Tunable High-Performance Electromagnetic Interference Shielding of VO2 Nanowires-Based Composite

The unique metal-insulator transition of VO2 is very suitable for dynamic electromagnetic (EM) regulation materials due to its sharp change in electrical conductivity. Here, we have developed an off/on switchable electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding composite by interconnecting VO2 nanowires (NWs) in poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) to form conductive networks, resulting in outstanding performance at the X and Ku bands with maximum change values of 44.8 and 59.4 dB, respectively. The unique insulator-to-metal transition (IMT) of VO2 NWs has dominated the variation of polarization loss (εp″) and conductivity loss (εσ″) for the composites, which is the mechanism of EMI shielding switching between off and on states. Furthermore, the composite exhibits good cycling stability of the off/on switchable EMI shielding performance and has excellent mechanical properties, especially with 200 times abrasion resistance without obvious weight loss. This study provides a unique approach for dynamic switching of EM response with the potential to construct practical intelligent EM response systems for next-generation smart electromagnetic devices in various scenarios.

[Effect and mechanism of human adipose-derived stem cell exosomes on diabetic peripheral neuropathy]

Objective: To investigate the changes of artemin protein expression in diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) and to explore the regulatory effect of human adipose-derived stem cell (ADSC) exosomes on the change of artemin protein expression. Methods: This research was a prospective observational clinical research combined with experimental research. Thirteen DPN patients (9 males and 4 females, aged 32 to 68 years) who were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University (hereinafter referred to as our hospital) from May 2022 to October 2023 and met the inclusion criteria were selected as DPN group, and 5 non-diabetes patients (4 males and 1 female, aged 29 to 61 years) who were admitted to our hospital in the same period of time and met the inclusion criteria were selected as control group. The toe nerve or sural nerve tissue in the abandoned tissue after debridement or amputation of patients in the two groups was collected. The pathological changes of nerve tissue were observed after hematoxylin-eosin staining; the protein expressions of S100β and artemin in nerve tissue were observed after immunofluorescence staining, and the artemin protein expression was quantified; the protein and mRNA expressions of artemin were detected by Western blotting and real-time fluorescent quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, respectively (the sample number in DPN group and control group was 13 and 5, respectively). Twelve male C57BL/6 mice aged 3 to 5 days were collected to isolate Schwann cells, and the cells were divided into conventional culture group cultured routinely, high glucose alone group (cultured with high concentration of glucose solution only), and high glucose+exosome group (cultured with high concentration of glucose solution and extracted human ADSC exosomes). After 24 hours of culture, the cell proliferation activity was detected by cell counting kit 8 (n=6). After 48 hours of culture, the protein expression of artemin was detected by Western blotting (n=3). Results: Compared with those in control group, the neural supporting cells decreased and the inflammatory cells increased in the nerve tissue of patients in DPN group, showing typical manifestations of nerve injury. Immunofluorescence staining showed that compared with those in control group, the nuclei was more, and the protein expression of S100β was lower in nerve tissue of patients in DPN group. The protein expression of artemin in nerve tissue of patients in DPN group was 71±31, which was significantly lower than 1 729±62 in control group (t=76.92, P<0.05). Western blotting detection showed that the protein expression of artemin in nerve tissue of patients in DPN group was 0.74±0.08, which was significantly lower than 0.97±0.06 in control group (t=5.49, P<0.05). The artemin mRNA expression in nerve tissue of patients in DPN group was significantly lower than that in control group (t=7.65, P<0.05). After 24 hours of culture, compared with that in conventional culture group, the proliferation activities of Schwann cells in high glucose alone group and high glucose+exosome group were significantly decreased (P<0.05); compared with that in high glucose alone group, the proliferation activity of Schwann cells in high glucose+exosome group was significantly increased (P<0.05). After 48 hours of culture, compared with those in conventional culture group, the protein expressions of artemin of Schwann cells in high glucose alone group and high glucose+exosome group were significantly decreased (P<0.05); compared with that in high glucose alone group, the protein expression of artemin of Schwann cells in high glucose+exosome group was significantly increased (P<0.05). Conclusions: The protein expression of artemin in nerve tissue of DPN patients is lower than that in normal nerve tissue, which may be related to the reduction of proliferation activity of Schwann cells by high glucose. Human ADSC exosomes may improve the proliferation activity of Schwann cells by increasing artemin protein expression, thereby delaying the progression of DPN.

[Influences and mechanism of extracellular vesicles from dermal papilla cells of mice on human hypertrophic scar fibroblasts]

Objective: To investigate the influences and mechanism of extracellular vesicles from dermal papilla cells (DPC-EVs) of mice on human hypertrophic scar fibroblasts (HSFs). Methods: The study was an experimental research. The primary dermal papilla cells (DPCs) of whiskers were extracted from 10 6-week-old male C57BL/6J mice and identified successfully. The DPC-EVs were extracted from the 3rd to 5th passage DPCs by ultracentrifugation, and the morphology was observed through transmission electron microscope and the particle diameter was detected by nanoparticle tracking analyzer (n=3) at 24 h after culture. The 3rd passage of HSFs were divided into DPC-EV group and phosphate buffer solution (PBS) group, which were cultured with DPC-EVs and PBS, respectively. The cell scratch test was performed and cell migration rate at 24 h after scratching was calculated (n=5). The cell proliferation levels at 0 (after 12 h of starvation treatment and before adding DPC-EVs or PBS), 24, 48, 72, and 96 h after culture were detected by using cell counting kit 8 (n=4). The protein expressions of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and collagen typeⅠ (ColⅠ) in cells at 24 h after culture were detected by immunofluorescence method and Western blotting, and the protein expression of Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) in cells at 24 h after culture was detected by Western blotting. After the 3rd passage of HSFs were cultured with DPC-EVs for 24 h, the cells were divided into blank control group, KLF4 knockdown group, and KLF4 overexpression group according to the random number table. The cells in blank control group were only routinely cultured for 48 h. The cells in KLF4 knockdown group and KLF4 overexpression group were incubated with KLF4 knockdown virus for 24 h, then the cells in KLF4 knockdown group were routinely cultured for 24 h while the cells in KLF4 overexpression group were incubated with KLF4 overexpression virus for 24 h. The protein expressions of KLF4, α-SMA, and ColⅠ in cells were detected by Western blotting at 48 h after culture. Results: At 24 h after culture, the extracted DPC-EVs showed vesicular structure with an average particle diameter of 108.8 nm. At 24 h after scratching, the migration rate of HSFs in PBS group was (54±10)%, which was significantly higher than (29±8)% in DPC-EV group (t=4.37, P<0.05). At 48, 72, and 96 h after culture, the proliferation levels of HSFs in DPC-EV group were significantly lower than those in PBS group (with t values of 4.06, 5.76, and 6.41, respectively, P<0.05). At 24 h after culture, the protein expressions of α-SMA and ColⅠ of HSFs in DPC-EV group were significantly lower than those in PBS group, while the protein expression of KLF4 was significantly higher than that in PBS group. At 48 h after culture, compared with those in blank control group, the protein expression of KLF4 of HSFs in KLF4 knockdown group was down-regulated, while the protein expressions of α-SMA and ColⅠ were both up-regulated; compared with those in KLF4 knockdown group, the protein expression of KLF4 of HSFs in KLF4 overexpression group was up-regulated, while the protein expressions of ColⅠ and α-SMA were down-regulated. Conclusions: The DPC-EVs of mice can inhibit the proliferation and migration of human HSFs and significantly inhibit the expressions of fibrosis markers α-SMA and ColⅠ in human HSFs by activating KLF4.

Unprecedented Spatial Manipulation and Transformation of Dynamic Thermal Radiation Based on Vanadium Dioxide

Reconfigurable infrared (IR) materials have widespread applications in thermal management and smart IR concealment. Although various reconfigurable IR materials can be customized by positive or negative differential VO2-based resonators, their insightful mechanism remains unknown. Here, we comprehensively investigate the fundamental design rule of reconfigurable thermal radiation between positive and negative differential thermal radiation properties for the first time. Importantly, the skin depth of VO2 film in the metal state is investigated to clarify the transformation from positive to negative differential thermal radiation properties, and the critical thickness is further derived, providing important guidance in designing the reconfigurable thermal radiation regulator. Furthermore, the reconfigurable multistate thermal images had been presented into one plate. The resulting emittance variation (△ε8-14 μm) of the VO2-based resonator can change from 0.61 to -0.53, which consummates the ability for diverse demands such as infrared concealment, thermal illusion, and thermal management. This work constitutes a promising and universal route toward designing whole smart devices and may create new scientific and technological opportunities for platforms that can benefit from reconfigurable electromagnetic manipulation.

[Pay attention to the prevention and treatment of deep sternal wound infection after sternotomy]

Deep sternal wound infection (DSWI) is one of the potential and catastrophic complications after cardiac surgery. Despite the use of smaller incisions, routine application of prophylactic antibiotic and optimized blood glucose management, the incidence rate of DSWI still fluctuates between 1% and 5%. The early symptoms and signs of DSWI are not often obvious, making it too late for the clinicians to intervene in the process. Once left untreated, DSWI carries a very high mortality rate. Therefore, early prevention, diagnosis, and appropriate management of DSWI are crucial in preventing its progression to life-threatening outcomes. Considering the clinical severity and treatment complexity of DSWI, this article focuses on preventive experiences in each stage of DSWI, and reconstructive strategies after DSWI happens, raising attention among the medical community regarding DSWI.

[Perioperative management of wounds associated with secondary sternal osteomyelitis and/or mediastinitis after sternotomy and its clinical effects]

Objective: To investigate the perioperative management of wounds associated with secondary sternal osteomyelitis and/or mediastinitis after sternotomy, and to evaluate its clinical effects. Methods: This study was a retrospective observational study. From January 2017 to December 2022, 36 patients with wounds associated with secondary sternal osteomyelitis and/or mediastinitis after sternotomy who were conformed to the inclusion criteria were admitted to the Burn Center of PLA of the First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University, including 23 males and 13 females, aged 25 to 81 years. Preparation for surgery was made. For patients with suspected retrosternal mediastinal abscess cavity, all cancellous bone of the unhealed sternum was bitten off to fully expose the retrosternal mediastinum, remove the source of infection and granulation tissue, and to fill the sternum defect with flipped unilateral pectoralis major muscle. For patients who had no retrosternal mediastinal infection but had fresh granulation tissue in unhealed sternal wounds, the necrotic tissue and a small amount of necrotic sternum were palliatively removed, and bilateral pectoralis major muscles were advanced and abutted to cover the sternal defect. After the skin in the donor area was closed by tension-relieving suture, continuous vacuum sealing drainage was performed, and continuous even infusion and lavage were added 24 hours later. The thorax was fixed with an armor-like chest strap, the patients were guided to breathe abdominally, with both upper limbs fixed to the lateral chest wall using a surgical restraint strap. The bacterial culture results of wound exudation specimens on admission were recorded. The wound condition observed during operation, debridement method, muscle flap covering method, intraoperative bleeding volume, days of postoperative infusion and lavage, lavage solution volume and changes on each day, and postoperative complications and wound healing time were recorded. After discharge, the wound healing quality, thorax shape, and mobility functions of thorax and both upper limbs were evaluated during follow-up. The stability and closure of sternum were observed by computed tomography (CT) reexamination. Results: On admission, among 36 patients, 33 cases were positive and 3 cases were negative in bacterial culture results of wound exudation specimens. Intraoperative observation showed that 26 patients had no retrosternal mediastinal infection but had fresh granulation tissue in unhealed sternal wounds, palliative debridement was performed and bilateral pectoralis major muscles were advanced and abutted to cover the defect. In 10 patients with suspected retrosternal mediastinal abscess cavity, the local sternum was completely removed by bite and the defect was covered using flipped unilateral pectoralis major muscle. During the operation, one patient experienced an innominate vein rupture and bleeding of approximately 3 000 mL during mediastinal exploration, and the remaining patients experienced bleeding of 100-1 000 mL. Postoperative infusion and lavage were performed for 4-7 days, with a lavage solution volume of 3 500-4 500 mL/d. The lavage solution gradually changed from dark red to light red and finally clear. Except for 1 patient who had suture rupture caused by lifting the patient under the armpit during nursing on the 3rd day after surgery, the wounds of the other patients healed smoothly after surgery, and the wound healing time of all patients was 7-21 days. Follow-up for 3 to 9 months after discharge showed that the patient who had suture rupture caused by armpit lifting died due to multiple organ failure. In 1 patient, the armor-like chest strap was removed 2 weeks after surgery, and the shoulder joint movement was not restricted, resulting in local rupture of the suture, which healed after dressing change. The wounds of the remaining patients healed well, and they resumed their daily life. The local skin of patient's pectoralis major muscle defect was slightly sunken and lower than that of the contralateral thorax in the patients undergoing treatment of pectoralis major muscle inversion, while no obvious thoracic deformity was observed in patients undergoing treatment with pectoralis major muscle propulsion and abutment. The chest and upper limb movement in all patients were slightly limited or normal. CT reexamination results of 10 patients showed that the sternum was stable, the local sternum was closed or covered completely with no lacuna or defects. Conclusions: Once the wound associated with secondary sternal osteomyelitis and/or mediastinitis after sternotomy is formed, individualized and precise debridement should be performed as soon as possible, different transfer ways of pectoralis major muscle flap should be chosen to cover the defect, and postoperative continuous infusion and lavage together with strict thorax and shoulder joint restraint and immobilization should be performed. This treatment strategy can ensure good wound healing without affecting the shape and function of the donor area.

γ-Secretase inhibitor alleviates lipopolysaccharide-induced myocardial injury through regulating JAK2/STAT3 signaling

BACKGROUND

Septic myocardial injury is one of the most life-threatening organ dysfunction. The γ-secretase-based approaches have been developed as potential strategies for diverse diseases management. Unfortunately, the role of γ-secretase inhibitor in septic myocardial injury is unclarified. The present study aims to investigate the effect of γ-secretase inhibitor in septic myocardial injury and reveal its mechanism.

METHODS

The mouse model of septic myocardial injury was established by intraperitoneally injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and γ-secretase inhibitor MW167 was applied in this model. RNA-sequencing analysis and further bioinformatics analyses were used to screen differential expressed genes (DEGs) and potentially enriched pathways between LPS and LPS + MW167 mice. Pathological examination was performed using haematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining. SD-1029 was used to block JAK2/STAT3 signaling in H9C2 cells and western blot analysis quantified JAK2/STAT3-related proteins.

RESULTS

LPS induced myocardial injury accompanied with significant inflammatory infiltration and more apoptotic cells. Transcriptome sequencing screened 36 DEGs and bioinformatics identified JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway was significantly enriched. Further in vitro experiments showed that γ-secretase inhibitor MW167 activated JAK2/STAT3 pathway. Additionally, MW167 restored cell viability, decreased myocardial injury markers including cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), inhibited pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and reduced nitric oxide (NO), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) release. Application of SD-1029 reversely deteriorated LPS-induced myocardial injury and inflammatory response in γ-secretase inhibitor-treated myocardial cells.

CONCLUSION

The results demonstrate that γ-secretase inhibitor alleviates septic myocardial injury via activating JAK2/STAT3 signaling, and provide novel therapeutic direction for septic myocardial injury.

Effects of direct-fed microbial supplementation on performance and immune parameters of lactating dairy cows

We evaluated the effects of supplementing bacterial direct-fed microbial (DFM) on performance, apparent total-tract digestibility, rumen fermentation, and immune parameters of lactating dairy cows. One hundred fourteen multiparous Holstein cows (41 ± 7 DIM) were used in a randomized complete block design with an experiment comprising 14 d of a covariate (pre-experimental sample and data collection) and 91 d of an experimental period. Cows were blocked based on energy-corrected milk (ECM) yield during the covariate period and the following treatments were randomly assigned within each block: (1) control (CON), corn silage-based total mixed ration without DFM; (2) PRO-A, basal diet top-dressed with a mixture of Lactobacillus animalis and Propionibacterium freudenreichii at 3 × 109 cfu/d; and 3) PRO-B, basal diet top-dressed with a mixture of L. animalis, P. freudenreichii, Bacillus subtilis, and Bacillus licheniformis at 11.8 × 109 cfu/d. Milk yield, dry matter intake (DMI), and body weight were measured daily, while milk samples for component analysis were taken on 2 consecutive days of each week of data collection. Feces, urine, rumen, and blood samples were taken during the covariate period, wk 4, 7, 10, and 13 for estimation of digestibility, N-partitioning, rumen fermentation, plasma nutrient status and immune parameters. Treatments had no effect on DMI and milk yield. Fat-corrected milk (3.5% FCM) and milk fat yield were improved with PRO-B, while milk fat percent and feed efficiency (ECM/DMI) tended to increase with PRO-B compared with PRO-A and CON. Crude fat digestibility was greater with PRO-B compared with CON. Feeding CON and PRO-A resulted in higher total volatile fatty acid concentration relative to PRO-B. Percentage of neutrophils tended to be reduced with PRO-A compared with CON and PRO-B. The mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of anti-CD44 antibody on granulocytes tended to be higher in PRO-B compared with CON. The MFI of anti-CD62L antibody on CD8+ T cells was lower in PRO-A than PRO-B, with PRO-A also showing a tendency to be lower than CON. This study indicates the potential of DFM to improve fat digestibility with consequential improvement in fat corrected milk yield, feed efficiency and milk fat yield by lactating dairy cows. The study findings also indicate that dietary supplementation with DFM may augment immune parameters or activation of immune cells, including granulocytes and T cells; however, the overall effects on immune parameters are inconclusive.

Genome-wide CRISPR off-target prediction and optimization using RNA-DNA interaction fingerprints

The powerful CRISPR genome editing system is hindered by its off-target effects, and existing computational tools achieved limited performance in genome-wide off-target prediction due to the lack of deep understanding of the CRISPR molecular mechanism. In this study, we propose to incorporate molecular dynamics (MD) simulations in the computational analysis of CRISPR system, and present CRISOT, an integrated tool suite containing four related modules, i.e., CRISOT-FP, CRISOT-Score, CRISOT-Spec, CRISORT-Opti for RNA-DNA molecular interaction fingerprint generation, genome-wide CRISPR off-target prediction, sgRNA specificity evaluation and sgRNA optimization of Cas9 system respectively. Our comprehensive computational and experimental tests reveal that CRISOT outperforms existing tools with extensive in silico validations and proof-of-concept experimental validations. In addition, CRISOT shows potential in accurately predicting off-target effects of the base editors and prime editors, indicating that the derived RNA-DNA molecular interaction fingerprint captures the underlying mechanisms of RNA-DNA interaction among distinct CRISPR systems. Collectively, CRISOT provides an efficient and generalizable framework for genome-wide CRISPR off-target prediction, evaluation and sgRNA optimization for improved targeting specificity in CRISPR genome editing.

A Ferroptosis Microneedle Integrated Wireless Implanted Photodynamic Therapy Pellet for Cancer Treatment

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Effective, non-toxic, and targeted induction of lung cancer cell death is urgently needed. The goal of this research is to create a new implantable battery-free therapeutic pellet with integrated drug microneedles that allows for wireless photodynamic therapy (PDT) and targeted release of a ferroptosis inducer (Imidazole ketone erastin, IKE) into tumor tissue.

MATERIALS/METHODS

A wireless power unit, μ-LED illuminant, a flexible control circuit, and an IKE-stored biodegradable microneedle enclosed in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) were all built into an integrated therapeutic pellet. Lung cancer cells were used to illustrate the in vitro viability and molecular biological processes of this system. Therapeutic pellet implanted into the LLC xenograft C57BL/6 model. PDT was conducted by 660 nm laser irradiation after injecting a photosensitizer (Chlorin e6, Ce6) and targeted IKE released into the tumor. Systematically analyzing the therapeutic effects on lung cancer and toxic side-effects.

RESULTS

The PDT-IKE group reduced cellular viability by 90% compared to the control group at the cellular level. In mouse model studies, the PDT-IKE group suppressed tumors at 78.8%, three or four times greater than the PDT (26.6%) or IKE (19.2%) group alone. The PDT-IKE group also controlled IKE release more precisely with heated electrodes, reducing nephrotoxicity and improving safety. Moreover, the combination of PDT and IKE can effectively cause ferroptosis in tumor cells, both in vivo and in vitro.

CONCLUSION

A new implantable battery-free therapeutic pellet was designed for wireless PDT with integrated IKE microneedles to induce obvious ferroptosis in lung cancer. The proposed pellet would provide a promising strategy for cancer treatment.

A Novel Silicon Forward-Biased PIN Mach-Zehnder Modulator with Two Operating States

In this paper, we demonstrate a silicon forward-biased positive intrinsic negative (PIN) Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM), which has two operating states of high efficiency and high speed. The two operating states are switched by changing the position where the electric signal is loaded. The modulator incorporates a PIN phase shifter integrated with the passive resistance and capacitance (RC) equalizer (PIN-RC), which expands the electro-optic (E-O) bandwidth by equalizing it with modulation efficiency. The fabricated modulator exhibits a low insertion loss of 1.29 dB in two operating states and a compact design with a phase shifter length of 500 μm. The modulation efficiencies are 0.0088 V·cm and 1.43 V·cm, and the corresponding 3 dB E-O bandwidths are 200 MHz and 7 GHz, respectively. The high-speed modulation performance of the modulator is confirmed by non-return-to-zero (NRZ) modulation with a data rate of 15 Gbps without any pre-emphasis or post-processing. The presented modulator shows functional flexibility, low insertion loss, and a compact footprint, and it can be suitable for applications like optical switch arrays and analog signal processing.

First Dark Matter Search with Nuclear Recoils from the XENONnT Experiment

We report on the first search for nuclear recoils from dark matter in the form of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) with the XENONnT experiment, which is based on a two-phase time projection chamber with a sensitive liquid xenon mass of 5.9 ton. During the (1.09±0.03)  ton yr exposure used for this search, the intrinsic ^{85}Kr and ^{222}Rn concentrations in the liquid target are reduced to unprecedentedly low levels, giving an electronic recoil background rate of (15.8±1.3)  events/ton yr keV in the region of interest. A blind analysis of nuclear recoil events with energies between 3.3 and 60.5 keV finds no significant excess. This leads to a minimum upper limit on the spin-independent WIMP-nucleon cross section of 2.58×10^{-47}  cm^{2} for a WIMP mass of 28  GeV/c^{2} at 90% confidence level. Limits for spin-dependent interactions are also provided. Both the limit and the sensitivity for the full range of WIMP masses analyzed here improve on previous results obtained with the XENON1T experiment for the same exposure.

Silicon nitride assisted tri-layer edge coupler on lithium niobate-on-insulator platform

Lithium niobate-on-insulator (LNOI) is a promising integration platform for various applications, such as optical communication, microwave photonics, and nonlinear optics. To make Lithium niobate (LN) photonic integrated circuits (PICs) more practical, low-loss fiber-chip coupling is essential. In this Letter, we propose and experimentally demonstrate a silicon nitride (SiN) assisted tri-layer edge coupler on LNOI platform. The edge coupler consists of a bilayer LN taper and an interlayer coupling structure composed of an 80 nm-thick SiN waveguide and an LN strip waveguide. The measured fiber-chip coupling loss for the TE mode is 0.75 dB/facet at 1550 nm. Transition loss between the SiN waveguide and LN strip waveguide is ∼0.15 dB. In addition, the fabrication tolerance of the SiN waveguide in the tri-layer edge coupler is high.

Searching for Heavy Dark Matter near the Planck Mass with XENON1T

Multiple viable theoretical models predict heavy dark matter particles with a mass close to the Planck mass, a range relatively unexplored by current experimental measurements. We use 219.4 days of data collected with the XENON1T experiment to conduct a blind search for signals from multiply interacting massive particles (MIMPs). Their unique track signature allows a targeted analysis with only 0.05 expected background events from muons. Following unblinding, we observe no signal candidate events. This Letter places strong constraints on spin-independent interactions of dark matter particles with a mass between 1×10^{12} and 2×10^{17}  GeV/c^{2}. In addition, we present the first exclusion limits on spin-dependent MIMP-neutron and MIMP-proton cross sections for dark matter particles with masses close to the Planck scale.

HOCl Rapidly Kills Corona, Flu, and Herpes to Prevent Aerosol Spread

The COVID-19 pandemic has escalated the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the dental practice, especially as droplet-aerosol particles are generated by high-speed instruments. This has heightened awareness of other orally transmitted viruses, including influenza and herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV1), which are capable of threatening life and impairing health. While current disinfection procedures commonly use surface wipe-downs to reduce viral transmission, they are not fully effective. Consequently, this provides the opportunity for a spectrum of emitted viruses to reside airborne for hours and upon surfaces for days. The objective of this study was to develop an experimental platform to identify a safe and effective virucide with the ability to rapidly destroy oral viruses transported within droplets and aerosols. Our test method employed mixing viruses and virucides in a fine-mist bottle atomizer to mimic the generation of oral droplet-aerosols. The results revealed that human betacoronavirus OC43 (related to SARS-CoV-2), human influenza virus (H1N1), and HSV1 from atomizer-produced droplet-aerosols were each fully destroyed by only 100 ppm of hypochlorous acid (HOCl) within 30 s, which was the shortest time point of exposure to the virucide. Importantly, 100 ppm HOCl introduced into the oral cavity is known to be safe for humans. In conclusion, this frontline approach establishes the potential of using 100 ppm HOCl in waterlines to continuously irrigate the oral cavity during dental procedures to expeditiously destroy harmful viruses transmitted within aerosols and droplets to protect practitioners, staff, and other patients.

Asthenopia prevalence and vision impairment severity among students attending online classes in low-income areas of western China during the COVID-19 pandemic

INTRODUCTION

This study explored the impact of online learning during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on asthenopia and vision impairment in students, with the aim of establishing a theoretical basis for preventive approaches to vision health.

METHODS

This balanced panel study enrolled students from western rural China. Participant information was collected before and during the COVID-19 pandemic via questionnaires administered at local vision care centres, along with clinical assessments of visual acuity. Paired t tests and fixed-effects models were used to analyse pandemic-related differences in visual status.

RESULTS

In total, 128 students were included (mean age before pandemic, 11.82 ± 1.46 years). The mean total screen time was 3.22 ± 2.90 hours per day during the pandemic, whereas it was 1.97 ± 1.90 hours per day in the pre-pandemic period (P<0.001). Asthenopia prevalence was 55% (71/128) during the pandemic, and the mean visual acuity was 0.81 ± 0.30 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution; these findings indicated increasing vision impairment, compared with the pre-pandemic period (both P<0.001). Notably, asthenopia prevalence increased by two- to three-fold, compared with the pre-pandemic period. An increase in screen time while learning was associated with an increase in asthenopia prevalence (P=0.034).

CONCLUSION

During the COVID-19 pandemic, students spent more time on online classes, leading to worse visual acuity and vision health. Students in this study reported a significant increase in screen time, which was associated with increasing asthenopia prevalence and worse vision impairment. Further research is needed regarding the link between online classes and vision problems.

[Clinical effects of autologous split-thickness skin grafting for prefabricating urethra combined with scrotal flap in repairing middle urethral defect with penile defect]

Objective: To investigate the clinical effects of autologous split-thickness skin grafting for prefabricating urethra combined with scrotal flap in repairing middle urethral defect with penile defect. Methods: The retrospective observational study was conducted. Eight male patients (aged 14 to 58 years) with middle urethral defect and penile defect caused by various injuries who met the inclusion criteria were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University from January 2015 to January 2022. The length of urethral defect was 3 to 5 cm, and the wound area of penile defect after debridement was 5.0 cm×2.5 cm to 7.0 cm×5.5 cm. All the patients underwent autologous split-thickness skin grafting for prefabricating defect urethra in stage Ⅰ, and urethral anastomosis was performed and unilateral scrotal flap was transferred to reconstruct urethra and penis in stage Ⅱ. The area of scrotal flap was 6.0 cm×3.0 cm to 8.0 cm×6.0 cm. The wound in the donor area of skin graft was covered by oil gauze, and the wound of flap donor area was sutured directly. On the 7th day after the operation of stage Ⅱ, the survival of the flap was observed. In 3 weeks after the operation of stage Ⅱ, the urinary flow rate was measured by the urinary flow rate detector (urinary flow rate >15 mL/s was regarded as unobstructed urination), the urinary fistula and erectile function were observed, and the self-made therapeutic satisfaction questionnaire was used to investigate the therapeutic satisfaction degree of patients. During follow-up, the appearance of the flap recipient area was observed, the Vancouver scar scale (VSS) was used to evaluate the scar situation in the donor areas of skin graft and flap, the urinary flow rate was detected as before, the urethral stricture, urinary fistula, and erectile function were observed, and the therapeutic satisfaction degree of patients was investigated. Results: On the 7th day after the operation of stage Ⅱ, the flaps survived completely in 8 patients. In 3 weeks after the operation of stage Ⅱ, the urinary flow rate was 25.3 (18.0, 38.5) mL/s, with unobstructed urination, without urinary fistula and with erectile function, and the score of therapeutic satisfaction degree was 14.3 (14.0, 15.0). During follow-up of 1 to 7 years, the flap recipient area of 8 patients was full in appearance and not swollen, with similar color to the surrounding tissue; the VSS scores of the donor areas of skin graft and flap were 11.5 (10.0, 13.0) and 10.5 (9.3, 12.0), respectively, the urinary flow rate was 24.6 (17.7, 34.1) mL/s, with no urethral stricture, urinary fistula, and erectile dysfunction, and the score of therapeutic satisfaction degree was 13.5 (13.3, 14.8). Conclusions: Autologous split-thickness skin grafting for prefabricating urethra combined with scrotal flap in repairing the urethral and penile defects not only reconstructs the structure of urethra and the shape of penis, but also restores the sensation and erectile function of penis, with few postoperative complications, no obvious scar hyperplasia, and high satisfaction degree of patients, which is worthy of clinical promotion.

Comparative transcriptome analysis of Saposhnikovia divaricata to reveal drought and rehydration adaption strategies

BACKGROUND

Water scarcity has become one of the most prevalent environmental factors adversely affecting plant growth and development. Different species have developed multiple ways of drought resistance. Saposhnikovia divaricata is a commonly used traditional herb in East Asia. However, limited information is available on the drought response of this herb and further clarification of underlying molecular mechanism remains a challenge.

METHODS AND RESULTS

In this study, a comparative transcriptome analysis was firstly conducted to identify the major pathways and candidate genes involved in the drought adaptive response of S. divaricata. The seedlings of S. divaricata were subjected to progressive drought by withholding water for 16 days followed by 8 days of rehydration. Transcriptome analysis identified a total of 89,784 annotated unigenes. The number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) gradually increased with the deepening of drought and decreased after rehydration. Gene Ontology enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis suggested genes related to oxidoreductase activity, carbohydrate metabolism, plant hormone signaling pathway and secondary metabolism were important in drought response of S. divaricata. Specific genes involved in reactive oxygen species scavenging system (POD, Cu/Zn-SOD, APX), abscisic acid and jasmonic acid signaling pathway (PYL4, PP2Cs, JAR1, JAZ) and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis (4CL, CCR, CAD) underwent dynamic alterations under drought and rehydration. Finally, the expression pattern of 12 selected DEGs from the transcriptomic profiling was validated by real-time quantitative PCR.

CONCLUSION

Our study laid a foundation for understanding the stress response of S. divaricata and other Apiaceae family plant at molecular level.

[Effects of mechanical tension on the formation of hypertrophic scars in rabbit ears and transforming growth factor-β1/Smad signaling pathway]

Objective: To explore the effects of mechanical tension on the formation of hypertrophic scars in rabbit ears and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1)/Smad signaling pathway. Methods: The experimental research method was adopted. Six New Zealand white rabbits, male or female, aged 3-5 months were used and 5 full-thickness skin defect wounds were made on the ventral surface of each rabbit ear. The appearance of all rabbit ear wounds was observed on post surgery day (PSD) 0 (immediately), 7, 14, 21, and 28. On PSD 28, the scar formation rate was calculated. Three mature scars in the left ear of each rabbit were included in tension group and the arch was continuously expanded with a spiral expander. Three mature scars in the right ear of each rabbit were included in sham tension group and only the spiral expander was sutured without expansion. There were 18 scars in each group. After mechanical tension treatment (hereinafter referred to as treatment) for 40 days, the color and texture of scar tissue in the two groups were observed. On treatment day 40, the scar elevation index (SEI) was observed and calculated; the histology was observed after hematoxylin eosin staining, and the collagen morphology was observed after Masson staining; mRNA expressions of TGF-β1, Smad3, collagen Ⅰ, collagen Ⅲ, and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) in scar tissue were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction; and the protein expressions of TGF-β1, collagen Ⅰ, collagen Ⅲ, and α-SMA, and phosphorylation level of Smad3 in scar tissue were detected by Western blotting. The number of samples of each group in the experiments was 3. Data were statistically analyzed with independent sample t test. Results: On PSD 0, 5 fresh wounds were formed on all the rabbit ears; on PSD 7, the wounds were scabbed; on PSD 14, most of the wounds were epithelialized; on PSD 21, all the wounds were epithelialized; on PSD 28, obvious hypertrophic scars were formed. The scar formation rate was 75% (45/60) on PSD 28. On treatment day 40, the scar tissue of rabbit ears in tension group was more prominent than that in sham tension group, the scar tissue was harder and the color was more ruddy; the SEI of the scar tissue of rabbit ears in tension group (2.02±0.08) was significantly higher than 1.70±0.08 in sham tension group (t=5.07, P<0.01). On treatment day 40, compared with those in sham tension group, the stratum corneum of scar tissue became thicker, and a large number of new capillaries, inflammatory cells, and fibroblasts were observed in the dermis, and collagen was more disordered, with nodular or swirling distribution in the scar tissue of rabbit ears in tension group. On treatment day 40, the mRNA expressions of TGF-β1, Smad3, collagen Ⅰ, collagen Ⅲ, and α-SMA in the scar tissue of rabbit ears in tension group were respectively 1.81±0.25, 5.71±0.82, 7.86±0.56, 4.35±0.28, and 5.89±0.47, which were significantly higher than 1.00±0.08, 1.00±0.12, 1.00±0.13, 1.00±0.14, and 1.00±0.14 in sham tension group (with t values of 5.36, 9.82, 20.60, 18.26, and 17.13, respectively, all P<0.01); the protein expressions of TGF-β1, collagen Ⅰ, collagen Ⅲ, and α-SMA, and phosphorylation level of Smad3 in the scar tissue of rabbit ears in tension group were respectively 0.865±0.050, 0.895±0.042, 0.972±0.027, 1.012±0.057, and 0.968±0.087, which were significantly higher than 0.657±0.050, 0.271±0.029, 0.631±0.027, 0.418±0.023, and 0.511±0.035 in sham tension group (with t values of 5.08, 21.27, 15.55, 16.70, and 8.40, respectively, all P<0.01). Conclusions: Mechanical tension can inhibit the regression of hypertrophic scars in rabbit ears through stimulating the hyperplasia of scars, inhibiting the normal arrangement of dermal collagen fibers, and intensifying the deposition of collagen fibers, and the mechanism may be related to the activation of TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway by mechanical tension.

[Parameningeal or non-parameningeal head and neck rhabdomyosarcoma: a study based on propensity score matching and survival analysis]

Objective: To compare the prognoses between parameningeal and non-parameningeal head and neck rhabdomyosarcoma based on propensity score matching and to explore the prognostic factors of overall survival in patients with head and neck rhabdomyosarcoma. Methods: The medical records of 64 patients with pathologically diagnosed as head and neck rhabdomyosarcoma from January 2016 to May 2020 in Peking Union Medical College Hospital were retrospectively retrieved, including 31 males and 33 females, with an average age of (8.0±8.9) years. Kaplan-Meier method was used to draw and compare survival curves in subgroup analysis according to different histopathological characteristics. Patients were divided into non-parameningeal (27 cases) and parameningeal (37 cases) group based on the location of primary lesion. Patients were further selected using 1∶1 propensity score matching method. The basic clinical data and overall survival were compared before and after matching. Prognostic factors were anlysed using Cox's proportional hazards regression model. Results: In 64 patients with head and neck rhabdomyosarcoma, lower risk stratification, and lower TNM stage indicated higher overall survival (all P<0.05). Before matching, patients in parameningeal group presented with higher T stage and IRS (Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study) staging (all P<0.05). There were no significant differences in basic clinical data and 1-, 2-, and 3-year overall survival rates between two groups after matching(P>0.05). Tumor size smaller than 5 cm, embryonal histology, negative FOXO1 fusion gene, lower risk stratification, and lower TNM stage were associated with higher overall survival (all P<0.05). Among these, tumor size and histology were independent prognostic factors (HR=2.36, 95%CI:1.07-5.20, P=0.033; HR=5.54, 95%CI: 1.18-25.95, P=0.030). Conclusions: There is no significant difference in overall survival between patients with parameningeal and non-parameningeal rhabdomyosarcomas. Tumor size smaller than 5 cm and embryonal histology are two independent prognostic factors.

[Effects of Krüppel-like factor 4 on inflammatory response and organ injury in septic mice]

Objective: To explore the expression characteristics and role of Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) in macrophage inflammatory response and its effects on inflammatory response and organ injury in septic mice, so as to lay a theoretical foundation for targeted treatment of burns and trauma sepsis. Methods: The method of experimental research was used. Mouse RAW264.7 macrophages and primary peritoneal macrophages (PMs) isolated from 10 male C57BL/6J mice aged 6-8 weeks were used for the experiments. RAW264.7 macrophages and PMs were treated with endotoxin/lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for 0 (without treatment), 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, and 24 h, respectively, to establish macrophage inflammatory response model. The mRNA expression of interleukin 1β (IL-1β), IL-6, CC chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and the LPS treatment time was determined for some of the subsequent experiments. RAW264.7 macrophages were treated with LPS for 0 and 8 h, the localization and protein expression of KLF4 were detected by immunofluorescence method, transcriptome sequencing of the cells was performed using the high-throughput sequencing technology platform, and the differently expressed genes (DEGs) between the two time points treated cells were screened by DESeq2 software. RAW264.7 macrophages and PMs were treated with LPS for 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, and 24 h, respectively, and the mRNA and protein expressions of KLF4 were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively. RAW264.7 macrophages were divided into negative control (NC) group and KLF4-overexpression group according to the random number table, which were treated with LPS for 0 and 8 h respectively after transfection of corresponding plasmid. The mRNA expressions of KLF4, IL-1β, IL-6, CCL2, and TNF-α were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR, while the protein expression of KLF4 was detected by Western blotting. The number of samples in aforementioned experiments was all 3. Forty male C57BL/6J mice aged 6-8 weeks were divided into KLF4-overexpression group and NC group (with 20 mice in each group) according to the random number table, and the sepsis model of cecal ligation perforation was established after the corresponding transfection injection was injected respectively. Twelve mice were selected from each of the two groups according to the random number table, and the survival status within 72 hours after modeling was observed. Eight hours after modeling, the remaining 8 mice in each of the two groups were selected, the eyeball blood samples were collected to detect the levels of IL-1β and IL-6 in serum by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in serum by dry chemical method. Subsequently, the heart, lung, and liver tissue was collected, and the injury was observed after hematoxylin-eosin staining. Data were statistically analyzed with independent sample t test, Cochran & Cox approximate t test, one-way analysis of variance, Dunnett test, Brown-Forsythe and Welch one-way analysis of variance, Dunnett T3 test, log-rank (Mantel-Cox) test. Results: Compared with that of LPS treatment for 0 h, the mRNA expressions of IL-1β in RAW264.7 macrophages treated with LPS for 6 h and 8 h, the mRNA expressions of IL-6 in RAW264.7 macrophages treated with LPS for 4-12 h, the mRNA expressions of CCL2 in RAW264.7 macrophages treated with LPS for 8 h and 12 h, and the mRNA expressions of TNF-α in RAW264.7 macrophages treated with LPS for 4-8 h were significantly up-regulated (P<0.05 or P<0.01), while the mRNA expressions of IL-1β and CCL2 in PMs treated with LPS for 4-8 h, the mRNA expressions of IL-6 in PMs treated with LPS for 2-24 h, and the mRNA expressions of TNF-α in PMs treated with LPS for 2-12 h were significantly up-regulated (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Eight hours was selected as the LPS treatment time for some of the subsequent experiments. KLF4 mainly located in the nucleus of RAW264.7 macrophages. Compared with those of LPS treatment for 0 h, the protein expression of KLF4 in RAW264.7 macrophages treated with LPS for 8 h was obviously decreased, and there were 1 470 statistically differentially expressed DEGs in RAW264.7 macrophages treated with LPS for 8 h, including KLF4 with significantly down-regulated transcriptional expression (false discovery rate<0.05, log2 (fold change)=-2.47). Compared with those of LPS treatment for 0 h, the mRNA expressions of KLF4 in RAW264.7 macrophages treated with LPS for 6-24 h, the protein expressions of KLF4 in RAW264.7 macrophages and PMs treated with LPS for 1-24 h, and the mRNA expressions of KLF4 in PM treated with LPS for 4-24 h were significantly decreased (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Compared with those in NC group, the mRNA (with t' values of 17.03 and 8.61, respectively, P<0.05 or P<0.01) and protein expressions of KLF4 in RAW264.7 macrophages treated with LPS for 0 h and 8 h in KLF4-overexpression group were significantly increased, the mRNA expressions of IL-6 and CCL2 increased significantly in RAW264.7 macrophages treated with LPS for 0 h (with t values of 6.29 and 3.40, respectively, P<0.05 or P<0.01), while the mRNA expressions of IL-1β, IL-6, CCL2, and TNF-α decreased significantly in RAW264.7 macrophages treated with LPS for 8 h (with t values of 10.52, 9.60, 4.58, and 8.58, respectively, P<0.01). The survival proportion of mice within 72 h after modeling in KLF4-overexpression group was significantly higher than that in NC group (χ2=4.01, P<0.05). Eight hours after modeling, the serum levels of IL-1β, IL-6 and ALT, AST of mice in KLF4-overexpression group were (161±63), (476±161) pg/mL and (144±24), (264±93) U/L, respectively, which were significantly lower than (257±58), (654±129) pg/mL and (196±27), (407±84) U/L (with t values of 3.16, 2.44 and 4.04, 3.24, respectively, P<0.05 or P<0.01) in NC group. Eight hours after modeling, compared with those in NC group, the disorder of tissue structure of heart, lung, and liver, inflammatory exudation, and pathological changes of organ parenchyma cells in KLF4-overexpression group were obviously alleviated. Conclusions: The expression of KLF4 is significantly down-regulated in LPS-induced macrophage inflammatory response, which significantly inhibits the macrophage inflammatory response. KLF4 significantly enhances the survival rate of septic mice and alleviates inflammatory response and sepsis-related organ injury.

[A prospective randomized controlled study on the repair of skin and soft tissue defect in functional areas of children with full-thickness skin grafts from different sites of abdomen]

Objective: To compare and analyze the effect of repairing small skin and soft tissue defect wounds in functional areas of children with full-thickness skin grafts from different sites of abdomen. Methods: A prospective randomized controlled study was conducted. From January 2019 to June 2020, 60 female children with small skin and soft tissue defects in functional areas requiring full-thickness skin grafting, who met the inclusion criteria, were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University. According to the random number table, the children were divided into two groups, with 28 cases left in lateral abdomen group aged 5 (3, 8) years and 29 cases in lower abdomen group aged 5 (3, 7) years after the exclusion of several dropped-out children in follow-up. In lower abdomen group, 20 (12, 26) cm2 wounds of children were repaired with (24±10) cm2 full-thickness skin graft from transverse skin lines in the inferior abdomen area, while in lateral abdomen group, 23 (16, 32) cm2 wounds of children were repaired with (24±9) cm2 full-thickness skin graft from below the umbilical plane to above the groin in the lateral abdomen area. All the children were treated with continuous intradermal suture at the donor site incision and received continuous negative pressure treatment of -10.64 to -6.65 kPa in the donor and recipient areas after operation. The donor site was treated with a medical skin tension-reducing closure device since post-surgery day (PSD) 7. The use of medical skin tension-reducing closure device at the donor site, postoperative complications and suture removal time of the donor area were recorded, and the incidence of complications was calculated. On PSD 7, a self-designed efficacy satisfaction questionnaire was used to investigate the parents' satisfaction with the curative effect of their children. In post-surgery month (PSM) 1 and 6, Vancouver scar scale (VSS) was used to evaluate the scar at the donor site, and the VSS score difference between the two time points was calculated; the scar width at the donor site was measured with a ruler, and the scar width difference between the two time points was calculated. Data were statistically analyzed with independent sample t test or Cochran & Cox approximate t test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Fisher's exact probability test. Results: The proportion of children in lateral abdomen group who used the medical skin tension-reducing closure device in the donor area for equal to or more than 4 weeks after surgery was significantly higher than that in lower abdomen group (P<0.05). On PSD 7, there was one case of partial incision dehiscence in the donor area, one case of peripheral skin redness and swelling in the donor area, and one case of fat liquefaction in the donor area in lateral abdomen group, and one case of partial incision dehiscence in the donor area in lower abdomen group. The incidence of postoperative complications at the donor site of children in lower abdomen group was significantly lower than that in lateral abdomen group (P<0.05). Compared with that in lateral abdomen group, the suture removal time at the donor site of children after surgery in lower abdomen group was significantly shorter (t'=17.23, P<0.01). On PSD 7, the satisfaction score of parents with the curative effect of their children in lower abdomen group was significantly higher than that in lateral abdomen group (t'=20.14, P<0.01). In PSM 1 and 6, the VSS scores of scar at the donor site of children in lower abdomen group were 2.7±0.9 and 2.8±1.0, respectively, which were significantly lower than 7.1±2.2 and 9.1±2.7 in lateral abdomen group (with t values of 10.00 and 11.15, respectively, P<0.01). In PSM 6, the VSS score of scar at the donor site of children in lateral abdomen group was significantly higher than that in PSM 1 (t=3.10, P<0.01), while the VSS score of scar at the donor site of children in lower abdomen group was not significantly higher than that in PSM 1 (P>0.05). The VSS score difference of scar at the donor site of children in lateral abdomen group was significantly greater than that in lower abdomen group (Z=-8.12, P<0.01). In PSM 1 and 6, the scar widths at the donor site of children in lower abdomen group were 2.0 (1.0, 2.0) and 2.0 (2.0, 3.0) mm, respectively, which were significantly narrower than 6.0 (4.0, 10.0) and 8.5 (5.0, 12.0) mm in lateral abdomen group (with Z values of -13.41 and -14.70, respectively, P<0.01). In PSM 6, the scar width at the donor site of children in lateral abdomen group was significantly wider than that in PSM 1 (Z=-2.79, P<0.01), while the scar width at the donor site of children in lower abdomen group was not significantly wider than that in PSM 1 (P>0.05). The difference of scar width at the donor site of children in lateral abdomen group was significantly greater than that in lower abdomen group (Z=-14.93, P<0.01). Conclusions: The use of full-thickness skin grafts from the lower abdomen to repair small skin and soft tissue defect wounds in functional areas of children, especially girls, is effective, simple and easy to operate, and conforms to the principle of aesthetic repair. Compared with transplantation with full-thickness skin graft from the lateral abdomen, lower abdominal full-thickness skin grafting has a low incidence of donor site complications and no obvious scar hyperplasia, which is worthy of clinical promotion.

PALD encoding a lipid droplet-associated protein is critical for the accumulation of lipid droplets and pollen longevity in Arabidopsis

Pollen longevity is critical for plant pollination and hybrid seed production, but few studies have focused on pollen longevity. In this study, we identified an Arabidopsis thaliana gene, Protein associated with lipid droplets (PALD), which is strongly expressed in pollen and critical for the regulation of pollen longevity. PALD was expressed specifically in mature pollen grains and the pollen tube, and its expression was upregulated under dry conditions. PALD encoded a lipid droplet (LD)-associated protein and its N terminus was critical for the LD localization of PALD. The number of LDs and diameter were reduced in pollen grains of the loss-of-function PALD mutants. The viability and germination of the mature pollen grains of the pald mutants were comparable with those of the wild-type, but after the pollen grains were stored under dry conditions, pollen germination and male transmission of the mutant were compromised compared with those of the wild-type. Our study suggests that PALD was required for the maintenance of LD quality in mature pollen grains and regulation of pollen longevity.

[Clinical effects of autologous follicular unit extraction transplantation in the treatment of small area secondary cicatricial alopecia after burns]

Objective: To explore the clinical effects of autologous follicular unit extraction (FUE) transplantation in the treatment of small area secondary cicatricial alopecia (hereinafter referred to as cicatricial alopecia) after burns. Methods: A retrospective observational study was carried out. According to the adopted treatment methods, 18 patients (12 males and 6 females, aged (29±6) years) who received autologous FUE transplantation for small area cicatricial alopecia after burns from March 2017 to November 2019 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University were included in FUE transplantation group, and 18 patients (13 males and 5 females, aged (33±5) years) who were treated with expanded flap transplantation for small area cicatricial alopecia after burns by the same surgery team during the same period in the same hospital were included in expanded flap transplantation group. All the patients were followed up for more than 1 year. At the last follow-up, the follicular unit density in the transplanted area was measured by Folliscope hair detection system and the hair survival rate was calculated; the visual analogue scale (VAS) method was adopted to evaluate the treatment effect; patients were asked their satisfaction with the treatment effect and the occurrence of complications during follow-up; the hair growth and the scalp thickness, pain, pruritus, pigmentation, and surface roughness of the transplanted area were recorded. Data were statistically analyzed with Fisher's exact probability test and independent sample t test. Results: At the last follow-up, the follicular unit density in the transplanted area of patients in FUE transplantation group was (46.8±2.0)/cm2, which was significantly higher than (42.5±4.3)/cm2 in expanded flap transplantation group (t=3.84, P<0.01); the hair survival rates of patients were similar between the two groups (P>0.05). At the last follow-up, VAS scores evaluating the treatment effect of patients were similar between the two groups (P>0.05); the satisfaction score of patients toward the treatment effect in FUE transplantation group was 8.6±1.1, which was significantly higher than 7.6±0.8 in expanded flap transplantation group (t=2.89, P<0.01). During the follow-up, no inflammation or infection occurred in patients of the two groups, but only 2 patients in expanded flap transplantation group had postoperative pain. At the last follow-up, the transplanted area of patients in the two groups was covered with new hair, and the hair growth direction was basically consistent with the surrounding normal hair; scalp thickness, pain, pruritus, pigmentation, and surface roughness of the transplanted area of patients were similar between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusions: Autologous FUE transplantation has better long-term follicular unit density and patients' satisfaction than expanded flap transplantation in the treatment of small area cicatricial alopecia after burns, showing better postoperative effect and a good prospect of clinical application.

Circ_0059354 aggravates the progression of papillary thyroid carcinoma by elevating ARFGEF1 through sponging miR-766-3p

BACKGROUND

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been identified as vital players in tumors, including papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). The purpose of this study is to explore the functions of circ_0059354 on PTC development.

METHODS

Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was conducted to examine the levels of circ_0059354, microRNA-766-3p (miR-766-3p) and ADP ribosylation factor guanine nucleotide exchange factor 1 (ARFGEF1). Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and colony formation assay were proceeded for cell proliferation ability. Transwell assay was conducted for cell migration and invasion. Tube formation assay was employed to examine the angiogenesis ability. Flow cytometry analysis was adopted for cell apoptosis. Western blot assay was conducted for protein levels. Dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay were utilized to verify the relationships among circ_0059354, miR-766-3p and ARFGEF1. The murine xenograft model was constructed to analyze the function of circ_0059354 in vivo.

RESULTS

Circ_0059354 level was abnormally increased in PTC tissues and cells. Functionally, circ_0059354 silencing suppressed cell proliferation, migration, invasion and angiogenesis and facilitated apoptosis in PTC cells. Circ_0059354 was identified to sponge miR-766-3p, which directly targeted ARFGEF1. Moreover, circ_0059354 directly targeted miR-766-3p to positively regulated ARFGEF1 expression. MiR-766-3p inhibition reversed circ_0059354 knockdown-mediated effect of PTC cell malignant behaviors. Overexpression of miR-766-3p restrained the malignant behaviors of PTC cells, whereas ARFGEF1 elevation reversed the effects. Additionally, circ_0059354 deficiency blocked tumor growth in vivo.

CONCLUSION

Circ_0059354 served as an oncogene in PTC progression through regulating miR-766-3p/ARFGEF1 axis.

Teacher-to-parent communication and vision care-seeking behaviour among primary school students

INTRODUCTION

To determine the associations between teacher-to-parent communication and vision care-seeking behaviour among students.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study included 19 934 students from 252 primary schools in two prefectures in western China. Information regarding the sampled students was collected through questionnaires and vision examinations. Eligible students with uncorrected refractive error were allocated to four groups according to whether and how parents were informed about vision problems in their children: uninformed, informed by only teachers or only students, or informed by both. The relationship between teacher-to-parent communication and vision care-seeking behaviour was analysed by multiple logistic regression.

RESULTS

Among valid responses (n=2922) analysed, 42.3% (n=1235) of parents were not informed about vision problems in their children. Teacher-to-parent communication enabled 35.9% (n=1050) of parents to learn about vision problems in their children. When only teachers informed parents, the odds of students having refraction examinations (odds ratio [OR]=1.499; P=0.002) and spectacles ownership (OR=1.755; P=0.002) were significantly higher than for students in the uninformed group. When both students and teachers informed parents, the odds of students having refraction examinations (OR=5.565; P<0.001) and spectacles ownership (OR=7.935; P<0.001) were highest.

CONCLUSIONS

Knowledge of vision problems is an essential step in vision care for students. Teacherto- parent communication concerning vision problems is positively associated with the rate of vision care-seeking behaviour. Teacher-to-parent communication provides an important route for parents to learn about vision problems in their children.

Lipid accumulation product is a reliable indicator for identifying metabolic syndrome: the China Multi-Ethnic Cohort (CMEC) Study

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have shown that lipid accumulation product (LAP) was associated with the risk of cardiometabolic disease. It is not clear whether LAP could be used as a marker to identify metabolic syndrome (MetS) among Chinese ethnic groups.

AIM

To assess the reliability of LAP as a maker to identify MetS among Dong adults.

DESIGN

Population-based cross-sectional study.

METHOD

We included 6494 Dong individuals (1403 patients) aged 30-79 years from southwest China. MetS was established by Chinese Diabetes Society. Logistic regression model was utilized to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was utilized to calculate area under the ROC curve (AUC) and 95% CIs to obtain the identification ability for MetS.

RESULTS

The risk of MetS was increased with per 5 units increase of LAP (OR 1.37 [95% CI, 1.34-1.39]). Similar results were found in subgroup analyses and sensitivity analyses. Clustered metabolic risk associated with per 5 units increase of LAP was observed for people with 1 (OR 1.59 [95% CI, 1.53-1.65]), 2 (2.15 [2.06-2.24]), 3 (2.59 [2.48-2.71]), 4 (2.81 [2.69-2.95]) and 5 (3.03 [2.87-3.21]) MetS components. LAP presented higher AUC (0.915 [95% CI, 0.907-0.923]) than other included obesity indices (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

These data support evidence that LAP was related to the risk of MetS, had a high AUC and could be a reliable index for identifying MetS patients among Dong adults in Chinese.

[Targeted killing of CD133+ lung cancer stem cells using paclitaxel-loaded PLGA-PEG nanoparticles with CD133 aptamers]

OBJECTIVE

To construct a polylactic acid-glycolic acid-polyethylene glycol (PLGA-PEG) nanocarrier (N-Pac-CD133) coupled with a CD133 nucleic acid aptamer carrying paclitaxel for eliminating lung cancer stem cells (CSCs).

METHODS

Paclitaxel-loaded N-Pac-CD133 was prepared using the emulsion/solvent evaporation method and characterized. CD133⁺ lung CSCs were separated by magnetic bead separation and identified for their biological behaviors and gene expression profile. The efficiency of paclitaxel-loaded N-Pac-CD133 for targeted killing of lung cancer cells was assessed in vitro. SCID mice were inoculated with A549 cells and received injections of normal saline, empty nanocarrier linked with CD133 aptamer (N-CD133), paclitaxel, paclitaxel-loaded nanocarrier (N-Pac) or paclitaxel-loaded N-Pac-CD133 (n=8, 5 mg/kg paclitaxel) on days 10, 15 and 20, and the tumor weight and body weight of the mice were measured on day 40.

RESULTS

Paclitaxel-loaded N-Pac-CD133 showed a particle size of about 100 nm with a high encapsulation efficiency (>80%) and drug loading rate (>8%), and was capable of sustained drug release within 48 h. The CD133⁺ cell population in lung cancer cells showed the characteristic features of lung CSCs, including faster growth rate (30 days, P=0.001) and high expressions of tumor stem cell markers OV6(P < 0.001), CD133 (P=0.001), OCT3/4 (P=0.002), EpCAM (P=0.04), NANOG (P=0.005) and CD44 (P=0.02). Compared with N-Pac and free paclitaxel, paclitaxel-loaded N-Pac-CD133 showed significantly enhanced targeting ability and cytotoxicity against lung CSCs in vitro (P < 0.001) and significantly reduced the formation of tumor spheres (P < 0.001). In the tumor-bearing mice, paclitaxel-loaded N-Pac-CD133 showed the strongest effects in reducing the tumor mass among all the treatments (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

CD133 aptamer can promote targeted delivery of paclitaxel to allow targeted killing of CD133⁺ lung CSCs. N-Pac-CD133 loaded with paclitaxel may provide an effective treatment for lung cancer by targeting the lung cancer stem cells.

[Summary of the 2021 Annual Academic Conference of the Chinese Burn Association]

Organized by the Chinese Medical Association and the Chinese Burn Association, hosted by the Hainan Medical Association and Hainan Provincial People's Hospital, and co-sponsored by the Chinese Journal of Burns (Chinese Journal of Burns and Wounds), Chinese Journal of Injury Repair and Wound Healing (Electronic Edition), and Burns & Trauma, the 2021 Annual Academic Conference of the Chinese Burn Association was held in beautiful Haikou from December 14 to 16, 2021. The conference continued to focus on the guiding principle of "One China, One Standard" and followed the tenet of "precise, homogeneous, and comfortable treatment" for burns. The conference received a total of 1 638 submissions, 296 electronic posters, 891 online and offline registered delegates, and nearly 750 offline attendees. The conference focused on the theme, adopting a variety of novel forms to discuss the key issues in burn field, including academician and committee director forum, doctor-nurse-rehabilitation therapist combined case competition, discipline development forum, and workshop, recording and broadcasting of surgical operations. The atmosphere was warm in the conference site.

VO2-Based Infrared Radiation Regulator with Excellent Dynamic Thermal Management Performance

Dynamic thermal management materials attract fast-increasing interest due to their adaptability to changing environments and greater energy savings as compared to static materials. However, the high transition temperature and the low emittance tunability of the vanadium dioxide (VO₂)-based infrared radiation regulators limit their practical applications. This study addresses these issues by proposing a smart infrared radiation regulator based on a Fabry-Pérot cavity structure (VO₂/HfO₂/Al), which is prepared by high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) and has the potential for large-scale production. Remarkably, the outstanding emittance tunability reaches 0.51, and the phase transition temperature is lowered to near a room temperature of 27.5 °C by tungsten (W) doping. In addition, a numerical thermal management power of 196.3 W/m² (at 8-14 μm band) can be obtained from 0 to 60 °C. As a proof-of-concept, the demonstrated capabilities of the VO₂ infrared radiation regulator show great potentials in a wide range of applications for the thermal management of buildings and vehicles.

C-band four-channel CWDM (de-)multiplexers on a thin film lithium niobate-silicon rich nitride hybrid platform

A four-channel coarse wavelength division multiplexing (CWDM) (de)multiplexer on a thin film lithium niobate-silicon rich nitride hybrid platform has been designed, fabricated, and experimentally measured. Enabled by cascaded multimode waveguide Bragg gratings, the (de)multiplexer has a box-like spectral response, wide 1-dB bandwidth (10 nm), low excess loss (<1.08dB), and low channel cross talk (<-18dB). The central wavelengths of the (de-)multiplexer are 1531/1551/1571/1591 nm, which align to the wavelength grids stipulated by the standard ITU-T G.694.2.

[Five-year clinical outcomes of patients with in-stent chronic total occlusion undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention]

Objective: To evaluate the safety and long-term clinical efficacy of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with in-stent chronic total occlusion (IS-CTO) lesions. Metheds: This is a retrospective analysis. Patients with IS-CTO who underwent PCI in Fuwai hospital from January 2010 to December 2013 were enrolled. A total of 212 patients who met the inclusion criteria were included in the IS-CTO group, 212 matched patients with primary CTO lesions were included in the de novo CTO group. The incidence of complications and the success rate of PCI were compared between the two groups. Successful PCI was defined as successfully implantation of stent(s) at target CTO lesions. The primary endpoint was defined as a composite event of cardiac death and myocardial infarction (MI). Secondary endpoints including PCI success, all-cause death, cardiac death, MI, target vessel related MI, revascularization, target vessel revascularization, heart failure for rehospitalization. The patients were followed up for 5 years after PCI. Results: A total of 424 cases were included. The mean age was (57.8±10.5) years, there were 364 males in this cohort. The left ventricular ejection fraction was significantly lower ((58.7±9.2)% vs. (61.0±7.7)%, P=0.01) and the SYNTAX scores was significantly higher (19.4±8.3 vs. 15.3±10.0, P<0.01) in IS-CTO group than that in de novo CTO group. The proportion of patients with target CTO lesions in left anterior descending artery was significantly higher (42.9% (50/212) vs. 23.6% (91/212), P<0.01) in IS-CTO group than that in de novo CTO group. The rate of successful PCI (71.7% (152/212) vs. 69.8% (148/212), P=0.70) and complication (40.6% (86/212) vs. 36.3% (77/212), P=0.37) was similar between the two groups. The incidence of primary endpoint at 5 years was significantly higher in IS-CTO group (10.8% (23/212) vs. 4.7% (10/212), P=0.02), which was driven by higher incidence of MI (9.0% (19/212) vs. 4.2% (9/212), P=0.05). There were a trend of higher secondary endpoints in IS-CTO group (all P>0.05). Conclusion: The safety and effectiveness of PCI are acceptable in patients with IS-CTO, but the risk of long-term cardiac death and MI is higher among patients with IS-CTO as compared to patients with primary CTO lesions.

On-chip four-mode (de-)multiplexer on thin film lithium niobate-silicon rich nitride hybrid platform

A four-mode (de-)multiplexer with transverse electric field light (TE₀-TE₃) is experimentally demonstrated on a thin film lithium niobate-silicon rich nitride hybrid platform. Enabled by cascaded asymmetrical directional couplers, a (de-)multiplexer with low insertion loss (0.38 dB to 1.6 dB) and low cross talk (-18.46dB to -20.43dB) is obtained at 1550 nm. All channels have cross talk <-16dB from 1480 nm to 1580 nm. The transmission of 4×50 Gbps on-off keying signals is experimentally achieved on the proposed (de-)multiplexer. Experimental results show that the proposed (de-)multiplexer is a promising approach to enhance the transmission capacity in thin film lithium niobate based photonics integrated circuits.

[Summary of the 16th Chinese Symposium on Burn Medicine and the 2021 Congress of Burn Medicine Branch of China International Exchange and Promotion Association for Medical and Healthcare and the 2021 International Summit Forum of Burns in Chongqing]

The 16th Chinese Symposium on Burn Medicine and the 2021 Congress of Burn Medicine Branch of China International Exchange and Promotion Association for Medical and Healthcare (CPAM) and the 2021 International Summit Forum of Burns in Chongqing was successfully held in Chongqing, from May 19th to 21st in 2021. A total of more than 500 specialists and scholars across the country attended the meeting. The theme of this congress was "Burn Medicine: standardization and internationalization" . With the meetings being held in the one main venue and three branch venues and elite forum, the related hot topics and difficult problems were discussed warmly in multiple dimensions. During the conference, Founding Congress of 6th Editorial Committee of Chinese Journal of Burns, the Standing Committee and whole Committee of Chinese Burn Association, and the Congress of Burn Medicine Branch of CPAM were held in pragmatic and efficient manners.

40 GHz high-efficiency Michelson interferometer modulator on a silicon-rich nitride and thin-film lithium niobate hybrid platform

We propose and demonstrate a Michelson interferometer modulator with integrated Bragg reflectors on a silicon-rich nitride-thin-film lithium niobate hybrid platform. High-reflectivity Bragg reflectors are placed at the ends of both arms, which double the electro-optic (E-O) interaction length and reduce the velocity mismatch between the microwave and optical wave. The presented Michelson interferometer modulator achieves a measured half-wave voltage length product as low as 1.06 V cm and high-speed modulation up to 70 Gbps. A 3-dB E-O bandwidth beyond 40 GHz is also achieved, which is, to the best of our knowledge, the highest modulation bandwidth of Michelson interferometer modulators.

OP0101 RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS DISEASE ACTIVITY OVER TIME AND SUBSEQUENT CARDIOVASCULAR RISKS

Background:

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients have an increased risk of cardiovascular (CV) events not fully explained by traditional CV risk factors. The relationship between fluctuating inflammation due to RA disease activity and CV events is of interest.

Objectives:

To examine the influence of time-varying disease activity on the subsequent risks of CV disease.

Methods:

We followed patients from a large US registry of clinically diagnosed RA patients, starting at their first visit with a Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI) through the end of follow-up or first CV event. Exposure of interest was disease activity measured by categorical CDAI (high, moderate, low, and remission) averaged within each 6-month window. The outcome of interest was major adverse CV events (MACE) defined as non-fatal myocardial infarction, non-fatal stroke (excluding transient ischemic attacks), and CV death. For baseline confounders we considered age, gender, race, disease duration, Health Assessment Questionnaire, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, family history of premature (age<50) CV events, and RF/ACPA seropositivity. For time-varying variables we considered tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi), non-TNFi biologic, methotrexate, oral glucocorticoid, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, statin, and aspirin use. We used the marginal structural model (MSM) framework to examine the impact of CDAI at each 6-month interval on MACE. We estimated time-varying hazard ratios (HRs) comparing high CDAI during follow-up to CDAI remission. Several predicted survival curves were constructed under different hypothetical CDAI scenarios, such as early and late transition to CDAI remission.

Results:

40,721 patients were eligible for our analyses. 77% were female and 84% were Caucasian. The mean age was 58 (SD 13) years with mean disease duration of 8.8 (median 5) years. Mean CDAI at their first registry visit was 14 (SD 13; remission 19%, low 31%, moderate 28%, and high 22%). Other baseline characteristics include: 41% current/former smokers, 31.5% with hypertension, 8.6% with diabetes, 18% with hyperlipidemia, and 52% seropositive. The average follow-up duration after baseline was 4.4 (median 3.3; max. 17.6) years. The crude event count of MACE was 1,050 events / 180,402 person-years.

In the MSM analysis, the average HRs, assuming a constant HR, were 1.31 [0.90, 1.90] for low, 1.46 [1.01, 2.10] for moderate, and 1.43 [0.89, 2.31] for high CDAI disease activity categories during each 6-month interval. When approximating time-varying HR with linear trends, the highest estimates during the first 6 months of follow up were 1.61 [0.93, 2.77] for low CDAI, 1.97 [1.13, 3.43] for moderate CDAI, and 2.11 [1.13, 3.96] for high CDAI. These HRs gradually diminished during the follow up (Table). When we constructed hypothetical survival curves with transition to CDAI remission at different time points, earlier transition to CDAI remission was related to better event-free survival (Figure).

Table 1.

Time-varying hazard ratio estimates [95% confidence intervals] by duration in study

Disease activity measured by CDAIYearRemissionLowModerateHigh0.51.00 [ref]1.61 [0.93, 2.77]1.97 [1.13, 3.43]2.11 [1.13, 3.96]11.00 [ref]1.54 [0.97, 2.44]1.85 [1.17, 2.93]1.94 [1.13, 3.31]21.00 [ref]1.42 [1.00, 2.01]1.63 [1.16, 2.29]1.62 [1.04, 2.54]31.00 [ref]1.31 [0.90, 1.90]1.43 [0.97, 2.11]1.36 [0.80, 2.31]41.00 [ref]1.20 [0.72, 2.02]1.26 [0.72, 2.21]1.14 [0.55, 2.36]51.00 [ref]1.11 [0.54, 2.26]1.11 [0.51, 2.42]0.96 [0.36, 2.53]Figure 1.

MACE-free survival curves under hypothetical CDAI scenarios

Conclusion:

High and moderate CDAI were associated with higher hazard of MACE during the earlier period of follow-up, but the increased hazard diminished over time. In hypothetical senarios, earlier transition to CDAI remission would improve MACE free-survival.

Acknowledgements:

This study was sponsored by Corrona, LLC. Corrona is supported through contracted subscriptions with multiple pharmaceutical companies. The analysis was financially supported by Amgen Inc.

Disclosure of Interests:

Kazuki Yoshida Consultant of: OM1, Inc., Grant/research support from: Corrona, LLC., Hongshu Guan: None declared, Scott Stryker Shareholder of: Amgen, Inc., Employee of: Amgen, Inc., Elaine Karis Shareholder of: Amgen, Inc., Employee of: Amgen, Inc., Leslie Harrold Consultant of: AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Genentech/Roche, Grant/research support from: Pfizer, Daniel Solomon Grant/research support from: DHS receives salary support from research contracts through Brigham and Women’s Hospital with Abbvie, Amgen, Corrona, Genentech and Janssen.

Efficient grating couplers on a thin film lithium niobate-silicon rich nitride hybrid platform

A grating coupler on a thin film x-cut lithium niobate-silicon rich nitride hybrid platform is proposed and demonstrated. An inverse taper is applied to suppress higher-order mode excitation. A coupling efficiency of -5.82dB and 3 dB bandwidth of 57 nm are obtained near the wavelength of 1550 nm between the standard single-mode fiber (SMF-28) and sub-micrometer waveguides.

Ultra-compact low-loss variable-ratio 1×2 power splitter with ultra-low phase deviation based on asymmetric ladder-shaped multimode interference coupler

We propose a novel optical 1×2 power splitter based on an asymmetric ladder-shaped multimode interference (MMI) coupler in silicon-on-insulator (SOI) which has an ultra-compact size of 3.3 µm×2.4 µm. A trapezoid with a small region is removed from the bottom left corner of the MMI coupler to achieve variable splitting ratio. The comparison with the asymmetric rectangular 1×2 splitter is numerically analyzed. By carefully optimizing the width of input taper, the proposed splitter shows a low phase deviation for the two output ports while keeping both of a low-loss performance and feasible splitting ratio. The simulated results show that the splitter can operate with an insertion loss less than 0.67 dB, a large range of splitting ratio from 50:50 to 11:89 and an ultra-low phase deviation less than 2.8^° among the C band spectra.

Passive silicon ring-assisted Mach-Zehnder interleavers operating in the broadband spectral range

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a passive and compact interleaver on a silicon on insulator (SOI) platform using a ring-assisted asymmetrical Mach-Zehnder interferometer configuration. The wavelength-insensitive couplers, i.e., multimode interference couplers and adiabatic 3-dB couplers, are introduced to eliminate the effect of an unequal splitting ratio and wavelength on crosstalk and the operating spectral range. In addition, there exists an inherent phase shift between the two couplers; the device can be fully passive and works well without additional thermal tuning. In the calculation, the influence of wavelength sensitivity of self-coupling coefficients and couplers on the performance of the interleaver is considered. The experiment shows that, by employing wavelength-insensitive couplers, the operating spectral range of the proposed interleavers was extended to be >140nm for all sorts of channel spacing and channel count. The measured free spectral range is 4.6 nm, and the crosstalk is as low as -46.6dB for the best case.

TE/TM-pass polarizers based on lateral leakage in a thin film lithium niobate-silicon nitride hybrid platform: publisher's note

This publisher's note contains a correction to Opt. Lett.45, 4915 (2020)OPLEDP0146-959210.1364/OL.404197.

TE/TM-pass polarizers based on lateral leakage in a thin film lithium niobate-silicon nitride hybrid platform

TE/TM-pass polarizers based on the lithium niobate-silicon nitride hybrid platform are numerically proposed for the first time, to the best of our knowledge. By utilizing the lateral leakage of a shallowly etched rib waveguide, 1-mm-long TE/TM-pass polarizers with high extinction ratios of 28.72/24.03 dB are obtained. Because of the anisotropy of the lithium niobate, the lateral leakage of TE/TM polarization modes can occur along crystallographic z/y directions, respectively. Such TE/TM-pass polarizers can be integrated in the same wafer.

[Effects of pedicled anterolateral thigh flaps in repairing skin and soft tissue defects in perineal region caused by necrotizing fasciitis]

Objective: To explore the effects of pedicled anterolateral thigh flaps in repairing skin and soft tissue defects in perineal region caused by necrotizing fasciitis. Methods: From March 2014 to December 2018, 6 patients with skin and soft tissue defects in perineal region caused by necrotizing fasciitis were admitted to Department of Burns of Hanzhong Central Hospital (hereinafter referred to as our hospital). Two female patients had labia major defects and 4 male patients had scrotum defects, with age of 43-68 years. The areas of skin and soft tissue defects after debridement were 4%-8% total body surface area. The wounds in non-joint and non-functional area were repaired with free split-thickness skin grafts from medial femoral region, and the residual wounds areas in perineal region after repair were 10 cm×4 cm-22 cm×10 cm, which were repaired with pedicled anterolateral thigh flaps, with area of 12 cm×5 cm-24 cm×12 cm. The secondary wounds in the donor sites were sutured directly or repaired with free split-thickness skin grafts from medial thigh on the same or opposite side of the wounds. The bacterial culture result of wound exudate, drug sensitivity test result, and blood bacterial culture result on admission were recorded. The postoperative flap survival was observed. The length of hospital stay, debridement times, and antibiotics use time were recorded. The flap swelling condition was observed to evaluate whether flap thinning operation was necessary, the sensory recovery of the flap and hip joint activity were evaluated, and the scrotum function of male patients was evaluated by urologist in our hospital during follow-up. Results: The bacterial culture results of wound exudate in 5 patients on admission showed Escherichia coli with 4 of them having the same bacteria and the other one having methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus detected in their blood samples. All the flaps survived in 6 patients after the operation, with total length of hospital stay of (22±5) d, debridement of 3-5 times, and antibiotics use time of (13±3) d. During follow-up of 3 to 6 months after the operation, the flaps were slightly bloated in 2 patients, and the flap thinning operation was performed 6 months after wound repair. The sensory function recovered to normal in 2 flaps of patients with anterolateral femoral cutaneous nerve, and the superficial sensory function in the other flaps of patients recovered in different degrees.The hip joint activity was close to normal in all the patients, and the scrotum function was normal in 4 male patients. Conclusions: The pedicled anterolateral thigh flap showed good effects in repairing skin and soft tissue defects on perineal region caused by necrotizing fasciitis, with good appearance and function after operation, and the method is simple, safe, and easy to apply.

LncSNHG14 promotes the development and progression of bladder cancer by targeting miRNA-150-5p

OBJECTIVE

To elucidate whether lncSNHG14 could influence the proliferative potential and cell cycle progression of bladder cancer cells via binding to microRNA-150-5p (miRNA-150-5p). We aim to investigate the potential mechanism of miRNA-150-5p in the occurrence and progression of bladder cancer (BCa).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Expression levels of SNHG14 and miRNA-150-5p in BCa tissues and normal bladder tissues were determined by quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). Their expressions in BCa cell lines were detected as well. Regulatory effects of NHG14 and miRNA-150-5p on proliferative potential and cell cycle progression were evaluated by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and flow cytometry, respectively. Through the dual-luciferase reporter gene assay, binding conditions between SNHG14 and miRNA-150-5p, as well as between miRNA-150-5p and synaptic vesicle-associated membrane protein 2 (VAMP2), were verified. Finally, rescue experiments were performed to clarify whether SNHG14 regulated behaviors of BCa cells by absorbing miRNA-150-5p to degrade VAMP2.

RESULTS

SNHG14 was highly expressed in BCa tissues and cell lines. The overexpression of SNHG14 accelerated the proliferative potential and cell cycle progression of BCa cells. SNHG14 was confirmed to bind to miRNA-150-5p. MiRNA-150-5p remained a low expression in BCa tissues. Moreover, miRNA-150-5p overexpression suppressed proliferative potential and cell cycle progression of BCa cells, which could reverse the promotive role of SNHG14 on behaviors of BCa cells. Furthermore, VAMP2 was the target gene of miRNA-150-5p. VAMP2 overexpression reversed the biological function of miRNA-150-5p in inhibiting proliferative potential and cell cycle progression of T24 and UC9 cells.

CONCLUSIONS

LncSNHG14 overexpression accelerates proliferative potential and cell cycle progression of BCa cells through absorbing miRNA-150-5p to degrade VAMP2 expression.

[Effects of anterolateral thigh free flap with fascia lata in repairing dura mater defect after resection of head squamous cell carcinoma]

Objective: To evaluate the clinical effects of anterolateral thigh free flap with fascia lata in the repair of dura mater defect after resection of head squamous cell carcinoma. Methods: From June 2016 to June 2018, Xijing Hospital of Air Force Medical University applied the free transplantation of anterolateral thigh flap with fascia lata to repair the dura mater defect of 12 patients with head squamous cell carcinoma, including 9 males and 3 females, aged from 35 to 74 years. The size of scalp soft tissue defects in patients after carcinoma resection ranged from 12 cm×10 cm to 24 cm×21 cm, and the size of dura mater defect of patients ranged from 7 cm×6 cm to 16 cm×14 cm. The size of flap of patients ranged from 14 cm×12 cm to 27 cm×24 cm, and the size of fascia lata ranged from 8 cm×7 cm to 17 cm×15 cm. The superficial temporal artery and middle temporal vein were connected by end to end anastomosis with the first musculocutaneous perforating branch of the descending branch of lateral femoral artery and its accompanying vein. The flap donor area was transplanted with autologous split-thickness skin graft from trunk and fixed with packing. Postoperative survival of flaps and skin grafts was observed. The patients were followed up regularly. The cranial magnetic resonance imaging was performed to observe the recurrence of intracranial tumors and dural integrity, shape of the flap and whether the donor site region was left with significant dysfunction were observed. Results: All the flaps and skin grafts survived well in 12 patients after surgery. Ten patients had primary healing at the edge of the flap suture; 2 patients had local sinus tract formation at the suture site of flap, with a small amount of cerebrospinal fluid leakage, and were recovered after outpatient dressing change. The patients were followed up for 10 to 36 months, and 3 patients with tumors involving in the dura mater sagittal sinus region had postoperative intracranial tumor recurrence. The tumor was resected again. All the patients had good dural integrity. The flaps of all patients were in good shape, and no obvious dysfunction remained in the flap donor site. Conclusions: Free transplantation of anterolateral thigh flap with fascia lata is an effective and reliable method to repair the dura mater defect following head squamous cell carcinoma resection. It can repair the scalp and dura mater defects caused by the invasion of squamous cell carcinoma and provide possibilities for skull reconstruction.

Visual impairment and spectacles ownership among upper secondary school students in northwestern China

PURPOSE

To assess the prevalence of visual impairment and spectacles ownership among academic and vocational upper secondary school students in rural China.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study included 5583 students from four academic upper secondary schools (AUSSs) and two vocational upper secondary schools (VUSSs) in Mei and Qianyang counties, Baoji Prefecture, Shaanxi Province. In March and April 2016, students underwent assessment of visual acuity (VA) and completed a questionnaire regarding spectacles use and family characteristics. Students with visual impairment (presenting VA ≤6/12 in the better eye) and students needing spectacles (uncorrected VA ≤6/12 in the better eye, which could be improved to >6/12 with refraction) were identified.

RESULTS

Among 5583 students (54% boys, mean age 16.4±1.0 years) in grades 10 and grade 11 attending AUSSs (n=4549) and VUSSs (n=1034), visual impairment was detected in 4026 students. Among the AUSS students, 3425 (75%) needed spectacles; 2551 (75%) had them. Among the VUSS students, 601 (58%) needed spectacles; this proportion was significantly smaller (P=0.004), as was the proportion who had spectacles (n=212, 35%, P<0.001), compared with the AUSS students. Multivariate analysis showed that ownership of spectacles among children who needed them was associated with worse uncorrected VA (P<0.001), male sex (P<0.001), and residence in an urban area (P<0.034). Spectacles ownership was also strongly associated with AUSS education (P<0.001).

CONCLUSION

There is a high rate of unmet need in visual care among upper secondary school students. Lack of spectacles ownership among children who needed them was significantly associated with VUSS education.

[Advances in the research of poststernotomy dehiscence and repair with tissue flap transplantation]

Sternotomy is a routine surgical pathway for heart, lung, and mediastinal surgery. Poststernotomy dehiscence is a common complication of sternotomy, in which infection after poststernotomy dehiscence is one of the most serious postoperative complications in cardiothoracic surgery. Previously, conventional dressing, negative pressure wound therapy, and skin stretching device were used in the treatment of poststernotomy dehiscence, but the outcome of each single method was poor, which caused great pain and burden to the patients and their families. In recent years, tissue flap containing rich blood supply has drawn a lot of attention because of its good wound cover, stable thoracic reconstruction, low infection recurrence rate, and less postoperative complication. In this paper, we reviewed the epidemiological characteristics of poststernotomy dehiscence, and summarized the various classifications for poststernotomy dehiscence and the therapeutic effects of different tissue flap repair. We hope that this review would provide a basis for further construction of the treatment system for poststernotomy dehiscence and the formation of a treatment guideline.