Abstract In this paper, a planar near-zero refractive index material (NZRIM) consisting of an outer loop with four symmetrical quarter-rings is proposed. The quarter-rings are connected to the outer loop by two symmetrical microstrip lines on the opposite side. The backside of the substrate has mutually central split microstrip lines. By loading adjustable capacitor between the split in the center of the backside of the substrate, the resonance frequencies of the proposed NZRIM can be controlled and thus the epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) frequency bands change correspondingly. According to the specific frequency bands of its metamaterial characteristics, the proposed NZRIM can be mounted above the surface of different antennas with different operation bands for 5G applications. Results show that the proposed NZRIM can enhance the forward radiation gain of antennas.

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the effect of the collagen/silk fibroin scaffolds seeded with human umbilical cord-mesenchymal stem cells on functional recovery after acute complete spinal cord injury. METHODS: The fibroin and collagen were mixed (mass ratio, 3:7), and the composite scaffolds were produced. Forty rats were randomly divided into the Sham group (without spinal cord injury), spinal cord injury group (spinal cord transection without any implantation), collagen/silk fibroin scaffolds group (spinal cord transection with implantation of the collagen/silk fibroin scaffolds), and collagen/silk fibroin scaffolds + human umbilical cord-mesenchymal stem cells group (spinal cord transection with the implantation of the collagen/silk fibroin scaffolds co-cultured with human umbilical cord-mesenchymal stem cells). Motor evoked potential, Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan scale, modified Bielschowsky's silver staining, and immunofluorescence staining were performed. RESULTS: The BBB scores in the collagen/silk fibroin scaffolds + human umbilical cord-mesenchymal stem cells group were significantly higher than those in the spinal cord injury and collagen/silk fibroin scaffolds groups (p<0.05 or p<0.01). The amplitude and latency were markedly improved in the collagen/silk fibroin scaffolds + human umbilical cord-mesenchymal stem cells group compared with the spinal cord injury and collagen/silk fibroin scaffolds groups (p<0.05 or p<0.01). Meanwhile, compared to the spinal cord injury and collagen/silk fibroin scaffolds groups, more neurofilament positive nerve fiber ensheathed by myelin basic protein positive structure at the injury site were observed in the collagen/silk fibroin scaffolds + human umbilical cord-mesenchymal stem cells group (p<0.01, p<0.05). The results of Bielschowsky's silver staining indicated more nerve fibers was observed at the lesion site in the collagen/silk fibroin scaffolds + human umbilical cord-mesenchymal stem cells group compared with the spinal cord injury and collagen/silk fibroin scaffolds groups (p<0.01, p< 0.05). CONCLUSION: The results demonstrated that the transplantation of human umbilical cord-mesenchymal stem cells on a collagen/silk fibroin scaffolds could promote nerve regeneration, and recovery of neurological function after acute spinal cord injury.

ABSTRACT Objectives: Our study aimed to investigate the associations of glucose tolerance status with insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and other clinical laboratory parameters of acromegalic patients before and after the patients underwent transsphenoidal adenomectomy (TSA) by conducting a single-center, retrospective study. Subjects and methods: A total of 218 patients with acromegaly who had undergone TSA as the first treatment were retrospectively analyzed. Serum IGF-I, growth hormone (GH) and glucose levels were measured before and after surgery. Results: The follow-up levels for random GH, GH nadir, and the percentage of the upper limit of normal IGF-I (%ULN IGF-I) were decreased significantly. The percentages of normal (39.0%), early carbohydrate metabolism disorders (33.0%) and diabetes mellitus (28.0%) changed to 70.2%, 16.5% and 13.3%, respectively, after TSA. %ULN IGF-I at baseline was higher in the diabetes mellitus (DM) group than in the normal glucose tolerance group and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) /impaired fasting glucose (IFG) groups before TSA, and the DM group exhibited a greater reduction in %ULN IGF-I value after surgery. The follow-up %ULN IGF-I value after surgery was significantly lower in the improved group, and Pearson's correlation analysis revealed that the reductions in %ULN IGF-I corresponded with the reductions in glucose level. Conclusion: This study examined the largest reported sample with complete preoperative and follow-up data. The results suggest that the age- and sex-adjusted IGF-I level, which reflects altered glucose metabolism, and the change of it are associated with improved glucose tolerance in acromegalic patients both before and after TSA.

Muitos estudos de expressão proteica após lesão cerebral traumática (LCT) identificam biomarcadores para determinação diagnóstica ou prognóstica do LCT. No presente estudo, foram investigados marcadores proteicos adicionais de LCT, através de um aparelho de impacto no fluxo e perfusão em ratos S-D. Eletroforese bidimensional em gel e espectrometria de massa foram utilizadas para identificar diferentes proteínas expressas. Após a análise proteômica, detectamos marcas de proteínas 405 e 371, com pH variando entre 3-10 no córtex de ratos sham e naqueles com contusão cerebral, respectivamente. Oitenta marcas proteicas foram expressas nos dois grupos e 20 destas proteínas foram identificadas. Este estudo validou o estabelecimento de biomarcadores de LCT e identificou potencial biomarcadores que poderão ser estudados em estudos futuros.

Many studies of protein expression after traumatic brain injury (TBI) have identified biomarkers for diagnosing or determining the prognosis of TBI. In this study, we searched for additional protein markers of TBI using a fluid perfusion impact device to model TBI in S-D rats. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry were used to identify differentially expressed proteins. After proteomic analysis, we detected 405 and 371 protein spots within a pH range of 3-10 from sham-treated and contused brain cortex, respectively. Eighty protein spots were differentially expressed in the two groups and 20 of these proteins were identified. This study validated the established biomarkers of TBI and identified potential biomarkers that could be examined in future work.

In this paper, a kind of Bernoulli-type operator is proposed by combining a univariate multiquadric quasi-interpolation operator with the generalized Taylor polynomial. With an assumption on the shape-preserving parameter c, the convergence rate of the new operator is derived, which indicates that it could produce the desired precision. Numerical comparisons show that this method offers a higher degree of accuracy. Moreover, the associated algorithm is easily implemented.