Biomimetic Electronic Skin Based on a Stretchable Ionogel Mechanoreceptor Composed of Crumpled Conductive Rubber Electrodes for Synchronous Strain, Pressure, and Temperature Detection.

Electronic skin (e-skin) is showing a huge potential in human-computer interaction, intelligent robots, human health, motion monitoring, etc. However, it is still challenging for e-skin to realize distinguishable detection of stretching strain, vertical pressure, and temperature through a simple noncoupling structure design. Here, a stretchable multimodal biomimetic e-skin was fabricated by integrating layer-by-layer self-assembled crumpled reduced graphene oxide/multiwalled carbon nanotubes film on natural rubber (RGO/MWCNTs@NR) as stretchable conductive electrodes and polyacrylamide/NaCl ionogel as a dielectric layer into an ionotropic capacitive mechanoreceptor. Unlike natural skin receptors, the sandwich-like stretchable ionogel mechanoreceptor possessed a distinct ionotropic capacitive behavior for strain and pressure detection. The results showed that the biomimetic e-skin displayed a negative capacitance change with superior stretchability (0-300%) and a high gauge factor of 0.27 in 180-300% strain, while exhibiting a normal positive piezo-capacitance behavior in vertical pressure range of 0-15 kPa with a maximal sensitivity of 1.759 kPa-1. Based on this feature, the biomimetic e-skin showed an excellent synchronous detection capability of planar strain and vertical pressure in practical wearable applications such as gesture recognition and grasping movement detection without a complicated mathematical or signal decoupling process. In addition, the biomimetic e-skin exhibited a quantifiable linear responsiveness to temperature from 20-90 °C with a temperature coefficient of 0.55%/°C. These intriguing properties gave the biomimetic e-skin the ability to perform a complete function similar to natural skin but beyond its performance for future wearable devices and artificial intelligence devices.

Assessing health behavior change and comparing remote, hybrid and in-person implementation of a school-based health promotion and coaching program for adolescents from low-income communities.

To assess the impact of a school-based health intervention on adolescents' health knowledge, psychosocial assets and health behaviors, including comparisons of implementation mode: remote, hybrid or in-person. The Stanford Youth Diabetes Coaches Program, an 8-week, school-based health promotion and coaching skills program, was offered to adolescents (ages 14-18 years) from four low-income US communities. Mode of program implementation was remote, hybrid or in-person. Participants completed online pre- and postsurveys. Analysis included paired t-tests, linear regression and qualitative coding. From Fall 2020 to Fall 2021, 262 adolescents enrolled and 179 finished the program and completed pre- and postsurveys. Of the 179, 80% were female, with a mean age of 15.9 years; 22% were Asian; 8% were Black or African American; 25% were White; and 40% were Hispanic. About 115 participants were remote, 25 were hybrid and 39 were in-person. Across all participants, significant improvements (P < 0.01) were reported in health knowledge, psychosocial assets (self-esteem, self-efficacy and problem-solving) and health behaviors (physical activity, nutrition and stress reduction). After adjusting for sex and age, these improvements were roughly equivalent across the three modes of delivery. Participation was associated with significant improvements in adolescent health behaviors. Furthermore, remote mode of instruction was just as effective as in-person and hybrid modes.

Efficacy and Safety of Epidural Chloroprocaine for Breakthrough Pain During Labor Analgesia: A Prospective, Double-Blind, Randomized Trial.

INTRODUCTION: A significant number of women who undergo neuraxial labor analgesia experience breakthrough pain. Prompt mitigation of breakthrough pain is essential to improve maternal and fetal outcomes. We evaluated epidural chloroprocaine compared with ropivacaine in alleviating labor breakthrough pain. METHODS: We performed a double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial between May and July 2023. Eligible parturients received epidural analgesia with ropivacaine and sufentanil. Those with breakthrough pain were randomized to receive either 0.125% epidural ropivacaine (group R) or chloroprocaine at concentrations of 0.5% (group C1), 1.0% (group C2), or 1.5% (group C3), all in a volume of 6 mL. The primary outcome was the treatment success rate, indicated by a decrease of at least 4 points on the numerical rating scale pain score 9 min after analgesic injection. Secondary outcomes and adverse effects were also recorded. RESULTS: Out of 323 patients receiving epidural analgesia, 192 experienced breakthrough pain. After exclusion of three patients because of protocol deviation, there were 47, 48, 47, and 47 patients in group R, C1, C2, and C3, respectively. Group C3 demonstrated a higher treatment success rate (39/47, 83.0%) in managing breakthrough pain than group R (26/47, 55.3%), group C1 (12/48, 25.0%), and group C2 (30/47, 63.8%) (p < 0.001). Group C3 had lower numerical rating scale scores at 6 and 9 min after injection and required fewer patient-controlled epidural boluses than other groups. In addition, group C3 reported greater satisfaction than the other groups (p < 0.001). No significant differences were observed in obstetric or neonatal outcomes across these groups. CONCLUSION: Parturients experiencing breakthrough pain could receive 1.5% epidural chloroprocaine, rather than lower chloroprocaine concentrations and ropivacaine, to achieve more rapid and better pain relief with higher patient satisfaction. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR2300071069, http://www.chictr.org.cn/index.aspx .

Metagenomic insights into the mechanism for the rapid enrichment and high stability of Candidatus Brocadia facilitated by Fe(â ¢).

The rapid enrichment of anammox bacteria and its fragile resistance to adverse environment are the critical problems facing of anammox processes. As an abundant component in anammox bacteria, iron has been proved to promote the activity and growth of anammox bacteria in the mature anammox systems, but the functional and metabolic profiles in Fe(III) enhanced emerging anammox systems have not been evaluated. Results indicated that the relative abundance of functional genes involved in oxidative phosphorylation, nitrogen metabolism, cofactors synthesis, and extracellular polymers synthesis pathways was significantly promoted in the system added with 5 mg/L Fe(III) (R5). These enhanced pathways were crucial to energy generation, nitrogen removal, cell activity and proliferation, and microbial self-defense, thereby accelerating the enrichment of anammox bacteria Ca. Brocadia and facilitating their resistance to adverse environments. Microbial community analysis showed that the proportion of Ca. Brocadia in R5 also increased to 64.42 %. Hence, R5 could adapt rapidly to the increased nitrogen loading rate and increase the nitrogen removal rate by 108 % compared to the system without Fe(III) addition. However, the addition of 10 and 20 mg/L Fe(III) showed inhibitory effects on the growth and activity of anammox bacteria, which exhibited the lower relative abundance of Ca. Brocadia and unstable or even collapsed nitrogen removal performance. This study not only clarified the concentration range of Fe(III) that promoted and inhibited the enrichment of anammox bacteria, but also deepened our understanding of the functional and metabolic mechanisms underlying enhanced enrichment of anammox bacteria by Fe(III), providing a potential strategy to hasten the start-up of anammox from conventional activated sludge.

Predictive, preventive, and personalized medicine in breast cancer: targeting the PI3K pathway.

Breast cancer (BC) is a multifaceted disease characterized by distinct molecular subtypes and varying responses to treatment. In BC, the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway has emerged as a crucial contributor to the development, advancement, and resistance to treatment. This review article explores the implications of the PI3K pathway in predictive, preventive, and personalized medicine for BC. It emphasizes the identification of predictive biomarkers, such as PIK3CA mutations, and the utility of molecular profiling in guiding treatment decisions. The review also discusses the potential of targeting the PI3K pathway for preventive strategies and the customization of therapy based on tumor stage, molecular subtypes, and genetic alterations. Overcoming resistance to PI3K inhibitors and exploring combination therapies are addressed as important considerations. While this field holds promise in improving patient outcomes, further research and clinical trials are needed to validate these approaches and translate them into clinical practice.

Associations of different isomeric forms of serum lycopene with cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality.

Background: The effect of serum lycopene on the progression of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and their longevity remains a controversial topic. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the associations of different isomeric forms of serum lycopene with CVD and all-cause mortality in the American population. Methods: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) is a large population survey to investigate public health in the US. We analyzed data from 2003-2006 linked with mortality data obtained in 2015. Cox proportional hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated to assess the risk of CVD and all-cause mortality caused by serum lycopene. Results: Among 7452 participants (aged 20-85 years, 46.7% male), 298 died from CVDs among the total 1213 deaths during a median follow-up of 10.7 years. Serum lycopene is a protective factor for all-cause and CVD mortality. In multivariable-adjusted models, the hazard ratio (with 95% confidence intervals) associated with Q4 compared to Q1 of serum total-lycopene, trans-lycopene and cis-lycopene was 0.49 (0.38,0.63), 0.49 (0.39,0.63) and 0.55 (0.43,0.70) for all-cause mortality (Ptrend<0.05), and was 0.53 (0.32,0.96), 0.48 (0.32,0.72) and 0.63 (0.41,0.97) for CVD mortality (Ptrend<0.05). The subgroup analyses showed that different isomeric forms of lycopene showed varied associations with CVD and all-cause mortality based on age, drinking status, history of hypertension and diabetes. Conclusions: Serum lycopene concentration was significantly associated with the risk of CVD and all-cause mortality. Cis-lycopene had a U-shaped relationship with mortality, while trans-lycopene had an inverse relationship with it.

High-Precision Corrosion Detection via SH1 Guided Wave Based on Full Waveform Inversion.

Corrosion detection for industrial settings is crucial for safe and efficient operations. Due to its high imaging resolution, the guided-wave full-waveform inversion tomography technique has significant potential for corrosion detection of plate metals. Limited by the long wavelengths of A0 and S0 mode waves, this method exhibits inadequate detection resolution for the earlier shallow and small corrosion defects. Based on the relatively short wavelength characteristics of the SH1 mode wave, we propose a high-precision corrosion detection method via SH1 guided wave using the full waveform inversion algorithms. By conducting finite element simulations of ultrasonic-guided waves on aluminum plates with varying corrosion defects, a comparison was made to assess the detection precision across A0, S0, and SH1 modes. The comparison results showed that, whether for regular or irregular defects, the SH1 mode wave always exhibited higher imaging accuracy than the A0 and S0 mode waves for shallow and small-sized defects. The corresponding experiments were conducted on an aluminum plate with simple or complex defects. The results of the experiments reconfirmed that the full waveform inversion method using SH1 guided wave can effectively reconstruct the shape and size of small and shallow corrosion defects within aluminum plates.

The promoting effect of exercise motivation on physical fitness in college students: a mediation effect model.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, the physical fitness situation of college students is worrying in China. Exercise motivation is of great importance for the physical activity and physical fitness. However, existing studies have paid limited attention to the specific effect between exercise motivation, physical activity and physical fitness, and even less to the different genders and exercise motivation dimensions. This study aimed to investigate the promoting effect of sport motivation on physical fitness with different gender and dimension in college students. METHODS: Physical fitness levels of 2544 college students in Wuhan and Jingzhou city were measured. Exercise motivation and physical activity was assessed using the Chinese version of the motives for physical activities measure-revised scale and the physical activity survey scale, respectively. Correlation analysis and structural equation model were used to explore the relationship between exercise motivation, physical activity and physical fitness. Bootstrap method was used to test the mediating effect. Multilevel regression analysis was used to examine the effects of different dimensions of exercise motivation on PF. RESULTS: The exercise motivation of college students was directly related to physical fitness (effect value: 0.307) or indirectly related through the mediating effect of physical activity (effect value: 0.092). The mediation effect percentage of physical activity on exercise motivation and physical fitness in male (51.20%) was greater than female (27.18%), and the standardized regression coefficient of the health dimension to PF was ß = 0.151, P < 0.001, and the competence dimension to PF was ß = 0.189, P < 0.001. CONCLUSIONS: The exercise motivation of college students can directly influence PF or indirectly influence PF through the mediating effect of PA. The promoting effect of exercise motivation and PA on PF in college students is related to gender and dimensions of exercise motivation. Therefore, we can improve physical fitness levels of college students by promoting their exercise motivation (especially for health motivation and competence motivation) and increasing their participation in physical activity. This study provides new strategies for improving physical fitness in college students.

Comprehensive immunophenotyping of solid tumor-infiltrating immune cells reveals the expression characteristics of LAG-3 and its ligands.

Background: Immune cell expression profiling from patient samples is critical for the successful development of immuno-oncology agents and is useful to understand mechanism-of-action, to identify exploratory biomarkers predictive of response, and to guide treatment selection and combination therapy strategies. LAG-3 is an inhibitory immune checkpoint that can suppress antitumor T-cell responses and targeting LAG-3, in combination with PD-1, is a rational approach to enhance antitumor immunity that has recently demonstrated clinical success. Here, we sought to identify human immune cell subsets that express LAG-3 and its ligands, to characterize the marker expression profile of these subsets, and to investigate the potential relationship between LAG-3 expressing subsets and clinical outcomes to immuno-oncology therapies. Methods: Comprehensive high-parameter immunophenotyping was performed using mass and flow cytometry of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from two independent cohorts of samples from patients with various solid tumor types. Profiling of circulating immune cells by single cell RNA-seq was conducted on samples from a clinical trial cohort of melanoma patients treated with immunotherapy. Results: LAG-3 was most highly expressed by subsets of tumor-infiltrating CD8 T central memory (TCM) and effector memory (TEM) cells and was frequently co-expressed with PD-1. We determined that these PD-1+ LAG-3+ CD8 memory T cells exhibited a unique marker profile, with greater expression of activation (CD69, HLA-DR), inhibitory (TIM-3, TIGIT, CTLA-4) and stimulatory (4-1BB, ICOS) markers compared to cells that expressed only PD-1 or LAG-3, or that were negative for both checkpoints. In contrast to tumors, LAG-3 expression was more limited in circulating immune cells from healthy donors and solid tumor patients. Additionally, we found abundant expression of the LAG-3 ligands MHC-II and galectin-3 in diverse immune cell types, whereas FGL1 and LSECtin were minimally expressed by immune cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Lastly, we found an inverse relationship between baseline and on-treatment levels of circulating LAG3 transcript-expressing CD8 memory T cells and response to combination PD-1 and CTLA-4 blockade in a clinical trial cohort of melanoma patients profiled by scRNAseq. Conclusions: These results provide insights into the nature of LAG-3- and ligand-expressing immune cells within the TME, and suggest a biological basis for informing mechanistic hypotheses, treatment selection strategies, and combination immunotherapy approaches to support continued development of dual PD-1 and LAG-3 blockade.

Ablation of Dual-Specificity Phosphatase 6 Protects against Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease via Cytochrome P450 4A and Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase.

Dual-specificity phosphatase 6 (DUSP6) is a specific phosphatase for mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). This study used a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced murine nonalcoholic fatty liver disease model to investigate the role of DUSP6 in this disease. Wild-type (WT) and Dusp6-haploinsufficiency mice developed severe obesity and liver pathology consistent with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease when exposed to HFD. In contrast, Dusp6-knockout (KO) mice completely eliminated these phenotypes. Furthermore, primary hepatocytes isolated from WT mice exposed to palmitic and oleic acids exhibited abundant intracellular lipid accumulation, whereas hepatocytes from Dusp6-KO mice showed minimal lipid accumulation. Transcriptome analysis revealed significant down-regulation of genes encoding cytochrome P450 4A (CYP4A), known to promote ω-hydroxylation of fatty acids and hepatic steatosis, in Dusp6-KO hepatocytes compared with that in WT hepatocytes. Diminished CYP4A expression was observed in the liver of Dusp6-KO mice compared with WT and Dusp6-haploinsufficiency mice. Knockdown of DUSP6 in HepG2, a human liver-lineage cell line, also promoted a reduction of lipid accumulation, down-regulation of CYP4A, and up-regulation of phosphorylated/activated MAPK. Furthermore, inhibition of MAPK activity promoted lipid accumulation in DUSP6-knockdown HepG2 cells without affecting CYP4A expression, indicating that CYP4A expression is independent of MAPK activation. These findings highlight the significant role of DUSP6 in HFD-induced steatohepatitis through two distinct pathways involving CYP4A and MAPK.

Effects of ACEI/ARB or CCB use on atrial fibrillation in hypertensive patients following permanent pacemaker implantation.

Aims: Permanent pacemaker implantation (PPI) combined with hypertension leads to a higher risk of new-onset atrial fibrillation (NOAF) for patients. Hence, it is essential to study how to reduce this risk. Currently, the effects of the two common anti-hypertensive drugs, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI)/angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) and calcium channel blockers (CCB), on the risk of NOAF for such patients remain unknown. This study aimed to investigate this association. Methods: This single-center retrospective study included hypertensive patients with PPI and without prior history of AF/atrial flutter, heart valve disease, hyperthyroidism, etc. Patients were classified into ACEI/ARB group and CCB group based on their exposure drug information. The primary outcome was NOAF events that occurred within 12 months after PPI. The secondary efficacy assessments were the changes from baseline to follow-up in blood pressure and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) parameters. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to verify our aim. Results: A total of 69 patients were finally included (51 on ACEI/ARB and 18 on CCB). Both univariate analysis [odds ratio (OR) 0.241, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.078-0.745] and multivariate analysis (OR: 0.246, 95% CI: 0.077-0.792) demonstrated that ACEI/ARB were associated with a lower risk of NOAF compared to CCB. The mean reduction in left atrial diameter (LAD) from baseline was greater in ACEI/ARB group than in CCB group (P = 0.034). There was no statistical difference between groups in blood pressure and other TTE parameters after treatment. Conclusion: For patients with PPI combined with hypertension, ACEI/ARB may be superior to CCB in selecting anti-hypertensive drugs, as ACEI/ARB further reduces the risk of NOAF. One reason for this may be that ACEI/ARB improves left atrial remodelling such as LAD better.

Association between breast nodules, anxiety, depression and metabolic risk factors in a Chinese cohort.

Background: The relationship between anxiety, depression, and metabolic parameters and the incidence of breast nodules is unclear. This study aims to investigate the association between female breast nodules and anxiety, depression and metabolic factors. Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 857 individuals with biological indicators and breast ultrasound data from the Daping hospital from April 2021 to February 2022. Serum samples were used to measure fasting blood glucose, uric acid, triglycerides, total cholesterol, urea nitrogen, alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, albumin, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein. Self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and self-rating depression scale (SDS) were used to assess the level of anxiety and depression. Result: The positive rate of breast nodules in women aged 40 to 49 years old was significantly higher than that of other age women. The proportion of participants aged 40-49 years old in the group with breast nodules was significantly higher than that in the group without breast nodules (34.6% vs. 16.9%, p<0.001). Breast nodules in postmenopausal women were significantly lower than those in premenopausal women (26.4% vs. 73.6%, p = 0.026). The SAS scores of women with breast nodules were higher than those of the no-nodules group (40.99 ± 8.45 vs. 38.94 ± 6.89, p<0.001), same as the SDS scores (41.97 ± 10.33 vs. 38.91 ± 7.60, p < 0.001). The number of women suffering from anxiety in the group of breast nodules was significantly higher than that in control (13.8% vs. 4.5%, p < 0.001), and the number of depression in the group of breast nodules was also significantly higher than that of in control (14.4% vs. 4.5%, p < 0.001). Women with breast nodules showed a slightly lower uric acid level than those without breast nodules (290.11 ± 65.32 vs. 301.43 ± 65.93 umol/L, p = 0.016). Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that age, menopausal status, anxiety and depression status were significantly associated with the presence of breast nodules, but there was no significant difference in uric acid. Conclusion: Our findings offer insight into the occurrence of depression and anxiety in the breast nodules of Chinese women. Anxiety and depression status, age and menopausal status may be the independent risk factors for the occurrence of breast nodules.

Design, synthesis, and cytotoxic activity of pyridine-based stilbenes.

In the present study, three series of 35 pyridine-based stilbenes include 10 new compounds prepared by Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons (HWE) reaction were assayed for cytotoxic activities toward two tumoral cell lines (K562 and MDA-MB-231) and one non-tumoral cell line (L-02). The bioassay results indicated that hybrid stilbenes formed at the C-3 position of pyridine displayed stronger antiproliferative activities against K562 cells and C-4 pyridine-based stilbenes showed broad-spectrum cytotoxic effects. Among them, C-3 pyridine-based stilbene PS2g bearing 2,6-dimethoxy possessed extremely potent antiproliferative activity with IC50 values 1.46 µM against K562 cells, along with excellent selectivity towards normal L-02 cells. In summary, the present study contributes to the development of natural stilbene-based derivatives as antitumor agents and PS2g may serve as a promising lead for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) worthy further investigation.

Remote Implementation of a School-Based Health Promotion and Health Coaching Program in Low-Income Urban and Rural Sites: Program Impact during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Adapting existing health programs for synchronous remote implementation has the potential to support vulnerable youth during the COVID 19 pandemic and beyond. METHODS: The Stanford Youth Diabetes Coaches Program (SYDCP), a school-based health promotion and coaching skills program, was adapted for remote implementation and offered to adolescents from low-income communities in the US: an urban site in San Jose, CA and rural sites in Lawrence County, MO, and Central Valley, CA. Participants completed online pre- and post- surveys. Analysis included paired T-tests, linear regression, and qualitative coding. RESULTS: Of 156 enrolled students, 100 completed pre- and post-surveys. Of those: 84% female; 40% Hispanic; 37% White; 28% Asian; 3% African American; 30% other race. With T-tests and regression models, the following measures showed statistically significant improvements after program participation: health knowledge, patient activation, health understanding and communication, consumption of fruits and vegetables, psychosocial assets of self-esteem, self-efficacy, problem-solving, and ability to reduce stress. Technology barriers were frequently reported at Lawrence County site. 96% participants reported making a lifestyle change after program participation. CONCLUSIONS: Remote implementation of health promotion programs for vulnerable youth in diverse settings has potential to support adoption of healthy behaviors, enhance patient activation levels, and improve psychosocial assets.

Recent advances in lignin-based carbon materials and their applications: A review.

As the most abundant natural aromatic polymer, tens of million of tons of lignin produced in paper-making or biorefinery industry are used as fuel annually, which is a low-value utilization. Moreover, burning lignin results in large amounts of carbon dioxide and pollutants in the air. The potential of lignin is far from being fully exploited and the search for high value-added application of lignin is highly pursued. Because of the high carbon content of lignin, converting lignin into advanced carbon-based structural or functional materials is regarded as one of the most promising solutions for both environmental protection and utilization of renewable resources. Significant progresses in lignin-based carbon materials (LCMs) including porous carbon, activated carbon, carbon fiber, carbon aerogel, nanostructured carbon, etc., for various valued applications have been witnessed in recent years. Here, this review summarized the recent advances in LCMs from the perspectives of preparation, structure, and applications. In particular, this review attempts to figure out the intrinsic relationship between the structure and functionalities of LCMs from their recent applications. Hopefully, some thoughts and discussions on the structure-property relationship of LCMs can inspire researchers to stride over the present barriers in the preparation and applications of LCMs.

Lateral approach is a more aesthetical option for radical resection of BSCC: assessment of its surgical, oncological, functional, and aesthetic outcomes.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to introduce a modified lateral approach for combined radical resection of buccal squamous cell carcinoma (BSCC) and evaluate its surgical, oncological, functional, and aesthetic outcomes in comparison with the conventional lower-lip splitting approach. METHODS: This single-center study retrospectively reviewed 80 patients with BSCC, of which 37 underwent the lateral approach and 43 underwent the conventional approach. Surgical, functional, oncological, and aesthetic evaluations, as well as follow-ups, were recorded and compared. RESULTS: Compared to the conventional approach group, the lateral approach group had a longer surgical time (P = 0.000), but there was no significant difference in other surgical and oncological parameters. Moreover, the scar in the head and neck had a significantly discreet appearance in the lateral approach group, whose satisfaction was better than those in the conventional approach group (P = 0.000). Other oral function parameters, postoperative mouth-opening, and 3-year survival rate were not significantly different between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The lateral approach could provide superior aesthetic results while maintaining equal surgical, functional, and oncological outcomes compared to the conventional approach for radical resection of BSCC.

Comparison of Different Volatile Extraction Methods for the Identification of Fishy Off-Odor in Fish By-Products.

This study was conducted to analyze volatile odor compounds and key odor-active compounds in the fish soup using fish scarp and bone. Five extraction methods, including solid-phase microextraction (SPME), dynamic headspace sampling (DHS), solvent-assisted flavor evaporation (SAFE), stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE), liquid-liquid extraction (LLE), were compared and SPME was finally selected as the best extraction method for further study. The volatile odor compounds were analyzed by gas chromatography-olfactometry-mass spectrometry (GC-O-MS) and comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-olfactometry-mass spectrometry (GC × GC-O-MS) techniques, and the key odor-active compounds were identified via aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA) and relative odor activity value (r-OAV) calculation. A total of 38 volatile compounds were identified by GC-O-MS, among which 10 were declared as odor-active compounds. Whereas 39 volatile compounds were identified by GC × GC-O-MS, among which 12 were declared as odor-active compounds. The study results revealed that 1-octen-3-one, 2-pentylfuran, (E)-2-octenal, 1-octen-3-one, hexanal, 1-octen-3-ol, 6-methylhept-5-en-2-one, (E,Z)-2,6-nondienal and 2-ethyl-3,5-dimethylpyrazine were the key odor-active compounds in the fish soup.

Polyvinyl acetate-based soil stabilization for rock slope ecological restoration.

External-soil spray seeding (ESSS) is a method often used for the ecological restoration of bare rock slopes. However, the direct use of ESSS is normally less satisfactory due to the erosion of sprayed soil and low survival rate of the plants on rock slopes. This study proposes a novel approach to addressing this issue through the combined use of ESSS with polyvinyl acetate (PVA) based soil stabilization. The PVA solutions are added to the soil to stabilize soil and improve soil strength while possessing high water and nutrient retention favorable for plant growth. A series of experimental tests on the mechanical properties, water stability, erosion resistance, water retention, and plant growth of the PVA-stabilized soil were conducted to assess the efficacy of the proposed method. The results showed that the proposed method could be promising for rock slope ecological restoration. A proper curing time (e.g., >3 days) was required to achieve beneficial effects of PVA on the soil properties. A shorter curing time would otherwise result in the decrease in the strength with the increased PVA content. It was found that the optimum PVA content was 3% for achieving the maximum water stability, erosion resistance, water retention, and plant growth. The cohesion increased by up to 50% and the internal friction angle increased by 3.5° compared to the natural soil. The disintegration rate of the stabilized soil was generally < 3e-3%/min. The maximum reduction in erosion was up to 83% when the PVA content ≥3%. The mechanisms behind the findings are also discussed.

PCSK9 Modulates Macrophage Polarization-Mediated Ventricular Remodeling after Myocardial Infarction.

Background and Aims: An increasing number of high-risk patients with coronary heart disease (similar to acute myocardial infarction (AMI)) are using PCSK9 inhibitors. However, whether PCSK9 affects myocardial repair and the molecular mechanism of PCSK9 modulation of immune inflammation after AMI are not known. The present research investigated the role of PCSK9 in the immunomodulation of macrophages after AMI and provided evidence for the clinical application of PCSK9 inhibitors after AMI to improve cardiac repair. Methods and Results: Wild-type C57BL6/J (WT) and PCSK9-/- mouse hearts were subjected to left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery occlusion to establish an AMI model. Correlation analysis showed that higher PCSK9 expression indicated worse cardiac function after AMI, and PCSK9 knockout reduced infarct size, improved cardiac function, and attenuated inflammatory cell infiltration compared to WT mice. Notably, the curative effects of PCSK9 inhibition were abolished after the systemic depletion of macrophages using clodronate liposomes. PCSK9 showed a regulatory effect on macrophage polarization in vivo and in vitro. Our studies also revealed that activation of the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB axis was a possible mechanism of PCSK9 regulation of macrophage polarization. Conclusion: Our data suggested that PCSK9 modulated macrophage polarization-mediated ventricular remodeling after myocardial infarction.

Theoretical and experimental investigation of circumferential guided waves in orthotropic annuli.

The fiber composite materials fabricated by stacking the lamina structure obtain increasing attention in the industry, and at the same time, damage analysis is essential for safe operation. A proposed way to detect defects such as debonding and delamination is to induce circumferential guided waves. Accurate determination of the dispersion characteristics and wave fields is a prerequisite for using acoustic guided waves. The aim of this work is to provide such an accurate dispersion results in an arbitrarily thick cylindrically orthotropic homogeneous cylindrical shell of uniform thickness. Compared with the traditional SAFE method, the proposed method, which combines the two numerical methods, namely Floquet Boundary Condition (Floquet BC) Method and Sweeping Frequency Finite Element Modeling (SFFEM) method has obvious advantages. Through Floquet BC method, a theoretical result can be easily obtained without tedious code writing. Then SFFEM helps to verify the theoretical result in an experimental way. Besides, the slight gap between the theoretical and experimental results works as a basis for calibrating the elastic constants of composite materials provided in the manual. Simulations in COMSOL Multiphysics FE software supported by both methods and experiments by the latter have been carried out in this work. The calculated phase velocity dispersion curves demonstrated the efficiency of those two methods. The developed method can be adapted to other complex pipeline structures to extract circumferential guided wave dispersion characteristics by both simulation and experimental measurements.