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Anthocyanidin reductase is one of the key enzyme involved in the synthesis of flavonoids. In order to explore the structure of ANR gene, ANR enzyme expression pattern and flavonoid content under drought stress and their correlation, a HrANR gene identified from RNA-seq data of sea buckthorn was screened and analyzed by bioinformatics soft, the expression patterns of HrANR gene in different tissues and of flavonoid contents in leaves were performed. The results were as follows: (1) The ORF of HrANR gene was 1 017 bp, which encoded 338 amino acids. It was a stable hydrophilic protein, and the homologous protein had significant family and genus characteristics. (2) HrANR gene was expressed in roots, stems and leaves of sea buckthorn under drought stress, but the expression trends were different, with an increase followed by a decrease and then an increase in roots, a continuous decrease in stems, and an increase followed by a continuous decrease in leaves. (3) The flavonoid contents in leaves of sea buckthorn under different levels of stress showed a trend that first increased continuously and then decreased slightly, increased to the highest point after rehydration. The above results indicated that the expression of HrANR gene and the changes of flavonoid content were closely related to the drought resistance of sea buckthorn. The flavonoid content in leaves was positively correlated with drought stress at the beginning of drought stress and negatively correlated with drought stress under severe stress. (4) Leaf expression, stem expression and flavonoid content of HrANR gene were negatively correlated (Pleaf= -0.751, Pstem= -0.934) and root expression was positively correlated with flavonoid content (Proot= 0.444). The above results indicate that the expression of HrANR genes and changes of flavonoid content in sea buckthorn are closely related to drought resistance, and it provides a reference for elucidating the drought resistance mechanism of sea buckthorn.

Objectives To compare the clinical and radiographic outcomes of oblique lateral lumbar interbody fusion and minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion in patients with grade‐1 L4/5 degenerative spondylolisthesis. Methods Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the comparative analysis included consecutive patients with grade‐1 degenerative spondylolisthesis who underwent oblique LIF (OLIF, n = 36) or minimally invasive transforaminal LIF (MI‐TLIF, n = 45) at the Department of Spine Surgery, Beijing Jishuitan Hospital from January 2016 to August 2017. Patient satisfaction Japanese Orthopaedic Association score, visual analog scale (VAS) scores for back and leg pain, Oswestry disability index (ODI), radiographic outcomes including anterior/posterior disc heights (ADH/PDH), foraminal height (FH), foraminal width (FW), cage subsidence, cage retropulsion, and fusion rate were assessed during a 2‐year follow‐up. Continuous data are presented as mean ± standard deviation and were compared between groups using the independent sample t‐test. Categorical data are presented as n (%) and were compared between groups using the Pearson chi‐squared test or Fisher's exact test. Repetitive measurement and analysis of variance was employed in the analysis of ODI, back pain VAS score, and leg pain VAS score. Statistical significance was defined as p

Abstract Background To perform a comparative assessment of percutaneous transfacet screws (TFS) and percutaneous bilateral pedicle screws (BPS) in oblique lateral interbody fusion (OLIF) for the treatment of single-level degenerative lumbar spine diseases in terms of radiological examinations and clinical outcomes. Methods Sixty-six patients who received single-level OLIF with percutaneous supplementary fixation assisted by the robot for the treatment of degenerative lumbar spine diseases were selected. There were 16 cases of OLIF with TFS and 50 cases of OLIF with BPS. The propensity score matching method selected 11 patients in each group with matched characteristics to perform a clinical comparison. Results The estimated blood loss was 68.2 ± 25.2 ml in the OLIF with TFS group compared to 113.6 ± 39.3 ml in the OLIF with BPS group (P 0.05). Quantitative assessments of back/leg pain of the two groups reached a healthy level in the late period of the follow-up. Conclusion Both TFS and BPS techniques for the OLIF surgery relieve back pain caused by degenerative lumbar spine diseases. The TFS technique exhibits less blood loss compared with the BPS. A moderate cage subsidence is present in TFS but no complication is reported.

Abstract Background To evaluate the accuracy of screw placement using the TiRobot surgical robot in the Harms procedure and to assess the clinical outcomes of this technique. Methods This retrospective study included 21 patients with atlantoaxial instability treated by posterior atlantoaxial internal fixation (Harms procedure) using the TiRobot surgical robot between March 2016 and June 2021. The precision of screw placement, perioperative parameters and clinical outcomes were recorded. Screw placement was assessed based on intraoperative guiding pin accuracy measurements on intraoperative C-arm cone-beam computed tomography (CT) images using overlay technology and the incidence of screw encroachment identified on CT images. Results Among the 21 patients, the mean age was 44.8 years, and the causes of atlantoaxial instability were os odontoideum (n = 11), rheumatoid arthritis (n = 2), unknown pathogenesis (n = 3), and type II odontoid fracture (n = 5). A total of 82 screws were inserted with robotic assistance. From intraoperative guiding pin accuracy measurements, the average translational and angular deviations were 1.52 ± 0.35 mm (range 1.14–2.25 mm) and 2.25° ± 0.45° (range 1.73°–3.20º), respectively. Screw placement was graded as A for 80.5% of screws, B for 15.9%, and C for 3.7%. No complications related to screw misplacement were observed. After the 1-year follow-up, all patients with a neurological deficit experienced neurological improvement based on Nurick Myelopathy Scale scores, and all patients with preoperative neck pain reported improvement based on Visual Analog Scale scores. Conclusions Posterior atlantoaxial internal fixation using the Harms technique assisted by a 3D-based navigation robot is safe, accurate, and effective for treating atlantoaxial instability.

The transmission end of large-scale wind power generation bases faces challenges such as high AC-DC coupling strength, low system inertia, and weak voltage support capabilities. Deploying distributed synchronous condensers (SCs) within and around wind farms can effectively provide transient reactive power support, enhance grid system inertia at the transmission end, and improve dynamic frequency support capabilities. However, the high investment and maintenance costs of SCs hinder their large-scale deployment, necessitating the investigation of optimal SC configuration strategies at critical nodes in the transmission grid. Initially, a node inertia model was developed to identify weaknesses in dynamic frequency support, and a critical inertia constraint based on node frequency stability was proposed. Subsequently, a multi-timescale reactive power response model was formulated to quantify the impact on short-circuit ratio improvement and transient overvoltage suppression. Finally, a two-stage optimal configuration strategy for distributed SCs at the transmission end was proposed, considering dynamic frequency support and transient voltage stability. In the first stage, the optimal SC configuration aimed to maximize system inertia improvement per unit investment to meet dynamic frequency support requirements. In the second stage, the configuration results from the first stage were adjusted by incorporating constraints for enhancing the multiple renewable short-circuit ratio (MRSCR) and suppressing transient overvoltage. The proposed model was validated using the feeder grid of a large energy base in western China. The results demonstrate that the optimal configuration scheme effectively suppressed transient overvoltage at the generator end and significantly enhanced the system's dynamic frequency support strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway is a potent therapeutic target for innate immunity. Despite the efforts to develop pocket‐dependent small‐molecule STING agonists that mimic the endogenous STING ligand, cyclic guanosine monophosphate–adenosine monophosphate (cGAMP), most of these agonists showed disappointing results in clinical trials owing to the limitations of the STING pocket. In this study, we developed novel pocket‐independent STING‐activating agonists (piSTINGs), which act through multivalency‐driven oligomerization to activate STING. Additionally, a piSTING‐adjuvanted vaccine elicited a significant antibody response and inhibited tumour growth in therapeutic models. Moreover, a piSTING‐based vaccine combination with aPD‐1 showed remarkable potential to enhance the effectiveness of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) immunotherapy. In particular, piSTING can strengthen the impact of STING pathway in immunotherapy and accelerate the clinical translation of STING agonists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current literature, there exists a lack of analysis regarding the coordination of the spinning reserve and time-shift characteristics of hydrogen storage systems (HSS) and flexible carbon capture systems (FCCS) in terms of low-carbon economic operation. They are presently used solely as a tool to capture carbon dioxide, without fully utilizing the advantages of their flexible operation. The coordination and complementarity of the FCCS and HSS can ensure stable power supply and improve renewable energy (RE) consumption. Combined with demand side response (DSR), these factors can maximize the RE consumption capacity, reduce carbon emissions, and improve revenue. In this paper, a source-storage-load flexible scheduling strategy is proposed by considering the complementary nature of FCCS and HSS in terms of rotating standby and time-shift characteristics. First, the operational mechanisms of FCCS, HSS, and demand side response (DSR) are analyzed, and their mathematical models are constructed to improve flexibility in grid operation and regulation. Next, deficiencies in FCCS and HSS operation under rotating reserve requirements are analyzed to design a coordinated operation framework for the FCCS and HSS. This operational framework aims to enable the complementarity of the rotating reserve and time-shift characteristics of FCCS and HSS. Finally, based on the carbon emission trading mechanism, a three-stage ladder carbon emission trading cost model is constructed, and a source-storage-load flexible scheduling strategy is established to achieve an effective balance between low carbon emissions and economic performance. The simulation results demonstrate that the strategy reduces the overall cost by 8.57%, reduces the carbon emissions by 35.33%, and improves the renewable energy consumption by 3.5% compared with the unoptimized scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background For lumbar degenerative diseases, cage subsidence is a serious complication and can result in the failure of indirect decompression in the oblique lumbar interbody fusion (OLIF) procedure. Whether additional lateral plate fixation was effective to improve clinical outcomes and prevent cage subsidence was still unknown. This study aimed to compare the incidence and degree of cage subsidence between stand-alone oblique lumbar interbody fusion (SA-OLIF) and OLIF combined with lateral plate fixation (OLIF + LP) for the treatment of lumbar degenerative diseases and to evaluate the effect of the lateral plate fixation. Methods This was a retrospective comparative study. 20 patients with 21 levels underwent SA-OLIF and 21 patients with 26 levels underwent OLIF + LP. We compared clinical and radiographic outcomes between two groups. Clinical evaluation included Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for back pain and leg pain, Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scores and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). Radiographical evaluation included disc height (DH), segmental lordosis angle (SL), and subsidence rate on standing lateral radiographs. Cage subsidence was classified using Marchi’s criteria. Results The mean follow-up duration was 6.3 ± 2.4 months. There were no significant differences among perioperative data (operation time, estimated intraoperative blood loss, and complication), clinical outcome (VAS, ODI, and JOA) and radiological outcome (SH and SL). The subsidence rate was 19.0% (4/21) in SA-OLIF group and 19.2% (5/26) in OLIF + LP group. 81.0% in SA-OLIF group and 80.8% in OLIF + LP group had Grade 0 subsidence, 14.3% in SA-OLIF group and 15.4% in OLIF + LP group had Grade I subsidence, and 4.8% in SA-OLIF group and 3.8% in OLIF + LP group had Grade II subsidence (P = 0.984). One patient with severe cage subsidence and lateral plate migration underwent revision surgery. Conclusions The additional lateral plate fixation does not appear to be more effective to prevent cage subsidence in the oblique lumbar interbody fusion, compared with stand-alone technique. If severe cage subsidence occurs, it may result in lateral plate migration in OLIF combined with lateral plate fixation.