This article reports on a noninvasive approach in detecting and following-up individuals who are at-risk or have an existing COVID-19 infection, with a potential ability to serve as an epidemic ...control tool. The proposed method uses a developed breath device composed of a nanomaterial-based hybrid sensor array with multiplexed detection capabilities that can detect disease-specific biomarkers from exhaled breath, thus enabling rapid and accurate diagnosis. An exploratory clinical study with this approach was examined in Wuhan, China, during March 2020. The study cohort included 49 confirmed COVID-19 patients, 58 healthy controls, and 33 non-COVID lung infection controls. When applicable, positive COVID-19 patients were sampled twice: during the active disease and after recovery. Discriminant analysis of the obtained signals from the nanomaterial-based sensors achieved very good test discriminations between the different groups. The training and test set data exhibited respectively 94% and 76% accuracy in differentiating patients from controls as well as 90% and 95% accuracy in differentiating between patients with COVID-19 and patients with other lung infections. While further validation studies are needed, the results may serve as a base for technology that would lead to a reduction in the number of unneeded confirmatory tests and lower the burden on hospitals, while allowing individuals a screening solution that can be performed in PoC facilities. The proposed method can be considered as a platform that could be applied for any other disease infection with proper modifications to the artificial intelligence and would therefore be available to serve as a diagnostic tool in case of a new disease outbreak.
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IJS, KILJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM
Background
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is characterized by high aggressiveness, heterogeneity, and poor prognosis. Programmed cell death 1 (PD-1)/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) ...inhibitors, a crucial type of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy, have been proven to be a promising strategy for the TNBC treatment. Forebrain embryonic zinc finger 2 (FEZF2) is dysregulated in various cancers and participates in the tumor progression. However, its role and mechanism in TNBC remain unknown.
Objectives
To investigate whether FEZF2 is involved in the progression of TNBC via EZH2/PD-L1 axis.
Results
The expression of FEZF2 was downregulated in TNBC. Overexpression of FEZF2 reduced cell viability and enhanced cell apoptosis in both MDA-MB-231 and BT-549 cells. Meanwhile, upregulation of FEZF2 decreased the relative protein expression of EZH2 and PD-L1, which was restored by overexpression of EZH2 in both cells. Moreover, overexpression of PD-L1 neutralized the inhibitory effect of the FEZF2 overexpression on the cell viability in MDA-MB-231 and BT-549 cells. Furthermore, overexpression of FEZF2 reduced the tumor weight and volume, and increased numbers of CD8
+
tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in xenografted mice.
Conclusion
Overexpression of FEZF2 inhibited the proliferation and enhanced the apoptosis of TNBC cells through EZH2/PD-L1 axis, as well as promoted anti-tumor immunity in vivo.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
The purpose of our research was to explore the value of preoperative CT and MRI examinations and clinical indicators in the prediction of recurrence of ovarian serous carcinoma in patients who ...underwent satisfactory staging surgery.
Detailed inclusion and exclusion criteria were installed to screen all patients collected and the eligible patients were divided into two groups. The CT and MRI features and some clinical characteristics of two groups were analyzed, in addition, the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value in tumor solid region was measured. Univariate analysis was used in this study.
There were 78 patients with histologically proven ovarian serous carcinoma. According to the strict inclusion and exclusion criteria, we retained 29 patients (recurrence group: 11 patients, no recurrence group: 18 patients). For the peritoneal implantation metastasis in CT or MRI images and Ki67 proliferation index (Ki67 PI), the differences between two cohorts were statistically significant (
< 0.05). The rate of peritoneal metastasis in the recurrence cohort (10/11, 91%) was higher than that in the no recurrence cohort (7/18, 39%). Patients with high Ki67 PI expression had lower recurrence risk than those with low Ki67 PI expression, HR=0.172 (95%CI: 0.050-0.589, P=0.005), and patients without peritoneal planting had lower recurrence risk than those with it, HR=9.373 (95%CI: 1.194-73.551, P=0.033). For FIGO III patients, ipsilateral fallopian tube involvement was statistically significant between the two groups (
< 0.05). The differences in the other preoperative imaging characteristics of ovarian serous cancer, including the volume; capsule of the mass; main components; ADC value; cystic change; bleeding; degree of enhancement of the mainly solid region in 3 periods; and range of tumor involvement in the ovary, uterus, bladder, bowel, and pelvic wall, were not statistically significant. In addition, the differences in the other clinical indicators (i.e., age, FIGO stage) between the two cohorts were not statistically significant.
In CT and MRI examinations before surgery, peritoneal implantation metastasis was suggestive of the possibility of the recurrence of serous ovarian carcinoma in the near future. In addition to that, ipsilateral fallopian tube involvement and Ki67 PI may also indicate the possibility of recurrence (the former was only applicable to FIGO III patients).
Children Snoring is a common childhood disorder that affects the growth and development of children and is detrimental to their health. Increasing awareness of Children Snoring among parents is ...important.
To develop the Knowledge-Attitude-Practice of Parents towards Children Snoring Scale and test the reliability and validity of the scale.
The development of the tool was divided into two phases involving 1257 parents from China. In the first phase, an initial project bank was created through a literature review. This was followed by a Delphi expert consultation, group discussion and pre-survey. The second stage screened the items and conducted an exploratory factor analysis, then conducted a confirmatory factor analysis and tested for reliability and validity.
Support was found for the 25-item Knowledge-Attitude-Practice toward Children Snoring scale. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses provide support for four subscales: (parental basic cognition toward Children Snoring; parents' perception of complications of Children Snoring; parents' attitude towards Children Snoring; parents' concern and prevention of Children Snoring). Internal consistency for the total scale was high (Cronbach's α = 0.93). The intraclass correlation coefficient of test-retest reliability was 0.92 (95%CI: 0.85 to 0.95), which provided support for the stability of the scale.
The Knowledge-Attitude-Practice of Parents towards Children Snoring scale shows promise as a measure that may be used by medical workers and community children's health managers.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VSZLJ
Genetic evaluations of candidate traits under special climate conditions could provide effective suggestions for breeding programs of domesticated fish species. Here, we evaluated the genetic ...parameters for growth traits in Songpu mirror carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) cultured in Northeast China where overwintering of ~5months per year has a great impact on the growth improvement of common carp. Six growth traits of 1096–1153 F1 progeny were estimated from 36 full-sib families at ages 145 (before overwintering), 332 (after overwintering) and 392 (2months after overwintering) days. Of particular interest was the overwintering weight loss rate (WLR), which was estimated as a growth-related trait at 332days of age. No significant sex effect was detected for each trait (P>0.05). Heritabilities were moderate (0.2–0.4) for body weight (BW), standard length (SL), condition factor (K), relative body height (RBH), and WLR, while they were low (<0.2) for relative body width (RBWI) and relative head length (RHL). Genetic and phenotypic correlations were strong and positive between BW and SL (rP and rG>0.9) at each detecting period. Furthermore, genetic correlations were high between BW145 and BW332 (0.98) but low between BW145 and BW392 (0.29) and between BW332 and BW392 (0.27). Notably, there was a strong and negative genetic correlation between WLR332 and BW392 (−0.76). The results support that traditional selection based on BW at the beginning or end of the first overwintering period may be unreasonable for Songpu mirror carp in the northeast regions. The WLR is heritable and selection for reduced WLR332 should gradually enhance growth performance in the next culture stage in the present population.
•Traditional selection based on body weight (BW) around the first overwintering may be unreasonable for Songpu mirror carp in Northeast China.•The change of overwintering weight loss reflects growth potential after overwintering.•The overwintering weight loss rate (WLR) is a heritable trait with a heritability of medium level.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
Common carp cultured in Northeast China need at least 3 or 4 years to become sexually mature. Consequently, in regard to local seed production enterprises, increasing selection accuracy with ...excellent growth potential has vital significance for lowing the cost of culturing and maintaining parent fish. In this study, a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) (g.1597C>A) and a 4-bp insertion-deletion (indel) (g.1609–1612, CTTC) in intron 3, and three synonymous SNPs (g.1630A>T, g.1669A>T and g.1672C>T) in exon 4 were identified in the growth hormone (GH) gene of common carp. Furthermore, a polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation (PCR-SSCP) approach was constructed. Four haplotypes (H1, H2, H3 and H4) and ten diplotypes (H1H1, H2H2, H3H3, H4H4, H1H2, H1H3, H1H4, H2H3, H2H4 and H3H4) were detected in three carp breeds, including Heilongjiang carp Cyprinus carpio haematopterus (YL), a selective strain of German mirror carp Cyprinus carpio L. mirror (JL), and a cold-resistant strain of Purse red carp Cyprinus carpio var. wuyuanensis (HL). To reveal the associations of each diplotype with growth traits around the first overwintering period, a total of 747 individuals from YL (n = 263), JL(n = 229), and HL (n = 255) were genotyped. We found that fish with the H2H2 diplotype exhibited higher body weight (BW) (135, 325, 385 and 445 d) and net weight (NW) (445 d) than those with the H1H1, H1H2 and H2H3 diplotypes in YL (P < .05). In HL, there was a significantly lower overwintering weight loss rate (WLR) at 325 d and higher BW385, BW445 and NW445 in fish with the H2H2 diplotype than in those with the H1H2, H1H3, H2H3, H2H4, H3H3 and H4H4 diplotypes (P < .05). Taken together, these data unravel a novel H2H2 diplotype with positive effects on body weight traits around the first overwintering period, which should be used as a potential marker to improve accuracy of selection in common carp in Northeast China.
•Four single nucleotide polymorphism and one 4-bp insertion-deletion loci were identified in the growth hormone gene of common carp.•A novel H2H2 diplotype of growth hormone gene is responsible on body weight traits in common carp reared in Northeast China.•The role of H2 haplotype on body weight after overwintering may be from the link between H2 to overwinter weight loss rate in a common carp strain.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
Objective. To investigate the characteristics of intestinal flora in patients with gastric cancer complicated by coronary heart disease and heart failure and the guiding value of probiotics ...intervention for clinical treatment. Methods. (1) One hundred and sixty-eight gastric cancer patients with complications of coronary heart disease and heart failure from August 2017 to December 2020 were selected as the observation group. A total of 125 patients with coronary heart disease treated at the same time were selected as control group 1, and 89 healthy subjects were selected as control group 2. Fecal samples were retained to extract the total RNA, and high-throughput sequencing was applied to complete the analysis of microbial diversity and structure differences, so as to obtain the biological species information of the specimens. (2) Patients in the observation group were randomly divided into two equal groups of 84 patients, namely, group A and group B. Group A was treated with conventional methods, and group B was combined with probiotics intervention on the basis of group A; then, the differences in the intestinal mucosal barrier between the two groups were compared. Results. The Chao, ACE, and Simpson index in the observation group were lower than those in control group 1 (P<0.05), and the Shannon index was higher than that in control group 1 (P<0.05). The Chao, ACE, and Shannon index in control group 1 were lower than those in control group 2 (P<0.05), whereas the Simpson index was higher than in control group 2 (P<0.05). The abundance of Bacteroidetes in the observation group was lower than that in control group 1 and control group 2 (P<0.05). The abundance of Firmicutes was higher than that of control group 1 and control group 2 (P<0.05). Four weeks after treatment, the levels of ET, D-lactic acid, and PCT in the group B were (0.10 ± 0.01), (3.99 ± 0.32), and (0.41 ± 0.10), respectively, which were lower than those in group A (0.19 ± 0.03), (4.51 ± 0.46), and (0.81 0.13). Conclusion. Gastric cancer patients with complications of coronary heart disease and heart failure are associated with intestinal flora disorder, which may be involved in the occurrence and development of the disease. Probiotics intervention is helpful to repair the intestinal mucosal barrier in patients, which is worthy of popularization and application.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
A novel approach to the synthesis of Mn-doped InSb nanowires is demonstrated in this work. We first report on the preparation of InSb nanowires without high temperature treatment. Indium nanowires ...are grown by glance angle deposition and then coated with a layer of Sb. Single crystalline InSb nanowires are obtained by annealing In/Sb nanostructures at 200 °C. Triple-layer In/Mn/Sb nanostructures are formed by the similar three-step depositions. Mn-doped InSb nanowires are prepared by annealing In/Mn/Sb nanostructures. Transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy are used to analyze the structure and elemental distribution of the nanostructures. Our result shows that Mn-doped InSb nanowires can be achieved by employing solid reaction at low annealing temperature.
•Mn-doping of InSb nanowire is achieved.•Nanowire growth and Mn-doping are realized independently in this method.•Mn concentration in the nanowire is approximately 5%.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
A novel method based on independent component analysis and phase congruency is proposed for detecting defects in textile fabric images. By independent component, we can obtain textile structural ...features of fabric-free images. By phase congru- ency, structure information is reduced, which can distinguish the defect region from the defect-free regions. Finally, we have the detecting result from binary image which is obtained by a thresh- old step, Compared with other algorithms, the proposed method not only has robustness with high detection rate, but also detects various types of defects quite well.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NUK, OBVAL, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in dietary preferences in cancer patients in China and to determine the need for encouraging the adherence to a sensible diet among such ...patients. Methods A total of 468 cancer patients were interviewed using a self-designed questionnaire focusing on changes in the intake of specific foods. Data were analyzed using SPSS 16.0. Results Most patients completely avoided roosters and carp （73.1%）, condiments （51.9%）, and meat of aquatic species （40.4%）. All other types of the specific foods were completely avoided by different sub- populations of the patients. Conclusion In addition to focusing on disease treatment, medical professionals need to help cancer pa- tients overcome barriers associated with the customs of avoiding specific foods encompassed by the term ＂fawu＂ and provide them with dietary guidance in order to prevent negative nutritional effects.
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