[Establishing a predictive model for the activity of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy based on MRI and clinical features].

Objective: To analyze MRI and clinical characteristics of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM) activity and construct a prediction model. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 326 patients with IIM from December 2019 to December 2023 at General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, including 112 males and 214 females, aged(53.7±15.3) years. According to histopathology and electromyography, they were divided into active phase group(n=86) and inactive phase group (n=240). The two groups were randomly divided into the training set and the verification set according to the ratio of 7∶3. The single factor analysis, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso), random forest algorithm, and multivariate logistic regression model were used to screen the risk factors of IIM activity and construct a prediction model. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and calibration curve were used to evaluate the performance of prediction model. Results: There were significant differences in gender, age, T1 value, T2 value, creatine kinase-MB(CKMB), creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) between the two groups(all P<0.05). Lasso and random forest algorithm screened 5 variables for analysis, age (λ=-0.009), T2 value (λ=-2.564), CKMB (λ=-0.256), CK (λ=-0.492), LDH (λ=-2.786) respectively. Multivariate logistic regression model showed that age (OR=1.603, 95%CI: 1.030-1.096), T2(OR=352.269, 95%CI: 13.303-9 328.053), CKMB (OR=2.470, 95%CI: 1.497-4.075), CK(OR=4.973, 95%CI: 2.583-9.575), LDH(OR=1 155.247, 95%CI: 152.387-8 757.954) were risk factors for active IIM patients. A prediction model nomograms were drawn with the above risk factors included. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the prediction model for the training set MRI combined with clinical indicators was higher than that of the clinical indicator model [0.914 (95%CI: 0.873-0.955) vs 0.901 (95%CI: 0.858-0.945), P<0.001], with sensitivity of 88.3% and 90.7%, and specificity of 81.7% and 75.0%, respectively. The AUC of the prediction model for the validation set MRI combined with clinical indicators was higher than that of the clinical model [0.982 (95%CI: 0.873-0.955) vs 0.934 (95%CI: 0.858-0.945), P<0.001], with sensitivity of 97.2% and 88.5%, and specificity of 100.0% and 92.3%, respectively. The calibration curves plotted in the training set and test set, respectively, fit well with the ideal curve. Conclusion: The nomogram model of MRI combined with clinical indicators can effectively predict the activity of IIM.

Hypertension and its association to phenotype on left ventricular function in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patients assessed by cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging.

AIM: The impact of hypertension (HT) on phenotypic expression in individuals with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is unclear. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-six HCM individuals without HT, 27 HCM with HT, and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy controls who underwent cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) to evaluate left ventricular (LV) function and strain were enrolled. Three groups' LV function and strain were compared. We also investigated whether HT was associated with reduced LV strain in HCM patients using univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses. RESULTS: HCM (with/without HT) patients had higher LV mass and LV mass index than the normal controls group. Furthermore, global radial strain, global circumferential strain (GCS), global longitudinal strain, global peak systolic strain rate of radial, and global peak diastolic strain rate of radial were significantly lower in HCM patients with HT, intermediate in HCM patients without HT, and greater in the normal controls (all, P<0.05). Worse GCS was observed in HCM patients with HT than those without HT (P<0.05). Multivariable linear regression analysis showed that HT was independently associated with impaired LV ejection fraction and reduced strain (all P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The presence of HT was associated with an adverse phenotype, including worse ejection fraction and reduced strains in HCM patients. In addition, management of HT and its effect on the clinical outcomes in HCM patients needs to be studied.

Brain Charts for the Rhesus Macaque Lifespan.

Recent efforts to chart human brain growth across the lifespan using large-scale MRI data have provided reference standards for human brain development. However, similar models for nonhuman primate (NHP) growth are lacking. The rhesus macaque, a widely used NHP in translational neuroscience due to its similarities in brain anatomy, phylogenetics, cognitive, and social behaviors to humans, serves as an ideal NHP model. This study aimed to create normative growth charts for brain structure across the macaque lifespan, enhancing our understanding of neurodevelopment and aging, and facilitating cross-species translational research. Leveraging data from the PRIMatE Data Exchange (PRIME-DE) and other sources, we aggregated 1,522 MRI scans from 1,024 rhesus macaques. We mapped non-linear developmental trajectories for global and regional brain structural changes in volume, cortical thickness, and surface area over the lifespan. Our findings provided normative charts with centile scores for macaque brain structures and revealed key developmental milestones from prenatal stages to aging, highlighting both species-specific and comparable brain maturation patterns between macaques and humans. The charts offer a valuable resource for future NHP studies, particularly those with small sample sizes. Furthermore, the interactive open resource (https://interspeciesmap.childmind.org) supports cross-species comparisons to advance translational neuroscience research.

[Prevalence of dentinal hypersensitivity and related factors in Chinese urban adults].

Objective: To assess the prevalence of dentinal hypersensitivity (DH) and related factors in urban adults in China. Methods: The study was designed as an observational, cross-sectional epidemiological study carried out in adults aged 18-69 years old in seven cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Chengdu, Xi'an, Guangzhou, and Harbin) of China. The study was conducted from March 2021 to May 2023. Patients were required to complete a questionnaire regarding the subjects' socio-economic factors, dietary behavior, oral health behavior and personal antecedent factors. DH was clinically diagnosed by judging whether the tooth cold air stimulation provoked DH or not, and recorded by investigator pain rating Schiff score. Compare the findings of six cities (Harbin excluded) with a similar study conducted in 2008. Results: In total, 11 622 subjects from seven cities in China participated the study. Fifty two point two percent (6 072/11 622) of subjects reported DH in questionnaire, 36.7% (4 266/11 622) of subjects reported experiencing DH in response to cold air stimulation for at least one study tooth. Risk factors including age, sex, city, toothbrush method and acid reflux showed marked associations with DH (P<0.05). The prevalence of DH of urban residents in six cities (Harbin excluded) was 33.7% (3 335/9 882), higher than that in 2008 [29.7%(2 354/7 939)]. Conclusions: Overall, DH was common among urban adults in China and the prevalence increased in recent years. Better understanding of DH and its associated factors should be considered in its prevention and management by dental professionals.

Unveiling a distinctive presentation: Benign manifestation of primary ductal adenocarcinoma of the lacrimal gland.

OBJECTIVE: To report the case of a man with well-demarcated cystic lesion in the right lacrimal gland, subsequently diagnosed as primary ductal adenocarcinoma of the lacrimal gland. METHODS: We report the clinical presentation, histopathologic, immunohistochemical features and treatment of this unique primary ductal adenocarcinoma of the lacrimal gland. Additionally, we analyze the factors contributing to the tumor's presentation and review the current literature regarding this uncommon neoplasm. RESULTS: The patient underwent total resection of the mass, revealing primary ductal adenocarcinoma of lacrimal gland. Histopathological examination revealed a solid nested, sieve-like (with observed acne-like necrosis), tubular, and small nested arrangement of the tumor. The tumor cells exhibited marked heterogeneity, and vascular tumor thrombi were observed in the stroma, along with evidence of neurological invasion. The immunophenotype analysis showed positivity for androgen receptor, GATA binding protein 3, gross cystic disease fluid protein 15 and cytokeratin-7, which is considered a ductal adenocarcinoma of lacrimal gland. Subsequently the patient underwent local radiotherapy. No local recurrences or metastases were reported during the 1-year follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Primary ductal adenocarcinoma of lacrimal gland is a rare tumor of the lacrimal gland. The manifestation of ductal adenocarcinoma of the lacrimal gland may include well-demarcated cystic lesions, indicative of distinct subtypes. Various treatment options are adapted to different subtypes of ductal adenocarcinoma of the lacrimal gland.

[Transverse sinus blood flow characteristics of pulsatile tinnitus with dehiscent sigmoid plate based on 4D flow MRI].

Objective: To investigate the hemodynamic characteristics of transverse sinus with sigmoid sinus wall dehiscence (SSWD) of pulsatile tinnitus (PT) based on 4D flow MRI. Methods: Retrospective analysis was performed on all patients admitted to Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 2019 to January 2021 for dehiscent sigmoid plate pulsatile tinnitus. A total of 26 patients (sides) who met the criteria and underwent 4D flow MRI were included. A total of 26 subjects (46 sides), matched 1∶1 according to gender and age, were included in the normal healthy control group. Nonparametric rank sum test, Student's t test, and ANOVA were performed by SPSS 19.0 software. Binary Logistic regression was applied to the data with statistical significance. Results: There were more patients with dominant drainage on the affected side in PT group than in control group (73.1% vs. 42.3%). The incidence of transverse with a focal intraluminal filling defect and tapered stenosis was higher than that in control group (21.7% vs. 69.2%; 17.4% vs. 42.3%). Average through-plane velocity and maximum through-plane velocity in PT group were higher than those in control group [(33.75±13.88) cm/s vs. (15.84±7.21) cm/s; (93.19±33.55) cm/s vs. (40.40±14.40) cm/s]. The middle part and proximal end of Flowavg (ml/s) in PT group were larger than those in control group [4.69 (2.87; 5.62) ml/s vs. 2.76 (1.67; 4.99) ml/s; 3.41 (2.16; 5.47) ml/s vs. 2.67 (1.68; 4.41) ml/s]. In control group, the velocity of transverse sinus changed relatively gently, while in PT group, the velocity of proximal sinus increased significantly. Binary Logistic regression showed that SSWD PT was independently correlated with proximal maximum flow velocity [OR=1.086(1.029-1.146),P=0.003]. Conclusion: 4D flow MRI showed that the dominant drainage and higher velocity at the proximal end of the transverse sinus might be an important hemodynamic characteristics of dehiscent sigmoid plate pulsatile tinnitus.

[Canagliflozin can improve cardiac function in HFpEF rats partly by regulating ferroptosis].

Objective: To explore the effects of canagliflozin on cardiac function and its regulation of ferroptosis in rats with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Methods: Thirty-two 7-week-old Dahl salt-sensitive rats were selected and randomly divided into four groups: the control group (fed with low-salt diet), the HFpEF group (fed with high-salt diet), the canagliflozin 20 group (fed with high-salt diet and 20 mg·kg-1·d-1 canagliflozin), and the canagliflozin 30 group (fed with high-salt diet and 30 mg·kg-1·day-1 canagliflozin). Body weight and blood pressure of the rats in each group were monitored. Metabolic cage tests were conducted at the10th week of the experiment, and echocardiography was performed at the 12th week, after which the rats were killed. Blood and left ventricular samples were collected. HE staining, Masson staining, Prussian blue iron staining, and reactive oxygen species staining were performed to observe the cardiomyocyte size and shape, degree of interstitial fibrosis, iron staining, reactive oxygen species production under optical microscope. The ultrastructure of cardiomyocytes was observed under electron microscope. Western blotting and real-time fluorescent quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) were used to detect the expression levels of proteins and mRNA related to ferroptosis in left ventricular myocardial tissue of rats in each group. Results: After 1 week of adaptive feeding, all rats survived. Metabolic cage results showed that compared with control group, rats in the HFpEF group, canagliflozin 20 group and canagliflozin 30 group had more food intake, water intake and urine output, and lower body weight (all P<0.05). These changes were more pronounced in canagliflozin 20 group and canagliflozin 30 group than in HFPEF group, and only the body weight at the 12th week showed a statistically significant difference between canagliflozin 20 group and canagliflozin 30 group (P<0.05). The blood pressure of 6th week and 12th week, heart weight and left ventricular corrected mass of 12th week of rats in HFpEF group were higher than those in control group, canagliflozin 20 group and canagliflozin 30 group, while the ratio of early mitral valve peak velocity to late mitral valve peak velocity of 12th week was lower (all P<0.05). HE and Masson staining showed that compared to control group, the myocardial fibers in the left ventricular myocardial tissue of rats in HFpEF group were disordered, with larger cell diameter ((0.032±0.004) mm vs. (0.023±0.003) mm, P<0.05), irregular shape, obvious proliferation of interstitial collagen fibers, and higher collagen volume fraction (0.168±0.028 vs. 0.118±0.013, P<0.05). Compared with HFpEF group, rats in the canagliflozin 20 group and canagliflozin 30 had more orderly arranged myocardial fibers, more regular cardiomyocyte shape, smaller cell diameter, and lower collagen volume fraction (P<0.05). It was observed under electron microscopy that, compared to control group, most of the striated muscles in myocardial tissue of HFpEF group were broken, and the Z line and M line could not be clearly distinguished, some changes such as mitochondrial swelling, membrane thickening, cristae reduction or even disappearance occurred. In the canagliflozin 20 group and canagliflozin 30 group, the arrangement of striated muscles in the myocardial tissue of rats tended to be more regular, and the morphological changes of mitochondria were milder. Prussian blue iron staining results showed that the iron content in myocardial tissue of rats in HFpEF group was higher than that in control group, canagliflozin 20 group and canagliflozin 30 group. Reactive oxygen species staining results showed that the reactive oxygen species content in the myocardial tissue of rats in HFpEF group was higher than that of control group, canagliflozin 20 group and canagliflozin 30 group. Biochemical analysis of myocardial tissue showed that Fe2+ and malondialdehyde content in myocardial tissue of rats in HFpEF group were higher than those in control group, canagliflozin 20 group and canagliflozin 30 group, while glutathione content was lower (all P<0.05). Western blot and RT-qPCR detection results showed that compared to control group, rats in HFpEF group had higher expression levels of transferrin receptor 1 (protein relative expression level: 1.37±0.16 vs. 0.31±0.12), acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 4 (protein relative expression level: 1.31±0.15 vs. 0.63±0.09) protein and mRNA, and lower expression levels of ferritin heavy chain 1 (protein relative expression level: 0.45±0.08 vs. 1.41±0.15) protein and mRNA (all P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in these indicators between canagliflozin 20 group and the canagliflozin 30 group (all P>0.05). There was no significant difference in levels of glutathione peroxidase 4 protein and mRNA expression in myocardial tissue of rats in four groups(P>0.05). Conclusion: Canagliflozin improves cardiac function in HFpEF rats by regulating the ferroptosis mechanism.

[SUV3 knockdown inhibits proliferation, migration, and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma cells and induces PD-L1 expression].

Objective: To study the SUV3 gene role during the process of occurrence and advancement of hepatocellular carcinom. Methods: The The differences in SUV3 expression between hepatocellular carcinoma tissues and normal liver tissues were compared by analyzing transcriptome sequencing data from TCGA and GTEx databases. SUV3 knockdown in different hepatocellular carcinoma cells was performed using RNA interference technology. Overexpression vectors were constructed to overexpress SUV3 in different hepatocellular carcinoma cells. The SUV3 regulatory effect was studied on proliferation, migration, and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. A subcellular fraction isolation approach was used to investigate whether SUV3 knockdown resulted in the release of mitochondrial DNA into the cytoplasm. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR was applied to investigate whether SUV3 knockdown affected PD-L1 expression. The two groups were compared using a two-tailed t-test. Results: The TCGA database analysis revealed that SUV3 expression was higher in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues than in normal liver tissues, and the prognosis of patients with high SUV3 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues was poor. The quantitative RT-PCR results showed that SUV3 expression was higher in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues than that in paracancerous liver tissue. The MTS assay showed that with SUV3 knockdown, the proliferation rate was significantly lower in hepatocellular carcinoma cells than that of the control hepatocellular carcinoma cells (P<0.01). The proliferation rate was significantly higher in SUV3-overexpressed hepatocellular carcinoma cells than that of control hepatocellular carcinoma cells (P<0.01). Cell scratch assay and cell migration and invasion assay showed that SUV3 knockdown inhibited the migration and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma cells (P<0.01), while SUV3 overexpression promoted the migration and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma cells (P<0.05). SUV3 Knockdown led to a decrease in the overall level of mtDNA (P<0.01) in accompanied by an increase in mtDNA level in the cytoplasm (P<0.01), indicating that SUV3 knockdown led to mitochondrial DNA leakage into the cytoplasm. SUV3 knockdown resulted in elevated PD-L1 expression (P<0.001), and overexpression of TREX1 in SUV3 knockdown cells decreased mtDNA levels in the cytoplasm and inhibited SUV3 knockdown, resulting in elevated PD-L1 expression, indicating that SUV3 knockdown induced PD-L1 expression by increasing cytoplasmic DNA levels. Conclusions: The SUV3 gene may play an oncogenic function in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

A singlet-triplet hole-spin qubit in MOS silicon.

Holes in silicon quantum dots are promising for spin qubit applications due to the strong intrinsic spin-orbit coupling. The spin-orbit coupling produces complex hole-spin dynamics, providing opportunities to further optimise spin qubits. Here, we demonstrate a singlet-triplet qubit using hole states in a planar metal-oxide-semiconductor double quantum dot. We demonstrate rapid qubit control with singlet-triplet oscillations up to 400 MHz. The qubit exhibits promising coherence, with a maximum dephasing time of 600 ns, which is enhanced to 1.3 µs using refocusing techniques. We investigate the magnetic field anisotropy of the eigenstates, and determine a magnetic field orientation to improve the qubit initialisation fidelity. These results present a step forward for spin qubit technology, by implementing a high quality singlet-triplet hole-spin qubit in planar architecture suitable for scaling up to 2D arrays of coupled qubits.

[Research prospect of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase 3/4 inhibitors in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease].

Current treatments for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are relatively limited and cannot meet the needs of all patients. Ensifentrine (development code RPL554), a representative drug of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase 3/4 (PDE 3/4) inhibitors, has shown promising developments in the treatment of COPD in recent years, which need to be summarized. This article reviews the mechanism and clinical research progress of ensifentrine, focusing on its chemical structure, pharmacokinetics, pathophysiological mechanism, efficacy, and safety. Additionally, we provide clinical application suggestions and future research prospects.

Whole genome sequencing reveals that five genes are related to BW trait in sheep.

BW is an important economic trait in sheep that influences growth and development. Currently, most studies have used a single approach to screen genes associated with BW traits in sheep. To address this limitation, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) covering four different BW periods: birth, weaning, 6 months, and 12 months. Five new candidate genes: MAP3K1, ANKRD55, ABCB1, MEF2C and TRNAW-CCA-87 were screened using a combination of GWAS and quantitative trait loci analysis in sheep. Additionally, five genes were subjected to Gene ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analyses. These genes were primarily enriched in pathways related to growth hormone and energy metabolism. The results demonstrated that the above genes potentially influenced the growth and development of sheep. The five new candidate genes are closely related to the BW trait in sheep, which will be valuable for understanding the genetic mechanisms underlying BW traits and for guiding sheep breeding.

[Clinical significance of lympho-vascular space invasion in different molecular subtypes of endometrial carcinoma].

Objective: To analyze the lympho-vascular space invasion (LVSI) in different molecular subtypes of the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) molecular subtypes of endometrial cancer (EC) and to evaluate the prognostic value of LVSI in EC patients with different molecular subtypes. Methods: A total of 258 patients diagnosed EC undergoing surgery in Peking University People's Hospital from January 2016 to June 2022 were analyzed retrospectively. Among 258 patients, 14 cases were classified as POLE-ultramutated subtype, 43 as high-microsatellite instability (MSI-H) subtype, 155 as copy-number low (CNL) subtype, and 46 as copy-number high (CNH) subtype. Fifty-four patients were positive for LVSI, while 203 tested negative. Results: (1) The incidence of LVSI was found to be highest in the CNH subtype (32.6%,15/46), followed by the MSI-H subtype (27.9%, 12/43), the CNL subtype (16.9%, 26/154), and the POLE-ultramutated subtype (1/14), with statistically significant differences (χ2=7.79, P=0.044). (2) Staging and deep myometrial invasion were higher in the LVSI positive group than those in the LVSI negative group (all P<0.05), except for the POLE-ultramutated subtype. The grade, lymph node metastasis, and the expression of nuclear antigen associated with cell proliferation (Ki-67) were significantly higher in LVSI positive patients than those in LVSI negative EC patients with both MSI-H and CNL subtypes (all P<0.05). In CNL subtypes patients, LVSI was also associated with age, histology subtype,and progesterone receptor (PR; all P<0.05). (3) Of the 257 EC patients, 25 cases recurred during the follow-up period, with a recurrence rate of 9.7% (25/257); among them, the recurrence rate of LVSI positive patients was 22.2% (12/54), which was significantly higher than those with LVSI negative (6.4%, 13/203; χ2=12.15, P<0.001). During the follow-up period, none of the 14 patients with POLE-ultramutated had recurrence; among CNL patients, the recurrence rate was 19.2% (5/26) in LVSI positive patients, which was significantly higher than that in LVSI negative ones (5.5%, 7/128; χ2=3.94, P=0.047); where as no difference were found in both MSI-H [recurrence rates in LVSI positive and negative patients were 2/12 and 9.7% (3/31), respectively] and CNH subtype [recurrence rates between LVSI positive and negative patients were 5/15 and 9.7% (3/31), respectively] EC patients (both P>0.05). After log-rank test, the 3-year recurrence free survival (RFS) rate were significantly lower in LVSI positive patients from CNL subtype and CNH subtype than those in LVSI negative patients (CNL: 80.8% vs 94.5%; CNH: 66.7% vs 90.3%; both P<0.05). (4) Lymph node metastasis (HR=6.93, 95%CI: 1.15-41.65; P=0.034) had a significant effect on the 3-year RFS rate of EC patients with MSI-H subtype. Multivariate analysis revealed that PR expression (HR=0.04, 95%CI: 0.01-0.14;P<0.001) was significantly associated with the 3-year RFS rate of CNL subtype patients. Conclusions: LVSI has the highest positivity rate in CNH subtype, followed by MSI-H subtype, CNL subtype, and the lowest positivity rate in POLE-ultramutated subtype. LVSI is significantly associated with poor prognosis in CNL subtype patients and may affect the prognosis of CNH subtype patients. However, LVSI is not an independent risk factor for recurrence across all four TCGA molecular subtypes.

Autophagy Regulates Age-Related Jawbone Loss via LepR+ Stromal Cells.

Bone aging and decreased autophagic activity are related but poorly explored in the jawbone. This study aimed to characterize the aging jawbones and jawbone-derived stromal cells (JBSCs) and determine the role of autophagy in jawbone mass decline. We observed that the jawbones of older individuals and mice exhibited similar age-related bone loss. Furthermore, leptin receptor (LepR)-lineage cells served as the primary source for in vitro cultured and expanded JBSCs, referred to as LepR-Cre+/JBSCs. RNA-sequencing data from the jawbones and LepR-Cre+/JBSCs showed the upregulated expression of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway during aging. Through single-cell transcriptomics, we identified a decrease in the proportion of osteogenic lineage cells and the activation of the PI3K/AKT pathway in LepR-lineage cells in aging bone tissues. Reduced basal autophagic activity, diminished autophagic flux, and decreased osteogenesis occurred in the jawbones and LepR-Cre+/JBSCs from older mice (O-mice; O-JBSCs). Pharmacologic and constitutive autophagy activation alleviated the impaired osteogenesis in O-JBSCs. In addition, the suppression of mTOR-induced autophagy improved the aging phenotype of O-JBSCs. The activation of autophagy in LepR-Cre+/JBSCs using chemical autophagic activators reduced the alveolar bone resorption in O-mice. Therefore, our study demonstrated that ATG molecules and pathways are crucial in jawbone aging, providing novel approaches to understanding age-related jawbone loss.

Explainable machine learning for assessing upper respiratory tract of racehorses from endoscopy videos.

Laryngeal hemiplegia (LH) is a major upper respiratory tract (URT) complication in racehorses. Endoscopy imaging of horse throat is a gold standard for URT assessment. However, current manual assessment faces several challenges, stemming from the poor quality of endoscopy videos and subjectivity of manual grading. To overcome such limitations, we propose an explainable machine learning (ML)-based solution for efficient URT assessment. Specifically, a cascaded YOLOv8 architecture is utilized to segment the key semantic regions and landmarks per frame. Several spatiotemporal features are then extracted from key landmarks points and fed to a decision tree (DT) model to classify LH as Grade 1,2,3 or 4 denoting absence of LH, mild, moderate, and severe LH, respectively. The proposed method, validated through 5-fold cross-validation on 107 videos, showed promising performance in classifying different LH grades with 100%, 91.18%, 94.74% and 100% sensitivity values for Grade 1 to 4, respectively. Further validation on an external dataset of 72 cases confirmed its generalization capability with 90%, 80.95%, 100%, and 100% sensitivity values for Grade 1 to 4, respectively. We introduced several explainability related assessment functions, including: (i) visualization of YOLOv8 output to detect landmark estimation errors which can affect the final classification, (ii) time-series visualization to assess video quality, and (iii) backtracking of the DT output to identify borderline cases. We incorporated domain knowledge (e.g., veterinarian diagnostic procedures) into the proposed ML framework. This provides an assistive tool with clinical-relevance and explainability that can ease and speed up the URT assessment by veterinarians.

[Clinical analysis on the impact of pretransplant iron overload on allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for patients with acquired severe aplastic anemia in pediatric].

This study aimed to investigate the effect of iron overload on the transplant outcomes of pediatric patients with severe aplastic anemia (SAA) undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 74 children with SAA who received allo-HSCT at the Hematology Department of Wuhan Children's Hospital between January 2018 and August 2022. Children with iron overload (serum ferritin >1 000 µg/L) before transplantation had a longer disease course, received more red blood cell transfusions, and had a higher number of CD34(+) cells infused. Moreover, iron overload significantly delayed the reconstitution of regulatory T cells after transplantation, increasing the incidence of hemorrhagic cystitis and grade Ⅲ-Ⅳ acute graft-versus-host disease after transplantation. However, iron overload did not significantly affect the overall survival and failure-free survival rates of the children.

[TFE3-rearranged perivascular epithelioid cell tumors: a clinicopathological analysis of eight cases].

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological, immunohistochemical and molecular genetic characteristics of TFE3-rearranged perivascular epithelioid cell tumor (PEComa). Methods: Eight cases of PEComa with TFE3 rearrangement diagnosed in the First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University from January 2014 to July 2022 were collected. Three were consultation cases and 5 were collected from our hospital; 7 cases were resection specimens and 1 case was a needle biopsy specimen. Routine histolopathological analysis, immunohistochemical staining, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and the next-generation sequencing were performed. Clinical data were collected and the prognosis was assessed. Results: The 8 patients consisted of 5 females and 3 males with a median age of 45 years (ranged from 25 to 65 years). The tumor location included 1 uterus, 1 liver, 1 urachus, 2 kidneys, 1 abdominal cavity, 1 colon, and 1 retroperitoneum (3 subsequent recurrences in the abdominal cavity, pelvis and ovary, and abdominal cavity, respectively). Morphologically, the tumor cells were uniform and epithelioid with translucent or eosinophilic cytoplasm. They were arranged in nests or sheets, most of which were separated by thin-walled blood vessels. There were no papillary structures, and no overt smooth muscle or fat components. Atypical features were seen in 3 cases, with bizarre nuclei and tumor giant cells. Large areas of necrosis were visible, and mitosis was common (up to 28/50 HPF). Melanin deposition was present in 3 cases. Immunohistochemical staining showed diffuse and strong positivity for TFE3 in 8/8 cases and for HMB45 in 6/8 cases; focal positivity for Cathepsin K and Melan-A in 6/8 cases and for SMA in 2/8 of cases. All cases were negative for CKpan, PAX8 and Desmin. TFE3 gene break-apart was detected by FISH in all 8 cases, 4 of which underwent next-generation sequencing, and it revealed that 2 cases presented with SFPQ::TFE3 fusion, 1 case with ASPSCR1::TFE3 fusion, and 1 case with no chimeric fusion. Seven cases were followed up for 4-94 months. All cases were alive; 4 cases were disease-free, 2 cases showed recurrence, and 1 case had metastasis at initial diagnosis. Conclusions: TFE3-rearranged PEComa has unique histomorphological, immunohistochemical and molecular characteristics. The biological behavior is aggressive, which could lead to recurrence and metastasis, and warrants close clinical follow-up.

Inverse Spin Hall Effect Dominated Spin-Charge Conversion in (101) and (110)-Oriented RuO_{2} Films.

Utilizing spin pumping, we present a comparative study of the spin-charge conversion in RuO_{2}(101) and RuO_{2}(110) films. RuO_{2}(101) shows a robust in-plane crystal-axis dependence, whereas RuO_{2}(110) exhibits an isotropic but stronger one. Symmetry-based analysis and first-principles calculations reveal that the spin-charge conversion in RuO_{2}(110) originates from the inverse spin Hall effect (ISHE) due to nodal lines splitting. In RuO_{2}(101), the ISHE also dominates although the inverse spin splitting effect (ISSE) may coexist. These findings, in sharp contrast to previously attributed ISSE, are further corroborated by the reciprocal relation between the spin pumping and the spin-torque ferromagnetic resonance measurements.