Probing the Internal Physics of Neutron Stars through the Observed Braking Indices and Magnetic Tilt Angles of Several Young Pulsars

The braking indices of pulsars may contain important information about the internal physics of neutron stars(NSs),such as neutron superfluidity and internal magnetic fields.As a subsequent paper of Cheng et al.,we perform the same analysis as that done in the previous paper to other young pulsars with a steady braking index,n.Combining the timing data of these pulsars with the theory of magnetic field decay,and using their measured magnetic tilt angles,we can set constraints on the number of precession cycles,ξ,which represents the interactions between superfluid neutrons and other particles in the NS interior.For the pulsars considered in this paper,the results show thatξis within the range of a few×10~3 to a few×10~6.Interestingly,for the Crab and Vela pulsars,the constraints onξobtained with our method are generally consistent with that derived from modeling of the glitch rise behaviors of the two pulsars.Furthermore,we find that the internal magnetic fields of pulsar with n<3 may be dominated by the toroidal components.Our results may not only help to understand the interactions between the superfluid neutrons and other particles in the interior of NSs but also be important for the study of continuous gravitational waves from pulsars.

Study on prescription medication mode and mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of noncritical COVID-19 based on data mining

Background:As of 2023,coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)is still spreading globally.Therefore,we aim to integrate non-critical COVID-19 high-frequency and high-targeting Chinese medicines to provide a reference for clinical prescriptions to improve COVID-19-related symptoms.Materials and methods:The information on non-critical COVID-19 high-frequency Chinese medicines in the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 was obtained by the TCM inheritance support platform.Using network pharmacology and molecular docking technology,high-targeting Chinese medicines with good docking activity with COVID-19 receptors angiotensin-converting enzyme-II(ACE2),3CLpro and tyrosine-protein kinase receptor UFO(AXL)were obtained.A new prescription for non-critical COVID-19 was established by integrating high-frequency and high-targeting Chinese medicines.Rats with acute lung injury induced by lipopolysaccharide were used as the experimental model.The histopathological changes in the lungs of rats in each group were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining.The lung coefficient of rats was measured.The levels of IL-6,TNF-α,and IL-1βin serum were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.The mRNA and protein levels of ACE2 and AXL in lung tissue were detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot.Results:Through data mining,it was found that there were 39 high-frequency traditional Chinese medicines for non-critical COVID-19 in the diagnosis and treatment guidelines.According to network pharmacology and molecular docking,30 highly targeted traditional Chinese drugs for COVID-19 were found.The new prescriptions for non-critical COVID-19 were comprehensively obtained,including Glycyrrhizae Radix,Ephedra Herba,Amygdalus Communis Vas,Gypsum Fibrosum,Descurainiae Semen,Atractylodes Lancea,Scutellariae Radix,Amomum Tsao-Ko Crevostet,Forsythiae Fructus,Pogostemon cablin,Magnolia Officinalis.Compared with the LPS-induced lung injury model group,the medium dose of the new prescription group had significantly alleviated pathological changes in lung tissue,decreased lung coefficient,decreased contents of IL-6,TNF-αand IL-1β,and increased mRNA and protein expression of ACE2 and AXL(P<0.05).Conclusion:Based on data mining,network pharmacology and molecular docking technology,the new prescription for non-critical COVID-19 established by this method has an anti-inflammatory effect on rats with acute lung injury induced by lipopolysaccharide and can provide a reference for clinicians to alleviate the symptoms related to non-critical COVID-19.

The mechanism of TCM prevention and treatment of heavy COVID-19 based on data mining and network pharmacology

Objective:Using big data mining technology and network pharmacology,this study aimed to identify the dominant traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)for the prophylaxis and treatment of severe Corona Virus Disease 2019(COVID-19),predict the pharmacological mechanism of the dominant anti-epidemic TCM,and provide clinical guidance for COVID-19 prevention and control.Methods:The Traditional Chinese Medicine Inheritance Computing Platform V3.0 was utilized to identify the high-frequency TCM in the adult severe prescriptions of the national Diagnosis and Treatment Plan for COVID-19(Trial 10th edition)and the TCM prophylaxis and cure plan for COVID-19 in 27 regions.The active ingredients and potential targets of the high-frequency core drugs were analyzed using Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Technology Platform,Traditional Chinese Medicine Integrated Database,and Traditional Chinese Medicine Encyclopedia Database,and the network of“core drug active ingredient-potential targets”was obtained.The String platform was used to establish the protein-protein interaction structure chart,and Cytoscape software was used for visualization and network topology analysis to identify pivotal targets.Signal pathway enrichment analysis of the core targets was performed,and the affinity of the active components entering the blood was predicted by docking with the related targets of the novel coronavirus.Results:Ellagic acid,Vestitol,naringin,dehydroglyasperins C,quercetin,and kaemol were identified as 67 active constituents in the blood.After docking the active constituents with angiotensin-converting enzyme II,3C-likeProteinase,and tyrosine protein kinase receptor UFO,they all showed good affinity.The pivotal targets mainly involved inflammatory factors such as IL-6 and TNF.Pathway concentration analysis of gene ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways focused on inflammatory and immune-related pathways such as the TNF signaling pathway.Conclusion:The high-frequency core drugs may act on the body through active components such as ellagic acid,Vestitol,naringin,dehydroglyasperins C,quercetin,and kaemol.Inflammatory and related immune pathways,such as the TNF signaling pathway,may suppress cytokine storms and effectively treat patients with severe COVID-19.

用纳米羟基磷灰石@多孔碳构建锂硫电池高效反应界面

由于正极活性物质硫具有能量密度高、成本低廉和储量丰富等优点,锂硫(Li-S)电池受到了人们的极大关注。然而,锂硫电池充放电过程中产生的多硫化锂的“穿梭效应”严重阻碍了其实用化进程。为了解决这个问题,本研究借助动物软骨的组成和结构特点,制备了纳米羟基磷灰石@多孔碳(nano-HA@CCPC)复合材料,并以此设计了面向正极的锂硫电池隔膜涂层。研究表明,纳米羟基磷灰石不仅对多硫化物具有吸附固定作用,并且对多硫化锂的转化具有催化作用,加快了多硫化锂的氧化还原动力学,有效地提升了活性物质硫的利用率。另外,软骨基碳复合材料的多孔结构形成了很好的导电网络,为电化学反应提供了优良的电子传导路径;也有利于电解液的浸润,加快了离子传输;碳的氮原子掺杂进一步限制了多硫化物的穿梭效应。因此,采用nano-HA@CCPC隔膜涂层的锂硫电池表现出较长的循环寿命、低的容量损失以及高的倍率性能。在0.5 C下,循环325次后,电池仍然能保持815 m Ah·g^(-1)的放电比容量,并且每次的容量衰减率仅为0.051%。nano-HA@CCPC的设计制备将为锂硫电池的发展提供新材料。

Artificial intelligence in medical imaging of the liver

Artificial intelligence(AI), particularly deep learning algorithms, is gaining extensive attention for its excellent performance in image-recognition tasks. They can automatically make a quantitative assessment of complex medical image characteristics and achieve an increased accuracy for diagnosis with higher efficiency. AI is widely used and getting increasingly popular in the medical imaging of the liver, including radiology, ultrasound, and nuclear medicine. AI can assist physicians to make more accurate and reproductive imaging diagnosis and also reduce the physicians' workload. This article illustrates basic technical knowledge about AI, including traditional machine learning and deep learning algorithms, especially convolutional neural networks, and their clinical application in the medical imaging of liver diseases, such as detecting and evaluating focal liver lesions, facilitating treatment, and predicting liver treatment response. We conclude that machine-assisted medical services will be a promising solution for future liver medical care. Lastly, we discuss the challenges and future directions of clinical application of deep learning techniques.

Artificial intelligence in breast ultrasound

Artificial intelligence(AI) is gaining extensive attention for its excellent performance in image-recognition tasks and increasingly applied in breast ultrasound. AI can conduct a quantitative assessment by recognizing imaging information automatically and make more accurate and reproductive imaging diagnosis. Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women,severely threatening women's health, the early screening of which is closely related to the prognosis of patients. Therefore, utilization of AI in breast cancer screening and detection is of great significance, which can not only save time for radiologists, but also make up for experience and skill deficiency on some beginners. This article illustrates the basic technical knowledge regarding AI in breast ultrasound, including early machine learning algorithms and deep learning algorithms, and their application in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant masses. At last, we talk about the future perspectives of AI in breast ultrasound.

锂硫电池用高度环化硫化聚丙烯腈的制备

硫化聚丙烯腈因其不溶解机制和有效缓解锂硫电池中多硫化物“穿梭效应”,被认为是具有吸引力的锂硫电池正极候选材料。硫化聚丙烯腈的导电聚合物骨架具有优异的电子导电性,同时共轭主链能有效解决充放电过程中硫正极体积变化引起的正极结构坍塌问题。因硫化聚丙烯腈的固-固反应机理,有效克服了传统硫正极在醚类电解液中多硫化物溶解及穿梭效应的问题,具有高正极活性物质利用率、出色的循环稳定性和结构稳定性等优势。有许多研究工作致力于通过硫化促进剂来提高硫化聚丙烯腈的硫含量,进而提高材料的能量密度。其中,硫化聚丙烯腈主链的环化度与循环稳定性的关系引起了我们的关注。在该研究工作中,通过在硫化过程中引入无水硫酸铜和正乙基正苯基二硫代氨基甲酸锌(ZDB)合成了SPAN-C-V复合材料。无水硫酸铜和ZDB的共同引入降低了聚丙烯腈环化反应的起始温度,同时提高了产物SPAN-C-V内碳碳双键的含量,在提高了材料硫含量的同时提高了其环化度。以SPAN-C-V为正极活性物质所组装的锂硫电池展现出良好的循环稳定性和倍率性能:在0.2 C(1 C=600 mAh·kg^(-1))下循环100次后的可逆容量为601 mAh·kg^(-1),容量保持率为93%。该工作对于硫化聚丙烯腈材料的发展提供了参考。

Hormonal therapy might be a better choice as maintenance treatment than capecitabine after response to first-line capecitabine-based combination chemotherapy for patients with hormone receptor-positive and HER2-negative,metastatic breast cancer

Background:Both hormonal therapy(HT) and maintenance capecitabine monotherapy(MCT) have been shown to extend time to progression(TTP) in patients with metastatic breast cancer(MBC) after failure of taxanes and anthracycline?containing regimens.However,no clinical trials have directly compared the efficacy of MCT and HT after response to first?line capecitabine?based combination chemotherapy(FCCT) in patients with hormone receptor(HR)?positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER2)?negative breast cancer.Methods:We retrospectively analyzed the charts of 138 HR?positive and HER2?negative MBC patients who were in non?progression status after FCCT and who were treated between 2003 and 2012 at the Cancer Institute and Hospital,Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences,in Beijing,China.The median number of first?line chemotherapy cycles was 6(range,4–8);combined agents included taxanes,vinorelbine,or gemcitabine.Of these 138 patients,79 received MCT,and 59 received HT.Single?agent capecitabine was administered at a dose of 1250 mg/m2 twice daily for 14 days,followed by a 7?day rest period,repeated every 3 weeks.Of the 59 patients who received HT,37 received aromatase inhibitors(AIs),8 received selective estrogen receptor modulators(SERMs),and 14 received goserelin plus either AIs or SERMs.We then compared the MCT group and HT group in terms of treatment efficacy.Results:With a median follow?up of 43 months,patients in the HT group had a much longer TTP than patients in the MCT group(13 vs.8 months,P ease?free surviv= 0.011).When TTP was adjusted for age,menopausal status,Karnofsky performance status score,disal,site of metastasis,number of metastatic sites,and response status after FCCT,extended TTP was still observed for patients in the HT group(hazard ratio:0.63;95% confidence interval:0.44–0.93;P = 0.020).We also observed a trend of overall survival advantage for patients in the HT group vs.patients in the MCT group,but the difference was not significant(43 vs.37 months,P tients in the MCT g= 0.400).In addition,patients in the HT group gen?erally tolerated the treatment well,whereas paroup experienced grades 3–4 adverse events,the most frequent of which were hand?foot syndrome(15.8%) and hematologic abnormalities(7.6%).Conclusion:For HR?positive and HER2?negative MBC patients,HT might be considered a treatment after response to FCCT but prior to MCT as a long?term administration.

Artificial intelligence in liver ultrasound

Artificial intelligence(AI)is playing an increasingly important role in medicine,especially in the field of medical imaging.It can be used to diagnose diseases and predict certain statuses and possible events that may happen.Recently,more and more studies have confirmed the value of AI based on ultrasound in the evaluation of diffuse liver diseases and focal liver lesions.It can assess the severity of liver fibrosis and nonalcoholic fatty liver,differentially diagnose benign and malignant liver lesions,distinguish primary from secondary liver cancers,predict the curative effect of liver cancer treatment and recurrence after treatment,and predict microvascular invasion in hepatocellular carcinoma.The findings from these studies have great clinical application potential in the near future.The purpose of this review is to comprehensively introduce the current status and future perspectives of AI in liver ultrasound.

Modified subintimal plaque modification improving future recanalization of chronic total occlusion percutaneous coronary intervention

Background Subintimal plaque modification(SPM) is often performed to restore antegrade flow and facilitate subsequent lesion recanalization. This study aimed to compare the safety and efficacy of modified SPM with traditional SPM. Methods A total of 1454 consecutive patients who failed a chronic total occlusion percutaneous coronary intervention(CTO PCI) attempt and underwent SPM from January 2015 to December 2019 at our hospital were reviewed retrospectively. Fifty-four patients who underwent SPM finally were included in this study. We analyzed the outcomes of all the patients, and the primary endpoint was recanalization rate, which was defined as Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction(TIMI) grades 2-3 flow on angiography 30 to 90 days post-procedure. Results The baseline characteristics were similar between the two groups. In the follow-up, the recanalization rate was noticeably higher in the modified SPM group compared with the traditional SPM group(90.9% vs. 62.5%, P < 0.05). The proposed strategy in the modified group was more aggressive, including a larger balloon size(1.83 ± 0.30 vs. 2.48 ± 0.26 mm, P < 0.05) and longer subintimal angioplasty(0.59 ± 0.16 vs. 0.92 ± 0.12 mm, P < 0.05). Also, the common use of a Stingray balloon and guide catheter extension resulted in improvement of patients in the modified SMP group(12.5% vs. 100%, P < 0.05). Conclusion Modified SPM, which is associated with a high likelihood of successful recanalization, is an effective and safe CTO PCI bail out strategy.

Effects of Norepinephrine on Renal Cortical and Medullary Blood Flow in Atherosclerotic Rabbits

Objective The aim of this study was to explore the effect of norepinephrine(NE)on renal cortical and medullary blood flow in atherosclerotic rabbits without renal artery stenosis.Methods Atherosclerosis was induced in 21 New Zealand white rabbits by feeding them a cholesterol-rich diet for 16 weeks.Thirteen healthy New Zealand white rabbits were randomly selected as controls.After atherosclerosis induction,standard ultrasonography was performed to confirm that there was no plaque or accelerated flow at the origin of the renal artery.Contrast-enhanced ultrasound(CEUS)was performed at baseline and during intravenous injection of NE.The degree of contrast enhancement of renal cortex and medulla after the injection of contrast agents was quantified by calculating the enhanced intensity.Results The serum nitric oxide(NO)level in atherosclerotic rabbits was higher than that in healthy rabbits(299.6±152 vs.136.5±49.5,P<0.001).The infusion of NE induced a significant increase in the systolic blood pressure(112±14 mmHg vs.84±9 mmHg,P=0.016)and a significant decrease in the enhanced intensity in renal cortex(17.78±2.07 dB vs.21.19±2.03 dB,P<0.001)and renal medulla(14.87±1.82 dB vs.17.14±1.89 dB,P<0.001)during CEUS.However,the enhanced intensity in the cortex and medulla of healthy rabbits after NE infusion showed no significant difference from that at baseline.Conclusion NE may reduce renal cortical and medullary blood flow in atherosclerotic rabbits without renal artery stenosis,partly by reducing the serum NO level.

双列圆锥滚子轴承内圈端面间隙偏差对其力学特性的影响

双列圆锥滚子轴承的内圈为分体式结构,其设计加工过程中,两内圈尺寸必然存在偏差,其端面间隙偏差大小将直接影响轴承内部接触的力学性能和刚度特性,但影响规律尚不明确。本文建立考虑内圈端面间隙的双列圆锥滚子轴承有限元模型,开展不同载荷工况下内圈端面间隙对轴承内部接触与刚度特性影响研究,获得内圈端面间隙偏差对轴承接触应力和刚度的影响规律。研究表明:内圈端面间隙变化会引起双列圆锥滚子轴承力学特性的改变,需要对间隙偏差进行控制;随着内圈间隙增加,双列圆锥滚子轴承的滚子与滚道间接触应力增大,两内圈端面之间的应力减小,轴承刚度增加;当间隙增加到一定值后,轴承内部接触力学特性以及轴承刚度变化将不明显,以此作为间隙偏差控制范围。

Current Mycoplasma pneumoniae epidemic among children in Shanghai:unusual pneumonia caused by usual pathogen

Mycoplasma pneumoniae(M.pneumoniae),primarily transmitted through respiratory droplets when infected individuals cough or sneeze,is a common cause of communityacquired pneumonia,especially among school-age children and adolescents.The infection occurs endemically with an epidemic peak every few years.The worldwide incidence confirmed by direct test methods was reported to be 8.61%between 2017 and 2020 across all age groups[1].