Improved Thoracoscopic-Assisted Surgery for the Treatment of Metastatic Thoracic Vertebral Tumors

The significant progress made in the diagnosis and treatment of malignant tumors has led to improved patient survival rates. However, the metastatic ...

Zhejiang University

Collocation on finite element (CFE) is an effective simultaneous method of dynamic optimization to increase the profitability or productivity of industrial process. The approach needs to select an optimal mesh of time interval to balance the computational cost with desired solution. A new CFE approach with non-uniform refinement procedure based on the sensitivity analysis for dynamic optimization problems is, therefore, proposed, where a subinterval is further refined if the obtained control parameters have significant effect on the performance index. To improve the efficiency, the sensitivities of state parameters with respect to control parameters are derived from the solution of the discretized dynamic system. The proposed method is illustrated by testing two classic dynamic optimization problems from chemical and biochemical engineering. The detailed comparisons among the proposed method, the CFE with uniform mesh, and other reported methods are also carried out. The research results reveal the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Sensitivity-based adaptive mesh refinement collocation method for dynamic optimization of chemical and biochemical processes.

High quality control method is essential for the implementation of aircraft autopilot system. An optimal control problem model considering the safe aerodynamic envelop is therefore established to improve the control quality of aircraft flight level tracking. A novel non-uniform control vector parameterization (CVP) method with time grid refinement is then proposed for solving the optimal control problem. By introducing the Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT) analysis, an efficient time grid refinement approach is presented and an adaptive time grid is automatically obtained. With this refinement, the proposed method needs fewer optimization parameters to achieve better control quality when compared with uniform refinement CVP method, whereas the computational cost is lower. Two well-known flight level altitude tracking problems and one minimum time cost problem are tested as illustrations and the uniform refinement control vector parameterization method is adopted as the comparative base. Numerical results show that the proposed method achieves better performances in terms of optimization accuracy and computation cost; meanwhile, the control quality is efficiently improved.

A novel non-uniform control vector parameterization approach with time grid refinement for flight level tracking optimal control problems.

Osteosarcoma (OS) is a primary malignant bone tumor with high morbidity. Developing new therapeutic approaches with neoadjuvant is of great interest in OS treatment. Reportedly, ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM)/ataxia telangiectasia and radiation resistance gene 3 related (ATR)-p53 signaling is considered as a critical DNA damage signaling pathway sensitizing cancer cells to chemotherapies; while wild-type p53-induced phosphatase 1 (WIP1), an oncogene overexpressed in diverse cancers, has been regarded as a critical inhibitor in the ATM/ATR-p53 DNA damage signaling pathway. Herein, the expression of WIP1 in OS tissues and cell lines was examined; to investigate the mechanism of WIP1 abnormal upregulation, online tools were used to predict the upstream regulatory microRNAs (miRNAs) targeting WIP1. Among the candidate miRNAs, the expression and detailed function of miR-590 were validated. Through binding to the 3'-untranslated region of WIP1, miR-590 inhibited WIP1 expression and, therefore, enhanced the effect of Dox on OS cell proliferation and apoptosis through downstream ATM-p53 signaling. Moreover, RELA could bind to the promoter region of miR-590 to inhibit its expression, thereby affecting downstream WIP1 and ATM-p53 signaling. The expression of p65 was upregulated in OS tissues, indicating that the effect of p65 inhibition on cell viability, apoptosis, and related mechanisms could be partially restored by miR-590 inhibition. Taken together, these results showed that p65-mediated miR-590/WIP1/ATM-p53 modulation might be a novel target to enhance the cellular effect of Dox on OS cell lines.

P65-mediated miR-590 inhibition modulates the chemoresistance of osteosarcoma to doxorubicin through targeting wild-type p53-induced phosphatase 1.

Aging causes a functional decline in tissues throughout the body that may be delayed by caloric restriction (CR). However, the cellular profiles and signatures of aging, as well as those ameliorated by CR, remain unclear. Here, we built comprehensive single-cell and single-nucleus transcriptomic atlases across various rat tissues undergoing aging and CR. CR attenuated aging-related changes in cell type composition, gene expression, and core transcriptional regulatory networks. Immune cells were increased during aging, and CR favorably reversed the aging-disturbed immune ecosystem. Computational prediction revealed that the abnormal cell-cell communication patterns observed during aging, including the excessive proinflammatory ligand-receptor interplay, were reversed by CR. Our work provides multi-tissue single-cell transcriptional landscapes associated with aging and CR in a mammal, enhances our understanding of the robustness of CR as a geroprotective intervention, and uncovers how metabolic intervention can act upon the immune system to modify the process of aging.

Caloric Restriction Reprograms the Single-Cell Transcriptional Landscape of Rattus Norvegicus Aging.

Human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) are the primary cells in skin and are associated with UVB-induced skin photoaging. Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) have been proposed as a treatment for skin aging. The goal of this study was to investigate paracrine mechanisms by which ASCs repair HDFs damage from UVB exposure.

The Paracrine Effect of Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Orchestrates Competition between Different Damaged Dermal Fibroblasts to Repair UVB-Induced Skin Aging.

Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) are considered promising cells for skin rejuvenation. However, whether the angiogenetic effect of ASCs plays an important role in the treatment of aging skin and its influence on skin tissue remain elusive.

Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Improve the Aging Skin of Nude Mice by Promoting Angiogenesis and Reducing Local Tissue Water.

Orthoses can stabilize the foot and restore the medial longitudinal arch for symptomatic flexible flatfoot. However, the effectiveness of orthoses remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to evaluate effectiveness of a customized soft inflatable orthosis on the medial longitudinal arch of flexible flatfoot patients under load.

Effect of soft inflatable orthosis on the medial longitudinal arch in patients with flexible flatfoot deformity.

A better understanding of soft tissue stress and its role in supporting the medial longitudinal arch in flexible flatfoot could help to guide the clinical treatment. In this study, a 3-Dimensional finite element (FE) foot model was reconstructed to measure the stress of the soft tissue, and its variation in different scenarios related to flexible flatfoot. All bones, cartilages, ligaments and related tendons around the ankle, and fat pad were included in the finite element model. The equivalent stress on the articular surface of the joints in the medial longitudinal arch and the maximum principal stress of the ligaments around the ankle were obtained. The results show that the plantar fascia (PF) is the main tissue in maintaining the medial longitudinal arch. The equivalent stress of all the joints in the medial longitudinal arch increases when the PF attenuation and the talonavicular joint increases, while other joints decreases when all the three tissue attenuation. Moreover, the maximum principal stress variation of calcaneofibular ligament is largest when the PF attenuation and the tibionavicular ligament and posterior tibiotalar ligament are largest when the posterior tibial tendon (PTT) attenuation. The maximum principal stress variation of tibionavicular ligament and posterior tibiotalar ligament are even larger when all the three tissue attenuation. These findings support that the PF is the main factor in maintaining the medial longitudinal arch. The medial longitudinal arch collapse mainly affects the talonavicular joint and the calcaneofibular ligament, the tibionavicular ligament and the posterior tibiotalar ligament. This approach could help to improve the understanding of adult-acquired flatfoot deformity (AAFD).

Analysis of the main soft tissue stress associated with flexible flatfoot deformity: a finite element study.

There is disagreement as to whether early controlled motion and weightbearing confer a beneficial effect for nonoperatively treated acute Achilles tendon rupture (ATR) compared with immobilization and late weightbearing.

Is Early Controlled Motion and Weightbearing Recommended for Nonoperatively Treated Acute Achilles Tendon Rupture? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

In China, vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) was not a common occurrence, and research on the genetic context and transmission mechanism of -plasmid was scarce. The aim of this study was to molecularly characterise a vancomycin-resistant  isolate from a bloodstream infection and determine the genetic environment and delivery pattern of the plasmid carrying vancomycin-resistant gene.

Genomic Characterization of a Vancomycin-Resistant Strain of  Harboring a  Plasmid.

The artificial nervous system proves the great potential for the emulation of complex neural signal transduction. However, a more bionic system design for bio-signal transduction still lags behind that of physical signals, and relies on additional external sources. Here, this work presents a zero-voltage-writing artificial nervous system (ZANS) that integrates a bio-source-sensing device (BSSD) for ion-based sensing and power generation with a hafnium-zirconium oxide-ferroelectric tunnel junction (HZO-FTJ) for the continuously adjustable resistance state. The BSSD can use ion bio-source as both perception and energy source, and then output voltage signals varied with the change of ion concentrations to the HZO-FTJ, which completes the zero-voltage-writing neuromorphic bio-signal modulation. In view of in/ex vivo biocompatibility, this work shows the precise muscle control of a rabbit leg by integrating the ZANS with a flexible nerve stimulation electrode. The independence on external source enhances the application potential of ZANS in robotics and prosthetics.

Xiao Long

Department of Orthopedics,
The First Affiliated Hospital,
Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital

Zhejiang University

Improved Thoracoscopic-Assisted Surgery for the Treatment of Metastatic Thoracic Vertebral Tumors

Xiao Long

.css-o250i3{font-size:18px;font-family:Open Sans,sans-serif;line-height:21.6px;}Department of Orthopedics,The First Affiliated Hospital,Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital

Zhejiang University

Improved Thoracoscopic-Assisted Surgery for the Treatment of Metastatic Thoracic Vertebral Tumors

Department of Orthopedics,
The First Affiliated Hospital,
Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital