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The poor 5-year survival rate in high-grade osteosarcoma (HOS) has not been increased significantly over the past 30 years. This work aimed to develop a radiomics nomogram for survival prediction at the time of diagnosis in HOS.In this retrospective study, an initial cohort of 102 HOS patients, diagnosed from January 2008 to March 2011, was used as the training cohort. Radiomics features were extracted from the pretreatment diagnostic computed tomography images. A radiomics signature was constructed with the lasso algorithm; then, a radiomics score was calculated to reflect survival probability by using the radiomics signature for each patient. A radiomics nomogram was developed by incorporating the radiomics score and clinical factors. A clinical model was constructed by using clinical factors only. The models were validated in an independent cohort comprising 48 patients diagnosed from April 2011 to April 2012. The performance of the nomogram was assessed with respect to its calibration, discrimination, and clinical usefulness. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis was performed.The radiomics nomogram showed better calibration and classification capacity than the clinical model with AUC 0.86 vs. 0.79 for the training cohort, and 0.84 vs. 0.73 for the validation cohort. Decision curve analysis demonstrated the clinical usefulness of the radiomics nomogram. A significant difference (p-value

The aim of this paper is to analyze natural gas, light hydrocarbons, and biomarkers by the whole hydrocarbon geochemistry to figure out controversial source of Cainan oilfield. Dry gas and oil rese...

Within the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family of five subtypes, VEGF165 secreted by endothelial cells has been identified to be the most active and widely distributed factor that plays a vital role in courses of angiogenesis, vascularization and mesenchymal cell differentiation. Hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) can be harvested from the bulge region of the outer root sheath of the hair follicle and are adult stem cells that have multi‐directional differentiation potential. Although the research on differentiation of stem cells (such as fat stem cells and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells) to the endothelial cells has been extensive, but the various mechanisms and functional forms are unclear. In particular, study on HFSCs’ directional differentiation into vascular endothelial cells using VEGF165 has not been reported. In this study, VEGF165 was used as induction factor to induce the differentiation from HFSCs into vascular endothelial cells, and the results showed that Notch signalling pathway might affect the differentiation efficiency of vascular endothelial cells. In addition, the in vivo transplantation experiment provided that HFSCs could promote angiogenesis, and the main function is to accelerate host‐derived neovascularization. Therefore, HFSCs could be considered as an ideal cell source for vascular tissue engineering and cell transplantation in the treatment of ischaemic diseases.

Shixi Bulge of the central Junggar Basin in western China is a unique region that provides insight into the geological and geochemical characteristics of large-scale petroleum reservoirs in volcanic rocks of the western Central Asian Orogenic Belt. Carboniferous volcanic rocks in the Shixi Bulge mainly consist of striped lava and agglomerate, as well as breccia lava and tight tuff. Volcanic rocks differ in porosity and permeability. Striped lava exhibits the highest porosity (average: 14.2%) but the lowest permeability (average: 0.67 × 10 −15 m) among the rock types. Primary gas pores are widely developed and mostly filled. Secondary dissolution pores and fractures are two major reservoir storage spaces. Capillary pressure curves suggest the existence of four pore structure types of reservoir rocks. Several factors, namely, lithology, pore structure, and various diagenesis, govern the physical properties of volcanic rocks. The oil is characterized by a high concentration of tricyclic terpane, a terpane distribution of C 23 21 > C 20 , and sterane distributions of C 27 28 29 and C 27 > C 28 29 . Oil and gas geochemistry revealed that the oil is a mixture derived primarily from P 2 w source rock and secondarily from P 1 j source rock in the sag west of Pen-1 Well. The gases are likely gas mixtures of humic and sapropelic organic origins, with the sapropelic gas type dominant in the mixture. The gas mixture is most likely cracked from kerogen rather than oils. The Carboniferous volcanic reservoirs in Shixi Bulge share some unique characteristics that may provide useful insights into the various roles of different volcanic reservoir types in old volcanic provinces. The presence of these reservoirs will undoubtedly encourage future petroleum exploration in volcanic rocks up to the deep parts of sedimentary basins.

The goal of this study was to investigate the impacts of various sedimentary-diagenetic conditions on the macroscopic petrophysical parameters and microscopic pore structures of tight sandstones from the Lower Jurassic Badaowan Formation in the Southern Junggar Basin, China. Based on the traditional methods for establishing pore size distribution, including integrating the results of high-pressure mercury injection, nuclear magnetic resonance, and scanning electron microscopy, the constrained least squares algorithm was employed to automatically determine the porosity contributions of pore types with different origins. The results show that there are six genetic pore types: residual intergranular pores (RIPs), feldspar dissolution pores (FDPs), rock fragment dissolution pores (RFDPs), clay mineral intergranular pores (CIPs), intercrystalline pores of kaolinite (IPKs), and matrix pores (MPs). Four lithofacies were identified: the quartz cemented-dissolution facies (QCDF), carbonate cemented facies (CCF), authigenic clay mineral facies (ACMF), and matrix-caused tightly compacted facies (MCTF). Modified by limited dissolution, the QCDF with a high proportion of macropores (RIPs, FDPs, and RFDPs) exhibited a slightly higher porosity and considerably higher permeability than those of others. A large number of micropores (MPs, CIPs, and IPKs) in MCTF and ACMF led to slightly lower porosities but considerably lower permeabilities. Due to the tightly cemented carbonates in the CCF, its porosity reduced sharply, but the permeability of the CCF remained much higher those of the MCTF and ACMF. The results highlight that a high proportion of macropores with large radii and regular shapes provide more effective percolation paths than storage spaces. Nevertheless, micropores with small radii and complex pore structures have a limited contribution to flow capability. The fractal dimension analysis shows that a high proportion of MPs is the major reason for the heterogeneity in tight sandstones. The formation of larger macropores with smooth surfaces are more conductive for oil and gas accumulation.

Coastline is an important geographic background for each coastal area, and dynamic monitoring of coastlines is beneficial to coastal natural protection and further coastal construction and development. Based on the Landsat8 data and Sentinel-2 data from 2014 to 2019, this paper uses a method combining regional growth and edge detection to analyze the Cixi section’s coastline changes on the south bank of Hangzhou Bay. Firstly, the multi-source remote sensing data is preprocessed, and then the MNDWI value of each image is calculated. Then, each image is processed into a binary image by a regional growth algorithm. Eventually, we realize the coastline segmentation by the Canny operator of edge detection. The research represents that the coastline of the south coast of Hangzhou Bay moves toward the ocean year by year, and the length of the coastline generally decreases. The analysis may be caused by human-made activities in Hangzhou Bay Area in recent years, such as river cut-offs and urban construction. The research in this paper provides a reference for the protection of natural coastlines and human-made coastlines.

Volcanic reservoirs comprise reservoir spaces made up of pores and cracks, with secondary solution pores and tectonic-induced cracks being the most dominant. Various volcanic lithologies and lithofacies show differences in porosity and permeability because resistance to weathering differs among volcanic rock types. This study shows that among volcaniclastic rocks, volcanic breccia shows higher porosity and permeability as well as poor pore radius, sorting, and connectivity compared with volcanic tuff. Basalt and monzonitic porphyry show higher porosity and permeability compared with other volcanic lava and subvolcanic rocks. The level of porosity of different facies is in the order of effusive facies > explosive facies > subvolcanic rock facies > volcanic sedimentary facies > eruptive facies. Reservoirs show relatively high porosity and permeability near the top surface of the weathered crust. Porosity and permeability generally decrease with an increase in the distance from the Carboniferous top weathered crust. This condition indicates that weathering controls the properties of volcanic reservoirs. The distribution pattern of porosity and permeability in the weathered crust of volcanic facies differs. Strong weathering contributes to a decrease in porosity and permeability at the top part of the weathered crust. Various weathering effects on volcanic rocks control porosity and permeability vertically, and the gas accumulates mainly in the range of 0 m–200 m from the top of the weathered crust. Gas accumulation in subvolcanic and volcaniclastic rocks is better than that in volcanic lava. The log curve in geophysical exploration can help determine the vertical structure of weathered crust. The strong weathering belt shows high gamma, low electrical resistivity, low density, high neutron porosity, and high interval transit time.

Volcanic hydrocarbon reservoirs are rare and may be overlooked. The Carboniferous volcanic rocks of the Kebai fault zone in the western Junggar Basin contain hydrocarbon (HC) reservoirs in volcanic rock with proven oil reserves of 9.76 × 108 bbl that have a complex filling history. We have investigated the lithology and properties of these volcanic rock HC reservoirs as well as diagenesis and control of faults and fractures in oil reservoirs. The lithology of these Carboniferous volcanic rocks is primarily andesite and tuff. Also present were volcanic breccia and metamorphic rock in addition to rhyolite, felsite, diabase, and granite in the volcanic lava. On the basis of microscopic examination, five types of pores and fractures were observed: (1) fracture–dissolved phenocrystal pore, (2) fracture–intergranular pore, (3) fracture–gas pore, (4) fracture–dissolved intragranular pore, and (5) fracture–dissolved matrix pore. The fractures in these rocks are a significant factor in connecting the pores. Diagenetic processes that control reservoir quality include compaction, filling of pores and fractures, cementation, metasomatism, and grain dissolution. The volcanic reservoirs show a variety of lithologies, and oil has been discovered in all types of Carboniferous rocks. The controlling factors for oil distribution in these Carboniferous volcanic rocks are faulting, fracture development, and degree of weathering when they were subaerially exposed in the Permian. The area in which these faults and fractures developed is the primary area of oil enrichment with high yields. The objectives of this study were to (1) describe the characteristics of different types of volcanic rocks and reservoirs found in this basin and (2) characterize the diagenetic history of these rocks and document how diagenesis controls porosity and permeability.

The Kebai Fault zone of the West Junggar Basin in northwestern China is a unique region to gain insights on the formation of large-scale petroleum reservoirs in volcanic rocks of the western Central Asian Orogenic Belt. Carboniferous volcanic rocks are widespread in the Kebai Fault zone and consist of basalt, basaltic andesite, andesite, tuff, volcanic breccia, sandy conglomerate and metamorphic rocks. The volcanic oil reservoirs are characterized by multiple sources and multi-stage charge and filling history, characteristic of a complex petroleum system. Geochemical analysis of the reservoir oil, hydrocarbon inclusions and source rocks associated with these volcanic rocks was conducted to better constrain the oil source, the petroleum filling history, and the dominant mechanisms controlling the petroleum accumulation. Reservoir oil geochemistry indicates that the oil contained in the Carboniferous volcanic rocks of the Kebai Fault zone is a mixture. The oil is primarily derived from the source rock of the Permian Fengcheng Formation (P 1 f ), and secondarily from the Permian Lower Wuerhe Formation (P 2 w ). Compared with the P 2 w source rock, P 1 f exhibits lower values of C 19 TT/C 23 TT, C 19+20 TT/ΣTT, Ts/(Ts + Tm) and ααα-20R sterane C 27 /C 28 ratios but higher values of TT C 23 /C 21 , HHI, gammacerane/αβ C 30 hopane, hopane (20S) C 34 /C 33 , C 29 ββ/(ββ + αα), and C 29 20S/(20S + 20R) ratios. Three major stages of oil charge occurred in the Carboniferous, in the Middle Triassic, Late Triassic to Early Jurassic, and in the Middle Jurassic to Late Jurassic periods, respectively. Most of the oil charged during the first stage was lost, while moderately and highly mature oils were generated and accumulated during the second and third stages. Oil migration and accumulation in the large-scale stratigraphic reservoir was primarily controlled by the top Carboniferous unconformity with better porosity and high oil enrichment developed near the unconformity. Secondary dissolution pores and fractures are the two major reservoir storage-space types in the reservoirs. Structural highs and reservoirs near the unconformity are two favorable oil accumulation places. The recognition of the large-scale Carboniferous volcanic reservoirs in the Kebai Fault zone and understanding of the associated petroleum accumulation mechanisms provide new insights for exploring various types of volcanic reservoir plays in old volcanic provinces, and will undoubtedly encourage future oil and gas exploration of deeper strata in the region and basins elsewhere with similar settings.

Ethnopharmacological relevance Acupuncture is a key part of traditional Chinese medicine, shown to induce favorable neuroplasticity for injuries in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Recent studies report elongated needle therapy (ENT) with BL54 and ST28 may restore acute spinal cord injury (ASCI). However, the precise mechanism for this has not been elucidated. Aim of the study In our current study, we investigated the effects of ENT on inflammation and neuronal apoptosis induced by ASCI, and whether PI3K/Akt and MAPK/ERK signaling pathways are involved in the ENT restoration effect. Materials and methods Rat models of moderate SCI were established in accordance with the modified Allen's method and were treated with ENT continuously for 7 days. Spontaneous activities were evaluated by the Basso Beattie and Bresnahan locomotor scale. Levels of inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-6, IL-1β, and nuclear factor kappa-β, were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Cell apoptosis was examined by the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. The proportions of cells with positive Bcl-2 and Bax expression were determined by immunohistochemical assays, whilst the expression profiles of p-AKT and p-ERK in spinal cord tissues were evaluated by western blotting. Furthermore, the expression profiles of Cytochrome-C (Cyt-C) and caspase-3 in vivo were analyzed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The potential inhibitory effects downstream of the Akt and ERK signaling pathways were examined by administration of specific inhibitors LY294002 and PD98059 in vivo. Results As indicated by this study, inflammation as well as PI3K/Akt- and MAPK/ERK signaling pathway-mediated neuronal apoptosis were involved in the course of SCI in rats. The neuro-protective effect of ENT was associated with reduced Bax protein-positive neurons and increased Bcl-2 protein-positive neurons. ENT enhanced recovery of rat activities. Activation of p-Akt and p-ERK in the PI3K/Akt and MAPK/ERK signaling pathways, inhibited expression of the critical component Cyt-C. Cyt-C is required for the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway and cascade of caspase-3, which is involved in activation of neuronal apoptosis through down-regulation of Bax protein and up-regulation of Bcl-2, as determined by TUNEL. The administration of PI3K/Akt and MAPK/ERK signaling pathway specific inhibitors, LY294002 and PD98059, suppressed expression of both p-Akt and p-ERK. Conclusion ENT with BL54 and ST28 points can promote the recovery of ASCI. And the neuro-protective effect of ENT during the restoration of SCI may be associated with the suppression of both inflammation and activation of PI3K/Akt and MAPK/ERK signaling pathways, resulting from down-regulation of Bax protein, up-regulation of Bcl-2, and inhibition of the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway.

The present study investigated the clinical outcomes of the posterior midline approach in the treatment of 34 patients with significantly calcified insertional Achilles tendinopathy. The posterior midline approach was applied for the surgical treatment of 34 patients with chronic significantly calcified insertional Achilles tendinopathy after failed conservative treatment. Gastrocnemius recession was performed simultaneously for patients with gastrocnemius contracture. The Fowler-Philip angle and parallel pitch lines were measured before surgery, and the visual analog scale, Tegner score, and Victorian Institute of Sport tendon study group score were recorded before and after surgery. The mean follow-up period was 45.2 ± 17.7 (range 24 to 84) months. After surgery, the visual analog scale score had decreased notably, and the Tegner score and Victorian Institute of Sport tendon study group score had increased significantly. The posterior midline approach can achieve satisfactory outcomes in the treatment of significantly calcified insertional Achilles tendinopathy, and gastrocnemius recession (Strayer procedure) should be performed for patients with gastrocnemius contracture to improve the surgical outcome.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effects of porous gradient composites with hydroxyapatite/zirconia and autologous iliac in repair of lumbar vertebra body defects in dogs.Methods(1) New porous gradient hydroxyapatite/zirconia composites were prepared using foam immersion, gradient compound and high temperature sintering; (2) A total of 18 adult beagle dogs, aged five to eight months and weighted 10–13 kg, were randomly assigned into two subgroups, which were implanted with new porous gradient hydroxyapatite/zirconia composites (subgroup A in 12) or autologous iliac bone (subgroup B in 6); (3) The post-operative data were analyzed and compared between the subgroups to repair the vertebral body defect by roentgenoscopy, morphology and biomechanics.ResultsThe porosity of new porous gradient hydroxyapatite/zirconia composites is at 25 poles per inch, and the size of pores is at between 150 and 300 µm. The post-operative roentgenoscopy displayed that new-bone formation is increased gradually, and the interface between composites and host-bone becomes became blur, and the new-bone around the composites were integrated into host-bone at 24 weeks postoperatively in subgroup A. As to subgroup B, the resorption and restructure were found at six weeks after the surgery, and the graft-bone and host-bone have been integrated completely without obvious boundary at 24 weeks postoperatively. Histomorphologic study showed that the amount of bone within pores of the porous gradient hydroxyapatite/zirconia composites increased continuously with a prolonged implantation time, and that partial composites were degradated and replaced by new-bone trabeculae. There was no significant difference between subgroups ( P > 0.05) in the ultimate compressive strengths.ConclusionNew porous gradient hydroxyapatite/zirconia composites can promote the repair of bony defect, and induce bone tissue to ingrow into the pores, which may be applied widely to the treatment of bony defect in the future.

Background: Transfer of a flexor hallucis longus (FHL) tendon can not only reconstruct the Achilles tendon but also provide ischemic tendinous tissues with a rich blood supply to enhance wound healing. This retrospective study aims to investigate clinical outcomes in patients who underwent repair of Kuwada grade IV chronic Achilles tendon rupture with long hallucis longus tendons harvested using a minimally invasive technique. Materials and Methods: 35 patients who were treated for Kuwada grade IV Achilles tendon injuries from July 2006 to June 2011 were included in this retrospective study. The age ranged between 23 and 71 years. The duration from primary injury to surgery ranged from 29 days to 34 months (mean value, 137.6 days). All 35 patients had difficulties in lifting their calves. Thirty two were followed up for a mean 32.2 months (range 18–72 months), whereas three were lost to followup. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed that the tendon rupture gap ranged from 6.0 to 9.2 cm. During surgery, a 2.0 cm minor incision was made vertically in the medial plantar side of the midfoot, and a 1.5 cm minor transverse incision was made in the plantar side of the interphalangeal articulation of the great toe to harvest the FHL tendon, and the tendon was fixed to the calcaneus with suture anchors. Postoperative appearance and function were evaluated by physiotherapists based American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society-ankle and hindfoot score (AOFAS-AH), and Leppilahti Achilles tendon ratings. Results: Results were assessed in 32 patients. Except for one patient who suffered complications because of wound disruption 10 days after the operation, all other patients had primary wound healing, with 28 of 32 able to go up on their toes at last followup. The AOFAS-AH score was increased from preoperative (51.92 ± 7.08) points to (92.56 ± 6.71) points; Leppilahti Achilles tendon score was increased from preoperative (72.56 ± 7.43) to (92.58 ± 5.1). There were statistically significant differences. The result of the total excellent and good rate was 93.8% (30/32). MRI of Achilles tendon showed even signal without evidence of tear or cystic degeneration. Conclusion: Reconstruction of a chronic Achilles tendon rupture with an FHL tendon harvested using a minimally invasive technique showed good outcomes.

At the foreland edge of fold-and-thrust belts (FTBs), tectonic shortening could either be accommodated by thick-skinned faulting and/or structural wedges developed near range-fronts, or be transferred along detachment layers further into basins, forming thin-skinned structures. Although the geometry and kinematics of each structure have been well-investigated, studies that characterize slip distribution along a specific fault as well as the effects of variations in magnitude of fault displacement on the development of fault-related folds are still lacking. In this study, we present a case study of the southern Junggar Thrust (SJT), a seismically-active fault developed in the southern Junggar FTB, northern Tian Shan with an overall vergence to the north. The results of structural interpretations of seismic reflection profiles combined with the age constraints provided by previous magnetostratigraphic studies demonstrate that: 1) The kinematics of the SJT vary along strike from purely structural wedging to classical fault-bend folding. Besides these end-member models, intermediate cases exist between them, in which fault slip is partitioned by two-stage structural deformation, i.e., fault-bend folding subsequent to structural wedging at the range front. As a result, part of the displacement is transferred northward, forming the Tugulu anticline. 2) Along-strike variations in displacement along the Tugulu fault (frontal fault of the SJT) also affect the geometry and kinematics of the Tugulu anticline, varying from detachment folding, trishear fault-propagation folding with a pure-shear fault-bend folding back-limb, and classical trishear fault-propagation folding to fault-bend folding with increasing displacement. 3) The SJT has an average Quaternary slip rate of 3.9 ± 0.4 mm/yr, serving as a principal structure accommodating tectonic shortening in the southern Junggar FTB. The results of this study are helpful for seismic hazard assessments of the study area, which may also shed light on structural evolution of fault-related folds in other FTBs.

Forecasting the inflow and outflow of crowds at metro station, immediately controlling the number of people entering at some special times and places to avoid the occurrence of malignant events for public safety, is of great significance to subway stations management and very challenging as it is affected by many complex elements, such as inter region station flows, major events or activities, and weather. We propose a approach based on deep residual learning, called ST-DRN, to discern the pattern of spatial and temporal and integrally predict the inflow and outflow of crowds in each subway station of a city. We propose an end-to-end structure of ST-DRN based on distinct attributes of spatio-temporal data. More specifically, we apply the residual neural network framework to model the temporal nearby, day, and week properties of crowd in subway station. For each feature, we design a branch of residual convolutional units, each of which handles the spatial properties of subway crowd. ST-DRN learns to dynamically summation the output of the three residual neural networks, assigning different weights to each branch. The summation is also further combined with external elements, such as weather, holiday and workdays or weekends, to forecast the final traffic flow of crowds in each station. Evaluations on the automatic fare collection (AFC) system subway record data in Suzhou demonstrate that we proposed ST-DRN outperforms than three prominent baseline methods.

Dense biomaterial plays an important role in bone replacement. However, it fails to induce bone cell migration into graft material. In the present study, a novel bone graft substitute (BGS) consisting of porous gradient hydroxyapatite/zirconia composite (PGHC) and gelatin/chitosan slow-release hydrogel containing bone morphogenetic protein 2 and bone mesenchymal stem cells was designed and prepared to repair lumbar vertebral defects. The morphological characteristics of the BGS evaluated by a scanning electron microscope showed that it had a three-dimensional network structure with uniformly distributed chitosan microspheres on the surfaces of the graft material and the interior of the pores. Then, BGS (Group A), PGHC (Group B), or autologous bone (Group C) was implanted into lumbar vertebral body defects in a total of 24 healthy rhesus monkeys. After 8 and 16 weeks, anteroposterior and lateral radiographs of the lumbar spine, microcomputed tomography, histomorphometry, biomechanical testing, and biochemical testing for bone matrix markers, including Type I collagen, osteocalcin, osteopontin, basic fibroblast growth factor, alkaline phosphatase, and vascular endothelial growth factor, were performed to examine the reparative efficacy of the BGS and PGHC. The BGS displayed excellent ability to repair the lumbar vertebral defect in rhesus monkeys. Radiography, microcomputed tomography scanning, and histomorphological characterization showed that the newly formed bone volume in the interior of the pores in the BGS was significantly higher than in the PGHC. The results of biomechanical testing indicated that the vertebral body compression strength of the PGHC implant was lower than the other implants. Reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and western blot analyses showed that the expression of bone-related proteins in the BGS implant was significantly higher than in the PGHC implant. The BGS displayed reparative effects similar to autologous bone. Therefore, BGS use in vertebral bone defect repair appears promising.

This study compared bony fusion in autologous bone grafting with HA/ZrO2 graded composite in terms of mineral depositions, histological characteristics, and biomechanical properties of bonding interface. Twenty-four beagle dogs were established four places of bone defect in two adjacent lumbar vertebral bodies (L4 and L5) and were successively implanted with HA/ZrO2 graded composite (group A), HA/ZrO2 unilayer composite (group B), pure ZrO2 (group C), and pure HA (group D). After operation, lumbar vertebral specimens were respectively harvested per time at week 6, 12, and 16. Then, the bony fusion interface was evaluated by fluorescence microscope and computer image analysis system to measure mineral apposition rates (MAR). Histological analysis of specimen was used to determine bone bonding rates (BBR) and possible foreign body reactions associated with each groups. And interface bonding force between implant and autogenous bone was quantified with biomechanical push-out test. Compared with other groups,...

Department of Orthopedics, the second Affiliated Hospital, Medical College of Zhejiang University,ZhengJiang Province 310009, ChinaThe goals of bone tissue engineering are to apply biomaterial scaffolds with adhered cells, such as osteoblasts, bone marrowstromal stem cells, or chondrocytes, to repair, regenerate, and restore the functions of damaged bone tissue or to replace thosetissues with porous engineered biomaterials. Over recent decades, a diverse class of biomaterials has been applied in bone tissueengineering field. Porous hydroxyapatite bioceramic is currently receiving significant attention as a bone tissue engineeringsubstitute because of its biological characteristics, including biocompatibility, bioactivity, osteoconduction, and vasculogenesis.This biomaterial has a three-dimensional structure with interconnected spherical pores of uniform size, which encourages boneingrowth and achieves good integration of the material and the host bone over time. However, the compressive strength andelastic modulus of porous hydroxyapatite scaffolds generally weaken as the porosity increases, in both in vitro and in vivo testing.Zirconia can be used to toughen hydroxyapatite materials for bone repair and replacement because of its unique biomechanicalproperties, including compressive strength and fracture toughness. Additionally, a zirconia chitosan hybrid containing bonemorphogenetic protein-2 and mesenchymal stem cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells has been used as a coatingmaterial adhered to surface of scaffolds to promote bone regeneration and repair. Here, we provide a succinct review of zirconiatoughened hydroxyapatite biomaterial scaffolds that incorporate bone morphogenetic protein-2 and mesenchymal stem cells forbone tissue engineering and describe the biomaterials that are currently being investigated based on the recent literature and ourown data.

Tennis sport has become more popular all over the world in recent years. While tennis lovers wish to improve their tennis skill set for better performance, unfortunately only few of them could be guided under professional training. Especially, serve is probably the most important skill in tennis skill set. In this paper, we present TennisMaster, an online diagnosis and feedback system, that aims at performing online assessment of tennis serve during the training process using IMU sensors. In particular, we propose a hierarchical evaluation approach based on the fusion of two IMU sensors mounted on the racket and shank of the player. In order to achieve online serve assessment, we first develop an online serve extraction algorithm to identify the serve segments and filter the non-serve events. Then we use Hidden Markov Model (HMM) to segment the serve process into eight stages. By extracting unique features on the basis of the serve segmentation, we build a regression model which outputs the score of a serve. We conduct experiments to collect 1,030 serves involving 12 subjects at various professional levels. Evaluation results show that our system achieves high accuracy of performance assessment for tennis serves.

The study investigate three kinds of interfacial patterns (convex, corrugated, grid-like) were designed so as to improve the interfacial bonding strengths of hydroxyapatite (HA)/ZrO2 biomaterials. The thicknesses of prepared HA coatings were 50–250 μm. Both shear and tensile bonding strengths of the composites with different interfacial patterns were improved compared with the tiled samples because of the different contact geometry. The analysis on the fracture surfaces by SEM and XRD confirmed that the adhesive modes of HA and ZrO2 were the combination of mechanical and physical bonding. The research is beneficial to the clinical application of HA for a layered composite.

To evaluate the effects of the proteasome inhibitor MG-132 on the expression of nuclear factor (NF)-κB p65, inhibitor (I)-κB, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and interleukin (IL)-1β in the cartilage and synovial tissues of rats with osteoarthritis (OA), and to investigate the role that the ubiquitin/proteasome system (UPS) plays in the OA process.A total of 144 adult male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly assigned to four groups: anterior cruciate ligament transaction (ACLT) + MG-132 (ACLT/M), ACLT + dimethylsulfoxide (ACLT/D), sham surgery (Sham), and naïve + MG-132 (naïve/M). Pathological morphology was undertaken. mRNA expression levels of NF-κB p65, I-κB, TNF-α, and IL-1β were determined using real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The activities of the 20S proteasome chymotrypsin-like and peptidylglutamyl-peptide hydrolase-like enzymes were measured using fluorospectrophotometry.The Mankin scores at all time points in ACLT/M rats were significantly lower than those in ACLT/D rats (p0.05). Despite the NF-κB p65 in the synovial tissue at 2 weeks after surgery and IL-1β in the cartilage tissue at 12 weeks after surgery, mRNA expression levels of NF-κB p65, IL-1β, and TNF-α at other time points in ACLT/M were significantly lower than those in ACLT/D (p0.05). mRNA levels of I-κB in the cartilage tissue in ACLT/M were significantly higher than those in ACLT/D at 2 weeks after surgery (p0.05). mRNA levels of I-κB in the synovial tissue in ACLT/M were higher than those in ACLT/D at all time points, and the difference was significant at 4 weeks after surgery (p0.05). MG-132 decreased the activities of the 20S proteasome chymotrypsin-like and peptidylglutamyl-peptide hydrolase-like enzymes in the cartilage and synovial tissues of rats.The proteasome inhibitor MG-132 delays the progress of OA by alleviating synovial inflammation and protecting the articular cartilage tissue.

Osteosarcoma is the most common form of primary malignant bone tumor. Patients who are insensitive to chemotherapy treatment often have a poor prognosis. According to our previous study, recombinant adenovirus (Myc-AS) in combination with caffeine enhances the induction of apoptosis and the chemotherapeutic effects of cisplatin (CDDP) in MG-63 osteosarcoma cells. The present study aimed to investigate the combinational effects of the small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) c-myc and Bmi-1 on the growth and chemosensitivity of MG-63 osteosarcoma cells. The results indicated that the cell growth inhibition rates of MG-63 cells gradually increased with increasing concentrations of CDDP (P

To evaluate the genotoxicity of the HA/ZrO2 composite particles by using the micronucleus test (MNT) in vitro. HA/ZrO2 composite particles prepared by sintering at high temperature and pressure, that used powder of HA and ZrO2 of different proportions, were compared with pure HA particles and pure ZrO2 particles. The effect of the composite particles on cell proliferation of rabbit mesenchymal stem cells, and its the genotoxicity to rabbit mesenchymal stem cells were detected by MNT method. The MTT test showed that both pure HA particles and composite particles which contained HA promoted cell proliferation of rabbit mesenchymal stem cells, while pure ZrO2 particles did not, and there was a significant difference (P0.05). The MNT test showed no significant difference between the HA group and the negative control group (P0.05), but a significant difference between the HA group and the positive control group (P0.05). The difference between the ZrO2 group and the negative control group was significant (P0.01), while the difference between the ZrO2 group and the positive control group was insignificant (P0.05). The genotoxicity of the HA/ZrO2 composite particle increased with a higher proportion of ZrO2 and an increase in the concentration of the composite, and the 30 wt.% HA/70% ZrO2 composite with 200 μg/mL concentration showed significant genotoxicity (P0.01).

To evaluate the effects of hydroxyapatite/Zirconiumoxide (HA/ZrO 2 ) composite powder on proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of rabbit mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) by using molecular biology methods in vitro. HA/ZrO 2 composite powder prepared by using powder of HA and ZrO 2 with different proportions sintered at 1600 °C were compared with pure HA powder and pure ZrO 2 powder. The effects of the composite powder suspensions on the proliferation of the rabbit MSCs were measured by the 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay (MTT assay), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities were measured by the ALP colorimetric assay, and the cellular expression levels of Collagen I, osteocalcin and osteopontin mRNAs were determined by Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR). The HA phase was transformed into the β -Ca 3 (PO 4 ) 2 ( β -TCP), α -Ca 3 (PO 4 ) 2 and CaZrO 3 phases in the composite powder after sintering at 1600 °C, with a positive correlation between the contents of the HA phase and the new phases. The MTT assay showed that both pure HA powder and HA containing composite powder were able to promote cellular proliferation, but pure ZrO 2 powder had no effect in stimulating cell proliferation ( P 2 ( P P CR results showed that the composite powder were able to stimulate the expression of Collagen I and osteocalcin. The HA/ZrO 2 composite powder can also facilitate osteogenic differentiation.

The treatment of fibrous dysplasia with shepherd's crook deformity is a big challenge. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical effect of valgus osteotomy in combination with dynamic hip screw (DHS) fixation to treat fibrous dysplasia with shepherd's crook deformity.Twenty-one clinical cases of femoral fibrous dysplasia with shepherd's crook deformity treated between April 2001 and May 2010 were retrospectively analyzed. The valgus osteotomy and internal fixation were performed for these patients. Six patients underwent DHS and trochanter stabilizing plate internal fixation, and the other 15 cases were stabilized by DHS fixation.Patients were followed for 19-128 months. The neck-shaft angle was corrected from 89° (range 65°-107°) preoperatively to 129° (range 119°-140°) postoperatively. Limb-length discrepancy was corrected from 3.0 (range 1.8-4.5) cm preoperatively to 0.7 (range 0-1.9) cm postoperatively. All osteotomies had healed at the final follow-up examination. The clinical scores, which were evaluated by the modified criteria of Guille, improved from an average of 2.9 (range 1-7) to 8.5 (range 6-10).Our results demonstrate that valgus osteotomy in combination with DHS internal fixation is an easy and effective method for the treatment of fibrous dysplasia with shepherd's crook deformity. It can restore the neck-shaft angle and re-establish the mechanical alignment of the femur to improve function.

The current study aimedto screen for possible factors which affect prognosis of chondrosarcoma.Thirty seven cases were selected and analyzed statistically. The patients received surgical treatment at our hospital between December 2005 and March 2008. All of them had complete follow-up data. The survival rates were calculated by univariate analysis using the Kaplan-Meier method and tested by Log-rank. χ2 or Fisher exact tests were carried out for the numeration data. The significant indexes after univariate analysis were then analyzed by multivariate analysis using COX regression model. Based on the literature, factors of gender, age, disease course, tumor location, Enneking grades, surgical approaches, distant metastasis and local recurrence were examined.Univariate analysis showed that there were significant differences in Enneking grades, surgical approaches and distant metastasis related to the patients' 3-year survival rate after surgery (P0.001). No significant difference was not found in gender, age, disease course, tumor location or local recurrence (P0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that Enneking grade (P=0.007) and surgical approaches (P=0.010) were independent factors affecting the prognosis of chondrosarcoma, but distant metastasis was not (P=0.942).Enneking grades, surgical approaches and distant metastasis are risk factors for prognosis of chondrosarcoma, among which the former two are independent factors.

In this study, we present a novel coating with Zn-releasing ability that promotes osseointegration of Ti6Al4V implants. The coatings were prepared by a sol–gel technique, and nanosized Zn-containing β-tricalcium phosphate particles were added to the Ca(NO3)2–P2O5–HPF6 sol system to incorporate Zn ions into fluoridated hydroxyapatite (FHA) coatings. The derived Zn-releasing fluoridated hydroxyapatite (ZTFHA) coatings demonstrated a slow and sustained Zn release behavior. The ZTFHA coatings were able to support cell growth of osteoblast-like cell cultures and promoted an obvious increase in cell viability compared with FHA coating alone. The histological analysis of the ZTFHA coating showed direct bonding to bony tissue and significantly higher bone contact than with FHA coating alone. The ZTFHA coating with its slow and sustained Zn release shows promise as a medium for significantly enhancing osseointegration and allowing cementless stable fixation of orthopedic implants.

Hydroxyapatite (HAP) has excellent biocompatibility and bone bonding ability, but it is mechanically weak and brittle. To overcome this problem, we prepared a graded composite with calcium phosphide (CaP, decomposed from HAP during sintering) coating on the surface of zirconia (ZrO 2 ) ceramics. The mechanical properties and microstructure characteristics were studied with various techniques. The biocompatibility of graded ZrO 2 –CaP composite was examined with rat osteoblast cells (OB cells) in vitro . Its effects on the production of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and Growth-transforming Factor-β (TGF-β) by the OB cells were measured. The results showed that the mean tensile strength of the graded ZrO 2 –CaP composites was 17.8 MPa, the maximum bending strength was 1112.24 MPa, and K IC was 7.3–11.4 MPa·m 1/2 , indicating that the composite was physically strong for use as an implant material. The ALP activity, IL-6 and TGF-β concentrations of the graded composite treated OB cells were much higher than that of the pure ZrO 2 treated group. There was no significant difference in ALP activity, the IL-6 and TGF-β concentrations between the graded ZrO 2 –CaP composite group and HAP. The cytotoxicity of the composite material to rat fibroblast cells was insignificant. The graded zirconia–CaP composite greatly facilitated the proliferation and differentiation of rat OB cells in vitro , demonstrating excellent biocompatibility.

Nano-hydroxyapatite (nano-HAP) may be a better candidate for an apatite substitute of bone in biomedical applications than micro-sized hydroxyapatite (m-HAP). However, size control is always difficult when synthesizing well-defined nano-HAP particles. In this study, nano-HAP particles with diameters of approximately 20nm (np20) and approximately 80nm (np80) were synthesized and characterized. The size effects of these nano-HAPs and m-HAP were studied on human osteoblast-like MG-63 cells in vitro. Our results demonstrate that both cell proliferation and cell apoptosis are related to the size of the HAP particles. Np20 has the best effect on promotion of cell growth and inhibition of cell apoptosis. This work provides an interesting view of the role of nano-HAPs as ideal biomedical materials in future clinical applications.

The paper presents a critical analysis of Si light emitters made by ion implantation and describes novel concepts for IR light emitters based on silicon nanostructures that do not need Er doping. It is shown that dislocation networks which can be generated in a well controlled way by wafer direct bonding exhibit promising light emitting properties. The luminescence of the dislocation networks can be tailored by the choice of the misorientation of the bonded wafers. It is demonstrated that efficient D1 emission (1.55 μm) at 300 K or D3 emission (1.3 μm) can be obtained for specific misorientations. An enhancement of the luminescence is observed when applying a bias voltage across the network, caused by a changed occupation of the states at the network. Oxygen in the dislocation network is supposed to increase the intensity of the D1 luminescence. Si nanowires are discussed as another potential candidate for IR emitters. Among other lines, efficient luminescence around 1.55 μm is found at 300 K in nanowires. This emission line is attributed to extended defects within the nanowires.

The menopause-related expansion of the proximal femoral marrow cavity is thought to have implications for the long-term cohesion of hip prostheses. This theory would be further strengthened if there was evidence to show that the expansion of the proximal femur marrow cavity takes place after the occurrence of a femoral neck fracture, which, it is often recommended, should be fixed with a hip prosthesis. But till now, the temporal relationship between those two osteoporotic-related changes has not been checked carefully. The objective of the current study was to examine the temporal relationship between the marrow cavity expansion of the proximal femur and the biomechanical deterioration of the femoral neck in a rat model. To do so, a cross-sectional study with multiple time points was carried out on 6-month old Sprague-Dawley rats, which were ovariectomized or sham-operated (as controls). The biomechanical properties of the femur neck and geometrical parameters of the femur shaft were evaluated at 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, and 21 weeks postoperatively, with special reference to the timescale of the observed changes. We found that the maximum load of the femoral neck in ovariectomized rats could bear decreased significantly compared, to that of controls, at 9 weeks postoperatively (p=0.03), while the marrow cavity of the proximal femur in ovariectomized rats turned out to be significantly enlarged at 15 weeks postoperatively (p=0.04). Conclusion: Our result demonstrated that the osteoporosis-related marrow-enlarged posterior led to the collapse of femoral neck strength. If the change in postmenopausal women is analogous to that in ovariectomized rats, the menopause-related marrow cavity expansion would be a risk factor for the longevity of hip prostheses., Scandinavian Journal of Laboratory Animal Sciences, Vol 34, No 1 (2007)

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the risk factors and prognosis of surgery for spinal metastasis. METHODS A retrospective analysis was performed for 63 patients with spinal metastasis who underwent surgical treatment between June 1992 and June 2002. Forty-one patients underwent anterior en-bloc or partial resection, decompression and reconstruction with internal fixation of the spine. Laminectomy and decompression with internal fixation were done in 8 patients. One-stage anterior-posterior en-bloc resection and decompression followed by reconstrL~ctive stabilization were conducted in 14 patients. RESULTS After follow-up for more than 6 months, postoperative radiological evaluation revealed that spinal stabilization was evident in all patients. Fifty-seven (91.9%) patients benefited with quality of life significantly improved through pain alleviation, and 41 (66.1%) patients improved in their neurological status, No serious complications were observed in surgery. The mean survival time after surgery was 6 months in patients with lung and liver carcinoma, 15 months with breast, prostate, and stomach carcinoma as well as the other miscellaneous malignancies, and 28 months with thyroid and kidr~ey carcinoma. Differences were significant among the 3 groups ( P

With the use of cloud storage services, one of the concerns is how to protect sensitive data securely and privately. While users enjoy the convenience of data storage provided by semi-trusted cloud storage providers, they are confronted with all kinds of risks at the same time. In this paper, we present SSeCloud, a secure cloud storage system that improves security and usability by applying secret sharing scheme to secure keys. The system encrypts uploading files on the client side and splits encrypted keys into three shares. Each of them is respectively stored by users, cloud storage providers and the alternative third trusted party. Any two of the parties can reconstruct keys. Evaluation results of prototype system show that SSeCloud provides high security without too much performance penalty.

In the modern life, people spend most of their time indoors. However, indoor environmental quality problems have always been affecting people's social activities. In general, indoor environmental quality is also related to our indoor activities. Since most of the organic irritants and volatile gases are colorless, odorless and too tiny to be seen, because we have been unconsciously overlooked indoor environment quality. Consequently, our body suffer a great health problem. In this work, we propose Air-Sense system which utilizes the platform of ZigBee Network to collect and detect the real-time indoor environment quality. What's more, Air-Sense system can also provide data analysis, and visualizing the results of the indoor environment to the user.

Carpool and vanpool draw a lot of researchers' attention, which is the emphasis of this paper. A concrete vanpool operation definition is given, based on the given definition, this paper tackles vanpool operation optimization using user experience decline index(UEDI). This paper is focused on making each user having identical UEDI and the system having minimum sum of all users' UEDI. Three contributions are made, the first contribution is a vanpool operation scheme diagram, each component of the scheme is explained in detail. The second contribution is getting all customer's UEDI as a set, standard deviation and sum of all users' UEDI set are used as objectives in multiple objective optimization to decide trip start address, trip start time and trip destination address. The third contribution is a trip planning algorithm, which tries to minimize the sum of all users' UEDI. Geographical distribution of the charging stations and utilization rate of the charging stations are considered in the trip planning process.

The cancer stem cell theory suggest that presence of small subpopulation of cancer stem cells are the major implication in the cancer treatment and also responsible for tumor recurrence. Based on Hoechst 33342 dye exclusion technique, we have identified about 3.3% of cancer stem like side population (SP) cells from human osteosarcoma OS-77 cell line whose prevalence is significantly reduced to 0.3% after treatment with verapamil. The sphere formation assay revealed that osteosarcoma SP cells are highly capable to form tumor spheres (sarcospheres). Further by immunocytochemistry and RT-PCR, we show that OS-77 SP cells have enhanced expression of stem cell surface markers such as CD44, Nanog and ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter gene (ABCG2) which contributes to self-renewal and drug resistance, respectively. Our findings help to designing a novel therapeutic drug which could effectively target the cancer stem cells and prevent the tumor relapse.

Resibufogenin, a low molecular weight bufanolide steroid compound, is isolated from the secretion of Asiatic toad Bufogargarizansa Cantor. It possessed both pharmacological and toxicological effects that were experimentally shown by in vitro and in vivo studies. However, the molecular mechanism of cell apoptosis induced by resibufogenin remains elusive. Here, we investigated the apoptosis in resibufogenin-treated human osteosarcoma MG-63 cells. The results showed that resibufogenin could inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Additional investigations proved that a disruption of mitochondrial transmembrane potential and an up-regulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in resibufogenin-treated cells were occurred. Upon western blot analysis, it was found that the up-regulation of Apaf-1, cleaved PARP, cleaved caspase-3, cleaved caspase-9, and Bax/Bcl-2, varied with different concentration of resibufogenin. Overall findings suggested that resibufogenin could be used as an effective anti-tumor agent in therapy of osteosarcoma.

Vertebroplasty using poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) bone cement is the most common method to treat osteoporotic vertebral fractures. However, several questions of interest remain to be clarified, including how does PMMA affect the cement-bone interface area and surrounding bone tissue, can damaged bone tissues be repaired, how will PMMA change the bone interface over the long-term, and what happens to PMMA itself? The purpose of this study is to investigate these concerns and provide a basis for clinical evaluation. We made bone defects in the lumbar vertebrae of New Zealand rabbits as a model of osteoporosis and injected them with bone cement. A mechanical testing machine was used to perform axial compression, three-point bending, and twisting resistance tests to observe and investigate the short- and long-term biomechanical properties of PMMA after implantation. Optical, fluorescence, scanning electron microscopy, and nanoindentation were used to observe the changes in the interface microstructure. PMMA can rapidly establish the strong support with stable function in the near future. Biomechanical experiments showed that biomechanical property of bone cement group was significantly higher than those in the other two groups (P0.05) biomechanical property of bone cement group may decline with the time, but it's still better than that of OP in the control group (P0.05). Histomorphological observation result shows that under osteoporosis state the bone grows slower, also bone's rebuilding time extended. And in the later period, main bone's continuous osteoporosis has some impact on the interface. Nano-indentation testing shows that the young modulus and stiffness of the interface among bone, material and interface were significantly differences (P0.05). Bone cement had gave the best nano indentation hardness, then was interface and bone tissue. PMMA bone cement was able to quickly support and stabilize the defect in the short term, and bone growth restarted at the bone interface and was tightly integrated. However, over the long-term, fluorescent signal was weakened, osteoclasts appeared, the mechanical indicators for both the interface and the whole vertebra decreased, and bone resorption was eventually greater than bone formation, resulting in bone loss. Therefore, vertebroplasty is not the end of treatment, and we need to further study ways to improve the bone cement material, which is crucial for long-term vertebroplasty efficacy, to better treat osteoporosis.

Acute spinal cord injury is one of the most common and complicated diseases among human spinal injury. We aimed to explore the effect of point-through-point acupuncture therapy with elongated needles on acute spinal cord injury in rabbits and its possible mechanism. Adult rabbits were randomly divided into a model group, elongated needle therapy group, and blank group. Immunohistochemical staining showed that the protein levels of Fas and caspase-3 in the model group were significantly higher than those in the blank group at each time point (P<0.05) and significantly lower than those in the elongated needle therapy group on the 3rd and 5th days after operation (P<0.05). RT-PCR showed that Fas and caspase-3 mRNA levels in the model group and elongated needle therapy group were significantly higher than those in the blank group (P<0.05, 0.01). The mRNA levels of Fas and caspase-3 in the elongated needle therapy group were significantly lower than those in model group on the 3rd day (P<0.05, 0.01). Therefore, we confirmed that elongated needle therapy has an obvious effect on acute spinal cord injury in rabbits. Its mechanism is made possible by inhibiting the expression of the Fas→caspase-3 cascade, thereby inhibiting cell apoptosis after spinal cord injury.