Image quality assessment and feasibility of three-dimensional amide proton transfer-weighted imaging for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: With the continuous innovation of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) hardware and software technology, amide proton transfer-weighted (APTw) imaging has been applied in liver cancer. However, to our knowledge, no study has evaluated the feasibility of a three-dimensional amide proton transfer-weighted (3D-APTw) imaging sequence for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study thus aimed to conduct an image quality assessment of 3D-APTw for HCC and to explore its feasibility.

A proteomic classifier panel for early screening of colorectal cancer: a case control study.

Background: Diagnosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) during early stages can greatly improve patient outcome. Although technical advances in the field of genomics and proteomics have identified a number of candidate biomarkers for non-invasive screening and diagnosis, developing more sensitive and specific methods with improved cost-effectiveness and patient compliance has tremendous potential to help combat the disease.

Methods: We enrolled three cohorts of 479 subjects, including 226 CRC cases, 197 healthy controls, and 56 advanced precancerous lesions (APC).

Identification and Validation of Magnolol Biosynthesis Genes in .

Bacterial infections pose a significant risk to human health. Magnolol, derived from , exhibits potent antibacterial properties. Synthetic biology offers a promising approach to manufacture such natural compounds.

Oral Orexin Receptor 2 Agonist in Narcolepsy Type 1.

Background: Narcolepsy type 1 is caused by severe loss or lack of brain orexin neuropeptides.

Methods: We conducted a phase 2, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of TAK-994, an oral orexin receptor 2-selective agonist, in patients with narcolepsy type 1. Patients with confirmed narcolepsy type 1 according to clinical criteria were randomly assigned to receive twice-daily oral TAK-994 (30 mg, 90 mg, or 180 mg) or placebo.

Immune Repertoire Profiling Reveals Its Clinical Application Potential and Triggers for Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorders.

Background And Objectives: Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) is widely recognized as a CNS demyelinating disease associated with AQP4-IgG (T cell-dependent antibody), and its trigger is still unclear. In addition, although the treatment of NMOSD currently can rely on traditional immunosuppressive and modulating agents, effective methods to predict the efficacy of these therapeutics are lacking.

Methods: In this study, high-throughput T-cell receptor (TCR) sequencing was performed on peripheral blood from 151 pretreatment patients with AQP4-IgG NMOSD and 151 healthy individuals.

Effect of a modified regimen on drug-sensitive retreated pulmonary tuberculosis: A multicenter study in China.

Background And Objective: Retreatment pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) still accounts for a large proportion of tuberculosis, and the treatment outcome is unfavorable. The recurrence of retreatment PTB based on long-term follow-up has not been well demonstrated. This study aimed to evaluate effect of a modified regimen on drug-sensitive retreated pulmonary tuberculosis.

Intratumoral delivered novel circular mRNA encoding cytokines for immune modulation and cancer therapy.

The success of the two mRNA vaccines developed by Moderna and BioNTech during the COVID-19 pandemic increased research interest into the application of mRNA technologies. Compared with the canonical linear mRNA used in these vaccines, circular mRNA has been found to mediate more potent and durable protein expression and demands a simpler manufacturing procedure. However, the application of circular mRNA is still at the initiation stage, and proof of concept for its use as a future medicine or vaccine is required.

Modulation of intracellular kinase signaling to improve TIL stemness and function for adoptive cell therapy.

Introduction: Adoptive cellular therapy with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) has demonstrated promising clinical benefits in several solid tumors, but the efficacy of this therapy might be compromised by the "prone-to-exhaustion" phenotype of TIL and poor persistence in vivo. This calls for a robust expansion process to produce a large number of cells for clinical usage while at the same time maintaining favorable anti-tumor function and memory phenotype. Previous studies showed that the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway plays a key role in the regulation of T cell activation, differentiation and memory formation.

Survival and Toxicities after Y Transarterial Radioembolization of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer in the RESIN Registry.

Background Patients with unresectable, chemorefractory hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer have considerable mortality. The role of transarterial radioembolization (TARE) with yttrium 90 (Y) microspheres is not defined because most reports are from a single center with limited patient numbers. Purpose To report outcomes in participants with colorectal cancer metastases treated with resin Y microspheres from a prospective multicenter observational registry.

Design of a mutation-integrated trimeric RBD with broad protection against SARS-CoV-2.

The continuous emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants highlights the need of developing vaccines with broad protection. Here, according to the immune-escape capability and evolutionary convergence, the representative SARS-CoV-2 strains carrying the hotspot mutations were selected. Then, guided by structural and computational analyses, we present a mutation-integrated trimeric form of spike receptor-binding domain (mutI-tri-RBD) as a broadly protective vaccine candidate, which combined heterologous RBDs from different representative strains into a hybrid immunogen and integrated immune-escape hotspots into a single antigen.

Ghost spintronic THz-emitter-array microscope.

Terahertz (THz) waves show great potential in nondestructive testing, biodetection and cancer imaging. Despite recent progress in THz wave near-field probes/apertures enabling raster scanning of an object's surface, an efficient, nonscanning, noninvasive, deep subdiffraction imaging technique remains challenging. Here, we demonstrate THz near-field microscopy using a reconfigurable spintronic THz emitter array (STEA) based on the computational ghost imaging principle.

Iron-Deficiency and Estrogen Are Associated With Ischemic Stroke by Up-Regulating Transferrin to Induce Hypercoagulability.

Rationale: Epidemiological studies have identified an associate between iron deficiency (ID) and the use of oral contraceptives (CC) and ischemic stroke (IS). To date, however, the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. Both ID and CC have been demonstrated to upregulate the level and iron-binding ability of Tf (transferrin), with our recent study showing that this upregulation can induce hypercoagulability by potentiating FXIIa/thrombin and blocking antithrombin-coagulation proteases interactions.

Intrauterine Growth Restriction Programs Intergenerational Transmission of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension and Endothelial Dysfunction via Sperm Epigenetic Modifications.

Intrauterine life represents a window of phenotypic plasticity which carries consequences for later health in adulthood as well as health of subsequent generations. Intrauterine growth-restricted fetuses (intrauterine growth restriction [IUGR]) have a higher risk of pulmonary arterial hypertension in adulthood. Endothelial dysfunction, characterized by hyperproliferation, invasive migration, and disordered angiogenesis, is a hallmark of pulmonary arterial hypertension pathogenesis.

Association Among Dietary Supplement Use, Nutrient Intake, and Mortality Among U.S. Adults: A Cohort Study.

Background: The health benefits and risks of dietary supplement use are controversial.

Objective: To evaluate the association among dietary supplement use, levels of nutrient intake from foods and supplements, and mortality among U.S.

Tiotropium in Early-Stage Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Background: Patients with mild or moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) rarely receive medications, because they have few symptoms. We hypothesized that long-term use of tiotropium would improve lung function and ameliorate the decline in lung function in patients with mild or moderate COPD.

Methods: In a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that was conducted in China, we randomly assigned 841 patients with COPD of Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) stage 1 (mild) or 2 (moderate) severity to receive a once-daily inhaled dose (18 μg) of tiotropium (419 patients) or matching placebo (422) for 2 years.

Optimal and safe upper limits of iodine intake for early pregnancy in iodine-sufficient regions: a cross-sectional study of 7190 pregnant women in China.

Context: The WHO Technical Consultation recommends urinary iodine concentrations (UIC) from 250 to 499 μg/L as more-than-adequate iodine intake and UIC ≥ 500 μg/L as excessive iodine for pregnant and lactating women, but scientific evidence for this is weak.

Objective: We investigated optimal and safe ranges of iodine intake during early pregnancy in an iodine-sufficient region of China.

Method: Seven thousand one hundred ninety pregnant women at 4-8 weeks gestation were investigated and their UIC, serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine (FT4), thyroid-peroxidase antibody (TPOAb), thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb), and thyroglobulin (Tg) were measured.

Iron deficiency, an independent risk factor for isolated hypothyroxinemia in pregnant and nonpregnant women of childbearing age in China.

Context: Isolated hypothyroxinemia during early pregnancy may irreversibly damage the neurodevelopment of offspring. However, the causes are not well clarified.

Objective: To explore the association of iron deficiency (ID) with hypothyroid function of women in early pregnancy and nonpregnant women.