Cancer-associated fibroblast related gene signature in Helicobacter pylori-based subtypes of gastric carcinoma for prognosis and tumor microenvironment estimation in silico analysis

IntroductionGastric cancer (GC) remains the major constituent of cancer-related deaths and a global public health challenge with a high incidence rate. Helicobacter pylori (HP) plays an essential role in promoting the occurrence and progression of GC. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are regarded as a significant component in the tumor microenvironment (TME), which is related to the metastasis of GC. However, the regulation mechanisms of CAFs in HP-related GC are not elucidated thoroughly.MethodsHP-related genes (HRGs) were downloaded from the GSE84437 and TCGA-GC databases. The two databases were combined into one cohort for training. Furthermore, the consensus unsupervised clustering analysis was obtained to sort the training cohort into different groups for the identification of differential expression genes (DEGs). Weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) was performed to verify the correlation between the DEGs and cancer-associated fibroblasts which were key components in the tumor microenvironment. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) was executed to find cancer-associated fibroblast-related differential expression genes (CDEGs) for the further establishment of a prognostic model.Results and discussionIn this study, 52 HP-related genes (HRGs) were screened out based on the GSE84437 and TCGA-GC databases. A total of 804 GC samples were analyzed, respectively, and clustered into two HP-related subtypes. The DEGs identified from the two subtypes were proved to have a relationship with TME. After WGCNA and LASSO, the CAFs-related module was identified, from which 21 gene signatures were confirmed. Then, a CDEGs-Score was constructed and its prediction efficiency in GC patients was conducted for validation. Overall, a highly precise nomogram was established for enhancing the adaptability of the CDEGs-Score. Furthermore, our findings revealed the applicability of CDEGs-Score in the sensitivity of chemotherapeutic drugs. In general, our research provided brand-new possibilities for comprehending HP-related GC, evaluating survival, and more efficient therapeutic strategies

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

Separation of magnesite and calcite based on flotation solution chemistry

The dissolution characteristics of minerals, dissolution of flotation agents in solutions, and equilibrium of dissociations and associations serve as the basis for determining the optimal conditions for the effective components of flotation agents and for evaluating the interaction between flotation agents and minerals. This basis provided the theoretical support for the flotation separation of minerals. Based on this, the flotation separation of magnesite and calcite was realized using sodium dihydrogen phosphate, also known as monosodium phosphate (MSP), as a regulator and dodecylamine (DDA) as a collector. When MSP was used in the DDA system, single-mineral and binary mixed-ore flotation tests revealed that the floatability of calcite was significantly greater than that of magnesite and the separation of magnesite and calcite was more effective, respectively. Zeta potential measurements showed that MSP-containing negative groups could selectively reduce the zeta potential of calcite and promote the adsorption of DDA-containing positive groups on the surface of the calcite. However, this effect was negligible on the zeta potential of magnesite. Due to the stronger affinity of MSP to Ca2+ than that to Mg2+, as demonstrated by Fourier transform infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses, the MSP was adsorbed onto the surface of calcite primarily by hydrogen bonds rather than magnesite, which promoted the stronger adsorption of DDA-containing positive groups on the surface of the calcite. As a result, the differences in the floatability of magnesite and calcite were enlarged by MSP. Thus, MSP can be utilized an effective regulator for the efficient separation of magnesite from calcite via reverse flotation

Impact of labor induction at 39 weeks gestation compared with expectant management on maternal and perinatal morbidity among a cohort of low-risk women

OBJECTIVE: To determine maternal and perinatal outcomes after induction of labor (IOL) at 39 weeks compared with expectant management. METHODS: This is a retrospective national cohort study from the National Center for Health Statistics birth database. The study included singleton, low-risk pregnancies with a non-anomalous fetus delivered at 39-42 weeks gestation between 2015 and 2018. Maternal outcomes available included chorioamnionitis (Triple I), blood transfusion, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, uterine rupture, cesarean delivery (CD), and cesarean hysterectomy. Fetal and infant outcomes included stillbirth, 5-min Apgar ≤3, prolonged ventilation, seizures, ICU admission, and death within 28 days. We compared women undergoing IOL at 39 weeks to those managed expectantly. Non-adjusted and adjusted relative risks (aRRs) were estimated using multivariate log-binomial regression analysis. RESULTS: There were 15,900,956 births available for review of which 5,017,524 met inclusion and exclusion criteria. For the maternal outcomes, the IOL group was less likely to require a CD (aRR 0.880; 95% CI [0.874-0.886]; value \u3c .01) or develop Triple I (aRR 0.714; 95% CI [0.698-0.730]; value \u3c .01) but demonstrated a small increase in the cesarean hysterectomy rate (aRR 1.231; 95% CI [1.029-1.472]; value \u3c .01). Among perinatal outcomes, the stillbirth rate (aRR 0.195; 95% CI [0.153-0.249]; value \u3c .01), 5-min Apgar ≤3 (aRR 0.684; 95% CI [0.647-0.723]; value \u3c .01), prolonged ventilation (aRR 0.840; 95% CI [0.800-0.883]; value \u3c .01), neonatal intensive care (NICU) admission (aRR 0.862; 95% CI [0.849-0.875]; value \u3c .01) were lower after 39 week IOL compared with expectant management. There were no differences in risk for neonatal seizures (aRR 0.848; 95% CI [0.718-1.003]; value 0.011) or death (aRR 1.070; 95% CI [0.722-1.586]; value 0.660). CONCLUSIONS: IOL at 39 weeks of gestation in a low-risk cohort is associated with a lower risk of CD and maternal infection, stillbirth, and lower neonatal morbidity. There was no effect on the risk for neonatal seizures or death

One shot to control pain: Decreasing postoperative opioid use in gynecologic oncology patients with intrathecal opioid injection

Objectives: To determine whether regional anesthesia with single-shot intrathecal opioid injections (ITO) reduce postoperative pain and intravenous (IV) opioid use after exploratory laparotomy in major gynecologic surgeries. Methods: A retrospective chart review of 315 consecutive cases of patients who underwent an exploratory laparotomy on the gynecologic oncology service from July 2015 to January 2018 was conducted. Single-shot ITO was offered to all patients undergoing open abdominal surgery. The primary outcomes of interest were IV opioid use in morphine equivalents during the first 48 hours after surgery. Univariate analyses were performed to estimate the effect of ITO on IV opioid use at 0, 6, 12, 24 and 48 hours after surgery. Longitudinal regression analyses were performed to estimate the effect of ITO on changes in outcomes of interest over time, adjusting for potential confounders. Results: 35% (110/315) received ITO preoperatively. There were no differences in patient age, BMI, previous number of abdominal surgeries, history of opioid dependence, type of gynecologic surgery, or total EBL between the ITO and control groups. Preoperative ITO was associated with a significantly lower IV opioid requirement between 0 and 6 hours after surgery (9.7 ± 8.1 vs 14.3 ± 11.5, p \u3c 0.0001) and between 6 and 12 hours after surgery (2.7 ± 3.8 vs 5.4 ± 9.5, p = 0.0054). There was no statistically significant difference in total hospital stay opioid requirement but median length of stay was increased by 1 day. Conclusions: Preoperative administration of ITO reduced IV opioid requirement in the first 12 hours postoperatively but was associated with median 1 day increase in hospital stay