New pressure-temperature-time constraints on initial India-Asia collision from eastern Himalayan syntaxis eclogite-facies metamorphic rocks

Eclogite-facies rocks exposed within the Himalayan Range can be used to constrain the timing and characteristics of the India–Asia collision, which remain strongly debated. Many collision-related high- and ultrahigh-pressure lithologies are exposed around the western Himalaya; however, the rarity of similar units in the eastern Himalaya limits our understanding of the along-strike geodynamic evolution of India–Asia collision and the characteristics of the subducted India plate. Here, we document collision-related, low-temperature eclogite-facies metapelites from the easternmost Indus-Yarlung suture zone, which retain vital records of the timing of the initial India–Asia collision in this region. Petrology and phase diagram modeling indicate that the metapelite experienced cold subduction along a low thermal gradient (∼12 °C/km), reaching peak low-temperature eclogite-facies conditions (ca. 1.5 GPa and 590 °C), and was retrogressed to amphibolite-facies conditions during exhumation. Zircon and monazite U–Th–Pb chronology reveals new eclogite-facies ages of ca. 47 Ma, constraining collision of the Indian and Asian continents in the eastern Himalayan syntaxis at ca. 50 Ma, which is consistent with the timing in the western Himalaya and east-central Himalaya. This demonstrates that the initial India–Asia collision occurred quasi-synchronously along orogenic strike, although the maximum depth of subduction of continental material differed. Moreover, the subduction dynamics of continental crust within the collisional orogen exhibit pronounced lateral heterogeneity. These findings further demonstrate a significant change in slab dip angle, convergence velocity, and/or lithospheric strength along strike during closure of the Neo-Tethys Ocean, which must be considered in future geodynamic simulations of the evolution of the orogen

Methylcap-Seq Reveals Novel DNA Methylation Markers for the Diagnosis and Recurrence Prediction of Bladder Cancer in a Chinese Population

PURPOSE: There is a need to supplement or supplant the conventional diagnostic tools, namely, cystoscopy and B-type ultrasound, for bladder cancer (BC). We aimed to identify novel DNA methylation markers for BC through genome-wide profiling of BC cell lines and subsequent methylation-specific PCR (MSP) screening of clinical urine samples. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: The methyl-DNA binding domain (MBD) capture technique, methylCap/seq, was performed to screen for specific hypermethylated CpG islands in two BC cell lines (5637 and T24). The top one hundred hypermethylated targets were sequentially screened by MSP in urine samples to gradually narrow the target number and optimize the composition of the diagnostic panel. The diagnostic performance of the obtained panel was evaluated in different clinical scenarios. RESULTS: A total of 1,627 hypermethylated promoter targets in the BC cell lines was identified by Illumina sequencing. The top 104 hypermethylated targets were reduced to eight genes (VAX1, KCNV1, ECEL1, TMEM26, TAL1, PROX1, SLC6A20, and LMX1A) after the urine DNA screening in a small sample size of 8 normal control and 18 BC subjects. Validation in an independent sample of 212 BC patients enabled the optimization of five methylation targets, including VAX1, KCNV1, TAL1, PPOX1, and CFTR, which was obtained in our previous study, for BC diagnosis with a sensitivity and specificity of 88.68% and 87.25%, respectively. In addition, the methylation of VAX1 and LMX1A was found to be associated with BC recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: We identified a promising diagnostic marker panel for early non-invasive detection and subsequent BC surveillance

Rapamycin protects kidney against ischemia reperfusion injury through recruitment of NKT cells

BACKGROUND: NKT cells play a protective role in ischemia reperfusion (IR) injury, of which the trafficking in the body and recruitment in injured organs can be influenced by immunosuppressive therapy. Therefore, we investigated the effects of rapamycin on kidneys exposed to IR injury in early stage and on trafficking of NKT cells in a murine model. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Balb/c mice were subjected to kidney 30 min ischemia followed by 24 h reperfusion. Rapamycin (2.5 ml/kg) was administered by gavage daily, starting 1 day before the operation. Renal function and histological changes were assessed. The proportion of NKT cells in peripheral blood, spleen and kidney was detected by flow cytometry. The chemokines and corresponding receptor involved in NKT cell trafficking were determined by RT-PCR and flow cytometry respectively. RESULTS: Rapamycin significantly improved renal function and ameliorated histological injury. In rapamycin-treated group, the proportion of NKT cells in spleen was significantly decreased but increased in peripheral blood and kidney. In addition, the CXCR3(+) NKT cell in the kidney increased remarkably in the rapamycin-treated group. The chemokines, CXCL9 and CXCL10, as the ligands of CXCR3, were also increased in the rapamycin-treated kidney. CONCLUSIONS: Rapamycin may recruit NKT cells from spleen to the IR-induced kidney to ameliorate renal IR injury in the early stage

Primary gastric non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in Chinese patients: clinical characteristics and prognostic factors

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Optimal management and outcome of primary gastric lymphoma (PGL) have not been well defined in the rituximab era. This study aimed to analyze the clinical characteristics, prognostic factors, and roles of different treatment modalities in Chinese patients with PGL.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The clinicopathological features of 83 Chinese patients with PGL were retrospectively reviewed. Staging was performed according to the Lugano staging system for gastrointestinal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The predominant pathologic subtype among Chinese patients with PGL in our study was diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL), followed by mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma. Among the 57 patients with gastric DLBCL, 20 patients (35.1%) were classified as the germinal center B cell-like (GCB) subtype and 37 patients (64.9%) as the non-GCB subtype. The 83 patients had a five-year overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) of 52% and 59%, respectively. Cox regression analysis showed that stage-modified international prognostic index (IPI) and performance status (PS) were independent predictors of survival. In the 67 B-cell lymphoma patients who received chemotherapy, 36 patients treated with rituximab (at least 3 cycles) had a mean OS of 72 months (95% CI 62-81) versus 62 months (95% CI 47-76) for patients without rituximab treatment (P = 0.021).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The proportion of Chinese gastric DLBCL cases with non-GCB subtype was higher than the GCB subtype. Stage-modified IPI and PS were effective prognostic factors in Chinese patients with PGL. Our data suggested that primary gastric B-cell lymphoma might have an improved outcome with rituximab in addition to chemotherapy. More studies are necessary, preferentially large prospective randomized clinical trials to obtain more information on the impact of the rituximab in the primary gastric B-cell lymphoma.</p

Machine Learning Model for Complete Reconstruction of Diagnostic Polarimetric Images from partial Mueller polarimetry data

The translation of imaging Mueller polarimetry to clinical practice is often hindered by large footprint and relatively slow acquisition speed of the existing instruments. Using polarization-sensitive camera as a detector may reduce instrument dimensions and allow data streaming at video rate. However, only the first three rows of a complete 4x4 Mueller matrix can be measured. To overcome this hurdle we developed a machine learning approach using sequential neural network algorithm for the reconstruction of missing elements of a Mueller matrix from the measured elements of the first three rows. The algorithm was trained and tested on the dataset of polarimetric images of various excised human tissues (uterine cervix, colon, skin, brain) acquired with two different imaging Mueller polarimeters operating in either reflection (wide-field imaging system) or transmission (microscope) configurations at different wavelengths of 550 nm and 385 nm, respectively. The reconstruction performance was evaluated using various error metrics, all of which confirmed low error values. The execution time of the trained neural network algorithm was about 300 microseconds for a single image pixel. It suggests that a machine learning approach with parallel processing of all image pixels combined with the partial Mueller polarimeter operating at video rate can effectively substitute for the complete Mueller polarimeter and produce accurate maps of depolarization, linear retardance and orientation of the optical axis of biological tissues, which can be used for medical diagnosis in clinical settings

Epidemiology and clinical course of COVID-19 in Shanghai, China.

Background: Novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) is prevalent around the world. We aimed to describe epidemiological features and clinical course in Shanghai. Methods: We retrospectively analysed 325 cases admitted at Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, between January 20 and February 29, 2020. Results: 47.4% (154/325) had visited Wuhan within 2 weeks of illness onset. 57.2% occurred in 67 clusters; 40% were situated within 53 family clusters. 83.7% developed fever during the disease course. Median times from onset to first medical care, hospitalization and negative detection of nucleic acid by nasopharyngeal swab were 1, 4 and 8 days. Patients with mild disease using glucocorticoid tended to have longer viral shedding in blood and feces. At admission, 69.8% presented with lymphopenia and 38.8% had elevated D-dimers. Pneumonia was identified in 97.5% (314/322) of cases by chest CT scan. Severe-critical patients were 8% with a median time from onset to critical disease of 10.5 days. Half required oxygen therapy and 7.1% high-flow nasal oxygen. The case fatality rate was 0.92% with median time from onset to death of 16 days. Conclusion: COVID-19 cases in Shanghai were imported. Rapid identification, and effective control measures helped to contain the outbreak and prevent community transmission

Research history, progress and prospects on the subduction erosion

Subduction erosion refers to the tectonic process where the subducting plate removes material from the overlying plate and transports it into the deep mantle. Previous research has indicated that subduction erosion is a widespread and important geodynamic process in the Cenozoic circum-Pacific subduction zones, and it also play an important role in the deformation of active continental margins, the generation of magmatic arcs, metallogenesis, crust-mantle material recycling, and the growth and evolution of continental crust. Basing on reviewing the previous research history, this paper succinctly delineates the fundamental model and controlling factors of subduction erosion and systematically summarizes the geological effects induced by subduction erosion, as well as the criteria for its identification. Then we analyzed and discussed the connection between subduction erosion, metallogenesis, and the evolution of continental crust. Moreover, we introduced the research progress on subduction erosion within China, and we analyzed two research examples identifying the Late Mesozoic subduction erosion processes along the Bangong-Nujiang Suture Zone and the Yarlung Zangbo Suture Zone in the Tibetan Plateau, which unveil that the southern margin of the Eurasian continent was an erosive-type convergence boundary during the Late Mesozoic. Finally, we proposed our thoughts and prospects on subdetion erosion researches in the future