Nacre-Inspired Bacterial Cellulose/Mica Nanopaper with Excellent Mechanical and Electrical Insulating Properties by Biosynthesis.

The exploration of extreme environments has become necessary for understanding and changing nature. However, the development of functional materials suitable for extreme conditions is still insufficient. Herein, a kind of nacre-inspired bacterial cellulose (BC)/synthetic mica (S-Mica) nanopaper with excellent mechanical and electrical insulating properties that has excellent tolerance to extreme conditions is reported. Benefited from the nacre-inspired structure and the 3D network of BC, the nanopaper exhibits excellent mechanical properties, including high tensile strength (375 MPa), outstanding foldability, and bending fatigue resistance. In addition, S-Mica arranged in layers endows the nanopaper with remarkable dielectric strength (145.7 kV mm-1 ) and ultralong corona resistance life. Moreover, the nanopaper is highly resistant to alternating high and low temperatures, UV light, and atomic oxygen, making it an ideal candidate for extreme environment-resistant materials.

An All-Natural Wood-Inspired Aerogel.

The oriented pore structure of wood endows it with a variety of outstanding properties, among which the low thermal conductivity has attracted researchers to develop wood-like aerogels as excellent thermal insulation materials. However, the increasing demands of environmental protection have put forward new and strict requirements for the sustainability of aerogels. Here, we report an all-natural wood-inspired aerogel consisting of all-natural ingredients and develop a method to activate the surface-inert wood particles to construct the aerogel. The obtained wood-inspired aerogel has channel structure similar to that of natural wood, endowing it with superior thermal insulation properties to most existing commercial sponges. In addition, remarkable fire retardancy and complete biodegradability are integrated. With the above outstanding performances, this sustainable wood-inspired aerogel will be an ideal substitute for the existing commercial thermal insulation materials.

Ultrastrong, Thermally Stable, and Food-Safe Seaweed-Based Structural Material for Tableware.

Widely used disposable plastic tableware is usually buried or directly discharged into the natural environment after using, which poses potential threats to the natural environment and human health. To solve this problem, nondegradable plastic tableware needs to be replaced by tableware composed of biodegradable structural materials with both food safety and the excellent mechanical and thermal properties. Here, a food-safe sargassum cellulose nanofiber (SCNF) is extracted from common seaweed in an efficient and low energy consuming way under mild reaction conditions. Then, by assembling the SCNF into a dense bulk material, a strong sargassum cellulose nanofiber structural material (SCNSM) with high strength (283 MPa) and high thermal stability (>160 °C) can be prepared. The SCNSM also possesses good machinability, which can be processed into tableware with different shapes, e.g., knives and forks. The overall performance of the SCNSM-based tableware is better than commercial plastic, wood-based, and poly(lactic acid) tableware, which shows great application potential in the tableware field.

Laminaria japonica hydrolysate promotes fucoxanthin accumulation in Phaeodactylum tricornutum.

Fucoxanthin (Fx) has gained a growing attention due to the remarkable biological activities. The limited biomass of was the restrictive factor for Fx production in Phaeodactylum tricornutum. In this study, Laminaria japonica hydrolysate (LPH) with a low addition proportion of 1.5 ml/L, was proved to promote fucoxanthin accumulation and cell growth simultaneously. Fx topped at 27.9 mg/L after 10-d cultivation in the LPH group, with a biomass of 1.59 g/L and a Fx content of 17.55 mg/g. Three key plant hormones in LPH were screened responsible for promoting fucoxanthin accumulation. Transcriptomic analysis and qRT-PCR results showed that genes related to Fx formation were generally up- regulated. The study demonstrated that LPH addition was a feasible and efficient strategy to enhance production of fucoxanthin, facilitating the scale-up production of Fx in autotrophic culture.

Sustainable Cellulose-Nanofiber-Based Hydrogels.

Hydrogel materials have many excellent properties and a wide range of applications. Recently, a new type of hydrogel has emerged: cellulose nanofiber (CNF)-based hydrogels, which have three-dimensional nanofiber networks and unique physical properties. Because CNFs are abundant, renewable, and biodegradable, they are green and eco-friendly nanoscale building blocks. In addition, CNF-based hydrogel materials exhibit excellent mechanical properties and designable functions by different preparation methods and structure designs, demonstrating huge development potential. In this Perspective, we summarize the recent progress in the development of CNF-based hydrogels and introduce their applications in elastic hydrogels, ionic conduction, water purification, and biomedicine, highlighting future trends and opportunities for the further development of CNF-based hydrogels as emerging materials systems.

Efficacy and Safety of 3 Nasal Packing Materials Used After Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery for Chronic Rhinosinusitis: A Comparative Study in China.

BACKGROUND This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of 3 nasal packing products (silicone tube, Beschitin-F, and Aquacel1-Ag) after functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) patients in China. MATERIAL AND METHODS Sixty-six CRS patients undergoing FESS surgery were randomly divided into 3 groups (22 patients in each group): the silicone tube group, the Beschitin-F group, and the Aquacel1-Ag group. Postoperative headache, nasal pain, nasal bleeding, and swelling of the nasal mucosa were observed at 1 month after FESS surgery. Bacteriology of chronic rhinosinusitis was conducted by culturing the removed nasal packing. RESULTS The VAS scores of nasal pain in the silicone tube group were lower than in the Beschitin-F and the Aquacel1-Ag groups. The volume of nasal bleeding in the Beschitin-F group was higher than in the silicone tube and Aquacel1-Ag groups. The adhesion rate of the nasal cavity in the Beschitin-F1 group (2/22, 9.1%) was also higher than in the silicone tube group (0/22, 0%) and the Aquacel1-Ag group (0/22, 0%). The results of bacterial culture from removed nasal packing showed that coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) was more frequent in the silicone tube group than in the Beschitin-F and Aquacel1-Ag groups, but Streptococcus pneumonia, Haemophilus influenza, and Gram-negative rods were more common in the Aquacel1-Ag group than in the silicone tube and Beschitin-F groups. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that the silicone tube may be more effective and safe than Beschitin-F and Aquacel1-Ag as nasal packing after FES surgery for CRS.

Comparative mitochondrial genomics toward exploring molecular markers in the medicinal fungus Cordyceps militaris.

Cordyceps militaris is a fungus used for developing health food, but knowledge about its intraspecific differentiation is limited due to lack of efficient markers. Herein, we assembled the mitochondrial genomes of eight C. militaris strains and performed a comparative mitochondrial genomic analysis together with three previously reported mitochondrial genomes of the fungus. Sizes of the 11 mitochondrial genomes varied from 26.5 to 33.9 kb mainly due to variable intron contents (from two to eight introns per strain). Nucleotide variability varied according to different regions with non-coding regions showing higher variation frequency than coding regions. Recombination events were identified between some locus pairs but seemed not to contribute greatly to genetic variations of the fungus. Based on nucleotide diversity fluctuations across the alignment of all mitochondrial genomes, molecular markers with the potential to be used for future typing studies were determined.

Treatment of complex metacarpal defects with free chimeric iliac osteocutaneous flaps.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this report is to present the clinical results of using free chimeric iliac osteocutaneous flaps based on the periosteal branch of the superficial circumflex iliac artery (SCIA) in complex metacarpal reconstructions. METHODS: Reconstruction using free chimeric iliac osteocutaneous flaps was performed in a series of seven patients who underwent metacarpal reconstruction for complex metacarpal defects between March 2009 and March 2012. The procedure was performed for bone and soft tissue losses associated with posttraumatic infections (four patients) and posttraumatic bone and soft tissue defects (three patients). RESULTS: The skin paddles of the chimeric flaps had a median size of 3 × 7 cm, and the iliac segments had a mean size of 1 × 1 × 3 cm. The median follow-up time was 18 months. All the flaps survived completely with no signs of infection. Osseous union occurred within a mean period of 3 months, and the range of motion achieved for the metacarpal phalangeal joints was 0-80°. The patients were satisfied with the aesthetic outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Chimeric iliac osteocutaneous flaps may be a useful alternative for treating complex metacarpal defects because they yield a thinner skin paddle and less bulky bone segment than traditional flaps.

Feature Selection Method Based on Neighborhood Relationships: Applications in EEG Signal Identification and Chinese Character Recognition.

In this study, a new feature selection algorithm, the neighborhood-relationship feature selection (NRFS) algorithm, is proposed for identifying rat electroencephalogram signals and recognizing Chinese characters. In these two applications, dependent relationships exist among the feature vectors and their neighboring feature vectors. Therefore, the proposed NRFS algorithm was designed for solving this problem. By applying the NRFS algorithm, unselected feature vectors have a high priority of being added into the feature subset if the neighboring feature vectors have been selected. In addition, selected feature vectors have a high priority of being eliminated if the neighboring feature vectors are not selected. In the experiments conducted in this study, the NRFS algorithm was compared with two feature algorithms. The experimental results indicated that the NRFS algorithm can extract the crucial frequency bands for identifying rat vigilance states and identifying crucial character regions for recognizing Chinese characters.

[A population-based epidemiological survey of neonatal respiratory failure in Huai'an City of Jiangsu Province, in 2010].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence, clinical characteristics, treatment, and prognosis of neonatal respiratory failure (NRF) in Huai'an, Jiangsu Province, China, in 2010. METHODS: The clinical data of all NRF cases in the hospitals of Huai'an in 2010 were prospectively collected and analyzed using descriptive epidemiological methods. RESULTS: Among 60,986 live births in Huai'an in 2010, there were 556 (0.91%) cases of NRF. The average birth weight of newborns with NRF was 2,433±789 g, with 53.8% determined as low birth weight and 64.1% as preterm. The major causes of NRF were respiratory distress syndrome, pneumonia, asphyxia, sepsis, and pulmonary hemorrhage. Among the newborns with NRF, 23.7% were accompanied by certain birth defects. Fourteen percent of newborns with NRF received pulmonary surfactant (PS) therapy, and the median time of the first dose of PS was 5 hours (range: 0-51 hours). Nasal continuous positive airway pressure treatment, conventional mechanical ventilation, and high-frequency ventilation were used in 67.9%, 33.3%, and 13.7% of patients, respectively. The cure and improvement rate of NRF patients was 73.9% (411/556), and the mortality rate was 22.5% (125/556). The average hospitalization expenses were 9,270 (range: 196-38182) Yuan. CONCLUSIONS: High morbidity, high mortality and high medical costs make NRF a serious challenge in Huai'an. It is essential to improve the quality of perinatal care and develop new techniques and new models in neonatal respiratory therapy in order to reduce the morbidity and mortality of NRF.

A new parasitoid of Bazariaturensis (Lepidoptera, Pyralidae): Campoplexbazariae sp. n. (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae).

A new solitary endoparasitoid of the larva of Bazariaturensis Ragonot, 1887 (Lepidoptera, Pyralidae) in Qinghai province, China, Campoplexbazariae Sheng, sp. n., belonging to the subfamily Campopleginae (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae), is reported. Illustrations of the new species are provided.

[The study of pedicle imaging and reformation with the multi-slice spiral CT in the surgical treatment of lumbar spondylolisthesis].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the value of pedicle parameter obtained by the reformation images on multi-slice spiral CT (MSCT) in the surgical treatment of lumbar spondylolisthesis. METHODS: From January 2009 to March 2010, 60 patients with lumbar spondylolisthesis failing in conservative treatment were enrolled into the study and divided into experimental and control group randomly (each group with 30 patients). There were 26 males and 34 females ranging in age from 18 to 59 years with an average of (42.60 +/- 9.36) years. The experimental group was examined with volumetric scanning on MSCT before operation. Reformation such as multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) and volume rendering (VR) were carried out at the work station. Transverse section angle (TSA), sagittal section angle (SSA), pedicle length (PL), pedicle width (PW) and pedicle height (PH) were measured on different images and pedicle screws were implanted according pedicle parameter. In control group, the pedicle screws were implanted according to conventional anatomic landmark. Preparative time of screw canal and accuracy of screw were compared between two groups. RESULTS: A hundred fifty-six screws were inserted in experiment group,143 screws were excellent, 11 good, and 2 poor. A hundred fifty screws were inserted in control group, 101 screws were excellent, 26 good, and 23 poor. There was significant difference in accuracy of screw between two groups (P < 0.001). The preparative time of screw canal in experiment group was (66.20 +/- 7.31) s, and was shorter than that of control group [(104.11 +/- 9.51) s, P < 0.001)]. CONCLUSION: Abundant information and parameter could be obtained with the MSCT reconstruction images. The images and parameters could make a perfect operative strategy before operation, adjust the direction of pedicle screws during operation, avoid and decrease operative complications effectively.

[Anti-viral therapy using lamivudine and thymosin is helpful to prevent recurrence in hepatocellular carcinoma with coexisting active hepatitis B].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of postoperative anti-viral therapy using lamivudine and thymosin alpha1 on recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) coexisting with active hepatitis B. METHODS: From Jan. 2000 to Dec. 2002, 33 HCC patients with coexisting with active hepatitis B were randomized into two groups: Group I (n = 17) received hepatectomy only, and Group II (n = 16) received hepatectomy and postoperative therapy using lamivudine plus thymosin alpha1. The suppression of HBV-DNA, HBeAg seroconversion rate, tumor recurrence rate and median survival in the two groups were observed and compared. RESULTS: In Group II and Group I, the 1-year HBV-DNA suppression rate was 100.0% vs 6.0% (P < 0.01), HBeAg seroconversion rate was 62.5% vs 5.9% (P < 0.05), tumor recurrence rate was 81.3% vs 95.5% (P > 0.05), the recurrence time was 7.0 vs 5.0 months (P < 0.01) and median survival 10.0 vs 7.0 months (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Anti-viral therapy using lamivudine and thymosin alpha1 postoperatively may suppress the HBV reaction, delay the recurrence and prolong the survival for patients with HCC with coexisting active hepatitis B.

[Hepatocellular carcinoma with tumor thrombi in the portal vein. A comparison of therapeutic effects by different treatments].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of different treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with tumor thrombus in the portal vein (PVTT). METHODS: From Jan. 2000 to Jan. 2003, a total of 84 HCC patients with PVTT were divided into five groups based on methed of treatment: Group A (n = 9), HCC resection + PVTT removal + postoperative TACE + thymosin alpha(1); Group B (n = 20), HCC resection + PVTT removal + postoperative TACE; Group C (n = 7), HCC resection + PVTT removal; Group D (n = 38), TACE only; Group E (n = 10), conservative treatment only. RESULTS: The rate of PVTT shrinkage or disappearance of groups A, B, C, D and E was 66.7%, 70.0%, 57.1%, 7.9% and 0, respectively with respective median survival time of 10.0, 7.0, 8.0, 5.0 and 2.0 months. The one year survival rate was 44.4%, 15.0%, 14.3%, 10.5% and 0. CONCLUSION: Resection of HCC and removal of tumor thrombus in the portal vein may have the tumor thrombus cleared in most of the patients and postoperative TACE and thymisin alpha(1) treatment may improve their survival.

[Transcatheter hepatic arterial chemoembolization and thymosin alpha1 in postoperative treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of postoperative transcatheter hepatic arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and thymosin alpha(1) (T(alpha1)) treatment on recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: From Jan 2000 to Dec 2002, 57 patients with HCC were randomly divided into three groups: group A (n = 18) received hepatectomy plus postoperative TACE and T(alpha1), group B (n = 23) received hepatectomy plus postoperative TACE and group C (n = 16) received hepatectomy only. The recurrence rate, the time to tumor recurrence and the median survival for the three groups were investigated. RESULTS: For group A, B and C, the 1 year recurrence rate was 83.3%, 87.0% and 87.5% (P = 0.926), respectively. The time to tumor recurrence was 7.0, 5.0 and 4.0 months (P = 0.039), respectively. The median survival was 10.0, 7.0 and 8.0 months (P = 0.002), respectively. CONCLUSION: Postoperative TACE plus Talpha(1) treatment for HCC patients does not decrease the recurrence rate but may delay its occurrence and prolong surviving time.

[Significance of typing of tumor thrombi in determination of treatment and assessment of prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma with tumor thrombi in the portal vein].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the benefit of typing of tumor thrombi in determining treatment plan and assessing prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with tumor thrombi in the portal vein. METHODS: The clinical data of 84 patients of HCC with portal vein tumor thrombi admitted from Jan. 2000 to Jan. 2003 were analyzed retrospectively. The patients, 75 males and 9 females, aged 47 (28 - 70), were divided into 4 groups, groups I - IV, according to imaging examination of the tumor thrombi. The median survival periods and effectiveness of treatment, including surgical resection and non-surgical treatment, were observed. RESULTS: The surgical resection rates were 64.7%, 83.8%, 31.4%, and 0 in the groups I - IV respectively (P = 0.912). The general median survival period of the patients undergoing surgery was 8.0 months, significantly longer than that of the patients receiving non-surgical treatment (4.0 months, P = 0.000 6). In different group of tumor thrombi type, the general median survival period of the patients undergoing surgery was significantly longer than that of the patients receiving non-surgical treatment. The median survival periods were 10.1, 7.2, 5.7 and 3.0 months for groups I (n = 17), II (n = 26), III (n = 35) and groups IV (n = 6) respectively, with significant difference between any 2 groups (all P = 0.000 1). CONCLUSION: Typing of tumor thrombi helps determine the treatment plan and assess the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma patients with tumor thrombi in the portal vein.