Microwave ablation for diffuse adenomyosis leading to multiple complications after hysterectomy: A case report and literature review.

RATIONALE: Hysterectomy after microwave ablation (MWA) is more difficult than conventional surgery which increases the probability of postoperative complications due to MWA's collateral thermal damage to nearby intestines. Here we report a case of multiple postoperative complications after hysterectomy following MWA. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 44-year-old female was admitted due to progressive abdominal pain during menstruation for 30 years and no relief 1 year after MWA. Hysterectomy was performed. Intraoperative findings: pelvic inflammatory exudation; the uterus and the left adnexa were extensively and densely adhered to the intestine, bladder, pelvic wall and surrounding tissues; the local tissue of the uterus was brittle and dark yellow. Intestinal obstruction, abdominal infection and urinary fistula occurred after hysterectomy. DIAGNOSES: 1. Adenomyosis. 2. Endometrial polyps. 3. Left chocolate cyst of ovary. 4. Pelvic adhesions. 5. Pelvic inflammation. INTERVENTIONS: The patient underwent intestinal obstruction catheter implantation, ultrasound-guided pelvic fluid mass puncture drainage, right kidney puncture and fistula drainage, right ureteral bladder replantation, and right ureteral stent implantation. OUTCOMES: After 48 days of comprehensive treatment, the patient was cured and discharged. LESSONS: Microwave ablation has a poor therapeutic effect on diffuse adenomyosis, and should avoid excessive ablation during the ablation process.

Diversities of Mechanism in Patients with VHL Syndrome and diabetes: A Report of Two Cases and Literature Review.

Background: Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) syndrome is characterized by tumorous lesions affecting multiple organs. Pancreatic involvement in VHL syndrome can present as endocrine tumors and pancreatic cysts, which can interfere with both exocrine and endocrine functions of the pancreas. Diabetes is an uncommon complication of VHL syndrome. Purpose: This study aims to summarize the various mechanisms of diabetes in VHL syndrome by reporting two cases and conducting a literature review. Methods: We analyzed the clinical and imaging data of two patients with VHL syndrome and diabetes. Additionally, we reviewed the existing literature to explore the clinical diversities and management strategies for VHL syndrome complicated with diabetes. Results: The first patient presented with liver metastasis of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor and multiple pheochromocytoma. After surgery, the patient's diabetic control improved, as evidenced by a significant reduction in insulin dosage. This indicates a potential insulin resistance due to elevated metanephrine levels prior to surgery and partial insulin deficiency caused by distal pancreatectomy. The second patient had multiple hemangioblastomas, as well as multiple pancreatic cysts and positive pancreatic islet autoantibodies. Diabetes in this case may be attributed to pancreatic lesions and the coexistence of autoimmune insulitis. A literature review of other patients with VHL combined with diabetes revealed multiple mechanisms, including increased catecholamine levels, pancreatic lesions, surgical removal of pancreatic tissue, endocrine treatment, and possibly the coexistence of autoimmune insulitis. Conclusion: VHL syndrome complicated with diabetes involves diverse mechanisms.

Topological wetting states of microdroplets on closed-loop structured surfaces: Breakdown of the Gibbs equation at the microscale.

Microdroplets are a class of soft matter that has been extensively employed for chemical, biochemical, and industrial applications. However, fabricating microdroplets with largely controllable contact-area shape and apparent contact angle, a key prerequisite for their applications, is still a challenge. Here, by engineering a type of surface with homocentric closed-loop microwalls/microchannels, we can achieve facile size, shape, and contact-angle tunability of microdroplets on the textured surfaces by design. More importantly, this class of surface topologies (with universal genus value = 1) allows us to reveal that the conventional Gibbs equation (widely used for assessing the edge effect on the apparent contact angle of macrodroplets) seems no longer applicable for water microdroplets or nanodroplets (evidenced by independent molecular dynamics simulations). Notably, for the flat surface with the intrinsic contact angle ~0°, we find that the critical contact angle on the microtextured counterparts (at edge angle 90°) can be as large as >130°, rather than 90° according to the Gibbs equation. Experiments show that the breakdown of the Gibbs equation occurs for microdroplets of different types of liquids including alcohol and hydrocarbon oils. Overall, the microtextured surface design and topological wetting states not only offer opportunities for diverse applications of microdroplets such as controllable chemical reactions and low-cost circuit fabrications but also provide testbeds for advancing the fundamental surface science of wetting beyond the Gibbs equation.

Metabolic cross-feeding between the competent degrader Rhodococcus sp. strain p52 and an incompetent partner during catabolism of dibenzofuran: Understanding the leading and supporting roles.

Microbial interactions, particularly metabolic cross-feeding, play important roles in removing recalcitrant environmental pollutants; however, the underlying mechanisms involved in this process remain unclear. Thus, this study aimed to elucidate the mechanism by which metabolic cross-feeding occurs during synergistic dibenzofuran degradation between a highly efficient degrader, Rhodococcus sp. strain p52, and a partner incapable of utilizing dibenzofuran. A bottom-up approach combined with pairwise coculturing was used to examine metabolic cross-feeding between strain p52 and Arthrobacter sp. W06 or Achromobacter sp. D10. Pairwise coculture not only promoted bacterial pair growth but also facilitated dibenzofuran degradation. Specifically, strain p52, acting as a donor, released dibenzofuran metabolic intermediates, including salicylic acid and gentisic acid, for utilization and growth, respectively, by the partner strains W06 and D10. Both salicylic acid and gentisic acid exhibited biotoxicity, and their accumulation inhibited dibenzofuran degradation. The transcriptional activity of the genes responsible for the catabolism of dibenzofuran and its metabolic intermediates was coordinately regulated in strain p52 and its cocultivated partners, thus achieving synergistic dibenzofuran degradation. This study provides insights into microbial metabolic cross-feeding during recalcitrant environmental pollutant removal.

Pyroptotic macrophages promote proliferation and chemotherapy resistance of peripheral T-cell lymphoma via TLR4 signaling pathway.

Peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) is a highly aggressive type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with a poor prognosis. Pyroptosis is a newly discovered procedural cell death mode, which has been implicated to occur in both tumor cells and immune cells. However, the occurrence and effect of pyroptosis on PTCL remain unclear. Here, we found that pyroptosis occurred in interstitial macrophages of PTCL rather than in tumor cells. In clinical specimens, macrophage pyroptosis was associated with a poor prognosis of PTCL. In vitro experiments and gene sequencing results showed that pyroptotic macrophages could upregulate the expression of TLR4 through secreting inflammatory cytokines IL-18. Upregulated TLR4 activated its downstream NF-κB anti-apoptotic signaling pathway, thus leading to malignant proliferation and chemotherapy resistance of tumor cells. Moreover, the expression of factors such as XIAP in the NF-κB anti-apoptotic pathway was downregulated after the knockdown of TLR4, and the malignant promotion effect of pyroptotic macrophages on PTCL cells was also reversed. Our findings revealed the mechanism of pyroptotic macrophages promoting the malignant biological behavior of PTCL and elucidated the key role of TLR4 in this process. In-depth analysis of this mechanism will contribute to understanding the regulatory effect of PTCL by the tumor microenvironment and providing new ideas for the clinical treatment of PTCL.

Formation of a two-dimensional helical square tube ice in hydrophobic nanoslit using the TIP5P water model.

In extreme and nanoconfinement conditions, the tetrahedral arrangement of water molecules is challenged, resulting in a rich and new phase behavior unseen in bulk phases. The unique phase behavior of water confined in hydrophobic nanoslits has been previously observed, such as the formation of a variety of two-dimensional (2D) ices below the freezing temperature. The primary identified 2D ice phase, termed square tube ice (STI), represents a unique arrangement of water molecules in 2D ice, which can be viewed as an array of 1D ice nanotubes stacked in the direction parallel to the confinement plane. In this study, we report the molecular dynamics (MD) simulations evidence of a novel 2D ice phase, namely, helical square tube ice (H-STI). H-STI is characterized by the stacking of helical ice nanotubes in the direction parallel to the confinement plane. Its structural specificity is evident in the presence of helical square ice nanotubes, a configuration unseen in both STI and single-walled ice nanotubes. A detailed analysis of the hydrogen bonding strength showed that H-STI is a 2D ice phase diverging from the Bernal-Fowler-Pauling ice rules by forming only two strong hydrogen bonds between adjacent molecules along its helical ice chain. This arrangement of strong hydrogen bonds along ice nanotube and weak bonds between the ice nanotube shows a similarity to quasi-one-dimensional van der Waals materials. Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations (over a 30 ps) were employed to further verify H-STI's stability at 1 GPa and temperature up to 200 K.

Research Progress in Structure Synthesis, Properties, and Applications of Small-Molecule Silicone Surfactants.

Silicone surfactants have garnered significant research attention owing to their superior properties, such as wettability, ductility, and permeability. Small-molecular silicone surfactants with simple molecular structures outperform polymeric silicone surfactants in terms of surface activity, emulsification, wetting, foaming, and other areas. Moreover, silicone surfactants with small molecules exhibit a diverse and rich molecular structure. This review discusses various synthetic routes for the synthesis of different classes of surfactants, including single-chain, "umbrella" structure, double chain, bolaform, Gemini, and stimulus-responsive surfactants. The fundamental surface/interface properties of the synthesized surfactants are also highlighted. Additionally, these surfactants have demonstrated enormous potential in agricultural synergism, drug delivery, mineral flotation, enhanced oil recovery, separation, and extraction, and foam fire-fighting.

Morphology and selectivity of hydrated alkali metal ions as depth of discharge in the 1T-MoS2 electrode with aqueous electrolytes.

Aqueous ion batteries have great commercial potential in green power and energy storage due to their green nature, safety and high ionic conductivities. Different from organic electrolytes, alkali ions (Li+, Na+, and K+) inevitably bring water molecules into the electrodes during the charging/discharging process due to the hydration of ions with water molecules. The selectivity of alkali ions and the mechanism of how water molecules are involved in the ion extraction/insertion process in the electrodes have not been clarified. In this study, we focus on the characteristics of the intra-layer distribution of different hydrated ions (Li+, Na+, and K+) and the quantitative analysis of the selectivity of hydrated cations in aqueous batteries. We found that the concentration of hydrated ions greatly affects their distribution within the 1T-MoS2 layers, and the presence of hydrogen bonding and O-O repulsive forces between water molecules causes the hydrated ions to gradually form chains from the dispersed state under the effect of hydrogen bonding and ionic bonding, then further form strips, and ultimately be densely dispersed within the whole layer. In addition, the chemical potential difference of hydrated ions is the key to the competitive reaction, and we quantitatively analyze the selectivity relationship between hydrated cations throughout the charging and discharging process; hydrated sodium ions will have better performance than lithium and potassium ions in aqueous batteries.

Identification of the single and combined acute toxicity of Cr and Ni with Heterocypris sp. and the quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) model.

Mining wastewater with heavy metals poses a serious threat to the ecological environment. However, the acute single and combined ecological effects of heavy metals, such as chromium (Cr) and nickel (Ni), on freshwater ostracods, and the development of relevant prediction models, remain poorly understood. In this study, Heterocypris sp. was chosen to investigate the single and combined acute toxicity of Cr and Ni. Then, the quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) model was used to predict the combined toxicity of Cr and Ni. The single acute toxicity experiments revealed high toxicity for both Cr and Ni. In addition, Cr exhibited greater toxicity compared to Ni, as evidenced by its lower 96-hour half-lethal concentration (LC50) of 1.07 mg/L compared to 4.7 mg/L for Ni. Furthermore, the combined acute toxicity experiments showed that the toxicity of Cr-Ni was higher than Ni but lower than Cr. Compared with the concentration addition (CA) and independent action (IA) models, the predicted results of the QSAR model were more consistent with the experimental results for the Cr-Ni combined acute toxicity. So, the high accuracy of QSAR model identified its feasibility to predict the toxicity of heavy metal pollutants in mining wastewater.

High-Q two-dimensional perovskite topological laser.

Quasi-two-dimensional perovskites have attracted widespread interest in developing low-cost high-quality small lasers. The nano cavity based on topologically protected valley edge states can be robust against special defects. Here, we report a high-quality two-dimensional perovskite topological photonic crystal laser based on the quantum valley Hall effect. By adjusting the position of the air holes relative to the pillar, radiation leakage in topological edge states is reduced to a large extent, electric field distribution becomes more uniform and the quality factor can be as high as 3.6 × 104. Our findings could provide opportunities for the development of high-power, stable perovskite lasers with topological protection.

Excitonic Effects of the Excited-State Photocatalytic Reaction at the Molecule/Metal Oxide Interface.

Excitonic effects caused by the Coulomb interaction between electrons and holes play a crucial role in photocatalysis at the molecule/metal oxide interface. As an ideal model for investigating the excitonic effect, coadsorption and photodissociation of water and methanol molecules on titanium dioxide involve complex ground-state thermalcatalytic and excited-state photocatalytic reaction processes. Herein, we systemically investigate the excited-state electronic structures of the coadsorption of H2O and CH3OH molecules on a rutile TiO2(110) surface by linear-response time-dependent density functional theory calculations and probe the reaction path for generating HCOOH or CO2, from ground-state and excited-state perspectives. The reaction barriers in excited-state calculations are significantly different from those in ground-state calculations during three processes, with the largest decrease being 0.94 eV for the Ti5c-O-CH2-O-Ti5c formation process.

Identifying misdiagnosed bipolar disorder using support vector machine: feature selection based on fMRI of follow-up confirmed affective disorders.

Nearly a quarter of bipolar disorder (BD) patients were misdiagnosed as major depressive disorder (MDD) patients, which cannot be corrected until mania/hypomania develops. It is important to recognize these obstacles so that the appropriate treatment can be initiated. Thus, we sought to distinguish patients with BD from MDD, especially to identify misdiagnosed BD before mania/hypomania, and further explore potential trait features that allow accurate differential diagnosis independent of state matters. Functional magnetic resonance imaging scans were performed at baseline on 92 MDD patients and 48 BD patients. The MDD patients were then followed up for more than two years. After follow-up, 23 patients transformed into BD (tBD), and 69 patients whose diagnoses remained unchanged were eligible for unipolar depression (UD). A support vector machine classifier was trained on the amygdala-based functional connectivity (FC) of 48 BD and 50 UD patients using a novel region-based feature selection. Then, the classifier was tested on the dataset, encompassing tBD and the remaining UD. It performed well for known BD and UD and can also distinguish tBD from UD with an accuracy of 81%, sensitivity of 82.6%, specificity of 79%, and AUC of 74.6%, respectively. Feature selection results revealed that ten regions within the cortico-limbic neural circuit contributed most to classification. Furthermore, in the FC comparisons among diseases, BD and tBD shared almost overlapped FC patterns in the cortico-limbic neural circuit, and both of them presented pronounced differences in most regions within the circuit compared with UD. The FC values of the most discriminating brain regions had no prominent correlations with the severity of depression, anxiety, and mania/hypomania (FDR correction). It suggests that BD possesses some trait features in the cortico-limbic neural circuit, rendering it dichotomized by the classifier based on known-diagnosis data.

Integrated post-acquisition data processing strategy for rapid steroid sulfate characterization in Toad gall-bladder.

LC-MS serves as a workhorse for chemical profile characterization of Chinese medicinal materials (CMMs) attributing to the ability of measuring fruitful MS/MS spectral information. However, it is laborious to extract the information belonging to the compounds-of-interest from the massive data matrixes even employing those well-defined post-acquisition data processing strategies. Here, efforts were devoted to propose an integrated strategy allowing rapid chemical homologs-focused data filtering through integrating the fit-for-purpose existing strategies, such as molecular weight imprinting (MWI), diagnostic fragment ion filtering (DFIF), neutral loss filtering (NLF), and isotope pattern filtering (IPF). Homologs-focused chemical characterization of a precious CMM namely Toad gall-bladder (Chinese name: Chandan) that is rich of diverse effective steroid sulfates, particularly bufogenin sulfates, bile acid sulfates and bilichol sulfates, was employed as a proof-of-concept. Recombinant human SULT2A1-catalyzed in vitro metabolism was undertaken to generate eight bufogenin sulfates to facilitate summarizing MS/MS spectral behaviors. After in-house data library construction and MS1 and MS2 spectral acquisition, data filtering was conducted as follows: 1) MWI and IPF was utilized in combination to capture deprotonated molecular ions and the 34S isotopic ions for the sulfates of those reported steroids; 2) m/z 79.9568 (SO3-·) and 96.9596 (HSO4-) were applied to DFIF; and 3) SO3 (79.9568 Da) served as the feature to achieve NLF. Those captured MS/MS information subsequently participated in tentatively structural annotation through applying those empirical mass fragmentation rules. As a result, 71 compounds including 7 bufogenin sulfates, 17 bile acid sulfates, 13 bilichol sulfates and a C-23 steroid sulfate were detected from Toad gall-bladder and thereof, 39 ones received plausible identities assignment. Above all, the steroid sulfates in Toad gall-bladder were profiled in depth, and more importantly, the proposed strategy should be a meaningful option for, but not limited to, submetabolome characterization in CMMs.

Ginsenoside Rg3 overcomes tamoxifen resistance through inhibiting glycolysis in breast cancer cells.

Tamoxifen (TAM) resistance poses a significant clinical challenge in human breast cancer and exhibits high heterogeneity among different patients. Rg3, an original ginsenoside known to inhibit tumor growth, has shown potential for enhancing TAM sensitivity in breast cancer cells. However, the specific role and underlying mechanisms of Rg3 in this context remain unclear. Aerobic glycolysis, a metabolic process, has been implicated in chemotherapeutic resistance. In this study, we demonstrate that elevated glycolysis plays a central role in TAM resistance and can be effectively targeted and overcome by Rg3. Mechanistically, we observed upregulation of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase 3 (PFKFB3), a key mediator of glycolysis, in TAM-resistant MCF-7/TamR and T-47D/TamR cells. Crucially, PFKFB3 is indispensable for the synergistic effect of TAM and Rg3 combination therapy, which suppresses cell proliferation and glycolysis in MCF-7/TamR and T-47D/TamR cells, both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, overexpression of PFKFB3 in MCF-7 cells mimicked the TAM resistance phenotype. Importantly, combination treatment significantly reduced TAM-resistant MCF-7 cell proliferation in an in vivo model. In conclusion, this study highlights the contribution of Rg3 in enhancing the therapeutic efficacy of TAM in breast cancer, and suggests that targeting TAM-resistant PFKFB3 overexpression may represent a promising strategy to improve the response to combination therapy in breast cancer.

Boosting Electrochemical CO2 Reduction on Copper-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks via Valence and Coordination Environment Modulation.

Cu-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted much attention for electrocatalytic CO2 reduction to high value-added chemicals, but they still suffer from low selectivity and instability. Here, an associative design strategy for the valence and coordination environment of the metal node in Cu-based MOFs is employed to regulate the CO2 electroreduction to ethylene. A novel "reduction-cleavage-recrystallization" method is developed to modulate the Cu(II)-Trimesic acid (BTC) framework to form a Cu(I)-BTC structure enriched with free carboxyl groups in the secondary coordination environment (SCE). In contrast to Cu(II)-BTC, the Cu(I)-BTC shows higher catalytic activity and better ethylene selectivity (≈2.2-fold) for CO2 electroreduction, which is further enhanced by increasing the content of free carboxyl groups, resulting in ethylene Faraday efficiency of up to 57% and the durability of the catalyst could last for 38 h without performance decline. It indicates that the synergistic effect between Cu(I)-O coordinated structure and free carboxyl groups considerably enhances the dimerization of *CO intermediates and hinders the hydrogenation of *CO intermediates in these competitive pathways. This work unravels the strong dependence of CO2 electroreduction on the Cu valence state and coordination environment in MOFs and provides a platform for designing highly selective electrocatalytic CO2 reduction catalysts.

Endoplasmic reticulum stress caused by traumatic injury promotes cardiomyocyte apoptosis through acetylation modification of GRP78.

Cardiomyocyte apoptosis is an important cause of trauma-induced secondary cardiac injury (TISCI), in which the endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS)-mediated apoptosis signaling pathway is known to be first activated, but the mechanism remains unclear. In this study, rat models of traumatic injury are established by using the Noble-Collip trauma device. The expression of glucose-regulating protein 78 (GRP78, a molecular chaperone of the cardiomyocyte ER), acetylation modification of GRP78 and apoptosis of cardiomyocytes are determined. The results show that ERS-induced GRP78 elevation does not induce cardiomyocyte apoptosis in the early stage of trauma. However, with prolonged ERS, the GRP78 acetylation level is elevated, and the apoptosis of cardiomyocytes also increases significantly. In addition, in the early stage of trauma, the expression of histone acetyl-transferase (HAT) P300 is increased and that of histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) is decreased in cardiomyocytes. Inhibition of HDAC function could induce the apoptosis of traumatic cardiomyocytes by increasing the acetylation level of GRP78. Our present study demonstrates for the first time that post-traumatic protracted ERS can promote cardiomyocyte apoptosis by increasing the acetylation level of GRP78, which may provide an experimental basis for seeking early molecular events of TISCI.

Pituitary stalk interruption syndrome and liver cirrhosis associated with diabetes and an inactivating KCNJ11 gene mutation: a case report and literature review.

Background: Pituitary stalk interruption syndrome (PSIS) is a congenital disease commonly found in patients with combined pituitary hormone deficiency (CPHD). Most PSIS patients manifest growth retardation and delayed puberty. We report a rare case of PSIS with tall stature, liver cirrhosis and diabetes, possibly caused by an inactivating KCNJ11 gene mutation. Case presentation: A 37-year-old female patient initially presented with liver cirrhosis and diabetes, without any secondary sexual characteristics. Endocrine investigation indicated CPHD. Small anterior pituitary, invisible pituitary stalk and no eutopic posterior lobe hypersignal in the sella turcica viewed in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirmed the diagnosis of PSIS. Despite receiving no growth hormone or sex hormone therapy, she reached a final height of 186 cm. Liver histopathology revealed nonalcoholic fatty cirrhosis. Genetic testing identified a heterozygous p.Arg301Cys mutation in the KCNJ11 gene. Conclusion: This is a rare case of PSIS with liver cirrhosis and diabetes associated with an inactivating KCNJ11 gene mutation. It's supposed that early hyperinsulinism caused by the KCNJ11 gene mutation, as well as delayed epiphyseal closure due to estrogen deficiency, contributed to the patient's exceptionally tall stature. Untreated growth hormone deficiency (GHD) resulted in increased visceral fat, leading to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and cirrhosis. The decline in ß cell function with age, combined with NAFLD, may have played a role in the development of diabetes.

Glucocorticoid receptor regulates the epithelial-mesenchymal transition process through GR/ZEB1/E-cad and is involved in breast cancer endocrine drug resistance-a bioinformatics analysis.

Background: Studies have shown that there is a connection between estrogen receptor (ER) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR), which can impact the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process and contribute to endocrine resistance in breast cancer. However, the specific mechanism is unclear. It is crucial to investigate this mechanism further. Methods: This study aimed to confirm the role of GR in breast cancer endocrine resistance. Based on our hypothesis, GR is linked to a gene involved in the EMT process, and thus contributes to endocrine resistance in breast cancer. We obtained survival data and GR expression data from Molecular Taxonomy of Breast Cancer International Consortium (METABRIC). Additionally, we gathered GR expression data from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Using Cytoscape, we constructed a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and identified key genes. Data of Vimentin, E-cad, and Wnt/ß-catenin expression were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We used the co-expression method to identify key proteins. UALCAN and cBioPortal were utilized to verify the function of the key protein. Results: In ER+ breast cancer, GR (P=3.12780899271121E-08) and zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) (P=1.716157E-01) were lowly expressed and down-regulated genes of GR differentially expressed genes were enriched in cell adhesion molecules. We screened for the key protein ZEB1 and found high levels of it was positively associated with prolonged recurrence-free survival (RFS) in patients receiving endocrine therapy (P=0.0024), while high levels of E-cad were negatively associated (P=0.0038). GR expression was positively associated with ZEB1 (Spearman =0.29, P=8.50e-21), negatively associated with E-cad (Spearman =-0.13, P=5.17e-5), and negatively associated with the SETD1B (Spearman =-0.14, P=1.527e-5), a gene downstream of ZEB1. In contrast, ZEB1 expression was negatively correlated with E-cad (Spearman =-0.081, P=3.132e-3) and negatively correlated with SET domain-containing 1B (SETD1B) (Spearman =-0.177, P=9.07e-11). Conclusions: In ER+ breast cancers, GR expression is suppressed, and the EMT process is inhibited by suppressing ZEB1 expression and thus promoting E-cad expression. For the investigation of endocrine medication resistance in breast cancer, it is crucial to identify the mechanisms by how GR participates in the EMT process.

Incentive based emergency demand response effectively reduces peak load during heatwave without harm to vulnerable groups.

The incentive-based emergency demand response measure serves as an important regulatory tool during energy system operations. However, whether people will sacrifice comfort to respond to it during heatwave and what the effect on heat vulnerable populations will be are still unclear. A large-scale emergency demand response pilot involving 205,129 households was conducted in southwestern China during continuous extreme high temperatures in summer. We found that the incentive-based emergency demand response causes a statistically significant decline in electricity use with no additional financial burden on vulnerable groups. The electricity conservation potential of urban households was higher than that of rural households. Households with children did not respond to the emergency demand response, while the response of households with elderly individuals proved to be more positive. The repeated and frequent implementation of this policy did not result in an attenuation of the regulatory effect. This research can serve as a reference for countries with similar regulated power markets.

Contrastive self-representation learning for data clustering.

This paper is concerned with self-representation subspace learning. It is one of the most representative subspace techniques, which has attracted considerable attention for clustering due to its good performance. Among these methods, low-rank representation (LRR) has achieved impressive results for subspace clustering. However, it only considers the similarity between the data itself, while neglecting the differences with other samples. Besides, it cannot well deal with noise and portray cluster-to-cluster relationships well. To solve these problems, we propose a Contrastive Self-representation model for Clustering (CSC). CSC simultaneously takes into account the similarity/dissimilarity between positive/negative pairs when learning the self-representation coefficient matrix of data while the form of the loss function can reduce the effect of noise on the results. Moreover, We use the ℓ1,2-norm regularizer on the coefficient matrix to achieve its sparsity to better characterize the cluster structure. Thus, the learned self-representation coefficient matrix well encodes both the discriminative information and cluster structure. Extensive experiments on seven benchmark databases indicate the superiority of our proposed method.