Autologous fat grafting combined with negative pressure wound therapy in severe diabetic foot ulcer: a case study.

OBJECTIVE: Hard-to-heal wounds are a surgical challenge, and diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are one of the most common and severe varieties. Previous studies have shown that autologous fat grafting (AFG) and negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) have the potential to promote wound healing. This case study describes how these two methods together helped in the healing of a serious DFU. CASE HISTORY: A 65-year-old female patient had a severe DFU on her right foot, with a 30-year history of disease and renal failure. By the time symptoms were evident, regular dressing changes and antibiotic treatment were inadequate. She received surgical debridement, AFG and NPWT. Finally, as the granulation tissue covered the full wound bed, the wound was closed by split-thickness skin grafting. One month later, the DFU was fully healed with no recurrences. CONCLUSION: The application of AFG or components of adipose tissue to treat hard-to-heal wounds has been researched at both the molecular level and in clinic. In this case, we have proved the curative effect of jointly using AFG and NPWT.

Neonatal Pulmonary Atresia With Intact Ventricular Septum-8-Year Surgical Experience at One Center.

BACKGROUND: Surgical treatment of pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum (PA/IVS) in neonates is challenging because of the broad variations of right ventricular (RV) malformations. In this retrospective study, we summarized our 8-y experience in surgical management for neonatal PA/IVS patients. METHODS: Thirty-four neonates with PA/IVS between July 1, 2006 and June 30, 2014, were reviewed. Patients were categorized into three groups: mild, moderate, and severe RV hypoplasia according to RV morphology and development. Patients were on regular follow-up for at least 5 y. Overall survival, complications, reinterventions, risk factors for mortality, and health status were evaluated. RESULTS: 21 patients (61.8%) were treated with biventricular repair, eight patients (23.5%) with Fontan procedure, and one patient (2.9%) with bidirectional Glenn procedure. There were four postprocedural mortalities and one late death. The 5-y survival rates after final surgical repair for mild, moderate, and severe RV hypoplasia groups were 100%, 100%, and 88.9%, respectively. The reintervention rates were 0% (0/4), 21.4% (3/14), and 55.6% (5/9) for the subgroups, respectively. At the latest follow-up, most patients had a status characterized as New York Heart Association class I (88.9%, 24/27). CONCLUSIONS: Surgical management for PA/IVS in neonates should be individualized. Favorable early and long-term outcomes can be achieved in neonatal PA/IVS patients by individualized surgical strategies, regardless of the degree of RV hypoplasia. In spite of potential RV catch-up development, the degree of RV hypoplasia is a factor of paramount importance to assess PA/IVS in neonates.

[Discrete potentials guided ablation for idiopathic outflow tract ventricular arrhythmias].

OBJECTIVE: Discrete potentials (DPs) have been recorded and targeted as the site of ablation of the outflow tract arrhythmias. The aim of the present study was to investigate the significance of DPs with respect to mapping and ablation for idiopathic outflow tract premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) or ventricular tachycardias (VTs). METHODS: Seventeen out of 24 consecutive patients with idiopathic right or left ventricular outflow tract PVCs/VTs who underwent radiofrequency catheter ablation between September 2012 and December 2013 in our department were included. Intracardiac electrograms during the mapping and ablation were analyzed. RESULTS: During sinus rhythm, sharp high-frequency DPs that displayed double or multiple components were recorded following or buried in the local ventricular electrograms in all of the 17 patients, peak amplitude was (0.51 ± 0.21) mV. The same potential was recorded prior to the local ventricular potential of the PVCs/VTs. Spontaneous reversal of the relationship of the DPs to the local ventricular electrogram was noted during the arrhythmias. The DPs were related to a region of low voltage showed by intracardiac high-density contact mapping. At the sites with DPs, unipolar and bipolar ventricular voltage of sinus beats were lower compared with the adjacent regions without DPs (unipolar: (6.1 ± 1.8) mV vs. (8.3 ± 2.3) mV, P < 0.05; bipolar: (0.62 ± 0.45) mV vs. (1.03 ± 0.60) mV, P < 0.05). The targeted DPs were still present in 12 patients after successful elimination of the ectopies. Discrete potentials were not present in seven controls. CONCLUSIONS: Discrete potentials and related low-voltage regions were common in idiopathic outflow tract ventricular arrhythmias. Discrete potential- and substrate-guided ablation strategy could help to reduce the recurrence of idiopathic outflow tract arrhythmias.

Road extraction through Yangwang-1 nighttime light data: A case study in Wenzhou, China.

The extraction of roadways from remote sensing imagery constitutes a pivotal task, with far-reaching implications across diverse domains such as urban planning, management of transportation systems, emergency response initiatives, and environmental monitoring endeavors. Satellite images captured during daytime have customarily served as the primary resource for this extraction process. However, the emergence of Nighttime Light (NTL) remote sensing data introduces an innovative dimension to this arena. The exploration of NTL data for road extraction remains in its nascent stage, and this study seeks to bridge this gap. We present a refined U-Net model (CA U-Net) integrated with Cross-Attention Mechanisms, meticulously designed to extract roads from Yangwang-1 NTL images. This model incorporates several enhancements, thereby improving its proficiency in identifying and delineating road networks. Through extensive experimentation conducted in the urban landscape of Wenzhou City, the model delivers highly accurate results, achieving an F1 score of 84.46%. These outcomes significantly surpass the performance benchmarks set by Support Vector Machines (SVM) and the Optimal Threshold (OT) method. This promising development paves the way towards maximizing the utility of NTL data for comprehensive mapping and analysis of road networks. Furthermore, the findings underscore the potential of utilizing Yangwang-1 data as a reliable source for road extraction and reaffirm the viability of deploying deep learning frameworks for road extraction tasks utilizing NTL data.

Karyotype and DNA-Methylation Responses in Myelodysplastic Syndromes following Treatment with Traditional Chinese Formula Containing Arsenic.

We have previously shown that arsenic-containing Chinese herbal formula, Qing-Huang powder capsule (containing tetraarsenic tetrasulfide, As(4)S(4)), is effective in the treatment of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS); yet the underlined mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, using standard cytogenetic analysis (G-banded) and global DNA methylation method (ChIP-on-chip assays), we aimed to determine the effect of arsenic-containing Chinese herbal formula on karyotype status and the genomic methylation level in primarily diagnosed MDS patients. Correlation of aberrant DNA methylation and chromosome aberrations in MDS was also investigated. We found that the number of genes with aberrant DNA methylation was highest in MDS patients with normal karyotype, followed by trisomy 8 karyotype, and relatively low in patients with cytogenetic abnormalities other than trisomy 8. Treatment with arsenic-containing Chinese herbal formula had no effects on karyotype status, but resulted in a significant genome-wide demethylation. Our research uncovered a DNA demethylating activity of arsenic-containing Chinese herbal formula in the treatment of MDS.

Proposal of Lentzea deserti (Okoro et al. 2010) Nouioui et al. 2018 as a later heterotypic synonym of Lentzea atacamensis (Okoro et al. 2010) Nouioui et al. 2018 and an emended description of Lentzea atacamensis.

The taxonomic relationship of Lentzea atacamensis and Lentzea deserti were re-evaluated using comparative genome analysis. The 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that the type strains of L. atacamensis and L. deserti shared 99.7% sequence similarity. The digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) and average nucleotide identity (ANI) values between the genomes of two type strains were 88.6% and 98.8%, respectively, greater than the two recognized thresholds values of 70% dDDH and 95-96% ANI for bacterial species delineation. These results suggested that L. atacamensis and L. deserti should share the same taxonomic position. And this conclusion was further supported by similar phenotypic and chemotaxonomic features between them. Therefore, we propose that L. deserti is a later heterotypic synonym of L. atacamensis.

[Results of stage I and II tongue squamous cell carcinomas treated with different modalities].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the results of stage I and II tongue squamous cell carcinomas treated with different treatment modalities. METHODS: The clinical data of 103 patients with stage I and II primary tongue squamous cell carcinoma treated with surgery or radiotherapy alone or combined modality therapy were reviewed retrospectively. The treatment results were compared by Log-rank test, Kaplan-Meier and Chi square test among three groups: surgery alone (S), radiotherapy alone (R) and combined modality therapy (surgery plus preoperative or postoperative radiotherapy, R + S/S + R), and the prognostic factors were also analyzed using Cox regression models. RESULTS: The overall 5-year survival rate (OS) was 82.4% for stage I and 80.0% for stage II disease (P = 0.361). The 5-year survival rates of S, R and R + S/S + R groups were 90.3%, 68.4%, and 84.0%, respectively (P = 0.104). The local recurrence rates of those three groups were 2.5%, 35.7% and 5.7%, respectively (P < 0.001). Occult lymph node metastasis rate was 23.8%, frequently metastasized to level II lymph nodes. The patients with poorly differentiated carcinoma were found to have the highest regional recurrence rate. Local and regional recurrence was revealed as an independent prognostic factor. CONCLUSION: Surgery alone can achieve good treatment result for stage I and II tongue squamous cell carcinomas, and lymph node dissection of level I to IV in the neck is recommended.

A facile approach for TiO2-based superhydrophobic-superhydrophilic patterns by UV or solar irradiation without a photomask.

A novel and facile approach to produce TiO2-based superhydrophobic-superhydrophilic patterns by UV or solar irradiation without a photomask is presented. The fabricated superhydrophobic-superhydrophilic patterns with excellent mechanical properties have long lifetimes in outdoor applications or other UV environments because of a self-supply of low surface tension material.

Assessment for facial nerve paralysis based on facial asymmetry.

Facial nerve paralysis (FNP) is a loss of facial movement due to facial nerve damage, which will lead to significant physical pain and abnormal function in patients. Traditional FNP grading methods are solely based on clinician's judgment and are time-consuming and subjective. Hence, an accurate, quantitative and objective method of evaluating FNP is proposed for constructing a standard system, which will be an invaluable tool for clinicians who treat the patient with FNP. In this paper, we introduce a novel method for quantitative assessment of FNP which combines an effective facial landmark estimation (FLE) algorithm and facial asymmetrical feature (FAF) by processing facial movement image. The facial landmarks can be detected automatically and accurately using FLE. The FAF is based on the angle of key facial landmark connection and mirror degree of multiple regions on human face. Our method provides significant contribution as it describes the displacement of facial organ and the changes of facial organ exposure during performing facial movements. Experiments show that our method is effective, accurate and convenient in practice, which is beneficial to FNP diagnosis and personalized rehabilitation therapy for each patient.

[Analysis of antibody titer value of IHA in 135 acute schistosomiasis patients].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the antibody titer value of indirect haemagglutination test (IHA) in 135 confirmed acute schistosomiasis patients, so as to provide the evidence for improving the diagnosis and treatment of acute schistosomiasis. METHODS: A total of 135 acute schistosomiasis inpatients were selected from 2001 to 2006. They all received the IHA antibody titer detection, and the correlation among the age, incubation period, and hospitalization days was calculated. RESULTS: The antibody titers of IHA were higher than 1:320 in all the cases. The percentages of 1:640, 1:1 280, 1:2 560, 1:5 120 and 1:10 240 were 1.48%, 28.15%, 35.56%, 20.00%, and 14.81% respectively. The mean age was (47.70 ± 14.58) years, average incubation period was (38.03 ± 4.59) days and mean hospital stay time was (15.08 ± 3.79) days. The antibody titer value had no correlation with the age distribution (r = 0.109, P > 0.05). There was a negatively correlation between the antibody titer value and incubation period, (r = -0.558, P <0.01), there was a positive correlation between the antibody titer value and hospitalization time (r = 0.791, P < 0.01), and there were significant differences among different groups (F = 17.07, 64.53, both P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The antibody titer of acute schistosomiasis cases detected by IHA is 1:640 and above. There is no correlation between the antibody titer value and age, but the antibody titer value is higher, the incubation period is shorter and hospitalization time is longer.

[Survey of knowledge and practice of residents about schistosomiasis prevention and control in endemic areas of Jingzhou City].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the knowledge and practice of residents about schistosomiasis prevention and control in endemic areas of Jingzhou City, Hubei Province after the disease transmission being controlled, so as to provide the valuable information for formulating an efficient health education and intervention strategy. METHODS: The residents were selected by using the cluster sampling method and investigated with questionnaires in Jiangling County and Gong'an County, Jingzhou City, Hubei Province, and the data were analyzed by using the descriptive analysis method, Chi-square tests and logistic regression. RESULTS: In a total, 826 available questionnaires were obtained with 100% of valid rate. Among them, 97.0% of the interviewee knew schistosomiasis, and 86.3% knew that the infection happened by contacting water containing cercariae. The residents in elder age (41-84 years) had higher awareness rates than the residents in lower age (6-17 years), about the regions of epidemic area (χ2 = 57.860), infection route of schistosomiasis (χ2 = 87.045), advanced schistosomiasis symptoms (χ2 = 27.268) and Oncomelania hupensis being as intermediate host (χ2 = 55.856) (all P < 0.05) . The males had higher awareness rates of epidemic areas than the females (χ2 = 13.442, P < 0.05) . For personal behavior, 36.6% of the interviewee had experience of contacting lake or pond water many times a day, and 66.5% had the willingness to participate in schistosomiasis health education. CONCLUSIONS: In the investigation areas, Jiangling County and Gong'an County, the awareness rates of the residents about schistosomiasis prevention and control are higher, and we should strengthen the health education and behavior intervention, especially in the students of middle and primary schools to help them have the self-protection ability efficiently.

Combination of N-(3'4'-dimethoxycinnamoyl) anthranilic acid with cyclosporin A treatment preserves immunosuppressive effect and reduces the side effect of cyclosporin A in rat.

Cyclosporin A (CsA), one of the most fundamental immunosuppressive drugs, is routinely used in clinics for the treatment of liver and other organ rejections. However, one of the major challenges of the application of CsA is the occurrence of the serious adverse effects, namely, acute and chronic nephrotoxicity, severe hypertension and neurotoxicity. Although N-(3'4'-dimethoxycinnamoyl) anthranilic acid (3,4-DAA) plays an important role in apoptosis of activated T cells, and is therapeutically used as an orally active anti-allergic drug for the treatment of allergy, it has not been tested for use in the treatment of organ rejection. In this study, we used the dark agouti (DA)-Lewis rat orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) model to investigate whether the combination of 3,4-DAA with CsA is a promising and useful strategy to lower CsA dosage for reducing CsA side effect and preserve therapeutic effect of CsA. Here, we document that the combination treatment effectively inhibits acute liver rejection in OLT model with only half the normally suggested dosage of CsA that has much less side effect in rats than that of the full dosage. These results indicate that 3,4-DAA may serve as an effective adjunct for a CsA-based immunosuppressive regimen to treat transplant recipients for reducing CsA side effect.

Electrochemical immunosensor with graphene/gold nanoparticles platform and ferrocene derivatives label.

In the present work, sensitive and stable sandwiched electrochemical immunosensing strategies with graphene (Gr)/gold nanoparticles (GNP) composite as the immobilization platform and ferrocene (Fc) derivatives as labels were proposed. Under the optimal choice and the proposed immunosensing strategy, with 1,1'-ferrocenedicarboxylic acid label, the human IgG could be detected specifically with a low detection limit of 0.4 ng/mL and a wide linear dynamic range from 1 to 300 ng/mL. Meanwhile, the electrochemical behavior of three different ferrocene derivatives labels was studied.

Response surface optimization of polysaccharides extraction from Liriope roots and its modulatory effect on Sjogren syndrome.

The response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to study the extraction of liriope polysaccharides. The maximum extraction rate (64.1%) of liriope polysaccharides obtained by using the above optimised concentrations of the variables was extraction time (X(1)) at 185min, ratio of liquid to solid (X(2)) at 11, and extraction temperature (X(3)) at 94 degrees C. Forty male Wistar rats were used in the present experiment. After 2 weeks of acclimatization, animals were divided into 5 equal groups: control, SS model and 3 polysaccharides-treatment groups. Rats were orally administered their respective doses every day for 6 weeks. Liriope polysaccharides significantly increased the amount of salivary secretion, and the relative weight of spleen, thymus and submandibular glands. Therefore, the present results revealed that liriope polysaccharides exert a protective effect against tissue damage in rats with sjogren syndrome (SS).