Influence of rock heterogeneity on the correlation between uniaxial compressive strength and Brazilian tensile strength.

To offer guidance for using Brazilian tensile strength (BTS) to estimate UCS of heterogeneous rocks, this study uses sandstone (fine or coarse grain) and gneiss (0°, 45°, 90° inclined anisotropy) to investigate the influence of grain size or anisotropy on the correlations of UCS-BTS. According to the regression analysis, there is no significant equation of UCS-BTS for rocks with vertical anisotropy. The grain size variation or multidirectional anisotropy can result in a decrease in the determination coefficient value of correlations.

Architecture and activation of single-pass transmembrane receptor guanylyl cyclase.

The heart, in addition to its primary role in blood circulation, functions as an endocrine organ by producing cardiac hormone natriuretic peptides. These hormones regulate blood pressure through the single-pass transmembrane receptor guanylyl cyclase A (GC-A), also known as natriuretic peptide receptor 1. The binding of the peptide hormones to the extracellular domain of the receptor activates the intracellular guanylyl cyclase domain of the receptor to produce the second messenger cyclic guanosine monophosphate.

[Long-term Survival in Hospitalized Patients with Lung Cancer among Peasants in the Coal-producing Area in Eastern Yunnan, China].

Background: Xuanwei and Fuyuan are rural counties, located in the late Permian coal poly area of eastern Yunnan and western Guizhou, where lung cancer mortality rates are among the highest in the China, with similarity for both men and women, younger age at diagnosis and death, and higher in rural areas than in urban areas. In this paper, long-term follow-up of lung cancer cases in local peasants was conducted to observe their survival prognosis and its influencing factors.

Methods: Data of patients diagnosed with lung cancer from January 2005 to June 2011, who had lived in Xuanwei and Fuyuan counties for many years, were collected from 20 hospitals at the local provincial, municipal and county levels.

Differential activation mechanisms of lipid GPCRs by lysophosphatidic acid and sphingosine 1-phosphate.

Lysophospholipids are bioactive lipids and can signal through G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). The best studied lysophospholipids are lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P). The mechanisms of lysophospholipid recognition by an active GPCR, and the activations of lysophospholipid GPCR-G-protein complexes remain unclear.

[Survival in Lung Cancer among Female Never-smokers in Rural Xuanwei and Fuyuan Counties in Eastern Yunnan Province, China].

Background: Lung cancer rates among women in rural Xuanwei and Fuyuan counties in eastern Yunnan province, China, are among the highest in the world, even though almost all women are non-smokers, and they tend to develop lung cancer at a younger age than other locations by roughly 5 yr-10 yr. This study investigated the survival of lung cancer patients among female never-smokers.

Methods: The female never-smokers, who had lived for many years in Xuanwei and Fuyuan counties, with lung cancer newly-diagnosed between July 2006 to March 2010, were followed up through the end of 2016.

MicroED structure of the NaK ion channel reveals a Na partition process into the selectivity filter.

Sodium (Na) is a ubiquitous and important inorganic salt mediating many critical biological processes such as neuronal excitation, signaling, and facilitation of various transporters. The hydration states of Na are proposed to play critical roles in determining the conductance and the selectivity of Na channels, yet they are rarely captured by conventional structural biology means. Here we use the emerging cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM) method micro-electron diffraction (MicroED) to study the structure of a prototypical tetrameric Na-conducting channel, NaK, to 2.

The Impact of Comorbid Mental Health Disorders on Complications Following Cervical Spine Surgery With Minimum 2-Year Surveillance.

Study Design: Retrospective analysis.

Objective: To improve understanding of the impact of comorbid mental health disorders (MHDs) on long-term outcomes following cervical spinal fusion in cervical radiculopathy (CR) or cervical myelopathy (CM) patients.

Summary Of Background Data: Subsets of patients with CR and CM have MHDs, and their impact on surgical complications is poorly understood.

The Impact of Comorbid Mental Health Disorders on Complications Following Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery With Minimum 2-Year Surveillance.

Study Design: Retrospective analysis.

Objective: To compare long-term outcomes between patients with and without mental health comorbidities who are undergoing surgery for adult spinal deformity (ASD).

Summary Of Background Data: Recent literature reveals that one in three patients admitted for surgical treatment for ASD has comorbid mental health disorder.

Complications in Patients Undergoing Spinal Fusion After THA.

Introduction: Patients with lumbar spine and hip disorders may, during the course of their treatment, undergo spinal fusion and THA. There is disagreement among prior studies regarding whether patients who undergo THA and spinal fusion are at increased risk of THA dislocation and other hip-related complications.

Questions / Purposes: Is short or long spinal fusion associated with an increased rate of postoperative complications in patients who underwent a prior THA?

Patients And Methods: A retrospective study of New York State's Department of Health database (SPARCS) was performed.

Complication Rates and Maintenance of Correction After 3-Column Osteotomy in the Elderly: Report of 55 Patients With 2-Year Follow-up.

Background: Three-column osteotomies (3CO) provide substantial correction for adult spinal deformity (ASD), but carry risks of complications and revisions. The risk-benefit balance of 3CO in the elderly remains unclear.

Objective: To evaluate sagittal alignment and complications after 3CO in a population over 70-yr old.

Ion Binding to Transport Proteins using Isothermal Titration Calorimetry.

Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) is an emerging, label-free technology used to measure ligand binding to membrane proteins. This technology utilizes a titration calorimeter to measure the heat exchange upon ligands binding to proteins, the magnitude of which is based on the overall enthalpy of the reaction. In this protocol, the steps we and others use to measure ion binding to ion transport proteins are described.

A study on the temperature field of a bronze-bonded diamond wheel dressed using a laser/ultrasonic vibration combined method.

To solve problems in dressings for metal-bonded super-hard abrasive wheels, such as low efficiency and rapid wear, this article introduces a laser-assisted ultrasonic vibration dressing technique. Firstly, finite-element simulations were conducted on the dressing process of a bronze-bonded diamond wheel, and the wheel's temperature field distributions under different laser parameters were simulated. By analysing the simulation results of temperature fields and the melting point of the bronze bond, the laser parameters for laser-assisted ultrasonic vibration dressing tests were optimized, and then actual tests were carried out on the bronze-bonded diamond wheel.

Atomic resolution structure determination by the cryo-EM method MicroED.

The electron cryo-microscopy (cryoEM) method MicroED has been rapidly developing. In this review we highlight some of the key steps in MicroED from crystal analysis to structure determination. We compare and contrast MicroED and the latest X-ray based diffraction method the X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL).

Ratio of lumbar 3-column osteotomy closure: patient-specific deformity characteristics and level of resection impact correction of truncal versus pelvic compensation.

Purpose: The resection point of a lumbar three-column osteotomy (3CO) creates separation of the spino-pelvic complex. This study investigates the impact of patients' baseline deformity and level of 3CO resection on the distribution of correction between the trunk and the pelvis following osteotomy closure.

Methods: Patients who underwent single lumbar 3CO, upper instrumented vertebra (UIV) T1-T10, and 6 month follow-up were included.

Ion-binding properties of a K+ channel selectivity filter in different conformations.

K(+) channels are membrane proteins that selectively conduct K(+) ions across lipid bilayers. Many voltage-gated K(+) (KV) channels contain two gates, one at the bundle crossing on the intracellular side of the membrane and another in the selectivity filter. The gate at the bundle crossing is responsible for channel opening in response to a voltage stimulus, whereas the gate at the selectivity filter is responsible for C-type inactivation.

Dose-Response Relationships for Meningioma Radiosurgery.

Objective: Dose-response relationships for meningioma radiosurgery are poorly characterized. We evaluated determinants of local recurrence for meningiomas treated with Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS), to guide future treatment approaches to optimize tumor control.

Materials And Methods: A total of 101 consecutive patients (108 tumors) who underwent GKRS for benign, atypical, or malignant meningiomas between 1998 and 2011 were studied.

Role of pelvic translation and lower-extremity compensation to maintain gravity line position in spinal deformity.

Object: Previous forceplate studies analyzing the impact of sagittal-plane spinal deformity on pelvic parameters have demonstrated the compensatory mechanisms of pelvis translation in addition to rotation. However, the mechanisms recruited for this pelvic rotation were not assessed. This study aims to analyze the relationship between spinopelvic and lower-extremity parameters and clarify the role of pelvic translation.

The benefit of nonoperative treatment for adult spinal deformity: identifying predictors for reaching a minimal clinically important difference.

Background Context: Adult spinal deformity (ASD) patients may gain minimal clinically important difference (MCID) in one or more of the health-related quality-of-life instruments without surgical intervention. The present study identifies the baseline characteristics of this subset of nonoperative patients and proposes predictors of those most likely to benefit.

Purpose: The study aims to determine the factors that affect likelihood of nonoperative patients to reach MCID.

Novel Method Using Baseline Normalization and Area Under the Curve to Evaluate Differences in Outcome Between Treatment Groups and Application to Patients With Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy Undergoing Anterior Versus Posterior Surgery.

Study Design: Retrospective review of a prospective database.

Objective: To describe a novel method that uses baseline normalization and area under the curve (AUC) to compare surgical outcomes between patients surgically treated anteriorly versus posteriorly for cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM).

Summary And Background Data: It is important to control for baseline characteristics, especially disease severity, when evaluating differences in outcomes between 2 treatment groups.

Impact of dynamic alignment, motion, and center of rotation on myelopathy grade and regional disability in cervical spondylotic myelopathy.

Object: Cervical stenosis is a defining feature of cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). Matsunaga et al. proposed that elements of stenosis are both static and dynamic, where the dynamic elements magnify the canal deformation of the static state.

Impact of Joint Position and Joint Morphology on Assessment of Thumb Metacarpophalangeal Joint Radial Collateral Ligament Integrity.

Purpose: A 2-part biomechanical study was constructed to test the hypothesis that coronal morphology of the thumb metacarpophalangeal joint impacts the assessment of instability in the context of radial collateral ligament (RCL) injury.

Methods: Fourteen cadaveric thumbs were disarticulated at the carpometacarpal joint. Four observers measured the radius of curvature of the metacarpal (MC) heads.