Cell-free fat extract improves embryo development and clinical outcomes in older women with previous in-vitro fertilization failure.

Background: Preimplantation embryos in vivo are exposed to various growth factors in the female reproductive tract that are absent in in vitro embryo culture media. Cell-free fat extract exerts antioxidant, anti-ageing, and ovarian function-promoting effects. However, its effects on embryo quality are yet to be investigated.

Enhancing Ω Phase Thermal Stability in Al Alloys through Interstitial Ordering.

Scandium (Sc) can orderly occupy interstitial sites within the Ω phase of aluminum alloys, forming a new phase that significantly enhances the thermal stability of the alloy. However, Sc is relatively expensive and rare. In this work, we employ first-principles calculations to delve into the physical essence interstitial ordering of Sc in enhancing thermal stability at the electronic level, thereby revealing the crucial factors responsible for this improvement.

Enhancing Ω Phase Thermal Stability in Al Alloys through Interstitial Ordering.

Scandium (Sc) can orderly occupy interstitial sites within the Ω phase of aluminum alloys, forming a new phase that significantly enhances the thermal stability of the alloy. However, Sc is relatively expensive and rare. In this work, we employ first-principles calculations to delve into the physical essence interstitial ordering of Sc in enhancing thermal stability at the electronic level, thereby revealing the crucial factors responsible for this improvement.

Decreased expression of LEF1 caused defective decidualization by inhibiting IL-11 expression in patients with adenomyosis.

Reduced lymphoid enhancer-binding factor 1 (LEF1) expression in patients with adenomyosis during the mid-secretory phase leads to impaired endometrial receptivity, affecting embryo implantation. This study investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying reduced endometrial receptivity in 25 adenomyosis patients and 25 controls. Functional experiments were conducted using human endometrial stromal cells (HESCs) and TERT-immortalized HESCs(T-HESCs), with final validation performed using a mouse model.

Protective Effects of Mdivi-1 on Cognition Disturbance Following Sepsis in Mice via Alleviating Microglia Activation and Polarization.

Background: Neuroinflammation is one of the essential pathogeneses of cognitive damage suffering from sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE). Lots of evidences showed the microglia presented mitochondrial fragmentation during SAE. This study investigated the protective effects and novel mechanisms of inhibiting microglia mitochondrial fragmentation via mitochondrial division inhibitor 1 (Mdivi-1) on cognitive damage in SAE.

Design and Growth of P-Type AlGaN Graded Composition Superlattice.

A graded composition superlattice structure is proposed by combining simulation with experimentation. The structural factors affecting graded symmetric superlattices and graded asymmetric superlattices and their action modes are simulated and analyzed. A Mg-doped graded symmetric superlattice structure with high Al content, excellent structural quality, good surface morphology and excellent electrical properties was grown by MOCVD equipment.

Transposition of the great arteries with an intact ventricular septum in older children.

Complete transposition of the great arteries is a common life-threatening complex cyanotic congenital heart disease in infants, resulting in the operation usually performed about one week after birth. However, little is known about the surgical strategy and experience of transposition of the great arteries with an intact ventricular septum in older patients. Herein, we present an abandoned 7-year-old boy with severe cyanosis with clubbed fingers and toes and then diagnosed with transposition of the great arteries with an intact ventricular septum, atrial septal defect, patent ductus arteriosus, and pulmonary hypertension.

Predicting the high intensity focused ultrasound focus in vivo using acoustic radiation force imaging.

Background: One big challenge in the noninvasive high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) surgery is that the location and shape of its focus is unpredictable at the preoperative stage due to the complexity of sound wave propagation. The Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse (ARFI) imaging is a potential solution to this problem, but artifacts resulting from shear wave propagation remain to be solved.

Purpose: In this study, we proposed avoiding those artefacts by applying the ARFI technique at a high imaging frame rate within a very short time before the shear waves start to propagate.

[Summary of best evidence and evidence-based practice of exercise intervention in elderly patients with sarcopenia in intensive care unit].

Objective: To summarize the best evidence for exercise intervention in elderly patients with sarcopenia in intensive care unit (ICU) through literature search, and provide a reference for clinical implementation of early exercise intervention in this population through evidence-based practice.

Methods: (1) Summary of best evidence: relevant literature on exercise intervention for elderly patients with sarcopenia in ICU, including guideline, evidence summary, expert consensus, systematic review, and original study [quasi-experiment and randomized controlled trial (RCT)] from UpToDate Clinical Advisor, Ovid database, National Guideline Clearinghouse (NGC), National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), Cochrane Library, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PubMed/Medline, SinoMed, CNKI, Wanfang Database, VIP, and Yimai Tong Guideline Network were systematically searched. The search period covered from the establishment of these databases up to August 24, 2023.

PIGK defects induce apoptosis in Purkinje cells and acceleration of neuroectodermal differentiation.

Biallelic mutations in PIGK cause GPI biosynthesis defect 22 (GPIBD22), characterized with developmental delay, hypotonia, and cerebellar atrophy. The understanding of the underlying causes is limited due to the lack of suitable disease models. To address this gap, we generated a mouse model with PIGK deficits, specifically in Purkinje cells (Pcp2-cko) and an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) model using the c.

PI3K/AKT signaling and neuroprotection in ischemic stroke: molecular mechanisms and therapeutic perspectives.

It has been reported that the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway plays a key role in the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke. As a result, the development of drugs targeting the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway has attracted increasing attention from researchers. This article reviews the pathological mechanisms and advancements in research related to the signaling pathways in ischemic stroke, with a focus on the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

Elucidation on Abnormal Capacity Increase in SiO@C Core-Shell Nanospheres Anode for Lithium-Ion Battery.

An abnormal capacity increase stage has been observed in nanostructured SiO after the initial capacity drop stage. To investigate the Li storage kinetic mechanism for each stage, SiO@C core-shell nanospheres with a total diameter of ∼108 to 170 nm but an adjustable C shell thickness of ∼4 to 31 nm have been fabricated. First, the existence form and specific content of SiO nanoparticles with a size of ∼6-10 nm, which are embedded in the outer C shell of SiO@C core-shell nanospheres, were confirmed by SEM, TEM, BET, and TGA, respectively.

Discovery and engineering of a novel peptide, Temporin-WY2, with enhanced in vitro and in vivo efficacy against multi-drug resistant bacteria.

Infections by drug-resistant microorganisms are a threat to global health and antimicrobial peptides are considered to be a new hope for their treatment. Temporin-WY2 was identified from the cutaneous secretion of the Ranidae frog, Amolops wuyiensis. It presented with a potent anti-Gram-positive bacterial efficacy, but its activity against Gram-negative bacteria and cancer cell lines was unremarkable.

A modified sidelobe blanking beamforming method for ultrasound plane wave imaging.

In this paper, an ultrasound beamforming method for plane wave (PW) imaging based on modified sidelobe blanking (MSLB) is proposed to improve image resolution and contrast ratio (CR). In this framework, PWs from various angles were designed to create main and auxiliary beamformer signals. Specifically, the PW signals from all angles were first coherently combined to serve as the main beamformer output signals.

Weighted ultrasound entropy imaging for HIFU ablation monitoring with improved sensitivity and contrast.

Background: Although B-mode imaging has been widely used in ultrasound-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatment, challenges remain in improving its quality and sensitivity for monitoring the thermal dose. Recently, quantitative ultrasound (QUS) imaging has been recognized with the potential to better sense the changes in the microstructure of ablated tissues.

Purpose: This study proposed to use a QUS method called weighted ultrasound entropy (WUE) imaging to monitor the HIFU ablation.

Protective Effects and Mechanisms of Inhibiting Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress on Cold Seawater Immersion Combined with Hemorrhagic Shock.

Purpose: Cold seawater immersion aggravates hemorrhagic shock-induced homeostasis imbalance and organ dysfunction, leading to increased mortality. Previous studies have shown that treatments targeting oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction have limited efficacy for cold seawater immersion combined with hemorrhagic shock (SIHS). Thus, the mechanisms responsible for SIHS need further investigation.

Crystallization and electrochemical properties of KVO nano-ribbons obtained a solvothermal process as a promising cathode for PIBs.

In this research, a series of K-intercalated quasi-1D vanadium-based nano-ribbons (KVO NRs) were synthesized a facile solvothermal method. The solvation and reductive effects of vanadium oxide precursors (VO powder) on the crystallization and growth of KVO NRs were studied. Besides, post-heat treatment was performed to improve the crystallinity of KVO NRs.

Microwave De-Icing Efficiency Improvement of Asphalt Mixture with Structural Layer Optimization and Heat-Resistance Design.

The application of microwave de-icing technology in road engineering is constrained by its low energy utilization rate, which can be attributed to low heat production rates and ineffective heat dissipation to the underlying pavement. In this work, asphalt mixtures are designed as an upper layer (heating layer) and a lower layer (thermal-resistance layer). Magnetite slag was selected as a microwave-sensitive source for generating heat, and expanded perlite powder was incorporated into the lower layer as a thermal resistance material.

Suppressing the HIFU interference in ultrasound guiding images with a diffusion-based deep learning model.

Background And Objectives: In ultrasound guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) surgery, it is necessary to transmit sound waves at different frequencies simultaneously using two transducers: one for the HIFU therapy and another for the ultrasound imaging guidance. In this specific setting, real-time monitoring of non-invasive surgery is challenging due to severe contamination of the ultrasound guiding images by strong acoustic interference from the HIFU sonication.

Methods: This paper proposed the use of a deep learning (DL) solution, specifically a diffusion implicit model, to suppress the HIFU interference.

Mazabraud's syndrome in female patients: Two case reports.

Background: Mazabraud's syndrome (MS) is a rare and slowly progressive benign disease characterized by the concurrent presence of fibrous dysplasia of bone and intramuscular myxoma, and is thought to be associated with mutations of the gene. To date, only about 100 cases of MS have been reported in the literature, but its standard treatment strategy remains unclear.

Case Summary: We report two cases of MS in young women who underwent different treatments based on their symptoms and disease manifestations.

Enhanced Hole Injection in AlGaN-Based Ga-Polar Ultraviolet Light-Emitting Diodes with Polarized Electric-Field Reservoir Electron Barrier.

In this study, we propose a polarized electron blocking layer (EBL) structure using AlGaN/AlGaN to enhance the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) of AlGaN-based ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (UV LEDs). Our findings indicate that this polarized EBL structure significantly improves IQE compared to conventional EBLs. Additionally, we introduce an electric-field reservoir (EFR) optimization method to maximize IQE.

Investigation of the Properties of High-Viscosity Modified Asphalt Binder under Hygrothermal Environments.

High-viscosity modified asphalt binder (HVMA) is used widely as a polymer-modified binder in porous asphalt pavement because it can improve the cohesiveness of the asphalt mixture. However, because of the high voidage in the mixture, HVMA is vulnerable to aging induced by temperature, oxygen, water, sunlight, and other climatic conditions, which degrades the performance of pavement. The properties of asphalt binder are affected adversely by the effects of hygrothermal environments in megathermal and rainy areas.

Prognostic factors of patients with thyroid cancer and bone metastasis at presentation.

Objective: While bone metastases (BMs) are present in a minority of thyroid cancer (TC) patients at the time of initial diagnosis, there has been growing concern regarding their impact on life expectancy and quality of life. The aim of this study was to identify prognostic factors associated with overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) in these patients and provide therapeutic recommendations based on the findings.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we included 82 patients diagnosed as TC with BM received treatment in our department from 2011.