Automatic substantia nigra segmentation with Swin-Unet in susceptibility- and T2-weighted imaging: application to Parkinson disease diagnosis.

Background: Accurately distinguishing between Parkinson disease (PD) and healthy controls (HCs) through reliable imaging method is crucial for appropriate therapeutic intervention. However, PD diagnosis is hindered by the subjective nature of the evaluation. We aimed to develop an automatic deep-learning method that can segment the substantia nigra areas on susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) and T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) and further differentiate patients with PD from HCs using a machine learning algorithm. Methods: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from 83 patients with PD and 83 age- and sex-matched HCs were obtained on the same 3.0-T MRI scanner. A deep learning method with Swin-Unet was developed to segment volumes of interest (VOIs) on SWI and then map the VOIs on SWI to the corresponding T2WI; features were then extracted from the VOIs on SWI and T2WI. Three machine learning models were developed and compared to differentiate those with PD from HCs. Results: Swin-Unet achieved a better Dice coefficient than did U-Net in SWI segmentation (0.832 vs. 0.712). Machine learning models outperformed visual analysis (P>0.05), and logistic regression (LR) achieved the best performance [area under the curve (AUC) ≥0.819] and the most stable (relative standard deviations in AUC ≤0.05). The test results showed that the AUC of the LR model based on SWI segmentation was 0.894 while that of the LR model based on T2WI segmentation was 0.876. There was no significant difference in VOIs based on manual labeling or automatic segmentation across T2WI, SWI, or a combination of the two (P>0.05). The AUCs of the LR model based on automatic segmentation were close to those of the model based on manual labeling (P>0.05). Conclusions: Our approach could provide a powerful and useful method for automatically and rapidly diagnosing PD in the clinic with only T2WI.

Construction of montmorillonite-based materials for highly efficient uranium removal: adsorption behaviors and mechanism.

In this work, Fe3+-doped and -NH2-grafted montmorillonite-based material was prepared and the adsorption ability for uranium(VI) was verified. The microstructure and pore size distribution of the montmorillonite-based material were investigated by N2 adsorption-desorption analyzer and scanning electron microscopy. The surface groups and composition were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, X-ray photoelectron spectrometer and X-ray diffractometer, which proved the successful doping of Fe3+ and grafting of -NH2. In the adsorption study, the adsorption reached equilibrium within 100 min with a maximum adsorption capacity of 661.2 mg/g at pH = 6 and a high adsorption efficiency of 99.4 % at low uranium(VI) concentration (pH = 6, m/V = 0.5 g/L). The mechanism study showed that the strong synergistic complexation of -OH and -NH2 for uranium(VI) played a decisive role in the adsorption process and the transport function of interlayer bound water could also enhance the adsorption probability of uranium(VI) species. These results were far superior to other reported similar materials, which proved that the Fe3+-doped and -NH2-grafted montmorillonite-based material possessed an extremely high application potential in adsorption, providing a new route for the modification of montmorillonite.

Gut microbiota, allergic rhinitis, vasomotor rhinitis, Mendelian randomization, causal association.

OBJECTIVE: Continuous research on the structure and function of intestinal microecology has confirmed the association between gut microbiota and the occurrence, development, and outcome of allergic diseases. Here, we explored the genetic causality between gut microbiota and rhinitis. METHODS: We conducted a two-sample Mendelian Randomization (MR) study to investigate the genetic causal relationship between gut microbiota and allergic rhinitis and vasomotor rhinitis. Genetic variations in the human gut microbiota were obtained from the summary statistics of the MiBioGen study. Genome-wide summary statistics of rhinitis were obtained from the FinnGen consortium. The causal effect between gut microbiota and rhinitis was assessed using the inverse variance weighted, MR-Egger regression, and weighted median methods. In addition, sensitivity analyses were conducted using different methods, including maximum likelihood, simple mode, and weighted model methods. RESULTS: The IVW approach revealed a causal association of the genus Ruminococcus gauvreauii group with an increased risk of allergic rhinitis (IVW Odds Ratio [OR = 1.26] [1.04, 1.53], p-value = 0.01645). In addition, the genus Fusicatenibacter (IVW OR = 1.20 [1.02, 1.41], p-value = 0.02868) was causally associated with an increased risk of vasomotor rhinitis. CONCLUSION: Gut microbiota belonging to different genera exert different effects on allergic rhinitis and vasomotor rhinitis, including reducing the risk of rhinitis, and increasing the risk of rhinitis. New insights into the mechanisms of underlying gut microbiota-associated rhinitis are provided. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 5.

Controlling the quality of Patinopecten yessoensis from the perspective of the ultrasound and ferulic acid influences.

In this study, the effects of ultrasound combined with ferulic acid (FA) on the quality of the Yesso scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis) adductor muscles (SAM) during refrigerated storage were investigated. The results demonstrated that the combined treatment with 350 W ultrasound and FA (UFA) significantly delayed enzyme activities and microbial growth in SAM tissues compared to FA treatment alone. After 6 days of cold storage, samples treated with UFA exhibited higher hardness (2850 g), lower thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS = 9.35 MDA mg/g SAM), and lower total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N = 19.75 mg/100 g SAM) values compared to control and FA-treated samples. Consequently, UFA treatment prolonged the shelf life of SAM by 3 days during storage at 4°C. Based on scanning electron microscopy and low-field nuclear magnetic resonance data, these findings are attributed to UFA treatment not only reducing the degradation of SAM tissue network structure but also minimizing water loss. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Scallop adductor muscle (SAM) is commonly considered a delicacy owing to its unique mouthfeel and delicious taste. However, owing to its high moisture content and high levels of various nutrients, SAM has a short shelf life. In this work, a combination of ultrasound with ferulic acid (UFA) has been found to have effective preservation effects on SAM during refrigerated storage. Our study findings pave the way for a potential approach to maintain scallop quality during processing and storage. Moreover, our study also provides some theoretical basis for using and promoting these technologies in aquatic products.

Multi-grained contrastive representation learning for label-efficient lesion segmentation and onset time classification of acute ischemic stroke.

Ischemic lesion segmentation and the time since stroke (TSS) onset classification from paired multi-modal MRI imaging of unwitnessed acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients is crucial, which supports tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) thrombolysis decision-making. Deep learning methods demonstrate superiority in TSS classification. However, they often overfit task-irrelevant features due to insufficient paired labeled data, resulting in poor generalization. We observed that unpaired data are readily available and inherently carry task-relevant cues, but are less often considered and explored. Based on this, in this paper, we propose to fully excavate the potential of unpaired unlabeled data and use them to facilitate the downstream AIS analysis task. We first analyze the utility of features at the varied grain and propose a multi-grained contrastive learning (MGCL) framework to learn task-related prior representations from both coarse-grained and fine-grained levels. The former can learn global prior representations to enhance the location ability for the ischemic lesions and perceive the healthy surroundings, while the latter can learn local prior representations to enhance the perception ability for semantic relation between the ischemic lesion and other health regions. To better transfer and utilize the learned task-related representation, we designed a novel multi-task framework to simultaneously achieve ischemic lesion segmentation and TSS classification with limited labeled data. In addition, a multi-modal region-related feature fusion module is proposed to enable the feature correlation and synergy between multi-modal deep image features for more accurate TSS decision-making. Extensive experiments on the large-scale multi-center MRI dataset demonstrate the superiority of the proposed framework. Therefore, it is promising that it helps better stroke evaluation and treatment decision-making.

Interfacial Polarization Strategy to Electroactive Poly(lactic acid) Nanofibers for Humidity-Resistant Respiratory Protection and Machine Learning-Assisted Monitoring.

The advancement of intelligent and biodegradable respiratory protection equipment is pivotal in the realm of human health engineering. Despite significant progress, achieving a balance between efficient filtration and intelligent monitoring remains a great challenge, especially under conditions of high relative humidity (RH) and high airflow rate (AR). Herein, we proposed an interfacial stereocomplexation (ISC) strategy to facilitate intensive interfacial polarization for poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanofibrous membranes, which were customized for machine learning-assisted respiratory diagnosis. Theoretical principles underlying the facilitated formation of the electroactive phase and aligned PLA chains were quantitatively depicted in the ISC-PLA nanofibers, contributing to the increased dielectric constant and surface potential (as high as 2.2 and 5.1 kV, respectively). Benefiting from the respiration-driven triboelectric mechanisms, the ISC-PLA demonstrated a high PM0.3 filtration efficiency of over 99% with an ultralow pressure drop (75 Pa), even in challenging circumstances (95 ± 5% RH, AR of 85 L/min). Furthermore, we implemented the ISC-PLA with multifunction respiratory monitoring (response time of 0.56 s and recovery time of 0.25 s) and wireless transmission technology, yielding a high recognition rate of 83% for personal breath states. This innovation has practical implications for health management and theoretical advancements in respiratory protection equipment.

Microbial creation of ß-Nicotinamide mononucleotide and its regulation of lipid metabolism in the liver of high-fat diet mice.

ß-Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) is a biologically active nucleotide that regulates the physiological metabolism of the body by rapidly increasing nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+). To determine the safety and biological activity of NMN resources, we constructed a recombinant strain of P. pastoris that heterologously expresses nicotinamide-phosphate ribosyltransferase (NAMPT), and subsequently catalyzed and purified the expressed product to obtain NMN. Consequently, this study established a high-fat diet (HFD) obese model to investigate the lipid-lowering activity of NMN. The findings showed that NMN supplementation directly increased the NAD+ levels, and reduced HFD-induced liver injury and lipid deposition. NMN treatment significantly decreased total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) in serum and liver, as well as alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and insulin levels in serum (p < .05 or p < .01). In conclusion, this study combined synthetic biology with nutritional evaluation to confirm that P. pastoris-generated NMN modulated lipid metabolism in HFD mice, offering a theoretical framework and evidence for the application of microbially created NMN.

Interspinous Motion Measurement Could Serve as a Quantitative Method for Assessing Bony Fusion after Anterior Cervical Corpectomy and Fusion (ACCF).

STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective diagnostic test study. OBJECTIVE: To establish quantitative fusion criteria for ACCF. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Currently, the criteria of fusion after ACCF remains controversial. Evaluation techniques such as observation of continuous bony trabeculae across the fusion site, were qualitative and conducted by naked eyes, limiting its accuracy. Dynamic fusion indicators such as interspinous motion (ISM), have been successfully utilized in anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) for evaluating fusion and detecting pseudarthrosis. However, the accuracy of ISM in ACCF is unclear. METHODS: Patients underwent ACCF in our hospital were reviewed. Imaging data including dynamic radiographs and computed tomography (CT) scans were collected. The distance and angle form of ISM (ISM-dis and ISM-ang) were measured on dynamic radiograph, with CT as the gold standard for fusion. The correlation between ISM methods was analyzed using Spearmann correlation. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves were used to evaluate the accuracy and generate optimal cut-off values. Three observers independently measured the data twice to determine interobserver and intraobserver reliability. RESULTS: Our study included 178 imaging datasets. ISM-dis showed positive correlation with ISM-ang (r=0.914). The area under ROC (AUC) for ISM-dis and ISM-ang was 0.926 and 0.893. Applying a cutoff value of 1.50 mm to ISM-dis yielded a sensitivity of 87.8% and specificity of 92.3% for detecting pseudarthrosis. For ISM-ang, a cutoff value of 1.75° resulted in a sensitivity of 79.1% and specificity of 92.3%. Intraobserver reliabilities for ISM-dis (0.986, 0.984 and 0.972) were higher than for ISM-ang (0.935, 0.963 and 0.935), as was interobserver reliability (0.985 for ISM-dis and 0.956 for ISM-ang). Fusion rates calculated using ISM-dis and ISM-ang were 52.4% and 61.9%. CONCLUSION: ISM can serve as an alternative to CT for assessing fusion, with ISM-dis at a 1.50 mm cutoff and ISM-ang at 1.75° demonstrating high diagnostic accuracy.

Bibliometric analysis of T cells in allergic rhinitis.

By reviewing the relevant literature in the field of T cell and allergic rhinitis, we determined the development status, study hotspots, and research frontiers viewpoints of this field to provide a reference for researchers and clinical workers. METHODS: Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) was applied to obtain the studies related to T cells and allergic rhinitis (AR) from 2003 to 2023, and the information extracted from these studies was analyzed using CiteSpace 6.1. R6 and VOSviewer 1.6.18. RESULTS: In total, 1585 articles were collected from WoSCC, with the time set between 2003 and 2023. Overall, a growing number of articles are being published annually. The countries and institutions with the maximum publications volume are China (370, 23.34 %) and Sun Yat-sen University (34, 2.15 %). The biggest contributor to the field was Durham, Stephen R. from the UK (22, 1.39 %). The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology published the most related papers in the field (88, 5.54 %). Immunotherapy, Th cells, and inflammation were found to be the research hotspots in this area of T cells and allergic rhinitis in recent years. Pathway, model, Regulatory T cells (Treg cells), regulatory B cells, immunoglobulin E,and innate lymphoid cells were the current research hotspots in this field. CONCLUSION: The field of T cell and allergic rhinitis is developing rapidly, and many countries significantly contributed to this field. Most researchers in this field mainly focused on immunotherapy, Th cell, and inflammation. Pathway, model, Treg cell, regulatory B cell, immunoglobulin E,and innate lymphoid cells were the main subject of current research, and future development is expected to occur in this field.

Near-Optimal Performance of Quantum Error Correction Codes.

The Knill-Laflamme conditions distinguish exact quantum error correction codes, and they have played a critical role in the discovery of state-of-the-art codes. However, the family of exact codes is a very restrictive one and does not necessarily contain the best-performing codes. Therefore, it is desirable to develop a generalized and quantitative performance metric. In this Letter, we derive the near-optimal channel fidelity, a concise and optimization-free metric for arbitrary codes and noise. The metric provides a narrow two-sided bound to the optimal code performance, and it can be evaluated with exactly the same input required by the Knill-Laflamme conditions. We demonstrate the numerical advantage of the near-optimal channel fidelity through multiple qubit code and oscillator code examples. Compared to conventional optimization-based approaches, the reduced computational cost enables us to simulate systems with previously inaccessible sizes, such as oscillators encoding hundreds of average excitations. Moreover, we analytically derive the near-optimal performance for the thermodynamic code and the Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill code. In particular, the Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill code's performance under excitation loss improves monotonically with its energy and converges to an asymptotic limit at infinite energy, which is distinct from other oscillator codes.

Long-Term Outcomes of One-Stage Combined Posteroanterior Procedure and Laminoplasty-Alone for Multilevel Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy With Concomitant Anterior and Posterior Compression: A Propensity Score Matching Analysis of 8-year Follow-Up.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the long-term outcomes of laminoplasty-alone (LP) and combined procedure (CP), consisting of laminoplasty and single-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, in comparable patients who had multilevel degenerative cervical myelopathy (MDCM) with concomitant anterior and posterior compression (CAPC). METHODS: Consecutive MDCM patients with CAPC underwent LP or CP between 2012 and 2015 from a same surgical group were enrolled and followed up for a minimum of 8 years. Preoperative demographic, radiological, and clinical variables were collected. Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was performed to match patients with comparable conditions. The outcomes were evaluated by postoperative Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score improvement, JOA recovery rate (JOARR) and complications. RESULTS: A total of 230 patients were included, of whom 146 underwent LP and 84 underwent CP. After PSM, 84 pairs of comparable patients were matched. The matched groups presented fair comparability in preoperative conditions. The CP group had significantly prolonged surgery time and greater blood loss. At the final follow-up, the postoperative JOA scores of LP and CP groups were 14.51 ± 1.79 and 15.47 ± 1.81 (P < 0.001) and the JOARR were 42.5% ± 53.3% and 68.5% ± 35.4%, respectively (P < 0.001). Three (3.6%) patients in the LP group underwent reoperations because of recurrent symptoms (P = 0.081). CONCLUSION: Both LP and CP demonstrated considerable long-term neurological recovery in patients with CAPC. The CP showed a significantly higher JOA improvement and JOARR. The combined decompression might be a safe and effective alternative in treating MDCM with CAPC in experienced hands.

Vacuum Beam Guide for Large Scale Quantum Networks.

The vacuum beam guide (VBG) presents a completely different solution for quantum channels to overcome the limitations of existing fiber and satellite technologies for long-distance quantum communication. With an array of aligned lenses spaced kilometers apart, the VBG offers ultrahigh transparency over a wide range of optical wavelengths. With realistic parameters, the VBG can outperform the best fiber by 3 orders of magnitude in terms of attenuation rate. Consequently, the VBG can enable long-range quantum communication over thousands of kilometers with quantum channel capacity beyond 10^{13} qubit/sec, orders of magnitude higher than the state-of-the-art quantum satellite communication rate. Remarkably, without relying on quantum repeaters, the VBG can provide a ground-based, low-loss, high-bandwidth quantum channel that enables novel distributed quantum information applications for computing, communication, and sensing.

Elucidation of anti-pneumonia pharmacodynamic material basis and potential mechanisms of Xiebai San by combining spectrum-efficacy relationship and surface plasmon resonance.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Xiebai San (XBS), a classic Chinese prescription, has been used for the clinical treatment of pneumonia-related diseases for thousands of years. However, the anti-pneumonia pharmacodynamic material basis of XBS and its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study aimed to comprehensively investigate and verify the anti-pneumonia pharmacodynamic material basis and mechanisms of XBS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study explored the anti-pneumonia activity and key pneumonia targets of XBS in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced zebrafish and RAW264.7 cells in vivo and in vitro through transcriptomics, western blotting, and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The chemical fingerprint of XBS was established using high-performance liquid chromatography, and the similarities and areas of characteristic peaks of 15 batches of XBS were analyzed. Based on the spectrum-efficacy relationship, the potential anti-inflammatory components were screened according to their peak areas and efficacy using principal component analysis (PCA), bivariate correlation, and partial least squares regression analysis. Active components that bind to core targets were further screened based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR). The binding mode of proteins and components was simulated via molecular docking, which enabled the identification of the primary active components of XBS, thereby elucidating its anti-pneumonia properties. Finally, the anti-inflammatory activities of these components were verified in vitro. RESULTS: XBS decreased neutrophil aggregation in zebrafish and nitric oxide (NO) secretion in RAW264.7 cells as well as suppressed the release of downstream inflammatory cytokines such as iNOS, TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-18, and CXCL10 related to TNF and JAK-STAT signaling pathways. The phosphorylation of IκBα, Akt, and Stat3 was alleviated after XBS in cells. The fingerprint similarities of 15 batches of XBS ranged from 0.381 to 0.994, with a large difference. A total of 15 characteristic peaks were identified, and the relative standard deviation of their peak areas ranged from 24.1% to 70.7%. The results of in vitro anti-inflammatory activities of 15 batches of XBS showed that all samples inhibited the expression levels of NO and nine inflammatory markers. The anti-inflammatory index of 15 batches of XBS was determined to be 0.69-0.96 based on transformation of the anti-inflammatory rate and composite index method via PCA. The spectrum-efficacy relationship model of 15 characteristic peak areas and the anti-inflammatory index showed that 7 main potential active components were related to the anti-inflammatory activity of XBS. Moreover, four components (mulberroside A, isoquercitrin, liquiritigenin, and glycyrrhizic acid) screened based on SPR had different affinities toward TNFR1, Akt1, and Stat3 proteins, and the binding modes were elucidated via molecular docking. Finally, in LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells, all four active components (at a concentration of 60 µM) significantly inhibited the expression levels of NO and inflammatory markers. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the comprehensive strategy of spectrum-efficacy relationship and SPR, mulberroside A, isoquercitrin, liquiritigenin, and glycyrrhizic acid were identified as the primary pharmacodynamic active components involved in the anti-pneumonia activity of XBS and were found to intervene in TNF and JAK-STAT signaling pathways.

Clerodendranthus Spicatus: A review of its active compounds, mechanisms of action, and clinical studies in urinary diseases.

Clerodendranthus spicatus (Thunb.) C.Y.Wu (CS) is a widely studied plant that shows potential in treating urinary diseases. Previous studies have focused on its chemical composition, pharmacological effects, and clinical applications. This review aims to provide a comprehensive summary and evaluation of the existing literature on CS. It also suggests future research directions to increase our understanding of its medicinal value. 129 pieces of literature were selected from several databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wan-fang Database, and Google Scholar, and were analyzed. Forty-five active compounds of CS have pharmacological effects such as lowering uric acid, anti-inflammation, anti-oxidation, and kidney protection. The potential mechanisms of these effects may be related to inhibiting transforming growth factor ß1 (TGF-ß1) activation, reducing inflammatory factors such as IL-8, IL-1ß, TNF-α, PGE2, IFN-γ, and IL-6 levels, suppressing the activation of NF-κB, JAK/STAT pathway, enhancing the clearance of ROS, MDA DPPH·, and O2 ̇ -, and regulating the expression of apoptosis-related pathways and proteins. This paper also discusses the quality control of CS and its efficacy and safety in treating urinary diseases. The study concludes that CS has a high potential for treating urinary diseases. Future studies should focus on observing the metabolic changes of CS active compounds in vivo and investigating the effects of CS on key signaling pathways. Additionally, more standardized and reasonable clinical studies and safety evaluation experiments should be conducted to obtain more clinical data.

Would the one-stage combined approach lead to better long-term neurological outcomes than the posterior approach alone in multilevel degenerative cervical myelopathy patients with T2-Weighted increased signal intensity? An 8-year follow-up results and propensity score matching analysis.

BACKGROUND: T2-weighted increased signal intensity (ISI) is commonly recognized as a sign of more severe spinal cord lesions, usually accompanied by worse neurological deficits and possibly worse postoperative neurological recovery. The combined approach could achieve better decompression and better neurological recovery for multilevel degenerative cervical myelopathy (MDCM). The choice of surgical approach for MDCM with intramedullary T2-weighted ISI remains disputed. This study aimed to compare the neurological outcomes of posterior and one-stage combined posteroanterior approaches for MDCM with T2-weighted ISI. METHODS: A total of 83 consecutive MDCM patients with confirmed ISI with at least three intervertebral segments operated between 2012 and 2014 were retrospectively enrolled. Preoperative demographic, radiological and clinical condition variables were collected, and neurological conditions were evaluated by the Japanese Orthopedic Assessment score (JOA) and Neck Disability Index (NDI). Propensity score matching analysis was conducted to produce pairs of patients with comparable preoperative conditions from the posterior-alone and combined groups. Both short-term and mid-term surgical outcomes were evaluated, including the JOA recovery rate (JOARR), NDI improvements, complications, and reoperations. RESULTS: A total of 83 patients were enrolled, of which 38 and 45 patients underwent posterior surgery alone and one-stage posteroanterior surgery, respectively. After propensity score matching, 38 pairs of comparable patients from the posterior and combined groups were matched. The matched groups presented similar preoperative clinical and radiological features and the mean follow-up duration were 111.6 ± 8.9 months. The preoperative JOA scores of the posterior and combined groups were 11.5 ± 2.2 and 11.1 ± 2.3, respectively (p = 0.613). The combined group presented with prolonged surgery duration(108.8 ± 28.0 and 186.1 ± 47.3 min, p = 0.028) and greater blood loss(276.3 ± 139.1 and 382.1 ± 283.1 ml, p<0.001). At short-term follow-up, the combined group presented a higher JOARR than the posterior group (posterior group: 50.7%±46.6%, combined group: 70.4%±20.3%, p = 0.024), while no significant difference in JOARR was observed between the groups at long-term follow-up (posterior group: 49.2%±48.5%, combined group: 59.6%±47.6%, p = 0.136). No significant difference was found in the overall complication and reoperation rates. CONCLUSIONS: For MDCM patients with ISI, both posterior and one-stage posteroanterior approaches could achieve considerable neurological alleviations in short-term and long-term follow-up. With greater surgical trauma, the combined group presented better short-term JOARR but did not show higher efficacy in long-term neurological function preservation in patients with comparable preoperative conditions.

Biotemplated Fe/La-co-doped TiO2 for photocatalytic depth treatment of compressed leachate from refuse transfer station.

Compressed leachate is a contaminated liquid containing various organic and inorganic pollutants produced in municipal refuse transfer stations, which pollute soil and groundwater, posing serious risks to the environment and human health. The Environmental Technology Co., Ltd. (Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, South China) treated compressed leachate obtained from a refuse transfer station. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) (641.2 mg/L) of treated compressed leachate did not meet the wastewater quality standards in China for discharge into municipal sewers (COD ≤ 500 mg/L) and the company's design discharge requirements (COD ≤ 400 mg/L). Therefore, their further in-depth treatment is necessary. To this end, waste tobacco leaves were used as the biotemplate herein, and Fe/La-co-doped TiO2 (xFe,yLa)-TTiO2(g) was synthesized using a solvothermal-assisted biotemplating method. The photocatalytic depth treatment of compressed leachate was performed under simulated solar light using the prepared catalysts. After (3Fe,3La)-TTiO2(g) treatment, the COD of the leachate decreased from 641.2 to 280.1 mg/L, and the COD removal rate was 1.2, 1.1, and 1.6 times higher than that of pure Fe-doped, La-doped and non-biological template TiO2, respectively. Characterization confirmed that the biological template endowed the catalyst with a unique morphology and high specific surface area. Its rich activity sites are conducive to enhancing the adsorption capacity of pollutants and providing an ideal place for photocatalytic reactions. Co-doping with iron and lanthanum ions altered the band structure of TiO2 and promoted the interconversion of Fe3+/Fe2+ and La3+/La2+ during photocatalysis. First-principles density functional theory simulations demonstrated that co-doping Fe and La in TiO2 created impurity levels that facilitated the transfer of photogenerated electrons. This study provides a new purification pathway for the depth treatment of compressed leachate.

Biodegradable poly(lactic acid) blocked polyurethane/carbon nanotubes coated cotton fabric prepared by ultrasonic-assisted inkjet printing for high performance strain sensors.

In order to fulfill the demands for degradability, a broad working range, and heightened sensitivity in flexible sensors, biodegradable polyurethane (BTPU) was synthesized and combined with CNTs to produce BTPU/CNTs coated cotton fabric using an ultrasonic-assisted inkjet printing process. The synthesized BTPU displayed a capacity for degradation in a phosphate buffered saline solution, resulting in a weight loss of 25 % after 12 weeks of degradation. The BTPU/CNTs coated cotton fabric sensor achieved an extensive strain sensing range of 0-137.5 %, characterized by high linearity and a notable sensitivity (gauge factor (GF) of 126.8). Notably, it demonstrated a low strain detection limit (1 %), rapid response (within 280 ms), and robust durability, enabling precise monitoring of both large and subtle human body movements such as finger, wrist, neck, and knee bending, as well as swallowing. Moreover, the BTPU/CNTs coated cotton fabric exhibited favorable biocompatibility with human epidermis, enabling potential applications as wearable skin-contact sensors. This work provides insight into the development of degradable and high sensing performance sensors suitable for applications in electronic skins and health monitoring devices.

Comparison of Postoperative Pain and Surgical Outcomes Between Three Types of Modified Muscle-Sparing Laminoplasty and Conventional Laminoplasty for Multilevel Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare postoperative pain and surgical outcomes of open-door laminoplasty (LP) and three types of muscle-sparing laminoplasties, namely unilateral muscle-preservation laminoplasty (UL), spinous process splitting double-door laminoplasty (DL) and intermuscular "raising roof" laminoplasty (RL) for multilevel degenerative cervical myelopathy (MDCM). METHODS: Consecutive MDCM patients underwent LP or modified laminoplasties (UL, DL, RL) in 2022 were enrolled. Patients' preoperative baseline data and surgical characteristics were collected. Postoperative transient pain (TP), the axial pain and Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score and neck disability index (NDI) at 6-month and 12-month follow-up were documented. RESULTS: A total of 154 MDCM patients were included and a 12-month follow-up was completed for 148 patients (LP: 36, UL:39, DL: 37, RL:36). No significant difference was observed in the baseline data. Four groups presented favorable and comparable surgical outcome. The RL group reported significantly the least severe TP on the first three days following surgery. However, no significant difference was found in the axial pain and axial symptoms at both follow-ups. After regression analysis, RL group exhibited significantly better efficacy in alleviating Day-1 TP (P = 0.047) and 6-month axial pain (P = 0.040). However, this superiority was not observed at 12-month follow-up. CONCLUSION: All the three muscle-sparing laminoplasty procedures showed similar short-term surgical outcomes compared to LP. The RL procedure demonstrated superiority in alleviating TP and 6-month axial pain compared to LP. The RL and DL groups showed less C5 palsy compared to LP.

HIF-1α and adaptor protein LIM and senescent cell antigen-like domains protein 1 axis promotes tubulointerstitial fibrosis by interacting with vimentin in angiotensin II-induced hypertension.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Activation of the renin-angiotensin system, as a hallmark of hypertension and chronic kidney diseases (CKD) is the key pathophysiological factor contributing to the progression of tubulointerstitial fibrosis. LIM and senescent cell antigen-like domains protein 1 (LIMS1) plays an essential role in controlling of cell behaviour through the formation of complexes with other proteins. Here, the function and regulation of LIMS1 in angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced hypertension and tubulointerstitial fibrosis was investigated. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: C57BL/6 mice were treated with Ang II to induce tubulointerstitial fibrosis. Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) renal tubular-specific knockout mice or LIMS1 knockdown AAV was used to investigate their effects on Ang II-induced renal interstitial fibrosis. In vitro, HIF-1α or LIMS1 was knocked down or overexpressed in HK2 cells after exposure to Ang II. KEY RESULTS: Increased expression of tubular LIMS1 was observed in human kidney with hypertensive nephropathy and in murine kidney from Ang II-induced hypertension model. Tubular-specific knockdown of LIMS1 ameliorated Ang II-induced tubulointerstitial fibrosis in mice. Furthermore, we demonstrated that LIMS1 was transcriptionally regulated by HIF-1α in tubular cells and that tubular HIF-1α knockout ameliorates LIMS1-mediated tubulointerstitial fibrosis. In addition, LIMS1 promotes Ang II-induced tubulointerstitial fibrosis by interacting with vimentin. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: We conclude that HIF-1α transcriptionally regulated LIMS1 plays a central role in Ang II-induced tubulointerstitial fibrosis through interacting with vimentin. Our finding represents a new insight into the mechanism of Ang II-induced tubulointerstitial fibrosis and provides a novel therapeutic target for progression of CKD.

Heel-to-toe drop effects on biomechanical and muscle synergy responses during uphill walking.

Uphill walking is a common task encountered in daily life, with steeper inclines potentially imposing greater biomechanical and neuromuscular demands on the human body. The heel-to-toe drop (HTD) in footwear may influence the biomechanical and neuromuscular pattern of uphill walking; but the impact remains unclear. Adjustments in HTD can modulate biomechanical and neuromuscular patterns, mitigating the demands and optimizing the body's response to different inclinations. We hypothesize that adjustments in HTD can modulate biomechanical and neuromuscular patterns, mitigating the demands and optimizing the body's response to different inclinations. Nineteen healthy men walked on an adjustable slope walkway, with varied inclinations (6°, 12°, 20°) and HTD shoes (10mm, 25mm, 40 mm), while the marker positions, ground reaction forces and electromyography data were collected. Our study reveals that gait temporo-spatial parameters are predominantly affected by inclination over HTD. Inclination has a more pronounced effect on kinematic variables, while both inclination and HTD significantly modulate kinetic and muscle synergy parameters. This study demonstrates that an increase in the inclination leads to changes in biomechanical and neuromuscular responses during uphill walking and the adjustment of HTD can modulate these responses during uphill walking. However, the present study suggests that an increased HTD may lead to elevated loads on the knee joint and these adverse effects need more attention.