[Progress in Surgical Treatment of Upper Urinary Tract Stones in Children].

The incidence of urinary calculi in children has been increasing annually,and most of the cases are upper urinary tract stones.At present,surgery is the main way to treat upper urinary tract stones in children.With the gradual development of minimally invasive techniques in surgery,percutaneous nephrolithotomy,retrograde intrarenal surgery,and extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy have become the main methods for treating upper urinary tract stones in children.We reviewed the current progress in surgical treatment of upper urinary tract stones in children and provided prospects for future treatment options.

Global, regional, and national burden of gallbladder and biliary diseases from 1990 to 2019.

BACKGROUND: Gallbladder and biliary diseases (GABDs) are a major public health issue. AIM: To analysis the cause-specific incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability (YLDs) and its temporal trends of GABDs at the global, regional, and national level. Data on GABD were available from the Global Burden of Disease study 2019. METHODS: The estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) was used to quantify temporal trend in GABD age-standardized incidence rates (ASIRs), age-standardized prevalence rate (ASPR), and age-standardized YLD rate (ASYR) by region, sex. We analyzed the relationship between the GABD burden and country development level using the human development index (HDI). RESULTS: In 2019, the incident cases of GABD were 52003772, with an ASIR of 63432/100000 population. Globally, the number of incident cases and ASIR of GABD increased 97% and 58.9% between 1990 and 2019. Although, the ASPR and ASYR decreased from 1990 to 2019, the number of prevalent and YLDs cases increased. The highest ASIR was observed in Italy, and the highest ASPR and ASYR was observed in United Kingdom. The highest burden of GABD was found in low-SDI region, and the burden in female was significantly higher than males. A generally negative correlation (ρ = -0.24, P < 0.05) of GABD with the EAPC and human development index (HDI) (in 2021) were observed for ASIR. What's more, no correlation in ASPR (ρ = -0.06, P = 0.39) and ASYR (ρ = -0.07, P = 0.36) of GABD with the EAPC and HDI (in 2021) were observed, respectively. CONCLUSION: GABD remain a major global public health challenge; however, the burden of GABD varies geographically. Globally, the number of incident cases and ASIR of GABD increased between 1990 and 2019. The results of our study provide insight into the global disease burden of GABD and may assist policymakers in formulating effective policies to mitigate modifiable risk factors.

Difference Between Signet Ring Cell Gastric Cancers and Non-Signet Ring Cell Gastric Cancers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: There is controversy about the characteristics and prognostic implications of signet ring cell gastric cancers and non-signet ring cell gastric cancers. Objective: This study aims to evaluate clinicopathological characteristics and prognoses of signet ring cell carcinoma (SRCC) and non-signet ring cell carcinoma (NSRCC) of stomach. Methods: Studies compared between SRCC and NSRCC of the stomach after gastrectomy and published before September 1st, 2020, in the PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase databases, were identified systematically. Results: A total of 2,865 studies were screened, and 36 studies were included, with 19,174 patients in the SRCC group and 55,942 patients in the NSRCC group. SRCC patients were younger in age (P < 0.001), less likely to be male patients (P < 0.001), more afflicted with upper third lesions (P < 0.001), and presenting with more Borrmann type IV tumors (P = 0.005) than NSRCC patients. Lymph nodes metastasis was similar between SRCC and NSRCC patients with advanced tumor stage (OR: 0.86, 95% CI: 0.671.10, P = 0.23), but lower in the SRCC than NSRCC patients with early tumor stage (OR: 0.73; 95% CI: 0.560.98, P = 0.02). SRCC patients had comparable survival outcomes with NSRCC patients for early gastric cancers (HR: 1.05, 95% CI: 0.651.68, P < 0.001) but had significantly poor prognosis for patients with advanced tumor stage (HR: 1.50, 95% CI: 1.281.76, P < 0.001). Conclusions: Signet ring cell carcinomas of the stomach are an increasingly common histopathological subtype of gastric cancers. These kinds of patients tend to be younger in age and more often female. Although, signet ring cell gastric cancer is a negative prognostic factor for patients with advanced stage. The difference is that for early stage of signet ring cell gastric cancers, it has low lymph nodes metastasis rate and comparable prognosis with non-signet ring cell cancers.

Association between neutrophils and renal impairment of rheumatoid arthritis: A retrospective cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have shown that increased neutrophils, as a manifestation of oxidative stress, may be involved in the progression of kidney disease. To our knowledge, little is known about the relationship between neutrophils and renal impairment in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Therefore, we aim to investigate whether neutrophil is associated with renal impairment in RA patients. METHODS: We retrospectively investigated the renal function of 602 RA patients in the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine by estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) from September 2018 and September 2019. The exposure variable was neutrophils, and the main outcome was eGFR. General data (gender, age, duration, hypertension, diabetes, hobbies, and medication history), whole blood markers, lipid indexes, and inflammatory indexes were collected as much as possible. We used multivariable logistic regression analysis to evaluate the association between neutrophils and renal impairment in RA participants. RESULTS: A total of 89 cases (14.8%) had renal impairment with eGFR < 60 ml/min/1.73 m2 , and 75 cases (84.3%) were female. Subgroup analysis showed that female (odds ratio [OR] = 0.523, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.318-0.867, p = .011), neutrophils greater thsn 7.5 × 109 /L (OR = 2.314, 95% CI: 1.310-4.087, p = .004), NLR > 3.53 (OR = 1.757, 95% CI: 1.104-2.799, p = .018), hemoglobin less than 120 g/L (OR = 2.413, 95% CI: 1.418-4.118, p = .001), and UA > 360 µmol/L (OR = 6.052, 95% CI: 3.708-9.878, p < .001) was related to renal damage in RA. Adjusted for several confounders, the multivariable analysis indicated that neutrophils greater than 7.5 × 109 /L (OR = 1.784, 95% CI: 1.164-3.288, p = .031) was independently associated with an increased risk of renal impairment in RA. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated that neutrophils greater than 7.5 × 109 /L was associated with a high risk of renal impairment in RA, suggesting that neutrophil may be a biomarker for renal impairment in RA.

Application of clockwise modularized laparoscopic lymphadenectomy in the suprapancreatic area, a propensity score matching study and comparison with open gastrectomy.

BACKGROUND: Suprapancreatic lymphadenectomy is the essence of D2 radical gastric cancer surgery. The present study aimed to describe clockwise modularized laparoscopic lymphadenectomy in the suprapancreatic area. METHODS: The data from gastric cancer patients who underwent surgical treatment from September 2016 to December 2018 were collected. Patients were divided into clockwise modularized lymphadenectomy (CML) and traditional open gastrectomy (OG) groups according to the surgical treatment strategy. The propensity score matching method was utilized to balance the baseline characteristics between the two groups. RESULTS: Finally, 551 gastric cancer patients were included in the present study. Following propensity score matching, 106 pairs of patients in the CML group and OG group were included in the final analysis. The CML group had more total examined lymph nodes (36, IQR 28-44.74 vs. 29, IQR 29-39.5, p = 0.002) and no. 9 station nodes (2, IQR 1-5 vs. 2, IQR 1-3, p = 0.007) than the OG group. There was less intraoperative blood loss (30, IQR 20-80 ml vs. 80, IQR 50-80 ml, p < 0.001) and a longer surgical duration (262.5 min, IQR 220-303.25 min vs. 232, IQR 220-255 min, p < 0.001) in the CML group than in the OG group. The incidence of postoperative complications (19.8% vs. 16.0%, p = 0.591) and postoperative hospital stay (8, IQR 7-9 days vs. 8, IQR 7-9 days, p = 0.452) were comparable between the CML and OG groups. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic lymphadenectomy for gastric cancer surgery is technically demanding. Clockwise modularized laparoscopic lymphadenectomy in the suprapancreatic area can attain similar effects as traditional open surgery and without an increase in postoperative adverse events.

Case Report: Treatment of Anti-MDA5-Positive Amyopathic Dermatomyositis Accompanied by a Rapidly Progressive Interstitial Lung Diseases With Methylprednisolone Pulse Therapy Combined With Cyclosporine A and Hydroxychloroquine.

Introduction: Patients with anti-melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA5) antibody-positive amyopathic dermatomyositis (ADM) often develop rapidly progressive interstitial lung diseases (RP-ILD), with poor treatment success. Many studies have shown that this is the main cause of death in patients with anti-MDA5 antibody-positive ADM. Case Presentation: A 37-years-old woman developed a cough, shortness of breath, and a rash on both hands, which resembled Gottron's signs. Upon laboratory examination, the results were as follows: antinuclear antibody (ANA) positive; anti-Ro52 antibody positive; and anti-MDA5 antibody positive. Pulmonary high-resolution CT (HRCT) scan showed pulmonary interstitial inflammatory changes, and mediastinal and subcutaneous emphysema. She was finally diagnosed with anti-MDA5 antibody-positive ADM accompanied by RP-ILD. She was first given high-dose-steroid pulse therapy with methylprednisolone (500 mg per day for 3 days) followed by methylprednisolone (40 mg, daily), cyclosporine A (100 mg, twice per day), and hydroxychloroquine (200 mg, twice per day). Since her discharge from our hospital in March of 2018, she has maintained the methylprednisolone therapy (tapered to 10 mg daily), cyclosporine A (100 mg, twice per day), and hydroxychloroquine (200 mg, twice per day). Outcomes: Pulmonary HRCT scans taken on 4, 9, and 26 months after her discharge from our hospital showed that the interstitial pneumonitis had significantly improved and that mediastinal and subcutaneous emphysema had been gradually absorbed. The patient can now participate in regular work and activities of daily living. Conclusion: The treatment of methylprednisolone pulse therapy combined with cyclosporine A and hydroxychloroquine may be an option for the RP-ILD accompanied by anti-MDA-positive ADM. After the acute phase, this combination therapy strategy is helpful to the disease control of patients.

Selective Fabrication of Single-Molecule Junctions by Interface Engineering.

Recent progress in addressing electrically driven single-molecule behaviors has opened up a path toward the controllable fabrication of molecular devices. Herein, the selective fabrication of single-molecule junctions is achieved by employing the external electric field. For molecular junctions with methylthio (-SMe), thioacetate (-SAc), amine (-NH2 ), and pyridyl (-PY), the evolution of their formation probabilities along with the electric field is extracted from the plateau analysis of individual single-molecule break junction traces. With the increase of the electric field, the SMe-anchored molecules show a different trend in the formation probability compared to the other molecular junctions, which is consistent with the density functional theory calculations. Furthermore, switching from an SMe-anchored junction to an SAc-anchored junction is realized by altering the electric field in a mixed solution. The results in this work provide a new approach to the controllable fabrication and modulation of single-molecule junctions and other bottom-up nanodevices at molecular scales.

Need for Greater Attention to Joint Damage in Rhupus Patients: Results from an Ultrasound Study.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of inflammation and bone destruction of hand joints in rhupus patients through ultrasound examination. MATERIAL AND METHODS Ten rhupus patients and 33 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with hand arthropathy were recruited in this single-center study, and the clinical features and ultrasound manifestations of these patients were analyzed. RESULTS We discovered that rhupus patients were older (47.31±4.35 years vs. 38.58±2.50 years, P=0.040), had longer duration of disease (median 72 months vs. median 12 months, P=0.040), had a higher positive rate (70% vs. 10.71%, P<0.001), and had higher titers of anti-CCP antibody (42.633±14.520 vs. 2.121±0.970, P<0.001) than SLE patients with arthropathy. More importantly, the prevalence rates of synovial hyperplasia (90% vs. 42.42%, P=0.008), synovitis (90% vs. 18.18%, P<0.001), synovial hyperplasia (70% vs. 10.71%, P<0.001), and bone destruction (70% vs. 6.06%, P<0.001) were higher in rhupus patients than in SLE patients with arthropathy. CONCLUSIONS Rhupus patients are more prone to develop synovitis, synovial hyperplasia, and bone destruction. Therefore, more attention should be paid to protection of the joints in rhupus patients.

Leonurine Regulates Treg/Th17 Balance to Attenuate Rheumatoid Arthritis Through Inhibition of TAZ Expression.

Leonurine, an active alkaloid extracted from Herba leonuri, is reported to have potent anti-inflammatory activity against rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the molecular mechanism of action of leonurine in RA remains poorly understood. In this study, we detected 3,425 mRNAs differentially expressed between CD4+ T cells of RA patients and those of healthy individuals using microarray raw data mining. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis revealed that transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) regulates a variety of biological processes including T-helper (Th)-17 cell development, and was thus selected for functional verification. In a naïve CD4+ T cell differentiation assay, we found that TAZ overexpression was associated with impaired balance between T regulatory (Treg) and Th17 cells in vitro. TAZ overexpression increased the levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-17, IL-1ß, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and decreased that of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. Leonurine treatment had a direct recovery effect on the impaired balance and reduced the expression of TAZ and led to normalization of IL-17, IL-1ß, and TNF-α and IL-10. Furthermore, IL-6 was found to promote the expression of TAZ and receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL), and RANK. Leonurine significantly inhibited TAZ-mediated expression of RANKL, and RANK and IL-6 in synovial fibroblasts. We conclude that the therapeutic effect of leonurine was through suppression of TAZ led to restoration of Treg/Th17 balance and suppression of synovial fibroblast action.

Hepatitis B virus X protein promotes liver cell pyroptosis under oxidative stress through NLRP3 inflammasome activation.

OBJECTIVE: Hepatitis B virus X protein (HBx) is a pivotal factor for HBV-induced hepatitis. Herein, we sought to investigate HBx-mediated NLR pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation and pyroptosis under oxidative stress. METHODS: The effect of HBx on the NLRP3 inflammasome was analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, western blotting, and immunofluorescence in hepatic HL7702 cells. Pyroptosis was evaluated by western blotting, lactate dehydrogenase release, propidium iodide staining, and transmission electron microscopy. NLRP3 expression in the inflammasome from liver tissues was assessed by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: In hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-stimulated HL7702 cells, HBx triggered the release of pro-inflammatory mediators apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD (ASC), interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-18, and high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1); activated NLRP3; and initiated pro-inflammatory cell death (pyroptosis). HBx localized to the mitochondria, where it induced mitochondrial damage and production of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mitoROS). Treatment of HL7702 cells with a mitoROS scavenger attenuated HBx-induced NLRP3 activation and pyroptosis. Expression levels of NLRP3, ASC, and IL-1ß in liver tissues from patients were positively correlated with HBV DNA concentration. CONCLUSIONS: The NLRP3 inflammasome was activated by elevated mitoROS levels and mediated HBx-induced liver inflammation and hepatocellular pyroptosis under H2O2-stress conditions.

Effect of HBx on inflammation and mitochondrial oxidative stress in mouse hepatocytes.

Hepatitis B virus × protein (HBx) serves an important role in the pathogenesis of the hepatitis B virus infection. Previous studies have reported that the interaction between HBx and hepatocyte mitochondria is an important factor leading to liver cell injury and apoptosis, ultimately inducing the formation of liver cancer. In the present study, a mouse model expressing HBx was constructed using hydrodynamic in vivo transfection based on the interaction between HBx and cytochrome c oxidase (COX) subunit III. The specific mechanism of HBx-induced oxidative stress in mouse hepatocytes and the subsequent effect on mitochondrial function and inflammatory injury was assessed. The results demonstrated that HBx reduced the activity of COX and the expression of superoxide dismutase and upregulated the expression of malondialdehyde, NF-κB and phospho-AKT, thus increasing oxidative stress. In addition, HBx induced an increase in interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1ß and IL-18 expression levels, which created an inflammatory microenvironment in the liver, further promoting hepatocyte inflammatory injury. Therefore, it was proposed that HBx may affect hepatocyte mitochondrial respiration by reducing the activity of cytochrome c oxidase, leading to mitochondrial dysfunction and inducing hepatocyte inflammation and injury.

Visceral Fat Area (VFA) Superior to BMI for Predicting Postoperative Complications After Radical Gastrectomy: a Prospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Obesity may impact surgical outcomes of gastrectomy. Whether visceral fat area (VFA) is a better obesity parameter than body mass index (BMI) is still controversial. The aim of this study is to compare the accuracy and effectiveness of VFA and BMI in predicting the short-term surgical outcomes of gastrectomy. METHODS: Patients who were diagnosed with gastric cancer were measured for BMI and VFA preoperatively and then divided into a VFA-H (VFA-high) group and VFA-L (VFA-low) group, at the cutoff point of 100 cm2, and a BMI-H (BMI-high) group and BMI-L (BMI-low) group, at the cutoff point of 25 kg/m2. The short-term surgical outcomes were compared between the different groups. RESULTS: In total, 276 patients were enrolled in this study; 55 (19.9%) patients were classified into the BMI-H group, and 122 (44.2%) patients were classified into the VFA-H group. There was a significant correlation between BMI and VFA (r = 0.652, p < 0.001). Compared with the VFA-L group, the VFA-H group had a higher incidence of postoperative complications (31.1% vs. 13.0%; p < 0.001), longer operation duration (270.0 (235.0-305.0) vs. 255.0 (223.8-295.0), p = 0.046), and more blood loss (100.0 (100.0-150.0) vs. 80.0 (80.0-100.0), p < 0.001), while the BMI-H group had more blood loss than the BMI-L group (100.0 (100.0-120.0) vs. 100.0(80.0-100.0), p = 0.006). Logistic regression showed that VFA was an independent risk factor for postoperative complications (odds ratio 2.813, 95% CI 1.523-5.194; p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: For gastric cancer patients, VFA is superior to BMI in accurately and effectively illuminating the impact of obesity on short-term surgical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02800005.

Interleukin-10 induces senescence of activated hepatic stellate cells via STAT3-p53 pathway to attenuate liver fibrosis.

Hepatic fibrosis is a wound healing process which results in deposition of excessive abnormal extracellular matrix (ECM) in response to various liver injuries. Activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are the major sources of ECM and induction of senescence of activated HSCs is an attractive therapeutic strategy for liver fibrosis. Our previous studies have shown that interleukin-10 (IL-10) attenuates the carbon tetrachloride (CCL4) - and porcine serum-induced liver fibrosis in rats. However, little is known about the mechanisms of IL-10 regulating the senescence of activated HSCs. The aim of this study is to uncover the underlying pathway by which IL-10 mediates activated HSCs senescence to attenuate liver fibrosis. In vivo, we found that IL-10 gene by hydrodynamics-based transfection attenuated CCL4-induced liver fibrosis associated with senescence of activated HSCs in rats. In vitro experiment confirmed that IL-10 could induce senescence of activated HSCs via inhibiting cell proliferation, inducing cell cycle arrest, increasing the SA-ß-Gal activity and enhancing expression of senescence marker protein p53 and p21. Treatment with Pifithrin-α, a specific inhibitor of p53, could abrogate IL-10-increased SA-ß-Gal activity and expression of P53 and P21in activated HSCs. Lastly, IL-10 also increased the expression of total and phosphorylated signal transducers and activators of transcription 3(STAT3) and promoted phosphorylated STAT3 translocation from cytoplasm to nucleus. Treatment with cryptotanshinone, a specific inhibitor of STAT3, could inhibit the phosphorylation of STAT3 and its downstream proteins p53 and p21 expression and decrease the activity of SA-ß-Gal in activated HSCs induced by IL-10. Taken together, IL-10 induced senescence of activated HSCs via STAT3-p53 pathway to attenuate liver fibrosis in rats and present study will provide a new mechanism of antifibrotic effects of IL-10.

12-Lipoxygenase promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition via the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway in gastric cancer cells.

BACKGROUND: 12-Lipoxygenase (12-LOX) plays a major role in the progression and metastasis of various types of cancer. In gastric cancer (GC), the expression level of 12-LOX is significantly up-regulated; however, its function, and underlying mechanism of action remain unclear. METHODS: The mRNA and protein expression levels of 12-LOX were assessed using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blot analyses, respectively, in GC cell lines. 12-LOX expression was stably up-regulated using lentiviral vector in BGC823 and MGC803 cells, and cell-counting kit-8 (CCK8), colony formation, and invasion assays were performed to verify the function of 12-LOX in proliferation and metastasis. In addition, the expression levels of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) differentiation markers and downstream targets of the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway were examined by Western blotting. A nude mouse model of tumor growth and metastasis was established to investigate the role of 12-LOX in vivo. RESULTS: Our findings demonstrate that 12-LOX mRNA and protein were highly expressed in GC cell lines. 12-LOX overexpression promoted GC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, up-regulation of 12-LOX promoted the EMT in GC cells, as reflected by a decrease in E-cadherin expression and an increase in N-cadherin and Snail expression. 12-LOX overexpression in GC cells also increased the expression of multiple downstream targets of the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway. CONCLUSION: These findings revealed that 12-LOX functions as an oncogene in promoting GC cell proliferation and metastasis in vitro and in vivo. In addition, 12-LOX might regulate the EMT via the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway, indicating a potential role for 12-LOX as a target in GC treatment.

circRNA_0006393 promotes osteogenesis in glucocorticoid­induced osteoporosis by sponging miR­145­5p and upregulating FOXO1.

Glucocorticoids are the most common cause of glucocorticoid­induced osteoporosis (GIOP). Moreover, the role of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in the regulation of bone metabolism remains unclear. Therefore, in the present study, it was hypothesized that hsa_circ_0006393 may play an important role in GIOP. To investigate the role of circRNAs in GIOP, treatment with dexamethasone or transfection with a vector overexpressing hsa_circ_0006393 were performed using in vitro cell and in vivo mouse models. Reverse transcription­quantitative PCR, fluorescence in situ hybridization and western blotting were performed to investigate the function of hsa_circ_0006393 in vitro. In addition, the effects of hsa_circ_0006393 on osteogenesis were investigated. Dual­energy X­ray absorptiometry analysis was performed to examine the osteogenic potential of hsa_circ_0006393 in vivo. Moreover, the mechanism underlying hsa_circ_0006393­mediated bone metabolism regulation via the microRNA (miR)­145­5p/forkhead box O1 (FOXO1) pathway was investigated. The present results suggested that the expression level of hsa_circ_0006393 was decreased in patients with GIOP. Furthermore, the overexpression of hsa_circ_0006393 increased the expression level of genes associated with osteogenesis. Moreover, hsa_circ_0006393 was identified to be localized mainly in the cytoplasm and nucleus of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. miR­145­5p was found to be directly targeted by hsa_circ_0006393. Collectively, hsa_circ_0006393 increases the expression levels of osteogenic genes during bone remodeling by sponging miR­145­5p and upregulating FOXO1.

Tight N-observable uncertainty relations and their experimental demonstrations.

The uncertainty relation, as one of the fundamental principles of quantum physics, captures the incompatibility of noncommuting observables in the preparation of quantum states. In this work, we derive two strong and universal uncertainty relations for N(N ≥ 2) observables with discrete and bounded spectra, one in multiplicative form and the other in additive form. To verify their validity, for illustration, we implement in the spin-1/2 system an experiment with single-photon measurement. The experimental results exhibit the validity and robustness of these uncertainty relations, and indicate the existence of stringent lower bounds.

Toward Long-Term Stability: Single-Crystal Alloys of Cesium-Containing Mixed Cation and Mixed Halide Perovskite.

Perovskite solar cells are strong competitors for silicon-based ones, but suffer from poor long-term stability, for which the intrinsic stability of perovskite materials is of primary concern. Herein, we prepared a series of well-defined cesium-containing mixed cation and mixed halide perovskite single-crystal alloys, which enabled systematic investigations on their structural stabilities against light, heat, water, and oxygen. Two potential phase separation processes are evidenced for the alloys as the cesium content increases to 10% and/or bromide to 15%. Eventually, a highly stable new composition, (FAPbI3)0.9(MAPbBr3)0.05(CsPbBr3)0.05, emerges with a carrier lifetime of 16 µs. It remains stable during at least 10 000 h water-oxygen and 1000 h light stability tests, which is very promising for long-term stable devices with high efficiency. The mechanism for the enhanced stability is elucidated through detailed single-crystal structure analysis. Our work provides a single-crystal-based paradigm for stability investigation, leading to the discovery of stable new perovskite materials.

Clockwise, Modularized Lymphadenectomy in Laparoscopic Gastric Cancer Surgery: a New Laparoscopic Surgery Model.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study is to present the clockwise, modularized lymphadenectomy model of laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer patients, which is based on our clinical practice experience in laparoscopic gastric cancer surgery. METHODS: From Jan 2015 to July 2017, 116 patients who underwent laparoscopic gastrectomy were retrospectively collected and analyzed. According to the different resection models, patients were divided into two groups: traditional laparoscopic lymphadenectomy group (63 patients) and clockwise, modularized lymphadenectomy group (53 patients). Operation-related parameters were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The clockwise, modularized lymphadenectomy group had less dissection time (119.8 ± 19.1 min vs. 135.3 ± 23.8 min, p < 0.001) and less intraoperative blood loss (81.7 ± 42.9 ml vs. 91.4 ± 28.7 ml, p = 0.016) compared with the traditional laparoscopic lymphadenectomy group. Meanwhile, the clockwise, modularized lymphadenectomy group had more numbers of examined lymph nodes (40.5 ± 14.3 vs. 33.9 ± 11.0, p = 0.007) than the traditional laparoscopic lymphadenectomy group. Besides, there was no statistically significant difference in the postoperative complication rates between the two groups. The clockwise, modularized lymphadenectomy group had shorter postoperative hospital stay than the traditional laparoscopic lymphadenectomy group (8.7 ± 3.2 days vs. 10.4 ± 3.9 days, respectively, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Through the adoption of the fixed sequence of lymphadenectomy, requirements and standard of lymphadenectomy of each lymph node station, and specific surgical skills for intraoperative exposure by the clockwise and modularized lymphadenectomy model, we can optimize and facilitate the laparoscopic gastric cancer surgery.

Efficacy of intravenous acetaminophen in multimodal management for pain relief following total knee arthroplasty: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of intravenous acetaminophen in multimodal pain management in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is controversial. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to compare the efficacy of intravenous acetaminophen versus placebo in TKA. METHODS: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or retrospective cohort studies (RCSs) concerning related topics were retrieved from PubMed (1996-June 2018), Embase (1980-June 2018), and the Cochrane Library (CENTRAL June 2018). Any studies comparing intravenous acetaminophen with a placebo were included in this meta-analysis. Meta-analysis results were collected and analyzed by Stata 12.0. Subgroup analysis was performed according to the general characteristics of the patients. RESULTS: In total, the patients from six studies met the inclusion criteria. Our meta-analysis results indicated that compared with a control group, intravenous acetaminophen was associated with reductions in total morphine consumption and visual analogue scale (VAS) score at postoperative day (POD) 3. However, there was no significant difference in morphine consumption at POD 1 or in VAS at POD 1 or POD 2. Moreover, there was no significant difference in the length of hospital stay. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our results, intravenous acetaminophen in multimodal management has shown better efficacy in pain relief at POD 3 and has morphine-sparing effects. High-quality studies with more patients are needed in the future.

The association between risk of limb fracture and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND: Recently, increasing reports showed that the risk of fracture may be correlated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, their results still remained controversial. Thus we performed a meta-analysis including 11 studies to estimate the risk factor of limb fracture in type 2 diabetes mellitus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Databases including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and Web of Science were searched to September, 2017. Risk Ratio (RR) with its 95% confidence intervals (CI) was used to evaluate the association between risk of limb fracture and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Two reviewers assessed the quality of all the included studies and extracted data for analysis independently. RESULTS: A total of 11 studies including 663,923 participants were included in this meta-analysis. Our analysis results showed that patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus had a significant association with risk of limb fracture (RR 1.18; 95% CI 1.02-1.35), including leg or ankle fracture (RR 1.80; 95% CI 1.13-2.87). Subgroup analysis showed individuals with type 2 diabetes had almost two-fold excessive risk of leg/ankle fracture in women and the pooled RR of leg/ankle fracture was 2.03 (95% CI 1.36-3.05; P = 0.0006). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present meta-analysis showed that individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus had higher risk of limb fractures, and this relationship is more pronounced in leg or ankle fracture.