Likelihood Analysis for the Ratio of Means of Two Independent Log-Normal Distributions

Existing methods for comparing the means of two independent skewed log-normal distributions do not perform well in a range of small-sample settings such as a small-sample bioavailability study. In this article, we propose two likelihood-based approaches—the signed log-likelihood ratio statistic and modified signed log-likelihood ratio statistic—for inference about the ratio of means of two independent log-normal distributions. More specifically, we focus on obtaining p -values for testing the equality of means and also constructing confidence intervals for the ratio of means. The performance of the proposed methods is assessed through simulation studies that show that the modified signed log-likelihood ratio statistic is nearly an exact approach even for very small samples. The methods are also applied to two real-life examples.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/65218/1/j.0006-341X.2002.00463.x.pd

Cloning and Comparative Studies of Seaweed Trehalose-6-Phosphate Synthase Genes

The full-length cDNA sequence (3219 base pairs) of the trehalose-6-phosphate synthase gene of Porphyra yezoensis (PyTPS) was isolated by RACE-PCR and deposited in GenBank (NCBI) with the accession number AY729671. PyTPS encodes a protein of 908 amino acids before a stop codon, and has a calculated molecular mass of 101,591 Daltons. The PyTPS protein consists of a TPS domain in the N-terminus and a putative TPP domain at the C-terminus. Homology alignment for PyTPS and the TPS proteins from bacteria, yeast and higher plants indicated that the most closely related sequences to PyTPS were those from higher plants (OsTPS and AtTPS5), whereas the most distant sequence to PyTPS was from bacteria (EcOtsAB). Based on the identified sequence of the PyTPS gene, PCR primers were designed and used to amplify the TPS genes from nine other seaweed species. Sequences of the nine obtained TPS genes were deposited in GenBank (NCBI). All 10 TPS genes encoded peptides of 908 amino acids and the sequences were highly conserved both in nucleotide composition (>94%) and in amino acid composition (>96%). Unlike the TPS genes from some other plants, there was no intron in any of the 10 isolated seaweed TPS genes

High drug-loaded microspheres enabled by controlled in-droplet precipitation promote functional recovery after spinal cord injury

High drug loading improves therapeutic efficacy and reduces side effects in drug delivery. Here, the authors use controlled diffusion of solvents to precipitate drug nanoparticles in polymer particles while the polymer is solidifying and demonstrate the particles for drug delivery in a spinal cord injury model. Drug delivery systems with high content of drug can minimize excipients administration, reduce side effects, improve therapeutic efficacy and/or promote patient compliance. However, engineering such systems is extremely challenging, as their loading capacity is inherently limited by the compatibility between drug molecules and carrier materials. To mitigate the drug-carrier compatibility limitation towards therapeutics encapsulation, we developed a sequential solidification strategy. In this strategy, the precisely controlled diffusion of solvents from droplets ensures the fast in-droplet precipitation of drug molecules prior to the solidification of polymer materials. After polymer solidification, a mass of drug nanoparticles is embedded in the polymer matrix, forming a nano-in-micro structured microsphere. All the obtained microspheres exhibit long-term storage stability, controlled release of drug molecules, and most importantly, high mass fraction of therapeutics (21.8-63.1 wt%). Benefiting from their high drug loading degree, the nano-in-micro structured acetalated dextran microspheres deliver a high dose of methylprednisolone (400 mu g) within the limited administration volume (10 mu L) by one single intrathecal injection. The amount of acetalated dextran used was 1/433 of that of low drug-loaded microspheres. Moreover, the controlled release of methylprednisolone from high drug-loaded microspheres contributes to improved therapeutic efficacy and reduced side effects than low drug-loaded microspheres and free drug in spinal cord injury therapy.Peer reviewe

Methylprednisolone as Adjunct to Endovascular Thrombectomy for Large-Vessel Occlusion Stroke

Importance It is uncertain whether intravenous methylprednisolone improves outcomes for patients with acute ischemic stroke due to large-vessel occlusion (LVO) undergoing endovascular thrombectomy. Objective To assess the efficacy and adverse events of adjunctive intravenous low-dose methylprednisolone to endovascular thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke secondary to LVO. Design, Setting, and Participants This investigator-initiated, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was implemented at 82 hospitals in China, enrolling 1680 patients with stroke and proximal intracranial LVO presenting within 24 hours of time last known to be well. Recruitment took place between February 9, 2022, and June 30, 2023, with a final follow-up on September 30, 2023.InterventionsEligible patients were randomly assigned to intravenous methylprednisolone (n = 839) at 2 mg/kg/d or placebo (n = 841) for 3 days adjunctive to endovascular thrombectomy. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary efficacy outcome was disability level at 90 days as measured by the overall distribution of the modified Rankin Scale scores (range, 0 [no symptoms] to 6 [death]). The primary safety outcomes included mortality at 90 days and the incidence of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage within 48 hours. Results Among 1680 patients randomized (median age, 69 years; 727 female [43.3%]), 1673 (99.6%) completed the trial. The median 90-day modified Rankin Scale score was 3 (IQR, 1-5) in the methylprednisolone group vs 3 (IQR, 1-6) in the placebo group (adjusted generalized odds ratio for a lower level of disability, 1.10 [95% CI, 0.96-1.25]; P = .17). In the methylprednisolone group, there was a lower mortality rate (23.2% vs 28.5%; adjusted risk ratio, 0.84 [95% CI, 0.71-0.98]; P = .03) and a lower rate of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (8.6% vs 11.7%; adjusted risk ratio, 0.74 [95% CI, 0.55-0.99]; P = .04) compared with placebo. Conclusions and Relevance Among patients with acute ischemic stroke due to LVO undergoing endovascular thrombectomy, adjunctive methylprednisolone added to endovascular thrombectomy did not significantly improve the degree of overall disability.Trial RegistrationChiCTR.org.cn Identifier: ChiCTR210005172

Confidence intervals of effect size in randomized comparative parallel-group studies

We have presented a new likelihood-based approach for constructing confidence intervals of effect size that are applicable to small samples. We also conduct a simulation study to compare the coverage probability of the new likelihood-based method with other three methods proposed by Hedges and Olkin and Kraemer and Paik. Simulation studies show that the confidence interval generated by the modified signed log-likelihood ratio method possesses essentially exact coverage probabilities even for small samples, although the coverage probabilities are consistently but slightly less than the nominal level. The methods are also applied to two examples. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/55816/1/2346_ftp.pd

Anti-frosting/anti-icing property of nano-ZnO superhydrophobic surface on Al alloy prepared by radio frequency magnetron sputtering

Superhydrophobic (SHP) surfaces had promising application in anti-icing field. In this work, ZnO SHP surfaces were prepared on aluminum alloy by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. The structure, chemical composition, morphology, wettability of the SHP surfaces were investigated by using corresponding methods. The anti-frosting/anti-icing performance of the ZnO SHP surfaces were investigated. Morphology of surfaces showed that sputtering time affected the surface morphology of the ZnO surfaces. When the sputtering time was 15 min, the rough structure exhibited excellent anti-frosting/anti-icing property due to the exceptional superhydrophobicity and self-transfer behavior at subzero temperature, which composed by densely gathered nanoclusters. The freezing of water droplets was delayed for about 2 h, and frosting was delayed for approximately 5 h at the temperature of −10 °C. The SHP surfaces could efficiently enhance the anti-icing property in glaze ice. Meanwhile, the as-prepared ZnO SHP surfaces displayed a low ice-adhesion strength of 12 ± 4.7 kPa. However, the structure with large undulation and pore space reduced the anti-frosting/anti-icing property of the SHP surface. This work provided a direction for the design and preparation of anti-icing surfaces for power transmission lines

Strain-hardening and warm deformation behaviors of extruded Mg–Sn–Yb alloy sheet

Strain-hardening and warm deformation behaviors of extruded Mg–2Sn–0.5Yb alloy (at.%) sheet were investigated in uniaxial tensile test at temperatures of 25–250 °C and strain rates of 1 × 10−3 s−1–0.1 s−1. The data fit with the Kocks–Mecking type plots were used to show different stages of strain hardening. Besides III-stage and IV-stage, the absence of the II-stage strain hardening at room temperature should be related to the sufficient dynamic recrystallization during extrusion. The decrease of strain hardening ability of the alloy after yielding was attributed to the reduction of dislocation density with increasing testing temperature. Strain rate sensitivity (SRS) was significantly enhanced with increasing temperature, and the corresponding m-value was calculated as 0.07–0.12, which indicated that the deformation mechanism was dominated by the climb-controlled dislocation creep at 200 °C. Furthermore, the grain boundary sliding (GBS) was activated at 250 °C, which contributed to the higher SRS. The activation energy was calculated as 213.67 kJ mol−1, which was higher than that of lattice diffusion or grain boundary self-diffusion. In addition, the alloy exhibited a quasi superplasticity at 250 °C with a strain rate of 1 × 10−3 s−1, which was mainly related to the fine microstructure and the presence of the Mg2Sn and Mg2(Sn,Yb) particles