Shear Conditioning Promotes Microvascular Endothelial Barrier Resilience in a Human BBB-on-a-Chip Model of Systemic Inflammation Leading to Astrogliosis.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) maintains cerebral homeostasis and protects the central nervous system (CNS) during systemic inflammation. Advanced in vitro models integrating circulation, a functional BBB, and reactive glial cells are essential for studying the link between peripheral inflammation and neuroinflammation. Fluid shear stress, a key hemodynamic parameter, strengthens microvascular barriers.

Prognostic nomogram for synchronous metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a retrospective multicentre study.

Background: Patients with synchronous metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (smNPC) exhibit significant heterogeneity, and clinical prognostic models suitable for this cohort remain limited. We aimed to develop a prognostic prediction tool to facilitate personalised prognostic assessments and inform treatment decisions for these patients.

Methods: This retrospective multicentre study enrolled 556 patients with smNPC.

A Nomogram Based on Tumor Response to Induction Chemotherapy and Plasma Epstein-Barr Virus DNA Level after Induction Chemotherapy to Explore Individualized Treatment of Patients with Locally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

Purpose: To explore the influence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA levels before and after induction chemotherapy (IC), tumor response to IC, and baseline factors on overall survival (OS) in patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LA-NPC). A nomogram was subsequently constructed to explore the individualized optimal cumulative cisplatin dose (CCD) in concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT).

Methods: A total of 581 LA-NPC patients were included, randomly divided into training and validation cohorts in a 7:3 ratio.

Development and Validation of a Nomogram Based on the Different Grades of Cervical Lymph Node Necrosis to Predict Overall Survival in Patients with Lymph Node-Positive Locally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

Rationale And Objectives: This study aims to quantitatively evaluate the clinical significance of different grades of cervical lymph node necrosis (CNN). Furthermore, a nomogram was developed and validated to predict overall survival (OS) in patients with lymph node-positive (LN-positive) locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LA-NPC), incorporating the different grades of CNN.

Patients And Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients with newly diagnosed, LN-positive LA-NPC at our center from April 2014 to December 2018.

Fluid flow impacts endothelial-monocyte interactions in a model of vascular inflammatory fibrosis.

The aberrant vascular response associated with tendon injury results in circulating immune cell infiltration and a chronic inflammatory feedback loop leading to poor healing outcomes. Studying this dysregulated tendon repair response in human pathophysiology has been historically challenging due to the reliance on animal models. To address this, our group developed the human tendon-on-a-chip (hToC) to model cellular interactions in the injured tendon microenvironment; however, this model lacked the key element of physiological flow in the vascular compartment.

Berberine Inhibits KLF4 Promoter Methylation and Ferroptosis to Ameliorate Diabetic Nephropathy in Mice.

Inflammation, oxidative stress, fibrosis, and ferroptosis play important roles in diabetic nephropathy development. Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) is a transcriptional factor, which regulates multiple cell processes and is involved in diabetic nephropathy. Berberine has various biological activities, including anti-inflammation, antioxidative stress, and antiferroptosis.

Establishing subdivisions of M1 stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma based on decision tree classification: A multicenter retrospective study.

Objectives: To meet the demand for personalized treatment, effective stratification of patients with metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (mNPC) is essential. Hence, our study aimed to establish an M1 subdivision for prognostic prediction and treatment planning in patients with mNPC.

Materials And Methods: This study included 1239 patients with mNPC from three medical centers divided into the synchronous mNPC cohort (smNPC, n = 556) to establish an M1 stage subdivision and the metachronous mNPC cohort (mmNPC, n = 683) to validate this subdivision.

Efficacy of metastatic lesion radiotherapy in patients with metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma: A multicenter retrospective study.

Objective: We investigated the efficacy of metastatic lesion radiotherapy (MLRT) in patients with metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (mNPC).

Materials And Methods: Patients with mNPC from three institutions were included in this study. Propensity score matching (PSM) was employed to ensure comparability between patient groups.

The Prognostic Value of Serum Sialic Acid in Patients with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: A Propensity Score Matching Study.

Purpose: Elevated serum sialic acid (SA) is one of the indicators of poor prognosis in various malignant tumors. This study intends to determine the relationship between serum SA levels and survival prognosis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

Patients And Methods: From 2014 to 2016, NPC patients with no distance metastasis undergoing intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) were retrospectively analyzed.

Development of A Nomogram for Progression-free Survival in Patients with Stage II/T3N0 Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma to Explore Different Treatment Modalities.

To explore the prognostic value of clinical and serological risk factors for progression-free survival (PFS) in stage II and T3N0 nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and construct a nomogram based on these factors. Additionally, to investigate the long-term survival and short-term toxic reactions of patients in different risk stratification under different treatment modalities. The patients were randomly divided into training and validation cohorts in a 7:3 ratio.

Efficacy of induction chemotherapy in lymph node-positive stage III nasopharyngeal carcinoma and identification of beneficiaries based on clinical features: A propensity score matching analysis.

Purpose: To investigate the role of induction chemotherapy (IC) in lymph node-positive (LN-positive) stage III nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) receiving concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT).

Methods: In total, 627 patients with newly diagnosed LN-positive stage III NPC receiving CCRT or IC plus CCRT were included. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS).

Realistic three-layer head phantom for optically pumped magnetometer-based magnetoencephalography.

The advent of optically pumped magnetometer-based magnetoencephalography (OPM-MEG) has introduced new tools for neuroscience and clinical research. As it is still under development, the achievable performance of OPM-MEG remains to be tested, particularly in terms of source localization accuracy, which can be influenced by various factors, including software and hardware aspects. A feasible approach to comprehensively test the performance of the OPM-MEG system is to utilize a phantom that simulates the actual electrophysiological properties of the head while ensuring the precise locations of dipole sources.

Development of Prognostic Nomogram Based on Lipid Metabolic Markers and Lactate Dehydrogenase in Non-Metastatic Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

Purpose: To establish and verify a comprehensive prognostic nomogram for predicting survival outcomes and improving the prognosis for non-metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

Patients And Methods: Our retrospective study screened 613 cases of non-metastatic NPC who received radiotherapy from July 2012 to December 2016. A reliable nomogram was formulated for predicting overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) using all independent predictors selected by Cox regression analysis.

Nomogram Based on Hemoglobin, Albumin, Lymphocyte and Platelet Score to Predict Overall Survival in Patients with T3-4N0-1 Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

Purpose: There is still uncertainty regarding the prognosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) based on hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocytes, and platelets (HALP) score. The aim of this study was to build and verify a nomogram using HALP score to investigate the prognostic value of NPC and identify low-risk patients in T3-4N0-1 NPC to guide treatment options.

Patients And Methods: A total of 568 NPC patients with stage T3-4N0-1M0 were recruited in the study, who were given either concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) or induction chemotherapy (IC) plus CCRT.

Improvements in Temperature Uniformity in Carbon Fiber Composites during Microwave-Curing Processes via a Recently Developed Microwave Equipped with a Three-Dimensional Motion System.

Curing processes for carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer composites via microwave heating are promising alternatives to conventional thermal curing because this technology results in nonhomogeneous temperature distributions, which hinder its further development in industries. This paper proposes a novel method for improving heating homogeneities by employing three-dimensional motion with respect to the prepreg laminate used in the microwave field by using a recently developed microwave system. The maximum temperature deviation on the surface of the laminate can be controlled within 8.

Incentive spirometry is an effective strategy to improve the quality of postoperative care in patients.

Postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) most commonly occur after thoracic surgery. Not only prolonged hospital stay and increased financial expenses but also morbidity and even mortality may be troublesome for those with PPCs. Herein, we aimed to conduct a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of available data to examine the effectiveness of incentive spirometry (IS) to reduce PPCs and shorten hospital stay.

A dynamic nomogram combining tumor stage and magnetic resonance imaging features to predict the response to induction chemotherapy in locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Objectives: To establish an effective dynamic nomogram combining magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of primary tumor and regional lymph nodes with tumor stage for the pretreatment prediction of induction chemotherapy (IC) response in locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LANPC).

Methods: A total of 498 LANPC patients (372 in the training and 126 in the validation cohort) with MRI information were enrolled. All patients were classified as "favorable responders" and "unfavorable responders" according to tumor response to IC.

Long-term outcomes of chemoradiotherapy versus radiotherapy alone in patients with intermediate-risk nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a population-based analysis.

Purpose: To investigate the efficacy of chemotherapy among intermediate-risk (stage II/T3N0) nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients receiving radiotherapy (RT).

Methods: We identified stage II/T3N0 NPC patients who received radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database (2004-2019). Overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) were assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method with log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards models to evaluate the efficacy of chemotherapy.

Enhancing technology innovation performance through alliance capability: The role of standard alliance network and political skill of TMTs.

Given the increasing competition in standards, standard alliances have become a vital choice for enterprises to enhance their competitive advantage. In standard alliances, what decisions must top management teams make to help their enterprises improve their innovation performance? To answer this question, we draw on dynamic capability theory, social network theory, and high-level echelon theory to understand how alliance capabilities and standard alliance networks affect technology innovation performance. We collected questionnaire data from 465 manufacturing enterprises in China, and the empirical findings show that (1) enterprise alliance capabilities and standard alliance networks have a positive impact on technology innovation performance; (2) enterprise alliance capabilities and technology innovation performance are mediated by standard alliance networks; and (3) the political skills of top management teams strengthen this moderating model.