Abstract Debate continues regarding unilateral or bilateral treatment for mandibular condylar fractures. This retrospective study evaluates the functional outcomes of bilateral condylar process ...fractures after surgical intervention. From May 1994 to December 2004, 51 adult patients with bilateral mandibular condylar process fractures were studied. There were 33 cases of bilateral condylar fractures (type I); 12 cases of condylar–subcondylar fractures (type II); and six cases of bilateral subcondylar fractures (type III). All patients underwent open reduction and internal fixation. Four patients had chin deviation, six had malocclusion, three had poor chewing function and eight had limited mouth opening. Type I patients had a significantly higher incidence of limited mouth opening ( P = 0.039) and associated maxillary fractures ( n = 12) and psychiatric disease ( n = 6) which yielded significantly poor functional outcomes. Complications included transient facial paresis ( n = 4), fracture and loosening of postoperative plates ( n = 3) and surgical wound infections ( n = 2). Open reduction with rigid fixation for bilateral condylar fractures provided satisfactory functional outcomes in this study. Concomitant maxillary fractures and underlying psychiatric problems are poor outcome factors. Aggressive rehabilitation in the first 9 months is important for early functional recovery.
A polyaniline (PANI)/tin oxide (SnO₂) composite for a CO sensor was fabricated using a composite film composed of SnO₂ nanoparticles and PANI deposition in the present study. Tin oxide nanoparticles ...were synthesized by the sol-gel method. The SnO₂ nanoparticles provided a high surface area to significantly enhance the response to the change in CO concentration at low operating temperature (<75 °C). The excellent sensor response was mainly attributed to the relatively good properties of PANI in the redox reaction during sensing, which produced a great resistance difference between the air and CO gas at low operating temperature. Therefore, the combination of
-type SnO₂ nanoparticles with a high surface area and a thick film of conductive PANI is an effective strategy to design a high-performance CO gas sensor.
Implicit reward-based motor learning van Mastrigt, Nina M.; Tsay, Jonathan S.; Wang, Tianhe ...
Experimental brain research,
09/2023, Letnik:
241, Številka:
9
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Binary feedback, providing information solely about task success or failure, can be sufficient to drive motor learning. While binary feedback can induce explicit adjustments in movement strategy, it ...remains unclear if this type of feedback also induces implicit learning. We examined this question in a center-out reaching task by gradually moving an invisible reward zone away from a visual target to a final rotation of 7.5° or 25° in a between-group design. Participants received binary feedback, indicating if the movement intersected the reward zone. By the end of the training, both groups modified their reach angle by about 95% of the rotation. We quantified implicit learning by measuring performance in a subsequent no-feedback aftereffect phase, in which participants were told to forgo any adopted movement strategies and reach directly to the visual target. The results showed a small, but robust (2–3°) aftereffect in both groups, highlighting that binary feedback elicits implicit learning. Notably, for both groups, reaches to two flanking generalization targets were biased in the same direction as the aftereffect. This pattern is at odds with the hypothesis that implicit learning is a form of use-dependent learning. Rather, the results suggest that binary feedback can be sufficient to recalibrate a sensorimotor map.
Popular claims of virtual reality systems serving as ‘empathy machines’ often fail to consider (a) the cognitive mechanisms driving the effects of technological immersion on empathy and (b) the ...conceptualization of empathy as a multidimensional construct. More, recent research has yielded mixed empirical support. This study investigates how dimensions of psychological presence—perceived self-location, sense of copresence, and judgments of social realism—mediate the effect of immersion on cognitive, affective, and associative empathy. Findings indicate that experiencing a news story via 360° video on a head-mounted display led to stronger self-location and copresence than engaging with the same video via desktop or reading a text version. While only copresence increased cognitive empathy, both self-location and copresence facilitated affective empathy. Whereas self-location and copresence enhanced associative empathy, social realism decreased it. These results highlight the value of a multidimensional conceptualization of empathy in investigating the prosocial potential of immersive media.
The TP53 mutation is frequently detected in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients with complex karyotype (CK), but the stability of this mutation during the clinical course remains unclear. In this ...study, TP53 mutations were identified in 7% of 500 patients with de novo AML and 58.8% of patients with CK. TP53 mutations were closely associated with older age, lower white blood cell (WBC) and platelet counts, FAB M6 subtype, unfavorable-risk cytogenetics and CK, but negatively associated with NPM1 mutation, FLT3/ITD and DNMT3A mutation. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that TP53 mutation was an independent poor prognostic factor for overall survival and disease-free survival among the total cohort and the subgroup of patients with CK. A scoring system incorporating TP53 mutation and nine other prognostic factors, including age, WBC counts, cytogenetics and gene mutations, into survival analysis proved to be very useful to stratify AML patients. Sequential study of 420 samples showed that TP53 mutations were stable during AML evolution, whereas the mutation was acquired only in 1 of the 126 TP53 wild-type patients when therapy-related AML originated from different clone emerged. In conclusion, TP53 mutations are associated with distinct clinic-biological features and poor prognosis in de novo AML patients and are rather stable during disease progression.
A number of patient-specific and leukemia-associated factors are related to the poor outcome in older patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, comprehensive studies regarding the impact ...of genetic alterations in this group of patients are limited. In this study, we compared relevant mutations in 21 genes between AML patients aged 60 years or older and those younger and exposed their prognostic implications. Compared with the younger patients, the elderly had significantly higher incidences of PTPN11, NPM1, RUNX1, ASXL1, TET2, DNMT3A and TP53 mutations but a lower frequency of WT1 mutations. The older patients more frequently harbored one or more adverse genetic alterations. Multivariate analysis showed that DNMT3A and TP53 mutations were independent poor prognostic factors among the elderly, while NPM1 mutation in the absence of FLT3/ITD was an independent favorable prognostic factor. Furthermore, the status of mutations could well stratify older patients with intermediate-risk cytogenetics into three risk groups. In conclusion, older AML patients showed distinct genetic alterations from the younger group. Integration of cytogenetics and molecular mutations can better risk-stratify older AML patients. Development of novel therapies is needed to improve the outcome of older patients with poor prognosis under current treatment modalities.
Bismuth vanadate (BiVO4), W-doped BiVO4 (BiVO4:W), and Mo-doped BiVO4 (BiVO4:Mo) nanoparticles were synthesized at pH = 4 using a green hydrothermal method. The effects of 2 at% W or Mo doping on the ...microstructural and optical characteristics of as-prepared BiVO4 nanoparticles and the effect of combining particle morphology modification and impurity dopant incorporation on the visible-light-derived photocatalytic degradation of dilute Rhodamine B (RhB) solution are studied. XRD examination revealed that these obtained BiVO4-based nanoparticles had a highly crystalline and single monoclinic phase. SEM and TEM observations showed that impurity doping could modify the surface morphology, change the particle shape, and reduce the particle diameter to enlarge their specific surface area, increasing the reactive sites of the photocatalytic process. XPS and FL measurements indicated that W- and Mo-doped nanoparticles possessed higher concentrations of oxygen vacancies, which could promote the n-type semiconductor property. It was found that the BiVO4:W and BiVO4:Mo powder samples exhibited better photocatalytic activity for efficient RhB removal than that shown by pristine BiVO4 powder samples under visible light illumination. That feature can be ascribed to the larger surface area and improved concentration of photogenerated charge carriers of the former.
•Suramin inhibits the activity of chikungunya virus (CHIKV) replication and transcription complexes in vitro.•Suramin inhibits replication of CHIKV and other alphaviruses in cell culture.•Suramin ...inhibits CHIKV RNA synthesis and -even stronger-an early step in the CHIKV replication cycle, likely entry.•Testing of suramin-related compounds provided insight into the structure–activity relationship.
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-borne alphavirus that causes severe and often persistent arthritis. In recent years, millions of people have been infected with this virus for which registered antivirals are still lacking. Using our recently established in vitro assay, we discovered that the approved anti-parasitic drug suramin inhibits CHIKV RNA synthesis (IC50 of ∼5μM). The compound inhibited replication of various CHIKV isolates in cell culture with an EC50 of ∼80μM (CC50>5mM) and was also active against Sindbis virus and Semliki Forest virus. In vitro studies hinted that suramin interferes with (re)initiation of RNA synthesis, whereas time-of-addition studies suggested it to also interfere with a post-attachment early step in infection, possibly entry. CHIKV (nsP4) mutants resistant against favipiravir or ribavirin, which target the viral RNA polymerase, did not exhibit cross-resistance to suramin, suggesting a different mode of action. The assessment of the activity of a variety of suramin-related compounds in cell culture and the in vitro assay for RNA synthesis provided more insight into the moieties required for antiviral activity. The antiviral effect of suramin-containing liposomes was also analyzed. Its approved status makes it worthwhile to explore the use of suramin to prevent and/or treat CHIKV infections.
A MoS2/graphene hybrid (MSG) is synthesized by microwave hydrothermal method. Both of the charge transfer resistance and the photocurrent are tuned in graphene modified MoS2 by enhancing ...photocatalytic nature, where the charge transfer resistance significantly decreases from 36,000 Ω–8.49 Ω and the photocurrent promotes from 0.29 mA cm−2 to 16.47 mA cm−2. In this article, the result reveals that the appropriate modification of graphene can reach the maximum yield of hydrogen gas. In addition, the appropriate conditions, such as the concentration of 0.32 M formic acid and the MoS2 photocatalyst with 0.8 wt% graphene (MSG0.8) dose of 0.013 g L−1, can complete the outstanding photocatalytic hydrogen evolution, where the hydrogen evolution using MSG0.8 composite photocatalyst has the maximum yield of 667.2 μmol h−1 g−1.
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•Graphene modified MoS2 could tune the charge transfer resistance and the photo current as well.•Formic acid acts as electron donor to capture photogenerated holes to improve hydrogen production.•MSG0.8 has the maximum hydrogen evolution rate of 667.2 μmol h−1 g−1.
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