Alterations in thymocyte populations under conditions of endotoxin tolerance.

Background: Endotoxin tolerance (ET) is a protective phenomenon in which pre-treatment with a tolerance dose of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) leads to dramatically elevated survival. Accumulating evidence has shown that peripheral T cells contribute to the induction of ET. However, what happens to T cell development in the thymus under ET conditions remains unclear.

Nitrogen-carbon materials base on pyrolytic graphene hydrogel for oxygen reduction.

Hypothesis: Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) has played a significant role in the utilization of energy nowadays. Nitrogen-doped carbon materials are seen as promising catalysts for ORR, so it is of great significance in studying the functions of different nitrogen moieties.

Experiments: The graphene hydrogel-based nitrogen-arbon materials (GH N-C) were fabricated by first obtaining a gel through hydrothermal treatment using graphene oxide (GO) as precursor, and then calcined in an ammonia atmosphere at different temperatures to form N-doped graphitized materials with divers nitrogen configuration.

Reduced hyaluronan cross-linking induces breast cancer malignancy in a CAF-dependent manner.

Hyaluronan (HA) cross-linking is a conformational state of HA, a covalent complex between HA and heavy chains (HCs) from inter-α-trypsin inhibitor (I-α-I) mediated by tumor necrosis factor-induced protein 6 (TSG6). Cross-linked HA has been identified as a protective factor in physiological and inflammatory conditions. However, the state of HA cross-linking in tumor microenvironment has not been fully elucidated.

Parecoxib alleviates the motor behavioral decline of aged rats by ameliorating mitochondrial dysfunction in the substantia nigra via COX-2/PGE2 pathway inhibition.

Mitochondrial dysfunction manifests as an early event in the substantia nigra (SN) in aging and Parkinson disease. Cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), the rate-limiting enzyme in the prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) synthesis pathway, is implicated in aging and age-related neurodegenerative diseases; moreover, inhibition of COX-2 expression has been shown to be neuroprotective for nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons. However, it is not known whether the neuroprotective effect of COX-2 inhibition is related to improved mitochondrial function during the aging process.

Bimetallic ZIF-Derived Co/N-Codoped Porous Carbon Supported Ruthenium Catalysts for Highly Efficient Hydrogen Evolution Reaction.

Exploring the economical, powerful, and durable electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is highly required for practical application. Herein, nanoclusters-decorated ruthenium, cobalt nanoparticles, and nitrogen codoped porous carbon (Ru-pCo@NC) are prepared with bimetallic zeolite imidazole frameworks (ZnCo-ZIF) as the precursor. Thus, the prepared Ru-pCo@NC catalyst with a low Ru loading of 3.

TCR Affinity Controls the Dynamics but Not the Functional Specification of the Antimycobacterial CD4 T Cell Response.

The quality of T cell responses depends on the lymphocytes' ability to undergo clonal expansion, acquire effector functions, and traffic to the site of infection. Although TCR signal strength is thought to dominantly shape the T cell response, by using TCR transgenic CD4 T cells with different peptide:MHC binding affinity, we reveal that TCR affinity does not control Th1 effector function acquisition or the functional output of individual effectors following mycobacterial infection in mice. Rather, TCR affinity calibrates the rate of cell division to synchronize the distinct processes of T cell proliferation, differentiation, and trafficking.

Minimally invasive surgery rib fracture fixation based on location and anatomical landmarks.

Background: Rib fracture is closely related to thoracic injury with high morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to investigate the clinical effect of Zhang ZhiFei (ZZF) zoning method on the selection of incision and approach in minimally invasive surgery for rib fracture.

Methods: A total of 110 patients with rib fractures from July 2017 to July 2019 were enrolled in the study.

Hyaluronan synthase 2 (HAS2) regulates cell phenotype and invadopodia formation in luminal-like breast cancer cells.

Although luminal breast cancer cells are typically highly cohesive epithelial cells and have low invasive ability, many eventually develop metastasis. Until now, the underlying mechanisms remain obscure. In this work, we showed that the level of hyaluronic acid synthase 2 (HAS2) was positively correlated with the malignant phenotype of breast cancer cells.

Facile synthesis of iron oxide supported on porous nitrogen doped carbon for catalytic oxidation.

Iron oxide (FeO) supported on porous nitrogen doped carbon is synthesized by a facile pyrolysis method. SiO and NaNO are used as the template and activation agent respectively for porous structure generation and large specific surface area (SSA) creation. The obtained materials show superior catalytic oxidation ability and can activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) in a wide pH range (3-9) to degrade organic pollutants.

PPE31 Contributes to Host Cell Death.

Genome scale mutagenesis identifies many genes required for mycobacterial infectivity and survival, but their contributions and mechanisms of action within the host are poorly understood. Using CRISPR interference, we created a knockdown of gene in (), which reduced the resistance to acid medium. To further explore the function of PPE31, the mutant strain was generated in and (), respectively.

A non-invasive model for predicting liver fibrosis in HBeAg-positive patients with normal or slightly elevated alanine aminotransferase.

Early and accurate diagnosis of liver fibrosis is necessary for HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with normal or slightly increased alanine aminotransferase (ALT), Liver biopsy and many non-invasive predicting markers have several application restrictions in grass-roots hospitals. We aimed to construct a non-invasive model based on routinely serum markers to predict liver fibrosis for this population.A total of 363 CHB patients with HBeAg-positive, ALT ≤2-fold the upper limit of normal and liver biopsy data were randomly divided into training (n = 266) and validation groups (n = 97).

Sub-basin scale inhomogeneity of mantle in the South China Sea revealed by magnesium isotopes.

The South China Sea (SCS) is the largest extensional basin in the western Pacific and was formed after rifting of the Euro-Asian continental margin. The nature of its underlying mantle remains enigmatic due to the lack of sampling of the seafloor's igneous crust. The International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 349 cored seafloor basalts of the southwestern (Site U1433) and eastern (Site U1431) SCS sub-basins.

[High Expression of Bone Marrow VEGF in Patients with Acute Leukemia and Its Correlation with Prognosis].

Objective: To detect the level of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in bone marrow of patients with non-M3 acute leukemia (AL), and estimate its relationship with prognosis.

Methods: From January 2016 to December 2019, 114 patients with AL in department of Hematology, Wuwei People's Hospital were selected as study group, and 25 healthy volunteers were enrolled as control group. The concentration of VEGF in bone marrow was detected by ELISA.

[Regulation Effect of Myeloid Leukemia No.1 Chinese Herb Medicine Prescription Combined with Chemotherapy on Th17 Cells in Bone Marrow of Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia].

Objective: To explore the regulation effect of myeloid leukemia No.1 Chinese herb medicine prescription combined with chemotherapy on Th17 cells in bone marrow fluid of AML patients, so as to provide guidance for improving AML treatment effect and patients' long-term survival.

Methods: Seventy patients with AML who were hospitalized in Department of Hematology, Wuwei People's Hospital from April 2017 to August 2019 were selected and enrolled in AML group, 25 healthy volunteers were selected and enrolled in control group; then according to therapeutic regimen, AML patients were divided into 2 groups: combined therapy group (myeloid leukemia NO.

OX40L/OX40 Signal Promotes IL-9 Production by Mucosal MAIT Cells During Infection.

Mucosal associated invariant T (MAIT) cells play a critical role in ()-induced gastritis by promoting mucosal inflammation and aggravating mucosal injuries (1, 2). However, the underlying mechanism and key molecules involved are still uncertain. Here we identified OX40, a co-stimulatory molecule mainly expressed on T cells, as a critical regulator to promote proliferation and IL-9 production by MAIT cells and facilitate mucosal inflammation in -positive gastritis patients.

A Radiomic Nomogram for the Ultrasound-Based Evaluation of Extrathyroidal Extension in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma.

Purpose: To construct a sequence diagram based on radiological and clinical factors for the evaluation of extrathyroidal extension (ETE) in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC).

Materials And Methods: Between January 2016 and January 2020, 161 patients with PTC who underwent preoperative ultrasound examination in the Affiliated People's Hospital of Jiangsu University were enrolled in this retrospective study. According to the pathology results, the enrolled patients were divided into a non-ETE group and an ETE group.

CD44 activation state regulated by the CD44v10 isoform determines breast cancer proliferation.

The cell surface glycoprotein CD44 displays different active statuses; however, it remains unknown whether the activation process of CD44 is critical for tumor development and progression. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether breast cancer (BCa) cells with different activation states of CD44 show similar or distinct functional characteristics and to further examine the mechanisms regulating CD44 activities. A feature for the 'activated' state of CD44 is that it can bind to its principal ligand hyaluronan (HA).

H Exponential Synchronization of Complex Networks: Aperiodic Sampled-Data-Based Event-Triggered Control.

This article studies the H exponential synchronization problem for complex networks with quantized control input. An aperiodic sampled-data-based event-triggered scheme is introduced to reduce the network workload. Based on the discrete-time Lyapunov theorem, a new method is adopted to solve the sampled-data problem.

Dose calculation in proton therapy using a discovery cross-domain generative adversarial network (DiscoGAN).

Purpose: Accurate dose calculation is a critical step in proton therapy. A novel machine learning-based approach was proposed to achieve comparable accuracy to that of Monte Carlo simulation while reducing the computational time.

Methods: Computed tomography-based patient phantoms were used and three treatment sites were selected (thorax, head, and abdomen), comprising different beam pathways and beam energies.

Emerging biosensing technologies for improved diagnostics of COVID-19 and future pandemics.

Diagnostic tools play significant roles in the fight against COVID-19 and other pandemics. Existing tests, such as RT-qPCR, have limitations including long assay time, low throughput, inadequate sensitivity, and suboptimal portability. Emerging biosensing technologies hold the promise to develop tests that are rapid, highly sensitive, and suitable for point-of-care testing, which could significantly facilitate the testing of COVID-19.

Application of 3D printing and framework internal fixation technology for high complex rib fractures.

Objective: To explore the clinical effect of 3D printing combined with framework internal fixation technology on the minimally invasive internal fixation of high complex rib fractures.

Methods: Total 16 patients with high complex rib fractures were included in the study. Before the procedure, the 3D rib model was reconstructed based on the thin-layer chest CT scan.

MiR-21 Is Remotely Governed by the Commensal Bacteria and Impairs Anti-TB Immunity by Down-Regulating IFN-γ.

Tuberculosis (TB), which is a frequent and important infectious disease caused by , has resulted in an extremely high burden of morbidity and mortality. The importance of intestinal dysbacteriosis in regulating host immunity has been implicated in TB, and accumulating evidence suggests that microRNAs (miRNAs) might act as a key mediator in maintaining intestinal homeostasis through signaling networks. However, the involvement of miRNA in gut microbiota, TB and the host immune system remains unknown.

Transoral Endoscopic Localization of the Parapharyngeal Internal Carotid Artery.

 To define transoral endoscopic surgical landmarks for the parapharyngeal segment of the internal carotid artery (ppICA) using cadaveric dissection.  Ten fresh cadaveric heads were dissected to demonstrate the parapharyngeal space anatomy and course of the ppICA as seen in a transoral approach. Anatomical measurements of the distance between the ppICA and bony landmarks were recorded and analyzed.

The complex structure of GRL0617 and SARS-CoV-2 PLpro reveals a hot spot for antiviral drug discovery.

SARS-CoV-2 is the pathogen responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. The SARS-CoV-2 papain-like cysteine protease (PLpro) has been implicated in playing important roles in virus maturation, dysregulation of host inflammation, and antiviral immune responses. The multiple functions of PLpro render it a promising drug target.