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Objectives Optical Coherence Tomograph (OCT) imaging technology can be used to examine, in vivo, the human ET. At present, it is impossible to achieve the OCT scanning vivo and ex vivo in the same individual human body, or study the consistency between OCT images and histological images of the eustachian tube nasopharyngeal region and adjacent structures. The aim of this study was to determine the consistency between OCT images and histological sections in vivo and ex vivo in miniature pigs. Methods OCT imaging was performed on five adult miniature pigs in vivo and ex vivo. The images of the eustachian tube OCT (ET-OCT), nasopharynx OCT (NP-OCT) and histological cross sections were further studied. Results All five miniature pigs achieved the OCT scan successfully, acquiring ET-OCT and NP-OCT images in vivo and ex vivo on both sides. The acquired ET OCT images closely matched the histological images, revealing details of the cartilage, submucosa, glands, and mucosa. The lower segment of the ET wall mucosa had an abundance of glands and submucosal tissues, with more low-signal areas appearing in the ex vivo images. The NP-OCT images of the nasopharynx matched the details of the mucosa and submucosal tissues. The ex-vivo OCT images showed thicker mucosa and more scattered slightly lower signal areas compared to the vivo OCT images. Conclusions ET-OCT images and NP-OCT images matched the histological structure of eustachian tube nasopharyngeal region structures in miniature pigs both in vivo and ex vivo. OCT images may be sensitive to changes in edema and ischemia status. There is a great potential for morphological assessment of inflammation, edema, injure, mucus gland status.

Objective To evaluate the effect of preoperative pulmonary artery pressure on perioperative outcome of end-stage heart failure patients undergoing heart transplantation. Methods Retrospective analysis was undertaken on the clinical data of patients receiving heart transplantation in the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery of our hospital from March 2017 to March 2022. A ROC curve analysis was developed between mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) and postoperative mortality using mPAP as diagnostic criteria. Patients were divided into groups based on this threshold to determine the best mPAP threshold value for predicting postoperative nosocomial mortality, and the differences in preoperative and intraoperative data, postoperative complications, and clinical prognosis of patients in the two groups were compared. Patients were followed up to draw the survival curve of patients in the two groups. Results The study enlisted the participation of 105 patients. ROC curve research revealed that preoperative pulmonary artery pressure was substantially linked with death following heart transplantation, with mPAP = 30.5mmHg being the best threshold. The group with mPAP ≥ 30.5mmHg had a greater incidence of postoperative ECMO support (28.2% vs. 10.6%, P = 0.021) and a higher incidence of in-hospital mortality (15.4% vs. 1.5%, P = 0.019) than the group with mPAP Conclusions Preoperative pulmonary artery pressure in patients with end-stage heart failure is intimately correlated with perioperative prognosis of heart transplant recipients. The optimal cut-off mPAP value in predicting perioperative prognosis of heart transplant recipients is 30.5mmHg. In the high mPAP group, perioperative ECMO support rate and perioperative mortality rate are high, which do not affect the medium and long-term prognosis of the recipients undergoing heart transplantation.

Consider a proper, isometric action by a unimodular locally compact group $G$ on a Riemannian manifold $M$ with boundary, such that $M/G$ is compact. Then an equivariant Dirac-type operator $D$ on $M$ under a suitable boundary condition has an equivariant index $\operatorname{index}_G(D)$ in the $K$-theory of the reduced group $C^*$-algebra $C^*_rG$ of $G$. This is a common generalisation of the Baum-Connes analytic assembly map and the (equivariant) Atiyah-Patodi-Singer index. In part I of this series, a numerical index $\operatorname{index}_g(D)$ was defined for an element $g \in G$, in terms of a parametrix of $D$ and a trace associated to $g$. An Atiyah-Patodi-Singer type index formula was obtained for this index. In this paper, we show that, under certain conditions, $\tau_g(\operatorname{index}_G(D)) = \operatorname{index}_g(D)$, for a trace $\tau_g$ defined by the orbital integral over the conjugacy class of $g$. This implies that the index theorem from part I yields information about the $K$-theoretic index $\operatorname{index}_G(D)$. It also shows that $\operatorname{index}_g(D)$ is a homotopy-invariant quantity., Comment: 44 pages. The first version of the preprint 1904.11146 was split into two parts, this is the second part

Herein, we report a comparative investigation of the electrochemical lithium diffusion within graphidyne(GDY) based electrodes. The transfer kinetic behaviors of lithium ions during the insertion/extraction process are analyzed through different methods including the galvanostatic intermittent titration technique(GITT) and the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). GDY with the morphology of nanosheets(GDY NS) shows lithium diffusion coefficients in the orders range of 10−12–10−13 cm2/s through the GITT method. Meanwhile, EIS indicates quite a lower value of lithium diffusion coefficients between 10−13 and 10−15 cm2/s, which indicates that the analysis technique has an influence on the evaluation of GDY-based electrodes. In addition, under the same measurement condition of GITT, GDY nanoparticles(GDY NP) exhibit a lower value of Li+ diffusion coefficient(10−14–10−16 cm2/s) during the charge-discharge process compared to those of GDY NS, which can be ascribed to the wide distributing range of particle size in GDY NP based electrodes. The analysis results in this work reveal that the aggregating forms of GDY electrode material have an important effect on the diffusion process of lithium ions, which provides a pathway to optimize the performance of GDY-based energy storage devices.

The present study aims to discuss the effect of escitalopram in glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels, and 5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) in obsessive–compulsive disorder rats. A total of 42 rats were divided into three groups randomly: control group (n = 14), model group (n = 14) (obsessive–compulsive disorder group), and escitalopram group (n = 14) (model + obsessive–compulsive disorder group + escitalopram treatment). The open-field method was used to test the rat behavior, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine the serum GDNF and BDNF levels. In addition, Western blot was used to determine the brain tissue protein levels of GDNF and BDNF and high-performance liquid chromatography + electrochemistry method to determine the 5-HT level of brain tissue. Visiting place was changed, rotational frequency and fixed duration enhanced in escitalopram group compared to model group (P

Micro arc oxidation (MAO) and electrophoretic deposition (EPD) process are employed to fabricate a dense coating on magnesium alloy to protect it from corrosion in engineering application. The EPD film changes the damping characteristic of magnesium alloy, and both the MAO and EPD process change the bending stiffness of samples being treated. Damping loss factor (DLF) test and sound transmission experiments were carried out for AZ31B magnesium alloy with coating fabricated by MAO and EPD processes. The results indicate that DLF is improved in frequency range from 0–850 Hz. Bending stiffness of the samples is improved with MAO and EPD treatment. As a result, the sound transmission loss (LST) is improved in the stiffness control stage of the sound transmission verse frequency curve. To the samples by electrophoresis process, the LST is improved in frequency range from 2500–3200 Hz, because the damping loss factor is improved with EPD process. The results are useful for the surface treatment to enhance the damping loss factor, LST and widespread application of magnesium alloy while improving the corrosion resistance.

Studies have proved an increased expression of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in estrogen deficiency animals, and TNF-α also plays a role in inflammation and neuropathic pain. This study aimed to explore the relationship between TNF-α and ovariectomy induced hyperalgesia. 36 female Sparague-Dawley were included, estrogen depletion models were established by ovariectomy. Then infliximab (a TNF-α blocker) was administrated to the ovariectomized rats for 8 weeks. Pain behavioral tests were performed once a week. The bone mineral density (BMD), serum estradiol and TNF-α level were determined at the 8th week after ovariectomy. The expression of TNF-α in lumbar 5 dorsal root ganglions (L5 DRGs) was examined by immunofluorescence method. Significant hyperalgesia to mechanical and thermal stimuli in groups Ovx-1 and Ovx-2 was observed 1 week after the operation. After treated with infliximab, the pain threshold of Ovx-2 was partially restored, although still lower than the Sham group. The serum TNF-α level of Ovx-1 was significantly higher than Sham and Ovx-2. TNF-α immunofluorescence indicated a significant increase in the expression of TNF-α at L5 DRGs in group Ovx-1 when compared with groups Sham and Ovx-2. The BMD of group Ovx-2 was significantly higher than group Ovx-1 and lower than group Sham. In conclusion, TNF-α plays an important role in estrogen deficiency induced mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia, and DRG may be one site on which TNF-α acts to cause hyperalgesia. Blocking the effect of TNF-α could partially alleviate the estrogen deficiency induced hyperalgesia in rats. Thus, TNF-α may contribute to chronic pain in postmenopausal women.

Microarc oxidation (MAO) coatings were prepared on 2024 aluminum alloy in a Na2SiO3-KOH electrolyte with KMnO4 addition varying from 0 to 4 g/L. The microstructure and phases of the coatings were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD), respectively. The corrosion resistance of MAO coatings was evaluated by electrochemical potentiodynamic polarization in 5% (mass fraction) NaCl solution. The results show that when KMnO4 is added into base electrolyte, the growth speed of oxide coatings is increased obviously. The main phase of oxide coatings is Al2O3, and the contents of MnO2 and Mn2AlO4 phases are increased at the top of oxide coatings with increasing the concentration of KMnO4. The solute elements participate in forming the oxide coatings. When a proper concentration of KMnO4 (2.5 g/L) is added into the base solution, the micropores of the MAO coatings are small and compact, and the corrosion resistance of oxide coatings is increased largely.