Clinical efficacy of efgartigimod combined with intravenous methylprednisolone in the acute phase of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders.

Background: Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorders (NMOSD) comprise a group of autoimmune-mediated, inflammatory, demyelinating central nervous system diseases caused by aquaporin-4 (AQP4) IgG autoantibodies. Efgartigimod is a human IgG Fc fragment that reduces antibody titers by targeting the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn). This study documents the efficacy of efgartigimod combined with intravenous methylprednisolone (IVMP) in the acute phase of NMOSD.

Pan-cancer analysis reveals age-associated genetic alterations in protein domains.

Cancer incidence and mortality differ among individuals of different ages, but the functional consequences of genetic alterations remain largely unknown. We systematically characterized genetic alterations within protein domains stratified by affected individual's age and showed that the mutational effects on domains varied with age. We further identified potential age-associated driver genes with hotspots across 33 cancers.

Effects of salt ions and pH on deamidated soybean protein hydrogels formation: Molecular structure, thermal aggregation and network.

The aim of this study was to explore the effects of environmental factors (salt ions and pH) on the thermal gelation process of deamidated soy protein isolate (DSPI). The results indicated that with increasing salt ion concentration, DSPI assembled into larger aggregates, which were more prone to aggregation in thermal reactions, ultimately forming a gel network with higher viscoelasticity. The strength enhancement of ion-induced gel networks followed the order from highest to lowest: Ca > Mg > Na.

Automated measurement of cardiothoracic ratio based on semantic segmentation integration model using deep learning.

The objective of this study is to investigate the efficacy of the semantic segmentation model in predicting cardiothoracic ratio (CTR) and heart enlargement and compare its consistency with the reference standard. A total of 650 consecutive chest radiographs from our center and 756 public datasets were retrospectively included to develop a segmentation model. Three semantic segmentation models were used to segment the heart and lungs.