The mortality of patients with mycotic aneurysms is high, especially in East Asia, and infection by Salmonella species is the most common. Our study aimed to improve prognosis of adult mycotic aneurysms with early diagnosis and accurate treatment. Four adult patients with mycotic aneurysm caused by Salmonella were included and analyzed by single-center retrospective analysis. Cases reported in the literature during the past 10 years were also summarized. The average age of the 4 male patients was 61.25 years, while that of the 53 cases reported in the literature was 65.13 years. Hypertension, diabetes, and atherosclerosis were common complications. Most patients presented fever and experienced pain at the corresponding position of the aneurysm. Laboratory examination found an increased number of white blood cells accompanied by an increase in inflammatory markers. Most aneurysms were found in the abdominal aorta, while the rupture of an aneurysm was the most common complication. The mortality rates were 21.43 and 7.14% after open surgery or endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) intervention, respectively. The recurrence rates of infection were 0 and 17.85% for both treatments, respectively. The mortality rate of mycotic aneurysm caused by Salmonella infection was high in middle-aged males with hypertension, diabetes, and atherosclerosis. The possibility of a Salmonella-infected aneurysm should be considered in these high-risk groups presenting chills, fever, chest, and back pain. Open surgery was superior to EVAR treatment in the clearance of infected foci and the reduction of postoperative recurrence. The recurrence of postoperative infection can be prevented by intravenous antibiotic therapy for 6 weeks post-surgery.

ObjectiveTo assess the accuracy of anterior tooth movement using clear aligners in integrated three-dimensional digital models.MethodsCone-beam computed tomography was performed before and after treatment with clear aligners in 32 patients. Plaster casts were laser-scanned for virtual setup and aligner fabrication. Differences in predicted and achieved root and crown positions of anterior teeth were compared on superimposed maxillofacial digital images and virtual models and analyzed by Student's t-test.ResultsThe mean discrepancies in maxillary and mandibular crown positions were 0.376 ± 0.041 mm and 0.398 ± 0.037 mm, respectively. Maxillary and mandibular root positions differed by 2.062 ± 0.128 mm and 1.941 ± 0.154 mm, respectively.ConclusionsCrowns but not roots of anterior teeth can be moved to designated positions using clear aligners, because these appliances cause tooth movement by tilting motion.

Learning to read is a prerequisite to participate in our knowledge society. Developing reading skills requires intensive practice with individual evaluation and guidance by teachers, which is not always feasible in traditional classroom instruction. Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) technology could offer a solution, but so far it has been mostly used to follow children while reading and to provide correct word forms through text-to-speech technology. However, ASR could possibly be employed at earlier stages of learning to read when children are still in the process of developing decoding skills. Early evaluation through ASR and individualized feedback could help achieve more personalized and possibly more effective guidance, thus preventing reading problems and improving the process of reading development.In this paper we report on an explorative study in which an ASR-based system equipped with logging capabilities was developed and employed to evaluate decoding skills in Dutch first graders reading aloud, and to provide them with detailed, individualized feedback. The results indicate that ASR-based feedback leads to improved reading accuracy and speed and that the log-files provide useful information to enhance practice and feedback, thus paving the way for more personalized, technology-enriched approaches to reading instruction.

Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) technology can potentially be employed to provide intensive practice and feedback to young children learning to read. So far there has been limited research on the use of ASR in the early stages of learning to read when children are still developing decoding skills. For this purpose, we developed an ASR-based system equipped with logging capabilities that can evaluate decoding skills in Dutch first graders reading aloud and provide them with instantaneous feedback. In a previous study we found that ASR-based feedback led to improved reading accuracy and speed, and that useful information could be obtained from the log-files. For the present paper we conducted thorough analyses of the data obtained with this ASR-based system by comparing it to human annotations of the same read aloud 11849 words from 38 pupils. We present the results of our analyses, and discuss how they can contribute to better and more personalized ASR-based reading instruction.

Background Macrophages contribute to epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) in diabetic nephropathy (DN). Exosomal long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) derived from macrophages play a major role in transmitting biological information, whereas related studies on DN are rare. Here we investigated the effects of exosomal lncRNAs from high glucose-treated macrophages on EMT. Methods High glucose-treated macrophage exosomes (HG-exos) were extracted by coprecipitation and stabilized. Then, mouse renal tubular epithelial cells were treated with HG-exos for 24 h. Expression of E-cadherin, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), and fibronectin was detected by western blotting, qPCR, and immunofluorescence. High-throughput sequencing was then applied to analyze the bioinformatics of HG-exos. Results HG-exos inhibited the proliferation of tubular epithelial cells. Additionally, HG-exos markedly upregulated α-SMA and fibronectin expression and downregulated E-cadherin expression in tubular epithelial cells, indicating EMT induction. A total of 378 differentially expressed lncRNAs and 674 differentially expressed mRNAs were identified by high-throughput sequencing of HG-exos. Bioinformatics analysis and subsequent qPCR validation suggested 27 lncRNAs were enriched in the EMT-related MAPK pathway. Among them, ENSMUST00000181751.1, XR_001778608.1, and XR_880236.2 showed high homology with humans. Conclusion Exosomes from macrophages induce EMT in DN and lncRNAs in exosomes enriched in the MAPK signaling pathway may be the possible mechanism.

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Klebsiella pneumoniae, a major pathogen leading to severe pneumonia, causes clinical complications in nosocomial and community-acquired infections. We have previously reported that high alcohol-producing K. pneumoniae (HiAlc Kpn) in the gut microbiome are strongly associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) owing to the excess endogenous alcohol production. In the present study, we discovered that Kpn isolated from sputum and bronchoalveolar fluid (BALF) of patients with pneumoniae and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) could also produce excess ethanol. In a murine model, HiAlc Kpn aggravated lung injury of mice with acute infection comparing with alcohol dehydrogenase gene-knockout mutant. A single-cell sequencing transcriptome analysis showed that resistin like gamma (Retnlg) neutrophil played a critical role during acute infection. The HiAlc Kpn inactivated Retnlg neutrophils in an ethanol production-dependent manner in mice, which counteract immune defense possibly through down-regulating pyrimidine and modifying DNA methylation. Furthermore, data also showed that HiAlc Kpn inhibited interleukin 1 receptor antagonist (IL1RN) gene expression by neutrophils, thereby activating IL-1β to orchestrate immune responses. Understanding functions of Retnlg neutrophils and IL-1β release in the context of HiAlc Kpn and host interactions are essential for developing novel therapeutic strategies.

In this study, the expression of Cripto-1 and the role of macrophage polarization in immune response after allogeneic transfusion were analyzed by constructing a mouse model of allogeneic transfusion. In order to analyze the effects of miR-449a on the PI3K/AKT/NF-κB signaling pathway and the expression of downstream related regulatory factors under normal and abnormal conditions, we adopt in vitro and in vivo experiments separately. The molecular mechanism of PI3K/AKT/NF-κB signaling pathway was analyzed by blocking or activating gene expression and western blotting. Experiment in vitro has confirmed that inhibition of miR-449a increased the protein expression of Cripto-1. In vivo experiments confirmed that allogeneic transfusion reduced the expression of Cripto-1, which further inhibited NF-κB signaling pathway through AKT/PI3K phosphorylation, regulated macrophage polarization, inhibited M1 polarization of macrophages, promoted M2 polarization, and thus affected immune response of the body.