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BACKGROUND With the in-depth development of minimally invasive spine surgery in recent years, robot- and computer-assisted technologies have been increasingly used and successfully applied to spinal surgery. MATERIAL AND METHODS We performed a retrospective analysis of 60 patients with grade I or II lumbar spondylolisthesis who underwent minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF) from January 2017 to December 2017. A robot-assisted surgical system was used in 30 patients for pedicle screw placement. The other 30 patients underwent fluoroscopy-guided percutaneous pedicle screw placement. RESULTS There were 130 screws placed under fluoroscopic guidance, with 26.2% penetration of the pedicle wall. There were 130 screws placed in robotic-assisted surgery, with 6.2% penetration of the pedicle wall. Severe screw deviation (Neo grade III) was identified in 4 screws in the fluoroscopy-guided group, while no severe deviation was noted in the robot-assisted group. In the fluoroscopic group, 15.6% of screws penetrated the superior articular process, and 2.1% screws had severe complications (Babu grade III). However, only 5.1% of screws in the robot-assisted group had severe complications. The mean screw insertion angle was significantly greater in the robot-assisted group than in the fluoroscopy-guided group (23.8±6.1° vs. 18.4±7.2°, P=0.017). CONCLUSIONS Compared to fluoroscopy-guided percutaneous pedicle screw placement, robot-assisted percutaneous pedicle screw placement has the following advantages: greater accuracy, lower incidences of screw penetration of the pedicle wall and invasion of the facet joints, and better screw insertion angle. Combined with MIS-TLIF, robot-assisted percutaneous pedicle screw placement is an effective minimally invasive treatment for lumbar spondylolisthesis.

This paper is concerned with the problem of multi-dimensional Taylor network (MTN) tracking control for a class of nonlinear systems with unknown control direction. By combining MTN' universal appr...

Objective To examine effects of percutaneous endoscopic debridement and allograft via the transforaminal approach combined with percutaneous pedicle screw fixation as treatment for single-level thoracic tuberculosis. Methods This multicenter retrospective analysis included 75 patients with single-level thoracic tuberculosis who underwent percutaneous endoscopic debridement and allograft via the transforaminal approach combined with percutaneous pedicle screw fixation and were followed for >36 months between January 2012 and December 2014. Results Follow-up was 36–48 months (average 41.1 ± 2.2 months). Intraoperative blood loss was low (average 30.5 ± 7.9 mL), and bed rest time was short (average 1.5 ± 0.3 days). No recurrence was observed in all 75 patients. Except for 3 patients, almost all patients (96%) achieved grade I or II fusion in interbody bone grafting. Segmental Cobb angle was 13.5° ± 4.1° before surgery, 10.5° ± 3.7° immediately after surgery, and 11.7° ± 3.9° at 36 months of follow-up. All patients achieved complete recovery of neurologic function (American Spinal Injury Association grade E), including 15 patients with spinal cord injury (American Spinal Injury Association grade D) before surgery. The visual analog scale and 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey scores significantly improved at 1, 3, 12, and 36 months of follow-up. No complications related to internal fixation occurred within the follow-up period; complication rate was 9.0%. Conclusions Median follow-up clinical experience with percutaneous endoscopic debridement and allograft via the transforaminal approach combined with percutaneous pedicle screw fixation indicates that the technique is safe, effective, feasible, and minimally invasive.

Objective This report describes a novel posterior trench approach involving percutaneous endoscopic cervical discectomy (PECD) for central cervical intervertebral disc herniation (CIVDH) and an evaluation of the feasibility, safety, and short-term clinical effect of this approach. Background context Central CIVDH is considered the contraindication for posterior PECD. Materials and methods A single-center retrospective observational study was performed with 30 patients managed with posterior PECD using the trench approach for symptomatic single-level central CIVDH. Primary outcomes included the measures of bodily pain and physical function based on the SF-36 and modified MacNab criteria. Radiographical follow-up included the static and dynamic cervical plain radiographs, computed tomographic scans, and magnetic resonance images. Results A positive clinical response for symptom relief was achieved in all patients. The postoperative MRI showed total removal of the herniated disc. Conclusions As a supplement to the described surgical techniques of PECD, this trench approach provides novel access for the treatment of CIVDH, especially for the central type. The advantages of this technique include the provision of access to decompress the ventral region of the thecal sac and the ability to avoid damage to the facet joint. The steep learning curve might be a major disadvantage, and the sample volume is a limitation of the study; the effectiveness and reliability of the trench approach should be further verified in a comparative cohort study with a large volume of patients.

To examine the effects of anterior transcorporeal percutaneous endoscopic cervical diskectomy (ATPECD) for the treatment of single-level cervical intervertebral disk herniation (CIDH) with a focus on its safety, feasibility, clinical efficacy, and specific possible complications.A series of 35 patients with symptomatic single-level CIDH were enrolled to be treated with ATPECD. Neck and arm pain was measured using the visual analog scale. Quality of life was measured using the bodily pain and physical function on the SF-36. The average disk height and vertical vertebral body height were recorded. Bone healing was evaluated on the basis of postoperative computed tomography.Successful removal of the herniated disk was confirmed in all 35 cases. At 2 years, the patients showed a significant treatment effect in the visual analog scale and body pain and physical function portions of the SF-36 (1.14 ± 0.60 vs. 7.62 ± 0.61, 63.92 ± 6.74 vs. 32.55 ± 6.80, and 82.14 ± 6.22 vs. 34.43 ± 4.50, respectively, P0.01). Mean preoperative disk height was 6.79 ± 0.37 mm, which decreased to 6.34 ± 0.46 mm 2 years post operation (6.6% decrease). Preoperative surgical vertebral body height also decreased from preoperation (15.79 ± 0.52 mm) to 2 years post operation (15.12 ± 0.38 mm) (4.2% decrease). Three surgery-related complications were observed (8.6%).Preliminary clinical experience with ATPECD shows that it is safe, effective, feasible, and minimally invasive. Although it has some disadvantages, such as the need for repeated fluoroscopy, some minor complications, and nonsymptomatic disk height decreases, ATPECD can supplement minimally invasive surgeries in selected cases of CIDH.

Introduction In several situations, the stability of the subaxial cervical spine is damaged and involves the lateral mass of 1 side; in these cases, a pedicle screw (PS) or lateral mass screw (LMS) may not be suitable for placement on the affected side. Therefore, salvage short-segment fixation with satisfactory stability is needed when bilateral fixation is not feasible. Methods Seven fresh-frozen human cervical spine specimens were used to test the 3-plane range of motion (ROM) of the C4-C5 segment. Quasistatic 2-Nm flexibility testing was performed in the following sequence: 1) intact; 2) destabilization (using 3-column injury models) treated with bilateral mass screws (BMSs); 3) destabilization treated with a unilateral PS combined with a contralateral translaminar screw (UPS+CTLS); and 4) destabilization treated with bilateral PSs (BPSs). Then, a pullout strength test was performed for the PSs, LMSs, and translaminar screws (TLSs) using 7 isolated C4 and C5 vertebrae. Results The UPS+CTLS group showed no significant difference from the BMS group in the 3-plane ROM or from the BPS group in the axial rotation or flexion-extension ROM but showed a significantly greater lateral bending ROM than did the BPS group. The pullout strength test showed that both C4 and C5 TLSs had strength similar to that of LMSs but poorer than that of PSs. Conclusions Fixation with the hybrid UPS+CTLS construct performed as well as BMS fixation in our biomechanical tests and may play a clinical role when BPS or BMS placement is not feasible for short-segment fixation.

Currently the amount of data available on the effect of sand dune stabilization on species conservation in inter-dune lowland is very limited, especially for the sand dune systems in semi-arid regions. In this study, we determined whether the characteristics of above-ground vegetation, soil seed bank and their relationships with environmental factors changed with sand dune stabilization in the inter-dune lowlands in Horqin Sandy Land, China. Species composition, abundance and coverage of aboveground vegetation as well as soil seed bank composition and density were surveyed and their correlations with environmental factors (pH, organic matter content, total nitrogen and total phosphorus) were determined. The results showed that changes in the relationship between aboveground vegetation, soil seed bank and soil quality followed the changes in aboveground vegetation and soil seed banks. Aboveground vegetation species richness increased with sand dune stabilization, but soil seed bank species richness declined. The inter-dune lowland of active sand dunes could provide specific habitats for some endemic species and pioneer psammophyte species as indicated by data on aboveground vegetation and soil seed bank. Our results suggested that both active and stabilized sand dunes should be maintained since active sand dunes are essential for the survival of endemic or pioneer species and stabilized sand dunes are important for sustaining species richness.

Background: Minimally invasive modalities are of great interest in the field of treating bone tumors. However, providing reliable mechanical support and fast killing of tumor cells to achieve rapid recovery of physical function is still challenging in clinical works. Methods: A material with two functions, mechanical support and magnetic thermal ablation, was developed from Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) distributed in a polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) bone cement. The mechanical properties and efficiency of magnetic field-induced thermal ablation were systematically and successfully evaluated in vitro and ex vivo. CT images and pathological examination were successfully applied to evaluate therapeutic efficacy with a rabbit bone tumor model. Biosafety evaluation was performed with a rabbit in vivo, and a cytotoxicity test was performed in vitro. Results: An NP content of 6% Fe3O4 (PMMA-6% Fe3O4, mFe: 0.01 g) gave the most suitable performance for in vivo study. At the 56-day follow-up after treatment, bone tumors were ablated without obvious side effects. The pathological examination and new bone formation in CT images clearly illustrate that the bone tumors were completely eliminated. Correspondingly, after treatment, the tendency of bone tumors toward metastasis significantly decreased. Moreover, with well-designed mechanical properties, PMMA-6%Fe3O4 implantation endowed tumor-bearing rabbit legs with excellent bio-mimic bone structure and internal support. Biosafety evaluation did not induce an increase or decrease in the immune response, and major functional parameters were all at normal levels. Conclusion: We have presented a novel, highly efficient and minimally invasive approach for complete bone tumor regression and bone defect repair by magnetic thermal ablation based on PMMA containing Fe3O4 NPs; this approach shows excellent heating ability for rabbit VX2 tibial plateau tumor ablation upon exposure to an alternating magnetic field (AMF) and provides mechanical support for bone repair. The new and powerful dual-function implant is a promising minimally invasive agent for the treatment of bone tumors and has good clinical translation potential.

Background/Aim: We aimed to assess the value of early laparoscopic therapy in management of tubo-ovarian abscess (TOA) or pelvic abscess. Methods: This was a retrospective study of all consecutive patients who were initially diagnosed with TOA or pelvic abscess at the local hospital between January 2010 and December 2014. The risks of operation and recurrence were analyzed using logistic analyses. Results: The durations of body temperature > 38.0°C (p = 0.001) and hospitalization (p < 0.001) were longer in the conventional group versus the early laparoscopy group. In the conventional group, 15 (50%) patients finally underwent laparoscopic exploration. The abscess size in the late laparoscopic group was significantly larger than the successful antibiotic treatment group (6.3 ± 1.5 vs. 4.9 ± 1.2 cm, p = 0.010). Abscess > 5.5 cm was independently associated with antibiotic failure (OR 4.571; 95% CI 1.612–12.962). Compared with late laparoscopy, early laparoscopy was associated with a shorter operation time (p = 0.037), less blood loss (p = 0.035), and shorter durations of body temperature > 38.0°C (p < 0.001) and hospitalization (p < 0.001). The cost was the lowest in the patients successfully treated conservatively. Conclusion: Early laparoscopic treatment is associated with shorter time of fever resolution, shorter hospitalization, and less blood loss compared with conventional treatment for TOA or pelvic abscess.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical feasibility, safety, and effectiveness of posterior percutaneous endoscopy via vertical anchor technique combined with trench technique for single-segmental central cervical disc herniation. METHODS: Between July 2017 and August 2019, 13 patients with the single-segmental central cervical disc herniation suffering from various neurologic deficits were treated with posterior percutaneous endoscopy via vertical anchor technique combined with trench technique. There were 6 males and 7 females with an average age of 50.5 years (range, 43-64 years). Disease duration ranged from 3 to 17 months (mean, 9.2 months). The clinical symptoms of 5 cases were mainly neck pain, radiculopathy, and numbness in upper limbs, and the visual analogue scale (VAS) score was 6.60±0.55. The clinical symptoms of 8 cases were myelopathy including upper extremities numbness, weakness, and trouble walking, and the modified Japanese Orthopedic Association (mJOA) score was 12.75±0.71. The surgery-related complications, operation time, and intraoperative blood loss were recorded, and the results of clinical symptoms were measured by VAS scores and mJOA scores. RESULTS: All procedures were completed successfully, no severe complications such as dural tears or cerebrospinal fluid leakage occurred. The operation time ranged from 83 to 164 minutes (mean, 101.2 minutes). The intraoperative blood loss was 25-50 mL (mean, 33.1 mL). After operation, 12 of 13 cases were followed up 10-24 months (mean, 17.6 months). The VAS scores of patients with preoperative pain symptoms were 2.40±0.55 on the first day after operation and 1.80±0.45 at last follow-up, which were significantly lower than those before operation (P

Background: Percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) has been reported to provide a favorable analgesic effect for pain caused by osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs). However, a systematic review demonstrated that pain relief was only reported for approximately 86% of kyphoplasty treatments. Objectives: To explore whether an additional facet joint block (FJB) can minimize pain and improve the clinical outcome of PKP in patients with acute OVCFs. Study Design: Prospective study. Setting: All data were from Honghui Hospital in Xi’an. Methods: According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 194 patients were eventually included in our study; they were randomly divided into 2 groups of 97 patients each and treated with either PKP + FJB or PKP alone. Follow-up consultations were scheduled 1 day, 3 days, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, and 1 year postoperatively; the demographic characteristics, related surgical information, and complications observed within both groups were recorded. The clinical evaluation parameters included the intraoperative satisfaction score, the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score, and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). Results: A total of 171 patients (61 men and 110 women; age range: 62–85 years) completed the full postoperative follow-up schedule, with 83 patients in the PKP + FJB group and 88 in the PKP group. No significant differences were observed in the genders, ages, preoperative bone mineral density, surgical levels, or volume of cement injected between the 2 groups (P > 0.05, respectively). The average duration of the surgeries in the PKP + FJB group was slightly longer than that in the PKP group (35.5 ± 4.8 min vs. 31.8 ± 4.3 min; P = 0.038), and in terms of the clinical outcomes, the average intraoperative satisfaction score was significantly higher in the PKP + FJB group (8.6 ± 1.1 vs. 6.3 ± 1.3; P < 0.001). Compared with the preoperative data, significant improvements in the VAS scores of back pain and ODI were observed at each follow-up interval (P < 0.05, respectively). These scores were significantly higher in the PKP + FJB group than in the PKP group; however, this was only observed within the first month after the procedure. Limitations: A single-center noncontrol study. Conclusions: The addition of an FJB (which in our study involved a unique combination of ropivacaine, prednisolone, and vitamin B12) improved the short-term clinical outcome of PKP for acute OVCFs. The local anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects on the facet joints resulted in higher intraoperative satisfaction and lower VAS and ODI scores for the first postoperative month when compared with the PKP group. Key words: Osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture, pain, posterior elements, percutaneous kyphoplasty, facet joint block, medial branch

Background: Resection of the ossification of the thoracic ligamentum flavum (OTLF) with a high-speed burr may cause a high rate of perioperative complications, such as dural laceration and/or iatrogenic spinal cord injury. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the safety and feasibility of the endoscopicmatched ultrasonic osteotome in full-endoscopic spinal surgery for direct removal of OTLF. Study Design: Retrospective study. Setting: All data were from Honghui Hospital in Xi’an. Methods: This study conducted between December 2017 and December 2018, included 27 consecutive patients who met the study criteria, had single-level OTLF, and underwent fullendoscopic decompression under local anesthesia. The postoperative follow-up was scheduled at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. Outcomes evaluations included the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score for lower extremity pain and the modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association (mJOA) score and improvement rate for the assessment of thoracic myelopathy. Removal of OTLF was measured by comparing the pre- and postoperative computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. Results: The operation was completed in all patients without conversion to open surgery. The operation time ranged from 65 to 125 minutes (average, 83.7 ± 12.3 minutes). All patients were followed up for 12 to 18 months, with an average follow-up of 14.3 ± 1.3 months. Satisfactory neurologic decompression was confirmed by postoperative CT and MRI, and no revision surgery was required. The VAS and mJOA scores showed statistically higher improvement at the 1-month follow-up and the last follow-up compared with the preoperative assessment (P < 0.05). According to the improvement rate at the final follow-up, 20 cases were classified as good, 6 cases were fair, and 1 case remained unchanged. Limitations: A single-center, noncontrol study. Conclusions: The endoscopic-matched ultrasonic osteotome can be considered quite safe and feasible for direct removal of OTLF during full-endoscopic spinal surgery in strictly selected patients, as this allows for effective direct decompression of OTLF while minimizing trauma and instability. In addition, because of the design characteristics of the ultrasonic osteotome, surgical complications, especially dural tears and spinal cord injury, can also be effectively controlled. Key words: Percutaneous endoscopic spinal surgery, ultrasonic osteotome, ossification of thoracic ligamentum flavum, microsurgery, thoracic myelopathy, minimally invasive procedures

Cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS), serving as a primary sensor of intracellular DNA, is essential to initiate anti-microbial innate immunity. Inappropriate activation of cGAS by self-DNA promotes severe autoinflammatory diseases such as Aicardi–Goutières syndrome (AGS); thus, inhibition of cGAS may provide therapeutic benefit in anti-autoimmunity. Here we report that perillaldehyde (PAH), a natural monoterpenoid compound derived from Perilla frutescens, suppresses cytosolic-DNA-induced innate immune responses by inhibiting cGAS activity. Mice treated with PAH are more susceptible to herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection. Moreover, administration with PAH markedly ameliorates self-DNA-induced autoinflammatory responses in a mouse model of AGS. Collectively, our study reveals that PAH can effectively inhibit cGAS-STING signaling and could be developed toward the treatment of cGAS-mediated autoimmune diseases.

Background Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS), which naturally exists in higher plants, is a useful mechanism for analyzing nuclear and mitochondrial genome functions and identifying the role of mitochondrial genes in the plant growth and development. Polima (pol) CMS is the most universally valued male sterility type in oil-seed rape. Previous studies have described the pol CMS restorer gene Rfp and the sterility-inducing gene orf224 in oil-seed rape, located in mitochondria. However, the mechanism of fertility restoration and infertility remains unknown. Moreover, it is still unknown how the fecundity restorer gene interferes with the sterility gene, provokes the sterility gene to lose its function, and leads to fertility restoration. Result In this study, we used multi-omics joint analysis to discover candidate genes that interact with the sterility gene orf224 and the restorer gene Rfp of pol CMS to provide theoretical support for the occurrence and restoration mechanisms of sterility. Via multi-omics analysis, we screened 24 differential genes encoding proteins related to RNA editing, respiratory electron transport chain, anther development, energy transport, tapetum development, and oxidative phosphorylation. Using a yeast two-hybrid assay, we obtained a total of seven Rfp interaction proteins, with orf224 protein covering five interaction proteins. Conclusions We propose that Rfp and its interacting protein cleave the transcript of atp6/orf224, causing the infertility gene to lose its function and restore fertility. When Rfp is not cleaved, orf224 poisons the tapetum cells and anther development-related proteins, resulting in pol CMS mitochondrial dysfunction and male infertility. The data from the joint analysis of multiple omics provided information on pol CMS’s potential molecular mechanism and will help breed B. napus hybrids.

Jingshuai Wang,1,* Xuemin Gu,1,* Yiqin Ouyang,1 Lei Chu,1 Mengjiao Xu,1 Kun Wang,2 Xiaowen Tong1 1Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Tongji Hospital of Tongji University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 2Cancer Center, Shanghai East Hospital of Tongji University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Kun Wang Jimo Road 150, Pudong New District, Shanghai, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail 001wangkun@tongji.edu.cnXiaowen Tong Xincun Road 389, Putuo District, Shanghai, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail Xiaowen_tong@hotmail.comPurpose: Although the neutrophil membrane (NM)-based nanoparticulate delivery system has exhibited rapid advances in tumor targeting stemmed from the inherited instinct, the antitumor effect requires further improvement due to inefficient cellular internalization in the absence of specific interactions between NM-coated nanoparticles and tumor cells.Methods: Herein, we fabricated drug-paclitaxel loaded NM camouflaging nanoparticles (TNM-PN) modified with tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL), favorable for the cellular internalization.Results: The results showed that TNM-PN exerted a significant cytotoxicity to tumor cells by TRAIL-mediated endocytosis and strong adhesion to inflamed endothelial cells in vitro. Due to TRAIL modification as well as the adhesive interactions between neutrophil and inflamed tumor vascular endothelial cells, tumors in TNM-PN group exhibited almost 2-fold higher fluorescence intensities than that of NM camouflaging nanoparticles and 3-fold higher than that of bare nanoparticles, respectively. Significant tumor inhibition and survival rates of mice were achieved in TNM-PN group as a consequence of prolonged blood circulations to 48 h and preferential tumor accumulations, which was ascribed to targeting adhesion originated from NM to immune evasion and subsequent excellent cellular internalization.Conclusion: The research unveiled a novel strategy of amplifying cellular internalization based on NM coating nanotechnology to boost antitumor efficacy.Keywords: neutrophil membrane camouflaging, nanoparticulate delivery, tumor targeting, cellular internalization, antitumor therapy

Cinobufotalin injection is a water-soluble preparation extracted from the skin secretion of Bufo bufo gargarizans Cantor or B. melanotictus Schneider, which has been widely used as an adjuvant treatment in lung cancer patients. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of cinobufotalin (PubChem CID: 259776) injection as an adjunctive treatment for lung cancer. We designed a meta-analysis that performed following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. We aim to include randomized controlled trials by systematically searching the PubMed, EMBASE, CNKI, Wanfang database, VIP, CBM, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Chinese Clinical Trial Registry from inception to Mar 1, 2020, comparing the difference between the use of cinobufotalin injection as an adjunctive treatment and a control group without cinobufotalin injection. The objective response rate (ORR) and quality of life (QOL) will be defined as the primary outcomes, and the disease control rate (DCR) and adverse events will be defined as the secondary outcomes. We included 21 articles with 1735 cases of lung cancer patients. Comparison results show that combining with cinobufotalin injection can improve ORR (OR = 1.77, 95% CI [1.43, 2.21], P P = 0.94, I2 = 0%); DCR (OR = 2.20, 95% CI [1.70, 2.85], P P = 0.60, I2 = 0%); KPS score (OR = 3.10, 95% CI [2.23, 4.32], P P = 0.85, I2 = 0%); and the effect of pain relief (OR = 2.68, 95% CI [1.30, 5.55], P = 0.008), with low heterogeneity ( P = 0.72, I2 = 0%). Low-to-moderate evidence shows that cinobufotalin injection combined with chemotherapy can significantly increase ORR, DCR, QOL, and the effect of pain relief. Meanwhile, cinobufotalin injection did not bring additional adverse events such as hematological toxicity, gastrointestinal toxicity, cardiotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, and nephrotoxicity; however, multicenter, large-sample, high-quality clinical research results are still needed to reveal the therapeutic effect of cinobufotalin injection in small-cell lung cancer (PROSPERO registration number: CRD42020170052).

Sensor-based human activity recognition (HAR) is now a research hotspot in multiple application areas. With the rise of smart wearable devices equipped with inertial measurement units (IMUs), researchers begin to utilize IMU data for HAR. By employing machine learning algorithms, early IMU-based research for HAR can achieve accurate classification results on traditional classical HAR datasets, containing only simple and repetitive daily activities. However, these datasets rarely display a rich diversity of information in real-scene. In this paper, we propose a novel method based on deep learning for complex HAR in the real-scene. Specially, in the off-line training stage, the AMASS dataset, containing abundant human poses and virtual IMU data, is innovatively adopted for enhancing the variety and diversity. Moreover, a deep convolutional neural network with an unsupervised penalty is proposed to automatically extract the features of AMASS and improve the robustness. In the on-line testing stage, by leveraging advantages of the transfer learning, we obtain the final result by fine-tuning the partial neural network (optimizing the parameters in the fully-connected layers) using the real IMU data. The experimental results show that the proposed method can surprisingly converge in a few iterations and achieve an accuracy of 91.15% on a real IMU dataset, demonstrating the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed method.

The problem of visual odometry (VO) and localization in extreme illumination conditions is widely concerned. In this paper, we propose a novel SLAM algorithm namely DVT-SLAM (Deep-learning based Visible-Thermal SLAM). It focuses on the fusion of thermal infrared image and visible image which have complementary advantages in characteristics. With the contrastive learning and the measurement of mutual information between multi-modal images, the first part of DVT-SLAM is the DVT-GAN network to fuse visible-thermal images and generate pseudo visible images at night. Given the generated images, visual odometry is applied for pose estimation base. Extensive evaluations are performed on the Brno Urban Dataset, a multi-modal dataset containing different time and weather conditions in diverse scenarios. Series of experiments show that DVT-SLAM is a robustness and suitability solution for single visible camera failures, which can reduce positioning error by half and achieve superior SLAM performance.

Objective and design Database screening indicated that tubulin polymerization-promoting protein 3 (TPPP3) was involved in pathogenesis of multiple cancer types. miR-1827 has a potential role in a variety of human cancers. However, the role of TPPP3 and its underlying molecular mechanism in endometrial cancer (EC) has not been investigated. Herein, we aimed to reveal the role of TPPP3/miR-1827 in EC progression. Methods Tumour tissue and whole blood samples were collected for the detection of TPPP3 expression. TPPP3 shRNAs and pcDNA-TPPP3 were applied to knockdown or upregulate the TPPP3 expression, and miR-1827 mimic was used to upregulate miR-1827 level. CCK-8 and colony assays were applied to estimate the cell proliferation. Wound healing and Transwell assays were conducted to assess the cell migration and invasion abilities. The dual-luciferase reporter assay was conducted to validate the putative binding site between TPPP3 and miR-1827. Expression of TPPP3, miR-1827 and related proteins in cell lines, tissue and whole blood sample were detected using western blot, RT-qPCR and immunofluorescence. Results TPPP3 was observed markedly elevated in EC patients and cells. TPPP3 knockdown displayed evident suppression in cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, we identified TPPP3 as a direct and functional target gene of miR-1827 in EC cells. The miR-1827 induced regulatory effects on EC cells were partially reversed by TPPP3. Additionally, in vivo study confirmed the findings discovered in vitro. Conclusion TPPP3 exerted oncogenic roles in EC progression by sponging miR-1827. This finding might provide potential targets for EC therapy.

Periostin (POSTN) is a protein secreted by mesenchymal cells. Periostin is upregulated in several cancer types and overexpression is associated with poor prognosis. However, the functional role and molecular underpinnings of periostin in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is unknown. In the present study, periostin was found to be significantly upregulated in EOC stroma. Functional studies revealed that periostin could decrease cisplatin (DDP)-induced apoptosis in EOC. Periostin led to DDP resistance in EOC cells, potentially through the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. We generated periostin-overexpressing fibroblasts and found that EOC cells were resistant to DDP when co-cultured with periostin-overexpressing fibroblasts. The findings of the present study indicated that periostin secreted by cancer-associated stromal cells may be a potential therapeutic target for EOC.

With the development of big data and network technology, the rapidly growing data amount brings a great challenge to the performance optimization of Internet of Marine things (IoMaT). Both cutting down the redundant data communication and ensuring reliable communication of necessary data are the key issues IoMaT facing. Most existing studies focus on periodical and continuous-time data transmission mode of the source nodes once some data collection task starts, not considering decreasing the data transmission frequency efficiently in the source node. This study investigates the essential characteristics of marine data, formulates the attributes and collection characteristics (CC) of marine data, and modeling the customized data transmission scheme (DTS) based on the CC for the sake of avoiding the redundant data transmission and minimize the data transmission frequency in nature. Furthermore, two specific DTSs are present in terms of various attributes and CC of marine data to not only meet the different requirements of marine monitoring, but also reduce the network traffic. The simulation results show that the proposed schemes can effectively reduce the data transmission frequency and the energy consumption, prolong the network lifetime, and improve the data packet delivery ratio in IoMaT.

In this paper, an observer-based adaptive Multi-dimensional Taylor network (MTN) controller is proposed for strictly feedback nonlinear systems with time-delay and unmeasurable states. MTNs are utilized to approximate the unknown and desired control input signals directly instead of the unknown nonlinear functions. Moreover, a linear state observer is designed for estimating the unmeasured states. Based on the backstepping technique, a novel adaptive MTN control strategy with simple structure and good real time property is proposed. The designed controller can guarantee all the signals of the closed-loop system are bounded and the tracking error converges to a small neighborhood of the origin. Simulation results are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Background. Standard posterior percutaneous endoscopic cervical discectomy (PECD) is considered an effective minimally invasive surgery. Although standard PECD can be used to treat radiculopathy with relatively minimal trauma, it is still a challenge to use this approach for treating myelopathy. Objective. This report is aimed at first describing a posterior transpedicular approach under endoscopy for myelopathy and evaluating the feasibility and short-term clinical effects of this approach. Methods. In our retrospective analysis between Feb. 2016 to Mar. 2017, 16 patients managed with PECD using the posterior transpedicular approach for symptomatic single-segment myelopathy. Surgery involved drilling 1/2 to 2/3 of the medial portion of the pedicle under endoscopy to provide sufficient space and an appropriate angle for inserting the endoscope into the spinal canal, followed by ventral decompression of the spinal cord. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging were used to evaluate pedicle healing and spinal cord decompression. The primary outcomes included a visual analog scale (VAS) scores of axial neck pain and Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scores of neurological conditions. Results. All patients completed a 1-year follow-up examination. The mean duration of surgery was 95.44 ± 19.44 min (52–130 min). The fluoroscopy duration was 5.88 ± 1.05 (4–7). The VAS scores of axial pain significantly improved from 6.94 ± 0.75 preoperatively to 2.88 ± 1.22 postoperatively ( P < 0.05 ). The mean JOA scores improved from 8.50 ± 1.12 preoperatively to 14.50 ± 1.46 at the final follow-up ( P < 0.05 ). The effects were excellent in 8 cases, good in 6 cases, and fair in 2 cases. After partial pedicle excision, the width of the remaining pedicle was 1.70 ± 0.22 mm postoperatively and significantly recovered to 3.38 ± 0.49 mm at the 1-year follow-up. There were no surgery-related complications, such as dural tearing, spinal cord injury, nerve root injury, pedicle fracture, and cervical hematocele or infection. Conclusions. The posterior transpedicular approach is an effective method for the treatment of myelopathy in select patients and is a supplement to the described surgical approach for PECD.

Together with the rapid development of the Internet of Things (IoT), human activity recognition (HAR) using wearable Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) becomes a promising technology for many research areas. Recently, deep learning-based methods pave a new way of understanding and performing analysis of the complex data in the HAR system. However, the performance of these methods is mostly based on the quality and quantity of the collected data. In this paper, we innovatively propose to build a large database based on virtual IMUs and then address technical issues by introducing a multiple-domain deep learning framework consisting of three technical parts. In the first part, we propose to learn the single-frame human activity from the noisy IMU data with hybrid convolutional neural networks (CNNs) in the semi-supervised form. For the second part, the extracted data features are fused according to the principle of uncertainty-aware consistency, which reduces the uncertainty by weighting the importance of the features. The transfer learning is performed in the last part based on the newly released Archive of Motion Capture as Surface Shapes (AMASS) dataset, containing abundant synthetic human poses, which enhances the variety and diversity of the training dataset and is beneficial for the process of training and feature transfer in the proposed method. The efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed method have been demonstrated in the real deep inertial poser (DIP) dataset. The experimental results show that the proposed methods can surprisingly converge within a few iterations and outperform all competing methods.

Point cloud recognition is an essential task in industrial robotics and autonomous driving. Recently, several point cloud processing models have achieved state-of-the-art performances. However, these methods lack rotation robustness, and their performances degrade severely under random rotations, failing to extend to real-world scenarios with varying orientations. To this end, we propose a method named Self Contour-based Transformation (SCT), which can be flexibly integrated into various existing point cloud recognition models against arbitrary rotations. SCT provides efficient rotation and translation invariance by introducing Contour-Aware Transformation (CAT), which linearly transforms Cartesian coordinates of points to translation and rotation-invariant representations. We prove that CAT is a rotation and translation-invariant transformation based on the theoretical analysis. Furthermore, the Frame Alignment module is proposed to enhance discriminative feature extraction by capturing contours and transforming self contour-based frames into intra-class frames. Extensive experimental results show that SCT outperforms the state-of-the-art approaches under arbitrary rotations in effectiveness and efficiency on synthetic and real-world benchmarks. Furthermore, the robustness and generality evaluations indicate that SCT is robust and is applicable to various point cloud processing models, which highlights the superiority of SCT in industrial applications., 13 pages, 11 figures

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text, The pelvic organ prolapse (POP) repair systems used in China are imported and expensive. Our aim was to compare the efficacy and safety of a self-developed pelvic floor repair system versus the Avaulta system. This was a multicenter, randomized, parallel-group, noninferiority trial of 132 patients with POP stage ≥II from the Tongji Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University and the General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University enrolled from 02/2014 to 03/2015. The patients were randomized 1:1 to POP repair using the self-developed system or the Avaulta system. Perioperative conditions, POP quantification, pelvic floor impact questionnaire-7, and prolapse quality of life questionnaires, gynecological ultrasound, and postoperative complications were compared. Patients were followed at 1.5, 3, and 6 months. According to the POP quantification scores obtained at 6 months after surgery, the cure rates of the self-developed and Avaulta groups were 98.3% and 100.0%, respectively (P > .999). At 6 months follow-up, the pelvic floor impact questionnaire-7 scores of the self-developed and Avaulta groups were both improved (P .05). There were no significant differences between the 2 groups regarding complications (all P > .05). The self-developed pelvic reconstruction system is safe and effective for the treatment of POP and improves the patients’ quality of life, without difference compared to the Avaulta system.

Background: to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Polymethylmethacrylate-augmented screw fixation (PASF) in the treatment of elderly patients with thoracolumbar spinal tuberculosis accompanied with severe osteoporosis.Methods: 34 elderly patients with thoracolumbar spinal tuberculosis accompanied with severe osteoporosis underwent PASF after anterior or posterior debridement and bone grafting in our hospital from January 2010 to January 2012. The follow-ups were performed at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively and then annually thereafter. The segmental cobb angle was measured to evaluate kyphosis improvement. The laboratory examination including ESR and CRP was also monitored. The pre- and postoperative VAS score, ODI score, and neurological function of ASIA scale were also recorded.Results: The included 21 patients completed the operation successfully. In all patients with neurological dysfunction, the ASIA grade improved by at least 1 grade. One month postoperatively, the VAS score, ODI, segmental Cobb angle, ESR, and CRP were significantly improved compared with those preoperatively (PConclusion: For elderly patients with thoracolumbar spinal tuberculosis complicated with severe osteoporosis, after anterior or posterior debridement and bone grafting, together with postoperative systematic anti-tuberculosis and anti-osteoporosis treatments, PASF is safe and effective without catastrophic complications such as intraspinal cement leakage. During the 5-year follow-up, there was no tuberculosis recurrence or implant failure.

Percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD) via the transforaminal approach is difficult at L5-S1 in patients presenting with high iliac crests (HIC). The conventional wisdom is that measurement using lumbar radiography, computed tomography (CT), or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is necessary.The objective of this study was to introduce a lumbo-iliac triangular (LI-Tri) technique based on biplane oblique fluoroscopy and verify whether it facilitated transforaminal PELD for patients with L5-S1 lumbar disc herniation (LDH) combined with HIC.A retrospective analysis.All data were from Honghui Hospital in Xi'an.One hundred patients with L5-S1 LDH combined with HIC were treated with PELD. The LI-Tri technique was used in the first 50 patients (applied group). The other 50 patients were classified as the nonapplied group, in which the conventional technique was performed. Clinical outcome evaluation included Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores. The intervals of follow-up were scheduled at 1 day and 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months postoperatively.No significant difference was observed with respect to demographic information (P.05, respectively). There were 8 patients in the nonapplied group with difficult punctures. Together with the remaining 50 patients, the puncture was successful with the LI-Tri technique. The mean operative duration was shorter in the applied group (55 vs 70 min, P.01). Compared to the preoperative data, only the back pain VAS and ODI in the nonapplied group were nonsignificantly lower at one day postoperatively (P.05, respectively). With the exception of the back pain VAS and ODI at one day postoperatively, no significant differences were observed in the 3 parameters at other time points postoperatively between 2 groups (P.05, respectively).The study is limited by its retrospective, nonrandomized controlled design.For patients with L5-S1 LDH combined with HIC treated by transforaminal PELD, the LI-Tri technique is simple and effective in preoperative evaluations, locating the skin entry point and guiding the puncture trajectory. Compared to the conventional technique, it shows advantages in terms of reducing intraoperative surgical duration and promoting fast postoperative recovery.Endoscopic discectomy, iliac crest, L5-S1 disc, PELD, percutaneous, transforaminal.

The loose of mechanical parts is one of the common failures in rotating machinery. The current researches of loose fault mainly focus on non-rotating components. However, the loose of disc, which is the main work part in the rotor system, is less paid attention, and the mechanism and dynamics characteristics of the loose fault are also almost ignored. In this paper, a dynamic contact model of the rotor system with loose disc is established considering the microscopic surface topography. Through the numerical simulation, the vibration characteristics of the disc-shaft rotor system are analyzed and discussed. The simulation results are further verified by experiments. The results show that the rotation state of the disc is affected by the rotation speed of the shaft, contact stiffness, a gap between the disc and shaft, damping of the disc, and the rotational damping. When the speed difference between the disc and shaft is zero or large, the collision frequency is mainly composed of one frequency component. When the rotational speed of the disc approaches the shaft, the beating vibration phenomenon of the disc occurs in the horizontal direction. As the decreases of relative speed between the disc and shaft, the disc trajectory changes from ‘circular’ to ‘double ring’ and then ‘circular’. The research results on nonlinear dynamics characteristics of the loose disc has important theoretical value and practical application value, and makes up for its shortcomings in the rotor system with loose disc.

Background Percutaneous endoscopic spinal surgery (PESS) was performed for a series of cases with single-level thoracic ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (T-OPLL). This study was to evaluate the clinical feasibility and effectiveness of percutaneous endoscopic spinal surgery via a transforaminal approach for T-OPLL. Methods 15 patients with thoracic single-level ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (T-OPLL) were admitted to our hospital from October 2016 to October 2019 and treated with percutaneous endoscopic spinal surgery via transforaminal approach. There were 7 males and 8 females with an average age of (56.4 ± 8.4) years (range: 41 to 71 years). Computed tomography (CT) with 3-dimensional reconstruction and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were used to confirm the vertebral level of T-OPLL. Levels of T-OPLL: T7/T8 in 1 case, T9/T10 in 2 cases, T10/T11 in 6 cases, T11/T12 in 4 cases, and T12/L1 in 2 cases. The surgical index, neurological function, and clinical results were recorded in this study. Results All surgeries were successfully completed without any conversion to open surgery, no severe intraoperative complications such as dural sac tear, major vessel or spinal cord injury were reported in our study. The average operation time was 79.1 ± 29.4 min (ranged, 43 to 132 min). The amount of intraoperative blood loss was 62.3 ± 20.8 mL. The lengths of postoperative hospital stays were 4.1 ± 1.1 days. The follow-up rate was 93.3% (14/15). The follow-up time ranged from 13 to 32 months (mean, 20.3 ± 6.3 months). the satisfactory decompression was confirmed by the CT and MRI. The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score improved from 5.9 ± 0.7 preoperatively to 2.1 ± 0.9 at the last follow-up (P P P

ObjectiveTo discuss the sensitivity and specificity of the combinations of multiple factors that work on bone infection after artificial joint, and provide evidence-based medical basis for the early diagnosis of infection after artificial joint.MethodsA retrospective review was conducted on 35 patients diagnosed with periprosthetic joint infections (PJI) or aseptic loosening (AL) who both received revision operation from January 2011 to January 2015. Analyzing and comparing their epidemiology indexes and expounded a series of auxiliary examinations corresponding positive diagnosis ratio.ResultsThirty-five patients were divided into two groups. One is called group PJI which includes 16 patients, and the other is called group AL which contains 19 patients. There was no statistical difference between in age (p= 0.536), gender ratio (p= 0.094), and the time of catching infection or getting loose (p= 0.055). Swelling was statistical significant (p= 0.0435 < 0.05). AUC of CRP = 0.947, ESR = 0.893, IL-6 = 0.893, PCT = 0.781, WBC = 0.839, and PMN = 0.755, respectively, CRP has a high diagnostic value to PJI, ESR, IL-6, PCT, WBC, and PMN% possess a moderate diagnostic value. There were 3 cases of PJI whose pathological paraffin section showed infectious inflammatory cells (100%). three PJI patients and one AL patient whose 99mTc-MDP examination presented 100% infection or looseness rate.ConclusionCRP has a high diagnostic value to PJI. Histopathology HE staining, Gram staining, and 99mTc-MDP provide a highly accurate diagnosis for PJI. Therefore, the results suggest combining the unique clinical symptoms of PJI patients with relevant laboratory indexes, histopathologic characteristics, and imageological examinations that can improve diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of PJI in its early stage.

The rapidly growing data amount brings a great challenge to the various marine communications conditions with the limited resources such as energy, band width and channel capabilities in the Internet of Marine things (IoMaT). A large number of redundant data increases the network load, wastes the energy, and enlarges the probability of data conflict and network congestion. The paper proposes the time-competition forwarding strategy based on objective function optimization (OFO) to prevent redundant forwarding data copies from communication as much as possible, aiming at comprehensive optimization of network performance. The layer-based set of effective relay nodes and complete object function lessen the number of potential forwarding-nodes and avoids the multiple duplicate forwarding. Meantime, the acoustic velocity of ocean is considered into the objective function to optimize the transmission time. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed strategy can effectively reduce the network traffic and perform well in term of the balance of energy consumption, the network lifetime, the packet delivery ratio, the data conflict and the network congestion.

With the development of new information technologies, the accumulation of data volume has been exploding, and big data retrieval has played an increasingly important role in big data technology. The challenge of data retrieval are the improvement of retrieval accuracy and retrieval speed. Aiming at the demand of big data platform for efficient data retrieval, an efficient optimized strategy is proposed. We found when the primary key query is used, the query response can be quick. However, when using a non-primary key query, the cache table needs to be comprehensively scanned and the longer response delay may be induced. This paper proposes a secondary index based on Solr to increase the accuracy of information retrieval and the quality of user experience. Then a cache-heat evaluation algorithm categorizes data according to access frequency to reduce query latency. Moreover, an index optimization method based on memory cache updates the cache to save space and enhance utilization. The experiments and simulation demonstrate that the proposed strategy can effectively improves the big data retrieval.

Background: Percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD) can only relieve mechanical compression but cannot directly reduce the inflammatory reaction of the adjacent nerve root, which contributes to persistent pain and physical disabilities postoperatively. Numerous studies have explored the application of epidural steroids after an open lumbar discectomy in relieving pain by reducing local inflammatory reactions and further peridural scar formation. Objectives: To explore that whether “cocktail treatment” in which a gelatin sponge was impregnated with ropivacaine, dexamethasone, and vitamin B12 promoted early postoperative recovery after PELD. Study Design: Retrospective, case-controlled study. Setting: All data were from Hong-Hui Hospital in Xi’an. Methods: Between January 2016 and January 2017, 100 patients of single-level lumbar disc herniation were treated with PELD in our hospitals. The cocktail treatment was applied in the first 50 patients (group cocktail), and an equal size gelatin sponge without drugs was used in the other 50 patients as control (group noncocktail). The clinical outcome evaluation included the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score for back and leg pain and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) score. Results: There was a significant difference in the mean periods of return to work (4.25 ± 1.88 weeks in the cocktail group and 5.18 ± 2.19 weeks in the noncocktail group) (P < 0.01). Compared with the preoperative data, a significant improvement in VAS scores of back pain and sciatica and ODI were observed in each follow-up interval (P < 0.05, respectively). In the noncocktail group, there were visible fluctuations in the 3 indicators within the first week after surgery. This phenomenon was not observed in the cocktail group, a difference that was statistically significant (P < 0.05, respectively). In further follow-up, no significant differences were observed between the 2 groups (P > 0.05, respectively). Limitations: The nonrandomized, single-center, retrospective design is a major limitation of this study. Conclusions: The “cocktail treatment” with a gelatin sponge impregnated with ropivacaine, dexamethasone, and vitamin B12 promotes early and satisfactory back and leg pain relief and fast functional recovery after PELD. Key words: Endoscopic lumbar discectomy, lumbar disc herniation, steroids, nerve root block, gelatin sponge