The regulation and its application of the charge decay rate in triboelectric nanogenerator.

The decay rate of charge in the friction layer is one of the key factors affecting the output performance of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG). Reducing the decay rate of the triboelectric charge can increase the charge-carrying capacity of the friction layer and improve the output current and voltage of the TENG. This makes a friction generator more suitable for discontinuous driving environments. In contrast, increasing the decay rate of the charge in the friction layer can greatly improve the recovery time of the device, although it reduces the output performance of the generator. This is conducive to the application of friction generator in the field of sensors. In this study, polystyrene (PS) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were added to polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanofibers to adjust the charge decay time in the friction layer, thereby regulating the output performance of the friction generator and sensor. When the amount of added PS in the PVDF nanofiber reached 20%, the charge density on the friction surface increased by 1.9 times, and the charge decay time decreased by 64 times; when 0.1 wt% CNTs were added in the PVDF nanofiber, the charge decay time increased by more than 10 times. The former is more conducive to improving the power generation performance of the TENG, and the latter significantly improves the stability and repeatability of TENG-based sensors.

Identification and validation of a novel signature based on macrophage marker genes for predicting prognosis and drug response in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma by integrated analysis of single cell and bulk RNA sequencing.

Macrophages are found in a variety of tumors and play a critical role in shaping the tumor microenvironment, affecting tumor progression, metastasis, and drug resistance. However, the clinical relevance of marker genes associated with macrophage in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) has yet to be documented. In this study, we initiated a thorough examination of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data for KIRC retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and determined 244 macrophage marker genes (MMGs). Univariate analysis, LASSO regression, and multivariate regression analysis were performed to develop a five-gene prognostic signature in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, which could divide KIRC patients into low-risk (L-R) and high-risk (H-R) groups. Then, a nomogram was constructed to predict the survival rate of KIRC patients at 1, 3, and 5 years, which was well assessed by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), calibration curve, and decision curve analyses (DCA). Functional enrichment analysis showed that immune-related pathways (such as immunoglobulin complex, immunoglobulin receptor binding, and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction) were mainly enriched in the H-R group. Additionally, in comparison to the L-R cohort, patients belonging to the H-R cohort exhibited increased immune cell infiltration, elevated expression of immune checkpoint genes (ICGs), and a higher tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion (TIDE) score. This means that patients in the H-R group may be less sensitive to immunotherapy than those in the L-R group. Finally, IFI30 was validated to increase the ability of KIRC cells to proliferate, invade and migrate in vitro. In summary, our team has for the first time developed and validated a predictive model based on macrophage marker genes to accurately predict overall survival (OS), immune characteristics, and treatment benefit in KIRC patients.

Shared phylogeographic patterns and environmental responses of co-distributed soybean pests: Insights from comparative phylogeographic studies of Riptortus pedestris and Riptortus linearis in the subtropics of East Asia.

Comparative phylogeographic studies of closely related species sharing co-distribution areas can elucidate the role of shared historical factors and environmental changes in shaping their phylogeographic pattern. The bean bugs, Riptortus pedestris and Riptortus linearis, which both inhabit subtropical regions in East Asia, are recognized as highly destructive soybean pests. Many previous studies have investigated the biological characteristics, pheromones, chemicals and control mechanisms of these two pests, but few studies have explored their phylogeographic patterns and underlying factors. In this study, we generated a double-digest restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (ddRAD-seq) dataset to investigate phylogeographic patterns and construct ecological niche models (ENM) for both Riptortus species. Our findings revealed similar niche occupancies and population genetic structures between the two species, with each comprising two phylogeographic lineages (i.e., the mainland China and the Indochina Peninsula clades) that diverged approximately 0.1 and 0.3 million years ago, respectively. This divergence likely resulted from the combined effects of temperatures variation and geographical barriers in the mountainous regions of Southwest China. Further demographic history and ENM analyses suggested that both pests underwent rapid expansion prior to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Furthermore, ENM predicts a northward shift of both pests into new soybean-producing regions due to global warming. Our study indicated that co-distribution soybean pests with overlapping ecological niches and similar life histories in subtropical regions of East Asia exhibit congruent phylogeographic and demographic patterns in response to shared historical biogeographic drivers.

Biomechanical assessment of different transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion constructs in normal and osteoporotic condition: a finite element analysis.

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: With the aging population, osteoporosis, which leads to poor fusion, has become a common challenge for lumbar surgery. In addition, most people with osteoporosis are elderly individuals with poor surgical tolerance, and poor bone quality can also weaken the stability of internal fixation. PURPOSE: This study compared the fixation strength of the bilateral traditional trajectory screw structure (TT-TT), the bilateral cortical bone trajectory screw structure (CBT-CBT), and the hybrid CBT-TT (CBT screws at the cranial level and TT screws at the caudal level) structure under different bone mineral density conditions. STUDY DESIGN: A finite element (FE) analysis study. METHODS: Above all, we established a healthy adult lumbar spine model. Second, under normal and osteoporotic conditions, three transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) models were established: bilateral traditional trajectory (TT-TT) screw fixation, bilateral cortical bone trajectory (CBT-CBT) screw fixation, and hybrid cortical bone trajectory screw and traditional trajectory screw (CBT-TT) fixation. Finally, a 500-N compression load with a torque of 10 N/m was applied to simulate flexion, extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation. We compared the range of motion (ROM), adjacent disc stress, cage stress, and posterior fixation stress of the different fusion models. RESULTS: Under different bone mineral density conditions, the range of motion of the fusion segment was significantly reduced. Compared to normal bone conditions, the ROM of the L4-L5 segment, the stress of the adjacent intervertebral disc, the surface stress of the cage, and the maximum stress of the posterior fixation system were all increased in osteoporosis. Under most loads, the ROM and surface stress of the cage and the maximum stress of the posterior fixation system of the TT-TT structure are the lowest under normal bone mineral density conditions. However, under osteoporotic conditions, the fixation strength of the CBT-CBT and CBT-TT structures are higher than that of the TT-TT structures under certain load conditions. At the same time, the surface stress of the intervertebral fusion cage and the maximum stress of the posterior fixation system for the two structures are lower than those of the TT-TT structure. CONCLUSION: Under normal bone mineral density conditions, transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion combined with TT-TT fixation provides the best biomechanictability. However, under osteoporotic conditions, CBT-CBT and CBT-TT structures have higher fixed strength compared to TT-TT structures. The hybrid CBT-TT structure exhibits advantages in minimal trauma and fixation strength. Therefore, this seems to be an alternative fixation method for patients with osteoporosis and degenerative spinal diseases. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: This study provides biomechanical support for the clinical application of hybrid CBT-TT structure for osteoporotic patients undergoing TLIF surgery.

Comparison of one-hole split endoscopic discectomy and microendoscopic discectomy in the treatment of lumbar disk herniation: a one-year retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: We aim to compare and assess the surgical parameters and follow-up information of one-hole split endoscopic discectomy (OSE) and microendoscopic discectomy (MED) in the treatment of LDH. METHODS: This study included 154 patients with degenerative lumbar disk disease. Sixty-eight patients underwent OSE and 86 patients MED. The VAS score for lower back and lower limb radiation pain, ODI score, modified MacNab score, estimated blood loss (EBL), length of the incision, amount of C-reactive protein, and recurrence and complication rates were examined as indicators for clinical outcomes and adverse events. RESULTS: After surgery, the VAS and ODI scores in the two groups significantly decreased. On the third day after surgery, the VAS and ODI scores of the OSE group were significantly better than those of the MED group. The VAS and ODI scores preoperatively and at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months following the procedure did not substantially vary between the two groups. There was less EBL and a shorter incision with OSE than with MED. There was no significant difference in the rate of complications between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Compared with MED, OSE is a new alternative option for LDH that can achieve similar and satisfactory clinical outcomes. Furthermore, OSE has many advantages, including less EBL and a smaller incision. Further clinical studies are needed to confirm the effectiveness of OSE.

First Known Human Death After Infection With the Avian Influenza A/H3N8 Virus: Guangdong Province, China, March 2023.

Here, we report on a case of human infection with the H3N8 avian influenza virus. The patient had multiple myeloma and died of severe infection. Genome analysis showed multiple gene mutations and reassortments without mammalian-adaptive mutations. This suggests that avian influenza (A/H3N8) virus infection could be lethal for immunocompromised persons.

Experimental validation and pan-cancer analysis identified COL10A1 as a novel oncogene and potential therapeutic target in prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: Type X collagen (COL10) is a homologous trimeric non-fibrillar collagen found in the extracellular matrix of human tissues, and it exhibits a distinctive white appearance. Type X collagen α1 chain (COL10A1) is a specific cleaved fragment of type X collagen. However, the expression, prognostic significance, clinicopathological attributes and immune-related associations of COL10A1 in prostate cancer as well as in pan-cancer contexts remain poorly understood. METHODS: Using bioinformatic analysis of data from the most recent databases (TCGA, GTEx and GEO databases), we have extensively elucidated the role played by COL10A1 in terms of its expression patterns, prognostic implications, and immune efficacy across a pan-cancer spectrum. Subsequently, the biological functions of COL10A1 in prostate cancer were elucidated by experimental validation. RESULTS: Our findings have confirmed that COL10A1 was highly expressed in most cancers and was associated with poorer prognosis in cancer patients. Immune correlation analysis of COL10A1 in various cancers showed its significant correlation with Tumor mutational burden (TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI) and immune cell infiltration. In addition, knockdown of COL10A1 in prostate cancer resulted in a substantial reduction in the proliferation, migration, and invasive potential of prostate cancer cells. CONCLUSION: Our pan-cancer analysis of COL10A1 gene provided novel insights into its pivotal role in cancer initiation, progression, and therapeutic implications, underscoring its potential significance in prognosis and immunotherapeutic interventions for cancer, particularly prostate cancer.

CHMP4C as a novel marker regulates prostate cancer progression through cycle pathways and contributes to immunotherapy.

Background: CHMP4C is one of the charged multivesicular protein (CHMP), and is involved in the composition of the endosomal sorting complex required for transport III (ESCRT-III), facilitating the necessary separation of daughter cells. CHMP4C has been proposed to be involved in the progression of different carcinomas. However, the value of CHMP4C in prostate cancer has not yet been explored. Prostate cancer is the most frequently occurring malignancy among male and remains a leading cause of deaths in cancers. So far, clinical therapy of prostate cancer is more inclined to molecular classification and specific clinical treatment and research. Our study investigated the expression and clinical prognosis of CHMP4C and explored its potential regulatory mechanism in prostate cancer. The immune status of CHMP4C in prostate cancer and relative immunotherapy were then analyzed in our study. Based on CHMP4C expression, a new subtype of prostate cancer was established for precision treatment. Methods: We studied the expression of CHMP4C and relative clinical outcome using the online databases TIMER, GEPIA2, UALCAN, and multiple R packages. Meanwhile, the biological function, immune microenvironment and immunotherapy value of CHMP4C in prostate cancer were further explored on the R software platform with different R packages. Then we performed qRT-PCR, Western Blotting, transwell, CCK8, wound healing assay, colony formation assay and immunohistochemistry to verify the expression of CHMP4C, carcinogenesis and potential regulatory mechanisms in prostate cancer. Results: We found that the expression of CHMP4C is significant in prostate cancer and the high expression of CHMP4C represents a poor clinical prognosis and malignant progression of prostate cancer. In subsequent vitro validation, CHMP4C promoted the malignant biological behavior of prostate cancer cell lines by adjusting the cell cycle. Based on CHMP4C expression, we established two new subtypes of prostate cancer and found that low CHMP4C expression has a better immune response while high CHMP4C expression was more sensitive to paclitaxel and 5-fluorouracil. Above findings revealed a new diagnostic marker for prostate cancer and facilitated the subsequent precise treatment of prostate cancer.

The Associated Factors of SARS-CoV-2 Reinfection by Omicron Variant - Guangdong Province, China, December 2022 to January 2023.

What is already known about this topic?: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) reinfection by variants is being reported commonly and has caused waves of epidemic in many countries. Because of dynamic zero policy, the SARS-CoV-2 reinfection was less reported in China. What is added by this report?: SARS-CoV-2 reinfections were observed in Guangdong Province between December 2022 and January 2023. This study estimated that the reinfection incidence was 50.0% for the original strain primary infections, 35.2% for the Alpha or Delta variants, and 18.4% for the Omicron variant; The reinfection incidence within 3-6 months after primary infection by Omicron variant was 4.0%. Besides, 96.2% reinfection cases were symptomatic while only 7.7% sought medical attention. What are the implications for public health practice?: These findings suggest a reduced likelihood of an Omicron-driven epidemic resurgence in the short term but emphasize the importance of maintaining vigilant surveillance of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants and conducting population-based antibody level surveys to inform response preparedness.

Mitochondrial introgression and mito-nuclear discordance obscured the closely related species boundaries in Cletus Stål from China (Heteroptera: Coreidae).

Accurate taxonomy and delimitation are of great importance for pest control strategies and management programs. Here, we focus on Cletus (Insecta: Hemiptera: Coreidae), which includes many crop pests. The species boundaries still conflict and only cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) barcoding has been previously used for molecular studies. We generated new mitochondrial genome and nuclear genome-wide SNPs to explore the species boundaries of 46 Cletus samples from China using multiple species delimitation approaches. All results recovered a monophyly with high support, except for two closely related species in clade I - C. punctiger and C. graminis. Mitochondrial data demonstrated admixture in clade I, while genome-wide SNPs unambiguously identified two separate species, which were confirmed by morphological classification. Inconsistent nuclear and mitochondrial data indicated mito-nuclear discordance. Mitochondrial introgression is the most likely explanation, and more extensive sampling and more comprehensive data are needed to ascertain a pattern. Accurate species delimitation will shed light on species status; thus, an accurate taxonomy is of particular concern, as there is a pressing need to implement precise control of agricultural pests and to perform further research on diversification.

Engineering microalgae for water phosphorus recovery to close the phosphorus cycle.

As a finite and non-renewable resource, phosphorus (P) is essential to all life and crucial for crop growth and food production. The boosted agricultural use and associated loss of P to the aquatic environment are increasing environmental pollution, harming ecosystems, and threatening future global food security. Thus, recovering and reusing P from water bodies is urgently needed to close the P cycle. As a natural, eco-friendly, and sustainable reclamation strategy, microalgae-based biological P recovery is considered a promising solution. However, the low P-accumulation capacity and P-removal efficiency of algal bioreactors restrict its application. Herein, it is demonstrated that manipulating genes involved in cellular P accumulation and signalling could triple the Chlamydomonas P-storage capacity to ~7% of dry biomass, which is the highest P concentration in plants to date. Furthermore, the engineered algae could recover P from wastewater almost three times faster than the unengineered one, which could be directly used as a P fertilizer. Thus, engineering genes involved in cellular P accumulation and signalling in microalgae could be a promising strategy to enhance P uptake and accumulation, which have the potential to accelerate the application of algae for P recovery from the water body and closing the P cycle.

Chromosome-level genome of the bean bug Megacopta cribraria in native range, provides insights into adaptation and pest management.

Megacopta cribraria, a bean pest causing tremendous economic losses in Asia, was discovered in North America in 2009. Although M. cribraria has become the focus of research on biological invasion and pest management, the lack of genomic resources limits in-depth studies. Here, we report the first chromosome-level genome of M. cribraria using Illumina, PacBio, and Hi-C data. The assembled genome size was 699.65 Mb, with a contig N50 of 1.43 Mb and a scaffold N50 of 109.27 Mb. >97.51 % of bases were successfully anchored to six chromosomes. Through genome annotation, a total of 13,308 coding genes were predicted, 96.3 % of which were successfully accessed function. Expanded gene families were involved in proteolysis, protein metabolism and nitrogen metabolism reflected the underlying genome basis for host adaptation during evolution. Transcriptome analysis revealed different gene expression patterns in antenna, mouthpart, head, leg, wing, and carcass body of the adult M. cribraria, respectively. Moreover, the expression profiles of the odorant receptor genes indicated the potential target genes for pest control. The high-quality chromosome-level genome will benefit further research on the adaptation, evolution, and population genetics of the M. cribraria that will assist in the pest management and tracking the biological invasion routes.

Pan-cancer analysis of the prognostic and immunological role of PAQR4.

Progestin and adipoQ receptor family member 4 (PAQR4) is a protein-coding gene. Recent studies have shown that PAQR4 is related to the development of multiple cancers. However, there is no systematic pan-cancer analysis of this gene. In this study, the expression of PAQR4, correlations with clinical prognosis, immune situation, and its potential molecular functions and mechanisms in pan-cancer were explored by bioinformatics analysis. The Cancer Genome Atlas was applied to investigate the relations between PAQR4 and clinical features, prognostic effects, and tumor immune microenvironment. R software was used to perform statistical analysis and figure creation. The expression of PAQR4 in BLCA and KIRC was validated by qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry, and its function was explored by cellular experiments. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that PAQR4 was up-regulated in multiple cancers and related to poor prognosis. The high expression of PAQR4 was closely associated with high tumor stage, immune cell infiltration, tumor mutation burden, and microsatellite instability in different cancer types. In addition, the high expression of PAQR4 also indicated involvement in the immune regulatory pathways. The involvement of PAQR4 in the immune regulation of different tumors was confirmed by GSEA enrichment analysis. Moreover, PAQR4 was highly expressed in bladder cancer and renal clear cell carcinoma tissues and cell lines. Cell proliferation, migration, and invasion of bladder cancer and renal clear cell carcinoma cell lines were significantly decreased after the knockdown of PAQR4. This study elucidated the role of PAQR4 in carcinogenesis as well as tumor immunity. PAQR4 may serve as a potential prognostic biomarker in a variety of cancers.

Predicting Prognosis and Distinguishing Cold and Hot Tumors in Bladder Urothelial Carcinoma Based on Necroptosis-Associated lncRNAs.

Background: In reference to previous studies, necroptosis played an important role in cancer development. Our team decided to explore the potential prognostic values of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) associated with necroptosis in bladder urothelial carcinoma (BLCA) and their relationship with the tumor microenvironment (TME) and the immunotherapeutic response for accurate dose. Methods: To obtain the required data, bladder urothelial carcinoma transcriptome data were searched from Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) (https://portal.gdc.cancer.gov/). We used co-expression analysis, differential expression analysis, and univariate Cox regression to screen out prognostic lncRNAs associated with necroptosis in BLCA. Then the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) was conducted to construct the necroptosis-associated lncRNAs model. Based on this model, we also performed the Kaplan-Meier analysis and time-dependent receiver operating characteristics (ROC) to estimate the prognostic power of risk score. Multivariate and univariate Cox regression analysis were performed to build up a nomogram. Calibration curves, and time-dependent ROC were also conducted to evaluate nomogram. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed a difference between high- and low-risk groups. In addition, we explored immune analysis, gene set enrichment analyses (GSEA), and evaluation of the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) in constructed model. Finally, the entire samples were divided into three clusters based on model of necroptosis-associated lncRNAs to further compare immunotherapy in cold and hot tumors. Results: A model was built up based on necroptosis-associated lncRNAs. The model revealed good consistence between calibration plots and prognostic prediction. The area of 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS under the ROC curve (AUC) were 0.707, 0.679, and 0.675. Risk groups could be helpful for systemic therapy due to the markedly diverse IC50 between risk groups. To our delight, clusters could effectively identify cold and hot tumors, which would be beneficial to accurate mediation. Clusters 2 and 3 were considered the hot tumor, which was more sensitive to immunotherapeutic drugs. Conclusions: The outcomes of our study suggested that necroptosis-associated lncRNAs could effectively predict patients with BLCA prognosis, which may be helpful for distinguishing the cold and hot tumors and improving individual treatment of BLCA.

CKAP2L, a crucial target of miR-326, promotes prostate cancer progression.

BACKGROUND: The overexpression of aberrant cell cycle signaling pathway associated protein has been implicated in multiple malignancies and the identification of all-important one among is the crux of the precise targeted therapy. CKAP2L (Cytoskeleton Associated Protein 2 Like) plays a newish role in cancer progression through activation of the process of cell cycle and mitosis. In this study, we aim to delineate the prominent dysregulated expression of CKAP2L and comprehensively reveal its deregulation in prostate cancer.  METHOD: CKAP2L expression was examined in the normal and tumor tissues of prostate cancer patients with RT-QPCR and Western blot. IHC showed the different expression in normal prostate tissue, tissue of BPH, low Gleason Score and high Gleason Score prostate cancer patients. Transwell, colony formation, MTT and flow cytometry were performed to detected the changes in cellular function in vitro. The xenograft model was conducted for the changes in vivo. Dual luciferase and RIP proved the binding relation between CKAP2L and miR-326. RESULTS: In multiple datasets, CKAP2L was found upregulated and positively associated with Gleason grade and poor clinical outcomes of patients. shRNA mediated silence of CKAP2L suppressed cell proliferation, impaired monolayer formation, inhibited cell invasion. CKAP2L was confirmed to be the direct target of miR-326, which had a carcinostatic effect by binding the 3'untranslated regions (3'UTRs) of CKAP2L mRNA. The deletion of CKAP2L resulted in reduced expression of genes involved in the mitotic cell cycle such as multiple cyclin-dependent kinases and cyclins, but also several genes encoding proteins involved in chromosome segregation and spindle assembly. CONCLUSION: Taken together, CKAP2L plays a carcinogenic role in prostate cancer by regulates the expression of cycle-associated proteins.

Phylogeny of Coreoidea based on mitochondrial genomes show the paraphyly of Coreidae and Alydidae.

Coreoidea (Insecta: Hemiptera: Heteroptera) is a widely distributed and agriculturally important bugs. However, the phylogeny of Coreoidea lacked consensus on higher-level relationships and several studies by comparative morphological characters and molecular data suggested the non-monophyly of two families: Coreidae and Alydidae. The mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) has long been thought to be a significant marker to understand phylogenetic relationships, but the mitogenome in Alydidae is scarce to date. In the present study, we gathered the mitogenomes of 28 species from four families of Coreoidea excluding Hyocephalidae (Alydidae, Coreidae, Rhopalidae, and Stenocephalidae), including four newly sequenced mitogenomes of Alydidae, and conducted mitogenomic organization and phylogenetic studies. We used maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference methods to infer the higher-level phylogeny from the perspective of mitogenomes, primarily to investigate the phylogenetic relationship betweeen Coreidae and Alydidae. We add evidence that neither Alydidae nor Coreidae are monophyletic based on mitogenomes. Newly sequenced mitogenomes of Alydidae have traditional gene structure and gene rearrangement was not found. Alydinae was always recovered as closely related to Pseudophloeinae of the coreid subfamily with high support. The placement of the coreid subfamily Hydarinae and alydid subfamily Micrelytrinae are unstable depending on approach used. In terms of the length and nucleotide composition of the protein coding genes in mitogenomes, Pseudophloeinae and Hydarinae of coreid were more similar to Alydidae. The unsettled classification issues of Coreidae and Alydidae by mitogenomes were demonstrated in this work, indicating that further study is needed.

Analgesia effect of premixed nitrous oxide/oxygen during the rehabilitation after total knee arthroplasty: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The morbidity of knee arthritis is increasing among aged people and total knee arthroplasty has been its mainstream treatment to date. Postoperative rehabilitation is an important part of the procedure. However, the intense pain during the functional exercise involved has always been a challenge for both patients and health care professionals. The aim of this study is to test the analgesic effect of a mixture of nitrous oxide/oxygeb (1:1) inhalation for patients who are doing functional exercise 1 month after total knee arthroplasty. METHODS/DESIGN: This double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study will be implemented in the Rehabilitation Department in the General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University. Patients aged between 50 and 75 years who underwent a primary unilateral total knee arthroplasty are eligible for inclusion. The key exclusion criteria include: epilepsy, pulmonary embolism, intestinal obstruction, aerothorax. The treatment group (A) will receive a pre-prepared nitrous oxide/oxygen mixture plus conventional treatment (no analgesics), and the control group (B) will receive oxygen plus conventional treatment (no analgesics). Patients, physicians, therapists, and data collectors are all blind to the experiment. Assessments will be taken immediately after functional exercise begins (T0), 5 min (T1) after functional exercise begins, and 5 min after functional exercise has finished (T2). Patients will be randomly allocated between a treatment group (A) and a control group (B) in a ratio of 1:1. Primary outcome, including pain severity in the procedure, will be taken for each group. Secondary outcomes include blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation, side effects, knee joint range of motion, Knee Society Score (KSS), rescue analgesia need, and satisfaction from both therapists and patients. DISCUSSION: This study will focus on exploring a fast and efficient analgesic for patients who are doing functional exercise after total knee arthroplasty. Our previous studies suggested that the prefixed nitrous oxide/oxygen mixture was an efficacious analgesic for the management of burn-dressing pain and breakthrough cancer pain. The results of this study should provide a more in-depth insight into the effects of this analgesic method. If this treatment proves successful, it could be implemented widely for patients doing functional exercise in the rehabilitation department. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ChiCTR-INR-17012891 . Registered on 6 October 2017.

[Inhibitory effect of cyclopamine on metastatic ability of EC109 cells and its mechanism].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of cyclopamine on metastatic ability of human esophageal cancer EC109 cells and explore the possible mechanism. METHODS: Transwell chamber assay and angiogenesis assay were used to examine the metastatic ability, invasiveness and angiogenesis of EC109 cells treated with cyclopamine for 48 h. The expression of Gli-1 mRNA was detected using RT-PCR, and Western blotting was used to examine the protein expressions of Gli-1, matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). RESULTS: Inhibition of the hedgehog signaling pathway by cyclopamine suppressed the migration, invasion, and angiogenesis of EC109 cells. Cyclopamine treatment significantly lowered the expression of Gli-1 mRNA (P<0.05) and the protein expressions of Gli-1, MMP-9 and VEGF (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Cyclopamine can significantly inhibit the metastatic capacity of EC109 cells possibly by down-regulating MMP-9 and VEGF expression as a result of Gli-1 inhibition.

Unbalanced 3-D tree structure for region-based coding of volumetric medical images.

In this paper, we propose an unbalanced three-dimensional (3-D) coefficient tree structure for 3-D region-of-interest (ROI) coding of medical volumetric data. We compare the proposed coding scheme against 3-D SPIHT and a recent technique that employs optimal tree construction shown to improve the performance of the 3-D SPIHT algorithm. For a MR volumetric dataset, at 0.1 bpp, the proposed region-based coding scheme outperforms by about 0.5 dB. The improvement is more significant at higher bitrates, up to 1 dB compared to SPIHT algorithm and optimal tree construction. In addition, the proposed tree structure provides a more general multiregion multiquality coding framework rather than ROI/non-ROI coding.

Region of interest image coding for digital mammography.

In this paper, we investigate region-based wavelet compression methods and describe a region-based coder based on the Set Partitioning in Hierarchical Trees (SPIHT) algorithm, called unbalanced spatial orientation trees (UBT), applied to digital mammograms. We compare this method against the region-based extension of SPIHT (ROI-SPIHT), and the ROI coding unit of JPEG2000 (JP2K) algorithm on five digital mammograms compressed at rates ranging from 0.1 to 1.0 bits per pixel (bpp). We show that UBT is competitive in PSNR with the other two region-based coding methods, also providing a more general multiregion multiquality coding framework rather than ROI/non-ROI coding. Unlike ROI-SPIHT, UBT allows encoding of diagnostically significant regions with best possible fidelity while allocating less number of bits to remaining regions.