Increased water content in multifidus muscles of young adults with chronic nonspecific low back pain detected by dual-energy CT and MRI.

OBJECTIVES: To demonstrate the feasibility of better diagnosing young adults with chronic nonspecific low back pain (CNLBP) by measuring water content in paraspinal muscles using water-muscle decomposition technique in dual-energy CT (DECT) and T2-mapping in MRI. METHODS: This prospective cross-sectional study included 110 young individuals (56 with CNLBP at age of 25.7 ± 2.0 years and 54 of asymptomatic at age of 25.1 ± 1.9 years) who underwent both MRI and DECT on the spine. T2 values on T2 mapping in MRI and water density (WD) value on water(muscle) images in DECT were generated at the L1-L4 levels for erector spinae muscle and L2-L5 for multifidus muscle. Pain duration time, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) were recorded for CNLBP patients. Difference of T2 value and WD between the two patient groups, and correlations between T2 value and WD, and T2 value and WD with clinical indicators were analyzed. RESULTS: Compared with asymptomatic participants, the mean WD of multifidus muscle at L4-L5 and mean T2 values of multifidus muscle at L5 were significantly higher in CNLBP patients (all P < 0.05). T2 values had moderate to strong positive correlations (r = 0.34-0.60, all P < 0.05) with DECT WD in CNLBP patients and healthy volunteers. There was a weak correlation between VAS and WD in L5-level multifidus muscle (r = 0.29, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The T2 values in MRI and WD in DECT are higher in multifidus muscles of lower vertebra levels for young CNLBP patients, and there exists positive correlation between WD and T2 values, providing useful information for diagnosing CNLBP.

Arthroscopic fixation techniques for tibial eminence fractures in pediatric patients: a review.

The introduction of new internal fixation devices and arthroscopic techniques has led to significant changes in the surgical treatment of tibial eminence fractures (TEFs) in children. In recent years, arthroscopic surgery has arisen as the gold standard for the treatment of TEFs. This popularity of arthroscopic techniques has reduced surgical complications and improved patient prognosis. In this paper, we investigate the current situation of the use of arthroscopic fixation techniques for pediatric TEFs. We searched the PubMed database using the terms "arthroscopic treatment and tibial eminence," "arthroscopic treatment and tibial spine," "tibial eminence avulsion", "tibial spine fracture", with no limit on the year of publication. From these articles, we reviewed the use of various arthroscopic TEFs fixation techniques reported in the current literature. Overall, we found that the choice of fixation method seems to have no effect on clinical outcomes or imaging results. However, if an easy, strong fixation that is less prone to epiphyseal damage is desired, as a junior practitioner, the anchor technique should be mastered first, whereas for senior practitioners, a variety of fixation techniques for TEFs should be mastered, including anchors, sutures, and screws, so that personalized fixation can be achieved with the least amount of trauma, operative time, and complications. Higher quality studies are needed in the future to provide Useful evidence to determine the optimal fixation technique in terms of clinical outcomes, function, and complications.

A Novel Predictor of the Length and Size of ACL Grafts in Chinese Han Adults for ACL Reconstruction: An MRI Study.

OBJECTIVE: Currently, there is no simple and valid method to predict the length and size of the native anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in each adult patient who will undergo ACL reconstruction. This study aimed to develop an imaging prediction method that can predict the length and size of ACL grafts using the intact posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), in order to enhance the graft preparation individualized sizing. METHODS: Three hundred and nineteen patients aged 18 years or older who underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the knee at an orthopaedic clinic between September 9, 2021, and February 5, 2023, were included. The length, sagittal diameter, and coronal diameter of the ACL and PCL were measured in all patients, and F-test were performed to explore linear relationship between ligament measurements. RESULTS: Equations were established to predict a variable of the native ACL for the corresponding variable of the intact PCL (i.e., sagittal diameter of the ACL = 4.32 + 1.08 × sagittal diameter of the PCL, and coronal diameter of the ACL = 2.45 + 0.59 × coronal diameter of the PCL, length of the male ACL = 10.92 + 0.64 × length of the male PCL, length of the female ACL = 11.76 + 0.58 × length of the female PCL) (R2 = 0.532; R2 = 0.417; R2 = 0.488; R2 = 0.509; respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The length and size of the intact PCL in cases without PCL buckling are predictors of the length and size of the native ACL in adults, respectively. The use of this information to optimize graft diameter may lower the rates of ACL graft failure in the future.

Drp1 regulated PINK1-dependent mitophagy protected duck follicular granulosa cells from acute heat stress injury.

The mitochondrial quality control system is crucial in maintaining cellular homeostasis during environmental stress. Granulosa cells are the main cells secreting steroid hormones, and mitochondria are the key organelles for steroid hormone synthesis. The impact of the mitochondrial quality control system on granulosa cells' steroid hormone synthesis and survival under heat stress is still unclear. Here, we showed that acute heat stress induces mitochondrial damage and significantly increases the number of mitophagy-like vesicles in the cytoplasm of duck ovary granulosa cells at the ultra-structural level. Meanwhile, we also found heat stress significantly increased mitochondrial fission and mitophagy-related protein expression levels both in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, by confocal fluorescence analysis, we discovered that LC3 was distributed spot-like manner near the nucleus in the heat treatment group, and the LC3 spots and lysosomes were colocalized with Mito-Tracker in the heat treatment group. We further detected the mitophagy-related protein in the cytoplasm and mitochondria, respectively. Results showed that the PINK1 protein was significantly increased both in cytoplasm and mitochondria, while the LC3-Ⅱ/LC3-Ⅰ ratio increase only occurred in mitochondrial. In addition, the autophagy protein induced by acute heat treatment was effectively inhibited by the mitophagy inhibitor CysA. Finally, we demonstrated that the alteration of cellular mitophagy by siRNA interference with Drp1 and PINK1 inhibited the steroid synthesis of granulosa cells and increased cell apoptosis. Study provides strong evidence that the Drp1 regulated PINK1-dependent mitophagy pathway protects follicular granulosa cells from acute heat stress-induced injury.

Efficacy of rotator cuff suture and arthroscopic 360° capsular release in patients with rotator cuff tear with limited shoulder movement.

BACKGROUND: To determine the clinical efficacy of rotator cuff suture and arthroscopic 360° capsular release in patients with rotator cuff tendinopathy to improve the Constant-Murley and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores, and shoulder flexion. METHODS: Fifty-one patients with full-thickness rotator cuff tears and limited shoulder movement who were admitted to our hospital from October 2017 to October 2020 were selected; all patients were treated with arthroscopic rotator cuff suture and 360° capsular release. The Constant-Murley score, VAS score, and shoulder flexion angle were used to evaluate shoulder joint function before and during follow-up. Rotator cuff healing was assessed by MRI with the Sugaya classification. RESULTS: After treatment, the Constant-Murley score (58.98 ± 9.84) was significantly improved compared with pre-treatment (29.33 ± 9.71), the VAS score (1.23 ± 0.87) was significantly lower than pre-treatment (7.54 ± 1.22), and the shoulder flexion angle (142.67 ± 8.59°) was significantly improved compared with pre-treatment (51.50 ± 2.10°); the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Arthroscopic rotator cuff suture and simultaneous 360° capsular release have a significant effect on the treatment of rotator cuff tear with limited shoulder movement.

Prediction of osteoporosis using radiomics analysis derived from single source dual energy CT.

BACKGROUND: With the aging population of society, the incidence rate of osteoporosis is increasing year by year. Early diagnosis of osteoporosis plays a significant role in the progress of disease prevention. As newly developed technology, computed tomography (CT) radiomics could discover radiomic features difficult to recognize visually, providing convenient, comprehensive and accurate osteoporosis diagnosis. This study aimed to develop and validate a clinical-radiomics model based on the monochromatic imaging of single source dual-energy CT for osteoporosis prediction. METHODS: One hundred sixty-four participants who underwent both single source dual-energy CT and quantitative computed tomography (QCT) lumbar-spine examination were enrolled in a study cohort including training datasets (n = 114 [30 osteoporosis and 84 non-osteoporosis]) and validation datasets (n = 50 [12 osteoporosis and 38 non-osteoporosis]). One hundred seven radiomics features were extracted from 70-keV monochromatic CT images. With QCT as the reference standard, a radiomics signature was built by using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression on the basis of reproducible features. A clinical-radiomics model was constructed by incorporating the radiomics signature and a significant clinical predictor (age) using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Model performance was assessed by its calibration, discrimination and clinical usefulness. RESULTS: The radiomics signature comprised 14 selected features and showed good calibration and discrimination in both training and validation cohorts. The clinical-radiomics model, which incorporated the radiomics signature and a significant clinical predictor (age), also showed good discrimination, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.938 (95% confidence interval, 0.903-0.952) in the training cohort and an AUC of 0.988 (95% confidence interval, 0.967-0.998) in the validation cohort, and good calibration. The clinical-radiomics model stratified participants into groups with osteoporosis and non-osteoporosis with an accuracy of 94.0% in the validation cohort. Decision curve analysis (DCA) demonstrated that the radiomics signature and the clinical-radiomics model were clinically useful. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical-radiomics model incorporating the radiomics signature and a clinical parameter had a good ability to predict osteoporosis based on dual-energy CT monoenergetic imaging.

Optimal modes of mind-body exercise for treating chronic non-specific low back pain: Systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Background: There were limited studies that directly compare the outcomes of various mind-body exercise (MBE) therapies on chronic non-specific low back pain (CNLBP). Objectives: To compare the efficacy of the four most popular MBE modes [Pilates, Yoga, Tai Chi (TC), and Qigong] in clinically CNLBP patients, we conducted a systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA). Methods: We searched databases for eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) (from origin to July 2022). RCTs were eligible if they included adults with CNLBP, and implemented one or more MBE intervention arms using Pilates, yoga, TC, and qigong. In addition, pain intensity and physical function were evaluated using validated questionnaires. Results: NMA was carried out on 36 eligible RCTs involving 3,050 participants. The effect of exercise therapy on pain was in the following rankings: Pilates [Surface under cumulative ranking (SUCRA) = 86.6%], TC (SUCRA = 77.2%), yoga (SUCRA = 67.6%), and qigong (SUCRA = 64.6%). The effect of exercise therapy on function: Pilates (SUCRA = 98.4%), qigong (SUCRA = 61.6%,), TC (SUCRA = 59.5%) and yoga (SUCRA = 59.0%). Conclusion: Our NMA shows that Pilates might be the best MBE therapy for CNLBP in pain intensity and physical function. TC is second only to Pilates in improving pain in patients with CNLBP and has the value of promotion. In the future, we need more high-quality, long-term follow-up RCTs to confirm our findings. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=306905, identifier: CRD42022306905.

Is transcranial direct current stimulation beneficial for treating pain, depression, and anxiety symptoms in patients with chronic pain? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Chronic pain is often accompanied by emotional dysfunction. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been used for reducing pain, depressive and anxiety symptoms in chronic pain patients, but its therapeutic effect remains unknown. Objectives: To ascertain the treatment effect of tDCS on pain, depression, and anxiety symptoms of patients suffering from chronic pain, and potential factors that modulate the effectiveness of tDCS. Methods: Literature search was performed on PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library from inception to July 2022. Randomized controlled trials that reported the effects of tDCS on pain and depression and anxiety symptoms in patients with chronic pain were included. Results: Twenty-two studies were included in this review. Overall pooled results indicated that the use of tDCS can effectively alleviate short-term pain intensity [standard mean difference (SMD): -0.43, 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.75 to -0.12, P = 0.007] and depressive symptoms (SMD: -0.31, 95% CI, -0.47 to -0.14, P < 0.001), middle-term depressive symptoms (SMD: -0.35, 95% CI: -0.58 to -0.11, P = 0.004), long-term depressive symptoms (ES: -0.38, 95% CI: -0.64 to -0.13, P = 0.003) and anxiety symptoms (SMD: -0.26, 95% CI: -0.51 to -0.02, P = 0.03) compared with the control group. Conclusion: tDCS may be an effective short-term treatment for the improvement of pain intensity and concomitant depression and anxiety symptoms in chronic pain patients. Stimulation site, stimulation frequency, and type of chronic pain were significant influence factors for the therapeutic effect of tDCS. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=297693, identifier: CRD42022297693.

[Current status, challenges and countermeasures of acupuncture data mining literature researches].

Data mining is an analytical method for revealing the implicit internal relations among the data elements, and is also widely used in the field of acupuncture and moxibustion of traditional Chinese medicine. However, there exist some significant deficits in the rationality of design and implementation, preciseness, repeatability, comprehensiveness, objectivity and depth of insights in some current acupuncture data mining researches. In the present paper, we summarized the literature on acupuncture data mining published in the past five years, and analyzed their common shortcomings in the design, implementation and reporting process, including too broad research scope, fuzzy and limited descriptions about the inclusion criteria, not definite retrieval scope and strategy, rarely seen original researches about the assessment of the report quality, lack of detailed descriptions about the literature screening and data processing procedure, incomplete narration about the research outcomes and their clinical significance, and lack of comprehensiveness and subjectiveness and available coping strategies in the discussion of the research papers, etc., in order to promote the improvement of literature methodology and quality of acupuncture data mining research, and then improve the reliability and clinical reference value of such research results.

Effect of Exhaust Gas Recirculation and Spark Timing on Combustion and Emission Performance of an Oxygen-Enriched Gasoline Engine.

Oxygen-enriched combustion (OEC) technology in SI engines can greatly improve the degree of constant volume combustion, increase the torque output, and reduce HC and CO emissions but lead to a sharp increase in NO x emissions. Simultaneously, the high temperature from OEC would lead to high nucleation particle emissions. Under the OEC mode, except the oxygen content, spark timing and engine load are important influencing factors on emissions. Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) technology has been proven to reduce NO x emissions effectively. This research investigates the effects of EGR on combustion and emission performance under an oxygen-enriched ratio (OER) of 25% with five EGR ratios (0-20%) for the initial throttle opening of 14% (at an EGR ratio of 0%) with an engine speed of 1500 rpm. The study shows that when the OER is 25%, the output torque increases with the increase of the EGR ratio. At the proper spark timing, the EGR ratio over 15% can obtain lower NO x emissions and particle emissions than the baseline (OER of 21%). Although HC emissions increase with the EGR ratio, they are still lower than the baseline. Overall, the OER of 25% coupled with the EGR ratios of 15-20% is the predominant combustion mode to improve power and emission performance in SI engines.

The ultrastructural and morphological characteristics of the anterior cruciate ligament of the pig: a study using 7.0-Tesla diffusion tensor imaging.

OBJECTIVE: Diffusion tensor imaging research on the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is limited, and no study has revealed the ACL fibrous microstructure by 7.0-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging. Therefore, we used magnetic resonance imaging to assess the ACL. METHODS: Eight porcine ACLs were investigated by diffusion tensor imaging. Imaging was performed with a 7.0-Tesla scanner using a diffusion-weighted two-dimensional spin-echo echo-planar imaging pulse sequence optimised for muscle. The diffusion tensor eigenparameters, fractional anisotropy (FA), and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) were used for bones and muscles. Three-dimensional projection maps of the principal eigenvectors were plotted to visualise the microstructure. RESULTS: The mean FA and ADC for the ACL were 0.27 ± 0.079 and 0.0012 ± 0.0005, respectively. There were no significant differences between the values in the proximal and distal portions . However, the ADC was smaller in the centre than on the sides (0.0015 ± 0.0007), and the mean FA was larger in the centre than on the sides (0.42 ± 0.23). The ACL fibres were parallel on the proximal and distal sides but interweaved in the centre. CONCLUSIONS: These findings may be beneficial for artificial ligaments.

Associations between paraspinal muscles fatty infiltration and lumbar vertebral bone mineral density - An investigation by fast kVp switching dual-energy CT and QCT.

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between paraspinal muscles fat content and lumbar bone mineral density (BMD). Methods: A total of 119 participants were enrolled in our study (60 males, age: 50.88 ± 17.79 years, BMI: 22.80 ± 3.80 kg·m-2; 59 females, age: 49.41 ± 17.69 years, BMI: 22.22 ± 3.12 kg·m-2). Fat content of paraspinal muscles (erector spinae (ES), multifidus (MS), and psoas (PS)) were measured at (ES L1/2-L4/5; MS L2/3-L5/S1; PS L2/3-L5/S1) levels using dual-energy computed tomography (DECT). Quantitative computed tomography (QCT) was used to assess BMD of L1 and L2. Linear regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between BMD of the lumbar spine and paraspinal muscles fat content with age, sex, and BMI. The variance inflation factor (VIF) was used to detect the degree of multicollinearity among the variables. P < .05 was considered to indicate a statistically significant difference. Results: The paraspinal muscles fat content had a fairly significant inverse association with lumbar BMD after controlling for age, sex, and BMI (adjusted R 2 = 0.584-0.630, all P < .05). Conclusion: Paraspinal muscles fat content was negatively associated with BMD.Paraspinal muscles fatty infiltration may be considered as a potential marker to identify BMD loss.

Ni(cod)(duroquinone)-Catalyzed C-N Cross-Coupling for the Synthesis of N,N-Diarylsulfonamides.

We report a C-N cross-coupling reaction of weakly nucleophilic N-arylsulfonamides and aryl bromides to access N,N-diarylsulfonamides using Ni(cod)(DQ) as a catalyst without additional ligands. The process is compatible with electron-deficient and electron-rich aryl and heteroaryl bromides (34 examples, 21-98%) and can be applied to the derivatization of an N-arylsulfonamide pharmaceutical compound.

Are Mind-Body Exercise Beneficial for Treating Pain, Function, and Quality of Life in Middle-Aged and Old People With Chronic Pain? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Aging is a significant risk factor in chronic pain development with extensive disability and greater health care costs. Mind-body exercise (MBE) has been scientifically proven to affect the pain intensity and physical health. Objectives: To assess the effects of MBE modes (Tai Chi, yoga, and qigong) for treating chronic pain among middle-aged and old people, compared with nonactive and active treatment, as well as function, quality of life, and adverse events. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Database, and Chinese Scientific Journals Full-Text Database (VIP) till March 2022. No restrictions were chartered within the year and language of publication. We included randomized controlled trials of MBE treatment in middle-aged and elderly people with chronic pain. The overall certainty of evidence was evaluated by using the GRADE approach. Results: A total of 17 studies (n = 1,332) were included in this review. There was low-certainty evidence indicating that MBE had a moderate effect on reducing pain compared with the nonactive and active control group (standard mean difference (SMD): -0.64, 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.86 to -0.42, P < 0.001). Very-low-certainty evidence showed that the pooled SMD for the functional improvement was -0.75 (95% CI: -1.13 to -0.37, P < 0.001). Low-certainty evidence presented that no influence was observed in physical component summary (SMD: 0.23, 95% CI: -0.16 to 0.62, P = 0.24) and mental component summary (SMD: -0.01, 95% CI -0.39 to 0.36, P = 0.95). Conclusion: Our results indicated that MBE was an effective treatment for reducing symptoms of middle-aged and elderly people with chronic pain compared with nonactive and active control groups. TC and qigong had obvious benefits for knee osteoarthritis in self-reported function, but the efficacy of chronic low back pain was uncertain. No significant benefit of MBE on quality of life in older adults with chronic pain was found. More high-quality RCTs should be conducted to explore the efficacy and mechanism of MBE on chronic pain in middle-aged and elderly people from various dimensions, such as affective and cognitive dimensions. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=316591, identifier CRD42022316591.

Antagonistic Activity and Mechanism of Bacillus subtilis XZ16-1 Suppression of Wheat Powdery Mildew and Growth Promotion of Wheat.

Wheat powdery mildew caused by Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici (Bgt) is one of the most serious wheat diseases in the world. Biological control is considered an environmentally safe approach to control plant diseases. Here, to develop effective biocontrol agents for controlling wheat powdery mildew, antagonistic strain XZ16-1 was isolated and identified as Bacillus subtilis based on the morphological, biochemical, and physiological characteristics and 16S rDNA sequence. The culture filtrate of B. subtilis XZ16-1 and its extracts had a significant inhibitory effect on the spore germination of Bgt. Moreover, the therapeutic and prevention efficacy of the 100% culture filtrate on wheat powdery mildew reached 81.18 and 83.72%, respectively, which was better than that of chemical fungicide triadimefon. Further antimicrobial mechanism analysis showed that the XZ16-1 culture filtrate could inhibit the development of powdery mildew spores by disrupting the cell membrane integrity, causing reductions in the mitochondrial membrane potential, and inducing the accumulation of reactive oxygen species in the spores. Biochemical detection indicated that XZ16-1 could solubilize phosphate, fix nitrogen, and produce hydrolases, lipopeptides, siderophores, and indole-3-acetic acid. Defense-related enzymes activated in wheat seedlings treated with the culture filtrate indicated that disease resistance was induced in wheat to resist pathogens. Furthermore, a 106 CFU/ml suspension of XZ16-1 increased the height, root length, fresh weight, and dry weight of wheat seedlings by 77.13, 63.46, 76.73, and 19.16%, respectively, and showed good growth-promotion properties. This study investigates the antagonistic activity and reveals the action mechanism of XZ16-1, which can provide an effective microbial agent for controlling wheat powdery mildew.

[Effectiveness of arthroscopic distal clavicle resection for symptomatic acromioclavicular joint arthritis].

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of arthroscopic distal clavicle resection for the symptomatic acromioclavicular joint arthritis. Methods: The clinical data of 14 patients with symptomatic acromioclavicular joint arthritis treated by arthroscopic indirect distal clavicle resection between January 2020 and March 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 5 males and 9 females with an average age of 46.3 years (range, 18-57 years). The 4 cases of left shoulder and 10 cases of right shoulder were accompanied with acromial impingement, without the history of shoulder trauma. The average disease duration was 20.4 months (range, 9-48 months), and the average visual analogue scale (VAS) score was 7.6 (range, 5-9) preoperatively. The results were evaluated using the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) shoulder rating score before and after operation, further, the patient satisfaction rate was also calculated. Results: All 14 patients were followed up 5-18 months, with an average of 13 months. There was no postoperative pain of acromioclavicular joint in 12 patients; 1 case had occasional mild pain, which could be controlled by painkillers. Moreover, there was only 1 acromioclavicular joint subluxation due to early fitness training at 2 weeks postoperatively, and the symptoms gradually relieved after 1 month of conservative treatments. The UCLA score was 22.1±6.2 preoperatively, which improved to 30.2±3.4 at last follow-up, showing significant difference ( t=5.359, P<0.001). The patient satisfaction rate was 92.9%, with 12 excellent cases, 1 good case, and 1 fair case. Conclusion: Arthroscopic distal clavicle resection for symptomatic acromioclavicular arthritis is a safe, reliable, and repeatable procedure.

Relationship Between Number of Lateral Intercondylar Ridges and Area of Denser Bone on the Lateral Intercondylar Wall.

Background: A deeper understanding of the anatomy of the intercondylar notch of the femur may help reduce technical errors during anatomic anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Purposes: To classify the number of ridges on the lateral intercondylar wall, identify factors influencing the number of ridges, and define the relationship between the area of denser bone on the lateral intercondylar wall and the lateral intercondylar ridge. Study Design: Descriptive laboratory study. Methods: Included were 89 patients with computed tomography (CT) images of the knee joint. On full lateral view of the lateral femoral condyle, the authors evaluated for the presence of a lateral intercondylar ridge. The height and area of the lateral intercondylar wall (notch height and lateral notch area) and the length of Blumensaat line were calculated. Notch outlet length, axial notch area, notch width index, and transepicondylar length were also calculated using 3-dimensional CT. Maximum intensity projection was used to identify the area of denser bone on the femoral lateral intercondylar wall, and the relationship between this area and the lateral intercondylar ridge was investigated. Results: The lateral intercondylar ridge exhibited 3 types of morphological variations. The invisible type (no ridge) was observed in 20 knees (22.5%); the ridge type (1 ridge), in 23 knees (25.8%); and the plateau type (2 ridges), in 46 knees (51.7%). There were significant differences in notch height, lateral notch area, Blumensaat line length, and denser bone area among the ridge types (P ≤ .031 for all). The locations of the anterior ridge of the plateau type and of all 23 ridges of the ridge type corresponded to the anterior margin line of the area of denser bone. Conclusion: Significant differences were seen in the 3 types of lateral intercondylar ridges. The anterior margin line of the denser bone area on the lateral intercondylar wall was found to correspond to the anterior border of the plateau type and the ridge type. Clinical Relevance: The variations in the lateral intercondylar ridge may affect measurement accuracy during evaluation of ACL tunnel position while using the ridge as a landmark. The plateau-type ridge and the area of denser bone on the lateral intercondylar wall may provide a new way for surgeons to determine the femoral tunnel.

Effects of Intake Components and Stratification on the Particle and Gaseous Emissions of a Diesel Engine.

It is of great significance to improve the performance of diesel engines by adjusting the intake components and their distribution. In this work, various proportions of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) gas and oxygen (O2) have been introduced to the intake charge of a diesel engine and the effects of different intake components and stratification conditions on pollutant emissions, especially for particles, have been explored. The results show that the introduction of O2 into the intake charge is beneficial to alleviate the deterioration of particles and hydrocarbon (HC) emissions caused by high EGR rates. Compared with the pure air intake condition, the introduction of moderate O2 at high EGR rate conditions can simultaneously reduce nitrogen oxides (NO x ) and particles, when the intake oxygen content (IOC) is 0.2 and the EGR rate is 20%, the NO x and particles are reduced by 45.66% and 66.49%, respectively. It is worth noting that different intake components have a significant impact on the particle size distribution (PSD) of diesel engines. In addition, the in-cylinder O2 concentration distribution formed by the stratified intake is advantageous for further improving the combined effect of NO x , particles and HC emissions relative to the homogeneous intake. At a condition of 0.2 IOC and 20% EGR rate, the NO x , particles, and HC emissions are about 8.8%, 14.3%, and 26% lower than that of intake components nonstratification, respectively.

Tripartite motif-containing 54 promotes gastric cancer progression by upregulating K63-linked ubiquitination of filamin C.

BACKGROUND: Tripartite motif (TRIM) proteins have been proved to contribute to cancer progression, while whether tripartite motif-containing 54 (TRIM54) could functionally influence gastric cancer (GC) progression remains elusive. METHODS: The expression level of TRIM54 and filamin C (FLNC) in GC was determined by Western blot and online database. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, colony formation assay and Ethylenediurea (EdU) staining were performed to explore the effects of TRIM54 on GC cell proliferation. Transwell assay and wound healing assay were applied to detect the influence of TRIM54 on GC cell migration and invasion. Bioinformatics analysis and Co-immunoprecipitation assay (Co-Ip), Ubiquitination assay and Half-life assay were involved to explore the regulatory mechanism of TRIM54 on FLNC. RESULTS: TRIM54 was upregulated in GC tissues and cells, and a higher expression level of TRIM54 indicated a shorter overall survival of GC patients. The overexpression of TRIM54 significantly enhanced proliferation, migration, and invasion of GC cells, and inhibition of TRIM54 expression exerted reverse effects on GC cells. Mechanistically, TRIM54 was determined as a post-translational mediator of FLNC, and TRIM54 was co-immunoprecipitated with FLNC and degraded its protein level via K63-linked ubiquitination of FLNC. Notably, FLNC efficiently inhibited GC progression by TRIM54 overexpression. CONCLUSION: Collectively, our findings suggested that the TRIM54/FLNC axis could be considered as a potential prognostic biomarker for GC.