[Network Meta-analysis of Chinese patent medicines in treatment of idiopathic membranous nephropathy].

This study aimed to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of different Chinese patent medicines in the treatment of idiopathic membranous nephropathy. The relevant randomized controlled trial(RCT) was retrieved from PubMed, EMbase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, SinoMed, Wanfang, and VIP with the time interval from database inception to December 2022. The Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool was employed to evaluate the quality of the included RCT, and Stata 15.0 and GEMTC to perform the Bayesian network Meta-analysis. Finally, 51 RCTs were included, involving 9 Chinese patent medicines and 3 591 patients. The results of network Meta-analysis showed that in terms of the total effective rate and the increase in plasma albumin, the top three interventions were Zhengqing Fengtongning Sustained Release Tablets + conventional western medicine, Bailing Capsules + conventional western medicine, and Tripterygium Glycosides Tablets + conventional western medicine. In terms of reducing 24-hour urine total protein, the top three interventions were Zhengqing Fengtongning Sustained Release Tablets + conventional western medicine, Shenfukang Capsules +conventional western medicine, and Huangkui Capsules + conventional western medicine. In terms of reducing serum creatinine, the top three interventions were Shenfukang Capsules + conventional western medicine, Bailing Capsules + conventional western medicine, and Zhengqing Fengtongning Sustained Release Tablets + conventional western medicine. In terms of safety, Chinese patent medicines combined with conventional western medicine had fewer adverse reactions than the control group. The results suggest that Chinese patent medicines combined with conventional western medicine can improve the therapeutic effect on idiopathic membranous nephropathy, and differentiated medications can be adopted according to the specific symptoms of patients in clinical treatment. Further validation needs to be carried out in the future with multi-center, large-sample, and high-quality RCT.

Quasicrystalline 30° twisted bilayer graphene as an incommensurate superlattice with strong interlayer coupling.

The interlayer coupling can be used to engineer the electronic structure of van der Waals heterostructures (superlattices) to obtain properties that are not possible in a single material. So far research in heterostructures has been focused on commensurate superlattices with a long-ranged Moiré period. Incommensurate heterostructures with rotational symmetry but not translational symmetry (in analogy to quasicrystals) are not only rare in nature, but also the interlayer interaction has often been assumed to be negligible due to the lack of phase coherence. Here we report the successful growth of quasicrystalline 30° twisted bilayer graphene (30°-tBLG), which is stabilized by the Pt(111) substrate, and reveal its electronic structure. The 30°-tBLG is confirmed by low energy electron diffraction and the intervalley double-resonance Raman mode at 1383 cm-1 Moreover, the emergence of mirrored Dirac cones inside the Brillouin zone of each graphene layer and a gap opening at the zone boundary suggest that these two graphene layers are coupled via a generalized Umklapp scattering mechanism-that is, scattering of a Dirac cone in one graphene layer by the reciprocal lattice vector of the other graphene layer. Our work highlights the important role of interlayer coupling in incommensurate quasicrystalline superlattices, thereby extending band structure engineering to incommensurate superstructures.

Low-Frequency Noise of Magnetic Sensors Based on the Anomalous Hall Effect in Fe-Pt Alloys.

We took advantage of the large anomalous Hall effect (AHE) in Fe-Pt ferromagnetic alloys and fabricated magnetic sensors for low-frequency applications. We characterized the low-frequency electronic noise and the field detectability of the FexPt100-x system with various thin film thicknesses and Fe concentrations. The noise source consisted of 1/f and Johnson noise. A large current density increased the 1/f noise but not the Johnson noise. We found that the field detectability of the optimized Fe-Pt thin film offers much better low-frequency performance than a highly sensitive commercial semiconductor Hall sensor. Anomalous Hall effect sensors are, therefore, good candidates for magnetic sensing applications.

Meta-analysis of the effect of preoperative chemotherapy on Wilms' tumor.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of preoperative chemotherapy on the event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) of Wilms' tumor in children, and to provide a basis for further improvement of clinical therapeutic effect and research level. METHODS: Relevant studies before July 2017 were retrieved from PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and other databases, and two evaluators were responsible independently for the studies' selection, data extraction and cross-checking according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. EFS and OS of patients were assessed using hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). All analyses, including publication bias assessment, were performed using Stata 12 software. RESULTS: 12 studies meeting the criteria, with a total of 1639 patients, were finally enrolled. Meta-analysis showed that the preoperative chemotherapy combined with surgery, compared with surgery alone, could improve the EFS and OS of patients with Wilms' tumor (HR=1.26, 95% CI 1.07, 1.48 and 1.12 (1.03, 1.22, respectively). Both sensitivity analysis and publication bias assessment revealed that the results were reliable with no significant publication bias. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with surgery alone, preoperative chemotherapy combined with surgery can increase the EFS and OS and improve the prognosis of patients.

Single skyrmion true random number generator using local dynamics and interaction between skyrmions.

Magnetic skyrmions are of great interest to both fundamental research and applications in post-von-Neumann computing devices. The successful implementation of skyrmionic devices requires functionalities of skyrmions with effective controls. Here we show that the local dynamics of skyrmions, in contrast to the global dynamics of a skyrmion as a whole, can be introduced to provide effective functionalities for versatile computing. A single skyrmion interacting with local pinning centres under thermal effects can fluctuate in time and switch between a small-skyrmion and a large-skyrmion state, thereby serving as a robust true random number generator for probabilistic computing. Moreover, neighbouring skyrmions exhibit an anti-correlated coupling in their fluctuation dynamics. Both the switching probability and the dynamic coupling strength can be tuned by modifying the applied magnetic field and spin current. Our results could lead to progress in developing magnetic skyrmionic devices with high tunability and efficient controls.

Micron-Scale Anomalous Hall Sensors Based on FexPt1-x Thin Films with a Large Hall Angle and near the Spin-Reorientation Transition.

In this work, we fabricate and characterize an energy-efficient anomalous Hall sensor based on soft-magnetic FexPt1-x thin films with a large anomalous Hall angle. By varying the composition of the FexPt1-x alloy, its layer thickness and interfacial materials, the magnetization is tuned to be near the spin transition between the perpendicular and in-plane reorientations. We performed magneto-transport and noise characterizations on anomalous Hall sensors with a small sensing area of 20 × 20 µm2 in the 180 to 350 K temperature range. We found the best performance in a 1.25-nm-thick Fe0.48Pt0.52 sandwiched by two 1.6-nm-thick MgO layers at room temperature. The sensor has a large anomalous Hall angle of 1.95%. Moreover, it has the best field detectability of 237.5 nT/√Hz at 1 Hz and 15.3 nT/√Hz at 10 kHz, as well as a high dynamic reserve of 112.0 dB. These results suggest that the FexPt1-x alloy system is suitable for energy-efficient anomalous Hall sensors, particularly in micro-sensing applications.

Intervention with erythropoietin in sarcopenic patients with femoral intertrochanteric fracture and its potential effects on postoperative rehabilitation.

AIM: To explore the intervention with erythropoietin (EPO) in sarcopenic patients with femoral intertrochanteric fractures, and its potential effects on postoperative rehabilitation. METHODS: A total of 141 patients with femoral intertrochanteric fracture were selected from January 2018 to January 2019. Patients (aged ≥60 years) with indications for EPO use, but without significant medical history, were selected in the present study. All patients were screened for sarcopenia, and divided into the intervention group and control group according to whether they took EPO. The intervention groups received EPO postoperatively every day for 10 days, whereas the control groups received an equal dose of normal saline. Patients' handgrip strength, appendicular skeletal muscle, duration of hospitalization and postoperative infection rate were assessed by analysis. RESULTS: Among sarcopenic women, the handgrip strength was higher in the intervention group than in the control group after a week (P < 0.05). However, no significant effect was found in men (P > 0.05). The appendicular skeletal muscle increment of the intervention group with sarcopenia was markedly increased regardless of sex (P < 0.001). In addition, the postoperative infection rate was lower in the intervention group than the control group (P < 0.05), accompanied by a shorter hospital stay due to EPO administration (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: EPO can improve the muscle strength of female patients with sarcopenia during the perioperative period, and increase muscle mass both of women and men. It can improve the symptoms of sarcopenia, but cannot reverse sarcopenia. Additionally, it can reduce the postoperative complications of patients with hip fracture and shorten the length of hospital stay. Therefore, postoperative administration of EPO might potentially promote rapid postoperative rehabilitation. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2020; 20: 150-155.

Ipsilateral femoral neck and intertrochanteric fractures with posterior dislocation of the hip: A report of two cases.

Traumatic hip dislocation usually occurs in young patients, with the increasing number of high-energy injuries, and 62-93% of reported adult traumatic hip dislocations were caused by high-speed motor vehicle crashes. However, ipsilateral femoral neck fractures and intertrochanteric fractures with posterior dislocation of the hip are extremely rare, and this injury poses a challenge to orthopaedic surgeons. Here, we report two cases of simultaneous ipsilateral femoral neck fracture, intertrochanteric fracture and posterior dislocation of the hip joint in young patients who were treated with proximal femoral locking compression plate (PFLCP). The long-term follow-up (one patient was followed up for 3 years and the other for 7 years) showed that these patients had excellent functional outcomes with near-normal ranges of hip movement. The authors believe that using smaller plates with the lateral PFLCP is an acceptable method to treat this injury in young patients.

Estimation of appendicular skeletal muscle: Development and validation of anthropometric prediction equations in Chinese patients with knee osteoarthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To develop anthropometric prediction equations for estimating appendicular skeletal muscle (ASM) in Chinese knee osteoarthritis patients. METHODS: Subjects were divided into the model development group (MD group: 104 cases, 47 men and 57 women) and cross-validation group (CV group: 69 cases, 38 men and 31 women). Stepwise multiple linear regression analyses were undertaken in the MD group to identify the best equations. Agreement between the estimated ASM and ASM measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) was tested in the CV group. RESULTS: Two models were developed in the MD group. Validation in the CV group showed that our models (R2  = 0.83 and R2  = 0.90) had a high coefficient of determination. The mean bias of ASM estimated by the two models from the ASM measured by DXA in the CV group showed no significant difference (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: These models could be useful for older Chinese patients with knee osteoarthritis to estimate ASM.

[Analysis on related risk factors of hip fracture patient with sarcopenia].

OBJECTIVE: To explore occurrence and risk factors of sarcopenia in patients with hip facture. METHODS: From May 2013 to January 2017, 187 patients with hip fractures were collected, including 99 males and 88 females aged from 50 to 95 years old with an average age of (77.40±10.58) years old. General conditions, appendicular skeletal muscle index (ASMI), total fat mass, bone mineral content (BMC), body mass index (BMI), grip strength, preoperative blood vitamin D (VITD), albumin, American Society of Anesthesiologists(ASA) classification and new mobility scores(NMS) were observed and analyzed. According to grip strength and ASMI, patients were divided into sarcopina group and non-sarcopina group, univariate and multivariate statistical methods were used to analyzed. RESULTS: Ninty-nine patients(52.9%) were diagnosed as sarcopenia. Compared with non-sarcopenia group, occurrence of sarcopenia was associated with advanced age, high ASA, low total fat mass, low bone mineral content, low BMI, low albumin, and low NMS. Subsequent binary logistic regression analysis showed that advanced age (OR=1.804, P=0.048), high ASA score (OR=3.052, P=0.001), low fat content (OR=0.843, P=0.006), low bone mineral salt(OR=0.203, P=0.026) were risk factors of hip fracture patient with sarcopenia. CONCLUSIONS: Old age, high ASA score, low fat content, low bone mineral content may be related risk factors for sarcopenia in hip fracture patients.

Pseudo-Hydrogen Passivation: A Novel Way to Calculate Absolute Surface Energy of Zinc Blende (111)/(͞1 ͞1 ͞1) Surface.

Determining accurate absolute surface energies for polar surfaces of semiconductors has been a great challenge in decades. Here, we propose pseudo-hydrogen passivation to calculate them, using density functional theory approaches. By calculating the energy contribution from pseudo-hydrogen using either a pseudo molecule method or a tetrahedral cluster method, we obtained (111)/(111) surfaces energies of Si, GaP, GaAs, and ZnS with high self-consistency. This method quantitatively confirms that surface energy is determined by the number and the energy of dangling bonds of surface atoms. Our findings may greatly enhance the basic understandings of different surfaces and lead to novel strategies in the crystal growth.

Cysteine­rich 61 RNA interference inhibits pathological angiogenesis via the phosphatidylinositol 3­kinase/Akt­vascular endothelial growth factor signaling pathway in endothelial cells.

Hypoxia is a key factor in the pathogenesis of angiogenesis, and cysteine­rich 61 (CCN1), an angiogenic factor, is involved in the development of pathological angiogenesis. The aim of the present study was to investigate the mechanism of CCN1 RNA interference (RNAi)­induced inhibition of hypoxia­induced pathological angiogenesis in endothelial cells. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were cultured under hypoxic conditions in vitro. The effects of inhibiting phosphoinositide 3­kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling using LY294002 were investigated in hypoxic HUVECs. The proliferation and apoptosis of HUVECs under hypoxia were assessed using CCN1 RNAi. The CCN1­PI3K/Akt­vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) pathway was analyzed under hypoxic conditions using reverse transcription­quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. CCN1 RNAi inhibited the proliferation and induced the apoptosis of the HUVECs under hypoxia, with hypoxia significantly increasing the mRNA and protein expression levels of CCN1, Akt and VEGF. By contrast, CCN1 RNAi reduced the mRNA and protein expression levels of CCN1, Akt and VEGF in the HUVECs (P<0.05). Furthermore, LY294002 reduced the mRNA and protein expression levels of CCN1 in the hypoxic cells (P<0.05). These data indicated that CCN1 inhibits apoptosis and promotes proliferation in HUVECs. Therefore, CCN1 RNAi may offer a novel therapeutic strategy, which may aid in the treatment of pathological angiogenesis via inhibition of the PI3K/Akt­VEGF pathway.

CCN1/Cyr61-PI3K/AKT signaling promotes retinal neovascularization in oxygen-induced retinopathy.

Retinal neovascularization (RNV) is a characteristic pathological finding of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Cysteine-rich 61 [Cyr61, also known as CCN family member 1 (CCN1)] has been reported to mediate angiogenesis. The aim of the present study was to investigate the mechanisms of CCN1/Cyr61-phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT signaling in ROP. The contribution of CCN1 to human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) proliferation and apoptosis under hypoxic conditions was determined using a cell counting kit­8 (CCK-8) and Annexin V/propidium iodide (PI) staining, respectively, as well as using siRNA targeting CCN1 (CCN1 siRNA). The cells exposed to hypoxia were also treated with the PI3K/AKT inhibitor, LY294002. In addition, mouse pups with oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) were administered an intravitreal injection of CCN1 siRNA. RNV was assessed by magnesium-activated adenosine diphosphate-ase (ADPase) staining. RT-qPCR, western blot analysis, immunofluorescence staining and immunohistochemistry were used to detect the distribution and expression of CCN1, PI3K and AKT. Exposure to hypoxia increased the neovascularization clock hour scores (from 1.23±0.49 to 5.60±0.73, P<0.05) and the number of preretinal neovascular cells, as well as the mRNA and protein expression levels of CCN1, PI3K and AKT (all P<0.05). The injection of CCN1 siRNA decreased the neovascularization clock hour scores and the number of preretinal neovascular cells (1.53±0.72 vs. 4.76±1.04; 12.0±2.8 vs. 31.4±2.6, respectively, both P<0.05), as well as the mRNA and protein expression levels of CCN1, PI3K and AKT (protein, -45.3, -22.5 and -28.4%; mRNA, -43.7, -58.7 and -42.9%, respectively, all P<0.05) compared to the administration of scrambled siRNA under hypoxic conditions. Treatment with LY294002 decreased the mRNA and protein expression levels of CCN1 in the cells exposed to hypoxia (both P<0.05). The administration of CCN1 siRNA resulted in less severe neovascularization in the eyes of the the mouse pups with OIR. Thus, out data suggest that CCN1 plays an important role in RNV in ROP, and may thus be a potential target for the prevention and treatment of ROP.

The mechanism of CCN1-enhanced retinal neovascularization in oxygen-induced retinopathy through PI3K/Akt-VEGF signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: CCN1 (also called Cyr 61) is an extracellular matrix signaling molecule that has been implicated in neovascularization through its interactions with several endothelial integrin receptors. The roles of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in angiogenesis are well described. The aim of this study was to investigate the signal transduction mechanism of CCN1-PI3K/Akt-VEGF in retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), and the effects of CCN1 knockdown on ROP. METHODS: The oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) model was established in C57BL/6J mice exposed to a high concentration of oxygen. Retinas were obtained from the normoxia, OIR, OIR control (treated with scramble siRNA) and OIR treated (with CCN1 siRNA) groups. Retinal neovascularization (RNV) was qualitatively analyzed with ADPase staining and quantitatively analyzed by counting neovascular endothelial cell nuclei at postnatal day 17 when RNV reached a peak. mRNA level and protein expression of CCN1, p-Akt, and VEGF were measured by real-time PCR and Western blotting, and located with immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: CCN1 depletion resulted in less neovascularization clock hour scores in the number of preretinal neovascular cells compared with the OIR treated group (1.28±0.83 versus 4.80±0.82; and 7.12±2.50 versus 23.25±2.35, respectively, both P<0.05). Furthermore, CCN1, p-Akt and VEGF mRNA, and protein were significantly expressed in the retina of the OIR and OIR control groups. Intravitreal injection of CCN1 siRNA significantly reduced PI3K/Akt-VEGF pathway expression of the OIR mouse model (all P<0.05). CCN1 siRNA significantly enhanced the avascular area and avascular diameter of OIR model (P<0.05). CCN1 siRNA decreased the levels of IL-1ß, IL-6, and TNF-α significantly compared to the OIR group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that CCN1 plays an important role in RNV via the PI3K/Akt-VEGF signaling pathway. CCN1 may be a potential target for the prevention and treatment of ROP.

Efficacy of intravitreal captopril on oxygen-induced retinopathy in mice.

AIM: To study the inhibitory effect of intravitreal captopril on oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) in mice. METHODS: Eighty postnatal day (P)7 C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into treated group and control group with forty mice in each group. The mice were exposed to 75% ± 2% oxygen for 5 days (P7-P11) and then returned to room air for 5 days (P12-P17) to induce retinal neovascularization (RNV). Beginning on P12, the mice in treated group received daily intravitreal injections of captopril (3.0mL/kg), while those in control group received daily intravitreal injections of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) (3.0mL/kg) through P17. After anesthetized at P17, one eye was chosen randomly as experimental eye and were enucleated. RNV was examined by Adenosine diphosphate-ase (ADPase) stained retina flat-mounts and was quantitated histologically by counting the neovascular endothelial cell nuclei anterior to inner limiting membrane (ILM). The expressions of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were measured by immunohistochemical method. RESULTS: Comparing with control group, more regular distributions, better branch and reduced density of RNV were observed in eyes of treated group. The number of neovascular cell nuclei was less in treated group than that in control group (t=6.135, P<0.01). Stain of MMP-2 and VEGF was weaker in treated group than that in control group. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that captopril can significantly inhibit RNV in OIR mice.