Design of Unilateral Complete Presurgical Nasoalveolar Molding (PNAM) Corrector Based on Feature Points Extraction of Complex 3D Surface

Cleft lip and palate is a congenital maxillofacial deformity. Unilateral complete cleft lip and palate is one of the most common clinical types. Nasal alveolar molding (PNAM) is a recognized strategy for the treatment of cleft lip and palate. However, the current design of PNAM devices mainly relies on the subjective experience of doctors. The purpose of this paper is to describe the design and manufacture of a new computer-aided design appliance, which can be applied to the presurgical nasoalveolar molding of unilateral complete cleft lip and palate, eliminate individual differences, and improve production efficiency. In this paper, seven feature points on the healthy side and the affected side are extracted by the method of Gaussian curvature and ridge line extraction, and the healthy side rotation and built-in model are designed by using these seven feature points, which can quickly generate eight treatment stages of PNAM. The correction effects of the PNAM appliance designed in this paper were compared with the original maxillary model and the clinical PNAM appliance (hand-made by subjective experience) from the aspects of alveolar fissure width and symmetry. The PNAM appliance designed in this paper can effectively improve the symmetry of patients with unilateral complete cleft lip and palate (morphological similarity: t = 3.250, p ≤ 0.01; length similarity: t = 1.559, p = 0.150) and reduce the width of alveolar cleft (t = 8.330, p < 0.01). This can fully achieve the therapeutic effect of PNAM appliances prepared by experienced doctors and is more efficient. The method based on complex 3D surface feature point extraction can provide the basis for the design and evaluation of a unilateral complete PNAM correction model, improve the design and production efficiency of unilateral complete cleft lip and palate appliance, eliminate the design problems caused by individual differences, and reduce the burden of doctors

Progress of Geodesy Related Ionosphere from Chinese Scientists in the Period of 2019—2023

The ionosphere is the ionized part of the upper atmosphere of the Earth, which plays an important role in atmospheric electricity and forms the inner edge of the magnetosphere. It influences radio propagation significantly, such as the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). Meanwhile, the GNSS is also an essential technique for sensing the variation of ionosphere. During the years of 2019—2023, a large number of Chinese geodesy scientists devoted much efforts to the geodesy related ionosphere. Due to the very limited length, the achievements are carried out from the following six aspects, including: ① The ionospheric correction models for BDS and BDSBAS; ② Real-time global ionospheric monitoring and modeling; ③ The ionospheric 2D and 3D modeling based on GNSS and LEO satellites; ④ The ionospheric prediction based on artificial intelligence; ⑤ The monitoring and mitigation of ionospheric disturbances for GNSS users; ⑥ The ionospheric related data products and classical applications

BST2 negatively regulates porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus replication by restricting the expression of viral proteins

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) has seriously affected the viability of swine industries worldwide, and effective measures to control PRRSV are urgently required. Understanding the mechanisms of action of antiviral proteins is crucial for developing antiviral strategies. Interferon-induced bone marrow stromal cell antigen 2 (BST2) can inhibit the replication of various viruses via different pathways. However, little is known about the effects of BST2 on PRRSV. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate whether the interferon-induced BST2 can inhibit PRRSV replication. We used western blotting and RT-qPCR techniques to analyze the effect of BST2 overexpression and knockdown on PRRSV replication. Overexpression of BST2 inhibited the replication of PRRSV, whereas knockdown of BST2 by small interfering RNA promoted PRRSV replication. Additionally, the expression of BST2 was upregulated during the early phase of PRRSV infection in porcine alveolar macrophages. Analysis of PRRSV proteins showed that BST2 restricted the expression of several non-structural viral proteins. BST2 downregulated the expression of Nsp12 through a proteasome-dependent pathway and downregulated the expression and transcription of E protein. These findings demonstrate the potential of BST2 as a critical regulator of PRRSV replication