Nickel-Catalyzed Enantioselective Reductive N-Cyclization-Thiolation Reaction of Alkene-Tethered Oxime Esters and Disulfides.

Asymmetric aza-Heck cyclization and coupling reactions offer efficient access to enantioenriched N-heterocycles, yet the current studies focus primarily on sequential C-N and C-C bond formation. Herein, we report an enantioselective reductive aza-Heck cyclization followed by a C-S coupling sequence, ultimately yielding sulfide-containing enantioenriched pyrrolines. The reaction is conducted under mild conditions and tolerates broad functionalities including alkynes, phenols, anilines, amides, nitriles, and bromides.

Hydrogel Microsphere-Encapsulated Bimetallic Nanozyme for Promoting Diabetic Bone Regeneration via Glucose Consumption and ROS Scavenging.

The healing of bone defects among diabetic patients presents a critical challenge due to the pathological microenvironment, characterized by hyperglycemia, excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and inflammation. Herein, multifunctional composite microspheres, termed GMAP are developed, using a microfluidic technique by incorporating Au@Pt nanoparticles (NPs) and GelMA hydrogel to modulate the diabetic microenvironment for promoting bone regeneration. The GMAP enables the sustained release of Au@Pt NPs, which function as bimetallic nanozymes with dual enzyme-like activities involving glucose oxidase and catalase. The synergistic effect allows for efficient glucose consumption and ROS elimination concurrently. Thus, the GMAP effectively protects the proliferation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) under adverse high-glucose conditions. Furthermore, it also promotes the osteogenic differentiation and paracrine capabilities of BMSCs, and subsequently inhibits inflammation and enhances angiogenesis. In vivo diabetic rats bone defect model, it is demonstrated that GMAP microspheres significantly improve bone regeneration, as verified by micro-computed tomography and histological examinations. This study provides a novel strategy for bone regeneration by modulating the diabetic microenvironment, presenting a promising approach for addressing the complex challenges associated with bone healing in diabetic patients.

Nanotechnology as a new strategy for the diagnosis and treatment of gliomas.

Glioma is the most common malignant tumor of the central nervous system (CNS), and is characterized by high aggressiveness and a high recurrence rate. Currently, the main treatments for gliomas include surgical resection, temozolomide chemotherapy and radiotherapy. However, the prognosis of glioma patients after active standardized treatment is still poor, especially for glioblastoma (GBM); the median survival is still only 14.6 months, and the 5-year survival rate is only 4-5%. The current challenges in glioma treatment include difficulty in complete surgical resection, poor blood‒brain barrier (BBB) drug permeability, therapeutic resistance, and difficulty in tumor-specific targeting. In recent years, the rapid development of nanotechnology has provided new directions for diagnosing and treating gliomas. Nanoparticles (NPs) are characterized by excellent surface tunability, precise targeting, excellent biocompatibility, and high safety. In addition, NPs can be used for gene therapy, photodynamic therapy, and antiangiogenic therapy and can be combined with biomaterials for thermotherapy. In recent decades, breakthroughs in diagnosing and treating gliomas have been made with various functional NPs, and NPs are expected to become a new strategy for glioma diagnosis and treatment. In this paper, we review the main obstacles in the treatment of glioma and discuss the potential and challenges of the latest nanotechnology in the diagnosis and treatment of glioma.

Melatonin and calcium phosphate crystal-loaded poly(L-lactic acid) porous microspheres reprogram macrophages to improve bone repair.

The bone immune microenvironment can influence the occurrence and progression of bone defects. To date, research on promoting macrophage M2 polarization to improve bone injury repair has been insufficient. In this study, we designed an injectable poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) porous microsphere that forms calcium phosphate crystals on its surface by binding to melatonin, followed by bionanomimetic mineralization in vitro. The microsphere is injectable and degradable, and its release of melatonin (MT) and calcium phosphate (CaP) crystals promotes macrophage M2 polarization, reprogramming of macrophages, and enhanced osteogenesis. After LPS stimulation, the proportion of M2-polarized macrophages in the MS@CaP@MT group was 39.2 ± 2.7%, significantly higher than that in other groups (P < 0.05). Further, in the MS@CaP@MT group, rats exhibited bone mineral densities of 129.4 ± 12.8 mg cc-1 at 2 weeks and 171.6 ± 13.6 mg cc-1 at 4 weeks in the defect area, which were significantly higher than those in other groups (P < 0.05). Using an animal model of femoral condylar defects, we demonstrated that MT PLLA porous microspheres loaded with calcium phosphate crystals can improve the immune microenvironment and form a microsphere-centered osteogenesis model. This significantly accelerates bone defect repair and provides a potential strategy for bone defect treatment.

Intensive Ambulance-Delivered Blood-Pressure Reduction in Hyperacute Stroke.

BACKGROUND: Treatment of acute stroke, before a distinction can be made between ischemic and hemorrhagic types, is challenging. Whether very early blood-pressure control in the ambulance improves outcomes among patients with undifferentiated acute stroke is uncertain. METHODS: We randomly assigned patients with suspected acute stroke that caused a motor deficit and with elevated systolic blood pressure (≥150 mm Hg), who were assessed in the ambulance within 2 hours after the onset of symptoms, to receive immediate treatment to lower the systolic blood pressure (target range, 130 to 140 mm Hg) (intervention group) or usual blood-pressure management (usual-care group). The primary efficacy outcome was functional status as assessed by the score on the modified Rankin scale (range, 0 [no symptoms] to 6 [death]) at 90 days after randomization. The primary safety outcome was any serious adverse event. RESULTS: A total of 2404 patients (mean age, 70 years) in China underwent randomization and provided consent for the trial: 1205 in the intervention group and 1199 in the usual-care group. The median time between symptom onset and randomization was 61 minutes (interquartile range, 41 to 93), and the mean blood pressure at randomization was 178/98 mm Hg. Stroke was subsequently confirmed by imaging in 2240 patients, of whom 1041 (46.5%) had a hemorrhagic stroke. At the time of patients' arrival at the hospital, the mean systolic blood pressure in the intervention group was 159 mm Hg, as compared with 170 mm Hg in the usual-care group. Overall, there was no difference in functional outcome between the two groups (common odds ratio, 1.00; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.87 to 1.15), and the incidence of serious adverse events was similar in the two groups. Prehospital reduction of blood pressure was associated with a decrease in the odds of a poor functional outcome among patients with hemorrhagic stroke (common odds ratio, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.60 to 0.92) but an increase among patients with cerebral ischemia (common odds ratio, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.06 to 1.60). CONCLUSIONS: In this trial, prehospital blood-pressure reduction did not improve functional outcomes in a cohort of patients with undifferentiated acute stroke, of whom 46.5% subsequently received a diagnosis of hemorrhagic stroke. (Funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia and others; INTERACT4 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03790800; Chinese Trial Registry number, ChiCTR1900020534.).

RASGRP1 targeted by H3K27me3 regulates myoblast proliferation and differentiation in mice and pigs.

Skeletal muscle is not only the largest organ in the body that is responsible for locomotion and exercise but also crucial for maintaining the body's energy metabolism and endocrine secretion. The trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27me3) is one of the most important histone modifications that participates in muscle development regulation by repressing the transcription of genes. Previous studies indicate that the RASGRP1 gene is regulated by H3K27me3 in embryonic muscle development in pigs, but its function and regulatory role in myogenesis are still unclear. In this study, we verify the crucial role of H3K27me3 in RASGRP1 regulation. The gain/loss function of RASGRP1 in myogenesis regulation is performed using mouse myoblast C2C12 cells and primarily isolated porcine skeletal muscle satellite cells (PSCs). The results of qPCR, western blot analysis, EdU staining, CCK-8 assay and immunofluorescence staining show that overexpression of RASGRP1 promotes cell proliferation and differentiation in both skeletal muscle cell models, while knockdown of RASGRP1 leads to the opposite results. These findings indicate that RASGRP1 plays an important regulatory role in myogenesis in both mice and pigs.

Ligand-Screened Cerium-Based MOF Microcapsules Promote Nerve Regeneration via Mitochondrial Energy Supply.

Although mitochondria are crucial for recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI), therapeutic strategies to modulate mitochondrial metabolic energy to coordinate the immune response and nerve regeneration are lacking. Here, a ligand-screened cerium-based metal-organic framework (MOF) with better ROS scavenging and drug-loading abilities is encapsulated with polydopamine after loading creatine to obtain microcapsules (Cr/Ce@PDA nanoparticles), which reverse the energy deficits in both macrophages and neuronal cells by combining ROS scavenging and energy supplementation. It reprogrames inflammatory macrophages to the proregenerative phenotype via the succinate/HIF-1α/IL-1ß signaling axis. It also promotes the regeneration and differentiation of neural cells by activating the mTOR pathway and paracrine function of macrophages. In vivo experiments further confirm the effect of the microcapsules in regulating early ROS-inflammation positive-feedback chain reactions and continuously promoting nerve regeneration. This study provides a new strategy for correcting mitochondrial energy deficiency in the immune response and nerve regeneration following SCI.

The impact of climate change and human activities on the change in the net primary productivity of vegetation-taking Sichuan Province as an example.

Vegetation is an essential component of terrestrial ecosystems, influenced by climate change and human activities. Quantifying the relative contributions of climate change and human activities to vegetation dynamics is crucial for addressing global climate change. Sichuan Province is one of the essential ecological functional areas in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, and its vegetation change is of great significance to the environmental function and ecological security of the Yangtze River Basin and southwest China. In this paper, the modified Carnegie-Ames-Stanford Approach(CASA) model was used to estimate the monthly NPP (Net Primary Productivity) of vegetation in Sichuan Province from 2000 to 2018, and the univariate linear regression analysis was used to analyze the temporal and spatial variation of vegetation NPP in Sichuan Province from 2000 to 2018. In addition, taking vegetation NPP as an index, Pearson correlation analysis, partial correlation analysis, and second-order partial correlation analysis were carried out to quantitatively analyze the contribution of climate change and human activities to vegetation NPP. Finally, the Hurst index and nonparametric Man-Kendall significance test were used to predict the future change trend of vegetation NPP in Sichuan Province. The results show that (1) from 2000 to 2018, the NPP of vegetation in Sichuan Province has a significant increasing trend (Slope = 6.09gC·m-2·a-1), with a multi-year average of 438.72 gC·m-2·a-1, showing a trend of low in the east and high in the middle. The response of vegetation NPP to altitude is different at different elevations; (2) the contribution rates of climate change and human activities to vegetation NPP change are 4.12gC·m-2·a-1 and 1.97gC·m-2·a-1, respectively. In contrast, the impact of human activities on NPP is more significant than climate change. Human activities are the main factors affecting vegetation restoration and degradation in Sichuan Province. However, the positive contribution to NPP change is less than climate change; (3) the future vegetation NPP change trend in Sichuan Province is mainly rising, and the same direction change trend is much larger than the reverse change trend. The areas with an increasing trend in the future account for 89.187% of the total area. This research helps understand the impact of climate change and human activities on vegetation change in Sichuan Province. It offers scientific bases for vegetation restoration and ecosystem management in Sichuan and the surrounding areas.

The Preparation, Structural Design, and Application of Electroactive Poly(vinylidene fluoride)-Based Materials for Wearable Sensors and Human Energy Harvesters.

Owing to their biocompatibility, chemical stability, film-forming ability, cost-effectiveness, and excellent electroactive properties, poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and PVDF-based polymers are widely used in sensors, actuators, energy harvesters, etc. In this review, the recent research progress on the PVDF phase structures and identification of different phases is outlined. Several approaches for obtaining the electroactive phase of PVDF and preparing PVDF-based nanocomposites are described. Furthermore, the potential applications of these materials in wearable sensors and human energy harvesters are discussed. Finally, some challenges and perspectives for improving the properties and boosting the applications of these materials are presented.

Eating behavior-mediated association between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and body fat mass.

Background: Adverse eating behaviors and a high rate of obesity have been identified among children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In this study, we investigate the relationships between eating behaviors and body fat mass among children with ADHD. Methods: All participants were recruited from the Children's Health Care Department of the Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from June 2019 to June 2020. ADHD was diagnosed according to the diagnostic criteria of the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) by psychiatrists. Core ADHD symptoms defined by the DSM-5 were inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity. The anthropomorphic indices defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) were utilized in this study (body mass index [BMI], underweight, normal body mass, overweight, obesity, short stature). Body fat mass, fat mass percentage (FM%), skeletal muscle mass, skeletal muscle mass percentage (SMM%) were tested via body composition meter, and eating behaviors were assessed by parents using the Chinese version of the Children's Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ). The CEBQ was comprised of subscales related to food avoidant behaviors (satiety responsiveness, slowness in eating, fussiness, and emotional undereating) and food approach behaviors (food responsiveness, enjoyment of Food, desire to drink, and emotional overeating). The associations among ADHD, obesity and adverse eating behavior were tested through correlation analysis, and a mediating effect model was established to explore the effect of eating behaviors. Results: A total of 548 participants aged 4-12 years were recruited. Among them, 396 were diagnosed with ADHD, with the remaining 152 enrolled in a control group. Compared with the control group, the ADHD group had higher incidences of overweight (22.5% vs. 14.5%) and obesity (13.4% vs. 8.6%) (p < 0.05). The ADHD group was more likely to display "slowness in eating" (11.01 ± 3.32 vs. 9.74 ± 2.95), "fussiness" (15.61 ± 3.54 vs. 15.03 ± 2.84), "food responsiveness" (11.96 ± 4.81 vs. 9.88 ± 3.71) and "desire to drink" (8.34 ± 3.46 vs. 6.58 ± 2.72) (p < 0.05). Moreover, The FM% of children with ADHD was positively correlated with inattention (ß = 0.336, 95% CI: 0.001 to 0.673) and "food responsiveness" (ß = 0.509, 95% CI: 0.352 to 0.665) in the multiple linear regression model. The mediation effect model showed that "food responsiveness" accounted for a significant portion (64.2%) of the mediating effect. Conclusion: Children with ADHD had higher prevalence of overweight and obesity. As an important risk factor, food responsiveness may connect core symptoms of ADHD with obesity.

IFI27 is a potential therapeutic target for HIV infection.

BACKGROUND: Therapeutic studies against human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection have become one of the important works in global public health. METHODS: Differential expression analysis was performed between HIV-positive (HIV+) and HIV-negative (HIV-) patients for GPL6947 and GPL10558 of GSE29429. Coexpression analysis of common genes with the same direction of differential expression identified modules. Module genes were subjected to enrichment analysis, Short Time-series Expression Miner (STEM) analysis, and PPI network analysis. The top 100 most connected genes in the PPI network were screened to construct the LASSO model, and AUC values were calculated to identify the key genes. Methylation modification of key genes were identified by the chAMP package. Differences in immune cell infiltration between HIV + and HIV- patients, as well as between antiretroviral therapy (ART) and HIV + patients, were calculated using ssGSEA. RESULTS: We obtained 3610 common genes, clustered into nine coexpression modules. Module genes were significantly enriched in interferon signalling, helper T-cell immunity, and HIF-1-signalling pathways. We screened out module genes with gradual changes in expression with increasing time from HIV enrolment using STEM software. We identified 12 significant genes through LASSO regression analysis, especially proteasome 20S subunit beta 8 (PSMB8) and interferon alpha inducible protein 27 (IFI27). The expression of PSMB8 and IFI27 were then detected by quantitative real-time PCR. Interestingly, IFI27 was also a persistently dysregulated gene identified by STEM. In addition, 10 of the key genes were identified to be modified by methylation. The significantly infiltrated immune cells in HIV + patients were restored after ART, and IFI27 was significantly associated with immune cells. CONCLUSION: The above results provided potential target genes for early diagnosis and treatment of HIV + patients. IFI27 may be associated with the progression of HIV infection and may be a powerful target for immunotherapy.

The Role of Different Matrixin Gene Expressions on Cerebral Bleeding among Patients with Deficiency of Coagulation Factor XIII.

Enzymes of the matrixin family could be seen as a critical determinant in the breakdown of the extracellular matrix, cell membrane, and tissue regeneration and are interned in the process of brain bleeding. On the other hand, coagulation factor XIII deficiency is a sporadic hemorrhagic disease with an estimated prevalence of 1 in 1-2 million people. Cerebral hemorrhage is the leading cause of death in these patients. This study investigated the relationship between the expression of matrix metalloproteinase 9 and 2 genes with cerebral hemorrhage in these patients. For this purpose, in this case-control study, by examining the clinical and general findings of the studied patients, the Q-Real-time RT-PCR method was used to quantitatively examine the mRNA levels of matrix metalloproteinase 9 and 2 in 42 patients with hereditary deficiency of coagulation factor XIII, including two groups with and without a history of cerebral hemorrhage (case and control groups, respectively). A comparative method (2-ΔΔCT) was used to check the expression level of the target genes. The GAPDH gene expression levels were used to standardize the expression of the measured matrix metalloproteinase genes. The results showed that bleeding from the umbilical cord was the most common clinical symptom among all patients. High levels of MMP-9 gene expression were observed in 13 patients of the case group (69.99%) and three patients of the control group (11.9%). which showed a significant difference (CI: 2.77-95.3, P=0.001) Patients with coagulation factor XIII deficiency show a wide range of clinical symptoms crucial in screening and diagnosing this group of patients. Based on the results of this study, it seems that the increased expression of the MMP-9 gene is due to polymorphism or inflammation related to the pathogenesis of cerebral hemorrhage in this category of patients. It may be conceivable to diminish this impact by utilizing MMP-9 inhibitors and offering assistance to diminishes these patients' hospitalization and passing rates.

An updated meta-analysis of partial splenic embolization versus splenectomy in the treatment of hypersplenism due to cirrhosis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of partial splenic embolization (PSE) versus splenectomy (SP) for hypersplenism. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, and Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database (VIP) databases were systematically searched to identify all relevant studies. Stratified meta-analysis was also conducted to control the influence of confounding factors on the research results. RESULTS: Twenty-three studies comparing PSE with SP involving a total of 1849 hypersplenism patients were selected. Postoperative increased level of platelet (PLT) [mean difference (MD) = -65.51; 95% confidence interval (CI), -81.33 to -41.69; p < .00001] were better in SP than in PSE; however, PSE was associated with less operation time (MD = -53.47; 95% CI, -65.01 to -41.94; p < .00001), less intraoperative blood loss (MD = -61.58; 95% CI, -80.35 to -42.82; p < .00001), shorter hospital stay (MD = -2.98;95% CI, -4.07 to -1.88; p < .00001) and lower complication rate [odds ratio (OR) = 0.53; 95% CI, 0.32 to 0.90; p = .02] compared with the SP. Meanwhile, there was no significant difference in postoperative increased level of white blood cells (WBC) (MD = -1.02; 95% CI, -2.16 to 0.11; p = .08) and postoperative increased level of hemoglobin (HB) (MD = -4.09; 95% CI, -14.06 to 5.88; p = .42) between PSE and SP group. CONCLUSION: PSE had similar efficacy with SP in improving postoperative PLT, WBC, and HB levels. Moreover, PSE had the advantages of less trauma and fewer complications as well as faster recovery when compared with SP. Therefore, we tended to be cautious about SP and considered that patients with hypersplenism might benefit more from PSE.

Computed tomography-guided core needle biopsy for lung nodules: low-dose versus standard-dose protocols.

INTRODUCTION: Computed tomography (CT)-guided core needle biopsy (CNB) is an essential step in the management of lung nodules (LNs). Low-dose CT (LDCT)-guided CNB has been used to decrease the radiation exposure. AIM: To evaluate the technical success, safety, diagnostic capacity, and radiation exposure to patients between LDCT-guided and standard-dose CT (SDCT)-guided CNB for LNs. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This is a retrospective, single-centre study. Patients who underwent LDCT-guided or SDCT-guided CNB for LNs from January 2015 to December 2017 were included. Data on technical success, diagnostic performance, complications, and radiation exposure were collected and analysed. RESULTS: A total of 70 and 65 patients underwent LDCT-guided and SDCT-guided CNB procedure, respectively. The technical success rates were 100% in both groups. The diagnostic yield, sensitivity, specificity, and overall diagnostic accuracy in the LDCT and SDCT groups were 71.4% and 67.7% (p = 0.637), 97.8% and 93.2% (p = 0.625), 100%, and 100%, and 98.6% and 95.4% (p = 0.560), respectively. The independent risk factor of diagnostic failure was less sample tissues (p = 0.012; 95% confidence interval: 0.033-0.651). Pneumothorax was found in 9 and 12 patients in the LDCT and SDCT groups, respectively (p = 0.369). Lung haemorrhage was found in 11 and 12 patients in the LDCT and SDCT groups, respectively (p = 0.671). The mean dose-length product was 38.3 ±17.0 mGy · cm and 376.0 ±118.7 mGy · cm in the LDCT and SDCT groups, respectively (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Compared to SDCT, LDCT-guided CNB can provide comparable safety and diagnostic performance for LNs while reducing exposure to radiation.

A stent with radioactive seed strand insertion for inoperable malignant biliary obstruction: A meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to assess the relative clinical effectiveness of stent insertion with or without radioactive seed strand (RSS) insertion in patients suffering from malignant biliary obstruction (MBO). METHODS AND MATERIALS: Relevant articles published as of November 2020 in the Embase, PubMed, and Cochrane Library databases were identified and analyzed. Primary study endpoints for this meta-analysis were stent dysfunction, stent patency, and overall survival (OS), whereas secondary endpoints were rates of clinical success and complications. RevMan v5.3 was used to perform all meta-analyses. RESULTS: In total, there were nine studies incorporating 643 patients (280 and 363 who underwent stent insertion with and without RSS, respectively). No differences were observed between these groups with respect to pooled rates of clinical success (p = 0.25), stent dysfunction (p = 0.47), cholangitis (p = 0.97), cholecystitis (p = 0.95), or pancreatitis (p = 0.66). However, stent patency duration (p < 0.00001) and patients' OS (p < 0.00001) were significantly increased in patients in the stent + RSS group. No heterogeneity was detected for any of these endpoints, nor did funnel plots yield any publication bias. A subgroup analysis of patients with hilar MBO similarly exhibited stent + RSS insertion to be associated with longer stent patency and OS as compared with stent insertion alone. CONCLUSIONS: These findings showed that relative to stent insertion, stent + RSS insertion is associated with longer OS and stent patency in patients with inoperable MBO.

Degradation kinetics and mechanism of 3-Chlorobenzoic acid in anoxic water environment using graphene/TiO2 as photocatalyst.

Degradation kinetics and mechanism of 3-Chlorobenzoic acid (3-CBA) in anoxic water environment using graphene/TiO2 (GR/TiO2) as photocatalyst had been investigated. The effects of various parameters such as catalyst dosage, pH, initial concentration, catalyst reuse and dissolved oxygen (DO) on 3-CBA photocatalytic degradation kinetics were studied. The qualitative and quantitative analysis for degradation intermediate products and parent compound were studied by using HPLC, HPLC/MS/MS and IC technologies. The results show that the residual concentration of 3-CBA has a good linear relationship and its correlation coefficient R 2 are all greater than 0.985 by Langmuir-Hinshelwood (L-H) dynamic model under different photocatalytic degradation conditions. Some oxidative degradation products such as 3-chlorophenol, resorcinol, and hydroxyquinol are generated, and some reductive degradation products such as 3-chlorobenzaldehyde, 3-hydroxybenzaldehyde, 3-hydroxybenzyl alcohol, and cyclohexanediol are produced, and part of 3-CBA are mineralized to generate CO2 when DO is in the range of 0.5-1.0 mg/L; When DO is less than 0.28 mg/L, photocatalytic reduction mainly occurs. The results provide a theoretical basis for photocatalytic in situ remediation of pollutants in anoxic water environment.

Structured-light modulation analysis technique for contamination and defect detection of specular surfaces and transparent objects.

With the rapid development of electronic industry, higher and higher requirements are placed on the surface quality of optical components in electronic devices. Structured-Light Modulation Analysis Technique (SMAT) was recently proposed to detect the contamination and defects on specular surfaces. In this paper, the proposed mechanisms and mathematical models of SMAT are analyzed and established based on the theory of photometry and the optical characteristics of contamination and defects for the first time. What's more, a novel transmission system adopting SMAT is especially designed for the defect detection of transparent objects. For both reflection and transmission system, simulations and experiments were conducted, and comparative studies with uniform planar illumination were also carried out. Simulations on the influence of incident light source region showed that SMAT can eliminate the interference of ambient light while uniform planar illumination technique cannot. Experiments on samples with specular surface and transparent material demonstrated that the modulation values at the contamination and defects are much less than that at clean and intact place, and defects and contaminations were clearly distinguished based on SMAT, while they were almost indiscernible with uniform planar illumination. Therefore, SMAT can be applied to the whole-field inspection of optical components in industrial environments.

Surgical Techniques and Long-Term Outcomes of Flexible Neuroendoscopic Aqueductoplasty and Stenting in Infants with Obstructive Hydrocephalus: A Single-Center Study.

OBJECTIVE: To technically review and explore long-term follow-up results of aqueductoplasty and stenting under flexible neuroendoscopy in infantile obstructive hydrocephalus. METHODS: The clinical data, surgical techniques, and long-term effects in 14 infants with obstructive hydrocephalus treated by flexible neuroendoscopic aqueductoplasty and stenting between 2008 and 2010 were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: The 14 infants had a mean age of 5.71 ± 3.10 months (range, 2-11 months) and a mean duration of follow-up of 62.64 ± 34.52 months (range, 9-121 months). Subdural effusion was observed in 4 infants (28.6%) after surgery. There were no deaths or serious complications related to intracranial stent placement. Three infants (21.4%) failed, 2 due to proximal aqueduct occlusion from a short stent length and 1 due to intraluminal ependymal adhesion obstruction. One case was abandoned when a second surgical adjustment stent was unsuccessful, and the other 2 cases went to shunt surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Aqueductoplasty with stenting is a feasible and safe surgical procedure for treating infants with midbrain aqueduct stenosis or occlusion. However, the optimal stent material and definitive outcomes after this procedure require additional long-term follow-up studies in large numbers of infants.

Overexpression of ADAMTS-2 in tumor cells and stroma is predictive of poor clinical prognosis in gastric cancer.

ADAMTS-2 is a member of the ADAMTS family and is a procollagen N-proteinase. The objective of our research is to explore the prognostic significance of ADAMTS-2 in gastric carcinoma. A total of 655 samples with full clinicopathological data were investigated in this study. Tissue microarray immunohistochemistry analysis was used to analyze the relationship between clinicopathological characteristics and ADAMTS-2 expression. Oncomine and Kaplan-Meier plotters were performed for the relationship analysis between prognosis and ADAMTS-2 expression in patients with gastric cancer. Compared with that of normal tissues, the ADAMTS-2 protein expression was remarkably higher in gastric cancer cells and fibroblast cells. The results of univariate analysis indicated that the expression of ADAMTS-2 in tumor cells and fibroblast cells, Laurén classification, TNM grade, and carcinoembryonic antigen level in gastric cancer were all correlated with overall survival. The results of multivariate analysis indicated that the high expression of ADAMTS-2 in gastric cancer cells and fibroblast cells both were independent prognostic factors. Therefore, ADAMTS-2 may be a potential biomarker for assessing the prognosis of gastric carcinoma.

Migration and Transformation Characteristics of Niclosamide in a Soil-Plant System.

The molluscicide niclosamide is found in most of the wetlands of China. The migration and transformation pathways, and degradation kinetics of niclosamide in the plant-soil system was analyzed by with the use of potting experiment. Experimental results showed that degradation of niclosamide in rhizosphere soil fit the first-order kinetics, and microorganisms played an important role in the degradation of niclosamide. It was found that niclosamide degrades to form a series of aromatic intermediate products both in soil and plants. Niclosamide could be absorbed from soil to plant by the root and then migrate to the stem. At an initial concentration of niclosamide of 2.11 mg·kg-1 in soil, the maximum residue of niclosamide in Artemisia somai aerial was 2.47 mg·kg-1 after 10 days of cultivation. This value is close to the pollution maximum residue limit (3 mg·kg-1) in rice, and niclosamide and its intermediates can remain about 43 days in plants. The experimental results demonstrate that the use of niclosamide in wetlands would have some risk in edible plants and was harmful for human health.