Research on the connectivity of urban river network-wetland and water quality simulation.

The connectivity of urban river networks plays an important role in cities in many aspects, such as urban water safety, water quality (WQ), and aquatic ecological balance. This study focuses on the river network and the Majiawan Wetland in the Chaoyang District of Beijing by establishing a two-dimensional hydrological WQ model employing various water allocation schemes between the river network and the wetland. Water circulation and WQ are the main indexes, and the effects of different scenarios on improving water circulation and WQ are simulated and compared. This study demonstrates that the addition of water replenishment at the intersection of river network and internal slow-water zones of the wetland (Scheme 2) has greater effectiveness in improving both hydrology and WQ compared to two other schemes. The water area of the Majiawan Wetland has expanded, and water velocity has increased. Using chemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus as the index values for determining the water class, the WQ of about 20% of the wetland area was reached Water Class II (domestic drinking water), with Water Class III (general industrial water) accounting for the other 80%. This study provides valuable evaluation and reference for similar areas of urban river network connectivity.

Leaching behaviour of 226Ra from uranium tailings and adsorption behaviour in geotechnical medias.

The leaching process of uranium tailings is a typical water-rock interaction. The release of 226Ra from uranium tailings depends on the nuclides outside the intrinsic properties of uranium tailings on the one hand, and is influenced by the water medium on the other. In this paper, a uranium tailings repository in southern China was used as a research object, and uranium tailings at different depths were collected by drilling samples and mixed to analyze the 226Ra occurrence states. Static dissolution leaching experiments of 226Ra under different pH conditions, solid-liquid ratio conditions, and ionic strength conditions were carried out, and the adsorption and desorption behaviours of 226Ra in five representative stratigraphic media were investigated. The results show that 226Ra has a strong adsorption capacity in representative strata, with adsorption distribution coefficient Kd values ranging from 1.07E+02 to 1.29E+03 (mL/g) and desorption distribution coefficients ranging from 4.97E+02 to 2.71E+03 (mL/g), but the adsorption is reversible. The 226Ra in uranium tailings exists mainly in the residual and water-soluble states, and the release of 226Ra from uranium tailings under different conditions is mainly from the water-soluble and exchangeable state fractions. Low pH conditions, low solid-liquid ratio conditions and high ionic strength conditions are favourable to the release of 226Ra from uranium tailings, so the release of 226Ra from uranium tailings can be reduced by means of adjusting the pH in the tailings and setting up a water barrier. The results of this research have important guiding significance for the management of existing uranium tailings ponds and the control of 226Ra migration in groundwater, which is conducive to guaranteeing the long-term safety, stability and sustainability of uranium mining sites.

Adsorption-desorption of 241Am(â ¢) on montmorillonite colloids and quartz sand: Effects of pH, ionic strength, colloid concentration and grain size.

Clay colloids in the subsurface environment have a strong adsorption capacity for radionuclides, and the mobile colloids will carry the nuclides for migration, which would promote the movability of radionuclides in the groundwater environment and pose a threat to the ecosphere. The investigations of the adsorption/desorption behaviors of radionuclides in colloids and porous media are significant for the evaluation of the geological disposal of radioactive wastes. To illustrate the adsorption/desorption behaviors of 241Am(Ⅲ) in Na-montmorillonite colloid and/or quartz sand systems at different pH (5, 7 and 9), ionic strengths (0, 0.1 and 5 mM), colloid concentrations (300 and 900 mg/L), nuclide concentrations (500, 800, 1100 and 1400 Bq/mL) and grain sizes (40 and 60 mesh), a series of batch sorption-desorption experiments were conducted. Combining the analysis of the physical and chemical properties of Na-montmorillonite with the Freundlich model, the influencing mechanism of different controlling factors is discussed. The experimental results show that the adsorption/desorption behaviors of 241Am(Ⅲ) in Na-montmorillonite colloid and/or quartz sand strongly are influenced by the pH value and ionic strength of a solution, the colloid concentration as well as quartz sand grain size. The adsorption and desorption isotherms within all the experimental conditions could be well-fitted by the Freundlich model and the correlation coefficients (R2) are bigger than 0.9. With the increase in pH, the adsorption partition coefficient (Kd) at 241Am(Ⅲ)-Na-montmorillonite colloid two-phase system and 241Am(Ⅲ)-Na-montmorillonite colloid-quartz sand three-phase system presents a trend which increases firstly followed by decreasing, due to the changes in the morphology of Am with pH. The Kd of 241Am(Ⅲ) adsorption on montmorillonite colloid and quartz sand decreases with increasing in ionic strength, which is mainly attributed to the competitive adsorption, surface complexation and the reduction of surface zeta potential. Additionally, the Kd increases with increasing colloid concentrations because of the increase in adsorption sites. When the mean grain diameter changes from 0.45 to 0.3 mm, the adsorption variation trends of 241Am(Ⅲ) remain basically unchanged. The research results obtained in this work are meaningful and helpful in understanding the migration behaviors of radionuclides in the underground environment.

Co-transport behavior of Am(III) and natural colloids in the vadose zone sediments.

Americium (III) (Am(III)) in the natural environment is considered immobile due to its low solubility, strong adsorption, and high affinity to solid surfaces. However, the presence of natural colloids may carry Am(III) transport for long distance. The individual and co-transport behaviors of Am(III) and natural colloids through the unsaturated packed columns were investigated under the influence of pH, electrolyte concentration, velocity, Am(III) concentration and natural colloids concentration. Under all experimental conditions, Am(III) individual transport construct sight breakthrough curves (BTCs, CAm/C0 < 3%), but the presence of natural colloids increased the BTCs plateau of Am(III) significantly (30% < CAm/C0 < 80%), indicating that the colloids were able to promote Am(III) transport in the unsaturated porous media. DLVO theoretical calculations reveal that the increased pH and decreased electrolyte concentration lead to a rase in electrostatic repulsion, and the natural colloids tend to be dispersed and stabilized, which facilitates elution. In addition to this, the increase of velocity and colloids concentration will lead to greater breakthrough of natural colloids. The non-equilibrium two-site model and the two-site kinetic retention model well-described the BTCs of Am(III) and natural colloids, respectively. This study provide new insights into the behavior of natural colloids carrying the Am(III) into aquifers through the vadose zone sediments.

Positional multi-length and mutual-attention network for epileptic seizure classification.

The automatic classification of epilepsy electroencephalogram (EEG) signals plays a crucial role in diagnosing neurological diseases. Although promising results have been achieved by deep learning methods in this task, capturing the minute abnormal characteristics, contextual information, and long dependencies of EEG signals remains a challenge. To address this challenge, a positional multi-length and mutual-attention (PMM) network is proposed for the automatic classification of epilepsy EEG signals. The PMM network incorporates a positional feature encoding process that extracts minute abnormal characteristics from the EEG signal and utilizes a multi-length feature learning process with a hierarchy residual dilated LSTM (RDLSTM) to capture long contextual dependencies. Furthermore, a mutual-attention feature reinforcement process is employed to learn the global and relative feature dependencies and enhance the discriminative abilities of the network. To validate the effectiveness PMM network, we conduct extensive experiments on the public dataset and the experimental results demonstrate the superior performance of the PMM network compared to state-of-the-art methods.

Research on leaching behavior of uranium from a uranium tailing and its adsorption behavior in geotechnical media.

The release of uranium from uranium tailings into the aqueous environment is a complex process controlled by a series of interacting geochemical reactions. In this paper, uranium tailings from a uranium tailings pond in southern China were collected at different depths by means of borehole sampling and mixed to analyze the fugacity state of U. Static leaching experiments of U at different pH, oxidant concentration and solid-to-liquid ratios and dynamic leaching experiments of U at different pH were carried out, and the adsorption and desorption behaviour of U in five representative stratigraphic media were investigated. The results show that U is mainly present in the residue state in uranium tailings, that U release is strong in the lower pH range, that the leached U is mainly in the form of U(VI), mainly from the water-soluble, Fe/Mn oxides and exchangeable fraction of uranium tailings, and that the reduction in U leaching at higher pH is mainly due to the combined effect of precipitation formation and larger particle size of platelets in uranium tailings. Experiments with different oxidant concentrations and solid-liquid ratios showed that the oxygen-enriched state and low solid-liquid ratios were favorable for the leaching of U from uranium tailings. Adsorption and desorption experiments show that U is weakly adsorbed in representative strata, reversibly adsorbed, and that U is highly migratory in groundwater. The present research results have important guiding significance for the management of existing uranium tailings ponds and the control of U migration in groundwater, which is conducive to ensuring the long-term safety, stability and sustainability of uranium mining sites.

Leaching behaviour and mechanism of U, 226Ra and 210Pb from uranium tailings at different pH conditions.

A large number of radionuclides remain in uranium tailings, and U, 226Ra and 210Pb leach out with water chemistry, causing potential radioactive contamination to the surrounding environment. In this paper, uranium tailings from a uranium tailings pond in southern China were collected at different depths by means of borehole sampling, mixed and homogenised, and analysed for mineral and chemical composition, microscopic morphology, U, 226Ra and 210Pb fugacity, static leaching and dynamic leaching of U, 226Ra and 210Pb in uranium tailings at different pH conditions. The variation of U, 226Ra and 210Pb concentrations in the leachate under different pH conditions with time was obtained, and the leaching mechanism was analysed. The results showed that the uranium tailings were dominated by quartz, plagioclase and other minerals, of which SiO2 and Al2O3 accounted for 65.45% and 13.32% respectively, and U, 226Ra and 210Pb were mainly present in the residue form. The results of the static leaching experiments show that pH mainly influences the leaching of U, 226Ra and 210Pb by changing their chemical forms and the particle properties of the tailings, and that the lower the pH the more favourable the leaching. The results of dynamic leaching experiments during the experimental cycle showed that the leaching concentration and cumulative release of U, 226Ra and 210Pb in the leach solution were greater at lower pH conditions than at higher pH conditions, and the leaching of U, 226Ra and 210Pb at different pH conditions was mainly from the water-soluble and exchangeable states. The present research results are of great significance for the environmental risk management and control of radioactive contamination in existing uranium tailings ponds, and are conducive to ensuring the long-term safety, stability and sustainability of uranium mining sites.

Shaddock peel-derived N-doped carbon quantum dots coupled with ultrathin BiOBr square nanosheets with boosted visible light response for high-efficiency photodegradation of RhB.

In the present work, we constructed a serials of novel shaddock peel-derived N-doped carbon quantum dots (NCQDs) coupled with BiOBr composites. The result showed that the as-synthesized BiOBr (BOB) was composed of ultrathin square nanosheets and flower-like structure, and NCQDs were uniformly dispersed on the surface of BiOBr. Furthermore, the BOB@NCQDs-5 with optimal NCQDs content displayed the top-flight photodegradation efficiency with ca. 99% of removal rate within 20 min under visible light and possessed excellent recyclability and photostability after 5 cycles. The reason was attributed to relatively large BET surface area, the narrow energy gap, inhibited recombination of charge carriers and excellent photoelectrochemical performances. Meanwhile, the improved photodegradation mechanism and possible reaction pathways were also elucidated in detail. On this basis, the study opens a novel perspective to obtain a highly efficient photocatalyst for practical environment remediation.

Advection-Dispersion Behavior for Simulation of H-3 and Pu-238 Transport in Undisturbed Argillaceous Shale of a Near-Surface Repository.

In this study, a column experiment was employed to evaluate the nuclide migration behavior in the surrounding rock medium of a near-surface disposal site in China and to investigate the advection-dispersion behavior of tritium (H-3) and plutonium-238 (Pu-238) in highly weathered argillaceous shale. A reasonable numerical model was selected to fit the experimental breakthrough curves (BTCs) and to obtain the relevant migration parameters. The results show the following: (1) the internal structure of the highly weathered argillaceous shale exhibited heterogeneity, and the nuclide migration BTC showed characteristics of a "curve peak moving forward" and a "tail curve trailing"; (2) compared with other models, the stream tube mode could better fit the BTCs and obtain the average dispersion coefficient , average distribution coefficient , and other parameters; (3) compared to the results of the batch experiment, the distribution coefficient Kd obtained from the column experiment was smaller than that obtained from the batch experiment, which is speculated to be due to the influence of contact time and the contact area between the nuclide and the medium.

Solution to the particle concentration effect on determining Kd value of radionuclides.

The particle concentration effect on Kd values of radionuclides has been observed but the underlying mechanism remains controversial. The hope is to use the relationship between particle concentration, adsorption-desorption isotherms and reversibility, in combination with surface component activity of model (SCA model), to solve this issue. 137Cs, 60Co, 90Sr were used as tracers, batch experiments were conducted in freshwater-sediment and seawater-sediment. The experiment of each radionuclide was designed with five different particle concentrations Cp, and for each Cp there were seven different initial concentrations C0. After adsorption experiments, four consecutive desorption experiments were carried out. At the fourth desorption experiment, radionuclide concentrations in the supernatant and sediment were measured. The results showed that adsorption and single desorption data of 137Cs, 60Co, 90Sr might be described by linear isotherms. 137Cs was reversible in the seawater-sediment, so hysteresis angles of the five-particle concentration were approximately 0°, all adsorption and desorption data could be classified into one line. In the remaining systems, besides the adsorption and single desorption isotherms moved upward with the decrease of particle concentration, hysteresis angles and irreversibility also increased, thus, the particle concentration effect was obvious. The reversible and resistant component concentrations calculated by adsorption, single desorption and consecutive desorption isotherm were linear functions of equilibrium concentration Ce1, respectively. Data from adsorption and desorption experiments with particle concentration effect could be classified into the same line using the Freundlich-SCA model. The results of this study indicate that the particle concentration effect is related to reversibility. When adsorption isotherm and single desorption isotherm are both linear, consecutive desorption isotherm, reversible and resistant component concentrations approach linearity too. After the Freundlich-SCA model eliminated the particle concentration effect on adsorption and desorption data, the data can be used to predict the adsorption, single desorption isotherm and Kd value at any particle concentration.

A Retrospective Cohort Study of the Efficacy, Safety, and Clinical Value of 6-TG versus 6-MP Maintenance Therapy in Children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Objective: To explore the efficacy, safety, and clinical value of 6-TG versus 6-MP when treating childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Methods: The study period was from January 2017 to June 2021. The subjects of this study were 100 children with ALL who were treated in our hospital. According to different intervention methods, the children who received 6-MP maintenance therapy were selected as the control group, with a total of 57 cases. Children with TG maintenance therapy were included in the research group, a total of 43 cases. The ICNS recurrence rate, non-ICNS recurrence rate, first remission mortality rate, secondary malignant tumor, and other indicators were compared. Results: First of all, we compared the effective rate: complete remission (CR), partial remission, and nonremission in the study group, and the effective rate was 87.5%. In the control group, there were CR, partial remission, and no remission, and the effective rate was 65.5%. The effective rate of the study group was higher, and the difference between groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). There were 55 cases of failure in the study group, with an incidence of 21.91%. There were 42 cases of total failure events in the control group, the incidence rate was 18.02%, and there exhibited no remarkable difference (P > 0.05). In the study group, 6 cases died in the first remission, with a fatality rate of 2.39%, while there exhibited no death in the control group. The mortality in the first remission period in the study group was lower (P < 0.05). The overall recurrence rate of the study group was 5.57%, while that of the control group was 11.15%. The overall recurrence rate of the study group was lower, and the difference between groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The recurrence rate of ICNS was 2.14% in the study group and 2.98% in the control group, and there exhibited no remarkable difference (P > 0.05). The non-ICNS recurrence rate was 3.43% in the study group and 7.17% in the control group. There exhibited no remarkable difference (P > 0.05). The incidence of secondary malignant tumor events was 0.85% in the study group and 1.59% in the control group. There exhibited no remarkable difference (P > 0.05). The incidence of hepatic vein occlusive disease was 7.29% in the study group and 2.39% in the control group. The incidence of hepatic vein occlusive disease in the study group was higher, and the difference between groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Finally, we compared the incidence of adverse reactions. In the study group, there were 12 cases of oral mucosal damage, 7 cases of liver function damage, 6 cases of infection, 10 cases of myelosuppression, 9 cases of gastrointestinal reaction, and 4 cases of skin damage; the incidence rate was 23.17%. In the control group, there were 12 cases of oral mucosal damage, 7 cases of liver function damage, 6 cases of infection, 10 cases of myelosuppression, 9 cases of gastrointestinal reaction, and 4 cases of skin damage, with an incidence of 19.12%. There exhibited no remarkable difference in the incidence of adverse reactions (P > 0.05). Conclusion: 6-TG maintenance therapy in children with ALL can enhance the overall effective rate, can reduce the first remission mortality and the total recurrence rate, and will not increase the overall incidence of adverse reactions, but the incidence of reversible or irreversible hepatic veno-occlusive disease is remarkably increased, which has a certain clinical value. Background: Treatment-related hepatotoxicity and myelosuppression remain formidable challenges for clinicians. Pharmacokinetic studies found that 6-TG has a more direct intracellular activation pathway, shorter cytotoxic time, and stronger potency than 6-MP. Therefore, this study investigated the efficacy, safety, and clinical value of 6-TG and 6-MP in the treatment of children with ALL.

Clinical Observation of General Anesthesia Combined with Spinal Anesthesia in Elderly Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Objective: This work is aimed at evaluating the efficacy and safety of general anesthesia (GA) combined with spinal anesthesia (SA) (GA+SA) in elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods and Material. 50 elderly COPD patients were rolled randomly into a control group (simple GA) and observation group (GA+SA). The differences in operation time, postoperative recovery time (PRT), language expression time (LET), anesthetic dosage (AD), catheter extubation time (CET), respiratory circulation indicators (mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), SaO2, and PaO2), postoperative VRS score, pulmonary function (forced vital capacity (FVC)), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1)/FVC and forced expiratory flow (FEF 25%~75%), serum inflammatory factors (IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α), Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (SPMSQ) score, and the incidence of respiratory system events were analyzed. Results: The results showed that the PRT, LET, AD, and CET of the observation group were all shorter (P < 0.05). The postoperative MAP, HR, SaO2, and PaO2 levels of patients who received GA+SA were much higher than those who received simple GA (P < 0.05). The postoperative VRS score of the observation group was better than that of the controls (P < 0.05). The postoperative pulmonary function of patients in the observation group was better compared with that in the control group (P < 0.05). The postoperative serum inflammatory factors in the observation group were lower in contrast to the patients who received simple GA (P < 0.05). The postoperative cognitive function SPMSQ score of patients who received GA+SA was lower compared with the score of patients who received simple GA (P < 0.05). However, the probability of respiratory system events in the observation group was lower (P < 0.05). Conclusion: In conclusion, GA+SA could significantly shorten the PRT and improve the recovery quality of elderly COPD patients. It can also reduce the postoperative inflammatory response and strengthen the pulmonary function and cognitive function. It also enhances the analgesic which is beneficial to patients' postoperative recovery. Therefore, GA+SA was a highly effective and safe anesthesia method for elderly patients with COPD, and it was worthy of clinical application.

Study on Tritium and Iodine Species Transport through Porous Granite: A Non-Sorption Effect by Anion Exclusion.

The safety of deep geological repositories is important in the disposal of high-level radioactive waste (HLW). In this study, advection−dispersion experiments were designed to build a transport model through a calibration/validation process, and the transport behavior of tritiated water (HTO) and various iodine species (iodide: I− and iodate: IO3−) was studied on a dynamic compacted granite column. Breakthrough curves (BTCs) were plotted under various flow rates (1−5 mL/min). BTCs showed that the non-sorption effect by anion exclusion was observed only in I− transport because the retardation factor (R) of I− was lower than that of HTO (R = 1). Moreover, equilibrium and nonequilibrium transport models were used and compared to identify the mobile/immobile zones in the compacted granite column. The anion exclusion effect was influenced by the immobile zones in the column. The non-sorption effect by anion exclusion (R < 1) was only observed for I− at 5.0 ± 0.2 mL/min flow rate, and a relatively higher Coulomb's repulsive force may be caused by the smaller hydration radius of I−(3.31 Å) than that of IO3−(3.74 Å).

Deep Scale-Variant Network for Femur Trochanteric Fracture Classification with HP Loss.

Achieving automatic classification of femur trochanteric fracture from the edge computing device is of great importance and value for remote diagnosis and treatment. Nevertheless, designing a highly accurate classification model on 31A1/31A2/31A3 fractures from the X-ray is still limited due to the failure of capturing the scale-variant and contextual information. As a result, this paper proposes a deep scale-variant (DSV) network with a hybrid and progressive (HP) loss function to aggregate more influential representations of the fracture regions. More specifically, the DSV network is based on the ResNet and integrated with the designed scale-variant (SV) layer and HP loss, where the SV layer aims to enhance the representation ability to extract the scale-variant features, and HP loss is intended to force the network to condense more contextual clues. Furthermore, to evaluate the effect of the proposed DSV network, we carry out a series of experiments on the real X-ray images for comparison and evaluation, and the experimental results demonstrate that the proposed DSV network could outperform other classification methods on this classification task.

Effects of the coupling water and fertilizer on soil phosphorus components in alfalfa field in Eastern Inner Mongolia, China.

Soil phosphorus (P) could be categorized into organic and inorganic forms, with diffe-rent capabilities of nutrient supply. Exploring soil P components through liquid 31P-NMR would provide an important theoretical basis for soil P nutrition regulation. This study addressed the characteristic of P in alfalfa (Medicago sativa) soil via the pot experiment. There were two scenarios of treatments with conventional and dry water combined with different P fertilizer levels (P0-P4: 0, 0.025, 0.05, 0.1, and 0.2 g P2O5·kg-1soil). The characteristics of P components in alfalfa soil under water-fertilizer coupling conditions were measured by liquid 31P-NMR. Results showed that under different water and fertilizer treatments, soil inorganic P was mainly composed of inorganic orthophosphate, pyrophosphate and inorganic polyphosphate. Inorganic orthophosphate was the dominant component of inorganic P, which could be reduced by drought. High P application (P4) could increase the contents of soil inorganic polyphosphates and inorganic pyrophosphates. Among the organic P components, monoester orthophosphate was dominant, the conversion and utilization of which in alfalfa soil were affected by drought. Overall, the rational management of water and fertilizer could effectively regulate the conversion and utilization of P nutrients in alfalfa soil in Eastern Inner Mongolia.

Arterial Vascular Structures Running Through Retrotransverse Foramen and Retrotransverse Groove of the Atlas Vertebrae.

OBJECTIVE: Retrotransverse foramen (RTF) and retrotransverse groove (RTG) are anatomic variations of the atlas (C1) vertebrae. RTF contains an anastomotic vein connecting atlanto-occipital and atlanto-axodian venous sinuses. The purpose of this study was to analyze the arterial vascular structures running though the RTF and RTG. METHODS: Three-dimensional volume rendered computed tomography angiography (3D VR CTA) images of 427 patients (264 men, 163 women; age 17-87 years) were reviewed and evaluated using the RadiAnt DICOM Viewer (version 5.0.2; Medixant, Poznan, Poland). The incidence of RTF or RTG, the incidence of the V3 segment of vertebral artery variants, and the artery vascular structures inside the RTF and RTG anatomic variation of C1 were analyzed. RESULTS: Fifty (11.7%) atlases presented RTF anatomical variant; 113 (26.5%) atlases presented RTG anatomical variants. The incidence of the V3 segment of vertebral artery variants was 0.94% (4 of 427). Three (0.7%) were persistent first intersegmental artery and 1 (0.2%) was the fenestration of the vertebral artery on left side. In 4 cases of C1 vertebral artery V3 segmental variants, there were no RTF and RTG. No artery vascular structure was found in RTF or RTG. CONCLUSIONS: The RTF or RTG of C1 was a common anatomical variant. No arterial vascular structure runs though the RTF or RTG. The presence of C1 RTF and RTG variants had no effect on the V3 segmental course of the vertebral artery. Preoperative understanding of these variations using 3D CTA are helpful for the safe execution of the upper cervical posterior approach surgeries.

Remyelination is enhanced by Astragalus polysaccharides through inducing the differentiation of oligodendrocytes from neural stem cells in cuprizone model of demyelination.

Demyelination is the hallmark of multiple sclerosis (MS). Promoting remyelination is an important strategy to treat MS. Our previous study showed that Astragalus polysaccharides (APS), the main bioactive component of Astragalus membranaceus, could prevent demyelination in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis mice. To investigate the effects of APS on remyelination and the underlying mechanisms, in this study we set up a cuprizone-induced demyelination model in mice and treated them with APS. It was found that APS relieved the neurobehavioral dysfunctions caused by demyelination, and efficaciously facilitated remyelination in vivo. In order to determine whether the mechanism of enhancing remyelination was associated with the differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs), biomarkers of NSCs, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes and neurons were measured in the corpus callosum tissues of mice through Real-time PCR, Western blot and immunohistochemistry assays. Data revealed that APS suppressed the stemness of NSCs, reduced the differentiation of NSCs into astrocytes, and promoted the differentiation into oligodendrocytes and neurons. This phenomenon was confirmed in the differentiation model of C17.2 NSCs cultured in vitro. Since Sonic hedgehog signaling pathway has been proven to be crucial to the differentiation of NSCs into oligodendrocytes, we examined expression levels of the key molecules in this pathway in vivo and in vitro, and eventually found APS activated this signaling pathway. Together, our results demonstrated that APS probably activated Sonic hedgehog signaling pathway first, then induced NSCs to differentiate into oligodendrocytes and promoted remyelination, which suggested that APS might be a potential candidate in treating MS.

Fabrication of ternary AgBr/BiPO4/g-C3N4 heterostructure with dual Z-scheme and its visible light photocatalytic activity for Reactive Blue 19.

A plasmonic photocatalyst of AgBr/BiPO4/g-C3N4 was prepared. X-ray powder diffraction, Scanning electron microscope, Transmission electron microscopy, Fourier infrared spectroscopy, Ultraviolet Visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and photoluminescence emission spectra have been employed to determine the structure, morphology and optical property of the as-prepared AgBr/BiPO4/g-C3N4 composite and analysis the reasons for improving photocatalytic efficiency. The optimal doping ratio of AgBr was 10 wt% by degrading 20 mg/L of Reactive Blue 19 (RB19) under visible light (λ > 420 nm), and 10 wt%AgBr/BiPO4/g-C3N4 degraded 20 mg/L of RB19 to 2.59% at 40 min, which is ascribed to synergistic effects at the interface of AgBr, BiPO4 and g-C3N4. The effect of catalyst dosage, initial concentration and initial pH of RB19 solution on photocatalytic efficiency was investigated. Four cycles of experiments were conducted. Finally, through the trapping experiment, we found that the main active factor for degrading RB19 in the photocatalytic process is O2-. The possible photocatalytic mechanism of AgBr/BiPO4/g-C3N4 was discussed in connection with the synergistic effect of Ag and active substances at the AgBr/BiPO4/g-C3N4 interface.

Attitudes and concerns of neonatologists and nurses to family-integrated-care in neonatal intensive care units in China.

BACKGROUND: Parents in China are denied visitation of their newborns in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), leading to a prolonged period of parent-infant separation. The family-integrated care (FICare) model, which supports the integration of parents into the NICU team, is gradually being introduced in China. Considering resistance to the implementation of FICare, this study aimed to assess the attitudes and concerns of neonatologists and nurses towards FICare in China. METHODS: Using a before and after study design, a qualitative analysis was conducted to determine the perceptions and attitudes of medical professionals towards FICare in China. A total of 34 neonatologists and 94 nurses from 5 tertiary NICUs in China were enrolled. A self-developed questionnaire was used. The study steps included reading session and then survey for the first time (survey 1), a FICare getting buy-in education session (4 hours), a group discussion session, and finally repeat the questionnaire (survey 2). The surveys were completed by trained researchers regarding willingness, acceptance and concerns of implementing FICare in NICUs in China. Differences in attitudes towards FICare were compared between groups (Chi-square/correction for continuity). RESULTS: There are positive responses in neonatologists and nurses regarding the necessity (Survey 1: 58.8% and 57.4%; Survey 2: 88.2% and 67.0%), feasibility (Survey 1: 17.6% and 19.1%; Survey 2: 32.3% and 34.0%), and interest in joining FICare (Survey 1: 82.4% and 83.0%; Survey 2: 97.1% and 85.1%). A higher proportion of neonatologists indicated that FICare could promote breastfeeding in the NICU comparing to nurses (Survey 1: 47.1% vs. 19.1%; Survey 2: 61.8% and 46.8% respectively). Most of the neonatologists and nurses are not sure whether FICare can shorten the hospital stay (Survey 1: 82.3% and 68.1%; Survey 2: 85.3% and 60.6%) or improve the doctor-patient relationship (Survey 1: 58.8% and 68.1%; Survey 2: 73.5% and 69.1%). Challenges concerning the implementation of FICare were identified as inadequate ward space, lack of human resources, and potential increases in nosocomial infection. CONCLUSIONS: The getting buy-in education program in introducing new paradigms of neonatal care may help on how to design and implement more effective educational tools for FICare.

Expert consensus on protocol of rehabilitation for COVID-19 patients using framework and approaches of WHO International Family Classifications.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has widely spread all over the world and the numbers of patients and deaths are increasing. According to the epidemiology, virology, and clinical practice, there are varying degrees of changes in patients, involving the human body structure and function and the activity and participation. Based on the World Health Organization (WHO) International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) and its biopsychosocial model of functioning, we use the WHO Family of International Classifications (WHO-FICs) framework to form an expert consensus on the COVID-19 rehabilitation program, focusing on the diagnosis and evaluation of disease and functioning, and service delivery of rehabilitation, and to establish a standard rehabilitation framework, terminology system, and evaluation and intervention systems based the WHO-FICs.