Abstract Background More than 50% cognitive impairment was reported by cancer patients before and after medical treatment. However, there are no effective interventions to manage the cognitive problem in women with breast cancer. This pilot study was designed to evaluate the protective effect of Baduanjin exercise on cognitive function and cancer-related symptoms in women with early-stage breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy. Method A single-blinded, randomized control trial was designed. The trial will recruit 70 patients with...

Abstract Purpose To establish a nomogram for predicting the risk of adenocarcinomas in patients with subsolid nodules (SSNs) according to the 2021 WHO classification. Methods A total of 656 patients who underwent SSNs resection were retrospectively enrolled. Among them, 407 patients were assigned to the derivation cohort and 249 patients were assigned to the validation cohort. Univariate and multi-variate logistic regression algorithms were utilized to identity independent risk factors of adenocarcinomas. A nomogram based on...

The gate-controllable electronical property of graphene provides a possibility of active tuning property for THz modulator. However, the common modulation technology which only depends on voltage cannot solve the problem of power consumption limitation in communication applications. Here, we demonstrated a Brewster angle-controlled graphene-based THz modulator, which could achieve a relatively high modulation depth with low voltage. First, we explored the complex relationships among the Brewster angles, reflection coefficients and the conductivities of graphene. Then,...

Abstract Background To investigate the predictive value of the Singh index for the risk of InterTAN intramedullary fixation failure in elderly patients with intertrochanteric fracture to guide clinical treatment. Methods A total of 360 patients were divided into the Singh (I ~ II) (n = 120), Singh (III ~ IV) (n = 120) and Singh (V ~ VI) (n = 120) groups. Visual analog scale (VAS) and Harris scores were recorded at 1, 6, 12,...

Abstract Background The zone adjacent to a transcription start site (TSS), namely, the promoter, is primarily involved in the process of DNA transcription initiation and regulation. As a result, proper promoter identification is critical for further understanding the mechanism of the networks controlling genomic regulation. A number of methodologies for the identification of promoters have been proposed. Nonetheless, due to the great heterogeneity existing in promoters, the results of these procedures are still unsatisfactory. In...

Abstract Background Cancer stem cell (CSC) and ferroptosis play critical roles in cancer development, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Cervical cancer induces a great mortality and an increased incidence globally. Zinc oxide nanoparticle is the nanomaterial that has been applied in industrial products and targets multiple cancer cell types and cancer stem cells. Here, we aimed to explore the effect of ZON on CSC and ferroptosis of cervical cancer. Methods In the present study,...

Abstract Background Cancer stem cell (CSC) and ferroptosis play critical roles in cancer development, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Cervical cancer induces a great mortality and an increased incidence globally. Zinc oxide nanoparticle is the nanomaterial that has been applied in industrial products and targets multiple cancer cell types and cancer stem cells. Here, we aimed to explore the effect of ZON on CSC and ferroptosis of cervical cancer. Methods In the present study,...

Automated fine-grained diabetic retinopathy (DR) grading was of great significance for assisting ophthalmologists in monitoring DR and designing tailored treatments for patients. Nevertheless, it is a challenging task as a result of high intra-class variations, high inter-class similarities, small lesions, and imbalanced data distributions. The pivotal factor for the success in fine-grained DR grading is to discern more subtle associated lesion features, such as microaneurysms (MA), Hemorrhages (HM), soft exudates (SE), and hard exudates (HE)....

Abstract Background Birth weight is considered not only to undermine future growth, but also to induce lifelong diseases; the aim of this study is to explore the relationship between birth weight and adult bone mass. Methods We performed multivariable regression analyses to assess the association of birth weight with bone parameters measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and by quantitative ultrasound (QUS), independently. We also implemented a systemic Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to explore the...

Abstract Background Mild hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) cases make up a relatively high proportion of HFMD while have often been overlooked. This study aimed to investigate the epidemiological and etiological characteristics of mild HFMD in Nanjing. Methods Data on mild HFMD cases, during 2010–2019 in Nanjing, were collected from the China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention. This study mainly focused on mild cases aged < 7 years. Descriptive analysis was used...

Abstract Background Recently, several systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analyses (MAs) of Tripterygium wilfordii polyglycoside (TWP) have reported significant benefits on diabetic kidney disease (DKD). However, the adoption of TWP for DKD remains uncommon. This study aimed to evaluate and summarize the current evidence on TWP for DKD. Methods We searched PubMed, Web of Science, SINOMED, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI database, Wan Fang database, and VIP database, up to June 4, 2022. SRs of TWP on...

Abstract Background The identification of differentially expressed tumor-associated proteins and genomic alterations driving neoplasia is critical in the development of clinical assays to detect cancers and forms the foundation for understanding cancer biology. One of the challenges in the analysis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the low neoplastic cellularity and heterogeneous composition of bulk tumors. To enrich neoplastic cells from bulk tumor tissue, coring, and laser microdissection (LMD) sampling techniques have been employed. In...

Stepped wedge designs have uni-directional crossovers at randomly assigned time points (steps) where clusters switch from control to intervention condition. Incomplete stepped wedge designs are increasingly used in cluster randomized trials of health care interventions and have periods without data collection due to logistical, resource and patient-centered considerations. The development of sample size formulae for stepped wedge trials has primarily focused on complete designs and continuous responses. Addressing this gap, a general, fast, non-simulation based...

Abstract Background The first three years of life are the critical and sensitive periods for the formation of individual abilities. However, existing data indicates that early childhood development (ECD) in economically vulnerable areas of China is lagging, which is closely related to the lack of parenting knowledge and poor parenting practices. Methods We conducted a non-masked cluster-randomized controlled trial in a former nationally designated poverty county of China. All 6–36-month-old children and their caregivers living...

Abstract Objectives To compare the diagnostic performance of the Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound (CEUS) Liver Imaging Report and Data System (LI-RADS) v2016 and v2017 in identifying the origin of tumor in vein (TIV). Methods From April 2014 to December 2018, focal liver lesions (FLLs) accompanied by TIV formation in patients at high risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were enrolled. Histologic evaluation or composite imaging reference standard were served as the reference standard. Each case was categorized according...

To image the underlying structures of a scattering medium, raster scanning imaging technologies capture least scattered photons (LSPs) and reject multiple scattered photons (MSPs) in backscattered photons. However, MSPs can still squeeze into the images, resulting in limited imaging depth, degraded contrast, and significantly reduced lateral resolution. Great efforts have been made to understand how MSPs affect imaging performance through modeling, but the techniques for visualizing the backscattered photon profile (BSPP) in scattering media during...

Abstract Background The genomic landscape of breast malignant phyllodes tumors (PTs) is not well defined, especially pregnancy-related malignant PTs. To clarify this topic, whole-exome next-generation sequencing (NGS) was performed on tumor samples and paired normal breast tissues from two pregnancy-related malignant PTs, followed by a functional analysis of the genetic alterations. Methods DNA from malignant PT samples and matched normal breast tissues of both patients were subjected to molecular profiling. NGS of the whole-exome was...

Abstract Background Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon L.) is an important warm-season turfgrass species with well-developed stolons, which lay the foundation for the fast propagation of bermudagrass plants through asexual clonal growth. However, the growth and development of bermudagrass stolons are still poorly understood at the molecular level. Results In this study, we comprehensively analyzed the acetylation and succinylation modifications of proteins in fast-growing stolons of the bermudagrass cultivar Yangjiang. A total of 4657 lysine acetylation sites...

Abstract Background To investigate the potential value of the pretreatment MRI-based radiomic model in predicting the overall survival (OS) of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients with local residual tumors after intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Methods A total of 218 consecutive nonmetastatic NPC patients with local residual tumors after IMRT [training cohort (n = 173) and validation cohort (n = 45)] were retrospectively included in this study. Clinical and MRI data were obtained. Univariate Cox regression and the...

Abstract Background CDGSH iron sulfur domain 2 (CISD2) is an iron–sulfur protein with a [2Fe–2S] cluster, which is critical for cell proliferation and iron homeostasis. It has been demonstrated that aberrant expression of CISD2 is associated with the progression of multiple cancers. However, the underlying mechanism of CISD2 in regulating tumorigenesis remains obscure. Methods Bioinformatics strategies were used to investigate the protein interaction network and functional annotation of CISD2. In the functional experiment, cell viability...

Abstract Background The cultivated Camellia sasanqua forms a divergent double flower pattern, and the stamen petaloid is a vital factor in the phenomenon. However, the regulation mechanism remains largely unclear. Results Here, a comprehensive comparative transcriptome analysis of the wild-type, “semi-double”, “peony double”, and “rose double” was performed. The cluster analysis of global gene expression level showed petal and stamen difficulty separable in double flower. The crucial pathway and genes related to double flower patterns...

Abstract Background Elimination of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a striking challenge for countries with high or moderate disease burden. Therefore, using China as a practical case to share experiences for similar countries may accelerate the achievement of the WHO 2030 target of 90% reduction in HBV-related incidence. We aim to evaluate the impact of national HBV immunization strategies in China; and the feasibility to achieve WHO 2030 targets under different scenarios. Methods We constructed...

Detection of virus-like particles quantitively under a low concentration is of vital importance for early infection diagnosis and water pollution analysis. In this paper, a novel virus detection method is proposed using indirect polarization parametric imaging method combined with a plasmonic split-ring nanocavity array coated with an Au film and a quantitative algorithm is implemented based on the extended Laplace operator. The attachment of viruses to the split-ring cavity breaks the structural symmetry, and such...

The evaluation of megakaryocytes is an important part of the work up on bone marrow smear examination. It has significance in the differential diagnosis, therapeutic efficacy assessment, and predication of prognosis of many hematologic diseases. The process of manual identification of megakaryocytes are tedious and lack of reproducibility; therefore, a reliable method of automated megakaryocytic identification is urgently needed. Three hundred and thirty-three bone marrow aspirate smears were digitized by Morphogo system. Pathologists annotated megakaryocytes...

Abstract Background The typical clinical symptoms of allergic rhinitis (AR) are known to be associated with allergen exposure; however, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. We wanted to gain a comprehensive view of the molecular mechanisms related to allergen exposure in a well-controlled mouse model of AR. Methods An OVA-induced AR model was developed. Two hours and 4 weeks after the last OVA challenge, AR symptoms and local immune responses were assessed. At the...