Prognosis and outcome of chronic pain after spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma.

OBJECTIVE: Chronic pain is a common symptom experienced by patients after spontaneous epidural hematoma (SSEH), and it seriously affects their quality of life. The outcome and prognosis of chronic pain after SSEH are rarely reported. Thus, we conduct this study to present the outcomes and explore prognostic factors of chronic pain in patients with SSEH. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed patients diagnosed with SSEH and invited them to complete the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) and Neuropathic Pain Symptom Inventory (NPSI) scales. Pearson χ2 and binary logistic regression were used to explore prognostic factors related to chronic pain after SSEH. RESULTS: A total of 55 patients were reviewed; 21 patients (38.2%) were lost to follow-up, 3 patients (5.4%) died, and 31 patients (56.4%) completed the scales, with a mean follow-up time of 20.6 ± 17.3 months. The ASIA and NPSI results showed significant improvement after surgery. Pearson χ2 showed that timely surgery (≤ 12 h) was related to better outcomes (p < 0.05, Fisher test), and binary logistic regression revealed that patients with a preoperative NPSI score of 11-20 were prone to achieving significant pain relief (OR 23.67, 95%CI 1.11-503.48, p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: Chronic pain is a common symptom during follow-up after SSEH, and timely intervention is suggested to obtain satisfactory outcomes. Patients who receive emergent surgery within 12 h or who have a preoperative NPSI score of 11-20 may achieve significant relief of chronic pain.

Arsenic Release from Soil Induced by Microorganisms and Environmental Factors.

In rhizospheric soil, arsenic can be activated by both biological and abiotic reactions with plant exudates or phosphates, but little is known about the relative contributions of these two pathways. The effects of microorganisms, low-molecular-weight organic acid salts (LMWOASs), and phosphates on the migration of As in unrestored and nano zero-valent iron (nZVI)-restored soil were studied in batch experiments. The results show that As released by microbial action accounted for 17.73%, 7.04%, 92.40%, 92.55%, and 96.68% of the total As released in unrestored soil with citrate, phytate, malate, lactate, and acetate, respectively. It was only suppressed in unrestored soil with oxalate. In restored soil, As was still released in the presence of oxalate, citrate, and phytate, but the magnitude of As release was inhibited by microorganisms. The application of excess nZVI can completely inhibited As release processes induced by phosphate in the presence of microorganisms. Microbial iron reduction is a possible mechanism of arsenic release induced by microorganisms. Microorganisms and most environmental factors promoted As release in unrestored soil, but the phenomenon was suppressed in restored soil. This study helps to provide an effective strategy for reducing the secondary release of As from soils due to replanting after restoration.

Prognostic value of magnetic resonance imaging in spinal dural arteriovenous fistulas.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of pre- and postoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings on the prognosis of patients with spinal dural arteriovenous fistulas (SDAVFs) treated surgically. METHOD: A total of 76 patients from Jan 1, 2013, to June 30, 2020, were enrolled in this study. Their spinal neurological function was evaluated and graded by the modified Aminoff-Logue Scale (mALS). Preoperative and 3 months postoperative MRI results were evaluated, and their relationship with patients' pre- and postoperative spinal neurological function at 1 year after surgery was calculated. Analysis of variance (ANOVA), the chi-square test, and others were used to investigate the prognostic value of MRI for patients with SDAVFs treated surgically. RESULTS: According to our results, the extent of spinal edema on preoperative MRI was significantly correlated with the patients' degrees of preoperative spinal neurological dysfunction. The severity of preoperative spinal neurological dysfunction was significantly greater in patients whose extent of spinal edema was identified at ≥ 5 vertebral levels. Importantly, patients with a reduction in the degree of spinal edema ≥ 50% on 3-month postoperative MRI demonstrated significant improvement in spinal neurological function 1 year after surgery. CONCLUSION: In patients with SDAVFs, the extent of spinal edema on preoperative MRI may predict the severity of preoperative spinal neurological dysfunction. There was a significant correlation between the degree of reduction in spinal edema at 3 months after operation and patients' clinical outcomes 1 year after surgery.

Prognostic factors in patients with spinal dural arteriovenous fistulas treated surgically.

OBJECTIVE: To research prognostic factors in patients with spinal dural arteriovenous fistulas at 1 year after surgery. PATIENTS AND METHOD: A retrospective study was performed for all patients diagnosed with spinal dural arteriovenous fistula (SDAVFs) and treated surgically from Jan 1, 2013 to June 30, 2020 in our hospital. Medical records and pre-operative imaging results (MRI and DSA) of 103 patients were analyzed. Neurological function was evaluated by modified Aminoff-Logue Scale (mALS) consecutively at the day before surgery, 6 months and 1year after surgery. Pearson's χ2 test and binary logistic regression were used to find promising predictive factors. RESULT: A total of 76 patients (mean age 56 ± 11 years, 64 (84.2%) are male) with 76 fistulas met inclusive criteria. The mean interval from onset to diagnosis was 14 ± 15 months. Among the fistulas, 8 (10.5%) were located at T1-T6, 42 (55.3%) were located at T7-12, and 26 (34.2%) were located below T12. Compared with pre-operative mALS scores, 54 (71.06%) patients received improvement, and 22 (28.94%) patients felt worse or stable. The binary logistic regression reveals pre-operative mALS score and length of flow voids on T2-WI of pre-operative MRI are predictors of clinical improvement at 1 year after surgery in patients with SDAVFs. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that pre-operative mALS score and length of flow voids on T2-WI of pre-operative MRI are predictors of clinical improvement for patients with SDAVFs.

Recent advances in optical and optoelectronic data storage based on luminescent nanomaterials.

The substantial amount of data generated every second in the big data age creates a pressing requirement for new and advanced data storage techniques. Luminescent nanomaterials (LNMs) not only possess the same optical properties as their bulk materials but also have unique electronic and mechanical characteristics due to the strong constraints of photons and electrons at the nanoscale, enabling the development of revolutionary methods for data storage with superhigh storage capacity, ultra-long working lifetime, and ultra-low power consumption. In this review, we investigate the latest achievements in LNMs for constructing next-generation data storage systems, with a focus on optical data storage and optoelectronic data storage. We summarize the LNMs used in data storage, namely upconversion nanomaterials, long persistence luminescent nanomaterials, and downconversion nanomaterials, and their applications in optical data storage and optoelectronic data storage. We conclude by discussing the superiority of the two types of data storage and survey the prospects for the field.