Angiography­based quantitative flow ratio for functional assessment of intracranial atherosclerotic disease.

BACKGROUND: Intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS), an important cause of stroke, is associated with a considerable stroke recurrence rate despite optimal medical treatment. Further assessment of the functional significance of ICAS is urgently needed to enable individualised treatment and, thus, improve patient outcomes. AIMS: We aimed to evaluate the haemodynamic significance of ICAS using the quantitative flow ratio (QFR) technique and to develop a risk stratification model for ICAS patients. METHODS: Patients with moderate to severe stenosis of the middle cerebral artery, as shown on angiography, were retrospectively enrolled. For haemodynamic assessment, the Murray law-based QFR (µQFR) was performed on eligible patients. Multivariate logistic regression models composed of µQFR and other risk factors were developed and compared for the identification of symptomatic lesions. Based on the superior model, a nomogram was established and validated by calibration. RESULTS: Among 412 eligible patients, symptomatic lesions were found in 313 (76.0%) patients. The µQFR outperformed the degree of stenosis in discriminating culprit lesions (area under the curve [AUC]: 0.726 vs 0.631; DeLong test p-value=0.001), and the model incorporating µQFR and conventional risk factors also performed better than that containing conventional risk factors only (AUC: 0.850 vs 0.827; DeLong test p-value=0.034; continuous net reclassification index=0.620, integrated discrimination improvement=0.057; both p<0.001). The final nomogram showed good calibration (p for Hosmer-Lemeshow test=0.102) and discrimination (C-statistic 0.850, 95% confidence interval: 0.812-0.883). CONCLUSIONS: The µQFR was significantly associated with symptomatic ICAS and outperformed the angiographic stenosis severity. The final nomogram effectively discriminated symptomatic lesions and may provide a useful tool for risk stratification in ICAS patients.

Color Revolution: Prospects and Challenges of Quantum-Dot Light-Emitting Diode Display Technologies.

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) based on colloidal quantum-dots (QDs) such as CdSe, InP, and ZnSeTe feature a unique advantage of narrow emission linewidth of ≈20 nm, which can produce highly accurate colors, making them a highly promising technology for the realization of displays with Rec. 2020 color gamut. With the rapid development in the past decades, the performances of red and green QLEDs have been remarkably improved, and their efficiency and lifetime can almost meet industrial requirements. However, the industrialization of QLED displays still faces many challenges; for example, (1) the device mechanisms including the charge injection/transport/leakage, exciton quenching, and device degradation are still unclear, which fundamentally limit QLED performance improvement; (2) the blue performances including the efficiency, chromaticity, and stability are relatively low, which are still far from the requirements of practical applications; (3) the color patterning processes including the ink-jet printing, transfer printing, and photolithography are still immature, which restrict the manufacturing of high resolution full-color QLED displays. Here, the recent advancements attempting to address the above challenges of QLED displays are specifically reviewed. After a brief overview of QLED development history, device structure/principle, and performances, the main focus is to investigate the recent discoveries on device mechanisms with an emphasis on device degradation. Then recent progress is introduced in blue QLEDs and color patterning. Finally, the opportunities, challenges, solutions, and future research directions of QLED displays are summarized.

A Study on Influencing Factors of Physicians' Suboptimal Health Status in Primary Healthcare Institutions.

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the current health status of Chinese physicians in primary healthcare institutions (PHI) and the effects of personal characteristics, lifestyle, work-related environment and life-related environment on the subhealth status (SHS) of them. Methods: A conceptual framework of various influencing factors was constructed with reference to the concept of health-related quality of life before the convenience sampling. Self-administered questionnaires are distributed to acquire the cross-sectional information of nationwide PHI physicians. A logit regression model was constructed to investigate the influence of various factors on the SHS of PHI physicians. Results: Among 682 valid cases included in the logit regression, 457 physicians were in SHS, with an SHS rate of 67%. The regression results (R2=0.3934, chi-square=337.07, p<0.0001) showed that long working hours (p<0.05), personal income (p<0.05) and life stress (p<0.05) were protective factors for subhealth. The frequency of alcohol consumption (p<0.01), smoking (p<0.05), fear of making mistakes at work (p< 0.001), tension with colleagues (p < 0.0001), and job satisfaction (p < 0.05) were all risk factors. Other factors such as education (p < 0.1) also had an effect on the SHS of primary care physicians. Conclusion: A large proportion of PHI physicians in China are in SHS and many of them are not aware that they are in a poor health state. The logit regression model showed that factors including worries about the occurrence of accidents, strained relationships with colleagues, job satisfaction, and frequency of smoking and drinking negatively influence the SHS of PHI physicians, which should be paid more attention. Meanwhile, annual personal income, long working hours and life stress are protective factors, which means that these factors need to be encouraged.

Activating Endogenous Neurogenesis for Spinal Cord Injury Repair: Recent Advances and Future Prospects.

After spinal cord injury (SCI), endogenous neural stem cells are activated and migrate to the injury site where they differentiate into astrocytes, but they rarely differentiate into neurons. It is difficult for brain-derived information to be transmitted through the injury site after SCI because of the lack of neurons that can relay neural information through the injury site, and the functional recovery of adult mammals is difficult to achieve. The development of bioactive materials, tissue engineering, stem cell therapy, and physiotherapy has provided new strategies for the treatment of SCI and shown broad application prospects, such as promoting endogenous neurogenesis after SCI. In this review, we focus on novel approaches including tissue engineering, stem cell technology, and physiotherapy to promote endogenous neurogenesis and their therapeutic effects on SCI. Moreover, we explore the mechanisms and challenges of endogenous neurogenesis for the repair of SCI.

Primary Healthcare Pharmacists' Perceived Organizational Support and Turnover Intention: Do Gender Differences Exist?

Purpose: This study aims to explore the relationship between the four-dimensional structured perceived organizational support (emotional support, instrumental support, supervisor support, and coworker support) and the turnover intention of pharmacists in primary healthcare institutions. The gender differences between perceived organizational support and turnover intention will also be examined. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in primary healthcare institutions of 31 cities in China from 2 July to 1 September 2021. And the binary logistic regression model was employed for data analysis. Results: 937 valid questionnaires are allocated from pharmacists in primary healthcare institutions. The regression results indicated that emotional support (b=0.073, p<0.001) has a significant influence on pharmacists' turnover intention, and the effect of supervisor support (b=0.173, p=0.046) on pharmacists' turnover intention differs by gender. Conclusion: These findings offer suggestions for the management and stabilization of pharmacists in primary healthcare institutions. It is suggested that specific measures should be taken to increase pharmacists' perceived organizational support and reduce their turnover intention. At the same time, gender differences need to be taken into consideration by the managers when providing perceived organizational support to reduce their turnover intention through adaptive management.

The Influence of Social Capital: A Trigger for Increasing Job Satisfaction.

Purpose: Evidence suggests that social capital in medical and health institutions is associated with the job satisfaction of medical staff. We examined the relationship between the social capital of Primary Healthcare Institutions (PHI) and the job satisfaction of pharmacists within it. Materials and Methods: From August 24 to September 1, 2021, we visited a total of 253 PHIs in 31 provinces of China. The social capital of healthcare organizations reported by employees (SOCAPO-E) scale was used to measure the social capital level of PHIs. And the Minnesota short-form job satisfaction scale was used to obtain pharmacists' job satisfaction. We employed multiple linear regression to explore the relationship between the social capital of PHI and pharmacists' job satisfaction. We also examined the effects of pharmacists' individual characteristics and job-related factors on pharmacists' job satisfaction. Results: It was statistically significant that the higher the social capital stock of PHI, the higher the job satisfaction level of pharmacists becomes. In addition, the regression analysis revealed that work hours, employment form, license acquired condition, disputes with patients and training frequency were significantly associated with the job satisfaction of pharmacists in PHI. Conclusion: Social capital in PHI has a significant impact on pharmacists' job satisfaction, suggesting that investing in social capital in PHI is a valuable investment in China. Furthermore, trust, which can be divided into affective trust and cognitive trust, and reciprocity are vital to the fulfillment of pharmacists' job satisfaction as core elements of social capital.

Preoperative Vitamin D Deficiency is Associated with Increased One-Year Mortality in Chinese Geriatric Hip Fracture Patients - A Propensity Score Matching Study.

Background: Vitamin D deficiency is a common comorbidity in geriatric hip fracture patients. However, there is still an ongoing debate regarding the influence of preoperative Vitamin D status on postoperative mortality in hip fracture patients. Methods: Elderly patients (≥60 years) who underwent surgical interventions for unilateral hip fracture from 2015 to 2020 in our center were included. We retrospectively retrieved the demographic data from the electronic medical database. Preoperative serum total 25-hydroxy-Vitamin D was set as the independent variable and patients were classified as the Vitamin D deficiency (<20ng/mL) and the control groups consequently. Clinical outcomes include all-cause mortality, walking ability, and major postoperative complications in the first postoperative year. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed in a ratio of 1:1 in the two groups for further comparison. Results: A total of 210 patients were included and 121 patients (57.6%) were diagnosed with Vitamin D deficiency. Patients in the Vitamin D deficiency group were much older and therefore preferred peripheral nerve block, and had significantly higher proportions of females, preoperative dementia, higher ASA grade, and lower baseline serum albumin level. Overall, 79 patients were identified in the Vitamin D deficiency and control groups after PSM, respectively. Patients diagnosed with Vitamin D deficiency showed a significantly higher one-year mortality (21.5% vs 6.3%, P=0.011) and a much lower one-year independent walking rate (67.1% vs.84.8%, P=0.016) after the matching. Regarding the dataset before PSM and after PSM, the AUC for serum Vitamin D for predicting one-year mortality was 0.656 (P=0.006) and 0.695 (P=0.002), respectively. Conclusion: Our retrospective PSM-design study provides new evidence that Vitamin D deficiency was associated with a significantly higher mortality and poor walking ability in the first year after surgical intervention based on southern Chinese populations.

Public preferences for online medical consultations in China: a discrete choice experiment.

Background: Online medical consultation (OMC) is significant to promote the utilization and accessibility of healthcare resources and save time on consultation. However, the usage and public acceptance rates of it are still low in China. Meanwhile, few studies have focused on consumers' demand of OMC services. This study aims to identify attributes that influence users' preference for OMC services, quantify the value of these characteristics, and compare their relative importance. Methods: A nationwide discrete choice experiment was conducted to survey Chinese residents' preference choices for six attributes of OMC services. Conditional logit model and mixed logit model were used to analyze respondents' preference. Willingness to pay and heterogeneity were estimated by the mixed logit model. Results: A total of 856 respondents completed the study, and 668 questionnaires passed the consistency test. All of 6 attributes in the study were statistically significant except for "Doctor's professional title - Associate Senior." When choosing OMC services, respondents preferred to spend as little time and money as possible on a large online medical platform to consult a high-rated physician with a senior title from a well-known Grade-A tertiary hospital. Besides, respondents valued doctor's evaluation score most and were willing to pay ¥107 to obtain the services of higher-scored doctors. Conclusion: The study measured Chinese residents' preferences for six attributes of OMC and showed the heterogeneity of attributes among subgroups. Our findings suggested that OMC services providers should reduce the customers' waiting time, improve the quality of services and enhance professional skills to meet the customers' requirements. More research on preferences for OMC needs to be conducted in China, especially for key populations such as patients with chronic diseases.

Transcription and proteome changes involved in re-innervation muscle following nerve crush in rats.

Severe peripheral nerve injury leads to the irreparable disruption of nerve fibers. This leads to disruption of synapses with the designated muscle, which consequently go through progressive atrophy and damage of muscle function. The molecular mechanism that underlies the re-innervation process has yet to be evaluated using proteomics or transcriptomics. In the present study, multi-dimensional data were therefore integrated with transcriptome and proteome profiles in order to investigate the mechanism of re-innervation in muscles. Two simulated nerve injury muscle models in the rat tibial nerve were compared: the nerve was either cut (denervated, DN group) or crushed but with the nerve sheath intact (re-innervated, RN group). The control group had a preserved and intact tibial nerve. At 4 weeks, the RN group showed better tibial nerve function and recovery of muscle atrophy compared to the DN group. As the high expression of Myh3, Postn, Col6a1 and Cfi, the RN group demonstrated superior re-innervation as well. Both differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and proteins (DEPs) were enriched in the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) signaling pathway, as well as the energy metabolism. This study provides basic information regarding DEGs and DEPs during re-innervation-induced muscle atrophy. Furthermore, the crucial genes and proteins can be detected as possible treatment targets in the future.

Exosome-based strategy for degenerative disease in orthopedics: Recent progress and perspectives.

Background: Degenerative diseases in orthopaedics have become a significant global public health issue with the aging of the population worldwide. The traditional medical interventions, including physical therapy, pharmacological therapy and even surgery, hardly work to modify degenerative progression. Stem cell-based therapy is widely accepted to treat degenerative orthopaedic disease effectively but possesses several limitations, such as the need for strict monitoring of production and storage and the potential risks of tumorigenicity and immune rejection in clinical translation. Furthermore, the ethical issues surrounding the acquisition of embryonic stem cells are also broadly concerned. Exosome-based therapy has rapidly grown in popularity in recent years and is regarded as an ideal alternative to stem cell-based therapy, offering a promise to achieve 'cell-free' tissue regeneration. Methods: Traditionally, the native exosomes extracted from stem cells are directly injected into the injured site to promote tissue regeneration. Recently, several modified exosome-based strategies were developed to overcome the limitations of native exosomes, which include mainly exogenous molecule loading and exosome delivery through scaffolds. In this paper, a systematic review of the exosome-based strategy for degenerative disease in orthopaedics is presented. Results: Treatment strategies based on the native exosomes are effective but with several disadvantages such as rapid diffusion and insufficient and fluctuating functional contents. The modified exosome-based strategies can better match the requirements of the regeneration in some complex healing processes. Conclusion: Exosome-based strategies hold promise to manage degenerative disease in orthopaedics prior to patients reaching the advanced stage of disease in the future. The timely summary and highlights offered herein could provide a research perspective to promote the development of exosome-based therapy, facilitating the clinical translation of exosomes in orthopaedics. Translational potential of this article: Exosome-based therapy is superior in anti-senescence and anti-inflammatory effects and possesses lower risks of tumorigenicity and immune rejection relative to stem cell-based therapy. Exosome-based therapy is regarded as an ideal alternative to stem cell-based therapy, offering a promise to achieve 'cell-free' tissue regeneration.

Bioactive Herbal Extracts of Traditional Chinese Medicine Applied with the Biomaterials: For the Current Applications and Advances in the Musculoskeletal System.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has demonstrated superior therapeutic effect for musculoskeletal diseases for thousands of years. Recently, the herbal extracts of TCM have received rapid advances in musculoskeletal tissue engineering (MTE). A literature review collecting both English and Chinese references on bioactive herbal extracts of TCM in biomaterial-based approaches was performed. This review provides an up-to-date overview of application of TCMs in the field of MTE, involving regulation of multiple signaling pathways in osteogenesis, angiogenesis, anti-inflammation, and chondrogenesis. Meanwhile, we highlight the potential advantages of TCM, opening the possibility of its extensive application in MTE. Overall, the superiority of traditional Chinese medicine turns it into an attractive candidate for coupling with advanced additive manufacturing technology.

Comparison of Peripheral Nerve Block and Spinal Anesthesia in Terms of Postoperative Mortality and Walking Ability in Elderly Hip Fracture Patients - A Retrospective, Propensity-Score Matched Study.

PURPOSE: To compare the effects of peripheral nerve block (PNB) and spinal anesthesia (SA) on one-year mortality and walking ability of elderly hip fracture patients after hip arthroplasty. METHODS: Patients ≥65 years who underwent unilateral hip arthroplasty due to femoral neck fracture, using either PNB or SA from 2014 to 2019, were included. Demographic data, comorbidities, and results of preoperative screening were retrospectively collected. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed in a ratio of 1:1 for PNB and SA groups. The primary outcomes were 30-day, 90-day, and one-year mortality. Secondary outcomes included walking ability in the first postoperative year, major complications, length of stay, and the cost of hospitalization. Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: Three hundred and sixteen patients were included, of whom 200 received SA and 116 received PNB. Eighty-nine patients in each group were matched after PSM. Patients in the PNB group showed significantly lower risks of death in 30 days (2.2% vs 10.1%, P=0.029) and 90 days (3.4% vs 12.4%, P=0.026) after hip arthroplasty, when compared to the SA group. There was no significant difference in one-year mortality, walking ability, major complications, and length of stay. Higher hospitalization cost was found in the PNB group (53,828.21 CNY vs 59,278.83 CNY, P=0.024). One-year accumulated survival rate was higher in the PNB group without reaching a significant level. CONCLUSION: PNB was related to lower 30- and 90-day mortality but higher hospitalization cost in elderly hip fracture patients after hip arthroplasty. However, the anesthesia types were not associated with one-year mortality, one-year walking ability, major complications, and length of stay.

Bioactive Silk Fibroin-Based Hybrid Biomaterials for Musculoskeletal Engineering: Recent Progress and Perspectives.

Musculoskeletal engineering has been considered as a promising approach to customize regenerated tissue (such as bone, cartilage, tendon, and ligament) via a self-healing performance. Recent advances have demonstrated the great potential of bioactive materials for regenerative medicine. Silk fibroin (SF), a natural polymer, is regarded as a remarkable bioactive material for musculoskeletal engineering thanks to its biocompatibility, biodegradability, and tunability. To improve tissue-engineering performance, silk fibroin is hybridized with other biomaterials to form silk-fibroin-based hybrid biomaterials, which achieve superior mechanical and biological performance. Herein, we summarize the recent development of silk-based hybrid biomaterials in musculoskeletal tissue with reasonable generalization and classification, mainly including silk fibroin-based inorganic and organic hybrid biomaterials. The applied inorganics are composed of calcium phosphate, graphene oxide, titanium dioxide, silica, and bioactive glass, while the polymers include polycaprolactone, collagen (or gelatin), chitosan, cellulose, and alginate. This article mainly focuses on the physical and biological performances both in vitro and in vivo study of several common silk-based hybrid biomaterials in musculoskeletal engineering. The timely summary and highlight of silk-fibroin-based hybrid biomaterials will provide a research perspective to promote the further improvement and development of silk fibroin hybrid biomaterials for improved musculoskeletal engineering.