Lifestyle intervention in children with obesity and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial in Ningbo city (the SCIENT study).

BACKGROUND: The increasing prevalence of childhood obesity has become an urgent public health problem, evidence showed that intervention for childhood obesity bring enormous health benefits. However, an effective individualized intervention strategy remains to be developed, and the accompanying remission of related complications, such as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), needs to be assessed. This study aimed to develop an m-Health-assisted lifestyle intervention program targeting overweight/obese children and assess its effectiveness on indicators of adiposity and NAFLD. METHODS: This is a cluster-randomized controlled trial that conducted in children with overweight/obesity in Ningbo city, Zhejiang Province, China. Students in Grade 3 (8-10 years old) were recruited from six primary schools, with three be randomized to intervention group and three to usual practice group. The intervention program will last for one academic year and consists of health education, dietary guidance, and physical activity reinforcement. This program is characterized by encouraging four stakeholders, including School, Clinic, famIly, and studENT (SCIENT), to participate in controlling childhood obesity, assisted by m-Health technology. Assessments will be conducted at baseline and 3 months, 9 months, 24 months, and 36 months after baseline. The primary outcome will be the differences between the two groups in students' body mass index and fatty liver index at the end of the intervention (9 months after baseline). During the implementation process, quality control methods will be adopted. DISCUSSION: The program will test the effectiveness of the m-Health-assisted lifestyle intervention on children with obesity and NAFLD. The results of this study will provide evidence for establishing effective lifestyle intervention strategy aimed at childhood obesity and NAFLD and may help develop guidelines for the treatment of obesity and NAFLD in Chinese children. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT05482191. Registered on July 2022.

Metastable Rock Salt Oxide-Mediated Synthesis of High-Density Dual-Protected M@NC for Long-Life Rechargeable Zinc-Air Batteries with Record Power Density.

Creating high-density durable bifunctional active sites in an air electrode is essential but still challenging for a long-life rechargeable zinc-air battery with appealing power density. Herein, we discover a general strategy mediated by metastable rock salt oxides for achieving high-density well-defined transition-metal nanocrystals encapsulated in N-doped carbon shells (M@NC) which are anchored on a substrate by a porous carbon network as highly active and durable bifunctional catalytic sites. Small-size (15 ± 5 nm) well-dispersed Co2Fe1@NC in a high density (metal loading up to 54.0 wt %) offers the zinc-air battery a record power density of 423.7 mW cm-2. The dual protection from the complete graphitic carbon shells and the anchoring of the outer carbon network make Co2Fe1@NC chemically and mechanically durable, giving the battery a long cycling life. Systematic in-situ temperature-dependent characterizations as well as DFT modeling rationalize the rock salt oxide-mediated process and its indispensable role in achieving high-density nanosized M@NC. These findings open up opportunities for designing efficient electrocatalysts for high-performance Zn-air batteries and diverse energy devices.

Surgical Treatment Strategy for Severe Rhinophyma With Bilateral Pedicled Nasolabial Flaps.

BACKGROUND: Rhinophyma is a rare disease characterized by chronic inflammation and hypertrophy of sebaceous glands, blood vessels, and fibrous tissue, associated with end-stage severe acne rosacea. There are multiple approaches to treatment and repair, including dermal shaving, secondary intention healing, free skin graft, and skin flaps. However, these methods have various disadvantages, such as prolonged healing, obvious scarring, and skin texture mismatch. Therefore, the authors adopted surgical excision with bilateral pedicled nasolabial flaps, which have better color, texture, thickness, and symmetry. METHODS: The authors present a case of severe nasal tip rhinophyma successfully treated by excision and repair with bilateral pedicled nasolabial flaps. This procedure combines deep excision of the focal lesion and coverage with bilateral nasolabial flaps. RESULTS: The bilateral pedicled nasolabial flaps were used for severe rhinophyma in a patient. After the operation, the flaps survived uneventfully in this study. Both functional and aesthetic results were satisfactory at 3 months. CONCLUSION: The authors offer an effective method for surgical treatment of rhinophyma. Excision of hypertrophic nasal tissue is an acknowledged effective treatment for patients with severe rhinophyma. After excision, reconstruction with nasolabial flaps results in satisfactory outcomes both functionally and aesthetically. Therefore, this approach should be considered an appropriate alternative in cases of severe rhinophyma.

Anthropometric labial analysis of Han Chinese young adults.

BACKGROUND: Facial features vary in size and proportions between different races. This study aimed to measure the anthropometric variables of the labial region in Han Chinese young adults. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 900 college students (475 male and 425 female) of Chinese Han ethnicity from the northern China were included. Measurements of the labial region included 14 linear items and seven proportions. RESULTS: All the linear measurements of the males were significantly higher than those of the females (all P < 0.001). Significant gender differences were found in the philtrum morphology, philtrum width, upper vermilion-cutaneous lip, lower vermilion-cutaneous lip, and vermilion. There are significant differences in the anthropometric variables of the labial region between male and female Han Chinese young adults. CONCLUSIONS: These data may be used as a reference standard for labial reconstructive and aesthetic surgery.

Thermodynamically Stable Orthorhombic γ-CsPbI3 Thin Films for High-Performance Photovoltaics.

All-inorganic lead halide perovskites demonstrate improved thermal stability over the organic-inorganic halide perovskites, but the cubic α-CsPbI3 with the most appropriate bandgap for light harvesting is not structurally stable at room temperature and spontaneously transforms into the undesired orthorhombic δ-CsPbI3. Here, we present a new member of black-phase thin films of all-inorganic perovskites for high-efficiency photovoltaics, the orthorhombic γ-CsPbI3 thin films with intrinsic thermodynamic stability and ideal electronic structure. Exempt from introducing organic ligands or incorporating mixed cations/anions into the crystal lattice, we stabilize the γ-CsPbI3 thin films by a simple solution process in which a small amount of H2O manipulates the size-dependent phase formation through a proton transfer reaction. Theoretical calculations coupled with experiments show that γ-CsPbI3 with a lower surface free energy becomes thermodynamically preferred over δ-CsPbI3 at surface areas greater than 8600 m2/mol and exhibits comparable optoelectronic properties to α-CsPbI3. Consequently, γ-CsPbI3-based solar cells display a highly reproducible efficiency of 11.3%, among the highest records for CsPbI3 thin-film solar cells, with robust stability in ambient atmosphere for months and continuous operating conditions for hours. Our study provides a novel and fundamental perspective to overcome the Achilles' heel of the inorganic lead iodide perovskite and opens it up for high-performance optoelectronic devices.

High temperature requirement factor A1 (HTRA1) regulates the activation of latent TGF-ß1 in keloid fibroblasts.

Scar treatments are considered a major issue in the plastic surgery field. Activation of the transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß)-mediated signaling pathway plays a key role in the scar pathogeneses, and high temperature requirement factor A1 (HTRA1) inhibits TGF-ß1 activation in tumor cells. Our study aims to investigate the role of HTRA1 in the pathogenesis of scars. The mRNA levels of HTRA1 was evaluated by real time PCR, HTRA1 protein expression was determined using western blot and immunohistochemistry, and a luciferase assay was applied to measure dynamic changes of TGF-ß1 activity. We found that the expression of HTRA1 was significantly elevated in keloid tissues, compared to normal skin, and TGF-ß1 mRNA levels slightly increase in the keloid tissue. Furthermore, active TGF-ß1 protein levels and Smad2 phosphorylation significantly increased in the keloid tissue. Treatment with the latent TGF-ß1 or recombinant human HTRA1 (rhHTRA1), alone or in combination, increased Smad2 phosphorylation levels in keloid fibroblasts and active TGF-ß1 contents of associated supernatants. Our results suggest that HTRA1 is involved in the pathogenesis of scars through regulating activation of latent TGF-ß1 in keloid fibroblasts, and our study reveals that HTRA1 is a novel target that regulates scar formation.

Electronic and Morphological Dual Modulation of Cobalt Carbonate Hydroxides by Mn Doping toward Highly Efficient and Stable Bifunctional Electrocatalysts for Overall Water Splitting.

Developing bifunctional efficient and durable non-noble electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is highly desirable and challenging for overall water splitting. Herein, Co-Mn carbonate hydroxide (CoMnCH) nanosheet arrays with controllable morphology and composition were developed on nickel foam (NF) as such a bifunctional electrocatalyst. It is discovered that Mn doping in CoCH can simultaneously modulate the nanosheet morphology to significantly increase the electrochemical active surface area for exposing more accessible active sites and tune the electronic structure of Co center to effectively boost its intrinsic activity. As a result, the optimized Co1Mn1CH/NF electrode exhibits unprecedented OER activity with an ultralow overpotential of 294 mV at 30 mA cm-2, compared with all reported metal carbonate hydroxides. Benefited from 3D open nanosheet array topographic structure with tight contact between nanosheets and NF, it is able to deliver a high and stable current density of 1000 mA cm-2 at only an overpotential of 462 mV with no interference from high-flux oxygen evolution. Despite no reports about effective HER on metal carbonate hydroxides yet, the small overpotential of 180 mV at 10 mA cm-2 for HER can be also achieved on Co1Mn1CH/NF by the dual modulation of Mn doping. This offers a two-electrode electrolyzer using bifunctional Co1Mn1CH/NF as both anode and cathode to perform stable overall water splitting with a cell voltage of only 1.68 V at 10 mA cm-2. These findings may open up opportunities to explore other multimetal carbonate hydroxides as practical bifunctional electrocatalysts for scale-up water electrolysis.

Cross-talk between TGF-ß/Smad pathway and Wnt/ß-catenin pathway in pathological scar formation.

TGF-ß1 is a key factor in the process of wound healing, which is regulated by TGF-ß/Smad pathway. We previously demonstrated that TGF-ß1 contributed to pathological scar formation. And previous studies also suggested Wnt/ß-catenin pathway might be involved in wound healing. However, their role and relation in pathological scar formation remains not very clear. For evaluating TGF-ß1 and ß-catenin, key factors of the two signal pathways, immunohistochemistry, western blot analysis and RT-PCR were used. Simultaneously, immunohistochemistry were used to evaluate Smad2, Smad3 and Wnt-1, which were also the important factors. We found that they all significantly accumulated in pathological scars compared with normal skins (P<0.05), that implied the two signal pathways both contributed to pathological scar formation. Meanwhile, ß-catenin expression showed a tendency to increase first and then decrease under the influence of different concentrations of TGF-ß1 (P<0.01). It is possible that there is a complicated interaction between the two signal pathways in pathological scar formation (both synergy and antagonism).

Does pectoralis major flap harvesting induce upper extremity dysfunction?

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of pectoralis major myocutaneous (PMM) flap reconstruction on upper extremity dysfunction. METHODS: Patients undergoing PMM flap reconstruction following head and neck cancer resection were enrolled. The control group comprised age-, sex- and clinical characteristic-matched patients undergoing non-PMM flap reconstruction. All patients completed the Disability of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) questionnaire preoperatively and >1 year postoperatively. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between pre- and postoperative DASH scores in the control group (n = 46; 2.38 ± 3.33 and 2.99 ± 4.21, respectively). In the PMM flap group (n = 46), the postoperative DASH score was significantly higher than the preoperative score (7.00 ± 9.13 and 2.44 ± 3.50, respectively). In the PMM flap group, flap size was significantly associated with postoperative DASH score. CONCLUSION: PMM flap reconstruction has a small but significant negative effect on upper extremity dysfunction.

Prognostic significance of in situ and plasma levels of transforming growth factor ß1, -2 and -3 in cutaneous melanoma.

Melanoma is an aggressive type of cutaneous malignancy. Transforming growth factor (TGF)­ß has been demonstrated to be an important mediator of tumor progression. However, to the best of our knowledge, the systemic roles of plasma TGF­ß and TGF­ß in situ have not been investigated in Han Chinese melanoma patients. The results of the present study demonstrated that the in situ and plasma levels of TGF­ß1, TGF­ß2 and TGF­ß3 protein and messenger RNA were significantly elevated in tumor tissues compared with those of normal tissues. The survival rates of the patients which were triple­positive (TGF­ß1+, TGF­ß2+ and TGF­ß3+) were found to be markedly decreased compared to those which were single­ (TGF­ß1+, TGF­ß2+ or TGF­ß3+) or double­positive (TGF­ß1+, TGF­ß2+; TGF­ß2+, TGF­ß3+; or TGF­ß1+, TGF­ß3+). These results may therefore contribute to the use of TGF­ß as a prognostic biomarker, and to the development of novel therapies for melanoma treatment.

Anthropometric nasal analysis of Han Chinese young adults.

BACKGROUND: There are varying degrees of racial differences in the size, shape, proportions of the facial structures. METHODS: A total of 900 Han Chinese young adults (501 females and 399 males) were included in the analysis. Measurements taken of the soft tissue of the external nose included 12 items of linear distance and 5 angles. Six proportion indices of the soft tissue of the external nose were determined. RESULTS: In the 12 parameters of linear measurement, females were found to have significantly smaller nasal base width, nasal ala length, nasal ala thickness, columella height, columella width, and nasal tip width in comparison to males (all, P < 0.01). In the five angular measurements, females were found to have a smaller nasal tip angle and nasolabial angle (both, P < 0.05) and a larger nostril tilt angle, nasofrontal angle, and nasal tip angle (all, P < 0.001). Nasal depth-nasal width and columella height-nasal depth were both significantly less in males than females (53.25 ± 8.2 vs. 54.56 ± 9.7 and 51.61 ± 11.92 vs. 53.37 ± 12.56, respectively); whereas nasal ala length-nasal height was significantly less in females than in males (29.41 ± 8.95 vs. 30.9 ± 7.02). CONCLUSION: Significant differences are present in nasal indices of males and females of Han Chinese ancestry. These data may serve as a reference standard for nasal reconstructive and aesthetic surgery.

CD24 expression predicts poor prognosis for patients with cutaneous malignant melanoma.

Cutaneous malignant melanoma represents the major cause of mortality among skin cancers. Metastasis-associated protein CD24 is a small, heavily glycosylated cell surface protein that is overexpressed in various human malignancies. The present study was designed to determine the roles of CD24 in cutaneous malignant melanoma. The levels of CD24 mRNA and protein in cutaneous malignant melanoma tissues were detected by RT-PCR, Western blot and IHC. In patient samples, the levels of CD24 mRNA and protein were higher in cancer tissues than that in normal tissues. CD24 expression decreased the survival time of the patients with melanoma. Taken together, these results suggest that CD24 may be used as a new drug target for cutaneous malignant melanoma.