Fast algorithm of single frequency-swept interferometry for the dynamic axial clearance measurement of high-speed rotating machinery.

Utilizing the periodicity of the rotating machinery, dynamic clearance measurement can be achieved with a single swept light source without any additional auxiliary devices, which has the advantages of simplicity and reliability. However, there is a shortcoming that previous algorithm is not fast enough to achieve real-time measurement when the machinery rotates at high speed. Aiming at this shortcoming, utilizing the correlation between mimic signal and measurement signal, combined with information for multiple periods, the fast algorithms and dynamic clearance corrected model were proposed. And the relationship between demodulation speed and cycle numbers was also discussed. Simulation was carried out to discuss the influence of different algorithm on the demodulation speed and accuracy. A test system was set up in the simulated environment for clearance measurement, and the results show that, the demodulation time of the proposed algorithm costs decreased dramatically, the speed has increased by about ten times, and the dynamic clearance measurement error is less than 2 µm.

Simultaneous Minimally Invasive Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting and Lung Resection.

BACKGROUND: The best surgical treatment strategy for coexisting coronary artery disease (CAD) and lung cancer (LC) remains controversial. This study analyzed the safety and efficacy of a simultaneous minimally invasive procedure for patients with CAD and LC. METHODS: Patients who underwent simultaneous minimally invasive off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting and lung resection from January 2016 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The procedure was performed in the fourth intercostal space through a small left anterolateral minithoracotomy. Harvesting of the left internal mammary artery (LIMA) and sewing of the anastomoses were performed under direct vision. Lung resections were performed with or without the assistance of a thoracoscope. RESULTS: Sixteen patients were included with a mean age of 67.13 ± 10.61 years. Procedural success occurred in all patients with a mean operative time of 366.88 ± 94.48 minutes. All patients received at least one coronary artery bypass LIMA graft. Pneumonectomy, lobectomy, segment resection, and wedge resection were performed in one (6.25%), eight (50%), two (12.5%), and five (31.25%) patients, respectively. There were no perioperative deaths or new myocardial infarctions. Complications included one case of postoperative bleeding, two lung infections, two cases of atelectasis, one case of pleural effusion, and one case of cardiac arrhythmia. All the patients were followed up for 1 to 57 months, cancer recurrence occurred in two patients, and one patient died. The remaining patients showed no evidence of tumor recurrence or myocardial infarction. CONCLUSION: This simultaneous minimally invasive procedure is safe and effective for selected patients with CAD and LC.

Application value of overlap guiding tube (OGT) in assisting overlap esophagojejunostomy during laparoscopic total gastrectomy for gastric/gastroesophageal junction (G/GEJ) tumors.

BACKGROUND: The overlap guiding tube (OGT) method, which was designed by our team to assist in overlap esophagojejunostomy, could potentially provide new perspectives for esophagojejunostomy. The application of the OGT-assisted method was first explored by our team and has not yet been reported. METHODS: This cohort study analyzed the 3 month outcomes of 38 gastric/gastroesophageal junction (G/GEJ) tumor patients who underwent OGT-assisted overlap esophagojejunostomy. RESULTS: There were 27 males and 11 females, aged 40-82 years. All patients underwent surgery successfully. The success rate of inserting anvil fork into esophageal lumen at first attempt was 97.4%. The total operation time, esophagojejunostomy time, volume of intraoperative blood loss, and length of surgical incision were 317.6 ± 51.5 min, 20.8 ± 3.8 min, 50.0 (range 15.0-200.0) ml, and 5.0 (range 4.0-8.0) cm, respectively. No procedures were converted to other laparoscopic anastomosis techniques or open approaches. The time to postoperative initial flatus, liquid diet intake, soft diet intake, and length of postoperative hospital stay were 3.0 (range 1.0-6.0) days, 4.0 (range 2.0-9.0)days, 6.0 (range 3.0-11.0) days, and 8.5 (range 6.0-16.0) days, respectively. Overall, postoperative complications were observed in 8 (21.1%) patients. Among them, one patients developed esophagojejunal anastomotic leakage. After 3 months of follow-up, none of the patients developed anastomotic stenosis or experienced unplanned secondary surgery or perioperative death. CONCLUSIONS: OGT-assisted overlap esophagojejunostomy for patients with G/GEJ tumors is safe and feasible, with good short-term effects. OGT method has a satisfactory success rate of inserting anvil fork into esophageal lumen at first attempt and could prevent from developing esophageal submucosa pseudocanals.

Nicorandil, an ATP-sensitive potassium channel activation, attenuates myocardial injury in rats with ischemic cardiomyopathy.

Ischemic cardiomyopathy is a common but underestimated cause of heart failure. This study investigated the myocardial-protective effects of nicorandil on rats with ischemic cardiomyopathy. In the present study, ischemic cardiomyopathy rats model were used to evaluate the effects of nicorandil. Cardiac ultrasonography was employed to examine the changes of heart structure and heart function. Electron microscopy was employed to observe the changes of pathological ultrastructure of the myocardium. Western blot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were employed to detect protein levels and Mitochondrial Ca2+ concentration. The heart color ultrasound and myocardial pathology of the rats in the nicorandil group were improved significantly, the mitochondrial Ca2+ concentration was decreased, the expressions of MFN-1, OPA-1, and Bcl were increased, and the expressions of the mitochondrial mitotic proteins DRP-1, VDAC1, CytC, and Bax were decreased in ICM rats' heart treatment with nicorandil, compared with ICM rats. Nicorandil can reduce myocardial pathological damage in ICM rats, which may be caused by promoting the opening of mitochondrial ATP-sensitive potassium channel and inducing the changes of mitochondrial dynamics to induce the reduction of myocardial cell apoptosis.

[Research progress on muscle spindle morphology].

Muscle spindle is the key proprioceptor in skeletal muscles and plays important roles in many physiological activities, such as maintaining posture, regulating movement and controlling speed variation. It has significant clinical relevance and is emerging as a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of motor functional impairment and metabolic diseases. In this review, we summarized muscle spindle distribution and the mechanism of mechanical signal transmission, and reviewed the research progress on morphological and structural characteristics of muscle spindles.

Effect of Different Bone Grafting Materials and Mesenchymal Stem Cells on Bone Regeneration: A Micro-Computed Tomography and Histomorphometric Study in a Rabbit Calvarial Defect Model.

This study evaluated the new bone formation potential of micro-macro biphasic calcium phosphate (MBCP) and Bio-Oss grafting materials with and without dental pulp-derived mesenchymal stem cells (DPSCs) and bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) in a rabbit calvarial bone defect model. The surface structure of the grafting materials was evaluated using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The multipotent differentiation characteristics of the DPSCs and BMSCs were assessed. Four circular bone defects were created in the calvarium of 24 rabbits and randomly allocated to eight experimental groups: empty control, MBCP, MBCP+DPSCs, MBCP+BMSCs, Bio-Oss+DPSCs, Bio-Oss+BMSCs, and autogenous bone. A three-dimensional analysis of the new bone formation was performed using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) and a histological study after 2, 4, and 8 weeks of healing. Homogenously porous structures were observed in both grafting materials. The BMSCs revealed higher osteogenic differentiation capacities, whereas the DPSCs exhibited higher colony-forming units. The micro-CT and histological analysis findings for the new bone formation were consistent. In general, the empty control showed the lowest bone regeneration capacity throughout the experimental period. By contrast, the percentage of new bone formation was the highest in the autogenous bone group after 2 (39.4% ± 4.7%) and 4 weeks (49.7% ± 1.5%) of healing (p < 0.05). MBCP and Bio-Oss could provide osteoconductive support and prevent the collapse of the defect space for new bone formation. In addition, more osteoblastic cells lining the surface of the newly formed bone and bone grafting materials were observed after incorporating the DPSCs and BMSCs. After 8 weeks of healing, the autogenous bone group (54.9% ± 6.1%) showed a higher percentage of new bone formation than the empty control (35.3% ± 0.5%), MBCP (38.3% ± 6.0%), MBCP+DPSC (39.8% ± 5.7%), Bio-Oss (41.3% ± 3.5%), and Bio-Oss+DPSC (42.1% ± 2.7%) groups. Nevertheless, the percentage of new bone formation did not significantly differ between the MBCP+BMSC (47.2% ± 8.3%) and Bio-Oss+BMSC (51.2% ± 9.9%) groups and the autogenous bone group. Our study results demonstrated that autogenous bone is the gold standard. Both the DPSCs and BMSCs enhanced the osteoconductive capacities of MBCP and Bio-Oss. In addition, the efficiency of the BMSCs combined with MBCP and Bio-Oss was comparable to that of the autogenous bone after 8 weeks of healing. These findings provide effective strategies for the improvement of biomaterials and MSC-based bone tissue regeneration.

Simultaneous retrieval of particle size and refractive index by extended interferometric particle imaging technique.

A method is presented for simultaneously inferring both the refractive index and the size of a particle with extended interferometric particle imaging technique. The optical system of extended IPI with opposite two-sheet illumination at dual scattering angles is laid out for the experiment. The size of a particle is evaluated by the interference fringe recorded at the scattering angle of 90°, which is from the two reflected lights with two counter-propagating sheet illuminations. And then the refractive index is calculated by the fringe pattern recorded in the side scattering angle region with one of two-sheet illumination when combined with droplet size determined. Experiments on the polystyrene microsphere and water droplet suggest that the method presented herein is promising for many relevant applications, such as fuel combustion and environmental monitoring, in accurately measuring both the particle size and its refractive index.

Synthesis and carbothermal nitridation mechanism of ultra-long single crystal α-Si3N4 nanobelts.

One-dimensional Si3N4 nanostructures are desirable for constructing nanoscale electric and optoelectronic devices due to their peculiar morphologies. Herein, a facile and environmentally friendly catalyst-free method is proposed to synthesize ultra-long single crystal α-Si3N4 nanobelts via carbothermal nitridation of carbon nanotubes at 1750 °C. The obtained α-Si3N4 nanobelts with a flat surface (thickness of ∼150 nm, length of several millimeters) exhibited an extremely high aspect ratio, perfect crystal structure, and high specific surface area of 7.34-10.09 m2 g-1. In addition, the width was increased from approximately 80 nm to 8 µm by increasing the holding time from 1 to 3 h. The nanobelt formation was governed by the vapor-solid (VS) reaction between SiO vapor, N2 and carbon nanotubes, and the vapor-vapor reaction between SiO, CO and N2. The former was responsible for the initial nucleation and successive base-growth of α-Si3N4 nanotubes. The latter additionally contributed to the nanorod and subsequent proto-nanobelt formation and to the growth of the nanobelts. During high-temperature annealing at 1750 °C, the original Si3N4 nanotubes gradually transformed into nanorods, and, finally, nanobelts with stable shapes as a result of surface energy minimization.

Quantizing nanolaminates as versatile materials for optical interference coatings.

In this paper, the theoretical foundation of quantizing nanolaminates is explained, and the dependence of the optical band gap on quantum-well thickness is demonstrated. The production is investigated by applying molecular dynamics growth simulation and by correlating the results with layers deposited by ion beam sputtering and atomic layer deposition. The properties of manufactured nanolaminates are then compared to the theoretical behavior, and good agreement is found.

[Influence of early bolting on anatomical structure and coumarins of Peucedanum praeruptorum].

To explore the effects of early bolting on the quality of Peucedanum praeruptorum, the anatomical structures of P. praeruptorum root between bolting and no-bolting were investigated by paraffin section method, and contents of praeruptorin A, praeruptorin B, praeruptorin E, bergapten were determined by HPLC, then the differences and inter-relations were studied by comparative analysis method. The results showed that there existed great influences of early bolting on the root anatomical structures and coumarins content of P. praeruptorum.(1)The area of pericyclic parenchyma tissue and secondary phloem in P. praeruptorum without bolting are large, and have higher content of coumarins.(2) The areas of secondary phloem in bolting P. praeruptorum are large, and have lot of vessels and wood fiber, and the content of coumarins is low.(3)There are significant different of coumarins contents in P. praeruptorum with and without bolting, in their main root(MR),outside the vascular cambium(PP), inside the vascular cambium(PX), and the leaf(LF) parts, and the total content of coumarins was PP>MR>LF>PX. Accordingly, the root anatomical structure and active component of P. praeruptorum were changed after early bolting, which have an important influence on the quality of Peucedani Radix.

Simulation of the microstructural characteristics of saltwater turbulence in a water tank.

This study simulated the generation and evolution of saltwater turbulence within a water tank. By pouring fresh water over saltwater in the tank, a layer of saline water with a fixed gradient was created. Convective turbulence was then formed by heating the bottom of the tank. The temperatures at different heights were measured using eight thermocouples; thus, the average temperatures and temperature fluctuations at different heights were calculated. The salinity profile was obtained by moving a conductivity probe up and down to measure the conductivity. Two-dimensional light intensity grayscale images were recorded after transmitting a collimated laser beam through the water tank, after which the normalized variance and power spectra of the light intensity fluctuations at different heights were calculated. The results showed that the saltwater in the tank could be divided by height into two layers, namely, the mixed layer and entrainment zone, according to the profiles of the average temperature and average salinity under the experimental conditions. Different portions of the images showed different characteristics. The part corresponding to the saltwater mixed layer was similar to that corresponding to the mixed layer in the fresh water experiment. However, a two-peak structure was observed in the curve of the normalized light intensity spectrum calculated from the grayscale values in the part corresponding to the bottom of the entrainment zone, whereas a two-peak structure was not found in the light intensity fluctuation spectrum corresponding to the mixed layer. According to the refractive index fluctuation spectrum model, one peak was due to temperature fluctuations, and the other peak was due to salinity fluctuations. It can be concluded that the salinity contribution to the refractive index fluctuation in the entrainment zone was larger than that in the mixed layer. Moreover, spectral analysis showed that in the saltwater, the inner scale of turbulent temperature fluctuation was approximately 1.9 mm, while the inner scale of turbulent salinity fluctuation was approximately 0.1 mm. These findings will be helpful for us to understand the microstructural characteristics of seawater turbulence and guide the implementation of optical transmission experiments in seawater.

Are drowned donors marginal donors? A single pediatric center experience.

Drowning, a common cause of death in the pediatric population, is a potentially large donor pool for OLT. Anecdotally, transplant centers have deemed these organs high risk over concerns for infection and graft dysfunction. We theorized drowned donor liver allografts do not portend worse outcomes and therefore should not be excluded from the donation pool. We reviewed our single-center experience of pediatric OLTs between 1988 and 2015 and identified 33 drowned donor recipients. These OLTs were matched 1:2 to head trauma donor OLTs from our center. A chart review assessed postoperative peak AST and ALT, incidence of HAT, graft and recipient survival. Recipient survival at one year between patients with drowned donor vs head trauma donor allografts was not statistically significant (94% vs 97%, P=.63). HAT incidence was 6.1% in the drowned donor group vs 7.6% in the control group (P=.78). Mean postoperative peak AST and ALT was 683 U/L and 450 U/L for drowned donors vs 1119 U/L and 828 U/L in the matched cohort. These results suggest drowned donor liver allografts do not portend worse outcomes in comparison with those procured from head trauma donors.

Mung bean decreases plasma cholesterol by up-regulation of CYP7A1.

Our results affirmed that supplementation of 1 or 2% mung bean could decrease plasma total cholesterol and triacylglycerol level. Mung bean increased mRNA 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A reductase. Most importantly, mung bean increased not only the protein level of cholesterol-7α-hydroxylase (CYP7A1) but also mRNA CYP7A1. It was concluded that the hypocholesterolemic activity of mung bean was most probable mediated by enhancement of bile acid excretion and up-regulation of CYP7A1.

3D-printed near-infrared-light-responsive on-demand drug-delivery scaffold for bone regeneration.

Although several bioactive 3D-printed bone scaffolds loaded with multiple kinds of biomolecules for enhanced bone regeneration have been recently developed, the manipulation of on-demand release profiles of different biomolecules during bone regeneration remains challenging. Herein, a 3D-printed dual-drug-loaded biomimetic scaffold to regulate the host stem cell recruitment and osteogenic differentiation in a two-stage process for bone regeneration was successfully fabricated. First, a chemotactic small-molecule drug, namely, simvastatin (SIM) was directly incorporated into the hydroxyapatite/collagen bioink for printing and could be rapidly released during the early stage of bone regeneration. Further, near-infrared (NIR)-light-responsive polydopamine-coated hydroxyapatite nanoparticles were designed to deliver the osteogenic drug, i.e., pargyline (PGL) in a controllable manner. Together, our scaffold displayed an on-demand sequential release of those two drugs and could optimize their therapeutic effects to align with the stem cell recruitment and osteoblastic differentiation, thereby promoting bone regeneration. The results confirmed the suitable mechanical strength, high photothermal conversion efficiency, good biocompatibility of our scaffold. The scaffold loaded with SIM could efficiently accelerate the migration of stem cells. In addition, the scaffold with on-demand sequential release promoted alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, significantly upregulated gene expression levels of osteogenesis-related markers, and enhanced new-bone-formation capabilities in rabbit cranial defect models. Altogether, this scaffold not only offers a promising strategy to control the behavior of stem cells during bone regeneration but also provides an efficient strategy for controllable sequential release of different biomolecule in bone tissue engineering.

A posterolateral approach to occipitoatlantoaxial ventral lesions: a report of the long-term follow-up of 23 cases.

STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective study of consecutive patient series. OBJECTIVES: To report a technique of odontoidectomy using a transoccipitocervical posterolateral approach for occipitoatlantoaxial ventral lesions in a long-term follow-up study. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Occipitoatlantoaxial malformation and old traumatic dislocation usually cause compression of the high cervical spinal cord from a variety of different directions and angles, leading to high morbidity. The main objective of treatment is to relieve the anteroposterior compression and to restore the stability of the occipitocervical region. Currently, there are 2 approaches to perform the surgical procedure: (1) posterior decompression by suboccipital and occipitocervical fusion and internal fixation; and (2) decompression by a transoral approach to an odontoid resection. However, there are some short points, which need to be changed, such as the incomplete decompression (the former), narrow view, cerebrospinal fluid leakage, and the high infection rates. METHODS: From 1999 to 2006, 23 patients with occipitoatlantoaxial ventral lesions were treated using a transoccipitocervical posterolateral approach for decompression. The procedure included an expansion of the foramen magnum, a resection of the posterior arch of atlas, a lateral occipitocervical epidural exposure to the odontoid and the C2 vertebra, and an excision of the odontoid. Thus, an anteroposterior decompression and occipitocervical spinal fusion was achieved. Neurological function, daily living ability, and the work ability of patients were assessed in a follow-up study. RESULTS: A 28-year-old woman died of respiratory and circulatory failure 10 hours after operation. The remaining patients survived without postoperative infection. The neurological injury in 17 patients did not deteriorate, whereas 5 patients had decreased sensation in the upper limbs, and the elbow flexor muscle strength in 2 patients declined by 1 grade on the operation side. Short-term follow-up (3-6 mo, 22 cases) indicated that 19 patients recovered normal sensation with decreased limb muscle tension. Motor function was improved by >1 grade (5 patients with postoperative nerve injury recovered to preoperative levels or better). Long-term follow-up (>4 y) of 15 patients (10 patients by clinic visit and 5 patients by correspondence) indicated that the occipitoatlantoaxial regions were stable without local discomfort or loss of nerve function. Fourteen patients were able to care for themselves and some patients regained their ability to work. One patient felt no significant improvement after surgery and had no improvement in the quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: Transoccipitocervical posterolateral approach to occipitoatlantoaxial ventral lesions provides a broad and sterile operating field to perform anteroposterior decompression and occipitocervical spinal fusion simultaneously. Neurological improvement is significant, and the long-term follow-up results are satisfactory.

Value of Molybdenum Target X-Ray and High-Frequency Color Doppler Flow Imaging in Early Diagnosis of Breast Carcinoma: A Comparative Analysis.

Background: Breast carcinoma (BC) threatens the physical and mental health of women worldwide, and early diagnosis is important for improving patient outcomes and ensuring successful treatment. Purpose: This research mainly aims to compare and analyze the value of molybdenum target X-ray and high-frequency color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI) in the early diagnosis of BC. Methods: First, 102 patients with suspected early-stage BC (ESBC) admitted to Henan Provincial People's Hospital were examined by molybdenum target X-ray and CDFI. Based on the pathological findings, the diagnostic efficiency data of the two diagnostic modalities such as positive detection rate (PDR), positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), sensitivity (SEN), specificity (SPE), and accuracy (ACC), as well as imaging information like masses, microcalcifications (MCs), axillary lymph node (LN) metastases, and blood flow signal or vascular sign abnormalities were analyzed. Results: CDFI contributed to higher PDR, PRV, NPV, SEN, and ACC than molybdenum target X-ray in ESBC diagnosis, but similar SPE. The combined diagnosis of molybdenum target X-ray plus CDFI contributed to even higher PDR, PRV, NPV, SEN, and ACC than molybdenum target X-ray alone and higher ACC than CDFI. Imaging inspection revealed that the number of cases of masses, axillary LN metastases, and abnormalities in blood flow signals or vascular signs detected by CDFI was significantly higher than that by molybdenum target X-ray, while the number of MCs was significantly lower. Conclusion: Molybdenum target X-ray plus CDFI is more effective in the diagnosis of ESBC and plays a complementary role in imaging examination, which can synergistically improve the diagnostic ACC of ESBC and is worthy of clinical promotion.

Blockchain-based medical health record access control scheme with efficient protection mechanism and patient control.

The patient's medical health record (PMHR) has always provided a large amount of research data to medical institutions and pharmaceutical companies, etc., and has contributed to the development in medical research. However, such PMHR data contains the patient's personal privacy and should be shared under the control of the patients, not the hospital where this data is acquired. In order to protect the privacy of PMHR data while realizing efficient data sharing, this paper proposes a blockchain-based sharing and protection scheme. In this solution, the PMHR data are encrypted and stored in a cloud server, which is equipped with an access control scheme implemented as a smart contract on a blockchain. Different from previous works, in order to ensure efficient access and reduce the workload of patients, the types of users who can apply for access are limited to hospitals and pharmaceutical companies. In order to resist the potential Man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack, we have introduced an improved proxy re-encryption scheme to ensure the secrecy of PMHR data while reducing the computational complexity. The whole system is implemented using Solidity and tested on 10 nodes for function verification. Experimental result shows that the proposed system is more efficient than previous systems. Security under the MITM attack is also ensured by security analysis.

Impact of upadacitinib on the risk of digestive events in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: Upadacitinib (UPA), an oral Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor, is an effective treatment option for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but its use has been associated with an increased risk of digestive events. This systematic review aimed to investigate the risk of digestive events in RA patients treated with UPA. Methods: Systematic searches of electronic databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE) from inception to September 2022 were conducted to locate randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared UPA with control treatment and reported digestive events in RA patients. We pooled data using the random-effects model and meta-analysis was conducted by Stata software. Results: Ten RCTs met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed, with a total of 6103 patients. Compared with conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARDs), pooled analysis of 8 trials revealed no statistical difference in hepatic disorder (HD) risk and gastrointestinal (GI) perforation (GIP) risk ((OR = 1.16, 95% CI 0.86 to 1.56, I2 = 0.00%); OR = 4.49, 95% CI 0.56 to 35.93, I2 = 0.00%)). When we considered the influence of UPA on the grade of liver enzymes, the data indicated that grade 3 and 4 elevations in aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were infrequent. Additionally, a dose-dependent impact of UPA on the risks of HD was not observed. The results suggested no interaction by dose of drug, or indication for treatment of GIP risk. Conclusion: Our results showed that RA patients receiving UPA compared with csDMARDs had no significant increased risk associated with digestive events. Further long-term research of emerging data is urgently needed to gain a better understanding of the association between UPA and digestive events in the RA population.