Immune modulation in malignant pleural effusion: from microenvironment to therapeutic implications.

Immune microenvironment and immunotherapy have become the focus and frontier of tumor research, and the immune checkpoint inhibitors has provided novel strategies for tumor treatment. Malignant pleural effusion (MPE) is a common end-stage manifestation of lung cancer, malignant pleural mesothelioma and other thoracic malignancies, which is invasive and often accompanied by poor prognosis, affecting the quality of life of affected patients. Currently, clinical therapy for MPE is limited to pleural puncture, pleural fixation, catheter drainage, and other palliative therapies. Immunization is a new direction for rehabilitation and treatment of MPE. The effusion caused by cancer cells establishes its own immune microenvironment during its formation. Immune cells, cytokines, signal pathways of microenvironment affect the MPE progress and prognosis of patients. The interaction between them have been proved. The relevant studies were obtained through a systematic search of PubMed database according to keywords search method. Then through screening and sorting and reading full-text, 300 literatures were screened out. Exclude irrelevant and poor quality articles, 238 literatures were cited in the references. In this study, the mechanism of immune microenvironment affecting malignant pleural effusion was discussed from the perspectives of adaptive immune cells, innate immune cells, cytokines and molecular targets. Meanwhile, this study focused on the clinical value of microenvironmental components in the immunotherapy and prognosis of malignant pleural effusion.

Synthesis and Mechanistic Investigation of an Amphiphilic Polymer in Enhancing Extra-Heavy Oil Recovery via Viscosity Reduction.

When applied to extra-heavy oil, conventional polymer surfactants exhibit poor efficacy in reducing viscosity and have limited adaptability. In this work, a novel amphiphilic polymer named PAADB was prepared by incorporating 2-acryloylamino-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid (AMPS), benzyldimethyl [2-[(1-oxoallyl) zoxy] propyl] ammonium chloride (DML), and poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether acrylate (BEM) into the main chain of acrylamide through free radical polymerization. PAADB exhibited outstanding interfacial activity, water-phase thickening ability, and emulsifying performance. The critical micelle concentration of PAADB was approximately 2500 mg/L, with a viscosity of 84.69 mPa·s at 50 °C. Additionally, interfacial tension experienced a notable decrease from 46.53 to 14.56 mN/m. At an optimal concentration of 4000 mg/L, PAADB reduced the viscosity of extra-heavy oil by over 92% across various temperatures and by more than 93% for different types of extra-heavy oil. PAADB demonstrated excellent emulsification ability and emulsion stability, effectively dispersing crude oil to create water-in-oil droplets measuring 35.33 µm in size. Meanwhile, molecular dynamics simulations further unveiled the viscosity reduction mechanism of PAADB. The hydrophilic groups within PAADB molecules are regularly distributed on the water interface, while the hydrophobic groups infiltrate the oil molecules to form a stable interfacial film. PAADB and asphaltene spontaneously form a sandwich structure, reducing intermolecular forces and disrupting the interlayer structure of asphaltene molecules. In general, this novel amphiphilic polymer demonstrates broad applicability and potential in extra-heavy oil recovery, providing valuable insights for the development of new heavy oil viscosity reducers (HOVRs).

[Effect of swertiamarin, gentiopicrin and sweroside on cell apoptosis and expression of Bcl-2 in rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes].

The aim of this paper was to discuss the effect of swertiamarin, gentiopicrin and sweroside on rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes(RA-FLSs) and B-cell lymphoma-2(Bcl-2) and their mechanisms. ZINC database and RCSB PDB database were retrieved for 3 D chemical structures of swertiamarin, gentiopicrin and sweroside and 3 D target protein structures. AutoDock Mgltools 1.5.6, AutoDockVina 1.1.2 and pyMOL 2.2.0 were applied for molecular docking to analyze the relationship between Bcl-2(1 GJH) target protein and important ingredients. The cell apoptosis of RA-FLSs was tested by Annexin V-FITC. The Bcl-2 protein expression of RA-FLSs treated with different ingredients was tested by Western blot. The Bcl-2 mRNA expression of RA-FLSs treated with different ingredients was tested by RT-PCR. Swertiamarin, gentiopicrin and sweroside were docked well with Bcl-2(1 GJH). The binding energy of swertiamarin was-6.9 kcal·mol~(-1), the binding energy of gentiopicrin was-6.7 kcal·mol~(-1) and the binding energy of sweroside was-6.4 kcal·mol~(-1). Compared with the blank group, the Bcl-2 protein expression of each group were reduced, while that of the gentiopicrin group was the highest(P<0.01). Compared with the blank group, the Bcl-2 mRNA expression of each groups were reduced. Gentiopicrin can reduce the Bcl-2 protein expression and the Bcl-2 mRNA expression, so as to promote the RA-FLSs apoptosis.

Vision function of pseudophakic eyes with posterior capsular opacification under different speed and spatial frequency.

PURPOSE: To investigate the characteristics of dynamic visual acuity (DVA) and contrast sensitivity (CS) in pseudophakic patients with posterior capsular opacification (PCO). METHODS: Fifty-four eyes (36 patients) with PCO planned for laser capsulotomy were recruited. They underwent examinations of static visual acuity (SVA), DVA, CS and optical quality analysis (OQAS) before and one week after the laser treatment. Improvements in each index after laser treatment were analyzed. The visual quality of patients with good initial vision was studied separately. RESULTS: SVA, DVA and CS all significantly increased after capsulotomy (P < 0.05). Postoperative improvements in DVA were higher than in SVA, but they decreased when the speed increased. DVA at 15 dps gained the most improvement after capsulotomy. DVA at all analyzed speeds was significantly lower than SVA (P = 0.000). There was a significant speed-dependent decrease in DVA at lower speeds compared with higher speeds. The postoperative improvements in CS decreased when the spatial frequency was increased. The CS at the lower frequencies of 3 cpd and 6 cpd was the most improved after capsulotomy. CS was much lower at high frequencies (p < 0.05). There was a significant decrease in CS at higher spatial frequencies compared with lower frequencies. DVA improvements were correlated with CS improvements at medium spatial frequencies and with objective scattering index and Strehl ratio. The CS at all frequencies significantly improved for patients with good initial vision. CONCLUSION: PCO could impair dynamic vision function, but CS was a more sensitive indication of visual complaints in patients with slight PCO.

[Long-term effects of neonatal exposure to bisphenol A on testes structure and the expression of Boule in testes of male mice].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the long-term effects and the mechanism of neonatal bisphenol A( BPA) exposure on mouse testicular structure and Boule expression. METHODS: A total of 12 pregnant ICR mice were randomly divided into three groups:blank control group, negative control group( corn oil) and BPA 100 µg/kg group. After delivery, BPA was given daily by neck subcutaneous injection to the offspring male mice from postnatal day( PND 1) to PND 21. The offspring male mice were sacrificed on PND35 and PND 70. Morphological changes of testes were detected with hematoxylin-eosin staining, the level of Boule mRNA expression was determined by RT-PCR, the expression of Boule protein was detected by immunofluorescence and Western blotting. RESULTS: Compared with blank control group and negative control group, the diameter and the epithelium thickness of seminiferous epithelium in the same period( PND 35, PND 70)were significantly decreased and the lumen was significantly increased( P < 0. 05) in the testes of BPA( 100 µg/kg) group. In addition, the expressions of Boule mRNA and protein were decreased remarkably( P < 0. 05, P < 0. 01) in testes of BPA 100 µg/kg group. CONCLUSION: Neonatal BPA exposure has a long-term effect on mouse testicular development and may affect testicular development by decreasing the expression of Boule mRNA and protein in testes.

Research on intelligent file management system: a design strategy based on RFID technology and improved AICT algorithm.

In this modern era of technology and digitalization, keeping track of a manual file system in the office environment is a challenging task. This research proposes a radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to improve conventional file management systems. The proposed system includes advances in information and communication technology (AICT) algorithm that addresses tag collision problems, resulting in increased data collection and reduced communication traffic. The system consists of modules such as information collection, file management, and user management. Each is analyzed from various aspects. Simulation results show that the AICT algorithm outperforms the improved collision tree algorithm by increasing recognition efficiency by 10% and reducing communication traffic by 30%. Moreover, the proposed approach provides a simple and convenient way to manage files in real-time meeting the needs of modern times. The AICT algorithm excelled the other algorithms regarding recognition efficiency.

Observation of peripheral refraction in myopic anisometropia in young adults.

AIM: To investigate the differences in retinal refraction difference values (RDVs) of adult patients with myopic anisometropia compared with those without myopic anisometropia, and to investigate the relationship between ocular biometric measurements and relative peripheral refraction. METHODS: This clinical observation study included 130 patients with myopia (-0.25 to -10.00 D) between October 2022 and January 2023 aged between 18 and 40y. The patients were divided into anisometropia (n=63; difference in binocular anisometropia ≥1.00 D) and non-anisometropia (n=67; difference in binocular anisometropia <1.00 D) groups accordingly. Ocular biometric measurements were performed by optical biometrics and corneal topography to assess the steep keratometry (Ks), flap keratometry (Kf), axial length (AL), corneal astigmatism (CYL; Ks-Kf), surface regularity index (SRI), surface asymmetry index (SAI), and central corneal thickness (CCT). The RDV was measured at five retinal areas from the fovea to 53 degrees (RDV-0-10, RDV-10-20, RDV-20-30, RDV-30-40, and RDV-40-53), the total RDV (TRDV) of 53 degrees, and four regions, including RDV-superior, RDV-inferior, RDV-temporal, and RDV-nasal. An analysis of Spearman correlation was carried out to examine the correlation between RDV and the spherical equivalent (SE) and ocular biological parameters. RESULTS: Within RDV-20-53, both groups showed relative hyperopic defocus, and the increase in RDV corresponds to the increase in eccentricity. In the myopic anisometropia group, the TRDV, RDV-20-53, RDV-superior, and more myopic eyes had significantly higher RDV-temporal values than less myopic eyes. (P<0.05). In the non-anisometropia group, there was no significant difference in the RDV between the more and less myopic eyes at different eccentricities (P>0.05). There was a negative correlation between SE and TRDV (r=-0.205, P=0.001), RDV-20-53 (r=-0.281, -0.183, -0.176, P<0.05), RDV-superior (r=-0.251, P<0.001), and RDV-temporal (r=-0.230, P<0.001), a negative correlation between CYL and RDV-10-30 (r=-0.147, -0.180, P<0.05), and a negative correlation between SRI and RDV-0-20 (r=-0.190, -0.170, P<0.05). AL had a positive correlation with RDV-20-30 (r=0.164, P=0.008) and RDV-temporal (r=0.160, P=0.010). CONCLUSION: More myopic eyes in patients with myopic anisometropia show more peripheral hyperopic defocus. Diopter and corneal morphology may affect peripheral retinal defocus.

The effective expression of xylanase gene in Candida utilis by 18S rDNA targeted homologous recombination in pGLR9K.

In order to test whether 18S rDNA can influence positively xylanase gene effective expression in the yeast of Candida utilis, a targeting vector pGLR9K-XA was constructed by adding an interested gene xynA from Streptomyces olivaceoviridis into the vector pGLR9K which is constructed by ourselves. pGLR9K contains the 18S rDNA, GAP promoter and CYH resistance gene sequence, all of which is from C. utilis. Then the vector pGLR9K-XA was transformed into C. utilis. To test the vector and transformed system, PCR, Southern blot and DNS methods were used. The results showed that xylanase gene can be detected in the chromosome DNA of recombinant C. utilis and the enzyme activity of xylanase is up to 60 IU ml(-1) in the study. It is suggested that this system can be used to express exogenous genes in C. utilis as a bioreactors. This is the first report that xylanase gene was expressed in C. utilis.

[CHENG Dan-an's experience of study in Japan].

The first hand documents, the process and achievements of Mr. CHENG' s study in Japan in the 1930s were investigated in order to provide basic information to explore the original academic thoughts of Mr. CHENG and the Chengjiang Acupuncture School. It was concluded that the experiences of Mr. CHENG's study in Japan had significant influence on enriching and developing his academic thoughts. It has not only enhanced his confidence in therapeutic effect of moxibustion and revival of Chinese acupuncture, but also established the foundation for the reform of needles and expansion of the domain of Chinese acupuncture and its development after returning home.

Kinetics and mechanism of para-chlorophenol photoconversion with the presence of nitrite in ice.

The photochemistry of para-chlorophenol (4-CP) under UV irradiation by using a 125-W high-pressure mercury lamp as light source with the presence of nitrite in a solid water ice matrix had been studied. The experiments were carried out in a photochemical cold chamber reactor at -14 to -12 degrees C. Each influence factor of the 4-CP photoconversion kinetics in the water ice was inspected. The results show that the 4-CP photoconversion obeys the first-order kinetics model and the initial concentration of 4-CP, the initial concentration of nitrite, pH value, light intensity, inorganic ions and the water quality all have significant influence on the photoconversion rate. In addition, nine intermediate products were characterized by GC-MS, HPLC-ESI-MS and HPLC techniques and the possible photoconversion mechanism was proposed accordingly. It is concluded that the mechanism and photoproducts of 4-CP photolysis in ice are changed due to the presence of NO(2)(-).