The Systemic Evaluation and Clinical Significance of Immunological Function for Advanced Lung Cancer Patients

Background and objective The actual evaluation of immunological function is significant for studing the tumor development and devising a treatment in time. The aim of this study is to evaluate the immunological function of advanced lung cancer patients systematically, and to discuss the clinical significance. Methods The nucleated cell amounts of advanced lung cancer patients and the healthy individuals were counted. The immune cell subsets and the levels of IL-4, INF-γ, perforin and granzyme in CD8+T cells by the flow cytometry were measured. The proliferation activity and the inhibition ratio of immune cells to several tumor cell lines were evaluated by MTT assay. Results The absolute amounts and subsets of T, B, NK cells of advanced lung cancer patients were lower than the healthy individuals (P < 0.05); However, the proportion of regulatory T cells of advanced lung cancer patients (4.00±1.84)% was lower than the healthy individuals (1.27±0.78)% (P < 0.05). The positive rates of IFN-γ perforin, granzyme in CD8+T cells decreased while them in IL-4 did not in the advanced lung cancer patients compared to the healthy control group (P < 0.05). The proliferation activity of immune cells, the positive rate of PPD masculine and the inhibition ratio to tumor cells in the advanced lung cancer patients was lower than the healthy subsets obviously (P < 0.05). Conclusion There was a significant immune depression in the advanced lung cancer patients compared to the healthy individuals

Network analysis of cold cognition and depression in middle-aged and elder population: the moderation of grandparenting

BackgroundCognitive decline and negative emotions are common in aging, especially decline in cold cognition which often co-occurred with depression in middle-aged and older adults. This study analyzed the interactions between cold cognition and depression in the middle-aged and elder populations using network analysis and explored the effects of grandparenting on the cold cognition-depression network.MethodsThe data of 6,900 individuals (≥ 45 years) from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) were used. The Minimum Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Epidemiology Research Center Depression Scale-10 (CESD-10) were used to assess cold cognition and depressive symptoms, respectively. Centrality indices and bridge centrality indices were used to identify central nodes and bridge nodes, respectively.ResultsNetwork analysis showed that nodes “language ability” and “depressed mood” were more central nodes in the network of cold cognition and depression in all participants. Meantime, nodes “attention,” “language ability” and “hopeless” were three key bridge nodes connecting cold cognition and depressive symptoms. Additionally, the global connectivity of the cold cognition and depression network was stronger in the non-grandparenting than the grandparenting.ConclusionThe findings shed a light on the complex interactions between cold cognition and depression in the middle-aged and elder populations. Decline in language ability and depressed mood can serve as predictors for the emergence of cold cognitive dysfunction and depression in individuals during aging. Attention, language ability and hopelessness are potential targets for psychosocial interventions. Furthermore, grandparenting is effective in alleviating cold cognitive dysfunction and depression that occur during individual aging

Aroma Quality Evaluation of High-Quality and Quality-Deficient Black Tea by Electronic Nose Coupled with Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

According to the results of sensory evaluation performed by experts, 14 black tea samples were divided into two groups based on their aroma quality: high-quality and quality-deficient black tea. Using fast gas chromatography-electronic-nose (GC-E-Nose) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) combined with multivariate statistical analysis, discriminant analysis of the two groups were carried out, and the key differential components between these groups were selected. The results showed that 117-dimensional dataset was obtained by the fusion of the GC-E-Nose (44-dimensional) and GC-MS (73-dimensional) data and used to establish a model for accurate classification of the two types of black tea employing orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA). The model’s explanatory and predictive capacity (R2Y = 0.976, Q2 = 0.959) were better than those of the model established based on the GC-E-Nose or GC-MS data. Based on variable important in projection (VIP) scores > 1.6 and P < 0.05, eight key aroma components including dimethyl sulfide (B3 and B25), β-ionone (A59), (3E)-4,8-dimethylnon-1,3,7-triene (A20), dihydroactinidiolide (A64), linalool (A17), phenylethyl alcohol (A19), δ-octyl lactone (A41) and γ-nonalatone (A45) were selected, which played an important role in the classification. These results showed that GC-E-Nose combined with GC-MS allows rapid and accurate discrimination between quality-deficient and high-quality black tea, which can be used as a supplement to traditional sensory evaluation, providing technical support for quality control and improvement of black tea

Effects of Granny Smith apple consumption on metabolic disorders associated with obesity in Sprague-Dawley rats fed with high-fat diet

Several epidemiological studies have shown that the consumption of fruits and vegetables containing phenolic compounds and dietary fiber can help to prevent obesity. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Granny Smith apple consumption on high fat induced obesity. Sprague Dawley rats were fed with four isocaloric diets: high fat diet containing 60% of calories from fat (HF) or HF supplemented freeze dried Granny Smith apple (HFA); low fat diet containing 10% of calories from fat (LF) or LF supplemented apple (LFA). Apple supplementation contributed with 6.8% calories to HFA and LFA diets. Results showed that all the experimental groups consumed similar amount of food every day. Apple supplementation in HFA did not prevent body weight gain in HF (235 ± 34.2 g) compared HFA (224 ± 35.6 g). However, adiposity index (AI) (4.3 ± 2.4 %; 5.6 ± 2.60 %), glucose tolerance test area under the curve after glucose administration (12660 ± 388; 13674 ± 459), plasma glucose level (6.3 ± 0.7 mmol/L; 7.0 ± 1.0 mmol/L), LDL-oxidation (144 ± 3.3 [mu]M malondialdehyde (MDA); 150 ± 6.8 [mu]M MDA), reaction oxygen species (5680 ± 717 RFU; 6060 ± 626 RFU), adipokine leptin (1760 ± 332 pg/mL; 2400 ± 317 pg/mL), adipokine insulin (2180 ± 464 pg/mL; 2979 ± 548 pg/mL); adipokine MCP-1 (197 ± 27 pg/mL; 284 ± 41 pg/mL), liver cholesterol (3.7 ± 0.4 mg/g liver; 4.0 ± 0.4 mg/g liver) tended to decrease in the HFA compared to the HF, respectively (p >0.05). Moreover, apple supplementation in HFA significantly decreased the levels of plasma triglyceride (3.0 ± 0.4 mmol/L; 6.3 ± 0.7 mmol/L), plasma LPS (1.0 ± 0.2 EU/ml; 2.2 ± 0.3 EU/ml), and adipocyte size (3990 ± 1930 [mu]m2 ; 8690 ± 2570 [mu]m2) compared to the HF, respectively (P <0.05). Overall, these results demonstrate that the Granny Smith apple cultivars may help to prevent metabolic disorders related to obesity from human when consumed approx. two and half apples/day for high fat diet

No Association between Elevated 2-h Postprandial Blood Glucose Levels and Functional Outcomes of Small-Artery Occlusion in Patients with Diabetes

BackgroundThe association between 2-h postprandial blood glucose level (2hPBG) and functional outcomes in patients with small-artery occlusion (SAO) is poorly understood. We aimed to explore the relationship between 2hPBG levels and functional outcomes in SAO patients with diabetes.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed 174 diabetic patients diagnosed with SAO, and 2hPBG values were classified into four groups according to quartiles (&lt;8.90, 8.90 to &lt;12.16, 12.16 to &lt;15.14, and ≥15.14 mmol/L), or according to clinical glycemic recommendations for adults with diabetes (&lt;10 and ≥10 mmol/L, respectively). The relationship between 2hPBG levels and modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores was assessed using univariate and multivariate analyses.ResultsAmong all patients with SAO, there were 139 patients with favorable outcomes and 35 patients with poor outcomes. National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores were significantly different according to mRS scores (P &lt; 0.001) in both the univariate and multivariate analyses. The binary logistic regression analyses showed that compared with the lowest quartile (&lt;8.90 mmol/L), elevated 2hPBG levels (8.90 to &lt;12.16, 12.16 to &lt;15.14, and ≥15.14 mmol/L) were not associated with mRS scores after adjusting for multiple confounding factors. Compared with patients with 2hPBG levels &lt;10 mmol/L, those with 2hPBG levels ≥10 mmol/L did not have a significant risk of poor outcome after adjusting for confounders. Meanwhile, the negative results appeared in the ordinal logistic regression of 2hPBG levels and 3-month functional outcomes.ConclusionElevated 2hPBG levels were not associated with unfavorable functional outcomes 3 months after stroke onset in SAO patients with diabetes

Air Traffic Flow Management Delay Prediction Based on Feature Extraction and an Optimization Algorithm

Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) delay can quantitatively reflect the congestion caused by the imbalance between capacity and demand in an airspace network. Furthermore, it is an important parameter for the ex-post analysis of airspace congestion and the effectiveness of ATFM strategy implementation. If ATFM delays can be predicted in advance, the predictability and effectiveness of ATFM strategies can be improved. In this paper, a short-term ATFM delay regression prediction method is proposed for the characteristics of the multiple sources, high dimension, and complexity of ATFM delay prediction data. The method firstly constructs an ATFM delay prediction network model, specifies the prediction object, and proposes an ATFM delay prediction index system by integrating common flow control information. Secondly, an ATFM delay prediction method based on feature extraction modules (including CNN, TCN, and attention modules), a heuristic optimization algorithm (sparrow search algorithm (SSA)), and a prediction model (LSTM) are proposed. The method constructs a CNN-LSTM-ATT model based on SSA optimization and a TCN-LSTM-ATT model based on SSA optimization. Finally, four busy airports and their major waypoints in East China are selected as the ATFM delay prediction network nodes for example validation. The experimental results show that the MAEs of the two models proposed in this paper for ATFM delay regression prediction are 4.25 min and 4.38 min, respectively. Compared with the CNN-LSTM model, the errors are reduced by 2.71 min and 2.59 min, respectively. Compared with the TCN-LSTM model, the times are 3.68 min and 3.55 min, respectively. In this paper, two improved LSTM models are constructed to improve the prediction accuracy of ATFM delay duration so as to provide support for the establishment of an ATFM delay early warning mechanism, further improve ATFM delay management, and enhance resource allocation efficiency

Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Index Assessment of Green Buildings Based on the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process

Assessment systems for green buildings around the world have been developed over many years, but there is a lack of assessment elements for the disaster prevention and mitigation (DPM) capabilities of green buildings in many indicators. DPM indexes based on the four main aspects of structural safety, DPM design, facility settings, and resource utilization are proposed here with consideration to the complex natural disasters that occur in China (fires, earthquakes, floods, etc.) and relevant codes. Then, an assessment system for the DPM indexes of green buildings is established by the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) in order to evaluate the DPM ability of green buildings and to quantify the impact of different indexes on the DPM ability of green buildings; this system is also used to evaluate and compare DPM capability suggestions, taking two green buildings in South and North China as examples. The results show that the DPM capacities of the two green buildings were evaluated as good, but that the scores for the site planning and water-saving systems of the green building in South China were significantly lower—meaning that measures such as optimizing drainage systems, managing stormwater runoff, permeable paving, rainwater gardens, and installing rainwater harvesting equipment should be implemented. Then, the theory of the utilization rate of DPM conversion is put forward, providing a reference for the future development of green building DPM index systems