Potential impact of platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio on prognosis in patients with colorectal cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundNumerous studies have confirmed that inflammation promotes the occurrence, development and prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC).ObjectiveThis study focuses on the potentially prognostic value of the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in CRC patients.Data SourcesThis study was registered at PROSPERO (ID: CRD42020219215). Relative studies were searched on PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, and clinical trial databases by two back-to-back reviewers. Study Selection and Intervention: Studies were screened according to the predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria, comparing prognosis differences between low PLR levels and high PLR levels for CRC patients. Main Outcome Measures: Studies were integrated and compared to analyze the value of PLR in predicting overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), disease-free survival (DFS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) of CRC. Results: Outcomes were compared using Review Manager (version 5.4) software from Cochrane Collaboration. A total of 27 literary works, including 13,330 patients, were incorporated into our study. The final results showed that higher PLR levels had worse OS (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.40, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.21–1.62, P < 0.00001), DFS (HR = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.09–1.90, P = 0.01) and RFS (HR = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.13–1.94, P = 0.005) than lower PLR levels, respectively. However, there was no evidence of significance for PFS (HR = 1.14, 95% CI = 0.84–1.54, P = 0.40) and CSS (HR = 1.16, 95% CI = 0.88–1.53, P = 0.28) in the final meta-analysis.LimitationsOur study has the following limitations. First of all, we only included literature published in English, which means that some publication bias may be inevitable. In addition, our study used aggregate data, not individual data; furthermore, we did not define the exact cut-off value representing the PLR level.ConclusionAn elevated PLR seems to be an adverse prognostic factor affecting survival outcomes in patients with CRC. Meanwhile, more prospective studies are required to confirm our conclusion.PROSPERO ID: CRD42020219215

Postoperative ecchymoma of eyelid after botulinum toxin injection for hemifacial spasm: a case report

Hemifacial spasm (HFS) is a rare movement disorder characterized by involuntary muscle contractions on one side of the face. Compared to the high therapeutic effect, adverse effects of botulinum toxin treatment for HFS occurred rarely. However, managing HFS patients who are also taking antithrombotic drugs poses a challenge. Here, we present a case of postoperative ecchymoma of the eyelid following a botulinum toxin injection in a patient receiving daily vinpocetine and aspirin antiplatelet therapy. This case highlights the importance of considering the potential risks and formulating a treatment plan that maximizes benefit while minimizing complications in HFS patients undergoing botulinum toxin injections and taking antithrombotic medications. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of postoperative ecchymoma of the eyelid following a botulinum toxin injection. Further research and additional case reports are needed to better understand the management strategies for this patient population

The Local Origin of the Tibetan Pig and Additional Insights into the Origin of Asian Pigs

BACKGROUND: The domestic pig currently indigenous to the Tibetan highlands is supposed to have been introduced during a continuous period of colonization by the ancestors of modern Tibetans. However, there is no direct genetic evidence of either the local origin or exotic migration of the Tibetan pig. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We analyzed mtDNA hypervariable segment I (HVI) variation of 218 individuals from seven Tibetan pig populations and 1,737 reported mtDNA sequences from domestic pigs and wild boars across Asia. The Bayesian consensus tree revealed a main haplogroup M and twelve minor haplogroups, which suggested a large number of small scale in situ domestication episodes. In particular, haplogroups D1 and D6 represented two highly divergent lineages in the Tibetan highlands and Island Southeastern Asia, respectively. Network analysis of haplogroup M further revealed one main subhaplogroup M1 and two minor subhaplogroups M2 and M3. Intriguingly, M2 was mainly distributed in Southeastern Asia, suggesting for a local origin. Similar with haplogroup D6, M3 was mainly restricted in Island Southeastern Asia. This pattern suggested that Island Southeastern Asia, but not Southeastern Asia, might be the center of domestication of the so-called Pacific clade (M3 and D6 here) described in previous studies. Diversity gradient analysis of major subhaplogroup M1 suggested three local origins in Southeastern Asia, the middle and downstream regions of the Yangtze River, and the Tibetan highlands, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We identified two new origin centers for domestic pigs in the Tibetan highlands and in the Island Southeastern Asian region

Exploring improvement of impervious surface estimation at national scale through integration of nighttime light and Proba-V data

Directly mapping impervious surface area (ISA) at national and global scales using nighttime light data is a challenge due to the complexity of land surface components and the impacts of unbalanced economic conditions. Previous research mainly used the coarse spatial resolution Defense Meteorological Satellite Program’s Operational Linescan System (DMSP OLS) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data for ISA mapping; the improved spatial resolution and data quality in the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership, Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite’s Day/Night Band (VIIRS DNB) and in Proba-V data provide a new opportunity to accurately map ISA distribution at the national scale, which has not been explored yet. This research aimed to develop a new index – modified impervious surface index (MISI) – based on VIIRS DNB and Proba-V data to improve ISA estimation and to compare the results with those from the combination of VIIRS DNB and MODIS NDVI data. Landsat data were used to develop ISA data for the typical sites for use as reference data. Regression analysis was used to establish the ISA estimation model in which the dependent variable was from the Landsat data and the independent variable was from the MISI, as well as the previously used Large-scale Impervious Surface Index (LISI). The results indicate that the major error is from the very small or very large proportion of ISA in a unit; improvement of spatial resolution through use of higher spatial resolution nighttime light data (e.g., VIIRS DNB) or NDVI (e.g., Proba-V NDVI) data is an effective approach to improve ISA estimation. Although different indices for the combination of nighttime light and NDVI data have been used, the MISI is especially valuable for reducing the estimation errors for the regions with a small or large ISA proportion

Mapping impervious surface distribution in China using multi-source remotely sensed data

Impervious surface area (ISA) data are required for such studies as urban environmental modeling, hydrological modeling, and socioeconomic analysis, but updating these datasets in a large area remains a challenge due to the complex urban landscapes consisting of different materials and colors with various spatial patterns. This research explores the integration of multi-source remotely sensed data for mapping China’s ISA distribution at 30-m spatial resolution. The integration of Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite Day/Night Band (VIIRS DNB) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data were used to extract initial ISA with spatial resolution of 250 m using a thresholding approach. The Landsat-derived NDVI and Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI) were used to remove vegetation and water areas from the mixed pixels that existed in the initial ISA data. The spectral signatures of these ISA data were further extracted from Landsat multispectral images and used to refine the ISA data using expert knowledge. The results indicate that the integration of multi-source data can successfully map ISA distribution with 30-m spatial resolution in China with producer’s and user’s accuracies of 83.1 and 91.9%, respectively. These ISA data are valuable for better management of urban landscapes and for use as an input in other studies such as socioeconomic and environmental modeling

A review of Mn-based catalysts for low-temperature NH3-SCR: NOx removal and H2O/SO2 resistance

The development of high-efficiency catalysts is the key to the low-temperature NH3-SCR technology. The introduction of SO2 and H2O will lead to poisoning and deactivation of the catalysts, which severely limits the development and application of NH3-SCR technology. This review introduces the necessity of NOx removal, explains the mechanisms of H2O and SO2 poisoning on NH3-SCR catalysts, highlights the Mn-based catalysts of different active metals and supports and their resistance to H2O and SO2, and analyses the relationship between metal modification, selection of support and preparation method, morphology and structure design and SO2/H2O resistance. Given the current problems, this review points out the future research focus of Mn-based catalysts and also puts forward corresponding countermeasures to solve the existing problems