Programmable Entropy-Driven Circuit-Cascaded Self-Feedback DNAzyme Network for Ultra-Sensitive Fluorescence and Photoelectrochemical Dual-Mode Biosensing.

Inspired by natural DNA networks, programmable artificial DNA networks have become an attractive tool for developing high-performance biosensors. However, there is still a lot of room for expansion in terms of sensitivity, atom economy, and result self-validation for current microRNA sensors. In this protocol, miRNA-122 as a target model, an ultrasensitive fluorescence (FL) and photoelectrochemical (PEC) dual-mode biosensing platform is developed using a programmable entropy-driven circuit (EDC) cascaded self-feedback DNAzyme network. The well-designed EDC realizes full utilization of the DNA strands and improves the atomic economy of the signal amplification system. The unique and rational design of the double-CdSe quantum-dot-released EDC substrate and the cascaded self-feedback DNAzyme amplification network significantly avoids high background signals and enhances sensitivity and specificity. Also, the enzyme-free, programmable EDC cascaded DNAzyme network effectively avoids the risk of signal leakage and enhances the accuracy of the sensor. Moreover, the introduction of superparamagnetic Fe3O4@SiO2-cDNA accelerates the rapid extraction of E2-CdSe QDs and E3-CdSe QDs, which greatly improves the timeliness of sensor signal reading. In addition to the strengths of linear range (6 orders of magnitude) and stability, the biosensor design with dual signal reading makes the test results self-confirming.

Fast and Robust Infrared Small Target Detection Using Weighted Local Difference Variance Measure.

Infrared (IR) small-target-detection performance restricts the development of infrared search and track (IRST) systems. Existing detection methods easily lead to missed detection and false alarms under complex backgrounds and interference, and only focus on the target position while ignoring the target shape features, which cannot further identify the category of IR targets. To address these issues and guarantee a certain runtime, a weighted local difference variance measure (WLDVM) algorithm is proposed. First, Gaussian filtering is used to preprocess the image by using the idea of a matched filter to purposefully enhance the target and suppress noise. Then, the target area is divided into a new tri-layer filtering window according to the distribution characteristics of the target area, and a window intensity level (WIL) is proposed to represent the complexity level of each layer of windows. Secondly, a local difference variance measure (LDVM) is proposed, which can eliminate the high-brightness background through the difference-form, and further use the local variance to make the target area appear brighter. The background estimation is then adopted to calculate the weighting function to determine the shape of the real small target. Finally, a simple adaptive threshold is used after obtaining the WLDVM saliency map (SM) to capture the true target. Experiments on nine groups of IR small-target datasets with complex backgrounds illustrate that the proposed method can effectively solve the above problems, and its detection performance is better than seven classic and widely used methods.

Multi-Scale Strengthened Directional Difference Algorithm Based on the Human Vision System.

The human visual system (HVS) mechanism has been successfully introduced into the field of infrared small target detection. However, most of the current detection algorithms based on the mechanism of the human visual system ignore the continuous direction information and are easily disturbed by highlight noise and object edges. In this paper, a multi-scale strengthened directional difference (MSDD) algorithm is proposed. It is mainly divided into two parts: local directional intensity measure (LDIM) and local directional fluctuation measure (LDFM). In LDIM, an improved window is used to suppress most edge clutter, highlights, and holes and enhance true targets. In LDFM, the characteristics of the target area, the background area, and the connection between the target and the background are considered, which further highlights the true target signal and suppresses the corner clutter. Then, the MSDD saliency map is obtained by fusing the LDIM map and the LDFM map. Finally, an adaptive threshold segmentation method is employed to capture true targets. The experiments show that the proposed method achieves better detection performance in complex backgrounds than several classical and widely used methods.

Magnetic-Assisted Methylene Blue-Intercalated Amplified dsDNA for Polarity-Switching-Mode Photoelectrochemical Aptasensing.

Organic dyes are typically applied as photosensitizers in photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells but have not been reported in polarity-reversal-mode PEC sensors with excellent sensitivity and accuracy. Herein, an elegant and robust PEC biosensor for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) has been designed by photocurrent polarity switching of CdTe quantum dots (QDs), which is obtained by embedding methylene blue (MB) into amplified double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) anchored to the superparamagnetic Fe3O4@SiO2. The target-triggered Exo III-assisted cyclic amplification strategy and in situ magnetic enrichment enable the remarkable sensitivity. The extraction of target-analogue single-stranded DNA (output DNA) contributes to high selectivity resulting from the elimination of possible interferences in real samples or matrixes. Particularly, this exclusive polarity-reversal-mode PEC aptasensing can efficiently eliminate the false-positive or false-negative signals, leading to accurate measurements. Moreover, different from the probes and layer-by-layer assembled photoelectric beacons on electrodes in advance, this rational split-type approach is doomed to help the PEC biosensor with additional merits of convenient fabrication, short time consumption, wider linearity, as well as outstanding reproducibility and stability in practical applications. In light of the ability of MB acting as a kind of signal probe in typical electrochemical sensors, certainly, this ingenious design can not only be extended to a wide variety of target monitoring but also provide new ideas for the construction of high-performance electrochemical and PEC biosensors.

Programmable DNA Circuits for Flexible and Robust Exciton-Plasmon Interaction-Based Photoelectrochemical Biosensing.

DNA circuits as one of the dynamic nanostructures can be rationally designed and show amazing geometrical complexity and nanoscale accuracy, which are becoming increasingly attractive for DNA entropy-driven amplifier design. Herein, a novel and elegant exciton-plasmon interaction (EPI)-based photoelectrochemical (PEC) biosensor was developed with the assistance of a programmable entropy-driven DNA amplifier and superparamagnetic nanostructures. Low-abundance miRNA-let-7a as a model can efficiently initiate the operation of the entropy-driven DNA amplifier, and the released output DNAs can open the partially hybridized double-stranded DNA anchored on Fe3O4@SiO2 particles. The liberated Au nanoparticles (NPs)-cDNA can completely hybridize with CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs)-cDNA-1 and result in proportionally decreased photocurrent of CdSe/ZnS QDs-cDNA-1. This unique entropy-driven amplification strategy is beneficial for reducing the reversibility of each step reaction, enables the base sequence invariant and the reaction efficiency improvement, and exhibits high thermal stability and specificity as well as flexible design. These features grant the PEC biosensor with ultrasensitivity and high selectivity. Also, instead of solid-liquid interface assembly for conventional EPI-based PEC biosensors, herein, DNA hybridization in the solution phase enables the improved hybridization efficiency and sensitivity. In addition, superparamagnetic Fe3O4@SiO2 particles further ensure the enhancement of the selectivity and reliability of the as-designed PEC biosensor. Particularly, this single-step electrode modification procedure evidently improves the electrode fabrication efficiency, reproducibility, and stability.

Simultaneous Unlocking Optoelectronic and Interfacial Properties of C60 for Ultrasensitive Immunosensing by Coupling to Metal-Organic Framework.

Due to exceptional electron-accepting ability, light-absorption, and a delocalized conjugated structure, buckminsterfullerene (C60) has attracted fascinating interest in the field of organic solar cells. However, poor delocalization and accumulation of electrons for pristine C60 in physiological aqueous solution and difficulties in conjugation with biomolecules limit its extended photovoltaic applications in bioassay. Herein, we reported the noncovalent coupling of C60 to an electronically complementary porphyrin-derived metal-organic framework (PCN-224) with carboxyl-group terminals. Such assembly not only offered a friendly interface for bioconjugation but also resulted in a long-range ordering C60@PCN-224 donor-acceptor system that demonstrated an unprecedented photocurrent enhancement up to 10 times with respect to each component. As an example, by further cooperating with Nanobodies, the as-prepared C60@PCN-224 was applied to a photoelectrochemical (PEC) immunosensor for S100 calcium-binding protein B with by far the most promising detection activities. This work may open a new venue to unlock the great potential of C60 in PEC biosensing with excellent performances.

Copper Tannic Acid Coordination Nanosheet: A Potent Nanozyme for Scavenging ROS from Cigarette Smoke.

The global tobacco epidemic is still a devastating threat to public health. Toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the cigarette smoke cannot be efficiently eliminated by currently available cigarette filters. The resultant oxidative stress causes severe lung injury and further diseases. To tackle this challenge, herein, a novel copper tannic acid coordination (CuTA) nanozyme is reported as a highly active and thermostable ROS scavenger. The CuTA nanozyme exhibits intrinsic superoxide dismutase-like activity, catalase-like activity, and hydroxyl radical elimination capacity. These synergistic antioxidant abilities make the CuTA nanozyme a promising candidate for the improvement of commercial cigarette filters. Mouse model results show that commercial cigarettes loaded with CuTA nanozyme efficiently scavenge ROS in the cigarette smoke, reduce oxidative stress-induced lung inflammation, and minimize the resultant acute lung injury. The developed CuTA nanozyme offers an efficient ROS scavenger with multiple antioxidant ability and opens up new opportunities for the modification of cigarette filters to reduce the toxic effects of cigarette smoke.

Corticosteroid therapy for coronavirus disease 2019-related acute respiratory distress syndrome: a cohort study with propensity score analysis.

BACKGROUND: The impact of corticosteroid therapy on outcomes of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is highly controversial. We aimed to compare the risk of death between COVID-19-related ARDS patients with corticosteroid treatment and those without. METHODS: In this single-center retrospective observational study, patients with ARDS caused by COVID-19 between January 20, 2020, and February 24, 2020, were enrolled. The primary outcome was 60-day in-hospital death. The exposure was prescribed systemic corticosteroids or not. Time-dependent Cox regression models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for 60-day in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: A total of 382 patients [60.7 ± 14.1 years old (mean ± SD), 61.3% males] were analyzed. The median of sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score was 2.0 (IQR 2.0-3.0). Of these cases, 94 (24.6%) patients had invasive mechanical ventilation. The number of patients received systemic corticosteroids was 226 (59.2%), and 156 (40.8%) received standard treatment. The maximum dose of corticosteroids was 80.0 (IQR 40.0-80.0) mg equivalent methylprednisolone per day, and duration of corticosteroid treatment was 7.0 (4.0-12.0) days in total. In Cox regression analysis using corticosteroid treatment as a time-varying variable, corticosteroid treatment was associated with a significant reduction in risk of in-hospital death within 60 days after adjusting for age, sex, SOFA score at hospital admission, propensity score of corticosteroid treatment, comorbidities, antiviral treatment, and respiratory supports (HR 0.42; 95% CI 0.21, 0.85; p = 0.0160). Corticosteroids were not associated with delayed viral RNA clearance in our cohort. CONCLUSION: In this clinical practice setting, low-dose corticosteroid treatment was associated with reduced risk of in-hospital death within 60 days in COVID-19 patients who developed ARDS.

[Statistics and Analysis of 136 Cases of Adverse Events of International Medical Devices].

To explore the law and characteristics of adverse events of medical devices and to provide research methods and basis for reducing the recurrence of similar adverse events, we collect medical devices safety information from five representative countries in the world, and make statistics and analysis on the types of events, the types of management and the causes of events. The results show that among 136 serious adverse events, the top three causes of recall are product design factors, software factors, and component defects. In order to reduce the application risk of medical devices, it is suggested that product designers, operating users and medical institutions should correctly implement the monitoring and evaluation system of medical devices.

A dynamic degradome landscape on miRNAs and their predicted targets in sugarcane caused by Sporisorium scitamineum stress.

BACKGROUND: Sugarcane smut is a fungal disease caused by Sporisorium scitamineum. Cultivation of smut-resistant sugarcane varieties is the most effective way to control this disease. The interaction between sugarcane and S. scitamineum is a complex network system. However, to date, there is no report on the identification of microRNA (miRNA) target genes of sugarcane in response to smut pathogen infection by degradome technology. RESULTS: TaqMan qRT-PCR detection and enzyme activity determination showed that S. scitamineum rapidly proliferated and incurred significant enzyme activity changes in the reactive oxygen species metabolic pathway and phenylpropanoid metabolic pathway at 2 d and 5 d after inoculation, which was the best time points to study target gene degradation during sugarcane and S. scitamineum interaction. A total of 122.33 Mb of raw data was obtained from degradome sequencing analysis of YC05-179 (smut-resistant) and ROC22 (smut-susceptible) after inoculation. The Q30 of each sample was > 93%, and the sequence used for degradation site analysis exactly matched the sugarcane reference sequence. A total of 309 target genes were predicted in sugarcane, corresponding to 97 known miRNAs and 112 novel miRNAs, and 337 degradation sites, suggesting that miRNAs can efficiently direct cleavage at multiple sites in the predicted target mRNAs. Gene Ontology (GO) annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis indicated that the predicted target genes were involved in various regulatory processes, such as signal transduction mechanisms, inorganic ion transport and metabolism, defense mechanisms, translation, posttranslational modifications, energy production and conversion, and glycerolipid metabolism. qRT-PCR analysis of the expression level of 13 predicted target genes and their corresponding miRNAs revealed that there was no obvious negative regulatory relationship between miRNAs and their target genes. In addition, a number of putative resistance-related target genes regulated by miRNA-mediated cleavage were accumulated in sugarcane during S. scitamineum infection, suggesting that feedback regulation of miRNAs may be involved in the response of sugarcane to S. scitamineum infection. CONCLUSIONS: This study elucidates the underlying response of sugarcane to S. scitamineum infection, and also provides a resource for miRNAs and their predicted target genes for smut resistance improvement in sugarcane.

Molecular engineering of polymeric carbon nitride: advancing applications from photocatalysis to biosensing and more.

As a promising two-dimensional (2D) conjugated polymer, polymeric carbon nitride (CN) is attracting dramatically increasing interest due to its unusual properties, facile synthesis from abundant and inexpensive starting materials, and promising applications ranging from (photo)catalysis, and photoelectrochemistry, to biosensors. The polymeric feature and facile synthesis of CN allow easy engineering of its structure at the molecular level. For instance, the moderate reactivity of CN at the interface, together with the aromatic π-conjugated framework and intralayer hydrogen bonds, provides ample possibilities to control its molecular structure and properties to meet task-specific applications. This review summarizes and highlights a panorama of the latest advancements related to the design and construction of the molecular structure of CN, such as by doping and copolymerization, engineering of the polymerization degree, coordination interaction, covalent and noncovalent functionalization, and modulation of intralayer hydrogen bonding. Beyond photocatalysis, the emerging applications of CN are also briefly discussed with a special emphasis on sensing, bioimaging and biotherapy, smart responsive systems and photoelectrochemical devices. This review ends with perspectives on the challenges and future prospects of molecular engineering of CN.

Vx3-Functionalized Alumina Nanoparticles Assisted Enrichment of Ubiquitinated Proteins from Cancer Cells for Enhanced Cancer Immunotherapy.

A simple and effective strategy was developed to enrich ubiquitinated proteins (UPs) from cancer cell lysate using the α-Al2O3 nanoparticles covalently linked with ubiquitin binding protein (Vx3) (denoted as α-Al2O3-Vx3) via a chemical linker. The functionalized α-Al2O3-Vx3 showed long-term stability and high efficiency for the enrichment of UPs from cancer cell lysates. Flow cytometry analysis results indicated dendritic cells (DCs) could more effectively phagocytize the covalently linked α-Al2O3-Vx3-UPs than the physical mixture of α-Al2O3 and Vx3-UPs (α-Al2O3/Vx3-UPs). Laser confocal microscopy images revealed that α-Al2O3-Vx3-UPs localized within the autophagosome of DCs, which then cross-presented α-Al2O3-Vx3-UPs to CD8+ T cells in an autophagosome-related cross-presentation pathway. Furthermore, α-Al2O3-Vx3-UPs enhanced more potent antitumor immune response and antitumor efficacy than α-Al2O3/cell lysate or α-Al2O3/Vx3-UPs. This work highlights the potential of using the Vx3 covalently linked α-Al2O3 as a simple and effective platform to enrich UPs from cancer cells for the development of highly efficient therapeutic cancer vaccines.

Small RNA sequencing reveals a role for sugarcane miRNAs and their targets in response to Sporisorium scitamineum infection.

BACKGROUND: Sugarcane smut caused by Sporisorium scitamineum leads to a significant reduction in cane yield and sucrose content. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in regulating plant responses to biotic stress. The present study was the first to use two sugarcane genotypes, YA05-179 (smut-resistant) and ROC22 (smut-susceptible), to identify differentially expressed miRNAs in sugarcane challenged with S. scitamineum by using high-throughput sequencing. RESULTS: The predicted target gene number corresponding to known differentially expressed miRNAs in YA05-179 was less than that in ROC22, however most of them were in common. Expression of differential miRNAs under S. scitamineum challenge was mostly downregulated, with similar trends in the two varieties. Gene ontology (GO) analysis showed that the target gene classification of known miRNAs was similar to that of the newly identified miRNAs. These were mainly associated with cellular processes and metabolic processes in the biological process category, as well as combination and catalytic activity in the molecular function category. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis revealed that these predicted target genes involved in a series of physiological and biochemical pathways or disease resistance-related physiological metabolism and signal transduction pathways, suggesting that the molecular interaction mechanism between sugarcane and S. scitamineum was a complex network system. These findings also showed certain predicted target genes of miR5671, miR5054, miR5783, miR5221, and miR6478 play roles in the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, plant hormone signal transduction, and plant-pathogen interaction. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis showed that majority of the known miRNAs and its predicted target genes followed a negatively regulated mode. Seven out of eight predicted target genes showed identical expression after 12 h treatment and reached the highest degree of matching at 48 h, indicating that the regulatory role of miRNAs on the target genes in sugarcane was maximized at 48 h after S. scitamineum challenge. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our findings serve as evidence for the association of miRNA expression with the molecular mechanism underlying the pathogenesis of sugarcane smut, particularly on the significance of miRNA levels in relation to the cultivation of smut-resistant sugarcane varieties.

Chemically Modulated Carbon Nitride Nanosheets for Highly Selective Electrochemiluminescent Detection of Multiple Metal-ions.

Chemical structures of two-dimensional (2D) nanosheet can effectively control the properties thus guiding their applications. Herein, we demonstrate that carbon nitride nanosheets (CNNS) with tunable chemical structures can be obtained by exfoliating facile accessible bulk carbon nitride (CN) of different polymerization degree. Interestingly, the electrochemiluminescence (ECL) properties of as-prepared CNNS were significantly modulated. As a result, unusual changes for different CNNS in quenching of ECL because of inner filter effect/electron transfer and enhancement of ECL owing to catalytic effect were observed by adding different metal ions. On the basis of this, by using various CNNS, highly selective ECL sensors for rapid detecting multiple metal-ions such as Cu(2+), Ni(2+), and Cd(2+) were successfully developed without any labeling and masking reagents. Multiple competitive mechanisms were further revealed to account for such enhanced selectivity in the proposed ECL sensors. The strategy of preparing CNNS with tunable chemical structures that facilely modulated the optical properties would open a vista to explore 2D carbon-rich materials for developing a wide range of applications such as sensors with enhanced performances.

Genome sequencing of Sporisorium scitamineum provides insights into the pathogenic mechanisms of sugarcane smut.

BACKGROUND: Sugarcane smut can cause losses in cane yield and sugar content that range from 30% to total crop failure. Losses tend to increase with the passage of years. Sporisorium scitamineum is the fungus that causes sugarcane smut. This fungus has the potential to infect all sugarcane species unless a species is resistant to biotrophic fungal pathogens. However, it remains unclear how the fungus breaks through the cell walls of sugarcane and causes the formation of black or gray whip-like structures on the sugarcane plants. RESULTS: Here, we report the first high-quality genome sequence of S. scitamineum assembled de novo with a contig N50 of 41 kb, a scaffold N50 of 884 kb and genome size 19.8 Mb, containing an estimated 6,636 genes. This phytopathogen can utilize a wide range of carbon and nitrogen sources. A reduced set of genes encoding plant cell wall hydrolytic enzymes leads to its biotrophic lifestyle, in which damage to the host should be minimized. As a bipolar mating fungus, a and b loci are linked and the mating-type locus segregates as a single locus. The S. scitamineum genome has only 6 G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) grouped into five classes, which are responsible for transducing extracellular signals into intracellular responses, however, the genome is without any PTH11-like GPCR. There are 192 virulence associated genes in the genome of S. scitamineum, among which 31 expressed in all the stages, which mainly encode for energy metabolism and redox of short-chain compound related enzymes. Sixty-eight candidates for secreted effector proteins (CSEPs) were found in the genome of S. scitamineum, and 32 of them expressed in the different stages of sugarcane infection, which are probably involved in infection and/or triggering defense responses. There are two non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) gene clusters that are involved in the generation of ferrichrome and ferrichrome A, while the terpenes gene cluster is composed of three unknown function genes and seven biosynthesis related genes. CONCLUSIONS: As a destructive pathogen to sugar industry, the S. scitamineum genome will facilitate future research on the genomic basis and the pathogenic mechanisms of sugarcane smut.

Photosynthetic and canopy characteristics of different varieties at the early elongation stage and their relationships with the cane yield in sugarcane.

During sugarcane growth, the Early Elongation stage is critical to cane yield formation. In this study, parameters of 17 sugarcane varieties were determined at the Early Elongation stage using CI-301 photosynthesis measuring system and CI-100 digital plant canopy imager. The data analysis showed highly significant differences in leaf area index (LAI), mean foliage inclination angle (MFIA), transmission coefficient for diffused light penetration (TD), transmission coefficient for solar beam radiation penetration (TR), leaf distribution (LD), net photosynthetic rate (PN), transpiration rate (E), and stomatal conductance (GS) among sugarcane varieties. Based on the photosynthetic or canopy parameters, the 17 sugarcane varieties were classified into four categories. Through the factor analysis, nine parameters were represented by three principal factors, of which the cumulative rate of variance contributions reached 85.77%. A regression for sugarcane yield, with relative error of yield fitting less than 0.05, was successfully established: sugarcane yield = -27.19 - 1.69 × PN + 0.17 × E + 90.43 × LAI - 408.81 × LD + 0.0015 × NSH + 101.38 × D (R(2) = 0.928**). This study helps provide a theoretical basis and technical guidance for the screening of new sugarcane varieties with high net photosynthetic rate and ideal canopy structure.

Percutaneous Kyphoplasty to Relieve the Rib Region Pain in Osteoporotic Thoracic Vertebral Fracture Patients Without Local Pain of Fractured Vertebra.

BACKGROUND: Osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF) are common. A few patients with thoracic vertebral fracture show pain in the bilateral rib region but not at the fracture site. The point of specific tenderness in the rib region cannot be located. It is not clear whether percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) can relieve the pain in the bilateral rib region in these patients. OBJECTIVE: To check whether PKP can alleviate the rib region pain in thoracic vertebral fracture patients without local pain at the fractured vertebra. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: The study was carried out at a university hospital. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of thoracic vertebral fracture patients admitted to our hospital for PKP surgery between January 2018 and June 2022. The main clinical manifestations of these patients were pain in the bilateral rib region but no local tenderness and percussion pain at the fractured vertebra. CT and MRI examinations of the thoracic vertebrae were performed after admission. PKP was performed under general anesthesia after no surgical contraindication. Visual analog scale (VAS) scores and heights of the anterior, middle, and posterior edges of the fractured vertebra before the surgery, one day after surgery, and one month after surgery were compared. Also, the Cobb angles formed by the upper and lower endplate of the fractured vertebra before the surgery, one day after surgery, and one month after surgery were compared. RESULTS: A total of 50 patients were included in this study (3 men and 47 women, with an average age of 72.46 ± 8.15 years), of which 7 patients had 2 segmental fractures, so a total of 57 vertebrae were included. The VAS scores on day one and one month after the surgery were significantly lower than that before the surgery. The heights of the anterior, middle, and posterior edges of the fractured vertebra on day one after the surgery were significantly higher than those before the surgery. The Cobb angle of the fractured vertebra on day one after the surgery was lower than that before the surgery. The vertebrae of 23 patients were examined using x-ray one month after the surgery. The heights of the anterior, middle, and posterior edges of the fractured vertebra one month after the surgery were also significantly higher than those before the surgery but significantly lower than those one day after the surgery. Also, the Cobb angle of the fractured vertebra one month after the surgery was significantly lower than that before the surgery. LIMITATIONS: This was a retrospective study, which may be prone to selection and recall bias. Single-center non-controlled studies may also introduce bias. CONCLUSION: The exact location of the pain in the rib region caused by thoracic fracture cannot be identified usually. PKP can alleviate the rib region pain caused by the thoracic fracture.

Government Information Dissemination During Public Health Emergencies: An Analysis of China's Experiences.

Information disclosure is crucial in China's official response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the early phase of the pandemic, the government's method of communication has relied heavily upon its analysis of information disclosed during past public health emergencies. This approach was proposed to better inform and prepare citizens during the crisis. This study aimed to study the effectiveness of China's information disclosure by examining themes, interconnection, and timeliness of information as posted on the Weibo microblogging platform between January and April 2020. The Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic model analysis for social networks revealed six main characteristics including a shift from 'scattered' to 'focused' communication. Three main themes surrounding experience were highlighted, namely social governance, medical expertise, and encouragement, although experiential knowledge disclosure was timelier than other topics. This study broadens the dimension and scope of empirical theory by examining government information disclosure practices and provides a reference for further research.

Local Anesthetic and Steroid Injection to Relieve the Distal Lumbosacral Pain in Osteoporotic Vertebral Compression Fractures of Patients Treated with Kyphoplasty.

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) is widely used in osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF). But in some patients, distal lumbosacral pain (DLP) persists even after treatment and affects their quality of life. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness of local anesthetic and steroid injection in improving DLP after PKP. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective, randomized, and controlled clinical trial. SETTING: The study was carried out in a university hospital. METHODS: A total of 150 patients were included in this study and randomly divided into 2 groups of 75 patients each. Patients in the control group (PKP) underwent PKP, and those in the observation group (PKP + LAI) received an injection of lidocaine + triamcinolone acetonide suspensions during the surgery. The visual analog scale (VAS) of the fracture site, Oswestry disability index (ODI), and the rate of patients with lower back pain were compared between the 2 groups at 1 day, 3 days, 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months after the surgery. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-nine patients completed the entire postoperative follow-up schedule, with 70 patients in the PKP group and 69 cases in the PKP + LAI group. The VAS and ODI in the PKP + LAI group were significantly lower than those in the PKP group 1 day, 3 days, 1 week, and 1 month after the surgery; there was no significant difference  3 months after the operation. The rate of patients with lower back pain in the PKP + LAI group 1 day, 3 days, and 1 week after the operation was significantly lower than that in the control group; there was no significant difference 1 month and 3 months after the operation. LIMITATIONS: The number of cases was small, and the follow-up time was short. CONCLUSION: Local anesthetic and steroid injection improved the short-term clinical outcome of PKP for OVCF, which will enhance the confidence of patients in performing out-of-bed activities and functional exercises early after the operation.

The evaluation of next-generation sequencing assisted pathogenic detection in immunocompromised hosts with pulmonary infection: A retrospective study.

INTRODUCTION: Pulmonary infections are frequent in immunocompromised hosts (ICH), and microbial detection is difficult. As a new method, next-generation sequencing (NGS) may offer a solution. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the impact of NGS-assisted pathogenic detection on the diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes of ICH complicated by pulmonary infection and radiographic evidence of bilateral diffuse lesions. METHODS: This study enrolled 356 patients with ICH complicated by pulmonary infection that were admitted to Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, from November 17, 2017, to November 23, 2018, including 102 and 254 in the NGS and non-NGS groups, respectively. Clinical characteristics, detection time, rough positive rate, effective positive rate, impact on anti-infective treatment plan, 30-day/60-day mortality, and in-hospital mortality were compared. RESULTS: NGS-assisted pathogenic detection reduced detection time (28.2 h [interquartile range (IQR) 25.9-29.83 h] vs. 50.50 h [IQR 47.90-90.91 h], P < 0.001), increased positive rate, rate of mixed infection detected, effective positive rate, and proportion of antibiotic treatment modification (45.28% vs. 89.22%, 4.72% vs. 51.96%, 21.65% vs. 64.71%, 16.54% vs. 46.08%, P < 0.001). The NGS group had a significantly lower 60-day mortality rate (18.63% vs. 33.07%, P = 0.007). The difference in the Kaplan-Meier survival curve was significant (P = 0.029). After multivariate logistic regression, NGS-assisted pathogenic detection remained a significant predictor of survival (OR 0.189, confidence interval [CI], 0.068-0.526). CONCLUSION: NGS-assisted pathogenic detection may improve detection efficiency and is associated with better clinical outcomes in these patients.