Introducing an index on prediction of post-revascularization cerebral infarction using preoperative CT perfusion parameters in moyamoya disease.

Objective: To determine the value of preoperative CT perfusion (CTP) parameters for prediction of post-revascularization cerebral infarction (post-CI) in adults with moyamoya disease (MMD).

Methods: This retrospective study included 92 adults with MMD who underwent surgical revascularization. Preoperative quantitative CTP parameters, including cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral blood volume (CBV), mean transit time (MTT), time to drain (TTD), and transit time to maximum of the residue function (Tmax), along with clinical data, were compared between the groups with and without post-CI.

Short-Term Changes in Weight, Body Composition, and Metabolic Biomarkers After Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy in Patients with Obesity: A Comparative Prospective Study.

Purpose: To investigate the changes in weight, body composition, and metabolic biomarkers in patients with obesity after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) and compare those changes between patients with and without metabolic syndrome (MS).

Materials And Methods: This retrospective longitudinal study included 76 patients who underwent LSG, among whom 32 had complete 1-year postoperative body composition and metabolic biomarkers. Body composition was measured by quantitative CT.

Localization of southern tomato virus (STV) in tomato tissues.

Southern tomato virus (STV) is a dsRNA virus, which belongs to the newly formed genus of the family. Currently there is no report regarding the presence of STV in tomato tissues. In this study, we performed in situ hybridization to examine the distribution of STV in host tissues.

Application of optical coherence tomography and keratograph in the measurements of lower lid margin thickness.

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the applicability of lower lid margin thickness (LLMT) measurements in adults with and without meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) by optical coherence tomography (OCT) and keratograph.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional, observational study. A hundred and eight volunteers aged 20 to 79, including 68 MGD patients and 40 normal subjects, were recruited.

Hepatocyte growth factor-modified hair follicle stem cells ameliorate cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats.

Background: Hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) are considered as a promising cell type in the stem cell transplantation treatment of neurological diseases because of their rich sources, easy access, and the same ectoderm source as the nervous system. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a pleiotropic cytokine that shows neuroprotective function in ischemic stroke. Here we assessed the therapeutic effects of HFSCs on ischemic stroke injury and the synthetic effect of HGF along with HFSCs.

A Tryptophan Metabolite of the Microbiota Improves Neovascularization in Diabetic Limb Ischemia.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is accompanied by a series of macrovascular and microvascular injuries. Critical limb ischemia is the most severe manifestation of peripheral artery disease (PAD) caused by DM and is almost incurable. Therapeutic modulation of angiogenesis holds promise for the prevention of limb ischemia in diabetic patients with PAD.

Computed-Tomography-Based Radiomics Model for Predicting the Malignant Potential of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors Preoperatively: A Multi-Classifier and Multicenter Study.

Our goal was to establish and verify a radiomics risk grading model for gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) and to identify the optimal algorithm for risk stratification. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 324 patients with GISTs, the presence of which was confirmed by surgical pathology. Patients were treated at three different hospitals.

Variational schemes and geometric simulations for a hydrodynamic-electrodynamic model of surface plasmon polaritons.

A class of variational schemes for the hydrodynamic-electrodynamic model of lossless free-electron gas in a quasineutral background is developed for high-quality simulations of surface plasmon polaritons. The Lagrangian density of lossless free-electron gas with a self-consistent electromagnetic field is established, and the dynamical equations with the associated constraints are obtained via a variational principle. Based on discrete exterior calculus, the action functional of this system is discretized and minimized to obtain the discrete dynamics.

Cystotome-assisted prechop technique.

Unlabelled: We describe a manual prechop technique to divide the nucleus using a cystotome. In the cystotome-assisted prechop technique, after the capsulorhexis, the surgeon-bent cystotome is inserted into the lens while the Nagahara chopper is set around the lens equator. The cystotome and the chopper are then brought together in the center to create a bisecting crack in the nucleus, dividing it cleanly into 2 hemispheres.

Functional core/shell drug nanoparticles for highly effective synergistic cancer therapy.

Gold (Au)-nanoshelled 10-hydroxycamptothecin nanoparticles (HCPT NPs) are developed with combination of photothermal therapy and chemotherapy for highly effective cancer therapy. The strong near-infrared (NIR) absorbance from Au nanoshells endows the nanocomposites photothermal effects and on-demand drug release. Notably, the drug-loading content reaches up to 63.

Near-infrared fluorescence imaging using organic dye nanoparticles.

Near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging in the 700-1000 nm wavelength range has been very attractive for early detection of cancers. Conventional NIR dyes often suffer from limitation of low brightness due to self-quenching, insufficient photo- and bioenvironmental stability, and small Stokes shift. Herein, we present a strategy of using small-molecule organic dye nanoparticles (ONPs) to encapsulate NIR dyes to enable efficient fluorescence resonance energy transfer to obtain NIR probes with remarkably enhanced performance for in vitro and in vivo imaging.

Smart nanorods for highly effective cancer theranostic applications.

Combination of chemotherapy and photothermal therapy is considered to be a promising strategy for the next generation of cancer treatments. However, it has been limited by difficulties in obtaining high drug payload chemo-photothermal agents, and thus complete destruction of tumor without recurrence has never been achieved, unless they are conjugated with some targeting ligands for special targeted drug delivery. Herein, iron oxide nanoparticle (IONP)-doped 10-hydroxycamptothecin drug nanorods (HCPT NRs), with an organic conducting polymer poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT) coating outside, are developed for cancer diagnosis and chemo-photothermal therapy.

Water-dispersible, pH-stable and highly-luminescent organic dye nanoparticles with amplified emissions for in vitro and in vivo bioimaging.

A new strategy is presented for using doped small-molecule organic nanoparticles (NPs) to achieve high-performance fluorescent probes with strong brightness, large Stokes shifts and tunable emissions for in vitro and in vivo imaging. The host organic NPs are used not only as carriers to encapsulate different doped dyes, but also as fluorescence resonance energy transfer donors to couple with the doped dyes (as acceptors) to achieve multicolor luminescence with amplified emissions (AE). The resulting optimum green emitting NPs show high brightness with quantum yield (QY) of up to 45% and AE of 12 times; and the red emitting NPs show QY of 14% and AE of 10 times.

Highly luminescent and photostable core-shell dye nanoparticles for high efficiency bioimaging.

We developed core-shell silica-coated dye nanoparticles as highly bright and ultrastable red-emitting fluorescent probes for long-term cellular imaging and ultrasensitive in vivo animal imaging.

Shape design of high drug payload nanoparticles for more effective cancer therapy.

We developed different-shaped drug nanocrystals with similar hydrodynamic sizes and surface charges, and found that nanorods exhibited much higher in vitro and in vivo anticancer efficacy than that of nanospheres.

Effects of phacoemulsification on intraocular pressure and anterior chamber depth.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of phacoemulsification with intraocular lens (IOL) implantation on intraocular pressure (IOP) and anterior chamber depth (ACD) in patients with cataract or cataract associated with primary angle closure (PAC). A total of 361 patients (481 affected eyes) with senile cataract (cataract group) and 44 patients (52 affected eyes) with cataract associated with PAC (cataract with PAC group) underwent phacoemulsification with IOL implantation from July 2005 to May 2007 and were followed up for 3 to 25 months. There was a significant difference between pre-operative and post-operative IOPs (t=9.

Ultrabright and ultrastable near-infrared dye nanoparticles for in vitro and in vivo bioimaging.

We report a new strategy of using carrier-free pure near-infrared (NIR) dye nanoparticles (NPs) to achieve highly luminescent NIR fluorescent probes for in vitro and in vivo imaging. Bis(4-(N-(2-naphthyl)phenylamino) phenyl)-fumaronitrile (NPAPF) NPs are shown to exhibit favorable biocompatibility, wide-range pH stability (pH 4-10) and much more superior photostability than conventional dyes. Importantly, the combined merits of high dye loading content and aggregation-induced emission enhancement properties, endow the NIR probes with high brightness and a high quantum yield up to 14.

Carrier-free, functionalized drug nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery.

We demonstrate a new concept of carrier-free functionalized drug nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery. It exhibits significantly enhanced drug efficacy to folate receptor-positive cells with high selectivity and a high drug loading content up to more than 78%.