Efficacy of the efficacy between dexamethasone versus triamcinolone acetonide after cataract surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical effects between dexamethasone and triamcinolone acetonide (TA) after phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation among cataract patients. METHODS: Pubmed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library were searched for studies published up to August 2020. The primary outcome was intraocular pressure. The secondary outcomes were the logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR), anterior chamber cell, and anterior chamber flare. The pooled effect sizes were expressed as weighted mean differences (WMDs) or standardized mean differences (SMDs) of 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias tool and Newcastle-Ottawa scale criteria were used for the quality assessment of included studies. RESULTS: Seven relevant studies met the inclusion criteria. For the primary outcome, there was no significant difference between TA injection and dexamethasone in comparing intraocular pressure (IOP) (SMD = 0.22, 95% confidence interval [CI] [-0.29, 0.73], P = .408; I²â€…= 86.9%) in the first day after treatment and last day of assessment. For the secondary outcomes, the logMAR (WMD = 0.01, 95% CI [-0.06, 0.08]) and the anterior chamber flare (SMD = 0.08, 95% CI [-0.01, 0.18], P = .087; I²â€…= 0%) showed no differences. However, the amount of anterior chamber cells (SMD = -0.21, 95% CI [-0.42, -0.01], P = .044; I²â€…= 0%) in the TA injection on the first day postoperative was higher than for dexamethasone. After treatment, there was no difference between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study supports that there were no differences in IOP, logMAR, and anterior chamber flare between TA injection and dexamethasone among cataract patients. TA injection treatment on the first day showed higher amounts of anterior chamber cells than with dexamethasone.

Impact of long-term white matter hyperintensity changes on mobility and dexterity.

White matter hyperintensities (WMH), a common feature of cerebral small vessel disease, are related to worse clinical outcomes after stroke. We assessed the impact of white matter hyperintensity changes over 1 year after minor stroke on change in mobility and dexterity, including differences between the dominant and non-dominant hands and objective in-person assessment versus patient-reported experience. We recruited participants with lacunar or minor cortical ischaemic stroke, performed medical and cognitive assessments and brain MRI at presentation and at 1 year. At both time points, we used the timed-up and go test and the 9-hole peg test to assess mobility and dexterity. At 1 year, participants completed the Stroke Impact Scale. We ran two linear mixed models to assess change in timed-up and go and 9-hole peg test, adjusted for age, sex, stroke severity (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale), dependency (modified Rankin Score), vascular risk factor score, white matter hyperintensity volume (as % intracranial volume) and additionally for 9-hole peg test: Montreal cognitive assessment, hand (dominant/non-dominant), National Adult Reading Test (premorbid IQ), index lesion side. We performed ordinal logistic regression, corrected for age and sex, to assess relations between timed-up and go and Stroke Impact Scale mobility, and 9-hole peg test and Stroke Impact Scale hand function. We included 229 participants, mean age 65.9 (standard deviation = 11.13); 66% male. 215/229 attended 1-year follow-up. Over 1 year, timed-up and go time increased with aging (standardized ß [standardized 95% Confidence Interval]: 0.124[0.011, 0.238]), increasing National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (0.106[0.032, 0.180]), increasing modified Rankin Score (0.152[0.073, 0.231]) and increasing white matter hyperintensity volume (0.176[0.061, 0.291]). Men were faster than women (-0.306[0.011, 0.238]). Over 1 year, slower 9-hole peg test was related to use of non-dominant hand (0.290[0.155, 0.424]), aging (0.102[0.012, 0.192]), male sex (0.182[0.008, 0.356]), increasing National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (0.160 [0.094, 0.226]), increasing modified Rankin Score (0.100[0.032, 0.169]), decreasing Montreal cognitive assessment score (-0.090[-0.167, -0.014]) and increasing white matter hyperintensity volume (0.104[0.015, 0.193]). One year post-stroke, Stroke Impact Scale mobility worsened per second increase on timed-up and go, odds ratio 0.67 [95% confidence interval 0.60, 0.75]. Stroke Impact Scale hand function worsened per second increase on the 9-hole peg test for the dominant hand (odds ratio 0.79 [0.71, 0.86]) and for the non-dominant hand (odds ratio 0.88 [0.83, 0.93]). Decline in mobility and dexterity is associated with white matter hyperintensity volume increase, independently of stroke severity. Mobility and dexterity declined more gradually for stable and regressing white matter hyperintensity volume. Dominant and non-dominant hands might be affected differently. In-person measures of dexterity and mobility are associated with self-reported experience 1-year post-stroke.

Cancer cachexia as a predictor of adverse outcomes in patients with non-small cell lung cancer: A meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Cancer cachexia is a complex problem characterized by weight loss due to skeletal muscle and adipose tissue reduction. The purpose of this meta-analysis is to examine the association between cancer cachexia and adverse outcomes in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: A comprehensive search was conducted in the PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase databases from their inception to January 15, 2024. Retrospective or prospective studies that investigated the cancer cachexia as a predictor of overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), overall response rate (ORR), or disease control rate (DCR) in NSCLC patients were included in this analysis. RESULTS: Sixteen studies, comprising 5919 NSCLC patients, were identified. The pooled prevalence of cachexia in NSCLC patients was 39%, with individual studies reporting rates ranging from 19% to 63.8%. A meta-analysis using a random effects model showed that cachexia was associated with reduced OS (hazard ratio [HR] 1.84; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.54-2.21) and PFS (HR 1.49; 95% CI 1.27-1.73). Subgroup analysis indicated that cancer cachexia significantly predicted OS, regardless of study design, NSCLC subtypes, cancer stage, definitions of cachexia, or follow-up duration. However, there was no clear association between cancer cachexia and ORR or DCR. CONCLUSIONS: Cancer cachexia emerges is a negative prognostic factor for OS and PFS in NSCLC patients. Assessing cancer cachexia can improve risk classification for survival outcomes in this patient population.

Formation of chronic morphine withdrawal memories requires C1QL3-mediated regulation of PSD95 in the mouse basolateral amygdala.

Chronic morphine withdrawal memory formation is a complex process influenced by various molecular mechanisms. In this study, we aimed to investigate the contributions of the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and complement component 1, q subcomponent-like 3 (C1QL3), a secreted and presynaptically targeted protein, to the formation of chronic morphine (repeat dosing of morphine) withdrawal memory using conditioned place aversion (CPA) and chemogenetic methods. We conducted experiments involving the inhibition of the BLA during naloxone-induced withdrawal to assess its impact on CPA scores, providing insights into the significance of the BLA in the chronic morphine memory formation process. We also examined changes in C1ql3/C1QL3 expression within the BLA following conditioning. Immunofluorescence analysis revealed the colocalization of C1QL3 and the G protein-coupled receptor, brain-specific angiogenesis inhibitor 3 (BAI3) in the BLA, supporting their involvement in synaptic development. Moreover, we downregulated C1QL3 expression in the BLA to investigate its role in chronic morphine withdrawal memory formation. Our findings revealed that BLA inhibition during naloxone-induced withdrawal led to a significant reduction in CPA scores, confirming the critical role of the BLA in this memory process. Additionally, the upregulation of C1ql3 expression within the BLA postconditioning suggested its participation in withdrawal memory formation. The colocalization of C1QL3 and BAI3 in the BLA further supported their involvement in synaptic development. Furthermore, downregulation of C1QL3 in the BLA effectively hindered chronic morphine withdrawal memory formation, emphasizing its pivotal role in this process. Notably, we identified postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD95) as a potential downstream effector of C1QL3 during chronic morphine withdrawal memory formation. Blocking PSD95 led to a significant reduction in the CPA score, and it appeared that C1QL3 modulated the ubiquitination-mediated degradation of PSD95, resulting in decreased PSD95 protein levels. This study underscores the importance of the BLA, C1QL3 and PSD95 in chronic morphine withdrawal memory formation. It provides valuable insights into the underlying molecular mechanisms, emphasizing their significance in this intricate process.

Linking white matter hyperintensities to regional cortical thinning, amyloid deposition, and synaptic density loss in Alzheimer's disease.

INTRODUCTION: We investigated the association between white matter hyperintensities (WMH) and regional cortical thickness, amyloid and tau deposition, and synaptic density in the WMH-connected cortex using multimodal images. METHODS: We included 107 participants (59 with Alzheimer's disease [AD]; 27 with mild cognitive impairment; 21 cognitively normal controls) with amyloid beta (Aß) positivity on amyloid positron emission tomography (PET). The cortex connected to WMH was identified using probabilistic tractography. RESULTS: We found that WMH connected to the cortex with more severe regional degeneration as measured by cortical thickness, Aß and tau deposition, and synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2 A (SV2A) density using 18F-SynVesT-1 PET. In addition, higher ratios of Aß in the deep WMH-connected versus WMH-unconnected cortex were significantly related to lower cognitive scores. Last, the cortical thickness of WMH-connected cortex reduced more than WMH-unconnected cortex over 12 months. DISCUSSION: Our results suggest that WMH may be associated with AD-intrinsic processes of degeneration, in addition to vascular mechanisms. HIGHLIGHTS: We studied white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) and WMH-connected cortical changes. WMHs are associated with more severe regional cortical degeneration. Findings suggest WMHs may be associated with Alzheimer's disease-intrinsic processes of degeneration.

OCTN2- and ATB0,+-targeted nanoemulsions for improving ocular drug delivery.

Traditional eye drops are administered via topical instillation. However, frequent dosing is needed due to their relatively rapid precorneal removal and low ocular bioavailability. To address these issues, stearoyl L-carnitine-modified nanoemulsions (SC-NEs) were fabricated. The physicochemical properties of SC-NEs in terms of size, morphology, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency, and in vitro drug release behavior were characterized. The cellular uptake and mechanisms of SC-NEs were comprehensively studied in human corneal epithelial cells and the stearoyl L-carnitine ratio in SC-NEs was optimized. The optimized SC-NEs could target the novel organic cation/carnitine transporter 2 (OCTN2) and amino acid transporter B (0 +) (ATB0,+) on the corneal epithelium, which led to superior corneal permeation, ocular surface retention ability, ocular bioavailability. Furthermore, SC-NEs showed excellent in vivo anti-inflammatory efficacy in a rabbit model of endotoxin-induced uveitis. The ocular safety test indicated that the SC-NEs were biocompatible. In general, the current study demonstrated that OCTN2 and ATB0,+-targeted nanoemulsions were promising ophthalmologic drug delivery systems that can improve ocular drug bioavailability and boost the therapeutic effects of drugs for eye diseases.

Association between risk of malnutrition defined by patient-generated subjective global assessment and adverse outcomes in patients with cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between the risk of malnutrition, as estimated by the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) numerical scores, and adverse outcomes in oncology patients. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. SETTINGS: A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, CKNI, VIP, Sinomed and Wanfang databases. Studies that examined the association between the risk of malnutrition, as estimated by the PG-SGA numerical scores, and overall survival (OS) or postoperative complications in oncology patients were included. Patients were classified as low risk (PG-SGA ≤ 3), medium risk (PG-SGA 4-8) and high risk of malnutrition (PG-SGA > 8). SUBJECT: Nineteen studies reporting on twenty articles (n 9286 patients). RESULTS: The prevalence of medium and high risk of malnutrition ranged from 16·0 % to 71·6 %. A meta-analysis showed that cancer patients with medium and high risk of malnutrition had a poorer OS (adjusted hazard ratios (HR) 1·98; 95 % CI 1·77, 2·21) compared with those with a low risk of malnutrition. Stratified analysis revealed that the pooled HR was 1·55 (95 % CI 1·17, 2·06) for medium risk of malnutrition and 2·65 (95 % CI 1·90, 3·70) for high risk of malnutrition. Additionally, the pooled adjusted OR for postoperative complications was 4·65 (95 % CI 1·61, 13·44) for patients at medium and high risk of malnutrition. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of medium and high risk of malnutrition, as estimated by the PG-SGA numerical scores, is significantly linked to poorer OS and an increased risk of postoperative complications in oncology patients.

Impact of frailty on adverse outcomes in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm undergoing surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the prognostic role of frailty in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) by conducting this systematic review and meta-analysis METHODS: We conducted an extensive literature search on PubMed, Web of Sciences, and Embase databases to identify studies that reported the association of frailty with postoperative complications, reintervention, or all-cause mortality in patients with AAA after surgery. Short-term mortality was defined by a combination of in-hospital and 30-day death. RESULTS: Seven cohort studies reporting on 9 articles with 323,788 AAA patients were included. The reported prevalence of frailty in AAA patients ranged between 2.3% and 34.6%. Pooling the results revealed that frailty was significantly associated with a higher risk of short-term all-cause mortality (adjusted risk ratios [RR] 3.20; 95% confidence intervals [CI] 1.95-5.26), long-term all-cause mortality (adjusted RR 2.86; 95% CI 2.57-3.17), and postoperative complications (adjusted RR 2.19; 95% CI 1.50-3.20) compared to non-frail individuals. However, there was no clear association between frailty and reintervention (HR 1.44; 95% CI 0.97-2.16). CONCLUSIONS: Frailty independently predicts the short and long-term survival as well as postoperative complications in patients with AAA undergoing surgery. Assessing frail status may potentially enhance surgical decision-making for these patients.

Stability and encapsulation properties of daidzein in zein/carrageenan/sodium alginate nanoparticles with ultrasound treatment.

This study aimed to prepare carrageenan/sodium alginate double-stabilized layers of zein nanoparticles loaded with daidzein using ultrasound technology to investigate the effect of ultrasound treatment on the stability of composite nanoparticles and encapsulation of daidzein. Compared with composite nanoparticles without ultrasound treatment, the encapsulation efficiency of nanoparticles was increased (90.36 %) after ultrasound treatment (320 W, 15 min). Ultrasound treatment reduced the particle size and PDI of nanoparticles and improved the stability and solubility of nanoparticles. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that the nanoparticles treated with ultrasound were smooth spherical and uniformly distributed. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results showed that the main forces that form nanoparticles are hydrogen bonding, electrostatic interactions and hydrophobic interactions. Fluorescence and CD chromatography showed that ultrasound treatment alters the secondary structure of zein and maintains nanoparticle stability. Encapsulation of daidzein in nanocarriers with ultrasound treatment can effectively scavenge DPPH and ABTS free radicals, improve antioxidant activity, and realize the slow release of daidzein in the gastrointestinal tract. The results showed that ultrasonication helps the construction of hydrophobic bioactives delivery carriers and provides better protection for unstable bioactives.

Printed smart devices for anti-counterfeiting allowing precise identification with household equipment.

Counterfeiting has become a serious global problem, causing worldwide losses and disrupting the normal order of society. Physical unclonable functions are promising hardware-based cryptographic primitives, especially those generated by chemical processes showing a massive challenge-response pair space. However, current chemical-based physical unclonable function devices typically require complex fabrication processes or sophisticated characterization methods with only binary (bit) keys, limiting their practical applications and security properties. Here, we report a flexible laser printing method to synthesize unclonable electronics with high randomness, uniqueness, and repeatability. Hexadecimal resistive keys and binary optical keys can be obtained by the challenge with an ohmmeter and an optical microscope. These readout methods not only make the identification process available to general end users without professional expertise, but also guarantee device complexity and data capacity. An adopted open-source deep learning model guarantees precise identification with high reliability. The electrodes and connection wires are directly printed during laser writing, which allows electronics with different structures to be realized through free design. Meanwhile, the electronics exhibit excellent mechanical and thermal stability. The high physical unclonable function performance and the widely accessible readout methods, together with the flexibility and stability, make this synthesis strategy extremely attractive for practical applications.

Comparative study of FLACS vs conventional phacoemulsification for cataract patients with high myopia.

PURPOSE: To compare the short-term changes in cornea, retina, and choroid of femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) with conventional phacoemulsification (CPS) in high myopia patients with cataract. SETTING: Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Jiangsu Province, China. DESIGN: Prospective single-center study. METHODS: Demographics, ocular clinical features, ultrasound power, absolute phacoemulsification time, and effective phacoemulsification time were recorded for each patient. Endothelial cell density (ECD), central corneal thickness (CCT), corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), intraocular pressure (IOP), center foveal thickness (CFT), subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT), and choroidal vascularity index (CVI) were evaluated preoperatively and at 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months postoperatively. Intraoperative parameters and intraoperative/postoperative complications were recorded. RESULTS: 97 eyes (46 eyes and 51 eyes in the FLACS and CPS groups, respectively) were included and analyzed. Effective phacoemulsification time was lower in the FLACS group compared with the CPS group ( P < .05). The increase in CCT was significantly lower in the FLACS group compared with the CPS group at 1 week and 1 month ( P < .05). CDVA and IOP were similar in both groups at the final visit ( P > .05). The ECD decreased was lower among CPS patients compared with FLACS patients. CFT, SFCT, and CVI increase in both groups but were increased more in the CPS group with high myopia patients. No serious complications occurred in either group. CONCLUSIONS: FLACS is a more safety and effective in cataract patients with high myopia. It has advantages in effectively reducing EPT and promoting faster recovery of the cornea, macular, and choroidal thickness.

Ligand-Induced In Situ Epitaxial Growth of PbI2 Nanosheets/MAPbI3 Heterojunction Realizes High-Performance HTM-Free Carbon-Based MAPbI3 Solar Cells.

Hole-transporting layer-free carbon-based perovskite solar cells (HTL-free C-PSCs) hold great promise for photovoltaic applications due to their low cost and outstanding stability. However, the low power conversion efficiency (PCE) of HTL-free C-PSCs mainly results from grain boundaries (GBs). Here, epitaxial growth is proposed to rationally design a hybrid nanostructure of PbI2 nanosheets/perovskite with the desired photovoltaic properties. A post-treatment technique using tri(2,2,2-trifluoromethyl) phosphate (TFEP) to induce in situ epitaxial growth of PbI2 nanosheets at the GBs of perovskite films realizes high-performance HTL-free C-PSCs. The structure model and high-resolution transmission electron microscope unravel the epitaxial growth mechanism. The epitaxial growth of oriented PbI2 nanosheets generates the PbI2 /perovskite heterojunction, which not only passivates defects but forms type-I band alignment, avoiding carrier loss. Additionally, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, 31 P NMR, and 1 H NMR spectra reveal the passivation effect and hydrogen bonding interaction between TFEP and perovskite. As a result, the VOC is remarkably boosted from 1.04 to 1.10 V, leading to a substantial gain in PCE from 14.97% to 17.78%. In addition, the unencapsulated PSC maintains the initial PCE of 80.1% for 1440 h under air ambient of 40% RH. The work offers a fresh perspective on the rational design of high-performance HTL-free C-PSCs.

Paranasal sinus occupancy assessed from magnetic resonance images-associations with clinical indicators in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

OBJECTIVES: Nasal, paranasal sinus and mucosal disorders are common symptoms in autoimmune rheumatic diseases. Soft tissue changes and fluid accumulation in the osteomeatal complexes and paranasal sinuses manifest as opaqueness on radiological images which can be assessed using visual scoring and computational methods on CT scans, but their results do not always correlate. Using MRI, we investigate the applicability of different image analysis methods in SLE. METHODS: We assessed paranasal sinus opaqueness on MRI from 51 SLE patients, using three visual scoring systems and expert-delineated computational volumes, and examined their association with markers of disease activity, inflammation, endothelial dysfunction and common small vessel disease (SVD) indicators, adjusting for age and sex-at-birth. RESULTS: The average paranasal sinus volume occupation was 4.55 (6.47%) [median (interquartile range) = 0.67 (0.25-2.65) ml], mainly in the maxillary and ethmoid sinuses. It was highly correlated with Lund-Mackay (LM) scores modified at 50% opaqueness cut-off (Spearman's ρ: 0.71 maxillary and 0.618 ethmoids, P < 0.001 in all), and with more granular variations of the LM system. The modified LM scores were associated with SVD scores (0: B = 5.078, s.e. = 1.69, P = 0.0026; 2: B = -0.066, s.e. = 0.023, P = 0.0045) and disease activity (anti-dsDNA: B = 4.59, s.e. = 2.22, P = 0.045; SLEDAI 3-7: 2.86 < B < 4.30; 1.38 < s.e. < 1.63; 0.0083 ≤ P ≤ 0.0375). Computationally derived percent opaqueness yielded similar results. CONCLUSION: In patients with SLE, MRI computational assessment of sinuses opaqueness and LM scores modified at a 50% cut-off may be useful tools in understanding the relationships among paranasal sinus occupancy, disease activity and SVD markers.

Cortical gray to white matter signal intensity ratio as a sign of neurodegeneration and cognition independent of ß-amyloid in dementia.

Cortical gray to white matter signal intensity ratio (GWR) measured from T1-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) images was associated with neurodegeneration and dementia. We characterized topological patterns of GWR during AD pathogenesis and investigated its association with cognitive decline. The study included a cross-sectional dataset and a longitudinal dataset. The cross-sectional dataset included 60 cognitively healthy controls, 61 mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 63 patients with dementia. The longitudinal dataset included 26 participants who progressed from cognitively normal to dementia and 26 controls that remained cognitively normal. GWR was compared across the cross-sectional groups, adjusted for amyloid PET. The correlation between GWR and cognition performance was also evaluated. The longitudinal dataset was used to investigate GWR alteration during the AD pathogenesis. Dementia with ß-amyloid deposition group exhibited the largest area of increased GWR, followed by MCI with ß-amyloid deposition, MCI without ß-amyloid deposition, and controls. The spatial pattern of GWR-increased regions was not influenced by ß-amyloid deposits. Correlation between regional GWR alteration and cognitive decline was only detected among individuals with ß-amyloid deposition. GWR showed positive correlation with tau PET in the left supramarginal, lateral occipital gyrus, and right middle frontal cortex. The longitudinal study showed that GWR increased around the fusiform, inferior/superior temporal lobe, and entorhinal cortex in MCI and progressed to larger cortical regions after progression to AD. The spatial pattern of GWR-increased regions was independent of ß-amyloid deposits but overlapped with tauopathy. The GWR can serve as a promising biomarker of neurodegeneration in AD.

MSTRG3207 promotes apoptosis in zebrafish ZF4 cells via sponging dre-miR-736/bbc3/LOC101885512 axis during cold acclimation.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play essential roles in a variety of biological processes. It has been recently reported that lncRNAs can regulate mRNA expression by binding to microRNAs (miRNAs) as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs). However, the involvement of this regulatory mechanism during cold acclimation in fish remains unclear. In this study, we constructed a ceRNA network mediated by lncRNAs in cold-acclimated zebrafish ZF4 cells through bioinformatic analysis of the mRNA, miRNA, and lncRNA profiles obtained from ZF4 cells cultured at 18 °C for 30 days. A previously uncharacterized lncRNA, MSTRG3207, was selected for further analysis. MSTRG3207 was upregulated and dre-miR-736 was downregulated during cold acclimation. MSTRG3207 was cloned by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) and functionally characterized. The binding of MSTRG3207 to dre-miR-736 was validated by dual-luciferase reporter assay. Under cold acclimation, MSTRG3207 promoted apoptosis by sponging dre-miR-736 and upregulating bbc3 and LOC101885512, two apoptotic genes targeted by dre-miR-736. Taken together, our findings indicate that MSTRG3207 upregulation promotes apoptosis by sponging dre-miR-736 during cold acclimation in fish.

Influence of threshold selection and image sequence in in-vivo segmentation of enlarged perivascular spaces.

BACKGROUND: Growing interest surrounds perivascular spaces (PVS) as a clinical biomarker of brain dysfunction given their association with cerebrovascular risk factors and disease. Neuroimaging techniques allowing quick and reliable quantification are being developed, but, in practice, they require optimisation as their limits of validity are usually unspecified. NEW METHOD: We evaluate modifications and alternatives to a state-of-the-art (SOTA) PVS segmentation method that uses a vesselness filter to enhance PVS discrimination, followed by thresholding of its response, applied to brain magnetic resonance images (MRI) from patients with sporadic small vessel disease acquired at 3 T. RESULTS: The method is robust against inter-observer differences in threshold selection, but separate thresholds for each region of interest (i.e., basal ganglia, centrum semiovale, and midbrain) are required. Noise needs to be assessed prior to selecting these thresholds, as effect of noise and imaging artefacts can be mitigated with a careful optimisation of these thresholds. PVS segmentation from T1-weighted images alone, misses small PVS, therefore, underestimates PVS count, may overestimate individual PVS volume especially in the basal ganglia, and is susceptible to the inclusion of calcified vessels and mineral deposits. Visual analyses indicated the incomplete and fragmented detection of long and thin PVS as the primary cause of errors, with the Frangi filter coping better than the Jerman filter. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS: Limits of validity to a SOTA PVS segmentation method applied to 3 T MRI with confounding pathology are given. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence presented reinforces the STRIVE-2 recommendation of using T2-weighted images for PVS assessment wherever possible. The Frangi filter is recommended for PVS segmentation from MRI, offering robust output against variations in threshold selection and pathology presentation.

Metal-free photoanodes for C-H functionalization.

Organic semiconductors, such as carbon nitride, when employed as powders, show attractive photocatalytic properties, but their photoelectrochemical performance suffers from low charge transport capability, charge carrier recombination, and self-oxidation. High film-substrate affinity and well-designed heterojunction structures may address these issues, achieved through advanced film generation techniques. Here, we introduce a spin coating pretreatment of a conductive substrate with a multipurpose polymer and a supramolecular precursor, followed by chemical vapor deposition for the synthesis of dual-layer carbon nitride photoelectrodes. These photoelectrodes are composed of a porous microtubular top layer and an interlayer between the porous film and the conductive substrate. The polymer improves the polymerization degree of carbon nitride and introduces C-C bonds to increase its electrical conductivity. These carbon nitride photoelectrodes exhibit state-of-the-art photoelectrochemical performance and achieve high yield in C-H functionalization. This carbon nitride photoelectrode synthesis strategy may be readily adapted to other reported processes to optimize their performance.

An open GIS based 3D simulation software to predict cooling tower drift diffusion.

This paper developed XJCT-3D, a simulation software for cooling tower wet plume dispersion. By coupling it with the Open GIS component Dotspatial, we have achieved geospatial visual representation of the calculation results, which has solved the problems of low calculation efficiency and insufficient visual representation of the traditional CFD software in the calculation of cooling tower wet plume dispersion. In order to verify the validity of the XJCT-3D software simulation results, we have conducted tracer experimental data from the ChalkPoint power plant. XJCT-3D accurately models wet plume deposition during cooling tower operation. From the XJCT-3D calculation results, we have observed that the maximum value of the cooling tower thermal plume wet deposition occurs near 610 m with a maximum value of 6.9E-07 kg/m2 s. This finding suggests that the cooling tower emissions carry a significant load of particles or droplets that have settled on surfaces at this particular altitude. It provides insights into potential environmental and human health impacts and helps in identifying and assessing areas at relatively higher risk of deposition, such as nearby ecosystems, farmland, or urban areas. This information can contribute to the development of effective mitigation strategies and the implementation of appropriate measures to minimize the impact of cooling tower emissions.

Transport Properties of NaCl in Aqueous Solution and Hydrogen Solubility in Brine.

Ion transport properties and hydrogen solubility in brine play pivotal roles in various engineering and scientific scopes including chemical, physical, geochemical, and geothermal domains. Molecular dynamics simulations were performed to obtain transport properties of NaCl in the binary H2O + NaCl system using different force fields. Brine density, ion diffusivity, molar conductivity, conductivity, and hydrogen solubilities were obtained as functions of temperature and salt concentration. We compared the performance of different force fields against the experimental correlation model and developed three mathematical models. The first was the modified brine density model based on the simulated brine density over a wide range of salinity levels, and the second and third analytical mathematical models were derived for the ion diffusivity and molar conductivity as a function of salinity and temperature. The results of this study illustrated that the modified brine density model not only produced the same results of the previous model for lower salinity levels but also applied well to predict the brine density for a higher salinity level. The derived mathematical models indicated that the ion diffusivity and molar conductivity decreased linearly with salinity, and the slope and y-intercept of the lines of diffusivity and molar conductivity versus temperature were third-order polynomials of temperature. The developed models provided the mechanism for the behavior of decreasing molar conductivity with increasing salinity and increasing conductivity with increasing salinity. The directions of the effect of salinity on the molar conductivity and conductivity were opposite. The molar conductivity increased with a decreasing salinity level. However, the conductivity increased with increasing salinity, as the contribution of the ion concentration or salinity level to conductivity dominated over that of the ion movement.

Cerebrovascular Reactivity in Patients With Small Vessel Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) is inversely related to white matter hyperintensity severity, a marker of cerebral small vessel disease (SVD). Less is known about the relationship between CVR and other SVD imaging features or cognition. We aimed to investigate these cross-sectional relationships. METHODS: Between 2018 and 2021 in Edinburgh, we recruited patients presenting with lacunar or cortical ischemic stroke, whom we characterized for SVD features. We measured CVR in subcortical gray matter, normal-appearing white matter, and white matter hyperintensity using 3T magnetic resonance imaging. We assessed cognition using Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Statistical analyses included linear regression models with CVR as outcome, adjusted for age, sex, and vascular risk factors. We reported regression coefficients with 95% CIs. RESULTS: Of 208 patients, 182 had processable CVR data sets (median age, 68.2 years; 68% men). Although the strength of association depended on tissue type, lower CVR in normal-appearing tissues and white matter hyperintensity was associated with larger white matter hyperintensity volume (BNAWM=-0.0073 [95% CI, -0.0133 to -0.0014] %/mm Hg per 10-fold increase in percentage intracranial volume), more lacunes (BNAWM=-0.00129 [95% CI, -0.00215 to -0.00043] %/mm Hg per lacune), more microbleeds (BNAWM=-0.00083 [95% CI, -0.00130 to -0.00036] %/mm Hg per microbleed), higher deep atrophy score (BNAWM=-0.00218 [95% CI, -0.00417 to -0.00020] %/mm Hg per score point increase), higher perivascular space score (BNAWM=-0.0034 [95% CI, -0.0066 to -0.0002] %/mm Hg per score point increase in basal ganglia), and higher SVD score (BNAWM=-0.0048 [95% CI, -0.0075 to -0.0021] %/mm Hg per score point increase). Lower CVR in normal-appearing tissues was related to lower Montreal Cognitive Assessment without reaching convention statistical significance (BNAWM=0.00065 [95% CI, -0.00007 to 0.00137] %/mm Hg per score point increase). CONCLUSIONS: Lower CVR in patients with SVD was related to more severe SVD burden and worse cognition in this cross-sectional analysis. Longitudinal analysis will help determine whether lower CVR predicts worsening SVD severity or vice versa. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.isrctn.com; Unique identifier: ISRCTN12113543.