Study on the Friction and Wear Properties of Multiple Rare-Earth-Oxide-Reinforced Resin-Based Friction Materials.

Aiming to solve the problem of thermal decay of resin-based friction materials at high temperatures, rare-earth-lanthanum-oxide-/cerium-oxide-reinforced resin-based friction plates were prepared using a hot-pressing molding process. The effect of lanthanum/cerium oxide with different contents on the mechanical and tribological properties of the resin-based friction of materials was studied, and its mechanism was explored. The result shows that lanthanum/cerium oxide improves the mechanical and tribological properties of materials so that the coefficient of friction of the specimen is more stable on adding lanthanum/cerium oxide at 5% and 1%.

The impact of serum testosterone level to reflect age-related multi-organ functions.

The aim of this study is to examine the correlation between aging, serum total testosterone and biomarkers of multiple organ functions in men. The participants consisted of 12,547 outpatients, whose serum testosterone level was measured. A multiple regression analysis was conducted to determine whether biomarkers including hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (Hct), luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), albumin (ALB), creatinine (Cre), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), glucose (Glu), C-reactive protein (CRP), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) values were associated with serum total testosterone concentration.

Effects of dietary L-Citrulline supplementation on growth performance, meat quality, and fecal microbial composition in finishing pigs.

Gut microbiota play an important role in the gut ecology and development of pigs, which is always regulated by nutrients. This study investigated the effect of L-Citrulline on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and its potential regulatory mechanism. The results showed that 1% dietary L-Citrulline supplementation for 52 days significantly increased final weight, liveweight gain, carcass weight, and average backfat and markedly decreased drip loss ( < 0.

Circular RNA circPRMT5 is upregulated in breast cancer and is required for cell proliferation and migration.

Background: To evaluate the role of cyclic protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (circPRMT5) in the occurrence and development of breast cancer (BC).

Methods: A total of 90 BC patients who underwent radical mastectomy and 40 age-matched healthy female controls were recruited in the Second People's Hospital of China Three Gorges University, Yichang Second People's Hospital from 2017 to 2020. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the expression levels of circPRMT5 in BC tissues, serum, normal breast cell line (MCF-10A), and BC cell line (T47D, MCF-7, BT549, Hs-578T, and MDA-MB-231, MDAMB-468).

Correlations between Personality Traits, Patient-Reported Outcome, and Chronic Prostatitis Symptoms in Men with Different Premature Ejaculation Syndromes.

Although the personality traits (PT), patient-reported outcome (PRO), and chronic prostatitis (CP) symptoms in premature ejaculation (PE) have been evaluated, there was no study to assess their correlations in men with different PE syndromes. The purpose of this study was to assess the correlations between the PT, PRO, and CP symptoms in men with different PE syndromes. Between January 2019 and January 2021, a cross-sectional field study was conducted in our andrology clinic.

: A Newly Discovered Gene Regulating Ejaculation Function.

Ejaculation is a complex biphasic process involving a series of neurophysiological activities, such as the contraction of a large number of muscle groups and the ejaculation of semen from the urethra anterior. Due to the complexity of the process, many related factors have not been fully clarified, resulting in ejaculation dysfunction. As a common ejaculation dysfunction, lifelong premature ejaculation (LPE) is a problem for many people.

Recursive state estimation for a class of nonlinear uncertain coupled complex networks subject to random link failures and packet disorders.

This paper is concerned with the recursive state estimation (RSE) problem under minimum mean-square error sense for a class of nonlinear complex networks (CNs) with uncertain inner coupling, random link failures and packet disorders. Firstly, a set of random variables obeying the Bernoulli distribution is adopted to characterize whether there are connections between different network units, i.e.

Hypoxia inducible factor-1 (HIF-1α) reduced inflammation in spinal cord injury via miR-380-3p/ NLRP3 by Circ 0001723.

Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a severe central nervous system trauma. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of HIF-1α on inflammation in spinal cord injury (SCI) to uncover the molecular mechanisms of anti-inflammation.

Results: HIF-1α was reduced in SCI model rats and HIF-1α activation reduced TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-18 levels in SCI model rats.

Does anxiety influence the prognosis of percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation? A preliminary propensity score matching analysis.

Purpose: Previous reports revealed a correlation between psychological problems and spinal surgery. There is a lack of knowledge on the effect of anxiety on the percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy (PTED) outcome at the two year follow-up. The purpose of this study is to investigate changes in anxiety after PTED among patients with lumbar disc herniation (LDH), to compare the effect of anxiety on the prognosis using propensity score matching analysis, and to identify the related parameters of anxiety.

Identifying Long Non-coding RNA of Prostate Cancer Associated With Radioresponse by Comprehensive Bioinformatics Analysis.

Although radiotherapy is greatly successful in the treatment of prostate cancer (PCa), radioresistance is still a major challenge in the treatment. To our knowledge, this study is the first to screen long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) associated with radioresponse in PCa by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Bioinformatics methods were used to identify the differentially expressed lncRNAs and protein-coding genes (PCGs) between complete response (CR) and non-complete response (non-CR) groups in radiotherapy.

Association Between Lifelong Premature Ejaculation and Polymorphism of Tryptophan Hydroxylase 2 Gene in the Han Population.

Introduction: Premature ejaculation (PE) is widely regarded as one of the most common sexual dysfunctions in men. The neurobiogenesis of PE is complex and involves the serotoninergic (5-HT) system.

Aim: In this study, we investigated whether polymorphisms in the tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (TPH2) gene were associated with lifelong PE (LPE).

Author Correction: Comparison of Four Complete Chloroplast Genomes of Medicinal and Ornamental Meconopsis Species: Genome Organization and Species Discrimination.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Comparison of Four Complete Chloroplast Genomes of Medicinal and Ornamental Meconopsis Species: Genome Organization and Species Discrimination.

High-throughput sequencing of chloroplast genomes has been used to gain insight into the evolutionary relationships of plant species. In this study, we sequenced the complete chloroplast genomes of four species in the Meconopsis genus: M. racemosa, M.

Neuroprotective effects of rapamycin on spinal cord injury in rats by increasing autophagy and Akt signaling.

Rapamycin treatment has been shown to increase autophagy activity and activate Akt phosphorylation, suppressing apoptosis in several models of ischemia reperfusion injury. However, little has been studied on the neuroprotective effects on spinal cord injury by activating Akt phosphorylation. We hypothesized that both effects of rapamycin, the increased autophagy activity and Akt signaling, would contribute to its neuroprotective properties.

Huge mucinous tubular and spindle cell carcinoma of kidney: A rare case report and literature review.

Rationale: Mucinous tubular and spindle cell carcinoma (MTSCC) is a variant of renal cell carcinoma newly added to the WHO classification in 2004. It is a rare variant of renal cell carcinoma and sometimes it is not easy to distinguish MTSCC from papillary renal cell carcinoma, chromophobe renal cell cancer, etc. The prognosis of MTSCC is favorable after surgical resection.

Low-dose CT with adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction for evaluation of urinary stone.

Purpose: To prospectively determine the diagnostic performance of low-dose CT (LDCT) with adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) technique for the detection of urinary stone disease.

Results: The average DLP and ED was 408.16 ± 119.

Kyphoplasty versus vertebroplasty in the treatment of painful osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures: two-year follow-up in a prospective controlled study.

A total of 112 patients with a single-level osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture who did not respond to conservative therapy were included and allocated to either kyphoplasty or vertebroplasty treatment. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) were used to assess back pain and disability. Anterior, midline, posterior vertebral body heights, and kyphotic angle at the fractured vertebra were measured for radiographic evaluation.

[Analyses of segment motor function in patients with degenerative lumbar disease on the treatment of WavefleX dynamic stabilization system].

Objective: To explore the changes of range-of-motion (ROM) in patients with degenerative lumbar disease on the treatment of WavefleX dynamic stabilization system and examine the postoperative lumbar regularity and tendency of ROM.

Methods: Nine patients with degenerative lumbar disease on the treatment of WavefleX dynamic stabilization system were followed up with respect to ROMs at 5 timepoints within 12 months. Records of ROM were made for instrumented segments, adjacent segments and total lumbar.

Refracture of osteoporotic vertebral body concurrent with cement fragmentation at the previously treated vertebral level after balloon kyphoplasty: a case report.

Kyphoplasty has been shown to provide symptomatic relief of vertebral compression fractures refractory to medical therapy. However, few reports have focused on refracture of cemented vertebrae after kyphoplasty. The presence of cemented vertebrae refracture concurrent with cement fragmentation is an extremely rare condition.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ agonist rosiglitazone reduces secondary damage in experimental spinal cord injury.

Objective: To investigate the neuroprotective effects of rosiglitazone in a rat traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) model.

Methods: Adult Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 12/group) underwent laminectomy (sham), SCI, SCI and rosiglitazone treatment (2 mg/kg twice daily for 7 days), or SCI and saline injection (vehicle). SCI was induced via dural application of an aneurysm clip.