Health-related quality of life and its influencing factors in Chinese with knee osteoarthritis.

Purpose: To evaluate the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) patients in China, compare their HRQoL with norm population, and examine the associations between the potential influencing factors and HRQoL.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 912 KOA patients from 4 provinces between March and November 2017. All participants were diagnosed according to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)'s criterion or the Chinese Medical Association (CMA)'s criterion.

Impact of iatrogenic biliary injury during laparoscopic cholecystectomy on surgeon's mental distress: a nationwide survey from China.

Background: Iatrogenic biliary injury (IBI) following laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is the most serious iatrogenic complications. Little is known whether LC-IBI would lead to surgeon's severe mental distress (SMD).

Methods: A cross-sectional survey in the form of electronic questionnaire was conducted among Chinese general surgeons who have caused LC-IBI.

Transcriptomic Profiling in Fins of Atlantic Salmon Parasitized with Sea Lice: Evidence for an Early Imbalance Between Chalimus-Induced Immunomodulation and the Host's Defense Response.

Parasitic sea lice (e.g., ) cause costly outbreaks in salmon farming.

Severe loss of visceral fat and skeletal muscle after chemotherapy predicts poor prognosis in metastatic gastric cancer patients without gastrectomy.

: The influence of body composition parameters in cancer prognosis attracted researchers' attention. This study investigated the role of visceral fat and skeletal muscle in the prognosis and efficacy of chemotherapy in metastatic gastric cancer (MGC). : This study included MGC patients without gastrectomy treated with EOF regimen (epirubicin, oxaliplatin and fluorouracil), who participated in a Phase II clinical trial (NCT00767377) with available PACS image data.

Neural network decoder of polar codes with tanh-based modified LLR over FSO turbulence channel.

The deep learning-based decoder of polar codes is investigated over free space optical (FSO) turbulence channel for the first time. The feedforward neural networks (NN) are adopted to establish the decoder and some custom layers are designed to train the NN decoder over the turbulence channel. The tanh-based modified log-likelihood ratio (LLR) is proposed as the input of NN decoder, which has faster convergence and better bit error rate (BER) performance compared with the standard LLR input.

A signal on-off ratiometric electrochemical sensor coupled with a molecular imprinted polymer for selective and stable determination of imidacloprid.

This work presents a signal on-off ratiometric electrochemical sensor coupled with a molecular imprinted polymer (MIP) for imidacloprid (IMI) determination. The ratiometric strategy corrects the detection results by setting 6-(Ferrocenyl)hexanethiol (FcHT) as an internal reference. The MIP membrane, as a molecular recognition receptor, has a three-dimensional structure and is complementary in the shape and chemical functionality to the template.

A dual PMMA/calcium sulfate carrier of vancomycin is more effective than PMMA-vancomycin at inhibiting Staphylococcus aureus growth in vitro.

Both antibiotic-impregnated poly(methyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and antibiotic-impregnated calcium sulfate have been successfully used as local antibiotic delivery vehicles for the management of chronic osteomyelitis. Here, we examined the antibiotic elution characteristics and antibacterial properties of a composite drug delivery system consisting of PMMA/calcium sulfate carrying vancomycin (dual carrier-v) against Staphylococcus aureus, with PMMA loaded with vancomycin (PMMA-v) as a control. Vancomycin gradually degraded from dual carrier-v and PMMA-v up to about 8 and 6 weeks, respectively.

Transcriptome analysis reveals insight into molecular hydrogen-induced cadmium tolerance in alfalfa: the prominent role of sulfur and (homo)glutathione metabolism.

Background: Hydrogen gas (H) is hypothesised to play a role in plants that are coping with stresses by regulating signal transduction and gene expression. Although the beneficial role of H in plant tolerance to cadmium (Cd) has been investigated previously, the corresponding mechanism has not been elucidated. In this report, the transcriptomes of alfalfa seedling roots under Cd and/or hydrogen-rich water (HRW) treatment were first analysed.

Artesunate inhibits the mevalonate pathway and promotes glioma cell senescence.

Glioma is a common brain malignancy for which new drug development is urgently needed because of radiotherapy and drug resistance. Recent studies have demonstrated that artemisinin (ARS) compounds can display antiglioma activity, but the mechanisms are poorly understood. Using cell lines and mouse models, we investigated the effects of the most soluble ARS analogue artesunate (ART) on glioma cell growth, migration, distant seeding and senescence and elucidated the underlying mechanisms.

CD44-Targeted Magnetic Nanoparticles Kill Head And Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Stem Cells In An Alternating Magnetic Field.

Background: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common malignant tumor in the world. Studies in recent years have demonstrated that cancer stem cells (CSCs) are present in many tumor tissues, including HNSCC, and CSCs are the root cause of tumor recurrence and metastasis. Thus, taking new treatment measures to target the killing of CSCs that are resistant to chemotherapy and radiotherapy is key to the success of cancer treatment.

PUM1 knockdown prevents tumor progression by activating the PERK/eIF2/ATF4 signaling pathway in pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a malignant tumor with very poor prognosis. Therefore, it is important to fully understand the molecular mechanism underlying its occurrence and development. Pumilio RNA-binding family member 1 (PUM1) has been reported to function as an oncogene in ovarian cancer and nonsmall cell lung cancer.

Prescription practices in the treatment of agitation in newly hospitalized Chinese schizophrenia patients: data from a non-interventional naturalistic study.

Background: Data on the pharmacological management of acute agitation in schizophrenia are scarce. The aim of this study is to investigate the prescription practices in the treatment of agitation in Chinese patients with schizophrenia.

Methods: We conducted a large, multicenter, observational study in 14 psychiatry hospitals in China.

Extraordinary Role of Bi for Improving Thermoelectrics in Low-Solubility SnTe-CdTe Alloys.

As an environment-friendly alternative to traditional PbTe, many attempts have recently been made to improve thermoelectric SnTe. Effective strategies are mainly focused on valence band convergence, nanostructuring, interstitial defects, and alloying solubility. In particular, alloying SnTe with CdTe/GeTe triggers an inherent decline of valence band offset effectively owing to a high solubility of ∼20% of CdTe.

Triptolide enhances TRAIL sensitivity of pancreatic cancer cells by activating autophagy via downregulation of PUM1.

Background: Triptolide (TPL) can enhance the sensitivity of pancreatic cancer cells to tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL), but available research is limited to whether TPL can affect the relevant downstream signaling pathways of TRAIL. Current knowledge is far from adequate to fully understand the mechanisms by which TPL increases TRAIL sensitivity of pancreatic cancer.

Purpose: We aimed to find TPL-regulated upstream components of the signaling pathways of TRAIL to further understand the regulatory mechanism by which TPL increases the sensitivity to TRAIL.

Photonic approach for simultaneous measurements of Doppler-frequency-shift and angle-of-arrival of microwave signals.

A photonic method used to simultaneously measure the Doppler-frequency-shift (DFS) and angle-of-arrival (AOA) of microwave signals is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. At the remote antenna unit (RAU), the local oscillator (LO) signal and two echo signals are applied to a phase modulator (PM) and a polarization-division-multiplexed Mach-Zehnder modulator (PDM-MZM), respectively. After transmission over a fiber link, the DFS and AOA parameters can be obtained by processing the two low-frequency electrical signals at the central office (CO).

Prodigiosin isolated from Serratia marcescens in the Periplaneta americana gut and its apoptosis‑inducing activity in HeLa cells.

Serratia marcescens are considered to be abundant and optimal resources for obtaining prodigiosin, which can be isolated from soil, water, plants and air but rarely from insects. In the present study, a strain of Serratia marcescens named WA12‑1‑18 was isolated from the gut of Periplaneta americana, which was capable of producing high levels of pigment reaching 2.77 g/l via solid fermentation and was identified as prodigiosin by ultraviolet, high performance liquid chromatography (LC), Fourier‑transform infrared spectroscopy, LC‑mass spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance.

Electrospun Water-Borne Polyurethane Nanofibrous Membrane as a Barrier for Preventing Postoperative Peritendinous Adhesion.

Peritendinous adhesion is a major complication after tendon injury and the subsequent repairs or reconstructions. The degree of adhesion can be reduced by the interposition of a membranous barrier between the traumatized tendon and the surrounding tissue. In the present study, electrospun water-borne polyurethane (WPU) nanofibrous membranes (NFMs) were created for use after the reparation or reconstruction of tendons to reduce adhesion.

UQCRC1 downregulation is correlated with lymph node metastasis and poor prognosis in CRC.

Background: Mitochondrial dysfunction is common in cancer. UQCRC1 is a nuclear-encoded protein localized to the inner mitochondrial membrane; however, little is known about it in colorectal cancer (CRC). The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression pattern and the possible clinical significance of UQCRC1 in CRC.

A Software Defined Radio Evaluation Platform for WBAN Systems.

In recent years, the Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN) concept has attracted significant academic and industrial attention. WBAN specifies a network dedicated to collecting personal biomedical data from advanced sensors that are then used for health and lifestyle purposes. In 2012, the 802.

Transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation for post-traumatic stress disorder: Assessor-blinded, randomized controlled study.

Aim: Transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) has the potential to alleviate post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The purpose of this study was to determine whether adding TEAS to sertraline or cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) could improve the anti-PTSD efficacy.

Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, 240 PTSD patients (60 in each group) were assigned to receive simulated TEAS combined with sertraline (group A) or with CBT (group B), active TEAS combined with CBT (group C), or active TEAS combined with CBT plus sertraline (group D) for 12 weeks.

Advantage of Next-Generation Sequencing in Dynamic Monitoring of Circulating Tumor DNA over Droplet Digital PCR in Cetuximab Treated Colorectal Cancer Patients.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) blockade resistance is common in the treatment of RAS wide type colorectal cancer (CRC). During the treatment of cetuximab, acquired resistant genomic alterations always occurs earlier than disease progression observed by medical images. Identification of genomic alterations dynamically might have certain clinical significance.

lncRNA FBXL19-AS1 regulates osteosarcoma cell proliferation, migration and invasion by sponging miR-346.

Background: It was recently reported that lncRNA FBXL19 antisense RNA 1 (FBXL19-AS1) is a novel tumor-promoting RNA that contributes to tumor progression by sponging miRNAs. However, the expression and function of FBXL19-AS1 in osteosarcoma (OS) have not been investigated.

Methods: Cell proliferation was assessed by the CCK-8 and colony formation assays, while cell migration and invasion were assessed using wound healing and transwell invasion assays, respectively.