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Salidroside (Sal), the main bioactive substance in Rhodiola rosea, is a promising functional food component with a wide range of pharmacological effects, but its biological activity is challenging to sustain due to its short half-life, low oral bioavailability, and susceptibility to environmental factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of sodium alginate (SA) concentration on the construction of W/O/W emulsion in the protection of Sal. With the escalation of SA concentrations, the range of droplet size distribution was smaller and the droplets were more uniform. When the concentration of SA was 2 %, the average droplet size reached 9.1 ± 0.1 μm, and the encapsulation efficiency of Sal was 77.8 ± 1.8 %. Moreover, the double emulsion with 2 % SA was the most stable for 28 days at 4 °C since the oil droplets were embedded in the network structure of SA.

Scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis) male gonad hydrolysates/κ-carrageenan (SK) double cross-linking network hydrogels were constructed as curcumin (Cur) delivery vehicles with good gel mechanical property and homogeneous honeycomb microstructures. Compared with Cur + DSS group, weight loss and colon length in SK-Cur + DSS group increased about 1.04 and 1.06 folds, while the disease active index (DAI) scores decreased about 13 %. Moreover, SK-Cur showed superior effect on intestinal barrier improvement, oxidative stress modulation, and inflammatory expression regulation, reflected by 1.1 folds increment of epithelial tight junction proteins, 16 % and 27 % decline in MPO and iNOS levels, 20 % decline in NF-κB expression, 4 %, 7 %, 6 % decline in TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 expression in serum, and 9 %, 20 %, 7 % decline in TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 expression in colon tissue. Furthermore, SK-Cur enriched alpha diversity and restored taxonomic composition with increasing Bacteroides and Verrucomicrobia abundance accompanied by decreasing Firmicutes in DSS-induced UC mice, roughly to a normal gut flora state.

Objective To study the characteristics of fatigue and the correlation between fatigue and other symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods According to Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), 100 PD patients enrolled in this study were divided into fatigue group (FSS > 4 score, N = 58) and non-fatigue group (FSS ≤ 4 score, N = 42). Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Ⅲ (UPDRS Ⅲ), revised Hoehn-Yahr stage and modified Webster score were used to investigate the severity of motor symptom. Non-Motor Symptoms Scale (NMSS), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were adopted to measure the severity of non-motor symptom. In addition, UPDRSⅡ was used to evaluate the activities of daily living and 39-Item Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39) was used to measure life quality of PD patients, respectively. Results There were 58 out of 100 PD patients having fatigue symptom, namely the occurrence rate of fatigue was 58%. The occurrence rate of daytime nap (χ2= 16.256, P = 0.000), fatigue (χ2 = 84.639, P = 0.000), lack of interest (χ2 = 10.705, P = 0.001), lack of passion (χ2 = 9.350, P = 0.002), depression (χ2 = 9.350, P = 0.002), anxiety/panic (χ2 = 4.625, P = 0.032), emotional apathy (χ2 = 22.032, P = 0.000), anhedonia (χ2 = 18.247, P = 0.000), poor memory (χ2 = 4.366, P = 0.037), urgency of urination (χ2 = 5.774, P = 0.016), frequency of micturition (χ2 = 5.774, P = 0.016), hard in sex life (χ2 = 3.877, P = 0.049), and decreased sense of smell or taste (χ2 = 5.360, P = 0.021) were significantly higher in PD patients of fatigue group than those in non-fatigue group. UPDRSⅢ scores (t = 6.374, P = 0.000), revised Hoehn-Yahr stage (Z = -3.345, P = 0.001), modified Webster score (t = 6.819, P = 0.000), NMSS (t = 2.923, P = 0.011), HAMD (Z = - 2.451, P = 0.014), HAMA (t = 5.417, P = 0.000), ESS (Z = - 2.116, P = 0.034), UPDRS Ⅱ (Z = - 3.115, P = 0.002) and PDQ - 39 (Z = - 2.696, P = 0.007) were significantly higher in PD patients of fatigue group than those in non - fatigue group. Spearman rank correlation analysis indicated that FSS scores had high positive correlation with modified Webster score (rs = 0.622, P = 0.000) and NMSS (rs = 0.611, P = 0.000), moderate positive correlation with duration (rs = 0.582, P = 0.000), UPDRSⅢ (rs = 0.573, P = 0.000), revised Hoehn-Yahr stage (rs = 0.542, P = 0.000), HAMD (rs = 0.505, P = 0.000), HAMA (rs = 0.477, P = 0.000), ESS (rs = 0.474, P = 0.000), PSQI (rs = 0.410, P = 0.000), UPDRS Ⅱ (rs = 0.559, P = 0.000) and PDQ-39 (rs = 0.578, P = 0.000), and low negative correlation with MMSE (rs=- 0.258, P = 0.000). Conclusions The occurrence of fatigue in PD is high, which has interaction effect with other symptoms of PD, consequently affecting the life quality of PD patients.

In this paper, a stray current sensor based on an all-side cylindrical spiral fiber is proposed. The configuration of stray current sensor is illustrated first. The Jones matrix of sensor head is derived based on the geometric rotation effect. The output representation of stray current sensor is also obtained. Moreover, the effect of the characteristic parameters of sensor head on the output error is evaluated. On these bases, the genetic algorithm is applied to optimize these characteristic parameters in the range of the temperature-induced linear birefringence from 0° to 1000°. The optimization results include the following: For the vertical side, the length of cylindrical rod and the number of curve spirals are 1024 mm and 35, respectively; for the horizontal side, these two parameters are 876 mm and 28, respectively. The temperature experiments are conducted to test the performance of the stray current sensor with reference to that without cylindrical spiral fiber, and the test results indicate that the measurement error of the proposed stray current sensor is not larger than 0.4%, which can be suited for the stray current measurement in an urban rail transit system.

Objective To investigate the clinical features, imaging and pathological characteristics of primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) in order to increase the diagnostic accuracy of PCNSL in clinic. Methods A retrospective analysis of 6 cases with PCNSL confirmed by pathological and immunohistochemical examination, treated in our hospital from December 2013 to August 2014 was performed. The clinical presentations, lesion locations, imaging manifestations and histopathological features were analysed. Results The symptoms were various, among which headache and dizziness were frequently presented. Five cases were identified to have solitary tumor foci and the other one had multiple lesions. Among 7 lesions, 4 were located in cerebral hemisphere, one was located in cerebellum, one in lateral ventricle and one in thalamus. Moreover, 2 lesions were involved in corpus callosum. The lesions presented in roundish shape or irregular shape with clear boundary, minimal edema and mass effect. CT showed high-density of the lesions. All lesions showed iso- or slightly hypo-intense signal on T1WI and iso- or mild hyper-intense on T2WI, and homogeneous enhancement after contrast. All cases underwent operations. The tumors appeared flesh red or grey-white, soft and without capsules. Under microscopic examination, the tumor cells were distributed around the blood vessels as "sleeve-like" infiltration. Immune phenotype analysis showed all tumors were B-cell lymphoma. Conclusions PCNSL has certain imaging and pathological features and most of them are diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Pathological examination and immune phenotype analysis are "gold standard" in making confirmed diagnosis. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1672-6731.2016.11.014

The nonstationary transition status of the motor start-up phase creates great threat against the stable operation of the flexible manipulator system. This article investigates the electromechanical coupling dynamics and vibration response characteristics for a flexible manipulator of an alternating current servomotor-driven linear positioning platform with considering the start-up dynamic characteristics of the motor. Based on the constructed global electromechanical coupling effect and the Lagrange–Maxwell equations, the dynamic model of the whole system is established. The electromechanical coupling vibration mechanism of the flexible manipulator is obtained by analyzing the multiphysical process and multiparameter coupling phenomenon of the whole system. The result demonstrates that the nonstationary transition status of the motor initialization phase is mainly manifested during the disturbance of the three-phase stator current. As the speed of the linear positioning platform increases, the current disturbance, arousing the change of the servo driving force of the linear positioning platform, has dominant frequency shift and frequency amplitude decrease. Then, the vibration response of the flexible manipulator is markedly affected and the variation of the high-order modes vibration response is more obvious. The analysis result is significant for improving the dynamic performance of the motor-driven flexible robot manipulator system.

Backgrounds: The safety of different sodium-glucose transporter 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors remains uncertain due to the lack of head-to-head comparisons. Methods: This network meta-analysis (NMA) was performed to compare the safety of nine SGLT-2 inhibitors in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched for studies published in English before August 30, 2022. Published and unpublished randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the safety of individual SGLT-2 inhibitors in patients with T2DM were included. A Bayesian NMA with random effects model was applied. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed. The quality of the evidence was evaluated using the Confidence in Network Meta-Analysis framework. Results: Nine SGLT-2 inhibitors were evaluated in 113 RCTs (12 registries) involving 105,293 adult patients. Reproductive tract infections (RTIs) were reported in 1,967 (4.51%) and 276 (1.01%) patients in the SGLT-2 inhibitor and placebo groups, respectively. Furthermore, pollakiuria was reported in 233 (2.66%) and 45 (0.84%) patients, respectively. Compared to placebo, a significantly higher risk of RTIs was observed with canagliflozin, ertugliflozin, empagliflozin, remogliflozin, dapagliflozin, and sotagliflozin, but not with luseogliflozin and ipragliflozin, regardless of gender. An increased risk of pollakiuria was observed with dapagliflozin [odds ratio (OR) 10.40, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.60-157.94) and empagliflozin (OR 5.81, 95%CI 1.79- 32.97). Remogliflozin (OR 6.45, 95%CI 2.18-27.79) and dapagliflozin (OR 1.33, 95%CI 1.10-1.62) were associated with an increased risk of urinary tract infections (UTIs). Instead, the included SGLT-2 inhibitors had a protective effect against acute kidney injury (AKI). No significant differences were found for hypovolemia, renal impairment or failure, fracture, diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), amputation, and severe hypoglycemia between the SGLT-2 inhibitor and the placebo groups.Conclusion: In patients with T2DM, dapagliflozin was associated with an increased risk of RTIs, pollakiuria, and UTIs. Empagliflozin increased the risk of RTIs and pollakiuria. Remogliflozin increased the risk of UTIs. None of the SGLT-2 inhibitors showed a significant difference from the placebo for hypovolemia, renal impairment or failure, fracture, DKA, amputation, and severe hypoglycemia. The findings guide the selection of SGLT-2 inhibitors for patients with T2DM based on the patient’s profiles to maximize safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a detailed experimental analysis along with numerical simulations to provide the information about shape evolutions and mechanism of actuation and amalgamation of the ferrofluid droplets deposited on a hydrophobic surface by moving a permanent magnet. To validate the numerical methods used in this article, a benchmark phenomenon of a sessile droplet spreading under the effect of a non-uniform magnetic field is first simulated, and the results are compared with available experimental observations. To further ensure the accuracy of experimental and numerical techniques and to understand the wetting properties and spreading behavior of non-stationary ferrofluid droplets, a prototype demonstration of the merging droplets on a hydrophobic solid surface in the presence of a permanent magnet is designed. It is observed that for hydrophobic surfaces, the merging droplets entrap an air bubble at the time of first contact. Moreover, the physics behind the transient variations of droplet morphology and the effect of the state-of-the-art parameters on droplet actuation are also discussed. The force evaluation, energy variations, velocity contours, and velocity vectors of the moving droplet are provided to understand the internal behavior of droplet mobility. Experiments are performed several times with different speeds of moving a magnet to find the critical velocity when the droplet fails to follow the magnet motion. While doing so, we encounter an anomalous phenomenon of thread formation and daughter droplet generation at the receding end of the sliding droplet. A phase diagram is also provided in the end, which describes different regions of the sliding phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nonstationary transition status of the motor start-up phase creates great threat against the stable operation of the flexible manipulator system. This article investigates the electromechanical coupling dynamics and vibration response characteristics for a flexible manipulator of an alternating current servomotor-driven linear positioning platform with considering the start-up dynamic characteristics of the motor. Based on the constructed global electromechanical coupling effect and the Lagrange-Maxwell equations, the dynamic model of the whole system is established. The electromechanical coupling vibration mechanism of the flexible manipulator is obtained by analyzing the multiphysical process and multiparameter coupling phenomenon of the whole system. The result demonstrates that the nonstationary transition status of the motor initialization phase is mainly manifested during the disturbance of the three-phase stator current. As the speed of the linear positioning platform increases, the current disturbance, arousing the change of the servo driving force of the linear positioning platform, has dominant frequency shift and frequency amplitude decrease. Then, the vibration response of the flexible manipulator is markedly affected and the variation of the high-order modes vibration response is more obvious. The analysis result is significant for improving the dynamic performance of the motor-driven flexible robot manipulator system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundAndrogen receptor signaling inhibitors (ARSis), when administered sequentially or in combination with docetaxel and androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), have been shown to enhance overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC). Nonetheless, the optimal sequence for administering chemotherapy and ARSis remains to be determined.ObjectiveTo compare the efficacy of ARSis sequential therapy with ARSis combined therapy for mHSPC, and to evaluate the efficacy and safety of different combination regimens.MethodsThe PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases were searched from their inception through 14 July 2024, to identify eligible phase III randomized clinical trials (RCTs) evaluating the combination or sequential use of docetaxel + ADT with abiraterone, enzalutamide, apalutamide, or darolutamide. The outcomes of interest included OS, PFS, time to prostate-specific antigen (PSA) progression, grade 3–5 adverse events (AEs), and serious adverse events (SAEs).ResultsFive RCTs involving 2836 patients were included in the analysis. When comparing ARSis sequential therapy to ARSis combined therapy, no significant differences were observed in OS (Hazard Ratio (HR): 1.17, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.69–1.96), PFS (HR: 1.03, 95% CI: 0.47–2.22), or time to PSA progression (HR: 0.48, 95% CI: 0.03–7.69). Within the different ARSis combined regimens, the triple therapies involving enzalutamide, abiraterone, and darolutamide demonstrated comparable efficacy and safety profiles in the overall population, and their efficacy in patients with high-volume disease or low-volume disease was also similar.ConclusionARSis sequential therapy did not significantly differ from ARSis combined therapy in improving OS and PFS among patients with mHSPC, and thus can be considered as a viable treatment option.