Value of T6SS Core Gene hcp in Acinetobacter baumannii Respiratory Tract Infection.

Hospital-acquired pneumonia caused by Acinetobacter baumannii is a major healthcare burden. Type VI Secretion System (T6SS) contributes to both virulence and drug resistance in this bacteria. This study aims to investigate the diagnostic value of hemolysin co-regulated protein (Hcp) gene in A. baumannii pneumonia and further explore the effect of hcp on clinical, pathogenicity and drug resistance. 53 clinical A. baumannii strains from patients' respiratory tract at a teaching hospital were included in this study. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was carried out to examine the expression of hcp. Recombinant Hcp expression plasmids (pET-28a(+)-hcp) were constructed and his-tagged Hcp were purified to stimulate Tohoku Hospital Pediatrics-1 (THP-1) macrophages. Nuclear Factor Kappa B p65 (NF-κBp65) and Interleukin 8 (IL-8) were detected by qRT-PCR. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) were examined by an automated instrument system. Hcp gene had 92.6% sensitivity and 75% specificity for distinguishing invasive or colonizing A. baumannii from the respiratory tract. His-tagged Hcp induced NF-κBp65 and IL-8 at gene level in THP-1 macrophages. Additional, high hcp expression isolates showed higher rate of antimicrobial agent exposure (< 30 days) of carbapenems, antibiotic combination therapy and multiple or extensive drug-resistant (MDR/XDR) and exhibited higher resistance rate to clinical commonly-used antimicrobial agents. Hcp gene could serve as a novel diagnostic biomarker to distinguish A. baumannii respiratory tract infection from colonization and participate in eliciting inflammatory responses in vitro. T6SS/hcp may play a role in the development of carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii (CRAB), multiple or extensive drug-resistant A. baumannii (MDRAB/XDRAB). Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12088-023-01083-8.

Effects of a smartphone application named "Shared Decision Making Assistant" for informed patients with primary liver cancer in decision-making in China: a quasi-experimental study.

BACKGROUND: It is well known that decision aids can promote patients' participation in decision-making, increase patients' decision preparation and reduce decision conflict. The goal of this study is to explore the effects of a "Shared Decision Making Assistant" smartphone application on the decision-making of informed patients with Primary Liver Cancer (PLC) in China. METHODS: In this quasi-experimental study , 180 PLC patients who knew their real diagnoses in the Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China, from April to December 2020 were randomly assigned to a control group and an intervention group. Patients in the intervention group had an access to the "Shared Decision Making Assistant" application in decision-making, which included primary liver cancer treatment knowledge, decision aids path, continuing nursing care video clips, latest information browsing and interactive platforms. The study used decision conflict scores to evaluate the primary outcome, and the data of decision preparation, decision self-efficacy, decision satisfaction and regret, and knowledge of PLC treatment for secondary outcomes. Then, the data were entered into the SPSS 22.0 software and were analyzed by descriptive statistics, Chi-square, independent t-test, paired t-test, and Mann-Whitney tests. RESULTS: Informed PLC patients in the intervention group ("SDM Assistant" group) had significantly lower decision conflict scores than those in the control group. ("SDM Assistant" group: 16.89 ± 8.80 vs. control group: 26.75 ± 9.79, P < 0.05). Meanwhile, the decision preparation score (80.73 ± 8.16), decision self-efficacy score (87.75 ± 6.87), decision satisfaction score (25.68 ± 2.10) and knowledge of PLC treatment score (14.52 ± 1.91) of the intervention group were significantly higher than those of the control group patients (P < 0.05) at the end of the study. However, the scores of "regret of decision making" between the two groups had no statistical significance after 3 months (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Access to the "Shared Decision Making Assistant" enhanced the PLC patients' performance and improved their quality of decision making in the areas of decision conflict, decision preparation, decision self-efficacy, knowledge of PLC treatment and satisfaction. Therefore, we recommend promoting and updating the "Shared Decision Making Assistant" in clinical employment and future studies.

Mediation effect of self-efficacy on the relationship between perceived social support and resilience in caregivers of patients with first-stroke in China: a cross-sectional survey.

BACKGROUND: Self-efficacy, perceived social support, and resilience in caregivers of first-stroke patients are closely related, while the interaction mechanism remains unclear. This research explores the mediation effect of self-efficacy in the relationship between perceived social support and resilience in caregivers of first-stroke patients in China. METHODS: Convenience sampling was designed and used to recruit participants from the General Hospital of Northern Theater in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China, from February to October 2022, in which 207 self-reported participants completed the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) and General Self Efficacy Scale (GSES). In addition, the mediation effect of self-efficacy between perceived social support and resilience was determined by the PROCESS macro for SPSS. RESULT: Among the 207 caregivers of patients with first-stroke, the mean CD-RISC, MSPPS and GSES scores were (72.17 ± 11.28), (71.17 ± 8.99), and (29.64 ± 5.03) respectively. Caregivers' self-efficacy was positively correlated with perceived social support (r = 0.439, p < 0.01) and resilience (r = 0.730, p < 0.01). Self-efficacy served a mediation function partially between perceived social support and resilience, whose effect accounted for 52.90% of the total. CONCLUSION: Both simple and mediation roles of perceived social support and self-efficacy are established in the relationship of resilience among caregivers of first-stroke patients. Positive social support and self-efficacy are two important targets for future interventional studies, and interventions on them may synergistically improve resilience. Hence, the nurses and community workers should correctly evaluate social support and self-efficacy, confirm the health education requirements, and implement counseling intervention to protect and improve the health of first-stroke patients and their families.

Facile approach to SiO(x)/Si/C composite anode material from bulk SiO for lithium ion batteries.

The m-SiO(x)/Si composite for lithium ion battery anode was prepared via a partial reduction reaction between ball-milled silicon monoxide and magnesium by high-energy mechanical milling. The m-SiO(x)/Si is composed of Si-suboxide and embedded Si nano-crystallites. The particles were further covered by a uniform carbon layer on the surface via a chemical vapor deposition process. The m-SiO(x)/Si/C composite shows a stable reversible capacity of ca. 1250 mA h g(-1) and excellent cycling stability with 90.9% capacity retention on the 100th cycle versus the 6th one (compared at the same current rate). In contrast, SiO pre-milled for 25 h presents a reversible capacity of only ca. 900 mA h g(-1) under the same carbon coating condition.

[Tsallis entropy-based prior for PET reconstruction].

Maximum a Posteriori (MAP) method has been widely applied to the ill-posed problem of image reconstruction. The choice of prior is the crucial point on MAP methods. However, the most conventional priors will lead to a blurring of the whole image or cause ladder-like artifacts. We therefore proposed a Tsallis entropy-based prior for positron emission tomography (PET) iterative reconstruction in MAP framework. The method uses a Tsallis entropy-based prior to eliminate the uncertainty between prior information and the estimated images. We tested this method in the phantom image, compared it with the traditional prior methods. the results showed that the proposed algorithm could suppress noise and obtain better reconstructed image quality.

Hierarchical Pores-Confined Ultrasmall Cu Nanoparticles for Efficient Oxidation of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural.

Pyrolysis is one of the most widely utilized protocols for the preparation of nanoconfined metal species for heterogeneous catalysis, but it still suffers from the uncontrollable composition evolution process with undesired metal sintering and porous structure collapse. Herein, a novel and versatile molten salt-assisted pyrolysis strategy was demonstrated for the preparation of ultrasmall transition-metal nanoparticles embedded in hollow hierarchical carbon skeletons. The preparation only involved the fabrication of metal-organic framework templates and subsequent pyrolysis with the addition of KCl-KBr molten salt, which played a crucial role in pore size extending and metal sintering inhibiting. Benefitting from the encapsulation effect, the as-synthesized Cu@HHC materials exhibited remarkable catalytic performance and recycling stability in the selective oxidation of biomass-derived 5-hydroxymethylfurfural into 2,5-diformylfuran under mild reaction conditions.

Constructing Effective Interfaces for Li1.5Al0.5Ge1.5(PO4)3 Pellets To Achieve Room-Temperature Hybrid Solid-State Lithium Metal Batteries.

Solid electrolytes are considered as strong alternatives for conventional liquid electrolytes to overcome the safety issues of next-generation high-energy-density lithium metal batteries (LMBs). Although Li1.5Al0.5Ge1.5(PO4)3 (LAGP) has satisfied ionic conductivity at room temperature (∼10-4 S cm-1), high stability in air, and can be easily sintered, it still suffers from instability of the lithium metal. Moreover, the large interfacial resistance between solid electrolytes and solid electrodes and the stress generated by the volumetric change of lithium metal anodes during cycling would deteriorate the performance of LMBs. Here, we report an effective solution to overcome the abovementioned problems by introducing a three-dimensional gel polymer electrolyte at the interface between LAGP pellets and lithium metal anodes, achieving stable cycling of LiFePO4//Li cells at room temperature for 300 cycles. Besides, the degeneration mechanisms of the interfaces of LAGP pellets under different conditions are compared, and peculiar properties different from their counterparts were found.

[A novel mechanical orientation system used for body precise radiotherapy].

In the end of last century, there was a leap in the technological quality of radiotherapy, which is incarnated in three new technologies: Stereotactic radiation surgery (SRS), three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT) and intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). However, the achievement of these technologies has a close relationship with the precise orientation of tumour. Especially, in terms of body stereotactic precise radiation therapy, its body mechanical orientation system is the kernel to guarantee the accuracy of radiotherapy. This paper presents a novel mechanical orientation system for body precise radiotherapy. It is characterized by flexible adjustment, deft removal, easy disassembly and accurate orientation using apart structure to substitute old integer structure and adopting single segment Z shape orientation marker staff. The new mechanical orientation system guarantees the effect of tumour radiotherapy, which is worthy to be recommended for clinical use.

Dendrite-Free, High-Rate, Long-Life Lithium Metal Batteries with a 3D Cross-Linked Network Polymer Electrolyte.

A 3D network gel polymer electrolyte (3D-GPE) is designed for lithium metal batteries and prepared by an initiator-free one-pot ring-opening polymerization technique. This 3D-GPE exhibits an unprecedented combination of mechanical strength, ionic conductivity, and more importantly, effective suppression of Li dendrite growth. The produced lithium-based battery presents long life, high rate, and excellent safety.

[A new method for static intensity-modulated radiation therapy].

OBJECTIVE: To develop a new method for static intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) possible for implementation in smaller hospitals by incorporating accurate location equipments and treatment planning system in the available equipments for general radiotherapy. METHODS: Based on the techniques of conformal radiotherapy, a new split method for fabricating the three-dimensional physical compensator was developed to achieve IMRT. RESULTS: Experiment with the new method showed that the fabricated compensator could achieve good match between the high dosage shape in the target area and the dimensions of the tumor, and allowed adjustment of the dosage distribution according to the therapeutic requirement. CONCLUSION: This simple and feasible method allows cost-effect application of IMRT in smaller hospitals.

[Development of a new system for head and neck stereotactic conformal radiotherapy].

This paper introduces the constitution and fabrication of the new head and neck stereotactic conformal radiotherapy system. It remedies the shortages in the head and neck stereotactic conformal radiotherapy at present and it is deserved to be popularized in clinical applications.

[Super-resolution reconstruction of lung 4D-CT images based on fast sub-pixel motion estimation].

Super-resolution image reconstruction techniques play an important role for improving image resolution of lung 4D-CT. We presents a super-resolution approach based on fast sub-pixel motion estimation to reconstruct lung 4D-CT images. A fast sub-pixel motion estimation method was used to estimate the deformation fields between "frames", and then iterative back projection (IBP) algorithm was employed to reconstruct high-resolution images. Experimental results showed that compared with traditional interpolation method and super-resolution reconstruction algorithm based on full search motion estimation, the proposed method produced clearer images with significantly enhanced image structure details and reduced time for computation.

[A study on the relation between the location of brain damage and agraphia of Chinese].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relation between the location of brain damage and Chinese agraphia. METHODS: Aphasia Battery of Chinese (ABC) and Chinese Agraphia Battery (CAB) were used to examine the ability of oral language and writing. Different types of aphasia and agraphia were detected. Computerized image-processing technology was used to standardize and reconstruct the skull CT/MRI images. The results substracted from the normal controls were shown directly. RESULTS: 48 patients had lesions on the left brain among them 30 were aphasic and 32 were agraphic. 15 had lesions on the right brain, among them 3 were aphasic and agraphic. The image-processing results showed that the nidi of aphasic agraphia located on the left deep albae of frontal and parietal lobe, the nidi of persistent agraphia located on the posterior parts of the left 1st and 2nd gyrus of frontal lobe and the nidi of mirror agraphia were dispersed near the left basal ganglion and thalamus. CONCLUSIONS: It is found that there is a relationship between Chinese agraphia and the location of brain damage. Some parts may be responsible for some special writing ability.

[The automatic optimization arithmetic of selecting beam arcs in X-knife radiotherapy planning system].

In this paper, two new concepts of DR (Dose Repulsion) and DG (Dose Gravitation) are presented with their calculation formulas. For the problem of selecting beam arcs in x-knife radiotherapy Planning system, a mathematics model of constrained optimization has been built. Furthermore, we have produced a feasible project of automatic selecting optimized beam arcs plan using SA (Simulated Annealing) arithmetic based on the distribution of the fields of DR and DG in the reduced phase space.

Polyimide encapsulated lithium-rich cathode material for high voltage lithium-ion battery.

Lithium-rich materials represented by xLi2MnO3·(1 - x)LiMO2 (M = Mn, Co, Ni) are attractive cathode materials for lithium-ion battery due to their high specific energy and low cost. However, some drawbacks of these materials such as poor cycle and rate capability remain to be addressed before applications. In this study, a thin polyimide (PI) layer is coated on the surface of Li1.2Ni0.13Mn0.54Co0.13O2 (LNMCO) by a polyamic acid (PAA) precursor with subsequently thermal imidization process. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) results confirm the successful formation of a PI layer (∼3 nm) on the surface of LNMCO without destruction of its main structure. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra show a slight shift of the Mn valence state from Mn(IV) to Mn(III) in the PI-LNMCO treated at 450 °C, elucidating that charge transfer takes place between the PI layer and LNMCO surface. Electrochemical performances of LNMCO including cyclic stability and rate capability are evidently improved by coating a PI nanolayer, which effectively separates the cathode material from the electrolyte and stabilizes their interface at high voltage.

[Research on algorithms based on Markov random models for diffusion tensor-magnetic resonance images].

With the utilization of diffusion tensor information of image voxels, a novel MRF (Markov Random Field) segmentation algorithm was proposed for diffusion tensor MRI (DT-MRI) images benefitted from the introduction of Frobenius norm. The comparison of the segmentation effects between the proposed algorithm and K-means segmentation algorithm for DT-MRI image was made, which showed that the new algorithm could segment the DT-MRI images more accurately than the K-means algorithm. Moreover, with the same segmentation algorithm of MRF, better outcomes were achieved in DT-MRI than in conventional MRI (T2WI) image.

[Genetic algorithm-based dose optimization in intensity modulated radiation therapy].

As a powerful global optimization approach, genetic algorithms (GA) can solve a variety of optimization problems in which the objective function is discontinuous, non-differentiable, or highly non-linear, to produce high convergence speed and vast search space. In this thesis, GA is used to optimize the beam weights of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) inverse planning, and 2D and 3D isodose contour as well as dose volume histogram (DVH) are used to evaluate the treatment plan. Also presented in this thesis are the results of calculation with discussions.

[A preliminary study of beam weight optimization of intensity-modulated radiation therapy with genetic algorithm].

UNLABELLED: To study the method for dose calculation and beam weight optimization of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). METHODS: The IMRT dose calculation model based on two-dimensional convolution was constructed, the program of dose calculation and beam weight optimization with genetic algorithm was written with Visual c#.Net, and the optimization results were analyzed. RESULTS: Genetic algorithm optimization of beam weights can produce highly conformal dose distributions within a clinically acceptable computation time. CONCLUSION: Genetic algorithm is valid and efficient in IMRT beam weight optimization, which may facilitate IMRT treatment planning.