Restoration Of Structure Research Articles

Losses of low-germinating, slow-growing species prevent grassland composition recovery from nutrient amendment.

Nutrient enrichment often alters the biomass and species composition of plant communities, but the extent to which these changes are reversible after the cessation of nutrient addition is not well-understood. Our 22-year experiment (15 years for nutrient addition and 7 years for recovery), conducted in an alpine meadow, showed that soil nitrogen concentration and pH recovered rapidly after cessation of nutrient addition. However, this was not accompanied by a full recovery of plant community composition. An incomplete recovery in plant diversity and a directional shift in species composition from grass dominance to forb dominance were observed 7 years after the nutrient addition ended. Strikingy, the historically dominant sedges with low germination rate and slow growth rate and nitrogen-fixing legumes with low germination rate were unable to re-establish after nutrient addition ceased. By contrast, rapid recovery of aboveground biomass was observed after nutrient cessation as the increase in forb biomass only partially compensated for the decline in grass biomass. These results indicate that anthropogenic nutrient input can have long-lasting effects on the structure, but not the soil chemistry and plant biomass, of grassland communities, and that the recovery of soil chemical properties and plant biomass does not necessarily guarantee the restoration of plant community structure. These findings have important implications for the management and recovery of grassland communities, many of which are experiencing alterations in resource input.

Adaptable cascaded registration for personalized maxilla completion and cleft defect volume estimation.

Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images provide high-resolution insights into the underlying craniofacial anomaly in patients with cleft lip and palate (CLP), requiring non-negligible annotation costs to measure the cleft defect for the guidance of the clinical secondary alveolar bone graft procedures. Considering the cumbersome volumetric image acquisition, there is a lack of paired CLP CBCTs and normal CBCTs for learning-based anatomical structure restoration models. Nowadays, the registration-based method relieves the annotation burden, though one-shot registration and the regular mask are limited to handling fine-grained shape variations and harmony between restored bony tissues and the defectedmaxilla. This study aimed to design and evaluate a novel method for deformable partial registration of the CLP CBCTs and normal CBCTs, enabling personalized maxilla completion and cleft defect volume prediction from CLPCBCTs. We proposed an adaptable deep registration framework for personalized maxilla completion and cleft defect volume prediction from CLP CBCTs. The key ingredient was a cascaded partial registration to exploit the maxillary morphology prior and attribute transfer. Cascaded registration with coarse-to-fine registration fields handled morphological variations of cleft defects and fine-grained maxillary restoration. We designed an adaptable cleft defect mask and volumetric Boolean operators for reliable voxel filling of the defected maxilla. A total of 36 clinically obtained CLP CBCTs were used to train and validate the proposed model, among which 22 CLP CBCTs were used to generate a training dataset with 440 synthetic CBCTs by B-spline deformation-based data augmentation and the remaining for testing. The proposed model was evaluated on maxilla completion and cleft defect volume prediction from clinically obtained unilateral and bilateral CLPCBCTs. Extensive experiments demonstrated the effectiveness of the adaptable cleft defect mask and the cascaded partial registration on maxilla completion and cleft defect volume prediction. The proposed method achieved state-of-the-art performances with the Dice similarity coefficient of 0.90 0.02 on the restored maxilla and 0.84 0.04 on the estimated cleft defect, respectively. The average Hausdorff distance between the estimated cleft defect and the manually annotated ground truth was 0.30 0.08 mm. The relative volume error of the cleft defect was 0.08. The proposed model allowed for the prediction of cleft defect maps that were in line with the ground truth in the challenging unilateral and bilateral CLP CBCTs. The results suggest that the proposed adaptable deep registration model enables patient-specific maxilla completion and automatic annotation of cleft defects, relieving tedious voxel-wise annotation and image acquisitionburdens.

ГЕПАТОПРОТЕКТОРНАЯ АКТИВНОСТЬ ПРОИЗВОДНОГО 2-АМИНОЭТАНСУЛЬФОНОВОЙ КИСЛОТЫ ПРИ ЛЕКАРСТВЕННОМ ПОРАЖЕНИИ ПЕЧЕНИ В ЭКСПЕРИМЕНТЕ

We studied the hepatoprotective activity of 2-aminoethanesulfonic acid derivative (laboratory code LBK-527) in antibiotic-associated liver injury. The studies were performed on 18 laboratory rats (Wistar line), divided into four groups: 1st - intact animals, 2nd - control group with tetracycline drug-induced liver injury (TDLI), 2nd group - experimental with DILI and injected LBK- 527 (28 mg/kg), group 3 – experimental with DILI, injected N-adenosyl-S-methionine for 14 days. DILI was induced by intragastric administration of tetracycline at a dose of 500 mg/kg for 5 days. Animals were removed from the experiment on 7 and 14 days and studied activity of aspartic (AST) and alanine (ALT) aminotransferases, total protein (TP), total bilirubin (TB), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and creatinine (C). The liver was taken from all animals, weighed, and the macro- and microstructure was assessed, stained with hemotoxylin and eosin according to the standard method using a Nikon Eclipes Ni light microscope (Japan). Antibiotic-associated liver injury occurs of the cholestatic type and is characterized by an increase in ALP, TB and the ALT/ALP ratio by two times, decomposition of the hepatic beams, moderate necrosis, fatty degeneration of hepatocytes by 7 days. The administration of LBK-527 and N-adenosyl-S-methionine reduced the toxic effect of tetracycline on the liver, which was manifested in a decrease in the activity of cytolytic icholestatic syndromes, preservation of the beam structure of the liver, degeneration and congestion in the hepatic veins. By day 14, in the control group of animals there was a decrease in the activity of intracellular enzymatic systems of hepatocytes, but complete restoration of the liver structure did not occur in comparison with the intact group. Compound LBK-527 by day 14 The area of the cytoplasm, nucleus and nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio approached the values of the intact group. The appearance of multinucleated hepatocytes indicated the activation of the synthetic activity of the liver and the launch of regeneration mechanisms. Thus, we can conclude that the pharmaceutical composition under study has a hepatoprotective effect.

Restoring T and B cell generation in X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency mice through hematopoietic stem cells adenine base editing

Base editing of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) is an attractive strategy for treating immunohematologic diseases. However, the feasibility of using adenine base-edited HSPCs for treating X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID-X1), the influence of dose–response relationships on immune cell generation, and the potential risks have not been demonstrated in vivo. Here, a humanized SCID-X1 mouse model was established and 86.67% ± 2.52% (n = 3) of mouse hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) pathogenic mutations were corrected, with no sgRNA-dependent off-target effects detected. Analysis of peripheral blood over 16 weeks post-transplantation in mice with different immunodeficiency backgrounds revealed efficient immune cell generation following transplantation of different amounts of modified HSCs. Therefore, a large-scale infusion of gene-corrected HSCs within a safe range can achieve rapid, stable, and durable immune cells regeneration. Tissue section staining further demonstrated the restoration of immune organ tissue structures, with no tumor formation in multiple organs. Collectively, these data suggest that base-edited HSCs are a potential therapeutic approach for SCID-X1 and that a threshold infusion dose of gene-corrected cells is required for immune cell regeneration. This study lays a theoretical foundation for the clinical application of base-edited HSCs in treating SCID-X1.

Enhanced Documentation and Evaluation of Grouting Process, through the Fusion of Non-Destructive Testing and Evaluation Information—The Case Study of the Katholikon of the Monastery of Panagia Varnakova

The restoration of historic buildings and structures involves a wide range of scientific and technical fields. The grouting process is among an array of rehabilitation and preservation interventions and aims to homogenize the structure after the implementation of strengthening measures. The process can provide important information regarding the state of preservation of the examined structure and correlate the progress of the process with the pathology of the monument. To achieve this, the analysis of typical raw grouting data is progressively fused with additional information from the diagnostic studies, non-destructive testing, geospatial information, and from the calculation and analysis of grouting indices. The restoration project of the Katholikon of the Monastery of Panagia Varnakova in Fokida, Greece was selected as the case study, due to its large scale and the severe earthquake damage it has sustained, which has necessitated comprehensive strengthening interventions and extensive grouting. The implementation of an integrated methodological approach validated the enhanced level of co-analysis, revealing information that is not readily deduced from a typical approach. Selected sub-areas of the Katholikon are presented, demonstrating how the observed pathology can be correlated with the results of the grouting process, while incorporating 3D data, and findings from structural and non-destructive analyses.

An adenosine derivative promotes mitochondrial supercomplexes reorganization and restoration of mitochondria structure and bioenergetics in a diethylnitrosamine-induced hepatocellular carcinoma model

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression is associated with dysfunctional mitochondria and bioenergetics impairment. However, no data about the relationship between mitochondrial supercomplexes (hmwSC) formation and ATP production rates in HCC are available. Our group has developed an adenosine derivative, IFC-305, which improves mitochondrial function, and it has been proposed as a therapeutic candidate for HCC. We aimed to determine the role of IFC-305 on both mitochondrial structure and bioenergetics in a sequential cirrhosis-HCC model in rats. Our results showed that IFC-305 administration decreased the number and size of liver tumors, reduced the expression of tumoral markers, and reestablished the typical architecture of the hepatic parenchyma. The livers of treated rats showed a reduction of mitochondria number, recovery of the mtDNA/nDNA ratio, and mitochondrial length. Also, IFC-305 increased cardiolipin and phosphatidylcholine levels and promoted hmwSC reorganization with changes in the expression levels of hmwSC assembly-related genes. IFC-305 in HCC modified the expression of several genes encoding elements of electron transport chain complexes and increased the ATP levels by recovering the complex I, III, and V activity. We propose that IFC-305 restores the mitochondrial bioenergetics in HCC by normalizing the quantity, morphology, and function of mitochondria, possibly as part of its hepatic restorative effect.

Zadania gminy w zakresie ochrony zabytków ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem zabytków rezydencjonalnych

The article delineates the municipality’s role as the custodian of historical monuments, elucidating the factual and legal circumstances and the genesis of this extraordinary relationship. It outlines the goals and tasks faced by municipalities in relation to the conservation, restoration, and revitalization of residential historic structures under their purview. The article further scrutinizes the situations that led municipalities to assume ownership of historical monuments, often acquiring them from the State Treasury, primarily during the process of political transformation. It delves into intricate interconnections, examining the nexus between the interest in heritage preservation, the financial capacities of public and private entities, and the mission of local governments in the protection and upkeep of these objects. Given their imposing volume and frequently dire state of preservation, revitalizing residential historical monuments requires substantial financial investments. Additionally, there is the challenge of determining a rational and socially appealing way to utilize renovated monuments. The text accords particular attention to the professionalization and developmental stages of tools and instruments in the possession of these local government units. These entities employ such tools to effectively secure external funding for ambitious revitalization and conservation projects involving dilapidated castles and palaces. This approach unquestionably serves as an alternative to the simplest solution, namely the privatization of these objects—a course of action that does not always lead to the achievement of intended goals and, quite often, results in further degradation of the structures. After more than thirty years of political transformation, many residential monuments are gradually regaining their former glory, and performing new, predominantly socially beneficial public functions.

Selective NO2 Gas Sensors Employing Nitrogen- and Boron-Doped and Codoped Reduced Graphene Oxide.

In this paper, we develop high-performance gas sensors based on heteroatom-doped and -codoped graphene oxide as a sensing material for the detection of NO2 at trace levels. Graphene oxide (GO) was doped with nitrogen and boron by a chemical method using urea and boric acid as precursors. The prepared samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The obtained results proved the successful reduction of graphene oxide by doping effects, leading to the removal of some oxygen functional groups and restoration of an sp2 carbon structure. New bonds in honeycombs, such as pyridinic, pyrrolic, graphitic, B-C3, B-C2-O, and B-O, were created. Compared to the nondoped GO, the N/B-rGO materials exhibited enhanced responses toward low concentrations of NO2 (<1 ppm) at 100 °C. Particularly, the N-rGO-based device showed the highest sensitivity and lowest limit of detection.

Temperature Control of the Self-Assembly Process of 4-Aminoquinoline Amphiphile: Selective Construction of Perforated Vesicles and Nanofibers, and Structural Restoration Capability.

The construction of diverse and distinctive self-assembled structures in water, based on the control of the self-assembly processes of artificial small molecules, has received considerable attention in supramolecular chemistry. Cage-like perforated vesicles are distinctive and interesting self-assembled structures. However, the development of self-assembling molecules that can easily form perforated vesicles remains challenging. This paper reports a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) behavior-triggered self-assembly property of a 4-aminoquinoline (4-AQ)-based amphiphile with a tetra(ethylene glycol) chain, in HEPES buffer (pH 7.4). This property allows to form perforated vesicles after heating at 80 °C (> LCST). The self-assembly process of the 4-AQ amphiphile can be controlled by heating at 80 °C (> LCST) or 60 °C (< LCST). After cooling to room temperature, the selective construction of the perforated vesicles and nanofibers was achieved from the same 4-AQ amphiphile. Furthermore, the perforated vesicles exhibited slow morphological transformation into intertwined-like nanofibers but were easily restored by brief heating above the LCST.

Study on the impact of reclamation and development of Yancheng coastal wetlands on the spatio-temporal evolution of wintering Anatidae habitat

As a World Natural Heritage Site primarily focused on protecting migratory bird habitats, the Yancheng coastal wetland is also an important land resource reserve area in China. With a long history of reclamation, the impact of reclamation on waterbird habitats has attracted widespread attention. Therefore, this study was based on the distribution data of wintering Anatidae from 1987 to 2020 and coastal land reclamation data. The landscape development intensity (LDI) index and MaxEnt model were used to reveal the spatiotemporal changes in reclamation development intensity and identify the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of Anatidae habitats. A geographical weight regression (GWR) model was used to analyze the local differences for the impact of changes in reclamation development intensity on the spatiotemporal distribution of Anatidae habitats. The results showed that the area of land types with higher reclamation intensity in the study area increased rapidly from 1987 to 2020, and the overall reclamation intensity showed a pattern of low in the northeast and high in the southwest. The high-intensity range in 1987 was 5.01 ∼ 6.00, and the reclamation intensity in the western area of Dafeng to Tiaozini was generally greater than 8.01 in 2020. From 1987 to 2020, the population of Anatidae first decreased and then increased, with a clear southward shift in spatial distribution. The evaluation results of suitable habitats revealed that the most suitable area significantly declined from 1280.76 hm2 in 1997 to 60.19 hm2 in 2020, which indicated that the patch space of high-quality habitats was further compressed. The area with the greatest positive impact for the intensity of reclamation and development on habitat suitability from 1987 to 1997 was concentrated near the Beihuanchong area, while in 2007, the negative impact was mostly distributed in the northern and western Hexin area. The regression coefficient ranged from −0.665 ∼ -0.513. The negative impact of reclamation and development further deteriorated in 2020, with a negative correlation coefficient ranging from −1.642 ∼ -0.699. There were significant differences in the impact of environmental variables on the distribution of Anatidae habitats in different periods. In this study, a habitat protection and restoration pattern for Anatidae is proposed, which may provide an important reference for the protection of wintering Anatidae populations and the structural restoration of habitats in Yancheng coastal wetlands.

Effect of Solution Annealing Time on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Selective-Laser-Melted 2205 Duplex Stainless Steel

The 2205 duplex stainless steel (DSS) produced by selective laser melting (SLM) exhibits high strength (1078.8 MPa) but poor plasticity (15.2%) owing to the high cooling rate during SLM, which inhibits the formation of austenite and creates a nearly entirely ferritic microstructure. The dual-phase nature can be restored through solution annealing, which enables well-matched strength and plasticity, but which has not been extensively studied. We investigate the effects of 5 min, 30 min, and 120 min of solution annealing at 1000 °C on the dual-phase ratio, grain size, texture strength, inclusions, grain boundary characteristics, and mechanical properties of SLM-manufactured 2205 DSS. After 30 min of solution annealing, the elongation increased to 32.2% owing to the restoration of the dual-phase structure, the reduction in dislocation density, the weakening of texture, and the decrease in grain size. Increasing solution annealing time also corresponded to a decrease in the ultimate tensile strength (from 831.7 to 787.5 MPa) and yield strength (from 610.3 to 507.8 MPa) due to grain coarsening and the gradual transformation of ferrite to austenite. Furthermore, the mechanism of the transformation from ferrite to austenite was proposed, and it was observed that the transformation of MnSiO3 to MnCrO4 provided nucleation sites for austenite.

Effective substances and molecular mechanisms guided by network pharmacology: An example study of Scrophulariae Radix treatment of hyperthyroidism and thyroid hormone-induced liver and kidney injuries

Ethnopharmacological relevanceScrophulariae Radix (Xuanshen [XS]) has been used for several years to treat hyperthyroidism. However, its effective substances and pharmacological mechanisms in the treatment of hyperthyroidism and thyroid hormone-induced liver and kidney injuries have not yet been elucidated. Aim of the studyThis study aimed to explore the pharmacological material basis and potential mechanism of XS therapy for hyperthyroidism and thyroid hormone-induced liver and kidney injuries based on network pharmacology prediction and experimental validation. Materials and methodsBased on 31 in vivo XS compounds identified using ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem quadruple exactive orbitrap high-resolution accurate-mass spectrometry (UPLC-QE-HRMS), a network pharmacology approach was used for mechanism prediction. Systematic networks were constructed to identify the potential molecular targets, biological processes (BP), and signaling pathways. A component-target-pathway network was established. Mice were administered levothyroxine sodium through gavage for 30 d and then treated with different doses of XS extract with or without propylthiouracil (PTU) for 30 d. Blood, liver, and kidney samples were analyzed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and western blotting. ResultsA total of 31 prototypes, 60 Phase I metabolites, and 23 Phase II metabolites were tentatively identified in the plasma of rats following the oral administration of XS extract. Ninety-six potential common targets between the 31 in vivo compounds and the diseases were identified. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis revealed that Bcl-2, BAD, JNK, p38, and ERK1/2 were the top targets. XS extract with or without PTU had the following effects: inhibition of T3/T4/fT3/fT4 caused by levothyroxine; increase of TSH levels in serum; restoration of thyroid structure; improvement of liver and kidney structure and function by elevating the activities of anti-oxidant enzymes catalase (CAT),superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px); activation anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2; inhibition the apoptotic protein p-BAD; downregulation inflammation-related proteins p-ERK1/2, p-JNK, and p-p38; and inhibition of the aggregation of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6, as well as immune cells in the liver. ConclusionXS can be used to treat hyperthyroidism and liver and kidney injuries caused by thyroid hormones through its anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic properties. In addition, serum pharmacochemical analysis revealed that five active compounds, namely 4-methylcatechol, sugiol, eugenol, acetovanillone, and oleic acid, have diverse metabolic pathways in vivo and exhibit potential as effective therapeutic agents.

Flexible Polyurethane Adhesives: Predictive Numerical Model Calibration through Experimental Testing at Elevated Temperature

The thermo-mechanical behavior of polyurethane adhesive joints in wood structures is a crucial aspect that needs to be understood to ensure the durability and safety of timber structures, especially in seismic regions. As mass timber, particularly cross-laminated timber, continues to gain popularity as a building material, it is important to pay special attention to the behavior of connections between the timber elements. The use of flexible polyurethane adhesives presents a promising alternative to conventional mechanical connections in seismic-resistant timber structures. This research highlights the potential of polyurethane-based joints at elevated service temperature, offers a promising alternative to traditional wood joints, and suggests viability for post-fire restoration of wood structures. The response at the interface between wood and polyurethane under flexural stresses is also evaluated, underscoring the broader application possibilities of flexible adhesives in wood construction for mechanical and physical improvements.

Scalable direct recycling of spent LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 via in-situ elements replenishment and structural restoration

The proliferation of vehicles and portable devices has led to a significant increase in the number of spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Recycling these spent LIBs is crucial to prevent negative environmental impacts and resource wastage. However, traditional pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical methods suffer from inherent drawbacks as being time-consuming, energy-intensive and causing secondary pollution. Herein, an innovative approach is proposed to direct regenerate degraded LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 (NCM111) in-situ by combining hydrothermal treatment with solid-state sintering. Structural and morphology characterizations reveal that the amorphous layer near the surface of degraded NCM111 (D-NCM111) are dissolved after the hydrothermal treatment, restoring the original layered structure due to the relithiation reaction, whereas the target stoichiometric ratios of transition metal elements are achieved through the solid-state sintering process. The regenerated NCM111 (R-NCM111) exhibits a high discharge specific capacity of 152.3 mAh/g at 0.1 C and a capacity retention of 96.1% at 1 C after 300 cycles. The recycling method presented in this work is not only facile but also scalable, potentially opening a new pathway to address the environmental challenges posed by massive spent LIBs.

Dental Implant Placement in Medically Compromised Patients: A Literature Review.

As a discipline of dentistry, oral implantology deals with the diagnosis, design, insertion, restoration, and/or management of alloplastic or autogenous oral structures for the purpose of regaining contour, function, aesthetics, and speech in a partially or completely edentulous patient. The present review aims to provide the currently available knowledge about the impact of certain systemic disorders and the usage of some medications on the survival rate of dental implant therapy and to highlight the importance of patient management under these conditions. Diabetes, osteoporosis, cardiovascular diseases, and the intake of some medications can increase the risk of the failure of a dental implant. Even though there are relatively few medical contraindications to dental implant treatment, certain conditions may increase the risk of failure or complications.

Microvascular Changes after Epiretinal Membrane Vitrectomy with Intraoperative Intravitreal Dexamethasone Implant: An OCT Angiography Analysis.

We aimed to explore microvascular changes evaluated with optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in patients undergoing epiretinal membrane (ERM) pars-plana vitrectomy (PPV) combined with intravitreal Ozurdex implantation, compared with standard PPV. (2) Methods: Prospective interventional analysis on 25 eyes undergoing PPV + Ozurdex (Group A) and 25 eyes undergoing PPV alone. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and OCTA parameters, such as vessel density (VD) of the superficial and deep capillary plexi (SCP and DCP) in the whole 6.4 mm × 6.4 mm and fovea area, were evaluated preoperatively and 3 months after surgery. (3) Results: Postoperative BCVA significantly improved in both groups. No cases of post-operative cystoid macular edema (CME) were reported in Group A vs. two eyes in Group B. In Group A we found a statistically significant increase of SCP's VD in either the whole image (from 42.1 ± 4.1 to 45.6 ± 4.3%, p = 0.01) and the fovea image (from 38.5 ± 7.5 to 41.7 ± 4.2%, p = 0.03). In Group B, we reported no significant variations in the SCP's VDs. In the DCP, VD significantly increased only in the whole image in Group A. Stage 4 ERMs showed the greatest improvement in VD, especially in Group A. (4) Conclusions: Intraoperative Ozurdex prompted a significant BCVA recovery and limited the occurrence of postoperative CME compared to the standard procedure. Moreover, Ozurdex implant is associated with a better restoration of microvascular structure in SCP and DCP.

Facial image deblurring network for robust illuminance adaptation and key structure restoration

Facial image deblurring is an active research area that aims to restore blurry face images to clear ones. However, this task requires special consideration to restore the detailed elements of facial structures, such as eyes, nose, and mouth. Additionally, facial occlusions and varying illuminance conditions in common environments can degrade the deblurring performance. Previous studies have not accounted for these conditions, necessitating the development of deblurring method that considers these factors. In this paper, we propose a novel approach, called Illuminance-robust Multi-stage DeblurNet with Channel Attention (IMDeCA), which leverages semantic mask and landmark information of the face to restore detailed facial structures. Our approach is robust to various illuminance conditions and facial occlusions. The proposed network comprises a multi-stage structure that extracts facial semantic feature maps, reconstructs clear images, and improves illuminance. We also consider facial landmark information in the loss function to ensure well-restored facial structures even in the presence of facial occlusions. Furthermore, we construct a new facial image dataset, named BIO, which includes Blurred images with various types of Illuminance conditions and facial Occlusions. Through extensive experiments on this dataset, we demonstrate the superior performance of our proposed network, outperforming the latest existing methods.

Effect of human lactoferrin solution on histological changes of rabbit cornea in alkaline burns

BACKGROUND: Eye burns are a severe injury, accounting for 6.1–38.4% of all ophthalmic diseases. Alkaline burns are the most common and most severe forms of eye burns.&#x0D; AIM: Evaluation of the effectiveness of drug topical application based on human lactoferrin in alkaline cornea burns of the 3rd degree in the experiment.&#x0D; MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was conducted on 42 rabbits. It included two groups: the first (without treatment) — alkaline burns during therapy with water for injection (1 drop 3 times a day) — 21 rabbits, the second (experimental) — treatment with lactoferrin solution (concentration 2.5 mg/ml, 1 drop 3 times a day) — 21 rabbits. Alkaline burns were induced by applying a filter paper disc moistened with 5% sodium hydroxide solution to the cornea. 6 eyes of 3 intact animals served as controls. The effectiveness of the drug was evaluated by the rate of closure of the corneal epithelium defect, the time of suppression of the inflammatory reaction in the area of the defect and the limbus, the degree of restoration of the morphological structure of the cornea, as close as possible to the normal rabbit cornea. The obtained data were processed using the methods of variation statistics, the Statistica 10.0 software package. The significance of differences was assessed by calculating the median and interquartile interval. The critical level of significance for statistical criteria was taken as p=0.05.&#x0D; RESULTS: From the 3rd day of the study, in the experimental treatment group, there was an acceleration of reepithelialization, restoration of the cornea's own substance, and a more rapid subsidence of inflammation compared to the control group. The thickness of the cornea in the center of the defect in the group without treatment was significantly higher than the values of intact animals at all periods of observation: on the 3rd day after the burn it was 615.99 [450.70–794.07] µm (p=0.000574), reached the maximum by day 7 — it was 1363.16 [907.78–1543.44] µm (p=0.000091), and by day 28 it decreased to 384.38 [376.03–398.14] µm (p=0.0000041). In the group with experimental treatment, the thickness of the cornea in the center of the defect also increased relative to intact animals, starting from the 1st day of pathology, reaching maximum values on the 3rd day — 436.70 [415.57–489.90] µm (p=0.005589). The use of lactoferrin solution in comparison with the first group led to a significant decrease in the thickness of the cornea in the center of the defect on 7th (p=0.039985) and 28th days (p=0.0443).&#x0D; CONCLUSION: Local application of lactoferrin solution in alkaline burns of the cornea promotes faster regeneration of the epithelium and restoration of the stroma structure of the rabbit cornea.

Mapping Motor Neuroplasticity after Successful Surgical Brachial Plexus Reconstruction Using Navigated Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (nTMS).

Brachial plexus reconstruction (BPR) consists of the complex surgical restoration of nerve structures. To further understand the underlying motor cortex changes and evaluate neuroplasticity after a successful surgery, we performed a navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (nTMS) study mapping the postoperative motor representation of the formerly plegic arm. We conducted a prospective nTMS study mapping the musculocutaneous nerve as a representative, prominent target of BPR including a patient (n = 8) and a control group (n = 10). Measurements like resting motor threshold (RMT), cortical motor area location, and size were taken. Mathematical analysis was performed using MATLAB 2022, statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 26, and nTMS mapping was performed using the Nexstim NBS 5.1 system. Mapping was feasible in seven out of eight patients. Median RMT on the affected hemisphere was 41% compared to 50% on the unaffected hemisphere and they were 37% and 36% on the left and right hemispheres of the control group. The motor area location showed a relocation of bicep brachii representation at the middle precentral gyrus of the corresponding contralateral hemisphere. Motor area size was increased compared to the control group and the patient's unaffected, ipsilateral hemisphere. Understanding cortical reorganization is important for potential future treatments like therapeutic nTMS. The issue of motor neuroplasticity in patients with brachial plexus lesions is worth exploring in further studies.

Artificial Dermis and Human Recombinant Epidermal Growth Factor Application for the Management of Critical Size Calvarial Defect.

Restoration of the 3-dimensional structure of the facial and calvarial skeleton after trauma or ablative oncologic surgeries serves as a framework for soft tissue reconstruction. In the present study, the authors aimed to evaluate the osteogenic effect of artificial dermis and epidermal growth factor treatment in critical-sized calvarial defects, which cannot be healed spontaneously. 8 mm calvarial defects were created in 28 male rats and filled with the artificial dermis, the artificial dermis and growth factor, growth factor or left untreated. Atomic absorption spectrometry was used to determine the amount of calcium, scanning electron microscopy was used to show the bone tissue in 3 dimensions, and immunohistochemistry was used to assess the bone formation and cell density. Histologic evaluation at 6 weeks showed incomplete bone regeneration in all groups. No statistical differences were found between the groups with regard to their scores for the following: inflammation, new bone formation, osteocyte density, resorption of bone at the edges of the defect, or fibrous tissue formation in the defect area. In conclusion, the predictability of bone formation in critical-size defects is not clear. Contrary to popular belief, the combined use of epidermal growth factor with artificial dermis or alone did not enhance the potential for osseous healing.