In recent years, vascular depression has become the focus of international attention. Yangxinshi Tablet (YXST) is usually used in cthe linic for the treatment of arrhythmia and heart failure, but we found that it also has antidepressive effects. The objective of the study was to identify biomarkers related to vascular depression in hippocampus and explore the antidepressive effects of YXST on the mouse model. Untargeted metabolomics based on UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS was applied to identify significantly differential biomarkers between the model group and control group. Unsupervised principal component analysis (PCA) was used to scan the tendency of groups and partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) to distinguish between the vascular depressive mice and the sham. PCA stores showed clear differences in metabolism between the vascular depressive mice and sham groups. The PLS-DA model exhibited 38 metabolites as the biomarkers to distinguish the vascular depressive mice and the sham. Further, YXST significantly regulated 22 metabolites to normal levels. The results suggested that YXST has a comprehensive antidepressive effect on vascular depression via regulation of multiple metabolic pathways including amino acid, the tricarboxylic acid cycle and phosphoglyceride metabolisms. These findings provide insight into the pathophysiological mechanism underlying vascular depression and the mechanism of YXST.
Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a crucial risk factor in the occurrence and development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Antiviral therapy is very important for patients with HBV-related HCC. To maintain undetectable level of HBV DNA, patients must take nucleos(t)ide analogues (NUCs) appropriately and regularly. We explored the adherence of Chinese patients with HBV-related HCC to antiviral treatment.One-hundred and eighty-one patients were included in a cross-sectional study between August 2020 and February 2021. A structured questionnaire was used to interview patients, and a form was applied to collect data from electronic medical records. Medication adherence was measured using a visual analog scale. Data of the adherent group and non-adherent group were compared using Student's t-test and the chi-square test. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was employed to explore independent risk factors that affected adherence behavior.High adherence was reported in 46.4% of patients with HBV-related HCC. Patients with high adherence were more likely to be women (P = 0.02), shun alcohol (P = 0.01), take NUCs other than entecavir (P = 0.04), and pay attention to their titer of HBV DNA (P = 0.05). Sex, alcohol consumption, and taking entecavir were independent risk factors for low adherence (P < 0.05). The prevalence of virological breakthrough was lower in patients who adhered to NUC therapy than in those who did not, but the difference was not significant (P = 0.31).The adherence of patients with HBV-related HCC to NUC therapy was low. More attention should be paid to adherence of antiviral therapy in patients with HBV-related HCC.
Introduction: The aims of this study were to determine patterns of outcome and prognostic factors in human papilloma virus positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC+) treated primarily with radical radiotherapy.
Materials and methods: We identified 54 patients at a tertiary hospital in South Australia who received treatment with curative intent for OPSCC+ with radical radiotherapy ± chemotherapy or cetuximab from 1st January, 2010 to 31st March, 2017. We explored the effect of patient, tumour and radiotherapy factors on treatment outcomes. The primary endpoint was overall survival and the secondary endpoint was disease-free survival.
Results: The median age was 59, with most patients being male (82%). The majority had advanced disease (89% stage IV). The median follow-up was 22.5 months. The one-year and two-year overall survival and disease-free survival rates were 89% and 79% and 77% and 68% respectively. Active smoking during radiotherapy was associated with trends to shortened overall survival (p=0.084) and reduced time to recurrence (p˃0.1). However, there was no statistically significant relationship between any other patient, tumour or treatment factors and disease-free or overall survival.
Discussion: Despite advanced stage at presentation, radiotherapy ± concurrent systemic therapy results in favorable outcomes for OPSCC+. Active smoking during radiotherapy may compromise overall survival. We strongly recommend smoking cessation prior to commencing radiotherapy for OPSCC+. In addition, we note that smokers involved in de-intensification trials may be at increased risk of poor outcomes.
Oxidative stress and inflammation are key pathological features of atherosclerotic plaques. Numerous nanomedicines have been developed to alleviate oxidative stress and reduce inflammation within plaques. However, nonbioactive carrier materials reduce the bioavailability of nanomedicines and may pose potential biological toxicity. In this study, we utilized the unique amphiphilic chemical structure of lipoic acid (LA) to prepare LA nanoparticles (LA NPs) via a self-assembly method. Leveraging the inherent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of LA, these NPs were used for the treatment of atherosclerosis. In an inflammatory macrophage model, LA NPs exhibited superior anti-inflammatory activity compared to free LA. Through ultrasound imaging and pathological methods, we discovered that LA NPs demonstrated nice antiatherosclerotic effects in an atherosclerotic mice model. Immunofluorescence analysis further indicated that the antiatherosclerotic effects of LA were associated with the alleviation of oxidative stress within the plaques, reduced macrophage infiltration, and downregulation of inflammatory cytokine levels. Therefore, LA NPs offer a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of atherosclerosis.
While researches on the disclosure of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and irresponsibility (CSiR) recognize the influence of between stakeholder group heterogeneity and multiplicity, less attention has been given to the within stakeholder sub-group demand heterogeneity and the relative importance of these demands. We develop a framework wherein CSR reporting is viewed as an organizational response to features of one of the most significant stakeholder groups of a firm —its customers. Drawing upon the demand-based view and stakeholder theory, we argue that two fundamental dimensions of customer base—c ustomer heterogeneity and customer concentration—help explain how firms make balance along multiple social demands. We propose that customer heterogeneity drives firms to invest in diverse types of CSR activities (i.e., higher level of CSR strength) and restricts CSiR activities (i.e., lower level of CSiR strength) to gain customer legitimacy and support. While customer concentration allows firms to invest in limited CSR activities (i.e., lower level of CSR strength) and initiate more types of CSiR activities (i.e., higher level of CSiR strength) for efficiency considerations. Our framework was supported through a longitudinal analysis between 1991 and 2008. Our study contributes to the literature on strategic CSR, stakeholder theory, and demand-based view.
A high-resolution displacement detection can be achieved by analyzing the scattered light of the trapping beams from the particle in optical tweezers. In some applications where trapping and displacement detection need to be separated, a detection beam can be introduced for independent displacement detection. However, the detection beam focus possibly deviates from the centre of the particle, which will affect the performance of the displacement detection. In this paper, we detect the radial displacement of the particle by utilizing the forward scattered light of the detection beam from the particle. The effects of the lateral and axial offsets between the detection beam focus and the particle centre on the displacement detection are analyzed by the simulation and experiment. The results show that the lateral offsets will decrease the detection sensitivity and linear range and aggravate the crosstalk between the x-direction signal and y-direction signal of QPD. The axial offsets also affect the detection sensitivity, an optimal axial offset can improve the sensitivity of the displacement detection substantially. In addition, the influence of system parameters, such as particle radius a, numerical aperture of the condenser NAc and numerical aperture of the objective NAo on the optimal axial offset are discussed. A combination of conventional optical tweezers instrument and a detection beam provides a more flexible working point, allowing for the active modulation of the sensitivity and linear range of the displacement detection. This work would be of great interest for improving the accuracy of the displacement and force detection performed by the optical tweezers.
While researches on the disclosure of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and irresponsibility (CSiR) recognize the influence of between stakeholder group heterogeneity and multiplicity, less attention has been given to the within stakeholder sub-group demand heterogeneity and the relative importance of these demands. We develop a framework wherein CSR reporting is viewed as an organizational response to features of one of the most significant stakeholder groups of a firm—its customers. Drawing upon the demand-based view and stakeholder theory, we argue that two fundamental dimensions of customer base—customer heterogeneity and customer concentration—help explain how firms make balance along multiple social demands. We propose that customer heterogeneity drives firms to invest in diverse types of CSR activities (i.e., higher level of CSR strength) and restricts CSiR activities (i.e., lower level of CSiR strength) to gain customer legitimacy and support. While customer concentration allows firms to invest in limited CSR activities (i.e., lower level of CSR strength) and initiate more types of CSiR activities (i.e., higher level of CSiR strength) for efficiency considerations. Our framework was supported through a longitudinal analysis between 1991 and 2008. Our study contributes to the literature on strategic CSR, stakeholder theory, and demand-based view.
How does local policy environment shape firms’ geographic expansion strategy? Drawing on perspectives from institution-based view and political capability literature, we argue that the variance in firms’ geographic expansion strategies lies in their political capabilities shaped by local policy environment. Specifically, we investigate the interaction of two dimensions of local policy environment—home-host policy similarity and policy uncertainty. Based on a unique dataset linking local industrial policies and geographic expansion strategies of publicly listed firms in China from 1998 to 2018, we find that the increase in home-host policy similarity leads to greater likelihood for the headquarter to establish subsidiaries in the host location. In addition, firms located in home environment with greater policy uncertainty develop specific political capability to cope with an everchanging environment, thus reducing the reliance on similar policy environment when seeking for geographic expansion.
Fungal rhinosinusitis (FRS) includes non-invasive and invasive subtypes with the latter having significant morbidity and mortality. This systematic review aims to identify the imaging features most correlated with invasive fungal rhinosinusitis (IFRS) and present a checklist of these features to aid diagnosis. PubMed, Embase, CENTRAL, and Science Direct were searched from inception to May 2023, in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines. Primary research articles published in English describing the imaging features of IFRS were included. The systematic review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. Forty-eight articles were identified for inclusion. Six studies examined radiological features in acute invasive fungal rhinosinusitis (AIFRS), and 9 studies of chronic invasive fungal rhinosinusitis (CIFRS). A majority of studies did not specify whether IFRS cases were acute or chronic. On CT, bony erosion and mucosal thickening were the most common features. Other features include nasal soft tissue thickening, nasal cavity opacification, opacification of the affected sinus, and perisinus soft tissue infiltration. Extra-sinus extension was commonly observed on MRI, most often invading intraorbitally and intracranially. Other sites of extra-sinus extension included the cavernous sinus, pterygopalatine fossa, infratemporal fossa, masticator space, and facial soft tissue. IFRS is a condition with potential for high morbidity and mortality. Several radiological features are highly suggestive of IFRS. Early identification of high-risk radiological features using a checklist may aid prompt diagnosis and early treatment. Future research investigating the radiological differentiation between IFRS and other significant pathology including bacterial orbital cellulitis would be beneficial.
'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='rotate(23.036 .093 25.536)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='rotate(45.87 1.273 16.18)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='rotate(69.945 .996 12.078)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='rotate(20.66 -19.689 31.932)'/%3e%3c/svg%3e)
'/%3e%3c/defs%3e%3cpath fill='%23012169' d='M0 0h10080v5040H0z'/%3e%3cpath stroke='%23fff' stroke-width='.6' d='m0 0 6 3m0-3L0 3' clip-path='url(%23b)' transform='scale(840)'/%3e%3cpath stroke='%23e4002b' stroke-width='.4' d='m0 0 6 3m0-3L0 3' clip-path='url(%23c)' transform='scale(840)'/%3e%3cpath stroke='%23fff' stroke-width='840' d='M2520 0v2520M0 1260h5040'/%3e%3cpath stroke='%23e4002b' stroke-width='504' d='M2520 0v2520M0 1260h5040'/%3e%3cg fill='%23fff'%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23d' x='2520' y='3780'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' x='7560' y='4200'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' x='6300' y='2205'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' x='7560' y='840'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' x='8680' y='1869'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23e' x='8064' y='2730'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3c/svg%3e)