AQP5 enriches for stem cells and cancer origins in the distal stomach.

LGR5 marks resident adult epithelial stem cells at the gland base in the mouse pyloric stomach1, but the identity of the equivalent human stem cell population remains unknown owing to a lack of surface markers that facilitate its prospective isolation and validation. In mouse models of intestinal cancer, LGR5+ intestinal stem cells are major sources of cancer following hyperactivation of the WNT pathway2. However, the contribution of pyloric LGR5+ stem cells to gastric cancer following dysregulation of the WNT pathway-a frequent event in gastric cancer in humans3-is unknown. Here we use comparative profiling of LGR5+ stem cell populations along the mouse gastrointestinal tract to identify, and then functionally validate, the membrane protein AQP5 as a marker that enriches for mouse and human adult pyloric stem cells. We show that stem cells within the AQP5+ compartment are a source of WNT-driven, invasive gastric cancer in vivo, using newly generated Aqp5-creERT2 mouse models. Additionally, tumour-resident AQP5+ cells can selectively initiate organoid growth in vitro, which indicates that this population contains potential cancer stem cells. In humans, AQP5 is frequently expressed in primary intestinal and diffuse subtypes of gastric cancer (and in metastases of these subtypes), and often displays altered cellular localization compared with healthy tissue. These newly identified markers and mouse models will be an invaluable resource for deciphering the early formation of gastric cancer, and for isolating and characterizing human-stomach stem cells as a prerequisite for harnessing the regenerative-medicine potential of these cells in the clinic.

TRAPPC1 is essential for the maintenance and differentiation of common myeloid progenitors in mice.

Myeloid cell development in bone marrow is essential for the maintenance of peripheral immune homeostasis. However, the role of intracellular protein trafficking pathways during myeloid cell differentiation is currently unknown. By mining bioinformatics data, we identify trafficking protein particle complex subunit 1 (TRAPPC1) as continuously upregulated during myeloid cell development. Using inducible ER-TRAPPC1 knockout mice and bone marrow chimeric mouse models, we demonstrate that TRAPPC1 deficiency causes severe monocyte and neutrophil defects, accompanied by a selective decrease in common myeloid progenitors (CMPs) and subsequent cell subsets in bone marrow. TRAPPC1-deleted CMPs differentiate poorly into monocytes and neutrophils in vivo and in vitro, in addition to exhibiting enhanced endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis via a Ca2+ -mitochondria-dependent pathway. Cell cycle arrest and senescence of TRAPPC1-deleted CMPs are mediated by the activation of pancreatic endoplasmic reticulum kinase and the upregulation of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21. This study reveals the essential role of TRAPPC1 in the maintenance and differentiation of CMPs and highlights the significance of protein processing and trafficking processes in myeloid cell development.

Predicting who has delayed cerebral ischemia after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage using machine learning approach: a multicenter, retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Early prediction of delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) is critical to improving the prognosis of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). Machine learning (ML) algorithms can learn from intricate information unbiasedly and facilitate the early identification of clinical outcomes. This study aimed to construct and compare the ability of different ML models to predict DCI after aSAH. Then, we identified and analyzed the essential risk of DCI occurrence by preoperative clinical scores and postoperative laboratory test results. METHODS: This was a multicenter, retrospective cohort study. A total of 1039 post-operation patients with aSAH were finally included from three hospitals in China. The training group contained 919 patients, and the test group comprised 120 patients. We used five popular machine-learning algorithms to construct the models. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, precision, and f1 score were used to evaluate and compare the five models. Finally, we performed a Shapley Additive exPlanations analysis for the model with the best performance and significance analysis for each feature. RESULTS: A total of 239 patients with aSAH (23.003%) developed DCI after the operation. Our results showed that in the test cohort, Random Forest (RF) had an AUC of 0.79, which was better than other models. The five most important features for predicting DCI in the RF model were the admitted modified Rankin Scale, D-Dimer, intracranial parenchymal hematoma, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, and Fisher score. Interestingly, clamping or embolization for the aneurysm treatment was the fourth button-down risk factor in the ML model. CONCLUSIONS: In this multicenter study, we compared five ML methods, among which RF performed the best in DCI prediction. In addition, the essential risks were identified to help clinicians monitor the patients at high risk for DCI more precisely and facilitate timely intervention.

Scalable manufacturing of quantum light emitters in silicon under rapid thermal annealing.

Quantum light sources play a fundamental role in quantum technologies ranging from quantum networking to quantum sensing and computation. The development of these technologies requires scalable platforms, and the recent discovery of quantum light sources in silicon represents an exciting and promising prospect for scalability. The usual process for creating color centers in silicon involves carbon implantation into silicon, followed by rapid thermal annealing. However, the dependence of critical optical properties, such as the inhomogeneous broadening, the density, and the signal-to-background ratio, on centers implantation steps is poorly understood. We investigate the role of rapid thermal annealing on the dynamic of the formation of single color centers in silicon. We find that the density and the inhomogeneous broadening greatly depend on the annealing time. We attribute the observations to nanoscale thermal processes occurring around single centers and leading to local strain fluctuations. Our experimental observation is supported by theoretical modeling based on first principles calculations. The results indicate that annealing is currently the main step limiting the scalable manufacturing of color centers in silicon.

Direct Observation of Enhanced Electron-Phonon Coupling in Copper Nanoparticles in the Warm-Dense Matter Regime.

Warm dense matter (WDM) represents a highly excited state that lies at the intersection of solids, plasmas, and liquids and that cannot be described by equilibrium theories. The transient nature of this state when created in a laboratory, as well as the difficulties in probing the strongly coupled interactions between the electrons and the ions, make it challenging to develop a complete understanding of matter in this regime. In this work, by exciting isolated ∼8 nm copper nanoparticles with a femtosecond laser below the ablation threshold, we create uniformly excited WDM. Using photoelectron spectroscopy, we measure the instantaneous electron temperature and extract the electron-ion coupling of the nanoparticle as it undergoes a solid-to-WDM phase transition. By comparing with state-of-the-art theories, we confirm that the superheated nanoparticles lie at the boundary between hot solids and plasmas, with associated strong electron-ion coupling. This is evidenced both by a fast energy loss of electrons to ions, and a strong modulation of the electron temperature induced by strong acoustic breathing modes that change the nanoparticle volume. This work demonstrates a new route for experimental exploration of the exotic properties of WDM.

The Development and Survival of Thymic Epithelial Cells Require TSC1-Dependent Negative Regulation of mTORC1 Activity.

Thymic epithelial cells (TECs) are critical for the development and generation of functionally competent T cells. Until now, the mechanism that regulates the survival of TECs is poorly understood. In the current study, we found that Tsc1 controls the homeostasis of medullary TECs (mTECs) by inhibiting lysosomal-mediated apoptosis pathway in mice. TEC-specific deletion of Tsc1 predominately decreased the cell number of mTECs and, to a lesser content, affected the development cortical TECs. The defect of mTECs caused by Tsc1 deficiency in mice impaired thymocyte development and peripheral T cell homeostasis. Mechanistically, Tsc1 deficiency did not affect the cell proliferation of mTECs but increased the apoptosis of mTECs significantly. RNA-sequencing analysis showed that pathways involved in lysosomal biogenesis, cell metabolism, and apoptosis were remarkably elevated in Tsc1-deficient mTECs compared with their wild-type counterparts. Tsc1-deficient mTECs exhibited overproduction of reactive oxygen species and malfunction of lysosome, with lysosome membrane permeabilization and the release of cathepsin B and cathepsin L to the cytosol, which then lead to Bid cleaved into active truncated Bid and subsequently intrinsic apoptosis. Finally, we showed that the impaired development of mTECs could be partially reversed by decreasing mTORC1 activity via haploinsufficiency of Raptor Thus, Tsc1 is essential for the homeostasis of mTECs by inhibiting lysosomal-mediated apoptosis through mTORC1-dependent pathways.

Conjugated Poly(ionic liquid)-Based Nanoporous Membrane for Rapid Moisture Response.

Stimuli-responsive nanoporous materials represent a newly emerging category of functional materials, for which instant and significant response behavior is strongly demanded but still challenging. Herein, a new kind of conjugated poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs) synthesized via a simple one-pot spontaneous nucleophilic substitution and polymerization between 4,4'-vinylenedipyridine and propargyl bromide is reported. A nanoporous membrane actuator is further developed via ionic complexation between the current PIL and trimesic acid. The actuator carries a gradient density in the hydrophobicity content along the membrane cross-section, which results in a fast response to moisture.

Tuning perovskite nanocrystal superlattices for superradiance in the presence of disorder.

The cooperative emission of interacting nanocrystals is an exciting topic fueled by recent reports of superfluorescence and superradiance in assemblies of perovskite nanocubes. Several studies estimated that coherent coupling is localized to a small fraction of nanocrystals (10-7-10-3) within the assembly, raising questions about the origins of localization and ways to overcome it. In this work, we examine single-excitation superradiance by calculating radiative decays and the distribution of superradiant wave function in two-dimensional CsPbBr3 nanocube superlattices. The calculations reveal that the energy disorder caused by size distribution and large interparticle separations reduces radiative coupling and leads to the excitation localization, with the energy disorder being the dominant factor. The single-excitation model clearly predicts that, in the pursuit of cooperative effects, having identical nanocubes in the superlattice is more important than achieving a perfect spatial order. The monolayers of large CsPbBr3 nanocubes (LNC = 10-20 nm) are proposed as model systems for experimental tests of superradiance under conditions of non-negligible size dispersion, while small nanocubes (LNC = 5-10 nm) are preferred for realizing the Dicke state under ideal conditions.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis secondary to virus infection and followed by lupus nephritis recurrence in a renal transplantation pediatric recipient: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare and life-threatening disorder characterized by systemic inflammation and organ failure as a result of dysregulated immune cell activation. HLH can be induced by a variety of factors including infection, tumours and autoimmune disease and can also occur in patients following solid organ transplantation. Occurrence of HLH and lupus nephritis (LN) successively within a short period of time after renal transplantation is uncommon. CASE PRESENTATION: We described an 11-year-old female post-transplant patient who presented with hemocytopenia, fever, elevated serum ferritin, splenomegaly, hyperlipidemia, and hypofibrinemia, and was clinically diagnosed with HLH. After comprehensive treatment with corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), and reducing immunosuppressants, her condition improved, but then hematuria ensued. The transplant kidney biopsy showed LN. She was treated with hydroxychloroquine and methylprednisolone while intensive immunosuppressive agents were given. She has remained in remission for two years until now. CONCLUSIONS: The main inducing factors of HLH should be identified as early as possible, and accurate treatment plans should be taken. The long-course IVIG regimen may be one of the effective treatments for virus-induced HLH. After remission of HLH, we need to be alert to the recurrence of autoimmune diseases in patients with underlying diseases, and timely increase immunosuppressants.

Association between HLA-B*27:04 and genetic susceptibility to ankylosing spondylitis in Hunan Province. / 湖南地区携带HLA-B*27꞉04ç­‰ä½åŸºå› äººç¾¤ä¸Žå¼ºç›´æ€§è„ŠæŸ±ç‚Žçš„æ˜“æ„Ÿæ€§å ·æœ‰å¼ºç›¸å ³æ€§ï¼ˆè‹±æ–‡ï¼‰.

OBJECTIVES: Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) B27 is a susceptibility allele of ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and HLA-B27 antigen typing is an important indicator for clinical diagnosis of AS, but current typing methods such as sequence specific primer polymerase chain reaction (PCR-SSP) still possess limitation. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the correlation between B27 subtypes and susceptibility to AS in Hunan Province by applying high-resolution polymerase chain reaction-sequence-based typing (PCR-SBT). METHODS: Peripheral blood of 116 patients with suspected AS (suspected AS group) and 121 healthy volunteers (control group) admitted to the Second Xiangya Hospital from January 2020 to December 2020 were collected for HLA-B genotyping by PCR-SBT. Among the patients in the suspected AS group, 23 patients were finally diagnosed with AS (confirmed AS group), and the remaining 93 undiagnosed patients served as the non-confirmed AS group. PCR-SBT and PCR-SSP were used to detect HLA-B27 typing in 116 patients with suspected AS, and the results of the 2 methods were compared. RESULTS: The HLA-B27 allele frequency in the suspected AS group was significantly higher than that in the control group [11.63% vs 2.48%; P<0.001, odds ratio (OR)=5.18, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.097 to 12.795]. B*27:04, B*27:05, B*27:06, and B*27:07 were detected in the suspected AS group and the control group. The frequency of the B*27:04 allele in the suspected AS group was significantly higher than that in the control group (9.48% vs 1.24%; P<0.001, OR=8.346, 95% CI 2.463 to 28.282). The positive rate of B27 in the suspected AS group and the confirmed AS group (B27+/+ and B27+/-) was significantly higher than that in the control group (χ2=16.579, P<0.001; χ2=94.582, P<0.001, respectively). Among the confirmed AS group, 21 were HLA-B27 carriers, and the B27 positive rate in the confirmed AS group was 91.3%. PCR-SBT could achieve high resolution typing of the HLA-B gene locus, with higher sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy than PCR-SSP. CONCLUSIONS: PCR-SBT typing analysis shows a strong correlation between HLA-B * 27:04 and AS in Hunan province. The PCR-SBT method can be used as the preferred option for the auxiliary diagnosis of clinical AS.

Electric field measurement of femtosecond time-resolved four-wave mixing signals in molecules.

We report an experiment to measure the femtosecond electric field of the signal emitted from an optical third-order nonlinear interaction in carbon dioxide molecules. Using degenerate four-wave mixing with femtosecond near infrared laser pulses in combination with the ultra-weak femtosecond pulse measurement technique of TADPOLE, we measure the nonlinear signal electric field in the time domain at different time delays between the interacting pulses. The chirp extracted from the temporal phase of the emitted nonlinear signal is found to sensitively depend on the electronic and rotational contributions to the nonlinear response. While the rotational contribution results in a nonlinear signal chirp close to the chirp of the input pulses, the electronic contribution results in a significantly higher chirp which changes with time delay. Our work demonstrates that electric field-resolved nonlinear spectroscopy offers detailed information on nonlinear interactions at ultrafast time scales.

CD74 regulates cellularity and maturation of medullary thymic epithelial cells partially by activating the canonical NF-κB signaling pathway.

Thymic epithelial cells (TECs) are indispensable for T cell development, T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire selection, and specific lineage differentiation. Medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs), which account for the majority of TECs in adults, are critical for thymocyte selection and self-tolerance. CD74 is a nonpolymorphic transmembrane glycoprotein of major histocompatibility complex class II (MHCII) that is expressed in TECs. However, the exact role of CD74 in regulating the development of mTEC is poorly defined. In this research, we found that loss of CD74 resulted in a significant diminution in the medulla, a selective reduction in the cell number of mature mTECs expressing CD80 molecules, which eventually led to impaired thymic CD4+ T cell development. Moreover, RNA-sequence analysis showed that CD74 deficiency obviously downregulated the canonical nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) signaling pathway in mTECs. Our results suggest that CD74 positively controls mTEC cellularity and maturation partially by activating the canonical NF-κB signaling pathway.

Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. essential oil exhibits antidepressant-like effects and against brain oxidative stress through Nrf2/HO-1 pathway activation.

The present study aimed to evaluate the antidepressant-like effect of essential oils from Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. (SEO) and its possible mechanisms of SEO. The behavioral despair mouse model in vivo and H2O2-induced PC12 cells model in vitro were employed. And the potential effective components were identified by the spectrum-effect relationships analysis. SEO significantly decreased the immobility time in the forced swimming test and tail suspension test, which indicated a promising antidepressant-like effect of SEO in depressed mice. The decreased levels of SOD, GSH, and CAT, and increased levels of MDA were significantly reversed by SEO treatment, which showed good antioxidant activities both in vitro and in vivo. Besides, SEO significantly promoted the nuclear translocation of Nrf2 and the expression of HO-1 in depressed mice and H2O2-induced PC12 cells. The histopathological examination results showed a potential neuronal protective effect of SEO in the hippocampus and cortex. Furthermore, the upregulation of PI3K/AKT/GSK3ß signaling was observed after SEO treatment in the H2O2-induced PC12 cells. Additionally, based on the spectrum-effect relationship analysis, 9 peaks were identified as positively correlated with the antioxidant activity of SEO. These results suggested that SEO promoted Nrf2/HO-1 pathway to improve the oxidative stress status and exerted the antidepressant-like effects.

A nanozyme-based competitive electrochemical immunosensor for the determination of E-selectin.

A nanozyme-based competitive electrochemical immunosensor has been developed for the quantitative determination of E-selectin, a common adhesion molecule expressed by activated endothelial cells. A glassy carbon electrode modified with poly(azure A) and E-selectin antibody (GCE/PAA/Ab) was prepared. Au-CuO nanocomposite-labeled E-selectin, CD62E-Au-CuO, was synthetized, and it could be captured on GCE/PAA/Ab owing to the immunoreaction. The immobilized nanocomposites on GCE/PAA/Ab/CD62E-Au-CuO acted as nanozymes and were involved in the electrocatalytic process that caused the high cathodic peak current. The assembly of GCE/PAA/Ab/CD62E-Au-CuO was inhibited by E-selectin due to the competitive immunoreaction, which resulted in a decrease of the current signal. The cathodic peak current difference at - 0.35 V vs SCE was proportional to the concentration of E-selectin in the range 0.500-500 ng mL-1, and the limit of detection was estimated to be 226 pg mL-1. The cell morphology observation, the cell viability test, and the electrochemical measurement indicate that the injury of human umbilical vein endothelial cells was aggravated, and the release of E-selectin from the injured cells was gradually accelerated when the NaCl content in the growth medium increased.

5G-BSS: 5G-Based Universal Blockchain Smart Sensors.

A smart sensor is a sensor with information processing functions. It is the product of the combination of sensor integration and a microprocessor. It has the characteristics of intelligence, networking and high precision. It has been widely used in aerospace, aviation, intelligent transportation, industrial control and medical and health care. However, in some specific application scenarios with high data security requirements and low transmission delay, such as environmental detection, transportation, etc., smart sensors have three obvious shortcomings. First, the data transmission delay is high. Second, the confidentiality and integrity of the data transmission process cannot be effectively guaranteed. Third, centralized data storage is easily leaked and tampered with by malicious users and semi-trusted administrators. Therefore, a 5G-based blockchain smart sensor 5G-BSS was designed. 5G-BSS has three innovation points. First, the 5G communication module enables the smart sensor 5G-BSS. The 5G communication module is integrated into the smart sensor 5G-BSS to reduce the delay of data transmission and improve the speed and reliability of data transmission. Second, cryptographic algorithms enable the smart sensor 5G-BSS. The data encryption module of the smart sensor 5G-BSS improves the confidentiality and integrity of the data transmission process. Third, blockchain empowers the smart sensor 5G-BSS. The blockchain client is integrated into the smart sensor 5G-BSS to ensure the centralized storage of data and prevent data leakage and tampering by semi-trusted administrators. The operation process of the hardware and software architecture is described in detail and tested on the Fisco-Bcos. The experimental results show that 5G-BSS not only has fast data transmission speed but also can effectively guarantee the integrity, confidentiality and availability of data. 5G-BSS is suitable for application scenarios with high requirements for data security and data transmission, such as environmental monitoring, intelligent transportation, autonomous driving, etc.

Layer Edge States Stabilized by Internal Electric Fields in Two-Dimensional Hybrid Perovskites.

Two-dimensional (2D) organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites have been intensively explored in recent years due to their tunable band gaps and exciton binding energies and increased stability with respect to three-dimensional (3D) hybrid perovskites. Experimental observations suggest the existence of localized edge states in 2D hybrid perovskites which facilitate extremely efficient electron-hole dissociation and long carrier lifetimes, while multiple origins for their formation have been proposed. Using first-principles calculations, we demonstrate that layer edge states are stabilized by internal electric fields created by polarized molecular alignment of organic cations in 2D hybrid perovskites when they are two layers or thicker. Our study gives a simple physical explanation of the edge state formation, and facilitating the design and manipulation of layer edge states for optoelectronic applications.

External fixation with bone cement implantation for open calcaneal fractures: A case series.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to retrospectively evaluate patients who had open reduction, external fixation and bone cement implantation of open calcaneal fractures. METHODS: The records of 14 patients with open calcaneus fractures from January 2015 to January 2019 were reviewed retrospectively. Clinical evaluations consisting of AOFAS, MFS and EQ-5D VAS scores and radiological evaluations consisting of the height, width and length of the calcaneus as well as Bohler's and Gissane angle performed at 3 months, 1 year and the last follow-up postoperatively. Time to surgery, wound complications were recorded. RESULTS: Our study sample consisted of 9 males and 5 females with a mean age of 38.5 ± 9.8 years and a mean follow-up of 31.4 ± 7.7 months. The mean period from injury to surgery was 5.4 ± 1.9 days and the mean duration of hospitalization was 13.2 ± 4.5 days. The AOFAS, MFS and EQ-5D VAS scores were 92.5 ± 10.3, 84.1 ± 9.7 and 86.4 ± 15.1 respectively at the final follow-up. The Bohler's angle increased from (12.9 ± 3.1)° preoperatively to (28.5 ± 6.3)° at the final follow-up (P < 0.001), with the Gissane's angle from (104.5 ± 9.7)° to (116.4 ± 8.9)° (P < 0.001). One patients (7.1%) developed pin infections and one patient (7.1%) suffered from dorso-lateral hindfoot hypoaesthesia. There was complete fracture healing without secondary loss of reduction in all cases. CONCLUSION: External fixation with bone cement implantation is a valid alternative treatment for the management of displaced open calcaneal fractures with a low rate of complications. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV, retrospective case series.

Short-term outcome of kidney transplantation from deceased donors with nephrolithiasis. / 尸体供肾结石对肾移植短期疗效的影响（英文）.

OBJECTIVES: Shortage of kidney allografts is a major barrier to end-stage renal disease patients receiving kidney transplantation, and it is necessary to enlarge the donor pool and find better ways of using available allografts. The global incidence of nephrolithiasis is increasing, nephrolithiasis affects approximately 10% of adults worldwide, and it also affects the kidney donors. However, there is little information about the use of cadaveric kidney allografts with nephrolithiasis. This study aims to evaluate the safety and outcome of kidney transplantation with allografts from the deceased donors with nephrolithiasis. METHODS: A total of 520 deceased donors who was at least 10 years old, and 945 adult recipients with single kidney transplantation at the Department of Kidney Transplantation, the Second Xiangya Hospital from 2016 to 2020 were included in this study. The donors were divided into 2 groups according to nephrolithiasis diagnoses: The donors with nephrolithiasis (D + ) and the donors without nephrolithiasis (D - ). The recipients were assigned into 3 groups according to their donors and the allografts they received: The allografts from donors without nephrolithiasis (D - K - ), the allografts without nephrolithiasis from donors with nephrolithiasis (D + K - ), and the allografts with nephrolithiasis (D + K + ). The demographic and clinical data of enrolled subjects were retrospectively analyzed. The allograft discard ratio between different donors were analyzed. The one-year survival of allografts and recipients, as well as the allograft function and the complications of kidney transplantation were compared. RESULTS: Fifty out of 520 donors had nephrolithiasis, and the nephrolithiasis incidence was 9.6%. We recovered 1 040 kidneys, and total discard rate was 4.4% (46/1 040). The D + group had a rate of 7% discard. The donors with kidney discard accounted for 12% in the D + group, and this was higher than that of donors in the D - group (5.1%, P <0.05). The total incidence of delayed graft function (DGF) was 7.5%, and there were no significant differences in the incidence of DGF in recipients among the D - K - , D + K - , and D + K + group (7.5% vs 6.5% vs 8.2%, P> 0.05). During the one-year follow-up, 8 allografts lost function and 19 recipients died with a functional allograft. Recipients in the D - K - , D + K - ,and D + K + groups also had no significant difference between a one-year allograft and patient survival rate ( P >0.05). However, recipients in the D + K + group had a higher level of serum creatinine [(139.2±62.46) µmol/L vs (117.19±51.22) µmol/L, P <0.05] and lower estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR; (56.67±23.31) mL/(min·1.73 m -2 ) vs (66.86±21.90) mL/(min·1.73 m -2 ), P <0.05] compared with recipients in the D - K - group at 12 months after transplantation. During the first year after transplantation, 4 recipients developed urolithiasis, and recipients who received allografts from the D + group donors had a higher incidence of urolithiasis than those who received allografts from the D - group donors (2.2% vs 0.2%, P <0.05). There were no significant differences in the incidence of urinary tract infections and ureteral strictures at 1 year between recipients of D + and D - donors (both P >0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The cadaveric kidney allografts with nephrolithiasis could be safely used for transplantation, and the short-term outcome is acceptable. However, nephrolithiasis in donors may increase the rate of kidney discard, disturb the short-term function of allografts, and increase the risk of urolithiasis in recipients. Further research with a long-term study is needed to verify the long-term outcome of kidney transplantation using cadaveric kidney allografts with nephrolithiasis.

Ground-truth "resting-state" signal provides data-driven estimation and correction for scanner distortion of fMRI time-series dynamics.

The fMRI community has made great strides in decoupling neuronal activity from other physiologically induced T2* changes, using sensors that provide a ground-truth with respect to cardiac, respiratory, and head movement dynamics. However, blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) time-series dynamics are also confounded by scanner artifacts, in complex ways that can vary not only between scanners but even, for the same scanner, between sessions. Unfortunately, the lack of an equivalent ground truth for BOLD time-series has thus far stymied the development of reliable methods for identification and removal of scanner-induced noise, a problem that we have previously shown to severely impact detection sensitivity of resting-state brain networks. To address this problem, we first designed and built a phantom capable of providing dynamic signals equivalent to that of the resting-state brain. Using the dynamic phantom, we then compared the ground-truth time-series with its measured fMRI data. Using these, we introduce data-quality metrics: Standardized Signal-to-Noise Ratio (ST-SNR) and Dynamic Fidelity that, unlike currently used measures such as temporal SNR (tSNR), can be directly compared across scanners. Dynamic phantom data acquired from four "best-case" scenarios: high-performance scanners with MR-physicist-optimized acquisition protocols, still showed scanner instability/multiplicative noise contributions of about 6-18% of the total noise. We further measured strong non-linearity in the fMRI response for all scanners, ranging between 8-19% of total voxels. To correct scanner distortion of fMRI time-series dynamics at a single-subject level, we trained a convolutional neural network (CNN) on paired sets of measured vs. ground-truth data. The CNN learned the unique features of each session's noise, providing a customized temporal filter. Tests on dynamic phantom time-series showed a 4- to 7-fold increase in ST-SNR and about 40-70% increase in Dynamic Fidelity after denoising, with CNN denoising outperforming both the temporal bandpass filtering and denoising using Marchenko-Pastur principal component analysis. Critically, we observed that the CNN temporal denoising pushes ST-SNR to a regime where signal power is higher than that of noise (ST-SNR > 1). Denoising human-data with ground-truth-trained CNN, in turn, showed markedly increased detection sensitivity of resting-state networks. These were visible even at the level of the single-subject, as required for clinical applications of fMRI.

Urca Cooling in Neutron Star Crusts and Oceans: Effects of Nuclear Excitations.

The excited-state structure of atomic nuclei can modify nuclear processes in stellar environments. In this Letter, we study the influence of nuclear excitations on Urca cooling (repeated back-and-forth ß decay and electron capture in a pair of nuclear isotopes) in the crust and ocean of neutron stars. We provide for the first time an expression for Urca process neutrino luminosity which accounts for a thermal Boltzmann distribution of excited states in both members of an Urca pair. We use our new formula with state-of-the-art nuclear structure inputs to compute neutrino luminosities of candidate Urca cooling pairs. Our nuclear inputs consist of the latest experimental data supplemented with calculations using the projected shell model. We show that, in contrast to previous results that only consider the ground states of both nuclei in the pair, our calculated neutrino luminosities for different Urca pairs vary sensitively with the environment temperature and can be radically different from those obtained in the one-transition approximation. We find that nuclear excitations can lead to an enhancement in total Urca neutrino luminosities in the accreted neutron star crust by about 5 times as compared with the previous Urca results, which is expected to cause significant observational effects.