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Fe–Mn–P–C non-magnetic steel balance block parts were prepared by pressing-sintering method by adding Fe3P powders and graphite powders in different mass fraction to the high manganese steel alloy powders. The effects of phosphorus and carbon content on the microstructure and properties of high manganese non-magnetic steels were studied, and the properties of Fe–Mn–P–C high manganese steels and Fe–Mn–Cu–C high manganese steels were compared. The results show that, the non-magnetic high manganese steels with the uniform structure can be prepared by adding Fe3P powders to the high manganese steel powders. The density and hardness of the sintered parts increase with the increase of Fe3P content. When the Fe3P mass fraction exceeds 2%, the density of sintered parts remains basically unchanged. The hardness of sintered parts with 3% Fe3P is the highest, reaching about HRB 95. When the Fe3P mass fraction is less than 1%, the sintered part shows no magnetic characteristics; when the Fe3P mass fraction is 2%, the sintered part shows the weak magnetic characteristics; when the Fe3P mass fraction is 3%, the sintered part shows the strong magnetic characteristics. The density and hardness of sintered parts increase with the increase of graphite content. When 0.30% graphite is added, the density of sintered parts exceeds 7.30 g∙cm−3. When the graphite mass fraction is less than 0.30%, the sintered part shows no magnetic characteristics; when the graphite mass fraction is 0.60%, the sintered part shows the weak magnetic characteristics; when the graphite mass fraction is 0.75%, the sintered part shows the strong magnetic characteristics. Compared with the Fe–Mn–Cu–C high manganese steels, the density of Fe–Mn–P–C high manganese steels is relatively low, and the hardness and magnetism are equivalent, but the mechanical properties are better than that of the Fe–Mn–Cu–C high manganese steels.

The spleen is a primary target of deoxynivalenol (DON) toxicity, but its underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. This study investigates the effects of DON on inflammation, splenic macrophage polarization, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and transcriptome changes (mRNA and lncRNAs) in mouse spleen. We found that DON exposure at doses of 2.5 or 5 mg/kg BW significantly induced inflammation and polarized splenic macrophages towards the M1 phenotype. Additionally, DON activated PERK-eIF2α-ATF4-mediated ER stress and upregulated apoptosis-related proteins (caspase-12, caspase-3). The ER stress inhibitor, 4-Phenylbutyric acid, significantly alleviated DON-induced ER stress, apoptosis, and the M1 polarization of splenic macrophages. Transcriptome analysis identified 1968 differentially expressed (DE) lncRNAs and 2664 DE mRNAs in mouse spleen following DON exposure. Functional enrichment analysis indicated that the upregulated genes were involved in pathways associated with immunity, including Th17 cell differentiation, TNF signaling, and IL-17 signaling, while downregulated mRNAs were linked to cell survival and growth pathways. Furthermore, 370 DE lncRNAs were predicted to target 255 DE target genes associated with immune processes, including the innate immune response, interferon-beta response, cytokine production regulation, leukocyte apoptosis, and NF-κB signaling genes. This study provides new insights into the mechanisms underlying DON toxicity and its effects on the immune system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sports-related ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injuries are frequent. Successful management requires early diagnosis and treatment. One of the clinical tests used to identify ACL damage is the lever sign test. This meta-analysis aimed to assess the lever sign test's diagnostic efficacy for ACL injuries. Methods: An extensive investigation of the Cochrane Library, Embase, and PubMed databases was conducted until April 2023. Studies assessing the lever sign test's diagnostic efficacy for ACL injuries were also included. A bivariate random-effects model was employed to acquire the pooled estimates of diagnostic odds ratios, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratios, sensitivity, and curves of the summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC). Results: The meta-analysis comprised twelve investigations with a total of 1365 individuals. The lever sign test's combined sensitivity and specificity for the purpose of diagnosing injuries to the ACL were 0.810 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.686–0.893) and 0.784 (95% CI 0.583–0.904), respectively. The positive and negative likelihood ratios were 3.148 (95% CI 1.784–5.553) and 0.210 (95% CI 0.084–0.528), respectively. The study revealed a diagnostic odds ratio of 17.656, with a 95% CI ranging from 4.800 to 64.951. The SROC curve's area was determined to be 0.912 (95% CI 0.857–0.967). Conclusion: With high specificity and sensitivity, the lever sign test is a reliable diagnostic modality for ACL injuries. However, the test should be used in combination with other diagnostic tests to increase the accuracy of the diagnosis. Further investigations are warranted to assess the clinical practicability of the lever sign test in various populations and settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, three kinds of APP, coated with melamine (MF‐APP), silane (GW‐APP), epoxy (MC‐APP) were employed to compound with novolac resin (Novolac) and melamine (ME), aimed to study the effect of the modified APP on the flame‐retardant performance, mechanical properties, and thermal stability of polyformaldehyde (POM). The results showed that composites with modified APP exhibited better flame retardant and mechanical performance than that with unmodified APP. In contrast, GW‐APP had the best synergistic effect with Novolac and ME, and POM/GW‐APP composites reached UL‐94 V‐0 rating and its limit oxygen index (LOI) value was up to 34.0%. The morphology of the carbon layer showed that the silane coating material can promote the charring process in condensed phase better than epoxy and melamine coating materials in flame retardant POM system, leading to the formation of integrated char layers with more quantity and higher quality, which effectively delayed the mass and heat transfer during combustion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Topical tranexamic acid (TXA) has been shown to be effective in reducing blood loss and the need for transfusion after total knee arthroplasty. However, the effectiveness of topical TXA use in total hip arthroplasty (THA) still remains unclear. The purpose of this meta-analysis is to examine the safety and efficacy of topical use of TXA following THA.Hypothesis: Topical TXA reduces blood loss and transfusion rates without increasing risk of deep vein thrombosis in patients with THA.Methods: An electronic literature search of PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science and Chinese Biomedical Database was performed, to identify studies published before February 2015. All randomized controlled trials and cohort studies evaluating the efficacy of topical TXA during THA were included. Two independent authors identified the eligible studies, assessed their methodological quality, and extracted data. The data were using fixed-effects or random-effects models with (standard) mean differences and risk ratios for continuous and dichotomous variables, respectively. Data were analysed using RevMan 5.3 software.Results: Fourteen studies encompassing 2594 patients met the inclusion criteria for our meta-analysis. Our meta-analysis indicated that when compared with the placebo group, topical use of TXA significantly reduced total blood loss (MD = -297.65 ml, 95 % CI -371.68 ml, 116.08 ml; P < 0.01), drainage loss (MD = -164.68 ml, 95 % CI -236.63 ml, -92.73 ml; P < 0.01), transfusion rate (RR = 0.26, 95 % CI 0.17, 0.40; P < 0.01) and with less of a drop in haemoglobin level (SMD = -0.66, 95 % CI -0.91, -0.41; P < 0.01) after primary THA. No significant difference in length of hospital stay (MD = -0.40, 95 % CI -0.91, 0.11; P = 0.14), deep vein thrombosis (RR = 1.19, 95 % CI 0.40, 3.57; P = 0.16) and pulmonary embolism (RR = 1.11, 95 % CI 0.11, 10.81; P = 0.21) among the study groups.Conclusions: Topical TXA could significantly reduce total blood loss, drainage loss, transfusion rates and decrease haemoglobin level following THA, without increasing risk of venous thromboembolisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An umbrella review and meta-analysis were conducted to summarize evidence for the association between dietary factors and the incidence of osteoporosis in adults. Only systematic reviews or meta-analyses were eligible for this study. Two researchers independently performed reading, data extraction, and quality evaluation of the included literature. The outcomes included in this study were all associated with osteoporosis, including osteoporotic fractures and low bone density. A total of 54 studies were included in this study, with 83 adjusted hazard ratios on diet, dairy group (n = 13), alcohol (n = 2), tea (n = 6), coffee (n = 3), micronutrient (n = 31), dietary pattern (n = 21), and foods (n = 7) regarding the incidence of osteoporosis. Grades of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) quality assessment method was used in this study. The high, medium, low and very low quality studies accounted for 27.7, 41, 21.7 and 9.6% of this study, respectively. Based on the included literature studies in this umbrella review, it was found that dietary factors have a relevant impact on the incidences of human osteoporosis, appropriate consumption of dairy products, vegetables, fruits, and micronutrients, as well as reduced intake of alcohol and coffee, can reduce the risk of osteoporosis.