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The innate immune response to viruses is formed in part by interferon (IFN)-induced restriction factors, including ISG15, p21, and SAMHD1. IFN production can be blocked by the ISG15-specific protease USP18. HIV-1 has evolved to circumvent host immune surveillance. This mechanism might involve USP18. In our recent studies, we demonstrate that HIV-1 infection induces USP18, which dramatically enhances HIV-1 replication by abrogating the antiviral function of p21. USP18 downregulates p21 by accumulating misfolded dominant negative p53, which inactivates wild-type p53 transactivation, leading to the upregulation of key enzymes involved in de novo dNTP biosynthesis pathways and inactivated SAMHD1. Despite the USP18-mediated increase in HIV-1 DNA in infected cells, it is intriguing to note that the cGAS-STING-mediated sensing of the viral DNA is abrogated. Indeed, the expression of USP18 or knockout of ISG15 inhibits the sensing of HIV-1. We demonstrate that STING is ISGylated at residues K224, K236, K289, K347, K338, and K370. The inhibition of STING K289-linked ISGylation suppresses its oligomerization and IFN induction. We propose that human USP18 is a novel factor that potentially contributes in multiple ways to HIV-1 replication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. While D-dimer can successfully diagnose venous thrombosis due to its excellent negative predictive value (NPV), it cannot be used to detect venous thromboembolism (VTE) because of its low positive predictive value (PPV). This study aims to investigate if a combination of using D-dimer and fibrinogen can improve PPV in the VTE diagnosis. Methods. We retrospectively analyzed various data including D-dimer, fibrinogen, C-reactive protein, ultrasound, and others collected from 10775 traumatic fracture patients and categorized them into two groups of VTE and non-VTE. By comparing the difference between the two groups, we employ multiple logistic regression to find risk factors that are useful to detect VTE. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic yield of using fibrinogen, D-dimer, and their combination, respectively. Also, these data were classified into quartiles by patient age. We perform the same analysis on the quartiles and find if the patient's age has an impact on diagnosing VTE. Results. The univariate analysis demonstrated that five factors of age, D-dimer, fibrinogen, C-reactive protein, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were significant to predict VTE. ROC showed that D-dimer was more useful than fibrinogen for the diagnosis of VTE, while the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.7296 for D-dimer and 0.5209 for fibrinogen. The cutoff point of D-dimer and fibrinogen was 424.89 ng/ml and 3.543 g/L, respectively. The specificity of fibrinogen was 0.777 which was better than D-dimer, while the sensitivity of fibrinogen was lower than that of D-dimer. Both PPV and NPV were similar in D-dimer and fibrinogen. The PPV of combining D-dimer and fibrinogen in ages Q3 (60 < age ≤ 70) and Q4 (age > 70) was better than using either D-dimer or fibrinogen. Conclusions. Fibrinogen is a promising strategy for the diagnosis of subclinical VTE and postoperative VTE. In particular, a combination of D-dimer and fibrinogen can improve the PPV to successfully diagnose VTE in traumatic fracture patients who are more than 60 years old. Levels of Evidence. This assay is a diagnostic test at level II. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Postoperative limb length discrepancy (LLD) is a common complication of total hip arthroplasty, and several methods exist to prevent LLD, but each has its benefits and drawbacks. The study investigates the application of intraoperative lower limb length measurement in preventing postoperative LLD. Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed 70 patients who underwent total hip arthroplasty from October 2018 to July 2022. The length of the lower limb on the operated side was measured intraoperatively using a sterilized paper ruler after the fitting of the trial mould and compared with the healthy side. Then the prosthesis size, depth and neck length were adjusted accordingly. Results: The absolute value of postoperative LLD was found to be 6.68 ± 4.48 mm, of which 53 cases (75.7%) were less than or equal to 10 mm, while 30 patients (42.9%) were less than or equal to 5 mm. Conclusion: The use of intraoperative measurement is effective in reducing LLD after total hip arthroplasty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Hierarchical micro- and nanostructures can be fabricated by ns lasers on Cu. • Microstructures arise from the accumulation of laser-induced resolidified materials. • Surface nanostructures originate from the redeposition of laser-induced plasmas. • Enhanced laser-induced evaporation and melting result in complex surface structures. Abstract Hierarchical surface micro- and nanostructures have attracted much attention in recent years due to their important roles in many applications. Among numerous techniques, ultrafast laser surface texturing technology has gained great success in recent years due to its flexibility and controllability in preparing large-area hierarchical micro- and nanostructures on a wide range of metal surfaces. However, recent studies have demonstrated that low-cost nanosecond (ns) lasers are also reliable tools to induce hierarchical micro- and nanostructures formation on metals, but the underlying formation mechanism is not yet understood. In this study, by observing the morphology evolution of surface structures, we proposed that the formation of surface hierarchical micro- and nanostructures originates from the accumulation of laser-induced resolidified materials and the redeposition of laser-induced plume. On one hand, our proposed mechanism explains the effect of laser pulse width on the morphology of surface structures, and, on the other hand, it explains some phenomena observed in other studies, which can benefit potential applications of this technology in different areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the effects of postoperative femoral neck shortening in patients with femoral neck fractures fixed with femoral neck system screws (FNS) and to explore the factors influencing femoral neck shortening. Method: To retrospectively analyze the data of 113 patients with femoral neck fractures admitted to the Second Hospital of Fuzhou City, affiliated with Xiamen University, between December 2019 and January 2022. Of these, 87 patients were followed up for more than 12 months, 49 men and 38 women: 36 cases of Garden I and II fractures and 51 cases of Garden III and IV fractures, to record the patient's hip Harris score at 12 months postoperatively. Patients were divided into femoral neck shortening group and femoral neck no shortening group according to their regular postoperative follow-up radiographic measurements. To count the incidence of femoral neck shortening, a comparison of postoperative complication rates and hip Harris scores between the two groups was made. Statistical comparison of the two groups and a multifactorial logistic regression analysis were also performed to analyze the factors affecting femoral neck shortening. Results: All 87 patients were followed up for more than 12 months after surgery. In 34 of these cases, neck shortening occurred, and the incidence rate was 39.1%. 15 cases of severe shortening, incidence of 17.2%; fracture healing 84 cases, fracture healing rate of 96.5%. The hip Harris score was 83.99 (81.95, 89.20) in the neck shortening group at 12 months postoperatively, 90.87 (87.95, 94.80) for the group without neck shortening; the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P < 0.01). 32 cases of fracture healing in the neck shortening group at 12 months after surgery, fracture healing rate of 94.1%; 52 cases healed without neck shortening group, fracture healing rate of 98.1%. The difference between the two groups was not statistically significant (P = 0.337). High incidence of neck shortening after FNS fixation of femoral neck fractures, cortical comminution of the severed end, fracture fractionation and quality of reduction were significantly correlated with neck shortening. Conclusion: High incidence of postoperative neck shortening after internal fixation of femoral neck fractures with the femoral neck system, the cortical comminution, the type of fracture, and the quality of fracture reduction are the influencing factors; femoral neck shortening can affect postoperative hip function, but does not affect fracture healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We compared femoral neck shortening after CCS and FNS, whereas existing studies have only compared the length of femoral neck shortening. In this study, we compared the time and length of femoral neck shortening in displaced femoral neck fractures after internal fixation between the two groups and analysed the reasons for the occurrence of shortening. • Significant femoral neck shortening after FNS requires further improvement in FNS. • Displaced femoral neck fractures account for a high percentage of all femoral neck fractures, have a high incidence of postoperative complications, and are difficult to treat. No studies report on the follow-up of displaced femoral neck fractures treated with FNS. In this study, we compared femoral neck shortening, intraoperative data, and postoperative functional scores between both groups. The purpose of this study was to compare the outcomes of femoral neck shortening between the femoral neck system (FNS) and the cannulated cancellous screws (CCS) for displaced femoral neck fractures in young adults In this retrospective analysis, 225 patients aged 18–65 years with displaced femoral neck fracture were divided into two groups according to internal fixation: 135 patients in the FNS group and 90 patients in the CCS group. The length of hospital stay, duration of surgery, intraoperative blood loss, quality of reduction, extent of femoral neck shortening, incidence of femoral neck shortening, femoral neck shortening at each follow-up visit, Harris hip score (HHS), reoperation, and complications were compared between the two groups. The median follow-up time was 28.2 (26.0, 31.2) months in the FNS group and 30.2 (26.3, 34.7) months in the CCS group. The follow-up time, age, sex distribution, body mass index (BMI), mechanism of injury, injured side, length of hospital stay, time from injury to surgery, and fracture classification were similar between the groups. Duration of surgery was longer in the FNS group (65.0 (55.0, 87.0) min versus 55.0 (50.0, 65.0) min, P<0.001); intraoperative blood loss was greater in the FNS group (50.0 (20.0, 60.0) ml versus 20.0 (10.0, 35.0) ml, P<0.001). Femoral neck shortening was 2.4 (1.0, 4.5) mm in the FNS group versus 0.6 (0.0, 2.6) mm in the CCS group at 1 month postoperatively (P<0.001); 3.7 (1.8, 6.4) mm in the FNS group versus 1.2 (0.6, 3.8) mm in the CCS group at 3 months (P<0.001); 4.1(2.4, 7.7) mm in the FNS group versus 2.3 (1.1, 4.4) mm in the CCS group at 6 months (P<0.001); 4.2 (2.6, 7.7) mm in the FNS group versus 2.6 (1.3, 4.6) mm in the CCS group at 12 months (P<0.001); and 4.5 (2.8, 8.0) mm in the FNS group versus 2.8 (1.5, 4.8) mm in the CCS group at 18 months (P<0.001). The two groups showed no significant differences in HHS, reoperation, and reduction quality. Compared to CCS, FNS is deficient in preventing femoral neck shortening. Future research should focus on improving FNS in terms of preventing femoral neck shortening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The purpose of this meta-analysis is to compare the merits and drawbacks between reamed intramedullary nailing (RIN) and unreamed intramedullary nailing (URIN) among adults.Methods: We comprehensively searched PubMed, MEDLINE database through the PubMed search engine, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, Embase, VIPI (Database for Chinese Technical Periodicals), and CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) from inception to March 2020. Outcomes of interest included nonunion rates, implant failure rates, secondary procedure rates, blood loss, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) rates, and pulmonary complications rates.Results: Eight randomized controlled trials were included. The result of nonunion rates shows that the nonunion rate is significantly lower in the RIN group (RR = 0.20, 95% CI = 0.09-0.48, Z = 3.63, P = 0.0003). There were no significant differences for the risk of implant failure rates (RR = 0.55, 95% CI = 0.18-1.69, Z = 1.04, P = 0.30). The secondary procedure rates were significantly lower in the RIN group (RR = 0.28, 95% CI = 0.12-0.66, Z = 2.91, P = 0.004). The result shows that the blood loss of URIN group is significantly lower (RR = 145.52, 95% CI = 39.68-251.36, Z = 2.69, P = 0.007). The result shows that there was no significant difference in the ARDS rates (RR = 1.53, 95% CI = 0.37-6.29, Z = 0.59, P = 0.55) and the pulmonary complications rates between RIN group and URIN group (RR = 1.59, 95% CI = 0.61-4.17, Z = 0.94, P = 0.35).Conclusions: Reamed intramedullary nailing would lead to lower nonunion rate, secondary procedure rate and more blood loss. Unreamed intramedullary nailing is related to a higher nonunion rate, secondary procedure rate and less blood loss. No significant difference is found in implant failure rate, ARDS rate and pulmonary complication rate between the two groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. The diagnostic value of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in predicting fracture-related infection (FRI) in tibia fracture patients remains to be explored. Methods. A retrospective controlled study was carried out with 170 tibia FRI patients and 162 control subjects. The following information was evaluated at admission: age, gender, clinical features, number of white blood cells (WBCs), neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, red blood cells (RBCs), platelets, level of hemoglobin, C-reactive protein (CRP), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), as well as NLR, MLR, and PLR. Results. The number of lymphocytes, RBCs, and platelets in the FRI group was higher than those in the control group, while the number of neutrophils and ESR level was lower (P < 0.05). The level of NLR and MLR was significantly lower in patients with tibia FRI than in control subjects (P < 0.05). Both indicators were positively correlated with WBCs, CRP level, and ESR level (P < 0.001). The results of logistic regression analysis showed that five variables including NLR, MLR, platelets, fracture pattern (closed or open fracture), and site pattern (single or multiple site) were used to construct the FRI risk predictor. The ROC curve analysis result showed that FRI risk predictor yielded the highest AUC, with a sensitivity of 91.2% and a specificity of 90.1%, and made the distinction efficiently between tibia FRI patients and non-FRI patients. Conclusion. NLR and MLR were decreased in tibia FRI patients compared to non-FRI patients. Both indicators had a positive correlation with WBCs, CRP level, and ESR level. FRI risk predictor constructed based on five variables including NLR and MLR had a high diagnostic value for tibia FRI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The technique of greenhouse stereoscopic seedling nursing in rice seedlings has many benefits, such as achieving the efficient use of seedling land and promoting standard centralized rice seedling. However, since multiple layers of seedbeds are stacked together and block light from each other, the problem of insufficient lighting arises from greenhouse stereoscopic nursing. Therefore, artificial supplemental lighting technology needs to be applied in the greenhouse in order to improve the illumination conditions of the seedbed layers, thus to enhance the quality of rice seedlings. In this paper, the range of flux ratio of red to blue light required for rice seedlings growth optimally was determined based on fundamental findings of the plant optical theoretical analysis; the light intensity distribution inside the greenhouse was calculated based on the theory of illumination analysis; and the light environment among the layers of seedbeds inside the greenhouse was simulated using the Ecotect software. Simulation results showed that, without artificial supplemental lighting, except the top layer, the light intensity on each seedbed layer couldn't meet the requirements of the rice seedlings growth. Based on the theoretical analysis and simulation results, the effects of different artificial lighting conditions on the growth quality of rice seedling were studied. In the study, LED plant lights were adopted to provide supplemental lighting to all seedbed layers except the top layer, and orthogonal experimental design was implemented to study the effects of the flux ratio of red to blue light, the light intensity and the frame spacing among the seedbed layers on rice seedlings quality. Experimental results from this study showed that the lighting condition with a flux ratio of red to blue light of 10:1 and a light intensity of 2 500 lx was beneficial to promoting rice stem elongation and growth; the lighting condition with a flux ratio of red to blue light of 8:1 was beneficial to retaining dry matters in rice seedlings and ensuring the tangle of the roots; and the rice seedlings processed by the lighting with a flux ratio of red to blue light of 8:1 had a higher healthy index compared to the rice seedlings processed by the lighting with a flux ratio of red to blue light of 6:1 or 10:1. The analysis of this study showed that the order of significance of the aforementioned 3 factors' effects on the quality of rice seedlings was: flux ratio of red to blue light>light intensity>frame spacing. The best artificial lighting condition was shown to be with a flux ratio of red to blue light of 8:1, a light intensity of 2 500 lx and a frame spacing of 45 cm. The conclusions of this study may serve as a technical reference for industrialized stereoscopic rice seedlings applications and provide guidance to the greenhouse stereoscopic rice seedling nursing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influenza B virus (IBV) causes seasonal influenza and has accounted for an increasing proportion of influenza outbreaks. IBV mainly causes human infections and has not been found to spread in poultry. The replication mechanism and the determinants of interspecies transmission of IBV are largely unknown. In this study, we found that the host ANP32 proteins are required for the function of the IBV polymerase. Human ANP32A/B strongly supports IBV replication, while ANP32E has a limited role. Unlike human ANP32A/B, chicken ANP32A has low support activity to IBV polymerase because of a unique 33-amino-acid insert, which, in contrast, exhibits species specific support to avian influenza A virus (IAV) replication. Chicken ANP32B and ANP32E have even lower activity compared with human ANP32B/E due to specific amino acid substitutions at sites 129–130. We further revealed that the sites 129–130 affect the binding ability of ANP32B/E to IBV polymerase, while the 33-amino-acid insert of chicken ANP32A reduces its binding stability and affinity. Taken together, the features of avian ANP32 proteins limited their abilities to support IBV polymerase, which could prevent efficient replication of IBV in chicken cells. Our results illustrate roles of ANP32 proteins in supporting IBV replication and may help to understand the ineffective replication of IBV in birds. Author summary: Influenza B viruses infect humans and few other mammals, but fairly rare in birds. Here we found that IBV requires the involvement of host ANP32 proteins in the replication process, in which ANP32A and ANP32B play major roles and can fully support polymerase activity independently, while ANP32E gives only limited support to IBV polymerase because of certain substitutions compared with ANP32A/B. Chicken ANP32A has a 33-amino-acid insert not present in mammals and provides better support to avian IAV polymerase, but this insert impairs its support for IBV polymerase activity. Chicken ANP32B and ANP32E have even lower support to IBV polymerase due to specific inactive mutations at sites 129/130. Our findings reveal an important role for ANP32 proteins in IBV polymerase activity and suggest the possible molecular basis of adaptation and restriction of IBV infection in different species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new hybrid laser forging and arc additive repairing process was developed to significantly improve the performance of repaired components. • The laser shocking pressure is much higher than the Hugonoit elastic limit of the high-temperature solidified metal, causing laser forging. • The high strain and severe plastic deformation induced by laser forging cause the martensite formation and grain refinement. A new hybrid laser forging and arc additive repairing process was developed to significantly improve the performance of repaired components, in which a leading gas metal arc was adopted to repair the partially damaged component, and a trailing short-pulse laser directly acted on the high-temperature solidified metal without coating (laser forging). Compared with arc additive repairing with post-treatment, this hybrid process performed the arc repair and laser forging synchronously. The laser forging region can be accurately determined using a multi-physical molten pool simulation. The molten metal flow was also studied, indicating that the high sulfur content introduced by the filler metal transfer had a significant influence on the Marangoni stress distribution and thus changed the molten metal flow patterns. The mechanism for laser forging without coating and its related physical effects were investigated. The laser shock pressure was significantly higher than the Hugonoit elastic limit of the high-temperature solidified metal, causing plastic deformation of the repaired layer. The high strain and severe plastic deformation induced by laser forging caused martensite formation and grain refinement, which improved the mechanical properties and electrochemical corrosion performance of the repaired layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In the past decades, the exact closed form solutions for the free vibration of thin orthotropic circular cylindrical shells have been merely restricted to some classical boundary conditions. Therefore, the target of the current paper is to present a new exact closed form solution for free vibration of orthotropic circular cylindrical shells with general boundary conditions by means of the method of reverberation-ray matrix (MRRM). Based on the Donnell–Mushtari shell theory, the wave solutions are constructed by the exact closed form solutions of the governing differential equations. The artificial spring technology is introduced to achieve the general boundary conditions of two end edges of shell. Hereby, the reverberation ray matrix can be easily obtained by using the MRRM together with the wave solutions, boundary conditions and dual coordinates of the orthotropic circular cylindrical shells. Then, the vibration results are obtained from the extrapolation method and golden section search (GSS) algorithm. By the comparison with other published methods and the finite element method, the accuracy of the present method is verified. On the basis of that, some new exact nature frequencies of the orthotropic circular cylindrical shells with general elastic restraints are shown which can serve as the benchmark data for the future computing method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • HIV-1 resists feline and human SERINC5 by its NEF protein. • FIV is sensitive to feline and human SERINC5 and has no viral counteractor. • FeLV has two determinants that counteract SERINC5: glycoGag and envelope protein. • FeLV-B envelope can protect HIV-1Δ nef or FIV against SERINC5. Human SERINC5 (SER5) protein is a recently described restriction factor against human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1), which is antagonized by HIV-1 Nef protein. Other retroviral accessory proteins such as the glycosylated Gag (glycoGag) from the murine leukemia virus (MLV) can also antagonize SER5. In addition, some viruses escape SER5 restriction by expressing a SER5-insensitive envelope (Env) glycoprotein. Here, we studied the activity of human and feline SER5 on HIV-1 and on the two pathogenic retroviruses in cats, feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukemia virus (FeLV). HIV-1 in absence of Nef is restricted by SER5 from domestic cats and protected by its Nef protein. The sensitivity of feline retroviruses FIV and FeLV to human and feline SER5 is considerably different: FIV is sensitive to feline and human SER5 and lacks an obvious mechanism to counteract SER5 activity, while FeLV is relatively resistant to SER5 inhibition. We speculated that similar to MLV, FeLV-A or FeLV-B express glycoGag proteins and investigated their function against human and feline SER5 in wild type and envelope deficient virus variants. We found that the endogenous FeLV recombinant virus, FeLV-B but not wild type exogenous FeLV-A envelope mediates a strong resistance against human and feline SER5. GlycoGag has an additional but moderate role to enhance viral infectivity in the presence of SER5 that seems to be dependent on the FeLV envelope. These findings may explain, why in vivo FeLV-B has a selective advantage and causes higher FeLV levels in infected cats compared to infections of FeLV-A only. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Highly stretchable hydrogel was prepared from biomass lignin. • LCP hydrogel performed excellent viscoelasticity and stretchability. • Compared with PVA hydrogel, the elongation rate of LCP increased by 20 times. • LCP hydrogel showed good thermosensitivity and electrical conductivity. In this study, hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as the framework, borax as the cross-linker, and biomass lignin from pulping black liquors and biorefinery as the plasticizer were used to synthesize the lignin-based HEC-PVA (LCP) self-healing conductive hydrogel with highly stretchable and thermosensitive properties by the one-step fabrication method. Compared with the PVA hydrogel, the maximum storage modulus and the elongation rate was increased by 7 times and 20 times, respectively. Uniformly distributed lignin could increase the mobility and distance of polymer molecular chains, therefore improve the viscoelasticity and stretchability of the LCP self-healing hydrogel. The LCP hydrogel could recover to the original state in 12 s after 10000% shear strain for 4 cycles. The LCP hydrogel also presented good thermosensitivity and electrical conductivity, and were very promising for applications in the fields of 3D printing and wearable electronic devices, that broadened the efficient utilization of biorefinery lignin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]