Development of a highly spatiotemporally resolved vehicular volatile organic compounds emission inventory based on on-line measurement of speed-dependent emission factor.

The rapid progress of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) has enabled the development of a highly spatiotemporally resolved vehicular VOC emission inventory. However, up to this point, the emission factors applied in vehicular VOC emission inventories worldwide are either independent of driving conditions or estimated by emission models, resulting in significant bias. In this study, by using the speed-dependent VOC emission factor measured online from a typical fleet in Guangzhou and collecting multiple sources of ITS data, we developed, for the first time, a link-level dynamic vehicular VOC emission inventory.

Presumed Pathogenic Germ Line and Somatic Variants in African American Thyroid Cancer.

African American (AA) thyroid cancer patients have worse prognoses than European Americans (EA), which has been attributed to both health care disparities and possible genetic differences. We investigated the impact of both germ line and somatic variants on clinical outcome in a cohort of AA nonmedullary thyroid cancer (NMTC) patients who had received therapeutic intervention from cancer centers. Whole-exome sequencing was performed on DNA from available blood/normal tissues ( = 37) and paired tumor samples ( = 32) collected from 37 and 29 AA NMTC patients, respectively.

Comparison of the effects of contrast-enhanced ultrasound and conventional ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation on benign thyroid nodules.

Objective: To compare the effect of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and conventional ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) on benign thyroid nodules (BTNs).

Methods: In this retrospective observational study, the data of 72 patients with BTNs who received RFA treatment in The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine from January 2020 to December 2021 were retrospectively reviewed and selected. The records showed that 34 patients received RFA under the guidance of conventional ultrasound (conventional ultrasound group) and 38 patients received RFA under the guidance of CEUS (CEUS group).

A Booster for Radiofrequency Ablation: Advanced Adjuvant Therapy via Nanovaccine Synergized with Anti-programmed Death Ligand 1 Immunotherapy for Systemically Constraining Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is one of the most common minimally invasive techniques for treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which could destroy tumors through hyperthermia and generate massive tumor-associated antigens (TAAs). However, residual malignant tissues or small satellite lesions are hard to eliminate, generally resulting in metastases and recurrence. Herein, an advanced nanovaccine formed by layered double hydroxides carrying cGAMP (STING agonist) (LDHs-cGAMP) and adsorbed TAAs was designed to potentiate the RFA-induced antitumor immune response.

Sound source direction-of-arrival estimation method for microphone array based on ultra-weak fiber Bragg grating distributed acoustic sensor.

A sound source direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation method for microphone array based on ultra-weak fiber Bragg grating (UW-FBG) distributed acoustic sensor is proposed. The principle of acoustic signal demodulation is introduced, the sound pressure sensitivity and frequency response range of a single UW-FBG microphone are analyzed, and a series linear array with three UW-FBG microphones is designed. Combined with convolutional recurrent neural networks, the DOA estimation method is developed.

CpxA/R-Controlled Nitroreductase Expression as Target for Combinatorial Therapy against Uropathogens by Promoting Reactive Oxygen Species Generation.

The antibiotic resistances emerged in uropathogens lead to accumulative treatment failure and recurrent episodes of urinary tract infection (UTI), necessitating more innovative therapeutics to curb UTI before systematic infection. In the current study, the combination of amikacin and nitrofurantoin is found to synergistically eradicate Gram-negative uropathogens in vitro and in vivo. The mechanistic analysis demonstrates that the amikacin, as an aminoglycoside, induced bacterial envelope stress by introducing mistranslated proteins, thereby constitutively activating the cpxA/R two-component system (Cpx signaling).

Combined analysis of single-cell and bulk RNA sequencing reveals the expression patterns of circadian rhythm disruption in the immune microenvironment of Alzheimer's disease.

Background: Circadian rhythm disruption (CRD) represents a critical contributor to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Nonetheless, how CRD functions within the AD immune microenvironment remains to be illustrated.

Methods: Circadian rhythm score (CRscore) was utilized to quantify the microenvironment status of circadian disruption in a single-cell RNA sequencing dataset derived from AD.

Phentolamine Significantly Enhances Macrolide Antibiotic Antibacterial Activity against MDR Gram-Negative Bacteria.

Objectives: Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacterial infections have limited treatment options due to the impermeability of the outer membrane. New therapeutic strategies or agents are urgently needed, and combination therapies using existing antibiotics are a potentially effective means to treat these infections. In this study, we examined whether phentolamine can enhance the antibacterial activity of macrolide antibiotics against Gram-negative bacteria and investigated its mechanism of action.

The diagnostic value of novel ultrasound attenuation analysis in detecting liver steatosis identified by the controlled attenuation parameter: a diagnostic accuracy study.

Background: Ultrasound attenuation analysis (USAT) is a type of novel ultrasound attenuation imaging that can be used to detect hepatic steatosis based on the attenuation coefficient. We sought to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy for assessing the severity of liver steatosis by USAT using the controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) as a reference in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD) and chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infections.

Methods: In total, 326 consecutive subjects with or without chronic liver diseases were enrolled in this study who underwent CAP examination and USAT to evaluate hepatic steatosis from October 2022 to November 2022 at The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine.

Diagnostic accuracy of contrast-enhanced ultrasound synchronized with shear wave elastography in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant breast lesions: a diagnostic test.

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most common malignancies affecting women. Timely and accurate diagnosis is crucial for treatment and prognosis. Some studies have found that elastography combined with microperfusion characteristics, which are mostly described by contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), could help in the diagnosis of breast lesions.

Clinical efficacy of Shugan granule in the treatment of mixed anxiety-depressive disorder: A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Shugan granule is derived from Xiaoyao powder, a traditional Chinese medicine that has been shown to be effective in treating emotional disorders. At present, there is no standard drug treatment for mixed anxiety-depressive disorder (MADD), and no evidence-based clinical trial has been performed for any drug, meaning MADD patients are unable to obtain standardized treatment.

Aim Of The Study: The purpose of this clinical trial was to test the clinical efficacy and safety of Shugan granules in the treatment of MADD, and to provide clinical trial-based support along with drug recommendations for the treatment of MADD.

MALDI-TOF MS for rapid detection and differentiation between Tet(X)-producers and non-Tet(X)-producing tetracycline-resistant Gram-negative bacteria.

The extensive use of tetracycline antibiotics has led to the widespread presence of tetracycline-resistance genes in Gram-negative bacteria and this poses serious threats to human and animal health. In our previous study, we reported a method for rapid detection of Tet(X)-producers using MALDI-TOF MS. However, there have been multiple machineries involved in tetracycline resistance including efflux pump, and ribosomal protection protein.

Transcriptome analysis discloses dysregulated genes in normal appearing tumor-adjacent thyroid tissues from patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common type of thyroid cancer. The molecular characteristics of histologically normal appearing tissue adjacent to the tumor (NAT) from PTC patients are not well characterized. The aim of this study was to characterize the global gene expression profile of NAT and compare it with those of normal and tumor thyroid tissues.

A novel essential splice site variant in SPTB in a large hereditary spherocytosis family.

Background: We studied a large family with 22 individuals affected with autosomal dominant hereditary spherocytosis (HS).

Methods: Genome-wide linkage, whole-genome sequencing (WGS), Sanger sequencing, RT-PCR, and ToPO TA cloning analyses were performed.

Results: We revealed a heterozygous G>A transition in the 14q23 locus, at position +1 of the intron 8 donor splice site of the spectrin beta, erythrocytic (SPTB) gene.

Rapid Screening of Essential Oils as Substances Which Enhance Antibiotic Activity Using a Modified Well Diffusion Method.

Antimicrobial resistance is recognized as one of the major global health challenges of the 21st century. Synergistic combinations for antimicrobial therapies can be a good strategy for the treatment of multidrug resistant infections. We examined the ability of a group of 29 plant essential oils as substances which enhance the antibiotic activity.

Effect of care bundles in the nursing of severe pneumonia.

Objective: To explore the effect of care bundles and analyze the influence of different angles of turning over on the sputum excretion of mechanically ventilated patients with severe pneumonia.

Methods: 120 patients with severe pneumonia in our hospital from October 2016 to October 2019 were equally randomized into four groups, each with 30, according to the date of admission. The control group was given conventional nursing and placed in a position of left 30°-half lying-right 30°; the group A was given comprehensive care bundles and placed in a position of left 30°-half lying-right 30°; the group B was given comprehensive care bundles and placed in a position of left 45°-half lying-right 45°, and the group C was given comprehensive care bundles and placed in a position of 60° left-half lying-60° right.

Multiethnic genome-wide association study of differentiated thyroid cancer in the EPITHYR consortium.

Incidence of differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) varies considerably between ethnic groups, with particularly high incidence rates in Pacific Islanders. DTC is one of the cancers with the highest familial risk suggesting a major role of genetic risk factors, but only few susceptibility loci were identified so far. In order to assess the contribution of known DTC susceptibility loci and to identify new ones, we conducted a multiethnic genome-wide association study (GWAS) in individuals of European ancestry and of Oceanian ancestry from Pacific Islands.

Characterizing the function of EPB41L4A in the predisposition to papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common histotype of thyroid carcinoma. The heritability of PTC is high compared to other cancers, but its underlying causes are unknown. A recent genome-wide association study revealed the association of a variant at the 5q22 locus, rs73227498, with PTC predisposition.

Deformation detection of a double-clamped beam according to ultra-weak fiber Bragg grating.

Metal beam strain detection may offer valuable insight into health monitoring for large-scale steel structures. This research presents, to the best of our knowledge, the first implementation of ultra-weak fiber Bragg gratings for the deformation detection of a double-clamped beam because of their higher multiplexing and denser detection points compared to fiber Bragg gratings. The measured values are entirely consistent with those determined by strain gauges applied for reference and demonstrate that the strain of each sensing point increases linearly with the load at the middle of the beam.

GWAS of thyroid stimulating hormone highlights pleiotropic effects and inverse association with thyroid cancer.

Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) is critical for normal development and metabolism. To better understand the genetic contribution to TSH levels, we conduct a GWAS meta-analysis at 22.4 million genetic markers in up to 119,715 individuals and identify 74 genome-wide significant loci for TSH, of which 28 are previously unreported.

Assessing thyroid cancer risk using polygenic risk scores.

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified at least 10 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) risk. Most of these SNPs are common variants with small to moderate effect sizes. Here we assessed the combined genetic effects of these variants on PTC risk by using summarized GWAS results to build polygenic risk score (PRS) models in three PTC study groups from Ohio (1,544 patients and 1,593 controls), Iceland (723 patients and 129,556 controls), and the United Kingdom (534 patients and 407,945 controls).

Variants in reveal distinct mechanisms for predisposition to papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Background: Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) demonstrates high heritability and a low somatic mutation burden relative to other cancers. Therefore, the genetic risk predisposing to PTC is likely due to a combination of low penetrance variants. A recent genome-wide association study revealed the association of PTC with a missense variant, rs6793295, at 3q26 in a gene called Leucine Repeat Rich Containing 34 ().

A Truncating Germline Mutation of in Individuals with Thyroid Cancer or Melanoma Results in Longer Telomeres.

Our genome sequencing analysis revealed a frameshift mutation in the shelterin gene in a large family with individuals affected with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and melanoma. Here, we further characterized the mutation and screened for coding variants in the 6 shelterin genes in 24 families. Sanger sequencing was performed to screen for the mutation in the key family.