Hand Gesture Recognition Based on High-Density Myoelectricity in Forearm Flexors in Humans.

Electromyography-based gesture recognition has become a challenging problem in the decoding of fine hand movements. Recent research has focused on improving the accuracy of gesture recognition by increasing the complexity of network models. However, training a complex model necessitates a significant amount of data, thereby escalating both user burden and computational costs. Moreover, owing to the considerable variability of surface electromyography (sEMG) signals across different users, conventional machine learning approaches reliant on a single feature fail to meet the demand for precise gesture recognition tailored to individual users. Therefore, to solve the problems of large computational cost and poor cross-user pattern recognition performance, we propose a feature selection method that combines mutual information, principal component analysis and the Pearson correlation coefficient (MPP). This method can filter out the optimal subset of features that match a specific user while combining with an SVM classifier to accurately and efficiently recognize the user's gesture movements. To validate the effectiveness of the above method, we designed an experiment including five gesture actions. The experimental results show that compared to the classification accuracy obtained using a single feature, we achieved an improvement of about 5% with the optimally selected feature as the input to any of the classifiers. This study provides an effective guarantee for user-specific fine hand movement decoding based on sEMG signals.

Clinical Characteristics of Molecularly Defined Renal Cell Carcinomas.

Kidney tumors comprise a broad spectrum of different histopathological entities, with more than 0.4 million newly diagnosed cases each year, mostly in middle-aged and older men. Based on the description of the 2022 World Health Organization (WHO) classification of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), some new categories of tumor types have been added according to their specific molecular typing. However, studies on these types of RCC are still superficial, many types of these RCC currently lack accurate diagnostic standards in the clinic, and treatment protocols are largely consistent with the treatment guidelines for clear cell RCC (ccRCC), which might result in worse treatment outcomes for patients with these types of molecularly defined RCC. In this article, we conduct a narrative review of the literature published in the last 15 years on molecularly defined RCC. The purpose of this review is to summarize the clinical features and the current status of research on the detection and treatment of molecularly defined RCC.

Investigating the Role of FoxP3 in Renal Cell Carcinoma Metastasis with BAP1 or SEDT2 Mutation.

Forkhead box protein P3 (FoxP3) primarily functions as the master regulator in regulatory T cells (Tregs) differentiation, but its high level of expression has also been found in tumor cells recently. The aim of our study was to clarify the role of FoxP3 in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) progression and metastasis. We verified the FoxP3 characteristic clinicopathological data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database using bioinformatics tools. Meanwhile, RNA sequencing was performed to determine the FoxP3 biofunction in RCC progression. Our results showed that high expression of FoxP3 was found in BAP1- or SETD2-mutant patients with RCC, and a higher FoxP3 expression was related to worse prognosis. However, there was no statistically significant relationship between the FoxP3 IHC score and RCC malignant progression owning to the limited number of patients in our tissue microarray. Using in vitro FoxP3 loss-of-function assays, we verified that silencing FoxP3 in 786-O and ACHN cells could inhibit the cell migration/invasion capability, which was consistent with the data from RNA sequencing in 786-O cells and from the TCGA datasets. Using an in vivo nude mice orthotopic kidney cancer model, we found that silencing FoxP3 could inhibit tumor growth. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that BAP1 or SEDT2 mutation could lead to higher expression of FoxP3 in RCC patients, and FoxP3 could eventually stimulate RCC cells' invasion and metastasis, which might indicate that FoxP3 could function as a potential oncogene in RCC progression.

Clinical Characteristics and Current Status of Treatment for Recurrent Bladder Cancer after Surgeries on Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma.

Upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is a relatively rare, but highly malignant, disease with an estimated annual incidence of 2 cases per 100,000 people. The main surgical treatment modalities for UTUC are radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) with bladder cuff resection. After surgery, intravesical recurrence (IVR) can occur in up to 47% of patients, and 75% of them present with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). However, there are few studies focused on the diagnosis and treatment of postoperatively recurrent bladder cancer for patients with previous UTUC history (UTUC-BC), and many of the influencing factors are still controversial. In this article, we performed a narrative review of the recent literature, mainly summarizing the factors influencing postoperative IVR in patients with UTUC and discussing the subsequent prevention, monitoring, and treatment tools for it.

Oridonin Inhibits SARS-CoV-2 by Targeting Its 3C-Like Protease.

The current COVID-19 pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is an enormous threat to public health. The SARS-CoV-2 3C-like protease (3CLpro), which is critical for viral replication and transcription, has been recognized as an ideal drug target. Herein, it is identified that three herbal compounds, Salvianolic acid A (SAA), (-)-Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), and Oridonin, directly inhibit the activity of SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro. Further, blocking SARS-CoV-2 infectivity by Oridonin is confirmed in cell-based experiments. By solving the crystal structure of 3CLpro in complex with Oridonin and comparing it to that of other ligands with 3CLpro, it is identified that Oridonin binds at the 3CLpro catalytic site by forming a C-S covalent bond, which is confirmed by mass spectrometry and kinetic study, blocking substrate binding through a nonpeptidomimetic covalent binding mode. Thus, Oridonin is a novel candidate to develop a new antiviral treatment for COVID-19.

Oridonin Inhibits SARS-CoV-2 by Targeting Its 3C-Like Protease.

Oridonin Inhibits SARS-CoV-2 Oridonin, a natural product extracted from Rabdosia rubescens, possesses a wide range of pharmacological properties, including anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-microbial, neuroprotection, immunoregulation, etc. In article number 2100124, Baisen Zhong, Litao Sun, and co-workers demonstrate that Oridonin targets the SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease by covalently binding to cysteine145 in its active pocket to exert an anti-SARS-CoV-2 effect, which provides a novel candidate for the treatment of COVID-19.

Intervertebral disc regeneration using platelet­rich plasma­containing bone marrow­derived mesenchymal stem cells: A preliminary investigation.

Platelet­rich plasma (PRP) is a promising strategy for intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). However, the short half­life of growth factors released from PRP cannot continuously stimulate the degenerated discs. Thus, the present study hypothesized that the combined use of PRP and bone marrow­derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) may repair the early degenerated discs in the long term for their synergistic reparative effect. In the present study, following the induction of early IDD by annular puncture in rabbits, PRP was prepared and mixed with BMSCs (PRP­BMSC group) for injection into the early degenerated discs. As controls, phosphate­buffered saline (PBS; PBS group) and PRP (PRP group) were similarly injected. Rabbits without any intervention served as a control group. At 8 weeks following treatment, histological changes of the injected discs were assessed. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to detect the T2­weighted signal intensity of the targeted discs at weeks 1, 2 and 8 following treatment. Annular puncture resulted in disc narrowing and decreased T2­weighted signal intensity. At weeks 1 and 3, MRI examinations showed regenerative changes in the PRP­BMSC group and PRP group, whereas the PBS group exhibited a continuous degenerative process of the discs. At 8 weeks post­injection, the PRP­BMSCs induced a statistically significant restoration of discs, as shown by MRI (PRP­BMSCs, vs.PRP and PBS; P<0.05), which was also confirmed by histological evaluations. Thus, compared with PRP, the administration of PRP­containing BMSCs resulted in a superior regenerative effect on the early degenerated discs, which may be a promising therapeutic strategy for the restoration of early degenerated discs.

[An experimental study on effect of autologous platelet-rich plasma on treatment of early intervertebral disc degeneration].

OBJECTIVE: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) can stimulate intervertebral disc cell proliferation, promote extracellular matrix synthesis, and inhibit annulus fibrosus cell apoptosis. To investigate the effects of autologous PRP on the treatment of the early intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) so as to provide the experimental basis for its clinical application. METHODS: Forty-five healthy New Zealand white rabbits (male or female, weighing 2.5-3.0 kg) were randomly divided into the experimental group (n = 15), the control group (n = 15), and the sham group (n = 15). PRP was prepared from the arterial blood of rabbit's ears of the experimental group with Landesberg's method. The platelet concentrations in both whole blood and PRP were detected. The rabbit model of early IDD was established by annulus fibrosus puncture (L4, 5, L5, 6) in both the experimental group and the control group; 100 microL autologous PRP and 100 microL PBS were injected into the degenerative intervertebral discs respectively after 2 weeks of models creation. In sham group, intervertebral discs were separated and exposed without treatment. The general conditions of the rabbits were observed after building models; at 2 weeks after degeneration, 1 and 2 weeks after intervention, 5 rabbits were selected randomly from each group respectively for MRI observation, histological observation by using HE staining and collagen type II immunohistochemical staining. The signal of lumbar MRI was assessed and the contents of collagen type II were detected. RESULTS: The platelet concentration of PRP was about 4.92 times as much as that of the whole blood. All the animals survived to the end of the experiment. At 2 weeks after degeneration, a lower T2 signal was observed in both the experimental group and the control group; the nucleus pulposus cells decreased and extracellular matrix degenerated; and the expression of collagen type II decreased in both the experimental group and control group. The degenerative grade of lumbar MRI in the experimental group and control group were significantly higher than that in the sham group (P < 0.05), and the content of collagen type II were significantly lower than that in the sham group (P < 0.05). At 1, 2 weeks after intervention, disc degeneration in the experimental group was significantly lower than that in control group (P < 0.05), and significant difference was found between experimental group and sham group (P < 0.05). The nucleus pulposus cells and chondroid matrix in the experimental group were more than those in the control group, showing slight stromal fibrosis; but the expression of collage type II was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The disc injection of autologous PRP may terminate or even reverse the progress of rabbit early IDD, which may be associated with the role of multiple growth factors of PRP in regulating cell function, improving the tissue microenvironment, and promoting tissue regeneration.