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ObjectiveMeniscal degeneration is strongly associated with osteoarthritis (OA). We aimed to evaluate a 3D ultrashort-echo-time Cones magnetization transfer (UTE-Cones-MT) sequence for quantification of macromolecular fraction (MMF) and MT ratio (MTR) in menisci of healthy volunteers and patients with different degrees of OA.MethodsPatients with mild OA (n = 19; 37-86 years; 10 males) or advanced OA (n = 12; 52-88 years; 4 males) and healthy volunteers (n = 17; 20-49 years; 7 males) were scanned with T2-FSE and UTE-Cones-MT sequences at 3T. Morphological assessment was performed using meniscal whole-organ magnetic resonance imaging score (WORMS). MMF and MTR were calculated for menisci, and correlated with age and meniscal WORMS scores. The diagnostic efficiency was performed by using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the area under the curve (AUC) analyses.ResultsDecreased MMF and MTR were observed in menisci of patients with mild or advanced OA compared with healthy subjects, and in menisci with tears (Grade 2-4) compared with normal menisci (Grade 0). Significant negative correlations were observed between MMF (r = -0.769, P

Background and purposeMR imaging has been widely used for the noninvasive evaluation of MS. Although clinical MR imaging sequences are highly effective in showing focal macroscopic tissue abnormalities in the brains of patients with MS, they are not specific to myelin and correlate poorly with disability. We investigated direct imaging of myelin using a 2D adiabatic inversion recovery ultrashort TE sequence to determine its value in assessing disability in MS.Materials and methodsThe 2D inversion recovery ultrashort TE sequence was evaluated in 14 healthy volunteers and 31 patients with MS. MPRAGE and T2-FLAIR images were acquired for comparison. Advanced Normalization Tools were used to correlate inversion recovery ultrashort TE, MPRAGE, and T2-FLAIR images with disability assessed by the Expanded Disability Status Scale.ResultsWeak correlations were observed between normal-appearing white matter volume (R = -0.03, P = .88), lesion load (R = 0.22, P = .24), and age (R = 0.14, P = .44), and disability. The MPRAGE signal in normal-appearing white matter showed a weak correlation with age (R = -0.10, P = .49) and disability (R = -0.19, P = .31). The T2-FLAIR signal in normal-appearing white matter showed a weak correlation with age (R = 0.01, P = .93) and disability (R = 0.13, P = .49). The inversion recovery ultrashort TE signal was significantly negatively correlated with age (R = -0.38, P = .009) and disability (R = -0.44; P = .01).ConclusionsDirect imaging of myelin correlates with disability in patients with MS better than indirect imaging of long-T2 water in WM using conventional clinical sequences.

In this study, we have studied the influence of nitrogen content on the mechanical properties of nanostructure medium entropy (TiVCrAl)Nx films prepared by magnetron sputtering. A transition from body-centered cubic nanocrystalline phases to an face-centered cubic columnar crystal structure has been observed in the medium entropy films as the nitrogen flow increases. With increasing nitrogen flow, the lattice constant of the film first increases and then decreases due to the change of composition from substoichiometric to overstoichiometric, resulting in the different bond length of Metal-N. The hardness of the films first increases and then decreases with the increase of nitrogen flow. When the nitrogen flow was 25 sccm, the hardness reached the maximum value of 23.1 GPa. Moreover, the film has shorter cracks length and a higher hardness/modulus ratio, exhibiting enhanced fracture toughness. The increased hardness primarily results from the formation of bonds between metals and nitrogen and the strengthening of a solid solution and a grain boundary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: The incidence of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is increasing year by year in the world, which has a greater impact on the quality of life of patients. In the past, symptomatic treatment was used in clinical practice, but the overall effect is still not good. Multiple clinical studies have demonstrated the efficacy of pirfenidone in the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; however, adverse reactions have been reported. We, therefore, systematically evaluated the effectiveness and safety of pirfenidone in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Relevant studies were retrieved from the Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Biomedical Literature (CBM), Wanfang and Weipu databases between January 1999 and May 2020, including the keywords “pirfenidone” and “idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis”, were included in our systematic review. Review Manager 5.4 software was used for data synthesis, and analyses of publication bias and sensitivity. RESULTS: Our systematic review included 13 studies involving a total of 13,247 patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Pirfenidone was associated with reduced declines in vital capacity (VC) and forced vital capacity (FVC) from baseline in patients with hermansky-pudlak syndrome (HPS)-related pulmonary fibrosis and to moderate idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Pirfenidone treatment was associated with lower reductions in FVC, lower reductions in 6-minute walking test distance, lower decreases in minimum oxygen saturation during the 6-minute walking test, lower all-cause death, lower relative risk of IPF-related death and increased progression-free survival compared to placebo. Progression-free survival was significantly longer in the pirfenidone group. The incidence of gastrointestinal, skin, nervous system, and liver function-related adverse events was significantly higher in the pirfenidone group compared to the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Pirfenidone has efficacy in delaying the progression of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Pirfenidone is well-tolerated by the majority of patients; however, mild adverse reactions related to the gastrointestinal tract, skin, nervous system, and liver function are common. Overall, Pirfenidone may be an effective and well-tolerated treatment option for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2010.07.004 Byline: D. Ulusen (a), J.G. Luhmann (a), Y.-J. Ma (b), S. Ledvina (a), T.E. Cravens (c), K. Mandt (d), J.H. Waite (d), J.-E. Wahlund (e) Keywords: Titan; Saturn, Satellites; Ionospheres Abstract: Cassini's Titan flyby on 16 April, 2005 (T5) is the only encounter when the two main ionizing sources of the moon's atmosphere, solar radiation and corotating plasma, align almost anti-parallel. In this paper a single-fluid multi-species 3D MHD model of the magnetospheric plasma interaction for T5 conditions is analyzed. Model results are compared to observations to investigate the ionospheric dynamics at Titan as well as to understand the deviations from a typical solar wind interaction, such as Venus' interaction with the solar wind. Model results suggest that for the T5 interaction configuration, corotating plasma is the dominant driver determining the global interaction features at high altitudes. In the lower ionosphere below [approximately equal to]1500km altitude - where the control of the ionospheric composition transfers from dynamic to chemical processes - magnetic and thermal pressure gradients oppose each other locally, complicating the ionospheric dynamics. Model results also imply that the nightside ionosphere - produced only by the impact ionization in the model - does not provide enough thermal pressure to balance the incident plasma dynamic pressure. As a result, the induced magnetic barrier penetrates into the ionosphere by plasma convection down to [approximately equal to]1000km altitude and by magnetic diffusion below this altitude. Moreover, strong horizontal drag forces due to ion-neutral collisions and comparable drag forces estimated from possible neutral winds in the lower ionosphere below [approximately equal to]1400km altitude oppose over local regions, implying that the Titan interaction must be treated as a 3D problem. Ion and electron densities calculated from the model generally agree with the Cassini Ion Neutral Mass Spectrometer and Langmuir probe measurements; however, there are significant differences between the calculated and measured magnetic fields. We discuss possible explanations for the discrepancy in the magnetic field predictions. Author Affiliation: (a) Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA (b) Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90025, USA (c) Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA (d) Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Rd., P.O. Drawer 28510, San Antonio, TX 78284, USA (e) Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Box 537, SE-751 21 Uppsala, Sweden Article History: Received 5 April 2010; Revised 19 June 2010; Accepted 5 July 2010

High-spin states of 109Ag have been studied using the 7Li + 110Pd reaction at a beam energy of 46 MeV. A negative-parity band decaying to the ground-state band by several new linking transitions is established. Meanwhile, seven new E2 crossover transitions of this band are observed, thereby confirming the spin-parity assignment and ordering of the dipole transitions above the Iπ = 19/2− level. A low energy γ-ray transition of 88 keV is found and placed at the bottom of the negative-parity band, and thus the Iπ = 17/2− level is tentatively assigned as the lowest observed state of this band. Experimental excitation energies and total angular momenta of the negative-parity band are compared with the predictions of self-consistent titled axis cranking relativistic mean-field theory with a three-quasiparticle configuration of. Based on the theoretical description and the analyses of the angular momentum coupling, this negative-parity dipole band is suggested as a 'stapler' band. By investigating the angular momentum components, it is found that the valence nucleons in the low-j orbitals play an active role in the 'stapler' mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]