Risk factors predicting a higher grade of subarachnoid haemorrhage in small ruptured intracranial aneurysm (< 5 mm)

Aim. To identify the risk factors for clinical and radiographic grades of subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) in small (&lt; 5 mm) intracranial aneurysms (SIAs). Material and methods. We retrospectively analysed patients with SIAs treated in our centre between February 2009 and June 2018. The clinical status was graded using the Hunt and Hess (H&amp;H) score and the radiological severity of SAH was graded by Fisher grades (FG). The risk factors were determined using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results. A total of 160 patients with ruptured SIAs (&lt; 5 mm) were included. In univariate analysis, smoking (P = 0.007), alcohol use (P = 0.048), aspirin use (P = 0.001), and higher size ratio (SR) (P = 0.001) were significantly associated with a higher H&amp;H grade (3–5) in SIAs; and smoking (P = 0.019), aspirin use (P = 0.031), inflow angle &lt; 90 degrees (P = 0.011), and aneurysm size (P = 0.039) were significantly associated with a higher FG score (3–4). In the adjusted multivariate analysis, previous SAH (OR, 12.245, 95% CI, 2.261–66.334, P = 0.004), aspirin use (OR, 4.677, 95% CI, 1.392–15.718, P = 0.013), alcohol use (OR, 3.392, 95% CI, 1.146–10.045, P = 0.027), inflow angle &lt; 90 (OR, 3.881, 95% CI, 1.273–11.831, P = 0.017), and higher SR (OR, 6.611, 95% CI, 2.235–19.560, P = 0.001) were independent risk factors for a higher H&amp;H grade in ruptured SIAs; smoking (OR, 2.157, 95% CI, 1.061–4.384, P = 0.034), and inflow angle &lt; 90 degrees (OR, 2.603, 95% CI, 1.324–5.115, P = 0.006) were independent risk factors for a higher FG (3–4). Conclusions. This study revealed that inflow angle &lt; 90 degrees and size ratio, but not absolute size, may highly predict poorer grade of SAH in SRA. Aspirin use, previous SAH, and alcohol use were significantly associated with a higher H&amp;H grade in ruptured SIAs, and smoking was a significant predictor of poorer FG

Evaluation of the Safety and Effectiveness of Intense Pulsed Light in the Treatment of Meibomian Gland Dysfunction

Purpose. This study aims to explore the safety and efficacy of a novel treatment-intense pulsed light (IPL) in MGD eyes. Methods. This study is a prospective and open label study. Forty eyes of 40 MGD patients were recruited in the study and received 4 consecutive IPL treatments on day 1, day 15, day 45, and day 75. Ten ocular surface symptoms were evaluated with a subjective face score at every visit. Best spectacle corrected visual acuity, intraocular pressure (IOP), conjunctival injection, upper and lower tear meniscus height (TMH), tear break-up time (TBUT), corneal staining, lid margin and meibomian gland assessments, and meibography were also recorded at every visit, as well as the adverse effects on the eye and ocular surface. Results. Significant improvements were observed in single and total ocular surface symptom scores, TBUT, and conjunctival injection at all the visits after the initial IPL treatment (P &lt; 0.05). Compared to baseline, the signs of eyelid margin, meibomian gland secretion quality, and expressibility were significantly improved at every visit after treatments. There was no regional and systemic threat observed in any patient. Conclusion. Intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy is a safe and efficient treatment in relieving symptoms and signs of MGD eyes.SCI(E)[email protected]

Usp25-Erlin1/2 activity limits cholesterol flux to restrict virus infection

Reprogramming lipid metabolic pathways is a critical feature of activating immune responses to infection. However, how these reconfigurations occur is poorly understood. Our previous screen to identify cellular deubiquitylases (DUBs) activated during influenza virus infection revealed Usp25 as a prominent hit. Here, we show that Usp25-deleted human lung epithelial A549 cells display a >10-fold increase in pathogenic influenza virus production, which was rescued upon reconstitution with the wild type but not the catalytically deficient (C178S) variant. Proteomic analysis of Usp25 interactors revealed a strong association with Erlin1/2, which we confirmed as its substrate. Newly synthesized Erlin1/2 were degraded in Usp25−/− or Usp25C178S cells, activating Srebp2, with increased cholesterol flux and attenuated TLR3-dependent responses. Our study therefore defines the function of a deubiquitylase that serves to restrict a range of viruses by reprogramming lipid biosynthetic flux to install appropriate inflammatory responses

A 3D Free Vibration Analysis of the Horn-Gear System through Chebyshev–Ritz Method in Ultrasonic Gear Honing

Applying the ultrasonic machining in gear honing can improve honing speed, reduce cutting force, and avoid blocking. There are two problems leading to the decrease of calculation accuracy in the traditional nonresonant theory of the ultrasonic gear honing. One is that one-dimensional longitudinal vibration theory and two-dimensional theory cannot reflect the vibration characteristics of ultrasonic horn and gear comprehensively. And, the other one is that the difference of the analysis dimension between the two theories leads to mismatch of the coupling condition dimension between ultrasonic horn and gear. A free vibration analysis through Chebyshev–Ritz method based on three-dimensional elasticity theory was presented to analyze the eigenfrequencies of the horn-gear system in ultrasonic gear honing. In the method, the model of the horn-gear system was divided into four parts: a solid circular plate, an annular plate, a solid cylinder, and a cone with hole. The eigenvalue equations were derived by using displacement coupling condition between each part under completely free boundary condition. It was found that the eigenfrequencies were highly convergent through convergence study. The hammering method for a modal experiment was used to test the horn-gear systems’ eigenfrequencies. And, the finite element method was also applied to solve the eigenfrequencies. Through a comparative analysis of the frequencies obtained by these three methods, it showed that the results achieved by the Chebyshev–Ritz method were close to those obtained from the experiment and finite element method. Thus, it was feasible to use the Chebyshev–Ritz method to solve the eigenfrequencies of the horn-gear system in ultrasonic gear honing

The CLE gene family in Populus trichocarpa

The CLE (CLAVATA3/Embryo Surrounding Region-related) peptides are small secreted signaling peptides that are primarily involved in the regulation of stem cell homeostasis in different plant meristems. Particularly, the characterization of the CLE41-PXY/TDR signaling pathway has greatly advanced our understanding on the potential roles of CLE peptides in vascular development and wood formation. Nevertheless, our knowledge on this gene family in a tree species is limited. In a recent study, we reported on a systematically investigation of the CLE gene family in Populus trichocarpa . The potential roles of PtCLE genes were studied by comparative analysis and transcriptional pro fi ling. Among fi fty PtCLE members, many PtCLE proteins share identical CLE motifs or contain the same CLE motif as that of AtCLEs, while PtCLE genes exhibited either comparable or distinct expression patterns comparing to their Arabidopsis counterparts. These fi ndings indicate the existence of both functional conservation and functional divergence between PtCLEs and their AtCLE orthologues. Our results provide valuable resources for future functional investigations of these critical signaling molecules in woody plants