Predictive and prognostic value of combined detection of sTim-3, PG and PD-L1 in immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy for advanced gastric cancer.

Objective: To investigate the value of combined detection of T-cell immunoglobulin mucin molecule 3 (sTim-3), pepsinogen (PG) and programmed death receptor 1 (PD-L1) in evaluating treatment efficacy and predicting the prognosis of immunosuppressant therapy in advanced gastric cancer.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on the data of 90 patients with advanced gastric cancer who were treated at the First Affiliated Hospital of Changsha Medical University from January 2019 to February 2021. Patients were divided into effective and ineffective groups based on treatment response.

Study of the correlations between loneliness, disease uncertainty, and perceived social support among elderly patients with digestive tract tumors during treatment.

Objective: To explore whether there are correlations between loneliness, disease uncertainty, and perceived social support among elderly patients with digestive tract tumors.

Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 149 patients with digestive tract tumors. A general information questionnaire, the Chinese version of the Cancer Patient Loneliness Scale, the Disease Uncertainty Scale, and the Perceived Social Support Assessment Scale were used.

Microbial harmony in female reproductive health: exploring the impact of intestinal flora on ovarian function and disease pathogenesis.

The intestinal microbiota is vast in type and quantity and it plays a critical role in regulating various physiological functions in the host, including intestinal function, immune response and energy metabolism. Existing research shows that intestinal flora is associated with various hormones, cell cycles and ovarian function-related diseases in the female ovaries. Certain microorganisms within the intestinal flora can modulate the levels of hormones secreted by the ovary, such as estrogen and androgens.

Safety and effectiveness of dual trigger (GnRH agonist + HCG) versus HCG alone in patients with high ovarian response.

Objective: To compare the safety and effectiveness between long-term GnRH agonist plus HCG (dual trigger) and HCG trigger alone in high ovarian responders.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on clinical data from 314 cases of high ovarian response who underwent in-vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) treatment at Hunan Provincial Maternal and Child Healthcare Hospital from July 2018 to January 2023. Participants were divided into two groups based on their triggering regimen: the Combined treatment group (GnRH agonist + HCG) and the HCG group (HCG alone).

Interventional surgery shows efficacy for diabetic patients withperipheral vascular disease.

Objective: To analyze the effect of interventional surgery on treatment efficacy and inflammatory cytokine (ICK) levels in diabetic patients with peripheral vascular disease (PVD).

Methods: A total of 116 diabetic patients with PVD admitted to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University from August 2020 to March 2022 were selected for this retrospective analysis. Patients were divided into two groups: 58 patients receiving conventional medication were assigned to the control group, while 58 patients receiving interventional surgery in addition to conventional medication were assigned to the research group.

Analysis of risk factor for peritonitis in peritoneal dialysis patients.

Objective: To investigate the risk factors for peritonitis in peritoneal dialysis patients and to develop and validate a predictive model.

Methods: A total of 219 patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) who had their first peritoneal dialysis catheter placement and regular follow-up at Wuhan No. 1 Hospital between April 2020 and August 2023 were included in this study.

A preliminary study on the diagnostic value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound and micro-flow imaging for detecting blood flow signals in breast cancer patients.

Background: The distribution and morphology of mass microvessels could affect the diagnostic accuracy of breast cancer (BC). The aim of our study was to compare the value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound and micro-flow imaging (CEUS-MFI), contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), and color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI) in the assessment of mass microvasculature.

Methods: A total of 106 patients with 106 breast masses categorized as Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) category 4 were enrolled in our prospective study.

Comparison of clinical characteristics and pathologic complete response rate after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in women under 35 years and older women with breast cancer.

Background: Age has been confirmed as a very aggressive biological factor associated with the poor prognosis of breast cancer (BC) patients. However, the understanding of young women with breast cancer (YWBC) is scarce. This study compares and evaluates the clinical characteristics and pathologic complete response (pCR) rate after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in YWBC and older women with BC.

Risk factors for surgical site infection following thyroid surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Thyroid surgery is a common surgical procedure for the treatment of thyroid diseases, such as thyroid nodules, thyroid cancer, and hyperthyroidism. Despite significant advancements in surgical techniques and perioperative care, surgical site infection (SSI) remains a frequent postoperative complication, which can lead to prolonged hospital stays, increased medical costs, and decreased quality of life for patients. Identifying risk factors for SSI is crucial for developing effective prevention strategies.

Effects of high intensity interval training and moderate intensity continuous training on enjoyment and affective responses in overweight or obese people: a meta-analysis.

Background: High-intensity interval training (HIIT) and moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) have demonstrated significant potential for enhancing physical and mental health. However, their respective effects on enjoyment and affective responses remain contentious.

Objective: The objective of this meta-analysis is to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of HIIT and MICT on enjoyment and affective responses in overweight or obese people, and to find the most appropriate exercise mode for overweight or obese people.

Longitudinally continuous varying high-order cylindrical vector fields enabled by spin-decoupled metasurfaces.

The manipulation of vector optical fields in three-dimensional (3D) space plays a vital role in both fundamental research and practical implementations of polarization optics. However, existing studies mostly focus on 3D vector optical fields with limited modes. Here, an approach of spin-decoupled spatial partitioning is proposed to generate complex 3D vector optical fields with a customizable number of modes on demand.

Bidirectional high-speed optical wireless communication with tunable large field of view assisted by liquid crystal metadevice.

Beam-steered infrared (IR) light communication has gained tremendous attention as one of the solutions of congested wireless communication traffic. High performance active beam-steering devices play a crucial role in data allocation and exchange. Conventional beam-steering devices such as spatial light modulator (SLM) and micro-electrical mechanical system (MEMS) mirror and the current emerging nonmechanical beam-steering metasurface-based devices are challenging to realize a large tunable steering angle beyond several degrees, which significantly hinders the spatial application of optical wireless communications (OWC).

Dynamic nonlocal metasurface for multifunctional integration via phase-change materials.

Non-local metasurface supporting geometric phases at bound states in the continuum (BIC) simultaneously enables sharp spectral resonances and spatial wavefront shaping, thus providing a diversified optical platform for multifunctional devices. However, a static nonlocal metasurface cannot manipulate multiple degrees of freedom (DOFs), making it difficult to achieve multifunctional integration and be applied in different scenarios. Here, we presented and demonstrated phase-change non-local metasurfaces that can realize dynamic manipulation of multiple DOFs including resonant frequency, values, band, and spatial wavefront.

Rhizosphere microbiome regulation: Unlocking the potential for plant growth.

Rhizosphere microbial communities are essential for plant growth and health maintenance, but their recruitment and functions are affected by their interactions with host plants. Finding ways to use the interaction to achieve specific production purposes, so as to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, is an important research approach in the development of green agriculture. To demonstrate the importance of rhizosphere microbial communities and guide practical production applications, this review summarizes the outstanding performance of rhizosphere microbial communities in promoting plant growth and stress tolerance.

TRASH-CAN: An Approach to Promote Planetary Health Education and Research for Health Care Trainees.

As future health care leaders who work and train in diverse clinical settings, resident physicians are uniquely positioned to advance sustainable health care systems. However, residents are insufficiently educated about health care sustainability and given limited opportunities to engage in planetary health. This article introduces and reports on the early outcomes of the Trainee-Led Research and Audit for Sustainability in Healthcare Canada (TRASH-CAN), a resident-driven initiative launched in 2023 with the aim of reducing Canadian health care's environmental impact.

The sparse driver system for single-cell labeling and manipulation in .

In this protocol, we introduce a sparse driver system for cell-type specific single-cell labeling and manipulation in , enabling complete and simultaneous expression of multiple transgenes in the same cells. The system precisely controls expression probability and sparsity via mutant sites with reduced recombination efficiency and tunable FLP levels adjusted by heat-shock durations. We demonstrate that this generalizable toolkit enables tunable sparsity, multi-color staining, single-cell trans-synaptic tracing, single-cell manipulation, and analysis of cell-autonomous gene function.

Vitamin D and focal brain atrophy in PD with non-dementia: a VBM study.

Background: The status of vitamin D has been proposed to have an impact on cognition. Gray matter volume (GMV) is a potential marker of cognitive function. We investigated whether lower serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level was associated with reduced cerebral GMV in Parkinson's disease with non-dementia (PDND) patients.

Crescents as Independent Risk Factor in the Progression of Primary Membranous Nephropathy.

Objective: The role of crescent formation in primary membranous nephropathy (PMN) and its potential impact on prognosis remain an area of ongoing investigation. This study stratifies patients with PMN into two cohorts: one with crescents and one without. It then compares these groups to investigate the influence of crescents on the prognosis of PMN.

Altered Immune Cell Profiles in the Follicular Fluid of Patients with Poor Ovarian Response According to the POSEIDON Criteria.

Objective: This study aims to investigate alterations in immune cell counts within preovulatory follicles of patients with poor ovarian response (POR) during assisted reproductive technology (ART), classified according to the POSEIDON criteria.

Methods: This single-centre cross-sectional study included 543 women undergoing IVF/ICSI treatment, selected based on specific inclusion and exclusion criteria: 292 with normal ovarian response and 251 with poor response. Follicular fluid (FF) was collected on the day of oocyte retrieval and analysed by flow cytometry to determine the proportions of macrophages (Mφs), M1 and M2 Mφs, T cells (CD4 and CD8 T cells), dendritic cells (DCs), including type 1 conventional dendritic cells (cDC1) and type 2 conventional dendritic cells (cDC2), and neutrophils.

A Targeted Proteomics Approach Reveals a Serum Protein Signature as a Diagnostic Biomarker for Colorectal Cancer.

Background: Circulating proteins secreted by tumors are an important source of cancer biomarkers. This study aims to investigate the changes in the content of tumor immune-related circulating proteins in peripheral blood from patients with colorectal cancer (CRC).

Methods: Olink's proximity extension assay was used to detect the levels of 92 tumor immune-related circulating proteins in peripheral blood from CRC patients.

Run-Mu-Ling Granules Mitigate Ocular Surface Inflammatory Injury Associated with Dry Eye by Suppressing the NLRP3/GSDMD-Mediated Pyroptosis Pathway.

Purpose: Run-Mu-Ling granules (RMLG), a traditional Chinese medicinal formula, are used to treat dry eye (DE); however, the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. This study aimed to elucidate the potential molecular mechanisms by which RMLG alleviates ocular surface inflammation in DE.

Methods: We established an in-vivo DE rat model and in-vitro human corneal epithelial cell line (HCEC) injury models.

Rheumatoid Factor Titer as an Indicator of the Risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis Activity: Dose-Effect Analysis with the Restricted Cubic Spline Model.

Background: Rheumatoid factor (RF) titer is known to be correlated to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) activity, but the ideal cut-off titer of RF remains unclear. Here, the relationship between RF titer and RA activity was investigated in order to determine the ideal RF value indicative of the risk of RA activity.

Methods: Clinical data from 2044 eligible patients were collected from the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from February 2022 to October 2023.

Lower obstetrician and gynecologist (OBGYN) supply in abortion-ban states, despite minimal state-level changes in the 2 years post-.

Since the Supreme Court decision in June 2022, emerging reports suggest that the obstetrician and gynecologist (OBGYN) workforce is moving into states without abortion bans. Using a large national administrative database, we identified OBGYNs enrolling in new states from July 2017 through June 2024. We used difference-in-differences (DID) analyses to estimate the effect of on enrollments by state abortion policy (ban vs no ban).

Simulation Study on the Stabilization Control Performance of Low-Calorific-Value Waste Combustion in Waste Incinerators.

To address the instability of low-calorific-value waste incineration processes and suppress the generation of toxic dioxins, this study examines a 600 t/day waste incineration furnace as a case study. Numerical simulations of the incineration process were conducted by using bed calculation software FLIC and Fluent. A waste incineration cleanliness index was defined, and the impact of the reduced calorific value of the incoming waste on the temperature distribution within the incineration furnace was explored.

Constructions, Purifications and Applications of DNA-Antibody Conjugates: A Review.

A DNA-antibody conjugate is a synthetic molecule that combines the unique functions of both an antibody and DNA. With the increased accessibility of commercialized kits, the procedure for constructing conjugates is simplified and the requirement for chemistry background is reduced. As a result, the difficulty of preparing a DNA-antibody conjugate has been significantly lowered.