Dosage, Efficacy, and Safety of Intra-articular Vancomycin for Prophylaxis of Periprosthetic Joint Infection Caused by Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus after Total Knee Arthroplasty in a Rat Model.

Although intra-articular vancomycin powder (VP) is sometimes applied before the closure of the incision to prevent periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) after joint replacement, the dosage, efficacy, and safety remain controversial. This study aimed to explore the dosage, efficacy, and safety of intra-articular VP in the prophylaxis of infection after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in a rat model. Sixty male rats were randomly divided into five groups after receiving TKA: control (no antibiotics); systemic vancomycin (SV) (intraperitoneal injection, 88 mg/kg of body weight, equal to 1 g in a patient weighing 70 kg); and VP0.

Extreme mechanical anisotropy in diamond with preferentially oriented nanotwin bundles.

Mechanical properties of covalent materials can be greatly enhanced with strategy of nanostructuring. For example, the nanotwinned diamond with an isotropic microstructure of interweaved nanotwins and interlocked nanograins shows unprecedented isotropic mechanical properties. How the anisotropic microstructure would impact on the mechanical properties of diamond has not been fully investigated.

Mini-laparoscopic cholecystectomy: evolution of a new technique.

Background: Since the first laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) in 1985, there has been much advancement in laparoscopic surgery in terms of reduction in number and size of ports. We report a new technique of performing mini laparoscopic cholecystectomy using only three ports, 5 mm each. The indications of this procedure include GB polyps, GB dyskinesia, microlithiasis, and idiopathic pancreatitis.

Measuring COVID-19 related anxiety and obsession: Validation of the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale and the Obsession with COVID-19 Scale in a probability Chinese sample.

Background: With concern over the rise in mental health symptoms associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the present study set out to address the absence of pandemic-specific screening tools for detecting those in Chinese societies who are at-risk for experiencing mental distress due to the pandemic; thus, its aim was to validate the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS) and Obsession with COVID-19 Scale (OCS) in Chinese adults.

Methods: With a two-stage cluster random sampling method, we surveyed 1011 Chinese community-dwelling adults (38.8% men; 41.

Cognitive Factors Influencing COVID-19 Vaccination Intentions: An Application of the Protection Motivation Theory Using a Probability Community Sample.

COVID-19 vaccines have been shown to provide protection against severe disease and death. However, substantial individual differences in vaccination intentions have hindered achieving optimal vaccination rates across the population. To look for efficient strategies to promote vaccination, this study tested whether the protection motivation theory (PMT), a cognitive model based upon threat and coping appraisals, would account for the differences in vaccination intentions under three scenarios (i.

Response of rice growth and leaf physiology to elevated CO concentrations: A meta-analysis of 20-year FACE studies.

The Free Air CO Enrichment (FACE) facility enables the study of plant responses to climate change under open field conditions. This meta-analysis was conducted to quantitatively assess the effects of elevated CO concentration ([CO]) on 47 variables describing rice growth physiology and whether CO effects were influenced by cultivar, plant growth stage, nitrogen application rate or temperature. On average, elevated [CO] increased root and shoot biomass by 28% and 19%, respectively.

Spontaneous Resolution of Diffuse Idiopathic Slit-Like "Syrinx" in a Pediatric Patient.

It is important to recognize that a prominent central canal of the spinal cord can be a normal variant and can spontaneously regress. A five-year-old male presented for evaluation of abnormal gait. Prior brain magnetic resonance imaging showed no hindbrain malformation, and the patient had no history of trauma.

Hydraulic characteristics of small-scale constructed wetland based on residence time distribution.

This paper designs and builds a small constructed wetland test site to study the internal hydraulic characteristics of different types of constructed wetlands, conducts NaCl pulse tracing experiments, and fits the residence time distribution (RTD) with the CSTRs+PFD model (Continuous Stirred-Tank Reactor model in parallel with Plug Flow with Dispersion model). The results showed that, among the six types of constructed wetlands, hydraulic parameters of horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands with baffles had the best performance, with a tracer recovery rate () reaching 43.67% and hydraulic efficiency () reaching 0.

Psychiatric court reports and diversion outcomes in a remand prison over three years.

Objectives: There has been a notable increase in requests for psychiatric reports from District Courts for persons remanded to Ireland's main remand prison, Cloverhill. We aimed to identify if reports were prepared for persons with severe mental illness and if they led to therapeutic benefits such as diversion to healthcare. Measures of equitability between Cloverhill and other District Courts were explored.

Physical activity and sleep differences between osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and non-arthritic people in China: objective versus self report comparisons.

Background: Objectively measured differences in physical activity (PA) and sleep have been documented among people with osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) compared to non-arthritic controls. However, it is not clear whether OA and RA subgroups also differ on these indexes or the extent to which distinct arthritis subgroups versus controls can be accurately identified on the basis of objective PA and sleep indexes compared to self-report responses on questionnaires. This study addressed these gaps.

Acoustic graphene plasmon resonator based on gold nanowire arrays.

An acoustic graphene plasmon (AGP) resonator based on gold nanowire arrays structure is proposed in this paper. The resonator is designed by continuous graphene layer/gold nanowire arrays/optical resonant cavity. The infrared light excites the AGP in the graphene/gold arrays structure and propagates along the graphene surface.

A Combination of Receptor-Binding Domain and N-Terminal Domain Neutralizing Antibodies Limits the Generation of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Neutralization-Escape Mutants.

Most known SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies (nAbs), including those approved by the FDA for emergency use, inhibit viral infection by targeting the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike (S) protein. Variants of concern (VOC) carrying mutations in the RBD or other regions of S reduce the effectiveness of many nAbs and vaccines by evading neutralization. Therefore, therapies that are less susceptible to resistance are urgently needed.

Characterization of heavy metals and oil components in the products of oily sludge after hydrothermal treatment.

In this study, the method combining hydrothermal treatment (HT) and in-situ mechanical compression (MC) is used to treat oily sludge. The possible transfer and reaction pathways of different oil components during the process of HT&MC were investigated. In addition, the leaching toxicity, distribution, and risk of heavy metals in oily sludge treated in different temperatures and residence times were evaluated.

Third-generation L-Lactic acid production by the microwave-assisted hydrolysis of red macroalgae Eucheuma denticulatum extract.

The development of an efficient third-generation L-lactic acid (L-LA) production process from Eucheuma denticulatum extract (EDE) was achieved in this study. Microwave-assisted dilute acid hydrolysis (MADAH) and microwave-assisted hydrothermal hydrolysis (MAHTH) were chosen as the hydrolysis of EDE for the objective of increasing galactose yield. Single-factor optimization of hydrolysis of the EDE was studied, MADAH had high performance in galactose production relative to MAHTH, in which the yield and optimal conditions for both processes were 50.

New ways of working: COVID-19 as a catalyst for change in acute mental health services.

Background: A need arose to divert patients with psychiatric complaints from the emergency department to alternative settings for psychiatric consultations to reduce footfall during COVID-19. We assessed the effectiveness of alternative referral pathway in reducing COVID-19 infection in our service and its effect on service quality: response time and number of patients leaving before the review. We evaluated the satisfaction of patients, general practitioners (GPs) and mental health service staff with the pathway.

Detecting protagonists and antagonists in the voice quality of American cartoon characters: a quantitative LTAS-based analysis.

The voices of heroes and villains in cartoons contribute to their uniqueness and helps shape how we perceive them. However, not much research has looked at the acoustic properties of character voices and the possible contributions these have to cartoon character archetypes. We present a quantitative examination of how voice quality distinguishes between characters based on their alignment as either protagonists or antagonists, performing Principal Component Analysis (PCA) on the Long-term Average Spectra (LTAS) of concatenated passages of the speech of various characters obtained from four different animated cartoons.

Transferrin-Pep63-liposomes accelerate the clearance of Aβ and rescue impaired synaptic plasticity in early Alzheimer's disease models.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by aberrant accumulation of extracellular β-amyloid (Aβ) peptides in the brain. Soluble Aβ oligomers are thought to be the most neurotoxic species and are correlated with cognitive dysfunction in early AD. However, there is still no effective treatment so far.

Anthracenyl Functionalization of Half-Sandwich Carbene Complexes: Anticancer Activity and Reactions with Biomolecules.

N-Heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands are widely investigated in medicinal inorganic chemistry. Here, we report the preparation and characterization of a series of half-sandwich [M(L)(NHC)Cl] (M = Ru, Os, Rh, Ir; L = cym/Cp*) complexes with a N-flanking anthracenyl moiety attached to imidazole- and benzimidazole-derived NHC ligands. The anticancer activity of the complexes was investigated in cell culture studies where, in comparison to a Rh derivative with an all-carbon-donor-atom-based ligand (), they were found to be cytotoxic with IC values in the low micromolar range.

Current status survey of the extramural hospital management of venous thromboembolism after total hip and knee arthroplasty in China.

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a potentially fatal complication after arthroplasty. Numerous prophylactic strategies and studies to reduce VTEs have focused on the duration of the hospital stay and on few extramural hospitals. This study aimed to investigate extramural hospital management of VTE after total hip/knee arthroplasty (THA/TKA) in China with a novel survey tool.

SafePsych: improving patient safety by delivering high-impact simulation training on rare and complex scenarios in psychiatry.

Introduction: Despite an evidence base demonstrating simulation to be an effective medical education tool, it is not commonly used in postgraduate psychiatry training as it is in other medical specialties.

Objective: This paper outlines the development and effectiveness of a hybrid-virtual simulation-based workshop designed to improve patient care by improving clinical skills of non-consultant hospital doctors (NCHDs) in detecting and managing rare and complex psychiatric emergencies.

Methods: Three clinical vignettes based on near-miss psychiatric cases were developed by a multidisciplinary team of physicians and nurses in psychiatry and experts in simulation-based medical education.

Cortico-muscular interaction to monitor the effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation pedaling training in chronic stroke.

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) has been widely utilized in post-stroke motor restoration. However, its impact on the closed-loop sensorimotor control process remains largely unclear. This is the first study to investigate the directional changes in cortico-muscular interactions after repetitive rehabilitation training by measuring the noninvasive electroencephalogram (EEG) and electromyography (EMG) signals.

dCA1-NAc shell glutamatergic projection mediates context-induced memory recall of morphine.

Opioid relapse is generally caused by the recurrence of context-induced memory reinstatement of reward. However, the internal mechanisms that facilitate and modify these processes remain unknown. One of the key regions of the reward is the nucleus accumbens (NAc) which receives glutamatergic projections from the dorsal hippocampus CA1 (dCA1).

The Colour of the Night Sky.

The measurement of night sky quality has become an important task in night sky conservation. Modern measurement techniques involve mainly a calibrated digital camera or a spectroradiometer. However, panchromatic devices are still prevalent to this day, even in the absence of determining the spectral information of the night sky.

Light Pollution Monitoring and Sky Colours.

The measurement of night sky quality has become an important task in nature conservation. The primary device used for this task can be a calibrated digital camera. In addition, colour information can be derived from sky photography.

SMAD4 is critical in suppression of BRAF-V600E serrated tumorigenesis.

BRAF-driven colorectal cancer is among the poorest prognosis subtypes of colon cancer. Previous studies suggest that BRAF-mutant serrated cancers frequently exhibit Microsatellite Instability (MSI) and elevated levels of WNT signaling. The loss of tumor-suppressor Smad4 in oncogenic BRAF-V600E mouse models promotes rapid serrated tumor development and progression, and SMAD4 mutations co-occur in human patient tumors with BRAF-V600E mutations.