CALIPSO-based aerosol extinction profile estimation from MODIS and MERRA-2 data using a hybrid model of transformer and CNN.

Acquiring aerosol vertical distribution information is crucial to accurately quantify the aerosol radiation effect on climate and understand the environmental pollution mechanism of the atmosphere. Passive remote sensing has shown its capability to gain large-scale, high spatiotemporal resolution aerosol vertical information such as aerosol layer height (ALH). However, it is still challenging to extract detailed aerosol vertical distribution information, e.g., aerosol extinction profile (AEP), from passive observations. To fill this gap, this study proposed a hybrid model of Transformer and convolutional neural network (CNN) to estimate the AEP from passive multispectral remote sensing (MODIS) measurements with the aid of three-dimensional reanalysis data (MERRA-2). Specifically, the model is learned to estimate the AEP, which is called AproNet, by using the active space-borne lidar (CALIPSO) data as supervised information. Besides, we design a shape invariant loss (SIL) to better capture the shape characteristics of the AEP and incorporate an auxiliary scene awareness loss (SAL) to enhance the model's generalization capacity and physical reliability outside the CALIPSO orbit. The extensive quantitative experiments show that the AEPs estimated by the proposed model agree well with the CALIPSO measurements with an overall performance of IOA=0.821, R=0.800, MAE= 0.014, and RMSE= 0.041, respectively. Qualitative comparisons also demonstrate the model's reliability in estimating the aerosol three-dimensional spatial distribution. Independent year test and comparisons with ground-based lidar measurements further indicate the robustness of the proposed model despite some degradation in performance. However, the incompleteness and uncertainty of the CALIOP products limited the performance of the proposed model to some extent. In the future, the model needs to be further physically constrained and strengthened with more data sources to improve reliability. In general, this study paves the way for acquiring aerosol extinction profiles with high spatiotemporal resolution over a large geographical space.

Direction Modulation of Intramolecular Electric Field Boosts Hole Transport in Phthalocyanines for Perovskite Solar Cells.

Tuning the strength of intramolecular electric field (IEF) in conjugated molecules has emerged as an effective approach to boost charge transfer. While direction manipulation of IEF would be a potential way that is still unclear. Here, we leverage the control of peripheral substituents of conjugated phthalocyanines to chemically tune the spatial orientation of IEF. By analyzing the spatial swing of side chains using the Kolmogorov-Arnold representation and least squares algorithm, a comprehensive mathematical-physical model has been established. This model enables rapid evaluation of the IEF and maximum hole transport performance induced by spatial swings. The champion phthalocyanine as dopant-free hole transport material in perovskite solar cell realizes a record performance of 23.41%. Greatly device stability is also exhibited. This work affords a new way to enhance hole transport capabilities of conjugated molecules by optimizing their IEF vector for photovoltaic devices.

Perioperative and mid-term outcomes of robotic-assisted versus video-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy for esophageal cancer: a retrospective propensity-matched analysis of 842 patients.

Aim: Comparing the safety, effectiveness, and mid-term survival rates of robot-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (RAMIE) and video-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (VAMIE). Methods: A total of 842 patients undergoing minimally invasive esophagectomy were analyzed, including 694 patients in VAMIE group and 148 in RAMIE group. PSM analysis was applied to generate matched pairs for further comparison. Operative outcomes, postoperative complications and Mid-term outcomes were compared between all patients in matched groups. Results: After 1:4 PSM, 148 patients in the RAMIE and 592 patients in the VAMIE. Compared to VAMIE, RAMIE exhibited earlier removal of chest and neck drainage tubes, shorter postoperative hospital stays, and a higher number of lymph node dissections. However, the surgical duration of RAMIE was longer than that of VAMIE. Postoperative complications were no statistically significant between the RAMIE and VAMIE groups. There was no statistically significant difference in the 3-year OS and DFS between the two groups. Conclusion: Compared to VAMIE, RAMIE emerges as a viable and safe surgical approach and suggests RAMIE as a potential alternative to minimally invasive esophagectomy.

An Ensemble Learning Approach Based on TabNet and Machine Learning Models for Cheating Detection in Educational Tests.

The pervasive issue of cheating in educational tests has emerged as a paramount concern within the realm of education, prompting scholars to explore diverse methodologies for identifying potential transgressors. While machine learning models have been extensively investigated for this purpose, the untapped potential of TabNet, an intricate deep neural network model, remains uncharted territory. Within this study, a comprehensive evaluation and comparison of 12 base models (naive Bayes, linear discriminant analysis, Gaussian process, support vector machine, decision tree, random forest, Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), AdaBoost, logistic regression, k-nearest neighbors, multilayer perceptron, and TabNet) was undertaken to scrutinize their predictive capabilities. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was employed as the performance metric for evaluation. Impressively, the findings underscored the supremacy of TabNet (AUC = 0.85) over its counterparts, signifying the profound aptitude of deep neural network models in tackling tabular tasks, such as the detection of academic dishonesty. Encouraged by these outcomes, we proceeded to synergistically amalgamate the two most efficacious models, TabNet (AUC = 0.85) and AdaBoost (AUC = 0.81), resulting in the creation of an ensemble model christened TabNet-AdaBoost (AUC = 0.92). The emergence of this novel hybrid approach exhibited considerable potential in research endeavors within this domain. Importantly, our investigation has unveiled fresh insights into the utilization of deep neural network models for the purpose of identifying cheating in educational tests.

[Effect of CD8+ CD28- T Cells on Acute Graft-Versus-Host Disease after Haploidentical Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of CD8+ CD28- T cells on acute graft-versus-host disease(aGVHD) after haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation(haplo-HSCT). METHODS: The relationship between absolute count of CD8+ CD28- T cells and aGVHD in 60 patients with malignant hematological diseases was retrospectively analyzed after haplo-HSCT, and the differences in the incidence rate of chronic graft-versus host disease(cGVHD), infection and prognosis between different CD8+ CD28- T absolute cells count groups were compared. RESULTS: aGVHD occurred in 40 of 60 patients after haplo-HSCT, with an incidence rate of 66.67%. The median occurrence time of aGVHD was 32.5(20-100) days. At 30 days after the transplantation, the absolute count of CD8+ CD28- T cells of aGVHD group was significantly lower than that of non-aGVHD group (P =0.03). Thus the absolute count of CD8+ CD28- T cells at 30 days after transplantation can be used to predict the occurrence of aGVHD to some extent. At 30 days after transplantation, the incidence rate of aGVHD in the low cell count group (CD8+ CD28- T cells absolute count < 0.06/µl) was significantly higher than that in the high cell count group (CD8+ CD28- T cells absolute count ≥0.06/µl,P =0.011). Multivariate Cox regression analysis further confirmed that the absolute count of CD8+ CD28-T cells at 30 days after transplantation was an independent risk factor for aGVHD, and the risk of aGVHD in the low cell count group was 2.222 times higher than that in the high cell count group (P =0.015). The incidence of cGVHD, fungal infection, EBV infection and CMV infection were not significantly different between the two groups with different CD8+ CD28- T cells absolute count. The overall survival, non-recurrent mortality and relapse rates were not significantly different between different CD8+ CD28- T cells absolute count groups. CONCLUSION: Patients with delayed CD8+ CD28- T cells reconstitution after haplo-HSCT are more likely to develop aGVHD, and the absolute count of CD8+ CD28- T cells can be used to predict the incidence of aGVHD to some extent. The absolute count of CD8+ CD28- T cells after haplo-HSCT was not associated with cGVHD, fungal infection, EBV infection, and CMV infection, and was also not significantly associated with the prognosis after transplantation.

[Antibiotic bone cement covered reconstruction plate for infected anterior pelvic ring fractures].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical efficacy of antibiotic bone cement covered reconstruction steel plate in the treatment of infected anterior pelvic ring fracture. METHODS: From January 2017 to March 2022, 11 patients with infected anterior pelvic ring fracture were treated with antibiotic bone cement covered reconstruction steel plate including 7 males and 4 females and the age ranged from 27 to 49 years old. The pelvic fractures were classified according to the Tile typology: 4 cases of C1 type, 4 cases of C2 type, and 3 cases of C3 type. Among them, 2 cases of infected anterior ring were infected after internal fixation of anterior ring, and 9 patients were infected with infected anterior ring due to incomplete early debridement, which was classified as infected according to the injury severity score(ISS) for 24 to 38 scores. The anterior ring was internally fixed by extended debridement, irrigation, and antibiotic bone cement covered reconstruction plate, and the posterior ring fractures were all closed reduction and internally fixed with sacroiliac screws. RESULTS: All 11 cases obtained follow-up from 13 to 20 months. Among them, 2 patients had recurrence of postoperative infection, 1 case was re-dissected and replaced with antibiotic bone cement-coated internal fixation, and 1 case had a milder infection without accumulation of the medullary cavity, and the infection was controlled by retaining the plate and replacing the antibiotic bone cement only after dissecting. Two cases developed incisional oozing, which healed after removal of the internal fixation three months postoperatively. All patients did not show pelvic fracture redisplacement or reinfection during the follow-up period. All 11 cases eventually healed bony. At the final follow-up, according to the Matta score, the fracture reduction was excellent in 6 cases, good in 4, and possible in 1. According to the Majeed functional score, it was excellent in 6, good in 3, and possible in 2. CONCLUSION: Antibiotic bone cement covered reconstruction plate is effective in the treatment of infected anterior pelvic ring fracture, with high intraoperative safety and low recurrence rate of infection, which is conducive to the early postoperative rehabilitation and significantly shortens the course of the disease.

Efficacy and safety of trifluridine/tipiracil plus bevacizumab versus trifluridine/tipiracil monotherapy for refractory metastatic colorectal cancer: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Several studies demonstrated trifluridine/tipiracil (TAS-102) plus bevacizumab (BEV) had better efficacy than the monotherapy of TAS-102 in refractory metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). However, it remains unclear whether Chinese population can benefit from this combination or not. Hence, we conducted this retrospective cohort study to compare the efficacy and safety between TAS-102 plus BEV with TAS-102 monotherapy in refractory mCRC. Methods: This retrospective cohort study enrolled patients (any age) with refractory mCRC from Hunan Cancer Hospital. The main inclusion criteria were histopathologically and/or radiographically confirmed refractory mCRC, World Health Organization (WHO) performance status of 0 to 2, adequate organ function, and initial treatment of TAS-102 with or without BEV between November 2020 and October 2022. Previous therapy with fruquintinib or regorafenib was allowed but not mandatory. Baseline demographic and clinical characteristics were collected appropriately. Every 2 or 3 treatment cycles, the patients were assessed by computed tomography (CT) scans and clinical assessments until disease progression or loss to follow-up. The National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events 5.0 (NCI-CTCAE 5.0) were presented as n (%). The primary endpoint was investigator-evaluated overall survival (OS). As this is a retrospective cohort study, sample size calculation was not performed. Eligible patients would be enrolled as many as possible. Results: A total of 90 patients were enrolled, including 58 patients who received TAS-102 plus BEV and another 32 patients who received TAS-102 monotherapy. The known baseline characteristics were comparable (P<0.05). With a median follow-up of 4.60 months (range, 0.20-22.80), the median OS (mOS) time in the TAS-102 plus BEV group was longer than that in the TAS-102 monotherapy group (10.83 vs. 7.43 months), but the difference was not significant (P=0.79). The median progression-free survival (mPFS) time was comparable between the two groups (4.67 vs. 4.30 months, P=0.96). Multivariate Cox regression analysis demonstrated that undergoing therapy after TAS-102 either with or without BEV was an independent risk factor for OS [hazard ratio (HR) =0.25; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.09-0.71, P<0.01], and previous treatment with cetuximab was an independent protective factor for PFS (HR =0.17; 95% CI: 0.03-0.91, P=0.04). Of the 70 patients who were evaluated, those receiving TAS-102 plus BEV showed trend of a higher objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) than those who received TAS-102 monotherapy (P=0.16 and P=0.29, respectively). Adverse events (AEs) were similar between the two groups, except that the incidence of platelet count decrease (grade ≥3) was significantly higher in the TAS-102 plus BEV group. Conclusions: There was a trend in favor of the combination of BEV plus TAS-102 regarding OS and DCR, without reaching statistical significance, and it means that there was no clear advantage of one over the other in terms of efficacy. Further prospective studies are still necessary to draw a definite conclusion.

[Clinical Characteristics and Prognosis of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients with GATA2 Gene Mutation].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical characteristics, coexisting gene mutations and prognosis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients with GATA2 gene mutation. METHODS: The clinical data of 370 newly diagnosed AML patients treated in our hospital from January 2008 to January 2021 was analyzed retrospectively, the next-generation sequencing technology was used to detect the mutated genes in those patients. The clinical characteristics of AML patients with GATA2 mutations, the co-mutated genes of GATA2 mutations, and the effect of GATA2 mutation on prognosis were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 23 patients (6.2%) with GATA2 mutation was detected in 370 AML patients. Compared with GATA2 non-mutation group, patients in GATA2 mutation group were mostly normal karyotypes (P =0.037) and in low-risk cytogenetic stratification (P =0.028). The incidence of CEBPAdm and NRAS in GATA2 mutation group was significantly higher than that in GATA2 non-mutation group (P =0.010, P =0.009). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of sex, age, white blood cell count (WBC), platelet count, hemoglobin, bone marrow (BM) blast, induction chemotherapy regimen and CR rate (P >0.05). Among the 23 patients with GATA2 mutation, the most common co-mutated genes were CEBPAdm, NRAS (both 39.1%), NPM1, FLT3, TET2, WT1 (all 17.4%), ASXL1 and IDH1 (both 13.0%). Survival analysis showed that there was no statistical difference in 5-year overall survival (OS) and leukemia-free survival (LFS) rates between patients with and without GATA2 mutations in whole cohort (n=370) (P =0.306, P =0.308). Among 306 patients without CEBPAdm, the 5-year OS and LFS rates in GATA2 mutation group showed an increasing trend compared with GATA2 non-mutation group, but the difference was not statistically significant (P =0.092, P =0.056). Among 64 patients with CEBPAdm, there was no statistically significant difference in 5-year OS rate between the GATA2 mutation group and the GATA2 non-mutation group (P =0.104), but the 5-year LFS rate of the GATA2 mutation group was significantly decreased (P =0.047). Among the 23 patients with GATA2 mutation, 16 cases received the "3+7" induction regimen, of which 12 cases received allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT); 7 cases received the "DCAG" induction regimen, of which 3 cases received allo-HSCT. The CR rate was not statistically different between the "3+7" regimen group and the "DCAG" regimen group (P =1.000). The 5-year OS rate and LFS rate in the transplantation group were significantly higher than the chemotherapy group (P =0.021, P =0.020). CONCLUSION: GATA2 mutation is more common in AML patients with normal karyotype and low-risk cytogenetic stratification, and it is significantly associated with CEBPAdm and NRAS co-mutations. The prognostic significance of GATA2 is influenced by CEBPAdm. The choice of "3+7" or "DCAG" induction regimen in patients with GATA2 mutation does not affect their CR rate, while the choice of allo-HSCT can significantly improved the prognosis compared with chemotherapy only.

Case Report: ECMO-assisted tracheal reconstruction in a 30-week-gestation preterm infant with tracheal stenosis.

Tracheal stenosis is a rare but life-threatening disease in preterm infants. Misdiagnosis as congenital tracheal stenosis is common, making surgical management challenging. This report presents a case of a preterm infant with tracheal stenosis and congenital heart malformation treated with ECMO-assisted tracheal resection and end-to-end anastomosis. A male infant was born at 30 weeks of gestation with severe asphyxia, cardiac insufficiency, and pneumonia. Following failed medical treatment, fiberoptic bronchoscopy confirmed mid-tracheal to carinal stenosis. After a 2-week treatment course, ECMO-assisted tracheal resection and end-to-end anastomosis were performed successfully. This case confirms the feasibility of tracheal resection and end-to-end anastomosis in low-weight, preterm infants with tracheal stenosis born at 30 weeks gestation. The utilization of ECMO for oxygenation during surgery provides a clear surgical field and shorter operating time. Surgical intervention may be necessary for neonatal tracheal stenosis depending on the clinical presentation.

Revisiting Waist Circumference: A Hypertension Risk Factor that Requires a More In-depth Understanding.

As a major cause of various cardiovascular diseases, the prevalence of hypertension has been increasing in the past 30 years, leading to significant socioeconomic and health burdens. Obesity is one of the major risk factors for hypertension. Body mass index (BMI) is the most used anthropometric index to measure obesity in clinical practice and to assess the risk of obesity-related diseases. However, obesity is a heterogeneous disease, and the accumulation of fat in different body regions leads to differences in cardiovascular and metabolic risks. BMI only reflects the overall obesity but does not consider the distribution of fat and muscle mass. The limitation of BMI makes it insufficient to assess the risk of hypertension attributed to obesity. In addition, waist circumference is an easily obtainable anthropometric index to evaluate abdominal fat distribution. High waist circumference is an independent risk factor for various cardiovascular diseases and all-cause mortality regardless of BMI. Preliminary data indicate that waist circumference is significantly associated with the risk of hypertension at different BMI levels. However, routine measurement of waist circumference is currently not required in current clinical guidelines or is only recommended for obese populations, indicating an insufficient understanding of waist circumference. In this review, we summarize the measurement methods and diagnostic thresholds of waist circumference for abdominal obesity, the trend of central obesity prevalence, the superiority of waist circumference over other anthropometric indices, and recent cross-sectional and longitudinal studies on the association between obesity and hypertension.

Rapid screening of point mutations by mismatch amplification mutation assay PCR.

Metabolic engineering frequently makes use of point mutation and saturation mutation library creation. At present, sequencing is the only reliable and direct technique to detect point mutation and screen saturation mutation library. In this study, mismatch amplification mutation assay (MAMA) PCR was used to detect point mutation and screen saturation mutation library. In order to fine-tune the expression of odhA encoding 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase E1 component, a saturating mutant library of the RBS of odhA was created in Corynebacterium glutamicum P12 based on the CRISPR-Cas2a genome editing system, which increased the L-proline production by 81.3%. MAMA PCR was used to filter out 42% of the non-mutant transformants in the mutant library, which effectively reduced the workload of the subsequent fermentation test and the number of sequenced samples. The rapid and sensitive MAMA-PCR method established in this study provides a general strategy for detecting point mutations and improving the efficiency of mutation library screening. KEY POINTS: • MAMA PCR was optimized and developed to detect point mutation. • MAMA PCR greatly improves the screening efficiency of point mutation. • Attenuation of odhA expression in P12 effectively improves proline production.

Application of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and neoadjuvant chemotherapy in curative surgery for esophageal cancer: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of neoadjuvant therapy in esophageal cancer (EC) treatment is still a subject of debate. AIM: To compare the clinical efficacy and toxic side effects between neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) and neoadjuvant chemotherapy (nCT) for locally advanced EC (LAEC). METHODS: A comprehensive search was conducted using multiple databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Science Direct, The Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, Chinese Science and Technology Journal Database, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database Article. Studies up to December 2022 comparing nCRT and nCT in patients with EC were selected. RESULTS: The analysis revealed significant differences between nCRT and nCT in terms of disease-free survival. The results indicated that nCRT provided better outcomes in terms of the 3-year overall survival rate (OSR) [odds ratio (OR) = 0.95], complete response rate (OR = 3.15), and R0 clearance rate (CR) (OR = 2.25). However, nCT demonstrated a better 5-year OSR (OR = 1.02) than nCRT. Moreover, when compared to nCRT, nCT showed reduced risks of cardiac complications (OR = 1.15) and pulmonary complications (OR = 1.30). CONCLUSION: Overall, both nCRT and nCT were effective in terms of survival outcomes for LAEC. However, nCT exhibited better performance in terms of postoperative complications.

Ratio of waist circumference to body mass index: A novel predictor of clinical outcome in hypertension patients.

We aim to investigate the influence of waist circumference and body mass index (BMI) on all-cause death and cardiovascular-specific death in patients with hypertension. This prospective cohort study, based on waist circumference and body mass index measurements in patients with hypertension, provided risk estimates of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events. The waist circumference-to-BMI ratio (WtBR) is an anthropometric measure integrating waist circumference and BMI. We utilized multivariable Cox regression analysis, restricted cubic spline model, Kaplan-Meier plot, random forest analysis, and sensitivity analysis to assess the relationship of WtBR with all-cause mortality. Subsequently, Fine-Gray competing risk regression models were applied to precisely evaluate the probability of cardiovascular-specific death attributed to high WtBR. The results indicate that thea deceased group showed significantly higher WtBR and lower BMI compared with the alive groups (P < .05), while no significant difference was observed in waist circumference (P = .373). When analyzed as continuous, the risk of all-cause death elevated with increasing WtBR in the adjusted model with an HR of 2.42 (95% CI, 2.06-2.85). The restricted cubic spline illustrated an elevated risk of all-cause mortality as WtBR increased (J-shaped curve). Nevertheless, WtBR showed no significant association with cardiovascular-specific death and the prediction model exhibited a reliable performance in the testing set. This study supported that WtBR, an anthropometric measure, is independently associated with all-cause death in hypertensive patients. It's advisable to routinely assess waist circumference in hypertensive patients regardless of BMI, in order to more effectively manage the risk of obesity-related health.

Water isolation technique combined with contrast-enhanced ultrasound guided puncture biopsy of pancreatic mass in 3 cases.

In many patients with pancreatic cancer the definite pathological diagnosis is limited due to the lack of safe needle entry routes, the high risk of conventional ultrasound-guided puncture and the low positive rate of single needle. To solve the situations in which there are no safe path for pancreatic biopsy, we used water isolation technology combined with contrast-enhanced ultrasound to perform puncture biopsy in 3 patients with pancreatic mass occupying under the guidance of coaxial needle in this study and remarkable results were achieved. The water isolation technique was used to avoid the damage to theimportant organs in front of the occupying area.

A dose-escalation study of HP501, a highly selective URAT1 inhibitor, in male Chinese patients with hyperuricemia.

HP501 is a highly selective renal urate transporter 1 (URAT1) inhibitor used for treating hyperuricemia. This study aimed to evaluate the tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of HP501 in male Chinese patients. Patients with hyperuricemia were sequentially assigned to receive oral doses of HP501 (30, 50, 60, 90, and 120 mg) as a single dose on Day 1 and as once-daily doses from Days 4 to 13. Safety, pharmacokinetic, and pharmacodynamic data were collected. Multiple oral doses of HP501 were well-tolerated in all the cohorts. The most common adverse events (≥ 10% of patients) of any grade regardless of drug relationship were gout flare (14 patients, 25.93%), diarrhea (12 patients, 22.22%), elevated ALT (8 patients, 14.81%), hypertriglyceridemia (7 patients, 12.96%), dry mouth (7 patients, 12.96%) and oral ulcer (7 patients, 12.96%). All adverse events were mild or moderate. The Cmax and exposure (AUC) of HP501 was approximately dose-proportional between 30 and 120 mg. A dose-dependent serum uric acid (UA)-lowering effect was observed in the dose range of 30 to 60 mg and the serum UA lowering effect was similar between 90 and 120 mg on day 13, indicating that the maximal serum UA lowering effect of HP501 was achieved at 90 mg in the patients with hyperuricemia. In conclusion, the tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics supported 90 mg HP501 for subsequent clinical studies of this highly selective URAT1 inhibitor.Clinical Trial registration: No. CTR20212259 ( http://www.chinadrugtrials.org.cn/ ) was registered in September 2021, and No. CTR20222257 was registered in September 2022.

Maternal dominance contributes to subgenome differentiation in allopolyploid fishes.

Teleost fishes, which are the largest and most diverse group of living vertebrates, have a rich history of ancient and recent polyploidy. Previous studies of allotetraploid common carp and goldfish (cyprinids) reported a dominant subgenome, which is more expressed and exhibits biased gene retention. However, the underlying mechanisms contributing to observed 'subgenome dominance' remains poorly understood. Here we report high-quality genomes of twenty-one cyprinids to investigate the origin and subsequent subgenome evolution patterns following three independent allopolyploidy events. We identify the closest extant relatives of the diploid progenitor species, investigate genetic and epigenetic differences among subgenomes, and conclude that observed subgenome dominance patterns are likely due to a combination of maternal dominance and transposable element densities in each polyploid. These findings provide an important foundation to understanding subgenome dominance patterns observed in teleost fishes, and ultimately the role of polyploidy in contributing to evolutionary innovations.

Case report: Uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic sleeve lobectomy in a 6-year-old patient with inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT).

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) is a rare neoplasm that can occur in various organs, including the lung. Surgical resection is usually the preferred treatment for localized IMT.A 6-year-old female was admitted to our hospital with complaints of "coughing and vomiting for 6 days". A chest CT scan revealed occlusion of the left main bronchus, segmental atelectasis of the left lower lung, and cystic low-density shadows along the bronchial pathway. Subsequent fiberoptic bronchoscopy confirmed the diagnosis of IMT through pathological biopsy. After excluding surgical contraindications, the patient underwent uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic sleeve lobectomy for treatment. The patient had an uneventful postoperative course and was discharged four days after surgery. After one month, the patient received a follow-up examination and reported no significant discomfort. A chest CT scan revealed no postoperative complications.Our experience suggests that uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery may be a safe and effective approach for the treatment of pediatric patients with IMT requiring complex surgical procedures such as sleeve lobectomy and tracheoplasty.

Conformal sphincteric resection for ultra-low rectal cancer located below the dentate line: A pilot report.

AIM: Sphincter-sparing surgery can be achieved in most cases of low rectal cancer with the development of intersphincteric resection. However, abdominoperineal resection is still inevitable for patients with tumours located below the dentate line. To address this, we have developed a procedure called conformal sphincteric resection (CSR) in which the corresponding part of the subcutaneous portion of the external anal sphincter and the perianal skin on the tumour side is removed to achieve a safe distal resection margin and lateral resection margin while the dentate line and the internal anal sphincter on the tumour-free side are preserved as much as possible, to achieve sphincter preservation without compromising oncological safety and functional acceptability, and to render tumour location no longer a contraindication for sphincter-sparing surgery. This is the first study to describe the concept, indication and surgical procedure of CSR and to report its preliminary surgical, oncological and functional results. METHODS: This is a retrospective, single-centre, single-arm pilot study conducted at Huashan Hospital, Fudan University. Demographic, clinicopathological, oncological and functional follow-up data were collected from 20 consecutive patients with rectal tumours located below the dentate line who underwent laparoscopic CSR by the same surgical team from June 2018 to March 2022. RESULTS: The mean distance of the tumour's lower edge from the anal verge was 13.1 ± 6.0 mm. The mean distal resection margin was 10.6 ± 4.3 mm. All circumferential resection margins were negative. There were no instances of perioperative mortality. The complication rate was 25% but all were Clavien-Dindo Grade I. Among the 20 cases, 17 were diagnosed with adenocarcinoma, one with squamous cell carcinoma and two with adenoma featuring high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia. Pathological TNM staging revealed two, seven, five, five and one case(s) in Stages 0, I, II, III and IV, respectively. The median follow-up period was 20 months (interquartile range 22 months), with no withdrawals. The overall and disease-free survival rates were both 95%. The mean Wexner incontinence score and low anterior resection syndrome score recorded 18 months following diverting ileostomy closure were 6.3 ± 3.8 and 27.3 ± 3.6, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study has proposed the CSR procedure for the first time, which is a technically feasible, oncologically safe and functionally acceptable procedure for carefully selected patients with rectal tumours located below the dentate line.

[Spectral Characteristics and Source Analysis of Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter in Surface Water of Taihu Lake Before Cyanobacterial Blooming].

Chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) is an important part of the nutrient biogeochemical cycle in aquatic ecosystems. To explore the characteristics and sources of CDOM components in the surface water of Taihu Lake, UV-visible spectroscopy and excitation emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy-parallel factor analysis were used to analyze CDOM components in surface water. Combined with CDOM optical parameters (a355, SUVA254, a250/a365, FI, BIX, and HIX), the spatial differences and pollution sources were identified, and a preliminary comparison was made between this study and the historical data of CDOM components in Taihu Lake. According to the results, a355, SUVA254, and a250/a365 showed the characteristics of high concentration, high aromatic ability, and low relative molecular weight of CDOM in the surface water of the eastern part of Taihu Lake; however, the northern part showed the opposite characteristics. Four components were isolated from CDOM using parallel factor analysis:one tyrosine-like (C1), two types of tryptophan (C2 and C4), and one fulionic acid (C3). The main component C1 had a strong linear relationship with the C2 and C3 components, suggesting that different components originated from similar pollution sources. The fluorescence index showed that CDOM in different areas of Taihu Lake were differently affected by endogenous and terrestrial inputs; however, the overall humification degree was low. This indicated that the CDOM components in Taihu Lake were primarily protein-like (C1, C2, and C4) (>85%) and autogenous, with good biochemical availability.

Diagnostic Efficacy of 18F-FDG PET/CT in Detecting Bone Marrow Infiltration in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma.

Objective: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is often associated with bone marrow infiltration, and 2-deoxy-2-(18F) fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ( 18F-FDG PET/CT) has potential diagnostic significance for bone marrow infiltration in DLBCL. Methods: A total of 102 patients diagnosed with DLBCL between September 2019 and August 2022 were included. Bone marrow biopsy and 18F-FDG PET/CT examinations were performed at the time of initial diagnosis. Kappa tests were used to evaluate the agreement of 18F-FDG PET/CT with the gold standard, and the imaging features of DLBCL bone marrow infiltration on PET/CT were described. Results: The total detection rate of bone marrow infiltration was not significantly different between PET/CT and primary bone marrow biopsy ( P = 0.302) or between the two bone marrow biopsies ( P = 0.826). The sensitivity, specificity, and Youden index of PET/CT for the diagnosis of DLBCL bone marrow infiltration were 0.923 (95% CI, 0.759-0.979), 0.934 (95% CI, 0.855-0.972), and 0.857, respectively. Conclusion: 18F-FDG PET/CT has a comparable efficiency in the diagnosis of DLBCL bone marrow infiltration. PET/CT-guided bone marrow biopsy can reduce the misdiagnosis of DLBCL bone marrow infiltration.