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Yu Lai,1 Jialing Jiang,2 Huize Zhang,1 Kang Gong2 1School of Basic Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, People’s Republic of China; 2Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Kang Gong, Email 17828197682@163.comAbstract: Curcumin, the main active compound in turmeric, has garnered significant interest for its wide range of pharmacological properties. In this study, CiteSpace was used to visually analyze curcumin-related publications to elucidate the current landscape and explore emerging frontiers in curcumin research. In total, 23,184 publications on curcumin from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2023, were scrutinized. The analysis revealed that publication volume consistently increased over time. The top 10 countries contributed 90.87% of the publications, highlighting the global significance of curcumin research. China generated 31.34% of the total corpus due to its strong research capabilities and traditional medicine culture. The top 10 institutions contributed 11.21% of the articles, revealing notable collaborations. Among the prolific authors, Amirhossein Sahebkar produced 246 publications, whereas Preetha Anand garnered the most citations. Keyword analysis revealed prevalent trends such as “fabrication”, “combination”, “extract”, “natural products”, “colorectal cancer”, and “resveratrol”. Reference analysis emphasized research on therapeutic and modulatory effects, anticancer potential, and interdisciplinary topics, such as molecular biology, chemistry, and nutrition. More importantly, we simplified cluster relationships by selecting the top 30% of cluster dependency paths. For instance, the references within the #1 polymeric micelle cite literature from the #2 anticancer potential, #3 modulatory effect, and #4 therapeutic effect, indicating that clusters 2, 3, and 4 serve as knowledge foundations for cluster 1. This interconnectedness highlights how the information in these clusters can contribute to the knowledge of curcumin in various studies. This study provides an overview of the research trends and critical themes related to curcumin, offering insights for future research directions and emphasizing the interdisciplinary and global scope of curcumin research. Keywords: CiteSpace, visualization analysis, curcumin, therapeutic effect, drug delivery system

Dandan Wang,1– 3,* Jingguo Wang,3,* Zequn Yin,4 Ke Gong,3 Shuang Zhang,3 Zhengbao Zha,3 Yajun Duan4 1School of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, Anhui, 230011, People’s Republic of China; 2State Key Laboratory of Functions and Applications of Medicinal Plants, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550014, People’s Republic of China; 3School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui, 230601, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230031, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Zhengbao Zha, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, No. 420 Feicui Road, Hefei, Anhui, 230601, People’s Republic of China, Email zbzha@hfut.edu.cn Yajun Duan, Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, No. 96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei, Anhui, 230031, People’s Republic of China, Email yajunduan@ustc.edu.cnIntroduction: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), the most prevalent chronic liver disorder, has garnered increasing attention globally owing to its associated health complications. However, the lack of available therapeutic medications and inadequate management of complications in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) present significant challenges. There are little studies evaluating the effectiveness of POM in treating MASLD. In this study, we synthesized polyoxometalates (POM) for potential treatment of MASLD.Methods: We induced liver disease in mice using two approaches: feeding a high-fat diet (HFD) to establish MASLD or feeding a methionine–choline deficient (MCD) diet to induce hepatic lipotoxicity and MASH. Various metabolic parameters were detected, and biochemical and histological evaluations were conducted on MASLD. Western blotting, qRT-PCR and immunofluorescence assays were used to elucidate the molecular mechanism of POM in the treatment of MASLD.Results: POM therapy resulted in significant improvements in weight gain, dyslipidemia, liver injury, and hepatic steatosis in mice fed a HFD. Notably, in a more severe dietary-induced MASH model with MCD diet, POM significantly attenuated hepatic lipid accumulation, inflammation, and fibrosis. POM treatment effectively attenuated palmitic acid and oleic acid-induced lipid accumulation in HepG2 and Huh7 cells by targeting the AMPK pathway to regulate lipid metabolism, which was confirmed by AMPK inhibitor. Additionally, the activation of AMPK signaling by POM suppressed the expression of lipid synthesis genes, including sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c (SREBP1c) and SREBP2, while concurrently upregulating the expression of sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) to promote fatty acid oxidation.Conclusion: These findings suggest that POM is a promising therapeutic strategy with high efficacy in multiple MASLD models. Keywords: polyoxometalates, MASLD, MASH, AMPK, lipotoxicity

Xiaotian Ji,1 Shuhui Wu,1 Dan Zhao,1 Qi Bai,1 Yun Wang,1 Ke Gong,2 Huie Zheng,1 Mingfang Zhu1 1Department of Dermatology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Cangzhou Central Hospital, Cangzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Mingfang Zhu, Department of Dermatology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, 233 Cai E North Road, Kaifu District, Changsha, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-13907317358, Fax +86-731-84917727, Email 320492@hnucm.edu.cnBackground: The association between acne and gut microbiota has garnered considerable attention; nevertheless, given the substantial diversity within gut microbiota, the precise cause-and-effect relationship linking specific microbial species to acne remains elusive. To address this gap in knowledge, our study utilized Mendelian randomization analysis to elucidate a potential causal link between gut microbiota composition and acne development while also investigating underlying mechanisms involving microbial factors associated with metabolic disorders.Materials and Methods: The independent single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) closely associated with 196 gut microbiota samples (N=18340) were selected as variable tools. The relationship between gut microbiota and acne (N=212438) was analyzed using the Twosample package in R4.3.1, employing various methods including inverse variance weighting (IVW), weighted median, MR-Egger, Simple-mode, and Weighted-mode. To ensure the stability of the estimates, a series of sensitivity analyses were conducted, such as Cochran’s Q-test, MR-Egger intercept analysis, leave-one-out analysis, and funnel plots. Additionally, the impact of each instrumental variable was calculated.Results: In the Mendelian randomization analysis, we identified twelve microbial taxa potentially associated with acne: family.Bacteroidaceae, family.Clostridiaceae1, genus.Allisonella, genus.Bacteroides, genus.Butyricimonas, genus.Clostridiumsensustricto1, and genus.Coprococcus3. These seven bacterial groups were found to be potential risk factors for acne. Conversely, family.Lactobacillaceae and genus.Ruminococcustorquesgroup along with genus.CandidatusSoleaferrea, genus.Fusicatenibacter, family.Lactobacillaceae, and genus.Lactobacillus exhibited a protective effect against acne. Furthermore, our investigation revealed that some of these microbial taxa have been implicated in metabolic diseases through previous studies. Importantly though, no causal relationship was observed in the reverse Mendelian randomization analysis.Keywords: acne, gut microbiota, Mendelian randomization, metabolic disease

Lian Gong,1 Ming Zhong,2 Kai Gong,3 Zhanwang Wang,1 Yong Zhong,4 Yi Jin,1 Haotian Chen,1 Panpan Tai,1 Xinyu Chen,1 Aiyan Chen,1 Ke Cao1 1Department of Oncology, Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Nephrology, Center of Kidney and Urology, the Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Clinical Medicine, Xiangnan University, Chenzhou, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Clinical Medicine, Hubei Enshi College, Enshi, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Ke Cao, Email csucaoke@163.comBackground: Chaperonin-containing TCP1 subunit 8 (CCT8) has been proved to be involved in the occurrence and development of some cancers. However, no study has reported the potential role of CCT8 in a pan-cancer manner.Methods: TIMER2.0, GEPIA2, UALCAN and Sangerbox were used to explore the expression, prognosis and methylation of CCT8. We used cBioPortal, TISIDB, SangerBox, TIMER2.0 and TISMO to investigate the genetic alteration of CCT8 and the relationship of CCT8 with molecular subtype, immune subtype, immune infiltration and immunotherapy response. CCT8-related genes were screened out through GEPIA and STRING for Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis. CCK-8, the colony formation assay, the wound healing assay and the Transwell assay were performed to explore the influence of CCT8 on proliferation and migration.Results: CCT8 was highly expressed in most cancers with a poor prognosis. The expression level of CCT8, which was affected by the promoter region methylation and genetic alteration, was related to the molecular and immune subtype of cancers. Interestingly, CCT8 was positively associated with the activated CD4 T cells and type 2 T-helper cells. CCT8 played a vital role in the cell cycle and RNA transport of cancers, and it significantly inhibited the proliferation and migration of lung adenocarcinoma cells when it was knocked down.Conclusion: CCT8 plays an indispensable role in promoting the proliferation and migration of many cancers. CCT8 might be a biomarker of T-helper type 2 (Th2) cell infiltration and a promising therapeutic target for T-helper type 1(Th1)/Th2 imbalance.Keywords: CCT8, survival, immune infiltration, biomarker, pan-cancer

Deshan Yao,1,2 Bo Shi,3 Sichuan Wang,1,2 Liuxiang Bao,1,2 Meng Tan,1,2 Hui Shen,1,2 Zhengang Zhang,1,2 Xin Pan,1,2 Yi Yang,1,2 Yong Wu,1,2 Kaizheng Gong1,2 1Department of Cardiology, the Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225001, People’s Republic of China; 2Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Integrative Medicine for the Control of Geriatrics and Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225001, People’s Republic of China; 3School of Life Science, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, 116081, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Kaizheng Gong; Yong Wu, Department of Cardiology, the Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou University, No. 368 Hanjiang Middle Road, Yangzhou, 225001, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-514-82981199, Email yungkzh@163.com; 154629676@qq.comBackground: Oxidative stress and inflammatory reaction play critical roles in acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Isoliquiritigenin (ISL), a flavonoid monomer extracted from licorice, has been found to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in cancer studies. Here, we tested the effect and underlying mechanisms of ISL on ischemia-induced myocardial injury in a mouse AMI model.Methods: Adult C57BL/6 mice were pre-treated by intraperitoneal injection of ISL and/or a specific nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) inhibitor ML385 for 3 days, respectively. Then, the AMI model was established by ligating the anterior descending branch of the left coronary artery. Myocardial oxidative stress status, inflammatory response, cardiac function and infarction size were assessed after 7th day of surgery.Results: Compared with sham group, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) level in AMI group were significantly increased. However, the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) level were dramatically decreased. ISL treatment significantly reduced the myocardial infarction area, improved cardiac function, inhibited the production of ROS and MDA and reduced the consumption of SOD and GSH-Px. Interestingly, ISL could significantly increase nuclear Nrf2 and cytosolic heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) level in the infarcted myocardium and reduce the oxidative stress after AMI. Also, ISL treatment dramatically inhibited the activation of myocardial NF-κB pathway and reduced the expression of pro-inflammatory factors in the AMI group. However, the administration of ML385 not only suppressed the Nrf2/HO-1 activation, the anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects induced by ISL, but also attenuated the beneficial role of ISL on reducing infarct size and improving cardiac function in the mouse with AMI.Conclusion: The results suggested that activation of Nrf2/HO-1 pathway has an essential role in ISL-induced cardiac protection by alleviating myocardial oxidative stress and inflammation response in mice with AMI.Keywords: isoliquiritigenin, acute myocardial infarction, oxidative stress, Nrf2, NF-κB

Ke Gong,1 Yang Dong,1 Liting Wang,1 Yi Duan,2 Jian Yu,1 Ying Sun,1 Min Bai,3 Yourong Duan1 1State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200032, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Clinical Medicine, North Sichuan Medical College, Sichuan 637100, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Ultrasound, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200080, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Yourong DuanState Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes Shanghai Cancer Institute, Renji Hospital School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 2200/25 Xietu Road, Shanghai 200032, People’s Republic of ChinaTel/ Fax +86-021-64437139Email yrduan@shsci.orgMin BaiDepartment of Ultrasound, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 100 Haining Road, Shanghai 200080, People’s Republic of ChinaTel/ Fax +86-13917045725Email baimin101@126.comPurpose: Platinum/paclitaxel-based chemotherapy is the strategy for ovarian cancer, but chemoresistance, inherent or acquired, occurs and hinders therapy. Therefore, further understanding of the mechanisms of drug resistance and adoption of novel therapeutic strategies are urgently needed.Methods: In this study, we report that sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor-1 (S1PR1)-mediated chemoresistance for ovarian cancer. Then we developed nanoparticles with a hydrophilic PEG2000 chain and a hydrophobic DSPE and biodegradable CaP (calcium ions and phosphate ions) shell with pH sensitivity as a delivery system (CaP-NPs) to carry BAF312, a selective antagonist of S1PR1 (BAF312@CaP-NPs), to overcome the cisplatin (DDP) resistance of the ovarian cancer cell line SKOV3DR.Results: We found that S1PR1 affected acquired chemoresistance in ovarian cancer by increasing the phosphorylated-signal transduction and activators of transcription 3 (P-STAT3) level. The mean size and zeta potential of BAF312@CaP-NPs were 116 ± 4.341 nm and − 9.67 ± 0.935 mV, respectively. The incorporation efficiency for BAF312 in the CaP-NPs was 76.1%. The small size of the nanoparticles elevated their enrichment in the tumor, and the degradable CaP shell with smart pH sensitivity of the BAF312@CaP-NPs ensured the release of BAF312 in the acidic tumor niche. BAF312@CaP-NPs caused substantial cytotoxicity in DDP-resistant ovarian cancer cells by downregulating S1PR1 and P-STAT3 levels.Conclusion: We found that BAF312@CaP-NPs act as an effective and selective delivery system for overcoming S1PR1-mediated chemoresistance in ovarian carcinoma by inhibiting S1PR1 and P-STAT3.Keywords: cisplatin, chemotherapy, antagonist of S1PR1, pH sensitivity, nanoparticles

Quan Zhao,1,* Linhai Li,1,* Yu Zhu,1 Dezhi Hou,1 Yuejin Li,1 Xiaodong Guo,1 Yongzhi Wang,1 Opeyemi Joshua Olatunji,2 Ping Wan,3 Kunmei Gong1 1Department of General Surgery, First People’s Hospital of Yunnan Province (The Affiliated Hospital of Kunming University of Science and Technology), Kunming, Yunnan 650032, People’s Republic of China; 2Faculty of Thai Traditional Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai 90112, Thailand; 3Department of Digestive Internal Medicine, First People’s Hospital of Yunnan Province (The Affiliated Hospital of Kunming University of Science and Technology), Kunming, Yunnan 650032, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Kunmei GongDepartment of General Surgery, First People’s Hospital of Yunnan Province (The Affiliated Hospital of Kunming University of Science and Technology), Kunming, Yunnan 650032, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail gkmmed@sina.comPing WanDepartment of Digestive Internal Medicine, First People’s Hospital of Yunnan Province (The Affiliated Hospital of Kunming University of Science and Technology), Kunming, Yunnan 650032, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail kmwp_66@sina.comBackground: Obesity is characterized by excessive body fat, insulin resistance and dyslipidemia, which increases the chances of developing chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases, some types of cancers and neurodegenerative diseases. Kukoamine B (Kuk B) is a spermine alkaloid obtained from Lycium chinense, and it has been shown to possess antidiabetic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, we evaluated the therapeutic effect of Kuk B on high-fat diet/high-fructose (HFDFr)-induced insulin resistance and obesity in experimental rats.Materials and Methods: Rats were fed with either normal rat diet or HFDFr for 10 consecutive weeks. The groups that were fed with HFDFr received Kuk B (25 and 50 mg/kg) from the beginning of the 6th week to the 10th week. After treatment, the effect of Kuk B on body weight, food, water intake, insulin, blood glucose, serum biochemical parameters, hepatic oxidative stress (malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and proinflammatory cytokine (interleukin (IL)-6, interleukin (IL)-1β and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)) levels was determined. Histopathological analysis of the liver tissues was also performed.Results: HFDFr-fed rats showed a significant increase in body weight, fasting blood glucose, insulin, lipid accumulation and liver function enzymes. In addition, HFDFr diet increased hepatic MDA, TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 and decreased hepatic SOD, CAT and GSH-Px activities. On the other hand, Kuk B significantly attenuated body weight, insulin resistance, lipid accumulation, oxidative stress and inflammation.Conclusion: These results indicated that Kuk B showed protective effect against HFDFr-induced metabolic disorders by downregulating lipid accumulation, oxidative stress and inflammatory factors.Keywords: kukoamine B, obesity, insulin resistance, high-fat diet, inflammation, oxidative stress

Wei Li,1 Kaizheng Gong,1 Yuan Ding,2 Birenda Chaurasiya,2 Yue Ni,1 Yong Wu,1 Pei Zhao,1 Yan Shen,2 Zhengang Zhang,1 Thomas J Webster3 1Department of Cardiology, Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225000, China; 2Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210009, China; 3Department of Chemical Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA Purpose: This study was carried out to investigate the effects of a triptolide (TP) nanosuspension and methotrexate (MTX) nanosuspension on left ventricular remodeling and cardiac function for autoimmune myocarditis (EAM) in rats. The regulating effects on inflammatory cytokines in the peripheral serum and related mechanisms are also discussed. Methods: First, TP and MTX were prepared as a nanosuspension, and the EAM model was successfully established in rats with cardiac myosin. Then, the effect of TP and MTX suspensions was tested in an EAM model. Results: Results revealed that both TP and MTX suspensions could reduce the degree of myocardial fibrosis and delay the remodeling process of the left ventricle which could further improve cardiac function. Finally, it was found that inflammatory cytokines in the peripheral serum were regulated by the nonspecific immune system and the inhibition of nuclear factor-κB signaling might have partly occurred due to this mechanism. Conclusion: In summary, this study provided a complete foundation for EAM therapy of profound clinical relevance. Keywords: inflammatory cytokines, heart failure, dilated cardiomyopathy, immunoregulation, suspension

Gengyan Xiong,1,* Lin Yao,1,* Peng Hong,1,* Li Yang,2 Weimin Ci,3 Libo Liu,1 Qun He,1 Kan Gong,1 Xuesong Li,1 Liqun Zhou1 1Department of Urology, Peking University First Hospital, Institute of Urology, Peking University, National Urological Cancer Center, Beijing, China; 2Department of Nephrology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China; 3Key Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China *These authors contributed equally to this work Background: In China, upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is less prevalent but more malignant in males. This study investigates the prognostic factors and causes of gender-based differences in Chinese populations. Methods: Between 1999 and 2011, 687 UTUC patients who underwent surgery were utilized for this study. We evaluated the differences in oncological characteristics, epigenetic biomarkers, cancer-specific survival (CSS), bladder recurrence (BR) rate, and contralateral upper tract recurrence (CUTR) rate. Smoking history, benzene exposure history, and the history of using aristolochic acid (AA) containing herbs were analyzed in detail. Results: Compared with male patients, female patients showed poorer renal function, lower proportions of tumor stage III/IV, and smaller tumor diameters. The CSS in male patients was lower than that in female patients. Significant gender-related differences were observed concerning various prognostic factors. In female patients, poorer survival rates were attributed to the primary tumor location in the ureter, large diameter primary tumors, severe chronic kidney disease, papillary tumor architecture, high tumor stages, positive N status, and methylated ABCC6 promoters. In male patients, older age, ipsilateral hydronephrosis, large tumor diameters, sessile tumor architecture, high tumor stages, and methylated TMEFF2 promoters were associated with higher cancer-specific mortality. AA might be the main cause of these gender-based differences. The AA-induced UTUC patients presented smaller tumor diameters, lower tumor stages, fewer positive N statuses, more multifocal tumors, lower methylation indices, and poorer renal function. Although AA-induced UTUC patients exhibited better survival rates, BR and CUTR rates were significantly worse. Conclusion: In China, there exist significant AA-induced differences between male and female UTUC patients. The bladders and contralateral upper urinary tracts of AA-induced UTUC patients should be carefully monitored after surgery. Keywords: upper tract urothelial carcinoma, aristolochic acid, gender difference, oncological outcomes, China

Yutong Meng,1,* Zhirui Li,1,2,* Ke Gong,1 Xiao An,2 Jiyuan Dong,1 Peifu Tang1 1Department of Orthopedics, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China; 2Department of Orthopedics, Chinese PLA General Hospital Hainan Branch, Sanya, China *These authors contributed equally to this work Purpose: Obesity can result in increased blood loss, which is correlated with poor prognosis in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Clinical application of tranexamic acid is effective in reducing blood loss in TKA. However, most previous studies focused on the effect of tranexamic acid in the whole population, neglecting patients with specific health conditions, such as obesity. We hypothesized that tranexamic acid would reduce blood loss to a greater extent in obese patients than in those of normal weight. Patients and methods: A total of 304 patients with knee osteoarthritis treated with TKA from October 2013 to March 2015 were separated into tranexamic, non-tranexamic, obese, and non-obese groups. The demographic characteristics, surgical indices, and hematological indices were all recorded. We first investigated the ability of intravenous tranexamic acid to reduce intraoperative blood loss in knee osteoarthritis patients undergoing unilateral TKA. Second, we performed subgroup analysis to compare the effects of tranexamic acid between obese and non-obese patients separately. Results: Of the 304 patients, 146 (52.0%) received tranexamic acid and 130 (42.8%) were obese. In the analysis of the whole group, both the actual and occult blood loss volume were lower in the tranexamic acid group (both P < 0.05). Tourniquet time was shorter in the tranexamic acid group (P 0.05). Conclusion: Tranexamic acid can reduce occult blood loss and tourniquet time in obese patients to a greater extent than in patients of normal weight. Therefore, obese knee osteoarthritis patients undergoing TKA can benefit more from tranexamic acid. Keywords: obese, knee osteoarthritis, total knee arthroplasty, blood conservation, tranexamic acid

Time-of-flight (TOF) capability is becoming an important capability offered in both commercial and research PET scanners. Often commercial vendors and laboratory researchers develop and utilize proprietary electronics for their devices. Consequently, it is challenging for independent research groups to develop their own TOF-PET scanners. In this investigation, we tested a prototype scanner consisting of commercially available TOF-capable modules from Hamamatsu Photonics that can be used as building blocks for PET scanners. The scanner consists of a ring of 16 modules, for a total diameter of 26.7 cm. Testing demonstrated that the scanner is capable of sustaining ~1 MHz single counting rate with a peak noise equivalent count rate (NECR) of 117.5 kHz at 75.25 MBq measured with NEMA NU-4 "rat" phantom. Spatial resolution of 2.3 mm 5 mm from the center of the scanner was measured. Energy resolution of 17.2% at 511 keV was measured. Peak sensitivity of 1.28% is reported. All the measurements were performed with energy cuts from 350 to 700 keV Finally, scanner timing resolution was found to be 462 ps. Results from testing of a prototype scanner constructed using newly released TOF-capable detector modules produced by Hamamatsu demonstrated the promise for these devices to create high performance PET system with TOF capabilities.

The precise measurement of the spectrum of protons, the most abundant component of the cosmic radiation, is necessary to understand the source and acceleration of cosmic rays in the Milky Way. This work reports the measurement of the cosmic ray proton fluxes with kinetic energies from 40 GeV to 100 TeV, with 2 1/2 years of data recorded by the DArk Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE). This is the first time that an experiment directly measures the cosmic ray protons up to ~100 TeV with high statistics. The measured spectrum confirms the spectral hardening at ~300 GeV found by previous experiments and reveals a softening at ~13.6 TeV, with the spectral index changing from ~2.60 to ~2.85. Our result suggests the existence of a new spectral feature of cosmic rays at energies lower than the so-called knee and sheds new light on the origin of Galactic cosmic rays.

The precise measurement of the spectrum of protons, the most abundant component of the cosmic radiation, is necessary to understand the source and acceleration of cosmic rays in the Milky Way. This work reports the measurement of the cosmic ray proton fluxes with kinetic energies from 40 GeV to 100 TeV, with 2 1/2 years of data recorded by the DArk Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE). This is the first time that an experiment directly measures the cosmic ray protons up to ~100 TeV with high statistics. The measured spectrum confirms the spectral hardening at ~300 GeV found by previous experiments and reveals a softening at ~13.6 TeV, with the spectral index changing from ~2.60 to ~2.85. Our result suggests the existence of a new spectral feature of cosmic rays at energies lower than the so-called knee and sheds new light on the origin of Galactic cosmic rays.

Resonance Raman excitation profiles, including absolute Raman cross sections, have been measured for the optical phonons of organic ligand capped spherical CdSe nanocrystals with average diameters ranging from 2.6 to 5.2 nm. The absorption spectra, fundamental excitation profiles, overtone to fundamental intensity ratios, and depolarization ratio dispersion profiles are simulated using a model for the exciton phonon coupling strengths in the various excitonic transitions that contribute to the resonance enhancement. The resonance Raman cross sections increase strongly with nanocrystal size as expected from the increased transition dipole moments (oscillator strengths) in the larger particles. However, the exciton phonon coupling strengths, particularly for the lowest energy excitonic transition (1Se 1S3/2), are relatively independent of nanocrystal size over this range, perhaps decreasing slightly with increasing size. This result is consistent with calculations of exciton phonon coupling using an atomistic model for the phonon modes and an effective mass approximation envelope function model for the excitonic states if the electron and hole effective masses are adjusted to fit the experimental excitonic transition energies.

Glutamate in the peripheral nervous system is involved in neuropathic pain, yet we know little how nerve injury alters responses to this neurotransmitter in primary sensory neurons.We recorded neuronal responses from the ex-vivo preparations of the dorsal

The exploitation of electrode materials with high areal capacity and rate performance under high mass loading is critical for the practical application of sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), and 3D nanocomposite electrode materials based on nanoelectrode materials and 3D carbon-based material frameworks have shown extraordinary promise. However, the areal capacity and rate performance are unsatisfactory because of the low utilization efficiency and sluggish Na+ kinetics of active Na+ storage materials. To address this problem, we developed a 3D SnO2 nanoflower–holey graphene (SnO2 NF–HG) composite electrode. The 3D HG framework can provide a fully interconnected hierarchical porous channel for Na+ transport to the SnO2 surface, and the flower-like SnO2 nanomaterials with larger surface area can provide more active sites for Na+ storage. The electrochemical test results indicate the low Na+ resistance and high pseudocapacitance contribution of the as-prepared 3D SnO2 NF–HG electrodes. As a result, the low utilization efficiency and sluggish Na+ kinetics of the active Na+ storage materials were substantially boosted, and the 3D composite electrodes show impressive properties of high areal capacity and fast Na+ storage. Under a high current density of 5 mA cm–2, the 3D SnO2 NF–HG composite electrodes with high mass loading of 10 mg cm–2 achieve a strikingly high and stable areal capacity of 3 mAh cm–2. This high areal capacity is the same as those of commercial lithium-ion battery electrode materials and greatly exceeds those of most reported SIB electrode materials. Our work shows that rationally designed active Na+ storage electrode materials with large surface area represent an effective strategy for promoting high-mass-loading 3D composites and high-specific-capacity electrode materials toward practical SIB applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]