Common Artifacts and Remedies in Histological Preparations

The importance of the accuracy of preparing biological specimen as histological sections that can be examined under a microscope lies in reflecting a true image of the tissue that includes all its components, which are used in scientific research or for the purpose of diagnosing various diseases of the body. Despite this, some cellular structures within the tissue may suffer from some alterations that result from the appearance of defects during any stage of preparing these microscopic sections, which alter or interfere with the precise cellular structures and morphology that constitute the tissue and thus give a different image for tissue features and cause confusion in the work histopathologist in the diagnosis. There are several reasons that can cause a misdiagnosis of the sample that occurs during the surgical separation process or after separation during the stages of microscopic preparation techniques from fixation stage, tissue processing, embedding or microtomy, staining until mounting procedures. The constant need to identify these defects and their causes in addition to try to reduce them is one of the biggest challenges evident in pathology laboratories. Therefore, this study aims to review the most common defects that occur in any stage of tissue processing, with an explanation of their causes and appropriate ways to avoid them.

Aβ-Carotene Ketolase Gene NfcrtO from Subaerial Cyanobacteria Confers Drought Tolerance in Rice

Nostoc flagelliforme is a terrestrial cyanobacterium that can resist many types of stressors,including drought,ultraviolet radiation,and extreme temperatures.In this study,we identified the drought tolerance gene NfcrtO,which encodes aβ-carotene ketolase,through screening the transcriptome of N.flagelliforme under water loss stress.Prokaryotic expression of NfcrtO under 0.6 mol/L sorbitol or under 0.3 mol/L NaCl stress significantly increased the growth rate of Escherichia coli.When NfcrtO was heterologously expressed in rice,the seedling height and root length of NfcrtO-overexpressing rice plants were significantly higher than those of the wild type(WT)plants grown on½Murashige and Skoog solid medium with 120 mmol/L mannitol at the seedling stage.Transcriptome analysis revealed that NfcrtO was involved in osmotic stress,antioxidant,and other stress-related pathways.Additionally,the survival rate of the NfcrtO-overexpression lines was significantly higher than that of the WT line under both hydroponic stress(24%PEG and 100 mmol/L H_(2)O_(2))and soil drought treatment at the seedling stage.Physiological traits,including the activity levels of superoxide dismutase,peroxidase,catalase,total antioxidant capacity,and the contents of proline,trehalose,and soluble sugar,were significantly improved in the NfcrtO-overexpression lines relative to those in the WT line under 20%PEG treatment.Furthermore,when water was withheld at the booting stage,the grain yield per plant of NfcrtO-overexpression lines was significantly higher than that of the WT line.Yeast two-hybrid analysis identified interactions between NfcrtO and Dna J protein,E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase,and pyrophosphate-energized vacuolar membrane proton pump.Thus,heterologous expression of NfcrtO in rice could significantly improve the tolerance of rice to osmotic stress,potentially facilitating the development of new rice varieties.

Clinical Value of Endodontic Patients Treated with Calcium Hydroxide Preparations

Objective: To investigate the clinical value of endodontics patients treated with calcium hydroxide preparation. Methods: The study cases were selected from the endodontics patients who visited our hospital during the period from January 2022 to December 2023, and 97 cases were randomly selected according to the numerical table method and divided into two groups. There were 49 cases in the control group and 48 cases in the experimental group. The control group received conventional therapy, while the experimental group received treatment with calcium hydroxide preparation, and the clinical value of the two different treatment modalities was observed and analyzed. Results: In the experimental group, 45 out of 48 patients (93.75%) showed effectiveness, compared to 39 out of 49 patients (79.59%) in the control group. The effectiveness rate was significantly higher in the experimental group (P < 0.05). Initially, the VAS scores between the two groups were similar (P > 0.05), but after 1 and 3 months of treatment, the scores decreased in both groups. However, the experimental group had a greater decrease, indicating lower pain levels (P < 0.05). The experimental group had fewer complications (8.33%) compared to the control group (24.49%), with a significant difference (P < 0.05). Satisfaction with treatment was higher in the experimental group (95.83%) compared to the control group (95.83%), resulting in an overall higher satisfaction rate in the experimental group (83.67%;P < 0.05). Conclusion: The treatment effect of endodontics with calcium hydroxide preparation is remarkable, which not only can effectively help patients to relieve their pain and reduce the incidence of complications but also plays an important role in improving patients’ satisfaction with treatment, which is worthwhile to be vigorously promoted in the clinic and learn from it.

Emerging space for non-polyethene-glycol bowel preparations in inflammatory bowel disease-related colonoscopy:Veering toward better adherence and palatability

Patients with inflammatory bowel diseases(IBDs)require repeated endoscopic evaluations over time by colonoscopy to weigh disease activity but also for different and additional indications(e.g.,evaluation of postoperative recurrence,colorectal cancer surveillance).Colonoscopy,however,requires adequate bowel preparation to be of quality.The latter is achieved as long as the patient takes a certain amount of product to have a number of bowel movements suitable to clean the colon and allow optimal visualization of the mucosa during endoscopy.However,significant guidelines recommend preparations for patients with IBD not excelling in palatability.This recommendation originates from the fact that most of the studies conducted on bowel preparations in patients with IBD have been done with isosmolar preparations based on polyethylene glycol(PEG),for which,therefore,more safety data exist.As a result,the low-volume non-PEG preparations(e.g.,magnesium citrate plus picosulphate,oral sulphate solutions)have been set aside for the whole range of warnings to be heeded because of their hyperosmolarity.New studies,however,are emerging,leaning in overall for a paradigm shift in this matter.Indeed,such non-PEG preparations seem to show a particularly encouraging and engaging safety profile when considering their broad potential for tolerability and patient preference.Indeed,such evidence is insufficient to indicate such preparations in all patients with IBD but may pave the way for those with remission or well-controlled disease.This article summarizes the central studies conducted in IBD settings using non-PEG preparations by discussing their results.

Study on the interaction between β-carotene and gut microflora using an in vitro fermentation model

β-Carotene,a typical non-oxygenated carotenoid,is the most efficient source of retinol(VA).The low bio-availability ofβ-carotene lead to large accumulation in colon;however,the relationship betweenβ-carotene and gut microflora remains unclear.This study intends to explore the interaction betweenβ-carotene and gut microflora using an in vitro fermentation model.After 24 h fermentation,the degradation rate ofβ-carotene was(64.28±6.23)%,which was 1.46 times that of the group without gut microflora.Meanwhile,the production of VA was nearly 2 times that of the group without gut microflora,indicating that the gut microflora can metabolizeβ-carotene into VA.β-Carotene also influences the production of short-chain fatty acids(SCFAs),the production of total SCFAs in 0.5 mg/mLβ-carotene(BCM)group was(44.00±1.16)mmol/L,which was 2.26 times that of the blank control(BLK)group.Among them,the production of acetic acid in BCM group was(19.06±0.82)mmol/L,which was 2.64 time that of the BLK group.Furthermore,β-carotene significantly affected the structure and composition of gut microflora,increasing the abundance of Roseburia,Parasutterella and Lachnospiraceae,and decreasing the abundance of Dialister,Collinsella and Enterobacter(P<0.05).This study provides a new way to understand howβ-carotene works in human body with gut microflora.

Application and Practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine Characteristic Technology Inheritance in Research and Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine Preparations in Medical Institutions

Medical institution preparations play an important role in the development of hospitals,being one of the main forms of traditional Chinese medicine clinical characteristic medication,as well as an important carrier for the inheritance and innovation of traditional Chinese medicine.In recent years,the research and development of traditional Chinese medicine preparations has become a hot spot in the research and development of preparations by medical institutions.Traditional Chinese medicine preparations prepared by traditional processes and their entrusted preparation matters have changed from the current licensing management to filing management.The registration model of traditional Chinese medicine preparations has undergone significant changes,emphasizing more on real data and evaluation results from the objective world,respecting traditional medication experience,and emphasizing the inheritance and innovative development of traditional technological experience.In the process of following teachers in the inheritance project of traditional Chinese medicine,we combined the inheritance of traditional Chinese medicine characteristic technology with the research and development practice of traditional Chinese medicine preparations in medical institutions,and focused on the analysis and discussion of technical problems such as prescription screening,dosage form selection,process route design and clinical observation of traditional Chinese medicine preparations,hoping to provide reference for scholars in the same field of traditional Chinese medicine.

On-spot preparation of EDTA solution for the treatment of band keratopathy:a case report

Dear Editor,We report a case of band keratopathy who experienced several ocular surgeries,secondary uveitis and glaucoma which eventually led to severe band keratopathy.We use commonly-used vacuum blood collection tubes with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid dipotassium salt(EDTA-K2)to prepare chelation solution on-spot to remove the calcium deposits on the corneal surface.It is proved to be relatively safety,efficacy,cost-effective.

Preparation and Thermal Stability of AlMoON Based Solar Selective Absorption Coating

AlMoON based solar selective absorption coatings were deposited on stainless steel substrate by magnetron sputtering.The coatings included infrared reflection layer Mo,absorption layer AlMoN,absorption layer AlMoON and antireflection layer AlMoO from bottom to top.The surface of the deposited coatings is flat without obvious defects.The absorptivity and emissivity are 0.896 and 0.09,respectively,and the quality factor is 9.96.After heat treatment at 500℃-36 h,the surface roughness of the coating increases,a small number of cracks and other defects appear,and the broken part is still attached to the coating surface.A certain degree of element diffusion occurs in the coatings,resulting in the decline of the optical properties of the coatings.The absorptivity and emissivity are 0.883 and 0.131,respectively,the quality factor is 7.06,and the PC value is 0.0335.The coatings do not fail under this condition and have certain thermal stability.

Progress in preparation of AlN-reinforced magnesium matrix composites:A review

As a ceramic material,AlN has very good thermophysical and mechanical properties.In addition,AlN is an effective refining agent for Mg alloys because it has a lattice constant similar to that of Mg.Therefore,AlN is an ideal reinforcement for magnesium matrix composites(MMCs),and is attracting increasing attention.This review addresses the development of preparation technologies for AlN-reinforced Mg matrix composites.The mainstream preparation techniques include stir casting,melt infiltration,powder metallurgy,and in-situ methods.In addition,the advantages and disadvantages of these techniques are analyzed in depth,and it is pointed out that the next direction for the preparation of high-performance AlN-reinforced MMCs is less aluminization and multiple technologies integration.

Research Progress of Bowel Preparation for Colonoscopy

Colorectal cancer ranks third in the global cancer data in 2020. Colorectal scope is the most effective method to diagnose colorectal diseases such as benign and malignant colorectal tumors. The poor quality of intestinal preparation causes an increased rate of missed diagnosis of colorectal tumors, reduces the rate of cecal intubation for colorectal examination, increases the discomfort, and reduces the compliance of re-examination. Therefore, we should try our best to improve the quality of intestinal preparation. This study reviewed the latest advances related to the preoperative preparation for colonoscopy. Recent research shows that smartphone apps can provide more detailed education and guidance on bowel preparation;Pre-packaged foods are more suitable as a way to eat before colonoscopy. The use of smaller doses, better taste of cathartic agents, and some auxiliary measures, combined with the patient’s situation to provide personalized intestinal preparation measures to improve the quality of intestinal preparation. Starting from the quality of colonoscopy bowel preparation, continuous improvement of patients’ tolerance to bowel preparation, continuous improvement of bowel preparation plan based on individual factors’ needs, and better communication with examined subjects by using existing scientific information technology, may be the hot spot of colonoscopy bowel preparation research in the next few years.

Preparation of single atom catalysts for high sensitive gas sensing

Single atom catalysts(SACs)have garnered significant attention in the field of catalysis over the past decade due to their exceptional atom utilization efficiency and distinct physical and chemical properties.For the semiconductor-based electrical gas sensor,the core is the catalysis process of target gas molecules on the sensitive materials.In this context,the SACs offer great potential for highly sensitive and selective gas sensing,however,only some of the bubbles come to the surface.To facilitate practical applications,we present a comprehensive review of the preparation strategies for SACs,with a focus on overcoming the challenges of aggregation and low loading.Extensive research efforts have been devoted to investigating the gas sensing mechanism,exploring sensitive materials,optimizing device structures,and refining signal post-processing techniques.Finally,the challenges and future perspectives on the SACs based gas sensing are presented.

Characterization, preparation, and reuse of metallic powders for laser powder bed fusion: a review

Laser powder bed fusion(L-PBF) has attracted significant attention in both the industry and academic fields since its inception, providing unprecedented advantages to fabricate complex-shaped metallic components. The printing quality and performance of L-PBF alloys are infuenced by numerous variables consisting of feedstock powders, manufacturing process,and post-treatment. As the starting materials, metallic powders play a critical role in infuencing the fabrication cost, printing consistency, and properties. Given their deterministic roles, the present review aims to retrospect the recent progress on metallic powders for L-PBF including characterization, preparation, and reuse. The powder characterization mainly serves for printing consistency while powder preparation and reuse are introduced to reduce the fabrication costs.Various powder characterization and preparation methods are presented in the beginning by analyzing the measurement principles, advantages, and limitations. Subsequently, the effect of powder reuse on the powder characteristics and mechanical performance of L-PBF parts is analyzed, focusing on steels, nickel-based superalloys, titanium and titanium alloys, and aluminum alloys. The evolution trends of powders and L-PBF parts vary depending on specific alloy systems, which makes the proposal of a unified reuse protocol infeasible. Finally,perspectives are presented to cater to the increased applications of L-PBF technologies for future investigations. The present state-of-the-art work can pave the way for the broad industrial applications of L-PBF by enhancing printing consistency and reducing the total costs from the perspective of powders.

Insight into demand-driven preparation of single-atomic mediators for lithium–sulfur batteries

Lithium-sulfur(Li-S) batteries have attracted considerable attention as one of the most appealing energy storage systems.Strenuous efforts have been devoted to tackling the tremendous challenges,mainly pertaining to the severe shuttle effect,sluggish redox kinetics and lithium dendritic growth.Single-atomic mediators as promising candidates exhibit impressive performance in addressing these intractable issues.Related research often utilizes a trial-and-error approach,proposing solutions to fabricate single-atomic materials with diversified features.However,comprehensive review articles especially targeting demand-driven preparation are still in a nascent stage.Inspired by these considerations,this review summarizes the design of single-atomic mediators based on the application case-studies in LiS batteries and other metal-sulfur systems.Emerging preparation routes represented by chemical vapor deposition technology are introduced in a demand-oriented classification.Finally,future research directions are proposed to foster the advancement of single-atomic mediators in Li-S realm.

Effects of site preparation methods on soil physical properties and outplanting success of coniferous seedlings in boreal forests

This study assessed the effect of patch scarification and mounding on the physical properties of the root layer and the success of tree planting in various types of forests.This study was conducted on 12 forest sites in taiga forests of the European part of Russia.A total of 54 plots were set up to assess seedling survival;root collar diameter,height,and heigh increment were measured for 240 seedlings to assess growth.In the rooting layer,240 soil samples were taken to determine physical properties.The study showed that soil treatment methods had no effect on bulk density and total porosity in Cladina sites.However,reduced soil moisture was noted,particularly in mounds,resulting in increased aeration.In Myrtillus sites,there were increased bulk density,reduced soil moisture,and total porosity in the mounds.Mounding treatment in Polytrichum sites resulted in reduced soil moisture and increased aeration porosity.In the Myrtillus and Polytrichum sites,patch scarification had no effects on physical properties.In Polytrichum sites,survival rates,heights,and heigh increments of bareroot Norway spruce seedlings in mounds were higher than in patches;however,the same did not apply to diameter.In Cladina and Myrtillus sites,there was no difference in growth for bareroot and containerised seedlings with different soil treatments.Growing conditions and soil types should be considered when applying different soil treatment methods to ensure high survival rates and successful seedling growth.

Protected simultaneous quantum remote state preparation scheme by weak and reversal measurements in noisy environments

We discuss a quantum remote state preparation protocol by which two parties, Alice and Candy, prepare a single-qubit and a two-qubit state, respectively, at the site of the receiver Bob. The single-qubit state is known to Alice while the two-qubit state which is a non-maximally entangled Bell state is known to Candy. The three parties are connected through a single entangled state which acts as a quantum channel. We first describe the protocol in the ideal case when the entangled channel under use is in a pure state. After that, we consider the effect of amplitude damping(AD) noise on the quantum channel and describe the protocol executed through the noisy channel. The decrement of the fidelity is shown to occur with the increment in the noise parameter. This is shown by numerical computation in specific examples of the states to be created. Finally, we show that it is possible to maintain the label of fidelity to some extent and hence to decrease the effect of noise by the application of weak and reversal measurements. We also present a scheme for the generation of the five-qubit entangled resource which we require as a quantum channel. The generation scheme is run on the IBMQ platform.

Market Research on College Students' Acceptance of Prepared Dishes

With the accelerated pace of life and the demand for dietary diversification,more and more people begin to pay attention to the convenience and health of diet,and the prepared dishes market is getting more and more attention and favor because of its characteristics of convenient and quick.In order to understand the acceptance of college students' to the prepared dishes market,this paper aimed to collect college students' views and suggestions on the prepared dishes market by means of a questionnaire survey.By analyzing the results of the survey,we found that college students' generally have a positive attitude towards prepared dishes markets,and they believe that prepared dishes provides convenient,fast and diversified dietary choices.However,some college students' have some concerns about the quality and food safety of the prepared dishes market,such as adding too many food additives and preservatives.Through the research on college students' acceptance of the prepared dishes market,we can reveal the demand and potential problems of college students' for the prepared dishes market from the consumer s point of view,so as to provide a reference for the future development of the prepared dishes market.

Study of the reaction mechanism for preparing powdered activated coke with SO_(2)adsorption capability via one-step rapid activation method under flue gas atmosphere

In this study,the impact of different reaction times on the preparation of powdered activated carbon(PAC)using a one-step rapid activation method under flue gas atmosphere is investigated,and the underlying reaction mechanism is summarized.Results indicate that the reaction process of this method can be divided into three stages:stage I is the rapid release of volatiles and the rapid consumption of O_(2),primarily occurring within a reaction time range of 0-0.5 s;stage II is mainly the continuous release and diffusion of volatiles,which is the carbonization and activation coupling reaction stage,and the carbonization process is the main in this stage.This stage mainly occurs at the reaction time range of 0.5 -2.0 s when SL-coal is used as material,and that is 0.5-3.0 s when JJ-coal is used as material;stage III is mainly the activation stage,during which activated components diffuse to both the surface and interior of particles.This stage mainly involves the reaction stage of CO_(2)and H2O(g)activation,and it mainly occurs at the reaction time range of 2.0-4.0 s when SL-coal is used as material,and that is 3.0-4.0 s when JJ-coal is used as material.Besides,the main function of the first two stages is to provide more diffusion channels and contact surfaces/activation sites for the diffusion and activation of the activated components in the third stage.Mastering the reaction mechanism would serve as a crucial reference and foundation for designing the structure,size of the reactor,and optimal positioning of the activator nozzle in PAC preparation.

Optimization of Preparation of Oregano Oil Microspheres by Box-Behnken Response Surface Methodology

[Objectives]To optimize the formulation and preparation of oregano oil microspheres by Box-Behnken response surface methodology.[Methods]Chitosan was used as the carrier material to prepare oregano oil microspheres by emulsion crosslinking method.The encapsulation efficiency,drug loading and ID 50 were used as the evaluation indicators,and the comprehensive score(OD)obtained by"coefficient of variation-AHP comprehensive weighting method"was used as the final evaluation indicator.The formulation design and preparation process were optimized by single factor experiment and Box-Behnken response surface methodology,and the optimal process parameters were determined.[Results]The optimal formulation and preparation process parameters of oregano oil microspheres were as follows:the ratio of oregano oil to chitosan was 2∶1,the emulsifying speed of double emulsion was 200 r/min,the amount of emulsifier in the colostrum was 4%,and the volume of curing agent was 1.0 mL.The average encapsulation efficiency was 45.33%±1.32%,the average drug loading was 30.59%±2.45%,and the median diameter(ID 50)was 52.596μm±0.023%.[Conclusions]The encapsulation efficiency,drug loading and ID 50 of oregano oil chitosan microspheres prepared by emulsion crosslinking method met the requirements.The drug-loaded microsphere not only can be used as a preparation finished product for direct application,but also be used as a product intermediate to lay a foundation for the research and development of subsequent dosage forms.

Evaluating bacterial contamination and surgical site infection risks in intracorporeal anastomosis: Role of bowel preparation

We recently read the study by Kayano et al on intracorporeal anastomosis(IA)for colon cancer,which assessed bacterial contamination and medium-term onco-logical outcomes and affirmed that IA is analogous to extracorporeal anastomosis in reducing intraperitoneal bacterial risk and achieving similar oncological results.Our commentary addresses gaps,particularly concerning bowel preparation and surgical site infections(SSIs),and highlights the need for comprehensive details on the bowel preparation methods that are currently employed,including mecha-nical bowel preparation,oral antibiotics(OA),their combination,and specific OA types.We emphasize the necessity for further analyses that investigate these me-thods and their correlation with SSI rates,to enhance clinical protocol guidance and optimize surgical outcomes.Such meticulous analyses are essential for refi-ning strategies to effectively mitigate SSI risk in colorectal surgeries.

Design,preparation,application of advanced array structured materials and their action mechanism analyses for high performance lithium-sulfur batteries

Lithium-sulfur battery(LSB)has brought much attention and concern because of high theoretical specific capacity and energy density as one of main competitors for next-generation energy storage systems.The widely commercial application and development of LSB is mainly hindered by serious“shuttle effect”of lithium polysulfides(Li PSs),slow reaction kinetics,notorious lithium dendrites,etc.In various structures of LSB materials,array structured materials,possessing the composition of ordered micro units with the same or similar characteristics of each unit,present excellent application potential for various secondary cells due to some merits such as immobilization of active substances,high specific surface area,appropriate pore sizes,easy modification of functional material surface,accommodated huge volume change,enough facilitated transportation for electrons/lithium ions,and special functional groups strongly adsorbing Li PSs.Thus many novel array structured materials are applied to battery for tackling thorny problems mentioned above.In this review,recent progresses and developments on array structured materials applied in LSBs including preparation ways,collaborative structural designs based on array structures,and action mechanism analyses in improving electrochemical performance and safety are summarized.Meanwhile,we also have detailed discussion for array structured materials in LSBs and constructed the structure-function relationships between array structured materials and battery performances.Lastly,some directions and prospects about preparation ways,functional modifications,and practical applications of array structured materials in LSBs are generalized.We hope the review can attract more researchers'attention and bring more studying on array structured materials for other secondary batteries including LSB.