Bennett fracture combined with hamate fracture: carpometacarpal joint 'diagonal' fracture and dislocation: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Multiple carpometacarpal fractures and dislocations are rare. This case report describes a novel multiple carpometacarpal injury, namely, 'diagonal' carpometacarpal joint fracture and dislocation. CASE PRESENTATION: A 39-year-old male general worker sustained a compression injury to his right hand in the dorsiflexion position. Radiography indicated a Bennett fracture, hamate fracture, and fracture at the base of the second metacarpal. Subsequent computed tomography and intraoperative examination confirmed an injury to the first to fourth carpometacarpal joint along a diagonal line. The normal anatomy of the patient's hand was successfully restored via open reduction combined with Kirschner wire and steel plate fixation. CONCLUSION: Our findings highlight the importance of taking the injury mechanism into account to avoid a missed diagnosis and to choose the best treatment approach. This is the first case of 'diagonal' carpometacarpal joint fracture and dislocation to be reported in the literature.

Trace detection of SARS-CoV-2 N-protein by diamond solution-gate field-effect transistor.

In this study, we introduced H-terminated diamond solution-gate field-effect transistor (H-diamond SGFET) to detect trace SARS-CoV-2 N-protein, which plays an important role in replication and transcription of viral RNA. 1-Pyrenebutyric acid-N-hydroxy succinimide ester (Pyr-NHS) was modified on H-diamond surface as linker, on which the specific antibody of SARS-CoV-2 N-protein was catenated. Fourier transform infrared spectrum, scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive spectrum were utilized to demonstrate the modification of H-diamond with Pyr-NHS and antibody. Shifts of IDS(max) at VGS = -500 mV in transfer characteristics of H-diamond SGFET was observed to determine N-protein concentration in phosphate buffer solution. Good linear relationship between IDS(max) and log10(N-protein) was observed from 10-14 to 10-5 g/mL with goodness of fit R2 = 0.90 and sensitivity of 1.98 µA/Log10 [concentration of N-protein] at VDS = -500 mV, VGS = -500 mV. Consequently, this prepared H-diamond SGFET biosensor may provide a new idea for diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 due to a wide detection range from 10-14 to 10-5 g/mL and low limit of detection 10-14 g/mL.

Exploration and Practice of the "One Combination, Two Highlights, Three Combinations, Four in One" Innovative Talents Training Mode in Forensic Medicine.

Talent is one of the basic and strategic supports for building a modern socialist country in all aspects. Since the 1980s, the establishment of forensic medicine major and the cultivation of innovative talents in forensic medicine have become hot topics in higher education in forensic medicine. Over the past 43 years, the forensic medicine team of Shanxi Medical University has adhered to the joint education of public security and colleges, and made collaborative innovation, forming a training mode of "One Combination, Two Highlights, Three Combinations, Four in One" for innovative talents in forensic medicine. It has carried out "5+3/X" integrated reform, and formed a relatively complete talent training innovation mode and management system in teaching, scientific research, identification, major, discipline, team, platform and cultural construction. It has made a historic contribution to China's higher forensic education, accumulated valuable experience for the construction of first-class major and first-class discipline of forensic medicine, and provided strong support for the construction of the national new forensic talent training system. The popularization of this training mode is conducive to the rapid and sustainable development of forensic science, and provides more excellent forensic talents for national building, regional social development and the discipline construction of forensic science.

2-(Naphthalene-2-thio)-5,8-dimethoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone induces apoptosis via ROS-mediated MAPK, AKT, and STAT3 signaling pathways in HepG2 human hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

1,4-naphthoquinone and its derivatives have attracted widespread attention due to their multiple biological activities, such as induction of cancer cell apoptosis; however, most of these compounds have high cytotoxicity. In this study, in order to reduce their toxicity and increase their potential anti-tumor effects, we synthesized a novel 1,4-naphthoquinone derivative named 2-(naphthalene-2-thio)-5,8-dimethoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (NTDMNQ), and investigated its apoptotic effects and underlying mechanism. Our results showed that NTDMNQ inhibited the viability of HepG2, Hep3B, and Huh7 human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. It also increased the accumulation of cells in the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle by increasing the expression levels of p-p53, p21 and p27, while decreasing the levels of Cyclin D1, Cyclin E, Cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2), CDK4, and CDK6. Inhibition of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by the ROS scavenger N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) decreased apoptosis in NTDMNQ-treated cells. Western blot analysis showed that NTDMNQ increased the phosphorylation of p38 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and decreased the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), AKT, and signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT3); these effects were blocked by NAC. Both the JNK inhibitor (SP600125) and p38 inhibitor (SB203580) reversed the phosphorylation of STAT3, and the ERK inhibitor (FR180204) and AKT inhibitor (LY294002) reduced the expression of STAT3. Taken together, these findings suggest that NTDMNQ induces apoptosis via ROS-mediated MAPK, AKT and STAT3 signaling pathways in HepG2 cells, and may be a potent anticancer agent.

Simple way to fabricate orderly arranged nanostructure arrays on diamond utilizing metal dewetting effect.

We introduce a simple method with thermal annealing round gold disk for agglomeration to fabricate orderly arranged nanostructure arrays on diamond for single photon source applications. In the annealing process, the dependence of gold sphere size on disk thickness and diameter was investigated, showing that gold sphere diameter was decreased with decreasing gold disk thickness or diameter. The condition parameters of ICP etch were adjusted to obtain different nanostructure morphologies on diamond. The collection efficiency of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center embedded in nanostructure as-fabricated could reach to 53.56% compared with that of 19.10% in planar case with the same simulation method.

Post-COVID-19 Epidemic: Allostatic Load among Medical and Nonmedical Workers in China.

BACKGROUND: As the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic continues, medical workers may have allostatic load. OBJECTIVE: During the reopening of society, medical and nonmedical workers were compared in terms of allostatic load. METHODS: An online study was performed; 3,590 Chinese subjects were analyzed. Socio-demographic variables, allostatic load, stress, abnormal illness behavior, global well-being, mental status, and social support were assessed. RESULTS: There was no difference in allostatic load in medical workers compared to nonmedical workers (15.8 vs. 17.8%; p = 0.22). Multivariate conditional logistic regression revealed that anxiety (OR = 1.24; 95% CI 1.18-1.31; p < 0.01), depression (OR = 1.23; 95% CI 1.17-1.29; p < 0.01), somatization (OR = 1.20; 95% CI 1.14-1.25; p < 0.01), hostility (OR = 1.24; 95% CI 1.18-1.30; p < 0.01), and abnormal illness behavior (OR = 1.49; 95% CI 1.34-1.66; p < 0.01) were positively associated with allostatic load, while objective support (OR = 0.84; 95% CI 0.78-0.89; p < 0.01), subjective support (OR = 0.84; 95% CI 0.80-0.88; p < 0.01), utilization of support (OR = 0.80; 95% CI 0.72-0.88; p < 0.01), social support (OR = 0.90; 95% CI 0.87-0.93; p < 0.01), and global well-being (OR = 0.30; 95% CI 0.22-0.41; p < 0.01) were negatively associated. CONCLUSIONS: In the post-COVID-19 epidemic time, medical and nonmedical workers had similar allostatic load. Psychological distress and abnormal illness behavior were risk factors for it, while social support could relieve it.

Mental Health and Psychosocial Problems of Medical Health Workers during the COVID-19 Epidemic in China.

OBJECTIVE: We explored whether medical health workers had more psychosocial problems than nonmedical health workers during the COVID-19 outbreak. METHODS: An online survey was run from February 19 to March 6, 2020; a total of 2,182 Chinese subjects participated. Mental health variables were assessed via the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), the Symptom Check List-revised (SCL-90-R), and the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4), which included a 2-item anxiety scale and a 2-item depression scale (PHQ-2). RESULTS: Compared with nonmedical health workers (n = 1,255), medical health workers (n = 927) had a higher prevalence of insomnia (38.4 vs. 30.5%, p < 0.01), anxiety (13.0 vs. 8.5%, p < 0.01), depression (12.2 vs. 9.5%; p< 0.04), somatization (1.6 vs. 0.4%; p < 0.01), and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (5.3 vs. 2.2%; p < 0.01). They also had higher total scores of ISI, GAD-2, PHQ-2, and SCL-90-R obsessive-compulsive symptoms (p ≤ 0.01). Among medical health workers, having organic disease was an independent factor for insomnia, anxiety, depression, somatization, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (p < 0.05 or 0.01). Living in rural areas, being female, and being at risk of contact with COVID-19 patients were the most common risk factors for insomnia, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and depression (p < 0.01 or 0.05). Among nonmedical health workers, having organic disease was a risk factor for insomnia, depression, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (p < 0.01 or 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: During the COVID-19 outbreak, medical health workers had psychosocial problems and risk factors for developing them. They were in need of attention and recovery programs.

Effect of Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation for the Treatment of Chronic Insomnia: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Parallel-Group, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: Not all adults with chronic insomnia respond to the recommended therapeutic options of cognitive behavioral therapy and approved hypnotic drugs. Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) may offer a novel potential treatment modality for insomnia. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine the efficacy and safety of tACS for treating adult patients with chronic insomnia. METHODS: Sixty-two participants with chronic primary insomnia received 20 daily 40-min, 77.5-Hz, 15-mA sessions of active or sham tACS targeting the forehead and both mastoid areas in the laboratory on weekdays for 4 consecutive weeks, followed by a 4-week follow-up period. The primary outcome was response rate measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) at week 8. Secondary outcomes were remission rate, insomnia severity, sleep onset latency (SOL), total sleep time (TST), sleep efficiency, sleep quality, daily disturbances, and adverse events at the end of the 4-week intervention and at the 4-week follow-up. RESULTS: Of 62 randomized patients, 60 completed the trial. During the 4-week intervention, 1 subject per group withdrew due to loss of interest and time restriction, respectively. Based on PSQI, at 4-week follow-up, the active group had a higher response rate compared to the sham group (53.4% [16/30] vs. 16.7% [5/30], p = 0.009), but remission rates were not different between groups. At the end of the 4-week intervention, the active group had higher response and remission rates than the sham group (p < 0.001 and p = 0.026, respectively). During the trial, compared with the sham group, the active group showed a statistically significant decrease in PSQI total score, a shortened SOL, an increased TST, improved sleep efficiency, and improved sleep quality (p < 0.05 or p < 0.001). Post hoc analysis revealed that, in comparison with the sham group, the active group had improved symptoms, except for daily disturbances, at the end of the 4-week intervention, and significant improvements in all symptoms at the 4-week follow-up. No adverse events or serious adverse responses occurred during the study. CONCLUSION: The findings show that the tACS applied in the present study has potential as an effective and safe intervention for chronic insomnia within 8 weeks.

Fabrication of diamond microlenses by chemical reflow method.

We introduce a chemical reflow method to fabricate diamond microlenses. First, photoresist pillars developed by photolithography are reflowed in organic solvent vapor atmosphere at 20 °C to form spherical segment patterns on diamond substrate. The effects of chemical solvent type and reflow time on photoresist pattern profiles are investigated. Second, via dry etching, diamond microlenses are fabricated by transferring the spherical segment pattern into substrate. Furthermore, these diamond microlenses demonstrate low numerical aperture, well-controllable curvature, and good imaging performance with projecting experiment.

Fabrication of monolithic diamond photodetector with microlenses.

A monolithic diamond photodetector with microlenses is fabricated by etching microlens arrays (MLAs) on single crystal diamond surface and patterning tungsten electrode strips on the edge of these arrays. Firstly, compact MLAs are etched on half of diamond sample surface by thermal reflow method. Secondly, via magnetron sputtering technique, two sets of interdigitated tungsten electrodes are patterned on the sample surface, one set is on the edge of MLAs, the other set is on the planar area. The optoelectronic performances of photodetectors have been investigated and indicated that the photocurrent of microlens photodetector increases by 74.8 percent at 10 V under 220 nm UV light illumination by comparing with that in planar case. Simulations of photodetectors' electrical and optical properties have been carried out, illustrating an improvement of charge collection ability and light absorption efficiency in microlens case. Furthermore, the present device structure can be extended to other semiconductor photodetectors.

Development of an all-optical framing camera and its application on the Z-pinch.

An all-optical framing camera has been developed which measures the spatial profile of photons flux by utilizing a laser beam to probe the refractive index change in an indium phosphide semiconductor. This framing camera acquires two frames with the time resolution of about 1.5 ns and the inter frame separation time of about 13 ns by angularly multiplexing the probe beam on to the semiconductor. The spatial resolution of this camera has been estimated to be about 140 µm and the spectral response of this camera has also been theoretically investigated in 5 eV-100 KeV range. This camera has been applied in investigating the imploding dynamics of the molybdenum planar wire array Z-pinch on the 1-MA "QiangGuang-1" facility. This framing camera can provide an alternative scheme for high energy density physics experiments.

Combination of early constraint-induced movement therapy and fasudil enhances motor recovery after ischemic stroke in rats.

PURPOSE: Constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) is a promising technique for the recovery of upper extremity movement in chronic stroke patients. However, the effectiveness of its use in acute ischemia has not been confirmed. Myelin-associated inhibitors, which have upregulated functions in tissues affected by acute focal infarction, limit axonal regeneration via activation of the Rho-Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) pathway. The present study examined whether early CIMT combined with the ROCK inhibitor fasudil promotes motor recovery after acute ischemic stroke. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Rats were trained to perform the skilled-reach test and then subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), producing a stroke affecting the preferred forelimb. Rats were assigned to one of four groups (N = 6/group): (nontreated) Control, CIMT, Fasudil, or CIMT+fasudil. CIMT and/or intraperitoneal infusion of fasudil were initiated 1 day postMCAO. Skilled reach and foot fault test data were collected once before and repeatedly over 4 weeks after the operation. Infarct volumes were calculated. RESULTS: All four groups showed similar forelimb impairment before treatment. The performance of CIMT alone group was similar to that of controls on both tests. Fasudil alone facilitated recovery in the foot-fault test, but not in the skilled-reach test. Rats in the CIMT+fasudil group demonstrated enhanced recovery in both tests, including better performance over time than the Fasudil group on the foot-fault test. Infarct size did not differ significantly between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Early CIMT promotes motor recovery after acute ischemic stroke when it is administered with fasudil pharmacotherapy, but not without it.

Tetraspanin TSPAN12 regulates tumor growth and metastasis and inhibits ß-catenin degradation.

Ablation of tetraspanin protein TSPAN12 from human MDA-MB-231 cells significantly decreased primary tumor xenograft growth, while increasing tumor apoptosis. Furthermore, TSPAN12 removal markedly enhanced tumor-endothelial interactions and increased metastasis to mouse lungs. TSPAN12 removal from human MDA-MB-231 cells also caused diminished association between FZD4 (a key canonical Wnt pathway receptor) and its co-receptor LRP5. The result likely explains substantially enhanced proteosomal degradation of ß-catenin, a key effecter of canonical Wnt signaling. Consistent with disrupted canonical Wnt signaling, TSPAN12 ablation altered expression of LRP5, Naked 1 and 2, DVL2, DVL3, Axin 1, and GSKß3 proteins. TSPAN12 ablation also altered expression of several genes regulated by ß-catenin (e.g. CCNA1, CCNE2, WISP1, ID4, SFN, ME1) that may help to explain altered tumor growth and metastasis. In conclusion, these results provide the first evidence for TSPAN12 playing a role in supporting primary tumor growth and suppressing metastasis. TSPAN12 appears to function by stabilizing FZD4-LRP5 association, in support of canonical Wnt-pathway signaling, leading to enhanced ß-catenin expression and function.

TIMP-1 polymorphisms in a Chinese Han population with intracerebral hemorrhage.

Remodeling of extracellular matrix (ECM) and breakdown of blood-brain barrier (BBB) are crucial events in the pathogenesis of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), particularly MMP-9 and MMP-2, are the most important degrading enzymes in the ECM and BBB. These proteolytic effects are controlled predominantly by tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs). TIMP-1 is the main endogenous inhibitor of MMP-9. Two polymorphisms in the TIMP-1 gene (rs4898 and rs2070584) were selected through a literature review and successfully genotyped in a study sample of 410 ICH patients and 305 controls. Differences in genotype and allele frequencies of identified polymorphisms were determined. Furthermore, the serum levels of TIMP-1 were measured in a subgroup of 96 ICH patients on days 1 after ICH onset and 76 controls. Analyses showed that C allele of rs2070584 was significantly associated with the development of ICH in male subjects (p = 0.037, OR = 1.535, 95%CI 1.025-2.300). Multiple logistic regression analysis under three genetic models demonstrated both rs4898 and rs2070584 were not risk factors for ICH in female subjects. Furthermore, serum levels of TIMP-1 were significantly higher in ICH patients than those in normal controls. However, the serum levels of TIMP-1 showed a nonsignificant decrease, depending on the alleles and genotypes of rs2070584 both in male and female cases. In conclusion, this is the first association study of the TIMP-1 gene variants with ICH. Our data suggest that C allele of rs2070584 is a risk factor for ICH development in the Chinese male population. However, the precise function of this variant needs further investigation.

The C-terminal tail of tetraspanin protein CD9 contributes to its function and molecular organization.

Tetraspanin protein CD9 supports sperm-egg fusion, and regulates cell adhesion, motility, metastasis, proliferation and signaling. The large extracellular loop and transmembrane domains of CD9 engage in functionally important interactions with partner proteins. However, neither functional nor biochemical roles have been shown for the CD9 C-terminal tail, despite it being highly conserved throughout vertebrate species. To gain new insight into the CD9 tail, three C-terminal amino acids (Glu-Met-Val) were replaced with residues corresponding to C-terminal amino acids from tetraspanin protein CD82 (Pro-Lys-Tyr). Wild-type and mutant CD9 were then stably expressed in MOLT-4, K562, U937, RD and HT1080 cells. Whereas wild-type CD9 inhibited cell adhesion and spreading on fibronectin, mutant CD9 did not. Wild-type CD9 also promoted homotypic cell-cell aggregation and microvilli formation, whereas mutant CD9 did not. Protein interactions of wild-type and mutant CD9 were compared quantitatively using stable isotope labeling with amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) in conjunction with liquid-chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) technology. SILAC results showed that, despite wild-type and mutant CD9 having identical expression levels, mutant CD9 and its major transmembrane interacting partners were recovered in substantially reduced amounts from 1% Brij 96 lysates. Immunoprecipitation experiments confirmed that mutant CD9 recovery was decreased in Brij 96, but not in more stringent Triton X-100 detergent. Additionally, compared with wild-type CD9 complexes, mutant CD9 complexes were larger and more oligomerized in Brij 96 detergent, consistent with decreased Brij 96 solubility, perhaps due to more membrane domains packing more tightly together. In conclusion, multiple CD9 functions depend on its C-terminal tail, which affects the molecular organization of CD9 complexes, as manifested by their altered solubilization in Brij 96 and organization on the cell surface.

The canonical WNT2 pathway and FSH interact to regulate gap junction assembly in mouse granulosa cells.

WNTs are extracellular signaling molecules that exert their actions through receptors of the frizzled (FZD) family. Previous work indicated that WNT2 regulates cell proliferation in mouse granulosa cells acting through CTNNB1 (beta-catenin), a key component in canonical WNT signaling. In other cells, WNT signaling has been shown to regulate expression of connexin43 (CX43), a gap junction protein, as well as gap junction assembly. Since previous work demonstrated that CX43 is also essential in ovarian follicle development, the objective of this study was to determine if WNT2 regulates CX43 expression and/or gap-junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) in granulosa cells. WNT2 knockdown via siRNA markedly reduced CX43 expression and GJIC. CX43 expression, the extent of CX43-containing gap junction membrane, and GJIC were also reduced by CTNNB1 transient knockdown. CTNNB1 is mainly localized to the membranes between granulosa cells but disappeared from this location after WNT2 knockdown. Furthermore, CTNNB1 knockdown interfered with the ability of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) to promote the mobilization of CX43 into gap junctions. We propose that the WNT2/CTNNB1 pathway regulates CX43 expression and GJIC in granulosa cells by modulating CTNNB1 stability and localization in adherens junctions, and that this is essential for FSH stimulation of GJIC.

Automatic 3-D spine curve measurement in freehand ultrasound via structure-aware reinforcement learning spinous process localization.

Freehand 3-D ultrasound systems have been advanced in scoliosis assessment to avoid radiation hazards, especially for teenagers. This novel 3-D imaging method also makes it possible to evaluate the spine curvature automatically from the corresponding 3-D projection images. However, most approaches neglect the three-dimensional spine deformity by only using the rendering images, thus limiting their usage in clinical applications. In this study, we proposed a structure-aware localization model to directly identify the spinous processes for automatic 3-D spine curve measurement using the images acquired with freehand 3-D ultrasound imaging. The pivot is to leverage a novel reinforcement learning (RL) framework to localize the landmarks, which adopts a multi-scale agent to boost structure representation with positional information. We also introduced a structure similarity prediction mechanism to perceive the targets with apparent spinous process structures. Finally, a two-fold filtering strategy was proposed to screen the detected spinous processes landmarks iteratively, followed by a three-dimensional spine curve fitting for the spine curvature assessments. We evaluated the proposed model on 3-D ultrasound images among subjects with different scoliotic angles. The results showed that the mean localization accuracy of the proposed landmark localization algorithm was 5.95 pixels. Also, the curvature angles on the coronal plane obtained by the new method had a high linear correlation with those by manual measurement (R = 0.86, p < 0.001). These results demonstrated the potential of our proposed method for facilitating the 3-D assessment of scoliosis, especially for 3-D spine deformity assessment.

Prediction of treatment response to antipsychotic drugs for precision medicine approach to schizophrenia: randomized trials and multiomics analysis.

BACKGROUND: Choosing the appropriate antipsychotic drug (APD) treatment for patients with schizophrenia (SCZ) can be challenging, as the treatment response to APD is highly variable and difficult to predict due to the lack of effective biomarkers. Previous studies have indicated the association between treatment response and genetic and epigenetic factors, but no effective biomarkers have been identified. Hence, further research is imperative to enhance precision medicine in SCZ treatment. METHODS: Participants with SCZ were recruited from two randomized trials. The discovery cohort was recruited from the CAPOC trial (n = 2307) involved 6 weeks of treatment and equally randomized the participants to the Olanzapine, Risperidone, Quetiapine, Aripiprazole, Ziprasidone, and Haloperidol/Perphenazine (subsequently equally assigned to one or the other) groups. The external validation cohort was recruited from the CAPEC trial (n = 1379), which involved 8 weeks of treatment and equally randomized the participants to the Olanzapine, Risperidone, and Aripiprazole groups. Additionally, healthy controls (n = 275) from the local community were utilized as a genetic/epigenetic reference. The genetic and epigenetic (DNA methylation) risks of SCZ were assessed using the polygenic risk score (PRS) and polymethylation score, respectively. The study also examined the genetic-epigenetic interactions with treatment response through differential methylation analysis, methylation quantitative trait loci, colocalization, and promoter-anchored chromatin interaction. Machine learning was used to develop a prediction model for treatment response, which was evaluated for accuracy and clinical benefit using the area under curve (AUC) for classification, R2 for regression, and decision curve analysis. RESULTS: Six risk genes for SCZ (LINC01795, DDHD2, SBNO1, KCNG2, SEMA7A, and RUFY1) involved in cortical morphology were identified as having a genetic-epigenetic interaction associated with treatment response. The developed and externally validated prediction model, which incorporated clinical information, PRS, genetic risk score (GRS), and proxy methylation level (proxyDNAm), demonstrated positive benefits for a wide range of patients receiving different APDs, regardless of sex [discovery cohort: AUC = 0.874 (95% CI 0.867-0.881), R2 = 0.478; external validation cohort: AUC = 0.851 (95% CI 0.841-0.861), R2 = 0.507]. CONCLUSIONS: This study presents a promising precision medicine approach to evaluate treatment response, which has the potential to aid clinicians in making informed decisions about APD treatment for patients with SCZ. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ( https://www.chictr.org.cn/ ), 18. Aug 2009 retrospectively registered: CAPOC-ChiCTR-RNC-09000521 ( https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=9014 ), CAPEC-ChiCTR-RNC-09000522 ( https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=9013 ).

Thickness Impact on the Morphology, Strain Relaxation and Defects of Diamond Heteroepitaxially Grown on Ir/Al2O3 Substrates.

This paper investigates the formation and propagation of defects in the heteroepitaxial growth of single-crystal diamond with a thick film achieving 500 µm on Ir (001)/Al2O3 substrate. The growth of diamond follows the Volmer-Weber mode, i.e., initially shows the islands and subsequently coalesces to closed films. The films' strain imposed by the substrate gradually relaxed as the film thickness increased. It was found that defects are mainly located at the diamond/Ir interface and are then mainly propagated along the [001] direction from the nucleation region. Etching pits along the [001] direction formed by H2/O2 plasma treatment were used to show defect distribution at the diamond/Ir/Al2O3 interface and in the diamond bulk, which revealed the reduction of etching pit density in diamond thick-film surface. These results show the evident impact of the thickness on the heteroepitaxially grown diamond films, which is of importance for various device applications.

Reducing Threading Dislocations of Single-Crystal Diamond via In Situ Tungsten Incorporation.

A lower dislocation density substrate is essential for realizing high performance in single-crystal diamond electronic devices. The in-situ tungsten-incorporated homoepitaxial diamond by introducing tungsten hexacarbonyl has been proposed. A 3 × 3 × 0.5 mm3 high-pressure, high-temperature (001) diamond substrate was cut into four pieces with controlled experiments. The deposition of tungsten-incorporated diamond changed the atomic arrangement of the original diamond defects so that the propagation of internal dislocations could be inhibited. The SEM images showed that the etching pits density was significantly decreased from 2.8 × 105 cm-2 to 2.5 × 103 cm-2. The reduction of XRD and Raman spectroscopy FWHM proved that the double-layer tungsten-incorporated diamond has a significant effect on improving the crystal quality of diamond bulk. These results show the evident impact of in situ tungsten-incorporated growth on improving crystal quality and inhibiting the dislocations propagation of homoepitaxial diamond, which is of importance for high-quality diamond growth.