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Context: In order to study the effect of ultra-precision machining on the surface quality of hydroxyapatite semiconductor materials as well as the material removal mechanism of hydroxyapatite, the mechanical polishing behaviors of hydroxyapatite at different polishing depths were studied by molecular dynamics method. The results show that the subsurface damage of hydroxyapatite increases with increasing polishing depth. The polishing temperature and the polishing force showed a positive correlation with the polishing depth, and the variation of the polishing force was related to the accumulation-release effect of the potential energy of hydroxyapatite material. In addition, the variation of stresses in hydroxyapatite during polishing is mainly influenced by the thermal softening effect. With a smaller polishing depth, the hydroxyapatite semiconductor material has fewer structural defects, fewer atoms undergoing phase transitions, lower surface roughness, and better surface quality. Therefore, to ensure the long-lasting service life of hydroxyapatite semiconductor materials, a small polishing depth should be used in ultra-precision machining. Additionally, this study also provides a theoretical reference for future research on the mechanical properties of hydroxyapatite-based composites., Methods: A Large-Scale Atomic/Molecular Parallel Simulator (LAMMPS) was utilized to perform molecular dynamics simulations. The output was visualized and analyzed by the Open Visualization Tools (OVITO) software. The intermolecular interactions were described by the polymer consistent force-field and the 12/6 Lennard-Jones potential functions. The workpiece was polished under a micro-canonical ensemble with the temperature settled at 300 K. Periodic boundary conditions were adopted and the velocity-Verlet algorithm was used to integrate the atomic motion with a timestep of 0.1 femtoseconds (fs)., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: To investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of applying intraoperative ultrasound (IOUS) to evaluate spinal canal expansion in patients undergoing French-door cervical laminoplasty (FDCL)., Materials and Methods: Twenty-five patients who underwent FDCL for multilevel degenerative cervical myelopathy were prospectively recruited. Formulae describing the relationship between laminoplasty opening angle (LOA) and laminoplasty opening size, the increase in sagittal canal diameter and the spinal canal area were deduced with trigonometric functions. The LOA was measured with IOUS imaging during surgery, and other spinal canal parameters were assessed. Actual spinal canal enlargement was verified on postoperative CT images. Linear correlation analysis and Bland‒Altman analysis were used to evaluate correlation and agreement between the intraoperative and postoperative measurements., Results: The LOA at C5 measured with IOUS was 27.54 ± 3.12°, and it was 27.23 ± 3.02° on postoperative CT imaging. Linear correlation analysis revealed a significant correlation between IOUS and postoperative CT measurements (r = 0.88; p < 0.01). Bland-Altman plots showed good agreement between these two methods, with a mean difference of 0.30°. For other spinal canal expansion parameter measurements, correlation analysis showed a moderate to a high degree of correlation (p < 0.01), and Bland-Altman analysis indicated good agreement., Conclusion: In conclusion, during the French-door cervical laminoplasty procedure, application of IOUS can accurately evaluate spinal canal expansion. This innovative method may be helpful in improving surgical accuracy by enabling the operator to measure and determine canal enlargement during surgery, leading to ideal clinical outcomes and fewer postoperative complications., Clinical Relevance Statement: The use of intraoperative ultrasonography to assess spinal canal expansion following French-door cervical laminoplasty may improve outcomes for patients undergoing this procedure by providing more accurate measurements of spinal canal expansion., Key Points: • Spinal canal expansion after French-door cervical laminoplasty substantially influences operative prognosis; insufficient or excessive lamina opening may result in unexpected outcomes. • Prediction of spinal canal expansion during surgery was previously impracticable, but based on this study, intraoperative ultrasonography offers an innovative approach and strongly agrees with postoperative CT measurement. • Since this is the first research to offer real-time canal expansion guidance for cervical laminoplasty, it may improve the accuracy of the operation and produce ideal clinical outcomes with fewer postoperative complications., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to European Society of Radiology.)

Objectives: In this study, we investigated the dispersion patterns of aerosols and droplets in dental clinics and developed a suction device to evaluate its effectiveness in reducing aerosols during dental procedures., Materials and Methods: Firstly, the continuous images of oral aerosols and droplets were photographed with a high-speed camera, and the trajectories of these particles were recognized and processed by Image J to determine key parameters affecting particle dispersion: diffusion velocity, distance, and angle. Secondly, based on the parameter data, the flow field of aerosol particles around the oral cavity was simulated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and the flow field under adsorption conditions was simulated to demonstrate the aerodynamic characteristics and capture efficiencies of the single-channel and three-channel adsorption ports at different pressures. Finally, according to the simulated data, a three-channel suction device was developed, and the capture efficiency of the device was tested by the fluorescein tracer method., Results: The dispersion experimental data showed that aerosol particles' maximum diffusion velocity, distance, and angle were 6.2 m/s, 0.55 m, and 130°, respectively. The simulated aerosol flow-field distribution was consistent with the aerosol dispersion patterns. The adsorption simulation results showed that the outlet flow rate of single-channel adsorption was 184.5 L/s at - 350 Pa, and the aerosol capture efficiency could reach 79.4%. At - 350 Pa and - 150 Pa, the outlet flow rate of three-channel adsorption was 228.9 L/s, and the capture efficiency was 99.23%. The adsorption experimental data showed that the capture efficiency of three-channel suction device was 97.71%., Conclusions: A three-channel suction device was designed by simulations and experiments, which can capture most aerosols in the dental clinic and prevent them from spreading., Clinical Relevance: Using three-channel suction devices during oral treatment effectively reduces the spread of oral aerosols, which is essential to prevent the spread of epidemics and ensure the health and safety of patients and dental staff., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: We used bibliometric methods to evaluate publications on the role of nutrition in sarcopenic obesity and analyzed the current situation and developmental trends over the past 2 decades., Methods: Publications from 2002 to 2022 related to the role of nutrition in sarcopenic obesity were extracted from the Web of Science Core Collection database. CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and the Bibliometrix R package were applied to build relevant network diagrams., Results: One thousand ninety-four articles from 64 countries were included. The annual number of publications in this field has shown an intense growth trend. The University of Alberta, Yonsei University, and Korea University are the major research institutions. Clinical Nutrition has published the most papers on the role of nutrition in sarcopenic obesity, and the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition is the most co-cited journal. A total of 5834 authors conducted the relevant studies. Yves Boirie has published the most papers in this field, and AJ Cruz-Jentoft is the most co-cited author., Conclusion: This is the first bibliometric study of the role of nutrition in sarcopenic obesity. This study systematically summarizes the research hotspots and development directions in this field, and provides a reference for scholars studying the role of nutrition in sarcopenic obesity., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2023 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) electrosynthesis through oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is drawing worldwide attention, whereas suffering seriously from the sluggish oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and the difficult extraction of thermodynamically unstable H 2 O 2 . Herein, we present an electrosynthesis protocol involving coupling ORR-to-H 2 O 2 with waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) upcycling and the first H 2 O 2 conversion strategy. Ni-Mn bimetal- and onion carbon-based catalysts are designed to catalyze ORR-to-H 2 O 2 and ethylene glycol electrooxidation with the Faradaic efficiency of 97.5% (H 2 O 2 ) and 93.0% (formate). This electrolysis system runs successfully at only 0.927 V to achieve an industrial-scale current density of 400 mA cm -2 , surpassing all reported H 2 O 2 electrosynthesis systems. H 2 O 2 product is upgraded through two downstream routes of converting H 2 O 2 into sodium perborate and dibenzoyl peroxide. Techno-economic evolution highlights the high gross profit of the ORR || PET upcycling protocol over HER || PET upcycling and ORR || OER. This work provides an energy-saving methodology for the electrosynthesis of H 2 O 2 and other chemicals., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)

To investigate the fatigue crack propagation behavior of high-strength bolts for high-speed train brake discs, the fatigue crack propagation of high-strength bolts with initial defects under various load ratios was numerically simulated and experimentally verified based on fracture mechanics in this paper. Firstly, the fracture mechanics model of a three-dimensional hexahedral mesh with initial root defects was established using ABAQUS-FRANC3D interactive technology. Then the stress intensity factor (SIF) of the crack front was calculated by the stress superposition of the crack surface to simulate the coupling effect of preload and axial cyclic load. Based on it, fatigue crack propagation was simulated. Finally, the corresponding fatigue experiments on prefabricated crack bolts were carried out. The results show that mode I cracks dominate in the process of crack propagation. The stable crack propagation zones of the fractured high-strength bolts all show a semi-elliptical cross-section. The SIF of the crack front decreases with the increase of the load ratio, thus making the crack propagation life increase with the increase of the load ratio. The experimental outcomes are in great agreement with the simulation results, which verify that the numerical simulation method can effectively and accurately evaluate the fatigue life of high-strength bolts with initial defects and provides an effective means for predicting the fatigue crack propagation life of the same type high-strength bolts in engineering applications., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Poor selectivity, low bioavailability and serious systemic side-effects have limited the application of traditional chemotherapy method for treatment of prostate cancer. Stimuli-responsive drug delivery systems for chemotherapy are mainly based on the unique characteristics of tumor microenvironment. In this study, the GSH-sensitive poly-TTG-SS@DTX NPs (DTX-loaded poly-Tetraethylene glycol nanoparticles) were designed and synthesized, which were characterized with nanosized diameter (92.8 ± 2.5 nm) and negatively charged surface charge (-24.7 ± 5.56 mV). Experiments in vitro showed that poly-TTG-SS@DTX NPs had good compatibility to healthy cells and strong anti-tumor effect because of rapid and sustained drug release of DTX from poly-TTG-SS@DTX NPs under the tumor-microenvironment condition. The cellular activity remained greater than 90% when the concentration of poly-TTG-SS NPs reached as high as 100 µg/mL treated on healthy cells. The killing effect of DTX loading NPs group on C4-2 cells was stronger than that of free anti-tumor drug and free DTX combined with the blank nano-carrier (25.21% vs 19.93% vs 20.96%). In conclusion, poly-TTG-SS@DTX NPs may provide a new therapeutic strategy for the chemotherapy of prostate cancer., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

To investigate the effect of initial cracks on the fatigue performance of high-strength bolts for high-speed train brake discs, the fatigue crack propagation behavior of high-strength bolts under the coupling action of preload and dynamic fatigue load was investigated experimentally and numerically based on the theory of linear elastic fracture mechanics. Firstly, fatigue tests of high-strength bolts with initial crack defects were carried out, and then a three-dimensional accurate numerical model with the hexahedral mesh for a bolt-nut was established by MATLAB, and the fatigue crack propagation behaviors were investigated using ABAQUS-FRANC3D interactive technology. In this paper, the effects of the initial crack state, the bolt preload, the axial excitation load, and the friction coefficient of the screw pair on crack propagation life were emphatically studied, and the simulated crack propagation trajectory and crack propagation life agreed well with the experimental results. The findings indicated that 0°-oriented cracks beginning at the maximum principal stress were predicted to have the shortest fatigue life. The crack propagation life was sensitive to the initial crack size, the coefficient of initial crack geometry, and the bolt preload, but not to the friction coefficient of the screw pair. Furthermore, when evaluating the effect of fatigue load on crack propagation, the load ratio, the mean load, and the load range should all be considered., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)

Nickel-based superalloy GH4169 is widely used as an important material in the aviation field. The rolling forming process can improve its surface quality and performance. Therefore, conducting an extensive investigation into the microscopic plastic deformation defect evolution process of nickel-based single crystal alloys during the rolling process is crucial. This study can offer valuable insights for optimizing rolling parameters. In this paper, a nickel-based superalloy GH4169 single crystal alloy was rolled at different temperatures from the atomic scale using the molecular dynamics (MD) method. The crystal plastic deformation law, dislocation evolution and defect atomic phase transition under different temperature rolling were studied. The results show that the dislocation density of nickel-based single crystal alloys increases as the temperature increases. When the temperature continues to increase, it is accompanied by an increase in vacancy clusters. When the rolling temperature is below 500 K, the atomic phase transition of the subsurface defects of the workpiece is mainly a Close-Packed Hexagonal (HCP) structure; when the temperature continues to increase, the amorphous structure begins to increase, and when the temperature reaches 900 K, the amorphous structure increases significantly. This calculation result is expected to provide a theoretical reference for the optimization of rolling parameters in actual production., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Esophageal pathologies such as atresia and benign strictures often require surgical reconstruction with autologous tissues to restore organ continuity. Complications such as donor site morbidity and limited tissue availability have spurred the development of acellular grafts for esophageal tissue replacement. Acellular biomaterials for esophageal repair rely on the activation of intrinsic regenerative mechanisms to mediate de novo tissue formation at implantation sites. Previous research has identified signaling cascades involved in neoepithelial formation in a rat model of onlay esophagoplasty with acellular silk fibroin grafts, including phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), and protein kinase B (Akt) signaling. However, it is currently unknown how these mechanisms are governed by DNA methylation (DNAme) during esophageal wound healing processes. Reduced-representation bisulfite sequencing is performed to characterize temporal DNAme dynamics in host and regenerated tissues up to 1 week postimplantation. Overall, global hypermethylation is observed at postreconstruction timepoints and an inverse correlation between promoter DNAme and the expression levels of differentially expressed proteins during regeneration. Site-specific hypomethylation targets genes associated with immune activation, while hypermethylation occurs within gene bodies encoding PI3K-Akt signaling components during the tissue remodeling period. The data provide insight into the epigenetic mechanisms during esophageal regeneration following surgical repair with acellular grafts., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Background: The cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) test was proposed as a rapid diagnostic tool to identify cryptococcal meningitis in patients suffering from AIDS. Several studies have demonstrated its diagnostic performance in cryptococcal meningitis. However, the diagnostic performance of the CrAg test in serum or bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in patients with pulmonary cryptococcosis remains uncertain. Therefore, the purpose of this systematic review is to summarise the evidence concerning diagnostic performance of the CrAg test in patients with pulmonary cryptococcosis., Methods and Analysis: Databases such as PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Web of Science, ClinicalTrials.gov, International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, Wanfang Database and China National Knowledge Infrastructure will be searched systematically. The titles and abstracts will be reviewed by two independent reviewers. The Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2 tool will be used to evaluate the risk of bias and clinical applicability of each study. Potential sources of heterogeneity will be investigated through visual inspection of the paired forest plots and summary receiver operating characteristic plots. The pooled summary statistics for the area under the curve, sensitivities, specificities, likelihood ratios and diagnostic ORs with 95% CI will be reported., Ethics and Dissemination: The underlying study is based on published articles thus does not require ethical approval. The findings of the systematic review and meta-analysis will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and disseminated in various scientific conferences and seminars., Prospero Registration Number: CRD42022373321., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Salt-tolerant rice (sea rice) is a key cultivar for increasing rice yields in salinity soil. The co-existence of salinity and cadmium (Cd) toxicities in the plant-soil system has become a great challenge for sustainable agriculture, especially in some estuaries and coastal areas. However, little information is available on the Cd accumulating features of sea rice under the co-stress of Cd and salinity. In this work, a hydroponic experiment with combined Cd (0, 0.2, 0.8 mg/L Cd 2+ ) and saline (0, 0.6%, and 1.2% NaCl, W/V) levels and a pot experiment were set to evaluate the Cd toxic risks of sea rice. The hydroponic results showed that more Cd accumulated in sea rice than that in the reported high-Cd-accumulating rice, Chang Xianggu. It indicated an interesting synergistic effect between Cd and Na levels in sea rice, and the Cd level rose significantly with a concomitant increase in Na level in both shoot (r = 0.54, p < 0.01) and root (r = 0.66, p < 0.01) of sea rice. Lower MDA content was found in sea rice, implying that the salt addition probably triggered the defensive ability against oxidative stress. The pot experiment indicated that the coexistent Cd and salinity stress further inhibited the rice growth and rice yield, and the Cd concentration in rice grain was below 0.2 mg/kg. Collectively, this work provides a general understanding of the co-stress of Cd and salinity on the growth and Cd accumulation of sea rice. Additional work is required to precisely identify the phytoremediation potential of sea rice in Cd-polluted saline soil., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this article., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Bronchiectasis is often caused by serious infections. Infections caused by Enterocytozoon bieneusi (E. bieneusi) is most common in the immunocompromised host, such as HIV-positive patients. Herein, we reported an HIV-negative patient with bronchiectasis infected with E. bieneusi, which diagnosed by mNGS and validated by Sanger sequencing. During the treatment of albendazole, the patient gradually recovered. This is the first report of a case of respiratory E. bieneusi infection in a bronchiectasis patient. This finding highlights the efficacy of mNGS for pathogen diagnosis in bronchiectasis patients and the potential treatment option of albendazole for bronchiectasis patients with E. bieneusi infection., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Xue Han and Ruting Guan are the employees of Dinfectome Inc., China. The remaining authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Indian Association of Medical Microbiologists. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Aims: To observe the clinical efficacy of self-made Lifei Dingchuan decoction combined with western medicine in the treatment of cough variant asthma (phlegm-heat accumulation in the lung syndrome)., Materials and Methods: The clinical data of 90 patients with cough variant asthma who were hospitalized in the Department of Respiratory Medicine of our hospital from January 2020 to April 2022 were selected as the research objects, and they were equally divided into the observation group and the reference group according to different treatment methods, 45 cases in each group. The group was treated with traditional montelukast sodium chewable tablet and salmeterol fluticasone mixed powder inhalation, and the observation group was treated with self-made Lifei Dingchuan decoction on the basis of the control group, saturation, pH, partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood, partial pressure of carbon dioxide, length of stay, and hospitalization costs., Results: After the patients underwent self-made Lifei Dingchuan decoction, there were significant differences between the observation group and the reference group in terms of heart rate, respiratory rate, blood oxygen saturation, pH value, arterial blood oxygen partial pressure, carbon dioxide partial pressure, and within the group. There was a statistical difference ( P < 0.05). The adverse reactions in patients with cough variant asthma after treatment showed that the red throat, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and dry mouth in the observation group were significantly different from those in the control group ( P < 0.05). After investigation, follow-up, and statistics, the hospitalization time, hospitalization cost, asthma exacerbation control time, effective rate, and recurrence rate were compared between the two groups, and the differences between the two groups were statistically significant ( P < 0.05)., Conclusion: The study on the clinical efficacy and low hospitalization cost of the self-prepared lung and asthma-restorative soup in patients with cough variant asthma significantly improved the patients' arterial oxygen saturation, acid-base value, arterial partial pressure of oxygen, and partial pressure of carbon dioxide and effectively controlled the heart rate and respiratory rate with high safety, which is worth further promotion., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Jiachun Li et al.)

Background and Purpose: Chronic low back pain (CLBP), which has a close relationship with lumbar muscle degeneration, can be effectively treated by exercise therapy, and yoga has been widely accepted by clinicians and patients with CLBP. The purpose of this study was to observe the changes in the thickness of lumbodorsal muscles that occur during locust pose in yoga and how these changes occur. From the changes in muscle thickness that occur in the locust pose, the contractile function of lumbodorsal muscles can be evaluated., Methods: Fifty-two healthy volunteers (from May 2019 to August 2019, age from 28 to 68 years, 23 males and 29 females (age: 40 ± 8 years; weight: 68.3 ± 5.2 kg; height: 170.2 ± 13.1 cm) were recruited, and lumbodorsal muscle, including the multifidus, longissimus, iliocostalis, and quadratus lumborum, ultrasonic examinations were carried out in the relaxed and contracted states. The changes in the thickness of the lumbodorsal muscles in the relaxed and contracted states were dynamically observed by real-time ultrasound when subjects were performing the locust yoga pose. Then, the thicknesses of the muscles during the two states were measured to calculate the ratio of contraction of each muscle and determine the statistical significance of the change in thickness of each muscle., Results: The mean thickness of the left multifidus in the relaxed state was 1.32 ± 0.27 cm (95 % CI: 1.24 ~ 1.39), that in the contracted state was 1.60 ± 0.30 cm (95 % CI: 1.52 ~ 1.69) (obviously different between the relaxed and contracted states, P < 0.001), and those in the corresponding right side were 1.37 ± 0.31 cm (95 % CI: 1.29 ~ 2.46) and 1.68 ± 0.38 cm (95 % CI: 1.58 ~ 1.79) (P < 0.001), respectively. The mean thickness of the left quadratus lumborum in the relaxed state was 1.38 ± 0.32 cm (95 % CI: 1.29 ~ 1.47), that in the contracted state was 1.62 ± 0.40 cm (95 % CI: 1.50 ~ 1.73) (P = 0.001), and those in the corresponding right side were 1.30 ± 0.32 cm (95 % CI: 1.21 ~ 1.39) and 1.55 ± 0.41 cm (95 % CI: 1.44 ~ 1.67) (P = 0.001), respectively. The mean thickness of the left longissimus in the relaxed was 2.33 ± 0.51 cm (95 % CI: 2.19 ~ 2.47), that in the contracted state was 3.20 ± 0.61 cm (95 % CI: 3.03 ~ 3.37) (P < 0.001), and those in the corresponding right side were 2.34 ± 0.49 cm (95 % CI 2.20 ~ 2.48) and 3.26 ± 0.68 cm (95 % CI 3.07 ~ 3.45) (P < 0.001), respectively. The mean thickness of the left iliocostalis in the relaxed state was 1.88 ± 0.41 cm (95 % CI: 1.76 ~ 1.99), that in the contracted state was 2.34 ± 0.49 cm (95 % CI: 2.00 ~ 2.47) (P < 0.001), and those in the corresponding right side were 1.98 ± 0.40 cm (95 % CI: 1.87 ~ 2.09) and 2.44 ± 0.56 cm (95 % CI: 2.29 ~ 2.60) (P < 0.001), respectively. The mean contracted state/resting state (C/R) of the longissimus was 1.39 ± 0.14 on the left and 1.40 ± 0.16 on the right. The multifidus and iliocostalis had the second highest C/R. The mean C/R of the multifidus was 1.23 ± 0.12 on the left and 1.24 ± 0.15 on the right, and the mean C/R of the iliocostalis was 1.25 ± 0.12 on the left and 1.24 ± 0.14 on the right. The quadratus lumborum had the lowest C/R, and the mean C/R of the quadratus lumborum was 1.17 ± 0.10 on the left and 1.19 ± 0.11 on the right., Conclusions: Ultrasound can be used to dynamically assess the contractile function of the lumbar muscle in the locust pose of yoga, the C/R ratio can be used to indicate the ability of a muscle to contract, and dynamic ultrasound can guide lumbar exercise and feedback the exercise results. The establishment of this model allowed data regarding the contraction state of the lumbar muscle to be obtained in a normal population, and based on this, future studies can further explore and evaluate the contraction state of the lumbar muscle after yoga exercise in CLBP patients, the effect exercise on lumbar instability and on a patient population after lumbar operation., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Objective: To analyze the correlations between intraoperative ultrasound and MRI metrics of the spinal cord in degenerative cervical myelopathy and identify novel potential predictive ultrasonic indicators of neurological recovery for degenerative cervical myelopathy., Materials and Methods: Twenty-two patients who underwent French-door laminoplasty for multilevel degenerative cervical myelopathy were followed up for 12 months. The Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) scores were assessed preoperatively and 12 months postoperatively. Maximum spinal cord compression and compression rates were measured and calculated using both intraoperative ultrasound imaging and preoperative T2-weight (T2W) MRI. Signal change rates of the spinal cord on preoperative T2W MRI and gray value ratios of dorsal and ventral spinal cord hyperechogenicity on intraoperative ultrasound imaging were measured and calculated. Correlations between intraoperative ultrasound metrics, MRI metrics, and the recovery rate JOA scores were analyzed using Spearman correlation analysis., Results: The postoperative JOA scores improved significantly, with a mean recovery rate of 65.0 ± 20.3% ( p < 0.001). No significant correlations were found between the operative ultrasound metrics and MRI metrics. The gray value ratios of the spinal cord hyperechogenicity was negatively correlated with the recovery rate of JOA scores (ρ = -0.638, p = 0.001), while the ventral and dorsal gray value ratios of spinal cord hyperechogenicity were negatively correlated with the recovery rate of JOA-motor scores (ρ = -0.582, p = 0.004) and JOA-sensory scores (ρ = -0.452, p = 0.035), respectively. The dorsal gray value ratio was significantly higher than the ventral gray value ratio ( p < 0.001), while the recovery rate of JOA-motor scores was better than that of JOA-sensory scores at 12 months post-surgery ( p = 0.028)., Conclusion: For degenerative cervical myelopathy, the correlations between intraoperative ultrasound and preoperative T2W MRI metrics were not significant. Gray value ratios of the spinal cord hyperechogenicity and dorsal and ventral spinal cord hyperechogenicity were significantly correlated with neurological recovery at 12 months postoperatively., Competing Interests: The authors have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 The Korean Society of Radiology.)

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have attracted extensive attention due to their regulatory role in various cellular processes. Emerging studies have indicated that lncRNAs are expressed to varying degrees after the growth and development of the nervous system as well as injury and degeneration, thus affecting various physiological processes of the nervous system. In this review, we have compiled various reported lncRNAs related to the growth and development of central and peripheral nerves and pathophysiology (including advanced nerve centers, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system) and explained how these lncRNAs play regulatory roles through their interactions with target-coding genes. We believe that a full understanding of the regulatory function of lncRNAs in the nervous system will contribute to understand the molecular mechanism of changes after nerve injury and will contribute to discover new diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets for nerve injury diseases., Competing Interests: There is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this article., (Copyright © 2021 Zijian Zhou et al.)

Recent research on the health impacts of added sugar has prompted the comparison of the effects of its 2 major components: glucose and fructose. Fructose was identified as a risk factor for obesity and metabolic syndrome. However, because of the differences in metabolic responses and responsivity of reward circuitry to palatable food, it is unknown if glucose and fructose induce similar appetite-related responses in humans with varying weights. This study compared the behavioral responses to food in young women of a healthy weight (n = 31) and with excess weight (n = 28). We hypothesized that (1) the inhibitory effect of glucose (vs fructose) on food-related responses would be greater in subjects of a healthy weight than in those with overweight/obesity and (2) subjects with overweight/obesity would exhibit a stronger preference for food than subjects with a healthy weight. After an overnight fast, the subjects ingested a glucose or equienergetic fructose beverage on 2 separate days, respectively. Then, they completed liking and wanting ratings and 2 decision-making tasks followed by ad libitum food intake. The results revealed that fructose reduced both liking and wanting for food in subjects with overweight/obesity and also decreased energy intake in all subjects. Relative to the healthy-weight group, subjects with overweight/obesity preferred the immediate reward. Moreover, only in the healthy-weight group were liking and wanting scores for food positively associated with actual food consumption. Overall, fructose (vs glucose) showed an acute inhibitory effect on appetite-related responses in subjects with excess weight., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All other authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: To study the correlation of neurological function in degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) patients with quantitative assessment of spinal cord compression and impairment by intraoperative ultrasound imaging (IOUSI)., Methods: Twenty-three patients who underwent French-Door laminoplasty for multilevel DCM were followed for 6 months. Modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association (mJOA) score and cervical MRI were assessed before surgery and at postoperative 6 months. IOUS, used to guide decompression, were recorded. The anteroposterior diameter (APD) and the gray values of the IOUSI hyperechogenicity of the midsagittal IOUSI at the narrowest level and at the lesion-free level, and the APD and traverse diameter at the traverse maximum compression level of IOUSI were measured. Maximum spinal cord compression (MSCC), compression rate (CR), and IOUSI gray value ratio (R gray ) were calculated. The appearance of preoperative T2W MRI increased signal intensity (ISI), and the signal change rate (SCR) on postoperative T2W MRI of 9 patients were also measured and calculated, and compared with that of IOUSI hyperechogenicity., Results: Average mJOA score increased significantly from 11.57 ± 2.67 before surgery to 15.39 ± 1.50 at 6 months after surgery, with an average recovery rate (RR) of 71.11 ± 22.81%. The difference between the appearance of preoperative T2W MRI ISI and IOUSI hyperechogenicity was not significant. Spearman correlation analysis found that the IOUSI R gray were negatively correlated with the RR of mJOA score with a coefficient of - 0.77, and the IOUSI R gray was not correlated with the postoperative MRI SCR., Conclusions: In DCM patients, the gray values of IOUSI can be measured accurately. The IOUSI R gray correlated with postoperative neurological recovery significantly.

Sanjie Zhentong capsule, a well-known traditional Chinese medicine prescription, are used for the treatment of endometriosis-related diseases. In this study, a simple, rapid and sensitive ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method was developed for the simultaneous determination of ten bioactive constituents, including peimine, peiminine, peimisine, loureirin A, loureirin B, 7,4'-dihydroxyflavone, pterostilbene, ginsenoside Rg1, ginsenoside Rb1, and notoginsenoside R1 in rat plasma after oral administration of Sanjie Zhentong capsule. The sample preparations for protein removal was accomplished using a simple methanol precipitation method. The analytes were completely separated from the endogenous compounds on an Agilent Poroshell 120 SB-C18 column (4.6mm×150mm, 2.7μm) using an isocratic elution with methanol - 0.1% formic acid aqueous (4/1, v/v) as a mobile phase. The single-run analysis time was as short as 14.0min. The inter-day and intra-day precision of the quality control samples exhibited relative standard deviations (RSD) <9.5% and the accuracy values ranged from -8.6% to 15.0%. The lower limits of quantification (LLOQ) were 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 5, 10, 10 and 20ng/mL for peimine, peiminine, peimisine, loureirin A, loureirin B, 7,4'-dihydroxyflavone, pterostilbene, ginsenoside Rg1, ginsenoside Rb1, notoginsenoside R1, respectively. The analytical method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study of the multi-components after oral administration of Sanjie Zhentong Capsule in rats., (Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

The aim of this study was to develop an analytical method for the simultaneous determination of ultra-trace levels of 35 organophosphorus pesticide residues in Sanjie Zhentong capsules, a traditional Chinese medicine prescription. A method based on multiclass and multiresidue sample preparation was developed. First, samples were hydrated with water at 4°C. A ratio of 1:3 sample/water was used for each of the sample amounts. Then, different extraction solvents were screened. This step was followed by a dispersive solid-phase extraction clean-up procedure using both primary secondary amine and polyamide. A comprehensive sensitive multiresidue liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method was investigated and validated. Good linearity was achieved in the range of 10-500 μg/kg for each analyte. The average recovery ranged from 70 to 120%, except for methamidophos, fonophos, diazinon, and chlorpyriphos-ethyl, the recoveries of which ranged from 60-70% at the lower concentration level. The precision values were lower than 10% for all the compounds in three concentration levels. The limits of detection and limits of quantification values were 0.01-2.1 and 0.05-3.4 μg/kg, respectively. The matrix effects were determined, and most of the compounds showed signal suppression. Finally, this optimized procedure was applied for the analysis of real samples., (© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

The study of pharmacokinetics of Ginkgo biloba extracts in Traditional Chinese Medicine was relatively recent. In this study, a simple, quick and sensitive LC-MS/MS analytical method was developed for the determination of ginkgolides A, B, C and bilobalide in rat plasma. The analytes were completely separated from the endogenous compounds on an Agilent Zorbax Eclipse plus C18 column (50 mm × 3.0 mm, 1.8 µm) using an isocratic elution. The single-run analysis time was as short as 5.0 min. Sample preparation for protein removal was accomplished used a simple methanol precipitation method, after SPE showing a simultaneous extraction and cleanup of extracts allowing for a direct analysis. Extraction recoveries in rat plasma for ginkgolides A, B, C and bilobalide ranged from 75.6% to 89.0%. The calibration curves were determined over the ranges 0.5-20,000 ng/mL for ginkgolides A, B, C and bilobalide respectively. The lower limits of quantification (LLOQ) of the analytes were 0.5 ng/mL. Inter-day and intra-day precision and accuracy were below 15% and between 85 and 115%, respectively. Finally, the developed method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study following oral administration of the Ginkgo biloba extracts to the male ICR rats., (Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Secosesquside (1), a new secoiridoid glucoside-sesquiterpene conjugate, together with three known secoiridoid derivatives, were isolated from flower buds of Lonicerajaponica. The isolated compounds were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analyses, especially 2D NMR experiments. The anti-inflammatory activities of the new compound were also evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Human amniotic epithelial cells (hAECs) exhibit multi‑lineage differentiation ability. The present study investigated the possibility that hAECs possess the potential to differentiate into Schwann‑like cells using an in vitro indirect co‑culture approach. hAECs were isolated via enzymatic digestion, and immunocytochemistry and flow cytometry were performed to identify the hAECs. The hAECs were co‑cultured with Schwann cells (SCs) to differentiate the hAECs into Schwann‑like cells via induced proximity. The expression of typical S‑100 SC markers in the co‑cultured hAECs was determined via immunocytochemistry. For the functional experiments, reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‑qPCR) was performed to measure the expression levels of nerve growth factor (NGF), brain‑derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and glial cell‑derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) mRNA. In addition, neurite outgrowth was measured in PC12 cells following co‑culture with the differentiated hAECs. Subsequent to co‑culture with SCs for 21 days, the hAECs exhibited spindle‑like morphology. The immunocytochemistry results revealed that the co‑cultured hAECs expressed S‑100, indicating differentiation into Schwann‑like cells. RT‑qPCR revealed that NGF, BDNF and GDNF expression was upregulated upon differentiation. The average axon length of the PC12 cells increased from 21.32±5.45 to 51.32±8.56 µm subsequent to co‑culture with the differentiated hAECs. These results demonstrate that this indirect co‑culture microenvironment induced the hAECs to differentiate into Schwann‑like cells that exhibited the morphological, phenotypic and functional characteristics of SCs. Therefore, the use of differentiated hAECs that exhibit the characteristics of SCs provides a promising alternative to the present techniques used for peripheral nerve regeneration.

Objective: To summarize the experience with emergency coronary artery bypass grafting (ECABG) for management of acute coronary syndrome and analyze the mid-term follow-up results., Methods: Forty-five ECABG surgeries were performed in 34 male and 11 female patients (aged 65.6∓5.8 years) for cardiogenic shock (5 cases), acute heart failure (6 cases) and refractory unstable angina (34 cases). Twenty patients received the operation within one week after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and 18 were preoperatively supported by intra-aortic balloon pumping (IABP). All patients had triple-vessel disease and 15 had left main stenosis. Ten patients experienced two myocardial infarctions and 6 had chronic renal dysfunction including two requiring hemodialysis. On-pump operations were performed in all cases with a mean CPB time of 104.2∓29.7 min and cross clamping time of 69.0∓21.3 min. Cold blood or HTK cardioplegia was used for myocardial protection. The left internal mammary artery (LIMA) was routinely anastomosed to the left anterior descending artery (LAD), and the great saphenous vein (GSV) to other target vessels. The mean number of grafts was 2.9∓0.6., Results: Forty-one patients were cured and discharged and 4 patients died with an in-hospital mortality of 8.9%, including one associated with cardiac event (2.2%). IABP was weaned off within 28.5∓10.6 h after surgery except for one patient who died of multiple organ and system failure (MOSF). Thirty-eight patients (92.7%) were followed up for a mean of 37.3∓16.7 months, during which 2 patients died with a mid-term survival rate of 94.7%. Thirty-five (92.1%) patients had New York Heart Association (NYHA) class I and II. The freedom from cardiac event was 90.5%. Follow-up echocardiography showed significantly improved left ventricular dimension and ejection fraction in these cases (P<0.05), and graft patency was 95.8% for the LIMA and 90.5% for the GSV., Conclusion: Despite a slight increase of the in-hospital mortality, ECABG can improve the mid-term survival, freedom from cardiac event, and cardiac function when the indications and timing for surgery are well controlled with optimal perioperative management.

Objective: To develop a new method to rapidly determine and identify Guizhi Fuling capsule by portable acousto-optic tunable filter-near infrared spectroscopy., Method: The qualitative model was set up using principal component analysis. The correlation models between the NIR spectra and the reference values of five major constituents were obtained with partial least squares method., Result: The identifying model accurately identified Guizhi Fuling capsule, and quantitative analytical models could precisely predicted the content of ellagic acid, baicalin, benzoylpaenoniflorin, cinnamaldehyde, and paeonol. The correlation coefficients of the calibration models were 0.924 2, 0.938 4, 0.924 2, 0.933 6, 0.934 7, the validation set coefficients of the calibration were 0.924 2, 0.938 4, 0.924 2, 0.933 6, 0.934 7, and the RMSEP were 1.138%, 3.014%, 0.751%, 0.625%, 3.455%, 1.363%, respectively. The results of external validation showed no significant difference between the predictive and the determining values by t-test., Conclusion: The method is accurate, rapid and non-destructive, and can be used for determining and identifying Guizhi Fuling capsule.

Objective: To investigate an evaluation mode FOR in-process quality control for traditional Chinese medicines by adopting quantitative fingerprint technique as the main mean., Method: Regarding Guizhi Fuling capsules as an example, the stability and repeatability were observed by tests of quantitative fingerprint of 90% ethanol extract, aqueous extract, the final mixing extract, soft material and products during the production process., Result: The fingerprint similarities of four kinds of intermediates and products from 10 batches of Guizhi Fuling capsules were in the range of 0.966-0.999, respectively. The RSD of quantitative results of marked components, which included gallic acid, paeoniflorin, benzoic acid, cinnamic acid, benzoyl paeoniflorin, cinnamic aldehyde, paeonol, etc, were less than 15% in the products., Conclusion: This method is accurate, feasible and could be an effective way to be applied to in-process quality control of traditional Chinese medicine.

Objective: This study is to discuss a surgical approach for ideal and safe resection of atrial myxoma using the da Vinci S Surgical System (Intuitive Surgical, Inc, Sunnyvale, Calif)., Methods: Nineteen consecutive patients underwent resection of atrial myxomas with the da Vinci S Surgical System. Mean age of the patients was 46 +/- 16 years. Mean tumor size was 45 x 5.5 cm. Fifteen tumors were in the left atrium, of which 11 tumors arose from the interatrial septum, 2 from the posterocaudal wall, 1 from the root of the anterior leaflet of the mitral valve, and 1 from the left atrial roof. In 13 patients, exploration was conducted through a left atriotomy anterior to the pulmonary veins and excision was achieved by dissecting a plane through the atrial muscle at the point of attachment. In the first 2 patients, exploration and excision were conducted through an oblique right atriotomy. Four tumors were in right atrium, all of which were resected from the beating heart. The da Vinci instrument arms were inserted through three 1-cm trocar incisions in the right side of the chest. Via 4 port incisions and a 1.5-cm working port, all the procedures were completed with a 30 degrees angled endoscope facing upward with the da Vinci S robot., Results: Resection was successful in all patients. There were no operative deaths, strokes, or other complications. All the patients were discharged. No recurrences of tumor or septal leakage were found in the complete 1- to 18-month follow-up., Conclusions: The excision of atrial myxomas with the da Vinci S Surgical System is feasible, efficacious, and safe. Surgical results are excellent., (2010 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.)