Recycling of sludge residue as a coagulant for phosphorus removal from aqueous solutions.

Phosphorus pollution poses a significant challenge in addressing water contamination. The coagulant is one of the effective methods to remove phosphorus from wastewater. Abundant Al and Fe oxides in sludge residue make it have great potential to synthesize water treatment coagulants. However, the utilization of sludge residue for preparation of coagulant was seldom investigated. In this study, we fabricated a novel coagulant, polyaluminum ferric chloride (SM-PAC), using sludge residue as a raw material through acid leaching and polymerization processes. Characterization results confirm that the parameters of SM-PAC meet the specifications outlined in the national standard (GB/T 22627-2022). We investigated the effects of pH, dosage, initial phosphorus concentration, and contact time on the removal efficiency of SM-PAC. As anticipated, the prepared SM-PAC exhibited a significant efficacy in removing phosphorus, meeting the discharge standards set for municipal sewage. Furthermore, the adsorption kinetics analysis suggests that the predominant mode of phosphorus adsorption on SM-PAC is chemical adsorption. Furthermore, the SM-PAC was employed in the actual wastewater treatment plant and exhibited excellent efficiency in phosphorus removal. The utilization of SM-PAC can not only effectively address the issue of sludge disposal but also achieve the goal of "treating waste with waste." It is expected that the proposed method of reusing sludge residue as a resource can provide a sustainable way to synthesize a coagulant for phosphorus removal.

Circular RNA circ_0000284 plays an oncogenic role in the progression of non-small cell lung cancer through the miR-377-3p-mediated PD-L1 promotion.

BACKGROUND: Circular RNAs (circRNAs), a subgroup of non-coding RNAs, are recognized as pivotal mediators in various types of cancers. CircRNA_0000284 (circ_0000284) was manifested to participate in the development of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The novel functional mechanism of circ_0000284 in NSCLC was investigated in our current study. METHODS: We exploited quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) to analyze the relative RNA (circRNA, miRNA and mRNA) expression. The assessment of cell proliferation and colony formation was executed by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and colony formation assay, respectively. Transwell assay was implemented to examine cell migration and invasion. All protein levels were assayed using western blot. The role of circ_0000284 in vivo was evaluated via xenograft model. The target relation was estimated by dual-luciferase reporter and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays. RESULTS: As for the biological characterization, circ_0000284 was highly stable and localized in the cytoplasm. Circ_0000284 was up-regulated in NSCLC and could predict poor prognosis of NSCLC patients. Both in vitro and in vivo, down-regulation of circ_0000284 refrained tumorigenesis of NSCLC. Besides, microRNA-377-3p (miR-377-3p) was a miRNA target of circ_0000284, and targeted programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1). Circ_0000284 was a cancer-promoting circRNA in NSCLC via regulating the miR-377-3p/PD-L1 axis. CONCLUSION: Thus, our results unraveled that circ_0000284 facilitated the progression of NSCLC by up-regulating the PD-L1 expression as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) of miR-377, possibly developing a different perspective in understanding the molecular pathogenesis of NSCLC.

Inequity in inpatient services utilization: a longitudinal comparative analysis of middle-aged and elderly patients with the chronic non-communicable diseases in China.

BACKGROUND: Aging and the chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) challenge the Chinese government in the process of providing hospitalization services fairly and reasonably. The Chinese government has developed the basic medical insurance system to solve the problem of "expensive medical cost and difficult medical services" for vulnerable groups and alleviate the unfair phenomenon. However, few studies have confirmed its effect through longitudinal comparison. This study aimed to explore the trend in the inequity of inpatient use among middle-aged and elderly individuals with NCDs in China. METHODS: This longitudinal comparative study was based on CHARLS data in 2011, 2013 and 2015. Concentration index (CI) was used to measure the variation trend of inequity of inpatient services utilization, while the decomposition method of the CI was applied to measure the factors contributing to inequity in inpatient services utilization. The effect of each factor on the change of inequity in inpatient services utilization was divided into the change of the elasticity and the change of inequality using the Oaxaca-type decomposition method. RESULTS: The affluent middle-aged and elderly patients with NCDs used more inpatient services than poor groups. The per capita household consumption expenditure (PCE) and Urban Employee Basic Medical Insurance (UEBMI) contributed to the decline in pro-rich inequality of inpatient use, while the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme (NRCMS) contributed to the decline in pro-poor inequality of inpatient use. CONCLUSIONS: There was a certain degree of pro-rich unfairness in the probability and frequency of inpatient services utilization for middle-aged and elderly individuals with NCDs in China. The decrease of pro-wealth contribution of PCE and UEBMI offset the decrease of pro-poor contribution of NRCMS, and improved the equity of inpatient services utilization, favoring poor people.

Comparison and application of wavelet transform and Kalman filtering for denoising in δ13CO2 measurement by tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy at 2.008 µm: retraction.

The referenced article [Opt. Express25, A896 (2017)] has been retracted.

Selenylation modification: enhancement of the antioxidant activity of a Glycyrrhiza uralensis polysaccharide.

Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element for human beings and many other forms of life. Organic selenium from natural foods has greater bioavailability and is safer than inorganic selenium species. In this article, the structural properties and antioxidant activities of a Glycyrrhiza uralensis polysaccharide (GUP) after selenylation modification were investigated. The GUP was extracted by water decoction and ethanol precipitation and purified via protein elimination using the trichloroacetic acid method and column chromatography. The purified product was subsequently modified by the nitric acid-sodium selenite (HNO3-Na2SeO3) method. The selenized GUP (SeGUP) product was characterized by Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and its thermal stability, particle size, and antioxidant activities were investigated. FT-IR analysis indicated that the selenium in SeGUP existed mainly as O-Se-O. The thermal stability and particle size of SeGUP differed significantly from those of GUP. Moreover, compared to GUP, SeGUP exhibited greater antioxidant activities in vitro and in vivo. These results indicate that selenylation modification significantly enhances the antioxidant activity of SeGUP, increasing its potential for application as an antioxidant. Graphical abstract ᅟ.

Comparison and application of wavelet transform and Kalman filtering for denoising in δ13CO2 measurement by tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy at 2.008 µm.

We propose to use the wavelet transform and Kalman filter methods for processing noise in δ13CO2 measurement using laser absorption spectroscopy at 2.008 µm and they have been shown to be useful tool for reducing the intrinsic noise of the optical system. Through the performance comparison and analysis of these two denoising techniques for the intrinsic noise reduction of optical system, it can be found that the Kalman filter is a more suitable approach for the extraction of gas isotope measurement signal from a contaminated signal.

Prognostic value of 18F-FDG PET/CT tumor metabolic parameters and Ki-67 in pre-treatment diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Background: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a highly aggressive lymphoma. Rituximab-based conventional chemotherapy still leads to drug resistance or relapse in 30-40% of patients. Therefore, early identification of high-risk patients and accurate assessment of prognosis are very important for clinical decision-making. The aim of this study is to investigate the value of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) of tumor metabolic, clinical and biological parameters in the prognostic risk stratification of DLBCL before treatment. Methods: We retrospectively collected clinical data on 63 patients with newly diagnosed DLBCL admitted to Shanxi Bethune Hospital during the period from November 2016 to April 2020 who underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT prior to treatment in a cohort study. Metabolic, clinical, and biological parameters were analyzed by Cox regression. Kaplan-Meier curves of patient survival were compared by the log-rank test. Results: The median follow-up was 21 months. The 2-year progression-free survival (PFS) was 47.62%, and the overall survival (OS) was 53.97%. The subtype, double expression, Ann Abor stage, NCCN-IPI score, Ki-67, maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), bulk volume glycolysis (BVG), total lesion glycolysis (TLG), total metabolic tumor volume (TMTV) were the influencing factors for PFS and OS (P<0.050) in univariate analysis. BVG (PFS: HR =6.62, P<0.001; OS: HR =3.53, P=0.029), TLG (PFS: HR =8.56, P<0.001; OS: HR =5.20, P=0.004), TMTV (PFS: HR =12.02, P=0.001; OS: HR =5.05, P=0.033) and Ki-67 were found to be independent prognostic risk stratification parameters affecting PFS and OS by multivariate regression analysis. The 2-year PFS and OS rates for patients with high BVG (≥288.00 cm3), TLG (≥1,854.00 cm3), TMTV (≥103.00 cm3), and Ki-67 (≥85%) were 20% and 28.57%, 9.68% and 22.58%, 20.51%, and 30.77%, and 25% and 33.33%, respectively; and the 2-year PFS and OS rates for patients with low BVG (<288.00 cm3), TLG (<1,854.00 cm3), TMTV (<103.00 cm3), and Ki-67 (<85%) patients were 82.14% and 85.71%, 84.37% and 84.37%, 91.67% and 91.67%, and 61.54% and 66.67%, respectively. Patients with high BVG, TLG, TMTV, and Ki-67 had a worse 2-year PFS as well as OS rate (Ki-67: P=0.0018/P=0.0025; P<0.0001 for the rest of the groups). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that BVG, TLG, TMTV, and Ki-67 are independent prognostic indicators for survival in patients with pre-treatment DLBCL, especially BVG, which is a novel prognostic indicator that has to be validated in future research.

Implementation of field-programmable Gate array-based clock synchronization in the fiber channel communication system.

A sub-nanosecond clock synchronization scheme based on the field programmable gate array (FPGA) is proposed for the Fiber Channel (FC) communication system in this paper. The counter value of the slave node is synchronized to that of the master node through the embedded IEEE 1588 protocol over the communication link. In order to ensure the counter clocks have the same frequency in both nodes, which is recovered from the FC communication link, the clock phase difference is measured by the digital dual mixer time difference technique and the data recovery technique in the Gigabyte Transceiver, and then it is compensated by the mixed-mode clock manager in FPGAs. The proposed clock synchronization approach is evaluated with an FC communication system that has a serial rate of 12.5 Gbps, and the reported experimental results show that the proposed clock synchronization module can achieve a time difference lower than 1 ns.

Neoadjuvant envafolimab in a patient with MSI-H/dMMR colon cancer: a case report and literature review.

Clinical evidences of neoadjuvant immunotherapy in patients with mismatch repair deficient/microsatellite instability-high status (dMMR/MSI-H) colorectal cancer have not been well received. A 36-year-old man complained of recurrent right upper quadrant pain for more than 1 year, and the symptoms were not significantly relieved after 10 days of oral Changyanning tablet. The patient was finally diagnosed as dMMR/MSI-H colon cancer. Tumor regression was achieved after seven cycles of envafolimab treatment, and the patient obtained postoperative pathological complete response (pCR). Here, we report a case of MSI-H/dMMR transverse colon cancer, who obtained pCR after neoadjuvant envafolimab (a novel subcutaneous single-domain anti-PD-L1 antibody) with a favorable safety profile, aiming to enhance the experiences of comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of colon cancer.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are a type of immunotherapy which can be used in the treatment of colorectal cancer. The authors here report the functions of envafolimab (a type of ICI) used before surgery to shrink tumor volume in colorectal cancer. A 36-year-old man suffered from repeated illness of right upper quadrant for over 1 year, and the illness were not recovered after 10 days of oral Changyanning tablet. The patient was finally diagnosed with colorectal cancer. After seven cycles of envafolimab treatment, tumor volume was significantly decreased, and the patient obtained favorable surgical outcomes with tolerable safety after surgery.

A retrospective study at a single center examining risk factors associated with central nervous system involvement in individuals diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to identify risk factors contributing to central nervous system (CNS) invasion and to validate the suitability of the Central Nervous System International Prognostic Index (CNS-IPI) for individuals afflicted with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). METHODS: Based on the presence or absence of CNS invasion, 365 patients were stratified into two groups: the CNS group and the non-CNS group. The clinical data of the patients were retrospectively analyzed using univariate and multivariate analysis, and the differences in survival curves were compared. The dependent variable in this study was the presence or absence of CNS invasion, while the independent variables included age, stage, extranodal involvement, renal/adrenal involvement, and others. Statistical methods included the chi-squared test and Fisher's exact test for intergroup comparison and binary logistic regression for multi-factor analysis. The related risk factors were modeled using the Cox proportional hazards model. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to generate survival curves, and the log-rank test was used to compare the differences between survival curves. The optimal cutoff value of beta-2 (ß2)-microglobulin was determined through the utilization of a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. All P values were bidirectional, and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Both SPSS 23.0 (IBM Inc., Armonk, NY, USA) and RStudio (R software version 4.0.2, R Project for Statistical Computing) software were used for data processing RESULTS: The five factors of the CNS-IPI were related to the prognosis of patients with CNS invasion. Bone involvement, albumin < 40 g/L, and P53 protein (+) were the risk factors for CNS invasion in patients with DLBCL. However, prognostic factors such as double strike, testicular involvement, breast involvement, uterine involvement, and bone marrow involvement did not apply to these patients. It was also discovered that elderly patients with DLBCL with reduced albumin levels were more susceptible to CNS invasion. Furthermore, extranodal involvement at multiple sites and elevated beta-2 (ß2) microglobulin were independent prognostic factors CONCLUSION: Patients older than 60 years with DLBCL and decreased albumin are at increased risk for CNS invasion. In addition to the five factors in the CNS-IPI, bone involvement, albumin levels < 40 g/L, and P53 protein expression are risk factors affecting the prognosis of CNS invasion in patients with DLBCL.

Multi-Omics Characteristics of Ferroptosis Associated with Colon Adenocarcinoma Typing and Survival.

BACKGROUND: Ferroptosis, an iron-dependent form of cell death, plays a crucial role in the progression of various cancers, including colon adenocarcinoma (COAD). However, the multi-omics signatures relevant to ferroptosis regulation in COAD diagnosis remain to be elucidated. METHODS: The transcriptomic, miRNAomic, and methylomic profiles of COAD patients were acquired from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Ferroptosis activity in these patients was determined, represented by a ferroptosis score (FS), using single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) based on the expression of ferroptosis-related genes. RESULTS: Results showed that the COAD patients with high-FS displayed favorable survival outcomes and heightened drug sensitivity. They also exhibited an up-regulation of genes involved in immune-related pathways (e.g., tumor necrosis factor signaling pathway), suggesting a correlation between immunity and ferroptosis in COAD progression. Furthermore, three survival prediction models were established based on 10 CpGs, 12 long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and 14 microRNAs (miRNAs), respectively. These models demonstrated high accuracy in predicting COAD survival, achieving areas under the curve (AUC) >0.7. The variables used in the three models also showed strong correlations at different omics levels and were effective at discriminating between high-FS and low-FS COAD patients (AUC >0.7). CONCLUSIONS: This study identified different DNA methylation (DNAm), lncRNA, and miRNA characteristics between COAD patients with high and low ferroptosis activity. Furthermore, ferroptosis-related multi-omics signatures were established for COAD prognosis and classification. These insights present new opportunities for improving the efficacy of COAD therapy.

Trends in temporal and spatial changes of Japanese encephalitis in Chinese mainland, 2004-2019: A population-based surveillance study.

BACKGROUND: Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a serious health concern in China, with approximately 80 % of global infections occurring in China. To develop effective prevention and control strategies, this study explored the epidemiological characteristics of JE in China based on spatiotemporal data, to understand the patterns and trends of JE incidence in different regions and time periods. METHOD: The incidence and mortality rates of JE were extracted from the Public Health Data Center, the official website of the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, and the National Notifiable Infectious Disease Surveillance System from 2004 to 2019. Joinpoint regression was applied to examine the spatiotemporal patterns and annual percentage change in incidence and mortality of the JE. RESULTS: From 2004 to 2019, a total of 43,569 cases of JE were diagnosed, including 2081 deaths. The annual incidence rate of JE decreased from 0.4171/100,000 in 2004 to 0.0298/100,000 in 2019, with an annual percentage change (APC) of -13.5 % (P < 0.001). The annual mortality rate of JE showed three stages of change, with inflection points in 2006 and 2014. The incidence and mortality rates of JE have declined in all provinces of China, and more cases were reported in 0-14 years of age, accounting for nearly 80 % of all patients. CONCLUSIONS: The morbidity and mortality rates of JE in China are generally on a downward trend, and emphasis should be placed on strengthening disease surveillance in special areas and populations, popularizing vaccination, and increasing publicity.

Bis((E)-2-{5,5-di-methyl-3-[4-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl-κN (4))styr-yl]cyclo-hex-2-enyl-idene}malono-nitrile)-diiodido-mercury(II).

In the title complex, [HgI2(C21H19N5)2], the Hg(II) ion is located on a twofold rotation axis and is coordinated by two I atoms and two N atoms from two (E)-2-{5,5-di-methyl-3-[4-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)styr-yl]cyclo-hex-2-enyl-idene}malono-nitrile ligands in a distorted tetra-hedral geometry. In the crystal, the mol-ecules are linked by inter-molecular π-π inter-actions between the triazole and benzene rings [centroid-centroid distance = 3.794 (3) Å] into a band extending in [010]. These bands are further connected by C-H⋯N hydrogen bonds into a two-dimensional network parallel to (100).

Prognostic evaluation of system immune-inflammatory index and prognostic nutritional index in double expressor diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Predicting MYC and BCL2 double-expressor lymphoma prognosis using the system immune-inflammatory index (SII) and prognostic nutritional index (PNI) (DEL). From January 2015 to December 2021, 281 diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) wax blocks were used to make tissue chips. Screening double expressor lymphoma (DEL) instances involved immunocytochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization. Academic analysis used clinicopathological characteristics and follow-up data. SII, PNI, and DEL prognosis were correlated using univariate and multivariate cox regression analysis. The median age of 78 DEL patients is 60 (range: 43-74). SII and PNI cut-off values of 603.5, 3.07, and 144 predict PFS and OS well. Lower SII is associated with longer PFS (HR for SII = 0.34, 95% CI 0.15-0.76, P = 0.006; HR for NLR = 0.46, 95% CI 0.22-0.99, P = 0.048; HR for PLR = 0.39, 95% CI 0.17-0.94, P = 0.025; LMR = 0.39, 95%, CI 0.17-0.94, P = 0.025) and OS (HR for SII = 0.16, 95% CI 0.05-0.51, P = 0.005; HR for PNI = 0.20, 95% CI 0.06-0.62, P = 0.002). SII and PNI are promising predictors for twofold expressor DLBCL. Combining these increase prediction accuracy.

Ultraviolet-induced fluorescence of oil spill recognition using a semi-supervised algorithm based on thickness and mixing proportion-emission matrices.

In recent years, marine oil spill accidents have been occurring frequently during extraction and transportation, and seriously damage the ecological balance. Accurate monitoring of oil spills plays a vital role in estimating oil spill volume, determination of liability, and clean-up. The oil that leaks into natural environments is not a single type of oil, but a mixture of various oil products, and the oil film thickness on the sea surface is uneven under the influence of wind and waves. Increasing the mixed oil film thickness dimension and the mix proportion dimension has been proposed to weaken the effect of the detection environment on the fluorescence measurement results. To preserve the relationships between the data of oil films with different thicknesses and the relationships between the data of oil films with different mixing proportions, the three-dimensional fluorescence spectral data of mixed oil films on a seawater surface were measured in the laboratory, producing a thickness-fluorescence matrix and a proportion-fluorescence matrix. The nonlinear variation of the fluorescence spectra was investigated according to the fluorescence lidar equation. This work pre-processes the data by sum normalization and two-dimensional principal component analysis (2DPCA) and uses the dimensionality reduction results as two feature-point views. Then, semi-supervised classification of collaborative training (co-training) with K-nearest neighbors (KNN) and a decision tree (DT) is used to identify the samples. The results show that the average overall accuracy of this coupling model can reach 100%, which is 20.49% higher than that of the thickness-only view. Using unlabeled data can reduce the cost of data acquisition, improve the classification accuracy and generalization ability, and provide theoretical significance and application prospects for discrimination of spectrally similar oil species in natural marine environments.

Multidisciplinary recommendations for the management of CAR-T recipients in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era.

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) posed an unprecedented challenge on public health systems. Despite the measures put in place to contain it, COVID-19 is likely to continue experiencing sporadic outbreaks for some time, and individuals will remain susceptible to recurrent infections. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T recipients are characterized by durable B-cell aplasia, hypogammaglobulinemia and loss of T-cell diversity, which lead to an increased proportion of severe/critical cases and a high mortality rate after COVID-19 infection. Thus, treatment decisions have become much more complex and require greater caution when considering CAR T-cell immunotherapy. Hence, we reviewed the current understanding of COVID-19 and reported clinical experience in the management of COVID-19 and CAR-T therapy. After a panel discussion, we proposed a rational procedure pertaining to CAR-T recipients with the aim of maximizing the benefit of CAR-T therapy in the post COVID-19 pandemic era.

Effects of a sliding plate on morphology of the epiphyseal plate in goat distal femur.

The aim of this study was to observe the effects of a sliding plate on the morphology of the epiphyseal plate in goat distal femur. Eighteen premature female goats were divided randomly into sliding plate, regular plate and control groups. Radiographic analysis and histological staining were performed to evaluate the development of epiphyseal plate at 4 and 8 weeks after surgery. In the sliding plate group, the plate extended accordingly as the epiphyseal plate grows, and the epiphyseal morphology was kept essential normal. However, the phenomenon of the epiphyseal growth retardation and premature closure were very common in the regular plate group. In addition, the sliding plate group exhibited more normal histologic features and Safranin O staining compared to the regular plate group. Our results suggest that the sliding plate can provide reliable internal fixation of epiphyseal fracture without inhibiting epiphyseal growth.

Rap system of stress stimulation can promote bone union after lower tibial bone fracture: a clinical research.

BACKGROUND: Lower tibial bone fracture may easily cause bone delayed union or nonunion because of lacking of dynamic mechanical load. OBJECTIVE: Research Group would design a new instrument as Rap System of Stress Stimulation (RSSS) to provide dynamic mechanical load which would promote lower tibial bone union postoperatively. METHODS: This clinical research was conducted from January 2008 to December 2010, 92 patients(male 61/female 31, age 16-70 years, mean 36.3 years) who suffered lower tibial bone closed fracture were given intramedullary nail fixation and randomly averagely separated into experimental group and control group(according to the successively order when patients went for the admission procedure). Then researchers analysed the clinical healing time, full weight bearing time, VAS (Visual Analogue Scales) score and callus growth score of Lane-Sandhu in 3,6,12 months postoperatively. The delayed union and nonunion rates were compared at 6 and 12 months separately. RESULTS: All the 92 patients had been followed up (mean 14 months). Clinical bone healing time in experimental group was 88.78±8.80 days but control group was 107.91±9.03 days. Full weight bearing time in experimental group was 94.07±9.81 days but control group was 113.24±13.37 days respectively (P<0.05). The delayed union rate in 6 months was 4.3% in experimental group but 10.9% in control group(P<0.05). The nonunion rate in 12 months was 6.5% in experimental group but 19.6% in control group(P<0.05). In 3, 6, 12 months postoperatively, VAS score and Lane-Sandhu score in experimental group had more significantly difference than them in control group. CONCLUSIONS: RSSS can intermittently provide dynamic mechanical load and stimulate callus formation, promote lower tibial bone union, reduce bone delayed union or nonunion rate. It is an adjuvant therapy for promoting bone union after lower tibial bone fracture.

Hollow-bone-graft dynamic hip screw can fix and promote bone union after femoral neck fracture: an experimental research.

BACKGROUND: Delayed bone union, nonunion or osteonecrosis often occur after femoral neck fractures in young adults. Secondary bone healing requires strong internal fixation, intramedullary pressure reduction and early functional exercise. OBJECTIVE: To compare bone healing of femoral neck fractures treated with hollow-bone-graft dynamic hip screws (Hb-DHS) and standard dynamic hip screws (DHS) in an animal model. DESIGN: Testing of specifically designed fixation devices in a pig animal model. INTERVENTIONS/METHODS: We designed Hb-DHS and DHS devices appropriate to the femoral neck and head of experimental animals and used them in eight pigs (4-month-old, male or female, 30-40 kg/each). Under anesthesia, we induced medium neck type, Garden III type femoral neck fractures in each pig with fracture gaps of 0.5 mm and then fixed each left femur with Hb-DHS and each right femur with DHS. We assessed the animals radiographically and by postmortem visual appraisal of evidence of bone healing 8 and 16 weeks postoperatively. RESULTS: There were significant differences in radiographic and general findings between the Hb-DHS and DHS groups at weeks 8 and 16 postoperatively. We found statistically significant differences between the Hb-DHS and DHS groups in bone healing scores, trabecular bone volume percentage and bone mineral density as assessed on plain radiographs and computed tomography images (P < 0.05). There were also significant differences between the Hb-DHS and DHS groups in postmortem visually assessed indicators of bone healing at both 8 and 16 weeks postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: The Hb-DHS device promotes femoral neck bone union, stimulates trabecular bone formation, increases BMD and has advantages over DHS for internal fixation of femoral neck fractures. This animal experiment will contribute to developing optimal treatment for femoral neck fractures in young adults.

[Precision measurement of the birefringence of quartz crystal at 1 310 nm based on the spectroscopic ellipsometer].

In order to get the precision measurement of birefringence of quartz crystal at the communication wavelength 1310nm, based on the principle of precision measurement of phase difference between P and S polarized lights of spectroscopic ellipsometer, a method for precision measurement of birefringence of crystal was designed through the analysis of the Jones matrix under the transmission mode, and the precision measurement of birefringence of quartz crystal at 1 310 nm at room temperature (22 degrees C) was made, the measuring results and error analysis show that the precision reached 10(-6) level, this is the most precise birefringence parameter available, and it is of important significance for the improvement of designing precision of phase retardation devices of quartz.