Sugammadex Is Associated With Reduced Pulmonary Complications in Patients With Respiratory Dysfunction.

INTRODUCTION: Use of sugammadex is associated with fewer postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs). This study investigated the relationship between sugammadex and PPCs in specific patients with respiratory dysfunction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed the electronic medical and anesthesia records of patients with respiratory dysfunction who underwent laparoscopic gastric or intestinal surgery at a single center between May 1, 2018 and December 31, 2019. The patients were divided into the sugammadex group and the nonsugammadex group, based on whether they received sugammadex or neostigmine. Binary logistic regression analyses were used to characterize the differences in incidence of PPC. RESULTS: A total of 112 patients were included, of which 46 patients (41.1%) received sugammadex. In the logistic regression analysis, the incidences of PPC were fewer in the sugammadex group. Postoperative fever (odds ratio [OR] 0.330; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.137-0.793, P = 0.0213), postoperative intensive care unit admission (OR 0.204; 95% CI 0.065-0.644, P = 0.007), cough (OR 0.143; 95% CI 0.061- 0.333, P < 0.001), pleural effusion (all) (OR: 0.280; 95% CI 0.104- 0.759, P = 0.012), pleural effusion (massive) (OR: 0.142; 95% CI 0.031- 0.653, P = 0.012), and difficulty in breathing (OR: 0.111; 95% CI 0.014-0.849, P = 0.039) showed significant differences between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Sugammadex is associated with a reduction in PPC in patients with respiratory dysfunction.

Role of P2X4/NLRP3 Pathway-Mediated Neuroinflammation in Perioperative Neurocognitive Disorders.

Several studies have demonstrated that neuroinflammation is the key to perioperative neurocognitive disorders (PND); however, the specific mechanism postsurgery and anesthesia has not yet been fully clarified. The present study is aimed at exploring the effects of P2X4/NLRP3 signaling pathway in neuroinflammation and cognitive impairment after surgery. 12-14-month-old male C57BL/6 mice undergoing open tibial fracture surgery by sevoflurane anesthesia were administered P2X4R inhibitor 5-BDBD or saline was intraperitoneally for 3 consecutive days after surgery. Then, the animals were subjected to Morris water maze test or sacrificed to collect the hippocampus. The level of P2X4R and NLRP3 was estimated by Western blot, the activation of microglia was detected via immunohistochemistry, and the expression of TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6 was quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. These results indicated that tibial surgery caused cognitive impairment, increased the expression of P2X4R and NLRP3, and aggravated the neuroinflammation and microglia activation. However, intraperitoneal injection of 5-BDBD attenuated these effects. In conclusion, these findings indicated that the P2X4/NLRP3 pathway might be involved in the pathophysiology of PND.

High performance ZnS antireflection sub-wavelength structures with HfO2 protective film for infrared optical windows.

Antireflection sub-wavelength structures (SWSs) on ZnS were designed and ZnS SWSs with HfO2 protective film were prepared, and their properties in long-wave infrared applications were examined and compared to AR coatings. The SWS has good antireflection performance and exhibits less polarization sensitivity than the AR coating. At temperatures above 500 °C, the SWS with HfO2 protective film has a better thermal endurance property than the multilayer AR coating. Moreover, the HfO2 protective film significantly improved the mechanical properties of the ZnS SWS and was similar to HfO2 covered AR coating when the HfO2 film was not broken. This study shows that the ZnS SWS with HfO2 protective film has promising application prospects in infrared optical windows.

Experimental study on chemical mechanical polishing of chalcogenide glasses.

Chalcogenide glasses (Ge10As40Se50) are one of the core components of the athermalized infrared optical system. Because of material properties, its processability is limited, and surface defects are difficult to control. The chemical nature of Ge10As40Se50 has been established, which can react with sodium hydroxide and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). In this paper, experimental studies are further carried out to investigate the effect of chemical-mechanical polishing on the surface. As a result, both agents can improve the surface quality effectively. When the concentration of H2O2 is about 10 wt. % to 15 wt. %, the best result can be obtained, in which case the surface microdefect and surface roughness are significantly improved with the surface roughness RMS≈0.31 nm.

Quantitative assessment and suppression of defect-induced scattering in low-loss mirrors.

In this Letter, defect-induced scattering in 1064 nm high-reflection coatings prepared by dual ion beam sputtering and its suppression were investigated by artificial nodules, finite-difference time-domain simulations, angular resolved scattering (ARS) measurements, and planarization technology. After establishing the geometric model of the nodules grown from ϕ 1 µm SiO2 microspheres, the far-field scattering of the multiple nodules was determined by intensity superposition. For a nodule density of 100 mm-2, there is good agreement between the simulated and measured ARS. The total scattering is ∼500 ppm for the multilayer coating with artificial nodules, which is more than 10 times that for the coating without nodules. Next, an iterative deposition-etching process was used to planarize the defects, which reduced scattering by almost one order of magnitude. Moreover, detailed characterization of the planarized seeds reveals that the planarization technology is a complex process, and it still does not produce a perfect flat surface. The results showed that there is a pit over each planarized seed in the coating surface, which leads to additional scattering. The possible reasons for the presence of these pits are briefly discussed, and the directions for further research are provided at the end of this Letter.

Absorption, structural, and electrical properties of Ge films prepared by ion-beam-assisted deposition.

Effects of ion energy on the optical, microstructure, and electrical properties of Ge films prepared by ion-beam-assisted deposition were investigated. The absorption edge is found to shift toward a longer wavelength when the ion energy increases. 150 eV ion bombardment energy could help to reduce absorption in the infrared spectrum, elevating 2% of film transmittance. Diffraction intensity decreases with bombardment ion energy indicates that the crystallinity of Ge film is degenerated. Electrical property has been analyzed through Hall measurement. The resistivity of sample prepared with 300 eV ion energy drops substantially from 477 to 137 Ω cm, and it changes slowly with further increase of ion bombardment energy.

Optical and interfacial layer properties of SiO2 films deposited on different substrates.

SiO2 films were deposited on fused silica, silicon, glass, germanium, and sapphire substrates by an ion beam sputtering technique. The optical properties of SiO2 films on different substrates and interfacial layer properties between SiO2 films and different substrates were researched by the spectroscopic ellipsometry technique. The refractive indices of SiO2 films deposited on different substrates are about 1.477 at the wavelength of 632.8 nm. The optical anisotropy property of SiO2 films on fused silica substrate is the best. The impact of thermal treatment on surface roughness and interfacial layer properties between SiO2 films and Si substrates were also investigated. When the annealing temperature is 550°C, the least surface thickness and thinnest interface layer thickness between v films and silicon substrate can be achieved. The results indicate that the surface and interface layer properties between SiO2 films and silicon substrate can be greatly improved when the optimum annealing temperature is selected.

Correlation between properties of HfO2 films and preparing parameters by ion beam sputtering deposition.

Ion beam sputtering is one of the most important technologies for preparing hafnium dioxide thin films. In this paper, the correlation between properties of hafnium dioxide thin films and preparing parameters was systematically researched by using the orthogonal experiment design method. The properties of hafnium oxide films (refractive index, extinction coefficient, deposition rate, stress, and inhomogeneity of refractive index) were studied. The refractive index, extinction coefficient, physical thickness, and inhomogeneity of refractive index were obtained by the multiple wavelength curve-fitting method from the reflectance and transmittance of single layers. The stress of thin film was measured by elastic deformation of the thin film-substrate system. An orthogonal experimental strategy was designed using substrate temperature, ion beam voltage, ion beam current, and oxygen flow rate as the variables. The experimental results indicated that the temperature of the substrate is the key influencing parameter on the properties of hafnium oxide films, while other preparing parameters are also correlated with specific properties. The experimental results are significant for selecting proper parameters for preparing hafnium oxide films with different applications.

[Applied research on the physical model for calculating optical constant of metal oxide films].

In the present paper, two metal oxide films of HfO2 and Ta2 O5 were prepared by ion beam sputtering technology. Through measuring ellipsometric parameters of HfO2 and Ta2O5 films, their optical constants can be inversion-calculated by nonlinear least squares techniques. In the fitting process, eight experiment groups were arranged by the orthogonal table L8 (2(7)). After selecting Cauchy model, the largest influencing factor for fitting optical constant of HfO2 is surface layer model and the largest influencing factor for fitting optical constant of Ta2 O5 is refractive index gradient model. The impact of different physical model on MSE and the order for selecting model in the fitting process are determined. According to the selecting model and the determined fitting order, optical constants of the two metal oxide films were inversion-calculated with adding weak absorption model, and the obtained MSE can descend 79% and 39% according to the initial value. The results indicated that the selecting model possesses definite physical significance in the fitting process. The obtained method can be applied in inversion-calculating many metal oxide films with weak absorption. It has wide application value. At 500 nm, the refractive index gradient of Ta2O5 films is greater than HfO2 films, while the extinction coefficient of HfO2 films is greater than Ta2O5. It was shown that Hf metal is easier to form stable oxide than Ta metal. And the absorption of HfO2 films is larger than Ta2O5 films.

Inhibition of MMP-2 and MMP-9 attenuates surgery-induced cognitive impairment in aged mice.

BACKGROUND: The inhibition of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) has shown potential in the treatment of various neurodegenerative diseases, and perioperative neurocognitive disorders (PND) is accompanied by the increased expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in the hippocampus. However, the effect of inhibiting MMP-2 and MMP-9 on PND is not clear. In this study we aimed to evaluate the effects of inhibiting MMP-2 and MMP-9 on cognitive function in the aged mice after surgery, in order to find a possible target for the prevention and treatment of PND METHODS: In this study, 14-month-old C57BL/6 mice were used to establish a PND model by tibial fracture surgery and sevoflurane anesthesia. Three days later, part of the mice were subjected to cognitive assessment and the other was sacrificed for biochemical analysis. We used the Novel object recognition test and Fear conditioning test to evaluate the postoperative cognitive function of mice. The expression of mmp-2 and MMP-9 was detected by western blotting. We also examined the expression of claudin-5 and occludin using Western blotting, and the activation of microglia and astrocytes using immunofluorescence. RESULTS: The results showed that surgery increased the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in the hippocampus of mice, accompanied by cognitive impairment, decreased expression of claudin-5 and occludin, and increased activation of microglia and astrocytes. However, inhibition of MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression by SB-3CT reversed these changes. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that inhibition of MMP-2 and MMP-9 alleviates anesthesia/surgery-induced cognitive decline by increasing BBB integrity and inhibiting glial cell activation.

The Effects of Hemisphere Dome Orientation on the Structure of Diamond-like Carbon Film Prepared Using Ion Beam Assisted Deposition.

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) has attracted significant attention in the recent decades because of its unique properties and applications. Ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) has been widely established in industry due to the advantages of easy handling and scalability. In this work, a hemisphere dome model is specially designed as a substrate. The influence of the surface orientation on the coating thickness, Raman ID/IG ratio, surface roughness and the stress of the DLC films are examined. The reduction in the stress in the DLC films reflects the lower energy-dependence in diamond due to the varied sp3/sp2 fraction and columnar growth pattern. The variation of the surface orientation provides an efficient means of tailoring the properties and microstructure of the DLC films.

Pericyte loss impairs the blood-brain barrier and cognitive function in aged mice after anesthesia/surgery.

AIMS: This study was designed to investigate the role of pericytes in the pathogenesis of perioperative neurocognitive disorder (PND). METHODS: In this study, we established a PND model via sevoflurane anesthesia and tibial fracture surgery in 2-month-old and 16-month-old male C57BL/6 mice. On the third postoperative day, the mice were subjected to behavioral testing or sacrificed to collect brain tissue. The progression of hippocampal blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption and neuroinflammation was detected using transmission electron microscope and immunofluorescence. We also used western blotting to measure the levels of plasma-derived protein immunoglobulin G (IgG) and albumin in the hippocampus to assess the leakage of the BBB. RESULTS: Aged mice did not experience age-related cognitive decline and BBB disruption compared with younger mice but only increased glial cell activity. Anesthesia/Surgery damaged cognitive function, reduced pericyte coverage, decreased the length of capillaries and levels of occludin and claudin-5, destroyed the structure of the BBB, exacerbated IgG and albumin accumulation in the hippocampus, and enhanced the activation of microglia and astrocytes in the hippocampus of aged mice. However, these negative effects did not occur in young mice. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that the loss of pericytes led to increased BBB permeability and neuroinflammation after anesthesia/surgery in aged mice, ultimately resulting in cognitive dysfunction.

Wnt/ß-Catenin Participates in the Repair of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome-Associated Early Pulmonary Fibrosis via Mesenchymal Stem Cell Microvesicles.

PURPOSE: The main aim of the present study was to establish whether mesenchymal stem cell microvesicles (MSC MVs) exert anti-fibrotic effects and investigate the mechanisms underlying these effects in a mouse model of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)-associated early pulmonary fibrosis. METHODS: An ARDS-associated pulmonary fibrosis model was established in mice by an intratracheal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). At 1, 3, and 7 days after LPS-mediated injury, the lungs of mice treated with MSC MVs and untreated controls were carefully excised and fibrosis was assessed based on the extent of collagen deposition. In addition, the development of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) was evaluated based on loss of E-cadherin and zona occludens-1 (ZO-1) along with the acquisition of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and N-cadherin. Nuclear translocation and ß-catenin expression analyses were also used to evaluate activation of the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway. RESULTS: Blue-stained collagen fibers were evident as early as 7 days after LPS injection. Treatment with MSC MVs suppressed pathological progression to a significant extent. MSC MVs markedly reversed the upregulation of N-cadherin and α-SMA and attenuated the downregulation of E-cadherin and ZO-1. The expression and nuclear translocation of ß-catenin were clearly decreased on day 7 after MSC MV treatment. CONCLUSION: Analyses indicated that MSC MVs could ameliorate ARDS-associated early pulmonary fibrosis via the suppression of EMT and might be related to Wnt/ß-catenin transition signaling.

Evaluation and analysis of polished fused silica subsurface quality by the nanoindenter technique.

We evaluate the subsurface quality of polished fused silica samples using the nanoindenter technique. Two kinds of samples, consisting of hundreds of nanometers and micrometers of subsurface damage layers, are fabricated by controlling the grinding and polishing processes, and the subsurface quality has been verified by the chemical etching method. Then several nanoindentation experiments are performed using the Berkovich tip to investigate the subsurface quality. Some differences are found by relative measurements in terms of the relationship between the total penetration and the peak load on the surfaces, the modulus calculated over the defined depths and from unload, and the indented morphology at a constant load near the surface collapse threshold. Finally, the capabilities of such a mechanical method for detecting subsurface flaws are discussed and analyzed.

Influence of cleaning process on the laser-induced damage threshold of substrates.

The cleaning process of optical substrates plays an important role during the manufacture of high-power laser coatings. Two kinds of substrates, fused silica and BK7 glass, and two cleaning processes, called process 1 and process 2 having different surfactant solutions and different ultrasonic cleaning parameters, are adopted to compare the influence of the ultrasonic cleaning technique on the substrates. The evaluation standards of the cleaning results include contaminant-removal efficiency, weak absorption, and laser-induced damage threshold of the substrates. For both fused silica and BK7, process 2 is more efficient than process 1. Because acid and alkaline solutions can increase the roughness of BK7, process 2 is unsuitable for BK7 glass cleaning. The parameters of the cleaning protocol should be changed depending on the material of the optical components and the type of contamination.

Systematic study of the mirror effect in a poly-Si subwavelength periodic membrane.

By using the equivalent eigenvalue equation of a waveguide grating, the mirror effect (Deltalambda/lambda>15%) with very high reflectivity (R>99%) based on guided-mode resonance (GMR) effects in a poly-Si subwavelength periodic membrane is obtained, and the reflection performance of the poly-Si subwavelength periodic membrane is systematically studied. It is shown that the equivalent eigenvalue equation of a waveguide grating can provide a solid starting point for designing the broadband grating with very high reflectivity. The physical mechanisms of broadband reflection of the strongly modulated waveguide grating structures are investigated theoretically and the important role of multiple GMRs for a broad reflection band is discussed in detail. By using the overlap of a resonance pair in which leaky waveguide modes TE0 and TE1 are excited by the strong first diffraction order, enhanced reflection occurs and a flat reflection band with high reflectivity can be achieved by adding a poly-Si thin film under the grating. The grating period, the grating thickness, and the layer thickness do not change the mirror effect except for the incident angle and the filling factor. A flat band with high reflectivity centered near 1.55 microm is designed to demonstrate this concept.