Ultrasound Guidance Combined with C-Arm Fluoroscopy in Selective Semilunar Ganglion Radiofrequency Thermocoagulation Through the Foramen Ovale for Trigeminal Neuralgia: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical value of ultrasound guidance combined with C-arm guidance during selective semilunar ganglion radiofrequency thermocoagulation via the foramen ovale for trigeminal neuralgia. METHODS: This study enrolled 48 patients diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia between January 2021 and December 2021 in the Department of Pain Management at Xuanwu Hospital. Patients were randomly and equally divided into a C-arm-only group and an ultrasound-combined-with-C-arm (ultrasound+C-arm) group, according to a random number table. After exclusions, 42 patients were analyzed. Of these, 21 patients underwent selective semilunar ganglion radiofrequency thermocoagulation via the foramen ovale guided by the C-arm alone, whereas 21 patients underwent the same procedure guided by ultrasound combined with C-arm. The number of punctures, the amount of time elapsed until the target area of the semilunar ganglion was punctured, the cumulative dose of radiation exposure, and puncture-related complications were recorded during the operation. Numerical rating scale scores and radiofrequency thermocoagulation-related complications were evaluated preoperatively and at 1 day, 3 days, 7 days, 1 month, and 3 months after surgery. RESULTS: The number of punctures, the amount of time elapsed until the target area of the semilunar ganglion was punctured, and the cumulative dose of radiation exposure were all lower in the ultrasound+C-arm group than in the C-arm-only group (all P < 0.05). No significant differences were found in numerical rating scale scores and radiofrequency thermocoagulation-related complications between the two groups (P > 0.05). No puncture-related complications occurred in either of the groups. CONCLUSION: Ultrasound guidance combined with C-arm guidance could be safely used for puncturing the semilunar ganglion via the foramen ovale, with more efficiency and less radiation exposure than C-arm guidance alone.

Comparison of the plantar pressure distribution and mechanical alignment in patients with varus knee osteoarthritis following high tibial osteotomy.

PURPOSE: The changes in the lower limb alignment were vitally important after high tibial osteotomy (HTO). Therefore, the purpose of present study was to analyze the characteristics of plantar pressure distribution after HTO, and to investigate the effect of plantar pressure distribution on postoperative limb alignment. METHODS: Between May 2020 and April 2021, varus knee patients undergoing HTO were evaluated in the present study. The peak pressure of plantar regions, medial-lateral pressure ratio (MLPR), foot progression angle (FTA), anteroposterior COP (AP-COP), lateral symmetry of COP (LS-COP), and the radiographic parameters were evaluated preoperatively and at the final follow-up. Compared among the slight valgus (SV), moderate valgus (MV) and large valgus (LV) groups at the final follow-up, the peak pressure of HM, HC and M5 regions, and the MLPR were compared; the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score4 (KOOS4) including four subscales, and the American of orthopedic foot and ankle society (AOFAS) were evaluated. RESULTS: The WBL%, HKA and TPI angle changed significantly after HTO (P < 0.001). The preoperative group exhibited a lower peak pressure in the HM region (P < 0.05) and higher peak pressure in the M5 region (P < 0.05); the pre- and postoperative groups exhibited a lower peak pressure in the HC region (P < 0.05); the rearfoot MLPR was significantly lower and LS-COP was significantly higher in the preoperative group (P = 0.017 in MLPR and 0.031 in LS-COP, respectively). Comparison among the SV, MV and LV groups, the SV group indicated a lower peak pressure in the HM region (P = 0.036), and a lower MLPR in the rearfoot (P = 0.033). The KOOS Sport/Re score in the MV and LV groups increased significantly compared with the SV group (P = 0.042). CONCLUSION: Plantar pressure distribution during the stance phase in patients with varus knee OA following HTO exhibited a more medialized rearfoot plantar pressure distribution pattern than that before surgery. Compared with the small valgus alignment, a moderate to large valgus alignment allows patients to walk with a more even medial and lateral plantar pressure distribution, which is more similar to healthy adults.

Wheat miR9678 Affects Seed Germination by Generating Phased siRNAs and Modulating Abscisic Acid/Gibberellin Signaling.

Seed germination is important for grain yield and quality and rapid, near-simultaneous germination helps in cultivation; however, cultivars that germinate too readily can undergo preharvest sprouting (PHS), which causes substantial losses in areas that tend to get rain around harvest time. Moreover, our knowledge of mechanisms regulating seed germination in wheat (Triticum aestivum) remains limited. In this study, we analyzed function of a wheat-specific microRNA 9678 (miR9678), which is specifically expressed in the scutellum of developing and germinating seeds. Overexpression of miR9678 delayed germination and improved resistance to PHS in wheat through reducing bioactive gibberellin (GA) levels; miR9678 silencing enhanced germination rates. We provide evidence that miR9678 targets a long noncoding RNA (WSGAR) and triggers the generation of phased small interfering RNAs that play a role in the delay of seed germination. Finally, we found that abscisic acid (ABA) signaling proteins bind the promoter of miR9678 precursor and activate its expression, indicating that miR9678 affects germination by modulating the GA/ABA signaling.

The Feasibility and Efficacy of Ultrasound-Guided C2 Nerve Root Coblation for Cervicogenic Headache.

OBJECTIVE: The cervicogenic headache is a syndrome caused by dysfunction of the upper cervical spine and its component bony, disc, and/or soft tissue elements. The C2 nerve root may play a pivotal role in cervicogenic headache. In this retrospective study, we evaluated the feasibility and efficacy of ultrasound-guided C2 nerve root coblation in managing 26 patients with cervicogenic headache. DESIGN AND SETTING: The data were collected retrospectively by reviewing the patient's medical records and pain questionnaires. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 109 patients with cervicogenic headache sustained for at least six months were identified. Of those patients, 26 had a visual analog scale score ≥6 and subsequently underwent an ultrasound-guided C2 nerve root coblation. RESULTS: All 26 patients had >50% pain relief one day after coblation. Twenty-three of the 26 patients (92.31%) had a decrease in their pain score of 50% or more at 24-week follow-up. The mean pain score was 7.38 ± 1.13 before coblation and 1.85 ± 0.83 one day after coblation (Bonferroni-adjusted P < 0.001). At 12 and 24 weeks after coblation, the mean pain scores were 2.96 ± 0.96 (P < 0.001) and 3.08 ± 1.38 (P < 0.008), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: C2 nerve coblation may provide the majority of patients with a pain relief period as long as 24 weeks. And ultrasound guidance is an efficient method with which to perform coblation.

COR27 and COR28 encode nighttime repressors integrating Arabidopsis circadian clock and cold response.

It was noted that circadian components function in plant adaptation to diurnal temperature cycles and freezing tolerance. Our genome-wide transcriptome analysis revealed that evening-phased COR27 and COR28 mainly repress the transcription of clock-associated evening genes PRR5, ELF4 and cold-responsive genes. Chromatin immunoprecipitation indicated that CCA1 is recruited to the site containing EE elements of COR27 and COR28 promoters in a temperature-dependent way. Further genetic analysis shows COR28 is essential for the circadian function of PRR9 and PRR7. Together, our results support a role of COR27 and COR28 as nighttime repressors integrating circadian clock and plant cold stress responses.

Whole-genome discovery of miRNAs and their targets in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNAs playing essential roles in plant growth, development, and stress responses. Sequencing of small RNAs is a starting point for understanding their number, diversity, expression and possible roles in plants. RESULTS: In this study, we conducted a genome-wide survey of wheat miRNAs from 11 tissues, characterizing a total of 323 novel miRNAs belonging to 276 families in wheat. A miRNA conservation analysis identified 191 wheat-specific miRNAs, 2 monocot-specific miRNAs, and 30 wheat-specific variants from 9 highly conserved miRNA families. To understand possible roles of wheat miRNAs, we determined 524 potential targets for 124 miRNA families through degradome sequencing, and cleavage of a subset of them was validated via 5' RACE. Based on the genome-wide identification and characterization of miRNAs and their associated target genes, we further identified 64 miRNAs preferentially expressing in developing or germinating grains, which could play important roles in grain development. CONCLUSION: We discovered 323 wheat novel miRNAs and 524 target genes for 124 miRNA families in a genome-wide level, and our data will serve as a foundation for future research into the functional roles of miRNAs in wheat.

Comparison of clinical, imaging and second-look arthroscopic outcomes between varus knee patients with and without preoperative tibial varus deformity after medial opening-wedge high tibial osteotomy.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare the regeneration status of articular cartilage, clinical, and radiologic outcomes between varus knee patients with and without preoperative tibial varus deformity (PTVD) after medial opening-wedge high tibial osteotomy (OWHTO) METHODS: Varus knee patients who had undergone OWHTO were divided into two groups according to preoperative medial proximal tibial angle (MPTA): a great varus (GV) group (MPTA <85°) and a mild varus (MV) group (85°≤preoperative MPTA <87°). The hip-knee-ankle (HKA) angle, weight-bearing line ratio (WBL%), MPTA, joint line convergence angle and joint line obliquity were measured. Second-look arthroscopy was undertaken 24 months after HTO. The Knee Society (KS) function score and knee score, and Lysholm score were used to evaluate the functional outcomes. All parameters were evaluated preoperatively and 24 months after HTO. RESULTS: The GV group had greater varus than the MV group in HKA and WBL% before surgery, but greater valgus after surgery. The arthroscopic probe before HTO revealed the advanced chondral damage in the GV group and lighter chondral damage in the MV group. The regeneration of medial femoral condyle was considerably more frequent in the GV group (72.5%, 45/62) than in the MV group (50.0%, 27/54) (P = 0.030). No significant differences were observed in all functional outcomes preoperatively and 24 months after HTO. CONCLUSION: The extent of cartilage regeneration in patients without PTVD was inferior to that in those with PTVD, but the functional outcomes were comparable. OWHTO may be a treatment option in a selected subset of varus knee patients without PTVD.

Is conventional magnetic resonance imaging superior to radiography in the functional integrity evaluation of anterior cruciate ligament in patients with knee osteoarthritis?

BACKGROUND: The functional integrity of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) influences surgical decision-making in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). This study aimed to compare the diagnostic value of radiography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in determining the functional status of ACL. METHODS: We analyzed 306 knees retrospectively using preoperative hip-to-ankle anteroposterior standing (APS) radiographs, anteroposterior (AP) and lateral knee radiographs, AP valgus stress (VS) force radiographs, and standard orthogonal MRI. Based on the intraoperative visualization, the knees were grouped into ACL functionally-intact and ACL functionally-deficient (ACLD) groups. The diagnostic validity and reliability were calculated based on the radiograph parameters such as hip-knee-ankle angle (HKA), medial proximal tibial angle (MPTA), lateral distal femoral angle (LDFA), posterior tibial slope (PTS), sagittal tibiofemoral subluxation (STFS), coronal tibiofemoral subluxation (CTFS), joint line convergence angle (JLCA), the maximum wear point of the proximal tibia plateau (MWPPT%), and MRI parameters including ACL grades and MWPPT%. RESULTS: HKA, MPTA, PTS, STFS, JLCA, and CTFS on APS and AP radiographs, and MWPPT% on radiographs and MRI showed a significant diagnostic value (P < 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in the single parameters from radiographs and MRI. After constructing the logistic regression models, MRI showed higher sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy, reaching 96.8%, 79.9%, and 83.3%, respectively (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with KOA, the diagnostic value of single radiographic or MRI parameter in assessing the functional integrity of the ACL are equivalent. However, by constructing predictive models, MRI could significantly improve diagnostic validity compared with radiography.

Analysis of false reasons based on the artificial intelligence RRCART model to identify frozen sections of lymph nodes in breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most common malignant tumor in the world. Intraoperative frozen section of sentinel lymph nodes is an important basis for determining whether axillary lymph node dissection is required for breast cancer surgery. We propose an RRCART model based on a deep-learning network to identify metastases in 2362 frozen sections and count the wrongly identified sections and the associated reasons. The purpose is to summarize the factors that affect the accuracy of the artificial intelligence model and propose corresponding solutions. METHODS: We took the pathological diagnosis of senior pathologists as the gold standard and identified errors. The pathologists and artificial intelligence engineers jointly read the images and heatmaps to determine the locations of the identified errors on sections, and the pathologists found the reasons (false reasons) for the errors. Through NVivo 12 Plus, qualitative analysis of word frequency analysis and nodal analysis was performed on the error reasons, and the top-down error reason framework of "artificial intelligence RRCART model to identify frozen sections of breast cancer lymph nodes" was constructed based on the importance of false reasons. RESULTS: There were 101 incorrectly identified sections in 2362 slides, including 42 false negatives and 59 false positives. Through NVivo 12 Plus software, the error causes were node-coded, and finally, 2 parent nodes (high-frequency error, low-frequency error) and 5 child nodes (section quality, normal lymph node structure, secondary reaction of lymph nodes, micrometastasis, and special growth pattern of tumor) were obtained; among them, the error of highest frequency was that caused by normal lymph node structure, with a total of 45 cases (44.55%), followed by micrometastasis, which occurred in 30 cases (29.70%). CONCLUSIONS: The causes of identification errors in examination of sentinel lymph node frozen sections by artificial intelligence are, in descending order of influence, normal lymph node structure, micrometastases, section quality, special tumor growth patterns and secondary lymph node reactions. In this study, by constructing an artificial intelligence model to identify the error causes of frozen sections of lymph nodes in breast cancer and by analyzing the model in detail, we found that poor quality of slices was the preproblem of many identification errors, which can lead to other errors, such as unclear recognition of lymph node structure by computer. Therefore, we believe that the process of artificial intelligence pathological diagnosis should be optimized, and the quality control of the pathological sections included in the artificial intelligence reading should be carried out first to exclude the influence of poor section quality on the computer model. For cases of micrometastasis, we suggest that by differentiating slices into high- and low-confidence groups, low-confidence micrometastatic slices can be separated for manual identification. The normal lymph node structure can be improved by adding samples and training the model in a targeted manner.

Effect of tibial rotation after uniplane medial open-wedge high tibial osteotomy in genu varum patients: An observational study.

The change in axial tibial rotation after uniplane medial open-wedge high tibial osteotomy (uniplane OWHTO) and its relevant influence factor is not known. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the change in axial tibial rotation after uniplane OWHTO, and the factors affecting tibia rotational change were analyzed. Between January 2022 and April 2022, the study was retrospectively conducted on genu varum patients who underwent uniplane OWHTO. In the weight-bearing anteroposterior long leg view, the hip-knee-ankle angle and medial proximal tibial angle (MPTA) were evaluated. The posterior tibial slope were measured from the lateral view. A CT scan of the knee joint was performed to evaluate the distal tibial rotation angle (TRA), femorotibial rotation angle and tibial tuberosity-trochlear groove distance. In addition, the foot morphology was assessed by the ankle deformity angle and ankle rotation angle using an angle measuring instrument. All parameters were measured preoperatively and 14 days after surgery. The mean change in hip-knee-ankle, MPTA was 10.5°±2.9°, 8.8°±2.6°. The mean preoperative and postoperative TRA were 25.1°±6.9° and 22.2°±6.2° respectively (P = .007). Thus, the mean ∆TRA was -3.0°±3.4° (IR) with a range of -9.6° to +2.8° after surgery. No significant differences were found in the femorotibial rotation angle and tibial tuberosity-trochlear groove distance before and after surgery (P > .05). The postoperative ankle rotation angle and ankle deformity angle changed significantly compared with preoperative values (P < .001). In the multiple regression analysis, ∆MPTA was the only predictor of distal tibial rotation (ß = 0.667, P = .003). The current study confirms an unintended internal rotation in the distal tibia following uniplane MOWHTO and the rotation in the distal tibia was influenced by the opening width. Surgeron should keep in mind to avoid the osteotomy complication leading to excessive rotation change during surgery.

Deep Learning-Based Recognition of Different Thyroid Cancer Categories Using Whole Frozen-Slide Images.

Introduction: The pathological rare category of thyroid is a type of lesion with a low incidence rate and is easily misdiagnosed in clinical practice, which directly affects a patient's treatment decision. However, it has not been adequately investigated to recognize the rare, benign, and malignant categories of thyroid using the deep learning method and recommend the rare to pathologists. Methods: We present an empirical decision tree based on the binary classification results of the patch-based UNet model to predict rare categories and recommend annotated lesion areas to be rereviewed by pathologists. Results: Applying this framework to 1,374 whole-slide images (WSIs) of frozen sections from thyroid lesions, we obtained an area under a curve of 0.946 and 0.986 for the test datasets with and without WSIs, respectively, of rare types. However, the recognition error rate for the rare categories was significantly higher than that for the benign and malignant categories (p < 0.00001). For rare WSIs, the addition of the empirical decision tree obtained a recall rate and precision of 0.882 and 0.498, respectively; the rare types (only 33.4% of all WSIs) were further recommended to be rereviewed by pathologists. Additionally, we demonstrated that the performance of our framework was comparable to that of pathologists in clinical practice for the predicted benign and malignant sections. Conclusion: Our study provides a baseline for the recommendation of the uncertain predicted rare category to pathologists, offering potential feasibility for the improvement of pathologists' work efficiency.

Treatment of Elderly Patients with Acute Symptomatic OVCF: A Study of Comparison of Conservative Treatment and Percutaneous Kyphoplasty.

Objective: The present study was designed for the contrastive analysis of conservative and percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) on pain severity and recovery of injured vertebrae in elderly patients with acute symptomatic osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF). Methods: A total of 60 elderly patients with acute symptomatic OVCF were divided into two groups according to different treatment protocols, with 30 patients in each group. Patients in the Con group received conservative treatment, while patients in the PKP group received percutaneous kyphoplasty treatment. Clinical evaluation included the visual analogue scale (VAS), the Dallas pain questionnaire, the vertebral body leading edge height, the Cobb angle of injured vertebrae, the MOS item short-form health survey (SF-36), the Barthel index, and the mini-mental state examination (MMSE). Results: At 3 days, 3 months, and 6 months post-treatment, the score of VAS and the Cobb angle of injured vertebrae in patients of the PKP group were all significantly lower than those in the Con group (P < 0.05), while the height of vertebral body leading edge in patients of the PKP group was significantly longer than that in the Con group (P < 0.05). At 6 months post-treatment, the scores of the four dimensions of the Dallas pain questionnaire scale in the PKP group were all significantly lower than those in the Con group (P < 0.05), while the score of SF-36 (PCS), SF-36 (MCS), and Barthel index in patients of the PKP group were all significantly lower than those in the Con group (P < 0.05), and there was no significant difference in the scores of MMSE between these two groups (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Compared with conservative treatment, PKP treatment of elderly patients with acute symptomatic OVCF provides rapid pain relief, restoration of damaged vertebral body height, correction of Cobb's angle, and improved quality of life.

A novel Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain performs simultaneous heterotrophic nitrification-aerobic denitrification and aerobic phosphate removal.

Nitrogen and phosphate removal from wastewater relies on different functional bacteria. In this study, a novel strain affiliated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa was isolated from activated sludge by gradient dilution and performed heterotrophic nitrification-aerobic denitrification and aerobic phosphate removal (HNADPR). The strain showed an ammonium removal efficiency of 87% and a phosphate removal efficiency of 97% under optimal conditions, such as C/N ratio of 10, P/N ratio of 0.1, temperature of 30°C, and pH of 7.5-8.5. The modified Gompertz model could fit well the heterotrophic ammonium nitrification, aerobic nitrite/nitrate denitrification, and aerobic phosphate removal processes. Functional gene amplification indicated that ammonium removal followed the complete HN-AD pathway (NH4+ â†’ NH2OH â†’ NO2- â†’ NO3- â†’ NO2- â†’ NO â†’ N2O â†’ N2). Phosphate removal only occurred under aerobic conditions and ceased under anaerobic conditions. In successive aerobic cycles, the strain persistently took up phosphate. In wastewater, phosphate was aerobically converted into cell membrane, intracellular and extracellular polymeric substrates (EPS). Phosphorus in the form of phosphate monoester was pooled in EPS. A hypothetic aerobic phosphate removal model for strain SNDPR-01 is proposed to improve our understanding of the novel bacterial function of HNADPR.

Clinical efficacy and learning curve of posterior percutaneous endoscopic cervical laminoforaminotomy for patients with cervical spondylotic radiculopathy.

In this study, we aimed to investigate the clinical efficacy and learning curve of posterior percutaneous endoscopic cervical laminoforaminotomy (PPECLF) in patients with cervical spondylotic radiculopathy (CSR). A total of 64 patients with CSR received PPECLF. Clinical outcome scores included the visual analog scale, Japanese Orthopedic Association score, neck disability index, and modified Macnab criteria. Radiological outcomes included the disc height, C2 to C7 Cobb angle, and range of motion. The learning curve was evaluated using cumulative sum analysis. Patients were divided into accumulation phase and mastery phase groups (A and B), and general data and surgical efficacy were compared between the 2 groups. Follow-up ranged from 12 to 24 months. Clinical outcome scores improved significantly at the final follow-up, and there were no differences in radiological outcomes. Surgical efficacy was excellent and good in 82.8% of patients. The operative time showed a decreasing trend with the accumulation of cases. Patients were divided and the 26th case was the cutoff point according to the learning curve. No significant differences were found in the clinical outcomes between the 2 groups. Decompression with PPECLF was safe and effective in the treatment of CSR. With the accumulation of cases, the operative time was gradually shortened, and the clinical efficacy was significant. The PPECLF procedure can be performed efficiently and safely to treat CSR.

Identification of misdiagnosis by deep neural networks on a histopathologic review of breast cancer lymph node metastases.

The frozen section (FS) diagnoses of pathology experts are used in China to determine whether sentinel lymph nodes of breast cancer have metastasis during operation. Direct implementation of a deep neural network (DNN) in clinical practice may be hindered by misdiagnosis of the algorithm, which affects a patient's treatment decision. In this study, we first obtained the prediction result of the commonly used patch-DNN, then we present a relative risk classification and regression tree (RRCART) to identify the misdiagnosed whole-slide images (WSIs) and recommend them to be reviewed by pathologists. Applying this framework to 2362 WSIs of breast cancer lymph node metastasis, test on frozen section results in the mean area under the curve (AUC) reached 0.9851. However, the mean misdiagnosis rate (0.0248), was significantly higher than the pathologists' misdiagnosis rate (p < 0.01). The RRCART distinguished more than 80% of the WSIs as a high-accuracy group with an average accuracy reached to 0.995, but the difference with the pathologists' performance was not significant (p > 0.01). However, the other low-accuracy group included most of the misdiagnoses of DNN models. Our research shows that the misdiagnosis from deep learning model can be further enriched by our method, and that the low-accuracy WSIs must be selected for pathologists to review and the high-accuracy ones may be ready for pathologists to give diagnostic reports.

Analysis on the Effect of Different Surgical Methods on the Treatment of Senile Osteoporotic Spinal Compression Fractures and the Influencing Factors of Complications.

Osteoporotic fractures are a common type of fractures in the elderly, among which spinal compression fractures are more common. After the occurrence of fractures, due to the compression and burst of the vertebral body, this will lead to local kyphosis deformity and even affect the balance of the sagittal spine. In the past, conservative treatments were used for osteoporotic spinal compression fractures. Although it can relieve pain symptoms, it can easily lead to complications such as aggravation of osteoporosis and deep vein thrombosis of the lower extremities. At present, percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) and percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) are the main clinical surgical treatments, both of which are minimally invasive surgery, short operation time, effective pain relief, and rapid postoperative recovery. Although both of them are effective, there is still controversy over the efficacy of both in the treatment of osteoporotic spinal compression fractures. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of PVP and PKP in the treatment of elderly osteoporotic spinal compression fractures and to analyze the related factors that affect the occurrence of postoperative complications. The results show that both PVP and PKP can effectively improve the pain and dysfunction of elderly patients with osteoporotic spinal compression fracture, restoration of vertebral height, and correct kyphosis, but PKP has better effect and higher safety and is worth promoting. Postoperative complications of patients are related to their age, bone mineral density, use of hormones, and antiosteoporosis treatment.

Non-coding small RNAs responsive to abiotic stress in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

Plant small RNAs are emerging as significant components of epigenetic processes and of gene networks involved in development and homeostasis. In this paper, to identify small RNAs in wheat, 2,076 small RNAs were identified in a small RNA library from leaf, root, and spike. These small RNAs mapped to non-coding regions the CDS region of protein-coding genes and 5' UTR and 3' UTR regions. The expression of small RNAs in seedling leaves, roots, and spikes were analyzed by northern blot, which indicates that some small RNAs were responsive to abiotic stress treatments including heat, cold, salt and dehydration.

Unilateral Laminectomy by Endoscopy in Central Lumbar Canal Spinal Stenosis: Technical Note and Early Outcomes.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the outcomes and safety of endoscopic laminectomy for central lumbar canal spinal stenosis. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: .: Spinal endoscopy is mostly used in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation, while endoscopic laminectomy for lumbar spinal stenosis is rarely reported. METHODS: From January 2016 to June 2017, 38 patients with central lumbar canal spinal stenosis were treated with endoscopic laminectomy. Clinical symptoms were evaluated at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months and the last follow-up after surgery. Functional outcomes were assessed by using the Japanese Orthopedic Association Scores (JOA) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). The decompression effect was assessed by using the dural sac cross-sectional area (DSCA). Lumbar stability was evaluated using lumbar range of motion (ROM), ventral intervertebral space height (VH), and dorsal intervertebral space height (DH). RESULTS: The mean age of the cases was 60.8 years, the mean operation time was 66.3 minutes, the blood loss was 38.8 mL, and the length of incision was 19.6 mm. The mean time in bed was 22.3 hours, and the mean hospital stay was 8.8 days. JOA scores were improved from 10.9 to 24.1 (P < 0.05), ODI scores were improved from 79.0 to 27.9 (P < 0.05), DSCA was improved from 55.7 to 109.5 mm (P < 0.05), ROM scores were improved from 5.6° to 5.7° (P < 0.05), and DH scores were reduced from 6.6 to 6.5 mm (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in VH before and after operation (P > 0.05). There were no serious complications during the follow-ups. CONCLUSION: Endoscopic laminectomy had the advantage of a wider view, which was effective, safe, and less invasive for lumbar spinal stenosis. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 5.

Electromyography activities in patients with lower lumbar disc herniation.

BACKGROUND: Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) can affect lower limb muscle function resulting in an abnormal gait. This study aims to use surface electromyography (SEMG) to evaluate patients with L4/L5 and L5/S1 LDH throughout muscle movement. METHODS: Twenty L4/L5 LDH patients (L5 Group), twenty L5/S1 LDH patients (S1 Group), and twenty healthy controls (Healthy) were recruited for the study. SEMG of bilateral tibialis anterior (TA) and lateral gastrocnemius (LG) muscles of patients were recorded using the DELSYS Wireless EMG System (TrignoTM Wireless Systems, Delsys Inc., USA). Root-mean-square (RMS), mean power frequency (MPF), and median frequency (MF) were compared between bilateral limbs in each participant. RESULTS: Reduced MPF and MF was found in TA measurements of the L5 Group and LG measurements of the S1 Group. The MPF and MF of the TA of symptomatic limbs of the L5 Group were reduced when compared to asymptomatic limbs (p= 0.006, p= 0.012, p< 0.05), and there were no significant differences in LG measurements (p> 0.05). The LG MPF and MF of the S1 Group in symptomatic limbs were reduced when compared to asymptomatic limbs (p= 0.006, p= 0.017, p< 0.05), and there were no significant differences in TA measurements (p> 0.05). Although there were no significant differences in RMS between bilateral limbs of the L5 and S1 Groups, we found some changes in RMS curves. First, compared to asymptomatic limbs of L4/L5LDH patients, ß-peaks in the TA of symptomatic limbs appeared earlier. Second, two peaks in the LG of symptomatic limbs were found in L5/S1 LDH patients. CONCLUSION: TA is affected in patients with LDH of L4/L5, and LG is affected in patients with LDH of L5/S1. As demonstrated, SEMG can identify LDH-related muscle dysfunction.

Development and Validation of a Deep Learning-Based Model Using Computed Tomography Imaging for Predicting Disease Severity of Coronavirus Disease 2019.

OBJECTIVES: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is sweeping the globe and has resulted in infections in millions of people. Patients with COVID-19 face a high fatality risk once symptoms worsen; therefore, early identification of severely ill patients can enable early intervention, prevent disease progression, and help reduce mortality. This study aims to develop an artificial intelligence-assisted tool using computed tomography (CT) imaging to predict disease severity and further estimate the risk of developing severe disease in patients suffering from COVID-19. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Initial CT images of 408 confirmed COVID-19 patients were retrospectively collected between January 1, 2020 and March 18, 2020 from hospitals in Honghu and Nanchang. The data of 303 patients in the People's Hospital of Honghu were assigned as the training data, and those of 105 patients in The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University were assigned as the test dataset. A deep learning based-model using multiple instance learning and residual convolutional neural network (ResNet34) was developed and validated. The discrimination ability and prediction accuracy of the model were evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic curve and confusion matrix, respectively. RESULTS: The deep learning-based model had an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.987 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.968-1.00) and an accuracy of 97.4% in the training set, whereas it had an AUC of 0.892 (0.828-0.955) and an accuracy of 81.9% in the test set. In the subgroup analysis of patients who had non-severe COVID-19 on admission, the model achieved AUCs of 0.955 (0.884-1.00) and 0.923 (0.864-0.983) and accuracies of 97.0 and 81.6% in the Honghu and Nanchang subgroups, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our deep learning-based model can accurately predict disease severity as well as disease progression in COVID-19 patients using CT imaging, offering promise for guiding clinical treatment.