Tissue Adequacy and Safety of Percutaneous Transthoracic Needle Biopsy for Molecular Analysis in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the tissue adequacy and complication rates of percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy (PTNB) for molecular analysis in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a literature search of the OVID-MEDLINE and Embase databases to identify original studies on the tissue adequacy and complication rates of PTNB for molecular analysis in patients with NSCLC published between January 2005 and January 2020. Inverse variance and random-effects models were used to evaluate and acquire meta-analytic estimates of the outcomes. To explore heterogeneity across the studies, univariable and multivariable meta-regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: A total of 21 studies with 2232 biopsies (initial biopsy, 8 studies; rebiopsy after therapy, 13 studies) were included. The pooled rates of tissue adequacy and complications were 89.3% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 85.6%-92.6%; I(2) = 0.81) and 17.3% (95% CI: 12.1%-23.1%; I(2) = 0.89), respectively. These rates were 93.5% and 22.2% for the initial biopsies and 86.2% and 16.8% for the rebiopsies, respectively. Severe complications, including pneumothorax requiring chest tube placement and massive hemoptysis, occurred in 0.7% of the cases (95% CI: 0%-2.2%; I(2) = 0.67). Multivariable meta-regression analysis showed that the tissue adequacy rate was not significantly lower in studies on rebiopsies (p = 0.058). The complication rate was significantly higher in studies that preferentially included older adults (p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: PTNB demonstrated an average tissue adequacy rate of 89.3% for molecular analysis in patients with NSCLC, with a complication rate of 17.3%. PTNB is a generally safe and effective diagnostic procedure for obtaining tissue samples for molecular analysis in NSCLC. Rebiopsy may be performed actively with an acceptable risk of complications if clinically required

Differential Gene Expression in the Penile Cavernosum of Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats

Purpose Men with diabetes mellitus (DM) often present with severe erectile dysfunction (ED). This ED is less responsive to current pharmacological therapies. If we know the upregulated or downregulated genes of diabetic ED, we can inhibit or enhance the expression of such genes through RNA or gene overexpression. Methods To investigate gene changes associated with ED in type 1 DM, we examined the alterations of gene expression in the cavernosum of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Specifically, we considered 11,636 genes (9,623 upregulated and 2,013 downregulated) to be differentially expressed in the diabetic rat cavernosum group (n=4) compared to the control group (n=4). The analysis of differentially expressed genes using the gene ontology (GO) classification indicated that the following were enriched: downregulated genes such as cell cycle, extracellular matrix, glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchor biosynthesis and upregulated genes such as calcium signaling, neurotrophin signaling, apoptosis, arginine and proline metabolism, gap junction, transforming growth factor-β signaling, tight junction, vascular smooth muscle contraction, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling. We examined a more than 2-fold upregulated or downregulated change in expression, using real time polymerase chain reaction. Analysis of differentially expressed genes, using the GO classification, indicated the enrichment Results Of the 41,105 genes initially considered, statistical filtering of the array analysis showed 9,623 upregulated genes and 2,013 downregulated genes with at least 2-fold changes in expression (P<0.05). With Bonferroni correction, SLC2A9 (solute carrier family 2 member 9), LRRC20 (leucine rick repeat containing 20), PLK1 (polo like kinase 1), and AATK (apoptosis-associated tyrosine kinase) were all 2-fold changed genes. Conclusions This study broadens the scope of candidate genes that may be relevant to the pathophysiology of diabetic ED. In particular, their enhancement or inhibition could represent a novel treatment for diabetic ED

MicroRNA expression profiling in the lungs of genetically different Ri chicken lines against the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus

The highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus triggers infectious diseases, resulting in pulmonary damage and high mortality in domestic poultry worldwide. This study aimed to analyze miRNA expression profiles after infection with the HPAI H5N1 virus in resistant and susceptible lines of Ri chickens.For this purpose, resistant and susceptible lines of Vietnamese Ri chicken were used based on the A/G allele of Mx and BF2 genes. These genes are responsible for innate antiviral activity and were selected to determine differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs in HPAI-infected chicken lines using small RNA sequencing. A total of 44 miRNAs were DE after 3 days of infection with the H5N1 virus. Computational program analysis indicated the candidate target genes for DE miRNAs to possess significant functions related to cytokines, chemokines, MAPK signaling pathway, ErBb signaling pathway, and Wnt signaling pathway. Several DE miRNA-mRNA matches were suggested to play crucial roles in mediating immune functions against viral evasion. These results revealed the potential regulatory roles of miRNAs in the immune response of the two Ri chicken lines against HPAI H5N1 virus infection in the lungs

Solar Insolation Effect on the Local Distribution of Lunar Hydroxyl

Moon mineralogy mapper (M^3)`s work proved that the moon is not completely dry but has some hydroxyl/water. M^3’s data confirmed that the amount of hydroxyl on the lunar surface is inversely related to the measured signal brightness, suggesting the lunar surface is sensitive to temperature by solar insolation. We tested the effect of solar insolation on the local distribution of hydroxyl by using M^3 data, and we found that most craters had more hydroxyl in shade areas than in sunlit areas. This means that the local distribution of hydroxyl is absolutely influenced by the amount of sunshine. We investigated the factors affecting differences in hydroxyl; we found that the higher the latitude, the larger the difference during daytime. We also measured the pyroxene content and found that pyroxene affects the amount of hydroxyl, but it does not affect the difference in hydroxyl between sunlit and shaded areas. Therefore, we confirmed that solar insolation plays a significant role in the local distribution of hydroxyl, regardless of surface composition

The Influence of Porous Co/CeO1.88-Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanorods on the Specific Capacity of Li-O2Batteries

Li-O2 batteries are attracting considerable attention as a promising power source for electric vehicles as they have the highest theoretical energy density among reported rechargeable batteries. However, the low energy density and efficiency of Li-O2 batteries still act as limiting factors in real cell implementations. This study proposes the cathode structure engineering strategy by tuning the thickness of a catalyst layer to enhance the Li-O2 battery performance. The construction of the Li-O2 battery with a thinner porous cathode leads less parasitic reactions at the solid electrolyte interface, maximization of the catalyst utilization, and facile transport of oxygen gas into the cathode. A remarkably high specific capacity of 33,009 mAh g-1 and the extended electrochemical stability for 75 cycles at a 1000 mAh g-1 limited capacity and 100 mA g-1 were achieved when using the porous Co/CeO1.88-nitrogen-doped carbon nanorod cathode. Further, a high discharge capacity of 20,279 mAh g-1 was also achieved at a relatively higher current density of 300 mA g-1. This work suggests the ideal cathode structure and the feasibility of the Co/CeO1.88-nitrogen-doped carbon nanorod as the cathode material, which can minimize the areal cathode catalyst loading and maximize the gravimetric energy density. © 2021 American Chemical Society.FALS

RuFe Alloy Nanoparticle-Supported Mesoporous Carbon: Efficient Bifunctional Catalyst for Li-O2and Zn-Air Batteries

The design and fabrication of bifunctional catalysts with low cost and high efficiency is a great challenge for the practical application of Li-O2 batteries. This work presents a bifunctional electrocatalyst consisting of RuFe nanoparticles embedded in high-surface-area nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon (RuFe@NC). The RuFe@NC-900 catalyst exhibits a specific surface area (677 m2 g-1), pore diameter (9.52 nm), and high pore volume (0.3 cm3 g-1). The catalyst displays high oxygen reduction and evolution reaction activity and exhibited excellent bifunctional activity (ΔE) of 0.73 V vs RHE compared to the benchmark catalyst, 40 wt % Pt/C + RuO2 substantiates the excellent catalytic activity as an oxygen electrode. The excellent bifunctional activity is attributed to the synergistic effect arising from RuFe@NC type sites, and the high electrical conductivity of the support material was key to tuning the catalytic activity. The potential practical application is further demonstrated by using it as an air cathode for rechargeable metal-air batteries. The Li-O2 battery constructed with the optimized RuFe@NC-900(5h) cathode exhibited robust reversibility with negligible discharge voltage loss. As a result, the discharge-specific capacity of 11,129 mAh g-1 at a current density of 100 mA g-1 shows a practical approach to explore the high-rate capability by constructing optimal cathode electrodes. In addition, the rechargeable zinc-air battery with RuFe@NC-900(5h) as a bifunctional catalyst exhibits high activity and stability during battery discharge, charge, and cycling processes. Therefore, RuFe@NC can be a potential air cathode for non-aqueous and aqueous rechargeable metal-air batteries. © 2022 American Chemical Society.FALS

Factors affecting the changes in antihypertensive medications in patients with hypertension

As frequent changes in anti-hypertensive (HTN) medications may reduce adherence to the treatments, identifying modifiable factors leading to changes in anti-HTN medications can help clinicians optimize treatment strategies for individual patients. We performed this study to explore the pattern of anti-HTN medications and to identify factors that are associated with the changes in anti-HTN medications. To this end, we used a clinical database of Seoul National University Hospital, extracted, transformed, and loaded by the observational medical outcomes partnership common data model. Demographic and all recorded clinical diagnoses, medications, and procedures data of eligible subjects were collected. Of 636 subjects who were eligible for this study, 297 subjects with a record of &gt;= 1 anti-HTN medication changes and other 297 subjects without a record of medication change were selected for the study population. High diastolic blood pressure (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 1.02, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.001-1.040, p = 0.040), arrhythmia (adjusted OR: 10.01, 95% CI: 1.86-185.57, p = 0.030), and angina pectoris with antianginal agents (adjusted OR: 4.85, CI: 1.05-23.89, p = 0.046) were associated with the changes in anti-HTN medications, indicating that any patients with these covariates require additional attention to reduce the likelihood of changing anti-HTN medications.Y

Spatial Reasoning for Real-time Robotic Manipulation

Abstract – Presented in this paper is an approach to realtime spatial reasoning for manipulative robotic tasks. When a service robot is requested to manipulate an object, it should determine the directions along which it can access and remove the object. The potential accessible directions for the object are retrieved from the object database. Then, spatial reasoning with the surrounding environment and the gripper geometry is invoked to verify the directions. The verification process mainly utilizes the visibility test of the commodity graphics hardware. Then, the directions along which both of the object and gripper are translated without colliding with the surrounding obstacles are computed using Minkowski sum and cube map of the graphics hardware. The access and removal directions are passed to the potential field path planning algorithm to determine the robot arm’s full path for accessing, removing and delivering the object. The experimental results show the feasibility of using graphics hardware for manipulative robotic tasks and further its performance gain in real-time manipulation. Index Terms – robotic manipulation, spatial reasoning, accessibility, graphics hardware. I