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PurposeThis study aims to investigate the effect and feasibility of intra-aortic catheter looping via transradial access in angioplasty for symptomatic intracranial severe (>70%) atherosclerotic stenosis or occlusion of large arteries (SISOLAs).Materials and methodsPatients with SISOLAs who underwent transradial endovascular angioplasty using the catheter looping technique in the ascending aorta were retrospectively enrolled. The clinical data and treatment outcomes were analyzed.ResultsFifteen patients aged 48–71 years were enrolled in this study. Left vertebrobasilar artery occlusion was present in 1 (6.7%) patient, severe left middle cerebral artery stenosis in 7 (46.7%) patients, severe left internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis of the ophthalmic segment in 4 (26.7%) patients, severe left ICA stenosis of the cavernous segment in 2 (13.3%) patients, and severe right middle cerebral artery stenosis in 2 (13.3%) patients. The arterial stenosis ranged from 70 to 92% (mean 86%) before stenting. The looping of a guiding catheter in the ascending aorta via transradial access for angioplasty was successful in all patients (100%). The vertebral artery intracranial segment occlusion was successfully recanalized, while severe stenosis in the remaining 14 patients was successfully eliminated. After endovascular recanalization, the residual stenosis was reduced by 12–26% (median 18%). No puncture-related complications or surgical-related neurological complications occurred in these patients. In the follow-up angiography conducted on 10 (66.7%) patients after 6–25 months, no in-stent restenosis was detected.ConclusionIntra-aortic guiding catheter looping via transradial access for endovascular angioplasty of SISOLAs is technically safe, feasible, and effective, especially when the transfemoral artery approach is difficult or impossible to undertake.

Abstract Background Although opioids are commonly prescribed in clinical anaesthesia, the significant side effects attributed to their overuse are raising increasing concerns. One way to reduce perioperative opioid consumption is to apply opioid-reduced anaesthesia (ORA) and even opioid-free anaesthesia (OFA), which involves regional techniques, neuraxial anaesthesia, nonopioid analgesics or combined use. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the application of OFA by using esketamine in intraoperative analgesia could minimize the side effects of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), as well as other short-term side effects related to anaesthesia. Methods/design The study was designed as a prospective, randomized, controlled, multicentre trial. A total of 278 patients were enrolled; participants were nonsmoking female patients aged 18–50 years and scheduled for laparoscopic appendectomy or cholecystectomy, ASA at I–III, with no serious physical or mental diseases. Both groups received usual perioperative care except for the analgesic medication of either esketamine or sufentanil. The primary outcome was the incidence of PONV 3 days after surgery. Secondary outcomes included recovery status, pain, sedation level and overall recovery, delirium and cognition, anxiety and depression and total consumption of analgesic agents. Discussion This trial may show that the synergy of esketamine and propofol anaesthesia reduces PONV as well as other short-term adverse events, thereby providing a better safety and satisfaction profile of ERAS for laparoscopic appendectomy and cholecystectomy. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2100047169. Registered on June 9, 2021

Sintering is one of the most important processes in iron and steel production, which provides stable sinter for the blast furnace. However, it also produces pollutants, such as sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxide (NOx), and dioxins, which cause serious environmental problems. With the increasing pressure of environmental protection, pollutant reduction has become one of the bottlenecks restricting the development of iron and steel enterprises. Using a vanadium–tungsten–titanium catalyst can effectively reduce NO and dioxin in the sintering flue gas, while the potassium salt contained in the flue gas will reduce the activity of the catalyst. In this study, the fresh vanadium–tungsten–titanium catalyst was deactivated by the wet impregnation method in the laboratory. Effects of three potassium salts (K2SO4, K2O, and KCl) loaded on the surface of the catalyst on its denitration and dioxin removal activities were investigated. The regeneration performance of the deactivated catalyst was studied by the water washing and acid pickling process. Results confirmed that activities of denitration and dioxin removal were reduced by different potassium salts, and the order of reduction follows the sequence: KCl>K2O>K2SO4. The deactivation mechanism of the catalyst mainly includes physical deactivation and chemical deactivation. Physical deactivation is mainly caused by the deposition of potassium salts on the surface of the catalyst, blocking its pores. Chemical deactivation mainly refers to the interaction between the potassium salts and the active component on the catalyst’s surface, which inactivates the surface’s active site, weakens its oxidation reducibility, and reduces the number of acid sites on the surface, thereby decreasing the denitration and dioxin removal activities of the catalyst. Regeneration experiment results showed that water washing could restore the denitration activity of the catalyst. Acid pickling would lead to the loss of active substances on the surface of the catalyst. However, neither water washing nor acid pickling could effectively restore the dioxin removal activity of the catalyst. Finally, the poisoning mechanism of different potassium salts on the vanadium–tungsten–titanium catalyst was proposed.

Retinal ischemia plays a vital role in vision-threatening retinal ischemic disorders, such as diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, etc. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of S-allyl L-cysteine (SAC) and its associated therapeutic mechanism. Oxidative stress was induced by administration of 500 μM H2O2 for 24 h; SAC demonstrated a dose-dependent neuroprotective effect with significant cell viability effects at 100 μM, and it concurrently downregulated angiogenesis factor PKM2 and inflammatory biomarker MCP-1. In a Wistar rat model of high intraocular pressure (HIOP)-induced retinal ischemia and reperfusion (I/R), post-administration of 100 μM SAC counteracted the ischemic-associated reduction of ERG b-wave amplitude and fluorogold-labeled RGC reduction. This study supports that SAC could protect against retinal ischemia through its anti-oxidative, anti-angiogenic, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective properties.