An assessment of the sensory drivers influencing consumer preference in infant formula, assessed via sensory evaluation and GC-O-MS.

Consumer partiality for food products is related to purchase and consumption behavior, and are influenced by sensory preferences. The sensory and chemical drivers behind consumer preference in the infant formula (IF) were analyzed. A total of 31 aroma-active compounds were identified, playing an important role in the production of off-flavors (especially fishy). Combined with the correlation analysis, the key aroma substances affecting the sensory attributes of IF were initially identified. A21, A22, B9 represented the key substances responsible for producing milky and creamy, while A2, A5, A11, A12, B5, C15, H5 primarily produced fishy. In addition, the two sensory attributes namely milky and creamy, and the T-sweet were more strongly correlated with consumer preference. Therefore, it can be concluded that consumers are more interested in the main flavor of the product than the off-flavor. These findings will inform the quality control of IF and the maintenance of sensory quality.

Prediction and explanation for ozone variability using cross-stacked ensemble learning model.

With the development of monitoring technology, the variety of ozone precursors that can be detected by monitoring stations has been increased dramatically. And this has brought a great increment of information to ozone prediction and explanation studies. This study completes feature mining and reconstruction of multi-source data (meteorological data, conventional pollutant data, and precursors data) by using a machine learning approach, and built a cross-stacked ensemble learning model (CSEM). In the feature engineering process, this study reconstructed two VOCs variables most associated with ozone and found it works best to use the top seven variables with the highest contribution. The CSEM includes three base models: random forest, extreme gradient boosting tree, and LSTM, learning the parameters of the model under the integrated training of cross-stacking. The cross-stacked integrated training method enables the second-layer learner of the ensemble model to make full use of the learning results of the base models as training data, thereby improving the prediction performance of the model. The model predicted the hourly ozone concentration with R2 of 0.94, 0.97, and 0.96 for mild, moderate, and severe pollution cases, respectively; mean absolute error (MAE) of 4.48 µg/m3, 5.01 µg/m3, and 8.71 µg/m3, respectively. The model predicted ozone concentrations under different NOx and VOCs reduction scenarios, and the results show that with a 20 % reduction in VOCs and no change in NOx in the study area, 75.28 % of cases achieved reduction and 15.73 % of cases got below 200 µg/m3. In addition, a comprehensive evaluation index of the prediction model is proposed in this paper, which can be extended to any prediction model performance comparison and analysis. For practical application, machine learning feature selection and cross-stacked ensemble models can be jointly applied in ozone real-time prediction and emission reduction strategy analysis.

Detection method for reverse transcription recombinase-aided amplification of avian influenza virus subtypes H5, H7, and H9.

BACKGROUND: Avian influenza virus (AIV) not only causes huge economic losses to the poultry industry, but also threatens human health. Reverse transcription recombinase-aided amplification (RT-RAA) is a novel isothermal nucleic acid amplification technology. This study aimed to improve the detection efficiency of H5, H7, and H9 subtypes of AIV and detect the disease in time. This study established RT-RAA-LFD and real-time fluorescence RT-RAA (RF-RT-RAA) detection methods, which combined RT-RAA with lateral flow dipstick (LFD) and exo probe respectively, while primers and probes were designed based on the reaction principle of RT-RAA. RESULTS: The results showed that RT-RAA-LFD could specifically amplify H5, H7, and H9 subtypes of AIV at 37 °C, 18 min, 39 °C, 20 min, and 38 °C, 18 min, respectively. The sensitivity of all three subtypes for RT-RAA-LFD was 102 copies/µL, which was 10 ∼100 times higher than that of reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) agarose electrophoresis method. RF-RT-RAA could specifically amplify H5, H7, and H9 subtypes of AIV at 40 °C, 20 min, 38 °C, 16 min, and 39 °C, 17 min, respectively. The sensitivity of all three subtypes for RF-RT-RAA was 101 copies/µL, which was consistent with the results of real-time fluorescence quantification RT-PCR, and 100 ∼1000 times higher than that of RT-PCR-agarose electrophoresis method. The total coincidence rate of the two methods and RT-PCR-agarose electrophoresis in the detection of clinical samples was higher than 95%. CONCLUSIONS: RT-RAA-LFD and RF-RT-RAA were successfully established in this experiment, with quick response, simple operation, strong specificity, high sensitivity, good repeatability, and stability. They are suitable for the early and rapid diagnosis of Avian influenza and they have positive significance for the prevention, control of the disease, and public health safety.

NEPE Propellant Mesoscopic Modeling and Damage Mechanism Study Based on Inversion Algorithm.

To accurately characterize the mesoscopic properties of NEPE (Nitrate Ester Plasticized Polyether) propellant, the mechanical contraction method was used to construct a representative volume element (RVE) model. Based on this model, the macroscopic mechanical response of NEPE propellant at a strain rate of 0.0047575 s-1 was simulated and calculated, and the parameters of the cohesive zone model (CZM) were inversely optimized using the Hooke-Jeeves algorithm by comparing the simulation results with the results of the uniaxial tensile test of NEPE propellants. Additionally, the macroscopic mechanical behavior of NEPE composite solid propellants at strain rates of 0.00023776 s-1 and 0.023776 s-1 was also predicted. The mesoscopic damage evolution process of NEPE propellants was investigated by the established model. The study results indicate that the predicted curves are relatively consistent with the basic features and change trends of the test curves. Therefore, the established model can effectively simulate the mesoscopic damage process of NEPE composite solid propellants and their macroscopic mechanical properties.

CTRP6 protects against ferroptosis to drive lung cancer progression and metastasis by destabilizing SOCS2 and augmenting the xCT/GPX4 pathway.

Lung cancer is a highly heterogeneous malignancy, and despite the rapid development of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, acquired drug resistance and tumor progression still occur. Thus, it is urgent to identify novel therapeutic targets. Our research aims to screen novel biomarkers associated with the prognosis of lung carcinoma patients and explore the potential regulatory mechanisms. We obtained RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data of lung cancer patients from public databases. Clinical signature analysis, weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) and the random forest algorithm showed that C1q/tumor necrosis factor-related protein-6 (CTRP6) is a core gene related to lung cancer prognosis, and it was determined to promote tumor proliferation and metastasis both in vivo and in vitro. Mechanistically, silencing CTRP6 was determined to promote xCT/GPX4-involved ferroptosis through functional assays related to lipid peroxidation, Fe2+ concentration and mitochondrial ultrastructure. By performing interactive proteomics analyses in lung tumor cells, we identified the interaction between CTRP6 and suppressor of cytokine signaling 2 (SOCS2) leading to SOCS2 ubiquitination degradation, subsequently enhancing the downstream xCT/GPX4 signaling pathway. Moreover, significant correlations between CTRP6-mediated SOCS2 and ferroptosis were revealed in mouse models and clinical specimens of lung cancer. As inducing ferroptosis has been gradually regarded as an alternative strategy to treat tumors, targeting CTRP6-mediated ferroptosis could be a potential strategy for lung cancer therapy.

Comparative Study of the Mechanical and Fracturing Behaviors of Shale from Different Gas Blocks in the Longmaxi Formation.

With the development of shale gas exploration and exploitation, the mechanical and failure characteristics of shale have become one of the focuses. However, few studies have considered the differences in the mechanical properties of shales in different shale gas blocks. In this study, the effects of bedding orientation on the stress-strain curves, elastic modulus, Poisson's ratio, and fracture morphology of shale samples from the Zhaotong block are analyzed by laboratory experiments, first. Then, a standard deviation method is used to characterize the anisotropy degree of the mechanical and fracturing characteristics of shale. The anisotropy ratio of shale samples between the Zhaotong and Chongqing areas has been comparatively studied. Comparison results show that the shale anisotropy induced by the bedding orientations demonstrates apparent regional characteristics. There are significant differences in the mechanical properties of shale obtained from different shale gas blocks. It indicates that the optimization of engineering practices such as the design of hydraulic fracturing should consider the influences of the bedding orientations and shale gas blocks on the shale anisotropy.

Dual thermal ecotypes coexist within a nearly genetically identical population of the unicellular marine cyanobacterium Synechococcus.

The extent and ecological significance of intraspecific functional diversity within marine microbial populations is still poorly understood, and it remains unclear if such strain-level microdiversity will affect fitness and persistence in a rapidly changing ocean environment. In this study, we cultured 11 sympatric strains of the ubiquitous marine picocyanobacterium Synechococcus isolated from a Narragansett Bay (RI) phytoplankton community thermal selection experiment. Thermal performance curves revealed selection at cool and warm temperatures had subdivided the initial population into thermotypes with pronounced differences in maximum growth temperatures. Curiously, the genomes of all 11 isolates were almost identical (average nucleotide identities of >99.99%, with >99% of the genome aligning) and no differences in gene content or single nucleotide variants were associated with either cool or warm temperature phenotypes. Despite a very high level of genomic similarity, sequenced epigenomes for two strains showed differences in methylation on genes associated with photosynthesis. These corresponded to measured differences in photophysiology, suggesting a potential pathway for future mechanistic research into thermal microdiversity. Our study demonstrates that present-day marine microbial populations can harbor cryptic but environmentally relevant thermotypes which may increase their resilience to future rising temperatures.

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate and cancer: focus on the role of microRNAs.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of small non-coding RNAs that affect gene expression. The role of miRNAs in different types of cancers has been published and it was shown that several miRNAs are inappropriately expressed in different cancers. Among the mechanisms that can cause this lack of proper expression are epigenetics, chromosomal changes, polymorphisms or defects in processing proteins. Recent research shows that phytochemicals, including epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), exert important epigenetic-based anticancer effects such as pro-apoptotic or anti proliferative through miRNA gene silencing. Given that EGCG is able to modulate a variety of cancer-related process i.e., angiogenesis, proliferation, metastasis and apoptosis via targeting various miRNAs such as let-7, miR-16, and miR-210. The discovery of new miRNAs and the differences observed in their expression when exposed to EGCG provides evidence that targeting these miRNAs may be beneficial as a form of treatment. In this review, we aim to provide an overview, based on current knowledge, on how phytochemicals, including epigallocatechin-3-gallate, can be considered as potential miRNAs modulator to improve efficacy of current cancer treatments.

Development and clinical validation of a microfluidic-based platform for CTC enrichment and downstream molecular analysis.

Background: Although many CTC isolation and detection methods can provide information on cancer cell counts, downstream gene and protein analysis remain incomplete. Therefore, it is crucial to develop a technology that can provide comprehensive information on both the number and profile of CTC. Methods: In this study, we developed a novel microfluidics-based CTC separation and enrichment platform that provided detailed information about CTC. Results: This platform exhibits exceptional functionality, achieving high rates of CTC recovery (87.1%) and purification (∼4 log depletion of WBCs), as well as accurate detection (95.10%), providing intact and viable CTCs for downstream analysis. This platform enables successful separation and enrichment of CTCs from a 4 mL whole-blood sample within 15 minutes. Additionally, CTC subtypes, selected protein expression levels on the CTC surface, and target mutations in selected genes can be directly analyzed for clinical utility using immunofluorescence and real-time polymerase chain reaction, and the detected PD-L1 expression in CTCs is consistent with immunohistochemical assay results. Conclusion: The microfluidic-based CTC enrichment platform and downstream molecular analysis together provide a possible alternative to tissue biopsy for precision cancer management, especially for patients whose tissue biopsies are unavailable.

MSHHOTSA: A variant of tunicate swarm algorithm combining multi-strategy mechanism and hybrid Harris optimization.

This paper proposes a novel hybrid algorithm, named Multi-Strategy Hybrid Harris Hawks Tunicate Swarm Optimization Algorithm (MSHHOTSA). The primary objective of MSHHOTSA is to address the limitations of the tunicate swarm algorithm, which include slow optimization speed, low accuracy, and premature convergence when dealing with complex problems. Firstly, inspired by the idea of the neighborhood and thermal distribution map, the hyperbolic tangent domain is introduced to modify the position of new tunicate individuals, which can not only effectively enhance the convergence performance of the algorithm but also ensure that the data generated between the unknown parameters and the old parameters have a similar distribution. Secondly, the nonlinear convergence factor is constructed to replace the original random factor c1 to coordinate the algorithm's local exploitation and global exploration performance, which effectively improves the ability of the algorithm to escape extreme values and fast convergence. Finally, the swarm update mechanism of the HHO algorithm is introduced into the position update of the TSA algorithm, which further balances the local exploitation and global exploration performance of the MSHHOTSA. The proposed algorithm was evaluated on eight standard benchmark functions, CEC2019 benchmark functions, four engineering design problems, and a PID parameter optimization problem. It was compared with seven recently proposed metaheuristic algorithms, including HHO and TSA. The results were analyzed and discussed using statistical indicators such as mean, standard deviation, Wilcoxon's rank sum test, and average running time. Experimental results demonstrate that the improved algorithm (MSHHOTSA) exhibits higher local convergence, global exploration, robustness, and universality than BOA, GWO, MVO, HHO, TSA, ASO, and WOA algorithms under the same experimental conditions.

Spontaneous histological transformation of lung squamous-cell carcinoma to large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma and small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Histopathological transformation between different types of lung cancer cells has been reported following a variety of anti-tumor treatments. Examples include transformation from lung adenocarcinoma to squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC) and transformation from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to small cell lung cancer (SCLC). CASE REPORT: A patient with intermittent hemoptysis for 2 days underwent a computed tomography (CT) scan that revealed interstitial pneumonia in addition to two enlarged paratracheal lymph nodes: one on the right (4R) and one on the left (4L) measuring 10 and 7 mm in diameter, respectively (Fig. 1). There was no evidence of a lung or bronchial mass. Bronchoscopy identified an endoluminal primary mass in a superior segmental bronchus of the left lower lobe and pathological examination following surgery confirmed it to be SCC. At 15 months post operation, a CT scan detected that the 4R lymph node had increased in size from 10 to 16 mm in diameter. At the next follow-up 7 months later, a CT scan showed that the R4 lymph node had further increased in size from 16 to 40 mm in the short axis, making it difficult for a surgeon to resect it "en bloc" immediately. The maximum standardized uptake value was 7.5 on PET-CT images. One month following completion of one cycle of neoadjuvant chemotherapy with gemcitabine and nedaplatin, a further CT scan indicated that the lymph node had decreased in size from 40 to 30 mm in the short axis. A complete mediastinal lymphadenectomy via open thoracotomy was performed and the lymph node was resected. Histological examination identified a main large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) component with a small fraction of small cell carcinoma, confirmed by immunohistochemical analysis and genetic evidence. CONCLUSION: Histopathological transformation from SCC to LCNEC with a small fraction of SCLC may have occurred spontaneously without any treatment.

A randomized controlled trial of iliopsoas plane block vs. femoral nerve block for hip arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: Iliopsoas plane block (IPB) is a novel analgesic technique for hip surgery that retains quadriceps strength. However, evidence from randomized controlled trial is remains unavailable. We hypothesized that IPB, as a motor-sparing analgesic technique, could match the femoral nerve block (FNB) in pain management and morphine consumption, providing an advantage for earlier functional training in patients underwent hip arthroplasty. METHODS: We recruited ninety patients with femoral neck fracture, femoral head necrosis or hip osteoarthritis who were scheduled for unilateral primary hip arthroplasty were recruited and received either IPB or FNB. Primary outcome was the pain score during hip flexion at 4 h after surgery. Secondary outcomes included quadriceps strength and pain scores upon arrival at post anesthesia care unit (PACU) and at 2, 4, 6, 24, 48 h after surgery, the first time out of bed, total opioids consumption, patient satisfaction, and complications. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in terms of pain score during hip flexion at 4 h after surgery between the IPB group and FNB group. The quadriceps strength of patients receiving IPB was superior to those receiving FNB upon arrival at PACU and at 2, 4, 6 and 24 h after surgery. The IPB group showed a shorter first time out of bed compared to the FNB group. However, there were no significant differences in terms of pain scores within 48 h after surgery, total opioids consumption, patient satisfaction and complications between the two groups. CONCLUSION: IPB was not superior to FNB in terms of postoperative analgesia for hip arthroplasty. However, IPB could serve as an effective motor-sparing analgesic technique for hip arthroplasty, which would facilitate early recovery and rehabilitation. This makes IPB worth considering as an alternative to FNB. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was registered prior to patient enrollment at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2200055493; registration date: January 10, 2022; enrollment date: January 18, 2022; https://www.chictr.org.cn/searchprojEN.html ).

Beneficial effect of the mitochondrial ATP­sensitive potassium channel­specific opener nicorandil on the collapsed lung via inhibition of apoptosis in clinical thoracic surgery.

With the use of thoracoscopic surgery technology, one­lung ventilation (OLV) is becoming more crucial as a basic requirement for enhanced recovery after surgery; however, it can lead to severe pulmonary injury, which is an issue for anesthesiologists. Therefore, it is important to protect pulmonary function during thoracic surgery anesthesia, particularly to protect the function of the collapsed lung. Our previous study on rabbits reported that nicorandil, a US Food and Drug Administration­approved mitochondrial ATP­sensitive potassium channel­specific opener, can protect against lung injury in the collapsed lung. Therefore, the beneficial effect of nicorandil on OLV­induced pulmonary injury in clinical thoracic surgery was further evaluated in the present study. Nicorandil was infused at 2 mg/h for 2 h from induction to 1 h after OLV in the nicorandil group. Trends in arterial oxygen desaturation (SaO2), arterial partial pressure for oxygen (PaO2) and the lung microstructure were assessed. ELISA was used to assess the levels of TNF­α and malondialdehyde (MDA), and the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD). A TUNEL assay was performed to evaluate apoptosis. Western blotting was used to analyze the relative expression levels of signaling proteins associated with apoptosis. Western blotting was performed to evaluate the protein expression levels of hypoxia­inducible factor 1α (HIF­1α), PI3K, Akt and NF­κB, and reverse transcription­quantitative PCR was used to detect HIF­1α mRNA expression levels in the lungs of patients infused with nicorandil and nitroglycerin. Nicorandil treatment was associated with higher SaO2 and PaO2 compared with nitroglycerin treatment in OLV. The levels of MDA and TNF­α in the operated lung of the nicorandil group were significantly lower compared with those in the control group. In addition, nicorandil was associated with higher SOD activity compared with nitroglycerin. The nicorandil­treated lung, similar to the sham group, exhibited improved microstructure and less apoptosis in the experimental group. The protein expression levels of PI3K, phosphorylated Akt and HIF­1α were significantly increased, whereas NF­κB was significantly decreased in the nicorandil­treated lung compared with the control group. Overall, nicorandil demonstrated beneficial effects by decreasing apoptosis in the operated lung, which was collapsed and then re­expanded during OLV in thoracic surgery anesthesia. Nicorandil may serve a vital role by decreasing the overloading of calcium in mitochondria, shutting off the mitochondrial membrane permeability transition pore, reducing the release of cytochrome c, simultaneously triggering activation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway around the cell membrane, downregulating NF­κB, upregulating HIF­1α, and then reducing Bax/Bcl­2, caspase­3 and apoptosis. The trial registration was ChiCTR­IOR­17014061 (registered on December 20, 2017).

Relationship between polymorphisms in homologous recombination repair genes RAD51 G172T、XRCC2 & XRCC3 and risk of breast cancer: A meta-analysis.

Background: Genetic variability in DNA double-strand break repair genes such as RAD51 gene and its paralogs XRCC2、XRCC3 may contribute to the occurrence and progression of breast cancer. To obtain a complete evaluation of the above association, we performed a meta-analysis of published studies. Methods: Electronic databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library, were comprehensively searched from inception to September 2022. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) checklist was used to assess all included non-randomized studies. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated by STATA 16.0 to assess the strength of the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in these genes and breast cancer risk. Subsequently, the heterogeneity between studies, sensitivity, and publication bias were performed. We downloaded data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and used univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression (CPH) models to validate the prognostic value of these related genes in the R software. Results: The combined results showed that there was a significant correlation between the G172T polymorphism and the susceptibility to breast cancer in the homozygote model (OR= 1.841, 95% CI=1.06-3.21, P=0.03). Furthermore, ethnic analysis showed that SNP was associated with the risk of breast cancer in Arab populations in homozygous models (OR=3.52, 95% CI=1.13-11.0, P= 0.003). For the XRCC2 R188H polymorphism, no significant association was observed. Regarding polymorphism in XRCC3 T241M, a significantly increased cancer risk was only observed in the allelic genetic model (OR=1.05, 95% CI= 1.00-1.11, P=0.04). Conclusions: In conclusion, this meta-analysis suggests that Rad51 G172T polymorphism is likely associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, significantly in the Arab population. The relationship between the XRCC2 R188H polymorphism and breast cancer was not obvious. And T241M in XRCC3 may be associated with breast cancer risk, especially in the Asian population.

Treatment of nanofiltration concentrate of landfill leachate using advanced oxidation processes incorporated with bioaugmentation.

Advanced oxidation processes have been broadly applied in wastewater treatment, but few studies have focused on its degradative effect on refractory organic contaminants in membrane concentrates of landfill leachate. In this study, the treatment effects of advanced oxidation processes including electrocoagulation (EC), ozone (OZ), anodic oxidation (AO) and electro-Fenton (EF) incorporated with genetically engineered nitrifying bacteria Rhodococcus erythropolis expressing Nirs and AMO (rRho-NM) on nanofiltration concentrate (NFC) of old landfill leachate were investigated in a lab-scale experiment. The results showed that advanced oxidation processes degraded the refractory organic contaminants including coagulation-resistant substances (CRS), humic acid (HA), fulvic acid (FvA), macro molecular organics (MMOs) and benzene ring compounds (BRCs) and increased the biodegradability in NFC of old landfill leachate. Compared to activated sludge (AS), rRho-NM exhibited an excellent removal performance for total organic carbon (TOC), ammonia nitrogen (NH4-N), total nitrogen (TN), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) for advanced oxidation processes-treated NFC of old landfill leachate. Advanced oxidation processes incorporated with bioaugmentation demonstrated an outstanding degradation performance for removing refractory organic contaminants, TOC, NH4-N, TN, BOD, COD and heavy metal in NFC of old landfill leachate. In addition, OZ incorporated with rRho-NM (OZ-rRho-NM) showed the optimal removal efficacy in reduction of refractory organic contaminants, TOC, NH4-N, TN, BOD and COD, the shortest hydraulic retention time (HRT) and the minimum energy consumption in NFC of landfill leachate. Furthermore, the cheapest treatment cost for NFC could be achieved by EC incorporated with rRho-NM (EC-rRho-NM). More impressively, rRho-NM remained stable in expressing Nirs and AMO genes, increased nitrification and denitrification rate, and improved MBR effluent quality in the treatment of NFC. In conclusion, this work provides new insights into the application of advanced oxidation processes incorporated with bioaugmentation using rRho-NM for the treatment of NFC of old landfill leachate.

Research Note: Application of reverse-transcription recombinase-aided amplification-lateral flow dipstick method in the detection of infectious bursal disease virus.

Infectious bursal disease (IBD) is a highly contagious viral disease caused by infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) in chickens. The consequent immunosuppression and secondary infection affect the healthy development of chicken industry. In this study, specific primers and probes were screened in the conserved region of IBDV VP2 gene sequence, and reverse transcription-recombinase-aided amplification (RT-RAA) was combined with lateral flow dipstick (LFD) for establishing RT-RAA-LFD method for detection of IBDV in chickens. The reaction conditions of RT-RAA-LFD assay were optimized, and the specificity, sensitivity, and repeatability were verified. The results showed that the RT-RAA-LFD method could amplify the IBDV target fragment at 37°C for 15 min, and the required primer and probe concentration was 1,250 nmol/L. The detection results were directly observed by the dipstick, the lowest detectable limit (LDL) for IBDV was 10 copies/µL, and there was no cross reaction with several common immunosuppressive pathogens in poultry. The total coincidence rate of sample test results between RT-RAA-LFD and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was 95.83%. Due to advantages of high sensitivity, strong specificity, easy operation, fast detection, the established RT-RAA-LFD method can provide some technical support and new solutions for local laboratory to detect IBDV.

Based on CRISPR-Cas13a system, to establish a rapid visual detection method for avian influenza viruses.

To rapidly, specifically, and sensitively detect avian influenza virus (AIV), this research established a visual detection method of recombinase-aided amplification (RAA) based on Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) and CRISPR associated proteins 13a (Cas13a) system. In this study, specific primers and CRISPR RNA (crRNA) were designed according to the conservative sequence of AIV Nucleprotein (NP) gene. RAA technology was used to amplify the target sequence, and the amplification products were visually detected by lateral flow dipstick (LFD). The specificity, sensitivity, and reproducibility of RAA-CRISPR-Cas13a-LFD were evaluated. At the same time, this method and polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-agarose electrophoresis method were used to detect clinical samples, and the coincidence rate of the two detection methods was calculated. The results showed that the RAA-CRISPR-Cas13a-LFD method could achieve specific amplification of the target gene fragments, and the detection results could be visually observed through the LFD. Meanwhile, there was no cross-reaction with infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV), and Newcastle disease virus (NDV). The sensitivity reached 100 copies/µL, which was 1,000-fold higher than that of PCR-agarose electrophoresis method. The coincidence rate of clinical tests was 98.75 %, and the total reaction time was ~1 h. The RAA-CRISPR-Cas13a-LFD method established in this study had the advantages of rapid, simple, strong specificity, and high sensitivity, which provided a new visual method for AIV detection.

Anatomical variation analysis of left upper pulmonary blood vessels and bronchi based on three-dimensional reconstruction of chest CT.

Background: With its growing popularity and potential outcome, preoperative three-dimensional reconstruction of chest computed tomography (CT) has been widely used in video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) segmentectomy for treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study aimed to summarize the experience of anatomical variation analysis of left upper pulmonary blood vessels and bronchi based on the three-dimensional reconstruction of chest CT. Materials and methods: A total of 103 patients with early-stage NSCLC were chosen to undergo VATS segmentectomy based on preoperative three-dimensional reconstruction of chest CT in our institute from September 2019 to July 2022. Data such as clinical characteristics and variations in blood vessels and bronchi were reviewed in this study. Results: The branches of the left lingular pulmonary artery may mutate into the LS1 + 2 + 3. A1 + 2 has four subtypes. The distribution of variation is relatively balanced, and the most common variation is type I (35/103, 33.9%). Most lingular arteries originate from the oblique cleft side of the lingular bronchus (79/103,76.7%). Most V(1 + 2)c* are small developments (70/103, 68.0%). The venous return of the proper segment mainly depends on V(1 + 2)b + c. The variation in the left upper lobe bronchus is complex. The most common variant is the bifurcation type (type A to G, 92/103, 89.3%) and bifurcation type A (62/103, 60.2%). The posterior apical segment artery of the left upper lobe is not accompanied by its bronchus. Conclusions: The variation types of blood vessels and bronchus in the upper lobe of the left lung are complex. Preoperative CT-based three-dimensional reconstruction of pulmonary arteries, veins, and bronchi is of great significance. It can help understand the variations, accurately locate lesions before the surgery, and effectively plan surgeries.