Vertical Evolution of Ozone Formation Sensitivity Based on Synchronous Vertical Observations of Ozone and Proxies for Its Precursors: Implications for Ozone Pollution Prevention Strategies.

Photochemical ozone (O3) formation in the atmospheric boundary layer occurs at both the surface and elevated altitudes. Therefore, the O3 formation sensitivity is needed to be evaluated at different altitudes before formulating an effective O3 pollution prevention and control strategy. Herein, we explore the vertical evolution of O3 formation sensitivity via synchronous observations of the vertical profiles of O3 and proxies for its precursors, formaldehyde (HCHO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), using multi-axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) in urban areas of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH), Yangtze River Delta (YRD), and Pearl River Delta (PRD) regions in China. The sensitivity thresholds indicated by the HCHO/NO2 ratio (FNR) varied with altitude. The VOC-limited regime dominated at the ground level, whereas the contribution of the NOx-limited regime increased with altitude, particularly on heavily polluted days. The NOx-limited and transition regimes played more important roles throughout the entire boundary layer than at the surface. The feasibility of extreme NOx reduction to mitigate the extent of the O3 pollution was evaluated using the FNR-O3 curve. Based on the surface sensitivity, the critical NOx reduction percentage for the transition from a VOC-limited to a NOx-limited regime is 45-72%, which will decrease to 27-61% when vertical evolution is considered. With the combined effects of clean air action and carbon neutrality, O3 pollution in the YRD and PRD regions will transition to the NOx-limited regime before 2030 and be mitigated with further NOx reduction.

Tethered Trimeric Small-molecular Acceptors through Aromatic-core Engineering for Highly Efficient and Thermally Stable Polymer Solar Cells.

Polymer solar cells (PSCs) rely on a blend of small molecular acceptors (SMAs) with polymer donors, where thermodynamic relaxation of SMAs poses critical concerns on operational stability. To tackle this issue, tethered SMAs, wherein multiple SMA-subunits are connected to the aromatic-core via flexible chains, are proposed. This design aims to an elevated glass transition temperature (Tg) for a dynamical control. However, attaining an elevated Tg value with additional SMA subunits introduces complexity to the molecular packing, posing a significant challenge in realizing both high stability and power conversion efficiency (PCE). In this study, we initiate isomer engineering on the benzene-carboxylate core and find that meta-positioned dimeric BDY-ß exhibits more favorable molecular packing compared to its para-positioned counterpart, BDY-α. With this encouraging result, we expand our approach by introducing an additional SMA unit onto the aromatic core of BDY-ß, maintaining a meta-position relative to each SMA unit location in the tethered acceptor. This systematic aromatic-core engineering results in a star-shaped C3h-positioned molecular geometry. The supramolecular interactions of SMA units in the trimer contribute to enhancements in Tg value, crystallinity, and a red-shifted absorption compared to dimers. These characteristics result in a noteworthy increase in PCE to 18.24 %, coupled with a remarkable short-circuit current density of 27.06 mA cm-2. More significantly, the trimer-based devices delivered an excellent thermal stability with over 95 % of their initial efficiency after 1200 h thermal degradation. Our findings underscore the promise and feasibility of tethered trimeric structures in achieving highly ordered aggregation behavior and increased Tg value in PSCs, simultaneously improving in device efficiency and thermal stability.

Relationship between serum uric acid levels and the outcome of STN-DBS in Parkinson's disease.

BACKGROUND: Uric acid is a natural antioxidant and it has been shown that low levels of uric acid may be a risk factor for the development of Parkinson's disease. We aimed to investigate the relationship between uric acid and improvement of motor symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease after subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation. METHODS: We analyzed the correlation between serum uric acid levels in 64 patients with Parkinson's disease and the rate of improvement of motor symptoms 2 years after subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation. RESULTS: A non-linear correlation was observed between uric acid levels and the rate of motor symptom improvement after subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation, during both the drug-off and drug-on periods. CONCLUSIONS: Uric acid is positively associated with the rate of motor symptom improvement in subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation within a certain range.

Profiling and Bioinformatics Analyses of Hypoxia-Induced Differential Expression of Long Non-coding RNA in Glioblastoma Multiforme Cells.

Hypoxic microenvironments are intricately linked to malignant characteristics of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Long non-coding ribonucleic acids (lncRNAs) have been reported to be involved in the progression of GBM and closely associated with hypoxia. Nevertheless, the differential expression profiles as well as functional roles of lncRNAs in GBM cells under hypoxic conditions remain largely obscure. We explored the expression profiles of lncRNAs in hypoxic U87 cells as well as T98G cells using sequencing analysis. The effect of differentially expressed lncRNAs (DElncRNAs) was assessed through bioinformatic analysis. Furthermore, the expression of lncRNAs significantly dysregulated in both U87 and T98G cells was further validated using quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Relevant cell functional experiments were also conducted. We used predicted RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) to construct an interaction network via the interaction prediction module. U87 and T98G cells showed dysregulation of 1115 and 597 lncRNAs, respectively. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis indicated that altered lncRNA expression was associated with nucleotide-excision repair and cell metabolism in GBM cells. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis revealed the association between dysregulated lncRNAs and the Hippo signaling pathway under hypoxia. The dysregulation of six selected lncRNAs (ENST00000371192, uc003tnq.3, ENST00000262952, ENST00000609350, ENST00000610036, and NR_046262) was validated by qRT-PCR. Investigation of lncRNA-microRNA (miRNA)-mRNA networks centered on HIF-1α demonstrated cross-talk between the six validated lncRNAs and 16 related miRNAs. Functional experiments showed the significant inhibition of GBM cell proliferation, invasion, and migration by the knockdown of uc003tnq.3 in vitro. Additionally, uc003tnq.3 was used to construct a comprehensive RBP-transcription factor (TF)-miRNA interaction network. The expression of LncRNAs was dysregulated in GBM cells under hypoxic conditions. The identified six lncRNAs might exert important effect on the development of GBM under hypoxic microenvironment.

Low serum uric acid levels are associated with incidence and severity in trigeminal neuralgia.

BACKGROUND: Uric acid is a natural antioxidant, and low levels of uric acid have been reported to be a potential risk factor in the development of nervous system diseases. Herein, we investigated whether uric acid levels play a role in trigeminal neuralgia (TN). METHODS: We conducted a cohort study to compare the serum uric acid levels of patients with TN and healthy controls. We also analyzed the impact of uric acid levels on the risk of TN and symptom severity. RESULTS: In comparison to control participants (n = 133), uric acid levels were remarkably decreased in patients with TN (n = 181). Uric acid (OR = 0.989; 95% CI 0.986-0.993; P < 0.001) was also determined as a protective factor against TN based on multivariate logistic regression models. Furthermore, nonlinear relationships between serum uric acid levels and TN incidence rate and between that and the Barrow Neurological Institute (BNI) grading were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Our study is the first to show a relationship between serum uric acid levels and TN. Specifically, low serum uric acid levels were associated with an increased risk of TN and more severe clinical symptoms. We expect that these findings will provide new insights into the prevention and treatment of TN.

Prognostic Value of Albumin-to-Fibrinogen Ratio for 28-Day Mortality among Patients with Sepsis from Various Infection Sites.

Purpose: This study investigated the prognostic value of the albumin-to-fibrinogen ratio (AFR) in patients with sepsis as a consequence of infection at various sites. Methods: A total of 300 patients with sepsis caused by various infection sites, who met the diagnostic criteria for sepsis hospitalized in the intensive care unit, were enrolled in this study. The observational endpoint was 28-day mortality. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was performed to determine the potential prognostic factors for 28-day mortality in these septic patients. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to evaluate and compare the prognostic factors for 28-day mortality. Results: Of 300 participants, 147 died, corresponding to a 28-day mortality of 49% (147/300). Baseline Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE II) score (hazard ratio (HR) 1.18 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.07-1.30); P < 0.001), baseline lactic acid level (HR 1.27 (95% CI 1.08-1.50); P = 0.005), the presence of septic shock (HR 21.44 (95% CI 2.51-182.76); P = 0.005), and baseline AFR (HR 0.70 (95% CI 0.62-0.80); P < 0.001) were independent prognostic factors for 28-day mortality in patients with sepsis according to multivariate Cox analysis. Baseline AFR was an effective predictor of 28-day mortality, with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.700, and a specificity and sensitivity of 90.8% and 42.1%, respectively. A low baseline AFR level was associated with increased 28-day sepsis-related mortality. The quadruple index, which included the APACHE II score, lactic acid, septic shock, and AFR, showed a more accurate predictive value for septic patients than the APACHE II score, lactic acid, septic shock, and AFR alone, with an AUC of 0.922, and specificity and sensitivity of 86.9% and 83.6%, respectively. Moreover, the triple index, which included the APACHE II score, lactic acid, and septic shock, showed a significantly lower prognostic value for 28-day mortality compared with the ROC curve of the quadruple index and triple index, with an AUC of 0.877 and specificity and sensitivity of 77.8% and 82.3%, respectively. Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrate that AFR is an independent protective factor for predicting 28-day mortality in patients with sepsis due to various infection sites. AFR combined with the APACHE II score, lactic acid, and septic shock showed a higher prognostic value for sepsis prognosis.

Predictive nomogram for deep brain stimulation-related infections.

OBJECTIVE: Infection is one of the important and frequent complications following implantable pulse generator and deep brain stimulation (DBS) electrode insertion. The goal of this study was to retrospectively evaluate and identify potential risk factors for DBS infections. METHODS: From January 2015 to January 2021 in Qingdao municipal hospital (training cohort) and The First Affiliated Hospital of the University of Science and Technology of China (validation cohort), the authors enrolled patients with Parkinson disease who had undergone primary DBS placement or implantable pulse generator replacement. The cases were divided into infection or no-infection groups according to the 6-month follow-up. The authors used the logistic regression models to determine the association between the variables and DBS infection. Depending on the results of logistic regression, the authors established a nomogram. The calibration curves, receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, and decision curves were used to evaluate the reliability of the nomogram. RESULTS: There were 191 cases enrolled in the no-infection group and 20 cases in the infection group in the training cohort. The univariate logistic regression showed that BMI, blood glucose, and albumin were all significant predictors of infection after DBS surgery (OR 0.832 [p = 0.009], OR 1.735 [p < 0.001], and OR 0.823 [p = 0.001], respectively). In the crude, adjust I, and adjust II models, the three variables stated above were all considered to be significant predictors of infection after DBS surgery. The calibration curves in both training and validation cohorts showed that the predicted outcome fitted well to the observed outcome (p > 0.05). The decision curves showed that the nomogram had more benefits than the "All or None" scheme. The areas under the curve were 0.93 and 0.83 in the training and validation cohorts, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The nomogram included BMI, blood glucose, and albumin, which were significant predictors of infection in patients with DBS surgery. The nomogram was reliable for clinical application.

A successful treatment of hemifacial spasm due to anterior inferior cerebellar artery aneurysm in adolescent: a case report and literature review.

OBJECTIVE: Hemifacial spasm (HFS) is usually caused by compression of the facial nerve at the root exit zone (REZ), and is extremely rare in adolescents and even rarer in aneurysm compression. CASE REPORT: We describe symptomatic hemifacial spasm caused by a saccular aneurysm of the anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA) that was treated by clipping. A 17-year-old adolescent developed left hemifacial spasm that had gradually worsened over a period of 1 year before admission to our department. During the course of MVD (microvascular decompression), saccular aneurysm of AICA was accidentally found to compress the facial nerve. The cause of the facial spasm was considered to be compression of the left facial nerve by the aneurysm. Clipping the aneurysm was performed. The hemifacial spasm disappeared immediately. CONCLUSION: Our report indicates that HFS caused by saccular aneurysm of AICA can be treated by clipping, and that aneurysms should be considered in the treatment of adolescent HFS, especially those difficult to identify on imaging examination.

Prognostic nomogram for microvascular decompression-treated trigeminal neuralgia.

This study aimed to establish an effective prognostic nomogram for microvascular decompression (MVD)-treated trigeminal neuralgia (TN). The nomogram was based on a retrospective cohort study of 1054 patients with TN. During the period 2005-2014, 845 patients at our department treated TN with MVD and served as a development cohort. The predictive accuracy and discriminative ability of the nomogram were determined by concordance index (C-index) and calibration curve. The model was externally validated by 209 TN patients during 2014-2016. Multivariate cox analysis suggested that the patient's age, atypical pain, vascular type, number of offending vessels, and second MVD were significant factors influencing the prognosis of MVD-treated TN. The C index of nomogram in the development cohort was 0.767 (95% CI, 0.739-0.794), and 0.749 (95% CI, 0.688-0.810) in the validation cohort. We developed and validated a nomogram to predict 3-year overall remission rate after MVD treatment of TN. The nomogram can be used in clinical trials to determine the likelihood of pain recurrence in TN patients treated with MVD for 3 years to aid in the comprehensive treatment of TN.

Epineurectomy of Facial Nerve Trunk for Refractory Oral-Ocular and Oculo-Oral Synkinesis Following Bell Palsy.

BACKGROUND: Synkinesis is a common sequelae after incomplete recovery from Bell palsy. Current first-line treatments include botulinum toxin injection and physical therapy. However, patients unresponsive to these treatments may require further surgery. Various surgical treatments have been reported, but no consensus has been reached for the optimal surgery. In a guinea pig model of synkinesis, the facial nerve trunk (FNT) was observed using a scanning electron microscope. Based on the results of scanning electron microscope and clinical ultrasonography, the authors chose FNT as the therapeutic target. METHODS: The authors performed epineurectomy of FNT for 11 patients with refractory oral-ocular and oculo-oral synkinesis under abnormal muscle response and facial electromyography monitoring. The postoperative assessments at 1 year were conducted using Sunnybrook Facial Grading System and Facial Disability Index scale. Furthermore, the epineurium excised during the operation was collected as the specimen and submitted for histopathological examination; the cadaveric FNT served as the control group. RESULTS: The follow-up results showed significant relief from synkinesis (4.91 ±â€Š0.37 versus 10.18 ±â€Š0.64, P < 0.01), improvement of physical (84.55 ±â€Š1.96 versus 73.18 ±â€Š3.65, P < 0.01) and social functions (77.09 ±â€Š3.24 versus 61.82 ±â€Š6.28, P < 0.01), with no worsening of facial paralysis in the patients. The histopathological examination revealed many nerve fibers in the epineurium, suggesting that FNT was the area of aberrant axon regeneration. CONCLUSIONS: Epineurectomy of FNT is a safe and effective surgical remedy. It can be considered as a surgical option for patients with refractory oral-ocular and oculo-oral synkinesis following Bell palsy.

Overexpression of Foxc1 regenerates crushed rat facial nerves by promoting Schwann cells migration via the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway.

Facial paralysis can result in severe implications for patients. A good prognosis depends on the degree of nerve regeneration. Schwann cells (SCs) play an important role in facial nerve development and regeneration through migration. Forkhead box C1 (Foxc1), a member of the forkhead transcription factor family, is implicated in cell migration. However, the role of Foxc1 in the progression after facial nerve crush remains unknown. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of Foxc1 overexpression on SC migration and recovery of facial nerves after crush injury. The rat facial nerve crush injury model was established through the use of unilateral surgery. The results showed that the expression of Foxc1 was increased in the surgery group compared to that of the control group. SCs were isolated from the sciatic nerves and cultured. Foxc1, delivered by an adeno-associated virus in vivo, or adenovirus in vitro, both induced overexpression of Foxc1, and increased the expression of CXCL12 and ß-catenin. After the transfection of Foxc1, the migration of SC was increased both in vitro and in vivo, was reduced by the inhibition of CXCL12 or ß-catenin. The facial nerve function and the nerve axon remyelination of the rats transfected with Foxc1 were significantly improved after nerve crush injury. Overall, the results demonstrated that overexpression of Foxc1 promoted SC migration by regulating CXCL12 via the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway, thus contributing to improved facial nerve function after crush injury.

Metagenomic next-generation sequencing of viruses, bacteria, and fungi in the epineurium of the facial nerve with Bell's palsy patients.

Bell's palsy (BP) represents a major cause leading to facial paralysis in the world. The etiology of BP is still unknown, and virology is the prevailing theory. The purpose of this study is to explore the pathogenic microorganisms that may be related to BP, and it is of great significance to study the pathogenesis and treatment of BP. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) detection was performed in the epineurium of the facial nerve of 30 BP patients who underwent facial nerve epineurium decompression. A total of 84 pathogenic microorganisms were detected in 30 clinical samples, including 4 viruses, 10 fungi, and 70 bacteria. The species with the highest detection frequency in virus was human betaherpesvirus 7 (HHV-7). The species with the highest detection frequency in Fungi was Malassezia restricta. The species with the highest detection frequency in Bacteria was Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In this study, mNGS method was firstly used to detect the pathogenic microorganisms in the epineurium of the facial nerve with BP patients. We have for the first time identified HHV-7 and aspergillus in the epineurium of the facial nerve of BP patients. These results suggest that these two pathogenic microorganisms should be considered in the pathogenesis of BP.

Synthesis, characterization and bioactivities of a new covalent copper(II) compound derived from {P2Mo5O23}6- and thiosemicarbazones.

In this article, a new compound H2[{Cu(HL)(H2O)}2(P2Mo5O23)]·5H2O (1) (HL = 2-acetylpyrazine thiosemicarbazone) has been synthesized and structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction of and other detection techniques. Interestingly, the structure of 1 is different from many reported copper-based complexes, in which the [P2Mo5O23]6-, two Cu2+ ions and two HL were directly connected by covalent bands. Biological studies demonstrated that 1 indicated moderate antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), and a better cytotoxicity against human hepatic cancer line (SMMC-7721) than Mitoxantrone (Mito), the current clinical anticancer drug. Besides, the antibacterial mechanisms of 1 have been studied by the membrane integrity disruption, the destructive reactive oxygen species generation (ROS), the glutathione (GSH) depletion and the depressed enzymatic activity of respiratory chain dehydrogenases (RCD). These results revealed that the combination of HL, Cu2+, [P2Mo5O23]6- shows a higher antibacterial and cytotoxic activity.

Relationship of Inflammation With Trigeminal Neuralgia.

OBJECTIVE: Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a common cranial nerve disease. Inflammation is suggested in many recent studies to be involved in neuropathic pain, but its role in TN remains unclear so far. Therefore, the current study aimed to explore the relationship of inflammation with TN. METHODS: The levels of inflammatory markers, such as white blood cell (WBC), neutrophil (NE), lymphocyte (LY), monocyte (MO), platelet (PLT), and albumin (ALB), as well as the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), derived NLR (dNLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), monocyte/lymphocyte ratio (MLR), and prognostic nutritional index (PNI) had been compared between TN patients and healthy controls using nonparametric tests. Moreover, multiple logistic regression models had been employed to assess the associations of inflammatory markers with TN. Besides, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to analyze the values of these inflammatory makers, as well as their matched combinations in diagnosing TN. RESULTS: The levels of WBC, NE, MO, NLR, dNLR, and MLR in TN patients were evidently increased combined with those in normal subjects. In addition, multivariate logistic regression models illustrated that inflammation had close correlation with TN. Meanwhile, the area under the curve (AUC) values for NE, NLR, and dNLR, as well as those for the matched combinations of NLR+PLR, NLR+PNI, dNLR+NLR, and dNLR+PLR in TN were >0.7, which might have predictive value for TN compared with those for normal subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Findings of this study reveal that inflammation could have played a close and important role in the progression and etiology of TN.

Long-term efficacy of superficial temporal artery ligation and auriculotemporal nerve transection for temporal cluster headache in adolescent.

OBJECTIVES: Cluster headache is a primary headache disorder, which has affected up to 0.1% population. Superficial temporal artery ligation combined with auriculotemporal nerve transection (SLAT) is one of the surgical alternatives to treat the drug-resistant temporal cluster headache (TCH). The current work aimed to assess the effect of SLAT on TCH patients based on the very long-term clinical follow-up. METHODS: The current retrospective study had enrolled 20 adolescent TCH patients undergoing SLAT between December 2016 and January 2018. The headache diaries as well as the pain severity questionnaire of the visual analog scale (VAS) had been collected to measure the pain severity before and after surgery. RESULTS: The pain-free rates 3 days, as well as 1, 6, and 12 months, after SLAT surgery were 2.00%, 10.00%, 25.00%, and 70.00%, respectively. The frequency of TCH attack daily was found to be markedly reduced on the whole; besides, the pain degree was also remarkably decreased. CONCLUSIONS: Results in this study indicate that the sustained headache can be relieved after SLAT in adolescent patients with intractable TCH.

Low Uric Acid Indicates Risk of Incidence of Trigeminal Neuralgia.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a common cranial nerve disease. Uric acid (URIC), a water-soluble antioxidant discovered in human body, has been recognized in numerous recent studies to exert a crucial part in neuroprotection; however, the influence of URIC on TN remains unclear so far. This study aimed to examine the association of URIC with TN. METHODS: From January 2017 to September 2018, medical records from the newly diagnosed patients with TN at the Xinhua Hospital were retrospectively recruited and analyzed. The serum URIC, creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, and albumin levels between TN patients and normal subjects were compared through the nonparametric tests. Moreover, the relationship of URIC levels with TN was assessed using the multiple linear regression models. RESULTS: Compared with normal subjects (325.7 ±â€Š74.3 µmol/L), URIC contents were remarkably decreased in TN patients (270.2 ±â€Š75.9 µmol/L) (P < 0.05). Besides, URIC was regarded as a protective factor of TN, as verified by multivariate logistic regression models (odds ratio = 0.2, 95% confidence interval = 0.0-0.6; P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Low URIC content is associated with the risk of incidence of TN, and appropriately increasing the URIC level may prevent TN.

Physiological and Transcriptomic Analyses Elucidate That Exogenous Calcium Can Relieve Injuries to Potato Plants (Solanum tuberosum L.) under Weak Light.

Light is one of the most important abiotic factors for most plants, which affects almost all growth and development stages. In this study, physiological indicators suggest that the application of exogenous Ca2+ improves photosynthesis and changes phytohormone levels. Under weak light, photosynthetic parameters of the net photosynthetic rate (PN), stomatal conductance (Gs), and transpiration rate (Tr) decreased; the antioxidation systems peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) reduced; the degrees of malondialdehyde (MDA), H2O2, and superoxide anion (O2-) free radical damage increased; while exogenous Ca2+ treatment was significantly improved. RNA-seq analysis indicated that a total of 13,640 differently expressed genes (DEGs) were identified and 97 key DEGs related to hormone, photosynthesis, and calcium regulation were differently transcribed. Gene ontology (GO) terms and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses, plant hormone signal transduction, photosynthesis, carbon metabolism, and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis were significantly enriched. Additionally, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis confirmed some of the key gene functions in response to Ca2+. Overall, these results provide novel insights into the complexity of Ca2+ to relieve injuries under weak light, and they are helpful for potato cultivation under weak light stress.

Dyes Adsorption Behavior of Fe3O4 Nanoparticles Functionalized Polyoxometalate Hybrid.

The magnetic adsorbent, Fe3O4@[Ni(HL)2]2H2[P2Mo5O23]·2H2O (Fe3O4@1), is synthesized by employing the nanoparticles Fe3O4 and polyoxometalate hybrid 1. Zero-field-cooled (ZFC) and field-cooled (FC) curves show that the blocking temperature of Fe3O4@1 was at 120 K. Studies of Fe3O4@1 removing cationic and anionic dyes from water have been explored. The characterization of Fe3O4@1, effects of critical factors such as dosage, the concentration of methylene blue (MB), pH, adsorption kinetics, isotherm, the removal selectivity of substrate and the reusability of Fe3O4@1 were assessed. The magnetic adsorbent displayed an outstanding removal activity for the cationic dye at a broad range of pH. The adsorption kinetics and isotherm models revealed that the adsorption process of Fe3O4@1 was mainly governed via chemisorption. The maximum capacity of Fe3O4@1 adsorbing substance was 41.91 mg g-1. Furthermore, Fe3O4@1 showed its high stability by remaining for seven runs of the adsorption-desorption process with an effective MB removal rate, and could also be developed as a valuable adsorbent for dyes elimination from aqueous system.

Deep brain stimulation for refractory temporal lobe epilepsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis with an emphasis on alleviation of seizure frequency outcome.

OBJECTIVE: Conflicting conclusions have been reported regarding predictors of deep brain stimulation (DBS) outcome in patients with refractory temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). The main goal of this meta-analysis study was to identify possible predictors of remarkable seizure reduction (RSR). METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive search of English-language literature published since 1990 and indexed in PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library that addressed seizure outcomes in patients who underwent DBS for refractory TLE. A pooled RSR rate was determined for eight included studies. RSR rates were analyzed relative to potential prognostic variables. Random- or fixed-effects models were used depending on the presence or absence of heterogeneity. RESULTS: The pooled RSR rate among 61 DBS-treated patients with TLE from 8 studies was 59%. Higher likelihood of RSR was found to be associated with lateralization of stimulation, lateralized ictal EEG findings, and a longer follow-up period. Seizure semiology, MRI abnormalities, and patient sex were not predictive of RSR rate. The best electrode type for RSR was the Medtronic 3389. Hippocampal and anterior thalamic nuclei (ATN) sites of stimulation had similar odds of producing RSR. CONCLUSIONS: DBS is an effective therapeutic modality for intractable TLE, particularly in patients with lateralized EEG abnormalities and in patients treated on the ictal side. This meta-analysis provides evidence-based information for determining DBS suitability in presurgical counseling and for explaining seizure outcomes.