A Comprehensive Analysis of Pyroptosis-Related lncRNAs Signature Associated With Prognosis and Tumor Immune Microenvironment of Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma.

Globally, pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) is a common and highly devastating gastrointestinal malignancy that seriously threatens human health. Pyroptosis refers to an emerging form of programmed cell death that has been discovered in recent years, and studies have demonstrated that long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) may act as a moderator in the pyroptosis process of cancer cells. However, relevant explorations about lncRNAs and pyroptosis are still insufficient in PAAD.

Injectable Bacteria-Sensitive Hydrogel Promotes Repair of Infected Fractures via Sustained Release of miRNA Antagonist.

Fracture nonunion can result in considerable physical harm and limitation of quality of life in patients, exerting an extensive economic burden to the society. Nonunion largely results from unresolved inflammation and impaired osteogenesis. Despite advancements in surgical techniques, the indispensable treatment for nonunion is robust anti-inflammation therapy and the promotion of osteogenic differentiation.

Vortioxetine Modulates the Regional Signal in First-Episode Drug-Free Major Depressive Disorder at Rest.

Background: Previous studies on brain functional alterations associated with antidepressants for major depressive disorder (MDD) have produced conflicting results because they involved short treatment periods and a variety of compounds.

Methods: Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans were obtained from 25 first-episode drug-free patients with MDD and 25 healthy controls. The patients, who were treated with vortioxetine for 8 weeks, were scanned at two-time points (baseline and week 8 of treatment).

Corrigendum to "Prognostic Factors for COVID-19 Hospitalized Patients with Preexisting Type 2 Diabetes".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2022/9322332.].

Abnormal Ventral Somatomotor Network Homogeneity in Patients With Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.

Background: Abnormalities of functional connectivity in the somatomotor network have been thought to play an essential role in the pathophysiology of epilepsy. However, there has been no network homogeneity (NH) study about the ventral somatomotor network (VSN) in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Therefore, we explored the NH of the VSN in TLE patients in this study.

Parthenolide ameliorates neurological deficits and neuroinflammation in mice with traumatic brain injury by suppressing STAT3/NF-κB and inflammasome activation.

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) triggers a set of complex inflammation that results in secondary injury. Parthenolide (PTN) is a sesquiterpene lactone extracted from the herb Tanacetum parthenium (Feverfew) and has potent anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptosis and anti-oxidative stress effects in the central nervous system (CNS)-related diseases. This study focuses on investigating the potential neuroprotective effect of PTN on TBI and the related mechanism.

Effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation combined with functional electrical stimulation on hand function of stroke: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that has been widely used for hand function recovery in patients with subacute and chronic stroke.

Objective: To observe the effect of low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) combined with functional electrical stimulation (FES) on hand function recovery during convalescence of stroke.

Methods: Patients were divided into3 groups of 20 patients in each.

Decreased Connectivity in Precuneus of the Ventral Attentional Network in First-Episode, Treatment-Naïve Patients With Major Depressive Disorder: A Network Homogeneity and Independent Component Analysis.

Background And Objective: The ventral attentional network (VAN) can provide quantitative information on cognitive problems in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Nevertheless, little is known about network homogeneity (NH) changes in the VAN of these patients. The aim of this study was to examine the NH values in the VAN by independent component analysis (ICA) and compare the NH values between MDD patients and the normal controls (NCs).

Role of magnesium-doped calcium sulfate and β-tricalcium phosphate composite ceramics in macrophage polarization and osteo-induction.

In the current study, we explored the role of Mg-doped CaSO/β-TCP composite biopolymer in regulating macrophage polarization and its relation with enhanced osteogenic differentiation of periodontal ligament stem cells. Furthermore, mechanism underling the regulation of macrophage polarization by CaSO/β-TCP was evaluated. Mg-doped CaSO/β-TCP composite was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD).

Single-cell landscape of immunocytes in patients with extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Background: The intricate landscape of immunocytes in the tumor microenvironment (TME) is fundamental to immunotherapy but notably under-researched in extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ECCA).

Methods: Single-cell RNA sequencing technology was conducted to make an in-depth analysis of immunocytes from matched tumor tissues, paratumor tissues and peripheral blood from ECCA patients. The potential cellular interactions between two cell populations were analyzed with software CellPhoneDB (v2.

Association of Septic Shock with Mortality in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients in Wuhan, China.

Purpose: Septic shock is a severe complication of COVID-19 patients. We aim to identify risk factors associated with septic shock and mortality among COVID-19 patients.

Methods: A total of 212 COVID-19 confirmed patients in Wuhan were included in this retrospective study.

Exosomes in the tumor microenvironment of cholangiocarcinoma: current status and future perspectives.

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) refers to an aggressive malignancy with a high fatality rate and poor prognosis. Globally, the morbidity of CCA is increasing for the past few decades, which has progressed into a disease that gravely endangers human health. Exosomes belong to a class of extracellular vesicles (EVs) with diameters ranging from 40 to 150 nm that can be discharged by all living cells.

Abnormal Degree Centrality as a Potential Imaging Biomarker for Right Temporal Lobe Epilepsy: A Resting-state Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study and Support Vector Machine Analysis.

Previous studies have reported altered neuroimaging features in right temporal lobe epilepsy (rTLE). However, the alterations in degree centrality (DC) as a diagnostic method for rTLE have not been reported. Therefore, we aimed to explore abnormalities in the DC of the rTLE and whether such alterations could be applied to the diagnosis of rTLE.

Comparison of high-dose dual therapy with bismuth-containing quadruple therapy in Helicobacter pylori-infected treatment-naive patients: An open-label, multicenter, randomized controlled trial.

Objective: Bismuth-containing quadruple therapy for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication has a relatively high rate of side effects and high cost, thus the option of a high-dose dual therapy with a high eradication rate and fewer adverse events is a consideration. However, studies of dual therapy are still scarce and are mostly single-center studies with limited generalizability.

Long-term efficacy of microwave ablation in the treatment of subcapsular hepatocellular carcinomas of ≤3 cm in diameter: a multicenter, propensity score-matched study.

Objective: To compare the long-term efficacy of microwave ablation (MWA) for subcapsular and non-subcapsular hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) using propensity score matching (PSM).

Materials And Methods: Using a multicenter database, we enrolled 430 patients (347 men, 83 women; age range, 15-71 years) with HCCs who received percutaneous ultrasound-guided MWA, between January 2012 and December 2018. The patients were grouped as follows, based on whether the tumor was adjacent to the capsule: subcapsular group ( = 142) and non-subcapsular group ( = 142).

TRIM34 modulates influenza virus-activated programmed cell death by targeting Z-DNA-binding protein 1 for K63-linked polyubiquitination.

Z-DNA-binding protein 1 (ZBP1) is an innate sensor of influenza A virus (IAV) that participates in IAV-induced programmed cell death. Nevertheless, little is known about the upstream signaling pathways regulating ZBP1. We found that a member of the tripartite motif (TRIM) family, TRIM34, interacted with ZBP1 to promote its K63-linked polyubiquitination.

Prognostic Factors for COVID-19 Hospitalized Patients with Preexisting Type 2 Diabetes.

Background: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) as a worldwide chronic disease combined with the COVID-19 pandemic prompts the need for improving the management of hospitalized COVID-19 patients with preexisting T2D to reduce complications and the risk of death. This study aimed to identify clinical factors associated with COVID-19 outcomes specifically targeted at T2D patients and build an individualized risk prediction nomogram for risk stratification and early clinical intervention to reduce mortality.

Methods: In this retrospective study, the clinical characteristics of 382 confirmed COVID-19 patients, consisting of 108 with and 274 without preexisting T2D, from January 8 to March 7, 2020, in Tianyou Hospital in Wuhan, China, were collected and analyzed.

Macrophages-aPKC-CCL5 Feedback Loop Modulates the Progression and Chemoresistance in Cholangiocarcinoma.

Background: Recent data indicated that macrophages may mutually interact with cancer cells to promote tumor progression and chemoresistance, but the interaction in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is obscure.

Methods: 10x Genomics single-cell sequencing technology was used to identified the role of macrophages in CCA. Then, we measured the expression and prognostic role of macrophage markers and aPKC in 70 human CCA tissues.

The application of transbronchial cryobiopsy in interstitial lung disease: a prospective, multicenter, real-world study.

Background: Transbronchial cryobiopsy (TBCB) has been widely used to diagnose interstitial lung disease (ILD). Existing reports on TBCB in ILD are mostly single-center prospective or retrospective studies but rarely multicenter prospective real-world studies. We explored the diagnostic efficiency and safety of TBCB in ILD in a real world setting.

Antiviral Abidol is Associated with the Reduction of In-Hospital Mortality in COVID-19 Patients.

Objective: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global public health crisis. There are no specific antiviral agents for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2. Information regarding the effect of Abidol on in-hospital mortality is scarce.

Erratum: Author Correction: Advancing COVID-19 diagnosis with privacy-preserving collaboration in artificial intelligence.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/s42256-021-00421-z.].

24-Dehydrocholesterol Reductase alleviates oxidative damage-induced apoptosis in alveolar epithelial cells via regulating Phosphatidylinositol-3-Kinase/Protein Kinase B activation.

Apoptosis of alveolar epithelial cells during acute lung injury (ALI)/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a critical pathological event that seriously endangers the health of patients. Suppressing apoptosis of alveolar epithelial cells was shown to alleviate functional damage of lung, and modulator of the reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced apoptosis becomes a promising approach to the ALI therapy. Previous little studies showed that DHCR24 possessed anti-oxidative and anti-apoptotic property in ALI.

Abnormal Fractional Amplitude of Low-Frequency Fluctuation as a Potential Imaging Biomarker for First-Episode Major Depressive Disorder: A Resting-State fMRI Study and Support Vector Machine Analysis.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a psychiatric disorder with serious negative health outcomes; however, there is no reliable method of diagnosis. This study explored the clinical diagnostic value of the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) based on the support vector machine (SVM) method for the diagnosis of MDD. A total of 198 first-episode MDD patients and 234 healthy controls were involved in this study, and all participants underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning.

[Research Progress of Thalidomide and Its Derivatives in Treatment of Myelodysplastic Syndrome--Review].

Thalidomide and its derivatives have been used in the treatment of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) because of their anti-angiogenic and immunomodulatory effects. In recent years, some studies have found that thalidomide and its derivatives not only showed significant efficacy in lower-risk MDS patients with del (5q), but also showed advantages in non-del (5q) MDS patients. In addition, the discovery of its molecular targets and new substrates makes it possible to develop a new generation of immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) and to design IMiDs-based proteolysis-targeting chimeras.

Advancing COVID-19 diagnosis with privacy-preserving collaboration in artificial intelligence.

Artificial intelligence provides a promising solution for streamlining COVID-19 diagnoses; however, concerns surrounding security and trustworthiness impede the collection of large-scale representative medical data, posing a considerable challenge for training a well-generalized model in clinical practices. To address this, we launch the Unified CT-COVID AI Diagnostic Initiative (UCADI), where the artificial intelligence (AI) model can be distributedly trained and independently executed at each host institution under a federated learning framework without data sharing. Here we show that our federated learning framework model considerably outperformed all of the local models (with a test sensitivity/specificity of 0.