SUPRAMOLECULAR SELF-ASSEMBLED NANOSTRUCTURES BASED ON STAR POLYMERS FOR DRUG AND GENE DELIVERY

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (FOE

Efficacy of Addiction Pharmacotherapy in Alcohol Use Disorder and Their Effects on Liver Health

Both alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease are leading contributors to chronic liver diseases. These conditions often coexist, exacerbating disease progression. Despite ALD be-ing a leading cause of liver transplantation, many individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD) do not receive treatment. In this review, we discussed the epidemiology of ALD in AUD, various treatment options for AUD, and their efficacy on liver health. Our critical analysis of current evidence underscores the need for integrated models involving multiple stakehold-ers to improve ALD management.</p

Amplitude-Duration-Persistence Trade-off Relationship for Long Term Bear Stock Markets

We study the mechanism that controls the shape of the bear market through an information diffusion perspective, and establish a frontier of market decline, in terms of a trade-off between amplitude, duration and the rate of information diffusion. Empirical analysis using data from 15 stock markets confirms the existence of this trade-off relationship. An algorithm for generating the frontier using real data is proposed and applied in several market scenarios. The results suggest that the behaviour of international stock markets during the current US credit crunch is similar to that in previous bear markets in terms of the trivariate trade-off

Identification of Potential Crucial Genes Associated With the Pathogenesis and Prognosis of Endometrial Cancer

Background and ObjectiveEndometrial cancer (EC) is a common gynecological malignancy worldwide. Despite advances in the development of strategies for treating EC, prognosis of the disease remains unsatisfactory, especially for advanced EC. The aim of this study was to identify novel genes that can be used as potential biomarkers for identifying the prognosis of EC and to construct a novel risk stratification using these genes.Methods and ResultsAn mRNA sequencing dataset, corresponding survival data and expression profiling of an array of EC patients were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus, respectively. Common differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified based on sequencing and expression as given in the profiling dataset. Pathway enrichment analysis of the DEGs was performed using the Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery. The protein–protein interaction network was established using the string online database in order to identify hub genes. Univariate and multivariable Cox regression analyses were used to screen prognostic DEGs and to construct a prognostic signature. Survival analysis based on the prognostic signature was performed on TCGA EC dataset. A total of 255 common DEGs were found and 11 hub genes (TOP2A, CDK1, CCNB1, CCNB2, AURKA, PCNA, CCNA2, BIRC5, NDC80, CDC20, and BUB1BA) that may be closely related to the pathogenesis of EC were identified. A panel of 7 DEG signatures consisting of PHLDA2, GGH, ESPL1, FAM184A, KIAA1644, ESPL1, and TRPM4 were constructed. The signature performed well for prognosis prediction (p &lt; 0.001) and time-dependent receiver–operating characteristic (ROC) analysis displayed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.797, 0.734, 0.729, and 0.647 for 1, 3, 5, and 10-year overall survival (OS) prediction, respectively.ConclusionThis study identified potential genes that may be involved in the pathophysiology of EC and constructed a novel gene expression signature for EC risk stratification and prognosis prediction

Amplitude-Duration-Persistence Trade-off Relationship for Long Term Bear Stock Markets

We study the mechanism that controls the shape of the bear market through an information diffusion perspective, and establish a frontier of market decline, in terms of a trade-off between amplitude, duration and the rate of information diffusion. Empirical analysis using data from 15 stock markets confirms the existence of this trade-off relationship. An algorithm for generating the frontier using real data is proposed and applied in several market scenarios. The results suggest that the behaviour of international stock markets during the current US credit crunch is similar to that in previous bear markets in terms of the trivariate trade-off

Clinical Features, Antiviral Treatment, and Patient Outcomes:A Systematic Review and Comparative Analysis of the Previous and the 2022 Mpox Outbreaks

Background:This study aims to comparatively analyze clinical features, treatment, and patient outcomes between the previous and the 2022 mpox (monkeypox) outbreaks. Methods:Five bibliographic databases were searched for studies reporting clinical features, management, and patient outcomes of mpox. Systematic review and meta-analysis were performed. Results:In total, 73 studies were included in the systematic review, of which 33 studies were subjected to meta-analysis. Previous outbreaks substantially affected children, whereas the 2022 outbreak primarily affected male adults, of which 94.66% (95% confidence interval [CI], 88.03–98.95) were men who have sex with men. Furthermore, 72.47% (95% CI, 51.04–89.71) reported high-risk sexual activity and the overall human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevalence was 37.65% (95% CI, 30.09–45.50). Skin lesions remain the typical symptom; however, their anatomic distribution differed. Systemic manifestations were common, but rectal pain was unique to the 2022 outbreak. The estimated overall fatality during past outbreaks in Africa was 4.61% (95% CI, 2.39%–7.35%), whereas 6.34% (95% CI, 3.35%–10.10%) of patients from the 2022 outbreak required hospitalization. Antiviral treatment, in particular tecovirimat, has been prescribed for a subset of patients, but the efficacy remains inconclusive.Conclusions:These findings are important for better understanding the disease and guiding adequate response to mpox outbreaks.</p

Cohort Profile: The Jiaxing Birth Cohort in China.

This is the author accepted manuscript. It is currently under an indefinite embargo pending publication by Oxford University Press.This work was supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program: 2015CB553604); by National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC: 81273054); and by the Ph.D. Programs Foundation of Ministry of Education of China (20120101110107)

Dependence of ocean wave return levels on water depth and sampling length: a focus on the South Yellow Sea

A deterministic Extreme Value Analysis method is of particular importance in an engineering-oriented context. In this paper, three extreme value analysis (EVA) methods, in which annual maxima, monthly maxima or the Peaks-Over-Threshold are fitted into Generalized Extreme Value distribution (GEV) function or Generalized Pareto distribution (GP) function, are used to estimate return values of significant wave height. Sensitivity of return levels on water depth and sampling length is vigorously investigated, based on a 40-year long and high-resolution wave hindcast for the South Yellow Sea (SYS). A spatially-and-temporally varied POT sampling method combined with GP function produces most conservative and confident estimates of return levels for a large return period, but produces wider confidence level than the other two EVA approaches based on GEV function for short return period. In the SYS, the return level estimates are significantly reduced with a longer sample length. However, we find that the reduction is closely related to the long-term trend in extreme wave heights, rather than due to the sampling effect. From deep to shallow waters, spatial inhomogeneity of return levels increases, which should be considered in the engineering practice

Development of a recombinase-aided amplification combined with a lateral flow dipstick assay for rapid detection of H7 subtype avian influenza virus

Avian influenza viruses (AIV) pose a significant persistent threat to the public health and safety. It is estimated that there have been over 100 outbreaks caused by various H7 subtypes of avian influenza viruses (AIV-H7) worldwide, resulting in over 33 million deaths of poultry. In this study, we developed a recombinase-aided amplification combined with a lateral flow dipstick assay for the detection of hemagglutinin (HA) genes to provide technical support for rapid clinical detection of AIV-H7. The results showed that the assay can complete the reaction within 30 min at a temperature of 39°C. Specificity tests demonstrated that there was no cross-reactivity with other common poultry pathogens, including Newcastle disease virus (NDV) and infections bronchitis virus (IBV). The detection limit of this assay was 1 × 101 copies/μL, while RT-qPCR method was 1 × 101 copies/μL, and RT-PCR was 1 × 102 copies/μL. The κ value of the RT-RAA-LFD and RT-PCR assay in 132 avian clinical samples was 0.9169 (p &lt; 0.001). These results indicated that the developed RT-RAA-LFD assay had good specificity, sensitivity, stability and repeatability and may be used for rapid detection of AIV-H7 in clinical diagnosis