Tunable multiple nonvolatile resistance states in a MnSe-based van der Waals multiferroic tunnel junction.

Two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) multiferroic tunnel junctions (MFTJs) composed of a ferromagnetic metal and a ferroelectric barrier have controllable thickness and clean interface and can realize the coexistence of tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) and tunneling electroresistance (TER). Therefore, they have enormous potential application in nonvolatile multistate memories. Here, using first principles combined with non-equilibrium Green's function method, we have systematically investigated the spin-dependent transport properties of Fe3GeTe2/MnSe/Fe3GeTe2 vdW MFTJs with various numbers of barrier layers. By controlling the polarization orientation of the ferroelectric barrier MnSe and the magnetization alignment of the ferromagnetic electrodes Fe3GeTe2, the MnSe-based MFTJs exhibit four nonvolatile resistance states, with the TMR (TER) becoming higher and reaching a maximum of 1.4 × 106% (4114%) as the MnSe layers increase from a bilayer to a tetralayer. Using asymmetric Cu and Fe3GeTe2 as the electrodes, the TER can be further improved from 349% to 618%. Moreover, there is a perfect spin filtering effect in these MFTJs. This work demonstrates the potential applications of MnSe-based devices in multistate nonvolatile memories and spin filters, which will stimulate experimental studies on layer-controllable spintronic devices.

Challenges and suggestions for exergaming program in exercise among older adults. / 运动游戏在老年人运动锻炼中面临的挑战及对策.

Engaging in physical activity and exercise is one of the important ways for health promotion. However, older adults are often physically inactive or have a sedentary lifestyle and have poor compliance with physical activity. Exergaming program with their unique advantages could make physical activity a more joyful experience and motivate older adults to participate in physical activity. Promoting older adults' health through engagement in exergaming programs is still in the early stage, and still faces many challenges. Analyzing the challenges and difficulties faced by exergaming program for older adults and exploring in-depth strategies to promote the implementation of exergaming program for older adults are of great significance for the design and implementation of sports games for older adults.

DUT enhances drug resistance to proteasome inhibitors via promoting mitochondrial function in multiple myeloma.

Acquired chemoresistance to proteasome inhibitors (PIs), such as bortezomib (BTZ), becomes an intractable obstacle in the management of multiple myeloma (MM) in the clinic, but the underlying mechanisms are still not well elucidated. In the current study, we established bortezomib-resistant (BR) myeloma cells and performed stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) assay to screen profiled protein expression. The level of deoxyuridine triphosphatase (DUT), an important enzyme of nucleotide metabolism, increased in the BR MM cells. Retrospective analysis indicated patients with higher DUT expression had poorer responses to PI-based treatment and clinical outcomes. DUT knockdown by RNAi effectively minimized BTZ resistance in MM cells. Moreover, DUT knockdown was accompanied with the downregulation of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), contributing to decelerating cell growth, as well as augmented apoptosis due to bortezomib treatment. In contrast, DUT overexpression in parental MM.1S and LP-1 cells enhanced BTZ resistance. Furthermore, acquired resistance to BTZ could trigger the modulation of mitochondrial metabolism and function, as evidenced by elevated expression of genes associated with mitochondrial metabolism, as well as altered oxygen consumption rate and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production in BR MM cells. DUT inhibition partially attenuated mitochondrial modulation, and instead favored an early impairment of mitochondrial integrity upon BTZ exposure so as to restrict MM progression and overcome drug resistance to BTZ treatment both in vitro and in vivo. In conclusion, we unveiled previously unrecognized effects of DUT on acquired drug resistance of MM, thus manipulating DUT may be efficacious for sensitizing MM cells to PIs.

Clinical features of cancer with unknown primary site (clinical features, treatment, prognosis of cancer with unknown primary site).

Cancer of unknown primary site(CUPs) is a metastatic syndrome with an unidentifiable primary tumor, even after extensive workup to seek the primary site. CUPs accounts for about 3%-5% of the total number of all cancer diagnoses worldwide. The current precision medicine era has reclassified patients with CUPs into the favorable and unfavorable prognostic subset. In this study clinical characteristics and treatment of patients of CUPs were retropactively analysed. Thirty-two patients treated from July 2016 to October 2021 were included in the Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Tianjin Medical University(Tianjin, China).Common symptoms were anemia, fever, enlarged lymph nodes, abdominal pain, edema/multiple serous cavity effusion. Patients with good prognostic factors achieved good outcomes with treatment, conversely, patients with poor prognosis were generally treated empirically and had poorer outcomes. After anti-tumor treatment, the total effective rate was 41 percent(41% was the percentage of patients who achievedtumour respons). To the end of follow-up, after anti-tumor treatment, the median Overall Survival(OS) of patients was 5.4 months.

Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification identifies copy number changes in normal and undetectable karyotype MDS patients.

Chromosomal abnormalities play an important role in classification and prognostication of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) patients. However, more than 50% of low-risk MDS patients harbor a normal karyotype. Recently, multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) has emerged as an effective and robust method for the detection of cytogenetic aberrations in MDS patients. To characterize the subset of MDS with normal karyotype or failed chromosome banding analysis, we analyzed 144 patient samples with normal karyotype or undetectable through regular chromosome banding analysis, which were subjected to parallel comparison via fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and MLPA. MLPA identifies copy number changes in 16.7% of 144 MDS patients, and we observed a significant difference in overall survival (OS) (median OS: undefined vs 27 months, p=0.0071) in patients with normal karyotype proved by MLPA versus aberrant karyotype cohort as determined by MLPA. Interestingly, patients with undetectable karyotype via regular chromosome banding indicated inferior outcome. Collectively, MDS patients with normal or undetectable karyotype via chromosome banding analysis can be further clarified by MLPA, providing more prognostic information that benefit for individualized therapy.

Clinical features & treatment of early-stage gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma.

Background & objectives: Gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma is a common marginal zone lymphoma. The stomach is the relatively common origin of the MALT lymphoma, now termed as extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma. Gastric MALT lymphoma has good prognosis due to clinical response to treatment and favourable overall survival. In this study, clinical characteristics and treatment of patients of early gastric MALT lymphoma were retrospectively analysed. Methods: Seventy patients with stages I-II MALT-lymphoma treated from April 2003 to August 2015 were included. The most common symptoms were abdominal discomfort, nausea, vomiting and other digestive symptoms. Helicobacter pylori eradication was done in patients with proven H. pylori infection. Patients in whom H. pylori eradication therapy was not effective, alternative treatments options including chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery, were given. Results: Fifty two patients with H. pylori infection underwent anti-H. pylori therapy, the total effective rate of anti-H. pylori treatment was 92.3 per cent (48/52). Thirty two patients were given anti-tumour treatment, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery. The total effective rate was 90.6 per cent (29/32). The five-year overall survival rate and five-year progression-free survival rate were 93.4 and 84.2 per cent, respectively. Interpretation & conclusions: For patients with early gastric MALT lymphoma, anti-H. pylori treatment may be effective. Patients with poor results of anti-H. pylori treatment need to be treated with anti-tumour therapy.

[Effect of NLRP3 inflammasome on vascular diseases].

The NLRP3 inflammasome, a protein complex belonging to the family of nucleotide-binding and oligomerization domain like receptors (NLRs), plays a vital role in the innate immune system. It promotes pro-caspase 1 cleavage into active caspase-1, which contributes to maturation and releases of IL-1ß and IL-18 in response to the harmful signals and participates in the host immune response and sterile inflammation. Recently a large number of studies have shown that NLRP3 inflammasome closely relates to the pathogenesis of the vascular diseases. NLRP3 inflammasome, which involves in the sterile inflammation of the vascular wall, plays an important role in the pathogenesis of main, middle and small arteries.

[Quality Analysis of Peanut Seed by Visible/Near-Infrared Spectra].

In this paper, three representative varieties of peanut seeds were selected for the experiment based on visible/near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy living in the wavelength rang from 600 to 1 100 nm. Firstly, spectral datas ware collected by the near-infrared fiber optic spectrometer, and the spectral features of the original spectral dates were extracted by the wavelet analysis. Then the principal component analysis (PCA) was used for cluster analysis of spectral features. Finally, the four principal components were applied as the inputs, the varieties category as the output and the Mahalanobis distance as the discriminant function of the recognition model, so a linear discriminant analysis model was established. In the 50 samples of each varieties, 30 samples were randomly selected as the training set, and the remaining 20 samples as the predictor set. The recognition model for three peanut varieties have a recognition rate of 95% on average. As the experimental results show that this method is reliable and effectively, and a new method to distinguish and discriminate the quality of peanut seeds was put forword.

Monitoring the AML1/ETO fusion transcript to predict outcome in childhood acute myeloid leukemia.

BACKGROUND: To determine the prognostic significance of the detection of the minimal residual disease (MRD) in children with AML1/ETO AML, we compared the results of reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RQ-PCR). PROCEDURE: Between January 2006 and February 2013, 70 patients (≤16 years of age) with AML1/ETO AML were included in our study. Bone marrow samples were evaluated using by both RT-PCR and RQ-PCR assays. AML1/ETO transcripts were normalized to 10(5) ABL copies. RESULTS: When treated with fewer than four courses of therapy, no association was found between positive RT-PCR results and relapse. After four courses of therapy, a positive RT-PCR result was correlated with a probability of relapse. After induction chemotherapy, a >1.8 log reduction in AML1/ETO transcripts in BM determined by RQ-PCR may represent a subgroup of patients at low risk for relapse. MRD levels after consolidation (Courses 2 and 3) were also informative. CONCLUSION: Both RT-PCR and RQ-PCR can be used to detect MRD in childhood AML1/ETO AML. RQ-PCR can identify patients who are at high risk of relapse earlier than can RT-PCR.

Preoperative walking exercise to improve prognosis in patients with supratentorial brain tumours after craniotomy: protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Cardiopulmonary complications and cognitive impairment following craniotomy have a significantly impact on the general health of individuals with brain tumours. Observational research indicates that engaging in walking is linked to better prognosis in patient after surgery. This trial aims to explore whether walking exercise prior to craniotomy in brain tumour patients can reduce the incidence of cardiopulmonary complications and preserve patients' cognitive function. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: In this randomised controlled trial, 160 participants with supratentorial brain tumours aged 18-65 years, with a preoperative waiting time of more than 3-4 weeks and without conditions that would interfere with the trial such as cognitive impairment, will be randomly assigned in a ratio of 1:1 to either receive traditional treatment or additional combined with a period of 3-4 weeks of walking exercise of 10 000-15 000 steps per day. Wearable pedometer devices will be used to record step counts. The researchers will evaluate participants at enrolment, baseline, 14 days preoperatively, 3 days prior to surgery and 1 week after surgery or discharge (select which occurs first). The primary outcomes include the incidence of postoperative cardiopulmonary complications and changes in cognitive function (gauged by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment test). Secondary outcomes include the average length of hospital stay, postoperative pain, participant contentment, healthcare-associated costs and incidence of other postoperative surgery-related complications. We anticipate that short-term preoperative walking exercises will reduce the incidence of surgery-related complications in the short term after craniotomy, protect patients' cognitive function, aid patients' postoperative recovery and reduce the financial cost of treatment. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study protocol has been approved by Ethics Committee of Xiangya Hospital of Central South University (approval number: 202305117). The findings of the research will be shared via publications that have been reviewed by experts in the field and through presentations at conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT05930288.

Effects of Otago exercise program on physical function in older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Maintaining physical function is critical for older adults to achieve healthy aging. The Otago exercise program (OEP) has been widely used to prevent falls for older adults. However, the effects of OEP on physical function remain controversial and the possible effects modifiers have not been assessed. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of OEP on physical function in older adults and to explore potential moderators underlying the effects of OEP. METHODS: We searched five electronic databases and relevant systematic reviews to identify studies. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the effects of OEP as a single intervention on physical function among older adults aged 65 and over. Meta-analysis was performed using the random-effects model. Standardized mean differences (SMD) for physical function changes, pertinent to balance, strength, and mobility, were outcome measures. Subgroup analyses on exercise protocol and participants' characteristics were performed. RESULTS: Thirteen RCTs consisting of 2402 participants were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. Results indicated a significant effect of OEP on balance (SMD = 0.59, 95 % CI: 0.22∼0.96), lower body strength (SMD = 0.93, 95 % CI: 0.31∼1.55), and mobility (SMD = -0.59, 95 % CI: -0.95∼-0.22) against control groups. No significant OEP effects were found on upper body strength (MD = 1.48, 95 % CI: -0.58∼3.55). Subgroup analysis revealed that the video-supported delivery mode was more effective for improving balance (P = 0.04) and mobility (P = 0.02) than the face-to-face mode. Session durations over 30 min was more effective on lower body strength (P < 0.001) and mobility (P < 0.001) than those 1-30 min. Program period of 13-26 weeks was more effective on mobility (P = 0.02) than those of 4-12 weeks. However, the effects of OEP on physical function were not associated with age groups, and baseline falling risks. CONCLUSION: The OEP could improve physical function including balance, lower body strength, and mobility in older adults. Implementing the OEP in video-supported, more than 30 min per session and 4-12 weeks may be the most appropriate and effective exercise protocol for improving physical function among older adults. More RCTs with rigorous design and larger scale are needed to further assess the effectiveness of diverse OEP protocols and quantify the dose-effect relationship.

Effectiveness of a multicomponent exercise intervention in community-dwelling older Chinese people with cognitive frailty: protocol for a mixed-methods research.

Aims: To evaluate the effectiveness of a multicomponent exercise intervention and to clarify the underlying mechanisms of the program in community-dwelling older adults with cognitive frailty. Additionally, the perception of participants in the program will be explored. Design: A mixed-methods design, including a randomized controlled trial and an exploratory qualitative study, was used. Methods: Each group consists of 41 participants. The experimental group will undergo a 12-week multicomponent exercise intervention, including warm-up, exergaming aerobic exercise, elastic-band resistance exercise, and cool-down. This intervention was developed based on the Health Belief Model (HBM) and Self-Efficacy Model (SEM). The control group will not receive any intervention. Physical frailty and cognitive function will be considered as primary outcomes. Data will be collected both at baseline and at the end of the intervention period. Fisher's exact test, analysis of covariance, and generalized linear models will be conducted to compare mean changes between the two groups. Additionally, the mediation models will be used to examine whether any intervention effects are mediated through exercise self-efficacy. Discussion: The findings of this study are anticipated to provide valuable insights for healthcare providers, enabling them to learn about effective strategies to enhance exercise adherence and promote improved functionality, independence, and quality of life for older adults with cognitive frailty.Clinical trial registration: [https://clinicaltrials.gov/], identifier [ChiCTR2200058850].

Corrigendum: Effectiveness of a multicomponent exercise intervention in community-dwelling older Chinese people with cognitive frailty: protocol for a mixed-methods research.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2024.1282263.].

Preoperative exercise training decreases complications of minimally invasive lung cancer surgery: A randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: Limited evidence exists regarding the efficacy of preoperative exercise in reducing short-term complications after minimally invasive surgery in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. This study aims to investigate the impact of preoperative exercise on short-term complications after minimally invasive lung resection. METHODS: In this prospective, open-label, randomized (1:1) controlled trial at Xiangya Hospital, China (September 2020 to February 2022), patients were randomly assigned to a preoperative exercise group with 16-day alternate supervised exercise or a control group. The primary outcome assessed was short-term postoperative complications, with a follow-up period of 30 days postsurgery. RESULTS: A total of 124 patients were recruited (preoperative exercise group n = 62; control n = 62). Finally, 101 patients (preoperative exercise group; n = 51 and control; n = 50) with a median age of 56 years (interquartile range, 50-62 years) completed the study. Compared with the control group, the preoperative exercise group showed fewer postoperative complications (preoperative exercise 3/51 vs control 10/50; odds ratio, 0.17; 95% CI, 0.04-0.86; P = .03) and shorter hospital stays (mean difference, -2; 95% CI, -3 to -1; P = .01). Preoperative exercise significantly improved depression, stress, functional capacity, and quality of life (all P < .05) before surgery. Furthermore, preoperative exercise demonstrated a significantly lower minimum blood pressure during surgery and lower increases in body temperature on day 2 after surgery, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and neutrophil count after surgery (all P < .05). Exploratory research on lung tissue RNA sequencing (5 in each group) showed downregulation of the tumor necrosis factor signaling pathway in the preoperative exercise group compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative exercise training decreased short-term postoperative complications in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

[Spectral properties of light migration in apple fruit tissue].

The present paper simulates laser wavelength 632 and 750 nm Gaussian beam migration in apple fruit tissue using Monte-Carlo method, and researches the spectral properties of absorption and scattering. It was shown that the special energy distribution characteristics of Gaussian beam influenced the diffusion of the laser in the tissue, the reflection, absorption and transmittance of 750 nm by tissue are lower, there are more photons interacting with tissue within the tissue, and they can more clearly reflect the information within the tissue. So, the transmission characteristics of the infrared light were relatively strong in biology tissue, which was convenient for researching biology tissue.

Interventions for improving self-efficacy in patients after stroke based on self-efficacy-related principles of Bandura's cognition theory: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Interventional approaches based on Bandura's cognition theory are effective in improving self-efficacy poststroke. However, a systematical investigation for identifying effectives therapeutic components of the intervention has not yet been conducted. OBJECTIVE: This meta-analysis was conducted to systematically investigated the effects of interventions with different principles on improving self-efficacy after stroke. METHODS: Searches were conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and two randomized controlled trials registration websites for randomized controlled trials from inception to 18th January 2022. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were followed. The meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager and Stata software. RESULTS: In total, 36 RCTs were included. Interventions using any one of the self-efficacy principles - principle 1 (Mastery), principle 2 (Modeling), principle 3 (Social persuasion), and principle 4 (Understanding), were more effective in improving self-efficacy in patients with stroke at post-training and follow-up, compared with the control group. Psycho-educational interventions might significantly improve self-efficacy in both post-intervention and follow-up stages, compared with control group. Meta-regression revealed time since stroke onset was significantly associated with effect sizes. CONCLUSION: Interventions developed based on Bandura's cognition theory are beneficial to the improvement of self-efficacy. This review highlights principles of Bandura's cognition theory are worth considering to be integrated to interventions targeted at improving self-efficacy. The application of self-efficacy principles with Bandura's cognitive theory could be encouraged in clinical practice in the future. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO CRD42020154984.

Clinical features and treatment of bone marrow metastasis.

Bone marrow metastasis (BMM) refers to the metastasis of malignant tumours originating from nonhematopoietic tissues to the bone marrow. The nonhematopoietic malignant tumour cells metastasize to the bone marrow via heterogeneous dissemination or direct invasion to form metastases and the bone marrow is infiltrated by tumour cells, resulting in the destruction of its structure and the development of haematopoietic disorders. In the present study, the clinical characteristics, prognosis and treatment of BMMs were investigated. The main clinical manifestations were moderate anaemia and thrombocytopenia. Out of 52 cases, a total of 18 patients were not treated and the remaining patients underwent chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery or autologous stem cell transplantation in the Affiliated Tumour Hospital of Tianjin Medical University from September 2010 to October 2021. The primary tumours of bone marrow metastatic cancer were usually neuroblastoma and tumours originating from the breast and stomach. When bone metastases occur, patients are not necessarily accompanied by BMMs. In the present study, bone metastases occurred mainly in patients with breast and prostate cancers. The median overall survival of patients treated with antitumor therapy was significantly higher than that of untreated patients (11.5 vs. 3.3 months P<0.01). For patients with BMM, it is of great importance to actively evaluate the patient's condition and select the appropriate treatment plan for improving their prognosis.

Sub-9 nm high-performance and low-power transistors based on an in-plane NbSe2/MoSe2/NbSe2 heterojunction.

Due to the ability to reduce the gate length of field-effect transistors (FETs) down to sub-10 nm without obviously affecting the performance of the device, the utilization of two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor materials as channel materials for FETs is of great interest. However, in-plane 2D/2D heterojunction FETs have received less attention in previous studies than vertical van der Waals heterojunction devices. Based on the above reasons, this study has investigated the transport properties of an in-plane NbSe2/MoSe2/NbSe2 heterojunction FET with different gate lengths by using ab initio quantum transport simulation. The results reveal that a gate length of sub-9 nm gives the device a low subthreshold swing down to 62 mV dec-1 and a high on-state current up to 1040 µA µm-1. Most importantly, the on-state current, delay time, and power dissipation of the FET with the optimized channel length can nearly meet or even exceed the high-performance and low-power requirements of the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors. The findings for this FET can provide the design and development guidance for other in-plane heterojunction electrical devices in the post-Moore era.

Immune protection function of multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells: role of transforming growth factor-ß1.

The immunosuppressive functions of multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) may give cancer cells a survival advantage. This study tests the hypothesis that MSCs protect leukemia cells from immune clearance. Our results demonstrate that MSCs are capable of inhibiting peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNCs) proliferation and their migration toward leukemic cells by the reduction of CCL5 and CXCL12. In addition, we find that MSCs can inhibit the cytolytic functions of NK-cells and CTLs. TGF-ß1 secreted by MSCs is responsible for impaired CTLs and NK function by down-modulating surface NKG2D expression. These inhibitory functions of MSCs have negative effects on the CTLs or NK-mediated graft-versus-leukemia (GVL), particularly in the allogeneic hematopoietic stem cells transplantation setting.