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Moyamoya disease (MMD) is a chronic progressive disease leading to recurrent stroke due to occlusion of the terminal internal carotid arteries. Surgical revascularization for symptomatic MMD is an effective treatment for preventing further stroke. However, direct revascularization of advanced MMD remains challenging due to small caliber of the recipient vessel and perforators.We introduce our technique of superficial temporal artery (STA) to middle cerebral artery (MCA) bypass with figures and video to illustrate the procedure.Surgical nuances of STA to MCA anastomosis will help cerebrovascular neurosurgeons to master low-flow bypass for MMD.

Cisplatin (DDP) resistance limits its efficacy for retinoblastoma (Rb). Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) has been shown to contribute to chemotherapy resistance in tumours under hypoxic conditions. This study was designed to explore the role and mechanism of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) antisense non-coding RNA in the INK4 locus (ANRIL) in regulating DDP resistance in Rb cells under hypoxia and to validate whether HIF-1α was involved in this process. The interaction between HIF-1α and the promoter of ANRIL was analyzed using ChIP assay. Cell proliferation and apoptosis, as well as protein levels of drug resistance-related proteins (ABCG2 and MDR1) were examined to evaluate DDP resistance in Rb cells. The interactions between miR-328 and ANRIL as well as miR-328 and ABCG2 were analyzed using dual-luciferase reporter assays. Upon hypoxia, HIF-1α directly bound to the ANRIL promoter region to transcriptionally activate ANRIL. The hypoxia-induced ANRIL promoted Rb cell resistance to DDP, as evidenced by facilitation of cell proliferation, inhibition of cell apoptosis and upregulation of ABCG2 and MDR1. Mechanistically, ANRIL promoted Rb cell resistance to DDP by acting as a sponge of miR-328 to upregulate expression of ABCG2, which was confirmed as a direct target of miR-328. Collectively, hypoxia-induced ANRIL promotes DDP resistance in Rb cells by sponging miR-328 to upregulate ABCG2 expression.

We report a general fabrication method for water-soluble pillar[n]arene nanosponges (NS) by the use of a supra-amphiphilic template. For the first time, a supra-amphiphilic template is used to conveniently control the size of host molecule-based NS. The intrinsic cavity of water-soluble pillar[6]arene could stably encapsulate dyes (acridine orange and indocyanine green) and antitumor drugs (doxorubicin hydrochloride and mitoxantrone) by host-guest interaction. NS could deliver antitumor drugs to cancer cells. Multidrug resistance (MDR) of cancer cells (MCF-7/ADR) is overcome by the use of NS with a ninefold reduction in the IC50 value compared to that of the free drug (3.4 μM vs 34.4 μM). Mechanistic studies show that stable encapsulation of the antitumor drug is the reason to overcome MDR.

We report a supramolecular nanomedicine (SNM-3) based on a camptothecin-tetraphenyl porphyrin conjugate, camptothecin-polyethylene glycol conjugate, and acyclic cucurbit[n]uril. The supramolecular nanomedicine is tunable by varying the composition of the three components to optimize the nanoscale morphology and therapeutic efficacy. The optimized supramolecular nanomedicine possesses great stability and enhanced intracellular singlet oxygen generation efficiency. Cytotoxicity assay demonstrates that SNM-3 improves the efficacy of chemo-photodynamic combination therapy against three cancer cell lines.

Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion has been considered the etiology for sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, no valid clinical evidence exists due to the similar risk factors between cerebrovascular disease and AD.We used moyamoya disease (MMD) as a model of chronic hypoperfusion and cognitive impairment, without other etiology interference.Based on the previous reports and preliminary findings, we hypothesized that chronic cerebral hypoperfusion could be an independent upstream crucial variable, resulting in AD, and induce pathological hallmarks such as amyloid beta peptide and hyperphosphorylated tau accumulation.Timely intervention with revascularisation would help reverse the brain damage with AD hallmarks and lead to cognitive improvement.

We sought to explore a treatment protocol for patients with mesial temporal cerebral cavernoma (MTC)-associated epilepsy.All MTC-associated epilepsy patients admitted to our center between January 2005 and December 2013 were analyzed. Seizure outcome for each presurgical epilepsy type was reported. The modified Engel classification was used to assess outcome. The neurologic outcome was scored by the modified Rankin Scale.Fifty-three patients admitted to the center were seen by a functional electrocortigraphy (ECoG group) or vascular (non-ECoG group) neurosurgery team. There were 21 patients with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE), 20 patients with chronic epilepsy (CE), and 12 patients with sporadic epilepsy (SE). The neurovascular team treated 37 (69.8%) patients, and the ECoG group treated 16 (30.2%) patients. All patients underwent a mean follow-up of 106.5 ± 29.1 months. Almost all SE patients (11/12, 91.7%) in both teams achieved seizure-free status at follow-up. In the CE group, the long-term seizure-free probability among patients in the ECoG and non-ECoG groups was (66.7%) and (52.9%), respectively. DRE patients in the ECoG group had a lower seizure relapse rate after surgery than those who underwent non-ECoG surgery (P = 0.042). Fifty-two patients (98.1%) complained of postsurgery memory loss. Seizure outcome in the first postoperative year was a reasonable predictor of long-term outcome.A comprehensive preoperative and intraoperative assessment could help the patient with MTC-associated epilepsy choose a suitable surgical time and maximize the benefit between seizure control and cognition protection. The characters of intraoperative ECoG and postoperative seizure outcome at 1-year follow-up can predict a long-term epilepsy prognosis.

Aim To report the visual outcomes and refractive status in premature infants with and without retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) who were or not treated. Methods The clinical records of all premature infants with or without ROP and with or without treatment between 2007 and 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. Basic demographic data, serial changes in ROP incidence, treatment and outcomes, and the refractive states were analyzed. Correlations among myopia and astigmatism progression, birth weight, gestational age, and treatment methods were also analyzed. Results A total of 562 screened premature infants (all Chinese, 1124 eyes), were recruited with a 378:184 male-to-female ratio. Birth weight did not directly influence ROP incidence. The overall ROP incidence was 16.55% (93/562 cases). The incidences in boys and girls were 16.14% (33/378 cases) and 17.39% (32/184 cases), respectively, and this difference was not significant. However, all infants with serious ROP (stage IV and V) were male. Myopia combined with astigmatism was common in premature infants with and without ROP (30.99%, 172/555 cases), and myopic refraction (including myopia and myopia combined with astigmatism) was more common in premature infants with ROP (48.84%, 42/86 cases). In the >8.00 diopter group, there were significantly more ROP infants than without ROP. Myopic refraction (including myopia and myopia combined with astigmatism) was most common in infants with ROP after treatment (63.63%, 7/11 cases). Conclusion The refractive state is different between premature infants and mature infants. Those treated for ROP had a higher chance of developing myopia, astigmatism, and higher diopter.

Background: The etiology of Moyamoya disease (MMD) remains unknown to a large extent. Immune and inflammation dysfunction may play a role in the pathogenesis of this rare disease. Coexistin...

Background Epileptic seizures are common symptoms in brain arteriovenous malformation patients and seizure control was an important issue in the treatments. This retrospective study attempted to define the risk factors of seizure presentation and to evaluate the effects of treatment modalities on seizure outcomes. Methods Patients receiving single treatment modality during 2013-2016 years, followed up more than 2 years were recruited. Logistic regression analysis was used to detect independent predictors. The factors associated with seizure control were analyzed in patients with pre-treatment seizures, and the factors associated with de novo seizures were analyzed in patents without pre-treatment seizures. Results Multivariate analysis identified that the independent predictors of seizure presentation were unruptured (ruptured vs. unruptured, OR =0.314), and in the frontal (frontal vs. parietal, OR =3.982) or temporal lobe (temporal vs parietal, OR =3.313). In 47 patients with seizure presentation, good seizure outcomes were achieved in 26 cases. Partial obliteration of nidus (partial vs complete, OR =32.301) and headache presentation were independent predictors of poor outcome. In 169 patients without seizure presentation, de novo seizures occurred in 22 cases. Treatments of microsurgery or radiosurgery led to a higher incidence of de novo seizures than intravascular embolization. Conclusions Patients with unruptured and frontal/temporal lobe located nidus were more likely to manifest seizure presentation. Incomplete nidus obliteration was an independent risk factor of poor outcomes in patients with pre-existing seizures. However, compared to microsurgery or radiosurgery, endovascular embolization was less likely to cause de novo seizures in patients without pre-existing seizures.

Superficial temporal artery-middle cerebral artery (STA-MCA) bypass, developed and popularized by Yasargil and Donaghy in the late 1960s, remains the most straightforward and versatile extracranial-intracranial (EC-IC) bypass method today, with applications in treating Moyamoya disease, cerebral aneurysms, and intracranial atherosclerosis.

An enlarged pterional incision was used in a routine procedure. The skin incision was curved posteriorly to include both anterior and posterior branches of STA (a-STA and p-STA) in the flap and extended by 1.0–1.5 cm above the superior temporal line (Fig. 13.1). The length of p-STA would be sufficient for anastomosis with any of the cortical arteries in the bone window. In some cases, occipital artery or post-\auricular artery would be used as a substitute, and the skin flap would be adjusted to include donor artery, usually extended posteriorly by 2 cm.

About 30% of the fuel energy is lost in combustion engines to the exhaust gas. New development of thermoelectric materials allows to partly recuperating the lost heat. New Half-Heusler materials using only low-priced elements show promising performances for heat conversion in the temperature range of a vehicle exhaust. An investigation of the installation of Half-Heusler-based thermoelectric generators at the manifold and after the exhaust after-treatment system (ATS) of 4 light duty vehicles (2 gasolines and 2 diesels) has been made. Gas temperatures at the manifold and after the ATS were simulated based on measured data. These reach 800 °C and 600 °C respectively during a typical driving cycle. During the WLTC, an average of 100 W of electricity can be generated at the manifold and 30 W after the ATS, without adding specific heat transfer enhancing devices in the exhaust pipe. The geometric dimensions of the TEGs must be adapted in order to match the optimal thermal resistance according to their location in the exhaust and the vehicle type (differing heat flows and temperatures) to recuperate an optimal amount of energy.

This study presents an investigation of the heat transfer characteristics of the urea-water spray (UWS) impingement on a stainless steel plate under typical diesel exhaust flow conditions. The rear side temperature of the spray-impinged plate has been measured by infrared thermography with high temporal and spatial resolution. The spray impinged side temperature and heat flux distributions have been computed by solving the 3D inverse heat conduction in the plate with the sequential function specification method. Measurements show that the instantaneous plate temperature determines the heat transferred during the spray impingement. Based on the plate temperature, different regimes (film boiling, transition boiling and nucleate boiling) have been identified. At high plate temperatures, film boiling and Leidenfrost effect are prevailing and the heat transferred from the plate to the liquid is low. With decreasing plate temperatures, the critical heat flux regime is approached and the heat transferred increases substantially. At lower plate temperatures, nucleate boiling occurs limiting the heat transferred to low values. The critical heat flux and temperature found for UWS are reported and in good agreement with the trend in previous studies for water.

To evaluate the preoperative diagnostic value of duplex ultrasonography in moyamoya spontaneous anastomosis of combined revascularization donor vessels in adults.A total of 99 preoperative adult patients who underwent superficial temporal artery-to-middle cerebral artery (STA-MCA) anastomosis were retrospectively analyzed. Each side of the cerebral hemisphere was examined as a separate procedure. A total of 198 cerebral hemispheres were divided into three groups: a collateral, non-collateral, and control group based on digital subtraction angiography (DSA). Hemodynamic parameters, including peak systolic velocity (PSV), end diastolic velocity (EDV), and resistance index (RI) were analyzed.There were only four of cases (5%, 4/198) of STA spontaneous anastomosis, whereas those of maxillary artery (MA) anastomosis were 44 (23.7%, 44/186). Compared with the control group, MA PSV and EDV of the collateral group increased significantly, while RI decreased significantly (p .05). The area under the curve (AUC) of MA RI was 0.654. As a predictor of MA spontaneous anastomosis, duplex ultrasonography had high specificity but poor sensitivity. In collateral group, PSV and EDV detected two weeks post-surgery were significantly higher than those detected pre-operatively (PSV: p = .018, EDV: p = .025). By contrast, there were no significant difference of the PSV and EDV detected six months post-surgery compared with pre-operation (PSV: p = .450, EDV: p = .099). Additionally, MA RI in two weeks after the surgery was comparable with preoperative values.Duplex ultrasonography could be applied to evaluate the adult moyamoya spontaneous anastomoses of MA preoperatively. Despite its poor sensitivity, this diagnostic modality is still reliable and specific. STA-MCA anastomosis combined with EDMS did not affect MA pre-operative spontaneous anastomosis.

Exhaust after-treatment selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems based on urea-water solution are state-of-the-art technologies mitigating NOx emissions for diesel and lean combustion systems. Major challenges for implementing the systems are high NOx reduction performance, uniform mixture formation and solid deposits formation. This study presents a detailed analysis of the urea-water spray wall impingement and influences on reducing agent distribution and deposit formation, thus system performance. High speed images provide detailed information of the impingement process. Moreover, impinging spray mass flux distribution and droplet size distribution have been quantified under typical diesel exhaust flow conditions. The work has been performed with a commercial 3-Hole pressure-driven injector dosing into a flow channel. Under all tested conditions, the impingement is significant. At gas flow conditions of 300 °C, 200 kg/h, 35.6% of the injected fluid impinges on the opposed wall due to entrainment and evaporation. The entrainment level has been found to scale logarithmically with the gas flow momentum, related correlations are provided. Having an integrated analysis of a mechanical patternator and non-intrusive Phase Doppler Anemometry (PDA) results, it is concluded that droplets below 20 μm are completely entrained or evaporated. The impingement rate is gradually increasing with increasing droplet diameter up to 90 μm, while almost all larger droplets reach the opposed wall. High speed imaging shows in detail liquid film formation, film transport, liquid accumulation, nucleate boiling, urea crystallization and melting, as well as thin film evaporation prior to solid deposit formation. The spray impingement leads to liquid film formation. Relevant dimensions have been evaluated with digital image processing. Direct relationship of liquid accumulation to the solid deposit formation has been identified. The permanent solid deposit is consisting of cyanuric acid, biuret, ammelide and ammeline as identified by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

BACKGROUND Online blended learning, also known as "smart classes", has benefits when compared with traditional teaching methods that use books and lectures. This study aimed to compare the use of the Smart Class teaching module with traditional teaching on the topic of psychosocial dysfunction during the training of undergraduate occupational therapy (OT) students in China. MATERIAL AND METHODS We recruited Grade 2017 OT students as the Smart Class teaching module group and Grade 2016 OT students as the Traditional Class teaching module group to participate in the study. The objective evaluation (assignment score, practical exam score, written exam score, and final score) and subjective evaluation (data from student questionnaires and information from interviews with the lead teacher and assistant teachers) were performed in both groups. RESULTS No significant difference was found in the final scores (P=0.874) and students' questionnaire results between the 2 groups. However, data from the student questionnaires and teacher interviews indicated a preference for combining the Smart Class teaching module and the Traditional Class teaching module. CONCLUSIONS The advantage of the Smart Class teaching module is that it can effectively integrate excellent teaching resources across geographical restrictions and it is conducive to promoting independent learning for students and all-around supervision for teaching. The Smart Class teaching module was comparable to traditional teaching methods for the training of undergraduate OT students in China, but was preferred by the students.

Objective To retrospectively evaluate the midterm therapeutic effect of enlarged encephalo-duro-myo-synangiosis (EDMS) for moyamoya disease (MMD) in young children. Methods Seventy-seven children diagnosed with MMD by digital subtraction angiography (DSA) or magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) were treated between January 2011 and December 2014 in our center. Their clinical features, imaging, and operative reports were analyzed. Results Four patients presented with intracerebral hemorrhage, whereas 73 presented with ischemic symptoms. Revascularization procedures were performed unilaterally on 11 left hemispheres and 9 right hemispheres, and 57 had bilateral surgeries. The average length of surgery was 143 ± 24 minutes, with 28 ± 9 mL of blood loss. The mean period of follow-up was 28.43 ± 15.31 months. Cerebral blood flow increased 3 months after the operations in the previously affected regions. Collateralization from the deep temporal artery, superficial temporal artery, and the middle meningeal artery was found by DSA or MRA. In cases where single-photon emission computed tomography was obtained, it demonstrated better perfusion postoperatively. The ischemic symptoms were relieved in 118 (88.06%) hemispheres, and remained stable in 5 (3.73%) hemispheres. There were 12 radiographic cerebral infarctions (8.96%) within 1 month postoperatively. Conclusions Enlarged EDMS is safe and effective for MMD in young children. Extensive and multilayered revascularization could significantly preserve neurologic function. The long-term effect on posterior circulation disease development needs further investigation.

This study presents an experimental investigation of the heat transfer characteristics of the spray/wall interaction in diesel selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems. The work was performed with a commercial 3-Hole pressure-driven injector dosing into a flow channel under typical diesel exhaust flow conditions. Infrared thermography captured the surface temperature of the wall around the impingement area with high temporal and spatial resolution. The resulting temperatures have been used for assessing the heat extracted from the wall. Phase Doppler Anemometry (PDA) was applied to measure the droplet sizes and velocities prior to the wall impingement, providing information on the kinetic properties of the impinging droplets. Based on these, the influence of the gas flow conditions on the heat transfer characteristics is deduced. The spray impingement leads to a substantial and rapid temperature drop on the wall, resulting in a maximum heat flux of several MW/m2 during the injection duration. The spray cooling effect decreases with increasing exhaust gas flow rate due to the increased entrainment of spray droplets in the flow prior to impingement. Increase in gas flow temperature affects the heat transfer by increasing the wall temperature. At lower wall temperatures, the principal spray/wall interaction regime is deposition. With increasing wall temperature, there is a shift to rebound and thermal breakup. The shorter contact times in the rebound and thermal breakup regimes result in decreased spray/wall heat transfer.

Aircraft soot has a significant impact on global and local air pollution and is of particular concern for the population working at airports and living nearby. The morphology and chemistry of soot are related to its reactivity and depend mainly on engine operating conditions and fuel-type. We investigated the morphology (by transmission electron microscopy) and chemistry (by X-ray micro-spectroscopy) of soot from the exhaust of a CFM 56-7B26 turbofan engine, currently the most common engine in aviation fleet, operated in the test cell of SR Technics, Zurich airport. Standard kerosene (Jet A-1) and a biofuel blend (Jet A-1 with 32% HEFA) were used at ground idle and climb-out engine thrust, as these conditions highly influence air quality at airport areas. The results indicate that soot reactivity decreases from ground idle to climb-out conditions for both fuel types. Nearly one third of the primary soot particles generated by the blended fuel at climb-out engine thrust bear an outer amorphous shell implying higher reactivity. This characteristic referring to soot reactivity needs to be taken into account when evaluating the advantage of HEFA blending at high engine thrust. The soot type that is most prone to react with its surrounding is generated by Jet A-1 fuel at ground idle. Biofuel blending slightly lowers soot reactivity at ground idle but does the opposite at climb-out conditions. As far as soot reactivity is concerned, biofuels can prove beneficial for airports where ground idle is a common situation; the benefit of biofuels for climb-out conditions is uncertain.

MiR-140-5p is low expression and acts as a tumor suppressor in various types of human cancers. However, the potential role of miR-140-5p in retinoblastoma (RB) remains unknown. In the present study, we performed the miRNA microarray analysis to investigate whether miRNAs expression are associated with RB tumorigenesis in RB tissues. We found that a large set of miRNAs were ectopic expressions and miR-140-5p is most significantly down-regulated in human RB tissues compared with normal retinas. In addition, low miR-140-5p expression is associated with clinicopathological features (differentiation, invasion, T classification, N classification, cTNM stage, and largest tumor base) and poor survival in RB patients. Furthermore, our results showed that overexpression of miR-140-5p suppresses proliferation and induces apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in RB cell. Meanwhile, we confirmed that c-Met is the functional target of miR-140-5p in RB cell, and miR-140-5p expression is negatively correlated with c-Met in RB tissues. We also found that inhibition of c-Met also suppresses proliferation and induces apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in RB cell. Interestingly, c-Met can rescue the suppressive effects of miR-140-5p on RB cell growth and cell cycle arrest. More importantly, our findings indicated that miR-140-5p may inhibit cell growth via blocking c-Met/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. Collectively, these results suggested that miR-140-5p might be a potential biomarker and target in the diagnosis and treatment of RB.

Human adaptability relies crucially on learning and merging knowledge from both supervised and unsupervised tasks: the parents point out few important concepts, but then the children fill in the gaps on their own. This is particularly effective, because supervised learning can never be exhaustive and thus learning autonomously allows to discover invariances and regularities that help to generalize. In this paper we propose to apply a similar approach to the problem of object recognition across domains: our model learns the semantic labels in a supervised fashion, and broadens its understanding of the data by learning from self-supervised signals on the same images. This secondary task helps the network to focus on object shapes, learning concepts like spatial orientation and part correlation, while acting as a regularizer for the classification task over multiple visual domains. Extensive experiments confirm our intuition and show that our multi-task method combining supervised and self-supervised knowledge shows competitive results with respect to more complex domain generalization and adaptation solutions. It also proves its potential in the novel and challenging predictive and partial domain adaptation scenarios., Comment: Accepted at IEEE T-PAMI

Selective catalytic reduction with urea-derived ammonia is the method of choice for NOx abatement in diesel engine exhaust. Pressure-driven or air-assisted atomization of aqueous urea are the main methods taken into consideration and greatly determine urea decomposition, mixture formation and SCR performance. This experimental study compares the spray behavior of two commercially available urea water solution injectors under various cross-flows. Shadow imaging and planar Mie scattering captured the spray phenomenology, while phase Doppler anemometry provided droplet sizes and velocities. Distributions of urea and decomposition products were determined from samples by high pressure liquid chromatography. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy measurements downstream of a catalyst provided ammonia distributions as well as NOx reduction characteristics. Pressure-driven urea-distributions are shown to be governed by the extensive volume fraction in the largest droplets. These are affected only slightly by the flow and their impingement is of primary interest. This resulted in poor mixture formation across all flow conditions. In contrast, distribution of the smaller droplets created by air-assisted atomization depends mostly on the turbulence and vorticity induced by the injector air-flow. Uniformity was excellent under low flow conditions but reduced at higher cross-flows. Urea and consequent non-uniform ammonia distribution led to inherent NOx conversion deficiency and NH 3 -slip. For identical overall NH 3 /NOx ratios in the feed the pressure-driven injector results in lower NOx conversion and higher NH 3 -slip in respect to the air-assisted injector.

To estimate haemodynamic modification of Internal Carotid Artery (ICA) after bypass surgery using computational fluid dynamic (CFD) technology and thereby aid in our understanding of the influence of hemodynamic parameters on the outcomes of bypass operations. 18 patients who underwent superficial temporal artery to middle cerebral artery bypass and encephaloduromyosynangiosis (EDMS) surgery were included. Reconstructed three-dimensional vessel geometries from MRA were segmented to create computational domains for CFD simulations. All cases were classified as three groups according to the proportion of the MCA area of distribution supplied by revascularization: A, more than two thirds; B, between two-thirds and one-third; and C, less than one-third of the MCA distribution. Pre-operative and follow-up haemodynamic parameters, especially volume flow rate and pressure drop index (PDI) in ICA were compared. For all cases, PDI and volume flow rate in the surgical-side ICA decreased significantly at follow-up (P

Retinoblastoma is an ocular malignancy occurring in childhood. The current study evaluates the ability of silenced PRC1 on retinoblastoma cell proliferation, and angiogenesis via the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. A total of 36 cases of retinoblastoma tissues (n = 36) and normal retinal tissues (n = 10) were selected in the current study. Retinoblastoma cells presenting with the high PRC1 messenger RNA (mRNA) expression were selected among the WERI-Rb-1, HXO-RB44, Y79, SO-Rb50, and SO-Rb70 cells lines, and were transfected with siRNA-PRC1 and LiCl (the activator of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway). The expressions of PRC1, VEGF, Wnt1, β-catenin, CyclinD1, extent of β-catenin, and GSK-3β phosphorylation were evaluated. Cell proliferation, cell-cycle distribution, and cell invasion of retinoblastoma cells were evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, flow cytometry, and Transwell assay. The angiogenesis of retinoblastoma cells was detected by tube formation assay. HXO-RB44 and WERI-Rb-1 cells were selected owing to the highest PRC1 mRNA expression. Meanwhile, PRC2 gene silencing presented lower expression levels of PRC1, VEGF, Wnt1, β-catenin, CyclinD1, extent of β-catenin and GSK-3β phosphorylation, decreased proliferation and invasion abilities, extended G0/G1 phase, and shortened S and G2/M phases of HXO-RB44 and WERI-Rb-1 cells, suggesting the silenced PRC2 inactivated Wnt/β-catenin pathway, so as to further restrain the retinoblastoma cell proliferation, invasion, and angiogenesis. These results support the view that PRC1 gene silencing could suppress the proliferation, and angiogenesis of retinoblastoma cells by repressing the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

Background To evaluate the hemodynamic changes by duplex ultrasonography in adult moyamoya disease (MMD) patients who underwent combined direct and indirect revascularization surgery. Methods Seventeen adult patients underwent direct and indirect revascularization surgery in our hospital. Hemodynamic parameters, peak systolic velocity (PSV), end-diastolic velocity (EDV) and resistance index (RI), were determined by color Doppler at the baseline, 2 weeks, and 6 months after bypass. Results Both the PSV and EDV of direct bypass were lower at 6 months after surgery compared with those at 2 weeks postoperatively. The EDV of indirect revascularization surgery of the maxillary artery (MA) at 6 months after surgery was higher and the RI of the MA lower compared with the baseline levels. Decreased PSV and EDV in the bypass vessel did not significantly correlate with increased EDV or decreased RI of the MA. Conclusions Duplex ultrasonography is a reliable, noninvasive tool to assess hemodynamic changes and evaluate the therapeutic performance of combined bypass surgery in adult MMD.

In this study, based on clinical presentation and angiographic findings, we try to investigate the possibility to do transarterial embolization using Onyx to treat tentorial dural arteriovenous fistula (TDAVF). Particular attention will be given to the relationship between vascular anatomic characteristics and clinical management.We retrospectively reviewed the clinical and radiologic data of 26 patients with TDAVFs, who were treated via transarterial approach using Onyx (including three cases treating with balloon assisting) at our department from January 2005 to April 2010.The total obliterated rate was 85.7, 53.8, and 66.7% in the tentorial marginal, lateral, and medial subtype, respectively. Symptoms were improved significantly in the patients whose fistulas were totally and sub-totally obliterated. The mean follow-up duration was 2.9 years. After operation, patients' symptom was dramatically improved indicated by the decrease of individual modified Rankin scale (MRS). Only one patient suffered from temporary paralysis of cranial nerve (CN) III. All 26 patients were clinically stable and without any relapsed, increased, or new symptoms. All patients had resumed their normal activities until the latest follow-up.Treating the TDAVF via transarterial approach using Onyx maybe a feasible clinical practice. The fistula obliterated rate is highly related to the anatomic characteristic, and high complete obliterated rate can be achieved. Our preliminary results showed that Onyx injection with 'balloon assisting' technique can be helpful in some of the cases.

Cerebral proliferative angiopathy (CPA) is a rare cerebral vascular lesion characterized by diffuse vascular abnormalities with intermingled normal brain parenchyma. Cerebral proliferative angiopathy has a complex clinical presentation, and many patients present with ischemic symptoms. We described a case of a 6 year old boy presenting with transient dizziness with weakness of left limbs. MRI showed the presence of a diffusely dilated extensive vascular lesion mainly located in the corpus callosum, right frontal and temporal lobes. Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) revealed a large hypervascular lesion with a diffuse arterial supply. 99mTc-ECD SPECT cerebral blood flow perfusion image revealed decreased perfusion in right frontal and parietal lobe. A surgical procedure of encephaloduromyosynangiosis (EDMS) was performed on the patient, and the patient exhibited disappearance of TIAs during the follow-up period. There is no consensus on treatment of cerebral proliferative angiopathy, but the hemodynamic characteristics of CPA were more similar to moyamoya disease in the PWI-MR study. Furthermore, we speculated that increased regional cerebral blood flow perfusion may relieve clinical symptoms and improve prognosis of patient with CPA. Therefore, we performed encephaloduromyosynangiosis (EDMS) on this pediatric CPA patient with ischemic symptoms. 99mTc-ECD SPECT obtained 6 months after operation showed significant improvement of right frontal and parietal blood perfusion. MR perfusion at follow-up period demonstrated the range and blood flow of vascular lesion decreased significantly compared with preoperative MR perfusion. Follow-up angiography studies showed well compensation by profound neovascularization through the superficial temporal artery, and vascular malformation disappeared around the region supplied from the ECA. EDMS procedure may be a reasonable and effective treatment for patients with ischemia associated with CPA.

To comply with the stringent regulations as stated in Euro6, the NOx emissions of heavy-duty vehicles have to be reduced by up to 80% compared to Euro5. Engine exhaust after-treatment SCR is a promising technique to reduce NOx emissions without sacrificing engine efficiency. The introduction of the reducing agent urea plays a significant role on the reduction reactions. The main challenges for the implementation of mobile urea-SCR systems include rapid decomposition and homogeneous distribution of urea and the mitigation of deposit formation. A key factor affecting these performances is the heat transfer characteristics of UWS spray under exhaust flow conditions. However, the heat transfer characteristics of UWS spray impingement have not been studied experimentally under exhaust flow conditions so far.

Aim: This study was aimed to detect the correlation of nitric oxide synthase 3 (NOS3) gene polymorphisms (T-786C and G894T) and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) susceptibility. Interaction between NOS3 gene polymorphisms and the duration of oxygen therapy was also explored in ROP babies. Methods: Genotypes of NOS3 gene polymorphisms were genotyped by MassArray method. Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) was used to calculate the representativeness of the cases and controls. Crossover analysis was utilized to explore the gene environment interactions. Relative risk of ROP was presented by odds ratios (ORs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). Results: Among the subject features, oxygen therapy had obvious difference between case and control groups (P