Biomimetic Superstructured Interphase for Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries.

The practical application of aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) is greatly challenged by rampant dendrites and pestilent side reactions resulting from an unstable Zn-electrolyte interphase. Herein, we report the construction of a reliable superstructured solid electrolyte interphase for stable Zn anodes by using mesoporous polydopamine (2D-mPDA) platelets as building blocks. The interphase shows a biomimetic nacre's "brick-and-mortar" structure and artificial transmembrane channels of hexagonally ordered mesopores in the plane, overcoming the mechanical robustness and ionic conductivity trade-off. Experimental results and simulations reveal that the -OH and -NH groups on the surface of artificial ion channels can promote rapid desolvation kinetics and serve as an ion sieve to homogenize the Zn2+ flux, thus inhibiting side reactions and ensuring uniform Zn deposition without dendrites. The 2D-mPDA@Zn electrode achieves an ultralow nucleation potential of 35 mV and maintains a Coulombic efficiency of 99.8% over 1500 cycles at 5 mA cm-2. Moreover, the symmetric battery exhibits a prolonged lifespan of over 580 h at a high current density of 20 mA cm-2. This biomimetic superstructured interphase also demonstrates the high feasibility in Zn//VO2 full cells and paves a new route for rechargeable aqueous metal-ion batteries.

SNHG14 promotes triple-negative breast cancer cell proliferation, invasion, and chemoresistance by regulating the ERK/MAPK signaling pathway.

The functional role and molecular mechanisms of small-nucleolar RNA host gene 14 (SNHG14) in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) progression remain unclear. The expression levels of SNHG14 in breast cancer samples and cell lines were determined using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Cell proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities were detected using MTS and transwell assays. By RNA sequencing, differentially expressed genes were identified between the SNHG14 siRNA and the negative control group. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses were used to predict the targets and pathways regulated by SNHG14. pRAF, pMEK, and pERK expression were measured by western blot. The xenograft model was constructed to access the biological function of SNHG14 in vivo. A minimal patient-derived xenograft model was established to evaluate the sensitivity to chemotherapy drugs. Our data indicated that SNHG14 expression was increased in TNBC tissues and cell lines. SNHG14 knockdown attenuated the proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities of TNBC cells both in vivo and in vitro. High SNHG14 expression was associated with lymph node metastasis and a high Ki67 index. The targets of SNHG14 were mainly enriched in the MAPK signaling pathway. pRAF, pMEK, and pERK expression were downregulated after being transfected with SNHG14 siRNA. Compared with the negative control group, the expression of CACNA1I, DUSP8, FGF17, FGFR4, FOS, PDGFRB, and DDIT3 was increased, and the expression of MKNK1 was decreased in the SNHG14 siRNA group. Minimal patient-derived xenograft model demonstrated that knockdown of SNHG14 enhanced the sensitivity to Docetaxel in vivo. Compared with the DMSO group, the proliferation of Docetaxel-resistant MDA-MB-231 cells was decreased in Dabrafenib, PD184352, and FR180204 treatment groups. SNHG14 knockdown inhibits TNBC progression by regulating the ERK/MAPK signaling pathway, which provides evidence for SNHG14 as a potential target for TNBC therapy.

Micelles Cascade Assembly to Tandem Porous Catalyst for Waste Plastics Upcycling.

Catalytic upcycling of polyolefins into high-value chemicals represents the direction in end-of-life plastics valorization, but poses great challenges. Here, we report the synthesis of a tandem porous catalyst via a micelle cascade assembly strategy for selectively catalytic cracking of polyethylene into olefins at a low temperature. A hierarchically porous silica layer from mesopore to macropore is constructed on the surface of microporous ZSM-5 nanosheets through cascade assembly of dynamic micelles. The outer macropore arrays can adsorb bulky polyolefins quickly by the capillary and hydrophobic effects, enhancing the diffusion and access to active sites. The middle mesopores present a nanoconfinement space, pre-cracking polyolefins into intermediates by weak acid sites, which then transport into zeolites micropores for further cracking by strong Brønsted acid sites. The hierarchically porous and acidic structures, mimicking biomimetic protease catalytic clefts, ideally match the tandem cracking steps of polyolefins, thus suppressing coke formation and facilitating product escape. As a result, light hydrocarbons (C1-C7) are produced with a yield of 443 mmol gZSM-5 -1, where 74.3 % of them are C3-C6 olefins, much superior to ZSM-5 and porous silica catalysts. This tandem porous catalyst exemplifies a superstructure design of catalytic cracking catalysts for industrial and economical upcycling of plastic wastes.

Delirium in older patients given propofol or sevoflurane anaesthesia for major cancer surgery: a multicentre randomised trial.

BACKGROUND: Delirium is a common and disturbing postoperative complication that might be ameliorated by propofol-based anaesthesia. We therefore tested the primary hypothesis that there is less delirium after propofol-based than after sevoflurane-based anaesthesia within 7 days of major cancer surgery. METHODS: This multicentre randomised trial was conducted in 14 tertiary care hospitals in China. Patients aged 65-90 yr undergoing major cancer surgery were randomised to either propofol-based anaesthesia or to sevoflurane-based anaesthesia. The primary endpoint was the incidence of delirium within 7 postoperative days. RESULTS: A total of 1228 subjects were enrolled and randomised, with 1195 subjects included in the modified intention-to-treat analysis (mean age 71 yr; 422 [35%] women); one subject died before delirium assessment. Delirium occurred in 8.4% (50/597) of subjects given propofol-based anaesthesia vs 12.4% (74/597) of subjects given sevoflurane-based anaesthesia (relative risk 0.68 [95% confidence interval {CI}: 0.48-0.95]; P=0.023; adjusted relative risk 0.59 [95% CI: 0.39-0.90]; P=0.014). Delirium reduction mainly occurred on the first day after surgery, with a prevalence of 5.4% (32/597) with propofol anaesthesia vs 10.7% (64/597) with sevoflurane anaesthesia (relative risk 0.50 [95% CI: 0.33-0.75]; P=0.001). Secondary endpoints, including ICU admission, postoperative duration of hospitalisation, major complications within 30 days, cognitive function at 30 days and 3 yr, and safety outcomes, did not differ significantly between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Delirium was a third less common after propofol than sevoflurane anaesthesia in older patients having major cancer surgery. Clinicians might therefore reasonably select propofol-based anaesthesia in patients at high risk of postoperative delirium. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR-IPR-15006209) and ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02662257).

Long-term survival in older patients given propofol or sevoflurane anaesthesia for major cancer surgery: follow-up of a multicentre randomised trial.

BACKGROUND: Experimental evidence indicates that i.v. anaesthesia might reduce cancer recurrence compared with volatile anaesthesia, but clinical information is observational only. We therefore tested the primary hypothesis that propofol-based anaesthesia improves survival over 3 or more years after potentially curative major cancer surgery. METHODS: This was a long-term follow-up of a multicentre randomised trial in 14 tertiary hospitals in China. We enrolled 1228 patients aged 65-90 yr who were scheduled for major cancer surgery. They were randomised to either propofol-based i.v. anaesthesia or to sevoflurane-based inhalational anaesthesia. The primary endpoint was overall survival after surgery. Secondary endpoints included recurrence-free and event-free survival. RESULTS: Amongst subjects randomised, 1195 (mean age 72 yr; 773 [65%] male) were included in the modified intention-to-treat analysis. At the end of follow-up (median 43 months), there were 188 deaths amongst 598 patients (31%) assigned to propofol-based anaesthesia compared with 175 deaths amongst 597 patients (29%) assigned to sevoflurane-based anaesthesia; adjusted hazard ratio 1.02; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.83-1.26; P=0.834. Recurrence-free survival was 223/598 (37%) in patients given propofol anaesthesia vs 206/597 (35%) given sevoflurane anaesthesia; adjusted hazard ratio 1.07; 95% CI: 0.89-1.30; P=0.465. Event-free survival was 294/598 (49%) in patients given propofol anaesthesia vs 274/597 (46%) given sevoflurane anaesthesia; adjusted hazard ratio 1.09; 95% CI 0.93 to 1.29; P=0.298. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term survival after major cancer surgery was similar with i.v. and volatile anaesthesia. Propofol-based iv. anaesthesia should not be used for cancer surgery with the expectation that it will improve overall or cancer-specific survival. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATIONS: ChiCTR-IPR-15006209; NCT02660411.

Contribution of gut microbiota to drug-induced liver injury.

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is caused by various drugs with complex pathogenesis, and diverse clinical and pathological phenotypes. Drugs damage the liver directly through drug hepatotoxicity, or indirectly through drug-mediated oxidative stress, immune injury and inflammatory insult, which eventually lead to hepatocyte necrosis. Recent studies have found that the composition, relative content and distribution of gut microbiota in patients and animal models of DILI have changed significantly. It has been confirmed that gut microbial dysbiosis brings about intestinal barrier destruction and microorganisms translocation, and the alteration of microbial metabolites may cause or aggravate DILI. In addition, antibiotics, probiotics, and fecal microbiota transplantation are all emerging as prospective therapeutic methods for DILI by regulating the gut microbiota. In this review, we discussed how the altered gut microbiota participates in DILI.

Laser Linewidth Analysis and Filtering/Fitting Algorithms for Improved TDLAS-Based Optical Gas Sensor.

Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy (TDLAS) has been widely applied in in situ and real-time monitoring of trace gas concentrations. In this paper, an advanced TDLAS-based optical gas sensing system with laser linewidth analysis and filtering/fitting algorithms is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The linewidth of the laser pulse spectrum is innovatively considered and analyzed in the harmonic detection of the TDLAS model. The adaptive Variational Mode Decomposition-Savitzky Golay (VMD-SG) filtering algorithm is developed to process the raw data and could significantly eliminate the background noise variance by about 31% and signal jitters by about 12.5%. Furthermore, the Radial Basis Function (RBF) neural network is also incorporated and applied to improve the fitting accuracy of the gas sensor. Compared with traditional linear fitting or least squares method (LSM), the RBF neural network brings along the enhanced fitting accuracy within a large dynamic range, achieving an absolute error of below 50 ppmv (about 0.6%) for the maximum 8000 ppmv methane. The proposed technique in this paper is universal and compatible with TDLAS-based gas sensors without hardware modification, allowing direct improvement and optimization for current optical gas sensors.

[Guideline for clinical comprehensive evaluation of Chinese patent medicine (2022 version)].

Currently,the research or publications related to the clinical comprehensive evaluation of Chinese patent medicine are increasing,which attracts the broad attention of all circles. According to the completed clinical evaluation report on Chinese patent medicine,there are still practical problems and technical difficulties such as unclear responsibility of the evaluation organization,unclear evaluation subject,miscellaneous evaluation objects,and incomplete and nonstandard evaluation process. In terms of evaluation standards and specifications,there are different types of specifications or guidelines with different emphases issued by different academic groups or relevant institutions. The professional guideline is required to guide the standardized and efficient clinical comprehensive evaluation of Chinese patent medicine and further improve the authority and quality of evaluation. In combination with the characteristics of Chinese patent medicine and the latest research achievement at home and abroad,the detailed specifications were formulated from six aspects including design,theme selection,content and index,outcome,application and appraisal,and quality control. The guideline was developed based on the guideline development requirements of China Assoication of Chinese medicine. After several rounds of expert consensus and public consultation,the current version of the guideline has been developed.

p53 Missense Mutation is Associated with Immune Cell PD-L1 Expression in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

The programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) is a pivotal biomarker of immunotherapy in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). TP53 is reported as a positive regulatory predictor of immune efficacy. The correlation of p53 expression or mutation and PD-L1 expression is explored. By immunohistochemistry, PD-L1 expression between p53 mutation (missense and nonsense) and wild type; p53 no-expression/loss vs. expression were compared. There was a significant association between p53 mutation, especially missense mutation with higher histological grade, and PD-L1 expression in immune cells (ICs). Both p53 missense mutation and PD-L1 expression may be potential targets for improving immunotherapy response in TNBC.

[Reflections on supervision strategies of new Tibetan drug registration].

Tibetan medicine is an essential part of Chinese medicine and has unique theoretical experience and therapeutic advantages. According to the development principle of inheriting the essence, sticking to the truth, and keeping innovative, the supervision department should give clear and reasonable guidance considering the characteristics of Tibetan medicine, establish a standard system for quality control, clinical verification and evaluation, and accelerate the research and commercialization of new drugs. In view of the needs of drug supply-side reform and the current situation of Tibetan medicine and new pharmaceutical research, we ponder and provide suggestions on the confusion faced by the current supervision of Tibetan drug registration, hoping to contribute to the supervision strategy of Tibetan drug registration and the high-quality development of Tibetan medicine industry.

[Thoughts on path of R&D and registration of innovative traditional Chinese medicine with synchronous transformation of "series prescriptions"].

Since the implementation of drug registration in China, the classification of Chinese medicine has greatly met the needs of public health and effectively guided the transformation, inheritance, and innovation of research achievements on traditional Chinese medicine(TCM). In the past 30 years, the development of new Chinese medicine has followed the registration transformation model of " one prescription for single drug". This model refers to the R&D and registration system of modern drugs, and approximates to the " law-abiding" medication method in TCM clinic, while it rarely reflects the sequential therapy of syndrome differentiation and comprehensive treatment with multiple measures. In 2017, Opinions on Deepening the Reform of Review and Approval System and Encouraging the Innovation of Drugs and Medical Devices released by the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council pointed out that it is necessary to " establish and improve the registration and technical evaluation system in line with the characteristics of Chinese medicine, and handle the relationship between the traditional advantages of Chinese medicine and the requirements of modern drug research". Therefore, based on the development law and characteristics of TCM, clinical thinking should be highlighted in the current technical requirements and registration system of research and development of Chinese medicine. Based on the current situation of registration supervision of Chinese medicine and the modern drug research in China, the present study analyzed limitations and deficiency of " one prescription for single drug" in the research and development of Chinese medicine. Additionally, a new type of " series prescriptions" was proposed, which was consistent with clinical thinking and clinical reality. This study is expected to contribute to the independent innovation and high-quality development of the TCM industry.

Diblock copolymers directing construction of hierarchically porous metal-organic frameworks for enhanced-performance supercapacitors.

A rationally designed strategy is developed to synthesize hierarchically porous Fe-based metal-organic frameworks (P-Fe-MOF) via solution-based self-assembly of diblock copolymers. The well-chosen amphiphilic diblock copolymers (BCP) of polystyrene-block-poly(acrylic acid) (PS-b-PAA) exhibits outstanding tolerance capability of rigorous conditions (e.g. strong acidity or basicity, high temperature and pressure), steering the peripheral crystallization of Fe-based MOF by anchoring ferric ions with outer PAA block. Importantly, the introduction of BCP endows MOF materials with additional mesopores (∼40 nm) penetrating whole crystals, along with their inherent micropores and introduced macropores. The unique hierarchically porous architecture contributes to fast charge transport and electrolyte ion diffusion, and thus promotes their redox reaction kinetics processes. Accordingly, the resultant P-Fe-MOF material as a new electrode material for supercapacitors delivers the unprecedented highest specific capacitance up to 78.3 mAh g-1 at a current density of 1 A g-1, which is 9.8 times than that of Fe-based MOF/carbon nanotubes composite electrode reported previously. This study may inspire new design of porous metal coordination polymers and advanced electrode materials for energy storage and conversion field.

Virtual Reality Zoo Therapy for Alzheimer's Disease Using Real-Time Gesture Recognition.

Alzheimer's disease affects almost ten million people every year. Negative emotions such as frustration and anxiety can have impact on brain capability in terms of memory functions. Alzheimer's patients experience more negative emotions than healthy older adults. Non-pharmacological treatment such as animal therapy could help Alzheimer patient but has restrictions and requirements. We propose a Virtual Reality Zoo Therapy system in which the patients are immersed in a virtual environment and can interact with animals using their hands. With the immersive experience of virtual reality (VR), patients feel that they are in a real therapy room and can freely interact with animals. This system is controlled by an intelligent agent which tracks the patients' emotions using electroencephalography and commands the animals according to their hand gesture and emotions. Experiments have been done and preliminary results show that it is possible to predict patients' hand gesture and interpret them in order to interact with virtual animals and the Zoo Therapy system can reduce the negative emotions.

Histopathological evidence of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma occurring in ductal plate malformation: A clinicopathologic study of 5 cases.

Ductal plate malformations (DPM) arise from abnormal remodeling of the embryologic ductal plate of the liver. Malignant transformation of DPMs to intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) has been reported in very rare instances but is viewed with some skepticism. We report the clinicopathological findings in five cases of iCCA, occurring in liver with DPM-like features. All tumors were less than 5 cm, often presented as stage T1a tumors. Histologically, a typical tumor showed a vague multinodular architecture with larger, irregular, tortuous glandular structures with microcystic dilation, intraluminal fibroepithelial projection, and bridge/island formation. The tumor cells were relatively small, bland, and without obvious pleomorphism. Interestingly, DPM presented as a histopathological transition sequence of definitively benign to biliary intraepithelial neoplasia (bilIN), then finally to iCCA. A complete pushing border, with entrapped portal tracts at the edge of the main tumor, suggested a replacing growth pattern. There was gradually increased expression of Ki-67 and p53 in these transition phases from benign to bilIN then to iCCA with DPM-like features. The neoplastic epithelium exhibited immunoreactivity in EpCAM, MUC1, NCAM, and CK19. KRAS mutation was found in 2 of the 5 iCCA cases with DPM-like features. Multifocal DPMs or VMCs with bilIN were dispersed in the non-tumor liver parenchyma in 3 of the 5 cases. The neoplasm was interpreted as iCCA arising in DPM, which may have originated from small bile duct or hepatic precursor cells. More studies are needed to verify this scarce entity and its premalignant properties.

General Construction of 2D Ordered Mesoporous Iron-Based Metal-Organic Nanomeshes.

Nanomeshes with highly regular, permeable pores in plane, combining the exceptional porous architectures with intrinsic properties of 2D materials, have attracted increasing attention in recent years. Herein, a series of 2D ultrathin metal-organic nanomeshes with ordered mesopores is obtained by a self-assembly method, including metal phosphate and metal phosphonate. The resultant mesoporous ferric phytate nanomeshes feature unique 2D ultrathin monolayer morphologies (≈9 nm thickness), hexagonally ordered, permeable mesopores of ≈16 nm, as well as improved surface area and pore volume. Notably, the obtained ferric phytate nanomeshes can directly in situ convert into mesoporous sulfur-doped metal phosphonate nanomeshes by serving as an unprecedented reactive self-template. Furthermore, as advanced anode materials for Li-ion batteries, they deliver excellent capacity, good rate capability, and cycling performance, greatly exceeding the similar metal phosphate-based materials reported previously, resulting from their unique 2D ultrathin mesoporous structure. Therefore, the work will pave an avenue for constructing the other 2D ordered mesoporous materials, and thus offer new opportunities for them in diverse areas.

Pre-Polymerization Enables Controllable Synthesis of Nanosheet-Based Porphyrin Polymers towards High-Performance Li-Ion Batteries.

The precise regulation of nucleation growth and assembly of polymers is still an intriguing goal but an enormous challenge. In this study, we proposed a pre-polymerization strategy to regulate the assembly and growth of polymers by facilely controlling the concentration of polymerization initiator, and thus obtained two kinds of different nanosheet-based porphyrin polymer materials using tetrakis-5,10,15,20-(4-aminophenyl) porphyrin (TAPP) as the precursor. Notably, due to the π-π stacking and doping of TAPP during the preparation process, the obtained PTAPP-nanocube material exhibits a high intrinsic bulk conductivity reaching 1.49×10-4  S m-1 . Profiting from the large π-conjugated structure of porphyrin units, closely stacked layer structure and excellent conductivity, the resultant porphyrin polymers, as electrode materials for lithium ion batteries, deliver high specific capacity (≈650 mAh g-1 at the current density of 100 mA g-1 ), excellent rate performance and long-cycle stability, which are among the best reports of porphyrin polymer-based electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries, to the best of our knowledge. Therefore, such a pre-polymerization approach would provide a new insight for the controllable synthesis of polymers towards custom-made architecture and function.

Muscular Tissue Oxygen Saturation and Posthysterectomy Nausea and Vomiting: The iMODIPONV Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Suboptimal tissue perfusion and oxygenation during surgery may be responsible for postoperative nausea and vomiting in some patients. This trial tested the hypothesis that muscular tissue oxygen saturation-guided intraoperative care reduces postoperative nausea and vomiting. METHODS: This multicenter, pragmatic, patient- and assessor-blinded randomized controlled (1:1 ratio) trial was conducted from September 2018 to June 2019 at six teaching hospitals in four different cities in China. Nonsmoking women, 18 to 65 yr old, and having elective laparoscopic surgery involving hysterectomy (n = 800) were randomly assigned to receive either intraoperative muscular tissue oxygen saturation-guided care or usual care. The goal was to maintain muscular tissue oxygen saturation, measured at flank and on forearm, greater than baseline or 70%, whichever was higher. The primary outcome was 24-h postoperative nausea and vomiting. Secondary outcomes included nausea severity, quality of recovery, and 30-day morbidity and mortality. RESULTS: Of the 800 randomized patients (median age, 50 yr [range, 27 to 65]), 799 were assessed for the primary outcome. The below-goal muscular tissue oxygen saturation area under the curve was significantly smaller in patients receiving muscular tissue oxygen saturation-guided care (n = 400) than in those receiving usual care (n = 399; flank, 50 vs. 140% · min, P < 0.001; forearm, 53 vs. 245% · min, P < 0.001). The incidences of 24-h postoperative nausea and vomiting were 32% (127 of 400) in the muscular tissue oxygen saturation-guided care group and 36% (142 of 399) in the usual care group, which were not significantly different (risk ratio, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.73 to 1.08; P = 0.251). There were no significant between-group differences for secondary outcomes. No harm was observed throughout the study. CONCLUSIONS: In a relatively young and healthy female patient population, personalized, goal-directed, muscular tissue oxygen saturation-guided intraoperative care is effective in treating decreased muscular tissue oxygen saturation but does not reduce the incidence of 24-h posthysterectomy nausea and vomiting.

Efficacy of amisulpride on postoperative nausea and vomiting: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIM AND BACKGROUND: Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) remains a significant clinical problem for surgical patients. Amisulpride is a well-studied D2/D3 antagonist that has the potential to be used for preventing and treating PONV. Our aim was to assess the efficacy and safety of amisulpride for prevention and treatment of PONV through a systematic review and meta-analysis. METHOD: A systematic literature search was performed using MEDLINE, EMBASE, PUBMED, clinicaltrials.gov, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from their inception to Feb 15th, 2019. The efficacy outcome was the incidence of complete response, defined as no emesis and no rescue antiemetic use in a 24-h period after study drug administration. The safety outcomes were the adverse effects associated with amisulpride. RESULTS: Five studies comprising 3243 patients met inclusion critieria. Compared with placebo, amisulpride showed a significantly improved incidence of complete response [relative risk (RR): 1.30; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.20-1.41; P < 0.00001, I2 = 0%] with firm evidence from the trial sequential analysis. Particularly, the amisulpride at 5 mg dose indicated a significant benefit than placebo [relative risk (RR): 1.28; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.18-1.39; P < 0.00001, I2 = 4%]. The adverse event profile of amisulpride was generally similar to the placebo. CONCLUSION: Based on our findings, low-dose, intravenous amisulpride is safe and efficacious for the prevention and treatment of PONV compared to placebo. Further studies are needed to explore the optimal dose and timing. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO: CRD42019121483.

[Self-made metal freezing plate for cryopreservation of human epididymal sperm: An experimental study].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of a new human sperm freezing method on the sperm recovery rate and search for an optimal method for cryopreservation of human epididymal sperm. METHODS: We collected semen samples from 76 men with obstructive azoospermia by percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration and divided each sample into two parts to be cryopreserved with a self-made metal freezing plate (the experimental group) or by slow freezing (the control group), respectively. We measured the percentage of progressively motile sperm (PMS) with the computer-assisted semen analysis system and compared the membrane function, DNA fragmentation index (DFI), acrosin activity and morphological abnormality of the sperm between the two groups before and after cryopreservation. RESULTS: After thawing, both the percentages of PMS and hypotonically swollen sperm were significantly higher in the experimental than in the control group (ï¼»12.0 ± 7.5ï¼½% vs ï¼»8.0 ± 5.1ï¼½%, P < 0.05; ï¼»22.0 ± 17.5ï¼½% vs ï¼»18.0 ± 20.5ï¼½%, P < 0.05), though both decreased in comparison with the pre-freezing parameters (ï¼»20.7 ± 8.8ï¼½% and ï¼»30.0 ± 13.5ï¼½%) (P < 0.05). The sperm acrosin activity was remarkably higher in the experimental than in the control group after thawing (ï¼»75.2 ± 9.5ï¼½ vs ï¼»55.7 ± 8.3ï¼½ µIU/106sperm, P < 0.05), though decreased as compared with the baseline (ï¼»120.0 ± 10.5ï¼½ µIU/106 sperm, P < 0.05). No statistically significant differences were observed between the experimental and the control groups after thawing in the percentage of morphologically abnormal sperm (ï¼»98.7 ± 8.8ï¼½% vs ï¼»98.5±9.2ï¼½%, P > 0.05) or sperm DFI ï¼»38.2 ± 8.5ï¼½% vs ï¼»39.5 ± 10.2ï¼½%, P > 0.05), though both markedly elevated in comparison with the pre-freezing parameters (ï¼»97.2 ± 9.5ï¼½% and ï¼»30.8 ± 9.7ï¼½%) (P < 0.05). The post-thaw recovery rate of sperm was significantly higher in the experimental than in the control group (ï¼»65.2 ± 12.0ï¼½% vs ï¼»52.3 ± 18.0ï¼½%, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The self-made metal freezing plate, with its advantages of low cost, high efficiency, and easy operation, can be used as an effective method for cryopreservation of human sperm to achieve a high post-thaw sperm recovery rate, progressive sperm motility, and sperm acrosin activity.

Red blood cell distribution width and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio are correlated with disease activity of dermatomyositis and polymyositis.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies indicated that both red blood cell distribution width (RDW) and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) were useful indices in assessing the disease activity of autoimmune diseases. However, the evidence for the association between RDW, NLR and dermatomyositis (DM) and polymyositis (PM) is limited. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between the disease activity of PM/DM and both RDW and NLR. METHODS: Medical records of 114 PM/DM patients and 114 healthy controls were retrospectively reviewed, and their RDW, NLR and myositis disease activity assessment visual analogue scale (MYOACT) on admission were extracted. The correlations between RDW, NLR and MYOACT were analyzed using the Spearman approach and multivariable model. RESULTS: PM/DM patients had significantly higher RDW and NLR. Increased RDW in PM/DM patients was not completely attributed to decreased hemoglobin or therapeutic agents. Both RDW and NLR are independently and positively correlated MYOACT. CONCLUSION: Both RDW and NLR are useful indices in assessing the disease activity of PM/DM.