Differences in lobar microbleed topography in cerebral amyloid angiopathy and hypertensive arteriopathy.

Lobar cerebral microbleeds are a characteristic neuroimaging finding in cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) but can also be found in hypertensive arteriolosclerosis. We aimed to investigate whether CAA is more associated with intracortical lobar microbleeds than hypertensive arteriosclerosis. Ninety-one survivors of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage with at least one lobar microbleed were included and underwent brain MRI and amyloid PET. We categorized lobar microbleeds as intracortical, juxtacortical, or subcortical. We assessed the associations between the lobar microbleed categories and microangiopathy subtypes or cerebral amyloid load based on the Pittsburgh Compound-B PET standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR). Patients with CAA had a higher prevalence of intracortical lobar microbleeds (80.0% vs. 50.8%, P = 0.011) and lower prevalence of subcortical lobar microbleeds (13.3% vs. 60.1%, P < 0.001) than patients with hypertensive arteriolosclerosis. Strictly intracortical/juxtacortical lobar microbleeds were associated with CAA (OR 18.9 [1.9-191.4], P = 0.013), while the presence of subcortical lobar microbleeds was associated with hypertensive arteriolosclerosis (OR 10.9 [1.8-68.1], P = 0.010). Amyloid retention was higher in patients with strictly intracortical/juxtacortical CMBs than those without (SUVR = 1.15 [1.05-1.52] vs. 1.08 [1.02-1.19], P = 0.039). Amyloid retention positively correlated with the number of intracortical lobar microbleeds (P < 0.001) and negatively correlated with the number of subcortical lobar microbleeds (P = 0.018). CAA and cortical amyloid deposition are more strongly associated with strictly intracortical/juxtacortical microbleeds than subcortical lobar microbleeds. Categorization of lobar microbleeds based on anatomical location may help differentiate the underlying microangiopathy and potentially improve the accuracy of current neuroimaging criteria for cerebral small vessel disease.

Systematic designs of single metal compounds synthesized using ammonia fluoride-based complex as structure directing agents for energy storage.

Tailoring morphology and composition of metal organic frameworks (MOF) can improve energy storage by establishing high surface area, large porosity and multiple redox states. Structure directing agents (SDA) is functional of designing surface properties of electroactive materials. Ammonium fluoride has functional abilities for designing MOF derivatives with excellent energy storage abilities. Systematic design of MOF derivatives using ammonia fluoride-based complex as SDA can essentially create efficient electroactive materials. Metal species can also play significant roles on redox reactions, which are the main energy storage mechanism for battery-type electrodes. In this work, 2-methylimidazole, two novel SDAs of NH4BF4 and NH4HF2, and six metal species of Al, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu and Zn are coupled to synthesize MOF derivatives for energy storage. Metal species-dependent compositions including hydroxides, oxides, and hydroxide nitrates are observed. The nickel-based derivative (Ni-HBF) shows the highest specific capacitance (CF) of 698.0F/g at 20 mV/s, due to multiple redox states and advanced flower-like surface properties. The diffusion and capacitive-control contributions of MOF derivatives are also analyzed. The battery supercapacitor hybrid with Ni-HBF electrode shows a maximum energy density of 27.9 Wh/kg at 325 W/kg. The CF retention of 170.9% and Coulombic efficiency of 93.2% are achieved after 10,000 cycles.

Ligand Incorporating Sequence-dependent ZIF67 Derivatives as Active Material of Supercapacitor: Competition between Ammonia Fluoride and 2-Methylimidazole.

The zeolitic imidazolate framework 67 (ZIF67) derivative is a potential active material of supercapacitors (SC), owing to high specific surface area and porosity and possible formation of cobalt compounds. A novel ZIF67 derivative is synthesized using a one-step solution process with cobalt precursor 2-methylimidazole (2-Melm) and ammonia fluoride in our previous work. Due to its facile synthesis and excellent electrocapacitive behavior, it is crucial to understand the competition between ammonia fluoride and 2-Melm on forming derivatives with cobalt ions and to create more efficient ZIF67 derivatives for charge storage. In this work, several ZIF67 derivatives are designed using a one-step solution process with 2-Melm and ammonia fluoride incorporated in different sequences. The reaction durations for a single ligand and two ligands are controlled. The largest capacity of 176.33 mAh/g corresponding to the specific capacitance of 1057.99 F/g is achieved for the ZIF67 derivative electrode prepared by reacting ammonia fluoride and a cobalt precursor for 0.5 h and then incorporating 2-Melm for another 23.5 h of reaction (NM0.5). This derivative composed of highly conductive CoF2, NiF2, Co(OH)F, and Ni(OH)F presents high specific surface area and porosity. The relevant SC presents a maximum energy density of 19.5 Wh/kg at 430 W/kg, a capacity retention of 92%, and Coulombic efficiency of 96% in 10000 cycles.

Analysis of COVID-19 Incidence and Severity Among Adults Vaccinated With 2-Dose mRNA COVID-19 or Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines With and Without Boosters in Singapore.

Importance: Assessing booster effectiveness of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine and inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine over longer time intervals and in response to any further SARS-CoV-2 variants is crucial in determining optimal COVID-19 vaccination strategies. Objective: To determine levels of protection against severe COVID-19 and confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection by types and combinations of vaccine boosters in Singapore during the Omicron wave. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study included Singapore residents aged 30 years or more vaccinated with either at least 2 doses of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (ie, Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 or Moderna mRNA-1273) or inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccines (Sinovac CoronaVac or Sinopharm BBIBP-CorV) as of March 10, 2022. Individuals with a known SARS-CoV-2 infection prior to December 27, 2021, an infection on or before the date of their second vaccine dose, or with reinfection cases were excluded. Exposures: Two or 3 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2, Moderna mRNA-1273, Sinovac CoronaVac, or Sinopharm BBIBP-CorV. Main Outcomes and Measures: Notified infections from December 27, 2021, to March 10, 2022, adjusted for age, sex, race, housing status, and calendar days. Estimated booster effectiveness, defined as the relative incidence-rate reduction of severe disease (supplemental oxygen, intensive care, or death) or confirmed infection following 3-dose vaccination compared with 5 months after second mRNA dose, was determined using binomial regression. Results: Among 2 441 581 eligible individuals (1 279 047 [52.4%] women, 846 110 (34.7%) aged 60 years and older), there were 319 943 (13.1%) confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections, of which 1513 (0.4%) were severe COVID-19 cases. mRNA booster effectiveness against confirmed infection 15 to 60 days after boosting was estimated to range from 31.7% to 41.3% for the 4 boosting combinations (homologous BNT162b2, homologous mRNA-1273, 2-dose BNT162b2/mRNA-1273 booster, and 2-dose mRNA-1273/BNT162b2 booster). Five months and more after boosting, estimated booster effectiveness against confirmed infection waned, ranging from -2.8% to 14.6%. Against severe COVID-19, estimated mRNA booster effectiveness was 87.4% (95% CI, 83.3%-90.5%) 15 to 60 days after boosting and 87.2% (95% CI, 84.2%-89.7%) 5 to 6 months after boosting, with no significant difference comparing vaccine combinations. Booster effectiveness against severe COVID-19 15 days to 330 days after 3-dose inactivated COVID-19 vaccination, regardless of combination, was estimated to be 69.6% (95% CI, 48.7%-81.9%). Conclusions and Relevance: Booster mRNA vaccine protection against severe COVID-19 was estimated to be durable over 6 months. Three-dose inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccination provided greater protection than 2-dose but weaker protection compared with 3-dose mRNA.

Design of novel self-assembled MXene and ZIF67 derivative composites as efficient electroactive material of energy storage device.

High surface area and tunable pore size are beneficial for metal organic frameworks (MOFs) as electroactive material of energy storage devices. Novel ZIF67 derivative proposed in our previous work, nickel cobalt fluoride coupled with ammonia ions (NCNF), is synthesized using ammonia fluoride to solve poor electrical conductivity of MOFs. MXene is commonly incorporated in pseudo-capacitive materials to enhance electrical conductivity and energy storage ability. In this study, it is the first time to design MXene and NCNF composites (MXene/NCNF) with different MXene amounts via incorporating MXene in growing process of NCNF. MXene and NCNF are combined via self-assembly in a simple room temperature solution process. The optimized MXene/NCNF electrode shows a higher specific capacitance of 1020.0 F g-1 (170.0 mAh g-1) than that of NCNF electrode (574.2 F g-1 and 95.7 mAh g-1) at 20 mV s-1, due to excellent surface properties of MXene/NCNF with conductive network of MXene and high electrocapacitive performance of NCNF. A symmetric energy storage device composed of the optimized MXene/NCNF electrodes presents outstanding cycling stability with Coulombic efficiency of 100% during whole cycling process and a high capacitance retention of 99% after 6000 cycles. Excellent electrochemical performance and simple synthesis of MXene/NCNF open new blueprints for designing novel electrocapacitive materials for electrochemical applications.

Enriched rehabilitation improves dual-task gait disorder after a transient ischemic attack / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

Objective:To observe the effect of enriched rehabilitation on dual-task gait disorder after a transient ischemic attack (TIA) and explore its mechanism.Methods:Sixty TIA patients were randomly divided into a control group and an observation group, each of 30. Another 30 healthy counterparts were selected to form a healthy control group. All of the TIA patients were given routine medication to lower blood pressure and improve brain function, while the observation group was additionally provided with enriched rehabilitation training for 12 weeks. Before and after the intervention, the gait and cognitive functioning of all of the subjects were quantified and their event-related potentials (P300s) and serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels were also measured.Results:Before the treatment there were significant differences between the TIA groups and healthy controls in all of the measurements, but there were no significant differences between the control and observation groups. After the treatment, no significant improvement was observed in any of the control group′s results, but there was significant improvement in the observation group′s gait parameters, cognitive functioning, average serum BDNF concentration and in the average latency and amplitude of its P300 signals.Conclusions:Enriched rehabilitation can improve the gait of TIA patients, perhaps through increasing their serum BDNF concentration and improving their cognition.

A Novel Signature of 23 Immunity-Related Gene Pairs Is Prognostic of Cutaneous Melanoma.

In this study, we aimed to identify an immune-related signature for predicting prognosis in cutaneous melanoma (CM). Sample data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA; n = 460) were used to develop a prognostic signature with 23 immune-related gene pairs (23 IRGPs) for CM. Patients were divided into high- and low-risk groups using the TCGA and validation datasets GSE65904 (n = 214), GSE59455 (n = 141), and GSE22153 (n = 79). The ability of the 23-IRGP signature to predict CM was precise, with the stratified high-risk groups showing a poor prognosis, and it had a significant predictive power when used for immune microenvironment and biological analyses. We subsequently established a novel promising prognostic model in CM to determine the association between the immune microenvironment and CM patient results. This approach may be used to discover signatures in other diseases while avoiding the technical biases associated with other platforms.

Synthesizing nickel-based transition bimetallic oxide via nickel precursor-free hydrothermal synthesis for battery supercapacitor hybrid devices.

The Ni foam can act as the nickel ion source and the current collector for synthesizing Ni-based compounds using the hydrothermal synthesis especially in the acid condition. Using Ni foam as the Ni2+ source can grow materials on the substrate directly and uniformly since nickel ions are released from substrate thoroughly. Nickel-based bimetallic oxides are intensively investigated as battery-type materials for battery supercapacitor hybrid devices (BSHD) because of high electrical conductivities and abundant transition states for inducing multiple redox reactions. In this study, Mo, Mn, Al, and W precursors are simply added in Ni precursor-free acid solution for hydrothermal synthesis using Ni foam as the nickel ion source and the current collector to synthesize Ni-based bimetallic oxide electrodes for BSHD. The morphology of nickel-based bimetallic oxide prepared with and without incorporating the structure-directing agent is also carefully discussed. The highest specific capacitance (CF) of 1.80 F/cm2 corresponding to the capacity of 4.54 mAh/cm2 at 5 mA/cm2 is attained for the nickel molybdenum oxide (Ni-Mo oxide) electrode. The Ni-Mo oxide-based BSHD shows a potential window of 1.8 V, a CF value of 223.53 mF/cm2 corresponding to the capacity of 1.45 mAh/cm2 at 5 mA/cm2, the maximum energy density of 4.60 Wh/kg at the power density of 0.21 kW/kg, and the CF retention of 90% after 6000 times charging/discharging process.

Changes of Neutrophil Morphological Parameters in Peripheral Blood of Patients with Solid Tumor Treated with Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor / 现代检验医学杂志

Objective To study neutral particle particle(NEUT-X)change in the solid tumor patients with chemotherapy by granulocyte colony-stimulating factor(G-CSF).Methods Chose that 52 cases of cancer chemotherapy with G-CSF(study group),32 cases of cancer chemotherapy patients without G-CSF(study control group)and 50 cases of healthy(healthy control group).The automatic hematology analyzer Sysmex XE-2100 were been examined the peripheral blood routine and collected the data which wes the morphological parameters of peripheral white blood cell.The changes of neutrophil N-X pa-rameters during chemotherapy were analyzed,and the clinical infection fever rates of three groups were collected to reveal the relationship between leukocyte morphological parameters and body resistance.Results In the study group,study control group and healthy control group,the NEUT-X was 1 324(890.2,1 358.0),1 440(1 397.3,1 466.3)and 1 329(1 295.1, 1 359.4),and the difference was statistically significant between the three groups(F=10.778,P=0.002).In study group, the count of WBC before and after G-CSF was 0.99(0.22,1.75)×109/L and 7.53(1.00,14.05)×109/L respitively and there was the significant difference(Z=-2.395,P=0.005).In study group patients the NEUT-X was 1 382(1 323.6,1 440.4)and 1 324(890.2,1 358.0)respectively and there was a significant difference(Z=-2.832,P=0.004).Between the study group and the study control group,there were 23/52 cases and 4/32 cases infection in patients with fever case(Z=9.14,P=0.002).Conclusion By G-CSF the leukocyte counts increased in patients with chemotherapy,and reduced neu-trophil NEUT-X parameters,and the infection rate was higher than the non G-CSF patients.The neutrophil granularity will be useful for evaluating of patients with chemotherapy for solid tumor immunity.

Biomarkers to detect membranous nephropathy in Chinese patients.

Anti-M-type phospholipase A2 receptor (anti-PLA2R) is a widely accepted biomarker for clinical idiopathic membranous neurophathy (IMN). However, its ability to differentiate between IMN and secondary MN (SMN) is controversial. The objective of this study was to assess clinical MN biomarkers in blood, tissue and urine samples from Chinese patients. In total, 195 MN patients and 70 patients with other glomerular diseases were prospectively enrolled in the study. Participants were followed up for average of 17 months (range 3-39 months). Anti-PLA2R and anti-THSD7A (thrombospondin type-1 domain-containing 7A) were detected only in MN patient sera and not in controls. Serum anti-THSD7A and THSD7A-positive biopsies were detected in 1/18 and 2/18 PLA2R-negative MN cases, respectively. PLA2R and THSD7A were detected in 72.27% and 40% of SMN cases, respectively. While serum positivity for both anti-PLA2R and anti-THSD7A at the time of renal biopsy was specific to MN patients, neither antigen could discriminate between primary and secondary MN. We also found that high urinary levels of retinol binding protein (RBP) predicted poor proteinuria outcomes in study participants. Patients with low or medium urinary RBP levels achieved remission more frequently than those with high RBP.

Isolation and characterization of a new bioactive isoflavone from Derris eriocarpa.

Derris eriocarpa How is an important medicinal plant, which is used as Zhuang ethnomedicine and Dai ethnomedicine to treat various diseases. One new compound, 3',4'-di-O-methylene-5-hydroxy-7-methoxy-6-isopentenyl isoflavone (1) and a known synthetic but new naturally occurring compound trans-3,4,5-trimethoxy-4'-isopentenyloxyl-stilbene (2), together with five known compounds, 5,7-dimethoxy-6-(3-methyl-2-butenyl)-4'-hydroxyl isoflavones (3), robustone (4), trans-3,4,5,4'-tetramethoxy-stilbene (5), robustic acid (6), and robustin (7) were isolated from the stem of D. eriocarpa. Spectroscopic analysis revealed the chemical structures of compounds 1-7.. Compounds 1 and 3 exhibited significant scavenging activities against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical and superoxide anions. Compounds 1-3 exhibited potent antiproliferative activity on Hela cells.

Autophagy induction by the 30-100kDa fraction of areca nut in both normal and malignant cells through reactive oxygen species.

Areca nut (AN) is an addictive carcinogen used by about 200-600 million people worldwide. Some AN components are shown to induce apoptosis; however, we previously demonstrated that AN extract (ANE) and the 30-100kDa fraction of ANE (ANE 30-100K) induced autophagy-like responses, such as swollen cell morphology, empty cytoplasm, acidic vesicles, and LC3-II accumulation, in an oral cancer cell line, OECM-1. To further assess the responses of other cell types to ANE 30-100K, we used both normal and malignant cells as the targets of ANE 30-100K and found that normal oral fibroblasts (CMT415), peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs), Jurkat leukemia T cells, and esophageal carcinoma cells (CE81T/VGH) exhibited similar responses after ANE 30-100K challenge. ANE 30-100K drastically increased acidic vesicle-containing PBLs isolated from two independent donors (from 0.1% to 92.1% and 2.9% to 64.2%). Furthermore, both ANE- and ANE 30-100K-induced LC3-II accumulation in CMT415 and CE81T/VGH was further increased in the presence of the lysosomal protease inhibitors (pepstatin A, E64d, and leupeptin). On the other hand, ANE 30-100K also increased the level of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the ROS scavengers, N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and Tiron, inhibited ANE 30-100K-induced cell death and LC3-II accumulation. Collectively, these results suggest the existence of an autophagy-inducing AN ingredient (AIAI) in ANE 30-100K, which renders ANE as an autophagic flux inducer through ROS in both normal and malignant cells.

Determination of corticosterone in mouse plasma by a sweeping technique using micellar electrokinetic chromatography.

The separation and on-line concentration of corticosterone in mouse blood was achieved by means of capillary electrophoresis/UV absorbance using sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as a surfactant. The procedure involved the use of an on-line sample concentration method by sweeping-micellar electrokinetic chromatography (sweeping-MEKC). Optimal on-line concentration and separation conditions were determined. The detection limit for this method was 5 ng/ml (S/N=3) and photodiode array detection at 247 nm was used for identification. For the analysis of actual samples, corticosterones from blood samples of a non-stressed and stressed mouse were determined. The results show that only a minor amount of corticosterone was produced by a non-stressed mouse, whereas a significant amount was present in the blood sample from a stressed mouse. The method developed here can be used to examine corticosterone levels as a marker of stress in test animals and may also be used for estimating the effect of stress-release medications.

Study on preparation technology Shuxiong Dropping Pill / 中草药

Object To optimize the best technical parameters through controlling the different factors. Methods Taking spherical degree and pill weight as index, the above factors were observed by orthogonal test. Results PEG4000 as matrix, methyl silicon oil as refrigerant. Internal and external diameter of burette are 4 1 mm and 6 1 mm, dropping into the refrigerant that composed of 40 ℃—50 ℃,10 ℃—30 ℃,0 ℃—4 ℃ by 20 ℃—30 ℃ droppings per minute. Conclusion The highest finished product with good quality can be got through this process.