Integrating subjective feelings into the evaluation of ecological restoration outcomes of urban green space: Indicator framework from bibliometrics analysis and evidence synthesis.

Despite much progress has been made in the evaluation of ecological restoration outcomes, there is still a lack of a suitable framework for evaluating the ecological restoration outcomes of urban green space. In view of this, this study systematically analyzed the characteristics and differences between the evaluation index systems of ecological restoration outcome and urban green space quality evaluation, and then discussed the relationship between objective elements of landscape and people's subjective feelings. On this basis, an ecological restoration outcome evaluation framework was developed for urban green space considering people's subjective feelings. It was found that the existing studies of ecological restoration outcome evaluation mainly focused on the change of ecological components and structure, while urban green space environmental quality evaluation on the cultural services. Common ecological components and structure and people's subjective feelings were not all synergy or trade-off relations, in fact, there were still cases of trade-off and synergy relations co-existing. Therefore, a framework was constructed for evaluating the ecological restoration outcome of urban green space, including ecological components and structure, ecological services, social services, and people's subjective feelings.

Efficacy of the 'Five-Needle' method for pancreatojejunostomy in laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy: an observational study.

Objective: The five-needle pancreato-intestinal anastomosis method is used in laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy (LPD). The aim of this study was to explore the clinical efficacy and adverse reactions of this new surgical method and to provide a scientific reference for promoting this new surgical method in the future. Methods: A single-centre observational study was conducted to evaluate the safety and practicality of the five-needle method for pancreatojejunostomy in LPD surgeries. The clinical data of 78 patients who were diagnosed with periampullary malignancies and underwent LPD were collected from the 1st of August 2020 to the 31st of June 2023 at Lanzhou University First Hospital. Forty-three patients were treated with the 'Five-Needle' method (test groups), and 35 patients were treated with the 'Duct-to-Mucosa' method (control group) for pancreatojejunostomy. These two methods are the most commonly used and highly preferred pancreatointestinal anastomosis methods worldwide. The primary outcome was pancreatic fistula, and the incidence of which was compared between the two groups. Results: The incidence of pancreatic fistula in the five-needle method group and the duct-to-mucosa method group was not significantly different (25.6% vs. 28.6%, p=0.767). Additionally, there were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of intraoperative blood loss (Z=-1.330, p=0.183), postoperative haemorrhage rates (p=0.998), length of postoperative hospital stay (Z=-0.714, p=0.475), bile leakage rate (p=0.745), or perioperative mortality rate (p=0.999). However, the operative time in the 'Five-Needle' method group was significantly shorter than that in the 'Duct-to-Mucosa' method group (270 ± 170 mins vs. 300 ± 210 mins, Z=-2.336, p=0.019). Further analysis revealed that in patients with pancreatic ducts smaller than 3 mm, the incidence of pancreatic fistula was lower for the 'Five-Needle' method than for the 'Duct-to-Mucosa' method (12.5% vs. 53.8%, p=0.007). Conclusion: The five-needle method is safe and efficient for pancreatojejunostomy in LPD, and is particularly suitable for anastomosis in nondilated pancreatic ducts. It is a promising, valuable, and recommendable surgical method worthy of wider adoption.

Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG ameliorates hyperuricemia in a novel model.

Hyperuricemia (HUA) is a metabolic syndrome caused by abnormal purine metabolism. Although recent studies have noted a relationship between the gut microbiota and gout, whether the microbiota could ameliorate HUA-associated systemic purine metabolism remains unclear. In this study, we constructed a novel model of HUA in geese and investigated the mechanism by which Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) could have beneficial effects on HUA. The administration of antibiotics and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) experiments were used in this HUA goose model. The effects of LGG and its metabolites on HUA were evaluated in vivo and in vitro. Heterogeneous expression and gene knockout of LGG revealed the mechanism of LGG. Multi-omics analysis revealed that the Lactobacillus genus is associated with changes in purine metabolism in HUA. This study showed that LGG and its metabolites could alleviate HUA through the gut-liver-kidney axis. Whole-genome analysis, heterogeneous expression, and gene knockout of LGG enzymes ABC-type multidrug transport system (ABCT), inosine-uridine nucleoside N-ribohydrolase (iunH), and xanthine permease (pbuX) demonstrated the function of nucleoside degradation in LGG. Multi-omics and a correlation analysis in HUA patients and this goose model revealed that a serum proline deficiency, as well as changes in Collinsella and Lactobacillus, may be associated with the occurrence of HUA. Our findings demonstrated the potential of a goose model of diet-induced HUA, and LGG and proline could be promising therapies for HUA.

Establishment and Characterization of a New Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma Cell Line, ICC-X2.

Background: Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is an aggressive malignant tumor of the biliary tract that is prone to recurrence and metastasis and is characterized by poor sensitivity to chemotherapy and overall prognosis. For these reasons, there is an urgent need to understand its pathological mechanisms and develop effective treatments. To address this challenge, the establishment of suitable preclinical models is critical. Methods: Fresh ICC tissue samples were used for primary culture and subculture. The cell line was evaluated by cell proliferation assays, clonal formation assays, karyotype analysis, and short tandem repeat (STR) analysis. Drug resistances against oxaliplatin, paclitaxel, gemcitabine and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) were evaluated by CCK-8 assay. Subcutaneous injection of 1 × 106 cells to three BALB/c nude mice was conducted for xenograft studies. The hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining was used to detect the pathological status of the cell line. The expression of biomarkers CK7, CK19, Ki-67, E-cadherin and vimentin was determined by immunocytochemistry assay. Results: A new ICC cell line named ICC-X2 was successfully established. Like ICC-X3 established using the same patient's metastatic tumor, the cell line has been continuously cultured in vitro for more than a year and has been passaged more than 100 times. ICC-X2 retained the typical biliary epithelial morphology. The population doubling time of ICC-X2 is 48 h. The cells demonstrated an abnormal nearly tetraploid karyotype. The STR analysis confirmed that ICC-X2 was highly consistent with the primary tumor tissue and not cross-contaminated by existing cell lines. ICC-X2 cells positively expressed CK7, CK19, E-cadherin, and vimentin, and the positive expression of Ki-67 in ICC-X2 cells was 40%. The ICC-X2 cells exhibited a strong clonogenic ability. The drug sensitivity test indicated that ICC-X2 was sensitive to oxaliplatin and paclitaxel, but naturally resistant to gemcitabine and 5-FU. ICC-X2 was rapidly able to form transplanted tumors in vivo after subcutaneous inoculation in nude mice. Conclusions: ICC-X2 is an excellent experimental model that can be used for studying the occurrence, development, and metastasis of ICC and investigating the mechanism of tumor drug resistance.

Vertical distribution characteristics and transport paths of antibiotic resistance genes in constructed wetland system.

Although the migration and diffusion of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in soil-plant systems have attracted much attention, the migration and diffusion characteristics between constructed wetlands and soil-plant systems differ greatly. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct research on vertical transmission and diffusion of ARGs in constructed wetlands. The vertical distribution and transmission of ARGs in constructed wetlands were explored via metagenomic analysis. The results showed that the proportion of multidrug ARGs was the largest, ranging from 24.2% to 47.5%. The shared characteristics of ARGs were similar to those of bacteria, and there were fewer unique ARGs and microbial species in mesophyll tissue. Sourcetracker analysis revealed that ARGs transfer between plants and atmosphere was bidirectional, but the diffusion of ARGs to atmosphere through plants was relatively weak. ARGs were mainly transmitted to atmosphere/surrounding environment through substrate and influent, and the contributions of substrate to ARGs in atmosphere/surrounding environment were 59.2% and 78.6%, respectively. ARGs involved in foliar attachment mainly originated from peripheral inputs. ARGs showed nonspecific selection for the host at phylum, class and order levels. These findings suggest that more attention should be given to the potential risks of ARGs in constructed wetlands, to formulate effective control and management strategies.

Influence of extracellular polymeric substances on arsenic bioaccumulation and biotransformation in biofilms.

It is well recognized that biofilms can biosorb and biotransform heavy metals in aquatic environments. However, the effects of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) on inorganic arsenic (As) bioaccumulation and biotransformation in biofilms are still unrevealed and need to be investigated. In order to explore the above scientific issues, the As accumulation and speciation in EPS-containing or EPS-free biofilms and growth medium under As(V)/As(III) exposure conditions were measured. After the removal of EPS, the amount of As uptake (Asup) and As adsorption (Asad) in biofilms were significantly reduced, no matter whether exposed to As(V) or As(III). FTIR analysis further suggested that the interaction between these functional groups with As was limited after the removal of EPS. In the EPS-containing biofilms, the Asad was mainly As(V) with low toxicity. However, after the removal of EPS, the Asad was mainly As(III) with high fluidity, and no methylated As was found. Moreover, the removal of EPS inhibited As(III) oxidation and methylation by biofilms, resulting in the decrease of As(V) and methylated As in the growth medium. The findings of this study emphasized the essential impact of EPS on the biosorption and biotransformation of As in biofilms. This study provides a unique understanding of the role of biofilms in As biogeochemical cycle, and water quality purification function in water environments.

Tuning ferroelectric photovoltaic performance in R3c-CuNbO3 through compressive strain engineering: a first-principles study.

Most ferroelectric oxides exhibit relatively wide bandgaps, which pose limitations on their suitability for photovoltaics application. CuNbO3 possesses potential ferroelectric properties with an R3c polar structure that facilitate the separation of charge carriers under illumination, promoting the generation of photovoltaic effects. The optical and ferroelectric properties of R3c-CuNbO3, as well as the effect of strain on the properties are investigated by first-principles calculation in this paper. The calculated results indicate that R3c-CuNbO3 possesses a moderate band gap to absorb visible light. The interaction of Cu-O and Nb-O bonds is considered to have a crucial role in the photovoltaic properties of CuNbO3, contributing to the efficient absorption of visible light. The bandgap of CuNbO3 becomes smaller and the density of states near the conduction and valence bands becomes relatively uniform in distribution under compressive conditions, which improves the photoelectric conversion efficiency to 29.9% under conditions of bulk absorption saturation. The ferroelectric properties of CuNbO3 are driven by the Nb-O bond interactions, which are not significantly weakened by the compressive strain. CuNbO3 is expected to be an excellent ferroelectric photovoltaic material by modulation of compressive strain due to the stronger visible light absorption and excellent ferroelectric behavior.

The effects of microplastics on heavy metals bioavailability in soils: a meta-analysis.

The combined pollution of heavy metals and microplastics is common in natural soil environments. Here, we collected 790 data sets from 39 studies to investigate the effects of microplastics on heavy metal bioavailability. The results showed that microplastics could increase the bioavailability of Cu, Pb, Cd, Fe, and Mn. The heavy metal bioavailability was positively correlated with microplastic size, soil sand concentration, and exposure time, but negatively correlated with soil pH and organic matter. The bioavailability of heavy metals can be promoted by microplastics of all shapes. Hydrolysable microplastics, which contain N, might have less influence. Furthermore, the size of microplastics and soil organic matter were positively correlated with the acid-soluble and reducible fractions of heavy metals, while the microplastic concentration, soil pH, and exposure time were positively correlated with the oxidizable fractions of heavy metals. The interaction detector results indicated that there was an interaction between microplastic characteristics, especially polymer types, and soil physicochemical indexes on the bioavailability of heavy metals. These findings suggested that long-term combined pollution of microplastics and heavy metals might increase heavy metal bioavailability in soils, thereby extending their migratory and hazardous range and bringing further risks to the environment and public health safety.

Establishment and characterization of a new human ampullary carcinoma cell line, DPC-X1.

BACKGROUND: An in-depth study of the pathogenesis and biological characteristics of ampullary carcinoma is necessary to identify appropriate treatment strategies. To date, only eight ampullary cancer cell lines have been reported, and a mixed-type ampullary carcinoma cell line has not yet been reported. AIM: To establish a stable mixed-type ampullary carcinoma cell line originating from Chinese. METHODS: Fresh ampullary cancer tissue samples were used for primary culture and subculture. The cell line was evaluated by cell proliferation assays, clonal formation assays, karyotype analysis, short tandem repeat (STR) analysis and transmission electron microscopy. Drug resistances against oxaliplatin, paclitaxel, gemcitabine and 5-FU were evaluated by cell counting kit-8 assay. Subcutaneous injection 1 × 106 cells to three BALB/c nude mice for xenograft studies. The hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to detect the pathological status of the cell line. The expression of biomarkers cytokeratin 7 (CK7), cytokeratin 20 (CK20), cytokeratin low molecular weight (CKL), Ki67 and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) were determined by immunocytochemistry assay. RESULTS: DPC-X1 was continuously cultivated for over a year and stably passaged for more than 80 generations; its population doubling time was 48 h. STR analysis demonstrated that the characteristics of DPC-X1 were highly consistent with those of the patient's primary tumor. Furthermore, karyotype analysis revealed its abnormal sub-tetraploid karyotype. DPC-X1 could efficiently form organoids in suspension culture. Under the transmission electron microscope, microvilli and pseudopods were observed on the cell surface, and desmosomes were visible between the cells. DPC-X1 cells inoculated into BALB/C nude mice quickly formed transplanted tumors, with a tumor formation rate of 100%. Their pathological characteristics were similar to those of the primary tumor. Moreover, DPC-X1 was sensitive to oxaliplatin and paclitaxel and resistant to gemcitabine and 5-FU. Immunohistochemistry showed that the DPC-X1 cells were strongly positive for CK7, CK20, and CKL; the Ki67 was 50%, and CEA was focally expressed. CONCLUSION: Here, we have constructed a mixed-type ampullary carcinoma cell line that can be used as an effective model for studying the pathogenesis of ampullary carcinoma and drug development.

Influencing factors of antibiotic resistance genes removal in constructed wetlands: A meta-analysis assisted by multivariate statistical methods.

In order to control antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) diffusion in constructed wetlands, it is critical to explore the main factors influencing ARGs removal and understand its mechanism. Despite the fact that numerous studies have been conducted to determine the factors influencing ARGs removal by constructed wetlands in recent years, attempts to use published data and incorporate them into a comprehensive comparison and analysis are still limited. A framework for literature collection, data extraction and statistical analysis (LDS) was constructed in this study. The main factors influencing antibiotics and ARGs removal by constructed wetlands were identified using this framework. The results showed that nutrients, types of constructed wetlands and hydraulic loading were the principal factors influencing the removal of most antibiotics. The principal factors influencing the most ARGs removal were mobile genetic elements, plants, volume of constructed wetlands and running time. After purification by constructed wetlands, the risk coefficient of antibiotics decreased significantly, while the relative abundance of most ARGs did not change significantly. The analysis results of linear mixed model showed that the relationship between antibiotics and ARGs in effluent was closer than that in influent. LDS framework provides a new platform for the study of influencing factors of pollutant removal based on data mining.

Accumulation and ecotoxicological effects induced by combined exposure of different sized polyethylene microplastics and oxytetracycline in zebrafish.

Microplastics have been widely reported as carriers of antibiotics, yet studies investigating the combined ecotoxicology of microplastics and antibiotics on organisms is limited. In this study, different sized polystyrene plastics and oxytetracycline (OTC) were used to carry out a 30-day single and binary-combined exposure experiment of zebrafish, and the microplastics and OTC accumulation, liver histological alteration, biomarkers and transcriptomic response of zebrafish were evaluated. Our results indicated that 300 nm and 50 nm plastic particles increased the OTC accumulation in liver by 33.8% and 44.5%, respectively. Microplastics and OTC induced severe liver histological damage, and the damage is size-dependent, increasing with the decrease of microplastics sizes. The liver biomarkers indicated a different response pattern in single microplastics exposure and combined with OTC, single or co-exposure of 50 nm nano-plastics and OTC induced intense responses of integrated biomarker response values. The 50 nm nano-plastics, OTC and their combined exposure induced 1330, 2693 and 3965 significantly differentially expressed genes, respectively, in which the steroid biosynthesis pathway was significantly affected by all the three treatments. This study elucidated the size-dependent effects of microplastics and provided detailed data from histopathology to transcriptome profile, enhancing our understanding of the ecotoxicity of microplastics and OTC.

A bibliometric analysis of river health based on publications in the last three decades.

Rivers are a vital part of the earth's environment and the basis for human survival. River health has been widely concerned by scholars and practitioners, and the number of studies in this area is increasing. In order to examine the evolution of river health research and identify the research frontiers, a total of 675 articles were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database, and CiteSpace was used for bibliometrics. The results revealed that the research on river health is multidisciplinary. Freshwater Biology and Ecological Indicators were two of the most influential journals. Researchers and institutions from America, Australia, and China were the core research forces, and a certain gap was observed between developed and developing countries in river health. The most productive institution was Michigan State University, followed by Griffith University and Hohai University. There are three development trends in river health: (1) Research scale is expanding; (2) Research methods are diversified and interdisciplinary; and (3) Evaluation index is more comprehensive and systematic. The frontier of river health had been expanded from the connotation of river health to the evaluation methods, evaluation indexes, and comprehensive river ecological research. Overall, research on river health is a well-developed and promising research field. This study provides a framework in the river health field for new researchers and helps scholars to identify further potential perspectives on collaborators, research frontiers, hotspots, and research trends.

Comparative effectiveness of interventional therapeutic modalities for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

It is unclear whether hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) or transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) is more efficient in the combination therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Head-to-head comparisons among HAIC-related therapies are lacking. For this network meta-analysis, PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane Library databases were searched up to April 1, 2022. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were eligible if they evaluated the use or prolongation of TACE or HAIC in patients with advanced HCC and reported or collected survival data. A network meta-analysis was performed to synthesize data and make direct and indirect comparisons between treatments. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to explore the efficacy of various treatment options on overall survival (OS), odds ratios (ORs) with 95% CI were used for overall response rate (ORR), whereas risk ratios (RRs) with 95% CI were used for serious adverse events (SAEs). The analysis of 7 trials including a total of 1,073 patients found that sorafenib with HAIC-oxaliplatin improved survival (HR=0.33, 95% CI: 0.25-0.44); the ORR was also improved in patients treated with sorafenib plus HAIC-oxaliplatin and sorafenib plus PF-HAIC (OR=22.18, 95% CI: 10.69-52.56; and OR=2.72, 95% CI: 1.43-5.36, respectively). The incidence of liver injury was elevated in patients treated with sorafenib plus TACE (OR=5.93, 95% CI: 2.70-15.41). However, no differences in the incidences of other SAEs were identified among the treatment groups. The present meta-analysis provides preliminary evidence for the comparative safety and efficacy of HAIC and TACE combined with sorafenib, and indicates the dominance of HAIC-oxaliplatin in HCC interventional therapy. However, high-quality RCTs are required to further confirm the efficacy of HAIC-oxaliplatin. The present study has been registered with PROSPERO (registration no. CRD42021288497).

Choledocholithiasis characteristics with periampullary diverticulum and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography procedures: Comparison between two centers from Lanzhou and Kyoto.

BACKGROUND: Most of study regarding periampullary diverticulum (PAD) impact on endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) therapy for choledocholithiasis based on data from one endoscopy center and lacked to compare the clinical characteristic of choledocholithiasis with PAD from different geographical patients. AIM: To compare the choledocholithiasis clinical characteristics between two regional endoscopy centers and analyze impacts of clinical characteristics on ERCP methods for choledocholithiasis patients with PAD. METHODS: Patients seen in two endoscopy centers (The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, China, and Kyoto Second Red Cross Hospital, Kyoto, Japan) underwent ERCP treatment for the first time between January 2012 and December 2017. The characteristics of choledocholithiasis with PAD were compared between the two centers, and their ERCP procedures and therapeutic outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 829 out of 3608 patients in the Lanzhou center and 241 out of 1198 in the Kyoto center had choledocholithiasis with PAD. Lots of clinical characteristics were significantly different between the two centers. The common bile duct (CBD) diameter was wider, choledocholithiasis size was lager and multiple CBD stones were more in the Lanzhou center patients than those in the Kyoto center patients (14.8 ± 5.2 mm vs 11.6 ± 4.2 mm, 12.2 ± 6.5 mm vs 8.2 ± 5.3 mm, 45.3% vs 20.3%, P < 0.001 for all). In addition, concomitant diseases, such as acute cholangitis, gallbladder stones, obstructive jaundice, cholecystectomy, and acute pancreatitis, were significantly different between the two centers (P = 0.03 to < 0.001). In the Lanzhou center, CBD diameter and choledocholithiasis size were lower, and multiple CBD stones and acute cholangitis were less in non-PAD patients than those in PAD patients (13.4 ± 5.1 mm vs 14.8 ± 5.2 mm, 10.3 ± 5.4 mm vs 12.2 ± 6.5, 39% vs 45.3%, 13.9% vs 18.5%, P = 0.002 to < 0.001). But all these characteristics were not significantly different in the Kyoto center. The proportions of endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST), endoscopic balloon dilatation (EPBD), and EST+EPBD were 50.5%, 1.7%, and 42.5% in the Lanzhou center and 90.0%, 0.0%, and 0.4% in the Kyoto center, respectively. However, the overall post-ERCP complication rate was not significantly different between the two centers (8.9% in the Lanzhou and 5.8% in the Kyoto. P = 0.12). In the Lanzhou center, the difficulty rate in removing CBD stones in PAD was higher than in non-PAD group (35.3% vs 26.0%, P < 0.001). But the rate was no significant difference between the two groups in Kyoto center. The residual rates of choledocholithiasis were not significantly different between the two groups in both centers. Post-ERCP complications occurred in 8.9% of the PAD patients and 8.1% of the non-PAD patients in the Lanzhou Center, and it occurred in 5.8% in PAD patients and 10.0% in non-PAD patients in the Kyoto center, all P > 0.05. CONCLUSION: Many clinical characteristics of choledocholithiasis patients with PAD were significantly different between the Lanzhou and Kyoto centers. The patients had larger and multiple stones, wider CBD diameter, and more possibility of acute cholangitis and obstructive jaundice in the Lanzhou center than those in the Kyoto center. The ERCP procedures to manage native duodenal papilla were different depending on the different clinical characteristics while the overall post-ERCP complications were not significantly different between the two centers. The stone residual rate and post-ERCP complications were not significantly different between choledocholithiasis patients with PAD and without PAD in each center.

Rational construction of a CNTs@VO2 nanosheets modified separator for enhancing the performance of lithium-sulfur batteries.

Although lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries possess great potential to become the next generation of energy storage technology due to their fivefold higher energy density than commercial lithium-ion batteries, their practical application is still hindered by their poor cycling stability, especially resulting from the disturbing shuttle effect of soluble intermediates. In this study, vanadium dioxide (VO2) nanosheets were successfully grown onto CNTs to form CNTs@VO2 through hydrothermal and calcining processes. The hollow structure of the high conductive CNTs offers internal space and mesopores to accommodate the electrolyte combined with the polar metal oxide VO2 nanosheets providing the chemical anchoring. The hollow binary core-shell host acting as the nanoreactor that serves as the modifier of the separator results in the intensive physical and chemical dual adsorption of lithium polysulfide species (LiPSs), promoting the conversion of long-chain LiPSs to alleviate the shuttle effect significantly and boosting the performance. In addition, the CNTs enhance the electronic conductivity and the electrolyte infiltration of the separator. Notably, the modified separator demonstrates a high initial discharge capacity of 1397 mA h g-1 at 0.2C and retains a stable cycling ability with a reversible capacity of 965 mA h g-1 over 200 cycles at 1C. Even for the high sulfur loading of 7.4 mg cm-2, it can deliver a high areal capacity of 5.4 mA h cm-2 at 0.5C.

Neutrophil extracellular traps-associated modification patterns depict the tumor microenvironment, precision immunotherapy, and prognosis of clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Background: Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are web-like structures formed by neutrophils, and their main function is antimicrobial defense. Moreover, NETs have numerous roles in the pathogenesis and progression of cancers. However, the potential roles of NET-related genes in renal cell carcinoma remain unclear. In this study, we comprehensively investigated the NETs patterns and their relationships with tumor environment (TME), clinicopathological features, prognosis, and prediction of therapeutic benefits in the clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) cohort. Methods: We obtained the gene expression profiles, clinical characteristics, and somatic mutations of patients with ccRCC from The Cancer Genome Atlas database (TCGA), Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), and ArrayExpress datasets, respectively. ConsensusCluster was performed to identify the NET clusters. The tumor environment scores were evaluated by the "ESTIMATE," "CIBERSORT," and ssGSEA methods. The differential analysis was performed by the "limma" R package. The NET-scores were constructed based on the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) among the three cluster patterns using the ssGSEA method. The roles of NET scores in the prediction of immunotherapy were investigated by Immunophenoscores (TCIA database) and validated in two independent cohorts (GSE135222 and IMvigor210). The prediction of targeted drug benefits was implemented using the "pRRophetic" and Gene Set Cancer Analysis (GSCA) datasets. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed to identify the reliability of the core genes' expression in kidney cancer cells. Results: Three NET-related clusters were identified in the ccRCC cohort. The patients in Cluster A had more metabolism-associated pathways and better overall survival outcomes, whereas the patients in Cluster C had more immune-related pathways, a higher immune score, and a poorer prognosis than those in Cluster B. Based on the DEGs among different subtypes, patients with ccRCC were divided into two gene clusters. These gene clusters demonstrated significantly different immune statuses and clinical features. The NET scores were calculated based on the ten core genes by the Gene Set Variation Analysis (GSVA) package and then divided ccRCC patients into two risk groups. We observed that high NET scores were associated with favorable survival outcomes, which were validated in the E-MTAB-1980 dataset. Moreover, the NET scores were significantly associated with immune cell infiltration, targeted drug response, and immunotherapy benefits. Subsequently, we explored the expression profiles, methylation, mutation, and survival prediction of the 10 core genes in TCGA-KIRC. Though all of them were associated with survival information, only four out of the 10 core genes were differentially expressed genes in tumor samples compared to normal tissues. Finally, RT-PCR showed that MAP7, SLC16A12, and SLC27A2 decreased, while SLC3A1 increased, in cancer cells. Conclusion: NETs play significant roles in the tumor immune microenvironment of ccRCC. Identifying NET clusters and scores could enhance our understanding of the heterogeneity of ccRCC, thus providing novel insights for precise individual treatment.

Effect of Helicobacter Pylori on Plasma Metabolic Phenotype in Patients With Gastric Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Although Helicobacter pylori (Hp) as high risk factor for gastric cancer have been investigated from human trial, present data is inadequate to explain the effect of Hp on the changes of metabolic phenotype of gastric cancer in different stages. PURPOSE: Herein, plasma of human superficial gastritis (Hp negative and positive), early gastric cancer and advanced gastric cancer analyzed by UPLC-HDMS metabolomics can not only reveal metabolic phenotype changes in patients with gastric cancer of different degrees (30 Hp negative, 30 Hp positive, 20 early gastric cancer patients, and 10 advanced gastric cancer patients), but also auxiliarily diagnose gastric cancer. RESULTS: Combined with multivariate statistical analysis, the results represented biomarkers different from Hp negative, Hp positive, and the alterations of metabolic phenotype of gastric cancer patients. Forty-three metabolites are involved in amino acid metabolism, and lipid and fatty acid metabolism pathways in the process of cancer occurrence, especially 2 biomarkers glycerophosphocholine and neopterin, were screened in this study. Neopterin was consistently increased with gastric cancer progression and glycerophosphocholine tended to consistently decrease from Hp negative to advanced gastric cancer. CONCLUSION: This method could be used for the development of rapid targeted methods for biomarker identification and a potential diagnosis of gastric cancer.

Mo2C Electrocatalysts for Kinetically Boosting Polysulfide Conversion in Quasi-Solid-State Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) suffer from sluggish reaction kinetics of sulfur-containing species and loss of soluble polysulfides (PSs) during cycling, especially in the case of liquid electrolytes. Here, we improve the kinetics of sulfur species by decorating Mo2C nanoparticles on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as the host for sulfur active mass. In addition, by use of gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) derived from in situ polymerization of 1,3-dioxolane (DOL) to mitigate the diffusion of PSs and improve the stability of Li stripping/plating. As a result, the sulfur cathodes are endowed with enhanced initial specific capacity and suppressed dissolution of sulfur species. The cells with CNT/Mo2C/S cathodes and GPE exhibit excellent electrochemical performance. The anodes cycled with GPE show remarkably enhanced lithium plating-stripping behavior. Benefitting from the synergistic effect, LSBs with higher energy density and improved durability are obtained, demonstrating a new approach for developing high-performance quasi-solid-state Li metal batteries.

Ectopic opening of the common bile duct into the duodenal bulb with recurrent choledocholithiasis: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Ectopic opening of the common bile duct is a condition with low incidence. Patients with an ectopic common bile duct opening have a high incidence of common bile duct stones and acute cholangitis. Patients with atypical symptoms and imaging findings are easily misdiagnosed; moreover, it is difficult to retrieve stones by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, and common bile duct stones are prone to postsurgical recurrence. CASE SUMMARY: A 45-year-old male patient presented with "intermittent upper abdominal pain and elevated liver enzymes for 1 wk". Transabdominal ultrasound indicated dilation of the common bile duct and the presence of stones. Magnetic resonance imaging showed that the common bile duct was dilated with stones and that its opening was ectopic. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography revealed an abnormal opening of the common bile duct into the duodenal bulb and the presence of common bile duct stones. Laparoscopic extrahepatic choledochectomy and hepatoenteric anastomosis were performed. After surgery, the patient recovered well and was discharged. The patient has been followed up for 2 years since the operation. He has not experienced stone recurrence, and his liver function and quality of life are good. CONCLUSION: Improved understanding of ectopic opening of the common bile duct is needed for clinicians to provide patients with appropriate treatment.

Impact of proton pump inhibitors on clinical outcomes in patients after acute myocardial infarction: a propensity score analysis from China Acute Myocardial Infarction (CAMI) registry.

BACKGROUND: Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are recommended by the latest guidelines to reduce the risk of bleeding in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients treated with dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT). However, previous pharmacodynamic and clinical studies have reported controversial results on the interaction between PPI and the P2Y12 inhibitor clopidogrel. We investigated the impact of PPIs use on in-hospital outcomes in AMI patients, aiming to provide a new insight on the value of PPIs. METHODS: A total of 23, 380 consecutive AMI patients who received clopidogrel with or without PPIs in the China Acute Myocardial Infarction (CAMI) registry were analyzed. The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) defined as a composite of in-hospital cardiac death, re-infarction and stroke. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to control potential baseline confounders. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the effect of PPIs use on MACCE and gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB). RESULTS: Among the whole AMI population, a large majority received DAPT and 67.5% were co-medicated with PPIs. PPIs use was associated with a decreased risk of MACCE (Before PSM OR: 0.857, 95% CI: 0.742-0.990, P = 0.0359; after PSM OR: 0.862, 95% CI: 0.768-0.949, P = 0.0245) after multivariate adjustment. Patients receiving PPIs also had a lower risk of cardiac death but a higher risk of complicating with stroke. When GIB occurred, an alleviating trend of GIB severity was observed in PPIs group. CONCLUSIONS: Our study is the first nation-wide large-scale study to show evidence on PPIs use in AMI patients treated with DAPT. We found that PPIs in combination with clopidogrel was associated with decreased risk for MACCE in AMI patients, and it might have a trend to mitigate GIB severity. Therefore, PPIs could become an available choice for AMI patients during hospitalization.