Microelectronic neural bridging of toad nerves to restore leg function

The present study used a microelectronic neural bridge comprised of electrode arrays for neural signal detection, functional electrical stimulation, and a microelectronic circuit including signal amplifying, processing, and functional electrical stimulation to bridge two separate nerves, and to restore the lost function of one nerve. The left leg of one spinal toad was subjected to external mechanical stimulation and functional electrical stimulation driving. The function of the left leg of one spinal toad was regenerated to the corresponding leg of another spinal toad using a microelectronic neural bridge. Oscilloscope tracings showed that the electromyographic signals from controlled spinal toads were generated by neural signals that controlled the spinal toad, and there was a delay between signals. This study demonstrates that microelectronic neural bridging can be used to restore neural function between different injured nerves.

Establishment and implementation of safety check project for invasive procedures outside the operating room

Objective:This study aimed to describe the implementation of the surgical safety check policy and the surgical safety checklist for invasive procedures outside the operating room(OR)and evaluate its effectiveness.Methods:In 2017,to improve the safety of patients who underwent invasive procedures outside of the OR,the hospital quality and safety committee established the surgery safety check committee responsible for developing a new working plan,revise the surgery safety check policy,surgery safety check Keywords:Invasive procedures outside the operating room Safety management Surgical safety checklist Patient safety form,and provide training to the related staff,evaluated their competency,and implemented the updated surgical safety check policy and checklist.The study compared the data of pre-implementation(Apr to Sep 2017)and two post-implementation phases(Apr to Sep 2018,Apr to Sep 2019).It also evaluated the number of completed surgery safety checklist,correct signature,and correct timing of signature.Results:The results showed an increase in the completion rate of the safety checklist after the program implementation from 41.7%(521/1,249)to 90.4%(3,572/3,950),the correct rates of signature from 41.9%(218/521)to 99.0%(4,423/4,465),and the correct timing rates of signature from 34.4%(179/521)to 98.5%(4,401/4,465),with statistical significance(P<0.01).Conclusion:Implementing the updated surgery safety check significantly is a necessary and effective measure to ensure patient safety for those who underwent invasive procedures outside the OR.Implementing surgical safety checks roused up the clinical staff's compliance in performing safety checks,and enhanced team collaboration and communication.

Tail nerve electrical stimulation-induced walking training promotes restoration of locomotion and electrophysiology in rats with chronic spinal cord injury

Functional recovery is the final goal in the treatment of spinal cord injury. However, to date, few treatment strategies have demonstrated significant locomotor improvement in animal experiments. By using tail nerve electrical stimulation (TANES) as an open-field locomotor training method combined with glial scar ablation and cell transplantation, we have successfully promoted locomotor recovery in rats with chronic spinal cord contusion injury. The purpose of the present study is to further investigate the mechanism of TANES and its effect on electrophysiology. Spinal cord segment T10 of female, adult Long-Evans rats was contused using the NYU impactor device with 25 mm height setting. After injury, rats were randomly divided into three groups. Group I was used as a control without any treatment, group II and group III were subjected to basic treatment including glial scar ablation and transplantation of olfactory lamina propria 6 weeks after injury, and group III received TANES-induced open-field locomotor training weekly after basic treatment. All animals were allowed to survive 22 weeks, except some rats which were transected. Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) open-field locomotor rating scale, horizontal ladder rung walking test, and electrophysiological tests were used to assess the restoration of functional behavior and conduction. Results showed that TANES significantly improves locomotor recovery and spinal cord conduction, reflex, as well as significantly reduces the occurrence of autophagia. Additionally, after transection, trained rats still maintained higher BBB score than that of control rats. This may be related to the activity-dependent plasticity promoted by TANES-induced locomotor training.

Structural Characteristics of the Spring Transverse Shear Line over the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the Influence Mechanism of the Upper-level Jet on Its Evolution

Based on the four-times-daily ERA-Interim data with the resolution of 0.75°×0.75°,the structure and evolution characteristics of a transverse shear line(TSL)over the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in April 2017 were analyzed,and the influence mechanism of the frontogenesis and frontolysis caused by the upper-level jet on its evolution was also investigated.The results show that the TSL was mainly located near the axis of the positive vorticity zone,which was a low-value area of the wind speed.It was a shallow baroclinic system with weak ascending motion.In the vertical direction,the TSL extended to the lowest height at 00:00 and the highest at 18:00.In the horizontal direction,the length of the TSL in the east-west direction was relatively shorter during 00:00-06:00 and relatively longer during 12:00-18:00.Besides,the position of the TSL was slightly northward at 06:00 and slightly southward at 18:00.The moving direction of the TSL was generally consistent with that of the upper-level jet.In addition,the vertical stretching height of the TSL and the near-surface wind speed were positively correlated with the intensity of the upper-level jet.The calculation by frontogenesis function indicates that the frontogenesis(frontolysis)was conducive to the formation(weakening)and strengthening(dissipation)of the TSL.The horizontal deformation-induced and diabatic heating-induced frontogenesis were favorable for the formation of the TSL,while the middle-level horizontal convergence-induced and diabatic heating-induced frontogenesis were beneficial to its maintenance.Besides,the moving direction and baroclinicity of the TSL over the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau were determined by the horizontal deformation-induced frontogenesis.In the frontogenesis function,the terms of horizontal deformation and horizontal convergence together determined the position of the TSL,and the diabatic heating term was conducive to the upward extension of the TSL.

Aloe emodin promotes mucosal healing by modifying the differentiation fate of enteroendocrine cells via regulating cellular free fatty acid sensitivity

The proper differentiation and reorganization of the intestinal epithelial cell population is critical to mucosal regeneration post injury.Label retaining cells(LRCs)expressing SRY-box transcription factor 9(SOX9)promote epithelial repair by replenishing LGR5 t intestinal stem cells(ISCs).While,LRCs are also considered precursor cells for enteroendocrine cells(EECs)which exacerbate mucosal damage in inflammatory bowel disease(IBD).The factors that determine LRC-EEC differentiation and the effect of intervening in LRC-EEC differentiation on IBD remain unclear.In this study,we investigated the effects of a natural anthraquinone called aloe emodin(derived from the Chinese herb rhubarb)on mucosal healing in IBD models.Our findings demonstrated that aloe emodin effectively interfered with the differentiation to EECs and preserved a higher number of SOX9t LRCs,thereby promoting mucosal healing.Furthermore,we discovered that aloe emodin acted as an antagonist of free fatty acid receptors(FFAR1),suppressing the FFAR1-mediated Gbg/serine/threonine-protein kinase(AKT)pathway and promoting the translocation of forkhead box protein O1(FOXO1)into the nucleus,ultimately resulting in the intervention of differentiation fate.These findings reveal the effect of free fatty acid accessibility on EEC differentiation and introduce a strategy for promoting mucosal healing in IBD by regulating the FFAR1/AKT/FOXO1 signaling pathway.

A potent PGK1 antagonist reveals PGK1 regulates the production of IL-1βand IL-6

Glycolytic metabolism enzymes have been implicated in the immunometabolism field through changes in metabolic status. PGK1 is a catalytic enzyme in the glycolytic pathway. Here, we set up a high-throughput screen platform to identify PGK1 inhibitors. DC-PGKI is an ATPcompetitive inhibitor of PGK1 with an affinity of Kd= 99.08 nmol/L. DC-PGKI stabilizes PGK1in vitro and in vivo, and suppresses both glycolytic activity and the kinase function of PGK1. In addition,DC-PGKI unveils that PGK1 regulates production of IL-1β and IL-6 in LPS-stimulated macrophages.Mechanistically, inhibition of PGK1 with DC-PGKI results in NRF2(nuclear factor-erythroid factor 2-related factor 2, NFE2L2) accumulation, then NRF2 translocates to the nucleus and binds to the proximity region of Il-1β and Il-6 genes, and inhibits LPS-induced expression of these genes. DC-PGKI ameliorates colitis in the dextran sulfate sodium(DSS)-induced colitis mouse model. These data support PGK1 as a regulator of macrophages and suggest potential utility of PGK1 inhibitors in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.

Feature-based Quality Assessment of Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion Using 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography

In animal experiments,ischemic stroke is usually induced through middle cerebral artery occlusion(MCAO),and quality assessment of this procedure is crucial.However,an accurate assessment method based on 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose(FDG)positron emission tomography(PET)is still lacking.The difficulty lies in the inconsistent preprocessing pipeline,biased intensity normalization,or unclear spatiotemporal uptake of FDG.Here,we propose an image feature-based protocol to assess the quality of the procedure using a 3D scale-invariant feature transform and support vector machine.This feature-based protocol provides a convenient,accurate,and reliable tool to assess the quality of the MCAO procedure in FDG PET studies.Compared with existing approaches,the proposed protocol is fully quantitative,objective,automatic,and bypasses the intensity normalization step.An online interface was constructed to check images and obtain assessment results.