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Severe sharp angular kyphosis due to Pott’s disease usually need surgical correction. Three column osteotomy performed in lesion area as well as apex area has been demonstrated useful to correct angular kyphosis. But the residual kyphosis may conspicuous and there is usually high rate of perioperative risk. To improve the correction effect and avoid high rate of risk, we designed a novel strategy that osteotomy in the non-lesioned vertebrae to correct severe angular kyphosis due to Pott’s disease.We retrospectively reviewed 16 patients who underwent the new surgical strategy that osteotomy in non-lesioned vertebra instead of lesioned areas in our hospital from 2016 to 2018. Radiographic parameters including angle of kyphosis and sagittal vertical axis (SVA) were recorded respectively at admission and final follow-up. Neurological improvement was measured according to the American Spine Injury Association (ASIA) classification. Operative time, blood loss, perioperative complications were also recorded. There were 6 male and 10 female patients. Their mean age was 30.7±11.41 years. The duration of follow-up ranged from 24 to 42 months. The mean operative time and blood loss were 492±127.3min and 1791±788.8 ml, respectively. Kyphosis angle was corrected from 97.6±14.6° to 28.8±18.70°. In two cases with lumbar lesions (L1-L5 and L2-S1，respectively), the lumbar lordosis was restored. The mean SVA was 6.7±3.58cm at admission, and 3.3±1.57cm at final follow-up. Neurological function improved in 6 cases, while it remained the same as before surgery in other 10 patients. The rate of complications including wound infection (1 case) and rod fracture (1 case at the 12 months after surgery) was approximately 11.8%. The new surgical strategy was effective and safe to correct severe angular kyphosis due to Pott’s disease. However, the surgical team should be experienced.

Wafer-scale single-crystal graphene with strong antioxidation is fundamentally important for their applications in electronics and optoelectronics. Although significant progress has been achieved in the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth of graphene, the production of wafer-scale graphene with high crystalline and excellent oxidation resistance still remains a challenge. Here, we report the epitaxial growth of 6-inch single-crystal graphene on twinned Pt (111) films with in-plane rotation of 60°(T-Pt) by ambient-pressure CVD. Our results show that the CVD-grown graphene on T-Pt exhibits fast growth rate and ultrahigh stability under the high-temperature air condition (>500 °C). The density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the twinned Pt(111) surface does not change the preferential orientation of graphene nucleation, leading to highly aligned graphene domains on the T-Pt substrate. Moreover, the edge growth of graphene cannot be limited by the Pt twin boundaries (TBs), which is responsible for the fast growth of graphene single crystals. This work provides a reliable route to produce wafer-size single-crystal graphene monolayers with excellent oxidation resistance and clarifies the oriented growth mechanism of graphene domains on twinned Pt substrate.

The rarely reported defects with crack-and-fold (CAF) style graphene grown on raw Cu foils substrates by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) were examined in this study. Factors for the formation of CAF defects were explored by performing different substrate treatments and varied hydrogen inflow. A clear relationship was found between CAF defects and Cu (110) facets by electron back-scattered diffraction measurement. CAF defects were affected by the interaction between graphene and the substrate. A model with a two-step process, including cracking and folding, is established to elucidate the formation of CAF defects. CAF defects can be reduced by performing substrate treatment, varying hydrogen flow and controlling the orientation of the Cu substrate. This study was performed to improve the quality of graphene grown by CVD for industrial production.

This study reports the growth of aligned monolayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) ribbons on a sapphire substrate via NaOH-assisted chemical vapor deposition. The length of MoS2 ribbon is up to 400 μm. The MoS2 ribbon has excellent single crystal properties, a carrier mobility of {150 cm2 V−1 s−1, and a optical response of 103 mA W−1 at a wavelength of 550 nm. The growth model of MoS2 ribbons was given. NaOH reacts with MoO3 to form sodium molybdate droplets, which increase the fluidity of the molybdenum source on the substrate, realizing the vapor–liquid–solid growth of MoS2 on sapphire. The monolayer MoS2 ribbons have two kinds of arrangements on the sapphire substrate, one is the oriented growth affected by the interlayer van der Waals force and the lattice, and the other is the aligned growth constrained by the sapphire step. Our results promote the basic research and device applications of MoS2, and introduce a new way of synthesizing other one dimensional (1D) and 2D nanostructures.

Inherent sulfur vacancies in molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) films grown via chemical vapor deposition have restricted the practical application of MoS2 in optoelectronic devices. The repair of sulfur vacancies is important for improving the quality of MoS2 and enhancing the performance of devices based on MoS2 films. Here we report a route that uses hydrogen (H2) etching to detect the repair effect of sulfur vacancies. The domains with and without sulfur annealing were etched via H2 under the same conditions, and the changes of surface microstructures and properties were compared. It was found that the tolerance of MoS2 to H2 etching was enhanced after sulfur annealing. Results of the photoluminescence spectrum further proved that H2 etching could effectively detect the repair effect of sulfur vacancies. As a practical application, the optimum condition of sulfur annealing was obtained through H2 etching. Our work promotes the practical application of MoS2 in the field of new-generation electronics and optoelectronics.

Growing graphene on metal thin films, especially Cu or CuNi thin films, has become an efficient way to obtain large single-crystal graphene. Most studies focus on the epitaxial growth of graphene, but the effects of defects, such as wrinkles and point defects, on graphene stability are rarely explored. In this work, we mainly focus on the distribution of wrinkles and point defects to study the stability of graphene growth on CuNi thin films. It is found that graphene grown on a CuNi thin film shows the same peripheral etching phenomena other than central etching holes or wrinkle stripes whether it is cooled or not. Raman and TEM studies show that the graphene has high quality. We believe that graphene grown on a CuNi thin film has few wrinkles and point defects. Thus, the results show that graphene grown on a CuNi thin film is more stable than graphene grown on a Cu foil in a high-temperature hydrogen and air environment.

Graphene growth on copper foil via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is extensively used because the low carbon solubility of Cu leads to uniform, single-layer graphene formation. However, re-nucleation and etching, which dramatically weaken the quality of graphene, occur in some cooling conditions. CVD graphene growth on Cu is influenced by the cooling stage. In this work, the role of cooling in CVD graphene domain growth on Cu foil was studied, and the effects of cooling rate and atmosphere on the growth of graphene during the cooling stage were investigated. The re-nucleation and etching of graphene domains were observed in some cooling processes. These phenomena occur due to the processes related with the varying cooling rate and hydrogen (H2) and methane (CH4) concentrations in the reactor.

For graphene grown on Cu substrate via chemical vapor deposition (CVD), numerous nanometer particles are distributed along the graphene grain boundaries or evenly on the circumjacent substrate surface. The particles form new nucleation centers of graphene or destroy the graphene membrane during growth. In order to clarify the origin of particles, the formation process was studied by etching graphene at high temperature with different atmospheric pressures. We demonstrated that the formation of the particles is closely related to the competition of hydrogen and oxygen during growth; we also confirmed that the main component of particles was SiOx by energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) measurement in transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Finally, on the basis of the formation mechanism, we proposed efficient approaches to reduce SiOx particles that improve the quality of graphene during actual CVD preparation process.

To describe the process and outcome of vertebral column resection (VCR) at the subapical vertebra for correction of angular kyphosis associated with neurofibromatosis type 1(NF1).A review and summary of the medical history, radiographs, operative procedure, and complications of a 16-year-old male presenting with severe angular kyphosis associated with NF1 with dyspnea.A 16-year-old male presented with severe angular kyphosis associated with NF1 with dyspnea. Preoperative radiographs demonstrated multiple vertebrae were rotated in the vicinity of the apical vertebra, with a wedge-shaped deformity, dysplasia, T10-T12 kyphotic angle of 160°, and T2-L2 kyphotic angle of 95°. VCR at the L1 vertebra (distal end of the apical vertebra) with bone grafting and internal fixation was performed. Postoperative imaging revealed that the T2-L2 Cobb angle was 20°, denoting a correction rate of 79%. The patient's height increased from 130 to 150 cm. The position of internal fixation was not displaced, and the correction angle was maintained at 2-year follow-up.The novel strategy of performing VCR at the subapical vertebra, with posterior displacement of the distal end, and remodeling of the spinal canal is potentially a safe and efficacious option to correct sharp angular kyphosis.

Most thoracolumbar ASK patients are treated with apex osteotomy. For patients with apex on T10–L4, apex osteotomy is also a favorable technique to achieve a sound outcome. As the spinal canal between T10 and L4 is relatively wide, it is not easy to lead to spinal stenosis after osteotomy and correction. As this segment is not constrained by the chest cage and ribs, it is easier to close the osteotomy gap of the lamina during hyperextension reduction. The osteotomy correction is performed on the apex; it is very effective to extend and lengthen the spine, and thus increase the body height. Therefore, thoracolumbar apex osteotomy is also an optional surgical technique.

We explored an easy technique to transfer directly large-area graphene grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) onto flexible substrates through substrate heating at appropriate temperatures. Polyethylene (PE) films were selected as the flexible substrate. The critical factor to ensure successful transfer was the good contact between the substrate and graphene. By heating the PE films merely approaching their glass-transition temperature, film morphology did not change. The stickiness of PE films further enabled the van der Waal forces to ensure close interaction between the viscoelastic substrate and graphene. This method did not require an intermediate transfer membrane such as polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) that needs removal afterwards. Though this transfer method, monolayer and multilayer graphene films were transferred onto PE substrates with sheet resistance as low as 158 Ω/sq. All these results can be applied in existing and new graphene CVD applications on flexible substrates.

In this paper, we studied the growth of graphene on an untreated Cu substrate and further studied the effect of carbon-based impurities on the nucleation of graphene in different growth environments. It is found that the impurities on the surface of the Cu substrate easily lead to damage of the graphene, and the impurities do not always promote nucleation as previously reported, but inhibit nucleation in a high etching environment. Finally, based on experimental results, a model of nucleation and growth of graphene around impurities is presented.

STUDY DESIGN A case report of treatment of extreme tuberculous kyphosis using spinal osteotomy and halopelvic traction. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to describe the process and outcome of treatment of a case with extreme tuberculous kyphosis using spine osteotomy and halo-pelvic traction. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Spinal tuberculosis causes destruction, deformity, and paraplegia. Long-standing kyphosis may progress with growth in children, and produces respiratory insufficiency, and neurologic deficit. Surgery may help to prevent or reverse the neurological deterioration, while improving pulmonary function in cases with significant spinal deformity. METHODS Review of records and radiographs. RESULTS A 24-year-old female with tuberculous angular kyphosis presented with bilateral lower extremities paresis and dyspnea. The vertebral bodies from T3 to T9 were severely destructed, with a Cobb's angle of 180°on radiographs. The total duration of distraction using halopelvic apparatus kept 10 months. During the duration of traction, the patient underwent a posterior release surgery because flexibility of the kyphosis was not sufficient. Pedicle subtraction osteotomy and pedicle screw fixation were performed to achieve final correction when the Cobb's angle decreased to about 80°. After the whole treatment of halopelvic traction and spine ostetomy, the patient's height increased nearly 30 cm, whereas the angular kyphosis was corrected to a Cobb's angle of 30°. The patient had no complication and neurological deterioration during the treatment. Correction angle and good sagittal balance were well maintained in the duration of 2 years' follow-up. CONCLUSION The halo-pelvic apparatus produces high corrective forces applied over a long period, and it provides a slow and safe correction of deformity. In cases of extreme kyphotic deformity, halopelvic traction is an appropriate technique, while avoiding many serious complications from a rapid, one-stage correction. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE N/A.

Razor back deformity is one of the most noticeable problems of severe scoliosis. Thoracoplasty has been reported to be a useful approach to correct the rib hump deformity. However, the outcomes of thoracoplasty in patients with severe, rigid, thoracic scoliosis have not yet been evaluated.To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of a modified technique of thoracoplasty (rib ends fixed under transverse process) for rib hump deformity in adults with severe thoracic scoliosis and severe pulmonary dysfunction.Patients with severe thoracic scoliosis and severe pulmonary dysfunction who underwent staged surgical strategy including halo-pelvic traction, spinal osteotomy combined with the modified thoracoplasty were included. To avoid paradoxical breathing result from multiple rib resections and enlarge the capacity of thoracis, the ends after rib resection were fixed under transverse process compared with conventional thoracoplasty. Patients were excluded on the basis of pulmonary diseases and inadequate follow-up. Data on deformity correction and pulmonary complications were reviewed. A t test was performed on the pre- and postoperative data of pulmonary function, height of the rib hump deformity, and total lung area.Eighteen patients (5 men and 13 women) with a major thoracic curve of >130° were included. The mean age of patients was 25.3 ±â€Š3.6 years (range, 19-32 years), with an average length of follow-up of 30.2 months. After application of halo-pelvic traction, the mean major thoracic curve decreased from 168.2°â€Š±â€Š14.28° to 97.3°â€Š±â€Š10.75° and the thoracic kyphosis decreased from 159.4°â€Š±â€Š20.60° to 94.8°â€Š±â€Š9.58°. On average, 6.3 (range, 4-8) ribs were resected. The height of the rib hump decreased from 84.6 ±â€Š13.3 to 15.3 ±â€Š3.4 mm. The average predicted forced vital capacity (FVC%) before surgery was 37.2 ±â€Š13.30%, indicative of severe pulmonary impairment, with a small but non-significant improvement in the FVC% at the final follow-up. The mean total lung area increased from 2583.2 ±â€Š501.36 to 2890.1 ±â€Š537.30 mL at the last follow-up. No severe pulmonary complications occurred.Our modified approach to thoracoplasty procedure is effective and safe in correcting a razor back deformity in patients with severe, rigid, scoliosis, and severe pulmonary dysfunction, without causing any significant change in long-term pulmonary function.

Thick graphene film can be widely used in surface protection, heat dissipation, heating devices and other fields. Here we present a study on the growth and characterization of large area continuous and patterned graphite-like films prepared on Ni foil through CVD. Effects of parameters on the material growth are studied experimentally and theoretically in detail. Thickness of the graphite-like film in this work can reach 500 nm and can be regulated by growth process. Characterization results show that the graphite-like film is formed by free stacking of large area graphene continuous films and possesses strong mechanical strength, chemical stability, good electrical conductivity and flexibility. The graphite-like film shows potential for application in metal surface protection, flexible conduction, heating and electromagnetic shielding.

This study investigates the growth promotion of vertically oriented graphene in plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition through Ar plasma treatment. Combined with various substrate treatments, including hydrofluoric acid etching and oxidation after Ar plasma treatment, Ar plasma pretreatment promotes vertical growth through the microcavity on the rough substrate surface and the active growth sites. The microcavity affects the strain distribution and defects of as-deposited planar films, which benefit the transition of 2D deposition to 3D vertical growth. A growth model on the effect of Ar plasma pretreatment is proposed.

High-throughput measurement of huntingtin (Htt) levels is useful for Huntington's disease research. For example, identification of genetic or chemical modifiers that reduce Htt levels by high-throughput screening provides promising strategy for HD drug discovery. In the human cells, high-throughput measurement of Htt levels has been established based on the Time Resolved-Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (TR-FRET) technology, using the 2B7/MW1 antibody pair. Unfortunately, application of this assay in the mouse cells has been problematic due to discrepancies between TR-FRET signals and Western- blots, possibly caused by non-specific antibody binding. Here we report TR-FRET assays that are able to detect endogenous Htt levels of the mouse striatal cell line (STHdh).

Extremely severe scoliosis patients, especially main thoracic Cobb’ s angle >150°, often have severe thoracic deformity and pulmonary dysfunction, even the scoliosis is reduced by halo-pelvic traction, the improvement of pulmonary function is not satisfactory, the risk of spinal osteotomy in the next stage is still very high and left with obvious thoracic deformity. How to further improve the pulmonary function and appearance of these patients is a difficult problem to be solved. Twenty extremely severe scoliosis patients with severe pulmonary dysfunction who underwent concave-side thoracoplasty in our hospital from September 2014 to September 2017 were included, data of thoracic volume and pulmonary function were collected before and after operation. The pulmonary function value reported was predicted forced vital capacity (FVC%), T-test was used to analyze the changes of the data by the statistical software SPSS21.0. The 20 patient's averaged Cobb's angle of main thoracic was 163° ± 8° at admission and all of them with severe pulmonary dysfunction before concave-side thracoplasty. After operation, the thoracic volume of patients increased by 500.9 ± 222.9 mL, FVC% increased by 8.9% ± 7.5%. Both the difference has statistical significance (P

To analyze the clinical feature and constituent ratio of adult hip fractures in Southwest China.The data of adult inpatients and outpatients with hip fractures treated between January 2010 and December 2011 in 11 hospitals of the Southwest China were collected and analyzed. The data includes gender, age, age distribution and fracture pattern according to AO classification.There were a total of 2,833 adult hip fractures, including 1,340 (47.30%) males and 1,493 (52.70%) females, with a male-to-female incidence ratio of 1: 1.11 and a mean age of (66±18) years. The highest frequency of hip fractures was seen in the 71 to 85 years age group (42.18%, 1,195/2,833). There were 844 fractures (29.79%) in the young and middle-aged group (16-60 years) and 1 898 fractures (70.21%) in the geriatric group (≥60 years). Men had a higher rate than women (men: 577 fractures, 68.4%) in the young and middle-aged group, while women had a higher rate than men (women: 1,226 fractures, 61.64%) in the geriatric group, with a significant difference in the sex distribution between the two groups (χ2=214.001, P0.01). The proportion of intertrochanteric fracture (type 31-A), femoral neck (type 31-B) and femoral head fracture (type 31-C) was 46.59%, 49.74% and 3.67% respectively. The highest frequency of the sub-type in each fracture type was type 31-A2, type 31-B2 and type 31-C2.Women have a higher rate than men in Southwest China. Geriatric patients are more than the young and middle-aged patients. The femoral neck fractures, intertrochanteric fractures and femoral head fractures are in descending orders according to the proportion of the three different hip fractures.

The morphology and distribution of the stripes caused by Cu surface reconstruction were measured, and the effects of stripes on graphene stability were studied by oxidation and corrosion. The results reveal that the stripes are determined by the crystal orientation of both the Cu surface and graphene, which can both change the stripe distribution, and the stripes can also be influenced by the graphene thickness. The stripes would not induce cracks or destruction to the graphene. The oxidation resistance of graphene can be improved by Cu surface reconstruction. The local nonuniform distortion of the stripe area may induce a bigger strain in the graphene which, in turn, may induce structure instability and result in local stability degeneration in the stripe area.

Graphene-based heterostructure is one of the most attractive topics in physics and material sciences due to its intriguing properties and applications. We report the one-step fabrication of a novel graphene/Mo2C heterostructure by using chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The composition and structure of the heterostructure are characterized through energy-dispersive spectrometer, transmission electron microscope, and Raman spectrum. The growth rule analysis of the results shows the flow rate of methane is a main factor in preparing the graphene/Mo2C heterostructure. A schematic diagram of the growth process is also established. Transport measurements are performed to study the superconductivity of the heterostructure which has potential applications in superconducting devices.

Time-Resolved Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (TR-FRET) technology is a widely used immunoassay that enables high-throughput quantitative measurements of proteins of interest. One of the well established examples is the TR-FRET assay for mutant huntingtin protein (HTT), which is the major cause of the neurodegenerative Huntington's disease (HD). To measure the mutant HTT protein, the published assays utilize a polyQ antibody, MW1, paired with HTT N-terminal antibodies. MW1 has much higher apparent affinity to mutant HTT with expanded polyQ stretch than to wild-type HTT with shorter polyQ, and thus the assays detect mutant HTT preferentially. Here we report a reversible temperature dependent change of TR-FRET signals for HTT N-terminal fragments: the signals become higher when the temperature is lowered from room temperature to 4°C. Interestingly, the temperature sensitivity of the TR-FRET signals is much higher for the Q25 (wild-type) than for the Q72 (mutant) protein. We further revealed that it is likely due to a temperature and polyQ length-dependent structural or spatial change of HTT, which is potentially useful for understanding polyQ structure and toxicity.

Environmental sustainability is very important for Africa and China. When we seek a solution, low-carbon development at this stage is an important approach. To a certain extent, the low-carbon development is a combination of environmental protection and economic development. China faces great challenges in environmental protection, but it has also made great achievements in low-carbon development, and has certain advantages in terms of capital, technology, and market. The Chinese government has also shown great willingness to change China’s development model from high-carbon development to low-carbon development. At present, Africa is at the important stage of protecting its environment while seeking to boost economic development, making low-carbon development a pressing task for African governments. Africa should try to avoid copying the Chinese experience of environmental protection after pollution. In the respect of low-carbon development, there are many common interests and co-operation possibilities between China and Africa in the age of a heightened China-African relationship. China's technologies in small hydro-power, solar, biogas and other clean technologies are suitable for low-carbon development in Africa.

Classical targeted drug discovery is based on targeting druggable targets, typically kinases and receptors of which the function can be agonized or antagonized. This strategy meets difficulties in cases such as Huntington's disease (HD) and similar neurodegenerative disorders, where the pathological function of the protein causing the disease is not clear. HD is caused by mutant HTT protein (mHTT) containing an expanded polyglutamine (polyQ) stretch, but the function of mHTT and how mHTT causes HD are unknown, thus preventing efforts to screen for mHTT 'inhibitors'. However, HD is appealing for drug discovery because the genetic mutation is clear, as compared with other major neurodegenerative disorders. Although mHTT is not a conventional 'druggable' target, one approach that appears promising is lowering its level, which might be applicable to other neurodegenerative disorders and proteinopathies linked to aberrant accumulation of proteins. Here we review mHTT lowering strategies that might provide promising avenues for drugging such diseases.

Electroluminescent (EL) devices based on a soluble complex Tb(MDP)(3) [Tris-(monododecyl phthalate)Terbium] doped with poly (N-vinylcarbazole) (PVK), (2-(4-biphenyl)-5-(4-t-butylphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole) (PBD) were fabricated. The device structures of ITO/PVK/PVK:PBD:Tb(MDp)(2)/Aiq(3)/Al and ITO/PVK:PBD:Tb(MDP)(3)/Alq(3)/Al were employed. The Tb(MDP), as emissive layer was spin-coated. The EL cell exhibited characteristic emission of terbium ion. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.