Erratum: Measurement of the 2νßß Decay Half-Life of

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.171801.

[Considering about the timing of cataract surgery with high myopia].

With the rapid increase in the myopic population, cataract surgery in individuals with high myopia has become increasingly prevalent. For patients, the benefits of cataract surgery in highly myopic individuals are more pronounced compared to conventional cataract surgery. However, For cataract surgeons, performing cataract surgery in highly myopic individuals presents a more complex surgical procedure with elevated surgical risks and less favorable postoperative outcomes. As a result, the decision regarding the timing of cataract surgery in highly myopic individuals exhibits a clear polarization. some patients with mild cataracts strongly advocate for early surgery, while others with severe cataracts hesitate due to concerns about surgical risks. When making surgical decisions, both medical professionals and patients should thoroughly consider the benefits and risks of the surgery, allowing for an objective selection of the most appropriate timing for the procedure.

New Direct Limit on Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay Half-Life of

The Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events (CUORE) at Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso of INFN in Italy is an experiment searching for neutrinoless double beta (0νßß) decay. Its main goal is to investigate this decay in ^{130}Te, but its ton-scale mass and low background make CUORE sensitive to other rare processes as well. In this Letter, we present our first results on the search for 0νßß decay of ^{128}Te, the Te isotope with the second highest natural isotopic abundance. We find no evidence for this decay, and using a Bayesian analysis we set a lower limit on the ^{128}Te 0νßß decay half-life of T_{1/2}>3.6×10^{24} yr (90% CI). This represents the most stringent limit on the half-life of this isotope, improving by over a factor of 30 the previous direct search results, and exceeding those from geochemical experiments for the first time.

Measurement of the 2νßß Decay Half-Life of

We measured two-neutrino double beta decay of ^{130}Te using an exposure of 300.7 kg yr accumulated with the CUORE detector. Using a Bayesian analysis to fit simulated spectra to experimental data, it was possible to disentangle all the major background sources and precisely measure the two-neutrino contribution. The half-life is in agreement with past measurements with a strongly reduced uncertainty: T_{1/2}^{2ν}=7.71_{-0.06}^{+0.08}(stat)_{-0.15}^{+0.12}(syst)×10^{20} yr. This measurement is the most precise determination of the ^{130}Te 2νßß decay half-life to date.

Improved Limit on Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay in

We report new results from the search for neutrinoless double-beta decay in ^{130} Te with the CUORE detector. This search benefits from a fourfold increase in exposure, lower trigger thresholds, and analysis improvements relative to our previous results. We observe a background of (1.38±0.07)×10^{-2} counts/(keV kg yr)) in the 0νßß decay region of interest and, with a total exposure of 372.5 kg yr, we attain a median exclusion sensitivity of 1.7×10^{25} yr. We find no evidence for 0νßß decay and set a 90% credibility interval Bayesian lower limit of 3.2×10^{25} yr on the ^{130} Te half-life for this process. In the hypothesis that 0νßß decay is mediated by light Majorana neutrinos, this results in an upper limit on the effective Majorana mass of 75-350 meV, depending on the nuclear matrix elements used.

[Construction and analysis of competitive endogenous RNA regulatory network related to gastric cancer].

Objective: To construct the competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network related to gastric cancer and explore the molecular mechanism. Methods: The expression profiles of lncRNA, miRNA and mRNA in gastric cancer and paracancer tissues were analyzed by biochip technology, edgeR package in R software was used to filtrate differential expression genes (multiple change of >1.5 times, P<0.05) and volcano map was drawn. Based on the online miRNA-lncRNA prediction tool lncBase database and the miRNA Target gene prediction database (miRTarBase, target-scan, miRDB, starBase), the relationship between miRNA, lncRNA and mRNA was predicted. Cytoscape software was used to construct lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA ceRNA network and key genes (hub genes) were identified based on cytohubba calculation of degree score of each node. Then Hub genes related to the prognosis of gastric cancer were verified in the TCGA database. The GO and KEGG enrichment analysis of differentially expressed mRNA was performed using the online biological information annotation database DAVID, P<0.05 and false discovery rate (FDR)<0.05 were used as cut-off criteria. R software was used to download the RNA sequencing data and mirna-seq data of gastric cancer and adjacent tissues in TCGA database, edgeR package was used to screen out differentially expressed mRNA, miRNA and lncRNA, and some differentially expressed genes in our data were verified. In OncoLnc database, STAD project of TCGA data was selected and hub gene was input. Patients were divided into two groups based on the median value for hub genes and Kaplan-meier analysis was performed. Results: The differentially expressed 766 mRNA, 110 lncRNA and 10 miRNA were screened out, among them 90 mRNA, 4 lncRNA and 6 miRNA were used to construct the ceRNA network, and 2 of the 20 hub genes were related to the prognosis of patients. MLK7-AS1, SPP1, SULF1, hsa-miR-1307-3p were upregulated in gastric cancer tissues from our biochip, while MT2A, MT1X were downregulated, which were consistent with the results of TCGA gastric cancer database. The differentially expressed mRNAs were significantly enriched in the biological process (BP) and the mineral absorption pathway. CHST1 was negatively correlated while miR-183-5p was positively corelated with the survival of patients. Conclusion: The establishment of ceRNA network for gastric cancer is conducive to further understanding of the molecular biological mechanism. CHST1 and miR-183-5p can be used as prognostic factors of gastric cancer.

[Is emmetropization after cataract surgery the best option].

Since the advent of intraocular lenses (IOL), the accuracy of IOL measurements has been paid much attention. With the continuous development of eye biometric equipment and the diversification of IOL power calculation formulas, the precision of IOL power calculation has increased, the function of IOL has improved, and refractive cataract surgery has become popular. However, there is an excessive pursuit of the emmetropization of postoperative refraction after cataract surgery in order to demonstrate the accuracy of IOL measurements, and postoperative emmetropization may cause visual discomfort in some patients with preoperative myopia. This phenomenon is worthy of concern. (Chin J Ophthalmol, 2020, 56: 333-336).

[Characteristics and analysis of corneal astigmatism in age-related cataract patients over 50 years old].

Objective: To investigate the relationship between corneal astigmatism and age, axial length (AL) in age-related cataract patients over 50 years old. Methods: In this retrospective study, 1 906 eyes of 953 patients with age-related cataract were diagnosed from February 2016 to August 2016 atPeking University People's Hospital, and their demographics, preoperative AL, magnitude and meridian of the corneal astigmatism measured by IOL Master were collected. Restricted cubic splines and Spearman rank correlation coefficients were used to investigate the relationship of the magnitude of cornea astigmatism to age. Chi-square test was used to assess the relationship of the meridian of astigmatism to age, AL and the magnitude of cornea astigmatism. Results: The patients were 410 men and 543 women. The corneal astigmatism was with-the-rule (WTR) in 570 eyes (29.91%), against-the-rule (ATR) in 1 005 eyes (52.73%) and oblique in 331 eyes (17.37%). The mean age was (72±9) years old. The medians (min, max) of AL and corneal astigmatism magnitude were 23.49 mm (19.83 mm to 33.89 mm) and 0.97 D (0.06 D to 4.65 D) in right eyes and 23.41 mm (17.54 mm to 32.09 mm) and 0.92 D (0.11 D to 4.88 D) in left eyes, respectively. The corneal astigmatism was ≥0.75 D in 64.95% (619/953) of the right eyes and 61.59% (587/953) of the left eyes. Among the elderly patients over 65 years old, when the AL was between 22.00-25.99 mm (r=0.186-0.279), the value of corneal astigmatism was positively correlated with age (all P<0.01) in both eyes. The value of ATR corneal astigmatism was positively correlated with age (right eyes, r=0.278, P<0.01; left eyes, r=0.225, P<0.01), while the value of WTR corneal astigmatism had no statistically significant correlation with age (right eyes, P=0.335; left eyes, P=0.633). The prevalence of WTR astigmatism decreased with age from 43.81% (46/105) to 20.73% (51/246) in right eyes and from 40.00% (42/105) to 24.80% (61/246) in left eyes, while the prevalence of ATR astigmatism increased with age from 38.10% (40/105) to 61.38% (151/246) in right eyes and from 33.33% (35/105) to 58.94% (145/246) in left eyes. The prevalence of oblique astigmatism was not significantly changed with age (right eyes, χ(2)=31.986, P<0.01; left eyes, χ(2)=27.686, P<0.01). There was no statistically significant difference in the distribution of corneal astigmatism meridians between different AL groups (right eyes, P=0.497; left eyes, P=0.897). With the increase of the magnitude of corneal astigmatism, the prevalence of oblique astigmatism significantly decreased from 25.45% (85/334) to 0 in right eyes and from 29.78% (109/366) to 1.35% (1/74) in left eyes, while the prevalence of ATR astigmatism significantly increased from 39.82% (133/334) to 79.27% (65/82) in right eyes and from 41.80% (153/366) to 59.46% (44/74) in left eyes (right eyes, χ(2)=72.229, P<0.01; left eyes, χ(2)=72.166, P<0.01). Conclusions: A majority of age-related cataract patients over 50 years old have astigmatism ≥0.75 D before cataract surgery. When the AL is between 22.00 mm and 25.99 mm, the magnitude of corneal astigmatism increases with age among people over 65 years old, especially the magnitude of ATR corneal astigmatism, while the magnitude of WTR corneal astigmatism has no obvious increase with age. The percentage of ATR astigmatism increases while the percentage of WTR astigmatism decreases with age. (Chin J Ophthalmol, 2020, 56: 349-355).

First Results from CUORE: A Search for Lepton Number Violation via 0νßß Decay of

The CUORE experiment, a ton-scale cryogenic bolometer array, recently began operation at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso in Italy. The array represents a significant advancement in this technology, and in this work we apply it for the first time to a high-sensitivity search for a lepton-number-violating process: ^{130}Te neutrinoless double-beta decay. Examining a total TeO_{2} exposure of 86.3 kg yr, characterized by an effective energy resolution of (7.7±0.5) keV FWHM and a background in the region of interest of (0.014±0.002) counts/(keV kg yr), we find no evidence for neutrinoless double-beta decay. Including systematic uncertainties, we place a lower limit on the decay half-life of T_{1/2}^{0ν}(^{130}Te)>1.3×10^{25} yr (90% C.L.); the median statistical sensitivity of this search is 7.0×10^{24} yr. Combining this result with those of two earlier experiments, Cuoricino and CUORE-0, we find T_{1/2}^{0ν}(^{130}Te)>1.5×10^{25} yr (90% C.L.), which is the most stringent limit to date on this decay. Interpreting this result as a limit on the effective Majorana neutrino mass, we find m_{ßß}<(110-520) meV, where the range reflects the nuclear matrix element estimates employed.

[Expression level and clinical significance of LncRNA HOXA11-AS in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients].

Objective: To explore the expression of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) HOXA11-AS in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma tissues and the relationship of HOXA11-AS level with clinical outcomes. Methods: Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was applied to detect the expression level of HOXA11-AS in cell lines HET-1A, EC9706, EC109, and in tumor tissue and paired adjacent tissue samples from 73 ESCC patients who received surgical resection.The correlations of the expression level of HOXA11-AS with clinicopathological features and prognosis were also analyzed. Results: The relative expression levels of HOXA11-AS in tumor tissue and paired adjacent tissue were 0.832±0.387 and 2.486±1.087, respectively, with significant difference (P<0.001). The expression of HOXA11-AS was upregulated in 63.0%(46/73)ESCC tissues. The relative expression levels of HOXA11-AS in HET-1A, EC-9706 and EC-109 cells were 1.000, 23.553±3.221 and 17.217±1.968, respectively. The expression level of HOXA11-AS was upregulated in ESCC cell lines (P<0.001). High expression level of HOXA11-AS was correlated with histological grade and lymph node metastasis of ESCC patients (P<0.05). However, it was not associated with the age, gender, depth of infiltration and TNM staging (P>0.05). The median overall survival (OS) and median disease-free survival (DFS) of patients with low HOXA11-AS expression were 43 months and 42 months, respectively, significantly longer than 37 months and 28 months of patients with HOXA11-AS high expression (P<0.05). Cox model multivariate analysis showed that the expression of HOXA11-AS and lymph node metastasis were independent factors of poor prognosis of ESCC patients. Conclusions: The expression of HOXA11-AS is upregulated in esophageal cancer cell lines and tissues. High expression of HOXA11-AS is associated with poor prognosis of ESCC patients.Therefore, LncRNA HOXA11-AS may serve as a predictive marker of postoperative ESCC patients.

[Effect of intratumor heterogeneity of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma on chemotherapy sensitivity].

Objective: To investigate the relationship of heterogeneity of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and chemotherapy sensitivity. Methods: Five different region specimens isolated from primary tumor(R1~R5)and 1 specimen(R6)isolated from adjacent non-neoplastic tissue from 10 ESCC patients who underwent surgical treatment were cultured in vitro. The inhibitory effect of cisplatin on proliferation of ESCC cells from different regions was determined by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT). The cell cycle and apoptosis induced by cisplatin was determined by flow cytometry (FCM) analysis. The mRNA levels of ATP7A and ATP7B were determined by quantitive RT-PCR (qRT-PCR). Results: The result showed that different regions of each specimen exhibited different chemotherapy sensitivity to cisplatin, and the cell survival rates of region R6 of each specimen were higher than other regions from the same specimen. The cell survival rate of region R3 from the tenth specimen was (81.42±8.84)%, which is significantly higher than (11.90±2.75)% of region R5 (P<0.01). FCM analysis showed that significant differences of early apoptosis and later apoptosis were observed in six specimens induced by cisplatin (P<0.05), and significant differences of cell cycle and G(1) period were observed in seven specimens (P<0.05). The qRT-PCR results showed that the mRNA level of ATP7A in region R1, R2, R3, R4 and R5 was (100.00±3.42)%, (118.10±2.21)%, (75.40±4.15)%, (95.40±3.32)% and (41.70±2.57)%, respectively, with significant differences (P<0.05). The mRNA level of ATP7A in region R6 was (175.20±5.32)%, significantly higher than those of regions from R1 to R5 (P<0.05). The mRNA level of ATP7B in region R1, R2, R3, R4 and R5 was (100.00±4.89)%, (73.60±2.65)%, (175.60±6.12)%, (46.10±4.62)% and (363.70±8.67)%, respectively, with significant differences (P<0.05). The mRNA level of ATP7B in region R6 was (1 165.40±7.25)%, significantly higher than those of regions from R1 to R5 (P<0.05). Conclusion: The intratumor heterogeneity of ESCC results in the heterogeneity of resistance to cisplatin, which affects the chemotherapeutic effect.

Search for Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay of (130)Te with CUORE-0.

We report the results of a search for neutrinoless double-beta decay in a 9.8 kg yr exposure of (130)Te using a bolometric detector array, CUORE-0. The characteristic detector energy resolution and background level in the region of interest are 5.1±0.3 keV FWHM and 0.058±0.004(stat)±0.002(syst)counts/(keV kg yr), respectively. The median 90% C.L. lower-limit half-life sensitivity of the experiment is 2.9×10(24) yr and surpasses the sensitivity of previous searches. We find no evidence for neutrinoless double-beta decay of (130)Te and place a Bayesian lower bound on the decay half-life, T(1/2)(0ν)>2.7×10(24) yr at 90% C.L. Combining CUORE-0 data with the 19.75 kg yr exposure of (130)Te from the Cuoricino experiment we obtain T(1/2)(0ν)>4.0×10(24) yr at 90% C.L. (Bayesian), the most stringent limit to date on this half-life. Using a range of nuclear matrix element estimates we interpret this as a limit on the effective Majorana neutrino mass, m(ßß)<270-760 meV.

Giant dipole resonance as a fingerprint of α clustering configurations in 12C and 16O.

It is studied how the α cluster degrees of freedom, such as α clustering configurations close to the α decay threshold in (12)C and (16)O, including the linear chain, triangle, square, kite, and tetrahedron, affect nuclear collective vibrations with a microscopic dynamical approach, which can describe properties of nuclear ground states well across the nuclide chart and reproduce the standard giant dipole resonance (GDR) of (16)O quite nicely. It is found that the GDR spectrum is highly fragmented into several apparent peaks due to the α structure. The different α cluster configurations in (12)C and (16)O have corresponding characteristic spectra of GDR. The number and centroid energies of peaks in the GDR spectra can be reasonably explained by the geometrical and dynamical symmetries of α clustering configurations. Therefore, the GDR can be regarded as a very effective probe to diagnose the different α cluster configurations in light nuclei.

Birth weight and subsequent risk of obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

This report describes the association between birth weight (BW) and obesity. Screening of 478 citations from five electronic databases resulted in the inclusion of 33 studies, most of medium quality. The meta-analysis included 20 of these published studies. The 13 remaining articles did not provide sufficient dichotomous data and were systematically reviewed, revealing results consistent with the meta-analysis. Our results revealed that high BW (>4000 g) was associated with increased risk of obesity (odds ratio [OR], 2.07; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.91-2.24) compared with subjects with BW ≤ 4000 g. Low BW (<2500 g) was associated with decreased risk of obesity (OR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.46-0.80) compared with subjects with BW ≥ 2500 g. However, when two studies exhibited selection bias were removed, the results indicated no significant association between low BW and obesity (OR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.58-1.04). Sensitivity analyses showed that differences in the study design, sample size and quality grade of the study had an effect on the low BW/obesity association, which low BW was not associated with the risk of obesity in cohort studies, studies with large sample sizes and studies with high quality grades. Pooled results were similar when normal birth weight (2500-4000 g) was used as the reference category. Subgroup analyses based on different growth and developmental stages (pre-school children, school children and adolescents) also revealed that high BW was associated with increased risk of obesity from childhood to early adulthood. No significant evidence of publication bias was present. These results suggest that high BW is associated with increased risk of obesity and may serve as a mediator between prenatal influences and later disease risk.

Intelligence in relation to obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

We performed a systematic review describing obesity/intelligent quotient (IQ) association, particularly childhood IQ in relation to adulthood obesity. After screening 883 citations from five electronic databases, we included 26 studies, most of medium quality. The weighted mean difference (WMD) of the full IQ (FIQ)/obesity association in the pre-school children was -15.1 (P > 0.05). Compared with controls, the WMD of FIQ and performance IQ of obese children were -2.8 and -10.0, respectively (P < 0.05), and the WMD of verbal IQ was -7.01 (P > 0.05). With increasing obesity, the FIQ in pre-school children declined, with a significant difference for severely obese children and FIQ. In pubertal children, a slightly different effect of FIQ and obesity emerged. Two studies reported an inverse FIQ/obesity association in adults, but it was non-significant after adjusting for educational attainment. Four papers found that childhood FIQ was inversely associated with adult body mass index, but after adjusting for education, became null. Overall there was an inverse FIQ/obesity association, except in pre-school children. However, after adjusting for educational attainment, FIQ/obesity association was not significantly different. A lower FIQ in childhood was associated with obesity in later adulthood perhaps with educational level mediating the persistence of obesity in later life.