Changes in macrophage infiltration and podocyte injury in lupus nephritis patients with repeated renal biopsy: Report of three cases

BACKGROUND In this study,we retrospectively analysed macrophage infiltration and podocyte injury in three patients with diffuse proliferative lupus nephritis(LN)who un-derwent repeated renal biopsy.CASE SUMMARY Clinical data of three diffuse proliferative LN patients with different pathological characteristics(case 1 was LN IV-G(A),case 2 was LN IV-G(A)+V,and case 3 was LN IV-G(A)+thrombotic microangiopathy)were reviewed.All patients underwent repeated renal biopsies 6 mo later,and renal biopsy specimens were studied.Macrophage infiltration was assessed by CD68 expression detected by immunohistochemical staining,and an immunofluorescence assay was used to detect podocin expression to assess podocyte damage.After treatment,Case 1 changed to LN III-(A),Case 2 remained as type V LN lesions,and Case 3,which changed to LN IV-S(A),had the worst prognosis.We observed reduced macro-phage infiltration after therapy.However,two of the patients with active lesions after treatment still showed macrophage infiltration in the renal interstitium.Before treatment,the three patients showed discontinuous expression of podocin.Notably,the integrity of podocin was restored after treatment in Case 1.CONCLUSION It may be possible to reverse podocyte damage and decrease the infiltrating ma-crophages in LN patients through effective treatment.

Eysenck personality and psychosocial status of adult patients with malocclusion

Objective:To evaluate the personality and psychosocial status of adult malocclusion patients through the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire(EPQ) and the Symptom Checklist 90(SCL-90). Methods:The EPQ and the SCL-90 were administered to 348 adult respondents with Angle’s ClassⅠ,Ⅱ,Ⅲmalocclusion and normal occlusion.Personality and psychosocial traits were analyzed and compared among the groups.Results:Patients in Angle’s ClassⅠ,D andⅢgroups scored lower on the EPQ-E and higher on the EPQ-N than those in the normal occlusion group, whereas patients in the Class II group scored higher on the EPQ-P.The mean scores of ClassⅠ,ⅡandⅢgroups were significantly higher than those of the normal group on somatization, obsessive-compulsiveness,interpersonal sensitivity,depression,anxiety,and paranoid ideation. All SCL-90 scores were significantly positively correlated with EPQ-N.Psychoticiam and neuroticism scores of female respondents were higher than those of male respondents.The impact of education was greatest on the EPQ-P and the EPQ-E of adult personality,whereas the impact of deformity was greatest on the EPQ-N of adult personality.Conclusions:Personality and psychosocial status show differences in adult patients with ClassⅠ,Ⅱ,Ⅲmalocclusion and normal occlusion and can be influenced by gender,deformity,age and education.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder after typhoon disaster and its correlation with platelet 5-HT concentrations

Objective:To investigate residents' psychological stress factors and research the correlation between Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD) and platelet 5-HT concentrations so as to provide scientific bases for diagnosis and treatment of PTSD and psychological intervention for people in the disaster area.Methods:A questionnaire survey of 5 500 residents who have accepted psychological help was conducted by the emphatic investigation method.While high performance liquid chromatography were used to detect the platelet serotonin concentration of 100 PTSD patients and 100 healthy people.Results:(1) Of the 5 114 cases,3 167(61.93%) showed positive results in screening for psychological stress symptoms,and 399(7.8%) were tested with apparent PTSD symptoms.Male and female prevalence showed no significant difference(X^2=-0.380,P=0.704).The differences of prevalence between different age groups were statistically significant(X^2=381.89,P=0.000).(2) The differences in the level of platelet 5-HT between PTSD patients and normal control group were statistically significant.Conclusions:The typhoon of Hainan province caused relatively large psychological problems to the disaster victims.Compared with normal control group,the platelet 5-HT levels of PTSD patients in the disaster areas are lower.It may be related to incidents exposure levels,cultural background,religious ideas,social concerns and psychological rescue of the residents who live in the disaster areas of Hainan.

Effect of Na^+ on xonotlite crystals in hydrothermal synthesis

The effect of Na＋ ion concentration on the crystalline phase composition and morphology of xonotlite crystals pre- pared in a CaO-SiO2-H20 system via hydrothermal synthesis was analyzed. X-ray diffraction （XRD） and scanning electron mi- croscopy （SEM） results indicate that Na＋ ion concentration has a significant impact on the composition and morphology of crystalline phases in the products under the initial conditions of a molar ratio of CaO/SiO2 of 1.0 and a reactant concentration of 0.05 mol.L-1 at 225℃ for 15 h. The main crystalline phase in the products has a phase transition from xonotlite to pectolite, and the morphology changes from fibrous to broomlike shape with the Na＋ ion concentration increasing. Therefore, the content of Na^O in the raw material should be less than 5wt% for preparing pure xonotlite crystals via hydrothermal synthesis in a CaO-SiO2-H20 system.

Tuning the thermal conductivity of strontium titanate through annealing treatments

Strontium titanate（SrTiO3） is a promising n-type material for thermoelectric applications. However, its relatively high thermal conductivity limits its performance in efficiently converting heat into electrical power through thermoelectric effect.This work shows that the thermal conductivity of SrTiO3 can be effectively reduced by annealing treatments, through an integrated study of laser flash measurement, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, x-ray absorption fine structure, and first-principles calculations. A phonon scattering model is proposed to explain the reduction of thermal conductivity after annealing. This work suggests a promising means to characterize and optimize the material for thermoelectric applications.

Dexmededomidine in pediatric unilateral internal inguinal ring ligation

BACKGROUND Safe and effective analgesia strategy remains one of the priorities for pediatric inguinal hernia treatment.AIM To explore safety and efficacy of dexmededomidine monotherapy for postoperative analgesia in children who received laparoscopic unilateral internal inguinal ring ligation.METHODS This randomized single-center controlled trial included 390 children(aged 1-3 years,ASA grade I-II),randomly divided into a dexmededomidine group(D group),a dexmededomidine+sufentanil group(DS group),and a sufentanil group(S group).The primary endpoint was percentage of children with the Face,Legs,Activity,Cry,and Consolability(FLACC)score≤3 points 2 h after surgery.RESULTS The comparisons of the FLACC scores at 2,4,6,8,12,and 24 h were not significantly different among the three groups(P>0.05).The sedative effects in the D group were significantly better than those in the S group(P>0.05),but not significantly different from those in the DS group.The incidence of nausea and vomiting was significantly lower in the D group than in the S group and DS group(P>0.05).CONCLUSION Analgesic effects of dexmededomidine monotherapy are comparable to those of sufentanil alone or in combination with dexmededomidine for children who underwent laparoscopic unilateral internal inguinal ring ligation,with better sedative effects and a lower incidence of adverse events.

Consensus statement on layout and delivery of automatic external defibrillator in China

1.Introduction Sudden cardiac death(SCD)refers to sudden death due to a variety of cardiac causes.It is manifested as a sudden loss of consciousness,cardiac arrest,and respiratory arrest and generally shows early symptoms that are atypical and not easily detected[1].According to a recent study,nearly 544000 patients suffer from SCD every year in China[2].

Structure-controlled slow dynamics in Al−Mg melts

Molecular dynamics simulation was employed to investigate the dynamical and structural properties of Al−Mg melts with the Al concentration systematically changed.The results show that the viscosity of Al67Mg33 abnormally surpasses that of Al85Mg15 below 550 K,inconsistent with the tendency at high temperatures.The evolution of the icosahedral order population is found to account for this dynamic behavior.Structural analysis shows a preferred bonding between Al and Mg atoms in the nearest neighbor shells,while a repelling tendency between them in the second shells,leading to the prepeak emergence in the partial static structure factors.The formation of icosahedral clusters is constrained in the Al-rich compositions because of the lack of sufficient Mg atoms to stabilize the clusters geometrically.These results demonstrate the structural consequence through the interplay between geometric packing and chemical interaction.These findings are crucial to understanding the structure−dynamic properties in Al−Mg melts.

Prediction of cutting power and surface quality, and optimization of cutting parameters using new inference system in high-speed milling process

During the actual high-speed machining process,it is necessary to reduce the energy consumption and improve the machined surface quality.However,the appropriate prediction models and optimal cutting parameters are difficult to obtain in complex machining environments.Herein,a novel intelligent system is proposed for prediction and optimization.A novel adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system(NANFIS)is proposed to predict the energy consumption and surface quality.In the NANFIS model,the membership functions of the inputs are expanded into:membership superior and membership inferior.The membership functions are varied based on the machining theory.The inputs of the NANFIS model are cutting parameters,and the outputs are the machining performances.For optimization,the optimal cutting parameters are obtained using the improved particle swarm optimization(IPSO)algorithm and NANFIS models.Additionally,the IPSO algorithm as a learning algorithm is used to train the NANFIS models.The proposed intelligent system is applied to the high-speed milling process of compacted graphite iron.The experimental results show that the predictions of energy consumption and surface roughness by adopting the NANFIS models are up to 91.2%and 93.4%,respectively.The NANFIS models can predict the energy consumption and surface roughness more accurately compared with other intelligent models.Based on the IPSO algorithm and NANFIS models,the optimal cutting parameters are obtained and validated to reduce both the cutting power and surface roughness and improve the milling efficiency.It is demonstrated that the proposed intelligent system is applicable to actual high-speed milling processes,thereby enabling sustainable and intelligent manufacturing.