Path planning for flexible needle based on both insertion mechanism kinematics and needle bending model.

Objective: Due to the limited operating space in the magnetic resonance (MR) environment, there is coupled motion in the insertion mechanism, which not only reduces the flexibility of the robot but also challenges the insertion path planning. Meanwhile, the path planning is also restricted by the bending rule of the flexible needle, thus the bending model of the needle is also essentially built.

Approach: This paper proposes a path planner for the flexible needle based on both the coupled motion kinematics of the insertion robot and the bending model of the flexible needle.

High-Emissivity Double-Layer ZrB-Modified Coating on Flexible Aluminum Silicate Fiber Fabric with Enhanced Oxidation Resistance and Tensile Strength.

Fibers crystallize and become brittle at high temperatures for a long time, so the surface coating must maintain long-lasting emission performance, which requires superior antioxidant properties of the high-emissivity fillers. To improve the radiation performance of the coating and the tensile strength of the fiber fabric, a double-layer coating with high emissivity was prepared on the surface of flexible aluminum silicate fiber fabric (ASFF) using MoSi and SiC as emissive agents. The incorporation of borosilicate glass into the outer coating during high-temperature oxidation of ZrB results in superior encapsulation of emitter particles, effectively filling the pores of the coating and significantly reducing the oxidation rate of MoSi and SiC.

A review of robot-assisted ultrasound examination: Systems and technology.

Background: At present, the number and overall level of ultrasound (US) doctors cannot meet the medical needs, and the medical ultrasound robots will largely solve the shortage of medical resources.

Methods: According to the degree of automation, the handheld, semi-automatic and automatic ultrasound examination robot systems are summarised. Ultrasound scanning path planning and robot control are the keys to ensure that the robot systems can obtain high-quality images.

A prostate seed implantation robot system based on human-computer interactions: Augmented reality and voice control.

The technology of robot-assisted prostate seed implantation has developed rapidly. However, during the process, there are some problems to be solved, such as non-intuitive visualization effects and complicated robot control. To improve the intelligence and visualization of the operation process, a voice control technology of prostate seed implantation robot in augmented reality environment was proposed.

Flexible and Compressible Nanostructure-Assembled Aramid Nanofiber/Silica Composites Aerogel.

The Applications of silica aerogel are limited due to its brittleness and low strength. As a result, it is essential to strengthen and toughen it. Organic nanofibers are one of the preferred reinforcement materials.

Preparation of Ceramic Fiber Threads with Enhanced Abrasion Resistance Performance.

Ceramic fiber thread is one of the key components in flexible external thermal insulation blankets, and it has been applied in various fields as a flexible ceramic fibrous material with excellent deformability and high-temperature resistance. However, ceramic fiber threads are often subjected to reciprocating friction motion at specific bending angles, making them highly susceptible to abrade and fracture. Enhancing the abrasion resistance performance of ceramic fiber threads under bending conditions is the future trend and remains a significant challenge.

Hyaluronidase-Responsive Bactericidal Cryogel for Promoting Healing of Infected Wounds: Inflammatory Attenuation, ROS Scavenging, and Immune Regulation.

Wounds infected with multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria are increasingly threatening public health and challenging clinical treatments because of intensive bacterial colonization, excessive inflammatory responses, and superabundant oxidative stress. To overcome this malignant burden and promote wound healing, a multifunctional cryogel (HA/TA2/KR2) composed of hyaluronic acid (HA), tannic acid (TA), and KR-12 peptides is designed. The cryogel exhibited excellent shape-memory properties, strong absorption performance, and hemostatic capacity.

Dissolved organic matter promoted hydroxyl radical formation and phenanthrene attenuation during oxygenation of iron-pillared montmorillonites.

The oxygenation of Fe(II)-bearing minerals for hydroxyl radicals (HO) formation and contaminant attenuation receives increasing attentions. However, information on dissolved organic matter (DOM) with different types, concentrations, and molecular weights (MWs) in manipulating HO formation and contaminant attenuation during mineral oxygenation remain unclear. In this study, four iron-pillared montmorillonites (IPMs) and two DOM samples [e.

Polyphyllin I attenuates the invasion and metastasis via downregulating GRP78 in drug-resistant hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

Drug resistance to chemotherapy agents presents a major obstacle to the effective treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a common type of liver cancer. Increasing evidence indicates a link between drug resistance and the recurrence of HCC. Polyphyllin I (PPI), a promising pharmaceutical candidate, has shown potential therapeutic advantages in the treatment of sorafenib-resistant hepatocellular carcinoma (SR-HCC cells).

Exosomal microRNA profiling revealed enhanced autophagy suppression and anti-tumor effects of a combination of compound Phyllanthus urinaria and lenvatinib in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Compound Phyllanthus urinaria (CP), a traditional Chinese herbal remedy, possesses strong anti-cancer effects and is extensively employed in the clinical management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). While lenvatinib and other oral tyrosine kinase inhibitors have been authorized as initial treatments for advanced unresectable HCC, the survival of patients is ultimately restricted due to the gradual development of drug resistance. Fortunately, the co-administration of CP and lenvatinib holds promise for anti-cancer applications.

Diosmetin induces apoptosis and protective autophagy in human gastric cancer HGC-27 cells via the PI3K/Akt/FoxO1 and MAPK/JNK pathways.

Gastric cancer represents a significant global health concern, necessitating the exploration of novel therapeutic options. Diosmetin, a natural flavonoid derived from citrus and vegetables, has demonstrated promising anti-tumor activity against various tumor cells. However, the potential anticancer effect of diosmetin in gastric cancer and its underlying mechanism have yet to be elucidated.

Coupled Contour Regression for Efficient Delineation of Lumen and External Elastic Lamina in Intravascular Ultrasound Images.

Automatic delineation of the lumen and vessel contours in intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) images is crucial for the subsequent IVUS-based analysis. Existing methods usually address this task through mask-based segmentation, which cannot effectively handle the anatomical plausibility of the lumen and external elastic lamina (EEL) contours and thus limits their performance. In this article, we propose a contour encoding based method called coupled contour regression network (CCRNet) to directly predict the lumen and EEL contour pairs.

Identification of a cancer-associated fibroblast classifier for predicting prognosis and therapeutic response in lung squamous cell carcinoma.

Reliable prognostic gene signatures for cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) are still lacking, and the underlying genetic principles remain unclear. Therefore, the 2 main aims of our study were to establish a reliable CAFs prognostic gene signature that can be used to stratify patients with LUSC and to identify promising potential targets for more effective and individualized therapies. Clinical information and mRNA expression were accessed of the cancer genome atlas-LUSC cohort (n = 501) and GSE157011 cohort (n = 484).

Clot-based time attenuation curve as a novel imaging predictor of mechanical thrombectomy functional outcome in acute ischemia stroke.

Objectives: To investigate whether a novel assessment of thrombus permeability obtained from perfusion computed tomography (CTP) can act as a more accurate predictor of clinical response to mechanical thrombectomy (MT) in acute ischemic stroke (AIS).

Materials And Methods: We performed a study including two cohorts of AIS patients who underwent MT admitted to a single-center between April 2018 and February 2022: a retrospective development cohort (n = 71) and a prospective independent validation cohort (n = 96). Thrombus permeability was determined in terms of entire thrombus time-attenuation curve (TAC) on CTP.

Targeting the gut microbiota to alleviate chemotherapy-induced toxicity in cancer.

Despite ongoing breakthroughs in novel anticancer therapies, chemotherapy remains a mainstream therapeutic modality in different types of cancer. Unfortunately, chemotherapy-related toxicity (CRT) often leads to dose limitation, and even results in treatment termination. Over the past few years, accumulating evidence has indicated that the gut microbiota is extensively engaged in various toxicities initiated by chemotherapeutic drugs, either directly or indirectly.

Lipid A Modification and Metabolic Adaptation in Polymyxin-Resistant, New Delhi Metallo-β-Lactamase-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Polymyxins are last-line antibiotics employed against multidrug-resistant (MDR) Klebsiella pneumoniae. Worryingly, polymyxin resistance is rapidly on the rise globally. Polymyxins initially target lipid A of lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) in the cell outer membrane (OM), causing disorganization and cell lysis.

Highly efficient nanocomposite of YO@biochar for oxytetracycline removal from solution: Adsorption characteristics and mechanisms.

Nano YO-modified biochar composites (YO@BC600) were fabricated successfully and exhibited great adsorption toward oxytetracycline (OTC). The Langmuir adsorption capacity of YO@BC600-1:4 for OTC reached 223.46 mg/g, 10.

General Spatial Confinement Recrystallization Method for Rapid Preparation of Thickness-Controllable and Uniform Organic Semiconductor Single Crystals.

Organic semiconductor single crystals (OSSCs) are ideal materials for studying the intrinsic properties of organic semiconductors (OSCs) and constructing high-performance organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). However, there is no general method to rapidly prepare thickness-controllable and uniform single crystals for various OSCs. Here, inspired by the recrystallization (a spontaneous morphological instability phenomenon) of polycrystalline films, a spatial confinement recrystallization (SCR) method is developed to rapidly (even at several second timescales) grow thickness-controllable and uniform OSSCs in a well-controlled way by applying longitudinal pressure to tailor the growth direction of grains in OSCs polycrystalline films.

Analysis on application effect and prognostic factors of medical care combined with nursing in the elderly with T2DM and Cerebral Infarction based on targeted management mode.

To explore the analysis on application effect and prognostic factors of medical care combined with nursing in the elderly with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cerebral infraction (CI) based on targeted management mode. The clinical data of 180 elderly patients with T2DM and CI in our hospital from August 2017 to August 2019 were selected for retrospective analysis. Their cognitive function and daily living ability before and after intervention were evaluated, using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) to evaluate their prognosis.

Cuttlefish-Bone-Structure-like Lamellar Porous Fiber-Based Ceramics with Enhanced Mechanical Performances.

Porous fiber-based ceramics have been widely applied in various fields because of their excellent thermal insulation property and high thermal stability property. However, designing porous fibrous ceramics with enhanced comprehensive performances, such as low density, low thermal conductivity, and high mechanical properties at both room temperature and high temperature, is still a challenge and the future development trend. Hence, based on the lightweight cuttlefish bone that possesses a "wall-septa" structure with excellent mechanical performance, we design and fabricate a novel porous fibrous ceramic with the unique fiber-based dual structure of lamellas by the directional freeze-casting method and systematically investigate the effects of lamellar components on the microstructure and mechanical performances of the product.

Effects of Molybdenum Doping on the Enhanced Electrocatalytic Nitrogen Reduction Reaction Performance of CeO Nanorods: Theoretical and Experimental Investigations.

As a green and sustainable strategy, the electrocatalytic N reduction reaction (NRR) has been considered the best potential approach to replace the traditional Haber-Bosch process under ambient conditions. The key is to exploit efficient and low-cost electrocatalysts according to the current situation. Herein, a series of Molybdenum (Mo) doped CeO nanorods (NR) catalysts were successfully fabricated via a hydrothermal reaction coupled with high temperature calcination.