Insight into the current status of long-term care facilities (LTCFs) and chronic diseases in underdeveloped areas in China is scant. Using a census method to survey older adults ≥60 years old (154 older adult residents) in all LTCFs in Jishou area. The International Resident Assessment Instrument for Long-Term Care Facilities (interRAI-LTCF) was used to collect information and analyze the current status of chronic diseases among older adult residents. There were 62 187 residents ≥60 years...

Background:The surrogacy of progression-free survival (PFS) for overall survival (OS) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains unelucidated. This study aimed to determine the validity of PFS as a surrogate endpoint for OS in ESCC patients treated with definitive radiotherapy or definitive chemoradiotherapy (dRT/dCRT), as well as characterize the prognostic factors and survival of such patients.Methods:A total of 3662 patients from 10 cancer centers were enrolled. One-, 2-, and 3-year PFS (PFS12, PFS24, and PSF36,...

Background: Studies determining which patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage IIIB disease benefit from prophylactic extended-field irradiation (EFRT), which can reduce para-aortic lymph node (PALN) failure rates, are limited. The study was designed to evaluate the value of the controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score as a risk factor for predicting PALN recurrence and identifying potential indications of prophylactic EFRT. Methods: From 2010 to 2015, a retrospective review was conducted among patients...

Background:Returning to social life after the lifting of COVID-19 lockdown may increase risk of social anxiety, which is highly co-morbid with depression. However, few studies have reported the association between them.Aims:To explore the complex relationship between social anxiety and depression symptoms in left-behind children after the lifting of the COVID-19 lockdown.Methods:A cross-sectional survey was conducted 6 months after the lockdown removal. A total of 3,107 left-behind children completed the survey with a mean age of...

Introduction:Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have demonstrated promising efficacy as monotherapy in patients with pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma (PSC). We performed the current multi-institutional, real-world study to assess the efficacy of ICIs plus chemotherapy in patients with PSC.Methods:All consecutive patients with locally advanced or metastatic PSC from three centers treated with ICIs between January 2018 and July 2021 were enrolled. Programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression was stained and evaluated using immunohistochemical with 22C3. Single-cell RNA sequencing...

Abstract Background Integrative analysis approaches of metagenomics and metabolomics have been widely developed to understand the association between disease and the gut microbiome. However, the different profiling patterns of different metabolic samples in the association analysis make it a matter of concern which type of sample is the most closely associated with gut microbes and disease. To address this lack of knowledge, we investigated the association between the gut microbiome and metabolomic profiles of stool,...

Abstract Background Clinical CAR T-cell therapy using integrating vector systems represents a promising approach for the treatment of hematological malignancies. Lentiviral and γ-retroviral vectors are the most commonly used vectors in the manufacturing process. However, the integration pattern of these viral vectors and subsequent effect on CAR T-cell products is still unclear. Methods We used a modified viral integration sites analysis (VISA) pipeline to evaluate viral integration events around the whole genome in pre-infusion CAR...

Abstract Background The receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) plays an important role in obesity-associated insulin sensitivity. We have also previously reported that RAGE deficiency improved insulin resistance in obesity-induced adipose tissue. The current study was aimed to elucidate the sex-specific mechanism of RAGE deficiency in adipose tissue metabolic regulation and systemic glucose homeostasis. Methods RAGE-deficient (RAGE−/−) mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) and subjected to glucose and insulin tolerance tests. Subcutaneous adipose...

Abstract Background Genomic analysis indicated that the genomes of ascomycetes might carry dozens of biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs), yet many clusters have remained enigmatic. The ascomycete genus Epicoccum, belonging to the family Didymellaceae, is ubiquitous that colonizes different types of substrates and is associated with phyllosphere or decaying vegetation. Species of this genus are prolific producers of bioactive substances. The epicoccamides, as biosynthetically distinct mannosylated tetramate, were first isolated in 2003 from Epicoccum sp. In...

Abstract Objective To evaluate the safety and efficacy of associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS) in the treatment of initially unresectable hepatitis B virus (HBV)-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and to preliminarily explore the mechanism of rapid growth of the future liver remnant (FLR). Methods Twenty-four patients with HBV-associated HCC who underwent ALPPS in our hospital from August 2014 to January 2021 were retrospectively studied. Propensity score matching was used to...

Abstract Background Definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) is the standard treatment for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (LANSCLC) patients, but the treatment response and survival outcomes varied among these patients. We aimed to identify pretreatment computed tomography-based radiomics features extracted from tumor and tumor organismal environment (TOE) for long-term survival prediction in these patients treated with CCRT. Methods A total of 298 eligible patients were randomly assigned into the training cohort and validation cohort with...

Understanding and mastering the light-light and light-matter interactions in coupled structures have become a significant subject, as it provides versatile tools for manipulating light in both classical and quantum regimes. Mimicking quantum interference effects in pure photonic nanostructures, from weak Fano dip to intense electromagnetically induced transparency, usually requires strong asymmetries in complex geometries and larger interactions between resonances, i.e., in the intermediate coupling regime. Here, we numerically demonstrate a simple and chemically feasible plasmonic...

Abstract Background Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is a key enzyme of the renin-angiotensin system and a well-known functional receptor for the entry of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) into host cells. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought ACE2 into the spotlight, and ACE2 expression in tumors and its relationship with SARS-COV-2 infection and prognosis of cancer patients have received extensive attention. However, the association between ACE2 expression and tumor therapy and prognosis, especially in...

Abstract Background To adapt to life on land, Asiatic toads (Bufo gargarizans) must remodel their bodies and refine their chemical defenses in water. The full scope of the mechanisms underlying these processes has yet to be revealed. Bufadienolides (BDs) are chemical defense substances secreted by toads when they are in danger, and they have high medicinal value in treating heart failure, cancer, and hepatitis. However, the artificial breeding of toads to increase BDs has been...

Abstract Background Neutrophil infiltration accelerates the inflammatory response and is highly correlated to the development of acute lung injury (ALI). Budesonide (BUD) and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) both inhibit the inflammatory response to alleviate ALI, so we further investigated whether their combination is better for ALI. Methods In this study, we investigated the effect and mechanism of Combined BUD and NAC therapy on LPS-induced ALI. Rat ALI model and neutrophil abnormal activation model were established by lipopolysaccharide...

Background:Since lobaplatin (LBP) has been approved to treat metastatic breast cancer in China, this study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of LBP-based chemotherapy in clinical practice.Methods:This trial was a prospective, open-label, multicenter phase IV clinical trial that enrolled patients with unresectable locally advanced or recurrent/metastatic breast cancer from 34 sites between July 2013 and March 2017. Patients were treated with LBP monotherapy or in combination for four to six cycles. The primary endpoint...

Background:Since lobaplatin (LBP) has been approved to treat metastatic breast cancer in China, this study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of LBP-based chemotherapy in clinical practice.Methods:This trial was a prospective, open-label, multicenter phase IV clinical trial that enrolled patients with unresectable locally advanced or recurrent/metastatic breast cancer from 34 sites between July 2013 and March 2017. Patients were treated with LBP monotherapy or in combination for four to six cycles. The primary endpoint...

Abstract Background Outliers and class imbalance in medical data could affect the accuracy of machine learning models. For physicians who want to apply predictive models, how to use the data at hand to build a model and what model to choose are very thorny problems. Therefore, it is necessary to consider outliers, imbalanced data, model selection, and parameter tuning when modeling. Methods This study used a joint modeling strategy consisting of: outlier detection and removal,...

Abstract Background Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors have been shown to improve cardiovascular outcomes when added to conventional statin therapy. This study aims to investigate the efficacy and safety of in-hospital initiation of PCSK9 inhibitors among patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) based on real-world experience. Methods and results Data were collected from the Biobank of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University between January 2016 and December 2020. A total of...

Abstract Background Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors have been shown to improve cardiovascular outcomes when added to conventional statin therapy. This study aims to investigate the efficacy and safety of in-hospital initiation of PCSK9 inhibitors among patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) based on real-world experience. Methods and results Data were collected from the Biobank of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University between January 2016 and December 2020. A total of...

Abstract Object Scarlet fever is an acute respiratory infectious disease that endangers public health and imposes a huge economic burden. In this paper, we systematically studied its spatial and temporal evolution and explore its potential ecological drivers. The goal of this research is to provide a reference for analysis based on surveillance data of scarlet fever and other acute respiratory infectious illnesses, and offer suggestions for prevention and control. Method This research is based on...

Dispersed fringe sensor (DFS) is a phasing sensor based on principle of white-light double-slit interferometry. We theoretically and experimentally analyze characteristics of capture range of the DFS, propose mathematic description of capture range of the DFS and put forward a simple but practical strategy to maximize capture range of the DFS in our project. Finally, the experimental demonstration verifies validities of the mathematic description of capture range of the DFS and the strategy for optimizing...

Background:Misdiagnosis and underdiagnosis of pulmonary hypertension caused by fibrosing mediastinitis (PH-FM) are considerably prevalent due to unspecific symptoms and as well as the lack of awareness of this fatal disease.Objectives:The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the chest X-ray (CXR) for screening the patients with PH-FM from those with pulmonary hypertension (PH).Design:This was a retrospective observational cohort study.Methods:The patients with suspected PH were recruited between October 2014 and October 2020....

Abstract Background Limited data are available on the effectiveness of inactivated and Ad5-nCoV COVID-19 vaccines in real-world use—especially against Omicron variants in SARS-CoV-2 infection-naïve population. Methods A matched case-control study was conducted among people aged ≥ 3 years between 2 December 2021 and 13 May 2022. Cases were SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals, individuals with severe/critical COVID-19, or COVID-19-related deaths. Controls were selected from consecutively test-negative individuals at the same time as cases were diagnosed and were exact-matched...

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is a cancer-related tumor marker, which is commonly used for preventive screening, auxiliary diagnosis, and recurrence monitoring. Therefore, it is of great significance to develop a new CEA detection method. In this paper, we developed an SERS aptasensor for CEA based on silver nanorod array chip, thiol aptamer, and 4-mercaptophenylboronic acid (4-MPBA). The silver nanorod array chip modified by CEA thiol aptamer (aptamer-SH) was used as SERS capture substrates. Ag@4-MPBA was used...