Bioinformatics and machine learning driven key genes screening for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Liver cancer, a global menace, ranked as the sixth most prevalent and third deadliest cancer in 2020. The challenge of early diagnosis and treatment, especially for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), persists due to late-stage detections. Understanding HCC's complex pathogenesis is vital for advancing diagnostics and therapies. This study combines bioinformatics and machine learning, examining HCC comprehensively. Three datasets underwent meticulous scrutiny, employing various analytical tools such as Gene Ontology (GO) function and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis, protein interaction assessment, and survival analysis. These rigorous investigations uncovered twelve pivotal genes intricately linked with HCC's pathophysiological intricacies. Among them, CYP2C8, CYP2C9, EPHX2, and ESR1 were significantly positively correlated with overall patient survival, while AKR1B10 and NQO1 displayed a negative correlation. Moreover, the Adaboost prediction model yielded an 86.8 % accuracy, showcasing machine learning's potential in deciphering complex dataset patterns for clinically relevant predictions. These findings promise to contribute valuable insights into the elusive mechanisms driving liver cancer (HCC). They hold the potential to guide the development of more precise diagnostic methods and treatment strategies in the future. In the fight against this global health challenge, unraveling HCC's intricacies is of paramount importance.

Role of toll-like receptor-mediated pyroptosis in sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy.

Sepsis, a life-threatening dysregulated status of the host response to infection, can cause multiorgan dysfunction and mortality. Sepsis places a heavy burden on the cardiovascular system due to the pathological imbalance of hyperinflammation and immune suppression. Myocardial injury and cardiac dysfunction caused by the aberrant host responses to pathogens can lead to cardiomyopathy, one of the most critical complications of sepsis. However, many questions about the specific mechanisms and characteristics of this complication remain to be answered. The causes of sepsis-induced cardiac dysfunction include abnormal cardiac perfusion, myocardial inhibitory substances, autonomic dysfunction, mitochondrial dysfunction, and calcium homeostasis dysregulation. The fight between the host and pathogens acts as the trigger for sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy. Pyroptosis, a form of programmed cell death, plays a critical role in the progress of sepsis. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) act as pattern recognition receptors and participate in innate immune pathways that recognize damage-associated molecular patterns as well as pathogen-associated molecular patterns to mediate pyroptosis. Notably, pyroptosis is tightly associated with cardiac dysfunction in sepsis and septic shock. In line with these observations, induction of TLR-mediated pyroptosis may be a promising therapeutic approach to treat sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy. This review focuses on the potential roles of TLR-mediated pyroptosis in sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy, to shed light on this promising therapeutic approach, thus helping to prevent and control septic shock caused by cardiovascular disorders and improve the prognosis of sepsis patients.

Long non-coding RNA UCA1 regulates MPP+-induced neuronal damage through the miR-671-5p/KPNA4 pathway in SK-N-SH cells.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is an age-related neurodegenerative disease. Long non-coding RNA urothelial carcinoma-associated 1 (UCA1) is involved in the pathogenesis of PD. However, the pathogenesis of PD regulated by UCA1 has not been fully explained. We used 1-Methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+)-induced SK-N-SH cells for functional analysis. Expression levels of UCA1, microRNA (miR)-671-5p, and KPNA4 (karyopherin subunit alpha 4) mRNA were detected using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Cell viability and apoptosis were analyzed using MTT (3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide) or flow cytometry assays. Some protein levels were measured by western blotting. The levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines were tested by ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay). The levels of LDH (lactate dehydrogenase), MDA (malondialdehyde), and SOD (superoxide dismutase) were measured using corresponding kits. The relationship between UCA1 or KPNA4 and miR-671-5p was verified by dual-luciferase reporter assay and/or RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay. MPP+ induced UCA1 expression in SK-N-SH cells in a concentration-dependent manner or time-dependent manner. UCA1 knockdown reduced MPP+-induced apoptosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress in SK-N-SH cells. MiR-671-5p was downregulated while KPNA4 was upregulated in MPP+-treated SK-N-SH cells. UCA1 sponged miR-671-5p to regulate KPNA4 expression. MiR-671-5p inhibition counteracted UCA1 knockdown-mediated influence on apoptosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress of MPP+-induced SK-N-SH cells. KPNA4 overexpression offset the inhibitory influence of miR-671-5p mimic on apoptosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress of MPP+-treated SK-N-SH cells. UCA1 inhibition reduced MPP+-induced neuronal damage through the miR-671-5p/KPNA4 pathway in SK-N-SH cells, providing a novel mechanism to understand the pathogenesis of PD.

Cooperative Cu/Pd-catalyzed borocarbonylation of ethylene.

We report here a cooperative Cu/Pd-catalyzed multi-component borocarbonylation of ethylene with aryl iodides. A variety of synthetically useful ß-boryl ketones were assembled from the most basic C1 (CO) and C2 (ethylene) building blocks in good yields.

Palladium-Catalyzed Perfluoroalkylative Carbonylation of 2-Allylaryl Trifluoromethanesulfonates: Base-Controlled Selective Access to ß-Perfluoroalkyl Amides.

A palladium-catalyzed perfluoroalkylative carbonylation of 2-allylaryl trifluoromethanesulfonates has been developed. A range of 2-allyl trifluoromethanesulfonates, perfluoroalkyl halides, and amines were applied in this tandem procedure to provide the corresponding ß-perfluoroalkyl amides with good functional group tolerance and high chemoselectivity. The final products were controlled by the base applied.

Non-Noble Metal-Catalyzed Carbonylative Multi-Component Reactions.

Carbonylative multi-component reactions (CMCR), having four or more kinds of starting materials, provide an efficient strategy for the preparation of polyfunctional carbonylated compounds. Diverse CMCR utilizing non-noble transition-metal catalysts have been developed. This review summarized and discussed the recent advances in non-noble metal-catalyzed carbonylative multi-component reactions.

Assessment of Early Response to Lung Cancer Chemotherapy by Semiquantitative Analysis of Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MRI.

Objective: To evaluate the early chemotherapy response in patients with lung cancer using semiquantitative analysis of dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods: Twenty-two patients with lung cancer treated with chemotherapy were subjected to DCE-MRI at two time points: before starting treatment and after one week of therapy. The image data were collected by DCE-MRI, and the semiquantitative parameters including positive enhancement integral (PEI), signal enhancement ratio (SER), maximum slope of increase (MSI), and time to peak (TTP) were calculated. After chemotherapy, the parameters and relevant variations between the responders and nonresponders were compared with Mann-Whitney U tests. Student's t-test for paired samples was used to evaluate the temporal changes between pre- and posttreatment images. Results: The patients were categorized as 13 responders and 9 nonresponders based on the tumor response evaluation. After chemotherapy, the PEI, SER, and MSI were significantly increased in responders compared with the pretreatment values (P < 0.05), while no obvious decrease in TTP was observed (P > 0.05). However, 9 nonresponders showed no significant changes in PEI, SER, MSI, and TTP values, as compared with those of pretreatment (P > 0.05). Moreover, the increase of PEI was more dramatically in responders than in nonresponders (P < 0.05), but no significantly differences were observed in SER, MSI, and TTP (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Semiquantitative analysis of DCE-MRI could provide a reliable noninvasive method for assessing early chemotherapy response in lung cancer patients.

Palladium-Catalyzed Regio- and Stereoselective Hydroaminocarbonylation of Unsymmetrical Internal Alkynes toward α,ß-Unsaturated Amides.

α,ß-Unsaturated amides play a vital role in natural products, pharmaceuticals, organic synthesis, and functional materials. Herein, we disclosed a regio- and stereoselective hydroaminocarbonylation of unsymmetrical internal alkynes via palladium catalysis to synthesize α,ß-unsaturated amides. This protocol features excellent regio- and exclusive (E)-stereoselectivity, high atom and step-economy, broad substrate scope, and functional group tolerance.

Palladium-Catalyzed Desulfonative Carbonylation of Thiosulfonates: Elimination of SO2 and Insertion of CO.

A palladium-catalyzed desulfonative carbonylation of thiosulfonates has been explored. Without any additive, a series of S-aryl/alkyl benzenesulfonothioates were successfully transformed to thioesters in moderate to excellent yields by SO2 extrusion and CO insertion under the pressure of 1 bar of CO. The solvent dimethylacetamide (DMAc) facilitated this desulfonative carbonylation due to its high absorbing ability of SO2.

Cobalt-Catalyzed Four-Component Carbonylation of Methylarenes with Ethylene and Alcohols.

Direct conversion of raw materials to fine chemicals is greatly economically influential. We developed a non-expensive cobalt-catalyzed multicomponent carbonylative reaction for the synthesis of γ-aryl carboxylic acid esters from readily available methylarene, ethylene, and CO, which are widely found in multiple FDA-approved drugs.

Palladium-Catalyzed Carbonylation of Disulfides and Ethylene: Synthesis of ß-Thiopropionate Thioesters.

Transforming carbon monoxide (C1) and ethylene (C2) into high value-added chemicals is of great significance from an economic perspective, especially to multifunctionalized C3 compounds. Herein, we developed a palladium-catalyzed thiocarbonylative 1,2-difunctionalization of ethylene. Employing NiXantPhos as the ligand and DCE as the solvent, a series of organic disulfides can be successfully transformed into ß-thiopropionate thioesters in good yields.

Detection of functional and structural brain alterations in female schizophrenia using elastic net logistic regression.

Neuroimaging technique is a powerful tool to characterize the abnormality of brain networks in schizophrenia. However, the neurophysiological substrate of schizophrenia is still unclear. Here we investigated the patterns of brain functional and structural changes in female patients with schizophrenia using elastic net logistic regression analysis of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data. Data from 52 participants (25 female schizophrenia patients and 27 healthy controls) were obtained. Using an elastic net penalty, the brain regions most relevant to schizophrenia pathology were defined in the models using the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) and gray matter, respectively. The receiver operating characteristic analysis showed reliable classification accuracy with 85.7% in ALFF analysis, and 77.1% in gray matter analysis. Notably, our results showed eight common regions between the ALFF and gray matter analyses, including the Frontal-Inf-Orb-R, Rolandic-Oper-R, Olfactory-R, Angular-L, Precuneus-L, Precuenus-R, Heschl-L, and Temporal-Pole-Mid-R. In addition, the severity of symptoms was found positively associated with the ALFF within the Rolandic-Oper-R and Frontal-Inf-Orb-R. Our findings indicated that elastic net logistic regression could be a useful tool to identify the characteristics of schizophrenia -related brain deterioration, which provides novel insights into schizophrenia diagnosis and prediction.

Palladium-Catalyzed Direct Dicarbonylation of Amines with Ethylene to Imides.

The selective and effective conversion of low-cost and simple bulk chemicals into high value-added products through catalytic strategy has a wide range of practical significance. Here, a palladium-catalyzed method for the direct and efficient dicarbonylation of amines with basic industrial feedstock ethylene to imide has been developed. Moderate to excellent yields of the desired imides can be produced from readily available amines in a straightforward manner.

Effects of sunlike spectrum LED illumination on retinal blood perfusion in children and adolescents: a randomized controlled trial / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To analyze the effect of sunlike spectrum LED illumination on retinal blood flow perfusion, and to explore the the correlation between sunlike spectrum LED illumination and eye health indicators in children and adolescents.@*Methods@#A randomized control double blind trial was conducted. The ordinary LED table lamp in the control group(11) and the sunlike spectrum LED table lamp in the experimental group(12) had a fitting degree of 87% and 95% with the daylighting spectrum, respectively. Two sample independent t test and multivariable linear regression model were applied to compare the changes of retinal blood perfusion before and after the trial.@*Results@#After near reading for 1 hour, the retinal capillary density in the superficial and deep layers of the subjects in the ordinary LED illumination group decreased (superficial layer: -3.05±2.04 , P <0.01; deep layer: -4.03± 4.94, P =0.02), no significant decrease was found in the sunlike spectrum LED illumination group (superficial layer: -0.59± 1.44, P =0.18; deep layer: -0.49±4.27, P =0.70). Multivariable regression analysis found that compared with ordinary LED illumination, sunlike spectrum LED illumination could significantly alleviate the decrease in capillary density in the superficial and deep retinal layers, respectively ( β =2.83, 95% CI =1.54-4.12, P <0.01; β =4.21,95% CI =0.58-7.84, P =0.02).@*Conclusion@#Sunlike spectrum LED illumination can alleviate the decrease in retinal blood perfusion caused by near work among children and adolescents, suggesting that it may delay the onset and development of myopia. Prevention and control of myopia needs to pay attention to the spectral power distribution of artificial illumination.

Regulation of Hole Concentration and Mobility and First-Principle Analysis of Mg-Doping in InGaN Grown by MOCVD.

This work studied the regulation of hole concentration and mobility in p-InGaN layers grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) under an N-rich environment. By adjusting the growth temperature, the hole concentration can be controlled between 6 × 1017/cm3 and 3 × 1019/cm3 with adjustable hole mobility from 3 to 16 cm2/V.s. These p-InGaN layers can meet different requirements of devices for hole concentration and mobility. First-principles defect calculations indicate that the p-type doping of InGaN at the N-rich limiting condition mainly originated from Mg substituting In (MgIn). In contrast with the compensation of nitrogen vacancy in p-type InGaN grown in a Ga-rich environment, the holes in p-type InGaN grown in an N-rich environment were mainly compensated by interstitial Mg (Mgi), which has very low formation energy.

Clinical characteristics and neuroimaging findings of seven patients with Dyke Davidoff Masson syndrome.

BACKGROUND: DDMS is a rare disease diagnosed by clinical and radiological characteristics. But the complexity of radiological and clinical manifestations of DDMS has become a challenge diagnostically. To date, the reported cases with DDMS had highly varied clinical manifestations including seizures, contralateral hemiplegia/hemiparesis, facial asymmetry, mental retardation, etc. In addition to typical clinical findings, some new characteristics have been recently added to the spectrum of DDMS. However, few cases have been reported to be associated with neuropsychiatric symptoms according to the literature. This study aimed to investigate the neuropsychiatric manifestations associated with Dyke-Davidoff-Masson syndrome (DDMS) and related imaging findings. METHODS: This study included 7 patients diagnosed with DDMS between 2014 and 2020. The clinical characteristics, neuropsychiatric manifestations, and radiological results were retrospectively evaluated. RESULTS: Seven patients (five males and two females) with a mean age of 28.0 ± 9.73 (range 15.0-41.0) years were included. Five patients were admitted to the psychiatric unit due to psychological and behavioral disorders. Two patients were referred to the neurology unit mainly due to epilepsy. Six patients had epileptic seizures, 4 had hemiplegia, 3 had mental retardation, 2 patients had external ear deformities, and 2 had facial asymmetry. Neuropsychiatric symptoms were presented in 6 (85.7 %) cases. Cases 2-6 developed affective disorders. Deficits in verbal communication, impairment of social interaction, lack of insight, adulia and hypobulia appeared in cases 1-4. Schizophrenia with apathy, and epileptic schizoid psychosis were observed in cases 4 and 5 respectively. Case 6 had behavioral disorders, hyperactivity, tic disorder, mental retardation, anxiety, catatonic symptoms and suicidal tendency. Case 7 had seizures and mental retardation, and no psychiatric symptoms were presented. Radiological examinations showed unilateral cerebral atrophy, enlarged lateral ventricles, and various compensatory hypertrophy of the skull in all cases. The midline structure has shifted to the affected side in 5(71.4 %) cases. Atrophy of the basal ganglia or brain stem was observed in 4(57.1 %) cases. CONCLUSIONS: The hallmark imaging manifestations of DDMS facilitated the diagnosis in most cases. This study illustrated that a variety of psychoneurotic disorders and ear abnormalities were correlated with DDMS.

NHC ligand-powered palladium-catalyzed carbonylative C-S bond cleavage of vinyl sulfides: efficient access to tert-butyl arylacrylates.

A method for palladium-catalyzed carbonylative C-S bond activation of divinyl sulfides to synthesize numerous tert-(E)-butyl arylacry-lates under 1 bar of CO has been developed. Employing electron-rich NHC as the ligand, the electron-rich and stabilized palladium complex trend to oxidative addition to the relatively inert C-S bond and decreased the poisoning effect of sulfide and CO; a series of tert-(E)-butyl acrylates were obtained in moderate to good yields.

Four-Component Borocarbonylation of Vinylarenes Enabled by Cooperative Cu/Pd Catalysis: Access to ß-Boryl Ketones and ß-Boryl Vinyl Esters.

We report here a general four-component synthetic procedure for the preparation of ß-boryl ketones and ß-boryl vinyl esters. Joint catalyzed by palladium and copper catalysts, borocarbonylative reaction between vinylarenes, aryl halides/triflates, B2 Pin2 , and carbon monoxide proceed successfully. A variety of synthetically useful ß-boryl ketones were synthesized in good to high yields by using aryl iodides as the substrates. It is noteworthy that when aryl triflates were applied as the starting materials, ß-boryl vinyl esters were synthesized in a similar manner and with broad functional group tolerance. A rational mechanism for this reaction was also proposed.

Ruthenium-Catalyzed Carbonylative Coupling of Anilines with Organoboranes by the Cleavage of Neutral Aryl C-N Bond.

Herein, we report the first ruthenium-catalyzed Suzuki-type carbonylative reaction of electronically neutral anilines via C(aryl)-N bond cleavage. Without any ligand and base, diaryl ketones can be obtained in moderate to high yields by using Ru3(CO)12 as the catalyst and chelation assisted by pyridine. The pyridine ring has a significant effect on both high efficiency and high regioselectivity in the cleavage of the aryl C-N bond in anilines.

Exploring the value of the double source CT angiography in diagnosing in-stent restenosis in lower limb artery.

OBJECTIVES: This paper is aimed to explore the value of double source CT angiography (DS-CTA) for diagnosing in-stent restenosis in lower limb artery. METHODS: From January 2016 to October 2018, all patients with stent in lower limb artery in our hospital were investigated by both DS-CTA and digital subtraction angiography. We measured the minimum lumen diameter and the diameter of the proximal normal vessels under each stent placement. The in-stent restenosis is defined as restenosis when the lumen area decreased by more than 50%. Digital subtraction angiography was performed within 1 week after DS-CT scan. Relationship between DS-CTA and digital subtraction angiography for diagnosing in-stent restenosis in lower limb artery was analyzed. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of DS-CTA for diagnosis of in-stent restenosis were analyzed with digital subtraction angiography as the reference standard. A total of 68 stents were placed in 51 patients. Among these patients, 27 cases were diagnosed as in-stent restenosis, presenting as endovascular contrast agent bias or crescent filling defect with the lumen area reducing over 50%, 6 cases of which had no significant in-stent restenosis by digital subtraction angiography analysis. Furthermore, 12 cases were occlusion, in which there was no high density contrast agent in stents; the remaining 41 stents were unobstructed and the contrast agent was filled well, 8 cases of which had significant in-stent restenosis by digital subtraction angiography analysis. In addition, four stents were deformed or distorted. Statistical analysis demonstrated the concentrations of DS-CTA and digital subtraction angiography in diagnosing in-stent restenosis for lower limb artery were closely related, and the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of DS-CTA were 72.4%, 84.6%, 77.8%, 80.5%, and 79.4%, respectively. CONCLUSION: DS-CTA has a potential reliability for diagnosis of in-stent restenosis in lower limb artery, which may be further improved to be used for clinical interventional treatment of vascular diseases.