Identifying subgroups of ypN1 breast cancer patients who may exempt from axillary lymph node dissection after neoadjuvant chemotherapy: insights from a large cohort study.

Background: In patients with breast cancer staged ypN1 after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), there is limited evidence-based guidance regarding exemption from axillary lymph node dissection (ALND).

Methods: This study analyzed ypN1 breast cancer patients post-NAC from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results databases. Patients were categorized into the breast-conserving surgery (BCS) group and the total mastectomy (TM) group, and further divided by the number of positive lymph nodes (LNs).

Expression, prognosis, immunological infiltration, and DNA methylation of members of the SFRP gene family in colorectal cancer: a comparative bioinformatic and experimental analysis.

This study aimed to investigate the expression, prognostic significance, methylation, and immune invasion levels of secreted frizzled-related proteins (SFRP1-5) in colorectal cancer (CRC). Additionally, the relationship between SFRP1/2 methylation and immune infiltration in CRC was explored. The expression of SFRP1-5 was analyzed using several databases, including GEO, TCGA, TIMER, STRING, and GEPIA.

Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors and contrast-induced nephropathy risk: a meta-analysis.

Background: Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is an adverse renal event that occurs following the administration of contrast media for diagnostic procedures or therapeutic angiographic intervention. Nevertheless, there is currently no efficacious and safe agents for the treatment of CIN, except for hydration. We aimed to conduct a meta-analysis to verify the potential nephroprotective role of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) in the prevention of CIN.

Oral microbiota as a biomarker for predicting the risk of malignancy in indeterminate pulmonary nodules: a prospective multicenter study.

Background: Determining the benign or malignant status of indeterminate pulmonary nodules (IPN) with intermediate malignancy risk is a significant clinical challenge. Oral microbiota-lung cancer interactions have qualified oral microbiota as a promising non-invasive predictive biomarker in IPN.

Materials And Methods: Prospectively collected saliva, throat swabs, and tongue coating samples from 1040 IPN patients and 70 healthy controls across three hospitals.

Patient-reported outcome based symptom management is a better option for early postoperative recovery after breast cancer surgery: a parallel controlled randomized clinical trial.

Background: We aimed to assess the efficacy and feasibility of applying patient-reported outcome (PRO) based symptom management in the early postoperative period after breast cancer surgery.

Materials And Method: Before surgery, patients diagnosed with breast cancer who met the inclusion criteria were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive either postoperative PRO-based symptom management or usual care. All patients completed the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory-Chinese version (MDASI-C) via the electronic PRO system preoperatively, on a daily basis postoperatively, and twice weekly after discharge, for a duration up to 2 weeks.

Chinese guidelines for ultrasound-guided thermal ablation of thyroid nodules (2024 Edition).

The Chinese Guidelines for Ultrasound-guided Thermal Ablation of Thyroid Nodules (2024 edition) were jointly initiated by the Ultrasound Committee of Chinese Medical Association, the Interventional Ultrasound Committee of Chinese Association of Ultrasound in Medicine and Engineering, the Ultrasonic Intervention Committee of Chinese Colleges of Interventionalists, the Oncological Intervention Committee of Chinese Research Hospital Association, 37 multidisciplinary experts in interventional ultrasound, ultrasound medicine, endocrinology and thyroid surgery participated in the compilation of this guide, which expanded the depth and breadth of the perspective and enhanced the authority of the guide. Based on the systematic review of literatures related to ultrasound-guided thermal ablation of thyroid nodules and the professional opinions of experts, the guidelines define the indications and contraindications of thermal ablation, including pre-ablation evaluation and preparation, thermal ablation techniques and operational procedures, post-ablation follow-up, therapeutic effect evaluation, complications prevention and treatment, and the writing of medical documents for ablation. According to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE), a total of 17 objective and comprehensive recommendations were given.

Study on Electrical and Temperature Characteristics of β-GaO-Based Diodes Controlled by Varying Anode Work Function.

This study systematically investigates the effects of anode metals (Ti/Au and Ni/Au) with different work functions on the electrical and temperature characteristics of β-GaO-based Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs), junction barrier Schottky diodes (JBSDs) and P-N diodes (PNDs), utilizing Silvaco TCAD simulation software, device fabrication and comparative analysis. From the perspective of transport characteristics, it is observed that the SBD exhibits a lower turn-on voltage and a higher current density. Notably, the V of the Ti/Au anode SBD is merely 0.

Dual-Valence Copper Nanostructures with Cu/Cu Interfaces for High-Sensitivity Glucose Electrochemical Sensing.

Copper-based materials, renowned for their redox versatility and conductivity, have extensive applications in electrochemical sensing. Herein, we construct stable Cu/Cu interfaces within dual-valence copper nanostructures to achieve enhanced sensitivity in glucose sensing. By employing a hydrolysis method to tune Cu/Cu ratios precisely, we achieved an optimal electrochemical interface with heightened stability and reactivity.

The Impact of Laser Irradiation on Thin ZrN Films Deposited by Pulsed DC Magnetron Sputtering.

Transition metal nitrides have extensive applications, including magnetic storage devices, hardware resistance coatings, and low-temperature fuel cells. This study investigated the structural, electrical, and mechanical properties of thin zirconium nitride (ZrN) films by examining the effects of laser irradiation times. Thin ZrN films were deposited on glass substrates using pulsed DC magnetron sputtering and irradiated with a diode laser for 6 and 10 min.

Curcumin and Metformin Infinite Coordination Polymer Nanoparticles for Combined Therapy of Diabetic Mice via Intraperitoneal Injections.

Metformin (Met) is one of the most commonly prescribed first-line drugs for diabetes treatment. However, it has several issues, including low bioavailability, therapeutic platform, and side effects at high doses. In order to improve the therapeutic efficiency of Met, this study proposes a strategy of using Met and curcumin (Cur) to prepare Cur-Zn(II)-Met infinite coordination polymer nanoparticles (CM ICP NPs), and combining this with intraperitoneal injections, for the treatment of diabetic mice.

Smoking and diabetic nephropathy: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: Several studies have reported the potential association between smoking and diabetic nephropathy. However, the studies of non-significant association results were against the association between smoking and diabetic nephropathy. Therefore, the relationship between smoking and diabetic nephropathy was still debated and controversial.

Caterpillar-Inspired Multi-Gait Generation Method for Series-Parallel Hybrid Segmented Robot.

The body structures and motion stability of worm-like and snake-like robots have garnered significant research interest. Recently, innovative serial-parallel hybrid segmented robots have emerged as a fundamental platform for a wide range of motion modes. To address the hyper-redundancy characteristics of these hybrid structures, we propose a novel caterpillar-inspired Stable Segment Update (SSU) gait generation approach, establishing a unified framework for multi-segment robot gait generation.

Polymer Entanglement-Induced Hydrogel Adhesion.

Hydrogels are widely used in the field of adhesive materials. However, hydrogel adhesion has previously required the covalent graft of supramolecular groups on polymeric chains. In contrast to that, here, a hydrogel adhesion induced by covalent polymer entanglement between two hydrogel networks was reported.

Preparation and Performance Evaluation of CO Foam Gel Fracturing Fluid.

The utilization of CO foam gel fracturing fluid offers several significant advantages, including minimal reservoir damage, reduced water consumption during application, enhanced cleaning efficiency, and additional beneficial properties. However, several current CO foam gel fracturing fluid systems face challenges, such as complex preparation processes and insufficient viscosity, which limit their proppant transport capacity. To address these issues, this work develops a novel CO foam gel fracturing fluid system characterized by simple preparation and robust foam stability.

Enhanced Photothermal/Immunotherapy under NIR Irradiation Based on Hollow Mesoporous Responsive Nanomotor.

In this research, a hollow mesoporous responsive nanomotor was proposed for enhanced photothermal/immunotherapy under near infrared (NIR) irradiation. HA-HMCuS/AS as the nanomotor composed of hollow mesoporous copper sulfide (HMCuS) loaded with artesunate (AS) and hyaluronic acid (HA) was utilized to induce the polarization of tumor-associated macrophages. At the beginning, ResNet18 deep learning model was utilized to predict the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area of HMCuS based on the morphology data set which was obtained from our conventional research.

Can earlobe stimulation serve as a sham for transcutaneous auricular vagus stimulation? Evidence from an alertness study following sleep deprivation.

Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) has garnered increasing attention as a safe and effective peripheral neuromodulation technique in various clinical and cognitive neuroscience fields. However, there is ongoing debate about whether the commonly used earlobe control interferes with the objective assessment of taVNS regulatory effects. This study aims to further explore the regulatory effects of taVNS and earlobe stimulation (ES) on alertness levels and physiological indicators following 24 h of sleep deprivation (SD), based on previous findings that both taVNS and ES showed significant positive effects.

X-ray-Triggered Activation of Polyprodrugs for Synergistic Radiochemotherapy.

X-ray-induced photodynamic therapy (XPDT) can penetrate deeply into the tumor tissues to overcome the disadvantage of conventional PDT. However, the therapeutic efficacy of XPDT in cancer therapy is still restricted due to the insufficient reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation at a relatively low irradiation dosage. Herein, we present the tumor pH and ROS-responsive polyprodrug micelles to load the X-ray photosensitizer verteporfin (VP) as an ROS production enhancer.

Uncovering topologically associating domains from three-dimensional genome maps with TADGATE.

Topologically associating domains (TADs) are essential components of three-dimensional (3D) genome organization and significantly influence gene transcription regulation. However, accurately identifying TADs from sparse chromatin contact maps and exploring the structural and functional elements within TADs remain challenging. To this end, we develop TADGATE, a graph attention auto-encoder that can generate imputed maps from sparse Hi-C contact maps while adaptively preserving or enhancing the underlying topological structures, thereby facilitating TAD identification.

[Changes of climate niche of during its invasion in China].

Niche conservatism is essential for predicting the risk of alien species invasions. Currently, the changes of climate niche of during its invasion in China are still not clear. Using principal component analysis, we examined the climate niche shifts of during its invasion and analyzed its potential distribution in China.

Mothers' Gender-role Ideologies and Exclusive Breastfeeding in Western Rural China: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Shifts in women's maternal roles may contribute to the global low prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding.

Research Aim: To investigate the association between maternal gender-role ideologies and exclusive breastfeeding in rural China.

Methods: Cross-sectional studies were conducted in 10 counties in Shaanxi Province using random sampling in 2021 and 2023.

What do ultrasound vocalizations really mean in rats with different origins of pain?

Objectives: This study is to assess how 22 kHz and 50 kHz spontaneous ultrasound vocalization (USV) calls would be affected by different origins of pain so as to validate the use of USV in pain studies.

Methods: Five well-established rat models of pain were used to evaluate various parameters of spontaneous 22 kHz and 50 kHz calls in adult male rats in terms of both acute and chronic or inflammatory and neuropathic or somatic and visceral origins. The effects of local lidocaine blockade of the injection site and intraperitoneal administration of antidepressant (amitriptyline) and anticonvulsant (gabapentin) were examined as well in typical inflammatory and neuropathic pain models, respectively.

Follicular development and endometrial receptivity of different androgen phenotypes in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Objective: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is an important factor contributing to infertility in reproductive-aged women. Hyperandrogenism (HA) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of PCOS. This study was conducted to explore the follicular development and endometrial receptivity of different androgen phenotypes in reproductive-aged patients with PCOS.

Influence of inhaled nitric oxide on bronchopulmonary dysplasia in preterm infants with PPHN or HRF at birth: a propensity score matched study.

Background: Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD) is a chronic lung disease affecting preterm infants, with limited prevention and treatment options. Inhaled Nitric Oxide (iNO) is sometimes used to treat Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn (PPHN) and Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure (HRF), and its impact on BPD development remains debated.

Objective: To assess whether iNO-related factors are potential contributors to the development of BPD Grade Ⅱ-Ⅲ in very premature infants (VPI) diagnosed with PPHN or HRF at birth using Propensity Score Matching (PSM).

Spatial variations of soil seed banks in Shanghai's urban wasteland: a gradient analysis of urbanization effects.

Urbanization greatly impacts both the diversity of soil seed banks and the spatial dynamics of species. These seed banks serve as a window into the ecological history and potential for recovery in urban wastelands, which are continually evolving due to urbanization. In this study, we selected 24 plots along urban-rural gradients in Shanghai, China.