An MRI radiomics-based model for the prediction of invasion of the lymphovascular space in patients with cervical cancer

BackgroundCervical cancer (CC) remains the second leading cause of cancer-related death in women, and the ability to accurately anticipate the presence or absence of lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI) is critical to maintaining optimal patient outcomes. The objective of this study was to establish and verify an MRI radiomics-based model to predict the status of LVSI in patients with operable CC.MethodsThe current study performed a retrospective analysis, with 86 patients in the training cohort and 38 patients in the testing group, specifically focusing on patients with CC. The radiomics feature extraction process included ADC, T2WI-SPAIR, and T2WI sequences. The training group data were used for the initial radionics-based model building, and the model predictive performance was subsequently validated using data from patients recruited in the experimental group.ResultsThe development of the radiomics scoring model has been completed with 17 selected features. The study found several risk factors associated with LVSI. These risk factors included moderate tumor differentiation (P = 0.005), poor tumor differentiation (P = 0.001), and elevated combined sequence-based radiomics scores (P = 0.001). Radiomics scores based on predictive model, combined sequences, ADC, T2WI-SPAIR, and T2WI exhibited AUCs of 0.897, 0.839, 0.815, 0.698, and 0.739 in the training cohort, respectively, with corresponding testing cohort values of 0.833, 0.833, 0.683, 0.692, and 0.725. Excellent consistency was shown by the calibration curve analysis, which showed a higher degree of agreement between the actual and anticipated LVSI status. Moreover, the decision curve analysis outcomes demonstrated the medical application of this prediction model.ConclusionThis investigation indicated that the MRI radiomics model was successfully developed and validated to predict operable CC patient LVSI status, attaining high overall diagnostic accuracy. However, further external validation and more deeper analysis on a larger sample size are still needed

外用喜疗妥致严重皮肤反应1例

Objective: To explore the clinical characteristics, diagnosis and prognosis of local severe cutaneous reactions as result of the treatment with Hirudoid. Methods: One case of severe cutaneous reactions as result of the treatment with Hirudoid was reported and the relevant literatures were reviewed. Results: The site of puncture of left arm occurred non-leakage phlebitis with local pain after chemotherapy. The patient was applied the Hirudoid to the affected areas 2 times daily. After 2 days, local skin felt a kind of burning pain and it seems to be getting worse. The skin lesions began as pruritic red macules or papules. It became swelled and bleeding after scratching. We considered that the cutaneous reactions were an allergic response to Hirudoid. We discontinued the Hirudoid and desensitization treatment was used on cure, but it failed to respond to the medical treatment. A hot compress with 50% magnesium sulphate solution can reduce swelling and alleviate pain. Scales of skin peel off and weaved the new skin after 10 days. Conclusion: The case of local severe cutaneous reactions as result of the treatment with Hirudoid is very rare. A hot compress with 50%  magnesium sulphate solution can help to relieve the discomfort. 目的  探讨外用喜疗妥致严重皮肤反应的临床特征及治疗和预后。方法  报道1例外用喜疗妥致严重皮肤反应患者的临床资料并结合相关文献进行分析。结果  患者，女，60岁，化疗后穿刺部位左侧手臂出现非渗漏性静脉炎，局部疼痛。给予喜疗妥每日2次外涂。2天后，患者突感涂抹局部烧灼样疼痛，并可见大片红色斑丘疹奇痒难忍，抓挠后充血肿胀。考虑喜疗妥过敏所致，立即停用喜疗妥，并应用脱敏治疗，效果不佳，局部颜色由红色渐变为暗紫色且肿痛剧烈，给予50%硫酸镁溶液湿热敷。3天后患者症状逐渐减轻，肿胀消退，10天后患处皮肤全部脱落并被新的完好皮肤覆盖。结论  外用喜疗妥致严重皮肤反应非常罕见，50%硫酸镁溶液热敷患处皮肤，可以缓解肿痛，消除症状

Plastome phylogenomics and morphological traits analyses provide new insights into the phylogenetic position, species delimitation and speciation of Triplostegia (Caprifoliaceae)

Background The genus Triplostegia contains two recognized species, T. glandulifera and T. grandifora, but its phylogenetic position and species delimitation remain controversial. In this study, we assembled plastid genomes and nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) cistrons sampled from 22 wild Triplostegia individuals, each from a separate population, and examined these with 11 recently published Triplostegia plastomes. Morphological traits were measured from herbarium specimens and wild material, and ecological niche models were constructed. Results Triplostegia is a monophyletic genus within the subfamily Dipsacoideae comprising three monophyletic species, T. glandulifera, T. grandifora, and an unrecognized species Triplostegia sp. A, which occupies much higher altitude than the other two. The new species had previously been misidentifed as T. glandulifera, but difers in taproot, leaf, and other characters. Triplotegia is an old genus, with stem age 39.96Ma, and within it T. glandulifera diverged 7.94Ma. Triplostegia grandifora and sp. A diverged 1.05Ma, perhaps in response to Quaternary climate fuctuations. Niche overlap between Triplostegia species was positively correlated with their phylogenetic relatedness. Conclusions Our results provide new insights into the species delimitation of Triplostegia, and indicate that a taxonomic revision of Triplostegia is needed. We also identifed that either rpoB-trnC or ycf1 could serve as a DNA barcode for Triplostegi

Evaluation of human enterovirus 71 and coxsackievirus A16 specific immunoglobulin M antibodies for diagnosis of hand-foot-and-mouth disease

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD) is caused mainly by the human enterovirus type 71 (HEV71) and the Coxsackievirus A group type 16 (CVA16). Large outbreaks of disease have occurred frequently in the Asia-Pacific region. Reliable methods are needed for diagnosis of HFMD in childen. IgM-capture ELISA, with its notable advantages of convenience and low cost, provides a potentially frontline assay. We aimed to evaluate the newly developed IgM-capture ELISAs for HEV71 and CVA16 in the diagnosis of HFMD, and to measure the kinetics of IgM over the course of HEV71 or CVA16 infections.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We mapped, for the first time, the kinetics of IgM in HEV71 and CVA16 infection. HEV71- and CVA16-IgM were both detectable in some patients on day 1 of illness, and in 100% of patients by day 5 (HEV71) and day 8 (CVA16) respectively; both IgMs persisted for several weeks. The IgM detection rates were 90.2% (138 of 153 sera) and 68.0% (66 of 97 sera) for HEV71 and CVA16 infections, respectively, during the first 7 days of diseases. During the first 90 days after onset these values were 93.6% (233 of 249 sera) and 72.8% (91 of 125 sera) for HEV71 and CVA16 infections, respectively. Some cross-reactivity was observed between HEV71- and CVA16-IgM ELISAs. HEV71-IgM was positive in 38 of 122 (31.1%) CVA16 infections, 14 of 49 (28.6%) other enteroviral infections and 2 of 105 (1.9%) for other respiratory virus infected sera. Similarly, CVA16-IgM was apparently positive in 58 of 211 (27.5%) HEV71 infections, 16 of 48 (33.3%) other enterovirus infections and 3 of 105 (2.9%) other respiratory virus infected sera. Nevertheless, the ELISA yielded the higher OD₄₅₀value of main antibody than that of cross-reaction antibody, successfully identifying the enteroviral infection in 96.6% (HEV71) and 91.7% (CVA16) cases. When blood and rectal swabs were collected on the same day, the data showed that the agreement between IgM-capture ELISA and real-time RT-PCR in HEV71 was high (Kappa value = 0.729) while CVA16 somewhat lower (Kappa value = 0.300).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>HEV71- and CVA16-IgM ELISAs can be deployed successfully as a convenient and cost-effective diagnostic tool for HFMD in clinical laboratories.</p

Calibration of the Timing Performance of GECAM-C

As a new member of the Gravitational wave high-energy Electromagnetic Counterpart All-sky Monitor (GECAM) after GECAM-A and GECAM-B, GECAM-C (originally called HEBS), which was launched on board the SATech-01 satellite on July 27, 2022, aims to monitor and localize X-ray and gamma-ray transients from $\sim$ 6 keV to 6 MeV. GECAM-C utilizes a similar design to GECAM but operates in a more complex orbital environment. In this work, we utilize the secondary particles simultaneously produced by the cosmic-ray events on orbit and recorded by multiple detectors, to calibrate the relative timing accuracy between all detectors of GECAM-C. We find the result is 0.1 $\mu \rm s$, which is the highest time resolution among all GRB detectors ever flown and very helpful in timing analyses such as minimum variable timescale and spectral lags, as well as in time delay localization. Besides, we calibrate the absolute time accuracy using the one-year Crab pulsar data observed by GECAM-C and Fermi/GBM, as well as GECAM-C and GECAM-B. The results are $2.02\pm 2.26\ \mu \rm s$ and $5.82\pm 3.59\ \mu \rm s$, respectively. Finally, we investigate the spectral lag between the different energy bands of Crab pulsar observed by GECAM and GBM, which is $\sim -0.2\ {\rm \mu s\ keV^{-1}}$.Comment: submitte

Observation of GRB 221009A early afterglow in X/γ\gamma-ray energy band

The early afterglow of a Gamma-ray burst (GRB) can provide critical information on the jet and progenitor of the GRB. The extreme brightness of GRB 221009A allows us to probe its early afterglow in unprecedented detail. In this letter, we report comprehensive observation results of the early afterglow of GRB 221009A (from $T_0$+660 s to $T_0$+1860 s, where $T_0$ is the \textit{Insight}-HXMT/HE trigger time) in X/$\gamma$-ray energy band (from 20 keV to 20 MeV) by \textit{Insight}-HXMT/HE, GECAM-C and \textit{Fermi}/GBM. We find that the spectrum of the early afterglow in 20 keV-20 MeV could be well described by a cutoff power-law with an extra power-law which dominates the low and high energy bands respectively. The cutoff power-law $E_{\rm peak}$ is $\sim$ 30 keV and the power-law photon index is $\sim$ 1.8 throughout the early afterglow phase. By fitting the light curves in different energy bands, we find that a significant achromatic break (from keV to TeV) is required at $T_0$ + 1246$^{+27}_{-26}$ s (i.e. 1021 s since the afterglow starting time $T_{\rm AG}$=$T_0$+225 s), providing compelling evidence of a jet break. Interestingly, both the pre-break and post-break decay slopes vary with energy, and these two slopes become closer in the lower energy band, making the break less identifiable. Intriguingly, the spectrum of the early afterglow experienced a slight hardening before the break and a softening after the break. These results provide new insights into the understanding of this remarkable GRB.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ Letters on 19-Jan-2024, 11 pages, 7 figures and 2 table

IFNγ and TNFα synergistically induce apoptosis of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells via the induction of nitric oxide

Abstract Background Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) have been widely used to treat various inflammatory diseases. The immunomodulatory capabilities of MSCs are usually licensed by inflammatory cytokines and may vary depending on the levels and the types of inflammatory cytokines. However, how the inflammatory microenvironment affects the fate of MSCs remains elusive. Here we characterized the molecular mechanism underlying the apoptosis of mouse MSCs triggered by the synergistic action of IFNγ and TNFα. Methods We isolated and expanded MSCs by flushing the femoral and tibial bone marrow of wild-type, iNOS−/−, and Fas−/− mice. BM-MSCs were treated with IFNγ and TNFα in vitro, and cell viability was evaluated by a CCK-8 kit. Apoptosis was assessed by Annexin V/propidium iodide-stained flow cytometry. Expression of genes related to apoptosis and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress was measured by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Apoptosis and autophagy-related proteins were examined by Western blot analysis. Results IFNγ and TNFα synergistically trigger apoptosis of mouse BM-MSCs. The two cytokines were shown to stimulate the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and consequently the generation of nitric oxide (NO), which is required for the apoptosis of mouse BM-MSCs. The two cytokines similarly induced apoptosis in Fas−/− BM-MSCs. iNOS and NO were shown to upregulate Fas in mouse MSCs and sensitize them to Fas agonist-induced apoptosis. Moreover, NO stimulated by IFNγ/TNFα impairs autophagy, which aggravates ER stress and promotes apoptosis. Conclusions IFNγ/TNFα-induced apoptosis in mouse MSCs is mediated by NO. Our findings shed new light on cytokine-induced apoptosis of MSCs and have implications in MSC-based therapy of inflammatory diseases

In-depth Urbanization in China from the Perspective of Growth and Development：A Study Based on Literature Review

刘雅南，厦门大学经济学系助理教授； 邵宜航，厦门大学经济学系教授、博士生导师。【中文摘要】随着经济增长与经济发展研究的日益融合，结构转变与城市化已成为增长与发展的共同核心主题。近年来新经济地理学的兴起，使得经济活动的空间集聚也日益成为增长发展的重要研究课题。城市化则集中体现了二元结构转变和集聚。作为经济增长的动力，城市化主要源于经济结构转变和集聚效应的促进作用，同时城市化对收入差距的变动也存在重要影响，因此进一步推进“深度”城市化是我国增长与发展的首要问题。我国“深度”城市化的核心除了相关研究强调的农民工市民化之外，更应该包括追求二元结构转变与空间集聚的联动和统一。 【Abstract】With the increasing integration of studies of economic growth with studies of economic development，structure change and urbanization have already become the common core topics for growth and development. In recent years,with the rise of new economic geography ,spatial agglomeration is also becoming an increasingly important topic for growth and development. Urbanization embodies structural transformation in dual economy and agglomeration. Urbanization，as the driving force of economic growth，mainly originates in the promoting effects of economic structural change and agglomeration and it also has an important impact on the change in income gap. Therefore，how to further promote urbanization is the top issue for China's plan of growth and development. We conclude that，in addition to the major concern about the status of migrant workers in some related studies，the core issues of in-depth urbanization should also include pursuing linkage and unification of structural transformation in dual economy and spatial agglomeration.国家自然科学基金项目“二元结构背景下的我国经济增长与发展研究”（71273216); 教育部人文社科项目“劳动力流动的政治经济学”（12YJC790127); 教育部人文社科项目“包容性增长视角下的中国式城市化” (11YJA90125

Slurry-Phase Carbonation Reaction Characteristics of AOD Stainless Steel Slag

Argon oxygen decarburization stainless steel slag (AOD slag) has high mineral carbonation activity. AOD slag carbonation has both the resource utilization of metallurgical waste slag and the carbon reduction effect of CO2 storage. This paper aimed to study carbonation reaction characteristics of AOD slag. Under the slurry-phase accelerated carbonation route, the effect of stirring speed (r) and reaction temperature (T) on AOD slag&rsquo;s carbonation was studied by controlling the reaction conditions. Mineral composition analysis and microscopic morphology analysis were used to explore the mineral phase evolution of AOD slag during the carbonation process. Based on the unreacted core model, the kinetic model of the carbonation reaction of AOD slag was analyzed. The results showed that the carbonation ratio of AOD slag reached its maximum value of 66.7% under the reaction conditions of a liquid to solid ratio (L/S) of 8:1, a CO2 partial pressure of 0.2 MPa, a stirring speed of 450 r&middot;min&minus;1, and a reaction temperature of 80 &deg;C. The carbonation reaction of AOD slag was controlled by internal diffusion, and the calculated apparent activation energy was 22.28 kJ/mol

Carbonation of EAF Stainless Steel Slag and Its Effect on Chromium Leaching Characteristics

EAF stainless steel slag (EAF slag) is one kind of chromium-bearing metallurgical solid waste, which belongs to alkaline steel slag, and contains a large number of alkaline mineral phases. The carbonation activity of these minerals gives EAF slag the capability to effectively capture CO2. In this paper, EAF slag samples with different carbonation degrees were prepared by the slurry-phase accelerated carbonation route. The mineralogical identification analysis was used to qualitatively and semi-quantitatively determine the types and contents of the carbonatable mineral phases in the EAF slag. The sequential leaching test was used to study the chromium leachabilities in EAF slags with different carbonation degrees. The results showed that the main minerals with carbonation activity in EAF slag were Ca3Mg(SiO4)2 and Ca2SiO4, with mass percentages of 56.9% and 23%, respectively. During the carbonation process, Ca2SiO4 was the main reactant and calcite was the main product. As the degree of carbonation increased, the pH of the EAF slags’ leachate gradually decreased while the redox potential (Eh) gradually increased. At the same time, a large amount of Ca2+ in the EAF slag combined with CO2 to form slightly soluble calcium carbonate, which led to a significant decrease in the conductivity of the leachate. With the gradual increase in carbonation ratio, the leachability of chromium in the EAF slag first decreased and then increased, and reached its lowest value when the CO2 uptake ratio was 11.49%