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Background/Objectives: To investigate the effects of axial elongation on ganglion cell complex (GCC) thickness and retinal capillary density (CD) in the circular region (12 mm diameter) using wide-field swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography. Subjects/Methods: This retrospective and cross-sectional study included 506 eyes. Fovea-centred 15 × 12 mm² scans were acquired to measure the subregional GCC thickness and CD in the whole retina, superficial capillary plexus (SCP) and deep capillary plexus (DCP) among three groups: normal controls, high myopia (HM) eyes with an axial length (AL) 28 mm. The magnitude of GCC thickness and retinal CD changes with axial elongation was estimated using multivariable linear regression models. Results: The GCC thickness and retinal CD in HM eyes with an AL >28 mm were lesser than those in the other two groups in most regions (P

Background: Public complaints concerning odor emissions from intensive livestock and poultry farms continue to grow, as nauseous odorous compounds have adverse impacts on the environment and human health. Itaconic acid is a metabolite from the citric acid cycle of the host and shows volatile odor-reducing effects during animal production operations. However, the specific role of itaconic acid in decreasing intestinal odorous compound production remains unclear. A total of 360 one-day-old chicks were randomly divided into 6 treatments: control group (basal diet) and itaconic acid groups (basal diet + 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 g/kg itaconic acid, respectively). The feeding experiment lasted for 42 d. Results: Dietary itaconic acid supplementation linearly and quadratically decreased (P < 0.05) the cecal concentrations of indole and skatole but did not affect (P> 0.05) those of lactic, acetic, propionic and butyric acids. The cecal microbial shift was significant in response to 6 g/kg itaconic acid supplementation, in that the abundances of Firmicutes, Ruminococcus and Clostridiumwas increased (P < 0.05), while that of Bacteroidetes, Escherichia-Shigella and Bacteroides were decreased (P < 0.05), indicative of increased microbial richness and diversity. Furthermore, a total of 35 significantly (P < 0.05) modified metabolites were obtained by metabolomic analysis. Itaconic acid decreased (P < 0.05) the levels of nicotinic acid, nicotinamide, glucose-6-phosphate, fumatic acid and malic acid and increased (P< 0.05) 5-methoxytroptomine, dodecanoic acid and stearic acid, which are connected with the glycolytic pathway, citrate acid cycle and tryptophan metabolism. Correlation analysis indicated significant correlations between the altered cecal microbiota and metabolites; Firmicutes, Ruminococcus and Clostridiumwere shown to be negatively correlated with indole and skatole production, while Bacteroidetes, Escherichia-Shigellaand Bacteroides were positively correlated with indole and skatole production. Conclusions: Itaconic acid decreased cecal indole and skatole levels and altered the microbiome and metabolome in favor of odorous compound reduction. These findings provide new insight into the role of itaconic acid and expand its application potential in broilers.

Highly oriented graphite frameworks are constructed via a facile intercalation–expansion process, which present excellent EMI shielding performance and scalability, showing great potential for the application of next-generation flexible electronics.

A booming demand for wearable electronic devices urges the development of multifunctional smart fabrics. However, it is still facing a challenge to fabricate multifunctional smart fabrics with satisfactory mechanical property, excellent Joule heating performance, highly efficient photothermal conversion, outstanding electromagnetic shielding effectiveness, and superior anti-bacterial capability. Here, a MoSe

Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) has been the standard therapy for carotid artery stenosis (CAS). Modified eversion carotid endarterectomy (mECEA) was recently introduced to treat CAS. However, the short-term safety and long-term efficacy of mECEA are still controversial among studies. This systematic review aims to summarize the current literatures about safety and efficacy of mECEA in treating CAS.A systematic review of mECEA was conducted in the main bibliographic databases in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) statement. Clinical studies on the safety and efficacy of mECEA in treating CAS with clinical results of transient ischemic attack (TIA), stroke, death, and restenosis were included.The initial search and screening found 15 references from the main databases, and 7 studies were finally included after full-text article assessment, which consisted of 3 single-arm studies and 4 comparative studies. The risks of postoperative complications including TIA, stroke, myocardial infarction (MI), and death ranged from 1.1% to 2%, 0% to 2.5%, 0% to 4.4%, and 0% to 2.32%, respectively. The mECEA was significantly related to lower risk of carotid artery occlusion, incision numbness, and shorter lengths of stay in hospital and average scar when separately compared with conventional CEA (cCEA), CEA with patch closure (pCEA), and eversion CEA (eCEA).The mECEA is a promising surgical option for CAS with acceptable clinical outcomes. In order to prove its safety and efficacy, future practices need to be conducted by more medical workers in more large-scale trials.

Graphene oxide (GO) is a versatile material with inherent unique properties that can be used in a wide range of applications. GO is produced from graphitic materials including graphite, and its properties can depend on the nature of stacking in the graphene structures. In this study, GO was prepared from pitch-based graphite fibers via the modified Hummer's method and subsequently incorporated into an epoxy matrix to obtain grapheneloaded nanocomposites (EP/GO). Presented experimental results revealed that the addition of 0.6 wt% GO yielded an similar to 110% increase in the fracture toughness. The corresponding fracture energies as well as the flexural strengths and flexural modulus exhibited similar trends to the fracture toughness. The thermophysical properties of the EP/GO, to further demonstrate the reinforcing effectiveness of GO, were also observed. Collectively, these results indicate that GO investigated in the study can be a viable reinforcement candidate to develop next-generation nanocomposites with multifunctional properties. Technology Innovation Program (Industrial Strategic Technology Development Program - Development of Techno-logy on materials and components) - Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy (MOTIE, Korea) [20010106]; Technological Innovation R&D Program - Small and Medium Business Administration (SMBA, Korea) [S2849653] Published version Funding information: This work was supported by the Technology Innovation Program (or Industrial Strategic Technology Development Program - Development of Techno-logy on materials and components) (20010106, Adhesives with low water permeability and low outgassing) funded by the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy (MOTIE, Korea) and supported by the Technological Innovation R&D Program (S2849653) funded by the Small and Medium Business Administration (SMBA, Korea) .

Heterocyclic Mannich bases

This systematic review and meta-analysis summarized the current literature to compare the safety and efficacy between first-pass effect (FPE) and multiple-pass effect (MPE) for thrombectomy in treatment of acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Major databases were searched for studies which reported clinical outcomes regarding successful or complete recanalization after first pass of mechanical thrombectomy in AIS. The assessment of bias was performed using different scales. I2 statistic was used to evaluate heterogeneity between reviewers. Subgroup, meta-regression, and sensitivity analyses were conducted to explore the source of heterogeneity. Visualization of funnel plots was used to evaluate publication bias. A total of 9 studies were eligible for final analysis. For successful recanalization (mTICI 2b-3), favorable outcomes were seen in 49.7% (95% confidence interval (CI): 40.5–58.9%) and 34.7% (95% CI: 26.8–42.7%) of FPE and MPE patients, respectively. Mortality at 3 months was 13.8% (95% CI: 10.8–16.9%) and 26.0% (95% CI: 17.7–34.2%), respectively. For complete recanalization (mTICI 2c-3), proportion of favorable outcomes were 62.7% (95% CI: 51.2–74.2%) and 47.7% (95% CI: 37.4–58.0%) in FPE and MPE; mortality was seen in 11.5% (95% CI: 4.9–18.2%) and 17.0% (95% CI: 5.2–28.7%), respectively. For AIS with successful recanalization, FPE had more favorable outcome (odds ratio (OR): 1.85, 95% CI: 1.48–2.30; p

Rapid developments of integrated circuits in electronics, aerospace, and aeronautics are always accompanied with the issue of heat diffusion, which impacts service efficiency and instrument life. Considering the weight, corrosion resistance, processing, and cost, carbon-based polymer composites are the most promising candidates for conductive materials; they have been widely investigated during the past few decades. The foremost objective of this article is to introduce the thermal conduction mechanism in the bulk polymer, crystalline particles, and carbon-based polymer composites, and review recent studies of carbon nanotube- or graphene-based interfacial thermal materials. The relative results and progress are summarized, and some thermal conductive parameters, such as filler structure, filler orientation, filler dispersion, and interfacial thermal resistance are comprehensively reviewed. An outlook of the future challenges of the thermal conductive materials is proposed at the end. This article provides highly accessible and comprehensive thermal conductive knowledge to researchers who are working on thermal conduction area.

IntroductionConventional lipid-lowering agents, including statins, ezetimibe, fibrates, bile acid sequestrants, nicotinic acid, bempedoic acid and Omega-3, are essential to the management of dyslipidaemia. However, these agents have been shown to increase the level of plasma proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin 9 (PCSK9), a serine protease associated with increased cardiovascular risk. This review aims to investigate the impact of commonly available conventional lipid-lowering agents on circulating PCSK9 levels and lipid profiles.Methods and analysisThis protocol is conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols guidelines. A systematic search will be conducted in the following databases: MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), EMBASE, Web of Science, SCOPUS and ScienceDirect. Additional information will be retrieved from clinical trial registries or from reference list searches. Published and peer-reviewed randomised controlled trials with adults receiving statin, ezetimibe, fibrate, bile acid sequestrant, nicotinic acid, bempedoic acid or Omega-3 monotherapy or in combination for at least 2 weeks, with availability of plasma PCSK9 at the beginning and end of treatment or the net changes in values, will be included. Study selection, data extraction and assessment of the risk of bias will be independently conducted by two investigators. Continuous data will be presented as a standardised mean difference with 95% confidence interval (CI) and dichotomous data as risk ratios with 95% CI. Subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis will be performed when sufficient studies are included. Publication bias will be assessed with a funnel plot and Egger’s test.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval is not required as this review will only include data from published sources. The results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.Patient and public involvementNo patient or members of the general public are involved.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42022297942.

Interfacial interaction is one of the most crucial and dominant factors affecting the performance and behavior of a material. The surfaces of layered expanded graphite (EG) were activated by covalently grafted mercapto groups (-SH), which can readily react with the macromolecular chains of rubber, thus forming a strong interfacial adhesion between the filler and the rubber matrix. Shear-induced mercapto-group-activated graphite nanoplatelets (S@GNPs) were fabricated in situ by compound mixing in a two-roll mill. A correlation between the interfacial interaction and the thermal conductivity, as well as the thermo-physical properties, was comprehensively investigated. The results showed that rubber/S@GNPs composites exhibited better mechanical performance, enhanced thermo-physical properties, and superior thermal conductivity, all of which could be attributed to the stronger interfacial interaction resulting from chemical bonding between the S@GNPs and the molecular chains of the rubber, relative to XSBR/GNP composites connected by weaker π-π stacking.

Diamond is a metastable allotrope of carbon. Monocrystalline diamond with particle size less than 100 nm (designated as nanodiamond) has been widely studied during the past decades. Nanodiamonds have recently attracted attention owing to their exceptional mechanical and optical properties, tunable surface structure, and high specific surface area. The specific core-shell structure and abundant functional groups on its surface endow it with a variety of functional applications. Their excellent physical properties enable their application as ideal fillers in reinforcing polymer composites, resulting in superior mechanical properties, thermal stability, thermal conductivity and tribological properties. In addition to polymer composites, nanodiamonds and its composites are also widely used in sensors, optical computing, and quantum computing. As nanoscale materials, nanodiamonds and its composites are also used in electrical energy storage, wastewater treatment and bioapplications. Due to its superior biocompatibility and low cytotoxicity, nanodiamonds and its composites are now becoming crucial in biological applications. In this study, the properties of nanodiamonds and their application in polymer composites, electronics, energy, environmental areas and biological areas were analyzed.

Amine-terminated macromolecular chain (ATBN) were covalently grafted on expanded graphite (EG) surface using 4,4′-methylene diphenyl diisocyanate as coupling agent. The functionalization result of the amine-terminated EG (AEG) was demonstrated by various analysis techniques. The AEG was incorporated into the epoxy (EP) matrix to form EP/AEG nanocomposites by interlayer polymerization in the EG interval layers. The grafted ATBN chains on the AEG surfaces can not only enhance the interfacial adhesion of the filler and EP matrix, but can also act as hardener to react with the EP chains covalently to further toughen the fabricated EP nanocomposites. The thermal stability, thermal conductivity, thermos-mechanical, and rheological properties of the EP/AEG nanocomposites were comprehensively studied. The results showed that the novel-designed AEG can significantly enhance the thermal conductivity of the EP composites. Moreover, the as-designed composites show superior thermal stability and thermo-physical properties, making them potentially useful as thermal management materials in electronic devices.

Amine-terminated butadiene-acrylonitrile (ATBN) was covalently grafted on a hexagonal boron nitride (BN) surface to enhance the interface affinity between BN and a carboxylated styrene-butadiene rubber (XSBR) matrix for preparing thermal interface materials with robust thermo-physical properties. The strong attraction between the amino groups on the ATBN-functionalized BN (ABN) and the carboxyl groups on the XSBR chains can further enhance the interfacial adhesion between the fillers and polymer matrix. The mechanical properties, thermal stability, thermal conductivity, thermo-physical properties, and interfacial filler–matrix network of the prepared XSBR/ABN nanocomposites were studied. The XSBR/ABN nanocomposites exhibited better mechanical and thermo-physical behavior compared to the XSBR/BN nanocomposites over the entire range of filler concentration, representing an enhanced interfacial interaction owing to functionalization. Moreover, the XSBR/ABN nanocomposites exhibited superior thermal conductivity as compared to the XSBR/BN nanocomposites, with the former exhibiting approximately 490% higher thermal conductivity than neat XSBR, whereas the latter exhibited 395% higher thermal conductivity than neat XSBR at a filler loading of 90 phr.

This paper aims at correlating the silane treatment of rice bran carbon (RBC) in nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) matrix with the rheological properties of RBC/NBR composites. The surface morphology and structure of RBC were characterized by X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (HR-SEM), Raman spectroscopy, and adsorption analysis. The RBC/NBR polymer-matrix composites were fabricated by using the latex compounding technique, based on the superior hydrophilic characteristics of RBC. The silane treatment process was conducted by in situ interfacial modification technique. The dispersion of RBC and the interfacial morphologies between the RBC and NBR matrix were confirmed by HR-SEM. The bonding mechanism was analyzed in detail by mechanical and dynamic rheological determinations. At the same filler concentration, the (3-mercaptopropyl) trimethoxysilane (MPTMS) treated composites exhibited stronger mechanical properties and higher storage modulus than original RBC/NBR composite, as the interfacial interaction via MPTMS connected RBC and NBR molecules was stronger than the interaction in RBC/NBR composites connected by hydrogen bonds and weaker π-π stacking.

The enormous demand for waste heat utilization and burgeoning eco-friendly wearable materials has triggered huge interest in the development of thermoelectric materials that can harvest low-cost energy resources by converting waste heat to electricity efficiently. In particular, due to their high flexibility, nontoxicity, cost-effectivity, and promising applicability in various fields, organic thermoelectric materials are drawing more attention compared with their toxic, expensive, heavy, and brittle inorganic counterparts. Organic thermoelectric materials are approaching the figure of merit of the inorganic ones via the construction and optimization of unique transport pathways and device geometries. This review presents the recent development of the interdependence and decoupling principles of the thermoelectric efficiency parameters as well as the new achievements of high performance organic thermoelectric materials. Moreover, this review also discusses the advances in the thermoelectric devices with emphasis on their energy-related applications. It is believed that organic thermoelectric materials are emerging as green energy alternatives rivaling their conventional inorganic counterparts in the efficient and pure electricity harvesting from waste heat and solar thermal energy.