Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Does digital finance affect the quality of economic growth? Analysis based on Chinese city data

With the support of national policies and continuous emergence and innovation of emerging technologies, digital finance has developed rapidly in China. Can digital finance become a new driving force to promote quality development of economic growth? This study empirically examined the effect mechanisms of digital finance on the quality of economic growth. The study used the entropy weight and technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution method to construct a comprehensive index system of economic growth quality. From 2011 to 2019, the panel data of 272 cities in China were collected. The study found that digital finance can promote the quality of China’s economic growth in the long run; when digital finance development increases by one unit, the quality of economic growth will increase by 0.013%, and the effect is more significant in less developed regions. The digital finance coverage, depth of use, and degree of digitalization had a significant impact on the quality of economic growth. The mechanisms showed that digital finance can promote the quality of economic growth by promoting and upgrading the industrial structure. In addition, we used the threshold model to test the non-linear relationship between digital finance and the quality of economic growth. Furthermore, the results showed that when digital finance was at a low level, it had a negative effect on the quality of economic growth. As digital finance developed further, it had a significant effect on the quality of economic growth, and this effect gradually slowed down. Moreover, we found that digital finance played a more significant role in promoting the quality of economic growth in central and western regions and areas where traditional finance was underdeveloped. Based on this study, developing countries should strengthen the construction of digital infrastructure and give full play to the role of digital finance in improving the quality of economic growth, so as to promote sustainable and healthy economic development.
Production of recombinant human xCT (SLC7A11) and reconstitution in proteoliposomes for functional studies

The plasma membrane transporter xCT belongs to the SLC7 family and has the physiological role of mediating the exchange of glutamate and cystine across the cell plasma membrane, being crucial for redox control. The xCT protein forms a heterodimer with the ancillary protein CD98. Over the years, xCT became a hot pharmacological target due to the documented over-expression in virtually all human cancers, which rely on cystine availability for their progression. Notwithstanding, several unknown aspects of xCT biology still exist that require a suitable single protein experimental model, to be addressed. To this aim, the recombinant host Escherichia coli has been exploited to over-express the human isoform of xCT. In this widely used and low-cost system, the optimization for growth and protein production has been achieved by acting on the metabolic needs of the bacterial strains. Then, the His-tagged protein has been purified by Ni2+-chelating chromatography and reconstituted in proteoliposomes for transport activity assays. The expressed protein was in a folded/active state allowing functional and kinetic characterization. Interestingly, the features of the recombinant protein meet those of the native one extracted from intact cells, further confirming the suitability of E. coli as a host for the expression of human proteins. This study opens perspectives for elucidating other molecular aspects of xCT, as well as for studying the interaction with endogenous and exogenous compounds, relevant to human health.
Assessment of three types of surgical procedures for supravalvar aortic stenosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Importance The safety and efficacy of different surgical repairs of supravalvar aortic stenosis (SVAS) are inconsistent. Objective To compare the prognosis of single-, two- and three-patch repair for patients with SVAS. Data sources PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and clinicaltrials.gov were searched until April 17, 2022. Study selection Study reported SVAS patients treated with single-, two- or three-patch repair. Data extraction and synthesis Two reviewers independently extracted the data of study characteristics and clinical outcomes. Multiple pairwise and frequentist network meta-analyses were conducted. And a fixed-effect model was used when no heterogeneity existed. Main outcomes and measures Outcomes included the rate of reintervention, aortic insufficiency, early mortality and late mortality, cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) time, cross-clamping (CCP) time, and postoperative/ follow-up pressure gradient. Binary variables were evaluated by odds ratio (OR) and its 95% confidence interval (CI), while continuous variables were assessed by standardized mean difference (SMD) and its 95% CI. Results Twenty-seven retrospective cohort studies were included, comprising 1,162 patients, undergoing single-patch (46.6% of cases), two-patch (33.9%), and three-patch repair (19.4%). Two-patch method had a lower rate of reintervention compared with single-patch (OR = 0.47, 95 % CI 0.28–0.89), and three-patch (OR = 0.31, 95 % CI 0.15–0.64). This finding also applied to juvenile and non-Asian patients. Three-patch method had a lower rate of aortic insufficiency compared with single-patch (OR = 0.11, 95 % CI 0.01–0.63), and two-patch (OR = 0.11, 95 % CI 0.02–0.83). But this repair had the longest CCP time, which was significantly longer than that of single- (SMD = 0.76, 95 % CI 0.36–1.17) or two-patch repair (SMD = 0.61, 95 % CI 0.06–1.16). No significant difference was found in mortality and pressure gradient among three procedures. Conclusion and relevance Two-patch repair has the lowest reintervention rate and relatively reasonable operation time. Complex and severe SVAS is suggested to be treated with two-patch repair. Further prospective studies of a reasonable sample size will be required with a special focus on the use of different patch materials and surgeons' unique working experience. Systematic review registration http://www.crd. york.ac. uk/PROSPERO/, identifier: CRD42022328146.
The efficacy of nisin against Listeria monocytogenes on cold-smoked salmon at natural contamination levels is concentration-dependent and varies by serotype

Cold-smoked salmon is a ready-to-eat food product capable of supporting Listeria monocytogenes growth at refrigeration temperatures. While the FDA-approved antimicrobial nisin can be used to mitigate L. monocytogenes contamination, stresses associated with cold-smoked salmon and the associated processing environments may reduce nisin efficacy. A previous study in our laboratory showed that, at high inoculation levels, pre-exposure of L. monocytogenes to sublethal concentrations of quaternary ammonium compounds had an overall detrimental effect on nisin efficacy. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of nisin concentration and storage temperature on nisin efficacy against L. monocytogenes inoculated on salmon at natural contamination levels. Three L. monocytogenes strains were pre-grown in the presence of sublethal levels of benzalkonium chloride prior to inoculation at ~102 CFU/g on salmon slices that were pre-treated with either 0, 25, or 250 ppm nisin, followed by vacuum-packing and incubation at 4 or 7°C for up to 30 days. L. monocytogenes was enumerated on days 1, 15, and 30 using direct plating and/or most probable number methods. A hurdle model was constructed to describe the odds of complete elimination of L. monocytogenes on salmon and the level of L. monocytogenes when complete elimination was not achieved. Our data showed that (i) nisin efficacy (defined as L. monocytogenes reduction relative to the untreated control) was concentration-dependent with increased efficacy at 250 ppm nisin, and that (ii) 250 ppm nisin treatments led to a reduction in L. monocytogenes prevalence, independent of storage temperature and serotype; this effect of nisin could only be identified since low inoculation levels were used. While lower storage temperatures (i.e., 4°C) yielded lowered absolute L. monocytogenes counts on days 15 and 30 (as compared to 7°C), nisin efficacy did not differ between these two temperatures. Finally, the serotype 1/2b strain was found to be more susceptible to nisin compared with serotype 1/2a and 4b strains on samples incubated at 7°C or treated with 25 ppm nisin. This variation of nisin susceptibility across serotypes, which is affected by both the storage temperature and nisin concentration, needs to be considered while evaluating the efficacy of nisin.
Information needs and development of a question prompt sheet for upper extremity vascularized composite allotransplantation: A mixed methods study

Background People with upper extremity (UE) amputations report receiving insufficient information about treatment options. Furthermore, patients commonly report not knowing what questions to ask providers. A question prompt sheet (QPS), or list of questions, can support patient-centered care by empowering patients to ask questions important to them, promoting patient-provider communication, and increasing patient knowledge. This study assessed information needs among people with UE amputations about UE vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA) and developed a UE VCA-QPS. Methods This multi-site, cross-sectional, mixed-methods study involved in-depth and semi-structured interviews with people with UE amputations to assess information needs and develop a UE VCA-QPS. Qualitative data were analyzed by thematic analysis; quantitative data were analyzed by descriptive statistics. The initial UE VCA-QPS included 130 items across 18 topics. Results Eighty-nine people with UE amputations participated. Most were male (73%), had a mean age of 46 years, and had a unilateral (84%) and below-elbow amputation (56%). Participants desired information about UE VCA eligibility, evaluation process, surgery, risks, rehabilitation, and functional outcomes. After refinement, the final UE VCA-QPS included 35 items, across 9 topics. All items were written at a ≤ 6th grade reading level. Most semi-structured interview participants (86%) reported being ‘completely’ or ‘very’ likely to use a UE VCA-QPS. Conclusion People with UE amputations have extensive information needs about UE VCA. The UE VCA-QPS aims to address patients’ information needs and foster patient-centered care. Future research should assess whether the UE VCA-QPS facilitates patient-provider discussion and informed decision-making for UE VCA.
Central nervous system involvement and thrombocytopenia as predictors of mortality in children with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis

Introduction Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a potentially life-threatening condition. This study aimed to evaluate treatment outcomes and identify prognostic-related factors in Thai children with HLH. Materials and methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 76 pediatric patients with HLH who were treated at Ramathibodi Hospital between January 2004 and December 2019. Treatment outcomes were defined as early mortality (death within 30 days after diagnosis) and early treatment response (resolution of all clinical features and normalization of at least one HLH-related laboratory parameter within 4 weeks). Results The overall mortality rate was 38% (29/76), with an early mortality rate of 45% (13/29). Malignancy-associated HLH had the highest mortality rate (88%), followed by primary HLH (56%). The predictors of early mortality were central nervous system (CNS) involvement [OR 13 (95%CI 2–83), p = 0.007] and platelet counts <44 × 106/mm3 [OR 8 (95%CI 1.3–49), p = 0.024]. The predictors of early treatment response were no CNS involvement [OR 6.6 (95%CI 1.5–28.8), p = 0.011], platelet counts more than 44 × 106/mm3 [OR 8 (95%CI 2.1–30.9), p = 0.003], and total bilirubin levels <1.8 mg/dL [OR 4 (95%CI 1.1–14.8), p = 0.036]. In the mixed-model analysis, platelet counts in non-survivors increased significantly less than those in survivors, with a mean difference in platelet changes between the two groups of 94.6 × 106/mm3 (p = 0.003). Conclusion The independent predictors of early mortality in children with HLH were CNS involvement and low baseline platelet counts. A slow rate of platelet increases during the first week after diagnosis was also associated with mortality.
Genome-wide identification of alternative splicing associated with histone deacetylase inhibitor in cutaneous T-cell lymphomas

Cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCLs) are a kind of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that originates from skin, which is difficult to treat with traditional drugs. Human histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) targeted therapy has become a promising treatment strategy in recent years, but some patients can develop resistance to the drug, leading to treatment failure. There are no public reports on whether alternative splicing (AS) and RNA binding proteins (RBP) affect the efficacy of targeted therapy. Using data from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, we established a co-change network of AS events and RBP in CTCLs for the first time, and analyzed the potential regulatory effects of RBP on HDACi-related AS events. The dataset GSE132053, which contained the RNA sequence data for 17 HDACi samples, was downloaded and clean reads were aligned to the human GRCh38 genome by hierarchical indexing for spliced alignment of the transcripts, allowing four mismatches. Gene expression levels were evaluated using exons per million fragments mapped for each gene. Student’s t-tests were performed to evaluate the significance of changes in ratios for AS events, and regulated alternative splicing events (RASEs) were defined as events with p values less than 0.05. To sort the differentially expressed genes functional categories, Gene Ontology terms and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways were identified using the KOBAS 2.0 server. The regulatory mechanisms of the RASEs and RBPs were evaluated using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Seven indirect events of HDACi resistance or sensitivity were identified: NIR_5151_RP11-977G19.10, NIR_4557_IRAG2, NIR_11870_SUMO1, NIR_5347_ING4, NIR_17935_DNAJC2, NIR_17974_CBLL1, and NIR_422_SLC50A1. The potential regulatory relationships between RBPs and HDACi-sensitive RASEs were also analyzed. LEPR and HNRNPAO significantly affected NIR_11870_SUMO1, suggesting a potential regulatory relationship. Additionally, CNN1 may regulate NIR_5347_ING4, CNOT3 may regulate NIR_17935_DNAJC2, and DQX1 and LENG9 may regulate NIR_422_SLC5A1. Overall, our findings establish a theoretical foundation for the precise targeted treatment of CTCLs with HDACi.
N1-methyladenosine methylation-related metabolic genes signature and subtypes for predicting prognosis and immune microenvironment in osteosarcoma

N1-methyladenosine methylation (m1A), as an important RNA methylation modification, regulates the development of many tumours. Metabolic reprogramming is one of the important features of tumour cells, and it plays a crucial role in tumour development and metastasis. The role of RNA methylation and metabolic reprogramming in osteosarcoma has been widely reported. However, the potential roles and mechanisms of m1A-related metabolic genes (MRmetabolism) in osteosarcoma have not been currently described. All of MRmetabolism were screened, then selected two MRmetabolism by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator and multifactorial regression analysis to construct a prognostic signature. Patients were divided into high-risk and low-risk groups based on the median riskscore of all patients. After randomizing patients into train and test cohorts, the reliability of the prognostic signature was validated in the whole, train and test cohort, respectively. Subsequently, based on the expression profiles of the two MRmetabolism, we performed consensus clustering to classify patients into two clusters. In addition, we explored the immune infiltration status of different risk groups and different clusters by CIBERSORT and single sample gene set enrichment analysis. Also, to better guide individualized treatment, we analyzed the immune checkpoint expression differences and drug sensitivity in the different risk groups and clusters. In conclusion, we constructed a MRmetabolism prognostic signature, which may help to assess patient prognosis, immunotherapy response.
Methods and applications of on-chip beam splitting: A review

The construction of large-scale integrated photonic circuit cannot be separated from the important role played by silicon-based optoelectronic devices. As a basic and important link in on-chip photon propagation, beam splitting is of great significance for the efficient utilization of sources and the compact integration of optoelectronic devices. It is widely used in power splitting, polarization separation, wavelength division multiplexing and other scenarios. This paper reviews the on-chip beam splitting methods in recent years, which are mainly divided into the following categories: y-branch, multimode interference coupling, directional coupling, and inverse design. This paper introduces their research status, including optimization design methods, functions and applications in large-scale quantum chips and optoelectronic hybrid integration, looking forward to providing a reference for the further research of beam splitting methods and the wide application of beam splitters in the frontier field in the future.
Identification of a novel necroptosis-related classifier to predict prognosis and guide immunotherapy in breast invasive carcinoma

Background Necroptosis plays a crucial function in the progression of breast invasive carcinoma (BRCA). It may be triggered in cancer therapy to enhance anti-tumor immunity. However, the functions of necroptosis in tumors and its relationship with the tumor microenvironment (TME) remain largely unclear. Methods Necroptosis-related genes (NRGs) were collated from high-quality literature reviews. A robust risk model was constructed to systematically evaluate the clinical value, functional status, effects exerted by the risk model on the TME, and the genomic variations based on the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) meta-cohorts. Results A risk model was constructed which comprised of six NRGs, including TNF receptor-associated factor 5 (TRAF5), Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3), a riboflavin kinase (RFK), Fas ligand (FASLG), Fas-associated protein with death domain (FADD), and baculoviral IAP repeat-containing 3 (BIRC3). The stability and accuracy of the risk model were demonstrated for both the training and validation cohorts and its utility as an independent prognostic model for BRCA was verified. Patients in the low-risk group exhibited “hot” tumors having active immune and cell killing functions, while those in the high-risk group showed “cold” tumors having active tumor proliferation and immunosuppression. Moreover, patients in the high-risk group had a greater number of CNV events in their genome, while the somatic mutations were fewer. Furthermore, patients in the low-risk group showed high sensitivity toward immunotherapy and chemotherapy. Conclusion A reliable risk model based on NRGs to assess patient prognoses and guide clinical decision-making was constructed and validated. Our findings may contribute to the understanding of necroptosis and aid clinical management, along with precision treatment in BRCA.
Nanocarriers for intracellular co-delivery of proteins and small-molecule drugs for cancer therapy

In the past few decades, the combination of proteins and small-molecule drugs has made tremendous progress in cancer treatment, but it is still not satisfactory. Because there are great differences in molecular weight, water solubility, stability, pharmacokinetics, biodistribution, and the ways of release and action between macromolecular proteins and small-molecule drugs. To improve the efficacy and safety of tumor treatment, people are committed to developing protein and drug co-delivery systems. Currently, intracellular co-delivery systems have been developed that integrate proteins and small-molecule drugs into one nanocarrier via various loading strategies. These systems significantly improve the blood stability, half-life, and biodistribution of proteins and small-molecule drugs, thus increasing their concentration in tumors. Furthermore, proteins and small-molecule drugs within these systems can be specifically targeted to tumor cells, and are released to perform functions after entering tumor cells simultaneously, resulting in improved effectiveness and safety of tumor treatment. This review summarizes the latest progress in protein and small-molecule drug intracellular co-delivery systems, with emphasis on the composition of nanocarriers, as well as on the loading methods of proteins and small-molecule drugs that play a role in cells into the systems, which have not been summarized by others so far.
Using the three-station interferometry method to improve urban DAS ambient noise tomography

Distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) is a novel seismological observation technology based on the fiber-optic sensing method, and can transform existing urban fiber-optic cables into ultra-dense array for urban seismological researches, thus opening abundant opportunities for resolving fine details of near surface structures. While high frequency ambient noise recorded on DAS has been applied in surface wave tomography, it is often difficult to extract a clear dispersion curve for the data recorded by urban internet cable because of the effect of precursor signals on noise correlation functions due to uneven distribution of noise sources, and weak coupling between the cable and the solid earth. In this study, we investigate the performance of the three-station interferometry method for improving the noise cross-correlation functions of the linear array. We applied this method to a DAS dataset acquired in an urban area, suppressed the precursor signal, improved the measurement of the dispersion curve, and constructed a 2D S-wave profile that reveals the hidden fault beneath the city. We also observed that the convergence of noise cross-correlation functions with weak coupling was significantly accelerated using this method. We employed this method to improve the signal quality of surface waves at far offset for the long segment, thus obtaining a more accurate dispersion curve. In conclusion, the three-station interferometry is an effective method to enhance the surface wave signal and suppress the precursor signal retrieved from the data recorded by urban internet cable, which could help in providing high resolution images of shallow structures in built-up areas.
Development of a UPLC-MS/MS method for the determination of orelabrutinib in rat plasma and its application in pharmacokinetics

The aim of the present study was to establish an ultra performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method for the determination of orelabrutinib in rat plasma using futibatinib as internal standard (IS), and to apply it for a pharmacokinetic study in rats. Orelabrutinib was extracted from plasma by protein precipitation and quantitatively analyzed by UPLC-MS/MS. An Acquity UPLC BEH C18 column was used for rapid separation by gradient elution using 0.1% formic acid and acetonitrile as mobile phases. The validation results of bioanalytical methodology showed that the linearity of orelabrutinib in plasma samples was good within the concentration range of 1–2000 ng/ml. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 1 ng/ml. The precision of orelabrutinib ranged from 1.4% to 11.5%, with intra-day and inter-day accuracy ranging from −5.7% to 7.7% and −0.2% to 12.5%, respectively. The selectivity, stability, matrix effect and recovery of the method all met the requirements of quantitative analysis of biological samples. The method was simple, sensitive, accurate and specific, and had high recovery rate. It also could be successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of rats.