Comparative analysis of anesthesia and clinical efficacy of inhalation anesthesia and intravenous anesthesia in Trigeminal Nerve Balloon Avulsion.

Objective: To observe the anesthesia and clinical efficacy of inhalation anesthesia and intravenous anesthesia in patients with trigeminal neuralgia undergoing surgery. Methods: This is a retrospective study. Eighty patients with trigeminal neuralgia admitted to the Affiliated Hospital of Beihua University from July 2018 to July 2021 were selected and divided into two groups according to different anesthesia methods: inhalation group and intravenous group, with 40 cases in each group. Patients in the inhalation group were given inhalation anesthesia with sevoflurane, while those in the intravenous group were given intravenous anesthesia. Hemodynamics, intubation and extubation time, postoperative consciousness recovery, adverse reactions and clinical effects of surgery were compared between the two groups during anesthesia. Results: During the induction of anesthesia, after induction and after surgery, the levels of hemodynamic parameters in the two groups increased compared with those before induction of anesthesia, and the increase in the inhalation group was smaller (P<0.05). Patients in the inhalation group had a long time from anesthesia to endotracheal intubation but had a short time from completion of surgery to intubation, which was statistically significant compared with the intravenous group (P<0.05). Compared with the intravenous group, the postoperative consciousness recovery time of the inhalation group was significantly shorter and the incidence of adverse reactions was significantly lower (P<0.05). Conclusion: Inhalation anesthesia with sevoflurane is more effective than intravenous anesthesia in trigeminal neuralgia patients treated with trigeminal nerve balloon avulsion, boasting satisfactory safety, less impact on hemodynamics, and shorter recovery time of consciousness.

A determining factor for insect feeding preference in the silkworm, Bombyx mori.

Feeding preference is critical for insect adaptation and survival. However, little is known regarding the determination of insect feeding preference, and the genetic basis is poorly understood. As a model lepidopteran insect with economic importance, the domesticated silkworm, Bombyx mori, is a well-known monophagous insect that predominantly feeds on fresh mulberry leaves. This species-specific feeding preference provides an excellent model for investigation of host-plant selection of insects, although the molecular mechanism underlying this phenomenon remains unknown. Here, we describe the gene GR66, which encodes a putative bitter gustatory receptor (GR) that is responsible for the mulberry-specific feeding preference of B. mori. With the aid of a transposon-based, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein-9 nuclease (Cas9) system, the GR66 locus was genetically mutated, and homozygous mutant silkworm strains with truncated gustatory receptor 66 (GR66) proteins were established. GR66 mutant larvae acquired new feeding activity, exhibiting the ability to feed on a number of plant species in addition to mulberry leaves, including fresh fruits and grain seeds that are not normally consumed by wild-type (WT) silkworms. Furthermore, a feeding choice assay revealed that the mutant larvae lost their specificity for mulberry. Overall, our findings provide the first genetic and phenotypic evidences that a single bitter GR is a major factor affecting the insect feeding preference.

Map-based cloning and functional analysis revealed ABCC2 is responsible for Cry1Ac toxin resistance in Bombyx mori.

Bt toxins are parasporal crystals produced by Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). They have specific killing activity against various insects and have been widely used to control agricultural pests. However, their widespread use has developed the resistance of many target insects. To maintain the sustainable use of Bt products, the resistance mechanism of insects to Bt toxins must be fully clarified. In this study, Bt-resistant and Bt-susceptible silkworm strains were used to construct genetic populations, and the genetic pattern of silkworm resistance to Cry1Ac toxin was determined. Sequence-tagged site molecular marker technology was used to finely map the resistance gene and to draw a molecular genetic linkage map, and the two closest markers were T1590 and T1581, indicating the resistance gene located in the 155 kb genetic region. After analyzing the sequence of the predicted gene in the genetic region, an ATP binding cassette transporter (ABCC2) was identified as the candidate gene. Molecular modeling and protein-protein docking result showed that a tyrosine insertion in the mutant ABCC2 might be responsible for the interaction between Cry1Ac and ABCC2. Moreover, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing technology was used to knockout ABCC2 gene. The homozygous mutant ABCC2 silkworm was resistant to Cry1Ac toxin, which indicated ABCC2 is the key gene that controls silkworm resistance to Cry1Ac toxin. The results have laid the foundation for elucidating the molecular resistance mechanism of silkworms to Cry1Ac toxin and could provide a theoretical basis for the biological control of lepidopteran pests.

Open reduction and locked compression plate fixation, with or without allograft strut, for periprosthetic fractures in patients who had a well-fixed femoral stem: a retrospective study with an average 2-year follow-up.

BACKGROUND: The use of cortical strut allograft has not been determined for Vancouver type B1 or C fracture. This study aimed to evaluate the short-term efficacy of locking compression plating with or without cortical strut allograft in managing these types of fractures. METHODS: We retrospectively assessed 32 patients (17 males, 15 females; 23-88 years, mean: 67.2 years) with Vancouver type B1 or C fractures. Seventeen patients (Group A; B1 fractures in 15 hips, C fractures in 2 hips) were treated with open reduction and internal fixation with locking compression plates (group A). The other 15 patients (Group B; B1 in 14 hips, C in 1 hip) were fixed by locking compression plating combined with cortical strut allografting (group B). The fracture healing rate, healing time, complications and function were compared between these two groups. RESULTS: The mean follow-up time was 32.4 months (12 to 66), and the overall fracture union rate of the 32 patients was 96.9%. Group B had a higher fracture union rate than Group A, but the difference was not statistically significant. Group A had one case of nonunion of type B1 fracture and one case of malunion; the mean time to fracture healing was 5.3 months (3 to 9). In group B, all patients reached bony union without malunion, with a mean time of fracture healing of 5.1 months (3 to 8). CONCLUSION: Treatment of Vancouver type B1 or C fractures by locking compression plating, with or without cortical strut allografting, resulted in similar union rates in these patients. This suggest that, the use of cortical strut allografting should be decided cautiously.

Grafting of mesenchymal stem cell-seeded small intestinal submucosa to repair the deep partial-thickness burns.

PURPOSE: Regenerative medicine provides many treatments for burn wounds, of which cell-seeded substitutes are encouraging for large and deep burns. To assess the feasibility of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-seeded small intestinal submucosa (SIS) to repair the deep partial-thickness burns, a rat study was performed. MATERIALS & METHODS: The burn model was created by contacting the dorsal surface directly with boiled water for 10 seconds. MSCs at passage 3 were seeded on the SIS before implantation. Three days after burn injury, the grafts were implanted onto the burn area. At 3, 7, 14 and 21 days post implantation, gross observation and histological assessments were performed. RESULTS: SIS alone and MSC-seeded SIS were able to accelerate the burn wound closure by enhancing granulation tissue formation, increasing wound maturity, improving revascularization, and inducing the proliferation of neo-epidermal cells. Additionally, MSC-seeded SIS was much more effective than SIS alone for the repair of deep partial-thickness burns. CONCLUSION: Both SIS and MSC-seeded SIS were able to repair the large and deep burn wounds and the loaded MSCs possessed positive effects to accelerate the wound closure in a rat model.

The effects of amine/nitro/hydroxyl groups on the benzene rings of redox additives on the electrochemical performance of carbon-based supercapacitors.

In this work, a series of porous carbon materials with hierarchical porosities have been synthesized via a template carbonization method, in which cheap CaCO3 serves as a template and glucose as a carbon precursor. During the carbonization process, CO2 produced by the decomposition of the CaCO3 template can act as an internal activating agent, significantly improving microporosity and mesoporosity. All the carbon materials obtained by regulating the ratio of glucose to CaCO3 exhibit the amorphous features with a low graphitization degree. Among them, the carbon-1 : 2 sample shows a high BET surface area of up to 818.5 m(2) g(-1) and a large total pore volume of 1.78 cm(3) g(-1) as well as a specific capacitance of 107.0 F g(-1) at 1 A g(-1). In addition, a series of hydroquinone (HQ), p-aminophenol (PAP) and p-nitrophenol (PNP) as novel redox additives that can produce pseudo-capacitances have been added into the KOH electrolyte for promoting the total capacitive performances via redox reactions at the electrode-electrolyte interface. As expected, a 2.5-fold increase in the galvanostatic capacitance of 240.0 F g(-1) in the HQ-0.5 electrolyte occurs, compared with the conventional KOH electrolyte. Similarly, the PAP-0.5 electrolyte and the PNP-0.5 electrolyte also show a high specific capacitance of 184.0 F g(-1) at 2 A g(-1) (156.6 F g(-1) at 3 A g(-1)) and 153.0 F g(-1) at 3 A g(-1), respectively. Additionally, the three kinds of electrolytes exhibit excellent cyclic stability. The remarkable improvement of supercapacitors is attributed to the quick reversible Faradaic reactions of amine and hydroxyl groups adhering to the phenyl rings, which largely accelerates electron migration and brings additional pseudocapacitive contribution for carbon-based supercapacitors.

Synergistic effect of novel redox additives of p-nitroaniline and dimethylglyoxime for highly improving the supercapacitor performances.

In present work, we demonstrate a simple but effective strategy for high-performance supercapacitors by adding the p-nitroaniline (PNA) into an alkaline electrolyte of KOH. PNA possesses a unique molecular structure with the functional groups of -NH2 and -NO2. Besides, both the product of nitro-reduction (-NH2) and intrinsic -NH2 on the benzene ring can lead to the occurrence of Faradaic redox reactions accompanied by the electron/proton transfer in the mixed electrolytes, whose pseudocapacitance can greatly enhance the total capacitance. Furthermore, another effective additive of the dimethylglyoxime (DMG) has been incorporated into carbon materials for further improving the performances of supercapacitors with a PNA + KOH electrolyte. As for the DMG + PNA + KOH system, a galvanostatic capacitance up to 386.1 F g(-1) of the DMG-0.15-PNA-0.15 sample at 3 A g(-1), which is nearly two times higher than that of the PNA-0.15 sample (183.6 F g(-1)) in the PNA + KOH system and nearly three-fold capacitance of the carbon-blank (132.3 F g(-1)) in the KOH system at the same current density. Furthermore, the specific capacitance still can reach up to 260.0 F g(-1) even at 40 A g(-1) with a 67.4% capacitance retention ratio. Besides, the DMG-0.15-PNA-0.15 sample exhibits an exceptional capacitance retention of 113% after 5000 charge/discharge cycles by virtue of the potential activated process, which clearly reveals the excellent cycling stability. These remarkable enhancements are ascribed to the synergistic effects of novel additives of PNA and DMG.

The receptor tyrosine kinase torso regulates ecdysone homeostasis to control developmental timing in Bombyx mori.

Insect growth and development are precisely controlled by hormone homeostasis. The prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH) receptor, Torso, is a member of the receptor tyrosine kinase family in insects. Activation of Torso by PTTH triggers biosynthesis and release of the steroid hormone in the prothoracic gland (PG). Although numbers of genes functioning in steroid hormone synthesis and metabolism have been identified in insects, the PTTH transduction pathway via its receptor Torso is poorly understood. In the current study, we describe a loss-of-function analysis of Torso in the silkworm, Bombyx mori, by targeted gene disruption using the transgenic CRISPR/Cas9 (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/RNA-guided Cas9 nucleases) system. Depletion of B. mori Torso (BmTorso) did not eventually affect larval ecdysis and metamorphosis processes. Instead, BmTorso deficiency resulted in significant extension of developing time during larval and pupal stages with increased pupa and cocoon sizes. The ecdysteriod titers in the hemolymph of BmTorso mutants sharpy declined. Transcriptional levels of genes involved in ecdysone biosynthesis and ecdysteroid signaling pathways were significantly reduced in BmTorso-deficient animals. Additionally, RNA-Seq analysis revealed that genes involved in the longevity pathway and protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum pathway were affected after BmTorso deletion. These results indicate that Torso is critical for maintaining steroid hormone homeostasis in insects.

A palmitoyltransferase Approximated gene Bm-app regulates wing development in Bombyx mori.

The silkworm Bombyx mori is an important lepidopteran model insect in which many kinds of natural mutants have been identified. However, molecular mechanisms of most of these mutants remain to be explored. Here we report the identification of a gene Bm-app is responsible for the silkworm minute wing (mw) mutation which exhibits exceedingly small wings during pupal and adult stages. Compared with the wild type silkworm, relative messenger RNA expression of Bm-app is significantly decreased in the u11 mutant strain which shows mw phenotype. A 10 bp insertion in the putative promoter region of the Bm-app gene in mw mutant strain was identified and the dual luciferase assay revealed that this insertion decreased Bm-app promoter activity. Furthermore, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/RNA-guided Cas9 nucleases-mediated depletion of the Bm-app induced similar wing defects which appeared in the mw mutant, demonstrating that Bm-app controls wing development in B. mori. Bm-app encodes a palmitoyltransferase and is responsible for the palmitoylation of selected cytoplasmic proteins, indicating that it is required for cell mitosis and growth during wing development. We also discuss the possibility that Bm-app regulates wing development through the Hippo signaling pathway in B. mori.

Dual surface modification of carbon materials by polydopamine and phosphomolybdic acid for supercapacitor application.

Surface modification of carbon materials is an important issue for its potential application. In this work, this purpose has been successfully achieved by the incorporation of polydopamine (PDA) and phosphomolybdic acid (PMA), forming carbon/PDA/PMA hybrid electrode materials, in which PDA acts both as a linker molecule and as a pseudo-capacitance provider, and PMA contributes to pseudo-capacitive performance. It is revealed that adding PDA and/or PMA results in a decrease of porosity but in an increase of electrical conductivity and thus a suitable combination of porosity, conductivity, and pseudo-capacitance is vital for achieving the optimization of capacitive performance. By using the Trasatti method, we found out that increasing PDA or PMA results in the improvement of pseudo-capacitance proportion and the C-PDA/PMA-1 : 1 sample exhibits a pseudo-capacitance proportion of 32%. In a two-electrode configuration, the C-PDA/PMA-1 : 1 sample delivers a specific capacitance of 101 F g-1 at 1 A g-1, a cycling performance of 108% within 10 000 cycles, and an energy density of 3.5 W h kg-1 (nearly 3.2 times that of the C-blank sample) at 500 W kg-1. Moreover, the dual surface modification of PDA and PMA could be extended to other energy storage systems, highly improving capacitive performance by the synergic effect.

BmHpo mutation induces smaller body size and late stage larval lethality in the silkworm, Bombyx mori.

As a core member of the Hippo signaling pathway, Hpo plays a critical role in regulating growth and development. Previous studies reported that loss of function of Hpo results in increased proliferation, reduced apoptosis and induction of tissue overgrowth in Drosophila. In this study, we used CRISPR/Cas9 (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats/Cas9) to study Hpo gene (BmHpo) function in the lepidopteran insect Bombyx mori, known commonly as the silkworm. Sequence analysis of BmHpo revealed an array of deletions in mutants. We found that BmHpo knockout resulted in defects in body size regulation, in developmental defects and pigment accumulation and early death. Our data show that BmHpo is essential for regulation of insect growth and development and that CRISPR/Cas9 technology can serve as a basis for functional analysis of target genes in lepidopteran insects.

Nitrogen/manganese oxides doped porous carbons derived from sodium butyl naphthalene sulfonate.

High-performance porous carbons have been prepared as supercapacitor electrode materials by co-doped with nitrogen and MnOx via a direct carbonization method, using sodium butyl naphthalene sulfonate (abbr. BNS-Na) as carbon source. It is believed that the in situ formed Na6(SO4)2(CO3) in the product would probably serve as temporary template for producing porous structures. The impacts of nitrogen/MnOx contents as well as the structures upon the capacitive performances were emphatically discussed. It indicates that introducing nitrogen and/or MnOx into the carbon matrix can remarkably improve their capacitive performances based on the cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge measurements in 6 mol L(-1) KOH aqueous solution. The specific capacitances of doped carbons can reach up to ca. 167.0-241.8 F g(-1) compared with that of the undoped carbon of ca. 105.6 F g(-1). Of these samples, the carbon-Mn-1:30-N-1:15 sample co-doped with nitrogen and MnOx exhibits the highest specific capacitance and energy density up to 241.8 F g(-1) and 33.6 Wh kg(-1), respectively. In particular, these carbons also exhibit high intrinsic capacitances (i.e., capacitance per surface area) up to ca. 0.66-1.92 F m(-2).