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The preparation and realization of highly reliable thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) on the internal surface of complex cavities is a bottleneck problem. Traditional coating methods are difficult to deposit and fulfil service requirements. In this study, a novel structure of YSZ and Ce-doped YSZ (CeYSZ) TBCs was prepared by a newly cathode plasma electrolytic deposition (CPED) technology. The results suggested that both the CPED-YSZ and CPED-CeYSZ coatings exhibited porous cross-linked dendritic structures. Because Ce doping significantly improved the phase stability of tetragonal structure and enhanced thermal insulation temperature during a burner-rig test at 1300 °C, resulting in a threefold increase in the thermal cycling life of the CPED-CeYSZ coating compared to the CPED-YSZ coating. This work provided a new strategy for tailoring multiple rare-earth principal components of high-performance TBCs and depositing them on the inner surface of complex cavities with high aspect ratios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Power parameters are of importance to determine the microstructure and property of coatings deposited by cathode plasma electrolytic deposition (CPED). In the present study, the effect of power parameters including voltage and duty cycle on the microstructure and anti-corrosion property of zirconia (ZrO 2) CPED-coatings was investigated. The results suggested that the as-deposited coatings consisted of t -ZrO 2 and m -ZrO 2 , while the content of t -ZrO 2 exceeded 50 %. The content of t -ZrO 2 increased with the increase of voltage and decreased with the increase of duty cycle, reaching a maximum of 89.9 %. In addition, as the voltage and duty cycle increased, the porosity of the coating increased from 3.7 % to 15.5 %. Due to the high t -ZrO 2 content, high thickness and relatively dense structure, the coatings deposited at 250 V had a superior corrosion resistance in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution. This work will provide a guideline for tailoring high performance ZrO 2 CPED-coatings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the clinical outcomes of breast cancer brain metastases (BCBMs) treated with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) with or without systemic metastasis. We retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent SRS to BCBMs from 2005-2020 from a prospectively maintained database. Patients were stratified by BCBMs with or without systemic metastasis on the date of SRS. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate overall survival (OS), central nervous system progression free survival (CNS-PFS), and distant intracranial control (DIC) from the date of SRS. Prognostic variables were assessed using the Cox proportional hazards model. We identified 223 patients who underwent SRS to 819 BCBMs. Of the 223 patients, 179 (80%) had systemic metastasis with 722 BCBMs, while 44 (20%) had no systemic metastasis with 97 BCBMs on the date of SRS. No differences were noted in patients with or without systemic metastases with regards to histology (P = 0.93), subtype (P = 0.48), age (P = 0.32), or Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) (P = 0.66). There was a trend towards patients without systemic metastases having fewer brain metastases (P = 0.07) and undergoing surgical resection of brain metastases (P <0.0001). Median follow-up from the date of SRS was 76.4 months (range = 1.3-131.0). In patients with or without systemic metastasis on the date of SRS, the median OS was 22 months (95% CI = 18.3-25.66) and 38.1 months (95% CI = 24.77-46.73) (P = 0.01), respectively. The median CNS-PFS was 8.6 months (95% CI = 7.83-10.37) and 13.0 months (95% CI = 6.93-19.1) (P = 0.078), respectively. The median DIC was 10.0 months (range = 8.4-11.7) and 13.7 months (range = 8.9-31.2) (P = 0.03), respectively. On univariate analysis, absence of systemic metastasis on the date of SRS was associated with improved survival (HR = 0.60, 95% CI = 0.41-0.89, P = 0.01). On multivariate analysis, the HER2 positive subtype was associated with improved survival (adjusted HR = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.04-3.29, P = 0.04). Of the 44 patients who had no systemic metastasis on the date of SRS, 29 patients (66%) received systemic treatment after SRS including CDK 4/6 inhibitors (n = 2; 7%), anti-PD-1 therapy (n = 4; 14%), chemotherapy (n = 7; 29%), HER2 targeted therapy (n = 12; 41%), and endocrine therapy (n = 8; 28%). A total of 14 of these 44 patients (31.8%) eventually developed systemic metastasis after SRS, most commonly to the bone (33%), liver (33%) and lung (27%). BCBMs without systemic metastasis is a rare presentation but after SRS these patients were noted to have improved OS and DIC. Further investigation into the biology of patients with brain only breast metastatic disease is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the association between intracranial plaque characteristics and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels, and their combined effects on the occurrence of acute cerebral infarction (ACI). One hundred and forty-three patients with recent ischaemic events in the territory of middle cerebral artery or basilar artery were enrolled and divided into the ACI group (n= 93) and non-ACI group (n= 50) according to clinical data and diffusion-weighting imaging (DWI) results. All recruited patients underwent high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess intracranial plaque characteristics, including plaque enhancement, standardised wall index, stenosis ratio, T1 hyperintense component, remodelling pattern, plaque area, plaque burden, and maximum wall thickness. hs-CRP levels were further grouped into the low group (<1 mg/l), the intermediate group (1–3 mg/l), and the high group (≥3 mg/l). Multivariate logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curve were constructed to evaluate the association between intracranial plaque characteristics and hs-CRP levels, as well as their synergistic effects on determining the occurrence of ACI. High hs-CRP levels were associated with strong plaque enhancement (p< 0.001, odds ratio [OR] = 7.497). Strong plaque enhancement (p= 0.002, OR=2.109) and high hs-CRP levels (p= 0.009, OR=3.893) were independently associated with the occurrence of ACI after adjustments for sex, age, and other traditional atherosclerotic risk factors. The combination of hs-CRP levels and strong plaque enhancement provided incremental information to determine ACI with an AUC of 0.823, which was significantly higher than that of strong plaque enhancement (0.711) and hs-CRP levels (0.686), respectively. High hs-CRP levels were associated with strong plaque enhancement. The synergistic effects of hs-CRP levels and strong plaque enhancement provided incremental effects on the occurrence of ACI. • High hs-CRP levels are associated with strong intracranial plaque enhancement. • Combination of hs-CRP and strong plaque enhancement shows incremental effects on ACI. • Monitoring hs-CRP and plaque may contribute to ischemic stroke risk stratification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To compare the accuracy of three-dimensional (3D) high-resolution (HR) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography (TOF-MRA), contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA), and digital subtraction angiography (DSA) in measuring the degree of stenosis in intracranial atherosclerosis. All patients with intracranial artery ischaemic events underwent HR-MRI, TOF-MRA, and CE-MRA analysis, and some of these patients underwent DSA examination. The correlation between different methods for measuring the degree of lumen stenosis was analysed. The accuracy of HR-MRI, TOF-MRA, and CE-MRA was evaluated and compared with that of DSA. A total of 189 arterial stenoses were identified in 93 patients. Of these, 72 patients with 142 arterial stenoses underwent DSA examination. A very strong correlation between HR-MRI and CE-MRA measurements was shown (r= 0.839, p< 0.0001). The correlation between HR-MRI and TOF-MRA measurements was strong (r= 0.720, p< 0.0001). A very strong correlation between HR-MRI and DSA measurements was found (r= 0.864, p< 0.0001), and a similar correlation was observed between CE-MRA, and DSA measurements (r= 0.843, p< 0.0001). The correlation between TOF-MRA and DSA measurements was strong (r= 0.686, p< 0.0001). There was substantial agreement between HR-MRI and DSA measurements (K = 0.772) and between CE-MRA, and DSA measurements (K = 0.734) that was slightly higher than the agreement between TOF-MRA and DSA measurements (K = 0.636). HR-MRI can accurately measure stenosis (especially for moderate and severe stenosis) in intracranial atherosclerosis by direct visualisation of the vessel lumen and steno-occlusive plaque. • Very strong correlation between 3D HR-MRI and CE-MRA in measuring lumen stenosis. • Strong correlation between 3D HR-MRI and TOF-MRA in measuring lumen stenosis. • Substantial agreement between 3D HR-MRI and DSA for assessing lumen stenosis degree. • 3D HR-MRI can accurately assess the degree of intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]