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OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS To translate and cross-culturally adapt vestibular disorders activities of daily living (VADL) scale to Chinese population, and verify its psychometric characteristics. STUDY DESIGN A methodology study to translate, validate, and verify the reliability of the VADL scale. METHODS The translation of the VADL from English to Chinese was carried out in accordance with the recommendations proposed by the Process of Cross-Cultural Adaptation guideline. All 185 Subjects with chief complaints of dizziness or vertigo were continuously invited to the study from January 2021 to June 2021. Investigation using the Chinese version of VADL (VADL-C) was completed by all the participants. Complete data from all 124 participants were used for reliability and internal consistency analysis by using SPSS 22.0. RESULTS Through careful and complete translation and adaptation, the VADL-C was successfully created. The content validity of the VADL-C was 0.887, the internal consistency was 0.951, and the test-retest reliability was 0.989. CONCLUSIONS The VADL-C has an excellent internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and content validity. It will be a new tool to be used in China and for overseas Chinese speakers to explore the functional capacity of individuals with vestibular diseases and guide therapy planning, particularly in vestibular rehabilitation training program. Laryngoscope, 2021.

There is currently no universally accepted unified diagnostic standard for infertility treatment and maternity protection related to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) worldwide, and the treatment options vary greatly. To improve the understanding of PCOS-related infertility among Chinese obstetricians and gynecologists at all levels for better patient diagnosis and management, we have referred to the international expert recommendations and literature and taken into account the Chinese clinical practice to develop the “Consensus on infertility management and fertility preservation related to PCOS.”

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death globally, with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) being its most prevalent subtype. Due to the heterogeneity of LUAD, patients given the same treatment regimen may have different responses and clinical outcomes. Therefore, identifying new subtypes of LUAD is important for predicting prognosis and providing personalized treatment for patients. Pyroptosis-related genes play an essential role in anticancer, but there is limited research investigating pyroptosis in LUAD. In this study, 33 pyroptosis gene expression profiles and clinical information were collected from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. By bioinformatics and machine learning analyses, we identified novel subtypes of LUAD based on 10 pyroptosis-related genes and further validated them in the GEO dataset, with machine learning models performing up to an AUC of 1 for classifying in GEO. A web-based tool was established for clinicians to use our clustering model (http://www.aimedicallab.com/tool/aiml-subphe-luad.html). LUAD patients were clustered into 3 subtypes (A, B, and C), and survival analysis showed that B had the best survival outcome and C had the worst survival outcome. The relationships between pyroptosis gene expression and clinical characteristics were further analyzed in the three molecular subtypes. Immune profiling revealed significant differences in immune cell infiltration among the three molecular subtypes. GO enrichment and KEGG pathway analyses were performed based on the differential genes of the three subtypes, indicating that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were involved in multiple cellular and biological functions, including RNA catabolic process, mRNA catabolic process, and pathways of neurodegeneration-multiple diseases. Finally, we developed an 8-gene prognostic model that accurately predicted 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival. In conclusion, pyroptosis-related genes may play a critical role in LUAD, and provide new insights into the underlying mechanisms of LUAD.

Spinal endoscopy has been widely applied in lumbar discectomy and decompression. However, endoscopic lumbar interbody fusion still remains a technical challenge due to the limited space within the working trocar for cage implantation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of using a narrow-surface fusion cage in full endoscopic minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF) for the treatment of lumbar degenerative disease.From Jun 2013 to Dec 2014, a total of 42 patients (23 males, 19 females) underwent full endoscopic MIS-TLIF at our hospital was recruited. An 8-mm-wide narrow-surface fusion cage was selected for all cases. Perioperative parameters and complications were recorded. Comparisons on visual analog scale (VAS) and oswestry disability index (ODI) scores before and after surgery were performed. At the last follow-up, Nakai grading system was applied to assess patients' satisfaction; meanwhile, interbody fusion was evaluated by computed tomography.Mean operation time was 233.1 ± 69.5 min, and mean blood loss during surgery was 221.8 ± 98.5 ml. Two patients (4.8%) developed neurological complications. Postoperative follow-up ranged from 24 to 36 months (mean 27.6 ± 3.8 months). VAS and ODI scores were significantly improved 3 months after surgery and at the final follow-up, respectively (P 0.05). Outcome of surgery was graded as excellent for 32 patients, good for 8 patients, and acceptable for 2 patients, corresponding to a success rate ("good" and "excellent") of 95.2%. Thirty-nine of the 42 patients demonstrated solid interbody fusion at the last follow-up, indicating a fusion rate of 92.9%.Application of a narrow-surface fusion cage in full endoscopic MIS-TLIF for the treatment of lumbar degenerative disease is feasible and effective. The clinical outcome and fusion success of this procedure were acceptable and promising.

In order to dehaze the outdoor hazy images with different fog levels faster and more accurately, a method based on convolutional neural network (CNN) is proposed, called End-to-End Pyramid Dehazing Network (EPD-Net). EPD-Net is a light-weight CNN with three modules: the T-estimation module, coarse dehazing module and pyramid pooling module. A depth estimation method based on CNN and a sky segmentation algorithm are used to estimate and modify the depth maps of outdoor image datasets, which aimed to synthesize hazy images of different fog levels. Experimental results demonstrate that on both the synthesized and the natural hazy image datasets, the proposed EPD-Net achieve superior dehazing performance than other representative dehazing algorithms in terms of objective indicators such as PSNR, SSIM, running time and the subjective visual quality.

The destruction of museum collections caused by earthquakes in China has attracted many scholars’ attention. Taking the implementation of the project of Quanzhou Museum for example, this paper introduces the application of the preventive seismic protection technologies to museum collections in aspects like the seismic design method, the verification of the performance of the anti-seismic products for showcases and museum collections, the implementation and effects of anti-seismic products. Through the implementation of the seismic protection and monitoring system for museum collections, an effective long-term mechanism for the seismic protection of museum collections in Quanzhou Museum is proposed. Finally, the successful demonstration of the preventive conservation of museum collections in Fujian is summarized.

The conventional way to fabricate current sub-ambient daytime radiative cooling (SDRC) systems is to maximally suppress the cooler's solar absorption and substantially improve its selective emissivity only in the atmospheric transparency window. This greatly limits the selection of materials and their practical applications. In this paper, an alternative method, which combines sunlight-triggered fluorescent cooling, particle scattering, and broadband infrared radiation, was presented for creating serial eco-friendly coatings with the SDRC effect with conventional cost-effective building materials. The presence of conventional fluorescent pigments in the coating composition increased the effective direct-normal solar reflectance via sunlight-excited fluorescent emissions to the level required for SDRC. When applied to various substrates, the serial coatings exhibited distinct SDRC effects under direct and strong sunlight in typical temperate monsoon climate regions such as Beijing. The observed sub-ambient temperature reduction of the coating with yellow–green fluorescence over an aluminium plate was 3.5 °C under a peak solar intensity of 996 W/m2, yielding a cooling power of 45.7 W/m2 under a peak solar intensity of 981 W/m2. Compared with the conventional cool white coatings, the large-scale application of the coating to urban surfaces is predicted to reduce a city's air temperature by approximately 1 °C and thereby decrease the Heat Island Intensity. Additionally, the method proposed in this paper was generic and expanded the SDRC design paradigm, thereby promoting SDRC as a viable energy-efficient technology.

This paper starts with an overview to the credit risk management in electricity markets abroad, which usually includes two parts that quantification of credit risk exposure and determination of credit limit for covering the risk exposure. In the main idea that keeping credit risk less to credit limit, the credit risk management method is introduced into Guangdong electricity market and adjusted with actual operating environment. The calculation of risk exposure fits to the settlement procedure, as well as the credit rating methods are changed and totally differs with other provinces on the other hand. The problems coming into being are the single form of collateral, lack of data and adjustment and the coupling between the credit rules in GPEC and GGCO, the credit rules and settlement rules, the credit rules and market operating rules. Relevant solutions are raised up with its merits and short. Finally, the open and flexible attitude to risk management is proposed.

Aiming at the accurate prediction of network security situation in power dispatching automation system, a network security situation awareness method based on LDA-RBF is proposed in this paper. In this method, the network security situation awareness is abstracted as a multi-dimensional numerical quantization problem, and a large number of field actual test samples are used as data sources to input the situation awareness model to characterize the perceived results. Based on the linear discriminant analysis (LDA), the test data is preprocessed to optimize the sample data, and the RBF neural network is used to find the nonlinear mapping relation of the network situation value, and the network security situation is quantified. Based on the linear discriminant analysis, the test data is preprocessed to optimize the sample data, and the RBF neural network is used to find the nonlinear mapping relation of the network situation value, so as to quantify the network security situation of the power dispatching automation system. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method in the security situation analysis of power dispatching automation system is verified through experiments in real network environment.

Background: This study aimed to understand the impact of garlic on improving blood lipids using a meta-analysis. Methods: A literature search of the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases was performed using keywords such as “garlic” and “hypercholesterolemia,” and the deadline “July 14 (th), 2017.” After extracting relevant details, each selected literature was evaluated for quality according to the quality evaluation criteria of bias risk recommended by Cochrane Collaboration recommendations and heterogeneity tests were performed. Standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were evaluated using R 3.12 software. The publication bias was assessed using Egger method. Results: A total of 14 eligible papers published from 1981 to 2016 were included. The quality of the literatures was of moderate to high qualities. The values of TC (SMD = –1.26, 95% CI, –1.86 to –0.66), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) (SMD = –1.07, 95% CI, –1.67 to –0.47), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) (SMD = 0.50, 95% CI, 0.06–0.94) after taking garlic in the experimental group and the control group have statistical significance, while there was no significant difference of TG in the 2 groups (SMD = –0.16, 95% CI, –0.87–0.55). However, the result of HDL was reversed when removed some of the literatures. No significant publication bias among the eligible studies with values of TC (P = .0625), LDL (P = .0770), HDL (P = .2293), and TG (P = .3436). Conclusion: Garlic can reduce the level of TC and LDL instead of HDL and TG, indicating the ability of anti-hyperlipidemia.

Navigation task of water conservancy when the over-current buildings are in runtime often affect the flow regime lock approach, endangers the ship navigation safety. In engineering we often set up guide wall protection approaches between approaches and flow buildings. By means of numerical simulation, the guide wall shape optimization study, and combining with the engineering practice, this paper proposes a microbend flood guide wall of new type. The results show that this new type of guide wall can in a variety of flow circumstances change such flow structure, reduce the horizontal speed of the approaches, is a simple and effective engineering measures.

The optical and thermal properties of black coatings pigmented with different black colorants were systematically investigated, and their surface temperature reduction values and cooling energy savings were estimated relative to the black coating pigmented with carbon black in Shanghai, China. The black coatings separately pigmented with NIR-transmitting perylene black and dioxazine purple colorants were identified to be real cool black coatings. The addition of chrome titanium yellow to the black coating pigmented with dioxazine purple re-establishes the true black coatings. Over white basecoats, the estimated surface temperature reduction values and annual cooling energy savings in Shanghai are 13.8 °C and 3.9 kW h m−2 yr−1, respectively, for the black coating pigmented with perylene black colorant; these two values are 10.2 °C and 2.24 kW h m−2 yr−1, respectively, for the black coating pigmented with dioxazine purple colorant.

Heat island effects and their thermal impacts have become a key consideration in the environment of tropical cities. In the face of such conditions, the land use planning and conservation authority of Singapore currently has an on-going island-wide study and plans to manage urban heat at the macro level, but there have been few considerations for the actual thermal environment within these spaces. In tropical climates, solar radiation is the greatest source of heat, and mitigation of solar and terrestrial radiation by landscape design is of utmost importance as compared to other microclimatic factors.

Degenerative changes of endplates in older patients and tilting of vertebral body in lumbosacral lordosis could make an accurate identification of endplates for the Cobb measurement difficult. Pedicles have been proposed as alternative landmarks because they are usually better visualized, and offer similar clinical validity to the endplates. The objective of this study was to investigate the reliability of the pedicle method of Cobb measurement in degenerative lumbar scoliosis and compare it with the traditional endplate method.Two hundred and eighty-four radiographs of degenerative lumbar scoliosis were evaluated. The radiographs were classified into groups based on the patient's age (60 years, 60 to 80 years, and80 years), level of lower end vertebra (LEV) (LEV at L5, and LEV at or above L4), and curve severity (20°, 20° to 40°, and40°). Three observers independently measured the radiographs using the endplate and pedicle methods twice with an interval of 1 week. The intra- and interobserver reliabilities were calculated using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC).The intra- and interobserver ICC values were better for all observers in the80 years age group using the pedicle method. The intraobserver ICC values of pedicle method were also better in the LEV at L5 group, and the interobserver ICC values showed a slightly better consistency with the pedicle method. For patients with40° curves, the intraobserver ICC values for all observers as well as interobserver ICC values were better using the endplate method.The reliabilities of the endplate and pedicle methods for degenerative lumbar scoliosis were both excellent. The pedicle method might be better in older patients (80 years) and those with LEV at L5; while the endplate method could have some strength in severe cases (40°).

This study was conducted to summarize experiences of handling severe primary postoperative hemorrhage (SPPH) in obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) surgery and to evaluate the role of multiple interventions in decreasing the incidence of SPPH.A total of 1505 patients with OSAHS underwent surgical treatments. Based on the time periods, the patients were divided into three consecutive phases. Patients from the first phase to the third phase received few to most types of intervention. SPPH therapeutic experience was summarized and SPPH incidence rates were compared among the three phases. SPPH incidence rates with mono-level or multi-level surgeries were also compared.

Background Significant prominence of iliac crests with a deep seated L5 vertebra can potentially interfere with the screw trajectory when placing percutaneous pedicle screws (PPS) at the lumbosacral segment. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of L5 position in relation to the iliac crests on the accuracy of percutaneous placement of lumbosacral pedicle screws. Methods From Oct 2012 to Sep 2014, 54 patients who underwent PPS placement at L5-S1 segment were recruited. Patients were divided into 2 groups: the L5-Seated Group (L5-S Group, n = 34) including patients with intercrest lines passing through the L4 vertebra or L4/5 intervertebral disc; whereas the L5-Non-Seated Group (L5-NS Group, n = 20) including patients with intercrest lines passing through the L5 vertebra. Postoperative computerized tomography was obtained in all patients, and PPS accuracy was evaluated by grading pedicle breach (Grade 0, no breach; Grade 1, ≤2mm; Grade 2, >2mm without neurological compromise; Grade 3, with complications). Screw convergence angle (SCA), defined as the angle subtended by the screw axis and vertebral midline, was also recorded. Results In the L5-S Group, 82.4% (56/68) screws were measured as Grade 0 at L5, and 66.2% (45/68) were Grade 0 at S1; meanwhile, in the L5-NS Group, 77.5% (31/40) and 75.0% (30/40) screws were Grade 0 at L5 and S1, respectively. Misplacement rate was numerically higher at S1 in the L5-S Group (P > 0.05). There were significantly more medial pedicle violations at S1 in the L5-S Group as compared to the L5-NS Group (25.0% vs 7.5%, P = 0.024). No statistical difference was found in L5 SCA between the 2 groups (L5-S Group 23.7° ± 7.4° vs L5-NS Group 23.4° ± 10.6°, P = 0.945); however, S1 SCA was significantly smaller in the L5-S Group (14.7° ± 5.8°) when compared with the L5-NS Group (20.8° ± 5.2°) (P = 0.036). Conclusions A deep seated L5 vertebra with respect to the iliac crests might compromise the accuracy of PPS placement at S1 vertebra. Severe iliac prominence may interfere with the screw trajectory and limit the medial angulation of pedicle screw for percutaneous S1 fixation.

We report on coherent single-mode extraction from an agile frequency comb capable of agilely phase-continuous mode-spacing tuning in a broad spectral bandwidth. The highly selective extraction is achieved by phase-locking a continuous-wave laser to the high-order comb mode, allowing for efficient combining the coherence, agility, and tunability.

The particle size distributions of three commercially available titanium dioxide pigments were measured, and their effects on the optical properties of the pigments were investigated. The Altiris 550 and 800 pigments possess larger median particle size and wider size distributions than those of the conventional titanium dioxide rutile. The visible (VIS) reflectance, the solar reflectance and the lightness of the films and coatings singly pigmented with any of these three pigments decrease as the pigment particle size increases. The VIS transmittance and near-infrared (NIR) reflectance both increase as the pigment particle size increases. The main reflection band of the coatings shifts farther into the NIR region with increasing pigment particle size. The partially VIS-transmitting Altiris pigments enable the NIR and the solar reflectance of cool non-white coatings to be improved, thereby yielding metameric matches to the desired colors.

Single layer, waterborne, transparent heat insulation coatings for use in energy efficient glazing products were prepared, and their optical, thermal, electrical and artificial accelerated weathering properties were systematically investigated. The coatings combine a high transmittance in the visible region, a low transmittance (a high absorptance) in the near infrared region, a low emittance in the far infrared region, low haze and a high transmission of radio waves. While the coatings’ spectral and overall transmittances and reflectances decrease with increasing weight content of antimony doped tin oxides (ATO), their near infrared absorption, and consequently their thermal insulation, increases with increasing ATO concentration. The transparent thermal insulation coatings are electrical insulators and thus have a high transmission of radio waves. The transparent thermal insulation coatings possess good artificial accelerated weathering resistance.

The effects of manufacturing processes and artificial accelerated weathering on the solar reflectance and cooling effect of cool roof coatings were investigated using UV/vis/NIR spectrophotometry, laser diffraction spectrometry, optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The solar reflectance and the cooling effect of the coatings were found to correlate positively with the grinding speed (over a constant grinding time) and grinding time (at a constant grinding speed) due to an improved dispersion effect of TiO2 particles. Artificial accelerated weathering slightly reduces the solar reflectance of cool roof coatings, and its influences on the cooling effect of cool roof coatings are negligible within the experimental error.

Two single-layer, waterborne cool white coatings for building envelopes were recently developed for use in improving building energy efficiency. After the coatings were manufactured, their optical properties over the solar spectrum and their indoor temperature reduction effect were systematically investigated using appropriate tools, and the advantages/disadvantages of single layer cool white coatings over multilayer ones were discussed in detail. The preparation process enables these two coatings to integrate multiple cooling principles and thereby exhibit high solar heat reflectance and good indoor temperature reduction. The predicted industrial limit of solar heat reflectance for practical reflective cool white coatings is 0.91. Use of cool white coatings significantly reduces radiant heat flux. The temperature reduction effects evaluated by a self-developed device cannot describe adequately the indoor cooling performance of cool coatings.

Railway transportation safety management must adhere to the approach of safety and prevention first. The transport of dangerous goods should be paid more attention as a particularly important part. This paper made use of fault tree analysis to research and analyze the risk factors of dangerous goods LPG which may explode in the rail transport. The analysis was made from two aspects of chemistry and physics, then the minimal cut sets and structure importance of the specific factors which may cause explosion accidents are solved, and the importance of each factor is analyzed and sorted on the calculated results. Based on the above method, measures of LPG rail transport explosion prevention were proposed.

Background context — One of the many reactive changes following an Spinal cord injury (SCI) is the formation of a glial scar, a reactive cellular process whereby glial cells accumulate and surround central nervous system (CNS) injury sites to seal in the wound. Thus the inhibition of glial scar is of great importance for SCI recovery. Purpose — This study aimed to explore the effect of lentivirus-mediated silencing of the CTGF gene on the formation of glial scar tissue in a rat model of spinal cord injury (SCI). Study Design — This is a prospective study. Study Sample — A total of 56 Wistar female rats aging 8 weeks were randomly selected for this study. Outcome Measures — The motor function of the rats was assessed using the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) functional scale, footprint analysis of gait, and the Basso Mouse Scale (BMS). Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry were performed to detect the mRNA and protein expressions of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), vimentin, fibronectin, and laminin in the spinal cord tissues. Methods — A rat model of SCI was successfully established. Fifty-six male Wistar rats were randomly selected and assigned into four groups (14 rats in each group): the sham operation group, the SCI model group, the negative control (NC) group (SCI rats transfected with empty vector plasmids), and the siRNA-CTGF group (SCI rats transfected with lentivirus CTGF siRNA). Results — SCI rats showed decreased activity and were dragging their bodies while moving. Compared with the sham operation group, BBB and BMS scores in the SCI model NC, and siRNA-CTGF groups significantly decreased. However, the BBB and BMS scores in the siRNA-CTGF group were higher than those in the SCI model and NC groups. The mRNA and protein expressions of GFAP, vimentin, fibronectin, and laminin significantly increased in the SCI model, NC, and siRNA-CTGF groups in comparison with those in the sham operation group. Furthermore, the mRNA and protein expressions of GFAP, vimentin, fibronectin, and laminin in the siRNA-CTGF group were lower than those in the SCI model and NC groups at 28 days after transfection. Conclusions — These findings indicate that lentivirus-mediated silencing of the CTGF gene can suppress the formation of glial scar tissue after SCI.

Acute lung injury (ALI), induced by intestinal ischemia reperfusion (II/R) injury, is characterized by pulmonary edema and inflammation. Aquaporin 4 (AQP4), has been pointed out recently involving in edema development. Previous studies have shown that p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation resulted in lung inflammation, while p38 MAPK inhibitor can alleviate the pathology injury of lung tissue. However, the regulated mechanism of p38 MAPK in ALI induced by II/R is unclear. In this study, we established II/R rats' model by clamping the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) and coeliac artery (CA) for 40min and subsequent reperfusion for 16h, 24h, 48h. Subsequently, SB239063, a specific inhibitor of the activity of p38 MAPK, was injected (10mg/kg) intraperitoneally 60min before the operation. The severity of ALI was determined by histology analysis (HE staining and ALI scoring) and lung edema (lung wet/dry weight ratio) assessment. Western blot (WB) was applied to detect the expression level of AQP4 and phosphorylated (P)-p38 MAPK, and the localization of AQP4 was detected by immunofluorescent staining (IF). We found that AQP4 could express in the lung tissue. II/R could significantly induce lung injury, confirmed by lung injury scores and lung wet/dry weight ratios. The level of P-p38 MAPK and AQP4 were largely up-regulated in lung tissues. Moreover, inhibition of p38 MAPK activity could effectively down-regulate AQP4 expression and diminish the severity of II/R-induced ALI. These novel findings suggest that inhibition of p38 MAPK function should be a potential strategy for the prevention or treatment of ALI, by targeting AQP4 in future clinic trial.

Based on the experimental data in the literature, contact elements were used in the pile-soil interface and the pile-soil interaction was simulated by ANSYS in this paper. Compared with theoretical analysis of the literature, the effects of pile-soil interface on the mechanical parameters of contact elements under the pile-soil vertical load and soil physical parameters were obtained by ANSYS simulation. The results can be a guiding on the reasonable choice of parameters under complex loads.

ZnO nanowire arrays with controlled diameter,density and orientation were prepared on the ZnO film coated substrates via hydrothermal method.The ZnO film were fabricated by atomic layer deposition(ALD) method and annealed at different temperatures.The annealing temperature has strong influences on the grain size,crystalline structure and defect property of the ZnO film.The diameter,density and orientation of ZnO nanowires depended on the features of the ZnO film.Field-emission scanning electron microscopy(SEM),X-ray diffraction(XRD) and photoluminescence(PL) were applied to analyze the ZnO film and ZnO nanowire arrays.The as-prepared vertical aligned ZnO nanowires are highly suitable for use in nanodevices,such as light-emitting diodes and solar cells.

Paraganglioma (PGL) is a rare type of tumor that arises from the extra-adrenal paraganglia. Laparoscopic adrenalectomy is well established for the treatment of adrenal pheochromocytomas, but laparoscopic resection of PGLs is controversial. In this study, we compared the clinical outcomes of laparoscopic and conventional open surgical procedures for PGLs. We also analyze the safety and feasibility of laparoscopic technique for renal hilar PGLs.A retrospective review of all patients who underwent resection of retroperitoneal PGLs from 2002 to 2014 in our hospital was performed. Twelve patients underwent open procedures, and 15 underwent laparoscopic procedures. The preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative data were collected and analyzed.PGLs located at the renal hilum were predominantly both in the Lap group (n = 9) and open group (n = 7). Laparoscopic procedures in 14 of 15 patients were effectively completed without conversion to open surgery; one case with renal hilar tumor was converted to open surgery because of bleeding. The baseline characteristic of the patients in each group was well equivalent with respect to patient age, gender, body mass index, and tumor size. In the Lap group, the perioperative indexes were significantly different from those of the open group (each p0.05), including operative time (217.36 ± 51.90 vs 175.67 ± 36.79; p = 0.029), estimated blood loss (80.71 ± 83.52 vs 172.50 ± 160.86 mL; p = 0.047), and postoperative hospital stay (5.64 ± 1.95 vs 8.58 ± 1.97 days; p = 0.001). However, the intraoperative hemodynamic parameters and intensive care unit stay days were similar in both the groups. The perioperative data of the two procedures for renal hilar PGLs were compared. The Lap group showed estimated blood loss, and postoperative hospital stay outcomes were more favorable than the open group. Other data were similar in both the groups.Laparoscopic procedure is safe and feasible in the treatment of patients with retroperitoneal PGLs. Laparoscopic resection of PGLs from the renal hilum is technically challenging. However, it is possible to safely undertake laparoscopic resection of these tumors by an experienced surgeon.

The objective of the study was to investigate the relationship between lingua-epiglottis position and glossopharyngeal obstruction in patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). One hundred and four patients with OSAHS diagnosed by polysomnography (PSG) were enrolled. Lingua-epiglottis position was visualized using endoscopy and classified into three types. Spiral CT imaging of the upper respiratory tract was performed to measure the cross-sectional area and inner diameter of the glossopharyngeal airway. The PSG was repeated after nasopharyngeal tube insertion (NPT-PSG). The NPT-PSG results, CT-measured data and incidence of stenosis were compared among the different lingua-epiglottis position groups. Obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome patients with different lingua-epiglottis positions had similar demographics. As lingua-epiglottis position type varied from type I to type III, cross-sectional area and inner diameter of the glossopharyngeal area decreased, glossopharyngeal airway stenosis rate increased, and apnea hypopnea index measured by NPT-PSG increased. The lowest oxygen saturation decreased. Lingua-epiglottis position was significantly related to glossopharyngeal obstruction. Lingua-epiglottis position should be used in clinical practice for the preliminary assessment of glossopharyngeal obstruction.

Characterized parameters of response that the loop is controlled by PID controllers are recognized in determining the initial parameters on the initial stage or the optimal parameters on runtime. This paper describes the characterized parameters of tuning rules for PID controller and shows the algorithms of recognition. Finally the example of the online closed-loop relay feedback is showed.

Background Angiogenesis plays an important role in tumor growth and metastasis, therefore antiangiogenic therapy was widely investigated as a promising approach for cancer therapy. Recently, pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) has been shown to be the most potent inhibitor of angiogenesis. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors have been intensively studied due to their wide tropisms, nonpathogenicity, and long-term transgene expression in vivo. The objective of this work was to evaluate the ability of AAV-mediated human PEDF (hPEDF) as a potent tumor suppressor and a potential candidate for cancer gene therapy. Methods Recombinant AAV2 encoding hPEDF (rAAV2-hPEDF) was constructed and produced, and then was assigned for in vitro and in vivo experiments. Conditioned medium from cells infected with rAAV2-hPEDF was used for cell proliferation and tube formation tests of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Subsequently, colorectal peritoneal carcinomatosis (CRPC) mouse model was established and treated with rAAV2-hPEDF. Therapeutic efficacy of rAAV2-hPEDF were investigated, including tumor growth and metastasis, survival time, microvessel density (MVD) and apoptosis index of tumor tissues, and hPEDF levels in serum and ascites. Results rAAV2-hPEDF was successfully constructed, and transmission electron microscope (TEM) showed that rAAV2-hPEDF particles were non-enveloped icosahedral shape with a diameter of approximately 20 nm. rAAV2-hPEDF-infected cells expressed hPEDF protein, and the conditioned medium from infected cells inhibited proliferation and tube-formation of HUVECs in vitro. Furthermore, in CRPC mouse model, rAAV2-hPEDF significantly suppressed tumor growth and metastasis, and prolonged survival time of treated mice. Immunofluorescence studies indicated that rAAV2-hPEDF could inhibit angiogenesis and induce apoptosis in tumor tissues. Besides, hPEDF levels in serum and ascites of rAAV2-hPEDF-treated mice were significant higher than those in rAAV2-null or normal saline (NS) groups. Conclusions Thus, our results suggest that rAAV2-hPEDF may be a potential candidate as an antiangiogenic therapy agent.

Atomic Magnetometer has ranked the highest sensitive magnetometer in recent years. To realize a high performance atomic magnetometer, a well designed polarimeter is required to detect the atomic spin precession. Among various polarimeter techniques available, faraday polarimeter is suitable for high sensitive atomic magnetometer application due to its high angular sensitivity at low frequency range. However, this polarimeter is sensitive to light intensity fluctuation which will decrease the atomic magnetometer sensitivity and its long time performance. Instead of utilizing a light intensity feedback controlled system to active stabilize the light intensity, this paper proposed a faraday polarimeter with light intensity fluctuation compensation capability. The structure and mathematic model of this polarimeter was analyzed, experimental tests were performed. With this polarimeter, the light intensity fluctuation was decreased significantly to 0.001%, and an angular sensitivity of 10−8 rad/Hz1/2 has been achieved.

Disorders of sex development (DSD) are most controversial issue in gender verification of athletes. To make a more scientific, accurate and humanitarian decision for athletes is the target of gender verification. In this article, we evaluate the used methods of gender verification in athletes, recommend a useful simplified classification of DSD and propose a comprehensive etiological diagnostic system based on this classification for gender verification in athletes.

Checkpoint and Message logging as an effective and transparent recovery method usually are implemented in LAN. With the development of scale in distributed system, computing nodes are located differently in geography. Fault tolerance and scalability problems are a real challenging work in wide area environment, because the length of wrapped message is increasing based on the node numbers. Some improved methods have brought false dependable problem and caused the system to roll back additionally. We proposed a scheme in which besides exchanging inter-domain messages by gateway two-dimensional state vector is used to divide and track the dependency. By the means the false dependency avoided. The proposed scheme can not only employ hierarchy gateways but also composite recovery protocols, so it can adapt to complexity situation of distributed system in wide area network.

Fault tolerance and scalability problems are a real challenging work in wide area environment, because the length of wrapped message is increasing based on the node numbers. Some improved methods have brought false dependable problem and caused the system to roll back additionally. We proposed a scheme in which besides exchanging inter-domain messages by gateway two-dimensional state vector is used to divide and track the dependency. By the means the false dependency avoided. The proposed scheme can not only employ hierarchy gateways but also composite recovery protocols, so it can adapt to complexity situation of distributed system in wide area network.

Aim: To study the effects of long-term, low-dose sex hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on the volume and biochemical changes of the hippocampus in postmenopausal women carrying apolipoprotein E (apoE) gene alt e3 or alt e4. Methods: Eightythree postmenopausal women who had used a low dose of HRT for over 4 years were selected as the HRT group, and 99 postmenopausal women with matched age and education were enrolled as the control group. ApoE alleles were analyzed by PCR. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed to determine the volume of the brain hippocampus. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to detect the biochemical changes in the anterior cingulate cortex and hippocampus in apoE alt e4 and alt e3 carriers. Six common cognitive tests were used to make an overall evaluation of cognitive function. Results: Analysis with the apoE alt e4 carriers showed that the volume of the hippocampus of the control group were significantly lower than those of the HRT group. The biochemical analysis showed that there was an increase of N-acetylaspartate (NAA)/total creatine (tCr) and a decrease of myoinositol (mI)/tCr in the hippocampus of apoE alt e4 carriers in the HRT group, compared with the control group. For the apoE alt e3 carriers, the least squares means (LSMEAN) of the HRT group was higher than that of the control group. Conclusion: This study showed that long-term, low dose HRT might be beneficial for reducing the risk of AD development invulnerable postmenopausal women. Meanwhile, HRT could increase the LSMEAN of apoE alt e3 carriers.

The mechanism of the reverse link (RL) data rate control in a CDMA system is studied, and a new scheme is presented to enhance the efficiency, which is based not only on a probabilistic model, but also on a variable signifying the competitive ability of the mobile station (MS). This variable is related to the distribution of MS's reverse pilot transmit power, which can reflect its reverse channel quality compared with other MSs in some sense. With this new mechanism, The MS enjoying better channel quality is easier in raising its data transmission rate while the MS undergoing worse channel quality is more likely to reduce its rate. Since MS's reverse pilot transmit power is a variable known by MS itself, no extra signaling overhead is required from BS. Through dynamic system level simulation for CDMA2000 release D where H-ARQ is employed on RL, the results show that the system throughput on RL is improved by the proposed scheme with the rise over thermal (RoT) value kept on a stable level

The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of myocardial computed tomography perfusion (CTP) for the assessment of myocardial ischemia and infarction compared with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). 82 patients with coronary artery disease who underwent adenosine stress

This study aimed to determine whether myocardial computed tomography perfusion (CTP) after computed tomography angiography (CTA) can improve diagnostic accuracy of coronary stents. CTA and CTP were performed in 250 consecutive patients with stents before conventional coronary angiography. The

To perform a double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled trial to determine the impact of CD133+ bone marrow cells (BMC) on left ventricular (LV) function and clinical symptoms. 70 patients with chronic ischaemic heart disease and impaired LV function (left ventricular ejection fraction, LVEF <

A new kind of Cr4+ :Ca2GeO4 infrared tunable laser crystals were synthesized by flux growth method with CaCl2 as solvent. The structure of Cr4+ :Ca2GeO4 was characterized by x ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy (RS) and x ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS). The results showed that the obtained crystal was γ-Cr4+ :Ca2GeO4 single crystal with monoclinic structure belonging to olivine structure, and the lattice parameters are: a=5.3209 (1 =0.1 nm), b=6.6648 , c=11.2606 . The result that (GeO4)4- exists in the crystal was verified by RS measurement and its vibration was determined. We can see from the XPS measurement that Cr in the crystal is in the form of Cr4+ and no other valence states exist.