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Objective. To explore the effect of age stratification on patellar height after single-plane high tibial osteotomy of the distal tibial tuberosity (DTT-HTO). Methods. A retrospective analysis was performed on 110 knee joints undergoing DTT-HTO. Patients were divided into three groups according to age: under 60 years old, 28 cases; 60 to 70 years old, 61 cases; and over 70 years old, 21 cases. All patients were followed up for no less than 12 months, and at each follow-up, short-leg radiographs and whole-leg radiographs were taken. The values of the Caton-Deschamps index (CDI) and Blackburne-Peel index (BPI) of single-short-leg radiographs and the femoral-tibial angle (FTA) and weight-bearing line ratio (WBLR) of whole-leg radiographs were measured before and at the last follow-up. The Lysholm score before and at the last follow-up and the visual analogue scale (VAS) score before and 3 days after surgery and at the last follow-up were calculated. The frequency of classification of the normal-height patella, patella alta, and patella baja before and after surgery was recorded. Results. There were no significant differences in CDI and BPI preoperatively or postoperatively among the three groups ( P > 0.0 5), and there were no statistically significant differences in FTA and WBLR. There were no significant differences in CDI, BPI, FTA, or WBLR between the three groups before and after the operation ( P > 0.05 ). The Lysholm score increased from 48.84 ± 10.10 before surgery to 91.96 ± 3.082 after surgery ( P < 0.05 ); the VAS score decreased from 8.23 ± 0.99 before surgery to 1.93 ± 0.953 at 3 days after surgery and 1.07 ± 0.53 at the last follow-up ( P < 0.01 ). No significant difference was observed in the incidence of each patellar height classification between the three groups preoperatively and postoperatively. Conclusion. Patellar height is not influenced by DTT-HTO. The age of patients is not a limiting factor for the selection of this surgical procedure. Without affecting the height of the patella, DTT-HTO can effectively reduce pain in the knee joint, restore the function of the knee joint, and delay the progression of patellar arthritis.

Gold-palladium two-component nanostructures have attracted extensive attentions due to their synergetic coupling between optical and catalytic properties, and have shown important application potential in solar energy conversion and storage, photoelectric catalysis, photoelectric devices, biological imaging, medical diagnosis and treatment and other fields. However, the synthesis of gold-palladium nanomaterials with synergistic properties still face great challenges. The reason is that the palladium can epitaxially overgrow on the Au seed surface due to the lattice match. It means that the growth of palladium on Au seeds often leads to symmetric core-shell gold-palladium structures (Au@Pd). The Pd shell can greatly prevent the plasmonics of Au core by blocking light and deteriorating the surface plasmon resonance performance through the interface damping. One strategy is to grow ultrathin Pd shell (with thickness smaller than 5 nm) to realize the synergistic coupling between plasmonics and catalysis. The other more challenging way is to break the structural symmetry to prepare Janus-type gold-palladium asymmetric nanostructures. The asymmetric spatial arrangement of the two components within one nanoparticle will significantly improve the synergistic coupling effect. In this study, two methods for preparation of gold-palladium nanostructures in solution and on solid surface respectively were developed. The concave cuboid and dumbbell-shaped nanostructures with asymmetric palladium distribution on Au nanorods were prepared by adjusting the concentration of copper ions in the Au-nanorod seed solution for the first time. It was demonstrated that copper ions can compete with CTAB to adsorb on the surface of Au nanorods, which can regulate the interfacial energy of palladium deposition on the surface of Au nanorods. Therefore, the changing of gold-palladium interfacial energy caused the growth mode to be gradually transformed from the epitaxial growth to discontinuous patch on the seed surface, leading to the generation of an array of gold-palladium asymmetric nanostructures, including gold-palladium concave cuboidal nanoparticles and dumbbell-shaped nanoparticles, where palladium was mainly grown on the two ends of Au nanorods. Besides the solution-mediated synthesis, we also developed substrate-based techniques combined colloidal chemistry to prepare gold-palladium nanostructures. This method combined the merits of substrate-based self-assembly techniques and powerful colloidal chemistry to prepare a rich class of nanostructure architectures with unique properties. The monolayer of Au-octahedron was prepared at an air-solid interface and then transfer to a silicon surface. The substrate-immobilized self-assembly monolayer was used as seeds to induce the growth of palladium by dipping into the growth solution. A series of gold-palladium nanostructures with different palladium loadings were prepared on the solid surface with a monolayer of Au-octahedron as seeds by controlling the palladium content in the growing solution. Because of the steric hindrance effect of solid surface, palladium is preferred to nucleate on the surface of Au octahedron away from solid base. Therefore, the fabricated gold-palladium nanostructures have asymmetric spatial distribution of the gold and palladium components as was demonstrated by SEM and XRD analysis. Through the study of the SERS performance of the gold-palladium nanostructures under different palladium loadings, the surface-supported gold-palladium nanostructures with optimal SERS performance was obtained. The catalytic hydrogenation of p-nitrothiophenol into p-aminothiophenol through the optimal gold-palladium asymmetric nanostructure was monitored by in - situ SERS. The experimental results showed that the asymmetric palladium nanostructures prepared in this study realized the synergistic coupling between catalytic and SERS properties. It is expected that the method to synthesize asymmetric nanostructure developed here will play an important role in the field of heterogeneous catalysis.

The aims of the present study were to clarify the prognostic value of peripheral blood variables in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), including the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), and to determine the association between these variables and S100 calcium-binding protein A4 (S100A4) expression in tumor tissue, which is another prognostic factor for PDAC. Patients with PDAC were recruited at the Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital (Tianjin, China) between December 2008 and December 2014. A retrospective analysis was performed based on the recorded pre-treatment hematological parameters and clinical data. The prognostic value of NLR, PLR and LMR was examined. The association between these variables and S100A4 tissue expression was analyzed. Descriptive statistics and χ2 analyses were used in the present study. The median overall survival (OS) time of patients with PDAC was 9 months (range, 1-32 months). Univariate analysis revealed that NLR, LMR, carbohydrate antigen 19-9, surgery, chemotherapy, stage at diagnosis, tumor grade and age significantly affected OS. Although PLR exhibited no significant effects on OS, NLR and LMR were independent prognostic factors according to the multivariate analysis. Unpaired Student's t-test revealed differences between S100A4 expression and NLR, PLR and LMR. The results of the present study indicated that low NLR and high LMR were associated with a favorable prognosis in patients with PDAC. As a simply obtained and widely available index at diagnosis, NLR and LMR may become a novel predictive and classifying marker for PDAC in the clinical setting.

To observe the cartilage repair of the medial compartment and the biomechanical changes of the lower extremities after single-plane high tibial osteotomy of distal tibial tuberosity (DTT-HTO).A total of 30 patients, including 11 males and 19 females, who underwent DTT-HTO with arthroscopic operation in our hospital from January 2020 to January 2021 and underwent arthroscopic exploration again during the second operation for internal fixation were enrolled. There were 32 knees, including 13 left knees and 19 right knees. Age ranged from 50 to 78, with an average of 63.20 ± 6.61 years old. All patients completed two surgeries and were followed up, and no adverse events occurred during the period. International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) was used to assess the cartilage condition of the medial compartment of the knee during the two surgeries. In this paper, the weight-bearing line ratio (WBLR), the medial proximal tibia angle (MPTA), the femoral tibial angle (FTA) and the posterior tibial slope (PTS) were used to evaluate the changes of the mechanical state of the lower limbs. The visual analogue scale (VAS) score and the Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis (WOMAC) Index score were used to evaluate the improvement in knee pain and function.All patients completed two operations without adverse events and serious complications. The medial compartment cartilage of all patients had different degrees of repair during the second operation, and the difference was statistically significant compared with the first operation (P 0.05). During the second operation, the WBLR was corrected from (17.69 ± 2.16)% to (60.90 ± 1.97)%, the MPTA was corrected from (80.72 ± 1.61)° to (89.91 ± 2.58)°, the FTA was corrected from (182.31 ± 3.03)° to (171.81 ± 2.24)°, the difference was statistically significant (P 0.05). There was no statistical difference in PTS between the two surgeries (P 0.05). At the second operation, the VAS score decreased from 7.50 ± 1.34 to 0.34 ± 0.85, the WOMAC score decreased from 119.50 ± 10.43 to 46.25 ± 4.13, and the difference was statistically significant (P 0.05).DTT-HTO can significantly correct the weight-bearing line, restore the biomechanical parameters of the lower limb to the normal range, significantly relieve pain and improve knee function, and the medial compartment cartilage repair and regeneration phenomenon will occur after the correction of the weight-bearing line.

Background Some studies have reported that the activated ribosomes are positively associated with malignant tumors, especially in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The RNA-binding protein PNO1, as a critical ribosome has been rarely reported in human tumors. Thus, the roles of PNO1 in HCC should be explored. Methods We collected 150 formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples and 8 fresh samples to explore the expression and prognosis of PNO1 in HCC by immunohistochemistry, Western Blotting and RT-PCR. Public databases (TCGA and GEO) were used to verify the expression and prognosis. The functions of PNO1 in HCC was verified by in vitro and in vivo experiments. The underlying molecular mechanisms of PNO1 were examined by RNA-seq analysis and a series of functional experiments. Results PNO1 expression was considerably higher in HCC tissues and the higher expression of PNO1 was associated with poor prognosis of HCC patients. In vitro experiments indicated that PNO1 overexpression promoted proliferation and depressed apoptosis of HCC cells. In addition, high expression of PNO1 increased autophagy of HCC cells. Consistent results were also observed in vivo experiments. The results of the RNA-seq analysis indicted that PNO1 as an oncogene promoted HCC progression through the MAPK signaling pathway. The results were also verified by in vivo experiments. Conclusions PNO1 was overexpressed in HCC, promoted autophagy and inhibited apoptosis of HCC cells via the MAPK signaling pathway.

Background: High tibial osteotomy (HTO) is an effective treatment for varus knee osteoarthritis. However, obese patients require reinforced internal fixation materials to prevent internal fixation fractures and hardware failure after osteotomy. Thus, the purpose of our study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of distal tibial tuberosity high tibial osteotomy (DTT-HTO) using the new patented π-plate in obese patients with varus knee osteoarthritis.Methods: Thirty-four obese patients (39 knees) with varus knee osteoarthritis who underwent DTT-HTO with the π-plate and second-look arthroscopy when implant removal occurred from September 2017 to June 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. There were 9 males and 25 females, with body mass index (BMI) values ranging from 30.3 to 38.5 kg/m2 and ages ranging from 50 to 75 years old. The radiological assessment was performed with the weight-bearing line ratio (WBLR). The clinical outcomes were evaluated by the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) knee score and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC). The status of the cartilage was evaluated by the International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) grading system. Results: All patients were followed up for 18-30 months. The WBLR significantly increased from 16.85±2.20 to 55.41±2.46% from before surgery to the last follow-up after surgery (P 0.05).Conclusions: The new patented π-plate is an effective internal fixation material to provide good structural stability in DTT-HTO. And DTT-HTO using the π-plate can yield excellent clinical results in obese patients with varus knee osteoarthritis.

Background: Reactivation of dormant tumor cells is a critical step in the recurrence of many cancers, including colorectal cancer (CRC). Polo-like kinases 4 (PLK4), a central regulator of the cell cycle and proliferation, is a validated oncogene in tumorigenesis. However, the roles of PLK4 in tumor cell dormancy and reactivation still need to be further explored.Methods: The expression level of PLK4 was determined by immunohistochemical staining, Western blotting (WB) and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). PLK4-dependent clinicopathological risk factors and the prognosis of CRC were characterized with 122 clinical samples. The roles of PLK4 in tumor cell dormancy, cell cycle progression, proliferation and invasion were determined by molecular and cell biology methods in vitro and in vivo.Results: The expression of PLK4 was dramatically increased in CRCs and positively correlated with aggressive tumor behavior and clinicopathological risk factors. Downregulation of PLK4 expression contributed to restoring phenotypically aggressive tumor cells to a quiescent state, and this transformation was likely regulated by mesenchymal-to-epithelial transformation (MET) progression in vitro and in vivo.Conclusions: This study elucidates the mechanisms involving PLK4 depletion in the induction and maintenance of CRC dormancy, which are very important in terms of both clinical significance and application value.

Background Distal tibial tuberosity high tibial osteotomy (DTT-HTO) can prevent distalization of the tibial tuberosity and thus patellar infera. However, no studies on the clinical and radiological effects of DTT-HTO on the patellofemoral joint have been conducted. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effect of DTT-HTO on patella height and patellofemoral joint congruity based on the severity of patellofemoral joint OA. Methods Twenty-nine patients (33 knees) who underwent DTT-HTO and second-look arthroscopy when implant was removed between January 2018 and May 2020 were eligible for the study. Among them, 6 were males, and 23 were females, with ages from 51 to 78 years old. The Caton-Deschamps index (CDI), congruence angle (CA), and lateral patellar tilt (LPT) were measured to evaluate the effect of surgery on patellar height and patellofemoral joint congruity. The weight-bearing line ratio (WBLR) was measured to assess lower limb alignment. The cartilage lesion in the patellofemoral joint was assessed arthroscopically during surgery and implant removal by the International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) grading system at 18–24 months after surgery. The Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) scale was used to evaluate knee joint function. Results Twenty-nine patients were followed up for 18–28 months. The preoperative CDI, CA, and LPT changed from 0.92 ± 0.16 to 0.89 ± 0.14, from 5.52 ± 2.19 to 5.44 ± 2.27, and from 6.95 ± 2.88 to 6.54 ± 2.42, respectively, and the differences were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). The preoperative WBLR significantly increased from 16.72 ± 6.77 to 58.77 ± 7.69% (p < 0.001). The cartilage lesions in the patella and femoral trochlea did not progress significantly from the first- to the second-look arthroscopy, according to the ICRS grades (p > 0.05). The HSS score significantly improved from 50.64 ± 19.18 preoperatively to 67.33 ± 14.72, 81.63 ± 11.92, and 82.73 ± 8.05 at the 3-month, 12-month, and last follow-up after surgery (p < 0.001). Conclusion DTT-HTO can effectively prevent patellar infera, and its effects on postoperative patellofemoral joint congruity and patellofemoral joint OA progression are inconspicuous. It can be recommended as a treatment of varus knee combined with patellar infera or patellofemoral joint OA.

Colonoscopy is commonly used to screen for colorectal cancer (CRC). We develop a deep learning model called CRCNet for optical diagnosis of CRC by training on 464,105 images from 12,179 patients and test its performance on 2263 patients from three independent datasets. At the patient-level, CRCNet achieves an area under the precision-recall curve (AUPRC) of 0.882 (95% CI: 0.828–0.931), 0.874 (0.820–0.926) and 0.867 (0.795–0.923). CRCNet exceeds average endoscopists performance on recall rate across two test sets (91.3% versus 83.8%; two-sided t-test, p, Colonoscopy is the most commonly used tool to screen for colorectal cancer (CRC). Here, the authors develop a deep learning model to perform optical diagnosis of CRC by training on a large data set of white-light colonoscopy images and achieve endoscopist-level performance on three independent datasets.

Purpose High tibial osteotomy (HTO) is an effective surgical treatment for varus knee osteoarthritis. However, obese patients require reinforced internal fixation materials to prevent internal fixation fractures and hardware failure after osteotomy. Therefore, the purpose of our study is to evaluate the clinical efficacy of distal tibial tuberosity high tibial osteotomy (DTT-HTO) using the new patented π-shaped plate in obese patients with varus knee osteoarthritis. Method Thirty-four obese patients (39 knees) with varus knee osteoarthritis who underwent DTT-HTO with the π-shaped plate and second-look arthroscopy when implant removal occurred from September 2017 to June 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Three-dimensional surgical planning using DTT-HTO on the knees is performed. There were 9 males and 25 females, with body mass index (BMI) values ranging from 30.3 to 38.5 kg/m2 and ages ranging from 50 to 75 years old. The radiological assessment was performed with the femora tibial angle (FTA) and the weight-bearing line ratio (WBLR). The clinical outcomes were evaluated by the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) knee score and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC). The status of the cartilage was evaluated by the International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) grading system. Results All patients were followed up for 18-30 months. The FTA significantly changed from 181.68±1.68.preoperatively to171.29±1.51.at the last follow-up (P 0.05). Conclusion There are no correlation between BMI and postoperative outcomes. DTT-HTO shows yield excellent clinical results in obese patients with varus knee osteoarthritis. It can be recommended to be used for the heavy patients.

Decreased intercellular adhesion is a key step in the metastasis and recurrence of many cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). SVEP1 is an important cell adhesion molecule that plays a key role in regulating intercellular adhesion and embryonic lymphatic development. However, the expression patterns and roles of SVEP1 in HCC are still largely unknown. We identified SVEP1 expression by analyzing 220 HCC samples from our cancer center. TCGA and GEO online-databases were used for data calibration and validation. SVEP1 was differentially expressed in two groups of HCCs with different risks of recurrence and was deemed as an independent risk factor for the prognosis of HCC. The expression of SVEP1 is negatively related to the proliferation and metastasis of HCC. Downregulation of SVEP1 expression promoted in vitro HCC cell migration, chemotaxis, invasion and proliferation, as well as in vivo tumor growth, local invasion and metastasis in a mouse model. Bioinformatic analysis and RT-PCR results showed that miR-1269b expression is negatively correlated with the SVEP1 expression and the prognosis of HCC patients. Further experiments showed that miR-1269b directly targets and downregulates the expression of SVEP1, which further induces the phosphorylation of Akt at thr308. These regulatory effects ultimately mediate the proliferation and metastasis of HCC cells. SVEP1 could serve as a promising prognostic marker of HCC. MiR-1269b downregulates SVEP1 expression and promotes HCC proliferation and metastasis likely through the PI3k/Akt signaling pathway.

Objective Arthroscopy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure on a joint in which examination and treatment of knee damage is performed using a surgical device known as the arthroscope. Lipoma arborescens (LA), an infrequent intra-articular lesion, originates from mature adipose cells under subsynovial tissue. The synovial membrane is pale yellow with large villous projections. It is caused by various underlying factors. We found many patients with LA and processed them appropriately.The research was implemented to investigate therapeutic effect of semi-automated arthroscopic diagnosis and treatment for knee joint. Methods We used the Stryker arthroscopic in surgery that is 4 mm in diameter with angle at 30°. Patients were chosen by biomechanical analysis and scanning mode. All of the patients underwent radiographic imaging examination, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Lysholm Score and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Arthroscopic limited synovectomy was carried out on these patients. Results The wound of all patients healed up. The content of follow-up includes: chief complaints, range of motion of knee joint, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Lysholm score. No swollen nor effusion of the infected knee was found in all patients during the follow-up. The postoperative symptom was markedly alleviated in fourteen patients and partially alleviated in one. All patients were satisfied with the therapeutic effect. Conclusion We performed biomechanical analysis based on knee slight flexion and extension. Arthroscopy is an endoscope for the diagnosis and treatment of joint diseases. Semi-automated arthroscopic debridement is good for early and mid-term osteoarthritis with Lipoma arborescens.

Objective: To analyze the correlation between ultrasonographic findings and Lysholm scores in knee osteoarthritis. Methods: This cross-sectional observational study included 77 cases of knee osteoarthritis examined from February to December in 2015. There were 66 females and 11 males, with an average age of 57.39 (6.41) years, single or bilateral knee pain and limitation of mobility, and an average course of disease of 13.60 (3.00) months. Multiple regression equations were applied in a linear regression analysis to assess the correlation between ultrasound findings and Lysholm scores. Results: The ultrasonographic findings of joint effusion, synovial hypertrophy, protrusion of the medial meniscus (MMP), and inflammation of subpatellar fat pad were significantly correlated with the Lysholm scores (all P .05). Conclusion: Musculoskeletal ultrasound can better detect the pathological changes of soft tissue in the knee, mainly including synovial hypertrophy, joint effusion, and MMP in comparison with those by plain radiology. After statistical analysis, it is indicated that ultrasonographic findings of synovial hypertrophy was possibly associated with joint locking, joint effusion with supporting, MMP with squatting, and inflammation of subpatellar fat pad with squatting and locking.

// Xiangdong Tian 1, * , Yanna Cao 1, * , Jingfu Wang 1 , Jie Yan 1 , Yao Tian 2 , Zhongyuan Li 1 , Huijuan Wang 1 , Xiaofeng Duan 1 , Yan Jin 1 , Qiang Zhao 1 1 Department of Pediatric Oncology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy of Tianjin, Tianjin’s Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China 2 Department of Radiotherapy, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy of Tianjin, Tianjin’s Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China * These authors have contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Qiang Zhao, email: qiangzhao169@sina.com Keywords: neuroblastoma, high-risk, treatment, surgery extent, survival rate Received: November 16, 2016 Accepted: February 13, 2017 Published: March 07, 2017 ABSTRACT The current multidisciplinary treatment for patients with high-risk neuroblastoma (NB) is the common census. However, protocols and opinions are different in different regions and institutions. We aimed to assess the protocol formulated by Chinese Children’s Cancer Group study in 2009, and the impact of surgery extent was highlightly evaluated. Methods: This study enrolled patients with high-risk neuroblastoma between 2009 and 2014 in Department of Pediatric Oncology of Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital. The clinical characteristics of patients were illustrated and surgery extent was evaluated by the impact on survival rate. Results: The 3-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were 56.2% and 50.5%, respectively. LDH ( P

To observe the efficacy of distal tibial tuberosity high tibial osteotomy in treating medial compartment osteoarthritis of the knee. In the experiment, a medical image enhancement algorithm based on shear wave domain improved Gamma correction was implemented to process medical images in order to diagnose patients more effectively.Sixty-five patients (13 males and 52 females) were included in the study who were treated with distal tibial tuberosity high tibial osteotomy, and the mean age of the patients was 63±6 years (range 49-73). All patients received X-Ray and MRI before surgery. We carefully studied and analyzed the findings, MRI findings and medical characteristics after using the shearlet domain to improve the Gamma correction method in order to enhance diagnostic accuracy. The improved image help us to judge the damage of the medial and lateral compartment more accurately. Weight bearing line (WBL) and femora-tibial Angle (FTA) were measured to evaluate the lower limb alignment before and 12 months after surgery. Visual analogue scale (VAS) scores, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) scores, the Westrn Ontario and Mcmaster Universities (WOMAC) scores were recorded to evaluate knee pain and function before surgery, 3 months and 6 months after surgery.The X-Ray and MRI scans of the patients were analyzed. After the shear wave shearlet domain is implemented, the image effect is significantly improved. 12 months after surgery, WBL was improved from 16.34±2.18% to 60.32±2.89% (p0.05), FTA was improved from 171.17±1.87° to 179.83±2.14° (p0.05). At 3 months and 12 months after surgery, VAS, HSS and WOMAC scores were significantly improved compared with baseline (p0.05).Distal tibial tuberosity high tibial osteotomy is able to correct varus deformity, relieve knee pain and the functional dysfunction, indicating which had a significant short-term efficacy. The shear wave shearlet domain incorporates the Gamma correction method to effectively preserve the image details, which to achieve a more accurate diagnosis, and help us to judge the damage of the medial and lateral compartment more accurately.

Objective Nowadays, arthroscopy is widely applied to the treatment of joint diseases. The experimental trials were designed to determine whether the infrapatellar plica was symptomatic or not, and to appraise the medical effects of these patients who underwent arthroscopic treatment. An improved Laplacian image enhancement algorithm is added to the experiment. The medical image of the Subpatellar vertebral body under arthroscope is processed by the algorithm. The processed image is compared with the original image, and the advantages and disadvantages of the improved Laplacian image enhancement algorithm are analyzed. Methods Retrospective Medical trial design was executed in our study. In addition, X-ray film and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were included in the study. Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Lysholm Score were carried out. Arthroscopy results, MRI findings, and Medical features were researched and analyzed carefully. Then we use the improved Laplacian image enhancement algorithm to process the image, which makes the image more convenient for analysis and improves the diagnostic accuracy. Results Some of the experimental protomedical images are not clear enough, and the details and textures are difficult to judge, which hinders the diagnosis. After the improved Laplacian algorithm processing, the image effect has been significantly improved. From the image we get the result, although the wound healed after surgery, some patients have existence of transient swelling in recovery process but no effusion. The pain of all patients knee was sharply relieved and the function was improved. All patients’ conditions were most satisfactory. Conclusion The findings in this study demonstrate a significant reduction in knee pain and improvement in function by releasing and removal of the symptomatic infrapatellar plica under arthroscopic surgery. The image processed by the improved Laplacian image enhancement algorithm can effectively retain the image details, which is conducive to diagnosis and improve the diagnostic accuracy.

Objective The aim of the present study was to analyze the prognostic factors in patients with hepatoblastoma (HB) in our single center and to evaluate periostin (POSTN) expression in HB and its association with clinicopathological variables. In addition, the underlying mechanism of how POSTN promotes HB progression was discussed.Methods POSTN expression was investigated in HB tumors by immunohistochemistry (IHC), immunofluorescence (IF) and Western blot (WB). The association among POSTN expression, clinicopathological features and overall survival (OS) was also evaluated. The migration and adhesion ability of HB cells were measured using chemotaxis and cell-matrix adhesion assays, respectively. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-associated markers and activation of the ERK pathway were detected by WB.Results HB patients had poor prognosis which displayed lymph node metastasis, vascular invasion, POSTN and vimentin expression. POSTN expression was also associated with lymph node metastasis. Furthermore, overexpressed POSTN promoted migration and the adhesive ability of HB cells in vitro. In addition, we demonstrated that POSTN activated the MAPK/ERK pathway, upregulated the expression of Snail and decreased the expression of OVOL2. Finally, POSTN promoted the expression of EMT-associated markers.Conclusions POSTN might modulate EMT via the ERK signaling pathway, thereby promoting cellular migration and invasion. Our study also suggests that POSTN may serve as a therapeutic biomarker in HB patients.

Integrating multimodal bioimaging and different therapies into one nanoplatform is a promising strategy for biomedical applications, but remains a great challenge. Herein, we have synthesized a biocompatible folic acid (FA) functionalized gold nanorod@polypyrrole@Fe

The mechanism explanation for refrigerant and oil mixture heat transfer has puzzled the researchers for many years. Disagreements on the mechanism of heat transfer in the presence of oil persist. Therefore, in this paper, R447A and R447A/ lubricating oil mixtures were studied in a smooth horizontal cooper tube with 10 mm inner diameter (I.D). The evaporation temperatures were set to 10 and 20°C. The mass flux ranged from 100 to 300 kg/m2•s, and the heat flux ranged from 6 to 24 kW/m2. The oil concentrations ranged from 0.95% to 4.95% by mass. The results showed that the oil could enhance the heat transfer of R447A within a certain oil concentration range. In this range, as the oil concentration was increased, the heat-transfer coefficient of the R447A/oil mixture increased. To make a comprehensive understanding of the mechanism, three auxiliary experiments (phase separation, viscosity and flow pattern transition) were made to support the mechanism explanation. The surface wettability, viscosity, surface tension and phase separation caused by the addition of lubricating oil have different effects on the flow boiling at different vapor quality, and the leading factors are also different at different vapor quality. Based on the calculated mass transfer coefficients, a dimensionless thermal resistance 1/Rt was proposed. Most of the prediction results were less than 20% by using 1/Rt. R447A/oil mixture was also predicted using the new model with modified physical parameters, the prediction result was acceptable.

The flow boiling heat transfer characteristics of R245fa, R134a and non-azeotropic mixture R134a/R245fa (0.33/0.67 by mass) at high saturation temperatures were investigated in a horizontal tube with 10 mm I.D. Effects of high saturation temperatures on heat transfer coefficients of R134a, R245fa and the mixture were investigated from 55 °C to 95 °C. Heat flux was controlled from 6 to 24 kW/m2 and mass flux ranged from 100 to 300 kg/m2.s. The results show the heat transfer coefficient of the mixture (R134a/R245fa with 33%/67% by mass) is much lower than that of pure R134a and is close to that of pure R245fa. At high saturation temperatures, mass flow rate has less influence on heat transfer coefficient of R245fa and the mixture at a large heat flux. The heat transfer coefficients of three working fluids increase slightly when the saturated temperatures change within 10 °C. The pressure drops of pure R245fa and the binary mixture were studied and the pressure drop of the mixture (R134a/R245fa with 33%/67% by mass) is a little higher than that of R245fa. A modified heat transfer correlation considering the mixing effect of binary mixture is proposed for the mixture of R245fa/R134a, and the mean absolute deviation is within 20%. A modified two phase frictional factor for the mixture is proposed and the deviation of the mixture using modified two phase frictional factor is between −6% and +22%.

Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common malignant tumor in infancy and most common extracranial solid tumor in childhood. With the improvement of diagnosis and treatment, the survival rate of patients with low-risk and intermediate-risk NB can reach up to 90%. In contrast, for high-risk NBs, the long-term survival rate is still

Objective This study aims to investigate whether integration of traditional Chinese medicine and modern medicine has advantage in achieving the improved diagnosis and treatment of knee osteoarthritis. Methods 90 patients with knee osteoarthritis were selected from The Department of Minimal Invasive Joint of The Third Affiliated Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine from June 2013 to June 2015. They were divided into 3 groups with 30 cases per group in accordance to the syndrome differentiation of traditional Chinese medicine. The patients underwent arthroscopic surgery, and we categorized the patients having the same characterization in each group, and those having distinct difference into the three groups. Based on the arthroscopic analysis, we performed analysis of statistical data in order to analyze the relation between knee osteoarthritis under arthroscope and traditional Chinese medicine syndromes. Results There are three syndromes according to traditional Chinese medicine that can be categorized into various different groups. The synovial proliferation can be seen mostly in the syndrome of stagnation of blood stasis. The slight damage of knee joint cartilage can be seen in the syndrome of yang deficiency and cold stagnation, the severe one in the syndrome of kidney-marrow deficiency. We found that there are different pathological expressions with the various degree of the tissues damage at the knee and we categorized the knee according to their syndrome. Conclusion For knee osteoarthritis, different syndromes of traditional Chinese medicine presents different tissues pathological changes at the knee joint under arthroscopy, which will provide objective basis for the diagnosis of this medical condition.

A novel polypyrrole-based microchip has been developed by electrochemical deposition of drug-doped polypyrrole films on the Au microelectrode arrays. The drug release from the microchip is controlled by a potential application. Due to its unique configuration, the microchip exhibits some appealing characteristics, such as being able to supply single or multiple drugs with precise small doses, ability to achieve pulsatile release mode, small in size, and good biocompatibility, and thus has the potential for application as implantable device in the field of controlled drug release.

Established methods for kidney dialysis do not work for liver failure because kidney dialysis removes only water-soluble toxins, while the liver normally removes albumin-bound toxins. In the present study, a polysulfone dialysis membrane with a -OH reactive group was prepared by hydrolyzing the chloromethylated polysulfone membrane, and the bovine serum albumin molecules were fixed into the membrane with 1,1'-carbonyldiimidazole activation. The content of albumin of the albumin-fixed membrane was 121.3 mg (g membrane)(-1). The albumin-fixed dialysis membranes were used to remove protein-bound toxins, bilirubin, from the bilirubin-albumin solution. The transfer rate of bilirubin of the albumin-fixed membrane was obviously higher compared to the normal dialysis membrane. The clearance of bilirubin with the albumin-fixed membrane was 49.8%. The albumin-fixed membrane can easily be regenerated by the bovine serum albumin and NaOH solution. Regeneration of the membrane suggested good mechanical and chemical stability, as well as good clearance of bilirubin. In addition, the effects of membrane thickness and bilirubin initial concentration on the removal of bilirubin were discussed.