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The swift recuperation of communities following natural hazards heavily relies on the efficiency of transportation systems, facilitating the timely delivery of vital resources and manpower to reconstruction sites. This paper delves into the pivotal role of transportation systems in aiding the recovery of built environments, proposing an evaluative metric that correlates transportation capacity with the speed of post-earthquake recovery. Focusing on optimizing urban population capacity in the aftermath of earthquakes, the study comprehensively examines the impact of pre-earthquake measures such as enhancing building or bridge seismic performance on post-earthquake urban population capacity. The methodology is demonstrated through an analysis of Beijing’s transportation system, elucidating how enhancements to transportation infrastructure fortify the resilience of built environments. Additionally, the concept of a resource supply rate is introduced to gauge the level of logistical support available after an earthquake. This rate tends to decrease when transportation damage is significant or when the demands for repairs overwhelm available resources, indicating a need for retrofitting. Through sensitivity analysis, this study explores how investments in the built environment or logistical systems can increase the resource supply rate, thereby contributing to more resilient urban areas in the face of seismic challenges.

The time-dependent resilience of an in-service aging structure provides quantitative measure of the structural ability to prepare for, adapt to, withstand and recover from disruptive events. Resilience models have been proposed in the literature to evaluate the resilience of aging structures subjected to discrete load processes, which are, however, not applicable to handle resilience problems considering continuous load processes. In this paper, a new method is developed to evaluate the time-dependent resilience of aging structures subjected to a continuous load process. The proposed method serves as the complement of the existing resilience models addressing discrete load processes, and takes into account the aging effects of the structural resistance/capacity and the nonstationarity in loads as a result of climate change. A structure suffers from a damage state upon the occurrence of an upcrossing of the load effect with respect to the resistance/capacity, leading to the reduction of the performance function, followed by a recovery process that restores the performance. The proposed method enables the time-dependent resilience to be evaluated via a closed form solution. It is also revealed that, the proposed resilience model takes an extended form of the existing formula for upcrossing-based time-dependent reliability, thus establishing a unified framework for the two quantities. The applicability of the proposed method is demonstrated through examining the time-dependent resilience of a residential building subjected to wind load. The effects of key factors on resilience, including the nonstationarity and correlation structure of the load process, as well as the resistance/capacity deterioration scenario, are investigated through an example. In particular, the structural resilience would be overestimated if ignoring the potential impacts of climate change, which is a relatively non-conservative evaluation.

This paper reports a rare case of extralobar pulmonary sequestration in the posterior mediastinum of a neonate with arterial supply from the pulmonary artery. A 3-day-old male neonate was diagnosed with type II congenital pulmonary airway malformation after prenatal color Doppler ultrasonography showed a lesion with blood supply from the pulmonary artery in the left lung. Post-birth chest computed tomography(CT) showed that the lesion was located in the posterior mediastinum with low density change, mild stripe enhancement after contrast, and no obvious blood supply vessels. A neurogenic tumor was considered for the preoperative diagnosis. The mass was removed by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. During the surgery, the mass was observed to be a dark red solid lump with a feeding vessel originating from the pulmonary artery. The postoperative histopathological diagnosis was extralobar pulmonary sequestration. Combined with the preoperative imaging results, it was considered that the nourishing vessels might have intermittent torsion. The patient recovered well after surgery, and no recurrence was observed after 6 months of follow-up. Therefore, the possibility of extralobar pulmonary sequestration cannot be ruled out for posterior mediastinal masses that are not supplied by the descending aorta or without identified feeding vessels.

Abstract The lining structures of tunnels are typically constructed using sprayed or cast concrete materials, and their performance and quality during tunnel excavation and blasting are crucial for the stability and safety of tunnels. Therefore, the safe distance between the lining structure and blasting source should be determined to avoid concrete damage caused by blasting vibrations. In this study, taking the subway tunnel of Danshan Station in Qingdao as an example, the JH-2 model is introduced as the constitutive model of the tunnel blasting simulation, and the JH-2 model parameters of the local surrounding rock are obtained by experiments, and finally the numerical simulation and theoretical verification are carried out to study the safety distance of shotcrete under various safety judgment standards. The results indicate that the JH-2 model can effectively simulate the propagation of stress waves under different media conditions, and the closer the strength parameters and pressure constant of the lining structure are to those of the surrounding rock, the safer the concrete–rock bonding interface. During tunnel blasting construction using the ring blasting method, the peak particle velocity (PPV) of the lining structure increases with an increase in the arch angle. Based on the numerical simulation results, we recommend that concrete lining be constructed at a distance of at least 62 m from the blasting source to avoid damage caused by vibrations. The effect of concrete tensile failure caused by longitudinal stress is much smaller than the damage to the bonding interface caused by the PPV and can be neglected.

Aiming at the shortcomings of a traditional centralized control in an active distribution network (AND), this paper proposes a leader-follower distributed group cooperative control strategy to realize multiple operation and control tasks for an ADN. The distributed information exchange protocols of the distributed generation (DG) group devoted to node voltage regulation or exchange power control are developed using a DG power utilization ratio as the consensus variable. On these bases, this study further investigates the leader optimal selection method for a DG group to improve the response speed of the distributed control system. Furthermore, a single or multiple leader selection model is established to minimize the constraints of the one-step convergence factor and the number of leaders to improve the response speed of the distributed control system. The simulation results of the IEEE 33 bus standard test system show the effectiveness of the proposed distributed control strategy. In addition, the response speed of a DG control group can be improved effectively when the single or multiple leaders are selected optimally.

The concrete used in the main structures of subway stations has a high degree of constraint. Consequently, temperature changes and shrinkage during construction frequently lead to significant constraint stress, which can result in structural cracking. Therefore, cement with low hydration heat is commonly used in engineering to reduce the temperature of concrete during its age. Aiming at the problem of hydration and heat release caused by concrete construction, based on the principles of concrete hydration heat release and a numerical analysis method, an optimized semi-adiabatic temperature rise test method has been introduced to investigate concrete temperature rise characteristics with different mineral admixtures. The following conclusions were obtained: The effect of reducing the heat of hydration is related to the content and material properties of different mineral admixtures, but not the type of mineral admixture to be incorporated. The temperature rise performance of four common mineral admixtures is as follows: ① total cooling capacity: limestone powder > slag, fly ash > metakaolin; ② early heat generation rate: metakaolin > slag > fly ash > limestone powder; ③ heat reduction rate in the middle and late periods: metakaolin > limestone powder > fly ash > slag.

Abstract Resilience assessment of civil structures and infrastructure systems plays a vital role in quantitatively measuring the object's ability to withstand and recover from disruptive events (e.g., natural hazards). The performance of the object (structure or system) may degrade with time, and the external loads often display nonstationary characteristics with time‐varying occurrence rate and/or magnitude. In this context, the resilience would be dependent on the duration of the reference period of interest, known as time‐dependent resilience. This article investigates the effect of recovery profile dependency on the time‐dependent resilience of structures and systems. The term “recovery profile dependency” refers to the association of the post‐hazard recovery processes in the aftermath of different load events within the object's service life, and is reflected through the following three aspects: (1) the temporal correlation between the remaining functionalities associated with different load events; (2) the load–recovery interaction (i.e., the scenario that a load event occurs before the full recovery of the degraded functionality due to the previous load event), and (3) the resource allocation strategy in the presence of limited resources, which affects the expeditiousness of each recovery process. In particular, for (2), the concept of average ratio of interaction is proposed to measure the frequency of load‐recovery interaction. The evaluation of time‐dependent resilience is demonstrated through two examples. It is shown that, the time‐dependent resilience is sensitive to the impact of load–recovery interaction and the selection of resource allocation strategy, but is insensitive to the temporal correlation of the remaining functionalities.

IntroductionTo investigate the therapeutic effect of clitoris exposure + episioplasty + dermabrasion + platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection + chemexfoliation on vulvar lichen sclerosus (VLS).MethodsTwenty children with VLS (under 14 years old) at our hospital from July 2020 to November 2022 were enrolled and treated with clitoris exposure + episioplasty + dermabrasion + PRP injection + chemexfoliation. Additionally, symptomatic changes and improvements in signs were recorded.ResultsSignificant therapeutic effects were achieved in all children enrolled in this study. The Cattanco score was 8.02 ± 1.22 points before surgery, 2.21 ± 0.70 points 3 months after surgery, and 2.61 ± 0.59 points 6 months after surgery, demonstrating that the score after surgery was significantly lower than that before surgery (p < 0.05). Mild complications (one case of mild vulvar swelling, one case of minor bleeding, and one case of superficial ulcer) were observed in three children after surgery, with an overall complication incidence of 15%; all complications were improved after the intervention, and no severe adverse reactions were observed. Recurrence was observed in one child (5%) 6 months after surgery.ConclusionClitoris exposure + episioplasty + dermabrasion + PRP injection + chemexfoliation is an effective approach for the treatment of VLS.Systematic Review Registrationhttps://www.chictr.org.cn/searchproj.html, identifier: ChiCTR2100054787.

The resilience index based on the integral of functionality/performance function within a time interval of interest has been widely used in the literature. However, it cannot fully reflect the sensitivity of the resilience of the object (e.g., structure or system) to the variation of functionality. In this paper, a generalized index is proposed to measure the resilience of structures and systems that is sensitive to the instantaneous functionality, as reflected by a generating function involved in the proposed resilience index. The mathematical properties of the proposed resilience model are discussed. It is proven that, the proposed index varies within [0,1], and is a monotone measure. If the generating function is a power function with α being the exponent (called α-fairness function), the additivity property (i.e., superadditivity, additivity, and subadditivity) of the resilience index is dependent on the value of α. It is also observed that the existing resilience index is a special case of the proposed one. A byproduct is that, with a properly selected generating function, the time-dependent reliability problem of an aging structure can also be described by the proposed resilience index. The applicability of the proposed resilience model is demonstrated through four examples.

Myocardial substrate metabolism in cardiac hypertrophy or heart failure shifts from fatty acid oxidation to a greater reliance on glycolysis. Here, the authors show that KLF7 can simultaneously regulate key enzymes in glycolysis and fatty acid oxidation to mitigate metabolic imbalance during cardiac hypertrophy.

Abstract Background Krüppel-like factor 7 (klf7), a transcription factor in the nervous system to regulate cell proliferation and differentiation, has been recently identified as a causal gene for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but the mechanism behind remains unknown. Result To uncover this mechanism, in this study we characterized the involvement of klf7 in circadian rhythm by knocking down klf7 in N2A cells and examining the rhythmic expression of circadian genes, especially Clock gene. We constructed klf7−/− mice and then investigated into klf7 regulation on the expression of rhythm genes in vivo as well as the use of melatonin to rescue the autism behavior. Our results illustrated that circadian rhythm was disrupted in klf7 knockdown cells and that klf7−/− mice showed autism-like behavior. Also, we found that Clock gene was downregulated in the brain of these klf7−/− mice and that the downstream rhythm genes of Clock were disturbed. Melatonin, as a circadian regulation drug, could regulate the expression level and amplitude of rhythm genes in klf7 knockout cells and further rescue the autistic behavior of klf7−/− mice. Conclusion Klf7 deficiency causes ASD by disrupting circadian rhythm related genes to trigger rhythm oscillations. To treat ASD, maintaining circadian homeostasis is promising with the use of melatonin.

Engineering structures are often subjected to the influences of performance deterioration and multiple hazards during their service lives, and consequently may suffer from damage/failure as a result of external loads. Structural reliability and resilience assessment is a powerful tool for quantifying the structural ability to withstand these environmental or operational attacks. This paper proposes new formulas for structural time-dependent reliability and resilience analyses in the presence of multiple hazards, which are functions of the duration of the reference period of interest. The joint impacts of nonstationarities in multiple hazards due to a changing environment, as well as the deterioration of structural performance, are explicitly incorporated. The correlation between the structural resistances/capacities associated with different hazard types is modeled by employing a copula function. It is observed that, under the context of multiple hazards and aging effects, the time-dependent resilience takes a generalized form of time-dependent reliability. The proposed formulas can be used to guide the adaptive design of structures, where adaptive strategies are identified across a range of possible future service conditions. An example is presented to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed method for structural reliability and resilience analyses.

Existing structures may suffer from resistance deterioration due to repeated attacks. The modeling of resistance deterioration is a critical ingredient in the reliability assessment and service life prediction of these degraded structures. In this paper, an explicit compound Poisson process-based model is developed to describe the shock deterioration of structural resistance, where the magnitude of each shock deterioration increment is modeled by a Gamma-distributed random variable. The moments (mean value and variance) and the distribution function of the cumulative shock deterioration are derived in a closed form, based on a proposed W-function. A method for the efficient calculation of the W-function is presented, which reduces to the Bessel type I function if the shock deterioration increment is exponentially distributed (a special case of Gamma distribution). The proposed shock deterioration model is applicable to either a stationary or a nonstationary Poisson process of random jumps. Subsequently, the overall resistance deterioration is modeled as the linear combination of gradual and shock deteriorations, based on which the proposed model can be used in the time-dependent reliability assessment of aging structures efficiently. A numerical example is presented to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed deterioration model by estimating the time-dependent reliability of an aging bridge. It is found that a smaller threshold for the degraded resistance leads to greater mean value and standard deviation of the time to failure, and this effect is enhanced by a smaller occurrence rate of the shock deterioration.

Abstract Prevention and early intervention are the current focus of treatment for Alzheimer's disease (AD). An increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a feature of the early stages of AD, thus suggesting that the removal of excess ROS can be a viable method of improving AD. Natural polyphenols are able to scavenge ROS and thus promising for treating AD. However, some issues need to be addressed. Among them, important are that most polyphenols are hydrophobic, have low bioavailability in the body, are easily degraded, and that single polyphenols have insufficient antioxidant capacity. In this study, we employed two polyphenols, resveratrol (RES) and oligomeric proanthocyanidin (OPC), and creatively grafted them with hyaluronic acid (HA) to form nanoparticles to address the aforementioned issues. Meanwhile, we strategically grafted the nanoparticles with the B6 peptide, enabling the nanoparticles to cross the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and enter the brain for AD treatment. Our results illustrate that B6‐RES‐OPC‐HA nanoparticles can significantly scavenge ROS, reduce brain inflammation, and improve learning and memory ability in AD mice. B6‐RES‐OPC‐HA nanoparticles have the potential to prevent and alleviate early AD.

BackgroundCongenital Morgagni hernia (CMH) is a rare midline defect involving herniation of abdominal viscera into the thoracic cavity through triangular parasternal gaps in the diaphragm.MethodsThe medical records of three patients with CMH admitted to the Department of Pediatric Surgery at the Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University between 2018 and 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. Pre-operative diagnosis was based on chest x-ray, chest computerized tomography, and barium enema. All patients were treated with single-site laparoscopic ligation of the hernia sac.ResultsHernia repair was successful in all patients (males; age: 14 months, 30 months, 48 months). The average operative time for repair of a unilateral hernia was 20 ± 5 min. Volume of surgical blood loss was 2–3 ml. There was no damage to organs such as the liver or intestines, or to tissues such as the pericardium or the phrenic nerve. Patients were allowed a fluid diet 6–8 h after surgery, and remained on bed rest until 16 h after surgery. No postoperative complications occurred, and patients were discharged on postoperative Day 2 or 3. No symptoms or complications were noted during the 1–48 months of follow-up. Aesthetic outcomes were satisfactory.ConclusionsSingle-site laparoscopic ligation of the hernia sac provides pediatric surgeons a safe and effective technique for repair of CMH in infants and children. The procedure is straightforward, operative time and surgical blood loss are minimal, recurrence is unlikely, and aesthetic outcomes are satisfactory.

ObjectiveTo investigate the relationship among information processing, risk/benefit perception and the COVID-19 vaccination intention of OHCs users with the heuristic-systematic model (HSM).MethodsThis study conducted a cross-sectional questionnaire via an online survey among Chinese adults. A structural equation model (SEM) was used to examine the research hypotheses.ResultsSystematic information processing positively influenced benefit perception, and heuristic information processing positively influenced risk perception. Benefit perception had a significant positive effect on users' vaccination intention. Risk perception had a negative impact on vaccination intention. Findings revealed that differences in information processing methods affect users' perceptions of risk and benefit, which decide their vaccination intention.ConclusionOnline health communities can provide more systematic cues and users should process information systematically to increase their perceived benefits, consequently increase their willingness to receive COVID-19 vaccine.

Type 2 Diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is one of the most common chronic multifactorial diseases, which is associated with the increased concentration of glucose in the blood. Therefore, the utilization of blood lowering agents is clearly a promising approach which can lead to a suppression of the evaluated blood glucose, and thus curing T2DM and other complication. In this study, we evaluated the glucose lowering effect of a varieties of amino acids (alanine and histidine), dipeptides (carnosine and α-alanine-L-histidine), and tripeptide (glutathione) by reacting with glucose, fructose, and sucrose under 37°C and pH 7.4 to mimic their reaction in physiological condition. By measuring the reduction of reactants and the formation of Maillard reaction products over the course of 21 days’ storage, we found that the glucose lowering effect of carnosine was better than the counterparts. The histidine residue in carnosine may contribute to its glucose lowing effect while β-amino acid β-alanine residue could facilitate the glucose lowering effect of carnosine by maintaining its chemical stability during the storage. These results may open up new avenues for the applications of bioactive peptide carnosine as a natural blood sugar lowering agent to control T2DM.

Abstract Bone metastasis is one of the most serious complications in lung cancer patients. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in tumour development, progression and metastasis. A previous study showed that miR-106a is highly expressed in the tissues of lung adenocarcinoma with bone metastasis, but its mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we showed that miR-106a expression is dramatically increased in lung cancer patients with bone metastasis (BM) by immunohistochemical analysis. MiR-106a promoted A549 and SPC-A1 cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro. The results of bioluminescence imaging (BLI), micro-CT and X-ray demonstrated that miR-106a promoted bone metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma in vivo. Mechanistic investigations revealed that miR-106a upregulation promoted metastasis by targeting tumour protein 53-induced nuclear protein 1 (TP53INP1)-mediated metastatic progression, including cell migration, autophagy-dependent death and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). Notably, autophagy partially attenuated the effects of miR-106a on promoting bone metastasis in lung adenocarcinoma. These findings demonstrated that restoring the expression of TP53INP1 by silencing miR-106a may be a novel therapeutic strategy for bone metastatic in lung adenocarcinoma.

The dramatic tropical cyclone (TC) damages in coastal areas around the world have gained significant attention from asset owners, policy makers and engineers. The estimate of TC damage for a specific region of interest is informative of the preparedness and resilience of the area subjected to TC hazards, and thus should be conducted using a quantitative approach. A reasonable indicator of TC damage should incorporate not only the TC characteristics (e.g., intensity, frequency and duration) but also the vulnerability of the TC-prone areas. In this paper, a new indicator is proposed to measure the TC threat, which takes into account both the TC characteristics and the vulnerability of the area. The indicator has two forms: the first one considers the maximum wind speed only and the second incorporates the integrated wind speed profile. The historical damage scenarios along the US East Coast, as well as those in Hong Kong, China, are examined to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed indicator. Results show that the proposed indicator is capable of representing the impact of TC wind field profile on the TC damage costs. The proposed indicator could be further used to project the future TC damages for areas subjected to TC hazards.

Abstract This study aimed to construct a widely accepted prognostic nomogram in Chinese high-grade osteosarcoma (HOS) patients aged ≤ 30 years to provide insight into predicting 5-year overall survival (OS). Data from 503 consecutive HOS patients at our centre between 12/2012 and 05/2019 were retrospectively collected. Eighty-four clinical features and routine laboratory haematological and biochemical testing indicators of each patient at the time of diagnosis were collected. A prognostic nomogram model for predicting OS was constructed based on the Cox proportional hazards model. The performance was assessed by the concordance index (C-index), receiver operating characteristic curve and calibration curve. The utility was evaluated by decision curve analysis. The 5-year OS was 52.1% and 2.6% for the nonmetastatic and metastatic patients, respectively. The nomogram included nine important variables based on a multivariate analysis: tumour stage, surgical type, metastasis, preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy cycle, postoperative metastasis time, mean corpuscular volume, tumour-specific growth factor, gamma-glutamyl transferase and creatinine. The calibration curve showed that the nomogram was able to predict 5-year OS accurately. The C-index of the nomogram for OS prediction was 0.795 (range, 0.703–0.887). Moreover, the decision curve analysis curve also demonstrated the clinical benefit of this model. The nomogram provides an individualized risk estimate of the 5-year OS in patients with HOS aged ≤ 30 years in a Chinese population-based cohort.

Automobile exhaust-derived particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) can cause spermatogenic cell damage, potentially resulting in male infertility. This study uses male prepubertal Sprague Dawley (SD) rats to explore the molecular mechanisms by which automobile exhaust-derived PM2.5 causes spermatogenic cell damage and induces spermatogenesis dysfunction during sexual maturity by disrupting the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt) in spermatogenic cells. Male prepubertal SD rats were randomly divided into four groups: control (intratracheal instillation of normal saline), low-dose PM2.5 (5 mg/kg), high-dose PM2.5 (10 mg/kg), and PM2.5 10 mg/kg +Vit (100 mg/kg of vitamin C and 50 mg/kg of vitamin E). The rats were treated for four weeks, with five consecutive treatment days and two non-treatment days, followed by cohabitation. Testicular and epididymal tissues were harvested for analysis. The mitochondria in spermatogenic cells were observed under an electron microscope. UPRmt-, oxidative stress-, and apoptosis-related markers in spermatogenic cells were examined. Spermatogenic cell numbers and conception rate declined significantly with increasing PM2.5 dose, with their mitochondria becoming vacuolated, swollen, and degenerated to varying degrees. The apoptosis of spermatogenic cells was abnormally enhanced in PM2.5 exposed groups compared to the control group. Spermatogenic cell numbers of conception rate gradually recovered, mitochondrial damage in spermatogenic cells was alleviated, and spermatogenic cell apoptosis was significantly reduced after vitamin intervention. In addition, protein levels of superoxide dismutase 1 (Sod1), nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), and B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) were significantly lower, while those of Bcl2-associated X apoptosis regulator (Bax), cleaved caspase 3 (Casp3), and cytochrome c (Cyt-c) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were significantly higher in the high-dose PM2.5 group than in the control group. The levels of UPRmt-related proteins C/EBP homologous protein (Chop), heat shock protein 60 (Hsp60), and activating transcription factors 4 (Atf4) and 5 (Atf5) were higher in the low-dose PM2.5 group, lower in the high-dose PM2.5 group, and gradually recovered in PM2.5 10 mg/kg +Vit group. Our results show that exposure to automobile exhaust-derived PM2.5 induces oxidative stress responses, leads to post-sexual maturation UPRmt dysfunction and mitochondrial impairment, and abnormally enhances spermatogenic cell apoptosis in prepubertal rats, resulting in male infertility.

The use of underground spaces is becoming increasingly important in this era of rapid urbanization and population growth. However, underground spaces are susceptible to water ingress, which may trigger the deterioration of their structural performance and reduce their serviceability. This highlights the importance of the proper design of lining structures with an emphasis on water penetration. This study develops a reliability-based approach to guide the design of lining structures used for underground spaces. The equivalent depth of water seepage is considered for a two-dimensional lining structure in the presence of the randomness and spatial correlation of the water seepage distribution. The probabilistic behavior of the equivalent seepage depth that is derived serves as the basis for reliability-based design of lining structures. A simple design criterion is developed. An example is presented to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed approach.

ObjectiveTo compare the efficacy of two different surgical approaches during and after pyeloplasty according to the degree/severity of hydronephrosis factor.Materials and methodsSixty child patients with UPJ obstruction admitted to our hospital from August 2019 to October 2021 were collected. Patients who underwent retroperitoneal laparoscopic pyeloplasty (RPLP) were enrolled into Group A (n = 20), while those who received transperitoneal laparoscopic pyeloplasty (TLP) were selected as Group B (n = 40). Clinical parameters, including gender, age, laterality of UPJ obstruction, degree/severity of hydronephrosis, body weight, operation time, drainage tube indwelling time, complete oral feeding time, and length of hospital stay, were compared between the two groups.ResultsAll 60 child patients were operated upon successfully without conversion to open surgery. There were no statistically significant differences in gender, age, laterality of UPJ obstruction, and body weight between the two groups, while the operation time of TLP was shorter than that of RPLP, indicating a statistically significant difference (P < 0.001). The differences in complete oral feeding time, drainage tube indwelling time, and length of hospital stay were statistically significant between the two groups, and RPLP was superior to TLP in terms of postoperative recovery time (P < 0.001). A stratified comparison showed that there were no statistically significant differences in anteroposterior diameter ≤ 20 mm, while there were statistically significant differences in anteroposterior diameter >20 mm. Hydronephrosis is reviewed after 3 months of the operation, degree/severity of hydronephrosis have been reduced.ConclusionBoth RPLP and TLP are safe and feasible in the treatment of UPJ obstruction, and their overall surgical effects are equivalent. For child patients with anteroposterior diameter ≤ 20 mm, RPLP is available, while patients with anteroposterior diameter >20 mm, TLP is recommended.

Abstract The performance of civil infrastructure systems is vital in supporting a community’s functionalities. Reliability assessment of these systems is a powerful approach to evaluate whether the system performance is desirably safe under the impacts of resistance degradation and non-stationary loads. A k-out-of-n system is a widely-used logic model for a system with n components, which survives (works) if at least k components work. Its special cases include a series or a parallel system. Furthermore, a weighted k-out-of-n system has components with positive integer weights and the system survives if the total weight of working components reaches the predefined threshold k. This paper proposes a method for estimating the time-dependent reliability of both ordinary and weighted k-out-of-n systems, taking into account the effects of resistance deterioration, resistance correlation and load non-stationarity, for which a mathematical solution is derived. The applicability of the proposed method is illustrated through reliability evaluation of a representative k-out-of-n system.

Scar formation can lead to glaucoma filtration surgery (GFS) failure, wherein transforming growth factor (TGF)-β is the core regulator. To reducing scar formation, this paper presents our study on the design of hydrogels to deactivate TGF-β1. We hypothesized that excess TGF-β1 can be removed from aqueous humor through the addition of oxidized hyaluronic acid (O-HA) hydrogels that are seeded with decorin (O-HA ​+ ​D). Immunohistochemistry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were performed to demonstrate the adsorption properties of O-HA ​+ ​D hydrogel, thus reducing the TGF-β1 concentration in aqueous humor. In the light that collagen contraction in human Tenon's capsule fibroblasts (HTFs) and the angiogenesis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) can be activated by TGF-β1 and β2, we performed the quantitative analysis of polymerase chain reaction to determine the effect of O-HA ​+ ​D on the type I collagen, fibronectin, and angiogenesis. Our results illustrate that O-HA ​+ ​D can inhibit the increase of α-SMA expression in HTF induced by TGF-β1 and that O-HA ​+ ​D can inhibit the production of collagen I and fibronectin in HTF treated with TGF-β1. Furthermore, we performed in vivo studies by employing a rabbit model, where rabbits were treated with hydrogels post GFS. Our results demonstrate that, as compared with other groups, the rabbits treated with O-HA ​+ ​D had the greatest reduction in inflammatory cells with reduced level of collagen in wounds. Taken together, the present study paves the way toward the treatment of post-glaucoma fibrosis following surgery.

BackgroundIncreased plaque vulnerability and higher lipid variability are causes of adverse cardiovascular events. Despite a close association between glucose and lipid metabolisms, the influence of elevated glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) on plaque vulnerability and lipid variability remains unclear.MethodsAmong subjects undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) from 2009 through 2019, 366 patients received intravascular optical coherence tomography (OCT) assessment and 4,445 patients underwent the scheduled follow-ups within 1 year after PCI. Vulnerability features of culprit vessels were analyzed by OCT examination, including the assessment of lipid, macrophage, calcium, and minimal fibrous cap thickness (FCT). Visit-to-visit lipid variability was determined by different definitions including standard deviation (SD), coefficient of variation (CV), and variability independent of the mean (VIM). Multivariable linear regression analysis was used to verify the influence of HbA1c on plaque vulnerability features and lipid variability. Exploratory analyses were also performed in non-diabetic patients.ResultsAmong enrolled subjects, the pre-procedure HbA1c was 5.90 ± 1.31%, and the average follow-up HbA1c was 5.98 ± 1.16%. By OCT assessment, multivariable linear regression analyses demonstrated that patients with elevated HbA1c had a thinner minimal FCT (β = −6.985, P = 0.048), greater lipid index (LI) (β = 226.299, P = 0.005), and higher macrophage index (β = 54.526, P = 0.045). Even in non-diabetic patients, elevated HbA1c also linearly decreased minimal FCT (β = −14.011, P = 0.036), increased LI (β = 290.048, P = 0.041) and macrophage index (β = 120.029, P = 0.048). Subsequently, scheduled follow-ups were performed during 1-year following PCI. Multivariable linear regression analyses proved that elevated average follow-up HbA1c levels increased the VIM of lipid profiles, including low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (β = 2.594, P < 0.001), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (β = 0.461, P = 0.044), non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (β = 1.473, P < 0.001), total cholesterol (β = 0.947, P < 0.001), and triglyceride (β = 4.217, P < 0.001). The result was consistent in non-diabetic patients and was verified when SD and CV were used to estimate variability.ConclusionIn patients undergoing elective PCI, elevated HbA1c increases the atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability and the visit-to-visit variability of lipid profiles, which is consistent in non-diabetic patients.

The Pb39Bi25Sn36 alloy was directionally solidified at varied withdrawal rates followed by quenching. From metallographic observation, composition analysis and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis, the solidification sequence of Pb39Bi25Sn36 alloy was characterized. The Sn-dendrite is observed as the primary phase during solidification, followed by the β(Pb7 Bi3 )/Sn divorced eutectic. At lower temperatures, the β(Pb7Bi3 )/Sn binary eutectic is formed in the interdendritic region. However, the quasi-peritectic reaction [L+α-Pb→β(Pb7 Bi3 )+Sn] does not occur as the prediction based on ternary phase diagram analysis, which can be attributed to the unequilibrium solidfication condition. Moreover, the as-cast microstructure is significantly refined with the increasing withdrawal rates. The quenched sample only exhibits the lamellar structure of Sn, β(Pb7Bi3) and Bi phases. The results can provide instructions to optimize the as-cast microstructure of ternary alloys with quasi-peritectic reaction.

Abstract Background The aim of this study is to examine miRNA profiling and miR-369-3p participates in endometrioid adenocarcinoma (EEC) via the regulation of autophagy. Methods EEC and its adjacent normal tissues were obtained from 20 clinical patients after surgery. MiRNA profiling was performed using next generation sequencing (NGS) and was validated with quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR). qRT-PCR was also employed to measure miR-369-3p and autophagy-related protein 10 (ATG10) expression levels. Western blotting assay was performed to measure the expressions of ATG10 and LC3B. Luciferase reporter assay was conducted to confirm the direct targeting of ATG10 by miR-369-3p. Cell proliferation and migration assays were utilized to analyze the role of miR-369-3p in HEC-1-A cells. Results We found that miR-369-3p expression levels were down-regulated in EEC compared to the control tissues. The overexpression of miR-369-3p inhibited cell proliferation and migration in EEC; furthermore, ATG10 expression increased in EEC tissues. ATG10 was found to be a potential target of miR-369-3p via a dual-luciferase reporter assay, and ATG10 was shown to be down-regulated by miR-369-3p in protein levels. Conclusions This study revealed that miR-369-3p inhibited cell proliferation and migration by targeting ATG10 via autophagy in EEC.

The environmental or anthropogenic factors, to which the in-service bridges are subjected, are responsible for the reduction of bridge performance, and finally lead to great service risk for bridges and increase the probability of substantial economic losses. Probability-based estimate of bridge resistance is an essential indicator for the bridge condition evaluation and for optimization of bridge maintenance/repair decisions. It places an emphasis on the proper probabilistic models of structural properties and assessment methods. Making full use of historical service load information may improve the accuracy of bridge performance assessment with reduced epistemic uncertainty for existing aging bridges. In to-date analyses to update the bridge resistance with past service information, the models of resistance deterioration have been assumed as either deterministic or fully correlated, which may differ significantly from the realistic case. With this regard, this paper proposes a novel method for updating the resistance of service-proven bridges with a realistic deterioration model. The Gamma stochastic process has been suggested in the literature to describe the probabilistic behavior of structural time-dependent resistance and thus is adopted in this paper. An illustrative bridge is presented to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed method. Parametric examples are conducted to investigate the role of resistance deterioration model in the updated estimate of bridge resistance with historical service information. Keywords: Existing aging bridges, Historical load information, Resistance updating, Gamma deterioration process, Bridge safety

Probability-based seismic performance assessment of in-service bridges has gained much attention in the scientific community during the past decades. The nonlinear static pushover analysis is critical for describing the seismic behaviour of bridges subjected to moderate to high seismicity due to its simplicity. However, in existing analysis methods, the generation of pushover curve needs tremendous amount of computational costs and requires skills, which may halter its application in practice, implying the importance of developing practice-oriented analysis method with improved efficiency. Moreover, the bridge pier performance has been modelled as deterministic, indicating that the variation associated with the pier material and mechanical properties remains unaddressed. The correlation in the performance of different piers also exists due to the common design provisions and construction conditions but has neither been taken into account. This paper develops a simplified pushover analysis procedure for the seismic assessment of simply supported RC bridges. With the proposed method, the pushover curve of the bridge can be obtained explicitly without complex finite element modelling. A random factor is introduced to reflect the uncertainty in relation to the pushover curve. The correlation in the pier performance is considered by employing the Gaussian copula function to construct the joint probability distribution. Illustrative examples are presented to demonstrate the applicability of the method and to investigate the impact of variation and correlation in bridge pier behaviour on the seismic performance assessment. Keywords: Seismic assessment, Simply supported RC bridge, Nonlinear analysis, Simplified method, Variation in pier behaviour, Correlation in pier behaviour

We have synthesized a new series of layered oxyselenides Bi2LnO4Cu2Se2 (Ln=Nd, Sm, Eu, Dy, Er, Yb). Their crystal structures and physical properties were studied through X-ray diffraction, electric transport measurements, bulk magnetization and first-principle calculation. All these compounds have a tetragonal structure with space group I4/mmm. They exhibit hole-type metallic behaviours which is also verified by the DFT calculation. The new Bi2LnO4-type block in these compounds may give people some enlightenment in synthesizing new iron-based superconductors or other layered compounds.

The incidence and mortality of cardiovascular disease in diabetic patients are 2-3 times higher than those in non-diabetic patients. Abnormal function of the L-type calcium channel in myocardial tissue might result in multiple cardiac disorders such as a prolonged QT interval. Therefore, QT prolongation is an independent risk factor of cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes mellitus. Metformin, a hypoglycemic agent, is widely known to effectively reduce the occurrence of macrovascular diseases. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of metformin on prolonged QT interval and to explore potential ionic mechanisms induced by diabetes. Diabetic mouse models were established with streptozotocin and an electrocardiogram was used to monitor the QT interval after 4 weeks of metformin treatment in each group. Action potential duration (APD) and L-type calcium current (ICa-L) were detected by patch-clamp in isolated mice ventricular cardiomyocytes and neonatal cardiomyocytes of mice. The expression levels of CACNA1C mRNA and Cav1.2 were measured by real-time PCR, western blot and immunofluorescence. A shortened QT interval was observed after 4 weeks of metformin treatment in diabetic mice. Patch-clamp results revealed that both APD and ICa-L were shortened in mouse cardiomyocytes. Furthermore, the expression levels of CACNA1C mRNA and Cav1.2 were decreased in the metformin group. The same results were also obtained in cultured neonatal mice cardiomyocytes. Overall, these results verify that metformin could shorten a prolonged QT interval by inhibiting the calcium current, suggesting that metformin may play a role in the electrophysiology underlying diabetic cardiopathy.

Type 2 diabetes is a common metabolic disorder related to insulin resistance, or deficiency of insulin secretion, caused by decreased insulin sensitivity and destruction of islet structure and function. As the second human genome, the microbiota has been observed to have a growing relationship with diabetes in recent years. Microbiota imbalance has been hypothesized to be involved in the regulation of energy metabolism and the inflammatory immune response in diabetes. The present study aimed to investigate whether fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) could alleviate the symptoms associated with type 2 diabetes. To this end, a type 2 diabetes mouse model was first established through the consumption of a high-fat diet combined with streptozotocin (100 mg/kg), and FMT was used to rebuild the gut microbiota of diabetic mice. Fasting blood glucose, oral glucose tolerance tests, and HbA1c levels were monitored, while the hypoglycemic effects of FMT were also observed. Insulin levels were tested by ELISA and related indexes such as HOMA-IR, HOMA-IS, and HOMA-β were calculated. We found that insulin resistance and pancreatic islet β-cells were improved after FMT treatment. Meanwhile, the markers of inflammation in the pancreatic tissue were detected by ELISA and immunohistochemistry, which indicated that inflammatory response decreased following FMT treatment. Furthermore, flow cytometry and western blot results revealed that FMT inhibited the β-cell apoptosis. Here, the effect of FMT on hypoglycemia in type 2 diabetes was addressed by improving insulin resistance and repairing impaired islets, thereby providing a potential treatment strategy for type 2 diabetes.

Study Design: Meta-analysis. Background: Although some new insights have been offered for clinical and scientific relevance, minor progress has been made in osteosarcoma treatment after a dramatic survival improvement in the late 1980s with the addition of chemotherapy to surgery. Intensified chemotherapy strategies have been suggested to increase the survival rate of patients with osteosarcoma. We performed this study to access whether intensified chemotherapy strategiesincreased survival outcomes of osteosarcoma patients compared with conventional chemotherapy strategies. Methods: MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, BIOSIS Previews, and Cochrane Library were searched from database set up to October2016. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and comparative clinical trials (CCTs) on intensified versus conventional chemotherapy strategies for osteosarcoma patients met the inclusion criteria, and the methodological quality standard were retrieved and reviewed. Data on participant characteristics, interventions, follow-up period, and outcomes were extracted from the included studies and analyzed by Review Manager 5.3. Results: 12 studies (8 RCTs and 4CCT) involving 4112 patients were selected. There were no significant differences between intensified and conventional chemotherapy strategies group in 3-year event-free survival (OR, 1.01; 95% CI, [0.74–1.37]; P = 0.97), 5-year event-free survival (OR, 1.00; 95% CI, [0.86–1.17]; P = 0.97), and 5-year overall survival (OR, 1.04; 95% CI, [0.87–1.26]; P = 0.64), and good histologic response to preoperative chemotherapy (OR, 1.12; 95% CI, [0.78–1.60]; P = 0.55). Pooled analysis of local recurrence rate showed that local recurrence rate was significantly decreased in the intensified group compared with that in the conventional group (OR, 0.60; 95% CI, [0.42–0.85]; P = 0.004). Conclusions: Intensified chemotherapy might not be a preferred treatment for all of the osteosarcoma patients. Keywords: Meta-analysis, High dosage, Chemotherapy, Osteosarcoma

The durability design of reinforced concrete (RC) structures that are exposed to aggressive environmental attacks (e.g., corrosion due to chloride ingress in marine environment) plays a vital role in ensuring the structural serviceability within a reference period of interest. Existing approaches for the durability design and assessment of RC structures have, for the most part, not considered the spatial distribution of corrosion-related structural properties. In this paper, a closed-form approach is developed for durability assessment of RC structures, where the structural dimension, spatial variability, and correlation of structural properties such as the concrete cover thickness and the chloride diffusion coefficient are taken into account. The corrosion and crack initiations of an emerged tube tunnel segment that was used in the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge project were assessed to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed approach. The accuracy of the method was verified through a comparison with Monte Carlo simulation results based on two-dimensional random field modeling. The proposed method can be used to efficiently assess the durability performance of RC structures in the marine environment and has the potential to become an efficient tool to guide the durability design of RC structures subjected to corrosion.

Abstract Power line carrier (PLC) technology plays an increasingly important role in the realization of cost-effective communication in a smart distribution grid. No current channel modeling method is universally applicable to more complex topologies that may emerge in smart grids, such as ring and mesh topologies. This paper presents a novel PLC channel modeling method based on the information node concept, and the universality and feasibility of the proposed method are demonstrated with applications in modeling networks with ring and mesh topologies. The factors that affect the channel characteristics of the networks and the laws that govern their behaviors for different types of topologies are analyzed. The validity and effectiveness of the proposed method are proven using simulation and laboratory tests. This paper provides the necessary theoretical basis and technical means to design the PLC modulation method for smart distribution grids.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an extremely fatal malignancy. Intestinal microRNAs, which can be detected in fecal samples in humans may be involved in the pathological process of HCC. Therefore, screening for functional intestinal microRNAs in fecal samples and investigating their potential roles in the molecular progression of HCC are necessary. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) has been widely used in microRNA expression studies. However, few genes have been reported as reference genes for intestinal microRNAs in fecal samples. In order to obtain a more accurately analyzed intestinal microRNAs expression, we first searched for reliable reference genes for intestinal microRNAs expression normalization during qRT-PCR, using three software packages (GeNorm, NormFinder, and Bestkeeper). Next we screened and predicted the target genes of the differentially intestinal microRNAs of control and HCC mice through quantitative RT-PCR or miRtarBase. Finally, we also analyzed the mRNA targets for enrichment of Gene Ontology (GO) terms and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways using the DAVID Bioinformatic Resources database. This study has successfully screened relatively suitable reference genes and we have discovered that the differential intestinal microRNAs play significant roles in the development of HCC. The top reference genes identified in this study could provide a theoretical foundation for the reasonable selection of a suitable reference gene. Furthermore, the detection of intestinal microRNAs expression may serve as a promising therapeutic target for the diagnosis and treatment of HCC.

Zirconia ceramic octet-truss structures with various strut size and unit cell numbers were successfully fabricated through a DLP-based 3D printing method. The mechanical properties and energy absorption capacity under compressive load were investigated systematically. The sides of all cubes are 10 mm, the strut size was changed from 0.25 mm to 2 mm, cells number was in the range of 1(1 × 1 × 1)–125(5 × 5 × 5). It has been seen that the relative density, compressive strength and energy absorption increases with the increase of strut size when cell numbers remain the same. It can be concluded that the strength and energy absorption were affected by the relative density, strut size and the stacking mode of the unit cells. So far, with this study, a high compressive strength of 75.3 MPa and a reasonably good energy absorption of 6.76 × 10 ^5 J m ^−3 can be achieved at a relative density of 48.57%.

The historical vehicles passed through an existing bridge can be regarded as proof-loading tests for the bridge, and, as a result, are evident of the bridge’s performance. Such service history information has been utilized to update the estimate of bridge resistance in previous studies with the help of a Bayesian method, where the resistance deterioration process was assumed to be independent of the vehicle load process. This assumption is, however, untenable in many cases where the deterioration stochastic process is statistically correlated with the load process (e.g., a greater load intensity may affect/accelerate the deterioration of structural resistance and the accumulation of structural fragility). With this regard, this paper investigates the effect of correlation between the resistance deterioration and load processes on updating the resistance of aging bridges with prior service load information. The copula function is employed to model the joint distribution of the correlated deterioration and load processes, with which the correlation is measured by the Kendall’s tau. A new method is developed in this paper to assess the updated bridge resistance taking into consideration the deterioration-load dependency in an explicit form. The applicability of the proposed method is illustrated using an existing RC beam bridge. The sensitivity analysis is conducted to examine how the deterioration-load dependency affects the updated resistance of service-proven aging bridges.