Exosomal miR-1202 mediates Brodmann Area 44 functional connectivity changes in medication-free patients with major depressive disorder: An fMRI study.

Previous large-sample postmortem study revealed that the expression of miR-1202 in brain tissues from Brodmann area 44 (BA44) was dysregulated in patients with major depressive disorder (MDDs). However, the specific in vivo neuropathological mechanism of miR-1202 as well as its interplay with BA44 circuits in the depressed brain are still unclear. Here, we performed a case-control study with imaging-genetic approach based on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data and miR-1202 quantification from 110 medication-free MDDs and 102 healthy controls. Serum-derived circulating exosomes that readily cross the blood-brain barrier were isolated to quantify miR-1202. For validation, repeated MR scans were performed after a six-week follow-up of antidepressant treatment on a cohort of MDDs. Voxelwise factorial analysis revealed two brain areas (including the striatal-thalamic region) in which the effect of depression on the functional connectivity with BA44 was significantly dependent on the expression level of exosomal miR-1202. Moreover, longitudinal change of the BA44 connectivity with the striatal-thalamic region in MDDs after antidepressant treatment was found to be significantly related to the level of miR-1202 expression. These findings revealed that the in vivo neuropathological effect of miR-1202 dysregulation in depression is possibly exerted by mediating neural functional abnormalities in BA44-striatal-thalamic circuits.

A nomogram model for predicting intramyocardial hemorrhage post-PCI based on SYNTAX score and clinical features.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to develop a nomogram model for predicting the occurrence of intramyocardial hemorrhage (IMH) in patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) following Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI). The model is constructed utilizing clinical data and the SYNTAX Score (SS), and its predictive value is thoroughly evaluated. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted, including 216 patients with AMI who underwent Cardiac Magnetic Resonance (CMR) within a week post-PCI. Clinical data were collected for all patients, and their SS were calculated based on coronary angiography results. Based on the presence or absence of IMH as indicated by CMR, patients were categorized into two groups: the IMH group (109 patients) and the non-IMH group (107 patients). The patients were randomly divided in a 7:3 ratio into a training set (151 patients) and a validation set (65 patients). A nomogram model was constructed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. The predictive capability of the model was assessed using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, comparing the predictive value based on the area under the ROC curve (AUC). RESULTS: In the training set, IMH post-PCI was observed in 78 AMI patients on CMR, while 73 did not show IMH. Variables with a significance level of P < 0.05 were screened using univariate logistic regression analysis. Twelve indicators were selected for multivariate logistic regression analysis: heart rate, diastolic blood pressure, ST segment elevation on electrocardiogram, culprit vessel, symptom onset to reperfusion time, C-reactive protein, aspartate aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, creatine kinase, creatine kinase-MB, high-sensitivity troponin T (HS-TnT), and SYNTAX Score. Based on multivariate logistic regression results, two independent predictive factors were identified: HS-TnT (Odds Ratio [OR] = 1.61, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.21-2.25, P = 0.003) and SS (OR = 2.54, 95% CI: 1.42-4.90, P = 0.003). Consequently, a nomogram model was constructed based on these findings. The AUC of the nomogram model in the training set was 0.893 (95% CI: 0.840-0.946), and in the validation set, it was 0.910 (95% CI: 0.823-0.970). Good consistency and accuracy of the model were demonstrated by calibration and decision curve analysis. CONCLUSION: The nomogram model, constructed utilizing HS-TnT and SS, demonstrates accurate predictive capability for the risk of IMH post-PCI in patients with AMI. This model offers significant guidance and theoretical support for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of these patients.

Serum exosomal hsa_circRNA_0001842 is the potential biomarker for diagnosing lower limb vascular disease in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

This study aimed to identify the potential circular RNAs (circRNAs) in exosomes isolated from serum as biomarkers of lower limb vascular disease (LLVD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This research collected circRNAs from exosomes isolated from three T2DM patients and three T2DM patients with LLVD for microarray analysis. Five candidate biomarkers derived from differentially expressed circRNAs were then validated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction in 20 T2DM patients and 20 T2DM patients with LLVD. Finally, expression levels of circRNAs were validated in 160 samples. Significant differences in the expression of 295 circRNAs were found between T2DM controls and T2DM patients with LLVD. Among them, 191 differentially expressed circRNAs were upregulated, and 104 were downregulated in T2DM patients with LLVD. Three upregulated and two downregulated circRNAs were further confirmed in 40 samples. According to the testing of 160 samples, hsa_circ_0001842 showed a noticeable specificity in the T2DM patients with LLVD group (n = 80), with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.79, a sensitivity of 88.75%, and a specificity of 68.75%. In conclusion, hsa_circ_0001842 was found as a potential diagnostic biomarker for T2DM with LLVD.

Vital pulp therapy following pulpotomy in immature permanent teeth with carious exposure.

This prospective cohort study aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of vital pulp therapy (VPT) with the use of iRoot BP Plus (Innovative Bioceramics, Vancouver, Canada) for immature permanent teeth of patients aged from 6 to 10 years with pulp exposure resulting from dental caries and determine the impact of preoperative factors on VPT. Forty-six immature permanent teeth with dental caries underwent pulpotomy using iRoot BP Plus following a standardized protocol. Postoperative follow-ups were conducted on the first 3, 6 and 12 months post-surgery, then annually afterward. Successful treatment outcomes were defined based on clinical and radiographic evaluations. Statistical analysis was performed using the Fisher exact test, with p < 0.05 considered for statistical significance. Forty-four patients included in this study were 8.48 ± 1.49 years old and were followed up for 6 to 36 months. The overall success rate of pulpotomy was found to be 90.9% (40/44). None of the physical examination findings and symptoms significantly affected VPT prognosis (p > 0.05). Immature permanent teeth with caries-induced pulp exposed in patients aged 6 to 10 years can be effectively treated with pulpotomy using iRoot sBP Plus.

Chlamydia psittaci pneumonia in Wuxi, China: retrospective analysis of 55 cases and predictors of severe disease.

Purpose: More and more patients with community-acquired pneumonia have been detected with Chlamydia psittaci (C. psittaci) infected using metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS). Previously, this was unheard of, and several patients presented with severe pneumonia and even required ECMO. We aimed to clarify the clinical characteristics of C. psittaci pneumonia and find out if there are any possible predictors of severe C. psittaci pneumonia. Methods: In this retrospective study, we included all confirmed cases of C. psittaci pneumonia in Wuxi. Epidemiological, clinical, and radiological features, as well as laboratory data, were collected and analyzed. Results: We enrolled 55 patients with C. psittaci pneumonia, with 30 (54.5%) having a history of exposure to birds or their internal organs. 50 (90.9%) patients were diagnosed by mNGS. Patients with C. psittaci pneumonia had many complications, among which, that deserve sufficient attention from clinicians were vascular embolic events (3, 5.5%). High fever was the most common clinical manifestation (41, 74.5%). The majority of patients had a significant increase in neutrophils ratio, neutrophils to lymphocytes ratio (NLR), rapid c-reactive protein, creatine kinase (CK), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), as well as a decrease in lymphocytes ratio, albumin, serum sodium, serum potassium, and serum phosphorus. Chest computed tomography scans revealed unilateral pneumonia (70.9%), consolidation (87.3%), air bronchogram (76.4%), and ground-glass opacity (69.1%). The neutrophil ratio, NLR, LDH, and CK were all factors that could identify severe pneumonia. Both AUCs exceeded 0.8; the respective 95% CIs were 0.715-0.944, 0.710-0.963, 0.677-0.937, and 0.718-0.950; all p < 0.05 (0.01, 0.001, 0.007, 0.007 respectively). The ORs were 10.057, 9.750, 10.057, and 9.667, respectively; the 95% CIs were 2.643-38.276, 2.339-40.649, and 2.643-38.276, respectively; all p-values were less than 0.05 (0.001, 0.002, 0.001, 0.001 respectively). Conclusion: C. psittaci pneumonia is a very complex disease that changes all the time. Some patients showed severe pneumonia. Patients will have a poor prognosis if they are not treated promptly and effectively. We discovered that many clinical indicators were typical. Meanwhile, significant increases in neutrophil ratio, NLR, LDH, and CK predicted severe pneumonia. Timely detection of mNGS provided substantial help for clinical diagnosis and early treatment.

METTL14 Suppresses Tumor Stemness and Metastasis of Colon Cancer Cells by Modulating m6A-Modified SCD1.

Colon cancer (CC) is a malignant disease of the digestive tract, and its rising prevalence poses a grave threat to people's health. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification is essential for various crucial life processes through modulating gene expression. Methyltransferase-like 14 (METTL14), the m6A methylation transferase core protein, and its aberrant expression is intimately correlated to tumor development. This study was conducted to probe the impacts and specific mechanisms of METTL14 on the biological process of CC. Bioinformatics data disclosed that METTL14 was significantly attenuated in CC. Functional assays were executed to ascertain how METTL14 affected CC tumorigenicity, and METTL14 overexpression caused a notable decline in viability, migration, invasion, and stemness phenotype of CC cells. Then, in-depth mechanistic studies displayed that stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1) was a downstream target gene of METTL14-mediated m6A modification. METTL14 overexpression substantially augmented the m6A modification of SCD1 mRNA and diminished the SCD1 mRNA level. In addition, we revealed that YTHDF2 was the m6A reader to recognize METTL14 m6A-modified SCD1 mRNA and abolish its stability. Finally, we also validated that METTL14 might impede the tumorigenic process of CC through SCD1 mediated Wnt/ß-catenin signaling. Taken together, this study presented that METTL14 performed as a potential therapeutic target in CC with important implications for the prognosis amelioration of CC patients.

The Diagnostic and Prognostic Value of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Strain Analysis in Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction.

Background: Strain analysis of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is critical for the diagnosis and prognosis of heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Our study aimed to identify the diagnostic and prognostic value of strain analysis revealed by CMR in HFpEF. Methods: Participants in HFpEF and control were recruited according to the guideline. Baseline information, clinical parameters, blood samples were collected, and echocardiography and CMR examination were performed. Various parameters, including global longitudinal strain, global circumferential strain (GCS) and global radial strain in left ventricle (LV), right ventricle (RV), and left atrium, were measured from CMR. Receiver operator curve (ROC) was established to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic value of strains in HFpEF. Results: Seven strains, with the exception of RVGCS, were employed to generate ROC curves after t-test. All strains had significant diagnostic value for HFpEF. The area under curve (AUC) of LV strains was greater than 0.7 and the AUC of the combined analysis of LV strains was 0.858 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.798-0.919, sensitivity: 0.713, specificity: 0.875, P < 0.001), indicating that they had a higher diagnostic value than individual LV strains. However, individual strains had no predictive value in identifying end-point events in HFpEF, the AUC of coanalysis of LV strains was 0.722 (95% CI: 0.573-0.872, sensitivity: 0.500, specificity: 0.959, P = 0.004), indicating its prognostic relevance. Conclusion: Individual strain analysis in CMR may be useful for diagnosing HFpEF, the combination of LV strain analysis had the highest diagnostic value. Moreover, the prognostic value of individual strain analysis in predicting HFpEF outcome was not satisfactory while the combined usage of LV strain analysis was prognostically valuable in HFpEF outcome prediction.

Reduced cerebral cortex thickness is related to overexpression of exosomal miR-146a-5p in medication-free patients with major depressive disorder.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have confirmed that miR-146a-5p overexpression suppresses neurogenesis, thereby enhancing depression-like behaviors. However, it remains unclear how miR-146a-5p dysregulation produces in vivo brain structural abnormalities in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). METHODS: In this case-control study, we combined cortical morphology analysis of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and miR-146a-5p quantification to investigate the neuropathological effect of miR-146a-5p on cortical thickness in MDD patients. Serum-derived exosomes that were considered to readily cross the blood-brain barrier and contain miR-146a-5p were isolated for miRNA quantification. Moreover, follow-up MRI scans were performed in the MDD patients after 6 weeks of antidepressant treatment to further validate the clinical relevance of the relationship between miR-146a-5p and brain structural abnormalities. RESULTS: In total, 113 medication-free MDD patients and 107 matched healthy controls were included. Vertex-vise general linear model revealed miR-146a-5p-dependent cortical thinning in MDD patients compared with healthy individuals, i.e., overexpression of miR-146a-5p was associated with reduced cortical thickness in the left orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), anterior cingulate cortex, bilateral lateral occipital cortices (LOCs), etc. Moreover, this relationship between baseline miR-146a-5p and cortical thinning was nonsignificant for all regions in the patients who had received antidepressant treatment, and higher baseline miR-146a-5p expression was found to be related to greater longitudinal cortical thickening in the left OFC and right LOC. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study reveal a relationship between miR-146a-5p overexpression and cortical atrophy and thus may help specify the in vivo mediating effect of miR-146a-5p dysregulation on brain structural abnormalities in patients with MDD.

Antioxidative properties of bayberry tannins with different mean degrees of polymerization: Controlled degradation based on hydroxyl radicals.

The antioxidant properties of condensed tannins (CTs) are closely related to the mean degree of polymerization (mDP), and CTs with low mDP show stronger antioxidant effects. Therefore, obtaining CTs with a low mDP are very meaningful in improving their antioxidant properties and utilization. In this study, hydroxyl radicals generated by the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide under UV irradiation were used to degrade bayberry tannins in a clean and controllable manner. Taking the formaldehyde reactivity as an index to control the mDP of the degradation product, the changes in antioxidant properties of bayberry tannins with different mDP were studied by the method of 1,1-diphenyl-2-trinitrophenylhydrazine (DPPH), and 2,2-azido-di(3-ethyl-benzothiazole-6-sulfonic acid)diammonium salt (ABTS). Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), carbon nuclear magnetic resonance (13C NMR), and reversed-phase HPLC-ESI-MS were used to characterize the mDP, molecular weight (Mw), and chemical structure of the degradation products of bayberry tannins in different degradation stages. Results showed that hydroxyl radicals could cause significant degradation of bayberry tannins, and the controllable degradation of bayberry tannins could be achieved with the formaldehyde reactivity as an index. At the degradation times of 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 h, the mDP (Mw) of the degradation products were as follows: 5.22 (2457), 4.36 (1895), 3.36 (1534), 2.87 (1153), and 1.78 (813), respectively. The antioxidant activity of the degraded product increased with the decrease in the mDP, and the degraded products had the largest formaldehyde reactivity and the best oxidation resistance when degraded for 6 h. This study provided a new method to achieve clean and controllable degradation of tannins and supported those tannins with low mDP could provide higher antioxidant activity.

Random Fourier features-based sparse representation classifier for identifying DNA-binding proteins.

DNA-binding proteins (DBPs) protect DNA from nuclease hydrolysis, inhibit the action of RNA polymerase, prevents replication and transcription from occurring simultaneously on a piece of DNA. Most of the conventional methods for detecting DBPs are biochemical methods, but the time cost is high. In recent years, a variety of machine learning-based methods that have been used on a large scale for large-scale screening of DBPs. To improve the prediction performance of DBPs, we propose a random Fourier features-based sparse representation classifier (RFF-SRC), which randomly map the features into a high-dimensional space to solve nonlinear classification problems. And L2,1-matrix norm is introduced to get sparse solution of model. To evaluate performance, our model is tested on several benchmark data sets of DBPs and 8 UCI data sets. RFF-SRC achieves better performance in experimental results.

Heterozygous MYH9 Mutations in 2 Children With Cochlear Nerve Canal Stenosis.

MYH9 is a gene that encodes for a subunit of the myosin heavy chain IIA protein. Mutations in MYH9 are associated with hematologic abnormalities, renal dysfunction, and hearing loss. Bony cochlear nerve canal stenosis (CNCS), which is diagnosed on computed tomography (CT) imaging, has been associated with congenital deafness, cochlear nerve aplasia/hypoplasia, and inner ear malformations. We report two cases of CNCS presenting with profound congenital hearing loss whom we diagnosed with mutations in MYH9 and discuss the genotype-phenotype association and implications for management.

Clinical Analysis of Ear Congestion after Balloon Eustachian Tuboplasty (BET) with or without Tympanostomy Tube Insertion.

Objective: To explore the clinical analysis of ear congestion after balloon Eustachian tuboplasty (BET) with or without tympanostomy tube insertion. Methods: A total of 35patients (49 affected ears) with ear congestion following BET with or without tympanostomy tube insertion were recruited from the hospitalized patients from January 2015 to December 2017. The score of Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Questionnaire-7 (ETDQ-7) 15, visual analogue scale (VAS), and Valsalva scores were recorded before and after operation, and the influencing factors of prognosis were analyzed. The duration of follow-up was 1-4 years. Results: All patients showed significantly decreased average preoperative ETDQ-7 score, VAS, and Valsalva score after operation (p < 0.05). The significance of the surgery types, course of disease, severity of tympanic membrane retraction, and tympanogram tracings classification as influencing factors of prognosis did not come up to the statistical standard (p > 0.05). Conclusion: The patients showed relatively stable postoperative conditions after 3 years, and there were variations in the range of ETDQ-7 scores at 5 years postoperatively. Patients with levels I and II tympanic membrane retraction showed more favorable surgical effects. Surgical interventions are required for patients diagnosed with obstructive Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) after three months of conservative treatment without satisfactory results.

Efficacy of relative dose intensity of nab-paclitaxel for the short-term outcomes, survival, and quality of life in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer: a retrospective study.

Background: To optimize treatment, choosing the appropriate relative dose intensity (RDI) of nab-paclitaxel is an important way to improve patient tolerance, therapeutic efficacy, and survival. However, few studies have focused on the efficacy of the RDI of nab-paclitaxel in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer, and whether the RDI of nab-paclitaxel could be employed as an index for treatment remains unknown. To explore the relationship between RDI of nab-paclitaxel and chemotherapy efficacy, survival, quality of life (QoL), and adverse effects in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. Methods: In this retrospective study, a total of 32 patients with advanced pancreatic cancer, ECOG score of 0 to 2 were included from January 2017 to March 2020. The patients were treated with nab-paclitaxel combined with gemcitabine as a first-line treatment and divided into high and low RDI groups. Chemotherapy efficacy, survival, QoL, and adverse effects between two groups were compared. Results: The disease control rate (DCR) was 20.0% in the low RDI group, compared with 81.8% in the high RDI group (P=0.002). A good correlation between nab-paclitaxel RDI and short-term efficacy was observed in all 32 patients (r=0.728, P<0.01). Furthermore, the high RDI group had significantly better median overall survival (mOS: 12 vs. 8 months, P=0.034) and median progression-free survival (mPFS: 5.5 vs. 3 months, P=0.052) compared to that of low RDI patients. Univariate regression analysis showed that longer overall survival was associated with lower ECOG score [hazard ratio (HR): 10.88; 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.54-46.5, P=0.001], tumors located in the body or tail of pancreases (HR: 3.82; 95% CI: 1.4-10.3, P=0.0081), and higher RDI (HR: 0.21; 95% CI: 0.071-0.6, P=0.004). The high RDI group had a significantly better physical function and emotional function improvement compared to the low RDI group (P<0.05). Moreover, high RDI did not increasing the severity and frequency of the adverse events. Conclusions: It is recommended to maintain a sufficient RDI of nab-paclitaxel to ensure that the balance between lerability, therapeutic efficacy, and survival benefits is satisfied in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.

[Correlation between acoustic immittance and ETS in eustachian tube function test].

Objective:To investigate the correlation between acoustic immittance and eustachian tube score（ETS） in eustachian tube function test. Methods:124 ears eustachian tube function with tympanic tension perforation of 107 patients with chronic suppurative otitis media were measured by acoustic immittance positive pressure balance method and ETS. According to the positive pressure balance test results of acoustic immittance, the ear eustachian tube open pressure between 100 and 200 daPa is assigned 2, the ear with open pressure between 200 and 300 daPa is assigned 3, the ear with open pressure betwween 300 and 400 daPa is assigned 4, the ear open pressure is greater than 400 daPa but eustachian tube open after swallowing is assigned 5, and the ear which eustachian tube open pressure is greater than 400 daPa and cannot open after swallowing is assigned 6. Then compare the results. Results:In the acoustic immittance test, there was no ears whose eustachian tube opening pressure less than 100 daPa, 10 ears（8.1%） open pressure between 100 and 200 daPa, 16 ears（12.9%） open pressure between 200 and 300 daPa, 46 ears（37.1%） open pressure between 300 and 400 daPa, 19 ears（15.3%） whose eustachian tube don't open pressure at 400 daPa but open after swallowing, and the cumulative percentage of the above was 73.4%. There were 33 ears（26.6%） whose eustachian tubes not opening after receiving maximum pressure（400 daPa） and repeated swallowing. The score of acoustic immittance eustachian tube function test was significantly correlated with the scores of ETS, eustachian tube manometry（TMM） and subjective part of ETS（P<0.05）. The result of acoustic immittance was moderately negatively correlated with ETS（r=-0.439） and TMM（r=-0.425）, and weakly negatively correlated with subjective part of ETS（r=-0.249）. The scores of 2-5 points （the affected ears with open eustachian tube in all acoustic impedance test methods） were defined as the normal group, and the scores of 6 point were defined as the abnormal group. The results of acoustic immittance between the normal group and the abnormal group showed that there were significant differences with the subjective scores of ETS, TMM and ETS. The consistency compared the results of acoustic immittance eustachian tube test with the results of ETS was poor（kappa value was negative）, and the difference was statistically significant. Conclusion:The open pressure of acoustic immittance positive pressure balance method is a good predictor of the subjective scores of ETS, TMM and ETS. The smaller the open pressure is, the better the subjective scores of ETS, TMM and ETS may be. This two methods results are inconsistent and cannot be replaced. More consideration should be given to the middle ear. The open pressure, equilibrium pressure and the difference between them need to be paid attention to at the same time.

Antioxidant Properties of Larch Tannins with Different Mean Polymerization Degrees: Controlled Degradation Based on Hydroxyl Radical Degradation.

Hydroxyl radical produced by hydrogen peroxide decomposition under UV radiation was used to degrade larch tannins in an environmentally friendly manner. The formaldehyde reactivity of the degraded products was used as an index to control the mean degree of polymerization (mDP) of the degraded products, and the effects of different mDP on the antioxidant activity of tannins were studied. Results showed that hydroxyl radical could significantly reduce the degree of polymerization (DP) and molecular weight (Mw) of larch tannins, and the mDP and Mw of degraded products could be controlled by considering the formaldehyde reactivity as the index. The antioxidant activity of larch tannins increased with the decrease in mDP. When the degradation time was 6 h, the formaldehyde reactivity was the highest at 0.823. The antioxidant activity of the degraded product was excellent, and the free radical scavenging rate was more than 98%.

Development and verification of a hypoxia- and immune-associated prognosis signature for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: Esophageal cancer is one of the most common gastrointestinal malignancies worldwide, with high morbidity and mortality in China. The clinical importance of the interaction between hypoxia and immune status in the tumor microenvironment has been established in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). This study aims to develop a new hypoxia- and immune-based gene signature to predict the survival of ESCC patients. Methods: The RNA-sequencing and clinical data of 173 cases of ESCC and 271 normal tissues were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data portal and the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) database. Hypoxia-related genes (HRGs) and immune-related genes (IRGs) were retrieved from publicly shared data. Differentially expressed gene (DEG) analyses were carried out by the DESeq2 method using the edgeR package in R. Based on the intersection of the DEGs and HRGs/IRGs, differentially expressed HRGs (DEHRGs) and differentially expressed IRGs (DEIRGs) were obtained. DEHRGs and DEIRGs associated with prognosis were evaluated using univariate Cox proportional hazards analysis. A prognostic risk score model was constructed according to the genes acquired through Cox regression. Univariate analysis and Cox proportional hazards analysis were used to determine the independent prognostic factors related to prognosis. A nomogram was developed to predict the 1-, 2-, and 3-year overall survival (OS) probability. Results: A total of 73 intersecting genes were obtained as DEHRGs and a total of 548 intersecting genes were obtained as DEIRGs. The risk score was established using 8 genes (FABP7, TLR1, SYTL1, APLN, OSM, EGFR, IL17RD, MYH9) acquired from univariate Cox analysis. Based on this 8-gene-based risk score, a risk prognosis classifier was constructed to classify the samples into high- and low-risk groups according to the median risk score. The nomogram model was constructed to predict the OS of ESCC patients. Conclusions: The hypoxia- and immune-based gene signature might serve as a prognostic classifier for clinical decision-making regarding individualized management, follow-up plans, and treatment strategies for ESCC patients.

Waste preserved wood derived biochar catalyst for promoted peroxymonosulfate activation towards bisphenol A degradation with low metal ion release: The insight into the mechanisms.

The rational disposal of waste preserved wood is of great significance since its embedded metals (Cu, As, and Cr) pose potential threat to environment and human health. In this study, a biochar catalyst derived from waste preserved wood (PWB) was prepared for the degradation of bisphenol A (BPA) via peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation. The PWB exhibited prominent catalytic degradation capability towards BPA compared with common wood derived biochar (CWB). Further tests and analysis elucidated that both radical species (OH) and non-radical species (1O2) were generated by the PWB/PMS system, whereas only 1O2 was detected in CWB/PMS system. Specifically, the metal compounds, especially metallic Cu in the PWB activated PMS via radical pathway, and the CO groups in the biochar generated the non-radical pathway, the coexistence of which resulted in higher BPA degradation rate in PWB/PMS system. It was also demonstrated that the heavy metal ion leaching (As and Cr) in PWB/PMS system was negligible. Furthermore, the biochar could effectively inhibit the leakage of oxidized Cu ions. This study provides a novel approach to prepare high-efficient carbocatalysts for organic pollutant degradation in water, which also enables the waste preserved wood with an environmental nondestructive mode of dispatch.

Recording of electrocochleography from the facial nerve canal in mice.

BACKGROUND: The ever-expanding arsenal of genetically modified mice has created experimental models for studying various mechanisms of deafness. Electrocochleography (ECochG) is a recording technique of cochlear potentials evoked by sound stimulation, which was widely used to evaluate the cochlear hearing function. However, there is currently a lack of information on long-term recording technology of ECochG in mice. NEW METHOD: We describe in detail the surgical procedure of implanting electrode into the facial nerve canal in C57BL/6J mice for ECochG recording. The results of ECochG recorded by electrode in the facial nerve canal were compared with ECochG guided by electrode on the round window niche. RESULTS: The surgical method of inserting the electrode into the facial nerve canal is relatively simple and can be completed within 15 min. The electrode inserted into the elongated facial nerve canal is stable and close to the auditory nerve trunk, so it is conducive to long-term auditory function monitoring. Hence, the ECochG guided by the electrode from the facial nerve canal can maintain a stable response for more than two weeks. In contrast, the ECochG guided by the electrode in the round window niche can only be maintained for a maximum of 20 min. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS: In mice, existing recording techniques of ECochG from round window niche is limited by conductive hearing loss due to middle ear effusion or surgical damage. CONCLUSIONS: ECochG recording from the facial nerve canal is suitable for long-term recording in mice. This electrode approach provides a repeatable and reliable measurement of ECochG.

Enhanced degradation of bisphenol A by mixed ZIF derived CoZn oxide encapsulated N-doped carbon via peroxymonosulfate activation: The importance of N doping amount.

In this study, mixed metal cobalt zinc oxide embedded nitrogen enriched porous carbon composites (CoZnO-PC) were prepared via pyrolyzing polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) encapsulated Co, Zn-bimetal centered zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIF). The prepared composites were then used to activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for bisphenol A (BPA) removal in water. When mole ratio of Co/Zn was 2/1, the resulted Co2Zn1O-PC possessed spinel structure with prominent degradation capability, in which the introduction of Zn accelerated the PMS activation performance of Co through establishing bimetal synergistic interactions. Both radical and non-radical activation pathways were existed in the Co2Zn1O-PC/PMS system, in which Co2Zn1O dominated the radical pathway whereas PC dominated the non-radical way. Since PVP contained abundant nitrogen atoms and could form strong coordination interactions with the ZIF precursor, the introduction of PVP in the ZIF precursor prevented pore collapsing during pyrolysis process, as well as enhancing the nitrogen content in the pyrolzed composites, which significantly promoted the generation of singlet oxygen. With combined pathways, the Co2Zn1O-PC/PMS system showed a wide pH application range with promising mineralization rate. Meanwhile, the spinel-structured Co2Zn1O-PC was magnetically separable with desirable recyclability. This study presents a novel composite with remarkable performance for the removal of refractory organic pollutants in municipal wastewater.

Construction of ZIF@electrospun cellulose nanofiber derived N doped metallic cobalt embedded carbon nanofiber composite as binder-free supercapacitance electrode.

In this study, binder-free hybrid supercapacitance electrode based on N, Co co-doped porous carbon polyhedral encapsulated carbon nanofibers composites (N-Co/CNF) was prepared through pyrolyzing cobalt based zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIF-67(Co)) incorporated electrospun cellulose nanofibers. With rational combination of the conductivity provided by cellulose derived CNF, promising porosity provided by CNF and ZIF-67(Co) derived porous carbon and uniformly dispersed metallic cobalt nanoparticles, the N-Co/CNF displayed excellent electrochemical properties. Specifically, the N-Co/CNF pyrolyzed at 800 °C possessed superior electrochemical performance in 1 M H2SO4 electrolyte, including a specific capacitance of ~433 F/g and 84% of the capacitance retention after 3000 consecutive charge-discharge cycles. This significantly exceeded the performance of cellulose derived CNF based pure carbonaceous electrode. Therefore, the present study provides a new view on the construction of high performance hybrid supercapacitance electrode which introduces renewable biomass resources like cellulose as both carbonaceous material precursors and conductive binders.