Cerebral ischemia, resulting from compromised blood flow, is one of the leading causes of death worldwide with limited therapeutic options. Potential deleterious injuries resulting from reperfusion ...therapies remain a clinical challenge for physicians. This study aimed to explore the metabolomic alterations during ischemia-reperfusion injury by employing metabolomic analysis coupled with gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOF-MS) and ultraperformance liquid chromatography quadrupole (UPLC/Q)-TOF-MS. Metabolomic data from mice subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) followed by reperfusion (MCAO/R) were compared to those of the sham and MCAO groups. A total of 82 simultaneously differentially expressed metabolites were identified among each group. The top three major classifications of these differentially expressed metabolites were organic acids, lipids, and organooxygen compounds. Metabolomics pathway analysis was conducted to identify the underlying pathways implicated in MCAO/R. Based on impactor scores, the most significant pathways involved in the response to the reperfusion after cerebral ischemia were glycerophospholipid metabolism, linoleic acid metabolism, pyrimidine metabolism, and galactose metabolism. 17 of those 82 metabolites were greatly elevated in the MCAO/Reperfusion group, when compared to those in the sham and MCAO groups. Among those metabolites, glucose-6-phosphate 1, fructose-6-phosphate, cellobiose 2, o-phosphonothreonine 1, and salicin were the top five elevated metabolites in MCAO/R group, compared with the MCAO group. Glycolysis, the pentose phosphate pathway, starch and sucrose metabolism, and fructose and mannose degradation were the top four ranked pathways according to metabolite set enrichment analysis (MSEA). The present study not only advances our understanding of metabolomic changes among animals in the sham and cerebral ischemia groups with or without reperfusion
metabolomic profiling, but also paves the way to explore potential molecular mechanisms underlying metabolic alteration induced by cerebral ischemia-reperfusion.
Contrast-enhanced MRI can be used to identify patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, studies around the world have found differing diagnostic accuracies for the technique. Hence, we ...designed this meta-analysis to assess the accuracy of contrast-enhanced MRI for HCC diagnosis.
We conducted a systematic search for all studies reporting the diagnostic accuracy of contrast-enhanced MRI for HCC in the databases of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, SCOPUS, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar from inception until January 2021. We used the "Midas" package from the STATA software to perform the meta-analysis.
Our study was based on 21 publications with 5,361 patients. The pooled HCC diagnosis sensitivity and specificity were 75% (95% CI, 70%-80%) and 90% (95% CI, 88%-92%), respectively, for gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI; and they were 70% (95% CI, 57%-81%) and 94% (95% CI, 85%-97%), respectively, for MRI with extracellular contrast agents (ECA-MRI). We found significant heterogeneity with a significant chi-square test and an
statistic >75%. We also found significant publication bias as per Deeks' test results and funnel plot.
We found that both types of contrast-enhanced MRI are accurate diagnostic and surveillance tools for HCC and offer high sensitivity and specificity. Further studies on different ethnic populations are required to strengthen our findings.
MnO2 was synthesised as a catalyst support material using a hydrothermal method. This involved reacting MnSO4⋅H2O and (NH4)2S2O8 at 120 °C for a range of crystallisation times, which affords control ...over the morphology and phase composition of the MnO2 formed. Gold was deposited on these supports using sol‐immobilisation, impregnation and deposition precipitation methods, and the resultant materials were used for the oxidation of benzyl alcohol and carbon monoxide. The effect of the support morphology on the dispersion of the gold nanoparticles and the consequent effect on the catalytic performance is described and discussed.
Shape selectivity: Different nanostructured MnO2 materials were prepared by adjusting the synthesis conditions. When used as a support for gold oxidation catalysts, it was found that α‐MnO2 spherical agglomerates performed the best in the liquid phase oxidation of benzyl alcohol, whereas β‐MnO2 nanowires performed better for gas‐phase CO oxidation (see figure).
The parallel updating scheme of RRAM-based analog neuromorphic systems based on sign stochastic gradient descent (SGD) can dramatically accelerate the training of neural networks. However, sign SGD ...can decrease accuracy. Also, some non-ideal factors of RRAM devices, such as intrinsic variations and the quantity of intermediate states, may significantly damage their convergence. In this paper, we analyzed the effects of these issues on the parallel updating scheme and found that it performed poorly on the task of MNIST recognition when the number of intermediate states was limited or the variation was too large. Thus, we propose a weighted synapse method to optimize the parallel updating scheme. Weighted synapses consist of major and minor synapses with different gain factors. Such a method can be widely used in RRAM-based analog neuromorphic systems to increase the number of equivalent intermediate states exponentially. The proposed method also generates a more suitable Δ
, diminishing the distortion caused by sign SGD. Unlike when several RRAM cells are combined to achieve higher resolution, there are no carry operations for weighted synapses, even if a saturation on the minor synapses occurs. The proposed method also simplifies the circuit overhead, rendering it highly suitable to the parallel updating scheme. With the aid of weighted synapses, convergence is highly optimized, and the error rate decreases significantly. Weighted synapses are also robust against the intrinsic variations of RRAM devices.
Resistance random access memory devices based on nanoscale diamondlike carbon (DLC) films are demonstrated. The devices exhibit excellent memory performances such as high on/off-resistance ratio (>; ...300), high switching speed ( <; 50 ns), low operation voltage ( <; 1.2 V), low switching power consumption ( <; 16 μW), nondestructive readout, and good reliability. Nanoscale graphitic filament formation and rupture alternately through the field-induced dielectric breakdown and thermal fuse effect, respectively, are proposed to be responsible for the resistance switching. The unipolar switching characteristics shown here suggest that DLC is one of the most promising material candidates for high-density and low-power nonvolatile memory applications.
To determine the clinical effects and complications of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) for portal hypertension due to cirrhosis.
Two hundred and eighty patients with portal ...hypertension due to cirrhosis who underwent TIPS were retrospectively evaluated. Portal trunk pressure was measured before and after surgery. The changes in hemodynamics and the condition of the stent were assessed by ultrasound and the esophageal and fundic veins observed endoscopically.
The success rate of TIPS was 99.3%. The portal trunk pressure was 26.8 ± 3.6 cmH2O after surgery and 46.5 ± 3.4 cmH2O before surgery (P < 0.01). The velocity of blood flow in the portal vein increased. The internal diameters of the portal and splenic veins were reduced. The short-term hemostasis rate was 100%. Esophageal varices disappeared completely in 68% of patients and were obviously reduced in 32%. Varices of the stomach fundus disappeared completely in 80% and were obviously reduced in 20% of patients. Ascites disappeared in 62%, were markedly reduced in 24%, but were still apparent in 14% of patients. The total effective rate of ascites reduction was 86%. Hydrothorax completely disappeared in 100% of patients. The incidence of post-operative stent stenosis was 24% at 12 mo and 34% at 24 mo. The incidence of post-operative hepatic encephalopathy was 12% at 3 mo, 17% at 6 mo and 19% at 12 mo. The incidence of post-operative recurrent hemorrhage was 9% at 12 mo, 19% at 24 mo and 35% at 36 mo. The cumulative survival rate was 86% at 12 mo, 81% at 24 mo, 75% at 36 mo, 57% at 48 mo and 45% at 60 mo.
TIPS can effectively lower portal hypertension due to cirrhosis. It is significantly effective for hemorrhage of the digestive tract due to rupture of esophageal and fundic veins and for ascites and hydrothorax caused by portal hypertension.
Plantation forests productivity is severely limited by the seasonal drought and fertilization practices in South China. Soil nutrient and water availability influence soil fungal community, ...functional group diversity and the variation of plant productivity; however, the effects of irrigation and fertilization on fungal responses have rarely been studied. Here, we investigate the responses of fungal community structure and functional groups in Eucalyptus plantation soils to short-term fertilization (F), dry-season irrigation (W), short-term fertilization combined with dry-season irrigation (FW), and control (CK) treatments for ten months. A higher proportion of Basidiomycota was observed in the irrigation and/or fertilization treatments; conversely, lower proportions of Ascomycota and Mucoromycotina were observed in the only irrigation and fertilization treatments. Higher soil carbon contents and symbiotroph fungi (mainly Ectomycorrhizas) proportion were detected in the FW treatment, while low proportions of saprophytic and pathogenic fungi were observed in the FW treatment when compared with those in other treatments. These results may indicate that Eucalyptus tree growth under irrigation and fertilization condition was better than under fertilization only, irrigation only, or neither management. The results highlight that short-term fertilization and dry-season irrigation can shift fungal community structure and functional groups by regulating available soil moisture and nutrients. They also provide a theoretical basis for the development of more appropriate management approaches in the early stages of forest plantation.
CD4+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) were recently implicated in immune-mediated inflammation and fibrosis progression of Graves' orbitopathy (GO). However, little is known about therapeutic targeting ...of CD4+ CTLs. Herein, we studied the effect of rapamycin, an approved mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) inhibitor, in a GO mouse model, in vitro, and in patients with refractory GO. In the adenovirus-induced model, rapamycin significantly decreased the incidence of GO. This was accompanied by the reduction of both CD4+ CTLs and the reduction of orbital inflammation, adipogenesis, and fibrosis. CD4+ CTLs from patients with active GO showed upregulation of the mTOR pathway, while rapamycin decreased their proportions and cytotoxic function. Low-dose rapamycin treatment substantially improved diplopia and the clinical activity score in steroid-refractory patients with GO. Single-cell RNA-Seq revealed that eye motility improvement was closely related to suppression of inflammation and chemotaxis in CD4+ CTLs. In conclusion, rapamycin is a promising treatment for CD4+ CTL-mediated inflammation and fibrosis in GO.
Vitamin D plays a critical role in the regulation of multiple physiological pathways. Vitamin D deficiency may be a risk factor for life-threatening clinical conditions. Several studies have found ...that vitamin D supplementation in critically ill patients improves prognosis. The purpose of this study was to determine the association between vitamin D and the prognosis of patients with acute respiratory failure (ARF).
In this retrospective cohort study, we collected clinical information of ARF patients from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV (MIMIC-IV) version 2.0 database. The outcome of this study was in-hospital mortality, intensive care unit (ICU) mortality. Patients were divided into the no-vitamin D and vitamin D groups according to whether they received supplementation or not. The correlation between vitamin D and outcome was examined using Kaplan-Meier (KM) survival curves, Cox proportional risk regression models and subgroup analyses. Propensity-score matching (PSM) was used to ensure the robustness of our findings.
The study finally included 7,994 patients with ARF, comprising 6,926 and 1,068 in the no-vitamin D and vitamin D groups, respectively. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve indicated a significant difference in survival probability between the two groups. After adjustment for a series of confounders, the multivariate Cox proportional hazards models showed that the hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) values for in-hospital and ICU mortality in the no-vitamin D group were 1.67 (1.45, 1.93) and 1.64 (1.36, 1.98), respectively. The results of propensity score-matched (PSM) analysis were consistent with the original population. In the subgroup analysis, Vitamin D supplementation was associated with lower in-hospital mortality in patients with higher clinical scores (SOFA score ≥ 8, OASIS ≥ 38).
Our study concluded that Vitamin D supplementation may reduce in-hospital and ICU mortality in patients with ARF in the ICU. There may be a beneficial effect on in-hospital mortality in patients with higher clinical scores. Additional randomized controlled trials are needed to follow up to confirm the relationship between vitamin D supplementation and ARF.
Recently, the excellent anti-pollution performance of superhydrophilic membrane has attracted much attention in the field of wastewater treatment and oil-water separationIn. At present, the widely ...used commercial membrane materials have good pore structure and mechanical properties, but most of the commercial membranes are hydrophobic, so a simple, environmentally friendly and universal method is urgently needed to change its hydrophobic membrane to superhydrophilic membrane. In this paper, tannic acid (TA, natural plant polyphenols) and polydopamine (PDA) were used to build an anti-stain coating. The synthesized hydrophilic polymer containing polyphenols crosslinks with the base layer through hydrogen bonding, π-π and Michael addition. After the modified PVDF membrane is moistened by water, the superhydrophilic polymer network on the surface binds the water to form a stable hydration layer, showing the superhydrophilic/underwater superhydrophobic properties. The wettability of the modified film in air and water was investigated. The contact Angle of the modified separation membrane prepared in this paper is more than 150°, and the separation efficiency exceeded 98%. The good flux and efficiency can be maintained after 5 cycles, and it is found that the membrane has a certain anti-protein adsorption capacity. The modified membrane has high separation flux and excellent reuse, and has great uses in other ways.
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