Peripheral blood RNA biomarkers can predict lesion severity in degenerative cervical myelopathy

Degenerative cervical myelopathy is a common cause of spinal cord injury,with longer symptom duration and higher myelopathy severity indicating a worse prognosis.While numerous studies have investigated serological biomarkers for acute spinal cord injury,few studies have explored such biomarkers for diagnosing degenerative cervical myelopathy.This study involved 30 patients with degenerative cervical myelopathy(51.3±7.3 years old,12 women and 18 men),seven healthy controls(25.7±1.7 years old,one woman and six men),and nine patients with cervical spondylotic radiculopathy(51.9±8.6 years old,three women and six men).Analysis of blood samples from the three groups showed clear differences in transcriptomic characteristics.Enrichment analysis identified 128 differentially expressed genes that were enriched in patients with neurological disabilities.Using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator analysis,we constructed a five-gene model(TBCD,TPM2,PNKD,EIF4G2,and AP5Z1)to diagnose degenerative cervical myelopathy with an accuracy of 93.5%.One-gene models(TCAP and SDHA)identified mild and severe degenerative cervical myelopathy with accuracies of 83.3%and 76.7%,respectively.Signatures of two immune cell types(memory B cells and memory-activated CD4^(+)T cells)predicted levels of lesions in degenerative cervical myelopathy with 80%accuracy.Our results suggest that peripheral blood RNA biomarkers could be used to predict lesion severity in degenerative cervical myelopathy.

Current progress of research on heat -resistant Mg alloys: A review

With the increasing attention received by lightweight metals,numerous essential fields have increased requirements for mag-nesium(Mg)alloys with good room-temperature and high-temperature mechanical properties.However,the high-temperature mechanic-al properties of commonly used commercial Mg alloys,such as AZ91D,deteriorate considerably with increasing temperatures.Over the past several decades,extensive efforts have been devoted to developing heat-resistant Mg alloys.These approaches either inhibit the gen-eration of thermally unstable phases or promote the formation of thermally stable precipitates/phases in matrices through solid solution or precipitation strengthening.In this review,numerous studies are systematically introduced and discussed.Different alloy systems,includ-ing those based on Mg–Al,Mg–Zn,and Mg–rare earth,are carefully classified and compared to reveal their mechanical properties and strengthening mechanisms.The emphasis,limitations,and future prospects of these heat-resistant Mg alloys are also pointed out and dis-cussed to develop heat-resistant Mg alloys and broaden their potential application areas in the future.

Twinning behaviors of Mg-Sn alloy with basal or prismatic Mg_2Sn

The Mg-Sn alloys,with basal or prismatic Mg2Sn laths,were employed to reveal the effect of precipitate orientation on twinning behavior quantitatively.The Mg-5wt.%Sn alloys with basal or prismatic Mg2Sn were compressed to study the twinning behaviors.Subsequently,an Orowan strengthening model was developed to quantitatively investigate the critical resolved shear stress(CRSS)increment of precipitates on twinning.The results revealed that the prismatic precipitates hindered the transfer and growth of tensile twins more effectively compared with the basal precipitates.The decreased proportion of tensile twins containing prismatic Mg2Sn might be attributed to a larger CRSS increment for tensile twins compared with that for basal precipitates.The obvious decreased twinning transfer in the alloy with prismatic Mg2Sn could be due to its higher geometrically necessary dislocation and enhanced CRSS of tensile twins.Notably,the prismatic precipitates have a better hindering effect on tensile twins during compression.

Recent progress in the research on magnesium and magnesium alloy foils:A short review

Magnesium and magnesium alloy foils have great potential for application in battery anodes,electromagnetic shielding,optics and acoustics,and biology because of their excellent specific damping,internal dissipation coefficients,magnetic and electrical conductivities,as well as high theoretical specific capacity.However,magnesium alloys exhibit poor deformation ability due to their hexagonal close-packed crystal structure.Preparing magnesium and magnesium alloy foils with thicknesses of less than 0.1 mm is difficult because of surface oxidation and grain growth at high temperatures or severe anisotropy after cold rolling that leads to cracks.Numerous methods have been applied to prepare magnesium alloy foils.They include warm rolling,cold rolling,accumulative roll bonding,electric plastic rolling,and on-line heating rolling.Defects of magnesium and magnesium alloy foils during preparation,such as edge cracks and breakage,are important factors for consideration.Herein,the current status of the research on magnesium and magnesium alloy foils is summarized from the aspects of foil preparation,defect control,performance characterization,and application prospects.The advantages and disadvantages of different preparation methods and defect(edge cracks and breakage)mechanisms in the preparation of foils are identified.

Segregation of Mg-6Gd alloy under natural convection:From macro solute distribution to micro dendrite growth

Segregation is a serious defect in alloy ingots which severely deteriorates materials performance.The segregation defect in Mg-6Gd alloy is studied by coupling macro thermal-solutal-convection transport and micro dendrite growth.The macroscopic fluid dynamics and mass transfer equations are resolved to forecast the segregation behavior under conditions of continuous temperature variation during the solidification process.The numerical model is validated by testing double-diffusive natural convection in a closed square cavity.A phase field model is then applied to simulate the micro dendrite growth,using macro undercooling and liquid flow velocity as boundary conditions.Results show that the multiscale segregation behavior,including macro solute distribution and micro dendritic morphology,is strongly dependent on the temperature condition and the liquid convection,which provides guidance for reducing and eliminating the segregation defect.

Recent advancements in thermal conductivity of magnesium alloys

As highly integrated circuits continue to advance,accompanied by a growing demand for energy efficiency and weight reduction,materials are confronted with mounting challenges pertaining to thermal conductivity and lightweight properties.By virtue of numerous intrinsic mechanisms,as a result,the thermal conductivity and mechanical properties of the Mg alloys are often inversely related,which becomes a bottleneck limiting the application of Mg alloys.Based on several effective modification methods to improve the thermal conductivity of Mg alloys,this paper describes the law of how they affect the mechanical properties,and clearly indicates that peak aging treatment is one of the best ways to simultaneously enhance an alloy's thermal conductivity and mechanical properties.As the most frequently used Mg alloy,cast alloys exhibit substantial potential for achieving high thermal conductivity.Moreover,recent reports indicate that hot deformation can significantly improve the mechanical properties while maintaining,and potentially slightly enhancing,the alloy's thermal conductivity.This presents a meaningful way to develop Mg alloys for applications in the field of small-volume heat dissipation components that require high strength.This comprehensive review begins by outlining standard testing and prediction methods,followed by the theoretical models used to predict thermal conductivity,and then explores the primary influencing factors affecting thermal conductivity.The review summarizes the current development status of Mg alloys,focusing on the quest for alloys that offer both high thermal conductivity and high strength.It concludes by providing insights into forthcoming prospects and challenges within this field.

Effect of nano-CaO particle on the microstructure,mechanical properties and corrosion behavior of lean Mg-1Zn alloy

The effects of nano-CaO contents on the microstructure,mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of lean Mg-1Zn alloy were investigated.The results showed that the addition of nano-CaO significantly refined the grain size and improved mechanical properties of the Mg-1Zn alloy.At the same time,CaO reacted with molten Mg in situ to form nano-MgO,whose corrosion product in SBF solution was the same with the degradation product of Mg matrix,resulting in the enhanced compactness of the Mg(OH)_(2) layer and reduced corrosion rate of matrix.The Mg-1Zn alloy had lower corrosion resistance due to excessively large grain size and shedding of corrosion products.The composite with 0.5 wt.%CaO had the best corrosion resistance with a weight loss of 9.875 mg·y^(-1)·mm^(-2)due to the small number of Ca_(2)Mg_(6)Zn_(3) phase and suitable grain size.While for composites with high content of CaO(0.7 wt.%and 1.0 wt.%),they had lower corrosion resistance due to the coexistence of large number of Ca_(2)Mg_(6)Zn_(3) and Mg_(2)Ca at grain boundaries,especially for 1.0 wt.%CaO composite,resulting from the strong micro-galvanic corrosion.

Interfacial reaction between AZ91D magnesium alloy melt and mild steel under high temperature

The metallurgical quality control of magnesium(Mg)and Mg alloys in melting process is required to ensure a satisfied mechanical and corrosion performance,while the typical used steel crucible introduces impurities and interfacial interaction during melting process.Therefore,a systematic study about impurities diffusion and interfacial interaction between molten Mg and steel is necessary.In the present study,the interfacial reaction between molten AZ91D Mg alloy and mild steel during melting process was investigated with the melting temperatures of 700℃,750℃ and 800℃.The results show that Al(Fe,Mn)intermetallic layer is the intermetallic primarily formed at the interfaces of AZ91D melt and mild steel.Meanwhile,Al_(8)(Mn,Fe)5is indexed between Al(Fe,Mn)and AZ91D.AlFe_(3)C appears between the mild steel and Al(Fe,Mn)at 700℃ and 750℃,but absent at 800℃ due to the increased solubility of carbon in Mg matrix.It is found that the growth of the intermetallic layer is controlled by diffusion mechanism,and Al and Mn are the dominant diffusing species in the whole interfacial reaction process.By measuring the thickness of different layers,the growth constant was calculated.It increases from 1.89(±0.03)×10^(-12)m^(2)·s^(-1)at 700℃ to 3.05(±0.05)×10^(-12)m^(2)·s^(-1)at 750℃,and 5.18(±0.05)×10^(-12)m^(2)·s^(-1)at 800℃.Meanwhile,the content of Fe is linearly increased in AZ91D with the increase of holding time at 700℃ and 750℃,while it shows a significantly increment after holding for 8 h at 800℃,indicating holding temperature is more crucial to determine the Fe content of AZ91D than holding time.

Machine learning molecular dynamics simulations of liquid methanol

As the simplest hydrogen-bonded alcohol,liquid methanol has attracted intensive experimental and theoretical interest.However,theoretical investigations on this system have primarily relied on empirical intermolecular force fields or ab initio molecular dynamics with semilocal density functionals.Inspired by recent studies on bulk water using increasingly accurate machine learning force fields,we report a new machine learning force field for liquid methanol with a hybrid functional revPBE0 plus dispersion correction.Molecular dynamics simulations on this machine learning force field are orders of magnitude faster than ab initio molecular dynamics simulations,yielding the radial distribution functions,selfdiffusion coefficients,and hydrogen bond network properties with very small statistical errors.The resulting structural and dynamical properties are compared well with the experimental data,demonstrating the superior accuracy of this machine learning force field.This work represents a successful step toward a first-principles description of this benchmark system and showcases the general applicability of the machine learning force field in studying liquid systems.

Promise and challenges of traditional Chinese medicine,specifically Calculus bovis,in liver cancer treatment

Liver cancer,one of the most common malignancies worldwide,ranks sixth in incidence and third in mortality.Liver cancer treatment options are diverse,inclu-ding surgical resection,liver transplantation,percutaneous ablation,transarterial chemoembolization,radiotherapy,chemotherapy,targeted therapy,immuno-therapy,and traditional Chinese medicine(TCM).A multidisciplinary team(MDT)is essential to customize treatment plans based on tumor staging,liver function,and performance status(PS),ensuring individualized patient care.Treatment decisions require a MDT to tailor strategies based on tumor staging,liver function,and PS,ensuring personalized care.The approval of new first-line and second-line drugs and the establishment of standard treatments based on immune checkpoint inhibitors have significantly expanded treatment options for advanced liver cancer,improving overall prognosis.However,many patients do not respond effectively to these treatments and ultimately succumb to the disease.Modern oncology treatments,while extending patient survival,often come with severe side effects,resistance,and damage to the body,negatively impacting quality of life.Huang et al's study published at World Journal of Gastroenterology rigorously validates the anticancer properties of Calculus bovis,enhancing our understanding of TCM and contributing to new liver cancer treatment strategies.For over 5000 years,TCM has been used in East Asian countries like China to treat various diseases,including liver conditions.Analysis of real-world clinical data suggests that for patients with advanced-stage tumors lacking effective treatments,integrated TCM therapies could provide significant breakthroughs.

Analysis of Intraspecies Diversity of Rice Reveals Variation Patterns of Oryza sativa Basic Leucine Zippers

The basic leucine zipper(bZIP)is an important class of transcription factors in plants,playing a critical role in plant growth and development and responses to biotic and abiotic stress.Due to gene presence/absence variations,it is limited to identify bZIP genes based on the reference genome.Therefore,we performed the bZIP gene family analysis in the rice pan-genome.By employing a rice pan-genome,ninety-four OsbZIPs(72 core genes and 22 variable genes)were identified and divided into 11 groups in a phylogenetic tree.Based upon Ka/Ks values in 33 accessions,OsbZIPs were subjected to different selection pressures during domestication.The analysis of the effects of structural variations(SVs)on gene expression,gene structure,and conserved domains showed that SVs could significantly alter the expression levels of certain OsbZIPs,leading to gene truncation and the emergence of numerous atypical genes.Thirty-four differentially expressed OsbZIPs were identified by analyzing RNA-seq data of the Xanthomonas oryzae pv.oryzae(Xoo)infection susceptible(IR24)and resistant(IRBB67)lines under high temperature,and by counting the number of differentially expressed OsbZIPs in different subgroups.These Osb-ZIPs were found to respond to Xoo infection at an early stage and may not be involved in the mechanism of Xa4 and Xa7 resistance to Xoo.The multiple variation patterns of OsbZIP genes provide new insights into the OsbZIP genes in rice.These results provide new resources and offer new directions for functional studies of OsbZIPs.

HBV recurrence lowered by lamivudine/HBIG combination therapy in liver transplant patients:ten-year experience

BACKGROUND: Lamivudine and hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) are widely used to treat patients with hepatitis B recurrence after liver transplantation. However, the outcomes are inconclusive. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of combined therapy on patients with hepatitis B recurrence after liver transplantation. METHODS: Twenty-two patients with hepatitis B recurrence after liver transplantation from August 2000 to October 2011 were enrolled in this study. Of these patients, 16 received lamivudine plus HBIG (combination therapy group) and 6 were treated with lamivudine alone (lamivudine-treated group) The clinical features were matched in the two groups. HBV recurrence parameters, HBsAg clearance rate, patient survival rate, and survival time were compared. RESULTS: The average time of follow-up was 47.2 months (range 13-99). Significant difference was noted in the HBsAg clearance rate in the lamivudine-treated and combination therapy groups (50% vs 93.8%, P【0.05). There was no significant difference in the time of HBV recurrence, patient survival rate and survival time between lamivudine-treated and combination therapy groups (P】0.05). CONCLUSION: Compared with lamivudine monotherapy combination therapy significantly increased the HBsAg clearance rate in patients with HBV recurrence after liver transplantation.

Tailoring AZ91 laminates for combination of strength and ductility

Three types of laminates were designed by alternately stacking AZ91 extruded sheets in different states for extrusion to improve the mechanical properties.The tensile tests revealed that the combination of solid-solution-treated sheets with the aging-treated sheets achieved high tensile strength and ductility,i.e.,ultimate tensile strength of~386 MPa and elongation of~19.8%,respectively.Electron backscatter diffraction(EBSD)and TEM results indicated that the aging-treated layers with more nano-sized precipitates and small grain size provided high strength and reasonable ductility,while the solid-solution-treated layers with low dislocation density facilitated strain hardening.Also,the strong interface bonding between the successive layers played an important role in the enhanced ductility.

An Open-Label Study of Pegylated Liposomal Doxorubicin,Vincristine, and Reduced-Dose Dexamethasone Combination Therapy in Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma Patients in the Chinese Population

OBJECTIVE Though doxorubicin is highly active in the treatment of multiple myeloma, its toxicity profile limits its therapeutic index. We performed this study to evaluate the efficacy and liposomal doxorubicin （PLD, Ca of pegylated , vincristine, and reduced-dose dexamethasone combination therapy in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma （MM） patients in a Chinese population. METHODS This was an open-label, single-arm study in which newly diagnosed patients with MM received PLD 40 mg/m2 intravenously on Day 1, vincristine 1.4 mg/m2 intravenously （maximum 2 rag） on Day 1, and 40 mg of dexamethasone （intravenously or orally） from Day 1 to Day 4. Treatment was repeated every 28 days for at least 4 cycles. RESULTS In the intent-to-treat （ITT） analysis, the overall response rate was 68.29%, and the complete remission rate was 10.98%. The incidence of all adverse events was 46.34%. The most common non-hematologic toxicities were palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia （13.4%） and stomatitis （6.1%）. CONCLUSION PLD, vincristine, and a reduceddose dexamethasone combination （DVd） is an effective and safe regimen in newly diagnosed MM patients in a Chinese population.

双重异质结构对AZ91挤压板力学性能的影响

研究晶粒尺寸和析出相的双重异质结构对小挤压比制备的AZ91挤压板材力学性能的影响。与挤压比(ER)为12.8的样品(即ER12.8样品)相比,ER3.9和ER6.4样品呈现明显的粗细晶粒层和异质分布的细小弥散的析出相。此外,在ER3.9样品的细晶层中还观察到大量带状析出相。由于异质变形诱导(HDI)力和析出相的平衡,ER6.4样品呈现良好的强度和塑性结合。尽管ER3.9样品表现出最高的HDI力和基面滑移施密特因子,改善了塑性,但更多的带状析出相对恶化其力学性能仍起主导作用。

基于弯曲定径带模具挤压的Mg-3Al-1Zn合金力学性能优化

设计了一种采用弯曲定径带模具的新型非对称挤压工艺(TBE),用以改善Mg-3Al-1Zn合金板材的力学性能和成形性能。运用有限元分析揭示了挤压过程中的应变、温度等状态变量的分布。结果表明,在TBE模具的模口处,应变沿板面法向(ND)呈梯度分布,这导致挤压板材显微组织的厚向梯度分布,同时得到TD择优取向的织构,少量基面取向晶粒向挤压方向(ED)偏转。与传统挤压相比,TBE过程中产生更多挤压热,模腔内温度更高,使大量非基面滑移开启,导致板材TD择优取向织构的形成。通过改善织构,TBE板材的塑性和弯曲性能均得到明显提升,沿45°方向的伸长率达到33%,弯曲角度达到83.5°。

ZIF-67膜在AZ31镁合金微弧氧化防腐涂层上的合成

为了提高AZ31镁合金的耐蚀性和金属有机骨架MOFs涂层的结合力,通过在AZ31镁合金微弧氧化(MAO)涂层上原位生长,制备MAO/ZIF-67(微弧氧化/钴基金属有机骨架)复合涂层。结果表明,具有菱形十二面体的ZIF-67在MAO涂层表面均匀生长,与基体具有良好的附着力,这使得MAO/ZIF-67复合涂层具有良好的耐蚀性。实验证明,ZIF-67能有效封闭MAO涂层的孔隙,增加腐蚀介质侵入路径的曲折度,显著提高镁合金的耐蚀性。此外,MAO预处理使涂层具有强的附着力,这更有利于ZIF-67密封微孔。本研究对于降低MOF涂层在所有金属基底上的应用限制具有重要意义。

电解液pH值对镁合金表面灌注液体型光滑多孔表面耐腐蚀性能的影响

在AZ31镁合金表面制备灌注液体型光滑多孔表面(SLIPS),从而为镁合金提供腐蚀防护。将粗糙多孔的层状双金属氢氧化物(LDH)作为纳米容器,用以盛放液体润滑液。通过调节电解液的pH值,获得用于构筑SLIPS的最佳LDH膜层。研究不同pH值对SLIPS表面形貌、表面润湿性和电化学行为的影响规律。结果表明,当pH值为10.5时,所制备的MgAl-LDH膜层厚度最大,为3.51μm,其可盛放最多的硅油,质量高达0.22mg/mm^(2),使得该MgAl-LDH膜层所构筑的SLIPS可为镁合金提供最优的腐蚀防护性能,腐蚀电流密度最低,为3.72×10^(-9)A/cm^(2)。另一方面,与超疏水表面相比,无论在电化学测试还是在长期浸泡试验中,SLIPS均可为AZ31镁合金基体提供更好的腐蚀防护。镁合金耐腐蚀性能的提高将进一步促进其在实践中的广泛应用。

Progress and prospects in Mg-alloy super-sized high pressure die casting for automotive structural components

Since the introduction of Tesla's Giga-Casting process, the automotive industry has widely accepted the concept of super-sized structural components due to their significant potential for enhancing the light-weighting of both electric and internal combustion engine vehicles.These super-sized components can be further lightened by using Mg alloys because of their exceptional lightweight characteristics, with a density only two-thirds that of aluminium alloys and one-fourth that of steel. This outstanding attribute offers the attractive prospect of achieving significant weight reduction without compromising structural integrity. This review examines studies on the Mg-alloy HighPressure Die Casting(HPDC) process, providing insights into the future prospects of incorporating Mg alloys into super-sized automotive HPDC components.

Applications of magnesium alloys for aerospace:A review

With the increasingly excellent performance of magnesium alloy materials, magnesium alloys are increasingly widely used under the urgent need for weight reduction in aerospace applications. However, due to the severe aviation environment, the strength, corrosion resistance and electrical conductivity of magnesium alloy materials need to be further improved. Many scholars are committed to studying higher comprehensive mechanical properties. Besides, they have studied surface treatment processes with space application characteristics, such as high emissivity oxidation and high anti-corrosion electroplating. To further improve the safety and reliability of magnesium alloys and expand their applications, this paper discusses several kinds of magnesium alloys and summarizes their research progress. The whole manuscript should be revised by an expert who has more experience on English writing. At the same time, the surface treatments of magnesium alloy materials for aerospace are analyzed. Besides, the application of magnesium alloy in aerospace field is summarized. With the in-depth research of many scholars, the improvement of material properties and the development of surface protection and functional technology, it is believed that magnesium alloys will be used in more and more aerospace applications and make more contributions to the aerospace field.