Numerical Simulation Technologies in Solar-Driven Interfacial Evaporation Processes.

Solar interfacial evaporation technology has the advantages of environmentally conscious and sustainable benefits. Recent research on light absorption, water transportation, and thermal management has improved the evaporation performance of solar interfacial evaporators. However, many studies on photothermal materials and structures only aim to improve performance, neglecting explanations for heat and mass transfer coupling or providing evidence for performance enhancement. Numerical simulation can simulate the diffusion paths and heat and water transfer processes to understand the thermal and mass transfer mechanism, thereby better achieving the design of efficient solar interfacial evaporators. Therefore, this review summarizes the latest exciting findings and tremendous advances in numerical simulation for solar interfacial evaporation. First, it presents a macroscopic summary of the application of simulation in temperature distribution, salt concentration distribution, and vapor flux distribution during evaporation. Second, the utilization of simulation in the microscopic is summed up, specifically focusing on the movement of water molecules and the mechanisms of light responses during evaporation. Finally, all simulation methods have the goal of validating the physical processes in solar interfacial evaporation. It is hoped that the use of numerical simulation can provide theoretical guidance and technical support for the application of solar-driven interfacial evaporation technology.

A Comparative Study of SiO2:Tb3+@Gd2O3:Eu3+ and Its Inverted Tb3+-Eu3+ Core-Shell Phosphors.

How to effectively improve energy transfer efficiency and luminous intensity inspired us to synthesize a series of SiO2:x%Tb3+@Gd2O3:y%Eu3+ samples, study their luminescence properties and interfacial energy transfer (IET), and compare with SiO2:x%Eu3+@Gd2O3:y%Tb3+. The results show that SiO2:x%Tb3+@Gd2O3:y%Eu3+ can exhibit adjustable multicolor luminescence from red to green at different concentrations of Eu3+ and Tb3+ or under different excitation wavelengths, and there exists efficient IET from Tb3+ to Eu3+ in SiO2:x%Tb3+@Gd2O3:y%Eu3+ and SiO2:x%Eu3+@Gd2O3:y%Tb3+, which improves the energy transfer efficiency and luminous intensity. In addition, the luminescence properties are different between SiO2:3%Tb3+@Gd2O3:3%Eu3+ and SiO2:3%Eu3+@Gd2O3:3%Tb3+, and the energy transfer efficiency of Tb3+ → Eu3+ in SiO2:3%Tb3+@Gd2O3:3%Eu3+ is obviously higher than that in SiO2:3%Eu3+@Gd2O3:3%Tb3+. The present study not only developed a kind of multicolor luminescent phosphor but also offered an important new strategy for improving the energy transfer efficiency and luminescent intensity.

Altered Intrinsic Brain Activity in Ischemic Stroke Patients Assessed Using the Percent Amplitude of a Fluctuation Method.

Ischemic stroke is a vascular disease that may cause cognitive and behavioral abnormalities. This study aims to assess abnormal brain function in ischemic stroke patients using the percent amplitude of fluctuation (PerAF) method and further explore the feasibility of PerAF as an imaging biomarker for investigating ischemic stroke pathophysiology mechanisms. Sixteen ischemic stroke patients and 22 healthy controls (HCs) underwent resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scanning, and the resulting data were analyzed using PerAF. Then a correlation analysis was conducted between PerAF values and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores. Finally, the abnormal PerAF values were extracted and defined as features for support vector machine (SVM) analysis. Compared with HCs, ischemic stroke patients showed decreased PerAF in the bilateral cuneus, left middle frontal gyrus, precuneus and right inferior temporal gyrus, and increased PerAF in the bilateral orbital part of middle frontal gyrus and right orbital part of superior frontal gyrus. Correlation analyses revealed that PerAF values in the left orbital part of middle frontal gyrus was negatively correlated with the MoCA scores. The SVM classification of the PerAF values achieved an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.98 and an accuracy of 94.74%. Abnormal brain function has been found among ischemic stroke patients, which may be correlated with visual impairment, attention deficits, and dysregulation of negative emotions following a stroke. Our findings may support the potential of PerAF as a sensitive biomarker for investigating the underlying mechanisms of ischemic stroke.

Small but bright: origin of the enhanced luminescence of ultrasmall ZnGa2O4:Cr3+ in mesoporous silica nanoparticles.

Chromium(III)-doped zinc gallate (CZGO) is one of the representative persistent luminescent phosphors emitting in the near-infrared (NIR) region. The emission wavelength it covers falls in the tissue-transparent window, making CZGO a promising optical probe for various biomedical applications. The PersL mechanism dictates that such a phenomenon is only profound in large crystals, so the preparation of CZGO with sizes small enough for biological applications while maintaining its luminescence remains a challenging task. Recent attempts to use mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) as a template for growing nanosized CZGO have been successful. MSN is also a well-studied drug carrier, and incorporating CZGO in MSN further expands its potential in imaging-guided therapeutics. Despite the interest, it is unclear of how the addition of MSN would affect the luminescence properties of CZGO. In this work, we observed that forming a CZGO@MSN nanocomposite could enhance the luminescence intensity and extend the PersL lifetime of CZGO. X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) analysis was conducted to investigate the local structure of Zn2+, and an interaction between Zn2+ in CZGO and the MSN matrix was identified.

Role of non-canonical post-translational modifications in gastrointestinal tumors.

Post-translational modifications (PTMs) of proteins contribute to the occurrence and development of tumors. Previous studies have suggested that canonical PTMs such as ubiquitination, glycosylation, and phosphorylation are closely implicated in different aspects of gastrointestinal tumors. Recently, emerging evidence showed that non-canonical PTMs play an essential role in the carcinogenesis, metastasis and treatment of gastrointestinal tumors. Therefore, we summarized recent advances in sumoylation, neddylation, isoprenylation, succinylation and other non-canonical PTMs in gastrointestinal tumors, which comprehensively describe the mechanisms and functions of non-classical PTMs in gastrointestinal tumors. It is anticipated that targeting specific PTMs could benefit the treatment as well as improve the prognosis of gastrointestinal tumors.

Electro-acupuncture for health-related quality of life and symptoms in patients with gastric cancer undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy (EAGER): a protocol for a multicenter randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Patients with local gastric cancer experience a decline of Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) during adjuvant chemotherapy following gastrectomy. Our previous pilot study has indicated the potential of acupuncture to improve HRQOL and control cancer-related symptoms burden. This full-scale trial will focus on confirming the effect of acupuncture for patients with gastric cancer. METHODS: A multicenter, open-label, three-arm randomized controlled trial with 249 patients will be conducted in China. Patients will be randomly assigned, in a ratio of 1:1:1, to receive high-dose acupuncture (HA, 7 times each chemo-cycle for 3 cycles), low-dose acupuncture (LA, 3 times each chemo-cycle for 3 cycles), or no acupuncture. The acupoints prescription consisted of bilateral ST36, PC6, SP4, DU20, EX-HN3, and selected Back-shu points. Patients-reported Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Gastric (FACT-Ga) and modified Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (mESAS) during the therapy will be recorded. Area under curve (AUC, 21 days/cycle × 3 cycles) and average trajectory of FACT-Ga and mESAS will be calculated. The primary outcome will be the differences in AUC of the FACT-Ga Trial Outcome Index (TOI) between HA and LA versus control groups. Secondary outcomes include AUCs and average trajectory of other FACT-Ga subscales and mESAS scores. DISCUSSION: This study aims to assess the effect of acupuncture and to compare the difference between LA and HA groups on HRQOL and symptom burden controlling in gastric cancer patients by an adequately powered trial. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (approval number: BF2018-118) with registration at ClinicalTrials.gov (identifier: NCT04360577).

Retracted: Effect of Sham Acupuncture on Chronic Pain: A Bayesian Network Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Along with increasing research on acupuncture for chronic pain, the validity of sham acupuncture (SA) has also been argued. METHODS: Nine databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from the inception dates of the databases to July 5, 2022. With Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods, a Bayesian multiple-treatment network meta-analysis (NMA) with random-effects model was conducted. RESULTS: A total of 62 RCTs with 6,806 patients and four kinds of treatments (real acupuncture [RA], non-acupuncture [NA], penetrative SA [PSA], and non-penetrative SA [NPSA]) were included. The results indicated that both NPSA and PSA were not superior to NA in improving chronic pain (NPSA: mean difference [MD]= -4.77, 95% confidence interval [CI] -11.09 to 1.52; PSA: MD= -4.96, 95% CI -10.38 to 0.48). After NPSA and PSA were combined into the SA group, the weak trend of pain relief from SA was still not statistically significant (MD= -4.91, 95% CI -9.93 to 0.05). NPSA and PSA had similar effects (MD= 0.18, 95% CI -5.45 to 5.81). RA was significantly associated with pain relief, compared with NPSA and PSA (NPSA: MD= -12.03, 95% CI -16.62 to -7.41; PSA: MD= -11.85, 95% CI -15.48 to -8.23). The results were generally consistent regardless of pain phenotype, frequency, duration, acupuncture methods, analgesic intake, or detection bias. CONCLUSION: These results suggested that acupuncture was significantly associated with reduced chronic pain. The two kinds of placebo acupuncture, NPSA and PSA, have similar effects. Both NPSA and PSA, with a weak but not significant effect, are appropriate to be inert placebo controls in RCTs for chronic pain.

Transcriptional suppression of Dicer by HOXB-AS3/EZH2 complex dictates sorafenib resistance and cancer stemness.

Sorafenib is a multikinase inhibitor for the standard treatment of advanced liver cancer patients. However, acquired resistance to sorafenib is responsible for a poor prognosis. Therefore, uncovering the molecular mechanisms underlying sorafenib sensitization can provide biomarkers for sorafenib treatment and improve sorafenib activity in a precise medication. Here, we report that epigenetic suppression of Dicer by the HOXB-AS3/EZH2 complex is responsible for sorafenib resistance. We observed that Dicer expression is inversely correlated with EZH2 levels, HOXB-AS3 expression, sorafenib resistance, and cancer stem cell properties in liver cancer patients. Furthermore, ectopic expression of Dicer induced liver cancer cells resensitization to sorafenib. Mechanistically, we found HOXB-AS3 physically interacts with EZH2 and recruits EZH2 to the Dicer promoter, resulting in epigenetic suppression of Dicer expression. These findings reveal that HOXB-AS3/EZH2 complex-mediated Dicer suppression plays an important role in sorafenib resistance and cancer stemness and provide potential therapeutic strategies for diagnosing and treating liver cancer patients.

Treatment response, risk of relapse and clinical characteristics of Taiwanese patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: The long-term disease course and efficacy of maintenance therapies have rarely been investigated in Asian patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). METHODS: Medical records of patients fulfilling the 2015 International Consensus Diagnostic Criteria for NMOSD at three medical centers in Taiwan were systematically analyzed. Linear regression analysis was performed to investigate factors related to annualized relapse rate (ARR); survival analysis was used to estimate the relapse-free intervals among therapies. RESULTS: A total of 557 relapses affecting 648 regions (202 optic neuritis, 352 acute myelitis, and 94 brain syndromes) in 204 patients were analyzed during a follow-up period of 69.5 months (range, 1-420). Up to 36.1% of myelitis-onset patients and 24.0% of optic neuritis-onset patients exhibited a limited form disease, defined as having one or more relapses confined to the same region. The median ARR was significantly lower in patients with limited form disease than those with relapses involving multiple regions (0.30 vs. 0.47, respectively). An older age at disease onset was associated with a lower ARR (p = 0.023). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the estimated time (months) to next relapse was longest in rituximab-treatment group (58.0 ± 13.2), followed by immunosuppressant (48.5 ± 4.8) or prednisone (29.6 ± 4.6) groups, and shortest in those without maintenance therapy (27.6 ± 4.2) (p = 8.1 × 10-7). CONCLUSION: Limited form disease and older age at disease onset are associated with a lower relapse rate in NMOSD. Compared to no maintenance therapy, rituximab and immunosuppressant significantly reduce the relapse risks.

Effects of surface treatment and shade on the color, translucency, and surface roughness of high-translucency self-glazed zirconia materials.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: The impact of different surface treatments and shades on the color, translucency, and surface roughness of high-translucency self-glazed zirconia materials is unclear. PURPOSE: The purpose of this in vitro study was to investigate the effects of different external surface treatments (self-glazed, milled, polished, and glazed), intaglio surface treatments (milled and airborne-particle abraded), and shades (A1 and A3 shades) on the color, translucency, and surface roughness of high-translucency self-glazed zirconia materials, as well as the correlations among optical parameters, translucency, and surface roughness. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eighty shade A1 and 80 shade A3 disks were fabricated with a thickness of 0.80 ±0.02 mm and divided into 16 groups (n=10). Different external and intaglio surface treatments were applied to the specimens. CIELab values were measured with a spectrophotometer, and color differences (ΔE00) and relative translucency parameter (RTP) were calculated. Total transmittance (Tt%) and reflectance (R%) were tested with a spectrophotometer equipped with an integrating sphere. Surface roughness (Ra and Rz) (µm) was measured with a noncontact 3-dimensional laser scanning microscope. One specimen from each group was subjected to scanning electron microscope (SEM) examination. Data were analyzed with ANOVA and the Tukey post hoc test. The correlation among optical parameters, translucency, and surface roughness was investigated by using Pearson correlation analysis (α=.05). RESULTS: The effects of external surface treatments, intaglio airborne-particle abrasion, and shades on ΔE00, RTP, and Ra values of the disks were significantly different (P<.001). The smoothest external polishing surface had the greatest RTP and color difference (P<.001). Shade A3 disks had lower RTP and Tt% values than shade A1 disks (P<.001). ΔE00 had a highly positive relationship with the RTP (A1: r=0.884, P<.001; A3: r=0.859, P<.001). SEM images demonstrated that surface treatments affected the surface texture of monolithic zirconia ceramics. CONCLUSIONS: Different surface treatments affected the surface roughness, translucency, and final color of zirconia materials. The smoothest external polishing surface had the greatest RTP and color difference. Different shades influenced the translucency, as the darker the disk shade, the lower the translucency. The RTP was appropriate as an auxiliary indicator for evaluating the color of a dental ceramic.

Comparative efficacy and safety of first-line treatments for advanced non-small cell lung cancer with ALK-rearranged: a meta-analysis of clinical trials.

BACKGROUND: Whereas there are many pharmacological interventions prescribed for patients with advanced anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)- rearranged non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), comparative data between novel generation ALK-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) remain scant. Here, we indirectly compared the efficacy and safety of first-line systemic therapeutic options used for the treatment of ALK-rearranged NSCLC. METHODS: We included all phase 2 and 3 randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing any two or three treatment options. Eligible studies reported at least one of the following outcomes: progression free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR), or adverse events of grade 3 or higher (Grade ≥ 3 AEs). Subgroup analysis was conducted according to central nervous system (CNS) metastases. RESULTS: A total of 9 RCTs consisting of 2484 patients with 8 treatment options were included in the systematic review. Our analysis showed that alectinib (300 mg and 600 mg), brigatinib, lorlatinib and ensartinib yielded the most favorable PFS. Whereas there was no significant OS or ORR difference among the ALK-TKIs. According to Bayesian ranking profiles, lorlatinib, alectinib 600 mg and alectinib 300 mg had the best PFS (63.7%), OS (35.9%) and ORR (37%), respectively. On the other hand, ceritinib showed the highest rate of severe adverse events (60%). CONCLUSION: Our analysis indicated that alectinib and lorlatinib might be associated with the best therapeutic efficacy in first-line treatment for major population of advanced NSCLC patients with ALK-rearrangement. However, since there is little comparative evidence on the treatment options, there is need for relative trials to fully determine the best treatment options as well as the rapidly evolving treatment landscape.

Effects of surface treatments and abutment shades on the final color of high-translucency self-glazed zirconia crowns.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Achieving excellent esthetics with monolithic self-glazed zirconia crowns in anterior teeth is challenging, and the impact of different surface treatments and abutment shades on the final color is unclear. PURPOSE: The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the effects of different external surface treatments (self-glazed, milled, polished, and glazed), different intaglio surface treatments (milled and airborne-particle abraded), and different abutment shades on the color difference of high-translucency self-glazed zirconia crowns. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixty shade A1 and 60 shade A3 crowns were fabricated with a thickness of 0.80 ±0.02 mm and randomly divided into 12 groups (n=10). Different external and intaglio surface treatments were applied. Shade A1 and A3 abutments were made with composite resin. Color was measured with a spectrophotometer and expressed in CIELab coordinates, and color differences (ΔE00) between specimens and references were calculated. The data were analyzed with ANOVA and the Tukey post hoc test. The impact of different surface treatments and abutment shades on the color difference were compared by using multiple linear regression (α=.05). RESULTS: The effects of external surface treatments, intaglio airborne-particle abrasion, and abutment shades on the L∗, a∗, b∗ and ΔE00 values of the final color of the crowns were significantly different (P<.001). Polishing resulted in the greatest ΔE00 value among all external surface treatments (P<.001). The average ΔE00 values of all crowns on the A3 abutment were higher than those of all crowns on the A1 abutment (P<.001). The influence on the color difference was abutment>external surface treatment>intaglio surface treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Different surface treatments affected the final color of zirconia crowns, and a greater impact was seen with external surface treatments than with intaglio surface treatments. External polishing resulted in the greatest color difference. The abutment shade had the most effect on the color difference, as the darker the abutment color, the greater the color difference.

[Research on Reliability Design and Verification of CT Based on Clinical Application Data].

Based on the clinical application data of medical X-ray computed tomography (CT) in the Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, this study transformed it into the product reliability index requirements, and took the mechanical representative component-examination table (hereinafter referred to as "patient table") and the electronic representative component-DCB (data control board) as examples. Based on the relationship between failure characteristics and clinical application data, a complete set of closed-loop implementation methods from reliability index requirements to reliability design and verification are discussed.

[Research on Reliability Index and Realization of Magnetic Resonance (MR) Based on Clinical Use Condition].

Combined with the clinical use condition of MR in use in Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, MR components are divided into scanning type I and scanning type II. At the same time, combined with the main loss force of MR components, the research divides MR components into dynamic components and electric thermal components. In this study, a complete set of MR system reliability indexes and implementation methods are given, including system reliability index determination, system reliability allocation, component reliability index realization, system reliability prediction and system reliability verification. At the same time, this study also gives the methods of reliability prediction and reliability verification, and gives the MTBF calculation method of MR system based on clinical use data statistics.

Comparative toxicity study of a novel non-ionic surfactant, vanillin ethoxylates, and nonylphenol ethoxylates in Chinese hamster ovary cells in vitro.

Surfactants such as alkylphenol polyethoxylates (APEOs) and nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEOs) are commonly used worldwide, but the majority of these compounds, together with their metabolites, have been reported to induce severe biological toxicity. Here, we evaluated for the first time the cytotoxicity, genotoxicity and mitochondrial damage in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) cells caused by a novel non-ionic surfactant, vanillin ethoxylates (VAEOs), an alternative to APEOs. In parallel, the same in vitro bioassays were conducted on NPEOs along with their metabolic byproducts 4-nonylphenol (4-NP) and vanillin. The results showed that the cytotoxic potency order was NPEOs > 4-NP > VAEOs>vanillin using CCK-8 assays. Also, 4-NP showed potential direct DNA damage in SOS/umu tests, whereas NPEOs, VAEOs and vanillin showed no positive result with and without S9 addition. In addition, none of the test compounds showed obvious genotoxic effects with low olive tail moment value using comet assays. However, all test compounds were shown to cause mitochondrial impairment by increasing mitochondrial mass and decreasing mitochondrial membrane potential in a concentration-dependent manner. And further analysis of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial superoxide (MNSOD) measurement showed that mitochondrial impairment was induced by oxidative stress with intracellular ROS and MNSOD overproduction. It's worth noting that VAEOs and vanillin cause relative lower cytotoxic, genotoxic and mitochondrial damage effects than NPEOs and 4-NP, indicating that VAEOs have the potential to substitute NPEOs as suitable surfactants. Take together, this study elucidates the toxicity profiles of VAEOs and NPEOs relatively comprehensively, and further toxicity analyses are suggested in the population, community and ecosystem.

Heterozygous FUT1 Mutations Causing a Para-Bombay Phenotype.

BACKGROUND: To study a case of para-Bombay phenotype caused by compound heterozygous mutation of the FUT1 gene. METHODS: We performed an agglutination examination to anti-H serum. Secretor status was determined in order to assess the presence of soluble blood group substances. Genotyping of ABO and FUT1 genes were also performed. RESULTS: Our results showed the presence of A and H antigens in the saliva. Based on these results, the patient in the present case was diagnosed to have a para-Bombay A phenotype. Direct DNA sequencing of the patient's ABO gene indicated A1v/O1vgenotype. FUT1 gene sequence analysis revealed that the patient harbored the compound heterozygous mutations c.881_882delTT (p.Phe294Cysfs) and c.551_552delAG (p.Glu184Valfs). CONCLUSIONS: In summary, our findings support that the occurrence of a heterozygous mutation in FUT1, 547delAG/880delTT, is the most common mutation in Taiwanese.

Targeting deubiquitinase activity with a novel small-molecule inhibitor as therapy for B-cell malignancies.

Usp9x was recently shown to be highly expressed in myeloma patients with short progression-free survival and is proposed to enhance stability of the survival protein Mcl-1. In this study, we found that the partially selective Usp9x deubiquitinase inhibitor WP1130 induced apoptosis and reduced Mcl-1 protein levels. However, short hairpin RNA-mediated knockdown (KD) of Usp9x in myeloma cells resulted in transient induction of apoptosis, followed by a sustained reduction in cell growth. A compensatory upregulation of Usp24, a deubiquitinase closely related to Usp9x, in Usp9x KD cells was noted. Direct Usp24 KD resulted in marked induction of myeloma cell death that was associated with a reduction of Mcl-1. Usp24 was found to sustain myeloma cell survival and Mcl-1 regulation in the absence of Usp9x. Both Usp9x and Usp24 were expressed and activated in primary myeloma cells whereas Usp24 protein overexpression was noted in some patients with drug-refractory myeloma and other B-cell malignancies. Furthermore, we improved the drug-like properties of WP1130 and demonstrated that the novel compound EOAI3402143 dose-dependently inhibited Usp9x and Usp24 activity, increased tumor cell apoptosis, and fully blocked or regressed myeloma tumors in mice. We conclude that small-molecule Usp9x/Usp24 inhibitors may have therapeutic activity in myeloma.

[Precision of digital impressions with TRIOS under simulated intraoral impression taking conditions].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the precision of digital impressions taken under simulated clinical impression taking conditions with TRIOS and to compare with the precision of extraoral digitalizations. METHODS: Six #14-#17 epoxy resin dentitions with extracted #16 tooth preparations embedded were made. For each artificial dentition, (1)a silicone rubber impression was taken with individual tray, poured with type IV plaster,and digitalized with 3Shape D700 model scanner for 10 times; (2) fastened to a dental simulator, 10 digital impressions for each were taken with 3Shape TRIOS intraoral scanner. To assess the precision, best-fit algorithm and 3D comparison were conducted between repeated scan models pairwise by Geomagic Qualify 12.0, exported as averaged errors (AE) and color-coded diagrams. Non-parametric analysis was performed to compare the precisions of digital impressions and model images. The color-coded diagrams were used to show the deviations distributions. RESULTS: The mean of AE for digital impressions was 7.058 281 µm, which was greater than that of 4.092 363 µm for the model images (P<0.05). However, the means and medians of AE for digital impressions were no more than 10 µm, which meant that the consistency between the digital impressions was good. The deviations distribution was uniform in the model images,while nonuniform in the digital impressions with greater deviations lay mainly around the shoulders and interproximal surfaces. CONCLUSION: Digital impressions with TRIOS are of good precision and up to the clinical standard. Shoulders and interproximal surfaces scanning are more difficult.

Model predicting discomfort glare caused by LED road lights.

To model discomfort glare from LED road lighting, the effect of four key variables on perceived glare was explored. These variables were: the average glare source luminance (Lg), the background luminance (Lb), the solid angle of the glare source from the perspective of the viewer (ω) and the angle between the glare source and the line of sight (θ). Based on these four variables 72 different light conditions were simulated in a scaled experimental set-up. Participants were requested to judge the perceived discomfort glare of these light conditions using the deBoer rating scale. All four variables and some of their interactions had indeed a significant effect on the deBoer rating. Based on these findings, we developed a model, and tested its general applicability in various verification experiments, including laboratory conditions as well as real road conditions. This verification proved the validity of the model with a correlation between measured and predicted values as high as 0.87 and a residual deviation of about 1 unit on the deBoer rating scale. These results filled the gap in estimating discomfort glare of LED road lighting and clarified similarities of and differences in discomfort glare between LED and traditional light sources.

Role of mtDNA haplogroups in the prevalence of knee osteoarthritis in a southern Chinese population.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has been implicated in various human degenerative diseases. However, the role of mtDNA in Osteoarthritis (OA) is less known. To investigate whether mtDNA haplogroups contribute to the prevalence of knee OA, we have carried out a comprehensive case-control study on 187 knee OA patients and 420 geographically matched controls in southern China. OA patients were classified on the Kellgren/Lawrence scale from two to four for the disease severity study and the data were analyzed by adjusting for age and sex. We found that patients with haplogroup G (OR = 3.834; 95% CI 1.139, 12.908; p = 0.03) and T16362C (OR = 1.715; 95% CI 1.174, 2.506; p = 0.005) exhibited an increased risk of OA occurrence. Furthermore, patients carrying haplogroup G had a higher severity progression of knee OA (OR = 10.870; 95% CI 1.307, 90.909; p = 0.007). On the other hand, people with haplogroup B/B4 (OR = 0.503; 95% CI 0.283, 0.893; p = 0.019)/(OR = 0.483; 95% CI 0.245, 0.954; p = 0.036) were less susceptible for OA occurrence. Interestingly, we found OA patients also exhibited a general increase in mtDNA content. Our study indicates that the mtDNA haplogroup plays a role in modulating OA development.