Search

Background: Dynamic spasticity (DS) is a common complication post-spinal cord injury (SCI), marked by intermittent increases in muscle tone during postural transitions or movement. Despite its prevalence, high-quality research on DS incidence, risk factors, and underlying mechanisms in SCI patients remains limited. With the growing application of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) for spasticity control, the role of proprioception in DS development has garnered attention. Additionally, advances in diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) allow for the analysis of the reticulospinal tract's (RST) role in postural control among SCI patients. However, the impact of microstructural changes in RST and proprioception on DS following SCI remains unclear. Objective: To investigate the relationship between microstructural changes in the RST and proprioceptive circuits in SCI patients, exploring their association with DS and potential predictive factors that influence recovery. Methods: This is a 12-month prospective cohort study. The neurophysiological and global functional status of the participants will be assessed. Primary outcomes include DTI indices of RST and proprioception, and spasticity assessment. Secondary outcomes include auditory startle reflex (ASR), H-reflex, shear wave velocity (SWV), overall functional status including spinal cord independence measure, gait analysis, modified Barthel Index, and the 36-item short form health survey. Data will be collected at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after enrolment. Matched healthy controls will be measured during the same period after recruitment. Discussion: This study is the first to explore the role of microstructural changes in the RST and proprioception in the assessment and prediction of DS following SCI. The findings aim to enhance theoretical understanding of SCS in spasticity management and to establish pre-treatment criteria for SCS interventions targeting motor function recovery in SCI. Trial registration number: ChiCTR2400090724. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate, continuous, and reliable positioning is critical to achieving autonomous driving. However, in complex urban canyon environments, the vulnerability of stand-alone sensors and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) caused by high buildings, trees, and elevated structures seriously affect positioning results. To address these challenges, a sky-view image segmentation algorithm based on a fully convolutional network (FCN) is proposed for NLOS detection in global navigation satellite systems (GNSSs). Building upon this, a novel NLOS detection and mitigation algorithm (named S−NDM) uses a tightly coupled GNSS, inertial measurement units (IMUs), and a visual feature system called Sky−GVIO with the aim of achieving continuous and accurate positioning in urban canyon environments. Furthermore, the system combines single-point positioning (SPP) with real-time kinematic (RTK) methodologies to bolster its operational versatility and resilience. In urban canyon environments, the positioning performance of the S−NDM algorithm proposed in this paper is evaluated under different tightly coupled SPP−related and RTK−related models. The results exhibit that the Sky−GVIO system achieves meter-level accuracy under the SPP mode and sub-decimeter precision with RTK positioning, surpassing the performance of GNSS/INS/Vision frameworks devoid of S−NDM. Additionally, the sky-view image dataset, inclusive of training and evaluation subsets, has been made publicly accessible for scholarly exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Given the rising burden of palliative care and the limited human resources for its facilitation in China, volunteers are becoming increasingly indispensable. In particular, there is a high demand for volunteers who can serve as spiritual caregivers. However, a volunteer's ability to provide good spiritual care in a palliative setting may be influenced by their attitude toward palliative care. To uncover the current state of spiritual caregiving in palliative settings in China and insights into best practices for its improvement, this study measured spiritual care competence and identified its influencing factors and explored its relationship with attitudes toward palliative care among volunteers. Notably, this study is the first to consider spiritual care competence alongside attitudes toward palliative care. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study using online survey methods was conducted with 385 volunteers in Shanghai, China. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Results: Volunteers demonstrated relatively low levels of spiritual care competence (58.50 ± 10.92). Statistically significant correlations were found between spiritual care competence and the following variables: age, educational background, marital status, religious beliefs, occupational status, and relevant training and practical experience. Attitude toward palliative care significantly correlated with spiritual care competence (r  = 0.49, p  < 0.001). Significance of results: To continually improve volunteers' spiritual care competence, diversified education and training programs about spiritual care should be designed for different kinds of volunteers; moreover, because attitude toward palliative care significantly impacted spiritual care competence, such programs should encourage positive attitudes toward palliative care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fish sex is largely influenced by steroid hormones, especially sex hormones. Here, we established a steroid hormone-free genetic model by mutation of cyp11a1 in Nile tilapia, which was confirmed by EIA assay. Gonadal phenotype and transcriptome analyses showed that the XX mutants displayed sex reversal from female to male but with defective spermatogenesis. Despite the sex reversal, the aromatase encoding gene cyp19a1a was continuously expressed in the gonads of the XX mutants, which might be caused by androgen deficiency. Whole-mount fluorescence in situ hybridization and transcriptome analysis showed that the gonads of the XX mutants firstly developed towards ovary but shifted to testis between 10 to 15 days after hatching. Detailed expression analysis of key sex differentiation pathway genes foxl3 and dmrt1 combined with apoptosis analysis revealed transdifferentiation of germ cells from female to male during sex reversal. Rescue experiments showed that both P5 and E2 treatment rescued the sex reversal of cyp11a1 mutant XX fish. Overall, our results revealed a transient ovary-like stage and transdifferentiation of germ cells from female to male in the early gonads of the steroid hormone-deprived cyp11a1 mutant XX fish. Revealing of a transient ovary-like stage and transdifferentiation of germ cells from female to male in the early gonads of the XX fish after steroid hormone-deprivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ZIF-8 and ZIF-67 from the zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) family were grown on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) by an in-situ growth method to prepare ZIF-8/MWCNTs (ZCNTs) and ZIF-67/MWCNTs (CCNTs) nanocomposite fillers which acted in the epoxy resin matrix. The structures of ZCNTs and CCNTs nanocomposite fillers were analyzed by SEM, XRD and FT-IR to investigate the effects of the two fillers with different contents on the dielectric properties and thermal conductivity of the epoxy resin matrix. The analysis revealed a notable discrepancy in particle size between ZIF-67 and ZIF-8, with the former being approximately 19 times larger under identical experimental conditions. Importantly, both ZCNTs/EP and CCNTs/EP composites exhibited improved thermal conductivity and thermal stability while maintaining a low dielectric constant (below 9.84 at 102 Hz) and a minimal dielectric loss (below 0.027 at 102–107 Hz). The thermal conductivities of CCNTs/EP at the same filler content were all higher than those of ZCNTs/EP, reaching a maximum at 0.3 wt.% CCNTs, which was 245% of pure EP. The findings suggest the possibility of practical applications of epoxy resin in micro-integrated circuit layers, emphasizing the potential significance of incorporating ZIF-8 and ZIF-67 with MWCNTs to enhance the thermal and dielectric properties of the composite material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myocardial infarction (MI) remains a major threat to human health due to the limited energy supply, disordered cell metabolism, massive cardiomyocyte death, and restricted regeneration. Although currently available therapies may relieve myocardial damage, restoring the dysregulated energy metabolism to normal levels has not yet been achieved. MOTS‐c has recently been identified as a regulator of biological metabolism to combat aging; however, its role in reprogramming cardiac metabolism remains to be elucidated. Here, MOTS‐c is chemically conjugated to self‐assembling Q11 peptide to fabricate an injectable hydrogel (MQgel) aimed to improve mitochondria function and cardiomyocyte metabolism post‐MI. It is observed that MQgel effectively protects mitochondria from oxidative damage and normalized cardiomyocyte metabolism, including glucose uptake, glycolysis, and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, thereby inhibiting cardiomyocyte death and enhancing cardiomyocyte activity. In a rat MI model, intramyocardial injection of MQgel successfully minimizes the infarct area and fibrosis, promotes angiogenesis, suppresses myocardial hypertrophy, and improves cardiomyocyte survival and metabolic enzyme activity, all of which collaboratively attenuate the maladaptive cardiac remodeling and boost cardiac function and tissue repair. The findings suggest that the self‐assembled mitochondria metabolism‐regulatory peptide hydrogel effectively treats MI, and cellular bioenergy modulation provides a new therapeutic approach for tissue repair after injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pressure injuries are present in all healthcare environments and not only pose a significant health risk to individuals but also impose a heavy economic burden on society and families. Nurses, as the primary caregivers responsible for the prevention and management of pressure injuries, have knowledge that directly determines the incidence of pressure injuries. Aim: To understand the current status of nurses' knowledge of pressure injuries in Shaanxi Province and the factors influencing it. Design: A cross-sectional survey. Methods: In April - May 2022, 16,599 nurses from hospitals at all levels in Shaanxi Province were selected as survey subjects by convenience sampling method. They were surveyed using the general information questionnaire and the Pieper-Zulkowski pressure injury Knowledge Questionnaire through the Questionnaire Star platform. Results: 16,599 nurses had a pressure injury knowledge score of (44.32± 10.11). Wound description and pressure ulcer staging dimensions were less than 60% correct. Comparison of pressure injury knowledge scores of nursing staff with different genders, hospital levels, titles, education, whether they were specialized nurses in wound stoma when they last attended a lecture on pressure ulcers, when they last read literature or books on pressure ulcers, and whether they ever looked for information about pressure ulcers on the Internet showed that the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05), which were the influencing factors of the knowledge scores of the nursing staff in Shaanxi Province. Conclusion: Clinical nurses' awareness of stress-related injuries still needs to be improved, and nursing administrators can improve the quality of pressure-related injury care by increasing nursing staff's awareness through continuing education, tiered training, and other measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an integral part of the overall life cycle, it is crucial to ensure equity and accessibility to palliative care services at the end of life. The knowledge of healthcare providers has a significant beneficial impact on the quality of palliative care services. This study aimed to compare the nationwide geographic distribution of healthcare providers' knowledge of palliative care at the provincial level in China and identify the possible factors associated with its geographic disparities. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in all provinces (n = 29) that implemented palliative care pilot programs in China. Data were collected online using a structured questionnaire. The possible factors associated with healthcare providers' knowledge including economy, demographics, and health, were explored by using exploratory regression and ordinary least squares. In addition, spatial autocorrelation was also examined with Moran's I, LISA, and Geographically Weighted Regression. A total of 18,272 participants from 903 health institutions in 87 palliative care pilot cities were included across 29 out of 31 provinces in China. The average knowledge score (mean ± standard deviation [SD]) was 8.61 ± 2.85. A positive spatial correlation was observed in healthcare providers' palliative care knowledge level in China. The high level of knowledge was significantly associated with fewer hospitals per 10,000 population (β = −0.384, 95% CI: −0.601 to −0.168, p = 0.001), more primary healthcare institutions per 10,000 population (β = 0.220, 95% CI: 0.032–0.407, p = 0.024), and more community health center visits (β = 0.259, 95% CI: 0.054–0.465, p = 0.016), with higher coefficients being observed in the northwest and northeast regions. This study suggested that the knowledge level of palliative care among healthcare providers nationwide was relatively low, indicating the existence of a disparity between the supply and demand of palliative care services. There may be regional disparities in palliative care services based on the substantial geographical variation in healthcare provider knowledge, emphasizing the necessity of tailored interventions targeting areas with the greatest need. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the rapid development of modern industry, oily wastewater, which contained poisonous chemicals, would cause damage to marine fishery resources, and finally threaten human health. To address this issue, we herein report a fibrous membrane for oil-water separation. Firstly, the silicone polymer was synthesized by the in situ polymerization of aminopropyl trimethoxysilane and 3-glycidyloxypropyl trimethoxysilane in a polycaprolactone (PCL) solution. Then, the silicone decorated PCL (S-PCL) fibrous membranes were then prepared via electrospinning the synthesized solution. The decorated silicone offers a good porous structure for fibrous membranes. Specifically, the decorated silicone endows the PCL fibrous membrane with a good lipophilic/hydrophobic performance with a water contact angle of 169° under oil. More importantly, the obtained fibrous membrane owned a good oil-water selectivity. The oil droplets could be spread and absorbed by the fibrous membrane in water within 5 s. Such efficient separation for oil and water mixtures, endowed by silicone, will make the PCL fibrous membrane an environmental-friendly candidate for treating oily wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immunomodulatory biomaterials are increasingly used in regenerative medicine. Biomimetic glycopeptide hydrogel is found to accelerate cutaneous wound healing by inducing macrophage M2‐type polarization, however, it is unclear whether this will possibly orchestrate a pro‐regenerative T cell immunity. Here the aim of this study is to elucidate the reparative T‐cell immune response in tissue regeneration by augmenting macrophage‐T cell crosstalk with a novel immunomodulatory glycopeptide hydrogel (termed as GRKgel) self‐assembled by mannose receptor‐binding glucomannan (GM) chemically grafted with RADA16‐conjugated T‐cell epitope. The glycopeptide can be phagocytized and processed by macrophages, which then presents peptides to naïve T cells and polarizes them into T helper 2 (TH2) cells through IL‐4‐dependent STAT6/GATA3 or c‐Maf pathways. Strikingly, full‐thickness skin wound repair in mice indicates a superior efficacy of GRKgel on restoring the pathological structure and hair follicle by provoking TH2 immune response, increasing the residence of M2 macrophages, as well as promoting angiogenesis at the local tissue environment. Furthermore, genomics results illustrates the role of GRKgel serving as an immunomodulatory niche, orchestrating immune cell crosstalk and promoting extracellular matrix (ECM) reconstruction. Collectively, this study highlights the significance of crosstalk between immune cells in evoking pro‐healing T‐cell immunity, providing a promising drug‐/cytokine‐free strategy for endogenous tissue regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an integral part of the overall life cycle, it is crucial to ensure equity and accessibility to palliative care services at the end of life. The knowledge of healthcare providers has a significant beneficial impact on the quality of palliative care services. This study aimed to compare the nationwide geographic distribution of healthcare providers' knowledge of palliative care at the provincial level in China and identify the possible factors associated with its geographic disparities. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in all provinces (n = 29) that implemented palliative care pilot programs in China. Data were collected online using a structured questionnaire. The possible factors associated with healthcare providers' knowledge including economy, demographics, and health, were explored by using exploratory regression and ordinary least squares. In addition, spatial autocorrelation was also examined with Moran's I, LISA, and Geographically Weighted Regression. A total of 18,272 participants from 903 health institutions in 87 palliative care pilot cities were included across 29 out of 31 provinces in China. The average knowledge score (mean ± standard deviation [SD]) was 8.61 ± 2.85. A positive spatial correlation was observed in healthcare providers' palliative care knowledge level in China. The high level of knowledge was significantly associated with fewer hospitals per 10,000 population (β = −0.384, 95% CI: −0.601 to −0.168, p = 0.001), more primary healthcare institutions per 10,000 population (β = 0.220, 95% CI: 0.032–0.407, p = 0.024), and more community health center visits (β = 0.259, 95% CI: 0.054–0.465, p = 0.016), with higher coefficients being observed in the northwest and northeast regions. This study suggested that the knowledge level of palliative care among healthcare providers nationwide was relatively low, indicating the existence of a disparity between the supply and demand of palliative care services. There may be regional disparities in palliative care services based on the substantial geographical variation in healthcare provider knowledge, emphasizing the necessity of tailored interventions targeting areas with the greatest need. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transcatheter intervention has been the preferred treatment for congenital structural heart diseases by implanting occluders into the heart defect site through minimally invasive access. Biodegradable polymers provide a promising alternative for cardiovascular implants by conferring therapeutic function and eliminating long‐term complications, but inducing in situ cardiac tissue regeneration remains a substantial clinical challenge. PGAG (polydioxanone/poly (l‐lactic acid)–gelatin–A5G81) occluders are prepared by covalently conjugating biomolecules composed of gelatin and layer adhesive protein‐derived peptides (A5G81) to the surface of polydioxanone and poly (l‐lactic acid) fibers. The polymer microfiber–biomacromolecule–peptide frame with biophysical and biochemical cues could orchestrate the biomaterial–host cell interactions, by recruiting endogenous endothelial cells, promoting their adhesion and proliferation, and polarizing immune cells into anti‐inflammatory phenotypes and augmenting the release of reparative cytokines. In a porcine atrial septal defect (ASD) model, PGAG occluders promote in situ tissue regeneration by accelerating surface endothelialization and regulating immune response, which mitigate inflammation and fibrosis formation, and facilitate the fusion of occluder with surrounding heart tissue. Collectively, this work highlights the modulation of cell–biomaterial interactions for tissue regeneration in cardiac defect models, ensuring endothelialization and extracellular matrix remodeling on polymeric scaffolds. Bioinspired cell–material interface offers a highly efficient and generalized approach for constructing bioactive coatings on medical devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under global warming scenarios, extreme climate events in South Asia will occur more frequently which will seriously threaten the safety of local residents. South Asia faces dual pressures of the obligation of carbon emissions reduction globally and the demand for a better life for huge populations. Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI) climate engineering provides a potential solution to this dilemma. We compared the evolution of 12 climate extreme indices under historical scenarios, two future scenarios (SSP245, SSP585) and an implementation scenario of SAI climate engineering (G6sulfur). We showed that the intensity and frequency of extreme climates under a G6sulfur scenario would be significantly higher than those under historical scenarios, and that the difference in extreme climates under three scenarios (SSP245, SSP585, and G6sulfur) would be widely varying, with some indices being considerably mitigated while others would reflect a worse set of circumstances than would be the case without SAI climate engineering. Therefore, SAI climate engineering is not an effective tool to mitigate future climate extremes in South Asia under global warming scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The treatment of myocardial infarction (MI) remains a substantial challenge due to excessive inflammation, massive cell death, and restricted regenerative potential, leading to maladaptive healing process and eventually heart failure. Current strategies of regulating inflammation or improving cardiac tissue regeneration have limited success. Herein, a hybrid hydrogel coassembled by acellular cardiac extracellular matrix (ECM) and immunomodulatory glycopeptide is developed for endogenous tissue regeneration after MI. The hydrogel constructs a niche recapitulating the architecture of native ECM for attracting host cell homing, controlling macrophage differentiation via glycopeptide unit, and promoting endotheliocyte proliferation by enhancing the macrophage‐endotheliocyte crosstalk, which coordinate the innate healing mechanism for cardiac tissue regeneration. In a rodent MI model, the hybrid hydrogel successfully orchestrates a proreparative response indicated by enhanced M2 macrophage polarization, increased angiogenesis, and improved cardiomyocyte survival, which alleviates infarct size, improves wall thicknesses, and enhances cardiac contractility. Furthermore, the safety and effectiveness of the hydrogel are demonstrated in a porcine MI model, wherein proteomics verifies the regulation of immune response, proangiogenesis, and accelerated healing process. Collectively, the injectable composite hydrogel serving as an immunomodulatory niche for promoting cell homing and proliferation, inflammation modulation, tissue remodeling, and function restoration provides an effective strategy for endogenous cardiac repair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anti‐angiogenic therapies targeting inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) pathway show clinical benefit in hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tumors. However, HCC expresses massive pro‐angiogenic factors in the tumor microenvironment (TME) in response to anti‐angiogenic therapy, recruiting tumor‐associated macrophages (TAMs), leading to revascularization and tumor progression. To regulate cell types in TME and promote the therapeutic efficiency of anti‐angiogenic therapy, a supramolecular hydrogel drug delivery system (PLDX‐PMI) co‐assembled by anti‐angiogenic nanomedicines (PCN‐Len nanoparticles (NPs)) and oxidized dextran (DX), and loaded with TAMs‐reprogramming polyTLR7/8a nanoregulators (p(Man‐IMDQ) NRs) is developed for orthotopic liver cancer therapy. PCN‐Len NPs target tyrosine kinases of vascular endothelial cells and blocked VEGFR signaling pathway. p(Man‐IMDQ) NRs repolarize pro‐angiogenic M2‐type TAMs into anti‐angiogenic M1‐type TAMs via mannose‐binding receptors, reducing the secretion of VEGF, which further compromised the migration and proliferation of vascular endothelial cells. On highly malignant orthotopic liver cancer Hepa1‐6 model, it is found that a single administration of the hydrogel formulation significantly decreases tumor microvessel density, promotes tumor vascular network maturation, and reduces M2‐subtype TAMs, thereby effectively inhibiting tumor progression. Collectively, findings in this work highlight the great significance of TAMs reprogramming in enhancing anti‐angiogenesis treatment for orthotopic HCC, and provides an advanced hydrogel delivery system‐based synergistic approach for tumor therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Low temperature and abscisic acid (ABA) are the two main factors that induce anthocyanin synthesis; however, their potential relationships in governing anthocyanin biosynthesis in Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) seedlings remains unclear. Our study revealed the involvement of the transcription factor SlAREB1 in the low‐temperature response of tomato seedlings via the ABA‐dependent pathway, for a specific temperature range. The overexpression of SlAREB1 enhanced the expression of anthocyanin‐related genes and the accumulation of anthocyanins, especially under low‐temperature conditions, whereas silencing SlAREB1 dramatically reduced gene expression and anthocyanin accumulation. There is a direct interaction between SlAREB1 and the promoters of SlDFR and SlF3′5′H, which are structural genes that impact anthocyanin biosynthesis. SlAREB1 can regulate anthocyanins through controlling SlDFR and SlF3′5′H expression. Accordingly, SlAREB1 takes charge of regulating anthocyanin biosynthesis in tomato seedlings via the ABA‐dependent pathway at low temperatures. Significance Statement: Temperature and abscisic acid are two important factors inducing anthocyanin biosynthesis, but usually they have been studied independently in the past. In our experiment, we found that SlAREB1, an important transcription factor of the ABA‐dependent signaling pathway, is involved in low‐temperature‐induced anthocyanin biosynthesis, thereby improving our understanding of this regulatory network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hospice and palliative care nursing (HPCN) in China is mainly available at public primary care institutions, where nursing homes (NHs) are rarely involved. Nursing assistants (NAs) play an essential role in HPCN multidisciplinary teams, but little is known about their attitudes towards HPCN and related factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed to evaluate NAs' attitudes towards HPCN with an indigenised scale in Shanghai. A total of 165 formal NAs were recruited from 3 urban and 2 suburban NHs between October 2021 and January 2022. The questionnaire was composed of four parts: demographic characteristics, attitudes (20 items with four sub-concepts), knowledge (nine items), and training needs (nine items). Descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, and multiple linear regression were performed to analyse NAs' attitudes, influencing factors, and their correlations. Results: A total of 156 questionnaires were valid. The mean score of attitudes was 72.44 ± 9.56 (range:55–99), with a mean item score of 3.6 ± 0.5 (range:1–5). The highest score rate was "perception of the benefits for the life quality promotion" (81.23%), and the lowest score rate was "perception of the threats from the worsening conditions of advanced patients" (59.92%). NAs' attitudes towards HPCN were positively correlated with their knowledge score (r = 0.46, P < 0.01) and training needs (r = 0.33, P < 0.01). Marital status (β = 0.185), previous training experience (β = 0.201), location of NHs (β = 0.193), knowledge (β = 0.294), and training needs (β = 0.157) for HPCN constituted significant predictors of attitudes (P < 0.05), which explained 30.8% of the overall variance. Conclusion: NAs' attitudes towards HPCN were moderate, but their knowledge should be improved. Targeted training is highly recommended to improve the participation of positive and enabled NAs and to promote high-quality universal coverage of HPCN in NHs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Acupuncture can improve symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but the potential mechanisms remain undefined. So, we aimed to explore the behavioral improvement of autism rat model after acupuncture and to describe the potential molecular mechanism underlying these changes. Patients and Methods: Wistar rats were intraperitoneally injected with VPA 12.5 days after conception, and their offspring were considered as good models of autism. Experimental rats were divided into three groups (wild-type (WT), n = 10; VPA, n = 10; and VPA_acupuncture, n = 10). VPA_acupuncture group rat received 4 weeks of acupuncture treatment (Shéntíng (GV24), and Bilateral Běnshén (GB13)) on the 23rd day after birth. All rats were subjected to behavioral tests, including social interaction, open field, and Morris water maze tests. Afterwards, hippocampal tissues (left side) were removed and subjected to RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis; ELISA was also used to detect the associated serotonin levels in the hippocampus. Results: Behavioral tests showed that acupuncture treatment improved spontaneous activity, aberrant social interaction, and alleviated impaired learning and memory in the VPA-induced rat model. Differentially expressed genes (DGEs) analysis showed 142 significantly differentially expressed genes between WT and VPA groups, and 282 between VPA and VPA_acupuncture rats. Htr2c and Htr1a, 5-HT receptor genes, were up-regulated in the VPA group compared with WT group. Additionally, Tph1, a rate-limiting enzyme gene of 5-HT synthesis, was up-regulated after acupuncture. These genes were confirmed to have the same trend of expression obtained by RT-qPCR and RNA seq. Furthermore, the concentration of serotonin in the hippocampus in the VPA group was significantly lower than the WT and VPA_acupuncture groups. Conclusion: Acupuncture improved abnormal behavioral symptoms in the VPA-induced rat model. Further experiments showed that the improvement of the serotonin system may be one of the main regulatory mechanisms of acupuncture for treating ASD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a response to a letter regarding an article titled "Analysis of the Current Status of Nurses' Knowledge of Pressure Injuries and Factors Influencing It in Shaanxi Province, China: A Cross-Sectional Study." The authors address three points raised by the reader. Firstly, they explain that the study only involved one phase, so a flow chart was not necessary. Secondly, they clarify that statistical values were not included in Table 1 because the data was large enough to show significant differences. Lastly, they discuss the use of convenience sampling and acknowledge its limitations, but state that they will consider stratified sampling in future studies. The authors also appreciate the reader's suggestions for future research and express their gratitude for the valuable guidance provided. The study was supported by the National Health and Wellness Commission Hospital Quality of Care (Evidence-Based) Management Research Program and the authors declare no conflicts of interest. [Extracted from the article]

State-of-charge (SOC) estimation of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries with good accuracy is of critical importance for battery management systems. For the model-based methods, the electrochemical model has been widely used due to its accuracy and ability to describe the internal behaviors of the battery. However, the uncertainty of parameters and the lack of correction from voltage also induce errors during long-time calculation. This paper proposes a particle filter (PF) based method to estimate Li-ion batteries' SOC using electrochemical model, with sensitive parameter identification achieved using the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. First, a single particle model with electrolyte dynamics (SPME) is used in this work to reduce the computational burden of the battery electrochemical model, whose sensitive parameters are selected through the elementary effect test. Then, the representative sensitive parameters, which are difficult to measure directly, are adjusted by PSO for a high efficiency. Finally, a model-based SOC estimation framework is constructed with PF to achieve accurate Li-ion battery SOC. Compared with extended Kalman filter and equivalent circuit model, the proposed method shows high accuracy under three different driving cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe hydronephrosis increases the risk of urinary tract infection and irretrievable renal fibrosis. While TGFβ1-mediated fibrotic changes in proximal tubular epithelial cells and fatty acid oxidation (FAO) deregulation contribute to renal fibrosis and hydronephrosis. Firstly, a few elements were analyzed in this paper, including differentially-expressed long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and miRNAs correlated to CPT1A, RXRA, and NCOA1. This paper investigated TGFβ1 effects on lncRNA FABP5P3, CPT1A, RXRA, and NCOA1 expression and fibrotic changes in HK-2 cells and FABP5P3 overexpression effects on TGFβ1-induced changes. Moreover, this paper predicted and proved that miR-22 binding to lncRNA FABP5P3, 3'UTR of CPT1A, RXRA, and NCOA1 was validated. The dynamic effects of the FABP5P3/miR-22 axis on TGFβ1-induced changes were investigated. A Renal fibrosis model was established in unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) mice, and FABP5P3 effects were investigated. Eventually, this paper concluded that TGFβ1 inhibited lncRNA FABP5P3, CPT1A, RXRA, and NCOA1 expression, induced fibrotic changes in HK-2 cells, and induced metabolic reprogramming within HK-2 cells, especially lower FAO. FABP5P3 overexpression partially reversed TGFβ1-induced changes. miR-22 targeted lncRNA FABP5P3, CPT1A, RXRA, and NCOA1. LncRNA FABP5P3 counteracted miR-22 inhibition of CPT1A, NCOA1, and RXRA through competitive binding. TGFβ1 stimulation induced the activation of TGFβ/SMAD and JAG/Notch signaling pathways; Nocth2 knockdown reversed TGFβ1 suppression on lncRNA FABP5P3. FABP5P3 overexpression attenuated renal fibrosis in unilateral ureteral obstruction mice. The LncRNA FABP5P3/miR-22 axis might be a potent target for improving the FAO deregulation and fibrotic changes in proximal TECs under TGFβ1 stimulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This correction notice addresses an error in the graphics of an article titled "The comparison of spatial patterns and factors associated with healthcare provider knowledge in palliative care in various regions of China." The figures related to Figures 2 and 3 were mistakenly interchanged. The corrected figures show the spatial distribution of healthcare provider knowledge of palliative care and the local spatial autocorrelation clustering phenomenon of healthcare provider knowledge of palliative care. The original article has been corrected. [Extracted from the article]

Time delay-based the 5th Generation Mobile Communication Technology (5G) positioning is a main method to perform high-precision positioning in Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) denied areas. However, in practical applications, the occlusion of signals in a complex environment results in few observable base stations, which affects the reliability and accuracy of positioning. The aim of this study is to improve the performance of the 5G positioning in complex environments with an insufficient number of observable base stations. First, the Angle of Departure (AOD) capability of multi-antennas is integrated into Multi-Round-Trip-Time (Multi-RTT) positioning, establishing a novel 5G RTT/AOD positioning model. Then, the influencing factors of positioning performance, including the Dilution of Precision (DOP) and the accuracy of the AOD measurements, is analyzed. The relationship between DOP and RTT/AOD positioning accuracy is deduced. Afterwards, simulation experiments are performed on 5G positioning with the Multi-RTT and RTT/AOD methods in two scenarios with good and complex environments. The theoretical analysis and experimental results show that 5G positioning with the RTT/AOD method increases the horizontal and vertical accuracies by approximately 25 and 65%, respectively, compared with the Multi-RTT method. The positioning reliability is also greatly improved. The proposed model can well solve the inefficiency of 5G positioning with the RTT method in scenarios where the number of base stations is less than three. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of the booming industry, the leaked oily wastewater has seriously threatened human health and the ecological environment. To address this issue, we herein report a composite membrane for oil–water separation. Firstly, a silicone semi-interpenetrated network (IPN) was synthesized by the in situ polymerization of aminopropyl trimethoxysilane and vinyl trimethoxysilane in a polylactic acid (PLA) solution. Then, the PLA@silicone semi-IPN fibrous membranes were obtained via electrospinning the synthesized solution. The silicone semi-IPN offers adjustable inner morphologies and a good porous structure for fibrous membranes. Specifically, the PLA@silicone semi-IPN fibrous membrane shows an outstanding oil-absorbing value of 83.9 g/g and a good lipophilic/hydrophobic performance with a contact angle of 158.7°. More importantly, the obtained fibrous membrane owned a good oil–water selectivity. The oil droplets could be spread and absorbed by the fibrous membrane in water within 2.2 s. Such efficient separation for oil and water mixtures will make the PLA@silicone semi-IPN fibrous membrane a good candidate for oil-polluted water treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of glucocorticoids in oogenesis remains to be elucidated. cyp11c1 encodes the key enzyme involved in the synthesis of cortisol, the major glucocorticoid in teleosts. In our previous study, we mutated cyp11c1 in tilapia and analyzed its role in spermatogenesis. In this study, we analyzed its role in oogenesis. cyp11c1+/− XX tilapia showed normal ovarian morphology but poor egg quality, as indicated by the mortality of embryos before 3 d post fertilization, which could be partially rescued by the supplement of exogenous cortisol to the mother fish. Transcriptome analyses revealed reduced expression of maternal genes in the eggs of the cyp11c1+/− XX fish. The cyp11c1−/− females showed impaired vitellogenesis and arrested oogenesis due to significantly decreased serum cortisol. Further analyses revealed decreased serum E2 level and expression of amh, an important regulator of follicular cell development, and increased follicular cell apoptosis in the ovaries of cyp11c1−/− XX fish, which could be rescued by supplement of either exogenous cortisol or E2. Luciferase assays revealed a direct regulation of cortisol and E2 on amh transcription via GRs or ESRs. Taken together, our results demonstrate that cortisol safeguards oogenesis by promoting follicular cell survival probably via Amh signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abdominal adhesion is a common complication after surgery, which causes pain to patient and increases the risks of reoperation. Electrospinning polyester membrane serving as a physical barrier is used for preventing abdominal adhesion; however, the efficacy is limited due to the lacking of bioactivity necessary for antiadhesion. Here, hydrophobic poly(l‐lactide‐co‐caprolactone) (PLCL) electrospinning membranes are hydrophilized with photo‐crosslinked methacrylic anhydride gelatin (GelMA) hydrogel for postoperative abdominal adhesion prevention. The composite membranes show fibrous network architecture, good cytocompatibility, and hydrophilicity than commercial poly(d,l‐lactide acid) (PDLLA) film. Importantly, the composite membrane provides superior antiadhesion effect over PLCL membrane alone or commercial PDLLA film, against abdominal wall–cecum adhesion models in Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. The underlying mechanism is that PLCL/GelMA membrane successfully promotes the secretion of matrix metalloproteinases 9 (MMP‐9) that can reduce the collagen deposition in extracellular matrix (ECM). Furthermore, the composite membrane significantly upregulates the expression of tissue‐type plasminogen activator (t‐PA) and downregulates the production of plasminogen activator inhibitor‐1 (PAI‐1), leading to the activation of fibrinolytic system, which inhibits the formation of adhesive tissues. Collectively, gelatinized PLCL electrospun membrane is a promising bioactive barrier for preventing postsurgery abdominal adhesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Erasure codes have been widely considered as a promising solution to enhance data reliability at low storage costs. However, in modern geo-distributed storage systems, erasure codes may incur high data access latency as they require data retrieval from multiple remote storage nodes. This hinders the extensive application of erasure codes to data-intensive applications. This paper proposes novel caching schemes to achieve low latency in distributed coded storage systems. Assuming that future data popularity and network latency information are available, an offline caching scheme is proposed to explore the optimal caching solution for low latency. The proposed scheme categorizes all feasible caching decisions into a set of cache partitions, and then obtains the optimal caching decision through market clearing price for each cache partition. Furthermore, guided by the optimal scheme, an online caching scheme is proposed according to the measured data popularity and network latency information in real time, without the need to completely override the existing caching decisions. Both theoretical analysis and experiment results demonstrate that the online scheme can approximate the offline optimal scheme well with dramatically reduced computation complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pregnancy with pulmonary hypertension (PH) seriously threatens the life and safety of mothers and infants. Here, the long-term effect of maternal PH on the postpartum growth of rat offspring was focused for the first time, as well as explored the role of Myadm in PH rats before pregnancy based upon the previous findings. Patients with PH are prone to hypoxemia, leading to insufficient placental structure and function, which affects the organ function of fetuses, followed by evidence that differently expressed genes (DEGs) existed in the heart of maternal PH newborn rats and enriched in pathways related to cardiac and nerve development on human infants with similar birth outcome: low birth weight (LBW). LBW was one of the possible birth outcomes of pregnancy with PH, especially severe PH, accompanied by evidence that offspring derived from mothers with PH presented lower birth weights and slower growth rates than those derived from normal control mothers in a rat model. Besides, maternal PH rat offspring showed cardiac remodeling and a significant elevation of the expression levels of hypoxia- and inflammation-related markers in the cerebral cortex at both 10 and 14 weeks of age, respectively. What is more, the previous studies found that the overexpression of Myadm could result in the remodeling of the pulmonary artery. And targeting Myadm to intervene PH before pregnancy could alleviate sustained low weight growth in maternal PH rat offspring, and the pathological changes of the cardiac–cerebral system caused by maternal PH, including enlarged right heart cavity, loss of cardiomyocytes, abnormal heart index, as well as cerebral cortex hypoxia and the inflammatory state as they grew up to a certain extent. The findings show the pathological significance of maternal PH on offspring growth and the cardiac–cerebral development in a rat model, as well as point out the potential treatment target, which may provide a further reference for pregnancy outcomes in women with PH and healthy development of offspring to some extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We recently identified oncologic miR-182 as a new regulator of pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH) that targets myeloid-associated differentiation marker (Myadm), which is expressed in bone marrow stem cells and multipotent progenitors. Both miR-182 and Myadm are expressed in the cardiopulmonary system and correlated with the balance between the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) and the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signalling pathways, which are disturbed in PAH. We hypothesize that miR-182/Myadm are involved in BMP-TGF-β-signalling way in PAH. Hypoxia triggered pathological progression in cardiopulmonary PAH in vivo and in vitro; these changes were accompanied by strongly dowregulated BMP/SMAD1/5/8 expression and enhanced TGF-β/SMAD2/3 signalling pathway, favouring SMAD4/SMAD2 transcript formation and inhibiting the PAH negative regulator Id1 expression. miR-182 gain-of-function significantly inhibited the pathological progression in hypoxia-induced PAH (HPH) in vivo and in vitro, with a restoration of the balance in BMP-TGF-β signalling pathway. This recovery was abrogated by overexpression of Myadm. Conversely, loss-of-function of miR-182 increased the pathological progression of HPH followed by severe disturbance of BMP and TGF-β signal transduction and reduced Id1 expression, which was restored by Myadm knockdown. We also showed that the miR-182/Myadm relate BMP-TGF-β pathway is associated with NOS3/NO/cGMP via the crosstalk between endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells. Our findings further support the therapeutic significance of miR-182/Myadm in PAH via the balance of BMP- and TGF-β-associated mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultra-dense networking (UDN) is a promising technology to improve the network capacity in the next-generation mobile communication system. The virtualization paradigm is tightly integrated into UDN to address the problem of interference management. However, mobility management based on virtual cells meets significant challenges in UDN due to the frequent handovers and massive signaling overhead. These problems become severe for vehicles owing to their high-speed movement. In this paper, driven by trajectory prediction using a real-world vehicle mobility dataset, we propose a proactive mobility management solution based on virtual cells. Four modules are designed in the centralized Software-Defined Networking controller to support the proposed solution. The proposed LSTM-DR framework predicts the next locations of vehicles by integrating Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks and Dead Reckoning (DR) method. The active gNBs selection algorithm selects the serving gNBs to form virtual cells according to predicted locations and mobility preferences. The corresponding signaling procedure is then carefully designed to further reduce the signaling overhead. Simulation results show that the proposed prediction framework can achieve higher accuracy and robustness in trajectory prediction. The proposed proactive solution reduces the handover frequency and handover failure rate and thereby saves the handover signaling overhead significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In geo-distributed cloud storage systems, data replication has been widely used to serve the ever more users around the world for high data reliability and availability. How to optimize the data replica placement has become one of the fundamental problems to reduce the inter-node traffic and the system overhead of accessing associated data items. In the big data era, traditional solutions may face the challenges of long running time and large overheads to handle the increasing scale of data items with time-varying user requests. Therefore, novel offline community discovery and online community adjustment schemes are proposed to solve the replica placement problem in a scalable and adaptive way. The offline scheme can find a replica placement solution based on the average read/write rates for a certain period of time. The scalability can be achieved as 1) the computation complexity is linear to the amount of data items and 2) the data-node communities can evolve in parallel for a distributed replica placement. Furthermore, the online scheme is adaptive to handle the bursty data requests, without the need to completely override the existing replica placement. Driven by real-world data traces, extensive performance evaluations demonstrate the effectiveness of our design to handle large-scale datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the observation of giant negative anisotropic magnetoresistance and planar Hall effect in superconducting topological insulator Sr0.06Bi2Se3. It is found that giant anisotropic magnetoresistance and planar Hall effect with non-zero transverse voltage are developed by tilting the in-plane magnetic field away from the direction of the electrical current. Quantitative analyses of the measured data suggest that the observed anisotropic magnetoresistance and planar Hall effect originate from the chiral anomaly behavior of the material. The large anisotropic magnetoresistance and planar Hall effect demonstrate that this material has potential to be utilized in magnetoresistive devices with low power consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dielectric composites made using two kinds of poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE)] (70/30 and 80/20 mol%) as polymer matrices and nickel particles coated carbon nanotubes (Ni-CNTs) as filler were developed via solution-processed method. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated good compatibility and dispersion of Ni-CNTs in the P(VDF-TrFE) matrix. Ni-CNTs/P(VDF-TrFE) composites exhibited high dielectric constants with low dielectric losses. The maximum dielectric constants of Ni-CNTs/P(VDF-TrFE) composites of 198 and 185 at 100 Hz were obtained at 18.0 wt% Ni-CNTs loading, respectively. The incorporation of Ni-CNTs in the P(VDF-TrFE) matrix resulted in enhanced thermal conductivity. The highest values, obtained at 18.0 wt% Ni-CNTs loading, were 1.05 and 1.03 W/m K, respectively. Although there were no very obvious difference, the dielectric properties and thermal conductivity of Ni-CNTs/P(VDF-TrFE) 70/30 mol% composites were slightly better to those of Ni-CNTs/P(VDF-TrFE) 80/20 mol% composites in many cases. The aforementioned results suggest that these high-performance composites hold great promise for application in electrical and electronic field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We perform a systematic investigation on the effects of Ba and La doping on the lattice and transport properties of SrIrO, which is theoretically predicted to be a host compound of high-temperature superconductivity. We observe a drastic straightening of the Ir-O-Ir bond angle in the Ba-doped samples. The straightening of the bond angle is much weaker in the La-doped samples. It is found that the La doping leads to the introduction of electron-type charge carriers, while the charge carrier concentration does not change too much in the Ba-doped samples. As a result, both the resistivity and the magnetic moments decrease much faster in the La-doped samples, compared to those in the Ba-doped samples. The present results suggest that it is the charge carrier density rather than the Ir-O-Ir bond angle that dominates the magnetic and transport properties of the SrIrO system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and graphene nanoplatelet (GNP) was introduced into poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) via a solution blending process, and a series of PVDF/PMMA/GNP composites were obtained. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) micrographs of the composite with 4 wt% GNP loading showed that GNP randomly dispersed and partly arranged parallel to each other in the matrix. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy results and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed the increasing percentage of β- and γ-phase PVDF crystals in the composites with increasing the GNP contents. The frequency dependent electrical conductivity and dielectric properties of composites have been performed in the range of 10 − 10 Hz which obeyed the percolation theory. Dielectric constant and dielectric loss of composites increased with increasing GNP contents in the all frequency region. A dielectric constant of ~148 and dielectric loss of ~0.3 was observed at 10 Hz with 4 wt% of GNP loading, which is near the percolation threshold. Meanwhile, the thermal conductivity reached up to 0.84 W/m K for PVDF/PMMA/GNP composites with 4 wt% of GNP loading. An approch was provided to develop a variety of highly thermally conductive dielectric materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To evaluate the treatment of primary pulmonary NK/ T cell lymphoma. Method A case report and review of the literature. The tissue material was obtained by transbronchial biopsy, and the diagnosis was confirmed by pathology. He received five cycles of chemotherapy with L-asparaginase-based regimen. Result He remained complete remission for 2 years following the initial diagnosis. Conclusion Primary pulmonary NK/ T cell lymphoma is an aggressive disease. It is usually associated with poor outcome in the literature. L-asparaginase based regimen was effective for our newly diagnosed patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/hydroxylated multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs-OH) nanocomposites are prepared via solution blending and hot-press processing. The structure, morphology, crystallization behavior and dielectric properties of nanocomposites are studied. The results show that the crystallization of PVDF is affected by PMMA and MWNTs-OH. With the introduction of PMMA and increment of MWNTs-OH, the content of polar phase in PVDF increases. The dependence of the dielectric properties of the nanocomposites on both volume fraction of the fillers and frequency is investigated. The percolation threshold of the nanocomposite, 2.79 vol.% (volume fraction), is much lower than that of the common two phase particle-polymer composite. A dielectric constant of over 300 is observed at 10 Hz with 3.12 vol.% of MWNTs-OH, which is near the percolation threshold. Large enhancements of the conductivity and loss tangent are also observed near the percolation threshold. The results can be explained by the percolation theory and nanocapacitor model theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Composites consisting of polyurethane (PU)/carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been successfully prepared by solution mixing method. CNTs were modified through mechano-chemical reaction to increase the compatibility with PU via hydrogen bondings. SEM microphotographs proved that modified CNTs (M-CNTs) became shorter and FTIR spectra showed that hydroxyl groups had been introduced to the surface of M-CNTs. SEM images of PU/M-CNTs composites also proved that M-CNTs were effectively dispersed in PU matrix. Mechanical property tests showed that addition of M-CNTs could significantly improve the tensile properties of PU/M-CNTs composite (breaking strength enhancement ratio for composite with 5.0 wt% M-CNTs was 103.81 %). The thermal stability of composites with M-CNTs was also improved. The initial degradation temperature enhancement was 19.9 oC for the composite with 0.5 wt% M-CNTs. Electrical property tests showed that the electrical properties were improved by adding M-CNTs. The volume conductivities increased 3 and 5 orders of magnitude for the composites with 5.0 wt% and 10 wt% M-CNTs, respectively. The addition of M-CNTs had little effect on the elastic properties of the composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although pituitary adenomas are histologically benign, they are often accompanied by multiple complications, such as cardiovascular disease and metabolic dysfunction. In the present study, we repositioned the Food and Drug Administration -approved immune regulator tamoxifen to target STAT6 based on the genomics analysis of PAs. Tamoxifen inhibited the proliferation of GH3 and AtT-20 cells with respective IC50 values of 9.15 and 7.52 μM and increased their apoptotic rates in a dose-dependent manner. At the molecular level, tamoxifen downregulated phosphorylated PI3K, phosphorylated AKT and the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 and increased the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins p53 and Bax in GH3 and AtT-20 cells. Furthermore, tamoxifen also inhibited the migration of both cell lines by reprogramming tumor-associated macrophages to the M1 phenotype through STAT6 inactivation and inhibition of the macrophage-specific immune checkpoint SHP1/SHP. Finally, administration of tamoxifen (20, 50, 100 mg·kg−1·d−1, for 21 days) inhibited the growth of pituitary adenomas xenografts in nude mice in a dose-dependent manner. Taken together, tamoxifen is likely to be a promising combination therapy for pituitary adenomas and should be investigated further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diethylene glycol and dibutyl tin dilaurate were used to degrade polyurethane fiber waste in this paper. The glycolysis products were separated into two phases including white solid and brown liquid by a freezing process. The chemical structure and thermal property of the purified solid product were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer,1H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The solid product was mainly polytetrahydrofuran. The analysis of the liquid product was carried out by FTIR and high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS). The liquid phase included various components such as aromatic amine, diethylene glycol-propylene diamine compound and so on. The glycolysis mechanism of polyurethane fiber waste is also discussed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]