Unilateral Biportal Endoscopic Discectomy versus Percutaneous Endoscopic Lumbar Discectomy in the Treatment of Lumbar Disc Herniation Linked with Posterior Ring Apophysis Separation: A Retrospective Study.

Objectives: Posterior ring apophysis separation (PRAS) associated with lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is a relatively rare form of disc herniation. This study aims to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of unilateral biportal endoscopic discectomy (UBE) and percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD) in the treatment of PRAS with LDH.

Methods: We enrolled 41 patients who met the inclusion criteria to undergo either UBE (15 cases) or PELD (26 cases) between October 2022 and October 2023.

The impact of deep learning image reconstruction of spectral CTU virtual non contrast images for patients with renal stones.

Purpose: To compare image quality and detection accuracy of renal stones between deep learning image reconstruction (DLIR) and Adaptive Statistical Iterative Reconstruction-Veo (ASIR-V) reconstructed virtual non-contrast (VNC) images and true non-contrast (TNC) images in spectral CT Urography (CTU).

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on images of 70 patients who underwent abdominal-pelvic CTU in TNC phase using non-contrast scan and contrast-enhanced corticomedullary phase (CP) and excretory phase (EP) using spectral scan. The TNC scan was reconstructed using ASIR-V70 % (TNC-AR70), contrast-enhanced scans were reconstructed using AR70, DLIR medium-level (DM), and high-level (DH) to obtain CP-VNC-AR70/DM/DH and EP-VNC-AR70/DM/DH image groups, respectively.

The Association of Conventional Therapy Associated with Somatosensory Interactive Game Enhances the Effects of Early Pulmonary Rehabilitation for Patients with Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of somatosensory interactive games in combination with pulmonary rehabilitation programs (PRPs) on exercise tolerance, balance function, pulmonary function, inflammatory markers, and healthcare utilization in individuals with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease over 12 months. In a randomized controlled trial, 80 patients were divided into two groups. The control group participated in a lasted 30 minutes daily program composed of postural training for 10 minutes, limb movement for 10 minutes, and breathing exercises for 10 minutes based on regular oxygen therapy and medication.

Ku-Band Mixers Based on Random-Oriented Carbon Nanotube Films.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are a type of nanomaterial that have excellent electrical properties such as high carrier mobility, high saturation velocity, and small inherent capacitance, showing great promise in radio frequency (RF) applications. Decades of development have been made mainly on cut-off frequency and amplification; however, frequency conversion for RF transceivers, such as CNT-based mixers, has been rarely reported. In this work, based on randomly oriented carbon nanotube films, we focused on exploring the frequency conversion capability of CNT-based RF mixers.

Impact of prior antiplatelet therapy on outcomes of acute ischemic stroke undergoing endovascular treatment: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

It is unclear how prior antiplatelet (APT) therapy affects outcomes of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) undergoing endovascular treatment. This review pooled data from the literature to compare outcomes of AIS between prior APT users vs non-users. PubMed, Embase, CENTRAL, and Scopus for studies were searched for studies comparing outcomes of AIS between APT users vs non-users up to 30th May 2023.

Clinical and molecular analysis of Guangxi patients with Kabuki syndrome and mutations.

Kabuki syndrome (KS) is a multiple congenital anomaly syndrome that is characterized by postnatal growth deficiency, hypotonia, short stature, mild-to-moderate intellectual disability, skeletal abnormalities, persistence of fetal fingertip pads, and distinct facial appearance. It is mainly caused by pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants in the or genes. Here, we described the clinical features of nine sporadic KS patients with considerable phenotypic heterogeneity.

Aligned Carbon Nanotubes-Based Radiofrequency Transistors for Amplitude Amplification and Frequency Conversion at Millimeter Wave Band.

Aligned carbon nanotubes (ACNTs) have been considered as a promising candidate semiconductor with great potential in radiofrequency (RF) electronics due to their high carrier mobility/saturation velocity and small intrinsic capacitance. However, almost all of previously reported works focused on only the cutoff frequency, which is far from enough for practical RF application. In this work, given the speed advantage of ACNTs, we further explore amplitude amplification and frequency conversion capability of ACNTs based RF devices simultaneously, which are two basic functions in RF electronics.

Non-Hermitian kagome photonic crystal with a totally topological spatial mode selection.

Recently, the study of non-Hermitian topological edge and corner states in sonic crystals (SCs) and photonic crystals (PCs) has drawn much attention. In this paper, we propose a Wannier-type higher-order topological insulator (HOTI) model based on the kagome PC containing dimer units and study its non-Hermitian topological corner states. When balanced gain and loss are introduced into the dimer units with a proper parity-time symmetric setting, the system will show asymmetric Wannier bands and can support two Hermitian corner states and two pairs of complex-conjugate or pseudo complex-conjugate non-Hermitian corner states.

High exogenous humus inhibits greenhouse gas emissions from steppe lakes.

Although freshwater lakes are considered to be an important source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the potential driving mechanisms of such emissions are not well understood, especially in steppe lakes. In this study, the GHG emission characteristics in Hulun Lake Basin, including Hulun Lake, Beier Lake, Wulannuoer Lake, and their surrounding watersheds were investigated. The average methane (CH) and nitrous oxide (NO) emission fluxes released from rivers were 67.

Characteristics of amino acid metabolism in preterm infants in Guangxi, China.

Objectives: To study the characteristics of amino acid metabolism in preterm infants in Guangxi, China.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on the medical data of 30 757 neonates who underwent the screening for inherited metabolic diseases and had negative results in Guangxi Neonatal Disease Screening Center from 2018 to 2020. Among these neonates, there were 28 611 normal full-term infants (control group) and 2 146 preterm infants (preterm birth group).

Analysis of the Nursing Effect of Respiratory Critical Illness Based on Refined Nursing Management.

In order to improve the nursing effect of respiratory critical illness, this paper combines the refined nursing method to explore the nursing plan of respiratory critical illness. Moreover, this paper uses the variable control method to explore the effects of nursing management, combines the hospital patient samples to conduct a controlled trial analysis, and conducts sample grouping according to the random grouping method. The patients in the control group are managed by traditional nursing management methods, the patients in the test group are managed by refined nursing management methods, and other conditions are basically the same.

PREPL Deficiency: A Homozygous Splice Site PREPL Mutation in a Patient With Congenital Myasthenic Syndrome and Absence of Ovaries and Hypoplasia of Uterus.

Prolyl endopeptidase-like (PREPL) deficiency (MIM 616224) is a very rare congenital disorder characterized by neonatal hypotonia and feeding difficulties, ptosis, neuromuscular symptoms, cognitive impairments, growth hormone deficiency, short stature, and hypergonadotropic hypogonadism. This syndrome is an autosomal recessive disease resulting from mutations in the gene. Previous reports have associated PREPL deficiency with only one nucleotide substitution, the deletion of four nucleotides, and eight small microdeletions in the gene In this study, we used whole exome sequencing (WES) to identify a novel homozygous splicing mutation (c.

Syndecan-4 is a Novel Therapeutic Target for Intervertebral Disc Degeneration via Suppressing JNK/p53 Pathway.

Syndecan-4 is a member of the polysaccharide syndecan family and plays a vital role in intervertebral disc development. Several studies have demonstrated the positive relationship between syndecan-4 expression and intervertebral disc degeneration. However, the detailed molecular mechanism by which syndecan-4 affects the degeneration of nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs) remains unclear.

The protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor, Genistein, delays intervertebral disc degeneration in rats by inhibiting the p38 pathway-mediated inflammatory response.

The treatment for intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) has drawn great attention and recent studies have revealed that the p38 MAPK pathway is a potential therapeutic target for delaying the degeneration of intervertebral discs. In this study, we analyzed a nature-derived protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor, Genistein, and its function in delaying IDD in rats both and via the p38 MAPK pathway. Nucleus pulposus cells treated with Genistein showed better function compared with untreated cells.

Melatonin Protects Intervertebral Disc from Degeneration by Improving Cell Survival and Function via Activation of the ERK1/2 Signaling Pathway.

Melatonin, a neuroendocrine hormone secreted by the pineal body, has a positive effect on intervertebral disc degeneration. The present study is aimed at investigating the biological role of melatonin in intervertebral disc degeneration and its underlying mechanism. A human nucleus pulposus cell (NPC) line was exposed to melatonin at different concentrations.

Selection of the Optimal Puncture Needle for Induction of a Rat Intervertebral Disc Degeneration Model.

Background: The incidence of intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration has increased in recent years. A simple, reliable, and reproducible animal model is critical for understanding the underlying mechanisms of IVD degeneration. The caudal discs of rats have been proposed as a common puncture model in which to induce IVD degeneration.

Effect of a low-frequency pulsed electromagnetic field on expression and secretion of IL-1β and TNF-α in nucleus pulposus cells.

Objective To investigate changes in nucleus pulposus cell expression and secretion of interleukin (IL)-1β and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α following stimulation with a low-frequency (LF) pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF). Methods Primary rat nucleus pulposus cells were isolated and cultured in vitro, followed by stimulation with LF-PEMFs at a frequency of 2 Hz and different intensities, ranging from 0.5-3.

Short-Term Therapeutic Efficacy of the Isobar TTL Dynamic Internal Fixation System for the Treatment of Lumbar Degenerative Disc Diseases.

Background: At present, posterior interbody fusion surgery with pedicle internal fixation is the gold standard for the treatment of lumbar degenerative disc diseases. However, an increasing number of studies have shown that because fused lumbar vertebrae lose their physiological activity, the compensatory range of motion (ROM) of the adjacent levels increases. To address this issue, dynamic internal fixation systems have been developed.

Effect of pedicle fixation combined with (125)I seed implantation for metastatic thoracolumbar tumors.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical efficacy of pedicle fixation combined with (125)I brachytherapy in treating metastatic thoracolumbar tumors.

Patients And Methods: A retrospective analysis of the clinical data of seven metastatic thoracolumbar tumor patients who received pedicle fixation combined with radioactive (125)I seed implantation brachytherapy in our department between January 2009 and December 2013 was performed. The visual analog scale (VAS) for pain and the Karnofsky performance status (KPS) score before the operation and 1, 6, and 12 months after the operation were observed and recorded.

The role of TGF-β1/Smad2/3 pathway in platelet-rich plasma in retarding intervertebral disc degeneration.

Recent studies have suggested that platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections are an effective way to retard intervertebral disc degeneration, but the mechanism of action is unclear. Activated platelets release some growth factors, such as transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), which positively modulate the extracellular matrix of nucleus pulposus cells. The purpose of this study was to explore the mechanism underlying the PRP-mediated inhibition of intervertebral disc degeneration.

Thyroglobulin gene mutations in Chinese patients with congenital hypothyroidism.

Mutations in Thyroglobulin (TG) are common genetic causes of congenital hypothyroidism (CH). But the TG mutation spectrum and its frequency in Chinese CH patients have not been investigated. Here we conducted a genetic screening of TG gene in a cohort of 382 Chinese CH patients.

EPHA4 haploinsufficiency is responsible for the short stature of a patient with 2q35-q36.2 deletion and Waardenburg syndrome.

Background: Waardenburg syndrome type I (WS1), an auditory-pigmentary genetic disorder, is caused by heterozygous loss-of-function mutations in PAX3. Abnormal physical signs such as dystopia canthorum, patchy hypopigmentation and sensorineural hearing loss are common, but short stature is not associated with WS1.

Case Presentation: We reported a 4-year and 6 month-old boy with a rare combination of WS1 and severe short stature (83.

Incidence and Interrelated Factors in Patients With Congenital Hypothyroidism as Detected by Newborn Screening in Guangxi, China.

Background. A newborn screening program (NSP) for congenital hypothyroidism (CH) was carried out in Guangxi in order to understand the incidence of CH and the factors interrelated to major types of CH in this region of China. Methods.

Mutation screening of the sodium iodide symporter gene in a cohort of 105 China patients with congenital hypothyroidism.

Objective: Dyshormonogenetic congenital hypothyroidism (CH) was reported to be associated with a mutation in the sodium iodide symporter (NIS) gene. The present study was undertaken in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China, to determine the nature and frequency of NIS gene mutations among patients with CH due to dyshormonogenesis.

Subjects And Methods: Blood samples were collected from 105 dyshormonogenetic CH patients in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, and genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood leukocytes.