ß-Nitrostyrene derivatives attenuate LPS-mediated acute lung injury via the inhibition of neutrophil-platelet interactions and NET release.

Acute lung injury (ALI) and the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are high-mortality and life-threatening diseases that are associated with neutrophil activation and accumulation within lung tissue. Emerging evidence indicates that neutrophil-platelet aggregates (NPAs) at sites of injury increase acute inflammation and contribute to the development of ALI. Although numerous studies have increased our understanding of the pathophysiology of ALI, there is still a lack of innovative and useful treatments that reduce mortality, emphasizing that there is an urgent need for novel treatment strategies. In this study, a new series of small compounds of ß-nitrostyrene derivatives (BNSDs) were synthesized, and their anti-inflammatory bioactivities on neutrophils and platelets were evaluated. The new small compound C7 modulates neutrophil function by inhibiting superoxide generation and elastase release. Compound C7 elicits protective effects on LPS-induced paw edema and acute lung injury via the inhibition of neutrophil accumulation, proinflammatory mediator release, platelet aggregation, myeloperoxidase activity, and neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) release. NET formation was identified as the bridge for the critical interactions between neutrophils and platelets by confocal microscopy and flow cytometry. This research provides new insights for elucidating the complicated regulation of neutrophils and platelets in ALI and sheds further light on future drug development strategies for ALI/ARDS and acute inflammatory diseases.

Nanometer-Thick Single-Crystal Hexagonal Gd2 O3 on GaN for Advanced Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Technology.

Hexagonal-phase single-crystal Gd2 O3 is deposited on GaN in a molecular beam epitaxy system. The dielectric constant is about twice that of its cubic counterpart when deposited on InGaAs or Si. The capacitive effective thickness of 0.5 nm in hexagonal Gd2 O3 is perhaps the lowest on GaN-metal-oxide-semiconductor devices. The heterostructure is thermo dynamically stable at high temperatures and exhibits low interfacial densities of states after high-temperature annealing.

Posterior Cerebral Artery Pseudoaneurysm, a Rare Complication of Pituitary Tumor Transsphenoidal Surgery: Case Report and Literature Review.

Endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary tumors has been the standard therapy for decades. This approach offers surgeons an effective, safe, and wide exposure to the pituitary gland, with a relatively low mortality rate and acceptable complication rates. However, severe complications, including cerebrospinal fistula, meningitis, neural component injury, and vascular injury, may occur. One of the most common and severe complications is carotid artery injury; however, only 2 posterior cerebral artery injuries with pseudoaneurysm formation have been reported previously. One of them received bypass surgery and recovered well, but the other received endovascular treatment and died of intracranial hypertension. Herein, we report a rare case of iatrogenic pseudoaneurysm formation with hemorrhage after transsphenoidal surgery, in which tumor traction-related adjacent vessel injury was most likely. Aneurysm clipping, vascular bypass, and embolization are considered reasonable choices depending on the patient's condition for iatrogenic aneurysm formation. In our case, no surgical or endovascular intervention was performed, and the aneurysm healed spontaneously 3 weeks later.

Comparison of percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy and open lumbar surgery for adjacent segment degeneration and recurrent disc herniation.

Objective. The goal of the present study was to examine the clinical results of percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD) and open lumbar surgery for patients with adjacent segment degeneration (ASD) and recurrence of disc herniation. Methods. From December 2011 to November 2013, we collected forty-three patients who underwent repeated lumbar surgery. These patients, either received PELD (18 patients) or repeated open lumbar surgery (25 patients), due to ASD or recurrence of disc herniation at L3-4, L4-5, or L5-S1 level, were assigned to different groups according to the surgical approaches. Clinical data were assessed and compared. Results. Mean blood loss was significantly less in the PELD group as compared to the open lumbar surgery group (P < 0.0001). Hospital stay and mean operating time were shorter significantly in the PELD group as compared to the open lumbar surgery group (P < 0.0001). Immediate postoperative pain improvement in VAS was 3.5 in the PELD group and -0.56 in the open lumbar surgery group (P < 0.0001). Conclusion. For ASD and recurrent lumbar disc herniation, PELD had more advantages over open lumbar surgery in terms of reduced blood loss, shorter hospital stay, operating time, fewer complications, and less postoperative discomfort.

Phase transformation of molecular beam epitaxy-grown nanometer-thick Gd2O3 and Y2O3 on GaN.

High quality nanometer-thick Gd2O3 and Y2O3 (rare-earth oxide, R2O3) films have been epitaxially grown on GaN (0001) substrate by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The R2O3 epi-layers exhibit remarkable thermal stability at 1100 °C, uniformity, and highly structural perfection. Structural investigation was carried out by in situ reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) and ex-situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) with synchrotron radiation. In the initial stage of epitaxial growth, the R2O3 layers have a hexagonal phase with the epitaxial relationship of R2O3 (0001)(H)<1120>(H)//GaN(0001)(H)<1120>(H). With the increase in R2O3 film thickness, the structure of the R2O3 films changes from single domain hexagonal phase to monoclinic phase with six different rotational domains, following the R2O3 (201)(M)[020](M)//GaN(0001)(H)<1120>(H) orientational relationship. The structural details and fingerprints of hexagonal and monoclinic phase Gd2O3 films have also been examined by using electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). Approximate 3-4 nm is the critical thickness for the structural phase transition depending on the composing rare earth element.