Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ZDY2013 Inhibits the Development of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease by Regulating the Intestinal Microbiota and Modulating the PI3K/Akt Pathway.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common chronic hepatic condition whose impact on human health is increasingly significant. The imbalance of the gut microbiome, linked to insulin resistance, heightened intestinal permeability, and pro-inflammatory reactions, may be the linchpin in the development of NAFLD. In our research, the impact of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ZDY2013 administration for 12 weeks on gut microbiota dysbiosis induced by a high-fat, high-fructose, high-cholesterol (FHHC) diet in male C57BL/6n mice was investigated. Research results presented that the intervention of L. plantarum ZDY2013 in mice fed with the FHHC diet could restore their liver function and regulate oxidative stress. Compared to mice in the model group, the intervention of L. plantarum ZDY2013 significantly regulated the gut microbiota, inhibited the LPS/NF-κB pathway, and led to a lower level of colonic inflammation in the mice administered with L. plantarum ZDY2013. It also improved insulin resistance to regulate the PI3K/Akt pathway and lipid metabolism, thereby resulting in reduced fat accumulation in the liver. The above results suggest that the intervention of L. plantarum ZDY2013 can hinder the progression of diet-induced NAFLD by reducing inflammation to regulate the PI3K/Akt pathway and regulating gut microbiota disturbance.

Clinical outcomes of arthroscopic all-inside anterior talofibular ligament suture augmentation repair versus modified suture augmentation repair for chronic ankle instability patients.

BACKGROUND: To compare the clinical efficacies of arthroscopic anterior talofibular ligament suture augmentation repair and modified suture augmentation repair in patients with chronic ankle instability (CAI). METHODS: From October 2019 to August 2020, 100 patients with CAI were enrolled after propensity score matching analysis and observed for two years. Among them, 50 underwent modified suture augmentation repair and the other 50 underwent suture augmentation repair. The clinical efficacies of CAI treatments were evaluated using the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) clinical rating scale, visual analog scale (VAS), and anterior drawer test scores. RESULTS: The postoperative AOFAS score of the modified suture augmentation repair group (83.8 ± 11.3) was significantly higher than that of the suture augmentation repair group (76.3 ± 11.3; P = 0.001). The VAS (P = 0.863) and anterior drawer test (P = 0.617) scores were not significantly different between the two treatment groups. CONCLUSION: Both the modified suture augmentation repair and suture augmentation repair demonstrated good clinical efficacies. The AOFAS score of the modified suture augmentation repair group was superior to that of the conventional suture augmentation repair group. Thus, modified suture augmentation repair is a feasible and practical surgical technique for CAI treatment.

Synthesis of α-aryl sulfides by deaminative coupling of α-amino compounds with thiophenols.

By the deaminative coupling reaction of α-aminoesters and α-aminoacetonitriles with thiols, a new strategy for the synthesis of α-thioaryl esters and nitriles is described, representing an example of converting C(sp3)-N into C(sp3)-S bonds. The substrates form diazo compounds in situ in the presence of NaNO2, and then a transition-metal-free S-H bond insertion reaction occurs with thiophenol derivatives. The method is simple in operation and post-treatment and has good universality. The corresponding thioethers were obtained in moderate to good (up to 90%) yields under mild conditions.

Delamination of rotator cuff tears: Real-time dynamic ultrasound findings.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the value of diagnosing delaminated tears and ultrasonic characteristics on real-time dynamic ultrasound. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We enrolled 143 consecutive patients who underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair between April 2020 and January 2021. All patients were examined using real-time dynamic ultrasound of the shoulder within 2 weeks before arthroscopy. In our study, delaminated tears were defined as intratendinous horizontal splitting with or without the retraction of the articular or bursal layer of tendon. Delaminated tears were classified into three types on the basis of their shape: greater retraction of the articular layer (type I), greater retraction of the bursal layer (type II), and equal retraction of both layers (type III). The sensitivity and specificity of real-time dynamic ultrasound for evaluation of delaminated tears were calculated using arthroscopy findings as the gold standard. Ultrasonic imaging appearances of delaminated rotator cuff tears were further described. RESULTS: Of the 143 patients, 47 (32.9%) had delaminated tears as confirmed by arthroscopy; 35 of these tears involved the supraspinatus tendon and 12 involved both supraspinatus and infraspinatus tendons. Real-time dynamic ultrasound correctly diagnosed 36 of 47 delaminated tears with sensitivity 72.0% (57.2%-83.3%) and specificity 96.7% (90.2%-99.2%). Moreover, type I tear (n = 32) was more common than type II (n = 11) and type III tears (n = 4). Real-time dynamic ultrasound evaluated shape of type I, type II, and type III with a sensitivity and specificity of 56% and 80%, 72% and 83%, and 100% and 98%, respectively. Anechoic horizontal linear splitting of tendon, unequal retraction of the bursal and articular layers, and thinning of the suffering tendon were the three signs observed during real-time dynamic ultrasound examination. These three signs were indicative of a diagnosis of delaminated rotator cuff tears with high specificities (100.0%, 100.0%, and 97.9%, respectively) but relatively low sensitivities (25.5%, 25.5%, and 36.2%, respectively). CONCLUSION: Real-time dynamic ultrasound can be practically used for diagnosing delamination of rotator cuff tears with medium sensitivity and high specificity. Anechoic horizontal linear splitting of tendon, unequal retraction of the bursal and articular layers, and thinning of the involved tendon are the three important ultrasonic signs for diagnosis of delaminated rotator cuff tears.

Clinical outcomes of anterior tibiofibular ligament's distal fascicle transfer versus ligament reconstruction with InternalBrace™ for chronic ankle instability patients.

PURPOSE: Treatment of chronic ankle instability (CAI) for ankle sprain patients remains a challenge. If initial treatments fail, surgical stabilization techniques including ligament reconstruction should be performed. Anterior tibiofibular ligament (ATiFL) distal fascicle transfer for CAI was recently introduced. The goal of the study is to assess the 1-year clinical effectiveness of ATiFL's distal fascicle transfer versus ligament reconstruction with InternalBrace™ (Fa. Arthrex, Naples). METHODS: Between October 2019 and February 2021, 25 patients (14 males and 11 females) scheduled for ligament reconstruction treatment of CAI were enrolled after propensity score matching. Twelve underwent ligament reconstruction with InternalBrace™ (InternalBrace™ group) and thirteen underwent ATiFL's distal fascicle transfer (ATiFL's distal fascicle transfer group). We recorded the American Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) score, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), anterior drawer test grade, patient satisfaction and complications. All results of this study were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Statistically significant (p = 0.0251, independent-samples t test) differences in the AOFAS can be found between the ATiFL's distal fascicle transfer group and the InternalBrace™ group. No substantial changes in the VAS (p = 0.1778, independent-samples t test), patient satisfaction (p = 0.1800, independent-samples t test) and anterior drawer test grade (p = 0.9600, independent-samples t test) were found between the two groups. There was one patient with superficial wound infection and one patient with sural nerve injury in the InternalBrace™ group and ATiFL's distal fascicle transfer group, respectively. CONCLUSION: This is the first study that assessed a cohort of CAI patients and suggests that the ATiFL's distal fascicle transfer operation has the potential to attain good-to-excellent clinical outcomes after 1-year recovery. The AOFAS scores were significantly higher for patients with ATiFL's distal fascicle transfer, indicating that this technique may be considered a viable option for both patients and their surgeon, while long-term outcomes should be investigated in the future.

Arthroscopic Hip Surgery versus Conservative Therapy on Femoroacetabular Impingement Syndrome: A Meta-Analysis of RCTs.

To determine the outcome and differences between arthroscopic hip surgery and conservative therapy in patients suffering from femoroacetabular impingement syndrome, we searched articles from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, Web of Science and Clinicaltrials.gov using a Boolean search algorithm. Only randomized controlled trials comparing arthroscopic hip surgery and conservative therapy were included in this meta-analysis of femoroacetabular impingement syndrome management. Two authors determined eligibility, extracted the needed data and assessed the risk of bias of eligible studies independently. Then we meta-analyzed three articles to assess pooled estimate size (ES) and 95% confidence interval for Hip Outcome Score of activities of daily living (HOS ADL subscale), Hip Outcome Score sport (HOS sports subscale) and International Hip Outcome Tool (iHOT-33) analyses were performed by using STATA version 14.0 MP (STATA, College Station, TX, USA) with the principal summary measures are mean between group difference, sample size, and standard deviation. We collected 52 articles in total after removing duplicates and screened by titles and abstracts. A total of three RCTs were included finally. There was definite evidence of additional benefit of arthroscopic hip surgery against conservative therapy in the field of improving quality of life (three trials, 575 participants, ES = 2.109, 95% CI: 1.373 to 2.845, I2  = 42.8%, P = 0.000) and activity of daily living (two trials, 262 participants, ES = 9.220, 95% CI: 5.931 to 12.508, I2  = 16.5%, P = 0.000). However, no significant difference could be seen in sports function improvement (two trials, ES = 7.562, 95% CI: -2.957 to 18.082, I2  = 60.1%, P = 0.159). In conclusion, this meta-analysis suggests that arthroscopic hip surgery provided essential benefit compared with conservative therapy in improving activity of daily living and quality of life.

Comparing Surgical and Conservative Treatment on Achilles Tendon Rupture: A Comprehensive Meta-Analysis of RCTs.

Background: The Achilles tendon is the strongest tendon in human and is frequently injured, mainly in the young to middle age active population. Increasing incidence of Achilles tendon rupture (ATR) is still reported in several studies. Surgical repair and conservative treatment are two major management strategies widely adopted in ATR patients, but the consensus of the optimal treatment strategy is still debated. We aimed at thoroughly reviewing the ATR topic with additional assessments and performed a most comprehensive meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Method: We comprehensively searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and ClinicalTrial.gov and retrieved all RCTs comparing surgical and conservative treatment on ATR for further analysis. Two independent reviewers performed data extraction and random effect model was adopted when I 2 > 50%, with data presentation of risk ratio, risk difference, or mean difference and 95% confidence interval. Results: A total of 13 RCTs were included in this meta-analysis. A significant difference was observed in re-rupture, complication rate, adhesion to the underlying tendon, sural nerve injury, and superficial infection. A substantial reduction in re-rupture rate could be observed for surgical treatment while the complication rate was higher compared with conservative treatment. Conclusion: Surgical treatment revealed significance in reducing the re-rupture rate but was associated with a higher complication rate, while conservative treatment showed similar outcomes with a lower complication rate. Collectively, we recommend conservative treatment if patients' status and expectations are suitable, but surgeon and physician discretion is also crucial in decision making.

First-Principles Study of Aziridinium Lead Iodide Perovskite for Photovoltaics.

The long-term stability remains one of the main challenges for the commercialization of the rapidly developing hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite solar cells. Herein, we investigate the electronic and optical properties of the recently reported hybrid halide perovskite (CH2 )2 NH2 PbI3 (AZPbI3 ), which exhibits a much better stability than the popular halide perovskites CH3 NH3 PbI3 and HC(NH2 )2 PbI3 , by using density functional theory (DFT). We find that AZPbI3 possesses a band gap of 1.31 eV, ideal for single-junction solar cells, and its optical absorption is comparable with those of the popular CH3 NH3 PbI3 and HC(NH2 )2 PbI3 materials in the whole visible-light region. In addition, the conductivity of AZPbI3 can be tuned from efficient p-type to n-type, depending on the growth conditions. Besides, the charge-carrier mobilities and lifetimes are unlikely hampered by deep transition energy levels, which have higher formation energies in AZPbI3 according to our calculations. Overall, we suggest that the perovskite AZPbI3 is an excellent candidate as a stable high-performance photovoltaic absorber material.

[PRELIMINARY APPLICATION OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL PRINTING PERSONALIZED EXTERNAL FIXATOR IN SERIOUS TIBIOFIBULA FRACTURES].

OBJECTIVE: To explore a new method of treating serious tibiofibula comminuted fracture by using three-dimensional (3-D) printing personalized external fixator. METHODS: In April 2015, a male patient (aged 18 years with a height of 171 cm and a weight of 67 kg) with left tibiofibula comminuted fracture was included in the study. Computer-assisted reduction technique combined with 3-D printing was used to develop a customised personalized external fixator for fracture reduction. The effectiveness was observed. RESULTS: The operation time was about 10 minutes without fluoroscopy, and successful reduction was obtained. The patient had equal limb length after operation. X-ray films showed that the posterior angulation of distal fracture was corrected 37 degrees, and the eversion angle was corrected 4 degrees. The tibial fractures had good paraposition or alignment, and the lower limb force line was corrected completely. No new fracture displacement occurred. The clinical healing time of fracture was 3.5 months and the bone union was achieved after 8 months. The function of affected limb recovered well after operation. CONCLUSION: A personalized external fixator for serious tibiofibula comminuted fracture reduction made by 3-D printing technique has the merits of easy manipulation, high individuation, accurate reduction, stable fixation, and no need of fluoroscopy.

[Effect of three-dimensional printing navigation templates assisting reconstruction with personalized unrestricted total knee prosthesis for treating maliganant bone tumors around knees].

OBJECTIVE: ?To evaluate the effectiveness of three-dimensional (3D) printing navigation templates assisting reconstruction with personalized unrestricted total knee prosthesis to treat maliganant bone tumors around the knee. METHODS: ?Between March 2007 and September 2014, 43 patients with malignant tumor around the knee were divided into 2 groups: 3D printing navigation templates assisting reconstruction with personalized unrestricted total knee prosthesis were used in 21 cases (trial group), and conventional tumor resection and reconstruction with hinged total knee prosthesis were used in 22 cases (control group). There was no significant difference in age, gender, tumor location, pathological diagnosis, tumor stage, diameter of tumor, disease duration, and preoperative visual analogue scale (VAS) score between 2 groups (P>0.05), which were comparable. Intraoperative length of tumor resection and blood loss were recorded and compared, and the postoperative complications and tumor recurrence were observed. The Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) score was used to evaluate knee joint function. RESULTS: ?The operations were completed successfully in the patients of 2 groups and postoperative pathological results were negative in tumor resection margin. All the patients were followed up 12-77 months (mean, 36.7 months). There was no significant difference in the length of tumor resection and blood loss between trial group and control group (t=1.01, P=0.32; t=-0.76, P=0.45). In trial group, the resection range and reconstruction results were consistent with preoperative computer simulation; postoperative complications happened in 2 cases (9.52%); 1 case of immunological rejection and 1 case of infection); 2 cases (9.52%) had recurrence of osteosarcoma and pulmonary metastasis at 1 year after operation. In the control group, complication occurred in 6 cases (27.27%; 2 cases of periprosthetic fractures, 2 cases of infection, 1 case of incision nonunion, and 1 case of common peroneal nerve injury); 4 cases (18.18%) had recurrence of osteosarcoma and metastasis at 1 year after operation. There was no significant difference in postoperative complication and recurrence rate between 2 groups (χ2=2.24, P=0.14; χ2=0.67, P=0.41). At last follow-up, distal femur score of tumor and proximal tibial score of tumor in trial group were significantly better than those in control group (t=4.89, P=0.00; t=3.94, P=0.00). The mean flexion and extension range of motion of the knee joint was (115.45±12.25)° in trial group and was (101.49±11.96)° in control group, showing significant difference (t=3.78, P=0.00). CONCLUSIONS: ?The effectiveness using 3D printing navigation templates assisting reconstruction with personalized unrestricted prosthesis for maliganant bone tumors around the knee is better than conventional tumor resection and reconstruction with hinged total knee prosthesis. It can improve the joint function better and the patients' quality of life.

[Effects of Loquat-Branch Dust Substitution on Ganoderma lucidum Cultivation in Its Main Active Components].

OBJECTIVE: To select the best Ganoderma lucidum cultivation medium of replacing sawdust into loquat-branch dust, in order to realize high output and high quality production of Ganoderma lucidum. METHODS: Loquat-branch dust was added as substitution in Ganoderma lucidum cultivation, its effects on the biomass and the content of Ganoderma polysaccharides, triterpenoids and flavonoids were analyzed. RESULTS: By using loquat-branch dust in culture, Ganoderma lucidum grew well with normal fruiting body obtained and spores released. Compared with control group, the biological efficiency was increased by 11.34%, when the addition of the loquat-branch dust was 80%, while the amount of spore had little difference. When the addition of the loquat-branch dust was 90%, the content of Ganoderma polysaccharides and triterpenoids was increased by 32.29% and 30.58% respectively, while the efficiency of flavonoids had little difference. CONCLUSION: Using loquat-branch dust cultivation can improve the quality of Ganoderma lucidum. According to the comprehensive score, 80% loquat-branch dust is the most suitable cultivation medium.

Copper-catalyzed direct alkylation of 1,3-azoles with N-tosylhydrazones bearing a ferrocenyl group: a novel method for the synthesis of ferrocenyl-based ligands.

Copper-catalyzed cross-coupling of ferrocenyl ketone-derived N-tosylhydrazones with benzo[d]oxazole leads to the direct C-H bond functionalization by a secondary ferrocenyl alkyl group. This direct C-H bond alkylation of azoles with N-tosylhydrazones bearing a ferrocenyl group uses inexpensive CuBr as the catalyst without any ligand. The reaction is operationally simple and conducted under mild conditions, giving the corresponding ferrocenyl-based ligands in moderate to good yields. Furthermore, they were able to act as bidentate ligands, giving rise to the corresponding palladium chelated complex 6a-6c, which were obtained by reaction of 5a-5c with [PdCl2(MeCN)2].