Effects of soft robotic exosuit on ambulation ability in stroke patients: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Robot-assisted gait training is incorporated into guidelines for stroke rehabilitation. It is a promising tool combined with conventional therapy for low ambulatory patients. The heavy weight and bulky appearance of a robotic exoskeleton limits its practicality. On the other hand, soft robotic exosuit (SRE) based on its light weight and inconspicuous property, is better tolerated by patients in daily life. The aim of this study is to review the efficacy of the SRE with regard to walking ability and biomechanical properties in stroke patients. METHODS: Electronic searches were carried out in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and the Physiotherapy Evidence Database. Clinical trials that investigated the effectiveness of SREs on ambulation ability in patients with post-stroke hemiparesis were eligible. Qualitative data synthesis was subsequently performed. RESULTS: Nine studies were identified as relevant, involving a total of 83 patients. For the assessment of SRE efficacy, outcome measures were walking ability and biomechanical properties. In terms of both immediate effect and training effect, SREs improved the walking speed, walking distance, peak ankle dorsiflexion angle during swing phase, peak paretic propulsion, stride length and compensated gait in stroke patients. CONCLUSIONS: SRE improved the ambulation ability of stroke patients in terms of walking ability and biomechanical properties. The small number of studies limits the generalizability of interpretation. More controlled studies with better quality are required to reach a more solid conclusion on this issue.

Air versus Gas Tamponade for Primary Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Air tamponade's effectiveness in treatment of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to review the surgical outcomes between air and gas tamponade after vitrectomy for RRD. METHOD: PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and Web of Science were reviewed. The study protocol was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO CRD42022342284). The primary outcome was the primary anatomical success after vitrectomy. The secondary outcome was the prevalence of postoperative ocular hypertension. Certainty of evidence was evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation system. RESULTS: Ten studies involving 2,677 eyes were included. One study was randomized, and the others were non-randomized. The primary anatomical success after vitrectomy was not significantly different between the air and gas groups (odds ratio [OR], 1.00; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.68-1.48). The risk of ocular hypertension was significantly lower in the air group (OR: 0.14; 95% CI: 0.09-0.24). The certainty of evidence regarding air tamponade having a comparable anatomical outcome and lower frequency of postoperative ocular hypertension in treatment of RRD were low. DISCUSSION: The current evidence base for tamponade selection in treatment of RRD has several major limitations. Further appropriately designed studies are needed to guide tamponade selection.

Shifting of global aphasia to Wernicke's aphasia in a patient with intact motor function: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Global aphasia without hemiparesis (GAWH) is a rare stroke syndrome characterized by the dissociation of motor and language functions. Here, we present a case of GAWH with the patient later regaining speech fluency. CASE PRESENTATION: A 73-year-old man was admitted to our emergency department immediately after an episode of syncope. On arrival, we noted his global aphasia but without any focal neurologic signs. Computed tomography (CT) perfusion scans showed a large hypodense region over his left perisylvian area. Under the impression of acute ischaemic stroke, he received recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) injection and was treated as an inpatient. The patient was later discharged with GAWH status and received regular speech rehabilitation. After 14 months of rehabilitation, the patient gradually recovered his language expression ability. The degree of aphasia was evaluated with the Concise Chinese Aphasia Test (CCAT), and we obtained brain single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scans to assess cerebral blood flow. CONCLUSION: A patient with severe impairments of Broca's and Wernicke's areas was able to talk fluently despite being unintelligible. SPECT revealed relative high level of radioactivity uptake in the right frontal lobe, suggesting the deficits in speech fluency could have been compensated by the right hemisphere. Although this is a single case demonstration, the results may strengthen the role of the right hemisphere in GAWH patients and suggests additional study that examines the possible benefits of stimulating activity at right homologous regions for recovering language function after global aphasia.

Cobalt-Catalyzed Cyclization of 2-Bromobenzamides with Carbodiimides: A New Route for the Synthesis of 3-(Imino)isoindolin-1-ones.

A novel synthetic pathway to approach 3-(imino)isoindolin-1-ones by the Co-catalyzed cyclization reaction of 2-bromobenzamides with carbodiimides has been developed. This catalytic reaction can tolerate a variety of substituents and provide corresponding products in moderate yields for most cases. According to the literature, the reaction mechanism is proposed through the formation of a five-membered aza-cobalacycle complex, which carries out the following reaction subsequence, including nucleophilic addition and substitution, to furnish the desired structures.

One-Pot Amberlyst 15-Controlled Cyclocondensation of Piperidines and Arylaldehydes: Synthesis of 3,5-Diarylmethylpyridines.

Amberlyst 15-controlled one-pot easy-operational intermolecular cyclocondensation of substituted piperidines with arylaldehydes provides diversified 3,5-diarylmethylpyridines in high to excellent yields under refluxing toluene conditions. The uses of various acidic solid supports and reaction solvents are investigated for facile and efficient transformation. A plausible mechanism has been proposed.

CuBr2-Mediated One-Pot Synthesis of Sulfonyl 9-Fluorenylidenes.

In this article, a high-yield method for the synthesis of sulfonyl 9-fluorenylidenes is described, which consists of a one-pot straightforward three-step synthetic route, including (i) CuBr2-mediated α-bromination of o-arylacetophenone, (ii) sequential nucleophilic substitution of the resulting α-bromo o-arylacetophenone with sodium sulfinate (RSO2Na), and (iii) the CuBr2-mediated intramolecular Friedel-Crafts cyclizative dehydration. A plausible mechanism is proposed and discussed. This protocol provides a highly effective regio- and stereoselective annulation via the formation of one carbon-carbon (C-C) bond and one carbon-sulfur (C-S) bond.

Gram-Scale Synthesis of 3-Sulfonyl Flavanones.

In this paper, an easy-operational, high-yielding method for the gram-scale synthesis of 3-sulfonyl flavanones is described by a one-pot straightforward POCl3 mediated intermolecular (5 + 1) annulation of the ß-ketosulfones with an o-hydroxyaryl group (dual nucleophile) and arylaldehydes (dual electrophile) in refluxing toluene for 3 h. A plausible mechanism is proposed and discussed. This protocol provides a highly effective annulation via one carbon-oxygen (C-O) and one carbon-carbon (C-C) bond formations.

Temperature-Controlled Desulfonylative Condensation of α-Sulfonyl o-Hydroxyacetophenones and 2-Formyl Azaarenes: Synthesis of Azaaryl Aurones and Flavones.

Temperature-controlled intermolecular desulfonylative condensation of α-sulfonyl o-hydroxyacetophenones with 2-formyl azaarenes (pyridines and quinolones) provides azaaryl (pyridyl and quinolyl) aurones and flavones under warming and refluxing toluene reaction conditions via the formation of the intermediate of sulfonyl chroman-4-one. The uses of various solvents are investigated for facile and efficient transformation. A plausible mechanism is proposed.

Intramolecular Benzannulation of 3-Sulfonyl-2-benzylchromen-4-ones: Synthesis of Sulfonyl Dibenzooxabicyclo[3.3.1]nonanes.

In this work, a concise route for the synthesis of sulfonyl dibenzo-oxabicyclo[3.3.1]nonanes by a two-step route is described, including (i) NaBH4/LiCl-mediated reduction of 3-sulfonyl-2-benzylchromen-4-ones and (ii) sequential BF3·OEt2-mediated intramolecular annulation of the resulting 3-sulfonyl-2-benzylchroman-4-ols. A plausible mechanism is proposed and discussed herein. This protocol provides a highly effective stereocontrolled aryl-hydroxyl Friedel-Crafts-type cross-coupling to construct the tetra- or pentacyclic bridged framework. The use of various reaction conditions is investigated for an efficient transformation.

Synthesis of 2-Sulfonyl Indenes and Indanes.

In this paper, we developed facile and high-yield synthetic routes for the preparation of 2-sulfonyl indenes and indanes, including: (i) Amberlyst-15-promoted Knoevenagel reaction of ß-ketosulfones and arylaldehydes in refluxing toluene; (ii) Grignard reagent (R'MgBr) or reducing reagent (NaBH4) promoted regio- and/or stereocontrolled 1,4-addition or 1,4-/1,2-reduction of the resulting sulfonyl chalcones in THF or MeOH/THF at 25 °C; and then (iii) Amberlyst-15 mediated intramolecular Friedel-Crafts annulation of the corresponding ß-ketosulfones or ß-hydroxysulfones in toluene at reflux. This present method describes a highly efficient (3 + 2) annulation via the formation of two carbon-carbon (C-C) bonds. The DFT calculations were utilized to rationalize the regioselectivity of the addition reaction.

Stereocontrolled Synthesis of 3-Sulfonyl Chroman-4-ols.

The stereocontrolled reduction of 3-sulfonyl chromen-4-ones by two synthetic methods, NaBH4/LiCl and Pd/C/H2, provides two kinds of 3-sulfonyl chroman-4-ols with three contiguous chiral centers under different reaction conditions. The use of various reaction conditions is investigated for efficient transformation.

Synthesis of Substituted 1,6-Diarylnaphthalenes via a Tandem Claisen Rearrangement and Ene Reaction Protocol.

In this work, we developed a concise synthetic route for the synthesis of polysubstituted naphthalenes starting from commercially available isovanillin and its derivatives. Reaction with styryl bromide via O-styrylation, Claisen rearrangement, ene reaction, and O-alkylation occurred in high yields. The key structures were confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction.

Bi(OTf)3-Mediated Intramolecular Olefinic Cyclization: Synthesis of Substituted Aryl-Dihydronaphthalenes and Indenes.

In this article, a facile two-step and one-pot synthetic route for the preparation of substituted aryl dihydronaphthalenes starting from 2-allylbenzaldehydes via Grignard 1,2-addition and Bi(OTf)3-catalyzed intramolecular olefinic cyclization has been developed. A five-membered ring indene skeleton is also prepared via olefin isomerization, 1,2-addition followed by cyclization. Some key structures are determined using single-crystal X-ray crystallography. A possible mechanism is presented herein.

Synthesis of Substituted 2,3-Benzodiazepines.

A new, four-step synthetic route for substituted 2,3-benzodiazepines 1, starting from aldehyde 4, was developed with excellent overall yields. This route included the 1,2-addition of various aromatic Grignard reagents to 4, PCC oxidation, and aerobic Wacker-type oxidation of the olefinic group of 6, followed by condensation of the resulting 1,5-dicarbonyl 7 with N2H4. Isoquinolones 9 were obtained when an aldehyde group was used instead of a ketone. The key structures were confirmed by X-ray single-crystal diffraction analysis.

One-Pot Synthesis of 2-Cyano-1,4-diketones: Applications to Synthesis of Cyanosubstituted Furans, Pyrroles, and Dihydropyridazines.

A convenient synthetic route for the construction of functionalized 2-cyano-1,4-diketones has been established from the nucleophilic substitution of 2-bromoacetophenones with NaCN via the in situ-generated ß-ketonitriles. This method was further applied to the synthesis of cyanosubstituted furans, pyrroles, or dihydropyridazines, which were obtained in good to excellent yields using Bi(OTf)3, NH4OAc, or N2H4. The key structures were confirmed by X-ray single crystal diffraction analysis.

Enhanced power conversion efficiency in InGaN-based solar cells via graded composition multiple quantum wells.

This work demonstrates the enhanced power conversion efficiency (PCE) in InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well (MQWs) solar cells with gradually decreasing indium composition in quantum wells (GQWs) toward p-GaN as absorber. The GQW can improve the fill factor from 42% to 62% and enhance the short current density from 0.8 mA/cm2 to 0.92 mA/cm2, as compares to the typical MQW solar cells. As a result, the PCE is boosted from 0.63% to 1.11% under AM1.5G illumination. Based on simulation and experimental results, the enhanced PCE can be attributed to the improved carrier collection in GQW caused by the reduction of potential barriers and piezoelectric polarization induced fields near the p-GaN layer. The presented concept paves a way toward highly efficient InGaN-based solar cells and other GaN-related MQW devices.

InN-based heterojunction photodetector with extended infrared response.

The combination of ZnO, InN, and GaN epitaxial layers is explored to provide long wavelength photodetection capability in the GaN based materials. Growth temperature optimization was performed to obtain the best quality of InN epitaxial layer in the MOCVD system. The temperature dependent photoluminescence (PL) can provide the information about thermal quenching in the InN PL transitions and at least two non-radiative processes can be observed. X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive spectroscopy are applied to confirm the inclusion of indium and the formation of InN layer. The band alignment of such system shows a typical double heterojunction, which is preferred in optoelectronic device operation. The photodetector manufactured by this ZnO/GaN/InN layer can exhibit extended long-wavelength quantum efficiency, as high as 3.55%, and very strong photocurrent response under solar simulator illumination.

Approach to analytically minimize the LCD moiré by image-based particle swarm optimization.

In this paper, we proposed a methodology to optimize the parametric window of a liquid crystal display (LCD) system, whose visual performance was deteriorated by the pixel moiré arising in between multiple periodic structures. Conventional analysis and minimization of moiré patterns are limited by few parameters. With the proposed image-based particle swarm optimization (PSO), we enable a multivariable optimization at the same time. A series of experiments was conducted to validate the methodology. Due to its versatility, the proposed technique will certainly have a promising impact on the fast optimization in LCD design with more complex configuration.

Fabrication and characterization of back-side illuminated InGaN/GaN solar cells with periodic via-holes etching and Bragg mirror processes.

In this study, the design and fabrication schemes of back-side illuminated InGaN/GaN solar cells with periodic via-holes etching and Bragg mirror processes are presented. Compared to typical front-side illuminated solar cells, the improvements of open-circuit voltage (V(oc)) from 1.88 to 1.94 V and short-circuit current density (J(sc)) from 0.84 to 1.02 mA/cm(2) are observed. Most significantly, the back-side illuminated InGaN/GaN solar cells exhibit an extremely high fill factor up to 85.5%, leading to a conversion efficiency of 1.69% from 0.66% of typical front-side illuminated solar cells under air mass 1.5 global illuminations. Moreover, the effects of bottom Bragg mirrors on the photovoltaic characteristics of back-side illuminated solar cells are studied by an advanced simulation program. The results show that the J(sc) could further be improved with a factor of 10% from the original back-side illuminated solar cell by the structure optimization of bottom Bragg mirrors.

Highly efficient multiple-layer CdS quantum dot sensitized III-V solar cells.

In this review, the concept of utilization of solar spectrum in order to increase the solar cell efficiency is discussed. Among the three mechanisms, down-shifting effect is investigated in detail. Organic dye, rare-earth minerals and quantum dots are three most popular down-shift materials. While the enhancement of solar cell efficiency was not clearly observed in the past, the advances in quantum dot fabrication have brought strong response out of the hybrid platform of a quantum dot solar cell. A multiple layer structure, including PDMS as the isolation layer, is proposed and demonstrated. With the help of pulse spray system, precise control can be achieved and the optimized concentration can be found.