Network Pharmacology, Molecular Docking, Molecular Dynamics to Explore the Mechanism of Danggui Shaoyao Powder for Hepatic Encephalopathy.

Background: Patients with hepatic encephalopathy (HE) have many triggers and a high mortality rate. The protective effect of existing therapeutic drugs on the liver is weak. We found that Danggui Shaoyao Powder can improve the symptoms of HE and may have a better liver protection effect.

Antagonistic-contracting high-power photo-oscillators for multifunctional actuations.

High-power autonomous soft actuators are in high demand yet face challenges related to tethered power and dedicated control. Light-driven oscillation by stimuli-responsive polymers allows for remote energy input and control autonomy, but generating high output power density is a daunting challenge requiring an advanced material design principle. Here, inspired by the flight muscle structure of insects, we develop a self-oscillator based on two antagonistically contracting photo-active layers sandwiching an inactive layer.

Theoretical Study on the Structures and Electronic Properties of Tungsten Fluorides at High Pressures.

Transition metal fluorides are a series of strong oxidizing agents. Tungsten (W) fluorides, particularly WF, have shown broad applications such as luminescence and fluorinating agent. However, other stoichiometries of W fluorides have rarely been studied.

The pan-genome and local adaptation of Arabidopsis thaliana.

Arabidopsis thaliana serves as a model species for investigating various aspects of plant biology. However, the contribution of genomic structural variations (SVs) and their associate genes to the local adaptation of this widely distribute species remains unclear. Here, we de novo assemble chromosome-level genomes of 32 A.

Diagnosis of SPECT/CT bone imaging combined with two serum examinations in patients with bone metastases from pulmonary cancer.

Purpose: To study the clinical diagnostic value of SPECT/CT bone imaging combined with two serum examinations in patients with bone metastases from pulmonary cancer.

Methods: The clinical data of 120 patients consistent with pulmonary cancer admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University from March 2019 to December 2019 were selected for retrospective analysis, and they were divided into the bone metastasis group (n = 58) and non-bone metastasis group (n = 62) according to comprehensive evaluation result of X-ray, CT, MRI and clinical follow-up. The CT values of patients were obtained by SPECT/CT bone imaging to compare serum levels of ALP (alkaline phosphatase belongs to phosphoric monoester hydrolases, as a specific phosphatase, mainly in body tissues and body fluid) and BAP (bone alkaline phosphatase is formed by different modification and processing of alkaline phosphatase, and is mainly released by osteoblasts) and CT values of patients in both groups, using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of single detection and combined detection.

Sunlight-powered self-excited oscillators for sustainable autonomous soft robotics.

As the field of soft robotics advances, full autonomy becomes highly sought after, especially if robot motion can be powered by environmental energy. This would present a self-sustained approach in terms of both energy supply and motion control. Now, autonomous movement can be realized by leveraging out-of-equilibrium oscillatory motion of stimuli-responsive polymers under a constant light source.

Comparison of value of 640-slice CT kidney scan and kidney ultrasound in the diagnosis of chronic kidney disease.

To explore the value of 640-slice CT kidney scan and kidney ultrasound (KUS) in the diagnosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD). The data of 120 CKD patients at our institution between June 2019 and September 2020 were analyzed, and they were randomly divided into ultrasound (US) group ( = 40, KUS), CT group ( = 40) first receiving a plane CT scan to determine the scope of dynamic volume scan, which was performed for scans in cortical, parenchymal, and delayed phases with bolus injection of contrast medium, and combined group ( = 40, KUS and 640-slice CT kidney scan), with the images obtained read and analyzed. The subjective scores and effective radiation doses of 640-layer CT kidney scan were counted to calculate the detection rates.

Photoinduced Dual Shape Programmability of Covalent Adaptable Networks with Remarkable Mechanical Properties.

As classic shape memory polymers featuring shape reconfiguration of temporary state, covalent adaptable networks containing reversible bonds can enable permanent-state reconfigurability through topological rearrangement via dynamic bond exchange. Yet, such an attractive dual shape programmability is limited by the actuation mode of direct heat transfer and poor mechanical properties, restricting its control precision and functionality. Herein, we presented a method to create nanocomposites with photomodulated dual shape programmability and remarkable mechanical properties leading the fields of covalent adaptable networks.

Comparison of Diagnostic Value for Chronic Kidney Disease between 640-Slice Computed Tomography Kidney Scan and Conventional Computed Tomography Scan.

Objective: To explore the diagnostic value for chronic kidney disease (CKD) between 640-slice computed tomography (CT) kidney scan and conventional CT scan.

Methods: A total of 120 CKD patients who received kidney plain scan plus enhanced examination in the CT room of the Medical Imaging Department of our hospital from June 2019 to September 2019 were selected and randomly divided into the experimental group ( = 60) and the control group ( = 60). Patients in the control group received the conventional CT plain scan and enhanced scan, and for patients in the experimental group, CT plain scan was performed first, the range of 640-slice CT dynamic volume scan was determined, and after bolus injection of contrast agent, dynamic volume scan was performed for scanning in the cortical phase, myeloid phase, and secretory phase.

Comparison of the Application Value for Diagnosis of Chronic Kidney Disease between Color Doppler Flow Quantification Technique and Computed Tomography.

Objective: The aim of this study is to compare the application value for diagnosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD) between the color Doppler flow quantification (CDFQ) technique and computed tomography (CT).

Methods: The clinical data of 88 hospitalized patients treated in the Renal Medicine of our hospital and diagnosed with CKD after pathological examination from June 2020 to June 2021 were selected for the retrospective analysis, and 32 individuals with normal physical examination results in the same period were selected as the control group. All study subjects received CDFQ and 640-slice volume CT examination, and by plotting the ROC curves, the clinical value of different diagnostic modalities was analyzed.

Tough-Hydrogel Reinforced Low-Tortuosity Conductive Networks for Stretchable and High-Performance Supercapacitors.

All-solid-state supercapacitors are seeing emerging applications in flexible and stretchable electronics. Supercapacitors with high capacitance, high power density, simple form factor, and good mechanical robustness are highly desired, which demands electrode materials with high surface area, high mass loading, good conductivity, larger thickness, low tortuosity, and high toughness. However, it has been challenging to simultaneously realize them in a single material.

Somatosensory actuator based on stretchable conductive photothermally responsive hydrogel.

Mimicking biological neuromuscular systems' sensory motion requires the unification of sensing and actuation in a singular artificial muscle material, which must not only actuate but also sense their own motions. These functionalities would be of great value for soft robotics that seek to achieve multifunctionality and local sensing capabilities approaching natural organisms. Here, we report a soft somatosensitive actuating material using an electrically conductive and photothermally responsive hydrogel, which combines the functions of piezoresistive strain/pressure sensing and photo/thermal actuation into a single material.

Tunable Sponge-Like Hierarchically Porous Hydrogels with Simultaneously Enhanced Diffusivity and Mechanical Properties.

Crosslinked polymers and gels are important in soft robotics, solar vapor generation, energy storage, drug delivery, catalysis, and biosensing. However, their attractive mass transport and volume-changing abilities are diffusion-limited, requiring miniaturization to avoid slow response. Typical approaches to improving diffusion in hydrogels sacrifice mechanical properties by increasing porosity or limit the total volumetric flux by directionally confining the pores.

Strong tough hydrogels via the synergy of freeze-casting and salting out.

Natural load-bearing materials such as tendons have a high water content of about 70 per cent but are still strong and tough, even when used for over one million cycles per year, owing to the hierarchical assembly of anisotropic structures across multiple length scales. Synthetic hydrogels have been created using methods such as electro-spinning, extrusion, compositing, freeze-casting, self-assembly and mechanical stretching for improved mechanical performance. However, in contrast to tendons, many hydrogels with the same high water content do not show high strength, toughness or fatigue resistance.

Poly(vinyl alcohol) Hydrogels with Broad-Range Tunable Mechanical Properties via the Hofmeister Effect.

Hydrogels, exhibiting wide applications in soft robotics, tissue engineering, implantable electronics, etc., often require sophisticately tailoring of the hydrogel mechanical properties to meet specific demands. For examples, soft robotics necessitates tough hydrogels; stem cell culturing demands various tissue-matching modulus; and neuron probes desire dynamically tunable modulus.

Cephalopod-Inspired Chromotropic Ionic Skin with Rapid Visual Sensing Capabilities to Multiple Stimuli.

Biological skin systems can perceive various external stimuli through ion transduction. Especially, the skin of some advanced organisms such as cephalopods can further promptly change body color by manipulating photonic nanostructures. However, the current skin-inspired soft iontronics lack the rapid full-color switching ability to respond to multiple stimuli including tension, pressure, and temperature.

[Soil phosphorus forms and phosphorus solubilizing bacteria distribution after restoration from seriously burning in Greater Khingan Mountain areas, China].

To understand the contents of various phosphorus forms, phosphorus solubilizing bacte-rial community structure and the relationship between them in soils after restoration from the seriously burning, we collected soil samples from artificial restoration (Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica plantation, Larix gmelinii plantation), artificial accelerated natural restoration (secondary forest) and natural restoration (natural secondary forest) stands in Greater Khingan Mountain area. Using methods of Sui et al.

Artificial phototropism for omnidirectional tracking and harvesting of light.

Many living organisms track light sources and halt their movement when alignment is achieved. This phenomenon, known as phototropism, occurs, for example, when plants self-orient to face the sun throughout the day. Although many artificial smart materials exhibit non-directional, nastic behaviour in response to an external stimulus, no synthetic material can intrinsically detect and accurately track the direction of the stimulus, that is, exhibit tropistic behaviour.

Soft phototactic swimmer based on self-sustained hydrogel oscillator.

Oscillations are widely found in living organisms to generate propulsion-based locomotion often driven by constant ambient conditions, such as phototactic movements. Such environment-powered and environment-directed locomotions may advance fully autonomous remotely steered robots. However, most man-made oscillations require nonconstant energy input and cannot perform environment-dictated movement.

Homogeneous Freestanding Luminescent Perovskite Organogel with Superior Water Stability.

Metal-halide perovskites have become appealing materials for optoelectronic devices. While the fast advancing stretchable/wearable devices require stability, flexibility and scalability, current perovskites suffer from ambient-environmental instability and incompatible mechanical properties. Recently perovskite-polymer composites have shown improved in-air stability with the protection of polymers.

Draw-Spinning of Kilometer-Long and Highly Stretchable Polymer Submicrometer Fibers.

in an ultrafast manner. Besides, this method can tune the fibers' diameter through adjusting processing parameters such as the feeding rate of precursors. Uniaxial nylon 66 fibers prepared via this method show superior mechanical properties due to the alignment in each level of the structure.

[Difference between carbon storage of burned area under different restorations in Greater Xing' an Mountains, Northeast China].

In order to explore forest restoration approach effect on carbon storage of severely burned area in Greater Xing'an Mountains, the carbon contents of tree, shrub, herb and litter from two plantations (Larix gmelinii and Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica) and natural secondary forest were determined, respectively, by using dry combustion method. The biomass of each component was obtained to estimate the distribution characterization of forest vegetation carbon storage by combing whole harvest method with average standard wood method.

[Effect of internal fixation on stability of pedicled fascial flap and osteogenesis of exceed critical size defect of bone].

Objective: To evaluate the effect of internal fixation on the stability of pedicled fascial flap and the osteogenesis of exceed critical size defect (ECSD) of bone so as to provide theory for the clinical application by the radiography and histology observation.

Methods: The ECSD model of the right ulnar midshaft bone and periosteum defect of 1 cm in length was established in 32 New Zealand white rabbits (aged 4-5 months), which were divided into group A and group B randomly (16 rabbits in each group). The composite tissue engineered bone was prepared by seeding autologous red bone marrow (ARBM) on osteoinductive absorbing material (OAM) containing bone morphogenetic protein and was used repair bone defect.

[Population structure and understory species diversity of different aged Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica plantations in Nenjiang Sandy Land of Northeast China].

Taking the Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica sand-fixing plantations at different development stages (24-, 29-, 39-, and 43 years old) in Nenjiang Sandy Land as test objects, this paper studied their population structure, understory species composition, and species diversity. No regenerated seedlings were found in all the four P.

[Clinical evaluation of one-stage radical debridement combined with posterior pedicle internal fixation for brucellar spondylitis of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae].

Objective: To discuss the surgical treatment method and effectiveness of brucellar spondylitis.

Methods: Between January 2002 and October 2010, 78 patients underwent one-stage radical debridement and posterior pedicle internal fixation, who were definitely diagnosed as having brucellar spondylitis of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae. There were 42 males and 36 females, aged 24 to 65 years (mean, 45 years).