Annealing atmosphere effect on the resistive switching and magnetic properties of spinel CoO thin films prepared by a sol-gel technique.

Spinel CoO thin films were synthesized using a sol-gel technique to study the annealing atmosphere effect on resistive switching (RS) and magnetic modulation properties. Compared with oxygen and air annealed Pt/CoO/Pt stacks, the nitrogen annealed Pt/CoO/Pt stack shows optimal switching parameters such as a lower forming voltage, uniform distribution of switching voltages, excellent cycle-to-cycle endurance (>800 cycles), and good data retention. Improvement in switching parameters is ascribed to the formation of confined conducting filaments (CFs) which are composed of oxygen vacancies.

Laparoscopic Percutaneous Extraperitoneal Internal Ring Closure for Pediatric Inguinal Hernia: 1,142 Cases.

The purpose of this study was to summarize the clinical experience of the laparoscopic percutaneous extraperitoneal closure of the internal ring using an epidural needle for the treatment of inguinal hernias. There were 1,142 children with an isolated inguinal hernia who participated in this study from January 2013 to May 2018. An epidural needle was used to treat the indirect inguinal hernia with laparoscopic assistance.

Comparative transcriptome analyses reveal changes of gene expression in fresh and cryopreserved yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco) sperm and the effects of Cryoprotectant MeSO.

This study, for the first time in fish, compared the transcriptome of fresh and frozen-thawed sperm, and would help to better understand the effect of cryopreservation on fish sperm and then better preserve the aquatic germplasm resources. Here, we employed high-throughput sequencing technology to obtain the transcriptome of yellow catfish from fresh sperm, cryopreserved sperm with and without cryoprotectant. When cryoprotectant (MeSO) was excluded, down-regulated genes were significantly enriched into calcium ion binding, cytoskeletal protein binding, microfilament motor activity, calmodulin binding and carnitine O-acyltransferase activity, which affected Ca regulation, cellular morphology, motility and metabolism.

Distribution and Morphological Measurement of Bony Spurs on the Coracoid Process in a Chinese Population.

BACKGROUND There are few studies on distributions or morphological measurements for bony spurs form at the attachment points of the ligaments and tendons on the coracoid process. The aim of this study was to investigate their most common sites and morphological characteristics, and to propose possible reasons. MATERIAL AND METHODS Scapulae with bony spurs on the coracoid process were selected from 377 intact and dry Chinese scapulae.

Design and basic research on accuracy of a novel individualized three-dimensional printed navigation template in atlantoaxial pedicle screw placement.

Objective: To design and evaluate the accuracy of a novel navigation template suitable for posterior cervical screw placement surgery by using 3D printing technology to improve the existing guiding template design.

Methods: The researchers (including spine surgeons and technicians) used CT to perform thin-slice scanning on 12 cases of normal upper cervical vertebral specimens and defined the screw channels that were completely located in the pedicle without penetrating the cortex as ideal screw channels, then designed the ideal channel of the upper cervical vertebral (atlantoaxial) pedicle screw by computer software which was regarded as the preset values, and recorded the screw entrance point, transverse angle and sagittal angle of the ideal channel. Then, researchers designed the novel navigation templates for placement pedicle screw according to the ideal screw channel preset values and manufactured them with one for every single vertebra by 3D printer.

Evaluation of fractional flow reserve in patients with stable angina: can CT compete with angiography?

Background: We aimed to compare the performance of FFR and FFR in assessing the functional significance of coronary artery stenosis in patients suffering from coronary artery disease with stable angina.

Method: A total of 101 stable coronary heart disease (CAD) patients with 181 lesions were recruited. FFR and FFR were compared using invasive fractional flow reserve (FFR) as a reference standard.

An experimental study on the digital precision of internal fixation via the sinus tarsi approach for calcaneal fractures.

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness and accuracy of internal fixation of calcaneal fractures with a three-dimensional (3-D) printing navigation module via the sinus approach.

Methods: Eleven lateral lower extremity specimens were used in the experiment and divided into the digital design (DD) group ( n = 11) and the real surgery (RS) group ( n = 11). For the DD group, thin-section computed tomography (CT) scans, virtual fracture modeling, virtual bone plate fixation, sinus occlusal module design, and navigation module design were performed for the cadaver specimens.

Radiation Exposure and Operation Time in Percutaneous Endoscopic Lumbar Discectomy Using Fluoroscopy-Based Navigation System.

Objective: This study evaluated radiation exposure and operation time of percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD) by using a fluoroscopy-based navigation system for access and localization.

Methods: Eighty-six PELDs performed by a single surgeon were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were separated into 2 groups: group A (using a three-dimensional [3D]-printed navigation instrument and fluoroscopy-based navigation system) and group B (with conventional fluoroscopy and standard instrumentation).

Rhodotorula glutinis as a living cell liposome to deliver polypeptide drugs in vivo.

The potential advantages of recombinant microbes as oral drug carriers for curing diseases have attracted much attention. The use of recombinant oil microbes as living cell liposomes to carry polypeptide drugs may be an ideal polypeptide oral drug delivery system. GM4-ΔTS was constructed by LFH-PCR from Rhodotorula glutinis GM4, which was screened and preserved in our laboratory, and then transferred into choline-phosphate cytidylyltransferase (CCT), which is a rate-limiting enzyme for lecithin synthesis.

Longitudinal brain functional and structural connectivity changes after hemispherotomy in two pediatric patients with drug-resistant epilepsy.

The main focus of the present study was to explore the longitudinal changes in the brain executive control system and default mode network after hemispherotomy. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging were collected in two children with drug-resistnt epilepsy underwent hemispherotomy. Two patients with different curative effects showed different trajectories of brain connectivity after surgery.

PAK4 Phosphorylates Fumarase and Blocks TGFβ-Induced Cell Growth Arrest in Lung Cancer Cells.

The metabolic activity of fumarase (FH) participates in gene transcription linking to tumor cell growth. However, whether this effect is implicated in lung cancer remains unclear. Here, we show TGFβ induces p38-mediated FH phosphorylation at Thr 90, which leads to a FH/CSL (also known as RBP-Jκ)/p53 complex formation and FH accumulation at promoter under concomitant activation of Notch signaling; in turn, FH inhibits histone H3 Lys 36 demethylation and thereby promotes p21 transcription and cell growth arrest.

Multimodal Data and Machine Learning for Detecting Specific Biomarkers in Pediatric Epilepsy Patients With Generalized Tonic-Clonic Seizures.

Previous neuroimaging studies of epilepsy with generalized tonic-clonic seizures (GTCS) focus mainly on adults. However, the neural mechanisms that underline this type of epilepsy remain unclear, especially for children. The aim of the present study was to detect the effect of epilepsy on brains of children with GTCS and to investigate whether the changes in the brain can be used to discriminate between epileptic children and healthy children at the level of the individual.

Rhodosporidium toruloides sir2-like genes remodelled the mitochondrial network to improve the phenotypes of ageing cells.

It is known that mitochondria are associated with the ageing process, and the eukaryotic sir2 family of genes significantly affects cellular lifespan. The mammalian sir2 family affects mitochondrial function by regulating targets in different pathways, including oxidative stress, oxidative phosphorylation, and mitochondrial biosynthesis. This study reports that Rt-sirtuin2 and Rt-sirtuin4 genes transfections significantly impacted the lifespan of Rhodosporidium toruloides, and they can significantly improve cellular responses to HO treatment, which induces cell senescence, and restore mitochondrial function.

Genomic epidemiological investigation of a Streptococcus suis outbreak in Guangxi, China, 2016.

In June 2016, a Streptococcus suis outbreak occurred in Guangxi, China. We determined the genetic characteristics of six clinically isolated strains by serotyping, PCR, and whole-genome sequencing, performing genome epidemiology analysis on these and 961 public available S. suis genomes.

C-Src confers resistance to mitotic stress through inhibition DMAP1/Bub3 complex formation in pancreatic cancer.

Background: Chromatin modification at mitosis is closely related to transcriptional reactivation in the subsequent cell cycle. We reasoned this process is deregulated by oncogenic signals, which would contribute to mitotic stress resistance in pancreatic cancer. Here, we show DMAP1/Bub3 complex mediates mitotic stress-induced cellular apoptosis, while this effect is counteracted by c-Src in pancreatic cancer cells.

Enterococcus faecalis sir2-like gene enhances aerobic metabolism of themselves and mitochondrial respiration of mammal cells to bring about improving metabolic syndrome through the PGC-1α pathway.

Recent studies showed that probiotics could improve metabolic syndrome, making the identification of factors affecting metabolic control more important than ever. The mammalian sirtuin protein family has received much attention for its regulatory role, especially in various mitochondrial ATP, glucose, and lipid metabolic pathways. However, compared with the mammalian sirtuin protein family, the function of prokaryotic sir2 protein is much less known.

A polysaccharide extracted from Astragalus membranaceus residue improves cognitive dysfunction by altering gut microbiota in diabetic mice.

A novel polysaccharide named as AERP was extracted from industrial Astragalus membranaceus-extracted waste residue, which was composed of two components coded as AERP1 and AERP2. The structures of AERP1 and AERP2 were determined by HPLC-SEC-RID, HPLC-C-UV, FT-IR, and NMR. The results showed that AERP1 was an acidic component with a molecular weight of 2.

Piperidine nitroxide Tempol enhances cisplatin-induced apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells.

A nitroxide radical, Tempol (Tempol, TPL), is usually used as an antioxidative agent clinically, whereas the mechanism underlying its pro-oxidative effect has not been thoroughly investigated. The present study investigated the pro-oxidative effect of TPL on the inhibition of cellular proliferation and its role in enhancing the effect of anticancer drug cisplatin (DDP) on the induction of apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells. Cell viability and proliferation were evaluated by MTT assay.

Network pharmacology study reveals energy metabolism and apoptosis pathways-mediated cardioprotective effects of Shenqi Fuzheng.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Shenqi Fuzheng (SQ) is a renowned traditional Chinese medicine extracted from Radix Codonopsis and Radix Astragali. Although SQ is widely used to treat myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury, the molecular mechanisms supporting its clinical application remain elusive.

Aim Of The Study: The purpose of current study was to understand its cardioprotective effects at the molecular level using network pharmacology approach.

Overexpression of AR-regulated lncRNA TMPO-AS1 correlates with tumor progression and poor prognosis in prostate cancer.

Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) is a leading cause of death in males all over the world; besides, the diagnosis and therapy of it are still challenging. Researchers have revealed that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in the genesis and progression of human cancers, including PCa.

Methods: Bioinformatics analysis and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis were utilized to confirm TMPO-AS1 as a diagnostic and prognostic marker.

Ecotropic viral integration site 1 regulates the progression of acute myeloid leukemia via MS4A3-mediated TGFβ/EMT signaling pathway.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a type of malignant tumor that is caused by malignant clone hematopoietic stem cells. The ecotropic viral integration site 1 (Evi1) is a zinc finger transcription factor, which is highly expressed in AML, and its expression level has been associated with poor prognosis of AML. Previous studies have indicated that Evi1 may regulate cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis by inhibiting the membrane-spanning-4-domains subfamily-A member-3 (MS4A3) gene in AML.

Characterization and hypoglycemic effect of a neutral polysaccharide extracted from the residue of Codonopsis Pilosula.

A neutral polysaccharide coded as CERP1 was extracted and purified from the residue of Codonopsis pilosula by ethanol precipitation and column chromatography. The structure of CERP1 was determined by HPAEC-PAD, HPLC, HPSEC-MALLS, FT-IR, NMR, and TEM. The results showed that CERP1 was a heteropolysaccharide composed of Arabinose, Glucose, and Galactose in the ratio of 1.

Assessment of boundary conditions for CFD simulation in human carotid artery.

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is an increasingly used method for investigation of hemodynamic parameters and their alterations under pathological conditions, which are important indicators for diagnosis of cardiovascular disease. In hemodynamic simulation models, the employment of appropriate boundary conditions (BCs) determines the computational accuracy of the CFD simulation in comparison with pressure and velocity measurements. In this study, we have first assessed the influence of inlet boundary conditions on hemodynamic CFD simulations.

[Three-dimensional spatial measurement versus conventional CT planning in laparoscopic partial nephrectomy for renal tumors].

Objective: To analyze the advantages of spatial measurement of anatomical parameters in a 3D model in surgical planning for laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN).

Methods: From February, 2016 to October, 2017, 37 patients diagnosed with T1 renal mass underwent LPN based on 3D reconstruction after enhanced CT scanning using the Uromedix-3D system (group A), and another 38 patients received LPN with conventional CT planning (group B). The anatomical parameters were measured in the reconstructed 3D model and the demographic data, surgical outcome and postoperative data were compared between the two groups.