Integrating water quality data with a Bayesian network model to improve spatial and temporal phosphorus attribution: Application to the Maumee River Basin.

Surface water nutrient pollution, the primary cause of eutrophication, remains a major environmental concern in Western Lake Erie despite intergovernmental efforts to regulate nutrient sources. The Maumee River Basin has been the largest nutrient contributor. The two primary nutrient sources are inorganic fertilizer and livestock manure applied to croplands, which are later carried to the streams via runoff and soil erosion. Prior studies of nutrient source attribution have focused on large watersheds or counties at annual time scales. Source attribution at finer spatiotemporal scales, which enables more effective nutrient management, remains a substantial challenge. This study aims to address this challenge by developing a generalizable Bayesian network model for phosphorus source attribution at the subwatershed scale (12-digit Hydrologic Unit Code). Since phosphorus release is uncertain, we combine excess phosphorus derived from manure and fertilizer application and crop uptake data, flow information simulated by the SWAT model, and in-stream water quality measurements using Approximate Bayesian Computation to derive a posterior that attributes phosphorus contributions to subwatersheds. Our results show significant variability in subwatershed-scale phosphorus release that is lost in coarse-scale attribution. Phosphorus contributions attributed to the subwatersheds are on average lower than the excess phosphorus estimated by the nutrient balance approach currently adopted by environmental agencies. Fertilizer contributes more soluble reactive phosphorus than manure, while manure contributes most of the unreactive phosphorus. While developed for the specific context of Maumee River Basin, our lightweight and generalizable model framework could be adapted to other regions and pollutants and could help inform targeted environmental regulation and enforcement.

Near-Field Probing of Microwave Oscillators with Josephson Microscopy.

Voltage-controlled oscillators, serving as fundamental components in semiconductor chips, find extensive applications in diverse modules such as phase-locked loops, clock generators, and frequency synthesizers within high-frequency integrated circuits. This study marks the first implementation of superconducting Josephson probe microscopy for near-field microwave detection on multiple voltage-controlled oscillators. Focusing on spectrum tracking, various phenomena, such as stray spectra and frequency drifts, were found under nonsteady operating states. Parasitic electromagnetic fields, originating from power supply lines and frequency divider circuits, were identified as sources of interference between units. The investigation further determined optimal working states by analyzing features of the microwave distributions. Our research not only provides insights into the optimization of circuit design and performance enhancement in oscillators but also emphasizes the significance of nondestructive near-field microwave microscopy as a pivotal tool in characterizing integrated millimeter-wave chips.

Phase II Study of Erdafitinib in Patients With Tumors With Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor Mutations or Fusions: Results From the NCI-MATCH ECOG-ACRIN Trial (EAY131) Subprotocol K2.

PURPOSE: Subprotocol K2 (EAY131-K2) of the NCI-MATCH platform trial was an open-label, single-arm, phase II study designed to evaluate the antitumor efficacy of the oral FGFR1-4 inhibitor, erdafitinib, in patients with tumors harboring FGFR1-4 mutations or fusions. METHODS: Central confirmation of tumor FGFR1-4 mutations or fusions was required for outcome analysis. Patients with urothelial carcinoma were excluded. Enrolled subjects received oral erdafitinib at a starting dose of 8 mg daily continuously until intolerable toxicity or disease progression. The primary end point was objective response rate (ORR) with key secondary end points of safety, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: Thirty-five patients were enrolled, and 25 patients were included in the primary efficacy analysis as prespecified in the protocol. The median age was 61 years, and 52% of subjects had received ≥3 previous lines of therapy. The confirmed ORR was 16% (4 of 25 [90% CI, 5.7 to 33.0], P = .034 against the null rate of 5%). An additional seven patients experienced stable disease as best-confirmed response. Four patients had a prolonged PFS including two with recurrent WHO grade IV, IDH1-/2-wildtype glioblastoma. The median PFS and OS were 3.6 months and 11.0 months, respectively. Erdafitinib was manageable with no new safety signals. CONCLUSION: This study met its primary end point in patients with several pretreated solid tumor types harboring FGFR1-3 mutations or fusions. These findings support advancement of erdafitinib for patients with fibroblast growth factor receptor-altered tumors outside of currently approved indications in a potentially tumor-agnostic manner.

Phase II Study of Erdafitinib in Patients With Tumors With FGFR Amplifications: Results From the NCI-MATCH ECOG-ACRIN Trial (EAY131) Subprotocol K1.

PURPOSE: Despite fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) inhibitors being approved in tumor types with select FGFR rearrangements or gene mutations, amplifications of FGFR represent the most common FGFR alteration across malignancies. Subprotocol K1 (EAY131-K1) of the National Cancer Institute-MATCH platform trial was designed to evaluate the antitumor efficacy of the oral FGFR1-4 inhibitor, erdafitinib, in patients with tumors harboring FGFR1-4 amplification. METHODS: EAY131-K1 was an open-label, single-arm, phase II study with central confirmation of presence of FGFR1-4 amplification in tumors. Patients with urothelial carcinoma were excluded. Enrolled patients received oral erdafitinib at a starting dose of 8 mg once daily continuously with escalation to 9 mg once daily continuously, on the basis of predefined time point assessments of phosphate levels, until disease progression or intolerable toxicity. The primary end point was centrally assessed objective response rate (ORR), with key secondary end points being 6-month progression-free survival (PFS6), PFS, overall survival (OS), and safety. RESULTS: Thirty-five patients were enrolled into this study with 18 included in the prespecified primary efficacy analysis. The median age of the 18 patients was 60 years, and 78% had received ≥3 previous lines of therapy. There were no confirmed responses to erdafitinib; however, five patients experienced stable disease (SD) as best response. One patient with an FGFR1-amplified breast cancer had a prolonged PFS >168 days (5.5 months). The median PFS was 1.7 months (90% CI, 1.1 to 1.8 months) and the median OS was 4.2 months (90% CI, 2.3 to 9.3 months). The estimated PFS6 rate was 13.8% (90% CI, 3.3 to 31.6). The majority of toxicities were grade 1 to 2 in nature, although there was one grade 5 treatment-related adverse event. CONCLUSION: Erdafitinib did not meet its primary end point of efficacy as determined by ORR in treatment-refractory solid tumors harboring FGFR1-4 amplifications. Our findings support that rearrangements and gene mutations, but not amplifications, of FGFR remain the established FGFR alterations with approved indications for FGFR inhibition.

Temporal network of experience sampling methodology identifies sleep disturbance as a central symptom in generalized anxiety disorder.

BACKGROUND: A temporal network of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) symptoms could provide valuable understanding of the occurrence and maintenance of GAD. We aim to obtain an exploratory conceptualization of temporal GAD network and identify the central symptom. METHODS: A sample of participants (n = 115) with elevated GAD-7 scores (Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item Questionnaire [GAD-7] ≥ 10) participated in an online daily diary study in which they reported their GAD symptoms based on DSM-5 diagnostic criteria (eight symptoms in total) for 50 consecutive days. We used a multilevel VAR model to obtain the temporal network. RESULTS: In temporal network, a lot of lagged relationships exist among GAD symptoms and these lagged relationships are all positive. All symptoms have autocorrelations and there are also some interesting feedback loops in temporal network. Sleep disturbance has the highest Out-strength centrality. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates how GAD symptoms interact with each other and strengthen themselves over time, and particularly highlights the relationships between sleep disturbance and other GAD symptoms. Sleep disturbance may play an important role in the dynamic development and maintenance process of GAD. The present study may develop the knowledge of the theoretical model, diagnosis, prevention and intervention of GAD from a temporal symptoms network perspective.

Resistance role of Lactobacillus sp. and Lactococcus sp. to copper ions in healthy children's intestinal microorganisms.

Heavy metal exposure is closely associated with gut microbe function and tolerance. However, intestinal microbe responses in children to different copper ion (Cu2+) concentrations have not yet been clarified. Here, in vitro cultivation systems were established for fecal microbe control and Cu2+-treated groups in healthy children. 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing, meta-transcriptomics and metabolomics were used here to identify toxicity resistance mechanisms at microbiome levels. The results showed that Lactobacillus sp. and Lactococcus sp. exerted protective effects against Cu2+ toxicity, but these effects were limited by Cu2+ concentration. When the Cu2+ concentration was ≥ 4 mg/L, the abundance of Lactobacillus sp. and Lactococcus sp. significantly decreased, and the pathways of antioxidant activity and detoxification processes were enriched at 2 mg/L Cu2+, and beneficial metabolites accumulated. However, at high concentrations of Cu2+ (≥4 mg/L), the abundance of potential pathogen increased, and was accompanied by a downregulation of genes in metabolism and detoxification pathways, which meant that the balance of gut microbiota was disrupted and toxicity resistance decreased. From these observations, we identified some probiotics that are tolerant to heavy metal Cu2+, and warn that only when the concentration limit of Cu2+ in food is 2 mg/L, then a balanced gut microbiota can be guaranteed in children, thereby providing protection for their health.

Resource recovery of high value-added products from wastewater: Current status and prospects.

Wastewater resource recovery not only allows the extraction of value-added products and offsets the operational costs of wastewater treatment, but it is also conducive to alleviating adverse environmental issues due to energy and chemical inputs and associated emissions. A number of attractive compounds such as alginate-like polymers, struvite, polyhydroxyalkanoates, and sulfated polysaccharides, were found and successfully obtained from wastewater and have a wide range of application prospects. The aim of this work is to provide a comprehensive review of recent advances in recovery of these popular products from wastewater, and their physicochemical properties, main sources, and current recovery status are summarized. Various factors influencing the recovery performance of these materials are thoroughly discussed. Moreover, the research needs and future directions towards wastewater resource recovery are highlighted. This study can provide valuable insights for future research endeavors aiming to improve wastewater resource recovery through the retrieval of high value-added products.

Side effects of X-ray irradiation on flight ability of Cydia pomonella moth.

BACKGROUND: The sterile insect technique (SIT) has proven to be an effective approach in managing the population of major invasive pests. Our previous studies showed that irradiation of Cydia pomonella males at a dosage of 366 Gy X-rays resulted in complete sterility. However, the mating competitiveness of sterilized males is significantly compromised, which can be attributed to a decline in their ability to fly. RESULTS: In this study, we examined the flight patterns of both male and female adults of C. pomonella. The results revealed significant variations in the average flight speed of both genders at different stages of maturity, with females displaying longer flight duration and covering greater distances. Effect of irradiation on the flight performance of 3-day-old male moths was further evaluated, as they demonstrated the longest flight distance. The findings indicated a significant decrease in flight distance, duration, and average speed, due to wing deformities caused by irradiation, which also limited the dispersal distance of moths in orchards, as indicated by the mark-and-recapture assay. Reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed a down-regulation of flight-related genes such as Flightin, myosin heavy chain, and Distal-less following radiation exposure. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate that X-ray irradiation at a radiation dose of 366 Gy has a detrimental effect on the flight ability of male C. pomonella adults. These insights not only contribute to a better understanding of how radiation sterilization diminishes the mating competitiveness of male moths, but also aid in the development and improvement of SIT practices for the effective control of C. pomonella. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Sexual Health Assessment in Women with Lung Cancer study: Sexual health assessment in women with lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Sexual health is understudied and underreported in patients with lung cancer, and most data precede the approval of widely used targeted therapies and immune checkpoint inhibitors. The authors sought to evaluate the prevalence of sexual dysfunction in women with lung cancer in our current clinical environment. METHODS: This cross-sectional survey study was administered online to 249 women via the GO2 for Lung Cancer (GO2) Registry, using the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Sexual Function and Satisfaction Measures questionnaire. Participants were recruited between June 2020 to June 2021. Eligibility criteria included age >18 years, self-identifying as a woman, fluency in English, and a lung cancer diagnosis within 10 years. RESULTS: Most (67%) had stage IV lung cancer and 47% were receiving targeted therapy; 66% were undergoing active treatment. Despite 54% of participants reporting "recent" sexual activity, most (77%) indicated having little to no interest in sexual activity and 48% reported recent minimal satisfaction with their sex life. The most common reasons negatively affecting participants' satisfaction with their sex life included fatigue (40%) and feeling sad/unhappy (28%). Common reasons for lack of recent sexual activity included lack of interest (68%) and vaginal dryness or pain (30%). Compared to pre-diagnosis, women were significantly less likely to have recent interest in sexual activity. In multivariable logistic-regression, vaginal dryness showed a significant negative association with recent interest in sexual activity. CONCLUSIONS: Sexual dysfunction is prevalent in women with lung cancer. Sexual health should be integrated into routine care for patients with lung cancer.

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy disclosure causes anxiety in patients with epilepsy: a Chinese questionnaire survey.

Background and objective: Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) has been regarded as a leading cause of premature death in patients with epilepsy (PWE). Although patients, relatives and caregivers have the right to be informed of SUDEP, neurologists prefer not to release the facts for fear of associated anxiety. In the study, a Chinese questionnaire survey was carried out to elucidate effect of SUDEP disclosure on anxiety in PWE and variables determining the anxiety of patients and provided suggestions for SUDEP disclosure. Methods: A survey study in China was conducted. We recruited 305 PWE from 3 tertiary epilepsy centers who attended outpatient clinic from December 2021 to February 2022. Two hundred and thirty-two PWE completed the screening evaluation, survey and Hamilton anxiety rating scale (HAMA) twice with 171 PWE completing third HAMA at follow-up. HAMA scores at baseline, T1, T2 were compared using analysis of variance and dependent samples t-test. The variables related to anxiety were screened out by univariate analysis and used for multivariate logistic regression. Result: We found 127 (54.7%) among the 232 participants experienced anxiety after SUDEP disclosure. HAMA scores at T1 were significantly higher than at baseline and T2, while there was no statistical difference between baseline and T2. Medical insurance, seizure severity, and whether the PWE supported SUDEP being disclosed to their relatives and caregivers only were associated with the occurrence of anxiety. Conclusion: SUDEP disclosures may cause short-term acute anxiety, but have no long-term effects in PWE. Acute anxiety caused by SUDEP disclosure may be more common in PWE with NCMI and severe seizures. Meanwhile, compared with indirect SUDEP disclosure to their relatives and caregivers, direct SUDEP disclosure to PWE reduces the risk of anxiety. Recommendations are provided to avoid anxiety caused by SUDEP disclosure.

Parent Penalty: Parental Leave Experiences of Trainees and Early-Career Faculty in Oncology Subspecialties.

PURPOSE: Prime childbearing years occur during medical training and early career, leaving physicians with tough choices between family planning and career growth. Restrictive workplace parental leave (PL) policies may negatively affect physician well-being. We evaluate existing PL and lactation policies, as well as return-to-work experiences, among oncology trainees and early-career faculty. METHODS: An anonymous 43-question cross-sectional survey was distributed via e-mail and social media channels between May and June 2021 to oncology trainees and physicians within 5 years of terminal training in the United States. The survey was administered through SurveyMonkey. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data. Two hundred seventy-five participants were recruited via social media and outreach to program directors and coordinators in adult hematology/oncology and radiation oncology program directors. RESULTS: The average duration of PL was <6 weeks for most participants. Among those who used PL, 50% felt pressured to work while on PL, 60% felt guilty asking coworkers for help, and 79% were overwhelmed with demands of work and home, whereas only 27% had resources available at workplace to assist with transition back to work. Among those who breastfed at return to work, 31% did not have access to a lactation room, 56% did not have adequate pumping breaks, and 66% did not have pumping breaks mandated in contract. CONCLUSION: Our findings underline the immense magnitude of problems surrounding inadequate PL and support for lactating mothers among trainees and early-career physicians in oncology subspecialities. Policies and practices around PL and lactation should be restructured to meet the needs of the evolving oncology workforce.

Echocardiographic evaluation of cardiac reserve to detect subtle cardiac dysfunction in mice.

AIMS: Cardiac reserve is a sensitive tool for early detection of cardiac dysfunction. However, cardiac reserve assessment by catecholamine stress echocardiography in mice varied in the doses of ß-adrenergic agonists and the time point for measurements, which may lead to inaccurate readouts. This study aims to establish a standardized protocol for assessing cardiac reserve in mice. MAIN METHODS: C57BL/6J mice under isoflurane anesthesia were intraperitoneally injected with varying doses of isoproterenol (Iso), and subjected to echocardiographic measurements. KEY FINDINGS: Heart rate (HR), ejection fraction (EF), fractional shortening (FS), global longitudinal strain (GLS) and strain rate all reached peak values within 1-3 min after Iso injection at doses higher than 0.2 mg/kg. Compared with 0.1 mg/kg Iso, 0.2 mg/kg Iso resulted in higher HR, EF, FS and GLS, whereas doses higher than 0.2 mg/kg did not yield further increase. Cardiac response of female mice recapitulated main characteristics of those of male mice except that female mice displayed higher maximum HR and were more sensitive to higher doses of Iso. Furthermore, the advantages of present stress protocol over conventional baseline echocardiographic measurements were verified in comparisons of exercised vs. sedentary and aged vs. young mice for cardiac function evaluation. SIGNIFICANCE: We developed a reproducible and sensitive approach to evaluate cardiac reserve by continuously monitoring cardiac function every minute for 3 min after 0.2 mg/kg Iso injection. This approach will enable detection of subtle cardiac dysfunction and accelerate innovative research in cardiac pathophysiology.

Prevalence and Risk Factors for Cervical Adjacent Segment Disease and Analysis of the Clinical Effect of Revision Surgery: A Minimum of 5 Years' Follow-Up.

STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective study was performed. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence and risk factors for adjacent segment disease (ASD) after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) and the clinical efficacy of revision surgery. METHOD: A total of 219 patients treated with ACDF were analyzed retrospectively. Demographic characteristics, including age, sex, body mass index (BMI) and bone mineral density (BMD), and radiographic measurements, including C2-C7 cervical sagittal vertical axis (cSVA), T1 slope (T1S), thoracic inlet angle (TIA) and C2-C7 Cobb angle, were analyzed. Modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association (mJOA) score and visual analog scale (VAS) score were used to evaluate patient function. Parameters were analyzed with Student's t test, and potential risk factors for ASD were further analyzed with multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The incidence of ASD after ACDF surgeries was 21%. The severity of osteoporosis, BMI and C2-C7 cSVA were significantly higher in the ASD group than in the NASD group (P < .05). The preoperative and postoperative TIAs were lower in the ASD group (P < .05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that a high BMI, severe osteoporosis and a high C2-C7 cSVA were risk factors for ASD after ACDF (P < .05). The postoperative TIA and postoperative T1S were also correlated with ASD (P < .05). CONCLUSION: Patients with a high BMI, severe osteoporosis, and a large C2-C7 cSVA after ACDF have a higher risk of ASD, while a large T1S and TIA may be protective factors. In addition, revision surgery can restore cervical spine balance in patients with ASD and promote better clinical outcomes.

Red Blood Cell Lysis Pretreatment Can Significantly Improve the Yield of Treponema pallidum DNA from Blood.

PCR can be a supplement to Treponema serological testing. However, its sensitivity is not satisfactory for blood sample testing. The aim of this study was to investigate whether pretreatment with red blood cell (RBC) lysis could enhance the yield of Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum DNA extraction from blood. We developed and verified the efficacy of a quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay that utilizes TaqMan technology to specifically detect T. pallidum DNA by targeting the polA gene. Simulation media with 106 to 100 treponemes/mL were prepared in normal saline (NS), whole blood, plasma, and serum, and RBC lysis pretreatment was performed on a portion of whole blood. Then, blood samples drawn from 50 syphilitic rabbits were divided in parallel into five groups, labeled whole blood, whole blood/lysed RBCs, plasma, serum, and blood cells/lysed RBCs. DNA extraction and qPCR detection were performed. The detection rate and copy number were compared among different groups. The polA assay showed good linearity and an excellent amplification efficiency of 102%. In the simulated blood samples, the detection limit of the polA assay reached 1 × 102 treponemes/mL in whole blood/lysed RBCs, plasma, and serum. However, the detection limit was only 1 × 104 treponemes/mL in NS and whole blood. Among the blood samples from syphilitic rabbits, whole blood/lysed RBCs showed the best detection rate (82.0%), while the detection rate for whole blood was only 6%. The copy number of whole blood/lysed RBCs was higher than that of whole blood. RBC lysis pretreatment can significantly improve the yield of T. pallidum DNA from whole blood, and the yield is better than that from whole blood, plasma, serum, and blood cells/lysed RBCs. IMPORTANCE Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by T. pallidum that can spread into the blood. T. pallidum DNA can be detected in blood by PCR but with low sensitivity. Few studies have applied RBC lysis pretreatment to blood T. pallidum DNA extraction. This study shows that the detection limit, detection rate, and copy number of whole blood/lysed RBCs were better than those of whole blood, plasma, and serum. After RBC lysis pretreatment, the yield of low concentrations of T. pallidum DNA was improved, and the low sensitivity of blood-based T. pallidum PCR was improved. Therefore, whole blood/lysed RBCs are the ideal sample for acquiring blood T. pallidum DNA.

Using machine learning approach to predict depression and anxiety among patients with epilepsy in China: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Anxiety and depression are the most prevalent comorbidities among epilepsy patients. The screen and diagnosis of anxiety and depression are quite important for the management of patients with epilepsy. In that case, the method for accurately predicting anxiety and depression needs to be further explored. METHODS: A total of 480 patients with epilepsy (PWE) were enrolled in our study. Anxiety and Depressive symptoms were evaluated. Six machine learning models were used to predict anxiety and depression in patients with epilepsy. Receiver operating curve (ROC), decision curve analysis (DCA) and moDel Agnostic Language for Exploration and eXplanation (DALEX) package were used to evaluate the accuracy of machine learning models. RESULTS: For anxiety, the area under the ROC curve was not significantly different between models. DCA revealed that random forest and multilayer perceptron has the largest net benefit within different probability threshold. DALEX revealed that random forest and multilayer perceptron were models with best performance and stigma had the highest feature importance. For depression, the results were much the same. CONCLUSIONS: Methods created in this study may offer much help identifying PWE with high risk of anxiety and depression. The decision support system may be valuable for the everyday management of PWE. Further study is needed to test the outcome of applying this system to clinical settings.

Tumor Volume Nadir in Patients With ALK-Rearranged Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Treated With Alectinib.

PURPOSE: Patients with oncogene-driven advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with effective targeted therapy demonstrate characteristic tumor volume dynamics with initial response, nadir, and subsequent regrowth. This study investigated tumor volume nadir and time to nadir in patients with ALK-rearranged advanced NSCLC treated with alectinib. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In patients with advanced ALK-rearranged NSCLC treated with alectinib monotherapy, tumor volume dynamics were evaluated on serial computed tomography (CT) scans using a previously validated CT tumor measurement technique. A linear regression model was built to predict tumor volume nadir. Time-to-event analyses were performed to evaluate time to nadir. RESULTS: Among 45 patients who experienced initial volume decrease, 37 patients (25 with tumor regrowth and 12 without regrowth but >6 months follow-up) were studied for nadir volume (Vp). The linear model to predict tumor volume nadir was built using the baseline tumor volume (V0): V0-Vp = .696 × V0 + 5,326 (P < 2 × 10-16; adjusted R2 = 0.86). The percent volume changes at nadir (median, -90.9%, mean, -85.3%) showed larger decrease in patients who were treated with alectinib as first-line therapy than in the ≥2nd-line group and were independent of V0 and clinical variables. Time to nadir had a median of 11.5 months and was longer in the first-line group (P = .04). CONCLUSION: The tumor nadir volume in patients with ALK-rearranged advanced NSCLC treated with alectinib can be predicted by the liner regression model and consists of approximately 30% of the baseline volume minus 5 cm3, providing additional insights into precision therapy monitoring and potential guides for local ablative therapy to prolong disease control.

Development and Evaluation of a Novel One-Step RT-qPCR Targeting the Vero Gene for the Identification of False-Positive Results Caused by Inactivated Virus Vaccine Contamination.

To identify false-positive SARS-CoV-2 test results caused by novel coronavirus inactivated vaccine contamination, a novel RT-qPCR targeting the ORF1ab and N genes of SARS-CoV-2 and Vero gene was developed. The amplification efficiency, precision, and lower limit of detection (LLOD) of the RT-qPCR assay were determined. A total of 346 clinical samples and 132 environmental samples were assessed, and the diagnostic performance was evaluated. The results showed that the amplification efficiency of the ORF1ab, N, and Vero genes was 95%, 97%, and 93%, respectively. The coefficients of variation of Ct values at a concentration of 3 × 104 copies/mL were lower than 5%. The LLOD for the ORF1ab, N, and Vero genes reached 8.0, 3.3, and 8.2 copies/reaction, respectively. For the 346 clinical samples, our RT-qPCR assay identified SARS-CoV-2-positive and SARS-CoV-2-negative samples with a sensitivity of 100.00% and a specificity of 99.30% and novel coronavirus inactivated vaccine-contaminated samples with a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 100%. For the environmental samples, our RT-qPCR assay identified novel coronavirus inactivated vaccine-contaminated samples with a sensitivity of 88.06% and a specificity of 95.38%. In conclusion, the RT-qPCR assay we established can be used to diagnose COVID-19 and, to a certain extent, false-positive results due to vaccine contamination.

Low-carbon economic growth in Chinese cities: a case study in Shenzhen city.

Low-carbon economic growth in cities is important for reduction of carbon emissions in China. As the best practice city in China, Shenzhen city has experienced rapid economic growth with low carbon emissions. The study aims to evaluate the performance of Chinese cities on low-carbon economic growth through the case study of Shenzhen city. The study carries out the Tapio decoupling model for analyzing decoupling state, and uses the Kaya-Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index decomposition model to determine the main driving factors of carbon emissions in Shenzhen. Results indicate that Shenzhen has greatly decoupled carbon emissions with economic growth. The analysis of driving factors of carbon emission shows that the declining energy intensity and the upgrading industrial structure effectively hamper the increase of carbon emissions in Shenzhen. The decline in energy intensity in Shenzhen may come from an improvement of production efficiency of the industries. However, the irrational energy consumption structure, fast-growing economic output, and industry scale are hampering the low carbon emissions of Shenzhen. All estimated industries are highly dependent on coal and oil although some industries have slightly increased their proportion of clean energy consumption. Pursuing more clean energy consumption in the industry will be a key development strategy for reducing emissions in the future. Moreover, as Shenzhen is a fast-growing city, the increasing economic output and industry scale are inevitable. Changing people's way of living could also help in reducing carbon emissions in cities.

Potential clinical utility of liquid biopsy in early-stage non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Liquid biopsy has been widely researched for early diagnosis, prognostication and disease monitoring in lung cancer, but there is a need to investigate its clinical utility for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: We performed a meta-analysis and systematic review to evaluate diagnostic and prognostic values of liquid biopsy for early-stage NSCLC, regarding the common biomarkers, circulating tumor cells, circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), methylation signatures, and microRNAs. Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE databases, ClinicalTrials.gov, and reference lists were searched for eligible studies since inception to 17 May 2022. Sensitivity, specificity and area under the curve (AUC) were assessed for diagnostic values. Hazard ratio (HR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was extracted from the recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) plots for prognostic analysis. Also, potential predictive values and treatment response evaluation were further investigated. RESULTS: In this meta-analysis, there were 34 studies eligible for diagnostic assessment and 21 for prognostic analysis. The estimated diagnostic values of biomarkers for early-stage NSCLC with AUCs ranged from 0.84 to 0.87. The factors TNM stage I, T1 stage, N0 stage, adenocarcinoma, young age, and nonsmoking contributed to a lower tumor burden, with a median cell-free DNA concentration of 8.64 ng/ml. For prognostic analysis, the presence of molecular residual disease (MRD) detection was a strong predictor of disease relapse (RFS, HR, 4.95; 95% CI, 3.06-8.02; p < 0.001) and inferior OS (HR, 3.93; 95% CI, 1.97-7.83; p < 0.001), with average lead time of 179 ± 74 days between molecular recurrence and radiographic progression. Predictive values analysis showed adjuvant therapy significantly benefited the RFS of MRD + patients (HR, 0.27; p < 0.001), while an opposite tendency was detected for MRD - patients (HR, 1.51; p = 0.19). For treatment response evaluation, a strong correlation between pathological response and ctDNA clearance was detected, and both were associated with longer survival after neoadjuvant therapy. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, our study indicated liquid biopsy could reliably facilitate more precision and effective management of early-stage NSCLC. Improvement of liquid biopsy techniques and detection approaches and platforms is still needed, and higher-quality trials are required to provide more rigorous evidence prior to their routine clinical application.

Treponema pallidum protein Tp0136 promoting MMPs/TIMPs imbalance via PI3K, MAPK and NF-κB signalling pathways in HDVSMCs.

The invasive capability of Treponema. pallidum is central to its infection process. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), which are specifically inhibited by the tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs), play a pivotal role in promoting pathogenic invasion by destroying tissue barriers within the body. This study aimed to explore the effect of T. pallidum protein Tp0136 on the balance of MMPs/TIMPs in human dermal vascular smooth muscle cells (HDVSMCs) and the related underlying mechanisms. A number of in vitro studies were conducted to access the impact of recombinant Tp0136 protein on the balance of MMPs/TIMPs in HDVSMCs. The involvement of the PI3K, MAPK, and NF-κB signaling pathways in this process was also investigated. Tp0136 induced the mRNA and protein expressions of MMP1 in HDVSMCs in a concentration-dependent way. In addition, MMP1/TIMP1 and MMP1/TIMP2 ratios were also increased. Furthermore, the study demonstrated that treatment of HDVSMCs with Tp0136 activated the PI3K, MAPK, and NF-κB signaling pathways. Inhibition of PI3K, JNK, P38, and NF-κB, suppressed MMP1 expression and reduced the induction of MMP1/TIMP1 and MMP1/TIMP2 ratios by Tp0136. These findings demonstrate that Tp0136 enhanced the expression of MMP1 involving the PI3K, MAPK, and NF-κB signaling pathways in HDVSMCs, and thus generated the unbalance of MMPs/TIMP, which could contribute to the early spread of T. pallidum and pathogenesis of syphilis.