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Objective Since current systematic reviews (SRs) show that results of effectiveness on Tai Chi for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are inconsistent, the purpose of this study is to find the reasons of the disparity by comprehensively appraising the related SRs. Methods Six databases were systematically searched from the inception date to April 17, 2021. The methodological quality, the risk of bias, the reporting quality, and the quality of evidence were independently assessed by two reviewers with the AMSTAR 2, ROBIS, PRISMA, and GRADE. Results A total of 12 studies met the inclusion criteria: 10 SRs were rated critically low quality and two SRs were low quality by AMSTAR 2. By the ROBIS, four out of 12 SRs were rated as "low risk". According to PRISMA, nine out of 12 SRs were adequately reported over 80%. With the GRADE tool, three out of 12 SRs rated the FEV1 as "Moderate", one out of 12 SRs (1/12, 9%) rated the FEV1/FVC (%) as "Moderate", three out of 12 SRs assessed the 6MWD as "Moderate", three out of 12 SRs evaluated the SGRQ as "Moderate", and the remaining evidence was fully rated as "Low" or "Very Low". Conclusion We found that the methodological quality, risk of bias, reporting quality, and quality of evidence of the included SRs on Tai Chi for COPD were suboptimal. These limitations may have a negative impact on SRs, consequently leading to inconsistent results. Further well-conducted SRs with less risk of bias, more rigorous methodology, normative reporting and high-quality of evidence are needed to provide robust evidence on Tai Chi for COPD. Registration number This study has been registered in the PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (registration number: CRD42019126600).

Coal minerals and tetraethoxysilane were used to prepare SiC by microwave heating. Different C:SiO2 ratios of raw mixed powders were selected to investigate changes in the heating behavior and photoluminescence property. The prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) Raman Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray fluorescence spectrophotometer. It was found that distinct heating behavior appeared for different C:SiO2 ratios, including the time taken to reach ~600 °C, performance of the thermal runaway, and heating rate. The changes in the complicated heating behaviors are determined by different microwave coupling, microwave plasma, and E-field intensification effects within samples with different C:SiO2 ratios. When the molar ration of carbon and silicon is 5:1, the intensity of light emission reaches maximum.

Li-Na Ding,1,* Ya Cheng,1,* Lu-Yao Xu,1 Le-Quan Zhou,1,2 Li Guan,1,2 Hai-Mei Liu,1,2 Ya-Xing Zhang,1,2 Run-Mei Li,1 Jin-Wen Xu1,2 1The Research Center of Basic Integrative Medicine, Basic Medical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, University Town, Guangzhou, 510006, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Physiology, Basic Medical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, University Town, Guangzhou, 510006, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Jin-Wen XuGuangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, University Town, Waihuan East Road 232, Guangzhou, 510006, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86-20-39358028Fax +86-20-39358020Email xujinwen@gzucm.edu.cnPurpose: Skeletal muscle has a major influence on whole-body metabolic homeostasis. In the present study, we aimed to determine the metabolic effects of the β 3 adrenergic receptor agonist CL316243 (CL) in the skeletal muscle of high-fat diet-fed rats.Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly allocated to three groups, which were fed a control diet (C) or a high-fat diet (HF), and half of the latter were administered 1 mg/kg CL by gavage once weekly (HF+CL), for 12 weeks. At the end of this period, the serum lipid profile and glucose tolerance of the rats were evaluated. In addition, the phosphorylation and protein and mRNA expression of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator (PGC)-1α, and carnitine palmitoyl transferase (CPT)-1b in skeletal muscle were measured by Western blot analysis and qPCR. The direct effects of CL on the phosphorylation (p-) and expression of AMPK, PGC-1α, and CPT-1b were also evaluated by Western blotting and immunofluorescence in L6 myotubes.Results: CL administration ameliorated the abnormal lipid profile and glucose tolerance of the high-fat diet-fed rats. In addition, the expression of p-AMPK, PGC-1α, and CPT-1b in the soleus muscle was significantly increased by CL. CL (1 μM) also increased the protein expression of p-AMPK, PGC-1α, and CPT-1b in L6 myotubes. However, the effect of CL on PGC-1α protein expression was blocked by the AMPK antagonist compound C, which suggests that CL increases PGC-1α protein expression via AMPK.Conclusion: Activation of the β 3 adrenergic receptor in skeletal muscle ameliorates the metabolic abnormalities of high-fat diet-fed rats, at least in part via activation of the AMPK/PGC-1α pathway.Keywords: CL316243, AMPK, PGC-1α, L6 myotubes, carnitine palmitoyl transferase

STUDY DESIGN Systematic review and meta-analysis. OBJECTIVE The purpose of the study was to compare the outcomes and after spinal fusion with or without iliac screw (IS) insertion for patients with adult spinal deformity (ASD). SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA The number of patients undergoing multilevel spinal stabilization for the treatment of ASD is growing. However, the selection of spinopelvic fixation for ASD patients with long fusion is controversial. METHODS A comprehensive literature search was performed without time restriction according to the guidelines from the Cochrane Collaboration in May 2020 using PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library. The comparison of the two types of fixation was evaluated by spinopelvic parameters, incidence rate of complications, rate of revision, and clinical outcomes at the last follow-up. RESULTS The literature search identified 422 records, of which eight studies were included for meta-analysis with a total of 439 patients. All the included studies provided level III evidence. There was no significant difference in the sagittal vertical axis, pelvic incidence, the proximal junctional kyphosis rates, the pseudarthrosis rates, the revision rates, and the clinical outcomes at the last follow-up between those who receive sacrum fixation and sacropelvic fixation. Nevertheless, greater lumbar lordosis (LL) (weighted mean difference [WMD], 4.15; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.46-5.84, P

Background: Cisplatin, a chemotherapeutic agent, is widely used in the treatment of malignant tumors. Nephrotoxicity, especially acute kidney injury (AKI), is the most common and severe adverse reaction of cisplatin. Resveratrol and ginsenoside Rg1, two natural products, have been found to have renal protective effects. However, the effects and the mechanisms in cisplatin-induced AKI need further investigation. Methods: The mouse models of cisplatin-induced AKI and several treatment groups were established. Male C57BL/6 mice were divided into five groups: saline control group, cisplatin injury group, resveratrol treatment group, Rg1 treatment group, resveratrol and Rg1 combined treatment group. Serological analysis of serum urea nitrogen was aimed to reflect the function of kidney, and histological analysis of renal tissue sections was aimed to assess the damage of proximal convoluted tubules. The expression levels of autophagy-related proteins Beclin 1 and LC3 were detected by western blotting and qRT-PCR respectively. Results: The renal function was improved and renal damage was alleviated in Rg1 and resveratrol alone or combined treatment groups compared with the cisplatin injury group. For the mechanism, treatment with Rg1 and resveratrol alone or in combination decreased the expressions of Beclin 1 both at protein and mRNA levels, decreased LC3II/I protein levels, indicating that autophagy was inhibited by treatment with Rg1 and resveratrol alone or in combination. Conclusion: Resveratrol and Rg1 alleviated the kidney damage caused by cisplatin, and reduced autophagy was involved in the renoprotective effects of resveratrol and Rg1 against cisplatin-induced AKI. This study may provide new evidence to alleviate cisplatin-induced AKI.

Objective: Hetertopic ossiofication (HO) was considered one of the main adverse events following lumbar decompression and could negatively affect these patients' daily activity. However, there is still a lack of evidence to assess the association between the incidence of HO at surgical segment and clinical outcomes following the implantation of a Coflex™ device. The objective of this study is determine the association between the incidence of HO and clinical outcomes following implantation of a Coflex™ device based on X-ray imaging. Methodology: One hundred sixty-nine consecutive patients who underwent decompression and implantation of a Coflex™ device from December 2007 to January 2014 were studied. A logistic regression analysis was used to analyze complications and development of HO. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used to analyze the correlation between clinical results and the incidence of HO based on X-ray imaging. Results: All patients showed improvement from baseline in clinical outcomes at all time points up to 5 years post-operation (all p = 0.000). Preoperative range of motion (ROM) of operated segment had a positive relationship with the incidence of HO (r = 0.194, p = 0.012). No correlation exists between the incidence of HO and clinical outcomes. The odds ratio (OR) for development of complications in patients with Pfirrmann disc degeneration classification grades III and IV compared to those with grades 0, I and II was 3.003 (p = 0.005, 95% confidence interval, 1.621–34.195). In addition, the OR for the incidence of HO in the large ROM of the surgical segment compared to that in the normal/small ROM segment was 21.670 (p = 0.001, 95% confidence interval, 21.137–22.280). Conclusions: Our findings provide evidence that high Pfirrmann disc degenerative classification grades and a large ROM of the surgical segment were the main risk factors for complications and development of HO, respectively.

X-linked hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (XLHED) is a rare congenital genetic disorder caused by mutations in the ectodysplasin A gene, resulting in dysplasia or complete absence of teeth, hair, and sweat glands. XLHED is rarely diagnosed prenatally. We describe a case of XLHED diagnosed with prenatal sonography and umbilical cord blood gene testing.

Aims The aim of this study was to use diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to investigate changes in diffusion metrics in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) up to five years after decompressive surgery. We correlated these changes with clinical outcomes as scored by the Modified Japanese Orthopedic Association (mJOA) method, Neck Disability Index (NDI), and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Methods We used multi-shot, high-resolution, diffusion tensor imaging (ms-DTI) in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) to investigate the change in diffusion metrics and clinical outcomes up to five years after anterior cervical interbody discectomy and fusion (ACDF). High signal intensity was identified on T2-weighted imaging, along with DTI metrics such as fractional anisotropy (FA). MJOA, NDI, and VAS scores were also collected and compared at each follow-up point. Spearman correlations identified correspondence between FA and clinical outcome scores. Results Significant differences in mJOA scores and FA values were found between preoperative and postoperative timepoints up to two years after surgery. FA at the level of maximum cord compression (MCL) preoperatively was significantly correlated with the preoperative mJOA score. FA postoperatively was also significantly correlated with the postoperative mJOA score. There was no statistical relationship between NDI and mJOA or VAS. Conclusion ms-DTI can detect microstructural changes in affected cord segments and reflect functional improvement. Both FA values and mJOA scores showed maximum recovery two years after surgery. The DTI metrics are significantly associated with pre- and postoperative mJOA scores. DTI metrics are a more sensitive, timely, and quantifiable surrogate for evaluating patients with CSM and a potential quantifiable biomarker for spinal cord dysfunction. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2020;102-B(9):1210–1218.

The use of corticosteroids has been controversial in viral pneumonia. In most cases, application of methylprednisolone in severe and critical viral pneumonia patients can quickly alleviate the symptoms of dyspnea and prevent disease progression. However, some scholars have confirmed that corticosteroids delayed the body's clearance of the virus. In our retrospective non‐randomised study, 34 patients under 50 years old and diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) were included, according to given methylprednisolone treatment (n = 18) or not (n = 16), they were separated into 2 groups. By comparing the clinical data we concluded that corticosteroids therapy can effectively release COVID‐19 symptoms such as persistent fever and difficult breathing, improve oxygenation and prevent disease progression. However, it can prolong the negative conversion of nucleic acids. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

The triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (TG/HDL-C) ratio is considered a simple surrogate of insulin resistance. The aim of this study was to explore the association of the TG/HDL-C ratio with the risk of incident hypertension and whether the TG/HDL-C ratio mediates the obesity–incident hypertension association. The study analyzed 9679 participants from a rural Chinese population. Demographic and anthropometric and laboratory data were collected at baseline (2007–2008) and follow-up (2013–2014) examinations. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the association of the TG/HDL-C ratio with incident hypertension, estimating odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Mediation analysis was performed to examine the contribution of the TG/HDL-C ratio to obesity-related incident hypertension. During a median follow-up of 6.00 years, hypertension developed in 1880/9679 participants (19.42%). The risk of incident hypertension was higher in the highest TG/HDL-C ratio quartile than in the lowest quartile (OR = 1.21, 95% CI = 1.02–1.42). Subgroup analyses showed that the risk of incident hypertension was increased by 30%, 36%, and 33% among women, participants

Obtaining an ideal ferroelectric photovoltaic (FE-PV) material with a narrow bandgap and a large ferroelectric polarization value can enable us to achieve great practical FE-PV performance. By the introduction of sulfur into the tetragonal BiCoO3 perovskite with a C-type antiferromagnetic ordering, it is found that the bandgap of BiCoO2S decreases significantly (about 1.2 eV) while maintaining a large polarization value (about 1.86 C m−2) that is similar to the value of 1.793 C m−2 of BiCoO3. Most noteworthy is that the optical absorption of BiCoO2S is remarkably higher than those of BiCoO3 and other FE-PV materials. The decrease of the BiCoO2S bandgap originates from the movement of Co 3d states to a low-energy position due to the reduction of the Co ionicity when the less electronegative sulfur is introduced into BiCoO3 to substitute oxygen. The narrow bandgap and the high optical absorption of the BiCoO2S films grown on different substrates are favorable for FE-PV applications. In addition, the bandgap of BiCoO2S can be modulated by the doping amount of sulfur, which can help us fabricate multilayer FE-PV devices based on different bandgaps from different layers.

Background: Nephrotoxicity, especially acute kidney injury (AKI), is the main dose-limiting toxicity of cisplatin. Although recent studies showed that curcumin prevented cisplatin-induced AKI effectively, further studies to understand the mechanism are required. Methods: We established an AKI mouse model. Male C57BL/6 mice were assigned to three groups: saline group (control), cisplatin group (CP), and curcumin + cisplatin group (CP + Cur). The CP group received a single intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of cisplatin, while the control group received saline. The CP + Cur group received i.p. curcumin three days before cisplatin injection and curcumin administered for another three days until the day before euthanization. Renal injury was assessed by serological and histological analysis. Western blotting and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) were used to detect the phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), and microRNA (miR)-181a expression in the renal tissues. Bioinformatics prediction and western blotting methods validated the targets of miR-181a in vitro. Results: Curcumin treatment alleviated cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity as validated by the blood urea nitrogen (BUN) values, and histological analysis of kidneys. At the molecular level, curcumin treatment decreased miR-181a expression level, which was induced by cisplatin and restored the in vivo expression of PTEN, which was suppressed by cisplatin. We verified the direct regulation of PTEN by miR-181a in cultured human embryonic kidney 293T cells. Conclusions: We showed the involvement of miR-181a/PTEN axis in the renoprotective effect of curcumin against cisplatin-induced AKI, and provide new evidence on the ability of curcumin to alleviate cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity.

Background The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is growing in China. Depression is a significant complication of T2DM, leading to poor management of T2DM. Thus, early detection and treatment of depression in patients with T2DM are essential and effective. Therefore, we plan to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the prevalence of depression in Chinese patients with T2DM and explore potential risk factors of depression in T2DM. Methods We will search literatures recorded in MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database (VIP), and WanFang Database from their inception onwards. We will manually search gray literatures, reference lists of identified studies, relevant websites, and consult experts in this field. We will include population-based, cross-sectional surveys that investigated the prevalence of depression in Chinese patients with T2DM or/and the possible risk factors of depression in T2DM. Two reviewers will screen studies, extract data, and evaluate risk of bias independently. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality methodology checklist will be used to assess the risk of bias. If feasible, we will conduct random effects meta-analysis of observational data to summarize the pooled prevalence, and use odds ratio for categorical data to explore potential risk factors. Prevalence estimates will be stratified according to age, gender, and other factors. Statistical heterogeneity will be estimated using Cochran’s Q and I2 index. We will conduct meta-regression to investigate the potential sources of heterogeneity, sensitivity analyses to assess robustness of the synthesized results, and funnel plots and Egger’s test to assess publication bias. Discussion This systematic review and meta-analysis will provide comprehensive evidence of the prevalence and potential risk factors of depression in Chinese patients with T2DM. We expect to provide evidence for healthcare practitioners and policy makers to pay attention to the mental health of patients with T2DM. Our data will highlight the need and importance of early detection and intervention for depression in patients with T2DM. Systematic review registration PROSPERO CRD42020182979.

Single umbilical artery (SUA) is one of the most common prenatal diagnoses in cases of foetal abnormality. This prospective study evaluated 77 foetuses with isolated SUAs and 77 healthy foetuses, both at 22-39 gestational weeks. We categorised gestational age into the second and third trimesters, measured the umbilical arterial blood flow parameters and calculated the umbilical vein (UV) area, umbilical artery (UA) area and UV area/UA area ratio. In the second and third trimesters, a higher UA area was obtained in the isolated SUA group than in the control group (p < .01). Furthermore, the isolated SUA group had a lower UV area/UA area ratio than the control group (p < .01), and a positive linear correlation was found between gestational age and UV area in both groups (p < .01). The presence of isolated SUAs was associated with low birth weight and a high prevalence of small for gestational age.IMPACT STATEMENTWhat is already known on this subject? Single umbilical artery (SUA) is one of the most common prenatally diagnosed foetal abnormalities and approximately 80% foetuses with SUA have isolated SUA, which is a soft indicator of chromosome abnormalities, congenital malformations and premature birth. Umbilical cord cross-sectional area can be evaluated prenatally by ultrasound imaging. Normal values increase with gestational age and foetal size in single pregnancies. Changes in umbilical cord thickness have been associated with complications during pregnancy.What do the results of this study add? The correlation between gestational age and umbilical vein area in the isolated single umbilical artery (SUA) group and control group was better than that between gestational age and umbilical artery area. UA area increased significantly in both groups before 28 weeks but not after 28 weeks, particularly in the isolated SUA group.What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? The study provides a reliable basis for maternal foetal monitoring during pregnancy in the isolated SUA and control groups. Objective assessment of the occurrence and development of foetuses with isolated single umbilical artery was performed.

Bushen-Tiaojing-Fang (BSTJF) is commonly used to treat infertility. This study investigated the effects of BSTJF on the pregnancy outcomes of patients with repeated controlled ovarian stimulation (COS), on mitochondrial function, and on oxidative stress in ovarian granulosa cells (GCs) and follicular fluid (FF). The samples and clinical data of 97 patients, including 35 in the control group, 29 in the placebo group and 33 in the BSTJF group, were collected for this study. The mitochondrial ultrastructure, ATP content, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) number, 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), Mn-superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity levels, and mRNA expression levels of Mn-SOD, GSH-Px, and nuclear factor erythroid-derived factor 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) were analyzed. The high-grade embryo (P P = 0.033), and clinical pregnancy (P = 0.031) rates, as well as the ATP content (P = 0.014), mtDNA number (P = 0.035), GSH-Px activity (P = 0.004 in GCs and P = 0.008 in FF) and mRNA expression levels (P = 0.019), were significantly lower in the placebo group than in the control group, whereas the 8-OHdG content was significantly (P = 0.006 in FF) higher in the placebo group than in the control group. Compared with those in the placebo group, the high-grade embryo rate (P = 0.007), antioxidant enzyme activity (P = 0.037 and 0.036 in Mn-SOD; P = 0.047 and 0.030 in GSH-Px) and mRNA level (P P = 0.039 in Mn-SOD and P = 0.002 in GSH-Px) were significantly higher in the BSTJF group, as were changes in mitochondrial ultrastructure, ATP (P = 0.040) and mtDNA number (P = 0.013). In conclusion, BSTJF can improve oxidative stress in patients with repeated COS and pregnancy outcomes.

BACKGROUND The oral chicken immunoglobulin Y (IgY) as a novel model of immunotherapy to control Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori, Hp) infection has gained much interest in recent years. However, none of the current IgY therapies showed a total eradication of H. pylori on patients. METHODS In this report, the recombinant antigens of H. pylori, including UreB (1710 bp), BabA2 (1269 bp), and FlaA (399 bp), were, respectively, expressed and purified, and then mixed and subjected to immunize laying hens for the preparation of multivalent anti-H. pylori immunoglobulin Y (anti-Hp mIgY). Next, the biological activities of anti-Hp mIgY, including the recognition to antigens and the inhibition on H. pylori growth, were tested. Moreover, to perform a clinical trial, 94 Hp-infected patients, according to the values of 13 C urea breath test and the characteristics of gastroscopy of volunteers, were enrolled to evaluate the effects of dietary anti-Hp mIgY against H. pylori infection. After continuous dietary of anti-Hp mIgY for 2 weeks, the oral administration was terminated. The clinical symptoms of the patients were followed up at 2nd, 4th, and 6th week, respectively, and the 13 C urea breath test were re-examined at 6th week. RESULTS The anti-Hp mIgY could bind to recombinant antigens very well, and the titers of anti-Hp mIgY to UreB, Baba2, and FlaA, are 62.5, 125, and 250 μg/ml, respectively. The in vitro antibacterial test showed that the 2 mg/ml of anti-Hp mIgY could completely inhibit the H. pylori growth for 36 h. After a 2-week dietary of anti-Hp mIgY, the value of 13 C urea breath test was significantly decreased by 56.0% (25.9 ± 14.1 vs 11.4 ± 9.78, p

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are regarded as critical points in disseminating antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). In particular, the discharging effluents from WWTPs generally bring downstream catchment areas exogenous ARGs and resistant bacteria. However, there lacks a sufficient assessment of the resistome and mobilome in effluents. In this study, a consecutive monthly sampling was conducted over 13 months in three Hong Kong (HK) WWTPs for metagenomic sequencing. Prevalence information of ARGs and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) was compared with counterparts in effluents from cities of North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. Moreover, a publicly accessible platform integrating the exposure ranking scheme, which was based on the global archive of ARG abundance, and a readily implementable online pipeline was developed to benefit communication in academia and government consultancy. Results demonstrated HK WWTPs were featured high ARG removal efficiency of 2.34 to 2.43 log reduction rate, and effluents were ranked in moderate levels of Level 2 and Level 3 in the exposure prioritizing scheme based on total ARG abundance. Moreover, absolute quantification of temporal variations of effluent resistome disclosed distinct changes over time among varied ARG types which were associated with prevalently used antibiotics, including quinolone and sulfonamide. This reinforces the need for real-time management of WWTP systems. Notably, ARGs of anthropogenic prevalence, high mobility, and potential pathogenicity were found to be present in HK effluents, drawing attention to the necessity for improved risk management. In addition, source tracking of effluent resistome and structural equation model analysis was conducted to explore the disparity in ARG abundance and diversity in different samples. The discovery of this study and the recommendation of a comprehensive exposure assessment will facilitate decision-making in resistome management in WWTPs to reduce the ARG and antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) contamination in the receiving environments.

Qihui Chu,1,* Weiwei Mu,1,* Chuanjin Lan,2 Yang Liu,1 Tong Gao,1 Li Guan,1 Yuxiao Fang,1 Zipeng Zhang,1 Yingchao Liu,2 Yongjun Liu,1 Na Zhang1 1Department of Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Neurosurgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated with Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250021, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yongjun Liu; Na Zhang Email liuyongjun@sdu.edu.cn; zhangnancy9@sdu.edu.cnPurpose: Specific targeting receptors for efficiently capturing and applicable nanodevice for separating and instant observing of circulating tumour cells (CTC) are critical for early diagnosis of cancer. However, the existing CTC detection system based on epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) was seriously limited by low expression and poor specificity of targeting receptors, and not instant observation in clinical application.Methods: Herein, an alternative glypican-3 (GPC3)-based immunomagnetic fluorescent system (C6/MMSN-GPC3) for high-specific isolation and instant observation of CTC from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients’ peripheral blood was developed. The high-specific HCC targeting receptor, GPC3,was employed for improving the sensitivity and accuracy in CTC detection. GPC3 monoclonal antibody (mAb) was linked to immunomagnetic mesoporous silica for specific targeting capture and separate CTC, and fluorescent molecule coumarin-6 (C6) was loaded for instant detection of CTC.Results: The cell recovery (%) of C6/MMSN-GPC3 increased in 106 HL-60 cells (from 49.7% to 83.0%) and in whole blood (from 42% to 80.3%) compared with MACS® Beads. In clinical samples, the C6/MMSN-GPC3 could capture more CTC in the 13 cases of HCC patients and the capture efficiency was improved by 83.3%– 350%. Meanwhile, the capture process of C6/MMSN-GPC3 was harmless, facilitating for the subsequent culture. Significantly, the C6/MMSN-GPC3 achieved the high-specific isolation and instant observation of CTC from HCC patients’ blood samples, and successfully separated CTC from one patient with early stage of HCC (Stage I) and one post-surgery patient, further indicating the potential ability of C6/MMSN-GPC3 for HCC early diagnosis and prognosis evaluation.Conclusion: Our study provides a feasible glypican-3 (GPC3)-based immunomagnetic fluorescent system (C6/MMSN-GPC3) for high-specific isolation and instant observation of HCC CTC.Keywords: immunomagnetic fluorescent system, circulating tumour cells, hepatocellular carcinoma, glypican-3, early diagnosis

Efficient 3D space sampling to represent an underlying 3D object/scene is essential for 3D vision, robotics, and beyond. A standard approach is to explicitly sample a dense collection of views and formulate it as a view selection problem, or, more generally, a set cover problem. In this paper, we introduce a novel approach that avoids dense view sampling. The key idea is to learn a view prediction network and a trainable aggregation module that takes the predicted views as input and outputs an approximation of their generic scores (e.g., surface coverage, viewing angle from surface normals). This methodology allows us to turn the set cover problem (or multi-view representation optimization) into a continuous optimization problem. We then explain how to effectively solve the induced optimization problem using continuation, i.e., aggregating a hierarchy of smoothed scoring modules. Experimental results show that our approach arrives at similar or better solutions with about 10 x speed up in running time, comparing with the standard methods.

Stroke is one of the main causes of disease‑related mortality worldwide. Buyang Huanwu Decoction (BHD) has been used to protect against stroke and stroke‑induced disability for several years in China. Studies have shown that BHD can relieve neuronal damage in rats with cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. However, the mechanism remains unclear. A middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion (MCAO‑R) model was used in the present study. The animals were treated with BHD (5, 10 and 20 g/kg) or rapamycin. Infarct size and modified neurological severity score were calculated on day 5 following MCAO‑R surgery. Cellular changes around the ischemic penumbra were revealed by hematoxylin and eosin and Nissl staining. The protein expression levels of nestin, brain‑derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), doublecortin on the X chromosome (DCX) and autophagy‑related proteins (beclin 1, LC3‑II and p62) in the peri‑ischemic area of the brain were detected. The results demonstrated that post‑surgical treatment with BHD reduced the brain infarct size and improved neurological deficits in MCAO‑R rats. BHD protected against MCAO‑R‑induced neuronal impairment and promoted neurogenesis, increased the protein expression of nestin, BDNF and DCX and markedly enhanced autophagy by increasing beclin 1 and LC3‑II and decreasing p62. Meanwhile, BHD promoted the expression of sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), an important regulator of autophagy. In conclusion, the present study suggested that post‑surgical treatment with BHD could protect rat brains from I/R injury, potentially through the SIRT1/autophagy pathway.

The electroactive β-phase in Poly (vinylidene fluoride, PVDF) is the most desirable conformation due to its highest pyro- and piezoelectric properties, which make it feasible to be used as flexible sensors, wearable electronics, and energy harvesters etc. In this study, we successfully developed a method to obtain high-content β-phase PVDF films and nanofiber meshes by mechanical stretching and electric spinning. The phase transition process and pyro- and piezoelectric effects of stretched films and nanofiber meshes were characterized by monitoring the polarized light microscopy (PLM) images, outputting currents and open-circuit voltages respectively, which were proved to be closely related to stretching ratio (λ) and concentrations. This study could expand a new route for the easy fabrication and wide application of PVDF films or fibers in wearable electronics, sensors, and energy harvesting devices. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s11671-021-03536-9.

Herein, we reported Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped CaLaAl3O7 up-conversion phosphors synthesized via solid state reaction, which was further explored as a new optical thermometry. The luminescent properties of Er3+ or Er3+/Yb3+ doped CaLaAl3O7 phosphor was studied in detail. The two-photon process for the green emissions of Er3+ were confirmed by the power-dependent luminescence. The up-conversion optical temperature sensing performances of the Er3+/Yb3+-codoped CaLaAl3O7 phosphor were investigated based on the FIR technique. The maximum sensitivity of this phosphor can reach about 0.00345 K−1 at 453 K, which reveals this phosphor can be a promising candidate for optical thermometry devices.

Objectives The aim of this study was to identify perioperative risk factors of pulmonary complications (PC) after posterior instrumentation and fusion (PIF) for non-degenerative scoliosis and devise a predictive scoring system that could be used by spine surgeons to predict the level of risk requiring advanced measures. Patients and methods A retrospective review was performed of 703 patients who underwent PIF at our center between January 2010 and January 2018. Preoperative, peri-operative, demographic data, surgical methods, and radiographic parameters were extracted to identify the predictors of PC, and a predictive scoring system was created using multiple logistic regression and receiver operator characteristic (ROC). Results There were statistically significant differences in revision surgery, preoperative pulmonary disease, Cobb angle and thoracoplasty between the patients who suffered from PC as compared to those who did not. The predictive scoring system included four dimensions. The area under the ROC curve for the system was 0.82 for PC after PIF at the optimal cut-off point, and the sensitivity was 79.2%, which demonstrated good diagnostic accuracy. Conclusion We identified a significant relationship between perioperative parameters (revision surgery, preoperative pulmonary disease, Cobb angle and thoracoplasty) and PC after PIF for non-degenerative scoliosis and created a predictive scoring system that can be used to prepare measures to manage PC after PIF. The system was proven to be reliable in this study.

Kai Xin San (KXS, containing ginseng, hoelen, polygala, and acorus), a traditional Chinese herbal compound, has been found to regulate cognitive dysfunction; however, its mechanism of action is still unclear. In this study, 72 specific-pathogen-free male Kunming mice aged 8 weeks were randomly divided into a vehicle control group, scopolamine group, low-dose KXS group, moderate-dose KXS group, high-dose KXS group, and positive control group. Except for the vehicle control group and scopolamine groups (which received physiological saline), the doses of KXS (0.7, 1.4 and 2.8 g/kg per day) and donepezil (3 mg/kg per day) were gastrointestinally administered once daily for 2 weeks. On day 8 after intragastric treatment, the behavioral tests were carried out. Scopolamine group and intervention groups received scopolamine 3 mg/kg per day through intraperitoneal injection. The effects of KXS on spatial learning and memory, pathological changes of brain tissue, expression of apoptosis factors, oxidative stress injury factors, synapse-associated protein, and cholinergic neurotransmitter were measured. The results confirmed the following. (1) KXS shortened the escape latency and increased residence time in the target quadrant and the number of platform crossings in the Morris water maze. (2) KXS increased the percentage of alternations between the labyrinth arms in the mice of KXS groups in the Y-maze. (3) Nissl and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling staining revealed that KXS promoted the production of Nissl bodies and inhibited the formation of apoptotic bodies. (4) Western blot assay showed that KXS up-regulated the expression of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 and inhibited the expression of pro-apoptotic protein Bax. KXS up-regulated the expression of postsynaptic density 95, synaptophysin, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus. (5) KXS increased the level and activity of choline acetyltransferase, acetylcholine, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase, and reduced the level and activity of acetyl cholinesterase, reactive oxygen species, and malondialdehyde through acting on the cholinergic system and reducing oxidative stress damage. These results indicate that KXS plays a neuroprotective role and improves cognitive function through reducing apoptosis and oxidative stress, and regulating synapse-associated protein and cholinergic neurotransmitters.

According to gaining importance of power electronics systems in the society, reliability issues of power semiconductor devices are the constrains on availability of the system operations. Regular interval based maintenance for higher availability, on the other hand, increases operation cost since the lifetime of power devices have a large deviation with production lots or conditions which they are used. Condition based maintenance (CBM) of power semiconductor devices will be a promising solution for both the availability and cost of power electronics system maintenance. In this study, a high signal resolution condition monitoring system board has been demonstrated. The system monitors real time V-I curve for both switching device and diode with case temperature and the data is stored on board memory and can be monitored on-line. The board was mounted on the gate driver board being supplied power from the gate driver board and demonstrated on a commercial 60kVA inverter., 32nd International Symposium on Power Semiconductor Devices and ICs (ISPSD 2020), 13-18 September, 2020, Vienna, Austria （新型コロナ感染拡大に伴い、現地開催中止）

Background: Brain is an energy-consuming organ, which is highly depended on adenosine triphosphate (ATP) supplying energy to maintain the functions of memory, thinking, cognition etc. Some animal experiment findings have indicated that ATP depletion was correlated with multiple brain diseases [brain injury, Parkinson disease (PD), stroke, brain tumor, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), vascular dementia (VD), etc.]. Acupuncture has been identified that it has a therapeutic effect for brain diseases. However, the mechanism of acupuncture for brain diseases remains to be determined. Lack of high-quality evidence of underlying mechanism could result in a limitation of acupuncture in clinical practice. Therefore, we aim to conduct a systematic review (SR) and meta-analysis of animal experiments to identify the effect of acupuncture for ATP activity in brain diseases and hope to provide a robust evidence for acupuncture in brain disease. Methods: Six databases [PubMed, Embase, web of Science, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), the Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database (VIP) and Wan Fang database] will be systematically searched from the inception dates to July, 2020. Two researchers will independently screen titles and abstracts for eligibility. Eligible articles will be restricted to animal studies correlated with acupuncture treatment for brain diseases. The primary outcomes are ATP activity, ATP content, Na+-k+-ATPase activity, and Ca2+ activity. Secondary outcomes are as following: the context of glucose (Glu) and mitochondrial respiratory enzyme activity including complex I, complex II, complex III, complex V and cytochrome c (Cyt c) enzyme activity etc. Data extraction and evaluation of risk of bias will be operated by two researchers independently. The SYstematic Review Centre for Laboratory animal Experimentation (SYRCLE) tool will be utilized to examine the risk of bias. Review Manager 5.3 and Stata.12 software will be used for data synthesis.Discussion: Numerous animal experiments have been conducted and investigated the underlying mechanism of acupuncture in brain diseases. We will retrieve the current animal experiments associated with the mechanism of acupuncture and perform a SR to provide a robust evidence for acupuncture improving ATP activity in brain diseases.Systematic review registration: The registration number is CRD 42020184971.

COVID-19 severity has varied widely, with demographic and cardio-metabolic factors increasing risk of severe reactions to SARS-CoV-2 infection, but the underlying mechanisms for this remain uncertain. We investigated phenotypic and genetic factors associated with subcutaneous adipose tissue expression of Angiotensin I Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2), which has been shown to act as a receptor for SARS-CoV-2 cellular entry. In a meta-analysis of three independent studies including up to 1,471 participants, lower adipose tissue ACE2 expression was associated with adverse cardio-metabolic health indices including type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity status, higher serum fasting insulin and BMI, and lower serum HDL levels (P-4). ACE2 expression levels were also associated with estimated proportions of cell types in adipose tissue; lower ACE2 expression was associated with a lower proportion of microvascular endothelial cells (P=4.25×10-4) and higher macrophage proportion (P=2.74×10-5), suggesting a link to inflammation. Despite an estimated heritability of 32%, we did not identify any proximal or distal genetic variants (eQTLs) associated with adipose tissue ACE2 expression. Our results demonstrate that at-risk individuals have lower background ACE2 levels in this highly relevant tissue. Further studies will be required to establish how this may contribute to increased COVID-19 severity.

Reliable and efficient risk assessments are essential to deal effectively with potential risks in international construction projects. However, most conventional risk modeling methods are based on the hypothesis that risk factors are independent, which does not account adequately for the causal relationships among risk factors. In this study, a risk assessment model for international construction projects was developed to improve the efficacy of risk management by integrating fault tree analysis and fuzzy set theory with a Bayesian belief network. The risk rating of each risk factor, expressed as the product of risk occurrence probability and impact, was incorporated into the risk assessment model to evaluate degrees of risk. Therefore, risk factors were categorized into different risk levels taking into account their inherent causal relationships, which allowed the identification of critical risk factors. The applicability of the fuzzy Bayesian belief network-based risk assessment model was verified using a case study through a comparative analysis with the results from a fuzzy synthetic evaluation method. The comparison shows that the proposed risk assessment model is able to provide guidelines for an effective risk management process and ultimately to increase project performance in a complex environment such as international construction projects.

In comparison to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), SARS-CoV-2 appears to be more contagious [1], and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients demonstrate varied clinical manifestations distinct from those seen in patients with SARS-CoV and middle east respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infections [2]. Collective results from the clinical and epidemiological observations suggest a distinct viral-host interaction in COVID-19 patients. Profiling of the antibody response during SARS-CoV-2 infection may help improve our understanding of the viral-host interaction and the immunopathological mechanisms of the disease., Humoral immune response to SARS-CoV-2 showed an early response of IgA, instead of IgM, in COVID-19 patients. As highlighted by our study, enhanced IgA responses observed in severe COVID-19 might confer damaging effects in severe COVID-19.

Background Depression is one of the most common mental disorders, profoundly impacting an individual’s performance and quality of life. Due to their unique working conditions, nursing is counted among the occupational groups at high risk for developing depression. Because of the shortage of nursing resources in China, Chinese nurses suffer from heavy daily workloads more than those in many other countries. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and analyse the potential risk factors of depressive symptoms in Chinese nurses. Methods A systematic literature search in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, the Chinese BioMedical Literature Database (CBM), the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and the Weipu and Wanfang databases up to Dec 31st, 2019 was performed regarding the prevalence of depressive symptoms in Chinese nurses. Eligibility assessment and data extraction were performed independently by 2 researchers, and meta-analysis was used to synthesize the data. Heterogeneity was evaluated using Cochran’s Q test and quantified using the I2 statistic. To explore the potential source of heterogeneity, subgroup analyses were also performed. In addition, both funnel plot and Egger’s tests were adopted to assess publication bias. Results A total of 102 studies published from 1996 to 2019 covering 22 provinces were included for further analysis. The total number of participants was 52,592, with a range of 46 to 7205 per study. The overall prevalence of depressive symptoms in Chinese nurses was 43.83% (95%CI: 40.26%-47.42%), and 31.12% (95%CI: 27.30%-35.07%) were classified as mild degrees of depressive symptoms. The prevalence of depressive symptoms may be significantly affected by region, province or municipality and department marital status. Moreover, an increasing trend in the prevalence of depressive symptoms was observed in recent years. Conclusion The results presented a high prevalence of depressive symptoms among Chinese nurses, which suggests interventional programmes by health decision-makers to improving the mental state of nurses is needed urgently, especially in nurses with high risk factors for depressive symptoms. Furthermore, the nationwide investigation of depressive symptoms prevalence should be performed with a standard diagnostic tool, which may be more useful for policy makers and planners.

ObjectiveTo characterize the safety and effectiveness during one surgeon’s initial phases of performing a Midline lumbar fusion by freehand technique based on perioperative parameters.MethodsThe first 90 consecutive patients underwent single level MIDLF, utilized a consistent technique, performed by one surgeon were retrospectively studied. A piecewise regression analysis was performed to evaluate the operation duration based on case number, and to estimate the breakpoint. The early learning period and the late steady phase was divided according to the case number of the breakpoint. Perioperative parameters and clinical data of 2 groups were compared then to elucidate if improvement in operative duration was accompanied by better patient prognosis.ResultsThe inflectional asymptote of the surgeon’s learning curve for MIDLF was achieved at the 40th case. The demographics parameters were similar between the early group of 40 patients and the latter 50. Average surgical time, intraoperative blood loss, length of incision, duration of drainage, postoperative drainage and post-operative hospitalization were significantly less in the late cohort (p.05), and lateral cortical breach was observed in 35/360 cases (24 vs.11, P.05). The overall complication incidence decreased alone with the learning curve, and statistical difference was achieved. Furthermore, there was no difference in clinical improvement between the two groups.ConclusionsOur result indicated that technical proficiency in MIDLF was achieved after 40 surgeries. And it is effective to significantly improve the patients’ functional status and relief the pain during one surgeon’s learning process of MIDLF in the treatment of lumbar degenerative disease, even in the initial phase. As the surgeon gains surgical proficiency and familiarity with MIDLF procedure, potential complications could be minimized. Furthermore, our results provided evidence to the excellent performance as an alternative option to traditional pedicle screw fixation.

Background. COVID-19 first broke out in China and spread rapidly over the world. Objectives. To describe the CT features of COVID-19 pneumonia and to share our experience at initial diagnoses. Patients and Methods. Data from 53 patients (31 men, 22 women; mean age, 53 years; age range, 16-83 years) with confirmed COVID-19 pneumonia were collected. Their complete clinical data was reviewed, and their CT features were recorded and analyzed. Results. The average time between onset of illness and the initial CT scan was six days (range, 1-42 days). A total of 399 segments were involved and distributed bilaterally (left lung: 186 segments [46.6%], right lung: 213 segments [53.4%]) and peripherally (38 [71.7%] patients). Multiple lobes (45 [84.9%]) and bilateral lower lobes (left lower lobe: 104 [26.1%], right lower lobe: 107 [26.8%], and total: 211 [52.9%]) were the most commonly involved. Ground-glass opacity with consolidation (24 [45.3%]) and pure ground-glass opacity (28 [52.8%]) were the main findings. The other findings were crazy-paving (14 [26.4%]), bronchiectasis (12 [22.6%]), atelectasis (7 [13.2%]), parenchymal bands (6 [11.3%]), air bronchogram (6 [11.3%]), interlobular thickening (5 [9.4%]), reticular pattern (1 [1.9%]), and pleural effusion (1 [1.9%]). Conclusions. Most COVID-19 pneumonia patients had abnormalities on chest CT images at initial presentation. Imaging features combined with patient’s exposure history and onset symptoms could facilitate the identification of the suspected patient for further examinations.

It is important to ensure the accuracy of cloud detection in the infrared hyperspectral measurements before they are used for geophysical retrievals or data assimilation; otherwise, larger errors will occur. Therefore, this paper introduces a method for cloud detection by using the Crosstrack Infrared Sounder (CrIS) hyperspectral radiances in the longwave (709.5-746.0cm-1) and shortwave (2190-2250cm-1) channels and the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) measurements. Specifically, nine field of views (FOVs) within one field of regard (FOR) are preliminarily assigned as clear or cloudy by comparing the measured IR radiances and simulated IR clear radiances which generated from the MWretrieved geophysical state vector based on a physical inversion method. The number of cloud formations within the CrIS fieldof-regard (FOR) is then estimated using the principal component analysis (PCA). Next, CrIS radiances at longwave channels and shortwave bands are used to evaluate the thermal contrast within the FOR. Based on the above-mentioned cloud information extracted from the observations, each FOR will finally have a cloud mask classification assigned to it. Further, depending upon the cloud mask designation, a common cloudclearing method is performed on the FOR, which estimates clear radiance by using multiple FOV observations, for improved radiance in geophysical retrieval or data assimilation.

STUDY DESIGN This was a retrospective observational study. OBJECTIVE We aimed to characterize the feasibility of assessing the accuracy of cortical bone trajectory (CBT) screw placement in midline lumbar interbody fusion using a traditional pedicle screw insertion accuracy evaluation system based on computed tomography (CT). SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Since Santoni and colleagues proposed CBT as an alternative approach for the treatment of lumbar degenerative disease, CBT has been biomechanically and clinically investigated in detail. The reported misplacement rate was 0%-12.5%. Therefore, these cortical screws may result in severe complications, such as nerve root, vascular, and spinal cord injuries. However, to the best of our knowledge, the accuracy of the current assessment system of cortical bone screw placement has not been described clearly. MATERIALS AND METHODS Overall, 342 cortical screws of 69 consecutive patients with lumbar degenerative disease who underwent midline lumbar interbody fusion surgery in one surgeon's initial phase were examined retrospectively. A comprehensive and detailed pedicle screw accuracy classification and grading system was introduced in our study, including 5 types of misplacement: (1) medial and (2) lateral cortical bone perforation (MCP and LCP) of the corresponding pedicle, (3) anterior cortical bone perforation of the vertebral body, (4) endplate perforation, and (5) foraminal perforation (FP). The degree of interobserver and intraobserver agreement with regard to the screw positions based on CT were used as indicators of the reliability of the modified classification system. All patients were retrospectively assessed for screw placement-related complications throughout the entire treatment course to evaluate the relationship between the procedure adequacy and neurological symptoms. RESULTS The interobserver and intraobserver agreements were substantial-to-almost perfect (κ=0.78 and 0.88, respectively) in distinguishing the acceptable-placed pedicle screws from those with partial or complete cortical perforation. In the MCP and LCP-the most common types of misplacement-the interobserver agreement was substantial (κ=0.70 and 0.76, respectively), and the intraobserver agreement was almost perfect (κ=0.85 and 0.89, respectively). In total, there are 7 (2.05%) MCP and 65 (19.01%) LCP screws. The screw placement-related complication rate is significantly higher in the MCP and FP groups than that in the LCP group. CONCLUSIONS Our study demonstrated that using a pedicle screw classification and grading system based on CT to assess the accuracy of CBT screw placement is feasible and practical. MCP and FP screws are more likely to cause neurological deficits with statistical significance, especially grade 2 MCP. We recommend inexperienced surgeons choose a lateral trajectory rather than a medial one if they cannot ensure accurate screw insertion. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Level III.

Objective To evaluate the position of the aorta relative to the spine and the risk of aortic injury during correction surgery in patients with idiopathic severe and rigid scoliosis (main curve Cobb angle >90° and flexibility Methods Twenty-seven patients with severe right thoracic/thoracolumbar scoliosis were recruited. The entry point–aorta distance (EAD), the left pedicle–aorta angle (α), the left aorta angle (β), and the vertebral rotation angle (γ) were measured from 4 vertebrae above (A4) to 4 below (B4) the apical vertebra (Apex) to quantify the spatial relationship between aorta and spine. We simulated the pedicle screw misplacement with variable direction error, length, and diameter to analyze the potential risk of aortic injury. Results The aorta shifted laterally and posteriorly as it descended from A4 and moved back medially and anteriorly from Apex. The potential risk of aortic injury increased with the augment of direction error and/or length of the screw, but the tendency was not significant with the augment of diameter. The risk peaked at A4, A3, and B2, when the screw length was 40 mm and diameter was 5.0 mm, and the direction error was 30°, whereas the risk was lowest at the apical level 14.3% (0%–40.7%) in any scenarios. Conclusions In patients with severe and rigid scoliosis, the aorta shifted more laterally and posteriorly, and the injury risk was lower at the apical level, compared with moderate scoliosis. Most potential risks can be minimized by careful preoperative planning and the assistance of intraoperative navigation or robotics.

Carrier transport properties can be improved through suppressing the charge carrier recombination and decreasing the contact resistance using the proper carrier-selective contact. In this work, an epitaxial/amorphous germanium (epi/a-Ge) stack thin film is introduced into the rear surface of organic-inorganic hybrid (OIH) solar cells as an efficient electron-selective contact. This novel electron-selective stack contact simultaneously contributes low recombinative and resistive losses through a three-material system composed of n-type silicon (n-Si), epitaxial silicon germanium (epi-SiGe), and amorphous germanium (a-Ge), which promotes the tailoring of band structures, the passivation of surface dangle bond defects and the formation of Ohmic contact. The results result in obvious improvement in the open-circuit voltage (Voc) (from 549.5 mV to 643.0 mV) and fill factor (FF) (from 70.5% to 75.4%), corresponding to the increase in the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of OIH solar cells (from 10.3%...

In a near-field scanning system, each element of the measurement chain contributes to the thermal noise power density: probe, cables, amplifiers, and the measuring instrument. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is strongly affected by the source output impedance, source temperature, the lossy transmission lines between probe and amplifiers, amplifier noise, amplifier temperature, and amplifier gain. By minimizing the loss between the probe and by using ultralow-noise amplifiers (noise figure (NF) 10 dB, compared to a setup using a 1-m cable and a 3-dB NF amplifier. A resonant probe that is cooled with liquid nitrogen improves measurement SNR by an additional 10–12 dB, as compared to a broadband probe of similar loop size. To combine the advantages of a resonant probe, without sacrificing the ability to measure broadband, a proof of concept is demonstrated that uses a tunable resonant probe which is synchronized to the frequency sweep of the spectrum analyzer.

Photogenerated charge separation and redox reactions on photoexcited semiconductors are of great significance in many photon excited systems, such as photocatalytic water splitting systems, photocatalytic pollutant removal systems, photovoltaic devices, etc. It is highly desirable if we know the charge separation directions inside the semiconductor crystals, the preferred crystal facets the charge accumulate after separation, and the preferred facets where redox reactions occur, so we can grow the semiconductor crystals accordingly with the desired facets exposed on the surface to have large numbers of the photoaccumulated electrons and holes on the facets in order to realize a high photocatalytic efficiency for both oxidation and reduction on the surface or to achieve a large photovoltaic efficiency. Here, we attempt to convert the information from the electronic band structure calculations in the k space into the real space in bulk crystals and combine the surface electronic band structures of various f...

The underlying cause of most electrostatic discharge is tribocharging. Thus, understanding tribocharging is essential to assess the likelihood of damages as they might occur in the production of liquid crystal display (LCD) screens. In this paper, a study of triboelectric charge build-up between the glass and rollers during the glass transfer process in display panel manufacturing is presented. A roller conveyor system was fabricated and two types of rollers materials, insulative and dissipative, with radii of 30 and 90 mm, were considered. To measure the triboelectric charge of the glass, a Faraday cup with an elevator system was mounted on the apparatus. Various parameters including transfer velocity, acceleration/deceleration, and relative humidity were investigated. For instance, it is observed that the average saturated charge density on the glass is 0.324 nC/cm2 after 320-m displacements if it transfers by small dissipative rollers with condition of 200 mm/s and 200 mm/s 2. In addition, a comprehensive study of the surface potential distribution on the glass and rollers by utilizing a two-dimensional automated scanner is presented. The experiments pointed out that the amount of charge accumulated on the glass for the dissipative rollers saturated faster with a smaller value than the insulative rollers.

Perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) can regulate vascular homeostasis by secreting various adipokines. This study investigated the effects of PVAT browning on its endocrine function.In the first section of our study, male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into cold exposure (8°C) and 24°C acclimation groups. After cold exposure for 7 days, interscapular brown adipose tissue (iBAT), subcutaneous white adipose tissue, thoracic aortic PVAT, and abdominal aortic PVAT (aPVAT) were harvested for histological and brown marker gene expression analysis. In the second part, male rats were fed a high fat diet (HFD) for 10 weeks. In the 11th week, the rats were treated with or without cold exposure. After 14-day cold exposure, aPVAT was collected for histological, gene, and protein expression analysis.Cold exposure had a browning effect on aPVAT by increasing UCP-1 and PGC-1α expression levels. After HFD feeding for 10 weeks, 14-day cold exposure was still able to induce aPVAT browning. Compared with thermoneutrality acclimation rats, TNF-α, IL-6, and p-p65 expression levels were significantly lower in aPVAT from HFD-fed rats with cold exposure. In contrast, p-AMPK expression levels were increased in aPVAT from HFD-fed rats with cold exposure.Our study demonstrated that browning of aPVAT in HFD-fed rats lowered the pro-inflammatory adipokine expression levels and activated AMPK.

Project risks are mostly considered to be independent in risk management, ignoring interdependencies among them, which can lead to inappropriate risk assessment and reduced efficacy in risk treatment. This study introduces a new Monte Carlo simulation-based risk interdependency network model to support decision makers in assessing project risks and planning risk treatment actions more effectively. The Interpretive Structural Modeling method is integrated into this model to develop a hierarchical project risk interdependency network based on identified risks and their cause-effect relationships. The Monte Carlo method is used to model the stochastic behavior of risk occurrence and to generate numerous possible risk scenarios through simulation. To evaluate single risks and overall project risk level while considering risk interdependencies, five major risk indicators are therefore proposed, namely simulated occurrence probability of a risk, simulated local and global influence of a risk, as well as total risk loss and total risk propagation loss of a project. An additional sensitivity analysis is also included to examine the effects of input uncertainties of this model on risk assessment results. Moreover, two case studies are provided to demonstrate the application and effectiveness of the proposed model. The findings accentuate the significance of considering risk interdependencies in project risk assessment and validate the model's robustness and feasibility in risk management of projects with complex interrelated risks.

Optical anti-counterfeiting has been developed as a promising optical-sensing technique. A self-activated K G a S i O 4 phosphor was successfully prepared using the traditional solid-state method. The photoluminescence spectra of the as-synthesized phosphors indicate that the ultra-narrow band emission with green light peak at 503 nm is obtained when phosphors are excited by 254 nm UV light. Additionally, the measured afterglow curve shows that the emission of this phosphor can last more than 1200 s after UV excitation stops, which indicates that K G a S i O 4 is a potential candidate for anti-counterfeiting materials. The luminescent and decay mechanism are discussed by theoretical calculation and thermo-luminescent spectra in detail. The theoretical model can provide support for explaining the mechanism of narrow band or persistent phosphor.

To overcome the shortcomings of UV-Vis spectrometry and fluorescence spectrometry for COD detection, an online measurement named FfCODnet has been proposed and estimated in this paper. In this method, UV-Vis spectrum and fluorescence emission spectrum are collected online by a spectrophotometer, then De-noising Auto-Encoders (part of FfCODnet, abbreviated as DAE) are used to clean two types of raw spectrum respectively, finally the rest of FfCODnet is utilized to predict COD value of water sample. Through experiments and results comparison, the result shows that the proposed method has a good performance on both noise tolerance and measure accuracy.

Glass substrates for displays are insulating materials capable of generating and maintaining high levels of triboelectric charges posing a risk of electrostatic discharge (ESD) damage to electronic display components. In this work, an apparatus for triboelectric charging characterization of display glass during the roller transfer process was designed and fabricated. In order to establish the reliability of the characterization, the triboelectric charge and the electrostatic potential distribution measurement system was automated. The preconditioning process of the glass and the rollers was also addressed. In order to analyze the measurements' results, a multiphysics model that considered both electrical and mechanical properties was proposed. The test parameters that were expected to affect the triboelectric charging characteristics are defined and discussed, as well as some of the characterization results such as the effects of acceleration/deceleration and maximum velocity, relative humidity and moisture on the glass and the rollers, and the conductivity of the rollers. The peak-to-peak deviation of the de-embedded triboelectric charges, due to a steady-state velocity period with different combinations of acceleration/deceleration and maximum velocities, was 14.2%. The triboelectric charges increased as the relative humidity increased from 30% to 50% with the same temperature. They also increased when the insulating rollers were replaced with dissipative rollers.

Digested residues from biogas plants are often used as biofertilizers for agricultural crops cultivation. The antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in digested residues pose a high risk to public health due to their potential spread to the disease-causing microorganisms and thus reduce the susceptibility of disease-causing microorganisms to antibiotics in medical treatment. A high-throughput sequencing (HTS)-based metagenomic approach was used in the present study to investigate the variations of ARGs in full-scale biogas reactors and the correlations of ARGs with microbial communities and metal resistance genes (MRGs). The total abundance of ARGs in all the samples varied from 7 × 10–3 to 1.08 × 10–1 copy of ARG/copy of 16S-rRNA gene, and the samples obtained from thermophilic biogas reactors had a lower total abundance of ARGs, indicating the superiority of thermophilic anaerobic digestion for ARGs removal. ARGs in all the samples were composed of 175 ARG subtypes; however, only 7 ARG subtypes were shared ...

Background: Angiotensin II (Ang II) is a major contributor to the development of heart failure. However, the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie this process remain elusive. Inadequate angiogenesis in the myocardium leads to a transition from cardiac hypertrophy to dysfunction, and our previous study showed that Ang II significantly impaired the angiogenesis response. The current study was designed to examine the role of Jagged1-Notch signaling in the effect of Ang II during impaired angiogenesis and cardiac hypertrophy. Methods: Ang II was subcutaneously infused into 8-week-old male C57BL/6 mice at a dose of 200 ng·kg−1·min−1 for 2 weeks using Alzet micro-osmotic pumps. N-[N-(3, 5-difluorophenacetyl)-L-alanyl]-S-phenylglycine tert-butyl ester (DAPT), a γ-secretase inhibitor, was injected subcutaneously during Ang II infusion at a dose of 10.0 mg·kg−1·d−1. Forty mice were divided into four groups (n = 10 per group): control group; Ang II group, treated with Ang II; DAPT group, treated with DAPT; and Ang II + DAPT group, treated with both Ang II and DAPT. At the end of experiments, myocardial (left ventricle [LV]) tissue from each experimental group was evaluated using immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, and real-time polymerase chain reaction. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance test followed by the least significant difference method or independent samples t-test. Results: Ang II treatment significantly induced cardiac hypertrophy and impaired the angiogenesis response compared to controls, as shown by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining and immunohistochemistry for CD31, a vascular marker (P < 0.05 for both). Meanwhile, Jagged1 protein was significantly increased, but gene expression for both Jag1 and Hey1 was decreased in the LV following Ang II treatment, compared to that in controls (relative ratio for Jag1 gene: 0.45 ± 0.13 vs. 0.84 ± 0.15; relative ratio for Hey1 gene: 0.51 ± 0.08 vs. 0.91 ± 0.09; P < 0.05). All these cellular and molecular effects induced by Ang II in the hearts of mice were reduced by DAPT treatment. Interestingly, Ang II stimulated Hey1, a known Notch target, but did not affect the expression of Hey2, another Notch target gene. Conclusions: A Jagged1-Hey1 signal might mediate the impairment of angiogenesis induced by Ang II during cardiac hypertrophy.

Direct assimilation of cloud-affected microwave brightness temperatures from AMSU-A into the GSI three-dimensional variational (3D-Var) assimilation system is preliminarily studied in this paper. A combination of cloud microphysics parameters retrieved by the 1D-Var algorithm (including vertical profiles of cloud liquid water content, ice water content, and rain water content) and atmospheric state parameters from objective analysis fields of an NWP model are used as background fields. Three cloud microphysics parameters (cloud liquid water content, ice water content, and rain water content) are applied to the control variable. Typhoon Halong (2014) is selected as an example. The results show that direct assimilation of cloud-affected AMSU-A observations can effectively adjust the structure of large-scale temperature, humidity and wind analysis fields due to the assimilation of more AMSU-A observations in typhoon cloudy areas, especially typhoon spiral cloud belts. These adjustments, with temperatures increasing and humidities decreasing in the movement direction of the typhoon, bring the forecasted typhoon moving direction closer to its real path. The assimilation of cloud-affected satellite microwave brightness temperatures can provide better analysis fields that are more similar to the actual situation. Furthermore, typhoon prediction accuracy is improved using these assimilation analysis fields as the initial forecast fields in NWP models.