Inhibition of colon C5a/C5a receptor signalling pathway confers protection against LPS-induced acute kidney injury via gut microbiota-kidney axis.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a critical condition often associated with systemic inflammation and dysregulated gut microbiota. This study aimed to investigate the effects of the C5a receptor antagonist W54011 on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced AKI, focusing on the colon's C5a/C5a receptor pathway, intestinal barrier integrity, and gut microbiota. Our findings demonstrate that W54011 effectively ameliorated kidney injury in the LPS-induced AKI model by selectively inhibiting the colon's C5a/C5a receptor signalling pathway. Additionally, C5a receptor blockade resulted in the inhibition of colonic inflammation and the reconstruction of the intestinal mucosal barrier. Furthermore, W54011 administration significantly impacted the composition and stability of the gut microbiota, restoring the abundance of dominant bacteria to levels observed in the normal state of the intestinal flora and reducing the abundance of potentially harmful bacterial groups. In conclusion, W54011 alleviates LPS-induced AKI by modulating the interplay between the colon, gut microbiota, and kidneys. It preserves the integrity of the intestinal barrier and reinstates gut microbiota, thereby mitigating AKI symptoms. These findings suggest that targeting the colon and gut microbiota could be a promising therapeutic strategy for AKI treatment.

Clinical efficacy of rhGM-CSF gel and medical collagen sponge on deep second-degree burns of infants: A randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to observe clinical efficacy of recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (rhGM-CSF) gel, medical collagen sponge and rhGM-CSF gel in combination with medical collagen sponge on deep second-degree burns of head, face or neck in infants. METHODS: A total of 108 infants with deep second-degree burns on head, face or neck were randomly divided into rhGM-CSF group, medical collagen sponge group, and rhGM-CSF + medical collagen sponge group. The scab dissolving time, healing time, bacterial positive rate and Vancouver scar scale were evaluated and analyzed. RESULTS: The data analysis showed that scab dissolving time and healing time were shorter in rhGM-CSF + medical collagen sponge group than that in rhGM-CSF group and medical collagen sponge group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < .05). Bacterial positive rate was lower in rhGM-CSF + medical collagen sponge group than that in rhGM-CSF group and medical collagen sponge group (P < .05). After 3 months, score of Vancouver scar scale (scar thickness, pliability, pigmentation and vascularity) was less in rhGM-CSF + medical collagen sponge group than that in rhGM-CSF group and medical collagen sponge group (P < .05). CONCLUSION: rhGM-CSF gel in combination with medical collagen sponge is significantly effective in treating deep second-degree burns of head, face or neck in infants. This combination is beneficial for infection control, acceleration of scab dissolving and wound healing, and reduction of scar hyperplasia and pigmentation, which is worthy of clinical application and promotion.

Does mild flexion of the femoral prosthesis in total knee arthroplasty result in better early postoperative outcomes?

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to measure the femoral prosthesis flexion angle (FPFA) in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) using three-dimensional reconstruction, and to assess the differences in early clinical efficacy between patients with different degrees of flexion. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study. From June 2019 to May 2021, 113 patients admitted for TKA due to osteoarthritis of the knee were selected. The patients' postoperative knee joints were reconstructed in three dimensions according to postoperative three-dimensional computed tomography (CT) scans. The FPFA was measured, and the patients were divided into 4 groups: anterior extension group (FPFA < 0°), mildly flexed group (0° ≤ FPFA < 3°), moderately flexed group (3° ≤ FPFA < 6°) and excessively flexed group (6° ≤ FPFA). The differences in the Knee Society Score (KSS), knee Range of Motion (ROM), and visual analogue scale (VAS) scores were measured and compared between the four groups at each postoperative time point. RESULTS: Postoperative KSS, ROM, and VAS were significantly improved in all groups compared to the preoperative period. At 1 year postoperatively, the ROM was significantly greater in the mildly flexed group (123.46 ± 6.51°) than in the anterior extension group (116.93 ± 8.05°) and the excessively flexed group (118.76 ± 8.20°) (P < 0.05). The KSS was significantly higher in the mildly flexed group (162.68 ± 12.79) than in the other groups at 6 months postoperatively (P < 0.05). The higher KSS (174.17 ± 11.84) in the mildly flexed group was maintained until 1 year postoperatively, with a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05). No significant difference in VAS scores was observed between groups at each time point. CONCLUSIONS: A femoral prosthesis flexion angle of 0-3° significantly improved postoperative knee mobility, and patients could obtain better Knee Society Scores after surgery, which facilitated the postoperative recovery of knee function. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ChiCTR2100051502, 2021/09/24.

Molecular characterization and immune efficacy of fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase from Haemaphysalis longicornis (Acari: Ixodidae).

BACKGROUND: Ticks are obligate hematophagous ectoparasites that transmit a variety of pathogens to humans, wildlife and domestic animals. Vaccination is an effective and environmentally friendly method for tick control. Fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase (FBA) is an important glycometabolism enzyme that is a candidate vaccine against parasites. However, the immune protection of FBA in ticks is unclear. METHODS AND RESULTS: The 1092-bp open reading frame (ORF) of FBA from Haemaphysalis longicornis (HlFBA), encoding a 363-amino acid protein, was cloned using PCR methodology. The prokaryotic expression vector pET32a(+)-HlFBA was constructed and transformed into cells of Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) strain for protein expression. The recombinant HlFBA protein (rHlFBA) was purified by affinity chromatography, and the western blot results suggested that the rHlFBA protein was immunogenic. RESULTS: Results of the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay showed that rabbits immunized with rHlFBA produced a humoral immune response specific to rHlFBA. A tick infestation trial indicated that, compared to the ticks in the histidine-tagged thioredoxin (Trx) group, the engorged tick weight and oviposition of female ticks and egg hatching rate of those in the rHlFBA group was reduced by 22.6%, 45.6% and 24.1%, respectively. Based on the cumulative effect of the these three parameters, the overall immune efficacy of rHlFBA was estimated to be 68.4%. CONCLUSIONS: FBA is a candidate anti-tick vaccine that can significantly reduce the engorged tick weight, oviposition, and egg hatching rate. The use of enzymes involved in glucose metabolism is a new strategy in the development of anti-tick vaccines.

Is a classical incision the only way to perform a near-term conjoined twins' cesarean section? Thoracopagus conjoined twin delivery by a low-segment transverse incision.

Conjoined twin pregnancies are rare, usually occurring in cases of monochorionic monoamniotic twin pregnancies. The most common type of conjoined twins, thoracopagus (42%), is difficult to deliver via a low-segment transverse incision hysterotomy after 35 weeks of gestation. Therefore, conjoined twin cesarean deliveries are typically performed using the classical incision method. However, this often leads to an increased risk of postoperative maternal morbidity and uterine rupture during a subsequent pregnancy. Because of the low survival rate of conjoined twins, subsequent pregnancies are often desired. Hence, minimizing trauma to the uterus is a primary concern. A technique for delivering conjoined twins at 35 weeks of gestation by cesarean delivery with a low-segment transverse incision hysterotomy is proposed here. A video is included to explain and demonstrate these procedures. This method can minimize uterine trauma and maximize the chances of a successful subsequent pregnancy.

Different tibial rotational axes can be applied in combination according to the tibial tuberosity-posterior cruciate ligament distance in total knee arthroplasty.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether tibial tuberosity-posterior cruciate ligament (TT-PCL) distance is representative of the true lateralization of tibial tuberosity in isolation and its influence on the accuracy of the Akagi line and medial third of the tibial tuberosity (MTTT). METHODS: A total of 135 osteoarthritis patients with varus knees who undergoing computed tomography scans were enrolled to establish three-dimension models of the knees. Tibial width (TW), tibial tuberosity lateralization (TTL), posterior cruciate ligament lateralization (PCLL), knee rotation angle (KRA) and tibial rotational axes were measured and investigated their correlations with TT-PCL distance. Based on the analysis of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, the influence of TT-PCL distance on the distributions of mismatch angles of tibial rotational axes was investigated with a safe zone (-5° to 10°). RESULTS: TT-PCL distance was in significantly positive correlation with TW (r = 0.493; P < 0.001) and TTL (r = 0.378; P < 0.001) which was different with PCLL (r = 0.147; P = 0.009) and KRA (r = -0.166; P = 0.054). All tibial rotational axes were significantly positively correlated with TT-PCL distance (P < 0.001). The mismatch angles between the vertical line of the surgical epicondylar axis (SEA) and the Akagi line and MTTT were -1.7° ± 5.3° and 7.6° ± 5.6° respectively. In terms of the optimal cut-off value of 19 mm for TT-PCL distance, the Akagi line applied as tibial rotational axis ensures 87.3% of the positions of tibial components within the safe zone when TT-PCL distance > 19 mm, and MTTT ensures 83.3% when TT-PCL distance ≤ 19 mm. CONCLUSION: TT-PCL distances cannot reflect the true lateralization of tibial tuberosity in isolation but can aid in the combination of the Akagi line and MTTT in varus knees. The patients with TT-PCL distance > 19 mm are recommended to reference the Akagi line for tibial rotational alignment. MTTT is recommended to the patients with TT-PCL distance ≤ 19 mm. The study will aid surgeons in deciding which reference may be used by measuring TT-PCL distance using a preoperative CT.

Stress distribution patterns during the gait cycle in patients with anterior femoral notching following total knee replacement.

BACKGROUND: Anterior femoral notching (AFN) is a severe complication of total knee replacement (TKR), which in a percentage of patients may lead to fractures after surgery. The purpose of this study was to investigate the stress distribution in patients with AFN and the safety depth of AFN during the gait cycle. METHODS: We performed a finite element (FE) analysis to analyse the mechanics around the femur during the gait cycle in patients with AFN. An adult volunteer was selected as the basis of the model. The TKR models were established in the 3D reconstruction software to simulate the AFN model during the TKR process, and the 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm, 4 mm, and 5 mm AFN models were established, after which the prosthesis was assembled. Three key points of the gait cycle (0°, 22°, and 48°) were selected for the analysis. RESULTS: The stress on each osteotomy surface was stable in the 0° phase. In the 22° phase, the maximum equivalent stress at 3 mm was observed. In the 48° phase, with the increase in notch depth, each osteotomy surface showed an overall increasing trend, the stress range was more extended, and the stress was more concentrated. Moreover, the maximum equivalent force value (158.3 MPa) exceeded the yield strength (115.1 MPa) of the femur when the depth of the notch was ≥ 3 mm. CONCLUSIONS: During the gait cycle, if there is an anterior femoral cortical notch ≥ 3 mm, the stress will be significantly increased, especially at 22° and 48°. The maximum equivalent stress exceeded the femoral yield strength and may increase the risk of periprosthetic fractures.

Gender differences affect the location of the patellar tendon attachment site for tibial rotational alignment in total knee arthroplasty.

PURPOSE: This study was carried out to investigate the accuracy of referring different locations of the patellar tendon attachment site and the geometrical center of the osteotomy surface for tibial rotational alignment and observe the influences of gender differences on the results. METHODS: Computed tomography scans of 135 osteoarthritis patients (82 females and 53 males) with varus deformity was obtained to reconstruct three-dimensional (3D) models preoperatively. The medial boundary, medial one-sixth, and medial one-third of the patellar tendon attachment site were marked on the tibia. These points were projected on the tibial osteotomy plane and connected to the geometrical center (GC) of the osteotomy plane or the middle of the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) to construct six tibial rotational axes (Akagi line, MBPT, MSPT1, MSPT2, MTPT1 and MTPT2). The mismatch angle between the vertical line of the SEA projected on the proximal tibial osteotomy surface and six different reference axes was measured. In additional, the effect of gender differences on rotational alignment for tibial component were assessed. RESULTS: Relative to the SEA, rotational mismatch angles were - 1.8° ± 5.1° (Akagi line), - 2.5° ± 5.3° (MBPT), 2.8° ± 5.3° (MSPT1), 4.5° ± 5.4° (MSPT2), 7.3° ± 5.4° (MTPT1), and 11.6° ± 5.8° (MTPT2) for different tibial rotational axes in all patients. All measurements differed significantly between the male and female. The tibial rotational axes with the least mean absolute deviation for the female or male were Akagi line or MSPT, respectively. There was no significant difference in whether the GC of the osteotomy surface or the midpoint of PCL termination was chosen as the posterior anatomical landmark when the medial boundary or medial one-sixth point of the patellar tendon attachment site was selected as the anterior anatomical landmark. CONCLUSION: When referring patellar tendon attachment site as anterior anatomical landmarks for tibial rotational alignment, the influence of gender difference on the accuracy needs to be taken into account. The geometric center of the tibial osteotomy plane can be used as a substitute for the middle of the PCL termination when reference the medial boundary or medial one-sixth of the patellar tendon attachment site.

Application research of pulse signal physiology and pathology feature mining in the field of disease diagnosis.

This experiment is based on the principle of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) pulse diagnosis, the human pulse signal collected by the sensor is organized into a dataset, and the algorithms are designed to apply feature extraction. After denoising, smoothing and eliminating baseline drift of the photoelectric sensors pulse data of several groups of subjects, we designed three algorithms to describe the difference between the two-dimensional images of the pulse data of normal people and patients with chronic diseases. Convert the calculated feature values into multi-dimensional arrays, enter the decision tree (DT) to balance the differences in human physiological conditions, then train in the support vector machine kernel method (SVM-KM) classifier. Experimental results show that the application of these feature mining algorithms to disease detection greatly improves the reliability of TCM diagnosis.

Investigation of AlGaN/GaN Heterostructures Grown on Sputtered AlN Templates with Different Nucleation Layers.

In this work, a sputtered AlN template is employed to grow high-quality AlGaN/GaN heterostructures, and the effects of AlN nucleation layer growth conditions on the structural and electrical properties of heterostructures are investigated in detail. The optimal growth condition is obtained with composited AlN nucleation layers grown on a sputtered AlN template, resulting in the smooth surface morphology and superior transport properties of the heterostructures. Moreover, high crystal quality GaN material with low dislocation density has been achieved under the optimal condition. The dislocation propagation mechanism, stress relief effect in the GaN grown on sputtered AlN, and metal organic chemical vapor deposition AlN nucleation layers are revealed based on the test results. The results in this work demonstrate the great potential of AlGaN/GaN heterostructures grown on sputtered AlN and composited AlN nucleation layers for microelectronic applications.

[Habitat suitability evaluation for Angelica dahurica planting in Yanting county,Sichuan province based on GIS].

It is of great significance to analyze habitable suitability of genuine medicinal materials for Chinese herbal medicine planting according to local environment,for medicinal resources protecting and for reasonable planning introduction. Based on GIS technology,the analytic hierarchy process was applied to analyze the spatial differentiation of habitat suitability of Angelica dahurica in Yanting county of Sichuan province. The evaluation combined local geographical environment characteristics and habitat requirements for A. dahurica planting and adopted the expert experience method to screen out the evaluation index for establishing evaluation system.With the established evaluation system,the index weight of evaluating index was determined by analytic hierarchy process and their grouping values were assigned by Delphi method. The all evaluating index were translated into index distribution maps using Arc GIS software. Using the comprehensive factor weighted evaluating model and spatial index distribution map,the evaluation was obtained by means of the overlay analysis function of Arc GIS 10. 3 software. RESULTS:: showed that A. dahurica had a wide range of suitable planting areas in Yanting county. Highly suitable areas amounted to 165. 01 km2,and mainly distributed in the low hilly area with moderate elevation and fertile soil. Moderately suitable areas amounted to 798. 92 km2 which had extensive distribution in middle and west part of the county. Marginally suitable areas amounted to 0. 33 km2,where the soil was highly viscous with high altitude and low temperature that was not conducive to the growth and development of A. dahurica. Adapting to local conditions and scientific planning plays an important role in the development of local characteristic planting industry of genuine medicinal materials.

Degradation of TRPML1 in Neurons Reduces Neuron Survival in Transient Global Cerebral Ischemia.

Postcardiac arrest syndrome yields poor neurological outcomes, but the mechanisms underlying this condition remain poorly understood. Autophagy plays an important role in neuronal apoptosis induced by ischemia. However, whether autophagy is involved in neuron apoptosis induced by cardiac arrest has been less studied. This study found that TRPML1 participates in cerebral ischemic reperfusion injury. Primary neurons were isolated and treated with mucolipin synthetic agonist 1 (ML-SA1), as well as infected with the recombinant lentivirus TRPML1 overexpression vector in vitro. ML-SA1 was delivered intracerebroventricularly in transient global ischemia model. Protein expression levels were determined by western blot. Neurological deficit score and the infarct volume were analyzed for the detection of neuronal damage. We found that TRPML1 was significantly downregulated in vivo and in vitro ischemic reperfusion model. We also observed that TRPML1 overexpression or treatment with the ML-SA1 attenuated neuronal death in primary neurons and ameliorated neurological dysfunction in vivo. Our findings suggested that autophagy and apoptosis were activated after transient global ischemia. Administration of ML-SA1 before transient global ischemia ameliorated neurological dysfunction possibly through the promotion of autophagy and the inhibition of apoptosis.

Evaluation of immune protection induced by DNA vaccines from Haemaphysalis longicornis paramyosin in rabbits.

BACKGROUND: Haemaphysalis longicornis is a blood-sucking ectoparasite that can cause diseases by transmitting some pathogens to humans and animals. Paramyosin (Pmy) is an immunomodulatory protein, which plays an important role in immune reactions against parasites. In this study, we evaluated the immune protection elicited by recombinant plasmids encoding H. longicornis Pmy in rabbits. RESULTS: Rabbits vaccinated with pcDNA3.1(+)-Pmy developed high level of IgG compared to control group, suggesting that humoral immune response was induced by vaccination. On the fourth day after fed on the rabbit, some female adults died and the mortality rate from pcDNA3.1(+)-Pmy group (27.31%) was significantly higher than that of the control group (P < 0.0001). Other female ticks were attached to the rabbits until detachment, and the average engorgement weight, oviposition of female adult from pcDNA3.1(+)-Pmy group were 109.61 ± 4.24 mg and 48.39 ± 4.06 mg, respectively, which correspondingly resulted in 36 and 39% reduction compared with that of the control group (P < 0.0001). In brief, vaccination with Pmy plasmid DNA provided an overall efficacy of 50% in immune protection of rabbits. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggested that Pmy DNA vaccine can induce effective humoral immune response and partially protected rabbit against H. longicornis infection.

Spatially resolved and orientation dependent Raman mapping of epitaxial lateral overgrowth nonpolar a-plane GaN on r-plane sapphire.

Uncoalesced a-plane GaN epitaxial lateral overgrowth (ELO) structures have been synthesized along two mask stripe orientations on a-plane GaN template by MOCVD. The morphology of two ELO GaN structures is performed by Scanning electronic microscopy. The anisotropy of crystalline quality and stress are investigated by micro-Raman spectroscopy. According to the Raman mapping spectra, the variations on the intensity, peak shift and the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of GaN E2 (high) peak indicate that the crystalline quality improvement occurs in the window region of the GaN stripes along [0001], which is caused by the dislocations bending towards the sidewalls. Conversely, the wing regions have better quality with less stress as the dislocations propagated upwards when the GaN stripes are along []. Spatial cathodoluminescence mapping results further support the explanation for the different dislocation growth mechanisms in the ELO processes with two different mask stripe orientations.

Effect of 17ß­estradiol in rat bone marrow­derived endothelial progenitor cells.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the bionomics of rat bone marrow endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) following 17ß­estradiol treatment at various concentrations. Total mononuclear cells were extracted from rat bone marrow by density gradient centrifugation. Following cultivation for 7 days, attached cells were incubated with various concentrations of 17ß­estradiol (0, 10 and 100 nmol/l). The proliferation and migration activities of EPCs were measured by MTT and transwell chamber assays. In vitro vasculogenic activities were measured using type I collagen. Flow cytometry was performed to analyze differentiation into endothelial cells. The results indicated that at 7 days following culture, CD133 and CD34 cell markers were 69.44 and 81.05%, respectively. MTT assay demonstrated that the optical density (OD) value of the 10 nmol/l group was markedly higher than that of the 0 and 100 nmol/l groups. The OD value of the 0 nmol/l group was higher than the 100 nmol/l group (P<0.05). EPC migration, in vitro vascularization and differentiation were higher in the 100 and 10 nmol/l groups compared with the 0 nmol/l group. These parameters were higher in the 100 nmol/l than the 10 nmol/l group (P<0.05). In conclusion, the results of the present study demonstrated that migration, in vitro vasculogenesis and differentiation into endothelial cells is regulated by 17ß­estradiol and enhanced in a concentration-dependent manner. Proliferation levels were contrary to these observations, with levels decreasing as the concentration of 17ß­estradiol increased.