Efficacy and safety of first-line sintilimab plus anlotinib versus chemotherapy for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer: a phase II, open-label, randomized controlled trial.

Background: The prognosis for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with standard platinum-based chemotherapy was suboptimal, with safety concerns. Following encouraging results from a preliminary phase I study, this phase II trial investigated the efficacy and safety of first-line sintilimab and anlotinib in metastatic NSCLC.

Methods: In this open-label, randomized controlled trial (NCT04124731), metastatic NSCLC without epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR), anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK), or proto-oncogene tyrosine-protein kinase ROS (ROS1) mutations, and previous treatments for metastatic disease were enrolled.

Soil aggregation alterations under soil microplastic and biochar addition and aging process.

Soil microplastics (MPs) are a substantial threat to soil health, particularly by disrupting soil aggregation. Additionally, MPs undergo aging processes in the soil, which may significantly alter their long-term impacts on soil structure. To investigate these effects, we conducted an eight-month soil incubation experiment, examining the influence of MPs and their aging on soil aggregation.

The Associations Between Myopia and Fundus Tessellation in School Children: A Comparative Analysis of Macular and Peripapillary Regions Using Deep Learning.

Purpose: To evaluate the refractive differences among school-aged children with macular or peripapillary fundus tessellation (FT) distribution patterns, using fundus tessellation density (FTD) quantified by deep learning (DL) technology.

Methods: The cross-sectional study included 1942 school children aged six to 15 years, undergoing ocular biometric parameters, cycloplegic refraction, and fundus photography. FTD was quantified for both the macular (6 mm) and peripapillary (4 mm) regions, using DL-based image processing applied to 45° color fundus photographs.

Improving Diagnostic Accuracy in Acute Pulmonary Embolism: Insights from Spectral Dual-energy CT.

Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the clinical efficacy of spectral dual-energy detector computed tomography (SDCT) and its associated parameters in diagnosing acute pulmonary embolism (APE).

Methods: Retrospective analysis of imaging data from 86 APE-diagnosed patients using SDCT was conducted. Virtual monoenergetic images (VMIs) at 40, 70, and 100 KeV, Iodine concentration (IC) maps, Electron Cloud Density Map (ECDM), Effective atomic number (Z-eff) maps, and Hounsfield unit attenuation plots (VMI slope) were reconstructed from pulmonary artery phase CT images.

Construction and transcriptomic analysis of salinity-induced lipid-rich flocculent microalgae.

The lack of cost-effective nutrient sources and harvesting methods is currently a major obstacle to the production of sustainable biofuels from microalgae. In this study, Chlorella pyrenoidosa was cultured with saline wastewater in a stirred photobioreactor, and lipid-rich flocculent microalgae particles were successfully constructed. As the influent salinity of the photobioreactor increased from 0% to 3%, the particle size and sedimentation rate of flocculent microalgae particles gradually increased, and the lipid accumulation of microalgae also increased gradually.

Osimertinib for EGFR-Mutant NSCLC Patients With Acquired T790M and EGFR Amplification After First-Generation EGFR-TKI Resistance.

Third-generation epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) is the standard therapy for patients harboring T790M after first-generation EGFR-TKI resistance. However, the impact of acquired EGFR amplification on the efficacy of third-generation EGFR-TKI against T790M remains uncertain. We aimed to investigate whether the presence of acquired EGFR amplification after first-generation EGFR-TKI resistance influences the efficacy of third-generation EGFR-TKI in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Psychiatric disorders in patients with benign and malignant sinonasal tumors: a prospective cross-sectional study.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of depression, anxiety, insomnia, and somatic symptom disorder (SSD) in patients with benign and malignant sinonasal tumors.

Materials And Methods: Pretreatment patients with sinonasal tumors were prospectively recruited on the rhinology ward of a tertiary hospital from July 2021 to March 2022. The electronic questionnaire which contains the rhinological symptom scale, the 22-item Sinonasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) Scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15) was filled out by patients at admission.

Gender and Age Differences in Corpus Callosum Morphology: High-Altitude Adaptations in Native Tibetan Populations.

Background And Aims: The corpus callosum is recognized as the largest interhemispheric white matter structure, coordinating distinct functions of the brain. High-altitude environments may influence the structure of the corpus callosum. This study aims to evaluate the morphologic characteristics of the corpus callosum in Tibetans residing on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau while investigating the effects of sex, age, and high-altitude exposure on its morphology.

Clinical outcomes of open reduction and internal fixation combined with sartorius muscle iliac bone graft transplantation for displaced femoral neck fractures in middle-aged and young adults: a retrospective analysis of 24 cases.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes and complications of open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) combined with sartorius muscle iliac bone graft transplantation (SIBFT) in the treatment of displaced femoral neck fractures in middle-aged and young adults.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 26 patients under the age of 60 with displaced femoral neck fractures (Pauwels III or Garden III-IV) treated at our institution between April 2019 to July 2022. All patients underwent open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) through the Smith-Petersen (S-P) approach, augmented with a sartorius muscle iliac bone graft transplantation.

Real-world studies of crizotinib in patients with ROS1-positive non-small-cell lung cancer: experience from China.

The treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has progressed from histology-oriented cytotoxic therapy to the era of molecular biology-oriented targeted therapy and immunotherapy. As the first tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) targeting the pathway, crizotinib is widely used as a first-line regimen for -rearranged NSCLC. However, due to the paucity of solid data from randomized, controlled phase III clinical studies, clinicians often require more systematic, real-world data-based guidance for its optimal clinical use.

Network-Based Bioinformatics Highlights Broad Importance of Human Milk Hyaluronan.

Human milk (HM) is rich in bioactive factors promoting postnatal small intestinal development and maturation of the microbiome. HM is also protective against necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a devastating inflammatory condition predominantly affecting preterm infants. The HM glycosaminoglycan, hyaluronan (HA), is present at high levels in colostrum and early milk.

Glycopeptide microneedles triggering the ECM process to promote fibroblast viability for anti-aging treatments.

Skin anti-aging remains challenging due to the cumulative detrimental effects within the intricate microenvironment. Here, we present glycopeptide hydrogel (γ-PGA/HA) microneedle patches composed of poly (γ-glutamic acid) and hyaluronic acid as a potential solution. These microneedles aim to effectively penetrate the skin barrier while remodeling extracellular matrix to regulate the skin microenvironment.

Age-Related Hearing Impairment: Genome and Blood Methylome Data Integration Reveals Candidate Epigenetic Biomarkers.

Age-related hearing impairment (ARHI) is a major planetary health burden that is in need of precision medicine for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. The present study was set out to identify candidate epigenetic markers for ARHI. Associations of genetically predicted DNA methylation levels with ARHI risk were evaluated using two sets of blood DNA methylation genetic prediction models in 147,997 cases and 575,269 controls of European descent.

Cotransport of fullerene nanoparticles and clay colloids in porous media: The relation between aggregation and transport.

In the study, cotransport of fullerene nanoparticles (nC) and mobile clay colloids (illite (ILL), kaolinite (KL), montmorillonite (ML)) in aquifer porous media and its relation to the aggregative interaction between these two types of particles was investigated. Minimal interaction occurred between nC and ILL, resulting in unaffected transport. Strong heteroaggregation between ML and nC resulted in not only significant retention of both particles during their cotransport but also the retention of nC in the media pre-injected with ML.

Bioinformatics-based screening of hub genes for prostate cancer bone metastasis and analysis of immune infiltration.

Bioinformatics analysis of genes and immune cells that influence prostate cancer (PCa) bone metastases. Using the gene expression omnibus database, we analyzed a PCa bone metastasis dataset. Differentially expressed genes were identified through the utilization of GEO2R and weighted gene co-expression network analysis.

Improved Diagnostic Performance Using Dual-Energy CT-Derived Slope Parameter Images in Crohn's Disease.

The objective of the study is to explore the image quality and diagnosis performance of the dual-energy CT-derived slope parameter images (SPI) generated by the algorithm based on the slope function in the diagnosis of Crohn's disease (CD). Seventy-six CD patients and 53 disease-free control group subjects who underwent dual-energy CT enterography were retrospectively collected. Portal venous phase 120kVp-like and virtual monoenergetic images at 40-100 keV (VMI) were reconstructed.

Efficacy and Safety of a Therapy Combining Sintilimab and Chemotherapy With Cryoablation in the First-Line Treatment of Advanced Nonsquamous Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Protocol for a Phase II, Pilot, Single-Arm, Single-Center Study.

Background: Immunotherapy has significantly advanced lung cancer treatment, particularly in nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with overall response rates between 50% and 60%. However, about 30% of patients only achieve a stable disease state. Cryoablation has shown potential to enhance immunotherapy by modifying the tumor's immune microenvironment through the release of antigens and immune factors.

An Anthropometric Study of the Morphologic Facial Index of Tibetan Youth in Tibet.

The purpose of this study was to understand sex differences and variations in facial indices among Tibetans and to create and evaluate anthropometric data on facial morphology. The study population consisted of 476 native Tibetans (241 males and 235 females) aged 18 to 24 years. The means and SD facial width was 133.

Chromosomal Abnormalities Detected by Chromosomal Microarray Analysis and Karyotype in Fetuses with Ultrasound Abnormalities.

Objective: Chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) is a first-line test to assess the genetic etiology of fetal ultrasound abnormalities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of CMA in detecting chromosomal abnormalities in fetuses with ultrasound abnormalities, including structural abnormalities and non-structural abnormalities.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 368 fetuses with abnormal ultrasound who received interventional prenatal diagnosis at Meizhou People's Hospital from October 2022 to December 2023.

Child Maltreatment Increases the Risk for Callous-Unemotional Traits: A Three-Level Meta-Analytic Review.

Callous-unemotional (CU) traits are characterized by lack of remorse and guilt, lack of empathy, and shallow and deficient emotions. A growing body of research has examined the association between child maltreatment and CU traits. However, empirical findings on this association are inconclusive.

Obesity and survival in advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or chemoimmunotherapy: a multicenter cohort study.

Background: The association of body mass index (BMI) with survival outcomes in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with first-line chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or chemoimmunotherapy is controversial. We aimed to investigate these associations, including associations in male and female patients specifically, in a multicenter cohort study.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from seven cohorts comprising 7021 advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients who received chemotherapy (three cohorts), immunotherapy (two cohorts), and chemoimmunotherapy (two cohorts) from five data sources, including a de-identified nationwide (US-based) NSCLC clinico-genomic database and two randomized, double-blind, phase 3 clinical trials.