The Video-Urodynamic and Electrophysiological Characteristics in Patients With Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury

Zhaoxia Wang,Han Deng,Xing Li,Limin Liao 대한배뇨장애요실금학회 2021 International Neurourology Journal Vol.25 No.4

Purpose: To investigate the video-urodynamic and pelvic floor electrophysiological characteristics in patients with traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). Methods: This retrospective reviewed the clinical records, urodynamic and pelvic floor electrophysiological data of 647 patients with traumatic SCI and out of spinal shock. Patients were classified based on American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale and urodynamic findings. Results: Of the 647 patients, detrusor overactivity (DO) with or without detrusor sphincter dyssynergia (DSD) was found in 79.5%, 61%, 35.2%, 35%, and 19.2% of patients with cervical, thoracic (T1–9), thoracic (T10–12), lumbar, and conical cauda injury, respectively. Other patients manifested detrusor areflexia (DA). Patients with DO and/or DSD had a longer duration of SCI at each injury level than patients with DA. In suprasacral injury patients with DA, 63.0% (58 of 92) had a normal bulbocavernosus reflex (BCR) response. Compared with patients without bladder sensation (BS), bladder capacity during urine leakage was far higher in those with BS. The manifestation of BCR and somatosensory-evoked potential (SEP) was associated with the level of injury. Conclusions: This study showed a significant correlation between the level of SCI and video-urodynamic findings, but clinical examination cannot by predict bladder function; urodynamic testing is also necessary. In addition, the role of BCR and SEP for guiding bladder management is limited. Moreover, BS is important for urinary control in patients with traumatic SCI.

Reduction of Graphene Oxide and its Effect on Square Resistance of Reduced Graphene Oxide Films

Zhaoxia Hou,Yin Zhou,Guangbin Li,Shaohong Wang,Meihan Wang,Xiaodan Hu,Siming Li 대한화학회 2015 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.36 No.6

Graphite oxide was prepared via the modified Hummers’ method and graphene via chemical reduction. Deoxygenation efficiency of graphene oxide was compared among single reductants including sodium borohydride, hydrohalic acids, hydrazine hydrate, and vitamin C. Two-step reduction of graphene oxide was primarily studied. The reduced graphene oxide was characterized by XRD, TG, SEM, XPS, and Raman spectroscopy. Square resistance was measured as well. Results showed that films with single-step N2H4 reduction have the best transmittance and electrical conductivity with square resistance of ~5746 Ω/sq at 70% transmittance. This provided an experimental basis of using graphene for electronic device applications.

Shorter Telomere Length Is Associated with Increased Breast Cancer Risk in a Chinese Han Population: A Case-Control Analysis

Zhaoxia Wang,Zhenxing Zhang,Yanling Guo,Huifeng Shui,Guoqi Liu,Tianbo Jin,Huijie Wang 한국유방암학회 2018 Journal of breast cancer Vol.21 No.4

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the association of telomere length with breast cancer risk. We simultaneously explored the association between telomerase reverse transcriptase gene polymorphisms and telomere length. Methods: We used real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction to measure relative telomere length (RTL) in genomic DNA extracted from peripheral blood from 183 breast cancer cases and 191 healthy controls. Genotyping was performed using the Sequenom MassARRAY platform. Results: Our results show that breast cancer patients had significantly shorter RTLs than control subjects (p< 0.05). When the RTLs were categorized into tertiles, we found that the lowest RTL was significantly associated with increased breast cancer risk compared with the highest RTL (odds ratio [OR], 2.33; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.40–3.90; p=0.001). Subgroup analyses indicated that risk of breast cancer was also significantly increased in the lowest RTL compared with the highest RTL in age >40 years (OR, 2.41; 95% CI, 1.31–4.43; p=0.005), body mass index ≤24 kg/m2 (OR, 2.81; 95% CI, 1.55–5.10; p=0.001), and postmenopausal women (OR, 3.94; 95% CI, 1.63–9.51; p=0.002), respectively. In addition, individuals with the AA genotype of rs2853677 have longer telomeres than those of breast cancer patients with the AG genotype (p= 0.011). Conclusion: Our results suggest that shorter RTL was associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. An association was found between the AA genotype of rs2853677 and longer RTLs in the case group. Functional studies are warranted to validate this association and further investigate our findings.

Risk Factors Predicting Upper Urinary Tract Damage in Patients With Myelodysplasia: Data Analysis of 637 Cases From A Single Center

Han Deng,Zhaoxia Wang,Limin Liao,Juan Wu,Yue Wang 대한배뇨장애요실금학회 2022 International Neurourology Journal Vol.26 No.S1

Purpose: To determine the risk factors predicting upper urinary tract (UUT) damage using a grading system for upper urinary tract dilation (UUTD) and a descriptive system for all urinary tract dysfunction (AUTD) in patients with myelodysplasia. Methods: Six hundred thirty-seven patients with myelodysplasia were evaluated at our center from January 2008 to November 2019. Clinical data, ultrasonography, magnetic resonance urography, and video-urodynamics (VUDS) parameters were collected. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to determine the risk factors predicting UUT damage. Results: Three hundred eighty-three males and 254 females were included. The average course of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) was 14.08±7.07 years (range, 3–31 years). The urodynamic diagnoses of all patients were as follows: detrusor overactivity, 26.8%; detrusor underactivity, 6.44%; and acontractile detrusor, 66.72%. UUT damage was determined in 66.56% of the patients. Of the patients, 28.73 % had vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) during filling (bilateral, n=50; unilateral, n=133) on fluoroscopy during VUDS testing. Two hundred thirty-four patients had UUTD (bilateral, n=203; unilateral, n=31). The occurrence of hydronephrosis based on ultrasonography was closely related to ipsilateral VUR (P<0.05). Absent of bladder sensation, long-term course of LUTS, decreased maximum cystometric capacity (MCC) and bladder compliance (BC), and increased postvoid residual urine (PVR) were shown to be independent risk factors in logistic regression analysis. Conclusions: This retrospective study using UUTD and AUTD systems indicated that patients with myelodysplasia have a high incidence of UUT damage. Absence of bladder sensation, long-term course of LUTS, decreased MCC and BC, and increased PVR were independent risk factors predicting UUT damage.

Multiscale features and information extraction of online strain for long-span bridges

Baijian Wu,Zhaoxia Li,Tommy H.T. Chan,Ying Wang 국제구조공학회 2014 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.14 No.4

The strain data acquired from structural health monitoring (SHM) systems play an important role in the state monitoring and damage identification of bridges. Due to the environmental complexity of civil structures, a better understanding of the actual strain data will help filling the gap between theoretical/laboratorial results and practical application. In the study, the multi-scale features of strain response are first revealed after abundant investigations on the actual data from two typical long-span bridges. Results show that, strain types at the three typical temporal scales of 105, 102 and 100 sec are caused by temperature change, trains and heavy trucks, and have their respective cut-off frequency in the order of 10-2, 10-1 and 100 Hz. Multi-resolution analysis and wavelet shrinkage are applied for separating and extracting these strain types. During the above process, two methods for determining thresholds are introduced. The excellent ability of wavelet transform on simultaneously time-frequency analysis leads to an effective information extraction. After extraction, the strain data will be compressed at an attractive ratio. This research may contribute to a further understanding of actual strain data of long-span bridges; also, the proposed extracting methodology is applicable on actual SHM systems.

Frequency-Dependent Effects on Bladder Reflex by Saphenous Nerve Stimulation and a Possible Action Mechanism of Tibial Nerve Stimulation in Cats

Xing Li,Xiaoping Wan,Zhaoxia Wang,Yanan Liang,Zhuo Jia,Xu Zhang,Limin Liao 대한배뇨장애요실금학회 2021 International Neurourology Journal Vol.25 No.2

Purpose: The present study determined the effects of saphenous nerve stimulation (SNS) at different stimulation frequencies on bladder reflex and explored a possible action mechanism of tibial nerve stimulation (TNS) on bladder activity in cats. Methods: Two bipolar nerve cuff electrodes were implanted on the saphenous nerve and the contralateral tibial nerve in 13 cats, respectively. Multiple cystometrograms were obtained to determine the effects of single SNS at different frequencies and that of combined SNS and TNS on the micturition reflex by infusing normal saline. Results: SNS at 1 Hz significantly reduced the bladder capacity (BC) to 59.8%±7.7% and 59.3%±5.8% of the control level at the intensity threshold (T) and 2T, respectively (P<0.05), while that at 20 Hz significantly increased the BC to 130.6%±4.2% of the control level at 6T (P<0.05). The TNS and SNS at 20 Hz did not significantly change the BCs at 1T (P>0.05), while combined stimulation at 1T significantly increased the BC to 122.7%±1.9% of the control level and induced an inhibitory effect which was similar to that TNS at 2T. Conclusions: The current study revealed that SNS reduced and increased BC depending on different stimulation frequencies. The combined SNS and TNS maximized the clinical efficacy at a low intensity. Also, SNS may be a potential therapeutic mechanism of TNS.

Group-consensus with Reference States for Heterogeneous Multiagent Systems via Pinning Control

Jun Huang,Guoguang Wen,Zhaoxia Peng,Xing Chun Wang,Youwei Dong 제어·로봇·시스템학회 2019 International Journal of Control, Automation, and Vol.17 No.5

This paper considers group-consensus with reference states for heterogeneous multiagent systems, whichis composed of first-order agents and second-order agents. The pinning scheme is induced for solving groupconsensusunder fixed and switching topologies, respectively. Firstly, a group-consensus control protocol viapining scheme under fixed topology is proposed. Then the corresponding sufficient conditions to guarantee groupconsensusare deduced by employing graph theory and Lyapunov stability approach. What’s more, based on pinningscheme, the agents in every group can reach their own group’s reference states. Secondly, the group-consensus forheterogeneous multiagent systems with switching topologies is studied, where an equivalent system of the originalmultiagent system is obtained by model transformation. Then, the corresponding sufficient conditions to guaranteegroup-consensus are obtained based on the corresponding graph theory and Lyapunov stability approach. The sameas the case of fixed topology, the agents in every group can also reach their own group’s reference states by employingpinning control. Finally, some simulation examples are presented to illustrate the capabilities of the establishedtheories.

Multiscale features and information extraction of online strain for long-span bridges

Wu, Baijian,Li, Zhaoxia,Chan, Tommy H.T.,Wang, Ying Techno-Press 2014 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.14 No.4

The strain data acquired from structural health monitoring (SHM) systems play an important role in the state monitoring and damage identification of bridges. Due to the environmental complexity of civil structures, a better understanding of the actual strain data will help filling the gap between theoretical/laboratorial results and practical application. In the study, the multi-scale features of strain response are first revealed after abundant investigations on the actual data from two typical long-span bridges. Results show that, strain types at the three typical temporal scales of $10^5$, $10^2$ and $10^0$ sec are caused by temperature change, trains and heavy trucks, and have their respective cut-off frequency in the order of $10^{-2}$, $10^{-1}$ and $10^0$ Hz. Multi-resolution analysis and wavelet shrinkage are applied for separating and extracting these strain types. During the above process, two methods for determining thresholds are introduced. The excellent ability of wavelet transform on simultaneously time-frequency analysis leads to an effective information extraction. After extraction, the strain data will be compressed at an attractive ratio. This research may contribute to a further understanding of actual strain data of long-span bridges; also, the proposed extracting methodology is applicable on actual SHM systems.

LKB1 on POMC neurons affect the formation of diet-induced obesity by regulating the expression of HDAC1

Zhang Yan,Wu Zhaoxia,Xi Pengjiao,Wang Haomin,Zhu Wenjuan,Tian Derun 한국유전학회 2022 Genes & Genomics Vol.44 No.4

Background: Obesity is considered a major public health issue worldwide. Liver Kinase B1 (LKB1) is a serine/threonine kinase, peripheral LKB1 is involved in obesity by regulating adipogenesis, but the role of central LKB1 in the development of obesity remains unclear. Objective: This study aims to explore the main role of LKB1 in POMC neurons on obesity, and reveal the underlying mechanism of central LKB1 affecting obesity through quantitative proteomics. Methods: We constructed POMC neuron specific LKB1 knockout mice (PomcLkb1 KO) and exposed them to high fat diet intervention for three months. The effect of LKB1 knockout on obesity was evaluated by monitoring body weight, food intake and measuring fat content. The hypothalamus tissues were collected for proteomic analysis and validated by RT-PCR. Results: The degree of obesity was aggravated in PomcLkb1 KO mice fed with high fat diet. Proteomic results showed that only Histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) was down-regulated in the hypothalamus of PomcLkb1 KO mice. Our research also found that LKB1 knockout on POMC neurons led to reduction of Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ). Meanwhile, the software predicted that the transcription factor PPARγ binds to the HDAC1 promoter. Therefore, we speculated that central LKB1 may regulate diet-induced obesity development by influencing HDAC1/PPARγ expression. Conclusion: We firstly found that central LKB1 may affect the development of obesity by regulating the expression of HDAC1, which provides a new idea for the central regulatory mechanism of obesity.

Effects of Acute Sacral Neuromodulation at Different Pulse Widths on Bladder Overactivity in Pigs

Huiling Cong,Limin Liao,Yiming Wang,Lingna Zhao,Zhaoxia Wang,Guang Fu,Guoqing Chen 대한배뇨장애요실금학회 2019 International Neurourology Journal Vol.23 No.2

Purpose: Sacral nerve stimulation has been used to treat overactive bladder. This study evaluated the effects of stimulation using different pulse widths on the inhibition of bladder overactivity by sacral nerve stimulation (SNM) in pigs. Methods: Implant-driven stimulators were used to stimulate the S3 spinal nerve in 7 pigs. Cystometry was performed by infusing normal saline (NS) or acetic acid (AA). SNM at pulse widths of 64 μsec to 624 μsec was conducted at the intensity threshold at which observable perianal and/or tail movement was induced. Multiple cystometrograms were performed to determine the effects of different pulse widths on the micturition reflex. Results: AA-induced bladder overactivity reduced the bladder capacity to 46.9%±7.1% of the NS control level (P<0.05). During AA infusion, SNM at 64 μsec, 204 μsec, and 624 μsec increased the bladder capacity to 126.1%±6.9%, 129.5%±7.3%, and 140.1%±7.6% of the AA control level (P<0.05). No significant differences were found among the results obtained using pulse widths of 64 μsec, 204 μsec, and 624 μsec (P>0.05). The actual intensity threshold varied from 0.7 to 8 V. The mean intensity threshold (T visual) for pulse widths of 64 μs, 204 μs, and 624 μs were 5.64±0.76 V, 3.11±0.48 V, and 2.52±0.49 V. T visual for pulse widths of 64 μsec was larger than the other two T visual for pulse widths of 204 μsec and 624 μsec (P<0.05). No significant differences were found among the T visual for pulse widths of 204 μsec and 624 μsec (P>0.05). Conclusions: This study indicated that different pulse widths could play a role in inhibiting bladder overactivity. It is not yet certain which pulse widths increased bladder capacity compared with AA levels, to minimize energy consumption and maintain patient comfort during stimulation, 204 μsec may be an appropriate pulse width for SNM.