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The incidence of young patients with pancreatic cancer (PC) is on the rise, and there is a lack of models that could effectively predict their prognosis. The purpose of this study was to construct nomograms for predicting the overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) of young patients with PC. PC patients younger than 50 years old from 2004 to 2015 in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database were selected and randomly divided into training set and validation set. Univariable and forward stepwise multivariable Cox analysis was used to determine the independent factors affecting OS. The Fine and Gray competing risk regression model was used to determine the independent factors affecting CSS. We used significant variables in the training set to construct nomograms predicting prognosis. The discrimination and calibration power of models were evaluated by concordance index (C-index), calibration curve and 10-flod cross-validation. A total of 4,146 patients were selected. Multivariable Cox analysis showed that gender, race, grade, pathological types, AJCC stage and surgery were independent factors affecting OS. The C-index of the nomogram predicting OS in training and validation was 0.733 (average = 0.731, 95% CI [0.724-0.738]) and 0.742 (95% CI [0.725-0.759]), respectively. Competing risk analysis showed that primary site, pathological types, AJCC stage and surgery were independent factors affecting CSS. The C-index of the nomogram predicting CSS in training and validation set was 0.792 (average = 0.765, 95% CI [0.742-0.788]) and 0.776 (95% CI [0.773-0.779]), respectively. C-index based on nomogram was better in training and validation set than that based on AJCC stage. Calibration curves showed that these nomograms could accurately predict the 1-, 3- and 5-year OS and CSS both in training set and validation set. The nomograms could effectively predict OS and CSS in young patients with PC, which help clinicians more accurately and quantitatively judge the prognosis of individual patients.

Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is an important indicator of treatment effectiveness. An unhealthy lifestyle can have a negative impact on quality of life. This study aimed to investigate changes in health-related lifestyle over time after surgery for colorectal cancer and their impact on HRQOL. Healthy lifestyle habits examined in this study included physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption, fruit and vegetable intake, sleep, and obesity levels. An observational study design was used. A total of 75 post-operative colorectal cancer patients were recruited from two medical centers in Taiwan. Data were collected through structured questionnaires. Mean HRQOL scores at 1, 3, and 5 months after discharge were 102.5 (SD = 18.8), 102.9 (SD = 20.1), and 103.0 (SD = 18.9), respectively. A generalized estimating equation analysis showed that alcohol consumption (p = 0.009), fruit and vegetable intake (p = 0.020), physical activity (p = 0.023), sleep quality (p < 0.001), and obesity (p = 0.035) were important predictors of post-operative quality of life in patients with colorectal cancer. The impact of smoking on HRQOL did not reach statistical significance. Colorectal cancer patients tend to have better HRQOL after surgery if they stay physically active, eat enough fruits and vegetables, and sleep well.

Background Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common entrapment symptom in the peripheral nerves. High-frequency ultrasound (HFUS) is widely used in the diagnosis of CTS. Virtual Touch Tissue Imaging and Quantification (VTIQ), which provides more information about the hardness of organization, is used to diagnose CTS. However, the data of diagnostic value of them in various degrees of CTS are limited. Whether the combination of HFUS and VTIQ can improve the diagnostic efficiency also remains unknown. The study aimed to explore the diagnostic value of HFUS and VTIQ in various degrees of CTS and whether combination of HFUS and VTIQ could improve the diagnostic efficiency of CTS. Methods A collection and analysis of 133 CTS patients and 35 volunteers from January 2016 to January 2019 were performed. We compared the clinical characteristics, cross-sectional area (CSA) value and shear wave velocity SWV mean value of CTS group with volunteer group. Results The CSA value and SWV mean value of CTS cohort were significantly higher than volunteer group (10.79 ± 2.88 vs. 8.06 ± 1.39, p  < 0.001, 4.36 ± 0.95 vs. 3.38 ± 1.09, p <  0.001, respectively). The area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of CSA value and SWV mean value were 0.794 and 0.757, respectively. Hierarchical analysis of CSA value and SWV mean value showed that the AUC in the moderate and severe CTS group were higher than in mild CTS group. Furthermore, the CSA value combined with SWV mean value used to diagnose mild CTS was 0.758, which was higher than that of single CSA value or single SWV mean value. Conclusions Both HFUS and VTIQ technology were feasible to evaluate CTS. HFUS was suitable for use in diagnosis of moderate and severe CTS. For mild CTS, combination of HFUS and VTIQ was relevant to improve the diagnostic efficiency of CTS.

In montane ecosystems, slope aspect and elevation are the main topographic parameters that produce environmental heterogeneity related to microclimate, pedogenic processes, and vegetation patterns. However, their effects on belowground microbes are not well understood. In particular, there are few studies on how bacteria community responds to slope aspect. Here, we selected a shaded north-facing slope and a sunny south-facing slope, and investigated the influences of slope aspect and elevation on bacterial communities along transects at 2400 to 3800 m in the Qilian Mountains, a typical arid-montane ecosystem of northwestern China. The results showed that bacterial alpha and beta diversity differed significantly with slope aspect and elevation. North-facing slope had higher bacterial richness and abundance than south-facing slope, and the bacterial community composition differed significantly between slope aspects (stress = 0.062, R 2  = 0.849, p  < 0.001) as revealed by non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis. Bacterial richness and diversity increased significantly with elevation and then decreased on both north-facing and south-facing slopes, with the highest values at 3500 m, and the community composition differed dramatically along elevation, as shown with quadratic relationships ( R 2 south-facing  = 0.78; R 2 north-facing  = 0.66) between beta diversity indices and elevation. Redundancy analysis further revealed that the variations in soil pH, soil organic carbon, and soil carbon/nitrogen ratios induced by slope aspect and elevation contributed significantly to the diversity patterns of soil bacterial communities. These findings indicated a fundamental role of slope aspect and elevation in controlling diversity patterns of bacterial communities in arid-montane ecosystems, providing new insights into microbial relationships with topography.

A prolactin (PRL) surge occurs in the female rat during proestrus in response to elevated estradiol levels. The elevated release of ovarian steroids on the day of proestrus is also associated with sexual receptivity. Mating triggers twice-daily PRL surges that supplant the proestrous PRL surge and are responsible for maintaining luteal function during the first half of pregnancy. In order to understand the neuronal mechanisms controlling the proestrous- and mating-induced PRL surges, we examined patterns of Fos expression by immunocytochemistry in specific brain regions as a measure of neuronal activity. Intact female rats were sacrificed at 09.00, 15.00, and 18.00 h on the day of proestrus and the day of diestrus. Brain tissues were also collected at 21.00 h on the day of proestrus from rats receiving intromissions or mounts from males or taken directly from their homecage. On the day of proestrus, the number of neurons expressing Fos in the medial preoptic area (mPOA), medial amygdaloid nucleus (mAMYG), and ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMH) was few and was associated with low plasma PRL levels at 09.00 h; however, the number of Fos-positive cells in these brain regions significantly increased at 15.00 and 18.00 h when the proestrous PRL surge occurred. Mating during the evening of proestrus resulted in a dramatic increase in the number of Fos-positive cells in the mPOA, mAMYG, and VMH as well as in the arcuate nucleus (ARC). Nonmated animals in diestrus showed low and unchanged PRL levels and Fos expression in all the brain areas throughout the day. These results suggest that the mPOA, mAMYG, VMH and ARC may be important brain sites for the integration of stimuli associated with proestrous- and mating-induced PRL surges.

Lassa fever (LF) is an acute viral hemorrhagic illness endemic to West Africa, with no licensed vaccines or targeted treatments available, highlighting a critical gap in global health preparedness. T cell-mediated immunity plays a central role in viral control and survival. Synthetic DNA vaccines offer a promising strategy to induce both humoral and cellular immunity against LF. A Phase 1b, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted to assess the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of INO-4500, a DNA vaccine encoding the Lassa virus (Josiah strain) glycoprotein precursor (GPC). A total of 220 healthy adults were randomized to receive either 1 mg or 2 mg of INO-4500 (intervention), or placebo, administered intradermally (ID) followed by electroporation (EP) at Day 0 and Week 4. Safety was evaluated through Week 48. Primary immunogenicity endpoints included humoral and cellular immune responses at multiple timepoints post-vaccination. INO-4500 was well tolerated, with no Grade 3 or higher treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) deemed to be related to the intervention; 88.6% of all TEAEs were Grade 1. No cases of attributable hearing loss were reported. INO-4500 groups demonstrated statistically significant increases in Lassa virus GPC-specific binding antibodies at Weeks 6 and 12 compared to placebo, with the 2 mg group eliciting the strongest responses. T cell responses remained elevated above baseline through Week 48 in both INO-4500 groups, indicating durable cellular immunity. DNA vaccine INO-4500 was well tolerated and elicited durable humoral and cellular immune responses in healthy adults. These findings support further clinical development of INO-4500 as a potential preventive vaccine to reduce LF-associated morbidity and mortality in endemic regions. https://clinicaltrials.gov, identifier NCT04093076.

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) poses an ongoing public health risk with a 36% case-fatality rate and no licensed vaccines. This Phase 2a, randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled, multi-center trial (MERS-201; NCT04588428) evaluated the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of INO-4700, a DNA vaccine against the MERS-CoV spike glycoprotein, in healthy adult volunteers. Participants received INO-4700 or placebo intradermally followed by electroporation upon enrollment into any one of five active treatment groups, resulting from three-dose levels (0.6 mg, 1 mg, and 2 mg total) during each of two dosing days or four placebo groups. Doses were administered as 1 or 2 concurrent injections to achieve the total dose level at Week 0 and at either Week 4 or 8. Safety endpoints included incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs), their toxicity grading scale, seriousness, and relationship to study treatment and AEs of special interest (AESI). Immunogenicity endpoints included evaluation of humoral and cellular immune responses, assessed pre-dose (Screening and/or Week 0) and at Weeks 6 and 10. One hundred and ninety-two participants were randomized across the nine study groups and followed up between June 2021 and January 2023. Treatment with INO-4700 was well-tolerated and had a favorable safety profile with low incidence of TEAEs, which were overall similar between INO-4700 and placebo groups, with most of the TEAEs assessed as Grade 1 or Grade 2, non-serious, and unrelated to treatment. Group E, the highest INO-4700 dose tested (2 mg total), showed greater immune responses compared to other groups, with significantly elevated MERS-CoV receptor-binding domain (RBD) and spike-binding IgG levels, and seroreactivity at Week 10 peaking at 42% and 32%, respectively. Spike-specific T cell responses further contributed to INO-4700 immunogenicity, ranging from 29% in Group C to 50% in Group E. DNA vaccine INO-4700 was well-tolerated in healthy adults across all groups after each dose was administered and elicited humoral and cellular immune responses. These results warrant further evaluation of INO-4700 as a candidate vaccine for MERS-CoV outbreak preparedness and prevention. https://clinicaltrials.gov, .

The system uses Japanese Mitsubishi PLC as the main control core, and intermediate relay is used for signal acquisition and conversion.The system is mainly composed of data processing module, municipal electricity monitoring module, wireless communication module, remote controller, speech recognition module, display module, sensor, switching output module and UPS power supply. The system can automatically start generator for power supply when municipal electricity is failure； when municipal electricity returns to normal, it automatically restores the power supply function of municipal electricity. In order to improve the stability of the system, the system has the functions of fault alarm, remote reset and remote query, etc. , which can realize seamless switching of municipal electricity and generator. It effectively avoids meteorological data loss, data delay, network interruption, etc. caused by unstable municipal electricity, solves the power supply problem of grass-roots meteorological station, especially at night, provides stable power supply for the integrated meteorological observation, forecasting, and early warning service.

Mating in female rats induces an acute prolactin (PRL) release within 60 min and twice-daily surges of PRL throughout the first 10 days of pregnancy to maintain luteal function. Little is known about the brain mechanism whereby the vaginocervical stimulation is processed to induce PRL release. Our recent results revealed an increase in Fos expression in the arcuate nucleus (ARC) following mating in the intact estrous rat, suggesting that a neuronal network in the brain area may participate in conveying and integrating the genitosensory stimulation. To further investigate the phenotype of activated neurons in the ARC, the present study examined whether β-endorphin (β-END) and/or dopamine (DA) neurons are activated by mating, and if so, whether activation is involved in the mating-induced acute release of PRL and the establishment of the twice-daily surges of PRL. In experiment 1, proestrous rats receiving intromissions (mated group) from males or mounts without intromission (mounted group) were sacrificed along with rats taken directly from their home cage (control group) 60 min after the beginning of mating or mounting. Expression of Fos in β-END neurons and expression of fos-related antigen (FRA) in DA neurons, which were labeled by tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) antibody in the ARC were examined by double-label immunocytochemistry. In experiment 2, proestrous females with indwelling atrial catheters were mated with males. Naloxone (10 µl/min, 2 mg/10 min), an opiate antagonist, or saline was infused before, during and after mating. Blood samples were collected during the mating session and also at several times 3 days after mating. The results showed that mating induced a significant increase in the percentage of β-END/Fos colabeled neurons and a significant decrease in the number of β-END cells in all subdivisions of the ARC. In contrast, neither the percentage of FRA/TH colabeled cells nor the number of TH cells was influenced by mating. Mating induced an acute increase in PRL release in saline-treated control animals within 30 min and a subsequent diurnal surge (18.00 h) and a nocturnal surge of PRL (2.00 h) 3 days after mating. Naloxone infusion during mating blocked the mating-induced acute PRL response and the diurnal surge of PRL 3 days after mating, but affected neither the nocturnal surge of PRL nor the incidence of pregnancy. These results demonstrate that (1) β-END neurons but not DA neurons in the ARC are activated in response to mating in proestrous rats, and (2) the mating-induced activation of β-END neurons may participate in the acute response of PRL release to mating and the memory mechanism for the establishment of the diurnal PRL surge, but not the nocturnal PRL surge in early pregnancy. These results lead to a conclusion that endogenous opioid peptides may be involved in the neuronal transmission of genitosensory stimulation to induce PRL secretion.