Comparison of the smiley face rod method versus intervertebral fusion for the treatment of L5 spondylolysis in adults.

Purpose: For patients who suffered from L5 spondylolysis and fail to improve using conservative treatment, the best surgical strategy remains controversial. This study compares the efficacy of the treatment of L5 spondylolysis using the smiley face rod (SFR) method versus intervertebral fusion (IF).

Methods: We analyzed 38 patients with L5 spondylolysis who underwent surgery in our department between January 2017 and June 2019.

Genomic analysis of Alteromonas sp. M12 isolated from the Mariana Trench reveals its role in dimethylsulfoniopropionate cycling.

Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) is a ubiquitous organosulfur molecule in marine environments with important roles in stress tolerance, global carbon and sulfur cycling, and chemotaxis. It is the main precursor of the climate active gas dimethyl sulfide (DMS), which is the greatest natural source of bio‑sulfur transferred from ocean to atmosphere. Alteromonas sp.

Multi-locus molecular phylogenetic analysis reveals two new species of (Bionectriaceae, Hypocreales).

has been previously accepted as a member of the Cordycipitaceae and currently it is considered a member of the Bionectriaceae. The substrates of were complex and varied, being mainly animal faeces. This study reports two new species of from Yunnan Province in south-western China.

Outcomes of ankle arthrodesis in adult patients with ankle osteoarthritis in Kashin-Beck disease.

Purpose: We retrospectively evaluated the characteristics of these patients and the effectiveness of ankle arthrodesis in the treatment of ankle arthritis caused by Kashin-Beck disease (KBD).

Methods: A retrospective study of KBD patients with ankle osteoarthritis who underwent ankle arthrodesis between December 2012 and January 2022 was performed. A total of 46 patients were included.

Functional connectivity disruption of insular subregions in the cirrhotic patients with minimal hepatic encephalopathy.

We investigated abnormal functional connectivity (FC) patterns of insular subregions in patients with minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) and examined their relationships with cognitive dysfunction using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We collected resting-state fMRI data in 54 patients with cirrhosis [20 with MHE and 34 without MHE (NHE)] and 25 healthy controls. After defining six subregions of insula, we mapped whole-brain FC of the insular subregions and identified FC differences through three groups.

Embryo Transfer Strategies for Women with Recurrent Implantation Failure During the Frozen-thawed Embryo Transfer Cycles: Sequential Embryo Transfer or Double-blastocyst Transfer?

Objective: Both sequential embryo transfer (SeET) and double-blastocyst transfer (DBT) can serve as embryo transfer strategies for women with recurrent implantation failure (RIF). This study aims to compare the effects of SeET and DBT on pregnancy outcomes.

Methods: Totally, 261 frozen-thawed embryo transfer cycles of 243 RIF women were included in this multicenter retrospective analysis.

Metabolic disorder and functional disturbance in the central executive network in minimal hepatic encephalopathy.

The aim of this paper is to investigate dynamical functional disturbance in central executive network in minimal hepatic encephalopathy and determine its association with metabolic disorder and cognitive impairment. Data of magnetic resonance spectroscopy and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging were obtained from 27 cirrhotic patients without minimal hepatic encephalopathy, 20 minimal hepatic encephalopathy patients, and 24 healthy controls. Central executive network was identified utilizing seed-based correlation approach.

Neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging quantifies microstructural impairment in the thalamus and its connectivity in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Aims: To evaluate microstructural impairment in the thalamus and thalamocortical connectivity using neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Methods: This study included 47 healthy controls and 43 ALS patients, whose structural and diffusion-weighted data were collected. We used state-of-the-art parallel transport tractography to identify thalamocortical pathways in individual spaces.

ROS-induced oxidative stress is a major contributor to sperm cryoinjury.

Study Question: What is the mechanism behind cryoinjury in human sperm, particularly concerning the interplay between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and autophagy, and how does it subsequently affect sperm fate?

Summary Answer: The freeze-thaw operation induces oxidative stress by generating abundant ROS, which impairs sperm motility and activates autophagy, ultimately guiding the sperm toward programmed cell death such as apoptosis and necrosis, as well as triggering premature capacitation.

What Is Known Already: Both ROS-induced oxidative stress and autophagy are thought to exert an influence on the quality of frozen-thawed sperm.

Study Design, Size, Duration: Overall, 84 semen specimens were collected from young healthy fertile males, with careful quality evaluation.

White matter microstructural disruption in minimal hepatic encephalopathy: a neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) study.

Purpose: To evaluate the ability of neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) for detecting white matter (WM) microstructural abnormalities in minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE).

Methods: Diffusion-weighted images, enabling the estimation of NODDI and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameters, were acquired from 20 healthy controls (HC), 22 cirrhotic patients without MHE (NHE), and 15 cirrhotic patients with MHE. Tract-based spatial statistics were used to determine differences in DTI (including fractional anisotropy [FA] and mean/axial/radial diffusivity [MD/AD/RD]) and NODDI parameters (including neurite density index [NDI], orientation dispersion index [ODI], and isotropic volume fraction [ISO]).

Molecular Phylogeny and Morphology Reveal Cryptic Species in the Complex from Vietnam.

The complex, which is a special group in the genus , is rich in species diversity and is widely distributed in nature. Throughout the investigations of arthropod-pathogenic fungi in the national reserves and in Vietnam parks, collections of attacking lepidopteran pupae or larvae were located in the soil and on the leaf litter. The phylogenetic analyses of the combined nr, nr, , , and sequence data indicated that the fungal materials collected in Vietnam belonged to and two hidden species in the complex.

A Novel Flexible Fixation Method for Syndesmotic Injury.

Background: This study aims to evaluate the results and the safety of a novel fixation method we developed for syndesmosis injuries that we call the "embrace" technique.

Methods: Between March 2018 and October 2020, a total of 67 patients with ankle fractures and syndesmotic injuries underwent syndesmosis fixation with the embrace technique at our institute. Plain radiographs and computed tomographic (CT) scans were obtained preoperatively.

Corticospinal fibers with different origins impair in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging study.

Aims: To investigate microstructural impairments of corticospinal tracts (CSTs) with different origins in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) using neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI).

Methods: Diffusion-weighted imaging data acquired from 39 patients with ALS and 50 controls were used to estimate NODDI and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) models. Fine maps of CST subfibers originating from the primary motor area (M1), premotor cortex, primary sensory area, and supplementary motor area (SMA) were segmented.

p53 inhibits CTR1-mediated cisplatin absorption by suppressing SP1 nuclear translocation in osteosarcoma.

Background: Osteosarcoma (OS) is a malignant bone tumor mainly affecting children and young adolescents. Cisplatin is a first-line chemotherapy drug for OS, however, drug resistance severely limits the survival of OS. Nevertheless, cellular factors in cisplatin resistance for OS remain obscure.

Phylogeny and Systematics of the Genus (Ophiocordycipitaceae, Hypocreales).

The taxonomy and phylogeny of the genus are herein revised based on the most comprehensive dataset to date. Two species-level phylogenies of were constructed: a single-gene phylogeny (ITS) of 35 accepted species and a multigene phylogeny (nr, nr, -, and ) of 27 accepted species. Three new species, sp.

[A 10-year retrospective study of pathogens and antimicrobial resistance in neonatal sepsis].

Objectives: To investigate the changes in the pathogen spectrum and antimicrobial resistance over time in neonatal sepsis.

Methods: The medical data were collected from the neonates who were diagnosed with sepsis in the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from January 2010 to December 2019. The incidence rate of sepsis, the pathogen spectrum, and the characteristics of antimicrobial resistance were analyzed.

Fifth Metatarsal Base Fracture Combined With Fracture of the Os Peroneum.

Fracture of the os peroneum is rare, and displacement of the fracture can be indicative of a tear in the peroneal longus tendon. A fifth metatarsal base fracture is a common injury caused by sudden inversion and plantar flexion of the hindfoot. We observed a rare case of a fifth metatarsal base zone I fracture combined with a displaced os peroneum fracture in a 34-year-old woman.

Altered dynamic spontaneous neural activity in minimal hepatic encephalopathy.

Background And Aims: Abnormal regional neural activity has been identified by the analysis of the static amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) in the setting of minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE). Brain activity is highly dynamic. This work sought to evaluate the temporal variability of ALFF to reveal MHE-related alterations in the dynamics of spontaneous neural activity.

Aberrant stability of brain functional architecture in cirrhotic patients with minimal hepatic encephalopathy.

To investigate the stability changes of brain functional architecture and the relationship between stability change and cognitive impairment in cirrhotic patients. Fifty-one cirrhotic patients (21 with minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) and 30 without MHE (NHE)) and 29 healthy controls (HCs) underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and neurocognitive assessment using the Psychometric Hepatic Encephalopathy Score (PHES). Voxel-wise functional connectivity density (FCD) was calculated as the sum of connectivity strength between one voxel and others within the entire brain.

[Distribution Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Germanium in Soil in the Eastern Mountainous Area of the Nanyang Basin].

Based on the land quality geochemical survey results in the southwest cultivated area of Nanyang Basin, the content, spatial distribution, and enrichment characteristics of Ge in surface soil (0-20 cm) and deep soil (150-200 cm) in the eastern mountainous area of Nanyang Basin were studied, and the influencing factors of Ge in the surface soil were analyzed. The results showed that the average (Ge) in the surface soil and deep soil were 1.39 mg·kg and 1.