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The cell identity of malignant cells and how they acquire it are fundamental for our understanding of cancer. Here, we report that esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cells display molecular features equally similar but distinct to all three types of normal esophageal epithelial cells, which we term as confused cell identity (CCI). CCI is an independent prognostic marker associated with poor prognosis in ESCC. Further, we identify tropomyosin 4 (TPM4) as a critical CCI gene that promotes the aggressiveness of ESCC in vitro and in vivo. And TPM4 creates CCI through activating the Jak/STAT-SOX2 pathway. Thus, our study suggests an unrecognized feature of ESCC cells, which might be of value for clinic prognosis and potential interference.

Gastric Squamous Cell Carcinoma (GSCC) is a rare but aggressive subtype of gastric cancer with unique histopathology, whose etiology remains poorly understood. Here, we perform genomics analyses of twenty GSCC samples and find that epigenetic regulation genes are among the most frequently mutated genes, including Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 ( EZH2 ). Ezh2 loss induces squamous feature both in gastric organoids in vitro and in vivo mouse model. Ezh2 deficiency, together with Trp53 and Pten loss, both of which are also frequently mutated in GSCC, give rise to full-blown GSCC in mice. Mechanistically, we find that Ezh2 could repress the expression of Transcription factor AP-2 gamma ( Tfap2c ), a transcription factor with the ability to initiate epidermal squamous differentiation, through H3K27 methylation. Disruption of Tfap2c reduces the squamous characteristics of the Ezh2 loss-driven GSCC and reverses its resistance to chemo treatment. Our findings elucidate key molecular mechanisms underlying GSCC pathogenesis and identify potential therapeutic targets for this aggressive malignancy. Gastric Squamous Cell Carcinoma (GSCC) is a rare subtype of gastric cancer with unknown etiology. Here, the authors identify frequent mutations in epigenetic regulation genes including EZH2 in twenty GSCC patient samples, and demonstrate that EZH2 loss, along with TP53 and PTEN loss, leads to GSCC in mouse models.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), a squamous cell carcinoma originating in the nasopharynx, is a leading malignancy in south China and other south and east Asia areas. It is frequently associated with Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV) infection, while there are also some NPC patients without EBV infection. Here, it is shown that the EBV+ (EBV positive) and EBV‐ (EBV negative) NPCs contain both shared and distinct genetic abnormalities, among the latter are increased mutations in TP53. To investigate the functional roles of NPC‐associated genetic alterations, primary, orthotopic, and genetically defined NPC models were developed in mice, a key tool missed in the field. These models, initiated with gene‐edited organoids of normal nasopharyngeal epithelium, faithfully recapitulated the pathological features of human disease. With these models, it is found that Trp53 and Cdkn2a deficiency are crucial for NPC initiation and progression. And latent membrane protein1 (LMP1), an EBV‐coding oncoprotein, significantly promoted the distal metastasis. Further, loss of TGFBR2, which is frequently disrupted both in EBV‐ and EBV+ NPCs, dramatically accelerated the progression and lung metastasis of NPC probably by altering tumor microenvironment. Taken together, this work establishes a platform to dissect the genetic mechanisms underlying NPC pathogenesis and might be of value for future translational studies. A comparative genomics analysis of EBV+ and EBV‐ NPCs through WES to reveal their both shared and distinct genetic abnormalities is reported and created a serial of primary, orthotopic, and genetic driver‐defined NPC mouse models initiated with gene‐edited normal nasopharyngeal organoids to explore molecular mechanisms underlying NPC tumorigenesis.

Pulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma (PPC), classified as the predominant subtype of pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma under the current World Health Organization (WHO) criteria, accounts for 0.1-0.4% of all non-small cell lung carcinoma cases and typically manifests radiologically as solid masses with peripheral infiltration. In the present report, a novel clinicopathological manifestation of PPC presenting as a primary solitary cystic airspace with recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax (SP), challenging conventional diagnostic paradigms, is described. A 66-year-old man with recurrent SP was initially misdiagnosed with pulmonary bullae based on the peripheral cystic airspaces observed on computed tomography. Persistent air leakage prompted video-assisted thoracoscopic wedge resection, which revealed biphasic histology: Malignant spindle cell proliferations (vimentin-positive) mixed with conventional adenocarcinoma components (transcription termination factor 1-positive/napsin A-positive), consistent with the WHO 2021 diagnostic criteria for PPC. The patient reached sustained remission without adjuvant therapy, and disease-free survival was maintained for 29 months. The present case highlights three critical implications: First, primary cystic airspaces represent a rare but clinically significant radiological phenotype of PPC that mimic benign bullous lesions, particularly when obscured by pneumothorax; second, recurrent SP may serve as the initial manifestation of occult pulmonary malignancy, necessitating rigorous evaluation of cystic lung lesions; third, early surgical intervention offers dual diagnostic and therapeutic value, even in patients with compromised pulmonary function. These findings expand the recognized spectrum of the imaging heterogeneity of PPC and underscore the need for heightened clinical suspicion of cystic lung cancer in high-risk populations.

The sensitivity of soil carbon and nitrogen to warming is a major uncertainty in projections of climate. However, previous studies about soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks and potential emission predominantly concentrated on the shallow soil layer in high latitude ecosystems. In this study, we analyzed the SOC, total nitrogen (TN) and soil inorganic carbon (SIC) stocks, C/N ratios, and stable carbon isotope (δ13C) in the active layer and permafrost layer on the Eboling Mountain in the upper reach of Heihe River basin, northwestern China. Our results showed that the average stocks of SOC, TN, and SIC in permafrost layer above soil parent materials (71.7 kg m-2, 8.0 kg m-2, 34.7 kg m-2) were much higher than those in the active layer (44.3 kg m-2, 5.3 kg m-2, 12.2 kg m-2). The δ13C pattern in the soil profiles indicated that historical drainage conditions and pedogenesis were important factors in determining soil organic matter (SOM) stocks in this permafrost region. The δ13C and C/N ratios of the transient layer and some layers of permafrost implied that the degradation of SOM was different. These results highlight that carbon and nitrogen in permafrost regions with Alpine Kobresia meadow could make significant contribution to China's terrestrial carbon cycle.

Climate warming over the Tibetan Plateau has been thickening the active layer, the most significant indicator of the permafrost system. This study evaluates the influence of microtopography on active layer thaw depth in recent years at Eboling basin of the eastern Qilian Mountain, northeastern Tibetan Plateau. Thaw depths were measured at microtopographic levels in 2012, 2013, and 2014, respectively. Watershed-scale sampling was used to estimate the influence of various morphologies on the active layer, while a second sampling scheme to examine the variations in the frost table height along six short transects. A third sampling scheme used spatial autocorrelation analysis in a regular grid at 10 × 10 m intervals. The results documented that microtopography (elevation, microrelief, surface configuration, and slope) played a pivotal role on the active layer thickness of mountainous permafrost in the study area. Active layer became thinner in depressions, which was contrary to most of Arctic sites. Spatial autocorrelation analysis elucidated that the dominant topographic factors controlled the changes of active layer thickness. These factors exerted the majority of control over the spatial variations of the active layer. The results can help researchers or engineers to roughly estimate the probable influence of micromorphology on the changes in thickness of the active layer in mountainous permafrost regions in the Tibetan Plateau.

In this paper, an IC reactor whose effective volume was 6m3 was used in the experiment to determine the best condition when decontaminating the straw-washing water produced in the straw-based pulping and papermaking industry. The best condition of IC reactor to treat straw-washing wastewater through experiment was: the pH should be controlled in the neutral range, not less than 6.6; the temperature should be maintained at about 31°C, not more than 35°C; the fluctuation range of volume loading should better not be over 15%; To meet the alkalinity of the reactor over 1000mg/L, the dosage of sodium bicarbonate was 12kg / d. In the processing of reactor treating straw-washing wastewater, COD removal rate was lower, and effluent VFA stayed at a high level continuously. So the hydrolysis-acidification process was more appropriate than anaerobic treatment when decontaminating the straw-washing water.

Two fundamental problems exist in the use of quantum computation to process an image or signal. The first one is how to represent giant data, such as image data, using quantum state without losing information. The second one is how to load a colossal volume of data into the quantum registers of a quantum CPU from classical electronic memory. Researches on these two questions are rarely reported. Here an entangled state is used to represent an image （or vector） for which two entangled registers are used to store a vector component and its classical address. Using the representation, nl ＋ n2 ＋ 8 qubits are used to store the whole information of the gray image that has a 2n~ ~ 2~2 size at a superposition of states, a feat is not possible with a classic computer. The way of designing a unitary operation to load data, such as a vector （or image）, into the quantmn registers of a quantum CPU from electronic memory is defined herein as a quantum loading scheme （QLS）. In this paper, the QLS with time complexity O（log2 N） is presented where N denotes the number of vector components, a solution that would break through the efficiency bottleneck of loading data. QLS would enable a quantum CPU to be compatible with electronic memory and make possible quantum image compression and quantum signal processing that has classical input and output.

Objective We compare the reliability and validity of the Short Form 36 (version 1, SF-36) and the Short Form 12 (version 1, SF-12) in adolescence, the period of life when a child develops into an adult, i.e., the period from puberty to maturity terminating legally at the age of majority (10–19 years), thus supplying evidence for the selection of instruments measuring the quality of life (QOL) and decision-making processes of adolescents in China. Methods Stratified cluster random sampling was adopted according to geographical location, and the SF-36 was administered to assess QOL. The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to show correlation. Cronbach’s alpha and construct reliability (CR) were used to evaluate the reliability of SF-36 and SF-12, while criterion validity and average variance extracted (AVE, convergence validity) were used to evaluate validity. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to calculate the load factors for the items of the SF-36 and SF-12, then to obtain the CR and AVE. The Semejima grade response model (logistic two-parameter module) in item response theory was used to estimate item discrimination, item difficulty, and item average information for the items of the SF-36 and SF-12. Results 19,428 samples were included in the study. The mean age of respondents was 14.78 years (SD = 1.77). Reliability of each domain of the SF-36 was better than for the corresponding domain of the SF-12. The domains of PF, RP, BP, and GH in SF-36 had good construct reliability (CR > 0.6). The criterion validities of some domains of the SF-36 were a little higher in some corresponding dimensions of the SF-12, except for PCS. The convergence validities of the SF-12 were higher than the SF-36 in PF, RP, BP, and PCS. The items of BP, SF, RP, and VT in the SF-12 had acceptable discrimination of items that were higher than in the SF-36. The items’ average amounts of information on BP, VT, SF, RE, and MH in the SF-36 and SF-12 were poor. Conclusion Two component (PCS and MCS) measurements of the SF-12 appeared to perform at least as well as the SF-36 in cross-sectional settings in adolescence, but the reliability and validity of the 8 domains of the SF-36 were better than those of the SF-12. Some domains, for instance SF and BP, were not suitable for adolescents or need to be studied further.