Laboratory blood parameters and machine learning for the prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: In contemporary study, the death of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients need precise and expedient prognostic methodologies. Objective: To develop and validate a prognostic model tailored to ESCC patients, leveraging the power of machine learning (ML) techniques and drawing insights from comprehensive datasets of laboratory-derived blood parameters. Methods: Three ML approaches, including Gradient Boosting Machine (GBM), Random Survival Forest (RSF), and the classical Cox method, were employed to develop models on a dataset of 2521 ESCC patients with 27 features. The models were evaluated by concordance index (C-index) and time receiver operating characteristics (Time ROC) curves. We used the optimal model to evaluate the correlation between features and prognosis and divide patients into low- and high-risk groups by risk stratification. Its performance was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier curve and the comparison with AJCC8 stage. We further evaluate the comprehensive effectiveness of the model in ESCC subgroup by risk score and KDE (kernel density estimation) plotting. Results: RSF's C-index (0.746) and AUC (three-year AUC 0.761, five-year AUC 0.771) had slight advantage over GBM and the classical Cox method. Subsequently, 14 features such as N stage, T stage, surgical margin, tumor length, age, Dissected LN number, MCH, Na, FIB, DBIL, CL, treatment, vascular invasion, and tumor grade were selected to build the model. Based on these, we found significant difference for survival rate between low-(3-year OS 81.8%, 5-year OS 69.8%) and high-risk (3-year OS 25.1%, 5-year OS 11.5%) patients in training set, which was also verified in test set (all P < 0.0001). Compared with the AJCC8th stage system, it showed a greater discriminative ability which is also in good agreement with its staging ability. Conclusion: We developed an ESCC prognostic model with good performance by clinical features and laboratory blood parameters.

zDHHC20-driven S-palmitoylation of CD80 is required for its costimulatory function.

CD80 is a transmembrane glycoprotein belonging to the B7 family, which has emerged as a crucial molecule in T cell modulation via the CD28 or CTLA4 axes. CD80-involved regulation of immune balance is a finely tuned process and it is important to elucidate the underlying mechanism for regulating CD80 function. In this study we investigated the post-translational modification of CD80 and its biological relevance. By using a metabolic labeling strategy, we found that CD80 was S-palmitoylated on multiple cysteine residues (Cys261/262/266/271) in both the transmembrane and the cytoplasmic regions. We further identified zDHHC20 as a bona fide palmitoyl-transferase determining the S-palmitoylation level of CD80. We demonstrated that S-palmitoylation protected CD80 protein from ubiquitination degradation, regulating the protein stability, and ensured its accurate plasma membrane localization. The palmitoylation-deficient mutant (4CS) CD80 disrupted these functions, ultimately resulting in the loss of its costimulatory function upon T cell activation. Taken together, our results describe a new post-translational modification of CD80 by S-palmitoylation as a novel mechanism for the regulation of CD80 upon T cell activation.

Handling time-varying treatments in observational studies: A scoping review and recommendations.

OBJECTIVE: Time-varying treatments are common in observational studies. However, when assessing treatment effects, the methodological framework has not been systematically established for handling time-varying treatments. This study aimed to examine the current methods for dealing with time-varying treatments in observational studies and developed practical recommendations. METHODS: We searched PubMed from 2000 to 2021 for methodological articles about time-varying treatments, and qualitatively summarized the current methods for handling time-varying treatments. Subsequently, we developed practical recommendations through interactive internal group discussions and consensus by a panel of external experts. RESULTS: Of the 36 eligible reports (22 methodological reviews, 10 original studies, 2 tutorials and 2 commentaries), most examined statistical methods for time-varying treatments, and only a few discussed the overarching methodological process. Generally, there were three methodological components to handle time-varying treatments. These included the specification of treatment which may be categorized as three scenarios (i.e., time-independent treatment, static treatment regime, or dynamic treatment regime); definition of treatment status which could involve three approaches (i.e., intention-to-treat, per-protocol, or as-treated approach); and selection of analytic methods. Based on the review results, a methodological workflow and a set of practical recommendations were proposed through two consensus meetings. CONCLUSIONS: There is no consensus process for assessing treatment effects in observational studies with time-varying treatments. Previous efforts were dedicated to developing statistical methods. Our study proposed a stepwise workflow with practical recommendations to assist the practice.

The effect of quiet eye training on golf putting performance in pressure situation.

To explores the effect and mechanism of quiet eye training on the accuracy of golfers´ putts in pressure situations and provides methods and basis for targeted attention training and control. 22 young golfers in China golf team aged from 13 to 18 were randomly assigned to the experimental group (quiet eye training group) and the control group (technical guidance group) according to gender. Both groups of participants underwent two consecutive weeks of push training (3 sets per day, 20 golf putts per set, rest for 3 min between sets) separately in accordance with the guidance of a professional psychological research group and an expert coach. Eye tracking technology, biofeedback technology, and subjective evaluation methods were used to test and analyze the push process of the two groups of participants before and after training under pressure situations (Eye movement behaviors and the heart rate were recorded by ASL Mobile Eye-XG and NeXus-2 biofeedback, pressure and state anxiety were evaluated by self-rating pressure scale and S-AI. Golf putting performance was recorded by a research graduate assistant). A higher hit ratio as well as lower pressure and SAI level was founded in quiet eye training group in the pressure situation, the quiet eye movement time and total fixation time was longer than technical group. The quiet eye training group has a better putting performance. Quiet eye training can improve the golf putting performance in pressure situations. After quiet eye training, the state anxiety decreased, the quiet eye movement time and the total fixation time increased in pressure situations.

Head-to-head comparison between [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-NOC and [18F]DOPA PET/CT in a diverse cohort of patients with pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas.

PURPOSE: To compare the detection ability of 68Ga-labelled DOTA-l-Nal3-octreotide ([68Ga]Ga-DOTA-NOC) and 6-[18F]fluoro-L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine ([18F]DOPA) in patients with phaeochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGLs) of different origins and gene mutations, such as germline succinate dehydrogenase complex genes (SDHx). METHODS: Eighty-five patients with histopathologically confirmed PPGLs who underwent both [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-NOC and [18F]DOPA PET/CT from March 2017 to June 2023 were enrolled in this retrospective study. For comparative analyses, PPGLs were classified as phaeochromocytoma (PCC), sympathetic paraganglioma (sPGL), and head/neck paraganglioma (HNPGL). Detection rates were analyzed on per-patient and per-lesion bases and compared using the Chi-square/Fischer's exact test. RESULTS: Among 85 patients with PPGLs (48 males; 43 years ± 17 [SD]), the patient-based detection rates of [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-NOC and [18F]DOPA PET/CT were 87.1% (74/85) and 89.4% (76/85), respectively (p = 0.634), and the lesion-based detection rates were 80.8% (479/593) and 71.2% (422/593), respectively (p < 0.001). Only one patient with a recurrent PCC presented double-negative imaging, while 66 patients exhibited double-positive imaging. The remaining patients were either [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-NOC-negative/[18F]DOPA-positive (n = 10) or [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-NOC-positive/[18F]DOPA-negative (n = 8). In subgroup analyses, [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-NOC PET/CT detected significantly more metastases of sPGL (91.1%, 236/259) and SDHx-related PPGL (89.6%, 86/96) than [18F]DOPA PET/CT (48.6%[126/259] and 50.0%[48/96], respectively; both p < 0.001). However, [18F]DOPA showed significantly higher detection rates of PCC in both primary/recurrent and metastatic lesions (94.3%[50/53] vs. 62.3%[33/53] and 87.9%[174/198] vs. 69.2%[137/198], respectively; both p < 0.001). Regarding metastases in different organs, [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-NOC PET/CT detected more lesions than [18F]DOPA PET/CT in bone (96.2%[176/183] vs. 66.1%[121/183]; p < 0.001) and lymph nodes (82.0%[73/89] vs. 53.9%[48/89]; p < 0.001) but less lesions in peritoneum (20%[4/20] vs. 100%[20/20]; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-NOC and [18F]DOPA are complementary in diagnosing PPGL under the appropriate clinical setting. [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-NOC should be considered as the ideal first-line tracer for detecting metastases of sPGL and SDHx-related tumours, whereas [18F]DOPA may be the optimal tracer for evaluating non-SDHx-related PCC, especially in detecting primary lesions and monitoring recurrence.

Inflammation-related molecular signatures involved in the anticancer activities of brigatinib as well as the prognosis of EML4-ALK lung adenocarcinoma patient.

Although ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors (ALK-TKIs) have shown remarkable benefits in EML4-ALK positive NSCLC patients compared to conventional chemotherapy, the optimal sequence of ALK-TKIs treatment remains unclear due to the emergence of primary and acquired resistance and the lack of potential prognostic biomarkers. In this study, we systematically explored the validity of sequential ALK inhibitors (alectinib, lorlatinib, crizotinib, ceritinib and brigatinib) for a heavy-treated patient with EML4-ALK fusion via developing an in vitro and in vivo drug testing system based on patient-derived models. Based on the patient-derived models and clinical responses of the patient, we found that crizotinib might inhibit proliferation of EML4-ALK positive tumors resistant to alectinib and lorlatinib. In addition, NSCLC patients harboring the G1269A mutation, which was identified in alectinib, lorlatinib and crizotinib-resistant NSCLC, showed responsiveness to brigatinib and ceritinib. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that brigatinib suppressed the activation of multiple inflammatory signaling pathways, potentially contributing to its anti-tumor activity. Moreover, we constructed a prognostic model based on the expression of IL6, CXCL1, and CXCL5, providing novel perspectives for predicting prognosis in EML4-ALK positive NSCLC patients. In summary, our results delineate clinical responses of sequential ALK-TKIs treatments and provide insights into the mechanisms underlying the superior effects of brigatinib in patients harboring ALKG1269A mutation and resistant towards alectinib, lorlatinib and crizotinib. The molecular signatures model based on the combination of IL6, CXCL1 and CXCL5 has the potential to predict prognosis of EML4-ALK positive NSCLC patients.

Jeans and language: kin networks and reproductive success are associated with the adoption of outgroup norms.

Traditional norms of human societies in rural China may have changed owing to population expansion, rapid development of the tourism economy and globalization since the 1990s; people from different ethnic groups might adopt cultural traits from outside their group or lose their own culture at different rates. Human behavioural ecology can help to explain adoption of outgroup cultural values. We compared the adoption of four cultural values, specifically speaking outgroup languages/mother tongue and wearing jeans, in two co-residing ethnic groups, the Mosuo and Han. Both groups are learning outgroup traits, including each other's languages through contact in economic activities, education and kin networks, but only the Mosuo are starting to lose their own language. Males are more likely to adopt outgroup values than females in both groups. Females of the two groups are no different in speaking Mandarin and wearing jeans, whereas males do differ, with Mosuo males being keener to adopt them than Han males. The reason might be that Mosuo men experience more reproductive competition over mates, as Mosuo men have larger reproductive skew than others. Moreover, Mosuo men but not others gain fitness benefits from the adoption of Mandarin (they start reproducing earlier than non-speakers). This article is part of the theme issue 'Social norm change: drivers and consequences'.

Ultrasonically functionalized chitosan-gallic acid films inactivate Staphylococcus aureus through envelope-disruption under UVA light exposure.

The significant threat of foodborne pathogens contamination has continuously promoted the development of efficient antimicrobial food packaging materials. Here, an antimicrobial film was prepared with gallic acid-grafted-chitosan (CS/GA) that obtained by a two-step ultrasound method. The resultant films exhibited good transparency, improved UV barrier performance, and enhanced mechanical strength. Specifically, with the grafting of 1.2 % GA, the UV blocking ability of CS/GA film at 400 nm was significantly increased by 19.7 % and the tensile strength was nearly two times higher than that of CS film. Moreover, the CS/GA films exhibited an inspiring photoactivated bactericidal ability under 400 nm UVA light irradiation that eradicated almost 99.9 % of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) cells within 60 min. To gain more insights into the antibacterial mechanism, the treated S. aureus cells were further investigated by visualizing bacterial ultrastructure and analyzing membrane properties. The results pointed to the peptidoglycan layer as the primary action target when bacteria come into contact with CS/GA films. Afterward, the intracellular oxidative lesions, disrupted bacterial integrity, and disordered membrane functional properties collectively resulted in eventual cell death. The findings revealed the unique peptidoglycan targeting and membrane disruptive mechanisms of CS/GA films, confirming the application values in controlling foodborne pathogens.

Circulating Regulatory T Cells: A Novel Marker Associated with Liver Metastasis and the Treatment Response of Transarterial Embolization in Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors.

INTRODUCTION: To investigate the role of circulating regulatory T cells (Tregs) as a novel marker associated with liver metastases and treatment response to transarterial embolization (TAE) in patients with gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs). METHODS: Circulating Tregs, defined as the CD4+CD25+CD127low/- population, were examined by flow cytometry in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with GEP-NETs. Clinicopathological parameters, radiologic response, and hepatic progression-free survival (hPFS) data were collected. RESULTS: The association between circulating Tregs and clinicopathological parameters was analyzed in 139 GEP-NET patients. Higher Treg levels were significantly associated with more progressive clinical features, including a higher WHO grade, more advanced TNM stage, and the presence of liver metastases. A Treg level ≥ 8.015% distinguished between patients with and without liver metastases. Among a cohort of 51 GEP-NET patients who were subjected to TAE for reducing liver metastasis burden, patients with higher Treg levels depicted unfavorable responses and significantly reduced hPFS after TAE treatment. We also revealed that patients with Treghigh (≥8.975%) displayed significantly shorter median hPFS than patients with Treglow (< 8.975%). Additionally, after adjusting for other confounding clinical parameters, the association between Tregs and treatment response as well as hPFS remained significant, suggesting that Tregs may have a strong and independent prognostic impact in GEP-NETs. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that circulating Tregs are a novel immunological marker associated with liver metastases and treatment response to TAE in patients with GEP-NETs.

Validation and impact of algorithms for identifying variables in observational studies of routinely collected data.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Among observational studies of routinely collected health data (RCD) for exploring treatment effects, algorithms are used to identify study variables. However, the extent to which algorithms are reliable and impact the credibility of effect estimates is far from clear. This study aimed to investigate the validation of algorithms for identifying study variables from RCD, and examine the impact of alternative algorithms on treatment effects. METHODS: We searched PubMed for observational studies published in 2018 that used RCD to explore drug treatment effects. Information regarding the reporting, validation, and interpretation of algorithms was extracted. We summarized the reporting and methodological characteristics of algorithms and validation. We also assessed the divergence in effect estimates given alternative algorithms by calculating the ratio of estimates of the primary vs. alternative analyses. RESULTS: A total of 222 studies were included, of which 93 (41.9%) provided a complete list of algorithms for identifying participants, 36 (16.2%) for exposure, and 132 (59.5%) for outcomes, and 15 (6.8%) for all study variables including population, exposure, and outcomes. Fifty-nine (26.6%) studies stated that the algorithms were validated, and 54 (24.3%) studies reported methodological characteristics of 66 validations, among which 61 validations in 49 studies were from the cross-referenced validation studies. Of those 66 validations, 22 (33.3%) reported sensitivity and 16 (24.2%) reported specificity. A total of 63.6% of studies reporting sensitivity and 56.3% reporting specificity used test-result-based sampling, an approach that potentially biases effect estimates. Twenty-eight (12.6%) studies used alternative algorithms to identify study variables, and 24 reported the effects estimated by primary analyses and sensitivity analyses. Of these, 20% had differential effect estimates when using alternative algorithms for identifying population, 18.2% for identifying exposure, and 45.5% for classifying outcomes. Only 32 (14.4%) studies discussed how the algorithms may affect treatment estimates. CONCLUSION: In observational studies of RCD, the algorithms for variable identification were not regularly validated, and-even if validated-the methodological approach and performance of the validation were often poor. More seriously, different algorithms may yield differential treatment effects, but their impact is often ignored by researchers. Strong efforts, including recommendations, are warranted to improve good practice.

Rational Design of Guanidinium-Based Bio-MCOF as a Multifunctional Nanocatalyst in Tumor Cells for Enhanced Chemodynamic Therapy.

Chemodynamic therapy (CDT) has emerged as a promising approach to cancer treatment, which can break the intracellular redox state balance and result in severe oxidative damage to biomolecules and organelles with the advantages of being less dependent on external stimulation, having deep tissue-healing abilities, and being resistant to drug resistance. There is considerable interest in developing CDT drugs with high efficiency and low toxicity. In this study, a new guanidinium-based biological metal covalent organic framework (Bio-MCOF), GZHMU-1@Mo, is rationally designed and synthesized as a multifunctional nanocatalyst in tumor cells for enhanced CDT. The DFT calculation and experimental results showed that due to the ability of MoO42- ion to promote electron transfer and increase the redox active site, Cu3 clusters and MoO42- ions in GZHMU-1@Mo can synergistically catalyze the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) from oxygen and H2O2 in tumor cells, as well as degrade intracellular reducing substances, GSH and NADH, so as to disrupt the redox balance in tumor cells. Moreover, GZHMU-1@Mo exhibits a potent killing effect on tumor cells under both normal oxygen and anaerobic conditions. Further in vitro and in vivo antiproliferation studies revealed that the GZHMU-1@Mo nanoagent displays a remarkable antiproliferation effect and effectively inhibits tumor growth. Taken together, our study provides an insightful reference benchmark for the rational design of Bio-MCOF-based nanoagents with efficient CDT.

Clinical value of folate receptor-positive circulating tumor cells in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinomas: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study is to explore the role of preoperative folate receptor-positive circulating tumor cell (FR+CTC) levels in predicting disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (ESCC). METHODS: Three ml blood samples were prospectively drawn from ESCC patients, and ligand-targeted polymerase chain reaction (LT-PCR) was used for the quantification of FR+CTCs. Other serum indicators were measured by traditional methods. Clinicopathological characteristics were obtained from the hospital medical record system, DFS and OS data were obtained by follow-up. The correlation between clinico-pathological characteristics, DFS, and OS and FR+CTCs were analyzed, respectively. Risk factors potentially affecting DFS and OS were explored by Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: there were no significant correlations between FR+CTCs and patient age, sex, albumin, pre-albumin, C-reactive protein (CRP), ferritin and CRP/Albumin ratio, tumor size, grade of differentiation, lymph node metastasis, TNM stage, perineural invasion/vessel invasion (all P > 0.05). Nevertheless, preoperative FR+CTCs were an independent prognostic factor for DFS (HR 2.7; 95% CI 1.31-, P = 0.007) and OS (HR 3.37; 95% CI 1.06-, P = 0.04). DFS was significantly shorter for patients with post-operative FR+CTCs ≥ 17.42 FU/3ml compared with patients < 17.42 FU/3ml (P = 0.0012). For OS, it was shorter for patients with FR+CTCs ≥ 17.42 FU/3ml compared with patients < 17.42 FU/3ml, however, the difference did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.51). CONCLUSIONS: ESCC patients with high FR+CTCs tend to have a worse prognosis. FR+CTCs may monitor the recurrence of cancers in time, accurately assess patient prognosis, and guide clinical decision-making. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was approved by the Sichuan Cancer Hospital & Institute Ethics Committee (No. SCCHEC-02-2022-050).

Comparison of clinical characteristics and disease burden between early- and late-onset type 2 diabetes patients: a population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The clinical characteristics of early-onset type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients are not fully understood. To address this gap, we conducted a cohort study to evaluate clinical characteristics and disease burden in the new-onset T2D population, especially regarding the progression of diseases. METHODS: This cohort study was conducted using a population-based database. Patients who were diagnosed with T2D were identified from the database and were classified into early- (age < 40) and late-onset (age ≥ 40) groups. A descriptive analysis was performed to compare clinical characteristics and disease burden between early- and late-onset T2D patients. The progression of disease was compared using Kaplan‒Meier analysis. RESULTS: A total of 652,290 type 2 diabetic patients were included. Of those, 21,347 were early-onset patients, and 300,676 were late-onset patients. Early-onset T2D patients had poorer glycemic control than late-onset T2D patients, especially at the onset of T2D (HbA1c: 9.3 [7.5, 10.9] for early-onset vs. 7.7 [6.8, 9.2] for late-onset, P < 0.001; random blood glucose: 10.9 [8.0, 14.3] for early-onset vs. 8.8 [6.9, 11.8] for late-onset, P < 0.001). Insulin was more often prescribed for early-onset patients (15.2%) than for late-onset patients (14.8%). Hypertension (163.0 [28.0, 611.0] days) and hyperlipidemia (114.0 [19.0, 537.0] days) progressed more rapidly among early-onset patients, while more late-onset patients developed hypertension (72.7% vs. 60.1%, P < 0.001), hyperlipidemia (65.4% vs. 51.0%, P < 0.001), cardiovascular diseases (66.0% vs. 26.7%, P < 0.001) and chronic kidney diseases (5.5% vs. 2.1%, P < 0.001) than early-onset patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our study results indicate that patients with newly diagnosed early-onset T2D had earlier comorbidities of hypertension and hyperlipidemia. Both clinical characteristics and treatment patterns suggest that the degree of metabolic disturbance is more severe in patients with early-onset type 2 diabetes. This highlights the importance of promoting healthy diets or lifestyles to prevent T2D onset in young adults.

Reporting, handling, and interpretation of time-varying drug treatments in observational studies using routinely collected healthcare data.

BACKGROUND: Time-varying drug treatments are common in studies using routinely collected health data (RCD) for assessing treatment effects. This study aimed to examine how these studies reported, handled, and interpreted time-varying drug treatments. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted on PubMed from 2018 to 2020. Eligible studies were those used RCD to explore drug treatment effects. We summarized the reporting characteristics and methods employed for handling time-varying treatments. Logistic regressions were performed to investigate the association between study characteristics and the reporting of time-varying treatments. RESULTS: Two hundred and fifty-six studies were included, and 225 (87.9%) studies involved time-varying treatments. Of these, 24 (10.7%) reported the proportion of time-varying treatments and 105 (46.7%) reported methods used to handle time-varying treatments. Multivariable logistic regression showed that medical studies, prespecified protocol, and involvement of methodologists were associated with a higher likelihood of reporting the methods applied to handle time-varying treatments. Among the 105 studies that reported methods, as-treated analyses were the most commonly used analysis sets, which were employed in 73.9%, 75.3% and 88.2% of studies that reported approaches for treatment discontinuation, treatment switching and treatment add-on. Among the 225 studies involved time-varying treatments, 27 (12.0%) acknowledged the potential bias introduced by treatment change, of which 14 (51.9%) suggested that potential biases may impact acceptance or rejection of the null hypothesis. CONCLUSIONS: Among observational studies using RCD, the underreporting about the presence and methods for handling time-varying treatments was largely common. The potential biases due to time-varying treatments have frequently been disregarded. Collaborative endeavors are strongly needed to enhance the prevailing practices.

Tissue Equivalent Curved Organic X-ray Detectors Utilizing High Atomic Number Polythiophene Analogues.

Organic semiconductors are a promising material candidate for X-ray detection. However, the low atomic number (Z) of organic semiconductors leads to poor X-ray absorption thus restricting their performance. Herein, the authors propose a new strategy for achieving high-sensitivity performance for X-ray detectors based on organic semiconductors modified with high -Z heteroatoms. X-ray detectors are fabricated with p-type organic semiconductors containing selenium heteroatoms (poly(3-hexyl)selenophene (P3HSe)) in blends with an n-type fullerene derivative ([6,6]-Phenyl C71 butyric acid methyl ester (PC70 BM). When characterized under 70, 100, 150, and 220 kVp X-ray radiation, these heteroatom-containing detectors displayed a superior performance in terms of sensitivity up to 600 ± 11 nC Gy-1  cm-2 with respect to the bismuth oxide (Bi2 O3 ) nanoparticle (NP) sensitized organic detectors. Despite the lower Z of selenium compared to the NPs typically used, the authors identify a more efficient generation of electron-hole pairs, better charge transfer, and charge transport characteristics in heteroatom-incorporated detectors that result in this breakthrough detector performance. The authors also demonstrate flexible X-ray detectors that can be curved to a radius as low as 2 mm with low deviation in X-ray response under 100 repeated bending cycles while maintaining an industry-standard ultra-low dark current of 0.03 ± 0.01 pA mm-2 .

Identification of autophagy-related genes in diabetic foot ulcer based on bioinformatic analysis.

Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) complications involve autophagy dysregulation. This study aimed to identify autophagy-related bioindicators in DFU. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between DFU and healthy samples were analysed from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets, GSE7014 and GSE29221. The roles of autophagy-related DEGs were investigated using protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways, Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment, and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA). Immune cell infiltration's correlation with these DEGs was also assessed. From the Human Autophagy Database (HADB), 232 autophagy-related genes (ARGs) were identified, with an intersection of 17 key DEGs between GSE7014 and GSE29221. These genes are involved in pathways like autophagy-animal, NOD-like receptor signalling, and apoptosis. In the protein network, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN) showed significant interactions with ARGs. Survival analysis indicated the prognostic importance of calpain 2 (CAPN2), integrin subunit beta 1 (ITGB1), and vesicle-associated membrane protein 3 (VAMP3). Lower immune scores were observed in the type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) group than in controls. Autophagy and ARGs significantly influence DFU pathophysiology.

Association between dietary vitamin C and abdominal aortic calcification among the US adults.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality, and vascular calcification has been highly correlated with CVD events. Abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) has been shown to predict subclinical CVD and incident CVD events. However, the relationship between vitamin C and abdominal aortic calcification remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship of dietary vitamin C with AAC among the adult population in the US. METHODS: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2013-2014 provided the data for the cross-sectional study. 2297 subjects (1089 males) were included in the study. Two scoring systems, AAC 24-point scale (Kauppila) and AAC 8-point scale (Schousboe), were used for the measurement of AAC score. Dietary vitamin C intake was calculated as the average of two rounds of 24-h interview recall data and classified in tertiles for analysis. We applied weighted multiple regression analyses to assess the relationship of dietary vitamin C with AAC score and the risk of having AAC. To ensure the robustness of the findings, subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed. Additionally, smooth curve fittings, using generalized additive models (GAM) were employed to visualize potential nonlinear relationships. Furthermore, an exploratory analysis on the relationship of vitamin C supplements with AAC was also conducted. RESULTS: The results showed that higher dietary vitamin C intake was related to a reduction in AAC score (AAC-24: ß = -0.338, 95% confidence interval [CI] -0.565, -0.111, P = 0.004; AAC-8: ß = -0.132, 95%CI -0.217, -0.047, P = 0.002), and lower risk of AAC (odds ratio [OR] = 0.807, 95%CI 0.659, 0.989, P = 0.038). However, the relationship of vitamin C supplements with AAC was not identified. CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed that higher intake of dietary vitamin C rather than vitamin C supplements was related to reduced AAC score and lower risk of AAC, indicating that diets rich in vitamin C are recommended due to its potential benefits for protecting against vascular calcification and CVD among the adult population in the US.

Peripheral blood lipid and liver and kidney function test results in long-term night shift nurses: a cross-sectional study in South China.

Purpose: This study aimed to elucidate the effects of long-term day and night shifts on liver function and lipid metabolism in a group of nurses. Methods: This cross-sectional study in December 2019 was based on a group of nurses. A total of 1,253 physically healthy caregivers were included, including 1231 women and 22 men. A total of 886 nurses had long-term shift work (working in a rotating system for >1 year). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate factors related to long-term shift work. Results: We observed differences in liver and kidney indicators between the non-night and night shift groups. The ROC curve revealed that CHO (AUC: 62.4%), LDLC (AUC: 62%), and GLUO (AUC: 61.5%) were more related to the night shift. Logistic regression analysis showed that night shift work was associated significantly with CREA (log (OR) = -0.02, 95% CI: -0.04 to -0.01), CHO (log (OR) = -0.38, 95% CI: -0.67 to -0.09), and GLUO (log (OR) = -0.35, 95% CI: -0.56 to -0.17). This correlation was observed only for CHO and LDHC (CHO: log (OR) = -0.55, 95% CI: -0.98 to -0.12; LDLC: log (OR) = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.32, 1.4) after age standardization. After using propensity score matching, we did not find evidence to support that the indicators differed between night and non-night shift groups. Conclusion: Our study observed an association of long-term night work with abnormal liver and kidney function and dyslipidemia, but the difference was not significant after strict age matching. Although these findings may support interventions for long-term night shift nurses, more detailed studies are needed to confirm.

A prognostic nomogram that includes MPV in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Mean platelet volume (MPV), as a marker of platelet activity, has been shown to be an efficient prognostic biomarker in several types of cancer. Using MPV, this study aimed to create and validate a prognostic nomogram to the overall survival in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients. METHODS: The nomogram was constructed and tested using data from a retrospective study of 1893 patients who were randomly assigned to the training and testing cohorts with a 7:3 randomization. In order to screen out the optimal predictors for overall survival (OS), we conducted the LASSO-cox regression, univariate, and multivariate cox regression analyses. Subsequently, the predictive accuracy of the nomogram was validated in both the training and the testing cohorts. Finally, decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to confirm clinical validity. RESULTS: Age, MPV, nerve invasion, T stage, and N stage were found as independent prognostic variables for OS and were further developed into a nomogram. The nomogram's prediction accuracy for 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS was 0.736, 0.749, 0.774, and 0.724, 0.719, 0.704 in the training and testing cohorts, respectively. Furthermore, DCA results indicated that nomograms outperformed the AJCC 8th and conventional T, N staging systems in both the training and testing cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: The nomogram, in conjunction with MPV and standard clinicopathological markers, could improve the accuracy of prediction of OS in ESCC patients.