Ferroptosis, pyroptosis and necroptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma immunotherapy: Mechanisms and immunologic landscape (Review).

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the leading causes of cancer­related mortality worldwide, is challenging to identify in its early stages and prone to metastasis, and the prognosis of patients with this disease is poor. Treatment options for HCC are limited, with even radical treatments being associated with a risk of recurrence or transformation in the short term. Furthermore, the multi­tyrosine kinase inhibitors approved for first­line therapy have marked drawbacks, including drug resistance and side effects. The rise and breakthrough of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have provided a novel direction for HCC immunotherapy but these have the drawback of low response rates. Since avoiding apoptosis is a universal feature of cancer, the induction of non­apoptotic regulatory cell death (NARCD) is a novel strategy for HCC immunotherapy. At present, NARCD pathways, including ferroptosis, pyroptosis and necroptosis, are novel potential forms of immunogenic cell death, which have synergistic effects with antitumor immunity, transforming immune 'cold' tumors into immune 'hot' tumors and exerting antitumor effects. Therefore, these pathways may be targeted as a novel treatment strategy for HCC. In the present review, the roles of ferroptosis, pyroptosis and necroptosis in antitumor immunity in HCC are discussed, and the relevant targets and signaling pathways, and the current status of combined therapy with ICIs are summarized. The prospects of targeting ferroptosis, pyroptosis and necroptosis in HCC immunotherapy are also considered.

Apparent differences in prostate zones: susceptibility to prostate cancer, benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostatitis.

Men are inevitably plagued by prostate disease throughout their lives. However, the understanding of the pathogenesis of prostate diseases is still limited. In the 1960s, McNeal proposed the theory of prostate zones: the prostate was divided into three main zones: transition zone, central zone, and peripheral zone. Over the past 50 years, significant differences between different prostate zones have been gradually revealed. We summarized the most significant differences in different zones of the prostate. For the first time, we proposed the "apparent difference in prostate zones" concept. This new concept has been proposed to understand the different zones of the prostate better. It also provided new ideas for exploring the susceptibility of lesions in different prostate zones. Despite the reported differences between zones, the treatment of prostate-related diseases remains partition agnostic. Therefore, we also discussed the clinical significance of the "apparent difference in the prostate zone" and emphasized the necessity of prostate zones.

Matrine reduced intestinal stem cell damage in eimeria necatrix-infected chicks via blocking hyperactivation of Wnt signaling.

BACKGROUND: Coccidiosis is a rapidly spreading and acute parasitic disease that seriously threatening the intestinal health of poultry. Matrine from leguminous plants has anthelmintic and anti-inflammatory properties. PURPOSE: This assay was conducted to explore the protective effects of Matrine and the AntiC (a Matrine compound) on Eimeria necatrix (EN)-infected chick small intestines and to provide a nutritional intervention strategy for EN injury. STUDY DESIGN: The in vivo (chick) experiment: A total of 392 one-day-old yellow-feathered broilers were randomly assigned to six groups in a 21-day study: control group, 350 mg/kg Matrine group, 500 mg/kg AntiC group, EN group, and EN + 350 mg/kg Matrine group, EN + 500 mg/kg AntiC group. The in vitro (chick intestinal organoids, IOs): The IOs were treated with PBS, Matrine, AntiC, 3 µM CHIR99021, EN (15,000 EN sporozoites), EN + Matrine, EN + AntiC, EN + Matrine + CHIR99021, EN + AntiC + CHIR99021. METHODS: The structural integrity of chicks jejunal crypt-villus axis was evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). And the activity of intestinal stem cells (ISCs) located in crypts was assessed by in vitro expansion advantages of a primary in IOs model. Then, the changes of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling in jejunal tissues and IOs were detected by Real-Time qPCR,Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The results showed that dietary supplementation with Matrine or AntiC rescued the jejunal injury caused by EN, as indicated by increased villus height, reduced crypt hyperplasia, and enhanced expression of tight junction proteins. Moreover, there was less budding efficiency of the IOs expanded from jejunal crypts of chicks in the EN group than that in the Matrine and AntiC group, respectively. Further investigation showed that AntiC and Matrine inhibited EN-stimulated Wnt/ß-catenin signaling. The fact that Wnt/ß-catenin activation via CHIR99021 led to the failure of Matrine and AntiC to rescue damaged ISCs confirmed the dominance of this signaling. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that Matrine and AntiC inhibit ISC proliferation and promote ISC differentiation into absorptive cells by preventing the hyperactivation of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling, thereby standardizing the function of ISC proliferation and differentiation, which provides new insights into mitigating EN injury by Matrine and AntiC.

Chinese Medicine Combined with Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Improving Myelosuppression in Colorectal Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) combined with adjuvant chemotherapy on myelosuppression for colorectal cancer (CRC) patients using network meta-analysis (NMA). METHODS: Literature searches in both international (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library) and Chinese (China Science and Technology Journal Database, Wanfang Data, China National Knowledge Infrastructure) databases for relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were conducted from inception until October 10, 2022. We included RCTs of patients who received CHM combined with chemotherapy, including FOLFOX, XELOX, FOLFIRI, and other relevant regimens in the CHM treatment group. The outcomes included the incidence of myelosuppression, leukopenia, hemoglobin reduction, and thrombocytopenia. Two reviewers independently screened the databases, extracted the data, and assessed the risk of bias and credibility of evidence. RevMan 5.4.1 software and STATA 14.0 were used to perform the NMA. RESULTS: A total of 31 RCTs were included, published from 2008 to 2021 in Chinese. Among these, 2,314 participants comparing the following 9 CHMs were identified: Shengbai Recipe (SBR), Bazhen Decoction (BZD), Jianpi Jiedu Recipe (JJR), Jianpi Recipe (JR), Compound Cantharis Capsule (CCC), Zaofan Pill (ZFP), Guilu Erxian Gel (GL), Buzhong Tiaogan Decoction (BZ), and Qiamagu Capsule (QM). The results of NMA found an indirect comparison. Based on the surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA), the ZFP+ chemotherapy group had the lowest incidence of myelosuppression, with an odds ratio (OR) of 0.08 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.01, 0.76], whereas the GL+ chemotherapy group had the lowest incidence of leukopenia, hemoglobin reduction, and thrombocytopenia, with an OR of 5.25 (95% CI: 2.41, 11.43), 4.66 (95% CI: 2.23, 9.72), and 0.27 (95% CI: 0.13, 0.54), respectively. Moreover, BZD + chemotherapy could alleviate leukopenia, hemoglobin reduction, and thrombocytopenia (P<0.01). Pairwise comparison showed that there was no difference in the efficacy among the 8 CHMs+ chemotherapy group. The comparison and adjustment funnel plot indicated that small-study effect had no impact on these outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: This NMA provided evidence to support that patients with CRC benefit from receiving different combination of CHM chemotherapies. Among these, GL plus chemotherapy and BZD plus chemotherapy were the more effective for myelosuppression in patients; however, as the qualtiy of evidence is insufficient, further research is needed. (PROSPERO, No. CRD42022369025).

[Improvement of Preparation Method of Rats Platelet-Rich Plasma and Quality Detection].

OBJECTIVE: To optimize the single centrifugation preparation protocol of rat platelet-rich plasma (PRP). METHODS: The arterial blood of rats obtained by carotid artery intubation was collected by heparin sodium anticoagulant tubes, and then the blood divided into sterile EP tubes, adjusting the red blood cell concentration with normal saline, while rat PRP was prepared by centrifugation under different conditions (the centrifugal force was 200×g-240×g, and the centrifugal time was 8-12 min). Subsequently, the blood cell count and quality evaluation of anticoagulat whole blood and PRP were performed by hematology analyzer and flow cytometry, respectively, and the differences between different groups were compared. RESULTS: The red blood cell concentration to (5.5-6.5)×1012/L after anticoagulation of rat whole blood was good for PRP extraction. When the blood samples was centrifuged at 220×g for 10 min, the platelet recovery rate was the highestï¼»(53.52±0.63)%ï¼½. The level of apoptosis and activation of plateles in PRP were not significantly different compared to whole blood(P>0.05), and the release level of growth factor was significantly increased(P<0.05). CONCLUSION: It is a key to improve the PRP extraction efficiency by reducing the amount of mixed red blood cell, and this study successfully modified the preparation method of rat PRP, with platelets high recovery rate and stable quality.

Impact of brain segmentation methods on regional metabolism quantification in 18F-FDG PET/MR analysis.

BACKGROUND: Accurate analysis of quantitative PET data plays a crucial role in studying small, specific brain structures. The integration of PET and MRI through an integrated PET/MR system presents an opportunity to leverage the benefits of precisely aligned structural MRI and molecular PET images in both spatial and temporal dimensions. However, in many clinical workflows, PET studies are often performed without the aid of individually matched structural MRI scans, primarily for the sake of convenience in the data collection and brain segmentation possesses. Currently, two commonly employed segmentation strategies for brain PET analysis are distinguished: methods with or without MRI registration and methods employing either atlas-based or individual-based algorithms. Moreover, the development of artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted methods for predicting brain segmentation holds promise but requires further validation of their efficiency and accuracy for clinical applications. This study aims to compare and evaluate the correlations, consistencies, and differences among the above-mentioned brain segmentation strategies in quantification of brain metabolism in 18F-FDG PET/MR analysis. RESULTS: Strong correlations were observed among all methods (r = 0.932 to 0.999, P < 0.001). The variances attributable to subject and brain region were higher than those caused by segmentation methods (P < 0.001). However, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC)s between methods with or without MRI registration ranged from 0.924 to 0.975, while ICCs between methods with atlas- or individual-based algorithms ranged from 0.741 to 0.879. Brain regions exhibiting significant standardized uptake values (SUV) differences due to segmentation methods were the basal ganglia nuclei (maximum to 11.50 ± 4.67%), and various cerebral cortexes in temporal and occipital regions (maximum to 18.03 ± 5.52%). The AI-based method demonstrated high correlation (r = 0.998 and 0.999, P < 0.001) and ICC (0.998 and 0.997) with FreeSurfer, substantially reducing the time from 8.13 h to 57 s on per subject. CONCLUSIONS: Different segmentation methods may have impact on the calculation of brain metabolism in basal ganglia nuclei and specific cerebral cortexes. The AI-based approach offers improved efficiency and is recommended for its enhanced performance.

Textile Bandwidth-Enhanced Polarization-Reconfigurable Half-Mode Substrate-Integrated Cavity Antenna.

A textile bandwidth-enhanced polarization-reconfigurable half-mode substrate-integrated cavity antenna was designed for wearable applications. A slot was cut out from the patch of a basic textile HMSIC antenna to excite two close resonances to form a wide -10 dB impedance band. The simulated axial ratio curve indicates the linear and circular polarization of the antenna radiation at different frequencies. Based on that, two sets of snap buttons were added at the radiation aperture to shift the -10 dB band. Therefore, a larger frequency range can be flexibly covered, and the polarization can be reconfigured at a fixed frequency by switching the state of snap buttons. According to the measured results on a fabricated prototype, the -10 dB impedance band of the proposed antenna can be reconfigured to cover 2.29~2.63 GHz (13.9% fractional bandwidth), and the circular/linear polarization radiation can be observed at 2.42 GHz with buttons OFF/ON. Additionally, simulations and measurements were carried out to validate the design and to study the effects of human body and bending conditions on the antenna performance.

Copper-catalyzed asymmetric C(sp2)-H arylation for the synthesis of P- and axially chiral phosphorus compounds.

Transition metal-catalyzed C-H bond functionalization is an important method in organic synthesis, but the development of methods that are lower cost and have a less environmental impact is desirable. Here, a Cu-catalyzed asymmetric C(sp2)-H arylation is reported. With diaryliodonium salts as arylating reagents, a range of ortho-arylated P-chiral phosphonic diamides were obtained in moderate to excellent yields with high enantioselectivities (up to 92% ee). Meanwhile, enantioselective C-3 arylation of diarylphosphine oxide indoles was also realized under similar conditions to construct axial chirality.

ß-Catenin-treated peptides effectively inhibit the proliferation of colorectal cancer.

To verify the inhibitory mechanism of ß-catenin-designed peptides in colorectal cancer(CRC) tumors, the following experiments were performed. In vitro colony formation, Transwell assays, and flow cytometry were performed to assess the biological effects of designed peptides (F18KD, F20A4-7k, F20A4-10k, and F20A3-9k + F20A4-10k + F20A5-9k) in HT-29 cells. In vivo xenograft experiments were performed and treated with peptides. Next, tumors were subjected to Hematoxylin and eosin staining (HE), immunohistochemical, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling staining assays to evaluate the inhibitory effect of peptides on tumors. ß-Catenin levels were quantified via western blotting (WB) and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, and ß-catenin was located using confocal laser scanning microscopy. T-cell factor-4 (TCF-4), C-myc, and CCND1 levels were quantified via WB. Results were obtained as following. First, the peptides reduced viability, migration, and invasion; promoted apoptosis; and stabilized the S phase of HT-29 cells. Second, peptides suppressed tumor growth and downregulated the expression of CD34, vascular endothelial growth factor, and ß-catenin in tumors. Furthermore, we found that peptides downregulated ß-catenin expression in both the cytoplasm and nucleus; TCF-4, C-myc, and CCND1 expression was also downregulated. Notably, ß-catenin-targeting peptides had a better inhibitory effect on CRC than non-ß-catenin-target peptides, and a combination of peptides exerted a more potent inhibitory effect on CRC than single peptides. It suggested that ß-Catenin-targeting peptides promote apoptosis in CRC tumors by inhibiting activation of the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway.

Prevalence and risk factors of tessellated fundus in Tianjin Medical University students / 中华眼底病杂志

Objective:To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of tessellation fundus (TF) among Tianjin Medical University students with different refractive statuses.Methods:A cross-sectional study. From September to December 2019, 346 students from Tianjin Medical University were randomly selected and underwent slit-lamp examination, non-cycloplegic auto-refraction, subjective refraction, best-corrected visual acuity, ocular biometric measurement, and non-dilation fundus photography. The differences in the prevalence of TF in basic characteristics and ocular biometric parameters were compared. Based on the equivalent spherical (SE), refractive status was divided into the non-myopia group (SE>-0.50 D) and the myopia group (SE≤-0.50 D). The myopia group was further divided into mild myopia group (-3.00 D<SE≤-0.50 D), moderate myopia group (-6.00 D<SE≤-3.00 D), and high myopia group (SE≤-6.00 D). According to the axis length (AL), the subjects were divided into AL<24 mm group, 24-26 mm group, and >26 mm group. The logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors affecting TF. Trend tests were performed for each risk factor and TF.Results:Of the 346 subjects, 324 (93.6%, 324/346) were myopia, of whom 73 (21.1%, 73/346), 167 (48.3%, 167/346), and 84 (24.3%, 84/346) were mild myopia, moderate myopia, and high myopia, respectively; 22 (6.4%, 22/346) were non-myopia. There were 294 (85.0%, 294/346) students with TF in the macula, including 9 (40.91%, 9/22), 58 (79.45%, 58/73), 145 (86.83%, 145/167), and 82 (97.62%, 82/84) in non-myopia, low myopia, moderate myopia, and high myopia group, respectively; 52 (15.0%, 52/346) students were without TF in the macula. There were statistically significant gender differences ( χ2=4.47), SE ( t=6.29), AL ( t=-8.29), anterior chamber depth ( Z=-2.62), lens thickness ( Z=-2.23), and average corneal radius ( Z=-3.58) between students with and without TF in the macula ( P<0.05). Spherical equivalent and axial length were independent risk factors for TF and its severity ( P≤0.001). With an increasing degree of myopia, and increasing axial length, the risk of TF increased ( P for trend<0.001). Conclusions:The prevalence of TF is 85.0% among Tianjin Medical University students. TF is detected in the fundus of no myopia, mild myopia, moderate myopia and high myopia. The degree of myopia is higher, the AL is longer, the possibility of TF is higher.

Research progress of metabolomics in diabetic retinopathy / 中华眼底病杂志

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the microvascular complications of diabetes mellitus causing severe visual impairment, and it is the main cause of blindness in adults. Metabolic abnormalities play an important role in the occurrence and development of DR, including the abnormal levels of glucose metabolism, lipid metabolism, amino acid metabolism and purine metabolism, which indicate that there are disorders of phosphopentose pathway, arginine metabolism pathway, polyol pathway and ascorbic acid pathway in the progression of DR. Metabolomics has great advantages in exploring the pathogenesis and diagnosis of DR, helping to identify the characteristic metabolic changes of DR And discover potential biomarkers. However, the existing metabolomics studies on DR have some limitations, such as the potential biomarkers found in some studies are difficult to verify in other studies due to differences in race, age, gender and sample size. There are few studies on biomarkers at different stages of DR. Therefore, in the future, multi-center and large-scale clinical studies are needed to screen out biomarkers with practical clinical diagnostic value.

Analysis of the effects of low/intermediate dose of coagulation factor Ⅷ on 30 adult patients with severe hemophilia A in a single center / 中华血液学杂志

Objective: To evaluate the clinical effects of low- and intermediate-dose factor Ⅷ (F Ⅷ) prophylaxis in Chinese adult patients with severe hemophilia A. Methods: Thirty adult patients with severe hemophilia A who received low- (n=20) /intermediate-dose (n=10) F Ⅷ prophylaxis at Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital affiliated with Nanjing University Medical College were included in the study. The annual bleeding rate (ABR), annual joint bleeding rate (AJBR), number of target joints, functional independence score of hemophilia (FISH), quality of life score, and health status score (SF-36) before and after preventive treatment were retrospectively analyzed and compared. Results: The median follow-up was 48 months. Compared with on-demand treatment, low- and intermediate-dose prophylaxis significantly reduced ABR, AJBR, and the number of target joints (P<0.05) ; the improvement in the intermediate-dose prophylaxis group was better than that in the low-dose prophylaxis group (P<0.05). Compared with on-demand treatment, the FISH score, quality of life score, and SF-36 score significantly improved in both groups (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05) . Conclusion: In Chinese adults with severe hemophilia A, low- and intermediate-dose prophylaxis can significantly reduce bleeding frequency, delay the progression of joint lesions, and improve the quality of life of patients as compared with on-demand treatment. The improvement in clinical bleeding was better with intermediate-dose prophylaxis than low-dose prophylaxis.

Novel CD19-KIRS2/Dap12-BB CAR-T Treatment for 3 Patients with Relapsed and Refractory B-Cell Tumors / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the safety and efficacy of novel CD19-KIRS2/Dap12-BB chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T cells) in the treatment of relapsed/refractory B-cell malignancy (R/R BCM).@*METHODS@#Three patients with R/R BCM treated with novel CD19-KIRS2/Dap12-BB CAR-T cells from June 2020 to November 2020 were enrolled, including 1 case of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (B-ALL) and 2 cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), and the efficacy and adverse reactions were observed.@*RESULTS@#After CAR-T cells infusion, patient with B-ALL achieved complete remission (CR) and minimal residual disease (MRD) turned negative, and 2 patients with NHL achieved partial remission (PR). Grade 2 cytokine release syndrome (CRS) occurred in B-ALL patient, grade 1 CRS occurred in 2 NHL patients, and grade II to IV hematologic adverse reactions occurred in 3 patients, all of which were controllable and reversible. The progression-free survival (PFS) of the 3 patients was 143, 199, and 91 days, and overall survival (OS) was 282, 430, and 338 days, respectively.@*CONCLUSION@#The novel CD19-KIRS2/Dap12-BB CAR-T cells in treatment of 3 patients with R/R BCM have significant short-term efficacy and controllable adverse reactions, but the long-term efficacy needs to be further improved.

Vitreous properties in patients with diabetes mellitus and its relationship with proliferative diabetic retinopathy / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

When it comes to diabetic patients, persistent hyperglycemia and associated pathological conditions will not only cause diabetic retinopathy(DR)but also have an impact on the metabolism of vitreous, leading to diabetic vitreopathy. Owing to the adjacent anatomical position between the vitreous and retina, diabetic vitreopathy and DR are mutually promoted. Changes in vitreoretinal interface such as posterior vitreous detachment(PVD)and vitreoschisis, provide a scaffold for fibrovascular proliferative membrane and are closely associated with pars plana vitrectomy(PPV). This article sorts out the variation of diabetic patients' vitreous structure and biochemical components, along with the changes in the vitreous-retinal interface, particularly for the related research on its relationship with proliferative diabetic retinopathy(PDR), aiming at providing further cognition of diabetic vitreopathy as well as references for DR treatment and formulation of PPV.

[Factors Affecting the Preservation of Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells at 4 ℃].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the preservation effect and related influencing factors of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells under serum-free condition at 4 ℃. METHODS: Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated by density gradient centrifugation, and stored at 4 ℃ under different cell concentrations, supplemented with human serum albumin, and glucose. The cell viability, total cell number, viable cell number and cell phenotype were detected during preservation of 72 h. RESULTS: With the prolongation of storage time, the number of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells gradually decreased(r=0.982). Compared with the cell concentration of (5-6)×106 cells/ml, the cell number decreased more slowly when the cell storage concentration was (1-2)×106 cells/ml; Adding human serum albumin and glucose can effectively improve the survival rate of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells, among which 2% human serum albumin has a better preservation effect; Compared with the blank control group, the analysis results of cell subsets showed that the downward trends of NK cells and T cells were significantly slowed after adding albumin and glucose. CONCLUSION: The cell density of (1-2)×106/ml and 2% human serum albumin are more suitable for the preservation of PBMC, and 5% glucose can improve the preservation effect of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells at 4 ℃.

Lack of Self-Efficacy and Resistance to Innovation Impact on Insufficient Learning Capabilities: Mediating the Role of Demotivation and Moderating the Role of Institutional Culture.

Learning capabilities have been an essential element for the success of second language learners that needs regulators' and researchers' emphasis. Hence, the current research examines the role of lack of self-efficacy and resistance to innovation on the insufficient learning capabilities of second language students in China. The current study also examines the mediating role of demotivation among the linkage of lack of self-efficacy, resistance to innovation, and insufficient learning capabilities and explores the moderating role of institutional culture among demotivation and insufficient learning capabilities. The researchers have applied the questionnaires method to gather the data from selected students and employed the smart-PLS to assess the measurement and structural models. The results revealed that lack of self-efficacy and resistance to innovation has a significant and positive linkage with insufficient learning capabilities. The results also exposed that demotivation significantly mediates among lack of self-efficacy, resistance to innovation, and insufficient learning capabilities. The findings also explored that the institutional culture significantly moderates the linkage between demotivation and insufficient learning capabilities.

Palladium-Catalyzed Cascade Cyclization/Alkylation of Oxime Ethers: Assembly of 4-Alkylisoxazoles by "Chain-Walking" Strategy.

A reliable and efficient palladium-catalyzed cascade cyclization/alkylation of oxime ethers with unactivated alkenes is described, affording a whole variety of structurally diverse isoxazole derivatives in moderate to good yields with excellent functional group compatibility. Ionic liquid [Aeim]Br not only acts as an environmentally friendly solvent but also acts as an accelerating agent to provide excess bromine source to eliminate bromomethane from oxime ethers. More importantly, the use of "chain-walking" strategy provides a novel methodology in organic synthesis to rapid generation of molecular complexity from readily available starting materials.

Nearly-Unity Quantum Yield and 12-Hour Afterglow from a Transparent Perovskite of Cs2 NaScCl6 :Tb.

Unlike afterglow phosphors, transparent crystals free of scattering issues hold great potential in applications such as volumetric displays and three-dimensional encryption. Here, a double-perovskite host of ca. 85 % transparency, a Cs2 NaScCl6 single crystal, was grown in aqueous solution. Through heavy doping of Tb ions, the crystal exhibited a high photoluminescence quantum yield (PL QY) up to 98.2 %. Both steady-state and transient PL spectroscopic investigation revealed a cross-relaxation efficiency (ηCR ≈99 %) between Tb ions, greatly mitigated the electron saturation on the 5 D3 level and encouraged the radiative route against quenching. The doped crystal displayed an intense afterglow of up to 12 h after ceasing the X-ray excitation, allowing it to be used in a radiation-storage battery which has a linear scaling capacity with loading weight. Our work opens possibilities in photo-stimulated volumetric display and three-dimensional information storage.

[Effect of balance acupotomy combined with warm needling in treatment of cervical spondylosis of vertebral artery type].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy of balance acupotomy combined with warm needling in treatment of cervical spondylopathy of vertebral artery type (CSA). METHODS: Ninety patients were randomly divided into a warm needling group, a balance acupotomy group and a combined treatment group, 30 cases in each one. In the warm needling group, warm needling was given, once daily, for 5 days consecutively, with the interval of 2 days every week, and the treatment was conducted for 3 weeks. In the combined treatment group, on the base of the treatment as the warm needling group, the balance acupotomy was exerted, for consecutive 3 weeks. In the balance acupotomy group, the balance acupotomy was adopted, once a week, for 3 weeks consecutively. Clinical efficacy, the mean blood flow velocity of left vertebral artery (LVA), right vertebral artery (RVA) and basilar artery (BA), the pulse index (PI) and the resistance index (RI) were observed in 3 groups separately. The score of vertigo symptom and function was compared before and after treatment in 3 groups. RESULTS: In comparison with before treatment, the score of evaluation scale for cervical vertigo (ESCV) and the mean blood flow velocity of LVA, RVA and BA were all increased (P<0.05). while PI and RI reduced (P<0.05) in each group after treatment. In comparison with those in the warm needling group and the balance acupotomy group, ESCV score and the mean blood flow velocity of LVA, RVA and BA were increased (P<0.05), while PI and RI decreased (P<0.05) in the combined treatment group after treatment. Compared with the balance acupotomy group, the mean blood flow velocity of LVA, RVA and BA was increased (P<0.05), and PI and RI reduced (P<0.05) in the warm needling group after treatment. The total effective rate was 73.3% (22/30) in the warm needling group, 70.0% (21/30) in the balance acupotomy group and 93.3% (28/30) in the combined treatment group respectively. The total effective rate in the combined treatment group was higher than that either in the warm needling group or in the balance acupotomy group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Balance acupotomy combined with warm needling may restore the mechanical equilibrium state of the neck, and effectively improve the change of vertebral-basilar artery blood flow and relieve vertigo symptoms in patient with of cervical spondylosis of vertebral artery type.

A novel bioinspired mechanism to elucidate the movement flexibility of the honeybee abdomen driven by muscles.

The abdomen of a honeybee is a blueprint for bioinspired mechanical design because of its movement flexibility and compactness. However, the abdominal muscles closely related to the movement flexibility mechanism have not been fully identified, limiting the potential biological advantage of their use in bionic mechanism design. In this study, we reveal the muscle distribution of the complete muscular driving unit in a honeybee abdomen using stereoscopy and scanning electron microscopy, and the muscle distribution was effectively verified using X-ray tomography. A novel equivalent unit mechanism (EUM) was then proposed and the kinematic analysis indicated that the extension ratio, bending angle, and swing angle of the EUM reached 9.36%, 1.22°, and 4.43°, respectively. The deformation ability of the EUM was consistent with the movement of the abdomen, confirming the movement flexibility. This work may provide a new perspective for distributed bionic mechanism design.