Huazhong University of Science and Technology

About: Huazhong University of Science and Technology is a education organization based out in Wuhan, China. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Computer science. The organization has 120339 authors who have published 122521 publications receiving 2168040 citations. The organization is also known as: Central China University of Science and Technology.

Clinical characteristics, outcomes, and risk factors for mortality in patients with cancer and COVID-19 in Hubei, China: a multicentre, retrospective, cohort study.

Abstract: Summary Background Patients with cancer are a high-risk population in the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to describe clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with cancer and COVID-19, and examined risk factors for mortality in this population. Methods We did a retrospective, multicentre, cohort study of 205 patients with laboratory-confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and with a pathological diagnosis of a malignant tumour in nine hospitals within Hubei, China, from Jan 13 to March 18, 2020. All patients were either discharged from hospitals or had died by April 20, 2020. Clinical characteristics, laboratory data, and cancer histories were compared between survivors and non-survivors by use of χ2 test. Risk factors for mortality were identified by univariable and multivariable logistic regression models. Findings Between Jan 13 and Mar 18, 2020, 205 patients with cancer and laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection were enrolled (median age 63 years [IQR 56–70; range 14–96]; 109 [53%] women). 183 (89%) had solid tumours and 22 (11%) had haematological malignancies. The median duration of follow-up was 68 days (IQR 59–78). The most common solid tumour types were breast (40 [20%] patients), colorectal (28 [14%]), and lung cancer (24 [12%]). 54 (30%) of 182 patients received antitumour therapies within 4 weeks before symptom onset. 30 (15%) of 205 patients were transferred to an intensive care unit and 40 (20%) died during hospital admission. Patients with haematological malignancies had poorer prognoses than did those with solid tumours: nine (41%) of 22 patients with haematological malignancies died versus 31 (17%) of 183 patients with solid tumours (hazard ratio for death 3·28 [95% CI 1·56–6·91]; log rank p=0·0009). Multivariable regression analysis showed that receiving chemotherapy within 4 weeks before symptom onset (odds ratio [OR] 3·51 [95% CI 1·16–10·59]; p=0·026) and male sex (OR 3·86 [95% CI 1·57–9·50]; p=0·0033) were risk factors for death during admission to hospital. Interpretation Patients with cancer and COVID-19 who were admitted to hospital had a high case-fatality rate. Unfavourable prognostic factors, including receiving chemotherapy within 4 weeks before symptom onset and male sex, might help clinicians to identify patients at high risk of fatal outcomes. Funding National Natural Science Foundation of China.

M2 Macrophage-Derived Exosomes Promote Cell Migration and Invasion in Colon Cancer

Abstract: Clinical and experimental evidence has shown that tumor-associated macrophages promote cancer initiation and progression. However, the macrophage-derived molecular determinants that regulate colorectal cancer metastasis have not been fully characterized. Here, we demonstrate that M2 macrophage-regulated colorectal cancer cells' migration and invasion is dependent upon M2 macrophage-derived exosomes (MDE). MDE displayed a high expression level of miR-21-5p and miR-155-5p, and MDE-mediated colorectal cancer cells' migration and invasion depended on these two miRNAs. Mechanistically, miR-21-5p and miR-155-5p were transferred to colorectal cancer cells by MDE and bound to the BRG1 coding sequence, downregulating expression of BRG1, which has been identified as a key factor promoting the colorectal cancer metastasis, yet is downregulated in metastatic colorectal cancer cells. Collectively, these findings show that M2 macrophages induce colorectal cancer cells' migration and invasion and provide significant plasticity of BRG1 expression in response to tumor microenvironments during malignant progression. This dynamic and reciprocal cross-talk between colorectal cancer cells and M2 macrophages provides a new opportunity for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. SIGNIFICANCE: These findings report a functional role for miRNA-containing exosomes derived from M2 macrophages in regulating migration and invasion of colorectal cancer cells.

Direct repetitive control of SPWM inverter for UPS purpose

Abstract: A novel repetitive controller directly combined with an open loop SPWM inverter is presented in this paper. To cope with the high-resonant peak of the open loop inverter that may cause instability, a zero-phase-shift notch filter other than the inverse transfer function of the inverter or a conventional second-order filter is incorporated in the controller. The proposed method has good harmonic rejection and large tolerance to parameter variations. To further reduce the steady-state error, a low-pass-filter Q(z) algorithm is applied. The DC bias problem is also taken into consideration and solved with the repetitive controller itself. The method is implemented with a digital signal processor and achieves low THD% (1.4%-1.7%) with nonlinear loads and fast error convergence (3-5 fundamental periods). It proves to be a cost-effective solution for common UPS products where high-quality output voltage is more stressed than fast dynamic response.

Beyond Efficiency: the Challenge of Stability in Mesoscopic Perovskite Solar Cells

Abstract: Over the past five years, the rapid emergence of a new class of solar cell based on mixed organic–inorganic halide perovskite semiconductors has captured the attention of scientists and researchers in the field of energy conversion. Benefiting from the optimization of perovskite film deposition approaches, the design of new material systems, and the diversity of device concepts, the efficiency of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) has increased from 2.19% in 2006 to a certified 20.1% in 2014, making this the fastest-advancing solar cell technology to date. However, as a photovoltaic technology, which needs to meet the requirements of working under long-term sunlight, PSCs suffer stability concerns for both materials and devices. Evolved from dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), PSCs usually contain a mesoporous electron transporting layer or scaffold layer, a perovskite active layer, a hole transporting layer and a back contact to construct a mesoscopic-structured device. Using interface engineering, mesoscopic PSCs (MPSCs) have obtained exciting stability with a hole-conductor-free printable triple-layer architecture or conventional heterojunction version. Herein, the achievements of mesoscopic solar cells from solid-state DSSCs to MPSCs are outlined and summary of recent progress in the stability of MPSCs is presented. Possible degradation mechanism and solutions are presented and, finally, challenges for the commercialization of this photovoltaic technology are discussed.