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Abstract Background This study aims to investigate the effect of lipid metabolism disorder on liver function in patients with malignant tumors after chemotherapy. Method A total of 428 patients with malignant tumors with normal liver function in our hospital between May 2013 to June 2018 were divided into an observation group (lipid metabolism disorder, n = 265) and control group (normal lipid metabolism, n = 163). The lipid metabolism levels and liver damage of the two groups were compared before and after chemotherapy. Results No significant differences in age, gender, body mass index, tumor types, history of surgery, levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT; an indicator of liver function), and chemotherapy regimen were observed between the two groups. However, the observation group showed increased levels of total cholesterol (P = 0.000), triglycerides (P = 0.000), and low-density lipoprotein (P = 0.01), as well as decreased levels of high-density lipoprotein (P = 0.000) before chemotherapy compared with the control group. Furthermore, patients with lipid metabolism disorders were more likely to develop abnormal liver function after chemotherapy. Moreover, mixed lipid metabolism disorder was more likely to cause severe liver damage after chemotherapy. Additionally, the number of patients with lipid metabolism disorders after chemotherapy (n = 367) was significantly increased compared with before chemotherapy (n = 265) (P

Objective Deep neck infection (DNI) associated with descending necrotizing mediastinitis (DNM) is a highly lethal condition. This retrospective review was performed to share our experience performing multidisciplinary management of DNI associated with DNM during a 7-year period. Methods We reviewed 16 patients who had been surgically treated for DNM at Peking Union Medical College Hospital from April 2010 to July 2017. The clinical outcomes were analysed to determine the most appropriate therapeutic strategy. Results Five women and 11 men were included in this study. Their mean age was 54.9 ± 14.3 years. DNM-associated infections most commonly occurred secondary to odontogenic infections (n = 10). Thirteen patients required tracheotomy because of tracheal compression. All patients underwent unilateral or bilateral cervicotomy. Six patients with DNM localized in the upper mediastinal space underwent transcervical mediastinal drainage, while 10 patients with DNM extending to the lower mediastinum were treated by cervicotomy and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. Three patients died of multiple organ failure. Conclusion Multidisciplinary treatment can achieve favourable outcomes in >80% of patients with DNM. Early diagnosis, proper airway management, and adequate surgical drainage are crucial for reducing mortality in patients with DNM, and minimally invasive procedures also play an important role.

We report an effective medium theory of magnetization reversal and hysteresis in magnetically interacting particles, where the intergranular magnetostatic interaction is accounted for by an effective medium approximation. We introduce two dimensionless parameters, [lambda] and [h.sub.o], that completely characterize the hysteresis in a ferromagnetic polycrystal when the grain size is much larger than the exchange length so that the exchange coupling can be ignored. The competition between the anisotropy energy and the intergranular magnetostatic energy is measured by [lambda], while the competition between the anisotropy energy and Zeeman's energy is measured by [h.sub.o]. The hysteresis loop, magnetostatic energy density, and anisotropy energy density calculated by using this theory agrees well with micromagnetic simulations. The calculations also reveal that the subnucleation field switching due to the magnetic field fluctuation is important when the magnet is not very hard, and that has been accounted for by a probability-based switching model. Index Terms--Effective medium approximation, hysteresis, intergranular magnetostatic interaction, magnetization reversal.

The prototypical Ruddlesden‐Popper compound Ca3Mn2O7 has been predicted to possess hybrid improper ferroelectricity, where the polarization is induced by the condensation of two oxygen octahedral distortion modes. Nevertheless, it is a big challenge to switch the polarization at room temperature in Ca3Mn2O7 since the presence of intermediate nonpolar Acaa phase generally leads to the complex domain morphology. Here, the effects of Fe/Nb cosubstitution on hybrid improper ferroelectricity in Ca3Mn2O7 are reported, and easy polarization switching at room temperature is achieved in Ca3[Mn0.5(Fe0.5Nb0.5)0.5]2O7. The ferroelectric phase transition occurs directly from I4/mmm to A21am at a temperature far above room temperature without intermediate nonpolar Acaa phase. The distinct transition pathway forms the alternating 180°‐type ferroelectric domains rather than the irregular 90°‐type ferroelastic domains stacked along [001], resulting in easy polarization switching at room temperature. Moreover the enhanced ferroelectric polarization (Pr ~2.0 μC/cm2) is obtained due to the increased anti‐ferrodistortive displacements of Ca cations at A‐site, arising from the larger amplitudes of oxygen octahedral distortions. Chemical pressure is emphasized here for the tunability of phase transition, domain morphology, and ferroelectric characteristics, and it provides a useful approach for designing and creating high‐performance improper ferroelectrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]