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Abstract IL-1β represents an important inflammatory factor involved in the host response against GBS infection. Prior research has suggested a potential involvement of IL-1β in the process of ferroptosis. However, the relationship between IL-1β and ferroptosis in the context of anti-GBS infection remains uncertain. This research demonstrates that the occurrence of ferroptosis is essential for the host’s defense against GBS infection in a mouse model of abdominal infection, with peritoneal macrophages identified as the primary cells undergoing ferroptosis. Further research indicates that IL-1β induces lipid oxidation in macrophages through the upregulation of pathways related to lipid oxidation. Concurrently, IL-1β is not only involved in the initiation of ferroptosis in macrophages, but its production is intricately linked to the onset of ferroptosis. Ultimately, we posit that ferroptosis acts as a crucial initiating factor in the host response to GBS infection, with IL-1β playing a significant role in the resistance to infection by serving as a key inducer of ferroptosis.

Abstract The objective was to explore the efficacy of single-port laparoscopic percutaneous extraperitoneal closure using double-modified hernia needles with hydrodissection (SLPEC group) and two-port laparoscopic percutaneous extraperitoneal closure (TLPEC group) for the treatment of giant indirect inguinal hernias in children. We performed a retrospective review of all children with giant indirect inguinal hernias (inner ring orifice diameter ≥ 1.5 cm) who underwent laparoscopic high ligation of the hernia sac at FuJian Children’s Hospital from January 2019 to December 2021. We collected data from the medical records of all the children and analysed their clinical characteristics and operation-related and follow-up information. Overall, this study included a cohort of 219 patients with isolated giant inguinal hernias who had complete clinical data and who had undergone laparoscopic high ligation of the hernia sac at our centre. All procedures were successfully performed for the 106 patients who underwent SLPEC and for the 113 patients who underwent TLPEC at our centre. There were no statistically significant differences in patient age, sex, body weight, follow-up time or the side of inguinal hernia between the SLPEC group and the TLPEC group (P = 0.123, 0.613, 0.121, 0.076 and 0.081, respectively). However, there were significant differences in the bleeding volume, visual analogue scale (VAS) score, and postoperative activity time between the two groups (P ≤ 0.001). The operation times in the TLPEC group were significantly longer than those in the SLPEC group (P = 0.048), but there were no significant differences in hospital length of stay or hospitalization costs between the two groups (P = 0.244 and 0.073, respectively). Incision scars were found in 2 patients in the SLPEC group and 9 patients in the TLPEC group, and there was a significant difference between the two groups (P = 0.04). However, the incidence of ipsilateral hernia recurrence, surgical site infection, suture-knot reactions and chronic inguinodynia did not significantly differ between the two groups (P = 0.332, 0.301, 0.332 and 0.599, respectively). Postoperative hydrocele occurred in only 1 male child in the SLPEC group and in no male children in the TLPEC group, and there was no difference between the two groups (P = 0.310). In this study, there were no cases of testicular atrophy or iatrogenic ascent of the testis. Compared with the TLPEC group, the SLPEC group had the advantages of a concealed incision, light scarring, minimal invasiveness, a reduced operation time, minimal bleeding, mild pain and rapid recovery. In conclusion, SLPEC using double-modified hernia needles with hydrodissection and high ligation of the hernia sac is a safe, effective and minimally invasive surgery. The cosmetic results are impressive, and the follow-up results are promising.

Abstract Background Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICCA) is a heterogeneous group of malignant tumors characterized by high recurrence rate and poor prognosis. Heterochromatin Protein 1α (HP1α) is one of the most important nonhistone chromosomal proteins involved in transcriptional silencing via heterochromatin formation and structural maintenance. The effect of HP1α on the progression of ICCA remained unclear. Methods The effect on the proliferation of ICCA was detected by experiments in two cell lines and two ICCA mouse models. The interaction between HP1α and Histone Deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) was determined using Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (ESI-MS) and the binding mechanism was studied using immunoprecipitation assays (co-IP). The target gene was screened out by RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). The occupation of DNA binding proteins and histone modifications were predicted by bioinformatic methods and evaluated by Cleavage Under Targets and Tagmentation (CUT & Tag) and Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP). Results HP1α was upregulated in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICCA) tissues and regulated the proliferation of ICCA cells by inhibiting the interferon pathway in a Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 1 (STAT1)-dependent manner. Mechanistically, STAT1 is transcriptionally regulated by the HP1α-HDAC1 complex directly and epigenetically via promoter binding and changes in different histone modifications, as validated by high-throughput sequencing. Broad-spectrum HDAC inhibitor (HDACi) activates the interferon pathway and inhibits the proliferation of ICCA cells by downregulating HP1α and targeting the heterodimer. Broad-spectrum HDACi plus interferon preparation regimen was found to improve the antiproliferative effects and delay ICCA development in vivo and in vitro, which took advantage of basal activation as well as direct activation of the interferon pathway. HP1α participates in mediating the cellular resistance to both agents. Conclusions HP1α-HDAC1 complex influences interferon pathway activation by directly and epigenetically regulating STAT1 in transcriptional level. The broad-spectrum HDACi plus interferon preparation regimen inhibits ICCA development, providing feasible strategies for ICCA treatment. Targeting the HP1α-HDAC1-STAT1 axis is a possible strategy for treating ICCA, especially HP1α-positive cases.

Abstract Background In recent years, the development of adjunctive therapeutic hyperthermia for cancer therapy has received considerable attention. However, the mechanisms underlying hyperthermia resistance are still poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the roles of cold‑inducible RNA binding protein (Cirbp) in regulating hyperthermia resistance and underlying mechanisms in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Methods CCK-8 assay, colony formation assay, tumor sphere formation assay, qRT-PCR, Western blot were employed to examine the effects of hyperthermia (HT), HT + oridonin(Ori) or HT + radiotherapy (RT) on the proliferation and stemness of NPC cells. RNA sequencing was applied to gain differentially expressed genes upon hyperthermia. Gain-of-function and loss-of-function experiments were used to evaluate the effects of RNAi-mediated Cirbp silencing or Cirbp overexpression on the sensitivity or resistance of NPC cells and cancer stem-like cells to hyperthermia by CCK-8 assay, colony formation assay, tumorsphere formation assay and apoptosis assay, and in subcutaneous xenograft animal model. miRNA transient transfection and luciferase reporter assay were used to demonstrate that Cirbp is a direct target of miR-377-3p. The phosphorylation levels of key members in ATM-Chk2 and ATR-Chk1 pathways were detected by Western blot. Results Our results firstly revealed that hyperthermia significantly attenuated the stemness of NPC cells, while combination treatment of hyperthermia and oridonin dramatically increased the killing effect on NPC cells and cancer stem cell (CSC)‑like population. Moreover, hyperthermia substantially improved the sensitivity of radiation‑resistant NPC cells and CSC‑like cells to radiotherapy. Hyperthermia noticeably suppressed Cirbp expression in NPC cells and xenograft tumor tissues. Furthermore, Cirbp inhibition remarkably boosted anti‑tumor‑killing activity of hyperthermia against NPC cells and CSC‑like cells, whereas ectopic expression of Cirbp compromised tumor‑killing effect of hyperthermia on these cells, indicating that Cirbp overexpression induces hyperthermia resistance. ThermomiR-377-3p improved the sensitivity of NPC cells and CSC‑like cells to hyperthermia in vitro by directly suppressing Cirbp expression. More importantly, our results displayed the significantly boosted sensitization of tumor xenografts to hyperthermia by Cirbp silencing in vivo, but ectopic expression of Cirbp almost completely counteracted hyperthermia-mediated tumor cell-killing effect against tumor xenografts in vivo. Mechanistically, Cirbp silencing-induced inhibition of DNA damage repair by inactivating ATM-Chk2 and ATR-Chk1 pathways, decrease in stemness and increase in cell death contributed to hyperthermic sensitization; conversely, Cirbp overexpression-induced promotion of DNA damage repair, increase in stemness and decrease in cell apoptosis contributed to hyperthermia resistance. Conclusion Taken together, these findings reveal a previously unrecognized role for Cirbp in positively regulating hyperthermia resistance and suggest that thermomiR-377-3p and its target gene Cirbp represent promising targets for therapeutic hyperthermia.

In this paper, we are going to deal with fractional operators (FOs) with non-singular kernels which is not an easy task because of its restriction at the origin. In this work, we first show the boundedness of the extended form of the modified Atangana-Baleanu (A-B) Caputo fractional derivative operator. The generalized Laplace transform is evaluated for the introduced operator. By using the generalized Laplace transform, we solve some fractional differential equations. The corresponding form of the Atangana-Baleanu Caputo fractional integral operator is also established. This integral operator is proved bounded and obtained its Laplace transform. The existence and Hyers-Ulam stability is explored. In the last results, we studied the relation between our defined operators. The operators in the literature are obtained as special cases for these newly explored FOs.

Abstract Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of pneumovesicoscopic Cohen surgery with an adjustable suspension technique through the urethra for the treatment of primary vesicoureteral reflux disease in infants. Methods This study retrospectively analysed the clinical data of 31 infants who underwent pneumovesicoscopic Cohen surgery with an adjustable suspension technique through the urethra in our hospital from January 2019 to December 2020. We also collected the clinical data of 29 infants who underwent open Cohen surgery in our hospital from January 2015 to December 2018 as a control variable. The clinical efficacy of the two groups was compared. Result All pneumovesicoscopic Cohen surgeries were successfully completed and no patients were converted to open surgery. The amount of bleeding, duration of postoperative analgesia, duration of postoperative haematuria, incision size and length of hospital stay in the pneumovesicoscopic surgery group were significantly lower than those in the open surgery group (P 0.05). Conclusion Pneumovesicoscopic Cohen surgery with an adjustable suspension technique through the urethra for the treatment of primary vesicoureteral reflux disease in infants was safe and effective. This procedure had the advantages of less trauma, quick recovery and good cosmetic effects.

For many years, surgical treatment of buried penis in children has been researched by several scholars, and numerous methods exist. This study aimed to explore the clinical effect of a modified fixation technique in treating buried penis in children. Clinical data of 94 patients with buried penis who were treated using the modified penile fixation technique from March 2017 to February 2019 in Fujian Maternity and Child Health Hospital (Fuzhou, China) were retrospectively collected, compared, and analyzed. Clinical data of 107 patients with buried penis who were treated using traditional penile fixation technique from February 2014 to February 2017 were chosen for comparison. The results showed that at 6 months and 12 months after surgery, the penile lengths in the modified penile fixation group were longer than those in the traditional penile fixation group (both P < 0.05). The incidence of postoperative skin contracture and penile retraction in the modified penile fixation group was less than that in the traditional penile fixation group (P = 0.034 and P = 0.012, respectively). When the two groups were compared in terms of parents' satisfaction scores, the scores for penile size, penile morphology, and voiding status in the modified penile fixation group were higher than those in the traditional penile fixation group at 2-week, 6-month, and 12-month follow-ups after surgery (all P < 0.05). We concluded that the modified penile fixation technique could effectively reduce the incidence of skin contracture and penile retraction and improve the penile length and satisfaction of patients' parents.

To compare the impact of the scrotal vs inguinal orchidopexy approach on the testicular function of infants with cryptorchidism, a randomized controlled trial was conducted involving boys who were 6–12 months old at surgery and were diagnosed with clinically palpable, inguinal undescended testis. Between June 2021 and December 2021, these boys at Fujian Maternity and Child Health Hospital (Fuzhou, China) and Fujian Children's Hospital (Fuzhou, China) were enrolled. Block randomization with a 1:1 allocation ratio was employed. The primary outcome was testicular function assessed by testicular volume, serum testosterone, anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), and inhibin B (InhB) levels. Secondary outcomes included operative time, amount of intraoperative bleeding, and postoperative complications. Among 577 screened patients, 100 (17.3%) were considered eligible and enrolled in the study. Of the 100 children who completed the 1-year follow-up, 50 underwent scrotal orchidopexy and 50 underwent inguinal orchidopexy. The testicular volume, serum testosterone, AMH, and InhB levels in both groups increased markedly after surgery (all P < 0.05), but there were no apparent differences between groups at 6 months and 12 months after operation (all P > 0.05). No differences between the scrotal and inguinal groups were noted regarding the operative time (P = 0.987) and amount of intraoperative bleeding (P = 0.746). The overall complication rate (2.0%) of the scrotal group was slightly lower than that of the inguinal group (8.0%), although this difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Both scrotal and inguinal orchiopexy exerted protective effects on testicular function in children with cryptorchidism, with similar operative status and postoperative complications. Scrotal orchiopexy is an effective alternative to inguinal orchiopexy in children with cryptorchidism.

Background: We aimed to construct and validate the esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC)-related m6A regulators by means of machine leaning.Methods: We used ESCC RNA-seq data of 66 pairs of ESCC from West China Hospital of Sichuan University and the transcriptome data extracted from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)-ESCA database to find out the ESCC-related m6A regulators, during which, two machine learning approaches: RF (Random Forest) and SVM (Support Vector Machine) were employed to construct the model of ESCC-related m6A regulators. Calibration curves, clinical decision curves, and clinical impact curves (CIC) were used to evaluate the predictive ability and best-effort ability of the model. Finally, western blot and immunohistochemistry staining were used to assess the expression of prognostic ESCC-related m6A regulators.Results: 2 m6A regulators (YTHDF1 and HNRNPC) were found to be significantly increased in ESCC tissues after screening out through RF machine learning methods from our RNA-seq data and TCGA-ESCA database, respectively, and overlapping the results of the two clusters. A prognostic signature, consisting of YTHDF1 and HNRNPC, was constructed based on our RNA-seq data and validated on TCGA-ESCA database, which can serve as an independent prognostic predictor. Experimental validation including the western and immunohistochemistry staining were further successfully confirmed the results of bioinformatics analysis.Conclusion: We constructed prognostic ESCC-related m6A regulators and validated the model in clinical ESCC cohort as well as in ESCC tissues, which provides reasonable evidence and valuable resources for prognostic stratification and the study of potential targets for ESCC.

The Schrödinger equation under the application of a position-dependent mass (PDM) with an exponential form is presented. Several physical models are carried out by choosing different external potential fields including the free field or a confined hard-all potential, the linear potential plus an attractive centrifugal-like term and harmonic oscillator. The eigenfunction of the first case is given by a Bessel function. The calculations of the second case are found to have the Airy function and we are able to get a general form of energy levels based on the zeros of Airy function of the first kind. The last case is found that the eigenfunctions are given by the popular associated Laguerre function. To provide a better physical insight into the solutions, some figures are plotted graphically.

This continuation presents the applications of on-uniform heat source/sink and viscous dissipation in megnetohydrodynaimcs (MHD) flow of Casson nanoparticles toward a porous stretchable sheet. The flow model is presented in terms of governing expressions for which a non-dimensional transmuted set of expressions is retained by utilizing relevant similarities modification. These equations are numerically resolved by utilizing the famous shooting technique. The influence of numerous parameters such as Casson parameter, elastic parameter, porosity parameter, Prandtl number, non-uniform heat source/sink constant, Eckert number, skin fraction and Nusselt number on the flow area are examine and attain numerical outcomes are tabulated and illustrated with the help of graphs. The results reflect that the velocity of nanoparticles declined effective with porosity parameter and nanoparticles volume fraction. The temperature profile is enhanced with elastic parameter and heat source parameter while decay with Eckert number and Casson fluid parameter. Moreover, a declining change in wall shear force against nanoparticles volume fraction is observed when Hartmann number is maximum.

The article presents the systematic study of the stacked long Josephson junctions in presence of different magnetic inductances. The coupled sine–Gordon equation along with a phase-shift formation is considered to study localized modes in stacks. The asymptotic analysis is applied to investigate analytically the nonlinear amplitude equations by using the spatially continuous and discrete spectrums. It is observed that in the absence of external drives, the system decays exponentially in the case of both strong and weak magnetic inductance, where the synchronized oscillations are obtained. However, in the presence of AC-drive, the system oscillates synchronically and goes to a stable state after a long time. It is revealed that, when the parametric drives are applied, the system decays exponentially in the existence of small driving amplitude. However, when the driving amplitude is large enough, the system oscillates for an infinitely long time.

This article obtains the optical solitons of the complex fractional Ginzburg–Landau equation by the hypothesis of traveling wave and generalized projective Riccati equation scheme. There are four conditions, Kerr law, parabolic law, power law and dual power law of nonlinearity associated with the model. The constraint conditions for the existence of these solutions have also been discussed. Moreover, the physical significance of the constructed solutions has been provided using graphical representation. A comparative study is made by using two distinct definitions of fractional derivatives namely as Beta and M-truncated. Furthermore, a quantitative overview is also included, which involves solutions to the model under discussion. The complex Ginzburg–Landau equation is subjected to a comprehensive sensitivity analysis. Finally, the modulation instability (MI) analysis of proposed model is also carried out on the basis of linear stability analysis. A dispersion relation is obtained between the wave number and frequency.

The result for enhanced heat transfer to manage increasing heat density of miniature and several other technical processes have urged to analyze thermal transports of hybrid nanofluids. Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) and Zinc oxide (ZnO) are hybridized as a very dilute homogenous mixture in the bulk engine oil. The flow of this colloidal fluid with heat transfer occurs through pours medium over a stretching sheet. Moreover, an invariant magnetic field, thermal dissipation, and the heat source are incorporated. Theoretical formulation resulted as, set non-linear partial differential equations. To obtain a numerical solution, similarity transform is hired to yield corresponding ordinary differential equations. Computational software Matlab is availed to run the code for the Runge-Kutta method with shooting technique. A deep insight into the problem is inspected by varying the inputs of the dependent functions influential parameters. It is perceived that the flow speed is hindered by the growing inputs of parameters of magnetic field and porosity. It also comes to know that the velocity f′(η) becomes slower with augmentation of φ2 but the temperature rises. A suitable range of the emerging parameters is tried to observe the variation of physical quantities such as skin fraction facts, velocity, local Nusselt number, and temperature of the fluid.

This paper presents a simple and universal measurement method for the average efficiency and instantaneous efficiency of pulsed RF power amplifiers. The average efficiency of the traditional definition varies with different duties and thus lacks universality, because of the DC power consumption outside the RF pulse. In our proposed method, the DC power consumption within a pulse period is divided into different parts. The parameters of each part can be extracted-from simple measurements of the average voltage and current under different duties. The average efficiency and instantaneous efficiency of different duties can be calculated with the extracted parameters. Since current clamps or oscilloscopes are not necessary to measure the instantaneous voltage and current, this solution can be easily implemented in a simple and cost-effective way, to expand the application into compact and sealed circuits. Measurement uncertainties under different duties were analyzed of the method. Experimental results of the proposed method are consistent with theoretical efficiencies, which help validate the method.

This study was performed to summarize our clinical experience with testicular descent and fixation through a scrotal stria incision for the treatment of palpable cryptorchidism in children. This study included 1034 children with palpable cryptorchidism from March 2009 to March 2019. A scrotal stria incision was used to perform testicular descent and fixation. Overall, 1020 children successfully underwent surgical testicular descent and fixation through a scrotal stria incision, and 14 patients underwent conversion to inguinal incision surgery. All patients were discharged 1–2 days after the operation. During hospitalization and follow-up, 55 patients developed complications, including 10 patients with testicular retraction, 7 with poor healing of the incision, and 38 with a scrotal hematoma. No patients developed testicular atrophy, an indirect inguinal hernia, or a hydrocoele. Testicular descent and fixation through a scrotal stria incision for the treatment of palpable cryptorchidism in children is safe and feasible in well-selected cases. This method has the advantages of no scarring and a good cosmetic effect.

Prostate cancer (PCa) exhibits epidemiological and molecular heterogeneity. Despite extensive studies of its phenotypic and genetic properties in Western populations, its molecular basis is not clear in Chinese patients. To determine critical molecular characteristics and explore correlations between genomic markers and clinical parameters in Chinese populations, we applied an integrative genetic/transcriptomic assay that combines targeted next-generation sequencing and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) on samples from 46 Chinese patients with PCa. Lysine (K)-specific methyltransferase 2D (KMT2D), zinc finger homeobox 3 (ZFHX3), A-kinase anchoring protein 9 (AKAP9), and GLI family zinc finger 1 (GLI1) were frequently mutated in our cohort. Moreover, a clinicopathological analysis showed that RB transcriptional corepressor 1 (RB1) deletion was common in patients with a high risk of disease progression. Remarkably, four genomic events, MYC proto-oncogene (MYC) amplification, RB1 deletion, APC regulator of WNT signaling pathway (APC) mutation or deletion, and cyclin-dependent kinase 12 (CDK12) mutation, were correlated with poor disease-free survival. In addition, a close link between KMT2D expression and the androgen receptor (AR) signaling pathway was observed both in our cohort and in The Cancer Genome Atlas Prostate Adenocarcinoma (TCGA-PRAD) data. In summary, our results demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of integrative molecular characterization of PCa samples in disease pathology research and personalized medicine.

Abstract Background There is currently no research on the diagnostic value of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) for a single pathogens in CSF. The aim of this study was to analyse the value of mNGS for identifying Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) in paediatric bacterial meningitis. Methods Bacterial meningitis (BM) cases from October 23, 2014, to December 31, 2016, and December 1, 2017, to July 31, 2018 at Beijing Children’s Hospital were reviewed. Clinical features and pathogens were analysed. Results We diagnosed 135 patients with BM in this study. A total of 43 S. pneumoniae were identified by combination methods. 26/135 (19.3%) patients had positive results in S. pneumoniae by blood and/or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture. Alere BinaxNow®Streptococcus pneumoniae Antigen test was positive in 35/135(25.9%) cases. 32/135 (23.7%) S. pneumoniae were identified by mNGS. Six CSF samples were identified as S. pneumoniae only by mNGS technology. Taking culture as the gold standard, the sensitivity and specificity of mNGS for diagnosing S. pneumoniae meningitis were 73.1 and 88.1%, respectively. The positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of diagnosing S. pneumoniae meningitis by mNGS were 59.4 and 93.2%, respectively. When comparison between mNGS and combined tests (culture and Alere BinaxNow®Streptococcus pneumoniae Antigen test), the sensitivity and specificity of mNGS for S. pneumoniae identification were 70.3 and 93.9%, the PPV and NPV in the identification of S. pneumoniae by mNGS were 81.4 and 89.3%, respectively. The difference in number of unique reads of S. pneumoniaein from CSF sample ( 14 days from onset) was statistically significant (170.5 VS. 13, P = 0.019). The difference in the collected time of CSF for culture and mNGS was statistically significant (4 days VS. 14 days, P

In the face of habitat shrinkage and segregation, the survival of wild cats looks bleak. Interpreting their population genetic structure during habitat fragmentation is critical in planning effective management strategies. To reveal the segregation effects of road construction and human settlements on the population genetic structure, we analyzed non-invasive fecal DNA samples from leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis) from five nature reserves in mountainous areas around Beijing. We focused on microsatellite markers. A total of 112 individual leopard cats were identified among 601 samples of scat, and moderate population genetic diversity was detected. Microsatellite-marker-based genetic differentiation (Fst) and gene flow (Nm) showed a weak trend toward discrepancies in the Baihuashan and Songshan subpopulations, which indicated habitat fragmentation effects on individual dispersal. Because the segregated subpopulations may suffer a high risk of genetic diversity loss, we suggest that their genetic structure be monitored with more molecular markers to detect any changes, and that female individuals be artificially introduced as needed to maintain the viability of the leopard cat subpopulations in Beijing.

This study is concerned with dynamical investigation, electrical circuit realization, and emulation of a fractional three-echelon supply chain system. In the financial realm, long-term memory effects play important roles. On the other hand, most financial systems are uncertain with unknown nonlinear dynamics. However, most studies on nonlinear supply chains neither consider the fractional calculus nor take advantage of state-of-the-art emulation methods. These issues motivated the current study. A fractional-order chaotic three-echelon supply chain system is studied. At first, the system’s dynamic is studied through Lyapunov exponent and bifurcation diagrams. It is shown that a slight deferent in some parameters of the system can dramatically change the behavior of the system. Then, a real-time analog circuit is designed and implemented to investigate the system’s chaotic behavior. This way, the system’s chaotic attractors are empirically demonstrated. Finally, emulation and interpolation of the fractional-order chaotic system using the Gaussian process have been studied, and its luminous results have been presented.

The paper considers Lieyu island from a relational geography perspective, relative to the islands of Kinmen, Xiamen, and Taiwan. Lieyu retains its natural landscape and military heritage in part due to its remote location and military restrictions relative to nearby Kinmen Island. Local politicians harness Lieyu’s archipelagic relationality and sense of underdevelopment relative to other islands in its archipelago to gain financial subsidies for infrastructure development. Such infrastructure projects (including fixed links) endanger Lieyu’s sense of islandness and island place. We introduce the term ‘compensatory destruction’, which involves destroying existing place-based values or attributes in the process of implementing new values in the name of development. Although compensatory destruction is not necessarily bad, care must be taken to ensure that development projects serve the needs of the community as a whole and are adequately assessed and evaluated.

OBJECTIVE:To design and evaluate the accuracy of a novel navigation template suitable for posterior cervical screw placement surgery by using 3D printing technology to improve the existing guiding template design. METHODS:The researchers (including spine surgeons and technicians) used CT to perform thin-slice scanning on 12 cases of normal upper cervical vertebral specimens and defined the screw channels that were completely located in the pedicle without penetrating the cortex as ideal screw channels, then designed the ideal channel of the upper cervical vertebral (atlantoaxial) pedicle screw by computer software which was regarded as the preset values, and recorded the screw entrance point, transverse angle and sagittal angle of the ideal channel. Then, researchers designed the novel navigation templates for placement pedicle screw according to the ideal screw channel preset values and manufactured them with one for every single vertebra by 3D printer. A senior spine surgeon performed the posterior surgery to implant pedicle screw on the specimens by the novel navigation templates, then performed CT thin-slice scanning on the specimens again after removing the screws, and reconstructed the actual screws channel by computer software, recorded the screw entrance point, transverse angle and sagittal angle of the actual channels which were defined as the actual values and evaluated them according to Kawaguchi's pedicle screw evaluation standard finally. The differences between the preoperative preset values of ideal screw channel and the postoperative actual values of actual screw channel were compared by a nonparametric paired rank test. RESULTS:48 screws were placed on 12 cases of upper cervical vertebral specimens in total. It showed that the grade 0, I, II, III channels in this study were 47, 1, 0, 0, respectively. The grade 0 channels accounted for 97.92% of the total number of channels. There was no significant difference with regard to the screw entrance point, the transverse angle, and the sagittal angle between the preoperative preset values of ideal screw channels and the postoperative actual values of actual screw channels. CONCLUSION:To implant pedicle screw assisted with the novel individually navigation template designed by 3D printed in the posterior cervical surgery can improve accuracy of pedicle screw placement and safety of the surgery.

Chemically extracted acellular nerve allografts loaded with brain-derived neurotrophic factor-transfected or ciliary neurotrophic factor-transfected bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells have been shown to repair sciatic nerve injury better than chemically extracted acellular nerve allografts alone, or chemically extracted acellular nerve allografts loaded with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. We hypothesized that these allografts compounded with both brain-derived neurotrophic factor- and ciliary neurotrophic factor-transfected bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells may demonstrate even better effects in the repair of peripheral nerve injury. We cultured bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells expressing brain-derived neurotrophic factor and/or ciliary neurotrophic factor and used them to treat sciatic nerve injury in rats. We observed an increase in sciatic functional index, triceps wet weight recovery rate, myelin thickness, number of myelinated nerve fibers, amplitude of motor-evoked potentials and nerve conduction velocity, and a shortened latency of motor-evoked potentials when allografts loaded with both neurotrophic factors were used, compared with allografts loaded with just one factor. Thus, the combination of both brain-derived neurotrophic factor and ciliary neurotrophic factor-transfected bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells can greatly improve nerve injury.

Two new acylated flavonol glycosides named kaempferol-3-O-(2-O-sinapoyl)-β-D-galactopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-glucopyranoside-7-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside (1) and quercetin-3-O-(6-O-benzoyl)-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→3)-β-D-galactopyranoside-7-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside (2), were isolated together with six known compounds from the seeds of L. sativum. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis and chemical methods. In vitro 1 and 2 inhibited nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells, with IC50 values of 25.36 and 25.08 µM, respectively.

To evaluate the postoperative stability of osteoporotic distal radius fractures fixed with distal locking screws with different length.A comminuted extra-articular dorsally unstable distal radius fracture, treated with volar locking plate system, was created. The 18 specimens were randomized into 3 groups based on distal locked screws with different length: Group A had unicortical screws with 50% length to the dorsal cortex. Group B had unicortical screws with 75% length to the dorsal cortex. Group C had bicortical screws. Axial compression and bending loads were imposed on the models before and after cycling testing as well as load to clinical and catastrophic failure.Minimum change in stiffness was observed before and after fatigue for all groups. The final stiffness to bending forces was statistically similar in all groups, but stiffness to axial compression was statistically significant different: Group A approached significance with respect to groups B and C (P = 0.017, 0.009), whereas stiffness in group B and C was statistically similar (P = 0.93). Load to clinical failure was significantly less for group A (456.54±78.59 N) compared with groups B (580.24±73.85 N) and C (591.07±38.40 N). Load to catastrophic failure was statistically similar between groups, but mean values for Group A were 18% less than means for Group C.The volar locking plate system fixed with unicortical locking screws with at least 75% length not only produced early stability for osteoporotic distal radius fractures, but also avoided extensor tendon complications due to dorsal screw protrusion.

Quality control of Chinese medicine injections remains a challenge due to our poor knowledge of their complex chemical profile. This study aims to investigate the chemical composition of one of the best-selling injections, Shenqi Fuzheng (SQ) injection (SQI), via a full component quantitative analysis. A total of 15 representative small molecular components of SQI were simultaneously determined using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled with quadrupole tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometry (Q-TOF-MS); saccharide composition of SQI was also quantitatively determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with evaporative light scattering detector (ELSD) on an amino column before and after acid hydrolysis. The existence of polysaccharides was also examined on a gel permeation chromatography column. The method was well validated in terms of linearity, sensitivity, precision, accuracy and stability, and was successfully applied to analyze 13 SQI samples. The results demonstrate that up to 94.69% (w/w) of this injection product are quantitatively determined, in which small molecules and monosaccharide/sucrose account for 0.18%–0.21%, and 53.49%–58.2%, respectively. The quantitative information contributes to accumulating scientific evidence to better understand the therapy efficacy and safety of complex Chinese medicine injections.

Doxorubicin (DOX) has been widely used to treat cancers as a first-line antitumor drug. However, it causes severe, irreversible, dose-dependent cardiotoxicity. To evaluate the protective effects of naringin (NRG) on cardiotoxicity, the authors investigated the molecular mechanism of the p38MAPK signaling pathway. H9c2 cells were treated for 24 h by using 5 µmol/l DOX without or with being pretreated by 1 µM NRG for 150 min or by 3 µM SB203580 for 60 min. Cell viability was detected by cell counting kit-8 assay. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were detected based on the oxidative conversion of 2',7'-dichlorfluorescein-diacetate (cell-permeable) to dichlorofluorescein (fluorescent). The expression of p38MAPK was determined by western blotting. The expression level of p-p38MAPK in H9c2 cells, which was significantly increased by exposure to 5 µM DOX for 60 min (P<0.01), was significantly decreased by pretreatment with 1 µM NRG for 150 min beforehand (P<0.01). The viability of H9c2 cells pretreated for 150 min with 1 µM NRG was significantly enhanced compared with that using DOX directly (P<0.01). Intracellular ROS levels were significantly reduced by being pretreated with 1 µM NRG for 150 min or with 3 µM SB203580 for 60 min before the cells were exposed to 5 µM DOX. Collectively, NRG protected H9c2 cells against the cardiotoxicity induced by DOX through suppressing the expression and activity of the p38MAPK pathway. The findings provided valuable evidence for the possible use of NRG to relieve DOX-induced cardiotoxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current surgical treatment of acetabular fractures is open reduction and internal fixation and requires a large incision resulting in considerable blood loss and a potentially long duration of recovery. We report a case of an acetabular fracture that received laparoscopic internal fixation after three-dimensional (3D) modelling and printing of the acetabulum. A 43 year old male fell from a height of 3 m resulting in a right acetabulum anterior column fracture. Thin section computed tomography scanning with 0.6 mm increments and subsequent 3D reconstruction was performed, and a 3D model of the acetabulum and fracture was printed. The steel reconstruction plate was prebent in vivo and placed into the optimized position based on the 3D modelling and the optimized insert orientation and measured screw length were determined. The fracture was reduced and the plate placed laparoscopically without complications, and the patient had excellent functional recovery. Acetabular fractures are complex injuries, and while minimally invasive surgical techniques are used in many fields, they are not common for the treatment of acetabular fractures. 3D modelling is commonly used in medicine, and although 3D printing is used in some fields, it has not found widespread use in orthopedics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to group arteries of arterial arch at the superior margin of the abductor hallucis muscle according to their constitutes and provide anatomical basis for reverse bifolicated flap based on it. The constitute, track-way and distribution of the artery, which supply the medial pedis flap, the medial plantar and the medial tarsal flap, especial the arterial arch at the superior margin of the abductor hallucis muscle were observed and analyzed on 81 lower limbs cast specimens and 2 fresh feet specimens. According to their constitute, arterial arch at the superior margin of the abductor hallucis muscle can be classified into 3 types: i) type I, It was constituted mainly by the branch of anterior medial malleolus artery and (or) the medial tarsal artery. ii) type II, It was constituted mainly by the superficial branch of the medial plantar artery; iii) type II, It was constituted mainly by the branch of anterior medial malleolus artery and the branch of medial tarsal artery anastomose with the superficial branch of the medial plantar artery, which was divided into two subtypes according to the different anastomosis of the artery: Type III 1, the type of anastomosed directly was about 48.2%, type III 2, The type of anastomosed indirectly was about 24.1%. According to the constitute of arterial arch at the superior margin of the abductor hallucis muscle can be classified into three types: The type of anterior medial malleolus artery and medial tarsal artery, the type of superficial branch of the medial plantar artery and the type of mixed. For the type mixed, two subtypes can be classified according to the different anastomosis of the artery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from gram negative bacteria plays an important role in the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases. Many evidences showed that LPS-induced neuroinflammation is related to upregulation of NF-kappaB. Here, we report that long-term treatment of lower dosage LPS mainly causes upregulation of Id2 protein. As an inhibitor of cell differentiation, Id2 plays an import role in adult olfactory neurogenesis. However, Id2 protein in brain acts as two edges in a sword, persist over-expression of Id2 in brain can induce neurodamages and may be related to neurodegeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the advent of educational reform, project-based inquiry becomes one of important new trends for school learning. Under this learning trend, students are encouraged to research in a specific knowledge area, and to gather and integrate related information to accomplish their project tasks. The purpose of this study was to identify library information skills needed in a project-based inquiry and design instruction to meet students' learning needs. Followed by the implementation of library and information learning activities for supporting needed skills, students' learning of library and information skills was analyzed. Subjects were 32 fifth graders from an elementary school at Taipei city. A case study approach was employed for data collection, including observations, interviews, and students' learning portfolios. In this study, library and information skills needed for accomplishing a project task were pre-assessed by observing their actions and information seeking behaviors in accomplishing project tasks. Then, library and information learning activities were designed, implemented, and evaluated. Student's progress in project-based inquiry was summarized. The results of the study indicate that students benefited from learning library and information skills in the project-based inquiry. Students were also satisfied with library and information learning activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]