Seeded growth of single-crystal black phosphorus nanoribbons

Two-dimensional materials have emerged as an important research frontier for overcoming the challenges in nanoelectronics and for exploring new physics. Among them, black phosphorus, with a combination of a tunable bandgap and high mobility, is one of the most promising systems. In particular, black phosphorus nanoribbons show excellent electrostatic gate control, which can mitigate short-channel effects in nanoscale transistors. Controlled synthesis of black phosphorus nanoribbons, however, has remained an outstanding problem. Here we report large-area growth of black phosphorus nanoribbons directly on insulating substrates. We seed the chemical vapour transport growth with black phosphorus nanoparticles and obtain uniform, single-crystal nanoribbons oriented exclusively along the [100] crystal direction. With comprehensive structural calculations, we discover that self-passivation at the zigzag edges holds the key to the preferential one-dimensional growth. Field-effect transistors based on individual nanoribbons exhibit on/off ratios up to ~104, confirming the good semiconducting behaviour of the nanoribbons. These results demonstrate the potential of black phosphorus nanoribbons for nanoelectronic devices and also provide a platform for investigating the exotic physics in black phosphorus.

Quantitative ultrasound image assessment of the optic nerve subarachnoid space during 90-day head-down tilt bed rest

The elevation in the optic nerve sheath (ONS) pressure (ONSP) due to microgravity-induced headward fluid shift is the primary hypothesized contributor to SANS. This longitudinal study aims to quantify the axial plane of the optic nerve subarachnoid space area (ONSSA), which is filled with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and expands with elevated ONSP during and after head-down tilt (HDT) bed rest (BR). 36 healthy male volunteers (72 eyes) underwent a 90-day strict 6° HDT BR. Without obtaining the pre-HDT data, measurements were performed on days 30, 60, and 90 during HDT and at 6 recovery time points extended to 180-days (R + 180) in a supine position. Portable B-scan ultrasound was performed using the 12 MHz linear array probe binocularly. The measurements of the ONS and the calculation of the ONSSA were performed with ImageJ 1.51 analysis software by two experienced observers in a masked manner. Compared to R + 180, the ONSSA on HDT30, HDT60, and HDT90 exhibited a consistently significant distention of 0.44 mm2 (95% CI: 0.13 to 0.76 mm2, P = 0.001), 0.45 mm2 (95% CI: 0.15 to 0.75 mm2, P = 0.001), and 0.46 mm2 (95% CI: 0.15 to 0.76 mm2, P < 0.001), respectively, and recovered immediately after HDT on R + 2. Such small changes in the ONSSA were below the lateral resolution limit of ultrasound (0.4 mm) and may not be clinically relevant, possibly due to ONS hysteresis causing persistent ONS distension. Future research can explore advanced quantitative portable ultrasound-based techniques and establish comparisons containing the pre-HDT measurements to deepen our understanding of SANS.

EAAT3 impedes oligodendrocyte remyelination in chronic cerebral hypoperfusion-induced white matter injury

BACKGROUND

Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion-induced demyelination causes progressive white matter injury, although the pathogenic pathways are unknown.

METHODS

The Single Cell Portal and PanglaoDB databases were used to analyze single-cell RNA sequencing experiments to determine the pattern of EAAT3 expression in CNS cells. Immunofluorescence (IF) was used to detect EAAT3 expression in oligodendrocytes and oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs). EAAT3 levels in mouse brains were measured using a western blot at various phases of development, as well as in traumatic brain injury (TBI) and intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) mouse models. The mouse bilateral carotid artery stenosis (BCAS) model was used to create white matter injury. IF, Luxol Fast Blue staining, and electron microscopy were used to investigate the effect of remyelination. 5-Ethynyl-2-Deoxy Uridine staining, transwell chamber assays, and IF were used to examine the effects of OPCs' proliferation, migration, and differentiation in vivo and in vitro. The novel object recognition test, the Y-maze test, the rotarod test, and the grid walking test were used to examine the impact of behavioral modifications.

RESULTS

A considerable amount of EAAT3 was expressed in OPCs and mature oligodendrocytes, according to single-cell RNA sequencing data. During multiple critical phases of mouse brain development, there were no substantial changes in EAAT3 levels in the hippocampus, cerebral cortex, or white matter. Furthermore, neither the TBI nor ICH models significantly affected the levels of EAAT3 in the aforementioned brain areas. The chronic white matter injury caused by BCAS, on the other hand, resulted in a strikingly high level of EAAT3 expression in the oligodendroglia and white matter. Correspondingly, blocking EAAT3 assisted in the recovery of cognitive and motor impairment as well as the restoration of cerebral blood flow following BCAS. Furthermore, EAAT3 suppression was connected to improved OPCs' survival and proliferation in vivo as well as faster OPCs' proliferation, migration, and differentiation in vitro. Furthermore, this study revealed that the mTOR pathway is implicated in EAAT3-mediated remyelination.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings provide the first evidence that abnormally high levels of oligodendroglial EAAT3 in chronic cerebral hypoperfusion impair OPCs' pro-remyelination actions, hence impeding white matter repair and functional recovery. EAAT3 inhibitors could be useful in the treatment of ischemia demyelination.

An Anisotropic Peridynamic Model for Simulating Crack Propagation in Isotropic and Anisotropic Rocks

In this work, we present a peridynamic-based simulation method for modeling quasi-static fracture propagation in isotropic and anisotropic rock within the framework of peridynamic least square minimization (PDLSM). The original isotropic elastic PDLSM is further extended to investigate fracture propagation in anisotropic materials in this study. The proposed AN-PDLSM model integrates an anisotropic model in fracture mechanics to analyze the failure process of anisotropic rocks. An important advancement in this research lies in the incorporation of the maximum energy release rate criterion (MERR) into the PDLSM framework for the first time. This enhancement enables accurately determining crack propagation and the associated crack angles. The proposed model utilizes the energy release rate calculated through the J-integral method to assess bond breakage, and it employs a mesh-independent, piecewise linear fracture model to describe crack propagation. The proposed method fully combines the merits of traditional fracture mechanics with the unique capabilities of peridynamics. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model, a simulation of fracture evolution in isotropic plates subjected to semi-circular bending tests is presented and compared with experimental results. It is shown that the proposed model accurately replicates fracture trajectories in isotropic specimens. In the context of anisotropic rock, the effect of a weak coefficient on crack morphology is discussed in order to obtain a suitable value. Additionally, the impact of bedding angles on fracture paths through our proposed model is also explored, revealing excellent agreement with experimental results. The findings in this research demonstrate that the proposed AN-PDLSM model is exceptionally proficient at capturing the intricate, oscillating crack paths observed in anisotropic rock materials.

High-Performance Ethylene Glycol Sensor Based on Imine Covalent Organic Frameworks

The colorless and odorless ethylene glycol is prone to unknowingly causing poisoning, making preventive monitoring of ethylene glycol necessary. In this paper, scandium (III) trifluoromethanesulfonate was used as a catalyst to successfully prepare covalent organic framework (COF) nanospheres linked by imines at room temperature. The COF nanospheres were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, FT-IR, UV-Vis and BET. The results show that COF nanospheres have rough surfaces and a large number of mesoporous structures, which greatly increase the active sites on the surface of the sensing material and enhance the gas sensing performance. The sensing results showed that the prepared imine-conjugated COF nanospheres exhibited a good response-recovery ability for 10 consecutive response-recovery cycles for ethylene glycol at room temperature and had a theoretical detection limit of 40 ppb. In addition, the responses of COF nanospheres to nearly 20 interfering gases, including HCl, HNO3, phenol, formaldehyde and aniline, are relatively low compared to the response to ethylene glycol, indicating that the COF nanospheres have high selectivity towards ethylene glycol. The COF nanospheres show good sensitivity and selectivity for the detection of ethylene glycol, which should be attributed to the large specific surface area, hydrogen bonding interactions, and high defects. This work provides an effective method for the detection of ethylene glycol and expands the application field of COF materials.

[A Meta-analysis of the predictive value of peripheral blood neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio in mortality of patients with acute paraquat poisoning]

Objective: To evaluate the predictive value of peripheral blood neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in mortality of patients with acute paraquat poisoning. Methods: In March 2022, all literatures about the studies on NLR assessing the mortality of patients with acute paraquat poisoning were searched in the National Library of Medicine PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library Database, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang Medicine Database, Weipu Database, China Biology Medicine disc (SinoMed). The data updated by March 2022, without the limitation of languages. Two researchers extracted literature information independently and conducted literature quality evaluation using QUADAS-2. And the data extracted from the literatures were analyzed with Stata 16 software. Results: A total of 9 studies were included in this Meta-analysis, including 967 patients. And the Meta-analysis results showed that the combined sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio and diagnostic odds ratio were 0.77 (95%CI: 0.72-0.82, P<0.05), 0.83 (95%CI: 0.74-0.90, P<0.05), 4.63 (95%CI: 2.99-7.15, P<0.05), 0.27 (95%CI: 0.22-0.34, P<0.05) and 17.06 (95%CI: 10.22-28.48, P<0.05), and the area under the curve (AUC) of the summary receiver operator characteristics curve (SROC) was 0.85 (95%CI: 0.81-0.88) . Conclusion: NLR has predictive value in 30-day mortality of patients with acute paraquat poisoning.

Correlation study and clinical value analysis between cerebral microbleeds and white matter hyperintensity with high-field susceptibility-weighted imaging

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between white matter hyperintensity (WMH) and cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) using susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) with high resolution. Additionally, it sought to analyze the clinical significance of SWI with high resolution and its potential to guide intravenous thrombolysis in stroke patients. In this retrospective analysis, we examined 96 patients with hypertension after acute stroke in our hospital using SWI. Demographic and medical data of these 96 patients were collected. Spearman correlation analysis was performed to investigate the relationship between CMBs and the grading of WMH. A significant positive correlation was observed between CMBs and the grade of WMH (R = 0.593, P < .05). The data also revealed a superior ROC area under the curve for the modified Fazekas grading of WMH, which was 0.814 (P < .05). There is a positive correlation between CMBs and the grading of leukoaraiosis in patients with acute stroke and hypertension. The higher the degree of WMH, the more severe the microvascular lesions, increasing the likelihood of intracranial hemorrhage. SWI can provide valuable guidance for administering intravenous thrombolysis in patients with acute stroke.

Predicting Breast Cancer Subtypes Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging Based Radiomics With Automatic Segmentation

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study is to demonstrate whether radiomics based on an automatic segmentation method is feasible for predicting molecular subtypes.

METHODS

This retrospective study included 516 patients with confirmed breast cancer. An automatic segmentation-3-dimensional UNet-based Convolutional Neural Networks, trained on our in-house data set-was applied to segment the regions of interest. A set of 1316 radiomics features per region of interest was extracted. Eighteen cross-combination radiomics methods-with 6 feature selection methods and 3 classifiers-were used for model selection. Model classification performance was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity.

RESULTS

The average dice similarity coefficient value of the automatic segmentation was 0.89. The radiomics models were predictive of 4 molecular subtypes with the best average: AUC = 0.8623, accuracy = 0.6596, sensitivity = 0.6383, and specificity = 0.8775. For luminal versus nonluminal subtypes, AUC = 0.8788 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.8505-0.9071), accuracy = 0.7756, sensitivity = 0.7973, and specificity = 0.7466. For human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-enriched versus non-HER2-enriched subtypes, AUC = 0.8676 (95% CI, 0.8370-0.8982), accuracy = 0.7737, sensitivity = 0.8859, and specificity = 0.7283. For triple-negative breast cancer versus non-triple-negative breast cancer subtypes, AUC = 0.9335 (95% CI, 0.9027-0.9643), accuracy = 0.9110, sensitivity = 0.4444, and specificity = 0.9865.

CONCLUSIONS

Radiomics based on automatic segmentation of magnetic resonance imaging can predict breast cancer of 4 molecular subtypes noninvasively and is potentially applicable in large samples.

Design of Waterborne Superhydrophobic Fabrics with High Impalement Resistance and Stretching Stability by Constructing Elastic Reconfigurable Micro-/Micro-/Nanostructures

Superhydrophobic fabrics have great application potential in many fields including wearable electronic devices, sports textiles, and human health monitoring, but good water impalement resistance and stretching stability are the prerequisites. Here, we report the design of waterborne superhydrophobic fabrics with high impalement resistance and stretching stability by constructing elastic reconfigurable micro-/micro-/nanostructures. Following theoretical analysis, two approaches were proposed and employed: (i) regulating distance between the microfibers of polyester fabrics to decrease the solid-liquid contact area, and (ii) forming reconfigurable two-tier hierarchical micro-/nanostructures on the microfibers by stretching during dipping to further decrease the solid-liquid contact area. The effects of microfiber distance and micro-/nanostructures on microfibers on superhydrophobicity and impalement resistance were studied. The superhydrophobic fabrics show excellent impalement resistance as verified by high-speed water impact, water jetting, and rainfall, etc. The fabrics also show excellent stretching stability, as 100% stretching and 1000 cycles of cyclic 100% stretching-releasing have no obvious influence on superhydrophobicity. Additionally, the fabrics show good antifouling property, self-cleaning performance, as well as high abrasion and washing stability. The experimental results agree with the theoretical simulation very well. We anticipate that this study will boost the development of impalement-resistant and stretching-stable superhydrophobic surfaces.

Effects of liming on soil respiration and its sensitivity to temperature in Cunninghamia lanceolata plantations

The primary distribution area of acid deposition coincides with areas of Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) plantations. Liming is an effective method of restoring acidified soil. To understand the effects of liming on soil respiration and temperature sensitivity within the context of acid deposition, we measured soil respiration and its components in Chinese fir plantations for one year beginning in June 2020, with 0, 1 and 5 t·hm^-2 calcium oxide being added in 2018. The results showed that liming considerably increased soil pH and exchangeable Ca²⁺ concentration, and that there was no significant difference among different levels of lime application. Soil respiration rate and components in the Chinese fir plantations exhibited seasonal variations, with the highest values during the summer and the lowest values during the winter. Although liming did not alter seasonal dynamics, it strongly inhibited heterotrophic respiration rate and increased autotrophic respiration rate of soil, with minor effect on total soil respiration. The monthly dynamics of soil respiration and temperature were largely consistent. There was a clear exponential relationship between soil respiration and soil temperature. Liming increased temperature sensitivity Q₁₀ of soil respiration and autotrophic respiration but reduced that of soil heterotrophic respiration. In conclusion, liming promoted soil autotrophic respiration and strongly inhibited soil heterotrophic respiration in Chinese fir plantations, which would facilitate soil carbon sequestration.

Hydrazine-Halogen Exchange Strategy Toward N═N-Containing Compounds and Process Tracking for Mechanistic Insight

An anhydride-promoted traceless hydrazine-I/Br exchange strategy is reported, where hydrazine hydrate and cyclic/linear iodonium, including rarely explored cyclic bromonium, are converted to benzo[c]cinnolines/azobenzenes in one pot. The reaction proceeds through diacylation (first and second C─N formation), N,N'-diarylation (third and fourth C─N formation), and deacylation/oxidation (2 C─N cleavages and 1 N═N formation). The reaction mechanism is investigated by isolating multiple intermediates and kinetic studies. Furthermore, time-dependent electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (TD ESI-MS) was applied to track the process by detecting most intermediates. The complex [Cu^III(iodobiphenyl)(bipy)I]⁺ (Int-C) was detected for the first time, giving evidence for oxidative addition of cyclic iodonium to Cu catalyst. Another complex [Cu^I(PHA)(bipy)] (Int-B) via ligand-exchange between the hydrazide and Cu catalyst was also detected, indicating a two-path initial activation process.

Effect of leaves damaged by Dendrolimus punctatus and insect frass on soil priming effect

Insect herbivory in the forest canopy leads to a large amount of damaged leaves and frass input to soil, with consequence on soil carbon cycle. However, the influence of damaged leaves and frass from insect canopy herbivory on the soil priming effect is unclear. We examined the effects of leaf litter, leaf damage caused by Dendrolimus punctatus, and insect frass on soil priming effect by using the ¹³C natural abundance technique. The results showed that the addition of leaf litter, damaged leaves, and frass significantly increased native soil organic carbon mineralization, producing a positive priming effect. Moreover, significant differences were observed among treatments. The accumulative priming effect induced by frass was the largest, followed by damaged leaves, and that of leaf litter was the smallest. The priming effect was positively correlated with total P, condensed tannin, total phenolic content, and the ratio of condensed tannin to P (condensed tannin/P), and negatively correlated with C/N, lignin/N, C/P, and lignin/P in the early stage of incubation. There was a significant negative correlation between the priming effect and lignin content in the later stage of incubation. Our results indicated that damaged leaves and frass increased the magnitude of positive priming effect, which was influenced by different factors at different incubation stages. Our results would strengthen the understanding in the effects of insect herbivory on soil carbon cycling in forests, and improve the accuracy of the assessment of its effects on forest carbon sink.

Insulin Resistance-Varying Associations of Adiposity Indices with Cerebral Perfusion in Older Adults: A Population-Based Study

OBJECTIVES

Excessive accumulation of adipose tissue may accelerate brain aging, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Several adiposity indices were proposed to assess obesity, while their linkage with brain health in older adults remained unclear. Here we aimed to examine the associations of adiposity indices with global and regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) in older adults, while considering insulin resistance.

DESIGN

This was a cross-sectional population-based study that included older adults derived from the baseline participants in the ongoing Multimodal Interventions to Delay Dementia and Disability in rural China (MIND-China) study.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

The study included 103 Chinese rural-dwelling older adults (age≥60 years; 69.9% women) who underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging scans.

METHODS

We estimated eight adiposity indices based on anthropometric measures. We automatically quantified global and regional CBF using the arterial spin labeling scans. Insulin resistance was assessed using the triglyceride-glucose index and then dichotomized into high and low levels according to the median. Data were analyzed using general linear model and voxel-wise analysis.

RESULTS

Of the eight examined adiposity indices, only higher waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and body roundness index (BRI) were associated with reduced global CBF (multivariable-adjusted β-coefficients and 95%CI: -1.76; -3.25, -0.27 and -1.77; -3.25, -0.30, respectively) and hypoperfusion in bilateral middle temporal gyri, angular gyri and superior temporal gyri, left middle cingulum and precuneus (P<0.05). There were statistical interactions of WHtR and BRI with levels of insulin resistance on CBF, such that the significant associations of higher WHtR and BRI with lower global and regional CBF existed only in people with high insulin resistance (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

Higher WHtR and BRI are associated with cerebral hypoperfusion in older adults, especially in people with high insulin resistance. This may highlight the pathological role of visceral fat in vascular brain aging.

An ultra-high vacuum system for fabricating clean two-dimensional material devices

High mobility electron gases confined at material interfaces have been a venue for major discoveries in condensed matter physics. Ultra-high vacuum (UHV) technologies played a key role in creating such high-quality interfaces. The advent of two-dimensional (2D) materials brought new opportunities to explore exotic physics in flat lands. UHV technologies may once again revolutionize research in low dimensions by facilitating the construction of ultra-clean interfaces with a wide variety of 2D materials. Here, we describe the design and operation of a UHV 2D material device fabrication system, in which the entire fabrication process is performed under pressure lower than 5 × 10^-10 mbar. Specifically, the UHV system enables the exfoliation of atomically clean 2D materials. Subsequent in situ assembly of van der Waals heterostructures produces high-quality interfaces that are free of contamination. We demonstrate functionalities of this system through exemplary fabrication of various 2D materials and their heterostructures.

Application of spatial transcriptome technologies to neurological diseases

Spatial transcriptome technology acquires gene expression profiles while retaining spatial location information, it displays the gene expression properties of cells in situ. Through the investigation of cell heterogeneity, microenvironment, function, and cellular interactions, spatial transcriptome technology can deeply explore the pathogenic mechanisms of cell-type-specific responses and spatial localization in neurological diseases. The present article overviews spatial transcriptome technologies based on microdissection, in situ hybridization, in situ sequencing, in situ capture, and live cell labeling. Each technology is described along with its methods, detection throughput, spatial resolution, benefits, and drawbacks. Furthermore, their applications in neurodegenerative disease, neuropsychiatric illness, stroke and epilepsy are outlined. This information can be used to understand disease mechanisms, pick therapeutic targets, and establish biomarkers.

Enzymatically crosslinked hydrogel based on tyramine modified gelatin and sialylated chitosan

The enzymatically crosslinked hydrogel could replicate the cellular microenvironment for biomedical applications. In the present study, to improve the cytocompatibility of chitosan (CS), sialic acid (SA) was introduced to CS to synthesize sialylated CS (CS-SA), and the tyramine (TA) was grafted to gelatin (G) to obtain TA modified gelatin (G-TA). The successful synthesis of CS-SA and G-TA was confirmed using¹H NMR and UV-Vis absorption spectra. The interpenetrating polymer networks G-TA/CS-SA (GC) hydrogel was then fabricated via blending G-TA and CS-SA solutions and crosslinked using horseradish peroxidase. The storage modulus (G') of the fabricated GC hydrogels with different ratios of G-TA/CS-SA greatly varied during the formation and strain of hydrogels. With the increase of CS-SA concentration from 0% to 2%, the storage modulus of GC hydrogels was also observed to decrease from 1500 Pa to 101 Pa; the water uptake capacity of GC hydrogels increased from 1000% to 4500%. Additionally, the cell counting kit-8 and fluorescent images demonstrated the excellent cytocompatibility of GC hydrogels after culturing with NIH 3T3 cells. The obtained results indicated that the fabricated GC hydrogels might have potential in biomedical fields, such as wound dressing.

Analysis of CT and MR imaging features of the brain in patients with hydrogen sulfide poisoning based on clinical symptom grading

Objective

To retrospectively analyze CT and MR imaging features of the brain in patients with hydrogen sulfide poisoning based on clinical symptom grading and to investigate their correlations with clinical symptoms and patients’ prognosis.

Methods

A retrospective analysis was performed of CT and MR imaging data of the brain in 40 patients with hydrogen sulfide poisoning in our hospital. There were four main imaging manifestations. Patients were clinically graded according to the central nervous system symptom scores of the Poisoning Severity Score (PSS) and staged according to the gas inhalation time segment. Based on clinical symptom grading, the frequencies and proportions of four imaging signs that occurred in each group were counted, their development trends were analyzed, and the correlations of imaging features with clinical grading and prognosis were calculated.

Results

Forty patients were divided into minor, moderate and severe clinical grades and classified into four stages. In patients with minor and moderate clinical grading, only one patient suffered from generalized brain edema at stage 1, with a good prognosis. Patients with severe clinical grade showed the highest probability of presenting with the four imaging signs. The imaging signs were correlated with the severe clinical grade and a poor prognosis (P = 0.000, R = 0.828; P = 0.000, R = 0.858).

Conclusion

In patients with the severe clinical grade, generalized brain edema and symmetrical hypodensity/abnormal signals in the bilateral basal ganglia and around the lateral ventricles were the main findings and were shown to persist. The presence of imaging signs can assist in the clinically effective evaluation of clinical symptom grade.

Facile Preparation of Robust Superamphiphobic Coatings on Complex Substrates via Nonsolvent-Induced Phase Separation

Superamphiphobic surfaces have great potential in many fields but often suffer from complicated, expensive, and time-consuming preparation methods, difficulty in applying them on complex substrates, and low stability. Herein, we show a facile fabrication of robust superamphiphobic coatings on complex substrates. A stock suspension was prepared by nonsolvent-induced phase separation of a silicone-modified polyurethane (Si-PU) adhesive containing fluorinated silica (FD-silica) nanoparticles. Then, superamphiphobic surfaces could be easily fabricated via dip coating in the suspension. The influences of phase separation and Si-PU/FD-silica ratio on the wettability and morphology of the coatings were studied. The coatings feature a microscale dense and nanoscale rough texture due to phase separation and rapid solvent evaporation, which enhances the stability by forming strong linkages among the nanoparticles while achieving high superamphiphobicity by trapping air stably in the nanopores. Consequently, the coatings show excellent static/dynamic superamphiphobicity, superior impalement resistance, and good mechanical, chemical, thermal, and UV aging stability. Additionally, the coatings have good anti-icing performance as demonstrated by the greatly extended water freezing time and weakened ice adhesion force in both simulated and real conditions.

The correlation between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to investigate the correlation between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

METHODS

All subjects underwent medical check-ups, which included the measurement of basic clinical, biochemical tests and imaging tests. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models and piece-wise linear regression were used to assess the relationship between NLR and PLR with NAFLD.

RESULTS

All participants were divided into two groups: the Non-NAFLD group and the NAFLD group. Univariate analysis model indicated PLR was negatively correlated with NAFLD (P &lt; 0.001) and NLR was not significantly associated with NAFLD (P &gt; 0.05). Multiple logistic regression showed that no correlation between NLR and PLR with NAFLD after adjusting all covariates (P &gt; 0.05). Interestingly, a nonlinear association was detected between NLR and PLR with NAFLD by piece-wise linear regression adjusting for all confounding factors. The inflection points of NLR and PLR were 1.23 and 42.29, respectively. On the left side of the inflection point (NLR &lt; 1.23), a positive correlation was detected between NLR and NAFLD (β = 2.35, 95% CI: 1.20~4.61, P = 0.013). And PLR was found to be negatively associated with NAFLD on the right side of the inflection point (β = 0.99, 95% CI: 0.98~0.99, P &lt; 0.001).

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated that the relationship between NLR and PLR with NAFLD was nonlinear after adjusting for potential confounding factors. The result suggested that PLR ≥ 42.29 might be a protective factor of NAFLD, while NLR &lt; 1.23 might be a risk factor of NAFLD.

Withaferin A inhibits ferroptosis and protects against intracerebral hemorrhage

Recent studies have indicated that suppressing oxidative stress and ferroptosis can considerably improve the prognosis of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Withaferin A (WFA), a natural compound, exhibits a positive effect on a number of neurological diseases. However, the effects of WFA on oxidative stress and ferroptosis-mediated signaling pathways to ICH remain unknown. In this study, we investigated the neuroprotective effects and underlying mechanism for WFA in the regulation of ICH-induced oxidative stress and ferroptosis. We established a mouse model of ICH by injection of autologous tail artery blood into the caudate nucleus and an in vitro cell model of hemin-induced ICH. WFA was injected intracerebroventricularly at 0.1, 1 or 5 µg/kg once daily for 7 days, starting immediately after ICH operation. WFA markedly reduced brain tissue injury and iron deposition and improved neurological function in a dose-dependent manner 7 days after cerebral hemorrhage. Through in vitro experiments, cell viability test showed that WFA protected SH-SY5Y neuronal cells against hemin-induced cell injury. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays in vitro and in vivo showed that WFA markedly decreased the level of malondialdehyde, an oxidative stress marker, and increased the activities of anti-oxidative stress markers superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase after ICH. Western blot assay, quantitative polymerase chain reaction and immunofluorescence results demonstrated that WFA activated the nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) signaling axis, promoted translocation of Nrf2 from the cytoplasm to nucleus, and increased HO-1 expression. Silencing Nrf2 with siRNA completely reversed HO-1 expression, oxidative stress and protective effects of WFA. Furthermore, WFA reduced hemin-induced ferroptosis. However, after treatment with an HO-1 inhibitor, the neuroprotective effects of WFA against hemin-induced ferroptosis were weakened. MTT test results showed that WFA combined with ferrostatin-1 reduced hemin-induced SH-SY5Y neuronal cell injury. Our findings reveal that WFA treatment alleviated ICH injury-induced ferroptosis and oxidative stress through activating the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway, which may highlight a potential role of WFA for the treatment of ICH.

Leptin Promotes Angiogenesis via Pericyte STAT3 Pathway upon Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Angiogenesis is a vital endogenous brain self-repair processes for neurological recovery after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Increasing evidence suggests that leptin potentiates angiogenesis and plays a beneficial role in stroke. However, the proangiogenic effect of leptin on ICH has not been adequately explored. Moreover, leptin triggers post-ICH angiogenesis through pericyte, an important component of forming new blood vessels, which remains unclear. Here, we reported that exogenous leptin infusion dose-dependent promoted vascular endothelial cells survival and proliferation at chronic stage of ICH mice. Additionally, leptin robustly ameliorated pericytes loss, enhanced pericytes proliferation and migration in ICH mice in vivo, and in ICH human brain microvascular pericytes (HBVPC) in vitro. Notably, we showed that pericytes-derived pro-angiogenic factors were responsible for enhancing the survival, proliferation and tube formation followed leptin treatment in human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HCMEC/D3)/HBVPC co-culture models. Importantly, considerable improvements in neurobehavioral function and hostile microenvironment were observed in leptin treatment ICH mice, indicating that better vascular functionality post ICH improves outcome. Mechanistically, this study unveiled that leptin boost post-ICH angiogenesis potentially through modulation of leptin receptor (leptinR)/Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling pathway in pericyte. Thus, leptin may be a lucrative option for the treatment of ICH.

[Smith-Kingsmore syndrome caused by MTOR gene variation: 2 cases and literature review]

Objective: To investigate the clinical manifestations and genetic features of 2 children with Smith-Kingsmore syndrome caused by MTOR gene variation and review the literature. Methods: The clinical data of 2 children carrying MTOR gene variant, diagnosed at Xi'an Children's Hospital from April 2018 to April 2021, were retrospectively summarized."MTOR"and"Smith-Kingsmore syndrome"were used as key words to search at China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, PubMed and OMIM up to August 2021. The characteristics of MTOR gene variation and the clinical phenotype of children with Smith-Kingsmore syndrome were summarized. Results: Two children were both females, aged 1.5 years and 2 years respectively, the onset age were both in infancy. They both had developmental delay, megalencephaly and abnormal face. Both whole exome sequencing revealed a de novo heterozygous missense variant in MTOR gene. One case carried c.5395G>A (p.Glu1799Lys) and the other case carried c.7234G>C (p.Asp2412His). There was no literature of MTOR gene variation in Chinese. So far, a total of 45 cases were reported worldwide with detailed clinical information. Eleven variations in MTOR gene were involved, which were all heterozygous missense mutations. Among them, p.Glu1799Lys was the most common sites (28 cases,62%). Another case carried c.7234G>C (p.Asp2412His) was not reported before. Summarizing the 47 cases (including these 2 cases), 46 cases had developmental delay or intellectual disability, 9 cases had developmental regression,42 cases had megalencephaly, 30 cases had facial malformation,16 cases had hypotonia, 17 cases had autism spectrum disorders, 3 cases had hyperactivity, 3 cases had obsessive compulsive disorder, 13 cases had eye diseases, 11 cases had cutaneous vascular malformation, and 9 cases had hypoglycemia. Conclusions: The main clinical features of Smith-Kingsmore syndrome include megalencephaly, developmental delay or intellectual disability, and facial malformation, which can be combined with epilepsy, autism spectrum disorder, hypotonia, hypoglycemia and so on. The variation of MTOR gene is the cause of Smith-Kingsmore syndrome.

Construction of magnetic drug delivery system and its potential application in tumor theranostics

Magnetic nanoparticles(NPs) are characterized by a rich variety of properties. Because of their excellent physical and chemical properties, they have come to the fore in biomedicine and other fields. The magnetic NPs were extensively studied in magnetic separation of cells, targeted drug delivery, tumor hyperthermia, chemo-photothermal therapy, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and other biomedical fields. Magnetic NPs are increasingly used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) based on their inherent magnetic targeting, superparamagnetic enzyme-like catalytic properties and nanoscale size. Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) is a promising biodegradable material approved by FDA and EU for drug delivery. Currently, PLGA-based magnetic nano-drug delivery systems have attracted the attention of researchers. Herein, we achieved the effective encapsulation of sized-controlled polyethylene glycol-3,4-dihydroxy benzyl-amine-coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIO NPs) and euphorbiasteroid into PLGA nanospheres via a modified multiple emulsion solvent evaporation method (W₁/O₂/W₂). NPs with narrow size distribution and acceptable magnetic properties were developed that are very useful for applications involving cancer therapy and MRI. Furthermore, SPIO-PLGA NPs enhanced the MRI T₂ relaxation properties of tumor sites.The prepared SPIO NPs and magnetic PLGA nanospheres can be promising magnetic drug delivery systems for tumor theranostics. This study has successfully constructed a tumor-targeting and magnetic-targeting smart nanocarrier with enhanced permeability and retention, multimodal anti-cancer therapeutics and biodegradability, which could be a hopeful candidate for anti-tumor therapy in the future.

Large scale application of pulse oximeter and auscultation in screening of neonatal congenital heart disease

Purpose

To conduct a retrospective evaluation of a large clinical implementation of combined pulse oximeter (POX) and cardiac auscultation as a fast-screening device for congenital heart disease (CHD).

Methods

Every newborn in a large maternity healthcare center received auscultation and POX screening within 24 hours after delivery. When an abnormal heart murmur or SpO₂ level was detected, an echocardiogram was ordered to confirm the diagnosis of CHD.

Results

From January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2019, there were 44,147 livebirths at the studied hospital where 498 suspected CHD were identified: 27 newborns by POX screening and 471 by cardiac auscultation. The diagnosis was further confirmed in 458 neonates through echocardiogram. This result put forth an overall diagnosis rate of 92.0%. Cardiac auscultation detected the majority of CHD cases 438 (95.6%) while POX only screened 20 (4.4%) cases. Interestingly, no CHD case was detected by both auscultation examination and POX screening. Auscultation detected most of the common types of CHD, but POX excelled in identifying rare and critical cases. POX screening alone had a very low accuracy of 74.07% in positive predict value (PPV). On the other hand, auscultation functioned well in terms of PPV and negative predict value (NPV) (92.99 and 99.95%, respectively), but the addition of POX improved the overall screening performance resulting in 100% NPV. We also validate the finding with the data 6 months after the study period.

Conclusion

Our study demonstrated that addition of pulse oximetry to routine cardiac auscultation could be used as an accurate and feasible screening for early screening of CHD in newborns in large-scale clinical practice.

Deep learning-based automatic segmentation for size and volumetric measurement of breast cancer on magnetic resonance imaging

Purpose

In clinical work, accurately measuring the volume and the size of breast cancer is significant to develop a treatment plan. However, it is time-consuming, and inter- and intra-observer variations among radiologists exist. The purpose of this study was to assess the performance of a Res-UNet convolutional neural network based on automatic segmentation for size and volumetric measurement of mass enhancement breast cancer on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Materials and methods

A total of 1,000 female breast cancer patients who underwent preoperative 1.5-T dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI prior to treatment were selected from January 2015 to October 2021 and randomly divided into a training cohort (n = 800) and a testing cohort (n = 200). Compared with the masks named ground truth delineated manually by radiologists, the model performance on segmentation was evaluated with dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). The performance of tumor (T) stage classification was evaluated with accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity.

Results

In the test cohort, the DSC of automatic segmentation reached 0.89. Excellent concordance (ICC > 0.95) of the maximal and minimal diameter and good concordance (ICC > 0.80) of volumetric measurement were shown between the model and the radiologists. The trained model took approximately 10–15 s to provide automatic segmentation and classified the T stage with an overall accuracy of 0.93, sensitivity of 0.94, 0.94, and 0.75, and specificity of 0.95, 0.92, and 0.99, respectively, in T1, T2, and T3.

Conclusions

Our model demonstrated good performance and reliability for automatic segmentation for size and volumetric measurement of breast cancer, which can be time-saving and effective in clinical decision-making.

Anaerobic microbial manganese oxidation and reduction: A critical review

Manganese is a vital heavy metal abundant in terrestrial and aquatic environments. Anaerobic manganese redox reactions mediated by microorganisms have been recognized for a long time, which promote elements mobility and bioavailability in the environment. Biological anaerobic redox of manganese serves two reactions, including Mn(II) oxidation and Mn(IV) reduction. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of manganese redox cycles in the environment, closely related to greenhouse gas mitigation, the fate of nutrients, microbial bioremediation, and global biogeochemical cycle, including nitrogen, sulfur, and carbon. The oxidation and reduction of manganese occur cyclically and simultaneously in the environment. Anaerobic reduction of Mn(IV) receives electrons from methane, ammonium and sulfide, while Mn(II) can function as an electron source for manganese-oxidizing microorganisms for autotrophic denitrification and photosynthesis. The anaerobic redox transition between Mn(II) and Mn(IV) promotes a dynamic biogeochemical cycle coupled to microorganisms in water, soil and sediment environments. The discussion of reaction mechanisms, microorganism diversity, environmental influence bioremediation and application identify the research gaps for future investigation, which provides promising opportunities for further development of biotechnological applications to remediate contaminated environments.

Self-Powered and Autonomous Vibrational Wake-Up System Based on Triboelectric Nanogenerators and MEMS Switch

With the extensive application of wireless sensing nodes, the demand for sustainable energy in unattended environments is increasing. Here, we report a self-powered and autonomous vibrational wake-up system (SAVWS) based on triboelectric nanogenerators and micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) switches. The energy triboelectric nanogenerator (E-TENG) harvests vibration energy to power the wireless transmitter through a MEMS switch. The signal triboelectric nanogenerator (S-TENG) controls the state of the MEMS switch as a self-powered accelerometer and shows good linearity in the acceleration range of 1-4.5 m/s² at 30 Hz with a sensitivity of about 14.6 V/(m/s²). When the acceleration increases, the S-TENG turns on the MEMS switch, and the wireless transmitter transmits an alarm signal with the energy from E-TENG, using only 0.64 mJ. Using TENGs simultaneously as an energy source and a sensor, the SAVWS provides a self-powered vibration monitoring solution for unattended environments and shows extensive applications and great promise in smart factories, autonomous driving, and the Internet of Things.

Robust Superamphiphobic Fabrics with Excellent Hot Liquid Repellency and Hot Water Vapor Resistance

Superamphiphobic surfaces progress rapidly but suffer from the issues of low repellency to hot liquids, complicated and nonaqueous preparation methods, and low durability. Here, a simple waterborne approach is developed to fabricate robust superamphiphobic fabrics with excellent hot liquid repellency and hot water vapor resistance. First, a perfluorodecyl polysiloxane (FD-POS) aqueous suspension was prepared by hydrolytic cocondensation of (3-glycidyloxy propyl)trimethoxysilane and 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyltriethoxysilane with SiO₂ particles. Then, the superamphiphobic fabrics were fabricated by dipping polyester fabrics in the suspension, which were then cured. The fabrics show excellent superamphiphobicity owing to the combination of the hierarchical micro-/nanostructure and FD-POS with very low surface energy. The superamphiphobic fabrics feature excellent hot liquid repellency even for a large volume of 130.0 °C soybean oil and condensed small droplets from ∼90.0 °C water vapor. This is attributed to its high superamphiphobicity, excellent hot water vapor resistance, and outstanding thermal durability. In addition, the superamphiphobic fabrics exhibit high mechanical and chemical durability against washing, abrasion, and immersion in corrosive or organic liquids. Thus, hot liquid repellent superamphiphobic fabrics may find applications in various fields such as antiadhesion of various hot liquids and in efficiently preventing scalding.

Super Pressure-Resistant Superhydrophobic Fabrics with Real Self-Cleaning Performance

Detergents are extensively used for laundry, causing significant negative impacts on water bodies, plants and animals. Superhydrophobic fabrics are promising to reduce detergent consumption but suffer from low pressure resistance. Here, we report super pressure-resistant superhydrophobic fabrics prepared using polysiloxane modified SiO₂ nanoparticles with epoxy groups. The fabrics show real self-cleaning performance, essentially different from the conventional self-cleaning property of solid particles loosely placed on superhydrophobic surfaces. The contaminated fabrics by various stains can be completely cleaned by home machine laundering without using any detergent whereas the traditional superhydrophobic fabrics cannot. This is owing to excellent abrasion and washing durability, low liquid adhesion force, superior pressure-resistance and vapor-resistance of the fabrics, originating from the low surface energy and dense micro-/nanostructure. Moreover, the superhydrophobic fabrics can be scaled up using the conventional fabric finishing line with low cost. The superhydrophobic fabrics will help significantly reduce the global detergent consumption.

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Superhydrophobic fabrics with real self-cleaning performance are prepared

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The fabrics show high durability and pressure-resistance, low liquid adhesion force

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The contaminated fabrics can be cleaned by home machine laundering without detergent

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The fabrics can be scaled up using the conventional fabric finishing line

Total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein ratio and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in a population with chronic hepatitis B

BACKGROUND

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by hypertriglyceridemia, increased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, and reduced high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) particles. Previous studies have shown that the total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (TC/HDL-C) was superior to other lipid metabolism biomarkers for predicting NAFLD risk and could be a new indicator of NAFLD. However, the association between TC/HDL-C and NAFLD in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) has not yet been determined.

AIM

To investigate the association between TC/HDL-C and NAFLD in a population with chronic hepatitis B (CHB).

METHODS

In this study, 183 HBV-infected patients were enrolled. All participants underwent blood chemistry examinations and abdominal ultrasound. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models, curve fitting analysis, and threshold calculation were used to assess the relationship between TC/HDL-C and NAFLD.

RESULTS

The overall prevalence of NAFLD was 17.49% (n = 32) in the 183 CHB participants. The TC/HDL-C of non-NAFLD and NAFLD patients were 3.83 ± 0.75 and 4.44 ± 0.77, respectively (P < 0.01). Logistic regression analysis showed that TC/HDL-C was not associated with NAFLD after adjusting for other pertinent clinical variables. However, at an optimal cutoff point of 4.9, a non-linear correlation between TC/HDL-C and NAFLD was detected. The effect size of the left and right sides of the inflection point were 5.4 (95% confidence interval: 2.3-12.6, P < 0.01) and 0.5 (95% confidence interval: 0.1-2.2, P = 0.39), respectively. On the left side of the inflection point, TC/HDL-C was positively associated with NAFLD. However, no significant association was observed on the right side of the inflection point.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated a non-linear correlation between TC/HDL-C and NAFLD in a population with CHB. TC/HDL-C was positively associated with NAFLD when TC/HDL-C was less than 4.9 but not when TC/HDL-C was more than 4.9.

Hemorrhage-Induced Sphingosine Kinase 1 Contributes to Ferroptosis-Mediated Secondary Brain Injury in Intracerebral Hemorrhage

The pathogenic processes of brain injury after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) have not yet been fully elucidated. Increasing evidence suggests that ferroptosis activation aggravates injury after ICH, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Sphingosine kinase 1 (Sphk1) is a key enzyme in the regulation of sphingosine metabolism involved in the ferroptosis pathway, but its role in ICH needs clarification. In this study, transcriptional changes in ICH patients were assessed by microarray data, exposing Sphk1 as a highly upregulated gene during ICH. Furthermore, Sphk1 chemical inhibitors and siRNA were used to inhibit ICH-induced Sphk1 upregulation in in vivo and in vitro models, showing that Sphk1 inhibition after protects against ferroptosis and attenuates secondary brain injury and cell death. Mechanistically, this study unveiled that sphingosine kinase 1/sphingosine 1-phosphate/extracellular-regulated protein kinases/phosphorylated extracellular-regulated protein kinases (Sphk1/S1p/ERK/p-ERK) pathway is responsible for regulation of ferroptosis leading to secondary brain injury and cell death following ICH. Collectively, this study demonstrates that ferroptosis is closely associated with ICH, and that Sphk1 has a critical role in this lethal process. These results suggest a novel unique and effective therapeutic approach for ICH prevention and treatment.

High performance of CH3NH3PbCl3 perovskite single crystal photodetector with a large active area using asymmetrical Schottky interdigital contacts

The high performance of a Au/CH3NH3PbCl3 single crystal/Ag structured photodetector with a large active area.

[Construction of theoretical framework, item pool and rating scale words of Moxibustion Sensory Transmission Evaluation Scale]

Literature investigation and expert consultation were adopted to construct the theoretical framework and item pool of Moxibustion Sensory Transmission Evaluation Scale. The moxibusion sensory transmission categories include 4 aspects, i.e. heat sensation, non-heat sensation, mixed sensation and others, including 25 items. Moxibustion sensory transmission strengthen is divided into 5 grades with rating scale words as very weak, weak, neither strong nor weak, strong and very strong. Finally, the preliminary version, Moxibustion Sensory Transmission Evaluation Scale was developed. This scale may provide a tool for the objectiveevaluation of moxibustion sensory transmission categories and strength.

An uncommon neuronal class conveys visual signals from rods and cones to retinal ganglion cells

Neurons in the central nervous system (CNS) are distinguished by the neurotransmitter types they release, their synaptic connections, morphology, and genetic profiles. To fully understand how the CNS works, it is critical to identify all neuronal classes and reveal their synaptic connections. The retina has been extensively used to study neuronal development and circuit formation. Here, we describe a previously unidentified interneuron in mammalian retina. This interneuron shares some morphological, physiological, and molecular features with retinal bipolar cells, such as receiving input from photoreceptors and relaying visual signals to retinal ganglion cells. It also shares some features with amacrine cells (ACs), particularly Aii-ACs, such as their neurite morphology in the inner plexiform layer, the expression of some AC-specific markers, and possibly the release of the inhibitory neurotransmitter glycine. Thus, we unveil an uncommon interneuron, which may play an atypical role in vision.

[Heat-sensitive moxibustion of different suspension moxibustion methods and imitation moxibustion apparatus on moxibustion sensation and clinical efficacy in knee osteoarthritis]

OBJECTIVE

To observe the moxibustion sensation and the clinical therapeutic effect of heat-sensitive moxibustion of two different suspension moxibustion methods and imitation moxibustion apparatus on mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis (KOA), and compare the therapeutic effect of different moxibustion methods.

METHODS

A total of 90 patients with mild to moderate KOA were randomized into a hand-held group (30 cases, 1 case dropped off), an imitation moxibustion apparatus group (30 cases) and a moxibustion shelf group (30 cases, 1 case dropped off). Ashi point, Dubi (ST 35), Neixiyan (EX-LE 4), Yanglingquan (GB 34), Yinlingquan (SP 9), Liangqiu (ST 34) and Xuehai (SP 10) were selected as the frequent acupoint areas to explore and determine the heat-sensitive acupoints, after that, hand-held suspension moxibustion, suspension moxibustion with imitation moxibustion apparatus and suspension moxibustion with moxibustion shelf were adopted in the 3 groups respectively. The treatment was given once every 2 days, and totally 10-time treatment was required in the 3 groups. The moxibustion sensation (composition of moxibustion sensation, number of moxibustion sensation types in individuals and moxibustion sensation intensity) after each treatment, the visual analogue scale (VAS) score, the Lysholms knee function score and the depth of effusion and thickness of synovial hyperplasia of affected knee joint before and after treatment were observed, and the clinical therapeutic efficacy was compared in the 3 groups.

RESULTS

The compositions of moxibustion sensation and numbers of moxibustion sensation types in individuals in the hand-held group and the moxibustion shelf group were richer, the moxibustion sensation intensity was higher than that in the imitation moxibustion apparatus group (P<0.01, P<0.05). After treatment, the VAS scores were decreased, the Lysholms knee function scores were increased compared before treatment in the 3 groups (P<0.01); the VAS score in the hand-held group was lower than the imitation moxibustion apparatus group (P<0.05), the Lysholms knee function scores in the hand-held group and the moxibustion shelf group were higher than the imitation moxibustion apparatus group (P<0.05). After treatment, the depth of effusion and thickness of synovial hyperplasia of affected knee joint were decreased compared before treatment in the 3 groups (P<0.01), and those in the hand-held group and the moxibustion shelf group were lower than the imitation moxibustion apparatus group (P<0.05). The cured and markedly effective rate in the hand-held group was 79.3% (23/29), which was better than 36.7% (11/30) in the imitation moxibuation apparatus group and 58.6% (17/29) in the moxibustion shelf group (P<0.01, P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

Heat-sensitive moxibustion can effectively treat knee osteoarthritis, while the different suspension moxibustion methods have an influence on clinical therapeutic effect, hand-held suspension moxibustion has the best efficacy.

Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanosheets Decorated with Copper and Silver Nanoparticles for Achieving Superior Strength and Ductility in Titanium Composites

Graphene and its derivates are extensively applied to enhance the mechanical properties of metal matrix nanocomposites. However, their high reactivity with a metal matrix such as titanium and thus the limited strengthening effects are major problems for achieving high-performance graphene-based nanocomposites. Herein, reduced graphene oxide nanosheets decorated with copper or silver (i.e., Cu@rGO and Ag@rGO) nanopowders are introduced into Ti matrix composites using multiple processes of one-step chemical coreduction, hydrothermal synthesis, low-energy ball milling, spark plasma sintering, and hot rolling. The Cu@rGO/Ti and Ag@rGO/Ti nanocomposites exhibit significantly enhanced strength with superior elongation to fracture (846 MPa-11.6 and 900 MPa-8.4%, respectively, basically reaching the level of the commercial Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy), which are much higher than those of the fabricated Ti (670 MPa-7.0%) and rGO/Ti composites (726 MPa-11.3%). Furthermore, fracture toughness values of the M@rGO/Ti composites are all significantly improved, that is, the highest K_IC value is 34.4 MPa·m^1/2 for 0.5Cu@rGO/Ti composites, which is 20.28 and 51.5% higher than those of monolithic Ti and 0.5rGO/Ti composites, respectively. The outstanding mechanical properties of Ag@rGO/Ti and Cu@rGO/Ti composites are attributed to the effective load transfer of in situ formed TiC nanoparticles and the formation of interfacial intermetallic compounds between the rGO nanosheets and Ti matrix. This study provides new insights and approach for the fabrication of metal-modified graphene/Ti composites with a high performance.

[Effects of climate changes on the distribution of Rhipicephalus microplus in China]

OBJECTIVE

To identify the environmental factors affecting the geographical distribution of Rhipicephalus microplus in China, and to examine the impact of climate changes on the distribution of R. microplus in China.

METHODS

The national and international publications pertaining to the geographical distribution of R. microplus in China were retrieved, and the geographical location was extracted. The suitable habitats of R. microplus and the dominant environmental factors affecting the distribution of suitable habitats of R. microplus were predicted in China based on the geographical data and environmental variables using the ArcGIS 10.7 software and the maximum entropy model.

RESULTS

Among the main climatic factors affecting the geographical distribution of R. microplus in China, the factors contributing more than 10% to the suitable habitats of R. microplus mainly include the annual mean precipitation (38.2%), the average temperature of the coldest quarter (28.4%) and the precipitation of the driest month (14.2%). The current suitable habitats of R. microplus were mainly found in southern China, and the high-, medium- and low-suitable areas accounted for 8.6%, 13.1% and 10.5% of the total land area of China, respectively. The suitable habitats of R. microplus were predicted to increase by 399 800 km² in China using the maximum entropy model under the RCP 4.5 emissions scenario in 2070, and the emerging suitable habitats were mainly distributed in Gansu Province, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province, Hebei Province, Shaanxi Province, Liaoning Province, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Shandong Province, Sichuan Province and Tibeten Autonomous Region. In addition, the suitable habitats of R. microplus were predicted to show an overall expansion towards northward from present to 2070.

CONCLUSIONS

Climate changes affect the distribution of suitable habitats of R. microplus in China, and annual mean precipitation may be a key factor affecting the distribution of suitable habitats of R. microplus.

Cause and Management of Suture-related Ocular Complications after Buried-suture Double-eyelid Blepharoplasty

BACKGROUND

Buried-suture double-eyelid blepharoplasty is very popular in Asia, especially in China, but there are few reports related to the cause, management, and prevention of suture-related complications of corneal injury and other damages to the eye. The study aims to determine the cause, management, and prevention of suture-related complications after buried-suture double-eyelid blepharoplasty.

METHODS

A retrospective study was conducted from January 2016 to January 2019 on 12 patients with corneal and other injuries to the eye after they underwent buried-suture double-eyelid blepharoplasty. The study included patients who underwent intermittent and continuous buried-suture double-eyelid blepharoplasty with the following symptoms: red eye, foreign body sensation, photophobia, pain, tears, and decreased vision. The clinical characteristics, examination method, and treatment were noted.

RESULTS

The patients were all females. Ocular injuries included: corneal epithelial punctate or diffuse injury in nine patients, corneal ulcer in two patients, and a perforating eye injury in one patient. The corneal injury was repaired after exposed nylon thread ends were removed. A suture on the surface of the eye penetrating the sclera was detected in one patient, who then had a vitrectomy caused by endophthalmitis.

CONCLUSION

Suture-removal surgery is indicated to treat suture-related complications. Less experienced clinicians should use an eyelid protection plate to protect the cornea and eyeball during surgery. The conjunctiva of the fornix should be examined after surgery. The clinician should inquire about the operation history in detail and check the conjunctiva of the fornix with an eyelid retractor to avoid misdiagnosis.

Visual Deprivation Retards the Maturation of Dendritic Fields and Receptive Fields of Mouse Retinal Ganglion Cells

It was well documented that both the size of the dendritic field and receptive field of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) are developmentally regulated in the mammalian retina, and visual stimulation is required for the maturation of the dendritic and receptive fields of mouse RGCs. However, it is not clear whether the developmental changes of the RGC receptive field correlate with the dendritic field and whether visual stimulation regulates the maturation of the dendritic field and receptive field of RGCs in a correlated manner. The present work demonstrated that both the dendritic and receptive fields of RGCs continuously develop after eye opening. However, the correlation between the developmental changes in the receptive field size and the dendritic field varies among different RGC types. These results suggest a continuous change of synaptic converging of RGC synaptic inputs in an RGC type-dependent manner. Besides, light deprivation impairs both the development of dendritic and receptive fields.

Senolytic agent Quercetin ameliorates intervertebral disc degeneration via the Nrf2/NF-κB axis

OBJECTIVE

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) represents major cause of low back pain. Quercetin (QUE) is one of the approved senolytic agents. In this study, we evaluated the protective effects of QUE on IDD development and its underlying mechanism.

METHODS

Effects of senolytic agent QUE on the viability of nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs) were measured by CCK-8 assays and EdU staining. The senescence associated secreted phenotype (SASP) factors expressions were measured by qPCR, western blot, and ELISA; and NF-κB pathway was detected by immunofluorescence and western blot. Molecular docking was applied to predict the interacting protein of QUE; while Nrf2 was knocked down by siRNAs to confirm its role in QUE regulated senescence phenotype. X-ray, MRI, Hematoxylin-Eosin and Safranin O-Fast green staining were performed to evaluate the therapeutic effects of QUE on IDD in the puncture-induced rat model.

RESULTS

In in vitro experiments, QUE inhibited SASP factors expression and senescence phenotype in IL-1β-treated NPCs. Mechanistically, QUE suppressed IL-1β induced activation of the NF-κB pathway cascades; it was also demonstrated in molecular docking and knock down studies that QUE might bind to Keap1-Nrf2 complex to suppress NF-κB pathway. In vivo, QUE ameliorated the IDD process in the puncture-induced rat model.

CONCLUSIONS

Together the present work suggests that QUE inhibits SASP factors expression and senescence phenotype in NPCs and ameliorates the progression of IDD via the Nrf2/NF-κB axis, which supports senolytic agent QUE as a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of IDD.

Environmentally friendly, durable and transparent anti-fouling coatings applicable onto various substrates

Anti-fouling coatings are of great interest because of their unique wettability and self-cleaning property, but their widespread applications are seriously hindered by low stability, heavy usage of fluorinated compounds and low transparency, etc. Here, we report a new kind of smooth anti-fouling coatings based on methyltrimethoxysilane. The coatings were fabricated by preparing a stock solution via hydrolytic condensation of methyltrimethoxysilane in isopropanol, followed by wiping the glass slide with the non-woven fabric that sucked the stock solution. The transparent anti-fouling coatings have excellent anti-fouling properties against various fluids such as water, n-hexadecane, diiodomethane, daily encountered liquids (e.g., milk, coffee, red wine, soy sauce and cooking oil), mark seals, artificial fingerprint liquids and paints (both water-based and oil-based), etc. The fluids can easily roll off from the 4-30° titled coatings. Furthermore, the coatings have good mechanical (200 cycles of friction, scratching and bending), chemical (saline, acidic and basic solutions) and thermal stability (boiling and 300 °C heating) regarding the easy sliding behavior of the probing liquids. In addition, the anti-fouling coatings are applicable onto various substrates via the same procedure. The smooth anti-fouling coatings have huge potential applications, owing to the excellent anti-fouling properties, high stability as well as the non-fluorinated and simple preparation method.

Improved performance of a samarium-doped ceria interlayer of intermediate temperature solid oxide electrolysis cells by doping the transition metal oxide Fe2O3

The ionic conductivity of the interlayer in the intermediate temperature solid oxide electrolysis cell (IT-SOEC) affects the polarization resistance of the oxygen electrode. Improving the ionic conductivity of the interlayer can improve the performance of the oxygen electrode. In this work, the ionic conductivity of a samarium-doped ceria (SDC) interlayer is improved by doping the transition metal oxide Fe₂O₃. The experimental results show that the oxygen electrode polarization resistance of the symmetrical cell based on the SDC-Fe₂O₃ interlayer is 0.09 Ω cm⁻² at 800 °C and under the open circuit voltage, which is obviously lower than that of the symmetrical cell based on an SDC interlayer (0.22 Ω cm⁻²). Besides, the electrolysis current of the SOEC based on the SDC-Fe₂O₃ interlayer is 0.5 A cm⁻² at 800 °C and 1.5 V, which is higher than that of the SOEC based on the SDC interlayer (0.3 A cm⁻²). The above results show that improving the ionic conductivity of the SDC interlayer in the SOEC by doping Fe₂O₃ can reduce the polarization resistance of the oxygen electrode and enhance the performance of the SOEC. Thus, this work provides an effective way for improving the performance of the SDC interlayer in the IT-SOEC.

Improving the ionic conductivity of the SDC interlayer in an SOEC by doping Fe₂O₃ can reduce the polarization resistance of the oxygen electrode and enhance the performance of the SOEC.

Cause analysis and reoperation effect of failure and recurrence after epiblepharon correction in children

BACKGROUND

In children, it is common to see failure and recurrence in the correction of epiblepharon and to have reoperation due to obvious irritation symptoms and corneal injury.

AIM

To explore the causes of failure and recurrence after epiblepharon correction in children, to remove accurately redundant epiblepharon and orbicularis oculi muscle in patients via the cilia-everting suture technique combined with lid margin splitting in some patients due to inverted lashes in the medial part of the eyelid, and to observe the therapeutic effect.

METHODS

From 2015 to 2019, in the Outpatient Department of Ophthalmology of Beijing Tongren Hospital, 22 children (40 eyes) with epiblepharon, aged 5-12 years, were treated due to correction failure and recurrence. Fourteen patients (28 eyes) underwent the full-thickness everting suture technique, and eight patients (16 eyes) underwent incisional surgery. They were treated by reviewing the previous surgical methods and observing epiblepharon, eyelash direction, and corneal injury. During reoperation, a subciliary incision was made 1 mm below the inferior lash line. Incisional surgery for the lower eyelid was used to remove accurately redundant epiblepharon and part of the pretarsal orbicularis muscle. Subcutaneous tissue and the orbicularis muscle of the upper skin-muscle flap were anchored to the anterior fascia of the tarsal plate by rotational sutures. Lid margin splitting was used only for patients who had seriously inverted lashes located in the medial part of the eyelid. All patients were followed for 6-12 mo after reoperation to observe the lower eyelid position, skin incision, eyelash direction, corneal damage, and recurrence.

RESULTS

After reoperation, all the patients were corrected. Photophobia, rubbing the eye, winking, and tearing disappeared. There was no lower eyelid entropion, ectropion, or retraction. There was no obvious sunken scar or lower eyelid crease. The eyelashes were far away from the cornea, and when the patients looked down, the eyelashes on the lower eyelid did not contact the cornea or conjunctiva. The corneal injuries were repaired. Follow-up observation for 6 mo showed no recurrence of epiblepharon.

CONCLUSION

The type of suture method, the failure to remove accurately redundant skin and orbicularis muscle, the lack of cilia rotational suture use, and excessive reverse growth of eyelashes are the main causes of failure and recurrence after epiblepharon correction in children.

Follow-up management strategy for patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis during novel coronavirus pneumonia epidemic

OBJECTIVE

The study aimed to explore the best follow-up management strategy for patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD) during the novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP) epidemic.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients undergoing PD who were followed up during the NCP epidemic by our hospital were enrolled in this study. Because of the need to control the epidemic, a follow-up system was established during the epidemic period, with WeChat, QQ, and the telephone as the main methods of communication. Outpatient and emergency follow-ups were carried out to ensure the safety of dialysis and the prevention and control of the epidemic. The follow-up strategy included response measures related to the epidemic situation, prevention of peritonitis related to PD, water and salt control, exercise guidance, and psychological care. According to the patient's condition, the appointment system was implemented, with one consulting room and one process for each patient. The emergency patients were isolated in accordance with the epidemic situation.

RESULTS

Since January 2020, among the 580 patients undergoing PD who were followed up in our department and their families, none had NCP infection. During the epidemic period, the standard hemoglobin level and the inpatient rate decreased. Complications related to PD, such as peritonitis, cardiovascular complications caused by volume overload, and pulmonary infection, did not significantly increase, and the withdrawal rate and mortality rate decreased compared with those in the same period last year.

CONCLUSIONS

The patient follow-up strategy during the epidemic period had a significant positive effect on preventing and controlling the epidemic. Furthermore, during the epidemic period, encouraging patients and caregivers to pay attention to protection at home, avoid going out, strengthen self-management, and other measures were beneficial to the control of kidney disease itself, which is worth promoting. The close relationship between doctors and patients during the epidemic had a positive effect on the occurrence of complications related to patients undergoing PD.

Breast Cancer Diagnosed by MRI Using Mesoporous TiO₂-Coated (Fe₃O₄) Nanoparticles

Objective: This study aimed to determine the effects of dimer captosuccinic acid-coated Fe₃O₄ (super paramagnetic) nanoparticles (NP) on 2-deoxy-d-glucose in targeted cancer cells with high rates of glucose metabolism. Methods: We prepared Fe₃O₄@DMSA NP and 2-DG-conjugated Fe₃O₄@DMSA NP, γ-FE, O, and @DMSA-DG NP. Glucose consumption in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cells was determined using γ-Fe2O3@DMSA NP or Fe₃O₄@DMSA-DG NP, and absorption was tested using Prussian blue staining, ultraviolet colorimetry, and magnetic resonance imaging. Results: Glucose consumption was the highest in MDA-MB-231, and the lowest in human mammary epithelial cells (HMEPiC). The significant uptake of Fe2O3@DMSA-DG NP by MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells within two hours was inhibited by glucose. The uptake of Fe₃O₄@DMSA-DG NP was significantly higher in MDA-MB-231 than in MCF-7 cells, whereas Fe₃O₄@DMSA NP was not obviously uptaken by either cell line. Absorption was also not evident in HMEPiC incubated with Fe₃O₄@DMSA-DG NP and Fe₃O₄@DMSA NP. Conclusions: The tumor targeting efficacy of 2-DG coated Fe₃O₄@DMSA NP was improved over Fe₃O₄,@DMSA NP in cancer cells with high rates of glucose metabolism.

Blind deconvolution of sources of opportunity in ocean waveguides using bilinear channel models

A general blind deconvolution algorithmic framework is developed for sources of opportunity (e.g., ships at known locations) in an ocean waveguide. Here, both channel impulse responses (CIRs) and unknown source signals need to be simultaneously estimated from only the recorded signals on a receiver array using blind deconvolution, which is generally an ill-posed problem without any a priori information or additional assumptions about the underlying structure of the CIRs. By exploiting the typical ray-like arrival-time structure of the CIRs between a surface source and the elements of a vertical line array (VLA) in ocean waveguides, a principle component analysis technique is applied to build a bilinear parametric model linking the amplitudes and arrival-times of the CIRs across all channels for a variety of admissible ocean environments. The bilinear channel representation further reduces the dimension of the channel parametric model compared to linear models. A truncated power interaction deconvolution algorithm is then developed by applying the bilinear channel model to the traditional subspace deconvolution method. Numerical and experimental results demonstrate the robustness of this blind deconvolution methodology.

CT and MRI features of giant cell tumours with prominent aneurysmal bone cysts in the extremities: a comparison with primary aneurysmal bone cysts

AIM

To test the hypothesis that computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could help distinguish between giant cell tumours with prominent aneurysmal bone cysts (GABCs) and primary aneurysmal bone cysts (PABCs) of the extremities.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

CT and MRI features of 13 patients with GABCs and 13 patients with PABCs in the extremities were analysed retrospectively. The ages and sex of the patients were also recorded. Independent-samples t-tests were used for continuous variables and Fisher's exact tests were used for categorical variables to compare the differences between the two groups. Diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, and interobserver agreement were calculated.

RESULTS

The average age of patients with GABCs (38.2±15.8 years) was higher than that of patients with PABCs (19.3±12.7 years; p=0.003). The transverse/longitudinal diameter ratio was different between GABCs (0.8±0.3) and PABCs (0.6±0.2; p=0.007). Subchondral bone involvement (92.3% versus 30.8%, p=0.004) and deep lobulation (38.5% versus 0%, p=0.039) were more likely to be noted in patients with GABCs. Surrounding blood vessels were identified in six cases of PABCs (6/13), but not in GABCs (p=0.015). The following characteristics were suggestive of GABCs, older patient age, higher transverse/longitudinal diameter ratio, subchondral bone involvement, and deep lobulation indicated a sensitivity of 84.6%, 76.9%, 75%, and 100%, and a specificity of 84.6%, 69.2%, 90%, and 61.9%, respectively. Conversely, surrounding blood vessels were suggestive of PABCs, with a sensitivity of 46.2% and specificity of 100%. The concordance between the two readers was moderate to nearly perfect.

CONCLUSION

Age, subchondral bone involvement, lobulation, transverse/longitudinal diameter ratio, and surrounding blood vessels can be used to distinguish GABCs from PABCs.