[Clinical effects of early rehabilitation treatment after repair surgery of skin and soft tissue defects accompanied by extensor tendon injury on the back of hand]

Objective: To explore the clinical effects of early rehabilitation treatment after repair surgery of skin and soft tissue defects accompanied by extensor tendon injury on the back of hand. Methods: This study was a retrospective non-randomized controlled study. From February 2015 to February 2023, 24 patients (15 males and 9 females, aged 12-55 years) with skin and soft tissue defects accompanied by extensor tendon injury on the back of hand, who met the inclusion criteria and were repaired with flap transplantation and tendon grafting or tendon anastomosis, were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University. According to different intervention time for postoperative rehabilitation treatment of patients, the patients were divided into conventional rehabilitation group and early rehabilitation group, with 12 cases in each group. Patients in early rehabilitation group received rehabilitation treatment immediately after surgery under the rehabilitation guidance of specialized rehabilitation physicians based on the characteristics of different postoperative periods. Patients in conventional rehabilitation group began rehabilitation treatment from the third week after surgery, and their rehabilitation treatment was the same as that of patients in early rehabilitation group from the second week after surgery. The patients in 2 groups were treated in the hospital until the sixth week after surgery. The occurrence of flap vascular crisis and tendon rupture were observed within 6 weeks after surgery. After 6 weeks of surgery, the manual muscle test was used to measure the pinching force between the index finger and thumb, lateral pinching force, three-point pinching force, and grip force of the affected hand; the total action motion method was used to evaluate the finger joint range of motion of the affected hand, and the excellent and good ratio was calculated; the Carroll upper extremity function test was used to score and rate the function of the affected hand. Results: Within 6 weeks after surgery, only 1 patient in conventional rehabilitation group suffered from venous crisis, and the flap survived after the second surgical exploration and anastomosis of blood vessels; there was no occurrence of tendon rupture in patients of 2 groups. After 6 weeks of surgery, there were no statistically significant differences in pinching force between the index finger and thumb, lateral pinching force, three-point pinching force, or grip force of the affected hand between the two groups of patients (P>0.05); the excellent and good ratio of the finger joint range of motion of the affected hand of patients in early rehabilitation group was 11/12, which was higher than 7/12 in conventional rehabilitation group, but there was no statistically significant difference (P>0.05); the affected hand function score of patients in early rehabilitation group was 90±6, which was significantly higher than 83±8 in conventional rehabilitation group (t=2.41, P<0.05); the function rating of the affected hand of patients in early rehabilitation group was obviously better than that in conventional rehabilitation group (Z=2.04, P<0.05). Conclusions: Early rehabilitation treatment for patients with skin and soft tissue defects accompanied by extensor tendon injury on the back of hand after repair surgery can improve hand function, but it would not increase surgery related complications, which is worthy of clinical promotion and application.

Brassica napus BnaA09.MYB52 enhances seed coat mucilage accumulation and tolerance to osmotic stress during seed germination in Arabidopsis thaliana

Seed coat mucilage plays an important role in promoting seed germination under adversity. Previous studies have shown that Arabidopsis thaliana MYB52 (AtMYB52) can positively regulate seed coat mucilage accumulation. However, the role of Brassica napus MYB52 (BnaMYB52) in accumulation of seed coat mucilage and tolerance to osmotic stress during seed germination remains largely unknown. We cloned the BnaA09.MYB52 coding domain sequence from B. napus cv ZS11, identified its conserved protein domains and elucidated its relationship with homologues from a range of plant species. Transgenic plants overexpressing BnaA09.MYB52 in the A. thaliana myb52-1 mutant were generated through Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and used to assess the possible roles of BnaA09.MYB52 in accumulation of seed coat mucilage and tolerance to osmotic stress during seed germination. Subcellular localization and transcriptional activity assays demonstrated that BnaA09.MYB52 functions as a transcription factor. RT-qPCR results indicate that BnaA09.MYB52 is predominantly expressed in roots and developing seeds of B. napus cv ZS11. Introduction of BnaA09.MYB52 into myb52-1 restored thinner seed coat mucilage in this mutant to levels in the wild type. Consistently, expression levels of three key genes participating in mucilage formation in developing seeds of myb52-1 were also restored to wild type levels by overexpressing BnaA09.MYB52. Furthermore, BnaA09.MYB52 was induced by osmotic stress during seed germination in B. napus, and ectopic expression of BnaA09.MYB52 successfully corrected sensitivity of the myb52-1 mutant to osmotic stress during seed germination. These findings enhance our understanding of the functions of BnaA09.MYB52 and provide a novel strategy for future B. napus breeding.

Exhalomics as a noninvasive method for assessing rumen fermentation in dairy cows: Can exhaled-breath metabolomics replace rumen sampling?

Previously, we used secondary electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (SESI-MS) to investigate the diurnal patterns and signal intensities of exhaled (EX) volatile fatty acids (VFA) of dairy cows. The current study aimed to validate the potential of an exhalomics approach for evaluating rumen fermentation. The experiment was conducted in a switchback design, with 3 periods of 9 d each, including 7 d for adaptation and 2 d for sampling. Four rumen-cannulated original Swiss Brown (Braunvieh) cows were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 diet sequences (ABA or BAB): (A) low starch (LS; 6.31% starch on a dry matter basis) and (B) high starch (HS; 16.2% starch on a dry matter basis). Feeding was once per day at 0830 h. Exhalome (with the GreenFeed System), and rumen samples were collected 8 times to represent every 3 h of a day, and EX-VFA and ruminal (RM)-VFA were analyzed using SESI-MS and HPLC, respectively. Furthermore, the VFA concentration in the gas phase (HR-VFA) was predicted based on RM-VFA and Henry's Law (HR) constants. No interactions were identified between the types of diets (HS vs. LS) and the measurement methods on daily average VFA profiles (RM vs. EX or HR vs. EX), suggesting a consistent performance among the methods. Additionally, when the 3-h interval VFA data from HS and LS diets were analyzed separately, no interactions were observed between methods and time of day, indicating that the relative daily pattern of VFA molar proportions was similar regardless of the VFA measurement method used. The results revealed that the levels of acetate sharply increased immediately after feeding, trailed by an increase in the acetate:propionate ratio and a steady increase for propionate (2 h after feeding the HS diet, 4 h for LS), and butyrate. This change was more pronounced for the HS diet than the LS diet. However, there was no overall diet effect on the VFA molar proportions, although the measurement methods affected the molar proportions. Furthermore, we observed a strong positive correlation between the levels of RM and EX acetate for both diets (HS: r = 0.84; LS: r = 0.85), RM and EX propionate (r = 0.74), and RM and EX acetate:propionate ratio (r = 0.80). Both EX-VFA and RM-VFA exhibited similar responses to feeding and dietary treatments, suggesting that EX-VFA could serve as a useful proxy for characterizing RM-VFA molar proportions to evaluate rumen fermentation. Similar relationships were observed between RM-VFA and HR-VFA. In conclusion, this study underscores the potential of exhalomics as a reliable approach for assessing rumen fermentation. Moving forward, research should further explore the depth of exhalomics in ruminant studies to provide a comprehensive insight into rumen fermentation metabolites, especially across diverse dietary conditions.

Triboelectric Nanogenerator-Enabled Digital Twins in Civil Engineering Infrastructure 4.0: A Comprehensive Review

The emergence of digital twins has ushered in a new era in civil engineering with a focus on achieving sustainable energy supply, real-time sensing, and rapid warning systems. These key development goals mean the arrival of Civil Engineering 4.0.The advent of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) demonstrates the feasibility of energy harvesting and self-powered sensing. This review aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the fundamental elements comprising civil infrastructure, encompassing various structures such as buildings, pavements, rail tracks, bridges, tunnels, and ports. First, an elaboration is provided on smart engineering structures with digital twins. Following that, the paper examines the impact of using TENG-enabled strategies on smart civil infrastructure through the integration of materials and structures. The various infrastructures provided by TENGs have been analyzed to identify the key research interest. These areas encompass a wide range of civil infrastructure characteristics, including safety, efficiency, energy conservation, and other related themes. The challenges and future perspectives of TENG-enabled smart civil infrastructure are briefly discussed in the final section. In conclusion, it is conceivable that in the near future, there will be a proliferation of smart civil infrastructure accompanied by sustainable and comprehensive smart services.

All-organic transparent plant e-skin for noninvasive phenotyping

Real-time in situ monitoring of plant physiology is essential for establishing a phenotyping platform for precision agriculture. A key enabler for this monitoring is a device that can be noninvasively attached to plants and transduce their physiological status into digital data. Here, we report an all-organic transparent plant e-skin by micropatterning poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate. This plant e-skin is optically and mechanically invisible to plants with no observable adverse effects to plant health. We demonstrate the capabilities of our plant e-skins as strain and temperature sensors, with the application to Brassica rapa leaves for collecting corresponding parameters under normal and abiotic stress conditions. Strains imposed on the leaf surface during growth as well as diurnal fluctuation of surface temperature were captured. We further present a digital-twin interface to visualize real-time plant surface environment, providing an intuitive and vivid platform for plant phenotyping.

Vegetation-fire feedbacks increase subtropical wildfire risk in scrubland and reduce it in forests

Climate dictates wildfire activity around the world. But East and Southeast Asia are an apparent exception as fire-activity variation there is unrelated to climatic variables. In subtropical China, fire activity decreased by 80% between 2003 and 2020 amid increased fire risks globally. Here, we assessed the fire regime, vegetation structure, fuel flammability and their interactions across subtropical Hubei, China. We show that tree basal area (TBA) and fuel flammability explained 60% of fire-frequency variance. Fire frequency and fuel flammability, in turn, explained 90% of TBA variance. These results reveal a novel system of scrubland-forest stabilized by vegetation-fire feedbacks. Frequent fires promote the persistence of derelict scrubland through positive vegetation-fire feedbacks; in forest, vegetation-fire feedbacks are negative and suppress fire. Thus, we attribute the decrease in wildfire activity to reforestation programs that concurrently increase forest coverage and foster negative vegetation-fire feedbacks that suppress wildfire.

Fiber-Based Noncontact Sensor with Stretchability for Underwater Wearable Sensing and VR Applications

The rapid development of artificial intelligent wearable devices has led to an increasing need for seamless information exchange between humans, machines, and virtual spaces, often relying on touch sensors as the primary interaction medium. Additionally, the demand for underwater detection technologies is on the rise owing to the prevalent wet and submerged environment. Here, a fiber-based capacitive sensor with superior stretchability and hydrophobicity is proposed, designed to cater to noncontact and underwater applications. The sensor is constructed using bacterial cellulose (BC)@BC/carbon nanotubes (CNTs) (BBT) helical fiber as the matrix and methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) as the hydrophobic modified agent, forming a hydrophobic silylated BC@BC/CNT (SBBT) helical fiber by the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique. These fibers exhibit an impressive contact angle of 132.8°. The SBBT helicalfiber-based capacitive sensor presents capabilities for both noncontact and underwater sensing, which exhibits a significant capacitance change of -0.27 (at a distance of 0.5 cm). We have achieved interactive control between real space and virtual space through intelligent data analysis technology with minimal interference from the presence of water. This work has laid a solid foundation of noncontact sensing with attributes such as degradability, stretchability, and hydrophobicity. Moreover, it offers promising solutions for barrier-free communication in virtual reality (VR) and underwater applications, providing avenues for smart human-machine interfaces for submerged use.

Genome sequencing and molecular networking analysis of the wild fungus Anthostomella pinea reveal its ability to produce a diverse range of secondary metabolites

BACKGROUND

Filamentous fungi are prolific producers of bioactive molecules and enzymes with important applications in industry. Yet, the vast majority of fungal species remain undiscovered or uncharacterized. Here we focus our attention to a wild fungal isolate that we identified as Anthostomella pinea. The fungus belongs to a complex polyphyletic genus in the family of Xylariaceae, which is known to comprise endophytic and pathogenic fungi that produce a plethora of interesting secondary metabolites. Despite that, Anthostomella is largely understudied and only two species have been fully sequenced and characterized at a genomic level.

RESULTS

In this work, we used long-read sequencing to obtain the complete 53.7 Mb genome sequence including the full mitochondrial DNA. We performed extensive structural and functional annotation of coding sequences, including genes encoding enzymes with potential applications in biotechnology. Among others, we found that the genome of A. pinea encodes 91 biosynthetic gene clusters, more than 600 CAZymes, and 164 P450s. Furthermore, untargeted metabolomics and molecular networking analysis of the cultivation extracts revealed a rich secondary metabolism, and in particular an abundance of sesquiterpenoids and sesquiterpene lactones. We also identified the polyketide antibiotic xanthoepocin, to which we attribute the anti-Gram-positive effect of the extracts that we observed in antibacterial plate assays.

CONCLUSIONS

Taken together, our results provide a first glimpse into the potential of Anthstomella pinea to provide new bioactive molecules and biocatalysts and will facilitate future research into these valuable metabolites.

Relationship between 1-, 3-, and 6-Month Gingival Bleeding Outcomes

INTRODUCTION

Results from systematic reviews and meta-analyses show generally consistent antigingivitis effects between 3- and 6-mo observation time points with twice-daily use of stannous fluoride (SnF2) dentifrice. However, the relationship between 1-, 3-, and 6-mo gingivitis responses has not been investigated.

METHODS

This pooled analysis was conducted to understand the relationship of 1-, 3-, and 6-mo gingival bleeding outcomes. Number of bleeding sites, derived from Löe-Silness Gingival Index (LSGI) or Gingival Bleeding Index, was identified as the primary end point of the analysis for the biological and clinical relevance. Randomized, double-blinded, controlled clinical studies meeting the following predefined selection criteria were identified: 1) published and unpublished gingivitis clinical trials conducted from 1995 to 2022 comparing efficacy of 0.454% SnF2 dentifrices to negative controls (sodium fluoride or sodium monofluorophosphate dentifrice) and 2) studies with a 3-mo assessment and at least a 1- or 6-mo assessment.

RESULTS

The search resulted in ten 6-mo and fourteen 3-mo studies meeting selection criteria. A mixed-effects model was performed on the pooled data to assess gingival bleeding outcomes across time. The bleeding efficacy significantly increased between months 1 and 3 (P < 0.0001) and plateaued between months 3 and 6 (P = 0.007), supporting the fact that bleeding reduction relative to control established by 1 mo will increase and be maintained through 3 and 6 mo (R2 = 0.857). In addition, gingival bleeding and gingivitis efficacy, as measured by LSGI, were found to be highly correlated (R2 = 0.874).

CONCLUSION

A clear relationship has been demonstrated between 1-, 3-, and 6-mo gingival bleeding outcomes in gingivitis clinical studies comparing SnF2 dentifrice to negative control dentifrice. These findings have important implications to the dental practice and scientific research as antigingivitis efficacy evaluations can be observed as early as 1 mo and are consistent with those seen at 3 or 6 mo.

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER STATEMENT

Outcomes from this investigation indicate that the clinical evaluation of antigingivitis efficacy at 1 mo is predictive of that at 3 and 6 mo, supporting studies of 1-mo duration as a viable method of knowledge acquisition. This more efficient, expedited research design has positive implications for patient care, clinical practice guidelines, protocols, and policies.

[Research advances on application of pancreatic stone protein in the early diagnosis of sepsis]

Sepsis is a severe life-threatening syndrome characterized by an abnormal host response to infection that can rapidly evolve into septic shock and multiple organ failure. Treatment of sepsis depends on early identification and diagnosis as well as adequate and timely anti-infection and multi-organ functional support. In recent years, pancreatic stone protein has been widely studied as a new biomarker for sepsis. Existing evidence shows that compared with the commonly used inflammatory markers in clinical practice, pancreatic stone protein has higher sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of sepsis. It enables the early diagnosis of sepsis and assessment of the severity of septic patients to a certain extent. This article reviews the characteristics, biological functions, diagnostic features, and clinical application of pancreatic stone protein.

[Best evidence summary of prevention strategies for pressure injury in adult hospitalized burn patients]

Objective: To summarize the best evidence of prevention strategies for pressure injury in adult hospitalized burn patients. Methods: A bibliometric approach was used. Systematic searches were carried out to retrieve the published evidence of prevention strategies for pressure injury in adult hospitalized burn patients in the official websites of relevant academic organizations such as International Society for Burn injury, American Burn Association, and Japanese Dermatology Association, National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel, European Pressure Injury Advisory Panel, Pan Pacific Pressure Injury Alliance International Guidelines Website, foreign language databases such as UpToDate, BMJ Best Practice, MedSci, Joanna Briggs Institute Evidence-Based Practice Database, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase, and PubMed, and Chinese databases such as China Biology Medicine disc, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, and China Clinical Guidelines Library. The literature types include clinical decision-making, evidence summary, guidelines, systematic review, and expert consensus. The search time was till February 21st, 2023. Two researchers independently screened the literature and evaluated the quality, and other researchers extracted and graded the evidence according to the topic. Results: A total of 10 papers were included, including 6 evidence summaries, 3 guidelines, and 1 expert consensus, all with high literature quality. After extracting evidence and classifying, 27 pieces of best evidences were summarized from three aspects, including prevention training and supervision, risk assessment, and prevention measures of pressure injury. Conclusions: A total of 27 pieces of best evidences of prevention strategies for pressure injury in adult hospitalized burn patients were summarized from 3 aspects. Medical workers can follow the best evidence and give personalized prevention strategies according to the specific condition of adult hospitalized burn patients to reduce the incidence of pressure injury.

[Curative effects of medial plantar free flap in reconstructing electric burn wound and scar contracture in the palm]

Objective: To explore the curative effects of medial plantar free flap in reconstructing electric burn wound and scar contracture in the palm. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted. From January 2020 to January 2023, 6 patients with electric burn wounds or scar contracture in the palm who met the inclusion criteria were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University, including 5 males and 1 female, aged 35 to 55 years. The wound area was 5.0 cm×3.0 cm-8.0 cm×7.0 cm after the debridement of electric burn wounds or resection of scar in the palm. The medial plantar free flap anastomosed with cutaneous nerve was used for wound reconstruction, with flap area of 5.5 cm×3.5 cm-8.5 cm×7.5 cm. The wound in the donor site was repaired with transplantation of abdominal full-thickness skin graft. After surgery, the survival of flaps and skin grafts were observed, the shape and texture of flap and the recovery of donor site of flap were observed, and the holding function of the affected hand was assessed. At the last follow-up, the two-point discrimination distance of flap was measured, the sensory recovery of flap was evaluated with the trial standard for the evaluation of the functions of the upper limbs of the Hand Surgery Society of the Chinese Medical Association, and the function recovery of flap was evaluated by post-surgery flap function evaluation scale. Results: After surgery, 5 flaps survived well, while the distal part of 1 flap was partially necrotic, which was repaired by medium-thickness skin graft from lateral thigh after debridement. All the skin grafts at the donor sites survived well. During follow-up of 3 to 24 months, the flap was not bloated, the texture and color were good, the match with the surrounding tissue was high, with no obvious scar contracture occurred at the donor site. The affected hand had good holding function. At the last follow-up, the two-point discrimination distance of flap was 6-8 mm, the flap sensation recovery was as follows: 5 flaps recovered to grade S3+, 1 flap recovered to grade S3, and the functional evaluation of flaps was excellent in 5 cases and good in 1 case. The patients basically returned to normal life and work. Conclusions: The medial plantar free flap with cutaneous nerve anastomosis has many advantages, such as high matching degree of appearance, good sensory recovery, and holding function of the affected hand. It is an ideal choice for the reconstruction of the electric burn wound and scar contracture in the palm.

Artificial intelligence enhanced sensors - enabling technologies to next-generation healthcare and biomedical platform

The fourth industrial revolution has led to the development and application of health monitoring sensors that are characterized by digitalization and intelligence. These sensors have extensive applications in medical care, personal health management, elderly care, sports, and other fields, providing people with more convenient and real-time health services. However, these sensors face limitations such as noise and drift, difficulty in extracting useful information from large amounts of data, and lack of feedback or control signals. The development of artificial intelligence has provided powerful tools and algorithms for data processing and analysis, enabling intelligent health monitoring, and achieving high-precision predictions and decisions. By integrating the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and health monitoring sensors, it becomes possible to realize a closed-loop system with the functions of real-time monitoring, data collection, online analysis, diagnosis, and treatment recommendations. This review focuses on the development of healthcare artificial sensors enhanced by intelligent technologies from the aspects of materials, device structure, system integration, and application scenarios. Specifically, this review first introduces the great advances in wearable sensors for monitoring respiration rate, heart rate, pulse, sweat, and tears; implantable sensors for cardiovascular care, nerve signal acquisition, and neurotransmitter monitoring; soft wearable electronics for precise therapy. Then, the recent advances in volatile organic compound detection are highlighted. Next, the current developments of human-machine interfaces, AI-enhanced multimode sensors, and AI-enhanced self-sustainable systems are reviewed. Last, a perspective on future directions for further research development is also provided. In summary, the fusion of artificial intelligence and artificial sensors will provide more intelligent, convenient, and secure services for next-generation healthcare and biomedical applications.

[Clinical experience of free superficial temporal fascia flap/anterolateral femoral fascial flap combined with skin grafting in repairing deep tissue defects of special parts of extremities]

The deep tissue defects of extremities are prone to cause the exposure of tendons, blood vessels, nerves, and bones, which are commonly repaired with free flaps in clinical practice. However, for special parts such as fingers, toes, posterior ankles, anterior tibias, and dorsum of feet, the appearances are usually bulky after being repaired with free flaps and need lipectomy operations, which bring great physiological, psychological, and economic burden to patients. As the fascia flap is soft and thin with reliable blood supply and strong anti-infection ability, the free fascia flap combined with skin grafting offers some advantages in repairing the above-mentioned wounds. However, its clinical application is severely limited due to the complexity of surgical operation and the difficulty in observing blood supply after operation. In recent years, our team has carried out a lot of work and accumulated rich experience in repairing deep tissue defects of special parts of extremities with free superficial temporal fascia flap/anterolateral femoral fascial flap combined with skin grafting. From the clinical perspective, this paper mainly introduces the anatomy and harvesting method of free superficial temporal fascia flap/anterolateral femoral fascial flap, as well as the advantages, difficulties, and precautions of clinical application, for reference of peers.

A Wearable Multidimensional Motion Sensor for AI-Enhanced VR Sports

Regular exercise paves the way to a healthy life. However, conventional sports events are susceptible to weather conditions. Current motion sensors for home-based sports are mainly limited by operation power consumption, single-direction sensitivity, or inferior data analysis. Herein, by leveraging the 3-dimensional printing technique and triboelectric effect, a wearable self-powered multidimensional motion sensor has been developed to detect both the vertical and planar movement trajectory. By integrating with a belt, this sensor could be used to identify some low degree of freedom motions, e.g., waist or gait motion, with a high accuracy of 93.8%. Furthermore, when wearing the sensor at the ankle position, signals generated from shank motions that contain more abundant information could also be effectively collected. By means of a deep learning algorithm, the kicking direction and force could be precisely differentiated with an accuracy of 97.5%. Toward practical application, a virtual reality-enabled fitness game and a shooting game were successfully demonstrated. This work is believed to open up new insights for the development of future household sports or rehabilitation.

Recent Advances in Triboelectric Nanogenerators: From Technological Progress to Commercial Applications

Serious climate changes and energy-related environmental problems are currently critical issues in the world. In order to reduce carbon emissions and save our environment, renewable energy harvesting technologies will serve as a key solution in the near future. Among them, triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs), which is one of the most promising mechanical energy harvesters by means of contact electrification phenomenon, are explosively developing due to abundant wasting mechanical energy sources and a number of superior advantages in a wide availability and selection of materials, relatively simple device configurations, and low-cost processing. Significant experimental and theoretical efforts have been achieved toward understanding fundamental behaviors and a wide range of demonstrations since its report in 2012. As a result, considerable technological advancement has been exhibited and it advances the timeline of achievement in the proposed roadmap. Now, the technology has reached the stage of prototype development with verification of performance beyond the lab scale environment toward its commercialization. In this review, distinguished authors in the world worked together to summarize the state of the art in theory, materials, devices, systems, circuits, and applications in TENG fields. The great research achievements of researchers in this field around the world over the past decade are expected to play a major role in coming to fruition of unexpectedly accelerated technological advances over the next decade.

Multiomics approach to profiling Sertoli cell maturation during development of the spermatogonial stem cell niche

Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) are the basis of spermatogenesis, a complex process supported by a specialized microenvironment, called the SSC niche. Postnatal development of SSCs is characterized by distinct metabolic transitions from prepubertal to adult stages. An understanding of the niche factors that regulate these maturational events is critical for the clinical application of SSCs in fertility preservation. To investigate the niche maturation events that take place during SSC maturation, we combined different '-omics' technologies. Serial single cell RNA sequencing analysis revealed changes in the transcriptomes indicative of niche maturation that was initiated at 11 years of age in humans and at 8 weeks of age in pigs, as evident by Monocle analysis of Sertoli cells and peritubular myoid cell (PMC) development in humans and Sertoli cell analysis in pigs. Morphological niche maturation was associated with lipid droplet accumulation, a characteristic that was conserved between species. Lipidomic profiling revealed an increase in triglycerides and a decrease in sphingolipids with Sertoli cell maturation in the pig model. Quantitative (phospho-) proteomics analysis detected the activation of distinct pathways with porcine Sertoli cell maturation. We show here that the main aspects of niche maturation coincide with the morphological maturation of SSCs, which is followed by their metabolic maturation. The main aspects are also conserved between the species and can be predicted by changes in the niche lipidome. Overall, this knowledge is pivotal to establishing cell/tissue-based biomarkers that could gauge stem cell maturation to facilitate laboratory techniques that allow for SSC transplantation for restoration of fertility.

Sustained intra-cartilage delivery of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist using cationic peptide and protein-based carriers

OBJECTIVE

Blocking the interleukin-1 (IL-1) catabolic cascade following joint trauma can be achieved using its receptor antagonist, IL-1Ra. However, its clinical translation for osteoarthritis therapy has been unsuccessful due to its rapid joint clearance and lack of targeting and penetration into deep cartilage layers at therapeutic concentrations. Here, we target the high negative charge of cartilage aggrecan-glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) by attaching cationic carriers to IL-1Ra. IL-1Ra was conjugated to the cartilage targeting glycoprotein, Avidin, and a short length optimally charged cationic peptide carrier (CPC+14). It is hypothesized that electro-diffusive transport and binding properties of IL-1Ra-Avidin and IL-1Ra-CPC+14 will create intra-cartilage depots of IL-1Ra, resulting in long-term suppression of IL-1 catabolism with only a single administration.

DESIGN

IL-1Ra was conjugated to Avidin or CPC+14 using site specific maleimide linkers, and confirmed using gel electrophoresis, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and mass spectrometry. Intra-cartilage transport and retention of conjugates was compared with native IL-1Ra. Attenuation of IL-1 catabolic signaling with one-time dose of IL-1Ra-CPC+14 and IL-1Ra-Avidin was assessed over 16 days using IL-1α challenged bovine cartilage and compared with unmodified IL-1Ra.

RESULTS

Positively charged IL-1Ra penetrated through the full-thickness of cartilage, creating a drug depot. A single dose of unmodified IL-1Ra was not sufficient to attenuate IL-1-induced cartilage deterioration over 16 days. However, when delivered using Avidin, and to a greater extent CPC+14, IL-1Ra significantly suppressed cytokine induced GAG loss and nitrite release while improving cell metabolism and viability.

CONCLUSION

Charge-based cartilage targeting drug delivery systems hold promise as they can enable long-term therapeutic benefit with only a single dose.

Intra-articular kinetics of a cartilage targeting cationic PEGylated protein for applications in drug delivery

OBJECTIVES

Cartilage targeting cationic glycoprotein Avidin was PEGylated to synthesize a multi-arm Avidin (mAv) nano-construct with high drug loading content. Here we investigate mAv biodistribution and kinetics over a 7-day period following intra-articular (IA) administration in rat knee joints.

METHODS

Labeled mAv was injected into healthy rat knees, and joint tissues (articular cartilage, menisci, ligaments, tendons, fat pad) were harvested following sacrifice at 6 h, 1, 4 and 7 days. Its IA biodistribution and retention were measured using fluorescence microscopy. Tissue localization was compared in young vs old rats by immunohistochemistry. mAv chondrotoxicity and immune response were evaluated to determine safe carrier dose limits.

RESULTS

mAv penetrated through the full thickness of rat cartilage and other joint tissues within 6 h, remaining detectable within most joint tissues over 7 days. Intra-tissue uptake correlated strongly with tissue GAG concentration, confirming the dominant role of electrostatic interactions between positively charged mAv and the negatively charged aggrecan proteoglycans. mAv was uptaken by chondrocytes and also penetrated the osteocyte lacuno-canalicular system of peri-articular bone in both young and old rats. mAv did not cause cytotoxicity at concentrations up to 300 μM but elicited a dose dependent immunogenic response.

CONCLUSIONS

mAv's ability to target a variety of joint tissues, chondrocytes, and peri-articular osteocytes without sequestration in synovial fluid makes it a versatile carrier for delivering a wide range of drugs for treating a broad class of musculoskeletal diseases. Drugs can be conjugated using simple aqueous based avidin-biotin reaction, supporting its clinical prospects.

Human Machine Interface with Wearable Electronics Using Biodegradable Triboelectric Films for Calligraphy Practice and Correction

Letter handwriting, especially stroke correction, is of great importance for recording languages and expressing and exchanging ideas for individual behavior and the public. In this study, a biodegradable and conductive carboxymethyl chitosan-silk fibroin (CSF) film is prepared to design wearable triboelectric nanogenerator (denoted as CSF-TENG), which outputs of V_oc ≈ 165 V, I_sc ≈ 1.4 μA, and Q_sc ≈ 72 mW cm^-2. Further, in vitro biodegradation of CSF film is performed through trypsin and lysozyme. The results show that trypsin and lysozyme have stable and favorable biodegradation properties, removing 63.1% of CSF film after degrading for 11 days. Further, the CSF-TENG-based human-machine interface (HMI) is designed to promptly track writing steps and access the accuracy of letters, resulting in a straightforward communication media of human and machine. The CSF-TENG-based HMI can automatically recognize and correct three representative letters (F, H, and K), which is benefited by HMI system for data processing and analysis. The CSF-TENG-based HMI can make decisions for the next stroke, highlighting the stroke in advance by replacing it with red, which can be a candidate for calligraphy practice and correction. Finally, various demonstrations are done in real-time to achieve virtual and real-world controls including writing, vehicle movements, and healthcare.

[Research advances on the role of hemoglobin spray in chronic wounds]

Oxygen plays an important role in the process of wound healing. Researches have shown that more than 97% of chronic wounds are in a state of hypoxia, which is one of the key factors resulting in refractory wounds. Local oxygen therapy is a treatment method that can directly provide oxygen to wounds without relying on the damaged vascular system. It can effectively promote chronic wounds healing by transmitting sufficient oxygen to wounds through specific devices or preparations. Hemoglobin spray is a new form of local oxygen therapy, which has the advantages of good effect, simple operation, and low cost. This article reviews the development, component, safety, oxygen supply principle, and application methods of hemoglobin spray and its effects in the treatment of chronic wounds, so as to provide a new direction for the treatment of chronic wounds.

[Research progress of microvascular invasion in hepatocellular carcinoma]

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a kind of highly aggressive tumor of the digestive system. Several studies have confirmed that microvascular invasion (MVI) is an independent risk factor for early recurrence and poor prognosis of HCC after surgery. Currently, pathological examination is the gold standard for diagnosing MVI. This paper summarizes concept, prognosis, preoperative prediction and treatment plan based on literature review of MVI in HCC.

Goat Milk Based Infant Formula in Newborns: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial on Growth and Safety

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to determine the growth and safety parameters in newborns fed a goat milk based infant formula (GMF) using a randomized double-blind trial, in which a cow milk formula (CMF) served as a control and a breast fed (BF) group as a reference.

METHODS

Healthy term infants (n = 218) aged up to 14 days were recruited from 25 European study centers and randomized to GMF or CMF. Weight, length, head circumference were measured at baseline, and at 14, 28, 56, 84, and 112 days at the study clinics. Adverse events were recorded and stool characteristics, reflux, fussiness, colic, and flatulence were self-reported by parents in 3-day diaries. Anthropometric measurements were transformed to WHO standardized age- and sex-adjusted z -scores. Analyses of covariance and linear mixed modeling were used to statistically analyze growth, while adjusting for potential confounders when studying the breast-fed group (n = 86).

RESULTS

Comparing the GMF to the CMF group, weight gain [mean difference 227.8 g (95% CI -16.6 to -439.0)] and z-scores for anthropometric measurements were similar after 112 days intervention. Infant formula groups showed greater mean (SD) weight z-scores than the BF group from 84 days onwards (GMF: 0.28 (0.84), CMF: 0.12 (0.88), BF -0.19 (1.02), P < 0.05), whereas length and head circumference z-scores were similar. Incidences of serious adverse events and reflux, fussiness, colic, and flatulence were similar among the three groups.

CONCLUSION

Our data demonstrate that GMF provides adequate growth, has a good tolerability, and is safe to use in infants.

Flexible Forearm Triboelectric Sensors for Parkinson's Disease Diagnosing and Monitoring

Existing approaches that assess and monitor the severity of Parkinson's Disease (PD) focus on the integration of wearable devices based on inertial sensors (accelerometers, gyroscopes) and electromyographic (EMG) transducers. Nevertheless, some of these sensors are bulky and lack comfortability. This manuscript presents triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) as an alternative stretchable sensor solution enabling PD monitoring systems. The prototype has been developed using a triboelectric sensor based on Ecoflex™ and PEDOT:PSS that is placed on the forearm. The movement of the skin above the forearm muscles and tendons correlates with the extension and flexion of fingers and hands. This way, the small gap of 0.5 cm between the polymer layers is displaced, generating voltage due to the triboelectric contact. Signals from preliminary experiments can discriminate different dynamics of emulated tremor and bradykinesia in hands and fingers. A modified version of the TS is integrated with a printed circuit board (PCB) in a single package with signal conditioning and wireless data transmission. The sensor platforms have demonstrated a good sensitivity to PD symptoms like bradykinesia and tremor based on the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS:UPDRS).

Wearable Triboelectric Sensors Enabled Gait Analysis and Waist Motion Capture for IoT-Based Smart Healthcare Applications

Gait and waist motions always contain massive personnel information and it is feasible to extract these data via wearable electronics for identification and healthcare based on the Internet of Things (IoT). There also remains a demand to develop a cost-effective human-machine interface to enhance the immersion during the long-term rehabilitation. Meanwhile, triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) revealing its merits in both wearable electronics and IoT tends to be a possible solution. Herein, the authors present wearable TENG-based devices for gait analysis and waist motion capture to enhance the intelligence and performance of the lower-limb and waist rehabilitation. Four triboelectric sensors are equidistantly sewed onto a fabric belt to recognize the waist motion, enabling the real-time robotic manipulation and virtual game for immersion-enhanced waist training. The insole equipped with two TENG sensors is designed for walking status detection and a 98.4% identification accuracy for five different humans aiming at rehabilitation plan selection is achieved by leveraging machine learning technology to further analyze the signals. Through a lower-limb rehabilitation robot, the authors demonstrate that the sensory system performs well in user recognition, motion monitoring, as well as robot and gaming-aided training, showing its potential in IoT-based smart healthcare applications.

Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Caregiving Walking Stick Powered by Ultra-Low-Frequency Human Motion

The increasing population of the elderly and motion-impaired people brings a huge challenge to our social system. However, the walking stick as their essential tool has rarely been investigated into its potential capabilities beyond basic physical support, such as activity monitoring, tracing, and accident alert. Here, we report a walking stick powered by ultra-low-frequency human motion and equipped with deep-learning-enabled advanced sensing features to provide a healthcare-monitoring platform for motion-impaired users. A linear-to-rotary structure is designed to achieve highly efficient energy harvesting from the linear motion of a walking stick with ultralow frequency. Besides, two kinds of self-powered triboelectric sensors are proposed and integrated to extract the motion features of the walking stick. Augmented sensing functionalities with high accuracies have been enabled by deep-learning-based data analysis, including identity recognition, disability evaluation, and motion status distinguishing. Furthermore, a self-sustainable Internet of Things (IoT) system with global positioning system tracing and environmental temperature and humidity amenity sensing functions is obtained. Combined with the aforementioned functionalities, this walking stick is demonstrated in various usage scenarios as a caregiver for real-time well-being status and activity monitoring. The caregiving walking stick shows the potential of being an intelligent aid for motion-impaired users to help them live life with adequate autonomy and safety.

[Effect and mechanism of siRNA targeting α-enolase gene combined with paclitaxel on proliferation, invasion and apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma cell]

Objective: To investigate the effect of siRNA targeting inhibition of α-enolase (ENO1) combined with paclitaxel on the proliferation, invasion and apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma SK-HEP-1 cell and its mechanism. Methods: siRNA-ENO1 (siRNA-ENO1 group) and siRNA-negative control (siRNA-NC group) were transfected into SK-HEP-1 cells in vitro, the untransfected SK-HEP-1 cells were used as the control group, and the transfection effect was detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. After SK-HEP-1 cells were treated with 0, 2.5, 5, 10, 20 and 40 μg/L paclitaxel for 48 hours, the cell survival rate was measured by 3-(4, 5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2, 5-diphenyl-2H tetrazolium bromide (MTT) method and the semi inhibitory concentration of paclitaxel was calculated. SK-HEP-1 cells transfected with siRNA-ENO1 or siRNA-NC were treated with 10 μg/L paclitaxel as paclitaxel+ siRNA-ENO1 group and paclitaxel+ siRNA-NC group. The proliferation, clonogenesis, invasion and apoptosis of siRNA-NC group, siRNA-ENO1 group, paclitaxel+ siRNA-ENO1 group and paclitaxel+ siRNA-NC group were detected by MTT, clonogenesis, Transwell chamber and flow cytometry respectively. The expression levels of the phosphorylation of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (p-PI3K), p-protein kinase B (Akt) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) and B lymphocytoma-2 gene (Bcl-2) were detected by western blotting. Results: Compared with the control group (1.00±0.00 and 0.69±0.04, respectively), the expression levels of ENO1 mRNA and protein (0.25±0.03 and 0.23±0.02, respectively) in siRNA-ENO1 group decreased significantly (P<0.05), but there were no significant differences in the expression levels of ENO1 mRNA and protein in siRNA-NC group (P>0.05). Compared without treatment group [(100.00±0.00)%, P<0.05], the survival rates of SK-HEP-1 cells treated with 2.5, 5, 10, 20 and 40 μg/L paclitaxel [(88.65±6.46)%, (72.36±6.08)%, (60.48±4.23)%, (38.52±3.56)% and (20.75±2.32)%, respectively] decreased significantly (P<0.05), and the semi inhibitory concentration of paclitaxel was 13.26 μg/L. The cell survival rate and clone formation rate of siRNA-ENO1 group [(68.86±5.12)% and (18.12±2.25)%, respectively] were lower than those of siRNA-NC group [(100.00±0.00)% and (29.65±3.06)%, respectively, P<0.05]. The cell survival rate and clone formation rate of the paclitaxel+ siRNA-ENO1 group [(43.28±2.64)% and (8.72±0.52)%, respectively] were significantly different from those of the paclitaxel+ siRNA-NC group [(61.75±5.06)% and (13.48±2.16)%, respectively, P<0.05] and siRNA-ENO1 groups [(68.86±5.12)% and (18.12±2.25)%, respectively, P<0.05]. Cell invasion number in paclitaxel+ siRNA-ENO1 group (23.64±2.12) was lower than that in siRNA-ENO1 group and paclitaxel+ siRNA-NC group (42.16±2.75 and 37.35±2.42, respectively, P<0.05). The apoptosis rates of paclitaxel+ siRNA-NC group and siRNA-ENO1 group [(17.49±1.35)% and (15.29±1.50)%, respectively] were higher than that of siRNA-NC group [(7.21±0.70)%, P<0.05]. The apoptosis rate in the paclitaxel+ siRNA-ENO1 group [(24.59±2.40)%] was higher than those in the paclitaxel+ siRNA-NC group and siRNA-ENO1 group [(17.49±1.35)% and (15.29±1.50)%, respectively, P<0.05]. The expression levels of ENO1, PI3K/Akt signaling pathway related proteins including p-PI3K and p-Akt and the expression levels of PCNA, MMP-9 and Bcl-2 in siRNA-ENO1 group and paclitaxel+ siRNA-NC group were lower than those in siRNA-NC group (P<0.05). The expression levels of ENO1, p-PI3K, p-Akt, PCNA, MMP-9 and Bcl-2 in paclitaxel+ siRNA-ENO1 group were lower than those in siRNA-ENO1 group or paclitaxel+ siRNA-NC group (P<0.05). Conclusion: siRNA targeting inhibition of ENO1 expression can enhance the inhibitory effect of paclitaxel on proliferation, invasion and apoptosis of SK-HEP-1 cells, and its mechanism may be related to the inhibition of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

[Application effects of failure mode and effect analysis on the limb posture positioning nursing of extremely severe burn patients]

Objective: To explore the application effects of risk assessment method of failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) on the limb posture positioning nursing of extremely severe burn patients. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted. According to the different limb posture positioning methods, 30 extremely severe burn patients who met the inclusion criteria and underwent routine limb posture positioning in the First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University from January 2018 to June 2019 were included into routine limb positioning group (19 males and 11 females, aged (40±10) years), and 30 extremely severe burn patients who met the inclusion criteria and underwent limb posture positioning with FMEA risk assessment from July 2019 to December 2020 in the department were included into FMEA limb positioning group (20 males and 10 females, aged (38±10) years). Patients in routine limb positioning group received only routine limb posture positioning by rehabilitation therapists with bare hand every day from the time when their limb wounds healed until they were discharged from hospital. Patients in FMEA limb positioning group received FMEA risk assessment by physicians, rehabilitation therapists, and nurses within 24 hours after admission to analyze the potential failure modes of limb posture positioning, and target-directed limb posture positioning measures were adopted until they were discharged. The risk priority numbers (RPNs) of six major failure modes of patients in FMEA limb positioning group before and after intervention were compared. The range of motion (ROM) of shoulder abduction, elbow extension, wrist dorsiflexion, ankle plantarflexion, total action motion of hand, and modified Barthel index scores of the patients in two groups before and after intervention were also assessed. Data were statistically analyzed with independent sample t test, chi-square test, and paired sample t test. Results: The RPNs of 6 main potential failure modes of patients in FMEA limb positioning group i.e. untimely interference of limb posture positioning, not strong awareness of limb posture positioning of nurses, inconsistent of evaluation standards of limb posture positioning, nurses' lacking knowledge about limb posture positioning, nurses' lacking active participation, unsatisfying effects of patients' limb posture positioning were respectively (146±31), (140±22), (125±34), (136±23), (110±28), and (110±5) points after intervention, which were significantly lower than (578±64), (543±57), (419±89), (269±64), (240±41), and (222±48) points before intervention (t=18.441, 23.681, 10.035, 5.362, 9.438, 7.171, P<0.01). After intervention, the ROMs of shoulder abduction, elbow extension, wrist dorsiflexion, and ankle plantarflexion of patients in FMEA limb positioning group were significantly better than those in routine limb positioning group (t=-4.250, 11.400, -15.928, 10.963, -7.470, P<0.01); the ROMs of shoulder abduction, elbow extension, wrist dorsiflexion, and ankle plantarflexion of patients in FMEA limb positioning group and routine limb positioning group were significantly better than those before intervention (t=-35.573, 33.670, -31.090, 32.902, -19.647, -14.952, 11.411, -33.462, -12.818, -13.672, P<0.01). After intervention, the Barthel index score of patients in FMEA limb positioning group (78±9) was significantly higher than 57±9 in routine limb positioning group (t=-9.055, P<0.01), and the Barthel index scores of patients in FMEA limb positioning group and routine limb positioning group were significantly higher than those before intervention (35±5 and 34±4, t=-22.964, -12.329, P<0.01). Conclusions: In the limb posture positioning nursing of extremely severe burn patients, risk assessment method of FMEA can effectively avoid the high risk factors in the limb posture positioning of patients, thus maintain the effects of limb posture positioning and improve the ROM of patients, as well as increase the daily living ability of patients in prognosis.

A Motion Capturing and Energy Harvesting Hybridized Lower-Limb System for Rehabilitation and Sports Applications

Lower-limb motion monitoring is highly desired in various application scenarios ranging from rehabilitation to sports training. However, there still lacks a cost-effective, energy-saving, and computational complexity-reducing solution for this specific demand. Here, a motion capturing and energy harvesting hybridized lower-limb (MC-EH-HL) system with 3D printing is demonstrated. It enables low-frequency biomechanical energy harvesting with a sliding block-rail piezoelectric generator (S-PEG) and lower-limb motion sensing with a ratchet-based triboelectric nanogenerator (R-TENG). A unique S-PEG is proposed with particularly designed mechanical structures to convert lower-limb 3D motion into 1D linear sliding on the rail. On the one hand, high output power is achieved with the S-PEG working at a very low frequency, which realizes self-sustainable systems for wireless sensing under the Internet of Things framework. On the other hand, the R-TENG gives rise to digitalized triboelectric output, matching the rotation angles to the pulse numbers. Additional physical parameters can be estimated to enrich the sensory dimension. Accordingly, demonstrative rehabilitation, human-machine interfacing in virtual reality, and sports monitoring are presented. This developed hybridized system exhibits an economic and energy-efficient solution to support the need for lower-limb motion tracking in various scenarios, paving the way for self-sustainable multidimensional motion tracking systems in near future.

AI enabled sign language recognition and VR space bidirectional communication using triboelectric smart glove

Sign language recognition, especially the sentence recognition, is of great significance for lowering the communication barrier between the hearing/speech impaired and the non-signers. The general glove solutions, which are employed to detect motions of our dexterous hands, only achieve recognizing discrete single gestures (i.e., numbers, letters, or words) instead of sentences, far from satisfying the meet of the signers' daily communication. Here, we propose an artificial intelligence enabled sign language recognition and communication system comprising sensing gloves, deep learning block, and virtual reality interface. Non-segmentation and segmentation assisted deep learning model achieves the recognition of 50 words and 20 sentences. Significantly, the segmentation approach splits entire sentence signals into word units. Then the deep learning model recognizes all word elements and reversely reconstructs and recognizes sentences. Furthermore, new/never-seen sentences created by new-order word elements recombination can be recognized with an average correct rate of 86.67%. Finally, the sign language recognition results are projected into virtual space and translated into text and audio, allowing the remote and bidirectional communication between signers and non-signers.

Upregulation of long noncoding RNA FERRE promoted growth and invasion of breast cancer through modulating miR-19a-5p/EZH2 axis

OBJECTIVE

It has been demonstrated that long non-coding RNA (LncRNA) plays an important regulatory role in a series of diseases. The purpose of this study is to investigate the expression of long non-coding RNA (LncRNA) FERRE and its facilitating effects on proliferation and invasion of breast cancer by regulating oncogene EZH2 through sponging with miR-19a-5p.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

qRT-PCR was performed to detect the expressions of FERRE and EZH2 in human breast cancer tissues and cells. CCK-8 assay was performed to evaluate the MCF-7 cells proliferation and transwell assay was performed to evaluate the MCF-7 cells migration. Correlation analysis between FERRE and miR-19a-5p was detected by statistical analysis. Bioinformatics prediction was made to detect the binding site of FERRE and miR-19a-5p and Luciferase activity was conducted to investigate the interaction between EZH2 and miR-19a-5p. Furthermore, we cloned the mice EZH2 3'-UTR into the Luciferase reporter vector and constructed miR-19a-5p binding mutants to validate the inhibited modulation of miR-19a-5p to the EZH2 expression.

RESULTS

Results showed that expression of FERRE and EZH2 were upregulated in human breast cancer tissues and cells. qRT-PCR and CCK-8 assay showed that FERRE expression is associated with the proliferation of breast cancer cells, upregulated FERRE contributed to cell proliferation of MCF-7. Transwell assay showed that FERRE was associated with the migration ability of tumor cells, increased expression of FERRE promoted the migration and invasion of breast cancer cells. The bioinformatics prediction and Luciferase assay demonstrated that by sponging with miR-19a-5p, FERRE can serve as a molecular sponge to further regulate the expression of EZH2.

CONCLUSIONS

We found that lncRNA-FERRE was upregulated in human breast cancer patients, which could accelerate tumor proliferation, migration and invasion as a molecular sponge by modulating the inhibitory effect of miR-19a-5p on oncogene EZH2.

Effect of radiomics from different virtual monochromatic images in dual-energy spectral CT on the WHO/ISUP classification of clear cell renal cell carcinoma

AIM

To investigate the effect of radiomics obtained from different virtual monochromatic images (VMIs) in dual-energy spectral computed tomography (CT) on the World Health Organization/International Association for Urological Pathology (WHO/ISUP) classification of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective study of 99 ccRCC patients who underwent contrast-enhanced dual-energy CT was undertaken. ccRCC was confirmed at surgery or biopsy and graded according to the WHO/ISUP pathological grading criteria as low grade (n=68, grade I and II) or high grade (n=31, grade III and IV). Radiomics risk scores (RRSs) for differentiating high and low grades of ccRCC were constructed from 11 sets of VMI in (40-140 keV, 10 keV interval) the cortical phase. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were drawn and the area under the curves (AUCs) was calculated to evaluate the discriminatory power of RRS for each VMI. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test was used to evaluate the goodness-of-fit of each model and the decision curve was used to analyse its net benefit to patients.

RESULTS

The AUC values for distinguishing low-from high-grade ccRCC with RRS of 40-140 keV VMIs were all >0.920. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test showed that the p-values of RRS of VMIs were >0.05, suggesting good fits. In the decision curve analysis, RRS from the 40-140 keV VMIs had similar decision curves and provided better net benefits than considering all patients either as high-grade or low-grade.

CONCLUSIONS

The RRS obtained from multiple VMIs in dual-energy spectral CT have high diagnostic efficiencies for distinguishing between low- and high-grade ccRCC with no significant differences between different VMIs.

Progress in micro/nano sensors and nanoenergy for future AIoT-based smart home applications

Self-sustainable sensing systems composed of micro/nano sensors and nano-energy harvesters contribute significantly to developing the internet of things (IoT) systems. As one of the most promising IoT applications, smart home relies on implementing wireless sensor networks with miniaturized and multi-functional sensors, and distributed, reliable, and sustainable power sources, namely energy harvesters with a variety of conversion mechanisms. To extend the capabilities of IoT in the smart home, a technology fusion of IoT and artificial intelligence (AI), called the artificial intelligence of things (AIoT), enables the detection, analysis, and decision-making functions with the aids of machine learning assisted algorithms to form a smart home based intelligent system. In this review, we introduce the conventional rigid microelectromechanical system (MEMS) based micro/nano sensors and energy harvesters, followed by presenting the advances in the wearable counterparts for better human interactions. We then discuss the viable integration approaches for micro/nano sensors and energy harvesters to form self-sustainable IoT systems. Whereafter, we emphasize the recent development of AIoT based systems and the corresponding applications enabled by the machine learning algorithms. Smart home based healthcare technology enabled by the integrated multi-functional sensing platform and bioelectronic medicine is also presented as an important future direction, as well as wearable photonics sensing system as a complement to the wearable electronics sensing system.

[Correlation analysis between serum ferritin level and liver damage in acute stage of dengue fever]

Objective: To investigate the correlation between serum ferritin (SF) level and liver damage in the acute stage of dengue fever. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted to analyze 171 cases diagnosed with dengue fever as dengue fever group and 130 healthy patients as control group in Hangzhou 3A grade hospital from July to December 2017. Clinical data, SF and liver function related indicators were collected from both groups: alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin (TBIL) to analyze the correlation between liver damage and SF in patients with dengue fever. Results: ALT, AST, and SF levels were significantly higher in the dengue fever group than those in the healthy control group (Z = 11.553, 15.054 and 15.163, P < 0.001). SF levels were higher in the dengue fever combined with liver damage group than those without the liver damage group (z = 6.930, P < 0.001). However, there was no statistically significant differences in age, gender, peak body temperature, and history of liver disease (P > 0.05). In addition, Spearman's correlation analysis showed that SF was positively correlated with ALT, AST, and TBIL (r = 0.464, 0.531 and 0.315, P < 0.001). Among dengue patients with different SF levels, there were significant difference in ALT, AST levels and incidence of liver damage (H = 14.240 and 17.584, χ(2) = 49.547, P < 0.001). Patients with higher SF levels had higher ALT, AST levels and incidence of liver damage. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that hyperferritinemia (SF≥500 ng/ml) was the risk factor for dengue fever combined with liver damage (OR = 8.120, P < 0.001). Furthermore, ROC curve analysis showed that the AUC for SF to judge dengue fever combined liver damage was 0.846 (95% CI: 0.785-0.908), and the sensitivity and specificity when the SF cut-off value was 1 506 ng/ml were 74.8% and 83.3%. Conclusion: There is a certain correlation between the SF level and the degree of liver damage in acute stage of dengue fever patients, and hyperferritinemia is a risk factor for dengue fever combined with liver damage.

Genome sequencing of pancreatic cancer: differential expression by location

The results demonstrated that pancreatic ductal carcinoma (PDAC) of the body/tail was associated with more transcriptional and genomic changes, and correlated with worse prognosis, than PDAC of the pancreatic head. The different mutation types and gene expression of tumour locations provide deep insight into the carcinogenesis or metastasis of PDAC, and suggest different early diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. SNV, single-nucleotide variations; NLS, Nuclear localization sequence; MB, million base-pairs; UTR, untranslated region.

Analysis of physiological and metabolite response of Celosia argentea to copper stress

Copper-tolerant (Cu) plants with high ornamental value play an important role in the ecological restoration of the copper tail mining area. We first discovered Celosia argentea adaptability in a copper mine area in China; however, its resistance to Cu and the underlying mechanism are not clear. In this study, C. argentea was selected for pot culture experiments. Its heavy metal accumulation and translocation, physiological and metabolic products were analysed under different growth concentrations of Cu (0-2400 mg.kg^-1 ) stress. Our results indicated that roots strongly accumulated Cu²⁺ . Oxidative stress defence mechanisms were activated in leaves under Cu treatment. Higher Cu concentrations triggered higher electrolyte leakage (EL), Malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) activity, and consequently a higher capacity to scavenge oxygen radicals and maintain cellular membrane integrity. In the citrate cycle, some amino acids and sugars related to biological pathways were altered in C. argentea exposed to Cu stress. Metabolomics data revealed that C. argentea used elevated sugar content as an antioxidant to regulate reactive oxygen species (ROS). Some organic acids and amino acids were up-regulated compared with the control, indicating that these may chelate Cu in cells to remove excess Cu²⁺ . The up-regulation of polyamines and some organic acids may mitigate oxidative stress. These results indicate that C. argentea could be used as a Cu-tolerant plant in Cu mine restoration. Its Cu tolerance mechanism also provides a basis for future plant improvement or breeding for use in mine restoration.

The effects of psychological intervention on anxiety symptoms of COVID19-positive patients isolated in hospital wards

OBJECTIVE

The study aimed to explore the effects of psychological intervention on alleviating anxiety in patients in novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) isolation wards.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Between January 24th, 2020 and March 5th, 2020, 103 patients were studied. Among these, 32 were patients in the isolation ward of the Infectious Disease Department in Baoding Second Hospital with suspected 2019-nCoV, and 71 patients diagnosed with 2019-nCoV were in the Tangshan Infectious Disease Hospital. Of the 103 patients included, 97 cases were observed in isolation. Using a self-control study design, each patient's anxiety was scored on a self-rating anxiety scale before receiving the psychological intervention (on the 7th day of isolation) and after receiving the intervention (on the 14th day of isolation). The severity of anxiety was evaluated based on the anxiety score before receiving the intervention. The anxiety scores before and after receiving the intervention were then compared using the paired t-test, and p<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

After receiving the psychological intervention once or twice a week, the anxiety of the patients improved significantly after one week.

CONCLUSIONS

The anxiety of patients with 2019-nCoV in isolation wards can be alleviated through psychological intervention. By alleviating patient anxiety, this intervention also helps patients maintain their psychological wellbeing, which promotes rehabilitation and helps with the control of 2019-nCoV.

Flourishing energy harvesters for future body sensor network: from single to multiple energy sources

Body sensor network (bodyNET) offers possibilities for future disease diagnosis, preventive health care, rehabilitation, and treatment. However, the eventual realization demands reliable and sustainable power sources. The flourishing energy harvesters (EHs) have provided prominent techniques for practically addressing the concurrent energy issue. Targeting for a specific energy source, wearable EHs with a sole conversion mechanism are well investigated. Hybrid EHs integrating different effects for a single source or multi-sources are attaining growing attention, for they provide another degree of freedom concerning a higher-level energy utility. Merging EHs with other functional electronics, diversified functional self-sustainable systems are developed, paving the way for the accomplishment of bodyNET. This review introduces the evolution of wearable EHs from a single effect to hybridized mechanisms for multiple energy sources and wearable to implantable self-sustainable systems. Last, we provide our perspectives on the future development of hybrid EHs to be more competitive with conventional batteries.

Laser vibrational excitation of radicals to prevent crystallinity degradation caused by boron doping in diamond

Pursuing high-level doping without deteriorating crystallinity is prohibitively difficult but scientifically crucial to unleashing the hidden power of materials. This study demonstrates an effective route for maintaining lattice integrity during the combustion chemical vapor deposition of highly conductive boron-doped diamonds (BDDs) through laser vibrational excitation of a growth-critical radical, boron dihydride (BH₂). The improved diamond crystallinity is attributed to a laser-enabled, thermal nonequilibrium suppression of the relative abundance of boron hydrides (BH), whose excessive presence induces boron segregation and disturbs the crystallization. The BDDs show a boron concentration of 4.3 × 10²¹ cm^-3, a film resistivity of 28.1 milliohm·cm, and hole mobility of 55.6 cm² V^-1 s^-1, outperforming a commercial BDD. The highly conductive and crystalline BDDs exhibit enhanced efficiency in sensing glucose, confirming the advantages of laser excitation in producing high-performance BDD sensors. Regaining crystallinity with laser excitation in doping process could remove the long-standing bottlenecks in semiconductor industry.

An in-vitro study on a novel six-phage cocktail against multi-drug resistant-ESBL Shigella in aquatic environment

Shigella spp. are water-borne pathogens responsible for mild to severe cases bacilli dysentery all around the world known as Shigellosis. The progressively increasing of antibiotic resistance among Shigella calls for developing and establishing novel alternative therapeutic methods. The present study aimed to evaluate a novel phage cocktail of lytic phages against extended spectrum beta lactamase isolates of Shigella species in an aquatic environment. The phage cocktail containing six novel Shigella specific phages showed a broad host spectrum. The cocktail was very stable in aquatic environment. The cocktail resulted in about 99% decrease in the bacterial counts in the contaminated water by several species and strains of Shigella such as Shigella sonnei, Shigella flexneri and Shigella dysenteriae. Achieving such a high efficiency in this in-vitro study demonstrates a high potential for in-vivo and in-situ application of this phage cocktail as a bio-controlling agent against Shigella spp. contamination and infections.

Effect of platelet-rich fibrin on the control of alveolar osteitis, pain, trismus, soft tissue healing, and swelling following mandibular third molar surgery: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis

The purpose of this study was to estimate the effect of platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) on the control of alveolar osteitis (AO), pain, trismus, soft tissue healing, and swelling following mandibular third molar surgery. A comprehensive search of the literature was conducted through PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library up to May 2019. Randomized controlled studies conforming to the inclusion criteria were included. The record screening and data extraction were conducted by two authors independently. The risk of bias assessment was performed according to the guidelines recommended by the Cochrane Collaboration. The quantitative analysis was performed using RevMan version 5.3. Nineteen studies were included in the systematic review and 17 studies were eligible for the meta-analysis. The use of PRF significantly reduced the incidence of AO and postoperative pain when compared to the controls (AO: relative risk 0.43, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.28 to 0.65, Z=3.90, P<0.0001 (I²=0%); pain: day 1, standardized mean difference (SMD) -1.12, 95% CI -1.87 to -0.37, Z=2.93, P=0.003 (I²=95%); day 3, SMD -0.93, 95% CI -1.48 to -0.38, Z=3.30, P=0.001 (I²=92%); day 7, SMD -1.84, 95% CI -2.98 to -0.71, Z=3.19, P=0.001 (I²=97%)). Additionally, the result showed a better soft tissue healing when PRF was used (mean difference -0.63, 95% CI -1.08 to -0.18, Z=2.76, P=0.006 (I²=90%)). The use of PRF reduced the incidence of AO and postoperative pain following third molar surgery. Furthermore, PRF may also improve the postoperative soft tissue healing.

Deep learning enabled smart mats as a scalable floor monitoring system

Toward smart building and smart home, floor as one of our most frequently interactive interfaces can be implemented with embedded sensors to extract abundant sensory information without the video-taken concerns. Yet the previously developed floor sensors are normally of small scale, high implementation cost, large power consumption, and complicated device configuration. Here we show a smart floor monitoring system through the integration of self-powered triboelectric floor mats and deep learning-based data analytics. The floor mats are fabricated with unique "identity" electrode patterns using a low-cost and highly scalable screen printing technique, enabling a parallel connection to reduce the system complexity and the deep-learning computational cost. The stepping position, activity status, and identity information can be determined according to the instant sensory data analytics. This developed smart floor technology can establish the foundation using floor as the functional interface for diverse applications in smart building/home, e.g., intelligent automation, healthcare, and security.