Electrochemical exfoliation of 2D materials beyond graphene.

After the discovery of graphene in 2004, the field of atomically thin crystals has exploded with the discovery of thousands of 2-dimensional materials (2DMs) with unique electronic and optical properties, by making them very attractive for a broad range of applications, from electronics to energy storage and harvesting, and from sensing to biomedical applications. In order to integrate 2DMs into practical applications, it is crucial to develop mass scalable techniques providing crystals of high quality and in large yield. Electrochemical exfoliation is one of the most promising methods for producing 2DMs, as it enables quick and large-scale production of solution processable nanosheets with a thickness well below 10 layers and lateral size above 1 µm. Originally, this technique was developed for the production of graphene; however, in the last few years, this approach has been successfully extended to other 2DMs, such as transition metal dichalcogenides, black phosphorous, hexagonal boron nitride, MXenes and many other emerging 2D materials. This review first provides an introduction to the fundamentals of electrochemical exfoliation and then it discusses the production of each class of 2DMs, by introducing their properties and giving examples of applications. Finally, a summary and perspective are given to address some of the challenges in this research area.

Accuracy of Smartphone-Based Three-Dimensional Facial Scanning System: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Recently, the integration of 3D face scanning into smartphones has raised vast interest in plastic surgery. With the release of smartphones featuring 3D face scanning technology, users now can capture detailed 3D models of their faces using their smartphones. However, trueness and precision of this system is less well established. METHODS: PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were searched for studies evaluating 3D scanning of smartphone devices and conventional 3D imaging systems from January 1, 2017, to June 1, 2023. A qualitative systematic review was conducted by two review authors after independently selecting studies, extracting data, and assessing the risk of bias of included studies. RESULTS: A total of 11 studies were included, all focusing on the accuracy of smartphone 3D facial scanning. The results show that although smartphones perform poorly on deep and irregular surfaces, they are accurate enough for clinical applications and have the advantage of being economical and portable. CONCLUSIONS: Smartphone-based 3D facial scanning has been basically validated for clinical application, showing broad clinical application prospects in plastic surgery. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE II: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors   www.springer.com/00266 .

Small-Incisional Double Eyelid Blepharoplasty: A Retrospective Study of Our Minimally Invasive Technique with Three Mini Incisions.

BACKGROUND: Small-incisional double eyelid surgery has been increasingly performed these years and achieved good aesthetic results, but the techniques vary greatly between literatures. The authors reviewed the cases of three-small-incisional double eyelid surgery performed in the past three years and introduced their surgical technique in detail. METHODS: A total of 87 patients receiving bilateral three-small-incisional double eyelid surgery were included in this retrospective study. The pretarsal folds were designed meticulously, along which three evenly distributed 2 mm-long incisions were made. A minimal amount of orbicularis oculi muscle and pretarsal soft tissue were removed to expose the pretarsal fascia for further fixation. An appropriate amount of orbital septal fat was removed through the lateral incision if required. The superficial orbicularis oculi muscle and dermis on the lower margin of the incision were fixed onto the pretarsal fascia with some underlying tarsus on the upper margin of the tarsus. The skin was closed by one stitch for each incision. RESULTS: The average follow-up was 9.9 ± 5.2 months (range: 6-27 months). All the patients were satisfied with the result. None of them experienced loss of the pretarsal fold, bilateral asymmetry, scar hyperplasia, or persistent swelling after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Our three-small-incisional technique with minor soft tissue debulking offers a simple, safe, and reproducible approach to double eyelids. It can create a stable and natural-looking pretarsal fold with a short recovery period. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Prognostic significance of the stress hyperglycemia ratio in critically ill patients.

BACKGROUND: The stress hyperglycemia ratio (SHR) has demonstrated a noteworthy association with unfavorable cardiovascular clinical outcomes and heightened in-hospital mortality. Nonetheless, this relationship in critically ill patients remains uncertain. This study aims to elucidate the correlation between SHR and patient prognosis within the critical care setting. METHODS: A total of 8978 patients admitted in intensive care unit (ICU) were included in this study. We categorized SHR into uniform groups and assessed its relationship with mortality using logistic or Cox regression analysis. Additionally, we employed the restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis method to further evaluate the correlation between SHR as a continuous variable and mortality. The outcomes of interest in this study were in-hospital and 1-year all-cause mortality. RESULTS: In this investigation, a total of 825 (9.2%) patients experienced in-hospital mortality, while 3,130 (34.9%) individuals died within the 1-year follow-up period. After adjusting for confounding variables, we identified a U-shaped correlation between SHR and both in-hospital and 1-year mortality. Specifically, within the SHR range of 0.75-0.99, the incidence of adverse events was minimized. For each 0.25 increase in the SHR level within this range, the risk of in-hospital mortality rose by 1.34-fold (odds ratio [OR]: 1.34, 95% CI: 1.25-1.44), while a 0.25 decrease in SHR within 0.75-0.99 range increased risk by 1.38-fold (OR: 1.38, 95% CI: 1.10-1.75). CONCLUSION: There was a U-shaped association between SHR and short- and long-term mortality in critical ill patients, and the inflection point of SHR for poor prognosis was identified at an SHR value of 0.96.

Nitrate Bioreduction under Cr(VI) Stress: Crossroads of Denitrification and Dissimilatory Nitrate Reduction to Ammonium.

This study explored the response of NO3--N bioreduction to Cr(VI) stress, including reduction efficiency and the pathways involved (denitrification and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA)). Different response patterns of NO3--N conversion were proposed under Cr(VI) suppress (0, 0.5, 5, 15, 30, 50, and 80 mg/L) by evaluating Cr(VI) dose dependence, toxicity accumulation, bioelectron behavior, and microbial community structure. Cr(VI) concentrations of >30 mg/L rapidly inhibited NO3--N removal and immediately induced DNRA. However, denitrification completely dominated the NO3--N reduction pathway at Cr(VI) concentrations of <15 mg/L. Therefore, 30 and 80 mg/L Cr(VI) (R4 and R6) were selected to explore the selection of the different NO3--N removal pathways. The pathway of NO3--N reduction at 30 mg/L Cr(VI) exhibited continuous adaptation, wherein the coexistence of denitrification (51.7%) and DNRA (13.6%) was achieved by regulating the distribution of denitrifiers (37.6%) and DNRA bacteria (32.8%). Comparatively, DNRA gradually replaced denitrification at 80 mg/L Cr(VI). The intracellular Cr(III) accumulation in R6 was 6.60-fold greater than in R4, causing more severe oxidant injury and cell death. The activated NO3--N reduction pathway depended on the value of nitrite reductase activity/nitrate reductase activity, with 0.84-1.08 associated with DNRA activation and 1.48-1.57 with DNRA predominance. Although Cr(VI) increased microbial community richness and improved community structure stability, the inhibition or death of nitrogen-reducing microorganisms caused by Cr(VI) decreased NO3--N reduction efficiency.

Ocular-Oral Synkinesis Without Facial Palsy After Trauma: A Case Report.

Ocular-oral synkinesis refers to the unintended contraction of the perioral muscles during voluntary eye closure. This phenomenon can either be congenital or occasionally develop during recovery from facial palsy. In this study, we report a case of ocular-oral synkinesis without facial palsy after trauma.

The Efficacy of Tranexamic Acid in Craniomaxillofacial Surgery: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.

This study aimed to evaluate the use of tranexamic acid in craniomaxillofacial surgery by meta-analysis. A comprehensive search was performed for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) mainly in 3 electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library) before August 2022. We collected and managed data for weighted mean difference of intraoperative blood loss, transfusion requirement, and operation time for the study. A total of 13 randomized controlled trials were included in the analysis. Compared with the control group, the tranexamic acid group showed a reduction in intraoperative blood loss of 198.67 ml (95% CI: -258.84 to -138.50 ml, P <0.00001), with blood transfusion requirement decreased by 7.77 ml/kg (95% CI: -10.80 to -4.73, P <0.0001) and less operation time (weighted mean difference= -10.39 min; 95% CI: -16.49 to -4.30 min, P =0.0008).

Small-Incisional Techniques for Double-Eyelid Blepharoplasty: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Small-incisional double-eyelid surgery has increasingly gained popularity. In the published studies, the number of incisions, the debulking method, and the pretarsal fixation differ significantly among studies. Hence, this article was conducted to summarize the different techniques and compare their surgical results and complications. METHODS: The literature review was conducted using the PubMed and Cochrane databases from their inception to June 1, 2022. Clinical studies of small-incisional blepharoplasty with available full-text and extractable data were included and were grouped depending on the number of incisions. The number, length and location of the incisions, debulking method, fixation technique, and skin closure were concluded. The complications were statistically analyzed and compared. RESULTS: Finally, 13 articles and 4177 patients were eligible for reviewing, among which 5 studies (2460 patients) described single-incisional technique, 2 studies (645 patients) described two-incisional technique, 5 studies (700 patients) described three-incisional technique, and 1 study (372 patients) described four-incisional technique. Through the small incisions, the pretarsal soft tissue can be removed as appropriate, and the pretarsal fixation can be firm and exact. Both the single- and three-incisional studies had a pooled total complication rate of 5% and a pooled foldloss rate of 2%. No significant difference was found between groups. CONCLUSIONS: The small-incisional techniques offer a simple, safe, and reproducible approach to double-eyelids. It reduces post-op recovery time and allows a tenacious fixation. The fold-loss rate and other complication rate are acceptable when compared with the non-incisional and full-incisional techniques. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.

Psychometric properties and modification of the 15-item geriatric depression scale among Chinese oldest-old and centenarians: a mixed-methods study.

BACKGROUND: The 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) shows good performance in detecting depression among older persons, but its applicability has not been well studied in non-Western oldest-old adults and centenarians. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric property of the GDS-15 and a simplified version among a large representative longevous population in China. METHODS: A total of 1624 individuals (786 oldest-old persons aged from 80 to 99 years; 838 centenarians aged 100+ years) participated in this study. Home interviews with structured questionnaires were conducted to collect sociodemographic data. Depressive symptoms were measured using the Chinese GDS-15 version. We implemented mixed methods for the psychometric evaluation of the GDS-15. Cronbach's α coefficient and item-total correlation coefficients were used to evaluate the internal consistency. A standard expert consultation was conducted to test the content validity of each item. Multiple factor analyses were used to explore the optimal factor structure and measurement invariance. RESULTS: The α coefficient of the GDS-15 was 0.745, while two items impaired the overall consistency reliability. Nineteen experts rated the applicability for each item and provided removal suggestion. Five items with less validity were removed, and a simplified 10-item GDS model with three-factor structure was proposed as an optimal solution. The GDS-10 model showed factorial equivalence across age, sex, residence, and education in multi-group confirmatory factor analyses. CONCLUSIONS: The original GDS-15 has acceptable internal reliability, known-group validity, and concurrent validity among Chinese community-dwelling oldest-old and centenarians; however we provided preliminary evidence indicating that individual items related to somatic function or social activities may not be applicable for this population. The modified GDS-10 can be proposed as a potentially more practical and comprehensible instrument for depression screening.

Interleukin-10-Modified Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Prevent Hypertrophic Scar Formation via Regulating the Biological Characteristics of Fibroblasts and Inflammation.

Hypertrophic scar causes serious functional and cosmetic problem, but no treatment method is known to achieve a satisfactory therapeutic effect. However, mesenchymal stem cells show a possible cure prospect. Here, we investigated the effect of interleukin-10-modified adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (IL-10-ADMSC) on the formation of hypertrophic scar. In vitro, IL-10-ADMSC could highly express IL-10 and exhibited stronger inhibition of hypertrophic scar fibroblasts (HSFs) proliferation, migration, and extracellular matrix synthesis (the expression of collagen I, collagen III, FN, and α-SMA protein) than ADMSC. In vivo, we found that IL-10-ADMSC speeded up wound healing time and reduced scar area and scar outstanding height. Same as in vitro, IL-10-ADMSC also exhibited stronger inhibition of extracellular matrix synthesis (the expression of collagen I, collagen III protein) in wound than ADMSC. In addition, we also found that IL-10-ADMSC is also a stronger inhibitory effect on inflammation in wound than ADMSC, and IL-10-ADMSC inhibited TGF-ß/Smads and NF-κB pathway. In conclusion, IL-10-ADMSC demonstrated the ability to prevent hypertrophic scar formation. And its possible molecular mechanism might be related to IL-10-ADMSC inhibiting the proliferation and migration of the synthesis of extracellular matrix of HSFs, and IL-10-ADMSC inhibited the inflammation during the wound healing.

A Multi-AUV Maritime Target Search Method for Moving and Invisible Objects Based on Multi-Agent Deep Reinforcement Learning.

Target search for moving and invisible objects has always been considered a challenge, as the floating objects drift with the flows. This study focuses on target search by multiple autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) and investigates a multi-agent target search method (MATSMI) for moving and invisible objects. In the MATSMI algorithm, based on the multi-agent deep deterministic policy gradient (MADDPG) method, we add spatial and temporal information to the reinforcement learning state and set up specialized rewards in conjunction with a maritime target search scenario. Additionally, we construct a simulation environment to simulate a multi-AUV search for the floating object. The simulation results show that the MATSMI method has about 20% higher search success rate and about 70 steps shorter search time than the traditional search method. In addition, the MATSMI method converges faster than the MADDPG method. This paper provides a novel and effective method for solving the maritime target search problem.

An Underwater Human-Robot Interaction Using a Visual-Textual Model for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles.

The marine environment presents a unique set of challenges for human-robot interaction. Communicating with gestures is a common way for interacting between the diver and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). However, underwater gesture recognition is a challenging visual task for AUVs due to light refraction and wavelength color attenuation issues. Current gesture recognition methods classify the whole image directly or locate the hand position first and then classify the hand features. Among these purely visual approaches, textual information is largely ignored. This paper proposes a visual-textual model for underwater hand gesture recognition (VT-UHGR). The VT-UHGR model encodes the underwater diver's image as visual features, the category text as textual features, and generates visual-textual features through multimodal interactions. We guide AUVs to use image-text matching for learning and inference. The proposed method achieves better performance than most existing purely visual methods on the dataset CADDY, demonstrating the effectiveness of using textual patterns for underwater gesture recognition.

Relationship Between Masticatory Muscle Size and Bone Regeneration After Mandibular Angle Osteotomy.

ABSTRACT: Mandibular angle osteotomy with outer cortex grinding has become the preferred cosmetic procedure for correcting square faces. After surgery, bone hyperplasia at the mandibular angle affects the operation result. This study evaluated the effect of the masticatory muscles on bone repair. From January 2016 to January 2019, patients who underwent mandibular angle osteotomy with outer cortex grinding were retrospectively reviewed. Computed tomography data of these patients were collected, and the bone volume of the mandibular angle changes and its correlation with masticatory muscle morphology were analyzed. Computed tomography data measurement results showed that a large amount of bone in the mandibular angle area was removed by the operation; however, the long-term follow-up results showed that there was bone hyperplasia in the mandibular angle areas. Compared with the immediate postoperative bone volume, the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.01). The thickness and cross-sectional area of the masseter muscle were significantly related to bone regeneration (P < 0.01). This study suggests that mandibular angle osteotomy with outer cortex grinding could ablate the symptoms of a prominent mandibular angle; however, muscle-related bone hyperplasia in the mandibular angle area after surgery was a non-negligible event, which may significantly compromise surgical outcomes.

Craniofacial and Upper Airway Development in Patients With Treacher Collins Syndrome.

ABSTRACT: This study evaluated age-associated morphology changes in the cranial base, facial development, and upper airway of patients with Treacher Collins syndrome (TCS). A total of 33 preoperative computed tomographic images (TCS, n = 14; control, n = 19) were included in the study and divided into three age-related subgroups (2-6 years, 7-18 years, and older than 18 years). Linear, angular cephalometric measurements and upper airway volumes were collected. All measurements were analyzed using ProPlan CMF software (version 3.0; Materialize, Leuven, Belgium). The association between aging and upper airway morphology was analyzed. Compared to control subjects, TCS patients had a smaller cranial base, maxilla, and nose; they also had reduced upper airway volume compared to control subjects. The observed differences were most significant in patients between the ages of 7 and 18 years. This study used computed tomography-based three-dimensional analyses to provide a detailed description of age-related changes that occur in craniofacial measurements and upper airway volumes in children, adolescents, and young adult patients with TCS in China. These data can be used to evaluate individual patients with TCS and to select treatment to improve the growth of the craniofacial region.

Hyaluronic Acid Filler Injections for Nasolabial Folds in Asian Patients: A Treatment Plan Based on a Practical Nasolabial Assessment Method.

BACKGROUND: There are multiple techniques used to inject hyaluronic acid to minimize the appearance of nasolabial folds. These techniques vary in accordance with the etiology of the nasolabial folds. Based on our understanding of nasolabial anatomy and our experience with the injection of hyaluronic acid fillers, we herein summarize a systemic treatment plan based on a practical nasolabial fold assessment method. METHODS: From November 2015 to December 2017, 180 patients received hyaluronic acid injections in our clinic to improve the appearance of nasolabial folds. All patients were followed up for at least 1 month. All patients underwent our nasolabial fold assessment and were then treated with an appropriate plan. The therapeutic effect was assessed via the photonumeric wrinkle assessment scale. Patients with complications were monitored for up to 1 year. A follow-up survey was performed 1 month postoperatively, with the outcome rated as excellent, satisfactory, moderate, or unsatisfactory. RESULTS: Patients demonstrated a significant improvement in the appearance of the nasolabial folds. No infection or vascular complications occurred. The 1-month follow-up survey revealed that the patient satisfaction rate was 96.7% (excellent or satisfactory outcome). CONCLUSION: This systemic treatment method for nasolabial folds is effective, safe, and practical.

Interleukin-10 modified bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells prevent hypertrophic scar formation by inhibiting inflammation.

This study was performed to examine the effect of Interleukin-10 (IL-10) modified bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) on hypertrophic scar formation on the rabbit ear hypertrophic scar model. Rabbit BMSCs were obtained by whole bone marrow adherence method and IL-10-modified BMSCs (IL-10BMSCs) were established by transfecting BMSCs with an adenovirus. We treated the rabbit ear hypertrophic scar with BMSCs and IL-10-BMSCs, then evaluated the area and measured the height of the hypertrophic scar, and detected expression using real-time PCR and western blot. Compared with wild type BMSCs, the proliferative capability of IL-10 modified BMSCs was significantly reduced, but the expression of IL-10 in IL-10-BMSCs was significantly increased. After treating with a local injection of BMSCs or IL-10-BMSCs in the rabbit ear hypertrophic scar, we found that the time of wound healing, the area and height of scar were all significantly reduced in the IL-10-BMSCs group when compared to those in the BMSCs group. Moreover, the expression of Collagen-I, α-SMA, TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1ß mRNA, the number of CD45-positive cells, CD3-positive cells and ED-1-positive cells, and the expression of p-IKBα / IKBα, p-p65 / p65, p-JNK / JNK and p-c-JUN / c-JUN in the scar of the IL-10-BMSCs group were significantly lower than those in BMSCs group. IL-10 modified BMSCs prevented hypertrophic scar formation in the rabbit ear hypertrophic scar model, and the results suggest this could be due to the inhibition of inflammation by IL-10 modified BMSCs through the JNK / NF-κB pathway.

Real-Time Underwater Image Recognition with FPGA Embedded System for Convolutional Neural Network.

The underwater environment is still unknown for humans, so the high definition camera is an important tool for data acquisition at short distances underwater. Due to insufficient power, the image data collected by underwater submersible devices cannot be analyzed in real time. Based on the characteristics of Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), low power consumption, strong computing capability, and high flexibility, we design an embedded FPGA image recognition system on Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). By using two technologies of FPGA, parallelism and pipeline, the parallelization of multi-depth convolution operations is realized. In the experimental phase, we collect and segment the images from underwater video recorded by the submersible. Next, we join the tags with the images to build the training set. The test results show that the proposed FPGA system achieves the same accuracy as the workstation, and we get a frame rate at 25 FPS with the resolution of 1920 × 1080. This meets our needs for underwater identification tasks.

Variational formulation of the Stevens-Tiersten equation and application in the analysis of rectangular trapped-energy quartz resonators.

The two-dimensional scalar differential equation for transversely varying thickness modes in quartz crystal resonators operating with thickness-shear modes is formulated into variational form for trapped-energy resonators with both electroded and unelectroded regions. A theoretical analysis of rectangular trapped-energy resonators of singly rotated quartz is performed using the Ritz method based on the variational formulation. Free vibration resonant frequencies and modes are obtained. The results show the existence of trapped modes under the electrodes. The effects of various geometric and physical parameters on the trapped modes are examined. It is also found that the classical frequency prediction given by Tiersten and Smythe from an approximate analysis using the scalar differential equation has an inaccuracy on the order of 100 ppm for the fundamental mode, significant in resonator design.

Five Retained Soft Contact Lenses in the Upper Fornix: A Case Report in a Patient with Hemifacial Atrophy.

The displacement of a lost contact lens into the upper fornix is an uncommon occurrence. This case report presents a rare incidence wherein a patient diagnosed with hemifacial atrophy was found to have concealed five soft contact lenses within the left upper fornix during autologous fat injection into the retrobulbar space.

Fully printed memristors made with MoS2 and graphene water-based inks.

2-Dimensional materials (2DMs) offer an attractive solution for the realization of high density and reliable memristors, compatible with printed and flexible electronics. In this work we fabricate a fully inkjet printed MoS2-based resistive switching memory, where graphene is used as top electrode and silver is used as bottom electrode. Memristic effects are observed only after annealing of each printed component. The printed memory on silicon shows low SET/RESET voltage, short switching times (less than 0.1 s) and resistance switching ratios of 103-105, comparable or superior to the performance obtained in devices with both printed silver electrodes on rigid substrates. The same device on Kapton shows resistance switching ratios of 102-103 and remains stable at least up to 2% of strain. The memristor resistance switching is attributed to the formation of Ag conductive filaments, which can be suppressed by integrating graphene grown by chemical vapour deposition (CVD) onto the silver electrode. Temperature-dependent electrical measurements starting from 200 K show that memristic behavior appears at a temperature of ∼300 K, confirming that an energy threshold is needed to form the conductive filament. This work shows that inkjet printing is a very powerful technique for the fabrication of 2DMs-based resistive switches onto rigid and flexible substrates.