The recovery trajectory of patient-reported outcomes in elderly patients with frailty undergoing lumbar spine fusion: a propensity score-matching analysis.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the complicated relationship between frailty, perioperative complications, and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in elderly patients (≥ 75 years old) undergoing lumbar spine fusion (LSF).

Methods: Consecutive patients who underwent LSF between March 2019 and December 2021 were recruited in this study. Frail patients (modified frailty index [mFI] score ≥ 2) were propensity score matched to nonfrail patients (mFI score 0-1) on the basis of age, sex, and the number of fused levels.

A dataset of gridded precipitation intensity-duration-frequency curves in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), a high mountain area prone to destructive rainstorm hazards and inducing natural disasters, underscores the importance of developing precipitation intensity-duration-frequency (IDF) curves for estimating extreme precipitation characteristics. Here we introduce the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Precipitation Intensity-Duration-Frequency Curves (QTPPIDFC) dataset, the first gridded dataset tailored for estimating extreme precipitation characteristics in QTP. The generalized extreme value distribution is chosen to fit the annual maximum precipitation samples at 203 weather stations, based on which the at-site IDF curves are estimated; then, principal component analysis is done to identify the southeast-northwest spatial pattern of at-site IDF curves, and its first principal component gives a 96% explained variance; finally, spatial interpolation is done to estimate gridded IDF curves by using the random forest model with geographical and climatic variables as predictors.

Characteristics of compression wave propagation and energy absorption effects in dry sandy soil.

The mechanical responses of sandy soil under dynamic loading is closely related to protective engineering and geotechnical engineering, is still not fully understood. To investigate the energy attenuation law and propagation velocity of compressed waves in dry sandy soil, this paper focuses on the dynamic response of compression waves in the specimen under single impact and repetitive impact conditions using an improved split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB). The results reveal that the length of the specimen follows an exponential relationship with the attenuation of the peak stress.

Advancing the timing of drainage removal: a comprehensive analysis of different drainage removal criteria in patients undergoing short-level lumbar fusion surgery.

Objective: To specifically evaluate the safety and benefit of different drainage removal criteria (50 ml and 100 ml per 24 h) in patients undergoing short-level lumbar fusion surgery.

Methods: Patients with degenerative lumbar diseases who underwent short level lumbar fusion with instrumentation between January 2021 and January 2023 were retrospectively recruited in the study. Based on the different criteria for drainage removal, the patients were divided into 2 groups (group A and group B).

Synergistic Optimization of Buried Interface via Hydrochloric Acid for Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells.

Incorporating chlorine into the SnO electron transport layer (ETL) has proven effective in enhancing the interfacial contact between SnO and perovskite in perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, previous studies have primarily focused on the role of chlorine in passivating surface trap defects in SnO, without considering its influence on the buried interface. Here, hydrochloric acid (HCl) is introduced as a chlorine source into commercial SnO to form Cl-capped SnO (Cl-SnO) ETL, aiming to optimize the buried interface of the PSC.

Ultrasound guidance in the surgical removal of internal fixators after complete healing of limb fractures.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine whether ultrasound guidance can reduce the duration, blood loss volume and invasiveness of surgery for internal fixator removal.

Methods: The clinical data from 35 adults patients who underwent ultrasound-guided surgical removal of internal fixators after complete healing of limb fractures between June 2019 and April 2023 were retrospectively analysed and compared with those from 34 controls who underwent the procedure without ultrasound guidance. Data concerning the patients' demographic and clinical characteristics and surgical sites were collected.

Development and validation of a nomogram to predict the unfavorable outcomes in elderly patients undergoing lumbar fusion surgery for degenerative disease.

Objective: Failure to understand long-term quality of life and functional outcomes hinders effective decision making and prognostication. Therefore, the study aims to predict and analyse the unfavorable outcomes (FOs) in elderly patients undergoing lumbar fusion surgery.

Methods: Consecutive 382 patients who underwent lumbar fusion surgery for lumbar degenerative disease from March 2019 to July 2022 were enrolled in this study.

Deep learning for cross-region streamflow and flood forecasting at a global scale.

Streamflow and flood forecasting remains one of the long-standing challenges in hydrology. Traditional physically based models are hampered by sparse parameters and complex calibration procedures particularly in ungauged catchments. We propose a novel hybrid deep learning model termed encoder-decoder double-layer long short-term memory (ED-DLSTM) to address streamflow forecasting at global scale for all (gauged and ungauged) catchments.

Preoperative Nutritional Status Screened by MNA-SF Predicts Major Complications in Elderly Patients Undergoing Lumbar Fusion Surgery.

Purpose: To investigate the role of Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF) in predicting postoperative complications in older patients (≥75 years) undergoing lumbar fusion surgery.

Patients And Methods: Patients who had undergone posterior lumbar fusion surgery between June 2019 and September 2021 were enrolled. Those with an MNA-SF score of 12 or higher were categorized as the Nourished group, while those with a score less than 12 were placed in the Malnutrition-Risk group.

One new species of the genus Alloteratura Hebard, 1922 (Tettigoniidae: Meconematinae) and supplement of Alloteratura (Alloteratura) flabellata Xin & Shi, 2019.

This paper describes one new species of the genus Alloteratura Hebard, 1922 from China, i.e. Alloteratura (Alloteratura) curvata sp.

Mutation-guided chemotherapy-free strategy in first-line immunotherapy for low PD-L1-expressing non-squamous NSCLC.

Background: The necessity of platinum-doublet chemotherapy in first-line immunotherapy for non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (nsqNSCLC) with programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression on less than 50% of tumor cells remains poorly investigated. Biomarkers predicting this necessity can guide chemotherapy-free treatment to minimize unnecessary toxicity.

Methods: Treated with immune checkpoint inhibitor monotherapy (ICI-mono), chemotherapy, or combination (ICI-chemo), 790 low PD-L1-expressing nsqNSCLCs (in-house: n=83; public: n=707) were analyzed for development and validation of the interaction score for additional chemotherapy (ISAC).

Impact of Microtopography and Neighborhood Effects on Individual Survival Across Life History Stages.

Understanding drivers of plant community assembly and individual survival in forest ecosystems is crucial for effective conservation and management. While macro-scale factors influencing vegetation patterns are well documented, the combined impact of microtopographic variations and neighborhood effects at neighborhood scales, particularly in subtropical forests, requires further study. To contribute to this area of research, we established a 9.

An Optimized Protocol for Multiple Immunohistochemical Staining of Fragile Tissue Samples.

Owing to the high occurrence of tissue detachment during the sample preparation process, the application of multiplex immunohistochemistry (mIHC) technology is limited in the field of fragile tissue samples, such as tendons, ligaments, and bones. To optimize a method for preparing sections for mIHC on fragile tissue samples, taking the human anterior cruciate ligament as an example, paraffin-embedded continuous sections with a thickness of 4 μm were divided into two groups: baking groups underwent routine section processing, and after being mounted on glass slides, they were baked at 65°C for 4 h, 8 h, or 24 h; ultraviolet (UV) photosensitive cross-linking groups used adhesive-coated slides for mounting and were directly subjected to UV light-induced cross-linking, with the cross-linking time set at 0 s, 20 s, 40 s, 1 min, 2 min, 3 min, 4 min, and 5 min, respectively. After deparaffinization and rehydration, we simulated the microwave step, which was most likely to cause tissue detachment during the mIHC experimental procedure, and then, the sections were stained with eosin.

Polyether-based polyurethane electrolyte for lithium metal battery: a perspective.

Polyurethane (PU)-based electrolyte has become one of the most important research directions because of its unique repeating 'soft-hard' segment co-polymer structure. Its 'soft segment' composition includes polyethylene oxide, polysiloxane, polycarbonate, cellulose and polyether. Among them, polyether-based polyurethane electrolytes (PPES) have the advantages of simple synthesis, molecular structure optimization and functional group modification, which can greatly improve the ionic conductivity of the system and form a good ion transport interface.

NFSA-DTI: A Novel Drug-Target Interaction Prediction Model Using Neural Fingerprint and Self-Attention Mechanism.

Existing deep learning methods have shown outstanding performance in predicting drug-target interactions. However, they still have limitations: (1) the over-reliance on locally extracted features by some single encoders, with insufficient consideration of global features, and (2) the inadequate modeling and learning of local crucial interaction sites in drug-target interaction pairs. In this study, we propose a novel drug-target interaction prediction model called the Neural Fingerprint and Self-Attention Mechanism (NFSA-DTI), which effectively integrates the local information of drug molecules and target sequences with their respective global features.

Evolution of Plant Genome Size and Composition.

The rapid development of sequencing technology has led to an explosion of plant genome data, opening up more opportunities for research in the field of comparative evolutionary analysis of plant genomes. In this review, we focus on changes in plant genome size and composition, examining the effects of polyploidy, whole-genome duplication, and alternations in transposable elements on plant genome architecture and evolution, respectively. In addition, to address gaps in the available information, we also collected and analyzed 234 representative plant genome data as a supplement.

Heterophyllin B enhances transcription factor EB-mediated autophagy and alleviates pyroptosis and oxidative stress after spinal cord injury.

Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) has devastating physical, psychosocial, and vocational implications for patients and caregivers. Heterophyllin B (HB) is a brain-permeable cyclopeptide from that promotes axonal regeneration and neuroinflammation. However, the efficacy of HB in improving functional recovery following SCI and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.

A Universal Ternary Solvent System of Surface Passivator Enables Perovskite Solar Cells with Efficiency Exceeding 26.

Surface passivation is a vital approach to improve the photovoltaic performance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs), in which the passivator solvent is an inevitable but easy-ignored factor on passivation effects. Herein, a universal ternary solvent system of surface passivators is proposed through comprehensively considering the solubility and selective perovskite dissolution of the solvent to maximize the passivation effect. Tetrahydrothiophene 1-oxide (THTO) is selected as the passivation promoter by comparing the binding energy with perovskite and the ability to distort the perovskite lattice among various aprotic polar solvent molecules, which can facilitate the passivator's reaction with perovskite and achieve sufficient passivation on perovskite surface.

Adsorption dynamics of heavy oil droplets on silica: Effect of asphaltene anionic carboxylic.

Understanding the adsorption behavior of asphaltene molecules on the surfaces of oil reservoir solids is essential for optimizing oil recovery processes. This study employed molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the adsorption behavior of oil droplets composed of charged and neutral asphaltenes on silica surfaces. The results revealed that oil droplet containing anionic asphaltene molecules were more likely to adsorb onto silica surfaces and exhibited greater resistance to detachment compared to oil droplet containing neutral asphaltene molecules.