Background. The prognosis of patients with biliary atresia (BA) after Kasai portoenterostomy (KPE) varies, and precisely predicting the outcomes of KPE before surgery is still challenging. Methods. A total of 158 patients who underwent KPE in our hospital were included in this study. The patients in the training cohort were recruited from January 2012 to October 2017 (n = 118), and then, those in the validation cohort were recruited from November 2017 to April 2019 (n = 40). Combined nomogram models were developed based on twodimensional shear wave elastography (2D SWE) values and other biomarkers. The utility of the proposed models was evaluated by C-index. Results. 2D SWE played a potentially important role in predicting native liver survival (NLS) of BA patients with a C-index of 0.69 (0.63 to 0.75) in the training cohort and 0.76 (0.67 to 0.85) in the validation cohort. The nomogram A based on 2D SWE values, age, gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) and aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio (APRI) had a better C-index in the training cohort [0.74 (0.68-0.80) vs. 0.66 (0.60-0.73), P = 0.017] and in the validation cohort [0.78 (0.70-0.86) vs. 0.60 (0.49-0.71), P = 0.002] than the nomogram B (without 2D SWE). Using risk score developed from nomogram A, we successfully predicted 88.0% (22/25) of patients in the training cohort and 75.0% (9/12) in the validation cohort to have survival time of less than 12 months after KPE. Conclusion. The combined nomogram model based on 2D SWE values, age, GGT and APRI prior to KPE can effectively predict NLS in BA infants.

In this study, the effect of a Cu/Ni bilayered coating on the shear banding behavior and compressive plasticity of a Zr-based bulk metallic glass (BMG) was investigated.As compared to a mono-layered Cu or Ni coating, the Cu/Ni bilayered coating has provided a better geometric confinement effect. Through a detailed comparative

The tensile plastic deformation behavior of a Ti-based metallic glass composite (MGC) lamella confined by commercially pure titanium (CPT) is investigated. It is found that a uniform plastic deformation is achieved in the CPT-confined MGC lamella, where the strain localization and necking is effectively suppressed. The MGC lamella sustains a true tensile strain exceeding 10% before fracture. A deformation mechanism of the amorphous/crystalline interface is proposed to interpret the plastic deformation of the MGC/CPT structure. The revealed significant intrinsic plasticity of the MGC suggests its potential application as an excellent coating for bulk ductile materials.

In this work, we report that Zr50Cu42Al8 bulk metallic glass (BMG) exhibits excellent glass forming ability and mechanical properties. Zr50Cu42Al8 glassy rods with a diameter of 3 mm were prepared using conventional copper mould suction casting. The glassy rod exhibits a modulus of about 115 GPa and a fracture strength of about 2 GPa, and, as compared with other large-scale BMGs, it has excellent room-temperature plasticity of up to 20% under compression. The fracture mechanism of the rod was investigated by microstructural investigations, and it was found that the large plasticity of the as-cast rod is closely related to the in situ formation of nano-crystalline particles embedded in the amorphous matrix.

We investigated whether serum testosterone and testosterone/prostate-specific antigen ratio (T/PSA) might be prostate cancer (PCa) biomarkers. We retrospectively reviewed 92 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and 164 patients with PCa treated at Zhongshan Hospital, China (April 2012 to November 2013). The BPH and PCa groups had similar serum total testosterone (median, 15.8 versus 16.3 nmol/L).Compared with the BPH group, the PCa group had higher PSA (16.8 versus 5.1 ng/ml) and lower free/total PSA (9.5% versus 19.3%) and T/PSA (1.37 versus 4.69) (all p < .001).Patients with PCa and PSA ≤20 ng/ml had higher testosterone (17.5 versus 12.9 ng/ml; p = .002) and T/PSA (2.24 versus 0.29; p < .001) than those with PSA >20 ng/ml. Patients with PCa and Gleason score ≤7 had higher testosterone (18.3 versus 14.1 ng/ml; p = .023) and T/PSA (1.93 versus 0.72; p < .001) than those with Gleason score >7. In patients with PSA ≤20 ng/ml, T/PSA was higher in those with BPH than in those with PCa (4.69 versus 2.24; p < .001). ROC curve analysis yielded an AUC of 0.712; for the optimal cut-off of 4.43, specificity and sensitivity were 52% and 97% respectively. T/PSA may improve the accuracy of PCa diagnosis in patients with a PSA level ≤20 ng/ml.