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Objective Different from other etiologies of early-onset scoliosis (EOS), congenital early-onset scoliosis (CEOS) is mainly linked to vertebral anomalies, such as formation failures and segmentation failures at the apex segments. So far, there is little research on CEOS patients who have completed traditional growing rods (TGR) treatment, and the initial outcomes of TGR with or without apical control technique (ACT) are different. Therefore, we compared the 'final' results of CEOS patients who completed TGR treatment with or without ACT. Methods We conducted a retrospective study of CEOS patients who completed TGR treatment from 2007—2020. They either had final fusion or were followed up after reaching skeletal maturity. We split the patients into two groups based on whether they had ACT with TGR or not. The ACT-TGR group had apical vertebrectomy/hemivertebrectomy with short fusion and TGR. The TGR-only group had only TGR. We looked at their demographic features, radiographic measurements, and complications. Results This study enrolled 46 CEOS patients, of which 13 patients were in the ACT-TGR group and 33 patients in the TGR group. The ACT-TGR group had a longer distraction interval (1.17 years vs. 0.75 years). The ACT-TGR group had a larger preoperative main curve [87.00(63.50, 98.00)], but the residual curve degrees were comparable between the two groups at the last follow-up (P=0.354). At the last follow-up, the T1-12 and T1-S1 heights were similar between the two groups. The ACT-TGR group had a lower number of implant-related complications per patient (0.77 vs. 1.48). Three patients in the ACT-TGR group underwent final fusion, while 17 patients in the TGR group underwent final fusion (P=0.060). Conclusions Both ACT-TGR and traditional TGR coud effectively correct deformity and preserve spinal growth in CEOS patients. ACT-TGR had a better corrective effect on patients with severe deformity and did not have a significant impact on spinal height. For patients with acceptable correction, spontaneous fusion and without implant failure, retaining the implant and continuing observation could be a strategy for graduating from growing rod treatment.

This study delves into interdisciplinary research directions in human posture recognition, covering vision-based and non-vision-based methods. Visually analyzing 3066 core research papers published from 2011 to 2024 with CiteSpace software reveals knowledge structures, research topics, key documents, trends, and institutional contributions. In-depth citation analysis identified 1200 articles and five significant research clusters. Findings show that in recent years, deep learning and sensor-based methods have dominated, significantly improving recognition accuracy, like the deep learning-based posture recognition method achieving 99.7% verification set accuracy with a 20-ms delay in a controlled environment. Logarithmic growth analysis of annual publications, supported by logistic model fitting, indicates the field's maturation since 2011, with a shift from early simple applications of traditional and deep learning algorithms to integrating interdisciplinary approaches for problem-solving as the field matures and a predicted decline in future breakthroughs. By integrating indicators like citation bursts, degree centrality, and sigma, the research identifies interdisciplinary trends and key innovation directions, showing a transition from traditional to deep learning and multi-sensor data fusion methods. The integration of biomechanics principles with engineering technologies highlights new research paths. Overall, this study offers a systematic overview to identify gaps, trends, and innovation directions, facilitating future research and providing a roadmap for innovation in human posture recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Compound inheritance of TBX6 accounts for approximately 10% of sporadic congenital scoliosis (CS) cases. Such cases are called TBX6-associated congenital scoliosis (TACS). TACS has been reported to have certain common clinical phenotypes. However, whether the surgical outcomes of TACS patients differ from those of other CS patients remains unclear. Methods: We retrospectively searched for patients who were diagnosed with scoliosis. TACS was identified in genetic testing for CS. After propensity score matching, patients with TACS were matched with patients with NTACS according to sex, age, main curvature, classification, deformity location, surgical methods, fusion segment and number of fusions. We evaluated and compared the coronal and sagittal radiographic parameters before surgery, immediately after surgery, and at the final follow-up. Surgical information, including surgical method, fusion segment, blood loss and complications, was also compared and analyzed. Results: Twenty-eight TACS patients were propensity score matched with 28 NTACS patients among 473 CS patients. The preoperative matching parameters mentioned in the Methods section were similar between the TACS group and the NTACS group. In the TACS group, the correction rate of the cranial compensatory curve (64.9 ± 18.6% vs. 51.2 ± 24.0%, P = 0.014) and the correction rate of the caudal compensatory curve (77.4 ± 12.5% vs. 65.4 ± 22.7%, P = 0.011) were significantly greater than those in the NTACS group, and the loss rate of correction of the cranial compensatory curve in the TACS group (0.6 ± 19.2% vs. 26.7 ± 50.8, P = 0.002) was significantly lower than that in the NTACS group. The total complication rate (7.2% vs. 14.3%) and incidence of adding-on (0 vs. 7.1%) were lower in the TACS group than in the NTACS group. There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of blood loss, revision rate, other correction parameters, balance parameters or incidence of complications. Conclusions: TACS patients had better surgical outcomes than NTACS patients, which means that genetic diagnosis of the TBX6 gene mutation in CS before surgery can help predict better surgical outcomes. The specific genetic mechanism is not yet clear and may be related to the relatively normal development of paravertebral tissues in TACS patients. Further research is needed. Level of evidence: Leve: III. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The purpose of this study was to explore the optimal timing and associated risks of spinal deformity surgery during the COVID‑19 pandemic. Methods: All consecutive surgical cases for spinal deformity between November 2022 and April 2023 were included. The population was divided into several categories according to the time from diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection to the day of surgery: without infection (pre-COVID-19), infection at 0 to 4 weeks (peri-COVID-19), infection at 4 to 8 weeks (early post-COVID-19), and infection over 8 weeks (late post-COVID-19). The primary outcome and secondary outcomes were 90-day complication rate and total hospital stay. Postoperative complications and total hospital stay were analyzed using logistic regression and linear regression models, and we simultaneously showed the results from the crude model, minimally adjusted model and fully adjusted model. In addition, we performed various sensitivity analyses. Results: A total of 60 consecutive patients were enrolled. The overall complication rate at 90 days postoperatively was 41.6% (25 of 60 patients), and the total hospital stay for all patients was (10.1 ± 3.5) days. In the fully adjusted model, compared with pre-COVID-19 patients, peri-COVID-19 patients had a 5.1-fold increased risk of postoperative complications (OR = 6.1, 95% CI 1.1–31.9, P = 0.030), early post-COVID-19 patients and late post-COVID-19 patients were at essentially equal risk. In terms of total hospital stay, compared with patients not infected with SARS-CoV-2, peri-COVID-19 patients had a 3.1-day longer hospital stay (ꞵ = 3.1, 95%CI 0.3–5.8, P = 0.032), early post-COVID-19 patients also had a 3.1-day longer hospital stay (ꞵ = 3.1, 95%CI 0.3–6.0, P = 0.032), and late post-COVID-19 patients had the similar hospital stay (ꞵ = -0.4, 95%CI -2.9–2.1, P = 0.741). Sensitivity analysis showed that the conclusions were robust. Conclusions: With careful preoperative screening of patients for COVID-19, spinal deformity surgery can proceed safely during the epidemic. We recommend that spinal deformity surgery be delayed in patients with COVID-19 until 8 weeks after SARS-CoV-2 infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salinity stress severely restricts rice growth. Prohexadione calcium (Pro-Ca) modulation can effectively alleviate salt stress in rice. In this study, we explored the effects of Pro-Ca on enhancing salt tolerance in two rice varieties, IR29 and HD96-1. The results revealed that Pro-Ca markedly enhanced root and shoot morphological traits and improved plant biomass under salt stress. Chlorophyll a and b content were significantly increased, which improved photosynthetic capacity. Transcriptomic and metabolomic data showed that Pro-Ca significantly up-regulated the expression of genes involved in E3 ubiquitin ligases in IR29 and HD96-1 by 2.5-fold and 3-fold, respectively, thereby maintaining Na+ and K+ homeostasis by reducing Na+. Moreover, Pro-Ca treatment significantly down-regulated the expression of Lhcb1, Lhcb2, Lhcb3, Lhcb5, and Lhcb6 in IR29 under salt stress, which led to an increase in photosynthetic efficiency. Furthermore, salt stress + Pro-Ca significantly increased the A-AAR of IR29 and HD96-1 by 2.9-fold and 2.5-fold, respectively, and inhibited endogenous cytokinin synthesis and signal transduction, which promoted root growth. The current findings suggested that Pro-Ca effectively alleviated the harmful effects of salt stress on rice by maintaining abscisic acid content and by promoting oxylipin synthesis. This study provides a molecular basis for Pro-Ca to alleviate salt stress in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As revealed by 1H NMR experiments, the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of a surfactant in the aqueous solution decreases when a surfactant of different type is mixed in, a phenomenon that has been explained by the adsorption equilibrium theory. It has also been observed that the extents of mixing-induced reduction in CMC values differ among different surfactant types, depending on the interactions (absorption or repulsion) between the adsorbed surfactant molecules and the adsorption mono-layer. The results of 1H NMR experiments provided a clear picture for the so-called "synergistic effect", and thus might be used to guide the optimization of surfactant mixture formula to achieve desired performance.

NMR spectra of aqueous solutions of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)/triton X-100 (TX-100), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)/TX-100 and CTAB/TX-100/SDS surfactant mixtures were acquired. The proton chemical shifts of each component and their dependence on concentration were determined and used to derive the critical micelle concentrations (CMCs) of CTAB, TX-100 and SDS in each mixture. It was found that, in several cases, the role played by the steric effect in the synergism of surfactant mixtures were not less than that of the electrostatic interaction. The larger the cross sectional area of the polar head was, the greater the synergy would be. It is concluded that the steric effect is a major player in the synergistic effect of surfactant mixtures, especially when the electrostatic interaction is weak.