Experimental Study on the Mechanical Properties and Acoustic Emission Characteristics of Different Bedding High-Rank Coals.

Bedding has an important influence on the macroscopic and microscopic mechanical properties of coal, and the mechanical properties of coal and rock mass and acoustic emission characteristics are very important for rock burst monitoring and warning. In order to explore the influence of different beddings on the mechanical properties and acoustic emission characteristics of high-rank coal, using the RMT-150B electrohydraulic servo rock mechanics test system and the DS5 acoustic emission analyzer, the uniaxial compression and acoustic emission characteristics of high-rank coals with different beddings (parallel bedding 0°, oblique bedding 30, 45, 60°, and vertical bedding 90°) were investigated. The results show that the uniaxial compressive strength and deformation modulus of vertical stratified coal samples are the largest, which are 28.924 MPa and 2.95 GPa, while the average values of uniaxial compressive strength and deformation modulus of oblique stratified coal samples are the smallest, which are 10.91 MPa and 1.776 GPa, respectively. With the increase of the bedding angle, the uniaxial compressive strength of high-rank coal decreases first and then increases. The stress-strain process of coal varies greatly with different high stratification grades (parallel bedding 0°, oblique bedding 30°, 45°, 60° and vertical bedding 90°). The loading times of parallel, oblique, and vertical beddings are 700, 450, 370, 550, and 600 s, and the acoustic emission mutation point values are 495, 449, 350, 300, and 410 s. The mutation point value can be used as precursor information to judge the failure of high-rank coal in different beddings. Research results to find the high-rank coal destruction instability prediction method and the index provide a basis; further damage to the acoustic emission testing high order coal provides reference significance; and the use of acoustic emission in the monitoring and early warning of percussive ground pressure, the bedding surface of coal, and the actual stress on site should be considered.

Experimental Study on the Variation Mechanism of Permeability and Seepage Characteristics of High-Rank Coal with Different Bedding.

In order to understand the variation mechanism of permeability and seepage characteristics of high-rank coal with different bedding, we prepared cylindrical raw coal samples according to the bedding angles of 0, 30, 45, 60, and 90° and conducted permeability tests under two stress paths (stress path 1, unloading confining pressure under constant axial pressure; stress path 2, simultaneous loading axial pressure and unloading confining pressure). The results show that the relationship between the permeability and effective stress of high-rank coal with different bedding in the two stress paths conforms to an exponential function, and the permeability increases gradually with an increase in differential stress. Under the two stress paths, the initial permeability of different bedding under the loading axial pressure and confining pressure shows a pattern of a maximum for parallel bedding coal samples, followed by oblique bedding coal samples, and a minimum for vertical bedding coal samples. Under path 1, the increase in the permeability of the oblique bedding is 21.4 times that of the vertical bedding and 14.94 times that of the parallel bedding, and under path 2, the increase in the permeability of the oblique bedding is 26.45 times that of the vertical bedding and 142.11 times that of the parallel bedding; the coal samples of the oblique bedding suffer the greatest damage. The increase in the permeability of parallel bedding coal samples, oblique bedding coal samples, and vertical bedding coal samples under path 2 is 1.47 times, 13.96 times, and 11.3 times the increase in the permeability of the corresponding coal samples under path 1, respectively, and the damage produced by coal samples under path 2 is greater than that under path 1.

Diagnostic and Prognostic Value of Interleukin-6 in Emergency Department Sepsis Patients.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to explore the diagnostic and prognostic value of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in sepsis patients presenting to the emergency department. Patients and Methods: A total of 128 patients who visited the emergency department of West Hospital of Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, affiliated to Capital Medical University, from November 2021 to February 2022 were subjected to this study. According to Sepsis-3.0 diagnostic criteria for sepsis, patients were divided into non-sepsis group (65 cases) and sepsis group (63 cases). Demographic data and clinical characteristics of the two patient groups were compared. Serum levels of biomarkers including IL-6, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and lactic acid (Lac) were compared with Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores. Logistic regression was used to analyze independent risk factors and Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (ROC) method was used to analyze the Area Under the Curve (AUC) to determine the diagnostic and prognostic value of markers. Results: Compared with non-sepsis patients, levels of IL-6, PCT, CRP and BUN were significantly higher in sepsis patients (10.84 (4.41-27.01): 92.22 (21.53-201.12), 0.03 (0.01-0.1):0.49 (0.08-3.1), 8.3 (0.5-31.8):39.8(10.3-98.6), 7.01 (4.90-11.74):13.03 (6.93-25.99), all p = 0.001). IL-6, BUN and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were independent risk factors for sepsis diagnosis. AUC values of IL-6, BUN, MAP and IL-6+BUN+MAP were 0.764, 0.696, 0.685, and 0.848, respectively. Lactate, age and SOFA score were independent risk factors for 28-day mortality in sepsis patients. The AUC of Lac, age, SOFA score and Lac+age+SOFA score to predict 28-day death in sepsis patients was 0.679, 0.626, 0.747, and 0.819, respectively. Conclusion: IL-6 is an independent predictor of sepsis diagnosis, and the combination of blood BUN and MAP has superior diagnostic performance. Lac, age, and SOFA score could effectively predict clinical outcomes in patients with sepsis.

TGF-ß Enhances Immunosuppression of Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells to Induce Transplant Immune Tolerance Through Affecting Arg-1 Expression.

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are a class of heterogeneous myeloid cells, which play an important role in immunosuppression. We intended to find an effective method that can produce MDSCs with significantly better efficiency and promote immune tolerance for transplant rejection through cell therapy. It has been reported that granulocyte and macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) could induce MDSCs in vitro to cause immunosuppression. In the present study, transforming growth factor ß (TGF-ß) was added to the induction system, and flow cytometry analysis was used to detect the phenotypes of induced MDSCs. Their potential immunosuppressive function and mechanisms were determined by co-culturing MDSCs with stimulated T cells in vitro and transferring MDSCs to the skin grafted C57BL/6J mouse models in vivo. It was found that the addition of TGF-ß could effectively cause bone marrow cells to differentiate into a group of cells with stronger immunosuppressive functions, thereby inhibiting the proliferation of stimulated T cells. The population of CD11b+Gr-1+ MDSCs also increased significantly as compared with GM-CSF alone treatment. While detecting for immunosuppressive effectors, we found that expression of arginase 1 (Arg-1) was significantly upregulated in these MDSCs, and inhibitor of Arg-1 significantly suppressed their immunosuppressive capabilities. Moreover, an adoptive transfer of these cells significantly prolonged survival of allo-skin and improved immune tolerance in vivo. These findings indicated that TGF-ß + GM-CSF could serve as an effective and feasible method to induce powerful immunosuppressive MDSCs in vitro. Thus, TGF-ß + GM-CSF-induced MDSCs may have a promising role in prevention of the graft rejection.

Low Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Experimental Study on Gas Adsorption of High-Rank Coals with Different Beddings.

In order to deeply study the influence of the coal bedding structure on coal gas adsorption, low nuclear magnetic resonance (LNMR) and a confining pressure loading system were used to carry out the LNMR experiment of gas adsorption of high-rank coals with different beddings under different confining pressures. The results showed that the amount of gas adsorption of high-rank coals with different beddings increases with time and decreases with the increase of confining pressure. In the process from low confining pressure to high confining pressure, the coal sample with oblique bedding (bedding angles 30°, 45°, and 60°) has the largest average increment of gas adsorption, followed by the coal sample with vertical bedding (bedding angle 90°), and the coal sample with parallel bedding has the smallest increment of gas adsorption (bedding angle 0°). The linear function relation between the different-bedding high-rank coal gas adsorption state and the confining pressure is y = a - bx. The relation between the free peak area and the confining pressure conforms to the exponential function y = a + bexp(cx). Different-bedding high-rank coal adsorption peaks and the peak area decrease with the increase of confining pressure, and the free peak continues to move to the left; that is, the large pores gradually shrink. With the increase of angle and bedding, the area of the adsorption peak increases first and then decreases, presenting an "inverted V" shape on the whole. The area of the free peak decreases first and then increases, presenting a "V" shape on the whole.

A promising Prognostic risk model for advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with immune-related genes.

BACKGROUND: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a third most common tumor of the urinary system. Nowadays, Immunotherapy is a hot topic in the treatment of solid tumors, especially for those tumors with pre-activated immune state. METHODS: In this study, we downloaded genomic and clinical data of RCC samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Four immune-related genetic signatures were used to predict the prognosis of RCC by Cox regression analysis. Then we established a prognostic risk model consisting of the genes most related to prognosis from four signatures to value prognosis of the RCC samples via Kaplan-Meier (KM) survival analysis. An independent data from International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) database were used to test the predictive stability of the model. Furthermore, we performed landscape analysis to assess the difference of gene mutant in the RCC samples from TCGA. Finally, we explored the correlation between the selected genes and the level of tumor immune infiltration via Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) platform. RESULTS: We used four genetic signatures to construct prognostic risk models respectively and found that each of the models could divide the RCC samples into high- and low-risk groups with significantly different prognosis, especially in advanced RCC. A comprehensive prognostic risk model was constructed by 8 candidate genes from four signatures (HLA-B, HLA-A, HLA-DRA, IDO1, TAGAP, CIITA, PRF1 and CD8B) dividing the advanced RCC samples from TCGA database into high-risk and low-risk groups with a significant difference in cancer-specific survival (CSS). The stability of the model was verified by independent data from ICGC database. And the classification efficiency of the model was stable for the samples from different subgroups. Landscape analysis showed that mutation ratios of some genes were different between two risk groups. In addition, the expression levels of the selected genes were significantly correlated with the infiltration degree of immune cells in the advanced RCC. CONCLUSIONS: Sum up, eight immune-related genes were screened in our study to construct prognostic risk model with great predictive value for the prognosis of advanced RCC, and the genes were associated with infiltrating immune cells in tumors which have potential to conduct personalized treatment for advanced RCC.

CYP3a5 Genetic Polymorphism in Chinese Population With Renal Transplantation: A Meta-Analysis Review.

BACKGROUND: Tacrolimus is a common immunosuppressive for transplantation. The enzyme encoded by the CYP3A5 gene can regulate the metabolism of tacrolimus, and the polymorphism of the CYP3A5 gene regulates the enzyme function. However, its characteristics in Chinese kidney transplant recipients remain unclear. METHODS: A computer-based database retrieval included Pubmed, Web of Science, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Biology Medicine Disc, and WanFang databases between January 2010 and December 2020. Search terms included "CYP3A5," "polymorphism," and "renal transplantation." Literature included in this study had sample sizes >130. Genetic testing data of CYP3A5*1/*1, *1/*3, *3/*3 genes were analyzed using a statistical method of meta-analysis to explore the mutation rate of CYP3A5 in Chinese and foreign populations. RESULTS: The frequency of the A allele in the CYP3A5 gene was 23% in all transplant recipients from the 28 included studies. The frequency in Chinese renal transplant recipients was 29%, and it was 30% in renal transplant recipients from other Asian countries but significantly higher than that in Western renal transplant recipients (14%). In subgroup analysis, the frequencies of the A allele in renal transplant recipients in different parts of China were comparable. CONCLUSIONS: We found that there were significant differences in CYP3A5 gene polymorphism between Asians and Westerners. There was no significant difference in the frequency of the A allele in CYP3A5 gene among Chinese renal transplant recipients from different parts of China.

Effects of individualized administration of folic acid on prothrombotic state and vascular endothelial function with H-type hypertension: A double-blinded, randomized clinical cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Hypertension and hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) have long been associated with adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health outcomes. This study evaluated the effect of individualized administration of folic acid (FA) on homocysteine (Hcy) levels, prothrombotic state, and blood pressure (BP) in patients with H-type hypertension (combination of HHcy and hypertension). METHODS: In this double-blinded, randomized clinical cohort study, 126 patients with H-type hypertension who were treated at our hospital were randomly divided into treatment and control groups (n = 55 each). The control group was treated with oral levamlodipine besylate tablets 2.5 mg and placebo, once a day (in the morning). The treatment group was first treated with oral levamlodipine besylate 2.5 mg and FA tablets 0.8 mg, once a day (in the morning), for 12 weeks. Then, in a second 12-week phase, the FA dose was adjusted using the methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase C677 polymorphism genotype. The levels of Hcy and coagulation factors, prothrombotic state parameters, BP, and adverse drug reactions were compared between the 2 groups. RESULTS: Pretreatment general patient characteristics, including Hcy levels, were similar between the 2 groups (P > .05). BP and prothrombotic status did not differ before and after the first phase of treatment (P > .05). However, Hcy and endothelin-1 (ET-1) levels decreased, while nitric oxide levels increased significantly in the intervention group (P < .05). In the second phase, after 3 months' treatment with an FA dose adjusted according to methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase C677T genotype, the Hcy and ET-1/NO levels were significantly decreased in the intervention group and were lower than those after the first treatment phase and lower than in the control group (P < .01). BP, D-dimer levels, and fibrinogen scores were significantly lower after the second treatment phase (P < .01). There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse drug reactions between the 2 groups (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: Individualized administration of FA tablets can effectively reduce BP, and Hcy and coagulation factor levels, and significantly improve prothrombotic status in patients with H-type hypertension.

Predictive Value of Heart-Type Fatty Acid-Binding Protein for Mortality Risk in Critically Ill Patients.

Objective: Our study assessed the predictive value of heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP) for critically ill patients. Methods: 150 critically ill patients admitted to the emergency department of Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, were included in our study from August 2021 to April 2022. Serum H-FABP, procalcitonin (PCT), lactate (LAC), and other markers were determined within 1 h after admission. The Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score and the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) were calculated. The independent predictors of 28-day mortality in critically ill patients were analyzed by logistic regression, and the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used to analyze the predictive value for 28-day mortality in critically ill patients. Results: Age, APACHE II, SOFA, GCS, LAC, H-FABP, IL-6, Scr, and D-dimer were significantly different in the nonsurvivor vs. survivor groups (P < 0.05), with H-FABP correlating with cTNI, Scr, PCT, and SOFA scores (P < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that H-FABP, APACHE II, LAC, and age were independent predictors for 28-day mortality in critically ill patients (P < 0.05). The AUC of ROC curve in H-FABP was 0.709 (sensitivity 72.9%, specificity 66.1%, and cut-off 4.35), which was slightly lower than AUC of ROC curve in LAC (AUC 0.750, sensitivity 58.3%, specificity 76.1%, and cut-off 1.95) and APACHE II (AUC 0.731, sensitivity 77.1%, specificity 58.7%, and cut-off 12.5). However, statistically, there was no difference in the diagnostic value of H-FABP compared with the other two indicators (Z 1 = 0.669, P = 0.504; Z 2 = 0.383, P = 0.702). But H-FABP (72.9%) has higher sensitivity than LAC (58.3%). The combined evaluation of H-FABP+APACHE II score (AUC 0.801, sensitivity 71.7%, and specificity 78.2%; Z = 2.612, P = 0.009) had better diagnostic value than H-FABP alone and had high sensitivity (71.7%) and specificity (78.2%). Conclusion: H-FABP, LAC, APACHE II, and age can be used as independent risk factors affecting the prognosis of critically ill patients. Compared with using the above indicators alone, the H-FABP+APACHE II has a high diagnostic value, and the early and rapid evaluation is particularly important for the adjustment of treatment plans and prognosis.

Anisotropic Flow-Solid Coupling Model for Gas Extraction from Cis-Layer Boreholes and Its Application.

To investigate the effect of anisotropy of coal body on the gas extraction effect of cis-borehole, the anisotropy permeability model of coal based on structural anisotropy ratio and flow-solid coupling model were established at a working face of Zhongmacun mine Henan Province, China, as the research object, and COMSOL numerical simulation software was used. The results show that considering coal anisotropy, the gas pressure decreases more faster than that without coal anisotropy, and the farther away from the borehole, the smaller the difference between them. The extraction time was a logarithmic function of the effective extraction radius, the negative extraction pressure was an exponential function of the effective extraction radius, and the borehole diameter satisfies a power function relationship with the effective extraction radius. The variation of gas pressure with extraction time in different stratigraphic directions was analyzed, and gas pressure decreases faster in parallel stratigraphic directions and slower in vertical stratigraphic directions. Considering the complexity and safety of gas extraction at the working face, a 30% redundancy factor is added to determine the maximum magnitude and range of gas pressure drop when the spacing of cascade drill holes in a working face of Zhongmacun mine Henan Province, China, is 6 m, which can avoid the superposition of "blank zone" and ineffective extraction.

A zinc finger protein gene signature enables bladder cancer treatment stratification.

Bladder cancer (BC) is a commonly occurring malignant tumor affecting the urinary tract. Zinc finger proteins (ZNFs) constitute the largest transcription factor family in the human genome and are therefore attractive biomarker candidates for BC prognosis. In this study, we profiled the expression of ZNFs in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) BC cohort and developed a novel prognostic signature based on 7 ZNF-coding genes. After external validation of the model in the GSE48276 dataset, we integrated the 7-ZNF-gene signature with patient clinicopathological data to construct a nomogram that forecasted 1-, 2-, and 3-year OS with good predictive accuracy. We then accessed The Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer database to predict the therapeutic drug responses of signature-defined high- and low-risk BC patients in the TCGA cohort. Greater sensitivity to chemotherapy was revealed in the low-risk group. Finally, we conducted gene set enrichment analysis of the signature genes and established, by applying the ESTIMATE algorithm, distinct correlations between the two risk groups and the presence of stromal and immune cell types in the tumor microenvironment. By allowing effective risk stratification of BC patients, our novel ZNF gene signature may enable tailoring more intensive treatment for high-risk patients.

IFI16 Can Be Used as a Biomarker for Diagnosis of Renal Cell Carcinoma and Prediction of Patient Survival.

The incidences of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) increase in number each year and account for about 2-3% of all malignant tumors. Many patients have metastasis by the time of diagnosis, and their prognosis is poor. Therefore, it is essential that new diagnostic and prognostic markers for kidney cancer are identified. In this study, we assessed the potential of IFI16 as a diagnostic and prognostic marker for RCC. We analyzed the TCGA and UALCAN databases and found IFI16 to be highly expressed in ccRCC. In addition, high IFI16 levels positively correlated with lymphatic metastasis, tumor stage, and histopathological grade. Kaplan-Meier curve analysis showed that IFI16 expression was related to the prognosis of patients, and high IFI16 expression indicated a worse overall survival (p = 5.1E-0.7). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that a combination of IFI16 expression and histopathological grade improved predictive accuracy (AUC = 0.697; 95%CI: 0.628-0.765, P < 0.001). Finally, the relative levels of IFI16 in ACHN and Caki-1 cells were higher than that of HK-2 cells by western blotting analysis and RT-PCR. Functional tests showed that knocking down IFI16 expression inhibited migration and invasion in vitro. Therefore, IFI16 is a potential biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of RCC patients.

The safety and efficacy of doxazosin in medical expulsion therapy for distal ureteric calculi: A meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Alpha-adrenergic receptor blockers can be effectively used in the context of medical expulsion therapy (MET) to treat ureteric stones. This study was designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of doxazosin in MET relative to placebo or tamsulosin. METHODS: We systematically searched the PubMed, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Chinese Academic Database, and Web of Science databases to select randomized controlled trials (RCT) that compared the use of doxazosin with placebo or tamsulosin to treat ureteric stones. All patients we included were limited to those diagnosed with visible stones in the distal ureter. The diameter of ureteric stones does not exceed 10 mm. RESULTS: Eight trials comparing doxazosin with placebo or tamsulosin containing 667 patients were assessed in the final analysis. The meta-analysis showed that doxazosin effectively treated ureteric stones and was better than placebo in terms of efficacy. Relative to the placebo group, the expulsion rate of stones from the distal ureter (OR = 3.00, 95% CI [2.15, 4.19], I2 = 0%, P < 0.00001) was significantly increased, and the expulsion time (days) was shortened (mean difference) (MD) = -4.03, 95% CI [-4.53, -3.53], P < 0.00001). The doxazosin group experienced fewer pain episodes (MD = -0.78, CI = [-0.94, -0.23], I2 = 0%, P < 0.00001) than the placebo group. A subgroup analysis showed that the doxazosin group had a higher expulsion rate (of 5-10 mm stones) compared with the placebo group. Although doxazosin resulted in significantly more adverse effects compared with the placebo, the patient's symptoms were mild and no further medical interventions were required. Moreover, the expulsion time (days) was shorter for patients receiving doxazosin (MD = -0.61, 95% CI [-0.97, -0.24], I2 = 39%, P = 0.001) than those receiving tamsulosin. CONCLUSION: Compared with the placebo group, patients receiving doxazosin had a greater expulsion rate, a reduced expulsion time, and fewer pain episodes. The expulsion time of doxazosin was shorter than that of tamsulosin.

Interferon-inducible protein 16 may be a biomarker and prognostic factor in renal cell carcinoma by bioinformatics analysis.

BACKGROUND: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) accounts for 2% to 3% of all human malignancies and is the 9th most common malignancy in Western countries. Due to the development of surgical procedures and the use of novel drugs, survival has been significantly prolonged. However, current challenges include how to diagnose RCC earlier and how to overcome drug resistance. Methods: We explored the relationship between the transcription level of IFI16 and clinical data in RCC through various online databases, including ONCOMINE, GEPIA, HPA, Timer and COEXPEDIA. RESULTS: In comparison with corresponding normal tissues, IFI16 mRNA expression levels were higher in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) and kidney renal papillary cell carcinoma (KIRP) tissues. In KIRC, the higher expression of IFI16 was associated with lower overall survival (P = .037). In KIRP, the higher expression IFI16 was associated with lower disease-free survival and overall survival (P = .037 and P = .011). In contrast, the IFI16 expression was negatively correlated with tumor purity in kidney chromophobe, KIRC and KIRP (all P < .05). In KIRC and KIRP, the expression of IFI16 was positively correlated with tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) (all P < .05), except macrophages in KIRP. In KIRC, the main TIICs were B cells, CD4+T cells, neutrophils, and dendritic cells, while the main TIICs in the high amplification state were macrophage (all P < .0001). Functional enrichment analysis by gene ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes highlighted enrichment of neutrophil degranulation, phagocytosis and vesicle-mediated transport regulation, and pathways including tuberculosis, toxoplasmosis, phagosome, leishmaniasis, and Fc gamma R-mediated. CONCLUSIONS: IFI16 is overexpressed in RCC and may be an important oncogene in the progression of kidney. In addition, IFI16 may a marker for RCC diagnosis and prognosis, which may be related to immune infiltration.