Search

The formation of planets in our solar system encompassed various stages of accretion of planetesimals that formed in the protoplanetary disk within the first few million years at different distances to the sun. Their chemical diversity is reflected by compositionally variable meteorite groups from different parent bodies. There is general consensus that their formation location is roughly constrained by a dichotomy of nucleosynthetic isotope anomalies, relating carbonaceous (C) meteorite parent bodies to the outer protoplanetary disk and the non-carbonaceous (NC) parent bodies to an origin closer to the sun. It is a common idea, that in these inner parts of the protoplanetary disks, planetesimal accretion processes were faster. Testing such scenarios requires constraining formation ages of meteorite parent bodies. Although isotopic age dating can yield precise formation ages of individual mineral constituents of meteorites, such ages frequently represent mineral cooling ages that can postdate planetesimal formation by millions or tens of millions of years, depending on the cooling history of individual planetesimals at different depths. Nevertheless, such cooling ages provide a detailed thermal history which can be fitted by thermal evolution models that constrain the formation age of individual parent bodies. Here we apply state-of-the-art thermal evolution models to constrain planetesimal formation times particular in the outer solar system formation region of C meteorites. We infer a temporally distributed accretion of various parent bodies from < 0.6 Ma to ≈ 4 Ma after solar system formation, with 3.7 Ma and 2.5 - 2.75 Ma for the parent bodies of CR1-3 chondrites and the Flensburg carbonaceous chondrite, and < 0.6 and < 0.7 Ma for the parent bodies of differentiated achondrites NWA 6704 and NWA 011, respectively. This implies that accretion processes in the C reservoir started as early as in the NC reservoir and were operating throughout typical protoplanetary disk lifetimes, thereby producing differentiated parent bodies with carbonaceous compositions in addition to undifferentiated C chondrite parent bodies. The accretion times correlate inversely with the degree of the meteorites' alteration, metamorphism, or differentiation. The accretion times for the CM, CI, Ryugu, and Tafassite parent bodies of 3.8 Ma, 3.8 Ma, 1 - 3 Ma, and 1.1 Ma, respectively, fit well into this correlation in agreement with the thermal and alteration conditions suggested by these meteorites. Our results indicate that individual planetesimals formed rapidly (i.e., within < 1 Ma), however, distinct planetesimals formed recurrently throughout the total lifetime of the protoplanetary disk. Rapid individual formation is consistent with streaming instabilities assisted by gravitational collapse. However, obviously not the total dust inventory was consumed at early disk evolution stages, so there must have been some delay mechanisms, e.g. collisional destruction of precursor aggregates due to high impact velocities induced by radial drift phenomena. This counterbalance enabled late ( > 2 - 3 Ma) accretion of C planetesimals beyond the snow line which escaped severe planetesimal heating and volatile loss, hence, preserving their volatiles, especially water. Only this delayed formation of water-rich planetesimals allowed Earth to accrete sufficient water to become a habitable planet, preventing it from being a bone dry planet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer's disease (AD), a chronic neurodegenerative disorder, is the leading cause of dementia. Over-activated microglia is related to amyloid-beta (Aβ) and phosphorylated tau (phospho-tau) accumulation in the AD brain. Taurine is an amino acid with multiple physiological functions including anti-inflammatory effects, and has been reported to be neuroprotective in AD. However, the role of taurine in microglia-mediated AD remains unclear. Here, we examined the effects of taurine on the brains of senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) mice by comparing those administered 1% taurine water with those administered distilled water (DW). We observed increased levels of taurine and taurine transporter (TAUT) in the brains of the taurine-treated mice compared with those of control mice. Immunohistochemical and Western blot analyses revealed that taurine significantly reduced the number of activated microglia, levels of phospho-tau and Aβ deposit in the hippocampus and cortex. Triggering receptors expressed on myeloid cells-2 (TREM2) are known to protect against AD pathogenesis. Taurine upregulated TREM2 expression in the hippocampus and cortex. In conclusion, the present study suggests that taurine treatment may upregulate TREM2 to protect against microglia over-activation by decreasing the accumulation of phospho-tau and Aβ; providing an insight into a novel preventive strategy in AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The co-segregation of Cu and Mg solutes at grain boundaries (GBs) in Al alloys is widely observed in experiments, but this segregation pattern is much less understood. Herein, the Cu, Mg co-segregation behaviors and their effects on Al Σ5 (210) GB properties were systematically studied via first-principles calculations. The segregation order of Cu and Mg atoms was firstly determined wherein the segregation tendency of Cu is comparatively stronger than Mg. Calculations demonstrate that Cu and Mg atoms exhibit attractive interaction, which would promote synergistic co-segregation of both dopants at the GB. It is revealed that Cu, Mg co-segregation not only improves GB thermodynamic stability, but also enhances the GB fracture strength. Detailed analysis of charge density, bonding characteristics, etc., suggests that the newly formed Al–Cu bonds upon Cu segregation are the primary contribution to the increased GB cohesion. The further Mg doping at the Al GB with Cu segregation results in charge depletion and meanwhile decreases Al–Cu bonding length, the net results of which increase GB cohesion, suggesting a synergistically enhanced GB strength with Mg and Cu co-segregation. This work is supposed to provide fundamental insights into the effect of Cu, Mg co-segregation on the strength of Al GBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silica hollow tube (SHT) nanofillers were fine distributed in poly(ether ketone ketone) (PEKK) to serve decently as sixth generation (6G) substrate films. Distinctly lower dielectric and thermal expansion characteristics were detected for all PEKKaxSHTy film sequence filled with proper amounts of SHT nanofillers. The dielectric characteristics detected for all PEKKaxSHTy film sequence diminished to a minimum, as SHT loads came near an optimal value of 8wt%. The LCTE evaluated for each PEKKaxSHTy film sequence reduced distinctly with increasing SHT loads. Suitable dielectric constant (εr) (2.26 at 1 MHz), and/or dielectric loss (tan δ) (0.0027 at 1 MHz) and/or Linear coefficient of thermal expansion (LCTE) (30.5 × 10−6/ °C) for 6G rapid-speed communication were detected for PEKKP700092SHT8 substrate film having 8wt% load of SHT nanofillers. Meanwhile, the beginning degradation temperatures estimated for all PEKKaxSHTy film sequence increased distinctly with increasing SHT loads. All free-volume-cavity characteristics estimated for all PEKKaxSHTy film sequence approached a highest value, as SHT loads came near an optimal value of 8wt%. Distinctly lower εr and tan δ were detected for PEKKa and PEKKaxSHTy having higher free-volume-cavity characteristics. Possible interpretations for the distinctly diminished dielectric and/or heat-resistant characteristics acquired for PEKKaxSHTy films are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prevalence of cervical central lymph-node metastasis (CLNM) is high in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). There is considerable controversy surrounding the benefits of prophylactic central lymph-node dissection (pCLND) in patients with clinically negative central compartment lymph nodes (cN0). Therefore, it is crucial to accurately predict the likelihood of cervical CLNM before surgery to make informed surgical decisions. Methods: Date from 214 PTC patients (cN0) who underwent partial or total thyroidectomy and pCLND at the Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital were collected and retrospectively analyzed. They were divided into two groups in accordance with cervical CLNM or not. Their information, including clinical characteristics, ultrasound (US) features, pathological results of fine-needle aspirations biopsy (FNAB), and other characteristics of the groups, was analyzed and compared using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results: A total of 214 patients were eligible in this study. Among them, 43.5% (93/214) of PTC patients had cervical CLNM, and 56.5% (121/214) did not. The two groups were compared using a univariate analyses, and there were no significant differences between the two groups in aspect ratio, boundary, morphology, component, and BRAFV600E (P > 0.05), and there were significant differences between gender, age, maximum tumor size, tumor location, capsule contact, microcalcifications, color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI), and Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) (P < 0.05). A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to further clarify the correlation of these indices. However, only age (OR = 2.455, P = 0.009), maximum tumor size (OR = 2.586, P = 0.010), capsule contact (OR = 3.208, P = 0.001), and CDFI (OR = 2.225, P = 0.022) were independent predictors of cervical CLNM. Combining these four factors, the area under the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve for the joint diagnosis is 0.8160 (95% 0.7596–0.8725). Univariate analysis indicated that capsule contact (P = 0.001) was a possible predictive factor of BRAFV600E mutation. Conclusions: In conclusion, four independent predictors of cervical CLNM, including age < 45 years, tumor size > 1.0 cm, capsule contact, and rich blood flow, were screened out. Therefore, a comprehensive assessment of these risk factors should be conducted when designing individualized treatment regimens for PTC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The marked Mg segregation at grain boundaries (GBs) in nanocrystalline Al alloys usually contributes additional GB segregation strengthening. To gain a further understanding of this phenomenon, molecular dynamics simulations were conducted to reveal the Mg segregation behavior at Al Σ9 (221)[ 1 1 ¯ 0 ] symmetric tilt grain boundary (STGB) and its effects on the GB stability and strength. Results reveal that Mg dopants have a large driving force to segregate at Al GBs. Such Mg segregation not only enhances the strength of Σ9 (221) STGB but also improves GB stability. It is found that the Mg segregation turns to enlarge and narrow the strain intervals of stable and thickening stages of Σ9 (221) STGB during tensile test, indicative of the Mg-induced stabilizing effect on the GB structural integrity. Calculations further elucidate that the segregated Mg dopants increase the critical stress for dislocation nucleation, which accounts for the remarkably increased tensile strength of Σ9 (221) STGB with Mg segregation. Such retarded dislocation nucleation is ascribed to the decrement in boundary free volume by Mg segregation. This work will provide important atomic-scale insights into the extra GB strengthening in Al alloys deriving from Mg segregation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When the ship speed exceeds a certain level in shallow water, ship-bank interaction induces great influence on the ship's manoeurability with some special hydrodynamic characteristics, but the mechanism is not totally understood. This paper presents a numerical prediction of the ship-bank interaction for the model of the KRISO Container Ship. An unsteady Reynold-Averaged Navier Stokes solver is applied to simulate the viscous flows. A grid convergence study is performed and the numerical results are compared with the experimental data. The hydrodynamic forces and moments and the squat are computed for different water depths and ship-to-bank distances. Results show that the sway force changes into a repulsive force with respect to the bank under the condition of h = 1.15T or Frh > 0.528 at h = 1.3T, which is due to the change of sway force distribution. The comparison of the results with and without free-surface modelling shows that the wave elevation affects the sway force distribution along the ship significantly. The detailed sway force distributions and wave elevations explain that the wave action between the ship and the bank is the key enabler of the occurrence of the repulsive sway force under the extreme conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lidocaine plays an anticancer role in hepatocellular carcinoma. Nevertheless, the mechanism of lidocaine in hepatocellular carcinoma remains largely unclear. Aims: This study aims to assess the function of lidocaine and explore the potential regulatory mechanism. Methods: Hepatocellular carcinoma cells were challenged via lidocaine. Cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion were detected via colony formation, 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide, flow cytometry, Western blot, and transwell analyses. Circular RNA itchy E3 ubiquitin protein ligase (circ_ITCH), microRNA-421 (miR-421), and cytoplasmic polyadenylation element-binding protein 3 (CPEB3) abundances were detected via quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction or Western blot. The relationship between miR-421 and circ_ITCH or CPEB3 was tested via dual-luciferase reporter analysis. The role of circ_ITCH in lidocaine-challenged cell growth in vivo was assessed via xenograft model. Results: Lidocaine inhibited hepatocellular carcinoma cell proliferation by decreasing colony formation and cell viability. Lidocaine suppressed hepatocellular carcinoma cell migration and invasion and promoted apoptosis. circ_ITCH and CPEB3 levels were decreased in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues and cells, and were restored in cells via lidocaine treatment. circ_ITCH knockdown weakened the suppressive effect of lidocaine on hepatocellular carcinoma development, which was abolished via CPEB3 overexpression. circ_ITCH could modulate CPEB3 by competitively binding with miR-421. miR-421 knockdown mitigated the effect of circ_ITCH silence in lidocaine-challenged cells. circ_ITCH knockdown increased xenograft tumor growth. Conclusions: Lidocaine represses hepatocellular carcinoma cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and promotes apoptosis via regulating circ_ITCH/miR-421/CPEB3 axis, indicating a new insight into the mechanism of lidocaine in hepatocellular carcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to reduce the uncertainty in the selection of geometric tolerance items, a qualitative method for top-down transfer of geometric tolerance items is proposed. The assembly joint which is composed of two mating surfaces with functional requirements or structural constraints is acted as the basis of geometric tolerance items transmission. According to the structural characteristics, the assembly joints are divided into meta-assembly joints and composite assembly joints, and the priority rules for assembly joints are proposed. The transfer path of part-level geometric tolerance items is established according to the functional requirements and structural constraints among parts. On this basis, by adding information about the composition and constraint types of assembly joints between parts and the position constraint relationship of the general structure surface in the part, the transfer path of part-level geometric tolerance items is extended to the transfer path of geometric feature surface-level. With the development of product design, the initial functional requirements will be transformed into structural constraints between parts and geometric feature surfaces, and the structural transformation model of functional requirements is constructed. The generation specifications of geometric tolerance items based on structural constraints and the transfer specifications of datums are established. And based on the above specifications, the mapping relationship between functional requirements, structural constraints, and geometric tolerance items is defined. The synchronous transmission of geometric tolerance items along with the product design process are realized which provides an effective analysis tool for the top-down design of geometric tolerance items. Finally, the effectiveness of the method is verified by taking the transmission parts and connection parts in the crankshaft-piston mechanism as an example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Urethrocutaneous fistula is the most prevalent complication after hypospadias repair. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether incised urethral diversion was superior to traditional transurethral diversion in minimizing complications. Patients and methods: We retrospectively collected and analyzed 113 cases with proximal penile or penoscrotal hypospadias that were repaired by one-stage transverse preputial island flap urethroplasty between January 2016 and January 2020. Of those cases, 60 used incised urethral diversion (group A), whereas the remaining 53 were managed by transurethral diversion (group B) for urinary drainage after surgery. Postoperative complications in both groups were assessed for fistula, urethral diverticulum, meatal stenosis, wound infection, and distal urethral breakdown. Results: Fistula was reported in 2 patients (3.3%) in group A, while it was observed in 15 patients (28.3%) in group B (p < 0.001). Wound infection occurred in one patient (1.7%) in group A, compared with six patients (11.3%) in group B (p < 0.05). The incidence rates of distal urethral breakdown were 1.7% (1/60) and 11.3% (6/53) for group A and group B, respectively (p < 0.05). One patient (1.7%) in group A and three patients (5.7%) in group B had a meatal stenosis (p > 0.05). There were two patients who developed urethral diverticulum in either group (p > 0.05). Conclusions: The use of incised urethral diversion for urinary drainage had an advantage over transurethral diversion in one-stage hypospadias repair with respect to the post-operational fistula occurrence, wound infection, and distal urethral breakdown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an aerosol injection technique (AIT) to accelerate the consolidation of soft soils for ground improvement. We employ high-pressure aerosol injections at different depths to enhance the drainage in soft soils for faster consolidation. The technique is briefly described. A well-instrumented field test is carried out to demonstrate its performance. Compared to the traditional methods, our approach gives rise to faster dissipation of excess pore pressure and larger ground settlement. This method is particularly attractive for the improvement in soft ground in medium depths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blue mold caused by Penicillium expansum infection results in severe postharvest deterioration of apples. Salicylic acid (SA) is an effective elicitor of fruit resistance. However, the metabolic mechanism of P. expansum infection of apples and the SA-mediated metabolic responses are still unknown. In this study, the metabolite changes during P. expansum infection of apples and SA-mediated disease resistance were explored by performing ultra-performance liquid chromatography and quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry. A total of 472 different metabolites were identified between the five groups of sample comparisons, and the correlated metabolic pathways were revealed by bioinformatics analysis. The upregulation of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, galactose metabolism, and starch and sucrose metabolism reflected energy conversion for P. expansum invasion and fruit disease resistance. Changes in glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism and carbapenem biosynthesis reflected the biosynthesis of virulence factors and secondary metabolites for fungal infection. Metabolic pathways related to apple natural disease resistance mainly included the upregulation of secondary metabolite biosynthesis and sphingolipid metabolism. SA promoted the TCA cycle, reactive oxygen metabolism, and secondary metabolite biosynthesis of apples for disease resistance. This study revealed the metabolic pathways of P. expansum infection of apples and SA-mediated disease resistance, which helps to improve the understanding of the pathogenic mechanism and disease control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying high-risk regions and turning points of influenza with a precise spatiotemporal scale may provide effective prevention strategies. In this study, epidemiological characteristics and spatiotemporal clustering analysis at the township level were performed. A descriptive study and a Joinpoint regression analysis were used to explore the epidemiological characteristics and the time trend of influenza. Spatiotemporal autocorrelation and clustering analyses were carried out to explore the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics and aggregation. Furthermore, the hotspot regions were analyzed by spatiotemporal scan analysis. A total of 4025 influenza cases were reported in Yinchuan showing an overall increasing trend. The tendency of influenza in Yinchuan consisted of three stages: increased from 2012 to the first peak in 2019 (32.62/100,000) with a slight decrease in 2016; during 2019 and 2020, the trend was downwards; then it increased sharply again and reached another peak in 2022. The Joinpoint regression analysis found that there were three turning points from January 2012 to December 2022, namely January 2020, April 2020, and February 2022. The children under ten displayed an upward trend and were statistically significant. The trend surface analysis indicated that there was a shifting trend from northern to central and southern. A significant positive spatial auto-correlation was observed at the township level and four high-incidence clusters of influenza were detected. These results suggested that children under 10 years old deserve more attention and the spatiotemporal distribution of high-risk regions of influenza in Yinchuan varies every year at the township level. Thus, more monitoring and resource allocation should be prone to the four high-incidence clusters, which may benefit the public health authorities to carry out the vaccination and health promotion timely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Turbine blades of aero engines often require small-size and high depth-diameter ratio holes, which have been a promising method for film cooling under harsh working conditions of both high temperature and pressure. However, for the film cooling holes with different spatial angles, existing methods are difficult to eliminate sharp corners that might be damaged easily due to stress concentration and thus reduce the strength of turbine blades. Herein, electrochemical machining (ECM) method based on insulated electrodes was proposed to round the sharp corners of film cooling holes on the GH4169 plate. Electrochemical rounding theory was analyzed in detail. Tube electrodes were insulated by polyimide capillary tube to reduce the stray corrosion and improve the precision and strength of turbine blades. In addition, the size of rounded corners could be adjusted by changing the processing parameters including processing voltage, processing time, processing gap, electrode descent position, and electrode exposure length. This electrochemical rounding process can round the film cooling holes efficiently, and is expected to be applied in the field of aviation manufacturing widely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cell–cell communication and physical interactions play a vital role in cancer initiation, homeostasis, progression, and immune response. Here, we report a system that combines live capture of different cell types, co-incubation, time-lapse imaging, and gene expression profiling of doublets using a microfluidic integrated fluidic circuit that enables measurement of physical distances between cells and the associated transcriptional profiles due to cell–cell interactions. We track the temporal variations in natural killer—triple-negative breast cancer cell distances and compare them with terminal cellular transcriptome profiles. The results show the time-bound activities of regulatory modules and allude to the existence of transcriptional memory. Our experimental and bioinformatic approaches serve as a proof of concept for interrogating live-cell interactions at doublet resolution. Together, our findings highlight the use of our approach across different cancers and cell types. A microfluidic system combines the capture, co-incubation, time-lapse imaging, and gene expression profiling of doublets to measure the distances between cells and associated transcriptional profiles due to cell–cell interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coordination chemistry of the organotin(IV) compounds is dominated by nitrogen and oxygen donor ligands. Some of these complexes have found prominent applications in the fields of biomedicine such as anticancer and antibacterial agents. These complexes represent important building blocks in polymer and supramolecular assembly. This review aims to summarize the recent literature on the chemistry of organotin complexes with imine and polypyridyl ligands such as bipyridine, phenanthroline and terpyridine ligands as well as oxygen donor ligands and O, N donor ligands. Given that many organotin(IV) chlorides are inexpensive, widely available, and can be easily converted to the other corresponding halides and pseudo-halides, numerous innovative ideas could be generated through application of these compounds. Polymer-containing tin moieties were also highlighted and their biological activities in combatting diseases such as cancer and inflammatory and infectious diseases were described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Understanding sex disparities in stroke can identify gaps in clinical care. The objective of this study was to investigate whether sex differences could influence clinical outcomes of patients with acute vertebrobasilar artery occlusion (VBAO) who underwent endovascular therapy (EVT). Methods: Patients were selected from the ANGEL-ACT Registry. The primary outcome was favorable functional outcome (90-day modified Rankin Scale [mRS] 0–3). Secondary outcomes included 90-day mRS distribution, excellent outcome (mRS 0–1), functional independence (mRS 0–2), early neurological improvement, recanalization, intracranial hemorrhage, and mortality within 90 days. The above outcomes were compared by two adjustment models, including (1) multivariable logistics analysis adjusting for all baseline and procedural variables with a P < 0.05; (2) adjusting for the propensity score. Results: There were 347 acute VBAO patients treated with EVT included, of whom 72 (20.7%) were women and 275 (79.3%) were men. Women were older (72[63–76] vs. 62[53–69], P < 0.001) and had a higher rate of atrial fibrillation (31.9% vs. 8.7%, P < 0.001), lower rates of underlying intracranial atherosclerotic disease (30.6% vs. 51.3%, P = 0.007), and tandem occlusion (8.3% vs. 21.8%, P = 0.009) than men. The rate of favorable outcome (mRS 0–3) was similar between women and men (41.7% vs. 51.3%, adjusted odds ratio 1.56, 95%CI: 0.83–2.95, P = 0.171). There were no sex differences in other clinical outcomes (all P > 0.05). Conclusions: In the ANGEL-ACT registry, the percentage of men with acute VBAO undergoing EVT was approximately fourfold higher than that of women with acute VBAO undergoing EVT. Sex differences did not modify the outcomes of acute VBAO after EVT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The clinical efficacy and safety of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) treatment for COVID-19 remain controversial. This study aimed to map the current status and gaps of available evidence, and conduct a meta-analysis to further investigate the benefit of IVIg in COVID-19 patients. Methods: Electronic databases were searched for systematic reviews/meta-analyses (SR/MAs), primary studies with control groups, reporting on the use of IVIg in patients with COVID-19. A random-effects meta-analysis with subgroup analyses regarding study design and patient disease severity was performed. Our outcomes of interest determined by the evidence mapping, were mortality, length of hospitalization (days), length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay (days), number of patients requiring mechanical ventilation, and adverse events. Results: We included 34 studies (12 SR/MAs, 8 prospective and 14 retrospective studies). A total of 5571 hospitalized patients were involved in 22 primary studies. Random-effects meta-analyses of very low to moderate evidence showed that there was little or no difference between IVIg and standard care or placebo in reducing mortality (relative risk [RR] 0.91; 95% CI 0.78–1.06; risk difference [RD] 3.3% fewer), length of hospital (mean difference [MD] 0.37; 95% CI − 2.56, 3.31) and ICU (MD 0.36; 95% CI − 0.81, 1.53) stays, mechanical ventilation use (RR 0.92; 95% CI 0.68–1.24; RD 2.8% fewer), and adverse events (RR 0.98; 95% CI 0.84–1.14; RD 0.5% fewer) of patients with COVID-19. Sensitivity analysis using a fixed-effects model indicated that IVIg may reduce mortality (RR 0.76; 95% CI 0.60–0.97), and increase length of hospital stay (MD 0.68; 95% CI 0.09–1.28). Conclusion: Very low to moderate certainty of evidence indicated IVIg may not improve the clinical outcomes of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Given the discrepancy between the random- and fixed-effects model results, further large-scale and well-designed RCTs are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess the effectiveness and safety of denosumab (Prolia®) compared to bisphosphonates (alendronate, ibandronate, risedronate, zoledronate), selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs; bazedoxifene, raloxifene) or placebo, for the treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women (PMW). Systematic searches were run in PubMed, Embase & Cochrane Library on 27-April-2022. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that included osteoporotic PMW allocated to denosumab, SERMs, bisphosphonates, or placebo were eligible for inclusion. RCTs were appraised using Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0. Bayesian network and/or pairwise meta-analyses were conducted on predetermined outcomes (i.e. vertebral/nonvertebral fractures, bone mineral density [BMD], mortality, adverse events [AEs], serious AEs (SAEs), withdrawals due to AEs, AEs caused by denosumab discontinuation). A total of 12 RCTs (k = 22 publications; n = 25,879 participants) were included in the analyses. Denosumab, reported a statistically significant increase in lumbar spine (LS) and total hip (TH) BMD, compared to placebo. Similarly, denosumab also resulted in a statistically significant increase in TH BMD compared to the raloxifene and bazedoxifene. However, relative to denosumab, alendronate, ibandronate and risedronate resulted in significant improvements in both femoral neck (FN) and LS BMD. With regards to vertebral fractures and all safety outcomes, there were no statistically significant differences between denosumab and any of the comparator. Relative to placebo, denosumab was associated with significant benefits in both LS and TH BMD. Additionally, denosumab (compared to placebo) was not associated with reductions in vertebral and nonvertebral fractures. Finally, denosumab was not associated with improvement in safety outcomes, compared to placebo. These findings should be interpreted with caution as some analyses suffered from statistical imprecision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of studies have demonstrated that impaired vigilance performance caused by total sleep deprivation could restore to baseline when recovery sleep is longer than the habitual sleep. However, it is unclear which factors on the recovery night affected the restoration of vigilance performance impaired by sleep deprivation. 22 participant's sleep electroencephalograms were recorded with polysomnography in 8-h baseline sleep and one-night 10-h recovery sleep following 36-h sleep deprivation. Participants completed a 10-min psychomotor vigilance task and subjective ratings after baseline and recovery sleep the following day. Objective vigilance and subjective ratings were impaired by sleep deprivation and recovered to baseline after one-night 10-h recovery sleep. Compared with baseline sleep, sleep depth increased with enhanced delta and theta power density, and sleep duration was also prolonged during recovery sleep. The vigilance performance difference between recovery and baseline sleep was taken as a behavioral index of the restoration of vigilance. The restoration of vigilance was correlated with the delta and theta power density of stage N3 in the frontal and central region during the recovery sleep. These findings indicated that one-night 10-h recovery sleep could restore the impaired objective vigilance and subjective ratings caused by sleep deprivation. The recuperative effect of vigilance relies on individual differences in sleep intensity. Individuals with higher sleep intensity in recovery sleep obtained better vigilance recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantitative and qualitative knowledge about the potential impacts of climate change on extreme hydrological events is crucial for water resource management and extreme risk management under climate change. This has theoretical and realistic implications to study and couple the climate system with hydrologic processes, to understand the system and solve related problems in water resources and extreme hydrology, such as decision making, plan management, environmental protection, and ecological balance. This paper reviews recent studies investigating climate change impact on hydrological extremes using a perspective of the integrated modeling framework comprising climate change scenarios, climate models, bias correction methods, hydrological modeling (model structure and parameterization), and reducible uncertainty arising from these sources characterized by a paucity of knowledge. The available research outcomes show the extreme high flows are likely to increase under climate change in the most parts of Europe, Asia, and the USA, but greatly vary and decrease in Africa and Latin America, which is highly variable and uncertain in space and time. Each component in integrated modeling has an important role in shifting and producing uncertainty in projected extreme flow. Among them, the climate model's discrepancy and hydrological models' structure are the more dominant source of uncertainty in projection of extreme high and low (or mean) flow in most of the regions, respectively. However, the quality of input data and hydrological model structures are the most dominant source of uncertainty in Africa, Latin America, and some parts of Asia. This indicated that these regions have strong hydrological cycle and higher physiographic heterogeneity. We believe that our existing knowledge and skills need to be improved and transformed into an accurate mathematical and physical representation, to minimize the uncertainty due to the effect of choices in the methodology chain. So, disentangling the aggregated uncertainty in the cascade modeling chain can be done by using variances, which can help understand the interaction effect and identify their contribution to the projected extreme flow. This comprehensive review can help modelers to identify and reduce uncertainty in projecting hydrological extremes and policy makers for full awareness of the various uncertainties to make a robust decision for water resources management under climate change. Article Highlights: This study provides a comprehensive review on reducing uncertainty in projecting hydrological extremes from the perspective of an integrated modeling framework Existing knowledge and skills need to be improved and transformed into an accurate mathematical representation The impact of climate change on hydrological extremes is highly variable and uncertain in space and time Uncertainties of the integrated modeling framework can be reduced by decomposing the aggregated uncertainty using variance analysis and/or the modeling chain [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Acute vertebrobasilar artery occlusion (VBAO) is a catastrophic disease for patients. There is evidence that the eventual patient outcome depends on patient-specific and procedural factors. This study aimed to identify the incidence and independent predictors of the 90-day poor outcome in VBAO after endovascular treatment (EVT). Methods: Subjects were selected from the ANGEL-ACT registry. The 90-day poor outcome was defined as a 90-day modified Rankin Scale (mRS) of 4 to 6. Logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the independent predictors of the 90-day poor outcome. Results: Of the 347 enrolled patients with acute VBAO undergoing EVT, 176 (50.7%) experienced the 90-day poor outcome. Multivariate logistic regression indicated that only the use of general anesthesia (GA) (odds ratio [OR] = 2.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.23–3.37; P = 0.006) and heparin during the procedure (OR =1.74; 95% CI, 1.06–2.86; P = 0.028), admission National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) ≥ 26 (OR=3.96; 95% CI, 2.37–6.61; P < 0.001), and time from onset to puncture (OTP) ≥ 395 min (OR=1.91; 95% CI, 1.14–3.20; P = 0.014) and procedure duration ≥ 102 min (OR = 1.70; 95% CI, 1.04–2.79; P = 0.036) were independent predictors of the 90-day poor outcome after EVT. Furthermore, admission NIHSS (OR > 36 vs. ≤ 11 = 9.01, P for trend < 0.001), OTP (OR > 441min vs. ≤ 210 min = 2.71, P for trend = 0.023), and procedure duration (OR > 145 min vs. ≤ 59 min = 2.77, P for trend = 0.031) were significantly associated with increasing risk of the 90-day poor outcome. Conclusions: Poor outcome after EVT at 90 days occurred in 50.7% of acute VBAO patients from the ANGEL-ACT registry. Our study found several predictors of the 90-day poor outcome which should be highly considered in daily practice to improve acute VBAO management. Clinical Trial Registration : http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT03370939 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Debris flows are capable of rapidly mobilizing and transferring large volumes of sediment downstream, where they can cause severe damage to infrastructure and loss of life. In China, debris flow hazards are widely distributed, but mainly concentrated in the western mountainous area, which has experienced a significant increase in large debris flow occurrences in recent years because of the influence of extreme climate and earthquakes. Our study focused on the Qilian Mountains, on the NE Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, where the geological and meteorological setting provides suitable conditions for the generation of large debris flows: high altitude mountains and deep canyons, strong tectonic uplift, abundant crustal materials formed by earthquakes and weathering, extreme rainfall events, and intense freeze‒thaw cycles. At 18:00 on July 22, 2021, an extreme rainstorm in SE Qilian County, China (up to 50.6 mm of precipitation in 7 h) generated a debris flow in Shenshuicao gully that was the most severe geological hazard to hit the region in 20 years. The debris flow burst out into Shenshuicao gully and destroyed two highway bridges (1–40-m prestressed reinforced concrete T-beam), causing significant economic losses, although fortunately no casualties were reported. Here, we analyzed the "7.22" debris flow using remote sensing, uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) surveying, on-site investigation and sampling, and laboratory analysis to better understand the predisposing and triggering factors of the debris flow. Our findings provide guidance for the prevention and control of sudden debris flow hazards in the Qilian Mountains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clonorchis sinensis (C. sinensis) infection is a risk factor for cholangiocarcinoma. Whether it also contributes to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still unclear. This study explored the potential relationship between C. sinensis infection and HCC. A total of 110 Sprague–Dawley rats were divided into four treatment groups, the negative control group (NC) received intragastric (i.g.) administration of saline, while the clonorchiasis group (CS) received i.g. administration of 150 C. sinensis metacercariae. The diethylnitrosamine-induced group (DEN) received intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of DEN. The clonorchiasis DEN-induced group (CSDEN) received i.g. administration of 150 C. sinensis metacercariae followed by i.p. administration of DEN. Hematoxylin and eosin staining, immunohistochemistry, and Masson's trichrome staining were performed for histopathological analysis of the isolated tissues. RNA-seq technology and RT-PCR were employed for gene expression. In the DEN group, 15 rats survived, of which 9 developed liver cirrhosis and 7 developed HCC. In the CSDEN group, all of the 17 surviving rats developed cirrhosis, and 15 showed development of HCC. The incidence of liver cirrhosis and HCC was significantly higher in the CSDEN group than in the DEN group. KEGG pathway analysis of the differentially expressed genes suggested significant upregulation in inflammation-associated pathways. Immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR results showed significant upregulation of hepatic progenitor cell markers (CK19, SOX9, EpCAM) in the CS group compared to the NC group, as well as in the CSDEN group compared to the DEN group. Our study suggests that C. sinensis infection increases risk of HCC in a rat model by stimulating proliferation of hepatic progenitor cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the performance of the EAONO/JOS, STAMCO, and ChOLE Cholesteatoma Staging Systems in prognostic evaluation of children acquired middle ear cholesteatoma after primary surgery and identify the other factors that could predict cholesteatoma recidivism. And the correlation between the staging and the recidivism of cholesteatoma after grouping according to operation was evaluated. Methods: A total of 123 ears of 118 patients that underwent surgery for primary cholesteatoma from November 2008 to May 2020 were included in this retrospective study, and then classified and staged according to the EAONO/JOS, STAMCO, and ChOLE cholesteatoma staging system, respectively. Each indicator involved in the system above was analyzed separately to evaluate its prognostic value for cholesteatoma recidivism. Results: The type of surgical procedure performed (P = 0.020) was shown to be associated with cholesteatoma recidivism. Cholesteatoma location the supratubal recess (S1) (P = 0.026, HR = 3.614, 95% CI 1.137, 7.945), and the sinus tympani (S2) (P = 0.004, HR = 4.208, 95% CI 1.574, 11.250) were shown to be significantly associated with disease recidivism. When focusing on the CWU operation group, ossicular chain status in STAMCO stage (P = 0.043) and in the ChOLE stage (P = 0.018) were significantly associated with cholesteatoma recidivism. The results had shown no association between the three stages and cholesteatoma recidivism in the CWD and endoscopic surgery groups. Conclusions: Based on our study, the EAONO/JOS, STAMCO, and ChOLE Classifications have limited value in predicting cholesteatoma recidivism, in acquired middle ear cholesteatoma in children. Adding the pathological status of the ossicular chain may be useful for predicting the recidivism of cholesteatoma. Additional validation studies are entailed to definitively assess the clinical utility of these classifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the burden caused by COVID-19 and rapid lifestyle changes, many people increased their screen time due to psychological needs and social requirements. The current study investigated the relationship between screen time changes and anxiety symptoms during the pandemic of COVID-19. Furthermore, we examined whether sleep and physical activity would mediate the association between screen time changes and anxiety. The self-developed questionnaire was delivered online to collect people's changes in anxiety, sleep patterns, and screen time during COVID-19. 970 participants (74.4% female) with an average age of 23 years were involved in this study. After adjusting demographic variables, the ordinal logistic regression analyses revealed that a significant increase in screen time was linked with anxiety. Slightly increased screen time, slightly and significantly decreased screen time did not predict anxiety symptoms during the pandemic. The level of anxiety was significantly higher among respondents who reported decreased sleep quality. Sleep quality directly mediated the association between screen time changes and anxiety, while sleep latency did not. The longer sleep latency caused by increased screen time would amplify anxiety by affecting sleep quality. In addition, the relationship between screen time changes and anxiety was also mediated by physical activity. We concluded that the fluctuation of screen time in a modest range does not affect the anxiety level substantially. The significantly increased screen time would contribute to poor sleep (including longer sleep latency and worse sleep quality) and lack of physical activity, which would lead to higher levels of anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerical climate models have been upgraded by the improved description of terrestrial hydrological processes across different scales. The goal of this study is to explore the role of terrestrial hydrological processes on land–atmosphere interactions within the context of modeling uncertainties related to model physics parameterization. The models applied are the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model and its coupled hydrological modeling system WRF-Hydro, which depicts the lateral terrestrial hydrological processes and further allows their feedback to the atmosphere. We conducted convection-permitting simulations (3 km) over the Heihe River Basin in Northwest China for the period 2008–2010, and particularly focused on its upper reach area of complex high mountains. In order to account for the modeling uncertainties associated with model physics parameterization, an ensemble of simulations is generated by varying the planetary boundary layer (PBL) schemes. We embedded the fully three-dimensional atmospheric water tagging method in both WRF and WRF-Hydro for quantifying the strength of land–atmosphere interactions. The impact of PBL parameterization on land–atmosphere interactions is evaluated through its direct effect on vertical mixing. Results suggest that enabled lateral terrestrial flow in WRF-Hydro distinctly increases soil moisture and evapotranspiration near the surface in the high mountains, thereby modifies the atmospheric condition regardless of the applied PBL scheme. The local precipitation recycling ratio in the study area increases from 1.52 to 1.9% due to the description of lateral terrestrial flow, and such positive feedback processes are irrespective of the modeling variability caused by PBL parameterizations. This study highlights the non-negligible contribution of lateral terrestrial flow to local precipitation recycling, indicating the potential of the fully coupled modeling in land–atmosphere interactions research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar energy, as an endless clean energy, has great prospects for the use of water vapor from sewage purification and seawater desalination. Local heating of surface water has shown to maximize the energy efficiency of steam generation. Therefore, at first, the material is required to have a good ability of photo-thermal conversion. Among the photo-thermal converting materials, MXenes are arising candidates for effective photo-thermal conversion, which have shown excellent photo-thermal conversion efficiency and have been attempted for photo-thermal distillation. Although a high photo-thermal conversion efficiency has been realized, however, it is more challenging to prepare photo-thermal evaporating materials with rapid water transport capacity and generating solar steam. In this work, a photo-thermal distillation device was reported by combining a chitosan aerogel with a bio-inspired wood-like oriented porous structure prepared by directional freezing method, and Ti3C2Tx two-dimensional nanosheets coated with polyethyleneimine sprayed on the surface. The ordered microporous structure can quickly transport moisture from the bottom up to the evaporation surface by capillary force. The coating of Ti3C2Tx coated with polyethyleneimine on the evaporation surface has a strong ability to capture sunlight. The evaporation rate reaches 3.99 kg m−2 h−1 under the optical power density of 3000 W m−2 and the efficiency reaches 90%, indicating the broad application prospects as a photo-thermal conversion material for efficiently producing clean fresh water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of our study is to compare the characteristics and clinical outcomes among the different endovascular treatment (EVT) strategies for large vessel occlusion underlying intracranial atherosclerosis (ICAS-LVO) in a recent nationwide registry. Methods: Patients with isolated ICAS-LVO were enrolled in our analysis and were categorized into three groups: first-line mechanical thrombectomy (MT) with rescue angioplasty and/or stenting (MT + RS), direct angioplasty and/or stenting without thrombectomy (DA), and MT alone. Baseline and periprocedural characteristics, successful recanalization, and 90-day functional outcomes were compared. Results: Of 396 patients with isolated ICAS-LVO in our study, successful recanalization was achieved in 94.5%, 100%, and 90.9% of patients in the MT + RS, DA, and MT groups, respectively. The 90-day functional independence in the three groups was 50.8%, 59.0%, and 45.1%. The main efficacy and safety outcomes showed no significant differences among the groups. First-pass recanalization (FPR) was more observed in the MT group (43.4%), the recanalization rate per attempt in the MT group gradually decreased until the fourth attempt, and further maneuvers showed recanalization rates of ≈0% per attempt. MT + RS (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.10, p < 0.0001) and DA (aOR 0.18, p = 0.0013) were associated with lower FPR rate than MT alone in the multivariable logistic regression. Conclusions: The technical feasibility and favorable outcomes of several EVT strategies for ICAS-LVO were established in our study. First-line MT with a bailout angioplasty is a reasonable option for ICAS-LVO, and DA is an effective option for the cases when ICAS-LVO is strongly suspected before EVT procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In our recent paper, we reported the development and application of the aerosol injection technique to accelerate the consolidation in soft soils. Aerosol injection technique is a process that involves injecting air under high pressure into soft soil to create a network of fractures, which gives rise to enhanced permeability. In this paper, we present an experimental study on the permeability of soft soil specimens with pre-made fractures in a triaxial device. Some emphasis is given to the variation of permeability with time. Some major influence factors are considered, e.g. the fracture roughness, confining pressure, pre-consolidation pressure, soil structure and mineral composition. The decrease in permeability with time is mainly due to the self-healing mechanism in soft soils, which is dictated by the soil deformation and migration of fines driven by the confining pressure and hydraulic gradient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spectrum of surface plasmon polaritons in double-layer graphene with and without an external magnetic field by utilizing Maxwell’s equations in a hydrodynamic model was studied and field configurations were analyzed. There is neither a transverse magnetic (TM) mode nor a transverse electric (TE) mode but a full-field mode under the external field. Regardless of the presence or absence of an external field, the excited transverse magnetic field is symmetrical in the acoustic branch, whereas it is antisymmetrical in the optical branch. Meanwhile, the excited transverse electric field has opposite symmetry properties against to that of the transverse magnetic field. The results indicate that the rise of the spectrum is dominated by an external magnetic field in the infrared region and a non-local effect in the ultraviolet region. The influence of the layer distance on the spectrum was also studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-performance organometallic materials based on phthalocyanine (Pc) thin films with nickel, copper, manganese and silicon were deposited onto glass substrates using spin-coating technique at room temperature. The physical properties of the films were characterized to evaluate the influence of the dopant metal on their performance. Various analytical techniques, including X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), Raman spectroscopy (RS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and ultraviolet–visible transmittance spectroscopy, were employed to investigate the characteristics of the prepared films. For every sample, the produced films showed amorphous structure and crystallization. Analyses using XPS were done. It was discovered that there are three peaks in the composite C1s X-Pc signal, which is relevant to the interpretation of the main C1s signal. Analysis of SEM images revealed a uniform, dense, and homogeneous structure in the films, with minimal pores and microcracks. Optical analysis showcased remarkable visible-range optical absorption and an optical direct band gap ranging from  3.15 to  3.72 eV, along with exceptional transmission properties. The comprehensive exploration of the physical and optical characteristics of these phthalocyanine films positions the material as a promising candidate for advancements in solar cell technology, paving the way for potential breakthroughs in innovative and efficient solar energy applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Endovascular treatment's (EVT) safety and efficacy have been proven in treating acute ischemic stroke (AIS) due to large vessel occlusion (LVO). However, limited data exist in different stroke subtypes. We aimed to investigate the differences in efficacy and safety of EVT for acute LVO according to different stroke subtypes. Methods: A total of 1635 AIS patients with LVO undergoing EVT from a prospective cohort of the Endovascular Treatment Key Technique and Emergency Work Flow Improvement of Acute Ischemic Stroke (ANGEL-ACT) registry were classified into three types according to the Trial of ORG 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST) criteria. We compared the primary outcome: 90-day modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score, the secondary outcomes: 90-day mRS (0–1, 0–2, and 0–3), successful recanalization (mTICI 2b/3), and complete recanalization (mTICI 3), and the safety outcomes: death within 90 days, parenchymal hemorrhage (PH), and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (SICH) among the three subtypes of stroke patients. Then, multivariable logistic regression models adjusting for potential baseline-confounding variables to determine the associations between stroke subtypes and safety and efficacy endpoints were performed. Finally, we performed subgroup analyses to explore discrepancies in the relationships. Results: EVT of cardioembolic LVO (CE-LVO) had a higher rate of mTICI 3 (71.7% vs. 65.9% and 63.2%; P = 0.024) and a higher rate of PH (13.8% vs. 5.4% and 6.7%; P < 0.001) when compared to other stroke subtypes. Even multivariable analysis demonstrated that CE-LVO was associated with mTICI 3 [adjusted odds ratio (OR), 1.50 (95% CI 1.04–2.17)] and PH [adjusted OR, 1.97 (95% CI 1.09–3.55)]. However, the 90-day mRS distribution and 90-day mRS (0–1, 0–2, and 0–3) did not differ among the stroke subtypes, and nor did the SICH (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Functional outcomes were similar among different stroke subtypes. Despite a higher rate of complete recanalization, there is an increased risk of parenchymal hemorrhage in CE-LVO. Trial Registration: Clinical trial registration number: NCT03370939. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terrestrial evapotranspiration (ET) is a crucial link between Earth's water cycle and the surface energy budget. Accurate measurement and estimation remain a major challenge in geophysical, biological, and environmental studies. Pioneering work, represented by Dalton and Penman, and the development of theories and experiments on turbulent exchange in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL), laid the foundation for mainstream methodologies in ET estimation. Since the 1990s, eddy covariance (EC) systems and satellite remote sensing have been widely applied from cold to tropical and from arid to humid regions. They cover water surfaces, wetlands, forests, croplands, grasslands, barelands, and urban areas, offering an exceptional number of reports on diverse ET processes. Surface nocturnal ET, hysteresis between ET and environmental forces, turbulence intermittency, island effects on heterogeneous surfaces, and phase transition between underlying surfaces are examples of reported new phenomena, posing theoretical and practical challenges to mainstream ET methodologies. Additionally, based on non-conventional theories, new methods have emerged, such as maximum entropy production and nonparametric approaches. Furthermore, high-frequency on-site observation and aerospace remote sensing technology in combination form multi-scale observations across plant stomata, leaves, plants, canopies, landscapes, and basins. This promotes an insightful understanding of diverse ET processes and synthesizes the common mechanisms of the processes between and across spatial and temporal scales. All the recent achievements in conception, model, and technology serve as the basis for breaking through the known difficulties in ET estimation. We expect that they will provide a rigorous, reliable scientific basis and experimental support to address theoretical arguments of global significance, such as the water-heat-carbon cycle, and solve practical needs of national importance, including agricultural irrigation and food security, precise management of water resources and eco-environmental protection, and regulation of the urban thermal environment and climate change adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rate of early misdiagnosis in patients with nodular fasciitis of the ear is high. To provide a basis for clinical diagnosis and treatment, we aimed to summarise the clinical manifestations, imaging results, pathological findings, treatment strategies, and postoperative follow-up results for three cases of paediatric nodular fasciitis (two girls, one boy) treated in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, at Beijing Children's Hospital of Capital Medical University from 2018 to 2020. The average age at diagnosis was 24 months. Lesions occurred in the left ear in two cases and right ear in one case. All patients had a history of biopsy before surgery. Rapid growth was observed following biopsy in two patients, and anti-inflammatory treatment was ineffective in all three cases. Fluorescence in situ hybridisation analysis of ubiquitin-specific peptidase 6 (USP6) was performed in two of the three cases, with positive results. The lesions exhibited hypo-intensity or iso-intensity on T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and heterogeneous hyper-intensity on T2-weighted MRI. "Fascial tail" signs were observed on imaging in all cases. Surgical resection was performed in all cases. Intact ear appearance was observed at follow-up, and there were no cases of recurrence. Conclusion: Combining clinical features with imaging findings may improve the accuracy of preoperative diagnosis in patients with nodular fasciitis. In addition to pathological findings, genetic testing for USP6 may aid in diagnosis. The final diagnosis should be based on comprehensive assessment. Complete surgical resection can prevent recurrence. What is Known: • Paediatric NF around the ear is rare and is easily misdiagnosed as other inflammatory masses that have a higher incidence in children. • Most previous reports of NF were case reports. What is New: • Combining clinical and imaging findings with genetic testing for USP6 rearrangement may improve the accuracy of preoperative diagnosis in patients with NF. Nonetheless, the final diagnosis should be based on comprehensive assessment. • The present paper is significant in that it represents the only report of three cases of ear NF in children with a complete medical history and prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthracycline chemotherapy is associated with the left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, but the conventional echocardiographic parameter is insensitive in detecting subclinical cardiac dysfunction, and the role of echocardiography in children cancer survivors (CCSs) has not been well established. Here, the myocardial work (MW) was employed to evaluate the early effect of the anthracyclines on LV function in children lymphoma survivors, as well as to explore the clinical application value of this modality. 51 children lymphoma survivors treated with anthracyclines were included. During the treatments, the echocardiography was performed at baseline (T0 phase), the 3rd (T1 phase) and 6th (T2 phase) chemotherapeutic cycle, respectively. After that, the conventional echocardiographic parameters, LV global longitudinal strain (GLS), and global myocardial work (GMW) parameters were obtained. Finally, these echocardiographic parameters were compared to distinguish the differences among three groups, and correlation analysis was used to identify relationship between GMW parameters and LV GLS. Compared with the baseline, we found that there are no significant differences for LVEF and other conventional echocardiographic parameters after chemotherapy, but the value of LV lateral E/E’ increased at T1 and T2 group. The GLS, global work index, global constructed work, and global work efficiency were decreased, while the global wasted work was increased after chemotherapy (all P < 0.05). The correlation analysis showed that the GLS has significant correlation with GMW parameters (all P < 0.001). The MW, as a new noninvasive echocardiography modality, could be used to quantitatively evaluate the LV MW in children lymphoma survivors treated with anthracyclines, which providing a sensitive method to early detect the children’s LV dysfunction after the chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mechanoluminescence (ML), a process that converts external mechanical energy into light energy, offers a solution to challenges in the area of energy saving by not requiring a load power supply. From the 17th century, when people started to explore this field, from the fracture luminescence of materials to the emergence of elastic-ML (EML) materials, there has been a great deal of research into the mechanisms and applications of ML. Piezoelectric properties are extremely important for ML materials, and most ML materials today have piezoelectric properties. Among them, quaternary oxysulfides M(Ca, Sr, Ba)ZnxSxO (x = 1, 2) are wide bandgap piezoelectric semiconductors developed in the 21st century. The doping of transition elements, trivalent lanthanides, and other metal-emitting ions has been realized in the last 20 years of development, and all of them show excellent ML properties. Quaternary oxysulfides have become significant inorganic mechanoluminescent materials. This article provides a detailed description of the development process, mechanism, performance optimization, and applications of quaternary oxysulfides, and highlights future trends and challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HBV infection is recognized as a serious global health problem, and hepatitis B virus infection is a complicated chronic disease leading to liver cirrhosis (LC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). New biochemical serum markers could be used to advance the diagnosis and prognosis of HBV-associated liver diseases during the progression of chronic hepatitis B into cirrhosis and HCC. We determined whether the 4210 Da and 1866 Da polypeptides are serum metabolite biomarkers of hepatopathy with hepatitis B virus. A total of 570 subjects were divided into five groups: healthy controls, those with natural clearance, and patients with CHB, LC, and HCC. The 1866 Da and 4210 Da polypeptides were measured by Clin-ToF II MALDI-TOF–MS. There were significant differences in 4210 Da and 1866 Da levels among the five groups (P < 0.001). For the differential diagnosis of CHB from normal liver, the areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of 4210 Da and 1866 Da and their combination via logistic regression were 0.961, 0.849 and 0.967. For the differential diagnosis of LC from CHB, the areas under the ROC curve were 0.695, 0.841 and 0.826. For the differential diagnosis of HCC from CHB, the areas under the ROC curve were 0.744, 0.710 and 0.761, respectively. For the differential diagnosis of HCC from LC, the areas under the ROC curve of 4210 Da and 1866 Da were 0.580 and 0.654. The positive rate of 1866 Da was 45.5% and 69.0% in AFP-negative HCC patients and that of 4210 Da was 60.6% 58.6% in AFP-negative HCC patients of the study HCC vs. CHB and HCC vs. LC. The 4210 Da and 1866 Da polypeptide levels were positively correlated with HBV DNA levels (P < 0.001, r = 0.269; P < 0.001, r = 0.285). The 4210 Da and 1866 Da polypeptides had good diagnostic value for the occurrence and progression of HBV-related chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma and could serve to accurately guide treatment management and predict clinical outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Blueberry and cranberry are rich in anthocyanins. The present study was to investigate the effects of anthocyanin extracts from blueberry and cranberry on body weight and gut microbiota. Methods: C57BL/6 J Mice were divided into six groups (n = 9 each) fed one of six diets namely low-fat diet (LFD), high-fat diet (HFD), HFD with the addition of 1% blueberry extract (BL), 2% blueberry extract (BH), 1% cranberry extract (CL), and 2% cranberry extract (CH), respectively. Results: Feeding BL and BH diets significantly decreased body weight gain by 20–23%, total adipose tissue weight by 18–20%, and total liver lipids by 16–18% compared with feeding HFD. Feeding CH diet but not CL diet reduced the body weight by 27%, accompanied by a significant reduction of total plasma cholesterol by 25% and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) by 38%. The metagenomic analysis showed that the supplementation of blueberry and cranberry anthocyanin extracts reduced plasma lipopolysaccharide concentration, accompanied by a reduction in the relative abundance of Rikenella and Rikenellaceae. Dietary supplementation of berry anthocyanin extracts promoted the growth of Lachnoclostridium, Roseburia, and Clostridium_innocuum_group in genus level, leading to a greater production of fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). Conclusions: It was concluded that both berry anthocyanins could manage the body weight and favorably modulate the gut microbiota at least in mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]