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This study aimed to explore the application of super paramagnetic gold magnetic nanoparticles (Au-M-NPs) in the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images for targeted diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. The reducibility of ethylene glycol to ferric chloride (FeCl3) was adopted to synthesize the Au-M-NPs by solvothermal method by taking acetic acid as the base source and trisodium citrate as the stabilizer. Besides, the synthesized Au-M-NPs were applied in the MRI images for targeted therapy of breast cancer. Patients from a blank group (group A), a control group (group B), and an experimental group (group C) received the traditional clinical diagnosis treatment, MRI diagnosis, and Au-M-NPs targeted therapy with MRI in turn. The results showed that the prepared Au-M-NPs were featured with small particle size and good dispersibility, and were monodispersive after surface modification. The intraoperative blood loss of patients from group A (115.3±9.33 mL) and group B (94.6±9.72 mL) was obviously higher than the loss of group C (68.4±8.7 mL) (P < 0.05). The drainage volume of patients from group B (162.4±12.3 mL) and group C (131.9±11.8 mL) decreased sharply after surgery compared with group A (193.7±11.8 mL), and that in group C was the lowest (P < 0.05). The proportion of local recurrence in patients from group B (12.3%) and group C (6.4%) dropped steeply in contrast to the proportion of group A (13.2%) (P < 0.05). The proportion of tumor metastasis in patients from group B (11.2%) and group C (8.4%) was greatly lower than that of group A (14.8%) (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the application of Au-M-NPs in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer with MRI could effectively reduce the incidence of intraoperative and postoperative adverse reactions.

Placenta previa is one dangerous disease which threatens the health of pregnant women and their fetuses. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical value of ultrasound combined with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in screening for placenta previa complicated by placenta accreta.Seventy patients with abnormal fetal position admitted to our hospital from January 2019 to January 2020 were selected for the study. Patients were diagnosed by ultrasound alone, MRI alone, and ultrasound combined with MRI. Diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and false positive and negative diagnosis rates were evaluated against the postoperative pathological examinations of the patients.The diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity and false negative rate for ultrasound combined with MRI were 86.27%, 97.78% and 72.00%, respectively. These results were significantly superior to those of MRI or ultrasound alone (P0.05). The specificity and false positive rate for ultrasound combined with MRI were 13.73% and 5.26%, respectively, which were not significantly different from those for MRI or ultrasound alone (P0.05).Compared with ultrasound or MRI alone, ultrasound combined with MRI has higher accuracy and sensitivity in the diagnosis of placenta previa with placenta accreta, along with lower false positive diagnosis rates. These findings are clinically important for improving the diagnostic efficiency.

There is an increasing recognition of neurological manifestations from SARS-CoV-2 infection. Quantifications of such manifestations and their long-term dynamics in the general infected population are of essence in understanding the health and socioeconomic burden of neurological complications of COVID-19. Through rigorous empirical testing of over 800 volunteers, we present here repeated cross-sectional and longitudinal data that depict the trajectories of chemosensory functions, cognitive performances and depressive symptoms up to 1.5 years after acute COVID-19 in discharged patients with respect to non-infected controls. Overall, deficits in smell, taste and chemesthesis slowly resolved within about a year of discharge. Concerningly, cognitive impairments –– independent of elevated depressive symptoms and evident even in those with nonsevere disease –– showed no sign of improvement over time. In people over 50 years, COVID-19 was associated with a substantially increased risk for mild cognitive impairment. Our findings urge for cognitive and emotional interventions targeting COVID-19 convalescents.

Traditionally, the development of osteoarthritis (OA) is associated with factors such as aging and injure, but more and more epidemiological and biological evidence suggests that the disease is closely related to metabolic syndrome and metabolic components. Ubiquitin-specific protease 3(USP3), a member of the USPs family, is a specific protease capable of cleavage of ubiquitin chains linked by proline residues. In our presented study, we firstly found that USP3 expression level was decreased in OA. USP3 overexpression inhibited IL-1β induced chondrocytes apoptosis and nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) activation. USP3 knockdown induced chondrocytes apoptosis and activated NF-κB pathway. USP3 interacts with TRAF6 (tumor necrosis factor-receptor-associated factor 6), which is an essential adaptor protein for the NF-κB (nuclear factor κB) signaling pathway and plays important roles in inflammation and immune response. IL-1β treatment up-regulated the polyubiquitination of TRAF6 in chondrocytes, which was attenuated when USP3 was forced expression. Our study mechanistically links USP3 to TRAF6 in osteoarthritis development. Moreover, these data support the pursuit of USP3 and TRAF6 as potential targets for osteoarthritis therapies.

To improve the capacity of signalised intersections for left-turn vehicles, an unconventional left-turn design named the contraflow left-turn lane is applied at intersections in several cities of China. The main concept of the design is to provide more capacity for left-turn vehicles by dynamically making use of the adjacent opposite lanes. In this study, a cellular automaton model that simulates left-turn traffic flow at a signalised intersection with a contraflow left-turn lane was developed and verified by field data. Rules for vehicles entering the contraflow left-turn lane were proposed, and various factors including the vehicle type, driver type, and the ratio of U-turn vehicles were considered. The simulation results showed that the contraflow left-turn lane could increase the capacity of the intersection and decrease the delay of left-turn vehicles. Also, the optimal match between the length of the contraflow left-turn lane and the duration of the pre-signal green light can be evaluated via simulation. This study can provide a reference for the actual application of contraflow left-turn lanes.

This paper analyses the factors affecting the heating consumption of a heating substation. The input parameters of neural network prediction model are analysed and selected. The average absolute error, average absolute percentage error, and mean square error are used to evaluate the effect of the prediction model. The results show that when the model input parameters are the maximum outdoor temperature, the average outdoor temperature, the average temperature difference between the primary supply and return of domestic hot water, the heating load in the previous three days, the heating load in the previous two days, the heating load in the previous day and when the model input parameters are the maximum outdoor temperature, the minimum outdoor temperature, the average outdoor temperature, the average temperature difference between the primary supply and return of domestic hot water, the heating load of the previous three days, the heating load of the previous two days, the heating load of the previous day, the effects are better.

Background: The role of circular RNAs in the pathogenesis of gastric cancer (GC) has been well documented by numerous studies. However, whether circ_0003789 plays a role during GC progression remains to be determined. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the biological functions of circ_0003789 during GC progression. Materials and Methods: Circ_0003789 expression was determined using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction in GC and matched para-carcinoma normal tissues. Functional experiments were performed to estimate changes in the proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion of GC cells treated to silence circ_0003789. E-cadherin, vimentin, Wnt3a, and β-catenin expression was determined using immunofluorescence staining and western blot assays. Xenograft tumor growth and Ki67 expression were also evaluated in vivo. Results: Circ_0003789 was upregulated in GC tissues and cells, and its upregulation positively correlated with poor tumor differentiation, distal metastasis, and advanced clinical stage. Silencing circ_0003789 inhibited GC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway was repressed by circ_0003789 silencing. Conclusions: Circ_0003789 facilitates GC progression by inducing the EMT through the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Colloidal delivery systems could be designed to retard lipid oxidation in foods, thereby extending their shelf-lives and improving their nutritional quality. In this study, a class of novel fluid core–hard shell biopolymer particles with lipid droplets being encapsulated in the biopolymer has been designed and fabricated to increase their lipid oxidative stability. This was achieved by injecting a mixture of Tween 80-coated lipid droplets, xanthan gum, and calcium ions into a sodium alginate solution at either pH 3 or 7. The viscosity, hardness, microstructure, physical stability, and chemical stability of the droplet-loaded fluid core–hard shell (FCHS) biopolymer particles were then measured. The results indicated that the FCHS biopolymer particles had thinner, denser, and harder shells at pH 3 than at pH 7. The thickness of the alginate biopolymer particle walls could be modulated by varying the xanthan gum to alginate ratio used during fabrication. The lipid oxidation measurements indicated that the primary (PV) and secondary (TBARS) reaction products decreased by approximately 60% and 75%, respectively, compared to the control after 13 days of storage at pH 3. These results indicate that the encapsulation of lipid droplets within the FCHS biopolymer particles substantially increased their oxidative stability. The biopolymer particles developed in this study may have promising applications in various food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic products for retarding lipid oxidation.

Background: The application of synthetic ligaments for theanterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction was never untroubled. Their history was commented as "Periodic cycles of hope and disappointment." Currently, their long-term clinical outcome was still controversial despite satisfactory short and mid-term results. If we want to spare us from another disappointment, we have to clarify the long-term rate of adverse events and the fundamental reason for failure. Methods: The national multicenter research was backed by the China Artificial Ligament Study Group (CALSG). The ACL reconstruction using synthetic ligaments between July 2004 and December 2010 were screened. The adverse events consisted of cumulative failure and complications. For failure cases, the symptoms, the clinical outcomes, the reason for failure, and the activity level were investigated. Findings: A total of 1705 cases from 20 centers were screened with 1393 cases included. And 1146 cases fulfilled evaluation at meanly 87 months postoperative. Adverse events were confirmed in 83 cases with the rate of 7.2% (83/1146). Among them, the cumulative failure was confirmed in 36 cases; complications in 32 cases; cumulative failure combined with complications in 15 cases. Generally, the cumulative failure rate was 4.5% (51/1146), and the complication rate was 4.1% (47/1146). For failure cases, the bone tunnel position was evaluated in 49 of them. The bone tunnel malposition, an error caused by the surgeon, was confirmed in 32 cases with the constituent ratio of 65.3% (32/49); trauma in 25 cases with the constituent ratio of 49.0% (25/51); screw loosening in 8 cases with the constituent ratio of 15.7% (8/51). Conclusion: Currently, the failure rate of ACL reconstruction using synthetic ligament was 4.5% at meanly 87 months postoperative. Bone tunnel malposition was the primary cause of failure. We need to pay attention to the technique error when ACL reconstruction using synthetic ligaments failed, instead of merely blaming the graft. Funding Statement: China Artificial Ligament Study Group Declaration of Interests: The authors state no conflict reported. Ethics Approval Statement: KY2017-334 (Huashan Hospital Institutional Review Board)

The condition about the heavy metal contamination of wetland soil has become a hot research topic in wetland science. The research on heavy metal contamination is of great importance for coastal wetland management and for monitoring the intensity of human activities. This paper aims to provide information on the concentration levels of heavy metals within different land use types in a coastal wetland in China. Topsoil (0– 20cm) about different land use types was sampled in Tianjin Palaeocoast and Wetland National Natural Reserve (TJPWNR), China. The chemical properties of the soil and the concentrations of heavy metals in the different sample areas within TJPWNR were investigated in 2007. To investigate the level of pollution, total concentrations of heavy metals such as As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn, and Cr were analyzed by applying the method of inductively coupled plasma atomic absorption spectrometry to assess and compare contamination levels of the sampling spots. The average concentrations of As, Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, and Cd in the surface soil were respectively 19.846, 36.147, 32.656, 100.1, 86.43 and 0.207 mg/kg. Compared with those from other typical wetlands in coastal China, the heavy metal is at a mediate level, which is consistent with the fact that the Tianjin coastal wetland is highly exploited and suffers extreme impacts from human activities. An overall common trend in heavy metal accumulation was shown to have the following decreasing order, with few exceptions: FS>VCS>HIS>WS. Our research demonstrates that the mean concentrations of heavy metals are higher in areas of intensive human activities and farmland than those in wetland soil and vegetation community soil, which suggests that human activities cause larger effects; no significant differences were observed for other heavy metals. The comprehensive contamination indices indicate low contamination levels in the four land use types. The results of this analysis suggest that land use types can play significant role in heavy metal contamination.

The addition of bevacizumab (BEV) to cytotoxic chemotherapy regimens (CTX) was believed to be effective; however, its magnitude of benefits is still controversial. So a meta-analysis and systematic review seems to be necessary.PubMed and the Cochrane library were systematically searched. All relevant citations comparing CTX with/without BEV were considered for inclusion. Sensitivity and meta-regression analysis were performed to identify potential confounders. All pooled estimates were performed using a random-effects model. All statistical analyses were performed by StataSE 12.0.The search strategy identified 10 eligible random control trials (RCTs) (n=1366). In our pooled estimates, the additional benefits of BEV to CTX were identified in overall survival (OS) hazard ratio (HR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.69 to 0.82) and progression-free survival (PFS) (HR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.51 to 0.60), and prolonged survival duration were also identified for OS (18.2 vs. 16.3, p=0.0003) and PFS (8.9 vs. 6.5, p0.001). Subgroup analyses stratified by CTX was also performed, evident benefits of additional BEV in OS and PFS can be identified in all subgroups, except for the CTX containing capecitabine in OS. Moreover, the increased rate of incidence was also identified in hypertension, thrombosis, proteinuria, gastrointestinal perforation, and fatigue.BEV, acting as a targeted agent to CTX, its additional benefit to CTX is at the cost of increased toxicity.

To assess the efficacy of postoperative pain management and the concentration change of PGE-2 and IL-6 of joint fluid with parecoxib after postoperative total knee arthroplasty. In the study, 100 patients experiencing primary TKA were randomly divided into study group, receiving parecoxib sodium (40 mg) intravenously (IV) at the completion of surgery and once every 12 h for totally 6 times postoperatively, and placebo group, receiving normal saline 2 mL IV at the same time points. Efficacy was assessed by total amount of morphine consumed, pain intensity, range of motion (ROM), the concentration change of PGE-2 and IL-6 of joint fluid, and postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) postoperatively. Patients in study group consumed significantly less morphine, experienced significant less pain scores, and obtained significantly more ROM (P

To assess the efficacy of a therapeutic protocol composed of arthroscopic lateral retinacular release, medial retinacular plication, and partial medial tibial tuberosity transfer for patients with recurrent patellar dislocation.71 patients, 11 males and 60 females and a total of 77 knees, with recurrent dislocation of the patella were enrolled between 1998 and 2012. The average age of the patients was 19.5 years and 67 of them had previous knee trauma history. Tibial tubercle avulsion fractures were all surgically treated without complications like dysplasia in the femoral trochlear groove or valgus deformity. The Q angle, sulcus angle, patella-femoral trochlear congruence angle and lateral patellofemoral angle were measured on X-ray, while tibial tubercle-trochlear groove (TT-TG) distance was measure on CT scans, before the arthroscopic operation.69 patients were followed-up for 2-16 years (average of 7.2 years), while 2 patients were lost during follow-up. Among the patients with follow-up, one patient had recurrent patella dislocation two months after the operation. Q angle decreased from 13.2° to 9.2° in male patients (P 0.05) and from 21.0° to 15.4° in female patients (P 0.05). On average, the patella-femoral trochlear congruence angle decreased from 24.2 ± 6.8° to -2.1 ± 5.8° (P 0.05) and the lateral patellofemoral angle increased from -2.0 ± 5.2° to 10.9 ± 4.0° (P 0.05). TT-TG distance decreased from 19.8 ± 2.1 mm to 13.6 ± 1.8 mm (P 0.01). Mean Lysholm score increased from 45.6 ± 4.8 to 92.3 ± 10.8 (P 0.05) and, IKDC score increased from 48.3 ± 6.8 to 94.3 ± 8.4 (P 0.05).As evidenced by minimal trauma and markedly improved knee joint function, the proposed therapeutic protocol demonstrated clear benefits for patients with recurrent patella dislocation.

Objective. Postoperative pain after total hip arthroplasty (THA) is not well tolerated. We assessed postoperative pain relief and the need for opioid use after using a cocktail of local and intraarticular analgesic injection (LIA) after THA. Methods. Eighty patients undergoing THA under spinal anesthesia were randomly assigned to receive either LIA or placebo. The LIA was composed of 5 mg morphine, 30 mg bupivacaine (15 mg/1.5 mL), 1 mL betamethasone, and 0.5 mL epinephrine (1:1,000) intraoperatively. We compared three outcomes total morphine consumption, visual analog scale (VAS) at rest and during activity, and hip flexion angle while standing. Results. When compared with placebo, opioid consumption was significantly reduced in the trial group, as well as VAS at rest and during mobilization. Earlier rehabilitation and better range of motion (ROM) were achieved in the trial group. There were no significant differences in side effects or postoperative wound healing between groups. Conclusion. In patients undergoing THA, LIA may reduce postoperative systemic opioid use and offer better pain control and earlier rehabilitation, without observable risks.