bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Improved Model of the Heat Pipe Based on the Network Method Applied on a Heat Pipe Cooled Reactor
Authors: Guo Yuchuan , Su Zilin , Li Zeguang , Wang Kan , Liu Xuanyi
Published: May 2022

As the unique piece of heat transport equipment in a heat pipe cooled reactor, an accurate simulation of the heat pipe is helpful for understanding the real behavior of the reactor core and the reactor system. Based on the network method, an improved model for the heat pipe which considers the heat conductance in the wall, the vapor flow in the vapor space, and the liquid flow in the wick is proposed. Meanwhile, the gravity term is also added to the flow equation. Compared with the experimental results of a copper-water heat pipe, the validity of this model is verified. Then, a high-temperature sodium heat pipe of 1.0 m length is selected as the study object. Based on the analysis, it can be found that the total temperature difference of the heat pipe is 31.7 K, and the temperature drop caused by the vapor flow is only 2.6 K. As for the flow pressure drop in the heat pipe, the pressure drop is mainly concentrated in the wick region, which is 8,422.47 Pa, and the pressure drop in the vapor space is only 896.68 Pa. In cases of non-uniform heating and cooling, high heat leakage, and inclined operation, results indicate that the greater the non-uniformity of heating or cooling, the greater will be the temperature drop of the heat pipe. With the increase of heat leakage, the operating temperature of the heat pipe decreases significantly, and the total temperature drop increases. The heat pipe can operate at all positive inclination angles, but when the inclination angle exceeds−30°, the heat pipe will reach the capillary limit, and it may be damaged. All of these results can provide support for the design and simulation of a heat pipe cooled reactor.
A Numerical Study on Mechanical Seal Dynamic Characteristics Within a Reactor Coolant Pump
Authors: Wang Jun-Li , Chen Xing-Yuan , Binama Maxime , Su Wen-Tao , Wu Jian
Published: May 2022

Unstable flow within a reactor coolant pump (RCP)’s mechanical seal may cause the change of its sealing parameters, possibly threatening RCP’s safe operations. In this study, based on the moving grid technology, a 3D fluid–structure interaction analysis model is established, where the influence of parameters such as the inlet pressure fluctuation, closing force fluctuation, and speed fluctuation on mechanical seal performance characteristics within an RCP is numerically studied. Study results have shown that when pressure and closing force fluctuations are applied, the static ring displacement, the inlet-to-outlet temperature difference, and the leakage difference show similar variational rules. In addition, it is found that the sealing parameters are more sensitive to the step form of fluctuation. When the step change of 4% closing force was applied, the static ring displacement was more than 36.7%, the change of the temperature difference between inlet and outlet zones exceeded 53.5%, and the leakage difference was more than 127.2%. The change of speed has also been found to significantly affect the temperature difference between the RCP mechanical seal’s inlet and outlet, but the effect on the leakage and opening force was negligible.
A R-GCN-Based Correlation Characteristics Extraction Method for Power Grid Infrastructure Planning and Analysis
Authors: Lu Shengwei , Yan Jiong , Zhang Yuanyuan , Qi Li , Wang Sicong , Wu Qiang , Zhou Ming , Zhao Wenxin
Published: May 2022

For a large number of grid infrastructure projects, various interrelationships may have an impact on portfolio optimization to a certain extent. At present, there are few qualitative analyses considering linkages among massive power grid infrastructure projects. In order to overcome the limitations of the existing studies, this paper proposes a method for extracting the correlation characteristics of massive power grid infrastructure projects based on relational graph convolutional neural network (R-GCN). The correlation characteristics of power grid infrastructure projects with different voltage levels, engineering attributes and project properties are comprehensively considered. R-GCN generalizes the traditional graph convolutional neural network and can process multi-relational data, building an encoder and identifying multiple relations between entities in the project library by accessing different layers to solve corresponding modeling problems, so as to accurately identify the linkages among a large number of power grid infrastructure projects, and further improve the rationality of portfolio optimization.
Uncommon Electromagnetic Radiations Related to Extra-High Voltage/Ultra-High Voltage Power Projects in China
Authors: Wu Jing , Zhang Jingwen , Xie Li
Published: May 2022

Based on the high-resolution electromagnetic field intensity observed by the DEMETER satellite, the harmonic electromagnetic radiations in the ionosphere closely above the extra-high voltage and ultra-high voltage power projects in the Chinese power grid have been detected. In the time-frequency spectrograms, these radiations are characterized by parallel spectral lines with spacings of 50, 100, 150, or 600 Hz. The highest frequency can reach approximately 8,850 Hz. The radiations are probably attributed to the nonlinear devices such as converters or geomagnetic disturbance. The harmonic radiations over alternating current-to-direct current (AC-to-DC) substations of power system are generally more diverse and stronger than those over AC-to-AC substations. The measurements on the ground demonstrate that the weak magnetic radiations at several kilohertz with an intensity in the order of nT do exist around substations. A simple physical model is established to understand the characteristics of harmonic radiations propagating from the Earth’s surface to the ionosphere.
Profiling the Genome-Wide Landscape of Short Tandem Repeats by Long-Read Sequencing
Authors: Liu Zhenhua , Zhao Guihu , Xiao Yuhui , Zeng Sheng , Yuan Yanchun , Zhou Xun , Fang Zhenghuan , He Runcheng , Li Bin , Zhao Yuwen , Pan Hongxu , Wang Yige , Yu Guoliang , Peng I-Feng , Wang Depeng , Meng Qingtuan , Xu Qian , Sun Qiying , Yan Xinxiang , Shen Lu , Jiang Hong , Xia Kun , Wang Junling , Guo Jifeng , Liang Fan , Li Jinchen , Tang Beisha
Published: May 2022

Background: Short tandem repeats (STRs) are highly variable elements that play a pivotal role in multiple genetic diseases and the regulation of gene expression. Long-read sequencing (LRS) offers a potential solution to genome-wide STR analysis. However, characterizing STRs in human genomes using LRS on a large population scale has not been reported.

Methods: We conducted the large LRS-based STR analysis in 193 unrelated samples of the Chinese population and performed genome-wide profiling of STR variation in the human genome. The repeat dynamic index (RDI) was introduced to evaluate the variability of STR. We sourced the expression data from the Genotype-Tissue Expression to explore the tissue specificity of highly variable STRs related genes across tissues. Enrichment analyses were also conducted to identify potential functional roles of the high variable STRs.

Results: This study reports the large-scale analysis of human STR variation by LRS and offers a reference STR database based on the LRS dataset. We found that the disease-associated STRs (dSTRs) and STRs associated with the expression of nearby genes (eSTRs) were highly variable in the general population. Moreover, tissue-specific expression analysis showed that those highly variable STRs related genes presented the highest expression level in brain tissues, and enrichment pathways analysis found those STRs are involved in synaptic function-related pathways.

Conclusion: Our study profiled the genome-wide landscape of STR using LRS and highlighted the highly variable STRs in the human genome, which provide a valuable resource for studying the role of STRs in human disease and complex traits.
Airway Administration of Bacterial Lysate OM-85 Protects Mice Against Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection
Authors: Antunes Krist Helen , Cassão Gisele , Santos Leonardo Duarte , Borges Sofia Giacomet , Poppe Juliana , Gonçalves João Budelon , Nunes Eduarda da Silva , Recacho Guilherme Fernando , Sousa Vitória Barbosa , Da Silva Gabriela Souza , Mansur Daniel , Stein Renato T. , Pasquali Christian , De Souza Ana Paula Duarte
Published: May 2022

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a seasonal pathogen responsible for the highest percentage of viral bronchiolitis in pediatric patients. There are currently no vaccine available and therapeutic methods to mitigate the severity of RSV bronchiolitis are limited. OM-85, an oral standardized bacterial lysate isolated from human respiratory strains and widely used to prevent recurrent infections and/or exacerbations in populations at risk, has been shown to be effective and safe in children and adults. Here, we demonstrate that airway administration of OM-85 in Balb/c mice prior to infection prevents RSV-induced disease, resulting in inhibition of viral replication associated with less perivascular and peribronchial inflammation in the lungs. These protective effects are dose and time-dependent with complete protection using 1mg dose of OM-85 only four times intranasally. Mechanistic insights using this topical route in the airways revealed increased alveolar macrophages, a selective set of tolerogenic DCs, Treg and Th1 expansion in the lung, even in the absence of infection, contributing to a better Th1/Th2 balance and preventing ILC2 recruitment in the airways and associated inflammatory sequelae. OM-85 preventive treatment also improved antiviral response by increasing IFNβ and its responsive genes in the lung. In vitro, OM-85 protects against RSV infection in a type I interferon pathway. Our animal model data suggest that intranasal use of OM-85 should be considered as a potential prophylactic product to prevent RSV bronchiolitis once human studies confirm these findings.
Carbon Aerogels From Softwood Kraft Lignin for High Performance Supercapacitor Electrodes
Authors: Karaaslan Muzaffer A. , Lin Li-Ting , Ko Frank , Renneckar Scott
Published: May 2022

Porous carbon materials derived from plant biomass offer great promise towards developing sustainable and advanced renewable materials for energy applications. Lignin is as an abundant and renewable aromatic biopolymer with high carbon content and chemical functionality for crosslinking, which make lignin a promising alternative for environmentally-friendly carbon aerogel production. In this study, carbon aerogels were produced using an industrial softwood kraft lignin isolated from renewable forest resources. Crosslinked lignin gels were synthesized using an epoxy compound and converted into carbon aerogels with subsequent sol-gel processing, supercritical drying and pyrolysis steps. The effect of lignin-to-crosslinker ratio on the chemical, physical and structural properties of resulting carbon aerogels were investigated. The bulk density of carbon aerogels increased as the lignin content increased from 56 wt% to 87 wt% and ranged from 0.45 to 0.83 g/cm3, respectively. FTIR results showed that crosslinked network structure was promoted when the lignin-to-crosslinker ratio was higher, which impacted the porous texture of resulting carbon aerogels as evidenced by SEM analysis. XRD analysis was used to correlate degree of graphitization and lignin content, which impacted the electrical conductivity and ion-charge transfer in carbon electrodes. To evaluate the hierarchical porous structure and determine the BET surface area and pore volume, N2 and CO2 gas adsorption experiments were conducted. Carbon aerogels with 81 wt% and 87 wt% lignin had superior structural characteristics, which further improved with surface activation with KOH resulting in 1,609 m2/g for BET surface area, 0.98 cm3/g for total pore volume and 0.68 cm3/g for micropore volume. The electrochemical tests of electrodes assembled from 87 wt% lignin carbonized sample with a specific capacitance of 122 F/g at 1A/g had better performance compared to a commercial activated carbon (74 F/g with 845 m2/g BET) and resorcinol-formaldehyde based carbon aerogel (61 F/g with 1,071 m2/g BET area), while maintaining ∼90% of its capacitance after 5,000 charge-discharge cycles. Surface activation of lignin carbon aerogels further boosted the capacitance properties, an outstanding energy density of 3.2 Wh/kg at 209.1 W/kg power density were obtained for the supercapacitor electrodes built from the A-CA-L87 activated carbon aerogel.
Establishment of a Cell Necroptosis Index to Predict Prognosis and Drug Sensitivity for Patients With Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Authors: Xie Jindong , Tian Wenwen , Tang Yuhui , Zou Yutian , Zheng Shaoquan , Wu Linyu , Zeng Yan , Wu Song , Xie Xinhua , Xie Xiaoming
Published: May 2022

Background: Necroptosis has been an alternatively identified mechanism of programmed cancer cell death, which plays a significant role in cancer. However, research about necroptosis-related long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in cancer are still few. Moreover, the potentially prognostic value of necroptosis-related lncRNAs and their correlation with the immune microenvironment remains unclear. The present study aimed to explore the potential prognostic value of necroptosis-related lncRNAs and their relationship to immune microenvironment in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).

Methods: The RNA expression matrix of patients with TNBC was obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. Finally, 107 patients of GSE58812, 159 patients of TCGA, and 143 patients of GSE96058 were included. Necroptosis-related lncRNAs were screened by Cox regression and Pearson correlation analysis with necroptosis-related genes. By LASSO regression analysis, nine necroptosis-related lncRNAs were employed, and a cell necroptosis index (CNI) was established; then, we evaluated its prognostic value, clinical significance, pathways, immune infiltration, and chemotherapeutics efficacy.

Results: Based on the CNI value, the TNBC patients were divided into high- and low-CNI groups, and the patients with high CNI had worse prognosis, more lymph node metastasis, and larger tumor (p < 0.05). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed that the signature performed well. The result of the infiltration proportion of different immune cell infiltration further explained that TNBC patients with high CNI had low immunogenicity, leading to poor therapeutic outcomes. Moreover, we found significant differences of the IC50 values of various chemotherapeutic drugs in the two CNI groups, which might provide a reference to make a personalized chemotherapy for them.

Conclusion: The novel prognostic marker CNI could not only precisely predict the survival probability of patients with TNBC but also demonstrate a potential role in antitumor immunity and drug sensitivity.
Multinuclear Metal-Binding Ability of the N-Terminal Region of Human Copper Transporter Ctr1: Dependence Upon pH and Metal Oxidation State
Authors: Nardella Maria Incoronata , Fortino Mariagrazia , Barbanente Alessandra , Natile Giovanni , Pietropaolo Adriana , Arnesano Fabio
Published: May 2022

The 14mer peptide corresponding to the N-terminal region of human copper transporter Ctr1 was used to investigate the intricate mechanism of metal binding to this plasma membrane permease responsible for copper import in eukaryotic cells. The peptide contains a high-affinity ATCUN Cu(II)/Ni(II)-selective motif, a methionine-only MxMxxM Cu(I)/Ag(I)-selective motif and a double histidine HH(M) motif, which can bind both Cu(II) and Cu(I)/Ag(I) ions. Using a combination of NMR spectroscopy and electrospray mass spectrometry, clear evidence was gained that the Ctr1 peptide, at neutral pH, can bind one or two metal ions in the same or different oxidation states. Addition of ascorbate to a neutral solution containing Ctr11-14 and Cu(II) in 1:1 ratio does not cause an appreciable reduction of Cu(II) to Cu(I), which is indicative of a tight binding of Cu(II) to the ATCUN motif. However, by lowering the pH to 3.5, the Cu(II) ion detaches from the peptide and becomes susceptible to reduction to Cu(I) by ascorbate. It is noteworthy that at low pH, unlike Cu(II), Cu(I) stably binds to methionines of the peptide. This redox reaction could take place in the lumen of acidic organelles after Ctr1 internalization. Unlike Ctr11-14-Cu(II), bimetallic Ctr11-14-2Cu(II) is susceptible to partial reduction by ascorbate at neutral pH, which is indicative of a lower binding affinity of the second Cu(II) ion. The reduced copper remains bound to the peptide, most likely to the HH(M) motif. By lowering the pH to 3.5, Cu(I) shifts from HH(M) to methionine-only coordination, an indication that only the pH-insensitive methionine motif is competent for metal binding at low pH. The easy interconversion of monovalent cations between different coordination modes was supported by DFT calculations.
Prevalence and Risk Factors for Sexually Transmitted Infections in Gay and Bisexual Prostate Cancer Survivors: Results From the Restore-2 Study
Authors: Wheldon Christopher W. , Polter Elizabeth , Rosser B. R. Simon , Bates Alex J. , Haggart Ryan , Wright Morgan , Mitteldorf Darryl , Ross Michael W. , Konety Badrinath R. , Kohli Nidhi , Talley Kristine M. C. , West William , Tatum Alexander K.
Published: May 2022

Background

Equitable cancer survivorship care for gay and bisexual male (GBM) prostate cancer survivors should be responsive to their sexual health needs. Rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are higher among GBM compared to heterosexual men across the lifespan. In addition, evidence suggests that GBM will use a variety of strategies to cope with sexual dysfunction that may increase risk for STIs. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of STIs following prostate cancer treatment among GBM and identify risk factors.

Methods

In 2019, 401 GBM previously treated for prostate cancer were recruited into the Restore-2 Study. They completed a baseline online questionnaire with items assessing STIs diagnosed since being treated for prostate cancer. Any STI diagnoses was regressed on demographic, clinical, and relationship related variables using binary logistic regression.

Results

Forty-five participants (11.4%) were diagnosed with an STI during or following their prostate cancer treatment. The mostly commonly diagnosed STI was syphilis (4.3%), followed by gonorrhoea (2.8%), and chlamydia (2.5%). Four participants were infected with HIV following their prostate cancer treatment. Independent risk factors for STI diagnosis included time since prostate cancer diagnosis (aOR = 1.18; 95% CI: 1.10-1.26), nonmonogamous sexual relationship (aOR = 11.23; 95% CI: 2.11-59.73), better sexual function (aOR = 1.02; 95% CI: 1.01-1.04), penile injection treatment (aOR = 3.28; 95% CI: 1.48-7.29), and multiple sex partners (aOR = 5.57; 95% CI: 1.64-18.96).

Conclusions

GBM prostate cancer survivors are at risk for STIs. Culturally responsive STI prevention should be incorporated into cancer survivorship plans, particularly as men are treated for and regain sexual function over time.
Prognostic Value and Potential Mechanism of MTFR2 in Lung Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Lian Zengzhi , Pang Pei , Zhu Yan , Du Wenwen , Zhou Jintao
Published: May 2022

Mitochondrial fission regulator 2 (MTFR2) belongs to the MTFR1 family, which plays a crucial role in regulating oxidative phosphorylation. Recent studies indicate that it also participates in cancer carcinogenesis and development; however, the clinical significance of MTFR2 in lung adenocarcinoma has not been fully confirmed. Our current study investigated the relationships between clinical characteristics and MTFR2 expression based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Gene Expression Omnibus (GSE31210) dataset, and clinical histopathological sample cohort. In addition, Kaplan–Meier and Cox regression analyses were additionally performed to evaluate the association between MTFR2 expression and patient survival. Gene set enrichment analysis (GESA) was conducted to spot possible pathways associated with MTFR2. Moreover, a single-sample GESA (ssGESA) was performed to evaluate the association between MTFR2 expression and immune cell infiltration. Cell colony formation assay, CCK-8 assay, cell cycle assay, and transwell assay were performed to verify the cell proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities after interfering with MTFR2 in lung cancer cells. Western blot assay was applied to identify the underlying protein levels. The results indicated that the elevated MTFR2 expression in lung adenocarcinoma samples correlated with T stage (P < 0.001), N stage (P = 0.005), M stage (P = 0.015), pathological stage (P = 0.002), and TP53 status (P < 0.001). Patients with a higher MTFR2 expression correlated with poorer overall survival (P < 0.01) and progression-free survival (P = 0.002). Knockdown of MTFR2 inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion via AKT-cyclin D1 signaling and EMT pathways. Moreover, MTFR2 expression significantly positively correlated with Th2 cells (P < 0.001). Taken together, MTFR2 could serve as a novel prognostic indicator and therapeutic target for lung adenocarcinoma.
The Novel lncRNA RP9P Promotes Colorectal Cancer Progression by Modulating miR-133a-3p/FOXQ1 Axis
Authors: Jin Zhichao , Liu Baoxinzi , Lin Bofan , Yang Ran , Wu Cunen , Xue Weiwei , Zou Xi , Qian Jun
Published: May 2022

Background

The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) RP9 pseudogene (RP9P) is a pseudogene-derived lncRNA that has never been reported in cancer, and its function underlying tumorigenesis in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains unknown.

Methods

RP9P and miR-133a-3p were filtered through bioinformatics analysis. The level of RP9P, miR-133a-3p, and FOXQ1 in CRC cell lines was detected by real-time PCR. Cell Counting Kit-8 and flow cytometric analyses were used to detect cell proliferation and apoptosis, respectively. Interactions between RP9P, miR-133a-3p, and FOXQ1 were confirmed by a dual-luciferase reporter assay.

Results

RP9P was overexpressed in CRC compared to normal control tissues and cells. Knockdown of RP9P inhibited CRC cell viability. RP9P directly interacted with miR-133a-3p, and miR-133a-3p downregulation abrogated the tumor-suppressing effect of RP9P knockdown. miR-133a-3p directly targeted FOXQ, which was positively regulated by RP9P. RP9P knockdown decreased FOXQ1 expression levels in CRC cells by directly targeting miR-133a-3p via a sponge mechanism. In addition, in vivo experiments in a xenograft model revealed that downregulated RP9P expression inhibited CRC cell tumorigenesis.

Conclusion

RP9P promotes colorectal cancer progression by regulating the miR-133a-3p/FOXQ1 axis.
Sprouting Angiogenesis in Human Pituitary Adenomas
Authors: Zhou Jie , Hu Yaomin , Zhu Wende , Nie Chuansheng , Zhao Wenxiu , Faje Alexander T. , Labelle Kay E. , Swearingen Brooke , Lee Hang , Hedley-Whyte E. Tessa , Zhang Xun , Jones Pamela S. , Miller Karen K. , Klibanski Anne , Zhou Yunli , Soberman Roy J.
Published: May 2022

Introduction

Angiogenesis in pituitary tumors is not fully understood, and a better understanding could help inform new pharmacologic therapies, particularly for aggressive pituitary tumors.

Materials and Methods

219 human pituitary tumors and 12 normal pituitary glands were studied. Angiogenic genes were quantified by an angiogenesis qPCR array and a TaqMan probe-based absolute qPCR. Angiogenesis inhibition in pituitary tumors was evaluated in vitro with the endothelial tube formation assay and in vivo in RbΔ19 mice.

Results

71 angiogenic genes, 40 of which are known to be involved in sprouting angiogenesis, were differentially expressed in pituitary tumors. Expression of endothelial markers CD31, CD34, and ENG was significantly higher in pituitary tumors, by 5.6, 22.3, and 8.2-fold, respectively, compared to in normal pituitary tissue. There was no significant difference in levels of the lymphatic endothelial marker LYVE1 in pituitary tumors compared with normal pituitary gland tissue. Pituitary tumors also expressed significantly higher levels of angiogenesis growth factors, including VEGFA (4.2-fold), VEGFB (2.2), VEGFC (19.3), PGF (13.4), ANGPT2 (9.2), PDGFA (2.7), PDGFB (10.5) and TGFB1 (3.8) compared to normal pituitary tissue. Expression of VEGFC and PGF was highly correlated with the expression of endothelial markers in tumor samples, including CD31, CD34, and ENG (endoglin, a co-receptor for TGFβ). Furthermore, VEGFR inhibitors inhibited angiogenesis induced by human pituitary tumors and prolonged survival of RbΔ19 mice.

Conclusion

Human pituitary tumors are characterized by more active angiogenesis than normal pituitary gland tissue in a manner consistent with sprouting angiogenesis. Angiogenesis in pituitary tumors is regulated mainly by PGF and VEGFC, not VEGFA and VEGFB. Angiogenesis inhibitors, such as the VEGFR2 inhibitor cabozantinib, may merit further investigation as therapies for aggressive human pituitary tumors.
Robot-Assisted, Laparoscopic, and Open Radical Cystectomy: Pre-Operative Data of 1400 Patients From The Italian Radical Cystectomy Registry
Authors: Busetto Gian Maria , D’Agostino Daniele , Colicchia Michele , Palmer Katie , Artibani Walter , Antonelli Alessandro , Bianchi Lorenzo , Bocciardi Aldo , Brunocilla Eugenio , Carini Marco , Carrieri Giuseppe , Cormio Luigi , Falagario Ugo Giovanni , De Berardinis Ettore , Sciarra Alessandro , Leonardo Costantino , Del Giudice Francesco , Maggi Martina , de Cobelli Ottavio , Ferro Matteo , Musi Gennaro , Ercolino Amelio , Di Maida Fabrizio , Gallina Andrea , Introini Carlo , Mearini Ettore , Cochetti Giovanni , Minervini Andrea , Montorsi Francesco , Schiavina Riccardo , Serni Sergio , Simeone Claudio , Parma Paolo , Serao Armando , Mangano Mario Salvatore , Pomara Giorgio , Ditonno Pasquale , Simonato Alchiede , Romagnoli Daniele , Crestani Alessandro , Porreca Angelo
Published: May 2022

Introduction

The Italian Radical Cystectomy Registry (RIC) is an observational prospective study aiming to understand clinical variables and patient characteristics associated with short- and long-term outcomes among bladder cancer (BC) patients undergoing radical cystectomy (RC). Moreover, it compares the effectiveness of three RC techniques - open, robotic, and laparoscopic.

Methods

From 2017 to 2020, 1400 patients were enrolled at one of the 28 centers across Italy. Patient characteristics, as well as preoperative, postoperative, and follow-up (3, 6, 12, and 24 months) clinical variables and outcomes were collected.

Results

Preoperatively, it was found that patients undergoing robotic procedures were younger (p<.001) and more likely to have undergone preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy (p<.001) and BCG instillation (p<.001). Hypertension was the most common comorbidity among all patients (55%), and overall, patients undergoing open and laparoscopic RC had a higher Charlson Comorbidities Index (CCI) compared to robotic RC (p<.001). Finally, laparoscopic patients had a lower G-stage classification (p=.003) and open patients had a higher ASA score (p<.001).

Conclusion

The present study summarizes the characteristic of patients included in the RIC. Future results will provide invaluable information about outcomes among BC patients undergoing RC. This will inform physicians about the best techniques and course of care based on patient clinical factors and characteristics.
Mechanisms of Immune Dysregulation in COVID-19 Are Different From SARS and MERS: A Perspective in Context of Kawasaki Disease and MIS-C
Authors: Dhaliwal Manpreet , Tyagi Rahul , Malhotra Pooja , Barman Prabal , Loganathan Sathish Kumar , Sharma Jyoti , Sharma Kaushal , Mondal Sanjib , Rawat Amit , Singh Surjit
Published: May 2022

Coronaviruses have led to three major outbreaks to date-Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS; 2002), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS; 2012) and the ongoing pandemic, Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19; 2019). Coronavirus infections are usually mild in children. However, a few children with MERS had presented with a severe phenotype in the acute phase resulting in progressive pneumonic changes with increasing oxygen dependency and acute respiratory distress requiring ventilatory support. A subset of children with a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection develops a multisystem hyper-inflammatory phenotype known as Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C). This syndrome occurs 4-6 weeks after infection with SARS-CoV-2 and has been reported more often from areas with high community transmission. Children with MIS-C present with high fever and often have involvement of cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and hematologic systems leading to multiorgan failure. This is accompanied by elevation of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6 and IL-10. MIS-C has several similarities with Kawasaki disease (KD) considering children with both conditions present with fever, rash, conjunctival injection, mucosal symptoms and swelling of hands and feet. For reasons that are still not clear, both KD and MIS-C were not reported during the SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV outbreaks. As SARS-CoV-2 differs from SARS-CoV by 19.5% and MERS by 50% in terms of sequence identity, differences in genomic and proteomic profiles may explain the varied disease immunopathology and host responses. Left untreated, MIS-C may lead to severe abdominal pain, ventricular dysfunction and shock. Immunological investigations reveal reduced numbers of follicular B cells, increased numbers of terminally differentiated CD4+T lymphocytes, and decreased IL-17A. There is still ambiguity about the clinical and immunologic risk factors that predispose some children to development of MIS-C while sparing others. Host-pathogen interactions in SARS, MERS and COVID-19 are likely to play a crucial role in the clinical phenotypes that manifest. This narrative review focuses on the immunological basis for development of MIS-C syndrome in the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. To the best of our knowledge, these aspects have not been reviewed before.
Evidence and Potential Mechanism of Action of Lithospermum erythrorhizon and Its Active Components for Psoriasis
Authors: Wang Jiao , Liu Liu , Sun Xiao-Ying , Zhang Shuo , Zhou Ya-Qiong , Ze Kan , Chen Si-Ting , Lu Yi , Cai Xiao-Ce , Chen Jia-Le , Luo Ying , Ru Yi , Li Bin , Li Xin
Published: May 2022

Background: Traditional Chinese medicine is effective in the treatment of psoriasis and can significantly reduce skin inflammation and psoriatic lesions with minimal side effects. Shikonin (SHI) and β,β-dimethylacryloyl alkannin (DMA), the main active components of Lithospermum erythrorhizon, have strong anti-inflammatory effects. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Lithospermum erythrorhizon and its main active components and to elucidate the potential mechanisms of their action in psoriasis treatment.

Methods: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Scientific Journals, Wan Fang, and Chinese Biomedicine databases were systematically searched for articles published between 1 January 1970, and 31 February 2021. We included clinical and preclinical studies that examined the effects of Lithospermum erythrorhizon and its active components on psoriasis. All data were analyzed using RevMan 5.3 software. The Cochrane and SYRCLE’s risk-of-bias tools were used to assess the quality of all studies.

Results: Eleven clinical trials including 1024 participants and 23 preclinical studies were assessed. Meta-analysis showed that when treating patients with psoriasis, the Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) formulas with Lithospermum erythrorhizon as the sovereign herb can significantly improve psoriatic dermatitis, which can significantly reduce the psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) score (mean difference [MD] = -2.00, 95% confidence interval [CI] [-3.19, -0.80], p = 0.001; I2 = 85%). The incidence rates of diarrhea (risk ratio = 0.21, 95% CI [0.06, 0.81], p = 0.02) were higher in the CHM formulas group than in the control group, whereas other adverse events were not significantly different between the two groups (p > 0.05). We evaluated the PASI score of mice on day 7 and found that SHI and DMA also alleviated psoriatic lesions (MD = -3.36, 95% CI [-4.67, -2.05], p < 0.00001, I2 = 94%). Furthermore, the epidermal thickness decreased more after SHI or DMA treatment than in the control group (MD = -34.42, 95%CI [-41.25, -27.59], p < 0.00001, I2 = 93%). Based on preclinical studies, we also summarized and mapped the mechanisms of SHI and DMA in the treatment of psoriasis.

Conclusion: Available findings demonstrated that Lithospermum erythrorhizon combined with other conventional treatments is useful in treating psoriasis. Preclinical evidence has shown that the active components of Lithospermum erythrorhizon exhibit a potential anti-inflammatory effect, promote keratinocyte apoptosis, inhibit keratinocyte proliferation and angiogenesis, and block the cell cycle. In summary, our findings suggest that Lithospermum erythrorhizon and its active components can be used to treat psoriasis.
The Antioxidant Properties of Mushroom Polysaccharides can Potentially Mitigate Oxidative Stress, Beta-Cell Dysfunction and Insulin Resistance
Authors: Arunachalam Karuppusamy , Sreeja Puthanpura Sasidharan , Yang Xuefei
Published: May 2022

Diabetes mellitus is a prevalent metabolic and endocrine illness affecting people all over the world and is of serious health and financial concern. Antidiabetic medicine delivered through pharmacotherapy, including synthetic antidiabetic drugs, are known to have several negative effects. Fortunately, several natural polysaccharides have antidiabetic properties, and the use of these polysaccharides as adjuncts to conventional therapy is becoming more common, particularly in underdeveloped nations. Oxidative stress has a critical role in the development of diabetes mellitus (DM). The review of current literature presented here focusses, therefore, on the antioxidant properties of mushroom polysaccharides used in the management of diabetic complications, and discusses whether these antioxidant properties contribute to the deactivation of the oxidative stress-related signalling pathways, and to the amelioration of β-cell dysfunction and insulin resistance. In this study, we conducted a systematic review of the relevant information concerning the antioxidant and antidiabetic effects of mushrooms from electronic databases, such as PubMed, Scopus or Google Scholar, for the period 1994 to 2021. In total, 104 different polysaccharides from mushrooms have been found to have antidiabetic effects. Most of the literature on mushroom polysaccharides has demonstrated the beneficial effects of these polysaccharides on reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) levels. This review discuss the effects of these polysaccharides on hyperglycemia and other alternative antioxidant therapies for diabetic complications through their applications and limits, in order to gain a better understanding of how they can be used to treat DM. Preclinical and phytochemical investigations have found that most of the active polysaccharides extracted from mushrooms have antioxidant activity, reducing oxidative stress and preventing the development of DM. Further research is necessary to confirm whether mushroom polysaccharides can effectively alleviate hyperglycemia, and the mechanisms by which they do this, and to investigate whether these polysaccharides might be utilized as a complementary therapy for the prevention and management of DM in the future.
Geniposide Possesses the Protective Effect on Myocardial Injury by Inhibiting Oxidative Stress and Ferroptosis via Activation of the Grsf1/GPx4 Axis
Authors: Shen Yuehong , Wang Xindong , Shen Xinyu , Wang Yue , Wang Shulin , Zhang Yunyun , Yao Xiaoming , Xu Yijiao , Sang Ming , Pan Jiamin , Qin Yu , Zhou Qian , Shen Jianping
Published: May 2022

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced in the ischemic myocardium can induce cardiomyocyte injury and death, resulting in cardiac remodeling. Ferroptosis, known as a newly type of cell death caused by iron-dependent oxidative stress, which is an essential death mechanism in cardiomyocytes. However, it is unclear whether oxidative stress products can further induce ferroptosis and aggravate cardiomyocyte injury. Geniposide (GEN), a major active component of Gardenia jasminoides J. Ellis, possesses the natural antioxidant activity and cardioprotective effect. Herein, we evaluated the role of ferroptosis in myocardial oxidative injury and the protective effect of GEN on myocardial ferroptosis. We first detected iron overload, massive ROS, and lipid peroxidation in ferric ammonium citrate (FAC)-treated cardiomyocytes, which were typical characteristics of ferroptosis. The iron overload-induced oxidative stress and ferroptosis aggravated cardiomyocyte injury, which were significantly alleviated by GEN treatment. Similar phenotypic changes of ferroptosis were consistently discovered in hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced cells, which were reversed by GEN treatment as well. Interestingly, the RNA-binding protein Grsf1, which directly upregulated Gpx4 at the translational level, was activated by GEN following myocardial oxidative injury. The specific knockdown of Grsf1 increased their sensitivity to ferroptosis and weakened the cardioprotective effect of GEN in H2O2-treated cardiomyocytes. Moreover, GEN treatment reduced iron overload and lipid peroxidation in myocardial infarction (MI) rats, thereby fighting against the cardiac ischemic injury. Collectively, our study revealed the pathogenesis of oxidative stress and ferroptosis associated with myocardial ischemia, and indicated the antioxidant and anti-ferroptosis effects of GEN on preventing myocardial injury by activating the Grsf1/GPx4 axis, serving as a potential therapeutic target.
Chinese Herbal Medicine for Primary Liver Cancer Therapy: Perspectives and Challenges
Authors: Li Kexin , Xiao Kunmin , Zhu Shijie , Wang Yong , Wang Wei
Published: May 2022

Primary liver cancer (PLC) is one of the most common solid malignancies. However, PLC drug development has been slow, and first-line treatments are still needed; thus, studies exploring and developing alternative strategies for effective PLC treatment are urgently needed. Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) has long been applied in the clinic due to its advantages of low toxicity and targeting of multiple factors and pathways, and it has great potential for the development of novel natural drugs against PLC.

Purpose: This review aims to provide an update on the pharmacological mechanisms of Chinese patent medicines (CPMs) and the latest CHM-derived compounds for the treatment of PLC and relevant clinical evaluations.

Materials and Methods: A systematic search of English literature databases, Chinese literature, the Clinical Trials Registry Platform, and the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry for studies of CHMs for PLC treatment was performed.

Results: In this review, we summarize the clinical trials and mechanisms of CPMs for PLC treatment that have entered the clinic with the approval of the Chinese medicine regulatory authority. These CPMs included Huaier granules, Ganfule granules, Fufang Banmao capsules, Jinlong capsules, Brucea javanica oil emulsions, and compound kushen injections. We also summarize the latest in vivo, in vitro, and clinical studies of CHM-derived compounds against PLC: icaritin and ginsenoside Rg3. Dilemmas facing the development of CHMs, such as drug toxicity and low oral availability, and future developments are also discussed.

Conclusion: This review provides a deeper the understanding of CHMs as PLC treatments and provides ideas for the development of new natural drugs against PLC.
A Unified Approach to Analysis of MRI Radiomics of Glioma Using Minimum Spanning Trees
Authors: Simon Olivier B. , Jain Rajan , Choi Yoon-Seong , Görg Carsten , Suresh Krithika , Severn Cameron , Ghosh Debashis
Published: May 2022

Radiomics has shown great promise in detecting important genetic markers involved in cancers such as gliomas, as specific mutations produce subtle but characteristic changes in tumor texture and morphology. In particular, mutations in IDH (isocitrate dehydrogenase) are well-known to be important prognostic markers in glioma patients. Most classification approaches using radiomics, however, involve complex hand-crafted feature sets or “black-box” methods such as deep neural networks, and therefore lack interpretability. Here, we explore the application of simple graph-theoretical methods based on the minimum-spanning tree (MST) to radiomics data, in order to detect IDH mutations in gliomas. This is done using a hypothesis testing approach. The methods are applied to an fMRI dataset on n = 413 patients. We quantify the significance of the group-wise difference between mutant and wild-type using the MST edge-count testing methodology of Friedman and Rafsky. We apply network theory-based centrality measures on MSTs to identify the most representative patients. We also propose a simple and rapid dimensionality-reduction method based on k-MSTs. Combined with the centrality measures, the latter method produces readily interpretable 2D maps that reveal distinct IDH, non-IDH, and IDH-like groupings.
Linear Seesaw in A5′ Modular Symmetry With Leptogenesis
Authors: Behera Mitesh Kumar , Mohanta Rukmani
Published: May 2022

In this study, we investigate the implication of modular Γ5′≃A5′ symmetry on neutrino oscillation phenomenology in the linear seesaw framework. In order to achieve the well-defined mass structure for the light active neutrinos as dictated by the linear seesaw mechanism, we introduce six heavy fermion fields along with a pair of weightons to retain the holomorphic nature of the superpotential. The notable feature of modular symmetry is that it reduces the usage of flavon fields significantly. In addition, the Yukawa couplings transform non-trivially under the flavor symmetry group and are expressed in terms of the Dedekind eta functions, the q expansion of which renders numerical simplicity in calculations. We demonstrate that the model framework diligently accommodates all the neutrino oscillation data. Alongside, we also investigate the effect of CP asymmetry generated from the decay of lightest heavy fermions to explain the observed baryon asymmetry through the phenomenon of leptogenesis.
Distributed Self-Healing for Resilient Network Design in Local Resource Allocation Control
Authors: Kim Jaeho , Hayashi Yukio
Published: May 2022

Many infrastructure networks are considered the backbone of our society; however, increasing disasters and terrors cause serious damage to energy, water, communication, and transportation systems. In this study, we proposed a distributed self-healing method for the damaged networks whose original structure is extremely vulnerable and scale-free. For reconstructing a sustainable network, the key ideas of our method are ring formation and enhancing loops by adding the resource of healing links between low-degree nodes inspired from the state-of-the-art edge rewiring methods. In emulating a healing algorithm asynchronously, we showed that the reconstructed network has both higher robustness and efficiency than the ones using the conventional self-healing methods. Our distributed self-healing method will be useful as a basic framework for sustainable network reconstruction.
Advection–Diffusion Lattice Boltzmann Method With and Without Dynamical Filter
Authors: Zhang Zhihong , Li Zhiqiang , Wu Yunke
Published: May 2022

In multi-component flow and/or thermal flows, when the diffusion coefficient of the advection–diffusion equation is relatively small, the relaxation coefficient in the lattice Boltzmann method will be close to 0.5, which will lead to numerical instability. The stability conditions will become more severe, when there are high gradient regions in the computational domain. In order to improve the stability of advection–diffusion lattice Boltzmann method to simulate scalar transport in complex flow, a hybrid regularized collision operators and a dynamic filtering method which is suitable for the convection-diffusion lattice Boltzmann method are proposed in this paper. The advection–diffusion lattice Boltzmann method is first tested in uniform flow with smooth and discontinuous initial conditions. Then the scalar transport in doubly periodic shear layer flow is tested, which is sensitive to numerical stability. The adaptive dynamic filtering method is also tested. The results are compared to the classical finite difference method and to the lattice Boltzmann method using the projection-based regularized and standard Bahtnagar-Gross-Krook collision operator. The results show that the hybrid regularized collision operator has advantages in simulating the scalar advection-diffusion problem with small diffusion coefficient. In addition, the adaptive filtering method can also improve the numerical stability of the lattice Boltzmann method with limited numerical dissipation.
Sensorless Wavefront Correction in Two-Photon Microscopy Across Different Turbidity Scales
Authors: Sohmen Maximilian , May Molly A. , Barré Nicolas , Ritsch-Marte Monika , Jesacher Alexander
Published: May 2022

Adaptive optics (AO) is a powerful tool to increase the imaging depth of multiphoton scanning microscopes. For highly scattering tissues, sensorless wavefront correction techniques exhibit robust performance and present a straight-forward implementation of AO. However, for many applications such as live-tissue imaging, the speed of aberration correction remains a critical bottleneck. Dynamic Adaptive Scattering compensation Holography (DASH)—a fast-converging sensorless AO technique introduced recently for scatter compensation in nonlinear scanning microscopy—addresses this issue. DASH has been targeted at highly turbid media, but to-date it has remained an open question how it performs for mild turbidity, where limitations imposed by phase-only wavefront shaping are expected to impede its convergence. In this work, we study the performance of DASH across different turbidity regimes, in simulation as well as experiments. We further provide a direct comparison between DASH and a novel, modified version of the Continuous Sequential Algorithm (CSA) which we call Amplified CSA (a-CSA).
Graphdiyne-Coated Microfiber All-Optical Temporal Modulator Based on Saturable Absorption
Authors: Zhang Kuokuo , Qiu Zeping , He Shijia , Bao Wenli , Lu Shunbin
Published: May 2022

A high-speed all-optical modulator is a key device in next-generation communication systems. Due to easy fabrication and an effective modulation effect, two-dimensional (2D) material–microfiber structure all-optical modulators have aroused much attention. Graphdiyne (GDY) is an excellent nonlinear optical material and is expected to be utilized in all-optical modulators. In this work, we demonstrate a GDY-coated all-optical temporal modulator according to its saturable absorption. Under the pump pulse light of 1,064 nm, the fabricated modulator successfully modulates the continuous-wave (CW) light of 1,550 nm to the waveform of pump light with a pulse width of 4 ns and a repetition rate of 5 kHz. Our results show that GDY could be used in high-speed all-optical modulators and pave a way for the research of GDY in all-optical information processing applications.