Search

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of flexible cystoscopy in preventing malpositioning of the ureteral stent after laparoscopic ureterolithotomy in male patients.Methods: From April 2009 to June 2015, 97 male patients with stones >1.8 cm in the upper ureter underwent intracorporeal double-J stenting of the ureter after laparoscopic ureterolithotomy performed by four different surgeons. In the last 50 patients who underwent laparoscopic ureterolithotomy flexible cystoscopy was performed through the urethral route to confirm the position of the double-J stent, while in the first 47 correct positioning of the stent was confirmed through postoperative KUB. The demographic data and perioperative outcomes were reviewed retrospectively. Penalized logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the effects of flexible cystoscopy.Results: Upward malpositioning of the ureteral stent was found in 9 of the 47 (19.1%) patients who underwent surgery without flexible cystoscopy. Among the 50 most recent patients who underwent surgery with flexible cystoscopy through the urethral route, upward malpositioning was observed in 10 (20%) patients. The factors preventing upward malpositioning of the double-J catheter in multivariate analysis were surgeon (p = 0.039) and use of flexible cystoscopy (p = 0.008).Conclusion: Flexible cystoscopy is a simple, safe, quick, and effective method to identify and correct malpositioning of double-J stents, especially in male patients.Trial Registration: This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov Registry on May 11, 2017 (retrospective registration) with a trial registration number of NCT03150446 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Brachypodium distachyon (L.) Beauv. is a monocotyledonous model plant that has been studied to understand a range of biological phenomena for lignocellulosic bioethanol feedstocks and other cereal crops. The lignin makes its cell walls recalcitrant to saccharification, constituting the main barrier to lignocellulosic bioethanol production. In this study, lignin-deficient mutants of B. distachyon induced by chronic radiation were selected and the effects of the mutants on fermentable glucose production were identified. RESULTS Brachypodium distachyon M2 mutants induced by chronically irradiated gamma radiation were screened by the Wiesner test. Lignin-deficient M2 mutants were further confirmed in subsequent M3 and M4 generations by determining acetyl bromide-soluble lignin. The lignin content was significantly reduced in mutant plants 135-2 (by 7.99%), 142-3 (by 13.8%) and 406-1 (by 8.13%) compared with the wild type. Moreover, fermentable glucose was significantly higher in 135-2 (by 23.91%) and 142-3 (by 36.72%) than in the wild type after 72 h of enzymatic hydrolysis. CONCLUSION Three lignin-deficient B. distachyon mutants induced by chronically irradiated gamma radiation were obtained. This study will provide fundamental understanding of the B. distachyon cell wall and could contribute to increases in bioethanol production using bioenergy crops. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the -deformed circular unit and hyperbolic imaginary unit are studied. With a help of these units, the invariant -deformed length is defined. As applications, the -deformed rotation in two dimension and -deformed special relativity in dimension are also investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elevating the lipid content in vegetative tissues has emerged as a new strategy for increasing energy density and biofuel yield of crops. Storage lipids in contrast to structural and signaling lipids are mainly composed of glycerol esters of fatty acids, also known as triacylglycerol ( TAG). TAGs are one of the most energy-rich and abundant forms of reduced carbon available in nature. Therefore, altering the carbon-partitioning balance in favour of TAG in vegetative tissues of sugarcane, one of the highest yielding biomass crops, is expected to drastically increase energy yields. Here we report metabolic engineering to elevate TAG accumulation in vegetative tissues of sugarcane. Constitutive co-expression of WRINKLED1 ( WRI1), diacylglycerol acyltransferase1-2 ( DGAT1-2) and oleosin1 ( OLE1) and simultaneous cosuppression of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase ( AGPase) and a subunit of the peroxisomal ABC transporter1 ( PXA1) in transgenic sugarcane elevated TAG accumulation in leaves or stems by 95- or 43-fold to 1.9% or 0.9% of dry weight (DW), respectively, while expression or suppression of one to three of the target genes increased TAG levels by 1.5- to 9.5-fold. Accumulation of TAG in vegetative progeny plants was consistent with the results from primary transgenics and contributed to a total fatty acid content of up to 4.7% or 1.7% of DW in mature leaves or stems, respectively. Lipid droplets were visible within mesophyll cells of transgenic leaves by confocal fluorescence microscopy. These results provide the basis for optimizations of TAG accumulation in sugarcane and other high yielding biomass grasses and will open new prospects for biofuel applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Posttraumatic edema in facial bone fracture patients may interfere with the operation field and delay the schedule. Thus, swiftly reducing the edema alleviates patient discomfort and advances the operation date. Ice packing and compression bandages are often used for such a purpose, but such methods are often inconvenient for the face. In this study, we aim to analyze the effect of light-emitting diode (LED) (590/830 nm)−based low-level laser therapy (LLLT) in posttraumatic edema in facial bone fracture patients. Materials and methods We conducted a prospective cohort study of 40 patients who were admitted to a single institution for facial bone fracture. The patients were divided into two groups of 20 each, treated either with LLLT or with sham treatment light. We used an LLLT device that consists of planar LED-based arrays with double wavelengths 590 nm and 830 nm. The patients were treated with either true or sham light from posttraumatic day 1–5, twice a day. After each treatment, the volume of a patient's face was measured with a 3-dimensional camera. We analyzed and compared the changes in facial edema. The Wilcoxon rank sum test was conducted for statistical comparison of the two groups, and significance was set to the level of p < 0.05. Results The sex ratio and mean age of the two groups were of little difference. The fracture sites included the nasal bone, orbital wall, zygomaticomaxillary bone, mandible, and frontal sinus. Mechanisms of injury included fall, assault, traffic accident, sports, and gunshot. The total operation rate of both groups was equal to 85%. Our analysis showed a 16.5% reduction of edema in the LLLT group and 7.3% in the sham light group. The edema reduction was statistically significantly greater in the LLLT group than in the sham light group ( p < 0.047). Conclusion LED-based LLLT is recently receiving attention worldwide for its cost-effectiveness and large coverage area compared to traditional laser therapy. Recent studies support its effectiveness in various areas such as wound healing, skin rejuvenation, and pain alleviation. In this study, we treated facial bone fracture patients with LED-based LLLT, and showed its effectiveness in reducing posttraumatic edema. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]