Ultrasmall, Amorphous V2O3 Intimately Anchored on a Carbon Nanofiber Aerogel Toward High-Rate Zinc-Ion Batteries

When considered as a cathode candidate for aqueous Zn-ion batteries, V2O3 faces several problems, such as inherently unsuitable structure, fast structural degradation, and sluggish charge transport kinetics. In this paper, we report the synthesis of a V2O3 intimately coupled carbon aerogel by a controllable ion impregnation and solid-state reaction strategy using bacterial cellulose and ammonium metavanadate as raw materials. In this newly designed structure, the carbonized carbon fiber network provides fast ion and electron transport channels. More importantly, the cellulose aerogel functions as a dispersing and supporting skeleton to realize the particle size reduction, uniform distribution, and amorphous features of V2O3. These advantages work together to realize adequate electrochemical activation during the initial charging process and shorter transport distance and faster transport kinetics of Zn2+. The batteries based on the V2O3/CNF aerogel exhibit a high-rate performance and an excellent cycling stability. At a current density of 20 A g-1, the V2O3/CNF aerogel delivers a specific capacity of 159.8 mAh g-1, and it demonstrates an exceptionally long life span over 2000 cycles at 12 A g-1. Furthermore, the electrodes with active material loadings as high as 10 mg cm-2 still deliver appreciable specific capacities of 257 mAh g-1 at 0.1 A g-1.

[Definition of severe pulmonary tuberculosis: a scoping review]

Objective: To clarify the definition of severe pulmonary tuberculosis and its inclusion criteria by summarizing and analyzing the studies of severe pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). Methods: A systematic search of Medline (via PubMed), Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Web of Science, Epistemonikos, Embase, CNKI, WanFang database, and CBM database was conducted to collect studies published between 2017 and 2022 on patients with severe pulmonary TB. Searches were performed using a combination of subject terms and free words. The search terms included: tuberculosis, severe, serious, intensive care, critical care, respiratory failure, mechanical ventilation, hospitalization, respiratory distress syndrome, multiple organ failure, pulmonary heart disease, and pneumothorax. The definitions and inclusion criteria for severe pulmonary TB in the included studies were extracted. Results: A total of 19 981 studies were identified and 100 studies were finally included, involving 8 309 patients with severe pulmonary TB. A total of 8 (8.00%) studies explicitly mentioned the definition of severe pulmonary TB, and 53 (53.00%) studies clearly defined the inclusion criteria for patients with severe pulmonary TB. A total of 5 definitions and 30 inclusion criteria were extracted. A total of 132 dichotomous variables and 113 continuous variables were included in the outcome indicators related to patients with severe pulmonary TB of concern in the studies. Conclusions: The definition and diagnostic criteria for severe TB are unclear, and there is an urgent need to develop a clear definition and diagnostic criteria to guide clinical practice.

Strain-Regulated Pt-NiO@Ni Sub-Micron Particles Achieving Bifunctional Electrocatalysis for Zinc-Air Battery

Highly active bifunctional electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) have always been the key factors to affect the performance of zinc-air batteries. However, integrating the independent reaction sites of ORR and OER in a catalyst remains a major challenge. Herein, a collaborative strategy based on defect induction and doping is proposed to prepare the strain-regulated Pt-NiO@Ni sub-micron particles (Pt-NiO@Ni SP). Benefiting from the synergistic effect of tensile strain and Pt-doped, the metallic Ni-based sub-micron particles with tensile strain as the catalyst carriers can effectively optimize the electronic distribution of atomic structures in Pt and NiO on the surface of particles, leading to reduce the energy barrier of intermediates for ORR and OER. Consequently, the Pt-NiO@Ni SP exhibits outstanding bifunctional catalytic activity with the ΔE index of 0.65 V under a low Pt loading, outperforming that of the benchmark Pt/C+IrO2 catalysts (0.76 V). Impressively, the Pt-NiO@Ni SP-based liquid zinc-air battery develops a high open-circuit potential (1.47 V), excellent energy density (188.2 mW cm-2 ), and favorable cyclic charge-discharge cycling durability (200 h at 20 mA cm-2 ). This work provides an innovative avenue for the rational construction of highly active bifunctional electrocatalysts for practical applications.

Hierarchical carbon hollow nanospheres coupled with ultra-small molybdenum carbide as sulfiphilic sulfur hosts for lithium-sulfur batteries

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are an attractive candidate to replace the current state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries due to their promising theoretical capacity of 1675 mA h g^-1 and energy density of 2500 W h kg^-1. However, the lithium polysulfide (LiPS) shuttle effect and the slow sulfur redox kinetics seriously decrease the utilization of sulfur and deteriorate battery performance. Here, hierarchical carbon hollow nanospheres containing intimately coupled molybdenum carbide nanocrystals were synthesized as a sulfiphilic sulfur host. The sufficient interior void space accommodates the sulfur and physically confines LiPSs, while the in situ introduced molybdenum carbide nanoparticles can chemically immobilize LiPSs and catalytically accelerate their redox transformations. As a result, the Li-S batteries with this synergistic effect achieve an excellent rate capability of 566 mA h g^-1 at 2C and a long cycle stability over 300 cycles at 1C.

Electric-Field-Driven Printed 3D Highly Ordered Microstructure with Cell Feature Size Promotes the Maturation of Engineered Cardiac Tissues

Engineered cardiac tissues (ECTs) derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are viable alternatives for cardiac repair, patient-specific disease modeling, and drug discovery. However, the immature state of ECTs limits their clinical utility. The microenvironment fabricated using 3D scaffolds can affect cell fate, and is crucial for the maturation of ECTs. Herein, the authors demonstrate an electric-field-driven (EFD) printed 3D highly ordered microstructure with cell feature size to promote the maturation of ECTs. The simulation and experimental results demonstrate that the EFD jet microscale 3D printing overcomes the jet repulsion without any prior requirements for both conductive and insulating substrates. Furthermore, the 3D highly ordered microstructures with a fiber diameter of 10-20 µm and spacing of 60-80 µm have been fabricated by maintaining a vertical jet, achieving the largest ratio of fiber diameter/spacing of 0.29. The hiPSCs-derived cardiomyocytes formed ordered ECTs with their sarcomere growth along the fiber and developed synchronous functional ECTs inside the 3D-printed scaffold with matured calcium handling compared to the 2D coverslip. Therefore, the EFD jet 3D microscale printing process facilitates the fabrication of scaffolds providing a suitable microenvironment to promote the maturation of ECTs, thereby showing great potential for cardiac tissue engineering.

Novel Airflow-Field-Driven Melt Spinning 3D Printing of Tubular Scaffolds Based on Polycaprolactone Blends

The fabrication of various 3D tissue engineering tubular scaffolds with fibrous structures, to assist the human body in rapidly repairing a variety of ailments, is receiving more and more attention. Due to the inefficiency of the majority of fibrous preparation techniques, the question of how to rapidly produce the requisite three-dimensional tubular microfiber scaffold structures has become an urgent problem. In this study, an efficient polymer fiber preparation method was developed, using a high-speed airflow drive. Melt blending of polycaprolactone (PCL), polylactic acid (PLA), and tributyl citrate (TBC), was used for the printing material, to achieve the efficient preparation of tubular microfiber scaffolds with different structures. The scaffold diameter was as small as 2 mm, the wall thickness was up to 100 μm, and the fiber injection efficiency reached 15.48 g/h. By utilizing simulations to optimize the printing parameters and by adjusting the printing settings, it was possible to achieve a controlled fiber diameter in the range of 3 μm to 15 μm. In addition, plasma treatment was applied to the microfibers’ surface, to increase their wettability, and the efficiency of the hydrophilic modification was demonstrated. Furthermore, the mechanical property test demonstrated that the fibers have a tensile strength of 1.36 ± 0.16 MPa and a tensile strain of 30.8 ± 3.5%. The radial compressive strain of the tubular scaffold could reach 60% of the original scaffold’s diameter. Finally, the in vitro degradation of the fibers at various pH values was tested. The results showed that, under alkaline conditions, the surface of the fibers would be severely crushed and the rate of deterioration would increase.

Dual-Nozzle 3D Printed Nano-Hydroxyapatite Scaffold Loaded with Vancomycin Sustained-Release Microspheres for Enhancing Bone Regeneration

Background

Successful treatment of infectious bone defect remains a major challenge in the orthopaedic field. At present, the conventional treatment for infectious bone defects is surgical debridement and long-term systemic antibiotic use. It is necessary to develop a new strategy to achieve effective bone regeneration and local anti-infection for infectious bone defects.

Methods

Firstly, vancomycin / poly (lactic acid-glycolic acid) sustained release microspheres (VAN/PLGA-MS) were prepared. Then, through the dual-nozzle 3D printing technology, VAN/PLGA-MS was uniformly loaded into the pores of nano-hydroxyapatite (n-HA) and polylactic acid (PLA) scaffolds printed in a certain proportion, and a composite scaffold (VAN/MS-PLA/n-HA) was designed, which can not only promote bone repair but also resist local infection. Finally, the performance of the composite scaffold was evaluated by in vivo and in vitro biological evaluation.

Results

The in vitro release test of microspheres showed that the release of VAN/PLGA-MS was relatively stable from the second day, and the average daily release concentration was about 15.75 μg/mL, which was higher than the minimum concentration specified in the guidelines. The bacteriostatic test in vitro showed that VAN/PLGA-MS had obvious inhibitory effect on Staphylococcus aureus ATCC-29213. Biological evaluation of VAN/MS-PLA/n-HA scaffolds in vitro showed that it can promote the proliferation of adipose stem cells. In vivo biological evaluation showed that VAN/MS-PLA/n-HA scaffold could significantly promote bone regeneration.

Conclusion

Our research shows that VAN/MS-PLA/n-HA scaffolds have satisfying biomechanical properties, effectively inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, with good biocompatibility, and effectiveness on repairing bone defects. The VAN/MS-PLA/n-HA scaffold provide the clinic with an application prospect in bone tissue engineering.

Directly Printed Embedded Metal Mesh for Flexible Transparent Electrode via Liquid Substrate Electric-Field-Driven Jet

Flexible transparent electrodes (FTEs) with embedded metal meshes play an indispensable role in many optoelectronic devices due to their excellent mechanical stability and environmental adaptability. However, low-cost, simple, efficient, and environmental friendly integrated manufacturing of high-performance embedded metal meshes remains a huge challenge. Here, a facile and novel fabrication method is proposed for FTEs with an embedded metal mesh via liquid substrateelectric-field-driven microscale 3D printing process. This direct printing strategy avoids tedious processes and offers low-cost and high-volume production, enabling the fabrication of high-resolution, high-aspect ratio embedded metal meshes without sacrificing transparency. The final manufactured FTEs with 80 mm × 80 mm embedded metal mesh offers excellent optoelectronic performance with a sheet resistance (R_s ) of 6 Ω sq^-1 and a transmittance (T) of 85.79%. The embedded metal structure still has excellent mechanical stability and good environmental suitability under different harsh working conditions. The practical feasibility of the FTEs is successfully demonstrated with a thermally driven 4D printing structure and a resistive transparent strain sensor. This method can be used to manufacture large areas with facile, high-efficiency, low-cost, and high-performance FTEs.

3D Printed High Performance Silver Mesh for Transparent Glass Heaters through Liquid Sacrificial Substrate Electric-Field-Driven Jet

Transparent glass with metal mesh is considered a promising strategy for high performance transparent glass heaters (TGHs). However, the realization of simple, low-cost manufacture of high performance TGHs still faces great challenges. Here, a technique for the fabrication of high performance TGHs is proposed using liquid sacrificial substrate electric-field-driven (LS-EFD) microscale 3D printing of thick film silver paste. The liquid sacrificial substrate not only significantly improves the aspect ratio (AR) of silver mesh, but also plays a positive role in printing stability. The fabricated TGHs with a line width of 35 µm, thickness of 12.3 µm, and pitch of 1000 µm exhibit a desirable optoelectronic performance with sheet resistance (R_s ) of 0.195 Ω sq^-1 and transmittance (T) of 88.97%. A successful deicing test showcases the feasibility and practicality of the manufactured TGHs. Moreover, an interface evaporator is developed for the coordination of photothermal and electrothermal systems based on the high performance TGHs. The vapor generation rate of the device reaches 10.69 kg m^-2 h^-1 with a voltage of 2 V. The proposed technique is a promising strategy for the cost-effective and simple fabrication of high performance TGHs.

Fractal-Based Stretchable Circuits via Electric-Field-Driven Microscale 3D Printing for Localized Heating of Shape Memory Polymers in 4D Printing

Thermally responsive shape memory polymers (SMPs) used in 4D printing are often reported to be activated by external heat sources or embedded stiff heaters. However, such heating strategies impede the practical application of 4D printing due to the lack of precise control over heating or the limited ability to accommodate the stretching during shape programming. Herein, we propose a novel 4D printing paradigm by fabricating stretchable heating circuits with fractal motifs via electric-field-driven microscale 3D printing of conductive paste for seamless integration into 3D printed structures with SMP components. By regulating the fractal order and printing/processing parameters, the overall electrical resistance and areal coverage of the circuits can be tuned to produce an efficient and uniform heating performance. Compared with serpentine structures, the resistance of fractal-based circuits remains relatively stable under both uniaxial and biaxial stretching. In practice, steady-state and transient heating modes can be respectively used during the shape programming and actuation phases. We demonstrate that this approach is suitable for 4D printed structures with shape programming by either uniaxial or biaxial stretching. Notably, the biaxial stretchability of fractal-based heating circuits enables the shape change between a planar structure and a 3D one with double curvature. The proposed strategy would offer more freedom in designing 4D printed structures and enable the manipulation of the latter in a controlled and selective manner.

[Anatomical study and clinical application of in situ reduction and fixation of anterior medial fenestration approach of femoral head fracture]

Objectives: To explore the feasibility of anterior medial fenestration approach in situ reduction and fixation in the treatment of PipkinⅠ and Ⅱ femoral head fractures,and to explore the clinical effect of this operation. Methods: Hips of two anti-corrosion adult specimens treated with formalin were dissected, then anatomical structures and directional characteristics of anterior medial main muscles,ligaments,blood vessels and nerves were observed.The anterior medial fenestration approach was performed on bilateral hips of four fresh frozen specimens to determine pulling direction of stripped muscles and ligaments required during operation,and to observe and analyze vascular and nerve traction protection directions exposed in the approach.Determine extent of exposure to the approach and assess feasibility of this approach.The clinical data of 12 patients with Pipkin Ⅰ and Ⅱ femoral head fractures who underwent in situ reduction and fixation of anterior medial fenestration at Department of Orthopaedics,Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University from February 2016 to April 2018 were retrospectively analyzed.There were 3 males and 9 females with an age of 48.5 years(range:37 to 59 years).There were 8 cases of Pipkin type Ⅰ and 4 cases of Pipkin type Ⅱ.The operation time,blood loss,fracture healing time,last Thompson-Epstein evaluation and Harris score were observed. Results: Anterior medial fenestration approach to expose the femoral head in 4 bilateral hips with a total of 8 sides of fresh frozen specimens.The upper boundary of observation fenestration was pubic body (anterior acetabulum),and the outer upper boundary was iliacus and psoas muscle.The lateral boundary is rectus femoris and femoral vessels,the lower boundary was transverse branch of the medial femoral circumflex artery and vein.The medial boundary was pubis muscle,short adductor muscle and long adductor muscle.Pubofemoral and iliofemoral ligament were seen in fenestration. Four quadrants in front of femoral head in fenestration can be seen after cutting switch capsule active hip joint. In 12 patients with femoral head fracture,the operation time was 107.5 minutes(range:90 to 135 minutes),and the intraoperative bleeding volume was 115.0 ml(range:85 to 150 ml).The patients were followed up for 18.6 months(range:12 to 28 months).The fracture healing time of 12 patients was 144.2 days(range:120 to 180 days).The curative effect was evaluated according to Thompson-Epstein standard at the last follow-up:excellent in 6 cases,good in 4 cases and fair in 2 cases.At the last follow-up,the Harris score of hip joints was 85.1(range:75 to 93). Conclusions: Anterior medial fenestration in situ reduction and fixation surgery is feasible for the treatment of Pipkin Ⅰ and Ⅱ femoral head fractures. The short and midterm follow-up reveal satisfactory effect.

Transcriptome profiling reveals morphogenesis-related candidate genes and pathways in the chick embryonic small intestine

1. A better understanding of intestinal development is essential for the intestinal health of poultry. Intestinal villification starts on embryo day E15 and is generally completed before hatching (E21). The development of lymphoid organs in the intestine starts during embryogenesis. However, transcriptional information on the processing of intestinal morphogenesis and immune development during chick embryogenesis is limited.2. In this work, RNA-sequencing was performed using 12 biological replicates to investigate Hy-Line brown chick embryonic small intestinal transcription at E15 and E21. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between E15 and E21 were identified. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses, based on the DEGs, were performed to identify key GO terms in the biological process category and key KEGG pathways. PPI networks were constructed based on the DEGs in the key pathways to screen hub genes. The embryonic small intestinal morphology and IgA distribution were observed by histological processing. The serum levels of IgA and lysozyme were measured by ELISA.3. A total of 76.38 Gb of high-quality RNA-sequencing data were generated and uploaded. A total of 2,676 DEGs, between E15 and E21, were identified. Structural development and villification of the small intestine at E15 tended to proceed via the expression of nervous system development-related genes. A combination of the histological and serological results with the transcriptome data indicated that the identified genes and pathways may be strong candidates for intestinal morphogenesis-regulation.4. The small intestine appears to have developed a relatively complete morphology and transport, metabolism, digestion and immunity functions by E21. This work provided a transcriptome profile of the chick embryonic small intestine and provided insights into the intestinal development and health of poultry.

3D Printing of a PDMS Cylindrical Microlens Array with 100% Fill-Factor

Cylindrical microlens arrays (CMLAs) play a key role in many optoelectronic devices, and 100% fill-factor CMLAs also have the advantage of improving the signal-to-noise ratio and avoiding stray-light effects. However, the existing preparation technologies are complicated and costly, which are not suitable for mass production. Herein, we propose a simple, efficient, and low-cost manufacturing method for CMLAs with a high fill-factor via the electric-field-driven (EFD) microscale 3D printing of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). By adjusting the printing parameters, the profile and the fill-factor of the CMLAs can be controlled to improve their optical performance. The optical performance test results show that the printed PDMS CMLAs have good image-projecting and light-diffraction properties. Using the two printing modes of this EFD microscale 3D-printing technology, a cylindrical dual-microlens array with a double-focusing function is simply prepared. At the same time, we print a series of specially shaped microlenses, proving the flexible manufacturing capabilities of this technology. The results show that the prepared CMLAs have good morphology and optical properties. The proposed method may provide a viable route for manufacturing large-area CMLAs with 100% fill-factor in a very simple, efficient, and low-cost manner.

Templateless, Plating-Free Fabrication of Flexible Transparent Electrodes with Embedded Silver Mesh by Electric-Field-Driven Microscale 3D Printing and Hybrid Hot Embossing

Flexible transparent electrodes (FTEs) with an embedded metal mesh are considered a promising alternative to traditional indium tin oxide (ITO) due to their excellent photoelectric performance, surface roughness, and mechanical and environmental stability. However, great challenges remain for achieving simple, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly manufacturing of high-performance FTEs with embedded metal mesh. Herein, a maskless, templateless, and plating-free fabrication technique is proposed for FTEs with embedded silver mesh by combining an electric-field-driven (EFD) microscale 3D printing technique and a newly developed hybrid hot-embossing process. The final fabricated FTE exhibits superior optoelectronic properties with a transmittance of 85.79%, a sheet resistance of 0.75 Ω sq^-1 , a smooth surface of silver mesh (R_a  ≈ 18.8 nm) without any polishing treatment, and remarkable mechanical stability and environmental adaptability with a negligible increase in sheet resistance under diverse cyclic tests and harsh working conditions (1000 bending cycles, 80 adhesion tests, 120 scratch tests, 100 min ultrasonic test, and 72 h chemical attack). The practical viability of this FTE is successfully demonstrated with a flexible transparent heater applied to deicing. The technique proposed offers a promising fabrication strategy with a cost-effective and environmentally friendly process for high-performance FTE.

The Electric-Field-Driven Fusion Jetting 3D Printing for Fabricating High Resolution Polylactic Acid/Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube Composite Micro-Scale Structures

Existing 3D printing techniques are still facing the challenge of low resolution for fabricating polymer matrix composites, inhibiting the wide engineering applications for the biomedical engineering (biomimetic scaffolds), micro fuel cells, and micro-electronics. In order to achieve high resolution fabrication of polylactic acid (PLA)/multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) composites, this paper presents an electric-field-driven (EFD) fusion jetting 3D printing method by combining the mixing effect and material feeding of the micro-screw and the necking effect of Taylor cone by the EFD. The effects of main process parameters (the carbon loading, the voltage, the screw speed, and the printing speed) on the line width and the printing quality were studied and optimized. To demonstrate the printing capability of this proposed method, meshes with line width of 30 µm to 100 μm and 1 wt.% to 5 wt.% MWCNT for the application of conductive biomimetic scaffold and the anisotropic flexible meshes were prepared. The electrical properties were investigated to present the frequency dependence of the alternating current conductivity and the dielectric loss (tanδ), and the microstructures of printed structures demonstrated the uniformly dispersed MWCNT in PLA matrix. Therefore, it provides a new solution to fabricate micro-scale structures of composite materials, especially the 3D conductive biomimetic scaffolds.

Gen-editing to model Short QT syndrome type 5 using human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes

Aims

Short QT syndrome (SQTS), a disorder associated with characteristic electrocardiogram QT-segment abbreviation, predisposes afflicted patients to sudden cardiac death. Despite some progress in assessing the organ level pathophysiology and genetic changes of the disorder, the understanding of the human cellular phenotype and discovering of an optimal therapy has lagged due to a lack of appropriate human cellular models of the disorder. The aim of this study was to establish a cellular model of SQTS type 5 using human-induced pluripotent stem cell–derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) and gene-edited cell line using CRISPR/CAS9.

Methods and results

This study recruited one patient with short QT syndrome type 5 carrying a mutation in CACNb2 gene as well as one healthy control subject. We generated hiPSCs from their skin fibroblasts, and differentiated hiPSCs into cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) for physiological. Isogenic control hiPSC-CMs generated by the CRISPR/CAS9 technique were also used for the study.

The hiPSC-CMs from the patient showed a reduced calcium current (ICa-L) density and shortened action potential duration (APD) compared with healthy control hiPSC-CMs and isogenic hiPSC-CMs. Furthermore, they demonstrated abnormal rhythmic activities. Carbachol increased the arrhythmic events in SQTS significantly but not in healthy and isogenic control cells. Gene and protein expression profiling showed a decreased CACNb2 expression in SQTS cells. Quinidine prolonged the APD and abolished arrhythmic activity.

Conclusions

Patient-specific hiPSC-CMs are able to recapitulate single-cell phenotype features of SQTS type 5 and provide novel opportunities to further elucidate the cellular disease mechanism and test drug effects.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding source: None

[Study on the correlation between dietary N-glycolylneuraminic acid intake and chronic inflammation state of body]

Objective: To explore the correlation between dietary N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc) intake and chronic inflammation state of body. Methods: A total of 306 samples of 102 types of food were purchased from a supermarket in Xiamen in September 2019, including grains, meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, beans, dairy products, vegetables and fruits. The content of Neu5Gc in food was determined by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. A total of 500 healthy freshmen from Xiamen University were selected by using a simple random sampling method. The food frequency questionnaire was used to investigate the food intake in the past year. The food intake was corrected by 3 consecutive 24-hour recalls, and the amount of Neu5Gc intake was calculated. The concentration of anti-Neu5Gc antibody, C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in serum was detected. Spearman correlation analysis was used to explore the correlation between Neu5Gc intake and anti-Neu5Gc antibody, CRP and IL-6 levels. Results: Neu5Gc was mainly found in red meat and liquid dairy products. The contents of Neu5Gc in beef, lamb and pork were (30.32±2.84), (20.39±4.73) and (5.58±1.04) mg/kg, respectively, and in liquid milk and yogurt were (10.87±1.54) and (6.91±0.24) mg/L, respectively. The M (P₂₅, P₇₅) intake of Neu5Gc for all participants was 4.62 (2.20, 8.60) mg/d. The M(P₂₅, P₇₅) intake of Neu5Gc for males about 6.60(2.83, 10.20) was higher than that for females about [3.84 (1.84, 6.35) mg/d] (P<0.001). The M (P₂₅, P₇₅) of serum anti-Neu5Gc, CRP and IL-6 levels were 3.07 (2.17, 4.14) μg/ml, 0.37 (0.22, 0.87) mg/ml and 61.82 (12.23, 315.30) pg/ml, respectively. Spearman correlation analysis showed that the intake level of Neu5Gc was positively correlated with serum anti-Neu5Gc antibody, CRP and IL-6 levels, with r_s values about 0.222, 0.102 and 0.126, respectively (all P values <0.05). Conclusion: Dietary Neu5Gc intake is mainly from red meat and liquid dairy products, and its intake level is positively correlated with chronic inflammatory state of body.

A Microscale 3D Printing Based on the Electric-Field-Driven Jet

This study presents a novel microscale three-dimensional (3D) printing based on the electric-field-driven (EFD) jet. Differing from the traditional electrohydrodynamic jet printing with two counter electrodes, the EFD jet 3D printing forms electric field between the nozzle electrode and the top surface of the substrate or printed structure only using a single potential by the nozzle electrode. The numerical simulations and experimental studies were carried out to verify the capabilities and advantages of the proposed approach, which includes the suitability of substrates, the potentials of the conformal printing, and the large size 3D printing. Besides, considering the high-resolution and high-efficiency printing of various materials with different viscosities, two working modes, including the pulsed cone-jet mode and the continuous cone-jet mode, were proposed and investigated by the CCD camera. Finally, several typical printed structures were provided to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed technology for microscale two-dimensional patterning and macro/micro-3D structure fabrication. As a conclusion, this breakthrough technique provides a high-efficiency and high-resolution 3D printing technique enabling direct-write, noncontact, and additive patterning at microscale for a variety of ink systems and melted polymer materials, especially for the multiscale and multimaterial additive manufacturing.

Fabrication of a Large-Area, Fused Polymer Micromold Based on Electric-Field-Driven (EFD) μ-3D Printing

An electric-field-driven (EFD), μ-3D printed, fused polymer technique has been developed for the fabrication of large-area microscale prototype molds using typical polymer materials, including microcrystalline wax (MC-wax), polycaprolactone (PCL), and polymathic methacrylate (PMMA). This work proposes an alternative for large area microscale modes and overcomes the limitation of high cost in the traditional mold manufacturing industry. The EFD principle enables printing of fused polymers materials more than one order of magnitude lower than the nozzle diameter, contributing to the necking effect of the Taylor cone jet, which is the key factor to achieve the microscale manufacturing. Numerical simulation of electric field distribution between the meniscus and substrate was carried out to elucidate the dependence of electric field distribution on the meniscus condition of three types of polymers under printable voltage, and the electrical field parameters for the EFD μ-3D printing were determined. A number of experiments were printed successfully using a large range of viscosity materials, ranging from tens of mPa·s to hundreds of thousands of mPa·s of PCL and PMMA. The differences in parameters of different materials, such as viscosity, tensile properties, and surface energy, were studied to assess their use in different fields. Using proper process parameters and a nozzle with an inner diameter of 200 μm, three different application cases were completed, including a Wax microarray and microchannel with a minimum dot diameter of 20 μm, a PCL mesh structure with a minimum line width of 5 μm, and a PMMA large-area mold with a maximum aspect ratio of 0.8. Results show that the EFD μ-3D printing has the outstanding advantages of high printing resolution and polymer material universality.

Fabrication of High-Performance Silver Mesh for Transparent Glass Heaters via Electric-Field-Driven Microscale 3D Printing and UV-Assisted Microtransfer

Great challenges remain concerning the cost-effective manufacture of high-performance metal meshes for transparent glass heaters (TGHs). Here, a high-performance silver mesh fabrication technique is proposed for TGHs using electric-field-driven microscale 3D printing and a UV-assisted microtransfer process. The results show a more optimal trade-off in sheet resistance (R_s = 0.21 Ω sq^-1 ) and transmittance (T = 93.9%) than for indium tin oxide (ITO) and ITO substitutes. The fabricated representative TGH also exhibits homogeneous and stable heating performance, remarkable environmental adaptability (constant R_s for 90 days), superior mechanical robustness (R_s increase of only 0.04 in harsh conditions-sonication at 100 °C), and strong adhesion force with a negligible increase in R_s (2-12%) after 100 peeling tests. The practical viability of this TGH is successfully demonstrated with a deicing test (ice cube: 21 cm³ , melting time: 78 s, voltage and glass thickness: 4 V, 5 mm). All of these advantages of the TGHs are attributed to the successful fabrication of silver meshes with high resolution and high aspect ratio on the glass substrate using the thick film silver paste. The proposed technique is a promising new tool for the inexpensive fabrication of high-performance TGHs.

Design of Langmuir probe diagnostic system for the upgraded lower tungsten divertor in EAST tokamak

In order to achieve long-pulse H-mode plasma scenario over 400 s with high heating power in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) device, the lower graphite divertor will be upgraded into a tungsten (W) divertor with active water cooling, which consists of the W/Cu monoblock units and the W flat-tile units as the divertor plasma facing components. As a fundamental diagnostic tool, the divertor Langmuir probe (Div-LP) diagnostic system will be upgraded accordingly. This paper presents the design of two kinds of new Div-LP systems, which are planned to be utilized on the W/Cu monoblock units and the W flat-tile units for the upgraded lower tungsten divertor, respectively, including their structures and preliminary poloidal and toroidal layouts. The Div-LP diagnostic system can measure the plasma parameters with the schemes of triple-probe, double-probe, and single-probe, to obtain the spatial and temporal distribution of plasma behavior on the divertor targets, which is useful for the discharge control and operation in EAST. In addition, the thermal analysis of the two kinds of probe assemblies is also carried out by using the three-dimensional finite element code ANSYS, which is aimed to get the optimal designs to withstand the long-pulse and high-power operation in EAST future experiments.

[Comparison of external fixation with or without limited internal fixation for open knee fractures]

Objective: To explore the characteristics and methods of different fixation methods and prevention of open knee joint fracture. Methods: The data of 86 cases of open knee joint fracture admitted from January 2002 to December 2015 in Department of Orthopaedics, Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University were analyzed retrospectively.There were 65 males and 21 females aged of 38.6 years. There were 38 cases treated with trans articular external fixation alone, 48 cases were in the trans articular external fixation plus auxiliary limited internal fixation group. All the patients were treated according to the same three stages except for different fixation methods. Observation of external fixation and fracture fixation, fracture healing, wound healing and treatment, treatment and related factors of infection control and knee function recovery. χ(2) test was used to analyze data. Results: Eleven patients had primary wound healing, accounting for 12.8%. Seventy-five patients had two wounds healed, accounting for 87.2%. Only 38 cases of trans articular external fixator group had 31 cases of articular surface reduction, accounting for 81.6%; Five cases of trans articular external fixator assisted limited internal fixation group had 5 cases of poor reduction, accounting for 10.4%; There was significant difference between the two groups (χ(2)=44.132, P<0.05). Take a single cross joint external fixation group, a total of 23 cases of patients with infection, accounted for 60.5% of external fixation group; trans articular external fixation assisted limited internal fixation group there were 30 cases of patients with infection, accounting for the assistance of external fixator and limited internal fixation group 62.5%; There was significant difference between the two groups(χ(2)=0.035, P>0.05). Five cases of fracture nonunion cases of serious infection, patients voluntarily underwent amputation. The Lysholm Knee Scale: In the external fixation group, 23 cases were less than 50 points, accounting for 60.5%, 15 cases were more than 50 points, accounting for 39.5%, external fixation and limited internal fixation group 20 cases were less than 50 points, accounting for 41.7%, 28 cases were more than 50 points, accounting for 58.3%; There was significant difference between the two groups(χ(2)=1.279, P>0.05). Conclusions: Prevention and control of infection is a central link in the treatment of open fracture of the knee. Trans articular external fixator plus limited internal fixation is an important measure to treat open fracture of the knee-joint.

[Clinical outcome of totally thoracoscopic cardiac surgery for mitral valve replacement: a series of 634 cases]

OBJECTIVE

To summarize the clinical outcome of totally thoracoscopic cardiac surgery for mitral valve replacement.

METHODS

Clinical data of 634 cases undergoing totally thoracoscopic cardiac surgery for mitral valve replacement from May 2004 to February 2016 in Department of Thoracoscopic Cardiacsurgery, Shanghai Yodak Cardiothoracic Hospital was analyzed retrospectively. There were 292 male and 342 female patients, aged from 17 to 68 years with a mean of (45±13) years. All the 634 patients had moderate-severe mitral valve stenosis and (or) incompetence, 263 patients had moderate-severe tricuspid valve incompetence, 356 patients had atrial fibrillation, 46 patients had left atrium thrombosis. Cardiopulmonary bypass was established with right femoral artery and a single 2 stage venus cannula in the right atrium. The ascending aorta was cross-clamped and the myocardium was protected by coronary perfusion with cold crystalloid cardioplegia. Totally thoracoscopic mitral valve replacement were performed.

RESULTS

Thirteen cases had incision expanded and 8 cases had conversions to sternotomy. Cardiopulmonary bypass and aortic cross-clamp time were (89±18) minutes and (51±12) minutes, respectively. Operation time was (3.1±1.2) hours. Mechanical ventilation time and intensive care unit stay were (17±6) hours and (27±8) hours, respectively. Postoperation drainage quantity was (390±70) ml. The hospital days was (9.2±2.1) days. There were 5 cases in-hospital deaths. Postoperative complications occurred in 42 cases (6.6%), including 18 cases of right hemoneumothorax, 12 cases of reoperation for bleeding, 3 cases of perivalvular leakage (reoperation was done in 1 patient), 3 cases of low cardiac output syndrome, 2 cases of acute renal failure, 2 cases of inferior vena cava injury, 1 case of right femoral artery thrombosis and liver injury, respectively. The mean duration of follow-up was (58±9) months in 608 cases, with a follow-up rate of 96.7% (608/629). Three patients had died during the period of follow-up caused by congestive heart failure (2 patients) and stroke (1 patient). Late complication among 605 survivors were 37 cases, including 32 cases of moderate tricuspid valve insufficiency, 3 cases of stroke, 1 case of perivalvular leakage and infective endocarditis, respectively.There was no reoperation during the period of follow-up.

CONCLUSION

Totally thoracoscopic cardiac surgery for mitral valve replacement is safe and effective, with unique superiority and clinical feasible.

Edge multi-energy soft x-ray diagnostic in Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak

A multi-energy soft x-ray (ME-SXR) diagnostic has been built for electron temperature profile in the edge plasma region in Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) after two rounds of campaigns. Originally, five preamplifiers were mounted inside the EAST vacuum vessel chamber attached to five vertically stacked compact diode arrays. A custom mechanical structure was designed to protect the detectors and electronics under constraints of the tangential field of view for plasma edge and the allocation of space. In the next experiment, the mechanical structure was redesigned with a barrel structure to absolutely isolate it from the vacuum vessel. Multiple shielding structures were mounted at the pinhole head to protect the metal foils from lithium coating. The pre-amplifiers were moved to the outside of the vacuum chamber to avoid introducing interference. Twisted copper cooling tube was embedded into the back-shell near the diode to limit the temperature of the preamplifiers and diode arrays during vacuum vessel baking when the temperature reached 150 °C. Electron temperature profiles were reconstructed from ME-SXR measurements using neural networks.

Characterization of OsPM19L1 encoding an AWPM-19-like family protein that is dramatically induced by osmotic stress in rice

The plant-specific AWPM-19-domain proteins play important roles in plant development and stress responses. In the current study, OsPM19L1 encoding Oryza sativa AWPM-19-like protein 1 was isolated from rice. Tissue-specific gene expression analysis revealed that OsPM19L1 was highly expressed in the leaf sheath of rice. Interestingly, expression of OsPM19L1 was high at the early stage of panicle development and decreased thereafter. qRT-PCR analysis indicated that OsPM19L1 was dramatically induced by 20% PEG stress (>600-fold), exogenous abscisic acid (>350-fold), salt and cold stress. Subcellular localization assay suggested that the OsPM19L1-GFP (green fluorescent protein) fusion protein was localized in the membrane system in rice cells. Moreover, under stress conditions, OsPM19L1 expression was enhanced in an ABI5-Like1 (ABL1) deficiency rice mutant, abl1, suggesting that ABL1 negatively regulates OsPM19L1 gene expression. Thus, OsPM19L1 appears to be closely associated with stress tolerance through ABA-dependent pathway in rice.

Molecular alterations of the WWOX gene in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

The WW domain-containing oxidoreductase (WWOX) gene is a candidate tumor suppressor gene. However, its exact mechanism is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the role of the WWOX gene in the development of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Tissues were collected from 65 NPC patients. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis and immunohistochemistry were performed on NPC tissues to determine the expression of WWOX in NPC. The status of WWOX promoter methylation was analyzed by methylation-specific PCR. Moreover, a PCR-based loss of heterozygosity (LOH) assay was conducted to detect the presence of WWOX deletion in NPC. The expression of WWOX in NPC tissues was significantly downregulated compared with that in non-tumorous tissues (P<0.05). The low expression of WWOX was significantly correlated with clinical TNM stage (P<0.05). In addition, methylation of WWOX was detected in 27 (87%) of 31 WWOX protein negative tissues, suggesting that methylation of the WWOX promoter may regulate its expression. We found that a relatively high percentage of LOH was observed in NPC tissues. A significant inverse correlation between WWOX expression and methylation of its promoter was found in NPC tissue (rs=-0.582, P=0.001). However, LOH was not correlated with WWOX expression and methylation of its promoter. Our results show that WWOX gene alteration is an early genetic alteration and may contribute to tumorigenesis of NPC. WWOX may be an important prognostic marker in NPC.

The JAK2/STAT3 and mitochondrial pathways are essential for quercetin nanoliposome-induced C6 glioma cell death

The formulation of quercetin nanoliposomes (QUE-NLs) has been shown to enhance QUE antitumor activity in C6 glioma cells. At high concentrations, QUE-NLs induce necrotic cell death. In this study, we probed the molecular mechanisms of QUE-NL-induced C6 glioma cell death and examined whether QUE-NL-induced programmed cell death involved Bcl-2 family and mitochondrial pathway through STAT3 signal transduction pathway. Downregulation of Bcl-2 and the overexpression of Bax by QUE-NL supported the involvement of Bcl-2 family proteins upstream of C6 glioma cell death. In addition, the activation of JAK2 and STAT3 were altered following exposure to QUE-NLs in C6 glioma cells, suggesting that QUE-NLs downregulated Bcl-2 mRNAs expression and enhanced the expression of mitochondrial mRNAs through STAT3-mediated signaling pathways either via direct or indirect mechanisms. There are several components such as ROS, mitochondrial, and Bcl-2 family shared by the necrotic and apoptotic pathways. Our studies indicate that the signaling cross point of the mitochondrial pathway and the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway in C6 glioma cell death is modulated by QUE-NLs. In conclusion, regulation of JAK2/STAT3 and ROS-mediated mitochondrial pathway agonists alone or in combination with treatment by QUE-NLs could be a more effective method of treating chemical-resistant glioma.

UV-nanoimprint lithography: structure, materials and fabrication of flexible molds

Large-area nanopatterning technology has demonstrated high potential which can significantly enhance the performance of a variety of devices and products such as LEDs, solar cells, hard disk drives, laser diodes, wafer-level optics, etc. But various existing patterning technologies cannot well meet industrial-level application requirements in term of high resolution, high throughput, low cost, large patterned areas, and the ability to pattern on non-ideal surfaces or waters. Soft UV-nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL) by using a flexible mold has been proven to be a cost-effective mass production method for patterning large-area structures up to wafer-level (300 mm) in the micrometer and nanometer scale, fabricating complex 3-D micro/nano structures, especially making large-area patterns on the non-planar surfaces even curved substrates at low-cost and with high throughput. In particular, it provides an ideal solution and a powerful tool for mass producing micro/nanostructures over large areas at low cost for the applications in compound semiconductor optoelectronics and nanophotonic devices, especially for LED patterning. That opens the way for many applications not previously conceptualized or economically feasible. The flexible mold is the most critical elements for soft UV-NIL. The performance of the flexible mold has a decisive effect on the soft UV-NIL in term of resolution, patterning area, throughput, uniformity of the imprinted patterns, and repeatability of multi-imprinting. The key enabler that can fulfill mass production of micro-and nanostructures over large areas by NIL is the continual advancement of mold techniques (structures, materials and fabrication processes) towards higher resolution over a larger area at a lower cost. This paper provides a comprehensive review on the structural types, materials used and fabrication methods of various flexible molds in soft UV-NIL, surveys major progress in various flexible molds, particularly highlights some concluding remarks and generalizations. Two key issues for flexible molds, deformation mechanism and controlling solution of soft molds as well as fabrication of large area (wafer level) master template, are described in detail. Furthermore, prospects, challenges and future directions for flexible molds are addressed. Finally, some potential or promising solutions for improving the performance of flexible molds and soft UV-NIL process, as well as some important conclusions are presented.

Brachial artery waveforms for automatic blood pressure measurement

Theoretically the auscultatory method using Korotkoff sounds is more related to the maximum artery closure status, while the oscillometric method is more related to the overall artery closure status under the cuff. Therefore, the latter is less accurate than the former. This work introduces a new method, which is more accurate than the oscillometric method and suitable for automatic devices. To monitor the maximum artery closure status, a piezoelectric film sensor is attached to the skin just above the brachial artery and under the central section of the cuff where maximum cuff pressure is transferred to the arm. Using the waveform features obtained by this sensor, measurement errors of 0.7±2.5 and 1.27±4.53 mmHg were obtained for the systolic and diastolic pressure, respectively. These reflect small deviations from auscultatory clinical data.

Agonists at GPR119 mediate secretion of GLP-1 from mouse enteroendocrine cells through glucose-independent pathways

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The G protein-coupled receptor 119 (GPR119) mediates insulin secretion from pancreatic β cells and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) release from intestinal L cells. While GPR119-mediated insulin secretion is glucose dependent, it is not clear whether or not GPR119-mediated GLP-1 secretion similarly requires glucose. This study was designed to address the glucose-dependence of GPR119-mediated GLP-1 secretion, and to explore the cellular mechanisms of hormone secretion in L cells versus those in β cells.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

GLP-1 secretion in response to GPR119 agonists and ion channel modulators, with and without glucose, was analysed in the intestinal L cell line GLUTag, in primary intestinal cell cultures and in vivo. Insulin secretion from Min6 cells, a pancreatic β cell line, was analysed for comparison.

KEY RESULTS

In GLUTag cells, GPR119 agonists stimulated GLP-1 secretion both in the presence and in the absence of glucose. In primary mouse colon cultures, GPR119 agonists stimulated GLP-1 secretion under glucose-free conditions. Moreover, a GPR119 agonist increased plasma GLP-1 in mice without a glucose load. However, in Min6 cells, GPR119-mediated insulin secretion was glucose-dependent. Among the pharmacological agents tested in this study, nitrendipine, an L-type voltage-dependent calcium channel blocker, dose-dependently reduced GLP-1 secretion from GLUTag cells, but had no effect in Min6 cells in the absence of glucose.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Unlike that in pancreatic β cells, GPR119-mediated GLP-1 secretion from intestinal L cells was glucose-independent in vitro and in vivo, probably because of a higher basal calcium tone in the L cells.