B-FMEA-TRIZ model for scheme decision in conceptual product design: A study on upper-limb hemiplegia rehabilitation exoskeleton.

Upper-limb rehabilitation devices are essential in restoring and improving the motor function of hemiplegic patients. However, developing a product design that meets the needs of users is challenging. Current design tools and methods suffer from limitations such as a single model, poor synergy between integrated models, and subjective bias in analysing user needs and translating them into product attributes.

CSF Findings in Chinese Patients with NMDAR, LGI1 and GABABR Antibody-Associated Encephalitis.

Purpose: CSF inflammation in subtypes of antibody-defined autoimmune encephalitis (AE) ranges in intensity from moderate to severe. In a retrospective, cross-sectional study, we characterized CSF findings in Chinese patients with anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis (NMDAR-E), anti-leucine-rich glioma-inactivated 1 encephalitis (LGI1-E), and anti-gamma aminobutyric acid-B receptor encephalitis (GABABR-E).

Patients And Methods: The AE cases, including 102 NMDAR-E, 68 LGI1-E and 15 GABABR-E, were included.

Transcriptomics Analysis Revealed Key Genes Associated with Macrophage Autophagolysosome in Male ApoE Mice Aortic Atherosclerosis.

Purpose: Atherosclerosis (AS) is the most common cause of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. However, the mechanisms underlying atherosclerotic plaque progression remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the genes associated with the development of atherosclerosis in the aorta of ApoE male mice, which could serve as novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets in interventions to halt plaque progression.

Abnormal DNA methylation analysis of leucine-rich glioma-inactivated 1 antibody encephalitis reveals novel methylation-driven genes related to prognostic and clinical features.

Background: Aberrant DNA methylation occurs commonly during pathogenesis of neuroimmunological diseases and is of clinical value in various encephalitis subtypes. However, knowledge of the impact of DNA methylation changes on pathogenesis of leucine-rich glioma-inactivated 1 (LGI1) antibody encephalitis remains limited.

Methods: A total of 44 cytokines and 10 immune checkpoint moleculars (ICMs) in the serum of patients with LGI1 encephalitis and healthy donors (HDs) were measured to evaluate the association of them with clinical parameters.

Atherosclerosis-associated endothelial dysfunction is promoted by miR-199a-5p/SIRT1 axis regulated by circHIF1ɑ.

Background And Aims: Atherosclerosis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease that damages the arterial wall as a result of hyperlipidemia and causes endothelial cell dysfunction, which increases the risk of atherothrombotic events. Multiple pathological conditions have shown ectopic miR-199a-5p levels to cause endothelial injury, but its role in the AS competitive endogenous RNA (CeRNA) network is still unknown.

Methods And Results: The high-fat diet (HFD) apoE-/- mouse model was constructed in vivo, and ECs were cultured under ox-LDL treatment to induce EC injury in vitro.

Cytokines/chemokines and immune checkpoint molecules in anti-leucine-rich glioma-inactivated 1 encephalitis.

Objective: We aimed to investigate levels of cytokines/chemokines and immune checkpoint molecules in patients with anti-leucine-rich glioma-inactivated 1 (LGI1) encephalitis.

Methods: The study recruited 12 patients with anti-LGI1 encephalitis and six non-inflammatory controls from the Qilu Hospital of Shandong University treated between January 2019 and December 2020. Serum levels of 30 cytokines/chemokines and 10 checkpoint molecules were measured in participants of both the groups.

Cytokines/chemokines and soluble immune checkpoint molecules in anti-GABA receptor encephalitis.

Background: Anti-gamma-aminobutyric-acid B receptor (anti-GABAR) encephalitis is a rare form of autoimmune limbic encephalitis (ALE) that is closely associated with tumor comorbidity. The purpose of this study is to identify the expressive pattern of cytokines/ chemokines and soluble immune checkpoint molecules (sICMs) in anti-GABAR encephalitis in order to evaluate the clinical condition and provide new treatment options.

Methods: A total of 40 cytokines/chemokines and 10 sICMs in the serum of 10 patients with anti-GABAR encephalitis and eight controls were measured.

Quantum Interference between Nonidentical Single Particles.

Quantum interference between identical single particles reveals the intrinsic quantum statistic nature of particles, which could not be interpreted through classical physics. Here, we demonstrate quantum interference between nonidentical bosons using a generalized beam splitter based on a quantum memory. The Hong-Ou-Mandel type interference between single photons and single magnons with high visibility is demonstrated, and the crossover from the bosonic to fermionic quantum statistics is observed by tuning the beam splitter to be non-Hermitian.

Role of Increased Syncytin-1 Expression in Pathogenesis of Anti-N-Methyl-d-Aspartate Receptor Encephalitis.

Purpose: Syncytin-1 may play a role in several neuropsychiatric disorders, but its function in anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (anti-NMDAR) encephalitis is unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine the possible mechanism of action of syncytin-1 in patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis.

Patients And Methods: Twenty patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis and eight controls were recruited.

Novel Compound Heterozygous Mutation in PANK2 in a Patient with an Atypical Form of Pantothenate Kinase Associated Neurodegeneration and His Family.

Pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration (PKAN) is an autosomal-recessive disease characterized by iron accumulation in the brain due to PANK2 gene mutation. The typical "eye-of-the-tiger" sign is the characteristic manifestation of brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We report a Chinese patient with atypical PKAN whose brain MRI scans displayed the typical "eye-of-the-tiger" sign in bilateral pallidum.

Risk Factors and Nomogram for Predicting Relapse Risk in Pediatric Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorders.

Background: Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSDs) are attack-relapsing autoimmune inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system, which are characterized by the presence of serological aquaporin-4 (AQP4) antibody. However, this disorder is uncommon in children, and AQP4 antibody was often found to be seronegative. However, some pediatric patients diagnosed with NMOSDs were tested to be positive for myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibody.

Thyroid Function and Low Free Triiodothyronine in Chinese Patients With Autoimmune Encephalitis.

Background And Objectives: Low free triiodothyronine (FT3) is usually associated with worse functional outcome in critical illness; however, the information on thyroid dysfunction and autoimmune encephalitis (AE) is limited. This study aims to evaluate the clinical prognostic value of thyroid function and low-T3 syndrome in patients with multiple subtypes of AE.

Methods: In this retrospective study, we identified the hospital records of 319 candidate patients with AE admitted between January 2016 and December 2020.

Measurement of Spin Chern Numbers in Quantum Simulated Topological Insulators.

The topology of quantum systems has become a topic of great interest since the discovery of topological insulators. However, as a hallmark of the topological insulators, the spin Chern number has not yet been experimentally detected. The challenge to directly measure this topological invariant lies in the fact that this spin Chern number is defined based on artificially constructed wave functions.

Characteristics and Prognosis of Autoimmune Encephalitis in the East of China: A Multi-Center Study.

This study aimed to investigate epidemiological characteristics, clinical manifestations, and long-term outcomes of patients with autoimmune encephalitis (AE) in the east of China. From January 2015 to December 2019, 226 potential AE patients were recruited from five clinical centers, and a total of 185 patients who met the diagnostic criteria were included in the study. We retrospectively reviewed clinical features, auxiliary examinations, details of treatments, and outcomes of AE, and identified risk factors of poor prognosis.

Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Energy-Time Entanglement of Narrow-Band Biphotons.

We report the direct characterization of energy-time entanglement of narrow-band biphotons produced from spontaneous four-wave mixing in cold atoms. The Stokes and anti-Stokes two-photon temporal correlation is measured by single-photon counters with nanosecond temporal resolution, and their joint spectrum is determined by using a narrow linewidth optical cavity. The energy-time entanglement is verified by the joint frequency-time uncertainty product of 0.

Circular RNA circ_0003204 inhibits proliferation, migration and tube formation of endothelial cell in atherosclerosis via miR-370-3p/TGFβR2/phosph-SMAD3 axis.

Background: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) represent a class of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) which are widely expressed in mammals and tissue-specific, of which some could act as critical regulators in the atherogenesis of cerebrovascular disease. However, the underlying mechanisms by which circRNA regulates the ectopic phenotype of endothelial cells (ECs) in atherosclerosis remain largely elusive.

Methods: CCK-8, transwell, wound healing and Matrigel assays were used to assess cell viability, migration and tube formation.

δ-Quench Measurement of a Pure Quantum-State Wave Function.

The measurement of a quantum state wave function not only acts as a fundamental part in quantum physics but also plays an important role in developing practical quantum technologies. Conventional quantum state tomography has been widely used to estimate quantum wave functions, which usually requires complicated measurement techniques. The recent weak-value-based quantum measurement circumvents this resource issue but relies on an extra pointer space.

Low free triiodothyronineis predicts worsen neurological outcome of patients with acute ischemic stroke: a retrospective study with bioinformatics analysis.

Backgroud: Patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) often experience low serum free triiodothyronine (FT3), but the association of low FT3 with stroke severity, subtype and prognosis has not yet been thoroughly studied, and the molecular events underlying these clinical observation were also unclear.

Methods: We retrospectively collected 221 cases of AIS and 182 non-AIS cases with detailed clinical data from our department. FT3 concentrations were measured on admission to predict functional outcome within 3 months using multivariable models adjusted for other risk factors.

Collective dipole oscillations of a spin-orbit coupled Fermi gas.

The collective dipole mode is induced and measured in a spin-orbit (SO) coupled degenerate Fermi gas of Yb atoms. Using a differential optical Stark shift, we split the degeneracy of three hyperfine states in the ground manifold, and independently couple consecutive spin states with the equal Raman transitions. A relatively long-lived spin-orbit-coupled Fermi gas, readily being realized with a narrow optical transition, allows to explore a single-minimum dispersion where three minima of spin-1 system merge into and to monitor collective dipole modes of fermions in the strong coupling regime.

Observation of symmetry-protected topological band with ultracold fermions.

Symmetry plays a fundamental role in understanding complex quantum matter, particularly in classifying topological quantum phases, which have attracted great interests in the recent decade. An outstanding example is the time-reversal invariant topological insulator, a symmetry-protected topological (SPT) phase in the symplectic class of the Altland-Zirnbauer classification. We report the observation for ultracold atoms of a noninteracting SPT band in a one-dimensional optical lattice and study quench dynamics between topologically distinct regimes.