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Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare perioperative hidden blood loss after hip hemiarthroplasty via the SuperPATH approach and the conventional posterior approach (the Moore approach).Patients and Methods: From January 2015 to January 2017, 130 patients (80.7 ± 6.0 years) with displaced femoral neck fracture (Garden type III or IV) undergoing hip hemiarthroplasty were included in this study. As a non-randomisation study, Fifty-two patients (SuperPATH group) were operated using the SuperPATH approach, and 78 patients (Moore group) were operated with the conventional posterior approach (Moore approach). The demographic and relevant clinical information of the patients were collected. According to the combination formulas of Nadler, Gross and Sehat, the hidden blood loss (HBL) of each patient was calculated. Student's t-test for independent samples was used to compare the normally distributed variables and the Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare variables not following a normal distribution.Results: The visible blood loss (VBL) in the SuperPATH group was 123.7 ± 47.5 ml, the hidden blood loss (HBL) was 1084.1 ± 816.8 ml and the HBL% was 82.7 ± 16.5%. In the Moore group, the VBL was 303.6 ± 139.6 ml, the HBL was 700.2 ± 563.8 ml and the HBL% was 61.5 ± 23.8%. The patients in the SuperPATH group had more HBL and HBL% (P < 0.05). However, no significant difference was observed of total blood loss (TBL) between the two groups (P = 0.125).Conclusions: HBL should not be ignored in patients who underwent hip hemiarthroplasty for displaced femoral neck fractures, as it is a significant portion of TBL. Compared with the conventional approach, the SuperPATH approach had a greater amount of HBL. A better understanding of HBL after hip hemiarthroplasty may help surgeons improve clinical assessment and ensure patient safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The toxicology of microplastics in combination with other pollutants has attracted widespread attention. In this study, zebrafish were exposed to 3 mg/L polystyrene microplastic, 0.2 mg/L phenanthrene, and a combination of both. Zebrafish microplastic uptake, phenanthrene accumulation, antioxidant-associated enzyme activity and related gene expression, immune-associated gene expression, and the gut microflora were measured after 12 and 24 days of exposure. Phenanthrene and microplastic accumulation increased with exposure time and was also greater in the combined exposure group than in the single exposure group. Combined analysis of antioxidant enzyme activity and immune and antioxidant-related genes shows that exposure alone causes oxidative stress in zebrafish, ultimately increasing immunity and the expression of oxidative stress genes, while combined exposure exacerbates these changes. Fusobacteria decreased and Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes increased in the three exposure groups of gut microorganisms. Overall, our study demonstrates that microplastics enhance the toxicity of phenanthrene and that the two have a synergistic effect. Unlabelled Image • Toxicological effects of microplastics and phenanthrene on zebrafish were studied. • Microplastics increase zebrafish phenanthrene intake. • Microplastics and phenanthrene affect oxidative stress resistance and immune function in zebrafish. • Microplastics and phenanthrene have synergistic toxicological effect to zebrafish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Like many urban rivers, the Pearl River in China is contaminated with microplastics. Compared with marine environments, microplastic pollution in freshwater is less understood, especially in urban rivers. In the present study, the abundance and distribution of microplastics in water from the Pearl River was investigated, including the estuary and the urban section along Guangzhou. The average abundance of microplastics was 19,860 items/m3 and 8902 items/m3 in the urban section and estuary, respectively. Wastewater effluents from cities might be a main source of microplastics in the Pearl River, and the urban tributaries might act as retention systems for microplastics. Among these microplastics, over 80% of them were less than 0.5 mm. The main shapes of microplastics were film, fragment, and fiber, mostly blue or transparent. Moreover, the most common polymer types of these microplastics were polyamide (26.2%) and cellophane (23.1%). This study reveals the contamination and characteristics of microplastics in the Pearl River, and provides important data for further research on microplastics in freshwater ecosystems. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • First comparison of microplastics between estuary and urban section of the Pearl River. • Films were the main shape in the Pearl River. • PA and cellophane were the dominant polymer types in the Pearl River. • Waste water effluents from urban city might be a main source of microplastics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanxun Reef is one of the typical reefs in Nansha Islands, South China Sea. As the Nansha Islands are surrounded by certain developing countries, the economic and population growth have resulted in increased surface runoff of persistent organic pollutants in offshore areas. Microplastic has been found in many freshwaters and sea areas in recent years. However, the levels of microplastics contamination in Nansha Islands are still uncharted. In this study, 15 water and 35 fish samples were collected around the Nanxun Reef. The average concentration of microplastics was 1733 items/m3 for surface water samples and 3.1 items per individual for fish samples. The majority of ingested microplastics by fish were fibers, mostly transparent or blue. In surface water samples, blue microbeads were the main types of microplastics, accounting for 76.5% of all the detected particles. The main size of microplastics was <0.5 mm both in water and fish samples. Our results demonstrated that fishery activities and human domestic sewage might be the dominant sources of microplastic pollution in the Nansha Island, South China Sea. Unlabelled Image • The first report on microplastics pollution in waters and fish from Nansha Islands • Blue microbeads were the dominant type in surface water from Nanxun Reef. • Fibers were the main shape in fish samples from Nansha Islands. • PVC was the major polymer type in surface water from Nanxun Reef. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study aims to analyze clinical effects between far cortical locking (FCL) system and standard plating techniques in the treatment of lower limb fractures and identify potential preoperative risk factors for complications in patients treated with FCL system.Method: We retrospectively analyzed 76 patients treated with FCL system (the study group) and 68 patients treated with standard plating techniques (the control group) between January 2014 and January 2017. Patients were followed up for a minimum of one year. Surgery-related complications, fixation features, fracture healing rates, the radiographic union scores, and knee functions (Kolment scores) were analyzed between the two groups in the study. Besides, we analyzed eight preoperative characteristics for surgery-related complications, including age, gender, presence of risk factors affecting bone healing, cause of injury, AO/OTA fracture classifications, facture sites, presence of open fractures, and presence of bone losses.Results: The distributions of baseline date were similar between the two groups (P＞0.05). The average number of FCL screws was 4.5 (range: 3-9) in the study group. The average time to union was 2.8 ± 0.9 months in the study group and 3.6 ± 1.0 months in the control group (P＜0.001), and average time to whole weight bearing was 2.3 ± 0.8 months and 2.8 ± 1.2 months, respectively (P = 0.004). Regarding radiographic union score, the study group scores were significantly higher than the control group scores at 1 and 3 months after surgery (P＜0.001), while it becomes insignificant between the two groups at 6 and 12 months after surgery (P = 0.19 and P = 0.15).The working lengths, fracture healing rates, complication rates, and Kolment scores were similar between the two groups (P＞0.05). In the multivariate analysis, fracture sites (OR = 5.34; 95% CI, 1.11-25.75; P = 0.03) and presence of open fractures (OR = 6.19; 95% CI, 1.05-36.38; P = 0.04) were significant associated with complications, whereas other variables were not included.Discussion: FCL system can truly accelerating bone healing and allow earlier whole weight bearing. Fracture healing rates and complication rates were similar between patients treated with FCL implants or conventional plating techniques. Patients with shaft fractures and open fractures trended to have higher complication rates.Conclusions: FCL system is superior to standard plating technique in terms of early callus formation, but standard plating technique is not inferior to FCL system in terms of final fracture healing, surgery-related complication, and function outcome. Fracture site and presence of open fracture are the independent factors for complications in patients treated with FCL system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functionalization of titanium devices with various bioactive molecules enhances many of their properties as implants, including biocompatibility, which is typically assessed by macrophage activation and inflammation. However, functionalization requires prior introduction of reactive groups, to which bioactive agents can then be grafted. Thus, we investigated the inflammatory properties of titanium pretreated with NaOH, titanium pretreated with NaOH and then with 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane, and titanium pretreated with dopamine. Inflammation, macrophage polarization, and activation of NF-κB signaling were assessed by real-time PCR and western blotting. The data demonstrate that silanized titanium is the least inflammatory, and promotes macrophage M2 polarization with modest engagement of the NF-κB signaling pathway. Importantly, silanization introduces a reactive amino group, providing more opportunities for further functionalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tyrosinase is a key rate-limiting enzyme in melanin synthesis. In this study, a new tyrosinase gene ( Tyr ) was identified from Pteria penguin and its effect on melanin synthesis was deliberated by RNA interference (RNAi). The cDNA of PpTyr was 1728 bp long, containing a 5′untranslated region (UTR) of 11 bp, a 3′UTR of 295 bp, and an open reading fragment of 1422 bp encoding 473 amino acids. Amino acid alignment showed PpTyr had the highest (50%) identity to tyrosinase-like protein 1 from Pinctada fucata . Phylogenetic tree analysis classified PpTyr into α-subclass of type-3 copper protein. Tissue expression analysis indicated that PpTyr was highly expressed in mantle, a nacre formation related tissue. After PpTyr RNA interference, PpTyr mRNA was significantly inhibited by 71.0% ( P  < 0.05). For other melanin-related genes, PpCreb2 and PpPax3 expression showed no significant change, but PpBcl2 was obviously increased. By liquid chromatograph-tandem mass spectrometer (LC-MS/MS) analysis, the total content of PDCA (pyrrole-2, 3-dicarboxylic acid) and PTCA (pyrrole-2,3,5-tricarboxylic acid), as main markers for eumelanin, was sharply decreased by 66.6% after PpTyr RNAi ( P  < 0.05). The percentage of PDCA was also obviously decreased from 20.1% to 13.9%. This indicated that tyrosinase played a key role in melanin synthesis and color formation of P . penguin . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]