Experimental study of laser spot tracking for underwater optical wireless communication.

In this paper, a novel laser spot tracking algorithm that incorporates the Kalman filter with the continuously adaptive Meanshift algorithm (Cam-Kalm) is proposed and employed in an underwater optical wireless communication (UOWC) system. Since the Kalman filter has the advantage of predicting the state information of the target spot based on its spatial motion features, the proposed algorithm can improve the accuracy and stability of the moving laser spot tracking. A 2 m optical wireless communication experimental system with auto-tracking based on a green laser diode (LD) is built to evaluate the tracking performance of different algorithms. Experimental results verify that the proposed algorithm outperforms conventional tracking algorithms in aspects of tracking accuracy, interference resistance, and response time. With the proposed Cam-Kalm algorithm, the experimental system can establish an effective communication link, while the maximum tracking speed is 20 mm/s given the forward-error-correction (FEC) threshold.

Central nervous system clear cell meningioma: a systematic literature review.

Clear cell meningiomas are a rare histological subtype of World Health Organization (WHO) grade II meningioma. Despite its relatively low frequency, clear cell meningioma has attracted considerable attention because of its unique pathological characteristics, clinical behavior, and challenging management considerations. The purpose of our systematic review is to provide clinicians with a better understanding of this rare disease. PubMed was searched for articles in the English language published from 1988 to 2023 June. The keywords were as follows: "clear cell meningioma," "clear cell" and "meningioma." We analyzed clinical manifestations, radiological manifestations, pathological features, comprehensive treatment strategies, and prognosis to determine the factors influencing recurrence-free survival (RFS). Recurrence-free survival curves of related factors were calculated by the Kaplan‒Meier method. The log-rank test and Cox univariate analysis were adopted to assess the intergroup differences and seek significant factors influencing prognosis and recurrence. Fifty-seven papers met the eligibility criteria, including 207 cases of clear cell meningioma (CCM), which were confirmed by postoperative pathology. The fifty-seven articles involved 84 (40.6%) males and 123 (59.4%) females. The average age at diagnosis was 27.9 years (range, 14 months to 84 years). Among the symptoms observed, headache, neurologic deficit, and hearing loss were the most commonly reported clinical manifestations. Most tumors (47.8%) were located in the skull base region. Most tumors showed significant enhancement, and homogeneous enhancement was more common. A total of 152 (74.1%) patients underwent gross total resection (GTR), and 53 (25.9%) patients underwent subtotal resection (STR). During the follow-up, the tumor recurred in 80 (39.4%) patients. The log-rank test and the Cox univariate analysis revealed that tumor resection range (GTR vs. STR) and adjuvant treatment (YES vs. NO) were significant predictors of recurrence-free survival (RFS). Clear cell meningioma is a rare type of meningioma with challenging diagnosis and therapy. The prognosis of this disease is different from that of regular meningiomas. Recurrence remains a possibility even after total tumor resection. We found that the surgical resection range and adjuvant treatment affected the recurrence period. This finding provides significant guidance for the treatment of clear cell meningioma.

Identifying a distinct fibrosis subset of NAFLD via molecular profiling and the involvement of profibrotic macrophages.

BACKGROUND: There are emerging studies suggesting that non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a heterogeneous disease with multiple etiologies and molecular phenotypes. Fibrosis is the key process in NAFLD progression. In this study, we aimed to explore molecular phenotypes of NAFLD with a particular focus on the fibrosis phenotype and also aimed to explore the changes of macrophage subsets in the fibrosis subset of NAFLD. METHODS: To assess the transcriptomic alterations of key factors in NAFLD and fibrosis progression, we included 14 different transcriptomic datasets of liver tissues. In addition, two single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) datasets were included to construct transcriptomic signatures that could represent specific cells. To explore the molecular subsets of fibrosis in NAFLD based on the transcriptomic features, we used a high-quality RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) dataset of liver tissues from patients with NAFLD. Non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) was used to analyze the molecular subsets of NAFLD based on the gene set variation analysis (GSVA) enrichment scores of key molecule features in liver tissues. RESULTS: The key transcriptomic signatures on NAFLD including non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) signature, fibrosis signature, non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) signature, liver aging signature and TGF-ß signature were constructed by liver transcriptome datasets. We analyzed two liver scRNA-seq datasets and constructed cell type-specific transcriptomic signatures based on the genes that were highly expressed in each cell subset. We analyzed the molecular subsets of NAFLD by NMF and categorized four main subsets of NAFLD. Cluster 4 subset is mainly characterized by liver fibrosis. Patients with Cluster 4 subset have more advanced liver fibrosis than patients with other subsets, or may have a high risk of liver fibrosis progression. Furthermore, we identified two key monocyte-macrophage subsets which were both significantly correlated with the progression of liver fibrosis in NAFLD patients. CONCLUSION: Our study revealed the molecular subtypes of NAFLD by integrating key information from transcriptomic expression profiling and liver microenvironment, and identified a novel and distinct fibrosis subset of NAFLD. The fibrosis subset is significantly correlated with the profibrotic macrophages and M2 macrophage subset. These two liver macrophage subsets may be important players in the progression of liver fibrosis of NAFLD patients.

Optimal design of integrated visible light communication and positioning system with energy harvesting.

In this paper, an optimization scheme that can simultaneously transmit communication information, positioning the information and energy in a visible light communication and positioning (VLCP) system with energy harvesting is proposed. The time switching-power splitting (TS-PS) method is applied, where the power and time allocation factors are defined as optimization variables, so that the system can maximize the harvested energy under the constraints of the information rate and positioning error. The multi-verse optimization (MVO) algorithm is introduced to obtain the optimal power and time allocation. In addition, the performance of the integrated system using the TS-PS method is investigated and compared with that using other conventional methods. The results show that a maximized harvested energy solution using the TS-PS method can harvest the most energy. Moreover, the effects of main external environment conditions, namely, the room height and field of view (FoV) of a photo diode (PD) on the system performance are also analyzed. The increase of the room height and FoV of the PD reduces the harvested energy, but does not change the information rate and positioning accuracy in the optimized system adopted in this paper.

Molecular mechanism in trigeminal nerve and treatment methods related to orthodontic pain.

BACKGROUND: Orthodontic treatment is the main treatment approach for malocclusion. Orthodontic pain is an inevitable undesirable adverse reaction during orthodontic treatment. It is reported orthodontic pain has become one of the most common reason that patients withdraw from orthodontic treatment. Therefore, understanding the underlying mechanism and finding treatment of orthodontic pain are in urgent need. AIMS: This article aims to sort out the mechanisms and treatments of orthodontic pain, hoping to provide some ideas for future orthodontic pain relief. MATERIALS: Tooth movement will cause local inflammation. Certain inflammatory factors and cytokines stimulating the trigeminal nerve and further generating pain perception, as well as drugs and molecular targeted therapy blocking nerve conduction pathways, will be reviewed in this article. METHOD: We review and summaries current studies related to molecular mechanisms and treatment approaches in orthodontic pain control. RESULTS: Orthodontics pain related influencing factors and molecular mechanisms has been introduced. Commonly used clinical methods in orthodontic pain control has been evaluated. DISCUSSION: With the clarification of more molecular mechanisms, the direction of orthodontic pain treatment will shift to targeted drugs.

Placebo modulation in orthodontic pain: a single-blind functional magnetic resonance study.

OBJECTIVES: The mechanism of orthodontic pain modulation with a placebo remains largely unknown. This study aimed to investigate the placebo modulation of brain activity associated with orthodontic pain using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). METHODS: This longitudinal fMRI experiment recruited 23 volunteers and a self-contrast method was used. At first time, the participants were scanned without placebo (first period), followed by a 30-day washout, the participants were scanned again with placebo administration (second period). Orthodontic pain was caused by orthodontic separators placement between the lower right molars for both two periods. 24 h after placement, the MRI scans were taken, including a bite/non-bite task fMRI and a resting-state fMRI. A generalized linear model was used to identify pain-regulating network from task fMRI. Functional connectivity analysis of pain-related brain regions was performed to study the placebo effect on connectivity of pain-regulating networks using resting-state fMRI. RESULTS: The results of brain activation patterns were largely similar under placebo and non-placebo conditions. Under the non-placebo condition, the activities in multiple brain regions, including the pre-central gyrus, superior frontal gyrus, superior parietal lobule, and supramarginal gyrus, were significantly higher than that of the placebo condition. However, the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) was activated under the non-placebo condition but not in the placebo one. The functional connectivities between ACC and orbitofrontal cortex, and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and orbitofrontal cortex were reduced under placebo condition. CONCLUSION: Participants demonstrated similar brain activation patterns for orthodontic pain with or without placebos. With placebo, reduced activation in primary sensory cortex and decreased activation in ACC indicated that ACC could be fundamental in analgesia.

Immune landscape of periodontitis unveils alterations of infiltrating immunocytes and molecular networks-aggregating into an interactive web-tool for periodontitis related immune analysis and visualization.

BACKGROUND: Immunity reaction plays an essential role in periodontitis progress and we aim to investigate the underlying regulatory network of immune reactions in periodontitis. METHODS: CIBERSORT was used to estimate immunocyte fractions in different clinical statuses. Logistic regression was used to assess the immunocyte weight in periodontitis. Immune-related periodontitis subtypes were identified by the Nonnegative Matrix Factorization algorithm. Gene-set enrichment analysis and Gene-set variation analysis were conducted to analyze pathway activities. Immunocytes related gene modules were identified by Weighted gene co-expression network analysis. RESULTS: Altered immunocytes in healthy versus periodontitis, aggressive versus chronic, male versus female and age were identified. Immunocytes enriched in periodontitis were calculated, and their correlation was also explored. Two distinct immune-related periodontitis subtypes were identified and one is characterized by B cell reactions and the other is IL-6 cytokine reactions. 463 statistically significant correlations between 22 immunocytes and pathways were revealed. Immunocytes and clinical phenotypes matched their gene modules, and their functions were annotated. Last, an easy-to-use and user-friendly interactive web-tool were developed for periodontitis related immune analysis and visualization ( https://118.24.100.193:3838/tool-PIA/ ). CONCLUSIONS: This study systematically investigated periodontitis immune atlas and caught a glimpse of the underlying mechanism of periodontitis from gene-pathway-immunocyte networks, which can not only inspire researchers but also help them in periodontitis related immune researches.

An objective system for appraising clear aligner treatment difficulty: clear aligner treatment complexity assessment tool (CAT-CAT).

BACKGROUND: Recent years have witnessed a remarkable evolution of clear aligner technology and clear aligners are becoming more and more versatile in treating orthodontic patients. The aim of this study was to develop an objective evaluation system for assessing clear aligner treatment difficulty. METHODS: A total of 120 eligible patients (100 patients for developing and testing the evaluation system and 20 patients for validating this system) were recruited in this retrospective cross-sectional study. Based on clinical data (dental models, radiographs and photographs), complexity levels of cases were evaluated by two experts and regarded as the gold standard. Difficulty scores were determined through an evaluation system encompassing three domains (dental model analysis, radiographic examinations and clinical examinations). The reliability of the evaluation system was examined through analyzing the agreement between complexity levels and difficulty scores. Moreover, multivariable linear regression test was used to examine the independent association of each variable (e.g. overbite and crowding) with the complexity level. RESULTS: The results revealed that the assessment of treatment difficulty by this objective evaluation system substantially matched the gold standard (R2 = 0.80). The multivariable regression test revealed that complexity level was significantly associated with difficulty score (p < 0.001), age (p = 0.015), tooth extraction (p < 0.001), treatment stage (p < 0.01) and the number of difficult tooth movement (p = 0.005). This objective evaluation system elaborated in this study was viable and reliable in appraising clear-aligner treatment difficulty in clinical practice. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest orthodontists and general practitioners use this objective evaluation system (CAT-CAT) to appraise clear aligner treatment difficulty and to select appropriate clear aligner patients.

Serum deprivation response functions as a tumor suppressor gene in papillary thyroid cancer.

The mechanism of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) has shown numerous recurrently mutated genes, but the discovery of abnormal expression of novel tumor suppressor genes has been slow. The aim of our study is to explore the biological functions of SDPR in thyroid cancer. We reanalyzed the RNA-Seq data of PTC from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and found that serum deprivation response (SDPR) was significantly downregulated in PTC. Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was performed to assess the expression of SDPR. Both loss- and gain-of-function experiments, and flow cytometry were performed to investigate the functions. SDPR was significantly downregulated in PTC. Reduced expression of SDPR was associated with larger tumor size, more serious lymph node metastasis, and advanced American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage. Patients with lower SDPR expression had a shorter recurrence-free survival. SDPR expression and AJCC stage were independent predictors of poor recurrence-free survival (RFS). Moreover, cell proliferation, colony formation, and migration were inhibited after SDPR overexpression, whereas knockdown of SDPR exerted an oncogenic effect. SDPR induction also initiated the mesenchymal-epithelial transition, alongside suppressing AKT signaling and cyclin family expression. Apart from DNA methylation, LOC105373813, may also co-regulate SDPR expression by forming a stable hybrid with SDPR messenger RNA. Our study indicated that SDPR may function as a potential prognostic marker in PTC.

H/ACA box small nucleolar RNA 7B acts as an oncogene and a potential prognostic biomarker in breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer (BC) is the most frequent malignancy occurring in women worldwide. Emerging evidence indicates that small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) play a role in tumor development. In the current study, we evaluated expression profiles and functions of snoRNAs associated with BC. METHODS: We analyzed the expression levels of snoRNAs between breast cancer and normal tissues in TCGA database and found that SNORA7B is upregulated in BC. We confirmed this result in clinical cancer tissues and BC cell lines via qRT-PCR. Then, we investigated clinical significance in public datasets and biological function of SNORA7B using a series of in vitro gain- and loss-of-function experiments. RESULTS: SNORA7B expression was significantly upregulated in samples from patients with BC in both public database and our clinical tissues compared to its expression in normal tissues. Meanwhile, patients with high SNORA7B expression have worse prognosis. Inhibition of SNORA7B expression impaired cell growth, proliferation, migration, and invasion via inducing apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS: SNORA7B functions as an important oncogenic snoRNA in BC and may serve as a potential prognosis biomarker for BC.

The involvement of the ERK-MAPK pathway in TGF-ß1-mediated connexin43-gap junction formation in chondrocytes.

Purposes: Gap junction intercellular communication (GJIC) exhibits a key role in maintaining the homeostasis of articular cartilage. Connexin43 (Cx43) protein is predominant in the structures that form gap junctions. We aim to determine the potential underlying mechanisms of TGF-ß1 (Transforming growth factor-ß1)-regulated cell communication in chondrocytes. Materials and methods: After exposure of chondrocytes to recombinant TGF-ß1, quantitative real-time PCR was used to detect expression levels of Cx43 mRNA. Western blot analysis was used to check Cx43 and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family components. Immunofluorescence staining was performed to confirm ERK-MAPK pathway activation and Cx43 protein distribution. MAPK inhibitors (ERK inhibitor U0126, JNK inhibitor SP 600125 and P38 inhibitor SP 203580) were applied to verify the specificity effects of ERK-MAPK pathway. GJIC between chondrocytes were evaluated using Scrape loading/dye transfer (SLDT) assay. Results: It was first found that TGF-ß1modulatedthe Cx43protein expressions and its sub-cellular distribution. TGF-ß1 promoted gap junction intercellular communication (GJIC) formations in chondrocytes, especially in a higher cell intensity. ERK-MAPK signaling pathway was activated in TGF-ß1-mediated gap junctions among chondrocytes. Furthermore, the inhibitor of ERK attenuated the increases of Cx43 expressions and functional gap junction formations induced by TGF-ß1, while cross-talk between ERK-MAPK and Smad signal pathways exists shown in the process. Conclusions: This study provides evidence to show the importance of the ERK-MAPK pathway in TGF-ß1-mediated Cx43 expression and functional gap junction formation.

Extracellular Matrix Elasticity Regulates Osteocyte Gap Junction Elongation: Involvement of Paxillin in Intracellular Signal Transduction.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Osteocytes can sense and respond to extracellular stimuli, including biochemical factors throughout the cell body, dendritic processes, and cilia bending. However, further exploration is required of osteocyte function in response to substrate stiffness, an important passive mechanical cue at the interface between osteocytes and the extracellular matrix, and the deep bio-mechanism in osteocytes involving mechanosensing of cell behavior. METHODS: We fabricated silicon-based elastomer polydimethylsiloxane substrates with different stiffnesses but with the same surface topologies. We then seeded osteocytes onto the substrates to examine their responses. Methodologies used included scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for cell morphology, confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) for protein distribution, western blot for protein levels, co-immunoprecipitation for protein interactions, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction for gene expression. RESULTS: SEM images revealed that substrate stiffness induced a change in osteocyte morphology, and CLSM of F-actin staining revealed that substrate stiffness can alter the cytoskeleton. These results were accompanied by changes in focal adhesion capacity in osteocytes, determined via characterization of vinculin expression and distribution. Furthermore, on the exterior of the cell membrane, fibronectin was altered by substrate stiffness. The fibronectin then induced a change in paxillin on the inner membrane of the cell via protein-protein interaction through transmembrane processing. Paxillin led to changes in connexin 43 via protein-protein binding, thereby influencing osteocyte gap junction elongation. CONCLUSION: This process -from mechanosensing and mechanotransduction to cell function - not only indicates that the effects of mechanical factors on osteocytes can be directly sensed from the cell body, but also indicates the involvement of paxillin transduction.

Regulator of G protein signaling 20 correlates with clinicopathological features and prognosis in triple-negative breast cancer.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly aggressive tumor subtype lacking effective prognostic indicators or therapeutic targets. Therefore, finding a novel molecular biomarker for TNBC to achieve target therapy and predict its prognosis is crucial in preventing inappropriate treatment. Regulator of G-protein signaling (RGS) families of protein can negatively regulate signaling of heterotrimeric G proteins and are known to be upregulated in various tumors. In this study, we demonstrated that RGS20 was more highly expressed in TNBC tumor tissue than in adjacent normal tissue by analyzing the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) database. However, RGS20 expression was low in all breast cancer and luminal breast cancer patients. Validated by the TCGA cohort, RGS20 was upregulated in lymph node-positive TNBC compared with that in lymph node-negative breast cancer. High expression of RGS20 had a risk of lymph node metastasis, ki-67 > 14%, poor N stage, and poor clinical stage in the immunohistochemistry of tissue microarrays. Moreover, K-M plot analysis showed that TNBC patients with high RGS20 expression had poor relapse-free survival. In summary, the findings revealed that RGS20 was a special TNBC oncogene that promoted tumor progression and influenced TNBC prognosis. This study is the first to show that RGS20 was a special oncogene, and its high expression was significantly associated with the progression and prognosis of TNBC. RGS20 may be a novel molecular biomarker for the targeted therapy and prognosis of TNBC.

GABRB2 plays an important role in the lymph node metastasis of papillary thyroid cancer.

BACKGROUND: Thyroid cancer is a common malignant tumor of the endocrine system. Its incidence has increased continuously worldwide for the past three decades. With advanced sequencing technology, we discovered that GABRB2 gene is overexpressed in tumor tissues and closely associated with vertebrate nervous systems. However, its role in cancer remains unclear. METHODS: We conducted a massively parallel whole transcriptome resequencing and a comprehensive analysis of matched papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) tumors and normal tissues in 19 patients. Results showed that GABRB2 expression was significantly upregulated in thyroid cancer. Forty-five pairs of tumors and normal tissues were subjected to reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction to validate previous findings. The specific functions of GABRB2 in PTC cell lines (BCPAP, TPC1, and KTC-1) transfected with small interfering RNA were determined through cell colony formation, Cell Counting Kit-8, Transwell migration, Transwell invasion, and apoptosis assays. The effect of DNA demethylation on this gene was also examined. RESULTS: GABRB2 was remarkably overexpressed in primarily sequenced PTC tumors and validation cohort (T: N = 4.94 ± 3.43:0.83 ± 1.71, P < 0.001), and this observation was consistent with that in the TCGA cohort (T: N = 38.92 ± 35.53:0.30 ± 0.55, P < 0.001). GABRB2 overexpression was correlated with lymph node metastasis in both cohorts (P < 0.01). In vitro experiments revealed that GABRB2 downregulation significantly inhibited the colony formation, migration, and invasion of the three PTC cell lines. CONCLUSION: GABRB2 plays important tumorigenic functions and acts as a novel oncogene in PTC.

Upregulation of CD44v6 contributes to acquired chemoresistance via the modulation of autophagy in colon cancer SW480 cells.

The CD44 isoform containing variant exon v6 (CD44v6) plays an important role in the progression, metastasis, and prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC). Recently, it was found that CD44v6 is involved in acquired drug resistance. This study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanism of CD44v6 in the resistance of CRC cells to chemotherapy. A stable CD44v6 overexpression model in SW480 cells was established via lentiviral transduction. The chemosensitivity of cells to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and oxaliplatin (L-OHP) was determined by cell counting kit (CCK)-8, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, and colony formation assays. Immunohistochemical staining of CD44v6 was performed in human CRC tissues. The key components in cell apoptosis, drug efflux and metabolism, mismatch repair, autophagy, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and the PI3K-Akt and MAPK-Ras-Erk1/2 pathways were assessed using flow cytometry, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and western blot assays. The CD44v6 overexpression cells showed a higher viability, a lower LDH release rate, and an increased clonogenicity than the control cells under drug treatment. Moreover, overexpression of CD44v6 resulted in enhanced autophagy flux, EMT, and phosphorylation of Akt and Erk in the presence of drugs. Furthermore, high CD44v6 expression in the primary tumor was closely associated with an early recurrence in CRC patients who underwent curative surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy. In conclusion, overexpression of CD44v6 contributes to chemoresistance in SW480 cells under cytotoxic stress via the modulation of autophagy, EMT, and activation of the PI3K-Akt and MAPK-Ras-Erk pathways.

A scoring system is an effective tool for predicting central lymph node metastasis in papillary thyroid microcarcinoma: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinicopathologic and ultrasonographic (US) characteristics and establish an effective scoring system for predicting central lymph node metastasis (CLNM) in papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC). METHODS: A total of 498 patients with PTMC who underwent total thyroidectomy or lobectomy with therapeutic central lymph node dissection (CLND) were enrolled. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to find the independent predictors for CLNM based on clinicopathological and US characteristics. Using the standardized regression coefficient, a 10-point score system was constructed in line with these independent predictors. Then, the scoring system was evaluated for the diagnostic value in predicting CLNM. RESULTS: Tumor location (the lower polo), tumor size (>5 mm), extrathyroidal extension, margin (no well-defined), display of enlarged lymph node, and contact of >25% with the adjacent capsule were independent predictors for CLNM. Verifying the scoring system, a cutoff value of 5 points was found to be the best prediction for CLNM, the sensitivity and specificity were 64.7 and 80.5%, respectively, and the positive and negative predictive values were 77.3 and 69.0%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The points≤5 could be considered as a low risk for CLNM, and the points>5 could be identified as a high risk for CLNM. More advanced diagnostic approaches and prophylactic CLND are needed for patients with the points>5.

Preoperative endoscopic localization of colorectal cancer and tracing lymph nodes by using carbon nanoparticles in laparoscopy.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of preoperative endoscopic localization of colorectal cancer and tracing lymph nodes by carbon nanoparticle tattooing in laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery. METHODS: From January 2013 to December 2014, 54 patients with colorectal cancer were recruited and divided into experimental (n = 27) and control (n = 27) groups. The patients in the experimental group were localized preoperatively by endoscopic carbon nanoparticle tattooing, whereas patients in the control group were not tattooed. RESULTS: All injection sites in the experimental group were visible to surgeons. No abdominal pain, fever, diarrhea, and other symptoms of infection were found in the experimental group. The time for detecting the tumor (2.71 ± 2.13 min versus 6.91 ± 5.16 min, p < 0.001), operation time (151.22 ± 30.66 min versus 170.26 ± 33.13 min, p = 0.033), and blood loss during the operation (125.04 ± 29.48 mL versus 147.52 ± 34.35 mL, p = 0.013) were lower in the experimental group than in the control group. Average numbers of dissected lymph nodes in the experimental group exceeded those in the control group (14.41 ± 3.32 versus 8.96 ± 2.90, p < 0.001), and the rate of dissected lymph nodes ≥12 was higher in the experimental group than in the control group (70.37 versus 37.04 %, p < 0.001). Moreover, no difference in postoperative complications was found between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Tattooing colorectal cancer with carbon nanoparticles in laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery is safe and useful both in localization and lymph node tracing.

SpxB-mediated H2 O2 induces programmed cell death in Streptococcus sanguinis.

Streptococcus sanguinis (S. sanguinis) is a commensal oral streptococci that produces hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 ), and this production is dependent on pyruvate oxidase (SpxB) activity. In addition to its well-known role in intraspecies or interspecies competitions, recent studies have shown that H2 O2 produced by S. sanguinis under aerobic conditions not only upregulates biofilm formation and eDNA release but also regulates cell death without obvious cell lysis. Here, we report that S. sanguinis exhibits characteristic hallmarks of eukaryotic apoptosis when it encounters endogenous and exogenous H2 O2 . As the most common mode of programmed cell death (PCD), apoptosis is accompanied by a series of biochemical and morphological events, including DNA fragmentation, chromosome condensation, membrane potential depolarization, phosphatidylserine (PS) exposure, and caspase substrate binding protein activity changes. In addition, we also provide genetic evidence that there is decreased expression of the related DNA repair genes comEA, recA, dnaC, dinG, and pcrA in the wild-type compared to the isogenic spxB mutant in S. sanguinis. Our data suggest that endogenous H2 O2 is the most important agent in this development process in S. sanguinis.

Significance of maxillary sinus mucosal thickening in patients with periodontal disease.

AIM: To characterise and measure the Schneiderian membranes of individuals with periodontal diseases in China and to analyse the factors impacting maxillary sinus mucosal thickness using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). MATERIAL AND METHOD: A cohort of 221 patients with periodontal disease was subjected to cross-sectional CBCT examination. Various parameters, including age, sex, alveolar bone loss, furcation lesions and vertical infrabony pockets, were analysed as correlates of mucosal thickening (MT). Sinus mucosal thickness ≥ 2 mm qualified as MT. RESULTS: MT was detected in 103 (48.9%) patients, increasing in frequency as the degree of alveolar bone loss advanced (mild, 14.5%; moderate, 29.5%; severe, 87.9%). The association between MT and vertical infrabony pockets was statistically significant (P < 0.001). The likelihood of MT increased with moderate [odds ratio (OR) = 1.02] and severe (OR = 4.62) periodontal bone loss (P < 0.001), as well as with furcation lesions (OR = 2.76) and vertical infrabony pockets (OR = 13.58). CONCLUSIONS: Relative to the case in patients with periodontitis and normal mucosa, the probability of MT increased dramatically as alveolar bone loss worsened. Periodontal pathologies (i.e. furcation lesions and vertical infrabony pockets) were also more likely to coincide with MT.

Environmental controls on the seasonal variations of diatoms and dinoflagellates in the Qingdao coastal region, the Yellow Sea.

Diatoms and dinoflagellates are two typical functional groups of phytoplankton assemblages, which play a crucial role in the structure and functioning of most marine ecosystems. To date, a novel challenge in ecology and biogeochemistry is to address the influences of environmental changes associated with climate change and human activities on the dynamics of diatoms and dinoflagellates. However, the knowledge of the key environmental factors controlling the diatom-dinoflagellate dynamics remains to be improved, particularly in the coastal ecosystems. Therefore, we conducted four cruises along the Qingdao coastline in spring, summer, autumn, and winter 2022 to explore how diatoms and dinoflagellates varied in response to regional environmental changes. The results showed that the phytoplankton communities were dominated by diatoms and dinoflagellates in terms of abundance and species diversity throughout the year in the study region. Yet, there were significant seasonal variability of diatoms and dinoflagellates across the four seasons. For example, diatom species was the most diverse during autumn, and the higher average abundance was observed in the fall and winter. In contrast, the average abundance of dinoflagellates was maximum during the summer and minimum in the autumn season. Moreover, the abundance and species ratios of diatoms/dinoflagellates (dia/dino) also showed significant seasonal variations in the region. The dia/dino abundance ratio was lowest in summer, while the dia/dino species ratio showed an increasing trend from spring to fall and a slight descending trend during winter. Based on the redundancy analysis, we revealed that diatoms and dinoflagellates responded differently to various environmental variables in different seasons, of which temperature and nutrients (especially dissolved inorganic nitrogen, DIN) had highly significant correlations with both the dia/dino abundance and species ratios. Thus, we suggested that temperature and DIN were the key factors controlling the seasonal dynamics of diatoms and dinoflagellates in the Qingdao coastal area.