Isotropic Quantum Griffiths Singularity in Nd_{0.8}Sr_{0.2}NiO_{2} Infinite-Layer Superconducting Thin Films.

This work reports on the emergence of quantum Griffiths singularity (QGS) associated with the magnetic field induced superconductor-metal transition (SMT) in unconventional Nd_{0.8}Sr_{0.2}NiO_{2} infinite layer superconducting thin films. The system manifests isotropic SMT features under both in-plane and perpendicular magnetic fields. Importantly, after scaling analysis of the isothermal magnetoresistance curves, the obtained effective dynamic critical exponents demonstrate divergent behavior when approaching the zero-temperature critical point B_{c}^{*}, identifying the QGS characteristics. Moreover, the quantum fluctuation associated with the QGS can quantitatively explain the upturn of the upper critical field around zero temperature for both the in-plane and perpendicular magnetic fields in the phase boundary of SMT. These properties indicate that the QGS in the Nd_{0.8}Sr_{0.2}NiO_{2} superconducting thin film is isotropic. Moreover, a higher magnetic field gives rise to a metallic state with the resistance-temperature relation R(T) exhibiting lnT dependence among the 2-10 K range and T^{2} dependence of resistance below 1.5 K, which is significant evidence of Kondo scattering. The interplay between isotropic QGS and Kondo scattering in the unconventional Nd_{0.8}Sr_{0.2}NiO_{2} superconductor can illustrate the important role of rare region in QGS and help to uncover the exotic superconductivity mechanism in this system.

Rapid and precise detection of cancers via label-free SERS and deep learning.

Early, express, and reliable detection of cancer can provide a favorable prognosis and decrease mortality. Tumor biomarkers have been proven to be closely related to tumor occurrence and development. Conventional tumor biomarker detection based on genomic, proteomic, and metabolomic methods is time and equipment-consuming and always needs a specific target marker. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), as a non-invasive ultrasensitive and label-free vibrational spectroscopy technique, can detect cancer-related biomedical changes in biofluids. In this paper, 110 serum samples were collected from 30 healthy controls and 80 cancer patients (including 30 bladder cancer (BC), 30 adrenal cancer (AC), and 20 acute myeloid leukemia (AML)). One microliter of blood serum was mixed with 1 µl silver colloid and then was air-dried for SERS measurements. After spectral data augmentation, one-dimensional convolutional neural network (1D-CNN) was proposed for precise and rapid identification of healthy and three different cancers with high accuracy of 98.27%. After gradient-weighted class activation mapping (Grad-CAM) based spectral interpretation, the contributions of SERS peaks corresponding to biochemical substances indicated the most potential biomarkers, i.e., L-tyrosine in bladder cancer; acetoacetate and riboflavin in adrenal cancer and phospholipids, amide-I, and α-Helix in acute myeloid leukemia, which might provide an insight into the mechanism of intelligent diagnosis of different cancers based on label-free serum SERS. The integration of label-free SERS and deep learning has great potential for the rapid, reliable, and non-invasive detection of cancers, which may significantly improve the precise diagnosis in clinical practice.

Effects of targeted mild hypercapnia versus normocapnia on cerebral oxygen saturation in patients undergoing laparoscopic hepatectomy under low central venous pressure: a prospective, randomized controlled study.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic hepatectomy under low central venous pressure (LCVP) is associated with intraoperative organ hypoperfusion, including cerebral hypoperfusion. We hypothesized that a ventilation strategy designed to achieve targeted mild hypercapnia (TMH) (end-tidal carbon dioxide partial pressure [PetCO2] of 45 ± 5 mmHg) rather than targeted normocapnia (TN) (PetCO2 of 30 ± 5 mmHg) would increase regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rSO2) during laparoscopic hepatectomy under LCVP. METHODS: Eighty patients undergoing laparoscopic hepatectomy under LCVP were randomly divided into the TMH group (n = 40) and the TN group (n = 40). Mechanical ventilation was adjusted to maintain the PetCO2 within the relevant range. Cerebral oxygenation was monitored continuously using the FORE-SIGHT system before anesthetic induction until the patient left the operating room. Patient and surgical characteristics, rSO2, intraoperative hemodynamic parameters (CVP, mean artery blood pressure [MAP], and heart rate), PetCO2, intraoperative blood gas analysis results, and postoperative complications were recorded. RESULTS: No significant differences were observed in CVP, MAP, and heart rate between the two groups during surgery. The rSO2 was significantly lower in the TN group on both the left and right sides during the intraoperative period (P < 0.05), while the TMH group had a stable rSO2. In the TN group, the mean rSO2 decreased most during liver parenchymal transection when compared with the baseline value (P < 0.05). The mean (standard deviation) percentage change in rSO2 from baseline to parenchymal transection was - 7.5% (4.8%) on the left and - 7.1% (4.6%) on the right. The two groups had a similar incidence of postoperative complications (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate that rSO2 is better maintained during laparoscopic hepatectomy under LCVP when patients are ventilated to a PetCO2 of 45 ± 5 mmHg (TMH) than a PetCO2 of 30 ± 5 mmHg (TN). TRIAL REGISTRATION: ChiCTR2100051130(14/9/2021).

Achilles tendon thickening does not affect elasticity and functional outcome after surgical repair of Achilles rupture: A retrospective study.

PURPOSE: Previous studies have confirmed that Achilles tendon occurs Achilles thickening after repair surgery of the rupture. Although this mechanism has been elucidated in the laboratory, there are few reports on its impact on clinical function. We designed a retrospective study to investigate the Achilles thickening after Achilles tendon rupture repair and its correlation between the elasticity and postoperative function. METHODS: In this retrospective analysis, patients who underwent surgical treatment for acute Achilles tendon rupture from April 2016 to April 2020 were included. All the patients were regularly followed up at 3 months, 1 year, and 2 years after surgery. American Orthopaedic Foot Ankle Surgeon (AOFAS) scale and Leppilahti score were used to evaluate functional outcomes. Achilles elasticity was measured by ultrasound shear wave of elasticity. Achilles thickening was calculated as maximal transverse and longitudinal diameter in cross-sectional plane of magnetic resonance scan. Sample t-tests was used for different follow-up periods. Correlation between Achilles thickening and other factors were analyzed using Pearson's method. p < 0.05 indicates a statistically significant difference. RESULTS: AOFAS scale and Leppilahti score at 1 year were significantly higher than at 3 months postoperatively (both p < 0.001). These functional scales were also improved at 2-year follow-up significantly (both p < 0.001). The dorsiflexion difference showed gradually recovery in each follow-up period (t = -17.907, p < 0.001). The elasticity of the Achilles appeared to continuously decreases during the postoperative follow-up period in all position sets (p < 0.001). In thickening evaluation, the cross-sectional area of the thickest plane of Achilles was significantly higher at 1 year postoperatively (310.5 ± 25.2) mm2 than that at 3 months postoperatively ((278.0 ± 26.2) mm2, t = -8.219, p < 0.001) and became thinner in 2-year magnetic resonance scan ((256.1 ± 15.1) mm2, t = 16.769, p < 0.001). The correlations between Achilles thickening, elasticity, and functional outcome did not show statistical significance (p > 0.05) in every follow-up period. CONCLUSION: Achilles tendon thickens after surgery in the 1st year, but begins to gradually return to thinning about 2 years after surgery. There was no significant correlation between the increase and decrease of thickening and the patients' clinical function scores, Achilles elasticity, and bilateral ankle dorsiflexion difference.

A Diagnostic Test Meta-Analysis Evaluating Imaging-Based and Blood Biomarker-Based Assessment Tools for Fibrosis After Liver Transplantation.

Early detection of liver graft fibrosis is crucial for risk stratification to identify patients for liver biopsy and timely treatment. However, diagnostic accuracy of noninvasive tests (NITs) remains unclear. Thus, this study sought to evaluate diagnostic accuracy of NITs in assessing liver allograft fibrosis and compare the differences in specificities and sensitivities among NITs. Medline and Embase databases were searched to include articles on diagnostic tests in liver transplantation (LT) patients with fibrosis. A meta-analysis on diagnostic test accuracy was conducted in a random-effects model. Sensitivities and specificities among the diagnostic tests were compared, and threshold values were calculated where applicable. A total of 25 articles were included. Vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE) met the minimum diagnostic accuracy requirements, yielding sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odds ratios of 0.9 (CI, 0.8-1.0), 0.9 (CI, 0.8-1.0), and 379.6 (CI, 45.8-1728.7), respectively. In the threshold assessment, the optimal cutoff was 9.30 kPa with a sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve of 0.7 (CI, 0.5-0.9), 0.9 (CI, 0.8-0.9), and 0.9 (CI, 0.8-0.9), respectively. For significant fibrosis, acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) was superior to FibroTest (LabCorp [Burlington, NC]) and magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) in sensitivity. VCTE was superior to FibroTest in specificity. For advanced fibrosis, ARFI was superior to the Fibrosis-4 Index (FIB-4) in sensitivity. VCTE was superior to the AST to Platelet Ratio Index (APRI), MRE, and FIB-4 in specificity. In cirrhosis, VCTE was superior to APRI in specificity (P = 0.004) with comparable sensitivity. This study demonstrates the potential of VCTE and ARFI as diagnostic tools for fibrosis in LT recipients compared with blood-based NITs, which were shown to be less optimal.

Temporal Changes in Extracellular Vesicle Hemostatic Protein Composition Predict Favourable Left Ventricular Remodeling after Acute Myocardial Infarction.

The subset of plasma extracellular vesicles (EVs) that coprecipitate with low-density lipoprotein (LDL-EVs) carry coagulation and fibrinolysis pathway proteins as cargo. We investigated the association between LDL-EV hemostatic/fibrinolysis protein ratios and post-acute myocardial infarction (post-AMI) left ventricular (LV) remodeling which precedes heart failure. Protein concentrations of von Willebrand factor (VWF), SerpinC1 and plasminogen were determined in LDL-EVs extracted from plasma samples obtained at baseline (within 72 h post-AMI), 1 month and 6 months post-AMI from 198 patients. Patients were categorized as exhibiting adverse (n = 98) or reverse (n = 100) LV remodeling based on changes in LV end-systolic volume (increased or decreased ≥15) over a 6-month period. Multiple level longitudinal data analysis with structural equation (ML-SEM) model was used to assess predictive value for LV remodeling independent of baseline differences. At baseline, protein levels of VWF, SerpinC1 and plasminogen in LDL-EVs did not differ between patients with adverse versus reverse LV remodeling. At 1 month post-AMI, protein levels of VWF and SerpinC1 decreased whilst plasminogen increased in patients with adverse LV remodeling. In contrast, VWF and plasminogen decreased whilst SerpinC1 remained unchanged in patients with reverse LV remodeling. Overall, compared with patients with adverse LV remodeling, higher levels of SerpinC1 and VWF but lower levels of plasminogen resulted in higher ratios of VWF:Plasminogen and SerpinC1:Plasminogen at both 1 month and 6 months post-AMI in patients with reverse LV remodeling. More importantly, ratios VWF:Plasminogen (AUC = 0.674) and SerpinC1:Plasminogen (AUC = 0.712) displayed markedly better prognostic power than NT-proBNP (AUC = 0.384), troponin-I (AUC = 0.467) or troponin-T (AUC = 0.389) (p < 0.001) to predict reverse LV remodeling post-AMI. Temporal changes in the ratios of coagulation to fibrinolysis pathway proteins in LDL-EVs outperform current standard plasma biomarkers in predicting post-AMI reverse LV remodeling. Our findings may provide clinical cues to uncover the cellular mechanisms underpinning post-AMI reverse LV remodeling.

[Cardiac Protection Mechanism and Clinical Application of Dexmedetomidine].

Dexmedetomidine is an α2 adrenoceptor agonist and has cardioprotective effect,the mechanism of which is being studied.Increasing studies have proved the clinical value of dexmedetomidine in reducing postoperative complications and improving the prognosis of patients.Therefore,this review summarizes the cardiac protection mechanism of dexmedetomidine based on the existing studies and expounds the application of dexmedetomidine in the perioperative period of cardiovascular surgery.

Balloon pulmonary angioplasty reverse right ventricular remodelling and dysfunction in patients with inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Right ventricular (RV) function is considered the major determinant of prognosis in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate RV remodelling and function following balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) in patients with inoperable CTEPH or persistent/recurrent pulmonary hypertension (PH) after pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA). METHODS: We reviewed all studies evaluating RV function by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) and/or echocardiography pre- and post-BPA from PubMed/Medline prior to 15 December 2019. Ten (299 patients) of the 29 studies retrieved met the inclusion criteria: 5 CMR and 5 echocardiography studies. The systematic review and meta-analysis followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Guidelines. RESULTS: Pooled data from CMR studies revealed BPA resulted in a significantly decreased RV end-diastolic volume index (weighted mean difference (WMD) - 28.33 ml/m2, p < 0.00001) and RV end-systolic volume index (WMD - 29.06 ml/m2, p < 0.00001) accompanied by an increased RV ejection fraction (RVEF, WMD 8.97%, p < 0.00001). Data from the echocardiography studies showed BPA resulted in decreased RV basal diameter (WMD - 0.37 cm, p = 0.0009) and an increase of RV fractional area change (WMD 5.97 %, p = 0.003), but improvements of tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) and S' were not significant. CONCLUSIONS: BPA improves RVEF and decreases RV volumes in patients with inoperable CTEPH or persistent/recurrent PH after PEA. KEY POINTS: • Balloon pulmonary angioplasty improves RVEF and decreases RV volumes in patients with inoperable CTEPH or persistent/recurrent PH after PEA.

A meta-analysis on the incidence of donor-related depression after liver transplant.

Living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) is increasing, yet gaps exist in the understanding of psychological wellbeing of donors after liver transplant. This meta-analysis seeks to evaluate the incidence and risk factors for donor-related depression after liver transplantation. A search was conducted on Medline and Embase database. Articles assessing incidence of depression in LDLT donors were included. Incidence was pooled after Freeman-Turkey double-arcsine transformation. For risk factors, dichotomous variables were analyzed with generalized linear model, while a conventional meta regression with logit transformation was conducted for continuous variables. Of 1069 abstracts, 40 articles underwent full-text review. Seventeen articles were included. The pooled incidence of depression among 1888 LT donors was 7.66% (CI: 4.47-12.80%). Depression rates were significantly higher in Asian compared to Western studies (RR: 1.73, CI: 1.19-2.52, P = 0.0039). Female gender (P < 0.001), Caucasian ethnicity (P = 0.047), employment status (P < 0.001) and lower education levels (P = 0.044) were significantly associated with depression. Donor relationship with recipients was not a significant risk factor. LDLT remains a core aspect of the treatment of end-stage liver disease. However, the high depression rates after LT suggest that there remains room for improvement in the care of donors' mental health post-transplant.

[Progress in Anticoagulation of Calf Muscle Venous Thrombosis].

With the wide application of vascular Doppler ultrasound as well as the improvement of instrument precision and personnel operation practice,calf muscular venous thrombosis(CMVT)has been more and more frequently diagnosed among patients,becoming a common clinical disease.However,it is controversial about the anticoagulant therapy for CMVT patients.In this article,we summarize the current research progress of anticoagulation therapy,aiming to provide reference for the treatment of CMVT.

[Value of Non-invasive Electrocardiologic Examination in Prediction of Sudden Cardiac Death].

Sudden cardiac death(SCD),a serious public health problem facing China and the world,causes heavy social burden.It is reported that SCD accounts for 15%-20% of all the deaths and the proportion of SCD patients with non-cardiac disease is as high as 50%.Finding effective predictors to identify SCD early is particularly important for clinical practice.To date,non-invasive electrocardiologic examination has been the first choice for predicting the risks of fatal ventricular arrhythmias and SCD because of its safety and feasibility.This review summarizes the available relevant studies to expound the value of non-invasive electrocardiologic examination and indicators in predicting SCD.

Epidemiological and clinical characteristics analysis of COVID-19 in the surrounding areas of Wuhan, Hubei Province in 2020.

AIM: Since December 2019, new COVID-19 outbreaks have occurred and spread around the world. However, the clinical characteristics of patients in other areas around Wuhan, Hubei Province are still unclear. In this study, we performed epidemiological and clinical characteristics analysis on these regional cases. METHODS: We retrospectively investigated COVID-19 patients positively confirmed by nucleic acid Q-PCR at Taihe Hospital from January 16 to February 4, 2020. Their epidemiological, clinical manifestations, and imaging characteristics were analysed. RESULTS: Among the 73 patients studied, 12.3 % developed symptoms after returning to Shiyan from Wuhan, and 71.2 % had a history of close contact with Wuhan personnel or confirmed cases. Among these patients, 9 cases were associated with family clustering. The first main symptoms presented by these patients were fever (84.9 %) and cough (21.9 %). The longest incubation period was 26 days, and the median interval from the first symptoms to admission was 5 days. Of the patients, 67.1 % were originally healthy people with no underlying diseases, others mostly had common comorbidities including hypertension (12.3 %) and diabetes (5.5 %), 10.9 % were current smokers, 30.1 % had low white blood cell counts and 45.2 % showed decreased lymphocytes at the first time of diagnosis. CT scans showed that multiple patchy ground glass shadows outside of the patient lungs were commonly observed, and a single sub-pleural sheet of ground glass shadow with enhanced vascular bundles was also found located under the pleura. Patient follow-up to February 14 presented 38.4 % severe cases and 2.7 % critical cases. After follow-up, the parameter of lymphocyte counts below 0.8 × 109/L cannot be used to predict severe and critical groups from the ordinary group, and a lower proportion of smokers and higher proportion of diabetes patients occur in the poor outcome group. Other co-morbidities are observed but did not lead to poor outcomes. CONCLUSION: The epidemiological characteristics of patients in the area around Wuhan, such as Shiyan, at first diagnosis are described as follows: Patients had histories of Wuhan residences in the early stage and family clustering in the later period. The incubation period was relatively long, and the incidence was relatively hidden, but the virulence was relatively low. The initial diagnosis of the patients was mostly ordinary, and the percentage of critical patients who evolved into the ICU during follow-up is 2.7 %, which is lower than the 26.1 % reported by Wuhan city. According to the Shiyan experience, early diagnosis with multiple swaps of the Q-PCR test and timely treatment can reduce the death rate. Diabetes could be one of the risk factors for progression to severe/critical outcomes. No evidence exists that smoking protects COVID-19 patients from developing to severe/critical cases, and the absolute number of lymphocytes at initial diagnosis could not predict the progression risk from severe to critical condition. Multivariate regression analysis should be used to further guide the allocation of clinical resources.

Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of TWHF in diabetic nephropathy patients with overt proteinuria and normal eGFR.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Tripterygium Wilfordii Hook F (TWHF) in DN patients with overt proteinuria and normal eGFR. METHODS: 124 eligible DN patients were randomly assigned into two groups to receive either valsartan 160 mg/d treatment (control group) or TWHF 60 mg/d plus valsartan 160 mg/d treatments (TWHF group) for 24 weeks. The changes of clinical, biochemical data and adverse events during observation period were all analyzed. The primary endpoint was a reduction in 24-h urine protein excretion between baseline and the end of study, the secondary endpoint was to observe the change in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) between two groups. RESULTS: After treatment, there was a more significant decrease in proteinuria in patients who received TWHF treatment (from 4.95 ± 1.27 g/24 h to 3.36 ± 0.83 g/24 h) compared to valsartan monotherapy (from 5.21 ± 1.59 g/24 h to 4.52 ± 1.06 g/24 h). The percentage change in urine protein excretion was -32.12% in TWHF group and -13.24% in valsartan group. Patients' plasma albumin in TWHF group (from 32.53 ± 5.24 g/L to 36.91 ± 4.42 g/L) was higher than that in control group (from 33.18 ± 4.87 g/L to 34.67 ± 4.75 g/L). No significant change in blood pressure, blood glucose, eGFR, and serum potassium was observed. But the adverse events in TWHF group were higher than those in control group. CONCLUSION: TWHF is more effective than valsartan monotherapy in reduction of proteinuria in DN patients with overt proteinuria and normal eGFR, but with more adverse effects.

Consistency of postoperative pain assessments between nurses and patients undergoing enhanced recovery after gynaecological surgery.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To explore the consistency of pain intensity and pain location assessed by nurses and patients in gynaecology undergoing enhanced recovery after surgery pathway. BACKGROUND: Several studies have shown that clinical nurses' assessment of patients' pain is not always accurate. Little is known about the accuracy of nurses' pain assessments for gynaecological patients. Postoperative pain assessment and management is an essential part of enhanced recovery after surgery. DESIGN: Comparative cross-sectional study. METHODS: A total of 160 patients were recruited and only 85 patients and 17 nurses participated. Patients and nurses recorded pain scores (using an 11-point Numeric Rating Scale) and pain location (incision pain, surgical area pain in the abdominal cavity, other pain or no pain) on Pain Assessment Forms at 4 hr after surgery and on the first and second postoperative days. We used the STROBE guidelines to report our study. RESULTS: The patients' pain score was higher than that of nurses from 4 hr to second day after laparoscopic surgery at rest. The pain scores of both nurses and patients decreased over this period of time. All the intraclass correlation coefficients were between 0.214-0.296. At the three time points, surgical area pain in the abdominal cavity and abdominal incision pain were the main pain areas. All the kappa coefficients were between 0.164-0.255. CONCLUSIONS: The consistency of postoperative pain assessment about pain score and pain location between nurses and patients was not high. We should attach importance to systematic pain assessment, and more detailed enhanced recovery after surgery pathways should be developed about pain assessment. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Continuing education for nurses regarding pain assessment is necessary. Nurses should accept the patient's self-reported pain. There should be a step that gives more time for pain assessment in enhanced recovery after surgery pathways.

Clinical value of DPOC for detecting and removing residual common bile duct stones (video).

BACKGROUND: This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of detecting and removing residual common bile duct stones (CBDS) using direct peroralcholangioscopy (DPOC) after performing endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) for stone retrieval. METHODS: From January 5, 2017 to December 27, 2017, a total of 164 cases of choledocholithiasis were treated by ERCP for stone retrieval. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the remaining 79 cases (39 males; mean age: 63.3 years old, range: 52-79 years old) were enrolled in the present study. The maximum transverse stone diameter was 6-15 mm (12.7 ± 4.2 mm), as determined by ERCP. Furthermore, there were 57 cases of multiple stones (number of stones: two in 41 cases, three in nine cases, and ≥ 4 in seven cases), 13 cases of post-mechanical lithotripsy, and nine cases of broken stones. RESULTS: The overall success rate of DPOC was 94.9% (75/79). Furthermore, 18.7%(14/75) of cases were directly inserted, 72%(54/75) of cases required guide wire assistance, and 9.3%(7/75) of cases were successfully inserted with overtube assistance. The average insertion time was 7-17 min (4.9 ± 2.9 min). Residual stones were detected in 19 cases (25.3%), and all of which were < 5 mm in diameter. Moreover, five cases of formed stones were removed by basket and balloon catheter, while the remaining cases were cleaned after irrigation and suction. There were no serious complications. CONCLUSION: DPOC is safe and effective for both the detection and removal of residual CBDS after conventional ERCP.

Multimodal therapy and twenty years of valid management of a patient with chronic hepatitis B in a less developed Western Region in China---case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: For patients with chronic hepatitis B and cirrhosis in less developed western regions in China, due to constraints of local economic conditions, the choice of treatment measures is often limited. However if patients recieved valid management and effective treatment, they were able to maintain their health and benign prognosis. CASE PRESENTATION: This study narrates the long-term treatment and careful follow-up of a patient with chronic hepatitis B and cirrhosis in a less developed western region in China, and analyzes the prognosis of the disease and countermeasures. CONCLUSIONS: This would partly reflect the development of antiviral therapy for chronic hepatitis B and multidisciplinary comprehensive treatment for cirrhosis-related complications in remote region with limited resources in the past 20 years.

Whole-genome sequence and genome annotation of Xanthomonas citri pv. mangiferaeindicae, causal agent of bacterial black spot on Mangifera indica.

A newly isolated strain XC01 was identified as Xanthomonas citri pv. mangiferaeindicae, isolated from an infected mango fruit in Guangxi, China. The complete genome sequence of XC01 was carried out using the PacBio RSII platform. The genome contains a circular chromosome with 3,865,165 bp, 3442 protein-coding genes, 53 tRNAs, and 2 rRNA operons. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that this pathogen is very close to the soybeans bacterial pustule pathogen X. citri pv. glycines CFBP 2526, with a completely different host range. The genome sequence of XC01 may shed a highlight genes with a demonstrated or proposed role in on the pathogenesis.

Prediction of Hemodialysis Timing Based on LVW Feature Selection and Ensemble Learning.

We propose an improved model based on LVW embedded model feature extractor and ensemble learning for improving prediction accuracy of hemodialysis timing in this paper. Due to this drawback caused by feature extraction models, we adopt an enhanced LVW embedded model to search the feature subset by stochastic strategy, which can find the best feature combination that are most beneficial to learner performance. In the model application, we present an improved integrated learners for model fusion to reduce errors caused by overfitting problem of the single classifier. We run several state-of-the-art Q&A methods as contrastive experiments. The experimental results show that the ensemble learning model based on LVW has better generalization ability (97.04%) and lower standard error (± 0.04). We adopt the model to make high-precision predictions of hemodialysis timing, and the experimental results have shown that our framework significantly outperforms several strong baselines. Our model provides strong clinical decision support for physician diagnosis and has important clinical implications.

Inhibition of Mnk-eIF4E pathway sensitizes the efficacy to chemotherapy in anaplastic thyroid cancer.

AIM: We investigated whether MAPK-interacting kinase (Mnk) inhibition sensitizes anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) cellular response to chemotherapy. MATERIALS & METHODS: In vitro and in vivo methods were used to examine the combinatory effects of cisplatin with Mnk inhibition and its underlying mechanism. RESULTS: Mnk inhibition by pharmacological or genetic approaches inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis of ATC cells and enhances the effects of cisplatin in in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, cisplatin increases eIF4E phosphorylation in a dose- and time-dependent manner in ATC cells. Mnk inhibitors sensitize the efficacy of cisplatin by inhibiting cisplatin-induced eIF4E phosphorylation. CONCLUSION: Targeting Mnk-eIF4E pathway provides a therapeutic strategy by sensitizing ATC response to chemotherapeutic drug.

Prognostic value of right ventricular ejection/filling parameters in IPAH using cardiac magnetic resonance: A prospective pilot study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The potential prognostic value of cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR)-derived right ventricular (RV) ejection/filling parameters in the assessment of RV function remains to be fully established. The goal of this study was to explore the prognostic value of these parameters in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) patients. METHODS: In this prospective investigation, newly diagnosed IPAH patients without targeted therapy were recruited. Patients underwent right heart catheterization (RHC), 6-min walk test and CMR imaging within 1 week. Cardiopulmonary haemodynamics derived from RHC, and RV ejection/filling parameters derived from CMR were collected. RESULTS: A total of 41 IPAH patients were recruited with the median follow-up time of 824 days. During this period, 13 patients significantly deteriorated and among them, 7 patients died. CMR-derived RV peak ejection rate (PER) correlated significantly with CMR-derived RV stroke volume index (r = 0.574, P < 0.001) and RV cardiac index (r = 0.611, P < 0.001), but had no significant correlation with RV end diastolic volume index (EDVI, r = 0.201, P = 0.208) and pulmonary vascular resistance (r = -0.134, P = 0.403). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that RV time to PER (TPER, hazard ratio (HR) = 1.010, 95% CI: 1.003-1.017, P = 0.005) and RV TPER/time of a cardiac cycle (TPER/TCC, HR = 1.085, 95% CI: 1.031-1.141, P = 0.002) were predictors of clinical deterioration after adjusting for N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and RV EDVI. Kaplan-Meier survival analyses showed that patients with RV TPER ≥ 199.01 ms (log rank: P = 0.036) or RV TPER/TCC ≥ 20.02% (log rank: P = 0.007) had worse prognosis. CONCLUSION: CMR-derived RV TPER and TPER/TCC can reflect RV early systolic function, and may be promising predictors for long-term prognosis in IPAH patients.