Background Extracellular vesicles (EVs), known as cell-derived membranous structures harboring a variety of biomolecules, have been widely used in liquid biopsy. Due to the complex biological composition of plasma, plasma RNA omics analysis (RNomics) is easily affected, thus it is necessary to select an optimal strategy from exiting methods according to the performance for intended application. Methods In this study, four different strategies for EVs isolation were performed and compared (i.e. ultracentrifugation (UC), size exclusion chromatography (SEC), and two most frequently-used commercially available isolation kit (ExoQuick and exoEasy). We compared the yield, purity, PCR quantification of RNAs, miRNA-seq analyses and mRNA-seq analyses of RNAs from EVs isolated using four methods. Results The results showed that the lowest miRNA binding protein AGO2 (Argonaute-2) and the highest EVs-specific miRNA and lncRNA were observed in EVs obtained through SEC, meanwhile the content of the non-specific miRNA was the lowest. Further RNA-Seq data revealed that RNAs obtained via SEC presented more useful reads for both miRNA and mRNA. Furthermore, the mRNA delivered via SEC tended to have a concentration comparable to the ideal FPKM (Fragments Per Kilobase Million) value. Conclusions SEC shall be used as an optimal strategy for the isolation of EVs in plasma RNomics analysis.

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Platinum and tin supported on ZnO-modified MgAl 2 O 4 constitutes a new and efficient catalyst for the dehydrogenation of propane. The structure of the catalyst has been studied by XRD, TEM, BET, TG, H 2 -TPR and H 2 chemisorption and catalytic properties for propane dehydrogenation have been tested on a microreactor. It has been shown that the catalyst is superior to conventional aluminasupported PtSn systems and PtSn/MgAl 2 O 4 in terms of lifetime stability, activity and propene selectivity. The characterization results of catalysts revealed that ZnOmodified catalysts can increase the Pt dispersion and enhance the interaction between metal and support, resulting in the increase of catalytic activity for propane dehydrogenation.

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Objective. Motor imagery (MI) EEG signals vary greatly among subjects, so scholarly research on motor imagery-based brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) has mainly focused on single-subject systems or subject-dependent systems. However, the single-subject model is applicable only to the target subject, and the small sample number greatly limits the performance of the model. This paper aims to study a convolutional neural network to achieve an adaptable MI-BCI that is applicable to multiple subjects. Approach. In this paper, a twin cascaded softmax convolutional neural network (TCSCNN) is proposed for multisubject MI-BCIs. The proposed TCSCNN is independent and can be applied to any single-subject MI classification convolutional neural network (CNN) model. First, to reduce the influence of individual differences, subject recognition and MI recognition are accomplished simultaneously. A cascaded softmax structure consisting of two softmax layers, related to subject recognition and MI recognition, is subsequently applied. Second, to improve the MI classification precision, a twin network structure is proposed on the basis of ensemble learning. TCSCNN is built by combining a cascaded softmax structure and twin network structure. Main results. Experiments were conducted on three popular CNN models (EEGNet and Shallow ConvNet and Deep ConvNet from EEGDecoding) and three public datasets (BCI Competition IV datasets 2a and 2b and the high-gamma dataset) to verify the performance of the proposed TCSCNN. The results show that compared with the state-of-the-art CNN model, the proposed TCSCNN obviously improves the precision and convergence of multisubject MI recognition. Significance. This study provides a promising scheme for multisubject MI-BCI, reflecting the progress made in the development and application of MI-BCIs.

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A substantial fraction of transcripts are known as long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), and these transcripts play pivotal roles in the development of cancer. However, little information has been published regarding the functions of lncRNAs in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and the underlying mechanisms. In our previous studies, we demonstrated that small nucleolar RNA host gene 5 (SNHG5), a known lncRNA, is dysregulated in gastric cancer (GC). In this study, we explored the expression and function of SNHG5 in development of ESCC. SNHG5 was found to be downregulated in human ESCC tissues and cell lines, and this downregulation was associated with cancer progression, clinical outcomes and survival rates of ESCC patients. Furthermore, we also found that overexpression of SNHG5 significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of ESCC cells in vivo and in vitro. Notably, we found that metastasis-associated protein 2 (MTA2) was pulled down by SNHG5 in ESCC cells using RNA pulldown assay. We also found that SNHG5 reversed the EMT by interacting with MTA2. In addition, overexpression of SNHG5 downregulated the transcription of MTA2 and caused its ubiquitin-mediated degradation. Thus, overexpression of MTA2 partially abrogated the effect of SNHG5 in ESCC cell lines. Furthermore, we found that MTA2 mRNA expression was significantly elevated in ESCC specimens, and a negative correlation between SNHG5 and MTA2 expression was detected. Overall, this study demonstrated, for the first time, that SNHG5-regulated MTA2 functions as an important player in the progression of ESCC and provide a new potential therapeutic strategy for ESCC.

Objective: To characterize factors associated with increased risk of outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) complication. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: Four hospitals within NYU Langone Health (NYULH). Patients: All patients aged ≥18 years with OPAT episodes who were admitted to an acute-care facility at NYULH between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2020, who had an infectious diseases consultation during admission. Results: Overall, 8.45% of OPAT patients suffered a vascular complication and 6.04% suffered an antimicrobial complication. Among these patients, 19.95% had a 30-day readmission and 3.35% had OPAT-related readmission. Also, 1.58% of patients developed a catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI). After adjusting for key confounders, we found that patients discharged to a subacute rehabilitation center (SARC) were more likely to develop a CRBSI (odds ratio [OR], 4.75; P = .005) and to be readmitted for OPAT complications (OR, 2.89; P = .002). Loss to follow-up with the infectious diseases service was associated with increased risks of CRBSI (OR, 3.78; P = .007) and 30-day readmission (OR, 2.59; P < .001). Conclusions: Discharge to an SARC is strongly associated with increased risks of readmission for OPAT-related complications and CRBSI. Loss to follow-up with the infectious diseases service is strongly associated with increased risk of readmission and CRBSI. CRBSI prevention during SARC admission is a critically needed public health intervention. Further work must be done for patients undergoing OPAT to improve their follow-up retention with the infectious diseases service.