Effectiveness of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Combined With Transspinal Electrical Stimulation on Corticospinal Excitability for Individuals With Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Study.

Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) and transspinal electrical stimulation (tsES) have been proposed as a novel neurostimulation modality for individuals with incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI). In this study, we integrated magnetic and electrical stimulators to provide neuromodulation therapy to individuals with incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI). We designed a clinical trial comprising an 8-week treatment period and a 4-week treatment-free observation period.

Antisolvent Engineering to Enhance Photovoltaic Performance of Methylammonium Bismuth Iodide Solar Cells.

High absorption ability and direct bandgap makes lead-based perovskite to acquire high photovoltaic performance. However, lead content in perovskite becomes a double-blade for counterbalancing photovoltaic performance and sustainability. Herein, we develop a methylammonium bismuth iodide (MBI), a perovskite-derivative, to serve as a lead-free light absorber layer.

Gouty sacroiliitis: A case report of an often-overlooked cause of inflammatory back pain.

Gout is a chronic disease caused by monosodium urate crystal deposition, typically affecting the big toe, midfoot, and ankle. As it rarely involves the sacroiliac joints, it could be easily misdiagnosed as spondylarthritis. Here, we report the case of a patient with a long history of gout with recurrent low back pain.

Surfactant Tween 20 Controlled Perovskite Film Fabricated by Thermal Blade Coating for Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells.

In recent years, additive engineering has received considerable attention for the fabrication of high-performance perovskite solar cells (PSCs). In this study, a non-ionic surfactant, polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monolaurate (Tween 20), was added as an additive into the MAPbI perovskite layer, and the thermal-assisted blade-coating method was used to fabricate a high-quality perovskite film. The Tween 20 effectively passivated defects and traps in the MAPbI perovskite films.

Ambient Air Pollution and Risk for Stroke Hospitalization: Impact on Susceptible Groups.

Stroke is a leading cause of death, and air pollution is associated with stroke hospitalization. However, the susceptibility factors are unclear. Retrospective studies from 2014 to 2018 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, were analyzed.

Synthesis and Excimer Formation Properties of Electroactive Polyamides Incorporated with 4,5-Diphenoxypyrene Units.

A new dietherpyrene-cored diamine monomer, namely, 4,5-bis(4-aminophenoxy)pyrene, was successful synthesized and formed a series of electroactive polyamides with an aryloxy linkage in a polymer main chain and bearing pyrene chromophore as a pendent group using conventional one-pot polycondensation reactions with commercial aromatic/aliphatic dicarboxylic acids. The resulting polyamides exhibited good solubility in polar organic solvents and, further, can be made into transparent films. They had appropriate levels of thermal stability with moderately high glass-transition values.

Oxidative Stress Biomarkers and Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number Associated with Allele and Cholinesterase Inhibitor Therapy in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease.

Studies of the oxidative/anti-oxidative status in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) carrying different alleles of the apolipoprotein E () gene are currently inconclusive; meanwhile, data regarding mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtCN) remain limited. We herein determined the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), thiols, and mtCN in blood samples of 600 AD patients and 601 controls. A significantly higher oxidative TBARS (1.

Combined drought and bark beetle attacks deplete non-structural carbohydrates and promote death of mature pine trees.

How carbohydrate reserves in conifers respond to drought and bark beetle attacks are poorly understood. We investigated changes in carbohydrate reserves and carbon-dependent diterpene defences in ponderosa pine trees that were experimentally subjected to two levels of drought stress (via root trenching) and two types of biotic challenge treatments (pheromone-induced bark beetle attacks or inoculations with crushed beetles that include beetle-associated fungi) for two consecutive years. Our results showed that trenching did not influence carbohydrates, whereas both biotic challenges reduced amounts of starch and sugars of trees.

Non-vitamin K Oral Anticoagulants and Anti-seizure Medications: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Concerns of drug-drug interactions (DDIs) between anti-seizure medications (ASMs) and non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (NOACs) have emerged in recent case reports and guidelines. Theoretically, the induction of hepatic cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) enzyme and permeability glycoprotein (P-GP) efflux transporter protein systems may reduce the effect of NOACs. We aimed to investigate whether such DDIs are clinically relevant in a real-world situation.

Impact of estimated-weight-base dose of alteplase in acute stroke treatment on clinical outcome.

Dosing of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) for acute ischemic stroke treatment is often based on estimated body weight (BW) worldwide in routine clinical practice due to infeasible of accurate BW measurement. The aim of our study is to explore the impact of estimated BW when dosing rt-PA in acute ischemic stroke treatment on clinical outcome. Between January 2013 to May 2018, 126 acute ischemic stroke patients received intravenous rt-PA treatment based on estimated BW dosage were recruited.

Using a Multiclass Machine Learning Model to Predict the Outcome of Acute Ischemic Stroke Requiring Reperfusion Therapy.

Prediction of functional outcome in ischemic stroke patients is useful for clinical decisions. Previous studies mostly elaborate on the prediction of favorable outcomes. Miserable outcomes, which are usually defined as modified Rankin Scale (mRS) 5-6, should be considered as well before further invasive intervention.

Catechin Photolysis Suppression by Aluminum Chloride under Alkaline Conditions and Assessment with Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry.

Tea is rich in catechins and aluminum. In this study, the process of catechin photolysis was applied as a model for examining the effects of aluminum chloride (AlCl) on the structural changes of catechin and the alteration of aluminum complexes under blue light irradiation (BLI) at pH 8 using liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry techniques. Additionally, the effects of anions on catechin upon the addition of AlCl and treatment with BLI were also studied.

Dopamine Therapy and the Regulation of Oxidative Stress and Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number in Patients with Parkinson's Disease.

Few studies have reported on changes to oxidative stress and mitochondrial DNA copy numbers in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), particularly those undergoing long-term dopamine therapy. This study measured mitochondrial copy numbers, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and thiols in 725 PD patients and 744 controls. The total prescribed dopamine dose was calculated for each PD patient.

Achieving High-Performance Perovskite Photovoltaic by Morphology Engineering of Low-Temperature Processed Zn-Doped TiO Electron Transport Layer.

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have become one of the most promising renewable energy converting devices. However, in order to reach a sufficiently high power conversion efficiency (PCE), the PSCs typically require a high-temperature sintering process to prepare mesostructured TiO as an efficient electron transport layer (ETL), which prohibits the PSCs from commercialization in the future. This work investigates a low-temperature synthesis of TiO nanocrystals and introduces a two-fluid spray coating process to produce a nanostructured ETL for the following deposition of perovskite layer.

Low Persistence of Antithrombotic Agents is Associated with Poor Outcomes after First-ever Acute Ischemic Stroke.

Objective: This study investigated the time-trend persistence with antithrombotic agents (AT) and assessed the impact of AT persistence on outcome events and adverse events (AE) within two years after first-ever acute ischemic stroke (IS).

Methods: Using Taiwan's National Health Insurance claims dataset, 7,341 IS subjects hospitalized between 2001 and 2005 with AT prescribed at discharge and survived at least 3 months were followed up for 2 years. Time-trends of AT usage were analyzed.

Quantum process capability.

Physical processes in the quantum regime possess non-classical properties of quantum mechanics. However, methods for quantitatively identifying such processes are still lacking. Accordingly, in this study, we develop a framework for characterizing and quantifying the ability of processes to cause quantum-mechanical effects on physical systems.

Dual functional photo-response for p-Si/SiO/n-InGaZnO graphene nanocomposites photodiodes.

This study demonstrates dual functional hybrid heterojunction photodiodes (PDs) that comprise an amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide (a-IGZO) thin film blended with graphene nanoflakes and a SiO (5 nm)/Si substrate. The PDs exhibit a photo-responsivity of approximately 0.15-0.

Quantifying Quantum-Mechanical Processes.

The act of describing how a physical process changes a system is the basis for understanding observed phenomena. For quantum-mechanical processes in particular, the affect of processes on quantum states profoundly advances our knowledge of the natural world, from understanding counter-intuitive concepts to the development of wholly quantum-mechanical technology. Here, we show that quantum-mechanical processes can be quantified using a generic classical-process model through which any classical strategies of mimicry can be ruled out.

Size distribution of airborne fungi in vehicles under various driving conditions.

Circulation or air conditioning (AC) system was proven to improve the air quality inside the vehicles; however, the quantified study was limited. In this study, fungal concentration under various driving mode inside the vehicle was proposed. The driving conditions were classified into 4 states: (1) window closed without AC and circulation, (2) window open without AC and circulation, (3) window closed with only circulation on, and (4) window closed with only AC on.

Orthodontic treatment of anterior open-bite malocclusion: stability 10 years postretention.

Introduction: The postretention stability of open-bite treatment is a controversial topic in orthodontics.

Methods: In this study, the lateral cephalometric radiographs of 64 patients treated with orthodontics alone were evaluated to determine the amount of postretention change. The mean postretention interval was 14 years.

Severe bronchospasm during laryngeal mask airway placement in an infant.

A 35-day-old male infant was scheduled for bilateral inguinal herniorrhaphy. No history of recent upper airway infection or other reactive respiratory disease was noted before anesthesia. Breath holding was noted immediately after laryngeal mask airway (LMA) insertion.