A Biomechanical Analysis of the Interlock Suture and a Modified Kessler-Loop Lock Flexor Tendon Suture

OBJECTIVE: In this work, we attempted to develop a modified single-knot Kessler-loop lock suture technique and compare the biomechanical properties associated with this single-knot suture technique with those associated with the conventional modified Kessler and interlock suture techniques. METHODS: In this experiment, a total of 18 porcine flexor digitorum profundus tendons were harvested and randomly divided into three groups. The tendons were transected and then repaired using three different techniques, including modified Kessler suture with peritendinous suture, interlock suture with peritendinous suture, and modified Kessler-loop lock suture with peritendinous suture. Times required for suturing were recorded and compared among groups. The groups were also compared with respect to 2-mm gap load, ultimate failure load, and gap at failure. RESULTS: For tendon repair, compared with the conventional modified Kessler suture technique, the interlock and modified Kessler-loop lock suture techniques resulted in significantly improved biomechanical properties. However, there were no significant differences between the interlock and modified Kessler-loop lock techniques with respect to biomechanical properties, gap at failure, and time required. CONCLUSIONS: The interlock and modified Kessler-loop lock techniques for flexor tendon sutures produce similar mechanical characteristics in vitro

The burden of skin and subcutaneous diseases: findings from the global burden of disease study 2019

BackgroundThe small number of existing integrative studies on the global distribution and burden of all types of skin and subcutaneous diseases hinders relevant comparisons.ObjectiveThis study aimed to determine the latest distribution, epidemiological differences, and factors potentially influencing each skin and subcutaneous disease and the policy implications.MethodsData on the skin and subcutaneous diseases were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The incidence, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and deaths due to skin and subcutaneous diseases in 204 countries and regions from 1990 to 2019 were analyzed and stratified by sex, age, geographical location, and sociodemographic index (SDI). The annual age-standardized rate of change in the incidence was obtained to evaluate temporal trends.ResultsOf 4,859,267,654 (95% uncertainty interval [UI], 4,680,693,440–5,060,498,767) new skin and subcutaneous disease cases that were identified, most were fungal (34.0%) and bacterial (23.0%) skin diseases, which accounted for 98,522 (95% UI 75,116–123,949) deaths. The burden of skin and subcutaneous diseases measured in DALYs was 42,883,695.48 (95%UI, 28,626,691.71-63,438,210.22) in 2019, 5.26% of which were years of life lost, and 94.74% of which were years lived with disability. The highest number of new cases and deaths from skin and subcutaneous diseases was in South Asia. Globally, most new cases were in the 0–4-year age group, with skin and subcutaneous disease incidence slightly higher in men than in women.ConclusionFungal infections are major contributors to skin and subcutaneous diseases worldwide. Low–middle SDI states had the highest burden of skin and subcutaneous diseases, and this burden has increased globally. Targeted and effective management strategies based on the distribution characteristics of each country are, thus, required to reduce the burden of skin and subcutaneous diseases

Bacillus subtilis Inhibits Vibrio natriegens-Induced Corrosion via Biomineralization in Seawater

The marine bacterium, Vibrio natriegens, grows quickly in a marine environment and can significantly accelerate the corrosion of steel materials. Here, we present an approach to inhibit V. natriegens-induced corrosion by biomineralization. The corrosion of steel is mitigated in seawater via the formation of a biomineralized film induced by Bacillus subtilis. The film is composed of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and calcite, exhibiting stable anti-corrosion activity. The microbial diversity and medium chemistry tests demonstrated that the inhibition of V. natriegens growth by B. subtilis was essential for the formation of the biomineralized film

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

Identification of novel breast cancer susceptibility loci in meta-analyses conducted among Asian and European descendants

Abstract: Known risk variants explain only a small proportion of breast cancer heritability, particularly in Asian women. To search for additional genetic susceptibility loci for breast cancer, here we perform a meta-analysis of data from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) conducted in Asians (24,206 cases and 24,775 controls) and European descendants (122,977 cases and 105,974 controls). We identified 31 potential novel loci with the lead variant showing an association with breast cancer risk at P < 5 × 10−8. The associations for 10 of these loci were replicated in an independent sample of 16,787 cases and 16,680 controls of Asian women (P < 0.05). In addition, we replicated the associations for 78 of the 166 known risk variants at P < 0.05 in Asians. These findings improve our understanding of breast cancer genetics and etiology and extend previous findings from studies of European descendants to Asian women

Identification of novel breast cancer susceptibility loci in meta-analyses conducted among Asian and European descendants

Abstract: Known risk variants explain only a small proportion of breast cancer heritability, particularly in Asian women. To search for additional genetic susceptibility loci for breast cancer, here we perform a meta-analysis of data from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) conducted in Asians (24,206 cases and 24,775 controls) and European descendants (122,977 cases and 105,974 controls). We identified 31 potential novel loci with the lead variant showing an association with breast cancer risk at P < 5 × 10−8. The associations for 10 of these loci were replicated in an independent sample of 16,787 cases and 16,680 controls of Asian women (P < 0.05). In addition, we replicated the associations for 78 of the 166 known risk variants at P < 0.05 in Asians. These findings improve our understanding of breast cancer genetics and etiology and extend previous findings from studies of European descendants to Asian women

One-Step Removal of Calcium, Magnesium, and Nickel in Desalination by Alcaligenes aquatilis via Biomineralization

In desalination, a high level of calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) ions in seawater can cause scale deposition on the reverse osmosis membranes and water treatment systems. This process can significantly affect the efficiency of desalination. In addition, heavy metals in seawater affect human health. Therefore, Alcaligenes aquatilis from seawater was used to remove Ca, Mg, and nickel (Ni) by microbial-induced carbonate precipitation (MICP). The purification system was then analyzed by ionic analysis and surface characterization. This study shows that the bacteria can utilize amino acids to produce carbonate and form precipitates with a high removal rate. MICP via A. aquatilis removed 91.8%, 68.5%, and 92.2% of the initial soluble Ca, Mg, and Ni, respectively. Furthermore, A. aquatilis can remove ammonium after the MICP process under oxygen-rich conditions. Therefore, we provide interesting insight into the use of Alcaligenes (in the absence of urea) to improve the seawater quality in the process of desalination

Neurological Manifestations in Familial Mediterranean Fever

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is an autoinflammatory disease caused by mutations of the MEFV gene. The main clinical manifestations are recurrent fever and serous inflammation in various parts of the body. Some patients with FMF may also develop neurological manifestations such as epilepsy, demyelinating disease, aseptic meningitis. As neurological manifestations are rare in patients with FMF, the association between the two is often overlooked in clinical practice. In this paper, we reviewed the neurological manifestations of FMF and their relationship with genotypes, so as to deepen the understanding of the clinical manifestations of FMF and provide help for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with neurological manifestations

Study on Lane-Change Replanning and Trajectory Tracking for Intelligent Vehicles Based on Model Predictive Control

When an intelligent vehicle changes lanes, the state of other vehicles may change, which increases the risk of collision. Therefore, real-time local path replanning is needed at this time. Based on model predictive control (MPC), a lane-change trajectory replanning strategy was proposed, which was divided into a lane-change trajectory correction strategy, a lane-change switchback strategy and forward active collision avoidance strategy according to collision risk. Based on the collision risk function of the rectangular safety neighborhood, the objective functions were designed according to the specific requirements of different strategies. The vehicle lateral controller based on MPC and the vehicle longitudinal motion controller were established. The longitudinal velocity was taken as the joint point to establish the lateral and longitudinal integrated controller. The trajectory planning module, trajectory replanning module and trajectory tracking module were integrated in layers, and the three trajectory replanning strategies of lane-change trajectory correction, lane-change switchback and forward active collision avoidance were respectively simulated and verified. The simulation results showed the trajectory replanning strategy achieves collision avoidance under different scenarios and ensures the vehicle’s driving stability. The trajectory tracking layer achieves accurate tracking of the conventional lane-change trajectory and has good driving stability and comfort