Search

Objective To estimate adolescents and children age using stepwise regression and machine learning methods based on the pulp and tooth volumes of the left maxillary central incisor and cuspid on cone beam computed tomography （CBCT） images, and to compare and analyze the estimation results. Methods A total of 498 Shanghai Han adolescents and children CBCT images of the oral and maxillofacial regions were collected. The pulp and tooth volumes of the left maxillary central incisor and cuspid were measured and calculated. Three machine learning algorithms （K-nearest neighbor, ridge regression, and decision tree） and stepwise regression were used to establish four age estimation models. The coefficient of determination, mean error, root mean square error, mean square error and mean absolute error were computed and compared. A correlation heatmap was drawn to visualize and the monotonic relationship between parameters was visually analyzed. Results The K-nearest neighbor model （R2=0.779） and the ridge regression model （R2=0.729） outperformed stepwise regression （R2=0.617）, while the decision tree model （R2=0.494） showed poor fitting. The correlation heatmap demonstrated a monotonically negative correlation between age and the parameters including pulp volume, the ratio of pulp volume to hard tissue volume, and the ratio of pulp volume to tooth volume. Conclusion Pulp volume and pulp volume proportion are closely related to age. The application of CBCT-based machine learning methods can provide more accurate age estimation results, which lays a foundation for further CBCT-based deep learning dental age estimation research.

Objective To explore the status quo of breastfeeding social support in puerpera and analyze its influencing factors. Methods A total of 535 puerpera were selected from 4 community health service centers in Chengde city by complete random cluster sampling method. The random forest model and LASSO regression were used to rank and screen the influencing factors. Results The total score of the Breastfeeding Social Support Scale was 52.00 (9.00). The results of LASSO regression showed that when the lambda(λ) value was 0.117 7, the error was the smallest, and the corresponding number of influencing factors was 10. The importance ranking and multiple regression analysis showed that the main influencing factors of breastfeeding social support were community promotion of breastfeeding, whether returning to work or not, employment status, whether breastfeeding at night or not, feeding patterns (P < 0.05). Conclusion The level of breastfeeding social support remains to be improved, and health care providers should develop targeted intervention according to the influencing factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To investigate the differential expression of piRNAs in brain tissues from patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and to study the roles of these piRNAs related to AD. Methods With age and sex matching, 6 AD (pathological AD) and 7 control subjects were selected. RNAs were converted into piRNAs after extracting from the prefrontal lobe brain tissues, then piRNAs were reversed transcription into cDNA. Based on preliminary results, 10 piRNAs expressed in brain tissues were selected: DQ571030, DQ597973, DQ576872, DQ597479, DQ586404, DQ590835, DQ600318, DQ581610, DQ586113 and DQ571669. The expression of piRNAs was detected by real-time PCR. Those mRNA related with piRNAs of significant differences were further studied. Results A trend of decrease was found in the expression of all the 10 piRNAs in the AD group. The expression of 4 piRNAs DQ597973, DQ576872, DQ597479 and DQ600318 were significantly decreased in the AD group(P＜0.05). The related mRNA LRRC37A3 of DQ600318 was further studied. DQ600318 showed the most significant difference in expression. The expression of LRRC37A3 was also significantly decreased in the AD group (P＜0.01). Conclusions The decreasing expression of DQ600318 and LRRC37A3 is potentially related to AD, and the detection of DQ600318 may function as a marker of AD pathogenesis.

BACKGROUND Vesicular structure of volcanic rocks records the processes of the dissolution, expansion and escape of volatile gases in the ascending magma. The detailed study of characteristics of vesicles in volcanic rocks will be helpful to understand volatile content of magma and the ascent and erupting process of magma. Although a number of methods have been developed in the last decades to study the vesicle characteristics of volcanic rocks, they generally have the problems of low efficiency, less data collection, and sample destruction. OBJECTIVES To quantitatively characterize the content and size distribution of vesicles in volcanic rocks. METHODS On the basis of three-dimensional reconstruction of vesicular basalt by X-ray computed tomography, the content and size distribution of vesicles were calculated with three software programs (VG Studio MAX, ImageJ, Matlab), and an improved method for conversion of vesicle volume to volatile mass fraction in volcanic rock was also proposed. RESULTS The vesicle content in three-dimensional space for a basalt sample from the South China Sea in water depth of 1488 meter was 12.32%, and the vesicle size showed a lognormal distribution. The majority of vesicles were 180-200μm in equivalent sphere diameter and 340-360μm in maximum diameter. The content of vesicles in the two-dimensional slices on the profile varied greatly, but the amplitude of each value around the volume fraction fluctuated little, and there was a significant positive correlation with the number density of vesicles. Based on the known vesicle content, the calculated mass fractions of CO2 and H2O in the sample were 0.233% and 0.099%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The study demonstrates that industrial CT scanning combined with image processing software can produce non-destructive rapid statistics and analysis of volcanic vesicles. The proposed method will be an efficient tool to study the genesis of volcanic rocks and their magmatic processes.

After the construction of reservoir, the uplift of the water level leads to changes in flow rate, water depth and sediment movement, which may also affect the habitat of fish and other organisms. In order to demonstrate the influences of reservoir construction on the siltation and hydrodynamic conditions of the spawning site area and by taking a power station in LC Basin as an example, this paper establishes 1D and planar 2D nested water and sand mathematical model to study the form and position of siltation in the spawning ground, the changes of the reservoir backwater, and the hydrodynamic conditions based on the recommended normal storage level and the operating water levels during the flood season. The results show that the distribution of sediment in the spawning area under the recommended scheme is basically the same as in nature, there is no mutation area in the sediment content, and the construction of reservoir has little effect on siltation in the area. After construction, the area of spawning ground with "flow rate meeting 1.0-2.0 m/s, water depth meeting 0.5-1.0 m" increases in each month from April to July, and the change rate ranges from 8.74% to 317.36%. Under the recommended scheme, the construction of the reservoir has little impact on the habitat and hydrodynamic conditions of the spawning site area at the end of the reservoir, and can still meet the demand of fish. The research results can provide a technical reference for similar engineering planning and design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To more accurately and effectively solve the problem of comprehensive reliability of multi-failure mode with the thermal creep, dual response surface method（DRSM） was adopted to implement the reliability of aero-engine turbine blisk. The numerical characteristics of the material parameters were obtained through the creep test data. The gas temperature, material density, elastic modulus and working rotation speed of the blisk structure were select as input variables. By constructing the finite element model of the blisk and the thermal-structural coupling analysis method, the stress and strain of turbine blisk were obtained. The mathematical model of dual response surface for stress and strain of turbine blisk was established by using the Latin hypercube small sampling technique. The comprehensive reliability analysis of the blisk was completed by using Monte Carlo method with linkage sampling of dual response surface model. The results indicate that the comprehensive reliability of blisk with thermal creep is 0.985 6. The comparison of method shows that dual response surface method can significantly improve computational efficiency without the loss of accuracy.

Problems concerning accumulation, degradation, metabolites and source identification of PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) in lake ecosystems are hot topics of environmental protection in China. It is of great significance for restoration of the impaired lake ecosystems to carry out investigations concerning PAHs pollution status, the development trends, distribution characteristics, ecological risks and the sources apportionment in lakes of different areas in China. Based on the literature reviews in this respect, the paper indicated that (1) Most lakes had been at or above moderate pollution level (89%) in China, and 49% of lakes were heavily and severely polluted by PAHs. (2) Lakes, among others, in the eastern plain area accounted for 67%. (3) In terms of the characteristics of individual PAHs distribution in lake sediments, the high molecular weight PAHs predominated in the eastern area, while in Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, Mongolia-Xinjiang and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau lakes, PAHs were of lower molecular weights. (4) Since China began reform and opening up, especially during the period of 1980-1990s, PAHs concentrations in lake sediments have been on the rise. (5) With respect to the source apportionment methods, the mostly commonly used at present are the diagnosis ratio and principal component analysis; besides, it is appropriate to use the PMF model when performing quantitative source apportionment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reactive dyes for demonstration to study the processing of industrial wastewater, it provided a certain basis for the actual industrial operation. In this paper, through the physical and chemical methods to deal with reactive dye wastewater, it compared and analysed the experiments, and found the best decolorizing conditions which guarantee the decolorizing rate was above 80% - 9 7 % . So as to determine a relatively economic, environmental protection, effective decolorization method, it lay a foundation for the research of bleaching wastewater. According the waste water processing levels, it put forward the feasibility ol recycling. It can be recycled, achieve the goal of energy-saving emission reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Outdated legislations refer to those failing to meet the needs of economic and social development, losing contact with reality, or going against the mainstream values in our society. They are commonly seen in the field of economic law. Due to complex economic relations, economic law does not always meet our realistic needs, leading to an inefficient interaction with economic and non-economic systems in our society. Outdated laws fall in to several types according to different causes for their obsolescence. As to out dated legislations in the field of economic law, we can identify and correct them through introducing legal assessment, democratic legislation, accountability system and judicial review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Standing trees decay often causes vast loss of timber resources. To investigate the correlations between the standing trees decay and the site conditions is of importance to scientifically and reasonably manage forests and to decrease wood resources loss. By using Resistograph and meter ruler, a measurement was made on the decay degree of the trunk near root and the diameter at breast height (DBH) of 15 mature Korean pine standing trees in a Korean pine-broadleaved mixed forest in Xiao Xing' an Mountains in May, 2011. In the meantime, soil samples were collected from the root zones of standing trees and the upslope and downslope 5 meters away from the trunks, respectively. Five physical-chemical properties including moisture content, bulk density, total porosity, pH value, and organic matter content of the soil samples were tested. The regression equations concerning the trunk decay degree of the standing trees, their DBH, and the 5 soil properties were established. The results showed that the trunk decay degree of the mature Korean pine standing trees had higher correlations with the bulk density, total porosity, pH value, and organic matter content (R =0. 687), and significant positive correlation with the moisture content (R =0. 507) of the soils at the root zones of standing trees, but less correlation with the 5 properties of the soils at both upslope and downslope 5 meters away from the trunks. The trunk decay degree was decreased when the soil moisture content was below 18. 4%. No significant correlation was observed between the trunk decay degree of mature Korean pine standing trees and the tree age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study considers the Bayesian estimation for the Burr-XII distribution based on progressive Type-II censoring with random removals under the assumption that the number of units removed at each failure time follows a binomial distribution. The two unknown shape parameters, the probability of random removals, reliability performances and their corresponding Bayesian posterior interval estimation are derived under q-symmetric entropy loss function and LINEX loss function, when both of the shape parameters are unknown, and the permissibility of estimation is also demonstrated. At last, some analyses of numerical results are performed by Monter Carlo simulations for illustrative purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A joint type-II censoring model was analyzed under the small sample size. Aiming at the problem that units may be exposed to more than one fatal failure factors, we focused on competing risks model with independent exponential data. Based on the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE), we developed the exact distributions of parameters and exact confidence intervals through the use of the moment generating functions. Furthermore, approximate confidence intervals were also constructed by Bootstrap method. A Monte-Carlo simulation was conducted to compare the performances of different estimations. And finally, an example was discussed to illustrate the validity of the method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a new lifetime testing plan called progressive first-failure-censoring scheme, the Bayes estimators of the unknown parameter and reliability performances have been obtained for two-parameter Pareto distribution under symmetric and asymmetric (Linex, GE) loss functions, respectively. For the Bayes estimation problem, a new approach is adopted for estimating the hyperparameters. In order to investigate the accuracy of estimators, an illustrative numerical example is presented by means of Monte-Carlo simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microplastics pose a serious ecological threat to rivers in China, and the construction of a large number of dams has complicated this problem. Ten dams of the Shaying River were chosen to investigate the abundance and composition of microplastics in surface water and sediments of the reservoir and upstream river. Ecological risk was evaluated using species sensitive distribution （SSD） and pollution load index （PLI）. The results showed that the Shaying River was exposed to a severe risk of microplastics from upstream to downstream. The construction of dams did not significantly affect the distribution of microplastics in the river. River sediments became a sink for microplastics in the surface water； however, the ecological risk posed by microplastics in the surface water was greater, and the comparison of the two assessment methods showed that the species sensitivity distribution assessment better reflected the accumulation and feeding behavior of organisms to pollutants compared to the pollution load index.

To investigate the differences on morphological growth patterns of statolith of Todarodes pacificus in the East China Sea during La Niña and normal years, we analyzed the samples of T. pacificus collected in the East China Sea by Chinese light purse seine fishery fleets from February to April in 2020 (a normal year) and 2021 (a La Niña year). The results showed that total statolith length (TSL), lateral dome length (LDL), wing length (WL), and maximum width (MW) could be used as characterization parameters to representing the morphological growth of statolith. The characterization parameters of statolith in T. pacificus differed significantly between different climate years and between different genders. The values of those characterization parameters of statolith were greater in normal year than those in La Niña year, which in both years were larger in females, except for TSL in males in La Niña year. The statolith growth of males were faster than that of females in different climate years. TSL, LDL, and WL increased faster in normal year, while MW increased faster in La Niña year. The relative size of statolith gradually slowed down with the growth of individuals.

In this study, the chemical components of ethanol extract from the aromatic parts of Syringa oblata were systematically separated and purified by silica gel column chromatography, thin layer plate preparation and liquid phase preparation. Combined with ultraviolet analyzer(UV), infrared analyzer(IR), nuclear magnetic resonance analyzer(NMR), high resolution mass spectrometer(HR-ESI-MS), X-ray diffraction and other spectrum technology as well as literature physicochemical data comparison methods for structural identification, a total of 10 compounds were identified. They were identified as oblatanoid D(1),(-)-T-muurolol(2), oblatanoid E-G(3-5), 14-noreudesma-3-hydroxy-3-en-2,9-dione(6), 1-isopropyl-2,7-dimethylnaphthalene(7), isocoradiol(8), α-calacorene(9), cadin-4-en-1-β-ol(10). Compound 1 is a new sesquiterpene compound that has not been reported, and the other 9 compounds are isolated from S. oblata for the first time. The compound 1 has a significant protective effect on the LPS-induced inflammatory injury model of RAW264.7 cells.

Hypertension is a global problem threatening human health and life. Although there are many antihypertensive drugs, the low compliance of medication affects its efficacy, and the effect in regulating hypertension has become increasingly prominent. Focusing on the new trend of proactive healthcare management, in the present paper, we made a summary about the status and existing problems of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) in the regulation of blood pressure, and put forward some suggestions, such as selecting acupoints based on classical acupuncture theory to highlight the advantages of TEAS to control blood pressure as a whole, optimizing and screening the parameters of TEAS in the regulation of blood pressure, expanding the research observation indexes etc. We also made a prospect about its future application, hoping to provide new ideas for the proactive regulation, whole-process regulation and integrated regulation of blood pressure.

Objective: To explore incidence, risk factors and the relationship between preoperative heart failure and prognosis in elderly patients with hip fracture., Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 1 569 elderly patients with hip fracture treated from January 2012 to December 2019, including 522 males and 1 047 females, aged 81.00 (75.00, 90.00) years old;896 intertrochanteric fractures and 673 femoral neck fractures. Patients were divided into heart failure and non-heart failure groups according to whether they developed heart failure before surgery, and heart failure was set as the dependent variable, with independent variables including age, gender, fracture type, comorbidities and hematological indicators, etc. Univariate analysis was performed at first, and independent variables with statistical differences were included in multivariate Logistic regression analysis. Independent risk factors for preoperative heart failure were obtained. The length of hospital stay, perioperative complications, mortality at 30 days and 1 year after surgery were compared between heart failure and non-heart failure groups., Results: There were 91 patients in heart failure group, including 40 males and 51 females, aged 82.00 (79.00, 87.00) years old;55 patients with intertrochanteric fracture and 36 patients with femoral neck fracture. There were 1 478 patients in non-heart failure groups, including 482 males and 996 females, aged 81.00(75.00, 86.00) years old;841 patients with intertrochanteric fracture and 637 patients with femoral neck fracture. There were significant differences in age, sex, coronary heart disease, arrhythmia and dementia between two groups( P <0.05). Multivariate Logistic analysis of statistically significant factors showed that males( OR =1.609, P =0.032), age( OR =1.032, P =0.031), arrhythmia( OR =2.045, P =0.006), dementia ( OR =2.106, P =0.014) were independent risk factor for preoperative heart failure. The 30-day and 1-year mortality rates were 9.9% and 26.4% in heart failure group and 3.6% and 13.8% in non-heart failure group, respectively;and had statistical significance between two groups ( P <0.05). There were significant differences in pulmonary infection, cerebrovascular complications and cardiovascular complications between two groups ( P <0.05). The duration of hospitalization in heart failure group was (16.21±10.64) d compared with that in non-heart failure group (13.26±8.00) d, and the difference was statistically significant ( t =2.513, P =0.012)., Conclusion: Male, old age, arrhythmia and dementia are independent risk factors for heart failure after hip fracture in elderly patients. Patients with preoperative heart failure have a higher incidence of postoperative pulmonary infection, cerebrovascular and cardiovascular complications, higher mortality at 30 d and 1 year after surgery, and longer hospital stay.

This study aims to explore the influence of Polygonati Rhizoma on the pyroptosis in the rat model of diabetic macroangiopathy via the NOD-like receptor thermal protein domain associated protein 3(NLRP3)/cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase-1(caspase-1)/gasdermin D(GSDMD) pathway. The rat model of diabetes was established by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin(STZ) combined with a high-fat, high-sugar diet. The blood glucose meter, fully automated biochemical analyzer, hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, and Western blot were employed to measure blood glucose levels, lipid levels, vascular thickness, inflammatory cytokine levels, and expression levels of pyroptosis-related proteins. The mechanism of pharmacological interventions against the injury in the context of diabetes was thus explored. The results demonstrated the successful establishment of the model of diabetes. Compared with the control group, the model group showed elevated levels of fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol(TC), triglycerides(TG) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-c), lowered level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-c), thickened vascular intima, and elevated serum and aorta levels of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), interleukin-1β(IL-1β) and interleukin-18(IL-18). Moreover, the model group showed increased NLRP3 inflammasomes and up-regulated levels of caspase-1 and GSDMD in aortic vascular cells. Polygonati Rhizoma intervention reduced blood glucose and lipid levels, inhibited vascular thickening, lowered the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-18 in the serum and aorta, attenuated NLRP3 inflammasome expression, and down-regulated the expression levels of caspase-1 and GSDMD, compared with the model group. In summary, Polygonati Rhizoma can slow down the progression of diabetic macroangiopathy by inhibiting pyroptosis and alleviating local vascular inflammation.

Objectives: To observe the effect of motion-style scalp acupuncture (MSSA) on H-reflex in rats with post-stroke spasticity (PSS), so as to explore the electrophysiological mechanisms of MSSA against spasticity., Methods: A total of 36 male SD rats were randomly divided into sham operation, model and MSSA groups, with 12 rats in each group. The stroke model was established by occlusion of the middle cerebral artery. After modeling, rats in the MSSA group were treated by scalp acupuncture (manipulated every 15 min, 200 r/min) at ipsilesional "parietal and temporal anterior oblique line" (MS6) for a total of 30 min, the treadmill training (10 m/min) was applied during the needling retention, once daily for consecutive 7 days. The neurological deficits, muscle tone and motor function were assessed by Zea Longa score, modified modified Ashworth scale (MMAS) score and screen test score before and after treatment, respectively. The H-reflex of spastic muscle was recorded by electrophysiological recordings and the frequency dependent depression (FDD) of H-reflex was also recorded. The cerebral infarction volume was evaluated by TTC staining., Results: Compared with the sham operation group, the Zea longa score, MMAS score, cerebral infarction volume, motion threshold, Hmax/Mmax ratio and FDD of H-reflex were significantly increased ( P <0.01), while the screen test score was significantly decreased ( P <0.01) in the model group. Intriguingly, compared with the model group, the above results were all reversed ( P <0.01) in the MSSA group., Conclusions: MSSA could exert satisfactory anti-spastic effects in rats with PSS, the underlying mechanism may be related to the improvement of nerve function injury, the reduction of spastic muscle movement threshold, Hmax/Mmax ratio and H-reflex FDD.

Objective: To study the clinical manifestations and treatment of intervertebral space infection after percutaneous lumbar radiofrequency ablation of nucleus pulposus., Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed of 496 patients who underwent percutaneous lumbar disc decompression using low-temperature plasma radiofrequency ablation nucleus pulposus from June 2009 to June 2019. Six patients had lumbar infection, and the infection rate was 1.21%. All patients were male, ranging in age from 20 to 61 years old. Three patients underwent single segment radiofrequency ablation, two patients underwent dual segments ablation;and one patient underwent three segment ablation, totaling 10 intervertebral discs. One patient was complicated with type 2 diabetes before operation. The interval between infection occurrence ranged from 21 to 65 days., Results: All 6 patients were followed up, and the duration ranged from 18 to 40 months, with an average of 24 months. Among them, 2 patients presented with symptoms of low back pain accompanied by fever, and imaging examination showed intervertebral space infection accompanied by abscess. In addition, 4 patients experienced low back pain but no fever, and MRI showed abnormal signals of the infected intervertebral endplate or vertebral body. One patient showed staphylococcus aureus in blood culture, while the remaining 5 patients showed negative bacterial culture. All the patients were treated with antibiotics after diagnosis. Four patients were treated with conservative management to control infection;1 patient was treated with debridement of posterior lumbar infection focus, and 1 patient was treated with debridement of posterior lumbar infection focus combined with interbody fusion and internal fixation., Conclusion: The occurrence of intervertebral space infection during lumbar radiofrequency ablation nucleoplasty should be given sufficient attention. Strict aseptic technique, avoiding repeated multi segment puncture, realizing early detection and treatment, and selecting appropriate treatment methods according to the severity of infection is the guarantee of achieving curative effect.

Acupuncture animal experiment is the main form of acupuncture mechanism research, in which, the setting of control group is crucial to the scientificity and reliability of research conclusion, and the research elements are the fundamental. Focusing on the research elements involved in acupuncture animal experiment, this study summarized the current situation and characteristics of the control groups related to acupoint selection, intervention and pathological mechanism in acupuncture animal experiment, and put forward the questions and suggestions so that the references of setting control group can be provided for acupuncture animal experiment in future.

Research articles on the mechanisms of acupuncture in the treatment of dysmenorrhea model in rats were retrieved from PubMed and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). As revealed by the analysis, the underlying mechanisms were mainly related to the regulation of endocrine system and neurotransmitters, the modulation of immunoinflammatory responses, the improvement of uterine microcirculation, and reduction of oxidative stress. In the future, research should be carried out to explore the mechanism of acupuncture in relieving dysmenorrhea via acupoints and the specific mechanism of classical acupoints, so as to enrich the multi-pathway mechanisms of acupuncture in treating dysmenorrhea and provide more scientific basis for optimizing clinical modalities for primary dysmenorrhea treatment by acupuncture.

This paper reviews the application of "co-regulation of body and mind" of acupuncture for post-stroke spasticity. It is found that acupoints on the head and the back of the governor vessel, as well as Jiaji (Ex-B 2) points are mainly used for regulating the mind, and the local sites of spastic muscles and the points on the antagonistic muscles are for regulating the body specially. It is believed that regulating the mind should be integrated with regulating the body, while, the acupoint selection be associated with needling methods so as to fully achieve the "co-regulation of body and mind" and enhance the practical value of acupuncture for post-stroke spasticity. It is proposed that the classical anti-spastic needling techniques, such as huici (relaxing needling) and guanci (joint needling), should be more considered.

Objective: To observe the effect of acupuncture at "Yanglingquan" (GB34) and "Baihui" (GV20) on Na + /K + -ATPase, excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs) and glutamate (Glu) in hippocampus of post-stroke spasticity rats, so as to explore the central mechanism in anti-spasticity., Methods: In a total of 48 healthy SD rats, 12 rats were randomly selected to be included into sham operation group, and the remaining rats were used to make a middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model using a suture method. On the 3rd day after modeling, MCAO limb spasticity rats were screened by neurological deficit symptoms and muscle tension scores, and randomly divided into the model, GB34 (Hui-puncture at GB34) and GB34+GV20 (Hui-puncture at GB34 and horizontal insertion at GV20) groups ( n =12 rats in each group), and the treatment was lasted for 7 conse-cutive days. The neurological symptoms and muscle tension score were observed with the Zea Longa score and modified Ashworth scale (MAS). The levels of Glu, EAAT1 (GLAST) and EAAT2 (GLT-1) in the ischemic area of cerebral hippocampus were detected by ELISA, the expression of Na + /K + -ATPase α1 (ATP1α1) was detected by Western blot, the expression of ATP1α1 mRNA was detected by real-time PCR, and the expression of GLAST, GLT-1 and ATP1α1 was detected by immunofluorescence., Results: After modeling, Zea Longa score and MAS score were increased ( P <0.01), the level of Glu in the ischemic area of cerebral hippocampus was increased ( P <0.01), while the expression levels of GLAST, GLT-1, ATP1α1 protein and mRNA were all decreased ( P <0.01) in the model group relevant to the sham operation group. After 7 days' treatment, all the increased and decreased levels of the indexes mentioned above were reversed in the two acupuncture groups relevant to the model group ( P <0.01, P <0.05), and the effects of acupuncture at GB34+GV20 were obviously superior to that of acupuncture at GB34 ( P <0.05, P <0.01)., Conclusion: Acupuncture can alleviate post-stroke spasticity effectively, which may be related to its effect in up-regulating the expressions of Na + /K + -ATPase and EAATs in hippocampus. The anti-spastic effect of acupuncture at GB34+GV20 is superior to GB34 alone.

Objective: To observe and compare the effects of different acupuncture and moxibustionmethods at "San-yinjiao" (SP6) on uterine contraction and microcirculation in cold congealing dysmenorrhea rats, so as to explore its mechanism underlying treatment of dysmenorrhea., Methods: A total of 140 female SD rats were randomly divided into normal control, mo-del, perpendicular needling, transverse needling and moxibustion groups, with 28 rats in each group. The cold congealing dysme-norrhea rat model was prepared by exposure in a freezer (25 ℃) for 4 h, once daily for 5 days, and subcutaneous injection of estradiol benzoate (once daily for 10 days) and intra-abdominal injection of oxytocin (once). For rats in three intervention groups, acupuncture needles were inserted into bilateral SP6 perpendicularly or transversely to a depth of 4~5 mm and retained for 20 min, or moxibustion was applied to SP6 for 20 min. The uterine contraction degree and the uterine microcirculation were recorded. The expression levels of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) in local tissues of SP6 area were detected by immunohistochemistry. The expression levels of μopioid receptor and endothelin 1 (ET1) mRNA in the uterus were assessed by quantitative real time-PCR., Results: After modeling and compared with the normal control group, the number and peak-to-peak values of uterine contraction waves, and uterine motility were significantly increased ( P <0.01, P <0.05), while the speed of blood flow in the microvessels was slowed down ( P <0.01), diameters of the uterine microvessels and capillaries (cap) shrank obviously ( P <0.01) in the model group. After the intervention, all indexes of uterine contraction and microcirculation were improved in three intervention groups ( P <0.01, P <0.05), while transverse needling and moxibustion showed better effects compared to perpendicular needling ( P <0.05, P <0.01). The expression of TRPV1 and HSP70 in SP 6 area had no significant changes ( P >0.05), while the uterine μopioid receptor mRNA expression decreased ( P <0.01), and ET1 mRNA expression increased ( P <0.01) in the model group relevant to the normal control group. Following the intervention, the expression levels of TRPV1 and HSP70 in SP6 area were increased ( P <0.05, P <0.01), and expression levels of uterine μopioid receptor mRNA increased ( P <0.05, P <0.01) and uterine ET1 mRNA decreased ( P <0.05, P <0.01) in the three intervention groups. The effect of moxibustion was considerably better than those of two acupuncture groups in up-regulating TRPV1 expression ( P <0.05). Both transverse needling and moxibustion showed better effects of down-regulating uterine ET1 mRNA expression than perpendicular needling ( P <0.01)., Conclusion: Transverse needling and moxibustion at SP6 have a better effect of relieving ute-rine contraction and improving uterine microcirculation than perpendicular needling, which may be related to their effects in up-re-gulating the expression of TRPV1 and HSP70 in SP6 area, thereby modulating the mRNA expression of μ opioid receptor and ET1 in uterine tissue.

Tree ring data is of significance for reconstructing climate and predicting environmental dynamics. In order to accurately measure spacing and other parameters of Haloxylon ammodendron tree ring, we first assigned coordinate system to the scanned H. ammodendron disc PS images based on GIS, and then completed the H. ammodendron tree ring spacing measurement by using ENVI image classification software and GIS measuring tool. The measurement accuracy was proved by WinDENDRO tree ring analysis system. The results showed that there was no significant difference between those two methods ( P =0.63), and that the difference of paired mean value was 0.87 μm, indicating that the measured results were accurate and reliable. The constructed method in this study could be used to measure the spacing of H. ammodendron tree ring, which lay the foundation for the automatic measurement of tree ring parameters such as area and perimeter. Our method could replace the current professional tree ring analysis system for some ring parameter measurement. The study would contribute to the dendroclimatology analysis and the investigation on age structure of H. ammodendron population.

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Chinese patent medicines in the treatment of insomnia by frequency network Meta-analysis. Randomized controlled trials of Chinese patent medicines for insomnia were retrieved from CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, SinoMed, PubMed, EMbase and Cochrane Library databases from the time of database establishment to October 2020. The quality of the included RCTs was evaluated according to the Cochrane bias risk standard, and the data was analyzed by RevMan 5.3 and Stata/MP 15.1. A total of 11 kinds of Chinese patent medicines in 27 RCTs were included. According to Meta-analysis, in term of the effective rate, Tianmeng Liquid, Zaoren Anshen Capsules, Shumian Capsules, Shensong Yangxin Capsules, Shenqi Wuweizi Tablets, Shugan Jieyu Capsules, Anshen Bunao Liquid and Qiye Anshen Tablets combined with nonbenzodiazepine drugs(NBZDs) were superior to NBZDs alone. In term of the improvement of Pittsburg sleeping quality index(PSQI) score, Tianmeng Liquid, Shumian Capsules, Shensong Yangxin Capsules, Bailemian Capsules, Shenqi Wuweizi Tablets, Shugan Jieyu Capsules, Yangxue Qingnao Granules and Yindan Xinnaotong Capsules combined with NBZDs were superior to NBZDs alone. In terms of the safety, Shumian Capsules, Shensong Yangxin Capsules, Shenqi Wuweizi Tablets and Qiye Anshen Tablets combined with NBZDs were superior to NBZDs alone. In terms of the avoidance of dizziness and headache, Qiye Anshen Tablets combined with NBZDs were superior to NBZDs alone. The results of Network Meta-analysis indicated that in term of the effective rate, top three optimal medication regimens were NBZDs combined with Shugan Jieyu Capsules, combined with Zaoren Anshen Capsules and combined with Shensong Yangxin Capsules in the order from high to low. With the respect of improvement of PSQI score, top three optimal medication regimens were NBZDs combined with Yangxue Qingnao Granules, combined with Tianmeng Liquid and combined with Yindan Xinnaotong Capsules in the order from high to low. In terms of the safety, top three optimal medication regimens were NBZDs combined with Qiye Anshen Tablets, combined with Shensong Yangxin Capsules and combined with Shenqi Wuweizi Tablets in the order from high to low. In terms of the avoidance of dizziness and headache, top three optimal medication regimens were NBZDs combined with Qiye Anshen Tablets, combined with Zaoren Anshen Capsules and combined with Shumian Capsules in the order from high to low. In terms of the avoidance of fatigue, top three optimal medication regimens were NBZDs combined with Shensong Yangxin Capsules, combined with Shumian Capsules and combined with Qiye Anshen Tablets in the order from high to low. In conclusion, Chinese patent medicines combined with NBZDs can effectively alleviate the symptoms of insomnia with a high safety. However, the conclusion of this study needs to be verified by more high-quality studies because of the low methodological quality of the included studies.

Objective: To evaluate the safety and feasibility of single-segment lumbar microdiscectomy without drainage., Methods: The clinical data of 135 patients with single-segment lumbar disc herniation treated by microdiscectomy surgery from January 2018 to August 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 95 males and 40 females, aged from 18 to 40 years old, with a mean of (28.3±5.4) years. They were divided into drainage group (78 cases) and non-drainage group (57 cases) according to whether the drainage tube was placed during operation. The general conditions of patients were recorded such as age, gender, operation segment, body mass index(BMI), symptom duration, follow-up time, operation time, intraoperative blood loss, out-of-bed time, hospital stay, postoperative drainage removal time and drainage volume of drainage group, postoperative body temperature. VAS of incisional pain in supine resting state on the 1 and 3 days after operation, the VAS of low back pain and lower extremity radiating pain during ground exercise before operation, 3 days, 1 month and 3 months after operation were compared. Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) was collected before operation, 1 month and 3 months after operation. The ratio of complications was calculated such as symptomatic incision hematoma, poor incision healing, incision infection, exacerbation and progressive aggravation of neurological dysfunction, and unplanned secondary surgery., Results: There were no significant differences in age, gender, operation segment, BMI, symptom duration, follow-up time, operation time, intraoperative blood loss, and postoperative body temperature between two groups. The average hospital stay and out-of-bed time in non-drainage group were shorter than in drainage group( P =0.0000). VAS of incision pain in non-drainage group was lower than that in control group at 1 and 3 days after surgery ( P <0.05). Postoperative low back pain VAS and ODI of all patients were significantly reduced compared with those before surgery. No symptomatic hematoma occurred in two groups. Postoperative neurological dysfunction immediately aggravated each one patient in two groups, and no progressive aggravation of neurological function was found in two groups. Incision infection occurred in one case in each of the two groups, and both were cured by drug treatment; poor incision healing occurred in one case in each of the two groups, and both were healed after repeated dressing changes. There was one case of unplanned second operation in drainage group, the patient received a second operation due to disc protrusion recurrence within 1 month., Conclusion: Single-segment lumbar microdiscectomy without drainage can shorten the average hospital stay and promote early exercise out of bed, and reduce the trauma and stress reaction of drainage. No drainage may be an option for patients with enhanced recovery after lumbar microdiscectomy.

As one of the most widely used traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment apparatus, the electric acu-point stimulation (such as electroacupuncture, transcutaneous acupoint electric stimulation, etc.) device plays an important role in improving the efficacy of acupuncture therapy and expanding its indications. The imbalance of human functional state has become an important factor affecting the health condition and quality of life. Acupuncture therapy has the advantage of regulating functional status of patients to restore the balance. Aiming at some problems of current acupuncture stimulation instruments in the stimulated depth, fuzzy range, lack of closed-loop feedback, insufficient combination with the theory of Chinese acupuncture-moxibustion, etc., we, in the present paper, put forward a new way of thinking that the classical theory of "Deqi" of acupuncture should be combined with the modern bio-electronic technology, multimode signal acquisition technology, real-time feedback control techno-logy, etc., in order to develop a series of effective, safe and comfortable integrated closed-loop feedback acupoint electrical stimulation devices. Interactions of multi-disciplines, reasonable coalesce between the medical treatment and theory, medical treatment and modern bioengineering techniques, as well as the integration of Chinese traditional and modern medicine will help promote the development of apparatuses of acupuncture-moxibustion for diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Such interdisciplinary efforts will make more contributions to the construction of healthy China and the health of all mankind.

The Three Gorges Reservoir area (TGRA) is a critical water source protection area in China and one of the regions with rapid economic development in the Yangtze River basin. Non-point source pollution is the leading cause of the deterioration of the water environment in the TGRA; therefore, studying the non-point source pollution status in the TGRA is of great significance to the regional ecological security and sustainable development. The improved export coefficient model was used to estimate the total non-point source nitrogen and phosphorus pollution loads in the TGRA from 1990 to 2015, the spatial and temporal characteristics of the non-point source nitrogen and phosphorus pollution were analyzed, and the primary sources of pollution were determined by calculating the contribution rate of each pollution source. The results concluded that the nitrogen and phosphorus pollution loads were highest in the hinterland of the reservoir, followed by the end of the reservoir, with the lowest in the head of the reservoir, showing significant spatial heterogeneity in the TGRA. The total loads of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution increased firstly and then decreased, which reached the highest value in 2000 and the lowest value in 2015. The contribution rate of each pollution source to the nitrogen and phosphorus pollution loads, from highest to lowest, were land use, rural life, livestock, and poultry farming. Among them, the land use type of dry land was the predominant source of non-point source nitrogen and phosphorus pollution.

Objective: To explore the effect of anterolateral spinal canal decompression combined with short segment screw fixation with posterior approach for severe thoracolumbar burst fractures with spinal cord injury., Methods: From January 2016 to June 2018, 16 patients with severe thoracolumbar burst fractures (more than 50% of ratio of spinal canal encroachment, reverse fragment at the posterior edge of the vertebral body) with spinal cord injury were retrospectively analyzed, including 10 males and 6 females, ranging in age from 19 to 57 years old. Causes of injury:8 cases of fall injury, 6 cases of traffic accident injury and 2 cases of other injuries. Fracture site:T 11 in 4 cases, T 12 in 5 cases, L 1 in 5 cases, L 2 in 2 cases. All the patients underwent anterolateral spinal canal decompression combined with short segment screw fixation with posterior approach. The curative imaging effects were evaluated by measuring the loss height of the anterior edge of the injured vertebra, Cobb angle of the adjacent segment of the injured vertebra, and ratio of spinal canal encroachment. The clinical effects were evaluated by Frankel spinal cord injury rating and visual analogue scale (VAS)., Results: All 16 patients were followed up, and the average follow up time was (15.9±5.4) months. The average operation time was (234±41) minutes and the average amount of bleeding was (431±93) ml. The loss of anterior height of injured vertebrae was (52.25±10.10)% before operation, (8.93± 3.61)% at 3 days after operation, and (9.25±2.88)% at the latest follow up. The results of 3 days after operation and the latest follow up were better than that before operation, and there was no significant differencesbetween results at the latest follow up and 3 days after operation ( P <0.01). Cobb angle of adjacent segment of injured vertebrae was (28.19±10.89)°before operation, (5.31±5.14)° 3 days after operation, and (6.81±4.59)°at the latest follow-up. The ratio of spinal canal encroachment was (67.68±12.45)% before operation, (7.69±4.46)% at 3 days after operation, and (4.75±1.63)% at the latest follow-up. At 3 days and the latest follow-up, the rate recovered to a certain extent ( P <0.05). At the latest follow up, spinal nerve function was improved in 12 patients, no improvement in 4 patients and no deterioration in nerve function. VSA score was improved from preoperative 7.8±0.9 to final follow-up 1.8±0.7., Conclusion: For severe thoracolumbar burst fracture and spinal cord injury, with more than 50% of ratio of spinal canal encroachment and reverse fragment at the posterior edge of the vertebral body, the anterolateral spinal canal decompression combined with short segment screw fixation with posterior approach has the characteristics of accurate reduction, complete decompression and firm fixation, and the clinical effect is satisfactory.

Objective: To observe the effect of perpendicular and subcutaneous transverse needling at "Sanyinjiao" (SP6) on visceral pain behavior, arginine vasopressin (AVP) content in the serum, uterine tissues, spinal cord and hypothalamus and expression of AVP receptors AVPR1A and AVPR1B in the uterine tissues, spinal cord and hypothalamus in cold-stasis (stasis due to pathogenic cold) type dysmenorrhea rats, so as to explore their mechanisms underlying pain relief., Methods: Forty female SD rats were randomly divided into blank control, model, perpendicular needling and transverse needling groups, with 10 rats in each group. The cold-stasis dysmenorrhea rat model was established by exposure in a freezer (-25 ℃) for 4 h, once daily for 5 days, and subcutaneous injection of estradiol benzoate (once daily for 10 days) and intra-abdominal injection of oxytocin injection (once). For rats of the two acupuncture groups, acupuncture needles were inserted into the bilateral SP6 perpendicularly or transversely to a depth of about 4-5 mm, and retained for 20 min. The abdominal pain behavior was assessed by recording the writhing latency and scaling the rats' writhing reactions after modeling. The contents of AVP in the serum, uterus, spinal cord and hypothalamus tissues were assayed using ELISA and the expression of AVPR1A and AVPR1B in the uterus, spinal cord and hypothalamus was measured by using Western blot and quantitative real time-PCR, respectively., Results: After mode-ling and compared with the blank control group, the writhing latency was significantly shortened ( P <0.05), and the writhing score in the first 20 min was significantly increased ( P <0.01) in the model group. After the intervention, the writhing latency was significantly prolonged ( P <0.01), and the writhing scores in 20 min were significantly decreased ( P <0.01) in the two needling groups. The AVP contents were obviously increased in the serum and uterine tissue ( P <0.05, P <0.01) but decreased appa-rently in the spinal cord and hypothalamus tissues ( P <0.01, P <0.05), and the expression levels of AVPR1A or AVPR1B protein and mRNA were markedly increased in the uterine tissues ( P <0.01, P <0.05), and significantly decreased in the spinal cord and hypotha-lamus in the model group relevant to the control group ( P <0.05, P <0.01). Following the intervention, The AVP content in the serum of the perpendicular needling group ( P <0.05) and that in the uterus of the two needling groups were significantly decreased ( P <0.01), as well as that in the hypothalamus was obviously increased in the two needling groups ( P <0.05). The expression levels of AVPR1A protein and mRNA in the uterus were significantly down-regulated in the two needling groups ( P <0.01, P <0.05) and AVPR1B protein in the hypothalamus of the perpendicular needling group was up-regulated ( P <0.05). Moreover, no significant differences were found between the two needling groups in regulating the related indexes mentioned above ( P >0.05)., Conclusion: Both perpendicular and subcutaneous transverse needling at SP6 have an immediate analgesic effect in cold-stasis type dysmenorrhea rats, which may be related to their effects in regulating AVP levels and its receptor expression in the uterine and hypothalamus.

Objective: To investigate the effects of combined infusion of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) and endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) on lung injury after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT)., Methods: The experiment was divided into normal control group, irradiation group, bone marrow cell transplantation group (BMT group), BMT+EPC group, BMT+MSC group and BMT+EPC+MSC group. The model of HSCT was established, on the 30th day after transplantation, the mice were sacrificed. Then lung tissue was taken for testing. The mRNA expression levels of VEGF, IL-18, IL-12b were detected by RT-PCR, and protein expression level of NLRP3 was detected by Western blot. The expression of MPO and CD146 was observed by immunohistochemistry assay., Results: The expression level of VEGF gene in BMT+EPC+MSC group was significantly higher than that in other groups (P＜0.01). The expression level of IL-18 and IL-12b gene was the highest in BMT group and the lowest in BMT+EPC+MSC group, and the difference was statistically significant (P＜0.05). HSCT could increase the expression of NLRP3 protein, and the BMT+EPC+MSC could significantly reduce the level of NLRP3 protein in lung cells, tending to normal. Compared with normal tissues, the BMT+EPC+MSC could improve the lung tissue structure more effectively, the expression of MPO positive cells was lower, and the expression of VEGF positive cells was higher., Conclusions: The combined infusion of MSC and EPC can promote capillary regeneration, alleviate inflammation and promote lung repair after HSCT, which is superior to single EPC or MSC infusion.

Characterization of the size distribution and carbon components in particulates has become important for identifying the particulates in the atmosphere. The size distribution and carbon components of atmospheric particulate matter from motor vehicles in different regions were analyzed by using Micro-orifice uniform deposition impactors (MOUDI) and the organic carbon/elemental carbon (OC/EC) analyzer. With increasing particle size, the mass concentration of raw diesel/gasoline decreases. The highest mass concentration of particles collected near the chimney of an engine laboratory was observed for particle sizes ranging from 0.32-0.56 μm, while particles with sizes from 1.0-1.8 μm in the basement garage showed the most mass fractions. The OC1, OC2, and OC3 were the major parts of the OC contents in raw diesel particles. The EC2 was the main part of EC. The atmospheric particles collected in typical regions contained more OC3 and OC4. EC1 was the main part of EC in particles collected from the basement garage. The OC/EC ratios of raw diesel particles ranged from 0.92 to 2.50. The OC/EC ratios of particles collected near the chimney of an engine laboratory ranged from 1.40 to 2.53 and that of particles collected in the basement garage ranged from 2.36 to 4.82. Moreover, the OC/EC ratios in particles collected in the basement garage normally exceeded 2.0 and reached 4.82 at the largest size, which implies that many secondary particles were generated in the basement garage. The above-mentioned characteristics provide references that are beneficial for the identification of particulates in the atmosphere originating from motor vehicles.

Objective: Meta analysis was used to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Dynesys and posterior decompression and fusion internal fixation for lumbar degenerative diseases., Methods: The computer was used to retrieve the Cochrane library, Medline, Embase, CNKI, Wanfang database and Chinese biomedical literature database; and the references and main Chinese and English Department of orthopedics journals were manually searched. All the prospective or retrospective comparative studies on the clinical efficacy and safety of Dynesys and posterior decompression and fusion internal fixation were collected, so as to evaluate the methodological quality of the study and to extract the data. The RevMan 5.2 software provided by Cochrane collaboration was used for systematic evaluation., Results: A total of 9 clinical studies were included, including 3 prospective randomized controlled trials(RCT) and 6 retrospective controlled observational studies, which included 692 patients, with 336 cases in Dynesys group, and 356 cases in posterior decompression and fusion internal fixation (PLIF) group. The results showed that compared with PLIF, Dynesys system significantly decreased operation time( P <0.01), intraoperative blood loss ( P <0.01). Both Dynesys and PLIF groups experienced improved ODI and back/leg pain VAS scores at final follow-up, and no statistically significant difference was noted according to the two surgical procedures( P >0.05). Dynesys could remain the range of motion (ROM) of surgical segments with less increased ROM of adjacent segments compared with that of PLIF group( P <0.01). Regarding the disc height of surgical segments, no statistically significant difference was noted according to the two groups( P >0.05), but postoperative complications incidence rate in PLIF group was higher than that in Dynesys group ( P <0.05)., Conclusions: Both Dynesys system and PLIF can improve clinical outcomes of lumbar degenerative diseases effectively. Compared with PLIF, Dynesys could remain the range of motion(ROM) of surgical segments with less increased ROM of adjacent segments and lower complication incidence rate. But the ability to prevent adjacent segments degeneration needs more RCTs with long-term follow-up to confirm., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© 2018 by the China Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology Press.)