Stabilizing Nickel-Copper Co-Deposition Electrochromism with the Assistance of Bromine Redox.

As an attractive optical/heat dynamic management technology, reversible metal electrodeposition/dissolution electrochromism (RME-EC) shows many advantages, including high optical modulation amplitude, wide modulation band, and color neutrality, but also suffers from performance degradation because of uneven dendritic metal deposition as well as the formation/accumulation of isolated metal debris. In this paper, a facile RME-EC system is established in a green and affordable aqueous electrolyte, by making good use of the nondendritic Ni-Cu codeposition. Furthermore, an in situ self-healing strategy is further established by activating the Br/Br couple of the Br-containing electrolyte to improve the EC performance.

Collagen degradation assessment with an in vitro rotator cuff tendinopathy model using multiparametric ultrashort-TE magnetization transfer (UTE-MT) imaging.

Purpose: This study aims to assess ultrashort-TE magnetization transfer (UTE-MT) imaging of collagen degradation using an in vitro model of rotator cuff tendinopathy.

Methods: Thirty-six supraspinatus tendon specimens were divided into three groups and treated with 600 U collagenase (Group 1), 150 U collagenase (Group 2), and phosphate buffer saline (Group 3). UTE-MT imaging was performed to assess changes in macromolecular fraction (MMF), macromolecule transverse relaxation time (T), water longitudinal relaxation rate constant (R), the magnetization exchange rate from the macromolecular to water pool (Rm ) and from water to the macromolecular pool (Rm ), and magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) at baseline and following digestion and their differences between groups.

Regulation of interstitial fluid flow in adventitia along vasculature by heartbeat and respiration.

Converging studies showed interstitial fluid (ISF) adjacent to blood vessels flows in adventitia along vasculature into heart and lungs. We aim to reveal circulatory pathways and regulatory mechanism of such adventitial ISF flow in rat model. By MRI, real-time fluorescent imaging, micro-CT, and histological analysis, ISF was found to flow in adventitial matrix surrounded by fascia and along systemic vessels into heart, then flow into lungs via pulmonary arteries and back to heart via pulmonary veins, which was neither perivascular tissues nor blood or lymphatic vessels.

Comparative evaluation of early diabetic outcomes in southeast asian patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus undergoing Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) versus sleeve gastrectomy (LSG).

Obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is an alarming problem globally and a growing epidemic. Metabolic surgery has been shown to be successful in treating both obesity and T2DM, usually after other treatments have failed. This study aims to compare Roux-Y gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy in determining early diabetic outcomes in obese Malaysian patients with T2DM following surgery.

Psychosocial Determinants of Knee Osteoarthritis Progression: Results from the Promoting Independence in Our Seniors with Arthritis Study.

Background: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a common cause of physical disability among older adults. While established risk factors for knee OA include age and increased body weight, few studies have examined psychosocial risk factors or progression of knee OA.

Methods: The Promoting Independence in our Seniors with Arthritis study recruited participants aged 65 years and over from orthopedic outpatients and community engagement events.

Physical and psychosocial characteristics differ between individuals with knee pain and different knee osteoarthritis diagnostic criteria.

Purpose: Knee pain and osteoarthritis (OA) are common and often lead to disability among older adults. Existing published evidence, however, utilizes differing criteria to define studies' knee OA populations. We, therefore, aimed to determine whether differences exist in the characteristics of individuals with the presence of knee pain and different diagnostic criteria for knee OA.

Comparative Analysis of the Gut Microbiota in Mice under Lard or Vegetable Blend Oil Diet.

Diet is the most direct and rapid contributor to the gut microbiome. Oils and fats are important nutrients in the human body. The effects of lard or vegetable blend oil on gut microbiota were investigated.

The relationship between alcohol intake and falls hospitalization: Results from the EPIC-Norfolk.

Aim: To evaluate the relationship between habitual alcohol consumption and the risk of falls hospitalization.

Methods: The EPIC-Norfolk is a prospective population-based cohort study in Norfolk, UK. In total, 25 637 community dwelling adults aged 40-79 years were recruited.

Detecting Articular Cartilage and Meniscus Deformation Effects Using Magnetization Transfer Ultrashort Echo Time (MT-UTE) Modeling during Mechanical Load Application: Feasibility Study.

Objective: Ultrashort echo time (UTE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences have improved imaging of short T2 musculoskeletal (MSK) tissues. UTE-MRI combined with magnetization transfer modeling (UTE-MT) has demonstrated robust assessment of MSK tissues. This study aimed to investigate the variation of UTE-MT measures under mechanical loading in tibiofemoral cartilage and meniscus of cadaveric knee joints.

A1CF-promoted colony formation and proliferation of RCC depends on DKK1-MEK/ERK signal axis.

The function and mechanism of RNA editing proteins have been extensively studied, but its association with cellular processes and signaling pathways remained unaddressed. Here, we explored the function of RNA editing complementary protein- Apobec-1 Complementation Factor (A1CF) in the proliferation and colony formation of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cells. Decreased A1CF expression inhibits the proliferation and colony formation of 786-O cells; and further signaling pathway screening demonstrated that A1CF increases ERK activation and DKK1 expression.

T measurement of bound water in cortical bone using 3D adiabatic inversion recovery ultrashort echo time (3D IR-UTE) Cones imaging.

Purpose: We describe the measurement of bound water T ( ) of cortical bone in vitro and in vivo with a 3D adiabatic inversion recovery ultrashort echo time (IR-UTE) Cones sequence using a clinical 3T scanner.

Methods: A series IR-UTE data from 6 repetition times (TRs) with 5 inversion times (TIs) at each TR were acquired from 12 human tibial bone specimens, and data from 4 TRs with 5 TIs at each TR were acquired from the tibial midshafts of 8 healthy volunteers. The pore water nulling point was calculated from exponential fitting of the inversion recovery curve at each TR.

Use of Medications with Anticholinergic Properties and the Long-Term Risk of Hospitalization for Falls and Fractures in the EPIC-Norfolk Longitudinal Cohort Study.

The consumption of medications with anticholinergic activity has been suggested to result in the adverse effects of mental confusion, visual disturbance, and muscle weakness, which may lead to falls. Existing published evidence linking anticholinergic drugs with falls, however, remains weak. This study was conducted to evaluate the relationship between anticholinergic cognitive burden (ACB) and the long-term risk of hospitalization with falls and fractures in a large population study.

Dexmedetomidine enhances hypoxia-induced cancer cell progression.

Dexmedetomidine (DEX) is widely used in perioperative settings for analgesia and sedation; however, little is known about its effects on the hypoxia-induced progression of tumor cells. In the present study, the effects of DEX on hypoxia-induced growth and metastasis of lung cancer cells and colorectal cancer cells was examined. A549 cells and HCT116 cells were treated with normoxia, hypoxia, co-treatment of hypoxia and DEX, and atipamezole (an α adrenoceptor antagonist) for 4 h.

Assessment of an in vitro model of rotator cuff degeneration using quantitative magnetic resonance and ultrasound imaging with biochemical and histological correlation.

Purpose: Quantitative imaging methods could improve diagnosis of rotator cuff degeneration, but the capability of quantitative MR and US imaging parameters to detect alterations in collagen is unknown. The goal of this study was to assess quantitative MR and US imaging measures for detecting abnormalities in collagen using an in vitro model of tendinosis with biochemical and histological correlation.

Method: 36 pieces of supraspinatus tendons from 6 cadaveric donors were equally distributed into 3 groups (2 subjected to different concentrations of collagenase and a control group).

Transcriptional analysis and differentially expressed gene screening of spontaneous liver tumors in CBA/CaJ mice.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide due to its frequent metastasis, tumor recurrence, and lack of curative treatment. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms involved in HCC progression remain unclear. Here, we analyzed the global gene expression of spontaneous liver tumor tissue from CBA/CaJ mice by RNA-Seq and identified 10,706 and 10,374 genes in the normal and liver tumor groups, respectively.

Volumetric mapping of bound and pore water as well as collagen protons in cortical bone using 3D ultrashort echo time cones MR imaging techniques.

Cortical bone assessment using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has recently received great attention in an effort to avoid the potential harm associated with ionizing radiation-based techniques. Ultrashort echo time MRI (UTE-MRI) techniques can acquire signal from major hydrogen proton pools in cortical bone, including bound and pore water, as well as from the collagen matrix. This study aimed to develop and evaluate the feasibility of a technique for mapping bound water, pore water, and collagen proton densities in human cortical bone ex vivo and in vivo using three-dimensional UTE Cones (3D-UTE-Cones) MRI.

Imaging of the region of the osteochondral junction (OCJ) using a 3D adiabatic inversion recovery prepared ultrashort echo time cones (3D IR-UTE-cones) sequence at 3 T.

The purpose of this study is to develop a 3D adiabatic inversion recovery prepared ultrashort echo time Cones (3D IR-UTE-Cones) sequence for high resolution and contrast imaging of the region of osteochondral junction (OCJ) of human knee joint using a clinical 3 T scanner. A feasibility study on direct imaging of the OCJ region was performed on a human patellar cartilage sample and on eight cadaveric knee joints using T -weighted, proton density (PD)-weighted and short-T -weighted 3D IR-UTE-Cones sequences. Contrast to noise ratio was measured to evaluate the effectiveness of the 3D IR-UTE-Cones sequences for selective imaging of the OCJ region.

Fat suppression for ultrashort echo time imaging using a single-point Dixon method.

Purpose: In ultrashort echo time (UTE) imaging, fat suppression can improve short T * contrast but can also reduce short T * signals. The conventional two-point Dixon (2p-Dixon) method does not perform well due to short T * decay. In this study, we propose a new method to suppress fat for high contrast UTE imaging of short T tissues, utilizing a single-point Dixon (1p-Dixon) method.

Synthesis of ZnO doped high valence S element and study of photogenerated charges properties.

Nonmetal doping is an efficient way to increase the photoresponse range of ZnO. However, the mechanism for improving the light response range of ZnO with nonmetal doping is not clear. Herein, ZnO doped with S was successfully prepared by ion exchange and calcination methods, which resulted in the uniform distribution of sulfur ions in ZnO.

Novel role of SF1 in alleviating thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy through the AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway.

Background/aim: Thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) is a chronic autoimmune disorder characterized by an increased volume of adipose/connective tissue. This study aims to explore whether steroidogenic factor 1 (SF1) is implicated in development of TAO through the adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway.

Methods: Initially, we extracted orbital preadipocytes from 10 TAO patients for culture and identification.

Whole knee joint T values measured in vivo at 3T by combined 3D ultrashort echo time cones actual flip angle and variable flip angle methods.

Purpose: To measure T relaxations for the major tissues in whole knee joints on a clinical 3T scanner.

Methods: The 3D UTE-Cones actual flip angle imaging (AFI) method was used to map the transmission radiofrequency field (B ) in both short and long T tissues, which was then used to correct the 3D UTE-Cones variable flip angle (VFA) fitting to generate accurate T maps. Numerical simulation was carried out to investigate the accuracy of T measurement for a range of T values, excitation pulse durations, and B errors.

A novel CT-guided technique using medical adhesive for localization of small pulmonary ground-glass nodules and mixed ground-glass nodules (≤20 mm) before video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery.

Purpose: We aimed to evaluate the success rate and complication occurrence of CT-guided localization of small pure ground-glass nodules (pGGNs) and mixed ground-glass nodules (mGGNs) with medical adhesive injection before video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS).

Methods: From March 2015 to May 2017, 41 patients with 44 small pGGNs and mGGNs underwent CT-guided percutaneous localization with medical adhesive prior to wedge resection by VATS.

Results: Localization with medical adhesive was successful in all patients (100%).

Block-Diagonal Constrained Low-Rank and Sparse Graph for Discriminant Analysis of Image Data.

Recently, low-rank and sparse model-based dimensionality reduction (DR) methods have aroused lots of interest. In this paper, we propose an effective supervised DR technique named block-diagonal constrained low-rank and sparse-based embedding (BLSE). BLSE has two steps, i.

Environmental Chemicals in an Urban Population of Pregnant Women and Their Newborns from San Francisco.

Exposures to environmental pollutants in utero may increase the risk of adverse health effects. We measured the concentrations of 59 potentially harmful chemicals in 77 maternal and 65 paired umbilical cord blood samples collected in San Francisco during 2010-2011, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), hydroxylated PBDEs (OH-PBDEs), and perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in serum and metals in whole blood. Consistent with previous studies, we found evidence that concentrations of mercury (Hg) and lower-brominated PBDEs were often higher in umbilical cord blood or serum than in maternal samples (median cord:maternal ratio > 1), while for most PFCs and lead (Pb), concentrations in cord blood or serum were generally equal to or lower than their maternal pair (median cord:maternal ratio ≤ 1).