Radiomic Features From Multi-Parameter MRI Combined With Clinical Parameters Predict Molecular Subgroups in Patients With Medulloblastoma

The 2016 WHO classification of central nervous system tumors has included four molecular subgroups under medulloblastoma (MB) as sonic hedgehog (SHH), wingless (WNT), Grade 3, and Group 4. We aimed to develop machine learning models for predicting MB molecular subgroups based on multi-parameter magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) radiomics, tumor locations, and clinical factors. A total of 122 MB patients were enrolled retrospectively. After selecting robust, non-redundant, and relevant features from 5,529 extracted radiomics features, a random forest model was constructed based on a training cohort (n= 92) and evaluated on a testing cohort (n= 30). By combining radiographic features and clinical parameters, two combined prediction models were also built. The subgroup can be classified using an 11-feature radiomics model with a high area under the curve (AUC) of 0.8264 for WNT and modest AUCs of 0.6683, 0.6004, and 0.6979 for SHH, Group 3, and Group 4 in the testing cohort, respectively. Incorporating location and hydrocephalus into the radiomics model resulted in improved AUCs of 0.8403 and 0.8317 for WNT and SHH, respectively. After adding gender and age, the AUCs for WNT and SHH were further improved to 0.9097 and 0.8654, while the accuracies were 70 and 86.67% for Group 3 and Group 4, respectively. Prediction performance was excellent for WNT and SHH, while that for Group 3 and Group 4 needs further improvements. Machine learning algorithms offer potentials to non-invasively predict the molecular subgroups of MB.</p

Internet-Based HIV Self-Testing Among Men Who Have Sex With Men Through Pre-exposure Prophylaxis: 3-Month Prospective Cohort Analysis From China.

BACKGROUND: Routine HIV testing accompanied with pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) requires innovative support in a real-world setting. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the usage of HIV self-testing (HIVST) kits and their secondary distribution to partners among men who have sex with men (MSM) in China, who use PrEP, in an observational study between 2018 and 2019. METHODS: In 4 major cities in China, we prospectively followed-up MSM from the China Real-world oral PrEP demonstration study, which provides daily or on-demand PrEP for 12 months, to assess the usage and secondary distribution of HIVST on quarterly follow-ups. Half of the PrEP users were randomized to receive 2 HIVSTs per month in addition to quarterly facility-based HIV testing. We evaluated the feasibility of providing HIVST to PrEP users. RESULTS: We recruited 939 MSM and randomized 471 to receive HIVST, among whom 235 (49.9%) were daily and 236 (50.1%) were on-demand PrEP users. At baseline, the median age was 29 years, 390 (82.0%) men had at least college-level education, and 119 (25.3%) had never undergone facility-based HIV testing before. Three months after PrEP initiation, 341 (74.5%) men had used the HIVST provided to them and found it very easy to use. Among them, 180 of 341 (52.8%) men had distributed the HIVST kits it to other MSM, and 132 (51.6%) among the 256 men who returned HIVST results reported that used it with their sexual partners at the onset of intercourse. Participants on daily PrEP were more likely to use HIVST (adjusted hazard ratio=1.3, 95% CI 1.0-1.6) and distribute HIVST kits (adjusted hazard ratio=1.3, 95% CI 1.1-1.7) than those using on-demand PrEP. CONCLUSIONS: MSM who used PrEP had a high rate of usage and secondary distribution of HIVST kits, especially among those on daily PrEP, which suggested high feasibility and necessity for HIVST after PrEP initiation. Assuming that fourth-generation HIVST kits are available, HIVST may be able to replace facility-based HIV testing to a certain extent. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR1800020374; https://www.chictr.org.cn/showprojen.aspx?proj=32481. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): RR2-10.1136/bmjopen-2019-036231

Plasma-electrified postharvest preservation of Citrus sinensis: Process technology and freshness-keeping and anticorrosion effects

Nitrogen oxide-generating dielectric barrier discharge plasma is shown to effectively inhibit microorganisms and maintain fruit freshness. Physical and biological mechanisms of the plasma-electrified fungicidal effects suggest that plasma-generated NO and ONOO− species and other factors are crucial to regulating physiological senescence in citrus fruit while controlling pathogens on their surface. The revealed Physico-chemical effects explain the observed phenotypic changes and the suppression of surface pathogens, thus providing mechanistic insights into postharvest fruit processing with plasmas.</p

Effects of IrO2 nanoparticle sizes on Ir/Al2O3 catalysts for the selective catalytic oxidation of ammonia

Gaseous ammonia (NH3), especially that emitted from selective catalytic reduction with NH3 (NH3-SCR) units in the atmosphere is potentially harmful to both human health and the environment. The noble metal catalytic oxidation technology placed behind the SCR unit has been considered to be a promising method for decreasing NH3 slip. In this study, we prepared Ir/Al2O3 catalysts using two different crystal structures of Al2O3 (alpha-Al2O3 or gamma-Al2O3 ) as supported by an impregnation method and evaluated the performance of the selective catalytic oxidation of NH3 (NH3-SCO). We found that the Ir/gamma-Al2O3 catalyst performed better than the Ir/alpha-Al2O3 catalysts, with 99% of NH3 converted at 260 C. The X-ray absorption fine structure revealed that the active species on the Ir/Al2O3 catalysts are mainly oxidized IrO2. High-angle annular dark-field images of aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy revealed that IrO2 species over 1 nm in diameter are beneficial for activity. In situ diffuse reflectance for infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy studies suggested that the differences in NH3-SCO activity were caused by the activity of reactive oxygen species, and the formation of -NH(2 )may be the decisive step of the NH3 oxidation reaction

Biochar from Microwave Pyrolysis of Artemisia Slengensis: Characterization and Methylene Blue Adsorption Capacity

In this research, artemisia selengensis was used to produce biochar via microwave pyrolysis. The influence of pyrolysis temperature, heating rates, temperature holding time and additive on the biochar yield and adsorbability were all investigated. The results suggest that the biochar yield decreased with the increase of pyrolysis temperature while the adsorbability of the biochar increased with an increase of the pyrolysis temperature; the biochar yield and its adsorbability could achieve the desired value when the heating rate and temperature holding time were in a specific scope; the biochar yield decreased when an additive was added; the adsorbability of the biochar could be increased by adding ZnCl2 (metal chloride) and Na2CO3 (metal carbonate). According to the orthogonal experiments, the optimal conditions for biochar production were: pyrolysis temperature 550 &#176;C, heating rate 2 &#176;C/s, temperature holding time 15 min, without additive

Progress of CCUS technology in the iron and steel industry and the suggestion of the integrated application schemes for China

The iron and steel industry is a dominant carbon emission source in China. CCUS is an important potential technology for large-scale carbon reduction. However, due to the characteristics of multi-point source emissions of the iron and steel industry, the application is still in its infancy. Here, the research progresses of CCUS technology in the iron and steel industry are systematically reviewed, including the projects and novel materials. The maturity and applicability of various technologies were further analyzed by considering the CO2 emission characteristics of different steel-making processes. Finally, four kinds of integrated schemes of CCUS in the iron and steel industry were proposed, including "synergistic chemical utilization of hydrogen resource and CO2", "steel slag mineralization and carbon fixation in coordination with solid waste disposal", "microalgae biological carbon fixation collaborative wastewater treatment", and "CO2 geological utilization and storage". The applicability of the proposed integrated schemes were further analyzed based on the regional distribution of iron and steel enterprises in China. The results of this work were aimed at facilitating the application of CCUS in the iron and steel industry in China

Predictive effects of body mass index on immune reconstitution among HIV-infected HAART users in China

Abstract Background Body mass index (BMI) may contribute somewhat to drug metabolism, and thus affecting the efficacy of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). This study aimed to determine the frequencies of underweight, normal and overweight/obesity at pre-HAART in a large cohort of HIV-infected Chinese patients, and investigate the prospective effects of BMI on immune reconstitution after HAART initiation. Methods A longitudinal cohort study was performed to analyze the effects of BMI on immune reconstitution in HIV-infected patients treated with HAART. Multiple linear regression was used to evaluate the relationship between baseline BMI and increased CD4+ T lymphocyte levels at 12 and 30 months after initiating HAART. In addition, Cox proportional hazard model was used to assess the relationship between BMI and time to achieve immunologic reconstitution (CD4+ T lymphocytes>500cells/μL) during the follow-up period. Results Among the 1612 enrolled patients, 283 (17.6%) were overweight/obese (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2), 173 (10.7%) were underweight (BMI < 18.5 kg/m2) and the remaining were normal weight. Prior to HAART initiating, overweight HIV-infected patients were mostly males, older ages, exhibited higher CD4+ T lymphocytes and lower viral loads (p < 0.01 for all). Patients with higher baseline BMI had an independently positive effect on 30-month CD4+ T lymphocyte recovery (p = 0.028), but not 12-month CD4+ T lymphocyte gain (p = 0.104). In addition, a Cox proportional hazard model with baseline BMI as an independent variable indicated that BMI was correlated with an increased likelihood of achieving immunologic reconstitution over time (hazard ratios [HR] 1.03; 95% confidence intervals [CI] 1.01–1.06; p = 0.011), after adjusting for baseline age, gender, CD4+ T lymphocytes, CD4/CD8 ratio, viral load and WHO stage. Conclusions Higher baseline BMI could predict better immune reconstitution in HIV-infected patients after HAART initiating

Progress of CCUS technology in the iron and steel industry and the suggestion of the integrated application schemes for China

The iron and steel industry is a dominant carbon emission source in China. CCUS is an important potential technology for large-scale carbon reduction. However, due to the characteristics of multi-point source emissions of the iron and steel industry, the application is still in its infancy. Here, the research progresses of CCUS technology in the iron and steel industry are systematically reviewed, including the projects and novel materials. The maturity and applicability of various technologies were further analyzed by considering the CO2 emission characteristics of different steel-making processes. Finally, four kinds of integrated schemes of CCUS in the iron and steel industry were proposed, including "synergistic chemical utilization of hydrogen resource and CO2", "steel slag mineralization and carbon fixation in coordination with solid waste disposal", "microalgae biological carbon fixation collaborative wastewater treatment", and "CO2 geological utilization and storage". The applicability of the proposed integrated schemes were further analyzed based on the regional distribution of iron and steel enterprises in China. The results of this work were aimed at facilitating the application of CCUS in the iron and steel industry in China

Urine alpha1-microglobulin is a better marker for early tubular dysfunction than beta2-microglobulin among tenofovir-exposed human immunode&#64257;ciency virus-infected men who have sex with men

Objectives: Men who have sex with men are at risk of tenofovir nephrotoxicity due to its wide use in both treatment and prophylaxis for human immunode&#64257;ciency virus infection, but little is known about the urinary biomarkers of early renal dysfunction in this population. This study aims to identify useful biomarkers of early renal dysfunction among human immunode&#64257;ciency virus-infected men who have sex with men exposed to tenofovir.Methods: In a cross-sectional study urinary alpha1-microglobulin, beta2-microglobulin, N-acetyl-B-n-glucosaminidase and albumin were measured and expressed as the ratio-to-creatinine in 239 human immunode&#64257;ciency virus-infected men who have sex with men who were treatment naïve or receiving antiretroviral therapy with tenofovir-containing or non-tenofovir-containing regimens. Additionally, 56 patients in the non-antiretroviral therapy group started a tenofovir-containing regimen and were assessed after 3 and 6 months on antiretroviral therapy.Results: Both the frequency of alpha1-microglobulin proteinuria (alpha1-microglobulin-creatinine ratio >25.8 mg/g) and the median urinary alpha1-microglobulin-creatinine ratio were higher in the tenofovir disoproxil fumarate group than the other two groups (all p< 0.05). A higher frequency of beta2-microglobulin proteinuria (beta2-microglobulin-creatinine ratio >0.68 mg/g) was also observed in the tenofovir group (28.9%) compared to the non-tenofovir group (13.6%, p= 0.024). There were no signi&#64257;cant differences between groups for N-acetyl-&#946;-n-glucosaminidase and albumin. In the longitudinal study, the median urinary alphat-microglobulin-creatinine ratio after 3 and 6 months on tenofovir-containing therapy (16.8 and 17.3 mg/g) was higher than baseline (12.3 mg/g, p= 0.023 and 0.011, respectively), while no statistically important changes were observed in urinary beta2-microglobulin-creatinine ratio or in the other biomarkers after 3 and 6 months on antiretroviral therapy (all p> 0.05).Conclusion: Urinary alphat-microglobulin seems to be a more sensitive and stable indicator of tubular dysfunction than urinary beta2-microglobulin for assessing tenofovir-related nephrotoxicity and can be signi&#64257;cantly altered after tenofovir exposure