Examining emergency department utilization following bariatric surgery.

BACKGROUND: Emergency department (ED) utilization following surgery is poorly understood and places immense strain on the healthcare system, being responsible for up to $38 billion in wasteful spending annually. The aim of this study was to quantify ED utilization following bariatric procedures to identify causes and areas of improvement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective review of a prospectively maintained database was conducted for all patients who underwent metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) between November 2006 and June 2019. The study includes 4703 patients across 8 hospitals in a single health system. Patients who returned to the ED within 30 and 90 days were analyzed for relation to surgery and preventability. RESULTS: Of the 4703 patients that underwent MBS, 907 (19.3%) visited the ED at least once within 90 days and 350 (7.4%) required hospital readmission. The most common bariatric procedure performed was the Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB) (3716/4703) with an average BMI of 43.8. The median length between discharge and ED visit was 19 days. Under 50% of patients called prior to ED presentation and 61% of these ED visits resulted in discharge. CONCLUSION: While hospital readmissions following MBS have been scrutinized in literature, investigation of ED utilization remains scarce. Our study is one of few to investigate postoperative ED utilization up to 90 days following bariatric intervention. A clear opportunity exists to improve discharge education and early post-discharge communication. This would additionally alleviate burden to allow focus on the acutely ill.

Smooth vs Textured Expanders: Patient Factors and Anatomic Plane Are Greater Factors in Determining First-Stage Breast Reconstruction Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Textured implants and expanders are associated with an increased risk of breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL). As a result, plastic surgeons are utilizing smooth expanders, but many perceive these produce undesirable outcomes including infection, seroma, and lateral displacement. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare clinical outcomes of smooth and textured expanders. METHODS: Breast reconstruction patients from January 2018 to May 2021 were retrospectively reviewed. Included patients underwent placement of tissue expanders at the time of mastectomy. Primary outcomes included postoperative seroma, infection, malposition, days to final reconstruction, explantation, and the need for capsulorrhaphy. RESULTS: In total, 233 patients were reviewed, of whom 167 met both inclusion and exclusion criteria. There was no statistically significant difference in poor outcomes comparing smooth and textured expanders. Days to final reconstruction was lower with smooth expanders per breast (P = .0424). The subpectoral group was associated with an increased likelihood of undergoing capsulorrhaphy (P = .004). Prepectoral placement was associated with more seromas (P = .0176) and infections (P = .0245). Demographic factors included older age as a protective factor for undergoing capsulorrhaphy (odds ratio [OR] = 0.962, P = .038), obesity increased the risk of infection (OR = 5.683, P = .0279) and malposition (OR = 6.208, P = .0222), and radiation was associated with malposition (OR = 3.408, P = .0246). CONCLUSIONS: There was no significant difference in poor outcomes between smooth and textured expanders. Patient demographics and anatomical plane placement had greater effects on infection, seroma, and the need for capsulorrhaphy compared with tissue expander texturing.

Adherence Disparities and Utilization Trends of Oncotype Dx Assay: A National Cancer Database Study.

INTRODUCTION: Oncotype Dx (ODX) is a genetic assay that analyzes tumor recurrence risk and provides chemotherapy recommendations for T1-T2 stage, hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor-negative, and nodal-negative breast cancer patients. Despite its established validity, the utilization of this assay is suboptimal. The study aims to evaluate factors that are associated with adherence rate with the testing guidelines and examine changes in utilization trends. METHODS: This is a retrospective study, utilizing data from the National Cancer Database from 2010 to 2017. Patients who met the ODX testing guidelines were first evaluated for testing adherence. Secondly, all patients who underwent ODX testing were assessed to evaluate the trend in ODX utilization. RESULTS: A total of 429,648 patients met the criteria for ODX, and 43.4% of this population underwent testing. Advanced age, racial minorities, low-income status, well-differentiated tumor grade, uninsured status, and treatment at community cancer centers were associated with a decreased likelihood of receiving ODX in eligible patients. Additionally, a notable amount of testing was performed on patients who did not meet the ODX testing criteria. Among the 295,326 patients that underwent ODX testing, 16.6% of patients were node-positive and 1.8% had T3 or T4 stage tumors. CONCLUSIONS: A considerable number of patients who were eligible for ODX did not receive it, indicating potential barriers to care and disparities in breast cancer treatment. ODX usage has been expanded to broader patient populations, indicating more research is needed to validate the effectiveness of the assay in these patient groups.

Outcomes of Aortobifemoral Bypass Based on Configuration of the Proximal Anastomosis.

BACKGROUND: Aortobifemoral bypass (ABF) remains an important treatment modality in the revascularization of aortoiliac occlusive disease. Despite ABF being performed for decades, questions remain regarding the preferred technique for the proximal anastomosis, specifically whether an end-to-end (EE) or an end-to-side (ES) configuration is superior. The goal of this study was to compare the outcomes of ABF based on proximal configuration. METHODS: We queried the Vascular Quality Initiative registry for ABF procedures performed between 2009 and 2020. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to compare perioperative and 1-year outcomes between EE and ES configurations. RESULTS: Of the 6,782 patients (median [interquartile range] age, 60.0 [54-66 years]) who underwent ABF, 3,524 (52%) had an EE proximal anastomosis and 3,258 (48%) had an ES proximal anastomosis. Postoperatively, the ES cohort had a higher frequency of extubation in the operating room (80.3% vs. 77.4%; P < 0.01), lower change in renal function (8.8% vs. 11.5%; P < 0.01), and lower use of vasopressors (15.6% vs. 19.1%; P < 0.01), but higher rates of unanticipated return to the operating room (10.2% vs. 8.7%; P = 0.037) compared with the EE configuration. At 1-year follow-up, the ES cohort had a significantly lower primary graft patency rate (87.5% vs. 90.2%; P < 0.01) and higher rates of graft revision (4.8% vs. 3.1%; P < 0.01) and claudication symptoms (11.6% vs. 9.9%; P < 0.01). The ES configuration was significantly associated with a higher rate of 1-year major limb amputations in univariate (1.6% vs. 0.9%; P < 0.01) and multivariate (odds ratio, 1.95, confidence interval, 1.18-3.23, P=<0.01) analyses. CONCLUSIONS: While the ES cohort seemed to have less physiologic insult immediately postoperatively, the EE configuration appeared to have improved 1-year outcomes. To our knowledge, this study is one of the largest population-based studies comparing the outcomes of the proximal anastomotic configurations. Longer-term follow-up is needed to determine which configuration is optimal.

Where Have All the Rhinoplasties Gone? A Call to Action for Academic Plastic Surgeons to Focus on Increasing Rhinoplasty Procedures Before It Is Too Late.

BACKGROUND: The armamentarium of a plastic surgeon is vast, consisting of an array of surgical procedures from head to toe. Unfortunately, plastic surgeons have been losing portions of their operative domain to other surgical subspecialties for years. The number of subspecialties invading our niche is bothersome, but more concerning is the fact that losing the reins of these core procedures results in less surgical exposure and competency for plastic surgery residents.Lately, in academic institutions, otolaryngologists seem to be performing most rhinoplasty procedures, resulting in fewer surgeries performed by plastic surgeons. Trainees must perform 10 rhinoplasties to fulfill graduation requirements but, more importantly, residents should graduate feeling competent and confident performing rhinoplasties. The aims of this study are to determine the number of rhinoplasties being performed at academic centers each year and to evaluate the trend with regard to which specialties are performing these procedures. METHODS: Three academic institutions with plastic surgery and otolaryngology residency programs searched medical records for rhinoplasty Current Procedural Terminology codes from January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2019. The total numbers of rhinoplasties performed each year, by each specialty, were tallied. RESULTS: Growth rate in rhinoplasty volume among participating institutions ranged from 27% to 149%. At these institutions, plastic surgeons performed less than one third of all rhinoplasties. In 2009, 10% of rhinoplasties were performed by plastic surgeons at institution 1, 22% at institution 2, and 18% at institution 3. In 2019, the volume of rhinoplasties performed by plastic surgeons was 5%, 12%, and 27%, respectively. The 3 ENT departments had statistically significant increasing trends in rhinoplasty volume. Institutions 1 and 2's plastic surgery departments showed that negative volume trends, however, were not statistically significant. Institution 3's plastic surgery department has had an increasing trend, which was statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Otolaryngology is performing most rhinoplasties at several academic institutions. This is concerning for the education of plastic surgery trainees. Academic plastic surgeons must focus on increasing the number of rhinoplasties performed to adequately train residents this core procedure. If rhinoplasties are not made a priority now, this surgery may become a historic operation instead of a vital skill in plastic surgeons' armamentarium.

Applying the 2005 Caprini Score to Plastic Surgery Patients: A Quality Improvement Project.

BACKGROUND: The Caprini score is a validated scale that calculates a patient's 30-day venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk based on their comorbidities. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons published VTE prophylaxis recommendations in 2011 based on the Caprini score, but these recommendations are vague and up to physician interpretation. The purpose of this study is to evaluate postoperative outcomes after the application of strict guidelines using the Caprini score with specific VTE chemoprophylaxis benchmarks on plastic surgery patients. METHODS: A retrospective cohort analysis was performed on all plastic surgery patients who underwent surgery between July 2019 and July 2021. Patients between July 2019 and June 2020 were not subjected to any specific VTE prophylaxis protocol, while patients from July 2020 to July 2021 were subjected to the newly created VTE prophylaxis protocol. Every patient received a calculated Caprini score at their preoperative history and physical. The primary outcomes measured include hematoma, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). RESULTS: Four hundred forty-one patients with 541 procedures were included in this study, with 275 patients in the "before" group and 166 patients in the "after" group. A total of 78.6% of patients received chemoprophylaxis in the "before" group compared with 20% in the "after" group. There was no significant difference in postoperative complications between the two groups including PE or DVT ( P = 0.2684 and 0.2696, respectively), with a trend toward hematoma formation in the "before" group ( P = 0.1358). After the application of evidence-based VTE guidelines, the patients stayed fewer days in the hospital (0.4 vs 0.7 days, P = 0.0085) and were less likely to be readmitted (2.4% vs 6.5%, P = 0.0333). The average cost per patient in the "before" group was $9.11 with a total cost of $3022.90. The average cost per patient in the "after" group was $4.23 with a total cost of $867.94 ( P = 0.032). CONCLUSIONS: Our strict application of the Caprini score significantly and safely limited the number of patients receiving postoperative VTE chemoprophylaxis and showed no significant difference in postoperative hematoma, DVT, or PE.

Tmc proteins are essential for zebrafish hearing where Tmc1 is not obligatory.

Perception of sound is initiated by mechanically gated ion channels at the tips of stereocilia. Mature mammalian auditory hair cells require transmembrane channel-like 1 (TMC1) for mechanotransduction, and mutations of the cognate genetic sequences result in dominant or recessive heritable deafness forms in humans and mice. In contrast, zebrafish lateral line hair cells, which detect water motion, require Tmc2a and Tmc2b. Here, we use standard and multiplex genome editing in conjunction with functional and behavioral assays to determine the reliance of zebrafish hearing and vestibular organs on Tmc proteins. Surprisingly, our approach using multiple mutant alleles demonstrates that hearing in zebrafish is not dependent on Tmc1, nor is it fully dependent on Tmc2a and Tmc2b. Hearing however is absent in triple-mutant zebrafish that lack Tmc1, Tmc2a and Tmc2b. These outcomes reveal a striking resemblance of Tmc protein reliance in the vestibular sensory epithelia of mammals to the maculae of zebrafish. Moreover, our findings disclose a logic of Tmc use where hearing depends on a complement of Tmc proteins beyond those employed to sense water motion.

Menin regulates lipid deposition in mouse hepatocytes via interacting with transcription factor FoxO1.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is rapidly being recognized as the leading cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. Men1, encoding protein of menin, is a key causative gene of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 syndrome including pancreatic tumor. It is known that insulin that secretes by endocrine tissue pancreatic islets plays a critical role in hepatic metabolism. Mouse model of hemizygous deletion of Men1 was shown to have severe hepatic metabolism disorders. However, the molecular function of menin on lipid deposition in hepatocytes needs to be further studied. Transcriptome sequencing does show that expression suppression of Men1 in mouse hepatocytes widely affect signaling pathways involved in hepatic metabolism, such as fatty acid metabolism, insulin response, glucose metabolism and inflammation. Further molecular studies indicates that menin overexpression inhibits expressions of the fat synthesis genes Srebp-1c, Fas, and Acc1, the fat differentiation genes Pparγ1 and Pparγ2, and the fat transport gene Cd36, thereby inhibiting the fat accumulation in hepatocytes. The biological process of menin regulating hepatic lipid metabolism was accomplished by interacting with the transcription factor FoxO1, which is also found to be critical for lipid metabolism. Moreover, menin responds to insulin in hepatocytes and mediates its regulatory effect on hepatic metabolism. Our findings suggest that menin is a crucial mediation factor in regulating the hepatic fat deposition, suggesting it could be a potential important therapeutic target for NAFLD.

A comparative evaluation of robotic and laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass: a critical evaluation on the impact of postoperative pain and opioid requirements.

INTRODUCTION: The benefits of minimally invasive surgery using laparoscopy on postoperative pain and opioid use are well established. Our goal was to determine whether patients who underwent Roux-en-Y gastric bypass using a robotic approach (RA-RYGB) had lower postoperative pain and required less opioids than those undergoing laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (L-RYGB). Secondary outcomes evaluated included length of stay, operative time, and readmissions. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: This was a retrospective cohort study from a tertiary academic medical center. Patients who underwent L-RYGB or RA-RYGB between 5/1/2018 and 10/31/2019 were included. Cases with concomitant hernia repair, chronic opioid use, and those who did not receive a TAP block or multimodal pain control were excluded. Baseline demographics were compared. Inpatient and outpatient opioid use in Morphine Milligram Equivalents (MME) and pain scores (10-point Likert scale) were compared. RESULTS: There were 573 RY patients included (462 L-RYGB; 111 RA-RYGB). Median and maximum inpatient pain scores were similar for L-RYGB and RA-RYGB (3.0 vs 3.1, p = 0.878; 7.0 vs 7.0, p = 0.688). Median inpatient opioid use and maximum single day use were similar for L-RYGB and RA-RYGB (40.0 MME vs. 42.0 MME, p = 0.671; 30.0 MME vs 30.0 MME, p = 0.648). Both the outpatient prescribing of opioids (50.2% vs. 42.3%, p = 0.136) and outpatient opioid MME at 2 weeks (L-RYGB 30.0 MME vs. 33.8 MME, p = 0.854) were comparable between cohorts. Patient reported pain at 2-week follow-up was significantly higher for RA-RYGB (68.1%) than L-RYGB (55.6%) (p = 0.030). RA-RYGB had a higher rate of 30-day readmission and longer operative times compared to the L-RYGB (6.3% vs 13.5%, p = 0.010; 144.5 vs 200.0 min, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: This study identified no benefit for postoperative pain or opioid requirements in patients undergoing RA-RYGB compared to L-RYGB. The RA-RYGB group was significantly more likely to report pain at the two-week follow-up.

The Use of Paclitaxel-Coated Devices in the Treatment of Peripheral Arterial Disease is Not Associated With Increased Mortality or Amputations.

BACKGROUND: Strategies for the most effective treatment for peripheral arterial disease (PAD) remain controversial among clinicians. Several trials have shown improved primary patency of femoropopliteal interventions with the utilization of paclitaxel-coated balloons or stents compared to conventional balloons or stents. However, a 2018 meta-analysis suggested an increased mortality risk for patients receiving drug-coated balloons or stents (DCBS), resulting in an international pause in the use of DCBS. A 2021 meta-analysis by the same group suggested an increased risk of major amputation following DCBS use in peripheral arterial revascularization procedures. Here we report our long-term institutional outcomes comparing uncoated devices to DCBS. METHODS: A retrospective review of all patients who underwent peripheral arterial angioplasty, stenting, atherectomy, or a combination between 2011 and 2020 within a regional healthcare system was performed. Univariate, multivariate, and survival analyses were performed using standard statistical methods to assess the primary end points of overall survival, 5-year survival, and amputation-free survival. RESULTS: A total of 2,717 patients were identified, of whom 1,965 were treated with conventional uncoated devices and 752 were treated with DCBS. A univariate analysis showed that patients treated with non-DCBS had higher rates of overall mortality, major amputations, and mortality at 1, 3, and 5 years. A multivariable analysis demonstrated that the use of conventional devices, age, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, myocardial infarction, transient ischemic attack, warfarin use, and atrial fibrillation all significantly increased the risk of 5-year mortality, overall mortality, and combined mortality and/or amputation. CONCLUSIONS: DCBS are not associated with increased mortality or worse amputation-free survival in this real-world cohort of patients treated for PAD. Our data suggest that mortality is more closely linked with pre-existing patient comorbidities rather than device selection at the time of revascularization.

Falls from Tree Stands Have Become the Leading Cause of Deer Hunting Accidents in Pennsylvania.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to describe, using a statewide trauma registry, the incidence, trends, and injuries for tree stand falls while deer hunting in Pennsylvania. METHODS: Falls from tree stands were abstracted from the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation registry (1990-2017) and combined with the number of licensed deer hunters, deer hunting days, and deer hunting-related shooting incidents (HRSIs) provided by the Pennsylvania Game Commission to calculate tree stand fall and HRSI rates (per 1 million deer hunting days) and age-group specific fall rates (per 100,000 licensed deer hunters). Poisson regression was used to assess the significance of the annual and age group rate trends (significance P < 0.05). Case fatality rate (percentage of number of deaths per number of injured hunters) also was calculated. RESULTS: There were 1229 victims of tree stand falls and 560 victims of HRSIs between 1990 and 2017. Fall rates increased from 1.5 to 10.4 (P < 0.0001), and HRSI rates decreased from 4.9 to 1.2 (P = 0.001). Fall rates surpassed HRSI rates in 1999 and increased with advancing age (P = 0.007), peaking at 7.2 for hunters aged 50 to 59 years. Most (77%) injured hunters sustained multiple injuries. The case fatality rate was only 0.8%, but 26% of the injured hunters had a dependent functional limitation at hospital discharge. CONCLUSIONS: Tree stand falls are now the leading cause of Pennsylvania deer hunting accidents. Fall victims usually sustain multiple nonfatal but often disabling injuries. Study findings support the need for surveillance of these accidents and additional tree stand safety education.

Leaf Mutant 7 Encoding Heat Shock Protein OsHSP40 Regulates Leaf Size in Rice.

Leaf size is an important agronomic trait directly affecting yield in rice, and thus understanding the genes determining leaf size is important in breeding. In this study, one Leaf Mutant 7 (lm7) with small leaf size was isolated using ethyl methane sulphonate (EMS) mutagenesis from the japonica Zhenggeng 1925. MutMap by whole genome resequencing of phenotypic bulks revealed that LM7 is likely located in the 133 kb region on chromosome 7 using F2 population from a cross between lm7 and wild-type (WT) Zhenggeng 1925. The candidate gene encoding heat shock protein OsHSP40 for LM7 was functionally validated. Disruption of this gene in Oshsp40 mutants significantly reduced the leaf size compared with that of WT in rice. Microscopic examination showed that OsHSP40 modulated leaf size via regulating the veins formation and cell size/cell number. Nucleotide diversity analysis indicated that a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) variation of C to T in the coding region of OsHSP40 may cause small leaves among rice accessions. Therefore, the natural variation of OsHSP40 contributing to leaf size might be useful for rice breeding.

Characterisation of the dark green islands of cucumber mosaic virus infected Nicotiana tabacum.

KEY MESSAGE: There are significant differences between the DGIs and LGTs. Additionally, most of the characteristics indicate that the DGIs are more similar to recovered tissue and can resist viral attacks. Dark green islands (DGIs) surrounded by light green tissues (LGTs) are common leaf symptoms of plants that are systemically infected by various mosaic viruses. We performed cytological, physiological and molecular biological analyses of the DGIs and LGTs in cucumber mosaic virus-infected Nicotiana tabacum leaves. Our results indicated that the DGIs contained less virus than did the LGTs. Compared to the LGTs, the DGIs contained higher levels of the metabolites involved in plant defence. The contents of reduced glutathione and ascorbic acid were increased in the DGIs to reach levels that were even higher than those of control plants. Moreover, hormone measurements and quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed that the endogenous salicylic acid, ethylene and defence genes mediated these elevations by playing positive roles in the regulation of the DGIs responses to viral infection. The accumulation of cytokinin was also much greater in the DGIs than in the LGTs. Finally, northern blotting analysis indicated that the accumulation of viral small interfering RNAs was decreased in the DGIs compared to the LGTs. Taken together, these results suggest that DGIs might represent leaf areas that have recovered from viral infection due to locally enhanced defence responses.

Trends in adoption of total neoadjuvant therapy for locally advanced rectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Total neoadjuvant chemoradiation (TNT), an accepted strategy for the treatment of locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC), was first included in guidelines in 2018. We aimed to describe trends in, and factors associated with TNT receipt. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of adult patients with LARC was performed using the national cancer database (2012-2020). TNT status was determined, and temporal trends analyzed. Factors associated with TNT receipt were identified by stage. RESULTS: A total of 51,407 patients were identified; 57.3 â€‹% received TNT. Increasing age and comorbidities were associated with higher rates of TNT receipt. Patients with stage III disease were more likely to receive TNT (stage II OR 0.92, 95%CI 0.88-0.96). Patients were 38 â€‹% more likely to get TNT after guideline inclusion (OR1.38, 95%CI 1.31-1.46). CONCLUSION: Rates of TNT were consistently above 50 â€‹% and rose after inclusion in the NCCN guidelines. This study establishes baseline patterns in rates of TNT for future benchmarking.

Textured anti-reflection and down-conversion composite functional films for high-efficiency solar cells.

Advances in high-efficiency solar cells introduce photon management challenges, including the difficult texturization of flat surfaces and low photon utilization at short wavelengths. While bifacial crystalline silicon solar cells have a front pyramid structure and SiN x layers reduce reflections, managing photons on the flat backside remains a challenge. To enhance light utilization, a soft nanoimprint technique was utilized to create pyramid micro-structured polyurethane films doped with europium (Eu3+) complex. These films, which possess anti-reflection and down-conversion properties, can be applied externally to various high-efficiency solar cells without compromising electrical performance. Research on the backside of bifacial PERC solar cells revealed that the optimal composite functional film increases the integrated current by 5.70%, with a 1.27% gain from down-conversion effects. This specialized film presents a novel approach to interface matching for different types of solar cells.

Menin orchestrates hepatic glucose and fatty acid uptake via deploying the cellular translocation of SIRT1 and PPARγ.

BACKGROUND: Menin is a scaffold protein encoded by the Men1 gene, which interacts with various transcriptional proteins to activate or repress cellular processes and is a key mediator in multiple organs. Both liver-specific and hepatocyte-specific Menin deficiency promotes high-fat diet-induced liver steatosis in mice, as well as insulin resistance and type 2 diabetic phenotype. The potential link between Menin and hepatic metabolism homeostasis may provide new insights into the mechanism of fatty liver disease. RESULTS: Disturbance of hepatic Menin expression impacts metabolic pathways associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), including the FoxO signaling pathway, which is similar to that observed in both oleic acid-induced fatty hepatocytes model and biopsied fatty liver tissues, but with elevated hepatic Menin expression and inhibited FABP1. Higher levels of Menin facilitate glucose uptake while restraining fatty acid uptake. Menin targets the expression of FABP3/4/5 and also CD36 or GK, PCK by binding to their promoter regions, while recruiting and deploying the cellular localization of PPARγ and SIRT1 in the nucleus and cytoplasm. Accordingly, Menin binds to PPARγ and/or FoxO1 in hepatocytes, and orchestrates hepatic glucose and fatty acid uptake by recruiting SIRT1. CONCLUSION: Menin plays an orchestration role as a transcriptional activator and/or repressor to target downstream gene expression levels involved in hepatic energy uptake by interacting with the cellular energy sensor SIRT1, PPARγ, and/or FoxO1 and deploying their translocations between the cytoplasm and nucleus, thereby maintaining metabolic homeostasis. These findings provide more evidence suggesting Menin could be targeted for the treatment of hepatic steatosis, NAFLD or metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), and even other hepatic diseases.

Anti-reflection effect of high refractive index polyurethane with different light trapping structures on solar cells.

The textured surfaces to reduce light reflectivity by using acid-alkali chemical etching and SiNx films are generally necessary for commercial crystalline silicon solar cells. However, this etching process requires a large amount of environmentally harmful acid-alkali solution and has limited options for texture and size. To overcome these disadvantages, a new anti-reflection strategy is proposed in this study, which is using soft nanoimprint lithography to prepare the textured structures on the outside of the SiNx films. The polyurethane with a high refractive index of 1.64 is selected as the texture material, and different templates are selected to prepare it into different light trapping structures, including positive-inverted pyramids, inverted lace cones, and positive-inverted moth-eye nanostructures allowing for easy customization of the textured structures. The finite element simulation and experiments demonstrate that these light trapping structures have a wide spectrum anti-reflection performance in visible and near-infrared bands. With the back surface of the commercial passivated emitter rear contact (PERC) bi-facial solar cells as the imprint substrates, some light trapping structures can reduce the surface weighted average light reflectivity (Rw) at the band of 300-1200 nm from 18.31% to less than 10% and the optimal structures can reduce Rw to 8.71%. This anti-reflection strategy can also be applied to thin-film solar cells and crystalline silicon solar cells of other structures, such as HIT, Topcon, Perovskite/c-Si tandem, and so forth, which shows great development potential.

Short-term Outcomes of Emergent Versus Elective Gastrectomy for Gastric Adenocarcinoma: A National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Study.

BACKGROUND: Gastric adenocarcinoma is a leading cause of cancer death worldwide and in the United States, and can present emergently with upper GI hemorrhage, obstruction, or perforation. Few large studies have examined how emergency surgery for gastric cancer affects patient outcomes. METHODS: All patients from National Surgical Quality Improvement Program with gastric adenocarcinoma from 2005 to 2017 were examined retrospectively. Univariate and multivariate analysis of patient factors and perioperative outcomes was performed. P-values < .05 were significant. RESULTS: Of 4663 total patients, 115 had emergency surgery and 4548 had elective surgery. Emergency surgery patients were more likely to be non-white, underweight, higher ASA class, require a preoperative blood transfusion, and were less likely to be functionally independent. Multivariate analysis demonstrates an increased likelihood of unplanned intubation, prolonged ventilation, and deep vein thrombosis (DVT). DISCUSSION: There are no significant differences in mortality, reoperation, or infection when comparing emergent surgery for gastric cancer and elective surgery; however, there is an increased risk of reintubation, prolonged intubation, and DVT in patients undergoing emergent surgery. Patients requiring emergent surgery have more comorbidities, higher blood transfusion requirements, and worse preoperative functional status, and this study demonstrates that they also have worse perioperative outcomes. Previous studies have shown that long-term oncologic outcomes are worse for patients undergoing urgent surgery, and this study shows that perioperative outcomes are also somewhat worse. Thus, definitive surgery performed on a patient who presents emergently with gastric cancer should be considered but may come at the cost of increased perioperative respiratory complications, DVTs, and worse oncologic outcomes.

[Effect of tetramethylpyrazine on the expression of macrophage migration inhibitory factor in acute spinal cord injury in rats].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) on the expression of migration inhibitory factor (MIF) in acute spinal cord injury (ASCI) in rats. METHODS: Allen's weight-drop method was used to establish a rat model of ASCI at T10. A total of 110 adult SD rats were divided into a sham operation group (group S, n=10), a control group (group C, n=50), and a TMP group (group T, n=50). Spinal cord functionality was measured by a modified Rivilin loxotic plate degree, BBB score, and combined behavioral score (CBS) at 1, 3, 5, 7, 14 and 21 d postoperatively. The injured spinal cord tissue samples were harvested at 1, 3, 6, 12 h and 1, 3, 5, 7, 14, 21 d postoperatively (n=5 at each time point) and used to prepare continuous histological sections, in which the expression of MIF was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The degree in group T measured by modified Rivlin loxotic plate test after the ASCI was significantly higher than that in group C at 7, 14, and 21 d (P<0.05). BBB score in group T was significantly higher than that in group C at 5, 7, 14, and 21 d after the ASCI (P<0.05). CBS score in group C was significantly higher than that in group T at 5, 7, 14, and 21 d after the ASCI (P<0.05). The significantly low number of MIF positive cells was shown in group T when compared with that in group C at 12 h and 1, 3, 5, 7 d after the ASCI (P<0.05). As time passed, there was negative correlation between modified Rivlin loxotic plate degree and MIF expression and also between BBB score and MIF, and there was positive correlation between CBB score and MIF expression. CONCLUSION: TMP has protective effect after the ASCI, and may promote the repair of injured spinal cord tissues. TMP may decrease the MIF expression in cells after the ASCI.

Fabrication of Biologically Inspired Electrospun Collagen/Silk fibroin/bioactive glass composited nanofibrous scaffold to accelerate the treatment efficiency of bone repair.

Bone disease and disorder treatment might be difficult because of its complicated nature. Millions of patients each year need bone substitutes that may help them recover quickly from a variety of illnesses. Synthetic bone replacements that mirror the structural, chemical, and biological features of bone matrix structure will be very helpful and in high demand. In this research, the inorganic bioactive glass nanoparticles matrixed with organic collagen and silk fibroin structure (COL/SF/CaO-SiO2) were used to create multifunctional bone-like fibers in this study, which we describe here. The fiber structure is organized in a layered fashion comparable to the sequence in which apatite and neo tissue are formed. The amino groups in COL and SF combined with CaO-SiO2 to stabilize the resulting composite nanofiber. Morphological and functional studies confirmed that crystalline CaO-SiO2 nanoparticles with average sizes of 20 ± 5 nm are anchored on a 115 ± 10 nm COL/SF nanofiber matrix. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) results confirmed the presence of C, N, O, Ca, and Si in the composite fiber with an atomic percentage of 59.46, 3.30, 20.25, 3.38 and 13.61%. respectively. The biocompatibility examination with osteoblast cells (Saos-2) revealed that the CAL/SF/CaO-SiO2 composite nanofiber had enhanced osteogenic activity. Finally, when the CAL/SF/CaO-SiO2 composite nanofiber scaffolds were used to treat an osteoporotic bone defect in a rat model, the composite nanofiber scaffolds significantly promoted bone regeneration and vascularization. This novel fibrous scaffold class represents a potential breakthrough in the design of advanced materials for complicated bone regeneration.