lamina of the monkey ONH, regardless of the other pressure level. There were significant interactions between the effects of IOP and those of ICP on LC depth, BMO area, aspect ratio and planarity. On most eyes, elevating both pressures by the same amount did not cancel out the effects. Altogether our results show that ICP affects sensitivity to IOP, and thus that it can potentially also affect susceptibility to glaucoma.

Eukaryotic elongation factor 2 kinase promotes angiogenesis in hepatocellular carcinoma via PI3K/Akt and STAT3.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an aggressive malignancy with increasing mortality in China. Angiogenesis is crucial for tumor formation, development and metastasis in HCC. Previous studies indicated that high expression levels of elongation factor 2 kinase (eEF2K), a protein kinase that negatively regulates the elongation stage of translation, were associated with poor prognosis of HCC. Here, we show that pharmacological inhibition or knockdown of eEF2K in highly metastatic liver cancer cells inhibits their colony forming and migratory capacities, as well as reducing their invasiveness. Importantly, knocking down eEF2K by lentiviral directed shRNA prevented tumor growth and angiogenesis of HCC in mice. Silencing of eEF2K in endothelial cells (HUVECs) led to a reduction in vascularization, evidenced by a decrease in capillary-like structures in the matrigel. Notably, knocking down eEF2K reduced the expression of angiogenesis-related growth factors in liver cancer cells and the expression of growth factor receptors on HUVECs, and thus restricted signaling crosstalk that promotes angiogenesis between HCC cells and endothelial cells. We also showed that silencing of eEF2K effectively reduced protein levels of SP1/KLF5 transcription factors and hence decreased the levels of bound SP1/KLF5 to the VEGF promoter, resulted in a decrease in VEGF mRNA expression. Knocking down eEF2K also led to a striking decrease in the phosphorylation of PI3K/Akt and STAT3, indicating inactivation of these tumorigenic pathways. Taken together, our data suggest that eEF2K contributes to angiogenesis and tumor progression in HCC via SP1/KLF5-mediated VEGF expression, as well as the subsequent stimulation of PI3K/Akt and STAT3 signaling.

Surfactant-Mediated Morphological Evolution of MnCo Prussian Blue Structures.

In the preparation of nanomaterials, the kinetics and thermodynamics in the reaction can significantly affect the structures and phases of nanocrystals. Therefore, people are keen to adopt various synthetic strategies to accurately assemble the target nanocrystals, and reveal the underlying mechanism of the formation of specific structures. In this work, the total reaction time is adjusted to let the prepared MnCo Prussian blue analogous (MnCoPBA) crystals show four evolving morphological changes at different stages with the assistance of sodium dodecyl sulfate. Furthermore, it is clearly observed that the epitaxial growth along the (100) plane on the shell of MnCoPBA nanocrystals is favored, and the thermodynamics and kinetics in the morphology change process are analyzed in detail. Through the simple pyrolysis, MnCoPBA crystals can be successfully converted into the corresponding carbon composites, of which Mn2 Co2 C nanoparticles are evenly distributed in highly graphitized carbon matrix. Among them, PBA-III-700 performs good oxygen reduction reaction performance in alkaline solution with the half-wave potential of 0.801 V and diffusion-limited current density of 5.36 mA cm-2 , and its zinc-air battery exhibits the peak power density of 103.4 mW cm-2 competitive with commercial Pt/C.

Clinical effect of conbercept on improving diabetic macular ischemia by OCT angiography.

BACKGROUND: Varying degrees of macular ischemia generally occur in diabetic retinopathy (DR). This study aims to evaluate the effect of conbercept with 3+ pro re nata (PRN) on macular perfusion status in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) and quantitatively assess changes in foveal avascular zone (FAZ) areas and capillary density in macular regions by applying optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). METHODS: Fifty patients were divided into ischemic (n = 31) and non-ischemic (n = 19) groups according to the presence of ischemia on OCTA at baseline. All patients received intravitreal injections of 0.5 mg of conbercept with 3+ PRN principle. The FAZ areas and macular vessel density measured using OCTA were evaluated at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months after treatment in both groups. RESULTS: At months 3 and 6, the FAZ area in the ischemic group changed from 0.510 ± 0.171 mm2 to 0.441 ± 0.158 mm2 then to 0.427 ± 0.153 mm2 (p = 0.003, p = 0.296); in the non-ischemic group, it remained stable (p = 0.269, p = 0.926). The superficial vessel density changed from 41.1 ± 4.1 to 42.5% ± 4.7% then to 42.6% ± 4.6% (p = 0.043, p = 0.812), and the deep vessel density changed from 40.7 ± 4.4 to 42.3% ± 3.6% then to 42.3% ± 4.7% (p = 0.072, p = 0.961) in the ischemic group. In the non-ischemic group, the superficial vessel density changed from 44.8 ± 3.2 to 46.0% ± 3.5% then to 45.7% ± 3.3% (p = 0.108, p = 0.666), whereas the deep vessel density changed from 43.6 ± 3.6 to 43.8% ± 3.2% then to 43.5% ± 4.5% (p = 0.882, p = 0.736). Reperfusion in macular nonperfusion areas was observed. CONCLUSION: Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treatment may have a positive effect on macular perfusion status. Furthermore, OCTA had advantages in quantifying and calculating blood flow index in the study of macular perfusion status.

Hermite-Gaussian mode sorter.

The Hermite-Gaussian (HG) modes, sometimes referred to as transverse electromagnetic modes in free space, form a complete and orthonormal basis that have been extensively used to describe optical fields. In addition, these modes have been shown to be helpful in enhancing information capacity of optical communications as well as achieving super-resolution imaging in microscopy. Here we propose and present the realization of an efficient, robust mode sorter that can sort a large number of HG modes based on the relation between HG modes and Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) modes. We experimentally demonstrate the sorting of 16 HG modes, and our method can be readily extended to a higher-dimensional state space in a straightforward manner. We expect that our demonstration will have direct applications in a variety of fields including fiber optics, classical and quantum communications, as well as super-resolution imaging.

Heavy Metal Contamination and Ecological Risk Assessment of Swine Manure Irrigated Vegetable Soils in Jiangxi Province, China.

Heavy metal are often added to animal fodder and accumulate in the soils with swine manure. In this study, heavy metal (Cu, Pb, Cd, Zn, As and Cr) concentrations were determined in agricultural soils irrigated with swine manure in Jiangxi Province, China. Results showed that the average concentrations of Cu, Zn, As and Cr (32.8, 93.7, 21.3 and 75.8 mg/kg, respectively) were higher than the background values, while Pb and Cd (15.2 and 0.090 mg/kg, respectively) were lower than the background values. Contamination factors [Formula: see text] indicated that they were generally moderate for Cu, Zn, As and Cr and generally low for Pb and Cd. The contamination degree (C d ) was calculated to be 7.5-10.0 indicating a moderate degree of contamination. The geoaccumulation index (Igeo) indicated that the soils were unpolluted with Zn, Cd and Pb, while unpolluted to moderately pollute with Cr, Cu and As. The single ecological risk factor [Formula: see text] revealed that the six heavy metals all belonged to low ecological risk. The ecological risk indices suggested that all the sampling sites were at low risk level.

Software-defined control-plane for wavelength selective unicast and multicast of optical data in a silicon photonic platform.

We demonstrate a programmable control-plane based on field programmable gate array (FPGA) with a power-efficient algorithm for optical unicast, multicast, and broadcast functionalities in a silicon photonic platform. The platform includes a silicon photonic 1×8 microring array chip which in conjunction with a fast tunable laser over the C-band is capable of delivering software controlled wavelength selective functionality on top of spatial switching. We characterize the thermo-optic response of microring resonators and extract key parameters necessary for the development of the control-plane. The performance of the proposed architecture is tested with 10 Gb/s on-off keying (OOK) optical data and error-free operation is verified for various wavelength and spatial switching scenarios. Lastly, we evaluate electrical power and energy consumption required to reconfigure the silicon photonic device for all possible wavelength operations and output ports combinations and show that unicast, multicast of two, three, four, five, six, seven, and broadcast functions are achieved with energy overheads of 0.02, 0.07, 0.18, 0.49, 0.76, 1.01, 1.3, and 1.55 pJ/bit, respectively.

[Endoscopic trans-fistula drainage for gastroesophageal anastomotic fistula with para-fistula abscess after esophagectomy].

Objective: To evaluate the efficiency and safety of endoscopic trans-fistula drainage (ETFD) for gastroesophageal anastomotic fistula with para-fistula abscess after esophagectomy. Methods: Among 456 esophageal cancer patients receiving esophagectomy between February 2012 and February 2017 in Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, 15 cases were diagnosed as gastroesophageal anastomotic fistula with para-fistula abscess after surgery. Seven cases received ETFD treatment (ETFD group), and 8 cases received conventional treatment (control group). Recovery of inflammatory markers and fistula, length of hospital stay after esophagectomy and total medical expenses were compared between ETFD group and control group. Results: All patients recovered in ETFD group. Time of white cell count returning to normal and decline of C-reactive protein, time of fistula healing and length of hospital stay after esophagectomy in ETFD group were significantly shorter than those of control group (all P<0.05). And medical expenses in ETFD group was also lower (P<0.05). Conclusion: ETFD is effective and safe for gastroesophageal anastomotic fistula with para-fistula abscess after esophagectomy.

Quantitative study on propagation and healing of Airy beams under experimental conditions.

We investigate the propagation and healing of Airy beams in two dimensions that are obtainable under practical experimental conditions. We introduce an intensity similarity factor to quantitatively describe how an Airy beam retains its original shape. Based on such a figure of merit, we define a shape-retaining distance to quantify how far an Airy beam can keep the shape of its main lobe upon propagation and a healing distance to quantify how soon an initially partially blocked Airy beam can restore its main lobe profile. We perform an analysis on how these two distances scale with experimental parameters. We further use an interference picture to interpret the healing phenomenon of an Airy beam. Our work can serve as a guideline for quantitative performance analysis for applications of Airy beams and can be extended to other special beams in a straightforward fashion.

Performance errors during rodent learning reflect a dynamic choice strategy.

Humans, even as infants, use cognitive strategies, such as exploration and hypothesis testing, to learn about causal interactions in the environment. In animal learning studies, however, it is challenging to disentangle higher-order behavioral strategies from errors arising from imperfect task knowledge or inherent biases. Here, we trained head-fixed mice on a wheel-based auditory two-choice task and exploited the intra- and inter-animal variability to understand the drivers of errors during learning. During learning, performance errors are dominated by a choice bias, which, despite appearing maladaptive, reflects a dynamic strategy. Early in learning, mice develop an internal model of the task contingencies such that violating their expectation of reward on correct trials (by using short blocks of non-rewarded "probe" trials) leads to an abrupt shift in strategy. During the probe block, mice behave more accurately with less bias, thereby using their learned stimulus-action knowledge to test whether the outcome contingencies have changed. Despite having this knowledge, mice continued to exhibit a strong choice bias during reinforced trials. This choice bias operates on a timescale of tens to hundreds of trials with a dynamic structure, shifting between left, right, and unbiased epochs. Biased epochs also coincided with faster motor kinematics. Although bias decreased across learning, expert mice continued to exhibit short bouts of biased choices interspersed with longer bouts of unbiased choices and higher performance. These findings collectively suggest that during learning, rodents actively probe their environment in a structured manner to refine their decision-making and maintain long-term flexibility.

The Effects of Budesonide Inhalation Treatment on the Expression Levels of Serum IL-6, TGF-ß1, and IgE and Pulmonary Function in Patients with Cough Variant Asthma and an Evaluation of Treatment Efficacy.

Objective: To retrospectively study the effects of budesonide inhalation combined with conventional symptomatic treatment on serum inflammatory factor expression levels and pulmonary function in patients with cough variant asthma (CVA) and to evaluate treatment efficacy. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 200 patients diagnosed with CVA at the Second Hospital of Jiaxing between January 2022 and June 2023 and given conventional symptomatic treatment plus budesonide inhalation were included in this study. Patients were divided into a no remission group, a partial remission group and a complete remission group based on treatment effect. The expression levels of serum inflammatory factors, cough symptom scores, and small airway function indicators in the three groups of patients at different time points were compared. Results: In the three groups of CVA patients, after receiving budesonide inhalation combined with conventional symptomatic treatment, the expression levels of serum IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, TGF-ß1, and IgE and number of eosinophils significantly decreased (P <0.05). There were statistically significant differences in the IL-6 and TGF-ß1 levels among the three groups of CVA patients at T1, T2 and T3. There were statistically significant differences in IgE levels, number of eosinophils, cough symptom scores, and small airway function indicators between T2 and T3 (P<0.05). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve prediction analysis revealed significant differences in the expression of IL-6 and TGF-ß1 at T1, T2, and T3. Conclusion: Budesonide inhalation combined with conventional symptomatic treatment can significantly reduce the levels of serum inflammatory factors in patients with CVA to reduce inflammation and the allergic response, thereby reducing the cough symptom score, improving pulmonary function, and improving therapeutic efficacy. In addition, IL-6 and TGF-ß1 can be used as early predictors of budesonide inhalation efficacy.

Development, characterization and Lactobacillus plantarum encapsulating ability of novel C-phycocyanin-pectin-polyphenol based hydrogels.

In this study, it was found that the enhancement in the viability of Lactobacillus plantarum under gastrointestinal conditions by encapsulating them within novel C-Phycocyanin-pectin based hydrogels (from 5.7 to 7.1 log/CFU). The hardness, the strength and the stability of the hydrogels increased when the protein concentration was increased. In addition, the addition of resveratrol (RES), and tannic acid (TA) could improve the hardness (from 595.4 to 608.3 and 637.0 g) and WHC (from 93.9 to 94.2 and 94.8 %) of the hydrogels. The addition of gallic acid (GA) enhanced the hardness (675.0 g) of the hydrogels, but the WHC (86.2 %) was decreased. During simulated gastrointestinal conditions and refrigerated storage, the addition of TA enhanced the viable bacteria counts (from 6.8 and 8.0 to 7.5 and 8.5 log/CFU) of Lactobacillus plantarum. Furthermore, TA and GA are completely encased by the protein-pectin gel as an amorphous state, while RA is only partially encased.