NEC (China)

This commentary addresses the article "Enhancing ICU Care with Nurse-Written Diaries" by Bosco etal., published in Nursing in Critical Care. It explores the qualitative research findings on the impact of nurse-written ICU diaries on nursing practice and patient communication. The commentary emphasizes the potential benefits of ICU diaries in alleviating psychological distress and improving patient experiences. However, it also highlights the need for further research, particularly in non-Western contexts like China, where the implementation of such interventions is still in it's infancy. The commentary calls for a structured training program for nurses, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the inclusion of diverse cultural perspectives to enhance the effectiveness of ICU diaries in patient care.

Abstract The smart valve positioner is a critical accessory for pneumatic control valves and plays an essential role in process control. This paper develops a piezo smart valve positioner based on Active Disturbance Rejection Control (ADRC) and conducts performance tests and analyses. The results demonstrate that the designed positioner’s hardware and algorithms exhibit excellent performance. The ADRC-controlled positioner achieves an accuracy of 0.5%, outperforms PID in terms of oscillation reduction, offers faster adjustment speeds, and presents significant advantages.

The malignant transformation of odontogenic keratocysts (OKC) into cancerous odontogenic keratocysts (COKC) is exceedingly rare, and its mechanisms remain poorly understood. Studies exploring the cellular heterogeneity, molecular pathways, and clinical features of COKC are limited. In this study, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) on three COKC samples and integrated the data with a public OKC dataset, identifying 22,509 single cells. Two COKC-specific epithelial subpopulations, Basal-C0-EXT1 and Basal-C3-HIST1H3B, were identified. These subpopulations exhibited enhanced stemness and invasive potential, respectively, suggesting their roles as key drivers of OKC carcinogenesis. Fibroblasts underwent phenotypic transitions, particularly from inflammation-associated fibroblasts (IFBs) to myofibroblasts (MFBs). Similarly, macrophage phenotypic transformation may also play a role in OKC carcinogenesis. Clinical observations of severe lesion-area pain in COKC patients suggest potential neuroinvasiveness, Supported by single-cell transcriptomic data, imaging findings, and histopathological evidence. A review of clinical data revealed that none of the COKC patients exhibited cervical lymph node metastasis. Single-cell transcriptomics suggests that this phenomenon may be associated with an active immune microenvironment in COKC, reduced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) activity, lower VEGFC expression, and upregulated MAST4 expression as a potential regulator of lymphatic metastasis. In conclusion, COKC exhibits distinct molecular, cellular, and clinical characteristics compared to OKC, featuring potent neuroinvasiveness and low lymph node metastatic potential. These findings provide important insights into the mechanisms underlying COKC development and may guide novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

This study aims to unravel the mechanisms underlying M2 macrophage polarization in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), and identify potential therapeutic targets. We conducted an integrated bioinformatic analysis using HNSCC bulk transcriptomes from TCGA and GEO databases to pinpoint critical factors influencing M2 macrophage polarization and tumor prognosis. The significance of these genes was validated in function analysis, single-cell transcriptome datasets, and invitro experiments. Their mechanisms in modulating M2 macrophage polarization were further explored by gene knockdown, cell coculture, and other assays for quantification. We identified a novel prognostic signature of five genes associated with M2 macrophage infiltration, in which SCG2 emerged as a pivotal factor in M2 macrophage polarization in HNSCC. High expression of SCG2 in tumor patients correlated with poorer prognoses, and knocking down SCG2 reduced the proliferation and migration of HNSCC cells, disrupting M2 macrophage polarization. Furthermore, interference of SCG2 resulted in a significant decrease in the secretion of pro-tumor cytokines such as CCL2 and TGFβ1. Our findings provide deeper insights into the pathogenesis of HNSCC and offer promising therapeutic targets for HNSCC, especially SCG2, to inhibit M2 macrophage polarization and modulate cytokine secretion.

Abstract ObjectiveThis cross‐sectional study aimed to determine the epidemiology of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions related to COVID‐19 in mainland China.MethodsThis study was conducted by 45 tertiary Grade‐A hospitals in mainland China. Online and offline questionnaire data were obtained from patients infected with COVID‐19 between December 28, 2022, and February 21, 2023. The collected information included basic demographics, medical history, smoking and drinking history, vaccination history, changes in olfactory and gustatory functions before and after infection, and other postinfection symptoms, as well as the duration and improvement status of olfactory and gustatory disorders.ResultsComplete questionnaires were obtained from 35,566 subjects. The overall incidence of olfactory and taste dysfunction was 67.75%. Being female or being a cigarette smoker increased the likelihood of developing olfactory and taste dysfunction. Having received four doses of the vaccine or having good oral health or being a alcohol drinker decreased the risk of such dysfunction. Before infection, the average olfactory and taste VAS scores were 8.41 and 8.51, respectively; after infection, they decreased to 3.69 and 4.29 and recovered to 5.83 and 6.55 by the time of the survey. The median duration of dysosmia and dysgeusia was 15 and 12 days, respectively, with 0.5% of patients having symptoms lasting for more than 28 days. The overall self‐reported improvement rate was 59.16%. Recovery was higher in males, never smokers, those who received two or three vaccine doses, and those that had never experienced dental health issues, or chronic accompanying symptoms.ConclusionsThe incidence of dysosmia and dysgeusia following infection with the SARS‐CoV‐2 virus is high in mainland China. Incidence and prognosis are influenced by several factors, including sex, SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccination, history of head‐facial trauma, nasal and oral health status, smoking and drinking history, and the persistence of accompanying symptoms.

Susceptibility of stress corrosion cracking (SCC) on Al-Zn-Mg alloy using friction stir method was evaluated. Alternating salt-water immersion test was conducted using specimen with base metal and stirred material. As a result of immersion test, cracks occurred on specimen with base metal after 5.5 days immersion. On the other hand, no cracks occurred on specimen with stirred material. It was concluded stirred region of Al-Zn-Mg alloy shows low susceptibility against SCC.

Metaverse has been going viral across the globe, and virtual reality head‐mounted displays (VR‐HMDs) as the basic infrastructure and entrance to cater to this evolution of social interaction are showing rapid development recently. Pancake optics based on optical path folding provides the feasibility of VR‐HMDs in the form of glasses and is wide recognition. The pancake system has become the current mainstream owing to its large exit pupil diameter (EPD), high resolution, novel compact, and lightweight. Owing to the use of polarization elements, the birefringence in the lens will change the polarization state of the light, resulting in uneven brightness and stray light, seriously reducing the optical performance of the system, so it is necessary to control the birefringence of the lens. In this study, we proposed a pancake system based on a 2.1‐inch LCD display which achieves 10 mm EPD at 11 mm, diagonal field of view (FOV) of 96°, overall length (OAL) of the system less than 20 mm, and support diopter adjustment from ‐7D to ‐1D. The residual birefringence of the lens can be effectively suppressed in four stages: 1) controlling the thickness ratio between the center and the edge of the lens during the optical design, 2) setting a reasonable position and size of the injection gate and cooling system during the mold design process, 3) adopting reasonable injection parameters during the precision injection molding process and 4) eliminating the birefringence of the lens with the lens annealing process. Ultra‐precision machining and correction of the mold cores have been employed to achieve high surface accuracy and low birefringence of the lens. The optomechanical design, assembly, and adjustment process are discussed. Finally, the prototype of the pancake system is experimentally tested, and the results demonstrate pretty well.