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Multistate coupled coupled neural networks (MSCCNN) and multiderivative coupled coupled neural networks (MDCCNN) are introduced in this article, and the lag outer synchronization for these two networks are tackled. First, a lag outer synchronization criterion for MSCCNN is derived using a node-based adaptive event-triggered control scheme, and the fact that the Zeno behavior does not exist is also proved. Moreover, the edge-based adaptive event-triggered control method is also utilized to address the lag outer synchronization for MSCCNN, and the existence of Zeno behavior is ruled out. In addition, two lag outer synchronization criteria for MDCCNN are given on the basis of the node- and edge-based adaptive event-triggered control strategies, and the nonexistence of Zeno behavior is also established. Finally, two examples are provided to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed control schemes.

Background: Osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF) has been extensively treated clinically using percutaneous vertebral augmentation (PVA), which includes percutaneous kyphoplasty and percutaneous vertebroplasty. Postoperative refracture is a common complication after PVA, but the associated factors and specific mechanisms behind these fractures are not entirely clear., Questions/purposes: In a systematic review and meta-analysis, we asked: What factors were associated with increased or decreased odds of refracture after PVA for OVCF?, Methods: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) reporting guidelines, we conducted a comprehensive search of the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase for the time period from database inception to August 31, 2024 (which also was when we last searched). We included case-control studies in which participants were patients with OVCF and were treated with PVA, grouped into refracture versus non-refracture groups based on the presence or absence of refracture. We excluded studies published on preprint servers, conference reports, case reports, and systematic reviews or meta-analyses. We collected 2398 records in the database. After excluding studies that were duplicates and did not meet the inclusion criteria, we included 22 studies involving 7132 participants, 75% (5368) of whom were women, with a mean age of 76 years for patients in the refracture group and 74 years for patients in the non-refracture group. Quality assessment was performed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, with which we assessed three aspects of the study; the mean ± SD score for the included studies was 7.3 ± 0.7 of 9 total (on this scale, higher scores are better), representing generally high study quality. The determination of heterogeneity relied on I2 and chi-square test, and we used a random-effects model when the I2 was > 50% and p ≤ 0.05; otherwise, a fixed-effects model was chosen. According to the Egger test and trim and fill method, publication bias did not significantly affect most of our results., Results: The combined results showed that older age (mean difference 2.24 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.25 to 3.23]; p < 0.001), lower bone mineral density (BMD) (standardized mean difference [SMD] -0.72 [95% CI -0.99 to -0.45]; p < 0.001), greater preoperative AP vertebral height ratio (SMD 0.26 [95% CI 0.07 to 0.45]; p = 0.01), greater preoperative kyphotic angle (KA) (SMD 0.47 [95% CI 0.10 to 0.83]; p = 0.01), bone cement leakage (OR 1.39 [95% CI 1.05 to 1.84]; p = 0.02), multivertebral fractures (OR 3.58 [95% CI 2.53 to 5.07]; p < 0.001), smoking (OR 1.53 [95% CI 1.16 to 2.02]; p = 0.003), use of glucocorticoids (OR 3.18 [95% CI 2.09 to 4.84]; p < 0.001), and previous osteoporotic vertebral fracture (OR 2.55 [95% CI 1.58 to 4.13]; p < 0.001) were associated with increased odds of refractures after surgery. Use of antiosteoporosis therapy was associated with a decreased odds of postoperative refracture (OR 0.39 [95% CI 0.24 to 0.64]; p < 0.001)., Conclusion: Based on the results of our meta-analysis, surgeons can identify those who are more likely to have refracture by knowing basic information about their patients preoperatively, such as advanced age, lower BMD, greater preoperative AP ratio, greater preoperative KA, and the presence of multivertebral fractures or previous osteoporotic vertebral fracture. Also, intraoperative reduction of bone cement leakage and postoperative counseling of patients to quit smoking, reduce glucocorticoid use, and administration of antiosteoporosis therapy were used to reduce the probability of refracture. The association between some factors and refracture is uncertain, such as BMI and thoracolumbar fracture, and further studies are needed., Level of Evidence: Level III, therapeutic study., Competing Interests: Each author certifies that there are no funding or commercial associations (consultancies, stock ownership, equity interest, patent/licensing arrangements, etc.) that might pose a conflict of interest in connection with the submitted article related to the author or any immediate family members. All ICMJE Conflict of Interest Forms for authors and Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research® editors and board members are on file with the publication and can be viewed on request., (Copyright © 2025 by the Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons.)

Liver cancer causes upwards of 1 million cancer deaths annually and is projected to rise by at least 55% over the next 15 years. Two of the major risk factors contributing to liver cancer have been well documented by multiple epidemiologic studies and the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and aflatoxin show a synergy that increases by more than 8-fold the risk of liver cancer relative to HBV alone. Using the population-based cancer registry established by the Qidong Liver Cancer Institute in 1972 and aflatoxin-specific biomarkers, we document that reduction of aflatoxin exposure has likely contributed to a nearly 70% decline in age-standardized liver cancer incidence over the past 30 years despite an unchanging prevalence of HBV infection in cases. A natural experiment of economic reform in the 1980s drove a rapid switch from consumption of heavily contaminated corn to minimally, if any, contaminated rice and subsequent dietary diversity. Aflatoxin consumption appears to accelerate the time to liver cancer diagnosis; lowering exposure to this carcinogen adds years of life before a cancer diagnosis. Thus, in 1990 the median age of diagnosis was 48 years, while increasing to 67 years by 2021. These findings have important translational public health implications since up to 5 billion people worldwide might be routinely exposed to dietary aflatoxin, especially in societies using corn as the staple food. Interventions against aflatoxin are an achievable outcome leading to a reduction in liver cancer incidence and years of delay of its nearly always fatal diagnosis., (© 2024 UICC.)

(1) Liver injury caused by an overdose of acetaminophen (APAP) represents a major public health concern. Paeoniflorin (PF) has been reported to have anti-inflammatory and liver-protective effects, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effect of PF on the crosstalk between pyroptosis and NETs in AILI. (2) APAP-treated C57BL/6J mice were used to demonstrate the protective effect of PF on liver injury. HepG2 and dHL-60 cells were cultured to study the effects of PF on hepatocyte pyroptosis and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in vitro. Moreover, cell co-culture experiments were performed, and mice were treated with a NETs-depleting agent and hepatocyte pyroptosis inhibitor to investigate the improvement of AILI induced by PF through regulating the crosstalk between hepatocyte pyroptosis and NETs. (3) PF significantly alleviated AILI. Additionally, PF inhibited the expression of pyroptosis-related proteins, high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), and NETs-associated proteins in vitro and in vivo. The co-culture experiments demonstrated that PF not only inhibited the NETs triggered by hepatocyte pyroptosis, but also suppressed the hepatocyte pyroptosis induced by NETs. In mice with depleted neutrophils, the level of hepatocyte pyroptosis notably decreased, indicating a diminished impact of PF. Similarly, NETs formation was reduced in mice receiving a pyroptosis inhibitor compared to the APAP group. Compared with DNase I alone, the reduction effect of PF combined with DNase I on serum ALT and AST levels decreased from 46.857% and 39.927% to 44.347% and 33.419%, respectively. Compared with DSF alone, PF combined with DSF reduced the ALT and AST levels from 46.857% and 39.927% to 45.347% and 36.419%, respectively. (4) PF demonstrated therapeutic effects on AILI. Its mechanism involves the regulation of the crosstalk between hepatocyte pyroptosis and NETs. This research substantiates the pharmacological promise of PF as a therapeutic intervention for acute AILI.

The Qidong Liver Cancer Institute (QDLCI) and the Qidong Cancer Registry were established in 1972 with input from doctors, other medical practitioners, and non-medical investigators arriving from urban centers such as Shanghai and Nanjing. Medical teams were established to quantify the extent of primary liver cancer in Qidong, a corn-growing peninsula on the north side of the Yangtze River. High rates of liver cancer were documented and linked to several etiologic agents, including aflatoxins. Local corn, the primary dietary staple, was found to be consistently contaminated with high levels of aflatoxins, and bioassays using this corn established its carcinogenicity in ducks and rats. Observational studies noted a positive association between levels of aflatoxin in corn and incidence of liver cancer across townships. Biomarker studies measuring aflatoxin B 1 and its metabolite aflatoxin M 1 in biofluids reflected the exposures. Approaches to decontamination of corn from aflatoxins were also studied. In 1993, investigators from Johns Hopkins University were invited to visit the QDLCI to discuss chemoprevention studies in some townships. A series of placebo-controlled clinical trials were conducted using oltipraz (a repurposed drug), chlorophyllin (an over-the-counter drug), and beverages prepared from 3-day-old broccoli sprouts (rich in the precursor phytochemical for sulforaphane). Modulation of biomarkers of aflatoxin DNA and albumin adducts established proof of principle for the efficacy of these agents in enhancing aflatoxin detoxication. Serendipitously, by 2012, aflatoxin exposures quantified using biomarker measurements documented a many hundred-fold reduction. In turn, the Cancer Registry documents that the age-standardized incidence rate of liver cancer is now 75% lower than that seen in the 1970s. This reduction is seen in Qidongese who have never received the hepatitis B vaccination. Aflatoxin mitigation driven by economic changes switched the dietary staple of contaminated corn to rice coupled with subsequent dietary diversity leading to lower aflatoxin exposures. This 50-year effort to understand the etiology of liver cancer in Qidong provides the strongest evidence for aflatoxin mitigation as a public health strategy for reducing liver cancer burden in exposed, high-risk populations. Also highlighted are the challenges and successes of international team science to solve pressing public health issues.

Based on the innate sensitivity of cell to substrate topographical cues, modulating cell-directed growth behavior is crucial for promoting tissue repair and reconstruction. Although photolithography technology has been extensively employed to fabricate a variety of anisotropic patterned structures to guide cell growth, it remains a great challenge to design high-resolution micro/nano hierarchical structures directly onto medical titanium (Ti)-based implants. Herein, we present a rapid, reliable and reproducible approach combining photolithography and hydrothermal technology to construct a micro/nano hierarchical structure including anisotropic micro-strips and a porous structure composed of TiO 2 nanotubes features. In vitro biological and physicochemical analyses revealed that the micro/nano hierarchical structures not only efficiently facilitate the localization and adsorption of BSA molecules, but also enhances the control of cell growth behavior. The synergistic effect between the physical limitation for organizing cellular cytoskeleton at micropattern and the control of focal adhesion sits at the nanoscale can effectively guide cells to maintain stable elongation and alignment, even at large micro-stripe width of 100 μm. This study presents a promising strategy to precisely construct micro/nano multi-level patterned structure on Ti substrate using biomaterials with excellent biocompatibility. These functional micro/nano hybrid micropatterns offer a powerful platform for regulating bioreagent localization and cell behaviors in various applications including tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, drug screening, and biosensors., (© 2025 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

This paper introduces multiple state or spatial-diffusion coupled fractional-order reaction-diffusion neural networks, and discusses the outer synchronization and outer H ∞ synchronization problems for these coupled fractional-order reaction-diffusion neural networks (CFRNNs). The Lyapunov functional method, Laplace transform and inequality techniques are utilized to obtain some outer synchronization conditions for CFRNNs. Moreover, some criteria are also provided to make sure the outer H ∞ synchronization of CFRNNs. Finally, the derived outer and outer H ∞ synchronization conditions are validated on the basis of two numerical examples., 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 Ltd. All rights reserved.)