[Dorsal plate assisted fixation of dorsal lunate fossa fracture of distal radius].

OBJECTIVE: To explore clinical efficacy of dorsal plate assisted fixation of dorsal lunate fossa fracture block of distal radius. METHODS: From January 2019 to January 2022, 30 patients were treated with dorsal plate assisted fixation of dorsal lunate fossa fracture of distal radius, including 13 males and 17 females, aged from 42 to 68 years old with an average of (48.7±5.6) years old;According to Doi fracture classification, 24 patients were type 3 blocks and 6 patients were type 4 blocks. The degree of palmar angle of anterior and posterior distal radius was fixed by dorsal steel plate during operation. Fracture healing and functional recovery of wrist were observed after operation. Functional evaluation was performed by Gartland and Werley scoring system at 12 months after operation. RESULTS: All patients were followed up from 12 to 13 months with an average of (11.3±0.9) months. All fractures healed for 4 to 5 months with an average of(4.7±0.8) months. Median palpal inclination of anterior and posterior distal radius fixed by dorsal plate was 5.30°(4.85°, 6.03°), 12.45°(11.98°, 13.43°) respectively, and had statistical difference( P<0.01). Gartland and Werley scores was (1.1±0.4) at 12 months afteropertaion, and 27 patients got excellent result and 3 good. CONCLUSION: Dorsal plate assisted fixation of dorsal lunate fossa fractures is beneficial to reduction and stabilization of displaced dorsal fractures and restoration of palmar inclination.

Design of Two-Dimensional Transient Circular Thermal Cloaks with Imperfect Interfaces.

In this paper, analytic modeling for the design of a transient thermal invisibility cloak with imperfect interfaces is presented together with numerical simulations. In contrast to steady-state conditions, it is shown that an object can only be made partially invisible under a transient-state condition with either ideal or imperfect interfaces. The thermal visibility of an object to the external region can be optimally suppressed under certain conditions referred to as the "weak invisibility conditions" for the transient response, which are different from the "strong invisibility conditions" that can completely conceal an object in a steady state. In the formulation, a homogeneous metamaterial with constant volumetric heat capacity and constant anisotropic conductivity tensor is employed. It can be demonstrated that the interface's bonding conditions will have a significant effect on the design of metamaterials. Two typical types of imperfect interfaces, referred to as low-conductivity- and high-conductivity-type interfaces, are considered. Conditions, that render an object mostly undetectable, are analytically found and expressed in simple forms under quasi-static approximations. Within the quasi-static limit, the thermal localization in the target region can be tuned with the anisotropy of the conductivity tensor. Thermal shielding or concentrating effects in the target region are exemplified based on finite element simulations to demonstrate the manipulation of heat flux in the target region. The present findings make new advances in theoretical fundamentals and numerical simulations on the effect of the imperfect interface in the transient regime and can serve as guidelines in the design of thermal metamaterials through the entire conduction process.

Deep Multi-Objective Learning from Low-Dose CT for Automatic Lung-RADS Report Generation.

Radiology report generation through chest radiography interpretation is a time-consuming task that involves the interpretation of images by expert radiologists. It is common for fatigue-induced diagnostic error to occur, and especially difficult in areas of the world where radiologists are not available or lack diagnostic expertise. In this research, we proposed a multi-objective deep learning model called CT2Rep (Computed Tomography to Report) for generating lung radiology reports by extracting semantic features from lung CT scans. A total of 458 CT scans were used in this research, from which 107 radiomics features and 6 slices of segmentation related nodule features were extracted for the input of our model. The CT2Rep can simultaneously predict position, margin, and texture, which are three important indicators of lung cancer, and achieves remarkable performance with an F1-score of 87.29%. We conducted a satisfaction survey for estimating the practicality of CT2Rep, and the results show that 95% of the reports received satisfactory ratings. The results demonstrate the great potential in this model for the production of robust and reliable quantitative lung diagnosis reports. Medical personnel can obtain important indicators simply by providing the lung CT scan to the system, which can bring about the widespread application of the proposed framework.

Novel connections and physical implications of thermal metamaterials with imperfect interfaces.

Thermal metamaterials are of great importance in advanced energy control and management. Previous studies mainly focused on interfaces with perfect bonding conditions. In principle, imperfectness always exists across interface and the effect is intriguingly important with small-length scales. This work reports the imperfect interface effect in thermal metamaterials thoroughly. Low conductivity- and high conductivity-type interfaces are considered. We show that an object can always be made thermally invisible, with the effect of imperfect interface, as that of a homogeneous background material. This unprecedented condition is derived in an exact and analytic form, systematically structured, with much versatile and physical implications. Conditions for thermal shielding and enhancements are analytically found and numerically exemplified, highlighting the specific role of material and geometric parameters. We find that both types of interfaces are complementing with each other which, all together, will constitute a full spectrum to achieve the thermal invisibility. The analytic finding offers a general perception that adds to the understanding of heat transport mechanism across interfaces in thermal metamaterials, in ways that drastically distinct from that of ideal interfaces. This finding opens up new possibilities for the control and management of thermal metamaterials with imperfect bonding interfaces.

Design of a Short-Beam Linear Traveling-Wave Piezoelectric Motor.

A straight short-beam linear piezoelectric motor constructed with two sets of ceramic actuators separated with the 1/4 wavelength interval is designed in this article. The piezoelectric ceramic actuators are fabricated in the whole body, which is driven by a two-phase circuit with the same amplitude but a phase difference of π /4. Traveling wave (TW) is formed by superimposing standing waves generated by each set of ceramic actuators. At the ends of the short beam, a wave-reduction mechanism with larger cross-sectional area is designed so that wave reflection is effectively diminished to preserve the TW. The currently developed short-beam linear piezoelectric motor is estimated, which can produce an ideal output speed of 169 mm/s while applying voltage of Vpp = 300 V at 45.49 kHz. Instead of operating as a stator to drive a carriage for example, the short-beam linear piezoelectric motor is implemented on a guide slider, and therefore, a linear piezoelectric motor stage is built. While driving the linear stage employed with a preload 300 GW and a friction coefficient of about 0.15, the propulsion force is measured about 4.8 N, the speed is about 56 mm/s, and the position resolution can achieve in the submicrometer scale.

The impact of pyrolysis temperature on physicochemical properties and pulmonary toxicity of tobacco stem micro-biochar.

Biochars (BCs) are currently widely used, yet their impact on human health is mostly unknown. We generated micro-tobacco stem-pyrolysed BCs (mTBCs) at different pyrolysis temperatures and assessed pulmonary toxicity in normal human lung epithelial BEAS-2B cells. mTBCs generated at 350 °C (mTBC350) and 650 °C (mTBC650) were analysed and compared for physicochemical properties and adverse effects. Pyrolysis temperature had a significant influence on chemical composition, particle size, specific surface area and aromatic carbon structure. mTBC650 displayed a highly ordered aromatic carbon structure with smaller particle size, high surface area (20.09 m2/g) and high polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and metal content. This composition could promote reactive oxygen species accumulation accompanied by greater cytotoxicity, genotoxicity and epithelial barrier malfunction in cultured cells. Thus, the risk of pulmonary toxicity owing to micro-BCs (mBCs) is affected by pyrolysis temperature. Long-term exposure to mBCs produced at high temperatures may lead to or exacerbate pulmonary disease.

Descriptions of four new dextral land snails of the genus Camaena (Gastropoda, Eupulmonata, Camaenidae) from south China.

In this study, four new dextral camaenid from China are reported, based on shell morphology, reproductive system anatomy, and molecular phylogenetic analyses: Camaena funingensis Zhou, Wang & Lin, sp. nov., Camaena gaolongensis Zhou, Wang & Lin, sp. nov., Camaena maguanensis Zhou, Wang & Hu, sp. nov., and Camaena yulinensis Zhou, Wang & Hu, sp. nov. Detailed descriptions of the morphological characteristics including shells and genitalia, DNA sequences, and living environments of the four new species are provided, with further comparisons with congeners.

The mitochondrial genome of the land snail Camaenella platyodon (Pfeiffer, 1846) (Stylommatophora, Camaenidae).

The complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Chinese endemic snail Camaenella platyodon (Pfeiffer, 1846) has been sequenced and annotated in this study. The entire circular genome is 13,985 bp in size and represents the third camaenid mt genome, with 2 ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, 13 protein-coding genes. All of genes are divided into two groups, including 24 genes on the majority coding strand (J strand) and others on the minority coding strand (N strand). Phylogenetic analysis of 13 protein-coding genes suggests that C. platyodon is closely related to the species in family Camaenidae.

The Anionic Surfactant/Ionic Liquids Intercalated Reduced Graphene Oxide for High-performance Supercapacitors.

The thermally reduced graphene oxide (TRG) composites with various interlayer distances were synthesized. These TRG sheets are intercalated with anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) to prevent the restacking between TRG sheets. A facile approach is employed to enlarge the interlayer distance between the TRG sheets by the Coulomb force interaction between the intercalated surfactants and the ionic liquids. A systematic investigation of the morphology and the electrical performances of these EDLC cells was carried out. It was found that the energy density of the cells is improved from 34.9 to 61.8 Wh/kg at 1 A/g suggesting that the increased interlayer distance could enlarge the accessible surface area for the ionic liquid electrolyte.

Effects of Analyzer Detection Method, Ethnicity, and Reference Individuals on Reference Interval of Immature Platelet Fraction.

BACKGROUND: Immature platelet fraction (IPF) is a new biomarker for thrombopoiesis and inflammation. However, the reference interval (RI) is wildly discrepant among published reports. This study aimed to establish the RI of IPF for a population in Taiwan and evaluate the effects the detection method of the analyzer, ethnicity, and reference individuals have on the RI of IPF. METHODS: The RI of absolute IPF (A-IPF) and IPF% were established with healthy subjects from the outpatient services of the Health Management Department of Taichung Veterans General Hospital between January 1, 2015 and March 1, 2016. These values were used along with published reports for meta-analysis. RESULTS: A-IPF (109/L) and IPF% of Taiwanese were 6.9 - 7.6 and 3.1 - 3.4, respectively. Significant differences were found when performing paired comparisons of the RI of A-IPF and IPF% published in reports. For A-IPF, there was only one paired comparison with a significant difference (Z > 1.96) across 6 reports. Thus, the contribution of the factors examined on the RI of IPF cannot be determined. For IPF%, there were 8 paired comparisons with significant differences across 10 reports. The discrepancy rates of RI for IPF% were 41.2%, 50.0%, and 25.0% with the difference of reference individuals, the analyzer method, and ethnicity, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The RIs of Taiwanese for A-IPF and IPF% were established. Furthermore, the analyzer detection method and the reference individuals contribute to the discrepancy of the RI for IPF% and should be considered cautiously when the value of IPF is interpreted.

The Influence of the Interlayer Distance on the Performance of Thermally Reduced Graphene Oxide Supercapacitors.

In this paper, cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) was employed to prevent the restack of the thermally reduce graphene oxide (TRG) sheets. A facile approach was demonstrated to effectively enlarge the interlayer distance of the TRG sheets through the ionic interaction between the intercalated CTAB and ionic liquids (ILs). The morphology of the composites and the interaction between the intercalated ionic species were systematically characterized by SEM, SAXS, XRD, TGA, and FTIR. In addition, the performance of the EDLC cells based on these TRG composites was evaluated. It was found that due to the increased interlayer distance (0.41 nm to 2.51 nm) that enlarges the accessible surface area for the IL electrolyte, the energy density of the cell can be significantly improved (23.1 Wh/kg to 62.5 Wh/kg).

The mitochondrial genome of the land snail Theba pisana (Müller, 1774) (Stylommatophora: Helicidae): the first complete sequence in the genus Theba.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the white garden snail Theba pisana (Müller, 1774) has been sequenced and annotated in this study. The entire circular genome is 14,795 bp in size and represents the first mitochondrial genome in the genus Theba, with two ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, 13 protein coding genes. All of genes are divided into two groups, including 24 genes on the majority coding strand (J strand) and others on the minority coding strand (N strand).The phylogeny supports the relationship of species in Helicidae.

Recurrent tracheoesophageal fistula in an adolescent without persistent symptoms: A case report.

RATIONALE: Congenital esophageal atresia (EA) and tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF) ininfants have been treated well with surgery. Approximately 10% of children displayed recurrent fistula. In the present case, we reported recurrent TEF in an adolescent as a complication of EA/TEF in infancy. PATIENT CONCERNS: An infant was diagnosed with gross type C congenital EA and TEF and subsequentlyunderwent repair in early infancy, with division of the TEF and primary esophageal anastomosis. Postoperative esophageal strictures developed and were relieved by bougienage of the esophagus partially. Then, the child had normal growth with mild symptoms, mainly choking when drinking water. At 11 years of age, the child developed fever and cough, and massive bronchiectasis in lobus inferior pulmonis sinister was found. DIAGNOSIS: Recurrent tracheoesophageal fistula. INTERVENTIONS: Division of the TEF and esophageal replacement with gastric tube was performed as treatment OUTCOMES:: The child recovered well. LESSONS: Recurrent tracheoesophageal fistula aftercongenital EA and TEF could be diagnosed in adolescence. Massive bronchiectasis might develop without apparent symptoms.

A 2-year step-down withdrawal from inhaled corticosteroids in asthmatic children receiving immunotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) for treating asthma are controversial because of their negative effects on the growth of asthmatic children and without clearly defined withdrawal strategy. A 2-year ICS step-down and withdrawal strategy has been developed for asthmatic children receiving 3-year subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT). METHODS: Eleven children were included into the SCIT group and 13 children into the ICS group. ICSs were discontinued when children met the following criteria: requiring only 1 puffper day, with good control, for at least 6 months; having a forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)/forced vital capacity ≥80%; and SCIT discontinued for ≥24 months. The main endpoints were the results of both the childhood asthma control test (C-CAT) and the methacholine bronchial provocation test. RESULTS: In the SCIT group, all the 11 children had ICS discontinued, with one child developed asthma attack after pneumonia and received ICS again after completion of SCIT. In the ICS group, five children discontinued ICS and developed asthma attacks later and received ICS again; the other eight children developed severe symptoms during ICS step-down. Thus, the discontinuation of ICS was only achieved in the SCIT group. The dose of methacholine that caused a decrease of 20% in FEV1 continued to improve after discontinuation of ICS for the SCIT group and presented better results than the ICS group (P=0.050). After completion of SCIT, the C-CAT had improved significantly after 30 months of treatment compared with the ICS group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In the present study, we developed a 2-year step-down and withdrawal strategy from ICSs strategy for allergic asthma children receiving SCIT; the strategy was efficacious and safe.

Descriptions of two new species of the genus Camaena from Guangxi, China (Gastropoda, Stylommatophora, Camaenidae).

The sinistral Camaena species are mainly distributed in southern China and northern Vietnam. There is a total of eight species or subspecies of sinistral Camaena recorded at present. By systematically collecting specimens in Guangdong, Guangxi and Yunnan in southern China and the northern areas in Vietnam, two new species, Camaena lingyunensis Zhou & Lin, sp. n. and Camaena detianensis Zhou & Lin, sp. n. have been discovered. These new species are here characterised based on the comparison of shells, their reproductive system, the molecular phylogenetic analyses of the mitochondrial genes COI and 16S, and the nuclear gene ITS2. Detailed descriptions of the morphological characters, the DNA sequences, and the habitat of the two new species are given. Differential comparisons with related species are provided as well as a key to the sinistral species of Camaena.

The mitochondrial genome of the land snail Cernuella virgata (Da Costa, 1778): the first complete sequence in the family Hygromiidae (Pulmonata, Stylommatophora).

The land snail Cernuella virgata (da Costa, 1778) is widely considered as a pest to be quarantined in most countries. In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of Cernuella virgata is published. The mitochondrial genome has a length of 14,147 bp a DNA base composition of 29.07% A, 36.88% T, 15.59% C and 18.46% G, encoding 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes and two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes. The complete nucleotide composition was biased toward adenine and thymine, A+T accounting for 69.80%. Nine PCGs and 14 tRNA genes are encoded on the J strand, and the other four PCGs and eight tRNA genes are encoded on the N strand. The genome also includes 16 intergenic spacers. All PCGs start strictly with ATN, and have conventional stop codons (TAA and TAG). All tRNAs fold into the classic cloverleaf structure, except tRNA(Arg) , tRNA(Ser(UCN)) , tRNA(Ser(AGN)) and tRNA(Pro) . The first three lack the dihydrouridine arm while the last lacks the TψC arm. There are 502 bp long noncoding regions and 418bp long gene overlaps in the whole mitochondrial genome, accounting for 3.54% and 2.95% of the total length respectively. Phylogenetic analyses based on the sequences of the protein coding genes revealed a sister group relationship between the Hygromiidae and the Helicidae.

Revision of sinistral land snails of the genus Camaena (Stylommatophora, Camaenidae) from China based on morphological and molecular data, with description of a new species from Guangxi, China.

The camaenid land snail genus Camaena is widely distributed throughout Southeast Asia. Thirteen species are found in China alone. Among these, Camaena cicatricosa (Müller, 1774) is the most widely distributed species, including four subspecies, Camaena cicatricosa ducalis (Ancey, 1885), Camaena cicatricosa inflata (Möllendorff, 1885), Camaena cicatricosa obtecta (Fischer, 1898) and Camaena cicatricosa connectens (Dautzenberg & Fischer, 1906). The systematics of these taxa is revised herein based on comparative shell morphology and anatomy as well as analyses of DNA sequences of two mitochondrial genes (COI, 16S rRNA) and one nuclear marker, ITS2. We found that all subspecies form well-supported clades in a molecular phylogeny and are well-differentiated from each other by genetic distances that are consistent with amounts of interspecific differentiation. In addition, they clearly differ from each other in reproductive features. Based on these observations, we elevate all four subspecies to the rank of full species. Moreover, based on morphological and mitochdondrial differentiation, we describe a new species, Camaena poyuensis sp. n. from Guangxi, China. The new species conspicuously differs from its sibling species Camaena cicatricosa in having a larger and more depressed shell, a completely covered umbilicus, more or less purplish peristome, an obtuse angle at the junction of the basal and columellar lip, longer pedunculus of the bursa copulatrix, thicker epiphallus and penis, and short conic verge. Previous named species are also redescribed on their shell and anatomical characters, because the original descriptions are uninformative.

Proteomic analysis of extremely severe hand, foot and mouth disease infected by enterovirus 71.

BACKGROUND: To clarify the molecular mechanisms that participate in the severe hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) infected by Enterovirus 71 and to detect any related protein biomarkers, we performed proteomic analysis of protein extracts from 5 extremely severe HFMD children and 5 healthy children. METHODS: The protein profiles of them were compared using two-dimensional electrophoresis. Differentially expressed proteins were identified using mass spectrometry. Functional classifications of these proteins were based on the PANTHER. The interaction network of the differentially expressed protein was generated with Pathway Studio. RESULTS: A total of 38 differentially expressed proteins were identified. Functional classifications of these proteins indicated a series of altered cellular processes as a consequence of the severe HFMD. These results provided not only new insights into the pathogenesis of severe HFMD, but also implications of potential therapeutic designs. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggested the possible pathways that could be the potential targets for novel therapy: viral protection, complement system and peroxide elimination.

High Electromechanical Response of Ionic Polymer Actuators with Controlled-Morphology Aligned Carbon Nanotube/Nafion Nanocomposite Electrodes.

Recent advances in fabricating controlled-morphology vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VA-CNTs) with ultrahigh volume fraction create unique opportunities for markedly improving the electromechanical performance of ionic polymer conductor network composite (IPCNC) actuators. Continuous paths through inter-VA-CNT channels allow fast ion transport, and high electrical conduction of the aligned CNTs in the composite electrodes lead to fast device actuation speed (>10% strain/second). One critical issue in developing advanced actuator materials is how to suppress the strain that does not contribute to the actuation (unwanted strain) thereby reducing actuation efficiency. Here our experiments demonstrate that the VA-CNTs give an anisotropic elastic response in the composite electrodes, which suppresses the unwanted strain and markedly enhances the actuation strain (>8% strain under 4 volts). The results reported here suggest pathways for optimizing the electrode morphology in IPCNCs using ultra-high volume fraction VA-CNTs to further enhanced performance.

[Simultaneous treatment of asthma and allergic rhinitis in children with a nasally inhaled glucocorticosteroid].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of a nasally inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) through a spacer with mask aiming at simultaneous treatment of allergic rhinitis and asthma in children and make an analysis on the costs. METHOD: A total of 72 children with allergic rhinitis (AR) and asthma were randomized into two groups. Experimental group received budesonide inhaler (400 microg/d) through the nose using a spacer attached to a face mask, control group children orally inhaled budesonide dry powder (400 microg/d) plus a nasal spray of budesonide aquae (256 microg/d). RESULT: The patients were observed for 12 weeks. The symptom scores of rhinitis of both experimental group and control group declined (F=6.529 and 7.014, all P<0.01), symptom scores of asthma in both group were also reduced (F=4.132 and 4.950, P<0.01). The pulmonary function PEF (L/min) in both groups continuously increased (F=2.750 and 3.282, P<0.05). But the clinical scores, PEF value and FEV1 all did not differ between the two groups at admission or at nearly all follow-up visits (P>0.05 for all). The proportion of dry nose was lower in experimental group than in the control group (5.6% vs. 19.4%), but the difference was not statistically significant. The cost in the experimental group was lower than that in the control group (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Nasal inhalation of ICS provides a therapeutic strategy for controlling AR and asthma in children, especially it result in higher compliance, lower costs, and fewer side effects.