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Abstract Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of using dorsal toe fibula composite flaps and iliac bone in sequential transplantation for the comprehensive reconstruction of fingers with grade I to III defects. Methods Between December 2020 and March 2024, data were collected from 36 patients who received complete finger reconstruction for grade I to III defects using dorsal toe fibula composite flaps and iliac bone in sequential transplantation. Postoperative evaluations included Carroll’s hand function test scores, hand mobility disability assessments, and overall postoperative conditions. Results Postoperatively, Carroll’s hand function test scores for patients with grade III finger defects showed a significant improvement (P

BackgroundChemotherapy-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) is a common adverse effect of chemotherapy in breast cancer patients, with a high incidence that significantly impacts treatment adherence and quality of life. Currently, there is no definitive and effective treatment for CRCI. Research indicates that acupuncture may serve as a promising intervention for CRCI. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating CRCI.MethodsThis study is guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P). From the time of database construction to October 2024, we will search seven literature databases, three clinical study registry databases, and three sources of gray literature. The restricted languages are English and Chinese. We will use the Participants-Interventions-Comparators-Outcome-Conclusion-Study Design (PICOS) criteria to identify included studies and the RoB2 tool to assess the quality of the included studies. Data synthesis and meta-analysis will be performed using RevMan 5.3.DiscussionThe results of this study will clarify the potential benefits of acupuncture in the treatment of CRCI and address existing disagreements about its efficacy. Furthermore, the findings will assist clinicians in making informed decisions regarding the treatment of CRCI.Trail registrationPROSPERO registration number: CRD42024568093.

Abstract Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are a diverse range of compounds that are formed when free amino groups of proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids are carbonylated by reactive carbonyl species or glycosylated by reducing sugars. Hyperglycemia in patients with diabetes can cause an overabundance of AGEs. Excess AGEs are generally acknowledged as major contributing factors to the development of diabetic complications because of their ability to break down the extracellular matrix directly and initiate intracellular signaling pathways by binding to the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE). Inflammation and oxidative stress are the two most well-defined pathophysiological states induced by the AGE–RAGE interaction. In addition to oxidative stress, AGEs can also inhibit antioxidative systems and disturb iron homeostasis, all of which may induce ferroptosis. Ferroptosis is a newly identified contributor to diabetic complications. This review outlines the formation of AGEs in individuals with diabetes, explores the oxidative damage resulting from downstream reactions of the AGE-RAGE axis, and proposes a novel connection between AGEs and the ferroptosis pathway. This study introduces the concept of a vicious cycle involving AGEs, oxidative stress, and ferroptosis in the development of diabetic complications.

Low Pt utilization and intense carbon corrosion of cathode catalysts is a crucial issue for high‐efficiency proton exchange membrane fuel cells due to the highly demanded long‐term durability and less acquisition/application cost. Herein, structurally tunable graphitized mesoporous carbon (GMC) is obtained by direct high‐temperature pyrolysis and in situ‐controlled mesopore formation; the structure‐optimized GMC1300‐1800 exhibits a mesopore size of 7.54 nm and enhanced corrosion resistance. Functionalized GMC1300‐1800 is loaded with small‐sized Pt nanoparticles (NPs) (1.5 nm) uniformly by impregnation method to obtain Pt/GMC1300‐1800 and form an “internal platinum structure” to avoid sulfonic acid groups poisoning as well as ensure O2/proton accessibility. Hence, the electrochemically active surface area (ECSA) of Pt/GMC1300‐1800 reaches 106.1 m2 g−1Pt, while mass activity and specific activity at 0.9 V are 2.1 and 1.4 times those of commercial Pt/C, respectively. Notably, the ECSA decay is less than 17% for both 30 000 cycles’ accelerated durability tests (ADTs) of Pt attenuation and carbon attenuation. Accordingly, the optimized mesoporous structure of GMC1300‐1800 significantly decreases the coverage of sulfonic acid groups on Pt NPs, leading to the highest peak power density in the single‐cell test. Density functional theory calculations demonstrate the synergistic effect between graphitization and mesoporosity on enhancing the accessibility and durability of the catalysts.

BackgroundTo date, evidence is rare regarding whether and how dietary antioxidants are associated with the risk of periodontitis. This study aimed to investigate the association of composite dietary antioxidant index (CDAI) with periodontitis and tooth loss, using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2009–2014).MethodsA cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from 10,067 adults aged ≥30 years who underwent assessments of periodontal health and the 1st day dietary recall. Based on a crude model and three adjusted models, multivariate regressions were used to examine the relationship between CDAI and periodontitis-related measurements including probing pocket depth, clinical attachment loss and tooth loss. Subgroup analyses and the restricted cubic splines plots were applied to examine the association between CDAI ingredients and periodontitis.ResultsFor the subjects with high CDAI scores, increased CDAI was associated with significant (P < 0.05) reduction of severe periodontitis (odd ratio = 0.663, 95% confidence interval: 0.491–0.896) and increased number of remaining teeth (weighted β[SE] = 1.167[0.211]). However, the protective effect of CDAI on periodontitis vanished (P > 0.05) in active smokers and former smokers. There were threshold levels for β-carotene, Vitamin A, C and E intakes where the risk of periodontitis significantly decreased (P < 0.05) above these levels.ConclusionIncreased CDAI was associated with reduced risk of periodontitis and tooth loss for non-smokers. It was recommendable that proper dietary intakes of β-carotene, Vitamin A, C and E would be of benefit for preventive dental care and adjuvant therapies for periodontitis.

A high proportion of renewable generators are widely integrated into the power system. Due to the output uncertainty of renewable energy, the demand for flexible resources is greatly increased in order to meet the real-time balance of the system. But the investment cost of flexible resources, such as energy storage equipment, is still high. It is necessary to propose a method for determining the capacity of energy storage scientifically. An optimization and planning method of energy storage capacity is proposed. It is characterized by determining the optimal capacity of energy storage by carrying out 8760 hours of time series simulation for a provincial power grid with energy storage. Firstly, the current situation of power supply and demand for provincial power grids is analyzed. The difficulty of realizing a power balance at different time scales is analyzed. Then, the source load balancing solutions at different time scales are proposed. The difficulty of a long-term power balance can be alleviated by flexibly adjusting the power on the tie-line of the provincial power grid. And the difficulty of a short-term power balance can be met through energy storage. In addition, an optimal planning model of an energy storage system is established with the power supply cost as the objective function. The optimal capacity of the energy storage is determined by comparing the objective function of different planning schemes. Finally, a case study is carried out. It is found that flexible adjustment of interprovincial interconnection lines can reduce the maximum demand for electricity from 8.439 billion kWh to 2.299 billion kWh. At the same time, the curtailment ratio of renewable electricity can be decreased from 12.6% to 5.0% by using energy storage. However, the average power supply cost of the system gradually increases from 0.307 CNY/kWh to 0.485 CNY/kWh. It is necessary to fully tap into the various values of energy storage equipment.

The energy crisis and environmental issues are becoming more severe due to the long-term consumption of fossil fuels. Therefore, novel energy-conversion devices with high energy density and environmental friendliness are expected to provide reliable alternatives to traditional fossil-based energy systems. However, because of the inevitable use of costly precious metals as the electrode catalysts for such devices, their popularization is seriously hindered. Transition metal nitrides (TMNs) exhibit similar surface and adsorption properties to noble metals because the atomic distance between metal atoms increases and the d-band center of metal atoms downshifts after nitrogen atoms enter the metal lattice. TMNs have become one of the best electrode materials to replace noble metal-based electrocatalysts in next-generation energy-storage and energy-conversion devices. In this review, the recent developments in the electrocatalytic application of TMNs are covered. First, we discuss the structure and activity origin of TMNs and introduce the common synthesis methods for the preparation of TMNs. Subsequently, we illustrate the applications of mono-metallic TMNs and multi-metallic TMNs in oxygen-reduction reaction, oxygen-evolution reaction, and bifunctional oxygen reduction and evolution reactions. Finally, we summarize the challenges of TMNs encountered at the present stage, and expect their future development.

Electrochemical water splitting has wide applicability in preparing high-density green energy. The Proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysis system is a promising technique for the generation of hydrogen due to its high electrolytic efficiency, safety and reliability, compactness, and quick response to renewable energy sources. However, the instability of catalysts for electrochemical water splitting under operating conditions limits their practical applications. Until now, only precious metal-based materials have met the requirements for rigorous long-term stability and high catalytic activity under acid conditions. In this review, the recent progress made in this regard is presented and analyzed to clarify the role of precious metals in the promotion of the electrolytic decomposition of water. Reducing precious metal loading, enhancing catalytic activity, and improving catalytic lifetime are crucial directions for developing a new generation of PEM water electrolysis catalysts. A summary of the synthesis of high-performance catalysts based on precious metals and an analysis of the factors affecting catalytic performance were derived from a recent investigation. Finally, we present the remaining challenges and future perspectives as guidelines for practical use.

Different from the traditional concrete mixing procedure, the innovative post-filling coarse aggregate concrete (PFCC) reduces the cost of pumping concrete by increasing the coarse aggregate content and reducing the usage of cement. Previous studies have shown that PFCC enhances the compressive strength, elastic modulus, and flexural strength of concrete. In this paper, the shear behavior of 13 post-filling coarse aggregate concrete beams and 3 control beams was tested to determine the relationships between the shear performance of the beam and the post-filling coarse aggregate ratio, concrete strength grade, shear span ratio and stirrup reinforcement ratio. The results showed that the ultimate shear capacity of beam specimen increases first and then decreases with the increase in post-filling coarse aggregate ratio, reaching the maximum at 15% post-filling ratio. The results also indicated that the ultimate shear capacity of the beam increases with the increase in concrete strength grade and stirrup ratio. However, experimental results exhibited that the ultimate shear capacity decreases as the shear span ratio increases. This study provides a reference for the application of post-filling coarse aggregate concrete in engineering practice.

Flows of two immiscible liquids through inclined pipes are often encountered in industrial processes. The interfacial characteristics in inclined pipes are of significance for understanding the mechanism of flow pattern transition and modeling the flow parameters. This paper developed a novel experimental technique to access the interface characteristics of liquid-liquid flows, during which optical and electrical methods were successfully combined by matching the refractive index and conductivity of the flows. A planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) system was set up with a continuous laser and high-speed camera. Organic and aqueous phases were chosen to match refractive indices. The liquid-liquid interface in the middle of the pipe could be clearly visualized by the PLIF system. Meanwhile, two conductance parallel-wire array probes (CPAPs) were designed to reconstruct the liquid-liquid interfaces at upward and downward pipe cross-sections. The performances of the CPAP were validated using the PLIF results and employed to investigate the liquid-liquid interfacial structures. The interfacial shape and its instability were uncovered using the reconstructed interfaces by the CPAPs.