Ultrasound-guided median nerve electrical stimulation to promote upper limb function recovery after stroke

Peripheral electrical nerve stimulation enhances hand function during stroke rehabilitation. Here, we proposed a percutaneous direct median nerve stimulation guided by ultrasound (ultrasound‐guided median nerve electrical stimulation, UG-MNES) and evaluated its feasibility and effectiveness in the treatment of stroke patients with upper limb extremity impairments. Sixty-three stroke patients (2-3 months of onset) were randomly divided into control and UG-MNES groups. Both groups received routine rehabilitation and the UG-MNES group received an additional ultrasound-guided electrical stimulation of the median nerve at 2 Hz, 0.2 ms pulse-width for 20 minutes with gradual intensity enhancement. The Fugl-Meyer Assessment for upper extremity motor function (FMA-UE) was used as the primary outcome. The secondary outcomes were the Functional Test for the Hemiplegic Upper Extremity (FTHUE-HK), Hand Function Rating Scale, Brunnstrom Stages, and Barthel Index scores for motor and daily functions. All the participants completed the trial without any side effects or adverse events during the intervention. After 4 weeks of intervention, the functions of the upper limbs on the hemiplegic side in both groups achieved significant recovery. Compared to the control group, all evaluation indices used in this trial were improved significantly in the UG-MNES group after 2 and 4 weeks of intervention; particularly, the first intervention of UG-MNES immediately improved all the assessment items significantly. In conclusion, the UG-MNES is a safe and feasible treatment for stroke patients with upper limb extremity impairments and could significantly improve the motor function of the affected upper limb, especially in the first intervention. The UG-MNES could be an effective alternative intervention for stroke with upper limb extremity impairments

MULTI-DIMENSIONAL PIECE-WISE SELF-AFFINE FRACTAL INTERPOLATION MODEL IN TENSOR FORM

Iterated Function System (IFS) models have been used to represent discrete sequences where the attractor of the IFS is piece-wise self-affine in R2 or R3 (R is the set of real numbers). In this paper, the piece-wise self-affine IFS model is extended from R3 to Rn (n is an integer greater than 3), which is called the multi-dimensional piece-wise self-affine fractal interpolation model.This model uses a "mapping partial derivative" and a constrained inverse algorithm to identify the model parameters. The model values depend continuously on all the model parameters, and represent most data which are not multi-dimensional self-affine in Rn. Therefore, the result is very general. Moreover, the multi-dimensional piece-wise self-affine fractal interpolation model in tensor form is more terse than in the usual matrix form.Piece-wise self-affine, iterated function system, fractal interpolation

Hotspot， frontier and trend of communicable diseases prevention and control research in China in the past 30 years： an analysis based on bibliometrics and scientific knowledge atlas

ObjectiveBy using bibliometrics and scientific knowledge mapping technology， this study systematically combs and visually analyzes the research hotspots， frontiers and trends of infectious disease prevention and control in China in the past 30 years， summarizes the research direction in this field， combs the knowledge structure， and provides guidance and reference for subsequent research.MethodsThe databases of CNKI and Wanfang were searched by （"infectious diseases" or " communicable diseases"） and "prevention and control" not "chronic diseases"， The bibliometric software VOSviewer 1.68 and CiteSpace 5.8.3 were used to analyze the co-occurrence network of scientific knowledge maps from the keywords， emerging words， research authors， institutions and other aspects， and summarized the research hotspots， frontiers and trends in the field of infectious disease prevention and control in China.ResultsA total of 10 777 literatures were retrieved， and 7 676 literatures were included after screening. From the perspective of research trend， the number of published literatures in the field of infectious disease prevention and control in China showed an overall upward trend， and the number of studies was closely related to the outbreak of infectious diseases. The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention has played a leading role in the research. In terms of researchers' cooperation， Hao Mo， Li Chengyue， Wang Ying and others from Fudan University were the main researchers' cooperation teams. Tu Wenxiao， Meng Ling and Xiang Nijuan from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention were the main researchers. Wang Quanyi， Li Xinyu， Wang Xiaoli from the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention were the main researchers' research teams. Yang Zhicong， Li Meixia， Luo Lei and other research teams from Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention have formed a relatively obvious cooperation network. Analysis of the keyword cluster atlas showed that the articles related to the prevention and control of infectious diseases mainly were focused on the epidemiology of new coronavirus infection （new infectious diseases）， school infectious diseases， common infectious diseases， and the related research of vector infectious diseases. The analysis of salient words indicated the research focus and trend change in different time periods. At present， the research focus and frontier in the field of infectious diseases are mainly concentrated in the field of prevention and control of new infectious diseases， such as the monitoring， early warning， reporting， emergency management， laws and regulations of the new coronavirus infection.ConclusionOur country attaches great importance to the prevention and control of infectious diseases， with extensive and in-depth research hotspots. In particular， research on emerging infectious diseases has developed rapidly and achieved remarkable results. With the application of molecular biology， big data， AI and other technologies in the field of infectious disease prevention and control， China's infectious disease prevention and control capabilities will be greatly improved. At the same time， it is necessary to strengthen the linkage between universities， disease control institutions， and medical institutions， and establish and improve a long-term normal prevention and control mechanism

Analysis of the Development Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Freezing Temperature Field in the Cross Passage

Based on the analysis of the temperature measurement data of the Shanghai Metro Line 15 cross passage freezing project, it was found that the gray silt layer of cross passage No. 2 outperforms that of cross passage No. 1 on the freezing effect, which is mainly attributed to the large loss of cooling capacity in the latter passage. Within the same stratum, the soil temperature at the duct piece is higher than that of the deep soil. When the soil freezes for 45 days, the temperatures of the sandy silt and gray silt layers of the same cross passage drop to −8.25°C and −6.91°C, respectively, indicating that the freezing effect of the sandy silt layer is better than that of the gray silt layer. Moreover, simulations were performed for deviation freezing pipes, nondeviation freezing pipes, and different freezing pipe diameters in the cross passage No. 1, respectively. It was found that the maximum difference of the closure completion time between the deviation and nondeviation freezing pipes is 6 days. Furthermore, for deviation freezing pipes and nondeviation freezing pipes at the center of the cross passage, the minimum difference in the freezing wall thickness reduces from 0.45 mm after 20 days of freezing to 0.06 mm after 45 days of freezing, indicating that the difference in the freezing wall thickness gradually weakens as freezing develops gradually. The deviation freezing pipe increases the spacing of freezing pipes in the deep soil. As the pipe spacing increases, the influence of the pipe diameter on the closure completion time of the freezing wall decreases

Association of baseline level of cardiovascular risk burden and its temporal changes with cognitive decline

Background and aimPrevious studies on cardiovascular risk burden assessed by the Framingham General Cardiovascular Risk Score (FGCRS) and cognitive trajectories mainly focus on Western populations and most of them have used a single measure of cardiovascular risk. In this study, among middle-aged and older Chinese, we investigated (i) the association of baseline FGCRS with subsequent cognitive decline and (ii) the association of FGCRS change with concomitant cognitive decline. Materials and methodsIn wave 1 to wave 4 (2011-2018) of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, global cognition was assessed by orientation, memory, and executive function. FGCRS was assessed and categorized into tertiles (low, intermediate, and high) at baseline (2011) and 4 years after (2015). Furthermore, external validation was performed to check its generalizability using the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) 2008-2018. ResultsIn total, 6,402 participants with a mean [standard deviation (SD) age of 57.8 (8.4) years, 49.0% women] with complete baseline data and at least one reassessment of cognitive function were included. A 10% increment in baseline FGCRS was associated with a faster decline in global cognition (-0.010 SD/year, 95% CI -0.013, -0.008). Among 4,336 participants [mean (SD) age of 57.8 (8.2) years, 50.0% women] with data on FGCRS changes, compared to individuals with the consistently low FGCRS (reference group), a faster global cognition decline rate was observed in the low to intermediate group (-0.026 SD/year, 95% CI -0.045, -0.007), the low to high group (-0.052 SD/year, 95% CI -0.102, -0.001), the consistently intermediate group (-0.019 SD/year, 95% CI -0.033, -0.005), the intermediate to high group (-0.040 SD/year, 95% CI -0.058, -0.022), the high to intermediate group (-0.024 SD/year, 95% CI -0.047, -0.002), and the consistently high group (-0.047 SD/year, 95% CI -0.060, -0.034). Similar trends were observed for individual cognitive domains. Results from the external validation using the ELSA remained consistent. ConclusionHigher baseline FGCRS was associated with faster cognitive decline. However, there was no consistent relationship between the direction of changes in FGCRS and cognitive decline

Trajectories of Cognition and Daily Functioning Before and After Incident Diabetes

OBJECTIVE The temporal pattern of cognitive and functional change before and after incident diabetes remains unknown. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Data from wave 2 to wave 9 (2004–2018) of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing were used. Global cognition (assessed by orientation, memory, and executive function) and daily functioning (calculated as the sum of impaired basic and instrumental activities of daily living) were measured in each wave. Incident diabetes was defined as glycated hemoglobin A1c ‡6.5% (47.5 mmol/mol), self-reported doctor diagnosis of diabetes, or glucose-lowering medication use during follow-up. RESULTS Among the 6,342 participants included, 576 participants with incident diabetes were identified during a median follow-up of 13.3 years. The annual rates of change in global cognition, orientation, memory, and executive function were accelerated after diabetes diagnosis compared with before the event. The postdiabetes annual changes in daily functioning were also accelerated compared with the prediabetes diagnosis. However, the rate of cognitive and functional decline before the diabetes diagnosis in participants with future incident diabetes was similar to the rate in participants without diabetes. Also, no significant acute change was observed during its onset. CONCLUSIONS Incident diabetes is associated with accelerated cognitive and functional decline after, but not before, the event. We suggest careful monitoring for cognitive and physical dysfunction after a diabetes diagnosis

Catalytic Ozonation of Atrazine Enhanced by Mesoporous CeO2: Morphology, Performance and Intermediates

Heterogeneous catalytic ozonation is an alternative approach for the removal of refractory pollutants from water, and the fabrication of mesoporous materials with high dispersibility would enhance the catalytic efficiency. A mesoporous CeO2 was prepared by the nanocasting method with SBA-15 as a hard template, and was investigated in the catalytic ozonation of atrazine. The synthetical CeO2 nanorods have a specific surface area of 95.08 m2/g, a diameter of 10.16 nm, and a spacing of 2.18 nm. The removal rate of atrazine was 85.5%, 64.8%, and 46.4% in the order of catalytic ozonation by synthetical CeO2 > single ozonation > catalytic ozonation by commercial CeO2, respectively. The superior activity of the synthetical CeO2 could be attributed to the well-ordered mesoporous structure, the high surface area, and the redox Ce3+/Ce4+ cycling. Moreover, eight organic intermediates were identified after one minute of catalytic ozonation of atrazine, and the cleavage of the ethylamino group was proposed as the main pathway of atrazine degradation

Retrospective Analysis of Bevacizumab in Combination with Fotemustine in Chinese Patients with Recurrent Glioblastoma Multiforme

The aim of this study was to assess the activity and safety of bevacizumab (BEV) and fotemustine (FTM) for the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) patients and explore the potential prognostic parameters on survival. This study retrospectively analyzed all patients with GBM who were treated with at least one cycle of BEV and FTM from July 2010 to October 2012. A total of 176 patients with recurrent GBM were enrolled. The response rate and disease control rate were 46.6% and 90.9%, respectively. A 6-month PFS rate of 33.3% (95% CI: 26.5%–40.3%) and a median PFS of 5.0 (95% CI: 2.4–7.5) months were observed. The median OS was 8.0 (95% CI: 6.7–9.2) months. Multivariate analysis showed that risk factors with a significant influence on the PFS of all patients were Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) (≥70 versus <70, HR=0.53, 95% CI: 0.39–0.73, and P=0.01) and MGMT status (methylated versus unmethylated, HR=0.69, 95% CI: 0.52–0.97, and P=0.04). The most common treatment-related adverse events were fatigue, proteinuria, hypophonia, hypertension, thrombocytopenia, anemia, and neutropenia. In conclusion, combination of BEV with FTM is well tolerated and may derive some clinical benefits in recurrent GBM patients. Higher KPS and MGMT promoter hypermethylation were suggested to be associated with prolonged survival

Bioinspired gradient scaffolds for osteochondral tissue engineering

Abstract Repairing articular osteochondral defects present considerable challenges in self‐repair due to the complex tissue structure and low proliferation of chondrocytes. Conventional clinical therapies have not shown significant efficacy, including microfracture, autologous/allograft osteochondral transplantation, and cell‐based techniques. Therefore, tissue engineering has been widely explored in repairing osteochondral defects by leveraging the natural regenerative potential of biomaterials to control cell functions. However, osteochondral tissue is a gradient structure with a smooth transition from the cartilage to subchondral bone, involving changes in chondrocyte morphologies and phenotypes, extracellular matrix components, collagen type and orientation, and cytokines. Bioinspired scaffolds have been developed by simulating gradient characteristics in heterogeneous tissues, such as the pores, components, and osteochondrogenesis‐inducing factors, to satisfy the anisotropic features of osteochondral matrices. Bioinspired gradient scaffolds repair osteochondral defects by altering the microenvironments of cell growth to induce osteochondrogenesis and promote the formation of osteochondral interfaces compared with homogeneous scaffolds. This review outlines the meaningful strategies for repairing osteochondral defects by tissue engineering based on gradient scaffolds and predicts the pros and cons of prospective translation into clinical practice