Efficacy of a combination of sildenafil and magnesium sulfate in the treatment of persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn, and its influence on hemodynamics

Purpose: To investigate the efficacy of the combined use of sildenafil and magnesium sulfate in the treatment of persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN), and its influence on hemodynamics.Methods: A total of 174 children with persistent pulmonary hypertension who were treated in Ganzhou People’s Hospital, Ganzhou, China were selected and randomly assigned to joint group (JG) and control group (CG), with 87 patients in each group. The CG group received magnesium sulfate, while the JG group received sildenafil plus magnesium sulphate. The respiratory parameters of the children were analyzed using blood gas analyzer, while their hemodynamic indices were evaluated using color Doppler echocardiography. The levels of cytokines and inflammatory factors were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Results: Time taken for symptom disappearance, oxygen therapy, and hospitalization period were shorter in JG than in CG (p < 0.05). Post-treatment, the respiratory parameters (PaO2, PaCO2, and SaO2) in both groups s improved, with lower levels of PaO2 and PaCO2, and a higher level of SaO2 in JG (p < 0.05). Following treatment, the levels of systemic vascular resistance (SVR), posterior pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) and pulmonary artery pressure (PA) in JG were significantly reduced, relative to CG (p < 0.05). Similarly, the expression of endothelin -1 (ET-1), brain natriureticpeptide (BNP), and angiotensin 1 (ANG-1) improved, with lower levels of ET-1 and BNP, and a higher level of ANG-1 in JG (p < 0.05). There was post-treatment reduction as well in IL-6 and TNF-α, with lower levels in JG (p < 0.05). Patients in JG showed higher total treatment effectiveness and a lowerincidence of adverse reactions than those in CG (p < 0.05).Conclusion: The combined use of sildenafil and magnesium sulfate enhances the management of PPHN, ameliorates respiratory parameters, hemodynamics, and levels of cytokines and inflammatory factors. These findings provide evidence-based medical references for a new treatment strategy for PPHN

THE SPEED DISTRIBUTION OF HORSE RACING IN 1200 METERS

The purpose of this study is to investigate the speed distribution models of horse speed racing in 1200 meters. 900 horses in 1200m speed racing were investigated. When divided the 1200m equally into three 400m sections, it showed there are two models were employed by most winners: slow-medium-fast and medium-slow-fast. The relative lager variation of the velocity coefficients in the third section indicated that the coordination of horse and jockey in the spring stage should be improved.purpose of this study was to identify the causes of rejection of papers from conference

A STUDY ON THE REPRESENTATIVE POINT OF HORSE’S CENTER OF GRAVITY

The purpose of this study was to explore are there bony landmarks on the horse body’s surface matching the motion of center of gravity. The relationship between the bony landmarks and the center of gravity during actual race under Buchner and Kubo horse inertial models were analyzed. Results showed Buchner and Kubo models had high consistency on the kinematic parameters of the center of gravity. Comparing the relationship of the middle of mesoscapula and tail root with the center of gravity in displacement, velocity and the absolute difference, it was found that the middle of mesoscapula under Kubo model is a suitable represent point of the center of gravity among the characteristic points of two models in the motion of observed race horses

Combustion synthesis of Ce2LuO5.5:Eu phosphor nanopowders: structure, surface and luminescence investigations

The spherical shape, uniform size and small degree of agglomeration of the particles play crucial roles in promoting the practical applications of the phosphor powders. In this paper, the novel Eu3+ -doped cerium lutetium Ce2LuO5.5 composite nanopowders with a cubic fluorite structure were prepared via a typical solution combustion route, and their internal structure, surface morphology as well as luminescence properties were investigated. The Eu3+ could substitute in either Lu3+ or Ce4+ sites and the existence of oxygen vacancy was confirmed in the composite by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectra techniques. Without the addition of surfactant, most of the as-prepared particles were bound together, and the luminescence was very weak even after a sintering process. Assisted with appropriate polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) surfactant in the combustion reaction and a subsequent heat-treatment process, the bound-particles were evidently separated and seemed to be nearly spherical shape. The particle size could be controlled to 30–120 nm and the luminescence was enhanced by adjusting the subsequent sintering temperature. Excited with 466 nm blue light, the nanopowders exhibited characteristic 5D0 → 7FJ (J  =  0–4) emission transition of Eu3+ and showed enhanced red luminescence as Eu3+ occupied Ce4+ site rather than Lu3+ site. The maximum emission was obtained as 40 mol% Eu substitutes Ce in the composite. Due to the coincidence of 466 nm excitation light with the emission of InGaN chips in white light-emitting diodes, the surface-morphology improved Eu-doped Ce2LuO5.5 phosphor nanopowders have a potential application in solid state lighting fields.publishe

Path Planning Method for UUV Homing and Docking in Movement Disorders Environment

Path planning method for unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) homing and docking in movement disorders environment is proposed in this paper. Firstly, cost function is proposed for path planning. Then, a novel particle swarm optimization (NPSO) is proposed and applied to find the waypoint with minimum value of cost function. Then, a strategy for UUV enters into the mother vessel with a fixed angle being proposed. Finally, the test function is introduced to analyze the performance of NPSO and compare with basic particle swarm optimization (BPSO), inertia weight particle swarm optimization (LWPSO, EPSO), and time-varying acceleration coefficient (TVAC). It has turned out that, for unimodal functions, NPSO performed better searching accuracy and stability than other algorithms, and, for multimodal functions, the performance of NPSO is similar to TVAC. Then, the simulation of UUV path planning is presented, and it showed that, with the strategy proposed in this paper, UUV can dodge obstacles and threats, and search for the efficiency path

Expression patterns and prognostic value of miR-210, miR-494, and miR-205 in middle-aged and old patients with sepsis-induced acute kidney injury

Septic patients suffer a ‘cytokine storm’ from proinflammatory cytokines, chemokines and other inflammatory mediators, resulting in acute kidney injury (AKI) and death. The purpose of the present study was to determine the expression patterns of microRNA-210 (miR-210), miR-494, and miR-205 in middle-aged and old patients with sepsis-induced AKI and to evaluate their association with patient prognosis. Serum blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (Cr) and cystatin C levels were determined in peripheral venous blood collected from 110 patients with sepsis-induced AKI and 110 healthy controls. The expression profile of miRNAs was analyzed by TaqMan low-density array (TLDA) in plasma samples from patients and controls. Association of miRNAs with prognosis and survival of patients was analyzed by Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient, Cox multivariate analysis, and ROC curve analysis. TILDA analysis showed 11 upregulated and 11 downregulated miRNAs in patients with sepsis-induced AKI. MiR-210 and miR-494 were the most upregulated and miR-205 was the most downregulated miRNA. High expression of miR-210 and miR-494 was positively correlated with BUN, Cr and cystatin C levels of patients, while low expression of miR-205 was negatively correlated. MiR-210 and miR-494 expression was significantly decreased and miR-205 expression was increased in survivors with sepsis-induced AKI (28-day survival, n = 68) vs. non-survivors (n = 42). BUN, Cr and miR-205 were independent risk factors for prognosis in sepsis-induced AKI. Our study showed the predictive value of miR-210, miR-494, and miR-205 in prognosis and survival of patients with sepsis-induced AKI. MiR-205 is an independent risk factor for sepsis-induced AKI and its decreased expression is associated with shorter patient survival

Flexible thermoelectric generator with high Seebeck coefficients made from polymer composites and heat-sink fabrics

Light and flexible thermoelectric generators working around room temperature and within a small temperature range are much desirable for numerous applications of wearable microelectronics, internet of things, and waste heat recovery. Herein, we report a high performance flexible thermoelectric generator made of polymeric thermoelectric composites and heat sink fabrics. The thermoelectric composites comprise n- and p-type Bi2Te3 particles and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate, exhibiting a synergic effect that results in Seebeck coefficients higher than those of the constituent alloys and conductive polymer. The flexible and light thermoelectric generator produces an output power of 9.0 mW, a specific output power of 2.3 mW/g, and an areal power density of 6.5 W/m2 at ΔT = 45 K. By using the heat sink fabrics to maintain a large and uniform distribution of temperature difference across the generator, a three-fold increment of the output power is obtained

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead