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Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) are common bone-immune diseases. The imbalance between helper (Th17) and regulatory T cells (Tregs) produced during differentiation of CD4+ T cells plays a key regulatory role in bone remodelling disorders in RA and PMOP. However, the specific regulatory mechanism of this imbalance in bone remodelling in RA and PMOP has not been clarified. Identifying the regulatory mechanism underlying the Th17/Treg imbalance in RA and PMOP during bone remodelling represents a key factor in the research and development of new drugs for bone immune diseases. In this review, the potential roles of Th17, Treg, and Th17/Treg imbalance in regulating bone remodelling in RA and PMOP have been summarised, and the potential mechanisms by which probiotics, traditional Chinese medicine compounds, and monomers maintain bone remodelling by regulating the Th17/Treg balance are expounded. The maintenance of Th17/Treg balance could be considered as an therapeutic alternative for the treatment of RA and PMOP. This study also summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of conventional treatments and the quality of life and rehabilitation of patients with RA and PMOP. The findings presented her will provide a better understanding of the close relationship between bone immunity and bone remodelling in chronic bone diseases and new ideas for future research, prevention, and treatment of bone immune diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fe-Mn-Ce metal oxides (FeMC) were prepared by using a co-precipitation method for the removal of tetracycline (TC). The FeMC composite has a good adsorption performance, and the maximum adsorption capacity at 318 K is 307.692 mg/g. FeMC metal oxides maintain good stability, and the removal rate of TC still reaches 85.24% after 5 cycles. The structural characteristics and adsorption mechanism of FeMC adsorbent have been systematically studied. According to the study of adsorption kinetics and adsorption isotherms, the adsorption process conforms to the quasi-secondorder kinetic model. Langmuir isotherm model is more suitable than Freundlich isotherm model to describe the adsorption equilibrium data. The Fourier-transform infrared spectrum shows that the adsorption between FeMC and TC is realized by the stretching vibration of C-H and the stretching vibrations of C-O or C-O-C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoporosis (OP) is characterized by a decrease in osteoblasts and an increase in adipocytes in the bone marrow compartment, alongside abnormal bone/fat differentiation, which ultimately results in imbalanced bone homeostasis. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) can differentiate into osteoblasts and adipocytes to maintain bone homeostasis. Several studies have shown that lncRNAs are competitive endogenous RNAs that form a lncRNA-miRNA network by targeting miRNA for the regulation of bone/fat differentiation in BMSCs; this mechanism is closely related to the corresponding treatment of OP and is important in the development of novel OP-targeted therapies. However, by reviewing the current literature, it became clear that there are limited summaries discussing the effects of the lncRNA-miRNA network on osteogenic/adipogenic differentiation in BMSCs. Therefore, this article provides a review of the current literature to explore the impact of the lncRNA-miRNA network on the osteogenic/adipogenic differentiation of BMSCs, with the aim of providing a new theoretical basis for the treatment of OP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fe-Co-Ni-S (FCNS) nanocomposite is prepared through a hydrothermal method as a new efficient adsorbent to remove organic dyes in wastewater. The morphology, elemental composition and crystalline structure of the adsorbents have been studied by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The influence of the dosage of adsorbent and the pH value on the adsorption performance, the reusability of the nanocomposite, and effects of different anions are studied, which show that the adsorption rate of FCNS towards Rhodamine B (RhB) is as high as 99.63%. The adsorption kinetics of RhB on FCNS is described to pseudo-second- order model. At 318 K, the saturated adsorption capacity is 581.4 mg/g, which is consistent with the Langmuir isotherm. The kinetic results indicate that the adsorption process involves three steps, among which chemical adsorption and intraparticle diffusion play important roles. In addition, through the thermodynamic fitting of the adsorption process, it indicates that the adsorption of RhB by FCNS is spontaneous and accompanied by endothermic reaction. The FCNS nanocomposites has good adsorption performance under pH values ranging from 3 to 11. The FCNS has good reusability and adsorption performance after being reused 5 times. The Fourier-transform infrared spectrum indicates that hydrogen bonding is one of the main factors for influencing the adsorption. Compared with monometallic or bimetallic sulfides, the composite presented here has better adsorption performance and higher adsorption capacity, which will inspire some other emerging trimetallic sulfide composites for various advanced applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitochondria are important organelles that provide cellular energy and play a vital role in cell differentiation and apoptosis. Osteoporosis is a chronic metabolic bone disease mainly caused by an imbalance in osteoblast and osteoclast activity. Under physiological conditions, mitochondria regulate the balance between osteogenesis and osteoclast activity and maintain bone homeostasis. Under pathological conditions, mitochondrial dysfunction alters this balance; this disruption is important in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis. Because of the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in osteoporosis, mitochondrial function can be targeted therapeutically in osteoporosis-related diseases. This article reviews different aspects of the pathological mechanism of mitochondrial dysfunction in osteoporosis, including mitochondrial fusion and fission, mitochondrial biogenesis, and mitophagy, and highlights targeted therapy of mitochondria in osteoporosis (diabetes induced osteoporosis and postmenopausal osteoporosis) to provide novel targets and prevention strategies for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis and other chronic bone diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a manganese cerium co-doped iron-based metal–organic frameworks composite oxide nanomaterial (MnCe/MIL-100) was prepared by solvothermal method and used to adsorb tetracycline (TC) from water. Scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction were used to study the micro morphology, main element composition and crystal structure of the adsorbent. The experimental results were fitted by adsorption kinetics, adsorption isotherms and other models. In addition, the influence of the dosage of adsorbent and the pH of the solution on the adsorption performance and the reusability of the composite were also studied. It was found that the adsorption rate of MnCe/MIL-100 to TC can be as high as 100%. The adsorption kinetics of TC on MnCe/MIL-100 can be well described by pseudo-second-order model. At room temperature, the adsorption capacity is up to 210.971 mg/g, which is consistent with Langmuir isotherm. Through thermodynamic analysis, it is found that this process has the characteristic of absorbing heat, and this absorption is spontaneous. Meanwhile, MnCe/MIL-100 still has good TC adsorption capacity after five cycles, showing good reusability, which is of great significance to cost saving and environmental pollution reduction. Finally, the analysis by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and zeta potential explain the mechanism of TC adsorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This prospective, randomized study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of an intraoperative pectoralis nerve II block (PECS II block) under direct vision in the reduction of fentanyl consumption during postoperative 24 h in patients undergoing robotic nipple-sparing mastectomy (RNSM) with immediate breast reconstruction (IBR) using direct-to-implant (DTI) or tissue expander (TE). Thirty patients scheduled for RNSM with IBR were randomly allocated to the PECS (n = 15) or control (n = 15) groups. The PECS II block was applied under direct vision after RNSM. The primary outcome was the cumulative dose of fentanyl consumption. The secondary outcomes were pain intensity using a numerical rating scale (NRS) at rest and acting during the postoperative 24 h. The cumulative dose of fentanyl at 24 h was significantly lower in the PECS group than in the control group (p = 0.011). Patients in the PECS group showed significantly lower NRS scores during the first postoperative 2 h compared to those in the control group in both resting and acting pain (p < 0.05). An intraoperative PECS II block under direct vision can reduce opioid consumption during the postoperative 24 h and provide effective analgesia in patients undergoing RNSM with IBR using DTI or TE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tetracycline (TC) is a new eco toxic antibiotic, which is easy to cause bacterial drug resistance. Considering this, tetracycline in water needs to be removed. In this paper, a Cu/Mn/Ce oxide composite were prepared by a simple coprecipitation method and used as a new and efficient adsorbent to remove tetracycline from water. The morphology and microstructure of the adsorbent were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, X-ray diffraction and zeta potential. The effects of adsorption isotherm, kinetics, molar ratio, initial concentration and pH value of TC solution were studied. The results show that the adsorption capacity towards TC solution is the highest when the molar ratio of Cu/Mn/Ce is 1:1:3, according to the Langmuir isotherm model. The maximum adsorption capacity is 344.83 mg/g. The maximum removal rate is 99.97% at pH = 7, and the adsorption kinetics conforms to the quasi-second-order model. The adsorption capacity of Cu/Mn/Ce is basically unchanged after three cycles, and the removal rate is still as high as 91%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, FeMoCoS (FMCS) nanocomposites were designed and fabricated through a hydrothermal method as a new efficient adsorbent to remove organic dyes in wastewater. The morphology and microstructure of the adsorbent were characterized by using scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The effects of adsorption isotherm, kinetics, initial concentration and pH value of Rhodamine B (RhB) solution on the experiment were also studied. The results show that FMCS has good adsorption capacity for RhB solution, and the maximum adsorption capacity is 280.89 mg/g calculated by using a Langmuir isotherm model. Column study was made to achieve bulk removal of the dye. Column adsorption capacity has been found to be greater than the batch adsorption capacity. Moreover, the maximum removal rate of RhB reaches 99.64% at pH = 7 and pHpzc = 9.57 according to zeta potential. The adsorption kinetics match the pseudo-second-order model, indicating that the adsorption process is dominated by chemisorption. After 5-cycles of consecutive adsorption, the adsorbent can still maintain a high adsorption capacity, indicating a good potential for RhB removal from wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The insular cortex (IC) is known to process pain information. However, analgesic effects of glial inhibition in the IC have not yet been explored. The aim of this study was to investigate pain alleviation effects after neuroglia inhibition in the IC during the early or late phase of pain development. The effects of glial inhibitors in early or late phase inhibition in neuropathic pain were characterized in astrocytes and microglia expressions in the IC of an animal model of neuropathic pain. Changes in withdrawal responses during different stages of inhibition were compared, and morphological changes in glial cells with purinergic receptor expressions were analyzed. Inhibition of glial cells had an analgesic effect that persisted even after drug withdrawal. Both GFAP and CD11b/c expressions were decreased after injection of glial inhibitors. Morphological alterations of astrocytes and microglia were observed with expression changes of purinergic receptors. These findings indicate that inhibition of neuroglia activity in the IC alleviates chronic pain, and that purinergic receptors in glial cells are closely related to chronic pain development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, Ni-Mo-S (NMS) nanomaterial was prepared by a simple hydrothermal method and used as a new adsorbent to remove Congo red (CR) from azo dye wastewater. The crystal phase, morphology and microstructure of the samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The adsorption isotherm, kinetics and thermodynamics, as well as the influence of different Ni-Mo molar ratios and pH values on the experiment were studied. The experimental results show that NMS (Ni-Mo molar ratio 1:2) has a good adsorption capacity for CR. According to the Langmuir isotherm model, the maximum adsorption capacity was 490.20 mg/g. The adsorption kinetics is in good agreement with the pseudo-second-order model, and the adsorption equilibrium can be reached within 30 min. Moreover, the maximum removal rate of CR reaches 93.07% at pH = 7 and pHpzc = 7.64 according to zeta potential. Finally, the mechanism of adsorption of CR by NMS (Ni-Mo molar ratio 1:2) was discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective VVZ-149 is a small molecule that both inhibits the glycine transporter type 2 and the serotonin receptor 5 hydroxytryptamine 2 A. In a randomized, parallel-group, and double-blind trial (NCT02844725), we investigated the analgesic efficacy and safety of VVZ-149 Injections, which is under clinical development as a single-use injectable product for treating moderate to severe postoperative pain. Methods Sixty patients undergoing laparoscopic and robotic-laparoscopic gastrectomy were randomly assigned to receive a 10-hour intravenous infusion of VVZ-149 Injections or placebo, initiated approximately 1 hour before completion of surgical suturing. Major outcomes included pain intensity and opioid consumption via patient-controlled analgesia and rescue analgesia provided "as needed." The treatment efficacy of VVZ-149 was further examined in a subpopulation requiring early rescue medication, previously associated with the presence of high levels of preoperative negative affect in a prior Phase 2 study (NCT02489526). Results Pain intensity was lower in the VVZ-149 (n = 30) than the placebo group (n = 29), reaching statistical significance at 4 hours post-emergence (P  < .05), with a 29.5% reduction in opioid consumption for 24 hours and fewer demands for patient-controlled analgesia. In the rescued subgroup, VVZ-149 further reduced pain intensity (P  < .05) with 32.6% less opioid consumption for 24 hours compared to placebo patients. Conclusions VVZ-149 demonstrated effective analgesia with reduced postoperative pain and opioid requirements. Consistent with the results from the previous Phase 2 study, patients with early rescue requirement had greater benefit from VVZ-149, supporting the hypothesis that VVZ-149 may alleviate the affective component of pain and mitigate excessive use of opioids postoperatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Fe-Al-Ni composite oxide was synthesized through a simple coprecipitation method. The adsorbent was characterized by using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, zeta potential, and energy dispersive analysis of X-rays, and its defluoridation properties were investigated. Adsorption kinetics fitted well the pseudo-second-order model. The fluoride adsorption isotherm was well described by the Freundlich model. Moreover, when the initial fluoride concentration was 200 mg/L, the maximum adsorption capacity was calculated as 59.5 mg/g from the Langmuir model. It was found that the maximum removal rate was 93.6% at pH = 7, with an initial fluoride concentration of 10 mg/L. The co-existing anions indicate that chloride, sulfate, and nitrate don’t have much effect on F– adsorption, but phosphate and carbonate show a significant effect on F– removal. It shows that the efficacy of the adsorbents still maintains high as being reused, indicating that the spent adsorbent is suitable for regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, flower-shaped Na2Mg(CO3)2 nanoparticles were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method for defluoridation in water. The effects of the initial concentration of fluoride, pH value, and coexisting ions on the removal of fluoride were investigated. Na2Mg(CO3)2 nanoparticles were characterized by using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and energy disperse analysis of X-rays. The experimental results show that the adsorption isotherm is consistent with the Freundlich model at pH = 7 and 35°C. When the initial concentration is 200 mg/L, the maximum adsorption capacity calculated by the Langmuir model is up to 113.64 mg/g. The adsorption kinetics is consistent with the pseudo-second-order model, and the adsorption equilibrium can be achieved within 100 min. There is little effect on Na2Mg(CO3)2 nanoparticles in the wide range of pH values (3-10). The fluoride removal rate reaches up to 92.26% at pH = 7 for the initial fluoride concentration of 5 mg/L, along with the adsorbent dose of 1 g/L. Except for PO43-, SO42-, and HCO3-, other anions don't affect the fluoride adsorption. The experiment results also demonstrate that the prepared adsorbents can be reused for at least six times. Finally, the mechanism for fluoride adsorption by Na2Mg(CO3)2 nanoparticles is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Oxycodone has affinities for both kappa- and mu-opioid receptors. Therefore, it has been used for postoperative analgesia of surgeries in which visceral pain is expected to be the main cause of pain. However, there are few studies of the 55:1 potency ratio of oxycodone to fentanyl when using it as intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IV-PCA). Thus, we compared the analgesic and adverse effects of IV-PCA using the 55:1 potency ratio of oxycodone to fentanyl in patients who underwent robot-assisted laparoscopic gastrectomy. Patients and Methods: This retrospective study included 100 patients using an automatic PCA pump with oxycodone or fentanyl who underwent robot-assisted laparoscopic gastrectomy between January and November 2017. All patients were provided with an IV-PCA consisting of 20 μg/kg of fentanyl or 1.1 mg/kg of oxycodone mixed with 0.9% normal saline solution to a total volume of 250 mL, which was infused basally at a rate of 0.1 mL/h with a bolus dose of 1 mL and lockout time of 6 min. The primary and secondary endpoints were to evaluate the efficacies of IV-PCA using the 55:1 potency ratio of oxycodone to fentanyl on analgesic and adverse effects. Results: Pain intensity on arrival at the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU; 3.6± 1.4 vs 4.4± 2.0, P=0.031) and additional analgesic requirement within an hour after surgery (including the PACU period) (12% vs 37%; P=0.005) were significantly lower in the oxycodone group (n=49) than in the fentanyl group (n=51). Regarding adverse effects, the rate of postoperative nausea within 1 h after surgery (2% vs 16%; P=0.031) was also significantly lower in the oxycodone group than that in the fentanyl group. Conclusion: Oxycodone-based IV-PCA by dose calculations with a 55:1 potency ratio may achieve better analgesia without any significant adverse effects, when using IV-PCA in patients undergoing robot-assisted laparoscopic gastrectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although laparoscopic surgery significantly reduces surgical trauma compared to open surgery, postoperative ileus is a frequent and significant complication after abdominal surgery. Unlike laparoscopic colorectal surgery, the effects of epidural analgesia on postoperative recovery after laparoscopic gastrectomy are not well established. We compared the effects of epidural analgesia to those of conventional intravenous (IV) analgesia on the recovery of bowel function after laparoscopic gastrectomy.Method: Eighty-six patients undergoing laparoscopic gastrectomy randomly received either patient-controlled epidural analgesia with ropivacaine and fentanyl (Epi PCA group) or patient-controlled IV analgesia with fentanyl (IV PCA group), beginning immediately before incision and continuing for 48 h thereafter. The primary endpoint was recovery of bowel function, evaluated by the time to first flatus. The balance of the autonomic nervous system, pain scores, duration of postoperative hospital stay, and complications were assessed.Results: The time to first flatus was shorter in the epidural PCA group compared with the IV PCA group (61.3 ± 11.1 vs. 70.0 ± 12.3 h, P = 0.001). Low-frequency/high-frequency power ratios during surgery were significantly higher in the IV PCA group, compared with baseline and those in the epidural PCA group. The epidural PCA group had lower pain scores during the first 1 h postoperatively and required less analgesics during the first 6 h postoperatively.Conclusions: Compared with IV PCA, epidural PCA facilitated postoperative recovery of bowel function after laparoscopic gastrectomy without increasing the length of hospital stay or PCA-related complications. This beneficial effect of epidural analgesia might be attributed to attenuation of sympathetic hyperactivation, improved analgesia, and reduced opioid use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is a well-known brain area that is associated with pain perception. Previous studies reported that the ACC has a specific role in the emotional processing of pain. Chronic pain is characterized by long-term potentiation that is induced in pain pathways and contributes to hyperalgesia caused by peripheral nerve injury. The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling, which is involved in synaptic protein synthesis, could be a key factor controlling long-term potentiation in neuropathic pain conditions. Until now, there have been no reports that studied the role of mTOR signaling in the ACC involved in neuropathic pain. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the relationship of mTOR signaling in the ACC and neuropathic pain. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to cannula implantation and nerve injury under pentobarbital anesthesia. Microinjection with rapamycin into the ACC was conducted under isoflurane anesthesia on postoperative day (POD) 7. A behavioral test was performed to evaluate mechanical allodynia, and optical imaging was conducted to observe the neuronal responses of the ACC to peripheral stimulation. Inhibition of mTOR by rapamycin reduced mechanical allodynia, down-regulated mTOR signaling in the ACC, and diminished the expressions of synaptic proteins which are involved in excitatory signaling, thereby reducing neuropathic pain-induced synaptic plasticity. These results suggest that inhibiting mTOR activity by rapamycin in the ACC could serve as a new strategy for treating or managing neuropathic pain before it develops into chronic pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This brief proposes a pulse-width modulation buck converter with an active ramp tracking control to achieve a fast load transient response. When the difference between the output voltage and reference voltage is increased to a certain level in the load transient situation, the ramp bias voltages track the error voltage and provide a full duty to power switches. This helps restore the output voltage to the reference voltage, improving the load transient response speed and decreasing the overshoot/undershoot and their recovery times at the output voltage. A test chip was fabricated in a 65-nm CMOS technology, whose performance evaluation results indicated that the proposed buck converter reduced overshoot/undershoot at the output by up to 61.1% and the recovery time by up to 60.0% for a 450-mA load current step. The maximum power conversion efficiency of the proposed converter is 92.0% for 3.3 V input voltage and 1.8 V output voltage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It remains unclear whether deep neuromuscular blockade results in better postoperative recovery than does moderate neuromuscular blockade. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to compare the effects of deep neuromuscular blockade and moderate neuromuscular blockade on the quality of postoperative recovery in patients undergoing robotic gastrectomy.Methods: In this prospective, double-blind, single-center randomized controlled superiority trial with two parallel groups, 56 adult patients (19-80 years) scheduled for elective robotic gastrectomy were randomly assigned to a moderate neuromuscular blockade group or a deep neuromuscular blockade group in a 1:1 ratio. In the deep and moderate neuromuscular blockade groups, the infusion rate for rocuronium was adjusted to maintain a post-tetanic count of 1-2 or a train-of-four count of 1-2, respectively. The primary outcome was the Quality of Recovery-40 (QoR-40) score on postoperative day 1. Secondary outcomes included the QoR-40 score on postoperative day 2, intraoperative hemodynamic data, intraoperative respiratory data, visual analog scale score for pain, postoperative incidences of nausea and vomiting, postoperative rescue analgesic use, and postoperative rescue antiemetic use.Results: The postoperative QoR-40 score was similar between the two groups on postoperative days 1 and 2. Moreover, the two groups showed no differences in intraoperative hemodynamic and respiratory data or postoperative pain, nausea and vomiting, and rescue medication use.Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the quality of recovery after robotic gastrectomy is similar for deep and moderate neuromuscular blockade. Therefore, deep neuromuscular blockade during robotic gastrectomy may be unnecessary, at least in patients with normal body mass index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Granular iron-impregnated attapulgite adsorbents (Fe-ATP) were developed for effective removal of arsenic from groundwater. Fe-ATP with an iron content of 15% and calcinated at temperature of 200°C showed the best adsorption performance for both arsenite and arsenate. The adsorption data of arsenite onto Fe-ATP fitted both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms well, while Langmuir described the adsorption of arsenate onto Fe-ATP better than Freundlich isotherm. Both arsenite and arsenate adsorption onto Fe-ATP followed pseudo-second-order kinetics model. The removal efficiency of arsenite by Fe-ATP was insensitive to pH in a wide pH range of 3–11, however, Fe-ATP exhibited better removal performance for arsenate in the pH < 7 conditions. Co-existing anions did not evidently inhibit arsenic removal by Fe-ATP. In column tests using lab-prepared arsenic containing water as influent, about 4900, 1500 and 550 (1320, 520 and 260) bed volumes (BVs) of water with 200 μg/L arsenite (arsenate) were treated before breakthrough (10 μg/L, WHO standard) was reached under flowing rates of 200, 600 and 1000 mL/h, respectively. While the influent contaminant concentration was 303 μg/L from real groundwater and the flowing rate was 200 mL/h, breakthrough BVs at the WHO provisional guideline value of 10 μg/L were 1300. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The H2O adsorption and dissociation on the Fe (100) surface with different precovered metals are studied by density functional theory. On both kinds of metal-precovered surface, H2O molecules prefer adsorb on hollow sites than bridge and top sites. The impurity energy difference is proportional to the adsorption energy, but the adsorbates are not sensitive to the adsorption orientation and height relative to the surface. The Hirshfeld charge analysis shows that water molecules act as an electron donor while the surface Fe atoms act as an electron acceptor. The rotation and dissociation of H2O molecule occur on the Co- and Mn-precovered surfaces. Some H2O molecules are dissociated into OH and H groups. The energy barriers are about 0.5 to 1.0 eV, whose are consistence with the experimental data. H2O molecules can be dissociated more easily at the top site on Co-precovered surface 1 than that at bridge site on Mn-precovered surface 2 because of the lower reaction barrier. The dispersion correction effects on the energies and adsorption configurations on Co-precovered surface 1 were calculated by OBS + PW91. The dispersion contributions can improve a bit of the bond energy of adsorbates and weaken the hydrogen bond effect between adsorption molecules a little. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel write bitline (BL) charge sharing write driver (CSWD) and a half‐VDD read BL (RBL) pre‐charge scheme is presented for a single‐ended 8T static random access memory (SRAM). Before write enable (WE) signal assertion, CSWD equalises the write BLs by allowing their charge sharing. Both write BLs are equalised at the middle value of supply voltage using leakage current compensation block. Afterwards, as WE signal is asserted, CSWD produces the rail‐to‐rail levels at write BL pair. Charging of a BL from half‐VDD to VDD essentially reduces the write dynamic power dissipation by 50%. Half‐VDD pre‐charging is used for RBL to achieve low‐power read operation. Read port is powered by virtual ground rail to improve the RBL leakages. The authors compare the proposed 8T design (P8T) with conventional 6T (C6T) and 8T (C8T) designs in a 45 nm technology node. Write power dissipation is reduced by 42% and dynamic read power is reduced by more than 39%. Overall leakages are reduced by more than 18% compared with C6T and Ion/Ioff ratio of the RBL is improved by more than two orders of magnitude compared with conventional 8T (C8T). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a 5.8 Gb/s adaptive integrating duobinary decision-feedback equalizer (DFE) for use in next-generation multi-drop memory interface. The proposed receiver combines traditional interface techniques like the integrated signaling and the duobinary signaling, in which the duobinary signal is generated by current integration in the receiver. It can address issues such as input data dependence during integration, need for precursor equalization, high equalizer gain boosting, and sensitivity to high-frequency noise. The proposed receiver also alleviates DFE critical timing to provide gain in speed, and embed DFE taps in duobinary decoding to provide gain in power and area. The adaptation for adjusting the equalizer common-mode level, duobinary zero level, tap coefficient values, and timing recovery is incorporated. The proposed DFE receiver was fabricated in a 45 nm CMOS process, whose measurement results indicated that it worked at 5.8 Gb/s speed in a four-drop channel configuration with seven slave ICs, and the bathtub curve shows 36% open for 10^-10 bit error rate. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We present, in this paper, a new 10T static random access memory cell having single ended decoupled read-bitline (RBL) with a 4T read port for low power operation and leakage reduction. The RBL is precharged at half the cell’s supply voltage, and is allowed to charge and discharge according to the stored data bit. An inverter, driven by the complementary data node (QB), connects the RBL to the virtual power rails through a transmission gate during the read operation. RBL increases toward the V\text {DD} level for a read-1, and discharges toward the ground level for a read-0. Virtual power rails have the same value of the RBL precharging level during the write and the hold mode, and are connected to true supply levels only during the read operation. Dynamic control of virtual rails substantially reduces the RBL leakage. The proposed 10T cell in a commercial 65 nm technology is $2.47\times $ the size of 6T with \beta = 2$ , provides 2.3\times $ read static noise margin, and reduces the read power dissipation by 50% than that of 6T. The value of RBL leakage is reduced by more than 3 orders of magnitude and is greatly improved compared with the 6T BL leakage. The overall leakage characteristics of 6T and 10T are similar, and competitive performance is achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A conditional-boosting flip-flop is proposed for ultralow-voltage application where the supply voltage is scaled down to the near-threshold region. The proposed flip-flop adopts voltage boosting to provide low latency with reduced performance variability in the near-threshold voltage region. It also adopts conditional capture to minimize the switching power consumption by eliminating redundant boosting operations. Experimental results in a 65-nm CMOS process indicated that the proposed flip-flop provided up to 72% lower latency with 75% less performance variability due to process variation, and up to 67% improved energy-delay product at 25% switching activity compared with conventional precharged differential flip-flops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gas environment detection has become more urgent and significant, for both industrial manufacturing and environment monitoring. Gas sensors based on a catalytically-sensing mechanism are one of the most important types of devices for gas detection, and have been of great interest during the past decades. However, even though many efforts have contributed to this area, some great challenges still remain, such as the development of sensitively and selectively sensing catalysts. In this review, two representative catalysis-based gas sensors, cataluminescent and conductometric sensors, the basis of optical and electric signal acquisition, respectively, are summarized comprehensively. The current challenges have been presented. Recent research progress on the working mechanism, sensing nanomaterials, and applications reported by our group and some other researchers have been discussed systematically. The future trends and prospects of the catalysis-based gas sensors have also been presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MoSe2-doped ultralong Se microwires of length/diameter ratio in the order of ~240 are synthesized by hydrothermal method. An electronic resistive switching memory (ERSM) device using a single MoSe2-doped ultralong Se microwire is attained. The ERSM exhibits stable resistance ratio of ~10² for 5000 s, highly stable performance during 500 stressing cycles, and excellent immunity to the frequency of the driving voltage. By investigating the dynamic processes of trap filling, de-trapping, and free-charge migration, trap-controlled space-charge-limited current mechanism is found to dominate the observed ERSM behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We hypothesized that the McGRATH MAC would decrease the time of intubation compared to C-MAC for novices. Thirty-nine medical students who had used the Macintosh blade to intubate a manikin fewer than 3 times were recruited. The participants performed sequential intubations on the manikin in two simulated settings that included a normal airway and a difficult airway (tongue edema). The intubation time, success rate of intubation, Cormack-Lehane grade at laryngoscopy, and difficulty using the device were recorded. Each participant was asked to identify the device that was most useful. The intubation time decreased significantly and by a similar amount to the McGRATH MAC and C-MAC compared to the Macintosh blade (P<0.001 and P=0.017, resp.). In the difficult airway, the intubation times were similar among the three devices. The McGRATH MAC and C-MAC significantly increased the success rate of intubation, improved the Cormack-Lehane grade, and decreased the difficulty score compared to the Macintosh blade in both airway settings. The majority of participants selected the McGRATH MAC as the most useful device. The McGRATH MAC and C-MAC may offer similar benefits for intubation compared to the Macintosh blade in normal and difficult airway situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The insular cortex (IC) is associated with important functions linked with pain and emotions. According to recent reports, neural plasticity in the brain including the IC can be induced by nerve injury and may contribute to chronic pain. Continuous active kinase, protein kinase Mζ (PKMζ), has been known to maintain the long-term potentiation. This study was conducted to determine the role of PKMζ in the IC, which may be involved in the modulation of neuropathic pain. Mechanical allodynia test and immunohistochemistry (IHC) of zif268, an activity-dependent transcription factor required for neuronal plasticity, were performed after nerve injury. After ζ-pseudosubstrate inhibitory peptide (ZIP, a selective inhibitor of PKMζ) injection, mechanical allodynia test and immunoblotting of PKMζ, phospho-PKMζ (p-PKMζ), and GluR1 and GluR2 were observed. IHC demonstrated that zif268 expression significantly increased in the IC after nerve injury. Mechanical allodynia was significantly decreased by ZIP microinjection into the IC. The analgesic effect lasted for 12 hours. Moreover, the levels of GluR1, GluR2, and p-PKMζ were decreased after ZIP microinjection. These results suggest that peripheral nerve injury induces neural plasticity related to PKMζ and that ZIP has potential applications for relieving chronic pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Volume-controlled ventilation with a prolonged inspiratory to expiratory ratio (I:E ratio) has been used to optimize gas exchange and respiratory mechanics in various surgical settings. We hypothesized that, when compared with an I:E ratio of 1:2, a prolonged I:E ratio of 1:1 would improve respiratory mechanics without reducing cardiac output (CO) during pneumoperitoneum and steep Trendelenburg positioning, both of which can impair respiratory function in robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. Furthermore, we evaluated its effect on oxygenation during robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy.Methods: Eighty patients undergoing robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy were randomly allocated to receive an I:E ratio of either 1:1 (group 1:1) or 1:2 (group 1:2). The primary endpoint, peak airway pressure (Ppeak), as well as hemodynamic data, including cardiac output (CO) and arterial oxygen tension (PaO2), were compared between groups at four time points: ten minutes after anesthesia induction (T1), 30 and 60 min after pneumoperitoneum with steep Trendelenburg positioning (T2 and T3), and ten minutes after supine positioning (T4). Overall comparisons were made between groups using linear mixed model analysis with post hoc testing of individual time points adjusted using a Bonferroni correction.Results: Linear mixed model analysis showed a significant overall difference in Ppeak between the two groups (P < 0.001). Post hoc analysis showed a significantly lower mean (SD) Ppeak in group 1:1 than in group 1:2 at T2 [28.4 (4.0) cm H2O vs 32.8 (5.2) cm H2O, respectively; mean difference, 4.3 cm H2O; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.3 to 6.4; P < 0.001] and T3 [27.8 (3.9) cm H2O vs 32.6 (5.0) cm H2O, respectively; mean difference, 4.7 cm H2O; 95% CI, 2.7 to 6.7; P < 0.001]. The CO assessed over these time points was comparable in both groups (P = 0.784). In addition, there were no significant differences in PaO2 between the two groups (P = 0.521).Conclusions: Compared with an I:E ratio of 1:2, a ratio of 1:1 lowered Ppeak without reducing CO during pneumoperitoneum and steep Trendelenburg positioning. Nevertheless, our results did not support its use solely for improving oxygenation. This trial was registered at http://clinicaltrials.gov/ (NCT01892449). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to determine whether continuous deep neuromuscular blockade (NMB) improves the surgical conditions and facilitates robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALRP) under low intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) to attenuate the increase in intraocular pressure (IOP) during CO2 pneumoperitoneum in the steep Trendelenburg (ST) position. Methods: Sixty-seven patients undergoing RALRP were randomly assigned to a moderate NMB group (Group M), including patients who received atracurium infusion until the end of the ST position, maintaining a train of four count of 1–2; and the deep NMB group (Group D), including patients who received rocuronium infusion, maintaining a post-tetanic count of 1–2. IOP was measured in all patients at nine separate time points. All RALRPs were performed by one surgeon, who rated the overall and worst surgical conditions at the end of the ST position. Results: The highest IOP value was observed at T4 (60 min after the ST position) in both Group M (23.3 ± 2.7 mmHg) and Group D (19.8 ± 2.1 mmHg). RALRP was accomplished at an IAP of 8 mmHg in 88% Group D patients and 25% Group M patients. The overall surgical condition grade was 4.0 (3.0–5.0) in Group D and 3.0 (2.0–5.0) in Group M (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The current study demonstrated that continuous deep NMB may improve surgical conditions and facilitate RALRP at a low IAP, resulting in significant attenuation of the increase on IOP. Moreover, low-pressure pneumoperitoneum, facilitated by deep NMB still provided acceptable surgical conditions. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study was to evaluate the effect of intraoperative continuous infusion of dexmedetomidine on intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients undergoing robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALRP) in the steep Trendelenburg (ST). Materials and Methods: Sixty-eight patients were randomly divided into two groups. The dexmedetomidine group (Group D, n=34) received a continuous infusion of dexmedetomidine at a rate of 0.4 μg kg−1 hour−1 from the induction of anesthesia until the end of the ST position, while the control group (Group C, n=34) received an equal volume of physiologic saline at the same rate under conventional general anesthesia with sevoflurane and remifentanil. IOP was measured at 11 predefined time points for all patients. Results: Significant differences in IOP were detected between the two groups by a linear mixed model analysis ( p<0.001). The highest mean IOP was 19.9±5.0 mm Hg in Group D and 25.7±5.0 mm Hg in Group C; both were measured 60 minutes after the patients had been placed in the ST position. No significant between-group differences in ocular perfusion pressure, mean blood pressure, or heart rate were observed between the two groups. No ocular or other complications were noted. Conclusion: Intraoperative continuous infusion of dexmedetomidine may help alleviate IOP increase in patients undergoing RALRP in the ST position. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an effective method to synthesize 15 nm magnetite nanocrystals with the morphology of square and circular nanoplates, which expose (001) facet and (111) facet, respectively. The magnetic property and electrochemical behavior towards As(III) exhibit strong facet-dependent characteristics. Theoretical calculations confirm the facet-dependent characteristics and provide the corresponding explanations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]