Construction of an M2 macrophage-related prognostic model in hepatocellular carcinoma

BackgroundM2 macrophages play a crucial role in promoting tumor angiogenesis and proliferation, as well as contributing to chemotherapy resistance and metastasis. However, their specific role in the tumor progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and their impact on the clinical prognosis remain to be further elucidated.Materials and methodsM2 macrophage-related genes were screened using CIBERSORT and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), while subtype identification was performed using unsupervised clustering. Prognostic models were constructed using univariate analysis/least absolute shrinkage selector operator (LASSO) Cox regression. In addition, Gene Ontology (GO)/Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), gene set variation analysis (GSVA), and mutation analysis were used for further analysis. The relationship between the risk score and tumor mutation burden (TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI), the efficacy of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE), immunotype, and the molecular subtypes were also investigated. Moreover, the potential role of the risk score was explored using the ESTIMATE and TIDE (tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion) algorithms and stemness indices, such as the mRNA expression-based stemness index (mRNAsi) and the DNA methylation-based index (mDNAsi). In addition, the R package “pRRophetic” was used to examine the correlation between the risk score and the chemotherapeutic response. Finally, the role of TMCC1 in HepG2 cells was investigated using various techniques, including Western blotting, RT-PCR and Transwell and wound healing assays.ResultsThis study identified 158 M2 macrophage-related genes enriched in small molecule catabolic processes and fatty acid metabolic processes in HCC. Two M2 macrophage-related subtypes were found and a four-gene prognostic model was developed, revealing a positive correlation between the risk score and advanced stage/grade. The high-risk group exhibited higher proliferation and invasion capacity, MSI, and degree of stemness. The risk score was identified as a promising prognostic marker for TACE response, and the high-risk subgroup showed higher sensitivity to chemotherapeutic drugs (e.g., sorafenib, doxorubicin, cisplatin, and mitomycin) and immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatments. The expression levels of four genes related to the macrophage-related risk score were investigated, with SLC2A2 and ECM2 showing low expression and SLC16A11 and TMCC1 exhibiting high expression in HCC. In vitro experiments showed that TMCC1 may enhance the migration ability of HepG2 cells by activating the Wnt signaling pathway.ConclusionWe identified 158 HCC-related M2 macrophage genes and constructed an M2 macrophage-related prognostic model. This study advances the understanding of the role of M2 macrophages in HCC and proposes new prognostic markers and therapeutic targets

3,3,6,6,9,9-Hexamethyl-2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octa­hydro-1H-xanthene-1,8-dione

The title compound, C19H26O3, was synthesized directly from the condensation of 5,5-dimethyl­cyclo­hexane-1,3-dione with malononitrile catalysed by palladium chloride: there are two molecules in the asymmetric unit

Matching dependence-related queries in the system dependence graph.

In software maintenance and evolution, it is common that develop-ers want to apply a change to a number of similar places. Due to the size and complexity of the code base, it is challenging for develop-ers to locate all the places that need the change. A main challenge in locating the places that need the change is that, these places share certain common dependence conditions but existing code searching techniques can hardly handle dependence relations satisfactorily. In this paper, we propose a technique that enables developers to make queries involving dependence conditions and textual condi-tions on the system dependence graph of the program. We carried out an empirical evaluation on four searching tasks taken from the development history of two real-world projects. The results of our evaluation indicate that, compared with code-clone detection, our technique is able to locate many required code elements that code-clone detection cannot locate, and compared with text search, our technique is able to effectively reduce false positives without losing any required code elements

The combination of chest compression synchronized ventilation and aortic balloon occlusion improve the outcomes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation in swine

AimThe primary mission of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is to provide adequate blood flow and oxygen delivery for restoring spontaneous circulation from cardiac arrest (CA) events. Previously, studies demonstrated that chest compression synchronized ventilation (CCSV) improved systemic oxygen supply during CPR, and aortic balloon occlusion (ABO) augments the efficacy of external CPR by increasing blood perfusion to vital organs. However, both them failed to make a significant improvement in return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). In this study, we investigated the effects of combined CCSV and ABO on the outcomes of CPR in swine.MethodsThirty-one male domestic swine were subjected to 8 min of electrically induced and untreated CA followed by 8 min of CPR. CPR was performed by continuous chest compressions and mechanical ventilation. At the beginning of CPR, the animals were randomized to receive intermittent positive pressure ventilation (IPPV, n = 10), CCSV (n = 7), IPPV + ABO (n = 7), or CCSV + ABO (n = 7). During CPR, gas exchange and systemic hemodynamics were measured, and ROSC was recorded. After resuscitation, the function and injury biomarkers of vital organs including heart, brain, kidney, and intestine were evaluated.ResultsDuring CPR, PaO2 was significantly higher accompanied by significantly greater regional cerebral oxygen saturation in the CCSV and CCSV + ABO groups than the IPPV group. Coronary perfusion pressure, end-tidal carbon dioxide, and carotid blood flow were significantly increased in the IPPV + ABO and CCSV + ABO groups compared with the IPPV group. ROSC was achieved in five of ten (IPPV), five of seven (CCSV), six of seven (IPPV + ABO), and seven of seven (CCSV + ABO) swine, with the rate of resuscitation success being significantly higher in the CCSV + ABO group than the IPPV group (P = 0.044). After resuscitation, significantly improved myocardial and neurological function, and markedly less cardiac, cerebral, renal, and intestinal injuries were observed in the CCSV + ABO group compared with the IPPV group.ConclusionThe combination of CCSV and ABO improved both ventilatory and hemodynamic efficacy during CPR, promoted ROSC, and alleviated post-resuscitation multiple organ injury in swine

Optimization Calculation Method of Injection Voltage and Series Converter Capacity for Unified Power Flow Controller

[Introduction] The application of UPFC (Unified Power Flow Controller) is to increase the transmission capacity of key sections, which mainly through the injection of a certain series voltage into the system and therefore divert the power flow of target line. [Method] Focusing on the key transmission sections, the regional power grid was divided into the transmission network, the interconnection network and the internal network based on their function, then the Gaussian elimination method was used to equalize the system network into a two-channel constant power exchange system. On this basis, based on the energy conservation principle, the phasor method was applied to provide phasor graph of the voltage, power angle, impedance, and active power relationship between the UPFC branch and the equivalent branch before and after the UPFC was put into operation, respectively, for the stand-alone infinity system and the constant power exchange system. The classical power transfer function was used to deduced the UPFC injection voltage and series converter capacity calculation formula. [Result] The calculation method is simple and practical, especially suitable for power system planning and design stage. [Conclusion] The above method is applied to the calculation of Shenzhen power grid example, and compared with the simulation results of PSCAD, the validity and practicability of the method are verified