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Zoledronic acid (ZOL) is a potent antiresorptive agent that increases bone mineral density (BMD) and reduces fracture risk in postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP). The anti-osteoporotic effect of ZOL is determined by annual BMD measurement. In most cases, bone turnover markers function as early indicators of therapeutic response, but they fail to reflect long-term effects. We used untargeted metabolomics to characterize time-dependent metabolic shifts in response to ZOL and to screen potential therapeutic markers. In addition, bone marrow RNA-seq was performed to support plasma metabolic profiling. Sixty rats were assigned to sham-operated group (SHAM, n = 21) and ovariectomy group (OVX, n = 39) and received sham operation or bilateral ovariectomy, respectively. After modeling and verification, rats in the OVX group were further divided into normal saline group (NS, n = 15) and ZOL group (ZA, n = 18). Three doses of 100 μg/kg ZOL were administrated to the ZA group every 2 weeks to simulate 3-year ZOL therapy in PMOP. An equal volume of saline was administered to the SHAM and NS groups. Plasma samples were collected at five time points for metabolic profiling. At the end of the study, selected rats were euthanatized for bone marrow RNA-seq. A total number of 163 compound were identified as differential metabolites between the ZA and NS groups, including mevalonate, a critical molecule in target pathway of ZOL. In addition, prolyl hydroxyproline (PHP), leucyl hydroxyproline (LHP), 4-vinylphenol sulfate (4-VPS) were identified as differential metabolites throughout the study. Moreover, 4-VPS negatively correlated with increased vertebral BMD after ZOL administration as time-series analysis revealed. Bone marrow RNA-seq showed that the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway was significantly associated with ZOL-mediated changes in expression (adjusted-p = 0.018). In conclusion, mevalonate, PHP, LHP, and 4-VPS are candidate therapeutic markers of ZOL. The pharmacological effect of ZOL likely occurs through inhibition of the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway.

IntroductionProcessing speed is defined as the ability to quickly process information, which is generally considered as one of the affected cognitive functions of multiple sclerosis and schizophrenia. Paper–pencil type tests are traditionally used in the assessment of processing speed. However, these tests generally need to be conducted under the guidance of clinicians in a specific environment, which limits their application in cognitive assessment or training in daily life. Therefore, this paper proposed an intelligent evaluation method of processing speed to assist clinicians in diagnosis.MethodsWe created an immersive virtual street embedded with Stroop task (VR-Street). The behavior and performance information was obtained by performing the dual-task of street-crossing and Stroop, and a 50-participant dataset was established with the label of standard scale. Utilizing Pearson correlation coefficient to find the relationship between the dual-task features and the cognitive test results, and an intelligent evaluation model was developed using machine learning.ResultsStatistical analysis showed that all Stroop task features were correlated with cognitive test results, and some behavior features also showed correlation. The estimated results showed that the proposed method can estimate the processing speed score with an adequate accuracy (mean absolute error of 0.800, relative accuracy of 0.916 and correlation coefficient of 0.804). The combination of Stroop features and behavior features showed better performance than single task features.DiscussionThe results of this work indicates that the dual-task design in this study better mobilizes participants’ attention and cognitive resources, and more fully reflects participants’ cognitive processing speed. The proposed method provides a new opportunity for accurate quantitative evaluation of cognitive function through virtual reality.

Considering the spatial possibility of opportunistic spectrum sharing, sensing-based spectrum sharing method ws applied in the satellite-terrestrial network.The sensing-throughput tradeoff problem was studied, and the throughput is a concave function of the sensing duration was proved.In order to further improved the satellite uplink throughput, the multi-slots sensing method and the cooperative sensing method were proposed.Computer simulations showed that the optimal sensing duration could maximized the uplink throughput, and the multi-slot sensing method or the cooperative sensing method could further improved the throughput of satellite network.

Frequency Diverse Array (FDA) Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) radar equipped with a FDA can possess beam patterns that are dependent on range, angle, and time, and it can increase the degree of freedom. This paper introduces a conformal array attached to the surface of the carrier, the array can reduce the aerodynamic impact on the carrier and reduce the cross section of the FDA-MIMO radar. First, the conformal FDA-MIMO measurement model is formulated, and a Cramér-Rao Lower Bound (CRLB) is derived to evaluate the parameter estimation performance. To avoid the three-dimensional search of the traditional three-dimensional MUltiple SIgnal Classification (3D-MUSIC) algorithm, a Reduced-Dimension MUltiple SIgnal Classification (RD-MUSIC) algorithm is proposed for parameter estimation. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm has a slightly lower estimation accuracy than the 3D-MUSIC algorithm but a much lower computational complexity. In addition, the proposed algorithm has better range estimation performance for multiple targets than the 3D-MUSIC algorithm.

Cd248 has recently been associated with adipose tissue physiology, demonstrated by reduced weight gain in high fat diet-fed mice with genetic deletion of Cd248 relative to controls. Here we set out to determine the metabolic consequences of loss of Cd248. Strikingly, we find these to be sex specific; By subjecting Cd248-/- and Cd248+/+ mice to a high fat diet and indirect calorimetry study, we identified that only male Cd248-/- mice show reduced weight gain compared to littermate control wildtype mice. In addition, male (but not female) mice showed a lower respiratory exchange ratio on both chow and high fat diets, indicating a predisposition to metabolise lipid. Lipidomic studies on specific fat depots found reduced triglyceride and diglyceride deposition in male Cd248-/- mice, and this was supported by reduced expression of lipogenic and adipogenic genes. Finally, metabolomic analysis of isolated, differentiated preadipocytes found alterations in metabolic pathways associated with lipid deposition in cells isolated from male, but not female, Cd248-/- mice. Overall, our results highlight the importance of sex controls in animal studies and point to a role for Cd248 in sex- and depot-specific regulation of lipid metabolism.

Early reperfusion into the myocardium after ischemia causes myocardial ischemia–reperfusion (I/R) injury and ferroptosis was involved. Ischemia activates the expression of a series of oxidative stress genes and their downstream regulatory genes, including ferroptosis-related genes such as nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), and SLC7A11. This study adopted primary cardiomyocytes and I/R in rats to evaluate the ferroptosis and changing of Nrf2-SLC7A11/heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in vitro and in vivo. Online analysis tools were used to predict the possible target Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1) of miR-432-5p. The mimic of miR-432-5p plasmid was constructed to verify the effect of miR-432-5p on ferroptosis. We found that hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) in cardiomyocytes and I/R in rats induced lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis in cardiomyocytes. The activation of the Nrf2-SLC7A11/HO-1 pathway protects cardiomyocytes from ferroptosis. Downregulation of miR-432-5p has been confirmed in H/R cardiomyocytes (in vitro) and cardiomyocytes in myocardial infarction rats (in vivo). Upregulation of miR-432-5p inhibited ferroptosis of cardiomyocytes induced by RAS-selective lethal 3 (RSL3), an inhibitor of GPX4 and ferroptosis inducer through decreasing the binding protein of Nrf2, Keap1, which was confirmed by bioinformatics and mutation assay. Knockdown Nrf2 attenuates the protection effect of miR-432-5p on H/R cardiomyocytes. Intravenous delivery of liposome carriers of miR-432-5p remarkably ameliorated cardiomyocyte impairment in the I/R animal model. In conclusion, miR-432-5p inhibits the ferroptosis in cardiomyocytes induced by H/R by activating Nrf2/SLC7A11 axis by degrading Keap1 and is a potential drug target for clinical myocardial infarction treatment.

Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) has been widely used in biomedical research because of its advantages of real-time imaging and nature of being non-invasive and radiation-free. Additionally, it can reconstruct the distribution or changes in electrical properties in the sensing area. Recently, with the significant advancements in the use of deep learning in intelligent medical imaging, EIT image reconstruction based on deep learning has received considerable attention. This study introduces the basic principles of EIT and summarizes the application progress of deep learning in EIT image reconstruction with regards to three aspects: a single network reconstruction, deep learning combined with traditional algorithm reconstruction, and multiple network hybrid reconstruction. In future, optimizing the datasets may be the main challenge in applying deep learning for EIT image reconstruction. Adopting a better network structure, focusing on the joint reconstruction of EIT and traditional algorithms, and using multimodal deep learning-based EIT may be the solution to existing problems. In general, deep learning offers a fresh approach for improving the performance of EIT image reconstruction and could be the foundation for building an intelligent integrated EIT diagnostic system in the future.

Particularly crucial throughout the mode transition procedure is the transmission properties of hydro–mechanical composite transmission devices. This paper describes a multipurpose power transmission device that integrates hydrostatic, hydro-mechanical, and mechanical transmission and mainly discusses the transmission characteristic optimization problem from the perspective of speed regulation characteristics, shift strategy, and efficiency characteristics. The kinematic and dynamic analysis of the transmission system, the assembly scheme, and relevant parameters of the power transmission device are analyzed, and the speed regulation characteristic curve is obtained. The shift strategy of power transmission devices involving clutches and brakes during the whole speed regulation process and the best switch time of each component are found. The efficiency expression of the static pressure system is obtained from the efficiency model of the pump-control-motor system, and the efficiency of the multi-purpose power transmission device is obtained using the efficiency definition method. The fitting curves of hydrostatic system efficiency are determined using experimental data, and the efficiency of the hydro–mechanical composite power transmission system is obtained using the conversion mechanism method. The results show that the shift quality of power transmission devices can be improved greatly by controlling the switch sequence of clutches and brakes reasonably.

Objective To evaluate the effects of classical markers, novel serological biomarkers and other markers on the diagnosis of acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI).Methods PubMed and Embase were searched by computer to collect and evaluate the studies on serum markers of AMI from the estab-lishment of the database to August 15, 2020. Qualitative induction was conducted for the included studies.Results A total of 28 studies, including 5 meta-analysis, 7 prospective studies, 8 retrospective studies, 4 cross-sectional studies and 4 animal studies, were included. The speciality and sensitivity of classic markers (L-lactic acid, D-lactic acid and LDH) were low. The new serological biomarkers (D-dimer, platelet index, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, ischemia modifies albumin, 1-fatty acid binding protein, a-glutathione s-transferase, citruline) and other markers of AMI can be improved to some ex-tent, but the diagnostic value is still relatively limited.Conclusion The diagnostic value of serum bi-omarkers of AMI is limited, and it is still difficult for those markers to be used to diagnose AMI in differ-ent types and stages. High-quality and large-sample studies are still needed to confirm it.

BackgroundReal-time detection of cerebral blood perfusion can prevent adverse reactions, such as cerebral infarction and neuronal apoptosis. Our previous clinical trial have shown that the infusion of therapeutic fluid can significantly change the impedance distribution in the brain. However, whether this alteration implicates the cerebral blood perfusion remains unclear. To explore the feasibility of monitoring cerebral blood perfusion, the present pilot study established a novel cerebral contrast-enhanced electrical impedance tomography (C-EIT) technique.Materials and methodsRabbits were randomly divided into two groups: the internal carotid artery non-occlusion (ICAN) and internal carotid artery occlusion (ICAO) groups. Both of groups were injected with glucose, an electrical impedance-enhanced contrast agent, through the right internal carotid artery under EIT monitoring. The C-EIT reconstruction images of the rabbits brain were analyzed according to the collected raw data. The paired and independent t-tests were used to analyze the remodeled impedance values of the left and right cerebral hemispheres within and between studied groups, respectively. Moreover, pathological examinations of brain were performed immediately after C-EIT monitoring.ResultsAccording to the reconstructed images, the impedance value of the left cerebral hemisphere in the ICAN group did not change significantly, whereas the impedance value of the right cerebral hemisphere gradually increased, reaching a peak at approximately 10 s followed by gradually decreased. In the ICAO group, the impedance values of both cerebral hemispheres increased gradually and then began to decrease after reaching the peak value. According to the paired t-test, there was a significant difference (P < 0.001) in the remodeling impedance values between the left and right hemispheres in the ICAN group, and there was also a significant difference (P < 0.001) in the ICAO group. According to the independent t-test, there was a significant difference (P < 0.001) of the left hemispheres between the ICAN and ICAO groups.ConclusionThe cerebral C-EIT proposed in this pilot study can reflect cerebral blood perfusion. This method has potential in various applications in the brain in the future, including disease progression monitoring, collateral circulation judgment, tumor-specific detection, and brain function research.

Abstract. In December 2019, a new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged and rapidly spread globally, posing a worldwide health emergency. The pathogen causing this pandemic was identified as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). It is well known that SARS-CoV-2 transmits via respiratory droplets and close contact with infected individuals or contaminated items. In addition to these two major transmission routes, other modes of transmission have not been confirmed. Considering that some COVID-19 patients have presented with ocular discomforts and positive SARS-CoV-2 RNA in ocular surfaces, as well as the discovery of the SARS-CoV-2 receptors, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, and transmembrane protease, serine 2, in the oculus, the ocular surface is now thought to be a possible alternative route of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and a replication site. This review summarizes the evidence connecting COVID-19 with ocular tissues, ocular symptoms during SARS-CoV-2 infection, the potential role of the conjunctiva in SARS-CoV-2 transmission, and the physiopathological mechanisms. Appropriate precautions in ophthalmology departments, including innovative complete and effective patient management plans, protective personal equipment, hand hygiene, and strict personal distance intervals, are essential to effectively minimize the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and control the pandemic.

Objective To evaluate and compare the clinical and radiographic outcomes of proximal fibular osteotomy (PFO) in treating medial knee osteoarthritis (KOA) patients with upper fibular curvature and non‐curvature. Methods A retrospective cohort study was performed. From January 2016 to January 2017, a total of 51 patients (nine males and 42 females) at a mean age of 63.7 years (range 48–79 years) with medial KOA who underwent PFO procedure at the Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University were included in the study. The patients were divided into the two groups, namely curvature group (28 patients, six males and 22 females, aged 62.6 ± 7.7 years) and non‐curvature group (23 patients, three males and 20 females, aged 64.5 ± 7.6 years). Perioperative parameters and Kellgren‐Lawrence classification were recorded and analyzed in the two groups, respectively. All patients were followed up at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months at the first year of post‐operation, and then every 6 months from the second year of post‐operation. A telephone survey with standard questionnaire survey, including Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score and Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) scoring system, was used to evaluate postoperative clinical outcomes. Radiological results were assessed using the femorotibial angle (FTA), hip‐knee‐ankle angle (HKA), and settlement value of medial tibial platform (MTP) in the two groups. Results The average follow‐up periods of the curvature group and the non‐curvature group were 34.8 ± 6.1 and 33.9 ± 5.4 months, respectively. There were no significant differences between the two groups of demographic data in terms of number of patients, age, body mass index (BMI), gender, KOA side, and Kellgren‐Lawrence classification (P > 0.05). The VAS scores of the curvature group and non‐curvature group were (3.53 ± 1.62 vs 3.68 ± 1.43 at 1 month, 3.46 ± 0.79 vs 3.57 ± 0.66 at 3 months, and 2.43 ± 0.88 vs 2.83 ± 0.94 at 6 months, both P > 0.05), while significant differences were found from 12 months post‐operation (1.54 ± 0.72 vs 2.03 ± 0.85 at 12 months, and 1.04 ± 0.69 vs 1.74 ± 0.75 at 24 months, both P 0.05), while significant differences were found from 12 months post‐operation (90.64 ± 4.32 vs 87.71 ± 5.63 at 12 months, and 92.93 ± 2.07 vs 90.06 ± 2.08 at 24 months, both P

Objective To evaluate and analyze the potential relationship between periosteal reaction and medial compartment knee osteoarthritis (KOA), and to assess the independent risk factors for the development of periosteal reaction associated with medial compartment KOA. Methods This is a retrospective comparative study. From January 2019 to December 2019 at the Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, a total of 363 patients (726 knees) with medial compartment KOA were enrolled in this study according to our inclusion and exclusion criteria, including 91 males and 272 females, with an mean age of 57.9 ± 12.8 years (range, 18–82 years). Among these patients, 206 patients (412 knees) were allocated to the periosteal reaction group (44 males and 162 females) and 157 patients (314 knees) were allocated to the non‐periosteal reaction group (47 males and 110 females). The classification of KOA severity was based on Kellgren and Lawrence (K‐L) grading system. The malalignment of the lower extremities in coronal plane was evaluated as medial proximal tibial angle (MPTA), hip‐knee‐ankle angle (HKA), and lateral distal femoral angle (LDFA). Patients demographics and radiographic parameters were recorded in the two groups. Intra‐observer and inter‐observer reliabilities of all radiological measurements were analyzed by intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). Univariate analyses were conducted for comparison of differences with continuous variables between patients with periosteal reaction and without periosteal reaction. Multivariate logistical regression analysis was performed to determine the independent risk factors of radiographic parameters for periosteal reaction. Results The overall incidence of periosteal reaction associated with medial compartment KOA was 56.7%. Furthermore, we observed that the incidence of periosteal reaction significantly increased with age and correlated with K‐L grade progression (P 0.05), LDFA (OR 0.990; 95% CI 0.899–1.089; P > 0.05), and JSW (OR 1.005; 95% CI 0.865–1.167; P > 0.05). Conclusions In this retrospective study, patients with lower HKA and higher JLCA were identified as independent risk factors for the development of periosteal reaction, which occurred most commonly adjacent to the lateral of proximal tibia diaphysis, and thus we concluded that periosteal reaction may be an anatomical adaptation for medial compartment KOA based upon these results.

During the production of open pit coal mine, coal seams with different natural index values of coal quality are often mined at the same time. In view of this phenomenon, the market competitiveness of enterprises can be improved through the balance of coal quality, so as to obtain greater economic benefits. Through the analysis of the natural index of coal quality, aiming at the ore whose coal sales purpose is determined or not determined, combined with the actual sales plan, the weight of each natural index of coal quality is determined by the method of subjectivity and objectivity, and the influence degree of the natural index of coal quality on the coal quality is accurately obtained. Through the improved VIKOR algorithm, the evaluation model of coal production use selection is established, and the optimal coal production use of open pit mine with undetermined coal sales purpose is obtained. The coal quality natural index and the production index of the open pit mine were prioritized, and the constraint equation and objective function were established to obtain the optimal mining range within a certain period of time, so as to ensure the realization of the goal of coal quality balance under the guidance of normal production.

Based on the magnetic field data recorded by the ZH‐1 electromagnetic satellite, we cerat a training set of 1,300 spectrograms containing the dispersion spectrum of lightning whistlers (LW). The Segment Anything Model (SAM) in the field of image segmentation is trained through the training set to obtain a fine‐tuned SAM model that can be used to detect and segment the dispersion spectrum of LW at pixel level. All track regions of LW are effectively separated from other non‐lightning whistlers regions in the spectrograms after being segmented by the model. The segmentation effect is excellent and detection accuracy is 96.89%, which is better than the previous segmentation model for LW based on ground station data. Then we apply the traditional image processing methods to extract the dispersion spectrum of LW one by one, and develop an algorithm to automatically extract the physical parameters of each LW. The root mean square error between the automatically extracted dispersion parameter and the manually extracted dispersion parameter is only 0.1654 s1/2. The model and algorithm studied in this paper are employed to analyze the dispersion of LW received by the ZH‐1 satellite over China. It is found that the whistlers dispersion received by satellites during summer in the northern hemisphere and summer in the southern hemisphere shows opposite trends with receiving latitude. Both trends can be explained by the relationship between the dispersion and the length of propagation paths of LW. Plain Language Summary: Lightning radiates out in the form of electromagnetic waves, and part of the very‐low‐frequency signal can leak into the ionosphere and propagate along the geomagnetic field lines to another hemisphere. Because this part of the signal has a whistle‐like sound, it is named lightning whistlers (LW). Due to the dispersion effect in the ionosphere, components with higher frequencies correspond to larger group velocity and propagate faster in the propagation process of LW. There is an L‐shaped dispersion pattern where the frequency gradually decreases with time in the spectrogram of whistlers. Image segmentation is an image recognition technique in the field of computer vision, aimed at assigning each pixel to a predefined category. Image segmentation technology can effectively separate all L‐shaped dispersion regions of whistlers from other non‐L‐shaped dispersion regions in the spectrograms, achieving automatic detection for whistles. The study in this paper is based on the electromagnetic data recorded by ZH‐1 satellite. We apply the Segment Anything Model in the field of image segmentation to detect and segment LW. The segmentation effect is excellent and detection accuracy is 96.89%. We then use the traditional image processing and develop an algorithm to automatically extract the physical parameters of each LW. Key Points: The image segmentation technology is firstly used to automatically detect and segment the lightning whistlers (LW) recorded by ZH‐1 satelliteAn algorithm based on image processing methods is proposed to automatically extract the physical parameters of detected LWThe model and algorithm studied in this paper are employed to analyze the dispersion of LW received by satellite over China [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, a novel ionic hydrogen-bonded organic framework (iHOF-12) was synthesized. The 5-fold interpenetrating network structure and charge-assisted synergistic effects enable iHOF-12 to maintain robustness under demanding conditions and attain excellent proton conductivity of 1.23 × 10−2 S cm−1, which contributes to the enhancement of the DMFC performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerical simulations of transient hemodynamics have increasingly become an important assessment for vascular disease. However, the procedure often requires cumbersome steps and high computational costs. To tackle above issues, a novel learning-based acceleration framework is proposed to simulate transient hemodynamics of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). This framework innovatively combines static spatial features with dynamic temporal features to accurately simulate blood pressure at each timestep. PointNet++ is employed to extract hierarchical spatial features from the AAA point clouds. Subsequently, these features are integrated with boundary conditions for learning temporal dynamics using Transformer. The proposed framework is trained and evaluated on a hemodynamic dataset comprising 18 patients, achieving a mean absolute error of 80.87 Pa in blood pressure simulations. These promising results indicate the potential of the framework to facilitate AAA diagnosis efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we utilize the original noise subspace and its conjugate to reconstruct a new estimator for the fast joint estimation of DOA and inter‐subarray errors in the partly calibrated arrays (PCA), namely fast‐rank‐reduce (F‐RARE). Based on the new estimator, the collection of true DOA estimation and its virtual mirror can be obtained by searching over only half of the total angular field‐of‐view. Then, the true DOA estimation can be selected by using the conventional beamforming (CBF) technique. Additionally, the inter‐subarray errors can also be computed by a finite number of subspace decompositions. Numerical simulation illustrates that compared with the conventional RARE algorithm, the new method can not only reduce the computational burden by a half but also provide a similar estimation accuracy. Plain Language Summary: In this paper, we investigate the fast joint estimation of direction‐of‐arrival (DOA) and inter‐subarray errors in the partly calibrated arrays (PCA). Since the conventional algorithm is accompanied with heavy computational burden, we propose a new algorithm called fast‐rank‐reduce (F‐RARE), where half of the searching range is reduced. This means that the computational complexity of F‐RARE is significantly lower than that of the conventional algorithm. To verify this, the theoretical complexity is analyzed, and the improvement of computational efficiency is visually seen in the form of the lower theoretical complexity and the shorter simulation time. In the meantime, the new method is independent of inter‐subarray gain/phase errors and displacement errors. Finally, the simulation results show that the new method exhibits a similar estimation performance compared to the conventional algorithm. Key Points: We propose a new low‐complexity algorithm by using original noise‐subspace and its conjugateThe direction‐of‐arrival and inter‐subarray error can be estimated by using the new algorithmThe efficiency of the new algorithm is higher than the conventional algorithm by simulationPartly calibrated array [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Symptomatic pulmonary embolism (PE) after knee arthroscopy is extremely rare. If the embolism is not treated promptly, the patient may die. Bilateral pulmonary embolism with associated pulmonary infarct without concomitant deep vein thrombosis has never been reported following routine knee arthroscopy. Case presentation A 50-year-old female patient with no other risk factors other than hypertension, obesity, varicose veins in the ipsilateral lower extremities and elevated triglyceride (TG) presented to our ward. She had experienced sudden chest tightness, polypnea and fainting after going to the bathroom the morning of the second postoperative day and received emergency medical attention. Colour ultrasonography of the extremities showed no deep vein thrombosis. Lung computed tomography angiography (CTA) showed multiple embolisms scattered in both pulmonary artery branches. Thus, emergency interventional thrombolysis therapy was performed, followed by postoperative symptomatic treatment with drugs with thrombolytic, anticoagulant and protective activities. One week later, lung CTA showed a significant improvement in the PEs compared with those in the previous examination. Since the aetiology of PE and no obvious symptoms were discerned, the patient was discharged. Conclusion Although knee arthroscopy is a minimally invasive and quick procedure, the risk factors for PE in the perioperative period should be considered and fully evaluated to enhance PE detection. Moreover, a timely diagnosis and effective treatment are important measures to prevent and cure PE after knee arthroscopy. Finally, clear guidelines regarding VTE thromboprophylaxis following knee arthroscopy in patients with a low risk of VTE development are needed.

Methane (CH4) is one of the cleanest fossil fuel resources and is playing an increasingly indispensable role in our way to carbon neutrality, by providing less carbon-intensive heat and electricity worldwide. On the other hand, the atmospheric concentration of CH4 has raced past 1,900 ppb in 2021, almost triple its pre-industrial levels. As a greenhouse gas at least 86 times as potent as carbon dioxide (CO2) over 20 years, CH4 is becoming a major threat to the global goal of deviating Earth temperature from the +2°C scenario. Consequently, all CH4-powered facilities must be strictly coupled with remediation plans for unburned CH4 in the exhaust to avoid further exacerbating the environmental stress, among which catalytic CH4 combustion (CMC) is one of the most effective strategies to solve this issue. Most current CMC catalysts are noble-metal-based owing to their outstanding C–H bond activation capability, while their high cost and poor thermal stability have driven the search for alternative options, among which transition metal oxide (TMO) catalysts have attracted extensive attention due to their Earth abundance, high thermal stability, variable oxidation states, rich acidic and basic sites, etc. To date, many TMO catalysts have shown comparable catalytic performance with that of noble metals, while their fundamental reaction mechanisms are explored to a much less extent and remain to be controversial, which hinders the further optimization of the TMO catalytic systems. Therefore, in this review, we provide a systematic compilation of the recent research advances in TMO-based CMC reactions, together with their detailed reaction mechanisms. We start with introducing the scientific fundamentals of the CMC reaction itself as well as the unique and desirable features of TMOs applied in CMC, followed by a detailed introduction of four different kinetic reaction models proposed for the reactions. Next, we categorize the TMOs of interests into single and hybrid systems, summarizing their specific morphology characterization, catalytic performance, kinetic properties, with special emphasis on the reaction mechanisms and interfacial properties. Finally, we conclude the review with a summary and outlook on the TMOs for practical CMC applications. In addition, we also further prospect the enormous potentials of TMOs in producing value-added chemicals beyond combustion, such as direct partial oxidation to methanol.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by memory loss and cognitive dysfunction in the elderly, with amyloid-beta (Aβ) deposition and hyperphosphorylation of tau protein as the main pathological feature. Nuclear factor 2 (Nrf2) is a transcription factor that primarily exists in the cytosol of hippocampal neurons, and it is considered as an important regulator of autophagy, oxidative stress, and inflammation. Total saikosaponins (TS) is the main bioactive component of Radix bupleuri (Chaihu). In this study, it was found that TS could ameliorate cognitive dysfunction in APP/PS1 transgenic mice and reduce Aβ generation and senile plaque deposition via activating Nrf2 and downregulating the expression of β-secretase 1 (BACE1). In addition, TS can enhance autophagy by promoting the expression of Beclin-1 and LC3-II, increasing the degradation of p62 and NDP52 and the clearance of phosphorylated tau (p-tau), and reducing the expression of p-tau. It can also downregulate the expression of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) to inhibit the activation of glial cells and reduce the release of inflammatory factors. In vitro experiments using PC12 cells induced by Aβ, TS could significantly inhibit the aggregation of Aβ and reduce cytotoxicity. It was found that Nrf2 knock-out weakened the inhibitory effect of TS on BACE1 and NF-κB transcription in PC12 cells. Moreover, the inhibitory effect of TS on BACE1 transcription was achieved by promoting the binding of Nrf2 and the promoter of BACE1 ARE1. Results showed that TS downregulated the expression of BACE1 and NF-κB through Nrf2, thereby reducing the generation of Aβ and inhibiting neuroinflammation. Furthermore, TS can ameliorate synaptic loss and alleviate oxidative stress. In gut microbiota analysis, dysbiosis was demonstrated in APP/PS1 transgenic mice, indicating a potential link between gut microbiota and AD. Furthermore, TS treatment reverses the gut microbiota disorder in APP/PS1 mice, suggesting a therapeutic strategy by remodeling the gut microbe. Collectively, these data shows that TS may serve as a potential approach for AD treatment. Further investigation is needed to clarify the detailed mechanisms underlying TS regulating gut microbiota and oxidative stress.