Dual-Model GWAS Analysis and Genomic Selection of Maize Flowering Time-Related Traits.

An appropriate flowering period is an important selection criterion in maize breeding. It plays a crucial role in the ecological adaptability of maize varieties. To explore the genetic basis of flowering time, GWAS and GS analyses were conducted using an associating panel consisting of 379 multi-parent DH lines. The DH population was phenotyped for days to tasseling (DTT), days to pollen-shedding (DTP), and days to silking (DTS) in different environments. The heritability was 82.75%, 86.09%, and 85.26% for DTT, DTP, and DTS, respectively. The GWAS analysis with the FarmCPU model identified 10 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) distributed on chromosomes 3, 8, 9, and 10 that were significantly associated with flowering time-related traits. The GWAS analysis with the BLINK model identified seven SNPs distributed on chromosomes 1, 3, 8, 9, and 10 that were significantly associated with flowering time-related traits. Three SNPs 3_198946071, 9_146646966, and 9_152140631 showed a pleiotropic effect, indicating a significant genetic correlation between DTT, DTP, and DTS. A total of 24 candidate genes were detected. A relatively high prediction accuracy was achieved with 100 significantly associated SNPs detected from GWAS, and the optimal training population size was 70%. This study provides a better understanding of the genetic architecture of flowering time-related traits and provides an optimal strategy for GS.

Metabolic obesity phenotypes and all-cause mortality among the Chinese oldest-old population: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The obesity paradox has been reported among older adults. However, whether the favorable effect of obesity is dependent on metabolic status remains largely unknown. We aimed to explore the association of metabolic obesity phenotypes and their changes with all-cause mortality among the Chinese oldest-old population. METHODS: This prospective cohort study included 1207 Chinese oldest old (mean age: 91.8 years). Metabolic obesity phenotypes were determined by central obesity and metabolic status, and participants were classified into metabolically healthy obesity (MHO), metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO), metabolically healthy non-obesity (MHN), and metabolically unhealthy non-obesity (MUN). The hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were estimated by Cox regression models. RESULTS: During 5.3 years of follow-up, 640 deaths were documented. Compared with non-obesity, obesity was associated with a decreased mortality risk among participants with metabolically healthy (HR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.63-0.91) while this association was insignificant among metabolically unhealthy. Compared to MHO, MHN (HR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.06-1.53) and MUN (HR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.10-2.02) were significantly associated with an increased mortality risk. Compared to those with stable MHO, those transited from MHO to MUO demonstrated a higher mortality risk (HR, 1.81; 95% CI, 1.06-3.11). CONCLUSIONS: MHO predicts better survival among the Chinese oldest-old population. These findings suggest that ensuring optimal management of metabolic health is beneficial and taking caution in weight loss based on the individual body weight for the metabolically healthy oldest-old adults.

Association between two novel anthropometric measures and type 2 diabetes in a Chinese population.

AIMS: To investigate the associations of conicity index (C-index) and relative fat mass (RFM) with incident type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) among adults in China. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 10 813 participants aged over 18 years in Shenzhen Longhua district were enrolled in a follow-up study conducted from 2018 to 2022. The participants were categorized based on quartiles (Q) of C-index and RFM. The Cox proportional hazards model was performed to examine the relationships between C-index, RFM and the risk of T2DM. RESULTS: After adjusting for potential confounding factors, including age, sex, occupation, marital status, education level, smoking status, alcohol consumption, physical exercise, hypertension status, fasting blood glucose (FBG) and total cholesterol (TC), both C-index and RFM showed positive and independent associations with risk of T2DM. The multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for T2DM risk in participants in C-index Q3 and Q4 compared with those in C-index Q1 were 1.50 (1.12, 2.02) and 1.73 (1.29, 2.30), and 1.94 (1.44, 2.63), 3.18 (1.79, 5.64), 4.91 (2.68, 9.00) for participants in RFM Q2, Q3 and Q4 compared with RFM Q1. These differences were statistically significant (all p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: C-index and RFM are strongly associated with new-onset T2DM and could be used to identify the risk of diabetes in large-scale epidemiological studies.

Nonlinear error analysis of fast optical delay lines.

Optical delay lines have wide applications in terahertz time-domain spectroscopy and optical coherence tomography. In this study, a fast-rotating optical delay line (FRODL) with 24 turntable reflection surfaces was designed. By analyzing the working principle of the FRODL, a mathematical model was established for the nonlinear parameter error of the FRODL delay time. By constructing the polarization Michelson interference system and testing the FRODL structure, the error of actual assembly parameters of the FRODL was approximately 0.015 mm, the actual delay time of the FRODL was greater than 43.5 ps, and the linearity was 99.785%.

Quantitative Detection of Defects in Multi-Layer Lightweight Composite Structures Using THz-TDS Based on a U-Net-BiLSTM Network.

Multi-layer lightweight composite structures are widely used in the field of aviation and aerospace during the processes of manufacturing and use, and, as such, they inevitably produce defects, damage, and other quality problems, creating the need for timely non-destructive testing procedures and the convenient repair or replacement of quality problems related to the material. When using terahertz non-destructive testing technology to detect defects in multi-layer lightweight composite materials, due to the complexity of their structure and defect types, there are many signal characteristics of terahertz waves propagating in the structures, and there is no obvious rule behind them, resulting in a large gap between the recognition results and the actual ones. In this study, we introduced a U-Net-BiLSTM network that combines the strengths of the U-Net and BiLSTM networks. The U-Net network extracts the spatial features of THz signals, while the BiLSTM network captures their temporal features. By optimizing the network structure and various parameters, we obtained a model tailored to THz spectroscopy data. This model was subsequently employed for the identification and quantitative analysis of defects in multi-layer lightweight composite structures using THz non-destructive testing. The proposed U-Net-BiLSTM network achieved an accuracy of 99.45% in typical defect identification, with a comprehensive F1 score of 99.43%, outperforming the CNN, ResNet, U-Net, and BiLSTM networks. By leveraging defect classification and thickness recognition, this study successfully reconstructed three-dimensional THz defect images, thereby realizing quantitative defect detection.

Long-term air pollution exposure, habitual physical activity, and incident chronic kidney disease.

Both air pollution and physical inactivity contribute to the increased risk of incident chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, the detrimental effects of air pollution exposure could be augmented by an elevated intake of air pollutants during exercise. In the present study, we analyzed 367,978 participants who were CKD-free at baseline (2006-2010) based on the UK Biobank. Air pollutants included fine particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and nitrogen oxides (NOX). Physical activity (PA) was obtained by the self-reported questionnaire. Using Cox proportional hazards models, hazard ratios (HRs) for incident CKD related to air pollution, PA, and incident CKD were evaluated. During a median of 12.4 years of follow-up, 14,191 incident CKD events were documented. High PM2.5, PM10, NO2, and NOX increased CKD risks by 11 %, 15 %, 14 %, and 12 %, respectively, while moderate and high PA reduced CKD risks by 18 % and 22 %, respectively. Participants with high PA and low air pollution exposure had 29 %, 31 %, 30 %, and 30 % risks of incident CKD than those with low PA and high air pollution exposure for the four air pollutants, with multivariable-adjusted HRs of 0.71 (95 % confidence intervals [CI]: 0.65-0.76) for PM2.5, 0.69 (95 % CI: 0.64-0.75) for PM10, 0.70 (95 % CI: 0.64-0.75) for NO2, and 0.70 (95 % CI: 0.64-0.75) for NOX. No clear interactions were observed between each air pollutant exposure and PA (all P for interaction > 0.05). The findings that reducing air pollution exposure and increasing PA were both independently correlated with a diminished risk of incident CKD suggest that PA could be targeted to prevent CKD generally regardless of air pollution levels. Further research is needed in areas polluted moderately and severely to examine our findings.

Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations and colorectal cancer incidence in adults with type 2 diabetes.

BACKGROUND: To examine the association of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) with colorectal cancer (CRC) risk in adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D). METHODS: Using UK Biobank data, this study included 18,453 adults with T2D. Serum 25(OH)D concentrations were determined by the chemiluminescent immunoassay method. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for CRC outcomes. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 8.8 years, there were 284 incident CRC cases. Compared with adults with serum 25(OH)D concentrations <25.0 nmol/L, the adjusted HRs (95% CIs) for lower to higher serum 25(OH)D concentrations (25.0 to <50.0, 50.0 to <75.0, and ≥75.0 nmol/L) were 0.61 (0.46-0.82), 0.50 (0.34-0.74), and 0.53 (0.30-0.94), respectively (Ptrend = 0.001). The risk of CRC decreased by 19.0% for per 1-SD increment in serum 25(OH)D concentrations. A nonlinear association of serum 25(OH)D concentrations with CRC risk was observed using a restricted cubic spline analysis (P nonlinearity = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Higher serum 25(OH)D concentrations were significantly and nonlinearly associated with a lower risk of CRC. These findings highlight the potential benefits of maintaining adequate vitamin D levels in CRC prevention among adults with T2D.

Terahertz Spectroscopy Characterization and Prediction of the Aging Degree of Polyethylene Pipes Based on PLS.

Polyethylene (PE) is widely used in pipeline transportation owing to its excellent corrosion resistance, good stability, and ease of processing. As organic polymer materials, PE pipes inevitably undergo different degrees of aging during long-term use. In this study, terahertz time-domain spectroscopy was used to study the spectral characteristics of PE pipes with different degrees of photothermal aging, and the variation in the absorption coefficient with aging time was obtained. The absorption coefficient spectrum was extracted using uninformative variable elimination (UVE), successive projections algorithm (SPA), competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS), and random frog RF spectral screening algorithms, and the spectral slope characteristics of the aging-sensitive band were selected as the evaluation indices of the degree of PE aging. Based on this, a partial least squares aging characterization model was established to predict white PE80, white PE100 and black PE100 pipes with different aging degrees. The results showed that the prediction accuracy of the absorption coefficient spectral slope feature prediction model for the aging degree of different types of pipes was greater than 93.16% and the verification set error was within 13.5 h.

Association of Night Shifts and Lifestyle Risks With Incident Dementia.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the combined relationship between night shifts and lifestyle risks with incident dementia or their potential interactions. To evaluate the association of night shifts and lifestyle risks with incident dementia and further analyze their interactions. METHODS: A total of 276 059 participants were included in this study from the UK Biobank cohort. Cox proportional hazards models were used to investigate the combined association of night shifts and lifestyle risks with incident dementia. RESULTS: Participants with always night shifts and 3 or 4 unhealthy lifestyle factors had the highest risk of incident all-cause dementia (hazard ratio: 3.15, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.74-5.69). An additive interaction was found between night shifts and lifestyle risks for incident all-cause dementia (p < .001), with a relative excess risk due to the interaction of 0.14 (95% CI: 0.11-0.45). The attributable proportions of the combined effect on the incidence of all-cause dementia were 22.6% (95% CI: 20.91%-26.75%) for night shift work, 65.0% (95% CI: 63.12%-69.80%) for unhealthy lifestyle factors, and 12.1% (95% CI: 8.67%-18.04%) for their interaction. CONCLUSIONS: Both night shifts and lifestyle risks were associated with a higher risk of incident dementia. The combined impact was higher than the increase in the risks related to each single factor. Our results indicated that most incident dementia cases might be prevented by a healthy lifestyle, and the benefits would be greater among night shift workers. Further studies are needed to confirm our results and explore the underlying mechanisms.

Changes in cervical cytokine profiles following focused ultrasound treatment for high-risk human papillomavirus infection-related low-grade cervical lesions.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the changes of cervical soluble immune markers after focused ultrasound (FU) treatment to explore the underlying local immune effects of FU in the treatment of high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection-related low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL). METHODS: A total of 35 patients diagnosed with HR-HPV infection-related histological LSIL who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled in this prospective study and treated with FU. The authors used cytometric bead array to measure T-helper type 1 (Th1) cytokine (interleukin [IL] 2, tumor necrosis factor, and interferon γ) and Th2 cytokine (IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, and IL-10) levels in the cervicovaginal lavage of patients before and 3 months after FU treatment. RESULTS: After FU treatment, the concentrations of Th2 cytokines IL-5 and IL-6 were significantly lower than those before FU treatment (P = 0.044 and P = 0.028, respectively). HR-HPV infection was cleared in 27 patients, with a clearance rate of 77.1% (27 of 35). The concentration of IL-4 in patients with HR-HPV clearance after FU treatment was significantly lower than that in patients without HR-HPV clearance (P = 0.045). CONCLUSION: FU can inhibit the production of certain Th2 cytokines and may improve the local immune status of the cervix, thereby eliminating HR-HPV infection.

Dietary diversity and frailty among older Chinese people: evidence from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Study.

BACKGROUND: Dietary diversity is widely advocated as a means to promote health, but little is known regarding whether the beneficial effects still apply in older adults. OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between the dietary diversity score (DDS) and frailty among older Chinese adults. METHODS: A total of 13,721 adults aged ≥65 y without frailty at baseline were enrolled. The DDS at baseline was constructed based on 9 items of a food frequency questionnaire. We used 39 self-reported health items to construct a frailty index (FI), with FI ≥ 0.25 indicating frailty. Cox models with restricted cubic splines were used to evaluate the dose-response relationships of DDS (continuous) with frailty. In addition, Cox proportional hazard models were used to examine the association between DDS (categorized as scores ≤4, 5-6, 7, and ≥8) and frailty. RESULTS: During the mean follow-up of 5.94 y, 5250 participants met the criteria for frailty. Each 1-unit increase in DDS corresponded to a 5% lower risk of frailty (hazard ratio [HR]; 0.95; 95% CI: 0.94, 0.97]. Compared with participants with DDS ≤4 points, those with a DDS of 5-6, 7, and ≥8 points exhibited a lower frailty risk, with HRs of 0.79 (95% CI: 0.71, 0.87), 0.75 (95% CI: 0.68, 0.83), and 0.74 (95% CI: 0.67, 0.81), respectively (P-trend < 0.001). Protein-rich food items, such as meat; eggs; and beans, were associated with protective effects against frailty. In addition, a significant association was observed between higher consumption of 2 high-frequency foods, tea and fruits, and lower risk of frailty. CONCLUSIONS: A higher DDS was associated with a lower risk of frailty among older Chinese adults. This study highlights the importance of a diverse diet as a potential modifiable behavioral factor for preventing frailty in older Chinese adults.

Changes in vaginal microbiome after focused ultrasound treatment of high-risk human papillomavirus infection-related low-grade cervical lesions.

BACKGROUND: In this study, the changes of vaginal microbiome after focused ultrasound (FU) treatment were evaluated to explore the possible mechanism of FU in the treatment of high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection. METHODS: This study was nested in the FU arm of a prospective cohort study. A total of 37 patients diagnosed with HR-HPV infection-related cervical low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled in this study from October 2020 to November 2021, and these patients were treated with FU. We used 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) gene amplicon sequencing to profile the vaginal microbiota composition of patients before and 3 months after FU treatment. RESULTS: After FU treatment, HR-HPV was cleared in 24 patients, with a clearance rate of 75.0% (24/32). Lactobacillus iners was the predominant species among all samples. No significant difference was found in alpha-diversity index before and 3 months after FU treatment (P > 0.05), but the rarefaction curves showed that the vaginal microbial diversity before FU treatment was higher than that after FU treatment. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) effect size (LEfSe) showed that Bifidobacterium contributed the most to the difference between the two groups at the genus level, and the abundance after FU treatment was significantly higher than that before treatment (P = 0.000). CONCLUSIONS: The decrease of vaginal microbial diversity may be related to the clearance of HR-HPV infection, and FU treatment contributed to the decrease of vaginal microbial diversity. Increased Bifidobacterium abundance in the vaginal microbiome may be associated with clearance of HR-HPV infection, and FU treatment may contribute to the increase in Bifidobacterium abundance. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER:  This study was registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry on 23/11/2020 (ChiCTR2000040162).

Association of screening status, polygenic risk score and environmental risk factors with colorectal cancer incidence and mortality risks.

Whether screening can attenuate the influence of genetic risk and environmental risk factors for colorectal cancer (CRC) mortality risk remains unknown. Our study is to investigate the association of the screening history, genetic risk and environmental risk factors with CRC incidence and mortality risks using UK Biobank data. Screening history was associated with lower CRC incidence (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.63, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.58-0.69) and mortality risk (HR: 0.56, 95% CI: 0.49-0.63). Compared to the HRs of participants with a low genetic risk, low environmental risk and no screening history, the HRs of participants with a high genetic risk, high environmental risk and no screening history were 3.42 (95% CI: 2.76-4.24) for CRC incidence and 3.36 (95% CI: 2.48-4.56) for CRC mortality. In contrast, the HRs of participants with a high genetic risk and no screening history, but a low environmental risk, were 1.92 (95% CI: 1.55-2.36) for CRC incidence and 1.88 (95% CI: 1.39-2.53) for CRC mortality. Furthermore, the HRs of participants with a high genetic risk and a low environmental risk, but a screening history were 1.62 (95% CI: 1.15-2.28) for CRC incidence and 1.77 (95% CI: 1.08-2.89) for CRC mortality. Participants benefited more substantially from screenings for CRC mortality than for CRC incidence risk. A higher environmental risk was associated with higher risk of CRC incidence and mortality within each category of genetic risk. These findings emphasize the importance of CRC screening and identifying environmental factors to reduce CRC incidence and mortality risks.

Focused ultrasound for high-risk human papillomavirus infection-related low-grade cervical lesions: a prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the efficacy and safety of focused ultrasound (FU) for high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection-related cervical low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL). METHODS: Of 185 patients who met the inclusion criteria for this prospective study from October 2020 to November 2021, 95 received FU and 90 were followed up only. At the six-month follow-up, the HR-HPV clearance and LSIL regression rates of the groups were compared and factors affecting HR-HPV clearance were analyzed. The safety and side effects of FU were evaluated. RESULTS: No significant difference was found in the baseline clinical data between the two groups (p > 0.05). At the six-month follow-up, the HR-HPV clearance rates were 75.6% in the FU group and 25.6% in the observation group (p = 0.000). The LSIL regression rates were 89.5% in the FU group and 56.4% in the observation group (p = 0.000). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the HR-HPV clearance rate in the FU group was 9.03 times higher than that in the observation group (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.75-21.73, p = 0.000), and the clearance rate of single-type HR-HPV infections was 5.28 times higher than that of multi-type infections (95% CI, 1.83-15.23, p = 0.002). The mean intraoperative bleeding was 1.8 ± 0.6 (1-3) mL; the mean intraoperative pain score was 2.6 ± 1.0 (1-6). CONCLUSIONS: For patients with HR-HPV infection-related histological LSIL, FU can eliminate HR-HPV infection and cause lesions to regress in a short time, with few adverse effects and good tolerance.

Association of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs, Genetic Risk, and Environmental Risk Factors with Incidence of Colorectal Cancer.

Regular use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) was associated with the lower risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, whether regular use of NSAIDs could attenuate the effect of genetic risk and environmental risk factors on CRC is unknown. We aimed to evaluate the association of NSAID use, genetic risk, and environmental risk factors with CRC. Using data from a UK Biobank, a Cox proportional hazards model was performed to estimate the risk of CRC according to NSAID use, polygenic risk score, and environmental risk factors. Regular use of NSAIDs was associated with a 36.0% lower risk of CRC. No statistically significant interaction was observed between NSAID use and the genetic risk score (p = 0.190), and between NSAID use and the environmental risk score (p = 0.740). However, regular NSAID use was still associated with lower CRC incidence among subjects with either high environmental risk or high genetic risk. Furthermore, the genetic and environmental risk of CRC were additives. These findings appear to support the chemopreventive effect of regular NSAID use. Furthermore, controlling of modifiable environmental risk factors can reduce the CRC risk, especially among individuals with a moderate or high genetic risk of CRC.

Habitual fish oil supplementation and incident chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Data from a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Fish oil is one of the most popular supplements in the UK and other developed countries. However, the relationship between fish oil use and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To prospectively examine the association of habitual fish oil supplementation with incident COPD risk and to evaluate potential effect modification by genetic predisposition. METHODS: This study included 484,414 participants (mean and standard deviation [SD] age: 56.5 [8.1] years) from the UK Biobank who completed a touchscreen questionnaire on habitual fish oil supplement use between 2006 and 2010 and were followed up through 2018. Cox regression models were used to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) with adjustment for sociodemographic and lifestyle behaviours, health conditions, and other potential confounding factors. A weighted genetic risk score (GRS) for COPD was derived from 112 validated single nucleotide polymorphisms. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 9.0 years, 8860 incident COPD events were recorded. A total of 31.4% (152,230) of the study participants reported habitual fish oil supplementation at baseline. Habitual fish oil supplementation was significantly associated with a lower risk of incident COPD (adjusted HR: 0.88; 95% CI: 0.84-0.93). The association with COPD did not differ by GRS strata (P for interaction = 0.880). The results from subgroup and sensitivity analyses supported the robustness of our findings. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that habitual fish oil supplementation is associated with a lower risk of incident COPD, irrespective of genetic predisposition.

The Moderating Effect of COVID-19 Risk Perception on the Relationship Between Empathy and COVID-19 Volunteer Behavior: A Cross-Sectional Study in Jiangsu, China.

The health system has encountered great challenges since the COVID-19 outbreak, volunteers are urgently needed in every situation during this crisis. The current study aimed to explore the relationship between empathy and COVID-19 volunteer behavior, along with the moderating role of COVID-19 risk perception in the above relationship. The cross-sectional survey was conducted online using Wenjuanxing from February 12th to March 16th, 2021, in Jiangsu, China. A total of 1,486 participants completed the Toronto Empathy COVID-19 volunteer behavior and COVID-19 risk perception questionnaires. The SPSS PROCESS macro was yielded to examine the moderating effect. Simple slopes analysis was conducted to detect the associations between empathy and COVID-19 volunteer behavior at three levels of the COVID-19 risk perception. The Johnson-Neyman (J-N) technique was used to calculate where the moderating effect is significance. Results showed that empathy was positively related with COVID-19 volunteer behavior (ß= 0.080, p < 0.001). COVID-19 risk perception played a moderation effect on association between empathy and COVID-19 volunteer behavior (ß = -0.005, p < 0.001), the greater the levels of COVID-19 risk perception, the weaker the associations between empathy and COVID-19 volunteer behavior. The J-N test showed the association between empathy and COVID-19 volunteer behavior was no longer significant when values of COVID-19 risk perception was >10.71. Current findings could enlighten researchers and policy makers, that fostering volunteerism among public during crisis situation through arousing more empathy and reducing unnecessary risk perception of the public.

A predictive model based on liquid biopsy for non-small cell lung cancer to assess patient's prognosis: Development and application.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Improving ability to predict the prognosis of patients with progressive lung cancer is an important task in the era of precision medicine. Here, a predictive model based on liquid biopsy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was established to improve prognosis prediction in patients with progressive NSCLC. METHODS: Clinical data and blood samples of 500 eligible patients were collected and screened from the electronic case database and blood sample center of Hwa Mei Hospital, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ningbo Institute of Life and Health Industry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences. Patients were randomly assigned to training set (300 cases) and validation set (200 cases) in a ratio of 3:2 by random number method. Baseline levels of the two datasets were compared. Progression-free survival (PFS) analysis was performed on the training set using Kaplan-Meier method. The independent prognostic factors affecting patients' PFS were determined by multivariate Cox regression analysis. The prognosis predictive model of patients was constructed by using the nomogram. Calibration curve and C-index were used to evaluate the accuracy of the prognosis predictive model in both internal and external validations. RESULTS: In training set, the age distribution of patients was 59.00 (46.00, 71.00) years, including 137 (45.7 %) females and 163 (54.3 %) males, 198 cases (66.0 %) with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score 0-1, and 102 cases (34.0 %) with ECOG score 2. In verification set, the age distribution of patients was 60.00 (48.25, 73.00) years, including 92 females (46.0 %) and 108 males (54.0 %), 130 cases (65.0%) with ECOG score 0-1, and 70 cases (35.0 %) with ECOG score 2. Patients in training set showed PFS differences stratified by gene mutation type (p < 0.0001), differentiation degree (p < 0.0001), circulating tumor cell (CTC) content (p = 0.00026), and brain metastasis (p < 0.0001). Besides, multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that gene mutation type, differentiation degree, CTC content (p = 0.002), and brain metastasis (p = 0.005) are independent prognostic factors for PFS. These factors were included in the nomogram parameters, and both internally validated calibration curve (C-index = 0.672) and externally validated calibration curve (C-index = 0.657), showing good predictive performance of the model. CONCLUSION: The predictive model has a good predictive ability for prognosis of patients with progressive NSCLC. Notably, the differentiation degree and CTC content are both impact factors for PFS of patients, and the performance of these indicators in predicting the survival of patients with progressive NSCLC needs to be clarified in the future.

Terahertz Multiple Echoes Correction and Non-Destructive Testing Based on Improved Wavelet Multi-Scale Analysis.

During terahertz (THz) non-destructive testing (NDT), multiple echoes from the sample interface reflection signals are mixed with the detection signals, resulting in signal distortion and affecting the accuracy of the THz NDT results. Combined with the frequency property of multiple echoes, an improved wavelet multi-scale analysis is put forth in this paper to correct multiple echoes, allowing the maximum retention of detailed signal information in contrast with the existing echo correction methods. The results showed that the improved wavelet multi-scale analysis enhanced the continuity and smoothness of the image at least twice in testing adhesive layer thickness, prevented missing judgments and misjudgments in identifying characteristic defects, and ensured accurate detection results. Hence, it is of great significance for evaluating the THz NDT results.