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Objective: This study explored the therapeutic impact of combined cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 immunoglobulin (CTLA-4-Ig) treatment and microbubble-mediated exposure in a rat model of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Method: We treated rats using CTLA-4-Ig and/or microbubble exposure. At 8 weeks post-intervention, key parameters were evaluated including blood biochemistry, damage to renal tissue, renal parenchymal elasticity, ultrastructural changes in podocytes, and renal parenchymal expression of CD31, CD34, IL-6, Fn, Collagen I, Talin, Paxillin, α3β1, podocin, nephrin, and B7-1. Result: We found that renal function in the rat model of DN can be significantly improved by CTLA-4-Ig and CTLA-4-Ig + ultrasound microbubble treatment. Treatment efficacy was associated with reductions in renal parenchymal hardness, decreases in podocyte reduction, decreased IL-6, Fn and Collagen I expression, increased Talin, Paxillin and α3β1 expression, elevated podocin and nephrin expression, and decreased B7-1 expression. In contrast, these treatments did not impact CD31 or CD34 expression within the renal parenchyma. Conclusion: These findings clearly emphasize that CTLA-4-Ig can effectively prevent podocyte damage, inhibiting inflammation and fibrosis, and thereby treating and preventing DN. In addition, ultrasound microbubble exposure can improve the ability of CTLA-4-Ig to pass through the glomerular basement membrane in order to access podocytes such that combination CTLA-4-Ig + microbubble exposure treatment is superior to treatment with CTLA-4-Ig only.

Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS), as physical therapy, is widely used in both research and clinical settings. It induces multiple bioeffects, such as alleviating pain, promoting tissue repair, and shortening disease duration. LIPUS can also mediate inflammation. This paper reviews the application of LIPUS in inflammation and discusses the underlying mechanism. In basic experiments, LIPUS can regulate inflammatory responses at the cellular level by affecting some signaling pathways. In a clinical trial, LIPUS has been shown to alleviate inflammatory responses efficiently. As a cheap, safe, and convenient physical method, LIPUS is promising as anti-inflammatory therapy.

BACKGROUND: Anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) injury affects ankle joint stability. To date, very few studies have examined tissue stiffness changes inside injured ligaments. Virtual touch tissue imaging quantification (VTIQ) allows for the non-invasive quantitative measurement of tissue stiffness. The present study aimed to examine the efficacy of VTIQ as a method for detecting ligament injury. METHODS: A total of 206 patients diagnosed with unilateral ATFL type I injury (81 acute cases, 69 subacute cases, and 56 chronic cases) were reviewed retrospectively. Shear wave velocity (SWV) values were collected from both the injured and non-affected sides of the ATFL using a virtual touch tissue imaging quantification technique (ACUSON Oxana 2, Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.). RESULTS: The average SWV of injured ATFL was 4.09±1.15 m/s in the acute group, 5.60±1.39 m/s in the subacute group, and 7.74±1.44 m/s in the chronic group (P0.05). The injured ATFL had a significantly lower SWV value than the non-affected ATFL in the acute and subacute groups (P0.05). Concerning the validity of SWV as a predictor of acute and subacute ATFL injury, the receiver operator characteristics curve analysis showed that the best cut-off point for SWV was 6.165 m/s, with 84.3% sensitivity, 88.5% specificity, and an area under the curve of 0.93 (95% CI, 0.90–0.95). CONCLUSIONS: VTIQ is a reliable sonographic method for detecting acute and subacute ATFL type I injury.

Introduction: Cerebral autoregulation (CA) plays a fundamental role in the maintenance of adequate cerebral blood flow (CBF). CA monitoring, through direct and indirect techniques, may guide an appropriate therapeutic approach aimed at improving CBF and reducing neurological complications; so far, the role of CA has been investigated mainly in brain-injured patients. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of CA in non-brain injured patients.Methods: A systematic consultation of literature was carried out. Search terms included: “CA and sepsis,” “CA and surgery,” and “CA and non-brain injury.”Results: Our research individualized 294 studies and after screening, 22 studies were analyzed in this study. Studies were divided in three groups: CA in sepsis and septic shock, CA during surgery, and CA in the pediatric population. Studies in sepsis and intraoperative setting highlighted a relationship between the incidence of sepsis-associated delirium and impaired CA. The most investigated setting in the pediatric population is cardiac surgery, but the role and measurement of CA need to be further elucidated.Conclusion: In non-brain injured patients, impaired CA may result in cognitive dysfunction, neurological damage, worst outcome, and increased mortality. Monitoring CA might be a useful tool for the bedside optimization and individualization of the clinical management in this group of patients.

Objective: To assess the value of real-time three-dimensional echocardiography (RT-3DE) in evaluating changes in left atrial volume and function in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and type 2 diabetic nephropathy (DN) patients. Method: 104 control subjects, 109 DN patients, and 111 DM patients were recruited and underwent RT-3DE. Data pertaining to the left atrium were analyzed using the 3DQA software in order to determine left atrial maximum volume index (LAVImax), left atrial pre-systolic volume index (LAVIp), left atrial minimum volume index (LAVImin), total left atrial ejection fraction (LAEFt), passive left atrial ejection fraction (LAEFp), and active left atrial ejection fraction (LAEFa). Differences between these three groups and correlations between individual index values and E/e' ratios were additionally assessed. Result: LAVImax, LAVIp, and LAVImin were higher in the DN and DM groups relative to controls, whereas LAEFt and LAEFp were higher in controls relative to DM and DN patients (P < 0.05). LAVImax, LAVIp, and LAVImin in the DN group were significantly higher than those in the DM group, while LAEFt, LAEFp were higher in DM patients relative to DN patients (P < 0.05). The E/e' ratio was also found to be significantly correlated with LAVImax, LAVIp, and LAVImin. Conclusion: Our results indicate that RT-3DE can be used to assess changes in left atrial volume and function in patients with diabetes and can be used to monitor disease progression-related damage to such left atrial functionality.

Objective To investigate the relationship between the elasticity of the carotid artery and the LV (left ventricle) systolic function in patients with diabetic nephropathy (DN) by using two-dimensional speckle-tracking strain echocardiography (2D-STE). Methods DN patients (n = 108) and control subjects (n = 112), all of whom underwent echocardiography and carotid ultrasound. Analysis of LV GLS (global longitudinal strain) from the apical two-chamber (2C), three-chamber (3C), and four-chamber (4C) views. Meanwhile, the circumferential strain (CS) of the carotid artery was obtained from the view of the short-axis right common carotid artery. The differences between the two groups were compared, and a correlation analysis between CS and GLS was performed. Results The 4CGLS, 2CGLS, 3CGLS, and CS of the DN group were significantly lower at significant levels in contrast to the control group (p < 0.05). There was a significantly positive correlation of CS with 4CGLS, 2CGLS, and 3CGLS in all subjects (r = 0.809, p = 0.000; r = 0.830, p = 0.000; r = 0.830, p = 0.000, respectively). Conclusion 2D-STE is a relatively new technique for assessing the mechanical characteristics of the carotid artery in patients with DN. Reduced values of CS correlate with reduced LV systolic function as evaluated by strain measurements, which can predict the risk of systolic dysfunction of LV.

Cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 immunoglobulin (CTLA-4-Ig) can inhibit the effect of B7-1 and improve renal hemodynamics in rats with diabetic nephropathy (DN). Nevertheless, a strategy that could increase the permeation of CTLA-4-Ig through endothelial cells and basement membrane remains to be discovered. We investigated the effect of CTLA-4-Ig combined with microbubble-mediated irradiation on the hemodynamics of renal arteries in DN rats. Rats were treated with CTLA-4-Ig and/or microbubble exposure. After 8 wk of intervention, color Doppler ultrasonography was used to detect peak systolic velocity (PSV), end-diastolic velocity (EDV), mean velocity (MV), systolic acceleration (SAC), pulsatility index (PI) and resistance index (RI) of the renal artery trunk. The CTLA-4-Ig + microbubble exposure group exhibited significantly higher PSV, EDV and MV than the CTLA-4-Ig group, which had significantly higher values than the non-intervention group. The CTLA-4-Ig + microbubble exposure group exhibited significantly lower SAC, PI and RI than the CTLA-4-Ig group, which had significantly lower values than the non-intervention group. Our results indicate that both CTLA-4-Ig and CTLA-4-Ig + microbubble exposure can reduce the blood flow resistance and improve the blood flow velocity of renal arteries in rats. Moreover, the effect of CTLA-4-Ig + microbubble exposure is better than that of CTLA-4-Ig alone. Our study provides a new, effective and non-invasive strategy for the treatment of DN.

Poly(chloro-p-xylylene) (PPXC) film has a water contact angle (WCA) of only about 84°. It is necessary to improve its hydrophobicity to prevent liquid water droplets from corroding or electrically shorting metallic circuits of semiconductor devices, sensors, microelectronics, and so on. Herein, we reported a facile approach to improve its surface hydrophobicity by varying surface pattern structures under different temperature and relative humidity (RH) conditions on a thermal curable polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and hydrophobic silica (SiO2) nanoparticle coating. Three distinct large-scale surface patterns were obtained mainly depending on the contents of SiO2 nanoparticles. The regularity of patterns was mainly controlled by the temperature and RH conditions. By changing the pattern structures, the surface wettability of PPXC film could be improved and its WCA was increased from 84° to 168°, displaying a superhydrophobic state. Meanwhile, it could be observed that water droplets on PPXC film with superhydrophobicity were transited from a “Wenzel” state to a “Cassie” state. The PPXC film with different surface patterns of 200 μm × 200 μm and the improved surface hydrophobicity showed wide application potentials in self-cleaning, electronic engineering, micro-contact printing, cell biology, and tissue engineering.

Irregular flowing water construction is the common way of the construction of the garden project. On the basis of elaborating the form of flow water construction, the paper focuses on the general method of irregular flowing water construction, especially in the calculation of activity-on-arrow network, the garden project also needs to be introduced in the form of virtual work, in order to achieve the clear logic of the construction process and continuous construction.

In order to clarify the monitoring focus of construction collapse, the Gray Correlation Analysis method is used to sort the important degree of its influencing factors. Firstly, the construction collapse accidents happened between 2006 and 2010 are selected as the sample data, and then this paper screens out 18 kinds of influencing factors through the split-merge-removed method from human factors, management factors, materials and equipment, external soft environment and external natural environment, all of which will induce construction collapse accident. Secondly, based on the frequency statistics of influencing factors a multidimensional data model is established. At last, this paper makes the Gray Correlation Analysis and evaluates the importance level according to the results of gray correlation grade, so as to identify the key points preventing accidents, and it is also benefit for making targeted control programs and clearing the main responsibility of all relevant subjects.