Downstream carbon transport and surface CO2 evasion in the Hanjiang River Network and their implications for regional carbon budget.

Fluvial carbon fluxes have been increasingly recognized as important components of the global carbon budget. However, it is challenging to accurately quantify carbon fluxes in river networks; therefore, the role of carbon fluxes in the regional carbon budget remains poorly understood. The Hanjiang River Network (HRN) is located in a subtropical monsoon climate zone, and its material transport has a notable impact on the Changjiang River. In this study, it was hypothesized that the total fluvial carbon fluxes from the river network in the subtropical monsoon climate zone are dominated by vertical CO2 evasion and account for a large fraction of terrestrial net primary productivity (NPP) (e.g., 10 %) and fossil CO2 emissions (e.g., 30 %), which is roughly equivalent to the global average. Therefore, the downstream export of three carbon fractions and CO2 evasion were estimated in the HRN over the last two decades and the findings were compared with NPP and fossil CO2 emissions in the basin. The results suggest that approximately 2.14-6.02 Tg C year-1 (1 Tg = 1012 g) of carbon is exported in the HRN. Vertical CO2 evasion represents the largest destination at 1.22-5.34 Tg C year-1 or 68 % of the total fluvial carbon flux component, corresponding to 1.5 %-11 % of the fossil CO2 emissions. Downstream export of dissolved inorganic carbon is the second largest destination with a magnitude of 0.56-1.92 Tg C year-1. Downstream organic carbon export plays a relatively small role with a magnitude of 0.04-0.28 Tg C year-1. The findings also indicate that the offset of total fluvial carbon fluxes from terrestrial NPP is unexpectedly small (2.0 %-5.4 %). Data availability and the simplification of carbon processes introduced uncertainty; therefore, future research should incorporate a fuller representation of fluvial carbon processes and fractions to improve regional-scale carbon accounting.

OsWRKY10 extensively activates multiple rice diterpenoid phytoalexin biosynthesis to enhance rice blast resistance.

Phytoalexin is the main chemical weapon against disease pathogens in plants. Rice produces a number of phytoalexins to defend pathogens, most of which belong to diterpenoid phytoalexins. Three biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) and a few non-cluster genes are responsible for rice diterpenoid phytoalexin biosynthesis. The corresponding regulatory mechanism of these phytoalexins in response to pathogen challenges still remains unclear. Here we identified a transcription factor, OsWRKY10, positively regulating rice diterpenoid phytoalexin biosynthesis. Knockout mutants of OsWRKY10 obtained by the CRISPR/Cas9 technology are more susceptible to Magnaporthe oryzae infection, while overexpression of OsWRKY10 enhances resistance to rice blast. Further analysis reveals that overexpression of OsWRKY10 increases accumulation of multiple rice diterpenoid phytoalexins and expression of genes in three BGCs and non-clustered genes in response to M. oryzae infection. Knockout of OsWRKY10 impairs upregulation of rice diterpenoid phytoalexin biosynthesis gene expression by blast pathogen and CuCl2 treatment. OsWRKY10 directly binds to the W-boxes or W-box-like elements (WLEs) of rice diterpenoid phytoalexin biosynthesis gene promoters to regulate the corresponding gene expression. This study identified an extensive regulator (OsWRKY10) with the broad transcriptional regulation on rice diterpenoid phytoalexin biosynthesis, providing the insight to characterize regulation of rice chemical defense for improving disease resistance.

Potassium 2-thienyl tri-fluoroborate as a functional electrolyte additive enables stable interfaces for Li/LiFe0.3Mn0.7PO4batteries.

As a promising cathode material for high-performance lithium-ion batteries, olivine LiFe1-xMnxPO4 (0 < x < 1, LFMP) combines the high safety of LiFePO4 and the high energy density of LiMnPO4. During the charge-discharge process, poor interface stability of active materials leads to capacity decay, which prevents its commercial application. Here, to stabilize the interface, a new electrolyte additive potassium 2-thienyl tri-fluoroborate (2-TFBP) is developed to boost the performance of LiFe0.3Mn0.7PO4 at 4.5 V vs. Li/Li+. Specifically, after 200 cycles, the capacity retention remains at 83.78% in the electrolyte containing 0.2% 2-TFBP while the capacity retention without 2-TFBP addition is only 53.94%. Based on the comprehensive measurements results, the improved cyclic performance is attributed to that 2-TFBP has a higher highest occupied molecular orbit (HOMO) energy and its thiophene group can be electropolymerized above 4.4 V vs. Li/Li+ for generating uniform cathode electrolyte interphase (CEI) with poly-thiophene, which can stable materials structure and suppress the decomposition of electrolytes. Meanwhile, 2-TFBP both promotes the deposition/exfoliation of Li+ at anode-electrolyte interfaces and regulates Li deposition by K+ cations through the electrostatic mechanism. This work presents that 2-TFBP has a great application prospect as a functional additive for high-voltage and high-energy-density lithium metal batteries.

Association between Ki67 expression and therapeutic outcome in colon cancer.

Ki67 is a commonly used proliferation marker in pathological diagnosis of tumors; however, its prognostic value in colon cancer is controversial. A total of 312 consecutive patients with stage I-III colon cancer who underwent radical surgery with or without adjuvant chemotherapy were included in the present study. Ki67 expression was assessed using immunohistochemistry and was classified according to 25% intervals. The association between Ki67 expression and clinicopathological features was analyzed. Long-term postoperative survival, including disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival, was calculated, and its association with Ki67 was analyzed. High Ki67 expression (>50%) was associated with improved DFS in patients treated with adjuvant chemotherapy postoperatively, but not in patients who received surgery alone (P=0.138). Ki67 expression was significantly associated with histological differentiation of the tumor (P=0.01), while it was not associated with other clinicopathological factors. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that pathological T and N stage were independent prognostic factors. In conclusion, high Ki67 expression was associated with a good therapeutic outcome in patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy in colon cancer.

PLCB1 Enhances Cell Migration and Invasion in Gastric Cancer Via Regulating Actin Cytoskeletal Remodeling and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition.

Phospholipase C Beta 1 (PLCB1) regulates the abundance of PI(4,5)P2 in the plasma membrane and is implicated in various kinds of cancers. This study aimed to investigate the role and underlying mechanisms of PLCB1 in gastric cancer. Herein, it was found that PLCB1 mRNA and protein were highly expressed in gastric cancer, and high levels of PLCB1 were correlated with poor outcomes of patients with gastric cancer via the GEPIA database. Moreover, our results revealed that PLCB1 depletion inhibited gastric cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Meanwhile, PLCB1 overexpression resulted in an inverse result. Furthermore, PLCB1 mediated actin cytoskeleton rearrangement and activated the RhoA/LIMK/Cofilin pathway. Besides, PLCB1 promoted the Epithelial-Mesenchymal transition process via activating ATK signaling. In conclusion, PLCB1 promoted gastric cancer cell migratory and invasive abilities via regulating actin cytoskeleton rearrangement and Epithelial-Mesenchymal transition process. These findings imply that targeting PLCB1 may be a potential strategy to improve the prognosis of gastric cancer patients.

A surgical nursing perspective analysis of glucose variability in BCLC stage B-C hepatocellular carcinoma patients with and without T2D within 1 year of hepatectomy: a retrospective cohort study from 2016 to 2020.

Background: Previous research has reported that variability in glucose levels is associated with a variety of patient characteristics in colon cancer. However, relevant research is still lacking in relation to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: A total of 95 HCC patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage B-C who underwent liver resection at the Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital and Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine were included in this study. The patients were divided into 2 groups with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and without T2D. The primary outcome variable was blood glucose variability at 1 month and within 1 year of HCC surgery. Results: In this study, the age of patients with T2D was greater than that of patients without T2D (mean age: 70.3±8.45 vs. 60.4±11.27 years, P=0.031). Compared to the patients without T2D, those with T2D had higher blood glucose measurements within 1 month (33 vs. 7) and 1 year (46.5 vs. 22.5, P<0.001) of surgery. The T2D patients and non-T2D patients did not differ in terms of chemotherapy medication or other characteristics. Among the 95 patients with BCLC stage B-C HCC, those with T2D had higher variability in glucose levels (P<0.001) than those without T2D within 1 month of surgery [standard deviation (SD) =46.43 mg/dL, coefficient of variation (CV) =23.5% vs. SD =21.56 mg/dL, CV =13.21%], and within 1 year of surgery (SD =42.49 mg/dL, CV =26.14% vs. SD =20.45 mg/dL, CV =17.36%). A correlation was found between a lower body mass index and higher variability in glucose levels within 1 month of surgery among patients with T2D [SD (r=-0.431, P<0.05) and CV (r=-0.464, P<0.01)]. A higher preoperative blood glucose level in T2D patients was correlated with a higher blood glucose variability within 1 year of surgery (r=0.435, P<0.01). Variability in glucose levels was weakly correlated with the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients who do not have T2D. Conclusions: HCC patients with T2D in BCLC stage B-C showed greater variability in glucose levels within 1 month and 1 year of surgery. Preoperative hyperglycemia, insulin use, and a lower cumulative dose of steroids were clinical features correlated with a higher variability in glucose levels in T2D patients.

Comparative genomics reveals key molecular targets for mutant Pediococcus pentosaceus C23221 producing pediocin.

Listeria monocytogenes is a common microorganism that causes food spoilage. Pediocins are some biologically active peptides or proteins encoded by ribosomes, which have a strong antimicrobial activity against L. monocytogenes. In this study, the antimicrobial activity of previously isolated P. pentosaceus C-2-1 was enhanced by ultraviolet (UV) mutagenesis. A positive mutant strain P. pentosaceus C23221 was obtained after 8 rounds of UV irradiation with increased antimicrobial activity of 1448 IU/mL, which was 8.47 folds higher than that of wild-type C-2-1. The genome of strain C23221 and wild-type C-2-1 was compared with identify the key genes for higher activity. The genome of the mutant strain C23221 consists of a chromosome of 1,742,268 bp, with 2052 protein-coding genes, 4 rRNA operons, and 47 tRNA genes, which is 79,769 bp less than the original strain. Compared with strain C-2-1, a total of 19 deduced proteins involved in 47 genes are unique to C23221 analyzed by GO database; the specific ped gene related to bacteriocin biosynthesis were detected using antiSMASH in mutant C23221, indicating mutant C23221 produced a new bacteriocin under mutagenesis conditions. This study provides genetic basis for further constituting a rational strategy to genetically engineer wild-type C-2-1 into an overproducer.

Exosome Derived from Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Cell Exerts Immunomodulatory Effects on B Cells from SLE Patients.

Background: Excessive proliferation and activation of B cells, resulting in the production of various autoantibodies, is a crucial link and significant feature of the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), as well as the pathological basis of systemic multiorgan damage. However, whether exosomes derived from human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hucMSCs-Exo) are involved in the immune regulation of SLE has not been clarified. Objectives: Therefore, our study aimed to investigate the efficacy of hucMSCs-Exo for treating SLE. Methods: hucMSCs-Exo and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of SLE patients were cocultured in vitro, and B cell apoptosis, activation, proliferation, and inflammation levels were detected by flow cytometry. Subsequently, the expression level of miR-155 in B lymphocytes of SLE patients was detected by qRT-PCR, and the target gene relationship between miR-155 and SHIP-1 was found through bioinformatics and dual luciferase activity experiments, which verified the inhibition of miR-155 in B lymphocytes of SLE patients to regulate immunity. Results: We found that hucMSCs-Exo promoted B cell apoptosis, prevented B cell overactivation, and reduced inflammation. MicroRNA-155 (miR-155) has a powerful regulatory function in B cells. It was demonstrated that hucMSCs-Exo acts synergistically with miR-155 inhibitors to target SHIP-1 to B cells more effectively than exosomes alone. Conclusion: Our results provide insight into how hucMSCs-Exo regulates autoimmunity in patients with lupus and suggest targeting miR-155 for autoimmunity while protecting immunity.

The Ovs surface defecting of an S-scheme g-C3N4/H2Ti3O7 nanoheterostructures with accelerated spatial charge transfer.

Semiconductor photocatalysis was a rising star in the sustainable transformation of solar energy for environmental problems governance. Herein, an S-scheme g-C3N4/H2Ti3O7 heterostructure was constructed and applied to tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) destruction. The g-C3N4/H2Ti3O7 composite has a superior photocatalytic property to degrade TCH in contrast with bare g-C3N4 and H2Ti3O7. The 20% g-C3N4/H2Ti3O7 (CNHTO20) composite exhibited the optimum photocatalytic performance, and the degradation efficiency of 20 mg/L TCH reached 87.37% within 3 h (K = 0.572 min-1). The affluent active sites of the g-C3N4 nanosheet and effective interfacial charge separation of the S-scheme pathway facilitated the excellent performance. Moreover, the ample oxygen vacancies (Ovs) act as the electron mediator, not only reducing the band gap energy by producing the formation of defect levels, but also broadening the photo response range and promoting the interfacial charge transfer. The coordination complexes formed between TCH molecules and Ti (IV) ions in CNHTO20 composites induce strong visible light absorption through ligand-metal charge transfer (LMCT). The Ti4+/Ti3+ metal cycle in CNHTO20 was conducive to the separation of the photogenerated electron-hole pairs on the heterojunction interface as well. The ESR characterization and trapping experiments certified that the dominant substances were OH, O2- and h+. The AQY calculated by the COD removal rate was 0.16%. Conclusively, the S-scheme heterojunction between H2Ti3O7 and g-C3N4 enabled the CNHTO photocatalyst with high redox ability and boosted photocatalytic performance accordingly. This study may shed some enlightenment on the construction of heterojunctions and the realistic treatment of wastewater.

Mice learn from the predator-attack experience to accelerate flight behavior via optimizing the strategy of environment exploration.

Efficiently avoiding predators is critical for animal survival. However, little is known about how the experience of predator attack affects behaviors in predator defense. Here, we caught mice by tail to simulate a predator attack. We found that the experienced mice accelerated the flight in response to the visual threaten cue. Single predator attack didn't induce anxiety but increased the activity of innate fear or learning related nucleus. The predator attack induced acceleration of flight was partly rescued when we used drug to block protein synthesis which is critical in the learning process. The experienced mice significantly reduced the focused exploration on the floor during the environment exploration, which might facilitate the discovery of predator. These results suggest that mice could learn from the experience of predator attack to optimize their behavioral pattern to detect the predator cue immediately and response intensely, and therefore increase the probability of survival.

Systematic evaluation of a predator stress model of depression in mice using a hierarchical 3D-motion learning framework.

Investigation of the neurobiology of depression in humans depends on animal models that attempt to mimic specific features of the human disorder. However, frequently-used paradigms based on social stress cannot be easily applied to female mice which has led to a large sex bias in preclinical studies of depression. Furthermore, most studies focus on one or only a few behavioral assessments, with time and practical considerations prohibiting a comprehensive evaluation. In this study, we demonstrate that predator stress effectively induced depression-like behaviors in both male and female mice. By comparing predator stress and social defeat models, we observed that the former elicited a higher level of behavioral despair and the latter elicited more robust social avoidance. Furthermore, the use of machine learning (ML)-based spontaneous behavioral classification can distinguish mice subjected to one type of stress from another, and from non-stressed mice. We show that related patterns of spontaneous behaviors correspond to depression status as measured by canonical depression-like behaviors, which illustrates that depression-like symptoms can be predicted by ML-classified behavior patterns. Overall, our study confirms that the predator stress induced phenotype in mice is a good reflection of several important aspects of depression in humans and illustrates that ML-supported analysis can simultaneously evaluate multiple behavioral alterations in different animal models of depression, providing a more unbiased and holistic approach for the study of neuropsychiatric disorders.

Remaining Useful Life Prediction of Rolling Bearings Based on Multi-Scale Attention Residual Network.

The remaining useful life (RUL) prediction of rolling bearings based on vibration signals has attracted widespread attention. It is not satisfactory to adopt information theory (such as information entropy) to realize RUL prediction for complex vibration signals. Recent research has used more deep learning methods based on the automatic extraction of feature information to replace traditional methods (such as information theory or signal processing) to obtain higher prediction accuracy. Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) based on multi-scale information extraction have demonstrated promising effectiveness. However, the existing multi-scale methods significantly increase the number of model parameters and lack efficient learning mechanisms to distinguish the importance of different scale information. To deal with the issue, the authors of this paper developed a novel feature reuse multi-scale attention residual network (FRMARNet) for the RUL prediction of rolling bearings. Firstly, a cross-channel maximum pooling layer was designed to automatically select the more important information. Secondly, a lightweight feature reuse multi-scale attention unit was developed to extract the multi-scale degradation information in the vibration signals and recalibrate the multi-scale information. Then, end-to-end mapping between the vibration signal and the RUL was established. Finally, extensive experiments were used to demonstrate that the proposed FRMARNet model can improve prediction accuracy while reducing the number of model parameters, and it outperformed other state-of-the-art methods.

G6PD drives glioma invasion by regulating SQSTM1 protein stability.

Glioma is an incurable brain tumor with high recurrence due to the frequent invasion of neoplastic cells. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) is a critical enzyme in the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) whose aberrant expression drives the pathogenesis of various cancers. Recent research has identified other moonlight modes of enzymes besides the well-known regulation of metabolic reprogramming. Here, we identified previously unexplored roles of G6PD in glioma via gene set variation analysis (GSVA) based on the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) database. Furthermore, survival analyses revealed that glioma patients with high G6PD expression had a worse outcome than patients with low G6PD expression (Hazard Ratio (95%CI): 2.96 (2.41, 3.64), p = 3.5E-22). Combined with functional assays, G6PD was shown to be related with the migration and invasion in glioma. G6PD knockdown could inhibit the migration in LN229 cells. And G6PD overexpression enhanced LN229 cell migration and invasion. Mechanically, the knockdown of G6PD reduced sequestosome 1 (SQSTM1) protein stability under cycloheximide (CHX) treatment. Moreover, the overexpression of SQSTM1 rescued the impaired migrated and invasive phenotypes in G6PD-silenced cells. Clinically, we validated the role of G6PD-SQSTM1 axis in glioma prognosis by constructing the multivariate cox proportional hazards regression model. These results define a pivotal function of G6PD in modulating SQSTM1 to promote glioma aggressiveness. And G6PD may be a prognostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target in glioma. G6PD-SQSTM1 axis may be a potential prognostic biomarker in glioma.

Spatial Distribution of Neurons Expressing Single, Double, and Triple Molecular Characteristics of Glutamatergic, Dopaminergic, or GABAergic Neurons in the Mouse Ventral Tegmental Area.

The ventral tegmental area (VTA) is a heterogeneous midbrain area that plays a significant role in diverse neural processes such as reward, aversion, and motivation. The VTA contains three main neuronal populations, namely, dopamine (DA), γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and glutamate neurons, but some neurons exhibit combinatorial molecular characteristics of dopaminergic, GABAergic, or glutamatergic neurons. However, little information is available regarding detailed distribution of neurons with single, double, and triple molecular characteristics of glutamatergic, dopaminergic, or GABAergic neurons in mice. We present a topographical distribution map of three main neuronal populations expressing a single molecular characteristic of dopaminergic, GABAergic, or glutamatergic neurons, and four neuronal populations co-expressing double or triple molecular characteristics in combinatorial manners, in the mouse VTA, following analysis of triple fluorescent in situ hybridization for the simultaneous detection of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH, marker for dopaminergic neurons), vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (VGLUT2, marker for glutamatergic neurons), and glutamic acid decarboxylase 2 (GAD2, marker for GABAergic neurons) mRNA. We found that the vast majority of neurons expressed a single type of mRNA, and these neurons were intermingled with neurons co-expressing double or triple combinations of VGLUT2, TH, or GAD2 in the VTA. These seven neuronal populations were differentially distributed in the VTA sub-nuclei across the rostro-caudal and latero-medial axes. This histochemical study will lead to a deeper understanding of the complexity of neuronal molecular characteristics in different VTA sub-nuclei, and potentially facilitate clarification of diverse functions of the VTA.

Incidence and trends of 17 notifiable bacterial infectious diseases in China, 2004-2019.

BACKGROUND: Certain bacterial infectious diseases are categorized as notifiable infectious diseases in China. Understanding the time-varying epidemiology of bacterial infections diseases can provide scientific evidence to inform prevention and control measures. METHODS: Yearly incidence data for all 17 major notifiable bacterial infectious diseases (BIDs) at the province level were obtained from the National Notifiable Infectious Disease Reporting Information System in China between 2004 and 2019. Of them 16 BIDs are divided into four categories, respiratory transmitted diseases (RTDs, 6 diseases), direct contact/fecal-oral transmitted diseases (DCFTDs, 3 diseases), blood-borne/sexually transmitted diseases (BSTDs, 2 diseases), and zoonotic and vector-borne diseases (ZVDs, 5 diseases), and neonatal tetanus is excluded in the analysis. We characterized the demographic, temporal, and geographical features of the BIDs and examined their changing trends using a joinpoint regression analysis. RESULTS: During 2004‒2019, 28 779 thousand cases of BIDs were reported, with an annualized incidence rate of 134.00 per 100 000. RTDs were the most commonly reported BIDs, accounting for 57.02% of the cases (16 410 639/28 779 000). Average annual percent changes (AAPC) in incidence were - 1.98% for RTDs, - 11.66% for DCFTDs, 4.74% for BSTDs, and 4.46% for ZVDs. Females had a higher incidence of syphilis than males, and other BIDs were more commonly reported in males. Among 0-5-year-olds, the diseases with the largest increases in incidence were pertussis (15.17% AAPC) and scarlet fever (12.05%). Children and students had the highest incidence rates of scarlet fever, pertussis, meningococcal meningitis, and bacillary dysentery. Northwest China had the highest incidence of RTDs, while South and East China had the highest incidences of BSTDs. Laboratory confirmation of BIDs increased from 43.80 to 64.04% during the study period. CONCLUSIONS: RTDs and DCFTDs decreased from 2004 to 2019 in China, while BSTDs and ZVDs increased during the same period. Great attention should be paid to BSTDs and ZVDs, active surveillance should be strengthened, and timely control measures should be adopted to reduce the incidence.

Exploration of spatial heterogeneity of tumor microenvironment in nasopharyngeal carcinoma via transcriptional digital spatial profiling.

The heterogeneity of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) leads to mixed clinical outcomes. We collected 92 regions of interest from 41 biopsies of patients with untreated NPC and obtained their transcripts using GeoMx Digital Spatial Profiling (DSP) technology. Spatial heterogeneity was determined by measuring the expression of marker genes in tumor cell-enriched (PanCK-expressing), immune cell-enriched (CD45-expressing), and normal epithelial (Endo) regions. We screened 16 prognostic markers in tumor cell-enriched regions and 4 prognostic markers in immune cell-enriched regions. The levels of CD8+ T follicular helper T cells, activated NK cells, and M0 macrophage contents were higher in tumor cell-enriched regions than in immune cell-enriched regions. Conversely, plasma cell and M2 macrophage levels were lower. The follicular helper T cells in tumor cell-enriched regions were negatively correlated with resting NK cells and positively correlated with activated NK cells. In immune cell-enriched regions, this relationship was reversed. We also explored the heterogeneity of HLA gene families, immune checkpoints, and metabolism-related genes in the three regions. In tumor cell-enriched regions, we obtained 19 prognosis-related metabolism genes via univariate cox analysis. We used multiplex immunofluorescence to verify the elevated expression of SLC8A1 and MDH1 in immune cell-enriched regions and tumor cell-enriched regions, respectively, both of which were associated with prognosis of NPC. In conclusion, we explored the spatial heterogeneity of the NPC tumor environment and found specific diagnostic and prognostic markers that can be used to differentiate tumor cell-enriched regions from immune cell-enriched regions in NPC.

Predictive factors and prognosis of immune checkpoint inhibitor-related pneumonitis in non-small cell lung cancer patients.

Objective: To investigate the influencing factors and prognosis of immune checkpoint inhibitor-related pneumonitis (CIP) in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients during or after receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors(ICIs). Methods: The clinical and laboratory indicator data of 222 advanced NSCLC patients treated with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University between December 2017 and November 2021 were collected retrospectively. The patients were divided into a CIP group (n=41) and a non-CIP group (n=181) according to whether they developed CIP or not before the end of follow-up. Logistic regression was used to evaluate risk factors of CIP, and Kaplan‒Meier curves were used to describe the overall survival (OS) of different groups. The log-rank test was used to compare the survival of different groups. Results: There were 41 patients who developed CIP, and the incidence rate of CIP was 18.5%. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that low pretreatment hemoglobin (HB) and albumin (ALB) levels were independent risk factors for CIP. Univariate analysis suggested that history of chest radiotherapy was related to the incidence of CIP. The median OS of the CIP group and non-CIP were 15.63 months and 30.50 months (HR:2.167; 95%CI: 1.355-3.463, P<0.05), respectively. Univariate and multivariate COX analyses suggested that a high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) level, a low ALB level and the development of CIP were independent prognostic factors for worse OS of advanced NSCLC patients treated with ICIs. Additionally, the early-onset and high-grade CIP were related to shorter OS in the subgroup. Conclusion: Lower pretreatment HB and ALB levels were independent risk factors for CIP. A high NLR level, a low ALB level and the development of CIP were independent risk factors for the prognosis of advanced NSCLC patients treated with ICIs.

An analysis of socioeconomic factors on multiple chronic conditions and its economic burden: evidence from the National Health Service Survey in Yunnan Province, China.

Background: The economic burden of multiple chronic conditions (MCCs) and its socio-economic influencing factors have widely raised public concerns. However, there are few large population-based studies on these problems in China. Our study aims at determining the economic burden of MCCs and associated factors specific to multimorbidity among middle-aged and older individuals. Methods: As our study population, we extracted all 11,304 participants over 35 years old from the 2018 National Health Service Survey (NHSS) in Yunnan. Economic burden and socio-demographic characteristics were analyzed with descriptive statistics. Chi-square test and generalized estimating equations (GEE) regression models were used to identify influencing factors. Results: The prevalence of chronic diseases was 35.93% in 11,304 participants and the prevalence of MCCs increased with age, was 10.12%. Residents who lived in rural areas were more likely to report MCCs than those who lived in urban areas (adjusted OR = 1.347, 97.5% CI: 1.116-1.626). Ethnic minority groups were less likely to report MCCs than those of Han (OR = 0.752, 97.5% CI: 0.601-0.942). Overweight or obese people were more likely to report MCCs than people with normal weight (OR = 1.317, 97.5% CI: 1.099-1.579). The per capita expenses of 2 weeks' illness, per capita hospitalization expenses, annual household income, annual household expenses, and annual household medical expenses of MCCs were ¥292.90 (±1427.80), ¥4804.22 (±11851.63), ¥51064.77 (±52158.76), ¥41933.50 (±39940.02) and ¥11724.94 (±11642.74), respectively. The per capita expenses of 2 weeks' illness, per capita hospitalization expenses, annual household income, annual household cost, and annual household medical expenses of hypertensive co-diabetic patients were more compared to those with other three comorbidity modes. Conclusion: The prevalence of MCCs was relatively high among middle-aged and older individuals in Yunnan, China, which bought a heavy economic burden. This encourages policy makers and health providers to pay more attention to the behavioral/lifestyle factors, that contribute to multimorbidity to a great extent. Furthermore, health promotion and education in terms of MCCs need to be prioritized in Yunnan.

Evolution-communication spiking neural P systems with energy request rules.

Evolution-communication spiking neural P systems with energy request rules (ECSNP-ER systems) are proposed and developed as a new variant of evolution-communication spiking neural P systems. In ECSNP-ER systems, in addition to spike-evolution rules and spike-communication rules, neurons also have energy request rules. Energy request rules are used to obtain energy from the environment needed for spike evolution and communication in neurons. The definition, structure and operations of ECSNP-ER systems are presented in detail. ECSNP-ER systems are proved to have the same computing capabilities as Turing machines by using them as number generating/accepting devices and function computing devices. Working non-deterministically, ECSNP-ER systems are used to solve NP-complete problems, using the SAT problem as an example, in linear time.