Laparoscopic transection and partial resection of hernia sac in the treatment of indirect inguinal hernia: A preliminary observation.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of applying laparoscopic transection and partial resection of hernia sac in the treatment of indirect inguinal hernia in children. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From December 2017 to November 2018, we recruited 20 children, who were aged 1-6 years old, with indirect inguinal hernia. At the time of admission, the participants had already developed an indirect inguinal hernia for 6 months to 1 year. A simple transection and partial resection of hernia sac was performed at the internal ring on each of the recruited children. The procedure was conducted under laparoscopy. Two 5-mm trocars were placed on either side of the umbilicus, one for the camera and the other for a surgical instrument. Another trocar was placed on the right abdomen. Laparoscopic camera curved forceps, and scissors were placed. Along the unclosed internal ring, the peritoneum was cut in a circular fashion to transect the hernia sac and dissociate it from the distal end. About 1-2 cm of the hernia sac was resected. RESULTS: The operation was successfully completed in all 20 cases, who did not experience any complications, such as the absence of spermatic cord, vas deferens injury, scrotal swelling and incision infection. The children were discharged 1 day after the operation. In the post-operative follow-up for the first 3-4 years, recurrence and testicular atrophy did not occur in the study participants. CONCLUSION: The short-term results obtained from this study showed that the application of laparoscopic transection and partial resection of hernia sac in the treatment of indirect inguinal hernia is feasible. Long-term results and further observation are needed for validation.

The relationship of D. pteronyssinus allergic component sIgE and sIgG4 in house dust mite allergic rhinitis or/and allergic asthma patients.

Objective: House-dust mite sensitization is an important cause of allergic asthma and/or rhinitis in southern China. This study aimed to analyze the immune effect and relationship between the Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus components specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE) and sIgG4. Methods: The serum levels of sIgE and sIgG4 to D. pteronyssinus allergen components Der p 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, and 23 were detected in 112 patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) and/or allergic asthma (AA). Results: Overall, Der p 1 had the highest positive rate of sIgE (72.3%), followed by Der p 2 (65.2%) and Der p 23 (46.4%). Meanwhile, the highest positive rates of sIgG4 were for Der p 2 (47.3%), Der p 1 (33.0%), and Der p 23 (25.0%). The patients with AR and AA had a higher positive rate (43.4%) of sIgG4 than that in the patients with AR (42.4%) and the patients with AA (20.4%; p = 0.043). In patients with AR, the positive rate of sIgE in Der p 1 (84.8%) was higher than that in sIgG4 (42.4%; p = 0.037), but the positive rate of sIgG4 in Der p 10 (21.2%) was higher than that in sIgE (18.2%; p < 0.001). Most of the patients were positive for sIgE and sIgG4 of Der p 2 and Der p 10 at the same time. However, positive results for sIgE alone were just found in Der p 7 and Der p 21. Optimal scale analysis showed that Der p 2, Der p 7, and Der p 21 sIgG4 were closely related to AR and AA (Cronbach α = 0.917). Conclusion: Herein, the D. pteronyssinus allergen components showed different characteristics among the patients with AR, patients with AA, and patients with AR and AA in southern China. Thus, sIgG4 may be play an important role in allergic reactions.

Towards an E-nose: Metal-organic frameworks based quartz crystal microbalance array for fruit ripeness indexing.

Ethylene is a hormone for fruit ripening control, and for the purpose of maintaining plant quality, ethylene monitoring is crucial. Due to the simple structure and limited functionality, the technical realization of ethylene detection by an artificial sensor remains a challenge. In this paper, we present a metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) array based electronic nose (e-nose) for rapid and accurate determination of ethylene. Six zirconium-based MOFs with systematically modified pore sizes and π-π binding sites have been prepared and fabricated into a sensor array using quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) technology. By virtue of the synergistic features of six MOF sensors, selectivity detection of ethylene has been achieved. The detection limit reaches to 0.27 ± 0.02 ppm, and high selectivity and stability (98.29 % ± 0.88 %) could also be confirmed. By submitting data to machine learning algorithm, an e-nose system could be established for discriminating ethylene from mixtures with a qualitative accuracy of 90.30 % and quantitative accuracy of 98.89 %. Practical evaluation suggests that the e-nose could index the fruit quality based on the accurate detection of ethylene released during fruit ripeness. This work demonstrates the promising potential of fabricating MOFs based e-nose systems for practical monitoring applications by selectively detecting challengeable target molecules.

GPR39 Agonist TC-G 1008 Promoted Mitochondrial Biogenesis and Improved Antioxidative Capability via CREB/PGC-1α Pathway Following Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Mice.

Mitochondrial dysfunction and excessive reactive oxygen species production due to impaired mitochondrial biogenesis have been proven to exacerbate secondary brain injury after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). The G-protein-coupled receptor 39 (GPR39) agonist TC-G 1008 has been shown to exert anti-oxidative stress effect in acute hypoxic brain injury. Herein, our study aimed to investigate the potential effects of TC-G 1008 on neuronal mitochondrial biogenesis and antioxidative stress in a mouse model of ICH and explore the underlying mechanisms. A total of 335 male C57/BL6 mice were used to establish an autologous blood-induced ICH model. Three different dosages of TC-G 1008 were administered via oral gavage at 1 h, 25 h, and 49 h post-ICH. The GPR39 siRNA and cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) inhibitor 666-15 were administered via intracerebroventricular injection before ICH insult to explore the underlying mechanisms. Neurobehavioral function tests, Western blot, quantitative polymerase chain reaction, immunofluorescence staining, Fluoro-Jade C staining, TUNEL staining, dihydroethidium staining, transmission electron microscopy, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were performed. Expression of endogenous GPR39 gradually increased in a time-dependent manner in the peri-hematoma tissues, peaking between 24 and 72 h after ICH. Treatment with TC-G 1008 significantly attenuated brain edema, hematoma size, neuronal degeneration, and neuronal death, as well as improved neurobehavioral deficits at 72 h after ICH. Moreover, TC-G 1008 upregulated the expression of mitochondrial biogenesis-related molecules, including PGC-1α, NRF1, TFAM, and mitochondrial DNA copy number, associated with antioxidative stress markers, such as Nrf2, HO-1, NQO1, SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px. Furthermore, treatment with TC-G 1008 preserved neuronal mitochondrial function and structure post-ICH. Mechanistically, the protective effects of TC-G 1008 on neuronal mitochondrial biogenesis and antioxidative stress were partially reversed by GPR39 siRNA or 666 -15. Our findings indicated that GPR39 agonist TC-G 1008 promoted mitochondrial biogenesis and improved antioxidative capability after ICH, partly through the CREB/PGC-1α signaling pathway. TC-G 1008 may be a potential therapeutic agent for patients with ICH.

Lipid nanoparticle-mediated hepatocyte delivery of siRNA and silibinin in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.

Lipid nanoparticle-mediated co-delivery of siRNA and small molecule holds a great potential to treat metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). However, targeted delivery of therapeutics to hepatocytes remains challenging. Taking the advantage of rising low density lipoprotein receptor/very-low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR/VLDR) levels in MASLD, the biological fate of dinonylamine-ethylene glycol chlorophosphate-1-nonanol (DNNA-COP-NA) based lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) was oriented to liver tissues via apolipoprotein E (ApoE)-LDLR/VLDLR pathway. We then adopted a three-round screening strategy to optimize the formulation with both high potency and selectivity to deliver siRNA-HIF-1α (siHIF1α) and silibinin (SLB) payloads to hepatocytes. The optimized SLB/siHIF1α-LNPs mediates great siRNA delivery and transfection of hepatocytes. In high fat diet (HFD)- and carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced mouse models of MASLD, SLB/siHIF1α-LNPs enabled the silencing of hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), a therapeutic target primarily expressed by hepatocytes, leading to significantly reduced inflammation and liver fibrosis synergized with SLB. Moreover, it is demonstrated the hepatocyte-targeting delivery of SLB/siHIF1α-LNPs has the potential to restore the immune homeostasis by modulating the population of Tregs and cytotoxic T cells in spleen. This proof-of-concept study enable siRNA and small molecule co-delivery to hepatocytes through intrinsic variation of targeting receptors for MASLD therapy.

Robot path planning based on artificial potential field with deterministic annealing.

In the context of motion planning in robotics, the problem of path planning based on artificial potential fields has been examined using different algorithms to avoid trapping in local minima. With this objective, this paper proposes a novel method based on a deterministic annealing strategy to improve the potential field function by introducing a temperature parameter to increase the robot's obstacle avoidance efficiency. The annealing and tempering strategies prevent the robot from being trapped at the local minima and allow it to continue towards its destination. The initial path is optimised using an annealing algorithm to enhance the overall performance. The time, length and success rate of the planned path measures the quality of the solution. Simulation results and comparative experiments demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can solve path planning in different environments. The proposed algorithm is suitable for complex environments with convex or non-convex polygon obstacles.

The treatment of congenital recto-vestibular fistula and recto-perineal fistula and effect of the megarectum on defecation.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to discuss the treatment of congenital recto-vestibular fistula and recto-perineal fistula, and the effect of the megarectum on defecation. BACKGROUND: Congenital recto-vestibular fistula or recto-perineal fistula is the most common type of anorectal malformation, and surgical methods include posterior sagittal anorectoplasty, anterior sagittal anorectoplasty, and mid-sagittal anorectoplasty, which can be performed at stage one or stage two after the ostomy. In the later stages of a recto-vestibular fistula, constipation is a common complication. Rectal dilatation is frequently associated with constipation, and the effect of rectal dilatation on defecation should be discussed for patients with congenital recto-vestibular or recto-perineal fistula who had rectal dilatation prior to surgery. Rectal dilatation may be one of the causes of constipation for congenital recto-vestibular fistula and recto-perineal fistula. METHODS: The patients in this study were 67 children with congenital recto-vestibular fistula or recto-perineal fistula treated in our hospital from March 2013 to February 2017. All patients underwent an MRI of the spine and a barium enema. Six patients with myelodysplasia and sacral agenesis were excluded from this study. There were 18 patients with rectal dilatation (ages: 4-month-old to 1 year old, male: 3, female: 15). Seven of them had anterior sagittal anorectoplasty (group A), and 11 had anorectoplasty with dilated rectum resection (group B). Forty-three patients (ages: 3- to 10 months old, male: 6; female: 37) without a dilated rectum underwent anterior sagittal anorectoplasty (group C). RESULTS: All patients were followed up for 1 year to 5 years. Among the 50 patients who had undergone an anoplasty, 5 out of 7 patients with rectal dilatation developed post-operative constipation, and 3 of them had normal defecation after the second resection of the dilated rectum. Only two out of 43 patients without rectal dilatation developed post-operative constipation. One out of 11 patients with rectal dilatation who underwent anoplasty and resection of the dilated rectum developed post-operative constipation. CONCLUSION: Patients with congenital recto-vestibular fistula or recto-perineal fistula complicated by rectal dilatation are more susceptible to post-operative constipation. Resection of the dilated rectum at the same time can reduce the incidence rate of constipation. A barium enema should be performed pre-operatively for patients with congenital recto-vestibular fistula or recto-perineal fistula. If the dilated rectum is found, it can be resected at the same time.

Enhanced toluene oxidation by photothermal synergetic catalysis on manganese oxide embedded with Pt single-atoms.

The degradation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at low temperature remains a big challenge. Photothermal catalysis coupling the advantages of photocatalysis and thermocatalysis is promising to address this issue. However, there is still a long way to construct highly active catalysts and deeply understand the mechanism of photothermal catalysis. Herein, maganese oxide (MnO2)catalysts embedded with Pt single-atoms (0.11 wt% Pt) have achieved greatly enhanced toluene conversion of 95%, far surpassing most supported Pt photothermal catalysts. The excellent catalytic activity has been disclosed to derive from the synergetic effect oflight-driven thermocatalysis and photocatalysis. The light-driven thermocatalysis predominates and the strong electron transfer from Pt single-atoms to MnO2 improves the activity of surface lattice oxygen to boost the generation of benzoic acid and the mineralization of toluene. Meanwhile, in photocatalytic process, Pt single-atoms accelerate the generation of superoxide radicals (O2-), which facilitate the ring-opening and deep oxidation of toluene. This understanding on the photothermal synergetic mechanism will inspire the design of highly efficient catalysts for VOCs oxidation.

Effect of megarectum on postoperative defecation of female patients with congenital rectovestibular fistula or rectoperineal fistula.

Background: To assess the effect of megarectum on postoperative defecation of female patients with congenital rectovestibular fistula or rectoperineal fistula. Methods: From March 2013 to February 2021, 74 female patients with congenital rectovestibular fistula or rectoperineal fistula were treated. The age of patients ranged from 3 months to 1 year. Barium enema and spinal cord MRI were performed in all children. 4 patients were removed from the study because of spinal cord and sacral agenesis. Finally, 70 patients underwent one-stage anterior sagittal anorectoplasty (ASARP). Anal endoscopy and anorectal pressure measurement were performed 1 year after surgery. All patients were divided into two groups depending on the presence of megarectum (+) and (-) and observed for constipation and anal sphincter function. Results: 16 patients (4 months to 1 year) were complicated with megarectum, and 5 patients (3 months to 9 months) were without megarectum. The incision infection was seen in 3 patients. All patients were followed up for 1 year to 5 years. Fecal soiling was seen in 2 patients and constipation in 14 patients. Among 16 patients with megarectum, soiling was seen in 1 patient and the constipation in 12 patients. Among 54 patients without megarectum, soiling was seen in 1 patient and constipation in 2 patients. There was a significant difference in the incidence of postoperative constipation between the two groups (megarectum (+) 75% vs. megarectum (-) 3.7% (P < 0.05)). However, there was no significant difference in the score of anal sphincters between the two groups (P < 0.05). And there was no significant difference in anal resting pressure (P = 0.49) and length of anal high pressure area (P = 0.76). 7 patients with constipation and megarectum acquired normal anal function after the dilated rectum was resected. Conclusion: Megarectum increases the possibility of difficult postoperative defecation in the patients with congenital rectovestibular fistula or rectoperineal fistula. However, constipation was not associated with ASARP postoperative effects on sphincter function. Resection of megarectum is helpful to the improvement of constipation.

Short-term outcomes of near-infrared imaging using indocyanine green in laparoscopic lateral pelvic lymph node dissection for middle-lower rectal cancer: A propensity score-matched cohort analysis.

Laparoscopic lateral pelvic lymph node dissection (LPND) is limited by complex neurovascular bundles in the narrow pelvic sidewall and various post-operative complications. Indocyanine green (ICG) has been applied to increase the number of harvested lymph nodes and reduce the injury of irrelevant vessels in patients with rectal cancer. However, few studies on the recurrence rate of ICG fluorescence imaging-guided laparoscopic LPND were reported. This retrospective study enrolled 50 middle- low rectal cancer patients who were treated by LPND. After propensity score matching, 20 patients were matched in each of the indocyanine green (ICG) guided imaging group (ICG group) and non-ICG guided imaging group (non-ICG group). The average follow-up time was 13.5 months (12-15 months). Our results showed that the total number of harvested lymph nodes in the ICG group was significantly higher than that in the non-ICG group (P < 0.05), and intraoperative blood loss and post-operative hospital stay times in the ICG group were less than those in the non-ICG group (P < 0.05). After 12 months of follow-up, no residual lymph node and local tumor recurrence were found for patients in the ICG group. Four patients in the non-ICG group detected residual lymph nodes at the 3-month visit. Our findings highlighted the importance of ICG fluorescence-guided imaging in LPND because it has unique advantages in improving the number of lymph node dissections, surgical accuracy, and decreasing the residual lymph nodes and local tumor recurrence. In addition, ICG fluorescence guidance technology can effectively shorten the operation time, and it is simple to operate, which is worth popularizing.

Efficacy and safety of Sanfeng Tongqiao Diwan in patients with allergic rhinitis: a single-arm clinical trial in China.

Background: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a long history and its own characteristics in the treatment of allergic rhinitis. In this study, the efficacy and safety of patients with allergic rhinitis treated with Sanfeng Tongqiao Diwan were observed to support the clinical medication of patients with allergic rhinitis. Methods: A total of 61 patients with allergic rhinitis aged 12-70 years from the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University were included in this study. All the patients were treated with Sanfeng Tongqiao Diwan for a period of 7 days. Return visits were carried out 24 hours after the first medication, the 4th day of medication, and the 7th day of medication, during which the efficacy and safety were assessed. Results: The effective rates of Sanfeng Tongqiao Diwan at 24 hours, 4 days, and 7 days were 49.2%, 60.7%, and 65.6%, respectively. Comparing the severity of various symptoms after treatment to baseline, significant differences were found in nasal secretion (2.95±0.67 vs. 2.26±1.30, P<0.001), stuffy nose (5.66±2.95 vs. 3.34±2.57, P<0.001), mucosa congestion (7.08±1.82 vs. 4.23±2.28, P<0.001), running nose (5.21±1.81 vs. 2.90±1.89, P<0.001), and sneezing (3.00±0 vs. 1.92±1.45, P<0.001). The full symptom scores showed progressive decline during treatment, measuring 20.21±5.13 at baseline and 12.02±6.47 at 7 days (P<0.001). Compared to the Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RQLQ) score of 64.61±30.27 at baseline, statistical significance (P<0.001) was found at 24 hours, 4 days, and 7 days, measuring 43.11±28.01, 40.74±28.6, and 39.97±40.48, respectively. The incidence rate of adverse events (AEs) was 3.3% (2/61), with no serious AEs. Conclusions: In this study, the use of Sanfeng Tongqiao Diwan is effective in the treatment of allergic rhinitis patients, especially in patients with severe symptoms. Although the treatment system of TCM is different from that of Western medicine, the application of TCM will provide a new direction for the treatment of chronic diseases. Follow-up studies with an increased sample size are required for verification.

Dual metal nanoparticles within multicompartmentalized mesoporous organosilicas for efficient sequential hydrogenation.

Controlling localization of multiple metal nanoparticles on a single support is at the cutting edge of designing cascade catalysts, but is still a scientific and technological challenge because of the lack of nanostructured materials that can not only host metal nanoparticles in different sub-compartments but also enable efficient molecular transport between different metals. Herein we report a multicompartmentalized mesoporous organosilica with spatially separated sub-compartments that are connected by short nanochannels. Such a unique structure allows co-localization of Ru and Pd nanoparticles in a nanoscale proximal fashion. The so designed cascade catalyst exhibits an order of magnitude activity enhancement in the sequential hydrogenation of nitroarenes to cyclohexylamines compared with its mono/bi-metallic counterparts. Crucially, an interesting phenomenon of neighboring metal-assisted hydrogenation via hydrogen spillover is observed, contributing to the significant enhancement in catalytic efficiency. The multicompartmentalized architectures along with the revealed mechanism of accelerated hydrogenation provide vast opportunity for designing efficient cascade catalysts.

Hollow Nano-Mesosilica Spheres Containing Rhodium Nanoparticles Supported on Nitrogen-Doped Carbon: An Efficient Catalyst for the Reduction of Nitroarenes under Mild Conditions.

Atom efficiency, low temperature, low pressure, and a nontoxic hydrogen source as a reducing agent are ideal reaction conditions for the reduction of nitroarenes. In this work, an efficient catalyst comprising hollow nano-mesosilica spheres loaded with Rh nanoparticles supported on nitrogen-doped carbon was developed. Rh nanoparticles were stabilized and uniformly dispersed by nitrogen atoms, and the inner N-doped carbon shell was used to adsorb reaction substrates and improve catalytic activity. The catalyst showed remarkable activity (maximum yield at 1.5 h) and selectivity (100 %) for the reduction of nitrobenzene at lower temperature (80 °C), atmospheric pressure (1 atm), and without base under aqueous conditions. Moreover, the hydrothermal stability of this nanocatalyst was better than other catalysts in boiling water at 100 °C for 48 h and effectively prevented the aggregation and leaching of Rh NPs during the reaction.

Encapsulating mesoporous metal nanoparticles: towards a highly active and stable nanoreactor for oxidative coupling reactions in water.

We design and prepare a highly active and stable nanoreactor via encapsulating various mesoporous metal nanoparticles with an amphiphilic hollow shell, which presents excellent performance in oxidative coupling reactions in water for efficient production of α,ß-unsaturated ketones.

Janus N-Doped Carbon@Silica Hollow Spheres as Multifunctional Amphiphilic Nanoreactors for Base-Free Aerobic Oxidation of Alcohols in Water.

The hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity of nanocatalysts has a significant impact on their performances via modulating the adsorption, transfer, and desorption of reactants/products. In this work, we reported a novel multifunctional amphiphilic nanoreactor composed of Janus nitrogen-doped carbon@silica hollow nanostructure and ultrasmall Pt nanoparticles. The core/shell polybenzoxazine@mesosilica spheres were used as the precursor for pyrolysis. It was found that the internal polybenzoxazine was decomposed from interior to exterior and transformed into a nitrogen-doped carbon hollow shell that partly embedded into the mesosilica layer, forming the Janus hollow spheres. The obtained nanoreactor showed remarkable activity and selectivity for base-free aerobic oxidation of alcohols in water using air as the oxidant. A one-pot oxidation-condensation cascade reaction was also successfully demonstrated to synthesize imines from alcohols and amines with good yields. The sorption analyses revealed that the superior hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity strengthened both adsorption of hydrophobic alcohols from water and desorption of byproduct water molecules from the active sites. The doped nitrogen atoms in the carbon matrix were used not only as anchoring sites for stabilizing ultrasmall Pt nanoparticles but also as basic active sites for accelerating the deprotonation process. Moreover, due to the anchoring effect of nitrogen and the extremely stable amphiphilicity, this nanoreactor exhibited excellent catalytic stability.

Amphiphilic hollow porous shell encapsulated Au@Pd bimetal nanoparticles for aerobic oxidation of alcohols in water.

This work describes the design, synthesis and analysis of an amphiphilic hollow mesoporous shell encapsulating catalytically active Au@Pd bimetal nanoparticles. The particles exhibited excellent catalytic activity and stability in the aerobic oxidation of primary and secondary alcohols to their corresponding aldehydes or ketones in water when using air as an oxidizing agent under atmospheric pressure.