The novel probiotic preparation based on Lactobacillus spp. mixture on the intestinal bacterial community structure of Cherry Valley duck.

The development and utilization of probiotics have many environmental benefits when they are used to replace antibiotics in animal production. In this study, intestinal lactic acid bacteria were isolated from the intestines of Cherry Valley ducks. Probiotic lactic acid bacterial strains were screened for antibacterial activity and tolerance to produce a Lactobacillus spp. mixture. The effects of the compound on the growth performance and intestinal flora of Cherry Valley ducks were studied. Based on the results of the antibacterial activity and tolerance tests, the highly active strains Lactobacillus casei 1.2435, L. salivarius L621, and L. salivarius L4 from the intestines of Cherry Valley ducks were selected. The optimum ratio of L. casei 1.2435, L. salivarius L621, and L. salivarius L4 was 1:1:2, the amount of inoculum used was 1%, and the fermentation time was 14 h. In vivo experiments showed that compared with the control group, the relative abundances of intestinal Lactobacillus and Blautia were significantly increased in the experimental group fed the lactobacilli compound (P < 0.05); the relative abundances of Parabacteroides, [Ruminococcus]_torques_group, and Enterococcus were significantly reduced (P < 0.05), and the growth and development of the dominant intestinal flora were promoted in the Cherry Valley ducks. This study will provide more opportunities for Cherry Valley ducks to choose microecological agents for green and healthy breeding.

A Case of Pregnancy-Induced Hereditary Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura Complicated by Cerebral Vasospasm.

BACKGROUND: The aim was to explore the treatment of a case of congenital thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura induced by pregnancy complicated with cerebral vasospasm. METHODS: We present a case study of congenital TTP where disease onset occurred during two separate pregnancies. Interestingly, the disease course exhibited distinct differences on each occasion. Additionally, following plasma transfusion therapy, there was a transient occurrence of cerebral vasospasm. RESULTS: In this case, ADAMTS13 levels reached their lowest point three days after delivery during the first pregnancy, triggering morbidity. Remarkably, a single plasma transfusion of 400 mL sufficed for the patient's recovery. Nonetheless, a recurrence of symptoms transpired during her second pregnancy at 24 weeks of gestation. Plasma transfusions were administered during and after delivery. Sudden convulsions developed. ADAMTS13 ac-tivity returned to normal, but cranial MRA revealed constrictions in the intracranial segments of both vertebral arteries, the basilar artery, and the lumen of the anterior, middle, and posterior cerebral arteries. A subsequent cranial MRA conducted a month later showed no lumen stenosis, indicating spontaneous recovery. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the importance of careful consideration when administering plasma transfusions in congenital TTP during pregnancy. Moreover, the development of novel therapeutic approaches such as recombinant ADAMTS13 is crucial for minimizing complications and optimizing patient care.

Prospective comparison of an 18-gauge versus 16-gauge needle for percutaneous liver core-needle biopsy in children.

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to analyzed the impact of needle gauge (G) on the adequacy of specimens and hemorrhagic complications in pediatric patients undergoing ultrasound (US)-guided transplanted liver biopsies. METHODS: The study included 300 consecutive biopsies performed in 282 pediatric patients (mean age 6.75 ± 3.82 years, range 0.84-17.90) between December 2020 and April 2022. All pediatric patients that referred to our institution for US-guided core-needle liver biopsy (CNLB) were randomized to undergo 16-G or 18-G CNLB. Hemorrhagic complications were qualitatively evaluated. The number of complete portal tracts (CPTs) per specimen was counted and specimen adequacy was assessed based on the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases guidelines. RESULTS: The incidence of bleeding was 7.00% (n = 21) and adequate specimens for accurate pathological diagnosis were obtained from 98.33% (n = 295) of patients. There was no significant difference in the incidence or amount of bleeding between the 16-G and 18-G groups (11 vs 10, p = 0.821; 35.0 mL vs 31.3 mL, p = 0.705). Although biopsies obtained using a 16-G needle contained more complete portal tracts than those obtained using an 18-G needle (20.0 vs 18.0, p = 0.029), there was no significant difference in specimen inadequacy according to needle gauge (2 vs 3, p = 1.000). CONCLUSIONS: Biopsy with a 16-G needle was associated with a greater number of CPTs but did not increase the adequate specimen rate. There was no significant difference in the complication rate between 16-G biopsy and 18-G biopsy.

Using Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Derived Neurons on Microelectrode Arrays to Model Neurological Disease: A Review.

In situ physiological signals of in vitro neural disease models are essential for studying pathogenesis and drug screening. Currently, an increasing number of in vitro neural disease models are established using human-induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) derived neurons (hiPSC-DNs) to overcome interspecific gene expression differences. Microelectrode arrays (MEAs) can be readily interfaced with two-dimensional (2D), and more recently, three-dimensional (3D) neural stem cell-derived in vitro models of the human brain to monitor their physiological activity in real time. Therefore, MEAs are emerging and useful tools to model neurological disorders and disease in vitro using human iPSCs. This is enabling a real-time window into neuronal signaling at the network scale from patient derived. This paper provides a comprehensive review of MEA's role in analyzing neural disease models established by hiPSC-DNs. It covers the significance of MEA fabrication, surface structure and modification schemes for hiPSC-DNs culturing and signal detection. Additionally, this review discusses advances in the development and use of MEA technology to study in vitro neural disease models, including epilepsy, autism spectrum developmental disorder (ASD), and others established using hiPSC-DNs. The paper also highlights the application of MEAs combined with hiPSC-DNs in detecting in vitro neurotoxic substances. Finally, the future development and outlook of multifunctional and integrated devices for in vitro medical diagnostics and treatment are discussed.

Decrease of lncRNA MEG3 in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Affected the Expression of p53 and MDM2.

BACKGROUND: The aim was to determine the clinical role of long non coding maternally expressed gene 3 (lncRNA MEG3) in adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML). METHODS: The expression levels of lncRNA MEG3 in bone marrow of AML patients and healthy donors were determined by qPCR. The correlation between expression levels of lncRNA MEG3 and clinical features was also analyzed. MTT assay and flow-cytometric assay were employed to determine the role of lncRNA MEG3 on the cell viability and apoptosis of AML cell lines. Expression levels of caspase-9, Bcl-2, MDM2, and p53 in those cells were determined by western blot. RESULTS: The expression levels of lncRNA MEG3 was significantly down-regulated in AML patients. Expression levels of lncRNA MEG3 were positively correlated with overall survival of patients. Up-regulation of lncRNA MEG3 could not only inhibit the cell growth and promoted apoptosis, but also increased the expression of caspase-9 and p53 and decreased the expression of Bcl-2 and MDM2. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that down-regulation of lncRNA MEG3 in AML patients might promote tumor progression and affect the p53-MDM2 pathway.

Preparation of magnetic sodium alginate/sodium carboxymethylcellulose interpenetrating network gel spheres and use in superefficient adsorption of direct dyes in water.

The rapid development of the printing and dyeing industry has led to the production of a large amount of high-density printing and dyeing wastewater, and technology for its effective treatment has become a focus of research. To construct a polymeric adsorbent material with abundant functional groups for the efficient adsorption of dye wastewater, a novel magnetic sodium alginate/carboxymethylcellulose interpenetrating network gel sphere (Fe3O4@SA/CMC-Fe) was prepared by co-blending sodium alginate (SA) and sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) with Fe3O4; Fe3O4@SA/CMC-Fe was characterized by SEM-EDS, XRD, TGA, FT-IR, UV-Vis, VSM, BET-BJH and XPS. Static adsorption experiments showed that the optimal rates for adsorption of DV 51 and DR 23 from solutions with neutral pH values by Fe3O4@SA/CMC-Fe were up to 96 %, the adsorption process exhibited a Langmuir adsorption isotherm, and the dynamic adsorption process was accurately described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. A thermodynamic study showed that the adsorption reactions were all spontaneous exothermic reactions with increasing entropy. The mechanism for adsorption of the dyes by Fe3O4@SA/CMC-Fe involved hydrogen bonding, complexation and electrostatic adsorption. In summary, Fe3O4@SA/CMC-Fe is a green, simple, recyclable and highly efficient magnetic adsorbent that is expected to be widely used in treating dye wastewaters over a wide pH range.

PtNPs/PEDOT:PSS-Modified Microelectrode Arrays for Detection of the Discharge of Head Direction Cells in the Retrosplenial Cortex of Rats under Dissociation between Visual and Vestibular Inputs.

The electrophysiological activities of head direction (HD) cells under visual and vestibular input dissociation are important to understanding the formation of the sense of direction in animals. In this paper, we fabricated a PtNPs/PEDOT:PSS-modified MEA to detect changes in the discharge of HD cells under dissociated sensory conditions. The electrode shape was customized for the retrosplenial cortex (RSC) and was conducive to the sequential detection of neurons at different depths in vivo when combined with a microdriver. The recording sites of the electrode were modified with PtNPs/PEDOT:PSS to form a three-dimensional convex structure, leading to closer contact with neurons and improving the detection performance and signal-to-noise ratio of the MEA. We designed a rotating cylindrical arena to separate the visual and vestibular information of the rats and detected the changes in the directional tuning of the HD cells in the RSC. The results showed that after visual and vestibular sensory dissociation, HD cells used visual information to establish newly discharged directions which differed from the original direction. However, with the longer time required to process inconsistent sensory information, the function of the HD system gradually degraded. After recovery, the HD cells reverted to their newly established direction rather than the original direction. The research based on our MEAs revealed how HD cells process dissociated sensory information and contributes to the study of the spatial cognitive navigation mechanism.

High-performance multifunctional porous iron Acetylacetonate/N, O-doped carbon nanospheres for electromagnetic wave absorption at 2-18 GHz and methyl orange absorption.

Nowadays, multifunction is regarded as an advanced development direction of new-generation electromagnetic wave absorption (EMWA) materials to fulfill the ever-growing demands in complex environment and situation. Environmental pollution and electromagnetic pollution are all difficult problems for human beings all the time. Now, there is no multifunctional materials for collaborative treatment of environmental and electromagnetic pollution. Herein, We synthesized nanospheres with divinyl benzene (DVB) and N-[3-(dimethylamino)propyl]methacrylamide (DMAPMA), using a simple one-pot method. After calcination at 800 ℃ in N2, porous N, O-doped porous carbon materials were prepared. By regulating the mole ratio of DVB and DMAPMA, the ratio was 5:1 reached excellent EMWA property. Remarkably, the introduction of iron acetylacetonate into the reaction of DVB and DMAPMA was effective in enhancing the absorption bandwidth to 8.00 GHz at a 3.74 mm thickness, which depended on the synergistic effects from dielectric and magnetic losses. Simultaneously, the Fe-doped carbon materials had a methyl orange adsorption capacity. The adsorption isotherm conformed to the Freundlich model. After methyl orange absorption, the EMWA property did not greatly change. Thus, this research paves the way for the creation of multifunctional materials to solve environmental pollution and electromagnetic pollution together.

PtNPs/rGO-GluOx/mPD Directionally Electroplated Dual-Mode Microelectrode Arrays for Detecting the Synergistic Relationship between the Cortex and Hippocampus of Epileptic Rats.

Precise and directional couplings of functional nanomaterials with implantable microelectrode arrays (IMEAs) are critical for the manufacture of sensitive enzyme-based electrochemical neural sensors. However, there is a gap between the microscale of IMEA and conventional bioconjugation techniques for enzyme immobilization, which leads to a series of challenges such as limited sensitivity, signal crosstalk, and high detection voltage. Here, we developed a novel method using carboxylated graphene oxide (cGO) to directionally couple the glutamate oxidase (GluOx) biomolecules onto the neural microelectrode to monitor glutamate concentration and electrophysiology in the cortex and hippocampus of epileptic rats under RuBi-GABA modulation. The resulting glutamate IMEA exhibited good performance involving less signal crosstalk between microelectrodes, lower reaction potential (0.1 V), and higher linear sensitivity (141.00 ± 5.66 nA µM-1 mm-2). The excellent linearity ranged from 0.3 to 68 µM (R = 0.992), and the limit of detection was 0.3 µM. For epileptic rats, the proposed IMEA sensitively obtained synergetic variations in the action potential (Spike), local field potentials (LFPs), and glutamate of the cortex and hippocampus during seizure and RuBi-GABA inhibition. We found that the increase in glutamate preceded the burst of electrophysiological signals. At the same time, both changes in the hippocampus preceded the cortex. This reminded us that glutamate changes in the hippocampus could serve as important indicators for early warning of epilepsy. Our findings provided a new technical strategy for directionally stabilizing enzymes onto the IMEA with versatile implications for various biomolecules' modification and facilitated the development of detecting tools for understanding the neural mechanism.

Nanomaterial-based microelectrode arrays for in vitro bidirectional brain-computer interfaces: a review.

A bidirectional in vitro brain-computer interface (BCI) directly connects isolated brain cells with the surrounding environment, reads neural signals and inputs modulatory instructions. As a noninvasive BCI, it has clear advantages in understanding and exploiting advanced brain function due to the simplified structure and high controllability of ex vivo neural networks. However, the core of ex vivo BCIs, microelectrode arrays (MEAs), urgently need improvements in the strength of signal detection, precision of neural modulation and biocompatibility. Notably, nanomaterial-based MEAs cater to all the requirements by converging the multilevel neural signals and simultaneously applying stimuli at an excellent spatiotemporal resolution, as well as supporting long-term cultivation of neurons. This is enabled by the advantageous electrochemical characteristics of nanomaterials, such as their active atomic reactivity and outstanding charge conduction efficiency, improving the performance of MEAs. Here, we review the fabrication of nanomaterial-based MEAs applied to bidirectional in vitro BCIs from an interdisciplinary perspective. We also consider the decoding and coding of neural activity through the interface and highlight the various usages of MEAs coupled with the dissociated neural cultures to benefit future developments of BCIs.

Adsorption properties and mechanism of zinc acrylic carbon nanosphere aggregates for perfluorooctanoic acid from aqueous solution.

This study found that the cross-linkable zinc acrylic nanosphere aggregates (NAs) as precursors were successfully prepared by a simple one-step synthesis route, and Zn,O dopped-carbon nanocomposites were obtained through temperature-controllable engineering, which showed excellent adsorption capacities for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). A series of experiments were performed to investigate and compare carbon materials for the efficient removal of PFOA. The maximum adsorption capacities of PFOA absorbed on carbon nanospheres aggregates (CNAs) were calculated by the Langmuir (360.98 mg/g) and Sips models (309.65 mg/g). The kinetic model indicated there was chemical adsorption and physical adsorption in the adsorption process. Van der Waals force and electrostatic interactions might be the dominant mechanism of the adsorption process. Additionally, pore-filling also played a role in the adsorption process. Furthermore, the adsorption efficiency was still above 90% after five cycles. The selective adsorption ability was tested through various pollutants (metal ions and dye solutions) absorbed by the CNAs. Our results proved that carbon nanosphere aggregates (CNAs) are expected to be outstanding adsorption materials for the decontamination of PFOA from wastewater.

Grid cell remapping under three-dimensional object and social landmarks detected by implantable microelectrode arrays for the medial entorhinal cortex.

Grid cells with stable hexagonal firing patterns in the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) carry the vital function of serving as a metric for the surrounding environment. Whether this mechanism processes only spatial information or involves nonspatial information remains elusive. Here, we fabricated an MEC-shaped microelectrode array (MEA) to detect the variation in neural spikes and local field potentials of the MEC when rats forage in a square enclosure with a planar, three-dimensional object and social landmarks in sequence. The results showed that grid cells exhibited rate remapping under social conditions in which spike firing fields closer to the social landmark had a higher firing rate. Furthermore, global remapping showed that hexagonal firing patterns were rotated and scaled when the planar landmark was replaced with object and social landmarks. In addition, when grid cells were activated, the local field potentials were dominated by the theta band (5-8 Hz), and spike phase locking was observed at troughs of theta oscillations. Our results suggest the pattern separation mechanism of grid cells in which the spatial firing structure and firing rate respond to spatial and social information, respectively, which may provide new insights into how the brain creates a cognitive map.

A Neural Sensor with a Nanocomposite Interface for the Study of Spike Characteristics of Hippocampal Neurons under Learning Training.

Both the cellular- and population-level properties of involved neurons are essential for unveiling the learning and memory functions of the brain. To give equal attention to these two aspects, neural sensors based on microelectrode arrays (MEAs) have been in the limelight due to their noninvasive detection and regulation capabilities. Here, we fabricated a neural sensor using carboxylated graphene/3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene:polystyrenesulfonate (cGO/PEDOT:PSS), which is effective in sensing and monitoring neuronal electrophysiological activity in vitro for a long time. The cGO/PEDOT:PSS-modified microelectrodes exhibited a lower electrochemical impedance (7.26 ± 0.29 kΩ), higher charge storage capacity (7.53 ± 0.34 mC/cm2), and improved charge injection (3.11 ± 0.25 mC/cm2). In addition, their performance was maintained after 2 to 4 weeks of long-term cell culture and 50,000 stimulation pulses. During neural network training, the sensors were able to induce learning function in hippocampal neurons through precise electrical stimulation and simultaneously detect changes in neural activity at multiple levels. At the cellular level, not only were three kinds of transient responses to electrical stimulation sensed, but electrical stimulation was also found to affect inhibitory neurons more than excitatory neurons. As for the population level, changes in connectivity and firing synchrony were identified. The cGO/PEDOT:PSS-based neural sensor offers an excellent tool in brain function development and neurological disease treatment.

PtNPs/PEDOT:PSS-Modified Microelectrode Arrays Reveal Electrophysiological Activities of Different Neurons in Medial Amygdala of Mice Under Innate Fear.

The medial amygdala (MA) plays an important role in the innate fear circuit. However, the electrophysiological mechanism of MA for processing innate fear needs to be further explored. In this study, we fabricated microelectrode arrays (MEAs) with detecting sites arranged to match the location and shape of MA in mice and detected the electrophysiology in freely behaving mice under 2-methyl-2-thiazoline (2MT)-induced fear. The detection performance of MEA is improved by modifying metal nanoparticles and conductive polymers (PtNPs/PEDOT:PSS). After modification, the impedance magnitude and phase of electrodes were decreased to 27.0 ± 2.3 kΩ and -12.30 ± 0.52°, respectively, leading to a signal-to-noise ratio of 10. Its electrochemical stability and mechanical stability were also verified by cyclic voltammetry (CV) sweeping and ultrasonic vibration. MEAs were then implanted into the MA of mice, and the electrophysiology and behavioral characteristics were synchronously recorded and analyzed. The results showed that 2MT induced strong defensive behaviors in mice, accompanied by increases in the average spike firing rate and local field potential (LFP) power of MA neurons. According to principles commonly applied to cortical extracellular recordings, the recorded neurons are divided into two classes based on waveforms. Statistics showed that about 37% of type 1 neurons (putative GABAergic neurons) and 87% of type 2 neurons (putative glutamatergic neurons) were significantly activated under innate fear. At the same time, the firing rate of some activated neurons had a good linear correlation with the freezing rate.

Sensitive detection of electrophysiology and dopamine vesicular exocytosis of hESC-derived dopaminergic neurons using multifunctional microelectrode array.

Clinical transplantation of human embryonic stem cells derived dopaminergic neurons (hESC-DDNs) is expected to be a potential therapy for treating neurodegenerative diseases. However, the assessment of the physiological functions, including electrophysiology and dopamine (DA) vesicular exocytosis of hESC-DDNs are not impeccable currently, which deeply limits the clinical application of hESC-DDNs. To overcome this challenge, we developed a multifunctional microelectrode array (MEA) which can detect both electrophysiological signals and DA vesicular exocytosis. The reduced oxidation graphene, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) and poly (sodium-4-styrenesultanate) nanocomposites (rGO/PEDOT:PSS) were electrochemically deposited on the MEAs to improve their electrical characterizations with low impedance and small phase delay, and electrochemical characterizations with low oxidation potential, low detection limit, high sensitivity, wide linear range and high sensitivity. In the hESC-DDNs experiment, the modified MEA could detect electrophysiological signals with low noise (25 µV) and high signal-to-noise ratio (>5.4), and the weak current signals generated by DA vesicular exocytosis with high sensitivity (∼pA), high time resolution (sub-millisecond) and low noise (3 pA). Moreover, due to increased accuracy, the MEA could clearly distinguish two typical kinds of exocytosis spike events ("Spikes with foot" and "Spikes without foot") and found that the slow and low release through the fusion pore was an important mode of DA vesicular exocytosis in hESC-DDNs. Our work proved that the hESC-DDNs had the basic physiological functions as human dopaminergic neurons, which would be beneficial to the clinical application of the hESC-DDNs.

High-Throughput PEDOT:PSS/PtNPs-Modified Microelectrode Array for Simultaneous Recording and Stimulation of Hippocampal Neuronal Networks in Gradual Learning Process.

When it comes to mechanisms of brain functions such as learning and memory mediated by neural networks, existing multichannel electrophysiological detection and regulation technology at the cellular level does not suffice. To address this challenge, a 128-channel microelectrode array (MEA) was fabricated for electrical stimulation (ES) training and electrophysiological recording of the hippocampal neurons in vitro. The PEDOT:PSS/PtNPs-coated microelectrodes dramatically promote the recording and electrical stimulation performance. The MEA exhibited low impedance (10.94 ± 0.49 kohm), small phase delay (-12.54 ± 0.51°), high charge storage capacity (14.84 ± 2.72 mC/cm2), and high maximum safe injection charge density (4.37 ± 0.22 mC/cm2), meeting the specific requirements for training neural networks in vitro. A series of ESs at various frequencies was applied to the neuronal cultures in vitro, seeking the optimum training mode that enables the neuron to display the most obvious plasticity, and 1 Hz ES was determined. The network learning process, including three consecutive trainings, affected the original random spontaneous activity. Along with that, the firing pattern gradually changed to burst and the correlation and synchrony of the neuronal activity in the network have progressively improved, increasing by 314% and 240%, respectively. The neurons remembered these changes for at least 4 h. Collectively, ES activates the learning and memory functions of neurons, which is manifested in transformations in the discharge pattern and the improvement of network correlation and synchrony. This study offers a high-performance MEA revealing the underlying learning and memory functions of the brain and therefore serves as a useful tool for the development of brain functions in the future.

A Dual-Channel Intelligent Point-of-Care Testing System for Soluble Programmed Death-1 and Programmed Death-Ligand 1 Detection Based on Folding Paper-Based Immunosensors.

Both programmed death-1 (PD-1) and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) are important proteins in cancer immunotherapy. Soluble forms (sPD-1 and sPD-L1) have potential for determining treatment and prognosis monitoring. However, there is a lack of detection methods for point-of-care testing (POCT) of these two proteins, so a low-cost rapid detection platform is urgently needed. To solve this problem, a dual-channel electrochemical platform, including a folding paper-based immunosensor and a POCT system for rapid simultaneous detection of these two proteins was designed and fabricated. The immunosensor consists of a three-electrode system and a reaction cell. The surface of the working electrode was modified with nanocomposites synthesized from amine-functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes, new methylene blue, and gold nanoparticles. Antibodies to sPD-1 and sPD-L1 were also immobilized on the working electrode surface. A differential pulse voltammetry electrochemical method was adopted. The immunosensor was able to detect sPD-1 and sPD-L1 in the ranges of 50 pg/mL to 50 ng/mL and 5 pg/mL to 5 ng/mL, respectively. The limits of detection were 10 and 5 pg/mL. Using this detection platform, sPD-1 and sPD-L1 in plasma were detected by both enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and the immunosensor, which has good application potential.

Evaluation of Risk Factors for Bleeding After Ultrasound-Guided Liver Biopsy.

PURPOSE: This study was performed to analyze the risk factors for hemorrhagic complications after ultrasound-guided liver biopsies. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, we reviewed 1193 ultrasound-guided percutaneous liver biopsies performed in our hospital from January 2018 to December 2020. Relevant patient characteristics, indications for biopsy, laboratory findings, biopsy technique, hemorrhagic complications, and pathologic outcomes were collected. RESULTS: We analyzed 834 procedures performed on 807 patients with complete data. The bleeding group comprised 45 patients with post-procedure bleeding, and non-bleeding group comprising the remaining 789 patients. Univariate analysis showed that age (p < 0.001), number of needle passes (p = 0.009), platelet count (p = 0.002), prothrombin time (p < 0.001), and international normalized ratio (p < 0.001) were associated with post-procedure bleeding. Multivariable regression analysis showed that age under 18 years (p < 0.001), low platelet count (p = 0.001), and increased needle passes (p = 0.025) were independent risk factors for bleeding complications. CONCLUSION: Sex and focal liver lesions did not affect the risk of post-procedure bleeding. The international normalized ratio and prothrombin time were associated with an increased incidence of bleeding; however, they had no predictive value. Age, number of needle passes, and platelet count were identified as reliable predictors of bleeding.

SWCNTs/PEDOT:PSS-Modified Microelectrode Arrays for Dual-Mode Detection of Electrophysiological Signals and Dopamine Concentration in the Striatum under Isoflurane Anesthesia.

Accurate detection of the degree of isoflurane anesthesia during a surgery is important to avoid the risk of overdose isoflurane anesthesia timely. To address this challenge, a four-shank implantable microelectrode array (MEA) was fabricated for the synchronous real-time detection of dual-mode signals [electrophysiological signal and dopamine (DA) concentration] in rat striatum. The SWCNTs/PEDOT:PSS nanocomposites were modified onto the MEAs, which significantly improved the electrical and electrochemical performances of the MEAs. The electrical performance of the modified MEAs with a low impedance (16.20 ± 1.68 kΩ) and a small phase delay (-27.76 ± 0.82°) enabled the MEAs to detect spike firing with a high signal-to-noise ratio (> 3). The electrochemical performance of the modified MEAs with a low oxidation potential (160 mV), a low detection limit (10 nM), high sensitivity (217 pA/µM), and a wide linear range (10 nM-72 µM) met the specific requirements for DA detection in vivo. The anesthetic effect of isoflurane was mediated by inhibiting the spike firing of D2_SPNs (spiny projection neurons expressing the D2-type DA receptor) and the broadband oscillation rhythm of the local field potential (LFP). Therefore, the spike firing rate of D2_SPNs and the power of LFP could reflect the degree of isoflurane anesthesia together. During the isoflurane anesthesia-induced death procedure, we found that electrophysiological activities and DA release were strongly inhibited, and changes in the DA concentration provided more details regarding this procedure. The dual-mode recording MEA provided a detection method for the degree of isoflurane anesthesia and a prediction method for fatal overdose isoflurane anesthesia.

In Vivo Microelectrode Arrays for Detecting Multi-Region Epileptic Activities in the Hippocampus in the Latent Period of Rat Model of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is a form of refractory focal epilepsy, which includes a latent period and a chronic period. Microelectrode arrays capable of multi-region detection of neural activities are important for accurately identifying the epileptic focus and pathogenesis mechanism in the latent period of TLE. Here, we fabricated multi-shank MEAs to detect neural activities in the DG, hilus, CA3, and CA1 in the TLE rat model. In the latent period in TLE rats, seizures were induced and changes in neural activities were detected. The results showed that induced seizures spread from the hilus and CA3 to other areas. Furthermore, interneurons in the hilus and CA3 were more excited than principal cells and exhibited rhythmic oscillations at approximately 15 Hz in grand mal seizures. In addition, the power spectral density (PSD) of neural spikes and local field potentials (LFPs) were synchronized in the frequency domain of the alpha band (9-15 Hz) after the induction of seizures. The results suggest that fabricated MEAs have the advantages of simultaneous and precise detection of neural activities in multiple subregions of the hippocampus. Our MEAs promote the study of cellular mechanisms of TLE during the latent period, which provides an important basis for the diagnosis of the lesion focus of TLE.