Chang'E-4 initial spectroscopic identification of lunar far-side mantle-derived materials.

Over 60 years of spacecraft exploration has revealed that the Earth's Moon is characterized by a lunar crust1 dominated by the mineral plagioclase, overlying a more mafic (richer in iron and magnesium) mantle of uncertain composition. Both crust and mantle formed during the earliest stages of lunar evolution when late-stage accretional energy caused a molten rock (magma) ocean, flotation of the light plagioclase, sinking of the denser iron-rich minerals, such as olivine and pyroxene, and eventually solidification2. Very large impact craters can potentially penetrate through the crust and sample the lunar mantle. The largest of these craters is the approximately 2,500-kilometre-diameter South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin3 on the lunar far side. Evidence obtained from orbiting spacecraft shows that the floor of the SPA basin is rich in mafic minerals4, but their mantle origin is controversial and their in situ geologic settings are poorly known. China's Chang'E-4 lunar far-side lander recently touched down in the Von Kármán crater5,6 to explore the floor of the huge SPA basin and deployed its rover, Yutu-2. Here we report on the initial spectral observations of the Visible and Near Infrared Spectrometer (VNIS)7 onboard Yutu-2, which we interpret to represent the presence of low-calcium (ortho)pyroxene and olivine, materials that may originate from the lunar mantle. Geological context6 suggests that these materials were excavated from below the SPA floor by the nearby 72-km-diameter Finsen impact crater event, and transported to the landing site. Continued exploration by Yutu-2 will target these materials on the floor of the Von Kármán crater to understand their geologic context, origin and abundance, and to assess the possibility of sample-return scenarios.

Macrophage-specific FGFR1 deletion alleviates high-fat-diet-induced liver inflammation by inhibiting the MAPKs/TNF pathways.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common metabolic disease that is substantially associated with obesity-induced chronic inflammation. Macrophage activation and macrophage-medicated inflammation play crucial roles in the development and progression of NAFLD. Furthermore, fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) has been shown to be essentially involved in macrophage activation. This study investigated the role of FGFR1 in the NAFLD pathogenesis and indicated that a high-fat diet (HFD) increased p-FGFR1 levels in the mouse liver, which is associated with increased macrophage infiltration. In addition, macrophage-specific FGFR1 knockout or administration of FGFR1 inhibitor markedly protected the liver from HFD-induced lipid accumulation, fibrosis, and inflammatory responses. The mechanistic study showed that macrophage-specific FGFR1 knockout alleviated HFD-induced liver inflammation by suppressing the activation of MAPKs and TNF signaling pathways and reduced fat deposition in hepatocytes, thereby inhibiting the activation of hepatic stellate cells. In conclusion, the results of this research revealed that FGFR1 could protect the liver of HFD-fed mice by inhibiting MAPKs/TNF-mediated inflammatory responses in macrophages. Therefore, FGFR1 can be employed as a target to prevent the development and progression of NAFLD.

Current-use pesticides monitoring and ecological risk assessment in vegetable soils at the provincial scale.

Pesticides represent one of the largest intentional inputs of potentially hazardous compounds into agricultural soils. However, as an important vegetable producing country, surveys on pesticide residues in soils of vegetable production areas are scarce in China. This study presented the occurrence, spatial distribution, correlation between vegetable types and pesticides, and ecological risk evaluation of 94 current-use pesticides in 184 soil samples from vegetable production areas of Zhejiang province (China). The ecological risks of pesticides to soil biota were evaluated with toxicity exposure ratios (TERs) and risk quotient (RQ). The pesticide concentrations varied largely from below the limit of quantification to 20703.06 µg/kg (chlorpyrifos). The situation of pesticide residues in Jiaxing is more serious than in other cities. Soils in the vegetable areas are highly diverse in pesticide combinations. Eisenia fetida suffered exposure risk from multiple pesticides. The risk posed by chlorpyrifos, which exhibited the highest RQs at all scenarios, was worrisome. Only a few pesticides accounted for the overall risk of a city, while the other pesticides make little or zero contribution. This work will guide the appropriate use of pesticides and manage soil ecological risks, achieving green agricultural production.

Costunolide attenuates high-fat diet-induced inflammation and oxidative stress in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a progressive disease that can further evolve towards liver fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma in the end stage. Costunolide (Cos) is a natural sesquiterpene lactone that exhibits both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. However, the therapeutic effect of Cos on NAFLD is not clear. In this study, we explored the potential protective effect and mechanism of Cos on NAFLD. C57BL/6 mice were fed with high-fat diet (HFD) to induce NAFLD. Cos was administered by gavage to observe the effect of Cos on NAFLD. We demonstrated that oral administration of Cos reduced HFD-induced hepatic fibrosis and the release of inflammatory cytokines, limiting the generation of reactive oxygen species. In vitro experiments revealed that pretreatment with Cos significantly decreased PA-induced production of inflammatory cytokines and fibrosis in AML-12 cells. Mechanism study showed that the effect of Cos was correlated to the induction of Nrf-2 and inhibition of NF-κB pathways. Collectively, these findings indicated that Cos exerts hepatoprotective effect against NAFLD through blocking inflammation and oxidative stress. Our study suggested that Cos might be an effective pharmacotherapy for the treatment of NAFLD.

Activating peroxymonosulfate with Fe-doped biochar for efficient removal of tetracycline: Dual action of reactive oxygen species and electron transfer.

If pharmaceutical wastewater is not managed effectively, the presence of residual antibiotics will result in significant environmental contamination. In addition, inadequate utilization of agricultural waste represents a squandering of resources. The objective of this research was to assess the efficacy of iron-doped biochar (Fe-BC) derived from peanut shells in degrading high concentrations of Tetracycline (TC) wastewater through activated peroxymonosulfate. Fe-BC demonstrated significant efficacy, achieving a removal efficiency of 87.5% for TC within 60 min without the need to adjust the initial pH (20 mg/L TC, 2 mM PMS, 0.5 g/L catalyst). The degradation mechanism of TC in this system involved a dual action, namely Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and electron transfer. The primary active sites were the Fe species, which facilitated the generation of SO4•-, •OH, O2•-, and 1O2. The presence of Fe species and the C=C structure in the Fe-BC catalyst support the electron transfer. Degradation pathways were elucidated through the identification of intermediate products and calculation of the Fukui index. The Toxicity Estimator Software Tool (T.E.S.T.) suggested that the intermediates exhibited lower levels of toxicity. Furthermore, the system exhibited exceptional capabilities in real water and circulation experiments, offering significant economic advantages. This investigation provides an efficient strategy for resource recycling and the treatment of high-concentration antibiotic wastewater.

Effects of short-term supplementation with DHA-enriched phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylserine on lipid profiles in the brain and liver of n-3 PUFA-deficient mice in early life after weaning.

BACKGROUND: Lack of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids during the period of maternity drastically lowers the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) level in the brain of offspring and studies have demonstrated that different molecular forms of DHA are beneficial to brain development. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of short-term supplementation with DHA-enriched phosphatidylserine (PS) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) on DHA levels in the liver and brain of congenital n-3-deficient mice. RESULTS: Dietary supplementation with DHA significantly changed the fatty acid composition of various phospholipid molecules in the cerebral cortex and liver while DHA-enriched phospholipid was more effective than DHA triglyceride (TG) in increasing brain and liver DHA. Both DHA-PS and DHA-PC could effectively increase the DHA levels, but DHA in the PS form was superior to PC in the contribution of DHA content in the brain ether-linked PC (ePC) and liver lyso-phosphatidylcholine molecular species. DHA-PC showed more significant effects on the increase of DHA in liver TG, PC, ePC, phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and PE plasmalogen (pPE) molecular species and decreasing the arachidonic acid level in liver PC plasmalogen, ePC, PE and pPE molecular species compared with DHA-PS. CONCLUSION: The effect of dietary interventions with different molecular forms of DHA for brain and liver lipid profiles is different, which may provide theoretical guidance for dietary supplementation of DHA for people. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Loss of RAGE prevents chronic intermittent hypoxia-induced nonalcoholic fatty liver disease via blockade of NF-кB pathway.

In recent years, receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) has been documented to induce liver fibrosis and inflammatory reaction. Further, microarray data analysis of this study predicted high expression of RAGE in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, its specific mechanisms remain to be elucidated. Hence, this study is aimed at investigating the mechanistic insights of RAGE in chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH)-induced NAFLD. ApoE knockout (ApoE-/-) mice were exposed to CIH to induce NAFLD, and primary hepatocytes were also exposed to CIH to mimic in vitro setting. Accordingly, we found that RAGE and NF-κB were upregulated in the liver tissues of CIH-induced NAFLD mice and CIH-exposed hepatocytes. Depleted RAGE attenuated CIH-induced hepatocyte injury, lipid deposition, and inflammation. The relationship between RAGE and NF-κB was analyzed by in silico analysis and correlation analysis. It was demonstrated that knockdown of RAGE inhibited the NF-кB pathway, thus alleviating CIH-induced disorders in hepatocytes. Moreover, in vivo experiments also verified that depletion of RAGE alleviated CIH-induced NAFLD by inhibiting NF-кB pathway. Collectively, loss of RAGE blocked the NF-кB pathway to alleviate CIH-induced NAFLD, therefore, highlighting a potential hepatoprotective target for treating NAFLD.

HDAC inhibitor ITF2357 reduces resistance of mutant-KRAS non-small cell lung cancer to pemetrexed through a HDAC2/miR-130a-3p-dependent mechanism.

BACKGROUND: Histone deacetylases (HDAC) contribute to oncogenic program, pointing to their inhibitors as a potential strategy against cancers. We, thus, studied the mechanism of HDAC inhibitor ITF2357 in resistance of mutant (mut)-KRAS non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to pemetrexed (Pem). METHODS: We first determined the expression of NSCLC tumorigenesis-related HDAC2 and Rad51 in NSCLC tissues and cells. Next, we illustrated the effect of ITF2357 on the Pem resistance in wild type-KARS NSCLC cell line H1299, mut-KARS NSCLC cell line A549 and Pem-resistant mut-KARS cell line A549R in vitro and in xenografts of nude mice in vivo. RESULTS: Expression of HDAC2 and Rad51 was upregulated in NSCLC tissues and cells. Accordingly, it was revealed that ITF2357 downregulated HDAC2 expression to diminish the resistance of H1299, A549 and A549R cells to Pem. HDAC2 bound to miR-130a-3p to upregulate its target gene Rad51. The in vitro findings were reproduced in vivo, where ITF2357 inhibited the HDAC2/miR-130a-3p/Rad51 axis to reduce the resistance of mut-KRAS NSCLC to Pem. CONCLUSION: Taken together, HDAC inhibitor ITF2357 restores miR-130a-3p expression by inhibiting HDAC2, thereby repressing Rad51 and ultimately diminishing resistance of mut-KRAS NSCLC to Pem. Our findings suggested HDAC inhibitor ITF2357 as a promising adjuvant strategy to enhance the sensitivity of mut-KRAS NSCLC to Pem.

Recent Advances on Direct Functionalization of Indoles in Aqueous Media.

Indoles and their derivatives have dominated a significant proportion of nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds and play an essential role in synthetic and medicinal chemistry, pesticides, and advanced materials. Compared with conventional synthetic strategies, direct functionalization of indoles provides straightforward access to construct diverse indole scaffolds. As we enter an era emphasizing green and sustainable chemistry, utilizing environment-friendly solvents represented by water demonstrates great potential in synthesizing valuable indole derivatives. This review aims to depict the critical aspects of aqueous-mediated indoles functionalization over the past decade and discusses the future challenges and prospects in this fast-growing field. For the convenience of readers, this review is classified into three parts according to the bonding modes (C-C, C-N, and C-S bonds), which focus on the diversity of indole derivatives, the prominent role of water in the chemical process, and the types of catalyst systems and mechanisms. We hope this review can promote the sustainable development of the direct functionalization of indoles and their derivatives and the discovery of novel and practical organic methods in aqueous phase.

The real-time detection of acupuncture-induced extracellular ATP mobilization in acupoints and exploration of its role in acupuncture analgesia.

Our and in vitro studies had confirmed that mechanosensitive ATP release and accumulation in acupoints was elicited by acupuncture (AP), which might be a pivotal step for triggering AP analgesia. But to date, the dynamics of extracellular ATP (eATP) in the interstitial space during AP process was poorly known, mainly due to the low temporal resolution of the current detection approach. This study attempted to capture rapid eATP signals in vivo in the process of needling, and further explored the role of this eATP mobilization in initiating AP analgesic effect. Ipsilateral 20-min needling was applied on Zusanli acupoint (ST36) of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced ankle arthritis rats. Pain thresholds were assessed in injured-side hindpaws. eATP in the interstitial space was microdialyzed and real-time quantified by luciferin-luciferase assay at 1-min interval with the aid of the microfluid chip. We revealed in behavioral tests that modulation of eATP levels in ST36 influenced AP analgesic effect on ankle arthritis. A transient eATP accumulation was induced by needling that started to mobilize at 4 min, climbed to the peak of 11.21 nM within 3.25 min and gradually recovered. Such AP-induced eATP mobilization was significantly impacted by ankle inflammation, needling depth, needle manipulation, and the presence of local ecto-nucleotidases. This work reveals that needling elicits a transient eATP mobilization in acupoints, which contributes to initiating AP analgesia. This study will help us better understand the peripheral mechanism of AP analgesia and guide clinicians to optimize the needle manipulations to improve AP efficacy.

Hypoxic conditions promote a proliferative, poorly differentiated phenotype in COPD lung tissue progenitor cells in vitro.

PURPOSE: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients experience hypoxemia and lung tissue hypoxia, causing vasoconstriction, and at its most severe Cor pulmonale. However, minimal attention has been given to the effects of hypoxia at the cellular level. We hypothesize that a persistent progenitor cell population undergoes an aberrant differentiation process, influenced by changes in oxygen. METHODS: Distal lung progenitor cells from two emphysematous donors were cultured in 21% and 2% oxygen. Proliferation was determined on collagen-coated plastic and in 3T3-J2 co-culture. Epithelial (E-cadherin, pan-cytokeratin) and progenitor (TP63, cytokeratin 5) marker expressions were examined. Cells were differentiated at air-liquid interface, and ciliated, mucus-producing, and club cell populations identified by immunofluorescence. MUC5AC, MUC5B, CC10, and TP63 expression were determined using qRT-PCR, mucin5AC, and mucin5B protein levels by ELISA, and secreted mucin by periodic acid biotin hydrazide assay. RESULTS: Cells were positive for epithelial and progenitor markers at isolation and passage 5. Passage 5 cells in hypoxia increased the proportion of TP63 by 10% from 51.6 ± 1.2% to 62.6 ± 2.3% (p ≤ 0.01). Proliferative capacity was greater on 3T3J2 cells and in 2% oxygen, supporting the emergence of a proliferation unrestricted population with limited differentiation capacity. Differentiation resulted in ßIV tubulin positive-ciliated cells, mucin5AC, mucin5B, and CC10 positive secretory cells. Epithelial barrier formation was reduced (p ≤ 0.0001) in hypoxia-expanded cells. qRT-PCR showed higher mucin expression in 2% cells, significantly so with MUC5B (p ≤ 0.05). Although overall mucin5AC and mucin5B content was greater in 21% cells, normalization of secreted mucin to DNA showed a trend for increased mucin by low oxygen cells. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that hypoxia promotes a proliferative phenotype while affecting subsequent progenitor cell differentiation capacity. Furthermore, the retained differentiation potential becomes skewed to a more secretory phenotype, demonstrating that hypoxia may be contributing to disease symptoms and severity in COPD patients.

Repurposing of the FGFR inhibitor AZD4547 as a potent inhibitor of necroptosis by selectively targeting RIPK1.

Necroptosis is a form of regulated necrosis involved in various pathological diseases. The process of necroptosis is controlled by receptor-interacting kinase 1 (RIPK1), RIPK3, and pseudokinase mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL), and pharmacological inhibition of these kinases has been shown to have therapeutic potentials in a variety of diseases. In this study, using drug repurposing strategy combined with high-throughput screening (HTS), we discovered that AZD4547, a previously reported FGFR inhibitor, is able to interfere with necroptosis through direct targeting of RIPK1 kinase. In both human and mouse cell models, AZD4547 blocked RIPK1-dependent necroptosis. In addition, AZD4547 rescued animals from TNF-induced lethal shock and inflammatory responses. Together, our study demonstrates that AZD4547 is a potent and selective inhibitor of RIPK1 with therapeutic potential for the treatment of inflammatory disorders that involve necroptosis.

Spatio-temporal distribution of organochlorine pesticides in agricultural soils of southeast China during 2014-2019.

Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are organic pollutants that are persistent and undegradable in the environment. To investigate their residual concentrations, spatial and temporal distributions, and the relationship with the crops planted, 12 individual OCPs in 687 soil samples from Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Jiangxi provinces of southeast China were examined. The detection frequencies of OCPs in the studied areas were 1.89%-64.9%. The concentrations of dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethanes (DDTs), hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), and endosulfans ranged from 0.01 to 5659 µg/kg, 0.03-3.58 µg/kg, and 0.05-3235 µg/kg, respectively. Jiangsu was mainly contaminated by p,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDD and endosulfan sulfate, Zhejiang was more polluted by OCPs except δ-HCH, and Jiangxi was more vulnerable to the contamination of OCPs except o,p'-DDE. The partial least-squares discrimination analysis (PLS-DA) model with RX2 36.3-36.8% revealed that compounds with similar chemical properties tended to appear in the same year and month. All crop lands were polluted by DDTs and Endosulfans. The highest concentrations of DDTs and Endosulfans were found in citrus and vegetable fields, respectively. This study offers new insight into the layout and partitioning of OCPs in agricultural land and into insecticide management on public health and ecological safety.

Application of cementoplasty in patients with symptomatic benign osteopathy disease.

BACKGROUND: The optimal treatment for some symptomatic, benign osteopathy lesions is yet to be identified. PURPOSE: To investigate the clinical efficiency of cementoplasty in managing symptomatic, benign osteopathy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Between June 2006 and January 2020, we retrospectively enrolled 31 patients (10 men, 21 women; mean age = 46.5 ± 16.6 years; age range = 20-85 years), accounting for 34 treatment sites, who underwent percutaneous osteoplasty (14 treatment sites) and percutaneous vertebroplasty (20 treatment sites) with digital subtraction angiography (DSA) or DSA combined with computed tomography (CT). All the participants experienced different degrees of clinical symptoms with benign osteopathy lesions. The technical success of the procedure and occurrence of complications were recorded. Follow-up examinations were conducted to assess the treatment outcome using the MacNab criteria. RESULTS: All the participants had a diagnosis of benign osteopathy lesions before or after the cementoplasty. Surgery was successfully completed in all patients. Cement distributions were diffuse and homogeneous, with the complication of cement leakage occurring in 17.6% (6 of 34) of the lesions. The leakage occurred in the intervertebral disc (n = 1), the intra-articular space (n = 1), and the surrounding soft tissue (n = 4). Analysis of the treatment outcome using the MacNab criteria revealed that all patients showed improvement in their clinical symptoms to some extent and in the quality of life. CONCLUSION: Cementoplasty is an effective treatment for symptomatic, benign osteopathy, with the advantage of favorable clinical outcomes, and low complication rate.

Impact of Early Tracheostomy on Clinical Outcomes in Trauma Patients Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit: A Retrospective Causal Analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the indications, timing, and clinical outcomes that result from the early tracheostomy (ET) administration, by causal inference models. DESIGN: A retrospective observational study. SETTING: Multiinstitutional intensive care unit in the United States PARTICIPANTS: The study comprised 626 trauma patients. INTERVENTIONS: An ET versus late tracheostomy (LT). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Trauma patients with tracheostomy were identified from 2 public databases named Medical Information Mart for the Intensive Care-IV and eICU Collaborative Research Database. Tracheostomy was defined as early (≤7 days) or late (>7 days) from intensive care unit admission. A marginal structural Cox model (MSCM) with inverse probability weighting was employed. For comparison, the authors also used time-dependent propensity-score matching (PSM) to account for differences in the probability of receiving an ET or LT. A total of 626 eligible patients were enrolled in the study, of whom 321 (51%) received a ET. The MSCM and time-dependent PSM indicated that the ET group was associated with reduced ventilation-associated pneumonia (VAP) and a shorter mechanical ventilation (MV) duration than the LT group. Yet, mortality did not show any difference between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The authors' study observed that ET was not associated with reduced mortality in trauma patients, but it was associated with reduced VAP risk and MV duration. The results warrant further validation in randomized controlled trials.

Interpretable machine-learning model for Predicting the Convalescent COVID-19 patients with pulmonary diffusing capacity impairment.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 patients in the convalescent stage noticeably have pulmonary diffusing capacity impairment (PDCI). The pulmonary diffusing capacity is a frequently-used indicator of the COVID-19 survivors' prognosis of pulmonary function, but the current studies focusing on prediction of the pulmonary diffusing capacity of these people are limited. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a machine learning (ML) model for predicting PDCI in the COVID-19 patients using routinely available clinical data, thus assisting the clinical diagnosis. METHODS: Collected from a follow-up study from August to September 2021 of 221 hospitalized survivors of COVID-19 18 months after discharge from Wuhan, including the demographic characteristics and clinical examination, the data in this study were randomly separated into a training (80%) data set and a validation (20%) data set. Six popular machine learning models were developed to predict the pulmonary diffusing capacity of patients infected with COVID-19 in the recovery stage. The performance indicators of the model included area under the curve (AUC), Accuracy, Recall, Precision, Positive Predictive Value(PPV), Negative Predictive Value (NPV) and F1. The model with the optimum performance was defined as the optimal model, which was further employed in the interpretability analysis. The MAHAKIL method was utilized to balance the data and optimize the balance of sample distribution, while the RFECV method for feature selection was utilized to select combined features more favorable to machine learning. RESULTS: A total of 221 COVID-19 survivors were recruited in this study after discharge from hospitals in Wuhan. Of these participants, 117 (52.94%) were female, with a median age of 58.2 years (standard deviation (SD) = 12). After feature selection, 31 of the 37 clinical factors were finally selected for use in constructing the model. Among the six tested ML models, the best performance was accomplished in the XGBoost model, with an AUC of 0.755 and an accuracy of 78.01% after experimental verification. The SHAPELY Additive explanations (SHAP) summary analysis exhibited that hemoglobin (Hb), maximal voluntary ventilation (MVV), severity of illness, platelet (PLT), Uric Acid (UA) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were the top six most important factors affecting the XGBoost model decision-making. CONCLUSION: The XGBoost model reported here showed a good prognostic prediction ability for PDCI of COVID-19 survivors during the recovery period. Among the interpretation methods based on the importance of SHAP values, Hb and MVV contributed the most to the prediction of PDCI outcomes of COVID-19 survivors in the recovery period.

A Federated Learning Latency Minimization Method for UAV Swarms Aided by Communication Compression and Energy Allocation.

Unmanned aerial vehicle swarms (UAVSs) can carry out numerous tasks such as detection and mapping when outfitted with machine learning (ML) models. However, due to the flying height and mobility of UAVs, it is very difficult to ensure a continuous and stable connection between ground base stations and UAVs, as a result of which distributed machine learning approaches, such as federated learning (FL), perform better than centralized machine learning approaches in some circumstances when utilized by UAVs. However, in practice, functions that UAVs must perform often, such as emergency obstacle avoidance, require a high sensitivity to latency. This work attempts to provide a comprehensive analysis of energy consumption and latency sensitivity of FL in UAVs and present a set of solutions based on an efficient asynchronous federated learning mechanism for edge network computing (EAFLM) combined with ant colony optimization (ACO) for the cases where UAVs execute such latency-sensitive jobs. Specifically, UAVs participating in each round of communication are screened, and only the UAVs that meet the conditions will participate in the regular round of communication so as to compress the communication times. At the same time, the transmit power and CPU frequency of the UAV are adjusted to obtain the shortest time of an individual iteration round. This method is verified using the MNIST dataset and numerical results are provided to support the usefulness of our proposed method. It greatly reduces the communication times between UAVs with a relatively low influence on accuracy and optimizes the allocation of UAVs' communication resources.

Stereoselective Assembly of Hydrogen-Bonded Anionic Cages Dictated by Organophosphate-Based Chiral Nodes.

Inspired by the signal transduction function of organophosphates in biological systems, bioactive organophosphates were utilized for the first time as chiral nodes to dictate the stereoselective assembly of hydrogen-bonded anionic cages. Phosphonomycin (antibiotics), tenofovir (antivirals), adenosine monophosphate (natural product, AMP) and clindamycin phosphate (antibiotics) were assembled with an achiral bis-monourea ligand, thereby leading to the stereoselective formation of quadruple or triple helicates. The extent of the stereoselectivity could be enhanced by either lowering the temperature or adding stronger-binding cations as templates. With the chiral anionic cages as the host, some enantioselectivity was achieved when binding chiral quaternary ammonium cations.

CMV infection combined with acute GVHD associated with poor CD8+ T-cell immune reconstitution and poor prognosis post-HLA-matched allo-HSCT.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) are two major complications that contribute to a poor prognosis after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Superior early immune reconstitution (IR) is associated with improved survival after HSCT. However, when all three factors, CMV infection, aGVHD, and IR, are concomitantly considered, the effects of the triple events on HSCT are still unknown and should be studied further. Thus we enrolled 185 patients who were diagnosed as hematological malignancies and treated with HLA-matched sibling transplantation (MST) between January 2010 and December 2014, of whom 83 were positive for CMV infection and 82 had aGVHD. Results showed that patients with both aGVHD and CMV infection had significantly higher non-relapse mortality (NRM), lower overall survival (OS), and delayed CD8+ T-cell IR. Multivariate analyses showed that both aGVHD combined with CMV infection and delayed CD8+ T-cell IR were independent risk factors for prognosis post-MST. Recurrent CMV infections are associated with poor CD8+ T-cell reconstitution. However, superior IR could protect against the negative effects of aGVHD and CMV infection on the transplant outcomes.

Ultrasonography and clinicopathological features of breast cancer in predicting axillary lymph node metastases.

BACKGROUND: Early identification of axillary lymph node metastasis (ALNM) in breast cancer (BC) is still a clinical difficulty. There is still no good method to replace sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB). The purpose of our study was to develop and validate a nomogram to predict the probability of ALNM preoperatively based on ultrasonography (US) and clinicopathological features of primary tumors. METHODS: From September 2019 to April 2022, the preoperative US) and clinicopathological data of 1076 T1-T2 BC patients underwent surgical treatment were collected. Patients were divided into a training set (875 patients from September 2019 to October 2021) and a validation set (201 patients from November 2021 to April 2022). Patients were divided into positive and negative axillary lymph node (ALN) group according pathology of axillary surgery. Compared the US and clinicopathological features between the two groups. The risk factors for ALNM were determined using multivariate logistic regression analysis, and a nomogram was constructed. AUC and calibration were used to assess its performance. RESULTS: By univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis, age (p = 0.009), histologic grades (p = 0.000), molecular subtypes (p = 0.000), tumor location (p = 0.000), maximum diameter (p = 0.000), spiculated margin (p = 0.000) and distance from the skin (p = 0.000) were independent risk factors of ALNM. Then a nomogram was developed. The model was good discriminating with an AUC of 0.705 and 0.745 for the training and validation set, respectively. And the calibration curves demonstrated high agreement. However, in further predicting a heavy nodal disease burden (> 2 nodes), none of the variables were significant. CONCLUSION: This nomogram based on the US and clinicopathological data can predict the presence of ALNM good in T1-T2 BC patients. But it cannot effectively predict a heavy nodal disease burden (> 2 nodes).