A highly sensitive aptasensor for vascular endothelial growth factor based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer from upconversion nanoparticles to MoS nanosheets.

A novel sensitive aptasensor for vascular endothelial growth factor-165 (VEGF) was constructed based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) by employing upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) and MoS nanosheets as the energy donor and acceptor, respectively. The upconversion fluorescence resonance energy transfer (UC-FRET) was triggered by the physical adsorption interaction between the aptamer and MoS nanosheets, leading to a remarkable quenching of UCNP fluorescence up to 95%. Upon addition of VEGF to the UCNP-aptamer system before MoS nanosheets were added, the aptamer preferentially bound to VEGF with the change of spatial conformation, which weakened the van der Waals' force between the MoS nanosheets and the aptamer, thus leading to the separation of the donor and the acceptor.

Periconceptional use of cod liver oil, a vitamin D source, could decrease the risk of CHD in offspring.

Objective: To explore if there is association between vitamin D supplementation through cod liver oil ingestion around the periconceptional period and the risk of developing severe CHD in offspring. Furthermore, we would examine the interaction between vitamin D and folic acid supplementation in the association.

Methods: A case-control study was conducted in Shanghai Children's Medical Center, in which, a total of 262 severe CHD cases versus 262 controls were recruited through June 2016 to December 2017.

Quantification of Myocardial Dosimetry and Glucose Metabolism Using a 17-Segment Model of the Left Ventricle in Esophageal Cancer Patients Receiving Radiotherapy.

Objective: Previous studies have shown that increased cardiac uptake of F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) on positron emission tomography (PET) may be an indicator of myocardial injury after radiotherapy (RT). The primary objective of this study was to quantify cardiac subvolume dosimetry and F-FDG uptake on oncologic PET using a 17-segment model of the left ventricle (LV) and to identify dose limits related to changes in cardiac F-FDG uptake after RT.

Methods: Twenty-four esophageal cancer (EC) patients who underwent consecutive oncologic F-FDG PET/CT scans at baseline and post-RT were enrolled in this study.

Development and Validation of a Radiomics Nomogram Model for Predicting Postoperative Recurrence in Patients With Esophageal Squamous Cell Cancer Who Achieved pCR After Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy Followed by Surgery.

Although patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) can achieve a pathological complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) followed by surgery, one-third of these patients with a pCR may still experience recurrence. The aim of this study is to develop and validate a predictive model to estimate recurrence-free survival (RFS) in those patients who achieved pCR. Two hundred six patients with ESCC were enrolled and divided into a training cohort ( = 146) and a validation cohort ( = 60).

Season-stratified effects of meteorological factors on childhood asthma in Shanghai, China.

Objectives: There has been increasing interest in identifying the adverse effects of ambient environmental factors on asthma exacerbations (AE), but season-stratified effects of meteorological factors on childhood asthma remain unclear. We explored the season-stratified effects of meteorological factors on childhood AE in Shanghai, China.

Methods: Poisson generalized linear regression model combined with a distributed lag nonlinear model was used to examine the lagged and nonlinear effects of meteorological factors on childhood AE after adjustment for putative confounders.

[Effects of life events and emotional stress on short-term curative efficacy in adolescents with sudden hearing loss].

To investigate the effects of life events and emotional stress on short-term curative efficacy in adolescents with low-tone sudden deafness （LTSD）. Various psychological stress measures were conducted on adolescent patients with recently diagnosed LTSD before initiating treatment, and the follow-up hearing condition were also obtained after 3 months of treatment. Using logistic regression analysis, we identified the predictors of life stress and emotion symptoms of treatment response in these adolescent patients.

Research on allergic rhinitis improvement in asthmatic children after dust mite exposure reduction: a randomized, double-blind, cross-placebo study protocol.

Background: Allergic rhinitis (AR) in children is a major respiratory inflammatory disease with a high incidence that is increasing yearly. In China, 54.93% of children with asthma have AR, which often requires synchronous treatment.

Using CT texture analysis to differentiate between peripheral lung cancer and pulmonary inflammatory pseudotumor.

Background: This study is to distinguish peripheral lung cancer and pulmonary inflammatory pseudotumor using CT-radiomics features extracted from PET/CT images.

Methods: In this study, the standard 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/ computed tomography (18 F-FDG PET/CT) images of 21 patients with pulmonary inflammatory pseudotumor (PIPT) and 21 patients with peripheral lung cancer were retrospectively collected. The dataset was used to extract CT-radiomics features from regions of interest (ROI), The intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to screen the robust feature from all the radiomic features.

Transcriptomic analysis reveals hub genes and subnetworks related to ROS metabolism in Hylocereus undatus through novel superoxide scavenger trypsin treatment during storage.

Background: It was demonstrated in our previous research that trypsin scavenges superoxide anions. In this study, the mechanisms of storage quality improvement by trypsin were evaluated in H. undatus.

Best practice for infection prevention in pediatric respiratory clinics during the COVID-19 epidemic.

During the COVID-19 epidemic, it is important for ensuring infection prevention and control in the pediatric respiratory clinics. Herein, we introduced the practice of infection prevention and control in pediatric respiratory clinics in China. Triage measures for patients who visit respiratory clinics, quality control for pediatric respiratory clinics and other preventive measures for related examinations and treatment have been introduced in this review article.

The Phylodynamics of Seasonal Influenza A/H1N1pdm Virus in China Between 2009 and 2019.

Since its first introduction into China in 2009, influenza A/H1N1pdm virus has undergone a rapid expansion and replaced the classical seasonal A(H1N1) virus. To characterize the ongoing evolution and national transmission dynamics of this virus, we analyzed 335 complete genome, 1259 HA, and 1043 NA sequences of the A/H1N1pdm strains detected in China. We found that the dN/dS value and relative genetic diversity of the A/H1N1pdm virus experienced a decrease from 2009 to 2017, and then a rapid increase during 2018-2019.

Study on the Effect of 4D-CT Special Reconstruction Images for Evaluation of the Cardiac Structure Dose in Radiotherapy for Breast Cancer.

To study the dosimetric effect on special reconstruction images obtained from an electrocardiograph-gated four-dimensional computed tomography (ECG 4D-CT) series and compare it with the accumulation dose assessment of ECG 4D-CT. Fifteen patients underwent ECG 4D-CT scans to obtain a 4D-CT series. The 20 phase images of 0-95% were reconstructed at intervals of 5% of the cardiac cycle by the 4D-CT series.

Imaging study of coronal structural matching of the distal radius in normal adults.

Background: As an important anatomical basis, coronal structural position matching of the distal radius has long been lacking in terms of a quantitative understanding, and such matching is correlated with the postoperative functional recovery of patients with distal radius fracture. The purpose of this study was to explore the degree of coronal structural matching of the distal radius in a normal population and to improve the detailed anatomical knowledge of the distal radius.

Methods: The reconstructed 3D data were analysed using 3-matic research software from thin-film CT images of 80 normal adults, and the coronal structural matching of the distal radius was studied from two aspects: 1) self-matching of the distal radius; and 2) matching between the distal radius and ulna (i.

Children's Sleep May Depend on Maternal Sleep Duration During Pregnancy: A Retrospective Study.

Background: Animal studies suggested that maternal sleep during pregnancy was associated with sleep pattern in offspring; however, it has not been clear in human populations.

Aim: Our study discusses the relationships of maternal sleep duration with sleep characteristics in their offspring through an epidemiological study.

Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study including 6236 mother-child dyads was conducted in 31 preschools in May 2019, in Shanghai, China.

Further delineation of primary B cell immunodeficiency caused by novel variants of the BLNK gene in two Chinese patients.

Biallelic variants in BLNK cause primary B-cell immunodeficiency that usually results in absence of B cells and immunoglobulin. Here, we identified disease-causing variant(s) in two unrelated Chinese patients with agammaglobulinemia. Patient 1 showed a moderate reduction in total B-cell count but demonstrated both extremely low levels of memory B-cells and lower levels of memory T cells relative to those in healthy controls.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel shikonin-benzo[b]furan derivatives as tubulin polymerization inhibitors targeting the colchicine binding site.

A novel series of shikonin-benzo[b]furan derivatives were designed and synthesized as tubulin polymerization inhibitors, and their biological activities were evaluated. Most compounds revealed the comparable anti-proliferation activities against the cancer cell lines to that of shikonin and simultaneously low cytotoxicity to non-cancer cells. Among them, compound 6c displayed powerful anti-cancer activity with the IC value of 0.

Discrimination of mediastinal metastatic lymph nodes in NSCLC based on radiomic features in different phases of CT imaging.

Background: We aimed to develop radiomic models based on different phases of computed tomography (CT) imaging and to investigate the efficacy of models for diagnosing mediastinal metastatic lymph nodes (LNs) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods: Eighty-six NSCLC patients were enrolled in this study, and we selected 231 mediastinal LNs confirmed by pathology results as the subjects which were divided into training (n = 163) and validation cohorts (n = 68). The regions of interest (ROIs) were delineated on CT scans in the plain phase, arterial phase and venous phase, respectively.

Effects of different CT value assignment methods on dose calculations in radiotherapy planning for brain metastases.

Background: To study the effects of different CT value assignment methods on the dose calculations in radiotherapy plans for brain metastases, this study will provide a reference for radiotherapy planning design based on MR images.

Methods: All fifty recruited patients underwent CT and MR simulated localization the same day as, but prior to, three dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT) or intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for brain metastases. After rigid registration of both the CT and MR images, the main tissues and organs were delineated on the CT and MR images.

Dose accumulation in IMRT for left breast cancer determined by applying deformation registration.

Background: To evaluate the dosimetric changes in the target volume and organs at risk (OARs) of patients with left breast cancer (LBC) who underwent intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) based on a deformation registration (DF) method.

Methods: Sixteen patients with LBC treated with 6 MV X-ray IMRT were retrospectively analyzed. All targets included the lymph node drainage area and chest wall.

Heart and Cardiac Substructure Dose Sparing in Synchronous Bilateral Breast Radiotherapy: A Dosimetric Study of Proton and Photon Radiation Therapy.

Synchronous bilateral breast cancer (SBBC) is rare. The purpose of this study was to compare the dosimetric differences in intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT), helical tomotherapy (HT), and intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) to find an optimal radiotherapy technique for bilateral breast cancer radiotherapy. For 11 patients who received synchronous bilateral whole-breast irradiation without local lymph nodal regions, six plans were designed for each patient: IMRT with a single isocenter (IMRT-ISO1), IMRT with two isocenters (IMRT-ISO2), VMAT with a single isocenter (VMAT-ISO1), VMAT with two isocenters (VMAT-ISO2), HT, and IMPT.

The transcriptome of circulating cells indicates potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets in the course of hypertension-related myocardial infarction.

Hypertension (HT) is the most common public-health challenge and shows a high incidence around the world. Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of mortality and morbidity among the elderly (age > 65 years) in the United States. Now, there is widespread acceptance of the causal link between HT and acute myocardial infarction (MI).

Overexpression of ERBB3 promotes proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of ERBB3 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). We investigated the expression level of ERBB3 in NPC by immunohistochemistry and western blot. CCK-8, cell cycle analysis, transwell assay and wound healing assay were used to detect the effect of ERBB3 on the proliferation and migration of NPC cells.

Renal denervation restrains the inflammatory response in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury leads to intensive sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activation and inflammatory reactions. Whether renal sympathetic denervation (RDN) could be a new therapeutic strategy to modulate I/R inflammation and reduce infarct size after myocardial I/R injury needs to be explored. First, we investigated the correlation between plasma norepinephrine concentrations and circulating myeloid cell numbers in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Use CT Imaging to Predict the Short-Term Outcome of Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy in Patients With Locally Advanced Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Objective: To extract the computed tomography (CT) imaging features of the primary lesions in patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and to study whether these imaging features can predict the short-term outcome after concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT).

Methods: From January 2014 to December 2015, a total of 49 patients with locally advanced ESCC who underwent CCRT were analyzed retrospectively. They were randomly categorized into the training and validation groups.

Highly oxygenous trichilin-type limonoids from Trichilia sinensis.

Six new trichilin-type limonoids (1-6) with C-19/29 lactol or acetal bridge and a new ring intact limonoid (7) were isolated from the desiccative ripe fruits of Trichilia sinensis. Their structures were determined by extensive spectroscopic methods including H NMR, C NMR, HSQC, HMBC, ROESY experiments as well as HRESI-MS data. All isolated compounds were evaluated for toxicities against human pulmonary carcinoma A549 and Hela cell lines by sulforhodamine B (SRB) method.