Charged Microdroplets as Microelectrochemical Cells for CO2 Reduction and C-C Coupling.

Charged microdroplets offer novel electrochemical environments, distinct from traditional solid-liquid or solid-liquid-gas interfaces, due to the intense electric fields at liquid-gas interfaces. In this study, we propose that charged microdroplets serve as microelectrochemical cells (MECs), enabling unique electrochemical reactions at the gas-liquid interface. Using electrospray-generated microdroplets, we achieved multielectron CO2 reduction and C-C coupling to synthesize ethanol using molecular catalysts. These catalysts effectively harness and relay electrons, enhancing the longevity of solvated electrons and enabling multielectron reactions. Importantly, we revealed the intrinsic relationship between the size and charge density of a MEC and its reaction selectivity. Employing in situ mass spectrometry, we identified reaction intermediates (molecular catalyst adducts with HCOO) and oxidation products, elucidating the CO2 reduction mechanism and the comprehensive reaction procedure. Our research underscores the promising role of charged microdroplets in pioneering new electrochemical systems.

What Elements Really Intercalate into Pd Lattice When Heated in Dimethylformamide?

Palladium hydrides (PdHx) are pivotal in both fundamental research and practical applications across a wide spectrum. PdHx nanocrystals, synthesized by heating in dimethylformamide (DMF), exhibit remarkable stability, granting them widespread applications in the field of electrocatalysis. However, this stability appears inconsistent with their metastable nature. The substantial challenges in characterizing nanoscale structures contribute to the limited understanding of this anomalous phenomenon. Here, through a series of well-conceived experimental designs and advanced characterization techniques, including aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (AC-STEM), in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD), and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS), we have uncovered evidence that indicates the presence of C and N within the lattice of Pd (PdCxNy), rather than H (PdHx). By combining theoretical calculations, we have thoroughly studied the potential configurations and thermodynamic stability of PdCxNy, demonstrating a 2.5:1 ratio of C to N infiltration into the Pd lattice. Furthermore, we successfully modulated the electronic structure of Pd nanocrystals through C and N doping, enhancing their catalytic activity in methanol oxidation reactions. This breakthrough provides a new perspective on the structure and composition of Pd-based nanocrystals infused with light elements, paving the way for the development of advanced catalytic materials in the future.

Boosting Reactive Oxygen Species Generation via Contact-Electro-Catalysis with FeIII-Initiated Self-cycled Fenton System.

Contact Electro-Catalysis (CEC) using commercial dielectric materials in contact-separation cycles with water triggers interfacial electron transfer, generating reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, the hydrophobicity of these materials limits reaction sites, and the generated ROS often combine to form hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), which does not decompose further, leading to suboptimal rates. Addressing H2O2 generation and activation is crucial for advancing CEC. Here, we synthesized a catalyst by loading polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) onto ZSM-5 (PZ), achieving uniform dispersion in water. Introducing an FeIII-initiated self-cycling Fenton system (SF-CEC), with synergistic O2 activation and FeIII-activated H2O2, enhanced ROS generation. This system enabled nearly 99% degradation of azo dyes within 10 minutes, a sixfold improvement over traditional CEC. It represents the fastest ultrasound-induced degradation rate of methyl orange dye to date. Without extra oxidants, it also achieved stable dissolution of precious metals in weakly acidic solutions at room temperature, with 80% gold dissolution within 2 hours-2.5 times faster than similar systems. This study corrects the perception of CEC under acidic conditions, offering new insights for dye degradation and precious metal recovery.

Contact-Electro-Catalysis for Direct Oxidation of Methane under Ambient Conditions.

The conversion of methane under ambient conditions has attracted significant attention. Although advancements have been made using active oxygen species from photo- and electro- chemical processes, challenges such as complex catalyst design, costly oxidants, and unwanted byproducts remain. This study exploits the concept of contact-electro-catalysis, initiating chemical reactions through charge exchange at a solid-liquid interface, to report a novel process for directly converting methane under ambient conditions. Utilizing the electrification of commercially available Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene (FEP) with water under ultrasound, we demonstrate how this interaction promote the activation of methane and oxygen molecules. Our results show that the yield of HCHO and CH3OH can reach 467.5 and 151.2 µmol ⋅ gcat -1, respectively. We utilized electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) to confirm the evolution of hydroxyl radicals (⋅OH) and superoxide radicals (⋅OOH). Isotope mass spectrometry (MS) was employed to analyze the elemental origin of CH3OH, which can be further oxidized to HCHO. Additionally, we conducted density functional theory (DFT) simulations to assess the reaction energies of FEP with H2O, O2, and CH4 under these conditions. The implications of this methodology, with its potential applicability to a wider array of gas-phase catalytic reactions, underscore a significant advance in catalysis.

Near-infrared fluorescent probe visual detection of Hg2+ and its application in biological system and ecological system.

Mercury ion (Hg2+), a heavy metal cation with greater toxicity, is widely present in the ecological environment and has become a serious threat to human health and environmental safety. Currently, developing a solution to simultaneously visualize and monitor Hg2+ in environmental samples, including water, soil, and plants, remains a great challenge. In this work, we created and synthesized a near-infrared fluorescent probe, BBN-Hg, and utilized Hg2+ to trigger the partial cleavage of the carbon sulfate ester in BBN-Hg as a sensing mechanism, and the fluorescence intensity of BBN-Hg was significantly enhanced at 650 nm, thus realizing the visualization of Hg2+ with good selectivity (detection limit, 53 nM). In live cells and zebrafish, the probe BBN-Hg enhances the red fluorescence signal in the presence of Hg2+, and successfully performs 3D imaging on zebrafish, making it a powerful tool for detecting Hg2+ in living systems. More importantly, with BBN-Hg, we are able to detect Hg2+ in actual water samples, soil and plant seedling roots. Furthermore, the probe was prepared as a test strip for on-site determination of Hg2+ with the assistance of a smartphone. Therefore, this study offers an easy-to-use and useful method for tracking Hg2+ levels in living organisms and their surroundings.

Rapid synthesis of high-purity molybdenum carbide with controlled crystal phases.

The synthesis of phase-pure carbide nanomaterials is crucial for understanding their structure-performance relationships, and for advancing their application in catalysis. Molybdenum carbides, in particular, have garnered increasing interest due to their Pt-like surface electronic properties and high catalytic activity. Traditional methods for synthesizing molybdenum carbide are often lengthy and energy-intensive, leading to an uncontrolled phase, low purity, and excessive carbon coverage, which hinder their catalytic performance improvement. This work introduces a novel pulsed Joule heating (PJH) technique that overcomes these limitations, enabling the controlled synthesis of high-purity molybdenum carbides (ß-Mo2C, η-MoC1-x, and α-MoC1-x) within seconds by using MoOx/4-Cl-o-phenylenediamine as the hybrid precursor. The PJH method allows precise control over the diffusion of carbon species in the Mo-C system, resulting in a significantly improved phase purity of up to 96.89 wt%. Moreover, the electronic structure of platinum catalysts on molybdenum carbide was modulated through electron metal-support interaction (EMSI) between Pt and MoxC, and contributed to enhanced catalytic performance compared to carbon-supported Pt catalysts during the hydrogen evolution reaction. Overall, this work paves the way for efficient production of high-quality molybdenum carbide nanomaterials, and thus is expected to accelerate their industrial deployments in practical catalytic reactions.

Utilization of charged microdroplets for the controlled rapid synthesis of hollow sodium chloride single crystals.

Charged microdroplets are favored in microfluidic control, biomedicine, chemistry and materials processing due to their unique physicochemical environment, including interface double layers, high electric fields, surface concentration enrichment, and more. Herein, we investigated the crystallization of charged sodium chloride microdroplets and achieved the formation of hollow single crystals in a single-step process lasting only a few seconds, without the use of templates. Additionally, we discussed the plausible crystal growth mechanism, which appears to be an unconventional outward-inward growth process.

Predictors of In-Stent Stenosis Following the Implantation of Pipeline Embolization Devices for the Treatment of Aneurysms Located at or beyond the Circle of Willis in the Anterior Circulation.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: In-stent stenosis is commonly observed after stent implantation. There is no consensus on the contributing factors for in-stent stenosis, especially for aneurysms located at or beyond the circle of Willis in the anterior circulation. This study aimed to investigate the morbidity and determinants of in-stent stenosis in distal anterior circulation aneurysms following the implantation of Pipeline Embolization Devices. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who underwent Pipeline Embolization Device treatment at our center between January 1, 2018, and June 15, 2023, were enrolled. Distal anterior circulation aneurysms were defined as those occurring at or beyond the circle of Willis, including anterior communicating artery aneurysms, anterior cerebral artery aneurysms, and MCA aneurysms. Baseline information, aneurysm characteristics, and follow-up data of patients were analyzed. Patients were divided into 2 groups: the in-stent stenosis group (patients with a loss of >25% of the lumen diameter of the parent artery) and the non-in-stent stenosis group. Binary logistic regression and restricted cubic spline curves were used to explore risk factors. RESULTS: We included 85 cases of 1213 patients treated with flow-diverter devices at our hospital. During an average follow-up period of 9.07 months, the complete occlusion rate was 77.64%. The overall incidence of in-stent stenosis was 36.47% (31/85), of which moderate stenosis accounted for 9.41% (8/85), and severe stenosis, 5.88% (5/85) (triglyceride-glucose index ≥ 8.95; OR = 6.883, P = .006). The difference in diameters between the stent and parent artery of ≥0.09 mm (OR = 6.534, P = .015) and 55 years of age or older (OR = 3.507, P = .036) were risk factors for in-stent stenosis. The restricted cubic spline curves indicated that the risk of in-stent stenosis increased as the difference in diameter between stent and parent artery and the triglyceride-glucose index increased. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with the on-label use of Pipeline Embolization Devices, the rate of in-stent stenosis did not obviously increase when treating distal anterior circulation aneurysms with these devices. The incidence of in-stent stenosis was 36.47% when defined as a lumen diameter loss of >25%, and 15.2% when defined as a lumen diameter loss of >50%. Stent-size selection and biochemical indicators can potentially impact the incidence of in-stent stenosis.

Design and performance analysis of a new inferior vena cava filter.

This study proposes a novel inferior vena cava filter (IVCF) design, "Lotus," aiming to enhance release stability and endothelialization. A catheter-filter-vessel model was established for IVCF property analysis, validated by comparing numerical simulations and in vitro tests. Lotus's mechanical properties were analyzed, and optimization suggestions are provided. Compared to existing clinical filters, Lotus demonstrates improved release stability and thrombus capture ability. This work suggests Lotus as a potential technical reference for improved IVCF treatment.

Near-infrared fluorescent probe to track Cys in plant roots under heavy metal hazards and its application in cells and zebrafish.

Heavy metals, including Hg2+, Cr6+ and Cd2+, have always been a major issue in environmental pollution, leading to abnormal changes in the levels of biologically active molecules including Cys in plants, seriously affecting all aspects of the growth and development of plants. This makes it essential to develop a simple and practical method to study the potential impact of heavy metals on plants. In this paper, our research group has developed near-infrared fluorescent probe WRM-S, which has the advantages of fast response, sensitivity to Cys, and successfully applying it to cells and zebrafish. Moreover, it combined the close relationship between heavy metal stress on plants and Cys, using Cys as the detection target, monitoring the internal environment changes of two plants under Hg2+, Cr6+, and Cd2+ stress in the environment, and then conducting 3D imaging. The results indicated that the probe has strong penetration ability in plant tissues, and revealed abnormal changes in plant Cys levels caused by heavy metal stress-induced cellular oxidative stress or cytotoxicity. Thus, the in-situ imaging detection of this probe provides a direction for the physiological dynamics research of plant environmental stress.

Staging liver fibrosis with various diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging models.

BACKGROUND: Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) has been developed to stage liver fibrosis. However, its diagnostic performance is inconsistent among studies. Therefore, it is worth studying the diagnostic value of various diffusion models for liver fibrosis in one cohort. AIM: To evaluate the clinical potential of six diffusion-weighted models in liver fibrosis staging and compare their diagnostic performances. METHODS: This prospective study enrolled 59 patients suspected of liver disease and scheduled for liver biopsy and 17 healthy participants. All participants underwent multi-b value DWI. The main DWI-derived parameters included Mono-apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) from mono-exponential DWI, intravoxel incoherent motion model-derived true diffusion coefficient (IVIM-D), diffusion kurtosis imaging-derived apparent diffusivity (DKI-MD), stretched exponential model-derived distributed diffusion coefficient (SEM-DDC), fractional order calculus (FROC) model-derived diffusion coefficient (FROC-D) and FROC model-derived microstructural quantity (FROC-µ), and continuous-time random-walk (CTRW) model-derived anomalous diffusion coefficient (CTRW-D) and CTRW model-derived temporal diffusion heterogeneity index (CTRW-α). The correlations between DWI-derived parameters and fibrosis stages and the parameters' diagnostic efficacy in detecting significant fibrosis (SF) were assessed and compared. RESULTS: CTRW-D (r = -0.356), CTRW-α (r = -0.297), DKI-MD (r = -0.297), FROC-D (r = -0.350), FROC-µ (r = -0.321), IVIM-D (r = -0.251), Mono-ADC (r = -0.362), and SEM-DDC (r = -0.263) were significantly correlated with fibrosis stages. The areas under the ROC curves (AUCs) of the combined index of the six models for distinguishing SF (0.697-0.747) were higher than each of the parameters alone (0.524-0.719). The DWI models' ability to detect SF was similar. The combined index of CTRW model parameters had the highest AUC (0.747). CONCLUSION: The DWI models were similarly valuable in distinguishing SF in patients with liver disease. The combined index of CTRW parameters had the highest AUC.

EEG-DG: A Multi-Source Domain Generalization Framework for Motor Imagery EEG Classification.

Motor imagery EEG classification plays a crucial role in non-invasive Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) research. However, the performance of classification is affected by the non-stationarity and individual variations of EEG signals. Simply pooling EEG data with different statistical distributions to train a classification model can severely degrade the generalization performance. To address this issue, the existing methods primarily focus on domain adaptation, which requires access to the test data during training. This is unrealistic and impractical in many EEG application scenarios. In this paper, we propose a novel multi-source domain generalization framework called EEG-DG, which leverages multiple source domains with different statistical distributions to build generalizable models on unseen target EEG data. We optimize both the marginal and conditional distributions to ensure the stability of the joint distribution across source domains and extend it to a multi-source domain generalization framework to achieve domain-invariant feature representation, thereby alleviating calibration efforts. Systematic experiments conducted on a simulative dataset, BCI competition IV 2a, 2b, and OpenBMI datasets, demonstrate the superiority and competitive performance of our proposed framework over other state-of-the-art methods. Specifically, EEG-DG achieves average classification accuracies of 81.79% and 87.12% on datasets IV-2a and IV-2b, respectively, and 78.37% and 76.94% for inter-session and inter-subject evaluations on dataset OpenBMI, which even outperforms some domain adaptation methods. Our code is available at https://github.com/zxchit2022/EEG-DG for evaluation.

Anomalous Hall effect and magnetic transition in the kagome material YbMn6Sn6.

We investigate the magnetic and transport properties of a kagome magnet YbMn6Sn6. We have grown YbMn6Sn6single crystals having a HfFe6Ge6type structure with ordered Yb and Sn atoms, which is different from the distorted structure previously reported. The single crystal undergoes a ferromagnetic phase transition around 300 K and a ferrimagnetic transition at approximately 30 K, and the magnetic transition at low temperature may be correlated to the ordered Yb sublattice. Negative magnetoresistance has been observed at high temperatures, while the positive magnetoresistance appears at 5 K when the current is oriented out of kagome plane. We observe a large anisotropic anomalous Hall effect with the intrinsic Hall contribution of 141 Ω-1cm-1forσzxintand 32 Ω-1cm-1forσxyint, respectively. These values are similar to those in YMn6Sn6with the same anisotropy. The magnetic transition and anomalous Hall behavior in YbMn6Sn6highlights the influence of the ordered Yb atoms and rare earth elements on its magnetic and transport properties.

Clinical Anslysis of TAFRO Syndrome / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the clinical characteristics, diagnosis, and treatment of one patient with TAFRO syndrome, and to strengthen the understanding of this rare type.@*METHODS@#The clinical manifestations, diagnosis and treatment process, and prognosis of the patient admitted in Gansu Provincial People's Hospital were retrospectively analyzed.@*RESULTS@#Combined with laboratory tests, bone marrow examination, imaging, pathology, etc, the patient was diagnosed with TAFRO syndrome. After three cycles of treatment with pomalidomide (2-3 mg/d, d1-21), cyclophosphamide (300 mg/m2, 0.54 g once a week) and dexamethasone (20 mg/d, two days a week), platelet count, serum creatinine and procalcitonin returned to normal, the systemic edema disappeared, and the patient's condition was alleviated. The therapeutic effect was good.@*CONCLUSION@#TAFRO syndrome is rare, involves multiple systems, progresses rapidly, and has a worse prognosis. The choice of the "Pomalidomide+cyclophosphamide+dexamethasone" regimen is help to improve the survival prognosis of patient with TAFRO syndrome.

Risk Factors and Prognosis of Cardiovascular Damage in Hypereosinophilia / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the risk factors and prognosis of cardiovascular damage in hypereosinophilia (HE).@*METHODS@#The clinical data of 62 patients with HE in Gansu Provincial Hospital from January 2015 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed, including clinical characteristics and laboratory indicators, and the influencing factors of survival and prognosis were also analyzed.@*RESULTS@#In this study, there were 34 males and 28 females, with a median age of 53.5 (20-79) years, 35 patients without cardiovascular damage, 27 patients with cardiovascular damage, including 22 patients with abnormal electrocardiogram (ECG) (81.5%), 18 patients with abnormal echocardiography (ECHO) (66.7%), 9 patients with single ECG abnormality, 5 patients with single ECHO abnormality, and other 13 patients with multiple abnormalities. In cardiovascular damage group, peripheral white blood cell count, absolute value of eosinophils, troponin T (TNT), N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-5 levels at initial diagnosis were significantly higher than those in the non-cardiovascular damage group (P <0.01), while hemoglobin, IL-2 and interferon-γ levels were significantly lower (P <0.01). There were no significant differences in age, sex, course of disease, etiological classification, platelet count, serum creatine kinase, serum creatine kinase isoenzyme and lactate dehydrogenase between the two groups (P >0.05). The 5-year overal survival rate of patients with cardiovascular damage was 88.9%, and that of patients without cardiovascular damage was 100%, the difference was statistically significant (P =0.012). The 5-year event-free survival (EFS) rate of patients with cardiovascular damage was 59.3%, and the median time was 37 (21-52) months, while that of patients without cardiovascular damage was 80%, and the median time was 63 (51-74) months (P =0.002). Age (>60 years old), course of disease (>24 months), NT-proBNP (>3 000 pg/ml), TNT (>100 ng/L), elevated IL-4 and IL-5 were associated with EFS shortening in patients with cardiovascular damage, which were independent risk factors for EFS.@*CONCLUSION@#The EFS rate in HE patients without cardiovascular damage is significantly higher than patients with cardiovascular damage. Age, course of disease, NT-proBNP, TNT, IL-4 and IL-5 are independent risk factors affecting EFS of patients with cardiovascular damage.

Thrombospondin-2 Couples Pressure-Promoted Chondrogenesis through NF-jB Signaling

METHODS@#Rat BMSCs were isolated, cultured and identified. The time-dependent expressions of TSP-2 and Sox9 in BMSCs under a dynamic mechanical pressure of 0–120 kPa at 0.1 Hz for 1 h were tested by qPCR and Western blotting. The role of TSP-2 in chondrogenic differentiation of BMSCs under mechanical pressure was validated by using small interfering RNA. The impact of TSP-2 and mechanical pressure on chondrogenesis were detected and the downstream signaling molecules were explored using Western blotting. @*RESULTS@#Mechanical pressure stimulation of 0–120 kPa for 1 h significantly upregulated the expression of TSP-2 in BMSCs. The expression of the chondrogenesis markers Sox9, Aggrecan, and Col-II were all upregulated under dynamic mechanical pressure or TSP-2 stimulation. Additional exogenous TSP-2 may potentiate the chondrogenic effect of mechanical stimulation. After knock down TSP-2, the upregulation of Sox9, Aggrecan and Col-II under mechanical pressure was inhibited. The NF-jB signaling pathway responded to both dynamic pressure and TSP-2 stimulation, and the cartilage-promoting effect was blocked by an NF-jB signaling inhibitor. @*CONCLUSION@#TSP-2 plays an essential role in the chondrogenic differentiation of BMSCs under mechanical pressure. NF-jB signaling is involved in the mechano-chemical coupling of TSP-2 and mechanical pressure for the chondrogenic differentiation of BMSCs.

Identification, expression and DNA variation analysis of high affinity nitrate transporter NRT2/3 gene family in Sorghum bicolor / 生物工程学报

Nitrate is the main form of inorganic nitrogen that crop absorbs, and nitrate transporter 2 (NRT2) is a high affinity transporter using nitrate as a specific substrate. When the available nitrate is limited, the high affinity transport systems are activated and play an important role in the process of nitrate absorption and transport. Most NRT2 cannot transport nitrates alone and require the assistance of a helper protein belonging to nitrate assimilation related family (NAR2) to complete the absorption or transport of nitrates. Crop nitrogen utilization efficiency is affected by environmental conditions, and there are differences between varieties, so it is of great significance to develop varieties with high nitrogen utilization efficiency. Sorghum bicolor has high stress tolerance and is more efficient in soil nitrogen uptake and utilization. The S. bicolor genome database was scanned to systematically analyze the gene structure, chromosomal localization, physicochemical properties, secondary structure and transmembrane domain, signal peptide and subcellular localization, promoter region cis-acting elements, phylogenetic evolution, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) recognition and annotation, and selection pressure of the gene family members. Through bioinformatics analysis, 5 NRT2 gene members (designated as SbNRT2-1a, SbNRT2-1b, SbNRT2-2, SbNRT2-3, and SbNRT2-4) and 2 NAR2 gene members (designated as SbNRT3-1 and SbNRT3-2) were identified, the number of which was less than that of foxtail millet. SbNRT2/3 were distributed on 3 chromosomes, and could be divided into four subfamilies. The genetic structure of the same subfamilies was highly similar. The average value of SbNRT2/3 hydrophilicity was positive, indicating that they were all hydrophobic proteins, whereas α-helix and random coil accounted for more than 70% of the total secondary structure. Subcellular localization occurred on plasma membrane, where SbNRT2 proteins did not contain signal peptides, but SbNRT3 proteins contained signal peptides. Further analysis revealed that the number of transmembrane domains of the SbNRT2s family members was greater than 10, while that of the SbNRT3s were 2. There was a close collinearity between NRT2/3s of S. bicolor and Zea mays. Protein domains analysis showed the presence of MFS_1 and NAR2 protein domains, which supported executing high affinity nitrate transport. Phylogenetic tree analysis showed that SbNRT2/3 were more closely related to those of Z. mays and Setaria italic. Analysis of gene promoter cis-acting elements indicated that the promoter region of SbNRT2/3 had several plant hormones and stress response elements, which might respond to growth and environmental cues. Gene expression heat map showed that SbNRT2-3 and SbNRT3-1 were induced by nitrate in the root and stem, respectively, and SbNRT2-4 and SbNRT2-3 were induced by low nitrogen in the root and stem. Non-synonymous SNP variants were found in SbNRT2-4 and SbNRT2-1a. Selection pressure analysis showed that the SbNRT2/3 were subject to purification and selection during evolution. The expression of SbNRT2/3 gene and the effect of aphid infection were consistent with the expression analysis results of genes in different tissues, and SbNRT2-1b and SbNRT3-1 were significantly expressed in the roots of aphid lines 5-27sug, and the expression levels of SbNRT2-3, SbNRT2-4 and SbNRT3-2 were significantly reduced in sorghum aphid infested leaves. Overall, genome-wide identification, expression and DNA variation analysis of NRT2/3 gene family of Sorghum bicolor provided a basis for elucidating the high efficiency of sorghum in nitrogen utilization.

Clinical Features and Prognosis of Patients with Castleman's Disease / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To analyze the clinical features and prognosis of patients with Castleman's disease (CD) and improve the diagnosis and treatment of CD.@*METHODS@#Clinical data of patients diagnosed with CD by pathological biopsy in Gansu Provincial Hospital from January 2009 to November 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. According to clinical classification, the patients were divided into two groups: UCD (unicentric CD) group (n=20) and MCD (multicentric CD) group (n=9). The clinical manifestations, laboratory examination, treatment regimens, pathological examination and follow-up data were statistically analyzed.@*RESULTS@#There were no significant differences in average age and gender ratio between UCD group and MCD group. In UCD patients, 80.0% were hyaline vascular type, and 20.0% were plasma cell type. In MCD patients, 33.3% were hyaline vascular type, 55.6% were plasma cell type, and 11.1% were mixed type. There was significant difference in pathological classification between the two groups (P=0.039). The UCD patients usually presented asymptomatic single lymph node enlargement with mild clinical symptoms, while the MCD patients were characterized by multiple superficial and deep lymph node enlargement throughout the body. The incidences of asthenia, splenomegaly, serous effusion in MCD group were higher than those in UCD group (P<0.05). Meanwhile, the incidences of anemia, hypoproteinemia, increased ESR, elevated serum globulin and elevated β2-microglobulin were significantly higher than those in UCD group too (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidences of abnormal WBC, PLT and elevated LDH between the two groups (P>0.05). Among 20 patients with UCD, 13 cases reached complete remission (CR), 1 case achieved partial remission (PR). Among 9 patients with MCD, 3 cases received CR and 4 cases received PR.@*CONCLUSION@#Patients with CD requires pathological examination for diagnosis. Patients with UCD show mild clinical symptoms, good surgical treatment effect and good prognosis. Patients with MCD have diversified clinical manifestations and relatively poor prognosis, and these patients require comprehensive treatment.

Clinicopathological Characteristics, Risk Factors of Perforation and Prognosis of Primary Small Intestinal Lymphoma: Analysis of 90 Cases / 胃肠病学

Background: Primary small intestinal lymphoma is an insidious onset gastrointestinal tumor with a high probability of perforation and poor prognosis. Aims: To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics and the factors related to perforation and prognosis in primary small intestinal lymphoma patients. Methods: The clinical data of patients with primary small intestinal lymphoma admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2014 to January 2022 were collected retrospectively. The clinical features of patients with different pathological types were compared, and factors related to perforation and prognosis were identified by Logistic regression analysis and Cox regression analysis, respectively. Results: Ninety patients with primary small intestinal lymphoma were enrolled, the male to female ratio was 2∶1, and the median age was 52.5 years old. Abdominal pain was the most common symptom complained by patients (74.4%). All patients were diagnosed as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma pathologically, of which 70 were B-cell lymphoma and 20 were T-cell lymphoma; diffuse large B-cell lymphoma was the most common histological type. Patients with T-cell lymphoma had a higher incidence of gastrointestinal complications than those with B-cell lymphoma (78.6% vs. 48.6%, P=0.001). Perforation was more commonly seen in T-cell lymphoma, and intestinal obstruction was more commonly seen in B-cell lymphoma. Multivariate Logistic analysis demonstrated that multisite involvement, elevation of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and T-cell lymphoma were the independent risk factors for perforation, while in univariate Cox regression analysis, decreased albumin, increased LDH, T-cell lymphoma, perforation and surgical treatment without chemotherapy were associated with poor prognosis. Furthermore, multivariate Cox regression analysis suggested that only surgical treatment without chemotherapy was an independent risk factor for death (HR=8.332, 95% CI: 1.453-47.772, P= 0.017). Conclusions: T - cell originated primary small intestinal lymphoma and those with increased LDH or involving multisite of gastrointestinal tract has a higher incidence of perforation. Surgical treatment without chemotherapy is strongly correlated with adverse outcomes. A regular chemotherapy after surgical treatment is highly recommended for primary small intestinal lymphoma patients complicated with perforation.

The effect of Er: yttrium aluminum garnet laser irrigation on the root canal smear layer and root canal microhardness / 中华老年医学杂志

Objective:To examine the effects of different endodontic irrigation methods on root canal morphology.Methods:We collected 20 extracted single-root premolars from elderly patients(≥60 years)with periodontitis and randomly divided them into 5 groups.Group A: syringe irrigation; Group B: P5 ultrasonic irrigation, Group C: 0.20 W Er: yttrium aluminum garnet(YAG)laser irrigation; Group D: 0.30 W Er: YAG laser irrigation; and Group E; 0.35 W Er: YAG laser irrigation.Changes in the smear layer in the root canal and the hardness of the root canal were assessed.Results:After treatment with different root canal cleaning methods, the scores of smear layer removal for Groups A, B, C, D and E were(4.67±0.27), (3.08±0.57), (2.83±0.43), (1.17±0.19)and(2.87±0.50), respectively.There were statistically significant differences between them( F=35.946, P<0.01). Among them, Group B, C, D and E had better smear layer removal than Group A, and the differences were statistically significant(all P<0.01). Group D had better removal of the smear layer than Groups B, C and E, and the differences were statistically significant( P<0.01); Values for dentin microhardness of Groups A, B, C, D and E were(58.98±5.54), (55.19±5.71), (56.04±3.96), (66.65±3.23)and(45.68±7.58), respectively, with statistically significant differences( F=5.83, P<0.05), and for laser-based irrigation, the value for dentin microhardness of Group D was higher than those of groups C and B(all P<0.05). Conclusions:Laser-based root canal irrigation is better than traditional irrigation methods, with 0.30 W Er: YAG laser achieving maximal removal of the smear layer and at the same time having the least impact on root canal hardness.