[Clinical effect of Kirschner wire intramedullary fixation in the treatment of pediatric both-bone forearm fractures at high altitude area].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical effect of Kirschner wire intramedullary fixation in the treatment of both-bone forearm fractures in children of high altitude area. METHODS: From August 2020 to December 2021, 19 children were treated with Kirschner wire intramedullary fixation including 11 males and 8 females, aged from 4 to 13 years old with an average of (8.16±2.71) years old. The course of disease was 1 to 10 days, with a mean of (4.11±2.51) d. First, close reduction was performed. If the reduction was unsuccessful, limited open reduction was performed, followed by Kirschner wire intramedullary fixation of the radius and ulna. The fracture healing was evaluated by X-ray after operation, and the curative effect was evaluated by Anderson forearm function score standard. RESULTS: The wound healed well after operation, 2 cases had clinical manifestations of needle tail irritation after operation, and the symptoms disappeared after removing the internal fixation. The average follow-up time was(7.68±3.50) months (3 to 14 months). X-ray showed that all fracture healing in follow-up, Anderson forearm function score showed excellent in 16 cases, good in 2 cases and fair in 1 case at the final follow-up. CONCLUSION: Children with fractures in plateau areas often have delayed medical treatment, lack of medical conditions and insufficient compliance. Based on these characteristics, Kirschner wire intramedullary fixation for the treatment of children's double forearm fractures has the advantages of small injury and rapid recovery. It is a kind of operation method that can be popularized.

[Treatment of spinal burst fractures with pedicle screw fixation at high altitude area].

OBJECTIVE: According to the characteristics of spinal burst fractures in high-altitude areas and the local medical conditions, to explore the clinical efficacy of short-segment fixation with pedicle screws combined with screw placement in injured vertebrae in the treatment of thoracolumbar burst fractures. METHODS: From August 2018 to December 2021, 12 patients with single-vertebral thoracolumbar burst fractures without neurological symptoms were treated with injured vertebral screw placement technique, including 7 males and 5 females;aged 29 to 54 years old, with an average of(42.50±7.95) years old;6 cases of traffic accident injury, 4 cases of high fall injury, 2 cases of heavy object injury;2 cases of T11, 4 cases of T12, 3 cases of L1, 2 cases of L2, and 1 case of L3. In the operation, screws were first placed in the upper and lower vertebrae of the fracture, pedicle screws were placed in the injured vertebra, and connecting rods were installed, and the fractured vertebral body was reset by positioning and distraction. Visual analogue scale (VAS) and Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) scoring were used to evaluate the changes in pain and quality of life of patients, and the kyphotic correction rate and correction loss rate of the injured segment were measured by X-ray. RESULTS: All operations were successful without significant intraoperative complications. All 12 patients were followed up, the duration ranged from 9 to 27 months, with an mean of (17.75±5.79) months. VAS at 3 days after operation was significantly higher than that at admission (t=6.701, P=0.000). There was significant difference in JOA score between 9 months after operation and at admission (t=5.085, P=0.000). Three days after operation, Cobb angle was (4.42±1.16)°, and the correction rate was (82±5)% compared with (25.67±5.71)° at admission. Cobb angle was (5.08±1.24) °at 9 months after operation, with a corrected loss rate of (16±13)%. No loosening or breakage of internal fixation was found. CONCLUSION: Under the high-altitude hypobaric and hypoxic environment, the effect of the operation should be ensured while reducing the trauma. The application of the technique of placing screws on the injured vertebra can effectively restore and maintain the height of the injured vertebra, with less bleeding and shorter fixed segments, which is an effective method.

[Orographic Influences on the Spatial Distribution of PM2.5 on the Fen-Wei Plain].

Topography not only has an effect on the spatial distribution of pollutants by restricting populations and industrial activities, but also affects the formation, transmission, accumulation, diffusion, and sedimentation of PM2.5. Topography is, therefore, an essential variable for understanding the spatial distribution of PM2.5, especially in basin areas. Based on gridded data and both natural and human indexes, this paper examines orographic effects on the distribution of PM2.5 on the Fen-Wei Plain based on the change point method, regression, the geographical detector method, and bivariate spatial autocorrelation. The results indicate that:① The relief amplitude of the plain is generally lower in its central part than at its edge, which is similar to the attitudinal distribution in this region; ② The distribution of PM2.5 is negatively related to relief amplitude, with high concentrations in central area and lower concentrations at the edge; ③ Based on the geographical detector analysis, PM2.5 patterns in this region are shaped by human factors including population, gross domestic product(GDP), and energy consumption, as well as natural factors including meteorological conditions and vegetation; and ④ Topography has a significant effect on both human and natural factors; an increase of relief amplitude is associated with a decrease in population, GDP, and energy consumption based on power function. Accordingly, temperature goes down linearly; precipitation, relative moisture, and wind speed increase linearly; and the vegetation index increases based on a logarithmic function.

[Factors and Their Interaction Effects on the Distribution of PM2.5 in the Yangtze River Delta Based on Grids].

Spatial features of PM2.5 concentration in the Yangtze River Delta in 2016 were analyzed using remote sensing data. Selecting factors among meteorology, topography, vegetation, and emission list of air pollutants, factors and their interaction effects on the spatial distribution of PM2.5 concentration were studied based on GAM, with an evaluation unit of 0.25°×0.25° for the grid. It showed that:① With a more significant difference between the north and south, PM2.5 concentration was generally higher in the north and west but lower in the south and east. In the southern part of the delta, the concentration was mostly lower than 35 µg·m-3, with noncompliance of the PM2.5 concentration scattered in urban areas like islands. Meanwhile, PM2.5 concentration is generally over 35 µg·m-3, and the pollution appeared like sheets. ② Besides, PM2.5 concentration showed an apparent positive spatial autocorrelation with "High-High" PM2.5 agglomeration areas in the north of the delta and "Low-Low" PM2.5 agglomeration areas in the south. ③ Based on GAM, hypsography, temperature, and precipitation negatively affected PM2.5 concentration, whereas pollutant emissions positively affected it. The effect of wind was minor when its speed <2.5 m·s-1, and more negatively significant when its speed ≥ 2.5 m·s-1. Hypsography, temperature, and precipitation were higher in the southern part of the delta, but they were lower in the northern part, leading to a higher PM2.5 concentration in the northern parts and lower in the southern parts. A higher wind speed in the east and lower in the west also led to a concentration difference between them. ④ All factors had passed a significant pair interaction test, except for hypsography and PM2.5 emission, and they all showed a significant interaction effect on the distribution of PM2.5 in the Yangtze River Delta.

[Evolution of the Distribution of PM2.5 Concentration in the Yangtze River Economic Belt and Its Influencing Factors].

Intensive social and economic activity has led to serious pollution in the Yangtze River economic belt since 2000. It is urgent to study the evolution of the distribution of PM2.5 concentration and its influencing factors in this area, to adopt new ways of development into practice and promote comprehensive regional air pollution prevention and control. Based on PM2.5 concentration estimated by remote sensing retrieval, this paper studied the evolution of the distribution of PM2.5 concentration in the Yangtze River economic belt from 2000 to 2016, and analyzed spatial non-stationarity of the influence of natural and socio-economic factors on this evolution via a geographically weighted regression model. The results showed that:①The general law of PM2.5 concentration presented as higher in the east and lower in the west, with a significant trait of the pollution agglomerations corresponding to urban agglomerations. ②Taking the year 2007 as a divide, annual concentration of PM2.5 went through a pattern of annually increasing from 2000 to 2007. and then wavelike decreasing from 2007 to 2016. The annual average concentration increased to 44.1 µg·m-3 in 2007 from the record of 27.2 µg·m-3 in 2000, and then decreased to 33.6 µg·m-3 in 2016. In terms of regions polluted, before 2007, it covered areas including the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomerations, the Yangtze River Middle Reaches urban agglomerations, and the Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomerations, before quickly stretching to their neighboring areas; after 2007, the extent of areas covered shrank. ③Based on spatial auto-correlation analysis, PM2.5 concentration had a significant spatial auto-correlation with hot spots spread over Shanghai, Jiangsu, north-central Anhui, northern Zhejiang, and the central part of Hubei, while cool spots were located in Yunnan, the western and southern parts of Sichuan, and the western part of Guizhou. ④There is a space-time discrepancy by socio-economic and natural factors in the distribution of PM2.5 concentration. The socio-economic factors mainly have a positive influence on the concentration, whereas precipitation, one of the natural factors, has a negative influence. The remaining natural factors not only varied in their degree of influence, but also triggered the influence either in a positive or negative manner from time to time and space to space.

[Influencing Factors of Ozone Concentration in Xi'an Based on Generalized Additive Models].

Based on the ozone monitoring data from 2014 to 2018, we presented the variation of ozone concentration in Xi'an and revealed the effects of ozone concentration by meteorological factors based on the generalized additive model (GAM). The results showed that ① with increasing ozone concentration year by year, the assessment standard of ozone pollution was overtaken by three consecutive years since 2016. However, the rising trend was slowed down since 2017 as a result of the strengthened pollution control during summer. ② The monthly curve of ozone concentration was presented as a reversed "V" model with a rising trend accompanying the rising temperature from January to July and a decreasing one during the rest of the year, peaking in July in terms of average monthly ozone concentration. However, this model would turn into an "M" in years with high precipitation when the valley witnessed the highest precipitation in a month. ③ The ozone pollution increased from the year 2014 to 2018 with a stretch-forward ozone polluted time. Furthermore, the rates of ozone non-attainment increased from 1.9% in 2014 to 14% in 2018. In addition, the time ozone pollution emerged advanced from July to May. ④ Based on the GAM model, ozone concentration was non-colinearly related to temperature, air pressure, sunshine duration, and relative humidity. However, the curves of these factors varied considerably, with a positive influence of temperature and sunshine duration and a negative influence of air pressure and relative humidity. The influence of precipitation was mainly witnessed in summers, while no influence of wind was observed. Furthermore, ozone pollution can be easily triggered under the following conditions:temperature>24℃, air pressure <962 hPa, sunshine duration>9 h, and a relative humidity 36%-65% with no rain.

Effects of Cigarette Smoking on Retinal and Choroidal Thickness: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Cigarette smoking has been regarded as a risk factor for the incidence of a wide variety of chronic illness; however, its effect on thickness of the retina or choroid is still unknown. METHODS: A consummate literature search was conducted in PubMed and Embase up to January, 2018. The quantitative synthesis was conducted by Stata 12.0. RESULTS: A total of 13 observational studies were included in this meta-analysis. In this meta-analysis of all available observational studies, no significant effect of tobacco smoking on retinal or choroidal thickness change was detected. However, advanced analyses showed that smoking would influence the thickness of RNFL (average: SMD, -0.332; 95% CI, -0.637 to -0.027; inferior: SMD, -0.632; 95% CI, -1.092 to -0.172; and superior: SMD, -0.720; 95% CI, -0.977 to -0.463) and GCL (superior: SMD, -0.549; 95% CI, -0.884 to -0.215; inferior: SMD, -0.602; 95% CI, -0.938 to -0.265). Meanwhile, subgroup analyses demonstrated that the results based on studies in some regions (America and Africa) and cross-sectional studies showed a reduced choroidal thickness in smokers. No publication bias was detected in this study. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, no significant effect of tobacco smoking on retinal or choroidal thickness change was detected. However, smoking would influence the thickness of RNFL and GCL. Future research on this field would help in the prevention and treatment of smoking-associated disorders.

[Spatial-temporal Variation of Ozone Concentration and Its Driving Factors in China].

Based on the ozone monitoring data from 2015 to 2017, this study presents the spatial-temporal variation of the ozone concentration and its driving factors in major cities in China via Kriging interpolation, spatial autocorrelation analysis, hotspot analysis, and geographical detector. The results show that:① The ozone pollution became increasingly heavier from 2015 to 2017, with the number of cities in which the 90th percentile of daily maximum 8-h ozone concentration exceeded the air quality standard (GB 3095-2012) increased from 74 to 121, and the proportion of non-attainment days increased from 5.2 percent to 8.1 percent. ② Ozone pollution mainly happened from April to September, during which the non-attainment days contributed 87.5 percent to 95.3 percent to the yearly total number of ozone polluted days. From May to July, ozone concentrations increased the most dramatically, with the proportion of non-attainment days increasing from 10.6 percent in 2015 to 20.5 percent in 2017. Moreover, in 2017, 83.0 percent of the moderate ozone pollution and 91.0 percent of the severe ozone pollution happened from May to July. ③ With the ever increasing ozone concentration over the North China Plain, the high ozone polluted areas such as the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration are connected geographically. They form the most highly polluted area in China, which includes the Bohai Rim region, Zhongyuan urban agglomeration, Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration, Shanxi Province, Guanzhong area, and the middle part of Inner Mongolia. In addition, cities in Pearl River Delta region, Chengdu-and-Chongqing urban agglomeration, and the southern part of East China are also gathering speed in terms of ozone pollution, among which Chengdu-and-Chongqing urban agglomeration has become a new ozone-polluted center. ④ The spatial agglomeration of ozone concentration has been enhanced year by year with hot spots distributed mainly in the North China Plain and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. In contrast, there are cold spots in Northeast China, Southwest China, and Southern China. ⑤ The analysis results from geographical detector show that meteorological factors, industrialization, urbanization, and emissions of ozone precursors all have a significant effect on the distribution of the ozone concentration, but there are also discrepancies in the priority of the driving factors in different regions and seasons.

[Total hip arthroplasty for the treatment of bony ankylosis in patients with ankylosing spondylitis].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of total hip arthroplasty for the treatment of bony ankylosis in patients with ankylosing spondylitis. METHODS: From January 2008 to January 2012, 12 patients (24 hips) with ankylosing spondylitis combined with hip ankylosis were treated with total hip arthroplasty, including 11 males and 1 females, ranging in age from 27 to 62 years old. The course of diseases ranged from 5 to 32 years old. Preoperative and postoperative hip mobility and Harris function score, intraoperative and postoperative complications were analyzed. RESULTS: All the patients were followed up, and the duration ranged from 60 to 96 months, with an average of 72.6 months. The Harris hip scores of all patients were improved. Three patients got an excellent result, 6 good and 3 fair. One case had heterotopic ossification of Brooker I without clinical symptoms. One patient with severe flexion deformity underwent femoral nerve traction injury after operation, and recovered after 1 year of follow-up. No prosthesis subsidence or cup loosening, no joint dislocation, acute infection or deep venous thrombosis occurred during the latest follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Total hip arthroplasty is an effective method for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis with hip ankylosis at the advanced stage.

Involvement of dysregulated coding and long non­coding RNAs in the pathogenesis of strabismus.

Strabismus is a common ocular disorder in children and may result in exterior abnormalities and impaired visual functions. However, the detailed pathogenesis of strabismus unclear. The present study assessed the comprehensive analyses on the roles of RNAs in the development of strabismus. The public datasets of strabismus and the corresponding control tissues were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Reannotations of the dysregulated coding and long non­coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and functional enrichments of the differently expressed genes (DEGs) were conducted. A total of 790 DEGs were screened (648 upregulated and 142 downregulated) in the present study. Among the DEGs, a total of 32 differently expressed lncRNAs were detected (14 upregulated and 18 downregulated). When the Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment was considered, it was identified that a total of 143 GO terms (82 for biological process, 31 for cellular component and 30 for molecular function) were identified. Among all the 57 detected Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways, the phagosome pathway, which was labeled as hsa004145, demonstrated the most bioinformatics importance. However, most lncRNAs, except LINC01279 and LOC643733, indicated <3 target mRNAs and were not suitable for advanced bioinformatics analyses. Bioinformatics analyses demonstrated that there was a GO term for each lncRNA (proteinaceous extracellular for LINC01279 and cell surface for LOC643733). In conclusion, a set of coding RNA as well as lncRNAs differentially expressed in strabismus EOM samples were indicated. Notably, the present findings important information for advanced pathogenesis research and biomarkers detection.

Radiographic verification of pedicle screw pilot hole placement in thoracic spine using Kirschner wires versus spiral wires.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility of the pedicle screw pilot holes placement in thoracic spine using the spiral wires as the guide pin. METHODS: The pedicle screw pilot holes were drilled within the center of the pedicle and the lateral and medial pedicle walls were violated in 9 human dried thoracic vertebrae. Kirschner wires or spiral wires were separately placed in the holes, and then the posteroanterior and lateral radiographs were taken. The radiographs were evaluated by 3 experienced spine surgeons and 3 young orthopedists. After radiographs were shown to these observers, they combined the posteroanterior and lateral radiographs in each place and determined whether the pedicle screw pilot hole violated the pedicle cortex or not. The results were analyzed by a statistical software. RESULTS: Sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the method using spiral wires to detect pedicle pilot hole placement were significantly higher than those of using Kirschner wires. With a true posteroanterior radiograph, the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the method using spiral wires approximated or attained 100%. CONCLUSIONS: The method of intrapedicular pilot hole placement verification using spiral wires is effective for guiding the accurate placement of pedicle screws.

An effective frequency domain approach to tuning non-PID controllers for high performance.

In this paper, a new tuning method is proposed for the design of non-PID controllers for complex processes to achieve high performance. Compared with the existing PID tuning methods, the proposed non-PID controller design method can yield better performance for a wide range of complex processes. A suitable objective transfer function for the closed-loop system is chosen according to process characteristics. The corresponding ideal controller is derived. Model reduction is applied to fit the ideal controller into a much simpler and realizable form. Stability analysis is given and simulation examples are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

[Studies of the relationship between the breeding efficiency of anther culture and the use of different hybrid generations as anther-donor plants in wheat].

The wheat haploid plantlets from anther culture were of theoretical and applied interest. Induced haploid spirophytes may play a key role, not only in increasing the efficiency of breeding programs by producing pure lines rapidly, but also in the elucidation of fundamental genetics. However large number of experiments turned out that there are many problems with low rate of green plantlet from anther culture, difficulties of saving plantlets though summer, low rate of double chromosome, extrusive contradiction between technique of wheat anther culture and variety improvement. So wheat anther culture has not played a role in wheat breeding. Studies were carried out on the relationship between the breeding efficiency of anther culture and the use of different hybrid generations as anther-donor plants in wheat. It was shown that previously the low breeding efficiency of anther culture in wheat cross breeding was mainly due to the use of F1 as anther donors. Experimental results demonstrated that the breeding efficiency of anther culture in F1 generation was very low, especially when the doubled haploid population was very small. Based on the experimental results as well as the theoretical analysis this paper proposes that the use of F2 or F3 (especially F3) as anther donors in combination with the conventional selection in the fields will increase the breeding efficiency of anther culture. Under the guidance of this proposal two wheat varieties have been developed within 5-7 years through anther culture.