Identification of nomogram associated with durable clinical benefit gene for advanced non-small cell lung cancer with sensitivity to responsive to immunotherapy.

Background: Immunotherapy has become the standard treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, a subset of the most advanced NSCLC patients fails to respond adequately to Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Developing new nomograms and integrating prognostic factors are crucial for improving the clinical predictability of NSCLC patients undergoing ICIs. Methods: Clinical information and genomic data of NSCLC patients undergoing ICIs were retrieved from cBioPortal. Gene alterations associated with durable clinical benefit (DCB) were compared to those linked to no durable benefit (NDB). The Kaplan-Meier plot method was employed for survival analysis, and a novel nomogram was formulated by selecting pertinent clinical variables. Results: For the NSCLC patients receiving immunotherapy, three subgroups were identified based on the treatment regimen, including anti-PD-1 monotherapy, anti-PD-1 combination with anti-CTLA-4, and first-line treatment. The mutation status of TP53, PGR, PTPRT, RELN, MUC19, LRP1B, and FAT3 was found to be associated with progression-free survival (PFS). Using the clinicopathological parameters and genomic data of the patients, we developed three novel nomograms to predict the prognosis of ICI treatment in different subgroups. Conclusion: Our study revealed that PGR, PTPRD, RELN, MUC19, LRP1B, and FAT3 mutation could serve as predictive biomarkers. Our systematic nomograms demonstrate significant potential in predicting the prognosis for NSCLC patients with sensitivity to different ICI treatment strategies.

Deep conditional generative model for longitudinal single-slice abdominal computed tomography harmonization.

Purpose: Two-dimensional single-slice abdominal computed tomography (CT) provides a detailed tissue map with high resolution allowing quantitative characterization of relationships between health conditions and aging. However, longitudinal analysis of body composition changes using these scans is difficult due to positional variation between slices acquired in different years, which leads to different organs/tissues being captured. Approach: To address this issue, we propose C-SliceGen, which takes an arbitrary axial slice in the abdominal region as a condition and generates a pre-defined vertebral level slice by estimating structural changes in the latent space. Results: Our experiments on 2608 volumetric CT data from two in-house datasets and 50 subjects from the 2015 Multi-Atlas Abdomen Labeling Challenge Beyond the Cranial Vault (BTCV) dataset demonstrate that our model can generate high-quality images that are realistic and similar. We further evaluate our method's capability to harmonize longitudinal positional variation on 1033 subjects from the Baltimore longitudinal study of aging dataset, which contains longitudinal single abdominal slices, and confirmed that our method can harmonize the slice positional variance in terms of visceral fat area. Conclusion: This approach provides a promising direction for mapping slices from different vertebral levels to a target slice and reducing positional variance for single-slice longitudinal analysis. The source code is available at: https://github.com/MASILab/C-SliceGen.

Improvement of social functioning in patients with first-episode schizophrenia using blonanserin treatment: a prospective, multi-centre, single-arm clinical trial.

Objectives: This clinical trial primarily aimed to investigate the effects of blonanserin on social functioning in patients with first-episode schizophrenia. Methods: In this prospective, multi-centre, single-arm clinical trial study, blonanserin (flexible oral dose ranging from 8mg to 24mg per day) was given 26 weeks. Outcome measures included the Personal and Social Performance (PSP) scale for evaluating social functioning, the Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) for measuring neurocognitive performance, and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) for assessing symptom severity. The primary endpoint was social function improvement evaluated by PSP scale at the end of blonanserin treatment. And the secondary endpoint was to validate the efficacy and neurocognitive effects of blonanserin. Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) were also recorded and analysed. Results: A total of 96 patients with first-episode schizophrenia were recruited and proceeded to analysis. Fifty-one participants (53.1%) completed the PSP scale measurements at baseline and week 26. Following 26 weeks of blonanserin treatment, all outcome measurements demonstrated significant improvement during the follow-up period. Notably, PSP scores exhibited a continuous increase up to 68.1% ± 103.7% at the end of the treatment (46.6 ± 14.6 at baseline, 69.4 ± 17.4 at week 26, p<0.001), indicating positive effects on social functioning that were already noticeable by week 8. Conclusion: Blonanserin treatment exhibited favourable effects on social functioning in individuals with first-episode schizophrenia. The results suggest that blonanserin was effective treatment options for patients with schizophrenia encountering functional impairments.

Pro-cancer role of CD276 as a novel biomarker for clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a common malignant tumor with a high incidence in males and the elderly, and clear cell RCC (ccRCC) is the most common RCC subtype. ccRCC is highly metastatic with a poor prognosis. Therefore, it is crucial to obtain a detailed understanding of the molecular mechanism of ccRCC and to identify suitable biomarkers to realize early diagnosis and improve prognosis. METHODS: We analyzed data from the Cancer Genome Atlas, investigated the overall differential expression of CD276 in ccRCC, and evaluated the influence of CD276 on patient survival and prognosis. We also performed gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and pathway enrichment analysis and investigated cell infiltration and drug responsiveness to further assess the regulatory effect of CD276 on ccRCC. Furthermore, we verified CD276 expression in RCC cell lines and control cell lines. RESULTS: The CD276 expression level in ccRCC samples was higher than that in corresponding samples adjacent to the tumors. Moreover, high CD276 expression levels were positively correlated with poor prognosis in patients with RCC. GSEA revealed that CD276 was significantly involved in immune-related pathways, and the level of CD276 expression was confirmed as associated with immune cell infiltration to some extent. Notably, some drugs were predicted to act on CD276, and this was confirmed by molecular docking. Furthermore, high levels of CD276 expression in RCC cell lines were verified. CONCLUSION: CD276 expression was significantly increased in ccRCC tissues and cells and positively correlated with patient prognosis. CD276 is a potential prognostic biomarker of ccRCC. Overall, this study provides a potential therapeutic strategy for ccRCC.

A Multiplex Recombinase-Aided qPCR Assay for Highly Sensitive and Rapid Detection of khe, blaKPC -2, and blaNDM -1 Genes in Klebsiella pneumoniae.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to establish a highly sensitive and rapid single-tube, two-stage, multiplex recombinase-aided qPCR (mRAP) assay to specifically detect the khe, blaKPC-2, and blaNDM-1 genes in Klebsiella pneumoniae. METHODS: mRAP was carried out in a qPCR instrument within 1 h. The analytical sensitivities of mRAP for khe, blaKPC-2, and blaNDM-1 genes were tested using recombinant plasmids and dilutions of reference strains. A total of 137 clinical isolates and 86 sputum samples were used to validate the clinical performance of mRAP. RESULTS: mRAP achieved the sensitivities of 10, 8, and 14 copies/reaction for khe, blaKPC-2, and blaNDM-1 genes, respectively, superior to qPCR. The Kappa value of qPCR and mRAP for detecting khe, blaKPC-2, and blaNDM-1 genes was 1, 0.855, and 1, respectively (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: mRAP is a rapid and highly sensitive assay for potential clinical identification of khe, blaKPC-2, and blaNDM-1 genes in K. pneumoniae.

Development of a First-in-Class RIPK1 Degrader to Enhance Antitumor Immunity.

The scaffolding function of receptor interacting protein kinase 1 (RIPK1) confers intrinsic and extrinsic resistance to immune checkpoint blockades (ICBs) and has emerged as a promising target for improving cancer immunotherapies. To address the challenge posed by a poorly defined binding pocket within the intermediate domain, we harnessed proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) technology to develop a first-in-class RIPK1 degrader, LD4172. LD4172 exhibited potent and selective RIPK1 degradation both in vitro and in vivo . Degradation of RIPK1 by LD4172 triggered immunogenic cell death (ICD) and enriched tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and substantially sensitized the tumors to anti-PD1 therapy. This work reports the first RIPK1 degrader that serves as a chemical probe for investigating the scaffolding functions of RIPK1 and as a potential therapeutic agent to enhance tumor responses to immune checkpoint blockade therapy.

Functional Investigation and Two-sample Mendelian Randomization Study of Inguinal Hernia Hub Genes Obtained by Bioinformatics Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Inguinal hernia in adults is a common and frequent disease in surgery, prone to occur in the elderly or in those with a weak abdominal wall. Despite its prevalence, Molecular mechanisms underlying inguinal hernia formation are unclear. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to identify potential gene markers for inguinal hernia and available drugs. METHODS: Pubmed2Ensembl text mining was used to identify genes related to "inguinal hernia" keywords. The GeneCodis system was used to specify GO biological process terms and KEGG pathways defined in the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). The STRING tool was used to construct protein-protein interaction networks, which were then visualized using Cytoscape.CytoHubba and Molecular Complex Detection were utilized to analyze the module (MCODE). A GO and KEGG analysis of gene modules was conducted using the DAVID platform database. Hub genes are those that are concentrated in prominent modules. The druggene interaction database was also used to identify potential drugs for inguinal hernia patients based on their interactions between the hub genes. Finally, a Mendelian randomization study was conducted based on genome-wide association studies to determine whether hub genes cause inguinal hernias. RESULTS: The identification of 96 genes associated with inguinal hernia was carried out using text mining techniques. It was constructed using PPI networks with 80 nodes and 476 edges, and the sequence of the genes was performed using CytoHubba. MCODE analysis identified three gene modules. Three modules contain 37 genes clustered as hub candidate genes associated with inguinal hernia patients. The PI3K-Akt, MAPK, AGE-RAGE, and HIF-1 pathways were found to be enriched in signaling pathways. Sixteen of the 37 genes were found to be targetable by 30 existing drugs. The relationship between hub genes and inguinal hernia was examined using Mendelian randomization. The research revealed nine genes that may be connected with inguinal hernia, such as POMC, CD40LG, TFRC, VWF, LOX, IGF2, BRCA1, TNF, and HGF in the plasma. By inverse variance weighting, ALB was associated with an increased risk of inguinal hernia with an OR of 1.203 (OR [95%] = 1,04 [1.012 to 1.089], p = 0.008). CONCLUSION: We identified potential hub genes for inguinal hernia, predicted potential drugs for inguinal hernia, and reverse-validated potential genes by Mendelian randomization. This may provide further insights into asymptomatic pre-diagnostic methods and contribute to studies to understand the molecular mechanisms of risk genes associated with inguinal hernia.

A chromosome-level genome assembly of the spider mite Tetranychus piercei McGregor.

Despite the rapid advances in sequencing technology, limited genomic resources are currently available for phytophagous spider mites, which include many important agricultural pests. One of these pests is Tetranychus piercei (McGregor), a serious banana pest in East Asia exhibiting remarkable tolerance to high temperature. In this study, we assembled a high-quality genome of T. piercei using a combination of PacBio long reads and Illumina short reads sequencing. With the assistance of chromatin conformation capture technology, 99.9% of the contigs were anchored into three pseudochromosomes with a total size of 86.02 Mb. Repetitive elements, accounting for 14.16% of this genome (12.20 Mb), are predominantly composed of long-terminal repeats (30.7%). By combining evidence of ab initio prediction, transcripts, and homologous proteins, we annotated 11,881 protein-coding genes. Both the genome and proteins have high BUSCO completeness scores (>94%). This high-quality genome, along with reliable annotation, provides a valuable resource for investigating the high-temperature tolerance of this species and exploring the genomic basis that underlies the host range evolution of spider mites.

Methylation in cornea and corneal diseases: a systematic review.

Corneal diseases are among the primary causes of blindness and vision loss worldwide. However, the pathogenesis of corneal diseases remains elusive, and diagnostic and therapeutic tools are limited. Thus, identifying new targets for the diagnosis and treatment of corneal diseases has gained great interest. Methylation, a type of epigenetic modification, modulates various cellular processes at both nucleic acid and protein levels. Growing evidence shows that methylation is a key regulator in the pathogenesis of corneal diseases, including inflammation, fibrosis, and neovascularization, making it an attractive potential therapeutic target. In this review, we discuss the major alterations of methylation and demethylation at the DNA, RNA, and protein levels in corneal diseases and how these dynamics contribute to the pathogenesis of corneal diseases. Also, we provide insights into identifying potential biomarkers of methylation that may improve the diagnosis and treatment of corneal diseases.

Common Pathophysiological Mechanisms and Treatment of Diabetic Gastroparesis.

Diabetic gastroparesis (DGP) is a common complication of diabetes mellitus, marked by gastrointestinal motility disorder, a delayed gastric emptying present in the absence of mechanical obstruction. Clinical manifestations include postprandial fullness and epigastric discomfort, bloating, nausea, and vomiting. DGP may significantly affect the quality of life and productivity of patients. Research on the relationship between gastrointestinal dynamics and DGP has received much attention because of the increasing prevalence of DGP. Gastrointestinal motility disorders are closely related to a variety of factors including the absence and destruction of interstitial cells of Cajal, abnormalities in the neuro-endocrine system and hormone levels. Therefore, this study will review recent literature on the mechanisms of DGP and gastrointestinal motility disorders as well as the development of prokinetic treatment of gastrointestinal motility disorders in order to give future research directions and identify treatment strategies for DGP.

Inhibition of GLUD1 mediated by LASP1 and SYVN1 contributes to hepatitis B virus X protein-induced hepatocarcinogenesis.

Glutamate dehydrogenase 1 (GLUD1) is implicated in oncogenesis. However, little is known about the relationship between GLUD1 and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In the present study, we demonstrated that the expression levels of GLUD1 significantly decreased in tumors, which was relevant to the poor prognosis of HCC. Functionally, GLUD1 silencing enhanced the growth and migration of HCC cells. Mechanistically, the upregulation of interleukin-32 through AKT activation contributes to GLUD1 silencing-facilitated hepatocarcinogenesis. The interaction between GLUD1 and AKT, as well as α-ketoglutarate regulated by GLUD1, can suppress AKT activation. In addition, LIM and SH3 protein 1 (LASP1) interacts with GLUD1 and induces GLUD1 degradation via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway, which relies on the E3 ubiquitin ligase synoviolin (SYVN1), whose interaction with GLUD1 is enhanced by LASP1. In hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related HCC, the HBV X protein (HBX) can suppress GLUD1 with the participation of LASP1 and SYVN1. Collectively, our data suggest that GLUD1 silencing is significantly associated with HCC development, and LASP1 and SYVN1 mediate the inhibition of GLUD1 in HCC, especially in HBV-related tumors.

Inorganic-organic hybrid Cu-dipyridyl semiconducting polymers based on the redox-active cluster [SFe3(CO)9]2-: filling the gap in iron carbonyl chalcogenide polymers.

The construction of sulfur-incorporated cluster-based coordination polymers was limited and underexplored due to the lack of efficient synthetic routes. Herein, we report facile mechanochemical ways toward a new series of SFe3(CO)9-based dipyridyl-Cu polymers by three-component reactions of [Et4N]2[SFe3(CO)9] ([Et4N]2[1]) and [Cu(MeCN)4][BF4] with conjugated or conjugation-interrupted dipyridyl ligands, 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethylene (bpee), 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethane (bpea), 4,4'-dipyridyl (dpy), or 1,3-bis(4-pyridyl)propane (bpp), respectively. X-ray analysis showed that bpee-containing 2D polymers demonstrated unique SFe3(CO)9 cluster-armed and cluster-one-armed coordination modes via the hypervalent µ5-S atom. These S-Fe-Cu polymers could undergo flexible structural transformations with the change of cluster bonding modes by grinding with stoichiometric amounts of dipyridyls or 1/[Cu(MeCN)4]+. They exhibited semiconducting behaviors with low energy gaps of 1.55-1.79 eV and good electrical conductivities of 3.26 × 10-8-1.48 × 10-6 S cm-1, tuned by the SFe3(CO)9 cluster bonding modes accompanied by secondary interactions in the solid state. The electron transport efficiency of these polymers was further elucidated by solid-state packing, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES), density of states (DOS), and crystal orbital Hamilton population (COHP) analysis. Finally, the solid-state electrochemistry of these polymers demonstrated redox-active behaviors with cathodically-shifted patterns compared to that of [Et4N]2[1], showing that their efficient electron communication was effectively enhanced by introducing 1 and dipyridyls as hybrid ligands into Cu+-containing networks.

Framing Celebrity Scientists: How Chinese Media and Public Construct Celebrity-Based Risk Communication in Public Health Emergencies.

The impact of celebrities on public awareness in health communication has been proved to be significant, making it a possible approach for risk communication during public health emergencies. In the early stages of COVID-19, some Chinese medical experts engaged with the public and became "celebrity scientists." It provides representative cases for studying celebrity-based risk communication approaches. With Dr. Wenhong Zhang as the primary case, this research investigates the construction process of celebrity scientists. Through semantic network analysis (SemNA) and other complementary methods, this study examines Dr. Zhang's articles (n1 = 45), relevant news reports (n2 = 360), and public tweets (n3 = 12,933), in order to identify the main agendas of media, public and expert during the construction process of celebrity scientists, as well as their similarities and differences. The results reveal three categories in the narratives around the celebrity scientist, highlighting unbalanced focuses and preferences. Notably, the agendas of celebrity scientists, media outlets and the general public are more alike than different, and tend to converge over time. The simultaneous resonance of the media and public is also crucial in the construction of celebrity scientists, as well as specific incidents or turning points. These findings shed light on the application of celebrity-based risk communication approach in emergencies, providing guidance and discussion points for health messaging strategies as well.

[Analysis on Hydrochemical Evolution of Shallow Groundwater East of Yongding River in Fengtai District, Beijing].

In order to enhance the support for groundwater development and utilization, as well as pollution control and prevention in Fengtai District, Beijing, a comprehensive study was conducted based on long-term monitoring data of shallow groundwater in the eastern area of Yongding River during the dry season. The mathematical statistics, Piper diagram, Gibbs diagram, and ion ratio analysis and other methods were employed to explore the pattern of groundwater hydrochemical evolution, the formation mechanism, and sources of pollution in Fengtai District. The findings were as follows:① Overall, the current groundwater quality in the study area was poor. The average concentration of each index in groundwater increased and then decreased from 1976 to the present. The pollution range of Cl-, SO42-, and TH generally expanded, whereas the pollution range of TDS and NO3- expanded before 2005 and then decreased with 2005 as the turning point. ② The hydrochemical types of groundwater samples displayed a complex regional variation each year, as well as along the groundwater direction. The dominant anion in groundwater was HCO3-, and the dominant cation was Ca2+ each year. The number of groundwater hydrochemical types in 1976 was 8, in which the predominant type was HCO3·SO4-Ca·Mg·Na, accounting for 40%. However, the number of groundwater hydrochemical types in 2021 was 17, in which the predominant type was HCO3·Cl·SO4-Ca·Na·Mg, accounting for 23.88%. The groundwater hydrochemical type showed a complex trend within the region and upstream along the flow direction each year, whereas the migration characteristics of groundwater samples, as depicted on the Piper diagram, indicated that the hydrochemical components of groundwater were significantly affected by human activities during its evolution. ③ The groundwater chemistry in the study area was influenced by both rock weathering and evaporative crystallization processes, with evaporation playing a major role. The alternation of groundwater cations was relatively weak, and the dissolution of carbonate minerals served as the primary source of Ca2+ and Mg2+. ④ The ion ratio analysis suggested that exogenous sources, mainly agricultural activities and urban sewage, contributed to the input of NO3- and Cl-. The pollution impact from agricultural activities was significant before 2005, which aligned with the historical presence of numerous seepage pits, seepage wells, and direct discharge of industrial and domestic sewage for irrigation purposes in the study area. These activities were closely associated with the high levels of pollution. However, pollution input from agricultural activities notably decreased in 2021, likely due to the effective implementation of water environmental protection programs and action plans in recent years.

Diatomite@MoS2 Nanocomposite Layers as Composite Coating Targeting for Mg Alloys Endowed with Properties of Anticorrosion and Antiwear.

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) demonstrates promising applications in enhancing the corrosion and wear resistance of metals, but the susceptibility of this nanomaterial to agglomeration hinders its overall performance. In this study, the externally assisted corrosion inhibitor sodium molybdate (SM) was successfully constructed in diatomaceous earth (DE) and molybdenum disulfide (MoS2). This not only served as a molybdenum source for MoS2 but also enabled the preparation of DE@MoS2-SM microcapsules, achieving a corrosion inhibitor loading of up to 23.23%. The corrosion testing reveals that the composite coating, when compared to the pure epoxy coating, exhibits an impedance modulus 2 orders of magnitude higher (1.80 × 109 Ω·cm2), offering prolonged protection for magnesium alloys over a 40 day period. Furthermore, a filler content of 3% sustains a coefficient of friction (COF) at 0.55 for an extended duration, indicating commendable stability and wear resistance. The protective performance is ascribed to the synergistic enhancement of corrosion and wear resistance in the coatings, facilitated by the pore structure of DE, the high hardness of MoS2, and the obstructive influence of Na2MoO4. This approach offers a straightforward and efficient means of designing microcapsules for use in corrosive environments, whose application can be extended in industrial fields. In particular, we promote the application of nautical instruments, underwater weapons, and seawater batteries in the shipbuilding industry and marine engineering.

[Resources and utilization of medicinal plants in countries and regions involved in "the Belt and Road" Initiative].

The protection, development, and utilization of medicinal plant resources are important cornerstones of maintaining human health. However, due to factors such as the reduction of high-quality land resources, deterioration of ecological environments, and excessive and disorderly resource development, medicinal plant resources are becoming scarce, and some of them are insufficiently supplied. With the proposal of "the Belt and Road" Initiative, the cooperation between China and "the Belt and Road" partners(the countries and regions involved in "the Belt and Road" Initiative)is increasingly close, which provides a new opportunity for carrying out trade of medicinal plant resources and alleviating the problem of imbalance and relative inadequacy of medicinal plant resources in countries. This study first determined the distribution and species information of plant resources in countries and regions involved in "the Belt and Road" Initiative by investigating the database of plant distribution and that of medicinal plant resources. Then, according to the published data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature(IUCN) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora(CITES), this study identified the rare and endangered medicinal plants and the medicinal plants under trade control in countries and regions involved in "the Belt and Road" Initiative and finally sorted out the list of potential medicinal plant resources in countries and regions involved in "the Belt and Road" Initiative that can be used by China. This data resource can not only be used for the overall protection of important endangered species but also scientifically guide the development and utilization of medicinal resources, providing guidance and a theoretical basis for the sustainable development of medicinal plant resources in countries and regions involved in "the Belt and Road" Initiative.

Survival outcome and optimal candidates of primary tumor resection for patients with metastatic medullary thyroid cancer.

CONTEXT: Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) often exhibits aggressive growth with distant organ metastasis, leading to poor survival. OBJECTIVE: The question of whether primary tumor resection (PTR) is beneficial for patients with metastatic MTC remains a subject of debate. In this study, we evaluated the prognostic significance of organ-specific metastases and the number of metastatic organs in these patients, and we also conducted an analysis to determine the therapeutic value of PTR in managing this rare malignancy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients initially diagnosed with metastatic MTC were identified within the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models were performed to identify survival predictors. Survival outcomes were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log-rank tests. RESULTS: A total of 186 patients with metastatic MTC at initial diagnosis from 2010 to 2020 were included. Bone, lung and liver were the most common metastatic organs. Patients with brain metastasis had significantly worse overall survival (OS) (p = 0.007) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) (p = 0.0013). Among all patients, 105 (56.45%) underwent PTR, and this group showed reduced overall mortality (OM) and cancer-specific mortality (CSM) (all p < 0.05). When analyzing different metastatic patterns, PTR significantly lowered the risk of OM and CSM for patients with bone, lung, liver, or distant lymph node (DLN) involvement (all p < 0.05). Additionally, among patients with one or two metastases, those undergoing surgical resection were significantly associated with favorable OS (p = 0.008) and CSS (p = 0.0247). CONCLUSIONS: PTR may confer therapeutic benefits for carefully selected individuals with metastatic MTCs. To integrate these insights into clinical decision-making settings, it is imperative to undertake multicenter prospective studies in the future.

Application of quality control circle in the management of early ambulation after cesarean section: An observational study.

BACKGROUND: The quality control circle (QCC) model has achieved good results in clinical applications in many hospitals in China and has gained popularity. This study aims to explore the application of QCC activities on early ambulation after cesarean section. METHODS: A QCC management group was established following standardized methods and techniques. The theme of the group was identified as "to enhance the implementation rate of the patient early ambulation after the cesarean section" through a matrix graph. The early ambulation rates after surgery of patients who received cesarean section were compared before and after QCC managements. RESULTS: Our data suggested that the early ambulation rates after cesarean section increased from 37.5% to 81.25% after applying QCC management. The biggest factor influencing the ambulation activities 24 ±â€…4 hours after the surgery was patients and family members do not cooperate. In addition, outstanding improvements in terms of nurses' sense of responsibility and self-confidence, communication and teamwork capacity in the problem-solving process were observed after the establishment of QCC. CONCLUSION: The application of QCC management had not only increase the early ambulation rates after cesarean section but also improved the quality of nursery care in general.

RAAS in diabetic retinopathy: mechanisms and therapies.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a complication of diabetes with a complex pathophysiology and multiple factors involved. Recently, it has been found that the upregulation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) leads to overexpression of angiotensin II (Ang II), which induces oxidative stress, inflammation, and angiogenesis in the retina. Therefore, RAAS may be a promising therapeutic target in DR. Notably, RAAS inhibitors are often used in the treatment of hypertension. Still, the potential role and mechanism of DR must be further studied. In this review, we discuss and summarize the pathology and potential therapeutic goals of RAAS in DR.

Characteristics and risk factors for invasive fungal infection in hospitalized patients with acute-on-chronic hepatitis B liver failure: a retrospective cohort study from 2010 to 2023.

Background and aim: The global burden of invasive fungal infections (IFIs) is emerging in immunologic deficiency status from various disease. Patients with acute-on-chronic hepatitis B liver failure (ACHBLF) are prone to IFI and their conditions are commonly exacerbated by IFI. However, little is known about the characteristics and risk factors for IFI in hospitalized ACHBLF patients. Methods: A total of 243 hospitalized ACHBLF patients were retrospectively enrolled from January 2010 to July 2023. We performed restricted cubic spline analysis to determine the non-linear associations between independent variables and IFI. The risk factors for IFI were identified using logistic regression and the extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) algorithm. The effect values of the risk factors were determined by the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) method. Results: There were 24 ACHBLF patients (9.84%) who developed IFI on average 17.5 (13.50, 23.00) days after admission. The serum creatinine level showed a non-linear association with the possibility of IFI. Multiple logistic regression revealed that length of hospitalization (OR = 1.05, 95% CI: 1.02-1.08, P = 0.002) and neutrophilic granulocyte percentage (OR = 1.04, 95% CI: 1.00-1.09, P = 0.042) were independent risk factors for IFI. The XGBoost algorithm showed that the use of antibiotics (SHAP value = 0.446), length of hospitalization (SHAP value = 0.406) and log (qHBV DNA) (SHAP value = 0.206) were the top three independent risk factors for IFI. Furthermore, interaction analysis revealed no multiplicative effects between the use of antibiotics and the use of glucocorticoids (P = 0.990). Conclusion: IFI is a rare complication that leads to high mortality in hospitalized ACHBLF patients, and a high neutrophilic granulocyte percentage and length of hospitalization are independent risk factors for the occurrence of IFI.