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Contralateral subdural effusion (CSE) after decompressive craniectomy (CSEDC) is occasionally observed. Cranioplasty is routinely performed for reconstruction and has recently been associated with improving contralateral subdural effusion. We sought to systematically review all available literature and evaluate the effectiveness of cranioplasty for CSE.A PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar search was conducted for preferred reporting items following the guidelines of systematic review and meta-analysis, including studies reporting patients who underwent cranioplasty because of CSEDC.The search yielded 8 articles. A total of 56 patients ranging in age from 21 to 71 years developed CSEDC. Of them, 32 patients underwent cranioplasty. Eighteen cases with symptomatic CSE underwent cranioplasty alone, 2 cases received Ommaya drainage later because of a recurrence of CDC, and 1 case underwent a ventriculoperitoneal shunt because the CSE did not resolve completely and the ventricle was dilated again. The symptoms of 14 cases lessened without recurrence after simultaneous cranioplasty and drainage or a shunt. The total success rate (CSE disappeared without recurrence) was 90.6% for patients who underwent cranioplasty; however, the total incidence of hydrocephalus was 40.1%.This review suggests that cranioplasty is effective for the treatment of CSEDC, particularly intractable cases, but early cranioplasty may be more effective. In addition, hydrocephalus is fairly common after cranioplasty and requires further treatment.

Neuroimaging studies have shown that spinal cord injury (SCI) may lead to significant brain changes that are the key factors affecting functional recovery. However, little is known about the molecular and cellular biological mechanisms of these brain changes. The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular and cellular biological changes in the cerebellum after SCI.A total of 72 mice were randomly divided into 2 groups: sham group and SCI group. A mouse model of SCI was established by an aneurysm clip. Pathological examinations of the injured site were performed by hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemical. Western blot and immunohistochemical were used to determine the effect of SCI on the differentiation and maturation of NG2 cells.Compared with the sham group, the spinal cord tissue structure was disrupted and the motor function decreased significantly in the SCI group; the number of NG2 cells in the ansiform lobule crus Ⅰ increased on the 7th and 14th days, whereas the expression of oligodendrocyte transcription factor 2, myelin basic protein, and proteolipid protein decreased on the 7th and 14th days after SCI. These results showed that the differentiation and maturation of NG2 cells in the ansiform lobule crus Ⅰ were inhibited after SCI, resulting in the decrease of the formation of mature oligodendrocytes.These results indicate that SCI can lead to secondary changes in the cerebellum, which may affect the functional recovery. These findings may be used as biomarkers to evaluate the secondary changes in the brain after SCI.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) can cause secondary brain changes, leading to hypomyelination in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC). Some studies have shown that notch signaling pathway activation can regulate oligodendrocyte maturation and myelination. The aim of this study was to investigate whether inhibition of the Notch signaling pathway can alleviate hypomyelination in the dlPFC caused by SCI. Moreover, we further investigated whether the changes in myelination in the dlPFC are associated with neuropathic pain following SCI. We established a mouse model of SCI and observed the changes in mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia. Western blotting and immunofluorescence were used to analyze the changes in myelination in the dlPFC. The results indicated the existence of a relationship between activation of the Notch signaling pathway and hypomyelination in the dlPFC and confirmed the existence of a relationship between hypomyelination in the dlPFC and decreases in mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia thresholds. In conclusion, these results suggested that the Notch signaling pathway is activated after SCI, leading to hypomyelination in the dlPFC, and that DAPT can inhibit the Notch signaling pathway and improve mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia thresholds. Our findings provide a new target for the treatment of neuropathic pain caused by SCI.

Neuroinflammation is an important secondary aggravating factor in spinal cord injury (SCI). Inhibition of the inflammatory response is critical for SCI treatment. Glycyrrhizic acid (GA) is an anti-inflammatory drug, but its utility for SCI is unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of GA on inflammation after SCI and the underlying mechanism.Cell counting kit-8 assays were performed to assess the viability of highly aggressively proliferating immortalized cells that had been treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and/or GA. Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting were performed to assess expression of high mobility group box-1 protein (HMGB1), ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1, and inflammatory factors in vitro and in vivo. GA (100 mg/kg) was intraperitoneally injected into rats. Anti-inflammatory effects of GA were analyzed in SCI tissues. p38/Jun N-terminal kinase signaling pathway proteins were analyzed by Western blotting.Cell counting kit-8 assay results showed that treatment with 100 ng/mL LPS for 12 hours was optimal. After LPS treatment, highly aggressively proliferating immortalized cells were activated; messenger RNA expression levels of HMGB1 and inflammatory factors were increased. GA significantly inhibited LPS-induced HMGB1 expression and inflammatory responses, as determined by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting. Transfection with an HMGB1-overexpression plasmid reversed the anti-inflammatory effects of GA. In addition, intraperitoneal injection of GA (100 mg/kg) into rats for 3 days significantly reduced expression levels of HMGB1 and inflammatory factors after SCI in vivo. GA reduced phosphorylation, but not levels, of p38 and Jun N-terminal kinase proteins.GA attenuates the inflammatory response after SCI by inhibiting HMGB1 through the p38/JNK signaling pathway and thus has therapeutic potential for SCI.

The anti-fouling performance of membranes is an important performance in the separation of oil/water. However, the membrane with anti-fouling performance will also have surface scaling phenomenon when it runs for a long time. Therefore, there is still a great demand for stain-resistant membranes with good self-cleaning ability and high flux recovery rate. Based on this, this paper firstly prepared a hydrophilic membrane with carboxyl group and carboxyl ion by blending poly(ethylene

Zhiping Xie,1 Chengcai Li,1 Zelong Xing,1 Wu Zhou,1 Shenke Xie,1 MeiHua Li,1 Yujuan Zhou2 1Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, Jiangxi, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Orthopaedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, 330006, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: MeiHua LiDepartment of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, 17 Yongwai Street, Nanchang, 330006, Jiangxi, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail limeihua2000@sina.comYujuan ZhouDepartment of Orthopaedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, 17 Yongwai Street, Nanchang, 330006, Jiangxi, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail 2669174039@qq.comPurpose: Depression is associated with an inflammatory immune response. There are minimal data regarding the association of inflammatory markers with depression in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). We aimed to investigate the association of inflammatory markers with depression in middle-aged and elderly SCI patients.Methods: Data were obtained from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study, a longitudinal study of a representative sample of the adult population. We analyzed the associations of serum levels of fibrinogen, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-ɑ, and C-reactive protein with depressive symptoms.Results: The median participant age was 52.5 years; 44.9% of participants were men. Multivariate linear regression analyses showed that an increased serum fibrinogen level (Sβ = 0.114, p = 0.005) was associated with higher Centre for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D) scores after adjustment for age, sex, body mass index (BMI), ethnicity, education, marital status, smoking, alcohol use, exercise, perceived stress score, and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that an increased serum fibrinogen level was independently associated with a history of depression (odds ratio [OR] = 1.240, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.103– 1.997, p = 0.012) and depressive symptoms (OR = 1.884, 95% CI = 1.165– 2.499, p < 0.001; CES-D score ≥ 16) after adjustment for confounding factors. Stratified analysis revealed that the association between serum fibrinogen level and depressive symptoms was affected by antidepressant use.Conclusion: Serum fibrinogen level had a significantly positive association with depressive symptoms in middle-aged and elderly patients with SCI. Future longitudinal cohort studies should evaluate the possible use of serum &filig;brinogen for diagnosis of depression in SCI patients.Keywords: fibrinogen, depression, spinal cord injury, cross-sectional study

A new hydrophilicity and negatively charged polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) fiber membrane has been developed and characterized. Specifically, the dopamine (DA) and polyethylenimine (PEI) were co-deposited onto the PTFE fiber membrane surface via covalent connection. Then the amine groups of the membrane surface were reacted with anhydride groups of poly(ethylene-alt-maleic anhydride) (PEMA). Last, unreacted anhydride groups have hydrolysis and ionization. The preparation membrane has been investigated and confirmed by using XPS, ATR-FTIR, SEM, Zeta potential analyzer, pore size analyzer water contact angle, respectively. The results showed that the membranes were endowed with excellent hydrophilicity and negatively charged. It has high separation efficiency and permeation flux for oil-in-water emulsion containing cationic emulsifiers, and excellent anti-fouling property.

Structural coloration of photonic crystals (PCs) is considered an ecological and environmental way to achieve colorful textiles. However, constructing PCs with obvious structural colors on traditional flexible yarns is still a great challenge. As a secondary structure that forms textiles, compared with fibers and fabrics, the yarns are rougher, hindering the construction of regular PCs. In this work, the flexible acrylic yarns with vivid structural colors, named PC-based structural color yarns, were prepared by constructing regular PCs via assembling poly(styrene-butyl acrylate-methacrylate) (P(St-BA-MAA)) colloidal microspheres on yarns. Specifically, the properties of P(St-BA-MAA) colloidal microspheres were investigated. The PCs with better structural stability and obvious structural colors were prepared by presetting the acrylic adhesive layer on yarns. Moreover, the color durability and color regulation methods of prepared PC-based structural color yarns were evaluated and discussed. The results showed that the P(St-BA-MAA) colloidal microspheres exhibited even particle sizes, excellent monodispersity, and a typical hard core-soft shell structure. And the glass-transition temperature (

Our previous results have demonstrated that spinal cord injury(SCI) can induce hippocampus injury and depression in rodents. Ginsenoside Rg1 (Rg1) is one of the main active ingredients of Panax ginseng, which is efficient to prevent neurodegenerative disorders. However, no reports explain the effects of Rg1 in SCI-induced hippocampus injury. Neurotrophin brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling is important in neural differentiation, protection, and regeneration. However, the changes of BDNF/ERK signaling in the hippocampus after SCI is unclear. We used a rat compression SCI model to assess the changes of BDNF/ERK signaling in the hippocampus after SCI, and investigate the effects of Rg1(intraperitoneal injection) on the injured hippocampus. Western blotting and morphological assays demonstrated that BDNF/ERK signaling is altered in the hippocampus at 5 weeks after SCI. In addition, SCI attenuates neurogenesis and enhances the expression of cleaved caspase-3 in the hippocampus. Moreover, Rg1 could attenuate the expression of cleaved caspase-3, and improve neurogenesis and the expression of BDNF/p-ERK signaling in the rat hippocampus. The results thus suggested that SCI decreases the expression of BDNF/p-ERK signaling, and Rg1 could attenuate the changes of hippocampus after SCI. We speculate that the protective effects of Rg1 in hippocampus injury after SCI may involve BDNF/p-ERK signaling. Rg1 may serve as a therapeutic pharmaceutical product in the future when seeking to counter SCI-induced hippocampus injury.

NG2 cells are highly proliferative glial cells that can self-renew or differentiate into oligodendrocytes, promoting remyelination. Following demyelination, the proliferative and differentiation potentials of NG2 cells increase rapidly, enhancing their differentiation into functional myelinating cells. Levels of the transcription factors Olig1 and Olig2 increase during the differentiation of NG2 cells and play important roles in the development and repair of oligodendrocytes. However, the ability to generate new oligodendrocytes is hampered by injury-related factors (e.g., myelin fragments, Wnt and Notch signaling components), leading to failed differentiation and maturation of NG2 cells into oligodendrocytes. Here, we review Notch signaling as a negative regulator of oligodendrocyte differentiation and discuss the extracellular ligands, intracellular pathways, and key transcription factors involved.

Aerosol–cloud interaction (ACI) is complex and difficult to be well represented in current climate models. Progress on understanding ACI processes, such as the influence of aerosols on water cloud droplet formation, is hampered by inadequate observational capability. Hitherto, high-resolution and simultaneous observations of diurnal aerosol loading and cloud microphysical properties are challenging for current remote-sensing techniques. To overcome this conundrum, we introduce the dual-field-of-view (FOV) high-spectral-resolution lidar (HSRL) for simultaneously profiling aerosol and water cloud properties, especially water cloud microphysical properties. Continuous observations of aerosols and clouds using this instrument, verified by the Monte Carlo simulation and coincident observations of other techniques, were conducted to investigate the interactions between aerosol loading and water cloud microphysical properties. A case study over Beijing highlights the scientific potential of dual-FOV HSRL to become a significant contributor to the ACI investigations. The observed water cloud profiles identify that due to air entrainment its vertical structure is not perfectly adiabatic, as assumed by many current retrieval methods. Our ACI analysis shows increased aerosol loading led to increased droplet number concentration and decreased droplet effective radius—consistent with expectations—but had no discernible increase on liquid water path. This finding supports the hypothesis that aerosol-induced cloud water increase caused by suppressed rain formation can be canceled out by enhanced evaporation. Thus, these observations obtained from the dual-FOV HSRL constitute substantial and significant additions to understanding ACI process. This technique is expected to represent a significant step forward in characterizing ACI.

The immobilization of photocatalysts is considered an effective approach to solve the problem of the difficult recycling of powdered nanocatalysts after photocatalytic degradation. In this paper, tin dioxide/titanium dioxide (SnO2/TiO2) composite nanoparticles with excellent photodegradation performance and poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) resin were used as raw materials to prepare composite membranes for the catalytic degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) dye via a non-solvent-induced phase separation method. Specifically, the basic properties of SnO2/TiO2 composite nanoparticles were systematically analyzed, the photocatalytic performance of SnO2/TiO2/PVDF composite membranes was thoroughly investigated, and the photocatalytic mechanism has been revealed. Experimental results showed that the SnO2/TiO2 composite photocatalyst demonstrates a higher photocatalytic activity than the single photocatalyst with the SnO2/TiO2 composite comprising Sn/Ti in a molar ratio of 1 : 6, showing the highest photocatalytic performance. After SnO2/TiO2 composite particles were used as a kind of raw material for the production of PVDF membrane, the photocatalytic degradation rate of RhB by the SnO2/TiO2/PVDF composite membrane was as high as 91.84%. Moreover, ˙OH and h+ play a very important role in the whole photocatalytic degradation process. In summary, this paper will provide an effective guidance to improve the photocatalytic degradation of SnO2/TiO2/PVDF composite membranes, which will ultimately provide a broad potential application of photocatalysis in the field of water treatment.

This research investigated the effect of superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) (0%, 0.17%, 0.35%, and 0.49% of cement content by weight) on the correlation between autogenous shrinkage (AS) and in...

At present, the types of pollutants in wastewater are more and more complicated, however, the multifunctional membrane materials are in short supply. To prepare a membrane with both high efficient oil-in-water emulsion separation performance and photocatalytic degradation performance of organic dyes, the bifunctional separation membrane was successfully prepared by electrostatic spinning technology of PVDF/PEMA and in situ deposition of anatase TiO2 nanoparticles containing Ti3+ and oxygen vacancies (Ov). The prepared composite membrane has excellent hydrophilic properties (WCA = 15.65), underwater oleophobic properties (UOCA = 156.69), and photocatalytic performance. These composite membranes have high separation efficiency and outstanding anti-fouling performance, the oil removal efficiency reaches 98.95%, and the flux recovery rate (FRR) reaches 99.19% for soybean oil-in-water emulsion. In addition, the composite membrane has outstanding photocatalytic degradation performance, with 97% and 90.2% degradation of RhB and AG-25 under UV conditions, respectively. Several oil-in-water separation and dye degradation experiments show that the PVDF composite membrane has excellent reuse performance. Based on these results, this study opens new avenues for the preparation of multifunctional reusable membranes for the water treatment field.

Aerosol liquid water content (ALWC) plays fundamental roles in atmospheric radiation and chemical processes. However, there is little information about ALWC vertical distribution due to the lack of sufficient measurement. In this study, a novel method to retrieve ALWC using a polarization lidar is proposed. By analyzing lidar measurement combined with in situ chemical composition measurements at the surface, the particle linear depolarization ratio δ

The phase states of atmospheric aerosol particles affect their physical, chemical, and optical properties. Particles with different phase states exhibit different viscosities and various shapes tha...

In order to enhance the hydrophilicity and anti-fouling property of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) flat microfiltration membrane, the PTFE flat membrane was modified via cross-linking O-carboxymethyl chitosan (OCMCS) and polyethyleneimine (PEI) with glutaraldehyde (GA). Membrane performance was characterized by Attenuated Total Reflection-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM), water contact angle and pure water flux. Results from ATR-FTIR and XPS showed that PEI and OCMCS were introduced into the modified PTFE membranes successfully. The modified PTFE membrane was endowed with excellent hydrophilicity compared with the original membrane by the result of increased pure water flux. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) static adsorption test and dynamic cross-flow fouling experiment results showed that the modified membrane has good anti-fouling ability. The pure water flux and the contact angle of the modified membranes changed with a variation in the time, GA concentration, OCMCS concentration, and OCMCS:PEI (mass ratio). It seemed that the optimal time, the concentration of OCMCS, the mass ratio of OCMCS and PEI, and the concentration of GA were 12 h, 5 g/L, 4:1 and 5 g/L, respectively.

The Planetary boundary layer (PBL) plays an important role in energy exchange and pollutant dispersion. The height of the PBL (PBLH) usually exhibits distinct diurnal variation. In this study, we investigate the characteristics of PBLH variation of Beijing China based on 1-year observations from Micropulse LIDAR (MPL) data, and compared against the PBLH simulated by the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model using eight different schemes. The variation of daytime MPL PBLH has been classified into four representative types using k-means clustering technique. Through comparison against MPL, it is shown that the Mellor-Yamada Nakanishi and Niino Level 3 (MYNN3) scheme, a second-order closure scheme, performs the best in representing the PBLH variation in most of the cases. The non-local schemes also show advantages in convective situations, due to the stronger vertical mixing embedded in these schemes. Further analyses show that differences in PBLH definition is a major factor causing the divergence among different schemes, while the biases of the profiles play a minor role.