Evaluation of Preoperative Microvascular Invasion in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Through Multidimensional Parameter Combination Modeling Based on Gd-EOB-DTPA MRI.

Background and Aims: The study established and compared the efficacy of the clinicoradiological model, radiomics model and clinicoradiological-radiomics hybrid model in predicting the microvascular invasion (MVI) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using gadolinium ethoxybenzyl diethylene triaminepentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA) enhanced MRI. Methods: This was a study that enrolled 602 HCC patients from two institutions. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso) method was used to screen for the most important clinicoradiological and radiomics features that predict MVI pre-operatively. Three machine learning algorithms were used to establish the clinicoradiological, radiomics, and clinicoradiological-radiomics hybrid models. Area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and Delong's test were used to compare and quantify the predictive performance of the models. Results: The AUCs of the clinicoradiological model in training and validation cohorts were 0.793 and 0.701, respectively. The radiomics signature of arterial phase (AP) images alone achieved satisfying predictive efficacy for MVI, with AUCs of 0.671 and 0.643 in training and validation cohort, respectively. The combination of clinicoradiological factors and fusion radiomics signature of AP and VP images achieved AUCs of 0.824 and 0.801 in training and validation cohorts, 0.812 and 0.805 in prospective validation and external validation cohorts, respectively. The hybrid model provided the best prediction results. The results of the Delong test revealed that there were statistically significant differences among the clinicoradiological-radiomics hybrid model, clinicoradiological model, and radiomics model (p<0.05). Conclusions: The combination of clinicoradiological factors and fusion radiomics signature of AP and VP images based on Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI can effectively predict MVI.

Glucose Metabolism Disorder Induces Spermatogenic Dysfunction in Northern Pig-Tailed Macaques (Macaca leonina) With Long-Term SIVmac239 Infection.

Although spermatogenic dysfunction is widely found in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the underlying reasons remain unclear. Thus far, potential hypotheses involving viral reservoirs, testicular inflammation, hormone imbalance, and cachexia show inconsistent correlation with spermatogenic dysfunction. Here, northern pig-tailed macaques (NPMs) exhibited marked spermatogenic dysfunction after long-term infection with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIVmac239), with significant decreases in Johnsen scores, differentiated spermatogonial stem cells, and testicular proliferating cells. The above hypotheses were also evaluated. Results showed no differences between SIV- and SIV+ NPMs, except for an increase in follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) during SIV infection, which had no direct effect on the testes. However, long-term SIVmac239 infection undermined pancreatic islet ß cell function, partly represented by significant reductions in cellular counts and autophagy levels. Pancreatic islet ß cell dysfunction led to glucose metabolism disorder at the whole-body level, which inhibited lactate production by Sertoli cells in testicular tissue. As lactate is the main energy substrate for developing germ cells, its decrease was strongly correlated with spermatogenic dysfunction. Therefore, glucose metabolism disorder appears to be a primary cause of spermatogenic dysfunction in NPMs with long-term SIVmac239 infection.

Superior intestinal integrity and limited microbial translocation are associated with lower immune activation in SIVmac239-infected northern pig-tailed macaques (Macaca leonina).

Microbial translocation is a cause of systemic immune activation in HIV/SIV infection. In the present study, we found a lower CD8+ T cell activation level in Macaca leonina (northern pig-tailed macaques, NPMs) than in Macaca mulatta (Chinese rhesus macaques, ChRMs) during SIVmac239 infection. Furthermore, the levels of plasma LPS-binding protein and soluble CD14 in NPMs were lower than those in ChRMs. Compared with ChRMs, SIV-infected NPMs had lower Chiu scores, representing relatively normal intestinal mucosa. In addition, no obvious damage to the ileum or colon epithelial barrier was observed in either infected or uninfected NPMs, which differed to that found in ChRMs. Furthermore, no significant microbial translocation (Escherichia coli) was detected in the colon or ileum of infected or uninfected NPMs, which again differed to that observed in ChRMs. In conclusion, NPMs retained superior intestinal integrity and limited microbial translocation during SIV infection, which may contribute to their lower immune activation compared with ChRMs.

Successful implementation of intestinal endoscopy in non-human primates prompts the possibility of achieving AIDS longitudinal intestinal research.

HIV infection induces pathological changes in the intestinal mucosa. Here, a successful endoscopy was performed on the colon of a Chinese rhesus macaque by using Olympus CV170 gastroscope. The stability on postoperative recovery and the integrity of biopsy tissue implied a possibility of achieving AIDS longitudinal intestinal research on macaques.

P absorption and removal mechanism of new Salix clone (A42)on eutrophic water with different P concentrations.

Phosphorus is the necessary element for plant growth, and its concentration is one of the main indices for water eutrophication. Hence, it is significant to understand how woody plants purify phosphorus in eutrophic water. The purpose of this study is to reveal the P absorption and removal mechanism of Salix matsudana in eutrophic water with different P concentration. We selected new S. matsudana clone (A42) as experimental material and set three levels of P concentration (low P: 0.1, 0.2 mg·L-1; medium P: 1.0, 2.0 mg·L-1, high P: 10.0 mg·L-1), and the floating bed hydroponic experiment was conducted at the greenhouse from July to September, 2017. We found that S. matsudana efficiently removed P in water (removal rate >79% in 21 days). There was a positive correlation between the removal quantity and P concentration in the water. The removal ratio rose at first and then fell with increasing P. Owing to the purification of S. matsudana, the P concentrations ranging from 0.1 mg·L-1 to 1.0 mg·L-1 were reduced to minimum threshold concentration of eutrophication (0.016-0.032 mg·L-1) in seven days. The percentage of phosphorus input in water that assimilated by S. matsudana ranged from 29.0% to 66.9%. The quantity and ratio of assimilated P were respectively positive and negative relation with P concentration. Salix matsudana adapted to eutrophic water with different P concentrations and normally grew during experiment period, with root-shoot ratio being significantly increased with decreases of water P concentrations. The characteristic of phosphorus distribution in plant organs was: stem> leave>root, while the translocation factors (TF) of nitrogen and phosphorus were both greater than 3. When S. matsudana grew in eutrophic water with high phosphorus concentration, the TF of nitrogen and phosphorus significantly increased to 4.53±0.24 and 4.92±0.62 respectively. Our results indicated that S. matsudanais could purify the eutrophic water and it could normally grow. New clone of S. matsudana could effectively absorb phosphorus in the water and accumulated it in the stem, which could reduce secondary pollution. In conclusion, S. matsudana could be used for a short-term treatment on the eutrophic water with low P concentration, while for the long-term treatment it is adapted to eutrophic water with high phosphorus concentrations.

Comparison of HIV Status Between Transgender Women and Men Who Have Sex with Men: A Meta-Analysis.

As key population groups in HIV infection, transgender women (TGW) share the same oral and anal sexual practices with men who have sex with men (MSM). However, the differences in HIV rates between the two groups are still unclear. In our study, relevant publications were electronically searched in three databases. After excluding irrelevant studies based on review of the title, abstract, and full text, a total of 24 studies, including 37,521 cases, were identified. There were no significant differences between TGW and MSM regarding HIV status and condom use. However, TGW had a higher proportion of high-risk behaviors, including exchanges of sex, forced sex, receptive intercourse, and sex work experience. Moreover, most curable sexually transmitted diseases were more prevalent in the TGW group compared to MSM. Although TGW showed a higher proportion of high-risk behavior and sexually transmitted disease incidence, their HIV incidence was the same as that for MSM.

[Comparison on the methods for spatial interpolation of the annual average precipitation in the Loess Plateau region].

Based on 57 years (1957-2013) daily precipitation datasets of the 85 meteorological stations in the Loess Plateau region, different spatial interpolation methods, including ordinary kriging (OK), inverse distance weighting (IDW) and radial-based function (RBF), were conducted to analyze the spatial variation of annual average precipitation regionally. Meanwhile, the mean absolute error (MAE), the root mean square error (RMSE), the accuracy (AC) and the Pearson correlation coefficient (R) were compared among the interpolation results in order to quantify the effects of different interpolation methods on spatial variation of the annual average precipitation. The results showed that the Moran's I index was 0.67 for the 57 years annual average precipitation in the Loess Plateau region. Meteorological stations exhibited strong spatial correlation. The validation results of the 63 training stations and 22 test stations indicated that there were significant correlations between the training and test values among different interpolation methods. However, the RMSE (IDW = 51.49, RBF = 43.79) and MAE (IDW = 38.98, RBF = 34.61) of the IDW and the RBF showed higher values than the OK. In addition, the comparison of the four semi-variagram models (Circular, Spherical, Exponential and Gaussian) for the OK indicated that the circular model had the lowest MAE (32.34) and the highest accuracy (0.976), while the MAE of the exponential model was the highest (33.24). In conclusion, comparing the validation between the training data and test results of the different spatial interpolation methods, the circular model of the OK method was the best one for obtaining accurate spatial interpolation of annual average precipitation in the Loess Plateau region.

[Analysis of sap flow characteristics of the Chinese pine in typical Loess Plateau Region of China].

Transpiration is one of the major processes of water consumption. It is significant for nutrients transportation, plant development, drought stress alleviation and micro-climate amelioration. In this study, the artificially planted Chinese pine (Pinus tabuliformis) was selected as an example to explore its transpiration characteristics, water-use strategies and the adaptability of the living environment in a typical loess hilly area of China. The results showed that: the sap flow rates of Chinese pine varied obviously in different seasons. The minimum sap flow rate occurred in April, followed by October, September and August, which was 0.024, 0.057, 0.062 and 0.071 mL x (cm2 x min)(-1), respectively. The rule of the diurnal variation of sap flow rate was regular, higher in daytime than at night. The flow rate was low during nighttime, but not zero. In rainfall events, the proportion of sap flow during nighttime was significantly increased, which was 3.9 times of that on sunny days, with 31.8% decrease in daytime. Chinese pine had great adaptability to unexpected climates. The variation trend of flow rate in the clod was similar to that on rainy days. The sap flow velocity was in great relevance with meteorological factors, with a declining order of solar radiation, vapor pressure deficit, relative humidity, and atmospheric temperature.

[Auricular acupuncture for primary insomnia: a systematic review based on GRADE system].

The clinical efficacy and safety of auricular acupuncture (AA) for treatment of primary insomnia was evaluated. After a comprehensive retrieval in domestic and foreign databases, literatures were strictly screened and Revman 5.2 software was applied to perform a Meta-analysis on eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The evidence quality was assessed with GRADE profiler 3.6 software. As a result, 8 articles were included involving 894 patients. Compared among AA and sham AA, placebo AA, blank control, there was significant difference in Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) [WMD = -3.48, 95% CI (-3.96, -3.00)], sleep latency LWMD = -10.14, 95% CI (-17.16, -3.12)] and sleep awakening times [WMD = -9.98, 95% CI (-1.10,-0.48)]. Compared between AA and western medication, there was significant difference in PSQI [WMD = -3.62, 95% CI (-4.59, -2.65)]. The evidence quality was moderate in AA vs. sham AA, placebo AA or blank control, while that of the rest was extremely low. No reports of adverse events were described in all studies. In conclusion, for the treatment of primary insomnia, AA could effectively improve sleep quality, but due to the low evidence quality, cautious attitude should be taken on this conclusion, and clinical trials with large sample and high quality were needed in the further.