Astragalusliuaiminii, a new species of Astragalus (Fabaceae) from Xinjiang, China.

A new species, Astragalusliuaiminii Z. Z. Yang & Q. R. Liu (Fabaceae), is described and illustrated from Xinjiang Province, China. The new species is close to A.wenquanensis S. B. Ho, but differs from the latter by leaves having a single leaflet (vs. 3-5 leaflets), and inflorescences with 1-2 flowers (vs. inflorescences with 5-7 flowers). It is also similar to A.monophyllus Maxim in leaf shape, but differs by its calyx expanding to become saccate and totally enveloping the pod (vs. calyx tubular, and ruptured by pod after flowering).

[Application of superior iliac fascia block of inguinal ligament combined with patient controlled intravenous analgesia in elderly patients after hip arthroplasty].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect of patient-controlled intravenous analgesia(PCIA) and superior inguinal ligament iliac fascia block combined with PCIA after hip replacement in the elderly. METHODS: Total of 82 elderly patients were treated with hip arthroplasty from June 2019 to June 2021 and randomly divided into observation group and control group. There were 42 patients in control group, including 18 males and 24 females, aged from 60 to 78 years old with an average of (70.43±3.67) years old, 28 femoral neck fractures and 14 femoral head necrosis, who received PCIA. The study group consisted of 42 cases, including 20 males and 22 females, aged from 61 to 76 years old with an average of (69.68±3.74) years old, 25 femoral neck fractures and 17 femoral head necrosis, who received superior inguinal ligament iliac fascia block combined with PCIA. Pain visual analogue scale (VAS) and Ramesay sedation scores at 2 h, 6 h, 12 h, 24 h and 48 h after operation were evaluated. In addition, the follow-up results of the total consumption of sufentanil and the total number of PCIA compressions at 48 hours after operation, the first time of landing after surgery, the time of hospital stay, the incidence of adverse reactions, the satisfaction with analgesia of two groups were observed. RESULTS: All patients were followed up for 9 to 24 months with an average of(13.85±2.67) months. There was no significant difference in operation time and intraoperative bleeding between two groups (P>0.05). There was no difference in VAS between two groups at 2 hours after operation (P>0.05), and the VAS of the study group at 6 h, 12 h, 24 h and 48 h after operation were lower than those of the control group(P<0.05). The Ramesay sedation scores of the study group at 2 h, 6 h and 12 h after operation were higher than those of the control group(P<0.05), and there were no differences in Ramesay score between two groups at 24 h and 48 h after operation (P>0.05). The consumption of sufentanil in the study group within 48 hours after operation was lower than that in the control group (P<0.05), and PCIA compression times were lower than those in the control group(P<0.05), and the time of first landing was earlier than that in the control group(P<0.05). There was no significant difference in hospital stay, adverse reaction rate, complications between two groups (P>0.05). The satisfaction of analgesia in the study group was higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Superior iliac fascia block of inguinal ligament combined with PCIA has significant analgesic and sedative effects after hip arthroplasty in the elderly. It can reduce the amount of sufentanil used and the total number of PCIA compressions, which is conducive to the early activity of patients out of bed, improve the satisfaction of analgesia.

Nitrogen-doped titanium dioxide/schwertmannite nanocomposites as heterogeneous photo-Fenton catalysts with enhanced efficiency for the degradation of bisphenol A.

Potential health risks related to environmental endocrine disruptors (EEDs) have aroused research hotspots at the forefront of water treatment technologies. Herein, nitrogen-doped titanium dioxide/schwertmannite nanocomposites (N-TiO2/SCH) have been successfully developed as heterogeneous catalysts for the degradation of typical EEDs via photo-Fenton processes. Due to the sustainable Fe(III)/Fe(II) conversion induced by photoelectrons, as-prepared N-TiO2/SCH nanocomposites exhibit much enhanced efficiency for the degradation of bisphenol A (BPA; ca. 100% within 60 min under visible irradiation) in a wide pH range of 3.0-7.8, which is significantly higher than that of the pristine schwertmannite (ca. 74.5%) or N-TiO2 (ca. 10.8%). In this photo-Fenton system, the efficient degradation of BPA is mainly attributed to the oxidation by hydroxyl radical (•OH) and singlet oxygen (1O2). Moreover, the possible catalytic mechanisms and reaction pathway of BPA degradation are systematically investigated based on analytical and photoelectrochemical analyses. This work not only provides a feasible means for the development of novel heterogeneous photo-Fenton catalysts, but also lays a theoretical foundation for the potential application of mineral-based materials in wastewater treatment.

Streptomyces-triggered coordination between rhizosphere microbiomes and plant transcriptome enables watermelon Fusarium wilt resistance.

The use of microbial inoculant is a promising strategy to improve plant health, but their efficiency often faces challenges due to difficulties in successful microbial colonization in soil environments. To this end, the application of biostimulation products derived from microbes is expected to resolve these barriers via direct interactions with plants or soil pathogens. However, their effectiveness and mechanisms for promoting plant growth and disease resistance remain elusive. In this study, we showed that root irrigation with the extracts of Streptomyces ahygroscopicus strain 769 (S769) solid fermentation products significantly reduced watermelon Fusarium wilt disease incidence by 30% and increased the plant biomass by 150% at a fruiting stage in a continuous cropping field. S769 treatment led to substantial changes in both bacterial and fungal community compositions, and induced a highly interconnected microbial association network in the rhizosphere. The root transcriptome analysis further suggested that S769 treatment significantly improved the expression of the MAPK signalling pathway, plant hormone signal transduction and plant-pathogen interactions, particular those genes related to PR-1 and ethylene, as well as genes associated with auxin production and reception. Together, our study provides mechanistic and empirical evidences for the biostimulation products benefiting plant health through coordinating plant and rhizosphere microbiome interaction.

Circularly Polarized Organic Light-Emitting Diodes Based on Chiral Hole Transport Enantiomers.

The circularly polarized organic light-emitting diodes (CP-OLEDs) demonstrate promising application in 3D display due to the direct generation of circularly polarized electroluminescence (CPEL). But the chiral luminescence materials face challenges as intricated synthetic route, enantiomeric separation, etc. Herein, fresh CP-OLEDs are designed based on chiral hole transport material instead of chiral emitters. A pair of hole transport enantiomers (R/S-NPACZ) exhibit intense dissymmetry factors (|gPL|) about 5.0 × 10-3. With R/S-NPACZ as hole transport layers, CP-OLEDs are fabricated employing six achiral phosphorescence and thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) materials with different wavelengths, in consistence with the generated CPEL spectra. The CP-OLEDs based on achiral red, green, and blue iridium(III) complexes exhibit external quantum efficiencies (EQEs) of 14.9%, 30.7%, and 14.1% with |gEL| factors of 8.8 × 10-4, 2.3 × 10-3, and 2.0 × 10-3, respectively. Moreover, the devices using achiral blue, blueish-green, and green TADF materials display EQEs of 24.1%, 17.9%, and 25.4% with |gEL| factors of 1.0 × 10-3, 3.6 × 10-3, and 2.2 × 10-3, respectively. As far as known, it is the first example of CP-OLEDs based on chiral hole transport materials, which act as the organic circularly polarizers and have potential to generate CPEL from achiral luminescence materials.

Effects of cytoreductive surgery combined with hyperthermic perfusion chemotherapy on prognosis of patients with advanced gallbladder cancer.

BACKGROUND: Gallbladder cancer (GC) is a common malignant tumor and one of the leading causes of cancer-related death worldwide. It is typically highly invasive, difficult to detect in the early stages, and has poor treatment outcomes, resulting in high mortality rates. The available treatment options for GC are relatively limited. One emerging treatment modality is hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). HIPEC involves delivering heated chemotherapy directly into the abdominal cavity. It combines the strategies of surgical tumor resection and localized chemotherapy administration under hyperthermic conditions, aiming to enhance the concentration and effectiveness of drugs within the local tumor site while minimizing systemic toxicity. AIM: To determine the effects of cytoreductive surgery (CRS) combined with HIPEC on the short-term prognosis of patients with advanced GC. METHODS: Data from 80 patients treated at the Punan Branch of Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine between January 2018 and January 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. The control group comprised 44 patients treated with CRS, and the research group comprised 36 patients treated with CRS combined with HIPEC. Then, the survival time and prognostic factors of the two groups were compared, as well as liver and kidney function indices before and six days after surgery. Adverse reactions and complications were recorded in both groups. RESULTS: The baseline data of the research and control groups were similar (P > 0.05). Six days after surgery, the alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, total bilirubin, and direct bilirubin levels significantly decreased compared to the preoperative levels in both groups (P < 0.05). However, the values did not differ between the two groups six days postoperatively (P > 0.05). Similarly, the postoperative creatinine and blood urea nitrogen levels were significantly lower than the preoperative levels in both groups (P < 0.05), but they did not differ between the groups six days postoperatively (P > 0.05). Furthermore, the research group had fewer postoperative adverse reactions than the control group (P = 0.027). Finally, a multivariate Cox analysis identified the tumor stage, distant metastasis, and the treatment plan as independent factors affecting prognosis (P < 0.05). The three-year survival rate in the study group was higher than that in the control group (P = 0.002). CONCLUSION: CRS combined with HIPEC lowers the incidence of adverse reactions and improves survival in patients with advanced GC.

Physical activity and transitioning to retirement: evidence from the China health and retirement longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: The impact of retirement on physical activity among older individuals remains ambiguous. This study aims to investigate the influence of retirement on physical activity and delineate the trajectories of physical activity changes during the retirement transition among elderly Chinese residents. Additionally, we endeavor to examine the factors that contribute to each trajectory. METHODS: This longitudinal cohort study used data from four surveys of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study and included a sample of 428 individuals who underwent formal retirement and provided information on physical activity. We employed generalized estimating equation to explore the impact of the retirement transition on physical activity among Chinese older adults. Latent class growth analysis was used to identify distinct trajectories of physical activity, and binary logistic regression was performed to identify pre-retirement factors influencing changes in physical activity. RESULTS: Our findings indicate that retirement can lead to a decline in physical activity among older Chinese residents (OR = 0.85, 95%CI 0.75 ~ 0.97). We identified three distinct trajectories of physical activity during the retirement transition: Trajectory 1 - "sustained low level of physical activity" (7.94%); Trajectory 2 - "middle level of physical activity with gradual decline" (69.16%); Trajectory 3 - "sustained high level of physical activity with significant fluctuations" (22.90%). Furthermore, we discovered that individuals in the "middle level of physical activity and gradual decline" trajectory were more likely to have an annual income exceeding 40,000 yuan (OR = 9.69, 95%CI 1.12 ~ 83.63), reside in urban areas (OR = 2.27, 95%CI 1.14 ~ 4.52), and have a fondness for playing Mahjong (OR = 2.42, 95%CI 1.18 ~ 5.00) compared to those in the "sustained high level of physical activity with significant fluctuations" trajectory. Additionally, having an annual income exceeding 40,000 yuan (OR = 19.67, 95%CI 1.30 ~ 298.61) predicted membership in the "sustained low level of physical activity" trajectory when compared to the "sustained high level of physical activity with significant fluctuations" trajectory. CONCLUSION: Retirement represents a substantial milestone in the life course and is associated with notable alterations in physical activity patterns. Among older Chinese residents, the trajectories of physical activity during the retirement transition exhibit diverse paths and are influenced by pre-retirement factors, including annual income, residential location, and hobbies. The findings of this study have important implications for the formulation of policies aimed at promoting healthy aging among individuals approaching retirement age.

Proximal binding of dCas9 at a DNA double strand break stimulates homology-directed repair as a local inhibitor of classical non-homologous end joining.

In CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, the tight and persistent target binding of Cas9 provides an opportunity for efficient genetic and epigenetic modification on genome. In particular, technologies based on catalytically dead Cas9 (dCas9) have been developed to enable genomic regulation and live imaging in a site-specific manner. While post-cleavage target residence of CRISPR/Cas9 could alter the pathway choice in repair of Cas9-induced DNA double strand breaks (DSBs), it is possible that dCas9 residing adjacent to a break may also determine the repair pathway for this DSB, providing an opportunity to control genome editing. Here, we found that loading dCas9 onto a DSB-adjacent site stimulated homology-directed repair (HDR) of this DSB by locally blocking recruitment of classical non-homologous end-joining (c-NHEJ) factors and suppressing c-NHEJ in mammalian cells. We further repurposed dCas9 proximal binding to increase HDR-mediated CRISPR genome editing by up to 4-fold while avoiding exacerbation of off-target effects. This dCas9-based local inhibitor provided a novel strategy of c-NHEJ inhibition in CRISPR genome editing in place of small molecule c-NHEJ inhibitors, which are often used to increase HDR-mediated genome editing but undesirably exacerbate off-target effects.

Planar Chiral Multiple Resonance Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Materials for Efficient Circularly Polarized Electroluminescence.

Chiral boron/nitrogen doped multiple resonance thermally activated delayed fluorescence (MR-TADF) emitters are promising for highly efficient and color-pure circularly polarized organic light-emitting diodes (CP-OLEDs). Herein, we report two pairs of MR-TADF materials (Czp-tBuCzB, Czp-POAB) based on planar chiral paracyclophane with photoluminescence quantum yields of up to 98 %. The enantiomers showed symmetric circularly polarized photoluminescence spectra with dissymmetry factors |gPL | of up to 1.6×10-3 in doped films. Meanwhile, the sky-blue CP-OLEDs with (R/S)-Czp-tBuCzB showed an external quantum efficiency of 32.1 % with the narrowest full-width at half-maximum of 24 nm among the reported CP-OLEDs, while the devices with (R/S)-Czp-POAB displayed the first nearly pure green CP electroluminescence with |gEL | factors at the 10-3 level. These results demonstrate the incorporation of planar chirality into MR-TADF emitter is a reliable strategy for constructing of efficient CP-OLEDs.

Choice of medical treatment for renal colic: A survey of Chinese urologists / 北京大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the status quo of recognition and management of renal colic among urological surgeons in China.@*METHODS@#From November 2021 to March 2022, 725 urological surgeons in China were surveyed in the form of a questionnaire, including their province, hospital grade, professional title, the number of patients with renal colic treated per week, the preferred drugs and the cognition of the disease. This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Peking University People's Hospital, and all respondents completed informed consent online.@*RESULTS@#During November 2021 and March 2022, urological surgeons across China were surveyed in the form of a questionnaire, and the reliability and validity of the questionnaire were verified before the study was carried out. In the study, 720 valid questionnaires were collected (accounting for 99.31% of the total number), in which 42.4% of the doctors' preferred drugs were non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and 40.0% of the doctors' preferred antispasmodic drugs. Opioids were the first choice of 11.0% of the physicians and other treatments were preferred by 6.6% of physicians. In addition, 61.1% of the doctors thought that the mechanism of renal colic was elevated prostaglandin, 32.2% thought it was ureteral spasm, 5.0% thought it was calculi irritation, and 1.7% thought the mechanism was unclear. The doctor of the cognition of the generation mechanism of renal colic pain had a significant influence on the preferred treatment option (χ2=54.399, P < 0.001) that the "elevated prostaglandins" doctor more often preferred NSAIDs than the doctor who thought cramps and ureter stones caused renal colic (51.6% vs. 28.0%, χ2=34.356, P < 0.001;51.6% vs. 19.4%, χ2=13.759, P < 0.001). In addition, hospital class, physician title, and the number of weekly consultations by physicians influenced the choice of medications for renal colic (P < 0.05), tertiary hospitals, middle and senior professional titles and weekly patients with renal colic > 8 cases generally preferred NSAIDs.@*CONCLUSION@#There are deficiencies in the cognition and drug treatment of renal colic among urological surgeons in China. The choice of the preferred drug was related to the doctor's cognition of the disease, the grade of the hospital, the doctor's professional title and the weekly treatment volume.

Effects of delayed ureteral stents removal during the COVID-19 pandemic on the quality of life and psychological status of postoperative patients with urinary calculi / 北京大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the impacts of delayed ureteral stent removal on the quality of life (QoL) and mental health of urinary calculi postoperative patients due to the corona virus disease 2019(COVID-19) pandemic.@*METHODS@#The demographic and clinical data of patients with ureteral stent placement after urinary endoscopic lithotripsy and returned to Peking University People's Hospital for stent removal from December 2019 to June 2020 were collected. Ureteral stent symptoms questionnaire (USSQ) score and the outcome 20-item self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and self-rating depression scale (SDS) were collected to estimate the QoL and mental status. The USSQ consisted of 44 questions in 6 domains (including urinary symptom, physical pain, general health, work performance, sexual function, and ureteral stent related infection). For most questions in each domain, its score was a five-point Likert-type scale from 1 to 5, and a small proportion of questions was quantified by 1 to 4 or 1 to 7 scale. SAS and SDS both contained 20 questions used to assess a patient's level of anxiety and depression. Its scoring for each item was on a four-point Likert-type scale from 1 to 4. A total score (ranging from 20 to 80) was the main statistical indicator. The level of clinical anxiety and depression was quantified by using standard scores (total score multiplied by 1.25 to produce integers). And the multi-group structural equation model was constructed by analysis of moment structure (AMOS) analysis.@*RESULTS@#Overall, 71 patients were enrolled for analysis. It was found that the median duration of ureteral stent time differed significantly between the control and delayed groups for 32 (30, 33) d and 94.5 (88, 103) d, respectively. The delayed group resulted in higher scores in the USSQ multidimensional, which included urinary symptoms, general health, work performance and ureteral stent related infections. Anxiety and depression were also significantly serious in the delayed group than in the control group. A longer indwelling time of a ureteral stent could exacerbate the effects of urinary symptoms and physical pain on work performance (P=0.029 < 0.05). Among them, the patients with severe urinary symptoms leading to poor work performance were most significantly affected by prolonged ureteral stent duration time (CR=2.619>1.96).@*CONCLUSION@#Patients with delayed ureteral stent removal due to the COVID-19 had resulted in worse QoL and mental status. Stents related symptoms are more severe in patients with higher anxiety and depression degree during COVID-19. To improve the QoL and mental health of patients after urinary calculi surgery during COVID-19, it is still not recommended to prolong the stent duration time or corresponding intervention measures should be taken.

Development of dose verification methods for boron neutron capture therapy / 中华放射医学与防护杂志

To summarize the progress in BNCT dose verification method in the world and discusses their development prospects. Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) utilizes the specific capture reaction between the neutrons and boron drugs enriched in tumor cells to selectively kill tumor cells. In order to verify the accuracy of the radiotherapy plan and ensure the therapeutic effect on patients, it is necessary to measure the dose before treatment and compare the experimental radiation dose with the planned dose. The current BNCT dose measurement method mainly include point dose measurement method based on ionization chambers, thermoluminescence dosimeters and activation foils, two-dimensional dose measurement method based on films, and three-dimensional dose measurement method based on gel dosimeters.

Effect of Shugan Tiaoshen acupuncture combined with western medication on depression-insomnia comorbidity due to COVID-19 quarantine: a multi-central randomized controlled trial / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To observe the effect of Shugan Tiaoshen acupuncture (acupuncture for soothing the liver and regulating the mentality) combined with western medication on depression and sleep quality in the patients with depression-insomnia comorbidity due to COVID-19 quarantine, and investigate the potential mechanism from the perspective of cortical excitability.@*METHODS@#Sixty patients with depression-insomnia comorbidity due to COVID-19 quarantine were randomly divided into an acupuncture group and a sham-acupuncture group, 30 cases in each one. The patients of both groups were treated with oral administration of sertraline hydrochloride tablets. In the acupuncture group, Shugan Tiaoshen acupuncture was supplemented. Body acupuncture was applied to Yintang (GV 24+), Baihui (GV 20), Hegu (LI 4), Zhaohai (KI 6), Qihai (CV 6), etc. The intradermal needling was used at Xin (CO15), Gan (CO12) and Shen (CO10). In the sham-acupuncture group, the sham-acupuncture was given at the same points as the acupuncture group. The compensatory treatment was provided at the end of follow-up for the patients in the sham-acupuncture group. In both groups, the treatment was given once every two days, 3 times a week, for consecutive 8 weeks. The self-rating depression scale (SDS) and insomnia severity index (ISI) scores were compared between the two groups before and after treatment and 1 month after the end of treatment (follow-up) separately. The cortical excitability indexes (resting motor threshold [rMT], motor evoked potential amplitude [MEP-A], cortical resting period [CSP]) and the level of serum 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) were measured before and after treatment in the two groups.@*RESULTS@#After treatment and in follow-up, SDS and ISI scores were decreased in both groups compared with those before treatment (P<0.05), and the scores in the acupuncture group were lower than those in the sham-acupuncture group (P<0.05), and the decrease range in the acupuncture group after treatment was larger than that in the sham-acupuncture group (P<0.05). After treatment, rMT was reduced (P<0.05), while MEP-A and CSP were increased (P<0.05) in the acupuncture group compared with that before treatment. The levels of serum 5-HT in both groups were increased compared with those before treatment (P<0.05). The rMT in the acupuncture group was lower than that in the sham-acupuncture group, while MEP-A and CSP, as well as the level of serum 5-HT were higher in the acupuncture group in comparison with the sham-acupuncture group (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#Shugan Tiaoshen acupuncture combined with western medication can relieve depression and improve sleep quality in the patients with depression-insomnia comorbidity due to COVID-19 quarantine, which is probably related to rectifying the imbalanced excitatory and inhibitory neuronal functions.

Efficacy and Survival of Venetoclax Based Regimen in the Treatment of Acute Myeloid Leukemia / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the efficacy and survival of venetoclax based (VEN-based) regimen in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia（AML）.@*METHODS@#A retrospective study was conducted in patients who received VEN-based regimen and completed at least 1 course of efficacy evaluation at the The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University from July 2019 to July 2022. The incidence of complete remission （CR）/CR with incomplete hematologic recovery （CRi） rate, objective remission rate（ORR） and survival of patients with different risk strati- fication and gene subtypes were analyzed.@*RESULTS@#A total of 79 patients were enrolled, including 43 patients with newly diagnosed unfit AML （unfit AML） and 36 relapsed/refractory AML (R/R AML). The median age of the patients was 62(14-83) years old. 36 out of 79 patients achieved CR/CRi and the ORR of the whole cohort was 64.6%. The CR/CRi rate of unfit AML patients was significantly higher than that of R/R AML patients (60.5% vs 27.8%, P=0.004). In unfit AML cohort, the patients with NPM1 and IDH1/2 mutations were benefited, 8 out of 9 patients ahcieved CR/CRi, 7/8 and 5/8 patients achieved minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity, respectively. Six out of 9 patients with TET2 mutation achieved CR/CRi, 3/6 patients achieved MRD negativity. In R/R AML cohort, 2 out of 3 patients with RUNX1 mutation achieved CR/CRi, without MRD negative, while the CR/CRi rate of patients with other gene mutations was lower than 40%. The median follow-up time was 10.1(95%CI: 8.6-11.6) months. In whole cohort, the median overall survival (mOS) time was 9.1 months and the relapse free survival (RFS) time was not reached. The mOS and RFS of unfit AML patients were significantly longer than those of R/R AML patients (14.1 vs 6.8 months, P=0.013; not reached vs 3.3 months, P=0.000). In unfit AML cohort, the mOS of patients with NPM1 or IDH1/2 mutations was not reached, while that of patients without NPM1 or IDH1/2 mutations was 8.0 months (P=0.009; P=0.022). Furthermore, the mOS of patients with TP53 mutaion was significantly shorter than that of patients without TP53 mutation (5.2 vs 14.1 months， P=0.049). In R/R AML cohort, there was no significant difference in mOS between patients with mutation in each gene subtype and those without gene mutation (P>0.05). All patients had hematology adverse reactions, 91.1% patients had AE grade≥3. The most common non-hematology adverse reactions was infection, with an incidence of 91.1%. VEN-based regimen was tolerable for AML patients.@*CONCLUSION@#VEN-based regimen can achieve a high response rate, especially in unfit AML with acceptable safety, and some patients can achieve MRD negative. It is also effective in NPM1-, IDH1/2-positive patients with long survival time.

Efficacy and Safety of Flumatinib in Treatment of Patients with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To analyze the efficacy and safety of flumatinib in the treatment of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).@*METHODS@#The clinical data of 56 CML patients treated with flumatinib from January 2020 to December 2021 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into three groups: 35 new diagnosed CML patients treated with flumatinib (group A), 10 patients with imatinib/dasatinib intolerance (group B) and 11 patients with imatinib/dasatinib resistance (group C) switched to flumatinib treatment, respectively. The molecular response and adverse effects of flumatinib treatment were evaluated.@*RESULTS@#In group A, the early molecular response (EMR) at 3 months was 40.0%, and the major molecular response (MMR) at 6 and 12 months was 43.7% and 46.2%, respectively. In group B, the EMR was 50.0% at 3 months, and the MMR was 70.0% and 66.2% at 6 and 12 months, respectively. Among evaluable patients, 6 cases in group B achieved molecular response of 4.5 (MR4.5) at 12 months after switching to flumatinib treatment. In group C, 3 cases who switched from imatinib resistance to flumatinib achieved MR4.5 at 12 months, but 2 cases who switched from dasatinib resistance to flumatinib failed. Subgroup analysis showed significant differences in EUTOS long-term survival (ELTS) scores for patients in the medium-risk/high-risk group compared with those in the low-risk group for 3-month EMR (18.8% vs 57.9%), 6-month MMR (15.4% vs 63.2%) and 12-month MR4.5 (15.4% vs 69.2%) (P =0.036, P =0.012,P =0.015). The most common adverse effect in group A was thrombocytopenia, accounting for 54.5%, and 22.8% (8/35) patients discontinued the drug due to haematological adverse effects. Compared with patients who did not discontinue the drug or whose recovery time from discontinuation due to haematological toxicity was <1 month, patients whose recovery time from discontinuation was ≥1 month had a significantly worse 3-month EMR, 6-month MMR and 12-month MR4.5 (P =0.028, P =0.021, P =0.002).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Flumatinib has better molecular response and tolerance in patients with primary, imatinib/dasatinib-intolerant or resistant CML. Medium-risk/high-risk in ELTS score and time to recovery from discontinuation due to haematological toxicity ≥1 month are important factors influencing achievement of better molecular response in flumatinib treatment.

The safety and feasibility of laparoscopic right posterior sectionectomy vs. open approach: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Laparoscopic right posterior sectionectomy (LRPS) is one of the most technically challenging and potentially hazardous procedures in laparoscopic liver resection. Although some available literature works demonstrated the safety and feasibility of LRPS, these data are limited to reports from a single institution and a small sample size without support from evidence-based medicine. So, we performed a meta-analysis to assess further the safety and feasibility of LRPS by comparing it with open right posterior sectionectomy (ORPS). Methods: MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library were systematically searched for eligible studies comparing LRPS and open approaches. Random and fixed-effects models were used to calculate outcome measures. Results: Four studies involving a total of 541 patients were identified for inclusion: 250 in the LRPS group and 291 in the ORPS group. The postoperative complication and margin were not statistically different between the two groups (OR: 0.49, 95% CI: 0.18 to 1.35, P = 0.17) (MD: 0.05, 95% CI: -0.47 to 0.57, P = 0.86), respectively. LRPS had a significantly longer operative time and shorter hospital stay (MD: 140.32, 95% CI: 16.73 to 263.91, P = 0.03) (MD: -1.64, 95% CI: -2.56 to -0.72, P = 0.0005) respectively. Conclusion: Data from currently available literature suggest that LRPS performed by an experienced surgeon is a safe and feasible procedure in selected patients and is associated with a reduction in the hospital stay.

Chiral-at-Cage Carboranes for Circularly Polarized Luminescence and Aggregation-Induced Electrochemiluminescence.

Herein, we report the structures of chiral-at-cage carborane derivatives bearing carbazole chromophores that emit circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) and aggregation-induced electrochemiluminescence (AIECL). By adjusting the substituent positions on the carborane derivatives, two chiral luminescent molecules, Cb1 and Cb2, with different properties were obtained. The photoluminescence dissymmetry factors |gPL | of both (R/S)-Cb1 and (R/S)-Cb2 enantiomers in neat films were as high as 6.24×10-3 and 7.38×10-3 , respectively. Cb1 showed a deep blue emission peak at 434 nm in n-pentane. Interestingly, distinct fluorescence and CPL spectra were observed in solvents of different polarities due to the twisted intramolecular charge transfer effect, suggesting its potential use in solvent recognition. Meanwhile, Cb2 exhibited good AIECL property, excellent ECL stability and could be used for determining dopamine concentrations, suggesting its potential applications in biology and diagnosis.

Sensitivity of diffusion-tensor and correlated diffusion imaging to white-matter microstructural abnormalities: application in COVID-19

There has been growing attention on the effect of COVID-19 on white-matter microstructure, especially among those that self-isolated after being infected. There is also immense scientific interest and potential clinical utility to evaluate the sensitivity of single-shell diffusion MRI methods for detecting such effects. In this work, the sensitivities of three single-shell-compatible diffusion MRI modeling methods are compared for detecting the effect of COVID-19, including diffusion-tensor imaging, diffusion-tensor decomposition of orthogonal moments and correlated diffusion imaging. Imaging was performed on self-isolated patients at baseline and 3-month follow-up, along with age- and sex-matched controls. We demonstrate through simulations and experimental data that correlated diffusion imaging is associated with far greater sensitivity, being the only one of the three single-shell methods to demonstrate COVID-19-related brain effects. Results suggest less restricted diffusion in the frontal lobe in COVID-19 patients, but also more restricted diffusion in the cerebellar white matter, in agreement with several existing studies highlighting the vulnerability of the cerebellum to COVID-19 infection. These results, taken together with the simulation results, suggest that a significant proportion of COVID-19 related white-matter microstructural pathology manifests as a change in water diffusivity. Interestingly, different b-values also confer different sensitivities to the effects. No significant difference was observed in patients at the 3-month follow-up, likely due to the limited size of the follow-up cohort. To summarize, correlated diffusion imaging is shown to be a sensitive single-shell diffusion analysis approach that allows us to uncover opposing patterns of diffusion changes in the frontal and cerebellar regions of COVID-19 patients, suggesting the two regions react differently to viral infection.

Target residence of Cas9-sgRNA influences DNA double-strand break repair pathway choices in CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing.

BACKGROUND: Due to post-cleavage residence of the Cas9-sgRNA complex at its target, Cas9-induced DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) have to be exposed to engage DSB repair pathways. Target interaction of Cas9-sgRNA determines its target binding affinity and modulates its post-cleavage target residence duration and exposure of Cas9-induced DSBs. This exposure, via different mechanisms, may initiate variable DNA damage responses, influencing DSB repair pathway choices and contributing to mutational heterogeneity in genome editing. However, this regulation of DSB repair pathway choices is poorly understood. RESULTS: In repair of Cas9-induced DSBs, repair pathway choices vary widely at different target sites and classical nonhomologous end joining (c-NHEJ) is not even engaged at some sites. In mouse embryonic stem cells, weakening the target interaction of Cas9-sgRNA promotes bias towards c-NHEJ and increases target dissociation and reduces target residence of Cas9-sgRNAs in vitro. As an important strategy for enhancing homology-directed repair, inactivation of c-NHEJ aggravates off-target activities of Cas9-sgRNA due to its weak interaction with off-target sites. By dislodging Cas9-sgRNA from its cleaved targets, DNA replication alters DSB end configurations and suppresses c-NHEJ in favor of other repair pathways, whereas transcription has little effect on c-NHEJ engagement. Dissociation of Cas9-sgRNA from its cleaved target by DNA replication may generate three-ended DSBs, resulting in palindromic fusion of sister chromatids, a potential source for CRISPR/Cas9-induced on-target chromosomal rearrangements. CONCLUSIONS: Target residence of Cas9-sgRNA modulates DSB repair pathway choices likely through varying dissociation of Cas9-sgRNA from cleaved DNA, thus widening on-target and off-target mutational spectra in CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing.

A Chiral Dual-Core Organoboron Structure Realizes Dual-Channel Enhanced Ultrapure Blue Emission and Highly Efficient Circularly Polarized Electroluminescence.

The realization of luminescent materials with narrowband and circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) is of great significance for the development of future optical and photonic devices. Herein, through a steric-hindrance-assisted dual-core strategy, two pairs of chiral dual-core multiple resonance thermally activated delayed fluorescence (MR-TADF) materials (R/S-DOBN and R/S-DOBNT) are directly constructed by the bonding of two organoboron MR-TADF monocores (SOBN and SOBNT) with carbazole/3,6-di-tert-butyl-9H-carbazole and phenol derivative as donors, realizing obvious CPL and narrowband emissions. Furthermore, the dual-core effect in the prepared R/S-DOBN and R/S-DOBNT increases the transition oscillator strength two times more than that of a monocore structure, while maintaining the ultrapure blue emissions peaking at 453 and 459 nm with a narrower full-width at half-maximum of 21 nm through reorganization energy reduction. The circularly polarized organic light-emitting diodes based on the enantiomers exhibit ultrapure blue emission with Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage (CIE) coordinates of (0.14, 0.10) and (0.13, 0.12), high maximum external quantum efficiencies of 23.9% and 25.6%, and obvious circularly polarized electroluminescence with dissymmetry factors (|gEL |) ≈ 10-3 .