Intelligent wearable textiles have garnered attention and advancement, particularly in the realms of thermotherapy and health monitoring. As a critical component of intelligent wearable textiles, conductive fibers are expected to have long-term stable and durable conductivity. In this work, a highly stretchable and conductive fiber based on tannic acid/polypyrrole was developed. The conductive network was formed by doping TA into PPy, resulting in enhanced stretchability of PPy on the surface of PU. TA also improves the interface interaction between PPy and PU to gain more firm attachment of PPy, which achieves high conductivity (0.89 ± 0.23 S/cm) and durability. Furthermore, the stretchable conductive fiber also exhibited intelligent responses to electricity, light, and deformation. They can serve as heat sources under the action of electricity and light (temperature was raised to 42 °C under 4 V and 54 °C under solar radiation stimuli) and can also monitor the movements of humans, making them potential applications in thermotherapy textiles and intelligent sensing equipment. A PU/TA/PPy-based all-in-one smart wearable system was fabricated using textile molding technology capable of all-weather thermal therapy and motion detection. This fiber fabrication technology and integrated system offer insights for the future development of smart wearable devices.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of salvage stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SABR) for recurrent renal cell carcinoma (RCC) after thermal ablation (TA).
METHODS: This study was a multi-institutional retrospective analysis of patients with recurrent RCC following TA who received SABR between 2016 and 2020. The primary study outcome was freedom from local failure, evaluated radiographically based on Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours (RECIST) v1.1. Distant failure, cancer-specific survival (CSS), overall survival (OS), treatment-related toxicity and renal function changes following SABR were the secondary outcomes. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate freedom from local and distant failure, CSS and OS.
RESULTS: Seventeen patients with 18 biopsy-confirmed RCCs were included, with a median (interquartile range [IQR]) age at time of SABR of 75.2 (72.6-68.7) years, a median (IQR) tumour size of 3.5 (1.9-4.1) cm and follow-up (reverse Kaplan-Meier method) of 3.36 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.6-4.1) years. Six of the 17 patients had a solitary kidney. Five patients had failed repeat TA prior to SABR. The median (IQR) time from TA procedure to SABR was 3.03 (1.5-5.1) years. No patient experienced local progression, with a local control rate of 100%. Four patients, two with baseline metastatic disease, experienced distant progression. The distant progression-free survival, CSS and OS at 3 years were 72.1% (95% CI 51.9%-100%), 92.3% (95% CI 78.9%-100%) and 82.1% (95% CI 62.1%-100%), respectively. The median (IQR) glomerular filtration rate before SABR was 58 (40-71) mL/min, and at last follow-up, it was 48 (33-57) mL/min. No patient experienced grade 3+ toxicity or went on to develop end-stage renal disease.
CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that SABR appears to be an effective and safe salvage strategy in patients with recurrent RCC following TA.

The process of valve formation is a complex process that involves intricate interplay between various pathways at precise times. Although we have not completely elucidated the molecular pathways that lead to normal valve formation, we have identified a few major players in this process. We are now able to implicate TGF-ß, BMP, and NOTCH as suspects in tricuspid atresia (TA), as well as their downstream targets: NKX2-5, TBX5, NFATC1, GATA4, and SOX9. We know that the TGF-ß and the BMP pathways converge on the SMAD4 molecule, and we believe that this molecule plays a very important role to tie both pathways to TA. Similarly, we look at the NOTCH pathway and identify the HEY2 as a potential link between this pathway and TA. Another transcription factor that has been implicated in TA is NFATC1. While several mouse models exist that include part of the TA abnormality as their phenotype, no true mouse model can be said to represent TA. Bridging this gap will surely shed light on this complex molecular pathway and allow for better understanding of the disease process.

SnO2 and tantalum doped SnO2 (TTO) thin films were prepared using reactive hollow cathode gas flow sputtering (GFS) on glass substrates. An in-situ heating process under vacuum preceded the sputtering. The resistivity of the tin oxide films was reduced to a remarkable low of 2.02 × 10-3 Ω cm, with a carrier concentration of 2.55 × 1020 cm-3 and a mobility of 12.11 cm2V-1s-1. As the substrate temperature increased, the film resistivity decreased. Notably, at a substrate temperature of 270 °C, the effect of Ta doping on the film resistivity and carrier concentration was significantly stronger compared to higher temperatures. Elevating the substrate temperature and Ta doping resulted in a lower refractive index (n). This effect was consistently strong at higher temperatures, attributed to the higher film-free carrier concentration (4.54 × 1020 cm-3) compared to lower temperatures (2.35 × 1020 cm-3). The film\'s structure was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscope (AFM). The preferred direction of film growth was discussed. The successful and reproducible fabrication of tin oxide films underscores the advantages of gas flow sputtering (GFS) technology. GFS offers stable operating conditions across various oxygen flow levels without requiring target oxidization control, as is required in magnetron sputtering when managing gas status and film quality.

UNASSIGNED: The high prevalence of internet addiction (IA) has become a worldwide problem that profoundly affects people\'s mental health and executive function. Empirical studies have suggested trait anxiety (TA) as one of the most robust predictors of addictive behaviors. The present study investigated the neural and socio-psychological mechanisms underlying the association between TA and IA.
UNASSIGNED: Firstly, we tested the correlation between TA and IA. Then we investigated the longitudinal influence of TA on IA using a linear mixed effect (LME) model. Secondly, connectome-based predictive modeling (CPM) was employed to explore neuromarkers of TA, and we tested whether the identified neuromarkers of TA can predict IA. Lastly, stressful life events and default mode network (DMN) were considered as mediating variables to explore the relationship between TA and IA.
UNASSIGNED: A significant positive correlation between TA and IA was found and the high TA group demonstrated higher IA across time. CPM results revealed that the functional connectivity of cognitive control and emotion-regulation circuits and DMN were significantly correlated with TA. Furthermore, a significant association was found between the neuromarkers of TA and IA. Notably, the CPM results were all validated in an independent sample. The results of mediation demonstrated that stressful life events and correlated functional connectivity mediated the association between TA and IA.
UNASSIGNED: Findings of the present study facilitate a deeper understanding of the neural and socio-psychological mechanisms linking TA and IA and provide new directions for developing neural and psychological interventions.

OBJECTIVE: Lipomas are rare but the most common benign mesenchymal lesions of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, composed of mature adipose cells. The \"piggybacking lipoma\" is formed by lipomas with overlying polypoid epithelial lesions, such as sessile serrated lesion, tubular adenoma, or hyperplastic polyp, and the literature on these lesions is limited. In this study, we systematically investigated the clinical, endoscopic, and pathologic characteristics of these unique lipomas.
METHODS: This is a single-institution retrospective study of gastrointestinal tract lipomas diagnosed from 2016-2021. Those with concurrent polypoid epithelial or mesenchymal lesions during the same endoscopic episode were included and reviewed in this study, and the lipomas were classified as \"piggybacking lipoma\" or \"non-piggybacking lipoma\" depending on whether the concurrent lesion was overlying the lipoma or was at a different location in the intestine. Demographic, clinical, and endoscopic data were obtained from electronic medical records.
RESULTS: A total of 100 lipomas with concurrent epithelial or mesenchymal lesions were included in this study. Among them, 21 cases were classified as \"piggybacking lipoma\" and 79 were classified as \"non-piggybacking lipoma\". Patients with piggybacking lipomas showed a female predilection, and were more likely to be symptomatic and less likely to exhibit classic endoscopic features of lipoma. Histologically, the piggybacking polyps showed overlying sessile serrated lesions (SSL) (76.2%) and tubular adenoma (TA) (19%), whereas the non-piggybacking group had differing characteristic lesions with TA (57.5%) and SSL (6.0%).
CONCLUSIONS: Piggybacking lipomas are rare lipomas with overlying polypoid epithelial lesions, most commonly SSL. They present different clinical, endoscopic, and pathologic features compared to non-piggybacking lipomas.

The development of refractory status epilepticus (SE) following sarin intoxication presents a therapeutic challenge. Here, we evaluated the efficacy of delayed combined double or triple treatment in reducing abnormal epileptiform seizure activity (ESA) and the ensuing long-term neuronal insult. SE was induced in rats by exposure to 1.2 LD50 sarin followed by treatment with atropine and TMB4 (TA) 1 min later. Double treatment with ketamine and midazolam or triple treatment with ketamine, midazolam and levetiracetam was administered 30 min post-exposure, and the results were compared to those of single treatment with midazolam alone or triple treatment with ketamine, midazolam, and valproate, which was previously shown to ameliorate this neurological insult. Toxicity and electrocorticogram activity were monitored during the first week, and behavioral evaluations were performed 2 weeks post-exposure, followed by biochemical and immunohistopathological analyses. Both double and triple treatment reduced mortality and enhanced weight recovery compared to TA-only treatment. Triple treatment and, to a lesser extent, double treatment significantly ameliorated the ESA duration. Compared to the TA-only or the TA+ midazolam treatment, both double and triple treatment reduced the sarin-induced increase in the neuroinflammatory marker PGE2 and the brain damage marker TSPO and decreased gliosis, astrocytosis and neuronal damage. Finally, both double and triple treatment prevented a change in behavior, as measured in the open field test. No significant difference was observed between the efficacies of the two triple treatments, and both triple combinations completely prevented brain injury (no differences from the naïve rats). Delayed double and, to a greater extent, triple treatment may serve as an efficacious delayed therapy, preventing brain insult propagation following sarin-induced refractory SE.

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) have emerged as a viable platform to engage large numbers of students in real-world scientific practices. Historically, CUREs have been offered throughout science, technology, engineering, and mathematics curricula at both the introductory and advanced levels and have been facilitated by a variety of individuals, including faculty members, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate teaching assistants (GTAs). This latter population, in particular, has increasingly been tasked with facilitating CUREs, yet they often receive little meaningful professional development to improve pedagogical skills vital to this type of instruction. To address this disparity, we designed and evaluated a semester-long intervention to support GTAs (N = 7) responsible for leading CUREs at our institution during the Fall 2020 semester. Intervention activities included synchronous interactive discussions, reflective journaling, and asynchronous practical exercises. Analysis of retrospective postintervention survey responses and focus group interview data revealed that participants exhibited gains in their understanding of the dimensions of CUREs, strategies for mentoring undergraduates, and use of various pedagogical techniques as well as confidence in addressing and adopting those dimensions and strategies in their courses. Furthermore, participants reported finding value in the sense of community created through the intervention, which served as a means to share ideas and struggles throughout the term.

Intumescent flame retardants (IFR) are an excellent solution to the problem of easy combustion of polymers. Still, the negative effect of the addition of flame retardants is the decline of the mechanical properties of polymers. In this context, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are modified with tannic acid (TA) and then wrapped on the surface of ammonium polyphosphate (APP) to construct a special intumescent flame retardant structure (CTAPP). The respective advantages of the three components in the structure are explained in detail, especially the role of CNTs with high thermal conductivity in the flame retardant system. Compared with pure natural rubber (NR), the peak heat release rate (PHRR), total heat release (THR), and total smoke production (TSP) of the composites proposed with special structural flame retardants are decreased by 68.4%, 64.3%, and 49.3%, respectively, while the limiting oxygen index (LOI) increased to 28.6%. The TA-modified CNTs wrapped on the surface of APP can effectively reduce the mechanical damage caused by the flame retardant to the polymer. To sum up, the flame retardant structure of TA-modified CNTs wrapped on APP can effectively enhance the flame retardant properties of the NR matrix and reduce the negative impact on mechanics caused by adding APP flame retardant.

UNASSIGNED: This study aimed to evaluate the changes in posterior corneal astigmatism after cataract surgery and provide a theoretical basis to accurately evaluate the total corneal astigmatism (TA) to be corrected before toric intraocular lens (IOL) implantation.
UNASSIGNED: Sixty-two patients (89 eyes) who underwent phacoemulsification combined with toric IOL implantation (AcrySof IQ Toric SN6AT2-T9) at Shanxi Eye Hospital between January 2017 and September 2018 were enrolled. Surgically induced astigmatism of the posterior cornea (SIAPA) was analysed using vector analysis during pentacam examination.
UNASSIGNED: The vector variances of keratometric astigmatism (KA), TA, and posterior corneal astigmatism (PA) preoperatively and postoperatively in the \"with-the-rule (WTR) astigmatism\" group and \"overall patient\" group were statistically significant (P < 0.05). A statistically significant difference was observed between surgically induced KA (SIAKA) and surgically induced astigmatism of the total cornea (SIATA) for all patients, including those with WTR astigmatism. For all patients, SIAKA was less than SIATA by 0.05 ± 0.21 D, and for patients with WTR astigmatism, SIAKA was less than SIATA by 0.09 ± 0.22 D. For patients in the \"against-the-rule (ATR) astigmatism\" group, there were no statistically significant differences between SIAKA and SIATA, although SIAKA was greater than SIATA by 0.03 ± 0.18 D. When PA ≤0.4 D or KA ≤2.0 D, SIAPA can be ignored. However, when PA >0.4 D or KA >2.0 D, ignoring SIAPA caused by cataract surgery incision will cause SIAKA in patients with WTR astigmatism to underestimate SIATA, while SIAKA in patients with ATR astigmatism will cause an overestimation of SIATA.
UNASSIGNED: SIA on the posterior corneal astigmatism may have a significant role on more precise planning of toric IOL implantation, especially in cases with higher preoperative anterior or posterior corneal astigmatism.