This study aimed at developing and validating a scoring model to stratify critically ill patients after cardiac surgery based on risk for dysphagia, a common but often neglected complication.
Data ...were prospectively collected and analyzed from January 2016 to June 2017 from 395 consecutive post cardiac surgery patients at the cardiac care unit (CCU) at a single center; 103 (26.1%) developed dysphagia. Univariate and multivariate logistic analyses were used to identify independent predictors for dysphagia. The survival nomogram was developed on the basis of a multivariable Cox model, which allowed us to obtain survival probability estimations. The predictive performance of the nomogram was verified for discrimination and calibration. Areas under receiver operating characteristic curve analysis were used to illustrate and evaluate the diagnostic performance of the novel model.
The final novel scoring model, named SSG-OD, consists of three independent factors: gastric intubation (OR = 1.024, 95% CI 1.015-1.033), sedative drug use duration (OR = 1.031, 95% CI 1.001-1.063) and stroke or not (OR = 6.182, 95% CI 3.028-12.617). SSG-OD identified patients at risk for dysphagia with sensitivity of 68.5% and specificity of 89.0% (OR = 0.833, 95% CI: 0.782-0.884). The positive and negative likelihood ratios were 6.22 and 0.35.
The novel SSG-OD scoring system to risk stratify CCU patients for dysphagia is an easy-to-use bedside prognostication aid with good predictive performance and the potential to reduce aspiration incidence and accelerate recovery.
Hashtags are important metadata in microblogs and are used to mark topics or index messages. However,statistics show that hashtags are absent from most microblogs. This poses great challenges for the ...retrieval and analysis of these tagless microblogs. In this paper, we summarize the similarity between microblogs and shortmessage-style news, and then propose an algorithm, named 5WTAG, for detecting microblog topics based on a model of five Ws（When, Where, Who, What, ho W）. As five-W attributes are the core components in event description, it is guaranteed theoretically that 5WTAG can properly extract semantic topics from microblogs. We introduce the detailed procedure of the algorithm in this paper including spam microblog identification, microblog segmentation, and candidate hashtag construction. In addition, we propose a novel recommendation computing method for ranking candidate hashtags, which combines syntax and semantic analysis and observes the distribution of artificial topic hashtags. Finally, we conduct comprehensive experiments to verify the semantic correctness and completeness of the candidate hashtags, as well as the accuracy of the recommendation method using real data from Sina Weibo.
*MdSIZ1 RNAi transgenic apple trees are drought tolerance than wild type-GL-3.
*MdSIZ1 RNAi plants get enhanced ability to keep water and scavenge ROS under drought conditions.
*MdSIZ1 may ...participate in apple drought tolerance by affecting ABA biosynthesis.
Drought stress typically causes heavy losses in apple production and uncovering the mechanisms by which apple tolerates drought stress is important in apple breeding. MdSIZ1 is a SUMO (small ubiquitin-like modifier) E3 ligase that promotes SUMO binding to substrate proteins. Here, we demonstrate that MdSIZ1 in apple has a negative relationship with drought tolerance. MdSIZ1 RNAi transgenic apple trees had a higher survival rate after drought stress. During drought stress they had higher leaf water potential, reduced ion leakage, lower H2O2 and malondialdehyde contents, and higher catalase activity. In addition, MdSIZ1 RNAi transgenic plants had a higher net photosynthetic rate during the latter period of drought stress. Finally, the transgenic apple trees also altered expression levels of some microRNAs in response to drought stress. Taken together, these results indicate that apple MdSIZ1 negatively regulates drought stress by enhancing leaf water-holding capacity and antioxidant enzyme activity.
AIM：To investigate the mechanisms of Lactobacillus plantarum（L.plantarum）action on gut barrier in preoperative and postoperative experimental obstructive jaundice in rats.METHODS：Forty rats were ...randomly divided into groups of sham-operation,bile duct ligation（BDL）,BDL ＋L.plantarum,BDL＋internal biliary drainage（IBD）,and BDL＋IBD＋L.plantarum.Ten days after L.plantarum administration,blood and ileal samples were collected from the rats for morphological examination,and intestinal barrier function,liver function,intestinal oxidative stress and protein kinase C（PKC）activity measurement.The distribution and expression of the PKC and tight junction（TJ）proteins,such as occludin,zonula occludens-1,claudin-1,claudin-4,junction adhesion molecule-A and F-actin,were examined by confocal laser scanning microscopy,immunohistochemistry,Western blotting,real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay.RESULTS：L.plantarum administration substantially restored gut barrier,decreased enterocyte apoptosis,improved intestinal oxidative stress,promoted the activity and expression of protein kinase（BDL vs BDL＋L.plantarum,0.295±0.007 vs 0.349±0.003,P〈0.05;BDL＋IBD vs BDL＋IBD＋L.plantarum,0.407±0.046 vs 0.465±0.135,P〈0.05）,and particularly enhanced the expression and phosphorylation of TJ proteins in the experimental obstructive jaundice（BDL vs BDL＋L.plantarum,0.266±0.118 vs 0.326±0.009,P〈0.05）.The protective effect of L.plantarum was more prominent after internal biliary drainage（BDL＋IBD vs BDL ＋IBD＋L.plantarum,0.415±0.105 vs 0.494±0.145,P〈0.05）.CONCLUSION：L.plantarum can decrease intestinal epithelial cell apoptosis,reduce oxidative stress,and prevent TJ disruption in biliary obstruction by activating the PKC pathway.
The combination of small organic molecules and a base serves as a unique system for the activation carbon-halogen bonds in haloarenes by single electron transfer (SET). However, most of the molecules ...employed as promoters only allow for the activation of aryl iodides, and efficient activation of aryl bromides and chlorides under this mode is still rather challenging. Herein, we report the discovery of a structurally simple yet powerful promoter molecule, indoline, which exhibits unusually high activity in promoting the activation of haloarenes by SET. In the presence of
-BuOK and a trace amount of oxygen, indoline promotes the formation of aryl radicals not only from aryl iodides and bromides, but also from unactivated aryl chlorides (
, chlorobenzene) under relatively mild conditions. Mechanistic studies reveal the molecular basis for its high activity, for which the aromatization process plays a key role in modulating the electron transfer process.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an often-fatal malignant tumor with high lethality. Despite advances and significant efficacy in monotherapy, cancer therapy continues to pose several challenges. ...Novel combination regimens are an emerging strategy for anti-HCC and have demonstrated to be effective. Here, we propose a potential combination for HCC treatment named arsenic trioxide cooperate cryptotanshinone (ACCS). A remarkable synergistic therapeutic effect has been achieved compared with drugs alone in both in vivo and in vitro experiments. Mechanism study indicated that ACCS exerts its therapeutic actions by regulating macrophage-related immunity and glycolysis. ACCS potentiates the polarization of M1 macrophages and elevates the proportion of M1/M2 to remodel tumor immunity. Further molecular mechanism study revealed that ACCS intensifies the glucose utilization and glycolysis in the macrophage by increasing the phosphorylation of AMPK to activating the AMPK singling pathway. In conclusion, ACCS is a highly potential combination regimen for HCC treatment. The therapeutic potential of ACCS as a candidate option for anticancer drugs in restoring the balance of immunity and metabolism deserves further investigation.
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