Feasibility of 2-Point Fixation by Absorbable Plates Using the Transoral Approach in Management of the Zygomatic Complex Fractures.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the feasibility of 2-point fixation using absorbable plates by the transoral approach in the management of the zygomatic complex (ZMC) fractures. METHODS: Twenty-five patients (15 male and 10 female, age range 16 y to 55 y) with Knight and North Group Ⅲ zygomatic fractures were included in this case series. Open reduction by intraoral approach was performed on these patients, and the fractures were fixed using absorbable plates placed at the zygomaticomaxillary buttress and infraorbital rim. Postoperatively, follow-up was undertaken to evaluate the fracture healing, mouth opening, facial asymmetry, diplopia, and paresthesia. RESULTS: Postoperatively, all patients achieved uneventful healing; facial symmetry and wound healing were achieved, along with sensory recovery involving the infraorbital nerve. Complications such as sensory disturbances, infection, diplopia, malunion, and nonunion were not encountered in these patients. CONCLUSIONS: Two-point fixation using absorbable plates by transoral approach can provide sufficient stabilization for Knight and North Group III zygomatic fractures.

Global, regional, and national burdens of facial fractures: a systematic analysis of the global burden of Disease 2019.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of facial fractures has undergone tremendous changes in recent years as a result of socio-economic development and aging populations. Currently, there is a lack of updated and comprehensive analyses of global trends and causes of facial fractures. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) database is a product of a global research organization used to quantify the global impact of hundreds of diseases, injuries, and risk factors. The aim of this study was to update global burden of facial fractures from 1990 to 2019 by using the GBD2019. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study extracted the global incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability (YLDs) for facial fractures, as well as the age-standardized rates (ASRs) of these variables using the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2019 database. The estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) was used to assess the trends of ASRs. RESULTS: Between 1990 and 2019, the incidence of facial fractures increased from 8,943,707 to 10,676,340, but the age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) decreased from 161.5 to 138.8 per 100,000. Prevalence and YLDs exhibited the same trend as incidence. Over the 30 years, the incidence of facial fractures was consistently greater in males than in females. However, females aged ˃ 75 years had higher fracture incidence rates than males aged ˃ 75 years in 2019. The leading cause of facial fractures was falls, and both the age-standardized prevalence rate (ASPR) and age-standardized years lived with disability rate (ASYR) of falls increased with age. CONCLUSION: Facial fractures still represent a significant burden to the world. Incidence, prevalence and YLDs all showed increasing trends, while ASRs decreased gradually from 1990 to 2019. Enhancing the quality of facial fractures data is helpful for monitoring the burden of facial fractures.

Saussurea involucrata PIP2;4 improves growth and drought tolerance in Nicotiana tabacum by increasing stomatal density and sensitivity.

Aquaporins, the major facilitators of water transport across membranes, are involved in growth and development and adaptation to drought stress in plants. In this study, a plasma membrane intrinsic protein (SiPIP2;4) was cloned from Saussurea involucrata, a cold-tolerant hardy herb. The expression of SiPIP2;4 increased the stomatal density and sensitivity of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), thus, affecting the plant's growth and resistance to the diverse water environment. The higher stomatal density under well-watered conditions effectively promoted the photosynthetic rate, which led to the rapid growth of transgenic lines. The stomata in the transgenic lines responded more sensitively to the vapor pressure deficit than the wild-type under different levels of ambient humidity. Their stomatal apertures positively correlated with the ambient humidity. Under drought conditions, the overexpression of SiPIP2;4 promoted rapid stomatal closure, reduced water dissipation, and enhanced drought tolerance. These results indicate that SiPIP2;4 regulates the density and sensitivity of plant stomata, thus, playing an important role in balancing plant growth and stress tolerance. This suggests that SiPIP2;4 has the potential to serve as a genetic resource for crop improvement.

Constructing a Z-Scheme Heterojunction Photocatalyst of GaPO4/α-MoC/Ga2O3 without Mingling Type-II Heterojunction for CO2 Reduction to CO.

Constructing Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts is a prevalent strategy to prolong the lifetime of photoinduced charge carriers without reducing their redox potentials. Nevertheless, these photocatalysts were usually mingled with type-II heterojunction, leading to a decrease in the redox potentials of photoinduced charge carriers. Herein, based on the absolute electronegativity of semiconductors, a Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst of GaPO4/α-MoC/Ga2O3 was designed and successfully constructed, in which the formation of type-II heterojunction was prevented between GaPO4 and Ga2O3. In the GaPO4/α-MoC/Ga2O3 photocatalyst, the conduction band (CB) and valance band (VB) potentials and the Fermi level of Ga2O3 are higher than those of GaPO4, respectively. Under irradiation, photoinduced electrons on the CB of GaPO4 migrate to the electron mediator α-MoC and subsequently recombine with the photoinduced holes of Ga2O3, thereby retaining the photoinduced charge carriers with higher redox potentials. As a result, GaPO4/α-MoC/Ga2O3 exhibits a 4-fold enhancement of activity for CO2 photoreduction, compared to Ga2O3. Photocatalytic mechanism studies indicate that superoxide radicals might be an important intermediate for CO2 reduction to CO. The present work supplies a paradigm to construct a Z-scheme heterostructure without mingling type-II heterojunction via energy band engineering.

Cold-regulated gene LeCOR413PM2 confers cold stress tolerance in tomato plants.

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) is an important food plant that has been used as a model plant in genetic evolution and molecular biology research. The plant is originated from the tropics; thus, it is sensitive to cold. Its growth and development can be easily affected by cold stress. In this study, cold-regulated gene LeCOR413PM2 was cloned from tomato leaves and then used to generate two types of transgenic tomato plants: LeCOR413PM2-overexpressing transgenic plants and RNA-interference-expressing transgenic plants. The functions and expression of LeCOR413PM2 gene in response to cold stress were subsequently assessed. The results showed that LeCOR413PM2 localized in the plasma membrane. Expression of LeCOR413PM2 gene in the leaf of transgenic tomato plant was highest compared to that in other organs (i.e., root, stem, flower and fruit); it was elevated when plants were treated with cold stress. Overexpression of LeCOR413PM2 gene was found to not only reduce damage to cell membrane, accumulation of ROS, and photoinhibition of PSII, but also maintain high activity of antioxidant enzymes and content of osmotic regulators. The results also reveal that high activities of antioxidant enzymes were caused by the up-regulation of their gene expressions. This study demonstrates that the overexpression of LeCOR413PM2 could increase cold tolerance of transgenic tomato plants, while the suppressed expression of LeCOR413PM2 by RNA interference could increase the sensitivity of plants to cold.

Ectopic Expression of the Allium cepa 1-SST Gene in Cotton Improves Drought Tolerance and Yield Under Drought Stress in the Field.

In some plants, sucrose: sucrose 1-fructosyltransferase (1-SST) is the first irreversible key enzyme in fructan biosynthesis. Studies have shown that fructan accumulation enhances abiotic stress tolerance of plants. To investigate the role of 1-SST in drought stress responses, a total of 37 cotton plants expressing a 1-SST gene from Allium cepa were developed by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Under drought stress in the field, compared with wild-type, ectopic expression of Ac1-SST in cotton resulted in significantly higher soluble sugars (especially 1-kestose), proline and relative water contents, as well as decreased malondialdehyde content, which contributed to maintaining intracellular osmoregulation and reducing membrane damage. In addition, ectopic expression of Ac1-SST in cotton significantly improved the photosynthesis rate, performance of PSII (including Pn, Fv/Fm, WUE, ΦPSII, and PItotal) and plant growth under drought stress. Furthermore, compared with the wild-type, under the droughted field, the yield loss per square meter of transgenic cotton was reduced by an average of 20.9% over two consecutive years. Our results indicate that the Ac1-SST gene can be used to improve drought tolerance and yield of cotton varieties, and might also be a promising drought-resistant gene for improving other crop varieties.