Background
Microsurgical bone reconstruction is challenging in cases of anterior maxillary defects because of the presence of residual teeth. The study analyzed the method and feasibility of using ...vascularized bone flaps to reconstruct anterior maxillary defects.
Methods
We retrospectively analyzed 15 patients treated at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Peking University School, and Hospital of Stomatology between November 2017 and January 2023.
Results
A total of 14 patients were successfully reconstructed using the digital technique: 6 deep circumflex iliac artery (DCIA) flaps and 8 fibular free flaps. Palatal and buccal pedicle paths were used in 4 and 10 cases, respectively, for vascular anastomosis. The implant coverage rates of the DCIA and fibular free flaps were 87.2% and 92.6%, respectively (p > 0.05).
Conclusion
Anterior maxillary defects reconstructed with the DCIA and fibular free flaps are reliable methods. Furthermore, the palatal and buccal paths are recommended for vascular anastomosis.
Fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor has been considered as a reliable sensor for health monitoring of structural and geotechnical projects. Various types of FBG based sensors have been proposed in past ...few decades and employed for health monitoring of many geotechnical structures. This paper presents an overview of the recent development and application of FBG based sensors for health monitoring of several key geotechnical structures, including soil nail systems, slopes, and piles. Different sensor design, implementation and packaging methods, advantages and limitations of using FBG based sensors in different projects are reviewed. Comparative analysis of using two mathematical methods for the prediction of ground movement using FBG sensor data are also carried out. The two typical mathematical methods include Finite Difference Method (FDM) and Numerical Integration method (NIM). Possible technical challenges of applying FBG sensors for geotechnical monitoring are discussed.
The design of efficient and sustainable Pt‐based catalysts is the key to the development of direct methanol fuel cells. However, most Pt‐based catalysts still exhibit disadvantages including ...unsatisfied catalytic activity and serious CO poisoning in the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR). Herein, highly porous PtAg nanoflowers (NFs) with rich defects are synthesized by using liquid reduction combining chemical etching. It is demonstrated that the proportion of precursors determines the inhomogeneity of alloy elements, and the strong corrosiveness of nitric acid to silver leads to the eventual porous flower‐like structure. Impressively, the optimal etched Pt1Ag2 NFs have the mixed defects of surface steps, dislocations, and bulk holes, and their mass activity (1136 mA mgPt−1) is 2.6 times higher than that of commercial Pt/C catalysts, while the ratio of forward and backward peak current density (If/Ib) can reach 3.2, exhibiting an excellent anti‐poisoning ability. Density functional theory calculations further verify their high anti‐poison properties from both an adsorption and an oxidation perspective of CO intermediate. The introduction of Ag makes it easier for CO to be oxidized and removed. This study provides a facile approach to prepare rich defects and porous alloy with excellent MOR performance and superior anti‐poisoning ability.
Highly porous E‐PtAg nanoflowers (NFs)/C with rich defects are synthesized by combing liquid reduction and chemical etching. The optimal E‐Pt1Ag2 NFs/C with the mixed defects of surface steps, dislocations, and bulk holes exhibit excellent catalytic activity and superior anti‐CO poisoning ability for the methanol oxidation reaction, demonstrating an effective strategy to enhance the properties of the alloy electrocatalysts.
We propose a new concept exploiting thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) molecules as photosensitizers, storage units and signal transducers to harness solar thermal energy. Molecular ...composites based on the TADF core phenoxazine-triphenyltriazine (PXZ-TRZ) anchored with norbornadiene (NBD) were synthesized, yielding compounds PZDN and PZTN with two and four NBD units, respectively. Upon visible-light excitation, energy transfer to the triplet state of NBD occurred, followed by NBD → quadricyclane (QC) conversion, which can be monitored by changes in steady-state or time-resolved spectra. The small S
-T
energy gap was found to be advantageous in optimizing the solar excitation wavelength. Upon tuning the molecule's triplet state energy lower than that of NBD (61 kcal/mol), as achieved by another composite PZQN, the efficiency of the NBD → QC conversion decreased drastically. Upon catalysis, the reverse QC → NBD reaction occurred at room temperature, converting the stored chemical energy back to heat with excellent reversibility.
In this paper, we propose an approach to realize substrate integrated waveguide (SIW)-based leaky-wave antennas (LWAs) supporting continuous beam scanning from backward to forward above the cutoff ...frequency. First, through phase delay analysis, it was found that SIWs with straight transverse slots support backward and forward radiation of the -1-order mode with an open-stopband (OSB) in between. Subsequently, by introducing additional longitudinal slots as parallel components, the OSB can be suppressed, leading to continuous beam scanning at least from -40° through broadside to 35°. The proposed method only requires a planar structure and obtains less dispersive beam scanning compared with a composite right/left-handed (CRLH) LWA. Both simulations and measurements verify the intended beam scanning operation while verifying the underlying theory.
An iron oxychloride (FeOCl) catalyst was developed for oxidative degradation of persistent organic compounds in aqueous solutions. Exceptionally high activity for the production of hydroxyl radical ...(OH·) by H2O2 decomposition was achieved, being 2-4 orders of magnitudes greater than that over other Fe-based heterogeneous catalysts. The relationship of catalyst structure and performance has been established by using multitechniques, such as XRD, HRTEM, and EPR. The unique structural configuration of iron atoms and the reducible electronic properties of FeOCl are responsible for the excellent activity. This study paves the way toward the rational design of relevant catalysts for applications, such as wastewater treatment, soil remediation, and other emerging environmental problems.
Enhancing the catalytic activity of Pt‐based alloy by a rational structural design is the key to addressing the sluggish kinetics of direct alcohol fuel cells. Herein, a facile one‐pot method is ...reported to synthesize PtCuRu nanoflowers (NFs). The synergetic effect among Pt, Cu, and Ru can lower the d‐band center of Pt, regulate the morphology, generate Ru‐rich edge, and allow the exposure of more high index facets. The optimized Pt0.68Cu0.18Ru0.14 NFs exhibit outstanding electrocatalytic performances and excellent anti‐poisoning abilities. The specific activities for the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) (7.65 mA cm−2) and ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) (7.90 mA cm−2) are 6.0 and 7.1 times higher than commercial Pt/C, respectively. The CO stripping experiment and the chronoamperometric (5000 s) demonstrate the superior anti‐poisoning property and durability performance. Density functional theory calculations confirm that high metallization degree leads to the decrease of d‐band center, the promotion of oxidation of CO, and improvement of the inherent activity and anti‐poisoning ability. A Ru‐rich edge exposes abundant high index facets to accelerate the reaction kinetics of rate‐determining steps by decreasing the energy barrier for forming *HCOOH (MOR) and CC bond breaking (EOR).
The PtCuRu nanoflowers (NFs) with different morphology are determined by the amount of Ru. The optimized Pt0.68Cu0.18Ru0.14 NFs with Ru‐rich edge and high‐index facets exhibit outstanding catalytic activity and stability for both the methanol and ethanol oxidation reaction, providing the feasibility of designing ternary alloy bifunctional catalyst for the construction of high‐performance direct alcohol fuel cells.
Mitochondrial dysfunction is considered as a key mediator in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Therapeutic strategies targeting mitochondrial dysfunction hold considerable promise for ...the treatment of DN. In this study, we investigated the role of progranulin (PGRN), a secreted glycoprotein, in mediating mitochondrial homeostasis and its therapeutic potential in DN. We found that the level of PGRN was significantly reduced in the kidney from STZ-induced diabetic mice and patients with biopsy-proven DN compared with healthy controls. In DN model, PGRN-deficient mice aggravated podocyte injury and proteinuria versus wild-type mice. Functionally, PGRN deficiency exacerbated mitochondrial damage and dysfunction in podocytes from diabetic mice. In vitro, treatment with recombinant human PGRN (rPGRN) attenuated high glucose-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in podocytes accompanied by enhanced mitochondrial biogenesis and mitophagy. Inhibition of mitophagy disturbed the protective effects of PGRN in high glucose-induced podocytotoxicity. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that PGRN maintained mitochondrial homeostasis via PGRN-Sirt1-PGC-1α/FoxO1 signaling-mediated mitochondrial biogenesis and mitophagy. Finally, we provided direct evidence for therapeutic potential of PGRN in mice with DN. This study provides new insights into the novel role of PGRN in maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis, suggesting that PGRN may be an innovative therapeutic strategy for treating patients with DN.
Royal jelly (RJ), a hive product with versatile pharmacological activities, has been used as a traditional functional food to prevent or treat inflammatory diseases. However, little is known about ...the anti-inflammatory effect of RJ in microglial cells. The aim of this study is to assess the anti-inflammatory effects of RJ in lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) induced murine immortalized BV-2 cells and to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms. Our results showed that in LPS-stimulated BV-2 cells, RJ significantly inhibited iNOS and COX-2 expression at mRNA and protein levels. The mRNA expression of IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α was also downregulated by RJ in a concentration-dependent manner. Additionally, RJ protected BV-2 cells against oxidative stress by upregulating heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression and by reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) production. Mechanistically, we found that RJ could alleviate inflammatory response in microglia by suppressing the phosphorylation of IκBα, p38, and JNK and by inhibiting the nucleus translocation of NF-κB p65. These findings suggest that RJ might be a promising functional food to delay inflammatory progress by influencing the microglia function.
Surface plasmon resonances (SPRs) have been found to promote chemical reactions. In most oxidative chemical reactions oxygen molecules participate and understanding of the activation mechanism of ...oxygen molecules is highly important. For this purpose, we applied surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) to find out the mechanism of SPR‐assisted activation of oxygen, by using p‐aminothiophenol (PATP), which undergoes a SPR‐assisted selective oxidation, as a probe molecule. In this way, SPR has the dual function of activating the chemical reaction and enhancing the Raman signal of surface species. Both experiments and DFT calculations reveal that oxygen molecules were activated by accepting an electron from a metal nanoparticle under the excitation of SPR to form a strongly adsorbed oxygen molecule anion. The anion was then transformed to Au or Ag oxides or hydroxides on the surface to oxidize the surface species, which was also supported by the heating effect of the SPR. This work points to a promising new era of SPR‐assisted catalytic reactions.
Plasmon‐assisted reactions: Surface plasmon resonances (SPRs) support the activation of oxygen to yield metallic oxides and hydroxides on surfaces of Au and Ag nanoparticles, which selectively oxidize molecular species on the surface by laser light illumination. The electron donation to oxygen as well as a local heating effect in the presence of SPRs account for the activation of oxygen.
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