Cardiac computed tomography angiography for assessment of endothelial insufficiency of left atrial appendage disc-like occluder.

INTRODUCTION: This study was performed to explore the diagnostic value of cardiac computed tomography angiography (CCTA) for endothelial insufficiency (EIS) of a left atrial appendage (LAA) disc-like occluder. METHODS: Fifty-nine patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation who underwent placement of an LAA disc-like occluder (LAmbre; Lifetech Scientific) in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Patients who were found to have contrast agent entering the LAA at the 3-month postoperative CCTA examination underwent Hounsfield unit (HU) measurement of the LAA and construction of a three-dimensional (3D) model of the device for preliminary discernment between peri-device leakage (PDL) and EIS. These patients were then further examined by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) to check for concordance with the computed tomography (CT) findings. According to the CT and TEE results, all patients were divided into the PDL group, total endothelialization group, and EIS group. The endothelial conditions and other implantation-related results were also tracked at the 6-month follow-up. RESULTS: All 59 patients underwent successful implantation of the LAmbre LAA closure device with no severe adverse events during the procedure. Thirty-five patients were found to have contrast agent entering the LAA at the 3-month postoperative CCTA follow-up. Based on the CT HU measurement and the 3D construction analysis results, these 35 patients were divided into the PDL group (19 patients) and the EIS group (16 patients). In the PDL group, the contrast agent infiltrated from the shoulder along the periphery of the occluder on two-dimensional (2D) CT images, and the 3D model showed a gap between the LAA and the device cover. However, the CCTA images of the other 16 patients in the EIS group showed that the contrast agent in the occluder on the 2D CTA images and 3D construction model confirmed the absence of a gap between the LAA and the device cover. TEE confirmed all of the CT results. The 6-month follow-up results showed that 14 of 19 patients in the EIS group achieved total endothelialization, whereas this number in the PDL group was only five of 19 patients. CONCLUSION: CCTA can replace TEE for examination of the endothelialization status, and patients with EIS have a higher chance of endothelialization than patients with PDL.

Mid-long wavelength infrared absorptance of hyperdoped silicon via femtosecond laser microstructuring.

Hyperdoped silicon (hSi) fabricated via femtosecond laser irradiation has emerged as a promising photoelectric material with strong broadband infrared (IR) absorption. In this work, we measured the optical absorptance of the hSi in the wavelength of 0.3-16.7 µm. Unlike the near to mid wavelength IR absorption, the mid-long wavelength IR (M-LWIR) absorption is heavily dependent on the surface morphology and the dopants. Furthermore, calculations based on coherent potential approximation (CPA) reveal the origin of free carrier absorption, which plays an important role in the M-LWIR absorption. As a result, a more comprehensive picture of the IR absorption mechanism is drawn for the optoelectronic applications of the hSi.

Ag metal interconnect wires formed by pseudoplastic nanoparticles fluid imprinting lithography with microwave assistant sintering.

Nanoimprint technology has the advantages of low cost, high precision, high fidelity and high yield. The metal nanoparticle fluid is non-Newtonian fluid, which is used as the imprint transfer medium to realize high fidelity of pattern because of its shear thinning effect. In order to functionalize the metal nanoparticles microstructure, the subsequent sintering step is required to form a metal interconnect wire. Metal interconnect wire with fewer grain boundaries and fewer holes have excellent mechanical and electronic properties. In this paper, the pseudoplastic metal nanoparticle fluid was formed by Ag nanoparticle and precursor solution, and then the thermal diffusion process was completed by microwave sintering after interconnects were embossed. The influence of microwave and thermal atmosphere on the microstructure and performance of Ag Interconnect wires was analyzed and discussed, and the Ag Interconnect wires performance was determined under the influence of time and temperature parameters. In our experiments, the interconnects after microwave sintering can achieve 39% of the conductivity of bulk silver. The microwave sintering module might be integrated as the heat treatment module of the metal micro/nano pattern directly imprint lithography.

Rational design of a ZnO nanowire laser on a surface plasmon polariton.

Plasmonic lasers, which use the strong confinement of surface plasmon polaritons, are key parts to realize ultracompact coherent light sources at deep subwavelength scales. We propose a plasmonic laser composed of a silicon substrate, ZnO nanowire, dielectric layer, metal layer, and electrode. In this structure, the superimposed coupling of the surface plasmon mode at the metal interface with the high refractive index gain nanowire mode makes the electric field in the spacer layer significantly enhanced. The ZnO nanowire is used as gain material to provide gain compensation. The optical and electrical properties are simulated with the geometric parameters and dielectric layer material. The results show that the structure has strong confinement of the optical field and can realize a deep subwavelength constraint at a lower threshold level. It provides theoretical support for realizing ultracompact coherent light sources.

Underwater optical guiding and communication solution for the AUV and seafloor node.

In this paper, an optical guiding and docking scheme is designed, and a node integrating laser positioning guidance and communication functions is developed. Through experiments, it is verified that the laser docking system has the function of guiding and communicating the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) with the support of the seabed observation network. It can provide two-dimensional position information for underwater platforms to navigate the media to sea network nodes and enable visual contact between them. The integrated terminals are small enough (6 cm in diameter) to be installed on small underwater platforms, such as AUVs. To safely work at a depth of thousands of meters, the devices have cylindrical shapes rather than spherical shapes. However, the cylindrical shell confines the view angle of the receiver. An optical system and a photodiode array are adopted to enlarge the cylindrical-shaped receiver's view angle. The positioning algorithm is designed based on the optical lens system and the photodiode array. In a small-pool experiment, this system is tested to achieve a data rate of 1 Mbit/s at a distance of 4 m. Positioning algorithms are also confirmed preliminarily in the small-pool experiment, and the error of the positioning algorithm is discussed.

Isolation of a putative probiotic strain S12 and its effect on growth performance, non-specific immunity and disease-resistance of white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei.

The common pathogens in aquaculture are very different from those in terrestrial animals. The objective of this study was to isolate probiotic strain (s) from the digestive tract of healthy white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei which was effective against aquatic animal pathogens. The putative probiotic strain S12 was identified as Bacillus subtilis based on the morphological and biochemical properties and 16S rDNA gene sequencing. The L. vannamei were fed with five different diets: control (basal diet with no probiotics or antibiotics), antibiotic control (basal diet supplemented with 0.3% florfenicol), basal diet supplemented with 5 × 10(9) cfu kg(-1) , 5 × 10(10) cfu kg(-1) and 5 × 10(11) cfu kg(-1) probiotic S12 (PS1-3). Each diet was randomly fed to quadruplication groups of 40 shrimps (0.4 ± 0.01 g) reared in tanks. After an 8-week feeding, the survival rate of shrimps fed with PS1 and PS3 were the highest among all treatments (P < 0.05). The moisture content of shrimps fed with florfenicol was significantly lower than that of the control group (P < 0.05). The supplement of probiotic S12 decreased the body crude lipid significantly (P < 0.05). The activities of phagocytic rate, lysozyme (LZ), superoxide dismutase phenoloxidase (SOD) and antibacterial activity were significantly higher than those in the control (P < 0.05), and the activities of SOD and the antibacterial activity in PS2 and PS3 were significantly higher than those in antibiotic control (P < 0.05). When infected with Vibrio harveyi at 4-weeks, the mortality was significantly lower (P < 0.05) in PS2 and PS3 groups than that in the control. After being infected with V. harveyi at 8-weeks, the mortality was significantly lower in the probiotic and antibiotic groups than that in the control (P < 0.05). This study suggested that probiotics could be used as an effective immunopotentiator, the optimal dose of the probiotic strain S12 is 5 × 10(10) cfu kg(-1) diet.

The prognostic value and economic benefits of coronary angiography-derived fractional flow reserve-guided strategy in patients with coronary artery disease.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the prognostic value and economic benefit of coronary angiography-derived fractional flow reserve (caFFR) guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with coronary artery disease. Methods: All patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) who underwent coronary angiography in our center between April 2021 and November 2021 were retrospectively enrolled and divided into the caFFR guidance group (n = 160) and angiography guidance group (n = 211). A threshold of caFFR≤0.8 was used for revascularization. Otherwise, delayed PCI was preferred. The patients were prospectively followed up by telephone or outpatient service at six months for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) of all-cause death, myocardial infarction or target vessel revascularization, stent thrombosis, and stroke. All in-hospital expenses were recorded, including initial hospitalization and re-hospitalization related to MACE. Results: There was no significant difference in the baseline characteristics between the two groups. There were 2 (1.2%) patients in the caFFR guidance group and 5 (2.4%) patients in the angiography guidance group with MACE events during the following six months. Compared with angiography guidance, caFFR guidance reduced the revascularization rate (63.7% vs. 84.4%, p = 0.000), the average length of stents implanted (0.52 ± 0.88 vs. 1.1 ± 1.4, P < 0.001). The cost of consumables in the caFFR guidance group was significantly lower than that in the angiography guidance group (33257 ± 19595 CNY vs. 38341 ± 16485 CNY, P < 0.05). Conclusion: Compared with coronary angiography guidance, caFFR guidance is of great significance in reducing revascularization and cost, which has significant health and economic benefits.

Longevous Sodium Metal Anodes with High Areal Capacity Enabled by 3D-Printed Sodiophilic Monoliths.

Sodium metal anode, featured by favorable redox voltage and material availability, offers a feasible avenue toward high-energy-density devices. However, uneven metal deposition and notorious dendrite proliferation synchronously hamper its broad application prospects. Here, a three-dimensional (3D) porous hierarchical silver/reduced graphene oxide (Ag/rGO) microlattice aerogel is devised as a sodiophilic monolith, which is realized by a direct ink writing 3D printing technology. The thus-printed Na@Ag/rGO electrode retains a durable cycling lifespan over 3100 h at 3.0 mA cm-2/1.0 mAh cm-2, concurrently harvesting a high average Coulombic efficiency of 99.80%. Impressively, it can be cycled for 340 h at a stringent condition of 6.0 mA cm-2 with a large areal capacity of 60.0 mAh cm-2 (∼1036.31 mAh g-1). Meanwhile, the well-regulated Na ion flux and uniform deposition kinetics are systematically probed by comprehensive electroanalytical analysis and theoretical simulations. As a result, assembled Na metal full battery delivers a long cycling sustainability over 500 cycles at 100 mA g-1 with a low per-cycle decay of 0.85%. The proposed strategy might inspire the construction of high-capacity Na metal anodes with appealing stability.

Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Assessment of the Protective Effect of Remote Ischemic Postconditioning on Coronary Microcirculation after Reperfusion Therapy for Acute ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

This study intends to evaluate the characteristics of coronary microcirculatory function in patients with myocardial infarction undergoing reperfusion and its predictive value in assessing cardiac function, myocardial activity, recovery of ventricular wall motion after infarction, and distant myocardial remodeling by cardiac magnetic resonance technique (CMRI). Materials and Methods. The 293 cases of patients with myocardial infarction treated in our hospital from August 2017 to August 2021 were selected as the subjects of this retrospective study, 13 cases were shed due to transfer and moving, and the rest were divided into 140 cases each in the emergency and elective groups according to emergency percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and elective PCI. The patients' myocardial infarct volume ventricular volume, microcirculatory obstruction volume ventricular volume, microcirculatory obstruction volume/myocardial infarct volume, and LVEF, combined with BP and troponin T, were analysed by CMR for comparative analysis, hemodynamic, and cardiac function index differences. Results. The hemodynamics (CO, CI, SV, SI, LVSW1, and LCW) measured at different times were significantly different between the two groups; patients in the emergency group had significantly lower EDV and ESV than the elective group at 7-10 d postoperatively; and EDV, ESV, and LVEF improved in both groups after 3 months, while EDV, ESV, and LVEF improved significantly better in the emergency group than in the elective group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The myocardial infarct quality, VSM score, and ventricular wall motion abnormality score were significantly lower in the emergency group than in the elective group from 7 to 10 d after PCI; myocardial infarct quality, VSM score, and ventricular wall motion abnormality score improved in both groups at 3 months after PCI; and the degree of improvement of myocardial infarct quality and VSM score was significantly better in the emergency group than in the elective group (P < 0.05). Conclusion. Acute myocardial infarction patients with significant effect of emergency PCI treatment can be on their postmyocardial infarction left ventricular function, and in the treatment of coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction diagnosis has a certain reference value.

Microparticle Manipulation Based on the Bulk Acoustic Wave Combined with the Liquid Crystal Backflow Effect Driving in 2D/3D Platforms.

Microparticle manipulation has been widely used in clinical diagnosis, cell separation, and biochemical analysis via optics, electronics, magnetics, or acoustic wave driving. Among them, the bulk acoustic wave (BAW) driving method has been increasingly adopted because of non-contact, easy control, and precise manipulation. However, its low manipulation efficiency limits the usage of the BAW driving in high viscosity solutions. Therefore, in order to obtain larger driving force and more flexible manipulation of microparticles, both two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) platforms based on the BAW and liquid crystal backflow effect (LCBE) driving in liquid crystal (LC) solutions are proposed. The driving forces applied on the microparticles allow for the change of microparticle moving direction, which is also ascertained through theory analysis combined with various driving methods. Specifically, the maximum moving speed (68.78 µm/s) of the polystyrene particles is obtained by the BAW (13 Vpp) combined with LCBE (30 V) at a low frequency of 7.2 kHz in the 2D platform. Precise position manipulation in 3D is also fulfilled through a programmable logic control model using polystyrene particles as a demonstration. In addition, red blood cells mixed with LC solutions are arranged in a line or gathered in the pressure nodes of the BAW forces along with sinusoid signals generated by various transducer combinations. Therefore, it is approved that the LC solution that induces the LCBE force could increase the microparticle manipulation efficiency in both 2D and 3D platforms. The proposed method will open up new avenues in particle manipulation and benefit a variety of applications in cell separation, drug synthesis, analytical chemistry, and others.

[Application of modern molecular biology techniques to study micro-ecosystem in the rumen].

The microbial community inhabiting in the rumen is characterized by its high population density, wide diversity and interactive complexity. However, until recently our knowledge of rumen microbiology was primarily based on classical culture based techniques (isolation, enumeration and nutritional characterization) which probably only account for 10% to 20% of the rumen microbial population. Modem molecular biology techniques provide effective methods to study the micro-ecosystem in the rumen. The use of molecular techniques based on nucleic acid probes is likely to revolutionize the approach to microbial ecology in the rumen and provide, not simply a refinement or increased understanding but a complete description of rumen community for the first time. Modem molecular techniques based on sequence comparisons of nucleic acids may be used to explore molecular characterization and provide a classification scheme which predicts natural evolutionary relationships. Genetic fingerprinting techniques that provide a pattern or profile of genetic diversity have been applied in a variety of environmental studies for the analysis of microbial communities. Whole-cell hybridization is a powerful technique which may be used to study the structure and function of microbial communities in situ and describe the expression of key enzymes. Real-time quantitative PCR technique may be conducted to accurately quantify the target microorganisms in the rumen. Development of these procedures and techniques will result in greater insights into community structure and activity of rumen microbial communities in relation to functional interactions, spatial and temporal relationships between different microorganisms and between microorganisms and feed particles. The successful development and application of these methods promise to provide the first opportunity to link distribution and identity of rumen microbes in their natural environment with their genetic potential and in situ activities.