Background
Accurate glioma grading plays an important role in the clinical management of patients and is also the basis of molecular stratification nowadays.
Purpose/Hypothesis
To verify the ...superiority of radiomics features extracted from multiparametric MRI to glioma grading and evaluate the grading potential of different MRI sequences or parametric maps.
Study Type
Retrospective; radiomics.
Population
A total of 153 patients including 42, 33, and 78 patients with Grades II, III, and IV gliomas, respectively.
Field Strength/Sequence
3.0T MRI/T1‐weighted images before and after contrast‐enhanced, T2‐weighted, multi‐b‐value diffusion‐weighted and 3D arterial spin labeling images.
Assessment
After multiparametric MRI preprocessing, high‐throughput features were derived from patients' volumes of interests (VOIs). The support vector machine‐based recursive feature elimination was adopted to find the optimal features for low‐grade glioma (LGG) vs. high‐grade glioma (HGG), and Grade III vs. IV glioma classification tasks. Then support vector machine (SVM) classifiers were established using the optimal features. The accuracy and area under the curve (AUC) was used to assess the grading efficiency.
Statistical Tests
Student's t‐test or a chi‐square test were applied on different clinical characteristics to confirm whether intergroup significant differences exist.
Results
Patients' ages between LGG and HGG groups were significantly different (P < 0.01). For each patient, 420 texture and 90 histogram parameters were derived from 10 VOIs of multiparametric MRI. SVM models were established using 30 and 28 optimal features for classifying LGGs from HGGs and grades III from IV, respectively. The accuracies/AUCs were 96.8%/0.987 for classifying LGGs from HGGs, and 98.1%/0.992 for classifying grades III from IV, which were more promising than using histogram parameters or using the single sequence MRI.
Data Conclusion
Texture features were more effective for noninvasively grading gliomas than histogram parameters. The combined application of multiparametric MRI provided a higher grading efficiency. The proposed radiomic strategy could facilitate clinical decision‐making for patients with varied glioma grades.
Level of Evidence: 3
Technical Efficacy: Stage 2
J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2018;48:1518–1528
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) is a novel type of highly contagious pneumonia caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2). Despite the strong efforts taken to ...control the epidemic, hundreds of thousands of people were infected worldwide by 11 March, and the situation was characterized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Pregnant women are more susceptible to viral infection due to immune and anatomic alteration, though hospital visits may increase the chance of infection, the lack of medical care during pregnancy may do more harm. Hence, a well‐managed system that allows pregnant women to access maternal health care with minimum exposure risk is desired during the outbreak. Here, we present the managing processes of three pregnant women who had fever during hospitalization in the gynecology or obstetrics department, and then, we further summarize and demonstrate our maternal health care management strategies including antenatal care planning, patient triage based on the risk level, admission control, and measures counteracting emergencies and newly discovered high‐risk cases at in‐patient department. In the meantime, we will explain the alterations we have done throughout different stages of the epidemic and also review relative articles in both Chinese and English to compare our strategies with those of other areas. Although tens of COVID‐19 cases were confirmed in our hospital, no nosocomial infection has occurred and none of the pregnant women registered in our hospital was reported to be infected.
Highlights
Demonstration of three cases of pregnant women who developed a fever during hospitalization.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are cancer‐initiating cells that are not only a source of tumorigenesis but also the cause of tumour progression, metastasis and therapy resistance. EBV‐associated gastric ...cancer (EBVaGC) is a distinct subtype of gastric cancer with unique clinicopathological and molecular features. However, whether CSCs exist in EBVaGC, and the tumorigenic mechanism of EBV, remains unclear. Here, NOD/SCID mice were injected subcutaneously with the EBVaGC cell line SNU719 and treated with 5‐fluorouracil weekly. Successive generations of xenografts yielded a highly malignant EBVaGC cell line, SNU‐4th, which displays properties of CSCs and mainly consists of CD44+CD24− cells. In SNU‐4th cells, an EBV‐encoded circRNA, ebv‐circLMP2A, expression increased and plays crucial roles in inducing and maintaining stemness phenotypes through targeting miR‐3908/TRIM59/p53 axis. Additionally, high expression of ebv‐circLMP2A is significantly associated with metastasis and poor prognosis in patients with EBVaGC. These findings not only provide evidence for the existence of CSCs in EBVaGC and elucidate the pathogenic mechanism of ebv‐circLMP2A in EBVaGC, but also provide a promising therapeutic target for EBVaGC.
Synopsis
The circRNA LMP2A produced by the Epstein‐Barr virus induces stemness of EBV‐associated gastric cancer cells by attenuating the tumor suppressive effect of the miR‐3908/TRIM59/p53 axis, thereby promoting metastasis and tumor progression.
Cells with properties of cancer stem cells were isolated form EBV‐associated gastric cancer (EBVaGC).
The levels of an EBV‐encoded circRNA (ebv‐circLMP2A) are significantly increased in EBVaGC.
ebv‐circLMP2A has crucial roles in inducing and maintaining cancer stemness in EBVaGC.
High expression of ebv‐circLMP2A is significantly associated with metastasis and poor prognosis in EBVaGC patients.
The circRNA LMP2A produced by the Epstein‐Barr virus induces stemness of EBV‐associated gastric cancer cells by attenuating the tumor suppressive effect of the miR‐3908/TRIM59/p53 axis, thereby promoting metastasis and tumor progression.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
•Simultaneous ammonia and nitrate removal was achieved in one airlift reactor.•DNRA and sulfate reduction were inhibited by intermittent aeration treatment.•Denitrification rate was improved by ...aeration compared with anoxic condition.•Heterotrophic nitrification was considered a potential ammonia metabolic pathway.
In this study, an airlift inner-loop sequencing batch reactor using poly(butylene succinate) as the biofilm carrier and carbon source was operated under an alternant aerobic/anoxic strategy for nitrogen removal in recirculating aquaculture system. The average TAN and nitrate removal rates of 47.35±15.62gNH4–Nm−3d−1 and 0.64±0.14kgNO3–Nm−3d−1 were achieved with no obvious nitrite accumulation (0.70±0.76mg/L) and the dissolved organic carbon in effluents was maintained at 148.38±39.06mg/L. Besides, the activities of dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium and sulfate reduction activities were successfully inhibited. The proteome KEGG analysis illustrated that ammonia might be removed through heterotrophic nitrification, while the activities of nitrate and nitrite reductases were enhanced through aeration treatment. The microbial community analysis revealed that denitrifiers of Azoarcus and Simplicispira occupied the dominate abundance which accounted for the high nitrate removal performance. Overall, this study broadened our understanding of simultaneous nitrification and denitrification using biodegradable material as biofilm carrier.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
This study investigated methane productions and the microbial communities in the batch anaerobic digestion process with the mono-digestion of corn stalk (CS) and pig manure (PM), and the co-digestion ...of them. Co-digestion showed the best methane performance, the cumulative methane yield, 256.57 mL·gVS−1; methane production potential, 281.55 mL·gVS−1; maximum methane production rate, 10.17 mL·d−1·gVS−1; and lag phase, 4.24 d. Moreover, co-digestion achieved a more suitable microenvironment including pH, FA and FVFA compared to mono-digestions. Results of high-throughput sequencing indicated that in co-digestion the dynamic changes of relative abundances of phyla and predominant genera were very small and community structure presented a stable status. Acetoclastic pathway was the main biochemical pathway of methanogenesis in co-digestion and mono-digestion of PM, and the growth rate of Methanosaeta in co-digestion was higher. So suitable microenvironment in co-digestion resulted in high growth rate of methanogens and stable microbial community, and leaded to the high methane production.
•Co-digestion and mono-digestion with corn stalk and pig manure.•Kinetic analysis by Gompertz equation was used to prove that co-digestion had higher efficiency than mono-digestion.•Co-digestion contributed to achieving a suitable microenvironment including pH, FA and FVFA compared to mono-digestions.•The microbial community structure in co-digestion presented more stable status by high-throughput sequencing analysis.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
Summary
As the largest cultivated fiber crop in the world, cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) is often exposed to various biotic stresses during its growth periods. Verticillium wilt caused by Verticillium ...dahliae is a severe disease in cotton, and the molecular mechanism of cotton resistance for Verticillium wilt needs to be further investigated. Here, we revealed that the cotton genome contains nine types of GST genes. An evolutionary analysis showed that a newly identified cluster (including Gh_A09G1508, Gh_A09G1509 and Gh_A09G1510) located on chromosome 09 of the A‐subgenome was under positive selection pressure during the formation of an allotetraploid. Transcriptome analysis showed that this cluster participates in Verticillium wilt resistance. Because the Gh_A09G1509 gene showed the greatest differential expression in the resistant cultivar under V. dahliae stress, we overexpressed this gene in tobacco and found that its overexpression resulted in enhanced Verticillium wilt resistance. Suppression of the gene cluster via virus‐induced gene silencing made cotton plants of the resistant cultivar Nongda601 significantly susceptible. These results demonstrated that the GST cluster played an important role in Verticillium wilt resistance. Further investigation showed that the encoded enzymes of the cluster were essential for the delicate equilibrium between the production and scavenging of H2O2 during V. dahliae stress.
Significance statement
Evolution of the glutathione S‐transferases gene family was clarified in the Gossypium genus. A newly identified tau cluster in the A‐subgenome was shown to have undergone adaptive evolution, and provided Verticillium wilt resistance in cotton.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
In this work, simple, rapid, and low-cost multiplexed detection of tumor-related micro-RNAs (miRNAs) was achieved based on multi-color fluorescence on a microfluidic droplet chip, which simplified ...the complexity of light path to a half. A four-T-junction structure was fabricated to form uniform nano-volume droplet arrays with customized contents. Multi-color quantum dots (QDs) used as the fluorescence labels were encapsulated into droplets to develop the multi-path fluorescence detection module. We designed an integrated multiplex fluorescence resonance energy transfer system assisted by multiple QDs (four colors) and one quencher to detect four tumor-related miRNAs (miRNA-20a, miRNA-21, miRNA-155, and miRNA-221). The qualitative analysis of miRNAs was realized by the color identification of QDs, while the quantitative detection of miRNAs was achieved based on the linear relationship between the quenching efficiency of QDs and the concentration of miRNAs. The practicability of the multiplex detection device was further confirmed by detecting four tumor-related miRNAs in real human serum samples. The detection limits of four miRNAs ranged from 35 to 39 pmol/L was achieved without any target amplification. And the linear range was from 0.1 nmol/L to 1 μmol/L using 10 nL detection volume (one droplet) under the detection speed of 320 droplets per minute. The multiple detection system for miRNAs is simple, fast, and low-cost and will be a powerful platform for clinical diagnostic analysis.
Graphical abstract
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DOBA, EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, IZUM, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OBVAL, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Bimetallic sulfides deliver redox reactions and provide a buffer effect during electrochemical reactions, and thus have been the focus of research in the field of energy storage materials. Herein, a ...carbon cage coated bimetallic sulfide (Fe2Zn3S5/Fe1−xS@C) composite with a heterogeneous structure was synthesized by using a metal–organic framework (FeIII-MOF-5) as a self-sacrificial template. The composite nanoparticles were monodispersed and encapsulated in a carbon cage. This setup ensured excellent performance by improving electrical conductivity and preventing the dissolution of polysulfide intermediates. In situ X-ray diffraction (In situ XRD) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) test results indicate that conversion reactions occur during charging and discharging processes. When tested in coin cells, the composite material exhibited excellent cycling and rate performances, demonstrating high reversible capacities of 2071.2 mA h g−1 at a current density of 500 mA g−1 after 700 cycles and 736.1 mA h g−1 at a current density of 5000 mA g−1 after 700 cycles. The results indicate that the composite derived from FeIII-MOF-5 is a promising high-performance anode material for lithium-ion batteries.
The imaging range of traditional plane wave imaging is usually limited by the directivity of the plane wave. In this paper, a multi spherical wave imaging method based on an ultrasonic array is ...proposed, which radiates both compression and shear waves in a solid medium to form the multi spherical wave. Firstly, excitation characteristics of the multi spherical wave are analyzed theoretically and the calculation method of echo delay of multi spherical wave imaging is derived. Multi spherical wave imaging is compared with conventional ultrasonic plane wave imaging by designing experiments. Compared with ultrasonic plane wave imaging, multi spherical wave imaging is not limited to the size of the transducer and can greatly improve the detection range. In addition, compared with the multi plane wave imaging method, the multi spherical wave imaging algorithm is relatively simple, fast, and has high application value.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
The study of pathophysiological mechanisms in human liver disease has been constrained by the inability to expand primary hepatocytes in vitro while maintaining proliferative capacity and metabolic ...function. We and others have previously shown that mouse mature hepatocytes can be converted to liver progenitor-like cells in vitro with defined chemical factors. Here we describe a protocol achieving efficient conversion of human primary hepatocytes into liver progenitor-like cells (HepLPCs) through delivery of developmentally relevant cues, including NAD
-dependent deacetylase SIRT1 signaling. These HepLPCs could be expanded significantly during in vitro passage. The expanded cells can readily be converted back into metabolically functional hepatocytes in vitro and upon transplantation in vivo. Under three-dimensional culture conditions, differentiated cells generated from HepLPCs regained the ability to support infection or reactivation of hepatitis B virus (HBV). Our work demonstrates the utility of the conversion between hepatocyte and liver progenitor-like cells for studying HBV biology and antiviral therapies. These findings will facilitate the study of liver diseases and regenerative medicine.
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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