Influence of γ-PGA on greenhouse gas emissions and grain yield from paddy rice under different rice varieties.

BACKGROUND: Significant efforts have been devoted to assess the effects of the poly-gamma-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) on crop growth, yield and quality, soil water retention and fertilizer use efficiency. However, few studies have evaluated the effects of γ-PGA on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and grain yield from paddy fields with different rice varieties. METHODS: In the present study, a split-plot field experiment was performed to comprehensively evaluate the effects of γ-PGA concentrations (i.e., no application [P0] and 25.0 kg ha-1 of γ-PGA fermentation solution [P1]) and rice varieties (i.e., conventional rice [Huanghuazhan, H], red rice [Gangteyou 8024, R] and black rice [Black indica rice, B]) on the grain yield, GHG emissions, global warming potential (GWP), greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI), net ecosystem economic profit (NEEP) and carbon footprint (CF) during 2022 and 2023 rice-growing seasons in central China. RESULTS: Application of γ-PGA significantly affected the GHGs emissions, NEEP and CF. Compared with P0 treatments, P1 treatments significantly increased the NEEP by 1.2-11.2 %, and decreased the GWP by 12.9-35.4 %, the GHGI by 16.5-35.9 % and the CF by 13.8-26.2 % in 2022-2023. Application of γ-PGA showed a tendency to increase the yield. Under γ-PGA application condition, R treatment exhibited the lowest GWP, GHGI and CF, and the highest yield and NEEP compared with B and H treatments. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that γ-PGA application is an ecological agricultural management to increase rice yield, reduce greenhouse gas emission and increase economic benefit, and its advantage is more significant for red rice than for other rice varieties.

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.

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.

Effect of Home-based Telerehabilitation on the Postoperative Rehabilitation Outcome of Hip Fracture in the Aging Population.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of home-based telerehabilitation based on the Internet-based rehabilitation management system on hip function, activities of daily living and somatic integrative ability of elderly postoperative hip fracture patients. METHODS: From June 2020 to November 2020, we recruited 58 elderly postoperative hip fracture patients and randomly assigned them to the telephone group (n = 29) and the telerehabilitation group (n = 29). Both groups received routine discharge instructions, and the former received telephone follow-up after discharge, while the latter received remote rehabilitation based on the Internet-based rehabilitation management system. The Harris hip score (HHS), functional independence measure (FIM), timed up-and-go test (TUG), and short physical performance battery (SPPB) were used to evaluate the patients' hip function, activities of daily living, and overall somatic ability. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the baseline data of the two groups before the intervention (P > 0.05); no matter after hip replacement or internal fixation, the HHS score and FIM score of both groups increased gradually with the postoperative time, and the scores in the telerehabilitation group were higher than those in the telephone group at 1 and 3 months after the intervention, and the difference was significant (P < 0.05); for patients after hip replacement, the TUG and SPPB scores in the telerehabilitation group were better than those in the telephone group at 3 months after the intervention, and the difference was significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The Internet-based rehabilitation management system applied to postoperative home rehabilitation of elderly hip fracture patients can improve the functional recovery of the hip joint and enhance the ability to perform activities of daily living and somatic integration to a certain extent. This seems to provide an effective option for conducting home rehabilitation.

Case Report: ECMO-Assisted Uniportal Thoracoscopic Tracheal Tumor Resection and Tracheoplasty: A New Breakthrough Method.

Primary tracheal tumors are seldom seen, and most of them are malignant. At present, the main treatment is surgical resection. It is rare to accomplish tracheal tumor resection and tracheoplasty via uniportalal thoracoscopy. In order both to maintain the patient's oxygen supply during surgery and to reduce the size of the surgical incision, we have innovatively integrated the ECMO-assisted and uniportal thoracoscopic techniques for the first time, perfectly achieving tracheal tumor resection and tracheoplasty. The intraoperative manipulation was only 180 min in duration. The patient returned to the intensive care unit and recovered smoothly after the surgery. The patient was discharged from the hospital 17 days after the operation. ECMO-assisted uniportal thoracoscopic tracheal resection and tracheoplasty provides a new idea and method for colleagues.

Correlation of m6A methylation with immune infiltrates and poor prognosis in non-small cell lung cancer via a comprehensive analysis of RNA expression profiles.

BACKGROUND: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a common type of lung cancer with a poor prognosis. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation, which is a reversible ribonucleic acid (RNA) modification, plays an important role in the occurrence and development of NSCLC. However, the potential effect of m6A methylation on immune infiltrates and prognosis remains unclear. METHODS: In this study, a weighted gene co-expression network analysis was used to screen out messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) that were co-expressed with m6A regulators. Additionally, 2 molecular subtypes (Clusters 1 and 2) were determined via consensus clustering. Subsequently, a prognostic risk model was constructed using both co-expressed mRNAs and ncRNAs. Based on the risk scores calculated by the prognostic model, the patients were divided into the high-risk group or low-risk group. Finally, the altered patterns of the tumor immune microenvironments (TIMEs) between the 2 stratification methods were thoroughly investigated, and a gene set enrichment analysis was conducted to further examine the potential mechanism. RESULTS: Patients in Cluster 1 had lower immunoscores, higher programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression, and shorter overall survival (OS) compared to patients in Cluster 2. A further investigation based on the prognostic model revealed that the PD-L1 expression levels of patients in the high-risk group were significantly upregulated, and the immunoscores were lower than those in the low-risk group. The immune cells with a high infiltration in Cluster 1 showed a significant positive correlation with the risk score; those with low infiltration showed a significant negative correlation. The hallmarks of the Myelocytomatosis viral oncogene (MYC) targets, the second Gap/Mitosis (G2/M) checkpoint, E2 transcription Factor (E2F) targets, glycolysis, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) repair, and unfolded protein response were significantly enriched in Cluster 1, the low-immunoscore group, and the high-risk group. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that m6A methylation is closely related to the poor prognosis of NSCLC patients via interference with the TIME, which suggests that m6A may play a role in optimizing individualized immunotherapy management and improving prognosis.

Transfer of LncRNA CRNDE in TAM-derived exosomes is linked with cisplatin resistance in gastric cancer.

This study explores the role of the long noncoding RNA (LncRNA) CRNDE in cisplatin (CDDP) resistance of gastric cancer (GC) cells. Here, we show that LncRNA CRNDE is upregulated in carcinoma tissues and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) of GC patients. In vitro experiments show that CRNDE is enriched in M2-polarized macrophage-derived exosomes (M2-exo) and is transferred from M2 macrophages to GC cells via exosomes. Silencing CRNDE in M2-exo reverses the promotional effect of M2-exo on cell proliferation in CDDP-treated GC cells and homograft tumor growth in CDDP-treated nude mice. Mechanistically, CRNDE facilitates neural precursor cell expressed developmentally downregulated protein 4-1 (NEDD4-1)-mediated phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) ubiquitination. Silencing CRNDE in M2-exo enhances the CDDP sensitivity of GC cells treated with M2-exo, which is reduced by PTEN knockdown. Collectively, these data reveal a vital role for CRNDE in CDDP resistance of GC cells and suggest that the upregulation of CRNDE in GC cells may be attributed to the transfer of TAM-derived exosomes.

Establishment of a prognostic model of ten transcription factors in gastric cancer.

Transcription factors (TFs) play an important role in tumors. We integrated and analyzed 13 GPL570 platform gastric cancer (GC) microarrays, identified 10 independent prognostic TFs, and constructed a GC prognostic model. Using GSE26942 as the verification set, the Kaplan-Meier curve showed that the signature distinguish the survival rate of GC patients (P < 0.01), and the AUC values are 0.746 and 0.630, respectively. Compared with the clinicopathological characteristics, the signature is an independent prognostic factor (P < 0.05). A nomogram was established based on the model, and the five-year calibration curve verified that the prediction of the nomogram was almost consistent with the actual survival rate, C-index of 0.747 indicated a moderate prognostic ability. The analysis of target genes of 10 TFs showed that they are closely related to the progression of GC. External database and rt-PCR showed that the RNA and protein expression of TFs are consistent with our analysis.

The application of rigid and flexible mediastinoscopy in esophagectomy: our experience and a new technology.

BACKGROUND: To avoid the inconvenience of triangulation among various rigid operating instruments in mediastinoscopy-assisted esophagectomy, we invented a new technique: used a flexible endoscope to mobilize thoracic esophagus and dissected mediastinal lymph nodes through the left cervical incision. This technology has not been reported so far. In this study, we introduce our long-term experience and demonstrate this new technique. METHODS: Twenty-nine patients with early esophageal cancer underwent mediastinoscopy-assisted esophagectomy in our hospital from June 2018 to September 2020. Among them, 12 patients used flexible mediastinoscopy, and 17 patients used conventional rigid mediastinoscopy and instruments to observe their therapeutic effect. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the two groups in gender, average age, body mass index, incidence of adverse reactions, bleeding volume, and postoperative hospital stay. The operation time of flexible mediastinoscopy group was significantly shorter than that of rigid mediastinoscopy group (192.9 ± 13.0 vs 246.8 ± 6.9 min, p < 0.01). The number of lymph nodes removed by flexible endoscopy was significantly more than that of rigid endoscopy (8.5 ± 0.6 vs 6.0 ± 0.3, P < 0.01). Postoperative follow-up was completed for all patients, and the average follow-up time was 11.6 ± 7.2 months. During the follow-up period, no recurrence or death was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Mediastinoscopy-assisted esophagectomy is an effective way to treat early esophageal cancer. The application of flexible mediastinoscopy provides more convenience and better stability. It can facilitate the operation of the surgeon and lymph node dissection, which proved to be a feasible technology.

Catamenial pneumothorax with bubbling up on the diaphragmatic defects: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Catamenial pneumothorax is characterized by spontaneous recurring pneumothorax during menstruation, which is a common clinical manifestation of thoracic endometriosis syndrome. There are still controversies about its pathogenesis. CASE PRESENTATION: A 43-year-old woman with a history of endometriosis came to our hospital due to recurring pneumothorax during menstruation. Uniportal Video-assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS) exploration was performed on the eve of menstruating. We thoroughly explored the diaphragm, visceral and parietal pleura: The lung surface was scattered with yellowish-brown implants; no bullae were found; multiple diaphragmatic defects were found on the dome. And surprisingly, we caught a fascinating phenomenon: Bubbles were slipping into pleural cavity through diaphragmatic defects. We excised the diaphragmatic lesions and wedge resected the right upper lung lesion; cleared the deposits and flushed the thoracic cavity with pure iodophor. Diaphragmatic lesions confirmed the presence of endometriosis, and interestingly enough, microscopically, endometrial cells were shedding with impending menses. After a series of intraoperative operations and postoperative endocrine therapy, the disease did not recur after a period of follow-up. CONCLUSION: We have witnessed the typical signs of catamenial pneumothorax at the accurate timing: Not only observed the process of gas migration macroscopically, but also obtained pathological evidence of diaphragmatic periodic perforation microscopically, which is especially precious and confirms the existing theory that retrograde menstruation leads to diaphragmatic endometriosis, and the diaphragmatic fenestration is obtained due to the periodic activities of ectopic endometrium.

Preparation of Internalizing RGD-Modified Recombinant Methioninase Exosome Active Targeting Vector and Antitumor Effect Evaluation.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Targeted drug delivery vehicles with low immunogenicity and toxicity are needed for cancer therapy. Here, we prepare an active targeting drug carrier of low immunogenicity and toxicity for targeted therapy. METHODS: Immature dendritic cells (imDCs) from BALB/c mice were used as donor cells of exosomes (Exos) that were transfected with the plasmids expressing fusion proteins of a tumor-targeting peptide known as internalizing RGD (iRGD) to construct a type of tumor-targeting iRGD-Exos and observe the interaction between these iRGD-Exos. Also, recombinant methioninase (rMETase) was loaded into the iRGD-Exos by electroporation to construct iRGD-Exos-rMETase and to assess the tumor-targeting function of the iRGD-Exos-rMETase. Finally, 30 BALB/c were randomly divided into five groups (n = 6), to observe tumor growth in vivo. RESULTS: The iRGD-Exos-rMETase was 99.58 nm in diameter and presented a unique "goblet" structure under transmission electron microscopy (TEM), with the encapsulation efficiency (EE) of 19.05%. iRGD-Exos-rMETase group has the strongest tumor suppressive effect. Compared to the iRGD-Exos-rMETase group, rMETase group and the blank-Exos-rMETase group were less effective, while the PBS group and the iRGD-Exos group showed no inhibitory effect on tumor growth. After treatment, the iRGD-Exos-rMETase group had gastric tumors significantly smaller and lighter than the other groups (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The iRGD-Exos-rMETase is an effective antitumor therapy that delivers rMETase to tumor tissue using the iRGD-Exos. With its favorable inhibitory effect and tumor-targeting function, the iRGD-Exos-rMETase shows excellent potential value and exciting prospects in clinical applications.

Removal of coke powders in coking wastewater using a hydrocyclone optimized by n-value.

Coke powders in the coking wastewater generated by petroleum refining industry needs to be removed to achieve water reuse for lack of water resources. This study developed a decoking hydrocyclone in the closed coking wastewater circulation treatment system to remove coke powders, which was highly efficient and environmentally friendly. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) method was carried out to study the tangential velocity distribution index n-value to guide design of decoking hydrocyclone and experiment was conducted to verify the coke powders removal effect. It was found that the increase of n-value is conducive to the improvement of coke powders separation efficiency. A decoking hydrocyclone with a cone angle of 15° and an inlet size of 4 × 6 mm is the optimum hydrocyclone and the recovery efficiency of coke powders is stable at more than 90%. It is the first time for hydrocyclone successfully applied to the removal of coke powders in coking wastewater in the decoking process of petroleum refining industry, in which the separation efficiency of coke powders is considerably improved.

Methionine represses the autophagy of gastric cancer stem cells via promoting the methylation and phosphorylation of RAB37.

This study focused on the role of methionine (MET) in the autophagy of gastric cancer stem cells (GCSCs) and aims to elaborate its regulatory mechanism. In the present study, the GCSCs were isolated from human gastric cancer cell lines using an anti-CD44 antibody, and then cultured in MET+ homocysteine (HCY)- or MET-HCY+ medium. In MET+HCY-treated GCSCs, autophagy was suppressed, the methylation and phosphorylation of RAB37 were elevated, and miR-200b expression was down-regulated. Lentiviral vector (LV-) carrying methionine-γ lyase (an enzyme that could specifically lyse MET; Metase) promoted autophagy, reduced the methylation and phosphorylation of RAB37, and up-regulated miR-200b expression in MET+HCY--treated GCSCs. Then, we found that miR-200b suppressed the expression of protein kinase C α (PKCα), a protein that could inactivate RAB37 through promoting its phosphorylation. LV-Metase down-regulated RAB37 phosphorylation via miR-200b/PKCα, thus promoting the RAB37-mediated autophagy and suppressing cell viability in MET+HCY-treated GCSCs. Finally, the in vivo study proved that LV-Metase treatment inhibited tumor growth through up-regulating RAB37 expression. In conclusion, MET suppressed RAB37 expression via enhancing its methylation and suppressed RAB37 activity via miR-200b/PKCα axis, thus repressing RAB37-mediated autophagy in GCSCs. The supplementation of Metase lysed MET, thus inducing the autophagy of GCSCs and inhibiting tumor growth.

Identification of subtype-specific genes signature by WGCNA for prognostic prediction in diffuse type gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer is a common malignancy and had poor response to treatment due to its strong heterogeneity. This study aimed to identify essential genes associated with diffuse type gastric cancer and construct a powerful prognostic model. RESULTS: We conducted a weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCN) using transcripts per million (TPM) expression data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) to find out the module related with diffuse type gastric cancer. Combining Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) with multi-cox regression, the 10 specific genes risk score model of diffuse type gastric cancer was established. The concordance index (0.97), the area under the respective ROC curves (AUCs) (1-years: 0.98; 3-years: 1; 5-years: 1) and survival difference of high- and low risk groups (p=2.84e-10) of this model in TCGA dataset were obtained. The moderate predicting performance was observed in the independent cohort of GSE15459 and GSE62254. The results of the gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) using high-and low risk group as phenotype indicated differential expression of tumor-related pathways. CONCLUSION: Thus, we constructed a reliable prognostic model for diffuse type gastric cancer, which should be beneficial for clinical therapeutic decision-making.

Endoscope-assisted Surgery in the Treatment of Dentigerous Cyst Involving the Maxillary Sinus - Report of Two Cases.

Endoscopic techniques have been applied to oral and maxillofacial surgeries. Previous studies have proved their practicability in the treatment of osteomyelitis of the mandible and displaced residual roots in the maxillary sinus. In this report, two patients with dentigerous cysts in the maxillary sinus underwent endoscope-assisted curettage. Both patients were successfully cured without recurrent lesions or any complications. The follow-up found that the bone cavities had shrunk. An endoscope-assisted Caldwell-Luc operation provided clear visibility of the surgical field and preserved the mucosa of the maxillary sinus.

The renin-angiotensin system blockers and survival in digestive system malignancies: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Accumulating pre-clinical and clinical studies suggested that the renin-angiotensin system blockers (RASBs) possess anti-carcinogenic properties, and their use is associated with favorable outcomes in many types of cancers. METHODS: A systematic literature search of relevant databases through January 2019 was conducted to identify studies assessing the RASBs on prognostic outcomes in digestive system malignancies patients on the basis of predetermined selection criteria for pooled hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). A total of 13 studies were included in the meta-analysis. RESULTS: The meta-analysis showed that the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) resulted in a significant improvement in overall survival (HR 0.79; 95%CI 0.70-0.89; P < .000), cancer-specific survival (HR 0.81; 95%CI 0.73-0.90; P < .000) and recurrence-free survival (HR 0.68; 95%CI 0.54-0.85; P = .001), but not progression-free survival (HR 0.88; 95%CI 0.73-1.07; P = .183) and disease-free survival (HR 0.50; 95%CI 0.11-2.39; P = .103). Subgroup analysis indicated that the use of RASBs has a significant improvement of overall survival (OS) in pancreatic cancer, liver cancer, and gastric cancer. Two studies evaluated the dose-response relationship between ACEIs/ARBs therapy and survival and showed higher doses and better survival [(1-364 defined daily doses: odds ratio (OR) 0.89, 95%CI 0.78-1.01, P = .076), (≥365 defined daily doses: OR 0.54, 95%CI: 0.24-1.24, P = .148]. CONCLUSIONS: Meta-analysis of studies supports a beneficial association between use of RASBs and survival of digestive system malignancies.

DNA-methylation-mediated silencing of miR-7-5p promotes gastric cancer stem cell invasion via increasing Smo and Hes1.

Cancer stem cells are undifferentiated cancer cells that have self-renewal ability, a high tumorigenic activity, and a multilineage differentiation potential. MicroRNAs play a critical role in regulating gene expression during carcinogenesis. Here, we investigated the role of miR-7 and the mechanism by which it is dysregulated in gastric cancer stem cells (GCSCs). The stem cell marker, CD44, was used to sort GCSCs by fluorescence-activated cell sorting. We found that CD44 (+) cells have higher invasiveness and form more number of sphere colonies than CD44 (-) cells. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) revealed that the miR-7-5p expression was remarkably downregulated in GCSCs but was significantly increased in the methionine-deprived medium. The downregulation of miR-7-5p results from the increased DNA methylation in the promoter region using the methylation-specific PCR. Overexpression of miR-7-5p reduced the formation of colony and decreased the invasion of GCSCs through targeting Smo and Hes1 and subsequent repressing Notch and Hedgehog signaling pathways in vitro. Notably, upregulating miR-7-5p inhibited the growth of tumor in the xenograft model. Hence, these data demonstrated that miR-7-5p represses GCSC invasion through inhibition of Smo and Hes1, which provides a potential therapeutic target of gastric cancer treatment.

METase/lncRNA HULC/FoxM1 reduced cisplatin resistance in gastric cancer by suppressing autophagy.

BACKGROUND: Autophagy plays an important role in regulating cisplatin (CDDP) resistance in gastric cancer cells. However, the underlying mechanism of methioninase (METase) in the regulation of autophagy and CDDP resistance of gastric cancer cells is still not clear. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Western blot was used to detect the levels of autophagy-related proteins, multidrug-resistant 1 (MDR-1), and FoxM1 protein. LncRNA HULC was detected by qRT-PCR. Cell viability was detected using CCK-8 assay. The interaction between lncRNA HULC and FoxM1 was confirmed by RNA pull-down and RIP assay. RESULTS: Lentiviral vector carrying METase (LV-METase) suppressed autophagy and CDDP resistance of drug-resistant gastric cancer cells. LncRNA HULC was significantly downregulated in drug-resistant gastric cancer cells transfected with LV-METase. Besides, we found that lncRNA HULC interacted with FoxM1. In addition, METase suppressed autophagy to reduce CDDP resistance of drug-resistant gastric cancer cells through regulating HULC/FoxM1, and interfering HULC suppressed autophagy to reduce CDDP resistance of drug-resistant gastric cancer cells through regulating FoxM1. Finally, interfering HULC inhibited tumor growth in vivo. CONCLUSION: METase suppressed autophagy to reduce CDDP resistance of drug-resistant gastric cancer cells through regulating HULC/FoxM1 pathway.

Identification of hormone binding proteins based on machine learning methods.

The soluble carrier hormone binding protein (HBP) plays an important role in the growth of human and other animals. HBP can also selectively and non-covalently interact with hormone. Therefore, accurate identification of HBP is an important prerequisite for understanding its biological functions and molecular mechanisms. Since experimental methods are still labor intensive and cost ineffective to identify HBP, it's necessary to develop computational methods to accurately and efficiently identify HBP. In this paper, a machine learning-based method was proposed to identify HBP, in which the samples were encoded by using the optimal tripeptide composition obtained based on the binomial distribution method. In the 5-fold cross-validation test, the proposed method yielded an overall accuracy of 97.15%. For the convenience of scientific community, a user-friendly webserver called HBPred2.0 was built, which could be freely accessed at http://lin-group.cn/server/HBPred2.0/.

Radiation-Induced Helium Bubbles in Metals.

Helium (He) bubbles are typical radiation defects in structural materials in nuclear reactors after high dose energetic particle irradiation. In the past decades, extensive studies have been conducted to explore the dynamic evolution of He bubbles under various conditions and to investigate He-induced hardening and embrittlement. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of the behavior of He bubbles in metals; overview the mechanisms of He bubble nucleation, growth, and coarsening; introduce the latest methods of He control by using interfaces in nanocrystalline metals and metallic multilayers; analyze the effects of He bubbles on strength and ductility of metals; and point out some remaining questions related to He bubbles that are crucial for design of advanced radiation-tolerant materials.