Protein C deficiency with venous and arterial thromboembolic events.

Protein C (PC) is a key component of the vitamin K-dependent coagulation pathway. It exerts anticoagulant effects by inactivating factors V and VIII. Acquired or inherited PC deficiency results in a prothrombotic state, with presentations varying from asymptomatic to venous thromboembolism. However, there has been an increasing number of reports linking PC deficiency to arterial thromboembolic events, such as myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke. This editorial focuses on the association between PC deficiency and thromboembolism, which may provide some insights for treatment strategy and scientific research.

The causal effect of hypertension, intraocular pressure, and diabetic retinopathy: a Mendelian randomization study.

Background: Previous research has indicated a vital association between hypertension, intraocular pressure (IOP), and diabetic retinopathy (DR); however, the relationship has not been elucidated. In this study, we aim to investigate the causal association of hypertension, IOP, and DR. Methods: The genome-wide association study (GWAS) IDs for DR, hypertension, and IOP were identified from the Integrative Epidemiology Unit (IEU) Open GWAS database. There were 33,519,037 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and a sample size of 1,030,836 for DR. There were 16,380,466 SNPs and 218,754 participants in the hypertension experiment. There were 9,851,867 SNPs and a sample size of 97,465 for IOP. Univariable, multivariable, and bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) studies were conducted to estimate the risk of hypertension and IOP in DR. Moreover, causality was examined using the inverse variance weighted method, and MR results were verified by numerous sensitivity analyses. Results: A total of 62 SNPs at the genome-wide significance level were selected as instrumental variables (IVs) for hypertension-DR. The results of univariable MR analysis suggested a causal relationship between hypertension and DR and regarded hypertension as a risk factor for DR [p = 0.006, odds ratio (OR) = 1.080]. A total of 95 SNPs at the genome-wide significance level were selected as IVs for IOP-DR. Similarly, IOP was causally associated with DR and was a risk factor for DR (p = 0.029, OR = 1.090). The results of reverse MR analysis showed that DR was a risk factor for hypertension (p = 1.27×10-10, OR = 1.119), but there was no causal relationship between DR and IOP (p > 0.05). The results of multivariate MR analysis revealed that hypertension and IOP were risk factors for DR, which exhibited higher risk scores (p = 0.001, OR = 1.121 and p = 0.030, OR = 1.124, respectively) than those in univariable MR analysis. Therefore, hypertension remained a risk factor for DR after excluding the interference of IOP, and IOP was still a risk factor for DR after excluding the interference of hypertension. Conclusion: This study validated the potential causal relationship between hypertension, IOP, and DR using MR analysis, providing a reference for the targeted prevention of DR.

Defect and interface/surface engineering synergistically modulated electron transfer and nonlinear absorption properties in MoX2 (X = Se, S, Te)@ZnO heterojunction.

Systematic interface and defect engineering strategies have been demonstrated to be an effective way to modulate the electron transfer and nonlinear absorption properties in semiconductor heterojunctions. However, the role played by defects and interfacial strain in electron transfer at the interface of the MoX2 (X = Se, S, Te)@ZnO heterojunction remains poorly understood. Herein, using the MoX2@ZnO heterojunction, we reveal that vacancies play a critical role in the interfacial electron transfer of heterojunctions. Specifically, we present the defect and interface engineering of the MoX2@ZnO heterojunction for controlled charge transfer and electron excitation-relaxation. The experimental characterization combined with first-principles calculations showed that the presence of defects promoted the transport of photogenerated carriers at the heterojunction interface, thereby inhibiting their rapid recombination. The DFT calculation confirmed that the electron band structure, density of states and charge density distribution in the system changed after the formation of Mo-O bonds. On the basis of defects and interfacial stress and the effective charge transfer, the MoX2@ZnO heterojunction exhibited excellent excitation and emission behaviors. The nonlinear optical regulation behavior of TMDs is expected to be realized with the help of the defects and interface/surface synergistically modulated effect of ZnO nanoparticles. The local strain generation on the MoX2@ZnO heterojunction boundary provides a new method for the design of new heterogeneous materials and will be of great significance to investigate the contact physical behavior and application of metals and two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors. This work provides some inspiration for the construction of heterojunctions with rich defects and surface/interface charge transfer channels to promote tunable electron transfer dynamics, thereby achieving a good nonlinear optical conversion efficiency and efficient charge separation in optoelectronic functional materials.

Study on interface engineering and chemical bonding of the ReS2@ZnO heterointerface for efficient charge transfer and nonlinear optical conversion efficiency.

Rhenium sulfide (ReS2) has emerged as a promising two-dimensional material, demonstrating broad-spectrum visible absorption properties that make it highly relevant for diverse optoelectronic applications. Manipulating and optimizing the pathway of photogenerated carriers play a pivotal role in enhancing the efficiency of charge separation and transfer in novel semiconductor composites. This study focuses on the strategic construction of a semiconductor heterostructure by synthesizing ZnO on vacancy-containing ReS2 (VRe-ReS2) through chemical bonding processes. The ingeniously engineered built-in electric field within the heterostructure effectively suppresses the recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. A direct and well-established interfacial connection between VRe-ReS2 and ZnO is achieved through a robust Zn-S bond. This distinctive bond configuration leads to enhanced nonlinear optical conversion efficiency, attributed to shortened carrier migration distances and accelerated charge transfer rates. Furthermore, theoretical calculations unveil the superior chemical interactions between Re vacancies and sulfide moieties, facilitating the formation of Zn-S bonds. The photoluminescence (PL) intensity is increased by the formation of VRe-ReS2 and ZnO heterostructure and the PL quantum yield of VRe-ReS2 is improved. The intricate impact of the Zn-S bond on the nonlinear absorption behavior of the VRe-ReS2@ZnO heterostructure is systematically investigated using femtosecond Z-scan techniques. The charge transfer from ZnO to ReS2 defect levels induces a transition from saturable absorption to reverse saturable absorption in the VRe-ReS2@ZnO heterostructure. Transient absorption measurements further confirm the presence of the Zn-S bond between the interfaces, as evidenced by the prolonged relaxation time (τ3) in the VRe-ReS2@ZnO heterostructure. This study offers valuable insights into the rational construction of heterojunctions through tailored interfacial bonding and surface/interface charge transfer pathways. These endeavors facilitate the modulation of electron transfer dynamics, ultimately yielding superior nonlinear optical conversion efficiency and effective charge regulation in optoelectronic functional materials.

Risk factors for myopia among children and adolescents: an umbrella review of published meta-analyses and systematic reviews.

AIMS: To identify potential risk factors for myopia in children and adolescents and assess the credibility of each evidence, providing reference for the development of myopia prevention strategies. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Web of Science and Embase databases from inception to April 2022 to find systematic reviews or meta-analyses investigating the relationship between potential risk factors and myopia, and conducted an umbrella review. We recalculated the pooled effect sizes and 95% CIs of each potential risk factor through random-effects model, and reported its 95% prediction interval and between-study heterogeneity. Small-study effect and excess of significance bias were assessed to reveal potential publication bias. RESULTS: Twelve publications were included in this umbrella review, including eight meta-analyses and four qualitative systematic reviews. Twenty-two factors were identified, of which 16 were analysed quantitatively. Ten factors showed statistically significant association with myopia. Myopia in one or two parents and per additional hour of time spend outdoors per week were rated as highly suggestive evidence. Near work and gender were evaluated as suggestive evidence. The other five factors are weak evidence. CONCLUSIONS: We found several risk factors for myopia with different levels of evidence, of which parental myopia presented the strongest association with myopia in children and adolescents. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the association between potential risk factors and myopia among children and adolescents and are important for informing parenting, education, clinical practice guidelines and public health policy. PROSPERO TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42022333053.

Development of machine learning prognostic models for overall survival of prostate cancer patients with lymph node-positive.

Prostate cancer (PCa) patients with lymph node involvement (LNI) constitute a single-risk group with varied prognoses. Existing studies on this group have focused solely on those who underwent prostatectomy (RP), using statistical models to predict prognosis. This study aimed to develop an easily accessible individual survival prediction tool based on multiple machine learning (ML) algorithms to predict survival probability for PCa patients with LNI. A total of 3280 PCa patients with LNI were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, covering the years 2000-2019. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). Gradient Boosting Survival Analysis (GBSA), Random Survival Forest (RSF), and Extra Survival Trees (EST) were used to develop prognosis models, which were compared to Cox regression. Discrimination was evaluated using the time-dependent areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (time-dependent AUC) and the concordance index (c-index). Calibration was assessed using the time-dependent Brier score (time-dependent BS) and the integrated Brier score (IBS). Moreover, the beeswarm summary plot in SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanations) was used to display the contribution of variables to the results. The 3280 patients were randomly split into a training cohort (n = 2624) and a validation cohort (n = 656). Nine variables including age at diagnosis, race, marital status, clinical T stage, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level at diagnosis, Gleason Score (GS), number of positive lymph nodes, radical prostatectomy (RP), and radiotherapy (RT) were used to develop models. The mean time-dependent AUC for GBSA, RSF, and EST was 0.782 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.779-0.783), 0.779 (95% CI 0.776-0.780), and 0.781 (95% CI 0.778-0.782), respectively, which were higher than the Cox regression model of 0.770 (95% CI 0.769-0.773). Additionally, all models demonstrated almost similar calibration, with low IBS. A web-based prediction tool was developed using the best-performing GBSA, which is accessible at https://pengzihexjtu-pca-n1.streamlit.app/ . ML algorithms showed better performance compared with Cox regression and we developed a web-based tool, which may help to guide patient treatment and follow-up.

Diterpenoids from Euphorbia fischeriana with Kv1.3 Inhibitory Activity.

Euphorbia diterpenoids possess inhibitory effects of Kv1.3 ion channel, but most of this research has focused on diterpenoids with jatrophane-related or ingenane-related skeletons. In the present study, nine undescribed (1-9) and 16 known (10-25) diterpenoids, based on jatrophane, lathyrane, ingenane, abietane, and atisane skeletons, were identified from the methanol extract of the aerial parts of Euphorbia fischeriana. The structures were established by analysis of the spectroscopic data as well as by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Among the isolated diterpenoids, macrocyclic jatrophanes and lathyranes exerted Kv1.3 blocking activity. Compound 8 exhibited good selectivity on the inhibition of the Kv 1.3 channel rather than hERG channel, with a selectivity index over 7.0. The selective activity of lathyrane diterpenoids indicates that macrocyclic diterpenoids have the potential to be further investigated as therapeutic agents for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.

ZNF746 promotes M2 macrophage polarisation and favours tumour progression in breast cancer via the Jagged1/Notch pathway.

Breast cancer (BC) is a major threat to women's health. BC is a heterogeneous disease and treatment strategies and outcomes differ between subtypes. Investigating the molecular mechanisms of BC will help to identify potential therapeutic targets and develop new therapies. Here we report that zinc finger protein 746 (ZNF746), a Krüppel-associated box and zinc finger protein, exhibits tumour-promoting properties in BC. Functional experiments (cell growth, colony formation, cell cycle analysis, and transwell analysis) were used to evaluate the proliferation, migration, and invasion capacity of BC cells. Immunohistochemistry was performed to detect the expression of ZNF746, CD163 (M2 macrophage marker), and HES1 (Notch target) in BC tissues. ZNF746 was highly expressed in BC tissues compared to adjacent paired non-tumour tissues. Patients with M1 BC had higher expression of ZNF746 compared to patients with non-metastatic (M0) BC, and higher expression of ZNF746 was associated with poorer overall survival. The immunohistochemical results showed a positive correlation between the expression of ZNF746 and the expression of CD163 or HES1. ZNF746 promoted BC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and increased the expression of molecules essential for monocyte recruitment and differentiation (CCL2 and CSF1). Furthermore, THP-1 monocytes cultured in the conditioned medium derived from BC cells overexpressing ZNF746 exhibited enhanced M2 polarisation. In contrast, ZNF746 knockdown reduced BC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and suppressed M2 polarisation. Mechanistically, ZNF746 promoted the activation of the Jagged1/Notch pathway, and the Jagged1 siRNA-mediated blockade of this pathway prevented the tumour-promoting functions of ZNF746. In conclusion, this study uncovers the role of ZNF746 in promoting M2 macrophage polarisation and suggests that ZNF746 may be a promising therapeutic target for limiting BC progression.

Ultra-thin lithium aluminate spinel ferrite films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and low damping.

Ultra-thin films of low damping ferromagnetic insulators with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy have been identified as critical to advancing spin-based electronics by significantly reducing the threshold for current-induced magnetization switching while enabling new types of hybrid structures or devices. Here, we have developed a new class of ultra-thin spinel structure Li0.5Al1.0Fe1.5O4 (LAFO) films on MgGa2O4 (MGO) substrates with: 1) perpendicular magnetic anisotropy; 2) low magnetic damping and 3) the absence of degraded or magnetic dead layers. These films have been integrated with epitaxial Pt spin source layers to demonstrate record low magnetization switching currents and high spin-orbit torque efficiencies. These LAFO films on MGO thus combine all of the desirable properties of ferromagnetic insulators with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, opening new possibilities for spin based electronics.

Hybrid spin Hall nano-oscillators based on ferromagnetic metal/ferrimagnetic insulator heterostructures.

Spin-Hall nano-oscillators (SHNOs) are promising spintronic devices to realize current controlled GHz frequency signals in nanoscale devices for neuromorphic computing and creating Ising systems. However, traditional SHNOs devices based on transition metals have high auto-oscillation threshold currents as well as low quality factors and output powers. Here we demonstrate a new type of hybrid SHNO based on a permalloy (Py) ferromagnetic-metal nanowire and low-damping ferrimagnetic insulator, in the form of epitaxial lithium aluminum ferrite (LAFO) thin films. The superior characteristics of such SHNOs are associated with the excitation of larger spin-precession angles and volumes. We further find that the presence of the ferrimagnetic insulator enhances the auto-oscillation amplitude of spin-wave edge modes, consistent with our micromagnetic modeling. This hybrid SHNO expands spintronic applications, including providing new means of coupling multiple SHNOs for neuromorphic computing and advancing magnonics.

[Relationship between forest city landscape pattern and thermal environment: A case study of Longquan City, China.] / æ£®æž—åŸŽå¸‚æ™¯è§‚æ ¼å±€ä¸Žçƒ­çŽ¯å¢ƒçš„å ³ç³»­­ä»¥é¾™æ³‰å¸‚为例.

The differentiation characteristics of landscape pattern affect the urban thermal environment. In this study, temperature characteristics of nine types of landscape in a national forest city, Longquan City, were analyzed by temperature inversion method and spatial analysis. The landscape pattern analysis method was used to explore the correlation of landscape metrics and the thermal environment from 1 km to 3.5 km. The results showed that the high and sub-high temperature zones of Longquan City were distributed in northeast-southwest, mainly composed of urban and rural residential areas. The low and sub-low temperature zone were mainly distributed in the northwest and southeast areas, mainly composed of public welfare forests. By calculating the mean land surface temperature of each landscape type in the area below 700 m above sea level, the temperature of coniferous forest, broadleaf forest, conifer-broadleaf forest, bamboo forest and water was relatively low, whereas that of shrub land, other forest land, cultivated land and construction land was relatively high. Through the analysis of landscape pattern and thermal environment, it was found that the class pattern index was more practical than the landscape pattern index. The correlation between thermal environment effect and construction land distribution reached 0.835, coniferous forest land, broadleaf forest land, coniferous-broadleaf forest land and water were the second, up to -0.5 to -0.4. The cooling effects of different forest types vaied across different spatial scales. Broadleaved forests and coniferous-broadleaved forests were more conducive to cooling at large scales. The larger the area and volume stock of forest land, the more likely it had the lowest land surface temperature.

[Effects of Pseudomonas aeruginosa on root activity and leaf physiological characteristics in rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedling under cadmium stress]. / é“œç»¿å‡å•èƒžèŒå¯¹é•‰èƒè¿«è‹—æœŸæ°´ç¨»æ ¹ç³»æ´»åŠ›åŠå¶ç‰‡ç”Ÿç†ç‰¹æ€§çš„å½±å“.

To reveal the physiological effects of rice alleviated by cadmium-tolerant Pseudomonas aeruginosa under cadmium stress condition, the influences of bacterial strian on the root vigor and leaf physiological characteristics were analyzed under a set of hydroponic experiments involving adding bacteria suspension, empty carrier, microbial inoculum with 20 µmol·L-1 Cd. Cadmium-free treatment as control. The results showed that the root vigor was significantly inhibited, leaf photosynthetic rate decreased, and the contents of soluble protein, flavonoid and total phenols in rice leaves were reduced, while the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide anion(O2-·) increased significantly under cadmium stress condition. Compared with cadmium treatment, root vigors of rice were increased by 36.1%-42.5% and 49.4%-53.0% respectively in bacteria suspension and microbial inoculum additions, net photosynthetic rates in leaves were increased by 118.5%-147.1% and 137.6%-156.9%, and the contents of soluble protein were increased by 37.0%-49.3% and 37.7%-72.6%, respectively. For the bacteria suspension treatment, the activities of SOD, POD and CAT in leaves were increased by 25.8%-36.6%, 40.9%-55.9%, 24.0%-29.2%, and the activities of SOD, POD and CAT in leaves under microbial inoculum treatment were increased by 36.9%-42.6%, 82.7%-92.6% and 43.3%-52.2%, respectively, with the stimulative effects on antioxidation enzymes in rice leaves being higher than those of bacteria suspension. Compared with cadmium treatment, the contents of MDA and O2-· in rice leaves were reduced by 44.8%-54.7%, 29.4%-41.9% and 9.9%-10.2%, 3.0%-7.1% in microbial inoculum and bacteria suspension treatments, respectively. In contrast, the contents of flavonoids and total phenols were increased by 125.4%-135.7%, 100.8%-119.4% and 139.4%-146.7%, 115.0%-134.7%, respectively. In summary, P. aeruginosa and the microbial inoculum could promote rice seedling growth by improving root vigor and photosynthetic rate, as well as the contents of flavonoids and total phenols, which led to the fact that P. aeruginosa could significantly alleviate the stress of cadmium on rice.

Transcriptome analysis reveals that barnyard grass exudates increase the allelopathic potential of allelopathic and non-allelopathic rice (Oryza sativa) accessions.

BACKGROUND: Allelopathy in rice (Oryza sativa) is a chemically induced response that is elevated by the exogenous application of chemical compounds and barnyard grass root exudates. An in-depth understanding of the response mechanisms of rice to chemical induction is necessary for the identification of target genes for increasing the allelopathic potential of rice. However, no previous studies have evaluated the transcriptomic changes associated with allelopathy in rice in response to barnyard grass exudates treatment. Thus, the aim of the present study was to reveal differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in allelopathic and non-allelopathic rice seedlings treated with barnyard grass exudates to identify target allelopathy genes. RESULTS: The inhibitory effect of the culture solutions on the allelopathic rice accession PI312777 (PI) and the non-allelopathic rice accession Lemont (LE) significantly increased (P < 0.05) after treatment with barnyard grass root exudates. The RNA sequencing results revealed that 14,891 genes in PI(+B) vs. LE(+B), 12,505 genes in PI(+B) vs. PI(-B), and 5857 genes in LE(+B) vs. LE(-B) were differentially expressed following root exudates treatment. These DEGs were classified into three categories and 32 functional groups, i.e., 12 groups in the biological process category, 12 groups in the cellular component category, and eight groups in the molecular function category. There were 5857 and 2846 upregulated genes and 135 and 50 upregulated Gene Ontology terms (P < 0.05) in the biological process category in PI(+B) vs. PI(-B) and LE(+B) vs. LE(-B), respectively. These results indicated that the allelopathic accession PI is more sensitive than the non-allelopathic accession LE to exogenous root exudates treatment. Genes related to rice allelochemical-related biosynthesis pathways, particularly the shikimic acid and acetic acid pathways, were significantly differentially expressed in both rice accessions. These findings suggested that phenolic acids, fatty acids, and flavonoids, which constitute the downstream metabolites of the shikimic acid and acetic acid pathways, are significantly expressed in response to root exudates of barnyard grass. CONCLUSIONS: The allelopathic potential of both rice accessions could be significantly enhanced by barnyard grass root exudates application. Furthermore, genes related to the biosynthesis pathways of reported rice allelochemicals were significantly differentially expressed in both accessions. Phenylalanine ammonia lyase was determined to be a potential target for the regulation of chemical induction.

MicroRNA-490 inhibits tumorigenesis and progression in breast cancer.

MicroRNAs are consistently reported to regulate gene expression in all cancer cell types by modulating a wide range of biological processes, including cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis, which are associated with tumor development and progression. Previous studies have revealed that miR-490-3p regulates cell proliferation and apoptosis in cancers, such as hepatocellular carcinoma, lung cancer, bladder cancer, and ovarian carcinoma. In this study, we explored the hitherto unrevealed role of miR-490-3p in breast cancer. We tested miR-490-3p expression in breast cancer tissue and paracarcinoma tissue using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. We also transfected the human breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 and T47D with miR-490-3p; subsequently, we determined the cell phenotype and the expression of Ras homolog gene family member A (RhoA), Bcl-xL, matrix metalloproteinase-9, and P70S6K (P70S6 kinase). Dual-luciferase reporter assay and a xenograft mouse model were used to reveal the roles of miR-490-3p and its target gene RHOA. We found that the levels of miR-490-3p were lower in the breast cancer tissue than in the paracarcinoma tissues. The overexpression of miR-490-3p suppressed breast cancer cell proliferation and promoted early stage apoptosis. Western blotting results revealed that the miR-490-3p overexpression reduced RhoA, Bcl-XL, matrix metalloproteinase-9, and P70S6K protein expression. The dual-luciferase reporter assay confirmed that RhoA is a target of miR-490-3p. The xenograft mouse model confirmed that miR-490-3p overexpression suppressed tumor growth and reduced RhoA expression. Our results indicate that miR-490-3p acts as oncosuppressive microRNA to inhibit breast cancer tumorigenesis and progression by targeting RhoA directly. It may contribute to breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Potent anticancer effects of lentivirus encoding a Drosophila melanogaster deoxyribonucleoside kinase mutant combined with brivudine.

OBJECTIVE: Deoxyribonucleoside kinase of Drosophila melanogaster (Dm-dNK) mutants have been reported to exert suicide gene effects in combined gene/chemotherapy of cancer. Here, we aimed to further evaluate the capacity of the mutanted enzyme and its potential for inhibiting cancer cell growth. METHODS: We altered the sequence of the last 10 amino acids of Dm-dNK to perform site-directed mutagenesis and constructed active site mutanted Dm-dNK (Dm-dNKmut), RT-PCR and western bloting studies were used to reveal the expression of lentivirus mediated Dm-dNKmut in a breast cancer cell line (Bcap37), a gastric cancer cell line (SGC7901) and a colorectal cancer cell line (CCL187). [3H]-labeled substrates were used for enzyme activity assays, cell cytotoxicity was assessed by MTT assays, cell proliferation using a hemocytometer and apoptosis induction by thenannexin-V-FITC labeled FACS method. In vivo, an animal study was set out in which BALB/C nude mice bearing tumors were treated with lentivirus mediated expression of Dm-dNKmut with the pyrimidine nucleoside analog brivudine (BVDU, (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-(2-deoxyuridine). RESULTS: The Dm-dNKmut could be stably expressed in the cancer cell lines and retained its enzymatic activity. Moreover, the cells expressing Dm-dNKmut exhibited increased sensitivity in combination with BVDU, with induction of apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSION: These findings underlined the importance of BVDU phosphorylated by Dm-dNKmut in transduced cancer cells and the potential role of Dm-dNKmut as a suicide gene, thus providing the basis for future intensive research for cancer therapy.

Study on the skip metastasis of axillary lymph nodes in breast cancer and their relation with Gli1 expression.

The skip metastasis (SM) of axillary lymph nodes (ALN) in breast cancer is an important phenomenon which is crucial to determine the correct choice of surgical resection. The mechanism of SM of ALN is unclear. Gli1 protein is a core epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) regulatory factor that plays essential roles in both development and disease processes and has been associated with metastasis in carcinomas. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinicopathological characteristics of SM and evaluate the significance of Gli1 expression in breast cancer patients with metastasis of ALN. Clinicopathological data from 1,037 female breast cancer patients who underwent radical mastectomy were retrospectively reviewed. In this study, an SM was defined as level I absence but level II and/or level III involvement. The expression of Gli1 was evaluated by immunohistochemistry in 102 non-SM cases with positive nodes and 33 SM cases. In univariate analysis, we found that pN category, TNM stage, intrinsic subtypes and Gli1 expression was significant risk factor of SM. Further logistic regression analysis revealed that luminal A cases had a lower risk of SM relative to luminal B 1 (HER2 negative) cases. Further multivariate analysis revealed that Gli1 expression and numbers of positive lymph nodes were the independent factors which associated with SM. Collectively, Breast cancer with SM of ALN associated with the intrinsic subtype of the luminal B1. Gli1 expression related with the procession of breast cancer with SM, which can be used as a predictor of SM of ALN in breast cancer.

[Prediction of regional soil quality based on mutual information theory integrated with decision tree algorithm].

In this paper, some main factors such as soil type, land use pattern, lithology type, topography, road, and industry type that affect soil quality were used to precisely obtain the spatial distribution characteristics of regional soil quality, mutual information theory was adopted to select the main environmental factors, and decision tree algorithm See 5.0 was applied to predict the grade of regional soil quality. The main factors affecting regional soil quality were soil type, land use, lithology type, distance to town, distance to water area, altitude, distance to road, and distance to industrial land. The prediction accuracy of the decision tree model with the variables selected by mutual information was obviously higher than that of the model with all variables, and, for the former model, whether of decision tree or of decision rule, its prediction accuracy was all higher than 80%. Based on the continuous and categorical data, the method of mutual information theory integrated with decision tree could not only reduce the number of input parameters for decision tree algorithm, but also predict and assess regional soil quality effectively.

[Spatial pattern of soil fertility in Bashan tea garden: a prediction based on environmental auxiliary variables].

Taking topographic factors and NDVI as auxiliary variables, and by using regression-kriging method, the spatial variation pattern of soil fertility in Bashan tea garden in the hilly area of Fuyang City was explored. The spatial variability of the soil fertility was mainly attributed to the structural factors such as relative elevation and flat/vertical curvature. The lower the relative elevation, the worse the soil fertility was. The overall soil fertility level was relatively high, and the area with lower soil fertility only accounted for 5% of the total. By using regression-kriging method with relative elevation as auxiliary variable, the prediction accuracy of soil fertility was obviously higher than that by using ordinary kriging method, with the mean error and root mean square error being 0. 028 and 0. 108, respectively. It was suggested that the prediction method used in this paper could fully reflect the effects of environmental variables on soil fertility , improve the prediction accuracy about the spatial pattern of soil fertility, and provide scientific basis for the precise management of tea garden.