Study on the migration law of aggregate sediment in the water inrush channel of coal rock mass

Grouting after pouring aggregate can effectively control water inrush from coal and rock mass. The study on the deposition and migration law of aggregate in the water inrush channel from coal and rock mass is an important prerequisite to determine the aggregate particle size, aggregate grouting volume and the spacing of aggregate grouting holes. However, there are few theoretical and experimental studies in this area at present, and the actual construction mainly depends on experience, which is blind. In view of this, based on the slurry pipeline transportation theory and sediment movement mechanics, combined with Newton’s second law, the whole movement process of aggregate from the pouring hole to the water inrush channel is divided into three movement stages: free fall, similar horizontal throwing and sliding, and their stress analysis is carried out respectively. A sedimentation, migration and diffusion model from single aggregate to aggregate particle group is established, and the sedimentation and migration rules characterizing the aggregate particle group in the horizontal direction are obtained; A model test platform for visualization of aggregate deposition and movement in water inrush channel of coal and rock mass is designed by ourselves. With the help of this platform, aggregate deposition and movement model tests are carried out under the influence of various factors such as different hydrodynamic velocity, aggregate particle size, pouring height, et al, to analyze the deposition and movement rules of aggregates in water inrush channel, and to obtain the total length of aggregate deposition and movement area under different test schemes. The experimental results show that the actual migration process of aggregate is consistent with the assumption of three movement stages in theory, and the average error between the experimental value and the theoretical calculation value of the sediment migration distance of aggregate is 7.34%; On the premise that the injection height is controlled to be consistent with the dynamic water conditions, the theoretical formula is more applicable to coarse aggregate (particle size > 5 mm) than to fine aggregate (particle size ≤ 5 mm); When solving the problem of water inrush from coal and rock mass in engineering, if the aggregate particle size is greater than 5 mm, the migration distance of aggregate particle group in the horizontal direction can be calculated by using the theoretical formula in this paper, so as to determine the spacing of aggregate grouting holes and reduce the blindness in the actual construction process

Characterization of Focal Liver Lesions Indistinctive on B Mode Ultrasound: Benefits of Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound

Aim. The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the additional value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in identifying and characterizing of focal liver lesions (FLLs) that are indistinctive on B mode ultrasound (BMUS). Methods. The study focused on 70 consecutive patients (male 46, female 24; mean age, 53.1 years ± 10). All lesions were detected by MRI but could not be clearly visualized by BMUS. CEUS was performed by injected SonoVue® (Bracco Imaging Spa, Milan, Italy) as a quick bolus into the antecubital vein. All lesions were proved by pathologic and MRI findings as primary or metastatic hepatic malignancies. Results. On CEUS, 45 (64.2%) FLLs displayed arterial hyperenhancement and 55 (78.5%) lesions showed hypoenhancement in portal venous and late phase (PVLP). Homogeneous and complete hyperenhancement pattern during the arterial phase is highly suspicious for HCC in liver cirrhosis (96.8%). Arterial isoenhancement and early washout during PVLP are characteristic for metastasis (73.3%). For recurrence lesions, arterial hyperenhancement and isoenhancement during PVLP are more common (60%). Conclusion. CEUS may provide added diagnostic values in FLLs appearing indistinctive on BMUS. Presence of early arterial enhancement and washout during PVLP may be helpful for detection of those lesions

Predictive values of the selected inflammatory index in elderly patients with papillary thyroid cancer

Abstract Background The American Joint Committee on Cancer has recently revised the tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) staging system on thyroid cancer, which illustrated that the cut-off age for predicting mortality has elevated from 45 to 55 years old. We aimed to investigate the inflammation index based on hematological parameters to predict the clinical characteristics of elderly papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) patients with an inferior prognosis. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 558 patients newly diagnosed with PTC from January 2013 to December 2017, and 82 out of the 558 patients were over 55 years old. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) study and univariate and multivariate logistic analysis was conducted to evaluate the diagnostic value of these preoperative inflammation indexes in PTC patients ≥ 55 years of age. Results Elevated neutrophils were prognostic of bilaterality (area under the ROC curve (AUC) = 0.673, p = 0.023) and lymph node metastasis (AUC = 0.649, p = 0·020). Decreased mean platelet volume (MPV) and platelet distribution width (PDW) were prognostic of coexistence with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (AUC = 0.736, p = 0.016; AUC = 0.721, p = 0.024). Elevated lymphocyte and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) were prognostic of advanced TNM stage (AUC = 0.691, p = 0.029; AUC = 0.680, p = 0.040). Meanwhile, the logistic regression model further revealed that LMR ≥ 5.45 was an independent risk factor for the advanced TNM stage (odds ratio (OR) = 7.306, p = 0.036). Conclusions The preoperative neutrophils, lymphocytes, MPV, PDW, LMR were all prognostic. More importantly, the increased in LMR independently contributed to the advanced TNM stage of PTC patients ≥ 55 years

Ultrasound features of abdominal thrombosis in COVID 19 patients

PURPOSE: Abdominal thromboses are a poorly characterized thrombotic complication of COVID-19. The aim of this paper is to report multimodality ultrasound imaging findings of the abdomen in evaluation of thrombotic lesions in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. PATIENTS & METHODS: In this retrospective observational study, patients admitted to a single University Hospital from April 1, 2020 to April 30, 2022, who tested positive for COVID-19 and developed acute abdominal pain over the course of hospitalization were included. Abdominal ultrasound imaging studies performed in these patients were reviewed, including B mode ultrasound (BMUS), color-coded Doppler ultrasound (CCDS) and contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS). Thromboembolic findings on contrast enhanced computed tomography (CTA) were also recorded. RESULTS: Finally, 13 cases of abdominal thrombosis in 226 with COVID 19 infections were included (mean age, 56.69 +/- 8.97 years; 10 men, 3 women). Thromboembolic events included: iliac thrombosis (n = 4), portal venous (PV) thrombosis (n = 3), superior mesenteric vein (VMS) thrombosis (n = 2), inferior vena cava (IVC) thrombosis (n = 5) and inferior mesenteric vein (VMI) thrombosis (n = 1). In all cases of abdominal thrombosis, during high resolution BMUS scan, intra-luminary hypoechogenic appositional thrombi could be detected. Meanwhile blood flow with reduced speed less than 20 cm/s could be observed by CCDS. High arterial flow speed was a sign of collateral flow changes with diffuse venous dilatation. On CEUS, changes of the microcirculation of the liver, spleen, kidneys or small bowel by infarctions or micro-emboli could be detected. In 3 cases of PV thrombosis and in 2 cases of IVC thrombosis, catheter interventions were successful performed for recanalization without relevant lumen reduction afterwards. In other cases, without interventional procedure, partial recanalization happened with venous flow speed over 15 cm/s and lumen reduction more than 50%. CONCLUSIONS: Our study highlights those thromboembolic complications can be seen in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Multimodality ultrasound examinations is helpful for early and accurate diagnosis of these complications

An integrated belowground trait‐based understanding of nitrogen driven plant diversity loss

Belowground plant traits play important roles in plant diversity loss driven by atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition. However, the way N enrichment shapes plant microhabitats by patterning belowground traits and finally determines aboveground responses is poorly understood. Here, we investigated the rhizosheath trait of 74 plant species in seven N-addition-simulation experiments across multiple grassland ecosystems in China. We found that rhizosheath formation differed among plant functional groups and contributed to changes in plant community composition induced by N enrichment. Compared with forb species, grass and sedge species exhibited more distinct rhizosheaths; moreover, grasses and sedges expanded their rhizosheaths with increasing N-addition rate which allowed them to colonize belowground habitats. Grasses also shaped a different microenvironment around their roots compared with forbs by affecting the physicochemical, biological and stress-avoiding properties of their rhizosphere soil. Rhizosheaths act as a “biofilm-like shield” by accumulating of protective compounds, carboxylic anions and polysaccharides, determined by both plants and microorganisms. This enhanced the tolerance of grasses and sedges to stresses induced by N enrichment. Conversely, forbs lacked the protective rhizosheaths which renders their roots sensitive to stresses induced by N enrichment, thus contributing to their disappearance under N-enriched conditions. This study uncovers the processes by which belowground facilitation and trait matching affects aboveground responses under conditions of N enrichment, which advances our mechanistic understanding of the contribution of competitive exclusion and environmental tolerance to plant diversity loss caused by N deposition

EZH2 mediated metabolic rewiring promotes tumor growth independently of histone methyltransferase activity in ovarian cancer

Abstract Background Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2), the key catalytic subunit of polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2), is overexpressed and plays an oncogenic role in various cancers through catalysis-dependent or catalysis-independent pathways. However, the related mechanisms contributing to ovarian cancer (OC) are not well understood. Methods The levels of EZH2 and H3K27me3 were evaluated in 105 OC patients by immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining, and these patients were stratified based on these levels. Canonical and noncanonical binding sites of EZH2 were defined by chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-Seq). The EZH2 solo targets were obtained by integrative analysis of ChIP-Seq and RNA sequencing data. In vitro and in vivo experiments were performed to determine the role of EZH2 in OC growth. Results We showed that a subgroup of OC patients with high EZH2 expression but low H3K27me3 exhibited the worst prognosis, with limited therapeutic options. We demonstrated that induction of EZH2 degradation but not catalytic inhibition profoundly blocked OC cell proliferation and tumorigenicity in vitro and in vivo. Integrative analysis of genome-wide chromatin and transcriptome profiles revealed extensive EZH2 occupancy not only at genomic loci marked by H3K27me3 but also at promoters independent of PRC2, indicating a noncanonical role of EZH2 in OC. Mechanistically, EZH2 transcriptionally upregulated IDH2 to potentiate metabolic rewiring by enhancing tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA cycle) activity, which contributed to the growth of OC. Conclusions These data reveal a novel oncogenic role of EZH2 in OC and identify potential therapeutic strategies for OC by targeting the noncatalytic activity of EZH2