Comparison of Syn T2-FLAIR and Syn DIR with conventional T2-FLAIR in displaying white matter hyperintensities in migraine patients.

OBJECTIVE: Young migraine patients often present with white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This study aimed to analyze whether synthetic (Syn) T2-FLAIR and Syn double inversion recovery (DIR) can reveal WMHs more clearly and sensitively than conventional T2-FLAIR. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Conventional MRI and Syn MRI data from 50 young migraine patients were analyzed prospectively. WMHs in each anatomical region (periventricular, deep white matter, and juxtacortical) were recorded separately. The differences in the clarity of lesion boundaries and the number of lesions displayed in the three sequences in the same anatomical region were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 80 (periventricular area, 15; deep white matter, 31; juxtacortical area, 34), 163 (17, 50, 96), and 134 (18, 42, 74) lesions were observed with conventional T2-FLAIR, Syn T2-FLAIR, and Syn DIR, respectively. Syn T2-FLAIR and Syn DIR can show lesions more clearly than conventional T2-FLAIR (all P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the number of lesions observed in the periventricular white matter among the three sequences (P = 0.159, 0.083, 0.322). Syn T2-FLAIR and Syn DIR can detect more lesions in the deep white matter than conventional T2-FLAIR (P < 0.001, P = 0.006). Syn T2-FLAIR revealed more lesions in the juxtacortical white matter than Syn DIR and conventional T2-FLAIR imaging (all P < 0.001), and conventional T2-FLAIR revealed the fewest lesions (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Syn T2-FLAIR and Syn DIR sequences can clearly and sensitively detect WMHs, especially in deep and juxtacortical white matter areas.

[Mechanisms of changes of active components in Chinese medicinal materials during drying: a review].

Drying is an indispensable processing step for Chinese medicinal materials after harvesting. It often leads to significant changes in the active components of these materials, thus impacting their medicinal values. Understanding the mechanisms behind the changes during the drying process is of great importance for regulating the transformation of key active components. Therefore, this paper reviews the available studies and comprehensively expounds the mechanisms underlying the changes in active components during the drying process. The aim is to offer insights for the development of regulatory strategies and the improvement of drying techniques for Chinese medicinal materials.

[Application prospect of reaction engineering approach in studying drying behavior of single droplet during spray drying of traditional Chinese medicine].

Spray drying technology is one of the most commonly used unit operations in the production of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) preparations, offering advantages such as short drying time and uniform product quality. However, due to the properties of TCM extracts, such as high viscosity, strong hygroscopicity, and poor flowability, there is limited scope to solve the problems of wall adhesion and clumping in spray drying from the macroscopic perspective of pharmaceutical production. Therefore, it has become a trend to study and optimize the spray drying process from the microscopic point of view by investigating single droplet evaporation behavior. Based on the reaction engineering approach(REA), the single droplet drying system, as a novel method for studying droplets, collects parameter data on individual TCM droplets during the drying process and uses the REA to process the data and establish predictive models. This approach is crucial for understanding the mechanism of TCM spray drying. This paper summarized and analyzed the cha-racteristics of various single droplet systems, the application of REA in single droplet drying systems, and its significance in optimizing the process, predicting drying states, and shortening the development cycle in the field of TCM spray drying, and looked ahead to the prospects of this method, including the introduction of new parameters and imaging techniques, aiming to provide a reference for further research in the field of TCM spray drying.

Variable Freshwater Influences on the Abundance of Vibrio vulnificus in a Tropical Urban Estuary.

To better understand the controls on the opportunistic human pathogen Vibrio vulnificus in warm tropical waters, we conducted a year-long investigation in the Ala Wai Canal, a channelized estuary in Honolulu, HI. The abundance of V. vulnificus, as determined by quantitative PCR (qPCR) of the hemolysin gene (vvhA), varied spatially and temporally by nearly 4 orders of magnitude (≤3 to 14,000 mL-1). Unlike in temperate and subtropical systems, temperatures were persistently warm (19 to 31°C) and explained little of the variability in V. vulnificus abundance. Salinity (1 to 36 ppt) had a significant, but nonlinear, relationship with V. vulnificus abundance with the highest vvhA concentrations (>2,500 mL-1) observed only at salinities from 7 to 22 ppt. V. vulnificus abundances were lower on average during the summer dry season, when waters were warmer but more saline. The highest canal-wide average abundances were observed during a time of modest rainfall, when moderate salinities and elevated concentrations of reduced nitrogen species and silica suggested a groundwater influence. Parallel quantification of the vcgC gene suggested that C-type strains, which are responsible for most human infections, comprised 25% of the total V. vulnificus on average, but their relative contribution was greater at higher salinities, suggesting a broader salinity tolerance. Generalized regression models suggested that up to 67% of sample-to-sample variation (n = 202) in log-transformed V. vulnificus abundance was explained using the measured environmental variables, and up to 97% of the monthly variation in canal-wide average concentrations (n = 13) was explained with the best subset of four variables. IMPORTANCE Our data illustrate that, in the absence of strong seasonal variation in water temperature in the tropics, variation in salinity driven by rainfall becomes a primary controlling variable on V. vulnificus abundance. There is thus a tendency for a rainfall-driven seasonal cycle in V. vulnificus abundance which is inverted from the temperature-driven seasonal cycle at higher latitudes. However, stochasticity in rainfall and its nonlinear, indirect effects on V. vulnificus concentration means that high abundances can occur at any location in the canal at any time of year, making it challenging to predict concentrations of this pathogen at a high temporal or spatial resolution. Much of the variability in canal-wide average concentrations, on the other hand, was explained by a few variables that reflect the magnitude of freshwater input to the system, suggesting that relative risk of exposure to this pathogen could be predicted as an average for the system.

[Drying effect of Chinese medicinal pills based on new spiral vibration drying technology].

The present study explored the drying effect of new spiral vibration drying technology on Chinese medicinal pills with Liuwei Dihuang Pills, Zhuanggu Guanjie Pills, and Muxiang Shunqi Pills as model drugs. With the drying uniformity, drying time, energy consumption, pill split, dissolution time, and change of index components as evaluation indicators, the drying effect of spiral vibration drying technology on model drugs was evaluated and compared with traditional drying methods, such as hot air drying and vacuum drying in the oven. The dynamic changes of moisture in Liuwei Dihuang Pills with different drying time were investigated. Compared with the traditional drying methods in the oven(hot air drying and vacuum drying) at 80 ℃, the spiral vibration drying only took 80 min, shortened by 80%, with 10%-13% energy consumed. The results showed that the moisture of Liuwei Dihuang Pills was negatively related to the drying time. By virtue of multi-layer countercurrent drying and super resonant fluidization techniques, the new spiral vibration drying technology can significantly improve the drying quality of Chinese medicinal pills, improve the drying efficiency, and enhance the manufacturing capacity of Chinese medicinal pills. This study is expected to provide references for the innovation and development of new drying technology of Chinese medicinal pills.

[Online moisture detection technology and its application prospect in drying of traditional Chinese medicine].

Drying is one of the most common unit operations in the production of traditional Chinese medicine. The drying process of traditional Chinese medicine materials is accompanied by the dynamic reduction of water content. As a key index to determine the end of the drying process, the moisture content of materials plays an important role in improving drying efficiency and saving energy. Recently, the drying process of traditional Chinese medicine is mostly monitored by offline detection, and there are few reports of online moisture detection applications. In this paper, the principle and current application of online inspection technology for the material drying process in different fields were introduced. The significance of online detection technology in drying of traditional Chinese medicine was also analyzed. Meanwhile, the application prospect of online detection technology in the field of drying of traditional Chinese medicine was predicted. In response to urgent transformation and upgrading of the traditional Chinese medicine manufacturing industry, the application of online moisture detection technology is expected to be a key breakthrough in the intelligent upgrading of traditional Chinese medicine drying technology and equipment.

[Effect of nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) in improving stability of essential oils and its application].

Essential oils are easy to cause oxidative damage, chemical transformation or polymerization, and have some intrinsic problems, such as instability, low water solubility and low bioavailability, which restrict their application in the fields of product development. Nanostructured lipid carriers(NLCs) can overcome some of the restrictions of other colloidal carriers, such as emulsions, liposomes, polymer nanoparticles and solid lipid nanoparticles. NLC is an efficient and stable delivery system for bioactive substances. With unique lipid properties(mixture of solid and liquid lipid), it can overcome the disadvantages of essential oils and protect them from adverse environments, thus improving the stability, bioavailability and safety of essential oils, and achieve sustained release and controlled release. In EOs-NLCs system, essential oils, as special liquid lipid with biological activities and medicinal properties, can fully play the role of medicine-adjuvant integration by changing the structural characteristics of mixed lipid. Based on the development of nanocarriers system, this paper introduces the composition and structural characteristics of EOs-NLCs, and clarifies how to improve the stability of essential oils based on the effects of NLCs on physical and chemical properties, physical stability and release of active components of essential oils. In addition, it also introduces the application of the system in the fields of pharmaceutical, food, cosmetics and skin care products. This review aims to provide some references for improving the stability of essential oils and their applications by using NLCs.

[Discussion on research thought of dry granulation of traditional Chinese medicine: research progress at home and abroad based on dry granulation technology].

Dry granulation technology is a great innovation in granulation technology,which saves many intermediate links and reduces many intermediate costs. It is closely related to the characteristics of materials,dry granulation equipment and process. Dry granulation technology is a systematic engineering science covering many technical fields. The process of dry granulation involves complex mathematical model mechanisms of temperature field,pressure field and velocity field,closely related to the characteristics of materials and drying equipment. However,due to the late start of research on dry granulation technology of traditional Chinese medicine,basic research is still weak. The research on dry granulation technology has achieved great results in the fields of food,chemical industry,agriculture and forestry,showing great reference significance. The advantage of dry granulation of traditional Chinese medicine is that it can be directly granulated by adding an appropriate amount of auxiliary materials in the extract powder of traditional Chinese medicine,without the need of wetting,mixing,drying and other processes. The process is simple and can effectively guarantee the quality of traditional Chinese medicine. The granules obtained by the dry granulation technique are important intermediates for preparing the solid preparations of traditional Chinese medicines,which would directly affect the subsequent molding process and the quality of the preparation products. Therefore,based on the characteristics of dry granulation method in traditional Chinese medicine and by referring to the advanced research results of dry granulation technology in other fields,we would discuss the research ideas of dry granulation in traditional Chinese medicine in terms of the mechanism of dry granulation equipment,technology,on-line detection technology and mathematical model of dry granulation process,hoping to provide reference for the research of dry granulation method in traditional Chinese medicine.

Application of infrared-assisted steam blanching to improve enzymatic inactivation and quality retention of Chrysanthemum indicum L. flower.

The effects of innovative infrared-steam blanching (ISB) on the peroxidase (POD) inactivation, POD inactivation kinetics, characteristic component (phenolics, carotenoids and flavonoids) content, colour and regeneration of POD activity during storage of Chrysanthemum indicum L. flowers were comparatively studied following steam blanching (SB) and infrared blanching (IB). ISB and SB allowed a stable surface temperature of the flowers at approximately 100 °C, and IB caused the temperature rose up to a high value of 129.2 °C. POD was inactivated to 5.7% of its residual activity after ISB for 90 s, 5.8% after SB for 180 s and 5.3% after IB for 270 s. In all processes, the POD inactivation kinetics followed a first-order model (R 2 varied from 0.932 to 0.957) and ISB achieved lower T 1/2, E a and D values and a higher k value than SB and IB. The sample blanched with ISB maintained more characteristic components and colour retention than those blanched with SB and IB. Moreover, ISB allowed the brightest colour and prevented the regeneration of POD activity in dried C. indicum flowers during storage. Therefore, ISB for 90 s at 100 °C is recommended as a more suitable method for blanching C. indicum flowers. The findings in the current work provide a new blanching method for natural plant products.

[Current situations and problem analysis of influencing factors of traditional Chinese medicine tablets on forming quality].

The compressibility of tablets is the essential operating unit during the preparation of traditional Chinese medicine tablets, as well as a complicated process. Therefore, it is of great significance to comprehensively study the influencing factors on the formation process. This paper aimed to review the evaluation methods for the tablet forming quality and highlight the effects of material powder properties, excipients and preparation technology on the quality of traditional Chinese medicine tablets on the basis of relevant literatures. Furthermore, the common problems in tablet forming process are also analyzed to provide useful references for the development of tablet forming quality of traditional Chinese medicines.

[Effect and regulation of drying on quality of traditional Chinese medicine pills].

The dry quality of traditional Chinese medicine pills is the hot spot of pills research, because their quality has a crucial effect on the efficacy and development of dosage forms. Through literature research and statistical analysis, we would review the current problems on the drying of traditional Chinese medicine pills in this paper, and surrounding the evaluation system for traditional Chinese medicine pills, analyze the characteristics of common drying equipment and processes as well as their effect on quality of pills, discuss the problems in drying equipment and process as well as quality, and put forward the corresponding strategies, hoping to provide new ideas and new methods for the quality improvement of traditional Chinese medicine pills and quality standards.

Short-term outcome of total knee replacement in a patient with hemophilia: A case report and review of literature.

BACKGROUND: Hemophilia A is a rare inherited bleeding disorder caused by mutations in the factor VIII gene. This clotting factor plays an intrinsic role in the blood coagulation pathway. Patients with hemophilia may develop orthopedic manifestations such as hemarthrosis, but multiple malunion of fractures over the knee is rare and difficult to treat. CASE SUMMARY: We report a patient with hemophilia A who developed severe knee osteoarthritis along with fracture malunion and nonunion. Total knee replacement was performed using a custom-made modular hinged knee prosthesis (cemented) equipped with extended distal and proximal stems. At 3 years' follow-up, the patient exhibited excellent clinical function and remained satisfied with the surgical outcome. Surgical intervention was accompanied by rigorous coagulation factor replacement. CONCLUSION: This case highlights various unique scenarios specific to individuals with hemophilia and fracture deformity.

Occurrences and Functions of Ly6Chi and Ly6Clo Macrophages in Health and Disease.

Macrophages originating from the yolk sac or bone marrow play essential roles in tissue homeostasis and disease. Bone marrow-derived monocytes differentiate into Ly6Chi and Ly6Clo macrophages according to the differential expression of the surface marker protein Ly6C. Ly6Chi and Ly6Clo cells possess diverse functions and transcriptional profiles and can accelerate the disease process or support tissue repair and reconstruction. In this review, we discuss the basic biology of Ly6Chi and Ly6Clo macrophages, including their origin, differentiation, and phenotypic switching, and the diverse functions of Ly6Chi and Ly6Clo macrophages in homeostasis and disease, including in injury, chronic inflammation, wound repair, autoimmune disease, and cancer. Furthermore, we clarify the differences between Ly6Chi and Ly6Clo macrophages and their connections with traditional M1 and M2 macrophages. We also summarize the limitations and perspectives for Ly6Chi and Ly6Clo macrophages. Overall, continued efforts to understand these cells may provide therapeutic approaches for disease treatment.

The efficacy of ankle arthroplasty on motor function recovery in patients with orthopedic ankle injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: This study analyzed the effects of ankle arthroplasty on the recovery of motor function in patients with orthopedic ankle injury. METHODS: English databases including PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and the Cochrane Library were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) examining the effects of ankle arthroplasty, ankle replacement, and joint prosthesis on motor function recovery in patients with orthopedic ankle injury. The outcome indicators included the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score, the 36-item short form survey (SF-36) score, the Foot and Ankle Ability Measures (FAAM) score, and the visual analog scale (VAS) score. The quality of the included literature was evaluated using the Jadad tool, and meta-analysis of the experimental data was performed using the Review Manager 5.3 software. RESULTS: A total of 7 articles, including 443 patients, were analyzed. The meta-analysis showed significant improvement in AOFAS scores among patients in the experiment group (who underwent ankle replacement) compared with those in the control group (who did not undergo ankle replacement) [mean difference (MD) =-41.89, 95% confidence interval (CI): -51.29 to 32.49, Z=8.73, P<0.00001], VAS scores (MD =5.59, 95% CI: 4.84 to 6.34, Z=14.56, P<0.00001), SF-36 scores (MD =-13.89, 95% CI: -26.74 to 1.04, Z=2.12, P=0.03), and FAAM scores (MD =-25.78, 95% CI: -31.27 to 20.29, Z=9.20, P<0.00001) compared to patients in the control group. DISCUSSION: Ankle arthroplasty had a positive effect on the quality of life, daily activities, and motor function recovery of patients with orthopedic ankle injuries. While ankle arthroplasty has potential for clinical application, future high-quality, long-term studies with larger samples and more outcome indicators are warranted to verify these results.

Mesenchymal stem cells attenuate liver fibrosis by targeting Ly6Chi/lo macrophages through activating the cytokine-paracrine and apoptotic pathways.

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy has become a promising treatment for liver fibrosis due to its predominant immunomodulatory performance in hepatic stellate cell inhibition and fibrosis resolution. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying these processes remain limited. In the present study, we provide insights into the functional role of bone marrow-derived MSCs (BM-MSCs) in alleviating liver fibrosis by targeting intrahepatic Ly6Chi and Ly6Clo macrophage subsets in a mouse model. Upon chronic injury, the Ly6Chi subset was significantly increased in the inflamed liver. Transplantation of BM-MSCs markedly promoted a phenotypic switch from pro-fibrotic Ly6Chi subset to restorative Ly6Clo subpopulation by secreting paracrine cytokines IL-4 and IL-10 from the BM-MSCs. The Ly6Chi/Ly6Clo subset switch significantly blocked the source of fibrogenic TGF-ß, PDGF, TNF-α, and IL-1ß cytokines from Ly6Chi macrophages. Unexpectedly, BM-MSCs experienced severe apoptosis and produced substantial apoptotic bodies in the fibrotic liver during the 72 h period of transplantation. Most apoptotic bodies were engulfed by Ly6Clo macrophages, and this engulfment robustly triggered MMP12 expression for fibrosis resolution through the PtdSer-MerTK-ERK signaling pathway. This paper is the first to show previously unrecognized dual regulatory functions of BM-MSCs in attenuating hepatic fibrosis by promoting Ly6Chi/Ly6Clo subset conversion and Ly6Clo macrophage restoration through secreting antifibrogenic-cytokines and activating the apoptotic pathway.

[Application of different surface treatment methods in teeth restoration with nano composite resin].

PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of different surface treatments and adhesive self-etch functional monomers on the immediate repair bond strength and integrity of the repaired resin composite interface. METHODS: Ninety-eight resin composite blocks made of a nanohybrid resin composite were randomly divided into seven groups, each with 14 blocks, including positive control group: non-conditioned surface, Group A1: Gluma Comfort Bond, Group A2: Gluma Comfort Bond and sandblasting, Group B1: Tokuyama Bond Force IITM adhesive system, Group B2: Tokuyama Bond Force IITM adhesive system and sandblasting, Group C: polishing, and Group D: sandblasting. Resin composite identical to the substrate was applied and the repaired specimens were subjected to shear bond strength (SBS) testing. Representative samples from all groups received scanning electron microscopy and surface profilometry to determine their mode of failure. The data were processed with SPSS 20.0 software package. RESULTS: SBS of Group D was significantly higher than that of positive control group (P<0.05). SBS of Group A1, A2, B1 and B2 was significantly higher than that of Group C and D (P<0.05). Comparison of SBS among Group B1, D and A1 showed no significant difference(P>0.05). SBS between Group B2 and positive control group had no significant difference(P>0.05). Except specimens with sandblasting and the use of TBF II system, SBS of positive control group was significantly higher than that of Group A1 and C(P<0.05). The polished specimens had significantly more adhesive failures than those with sandblasted surfaces (P<0.05). Specimens treated with polishing and Gluma Comfort Bond showed significantly more adhesive failures than those treated with polishing and TBF II system (P<0.05). The sandblasted surfaces conditioned with TBF II showed significantly more cohesive failures than those treated with polishing and TBF II (P<0.05). The sandblasted specimens provided significantly more irregular and rougher surface finish than the polishing technique (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Sandblasting of the composite substrate and the use of TBF II adhesive system shows the highest repair bond strength, higher adhesive interfacial failures and fewer cohesive failures; however, it is noteworthy that the composite substrate types yield statistically higher food residue rate, which results in poor oral hygiene maintenance. Therefore, the application of this repair protocol should match up with correct oral health behaviors.

[Application of image guided technique in rhino-orbital related endoscopic surgery].

Objective:To review retrospectively six cases of rhino-orbital related endoscopic surgeries aided by Fusion electromagnetic system,to explore the indications and clinical value of image guided technique in endonasal endoscopic surgery.Method:Retrospective research methods were used.In this study,six cases of nasal endoscopic sinus surgery using Fusion electromagnetic system were analyzed,including 1 nasal penetrating foreign body,2 optic nerve decompressions,1 orbital apex hemangioma,1 sieve frontal sinus cyst,1 intraorbital mass biopsy.The preparation time of navigation system,the accuracy of intraoperative positioning and surgical coherence,intraoperative and postoperative complications of surgery were recorded.Result:The average preparation time was(8.13 ± 1.858)min.In the navigation,the sinus ostium,orbital cardboard,skull base,optic nerve,internal carotid artery and other important structures can be accurately located in all patients,while registrations had been accurate within 1 mm.Six patients were successfully operated by image guided technique.There was no intracranial or intraorbital complications due to intraoperation error.Conclusion:Image guided technique allows for a truely microinvasive and accurate rhino-orbital related endoscopic surgeries.It requires less preoperative preparation time,has high surgical navigation accuracy,improves the surgical coherence and safety,and reduces the surgical complicationgs.However,as an auxiliary tool,it can not replace the surgeon's anatomical knowledge,surgical training and clinical experience.

Different changes of microarchitectures of cortical and cancellous bones in sheep femoral head after long-term glucocorticoid interventions.

This study investigatedthe different effects of long-term glucocorticoid (GC) interventions on the microarchitectures of cortical and cancellous bones of the femoral head. Eighteen female skeletal mature sheep were randomly allocated into 3 groups, 6 each. Group 1 received prednisolone interventions (0.60 mg/kg/day, 5 times weekly) for 7 months. Group 2 received the same interventions as Group 1 and then further observed 3 months without interventions. Control Group was left nonintervention. After killing the animals, all femoral heads were scanned by micro-CT to determine their microstructural properties. In cancellous bone of femoral head, GC interventions led to significant decrease of bone volume fraction, trabecular thickness, trabecular separation, but increase of structure model index and bone surface density (p < 0.05). While in cortical bone, there were no differences between the Group 1 and in microstructural properties (p > 0.05) except greater trabecular thickness in the control group. In addition, three months after cessation of glucocorticoid interventions, most microstructural properties of cancellous bone were significant reversed, but not cortical thickness of femoral head. In contrast to cancellous bone, the microarchitectures of cortical bone were not changed obviously after long-term GC interventions.