Identification and treatment of intestinal malrotation with midgut volvulus in childhood: a multicenter retrospective study.

Background: Intestinal malrotation is a rare condition, and its delayed diagnosis can lead to fatal consequences. This study aimed to investigate the identification and treatment of malrotation in children.

Methods: Clinical data, imaging, operative findings, and early postoperative outcomes of 75 children with malrotation were retrospectively analyzed.

Myeloid‑derived suppressor cell accumulation induces Treg expansion and modulates lung malignancy progression.

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are a heterogeneous family of myeloid cells that suppress T cell immunity in tumor-bearing hosts. The present study aimed to examine roles of T and MDSC subsets in lung malignancy. The study analyzed 102 cases with lung malignancy and 34 healthy individuals.

First case report of a novel KIF13A-ALK fusion in a lung adenocarcinoma patient and response to alectinib with a 4-year follow-up.

The prevalence of Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase gene () fusion is about 5% among patients with lung adenocarcinoma, underscoring the importance of pinpointing distinct fusion variants for optimizing treatment approaches. This is the first reported case of a 74-year-old female with stage IV lung adenocarcinoma, featuring a novel Kinesin Family Member 13A () fusion, identified via next-generation sequencing (NGS) and confirmed with fluorescence hybridization (FISH). Initially undergoing chemotherapy and then crizotinib, she achieved a partial response (PR) before progressing with multiple bone metastases.

Recruitment of myeloid‑derived suppressor cells and regulatory T‑cells is associated with the occurrence of acute myocardial infarction.

The roles of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and regulatory T-cells (Tregs) in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remain elusive. The present study aimed to analyze the proportions of the granulocytic and monocytic populations of MDSCs (G-MDSCs and M-MDSCs, respectively), and Tregs in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with AMI. The present study recruited 34 patients with AMI and 37 healthy controls without clinical signs of myocardial ischemia.

Clinical efficacy of treatment for primary tracheal tumors by flexible bronchoscopy: Airway stenosis recanalization and quality of life.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of interventional treatment of primary tracheal tumors through flexible bronchoscopy. The clinical data of 38 patients with primary tracheal tumours who underwent flexible bronchoscopy intervention therapy between January 2011 and January 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. The average time interval from onset of symptoms to the appearance of actual clinical manifestations in the 38 patients ranged from 0 to 60 months, with an average of 8.

Pilots' mental workload prediction based on timeline analysis.

Background: The aircraft cockpit is a highly intensive human-computer interaction system, and its design directly affects flight safety.

Objective: To optimize the display interface design in complex flight tasks, the present study aimed to propose a dynamic conceptual framework and a timeline task analysis method for the quantization of the dynamic time effect of mental workload and the influencing factors of task types in the mental workload prediction model.

Methods: The multi-factor mental workload prediction model based on attention resource allocation was integrated to establish the dynamic prediction model of mental workload.

Hypocrellin B Encapsulated in Triphenyl Phosphonium-Modified Cationic Liposomes for Photodynamic Treatment of Exudative Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Verteporfin photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been approved for the treatment of exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) for over a decade. However, its extensive application has been impeded by inevitably collateral tissue damage and immediate induction of angiogenesis, in addition to the need of multiple treatments. In order to develop prospective photosensitizers for clinical use, a triphenyl phosphonium-modified cationic liposomal hypocrellin B (TPP cationic LHB) for angiogenic targeting and endothelial internalization was constructed.

Experimental Investigation of a 300 kW Organic Rankine Cycle Unit with Radial Turbine for Low-Grade Waste Heat Recovery.

The performance of a 300 kW organic Rankine cycle (ORC) prototype was experimentally investigated for low-grade waste heat recovery in industry. The prototype employed a specially developed single-stage radial turbine that was integrated with a semi-hermetic three-phase asynchronous generator. R245fa was selected as the working fluid and hot water was adopted to imitate the low-grade waste heat source.

Retracted Article: Structural characterization of centipede oligopeptides and capability detection in human small cell lung carcinoma: inducing apoptosis.

Lung cancer is the most frequent cause of cancer deaths in the world, and smoking is considered as one of the major causes. Small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) represents a highly malignant and particularly aggressive form, with properties of widespread metastases and poor prognosis. Herein, twenty-five L.

Chinese physicians' perceptions of fecal microbiota transplantation.

Aim: To explore Chinese physicians' perceptions towards fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) and to provide information and an assessment of FMT development in China.

Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was developed according to the FMT practice guidelines and was distributed to physicians in hospitals via Internet Research Electronic Data Capture (REDcap) software and electronic mails to assess their attitudes toward and knowledge of FMT. The questionnaire included a brief introduction of FMT that was followed by 20 questions.

Inorganic chemistry. A synthetic Mn₄Ca-cluster mimicking the oxygen-evolving center of photosynthesis.

Photosynthetic splitting of water into oxygen by plants, algae, and cyanobacteria is catalyzed by the oxygen-evolving center (OEC). Synthetic mimics of the OEC, which is composed of an asymmetric manganese-calcium-oxygen cluster bound to protein groups, may promote insight into the structural and chemical determinants of biological water oxidation and lead to development of superior catalysts for artificial photosynthesis. We synthesized a Mn4Ca-cluster similar to the native OEC in both the metal-oxygen core and the binding protein groups.

Liposomal hypocrellin B as a potential photosensitizer for age-related macular degeneration: pharmacokinetics, photodynamic efficacy, and skin phototoxicity in vivo.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been successfully implemented as a treatment for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), but very few photosensitizers have been developed for clinical use. Herein, we describe a novel formulation of liposomal hypocrellin B (LHB) that was prepared by high-pressure homogenization. The encapsulation efficiency and PDT efficacy in vitro of this new preparation were found to remain nearly constant over 1 year.

Artificial synthetic Mn(IV)Ca-oxido complexes mimic the oxygen-evolving complex in photosystem II.

A novel family of heteronuclear Mn(IV)Ca-oxido complexes containing Mn(IV)Ca-oxido cuboidal moieties and reactive water molecules on Ca(2+) have been synthesized and characterized to mimic the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) of photosystem II (PSII) in nature.

State transitions and fluorescence quenching in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis PCC 6803 in response to changes in light quality and intensity.

State transition and non-photochemical fluorescence quenching in cyanobacteria are short-term adaptations of photosynthetic apparatus to changes in light quality and intensity, however, the kinetic details and relationship are still not clear. In this work, time-dependent 77K fluorescence spectra were monitored for cyanobacterium Synechocystis PCC 6803 cells under blue, orange and blue-green light in a series of intensities. The characteristic fluorescence signals indicated state transition taking place exclusively under 430-450 or 580-600nm light or 480-550nm light at the intensities ⩽150μEm(-2)s(-1) to achieve a conserved level with variable rate constant.

Location and function of the high-affinity chloride in the oxygen-evolving complex--implications from comparing studies on Cl(-)/Br(-)/I(-)-substituted photosystem II prepared using two different methods.

The high-affinity chloride ion (Cl(-)) is known to play a key role in water oxidation in photosystem II (PSII). Recent crystallographic studies revealed two Cl(-) binding sites in PSII. To examine whether these two Cl(-) ions are correlated to the high-affinity Cl(-), we prepared Cl(-)/Br(-)/I(-)-substituted PSII samples from both higher plants and cyanobacteria by using two different protocols: one was the method used in the crystallographic study (Type 1) and the other was a method developed recently to ensure the efficient replacement of Cl(-) (Type 2).

A synthetic model for the oxygen-evolving complex in Sr(2+)-containing photosystem II.

A novel heterometallic MnSr complex containing the Mn3SrO4 cuboidal moiety and all types of μ-O(2-) moieties observed in the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) in Sr(2+)-containing photosystem II (PSII) has been synthesized and characterized, which provides a new synthetic model of the OEC.

In vitro and in vivo antitumor activity of a novel hypocrellin B derivative for photodynamic therapy.

Background: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an approved therapeutic procedure that exerts cytotoxic activity toward tumor cells by irradiating photosensitizers with light exposure to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS). An ideal photosensitizer is a crucial element to PDT. In the current study, we evaluated the photodynamic activity of a novel photosensitizer, the derivative of hypocrellin B (HB), 17-(3-amino-1-pentanesulfonic acid)-substituted hypocrellin B Schiff-base (PENSHB), both in vitro and in vivo.

GSTP1, ERCC1 and ERCC2 polymorphisms, expression and clinical outcome of oxaliplatin-based adjuvant chemotherapy in colorectal cancer in Chinese population.

Aim: Platinum agents have shown to be effective in the treatment of colorectal cancer. We assessed whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in GSTP1, ERCC1 Asn118Asn and ERCC2 Lys751Gln might predict the overall survival in patients receiving oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy in a Chinese population.

Methods: SNPs of GSTP1, ERCC1 Asn118Asn and ERCC2 Lys751Gln in 335 colorectal cancer patients were assessed using TaqMan nuclease assays.

Kinetics and dynamics for light state transition in cyanobacterium Spirulina platensis cells.

Light state transition in oxygenic organisms was defined as the ability to equalize the excitation of the two photosystems for maximal photosynthetic efficiency. In cyanobacteria, extensive researches on state transition have continuously provided new knowledge in the past decades but the molecular mechanism and physiological significance are still ambiguous. In this work, kinetics and dynamics of the transition from state 1 to state 2 in cyanobacterium Spirulina platensis cells were studied at different intensity of orange light from 10 to 120 μmol m(-2) s(-1).

Quantitative and site-directed chemical modification of hypocrellins toward direct drug delivery and effective photodynamic activity.

For photodynamic therapy (PDT) treatment of microvascular diseases, drugs are delivered via blood circulation and the targets are vasculature endothelial cells, for which the contradictory requirements of hydrophilicity and lipophilicity of the drugs have been achieved by liposome preparations. Herein, it is demonstrated that the drug delivery and target affinity are achieved by a single chemical compound, hypocrellin B (HB) derivative 6 selected from three novel aminoalkanesulfonic acid HB derivatives, 5-7. 6 exhibits a much higher PDT activity (IC(50) = 22 nM) on human gastric carcinoma BGC823 cells than HB, while it has no cellular toxicity in the dark.

Ultrafast energy transfer pathways in R-phycoerythrin from Polysiphonia urceolata.

Energy transfer (ET) processes between chromophores in R-phycoerythrin (R-PE) from Polysiphonia urceolata were studied by use of ultrafast spectroscopic methods. Several primary ET pathways were elaborated. A fluorescence decay component with a time constant of several hundred picoseconds observed by streak camera is tentatively assigned to the reversible formation of exciton traps between α84 and β84 pigment pairs.

Photophysical diversity of two novel cyanobacteriochromes with phycocyanobilin chromophores: photochemistry and dark reversion kinetics.

Cyanobacteriochromes are phytochrome homologues in cyanobacteria that act as sensory photoreceptors. We compare two cyanobacteriochromes, RGS (coded by slr1393) from Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 and AphC (coded by all2699) from Nostoc sp.

Sll1466, a glycosyl transferase homolog involved in global cellular regulation and high-light tolerance of Synechocystis PCC6803.

In Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, the loop domain (aa 1-70) of the phycobilisome core-membrane linker, L(CM), was found to interact with the glycosyl transferase homolog, Sll1466. Growth of a Sll1466 knock-out mutant was slightly faster in low light, but strongly inhibited in high light; the phenotype is discussed in relation to the regulation of light energy transfer to photosystem II.