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MXene-based Zn-ion capacitors (ZICs) with adsorption-type and battery-type electrodes demonstrate high energy storage and anti-self-discharge capabilities, potentially being paired with triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) to construct self-powered systems. Nevertheless, inadequate interlayer spacing, deficient active sites, and compact self-restacking of MXene flakes pose hurdles for MXene-based ZICs, limiting their applications. Herein, black phosphorus (BP)-Zn-MXene hybrid is formulated for MXene-based ZIC via a two-step molecular engineering strategy of Zn-ion pre-intercalation and BP nanosheet assembly. Zn ions as intercalators induce cross-linking of MXene flakes with expandable interlayer spacing to serve as scaffolds for BP nanosheets, thereby providing sufficient accessible active sites and efficient migration routes for enhanced Zn-ion storage. The density functional theory calculations affirm that zinc adsorption and diffusion kinetics are significantly improved in the hybrid. A wearable ZIC with the hybrid delivers a competitive areal energy of 426.3 µWh cm -2 and ultra-low self-discharge rate of 7.0 mV h -1 , achieving remarkable electrochemical matching with TENGs in terms of low energy loss, matched capacity, and fast Zn-ion storage. The resultant self-powered system efficiently collects and stores energy from human motion to power microelectronics. This work advances the Zn-ion storage of MXene-based ZICs and their synergy with TENG in self-powered systems., (© 2024 The Author(s). Advanced Science published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

The construction of stable hierarchical surfaces through structural engineering is the key to improve reactive active sites and cycle stability to achieve high cycle performance of supercapacitors (SCs). In this work, the NiCo-LDH nanoflower as a structure guide agent was used to support NiCoB nanosheets to form a dense and stable hierarchical structure, thereby exposing more active sites and improving cycle stability. Due to the hierarchical stable surface structure, the NiCoB-0.3@NiCo-LDH-30 electrode has an excellent specific capacitance of 2710F g -1 at 1 A/g due to the excellent electrochemical active surface area (1259 mF cm -2 ), improving the OH - diffusion coefficient (2.4 × 10 -9 cm 2 s -1 ) and decreasing ionic diffusion barrier. After 5000 cycles, NiCoB-0.3@NiCo-LDH-30 electrode still has 92.6 % initial specific capacitance. In order to balance the energy density decrease caused by the capacitance imbalance between positive and negative electrodes, the cubed carbon (Co-C) derived from cobalt metal organic frameworks (Co-MOFs) as cathode with a good specific capacitance of 220F g -1 at 1 A/g is prepared. The assembled NiCoB-0.3@NiCo-LDH-30//Co-C hybrid SCs (HSCs), which are assembled with NiCoB-0.3@NiCo-LDH-30 electrode as anode and Co-C electrode as cathode, displays an energy density of 75 Wh kg -1 at a power density of 741 W kg -1 ., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Owing to the quantum size effect and high redox activity, quantum dots (QDs) play very essential roles toward electrochemical energy storage. However, it is very difficult to obtain different types and uniformly dispersed high-active QDs in a stable conductive microenvironment, because QDs prepared by traditional methods are mostly dissolved in solution or loaded on the surface of other semiconductors. Herein, dual-type semiconductor QDs (Co 9 S 8 and CdS) are skillfully constructed within the interlayer of ultrathin-layered double hydroxides. In particular, the expandable interlayer provides a very suitable confined space for the growth and uniform dispersion of QDs, where Co 9 S 8 originates from in situ transformation of cobalt atoms in laminate and CdS is generated from interlayer pre-embedding Cd 2+ . Meanwhile, XAFS and GGA+U calculations are employed to explore and prove the mechanism of QDs formation and energy storage characteristics as compared to surface loading QDs. Significantly, the hybrid supercapacitors achieve a high energy density of 329.2 µWh cm -2 , capacitance retention of 99.1%, and coulomb efficiency of 96.9% after 22 000 cycles, which is superior to the reported QDs-based supercapacitors. These findings provide unique insights for designing and developing stable, ordered, and highly active QDs., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

BACKGROUND One-lung ventilation is the separation of the lungs by mechanical methods to allow ventilation of only one lung, particularly when there is pathology in the other lung. This retrospective study from a single center aimed to compare 49 patients undergoing thoracoscopic cardiac surgery using one-lung ventilation with 48 patients undergoing thoracoscopic cardiac surgery with median thoracotomy. MATERIAL AND METHODS This single-center retrospective study analyzed patients who underwent thoracoscopic cardiac surgery based on one-lung ventilation (experimental group, n=49). Other patients undergoing a median thoracotomy cardiac operation were defined as the comparison group (n=48). The oxygenation index and the mechanical ventilation time were also recorded. RESULTS There was no significant difference in the immediate oxygenation index between the experimental group and comparison group (P>0.05). There was no significant difference for the oxygenation index between men and women in both groups (P>0.05). The cardiopulmonary bypass time significantly affected the oxygenation index (F=7.200, P=0.009). Operation methods (one-lung ventilation thoracoscopy or median thoracotomy) affected postoperative ventilator use time (F=8.337, P=0.005). Cardiopulmonary bypass time (F=16.002, P<0.001) and age (F=4.384, P=0.039) had significant effects on ventilator use time. There was no significant effect of sex (F=0.75, P=0.389) on ventilator use time. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicated that one-lung ventilation thoracoscopic cardiac surgery did not affect the immediate postoperative oxygenation index; however, cardiopulmonary bypass time did significantly affect the immediate postoperative oxygenation index. Also, one-lung ventilation thoracoscopic cardiac surgery had a shorter postoperative mechanical ventilation use time than did traditional median thoracotomy cardiac surgery.

The introduction of new internal fixation devices and arthroscopic techniques has led to significant changes in the surgical treatment of tibial eminence fractures (TEFs) in children. In recent years, arthroscopic surgery has arisen as the gold standard for the treatment of TEFs. This popularity of arthroscopic techniques has reduced surgical complications and improved patient prognosis. In this paper, we investigate the current situation of the use of arthroscopic fixation techniques for pediatric TEFs. We searched the PubMed database using the terms "arthroscopic treatment and tibial eminence," "arthroscopic treatment and tibial spine," "tibial eminence avulsion", "tibial spine fracture", with no limit on the year of publication. From these articles, we reviewed the use of various arthroscopic TEFs fixation techniques reported in the current literature. Overall, we found that the choice of fixation method seems to have no effect on clinical outcomes or imaging results. However, if an easy, strong fixation that is less prone to epiphyseal damage is desired, as a junior practitioner, the anchor technique should be mastered first, whereas for senior practitioners, a variety of fixation techniques for TEFs should be mastered, including anchors, sutures, and screws, so that personalized fixation can be achieved with the least amount of trauma, operative time, and complications. Higher quality studies are needed in the future to provide Useful evidence to determine the optimal fixation technique in terms of clinical outcomes, function, and complications., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2024 Li, Huang, Yang, Luo, Li, Ye, Lu, Zhang and You.)

Achieving flexible electronics with comfort and durability comparable to traditional textiles is one of the ultimate pursuits of smart wearables. Ink printing is desirable for e-textile development using a simple and inexpensive process. However, fabricating high-performance atop textiles with good dispersity, stability, biocompatibility, and wearability for high-resolution, large-scale manufacturing, and practical applications has remained challenging. Here, water-based multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)-decorated liquid metal (LM) inks are proposed with carbonaceous gallium-indium micro-nanostructure. With the assistance of biopolymers, the sodium alginate-encapsulated LM droplets contain high carboxyl groups which non-covalently crosslink with silk sericin-mediated MWCNTs. E-textile can be prepared subsequently via printing technique and natural waterproof triboelectric coating, enabling good flexibility, hydrophilicity, breathability, wearability, biocompatibility, conductivity, stability, and excellent versatility, without any artificial chemicals. The obtained e-textile can be used in various applications with designable patterns and circuits. Multi-sensing applications of recognizing complex human motions, breathing, phonation, and pressure distribution are demonstrated with repeatable and reliable signals. Self-powered and energy-harvesting capabilities are also presented by driving electronic devices and lighting LEDs. As proof of concept, this work provides new opportunities in a scalable and sustainable way to develop novel wearable electronics and smart clothing for future commercial applications., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective: Currently, there is no simple and valid method to predict the length and size of the native anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in each adult patient who will undergo ACL reconstruction. This study aimed to develop an imaging prediction method that can predict the length and size of ACL grafts using the intact posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), in order to enhance the graft preparation individualized sizing., Methods: Three hundred and nineteen patients aged 18 years or older who underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the knee at an orthopaedic clinic between September 9, 2021, and February 5, 2023, were included. The length, sagittal diameter, and coronal diameter of the ACL and PCL were measured in all patients, and F-test were performed to explore linear relationship between ligament measurements., Results: Equations were established to predict a variable of the native ACL for the corresponding variable of the intact PCL (i.e., sagittal diameter of the ACL = 4.32 + 1.08 × sagittal diameter of the PCL, and coronal diameter of the ACL = 2.45 + 0.59 × coronal diameter of the PCL, length of the male ACL = 10.92 + 0.64 × length of the male PCL, length of the female ACL = 11.76 + 0.58 × length of the female PCL) (R 2  = 0.532; R 2  = 0.417; R 2  = 0.488; R 2  = 0.509; respectively)., Conclusions: The length and size of the intact PCL in cases without PCL buckling are predictors of the length and size of the native ACL in adults, respectively. The use of this information to optimize graft diameter may lower the rates of ACL graft failure in the future., (© 2024 The Authors. Orthopaedic Surgery published by Tianjin Hospital and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

The fast OH - transfer between hydroxide layers is the key to enhancing the charge storage efficiency of layered double hydroxides (LDH)-based supercapacitors (SCs). Constructing interlayer reactive sites in LDH is much expected but still a huge challenge. In this work, CdS nano-dots (NDs) are introduced to interlayers of ultra-thin NiFe-LDH (denoted CdS inter. -NiFe-LDH), promoting the interlayer ions flow for higher redox activity. The excellent performance is not only due to the enlarged layer spacing (from 0.70 to 0.81 nm) but also stems from anchored interlayer reactive units and the undamaged original layered structure of LDH, which contribute to the improvement of OH - diffusion coefficient (1.6 × 10 -8  cm 2  s -1 ) and electrochemical active area (601 mF cm -2 ) better than that of CdS NDs on the surface of NiFe-LDH (2.1 × 10 -9  cm 2  s -1 and 350 mF cm -2 ). The champion CdS inter. -NiFe-LDH electrode displays high capacitance of 3330.0 F g -1 at 1 A g -1 and excellent retention capacitance of 90.9% at 10 A g -1 , which is better than the NiFe-LDH with CdS NDs on the surface (1966.6 F g -1 ). Moreover, the assembled     asymmetric SCs (ASC) device demonstrate an outstanding energy density/power density (121.56 Wh kg -1 /754.5 W kg -1 )., (© 2023 The Authors. Advanced Science published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Improving the lifetime and energy density of energy storage devices has always been a major challenge. Here, CoS 2 with a hollow structure derived from zeolite-imidazolate framework-67 was reconstructed on Co(OH)F nanowires. Co(OH)F nanowires contribute to ion/electron transmission and reduce transmission resistance, thereby promoting the stability of the electrode. CoS 2 with a hollow porous structure contributes to the full infiltration of electrolytes, shortens the ion transmission distance, accelerates the redox reactions, and alleviates the volume expansion, thus improving the pseudocapacitance. Therefore, the prepared Co(OH)F/CoS 2 displayed excellent specific capacity (233 mAh g -1 ). The assembled HSC Co(OH)F/CoS 2 //activated carbon in KOH solution could achieve a considerable energy density (63.9 Wh kg -1 ). Surprisingly, the specific capacitance accounts for 107.0% of the primary capacitance (20,000 cycles), demonstrating great cycling stability. This work presents a conceptual approach for the construction of abundant and promising electrodes for HSCs., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: Synovectomy has been introduced into total knee arthroplasty (TKA) with the aim of relieving pain and inflammation of the synovium. However, there are no long-term, comparative data to evaluate the effect of synovectomy in TKA. This study was aimed at assessing pain, function, and complications in patients undergoing synovectomy during TKA for osteoarthritis (OA) at long-term follow-up., Methods: This was a prospective randomized controlled trial of 42 consecutive patients who underwent staged bilateral TKA. Patients undergoing the first-side TKA were allocated to receive TKA with or without synovectomy followed by a 3-month washout period and crossover to the other strategy for the opposite-side TKA. The overall efficacy of both strategies was evaluated by determination of blood loss, the Knee Society score (KSS), and knee inflammation conditions during a 3-month postoperative period. The postoperative pain, range of motion (ROM), and complications were sequentially evaluated to compare the two groups until 10 years after surgery., Results: At the 10-year follow-up, both groups had a similarly significantly improved ROM (114.88 ± 9.84° vs. 114.02 ± 9.43°, t  = 0.221, P  = 0.815) and pain relief with no differences between the two groups (1.0 [1.0] vs. 1.0 [1.5], U  = 789.500, P  = 0.613). Similar changes in total blood loss, KSS, and knee inflammation were found in both groups during 3 months postoperatively ( P  > 0.05). Additionally, there was no significant difference regarding complications and satisfaction between the two groups ( P  > 0.05)., Conclusions: Synovectomy in conjunction with TKA for primary OA does not seem to provide any benefit regarding postoperative pain, ROM, and satisfaction during a 10-year follow-up. In addition, it may not result in more blood loss and increased incidence of long-term complications. Based on our long-term findings, it should not be performed routinely., Trial Registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR-INR-16008245; https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=13334 ., (Copyright © 2023 The Chinese Medical Association, produced by Wolters Kluwer, Inc. under the CC-BY-NC-ND license.)

Objectives: To dynamically investigate otolith function in patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) before, after, and 1 month after repositioning, and explore the possible compensation mechanisms., Methods: Thirty-six patients confirmed with BPPV (canal lithiasis) treated in our hospital between August 2020 and March 2021, as well as 36 health controls matched for age and gender (normal control group, NC group) were enrolled. For NC group, the virtual reality (VR) auxiliary static subjective visual vertical (SVV), subjective visual horizontal (SVH), and SVV of dynamic unilateral centrifugation (DUC), were measured at inclusion. For the BPPV group, visual analog scale (VAS) was used to assess the vertigo degree, while static SVV, SVH, and DUC were performed before, after, and 1 month after repositioning. First, we compare the deviations of SVV0/SVH0° when the subject's head is in the positive position, and SVV of DUC between BPPV and NC groups before repositioning, after which we compared the deviations in SVV45, SVV90, SVH45, SVH90°, and SVV of DUC between the affected and unaffected sides before repositioning. Finally, paired t -test was used to compare the VAS score, deviations in static SVV0, SVV45, SVV90, SVH0, SVH45, and SVH90°, and deviations in SVV of DUC before, after, and 1 month after repositioning. (Here, 0, 45, and 90° refer to the angle which the center axis of head deviates from the gravity line.)., Results: SVV0 SVH0°, and SVV of DUC at 120 and 180°/s 0 significantly differed between BPPV and NC group before repositioning. The deviations in SVV45, SVV90, SVH45, SVH90°, and SVV of DUC at 120°/s-2 and 180°/s-4.5 did not significantly differ between bilateral sides in BPPV patients before repositioning. The deviation in SVH90° was significantly lower after repositioning than before. The deviation in SVH45° was significantly higher 1 month after repositioning than before. The deviation angle of SVV of DUC at 180°/s-0 was significantly lower after repositioning than before. The vertigo VAS score of patient with BPPV continued to decrease after repositioning., Conclusion: Before repositioning, the otolithic organ function of BPPV patients was obviously impaired, with no significant difference between the healthy and affected ear. After repositioning, there was a transient recovery of otolithic organ dysfunction followed by a sustained decline to similar levels to before repositioning., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Zhao, Yang and Song.)

Objective: Diffusion tensor imaging research on the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is limited, and no study has revealed the ACL fibrous microstructure by 7.0-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging. Therefore, we used magnetic resonance imaging to assess the ACL., Methods: Eight porcine ACLs were investigated by diffusion tensor imaging. Imaging was performed with a 7.0-Tesla scanner using a diffusion-weighted two-dimensional spin-echo echo-planar imaging pulse sequence optimised for muscle. The diffusion tensor eigenparameters, fractional anisotropy (FA), and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) were used for bones and muscles. Three-dimensional projection maps of the principal eigenvectors were plotted to visualise the microstructure., Results: The mean FA and ADC for the ACL were 0.27 ± 0.079 and 0.0012 ± 0.0005, respectively. There were no significant differences between the values in the proximal and distal portions . However, the ADC was smaller in the centre than on the sides (0.0015 ± 0.0007), and the mean FA was larger in the centre than on the sides (0.42 ± 0.23). The ACL fibres were parallel on the proximal and distal sides but interweaved in the centre., Conclusions: These findings may be beneficial for artificial ligaments.

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of arthroscopic distal clavicle resection for the symptomatic acromioclavicular joint arthritis., Methods: The clinical data of 14 patients with symptomatic acromioclavicular joint arthritis treated by arthroscopic indirect distal clavicle resection between January 2020 and March 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 5 males and 9 females with an average age of 46.3 years (range, 18-57 years). The 4 cases of left shoulder and 10 cases of right shoulder were accompanied with acromial impingement, without the history of shoulder trauma. The average disease duration was 20.4 months (range, 9-48 months), and the average visual analogue scale (VAS) score was 7.6 (range, 5-9) preoperatively. The results were evaluated using the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) shoulder rating score before and after operation, further, the patient satisfaction rate was also calculated., Results: All 14 patients were followed up 5-18 months, with an average of 13 months. There was no postoperative pain of acromioclavicular joint in 12 patients; 1 case had occasional mild pain, which could be controlled by painkillers. Moreover, there was only 1 acromioclavicular joint subluxation due to early fitness training at 2 weeks postoperatively, and the symptoms gradually relieved after 1 month of conservative treatments. The UCLA score was 22.1±6.2 preoperatively, which improved to 30.2±3.4 at last follow-up, showing significant difference ( t =5.359, P< 0.001). The patient satisfaction rate was 92.9%, with 12 excellent cases, 1 good case, and 1 fair case., Conclusion: Arthroscopic distal clavicle resection for symptomatic acromioclavicular arthritis is a safe, reliable, and repeatable procedure.

Achieving a high volumetric energy density supercapacitor is of great significance for portable energy storage devices while still a major challenge. Herein, we design and fabricate self-supporting electrodes using CoZnNi oxyphosphide nanoarrays sandwiched graphene/carbon nanotube (CZNP/GC) film with highly exposed active sites. Benefitting from the modified electronic structures, high accessible surface areas, and the integrated structure, the well-designed CZNP/GC electrode exhibits an ultra-high volumetric capacitance of 2096.4 F cm -3 at a current density of 1 A g -1 . Moreover, a high-performance negative electrode of carbon/rGO/CNTs (C/GC) is also fabricated using the same CoZn-metal-organic frameworks precursor. The assembled asymmetric supercapacitor CZNP/GC//C/GC displays an ultra-high volumetric energy density of 71.8 W h L -1 at 960 W L -1 . After 6000 charge-discharge cycles, the device still maintains 85.6% of the original capacitance. The density functional theory calculation is studied and the negative adsorption energy proves that the OH - adsoption process onto the surface of as-prepared electrode is thermodynamically favorable, facilitating the electrochemical reaction. This work provides a new option in constructing tailorable electrodes with a well-defined hierarchical structure for supercapacitor and beyond., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The construction of heterostructure could enhance the electron transfer efficiency and increase the number of active sites, which can further develop high-performance electrode materials of supercapacitors. Herein, (Ni, Co)Se 2 nanorod arrays were prepared based on the NiCo-LDH derived from a conical ZIF-L. Significantly, the single nanorod is composed of interconnected NiSe 2 and CoSe 2 nanoparticles, the heterostructure can expose higher conductivity, more sufficient redox reaction active sites and larger specific surface area. The as-obtained CF@(Ni, Co)Se 2 achieved a high specific capacity of 188.8 mAh g -1 at the current density of 1.0 A g -1 and an outstanding cycling stability with a high capacity retention of 90% after 8000 cycles. Finally, an hybrid supercapacitor device composed of activated carbon (AC) as negative electrode and CF@(Ni, Co)Se 2 as positive electrode was designed, which revealed an ideal voltage window of 0-1.6 V and exhibited a great energy density of 36.02 Wh kg -1 at the power density of 800 W kg -1 , such surpassing energy storage characteristics evidently testify that (Ni, Co)Se 2 nanorod arrays can be as the potential electrode material to promote the development of high-performance supercapacitors., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

With the increasing demand for miniaturization and portable energy storage system, it is an urgent necessary that developing high volumetric energy density supercapacitors with small volumes. Herein, an integrated self-supporting CoZnNiS@CNTs/rGO composite film electrode with the thickness of about 6 μm was designed. In the unique structure, porous CNTs/rGO film is served as conductive substrate to support the CoZn-MOFs derived vertically oriented two-dimensional CoZnNiS nanoarrays. The self-supporting film endows the electrode a high volumetric mass density of 1.28 g cm -3 and superior electron-ion transport channel, which displays a maximum specific capacitance of 1349.2 F g -1 as well as high volumetric capacity of 1727.0 F cm -3 at 1 A g -1 . Besides, a porous film of pure carbon materials (carbon spheres integrated graphene) was designed and used as the negative electrode in supercapacitor. When assembled a hybrid supercapacitor based on the above two self-supporting electrodes, the device delivers up an ultra-high volumetric/gravimetric energy density of 65.2 W h L -1 (60.4 W h kg -1 ) at a power density of 1308 W L -1 (1200 W kg -1 ). Moreover, the asymmetric supercapacitor also displays an ultra-long lifetime with 90.6% retention after 10,000 cycles. These outstanding performances make the CoZnNiS@CNTs/rGO electrode could be a promising candidate for next-generation high volumetric/gravimetric energy density supercapacitors, especially in the limited space., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: MRI findings of carotid plaque components have been studied recently as a tool to predict recurrent ischemic events. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to summarize the association of MRI-determined intraplaque hemorrhage, lipid-rich necrotic core, and thinning/rupture of the fibrous cap with recurrent ischemic events., Methods: Electronic search was performed in PUBMED, EMBASE, Cochrane Controlled Register of Trials (CENTRAL) from inception to Oct 30, 2018. We included cohort studies with an average follow-up time of more than 1 month in which intraplaque hemorrhage, lipid-rich necrotic core, or thinning/rupture of the fibrous cap were associated with recurrent ipsilateral stroke or ischemic events. We performed heterogeneity assessment before carrying out meta-analysis. According to the heterogeneity, we selected fixed-effect model for meta-analysis of the included cohort studies., Results: Using a prespecified search strategy, of the 2128 articles, 6 studies with a total number of 621 participants met eligibility for systematic review and meta-analysis. The hazard ratios of intra-plaque hemorrhage, thinning/rupture of the fibrous cap and lipid rich necrotic core as recurrent Stroke/Transient ischemic attack (TIA) were 7.14(95% confidence interval, 4.32 to 11.82), 5.68(95% confidence interval, 2.40 to 13.47), and 2.73(95% confidence interval, 1.04 to 7.16), respectively. No significant heterogeneity was found in the 3 meta-analyses., Conclusions: The presence of intraplaque hemorrhage, lipid-rich necrotic core, and thinning/rupture of the fibrous cap on MRI of carotid plaque are strong predictors of recurrent stroke events. However, due to the lack of original studies, larger cohort studies are warranted.

Accumulating evidence showed that lncRNAs play important roles in tumour development. Recently, a novel lncRNA DLX6-AS1 was found to be overexpressed in some tumors such as lung adenocarcinoma, renal cell carcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the functional roles of DLX6-AS1 in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) are still unclear. In the study, we showed that the expression level of DLX6-AS1 was upregulated in the LSCC samples compared to the noncancerous tissues. By using CCK-8 analysis, we demonstrated that knockdown expression of DLX6-AS1 suppressed the Hep2 cell growth. DLX6-AS1 knockdown inhibited the Hep2 cell cycle and invasion. MiR-376c was identified to have the complementary binding sites with the DLX6-AS1. By luciferase reporter assay, we indicated that overexpression of miR-376c inhibited the luciferase activity of wild-type DLX6-AS1, but it failed to suppress luciferase activity of mutated one. DLX6-AS1 knockdown enhanced the expression of miR-376c in the Hep2 cell. Moreover, we showed that the expression level of miR-376c was lower in the LSCC samples than in the noncancerous tissues and the expression of miR-376c was negatively correlated with expression of DLX6-AS1 in LSCC tissues. Ectopic expression of miR-376c suppressed cell proliferation, cycle and invasion of LSCC cell. DLX6-AS1 knockdown suppressed cell proliferation, cycle and invasion via regulating miR-376c expression. These data proved that lncRNA DLX6-AS1 might play as an oncogene in LSCC development and tumorigenesis., Competing Interests: None., (AJTR Copyright © 2019.)

Diversity-invasion resistance relationships are often variable and sensitive to environmental conditions such as resource availability. Resource stoichiometry, the relative concentration of different elements in the environment, has been shown to have strong effects on the physiology and interactions between different species. Yet, its role for diversity-invasion resistance relationships is still poorly understood. Here, we explored how the ratio of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus affects the productivity and invasion resistance of constructed microbial communities by a plant pathogenic bacterium, Ralstonia solanacearum. We found that resource stoichiometry and species identity effects affected the invasion resistance of communities. Both high N concentration and resident community diversity constrained invasions, and two resident species, in particular, had strong negative effects on the relative density of the invader and the resident community productivity. While resource stoichiometry did not affect the mean productivity of the resident community, it favoured the growth of two species that strongly constrained invasions turning the slope of productivity-invasion resistance relationship more negative. Together our findings suggest that alterations in resource stoichiometry can change the community resistance to invasions by having disproportionate effects on species growth, potentially explaining changes in microbial community composition under eutrophication.

Dehairing alkaline protease (DHAP) from Bacillus pumilus BA06 has been demonstrated to have high catalytic efficiency and good thermostability, with potential application in leather processing. In order to get insights into its catalytic mechanism, two mutants with single amino acid substitution according to the homology modeling and multiple sequence alignment were characterized in thermodynamics of thermal denaturation and temperature dependence of substrate hydrolysis. The results showed that both mutants of V149I and R249E have a systematic increase in catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) in a wide range of temperatures, mainly due to an increase of k1 (substrate diffusion) and k2 (acylation) for V149I and of k2 and k3 (deacylation) for R249E. In comparison with the wild-type DHAP, the thermostability is increased for V149I and decreased for R249E. Thermodynamic analysis indicated that the free energy (ΔGa°) of activation for thermal denaturation may govern the thermostability. The value of ΔGa° is increased for V149I and decreased for R249E. Based on these data and the structural modeling, it is suggested that substitution of Val149 with Ile may disturb the local flexibility in the substrate-binding pocket, leading to enhancement of binding affinity for the substrate. In contrast, substitution of Arg249 with Glu leads to interruption of interaction with the C-terminal of enzyme, thus resulting in less thermostability. This study indicates that amino acid residues in the active center or in the substrate-binding pocket may disturb the catalytic process and can be selected as the target for protein engineering in the bacterial alkaline proteases., (© The Author 2014. Published by ABBS Editorial Office in association with Oxford University Press on behalf of the Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences.)

Objective: To investigate the mechanism of Krüppel-like factor 15 (KLF15) in cardiac remodeling and interstitial fibrosis., Methods: A rat model was established by in vivo aortic coarctation followed by a period of pressure unloading and used to measure heart function, myocardial pathological changes, and KLF15, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), and myocardin-related transcription factor A (MRTF-A) expression levels. In addition, cardiac fibroblasts were cultured in vitro and treated with KLF15-shRNA or KLF15 recombinant adenovirus to establish a TGF-β-mediated cardiac fibroblast hypertrophy model and analyze cell morphology, collagen secretion, and changes in the expression levels of 4 cytokines., Results: In vivo pressure overload impaired cardiac function and resulted in myocardial hypertrophy and fibrosis. These changes were accompanied by the downregulation of KLF15 mRNA levels and increased expression of the other factors. The response to unloading was the opposite. In in vitro cell experiments, by specifically targeting the KLF15 gene, changes in the expression levels of the 4 cytokines and the amounts of collagen I and III were observed., Conclusions: In myocardial remodeling processes induced by mechanical or metabolic factors, KLF15 regulates TGF-β, CTGF, and MRTF-A expression and can ameliorate or even reverse myocardial fibrosis and improve cardiac function., (© 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Objective: To improve the unhealthy eating behaviors in 3-5 years old children and enrich the nutrition knowledge of their parents by the multi-channel health education intervention, and evaluate the effects of intervention., Methods: By random multi-stage cluster sampling, 810 children (3-5 years old) and their parents were selected from Beijing and Shanghai respectively. The period of intervention was 6 months. Questionnaire surveys about children's eating behavior and the knowledge of their parents were conducted before and after the intervention., Results: After the intervention, the proportion of partial eclipse and drinking beverage declined from 44.5% and 70.4% to 35.5% and 31.7% respectively. The proportion of having regular meal time, fixed dining place, eating by oneself, fix quantify diet and concentrating on food elevate from 80.0%, 87.3%, 73.4%, 32.1% and 27.1% to 92.1%, 90.2%, 83.7%, 44.3% and 40.1%. The awareness about nutrition in parents increased and the attitude to the children's eating behaviors improved after the intervention., Conclusion: The intervention has some effects on the improvement of the children' s unhealthy eating behaviors and their parents' nutrition knowledge and attitude.

Objectives: To examine consumption rates and serum ferritin (SF) concentrations (as a marker of safety) among schoolchildren (3-6 years) provided with daily and weekly micronutrients., Design and Methods: Micronutrients were provided for one school term (13 weeks) to a kindergarten in northern China as single-dose Sprinkles sachets containing 30 mg of iron as encapsulated ferrous fumarate, 5 mg zinc gluconate, 50 mg vitamin C, 300 microg vitamin A, 7.5 microg vitamin D3 and 150 microg folic acid. Sixteen classrooms were randomly assigned to: (1) daily supplements for 5 days a week (daily group); (2) weekly supplements (weekly group); or (3) no supplements (control group). Consumption of sachets was monitored for each child and SF concentrations were measured at the end of study. Random effects general linear models and graphs were used to compare the groups., Results: A total of 415 children from 16 classrooms entered the study. At the end of the study, mean consumption rates per child were 86% (daily group; standard deviation (SD) 12%) and 87% (weekly group; SD 16%). Median SF concentrations were 71 microg l(-1) (range 27-292 microg l(-1); daily group), 55 microg l(-1) (range 11-299 microg l(-1); weekly group) and 54 microg l(-1) (range 7-327 microg l(-1); control group); the overall difference was not significant (P=0.06). However, the daily group was significantly different from the control (P=0.02); daily and weekly groups had higher SF at lower percentiles and similar SF at higher percentiles compared with the control group., Conclusion: The high consumption rates and appropriate SF concentrations in the supplemented groups suggest that a short-term school programme with Sprinkles is an efficient and safe way to provide micronutrients (including iron).

Objective: The effect of daily and once weekly iron supplementation on hemoglobin(Hb), serum ferritin (SF), erythrocyte protoporphyrin (EFP) in whole blood, prevalence of iron deficiency, body weight and height of preschool children was compared in this study., Methods: Preschool children (n = 353) from one kindergarten in Baotou City, was recruited. All children were divided into three groups by class, and received either daily or once weekly iron supplementation, or a placebo (control) for 14 weeks., Results: The prevalence of iron deficiency was reduced in both intervention groups, and the rate in the group supplemented with iron once weekly was significantly lower than that of the control group(P < 0.05). The levels of Hb, SF, increased after once weekly and daily iron supplementation. Weight gain and WAZ were greater in children who received daily supplement than in those who received placebo. Height gain and HAZ were not significantly different among three groups., Conclusion: Daily micronutrient supplement can improve growth of preschool children. Once weekly iron supplement is effective same as daily supplement in improving iron status and reducing the prevalence of iron deficiency in the preschool children.