Combined SBAS-InSAR and PSO-RF Algorithm for Evaluating the Susceptibility Prediction of Landslide in Complex Mountainous Area: A Case Study of Ludian County, China.

In complex mountainous areas where earthquakes are frequent, landslide hazards pose a significant threat to human life and property due to their high degree of concealment, complex development mechanism, and abrupt nature. In view of the problems of the existing landslide hazard susceptibility evaluation model, such as poor effectiveness and inaccuracy of landslide hazard data and the need for experts to participate in the calculation of a large number of evaluation factor weight classification statistics. In this paper, a combined SBAS-InSAR (Small Baseline Subsets-Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) and PSO-RF (Particle Swarm Optimization-Random Forest) algorithm was proposed to evaluate the susceptibility of landslide hazards in complex mountainous regions characterized by frequent earthquakes, deep river valleys, and large terrain height differences. First, the SBAS-InSAR technique was used to invert the surface deformation rates of the study area and identified potential landslide hazards. Second, the study area was divided into 412,585 grid cells, and the 16 selected environmental factors were analyzed comprehensively to identify the most effective evaluation factors. Last, 2722 landslide (1361 grid cells) and non-landslide (1361 grid cells) grid cells in the study area were randomly divided into a training dataset (70%) and a test dataset (30%). By analyzing real landslide and non-landslide data, the performances of the PSO-RF algorithm and three other machine learning algorithms, BP (back propagation), SVM (support vector machines), and RF (random forest) algorithms were compared. The results showed that 329 potential landslide hazards were updated using the surface deformation rates and existing landslide cataloguing data. Furthermore, the area under the curve (AUC) value and the accuracy (ACC) of the PSO-RF algorithm were 0.9567 and 0.8874, which were higher than those of the BP (0.8823 and 0.8274), SVM (0.8910 and 0.8311), and RF (0.9293 and 0.8531), respectively. In conclusion, the method put forth in this paper can be effectively updated landslide data sources and implemented a susceptibility prediction assessment of landslide disasters in intricate mountainous areas. The findings can serve as a strong reference for the prevention of landslide hazards and decision-making mitigation by government departments.

In vitro assessment of cytotoxicity of spent fluid catalytic cracking refinery catalysts on cell lines and identification of critical toxic metals.

The Purpose of the present study was to quantify the responses of ten cell lines (HeLa, HepG2, HEK293, MDA-MB-231, A498, A549, A357, 3 T3, BALB-C3 T3, and NIH-3 T3) to spent fluid catalytic cracking catalysts (SFCCCs) from different petroleum refineries, and relate these responses to metal concentrations of SFCCC leachates (SFCCCLs). Cytotoxicity of SFCCCs were significantly different depending on cell lines. A357 and 3 T3 cell were the most sensitive, and A498 and HeLa cells were the least sensitive. HEK293 cells showed the least fluctuation in toxic response to different SFCCCLs among all cells. Cytotoxic IC50 values of SFCCCs to 7 kinds of cells were the most correlated with vanadium (V) concentration in SFCCCLs. V is the most critical toxic factor of SFCCC. Glutathione synthesis was induced in HepG2 cells exposed to higher concentrations of SFCCCLs. SFCCCLs with low concentration of V can induce the decrease of GSH/GSSG ratio in HepG2 cells, suggesting that high concentration of V inhibits the detoxification of glutathione.

Exploring the mechanism of Erchen decoction in the treatment of atherosclerosis based on network pharmacology and molecular docking.

BACKGROUND: Atherosclerosis (AS) is the cause of most cardiovascular diseases and imposes a huge economic burden on society. Erchen decoction (ECD) is an effective formula for treating AS, but its therapeutic mechanism remains unclear. This study will explore the mechanism of ECD mechanism for treating AS using network pharmacology and molecular docking. METHODS: We searched ECD chemical composition information and related targets via Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform and SwissTargetPrediction databases, and gene names correction was performed using the UniProt database. AS-related targets were retrieved from OMIM, GeneCards, and DrugBank databases, and Venny 2.1 were used for intersection analysis. Protein-protein interaction network was constructed by the STRING database, and an interactive network of the drug-component-target-disease was drawn using the Cytoscape 3.9.0 software. Gene ontology and Kyoto Gene and Genome Encyclopedia enrichment analysis were performed by the DAVID database, and molecular docking validation of vital active ingredients and action targets of ECD was performed using AutoDock Vina software. RESULTS: The 127 active components of ECD act on AS by regulating 231 targets and 151 pathways. The 6 core components are quercetin, polyporenic acid C, 18α-hydroxyglycyrrhetic acid, glyuranolide, 3beta-hydroxychloroxy-24-methylene-8-lanostene-21-oic acid, and obacunone. They may regulate AS by regulating core target genes, such as JUN, SRC, AKT1, PTGS2, ESR1, AR, MAPK1, MAPK3, and RELA, and acting on multiple vital pathways, such as AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications, Lipid and AS, and Fluid shear stress and AS. Molecular docking showed that the selected target protein had good binding activity to the active ingredient. CONCLUSIONS: ECD has the characteristics of multi-components, multi-targets and multi-pathways in the treatment of AS. The results provide a theoretical basis for the clinical application of ECD and its mechanism.

Assessment of the relationship between telomere length and atherosclerosis: A Mendelian randomization study.

To evaluate the causal relationship between genetically determined telomere length (TL) and atherosclerosis (AS). We performed a 2-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study to assess the potential causal relationship between TL and AS (coronary AS, cerebral AS, peripheral atherosclerosis (PAD), and AS, excluding cerebral, coronary, and PAD). The TL phenotype contained 472,174 participants, and the 4 subtypes of AS had 361,194, 218,792, 168,832, and 213,140 participants, all of European ancestries. The single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of TL strongly associated with the 4 atherosclerotic subtypes included in this study were 101, 92, 91, and 92, respectively. The odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (CI) between TL and coronary AS calculated using inverse variance weighted (IVW) were 0.993 (0.988, 0.997), and the results were statistically significant (P < .05). The results between TL and cerebral AS, PAD, and AS (excluding cerebral, coronary, and PAD) were not statistically significant (P > .05). "Egger-intercept test" showed that there was no horizontal pleiotropy (P > .05); "leave-one-out analysis" sensitivity analysis showed that the results were stable and there were no instrumental variables with strong effects on the results; "MR- pleiotropy residual sum and outlier (PRESSO) test" showed 1 outlier for coronary AS and no outliers for the remaining subgroups. The results of the 2-sample MR analysis showed a causal association between TL and coronary AS but not with cerebral AS, PAD, and AS (excluding cerebral, coronary, and PAD). This may elucidate the observation that various vascular regions can be affected by AS but highlights the propensity of coronary arteries to be more susceptible to AS development.

Radiolabeling and Preliminary Evaluation of 99mTc-Labeled DNA Cube Nanoparticles as Potential Tracers for SPECT Imaging.

PURPOSE: DNA nanostructures, with the advantages of structural designability and spatial addressability, have shown a great potential in the field of drug delivery and bio-medicine. Herein, we aimed to prepare technetium-99m radiolabeled DNA cube nanoparticles (99mTc-DCN) and expect to build a DCN-based drug carrier and nuclear medicine imaging platform. METHODS: DCN could be readily assembled with 6 designed DNA oligonucleotides at an equal mole ratio in a single annealing procedure. 99mTc-MAG3-ssDNA (A20) was obtained by labeling MAG3-ssDNA (A20) with technetium-99m by using a stannous chloride reduction method. 99mTc-DCN was prepared by hybridize DCN with side chains (T20-DCN) with 99mTc-MAG3-ssDNA (A20). The biodistribution study and SPECT/CT imaging were conducted on KM mice. RESULTS: DCN was successfully assembled, and as-prepared DCN was characterized by native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, atomic force microscope and fluorescence resonance energy transfer. The size of DCN was about 5 nm. The radiolabeling yield of 99mTc-MAG3-ssDNA (A20) was approximately 90% by radio thin-layer chromatography. T20-DCN mixed with 99mTc-MAG3-ssDNA (A20) in PBS could generate 99mTc-DCN upon hybridization. The retention time (RT) of 99mTc-MAG3-ssDNA (A20) was at ~22 min, and the RT of as-prepared 99mTc-DCN was at ~12 min by radio-HPLC. The results from biodistribution study and SPECT/CT imaging showed that a significant proportion of DCNs were metabolized through the liver and kidney. Intestine exhibited a relatively indicative signal as well, which might be explained by the enterohepatic circulation of DCN via the liver and gallbladder. CONCLUSION: We have successfully prepared 99mTc-DCN as a SPECT/CT imaging probe via the side-chain hybridization strategy. The probe was metabolized mainly by the liver and excreted primarily to the bladder. Due to the superior properties of DNA cube nanoparticles, we believe DCN may potentially be translated into a preclinical setting for diagnosis and treatment of cancer-related diseases.

China county-based demographics, clinical characteristics, treatment patterns, and health resource consumption analysis for diabetes.

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis and treatment of diabetes depends on reasonable chronic disease management. Compared with urban areas, county areas are high-risk areas for chronic disease patients, due to the low awareness of chronic disease, poor treatment compliance with chronic disease, low drug persistence, and low cure rate. Therefore, more attention should be paid to chronic disease management in county areas. METHODS: This retrospective, observational study was conducted at the Yun county medical community, Yun county, Yunan province. Data were collected from the medical records of diabetic patients from July 2017 to Aug 2020. The primary outcome variable was the proportion of patients with diabetic complications in county areas. The secondary outcome variables were demographics and clinical characteristics of diabetic patients in county areas, achievement of the HbA1c target, and clinical inertia of diabetic patients in county areas. Comparisons of the simple diabetes group and the diabetic kidney disease (DKD) group in terms of demographics, clinical characteristics, treatment patterns, and health resource consumption were also conducted. A series of appropriate statistical tests were applied to the study population to examine the various outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 9,721 type 2 diabetic patients were included for the study analysis. Diabetic retinopathy (11.83%), cerebrovascular disease (10.31%), and DKD (9.29%) were the 3 most common complications in overall admissions. Among the 1,347 patients with HbA1c test results, 536 (39.8%) patients achieved the HbA1c target, while 566 (87.62%) of the 661 patients who did not achieve the HbA1c target had clinical inertia during the next 6 months. Compared with simple diabetes patients, patients with DKD had a higher age, wider coverage of medical insurance, and longer duration of diabetes, and were more likely to be complicated with hyperuricemia, dyslipidemia, and hypertension. Regular insulin, metformin, alpha-glucosidase inhibitor, and sulfonylurea were the most widely used antidiabetic drugs in patients with DKD. The health resources consumption also significantly increased. CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of complications in diabetic patients is high in county areas, and blood glucose control is still insufficient. Chronic complications are the key reasons for the decrease in quality of life and high medical costs.

Perfect pair, scopes unite - laparoscopic-assisted transumbilical gastroscopy for gallbladder-preserving polypectomy: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Gallbladder polyps are one indication for cholecystectomy, but this procedure carries some disadvantages, including the potential for severe injury and high risk of post-operative complications. Laparoscopy combined with endoscopic surgery is a minimally invasive treatment option. We herein report a young patient with a gallbladder polyp who was successfully discharged from the hospital after laparoscopic-assisted endoscopy. This procedure may offer an alternative in the management of such lesions. CASE SUMMARY: A 24-year-old female patient was hospitalized primarily for a gallbladder polyp. Due to the surgical risk associated with cholecystectomy and the low post-operative quality of life, the woman underwent laparoscopic-assisted transumbilical gastroscopy for gallbladder-preserving polypectomy under endotracheal intubation and general anaesthesia. The operation went smoothly. CONCLUSION: We conclude laparoscopic-assisted transumbilical gastroscopy for gallbladder-preserving polypectomy is a safe and effective technique for the treatment of gallbladder polyps.

AIB1 predicts tumor response to definitive chemoradiotherapy and prognosis in cervical squamous cell carcinoma.

Amplified in breast cancer 1 (AIB1) gene, has been reported to be associated with biological malignancy in several cancers. However, the molecular status of the AIB1 gene in cervical cancer and the clinicopathological/prognostic significance of AIB1 expression in chemoradiotherapy (CRT) sensitivity have not been determined. In our present study, we found that the high expression of AIB1 was frequent detected in specimens of cervical cancer patients, and this was significantly correlated with CRT response (P = 0.014), clinical stage (P = 0.003), T status (P = 0.027), N status (P = 0.021), M status (P = 0.015) and progression-free survival (P < 0.001). Moreover, the clonogenic survival fraction and cell apoptosis experiments showed that knockdown of AIB1 substantially increased cervical cancer cells sensitivity to ionizing radiation (IR) or cisplatin/5-fluorouracil. Collectively, our results demonstrated that the high expression of AIB1 in cervical cancer cells contributes to the resistance to CRT, which provides the evidence that AIB1 may be a promising predictor of aggressive cervical cancer patients with poor response to CRT.

The Association Between MGMT Promoter Methylation and Patients with Gastric Cancer: A Meta-Analysis.

AIMS: Several previous studies have suggested that MGMT promoter methylation is significantly associated with gastric cancer, but the results were not consistent. Hence, we conducted a systematic meta-analysis to explore the potential correlation of MGMT promoter methylation with gastric cancer and its clinicopathologic characteristics. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Searches of PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) literature databases were conducted to identify relevant studies published in English or Chinese before July 1, 2016. The meta-analysis was performed using Stata 12.0 software. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to assess the association between MGMT promoter methylation and gastric cancer. We also conducted a subgroup analysis and metaregression to explore sources of heterogeneity. RESULTS: We identified 12 articles that met the inclusion criteria. The 12 articles described 14 studies that included 1571 tumor tissues and 1243 controls. The meta-analysis results demonstrated that the frequency of MGMT promoter methylation was higher in gastric cancer tissues compared with adjacent tissues and normal tissues (OR = 4.06, 95% CI: 2.55-6.46, p < 0.001; OR = 8.85, 95% CI: 1.15-68.23, p = 0.036; respectively). An assessment of the correlation between MGMT promoter methylation and clinicopathological characteristics indicated that MGMT promoter hypermethylation was significantly associated with tumor-node-metastasis stage, lymph node metastasis, and distant metastasis (OR = 2.11, 95% CI: 1.18-3.75, p = 0.011; OR = 1.99, 95% CI: 1.47-2.68, p < 0.001; and OR = 3.60, 95% CI: 2.17-5.95, p < 0.001; respectively). CONCLUSION: Our findings provide evidence that MGMT promoter methylation could play an important role in gastric carcinogenesis and may serve as an important biomarker for gastric cancer progression.

Dynamic observation of 18F-FDG uptake after oral administration in a healthy subject.

PET with (18)F-FDG is a widely used imaging modality in cancer patients. Traditionally, (18)F-FDG is administrated intravenously. However, patients with difficult venous access are not rare in clinical practice. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the dynamic process of (18)F-FDG distribution after oral administration in order to determine the optimal imaging acquisition time in human subjects. On the basis of tissue time-activity curves, we determined the time that was required to reach 90% of the maximal uptake in target organs. In a 50-y-old healthy subject with oral (18)F-FDG administration, we found that (18)F-FDG uptake maximized at 60 min for most organs except for the gray matter of the brain, which continued to accumulate (18)F-FDG after 60 min. Time to 90% was 22 min for liver, 36 min for kidneys, 48 min for myocardium, 50 min for bladder, 56 min for sigmoid colon, and greater than 61 min for gray matter of the brain. We suggest that PET images be acquired at around 60 min after oral (18)F-FDG administration for most organs. For the brain, a longer interval is required before acquisition.

[Emissions of greenhouse gas and ammonia from the full process of sewage sludge composting and land application of compost].

There is a great uncertainty of greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction and nitrogen conservation from the full process of sludge composting and land application of compost in China due to the lack of emission data of GHG such as N2O and CH4 and ammonia (NH3). The purpose of this study is to get emission characteristics of GHGs and NH3 from the full process with on-site observation. Results showed that the total GHG emission factor from full process of the turning windrow (TW) system (eCO2/dry sludge, 196.21 kg x t(-1)) was 1.61 times higher of that from the ATP system. Among the full process, N2O was mostly from the land application of compost, whereas CH4 mainly resulted from the sludge composting. In the sludge composting of ATP, the GHG emission equivalence of the ATP (eCO2/dry sludge, 12.47 kg x t(-1) was much lower than that of the TW (eCO2/dry sludge, 86.84 kg x t(-1)). The total NH3 emission factor of the TW (NH3/dry sludge, 6.86 kg x t(-1)) was slightly higher than that of the ATP (NH3/dry sludge, 6.63 kg x t(-1)). NH3 was the major contributor of nitrogen loss in the full process. During the composting, the nitrogen loss as NH3 from both TW and ATP was nearly the same as 30% of TN loss from raw materials, and the N and C loss caused by N2O and CH4 were negligible. These results clearly showed that the ATP was a kind of environmentally friendly composting technology.