The substitution of ethyl acetate for ammonia in NH3-SCR provides a novel strategy for the simultaneous removal of VOCs and NO. In this study, three distinct types of biochar were fabricated through pyrolysis at 700 °C. MnOx and TiO2 were sequentially loaded onto these biochar substrates via a hydrothermal process, yielding a family of biochar-based catalysts with optimized dosages. Upon exposure to xenon lamp irradiation at 240 °C, the biochar catalyst designated as 700-12-3GN, derived from Ginkgo shells, demonstrated the highest catalytic activity when contrasted with its counterparts prepared from moso bamboo and loofah. The conversion efficiencies for NO and ethyl acetate (EA) peaked at 73.66% and 62.09%, respectively, at a catalyst loading of 300 mg. The characterization results indicate that the 700-12-3GN catalyst exhibits superior activity, which can be attributed to the higher concentration of Mn4+ and Ti4+ species, along with its superior redox properties and suitable elemental distribution. Notably, the 700-12-3GN catalyst has the smallest specific surface area but the largest pore volume and average BJH pore size, indicating that the specific surface area is not the predominant factor affecting catalyst performance. Instead, pore volume and average BJH pore diameter appear to be the more influential parameters. This research provides a reference and prospect for the resource utilization of biochar and the development of photothermal co-catalytic ethyl acetate and NO at low cost.

BACKGROUND: Genital malformations are frequently diagnosed in patients with VACTERL, but are currently not included in the acronym. This study aimed to analyze the frequency of genital anomalies in patients with esophageal atresia (EA) and/or anorectal malformation (ARM), with a subgroup analysis of children fulfilling the VACTERL criteria.
METHODS: This was a cross-sectional retrospective analysis of two prospectively collected registries of patients operated on for ARM and EA between 2012 and 2022 at a specialized national center. Children were screened routinely for malformations according to the VACTERL acronym.
RESULTS: A total of 174 children were included in the study. VACTERL was diagnosed in 60 children (34%), while 114 children (66%) were defined as non-VACTERL. Genital malformations were diagnosed in 38% (23/60) of the children with VACTERL, and in 11% (13/114) of the children without VACTERL (p < 0.001). The presence of genital malformations correlated linearly with the number of diagnosed component features (CFs). In boys with VACTERL, the most common genital malformation was undescended testes present in 10/27 (21%) compared to 1/71 (1%) in non-VACTERL boys (p < 0.001). Müllerian duct anomalies were found in 26% of girls with VACTERL vs. 7% in non-VACTERL girls (p < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: There was a higher frequency of genital malformations in patients with VACTERL emphasizing the importance of genital assessment for these patients. We propose VACTERL-G as an extension of the current acronym aiming to reduce the risk of long-term morbidity due to delayed diagnosis of reproductive anomalies.
METHODS:

UNASSIGNED: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common side-effect of several drugs used to combat cancer. Thus, researchers have sought better treatments for and prevention of CIPN, such as electroacupuncture (EA). Some trials show EA worsens or prolongs CIPN pain and recommend against further studies on this. This narrative review explores EA for preventing or treating CIPN, comparing positive and negative outcomes.
UNASSIGNED: PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar were searched for electroacupuncture, CIPN, and peripheral neuropathy. A snowballing method was used to find systematic reviews and studies in systematic reviews.
UNASSIGNED: Seven English-language trials were found on using EA for preventing or treating CIPN. In 3 prevention studies, 1 had significant benefits, 1 had modest benefits, and 1 had worse pain in an EA group at follow-up, compared to sham controls. In 4 treatment studies, 2 had significant benefits, 1 had no difference from 3 controls, and 1 had sham control was superior to verum EA.
UNASSIGNED: Most of the studies were limited by small sample sizes, and some studies used EA protocols and treatment doses (frequency and total number of sessions) that were potentially suboptimal. The quantity and quality of the studies are insufficient to draw firm conclusions on effectiveness and safety. More studies must test optimal EA protocols and treatment dosages. It is inappropriate to say that EA is not recommended for CIPN prevention or treatment, because there is no robust evidence to justify this. Generally, research has found benefits and no harms.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common tumors of the digestive tract, with the third-highest incidence and the second-highest mortality rate among all malignant tumors worldwide. However, treatment options for CRC remain limited. As a complementary therapy, acupuncture or electro-acupuncture (EA) has been widely applied in the treatment of various inflammation-related diseases, such as obesity, ulcerative colitis and tumors. Although numerous pre-clinical and clinical studies have investigated the beneficial effects of acupuncture on CRC, the mechanism underlying the therapeutic action of EA is largely unknown. Evidence from previous studies has revealed that SIRT1 participates in CRC progression by activating autophagy-related miRNAs. Using azoxymethane/dextran sulfate sodium- (AOM/DSS-) induced colorectal cancer model in mice, we explored whether EA treatment can inhibit inflammation and promote autophagy via the SIRT1/miR-215/Atg14 axis. Our results showed that EA notably alleviated the CRC in mice, by decreasing the tumor number and DAI scores, inflammation, and increasing body weight of mice. Besides, EA increased the expression of SIRT1 and autophagy. Further experiments showed that SIRT1 overexpression downregulated miR-215, and promoted the expression of Atg14, whereas SIRT1 knockdown induced opposite results. In conclusion, EA can ameliorate AOM/DSS-induced CRC through regulating the SIRT1-mediated miR-215/Atg14 axis by suppressing inflammation and promoting autophagy in mice. These findings reveal a potential molecular mechanism underlying the anti-CRC effect of EA indicating that EA is a promising therapeutic candidate for CRC.

Nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) is a prevalent type of cancer that often takes the form of undifferentiated carcinoma in the Maghreb region. It affects people of all ages. NPC diagnosis, mainly based on detecting Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), has not been well evaluated in North Africa. We compared the classical EBV serological tests using indirect immunofluorescence to the detection of EBV DNase antibodies by immunoblot in Algerian NPC patients. Significant variations were observed among different age groups of patients regarding the presence of VCA-IgA antibodies (0-14 and ≥30 years old, p < 0.0001; 15-19 and ≥30 years old, p < 0.01) and EA-IgA (0-14 and ≥30 years old, p < 0.01; 15-29 and ≥30 years old, p < 0.05). Differences were also noted in the titers of IgA anti-VCA and anti-EA antibodies across the three age groups. Some patients under the age of 30 with detectable IgG anti-VCA antibodies had undetectable IgA anti-VCA antibodies. These patients had a strong anti-DNase IgA response. However, older individuals had a higher level of anti-DNase IgG. Before treatment, children had strong DNase reactivity as indicated by specific IgA antibodies. Young adults had high IgA anti-DNase response, but the elderly (90.9%) had a lower response for these antibodies. Following therapy, the children retained high levels of IgA anti-DNase antibodies, and 66% of the young adults demonstrated robust antibody reactivity against DNase. In contrast, IgG responses to anti-DNase were low in children. This study demonstrated the utility of anti-DNase responses in the diagnosis and prognosis of NPC.

BACKGROUND: There is limited knowledge regarding the impact of perioperative critical care on frequency of neurological imaging findings following esophageal atresia (EA) repair.
METHODS: This is a retrospective study of infants (n = 70) following EA repair at a single institution (2009-2020). Sex, gestational age at birth, type of surgical repair, underlying disease severity, and frequency of neurologic imaging findings were obtained. We quantified the length of postoperative pain/sedation treatment and anesthesia exposure in the first year of life. Data were presented as numerical sums and percentages, while associations were measured using Spearman\'s Rho.
RESULTS: Vertebral/spinal cord imaging was performed in all infants revealing abnormalities in 44% (31/70). Cranial/brain imaging findings were identified in 67% (22/33) of infants in the context of clinically indicated imaging (47%; 33/70). Long-gap EA patients (n = 16) received 10 times longer postoperative pain/sedation treatment and twice the anesthesia exposure compared with short-gap EA patients (n = 54). The frequency of neurologic imaging findings did not correlate with underlying disease severity scores, length of pain/sedation treatment, or cumulative anesthesia exposure. Lack of associations between clinical measures and imaging findings should be interpreted with caution given possible underestimation of cranial/brain findings.
CONCLUSIONS: We propose that all infants with EA undergo brain imaging in addition to routine spinal imaging given the high burden of abnormal brain/cranial findings in our cohort. Quantification of pain/sedation and anesthesia exposure in long-gap EA patients could be used as indirect markers in future studies assessing the risk of neurological sequelae as evidenced by early abnormalities on brain imaging.

BACKGROUND: Anastomotic strictures (AS) after esophageal atresia (EA) repair are common. While most respond to endoscopic therapy, some become refractory and require surgical intervention, for which the outcomes are not well established.
METHODS: All EA children with AS who were treated surgically at two institutions (2011-2022) were retrospectively reviewed. Surgical repair was performed for those with AS that were either refractory to endoscopic therapy or clinically symptomatic and undergoing surgery for another indication. Anastomotic leak, need for repeat stricture resection, and esophageal replacement were considered poor outcomes.
RESULTS: 139 patients (median age: 12 months, range 1.5 months-20 years; median weight: 8.1 kg) underwent 148 anastomotic stricture repairs (100 refractory, 48 non-refractory) in the form of stricturoplasty (n = 43), segmental stricture resection with primary anastomosis (n = 96), or stricture resection with a delayed anastomosis after traction-induced lengthening (n = 9). With a median follow-up of 38 months, most children (92%) preserved their esophagus, and the majority (83%) of stricture repairs were free of poor outcomes. Only one anastomotic leak occurred in a non-refractory stricture. Of the refractory stricture repairs (n = 100), 10% developed a leak, 9% required repeat stricture resection, and 13% required esophageal replacement. On multivariable analysis, significant risk factors for any type of poor outcome included anastomotic leak, stricture length, hiatal hernia, and patient\'s weight.
CONCLUSIONS: Surgery for refractory AS is associated with inherent yet low morbidity and high rates of esophageal preservation. Surgical repair of non-refractory symptomatic AS at the time of another thoracic operation is associated with excellent outcomes.
METHODS: Level III.

UNASSIGNED: To explore the efficacy of electroacupuncture (EA) with sparse-dense wave form on the improvement of facial nerve edema, facial spasm, and repair of nerve injury in patients with acute facial paralysis.
UNASSIGNED: This study enrolled 100 patients who were treated for acute facial paralysis in People\'s Hospital of Dongxihu District from December 2019 to December 2020. They were randomly divided into the control group (continuous wave) and the sparse-dense wave group (sparse-dense wave), following by being intervened by EA with different wave forms. Then the facial disability index (FDI) score, serum levels of immunoglobulin A (IgA), immunoglobulin G (IgG), and immunoglobulin M (IgM) in the two groups were evaluated.
UNASSIGNED: The total effectiveness rate (98.00% and 86.00%, respectively; P < 0.05) and the recovery rate of facial spasm (76.00% and 56.00%, respectively; P<0.05) in the sparse-dense wave group was both significantly higher than that of the control group. After treatment, the scores of physical functions of patients in both groups increased (P < 0.05), the scores of social/well-being dysfunctions decreased (P < 0.05). Besides, the levels of serum IgA, IgG, and IgM in both groups decreased (P < 0.05), and the serum levels in the sparse-dense wave group were significantly lower than the control group (P < 0.05).
UNASSIGNED: EA intervention with sparse-dense wave form is effective for patients with acute facial paralysis, in that it effectively reduced the occurrence of facial spasm and promoted the improvement of edema and repair of nerve injury.

One of the famous research areas in biomedical engineering and pattern recognition is finger movement classification. For hand and finger gesture recognition, the most widely used signals are the surface electromyogram (sEMG) signals. With the help of sEMG signals, four proposed techniques of finger movement classification are presented in this work. The first technique proposed is a dynamic graph construction and graph entropy-based classification of sEMG signals. The second technique proposed encompasses the ideas of dimensionality reduction utilizing local tangent space alignment (LTSA) and local linear co-ordination (LLC) with evolutionary algorithms (EA), Bayesian belief networks (BBN), extreme learning machines (ELM), and a hybrid model called EA-BBN-ELM was developed for the classification of sEMG signals. The third technique proposed utilizes the ideas of differential entropy (DE), higher-order fuzzy cognitive maps (HFCM), empirical wavelet transformation (EWT), and another hybrid model with DE-FCM-EWT and machine learning classifiers was developed for the classification of sEMG signals. The fourth technique proposed uses the ideas of local mean decomposition (LMD) and fuzzy C-means clustering along with a combined kernel least squares support vector machine (LS-SVM) classifier. The best classification accuracy results (of 98.5%) were obtained using the LMD-fuzzy C-means clustering technique classified with a combined kernel LS-SVM model. The second-best classification accuracy (of 98.21%) was obtained using the DE-FCM-EWT hybrid model with SVM classifier. The third best classification accuracy (of 97.57%) was obtained using the LTSA-based EA-BBN-ELM model.

BACKGROUND: Prenatal diagnosis of congenital malformations is considered favorable. Esophageal atresia (EA) is prenatally detected in 10-40% of patients. The aims of our study were to assess factors influencing the prenatal detection rate and to study the outcome in EA patients with and without prenatal diagnosis.
METHODS: We included 136 patients in two time periods, group 1 (1996-2002, n = 68) and group 2 (2014-2020, n = 68). We registered clinical variables; prenatal signs, perinatal and postnatal outcome from the electronic patient record.
RESULTS: Twenty-five patients (18%) had a prenatal diagnosis of EA, significantly more during 2014-2020 (28%), than during 1996-2002 (9%). Patients with EA type A or B and with associated anomalies had increased likelihood of prenatal diagnosis, odds ratio (OR) 9.00 (1.99-40.69) and 3.53 (1.24-10.06), respectively. Among the 25 patients with prenatal diagnosis all had polyhydramnios and 16 had small/absent stomach. Prenatally diagnosed patients arrived significantly earlier at the surgical unit (median 2 h (2 h-1 days) vs 21 h (2 h-1275 days)), had more delayed primary anastomosis (OR 8.80 (2.68-28.92)) and anastomotic stricture (OR 3.11 (1.20-8.04)), longer length of stay (median 62 days (11-212 days) vs 20 days (2-270 days)) and longer time on ventilator (median 5 days (1-25 days) vs 1.5 days (0.5-33 days)) compared to patients without prenatal diagnosis. In multivariate analysis prenatal diagnosis predicts length of stay.
CONCLUSIONS: Prenatally diagnosed EA patients have more; type A and B malformations, associated anomalies and neonatal morbidity. Consequences of the assumed benefits of prenatal diagnosis; opportunity of early arrival to surgical care and prenatal counselling, must be further studied.