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Purpose: To describe the anatomical and histological characteristics of the human MTL (meniscotibial ligament) that keeps the meniscus stable and are rarely discussed. Study design: Descriptive laboratory study. Methods: In total, six fresh-frozen adult cadaver knees were dissected, and the dissection protocol were designed by two experienced anatomy professors. The anatomical morphology of MTL was observed. The main anatomical specimens included meniscus, tibial plateau, MTL. The osteotome was used to excise the portion of the tibial plateau, which could obtain the complex including partial meniscus, MTL, and a tibial fragment. A histopathologic study was performed by two experienced pathologists. Results: Macroscopically, the MTL could be divided into two parts: medial meniscotibial ligament (MMTL)and lateral meniscotibial ligament (LMTL). The MMTL is distributed continuously, whereas the LMTL is discontinuous on the tibial plateau. The average length from the tibial attachment of the LMTL to the articular surface was 19 ± 1.0mm (mean ± SD). The average length from the tibial attachment of the MMTL to the articular surface was 10 ± 1.2 mm (mean ± SD). Microscopy of the MTL showed that the MTL is a ligamentous tissue, composed of a network of oriented collagenous fibers. Conclusions: In all knees, the MTL was inserted on the outer edge of the meniscus, attaching to the tibia below the level of articular cartilage, which was key to maintaining the rotational stability of knee and the meniscus in the physiological position on the tibial plateau. Histological analysis of this ligament demonstrated that the MTL is a veritable ligamentous structure, which is made up of collagen type I–expressing fibroblasts. Clinical relevance: This article contributes to the understanding of the anatomical and histological characteristics of the MTL. It is beneficial to promote the development of relevant surgical techniques for the MTL lesion.

Phosphoric acid is commonly used to react with carbonates to generate carbon dioxide for determining the carbon and oxygen isotopes of carbonates by using online reaction device, for example, GasBench coupled to an isotope ratio mass spectrometer (IRMS). During the measurement, oxygen isotope fractionation will arise due to various factors, which can result differences between the measured oxygen isotope values and the actual ones. In this study, a series of carbonate standard materials (international standard materials IAEA-603, NBS18, and national standard materials GBW04416 and GBW04405) and modern marine planktonic foraminiferal samples were determined to explore the contribution of acid fractionation on the oxygen isotope values under different conditions. The effects of acid fractionation on the oxygen isotope values for each standard material, and the underlying mechanism were investigated and discussed. The results showed that: 1) The acid fractionation effect is mainly caused by the exchange of oxygen isotopes between the sample CO2 gas and the evaporated gas phase water in the headspace bottle (at high temperatures) or by the liquid water in the acid (at low temperatures); 2) The acid fractionation coefficients of oxygen isotope in carbonate reference materials with different characteristics show significant differences and are related to their oxygen isotope compositions; 3) The degree of deviation of oxygen isotopes is related to the factors such as reaction temperature, sample quantity, water content of phosphoric acid, and the difference between the oxygen isotope composition of liquid and gaseous water in the acid and the oxygen isotope composition of the samples; 4) The acid fractionation effect on oxygen isotopes is significantly correlated with signal intensity. It is recommended to effectively correct the oxygen isotope fractionation of acid by accurately weighing reference materials and samples, following the principle of peak intensity matching and adopting linear correction method for determination of oxygen isotopes in carbonates. Besides, a lower reaction temperature (25 ℃) generates slighter degree of oxygen isotope fractionation. This study provides a useful reference for the accurate determination of carbon and oxygen isotope composition in carbonates, and is of great significance for improving analysis accuracy.

α-Linolenic acid (ALA, 18:3Δ9,12,15) is an essential fatty acid for humans since it is the precursor for the biosynthesis of omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA). Modern people generally suffer from deficiency of ALA because most staple food oils are low or lack ALA content. Biotechnological enrichment of ALA in staple oil crops is a promising strategy. Chia (Salvia hispanica) has the highest ALA content in its seed oil among known oil crops. In this study, the FAD2 and FAD3 genes from chia were engineered into a staple oil crop, oilseed rape (Brassica napus), via Agrobaterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation of their LP4-2A fusion gene construct driven by the seed-specific promoter PNapA. In seeds of T0, T1, and T2 lines, the average ALA contents were 20.86, 23.54, and 24.92%, respectively, which were 2.21, 2.68, and 3.03 folds of the non-transformed controls (9.42, 8.78, and 8.22%), respectively. The highest seed ALA levels of T0, T1, and T2 plants were 38.41, 35.98, and 39.19% respectively, which were 4.10–4.77 folds of the respective controls. FA-pathway enzyme genes (BnACCD, BnFATA, BnSAD, BnSCD, BnDGAT1, BnDGAT2, and BnDGAT3) and positive regulatory genes (BnWRI1, BnLEC1, BnL1L, BnLEC2, BnABI3, BnbZIP67, and BnMYB96) were all significantly up-regulated. In contrast, BnTT1, BnTT2, BnTT8, BnTT16, BnTTG1, and BnTTG2, encoding negative oil accumulation regulators but positive secondary metabolism regulators, were all significantly down-regulated. This means the foreign ShFAD2-ShFAD3 fusion gene, directly and indirectly, remodeled both positive and negative loci of the whole FA-related network in transgenic B. napus seeds.

In order to understand heat transfer characteristics and obtain a heat transfer correlation of Poiseuille-Rayleigh-Bénard (P-R-B) convection in the thermal entrance region of a horizontal rectangular channel, we performed a series of the direct numerical simulations. The working fluid is water, and the spanwise aspect ratio of the rectangular channel ranges from 2 to 10. The results show that the thermal entrance length for the onset of buoyancy-driven convection extends with the decreasing Rayleigh number and the increasing Reynolds number. The average Nusselt number in the thermal entrance region increases with the increase of Rayleigh number and Reynolds number. Furthermore, a smaller aspect ratio and a shorter length of the channel contributes to enhanced heat transfer in the thermal entrance region. Based on the simulation results, the heat transfer correlation in the thermal entrance region is established, which can be used as a reference for the engineering design on P-R-B convection.

In order to understand the influences of Rayleigh number, geometric dimensions of closed cylindrical cavity and cylindrical heat source, the coupled natural convection inside and outside a closed cylindrical cavity with a uniform temperature heat source in the center of the cavity is simulated. The results indicate that the secondary vortex will appear in the closed cavity with the increasing dimensionless height of the internal heat source and the aspect ratio of the closed cavity. The heat transfer ability of the coupled natural convection reduces with the increasing dimensionless height and the radius of the heat source, and the decreasing the aspect ratio of the closed cavity. Compared with the results in an isothermal closed cavity, the heat transfer ability exhibits a different variation. Eventually, a heat transfer correlation on the heat exchange between the internal heat source and the external environment is obtained, which can be used as a reference for the heat dissipation calculation of electronic devices.

Background and Objective: The dynamic assessment of disease activity during the follow-up of patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) remains a significant challenge. In this study, we aimed to identify the role of dynamic contrast-enhanced ultrasound (DCE-US) in the evaluation of activity of CD. Methods: In the retrospective study, patients diagnosed with CD in our hospital were included. All the diagnoses were confirmed by clinical symptoms and ileocolonoscopical results. All patients underwent intestinal ultrasound and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) examinations within 1 week of the ileocolonoscopy examinations. Acuson Sequoia (Siemens Healthineers, Mountain View, CA, USA) and Resona R9 Elite (Mindray Medical Systems, China) with curved array and Line array transducers were used. The CEUS examination was performed with SonoVue (Bracco SpA, Milan, Italy). DCE-US analysis was performed by UltraOffice (version: 0.3-2010, Mindray Medical Systems, China) software. Two regions of interest (ROIs) were set in the anterior section of the infected bowel wall and its surrounding normal bowel wall 2 cm distant from the inflamed area. Time–intensity curves (TICs) were generated and quantitative perfusion parameters were obtained after curve fittings. The Simple Endoscopic Score for Crohn’s disease (SES-CD) was regarded as the reference standard to evaluate the activity of CD. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analyses were used to determine the diagnostic efficiency of DCE-US quantitative parameters. Results: From March 2023 to November 2023, 52 CD patients were included. According to SES-CD score, all patients were divided into active group with the SES-CD score > 5 (n = 39) and inactive group SES-CD score < 5 (n = 13). Most of the active CD patients showed bowel wall thickness (BWT) > 4.2 mm (97.4%, 38/39) or mesenteric fat hypertrophy (MFH) on intestinal ultrasound (US) scan (69.2%, 27/39). Color Doppler signal of the bowel wall mostly showed spotty or short striped blood flow signal in active CD patients (56.4%, 22/39). According to CEUS enhancement patterns, most active CD patients showed a complete hyperenhancement of the entire intestinal wall (61.5%, 24/39). The TICs of active CD showed an earlier enhancement, higher peak intensity, and faster decline. Among all CEUS quantitative parameters, amplitude-derived parameters peak enhancement (PE), wash-in area under the curve (WiAUC), wash-in rate (WiR), wash-in perfusion index (WiPI), and wash-out rate (WoR) were significantly higher in active CD than in inactive CD (p < 0.05). The combined AUROC of intestinal ultrasound features and DCE-US quantitative perfusion parameters in the diagnosis of active CD was 0.987, with 97.4% sensitivity, 100% specificity, and 98.1% accuracy. Conclusions: DCE-US with quantitative perfusion parameters is a potential useful noninvasive imaging method to evaluate the activity of Crohn’s disease.

In order to reveal the combined influences of Rayleigh (Ra) number, Reynolds (Re) number and spanwise aspect ratio (B) on the flow pattern evolution and stability, and heat transfer of Poiseuille-Rayleigh-Bénard (PRB) convection, we presented a set of three-dimensional numerical simulations on PRB convection of air in the horizontal channels using commercial software Fluent in a range of 2 ≤ B ≤ 10, 0 ≤ Re ≤ 250 and 1.7 × 103 ≤ Ra ≤ 2.5 × 104. Various flow patterns are observed, including transversal rolls, longitudinal rolls, mixed rolls and wavy flow. The results show that the number of longitudinal rolls depends on B and Ra. The critical Rayleigh numbers for appearance and destabilization of the longitudinal rolls and the transversal rolls increase with increasing Re. With increasing B, the critical Rayleigh numbers for the primary and secondary instabilities will decrease and the critical Reynolds number also decreases. The heat transfer of PRB convection is enhanced with increasing Ra and B. A heat transfer correlation of the average Nusselt number with Ra and B is established.

Osteochondral injury is a common and frequent orthopedic disease that can lead to more serious degenerative joint disease. Tissue engineering is a promising modality for osteochondral repair, but the implanted scaffolds are often immunogenic and can induce unwanted foreign body reaction (FBR). Here, we prepare a polypept(o)ide-based PAA-RGD hydrogel using a novel thiol/thioester dual-functionalized hyperbranched polypeptide P(EG3Glu-co-Cys) and maleimide-functionalized polysarcosine under biologically benign conditions. The PAA-RGD hydrogel shows suitable biodegradability, excellent biocompatibility, and low immunogenicity, which together lead to optimal performance for osteochondral repair in New Zealand white rabbits even at the early stage of implantation. Further in vitro and in vivo mechanistic studies corroborate the immunomodulatory role of the PAA-RGD hydrogel, which induces minimum FBR responses and a high level of polarization of macrophages into the immunosuppressive M2 subtypes. These findings demonstrate the promising potential of the PAA-RGD hydrogel for osteochondral regeneration and highlight the importance of immunomodulation. The results may inspire the development of PAA-based materials for not only osteochondral defect repair but also various other tissue engineering and bio-implantation applications.

It is well-known that thermocapillary-buoyancy flow instability can be affected by several dimensionless control parameters. The general relationships among them are helpful for actively controlling flow instability but were not clear. This work reported some experiments in the annular pool with a radius ratio of 0.25, and proposed the general relationships among these dimensionless control parameters, especially for the critical Marangoni number of the flow destabilization and the dimensionless oscillatory frequency of pulsating pattern. Combined with previous studies, these general relationships are achieved within no more than 15% relative deviations, whose applicability is for the thermocapillary-buoyancy flow of medium Prandtl number fluids in side-heated annular pools. Based on the experimental findings, we can confirm that the flow destabilization can be suppressed by buoyancy. The steady multicellular flow appears before flow destabilization. When the flow is destabilized, the pulsating pattern first appears, and then a superimposition of the pulsating pattern and the flower-like wave.

Background: Machine-learning (ML) and radiomics features have been utilized for survival outcome analysis in various cancers. This study aims to investigate the application of ML based on patients’ clinical features and radiomics features derived from bone scintigraphy (BS) and to evaluate recurrence-free survival in local or locally advanced prostate cancer (PCa) patients after the initial treatment. Methods: A total of 354 patients who met the eligibility criteria were analyzed and used to train the model. Clinical information and radiomics features of BS were obtained. Survival-related clinical features and radiomics features were included in the ML model training. Using the pyradiomics software, 128 radiomics features from each BS image’s region of interest, validated by experts, were extracted. Four textural matrices were also calculated: GLCM, NGLDM, GLRLM, and GLSZM. Five training models (Logistic Regression, Naive Bayes, Random Forest, Support Vector Classification, and XGBoost) were applied using K-fold cross-validation. Recurrence was defined as either a rise in PSA levels, radiographic progression, or death. To assess the classifier’s effectiveness, the ROC curve area and confusion matrix were employed. Results: Of the 354 patients, 101 patients were categorized into the recurrence group with more advanced disease status compared to the non-recurrence group. Key clinical features including tumor stage, radical prostatectomy, initial PSA, Gleason Score primary pattern, and radiotherapy were used for model training. Random Forest (RF) was the best-performing model, with a sensitivity of 0.81, specificity of 0.87, and accuracy of 0.85. The ROC curve analysis showed that predictions from RF outperformed predictions from other ML models with a final AUC of 0.94 and a p-value of

BackgroundPeople living with HIV are living longer in the United States as a result of antiretroviral therapy. Black men who have sex with men (MSM) are disproportionally affected by HIV and have low rates of engagement in HIV care and treatment. Mobile technology holds promise as an intervention platform; however, little is known regarding its use among older black MSM living with HIV.ObjectiveThe goal of this study was to explore mobile technology use and narratives of aging with HIV among older black MSM to inform mobile health intervention development.MethodsA total of 12 black MSM living with HIV, aged 50 years or older, completed in-person, semistructured interviews exploring the issues of aging, HIV care engagement, and mobile technology use. The interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed using qualitative research methods.ResultsMen appreciated having survived the AIDS epidemic, but some expressed discomfort and ambivalence toward aging. Men described various levels of engagement in HIV care and treatment; challenges included social isolation and need for support that was not focused on HIV. Almost all described using mobile technology to engage in health care, whereas some referenced important barriers and challenges to technology use.ConclusionsFindings highlighted a high level of interest toward a mobile technology-based intervention targeting older black men but also identified barriers and challenges to using mobile technology for health care engagement. Mobile technology is well incorporated into older black MSM's lives and shows potential as an intervention platform for addressing aging issues to enhance engagement in HIV care and treatment.