To multiplex or groom multiple low bandwidth connections into a high bandwidth wavelength channel is called traffic grooming in wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) mesh networks. This paper ...proposes a light-tree-based mathematical formulation to provide optimal assignments of light-trees for multicast traffic grooming in order to maximize network throughput. Simulations show the validity of the formulation.
Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and lanthionine synthetase C-like 2 (LanCL2) genes locate in the same amplicon, and co-amplification of EGFR and LANCL2 is frequent in glioblastoma. However, ...the prognostic value of LANCL2 and EGFR co-amplification, and their mRNA and protein expression in glioblastoma remain unclear yet.
This study analyzed the prognostic values of the copy number variations (CNVs), mRNA and protein expression of LANCL2 and EGFR in 575 glioblastoma patients in TCGA database and 100 glioblastoma patients in tumor banks of the Shenzhen Second People's Hospital and the Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center.
The amplification of LANCL2 or EGFR, and their co-amplification were frequent in glioblastoma of TCGA database and our tumor banks. A significant correlation was found between the CNVs of LANCL2 and EGFR (p < 0.001). CNVs of LANCL2 or EGFR were significantly correlated with IDH1/2 mutation but not MGMT promoter methylation. Multivariate analysis showed that LANCL2 amplification was significantly correlated with reduced overall survival (OS) in younger (< 60 years) glioblastoma patients of TCGA database (p = 0.043, HR = 1.657) and our tumor banks (p = 0.018, HR = 2.199). However, LANCL2 or EGFR amplification, and their co-amplification had no significant impact on OS in older (≥ 60 years) or IDH1/2-wild-type glioblastoma patients. mRNA and protein overexpression of LANCL2 and EGFR was also frequently found in glioblastoma. The mRNA expression rather than the protein expression of LANCL2 and EGFR was positively correlated (p < 0.001). However, mRNA or protein expression of EGFR and LANCL2 was not significantly correlated with OS of glioblastoma patients. The protein expression level of LANCL2, rather than EGFR, was elevated in relapsing glioblastoma, compared with newly diagnosed glioblastoma. In addition, the intracellular localization of LanCL2, not EGFR, was associated with the grade of gliomas.
Taken together, amplification and mRNA overexpression of LANCL2 and EGFR, and their co-amplification and co-expression were frequent in glioblastoma patients. Our findings suggest that amplification of LANCL2 and EGFR were the independent diagnostic biomarkers for glioblastoma patients, and LANCL2 amplification was a significant prognostic factor for OS in younger glioblastoma patients.
Aim
Propofol and opioids are commonly used in anaesthesia, but are highly susceptible to haemodynamic instability, thereby threatening the patient's surgical safety and prognosis. The purpose of this ...study was to investigate the predictors of haemodynamic instability and establish its predictive model.
Methods
A total of 150 Chinese patients undergoing thyroid or breast surgery participated in the study, with target‐controlled infusion concentrations of propofol, opioids dosage, heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and Narcotrend Index recorded at key points throughout the procedure. The Agena MassARRAY system was used to genotype candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms related to pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of propofol and opioids.
Results
Among nongenetic factors, baseline HR (R = −.579, P < .001) and baseline MAP (R = −.725, P < .001) had a significant effect on the haemodynamic instability. Among genetic factors, the CT/CC genotype of GABRB1 rs4694846 (95% confidence interval CI: −11.309 to −3.155), AA/AG of OPRM1 rs1799971 (95%CI: 0.773 to 10.290), AA of CES2 rs8192925 (95%CI: 1.842 to 9.090) were associated with higher HR instability; the AA/GG genotype of NR1I2 rs6438550 (95%CI: 0.351 to 7.761), AA of BDNF rs2049046 (95%CI: −9.039 to −0.640) and GG of GABBR2 rs1167768 (95%CI: −10.146 to −1.740) were associated with higher MAP instability. The predictive models of HR and MAP fluctuations were developed, accounting for 45.0 and 59.2% of variations, respectively.
Conclusion
We found that cardiovascular fundamentals and genetic variants of GABRB1, GABBR2, OPRM1, BDNF, CES2 and NR1I2 are associated with cardiovascular susceptibility, which can provide a reference for haemodynamic management in clinical anaesthesia.
The present study aimed to construct a prognostic nomogram including Epstein-Barr virus DNA (EBV-DNA) and sarcopenia in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) receiving concurrent ...chemoradiotherapy (CCRT).
In this retrospective analysis, we studied 1,045 patients with NPC who had been treated with CCRT between 2010 and 2014. Sarcopenia was determined using routine pre-radiotherapy computed tomography scans of the third cervical vertebrae. A new S-E grade was constructed using a receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses determined cutoff values of sarcopenia and plasma EBV-DNA. The nomogram was developed base on the sarcopenia-EBV (S-E) grade and traditional prognostic factors. A calibration curve, time-dependent ROC, decision curve analysis, and the concordance index (C-index) determined the accuracy of prediction and discrimination of the nomogram, and were compared with TNM staging system and a traditional nomogram.
Patient survival was significantly different when sarcopenia (P < 0.001) or EBV-DNA (P = 0.001) were used and they continued to be independent prognostic factors for survival upon univariate (P < 0.001, P = 0.002, respectively) and multivariate (P < 0.001, P = 0.015, respectively) analyses. Predicting overall survival (OS) was more accurate using the S-E grade than using TNM staging and sarcopenia or EBV-DNA alone. Nomogram B (model with sarcopenia) or nomogram A (model without sarcopenia) were then developed based on the identified independent prognostic factors. Comparing nomogram prediction with actual observation showed good agreement among the calibration curves for probability of 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS. Predicted survival (C-index = 0.77) of nomogram B was statistically higher than that of nomogram A (0.676, P = 0.020) and TNM staging (0.604, P < 0.001). Risk group stratification could distinguish between survival curves within respective TNM stages (all stages, P < 0.001; stage III, P < 0.001; stage IV, P = 0.002).
The sarcopenia-EBV DNA nomogram allowed more accurate prediction of prognosis for patients with NPC receiving CCRT.
In the past work, few study considers an effect of nanoparticle as a synergistic flame retardant on the interfacial interaction between flame retardants and polymer matrix, as well as further ...influence on the flame retardancy and mechanical properties of flame-retarding polymers. In this work, the electrostatic action was used to prepare a novel ammonium polyphosphate@layered double hydroxide (APP@LDH) in which the LDH nanoparticles accumulated at the surface of APP to achieve the highly-efficient synergistic action of LDH in thermoplastic polyurethane/APP (TPU/APP) and reduce the deterioration of APP to mechanical properties of TPU. Scanning electron microscope, etc., demonstrated that the APP@LDH was prepared successfully. Combustion tests results showed that the APP@LDH had much higher flame-retarding efficiency than the APP/LDH which was prepared through a simple physical blending process. Only 1.0 wt% LDH made the TPU pass the V-0 rating with no dripping in the UL-94 test and a limiting oxygen index (LOI) of 29.2% in the case of 7.0 wt% APP@LDH. However, the TPU/APP/LDH with 1.0 wt% LDH did not pass the V-0 rating, and a dripping behavior also existed at 7.0 wt% APP/LDH. In cone calorimeter test, the heat release and smoke production of TPU/APP@LDH were also lower than the corresponding values of TPU/APP/LDH under equal amount of LDH. The analysis of flame-retardant mechanism proved that an enhanced condensed action induced by the interfacial LDH dominated the better flame retardance of APP@LDH system than that of APP/LDH system. Another important aspect is that the mechanical properties of APP@LDH system showed remarkable improvements in comparison with those of APP/LDH system. The tensile strength of TPU with 7.0 wt% APP@LDH was 32.5% higher than that of TPU with 7.0 wt% APP/LDH under equal 1.0 wt% LDH. Meanwhile, the elongation at break for the former was maintained at 863.0%, almost equal to that of TPU. This work illustrates that the interfacial accumulation of LDH may enhance its synergistic flame-retarding efficiency and meanwhile achieve the mechanical enhancement for TPU/APP.
•Electrostatic action induced ammonium polyphosphate@layered double hydroxide.•Highly-efficient synergistic flame retardance and mechanical enhancement for TPU.•Mechanisms for the improved flame retardance and mechanical properties.
Chitosan-coated CdTe quantum dots can reduce QDs toxicity and enhance its stability in aqueous solution. Chitosan-coated CdTe QDs were used as fluorescence probes to determine Gemifloxacin on the ...basis of fluorescence quenching method. The results indicated that the relative fluorescence intensity was linearly proportional to the Gemifloxacin concentration in the range of 3.46 x 10(-9)-3.46 x 10(-7) g x L(-1) with a linear fitting equation of F0/F= 1.0637 + 0.016 7c(g x L(-1)) and the RSD was 2.7%. On the basis of fluorescence quenching method theory, it was concluded that the interaction between QDs and Gemifloxacin was a kind of static quenching through hydrogen bonding and Van der Waals force, and the binding sites value was 0.8. This method with high sensitivity and broad linear range provided a new approach to determining Gemifloxacin.
Gallic acid (GA) is an important active ingredient for its pharmacological activities. High levels of GA in tea can be obtained by anaerobic fermentation, but its mechanism is still unclear. Here, ...the profiles of metabolites and microbiomes in pickled tea were analyzed. The results showed that GA of pickled tea increased to 24.26 mg/g at 18 d after anaerobic fermentation, which was accompanied by the reducing levels of epicatechin gallate (ECG), epiafzelechin-3-O-gallate (EAG), and 7-galloylcatechin (7-GC) and the increasing relative abundances of Bacillus and other six bacterial genera. However, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) was basically stable during the whole fermentation process. These results suggested that EGCG contributes little to the GA formation during anaerobic fermentation, but ECG, EAG, and 7-GC should be the key precursors to form GA; moreover, bacteria, especially Bacillus, may be responsible for their bioconversion. It will establish an effective way to increase GA in tea production.
Abstract
Suffering from COVID-19 and witnessing the suffering and deaths of patients with COVID-19 may place frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) at particularly high risk for posttraumatic stress ...disorder (PTSD); however, few data are available on the clinical characteristics of PTSD among frontline HCWs who survived COVID-19 (“surviving HCWs” hereafter). The present study examined the prevalence, correlates, and clinical symptoms of possible PTSD in surviving HCWs 6 months after the COVID-19 outbreak in China. A total of 291 surviving HCWs and 42 age- and gender-matched COVID-19-free frontline HCWs (control group) were recruited and administered the Chinese Essen Trauma Inventory, which was used to assess the presence of possible PTSD according to DSM-IV-TR criteria. Survivors’ clinical data and characteristics of exposure to COVID-19 were collected via self-report questionnaires. Surviving HCWs had significantly higher rates of possible PTSD than controls (19.9% vs. 4.8%,
P
= 0.017). Correlates of PTSD in survivors were ICU admission (OR = 8.73,
P
= 0.003), >10 respiratory symptoms during the most symptomatic period of COVID-19 (OR = 3.08,
P
= 0.006), the residual symptom of dizziness (OR = 2.43,
P
= 0.013), the residual symptom of difficult breathing (OR = 2.23,
P
= 0.027), life in danger due to COVID-19 (OR = 16.59,
P
= 0.006), and exposure to other traumatic events (OR = 2.94,
P
= 0.035). Less commonly seen PTSD symptoms in survivors were having nightmares about the event (34.5%), suddenly feeling like they were living through the event suddenly (25.9%), being unable to remember an important part of the event (32.8%), and overalertness (31.0%). Nearly one-fifth of the surviving HCWs had possible PTSD 6 months after the COVID-19 outbreak. Mental health services for this vulnerable population should include periodic screening for PTSD, expanded social support, and, when necessary, psychotherapy and psychopharmacological treatment.
Recently, non-fullerene-based organic solar cells (OSCs) have made great breakthroughs, and small structural differences can have dramatic impacts on the power conversion efficiency (PCE). We take ...ITIC and its isomers as examples to study their effects on the performance of OSCs. ITIC and NFBDT only differed in the side chain position, and they were used as models with the same donor molecule, PBDB-T, to investigate the main reasons for the difference in their performance in terms of theoretical methods. In this work, a detailed comparative analysis of the electronic structure, absorption spectra, open circuit voltage and interfacial parameters of the ITIC and NFBDT systems was performed mainly by combining the density functional theory/time-dependent density functional theory and molecular dynamics simulations. The results showed that the lowest excited state of the ITIC molecule possessed a larger ∆q and more hybrid FE/CT states, and PBDB-T/ITIC had more charge separation paths as well as a larger kCS and smaller kCR. The reason for the performance difference between PBDB-T/ITIC and PBDB-T/NFBDT was elucidated, suggesting that ITIC is a superior acceptor based on a slight modulation of the side chain and providing a guiding direction for the design of superior-performing small molecule acceptor materials.
A novel binuclear Cu(
i
) halide complex, Cu
2
I
2
(DPPCz)
2
, which emits efficient thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF), is reported. The crystal of this complex spontaneously undergoes ...ligand rotation and coordination-configuration transformation, converting to its isomer without any external stimulation.
A new binuclear Cu(
i
) halide complex, Cu
2
I
2
(DPPCz)
2
, demonstrates spontaneous ligand rotation and coordination configuration transformation, resulting in its conversion to an isomer, without the need for any external stimulation.
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