Association between physical activity and thyroid function in American adults: a survey from the NHANES database.

OBJECTIVE: Physical activity (PA) is closely related to our lives, and the effects of PA on thyroid function have not been elucidated. METHODS: Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007-2012, we included 5877 participants and analyzed the associations of thyroid function with weekly physical activity (PAM, expressed in metabolic equivalents of task) and physical activity time (PAT) in American adults. Univariate and multivariate logistic analyses were used to demonstrate the associations of PAM and PAT with the primary outcome. Linear regression analysis was performed to determine the associations between thyroid biochemical indicators/diseases and PAM/PAT. RESULTS: Our study revealed noticeable sex differences in daily PA among the participants. The odds ratio of the fourth versus the first quartile of PAM was 3.07 (confidence interval, CI [1.24, 7.58], p = 0.02) for overt hypothyroidism, 3.25 (CI [1.12, 9.45], p = 0.03) for subclinical hyperthyroidism in adult men. PAT in the range of 633-1520 min/week was found to be associated with the occurrence of subclinical hyperthyroidism [p < 0.001, OR (95% CI) = 5.89 (1.85, 18.80)], PAT of the range of > 1520 min/week was found to be associated with the occurrence of overt hypothyroidism [p < 0.001, OR (95% CI) = 8.70 (2.80, 27.07)] and autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT) [p = 0.03, OR (95% CI) = 1.42 (1.03, 1.97)] in adult men. When PAM < 5000 MET*minutes/week or PAT < 1000 min/week, RCS showed an L-shaped curve for TSH and an inverted U-shaped curve for FT4. The changes in FT3 and TT3 in men were linearly positively correlated with PAM and PAT, while TT4 is linearly negatively correlated. CONCLUSION: The amount of daily physical activity of American adults is strongly associated with changes in thyroid function, including thyroid hormone levels and thyroid diseases. Thyroid hormone levels were varied to a certain extent with changes in PAM and PAT.

The relationship between thyroid peroxidase antibody and differentiated thyroid cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb) has been found to be associated with the occurrence and development of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) for several years, but there is still controversy over whether thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) is related to differentiated thyroid cancer. Methods: We scrutinized relevant studies published up to July 2023 across four major databases including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science, to examine the association between TPOAb and DTC. Clinical outcome measures include the incidence of DTC, tumor size, extrathyroidal invasion, lymph node metastasis, multifocality, recurrence and bilaterality. Results: 12 original studies were included, involving a total of 20,330 subjects. Our analysis of the included studies revealed that TPOAb+ individuals exhibited a higher risk of developing DTC (OR=1.57 [95% CI: 1.00-2.45], p=0.049) than TPOAb- individuals. Furthermore, TPOAb+ DTC patients were more prone to present with bilateral (OR=1.40 [95% CI: 1.21-1.62], p<0.00001) and multifocal (OR=1.40 [95% CI: 1.23-1.60], p<0.00001) tumors than TPOAb- patients. Sensitivity analysis indicated a high sensitivity for these three findings. No significant differences in the risk of extrathyroidal extension and lymph node metastasis, recurrence rate, tumor size, were observed between TPOAb+ and TPOAb- DTC patients. Conclusion: The presence of TPOAb is correlated with an increase prevalence of DTC. However, its effectiveness as a prognostic marker for DTC patients warrants further investigation. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier CRD42023448824.

The global state of research in stem cells therapy for spinal cord injury (2003-2022): a visualized analysis.

Objective: Our study aimed to visualize the global status and frontiers in stem cell therapy for spinal cord injury by using bibliometric methodology. Methods: Publication citation information related to stem cell therapy for spinal cord injury (SCI) studies between 2003 and 2022 was retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database. For the visualized study, VOS viewer software and Graph Pad Prism 9.5 were used to perform bibliometric analysis of included data and publication number statistics in stem cell therapy for the SCI domain. Results: A total of 6,686 publications were retrieved. The USA and China made the highest contributions to global research with the highest number of citations and link strength. The journal Experimental Neurology ranks as the top journal, combining the publication amount and bibliometrics results. The University of Toronto, based in Canada, was the first-ranking institution. The directions of the current study could be divided into five clusters. The research of Transplantation and Regenerative Medicine and Neurosciences Mechanism Research may be the emerging frontiers in this domain. Conclusion: In summary, stem cell therapy for spinal cord injuries is poised for more valuable advances.

Amelioration of Acute Radiation Dermatitis in Breast Cancer Patients by a Bioadhesive Barrier-Forming Gel (Episil): A Single-Center, Open, Parallel, Randomized, Phase I/II Controlled Trial.

Episil is a bioadhesive barrier-forming liquid gel that can relieve mucositis caused by radiotherapy (RT) and effectively relieve pain. The purpose of this trial is to compare the efficacy and safety of Episil in improving acute radiation dermatitis (ARD) in patients with breast cancer. This study included patients who met the criteria for postoperative RT for breast cancer. The primary end point was the grade of RD during treatment. A total of 102 patients were included in this study. The patients were grouped in a 2:1 ratio using the randomized number table method: 67 patients received Episil combined with conventional skin care (the Episil group), whereas the remaining 35 patients served as the control group and received conventional skin care only (the control group). According to the grading criteria of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG), the skin reaction rate and severity were significantly better in the Episil group than the control group (24.62%, 72.31%, 3.08, 0, 0 vs. 0, 85.71%, 14.29%, 0, 0, 0) across grades 0 to 4 (P < 0.05). The itchiness score exhibited s significant reduction in the Episil group as compared with the control group (P < 0.05). The results of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) showed that the overall health (z = -5.855, P < 0.001) and overall quality of life (z = -6.583, P < 0.001) were better in the Episil group than the control group after RT. Overall, in patients with breast cancer receiving RT, the topical application of Episil may significantly reduce the grading of ARD, alleviate patient symptoms, and improve the patient's overall quality of life.

Zoledronic Acid Accelerates Bone Healing in Carpal Navicular Fracture via Silencing Long Non-coding RNA Growth Arrest Specificity 5 to Modulate MicroRNA-29a-3p Expression.

Carpal navicular fractures are the most common carpal fractures. This study intends to explore the specific mechanism of Zoledronic Acid (ZA) in carpal navicular fracture healing via long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) growth arrest specificity 5 (GAS5) to mediate microRNA (miR)-29a-3p. A fractured rat model was constructed. Two weeks later, a subcutaneous injection of systemic ZA was implemented, and an injection of plasmid vectors interfered with GAS5 or miR-29a-3p expression was performed on the fracture site. Osteocalcin (OCN) and bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) were determined, as well as serum levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), osteopontin (OPN) and osteoprotegerin (OPG) and bone mineral density. MC3T3-E1 cells were transfected with plasmid vectors interfering with GAS5 or miR-29a-3p, and cell proliferation and apoptosis were analyzed. GAS5 and miR-29a-3p expression in fractured rats was tested, together with their binding relationship. ZA promoted OCN and BMP-2 expression, increased bone mineral density and serum levels of ALP, OPN and OPG in fractured rats. GAS5 was upregulated and miR-29a-3p was down-regulated in fractured rats. Downregulation of GAS5 or upregulation of miR-29a-3p further promoted bone healing in fractured rats. GAS5 targets miR-29a-3p, and down-regulation of miR-29a-3p can reverse the effect of down-regulation of GAS5 on bone healing in fractured rats. ZA promoted the proliferation of MC3T3-E1 cells and inhibited apoptosis by regulating the GAS5/miR-29a-3p axis. ZA regulates miR-29a-3p expression by down-regulating GAS5 to promote carpal navicular fracture healing, promote MC3T3-E1 cell proliferation, and inhibit cell apoptosis.

The Relationship between Thyrotropin Serum Concentrations and Thyroid Carcinoma.

Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) is a hormone secreted by the pituitary gland and plays a role in regulating the production and secretion of thyroid hormones by the thyroid gland. This precise feedback loop is essential for maintaining a harmonious balance of thyroid hormones in the body, which are vital for numerous physiological processes. Consequently, TSH serves as a significant marker in assessing thyroid function, and deviations from normal TSH levels may indicate the presence of a thyroid disorder. Thyroid cancer (TC) is the malignant tumor within the endocrine system. In recent years, numerous experts have dedicated their efforts to discovering efficacious biomarkers for TC. These biomarkers aim to improve the accurate identification of tumors with a poor prognosis, as well as facilitate active monitoring of tumors with a more favorable prognosis. The role of TSH in the thyroid gland underscores its potential influence on the occurrence and progression of TC, which has garnered attention in the scientific community. However, due to the limited scope of clinical research and the dearth of high-quality foundational studies, the precise impact of TSH on TC remains unclear. Consequently, we present a comprehensive review of this subject, aiming to offer a valuable reference for future research endeavors.

The effect of perceived teachers' interpersonal behavior on students' learning in physical education: a systematic review.

The primary purpose of this study was to conduct the first systematic review on teachers' interpersonal behaviors and students' learning within the physical education context. We searched the English literature in the EBSCOhost, Web of Science, SCOPUS and PubMed electronic databases and following screening, data extraction, quality assessment, 35 published articles were included in this review. The results showed that: perceived teachers' supportive behaviors have effect on autonomous motivation of students, and perceived teachers' controlling behaviors have effect on students' controlling motivation and amotivation, the influencing mechanism may be that teachers' interpersonal teaching behaviors make students' basic psychological needs satisfaction or frustration; perceived teachers' international behaviors have effect on PE learning emotion of students, and perceiving teachers' supportive behaviors can trigger students' positive learning emotion, on the contrary, perceiving teachers' controlling behaviors can stimulate students' negative learning emotion; teachers' interpersonal behaviors have effect on students' psychological well-being and physical activity levels in class with the evidence insufficient, and more evidence are needed. It is extremely necessary to expand such study direction and strengthen better quality study to explore the effect of teachers' interpersonal behaviors on learning process and learning outcome in physical education class, and examine the indirect influence mechanism through that the relationship is connected. The present review provides preliminary evidence to enhance the quality of physical education teaching in class, promote students' academic performance by intervening teachers' interpersonal behaviors.

Successful treatment of near-fatal asthma with ECMO: A case report and literature review.

Near-fatal asthma (NFA) can lead to severe hypercapnia and sudden cardiac arrest; however, it can be reversed by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). We report a case of a 37-year-old male diagnosed with NFA. After fluid rehydaration, spasmolysis, and treatment with glucocorticoid and mechanical ventilation, the patient's condition improved temporarily. However, his condition worsened rapidly, and the patient presented with progressive respiratory distress, a sharp increase in airway pressure, decreased tidal volume, and barotrauma. The patient was treated with venovenous ECMO in the prone position. Five days later, the patient was successfully weaned from ECMO. Hence, ECMO could be used for NFA at the right time to provide adequate gas exchange for patients in order to reduce lung damage and prevent death.

HLA-DR+ mucosal-associated invariant T cells predict poor prognosis in patients with sepsis: A prospective observational study.

Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are important in antibacterial immune responses; however, during sepsis, they are few in number and exhibit highly activated phenotypes. The relationship between MAIT cells in peripheral blood and the prognosis of sepsis is not well understood. Thus, this study aimed to examine the levels and phenotypes of MAIT cells in early sepsis, evaluate their clinical relevance, and investigate their association with patient prognosis. This prospective observational study enrolled 72 septic patients defined according to the Sepsis 3.0 criteria and 21 healthy controls matched for age and sex. Their peripheral blood samples were used to assay the expression of immune activation (CD69 and HLA-DR) and immune checkpoint (PD-1 and PD-L1) markers on MAIT cells. The systemic inflammatory response syndrome, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) II, and sequential organ failure assessment scores were recorded. Subsequently, the association between MAIT cell characteristics and clinical indicators was assessed using Spearman's rank correlation analysis, and binary logistic regression analysis with a forward stepwise approach assessed independent risk factors for 28-day mortality. We noted a decrease in the percentage of MAIT cells in the patients' peripheral blood, which exhibited an activated phenotype. Besides, HLA-DR+ MAIT cell percentage and the APACHE II score were independently associated with the 28-day mortality and, in combination, were the best indicators of mortality. Thus, the percentage of HLA-DR+ MAIT cells in early sepsis serves as a novel prognostic biomarker for predicting mortality and improves the predictive capacity of the APACHE II score.

Optomechanically-induced nonreciprocal conversion between microwave and optical photons.

We theoretically propose a scheme of the nonreciprocal conversion device between photons of two arbitrary frequencies in a hybrid cavity optomechanical system, where two optical cavities and two microwave cavities are coupled to two different mechanical resonators via radiation pressure. Two mechanical resonators are coupled together via the Coulomb interaction. We study the nonreciprocal conversions between both the same and different types of frequency photons. The device is based on multichannel quantum interference to break the time-reversal symmetry. Our results show the perfect nonreciprocity conditions. By adjusting the Coulomb interaction and the phase differences, we find that the nonreciprocity can be modulated and even transformed into reciprocity. These results provide new insight into the design of nonreciprocal devices, including isolators, circulators, and routers in quantum information processing and quantum networks.

Association between serum ß-oestradiol and health-related quality of life in postmenopausal women with degenerative lumbar scoliosis.

OBJECTIVES: Degenerative lumbar scoliosis (DLS) is an age-related spinal disease. It is an important cause of low back pain, lower limb pain and intermittent claudication, which seriously affects the quality of life of middle-aged and elderly people. DESIGN: This article aims to study the changes in serum oestrogen levels in postmenopausal women with DLS and its relationship. PATIENTS: One hundred and sixty-eight postmenopausal women diagnosed with DLS (DLS group) and 140 healthy postmenopausal women (control group) were recruited. MEASUREMENTS: Lumbar spinal bone mineral density (LSBMD) was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and a chemiluminescence immunoassay analyser was used to detect serum ß-oestradiol (E2) levels. The severity of lower back pain was assessed by the visual analogue scale score and dysfunction was evaluated by Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). The quality of life was evaluated by Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Diagnostic efficiency was evaluated by the receiver-operating characteristics curve (ROC). RESULTS: LSBMD and the level of E2 in the serum in DLS patients were significantly reduced when compared with the control group. The levels of E2 in the serum of postmenopausal women are reliable for predicting DLS revealed by ROC (p < .001). Serum E2 levels were negatively correlated with Cobb angle, VAS and ODI and were positively correlated with LSBMD and SF-36 scores. CONCLUSIONS: In postmenopausal women, serum E2 levels in DLS patients are significantly reduced and low levels of E2 are associated with lower bone density and poorer quality of life.

Orbital-Hybridization-Driven Charge Density Wave Transition in CsV3 Sb5 Kagome Superconductor.

Owing to its inherent non-trivial geometry, the unique structural motif of the recently discovered kagome topological superconductor AV3 Sb5 (A = K, Rb, Cs) is an ideal host of diverse topologically non-trivial phenomena, including giant anomalous Hall conductivity, topological charge order, charge density wave (CDW), and unconventional superconductivity. Despite possessing a normal-state CDW order in the form of topological chiral charge order and diverse superconducting gaps structures, it remains unclear how fundamental atomic-level properties and many-body effects including Fermi surface nesting, electron-phonon coupling, and orbital hybridization contribute to these symmetry-breaking phenomena. Here, the direct participation of the V3d-Sb5p orbital hybridization in mediating the CDW phase transition in CsV3 Sb5 is reported. The combination of temperature-dependent X-ray absorption and first-principles studies clearly indicates the inverse Star-of-David structure as the preferred reconstruction in the low-temperature CDW phase. The results highlight the critical role that Sb orbitals play and establish orbital hybridization as the direct mediator of the CDW states and structural transition dynamics in kagome unconventional superconductors. This is a significant step toward the fundamental understanding and control of the emerging correlated phases from the kagome lattice through the orbital interactions and provides promising approaches to novel regimes in unconventional orders and topology.

A Study on Chloride Corrosion Resistance of Reactive Powder Concrete (RPC) with Copper Slag Replacing Quartz Sand under Freeze-Thaw Conditions.

In order to study the influence of freeze-thaw cycles on chloride ion corrosion resistance of RPC with copper slag (CS) instead of quartz sand (QS), the 28d uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) of CSRPC with a different CS substitution rate was investigated by unconfined compression tests. The electric flux test method was used to study the chloride ion diffusion resistance of CSRPC after freeze-thaw cycles, and the pore size distribution was obtained through the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) method. Then, a mathematical relationship between the chloride ion diffusion coefficient and the pore fractal characteristic parameter T was established to study the effect of freeze-thaw cycles on chloride ion diffusion. Finally, SEM/EDS, XRD, and DTG methods were combined to study the influence of the distribution of Friedel's salts generated after freeze-thaw cycles on chloride ion diffusion in CSRPC. The results indicate that CS has a micro aggregate effect and pozzolanic activity, which can effectively improve the chloride ion diffusion resistance of CSRPC after freeze-thaw cycles. In addition, the electric flux of CSRPC decreases with the increase in freeze-thaw cycles, and the chloride diffusion coefficient is closely related to the pore fractal dimension.

Comparison of surgical efficacy of locking plates and interlocking intramedullary nails in the treatment of proximal humerus fractures.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of locking plates versus interlocking intramedullary nails in the treatment of proximal humerus fractures to provide clinical data support and theoretical guidance. METHODS: Patients with proximal humerus fracture from the Third hospital of Shijiazhuang city and Third hospital of Hebei medical university and from January 2017 to June 2019 were selected, included and divided into the locking plate group and the interlocking intramedullary nail group according to the intervention received. Information pertaining to the perioperative period (operation time, hospital stay, blood loss, etc.) of patients in both groups was collected. VAS pain scores, shoulder activity Constant-Murley scores and postoperative complications were documented. The perioperative data of the two groups were compared, and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: A total of 64 patients were enrolled, including 36 patients in the locking plate group, with a mean age of 61.3 ± 13.9 years, while the mean age of the interlocking intramedullary nail group was 65.6 ± 11.2 years. There was no statistical difference in gender, affected side, injury mechanism and Neer classification between the two groups (P > 0.05). However, the average operation time of the locking plate group was shorter than that of the interlocking nail group (84.9 ± 11.7 vs. 102.6 ± 22.1 min, P = 0.00), and the intraoperative blood loss of the locking plate group (137.4 ± 16.8 ml) was higher than that of the interlocking nail group (72.5 ± 10.5 ml, P = 0.00). There was no significant difference in the VAS score and Constant-Murley score between these two groups at the final follow-up. CONCLUSION: Interlocking intramedullary nails are more minimally invasive than locking plates, but fracture reduction and fixation take longer. There was no significant difference in pain and shoulder function scores between the two internal fixation strategies for the treatment of proximal humerus fracture.

Study on the Solidification Effect of Dredger Fill by Microbial-Induced Calcium Precipitation (MICP).

This paper puts forward a new soft soil reinforcement technology-microbial-induced calcite precipitation (MICP) technology-which considers the problem of dredger fill soft-soil reinforcement in Dalian Taiping Bay. In this paper, the calcium carbonate content (CCC) and unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of microbial solidified dredger fill (MSDF) samples were determined using laboratory experiments. The microstructure and chemical composition of MSDF samples were studied by SEM-EDS and XRD. The failure and reinforcement mechanism of MSDF under different experimental conditions (ambient temperature, cementation solution concentration, and clay content) were investigated. The results showed that there was a certain residual strength after the peak strength of MSDF. With the increase of ambient temperature, the number of microorganisms increased, but the activities of urease, CCC, and UCS decreased. The UCS and CCC increased with the increase of cementation solution concentration, while they first increased and then decreased with the increase of clay content. The clay content enhanced the compactness of MSDF samples but reduced the soil permeability and weakened the mineralization. There were significant differences in the morphology of microbial-induced precipitation caused by different concentrations of cementation solution.

Inhibition of Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase Gamma Protects Endothelial Cells via the Akt Signaling Pathway in Sepsis-Induced Acute Kidney Injury.

INTRODUCTION: Sepsis is a primary cause of death in critically ill patients and is characterized by multiple organ dysfunction, including sepsis-induced acute kidney injury (AKI), which contributes to high mortality in sepsis. However, its pathophysiological mechanisms remain unclear. The kidney has one of the richest and most diversified endothelial cell populations in the body. This study was designed to investigate the effects of endothelial dysfunction in sepsis-induced AKI and explore possible intervention measures to offer new insight into the pathogenesis and treatment of sepsis-induced AKI. METHODS: The circulating levels of endothelial adhesion molecules were detected in patients with sepsis and healthy controls to observe the role of endothelial damage in sepsis and sepsis-induced AKI. A murine sepsis model induced by cecal ligation and perforation was pretreated with a phosphoinositide 3-kinase gamma (PI3Kγ) inhibitor (CZC24832), and survival, kidney damage, and renal endothelial injury were assessed by pathological examination, immunohistochemistry, quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and Western blotting. Lipopolysaccharides and CZC24832 were administered to human umbilical vein endothelial cells in vitro, and endothelial cell function and the expression of adhesion molecules were evaluated. RESULTS: Endothelial damage was more serious in sepsis-induced AKI than that in non-AKI, and the inhibition of PI3Kγ alleviates renal endothelial injury in a murine sepsis model, protecting endothelial cell function and repairing endothelial cell injury through the Akt signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, endothelial cell dysfunction plays an important role in sepsis-induced AKI, and the inhibition of PI3Kγ alleviates endothelial cell injury in sepsis-induced AKI through the PI3Kγ/Akt pathway, providing novel targets for treating sepsis and related kidney injury.

Correlation between serum laminin levels and prognosis of acute myocardial infarction.

Background: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a critical cardiovascular disease (CVD). Laminin (LN) is involved in the process of myocardial fibrosis and ventricular remodeling observed in AMI; however, there are currently no studies on the correlation between LN and AMI prognosis. Purpose: To explore the predictive value of serum LN levels for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients, 6 months after an acute myocardial infarction. Methods: A total of 202 AMI patients who were hospitalized in the Department of Cardiology of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University between December 2019 and December 2020 were included. The observation endpoint was the occurrence of MACE. Univariate and multivariate logistic analyses were used to evaluate the relationships between the variables and endpoint. The predictive value of LN for MACE in AMI patients was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results: A total of 47 patients developed MACE. Univariate logistic analysis showed that smoking, emergency percutaneous coronary intervention (EPCI), age, cardiac troponin I (c-TNI) levels, N-terminal prohormone brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels, and LN levels were associated with the occurrence of MACE (p < 0.05). Multivariate logistic analysis showed that LN was an independent predictor of MACE (odds ratio [OR] = 1.021, 95%CI: 1.014-1.032, p < 0.001). According to the ROC curve, LN can be used as an effective predictor of MACE (AUC = 0.856, 95%CI: 0.794-0.918, p < 0.001). According to the cutoff value, LN>58.80 ng/ml (sensitivity = 83.00%, specificity = 76.80%) or LN>74.15 ng/ml (sensitivity = 76.6%, specificity = 83.2%) indicate a poor prognosis for AMI. Different cut-off values are selected according to the need for higher sensitivity or specificity in clinical applications. Conclusions: LN may be a predictor of MACE following AMI in patients and could be utilized as a novel substitute marker for the prevention and treatment of AMI.

MAIT cells predict long-term prognosis in liver failure patients.

BACKGROUND: Liver failure (LF) is a life-threatening clinical syndrome characterized by intense systemic inflammation and organ failure(s), leading to a high mortality rate. The pathogenesis of LF is multifactorial, immune response, and gut bacterial translocation are thought to be major contributing factors. Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells play a critical role in immune response and gut bacterial translocation. We aimed to investigate changes of the MAIT cell ratio in patients with LF and to explore the predictive value for long-term prognosis in patients with LF. MATERIAL AND METHOD: We recruited 75 patients with LF from Nantong Third People's Hospital, isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and detected the proportion of circulating MAIT cells by flow cytometry. Statistical analyses were performed using the GraphPad Prism software. RESULTS: Our data showed that the proportion of MAIT cells alterations was independent of the cause of viral infection in patients with LF. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that LF patients with low level of MAIT cells had poor long-term prognosis. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the MAIT cell proportion was larger than that of the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score. More importantly, the combination of MAIT cell proportion and MELD score had a better effect in predicting long-term prognosis of LF patients than any single index (AUC = 0.91, 95% CI:0.84-0.97), and multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that the circulating MAIT cell proportion was an independent risk factor for LF. CONCLUSION: The proportion of MAIT cells in PBMC is an outstanding predictor for the long-term prognosis in patients with LF.

A novel signature to predict thyroid cancer prognosis and immune landscape using immune-related LncRNA pairs.

BACKGROUND: Thyroid cancer (TC) is the most common endocrine malignancy worldwide. The incidence of TC is high and increasing worldwide due to continuous improvements in diagnostic technology. Therefore, identifying accurate prognostic predictions to stratify TC patients is important. METHODS: Raw data were downloaded from the TCGA database, and pairwise comparisons were applied to identify differentially expressed immune-related lncRNA (DEirlncRNA) pairs. Then, we used univariate Cox regression analysis and a modified Lasso algorithm on these pairs to construct a risk assessment model for TC. We further used qRT‒PCR analysis to validate the expression levels of irlncRNAs in the model. Next, TC patients were assigned to high- and low-risk groups based on the optimal cutoff score of the model for the 1-year ROC curve. We evaluated the signature in terms of prognostic independence, predictive value, immune cell infiltration, immune status, ICI-related molecules, and small-molecule inhibitor efficacy. RESULTS: We identified 14 DEirlncRNA pairs as the novel predictive signature. In addition, the qRT‒PCR results were consistent with the bioinformatics results obtained from the TCGA dataset. The high-risk group had a significantly poorer prognosis than the low-risk group. Cox regression analysis revealed that this immune-related signature could predict prognosis independently and reliably for TC. With the CIBERSORT algorithm, we found an association between the signature and immune cell infiltration. Additionally, immune status was significantly higher in low-risk groups. Several immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-related molecules, such as PD-1 and PD-L1, showed a negative correlation with the high-risk group. We further discovered that our new signature was correlated with the clinical response to small-molecule inhibitors, such as sunitinib. CONCLUSIONS: We have constructed a prognostic immune-related lncRNA signature that can predict TC patient survival without considering the technical bias of different platforms, and this signature also sheds light on TC's overall prognosis and novel clinical treatments, such as ICB therapy and small molecular inhibitors.

Interface Mechanism and Splitting Characteristics of Fiber-Reinforced Cement-Solidified Aeolian Sand.

Experimental studies on reinforcing aeolian sand with cement and fiber are lacking, and the interface mechanism and splitting characteristics thus remain unclear. Herein, the interface mechanism and splitting characteristics of fiber-reinforced, cement-solidified, aeolian sand were experimentally assessed to investigate whether glass fiber exhibits better properties as a reinforcing agent than traditional fiber-free cement-solidified aeolian sand, and whether aeolian sand is applicable as a base material in geotechnical engineering. The splitting experiments involved the use of fiber-reinforced, cement-solidified aeolian sand samples that were differentiated based on the mixing schemes used to formulate them. Based on the strengthening control technology effects on the structural performance of the fiber-reinforced, cement aeolian, sand-mixed matrix material, the internal physical and chemical mechanisms of structural performance evolution were revealed and analyzed using scanning electron microscopy images. The experimental results show that the splitting strength of the sample reaches its maximum value at a combination of 6 mm glass fiber, 3‱ fiber, and 10% cement contents. In fiber-reinforced cement-solidified aeolian sand, cement hydrate forms more needle-shaped crystal products. The crystals adhere to the fiber surfaces that interweave with each other to form a porous and dense network. Although this improves the bonding force between the fiber and aeolian sand particles, the fibers are prone to fracture and slippage during the splitting process. The three-dimensional network structure formed by overlapping fibers is critical for the improvement of the splitting strength. The study's findings will serve as benchmarks to achieve additional improvements in glass fiber-reinforced cement-solidified aeolian sand.