Individual risk and prognostic value prediction by machine learning for distant metastasis in pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma: a large cohort study based on the SEER database and the Chinese population

BackgroundThis study aimed to develop diagnostic and prognostic models for patients with pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma (PSC) and distant metastasis (DM).MethodsPatients from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database were divided into a training set and internal test set at a ratio of 7 to 3, while those from the Chinese hospital were assigned to the external test set, to develop the diagnostic model for DM. Univariate logistic regression was employed in the training set to screen for DM-related risk factors, which were included into six machine learning (ML) models. Furthermore, patients from the SEER database were randomly divided into a training set and validation set at a ratio of 7 to 3 to develop the prognostic model which predicts survival of patients PSC with DM. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses have also been performed in the training set to identify independent factors, and a prognostic nomogram for cancer-specific survival (CSS) for PSC patients with DM.ResultsFor the diagnostic model for DM, 589 patients with PSC in the training set, 255 patients in the internal and 94 patients in the external test set were eventually enrolled. The extreme gradient boosting (XGB) algorithm performed best on the external test set with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.821. For the prognostic model, 270 PSC patients with DM in the training and 117 patients in the test set were enrolled. The nomogram displayed precise accuracy with AUC of 0.803 for 3-month CSS and 0.869 for 6-month CSS in the test set.ConclusionThe ML model accurately identified individuals at high risk for DM who needed more careful follow-up, including appropriate preventative therapeutic strategies. The prognostic nomogram accurately predicted CSS in PSC patients with DM

Influence of temperature rising inhibitor on temperature and stress field of mass concrete

As a new type of concrete admixture, concrete temperature rising inhibitor (TRI) can slow down the heat release rate of the initial hydration reaction of concrete. However, due to the lack of a clear feasibility analysis, its application in engineering is limited. In this paper, the thermodynamic parameters of concrete with different TRI are obtained by fitting the experimental data. At the same time, taking the sluice as an example, the influence of TRI on the temperature and stress field of mass concrete is studied by numerical simulation. The results show that when the content of TRI reaches 0.6% of the cementitious material, the temperature and stress peak value are obviously reduced, and the temperature control effect is obvious. Furthermore, the effect of TRI is inversely proportional to structure thickness, and its temperature control effect is more noticeable for mass thin-walled concrete structures. Compared with other temperature control measures, such as lowering the peak value of adiabatic temperature rise and the pouring temperature, the effect of TRI is more effective. It can be used as a means of temperature control in engineering and combined with other measures to put forward a more reasonable and economical temperature control scheme

The Effects of Seaport-Inland Port Dyads on Container Seaport Hinterland Delimitation

The emerging seaport-inland port dyad contributes greatly to the development of seaport hinterlands. However, little research has examined its influence on container hinterland delimitation. This paper used an improved radiation model to study the effects of seaport-inland port dyads on the container seaport hinterland delimitation in the context of a Chinese multi-port system. The radiation of each seaport was estimated to track changes in the seaport superior hinterlands and hinterland ratings and discover the patterns of the effects. The results show that the formation of dyads expands the scope of superior hinterlands and improves the hinterland ratings of seaports. The provinces close to inland ports and far from seaports were significantly affected and the same inland port influenced seaports differently. These results demonstrate that establishing a seaport-inland port dyad is a good way to compete with other seaports for larger market shares. These different effects can serve as a guideline for seaport authorities to choose suitable dyads to achieve their hinterland targets

Cause Investigation of Fractures in the Anti-Arc Portion of the Gravity Dam’s Overflow and the Top of the Substation Tunnel

Clarifying the origins of fractures and adopting acceptable repair plans are crucial for the design, maintenance, and safe operation of concrete gravity dams. In this research, numerical simulation is largely utilized to investigate the reasons for fractures in the anti-arc portion of the concrete gravity dam and the top of a substation tunnel in Guangdong Province, China. The calculation parameters are chosen based on the design information and engineering expertise to model the temperature field and stress field distribution of the dam during both normal operation and severe weather. The study demonstrates that under the effect of severe structural restraints and high temperatures, the tensile stress at the top of the substation tunnel would be 2.64 MPa in the summer, which is more than the tensile strength by 1.5 MPa and causes deep cracks. The tensile stress reaches 3.0 MPa in the summer under the effect of severe weather near the top of the substation tunnel. When a cold wave strikes in the winter, the concrete’s tensile stress on the overflow dam surface rises from 1.6 MPa to 4.0 MPa, exceeding the tensile strength by 1.9 MPa, resulting in the formation of a connection fracture in the reverse arc section. Both the actual observed crack location and the monitoring findings of the crack opening, as determined by the crack gauge, agree with the modeling results. The technique to lessen the structural restrictions of a comparable powerhouse hydropower station is pointed out based on engineering expertise, and various and practical repair strategies are proposed to guarantee the structure’s safe operation

Gradual Enhancement of the Assemblage Stability of the Reed Rhizosphere Microbiome with Recovery Time

Rhizoplane microbes are considered proxies for evaluating the assemblage stability of the rhizosphere in wetland ecosystems due to their roles in plant growth and ecosystem health. However, our knowledge of how microbial assemblage stability is promoted in the reed rhizosphere of wetlands undergoing recovery is limited. We investigated the assemblage stability, diversity, abundance, co-occurrence patterns, and functional characteristics of reed rhizosphere microbes in restored wetlands. The results indicated that assemblage stability significantly increased with recovery time and that the microbial assemblages were capable of resisting seasonal fluctuations after more than 20 years of restoration. The number of bacterial indicators was greater in the restoration groups with longer restoration periods. Most bacterial indicators appeared in the 30-year restoration group. However, the core taxa and keystone species of module 2 exhibited greater abundance within longer recovery periods and were well organized, with rich and diverse functions that enhanced microbial assemblage stability. Our study provides insight into the connection between the rhizosphere microbiome and recovery period and presents a useful theoretical basis for the empirical management of wetland ecosystems

Pharmacokinetics of Bismuth following Oral Administration of Wei Bi Mei in Healthy Chinese Volunteers

Background. Bismuth-containing quadruple therapy achieves higher eradication rate of Helicobacter pylori. High level of bismuth in blood may result in damage of many organs. Wei Bi Mei is a new bismuth-containing drug combining chemicals and Chinese medicine portions. The present research is to study the pharmacokinetics of bismuth to evaluate the safety and rational use of Wei Bi Mei granules. Material and Methods. Seven healthy Chinese adult subjects were enrolled in this research, which included a single-dose study and a multiple-dose study. Wei Bi Mei granules were administered orally to the subjects at corresponding time. Blood and urine were collected. All samples were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Results. For single-dose Wei Bi Mei granules administration, the mean time to peak concentration (tmax) of bismuth was 2.29 ± 0.76 h, and the mean peak concentration (Cmax) of bismuth was 0.85 ± 0.55 ng/mL. For multiple-dose Wei Bi Mei granules administration, the Cmax was 2.25 ± 1.18 ng/mL at day two, and the volume of distribution (Vd) was (22.97 ± 9.82) × 103 L. The urinary excretion of bismuth was the fastest during the first two days, with a mean excretion rate of 3.84 ± 1.23 ng/h. The bismuth concentration in urine was significantly reduced at day 16. Conclusion. Bismuth has a washout period of approximately two months. The concentration of bismuth in blood was far less than the “safe level.” Thus, Wei Bi Mei is a highly safe therapeutic medicine, with a good clinical application value. Wei Bi Mei should be recommended more widely for use in bismuth-containing quadruple therapy for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection

Label-Free DNA Sequence Detection through FRET from a Fluorescent Polymer with Pyrene Excimer to SG

A label-free complex probe composed of a water-soluble fluorescent pyrene-functionalized polymer, ssDNA, and a nucleic acid stain (SG) is presented here, which can detect DNA sequence via FRET from pyrene excimer to SG. Complementary and one-base mismatched strands at nanomolar concentrations can be distinguished by the examination of the FRET fluorescence intensity of SG. This novel strategy for detecting DNA using the fluorescent pyrene-functionalized polymer not only affords a simple label-free method to detect nucleic acid sequence but also endows the detection with high sensitivity and selectivity, which may find wide applications for optical biosensing

The transcription factor VaNAC17 from grapevine (Vitis amurensis) enhances drought tolerance by modulating jasmonic acid biosynthesis in transgenic Arabidopsis

Key message Expression of VaNAC17 improved drought tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis by upregulating stress-responsive genes, modulating JA biosynthesis, and enhancing ROS scavenging. Water deficit severely affects the growth and development of plants such as grapevine (Vitis spp.). Members of the NAC (NAM, ATAF1/2, and CUC2) transcription factor (TF) family participate in drought-stress-induced signal transduction in plants, but little is known about the roles of NAC genes in drought tolerance in grapevine. Here, we explored the role of VaNAC17 in Vitis amurensis, a cold-hardy, drought-tolerant species of grapevine. VaNAC17 was strongly induced in grapevine by drought, exogenous abscisic acid (ABA), and methyl jasmonate (MeJA). A transient expression assay in yeast indicated that VaNAC17 functions as a transcriptional activator. Notably, heterologous expression of VaNAC17 in Arabidopsis thaliana enhanced drought tolerance. VaNAC17-expressing Arabidopsis plants showed decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation compared to wild-type plants under drought conditions. RNA-seq analysis indicated that VaNAC17 expression increased the transcription of downstream stress-responsive genes after 5 days of drought treatment, especially genes involved in jasmonic acid (JA) biosynthesis (such as LOX3, AOC1 and OPR3) and signaling (such as MYC2, JAZ1, VSP1 and CORI3) pathways. Endogenous JA levels increased in VaNAC17-OE plants under drought stress. Taken together, these results indicate that VaNAC17 plays a positive role in drought tolerance by modulating endogenous JA biosynthesis and ROS scavenging

An efficient method for transgenic callus induction from Vitis amurensis petiole.

Transformation is the main platform for genetic improvement and gene function studies in plants. However, the established somatic embryo transformation system for grapevines is time-consuming and has low efficiency, which limits its utilization in functional genomics research. Vitis amurensis is a wild Vitis species with remarkable cold tolerance. The lack of an efficient genetic transformation system for it has significantly hindered the functional identification of cold stress related genes in the species. Herein, an efficient method was established to produce transformed calli of V. amurensis. Segments of petioles from micropropagated plantlets of V. amurensis exhibited better capacity to differentiate calli than leaf-discs and stem segments, and thus was chosen as target tissue for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Both neomycin phosphotransferase II (NPTII) and enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) genes were used for simultaneous selection of transgenic calli based on kanamycin resistance and eGFP fluorescence. Several parameters affecting the transformation efficiency were optimized including the concentration of kanamycin, Agrobacterium stains, bacterial densities, infection treatments and co-cultivation time. The transgenic callus lines were verified by checking the integration of NPTII gene into calli genomes, the expression of eGFP gene and the fluorescence of eGFP. Up to 20% of the petiole segments produced transformed calli after 2 months of cultivation. This efficient transformation system will facilitate the functional analysis of agronomic characteristics and related genes not only in V. amurensis but also in other grapevine species