AIM:To evaluate the effectiveness of knock-down of heat shock protein 47(HSP47)on conjunctival bleb scarring in a rat model and its possible mechanism.METHODS:Male Sprague–Dawley rats were used for glaucoma filtratio...AIM:To evaluate the effectiveness of knock-down of heat shock protein 47(HSP47)on conjunctival bleb scarring in a rat model and its possible mechanism.METHODS:Male Sprague–Dawley rats were used for glaucoma filtration surgery(GFS)and were treated with either phosphate buffered solution,shControl,mitomycin C,or sh-HSP47 using a microsyringe immediately after GFS.The morphology of filtering blebs was observed postoperatively.The levels of HSP47 were analyzed at 2,5,8,and 11d after GFS via real‑time quantitative polymerase chain reaction(PCR)and Western blot.The silencing effect of HSP47,the expression of collagen I and III,and the potential signaling pathways of HSP47 during scarification were explored 11d post GFS.The protein levels of transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1),phospho-Smad2(pSmad2),phospho-Smad3(p-Smad3),and phospho-p38(p-p38)were also analyzed using Western blot.RESULTS:Sh-HSP47 treatment significantly prolonged the functional filtration bleb retention.The levels of HSP47 were increased significantly at 5,8,and 11d postoperatively compared to the control group(P<0.05,P<0.01,and P<0.001).The levels of HSP47 protein at day 11 postoperatively were significantly down-regulated after HSP47 silencing using sh-HSP47 adenovirus transfection(P<0.01).Expression levels of collagen I and III within the blebs were significantly reduced in the absence of HSP47(P<0.01).Moreover,the protein levels of TGF-β1,p-Smad2/3,and p-p38 were dramatically inhibited after treatment with sh-HSP47(P<0.01).CONCLUSION:The inhibitory effects of HSP47 knockdown on scarring after GFS have the potential to be an efficacious therapeutic option for the treatment of conjunctival bleb scarring.展开更多
OBJECTIVE To develop and validate a user-friendly risk score for older mitral regurgitation(MR)patients,referred to as the Elder-MR score.METHODS The China Senile Valvular Heart Disease(China-DVD)Cohort Study function...OBJECTIVE To develop and validate a user-friendly risk score for older mitral regurgitation(MR)patients,referred to as the Elder-MR score.METHODS The China Senile Valvular Heart Disease(China-DVD)Cohort Study functioned as the development cohort,while the China Valvular Heart Disease(China-VHD)Study was employed for external validation.We included patients aged 60 years and above receiving medical treatment for moderate or severe MR(2274 patients in the development cohort and 1929 patients in the validation cohort).Candidate predictors were chosen using Cox’s proportional hazards model and stepwise selection with Akaike’s information criterion.RESULTS Eight predictors were identified:age≥75 years,body mass index<20 kg/m^(2),NYHA class Ⅲ/Ⅳ,secondary MR,anemia,estimated glomerular filtration rate<60 mL/min per 1.73 m^(2),albumin<35 g/L,and left ventricular ejection fraction<60%.The model displayed satisfactory performance in predicting one-year mortality in both the development cohort(C-statistic=0.73,95%CI:0.69-0.77,Brier score=0.06)and the validation cohort(C-statistic=0.73,95%CI:0.68-0.78,Brier score=0.06).The Elder-MR score ranges from 0 to 15 points.At a one-year follow-up,each point increase in the Elder-MR score represents a 1.27-fold risk of death(HR=1.27,95%CI:1.21-1.34,P<0.001)in the development cohort and a 1.24-fold risk of death(HR=1.24,95%CI:1.17-1.30,P<0.001)in the validation cohort.Compared to EuroSCORE II,the Elder-MR score demonstrated superior predictive accuracy for one-year mortality in the validation cohort(C-statistic=0.71 vs.0.70,net reclassification improvement=0.320,P<0.01;integrated discrimination improvement=0.029,P<0.01).CONCLUSIONS The Elder-MR score may serve as an effective risk stratification tool to assist clinical decision-making in older MR patients.展开更多
Dear Editor,I am writing this letter to present an unusual case of orbital inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor(IMT)diagnosed due to high intraocular pressure(IOP).IMT is a rare mesenchymal,low-grade malignant or border...Dear Editor,I am writing this letter to present an unusual case of orbital inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor(IMT)diagnosed due to high intraocular pressure(IOP).IMT is a rare mesenchymal,low-grade malignant or borderline tumor,composed of differentiated myofibroblastic spindle cells,often accompanied by plasma cells and lymphocyte infiltration[1].The onset in most patients is insidious.展开更多
BACKGROUND Intracranial hemorrhage after spinal surgery is a rare and devastating complication.AIM To investigate the economic burden,clinical characteristics,risk factors,and mechanisms of intracranial hemorrhage aft...BACKGROUND Intracranial hemorrhage after spinal surgery is a rare and devastating complication.AIM To investigate the economic burden,clinical characteristics,risk factors,and mechanisms of intracranial hemorrhage after spinal surgery.METHODS A retrospective cohort study was conducted from January 1,2015,to December 31,2022.Patients aged≥18 years,who had undergone spinal surgery were included.Intracranial hemorrhage patients were selected after spinal surgery during hospitalization.Based on the type of spinal surgery,patients with intracranial hemorrhage were randomly matched in a 1:5 ratio with control patients without intracranial hemorrhage.The patients'pre-,intra-,and post-operative data and clinical manifestations were recorded.RESULTS A total of 24472 patients underwent spinal surgery.Six patients(3 males and 3 females,average age 71.3 years)developed intracranial hemorrhage after posterior spinal fusion procedures,with an incidence of 0.025%(6/24472).The prevailing type of intracranial hemorrhage was cerebellar hemorrhage.Two patients had a poor clinical outcome.Based on the type of surgery,30 control patients were randomly matched in 1:5 ratio.The intracranial hemorrhage group showed significant differences compared with the control group with regard to age(71.33±7.45 years vs 58.39±8.07 years,P=0.001),previous history of cerebrovascular disease(50%vs 6.7%,P=0.024),spinal dura mater injury(50%vs 3.3%,P=0.010),hospital expenses(RMB 242119.1±87610.0 vs RMB 96290.7±32029.9,P=0.009),and discharge activity daily living score(40.00±25.88 vs 75.40±18.29,P=0.019).CONCLUSION The incidence of intracranial hemorrhage after spinal surgery was extremely low,with poor clinical outcomes.Patient age,previous stroke history,and dura mater damage were possible risk factors.It is suggested that spinal dura mater injury should be avoided during surgery in high-risk patients.展开更多
AIM To investigate whether fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) prevents hepatic encephalopathy (HE) in rats with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced acute hepatic dysfunction. METHODS A rat model of HE was establis...AIM To investigate whether fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) prevents hepatic encephalopathy (HE) in rats with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced acute hepatic dysfunction. METHODS A rat model of HE was established with CCl4. Rat behaviors and spatial learning capability were observed, and hepatic necrosis, intestinal mucosal barrier, serum ammonia levels and intestinal permeability were determined in HE rats receiving FMT treatment. Furthermore, the expression of tight junction proteins (Claudin-1, Claudin-6 and Occludin), Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4/TLR9, interleukin (IL)-1 beta, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha was examined. RESULTS FMT improved rat behaviors, HE grade and spatial learning capability. Moreover, FMT prevented hepatic necrosis and intestinal mucosal barrier damage, leading to hepatic clearance of serum ammonia levels and reduced intestinal permeability. The expression of TLR4 and TLR9, two potent mediators of inflammatory response, was significantly downregulated in the liver of rats treated with FMT. Consistently, circulating proinflammatory factors such as interleukin (IL)-1 beta, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha were remarkably decreased, indicating that FMT is able to limit systemic inflammation by decreasing the expression of TLR4 and TLR9. Importantly, HE-induced loss of tight junction proteins (Claudin-1, Claudin-6 and Occludin) was restored in intestinal tissues of rats receiving FMT treatment. CONCLUSION FMT enables protective effects in HE rats, and it improves the cognitive function and reduces the liver function indexes. FMT may cure HE by altering the intestinal permeability and improving the TLR response of the liver.展开更多
A new topology optimization method is formulated for lightweight design of multimaterial structures, using the independent continuous mapping (ICM) method to minimize the weight with a prescribed nodal displacement co...A new topology optimization method is formulated for lightweight design of multimaterial structures, using the independent continuous mapping (ICM) method to minimize the weight with a prescribed nodal displacement constraint. Two types of independent topological variable are used to identify the presence of elements and select the material for each phase, to realize the interpolations of the element stiffness matrix and total weight. Furthermore, an explicit expression for the optimized formulation is derived, using approximations of the displacement and weight given by first- and second-order Taylor expansions. The optimization problem is thereby transformed into a standard quadratic programming problem that can be solved using a sequential quadratic programming approach. The feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed multimaterial topology optimization method are demonstrated by determining the best load transfer path for four numerical examples. The results reveal that the topologically optimized configuration of the multimaterial structure varies with the material properties, load conditions, and constraint. Firstly, the weight of the optimized multimaterial structure is found to be lower than that composed of a single material. Secondly, under the precondition of a displacement constraint, the weight of the topologically optimized multimaterial structure decreases as the displacement constraint value is increased. Finally, the topologically optimized multimaterial structures differ depending on the elastic modulus of the materials. Besides, the established optimization formulation is more reliable and suitable for use in practical engineering applications with structural performance parameters as constraint.展开更多
The uniformly dispersed transition metal(Co, Ni and Fe) nanoparticles supported on the surface of La-promoted Mg O were prepared via a deposition-precipitation method for hydrogen production from catalytic decompositi...The uniformly dispersed transition metal(Co, Ni and Fe) nanoparticles supported on the surface of La-promoted Mg O were prepared via a deposition-precipitation method for hydrogen production from catalytic decomposition of ammonia. X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption-desorption, transmission electron microscopy, temperature-programmed reduction and temperature-programmed desorption were used to investigate the structure-activity relation of catalysts in NH3 decomposition. The results show that the strong interaction between active species and support can effectively prevent the active species from agglomerating during ammonia decomposition reaction. In addition, the introduction of La species not only facilitates the adsorption and decomposition of NH3 and desorption of N2, but also benefits the better dispersion of the active species. The prepared catalysts showed very high catalytic activity for ammonia decomposition compared with the same active composition samples that reported previously. Meanwhile, the catalysts showed excellent high-temperature stability and no any deactivation was observed, which are very promising candidates for the decomposition of ammonia to hydrogen.展开更多
Here,we used reverse transcription-PCR(RT-PCR) and western blot to detect protease-activated receptor(PAR) 1,PAR 2 and PAR 4 expression in cancer tissues and cell lines of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma,and invest...Here,we used reverse transcription-PCR(RT-PCR) and western blot to detect protease-activated receptor(PAR) 1,PAR 2 and PAR 4 expression in cancer tissues and cell lines of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma,and investigated the co-relationship between PAR expression and clinic-pathological data for esophageal cancer.The methylation of PAR4 gene promoter involved in esophageal carcinoma was also analyzed.By comparing the mRNA expressions of normal esophageal tissue and human esophageal epithelial cells(HEEpiC),we found that among the 28 cases of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma,PAR1(60%) and PAR2(71%) were elevated in 17 and 20 cases,respectively,and PAR4(68%) expression was lowered in 19 cases.Whereas,in human esophageal squamous cells(TE-1 and TE-10),PAR1 and PAR2 expression was increased but PAR4 was decreased.Combined with clinical data,the expression of PAR1 in poorly differentiated(P=0.016) and middle and lower parts of the esophagus(P=0.016) was higher; expression of PAR4 in poorly differentiated carcinoma was lower(P=0.049).Regarding TE-1 and TE-10 protein expression,we found that in randomized esophageal carcinoma,PAR1(P=0.027) and PAR2(P=0.039) expressions were increased,but lowered for PAR4(P=0.0001).In HEEpiC,TE-1,TE-10,esophageal and normal esophagus tissue samples(case No.7),the frequency of methylation at the 19 CpG loci of PAR4 was 35.4%,95.2%,83.8%,62.6% and 48.2%,respectively.Our results indicate that the expression of PAR1 and PAR2 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma is increased but PAR4 is decreased.Hypermethylation of the promoter of the PAR4 gene may contribute to reduced expression of PAR4 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.展开更多
AIM: To elucidate the molecular and cellular features responsible for the increase of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in gastric cancer. METHODS: The frequencies of CD4 + Foxp3 + Tregs and the level of transforming growth ...AIM: To elucidate the molecular and cellular features responsible for the increase of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in gastric cancer. METHODS: The frequencies of CD4 + Foxp3 + Tregs and the level of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) were analyzed from 56 patients with gastric cancer byflow cytometry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay respectively. Foxp3 gene expression was analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction. The gastric cancer microenvironment was modeled by establishing the coculture of gastric cancer cell line, MGC-803, with sorting CD4 + T cells. The normal gastric mucosa cell line, GES-1, was used as the control. The production of TGF-β1 was detected in supernatant of MGC and GES-1. The carboxyfluorescein diacetatesuccinimidyl ester (CFSE) dilution assay was performed to evaluate the proliferation characteristics of induced Tregs. Neutralizing anti-TGF-β1 antibody was added to the co-culture system for neutralization experiments. RESULTS: The level of serum TGF-β1 in gastric cancer patients (15.1 ± 5.5 ng/mL) was significantly higher than that of the genderand age-matched healthy controls (10.3 ± 3.4 ng/mL) (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the higher TGF-β1 level correlated with the increased population of CD4 + Foxp3 + Tregs in advanced gastric cancer (r = 0.576, P < 0.05). A significant higher frequency of CD4 + Foxp3 + Tregs was observed in PBMCs cultured with the supernatant of MGC than GES-1 (10.6% ± 0.6% vs 8.7% ± 0.7%, P < 0.05). Moreover, using the purified CD4 + CD25 T cells, we confirmed that the increased Tregs were mainly induced from the conversation of CD4 + CD25 naive T cells, and induced Tregs were functional and able to suppress the proliferation of effector T cells. Finally, we demonstrated that gastric cancer cells induced the increased CD4 + Foxp3 + Tregs via producing TGF-β1. Gastric cancer cells upregulated the production of TGF-β1 and blockade of TGF-β1 partly abrogated Tregs phenotype. CONCLUSION: Gastric cancer cell can induce Tregs development via producing TGF-β1, by which the existence of cross-talk between the tumor and immune cells might regulate anti-tumor immune responses.展开更多
Facial synkinesis,a sequela of peripheral facial nerve palsy,is characterized by simultaneous involuntary facial movement during a voluntary desired one.Maladaptive cortical plasticity might be involved in the dysfunc...Facial synkinesis,a sequela of peripheral facial nerve palsy,is characterized by simultaneous involuntary facial movement during a voluntary desired one.Maladaptive cortical plasticity might be involved in the dysfunction of facial muscles.This cohort study investigated the cortical functional alterations in patients with unilateral facial synkinesis,using the task functional magnetic resonance imaging.Facial motor tasks,including blinking and smiling,were performed by 16 patients（aged 30.6 ± 4.5 years,14 females/2 males） and 24 age-and sex-matched healthy controls（aged 29.1 ± 4.2 years,19 females/5 males）.Results demonstrated that activation in the cortico-facial motor representation area was lower during tasks in patients with facial synkinesis compared with healthy controls.Facial movements on either side performed by patients caused more intensive activation of the supplementary motor area on the contralateral side of the affected face,than those on the unaffected side.Our results revealed that there was cortical reorganization in the primary sensorimotor area and the supplementary motor area.This study was registered in Chinese Clinical Trial Registry（registration number： Chi CTR1800014630）.展开更多
Copper–ceria(Cu O–CeO2) catalysts have been known to be very effective for the oxidation of CO, and their chemical behavior has been extensively studied during the last decades. However, the effect of different CeO2...Copper–ceria(Cu O–CeO2) catalysts have been known to be very effective for the oxidation of CO, and their chemical behavior has been extensively studied during the last decades. However, the effect of different CeO2 crystal surfaces on the catalytic activity of Cu O–CeO2 for the oxidation of CO is still unclear and should be further elucidated. In this study, we deposited 1 wt% Cu on mostly {100}-exposed CeO2 nanocubes(1 Cu Ce NC) and mostly {110}-exposed CeO2 nanorods(1 Cu Ce NR), respectively. Both 1 Cu Ce NC and 1 Cu Ce NR have been used as catalysts for the oxidation of CO and achieved 100% and 50% CO conversion at 130 ℃, respectively. The differences in the catalytic activity of 1 Cu Ce NC and 1 Cu Ce NR were analyzed using temperature-programmed reduction of H2 and temperature-programmed desorption of CO techniques. The results confirmed the excellent reducibility of the 1 Cu Ce NC catalyst, which was attributed to the weak interactions between Cu and the CeO2 support. Moreover, in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier-transform spectroscopy studies indicated that the {100} planes of 1 Cu Ce NC facilitated the generation of active Cu(I) sites, which resulted in the formation of highly reactive Cu(I)-CO species during the oxidation of CO. Both the excellent redox properties and effective CO adsorption capacity of the 1 Cu Ce NC catalyst increased its catalytic reactivity.展开更多
The purpose of the present work is to study the buckling problem with plate/shell topology optimization of orthotropic material. A model of buckling topology optimization is established based on the independent, conti...The purpose of the present work is to study the buckling problem with plate/shell topology optimization of orthotropic material. A model of buckling topology optimization is established based on the independent, continuous, and mapping method, which considers structural mass as objective and buckling critical loads as constraints. Firstly, composite exponential function (CEF) and power function (PF) as filter functions are introduced to recognize the element mass, the element stiffness matrix, and the element geometric stiffness matrix. The filter functions of the orthotropic material stiffness are deduced. Then these filter functions are put into buckling topology optimization of a differential equation to analyze the design sensitivity. Furthermore, the buckling constraints are approximately expressed as explicit functions with respect to the design variables based on the first-order Taylor expansion. The objective function is standardized based on the second-order Taylor expansion. Therefore, the optimization model is translated into a quadratic program. Finally, the dual sequence quadratic programming (DSQP) algorithm and the global convergence method of moving asymptotes algorithm with two different filter functions (CEF and PF) are applied to solve the optimal model. Three numerical results show that DSQP&CEF has the best performance in the view of structural mass and discretion.展开更多
Research on brain function after brachial plexus injury focuses on local cortical functional reorganization,and few studies have focused on brain networks after brachial plexus injury.Changes in brain networks may hel...Research on brain function after brachial plexus injury focuses on local cortical functional reorganization,and few studies have focused on brain networks after brachial plexus injury.Changes in brain networks may help understanding of brain plasticity at the global level.We hypothesized that topology of the global cerebral resting-state functional network changes after unilateral brachial plexus injury.Thus,in this cross-sectional study,we recruited eight male patients with unilateral brachial plexus injury（right handedness,mean age of 27.9±5.4years old）and eight male healthy controls（right handedness,mean age of 28.6±3.2）.After acquiring and preprocessing resting-state magnetic resonance imaging data,the cerebrum was divided into 90 regions and Pearson’s correlation coefficient calculated between regions.These correlation matrices were then converted into a binary matrix with affixed sparsity values of 0.1–0.46.Under sparsity conditions,both groups satisfied this small-world property.The clustering coefficient was markedly lower,while average shortest path remarkably higher in patients compared with healthy controls.These findings confirm that cerebral functional networks in patients still show smallworld characteristics,which are highly effective in information transmission in the brain,as well as normal controls.Alternatively,varied small-worldness suggests that capacity of information transmission and integration in different brain regions in brachial plexus injury patients is damaged.展开更多
AIM：To evaluate the ability of macular ganglion cell complex（GCC） thickness using Fourier domain optical coherence tomography（FD-OCT） to detect glaucoma in highly myopic eyes.METHODS：Cross-sectional study.A tota...AIM：To evaluate the ability of macular ganglion cell complex（GCC） thickness using Fourier domain optical coherence tomography（FD-OCT） to detect glaucoma in highly myopic eyes.METHODS：Cross-sectional study.A total of 114 participants,consecutively were enrolled.Macular GCC thickness and peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer（RNFL） thickness were obtained with RTVue FD-OCT.Receiver operating characteristics curves were constructed for each measurement parameter,and areas under the curves（AUCs） were compared.RESULTS：Both the average GCC and average RNFL thickness showed negative correlations with axial length（rGCC=-0.404,P=0.001;rRNFL=-0.561,P〈0.001）.The largest AUCs from GCC,and RNFL parameters were 0.968 [global loss volume（GLV）],and 0.855（average RNFL）,respectively.GLV was significantly better for detecting high myopic glaucoma than average RNFL（P〈0.001）.CONCLUSION：Macular GCC thickness has higher diagnostic power than peripapillary RNFL thickness to discriminate glaucoma patients from non-glaucoma subjects in high myopia.展开更多
To solve the problems of high energy consumption,low efficiency and short service life of conventional rare earth reduction cells,a 20 kA new rare earth reduction cell(NRERC)was presented.The effects of the anode-cath...To solve the problems of high energy consumption,low efficiency and short service life of conventional rare earth reduction cells,a 20 kA new rare earth reduction cell(NRERC)was presented.The effects of the anode-cathode distance(ACD)and electrolyte height(EH)on the thermo-electrical behavior of the NRERC were studied by ANSYS.The results illustrate that the cell voltage drop(CVD)and the temperature will rise with a similar tendency when the ACD increases.Also,the temperature rises gradually with EH,but the CVD decreases.Ultimately,when the ACD is 115 mm and the EH is 380 mm,the CVD is 4.61 V and the temperature is 1109.8℃.Under these conditions,the thermal field distribution is more reasonable and the CVD is lower,which is beneficial to the long service life and low energy consumption of the NRERC.展开更多
A novel short process for producing A2017 alloy strips with notable features of near net shape, saving energy, low cost, and high product performance was developed by combining semisolid rolling, deep rolling, and hea...A novel short process for producing A2017 alloy strips with notable features of near net shape, saving energy, low cost, and high product performance was developed by combining semisolid rolling, deep rolling, and heat treatment. The microstructure and properties of the A2017 alloy strips were investigated by metallographic microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, tensile testing, and hardness measurement. The cross-sectional microstructure of the A2017 alloy strips is mainly composed of near-spherical primary grains. Many eutectic phases CuA12 formed along primary grain boundaries during semisolid rolling are crushed and broken into small particles. After solution treatment at 495℃ for 2 h the eutectic phases at grain boundaries have almost dissolved into the matrix. When the solution treatment time exceeds 2 h, grain coarsening happens. More and more grain interior phases precipitate with the aging time prolonging to 8 h. The precipitated particles are very small and distribute homogenously, and the tensile strength reaches its peak value. When the aging time is prolonged to 12 h, there is no obvious variation in the amount of precipitated phases, but the size and spacing of precipitated phases increase. The tensile strength of the A2017 alloy strips produced by the present method can reach 362.78 MPa, which is higher than that of the strips in the national standard of China.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natu-ral Science Foundation of China(No.22002129,No.21972119,No.21991151,No.22202162,No.22102137,No.22072123)the China Post-doctoral Science Foundation(No.2019TQ0177,No.2022T150548,No.2022M722648).
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.81500719)Shaanxi Science and Technology Project(No.2022SF-434)Xi’an Science and Technology Project(No.21YXYJ0044).
文摘AIM:To evaluate the effectiveness of knock-down of heat shock protein 47(HSP47)on conjunctival bleb scarring in a rat model and its possible mechanism.METHODS:Male Sprague–Dawley rats were used for glaucoma filtration surgery(GFS)and were treated with either phosphate buffered solution,shControl,mitomycin C,or sh-HSP47 using a microsyringe immediately after GFS.The morphology of filtering blebs was observed postoperatively.The levels of HSP47 were analyzed at 2,5,8,and 11d after GFS via real‑time quantitative polymerase chain reaction(PCR)and Western blot.The silencing effect of HSP47,the expression of collagen I and III,and the potential signaling pathways of HSP47 during scarification were explored 11d post GFS.The protein levels of transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1),phospho-Smad2(pSmad2),phospho-Smad3(p-Smad3),and phospho-p38(p-p38)were also analyzed using Western blot.RESULTS:Sh-HSP47 treatment significantly prolonged the functional filtration bleb retention.The levels of HSP47 were increased significantly at 5,8,and 11d postoperatively compared to the control group(P<0.05,P<0.01,and P<0.001).The levels of HSP47 protein at day 11 postoperatively were significantly down-regulated after HSP47 silencing using sh-HSP47 adenovirus transfection(P<0.01).Expression levels of collagen I and III within the blebs were significantly reduced in the absence of HSP47(P<0.01).Moreover,the protein levels of TGF-β1,p-Smad2/3,and p-p38 were dramatically inhibited after treatment with sh-HSP47(P<0.01).CONCLUSION:The inhibitory effects of HSP47 knockdown on scarring after GFS have the potential to be an efficacious therapeutic option for the treatment of conjunctival bleb scarring.
基金supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(No.2020YFC2008100).
文摘OBJECTIVE To develop and validate a user-friendly risk score for older mitral regurgitation(MR)patients,referred to as the Elder-MR score.METHODS The China Senile Valvular Heart Disease(China-DVD)Cohort Study functioned as the development cohort,while the China Valvular Heart Disease(China-VHD)Study was employed for external validation.We included patients aged 60 years and above receiving medical treatment for moderate or severe MR(2274 patients in the development cohort and 1929 patients in the validation cohort).Candidate predictors were chosen using Cox’s proportional hazards model and stepwise selection with Akaike’s information criterion.RESULTS Eight predictors were identified:age≥75 years,body mass index<20 kg/m^(2),NYHA class Ⅲ/Ⅳ,secondary MR,anemia,estimated glomerular filtration rate<60 mL/min per 1.73 m^(2),albumin<35 g/L,and left ventricular ejection fraction<60%.The model displayed satisfactory performance in predicting one-year mortality in both the development cohort(C-statistic=0.73,95%CI:0.69-0.77,Brier score=0.06)and the validation cohort(C-statistic=0.73,95%CI:0.68-0.78,Brier score=0.06).The Elder-MR score ranges from 0 to 15 points.At a one-year follow-up,each point increase in the Elder-MR score represents a 1.27-fold risk of death(HR=1.27,95%CI:1.21-1.34,P<0.001)in the development cohort and a 1.24-fold risk of death(HR=1.24,95%CI:1.17-1.30,P<0.001)in the validation cohort.Compared to EuroSCORE II,the Elder-MR score demonstrated superior predictive accuracy for one-year mortality in the validation cohort(C-statistic=0.71 vs.0.70,net reclassification improvement=0.320,P<0.01;integrated discrimination improvement=0.029,P<0.01).CONCLUSIONS The Elder-MR score may serve as an effective risk stratification tool to assist clinical decision-making in older MR patients.
基金Supported by the Xi’an Science and Technology Plan Project(No.21YXYJ0044)the Research Incubaiton of Xi’an People’s Hospital(Xi’an Fourth Hospital,No.BS-2)。
文摘Dear Editor,I am writing this letter to present an unusual case of orbital inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor(IMT)diagnosed due to high intraocular pressure(IOP).IMT is a rare mesenchymal,low-grade malignant or borderline tumor,composed of differentiated myofibroblastic spindle cells,often accompanied by plasma cells and lymphocyte infiltration[1].The onset in most patients is insidious.
基金“Xue Ke Xin Xing”of Beijing Jishuitan Hospital,Beijing,China,No.XKXX201611。
文摘BACKGROUND Intracranial hemorrhage after spinal surgery is a rare and devastating complication.AIM To investigate the economic burden,clinical characteristics,risk factors,and mechanisms of intracranial hemorrhage after spinal surgery.METHODS A retrospective cohort study was conducted from January 1,2015,to December 31,2022.Patients aged≥18 years,who had undergone spinal surgery were included.Intracranial hemorrhage patients were selected after spinal surgery during hospitalization.Based on the type of spinal surgery,patients with intracranial hemorrhage were randomly matched in a 1:5 ratio with control patients without intracranial hemorrhage.The patients'pre-,intra-,and post-operative data and clinical manifestations were recorded.RESULTS A total of 24472 patients underwent spinal surgery.Six patients(3 males and 3 females,average age 71.3 years)developed intracranial hemorrhage after posterior spinal fusion procedures,with an incidence of 0.025%(6/24472).The prevailing type of intracranial hemorrhage was cerebellar hemorrhage.Two patients had a poor clinical outcome.Based on the type of surgery,30 control patients were randomly matched in 1:5 ratio.The intracranial hemorrhage group showed significant differences compared with the control group with regard to age(71.33±7.45 years vs 58.39±8.07 years,P=0.001),previous history of cerebrovascular disease(50%vs 6.7%,P=0.024),spinal dura mater injury(50%vs 3.3%,P=0.010),hospital expenses(RMB 242119.1±87610.0 vs RMB 96290.7±32029.9,P=0.009),and discharge activity daily living score(40.00±25.88 vs 75.40±18.29,P=0.019).CONCLUSION The incidence of intracranial hemorrhage after spinal surgery was extremely low,with poor clinical outcomes.Patient age,previous stroke history,and dura mater damage were possible risk factors.It is suggested that spinal dura mater injury should be avoided during surgery in high-risk patients.
文摘AIM To investigate whether fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) prevents hepatic encephalopathy (HE) in rats with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced acute hepatic dysfunction. METHODS A rat model of HE was established with CCl4. Rat behaviors and spatial learning capability were observed, and hepatic necrosis, intestinal mucosal barrier, serum ammonia levels and intestinal permeability were determined in HE rats receiving FMT treatment. Furthermore, the expression of tight junction proteins (Claudin-1, Claudin-6 and Occludin), Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4/TLR9, interleukin (IL)-1 beta, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha was examined. RESULTS FMT improved rat behaviors, HE grade and spatial learning capability. Moreover, FMT prevented hepatic necrosis and intestinal mucosal barrier damage, leading to hepatic clearance of serum ammonia levels and reduced intestinal permeability. The expression of TLR4 and TLR9, two potent mediators of inflammatory response, was significantly downregulated in the liver of rats treated with FMT. Consistently, circulating proinflammatory factors such as interleukin (IL)-1 beta, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha were remarkably decreased, indicating that FMT is able to limit systemic inflammation by decreasing the expression of TLR4 and TLR9. Importantly, HE-induced loss of tight junction proteins (Claudin-1, Claudin-6 and Occludin) was restored in intestinal tissues of rats receiving FMT treatment. CONCLUSION FMT enables protective effects in HE rats, and it improves the cognitive function and reduces the liver function indexes. FMT may cure HE by altering the intestinal permeability and improving the TLR response of the liver.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants 11072009 and 11872080)Beijing Education Committee Development Project (Grant SQKM201610005001).
文摘A new topology optimization method is formulated for lightweight design of multimaterial structures, using the independent continuous mapping (ICM) method to minimize the weight with a prescribed nodal displacement constraint. Two types of independent topological variable are used to identify the presence of elements and select the material for each phase, to realize the interpolations of the element stiffness matrix and total weight. Furthermore, an explicit expression for the optimized formulation is derived, using approximations of the displacement and weight given by first- and second-order Taylor expansions. The optimization problem is thereby transformed into a standard quadratic programming problem that can be solved using a sequential quadratic programming approach. The feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed multimaterial topology optimization method are demonstrated by determining the best load transfer path for four numerical examples. The results reveal that the topologically optimized configuration of the multimaterial structure varies with the material properties, load conditions, and constraint. Firstly, the weight of the optimized multimaterial structure is found to be lower than that composed of a single material. Secondly, under the precondition of a displacement constraint, the weight of the topologically optimized multimaterial structure decreases as the displacement constraint value is increased. Finally, the topologically optimized multimaterial structures differ depending on the elastic modulus of the materials. Besides, the established optimization formulation is more reliable and suitable for use in practical engineering applications with structural performance parameters as constraint.
基金Financial supported from the Excellent Young Scientists Fund from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (Grant no. 21622106)other projects from the NSFC (Grant nos. 21773288 , 21805167 and 21771117)+4 种基金the Outstanding Scholar Fund (Grant no. JQ201703)the Doctoral Fund (Grant no. ZR2018BB010) from the Science Foundation of Shandong Province of Chinathe Taishan Scholar Project of Shandong Province of Chinathe Hundred Talents project of the Chinese Academy of Sciencesthe Foundation of State Key Laboratory of Coal Conversion (grant nos. J17-18-902)
文摘The uniformly dispersed transition metal(Co, Ni and Fe) nanoparticles supported on the surface of La-promoted Mg O were prepared via a deposition-precipitation method for hydrogen production from catalytic decomposition of ammonia. X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption-desorption, transmission electron microscopy, temperature-programmed reduction and temperature-programmed desorption were used to investigate the structure-activity relation of catalysts in NH3 decomposition. The results show that the strong interaction between active species and support can effectively prevent the active species from agglomerating during ammonia decomposition reaction. In addition, the introduction of La species not only facilitates the adsorption and decomposition of NH3 and desorption of N2, but also benefits the better dispersion of the active species. The prepared catalysts showed very high catalytic activity for ammonia decomposition compared with the same active composition samples that reported previously. Meanwhile, the catalysts showed excellent high-temperature stability and no any deactivation was observed, which are very promising candidates for the decomposition of ammonia to hydrogen.
基金supported by the National Natural Foundation of China(81160302)the Major Research Project of Yunnan Province(2011FZ109)Research project of Yunnan Education Bureau(2014Y153)
文摘Here,we used reverse transcription-PCR(RT-PCR) and western blot to detect protease-activated receptor(PAR) 1,PAR 2 and PAR 4 expression in cancer tissues and cell lines of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma,and investigated the co-relationship between PAR expression and clinic-pathological data for esophageal cancer.The methylation of PAR4 gene promoter involved in esophageal carcinoma was also analyzed.By comparing the mRNA expressions of normal esophageal tissue and human esophageal epithelial cells(HEEpiC),we found that among the 28 cases of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma,PAR1(60%) and PAR2(71%) were elevated in 17 and 20 cases,respectively,and PAR4(68%) expression was lowered in 19 cases.Whereas,in human esophageal squamous cells(TE-1 and TE-10),PAR1 and PAR2 expression was increased but PAR4 was decreased.Combined with clinical data,the expression of PAR1 in poorly differentiated(P=0.016) and middle and lower parts of the esophagus(P=0.016) was higher; expression of PAR4 in poorly differentiated carcinoma was lower(P=0.049).Regarding TE-1 and TE-10 protein expression,we found that in randomized esophageal carcinoma,PAR1(P=0.027) and PAR2(P=0.039) expressions were increased,but lowered for PAR4(P=0.0001).In HEEpiC,TE-1,TE-10,esophageal and normal esophagus tissue samples(case No.7),the frequency of methylation at the 19 CpG loci of PAR4 was 35.4%,95.2%,83.8%,62.6% and 48.2%,respectively.Our results indicate that the expression of PAR1 and PAR2 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma is increased but PAR4 is decreased.Hypermethylation of the promoter of the PAR4 gene may contribute to reduced expression of PAR4 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
基金Supported by Shanghai Municipal Natural Science Foundation, No. 10ZR1420000National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 81072009
文摘AIM: To elucidate the molecular and cellular features responsible for the increase of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in gastric cancer. METHODS: The frequencies of CD4 + Foxp3 + Tregs and the level of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) were analyzed from 56 patients with gastric cancer byflow cytometry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay respectively. Foxp3 gene expression was analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction. The gastric cancer microenvironment was modeled by establishing the coculture of gastric cancer cell line, MGC-803, with sorting CD4 + T cells. The normal gastric mucosa cell line, GES-1, was used as the control. The production of TGF-β1 was detected in supernatant of MGC and GES-1. The carboxyfluorescein diacetatesuccinimidyl ester (CFSE) dilution assay was performed to evaluate the proliferation characteristics of induced Tregs. Neutralizing anti-TGF-β1 antibody was added to the co-culture system for neutralization experiments. RESULTS: The level of serum TGF-β1 in gastric cancer patients (15.1 ± 5.5 ng/mL) was significantly higher than that of the genderand age-matched healthy controls (10.3 ± 3.4 ng/mL) (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the higher TGF-β1 level correlated with the increased population of CD4 + Foxp3 + Tregs in advanced gastric cancer (r = 0.576, P < 0.05). A significant higher frequency of CD4 + Foxp3 + Tregs was observed in PBMCs cultured with the supernatant of MGC than GES-1 (10.6% ± 0.6% vs 8.7% ± 0.7%, P < 0.05). Moreover, using the purified CD4 + CD25 T cells, we confirmed that the increased Tregs were mainly induced from the conversation of CD4 + CD25 naive T cells, and induced Tregs were functional and able to suppress the proliferation of effector T cells. Finally, we demonstrated that gastric cancer cells induced the increased CD4 + Foxp3 + Tregs via producing TGF-β1. Gastric cancer cells upregulated the production of TGF-β1 and blockade of TGF-β1 partly abrogated Tregs phenotype. CONCLUSION: Gastric cancer cell can induce Tregs development via producing TGF-β1, by which the existence of cross-talk between the tumor and immune cells might regulate anti-tumor immune responses.
基金supported by the Youth Researcher Foundation of Shanghai Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning,No.20144Y0095
文摘Facial synkinesis,a sequela of peripheral facial nerve palsy,is characterized by simultaneous involuntary facial movement during a voluntary desired one.Maladaptive cortical plasticity might be involved in the dysfunction of facial muscles.This cohort study investigated the cortical functional alterations in patients with unilateral facial synkinesis,using the task functional magnetic resonance imaging.Facial motor tasks,including blinking and smiling,were performed by 16 patients（aged 30.6 ± 4.5 years,14 females/2 males） and 24 age-and sex-matched healthy controls（aged 29.1 ± 4.2 years,19 females/5 males）.Results demonstrated that activation in the cortico-facial motor representation area was lower during tasks in patients with facial synkinesis compared with healthy controls.Facial movements on either side performed by patients caused more intensive activation of the supplementary motor area on the contralateral side of the affected face,than those on the unaffected side.Our results revealed that there was cortical reorganization in the primary sensorimotor area and the supplementary motor area.This study was registered in Chinese Clinical Trial Registry（registration number： Chi CTR1800014630）.
文摘Copper–ceria(Cu O–CeO2) catalysts have been known to be very effective for the oxidation of CO, and their chemical behavior has been extensively studied during the last decades. However, the effect of different CeO2 crystal surfaces on the catalytic activity of Cu O–CeO2 for the oxidation of CO is still unclear and should be further elucidated. In this study, we deposited 1 wt% Cu on mostly {100}-exposed CeO2 nanocubes(1 Cu Ce NC) and mostly {110}-exposed CeO2 nanorods(1 Cu Ce NR), respectively. Both 1 Cu Ce NC and 1 Cu Ce NR have been used as catalysts for the oxidation of CO and achieved 100% and 50% CO conversion at 130 ℃, respectively. The differences in the catalytic activity of 1 Cu Ce NC and 1 Cu Ce NR were analyzed using temperature-programmed reduction of H2 and temperature-programmed desorption of CO techniques. The results confirmed the excellent reducibility of the 1 Cu Ce NC catalyst, which was attributed to the weak interactions between Cu and the CeO2 support. Moreover, in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier-transform spectroscopy studies indicated that the {100} planes of 1 Cu Ce NC facilitated the generation of active Cu(I) sites, which resulted in the formation of highly reactive Cu(I)-CO species during the oxidation of CO. Both the excellent redox properties and effective CO adsorption capacity of the 1 Cu Ce NC catalyst increased its catalytic reactivity.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants 11072009, 11172013)the Beijing Education Committee Development Project (Grant SQKM2016100 05001)the Beijing University of Technology Basic Research Fund (Grant 001000514313003)
文摘The purpose of the present work is to study the buckling problem with plate/shell topology optimization of orthotropic material. A model of buckling topology optimization is established based on the independent, continuous, and mapping method, which considers structural mass as objective and buckling critical loads as constraints. Firstly, composite exponential function (CEF) and power function (PF) as filter functions are introduced to recognize the element mass, the element stiffness matrix, and the element geometric stiffness matrix. The filter functions of the orthotropic material stiffness are deduced. Then these filter functions are put into buckling topology optimization of a differential equation to analyze the design sensitivity. Furthermore, the buckling constraints are approximately expressed as explicit functions with respect to the design variables based on the first-order Taylor expansion. The objective function is standardized based on the second-order Taylor expansion. Therefore, the optimization model is translated into a quadratic program. Finally, the dual sequence quadratic programming (DSQP) algorithm and the global convergence method of moving asymptotes algorithm with two different filter functions (CEF and PF) are applied to solve the optimal model. Three numerical results show that DSQP&CEF has the best performance in the view of structural mass and discretion.
文摘Research on brain function after brachial plexus injury focuses on local cortical functional reorganization,and few studies have focused on brain networks after brachial plexus injury.Changes in brain networks may help understanding of brain plasticity at the global level.We hypothesized that topology of the global cerebral resting-state functional network changes after unilateral brachial plexus injury.Thus,in this cross-sectional study,we recruited eight male patients with unilateral brachial plexus injury（right handedness,mean age of 27.9±5.4years old）and eight male healthy controls（right handedness,mean age of 28.6±3.2）.After acquiring and preprocessing resting-state magnetic resonance imaging data,the cerebrum was divided into 90 regions and Pearson’s correlation coefficient calculated between regions.These correlation matrices were then converted into a binary matrix with affixed sparsity values of 0.1–0.46.Under sparsity conditions,both groups satisfied this small-world property.The clustering coefficient was markedly lower,while average shortest path remarkably higher in patients compared with healthy controls.These findings confirm that cerebral functional networks in patients still show smallworld characteristics,which are highly effective in information transmission in the brain,as well as normal controls.Alternatively,varied small-worldness suggests that capacity of information transmission and integration in different brain regions in brachial plexus injury patients is damaged.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.81500719)
文摘AIM：To evaluate the ability of macular ganglion cell complex（GCC） thickness using Fourier domain optical coherence tomography（FD-OCT） to detect glaucoma in highly myopic eyes.METHODS：Cross-sectional study.A total of 114 participants,consecutively were enrolled.Macular GCC thickness and peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer（RNFL） thickness were obtained with RTVue FD-OCT.Receiver operating characteristics curves were constructed for each measurement parameter,and areas under the curves（AUCs） were compared.RESULTS：Both the average GCC and average RNFL thickness showed negative correlations with axial length（rGCC=-0.404,P=0.001;rRNFL=-0.561,P〈0.001）.The largest AUCs from GCC,and RNFL parameters were 0.968 [global loss volume（GLV）],and 0.855（average RNFL）,respectively.GLV was significantly better for detecting high myopic glaucoma than average RNFL（P〈0.001）.CONCLUSION：Macular GCC thickness has higher diagnostic power than peripapillary RNFL thickness to discriminate glaucoma patients from non-glaucoma subjects in high myopia.
基金Project(51674302)supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China。
文摘To solve the problems of high energy consumption,low efficiency and short service life of conventional rare earth reduction cells,a 20 kA new rare earth reduction cell(NRERC)was presented.The effects of the anode-cathode distance(ACD)and electrolyte height(EH)on the thermo-electrical behavior of the NRERC were studied by ANSYS.The results illustrate that the cell voltage drop(CVD)and the temperature will rise with a similar tendency when the ACD increases.Also,the temperature rises gradually with EH,but the CVD decreases.Ultimately,when the ACD is 115 mm and the EH is 380 mm,the CVD is 4.61 V and the temperature is 1109.8℃.Under these conditions,the thermal field distribution is more reasonable and the CVD is lower,which is beneficial to the long service life and low energy consumption of the NRERC.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation for Outstanding Young Scholars of China(No.51222405)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.51034002)+2 种基金the Fok Ying Tong Education Foundation(No.132002)the Basic Scientific Research Operation of Center Universities(Nos. N120502001 and N120602002)the Major State Basic Research Development of China(No.2011CB610405)
文摘A novel short process for producing A2017 alloy strips with notable features of near net shape, saving energy, low cost, and high product performance was developed by combining semisolid rolling, deep rolling, and heat treatment. The microstructure and properties of the A2017 alloy strips were investigated by metallographic microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, tensile testing, and hardness measurement. The cross-sectional microstructure of the A2017 alloy strips is mainly composed of near-spherical primary grains. Many eutectic phases CuA12 formed along primary grain boundaries during semisolid rolling are crushed and broken into small particles. After solution treatment at 495℃ for 2 h the eutectic phases at grain boundaries have almost dissolved into the matrix. When the solution treatment time exceeds 2 h, grain coarsening happens. More and more grain interior phases precipitate with the aging time prolonging to 8 h. The precipitated particles are very small and distribute homogenously, and the tensile strength reaches its peak value. When the aging time is prolonged to 12 h, there is no obvious variation in the amount of precipitated phases, but the size and spacing of precipitated phases increase. The tensile strength of the A2017 alloy strips produced by the present method can reach 362.78 MPa, which is higher than that of the strips in the national standard of China.
