[Clinical study of three-dimensional strapping reduction in treatment of patellar fracture]

Objective

To investigate the effectiveness of three-dimensional strapping reduction in treatment of patellar fracture.

Methods

Between January 2015 and June 2015, thirty-two patients were randomly allocated to three-dimensional strapping reduction group (trial group) and towel clamp reduction group (control group). There was no significant difference in age, gender, damage side, interval from injury to opreration, fracture pattern, and cause of injury ( P>0.05). The operation time, fluoroscopy time, fracture healing time, postoperative Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) scores, and complications were collected and analysed.

Results

All incisions healed at stage I. All patients of 2 groups were followed up 10-14 months (mean, 12.4 months). The operation time and fluoroscopy time of trial group were both shorter than those of control group ( t=6.212, P=0.000; t=6.585, P=0.000). X-ray films showed that the fractures in both groups healed successfully and there was no significant difference in healing time between groups ( t=1.973, P=0.058). Bone nonunion, infection, and failure fixation were not found in both groups. HSS scores of trial group (91.6±3.8) was higher than that of control group (86.4±5.5) ( t=-3.105, P=0.004).

Conclusion

Compared with towel clamp reduction, the three-dimensional strapping reduction in treatment of patellar fracture has the advantages of shorter operation time and fluoroscopy time, better knee function after operation, and satisfactory fracture healing.

Valley-selective circular dichroism and high carrier mobility of graphene-like BC6N

The two-dimensional (2D) hybrid structures of boron nitride (BN) and graphene with properties superior to the individuals are long desired. In this work, we demonstrate theoretically that this goal can be reached in a new graphene-like borocarbonitride (g-BC6N) whose domain has been synthesized in recent experiments. It has a direct band gap of 1.833 eV and a high carrier mobility comparable to that of black phosphorene. The inversion symmetry breaking in g-BC6N leads to a pair of inequivalent valleys with opposite Berry curvatures in the vicinities of the vertices (K and K') of the Brillouin zone. The coexistence of valley-selective circular dichroism and high carrier mobility in g-BNC6 is beneficial to realize the valley Hall effect. We also propose a tight-binding (TB) model to describe the intrinsic features of this type of lattice, revealing a new class of 2D valleytronic materials.

[The surgical treatments and clinical characteristics of snoring with epiglottis collapse]

Objective:The aim of this study is to summary the characteristics of sleep breath disorder patients with epiglottis collapse and find out the way to treat them with surgery.Method:This is a retrospective study. There were eighteen patients who complained of snoring and somnolence, as well as had undergone DISE. Eight of them were diagnosed as epiglottis collapse. We analysis the clinical features, surgical treatments and prognosis of these eight patents, and compare their BMI, shape of epiglottis and AHI with the patients without epiglottis collapse. Result: Patients with epiglottis collapse usually complained of breathless during sleeping. The shape of their epiglottis was mainly flat and wide, as the cure of the upper margin of their epiglottises shows significant difference with those who are without epiglottis collapse(P=0.03,0.04).DISE is the diagnosis examination. The primary surgical treatment is Epiglottoplasty. Conclusion: It's not uncommon to see epiglottis collapse clinically. Whenever we meet the particular clinical manifestation,the diagnose of epiglottis collapse should be taken into consideration. DISE is the diagnosis examination. Epiglottoplasty can treat them to some degree.

Mitoregulin: A lncRNA-Encoded Microprotein that Supports Mitochondrial Supercomplexes and Respiratory Efficiency

Mitochondria are composed of many small proteins that control protein synthesis, complex assembly, metabolism, and ion and reactive oxygen species (ROS) handling. We show that a skeletal muscle- and heart-enriched long non-coding RNA, LINC00116, encodes a highly conserved 56-amino-acid microprotein that we named mitoregulin (Mtln). Mtln localizes to the inner mitochondrial membrane, where it binds cardiolipin and influences protein complex assembly. In cultured cells, Mtln overexpression increases mitochondrial membrane potential, respiration rates, and Ca2+ retention capacity while decreasing mitochondrial ROS and matrix-free Ca2+. Mtln-knockout mice display perturbations in mitochondrial respiratory (super)complex formation and activity, fatty acid oxidation, tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle enzymes, and Ca2+ retention capacity. Blue-native gel electrophoresis revealed that Mtln co-migrates alongside several complexes, including the complex I assembly module, complex V, and supercomplexes. Under denaturing conditions, Mtln remains in high-molecular-weight complexes, supporting its role as a sticky molecular tether that enhances respiratory efficiency by bolstering protein complex assembly and/or stability.

TLR4+CXCR4+ plasma cells drive nephritis development in systemic lupus erythematosus

Objectives

In patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), immune tolerance breakdown leads to autoantibody production and immune-complex glomerulonephritis. This study aimed to identify pathogenic plasma cells (PC) in the development of lupus nephritis.

Methods

PC subsets in peripheral blood and renal tissue of patients with SLE and lupus mice were examined by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy, respectively. Sorting-purified PCs from lupus mice were adoptively transferred into Rag2-deficient recipients, in which immune-complex deposition and renal pathology were investigated. In culture, PCs from lupus mice and patients with SLE were treated with a TLR4 inhibitor and examined for autoantibody secretion by enzyme-linked immunospot assay (ELISPOT). Moreover, lupus mice were treated with a TLR4 inhibitor, followed by the assessment of serum autoantibody levels and glomerulonephritis activity.

Results

The frequencies of TLR4+CXCR4+ PCs in peripheral blood and renal tissue were found significantly increased with the potent production of anti-dsDNA IgG, which were associated with severe renal damages in patients with SLE and mice with experimental lupus. Adoptive transfer of TLR4+CXCR4+ PCs from lupus mice led to autoantibody production and glomerulonephritis development in Rag2-deficient recipients. In culture, TLR4+CXCR4+ PCs from both lupus mice and patients with SLE showed markedly reduced anti-dsDNA IgG secretion on TLR4 blockade. Moreover, in vivo treatment with TLR4 inhibitor significantly attenuated autoantibody production and renal damages in lupus mice.

Conclusions

These findings demonstrate a pathogenic role of TLR4+CXCR4+ PCs in the development of lupus nephritis and may provide new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of SLE.

Experimental investigation and micromagnetic simulations of hybrid CoCr2O4/Ni coaxial nanostructures

Multiphase CoCr₂O₄/Ni core-shell nanowires (NWs) have been synthesized within anodic aluminum oxide membranes by the combination of the sol-gel method with electrodeposition techniques. X-ray diffraction and x-ray photoemission spectroscopy results confirmed the formation of a cubic spinel structure of CoCr₂O₄ shell with space group Fd-3m (227). The morphology and composition of the as-grown NWs were studied by field emission scanning electron microscopy, as well as transmission electron microscopy. The magnetic properties of the CoCr₂O₄ NT shell and hybrid CoCr₂O₄/Ni NWs were measured at low temperature using a physical property measurement system. The temperature dependence of the magnetization curves showed that CoCr₂O₄ NTs undergo a transition from a paramagnetic state to a ferrimagnetic state at about 90 K and a spiral ordering transition temperature near 22 K. An enhanced coercivity and saturation field were observed for the CoCr₂O₄/Ni core-shell NWs compared to the single-phase Ni NWs. Micromagnetic simulation results indicated that there is a strong coupling between the shell and core layers during the magnetization reversal process. The combination of hard CoCr₂O₄ and soft Ni in a single NW structure may have potential applications in future multifunctional devices.

Surface premelting/recrystallization governing the collapse of open-cell nanoporous Cu via thermal annealing

We systematically investigate the collapse of a set of open-cell nanoporous Cu (np-Cu) materials with the same porosity and shape but different specific surface areas, during thermal annealing, by performing large-scale molecular dynamics simulations. Two mechanisms govern the collapse of np-Cu. One is direct surface premelting, facilitating the collapse of np-Cu, when the specific surface area is less than a critical value (∼2.38 nm-1). The other is recrystallization followed by surface premelting, accelerating the sloughing of ligaments and the annihilation of voids, when the critical specific surface area is exceeded. Surface premelting results from surface reconstruction by prompting localized "disordering" and "chaos" on the surface, and the melting temperature reduces linearly with the increase of the specific surface area. Recrystallization is followed by surface premelting as the melting temperature is below the supercooling point, where a liquid is unstable and instantaneously recrystallizes.

An Improved Strong Tracking Cubature Kalman Filter for GPS/INS Integrated Navigation Systems

The cubature Kalman filter (CKF) is widely used in the application of GPS/INS integrated navigation systems. However, its performance may decline in accuracy and even diverge in the presence of process uncertainties. To solve the problem, a new algorithm named improved strong tracking seventh-degree spherical simplex-radial cubature Kalman filter (IST-7thSSRCKF) is proposed in this paper. In the proposed algorithm, the effect of process uncertainty is mitigated by using the improved strong tracking Kalman filter technique, in which the hypothesis testing method is adopted to identify the process uncertainty and the prior state estimate covariance in the CKF is further modified online according to the change in vehicle dynamics. In addition, a new seventh-degree spherical simplex-radial rule is employed to further improve the estimation accuracy of the strong tracking cubature Kalman filter. In this way, the proposed comprehensive algorithm integrates the advantage of 7thSSRCKF’s high accuracy and strong tracking filter’s strong robustness against process uncertainties. The GPS/INS integrated navigation problem with significant dynamic model errors is utilized to validate the performance of proposed IST-7thSSRCKF. Results demonstrate that the improved strong tracking cubature Kalman filter can achieve higher accuracy than the existing CKF and ST-CKF, and is more robust for the GPS/INS integrated navigation system.

Multi-wavelength unidirectional forward scattering in the visible range in an all-dielectric silicon hollow nanodisk

A dielectric nanoantenna with a relatively large refractive index possesses magnetodielectric properties that can offer the unique opportunity to tailor unidirectional scattering. Herein, we demonstrate that the interference from electric and magnetic multipoles in the silicon hollow nanodisk suppresses backscattering and enhances forward scattering of light. This concept is implemented to design a lossless dielectric collector element, which constitutes an enabling technology for applications that require backward scattering suppression, such as nanoantennas and photovoltaic devices.

The in vivo anti-fibrotic function of calcium sensitive receptor (CaSR) modulating poly(p-dioxanone-co-l-phenylalanine) prodrug

In present study, the apoptosis induction and proliferation suppression effects of l-phenylalanine (l-Phe) on fibroblasts were confirmed. The action sites of l-Phe on fibroblasts suppression were deduced to be calcium sensitive receptor (CaSR) which could cause the release of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca²⁺ stores; disruption of intracellular Ca²⁺ homeostasis triggers cell apoptosis via the ER or mitochondrial pathways. The down-regulation of CaSR were observed after the application of l-Phe, and the results those l-Phe triggered the increasing of intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration and calcineurin expression, and then the apoptosis and increasing G1 fraction of fibroblasts have verified our deduction. Hence, l-Phe could be seen as a kind of anti-fibrotic drugs for the crucial participation of fibroblast in the occurrence of fibrosis. And then, poly(p-dioxanone-co-l-phenylalanine) (PDPA) which could prolong the in-vivo anti-fibrotic effect of l-Phe for the sustained release of l-Phe during its degradation could be treated as anti-fibrotic polymer prodrugs. Based on the above, the in vivo anti-fibrotic function of PDPA was evaluated in rabbit ear scarring, rat peritoneum lipopolysaccharide, and rat sidewall defect/cecum abrasion models. PDPA reduced skin scarring and suppressed peritoneal fibrosis and post operation adhesion as well as secretion of transforming growth factor-β1 in injured tissue. These results indicate that PDPA is an effective agent for preventing fibrosis following tissue injury.

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

We have previously demonstrated that poly(p-dioxanone-co-l-phenylalanine) (PDPA) could induce apoptosis to fibroblast and deduced that the inhibitory effect comes from l-phenylalanine. In present study, the inhibition mechanism of l-phenylalanine on fibroblast proliferation was demonstrated. The calcium sensitive receptor (CaSR) was found to be the action site. The CaSR was downregulated after the application of l-phenylalanine, and then the ER Ca²⁺ stores were released. The released Ca²⁺ can simultaneously activate Ca²⁺/calcineurin and then trigger apoptosis and G1 arrest of fibroblast. Hence, l-phenylalanine could be seen as anti-fibrosis drug and PDPA which conjugate l-phenylalanine by hydrolytic covalent bonds could be seen as l-phenylalanine polymer prodrug. Based above, the in vivo anti-fibrotic function of PDPA were verified in three different animal models.

Differences in Molecular Characteristics of Segment 8 in Rice black-streaked dwarf virus and Southern rice black-streaked dwarf virus

Rice black-streaked dwarf virus (RBSDV) and Southern rice black-streaked dwarf virus (SRBSDV) cause maize rough dwarf disease (MRDD) and rice black-streaked dwarf disease (RBSDD) in China. RBSDV segment 8 (S8) contains the only deletion mutation in the genomes of these viruses, which are both members of the genus Fijivirus. To illuminate the molecular differences between the RBSDV and SRBSDV genomes and better understand the evolution of these viruses, and to determine which virus is specifically associated with MRDD and RBSDD in each region, S8 was analyzed in 66 virus isolates collected from 10 geographic locations in China and 14 S8 sequences obtained from the National Center for Biotechnology Information GenBank. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the pathogen associated with MRDD and RBSDD in the Yellow and Huai River valleys was RBSDV, whereas the pathogen associated with these diseases in Sanya was SRBSDV. Codon usage bias in S8 differed significantly between RBSDV and SRBSDV, as indicated by effective number of codons used by a gene (Nc) and GC values, Nc plots, and variation explained by the first axis in correspondence analysis. The nucleotide identities among these 66 RBSDV and SRBSDV isolates ranged from 66.2 to 68.2%, and were considerably lower than the nucleotide identities within RBSDV (from 94.1 to 99.9%) or SRBSDV (from 93.9 to 100%) isolates. Most S8 polymorphisms were identified in the region from 1,000 to 1,200 bp in RBSDV and in the region from 500 to 700 bp in SRBSDV. The difference in the lengths of RBSDV (1,936 bp) and SRBSDV (1,928 bp) was due to an 8-bp deletion in the 3'-untranslated region of SRBSDV. Six recombination events were detected in S8 in RBSDV and two recombination events were detected in S8 in SRBSDV. Recombination breakpoints were found within the region containing the deletion mutation in nine isolates. However, no recombination events were detected between RBSDV and SRBSDV. Both of these viruses were under negative and purifying selection, although the ratio of nonsynonymous mutations to synonymous mutations (Ka/Ks) for RBSDV S8 (0.0530) was not significantly lower than that of SRBSDV S8 (0.0823, P = 0.1550). We found that SRBSDV was more highly genetically differentiated (product of effective population size and the migration rate among populations < 1; values for the among-populations component of genetic variation or normalized variation > 0.33; and P values of the sequence statistic, the rank statistic, and the nearest-neighbor statistic < 0.01) than RBSDV. However, gene flow between RBSDV and SRBSDV was not frequent.

Comparison of five viscoelastic models for estimating viscoelastic parameters using ultrasound shear wave elastography

The purpose of this study is to compare five viscoelastic models (Voigt, Maxwell, standard linear solid, spring-pot, and fractional Voigt models) for estimating viscoelastic properties based on ultrasound shear wave elastography measurements. We performed the forward problem analysis, the inverse problem analysis, and experiments. In the forward problem analysis, the shear wave speeds at different frequencies were calculated using the Voigt model for given shear elasticity and varying shear viscosity. In the inverse problem analysis, the viscoelastic parameters were estimated from the given wave speeds for the five viscoelastic models using the least-square regression. The experiment was performed in a tissue-mimicking phantom. A local harmonic vibration was generated via a mechanical shaker on the phantom at five frequencies (100, 150, 200, 250, and 300 Hz) and an ultrasound transducer was used to capture the tissue motion. Shear wave speed of the phantom was measured using the ultrasound shear wave elastography technique. The parameters for different viscoelastic models for the phantom were identified. For both analytical and experimental studies, ratios of storage to loss modulus as a function of excitation frequency for different viscoelastic models were calculated. We found that the Voigt and fractional Voigt models fit well with the shear wave speed - frequency and ratio of storage to loss modulus - frequency relationships both in analytical and experimental studies.

Strain-induced tunable negative differential resistance in triangle graphene spirals

Using non-equilibrium Green's function formalism combined with density functional theory calculations, we investigate the significant changes in electronic and transport properties of triangle graphene spirals (TGSs) in response to external strain. Tunable negative differential resistance (NDR) behavior is predicted. The NDR bias region, NDR width, and peak-to-valley ratio can be well tuned by external strain. Further analysis shows that these peculiar properties can be attributed to the dispersion widths of the p _z orbitals. Moreover, the conductance of TGSs is very sensitive to the applied stress, which is promising for applications in nanosensor devices. Our findings reveal a novel approach to produce tunable electronic devices based on graphene spirals.

Enhanced Stability of PtML/MML/WC(0001) Multilayer Alloys under Electrochemical Conditions: A First Principle Study

A platinum (Pt) monolayer catalyst could greatly reduce the use of Pt. However, the core or subsurface transition metal could easily segregate to the surface and eventually selectively dissolve in the working conditions. In this work, a type of Pt_ML/M_ML/tungsten carbide (WC) multilayer structure catalyst has been designed using the density functional theory method. The results show that the stability of W-terminated core catalysts is lower than that of the corresponding C-terminated one. More importantly, the C-terminated Pt_ML/Co_ML/WC alloy could also maintain a stable Pt monolayer structure in various electrolyte solutions (e.g., perchloric acid, phosphoric acid, and alkaline solutions) and via different oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) pathways, in addition to the previously well-known precious alloy elements, such as Ru, Ir, and so forth. The segregation of the M metal will be suppressed by introducing a high electronegativity nonmetal element in the core such as C through enhanced interaction between the C and M interlayers. The improved ORR activity and the stability of C-terminated Pt_ML/Co(Ru)_ML/WC(0001) multilayer structures highlight the importance of surface chemistry of the substrate in rational design Pt monolayer catalysts.

A novel α-galactosidase from the thermophilic probiotic Bacillus coagulans with remarkable protease-resistance and high hydrolytic activity

A novel α-galactosidase of glycoside hydrolase family 36 was cloned from Bacillus coagulans, overexpressed in Escherichia coli, and characterized. The purified enzyme Aga-BC7050 was 85 kDa according to SDS-PAGE and 168 kDa according to gel filtration, indicating that its native structure is a dimer. With p-nitrophenyl-α-d- galactopyranoside (pNPGal) as the substrate, optimal temperature and pH were 55 °C and 6.0, respectively. At 60 °C for 30 min, it retained > 50% of its activity. It was stable at pH 5.0–10.0, and showed remarkable resistance to proteinase K, subtilisin A, α-chymotrypsin, and trypsin. Its activity was not inhibited by glucose, sucrose, xylose, or fructose, but was slightly inhibited at galactose concentrations up to 100 mM. Aga-BC7050 was highly active toward pNPGal, melibiose, raffinose, and stachyose. It completely hydrolyzed melibiose, raffinose, and stachyose in < 30 min. These characteristics suggest that Aga-BC7050 could be used in feed and food industries and sugar processing.

Novel Conductive Metal-Organic Framework for a High-Performance Lithium-Sulfur Battery Host: 2D Cu-Benzenehexathial (BHT)

Despite the high theoretical capacity of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries, their commercialization is severely hindered by low cycle stability and low efficiency, stemming from the dissolution and diffusion of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) in the electrolyte. In this study, we propose a novel two-dimensional conductive metal-organic framework, namely, Cu-benzenehexathial (BHT), as a promising sulfur host material for high-performance Li-S batteries. The conductivity of Cu-BHT eliminates the insulating nature of most S-based electrodes. The dissolution of LiPSs into the electrolyte is largely prevented by the strong interaction between Cu-BHT and LiPSs. In addition, orientated deposition of Li₂S on Cu-BHT facilitates the kinetics of the LiPS redox reaction. Therefore, the use of Cu-BHT for Li-S battery cathodes is expected to suppress the LiPS shuttle effect and to improve the overall performance, which is ideal for practical application of Li-S batteries.

Genetic risk factors for post-transplantation diabetes mellitus in Chinese Han renal allograft recipients treated with tacrolimus

BACKGROUND

Post-transplantation diabetes mellitus (PTDM) is a serious metabolic complication after kidney transplantation. The aim of this study was to explore the association of clinical variables and five selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with PTDM in Chinese Han renal allograft recipients taking tacrolimus (TAC).

METHODS

A total of 129 non-diabetic, primary, Chinese Han renal allograft recipients treated with TAC were enrolled. Five SNPs (CYP3A5 rs776741, rs776746, rs15524, CYP24A1 rs2296241, and PPARG rs1801282) were genotyped and analyzed.

RESULTS

Among 129 recipients, 17 (13.2%) developed PTDM. Both univariate and multivariate analysis demonstrated that age over 50 years old and CYP24A1 rs2296241 A allele were independently correlated with the development of PTDM, while no significant differences was observed in TAC pharmacokinetics and CYP3A5, PPARG polymorphisms between two groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with advanced age and CYP24A1 rs2296241 A allele had an increased risk of PTDM after kidney transplantation.