Can China's carbon intensity constraint policies improve carbon emission performance? Evidence from regional carbon emissions.

Carbon Intensity Constraint Policies (CICPs) are vital for addressing climate change challenges and advancing sustainable development. Since 2010, China has rolled out three five-year CICPs. However, there is limited understanding of their impact on carbon emission performance (CEP). Addressing this, this study pioneers the exploration of the CICP's impact on China's CEP. Drawing from government intervention and green paradox theories, this study highlights a concerning scenario: local governments achieve emission targets via excessive intervention. For deeper insights, this study melds the overall technology frontier concept with a non-radial, non-angle directional distance function, introducing a novel efficiency model rooted in the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method. This offers a CEP measure across 30 Chinese provincial regions from 2002 to 2019. Using the quasi-difference-in-differences (quasi-DID) and moderated mediation models, this study ascertains the presence of the green paradox, uncovers its reasons, and suggests mitigation strategies. The results indicate that high government intervention diminishes CEP. This negative effect intensifies under greater regional fiscal pressure. Alarmingly, local authorities' eagerness to meet targets shows a counterproductive, inverted N-shaped trend regarding CICPs' time-based influence on regional CEP. Moreover, the impact varies based on regional economic development levels and stages. This study has ensured the robustness of the findings via parallel trend tests, parallel exclusion policies, a strengthened quasi-DID framework, and diverse control variable configurations. This study underscores the need for more balanced government intervention. It offers valuable policy insights, guiding China's upcoming CICP phase to realize the ambition of peaking carbon by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060.

Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty vs High Tibial Osteotomy for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Prior studies have compared unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) with high tibial osteotomy (HTO) suggesting that both procedures had good clinical outcomes. However, which treatment is more beneficial for unicompartmental knee osteoarthritis is still a controversy. The purpose of our study is to obtain postoperative outcomes of revision rate, complications, function results, range of motion (ROM), and pain between the 2 procedures. METHODS: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines were followed and study protocol was published online at PROSPERO under registration number CRD42016049316. We searched the databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science up to May 2017. Articles that directly compared postoperative outcomes of UKA to HTO were included. RESULTS: A total of 10 comparative studies were included in our meta-analysis. UKA patients showed less revision rate, less complications, and less postoperative pain than HTO patients; however, HTO patients obtained more ROM. No significant difference was observed between the group accruing to the knee function scores and excellent/good surgical results. CONCLUSION: UKA offers a safe and efficient alternative to osteoarthritis reduced postoperative pain, less postoperative complication, and revision. The 2 surgical techniques showed satisfactory function results for the patients; however, the HTO group achieved superior ROM compared to the UKA group. HTO may be suitable for patients with high activity requirements. Treatment options should be carefully considered for each patient in accordance with their age, body mass index, grade of osteoarthritis, and patients' activity levels.

Can environmental information disclosure spur corporate green innovation?

How can the disclosure of environmental information (EID) stimulate corporate green innovation (CGI)? This research challenges the prevailing assumption that environmental regulations impact CGI by influencing corporate compliance costs. Instead, it offers a fresh theoretical framework to explain how EID affects CGI. This study combines signal theory and resource dependence theory to develop a moderated mediation model, illustrating how EID reduces information asymmetry and alleviates corporate financial constraints (CFC). To test these hypotheses, this study utilized data from A-share listed companies spanning the period 2004 to 2017. This study considered the year 2009 as a crucial point of analysis, marking the period before and after the implementation of China's first EID policy in 2008. This study employed a Difference-in-Differences (DID) model. The results reveal that EID has a positive impact on CGI by mitigating CFC, with non-state-owned enterprises (non-SOEs) exhibiting a more pronounced mediating effect. These findings remain robust even when the parallel trend assumption was tested to eliminate interference from other factors. This study unveils the mechanism through which voluntary environmental regulation, represented by EID, influences CGI by mitigating information asymmetry and alleviating CFC. These results deviate from the predictions of compliance cost theory and Porter's hypothesis regarding the impact of traditional environmental regulations on CGI, providing a fresh perspective on the role of voluntary environmental regulation in driving CGI.

Crochet Hook Technique for Arthroscopic Anterior Talofibular Ligament Repair: Technique Note.

Ankle sprains can lead to chronic lateral ankle instability caused by an injured anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL), and surgery is often required when conservative treatments fail. BROSTROM surgery is considered the gold standard and has a definite curative effect. Advancements in arthroscopic surgery and improvements in implanted anchors have led to an increase in ATFL repairs using arthroscopic surgery. Arthroscopic AFTL repair is less invasive, and patients could experience faster recovery compared to open AFTL repair. To simplify the complicated suture-passing processes in arthroscopic AFTL repair, we developed a crochet hook and loop wire technique, which is described in this paper.

Failure of Less-Invasive Stabilization System (LISS) plating for periprosthetic distal femur fractures: Three case reports.

RATIONALE: Less-Invasive Stabilization System (LISS) plate is an internal fixation commonly used for the periprosthetic distal femur fractures. Failure associated with LISS plate has been rarely reported, and the reasons for LISS plate failure are multitudinous. Various advantages have been reported, but failures continue. PATIENT CONCERNS: We present 3 cases illustrating the failure of Less-Invasive Stabilization System (LISS) plating for periprosthetic distal femur fractures. The shaft screws of the LISS plate broke in 2 cases, and the plate placement was incorrect in 1 case. Early weight bearing, obesity, osteoporosis, and lateral collateral ligament injury due to incorrect plate placement constituted the etiologies of LISS plate failure. DIAGNOSIS: Failure of Less-Invasive Stabilization System (LISS) plating for periprosthetic distal femur fractures after Total knee arthroplasty. INTERVENTIONS: Three patients underwent Less-Invasive Stabilization System plates removal with replacement of the total knee arthroplasty revision surgery with rotating hinged knee prosthesis. OUTCOMES: After completing the total knee arthroplasty revision surgery, all patients underwent regular follow-up examinations. Case 2 could walk unaided, without pain, final union was confirmed for both case 1 and case 3. CONCLUSION: Less-Invasive Stabilization System (LISS) plate provides satisfactory results in periprosthetic fractures after Total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The LISS plate has many advantages, but failures continue to occur. The causes for failure were early weight bearing, obesity, osteoporosis, and lateral collateral ligament (LCL) injury due to incorrect plate placement in our series. We recommend that protection or properly delay of weight-bearing, active anti-osteoporosis treatment, and intraoperative fluoroscopy are the effective methods to avoid failure.

TAR DNA-binding protein 43 inhibits inflammatory response and protects chondrocyte function by modulating RACK1 expression in osteoarthritis.

BACKGROUND: TAR DNA-binding protein-43 (TDP-43, transactive response DNA binding protein 43kDa) accumulates in the cytoplasm of affected neurons and glia, as large inclusions of stress granules (SGs). However, the mechanism of TDP-43 interaction with the target genes and its specific role in osteoarthritis (OA) progression is still unknown. The goal of this study was to identify the role of TDP-43 in OA progression by modulating its target genes. METHODS: MSCs were transfected with TDP-43 gene lentivirus. The role of elevated TDP-43 expression in the differentiation of MSCs to chondrocytes was investigated. Cell function assay was used to evaluate the proliferation and apoptosis of Human chondrocytes (HCs) co-cultured with MSC. Truncated TDP-43/p35 expression and SGs formation in HCs were identified using cyto-immunofluorescence assay. Critical genes mediating apoptotic and proliferative signaling in HCs were measured using co-culturing MSC assays. The phosphorylation of key kinases was analyzed using the HTRF phosphokinase assay, and the expression of key genes in proliferative and apoptotic signaling transduction pathways was detected using qRT-PCR. RESULTS: The MSCs differentiated into HCs after transfection of TDP-43 genes. The TDP-43 can degrade truncated TDP-43/p35, and promote SGs formation and HCs proliferation, and inhibit HCs apoptosis after co-culturing with MSCs. TDP-43 overexpression in MSCs promoted high expression of RACK1 and promoted phosphorylation of key kinases in HCs. Critical genes were highly expressed in P38 MAPK/MKK3 proliferative signaling, but not in P38 MAPK/JNK MAPK signaling. CONCLUSIONS: The chondrogenically differentiation of MSCs was not influenced by transfection of TDP-43 genes, and promoted HCs growth after co-culturing with HCs. The data indicated that TDP-43/p35 contributed to SGs formation by promoting RACK1 expression. The study sheds new light on post-transcriptional regulation and apoptosis in OA by RACK1, which is a potential treatment strategy for OA.