The prognostic value of preoperative plasma fibrinogen in Asian patients with urothelial cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: We conducted this meta-analysis to comprehensively explore the prognostic value of the preoperative plasma fibrinogen in Asian patients diagnosed with urothelial cancer (UC). Methods: After a systematic search of Web of Science, PubMed, and Embase before May 2024, we included 10 studies in our meta-analysis. The hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence interval (CI) for overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), and progression free survival (PFS) were estimated using fixed effect model. Results: This meta-analysis included a total of 2875 patients. UC patients with an elevated preoperative plasma fibrinogen had worse OS (pooled HR: 2.13, 95% CI: 1.81-2.51; P<0.001), CSS (pooled HR: 2.22, 95% CI: 1.83-2.70; P<0.001), RFS (pooled HR: 1.90, 95% CI: 1.59-2.27; P<0.001), and PFS (pooled HR: 2.12, 95% CI: 1.36-3.29, P=0.001). No significant heterogeneity or publication bias was found. Additionally, statistically significant pooled HRs were also calculated in subgroup analysis when stratified by cancer type, country, and cut-off value. Conclusions: The presence of elevated preoperative plasma fibrinogen levels is significantly correlated with unfavorable tumor outcomes in UCs.

A single-domain antibody targeting factor XII inhibits both thrombosis and inflammation.

Factor XII (FXII) is the zymogen of the plasma protease FXIIa that activates the intrinsic coagulation pathway and the kallikrein kinin-system. The role of FXII in inflammation has been obscure. Here, we report a single-domain antibody (nanobody, Nb) fused to the Fc region of a human immunoglobulin (Nb-Fc) that recognizes FXII in a conformation-dependent manner and interferes with FXIIa formation. Nb-Fc treatment inhibited arterial thrombosis in male mice without affecting hemostasis. In a mouse model of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), FXII inhibition or knockout reduced thrombus deposition on oxygenator membranes and systemic microvascular thrombi. ECMO increased circulating levels of D-dimer, alkaline phosphatase, creatinine and TNF-α and triggered microvascular neutrophil adherence, platelet aggregation and their interaction, which were substantially attenuated by FXII blockade. Both Nb-Fc treatment and FXII knockout markedly ameliorated immune complex-induced local vasculitis and anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-induced systemic vasculitis, consistent with selectively suppressed neutrophil migration. In human blood microfluidic analysis, Nb-Fc treatment prevented collagen-induced fibrin deposition and neutrophil adhesion/activation. Thus, FXII is an important mediator of inflammatory responses in vasculitis and ECMO, and Nb-Fc provides a promising approach to alleviate thrombo-inflammatory disorders.

6-Gingerol improves lipid metabolism disorders in skeletal muscle by regulating AdipoR1/AMPK signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: To delve into the precise mechanisms by which 6-gingerol ameliorates lipid metabolism disorders in skeletal muscle. METHODS: The level of triglycerides (TG) was used to evaluate lipid deposition. In skeletal muscle, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was employed to observe mitochondrial morphology. Additionally, PCR was applied to detect mitochondrial biogenesis, and levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT), glutathione, r-glutamyl cysteingl+glycine (GSH) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) were measured to assess mitochondrial oxidative stress levels. In vivo, flow cytometry and immunofluorescence assays were conducted to quantify reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP). Furthermore, the Seahorse XF assays was utilized to assess mitochondrial respiratory capacity. Fluorescence confocal microscopy and molecular docking were applied to analyze the binding of 6-gingerol and adiponectin receptor 1 (AdipoR1). The expression of AdipoR1, AMPK, PGC-1α and SIRT1 were detected by Western Blot. RESULTS: In vivo, 6-gingerol could reduce body weight in mice induced by a high-fat diet, enhance metabolic profiles in plasma, decrease lipid accumulation in skeletal muscle and liver, and elevate adiponectin levels. In skeletal muscle, it could restore mitochondrial morphology, boost mitochondrial copy number and biogenesis, and mitigate oxidative stress. In vitro, 6-gingerol may directly interact with AdipoR1 to upregulate the expression of downstream proteins p-AMPK, SIRT1, and PGC-1α, leading to a reduction in lipid deposition, a decrease in ROS production, an increase in mitochondrial membrane potential, and an enhancement of mitochondrial respiratory capacity in C2C12 myotubes. CONCLUSION: 6-Gingerol ameliorated lipid metabolism in skeletal muscle by regulating the AdipoR1/AMPK signaling pathway.

Cu/Pd-Catalyzed Tandem Carbonylative Synthesis of Ester-Containing 3,4-Dihydroquinolin-2(1H)-one Derivatives from Alkyne-Tethered α-Bromocarbonyls.

A Cu/Pd-catalyzed tandem radical cyclization and carbonylation of alkyne-tethered α-bromocarbonyls with phenols has been developed for the expedited construction of ester-containing 3,4-dihydroquinolin-2(1H)-one scaffolds. By employing benzene-1,3,5-triyl triformate (TFBen) as the CO source, the reaction proceeded smoothly to afford a series of ester-containing 3,4-dihydroquinolin-2(1H)-one derivatives in high yields. Moreover, this method could be utilized in the late-stage modifications of bioactive molecules.

Antifungal Potential and Mechanism of Bacillus velezensis HeN-7 Isolated from Tobacco Leaves on Bipolaris sorokiniana.

Wheat leaf blight caused by Bipolaris sorokiniana is a widespread fungal disease that poses a serious risk to wheat. Biological control without causing environmental pollution is one of the safest and most effective method to control plant diseases. The antagonistic bacterial strain HeN-7 (identified as Bacillus velezensis) was isolated from tobacco leaves cultivated in Henan province, China. The results of different concentrations of cell-free supernatant (CFS) from HeN-7 culture against B. sorokiniana mycelia showed that 20% HeN-7 CFS (v/v) reached the maximum inhibition rate of 96%. In the potted plants control assay, B. velezensis HeN-7 CFS exhibited remarkable biocontrol activity on the wheat infected with B. sorokiniana, the best pot control efficacy was 65% at 20% CFS. The research on the mechanism of action demonstrated that HeN-7 CFS induced the membrane lipid peroxidation in B. sorokiniana, leading to the disruption of cell membrane integrity and resulting in the leakage of cell contents; in addition, the intracellular mitochondrial membrane potential in mycelium dissipated and reactive oxygen species accumulated, thereby inhibiting the growth of B. sorokiniana. These results indicate that B. velezensis HeN-7 is a promising candidate as a biological control agent against Bipolaris sorokiniana infection.

Risk factors investigation for different outcomes between unilateral and bilateral chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps patients.

BACKGROUND: Studies involving chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) have mostly focused on bilateral cases, making unilateral CRSwNP inadequately recognized. This study examined the differences in clinical characteristics, outcomes, and risk factors for poor outcomes between unilateral and bilateral CRSwNP to facilitate a better assessment in the two groups. METHODS: Demographic information, tissue and blood cells, endoscopic scores, Lund-Mackay scores, recurrence rates, and disease control conditions were compared between 310 unilateral and 596 bilateral CRSwNP patients. Furthermore, the stepwise regression multivariate Cox proportional hazard models were performed to generate risk factors for poor outcomes in the two groups. RESULTS: Bilateral cases exhibited higher rates of smoking, AR, and asthma comorbidities, along with higher numbers of tissue eosinophils and blood inflammatory cells when compared to unilateral patients. Endoscopic nasal polyp score, total computed tomography (CT) score (with scores for each sinus cavity), and adjusted CT scores were significantly higher in the bilateral group, except for a markedly higher adjusted maxillary score in the unilateral group. Furthermore, significantly higher proportions of bilateral patients experienced nasal polyp recurrence, uncontrolled status, and most disease control-related symptoms at follow-up. The primary risk factors for poor outcomes were asthma, tissue eosinophils, and total CT score in the bilateral group and blood basophils in the unilateral group. CONCLUSIONS: Bilateral CRSwNP patients experience worse disease severity and outcomes than their unilateral counterparts. Primarily, asthma, tissue eosinophils, and total CT score were risk factors for poor outcomes in bilateral CRSwNP patients, with blood basophils in unilateral cases.

Current status of nucleic acid therapy and its new progress in cancer treatment.

Nucleic acid is an essential biopolymer in all living cells, performing the functions of storing and transmitting genetic information and synthesizing protein. In recent decades, with the progress of science and biotechnology and the continuous exploration of the functions performed by nucleic acid, more and more studies have confirmed that nucleic acid therapy for living organisms has great medical therapeutic potential. Nucleic acid drugs began to become independent therapeutic agents. As a new therapeutic method, nucleic acid therapy plays an important role in the treatment of genetic diseases, viral infections and cancers. There are currently 19 nucleic acid drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In the following review, we start from principles and advantages of nucleic acid therapy, and briefly describe development history of nucleic acid drugs. And then we give examples of various RNA therapeutic drugs, including antisense oligonucleotides (ASO), mRNA vaccines, small interfering RNA (siRNA) and microRNA (miRNA), aptamers, and small activating RNA (saRNA). In addition, we also focused on the current status of nucleic acid drugs used in cancer therapy and the breakthrough in recent years. Clinical trials of nucleic acid drugs for cancer treatment are under way, conventional radiotherapy and chemotherapy combined with the immunotherapies such as checkpoint inhibitors and nucleic acid drugs may be the main prospects for successful cancer treatment.

Inter-observer consistency on subsolid nodule follow-up recommendation based on National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines in low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) lung cancer screening.

Background: Follow-up management of pulmonary nodules is a crucial component of lung cancer screening. Consistency in follow-up recommendations is essential for effective lung cancer screening. This study aimed to assess inter-observer agreement on National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guideline-based follow-up recommendation for subsolid nodules from low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening. Methods: A retrospective collection of LDCT reports from 2014 to 2017 for lung cancer screening was conducted using the Radiology Information System and keyword searches, focusing on subsolid nodules. A total of 110 LDCT cases containing subsolid nodules were identified. Two senior radiologists provided standardized follow-up recommendation. Follow-up recommendation was categorized into four groups (0-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month). To ensure overall balance and representativeness of the follow-up categories, 60 scans from 60 participants were included (distribution ratio 1:1:2:2). Cases were categorised into follow-up recommendation groups by five observers following NCCN guidelines. Fleiss' kappa statistic was used to evaluate inter-observer agreement. Results: Overall accuracy rate for follow-up recommendation among five observers was 72.3%. Chest radiologists' overall agreement was significantly higher than radiology residents (P<0.01). The overall agreement among the five observers was moderate, with a Fleiss' kappa of 0.437. For all paired readers, the mean Cohen's kappa value was 0.603, with 95% confidence interval (CI) from 0.489 to 0.716. Chest radiologists demonstrated substantial agreement, evidenced by a Cohen's kappa of 0.655 (95% CI: 0.503-0.807). In contrast, the mean Cohen's kappa among radiology residents was 0.533 (95% CI: 0.501-0.565). The majority of cases with discrepancies, accounting for 73.5%, were associated with the same risk-dominant nodules. A higher proportion of part-solid nodule was a risk factor for discrepancies. Of the 600 paired readings, major discrepancies and substantial discrepancies were observed in 27.5% and 4.8% (29/600) of the cases. Conclusions: In subsolid nodules, category evaluation of observer follow-up recommendation based on NCCN guidelines achieved moderate consistency. Disagreements were mainly caused by measurement and type disagreements of identical risk-dominant nodules. Part-solid nodule was a contributor for discrepancies in follow-up recommendation. Major and substantial management discrepancies were 27.5% and 4.8% in the paired evaluations.

Self-Assembled Monolayer Suppresses Interfacial Reaction between NiOx and Perovskite for Efficient and Stable Inverted Inorganic Perovskite Solar Cells.

Inorganic NiOx has attracted tremendous attention in organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells (PSCs) in recent years but is relatively less used in all-inorganic PSCs. In this study, we have discovered and confirmed the detrimental interfacial reaction between NiOx and DMAI-containing CsPbI3 inorganic perovskites. Thus, a self-assembled monolayer, Br-2PACz, is employed to modify the NiOx surface to obstruct the adverse interfacial reaction and further improve the device performance. The results demonstrate that Br-2PACz modification on NiOx can also improve interface contact, perovskite film morphology, and energy level alignments. Consequently, a champion power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 19.34% with a high open-circuit voltage (VOC) of 1.15 V is obtained for inverted NiOx/Br-2PACz-based CsPbI3 PSCs compared to the reference NiOx-based PSC with a moderate PCE of 15.16% (VOC 1.05 V). Moreover, the stabilities of both CsPbI3 films and devices exhibited significant enhancement after Br-2PACz modification. The unpacked PSCs could maintain 80, 73, and 89% of the initial efficiency after aging in 30-35% RH for 960 h, heating at 60 °C for 48 h, and continuous illumination for 284 h, respectively, highly superior to the reference devices. Our work offers a facile and effective approach for developing high-performance inverted NiOx-based CsPbI3 PSCs.

ALOX5 contributes to glioma progression by promoting 5-HETE-mediated immunosuppressive M2 polarization and PD-L1 expression of glioma-associated microglia/macrophages.

BACKGROUND: Oxylipin metabolism plays an essential role in glioma progression and immune modulation in the tumor microenvironment. Lipid metabolic reprogramming has been linked to macrophage remodeling, while the understanding of oxylipins and their catalyzed enzymes lipoxygenases in the regulation of glioma-associated microglia/macrophages (GAMs) remains largely unexplored. METHODS: To explore the pathophysiological relevance of oxylipin in human glioma, we performed Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-MS/MS (UHPLC-MS/MS) analysis in human glioma and non-tumor brain tissues. To comprehensively investigate the role of arachidonate lipoxygenase 5 (ALOX5) in glioma, we performed in vivo bioluminescent imaging, immunofluorescence staining and flow cytometry analysis on tumors from orthotopic glioma-bearing mice. We developed an ALOX5-targeted nanobody, and tested its anti-glioma efficacy of combination therapy with α-programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1). RESULTS: In this study, we found that ALOX5 and its oxylipin 5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (5-HETE) are upregulated in glioma, accumulating programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1)+ M2-GAMs and orchestrating an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Mechanistically, 5-HETE derived from ALOX5-overexpressing glioma cells, promotes GAMs migration, PD-L1 expression, and M2 polarization by facilitating nuclear translocation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2. Additionally, a nanobody targeting ALOX5 is developed that markedly suppresses 5-HETE efflux from glioma cells, attenuates M2 polarization of GAMs, and consequently ameliorates glioma progression. Furthermore, the combination therapy of the ALOX5-targeted nanobody plus α-PD-1 exhibits superior anti-glioma efficacy. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings reveal a pivotal role of the ALOX5/5-HETE axis in regulating GAMs and highlight the ALOX5-targeted nanobody as a potential therapeutic agent, which could potentiate immune checkpoint therapy for glioma.

Identification of hub genes associated with neutrophils in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps.

Neutrophil infiltration plays a key role in the pathogenesis of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). However, pertinent mechanisms remain poorly elucidated. Here, we obtained the data from gene expression omnibus (GEO) and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) to identify and validate neutrophil-associated hub genes in CRSwNP. We found that four neutrophil-associated hub genes, namely ICAM1, IL-1ß, TYROBP, and BCL2A1, were markedly upregulated and positively correlated with neutrophil infiltration levels in patients with CRSwNP. Subsequently, this was confirmed by real-time quantitative PCR. In conclusion, we identified the role of neutrophil infiltration in the pathophysiology of CRSwNP, which may be the potential targets for the diagnosis and treatment of CRSwNP.

Advances in nucleic acid therapeutics: structures, delivery systems, and future perspectives in cancer treatment.

Cancer has emerged as a significant threat to human health. Nucleic acid therapeutics regulate the gene expression process by introducing exogenous nucleic acid fragments, offering new possibilities for tumor remission and even cure. Their mechanism of action and high specificity demonstrate great potential in cancer treatment. However, nucleic acid drugs face challenges such as low stability and limited ability to cross physiological barriers in vivo. To address these issues, various nucleic acid delivery vectors have been developed to enhance the stability and facilitate precise targeted delivery of nucleic acid drugs within the body. In this review article, we primarily introduce the structures and principles of nucleic acid drugs commonly used in cancer therapy, as well as their cellular uptake and intracellular transportation processes. We focus on the various vectors commonly employed in nucleic acid drug delivery, highlighting their research progress and applications in recent years. Furthermore, we propose potential trends and prospects of nucleic acid drugs and their carriers in the future.

Global diversity and ecological functions of viruses inhabiting oil reservoirs.

Oil reservoirs, being one of the significant subsurface repositories of energy and carbon, host diverse microbial communities affecting energy production and carbon emissions. Viruses play crucial roles in the ecology of microbiomes, however, their distribution and ecological significance in oil reservoirs remain undetermined. Here, we assemble a catalogue encompassing viral and prokaryotic genomes sourced from oil reservoirs. The catalogue comprises 7229 prokaryotic genomes and 3,886 viral Operational Taxonomic Units (vOTUs) from 182 oil reservoir metagenomes. The results show that viruses are widely distributed in oil reservoirs, and 85% vOTUs in oil reservoir are detected in less than 10% of the samples, highlighting the heterogeneous nature of viral communities within oil reservoirs. Through combined microcosm enrichment experiments and bioinformatics analysis, we validate the ecological roles of viruses in regulating the community structure of sulfate reducing microorganisms, primarily through a virulent lifestyle. Taken together, this study uncovers a rich diversity of viruses and their ecological functions within oil reservoirs, offering a comprehensive understanding of the role of viral communities in the biogeochemical cycles of the deep biosphere.

The BET PROTAC inhibitor GNE-987 displays anti-tumor effects by targeting super-enhancers regulated gene in osteosarcoma.

BACKGROUND: Osteosarcoma (OS) is one of the most common primary malignant tumors of bone in children, which develops from osteoblasts and typically occurs during the rapid growth phase of the bone. Recently, Super-Enhancers(SEs)have been reported to play a crucial role in osteosarcoma growth and metastasis. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify specific targeted inhibitors of SEs to assist clinical therapy. This study aimed to elucidate the role of BRD4 inhibitor GNE-987 targeting SEs in OS and preliminarily explore its mechanism. METHODS: We evaluated changes in osteosarcoma cells following treatment with a BRD4 inhibitor GNE-987. We assessed the anti-tumor effect of GNE-987 in vitro and in vivo by Western blot, CCK8, flow cytometry detection, clone formation, xenograft tumor size measurements, and Ki67 immunohistochemical staining, and combined ChIP-seq with RNA-seq techniques to find its anti-tumor mechanism. RESULTS: In this study, we found that extremely low concentrations of GNE-987(2-10 nM) significantly reduced the proliferation and survival of OS cells by degrading BRD4. In addition, we found that GNE-987 markedly induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in OS cells. Further study indicated that VHL was critical for GNE-987 to exert its antitumor effect in OS cells. Consistent with in vitro results, GNE-987 administration significantly reduced tumor size in xenograft models with minimal toxicity, and partially degraded the BRD4 protein. KRT80 was identified through analysis of the RNA-seq and ChIP-seq data. U2OS HiC analysis suggested a higher frequency of chromatin interactions near the KRT80 binding site. The enrichment of H3K27ac modification at KRT80 was significantly reduced after GNE-987 treatment. KRT80 was identified as playing an important role in OS occurrence and development. CONCLUSIONS: This research revealed that GNE-987 selectively degraded BRD4 and disrupted the transcriptional regulation of oncogenes in OS. GNE-987 has the potential to affect KRT80 against OS.

Impact of corticosteroids on initiation and half-year durability of humoral response in COVID-19 survivors.

Background: The impact of corticosteroids on humoral responses in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) survivors during the acute phase and subsequent 6-month period remains unknown. This study aimed to determine how the use of corticosteroids influences the initiation and duration of humoral responses in COVID-19 survivors 6 months after infection onset. Methods: We used kinetic antibody data from the lopinavir-ritonavir trial conducted at Jin Yin-Tan Hospital in January 2020, which involved adults hospitalized with severe COVID-19 (LOTUS, ChiCTR2000029308). Antibody samples were collected from 192 patients during hospitalization, and kinetic antibodies were monitored at all available time points after recruitment. Additionally, plasma samples were collected from 101 COVID-19 survivors for comprehensive humoral immune measurement at the half-year follow-up visit. The main focus was comparing the humoral responses between patients treated with systemic corticosteroid therapy and the non-corticosteroid group. Results: From illness onset to day 30, the median antibody titre areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUCs) of nucleoprotein (N), spike protein (S), and receptor-binding domain (RBD) immunoglobulin G (IgG) were significantly lower in the corticosteroids group. The AUCs of N-, S-, and RBD-IgM as well as neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) were numerically lower in the corticosteroids group compared with the non-corticosteroid group. However, peak titres of N, S, RBD-IgM and -IgG and NAbs were not influenced by corticosteroids. During 6-month follow-up, we observed a delayed decline for most binding antibodies, except N-IgM (ß -0.05, 95% CI [-0.10, 0.00]) in the corticosteroids group, though not reaching statistical significance. No significant difference was observed for NAbs. However, for the half-year seropositive rate, corticosteroids significantly accelerated the decay of IgA and IgM but made no difference to N-, S-, and RBD-IgG or NAbs. Additionally, corticosteroids group showed a trend towards delayed viral clearance compared with the non-corticosteroid group, but the results were not statistically significant (adjusted hazard ratio 0.71, 95% CI 0.50-1.00; P = 0.0508). Conclusion: Our findings suggested that corticosteroid therapy was associated with impaired initiation of the antibody response but this did not compromise the peak titres of binding and neutralizing antibodies. Throughout the decay phase, from the acute phase to the half-year follow-up visit, short-term and low-dose corticosteroids did not significantly affect humoral responses, except for accelerating the waning of short-lived antibodies.

Radiological Features of Primary Pulmonary Invasive Mucinous Adenocarcinoma Based on 312 Consecutive Patients.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to investigate the radiological features of primary pulmonary invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma (IMA) in a relatively large population to help improve its further understanding and its accuracy of initial diagnosis. METHODS: This retrospective study included consecutive patients with pathologically confirmed primary pulmonary IMA from January 2019 to December 2021. According to tumor morphology, IMAs were divided into regular nodule/mass, irregular, and large consolidative types. According to tumor density, IMAs were divided into solid, halo, part-solid, pure ground-glass, and cystic types. ANOVA, chi-square, or Fisher exact tests were used to analyze the differences in radiological and clinicopathological characteristics of IMA according to morphological and density subtypes. RESULTS: We analyzed 312 patients. Pulmonary IMA tended to occur in the elderly, with a slightly higher number of women than men. IMA showed a predominance in the lower lobe and adjacent to pleura. IMA of regular nodule/mass, irregular, and large consolidative types accounted for 80.8% (252/312), 13.8% (43/312), and 5.4% (17/312), respectively. Solid, halo, part-solid, pure ground-glass, and cystic IMAs accounted for 55.8% (174/312), 28.2% (88/312), 11.2% (35/312), 1.3% (4/312), and 3.5% (11/312), respectively. The lobulated (76.9%), spiculated (63.5%), and air bronchogram (56.7%) signs were common in IMA. Dead branch sign (88.2%), angiogram sign (88.2%), and satellite nodules/skipping lesions (47.1%) were common in large-consolidative-type IMA. Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene mutations were common (56.1%), whereas epidermal growth factor receptor mutations were relatively rare (2.3%). CONCLUSIONS: Pulmonary IMA of regular nodule/mass type and solid type were the most common at the initial diagnosis. Detailed radiological features can aid in the differential diagnosis of IMA.

Mapping and Characterization of Local Structures of CsPbBr3.

Inorganic perovskite CsPbBr3 is a promising material for optoelectronic applications and high-energy radiation detection due to its excellent photophysical properties, high carrier mobility, large carrier diffusion length, and higher stability than organic perovskite materials. Understanding phase transitions at the atomic level is crucial for optimizing its applications. Here, we employ experimental characterizations and molecular dynamics simulations to study the phase transitions in CsPbBr3 as a function of temperature. The simulation results are compared with the experimental results, which include X-ray diffraction (XRD). Our simulations provide new insights into the electronic structure and dynamic behavior of the Cs, Pb, and Br atoms as a function of temperature. We observe distinct phase transitions from monoclinic to cubic and analyze the associated changes in the local environment through atomic density contour maps. Our analysis of the atomic density distributions of the Pb, Br, and Cs atoms provides information about the crystal symmetry as a function of temperature. The tilt and rotation angles of [PbBr6] octahedra are increasing with the temperature increase and are found nonzero above 410 K when the structure is cubic, exhibiting the presence of dynamic tilting. Overall, our findings shed light on the thermal stability and structural dynamics of CsPbBr3, contribute to the fundamental understanding of its phase behavior, and provide a crucial pivot for guiding the design of next-generation optoelectronic and radiation detection devices.

A prediction model based on computed tomography characteristics for identifying malignant from benign sub-centimeter solid pulmonary nodules.

Background: Distinguishing benign from malignant sub-centimeter solid pulmonary nodules (SSPNs) continues to be challenging in clinical practice. Earlier diagnosis is crucial for improving patient survival and prognosis. This study aimed to investigate the risk factors of malignant SSPNs and establish and validate a prediction model based on computed tomography (CT) characteristics to assist in their early diagnosis. Methods: A total of 261 consecutive participants with 261 SSPNs were retrospectively recruited between January 2012 and July 2023 from National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College (Center 1), including 161 malignant lesions and 100 benign lesions. Patients were randomly assigned to the training set (n=183) and validation set (n=78) according to a 7:3 ratio. Malignant nodules were confirmed by pathology; and benign nodules were confirmed by follow-up or pathology. Clinical data and CT features were collected to estimate the independent predictors of malignancy of SSPN with multivariate logistic analysis. A clinical prediction model was subsequently established by logistic regression. Furthermore, an additional 69 consecutive patients with 69 SSPNs from The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University (Center 2) between January 2022 and December 2022 were retrospectively included as an external cohort to validate the predictive efficacy of the model. The performance of the prediction model was assessed by sensitivity, specificity, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. Results: There were 113 (61.7%), 48 (61.5%) and 28 (40.6%) malignant SSPNs in the training, internal and external validation sets, respectively. Multivariate logistic analysis revealed four independent predictors of malignant SSPNs: tumor-lung interface (P=0.002), spiculation (P=0.04), air bronchogram (P=0.047), and invisible at the mediastinal window (P=0.003). The area under the curve (AUC) for the prediction model in the training set was 0.875 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.818, 0.933]; and the sensitivity and specificity were 94.7% and 68.6%, respectively. The AUCs in the internal and external validation set were (0.781; 95% CI: 0.664, 0.897) and (0.873; 95% CI: 0.791, 0.955), respectively; the sensitivity and specificity were 66.7% and 83.3% for the internal validation data, and 100.0% and 61.0% for the external validation data, respectively. Conclusions: The prediction model based on CT characteristics could be helpful for distinguishing malignant SSPNs from benign ones.

Observation of spectral splitting of whispering-gallery modes in asymmetrical photonic molecules.

This Letter investigates mode splitting via whispering gallery modes (WGMs) in asymmetrical photonic molecules (PMs) composed of size-mismatched dual microspheres fabricated from fused silica. The characteristics of asymmetrical PMs were analyzed both numerically and experimentally, focusing specifically on the separation and intensity differences of splitting peaks. The splitting spectra exhibited a redshift, and the separation of two splitting peaks reached a maximum in symmetrical PMs, with a minimal difference in intensity also observed. It was noted that the splitting peaks shifted in opposite directions for the same PMs when coupling points with the tapered fibers were varied. This phenomenon can be applied to select similarly sized microparticles and to recognize PMs in optical devices.