Author Correction: A new coronavirus associated with human respiratory disease in China.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

A new coronavirus associated with human respiratory disease in China.

Emerging infectious diseases, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Zika virus disease, present a major threat to public health1-3. Despite intense research efforts, how, when and where new diseases appear are still a source of considerable uncertainty. A severe respiratory disease was recently reported in Wuhan, Hubei province, China. As of 25 January 2020, at least 1,975 cases had been reported since the first patient was hospitalized on 12 December 2019. Epidemiological investigations have suggested that the outbreak was associated with a seafood market in Wuhan. Here we study a single patient who was a worker at the market and who was admitted to the Central Hospital of Wuhan on 26 December 2019 while experiencing a severe respiratory syndrome that included fever, dizziness and a cough. Metagenomic RNA sequencing4 of a sample of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from the patient identified a new RNA virus strain from the family Coronaviridae, which is designated here 'WH-Human 1' coronavirus (and has also been referred to as '2019-nCoV'). Phylogenetic analysis of the complete viral genome (29,903 nucleotides) revealed that the virus was most closely related (89.1% nucleotide similarity) to a group of SARS-like coronaviruses (genus Betacoronavirus, subgenus Sarbecovirus) that had previously been found in bats in China5. This outbreak highlights the ongoing ability of viral spill-over from animals to cause severe disease in humans.

Electrochemical Lateral Flow Immunoassay with Built-In Electrodes for Ultrasensitive and Wireless Detection of Inflammatory Biomarkers.

Paper-based lateral flow immunoassays (LFIAs) are cost-effective, portable, and simple methods for detection of diverse analytes, which however only provide qualitative or semiquantitative results and lack sufficient sensitivity. A combination of LFIA and electrochemical detection, namely, electrochemical lateral flow immunoassay (eLFIA), enables quantitative detection of analytes with high sensitivity, but the integration of external electrodes makes the system relatively expensive and unstable. Herein, the working, counter, and reference electrodes were prepared directly on the nitrocellulose membrane using screen printing, which remarkably simplified the structure of eLFIA and decreased the cost. Moreover, a horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-based electrochemical signal amplification strategy was used for further increasing the analytical sensitivity. HRP captured on the working electrode can catalyze the oxidation of tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) to form the TMB-TMBox precipitate on the electrode surface, which as an electrochemically active product can output an amplified current for quantification. We demonstrated that the eLFIA could detect low-abundant inflammatory biomarkers in human plasma samples with limits of detection of 0.17 and 0.54 pg mL-1 for interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein, respectively. Finally, a fully portable system was fabricated by integrating eLFIA with a flexible and wireless electrochemical workstation, realizing the point-of-care detection of interleukin-6.

Deciphering cutaneous melanoma prognosis through LDL metabolism: Single-cell transcriptomics analysis via 101 machine learning algorithms.

Cutaneous melanoma poses a formidable challenge within the field of oncology, marked by its aggressive nature and capacity for metastasis. Despite extensive research uncovering numerous genetic and molecular contributors to cutaneous melanoma development, there remains a critical knowledge gap concerning the role of lipids, notably low-density lipoprotein (LDL), in this lethal skin cancer. This article endeavours to bridge this knowledge gap by delving into the intricate interplay between LDL metabolism and cutaneous melanoma, shedding light on how lipids influence tumour progression, immune responses and potential therapeutic avenues. Genes associated with LDL metabolism were extracted from the GSEA database. We acquired and analysed single-cell sequencing data (GSE215120) and bulk-RNA sequencing data, including the TCGA data set, GSE19234, GSE22153 and GSE65904. Our analysis unveiled the heterogeneity of LDL across various cell types at the single-cell sequencing level. Additionally, we constructed an LDL-related signature (LRS) using machine learning algorithms, incorporating differentially expressed genes and highly correlated genes. The LRS serves as a valuable tool for assessing the prognosis, immunity and mutation status of patients with cutaneous melanoma. Furthermore, we conducted experiments on A375 and WM-115 cells to validate the function of PPP2R1A, a pivotal gene within the LRS. Our comprehensive approach, combining advanced bioinformatics analyses with an extensive review of current literature, presents compelling evidence regarding the significance of LDL within the cutaneous melanoma microenvironment.

Unravelling the metabolic landscape of cutaneous melanoma: Insights from single-cell sequencing analysis and machine learning for prognostic assessment of lactate metabolism.

This manuscript presents a comprehensive investigation into the role of lactate metabolism-related genes as potential prognostic markers in skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM). Bulk-transcriptome data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and GSE19234, GSE22153, and GSE65904 cohorts from GEO database were processed and harmonized to mitigate batch effects. Lactate metabolism scores were assigned to individual cells using the 'AUCell' package. Weighted Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) was employed to identify gene modules correlated with lactate metabolism. Machine learning algorithms were applied to construct a prognostic model, and its performance was evaluated in multiple cohorts. Immune correlation, mutation analysis, and enrichment analysis were conducted to further characterize the prognostic model's biological implications. Finally, the function of key gene NDUFS7 was verified by cell experiments. Machine learning resulted in an optimal prognostic model, demonstrating significant prognostic value across various cohorts. In the different cohorts, the high-risk group showed a poor prognosis. Immune analysis indicated differences in immune cell infiltration and checkpoint gene expression between risk groups. Mutation analysis identified genes with high mutation loads in SKCM. Enrichment analysis unveiled enriched pathways and biological processes in high-risk SKCM patients. NDUFS7 was found to be a hub gene in the protein-protein interaction network. After the expression of NDUFS7 was reduced by siRNA knockdown, CCK-8, colony formation, transwell and wound healing tests showed that the activity, proliferation and migration of A375 and WM115 cell lines were significantly decreased. This study offers insights into the prognostic significance of lactate metabolism-related genes in SKCM.

Peripheral blood eosinophils: an important reference for radiologists to distinguish between pulmonary paragonimiasis and tuberculous pleurisy in children.

OBJECTIVE: In this study, we examined the value of chest CT signs combined with peripheral blood eosinophil percentage in differentiating between pulmonary paragonimiasis and tuberculous pleurisy in children. METHODS: Patients with pulmonary paragonimiasis and tuberculous pleurisy were retrospectively enrolled from January 2019 to April 2023 at the Kunming Third People's Hospital and Lincang People's Hospital. There were 69 patients with pulmonary paragonimiasis (paragonimiasis group) and 89 patients with tuberculous pleurisy (tuberculosis group). Clinical symptoms, chest CT imaging findings, and laboratory test results were analyzed. Using binary logistic regression, an imaging model of CT signs and a combined model of CT signs and eosinophils were developed to calculate and compare the differential diagnostic performance of the two models. RESULTS: CT signs were used to establish the imaging model, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted. The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.856 (95% CI: 0.799-0.913), the sensitivity was 66.7%, and the specificity was 88.9%. The combined model was established using the CT signs and eosinophil percentage, and the ROC was plotted. The AUC curve was 0.950 (95% CI: 0.919-0.980), the sensitivity was 89.9%, and the specificity was 90.1%. The differential diagnostic efficiency of the combined model was higher than that of the imaging model, and the difference in AUC was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The combined model has a higher differential diagnosis efficiency than the imaging model in the differentiation of pulmonary paragonimiasis and tuberculous pleurisy in children. The presence of a tunnel sign on chest CT, the absence of pulmonary nodules, and an elevated percentage of peripheral blood eosinophils are indicative of pulmonary paragonimiasis in children.

Case-controlled study of tuberculosis in in-vitro fertilisation-embryo transfer and natural pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: To improve the understanding of the clinical features and imaging characteristics of pregnant women with and without in-vitro fertilisation-embryo transfer combined with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted involving 50 patients with pregnancy who had pulmonary TB and were admitted to the Third People's Hospital of Kunming (China) between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2021. These patients were divided into an in-vitro fertilisation and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) conception group and a natural conception group according to the conception method. The clinical and imaging data were then collected and compared. RESULTS: The mean age of the IVF-ET group (n = 13, 31.85 ± 5.84 years) was higher than in the natural conception group (n = 37, 27.05 ± 5.5 years). The proportions of fever, haematogenous TB and extrapulmonary TB in the IVF-ET group (92.31%, 84.62% and 76.92%, respectively) were higher than those in the natural conception group (40.54%,16.22%,27.03%,respectively). The percentage of patients with pregnancy who had intracranial TB (76.9%) in the IVF-ET group was higher than in the natural conception group (10.8%). The percentage of pregnancy terminations in the IVF-ET conception group (84.62%) was higher than in the natural conception group (48.65%). All the above results had statistically significant differences (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Overall, IVF-ET conception combined with extensive pulmonary TB lesions lead to heavy systemic toxic symptoms, severe disease and poor pregnancy outcomes. Therefore, screening for TB prior to performing IVF-ET is recommended.

PANoptosis-related signature in melanoma: Transcriptomic mapping and clinical prognostication.

Programmed cell death plays a pivotal role in maintaining tissue homeostasis, and recent advancements in cell biology have uncovered PANoptosis-a novel paradigm integrating pyroptosis, apoptosis, and necroptosis. This study investigates the implications of PANoptosis in melanoma, a formidable skin cancer known for its metastatic potential and resistance to conventional therapies. Leveraging bulk and single-cell transcriptome analyses, machine learning modeling, and immune correlation assessments, we unveil the molecular intricacies of PANoptosis in melanoma. Single-cell sequencing identifies diverse cell types involved in PANoptosis, while bulk transcriptome analysis reveals key gene sets correlated with PANoptosis. Machine learning algorithms construct a robust prognostic model, demonstrating consistent predictive power across diverse cohorts. Patients with different cohorts can be divided into high-risk and low-risk groups according to this PANoptosis score, with the high-risk group having a significantly worse prognosis. Immune correlation analyses unveil a link between PANoptosis and immunotherapy response, with potential therapeutic implications. Mutation analysis and enrichment studies provide insights into the mutational landscape associated with PANoptosis. Finally, we used cell experiments to verify the expression and function of key gene PARVA, showing that PARVA was highly expressed in melanoma cell lines, and after PARVA is knocked down, cell invasion, migration, and colony formation ability were significantly decreased. This study advances our understanding of PANoptosis in melanoma, offering a comprehensive framework for targeted therapeutic interventions and personalized medicine strategies in combating this aggressive malignancy.

Detection of botulinum neurotoxin A (BoNT/A) enzymatic activity by pregnancy test strips based on hCG-modified magnetic nanoparticles.

The detection of botulinum neurotoxin A (BoNT/A) endopeptidase activity by pregnancy test paper based on human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)-functionalized peptide-modified magnetic nanoparticles (MNs) is described for the first time. HCG-functionalized SNAP-25 peptide substrate with hydrolysis recognition sites was optimally designed. HCG can be recognized by pregnancy test strips. BoNT/A light chain (BoNT-LcA) is the central part of the endopeptidase function in holotoxin, which can specifically hydrolyze SNAP-25 peptide to release the hCG-peptide probe, and the hCG-peptide probe released can be quantitatively detected by pregnancy test strips, achieving indirect determination of BoNT/A. By quantifying the T-line color intensity of test strips, the visual detection limit for BoNT-LcA is 12.5 pg/mL, and the linear range of detection for BoNT-LcA and BoNT/A holotoxin was 100 pg/mL to 1 ng/mL and 25 to 250 ng/mL. The ability of the method to quantify BoNT/A was validated in human serum samples. This method shows the potential for sensitive detecting BoNT/A and has prospects for the diagnosis and prognosis of clinical botulism.

Development and validation of ferroptosis-related lncRNA signature and immune-related gene signature for predicting the prognosis of cutaneous melanoma patients.

Ferroptosis, a form of cell death caused by iron-dependent peroxidation of lipids, plays an important role in cancer. Recent studies have shown that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in the regulation of ferroptosis in tumor cells and are also closely related to tumor immunity. Immune cell infiltration in the tumor microenvironment affects the prognosis and clinical outcome of immunotherapy in melanoma patients, and immune cell classification may be able to accurately predict the prognosis of melanoma patients. However, the prognostic value of ferroptosis-related lncRNAs (FRLs) in melanoma has not been thoroughly explored, and it is difficult to define the immune characteristics of melanoma. We used The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) database, and the FerrDb database to identify FRLs. FRLs with prognostic value were evaluated in an experimental cohort utilizing univariate, LASSO (least absolute shrinkage and selection operator) and multivariate Cox regression, followed by in vitro assays evaluating the expression levels and the biological functions of three candidate FRLs. Kaplan-Meier (K-M) and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were used to assess the validity of the risk model, and the drug sensitivity of FRLs was examined by drug sensitivity analysis. The differentially expressed genes between the high- and low-risk groups in the risk model were enriched in the immune pathway, and we further found immune gene signatures (IRGs) that could predict the prognosis of melanoma patients through a series of methods including single-sample Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (ssGSEA). Finally, two GEO cohorts were used to validate the predictive accuracy and reliability of these two signature models. Our findings suggest that FRLs and IRGs have the potential to predict the prognosis of patients with cutaneous melanoma.

Human MAIT cell cytolytic effector proteins synergize to overcome carbapenem resistance in Escherichia coli.

Mucosa-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are abundant antimicrobial T cells in humans and recognize antigens derived from the microbial riboflavin biosynthetic pathway presented by the MHC-Ib-related protein (MR1). However, the mechanisms responsible for MAIT cell antimicrobial activity are not fully understood, and the efficacy of these mechanisms against antibiotic resistant bacteria has not been explored. Here, we show that MAIT cells mediate MR1-restricted antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli clinical strains in a manner dependent on the activity of cytolytic proteins but independent of production of pro-inflammatory cytokines or induction of apoptosis in infected cells. The combined action of the pore-forming antimicrobial protein granulysin and the serine protease granzyme B released in response to T cell receptor (TCR)-mediated recognition of MR1-presented antigen is essential to mediate control against both cell-associated and free-living, extracellular forms of E. coli. Furthermore, MAIT cell-mediated bacterial control extends to multidrug-resistant E. coli primary clinical isolates additionally resistant to carbapenems, a class of last resort antibiotics. Notably, high levels of granulysin and granzyme B in the MAIT cell secretomes directly damage bacterial cells by increasing their permeability, rendering initially resistant E. coli susceptible to the bactericidal activity of carbapenems. These findings define the role of cytolytic effector proteins in MAIT cell-mediated antimicrobial activity and indicate that granulysin and granzyme B synergize to restore carbapenem bactericidal activity and overcome carbapenem resistance in E. coli.

Pheochromocytoma crisis with refractory Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), Takotsubo syndrome, emergency adrenalectomy, and need for Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) in a previously undiagnosed and asymptomatic patient, due to the use of metoclopramide.

BACKGROUND: Pheochromocytoma (PCC) crisis is a rare life-threatening endocrine emergency. The diagnosis and treatment of PCC crisis, with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) as the first manifestation, is highly challenging, and traditional PCC management strategies are no longer suitable for these patients. CASE PRESENTATION: A 46-year-old female patient was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) following sudden-onset acute respiratory distress and subsequent initiation of mechanical ventilation via endotracheal intubation. She was initially suspected of having a PCC crisis through the bedside critical care ultrasonic examination protocol. The computed tomography examination revealed a left adrenal neoplasm of 6.5cm × 5.9cm. The plasma-free metanephrine level was 100 times higher than the reference value. These findings were compatible with her PCC diagnosis. Alpha-blockers and fluid intake were started immediately. The endotracheal intubation was removed on the 11th day after admission to the ICU. The patient progressed to severe ARDS again, and invasive ventilation and continuous renal replacement therapy were needed. Despite aggressive therapy, her condition deteriorated. Therefore, she underwent veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO)-assisted emergency adrenalectomy after multidisciplinary discussion. Postoperatively, the patient was supported by VA-ECMO for 7days. She was discharged from the hospital on day 30 after tumor resection. CONCLUSIONS: This case highlighted the challenges in diagnosing and managing ARDS associated with PCC crisis. The traditional preoperative preparation protocol and optimal operation timing for patients with PCC are not suitable for patients with PCC crisis. Patients with life-threatening PCC crisis may benefit from early tumor removal, and VA-ECMO could maintain hemodynamic stability during and after surgery.

Smurf1 Facilitates Oxidative Stress and Fibrosis of Ligamentum Flavum by Promoting Nrf2 Ubiquitination and Degradation.

Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS), which can lead to irreversible neurologic damage and functional disability, is characterized by hypertrophy and fibrosis in the ligamentum flavum (LF). However, the underlying mechanism is still unclear. In the current study, the effect of Smurf1, a kind of E3 ubiquitin ligase, in promoting the fibrosis and oxidative stress of LF was investigated, and its underlying mechanism was explored. The expression of oxidative stress and fibrosis-related markers was assessed in the tissue of lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) and lumbar disc herniation (LDH). Next, the expression of the top 10 E3 ubiquitin ligases, obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) dataset GSE113212, was assessed in LDH and LSS, and confirmed that Smurf1 expression was markedly upregulated in the LSS group. Furthermore, Smurf1 overexpression promotes the fibrosis and oxidative stress of LF cells. Subsequently, NRF2, an important transcription factor for oxidative stress and fibrosis, was predicted to be a target of Smurf1. Mechanistically, Smurf1 directly interacts with Nrf2 and accelerates Nrf2 ubiquitination and degradation. In conclusion, the current study suggests that Smurf1 facilitated the fibrosis and oxidative stress of LF and induced the development of LSS by promoting Nrf2 ubiquitination and degradation.

Computer Vision Technology for Monitoring of Indoor and Outdoor Environments and HVAC Equipment: A Review.

Artificial intelligence technologies such as computer vision (CV), machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), and robotics have advanced rapidly in recent years. The new technologies provide non-contact measurements in three areas: indoor environmental monitoring, outdoor environ-mental monitoring, and equipment monitoring. This paper summarizes the specific applications of non-contact measurement based on infrared images and visible images in the areas of personnel skin temperature, position posture, the urban physical environment, building construction safety, and equipment operation status. At the same time, the challenges and opportunities associated with the application of CV technology are anticipated.

Effect of continuous nursing on wound infection and quality of life in patients with cancer-related stoma: A meta-analysis.

A meta-analysis was conducted to comprehensively assess the effect of continuous nursing on wound infection and quality of life in patients with cancer-related stomas, providing an evidence-based rationale for the care of these patients. A computerised search of PubMed, Web of Science, Ovid, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang Data for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) on the effect of continuous nursing on wound infection and quality of life in patients with cancer-related stoma was conducted from the time the database was created to March 2023. The retrieved literature was screened, data were extracted, and the quality of the literature was evaluated according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4 software. Seventeen RCTs involving 1437 patients were included. Of the 1437 patients, 728 were in the continuous nursing group and 709 were in the control group. The results showed that continuous nursing significantly reduced the rate of wound infection in patients with cancer-related stomas (odds ratio [OR]: 0.30, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.16-0.53, p < 0.001) and improved their quality of life (standardised mean difference: 1.90. 95% CI: 1.32-2.47, p < 0.001). Available evidence suggests that continuous nursing for patients with cancer-related stomas can significantly reduce wound infections and improve their quality of life.

The deubiquitinating enzyme USP20 regulates the stability of the MCL1 protein.

Chemoresistance is a major obstacle faced by oesophageal cancer patients and is synonymous with a poor prognosis. MCL1 is a pivotal member of the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein family, which has been found to play an important role in cell survival, proliferation, differentiation and chemoresistance. Thus, it might be an ideal target for treating oesophageal cancer patients. Although it is known that MCL1 is degraded via the ubiquitin-proteasome system, the deubiquitylating enzyme (DUB) responsible for stabilizing MCL1 remains elusive to date. Herein, we demonstrate that Ubiquitin-Specific Protease 20 (USP20) is a novel regulator of the apoptotic signaling pathway. Moreover, USP20 could regulate the deubiquitination of MCL1 to, in turn, regulate its stability. Increased expression of USP20 was correlated with increased levels of MCL1 protein in human patient samples. In addition, depletion of USP20 could increase the polyubiquitination of MCL1, thereby increasing the conversion rate of MCL1 and the sensitivity of cells to chemotherapy. Overall, our findings indicate that the USP20-MCL1 axis might play a key role in the apoptotic signaling pathway.

Asymmetric character displacement in mixed oak stands.

Ecological character displacement (ECD) refers to a pattern of increased divergence at sites where species ranges overlap caused by competition for resources. Although ECD is believed to be common, there are few in-depth studies that clearly establish its existence, especially in plants. Thus, we have compared leaf traits in allopatric and sympatric populations of two East Asian deciduous oaks: Quercus dentata and Quercus aliena. In contrast to previous studies, we define sympatry and allopatry at a local scale, thereby comparing populations that can or cannot directly interact. Using genetic markers, we found greater genetic divergence between the two oak species growing in mixed stands and inferred that long-term gene flow has predominantly occurred asymmetrically from the cold-tolerant species (Q. dentata) to the warm-demanding later colonizing species (Q. aliena). Analysis of leaf traits revealed greater divergence in mixed than in pure oak stands. This was mostly due to the later colonizing species being characterized by more resource-conservative traits in the presence of the other species. Controlling for relevant environmental differences did not alter these conclusions. These results suggest that asymmetric trait divergence can take place where species coexist, possibly due to the imbalance in demographic history of species resulting in asymmetric inter-specific selection pressures.

Preparation of glycosyl carboxylic acids via stereoselective synthesis and oxidative cleavage of C-vinyl glycosides.

We have developed an improved cyanide-free strategy for the synthesis of glycosyl carboxylic acids, employing stereoselective C-vinyl glycosylation and oxidative cleavage of C-vinyl glycosides as key steps. Compared to our previous work, the amount of NaIO4 required for the oxidative cleavage step is reduced significantly from 18 equivalents to 4.5 equivalents. This modification not only is advantageous in terms of operation and costs but also avoids the over-oxidation problem, thus greatly expanding the substrate scope, which is evidenced by the fact that 10 out of 21 glycosyl carboxylic acids synthesized are undocumented. With differently O5-protected furanosyl acids in hand, we demonstrate that an electron-rich protecting group is beneficial for the decarboxylative arylation of furanosyl carboxylic acids. This represents a rare example of protecting groups affecting the reaction efficiency in radical C-glycosylation. As C-vinyl glycosides can be prepared stereoselectively and the oxidative step is stereoretentive, the approach provides an effective means to access 1,2-trans or 1,2-cis glycosyl acids, which would be a valuable alternative to the cyanide-based synthesis of glycosyl carboxylic acids.

Highly sensitive fluorescent detection of EDIL3 overexpressed exosomes for the diagnosis of triple-negative breast cancer.

EDIL3 is a strong and highly accurate diagnostic marker for breast cancer, meanwhile, EDIL3 overexpressed exosomes are novel biomarkers for the early diagnosis of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Here, we proposed a fluorescent detection method for EDIL3 overexpressed exosomes, which is simple and sensitive. Basically, we utilized a magnetic nanospheres (MNS) based liquid sandwich immunoassay strategy. MNS were modified with CD63 aptamers, which can immunologically bound to the CD63 protein on the surface of exosomes. Alexa Fluor 647 labeled anti-EDIL3 antibodies (Anti-EDIL3/AF647) were used as the fluorescent probes to recognize the EDIL3 on exosomes derived from a TNBC cell line (MDA-MB-231). With the target TNBC exosomes present, sandwich structures containing MNS, exosomes and fluorescent probes were formed. After magnetic purification, optical super resolution imaging of the products was conducted to check the specificity of the assay. In addition, fluorescence signals of the products were detected to quantitatively analyze the EDIL3 overexpressed exosomes. The linear range was found to be 7.78 × 101to 7.78× 106particlesµl-1. The detection limit was approximately 10 particlesµl-1. The feasibility of the method for the detection of exosomes in complex biological samples was also demonstrated. Such a simple and sensitive detection method for EDIL3 overexpressed exosomes holds a great potential in clinical diagnosis of TNBC.

Correction of the Estimated Hearing Level of NB Chirp ABR in Normal Hearing Population.

INTRODUCTION: The narrowband chirp (NB Chirp), a frequency-specific sound stimulus signal obtained by limiting the frequency bandwidth based on chirp, is applied to the frequency specified auditory brainstem response (fsABR) increasingly. Although some studies demonstrated that NB Chirp-evoked auditory brainstem response (NB Chirp ABR) causes a better neural response than tone burst-evoked auditory brainstem response and is preferred for fsABR, there is little known about how to better estimate an individual's hearing level through the threshold of NB Chirp ABR. The present study intended to compare the accuracy and deviation of NB Chirp ABR corrected by different approaches in estimating the hearing level of people with normal hearing. METHODS: A total of 66 volunteers with normal hearing were randomly divided into a model group (n = 26), test group 1 (n = 20), and test group 2 (n = 20). The model group was used to calculate the threshold difference between NB Chirp ABR and pure-tone audiometry at 500 Hz, 1,000 Hz, 2,000 Hz, and 4,000 Hz, as well as the regression equation, providing a reference for the correction of estimated hearing level of NB Chirp ABR. Test group 1 was used to observe the accuracy and deviation of the "noncorrection (N)," "threshold difference (A1)," and "regression equation (A2)" methods in correcting the estimated hearing level of NB Chirp ABR. Test group 2 was used to replicate the analysis of test group 1 to verify the repeatability of the experimental results. All data were analyzed using SPSS 24.0. RESULTS: Test group 1 and test group 2 had similar results. First, the accuracy of the estimated hearing level of N was significantly higher than that of A1 or A2. Second, compared with "0," the deviation of the estimated hearing level of N was bigger than that of A1 or A2 at 500 Hz and 1,000 Hz, while similar at 2,000 Hz and 4,000 Hz. Finally, there was no significant difference in the deviation of the estimated hearing level between A1 and A2 at 500 Hz and 1,000 Hz. CONCLUSION: Among people with normal hearing, it was necessary to correct NB Chirp ABR at 500 Hz and 1,000 Hz for lower deviation of the estimated hearing level. Both correction approaches based on threshold difference and regression equation can be used.