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Background and aims: Rotator cuff tendinopathy is common and is related to pain and dysfunction. However, the pathological mechanism of rotator cuff injury and shoulder pain is unclear. Objective: to investigate the pathological mechanism of rotator cuff injury and shoulder pain, and screen out the marker proteins related to rotator cuff injury by proteomics. Methods: Subacromial synovium specimens were collected from patients undergoing shoulder arthroscopic surgery. The experimental group were patients with rotator cuff repair surgery, and the control group were patients with habitual dislocation of the shoulder joint. Pathological examination was performed, and then followed by non-labeled quantitative proteomic detection. Finally, from analysis of the biological information of the samples, specific proteins related to rotator cuff injury and shoulder pain were deduced by functional analysis of differential proteins. Results: All the patients in experimental groups were representative. A large number of adipocytes and inflammatory cells were found in the pathological sections of the experimental group; the proteomics analysis screen identified 80 proteins with significant differences, and the analysis of protein function revealed that S100A11 ( p = 0.011), PLIN4 ( p = 0.017), HYOU1 ( p = 0.002) and CLIC1 ( p = 0.007) were closely related to oxidative stress and chronic inflammation. Conclusion: Rotator cuff injury is closely related to oxidative stress and chronic inflammatory response, and the results suggest that the expression of S100A11, PLIN4, HYOU1 and CLIC1 in the synovium of rotator cuff injury provides a new marker for the study of its pathological mechanism.

BackgroundBetween 30 and 50% of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) do not respond sufficiently to antidepressant regimens. The conventional pharmacological treatments predominantly target serotonergic brain signaling but better tools to predict treatment response and identify relevant subgroups of MDD are needed to support individualized and mechanistically targeted treatment strategies. The aim of this study is to investigate antidepressant-free patients with MDD using neuroimaging, electrophysiological, molecular, cognitive, and clinical examinations and evaluate their ability to predict clinical response to SSRI treatment as individual or combined predictors.MethodsWe will include 100 untreated patients with moderate to severe depression (>17 on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale 17) in a non-randomized open clinical trial. We will collect data from serotonin 4 receptor positron emission tomography (PET) brain scans, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalogram (EEG), cognitive tests, psychometry, and peripheral biomarkers, before (at baseline), during, and after 12 weeks of standard antidepressant treatment. Patients will be treated with escitalopram, and in case of non-response at week 4 or intolerable side effects, offered to switch to a second line treatment with duloxetine. Our primary outcome (treatment response) is assessed using the Hamilton depression rating subscale 6-item scores at week 8, compared to baseline. In a subset of the patients (n = ~40), we will re-assess the neurobiological response (using PET, fMRI, and EEG) 8 weeks after initiated pharmacological antidepressant treatment, to map neurobiological signatures of treatment responses. Data from matched controls will either be collected or is already available from other cohorts.DiscussionThe extensive investigational program with follow-up in this large cohort of participants provides a unique possibility to (a) uncover potential biomarkers for antidepressant treatment response, (b) apply the findings for future stratification of MDD, (c) advance the understanding of pathophysiological underpinnings of MDD, and (d) uncover how putative biomarkers change in response to 8 weeks of pharmacological antidepressant treatment. Our data can pave the way for a precision medicine approach for optimized treatment of MDD and also provides a resource for future research and data sharing.Clinical Trial RegistrationThe study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov prior to initiation (NCT02869035; 08.16.2016, URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?cond=&term=NCT02869035&cntry=&state=&city=&dist=)

Background/purpose: Bone resorption and soft-tissue defects are the typical physiologic responses after tooth extraction. Various dental ridge augmentation techniques have been applied and lack of the soft tissue is the major factor causing the failure. We propose that the adipose-derived stem cell can be useful in soft-tissue augmentation in dental applications. The objective of this study was to optimize the operation procedures for the isolation of adipose stem cells and tissues. Accelerated clinical protocols for effective transplantation of adipose tissue with high amount of adipose stem cells shall be developed. Materials and methods: Operation parameters were designed and optimized for the extraction of adipose tissue-derived stromal vascular cells. The optimized accelerated procedure was washing the lipoaspirate samples one time. Collagenase was then added and samples were incubated in a water bath for 30 minutes at 37°C and centrifuged at 1200g for 3 minutes. A mouse animal model was applied to evaluate the soft-tissue-filling effects using the optimized procedure. Results: The animal model tests demonstrated the filling and regeneration of the soft tissues with significant angiogenesis. Conclusion: This pilot study demonstrated the feasibility of soft-tissue augmentation applications.

ObjectivesTo identify a broad range of research priorities to inform the studies seeking to improve population health outcomes based on the engagement of diverse stakeholders.MethodsA multi-step, participatory and mixed-methods approach was adopted to solicit and structure the investigative themes from diverse stakeholders. The priority setting exercise involved four key phases: (1) feedback from community leadership; (2) interim ranking survey and focus group discussions during the population health symposium; (3) individual in-depth interviews with stakeholders in the community; and (4) synthesis of the research priorities from the multistep process.ResultsDiverse stakeholders in Singapore, comprising community partnership leaders, health care and social service providers, users of population health services, patients and caregivers, participated in the research priority setting exercise. Initial 14 priorities were identified from six community leadership feedback, 42 survey responses, two focus groups (n = 16) and 95 in-depth interviews. The final integrated research agenda identified six priorities: empower residents and patients to take charge of their health; improve care transition and management through relationship building and communication; enhance health-social care interface; improve respite care services for long-term caregivers; develop primary care as a driving force for care integration; and capacity building for service providers. Selected research questions in each priority area were also generated to develop novel models of care, foster collaboration, implement optimal services and enhance understanding of the end users' care needs.ConclusionsThis study illuminates that greater community engagement in research priority setting for population health can facilitate the formulation of evidence-based research agendas that matter to the care providers and service users in the community. The outcomes derived from this exercise will help focus researchers' efforts through which meaningful gains can be made for population health.

Lead-free low-dimensional organic–inorganic hybrid metal halides (OIMHs) have been widely used in solid-state lighting (SSL) on account of their excellent photoluminescent properties and stability. Herein, we synthesized a new zero-dimensional (0D) antimony-based metal halide of (NII)2SbCl5 (NII+ = C12H17NH+, N-(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl) isopropylimide Schiff's bases), which shows a broadband yellow emission peaking at 610 nm with a photoluminescence quantum yield of over ∼88% under 365 nm excitation, and its dual peak emission under excitation of 300–340 nm is ascribed to the radiative recombination from singlet and triplet self-trapped excitons (STEs) in [SbCl5]2−. A white light emitting diode (WLED) was assembled with a phosphor mixture in which commercial green and blue phosphors were mixed with the (NII)2SbCl5 phosphor, and it exhibits perfect white-light CIE coordinates of (0.32, 0.34), with a correlated color temperature (CCT) of 6071 K and a color rendering index (CRI) of 81.58. This indicates that 0D (NII)2SbCl5 is a promising yellow phosphor material for SSL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The sperm chromatin dispersion assay is commonly used to assess sperm DNA integrity. This approach is time‐consuming, demonstrates poor chromatin preservation, and provides an ambiguous and unstandardized evaluation of fragmented chromatin. Objectives: We aimed to (i) develop an optimized sperm chromatin dispersion assay with reduced operation time, (ii) validate R10 test accuracy by comparing it to a conventional sperm chromatin dispersion assay, and (iii) standardize the sperm DNA fragmentation analysis procedure by integrating artificial intelligence optical microscopic technology. Materials and methods: This cross‐section study included 620 semen samples. Aliquots were analyzed by a conventional Halosperm® G2 assay (G2) and LensHooke® R10 assay (R10). The DNA fragmentation index was scored manually, and R10 slides were automatically determined by a LensHooke® X12 PRO semen analysis system (X12). Results: We demonstrated significant improvements in total assay time (40 vs. 72 min, p < 0.001) and in the halo‐cytological resolution using R10 compared to G2. Comparing the G2 and R10, DNA fragmentation index results demonstrated good agreement between the two methods (Spearman's rank correlation, rho = 0.8517, p < 0.0001). We introduced the integration of an auto‐calculation system to diagnose sperm DNA fragmentation. X12 interpretation showed excellent agreement with manual interpretation (Spearman's rank correlation, rho = 0.9323, p < 0.0001), but had a low coefficient of variation compared to manual interpretation (4% for R10 by X12 vs. 19% for R10 by manual scoring vs. 25% for G2 by manual scoring). DNA fragmentation index was more correlated with total motility (coefficients = −0.3607, p < 0.0001) than sperm morphology and was positively associated with asthenozoospermic semen samples (p = 0.0001). Conclusion: The R10 sperm chromatin dispersion assay combined with the X12 semen analysis system is faster, more objective, and provides standardization for sperm DNA fragmentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development of lead‐free halide perovskites that are innocuous and stable has become an attractive trend in resistive random access memory (RRAM) fields. However, their inferior memory properties compared with the lead‐based analogs hinder their commercialization. Herein, the lead‐free Cs3Bi2Br9 perovskite quantum dot (PQD)‐based RRAMs are reported with outstanding memory performance, where Cs3Bi2Br9 quantum dots (QDs) are synthesized via a modified ligand‐assisted recrystallization process. This is the first report of applying Cs3Bi2Br9 QDs as the switching layer for RRAM device. The Cs3Bi2Br9 QD device demonstrates nonvolatile resistive switching (RS) effect with large ON/OFF ratio of 105, low set voltage of −0.45 V, as well as good reliability, reproducibility, and flexibility. Concurrently, the device exhibits the notable tolerance toward moisture, heat and light illumination, and long‐term stability of 200 days. More impressively, the device shows the reliable light‐modulated RS behavior, and therefrom the logic gate operations including "AND" and "OR" are implemented, foreboding its prospect in logic circuits integrated with storage and computation. Such multifunctionality of device could be derived from the unique 2D layered crystal structure, small particle size, quantum confinement effect, and photoresponse of Cs3Bi2Br9 QDs. This work provides the strategy toward the high‐performance RRAMs based on stable and eco‐friendly perovskites for future applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]