Clinical Analysis of the Treatment of Primary Trigeminal Neuralgia by Percutaneous Balloon Compression.

Purpose: To summarize the technical points and clinical effects of percutaneous balloon compression (PBC) in the treatment of primary trigeminal neuralgia.

Methods: The clinical data of 13 patients with trigeminal neuralgia who received PBC from April 2020 to July 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. VAS, VRS-4 and PPI were used to evaluate the postoperative pain relief.

Constructing the MoC@MoO Heterostructure for Improved SERS Application.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a non-destructive spectra analysis technique. It has the virtues of high detectivity and sensitivity, and has been extensively studied for low-trace molecule detection. Presently, a non-noble-metal-based SERS substrate with excellent enhancement capabilities and environmental stability is available for performing advanced biomolecule detection.

A smartphone-integrated optical sensing platform based on Lycium ruthenicum derived carbon dots for real-time detection of Ag.

Growing global environmental pollution problems challenge the need for converting biomass into an advantageous product. In this paper, Lycium ruthenicum is successfully turned into beneficial green emissive (527 nm) fluorescent nitrogen doping carbon dots (N-CDs) via the hydrothermal treatment for the first time. The horizontal and vertical dimensions of N-CDs are demonstrated to be about 4.

Role of van der Waals forces in the metal-insulator transition of transition metal oxides.

Transition metal oxides (TMOs) exhibit great potential in technological applications due to their ability to undergo a rapid metal-insulator transition (MIT). However, the phase stability of TMOs, which models the on/off voltages of electronic devices, remains controversial due to the incomplete knowledge of the determinants of its stability. Herein, we study the effect of van der Waals (vdW) interactions on the phase stability of TMOs by employing the pairwise and screened vdW methods.

Nitrogen and sulfur co-doping strategy to trigger the peroxidase-like and electrochemical activity of TiC nanosheets for sensitive uric acid detection.

The development of functional nanomaterials based on the unique structure and morphology of MXene for biosensing has aroused great interest. In this work, using thiourea as the doping source, a new structure composed of nitrogen and sulfur co-doped on the surface of TiC nanosheets was synthesized through a simple one-step synthesis method. Fortunately, the obtained nitrogen and sulfur co-doped TiC nanosheets (NS-TiC NSs) showed excellent peroxidase-like activity and electrochemical activity.

Novel Mutation Loci Lead to Multiple Morphological Abnormalities of the Sperm Flagella and Literature Review.

The protein encoded by dynein axonemal heavy chain 1 () is a part of dynein, which regulates the function of cilia and sperm flagella. The mutant of causes the deletion of inner dynein arm 3 in the flagellum, leading to multiple morphological abnormalities of the sperm flagella (MMAF) and severe asthenozoospermia. However, instead of asthenozoospermia and MMAF, the result caused by the mutation of remains unknown.

Promotion of Low-Temperature Oxidation of Propane through Introduction of Ce into Mullite Oxide YMn O.

A high-surface-area Ce doped mullite YMn O was developed via a facile hydrothermal approach, which exhibited higher catalytic activity with a long thermal stability towards propane oxidation in regards to pristine mullite YMn O . T (the temperature at 90 % conversion of reactant) of propane over the mixed oxides is ∼40 °C lower than that over pristine YMn O mullite (147 m /g). The complete oxidation temperature occurs at as low as 225 °C (1000 ppm C H and 10 % O balanced with N , WHSV=30,000 mL/g h).

Hepatic Fatty Acid Profiles Associated with Exposure to Emerging and Legacy Halogenated Contaminants in Two Harbor Seal Populations across the North Atlantic.

Fatty acids (FAs) have been extensively used as indicators of foraging ecology in marine mammals, yet their association with exposure to contaminants has rarely been investigated. The present study provided the first characterization of the relationship between hepatic FA profiles and exposure to a suite of contaminants in a sentinel species─the harbor seal ()─from the Gulf of Maine and the south coast of Sweden. FA profiles differed in the two seal populations, and the levels of legacy and alternative brominated flame retardants and polyhalogenated carbazoles were significantly elevated in Maine seals.

Bisphenol A and its analogues in paired urine and house dust from South China and implications for children's exposure.

Following the restriction of bisphenol A (BPA) in certain products, a number of bisphenol analogues (BPs) have been used as BPA replacements in different applications, raising environmental and health concerns. The present study determined a total of 13 bisphenol analogues in house dust and children urine from South China families (n = 46). Among all BPs, BPA, bisphenol S (BPS) and bisphenol F (BPF) were frequently detected in house dust, with concentrations ranging from 0.

Exposure of Preconception Couples to Legacy and Emerging Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances: Variations Within and Between Couples.

Exploration of the exposure of preconception couples to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), as well as the most important influencing factors, promotes the understanding of the joint effects of parental exposure on reproductive health. In the present study, a total of 938 preconception couples recruited through the Shanghai Birth Cohort were investigated for the variations of PFAS exposure and contributing factors within and between couples. While linear perfluorooctanoic acid (n-PFOA, median 20.

Chemical-specific determinants for pre-conceptional exposure to emerging and legacy per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

The exposure of preconception women to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) could negatively affect her reproductive health. However, chemical-specific determinants for pre-conceptional exposure to PFASs, particularly the emerging ones, remain poorly understood. In the present study, it was found that the total PFAS concentration ranged from 8.

Gut microbial metabolite p-cresol alters biotransformation of bisphenol A: Enzyme competition or gene induction?

Recent studies on pharmaceuticals have revealed the direct and indirect mechanisms that link human gut microbiome to xenobiotic biotransformation. Though environmental contaminants compose a vital portion of xenobiotics and share overlapping biotransformation pathways with gut microbial metabolites, the possible interplay between gut microbiome and biotransformation of environmental contaminants remains obscure. This study utilized bisphenol A (BPA) and p-cresol as model compounds to explore whether gut microbial metabolites could affect environmental phenol metabolism on both in vitro and in vivo models.

Decreasing Structural Dimensionality of Double Perovskites for Phase Stabilization toward Efficient X-ray Detection.

Halide double perovskites have attracted substantial attention for optoelectronic applications owing to their low toxicity and high stability. However, double perovskites have strict requirements in terms of the halide type, thus rendering many of their properties unchangeable, including the band gap, atomic number, and carrier transport. By introducing long-chain organic amines, the chloride site of double perovskites can be completely replaced by bromide.

The relationship between cognitive impairment and superoxide dismutase activity in untreated first-episode patients with schizophrenia.

Cognitive decline is an essential characteristic of schizophrenia and may be due to the disturbance between reactive oxygen species generation and antioxidant capacity. The study aimed to explore the association between cognitive deficits and antioxidant defence parameters in untreated first-episode patients with schizophrenia. We determined important antioxidant enzymes, total superoxide dismutase (SOD) and manganese SOD (MnSOD), and their relationship with cognitive impairment in 168 untreated patients with first-episode schizophrenia and 168 age- and sex-matched healthy controls.

Occurrence and risk assessment of organophosphate esters and bisphenols in San Francisco Bay, California, USA.

Organophosphate esters (OPEs) and bisphenols are two classes of industrial chemicals that are ubiquitously detected in environmental matrices due to high global production and widespread use, particularly in the manufacture of plastic products. In 2017, water samples collected throughout the highly urbanized San Francisco Bay were analyzed for 22 OPEs and 16 bisphenols using liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-Q Trap-mass spectrometry. Fifteen of the 22 OPEs were detected, with highest median concentrations in the order TCPP (42 ng/L) > TPhP (9.

Plant protein-based fibers: Fabrication, characterization, and potential food applications.

Proteins from plants have been considered as safer, healthier, and more sustainable resources than their animal counterparts. However, incomplete amino acid composition and relatively poor functionality limit their applications in foods. Structuring plant proteins to fibrous architectures enhances their physicochemical properties, which can favor various food applications.

Trajectory Grouping With Curvature Regularization for Tubular Structure Tracking.

Tubular structure tracking is a crucial task in the fields of computer vision and medical image analysis. The minimal paths-based approaches have exhibited their strong ability in tracing tubular structures, by which a tubular structure can be naturally modeled as a minimal geodesic path computed with a suitable geodesic metric. However, existing minimal paths-based tracing approaches still suffer from difficulties such as the shortcuts and short branches combination problems, especially when dealing with the images involving complicated tubular tree structures or background.

PVDF-triggered multicolor fluorine-doped graphene quantum dots for water detection and anti-counterfeiting.

Fluorescent fluorine-doped graphene quantum dots (F-GQDs) have been synthesized via the hydrothermal method using long-chain polymer polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) as the precursor. Due to the unique molecular structure of PVDF, a possible synthesis process of F-GQDs has been put forward. F-GQDs have adjustable emission wavelength by simply adjusting the concentration of the solution.

A Metal-Organic Framework (MOF)-Based Multifunctional Cargo Vehicle for Reactive-Gas Delivery and Catalysis.

The efficient delivery of reactive and toxic gaseous reagents to organic reactions was studied using metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). The simultaneous cargo vehicle and catalytic capabilities of several MOFs were probed for the first time using the examples of aromatization, aminocarbonylation, and carbonylative Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reactions. These reactions highlight that MOFs can serve a dual role as a gas cargo vehicle and a catalyst, leading to product formation with yields similar to reactions employing pure gases.

Particle Size Effect of Oyster Shell on Mortar: Experimental Investigation and Modeling.

In order to solve the problem of lack of natural river sand, crushed waste oyster shells (WOS) were used to replace river sand. By replacing 20% river sand, WOS mortar with different particle sizes of WOS were made for the experiment. Through experimental observation, the initial slump and slump flow loss rate were studied.

Cell membrane-coated nanoparticles as peroxidase mimetics for cancer cell targeted detection and therapy.

The development of novel and efficient recognition molecules that can be easily modified by nanomaterials to achieve ultra-sensitive and specific cancer cell analysis is of great significance for its early diagnosis and timely prognosis. Herin, a new nanostructured hybrid based on cell membrane-coated Au cores- ultrathin Pt skins composite nanoparticles (Au@Pt@CM NPs) were developed for in vitro detection and treatment of cancer cells. In this strategy, the Au@Pt NPs acted as the signal transducer, and the cell membrane were used as the cancer-cell recognition tool.

Fabrication of polypyrrole nanowire arrays-modified electrode for point-of-use water disinfection via low-voltage electroporation.

Still ∼10% of world's population has no sustainable access to centralized water supply system, causing millions of deaths annually by waterborne diseases. Here, we develop polypyrrole nanowire arrays (PPyNWs)-modified electrodes by polymerization of pyrrole on graphite felt for point-of-use water disinfection via low-voltage electroporation. A flow-through mode is specially applied to alleviate diffusion barrier of pyrrole in the porous graphite felt for uniform PPyNWs growth.

Exposome in human health: Utopia or wonderland?

The current human exposome primarily emphasizes the total environmental exposure during an entire life. The characteristics of "lifelong" and "all environmental factors" make it very challenging to bring the exposomic study into real-life applications. Herein, we mainly discuss the typical application scenarios of exposomics and how to conduct an exposomic study to establish relationships between the exposome and human health.

Template-Regulated Bimetallic Sulfide Nanozymes with High Specificity and Activity for Visual Colorimetric Detection of Cellular HO.

For the past several decades, most of the research studies on nanozymes have been aimed at improving their catalytic activity and diversity; however, developing nanozymes with strong catalytic activity and great specificity remains a challenge. Herein, a simple and efficient template synthesis method was used to synthesize bimetallic sulfide nanoparticles, NiCoS NPs, and prove that they have excellent peroxidase-like activity with good specificity. By regulating polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) and hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide as the templating agent, we have obtained the NiCoS (PVP) NPs with a high Ni/Co ratio, thus exhibiting superior peroxidase activity.

Exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances in waste recycling workers: Distributions in paired human serum and urine.

Occupational exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) is an emerging public health concern, because of their potential adverse health effects. In this study, concentrations of 21 legacy and alternative PFASs in paired serum and urine samples collected from 163 workers (from five waste recycling plants) were analyzed. The results showed that the average concentration of 21 PFASs in urine samples (66.