Treatment of Focal Thoracic Ossification of the Ligamentum Flavum by Percutaneous Posterolateral Transforaminal Endoscopic Surgery Under Local Anesthesia: A Case Series Study.

Introduction: Minimally invasive techniques, such as percutaneous endoscopic discectomy, are increasingly utilized for treating focal thoracic ossification of the ligamentum flavum (TOLF), where their safety and efficacy needs to be further confirmed. The purpose of this study was to investigate the safety and efficacy of percutaneous posterolateral transforaminal endoscopic surgery under local anesthesia for treating focal TOLF.

Methods: This case series study reviewed medical records of 12 cases diagnosed with focal TOLF who underwent percutaneous posterolateral transforaminal endoscopic surgery under local anesthesia from December 2016 to July 2019 at Fuzhou Second Hospital.

Hepatotoxic effects of environmentally relevant concentrations of polystyrene microplastics on senescent Zebrafish (Danio rerio): Patterns of stress response and metabolomic alterations.

The hepatotoxicity of microplastics (MPs) has garnered increasing attention, but their effects on elderly organisms remain inadequately characterized, particularly concerning hepatic stress response patterns in environmental conditions. In this study, a 10-day exposure period of elderly zebrafish to polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs, 1 µm) was conducted, with exposure concentrations set at 5.6 × 10 µg/L, 5.

-Functionalization of Pillar[4]arene[1]benzoquinone Monoxime via Selective 1,4-Addition of Grignard Reagents.

-functionalization of pillar[]arenes has been a formidable challenge, partially due to the fragility of their macrocyclic skeletons. In this concise report, we describe a facile synthetic method for monoarylation/alkylation at the position to the oxime functionality in pillar[4]arene[1]benzoquinone monoxime () via addition of Grignard reagents. The described method enables the creation of various mono--alkyl/aryl-substituted pillar[5]arene derivatives that were previously inaccessible.

Novel Collector of a Dodecylpyridinium Chloride Ionic Liquid in the Reverse Flotation Separation of Muscovite from Apatite.

Reverse flotation separation of muscovite from apatite using a dodecylpyridinium chloride (DPDC) ionic liquid as the collector was studied in this work. The microflotation results depicted that DPDC had a strong collecting for muscovite but had a slight collecting for apatite when using phosphoric acid as a depressant for apatite in a weakly acidic pH value pulp, artificial mixture mineral flotation showed that reverse flotation separation of muscovite from apatite can be effectively achieved in the reagent scheme of phosphoric acid/DPDC, and DPDC had a better separation performance in the muscovite/apatite system than DDA. The adsorption measurements indicated that the adsorption amount of DPDC on the apatite surface was less than that of DPDC on the muscovite surface, and the zeta potential results confirmed that a strong interaction occurred between DPDC and the muscovite surface, while an extremely weak interaction occurred between DPDC and the apatite surface in the presence of phosphoric acid at pH ∼ 5.

Imidazole Cationic-Bridged Pillar[5]arene Polymer as a Recycle Adsorbent for Iodine Capture.

Developing efficient and recyclable iodine adsorbents is crucial for addressing radioactive iodine pollution. An imidazole cation-bridged pillar[5]arene polymer (P5-P5I) was synthesized via a salt formation reaction. P5-P5I exhibited a high iodine vapor capture capacity of 2130.

Effects of Intrinsic Defects on the Carrier Lifetime in CdZnTe: Insights from Ab Initio Calculations.

CdZnTe (CZT) has garnered substantial attention due to its outstanding performance in room-temperature semiconductor radiation detectors, where carrier transport properties are critical for assessing the detector performance. However, due to the complexities of crystal growth, CZT is prone to defects that affect carrier lifetime and mobility. To investigate how defects affect nonequilibrium carrier transport, nonadiabatic molecular dynamics (NAMD) is employed to examine six types of intrinsic defects and their impact on electron-hole (e-h) recombination.

Construction of a thermosensitive gel based on hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin/meloxicam inclusion complexes for improving meloxicam solubility and prolonging drug retention time in the cornea.

The eyes are easily stimulated by external factors, which can cause inflammation. Anti-inflammatory drugs are usually used to inhibit the production of inflammatory factors. Many nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have been used for the eye, but due to the poor solubility of meloxicam, there are currently no marketed meloxicam preparations for the treatment of eye diseases.

Innovative microbial activators for enhanced bioremediation of oil-contaminated soils: mechanistic insights.

This paper developed an efficient microbial activator formula and conducted an in-depth study on its efficacy and mechanism in promoting the degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons in oil-contaminated soil. A 60-day microbial remediation experiment conducted on oily soil revealed that the microbial activators significantly boosted the activities of dehydrogenase and catalase, subsequently speeding up the degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons in the soil. The overall degradation rate reached as high as 71.

Ursonic Acid Ameliorates HO-Induced Oxidative Damage in PC12 Cells and Prolonged the Lifespan in C. elegans by Activating MAPKs/Nrf2/HO-1 Signaling Pathway.

Growing evidence suggests that plant compounds are emerging as a tremendous source for slowing the onset and progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Ursonic acid (UNA) is a naturally occurring pentacyclic triterpenoid with some hypoglycemic, anticancer, and antiinflammatory activities. However, the pharmacological effects of UNA on AD are still unknown.

Bibliometric Analysis of Probiotic Bacillus in Food Science: Evolution of Research Trends and Systematic Evaluation.

With the in-depth and comprehensive research on probiotic Bacillus, it has become a hot topic in food science. However, the current status of research using bibliometric analysis to assess the application of probiotic Bacillus in food science has not been comprehensively reviewed. The Web of Science (WOS) database was used in this review's bibliometric analysis to determine the hotspots for research as well as the extent of completed experiments.

Antiosteoporosis and Bone Protective Effect of Phyllanthin Against Glucocorticoid-induced Osteoporosis in Rats via Alteration of HO-1/Nrf2 and RANK/RANKL/OPG Pathway.

Unlabelled: Osteoporosis is a condition where bones weaken due to a loss in density and quality, making them fragile and more susceptible to fractures, even from minor stress or injury. In this experimental study, we scrutinized the antiosteoporosis effect of phyllanthin against glycocorticoid (GIOP) induced osteoporosis in rats.

Methods: : SD rats were used in this study and subcutaneous administration of DEX (3 mg/kg) was used for the induction of osteoporosis and rats were treated with phyllanthin and alendronate for 12 weeks.

Association of increased serum I-309 with phenotypes, disease activity, and cytokine pattern in primary Sjögren's syndrome.

The aim of this study was to determine serum I-309 levels in primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) patients, as well as the association with disease phenotype, systemic activity, and T helper cell-related cytokines. A total of 58 pSS patients and 30 healthy controls (HC) were enrolled in this study. The concentrations of serum I-309, interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-6, IL-9, IL-13, IL-17, IL-22, IL-23, tumor-necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), IFN-α, and IFN-β were measured with multiplex immunoassay.

Valsartan Loaded Solid Self-Nanoemulsifying Delivery System to Enhance Oral Absorption and Bioavailability.

Valsartan (VST) is an angiotensin II receptor antagonist with low oral bioavailability. The present study developed a solid self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (S-SNEDDS) to enhance the oral absorption and bioavailability of VST. VST-loaded liquid SNEDDS (VST@L-SNEDDS) was prepared by investigating the solubility of VST and constructing the pseudo-ternary phase diagrams.

Twelve-hour ultradian rhythmic reprogramming of gene expression in the human ovary during aging.

Background: The 12-h ultradian rhythm plays a crucial role in metabolic homeostasis, but its role in ovarian aging has not been explored. This study investigates age-related changes in 12-h rhythmic gene expression across various human tissues, with a particular focus on the ovary.

Methods: We analyzed transcriptomic data from the GTEx project to examine 12-h ultradian rhythmic gene expression across multiple peripheral human tissues, exploring sex-specific patterns and age-related reprogramming of both 12-h and 24-h rhythmic gene expression.

A Novel Peptide Mapping Method Utilizing Cysteine as a Reducing Agent.

Purposes: In the peptide mapping reduction process for monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and other proteins, the conventional reducing reagents β-mercaptoethanol (β-ME) and dithiothreitol (DTT) pose challenges due to their strong odor and toxicity at high concentrations. Cysteine (Cys), an essential amino acid for new protein synthesis, is an overlooked, nontoxic, and odorless reducing agent. This study presents a novel peptide mapping method using Cys as the reducing agent.

The sex-specific relationship of ghrelin and cognition in Chinese han first-episode drug-naive major depressive disorder.

In major depressive disorder (MDD), alterations in ghrelin levels and cognitive impairment coexist, yet their association has remained largely elusive. This study aimed to investigate the association between ghrelin levels and cognition in both MDD patients and healthy controls (HCs) while also exploring sex-specific differences in this correlation. A total of 155 Chinese Han subjects, including 90 first-episode drug-naive MDD patients and 65 HCs, were enrolled.

The bone-vascular axis: the link between osteoporosis and vascular calcification.

Osteoporosis and vascular calcification are chronic metabolic diseases threatening the health of aging people. The incidence of osteoporosis and vascular calcification increases year by year, and has drawn much attention from the scientific and clinical area. Many studies have found that osteoporosis and vascular calcification are not completely independent, but there are close correlations between them in the pathogenesis and underlying mechanisms.

Deep Learning-Based Multi-View Projection Synthesis Approach for Improving the Quality of Sparse-View CBCT in Image-Guided Radiotherapy.

While radiation hazards induced by cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) in image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) can be reduced by sparse-view sampling, the image quality is inevitably degraded. We propose a deep learning-based multi-view projection synthesis (DLMPS) approach to improve the quality of sparse-view low-dose CBCT images. In the proposed DLMPS approach, linear interpolation was first applied to sparse-view projections and the projections were rearranged into sinograms; these sinograms were processed with a sinogram restoration model and then rearranged back into projections.

Propagation of pathologic α-synuclein from kidney to brain may contribute to Parkinson's disease.

The pathogenesis of Lewy body diseases (LBDs), including Parkinson's disease (PD), involves α-synuclein (α-Syn) aggregation that originates in peripheral organs and spreads to the brain. PD incidence is increased in individuals with chronic renal failure, but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Here we observed α-Syn deposits in the kidneys of patients with LBDs and in the kidney and central nervous system of individuals with end-stage renal disease without documented LBDs.

Intelligent control algorithms for posture and height control of four-leg hydraulic supports.

To address limitations of traditional inclinometers and height sensors in determining the posture and support height of hydraulic supports in coal mining, we propose a novel method predicated on travel measurements of the leg and tail beam cylinders. This method calculates the posture and height of hydraulic supports in mechanized mining. By conducting meticulous kinematic analysis of the hydraulic supports, a skeleton model of the main structural parameters of the hydraulic support was constructed.

Ptosis Correction Through Anterior Displacement of Levator Aponeurosis Within the Corneal Region.

Background: Upper eyelid ptosis is a common aesthetic concern among Asian patients, resulting in a tired and drowsy appearance that affects their attractiveness. The levator advancement technique is widely used for ptosis correction; however, achieving precise results remains challenging.

Objectives: This study introduces a modified approach to improve the accuracy of levator aponeurosis advancement by focusing on precise measurements and anterior displacement within a defined corneal range.

A resilience assessment framework for slopes considering multiple performance indicators.

The performance assessment of slopes during various disturbances is important to ensure the safe service of slopes. Due to the four characteristics of slope engineering, it is difficult for existing resilience evaluation models to accurately reflect slope performance. To address this problem, a resilience evaluation model applicable to slopes was developed in this study.