Digital assessment of tertiary lymphoid structures and therapeutic responses in gastric cancer: A multi-centric retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) are associated with favorable prognosis and enhanced response to anti-cancer therapy. A digital assessment of TLSs could provide an objective alternative that mitigates variability inherent in manual evaluation. This study aimed to develop and validate a digital gene panel based on biological prior knowledge for assessment of TLSs, and further investigate its associations with survival and multiple anti-cancer therapies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study involved 1,704 patients with gastric cancer from seven cancer centers. TLSs were identified morphologically through hematoxylin-and-eosin staining. We further developed a digital score based on targeted gene expression profiling to assess TLSs status, recorded as gene signature of tertiary lymphoid structures (gsTLS). For enhanced interpretability, we employed the SHapley Additive exPlanation (SHAP) analysis to elucidate its contribution to the prediction. We next evaluated the signature's associations with prognosis, and investigated its predictive accuracy for multiple anti-cancer therapies, including adjuvant chemotherapy and immunotherapy. RESULTS: The gsTLS panel with nine gene features achieved high accuracies in predicting TLSs status in the training, internal and external validation cohorts (area under the curve, range: 0.729-0.791). In multivariable analysis, gsTLS remained an independent predictor of disease-free and overall survival (hazard ratio, range: 0.346-0.743, all P < 0.05) after adjusting for other clinicopathological variables. SHAP analysis highlighted gsTLS as the strongest predictor of TLSs status compared with clinical features. Importantly, patients with high gsTLS (but not those with low gsTLS) exhibited substantial benefits from adjuvant chemotherapy (P < 0.05). Furthermore, we found that the objective response rate to anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (anti-PD-1) immunotherapy was significantly higher in the high-gsTLS group (40.7%) versus the low-gsTLS group (5.6%, P = 0.036), and the diagnosis was independent from Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), tumor mutation burden (TMB), and programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression. CONCLUSION: The gsTLS digital panel enables accurate assessment of TLSs status, and provides information regarding prognosis and responses to multiple therapies for gastric cancer.

Incorporating platinum circular economy into China's hydrogen pathways toward carbon neutrality.

Hydrogen is gaining tremendous traction in China as the fuel of the future to support the country's carbon neutrality ambition. Despite that hydrogen as fuel largely hinges on the supply of platinum (Pt), the dynamic interlinkage between Pt supply challenges, hydrogen development pathways, and climate targets in China has yet to be deeply analyzed. Here, we adopt an integrated assessment model to address this important concern and corresponding strategies for China. The results indicate that the booming hydrogen development would drive China's cumulative demand for Pt metal to reach 4,200-5,000 tons. Much of this demand, met through a limited supply pattern, is vulnerable to price volatility and heightened geopolitical risks, which can be mitigated through circular economy strategies. Consequently, a coordinated approach to leverage both global sustainable Pt sourcing and a robust domestic Pt circular economy is imperative for ensuring cost-effective hydrogen production, aligned with a climate-safe future.

How Human Activities Affect Groundwater Storage.

Despite the recognized influence of natural factors on groundwater, the impact of human activities remains less explored because of the challenges in measuring such effects. To address this gap, our study proposes an approach that considers carbon emissions as an indicator of human activity intensity and quantifies their impact on groundwater storage. The combination of carbon emission data and groundwater storage data for 17,152 grid cells over 16 years in 4 typical basins shows that they were generally negatively correlated, whereas both agriculture and aviation had positive impacts on groundwater storage. The longest impact from aviation and agriculture can even persist for 7 years. Furthermore, an increase of 1 Yg CO2/km2 per second in emissions from petroleum processing demonstrates the most pronounced loss of groundwater storage in the Yangtze River Basin (approximately 4.1 mm). Moreover, regions characterized by high-quality economic development tend to have favorable conditions for groundwater storage. Overall, our findings revealed the substantial role of human activities in influencing groundwater dynamics from both temporal and spatial aspects. This study fills a crucial gap by exploring the relationship between human activities and groundwater storage through the introduction of a quantitative modeling framework based on carbon emissions. It also provides insights for facilitating empirical groundwater management planning and achieving optimal emission reduction levels.

Real-world evidence from a retrospective study on suicide during depression: clinical characteristics, treatment patterns and disease burden.

BACKGROUND: Suicide stands as both a primary symptom and the direst outcome of major depressive disorder (MDD). The scarcity of effective treatment strategies makes managing MDD patients with suicide especially challenging. Hence, it is crucial to investigate disease characteristics and efficacious therapeutic strategies for these patients, drawing insights from disease databases and real-world data. METHODS: In this retrospective study, MDD patients hospitalized between January 2013 and December 2020 were investigated using Electronic Health Records (EHR) data from Beijing Anding Hospital. The study enrolled 4138 MDD patients with suicidal ideation or behavior (MDS) and 3848 without (MDNS). Demographic data, clinical attributes, treatment approaches, disease burden, and re-hospitalization within one year of discharge were extracted and compared. RESULTS: Patients in the MDS group were predominantly younger and female, exhibiting a higher prevalence of alcohol consumption, experiencing frequent life stress events, and having an earlier onset age. Re-hospitalizations within six months post-discharge in the MDS group were significantly higher than in the MDNS group (11.36% vs. 8.91%, p < 0.001). Moreover, a more considerable fraction of MDS patients underwent combined electroconvulsive therapy treatment (56.72% vs. 43.71%, p < 0.001). Approximately 38% of patients in both groups were prescribed two or more therapeutic regimes, and over 90% used antidepressants, either alone or combined. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) were the predominant choice in both groups. Furthermore, antidepressants were often prescribed with antipsychotics or mood stabilizers. When medication alterations were necessary, the favoured options involved combination with antipsychotics or transitioning to alternative antidepressants. Yet, in the MDS group, following these initial modifications, the addition of mood stabilizers tended to be the more prioritized alternative. CONCLUSIONS: MDD patients with suicidal ideation or behaviour displayed distinctive demographic and clinical features. They exhibited intricate treatment patterns, a pronounced burden of illness, and an increased likelihood of relapse.

[Related factors and equity of health status among floating population in China based on geographic information system analysis].

OBJECTIVE: To understand the health status, influencing factors and spatial distribution of the Chinese floating population and to evaluate the health equity of the floating population. METHODS: All the data were collected from the 2017 Migrant Population Dynamic Monitoring Survey in China, binary Logistic regression was used to analyze the factors that might affect the health of the floating population, and the concentration index method was used to evaluate the health equity of the floating population. Spatial autocorrelation analyses the spatial aggregation of health status and health equity. RESULTS: The unhealthy rate of the floating population in China was 2.71%. Age and gender show a statistically significant impact on self-rated health; that is, as age increases, the self-rated health of the migrant population gradually deteriorates, and women are more likely to think that they are unhealthy. Fairness analysis shows that the concentration index of the floating population is 0.021 7, the urban household registration floating population is 0.021 6, and the rural household registration floating population is 0.021 9. It is shown that the fairness of the health status of the floating population is biased towards the high-income class, and the rural household registration floating population' s health unfairness is greater than that of the urban household registration migration population. Moreover, Moran' s i=0.211 for self-rated health and Moran' s i=0.291 for the unhealthy rate indicate that self-rated health has a spatial aggregation trend. Moran' s i=0.136 showed the characteristics of spatial clustering, and the two-week prevalence fairness of the floating population was mainly in the northern and southeastern coastal areas. CONCLUSION: In general, the health status of the floating population in China is relatively good. The main influencing factors of health included gender and age. The central tendency of health inequity is reflected in the southeast coastal and northern regions, which are characterized by poverty. Attention to spatial aggregation is not only helpful to analyze the reasons of floating population, but also to study the health differences between different regions and health-related factors, to improve the overall health level of the whole population.

Astrocyte-mediated regulation of BLAWFS1 neurons alleviates risk-assessment deficits in DISC1-N mice.

Assessing and responding to threats is vital in everyday life. Unfortunately, many mental illnesses involve impaired risk assessment, affecting patients, families, and society. The brain processes behind these behaviors are not well understood. We developed a transgenic mouse model (disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1 [DISC1]-N) with a disrupted avoidance response in risky settings. Our study utilized single-nucleus RNA sequencing and path-clamp coupling with real-time RT-PCR to uncover a previously undescribed group of glutamatergic neurons in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) marked by Wolfram syndrome 1 (WFS1) expression, whose activity is modulated by adjacent astrocytes. These neurons in DISC1-N mice exhibited diminished firing ability and impaired communication with the astrocytes. Remarkably, optogenetic activation of these astrocytes reinstated neuronal excitability via D-serine acting on BLAWFS1 neurons' NMDA receptors, leading to improved risk-assessment behavior in the DISC1-N mice. Our findings point to BLA astrocytes as a promising target for treating risk-assessment dysfunctions in mental disorders.

Global, regional, and national burden of chronic kidney disease attributable to high fasting plasma glucose from 1990 to 2019: a systematic analysis from the global burden of disease study 2019.

Purpose: Given the rising prevalence of high fasting plasma glucose (HFPG) over the past three decades, it is crucial to assess its global, national, and regional impact on chronic kidney disease (CKD). This study aims to investigate the burden of CKD attributed to HFPG and its distribution across various levels. Methods and materials: The data for this research was sourced from the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2019. To estimate the burden of CKD attributed to HFPG, we utilized DisMod-MR 2.1, a Bayesian meta-regression tool. The burden was measured using age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) and age-standardized disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) rate. Correlation analysis was performed using the Spearman rank order correlation method. Temporal trends were analyzed by estimating the estimated annual percentage change (EAPC). Results: Globally in 2019, there were a total of 487.97 thousand deaths and 13,093.42 thousand DALYs attributed to CKD attributed to HFPG, which represent a substantial increase of 153.8% and 120%, respectively, compared to 1990. Over the period from 1990 to 2019, the burden of CKD attributable to HFPG increased across all regions, with the highest increases observed in regions with high socio-demographic index (SDI) and middle SDI. Regions with lower SDI exhibited higher ASMR and age-standardized DALYs (ASDR) compared to developed nations at the regional level. Additionally, the EAPC values, which indicate the rate of increase, were significantly higher in these regions compared to developed nations. Notably, high-income North America, belonging to the high SDI regions, experienced the greatest increase in both ASMR and ASDR over the past three decades. Furthermore, throughout the years from 1990 to 2019, males bore a greater burden of CKD attributable to HFPG. Conclusion: With an increasing population and changing dietary patterns, the burden of CKD attributed to HFPG is expected to worsen. From 1990 to 2019, males and developing regions have experienced a more significant burden. Notably, the EAPC values for both ASMR and ASDR were higher in males and regions with lower SDI (excluding high-income North America). This emphasizes the pressing requirement for effective interventions to reduce the burden of CKD attributable to HFPG.

Environmental sustainability practice of sewage sludge and low-rank coal co-pyrolysis: A comparative life cycle assessment study.

This study attempts to bridge the current research gaps related to the environmental burdens of low-rank coal (LRC) and sewage sludge (SS) co-pyrolysis potentially. The life cycle assessment (LCA), energy recovery and sensitivity analysis were investigated for different proportions of LRC and SS (co-)pyrolysis. The results showed that the LRC/SS pyrolysis mitigated the environmental burden with an average improvement of 43 % across 18 impact categories compared with SS pyrolysis. The best net values of energy and carbon credits were identified in SL-4 with -3.36 kWh/kg biochar and -1.10 CO2-eq/kg biochar, respectively. This study firstly proposed an optimal LRC/SS co-feed proportion at 3 to 7, which achieves the acceptable environmental burden and satisfactory energy recovery. Moreover, sensitivity analysis demonstrated this proportion is robust and adaptable. LRC/SS co-pyrolysis is a promising and sustainable alternative for SS disposal, which could meet the imperative of carbon emission mitigation and resource recycling.

Analysis of spatial characteristics and influencing factors of the flow network of highly educated talents from national and local perspective.

Based on dynamic monitoring data on China's population, by using complex networks, spatial analysis and mathematical measurement, this study reveals the spatial characteristics and influencing factors of the network of flows of highly educated talents in the Yangtze River Delta region from the national and local perspectives. In the two perspectives, the network has strong isomorphism and certain differences. The in-flow of highly educated talents from cities with high administrative levels and more developed economies to Shanghai constitutes the core of the entire network. From a national perspective, highly educated talents tend to converge to the Yangtze River Delta region. From a local perspective, it was found that these talents cluster towards a limited number of cities in the region. From both perspectives, the flow network has developed into a "core-periphery" progressive hierarchical structure, with Shanghai becoming the sole core city. There is little difference in the influencing factors of talent mobility from both macro and meso perspectives. Highly educated talents would frequently flow between cities with strong economic development levels, and cities with high education level, scientific and technological level, complete infrastructure, and good aesthetics. However, geographical distance still plays a hindering role in the flow of highly educated talents, and factors such as cultural identity, institutional, and social modality differences among regions also have a certain effect on the flow of these talents.

Coal consumption and carbon emission reductions in BRICS countries.

The primary energy consumption structure of BRICS countries is dominated by fossil energy, particularly coal. Coal consumption in BRICS countries is a major driver underlying increased carbon emissions. Therefore, this study developed a spatiotemporal decoupling mode and incorporated factors related to coal consumption-induced carbon emissions into a spatiotemporal decoupling analysis method to provide differentiated and targeted policies for energy restructuring and emission reduction targets in BRICS countries. Moreover, a temporal-spatial decomposition logarithmic mean Divisia index model was developed using the spatiotemporal decoupling index method. The model is based on CO2 emissions generated by coal consumption in BRICS countries, with a primary focus on data from Brazil, Russia, South Africa, India, and China. The findings reveal distinct spatiotemporal distributions and driving effects of coal consumption and carbon dioxide emissions across various countries. Factors such as CO2 emission intensity, coal consumption intensity, economic output per capita, and population structure exerted either positive or negative effects on the distributional effect of the carbon emission-economic output per capita association in BRICS countries. Additionally, country-level heterogeneity in the influence of the distributional effects of CO2 emissions was observed within each BRICS country. Thus, different policies are needed to achieve carbon emission reduction targets in different countries.

Prognostic Value of Segmental Strain After ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction: Insights From the EARLY Assessment of MYOcardial Tissue Characteristics by Cardiac Magnetic Resonance (EARLY-MYO-CMR) Study.

BACKGROUND: The prognostic value of left ventricular segmental strain (SS) in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) remains unclear. HYPOTHESIS: To assess the prognostic value and application of SS. STUDY TYPE: Retrospective analysis of a prospective registry. POPULATION: Five hundred and forty-four patients after STEMI (500 in Cohort 1, 44 in Cohort 2). FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: 3 T, balanced steady-state free precession, gradient echo, and gradient echo contrast-enhanced images. ASSESSMENT: Participants underwent cardiac MR during the acute phase after STEMI. Infarct-related artery (IRA) strain was determined based on SS obtained from cine images. The primary endpoint was the composite of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) after 8 years of follow-up. In Cohort 2, SS stability was assessed by MR twice within 8 days. Contrast and non-contrast risk models based on SS were established, leading to the development of an algorithm. STATISTICAL TEST: Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney U-test, Cox and logistic regression, Kaplan-Meier analysis, net reclassification index (NRI). P < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 5.2 years, 83 patients from Cohort 1 experienced a MACE. Among SS, IRA peak circumferential strain (IRA-CS) was an independent factor for MACEs (adjusted hazard ratio 1.099), providing incremental prognostic value (NRI 0.180, P = 0.10). Patients with worse IRA-CS (>-8.64%) demonstrated a heightened susceptibility to MACE. Additionally, IRA-CS was significantly associated with microvascular obstruction (MVO) (adjusted odds ratio 1.084) and infarct size (r = 0.395). IRA-CS showed comparable prognostic effectiveness to global peak circumferential strain (NRI 0.100, P = 0.39), also counterbalancing contrast and non-contrast risk models (NRI 0.205, P = 0.05). In Cohort 2, IRA-CS demonstrated stability between two time points (P = 0.10). Based on risk models incorporating IRA-CS, algorithm "HJKL" was preliminarily proposed for stratification. DATA CONCLUSIONS: IRA-CS is an important prognostic factor, and an algorithm based on it is proposed for stratification. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 2.

A collapse risk assessment method for subway foundation pit based on cloud model and improved Dempster-Shafer evidence theory.

Collapse is a major engineering hazard in open-cut foundation pit construction, and risk assessment is crucial for considerably reducing engineering hazards. This study aims to address the ambiguity problem of qualitative index quantification and the failure of high-conflict evidence fusion in risk assessment. Thus, a fast-converging and high-reliability multi-source data fusion method based on the cloud model (CM) and improved Dempster-Shafer evidence theory is proposed. The method can achieve an accurate assessment of subway pit collapse risks. First, the CM is introduced to quantify the qualitative metrics. Then, a new correction parameter is defined for improving the conflicts among evidence bodies based on conflict degree, discrepancy degree and uncertainty, while a fine-tuning term is added to reduce the subjective effect of global focal element assignment. Finally, the risk assessment result is obtained according to the maximum affiliation principle. The method is successfully applied to Luochongwei Station, where the difference between the maximum value and the second largest value of the basic probability assignment is 0.624, and the global uncertainty degree is 0.087. Both values satisfy the decision evaluation condition; however, values of other methods only satisfy one or neither condition. In addition, the proposed method requires only four cycles to reach the steady state by fusing data of the same index, which has faster convergence compared with that of other methods. The proposed method has good universality and effectiveness in subway pit collapse risk assessment.

Large-Scale assessment of ChatGPT's performance in benign and malignant bone tumors imaging report diagnosis and its potential for clinical applications.

Objective: This study was designed to delve into the complexities involved in diagnosing of benign and malignant bone tumors and to assess the potential of AI technologies like ChatGPT in improving diagnostic accuracy and efficiency. The study also explores the few-shot learning as a method to optimize ChatGPT's performance in specialized medical domains such as benign and malignant bone tumors diagnosis. Methods: A total of 1366 benign and malignant bone tumors-related imaging reports were collected and diagnosed by 25 experienced physicians. The gold standard of diagnosis was established by combining clinical, imaging and pathological principles.These reports were then input into the ChatGPT model which underwent a few-shot learning method to generate diagnostic results. The diagnostic results of the physicians and the AI model were compared to evaluate the performance of ChatGPT. An experiment was conducted to assess the influence of different radiologist's reporting styles on the model's diagnostic performance. Furthermore, in-depth analysis of misdiagnosed cases was carried out, categorizing diagnostic errors and exploring possible causes. Results: The diagnostic results generated by ChatGPT showed an accuracy of 0.73, sensitivity of 0.95, and specificity of 0.58. After few-shot learning, ChatGPT demonstrated significant improvement, achieving an accuracy of 0.87, sensitivity of 0.99, and specificity of 0.73, bringing it much closer to the level of physician diagnostics. In an experiment analyzing the influence of the radiologist's reporting style, the model demonstrated higher sensitivity when interpreting reports written by high-level radiologists. In 56 benign cases, ChatGPT misdiagnosed them as malignant. Among these, 35 benign lesions- fibrous dysplasia and osteofibrous dysplasia- were incorrectly identified as metastatic tumors or osteosarcomas; 8 cases of myositis ossificans were wrongly diagnosed as extraosseous osteosarcoma. 7 cases of giant cell tumor of bone at the end of long bone were misdiagnosed as osteosarcoma by intermediate doctors. Chondroblastoma was misdiagnosed as malignant tumor in 6 cases -2 osteosarcoma and 4 chondrosarcoma-In this study, 23 osteosarcoma cases were misdiagnosed by ChatGPT as osteomyelitis; Chondrosarcoma was misdiagnosed as fibrous dysplasia or aneurysmal bone cyst in 8 cases. Four cases of spinal chordoma were misdiagnosed as spinal tuberculosis. Conclusion: Our findings highlight the potential of ChatGPT in the diagnosis of benign and malignant bone tumors, offering advantages like enhanced efficiency and a reduction in missed diagnoses. However, the necessity of collaborative interactions between physicians and ChatGPT in practical settings was underscored. With an examination into AI's capacity in benign and malignant bone tumors diagnosis, this study lays the groundwork for future AI advancements in medicine. Additionally, the benefits of few-shot learning in fine-tuning ChatGPT applications in specialized fields were also demonstrated.

Can Social Mobility Impact Frailty Trajectories of Chinese Adults in Later Life? A Nationwide Longitudinal Study.

Background and Objectives: Evidence remains unclear on the impact of life-course socioeconomic position (SEP) mobility on frailty trajectories in later life. We aim to examine the longitudinal effects of social mobility on frailty trajectories among Chinese middle-aged and older populations. Research Design and Methods: A total of 13 239 participants aged 45 and older from the 2011-2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study were analyzed. Based on changes in SEP from childhood to adulthood, 5 patterns of social mobility were established. A 32-item deficit cumulative frailty index (FI) was developed to evaluate frailty trajectories at each follow-up. Linear mixed-effects models were used to examine the longitudinal association of the 5 social mobility patterns with the frailty trajectory. Results: The trajectory of late-life FI increased across all 5 social mobility groups during the follow-up. The FI trajectory had the largest disparity between stable high SEP and stable low SEP, with a faster increase in FI of 0.489 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.327-0.650, p < .001) in the stable low versus stable high SEP group. The FI trajectories of individuals in the upward and downward mobility groups fall between those in the stable high SEP and low SEP groups. Specifically, compared to the stable high SEP group, the increase in FI was 0.229 (95% CI: 0.098-0.360, p = .001) faster in the downward mobility group, and 0.145 (95% CI: 0.017-0.273, p = .03) faster in the upward mobility group. The impact of social mobility on frailty trajectories was more pronounced among middle-aged adults and women. Discussion and Implications: These findings emphasize that policies to identify vulnerable populations and reduce frailty inequalities should focus on the socioeconomic environment across the life course, with particular attention paid to those with consistently low SEP and downward mobility.

Risk assessment and prevention of urolithiasis in urban areas of Baoding, China.

Urolithiasis, or the formation of calculi in the urinary system, represents a prevalent urological condition frequently encountered among individuals aged 30 to 55 years. An in-depth analysis of the composition of these calculi holds significant promise in shedding light on the underlying etiological and pathogenic factors contributing to this ailment. The primary objective of this study was to delineate the principal components comprising urinary system calculi within a cohort of patients who sought medical intervention at a tertiary grade A hospital located in Baoding City. Furthermore, our investigation entailed a comprehensive examination of the physical and morphological characteristics exhibited by these calculi. In this study, a total of 2307 individuals afflicted with urinary system calculi were recruited as participants, and a corresponding number of 2307 calculous specimens were subjected to thorough examination. The specimens were examined using infrared spectroscopy. We collected and examined patient data including gender, age, location of the calculi, employment status, residential area, and other factors. The middle-aged demographic exhibited a conspicuous predilection for urinary system calculi, wherein a notable gender disparity was observed, with a male-to-female ratio of 1.63 to 1. Among the enrolled patients, kidney calculi were prevalent in 1270 cases, ureteral calculi were documented in 983 cases, and bladder calculi were encountered in 46 instances. Notably, the principal components comprising these calculi were identified as calcium oxalate and apatite, while uric acid and ammonium magnesium phosphate were comparatively less frequently encountered. Furthermore, the analysis of calculus composition across patients residing in distinct geographical regions did not reveal any statistically significant variations. The identification of components within upper urinary tract calculi plays a pivotal role in elucidating the root causes of calculus formation. This valuable information empowers healthcare professionals, particularly nursing staff, to provide personalized dietary and health guidance to patients, thereby enhancing the quality of care and promoting more effective management of this condition.

The burden of acute lymphoid leukemia among adolescents and young adults in the Western Pacific Region: evidence from Global Burden Disease 2019.

PURPOSE: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a type of blood cancer that affects white blood cells. Here, we use data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019, to estimate the burden and incidence rate changes in adolescents and young adults (AYA) ALL in the Western Pacific Region and to reveal potential risk factors of incidence- and mortality rates. METHODS: The GBD 2019 study data was stratified by sex, age, country, and territory. We calculated the Estimated annual percentage changes (estimated APC) in mortality and incidence rates for each of the 25 countries and territories of the western Pacific region from 1990 to 2019. RESULTS: This study found global AYA ALL incidence rates had increased while the mortality rates had decreased between 1990 and 2019. Moreover, healthcare access and quality (HAQ), and government per capita health spending were identified as country-level risk factors of AYA ALL incidence rates, while HAQ, male education, and sex were identified as mortality rate predictors in 25 Western Pacific Region countries. CONCLUSION: To address and reduce the burden of incidence and mortality among AYA, various regions around the world, particularly developing countries, could revise their AYA prevention and treatment strategies.

The application of demographic characteristics of Ectropis grisescens (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) in pest risk assessment of IPM.

Ectropis grisescens Warren is one of the most important pests of tea plants. In this study, data on the development, survival, and fecundity of E. grisescens were collected at 15, 22, and 32 °C and analyzed by using the age-stage, two-sex life table. At 15 °C, the duration of the preadult period of E. grisescens was significantly prolonged (81.06 days), with high mortality (69.0%), and the proportion of emerged female adults was extremely low (7.0%). At 32 °C, the preadult period was significantly shortened (29.12 days), with high preadult mortality (74.0%), and a low proportion of emerged female adults (15.0%). At 22 °C, with low preadult mortality (24.0%), and a high proportion of emerged female adults (26.0%). The overall effects of the shorter preadult duration, higher preadult survival rate, higher proportion of emerged female adults, higher fecundity (F = 350.88 eggs/♀), and higher net reproductive rate (R0 = 91.23 offspring/individual) at 22 °C resulted in the highest values of the intrinsic rate of increase (r = 0.1054 days-1) and finite rate of increase (λ = 1.1112 days-1). Computer simulation showed that E. grisescens populations can increase much faster at 22 °C than at 15 and 32 °C. The weighted population size and cumulative weighted insect-days provided the dynamics necessary for estimating the damage potential of E. grisescens in devising economical pest management programs. Our results demonstrate that populations of E. grisescens were able to develop at a broad range of temperatures and adapt to the high temperatures. These finding can be utilized to improve the management of E. grisescens.

STING-targeted PET tracer for early assessment of tumor immunogenicity in colorectal cancer after chemotherapy.

PURPOSE: To optimize chemotherapy regimens and improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy, a PET tracer specifically targeting the stimulator of interferon genes (STING), denoted as [18F]FBTA was used to monitor the early changes in tumor immunogenicity after chemotherapy in colorectal cancer (CRC) mice. METHODS: The toluene sulfonate precursor was labeled with 18F to produce the STING targeted probe-[18F]FBTA. [18F]FBTA-PET imaging and biodistribution were performed using CRC mice treated with oxaliplatin (OXA) or cisplatin (CDDP). CRC mice were also treated with low (CDDP-LD: 1 mg/kg) or medium (CDDP-MD: 2.5 mg/kg) doses of CDDP, and subjected to PET imaging and biodistribution. The effects of different chemotherapeutic agents and different doses of CDDP on tumor innate immunity were verified by flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: PET imaging of CRC mice exhibited notably enhanced tumor uptake in the early phase of chemotherapy with treatment with OXA (3.09 ± 0.25%ID/g) and CDDP (4.01 ± 0.18%ID/g), especially in the CDDP group. The PET-derived tumor uptake values have strong correlations with STING immunohistochemical score. Flow cytometry showed both agents led to DCs and macrophages infiltration in tumors. Compared with OXA, CDDP treatment recruits more DCs and macrophages in CRC tumors. Both CDDP-LD and CDDP-MD treatment elevated uptake in CRC tumors, especially in CDDP-MD group. Immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry confirmed CDDP-MD treatment recruits more DCs and macrophages than CDDP-LD treatment. CONCLUSION: Overall, the STING-targeted tracer-[18F]FBTA was demonstrated to monitor early changes in tumor immunogenicity in CRC mice after chemotherapy. Besides, the STING-targeted strategy may help to select the appropriate chemotherapy regimen, including chemotherapeutic agents and doses, which further improve clinical decision making for combination immunotherapy after chemotherapy for CRC.

Molecular identification and safety assessment of the potential probiotic strain Bacillus paralicheniformis HMPM220325 isolated from artisanal fruit dairy products.

Bacillus probiotics exhibit considerable economic potential owing to their heightened resilience to external stressors and relatively lower costs related to production and preservation. Although Bacillus paralicheniformis has been acknowledged as a plant-promoting bacterium for a long time, understanding its potential as a probiotic is still in its nascent stages. In this study, the safety and probiotic characteristics of a strain of HMPM220325, isolated from artisanal fruit dairy products, were examined through whole-genome sequencing and phenotypic analysis. The whole genome of HMPM220325 was analyzed for antimicrobial resistance genes, pathogenicity factors, and genes associated with probiotic traits including stress resistance, spore formation, gut adhesion, competitive exclusion of pathogens, bacteriocin expression, and carbohydrate metabolism related to prebiotic utilization. Also, wet lab experiments were conducted for the characterization of probiotics. The identification of the organism as B. paralicheniformis was verified. Its safety was assessed through in silico analysis, the haemolytic activity test, and the acute oral toxicity test. B. paralicheniformis HMPM220325 demonstrated its ability to survive in the pH range of 4-10 and bile salt concentrations of 0-0.9% (w/v), tolerate temperatures between 20 and 60 °C, and exhibit a robust antioxidant capacity. Moreover, B. paralicheniformis HMPM220325 demonstrated a moderate level of hydrophobicity, had the ability to form biofilms, achieved a self-aggregation rate of 51.77 ± 1.01% within 6 hours, and successfully colonized the mouse intestine for a duration of up to 17 days. Additionally, the genome of B. paralicheniformis HMPM220325 contains three gene clusters associated with the biosynthesis of bacteriocins and exhibits co-aggregation with Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. The findings of the genomic analysis align with those obtained from the experimental investigation, thereby substantiating the potential of B. paralicheniformis HMPM220325 as a probiotic suitable for incorporation in dairy functional foods and feed applications.

Dynamic Risk Assessment of Voltage Violation in Distribution Networks with Distributed Generation.

In response to the growing demand for economic and social development, there has been a significant increase in the integration of distributed generation (DG) into distribution networks. This paper proposes a dynamic risk assessment method for voltage violations in distribution networks with DG. Firstly, considering the characteristics of random variables such as load and DG, a probability density function estimation method based on boundary kernel density estimation is proposed. This method accurately models the probability of random variables under different time and external environmental conditions, such as wind speed and global horizontal radiation. Secondly, to address the issue of correlated DG in the same region, an independent transformation method based on the Rosenblatt inverse transform is proposed, which enhances the accuracy of probabilistic load flow. Thirdly, a voltage violation severity index based on the utility function is proposed. This index, in combination with probabilistic load flow results, facilitates the quantitative assessment of voltage violation risks. Finally, the accuracy of the proposed method is verified on the IEEE-33 system.