Incidence of metabolic syndrome in patients with unilateral or bilateral staghorn renal stones and its impact on percutaneous nephrolithotomy outcomes.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the incidence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in patients with unilateral and bilateral staghorn calculi (SC) and evaluate the impact on the outcome of percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL). METHODS: The clinical data of patients who underwent PCNL for the treatment of SC between 2019 and 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. SC was divided into unilateral and bilateral. The incidence of MetS was compared between the patients with unilateral SC and the patients with bilateral SC, and the impact on the outcome of PCNL was assessed. RESULTS: A total of 1778 patients underwent PCNL between 2019 and 2022. After screening computed tomography, 379 patients were confirmed to have SC, finally, leaving 310 patients with follow-up and complete data to be included in the study. Eighty-four had bilateral SC and 226 had unilateral SC. The patients with bilateral SC had a significantly higher body mass index and higher rates of complete staghorn stones and metabolic syndrome. Higher body mass index, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidaemia, and MetS were present in 62.58%, 44.84%, 21.94%, 60.65% and 27.42% of all patients, respectively. The number of MetS components remained significantly associated with bilateral SC. Specifically, when the number of MetS components increases from 0 to 3-4, the likelihood of developing bilateral staghorn calculi increases by 21.967 times. Eighty-five patients with MetS( +) had a higher rate of overall complications (number (N)(%), 29 (34.12) vs.33 (14.46), P < 0.001) and a comparable stone-free rate to 225 MetS(-) patients. Multivariable analysis confirmed that hyperlipidaemia (P = 0.044, odds ratio [OR] = 1.991, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.020-3.888) and MetS (P = 0.005, OR = 2.427, 95% CI 1.316-4.477) were independent risk factors for overall complications. CONCLUSIONS: MetS is correlated with the formation of bilateral SC and is the main predictor for complications of PCNL especially for low-grade complications (I-II).

Experimental study on opto-acoustic nonlinear frequency-mixing technique with separated basic temperature.

Different from the traditional frequency-mixing technique which employs a contacting transducer, the laser-induced acoustic nonlinear frequency-mixing detection technique utilizes a laser source to instigate crack motion and generate acoustic waves. Thus, apart from the temperature oscillation induced by the pump laser, the "basic temperature" originating from the probe laser can also influence the crack. This additional variable complicates the contact state of the crack, yielding a more diverse range of nonlinear acoustic signal attributes. In light of this, our study enhances the conventional opto-acoustic nonlinear frequency mixing experimental setup by integrating an independent heating laser beam. This modification isolates the impact of the "basic temperature" on crack width while also dialing down the probe laser power to mitigate its thermal effects. To amplify the sensitivity of crack detection, we deliberated on the optimal laser source parameters for this setup. Consequently, our revamped system, paired with fine-tuned parameters, captures nonlinear acoustic signals with an enriched feature set. This investigation can provide support for the non-contact opto-acoustic nonlinear frequency mixing technique in the detection and evaluation of micro-cracks.

Study of thermal effects induced by the high-frequency probing laser in nonlinear opto-acoustic frequency-mixing technique.

Photo-thermal modulation-based nonlinear opto-acoustic frequency-mixing technique is an effective method for detecting micro-cracks. When using this technique for micro-crack detection, the selection of laser source parameters is particularly crucial. Compared to traditional piezo-transducer-based mixing techniques, the characteristic of using a laser as the detection source is the presence of thermal effects. The thermal effect caused by laser irradiation on the sample surface can not only generate acoustic waves but also affect the crack state, thus influencing nonlinear signals. In this paper, an experimental setup using photo-thermal modulation-based nonlinear opto-acoustic frequency-mixing technique has been set up to investigate the thermal effects of the probe laser source. In addition, a corresponding physical model has been established to discuss the physical mechanisms revealed by the experimental results. This study provides a basis for selecting appropriate probe source parameters and scanning positions of laser sources when detecting micro-cracks using the photo-thermal modulation-based nonlinear opto-acoustic frequency-mixing technique.

Distribution characteristics of microorganisms in sediments of Dagu River and their biological indicator function for evaluating eco-environmental quality of rural river.

The microorganisms in sediments play a crucial role in biogeochemical cycle processes, and numerous studies have shown that microbial community is closely related to environmental factors. However, the usability of sediment microorganisms to evaluate the eco-environment quality of rural rivers has not been adequately explored. This study investigated the distribution characteristics and response of sediment microorganisms to environmental parameters and benthic organisms. Based on the environmental parameters and benthic community indices, the 12 stations were divided into high-polluted group A, moderate-polluted group B and low-polluted group C. Station DG01 and DG02 in group A had the highest level of As and Ni pollution and nutrient concentration, and DG09 in group A had the lowest benthic diversity. Correspondingly, group A had the lowest abundance of Proteobacteria, which has a higher requirement for the environment than Planctomycetes. Group B had the highest sulfide level (97.45 mg/kg), and bacteria (Thiobacillus, Sulfurisoma and Sulfuritalea) with genes involved in sulfur cycling were more enriched in this group. Group C had the lowest level of total nitrogen (243.36 mg/kg), and Rhodanobacteraceae in Xanthomonadales might be a key bioindicator for low nitrogen. In addition, Chlorophyta was found to be more susceptible to heavy metals, and moreover co-occurrence networks showed that microeukaryotes were more sensitive to heavy metal pollution compared to benthic animals and prokaryotes. Therefore, this study suggested that benthic microorganisms especially microeukaryotes could be used as good indicators for evaluating the eco-environmental quality of rural rivers.