This study aimed to investigate the association between atrophy in the prefrontal cortex with executive function and verbal fluency in elderly male and female patients poststroke. Thirty elderly female patients with n...This study aimed to investigate the association between atrophy in the prefrontal cortex with executive function and verbal fluency in elderly male and female patients poststroke. Thirty elderly female patients with non-aphasic ischemic stroke aged -〉 60 years and 30 age-matched non-aphasic male patients with ischemic stroke were recruited. Automatic magnetic resonance imaging segmentation was used to assess the volume of the whole prefrontal cortex, along with its subdivisions： anterior cingulate cortex, orbitofrontal cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. The Semantic Verbal Fluency Test was administered at 3 and 15 months poststroke. At 3 months poststroke, left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex volume was significantly correlated with Verbal Fluency Test score in female patients only （partial coefficient = 0.453, P = 0.045）, after controlling for age, education, diabetes, neurological deficit, white matter lesions volume, as well as the location and volume of infarcts. At 15 months poststroke, there remained a significant association between the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex volume and Verbal Fluency Test （partial coefficient = 0.661, P = 0.001） and between the left prefrontal cortex volume and Verbal Fluency Test （partial coefficient = 0.573, P = 0.004） in female patients after the same adjustments. These findings indicate that atrophy of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex contributes to the impairment of verbal fluency in elderly female patients with stroke. Sex differences may be present in the neuropsychological mechanisms of verbal fluency impairment in patients with stroke.展开更多
Objective:The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanism of acupotomology(Apo)in the prevention of articular cartilage destruction via the promotion of chondrocyte proliferation and chondrocyte expression of c...Objective:The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanism of acupotomology(Apo)in the prevention of articular cartilage destruction via the promotion of chondrocyte proliferation and chondrocyte expression of cell cycle regulators,CyclinD1,CDK4 and CDK6 in a rabbit knee osteoarthritis(KOA)model.Methods:Twenty-eight rabbits were randomly divided into a control group,an OA(osteoarthritis)model group,an Apo(acupotomology)group and EA(electro-acupuncture)group(n Z 7).Improved Videman’s method was used to induce a rabbit model of KOA over 6 weeks.One week later,acupotomy and electro-acupuncture therapy was applied to animals in the respective groups and treatment lasted 4 weeks.Following these treatments,quantitative real-time PCR,immunohistochemical staining and western blotting were performed to assess the mRNA and protein levels of cell cycle regulators CyclinD1(Cell cycle protein D1),CDK4(Cyclin-dependent kinase 4)and CDK6(Cyclin-dependent kinase 6).Ethology measures and knee morphology were also compared among groups.Results:The Lequesne MG index score of morphology was increased(P<.01),and the passive range of motion(PROM)and the mRNA and protein levels of CyclinD1,CDK4,and CDK6 were significantly decreased(P<.01)in the OA model compared with the control group.The Lequesne MG index score and the morphology score were decreased in the Apo and EA group compared with the OA model group(P<.05 or P<.01),while the mRNA levels of CyclinD1,CDK4,and CDK6,and the protein levels of CDK4 were increased in the Apo and EA groups compared with the OA model group(P<.05 or P<.01).The PROM,and the protein levels of CyclinD1 and CDK6 were increased(P<.05)in the Apo group compared with the OA model group,while the PROM and the protein levels of CyclinD1 and CDK6 in the EA group were not significantly different(P>.05).Compared with the EA group,the morphology score was decreased in Apo group(P<.05).Conclusions:The mRNA levels of CyclinD1 and CDK4,and the protein level of CDK4 in chondrocytes are regulate by both Apo and EA.Apo is more effective than EA in regulating the protein levels of CyclinD1 and CDK6.According to the observed changes in morphology and cytokine levels,acupotomy can promote chondrocyte proliferation and can alleviate the destruction of articular cartilage in a model of KOA.展开更多
Disposing of coal gangue and fly-ash on the surface is a risky method with tremendous potential catastrophic consequences for the environment.Backfill mining is a promising practice for turning those hazardous wastes ...Disposing of coal gangue and fly-ash on the surface is a risky method with tremendous potential catastrophic consequences for the environment.Backfill mining is a promising practice for turning those hazardous wastes into functional backfill materi-als.Unfortunately,how to efficiently deliver the slurry to the desired places remains under-researched.To address this issue,the computational fluid dynamics software Fluent was used in the current study in addition to a laboratory rheological test to simulate the impact of various parameters on the evolution of pressure at a particular section of the pipeline.Furthermore,the response surface method was employed to investigate how the various components and their corresponding influencing weights interact to affect the pressure drop.This study demonstrates that the pressure drop of the slurry is highly influenced by slurry concentration,speed,and pipe diameter.While conveying speed is the main component in the bend section,pipe diameter takes over in the horizontal and vertical pipe sections.展开更多
Heavy metal pollution in landfill humus can cause serious environmental problems and may endanger soil ecosystems and human health.The biological toxicity of heavy metals is not only related to their total amount but ...Heavy metal pollution in landfill humus can cause serious environmental problems and may endanger soil ecosystems and human health.The biological toxicity of heavy metals is not only related to their total amount but also influenced to a greater extent by the distribution of their chemical speciation.Exploring the different chemical speciation and proportions of heavy metals can provide a more comprehensive and accurate understanding of the pollution characteristics and biological toxic-ity of heavy metals in landfill soil.Based on a review of the relevant literature,this paper systematically summarizes the recent research status of typical heavy metal chemical speciation in landfill humus.This chemical speciation is diverse and complex.For instance,heavy metals in residual states and organically bound states have little impact on organisms,while heavy metals in exchangeable states and Fe-Mn oxide states can easily migrate and transform.The chemical speciation of heavy metals is affected by many factors,among which the soil pH and organic matter content are some of the most important factors.Finally,the existing gaps in the current research on the chemical speciation of heavy metals in landfills are described and future research directions are proposed.This work provides a theoretical reference for researching the restoration of heavy metal-contaminated humus soil and the resource utilization of humus soil.展开更多
基金supported by the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong SAR,No. 452906
文摘This study aimed to investigate the association between atrophy in the prefrontal cortex with executive function and verbal fluency in elderly male and female patients poststroke. Thirty elderly female patients with non-aphasic ischemic stroke aged -〉 60 years and 30 age-matched non-aphasic male patients with ischemic stroke were recruited. Automatic magnetic resonance imaging segmentation was used to assess the volume of the whole prefrontal cortex, along with its subdivisions： anterior cingulate cortex, orbitofrontal cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. The Semantic Verbal Fluency Test was administered at 3 and 15 months poststroke. At 3 months poststroke, left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex volume was significantly correlated with Verbal Fluency Test score in female patients only （partial coefficient = 0.453, P = 0.045）, after controlling for age, education, diabetes, neurological deficit, white matter lesions volume, as well as the location and volume of infarcts. At 15 months poststroke, there remained a significant association between the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex volume and Verbal Fluency Test （partial coefficient = 0.661, P = 0.001） and between the left prefrontal cortex volume and Verbal Fluency Test （partial coefficient = 0.573, P = 0.004） in female patients after the same adjustments. These findings indicate that atrophy of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex contributes to the impairment of verbal fluency in elderly female patients with stroke. Sex differences may be present in the neuropsychological mechanisms of verbal fluency impairment in patients with stroke.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China program(No.81574067).
文摘Objective:The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanism of acupotomology(Apo)in the prevention of articular cartilage destruction via the promotion of chondrocyte proliferation and chondrocyte expression of cell cycle regulators,CyclinD1,CDK4 and CDK6 in a rabbit knee osteoarthritis(KOA)model.Methods:Twenty-eight rabbits were randomly divided into a control group,an OA(osteoarthritis)model group,an Apo(acupotomology)group and EA(electro-acupuncture)group(n Z 7).Improved Videman’s method was used to induce a rabbit model of KOA over 6 weeks.One week later,acupotomy and electro-acupuncture therapy was applied to animals in the respective groups and treatment lasted 4 weeks.Following these treatments,quantitative real-time PCR,immunohistochemical staining and western blotting were performed to assess the mRNA and protein levels of cell cycle regulators CyclinD1(Cell cycle protein D1),CDK4(Cyclin-dependent kinase 4)and CDK6(Cyclin-dependent kinase 6).Ethology measures and knee morphology were also compared among groups.Results:The Lequesne MG index score of morphology was increased(P<.01),and the passive range of motion(PROM)and the mRNA and protein levels of CyclinD1,CDK4,and CDK6 were significantly decreased(P<.01)in the OA model compared with the control group.The Lequesne MG index score and the morphology score were decreased in the Apo and EA group compared with the OA model group(P<.05 or P<.01),while the mRNA levels of CyclinD1,CDK4,and CDK6,and the protein levels of CDK4 were increased in the Apo and EA groups compared with the OA model group(P<.05 or P<.01).The PROM,and the protein levels of CyclinD1 and CDK6 were increased(P<.05)in the Apo group compared with the OA model group,while the PROM and the protein levels of CyclinD1 and CDK6 in the EA group were not significantly different(P>.05).Compared with the EA group,the morphology score was decreased in Apo group(P<.05).Conclusions:The mRNA levels of CyclinD1 and CDK4,and the protein level of CDK4 in chondrocytes are regulate by both Apo and EA.Apo is more effective than EA in regulating the protein levels of CyclinD1 and CDK6.According to the observed changes in morphology and cytokine levels,acupotomy can promote chondrocyte proliferation and can alleviate the destruction of articular cartilage in a model of KOA.
文摘Disposing of coal gangue and fly-ash on the surface is a risky method with tremendous potential catastrophic consequences for the environment.Backfill mining is a promising practice for turning those hazardous wastes into functional backfill materi-als.Unfortunately,how to efficiently deliver the slurry to the desired places remains under-researched.To address this issue,the computational fluid dynamics software Fluent was used in the current study in addition to a laboratory rheological test to simulate the impact of various parameters on the evolution of pressure at a particular section of the pipeline.Furthermore,the response surface method was employed to investigate how the various components and their corresponding influencing weights interact to affect the pressure drop.This study demonstrates that the pressure drop of the slurry is highly influenced by slurry concentration,speed,and pipe diameter.While conveying speed is the main component in the bend section,pipe diameter takes over in the horizontal and vertical pipe sections.
基金the Zhejiang Provincial Science and Technology Plan Project(No.2022C03082).
文摘Heavy metal pollution in landfill humus can cause serious environmental problems and may endanger soil ecosystems and human health.The biological toxicity of heavy metals is not only related to their total amount but also influenced to a greater extent by the distribution of their chemical speciation.Exploring the different chemical speciation and proportions of heavy metals can provide a more comprehensive and accurate understanding of the pollution characteristics and biological toxic-ity of heavy metals in landfill soil.Based on a review of the relevant literature,this paper systematically summarizes the recent research status of typical heavy metal chemical speciation in landfill humus.This chemical speciation is diverse and complex.For instance,heavy metals in residual states and organically bound states have little impact on organisms,while heavy metals in exchangeable states and Fe-Mn oxide states can easily migrate and transform.The chemical speciation of heavy metals is affected by many factors,among which the soil pH and organic matter content are some of the most important factors.Finally,the existing gaps in the current research on the chemical speciation of heavy metals in landfills are described and future research directions are proposed.This work provides a theoretical reference for researching the restoration of heavy metal-contaminated humus soil and the resource utilization of humus soil.
