Occult peritoneal metastasis (PM) in advanced gastric cancer (AGC) patients is highly possible to be missed on computed tomography (CT) images. Patients with occult PMs are subject to late detection ...or even improper surgical treatment. We therefore aimed to develop a radiomic nomogram to preoperatively identify occult PMs in AGC patients.
A total of 554 AGC patients from 4 centers were divided into 1 training, 1 internal validation, and 2 external validation cohorts. All patients’ PM status was firstly diagnosed as negative by CT, but later confirmed by laparoscopy (PM-positive n = 122, PM-negative n = 432). Radiomic signatures reflecting phenotypes of the primary tumor (RS1) and peritoneum region (RS2) were built as predictors of PM from 266 quantitative image features. Individualized nomograms of PM status incorporating RS1, RS2, or clinical factors were developed and evaluated regarding prediction ability.
RS1, RS2, and Lauren type were significant predictors of occult PM (all P < 0.05). A nomogram of these three factors demonstrated better diagnostic accuracy than the model with RS1, RS2, or clinical factors alone (all net reclassification improvement P < 0.05). The area under curve yielded was 0.958 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.923–0.993, 0.941 (95% CI 0.904–0.977), 0.928 (95% CI 0.886–0.971), and 0.920 (95% CI 0.862–0.978) for the training, internal, and two external validation cohorts, respectively. Stratification analysis showed that this nomogram had potential generalization ability.
CT phenotypes of both primary tumor and nearby peritoneum are significantly associated with occult PM status. A nomogram of these CT phenotypes and Lauren type has an excellent prediction ability of occult PM, and may have significant clinical implications on early detection of occult PM for AGC.
ABSTRACT
SN 2018hti is a Type I superluminous supernova (SLSN I) with an absolute g-band magnitude of −22.2 at maximum brightness, discovered by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System in a ...metal-poor galaxy at a redshift of 0.0612. We present extensive photometric and spectroscopic observations of this supernova, covering the phases from ∼−35 d to more than +340 d from the r-band maximum. Combining our BVgri-band photometry with Swift UVOT optical/ultraviolet photometry, we calculated the peak luminosity as ∼3.5 × 1044 erg s−1. Modelling the observed light curve reveals that the luminosity evolution of SN 2018hti can be produced by an ejecta mass of 5.8 M⊙ and a magnetar with a magnetic field of B = 1.8 × 1013 G having an initial spin period of P0 = 1.8 ms. Based on such a magnetar-powered scenario and a larger sample, a correlation between the spin of the magnetar and the kinetic energy of the ejecta can be inferred for most SLSNe I, suggesting a self-consistent scenario. Like for other SLSNe I, the host galaxy of SN 2018hti is found to be relatively faint (Mg = −17.75 mag) and of low metallicity (Z = 0.3 Z⊙), with a star formation rate of 0.3 M⊙ yr−1. According to simulation results of single-star evolution, SN 2018hti could originate from a massive, metal-poor star with a zero-age main sequence (ZAMS) mass of 25–40 M⊙, or from a less massive rotating star with MZAMS ≈ 16–25 M⊙. For the case of a binary system, its progenitor could also be a star with $M_\mathrm{ZAMS} \gtrsim 25\, \mathrm{ M}_\odot$.
Abstract
We present extensive ultraviolet (UV) and optical photometry, as well as dense optical spectroscopy, for type II Plateau (IIP) supernova SN 2016X that exploded in the nearby (∼15 Mpc) spiral ...galaxy UGC 08041. The observations span the period from 2 to 180 d after the explosion; in particular, the Swift UV data probably captured the signature of shock breakout associated with the explosion of SN 2016X. It shows very strong UV emission during the first week after explosion, with a contribution of ∼20–30 per cent to the bolometric luminosity (versus ≲15 per cent for normal SNe IIP). Moreover, we found that this supernova has an unusually long rise time of about 12.6 ± 0.5 d in the R band (versus ∼7.0 d for typical SNe IIP). The optical light curves and spectral evolution are quite similar to the fast-declining type IIP object SN 2013ej, except that SN 2016X has a relatively brighter tail. Based on the evolution of photospheric temperature as inferred from the Swift data in the early phase, we derive that the progenitor of SN 2016X has a radius of about 930 ± 70 R⊙. This large-size star is expected to be a red supergiant star with an initial mass of ≳19–20 M⊙ based on the mass–radius relation of the Galactic red supergiants, and it represents one of the most largest and massive progenitors found for SNe IIP.
One of the outstanding challenges to information processing is the eloquent suppression of energy consumption in the execution of logic operations. The Landauer principle sets an energy constraint in ...deletion of a classical bit of information. Although some attempts have been made to experimentally approach the fundamental limit restricted by this principle, exploring the Landauer principle in a purely quantum mechanical fashion is still an open question. Employing a trapped ultracold ion, we experimentally demonstrate a quantum version of the Landauer principle, i.e., an equality associated with the energy cost of information erasure in conjunction with the entropy change of the associated quantized environment. Our experimental investigation substantiates an intimate link between information thermodynamics and quantum candidate systems for information processing.
Feed efficiency is a highly important economic trait in sheep production and has a significant impact on the economic benefits of sheep farming. Microbial fermentation of the rumen has a vital role ...in the host's nutrition; the rumen microbiota might affect host feed efficiency. However, the relationship between the rumen microbiota and feed efficiency in sheep is unclear. In the present study, the microbiota of 195 Hu sheep was investigated and their residual feed intake (RFI), a commonly used measure of feed efficiency, was determined. From birth, all sheep were subjected to the same management practices. At slaughter, samples of liquid rumen contents were collected and subjected to amplicon sequencing for the 16S rDNA gene on the IonS5™XL platform. To identify the bacterial taxa differentially represented at the genus or higher taxonomy levels, we used linear discriminant analysis coupled with effect size and curve fitting. In the sheep rumen, the four most abundant phyla were Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Fibrobacteres, and Proteobacteria; and the dominant genera were unidentified Prevotellaceae, Fibrobacter, unidentified Lachnospiraceae, Saccharofermentans, and Succinivibrio. Pathway analysis of the 16S rDNA sequencing data from the rumen microbiota identified that carbohydrate metabolism was enriched. Using α-diversity analysis, we further identified that Observed species, ACE, Good's coverage, and Chao1 are more abundant (P < 0.01) in the low-RFI (L-RFI) group compared to the high-RFI (H-RFI) group. High-RFI sheep had a higher abundance of three bacterial taxa (Prevotellaceae, Negativicutes, and Selenomonadales), and one taxa was overrepresented in the L-RFI sheep (Succinivibrio), respectively. Furthermore, model fitting showed that Veillonellaceae, Sphaerochaeta, Negativibacillus, Saccharofermentans, and members of the Tenericutes, Kiritimatiellaeota, Deltaproteobacteria, and Campylobacterales were correlated with the sheep RFI classification and thus were indicative of a role in animal efficiency. Tax4Fun analysis revealed that metabolic pathways such as “energy metabolism,” “metabolism of cofactors and vitamins,” “poorly characterized,” and “replication recombination and repair proteins” were enriched in the rumen from H-RFI sheep, and “genetic information processing” and “lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis” were overrepresented in L-RFI sheep rumen. In addition, six Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes orthology pathways were identified as different between H-RFI and L-RFI groups. In conclusion, the low RFI phenotype (efficient animals) consistently (or characteristically) exhibited a more abundant and diverse microbiome in sheep.
In this work, AZ61 magnesium alloy coated with NiCrAl intermediate layer with outer of Fe-based amorphous coating was fabricated by high-velocity oxy-fuel thermally spraying. Through the intermediate ...metallic coating, the traditional mismatch of Fe-based materials and magnesium substrate was overcome, exhibiting good metallurgical bonding in the interface regions. The protective magnesium alloy with Fe-based amorphous coating possesses very high hardness and excellent corrosion resistance in 3.5% NaCl solution, demonstrating by nearly ten times of hardness higher and two orders of magnitude of corrosion rate lower than the magnesium substrate. Similarly to 316L stainless steel coatings, the current Fe-based amorphous coating with a very large passive region, shows much more positive of corrosion potential and much less corrosion current density than that of sprayed Al alloy coating and ceramic coatings on magnesium alloys previously reported. The outstanding feature of the protective magnesium alloy with amorphous coating can be attributed to its unique disorder structure and uniform chemical composition, which allows a very dense passivation film formed and uniform corrosion occurred. Our findings demonstrate that Fe-based amorphous coating is a promising candidate for protecting magnesium alloys with desirable corrosion resistance for structural/functional applications.
The corrosion potential Ecorr of present Fe-based amorphous coating is much more positive than that of Al alloyed coatings, ceramic coatings and conversion coatings in 3.5% NaCl previously reported. Meanwhile, the corrosion current density icorr of Fe-based amorphous coating is much less than that of Al alloyed coatings and ceramic coatings. It should be noted that the present Fe-based amorphous coating, like 316L coating on magnesium alloys, exhibits a very broad passive region, indicating that the dense passive film on Fe-based amorphous coating surface has excellent corrosion resistance. Display omitted
•Fe-based amorphous coating was fabricated by HVOF on AZ61 magnesium alloy.•The hardness of Fe-based amorphous coating was about ten times higher than that of matrix.•The corrosion rate of the coated alloy was nearly two orders of magnitude lower than that of AZ61 alloy.
Epidemics of obesity and diabetes are escalating. High-calorie/high-fat food is a major cause for these global health issues, but molecular mechanisms underlying high-fat, diet-induced obesity are ...still not well understood. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a transcription factor that acts as a xenobiotic sensor, mediates environmental toxicant-induced obesity, insulin resistance and development of diabetes. AhR also influences lipid metabolism and diet-induced obesity. The effects of AhR deficiency on diet-induced obesity, hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance were examined.
Male wild-type (WT), AhR null (AhR(-/-)) and AhR heterozygote (AhR(+/-)) mice were fed a normal chow diet (NCD, 10% kcal from fat) or a high-fat diet (HFD, 60% kcal from fat) for up to 14 weeks. Adiposity, adipose and liver morphology, insulin signaling, metabolic parameters and gene profiles were assessed.
AhR deficiency protected against HFD-induced obesity, hepatic steatosis, insulin resistance and inflammation. Moreover, AhR deficiency preserved insulin signaling in major metabolic tissues. These protective effects result from a higher energy expenditure in AhR-deficient mice compared with WT. Levels of transcript for both the thermogenic gene, uncoupling protein 1 (Ucp1), in brown adipose tissue and mitochondrial β-oxidation genes in muscle were significantly higher in AhR(-/-) and AhR(+/-) mice compared with WT.
This work documents a physiologically relevant function for AhR in regulation of body weight, hepatic fat deposition, insulin sensitivity and energy expenditure under HFD exposure, suggesting that AhR signaling may be developed as a potential therapeutic target for treatment of obesity and metabolic disorders.
Understanding how flowering phenology responds to warming and cooling (i.e., symmetric or asymmetric response) is needed to predict the response of flowering phenology to future climate change that ...will happen with the occurrence of warm and cold years superimposed upon a long-term trend. A three-year reciprocal translocation experiment was performed along an elevation gradient from 3200 m to 3800 m in the Tibetan Plateau for six alpine plants. Transplanting to lower elevation (warming) advanced the first flowering date (FFD) and transplanting to higher elevation (cooling) had the opposite effect. The FFD of early spring flowering plants (ESF) was four times less sensitive to warming than to cooling (by −2.1 d/°C and 8.4 d/°C, respectively), while midsummer flowering plants (MSF) were about twice as sensitive to warming than to cooling (−8.0 d/°C and 4.9 d/°C, respectively). Compared with pooled warming and cooling data, warming alone significantly underpredicted 3.1 d/°C for ESF and overestimated 1.7 d/°C for MSF. These results suggest that future empirical and experimental studies should consider nonlinear temperature responses that can cause such warming-cooling asymmetries as well as differing life strategies (ESF vs. MSF) among plant species.
The emerging field of nanophotonics addresses the critical challenge of manipulating light on scales much smaller than the wavelength. However, very few feasible practical approaches exist at ...present. Surface plasmon polaritons are among the most promising candidates for subwavelength optical confinement. However, studies of long-range surface plasmon polaritons have only demonstrated optical confinement comparable to that of conventional dielectric waveguides, because of practical issues including optical losses and stringent fabrication demands. Here, we propose a new approach that integrates dielectric waveguiding with plasmonics. The hybrid optical waveguide consists of a dielectric nanowire separated from a metal surface by a nanoscale dielectric gap. The coupling between the plasmonic and waveguide modes across the gap enables 'capacitor-like' energy storage that allows effective subwavelength transmission in non-metallic regions. In this way, surface plasmon polaritons can travel over large distances (40-150 µm) with strong mode confinement (ranging from λ2/400 to λ2/40). This approach is fully compatible with semiconductor fabrication techniques and could lead to truly nanoscale semiconductor-based plasmonics and photonics.
Summary
Background
Patients with leprosy have a very low risk of Alzheimer disease (AD) and β‐amyloid (Aβ) deposition is significantly lower in the brain tissue of elderly patients with leprosy ...compared with age‐matched controls. Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) plays a critical role in lipid metabolic pathways and in the brain, facilitating the proteolytic clearance of Aβ. We hypothesized that APOE confers risk of leprosy as lipid metabolism is involved in Mycobacterium leprae infection.
Objectives
To investigate the potential genetic associations between APOE and leprosy in two independent Chinese case–control cohorts from the Yuxi and Wenshan prefectures, Yunnan Province of Southwest China.
Methods
Five APOE single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were analysed in 1110 individuals (527 patients and 583 controls) from the Yuxi prefecture using a SNaPshot assay. Genetic variations in the entire APOE exons were screened in 1788 individuals (798 patients and 990 controls) from the Wenshan prefecture using next‐generation sequencing technology.
Results
The AD‐associated SNPs rs405509 and rs439401 increased the risk of leprosy per se and multibacillary leprosy (P < 0·005), but the APOE‐ε4 allele did not. The SNPs rs405509 and rs439401 were cis expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) for APOE expression in human skin. Differential APOE mRNA expression was observed in skin lesions of patients with type I reaction leprosy and those with multibacillary leprosy. APOE and related lipid genes are involved in an interaction network with leprosy susceptibility genes.
Conclusions
The APOE gene is associated with leprosy, most likely by regulating lipid‐metabolism‐related genes.
What's already known about this topic?
Host genetic factors could influence susceptibility to leprosy, which is a chronic infectious and neurological disease.
Previous studies have reported a significantly lower level of β‐amyloid (Aβ) deposition in the brain tissues of elderly people with leprosy compared with age‐matched controls.
Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) facilitates proteolytic clearance and homeostasis of Aβ peptides in the brain.
What does this study add?
Common variants of APOE were associated with multibacillary leprosy in Han Chinese.
The risk single‐nucleotide polymorphisms rs405509 and rs439401 were cis expression quantitative trait loci for APOE expression in human skin.
ApoE may interact with proteins that are coded as leprosy‐risk genes.
What is the translational message?
Our findings suggested that APOE is associated with leprosy, and this might be mediated by the altered expression of APOE and its potential role in lipid metabolic pathways during Mycobacterium leprae infection.
Future studies that explore the potential function of APOE during leprosy onset may offer a novel therapeutic target in leprosy.
Linked Article: Morgado de Abreu et al. Br J Dermatol 2018; 178:833–834
Plain language summary available online
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