Premammillary artery infarction after microsurgical clipping of unruptured posterior communicating artery aneurysm: risk factors and surgical and anatomical considerations.

Posterior communicating artery (PCoA) aneurysm is common and sometimes requires microsurgery; however, as data on premammillary artery (PMA) infarction after clipping is scarce, we retrospectively reviewed cases of post-clipping PMA infarction to analyze incidence, independent risk factors of infarction, and anatomical considerations. Data from 569 consecutive patients who underwent microsurgical clipping for unruptured PCoA aneurysm between January 2008 and December 2020 were included. Patients were categorized into the normal or the PMA infarction group. Statistical analyses and comparisons between the two groups were used to determine the influence of various factors. The normal group included 515 patients while the PMA infarction group had 31. The mean length of hospital stay was significantly longer in the PMA infarction group (10.3 ± 9.1 days) than in the normal group (6.5 ± 6.4 days; p < 0.0001). The distribution of Glasgow Outcome Scale at discharge was significantly different between the two groups (p ≤ 0.0001) but was not so at 6 months after discharge (p = 0.0568). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified aneurysm size (odds ratio [OR], 1.194; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.08-1.32; p = 0.0005) and medial direction of aneurysm (OR, 4.615; 95% CI, 1.224-17.406; p = 0.0239) as independent risk factors of post-clipping PMA infarction. Surgeons must beware of PMA infarction after clipping of large aneurysms that are medial in direction. Intraoperative verification of the patency of the PCoA and the PMA from various angles using various intraoperative methods can reduce morbidity due to PMA infarction.

Highly Stretchable and Sensitive Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube-Based Sensor Decorated on a Polyether Ester Urethane Substrate by a Low Hydrothermal Process.

We report a highly stretchable sensor with low-concentration (1.5 wt %) single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) on flexible polyether ester urethane (PEEU) yarn, fabricated using a low hydrothermal process at 90 °C. Although SWCNTs restrict the PEEU polymer chain mobility, the resulting ductility of our nanocomposites reduces only by 16.5% on average, initially from 667.3% elongation at break to 557.2%. The resulting electrical resistivity of our nanocomposites can be controlled systematically by the number of hydrothermal cycles. A high gauge factor value of 4.84 is achieved at a tensile strain below 100%, and it increases up to 28.5 with applying a tensile strain above 450%. We find that the piezoresistivity of our nanocomposite is sensitive to temperature variations of 25-85 °C due to the hopping effect, which promotes more charge transport at elevated temperatures. Our nanocomposites offer both a high sensitivity and a large strain sensing range, which is achieved with a relatively simple fabrication technique and low concentration of SWCNTs.

Sensitivity Improvement of Stretchable Strain Sensors by the Internal and External Structural Designs for Strain Redistribution.

Fiber strain sensors that are directly woven into smart textiles play an important role in wearable systems. These sensors require a high sensitivity to detect the subtle strain in practical applications. However, traditional fiber strain sensors with constant diameters undergo homogeneous strain distribution in the axial direction, thereby limiting the sensitivity improvement. Herein, a novel strategy of internal or external structural design is proposed to significantly improve the sensitivity of fiber strain sensors. The fibers are produced with directional increases in diameter (internal design) or polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microbeads attached to surfaces (external design) by combining hollow glass tubes used as templates with PDMS drops. The structural modification of the fiber significantly impacts the sensing performance. After optimizing structural parameters, the highest gauge factor reaches 123.1 in the internal-external structure design at 25% strain. A comprehensive analysis reveals that the desirable scheme is the internal structural design, which features a high sensitivity of 110 with a 100% improvement at ∼5-20% strain. Because of the sufficiently robust interface, even at the 800th cycle, fiber sensors still possessed an excellent stable performance. The morphology evolution mechanism indicates that the resistance increase is closely related with the increased peak width and distance, and the appearance of gaps. Based on the finite element modeling simulation, the quantified effective contributions of different strategies positively correlate with the improved sensitivity. The proposed fiber strain sensors, which are woven into the two-dimensional network structure, exhibit an excellent capability for displacement monitoring and facilitate the traffic control of crossroads.

Highly stretchable multi-walled carbon nanotube/thermoplastic polyurethane composite fibers for ultrasensitive, wearable strain sensors.

Here, we report a novel highly sensitive wearable strain sensor based on a highly stretchable multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)/Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) fiber obtained via a wet spinning process. The MWCNT/TPU fiber showed the highest tensile strength and ultra-high sensitivity with a gauge factor (GF) of approximately 2800 in the strain range of 5-100%. Due to its high strain sensitivity of conductivity, this CNT-reinforced composite fiber was able to be used to monitor the weight and shape of an object based on the 2D mapping of resistance changes. Moreover, the composite fiber was able to be stitched onto a highly stretchable elastic bandage using a sewing machine to produce a wearable strain sensor for the detection of diverse human motions. We also demonstrated the detection of finger motion by fabricating a smart glove at the joints. Due to its scalable production process, high stretchability and ultrasensitivity, the MWCNT/TPU fiber may open a new avenue for the fabrication of next-generation stretchable textile-based strain sensors.

Continuously steerable second-order differential microphone arrays.

This paper proposes a second-order differential microphone array (DMA) that can continuously steer in the main lobe direction. First, a general response of the second-order DMA is derived as a linear combination of a monopole and dipoles. Nine- and seven-microphone systems are proposed to realize continuous steering of the second-order DMA. The proposed system synthesizes the steered beam pattern without requiring the phase shifter by using back-to-back cardioids. Simulation results show that the nine-microphone configuration yields a nearly constant and high white noise gain, but the seven-microphone configuration has the practical advantage that it requires fewer microphones.

Highly Sensitive Wearable Textile-Based Humidity Sensor Made of High-Strength, Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube/Poly(vinyl alcohol) Filaments.

Textile-based humidity sensors can be an important component of smart wearable electronic-textiles and have potential applications in the management of wounds, bed-wetting, and skin pathologies or for microclimate control in clothing. Here, we report a wearable textile-based humidity sensor for the first time using high strength (∼750 MPa) and ultratough (energy-to-break, 4300 J g-1) SWCNT/PVA filaments via a wet-spinning process. The conductive SWCNT networks in the filaments can be modulated by adjusting the intertube distance by swelling the PVA molecular chains via the absorption of water molecules. The diameter of a SWCNT/PVA filament under wet conditions can be as much as 2 times that under dry conditions. The electrical resistance of a fiber sensor stitched onto a hydrophobic textile increases significantly (by more than 220 times) after water sprayed. Textile-based humidity sensors using a 1:5 weight ratio of SWCNT/PVA filaments showed high sensitivity in high relative humidity. The electrical resistance increases by more than 24 times in a short response time of 40 s. We also demonstrated that our sensor can be used to monitor water leakage on a high hydrophobic textile (contact angle of 115.5°). These smart textiles will pave a new way for the design of novel wearable sensors for monitoring blood leakage, sweat, and underwear wetting.

Repeated acupuncture treatments modulate amygdala resting state functional connectivity of depressive patients.

As a widely-applied alternative therapy, acupuncture is gaining popularity in Western society. One challenge that remains, however, is incorporating it into mainstream medicine. One solution is to combine acupuncture with other conventional, mainstream treatments. In this study, we investigated the combination effect of acupuncture and the antidepressant fluoxetine, as well as its underlying mechanism using resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) in patients with major depressive disorders. Forty-six female depressed patients were randomized into a verum acupuncture plus fluoxetine or a sham acupuncture plus fluoxetine group for eight weeks. Resting-state fMRI data was collected before the first and last treatments. Results showed that compared with those in the sham acupuncture treatment, verum acupuncture treatment patients showed 1) greater clinical improvement as indicated by Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) scores; 2) increased rsFC between the left amygdala and subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC)/preguenual anterior cingulate cortex (pgACC); 3) increased rsFC between the right amygdala and left parahippocampus (Para)/putamen (Pu). The strength of the amygdala-sgACC/pgACC rsFC was positively associated with corresponding clinical improvement (as indicated by a negative correlation with MADRS and SDS scores). Our findings demonstrate the additive effect of acupuncture to antidepressant treatment and suggest that this effect may be achieved through the limbic system, especially the amygdala and the ACC.

The effect of hip abductor exercise on muscle strength and trunk stability after an injury of the lower extremities.

[Purpose] The gluteus medius, a hip abductor, controls femoral movement and stabilizes the pelvis during lower extremity mobilization. [Subjects] This study enrolled 24 subjects into control and experimental groups. [Methods] This randomized controlled study included patients who underwent arthroscopy after meniscus injury and started a rehabilitative exercise program 8 weeks after surgery. Subjects were divided into the experimental gluteus medius resistance exercise group (n=12) and the control group (n=12). The study investigated muscle strength and balance of the flexors, extensors, and abductors of the knee for 8 weeks. [Results] Strengths of knee extensors in patients who underwent rehabilitative exercise for 8 weeks were measured. Strength of the knee extensors of the experimental and control groups increased by 40% and 31%, respectively; strength of the hip flexors of the experimental and control groups increased by 31% and 18%, respectively. Strength of the hip joint muscles showed a 40% increase in the experimental group and a 14% increase in the control group. However, there was a significant difference (18%) in muscle strength of the hip abductors between the groups. Measurements of trunk lateral flexion showed a difference within a group, but no intergroup difference was found. [Conclusion] This study investigated the effect of hip abductor exercise on muscular strength and trunk stability in patients with a meniscus injury.

Omnidirectionally Stretchable High-Performance Supercapacitor Based on Isotropic Buckled Carbon Nanotube Films.

The emergence of stretchable electronic devices has attracted intensive attention. However, most of the existing stretchable electronic devices can generally be stretched only in one specific direction and show limited specific capacitance and energy density. Here, we report a stretchable isotropic buckled carbon nanotube (CNT) film, which is used as electrodes for supercapacitors with low sheet resistance, high omnidirectional stretchability, and electro-mechanical stability under repeated stretching. After acid treatment of the CNT film followed by electrochemical deposition of polyaniline (PANI), the resulting isotropic buckled acid treated CNT@PANI electrode exhibits high specific capacitance of 1147.12 mF cm(-2) at 10 mV s(-1). The supercapacitor possesses high energy density from 31.56 to 50.98 µWh cm(-2) and corresponding power density changing from 2.294 to 28.404 mW cm(-2) at the scan rate from 10 to 200 mV s(-1). Also, the supercapacitor can sustain an omnidirectional strain of 200%, which is twice the maximum strain of biaxially stretchable supercapacitors based on CNT assemblies reported in the literature. Moreover, the capacitive performance is even enhanced to 1160.43-1230.61 mF cm(-2) during uniaxial, biaxial, and omnidirectional elongations.

In vitro synergistic anticancer activity of the combination of T-type calcium channel blocker and chemotherapeutic agent in A549 cells.

As a result of our continuous research, new 3,4-dihydroquinazoline derivative containing ureido group, KCP10043F was synthesized and evaluated for T-type Ca(2+) channel (Cav3.1) blockade, cytotoxicity, and cell cycle arrest against human non-small cell lung (A549) cells. KCP10043F showed both weaker T-type Ca(2+) channel blocking activity and less cytotoxicity against A549 cells than parent compound KYS05090S [4-(benzylcarbamoylmethyl)-3-(4-biphenylyl)-2-(N,N',N'-trimethyl-1,5-pentanediamino)-3,4-dihydroquinazoline 2 hydrochloride], but it exhibited more potent G1-phase arrest than KYS05090S in A549 cells. This was found to be accompanied by the downregulations of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 2, CDK4, CDK6, cyclin D2, cyclin D3, and cyclin E at the protein levels. However, p27(KIP1) as a CDK inhibitor was gradually upregulated at the protein levels and increased recruitment to CDK2, CDK4 and CDK6 after KCP10043F treatment. Based on the strong G1-phase cell cycle arrest of KCP10043F in A549 cells, the combination of KCP10043F with etoposide (or cisplatin) resulted in a synergistic cell death (combination index=0.2-0.8) via the induction of apoptosis compared with either agent alone. Taken together with these overall results and the favorable in vitro ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion) profiles of KCP10043F, therefore, it could be used as a potential agent for the combination therapy on human lung cancer.

Highly Conductive Graphene/Ag Hybrid Fibers for Flexible Fiber-Type Transistors.

Mechanically robust, flexible, and electrically conductive textiles are highly suitable for use in wearable electronic applications. In this study, highly conductive and flexible graphene/Ag hybrid fibers were prepared and used as electrodes for planar and fiber-type transistors. The graphene/Ag hybrid fibers were fabricated by the wet-spinning/drawing of giant graphene oxide and subsequent functionalization with Ag nanoparticles. The graphene/Ag hybrid fibers exhibited record-high electrical conductivity of up to 15,800 S cm(-1). As the graphene/Ag hybrid fibers can be easily cut and placed onto flexible substrates by simply gluing or stitching, ion gel-gated planar transistors were fabricated by using the hybrid fibers as source, drain, and gate electrodes. Finally, fiber-type transistors were constructed by embedding the graphene/Ag hybrid fiber electrodes onto conventional polyurethane monofilaments, which exhibited excellent flexibility (highly bendable and rollable properties), high electrical performance (µh = 15.6 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1), Ion/Ioff > 10(4)), and outstanding device performance stability (stable after 1,000 cycles of bending tests and being exposed for 30 days to ambient conditions). We believe that our simple methods for the fabrication of graphene/Ag hybrid fiber electrodes for use in fiber-type transistors can potentially be applied to the development all-organic wearable devices.

High-Strength Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube/Permalloy Nanoparticle/Poly(vinyl alcohol) Multifunctional Nanocomposite Fiber.

Magnetic nanocomposite fibers are a topic of intense research due to their potential breakthrough applications such as smart magnetic-field-response devices and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding. However, clustering of nanoparticles in a polymer matrix is a recognized challenge for obtaining a property-controllable nanocomposite fiber. Another challenge is that the strength and ductility of the nanocomposite fiber decrease significantly with increased weight loading of magnetic nanoparticles in the fiber. Here, we report high-strength single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT)/permalloy nanoparticle (PNP)/poly(vinyl alcohol) multifunctional nanocomposite fibers fabricated by wet spinning. The weight loadings of SWNTs and PNPs in the fiber were as high as 12.0 and 38.0%, respectively. The tensile strength of the fiber was as high as 700 MPa, and electrical conductivity reached 96.7 S m(-1). The saturation magnetization (Ms) was as high as 24.8 emu g(-1). The EMI attenuation of a fabric woven from the prepared fiber approached 100% when tested with electromagnetic waves with a frequency higher than 6 GHz. The present study demonstrates that a magnetic-field-response device can be designed using the fabricated multifunctional nanocomposite fiber.

Graphene-Based Fibers: A Review.

Motivated by their unique structure and excellent properties, significant progress has been made in recent years in the development of graphene-based fibers (GBFs). Potential applications of GBFs can be found, for instance, in conducting wires, energy storage and conversion devices, actuators, field emitters, solid-phase microextraction, springs, and catalysis. In contrast to graphene-based aerogels (GBAs) and membranes (GBMs), GBFs demonstrate remarkable mechanical and electrical properties and can be bent, knotted, or woven into flexible electronic textiles. In this review, the state-of-the-art of GBFs is summarized, focusing on their synthesis, performance, and applications. Future directions of GBF research are also proposed.

Inhibitory effect of positively charged triazine antagonists of prokineticin receptors on the transient receptor vanilloid type-1 (TRPV1) channel.

Four positively charged compounds, previously shown to produce analgesic activity by interacting with prokineticin receptor or T-type calcium channels, were tested for their ability to inhibit capsaicin-induced elevation of intracellular Ca(2+) in HEK-293 cells stably transfected with the human recombinant TRPV1, with the goal of identifying novel TRPV1 open-pore inhibitors. KYS-05090 showed the highest potency as a TRPV1 antagonist, even higher than that of the open-pore triazine inhibitor 8aA. The latter showed quite remarkable agonist/desensitizer activity at the rat recombinant TRPM8 channel. The activity of KYS-05090 and the other compounds was selective because none of these compounds was able to modulate the rat TRPA1 channel. Open-pore inhibitors of TRPV1 may be a new class of multi-target analgesics with lesser side effects, such as loss of acute pain sensitivity and hyperthermia, than most TRPV1 antagonists developed so far.

Stretchable Wire-Shaped Asymmetric Supercapacitors Based on Pristine and MnO2 Coated Carbon Nanotube Fibers.

While the emerging wire-shaped supercapacitors (WSS) have been demonstrated as promising energy storage devices to be implemented in smart textiles, challenges in achieving the combination of both high mechanical stretchability and excellent electrochemical performance still exist. Here, an asymmetric configuration is applied to the WSS, extending the potential window from 0.8 to 1.5 V, achieving tripled energy density and doubled power density compared to its asymmetric counterpart while accomplishing stretchability of up to 100% through the prestrainning-then-buckling approach. The stretchable asymmetric WSS constituted of MnO2/CNT hybrid fiber positive electrode, aerogel CNT fiber negative electrode and KOH-PVA electrolyte possesses a high specific capacitance of around 157.53 µF cm(-1) at 50 mV s(-1) and a high energy density varying from 17.26 to 46.59 nWh cm(-1) with the corresponding power density changing from 7.63 to 61.55 µW cm(-1). Remarkably, a cyclic tensile strain of up to 100% exerts negligible effects on the electrochemical performance of the stretchable asymmetric WSS. Moreover, after 10,000 galvanostatic charge-discharge cycles, the specific capacitance retains over 99%, demonstrating a long cyclic stability.

Preparation of Graphene/Gold Nano-Hybrid Using Diamine Linker as Effective Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Platforms.

Development of simple and efficient method for the large-scale production of gaphene/metal nanoparticle hybrids is highly desirable for practical applications, such as catalyst, energy generation and storage, optoelectronics, and sensors. Here, we present a facile approach for the preparation of graphene/gold nanoparticle (AuNP) hybrids by simply mixing the functionalized graphene oxide and AuNPs in aqueous media. Among various functionalized graphene sheets, amine-functionalized graphene oxide (GO-NH2) is used as the hybrid platform due to its synthetic convenience, good dispersity, scalable production with low cost, and positive charge on the surfacce, which could immobilize the AuNPs on the graphene sheets via electrostatic interaction. The synthesized graphene/AgNP hybrids show high surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensitivity due to the combined effects of the high contents of amine functional groups on the GO-NH2 surface to adsorb more AgNPs and the electromagnetic enhancement of AgNPs.

Laminated ultrathin chemical vapor deposition graphene films based stretchable and transparent high-rate supercapacitor.

Due to their exceptional flexibility and transparency, CVD graphene films have been regarded as an ideal replacement of indium tin oxide for transparent electrodes, especially in applications where electronic devices may be subjected to large tensile strain. However, the search for a desirable combination of stretchability and electrochemical performance of such devices remains a huge challenge. Here, we demonstrate the implementation of a laminated ultrathin CVD graphene film as a stretchable and transparent electrode for supercapacitors. Transferred and buckled on PDMS substrates by a prestraininig-then-buckling strategy, the four-layer graphene film maintained its outstanding quality, as evidenced by Raman spectra. Optical transmittance of up to 72.9% at a wavelength of 550 nm and stretchability of 40% were achieved. As the tensile strain increased up to 40%, the specific capacitance showed no degradation and even increased slightly. Furthermore, the supercapacitor demonstrated excellent frequency capability with small time constants under stretching.

A novel synthesis route for Pt-loaded SnO2 nanofibers and their sensing properties.

A novel one-pot synthesis method for Pt-loaded SnO2 nanofibers is reported on the basis of the sol-gel and electrospinning-combined process. The ultraviolet illumination was used for in-situ growth of Pt nanoparticles in the electrospinning solution. The sensing capability of pure SnO2 nanofibers was significantly improved by loading Pt nanoparticles. The Pt-loaded SnO2 nanofibers showed a good selectivity to toluene gas. The optimization of Pt amount in SnO2 nanofibers was essential to obtain best sensing performances. The one-pot synthesis method developed in this work may extend the use of oxide nanofibers in chemical gas sensors.

Radiographic appearance and patient outcome after ulnar shortening osteotomy for idiopathic ulnar impaction syndrome.

PURPOSE: Radiographic carpal chondromalacia (RCC) was defined as the presence of cortical sclerosis or subchondral changes, such as a lucent defect or cystic changes in a carpal on plain radiographs. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors associated with the occurrence of RCC in idiopathic ulnar impaction syndrome and to determine the efficacy of ulnar shortening osteotomy on patient outcome and RCC. METHODS: Thirty-nine patients (42 wrists) with idiopathic ulnar impaction syndrome were treated with either ulnar shortening osteotomy or arthroscopic wafer resection. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to the presence (RCC group; 17 patients, 19 wrists) or absence (non-RCC group: 22 patients, 23 wrists) of RCC on preoperative radiographs. To determine the factors associated with RCC, a comparative analysis of these 2 groups was performed with respect to sex, age, duration of symptoms, positive ulnar variance, pain scores, and Chun and Palmer grading system. The RCC area was measured on serial radiographs taken during follow-up. Progressive changes of RCC area and clinical outcomes were evaluated. RESULTS: Patients in the RCC group were older, exhibited greater positive ulnar variance, and demonstrated a significantly higher mean pain score before surgery. The RCC was found to reverse over the year following ulnar shortening osteotomy and did not recur up to 2 years after surgery. In 3 wrists, RCC had completely disappeared at the last follow-up. All patients showed improved clinical outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The RCC changes correlated with older age, a positive ulnar variance, and preoperative pain severity. The RCC progressively reversed after ulnar shortening osteotomy, and this reversal of radiographic changes correlated with clinical improvements. TYPE OF STUDY/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic IV.

State of the art of carbon nanotube fibers: opportunities and challenges.

The superb mechanical and physical properties of individual carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have provided the impetus for researchers in developing high-performance continuous fibers based upon CNTs. The reported high specific strength, specific stiffness and electrical conductivity of CNT fibers demonstrate the potential of their wide application in many fields. In this review paper, we assess the state of the art advances in CNT-based continuous fibers in terms of their fabrication methods, characterization and modeling of mechanical and physical properties, and applications. The opportunities and challenges in CNT fiber research are also discussed.