Advances in low-field nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) technologies applied for characterization of pore space inside rocks:a critical review

NMR serves as an important technique for probing rock pore space,such as pore structure characterization,fluid identification,and petrophysical property testing,due to the reusability of cores,convenience in sample processing,and time efficiency in laboratory tests.In practice,NMR signal collection is normally achieved through polarized nuclei relaxation which releases crucial relaxation messages for result interpretation.The impetus of this work is to help engineers and researchers with petroleum background obtain new insights into NMR principals and extend existing methodologies for characterization of unconventional formations.This article first gives a brief description of the development history of relaxation theories and models for porous media.Then,the widely used NMR techniques for characterizing petrophysical properties and pore structures are presented.Meanwhile,limitations and deficiencies of them are summarized.Finally,future work on improving these insufficiencies and approaches of enhancement applicability for NMR technologies are discussed.

Effects of circumcision on male sexual functions： systematic review and meta-analysis

This meta-analysis was performed to assess sexual functions following adult male circumcision. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PUBMED, EMBASE, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Review and Web of Science from their inception until January 2013 to identify all eligible studies that reported on men＇s sexual function after circumcision. The Cochrane Collaboration＇s RevMan 5.2 software was employed for data analysis, and the fixed or the random effect model was selected depending on the proportion of heterogeneity. We identified 10 studies, which described a total of 9317 circumcised and 9423 uncircumcised men who were evaluated for the association of circumcision with male sexual function. There were no significant differences in sexual desire （odds ratio （OR）： 0.99; 95% confidence interval （CI）： 0.92-1.06）, dyspareunia （OR： 1.12; 95% Ch 0.52-2.44）, premature ejaculation （OR. 1.13; 95% Ch 0.83-1.54）, ejaculation latency time （OR： 1.33; 95% Ch 0.69-1.97）, erectile dysfunctions （OR： 0.90; 95% Ch 0.65-1.25） and orgasm difficulties （OR： 0.97; 95% Ch 0.83-1.13）. These findings suggest that circumcision is unlikely to adversely affect male sexual functions. However, these results should be evaluated in light of the low quality of the existing evidence and the significant heterogeneity across the various studies. Well-designed and prospective studies are required for a further understanding of this topic.

Preparation and Characterization of Controlled Heparin Release Waterborne Polyurethane Coating Systems

In this study, to improve hemocompatibility of biomedical materials, a waterborne polyurethane （WPU）haepafin release coating system （WPU/heparin） is fabricated via simply blending biodegradable WPU emulsions with heparin aqueous solutions. The surface compositions and hydrophilicity of these WPU/heparin blend coatings are characterized by attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy （ATR-FTIR） and water contact angle measurements. These WPU/heparin blend coatings show effectively controlled release of heparin, as determined by the toluidine blue method. Furthermore, the biocompatibility and anticoagulant activity of these blend coatings are evaluated based on the protein adsorption, platelet adhesion, activated partial thromboplastin time （APTT）, thrombin time （TT）, hemolysis, and cytotoxicity. The results indicate that better hemocompatibility and cytocompatilibity are obtained due to blending heparin into this waterborne polyurethane. Thus, the WPU/heparin blend coating system is expected to be valuable for various biomedical applications.

Association between antibiotic exposure and adverse outcomes of children and pregnant women: evidence from an umbrella review

Background Antibiotics are widely prescribed among children and pregnant women,but their safety profile is controversial.This study aimed to summarize and appraise current evidence for the potential impact of antibiotic exposure on pregnancy outcomes and children’s health.Methods PubMed,Embase,Web of Science and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were searched from inception to June 2022.Meta-analyses of any study design comparing the impact of antibiotic exposure with nonexposure among children,pregnant women and prepregnant women on adverse health outcomes of children and pregnancy were retrieved.The quality of evidence was assessed by a Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews 2(AMSTAR2)and the Grading of Recommendations,Assessment,Development and Evaluation(GRADE).Data were reanalyzed,and the credibility of the evidence was determined.Results Out of 2956 studies identified,19 articles with 39 associations were included.Totally 19 of the associations(48.72%)were statistically significant with a P value≤0.05,while only six were supported by highly suggestive evidence.Children with postnatal antibiotic exposure had a higher risk of developing asthma odds ratio(OR):1.95,95%confidence interval(CI):1.76–2.17,wheezing(OR:1.81,95%CI 1.65–1.97)and allergic rhinoconjunctivitis(OR:1.66,95%CI 1.51–1.83),with prediction intervals excluding the nulls.Quality assessed by both AMSTAR2 and GRADE of included meta-analyses were very low in general.Conclusions Antibiotic exposure in early life was associated with children’s long-term health,especially in cases of allergic diseases.Prenatal exposure might also influence children’s health in some aspects but requires more high-quality evidence.Potential adverse effects of antibiotics on pregnancy outcomes were not observed in our study.Studies with higher quality and better quantification of antibiotic exposure are needed in the future.

Integrating single-cell RNA sequencing with spatial transcriptomics reveals immune landscape for interstitial cystitis

Interstitial cystitis(IC)is a severely debilitating and chronic disorder with unclear etiology and pathophysiology,which makes the diagnosis difficult and treatment challenging.To investigate the role of immunity in IC bladders,we sequenced 135,091 CD45^(+) immune cells from 15 female patients with IC and 9 controls with stress urinary incontinence using single-cell RNA sequencing(scRNA-seq).22 immune subpopulations were identified in the constructed landscape.Among them,M2-like macrophages,inflammatory CD14^(+) macrophages,and conventional dendritic cells had the most communications with other immune cells.Then,a significant increase of central memory CD4^(+)T cells,regulatory T cells,GZMK^(+)CD8^(+)T cells,activated B cells,un-switched memory B cells,and neutrophils,and a significant decrease of CD8+effector T cells,Th17 cells,follicular helper T cells,switched memory B cells,transitional B cells,and macrophages were noted in IC bladders.The enrichment analysis identified a virus-related response during the dynamic change of cell proportion,furthermore,the human polyomavirus-2 was detected with a positive rate of 95%in urine of patients with IC.By integrating the results of scRNA-seq with spatial transcriptomics,we found nearly all immune subpopulations were enriched in the urothelial region or located close to fibroblasts in IC bladders,but they were discovered around urothelium and smooth muscle cells in control bladders.These findings depict the immune landscape for IC and might provide valuable insights into the pathophysiology of IC.