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Janus metasurfaces, offering versatile light manipulation contingent on incident direction, are explored across microwave to mid‐infrared spectra. Nonetheless, prior designs often resort to spatial multiplexing or vertical stacking, entailing complex fabrication. Metallic Janus metasurfaces, owing to material properties, suffer notable Ohmic losses in the visible spectrum. In this study, Single‐layer TiO2‐based Janus metasurfaces with arbitrary polarization control is experimentally demonstrated, exhibiting directionally asymmetric functionalities in spin and orbital angular momentum (OAM). A novel Jones matrix formulation tailored for Janus metasurfaces is presented, enabling efficient generation of two asymmetric, high‐purity OAM states of vortex beams at wavelength of 532 nm, contingent on incidence direction. This innovation facilitates compact and versatile phase manipulation, encompassing applications such as lasers and optical combiners, thereby expanding its utility across diverse domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To identify genotypes associated with neovascular age‐related macular degeneration (nAMD) and investigate the associations between genotype variations and anti‐vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment response. Methods: This observational, retrospective, case series study enrolled patients diagnosed with nAMD who received anti‐VEGF treatment in National Taiwan University Hospital with at least one‐year follow‐up between 2012 and 2020. A genome‐wide association study (GWAS) was conducted on enrolled patients and controls. Correlations between the genotypes identified from GWAS and the treatment response of functional/anatomical biomarkers, including visual acuity (VA), presence of intraretinal or subretinal fluid (SRF), serous or fibrovascular pigmented epithelium detachment (PED), and disruption of the ellipsoid zone (EZ), were analysed. Results: In total, 182 patients with nAMD and 1748 controls were enrolled. GWAS revealed 16 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as risk loci for nAMD, including seven loci in CFH and ARMS2/HTRA1 and nine novel loci, including rs117517872 and rs79835234(COPB2‐DT), rs7525578(RAP1A), rs2123738(LOC105376755), rs1374879(CNTN3), rs3812692(SAR1A), rs117501587(PRKCA), rs9965945(CNDP1), and rs189769231(MATK). Our study revealed rs800292(CFH), rs11200638(HTRA1), and rs2123738(LOC105376755) correlated with poor treatment response in VA (P = 0.005), SRF (P = 0.044), and fibrovascular PED (P = 0.007), respectively. Rs9965945(CNDP1) was correlated with poor response in disruption of EZ (P = 0.046) and serous PED (P = 0.049). Conclusions: Among the 16 SNPs found in the GWAS, four loci—CFH, ARMS2/HTRA1, and two novel loci—were correlated with the susceptibility of nAMD and anatomical/functional responses after anti‐VEGF treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous studies have reported low serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels in dermatomyositis (DM) patients, but the exact causal relationship between them remains elusive. Our aim is to confirm the causal relationship between 25(OH)D and DM risk through a Mendelian randomization study. Methods: Retrieve genome‐wide association study (GWAS) data on 25(OH)D (n = 441 291) and DM (n cases = 201, n controls = 172 834) from the GWAS database (https://gwas.mrcieu.ac.uk/). Select single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) strongly correlated with 25(OH)D as instrumental variables (IVs). The primary analytical approach involves the use of the inverse‐variance weighted method (IVW), supplemented by MR‐Egger regression and weighted median methods to enhance the reliability of the results. Heterogeneity and sensitivity analyses were conducted using Cochran's Q and leave‐one‐out approaches, respectively. Results: The IVW analysis confirmed a positive causal relationship between genetic variation in 25(OH)D levels and DM (OR = 2.36, 95% CI = 1.01–5.52, p =.048). Although not statistically significant (all p >.05), the other methods also suggested a protective effect of 25(OH)D on DM. Based on MR‐Egger intercepts and Cochran's Q analysis, the selected SNPs showed no horizontal pleiotropy and heterogeneity. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated the robustness of the results against individual SNPs. Conclusion: We provide the first evidence of a causal relationship between 25(OH)D levels and DM. Our findings support the importance of measuring serum 25(OH)D levels and considering vitamin D supplementation in clinical practice for patients with DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this presentation, we explored the molecular mechanisms of N. nucifera leaf water extracts (NLWEs) and polyphenol extract (NLPE) on scopolamine‐induced cell apoptosis and cognition defects. The administration of NLWE and NLPE did not alter the body weight and serum biomarker rs and significantly ameliorated scopolamine‐induced cognition impairment according to Y‐maze test analysis. In mice, treatment with scopolamine disrupted normal histoarchitecture in the hippocampus, whereas the administration of NLWE and NLPE reversed the phenomenon. Western blot analysis revealed that scopolamine mitigated the expression of doublecortin (DCX), nestin, and NeuN, and cotreatment with NLWE or NLPE significantly recovered the expression of these proteins. NLWE and NLPE upregulated DCX and NeuN expression in the hippocampus region, as evidenced by immunohistochemical staining analysis of scopolamine‐treated mice. NLWE and NLPE obviously elevated brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and enhanced its downstream proteins activity. NLWE and NLPE attenuated scopolamine‐induced apoptosis by reducing Bax and increased Bcl‐2 expression. In addition, scopolamine also triggered apoptosis in human neuroblastoma SH‐SY5Y cells whereas co‐treatment with NLWE or quercetin‐3‐glucuronide (Q3G) reversed the phenomenon. NLWE or Q3G enhanced Bcl‐2 and reduced Bax expression in the presence of scopolamine in SH‐SY5Y cells. NLWE or Q3G recovered the inhibitory effects of scopolamine on neurogenesis and BDNF signals in SH‐SY5Y cells. Overall, our results revealed that N. nucifera leaf extracts and Q3G promoted adult hippocampus neurogenesis and prevented apoptosis to mitigate scopolamine‐induced cognition dysfunction through the regulation of BDNF signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While great achievements have been made in the development of mechanically robust nanocomposite hydrogels, incorporating multiple interactions on the bases of two demensional inorganic cross‐linkers to construct self‐strengthening hydrogels has rarely been investigated. To this end, we propose here a new method for the coupling the dynamic covalent bonds and non‐covalent interactions within a pseudo double‐network system. The pseudo first network, formed through the Schiff Base reation between Tris‐modified layered double hydroxides (Tris−LDHs) and oxidized dextran (ODex), is linked to the second network built upon non‐covalent interactions between Tris−LDHs and poly(acrylamide‐co‐2‐acrylamido‐2‐methyl−propanesulfonate) (p‐(AM‐co‐AMPS). The swelling and mechanical properties of the resulting hydrogels have been investigated as a function of the ODex and AMPS contents. The as‐prepared hydrogel can swell to 420 times of its original size and retain more than 99.9 wt.% of water. Mechanical tests show that the hydrogel can bear 90 % of compression and is able to be stretched to near 30 times of its original length. Cyclic tensile tests reveal that the hydrogels are capable of self‐strengthening after mechanical training. The unique energy dissipation mechanism based on the dynamic covalent and non‐covalent interactions is considered to be responsible for the outstanding swelling and mechanical performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In the power electronics industry, reliability is of utmost importance to manufacturers. Power semiconductor devices are extensively utilized in multilevel inverters (MLIs), which results in increased failure probability. MLI structures have a significant impact on the system's overall reliability. MLIs with a high degree of reliability reduce system maintenance costs and improve efficiency and the life of the entire system. This paper presents a comprehensive evaluation of five‐level packed U‐cell (PUC5) inverter, modified five‐level PUC (MPUC5) inverter, and their fault‐tolerant (FT) variants with respect to reliability, degree of fault tolerance, power loss and efficiency, and cost. A more accurate reliability evaluation method is used in this work in which failure rates of each component of inverter topologies under healthy and post‐fault conditions are calculated. Hence, this method provides more accurate reliability function of an MLI topology as compared to other methods in which failure rates are assumed to be same for all switches. Typhoon HIL‐402 emulator is used to demonstrate the FT capabilities of topologies in hardware‐in‐the‐loop (HIL) environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Studies on the correlation between high body mass index (BMI) and extended survival among patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been made, although findings have shown variability. Our research explored the phenomenon of the "obesity paradox" in patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC) undergoing treatment with ICIs. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients diagnosed with mUC who received a minimum of one cycle of ICI treatment at two medical centers in Taiwan from September 2015 to January 2023. Features of patients' clinicopathologic factors, including age, sex, primary or metastatic location, treatment line, and BMI were examined. The primary outcome were overall survival (OS) and progression‐free survival (PFS), which were assessed utilizing the Kaplan–Meier method. We employed the Cox‐regression model to adjust for multiple covariates. Results: A total of 215 patients were included, with 128 (59.5%) being male, and the median age was 70 years. In the obese group (BMI ≥25 kg/m2), patients demonstrated significantly better median OS compared to the non‐obese group (BMI <25 kg/m2) (21.9 vs. 8.3 months; p = 0.021). However, there was no significant difference in median PFS between the high and low BMI groups (4.7 vs. 2.8 months; p = 0.16). Post‐hoc subgroup revealed a survival benefit from ICI treatment in male patients within the BMI ≥25 kg/m2 group (HR 0.49, 95% CI 0.30–0.81, p = 0.005). Conclusion: Based on real‐world data from the Asia‐Pacific region, there appears to be a correlation between obesity and prolonged OS in patients receiving ICI treatment for mUC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, in order to achieve high‐yield Micro‐LED chip bonding and thus further advance the breakthrough of Micro‐LED interconnect technology. In this study, an electroless plating method is used to achieve the highly uniform nickel bump arrays on thin film transistor (TFT) driver substrate. Initially, the photoresists AZ4620 and AZ2070 are chosen for the experiments, which can cover the step structure uniformly of TFT substrate. Subsequently, the morphology of bumps on the TFT substrate influenced by the plasma treatment and the deposition time is investigated. The 1% uniformity of the nickel bump arrays by the electroless plating for 30 minutes after 5‐minute plasma treatment is achieved, which lays the foundation for the electroless plating self‐bonding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperparameter tuning is an important task in machine learning for controlling model complexity and improving prediction performance. Most methods in the literature can only be used to tune hyperparameters to optimize a single performance measure. In practice, participants may want to optimize multiple measures of the model; however, optimizing one measure may worsen another. Therefore, a hyperparameter tuning method is proposed using the multiresponse surface methodology to solve the tradeoff problem between multiple measures. A search algorithm that requires fewer tuning runs is developed to find the optimal hyperparameter settings systematically based on the preferences of participants for multiple measures of the model. An example using the random forest algorithm is provided to demonstrate the application of the proposed method to improve the prediction performance of the model on unbalanced data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: In previous reports, proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use increased the risk of gout. However, there is no epidemiological study investigating this association. We aimed to examine the potential impact of PPI treatment on the risk of developing gout. Methods: A population‐based case–control study was performed using a Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000 from Taiwan (population 23 million). We identified gout cases and non‐gout controls through propensity score matching at 1:1, which was matched by sex and age. We used a conditional logistic regression model to estimate an odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for gout population versus controls. Results: Esomeprazole increased the risk of gout after adjusting confounding variables (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.3; 95% CI 1.0–1.6). The risk of gout was highest within 30 days of PPI treatment (aOR 1.7; 95% CI 1.4–1.9) and attenuated thereafter. The risk of gout was increased among female users of PPI compared with male users (aOR 2.2; 95% CI 1.7–2.8). The aOR of gout in people with PPI use was higher in middle‐aged individuals (41–60 years: aOR 2.1; 95% CI 1.7–2.7) than in the older group (≥60 years: aOR 1.8; 95% CI 1.5–2.2). Conclusions: Our findings provide population‐level evidence for the hypothesis that PPI treatment is positively associated with the risk of developing gout. Further research on the mechanism underlying this association is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Extended field‐of‐view (eFOV) methods have been proposed to generate larger demonstration FOVs for computed tomography (CT) simulators with a limited scanning FOV (sFOV) size in order to ensure accurate dose calculation and patient collision avoidance. Although the efficacy of these strategies has been evaluated for photon applications, the effect of stopping power ratio (SPR) estimation on proton therapy has not been studied. This study investigated the effect of an eFOV approach on the accuracy of SPR to water estimation in homogeneous and heterogeneous phantoms. Materials and Methods: To simulate patient geometries, tissue‐equivalent material (TEM) and customized extension phantoms were used. The TEM phantom supported various rod arrangements through predefined holes. Images were reconstructed to three FOV sizes using a commercial eFOV technique. A single‐energy CT stoichiometric method was used to generate Hounsfield unit (HU) to SPR (HU‐to‐SPR) conversion curves for each FOV. To investigate the effect of rod location in the sFOV and eFOV regions, eight TEM rods were placed at off‐center distances in the homogeneous phantom and scanned individually. Similarly, 16 TEM rods were placed in the heterogeneous TEM phantom and scanned simultaneously. Results: The conversion curves derived from the sFOV and eFOV data were identical. The average SPR differences of soft‐tissue, bone, and lung materials for rods placed at various off‐center locations were 3.3%, 4.8%, and 39.6%, respectively. In the heterogeneous phantom, the difference was within 1.0% in the absence of extension. However, in the presence of extension, the difference increased to 2.8% for all rods, except for lung materials, whose difference was 4.8%. Conclusions: When an eFOV method is used, the SPR variation in phantoms considerably increases for all TEM rods, especially for lung TEM rods. This phenomenon may substantially increase the uncertainty of HU‐to‐SPR conversion. Therefore, image reconstruction with a standard FOV size is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, a new buck–boost converter with reliability analysis is proposed. The converter has utilized a new voltage multiplier cell at the input side to boost the output voltage. It has a continuous input current with a wide range of duty cycle operations. The converter achieves unity gain at 26.8% duty cycle and can also operate in continuous and discontinuous conduction modes in buck and boost modes. The detailed reliability analysis of the proposed converter using improved Markov modelling is also presented by considering both open circuit and short circuit faults across the semiconductor devices. The variation of reliability and the mean time to failure (MTTF) with different converter parameters like the duty cycle and the input voltage is also discussed here. The hardware results of the developed prototype converter are also presented here at varying duty ratios. The power loss analysis and comparison of the converter with other newly proposed buck–boost topologies show the advantages of the proposed converter. For checking the stability of the converter, the state space model of the converter is also discussed in detail of the proposed converter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease. Lupus nephritis (LN) is a common type of organ damage which occurs in SLE patients and is characterized by recurrent proteinuria. Activation of B lymphocytes can lead to refractory LN, which is an important pathogenic factor in SLE. B lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS) and A proliferation‐inducing ligand (APRIL) are predominantly produced by myeloid cells (monocytes, dendritic cells, neutrophils, etc) to regulate B lymphocyte function. Telitacicept was the first dual‐targeting biological drug which targeted both BLyS and APRIL. Telitacicept has passed a phase II clinical trial and has since been approved for the treatment of SLE. Case Presentation: We report a case of SLE confirmed by renal biopsy as proliferative lupus nephritis (PLN) with massive proteinuria, which was treated with telitacicept (European League Against Rheumatism / American College of Rheumatology 2019 standard). During the 19 months of follow‐up, the patient's renal function was stable, massive proteinuria was relieved, and creatinine and blood pressure did not increase. Conclusions: During the 19 months of telitacicept treatment (160 mg once weekly), PLN reduced blood system damage and proteinuria without increasing the risk of infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

3D organic‐inorganic metal halide perovskites are excellent materials for optoelectronic applications due to their exceptional properties, solution processability, and cost‐effectiveness. However, the lack of environmental stability highly restricts them from practical applications. Herein, a stable centimeter‐long 2D hybrid perovskite (N‐MPDA)[PbBr4] single crystal using divalent N1‐methylpropane‐1,3‐diammonium (N‐MPDA) cation as an organic spacer, is reported. The as‐grown single crystal exhibits stable optoelectronic performance, low threshold random lasing, and multi‐photon luminescence/multi‐harmonic generation. A photoconductive device fabricated using (N‐MPDA)[PbBr4] single crystal exhibits an excellent photoresponsivity (≈124 AW−1 at 405 nm) that is ≈4 orders of magnitudes higher than that of monovalent organic spacer‐assisted 2D perovskites, such as (BA)2PbBr4 and (PEA)2PbBr4, and large specific detectivity (≈1012 Jones). As an optical gain media, the (N‐MPDA)[PbBr4] single crystal exhibits a low threshold random lasing (≈6.5 µJ cm−2) with angular dependent narrow linewidth (≈0.1 nm) and high‐quality factor (Q ≈ 2673). Based on these results, the outstanding optoelectronic merits of (N‐MPDA)[PbBr4] single crystal will offer a high‐performance device and act as a dynamic material to construct stable future electronics and optoelectronic‐based applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The optimal treatment for vitreoretinal lymphoma (VRL) remains a challenge, as central nervous system (CNS) relapse occurs frequently, leading to the worst impact on survival. We previously proposed combined intravitreal methotrexate and systemic high‐dose methotrexate therapy for this disease. This study aimed to report the long‐term outcomes of patients with VRL using this combination treatment. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study on patients with VRL at a tertiary referral center between 2003 and 2018. Results: Thirty‐two patients were included, of whom 23 had primary VRL (PVRL) and nine had concurrent intraocular and CNS diseases. The treatment was well tolerated. Twenty‐six (81.3%) patients achieved complete response (CR). After a median follow‐up time of 103.5 months, the 5‐year survival rate was 73.3%, whereas the 5‐year progression‐free survival (PFS) rate was 29.9%. Twenty‐four (75%) patients relapsed, including 12 with isolated intraocular relapses at first relapse and a total of 17 with CNS/systemic relapses. The development of CNS/systemic relapse negatively affected survival, but intraocular relapse did not. The median CNS/systemic PFS was 69.5 months, but the risk of CNS/systemic relapse increased steadily with a cumulative incidence rate at 2, 5, and 10 years being 22.6%, 44.2%, and 65%, respectively. Multivariate analysis identified concurrent CNS disease at diagnosis as the only poor‐risk factor for CNS/systemic relapse. Conclusions: This study confirms good efficacy and acceptable toxicities of the combination approach. However, incorporation of further intensive consolidation strategies into the treatment protocol to effectively prevent subsequent CNS/systemic relapse deserves to be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Typically, Jaccoud arthropathy (JA) is characterized by joint deformation without bone erosion. However, some recent studies have shown that bone erosion also occurs in JA; however, this remains controversial. To date, there have been no unified diagnostic standards for JA. Herein, we report a case of systemic lupus erythematosus complicated with JA without bone erosion. Methods: A 27‐year‐old woman was admitted to our department with a 2‐year history of pain, swelling, and progressive deformities of her hands and feet. She was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus and class V lupus nephritis 5 years prior. Upon examination, her erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C‐reactive protein levels were found to be increased. She was positive for antinuclear antibodies, antidouble stranded DNA antibodies, and antiextractable nuclear antigen antibodies, with a decreased complement C3 and C4. Radiography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed no bone erosion. The patient was diagnosed with JA. She was treated with oral prednisone (10 mg daily), tofacitinib (5 mg twice daily), methotrexate (10 mg weekly), and celecoxib (0.2 g twice daily). Results: The patient's joint symptoms improved after treatment. No further progress was observed during the 4‐month follow‐up period. Conclusion: We believe that bone erosion is the key to distinguish rhupus syndrome from JA. However, this needs to be confirmed with further long‐term follow‐up studies. We found that the use tofacitinib, MTX, and celecoxib in combination with prednisone may be an effective regimen for the treatment of JA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Halcyon is a linear accelerator‐based treatment machine designed for a high‐throughput simplified workflow. The machine features a compact jawless design, dual‐layer multileaf collimators, and a single 6‐MV flattening filter‐free (FFF) beam. However, the machine's 6‐MV FFF beam may restrict its applicability to conventional techniques, such as field‐in‐field (FiF) radiotherapy, for breast cancer treatment. This study developed a practical and efficient hybrid method for imaging, planning, and irradiation procedures for whole‐breast irradiation using Halcyon linear accelerators. Materials and methods: The proposed method involves five major steps: (1) field arrangement, (2) planning target volume (PTV) generation and evaluation, (3) basal plan generation, (4) inverse planning intensity–modulated radiation therapy plan generation, and (5) plan evaluation and irradiation. The PTV is generated using isodose curves plotted on the basis of tangential fields, which are applied to create a basal plan. Subsequently, a basal‐dose‐compensation approach is applied to further optimize the treatment plan. This efficient workflow necessitates executing only one onboard cone‐beam computed tomography procedure. This study included 10 patients with early‐stage breast cancer who were treated at our center. The performance of the proposed method was evaluated by comparing its corresponding irradiation time and dose statistics with those derived for a dynamically flattened beam‐based FiF (DFB‐FiF) method. Results: All plans were normalized to ensure that 98% of the prescribed dose covered 95% of the PTV. On average, the global maximum doses in the proposed and DFB‐FiF methods were lower than 106%. The homogeneity index for right‐sided (left‐sided) breast cancer was 0.053 (0.056) in the proposed method and 0.073 (0.076) in the DFB‐FiF method. The dose statistics of normal tissues, including the contralateral breast, heart, and lungs, were comparable between the methods. However, the irradiation time per monitor unit in the proposed method was approximately five times faster than that in the DFB‐FiF method, but the planning time and complexity were similar between the methods. Conclusions: This study developed and evaluated an efficient and practical hybrid method for whole‐breast irradiation using the Halcyon. This method can significantly reduce the irradiation time, while providing comparable dose statistics to the DFB‐FiF method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrating different types of supramolecular interactions opens the possibility to generate nanoparticle surfactants (NPSs) at the liquid–liquid interface that are responsive to multiple stimuli. Here we develop a covalently modified polyoxometalate/β‐cyclodextrin (POM/β‐CD) organic–inorganic hybrid, consisting of a negatively charged POM cluster with β‐CD host groups. The POM/β‐CD hybrid can be dispersed in water and interacts at a water/oil interface with ligands dissolved in an oil phase through electrostatic or host–guest interactions, thereby generating POM‐surfactants (POMSs) having pH, redox, and guest‐competitive responsiveness, respectively. By taking advantage of the jamming of POMSs at the interface, a reconfigurable all‐liquid system could be produced that is responsive to orthogonal changes in the external environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solution‐processable 2D metal‐halide perovskites are highly promising for cost‐effective optoelectronic applications due to their intrinsic multiquantum well structure. However, the lack of stability is still a major obstacle in the use of this class of materials in practical devices. Here, the authors demonstrate the stable optoelectronic properties using formamidinium (FA)‐based centimeter‐long 2D perovskite (BA)2FAPb2I7 high‐quality single‐crystal controlled by the thickness of two perovskite layers. The large area single‐crystal exhibits good crystallinity, phase purity, and spectral uniformity. Moreover, the (BA)2FAPb2I7 single‐crystal shows excellent stability at open atmospheric conditions when compared to methylammonium (MA)‐based (BA)2MAPb2I7 counterparts. The photodetectors fabricated using 2D perovskite single‐crystal on the rigid Si/SiO2 substrate reveal high photoresponsivity (Rλ)(≈5 A W−1), the fast response time (<20 ms), specific detectivity (D*) (≈3.5 × 1011 Jones), and excellent durability under 488 nm laser illumination. The Rλ and D* values are obtained from the (BA)2FAPb2I7 single‐crystal 25 times and three orders magnitudes, respectively, higher than the (BA)2MAPb2I7 single‐crystal. Additionally, the perovskite material on flexible polymer substrate reveals good photo‐sensing properties in both bending and nonbending states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new dc to dc boost converter with triple voltage gain and single switch is proposed for low power high voltage applications, analyzed for both ideal and non‐ideal conditions, and compared with the existing topologies. The converter belongs to the family of single‐stage high‐gain non‐isolated dc to dc converter. The design of the inductor, capacitors and the power losses in the circuit are discussed in detail, the output voltage gain of the proposed converter is compared with the output voltage gain of the other recent topologies of high‐gain DC/DC converters. To verify the theoretical results, a laboratory hardware prototype is developed and tested. © 2021 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A GaN high‐electron‐mobility transistor (HEMT) with a wide‐bandwidth operational amplifier was employed to implement and develop a two‐mode‐operation transconductance regulator (TMOTR). Using the proposed TMOTR, the laser diode can be operated in either the continuous constant‐current mode to fulfill a continuous‐wave laser or pulse‐width modulation (PWM) to achieve a narrow‐pulsed laser. When the laser diode is operated in PWM mode and at high frequency, the parasitic elements of the GaN HEMT, laser diodes, printed circuit board, and power wires must be considered, because these parasitic elements can influence the rising‐edge slope of the laser diode driving current resulting in narrow‐pulsed duty cycle diminution. This study applied equivalent circuit models of a GaN HEMT and laser diode to determine the parasitic parameters in accordance with device packages; therefore, the simulation circuit of the TMOTR with its parasitic element could be implemented to obtain the critical simulation waveform. The parasitic element parameters of the laser diode and GaN HEMT were calculated in detail and used simulation software to verify the TMOTR's characteristics. Finally, the TMOTR prototype was implemented, and the experimental waveforms were measured to confirm simulations, equivalent circuits, and dynamic responses; the GaN HEMT and MOSFET were experimented to compare their differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A noninverting DC–DC converter with high voltage gain and low voltage stress on the switches for industrial applications is proposed in this research article. The proposed converter has used a voltage multiplier cell twice in the circuit that gives the proposed converter a symmetrical configuration and provides low voltage stress across both the switches. The symmetrical configuration of the proposed converter makes it easier to select the components. The proposed converter provides a voltage gain that is more than three times of the conventional boost converter. A 200‐W hardware prototype of the proposed converter has been developed and tested under continuous conduction for static and dynamic conditions. The power loss analysis is done using PLECS software by incorporating the real parameters of switches and diodes from the datasheet. The converter performance is found to be good in open‐loop conditions and is in agreement with the theoretical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, the feature occlusion, a data augmentation method that simulates real‐life challenges on the main features of the human face for age and gender recognition is proposed. Previous methods achieved promising results on constrained data sets with strict environmental settings, but the results on unconstrained data sets are still far from perfect. The proposed method adopted three simple occlusion techniques, blackout, random brightness, and blur, and each simulates a different kind of challenge that would be encountered in real‐world applications. A modified cross‐entropy loss that gives less penalty to the age predictions that land on the adjacent classes of the ground truth class is also proposed. The effectiveness of our proposed method is verified by implementing the augmentation method and modified cross‐entropy loss on two different convolution neural networks, the slightly modified AdienceNet and the slightly modified VGG16, to perform age and gender classification. The proposed augmentation system improves the age and gender classification accuracy of the slightly modified AdienceNet network by 6.62% and 6.53% on the Adience data set, respectively. The proposed augmentation system also improves the age and gender classification accuracy of the slightly modified VGG16 network by 6.20% and 6.31% on the Adience data set, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Previous studies have shown that increased neutrophils, as a manifestation of oxidative stress, may be involved in the progression of kidney disease. To our knowledge, little is known about the relationship between neutrophils and renal impairment in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Therefore, we aim to investigate whether neutrophil is associated with renal impairment in RA patients. Methods: We retrospectively investigated the renal function of 602 RA patients in the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine by estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) from September 2018 and September 2019. The exposure variable was neutrophils, and the main outcome was eGFR. General data (gender, age, duration, hypertension, diabetes, hobbies, and medication history), whole blood markers, lipid indexes, and inflammatory indexes were collected as much as possible. We used multivariable logistic regression analysis to evaluate the association between neutrophils and renal impairment in RA participants. Results: A total of 89 cases (14.8%) had renal impairment with eGFR < 60 ml/min/1.73 m2, and 75 cases (84.3%) were female. Subgroup analysis showed that female (odds ratio [OR] = 0.523, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.318–0.867, p =.011), neutrophils greater thsn 7.5 × 109/L (OR = 2.314, 95% CI: 1.310–4.087, p =.004), NLR > 3.53 (OR = 1.757, 95% CI: 1.104–2.799, p =.018), hemoglobin less than 120 g/L (OR = 2.413, 95% CI: 1.418–4.118, p =.001), and UA > 360 μmol/L (OR = 6.052, 95% CI: 3.708–9.878, p <.001) was related to renal damage in RA. Adjusted for several confounders, the multivariable analysis indicated that neutrophils greater than 7.5 × 109/L (OR = 1.784, 95% CI: 1.164–3.288, p =.031) was independently associated with an increased risk of renal impairment in RA. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that neutrophils greater than 7.5 × 109/L was associated with a high risk of renal impairment in RA, suggesting that neutrophil may be a biomarker for renal impairment in RA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cantharidin (CTD) is a promising anticancer drug; however, its dosage is limited by hepatotoxicity. We previously showed that Astragalus polysaccharides (APS) effectively improved chemical liver injury. In this study, we established a CTD‐induced subacute liver injury mouse model and examined the effects of APS on weight, liver indexes, histopathology, serum biochemical indexes and liver metabolism. Compared with the control group, mice in the CTD model group had obvious liver damage, which was partially prevented by APS. Metabolomics demonstrated that CTD caused liver damage mainly by regulating glycerophospholipid metabolism, ABC transporter pathways and choline metabolism in cancer in vivo. APS regulated primary bile acid biosynthesis and glycerophospholipid metabolism, thus decreasing the liver damage caused by CTD. This study revealed the protective mechanism of APS against CTD‐induced liver injury from the perspective of metabolomics. The results provide an important basis for analysing the mechanism of CTD‐induced liver toxicity and for assessing clinical treatment options to reduce CTD liver toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have drawn growing attention because of the role which they play in various diseases, including colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the potential functions of lncRNA MCF2L antisense RNA 1 (MCF2L‐AS1) in tumors remained largely unclear. The present study aimed to explore the clinical significance and the biological effects of lncRNA MCF2L antisense RNA 1 (MCF2L‐AS1) in CRC. Methods: Reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction was performed to determine the expression of MCF2L‐AS1 in CRC. The clinical significance of MCF2L‐AS1 in CRC patients was analyzed statistically. In vitro experiments were performed to determine the effects of MCF2L‐AS1 on the cellular progression of CRC cells. Bioinformatic assays, luciferase reporter assays and RNA‐pulldown assays were performed to predict for potential microRNAs that can interact with MCF2L‐AS1 and mRNAs that can interact with miR‐874‐3p. Results: We identified a novel CRC‐related lncRNA, MCF2L‐AS1, which is distinctly highly expressed in CRC. Its diagnostic value for CRC patients was also demonstrated. Clinical assays revealed that high MCF2L‐AS1 expression is associated with advanced stages, positive metastasis and the poor prognosis of CRC patients. Multivariate assays confirmed that MCF2L‐AS1 expression is an independent poor prognostic factor for both 5‐year overall survival and 5‐year disease‐free survival of CRC patients. Functionally, we confirmed that knockdown of MCF2L‐AS1 distinctly suppresses the proliferation, migration and invasion of CRC cells and also promotes apoptosis. Mechanistic investigation showed that MCF2L‐AS1 functions as an endogenous sponge for miR‐874‐3p to increase the expression of CCNE1. Conclusions: Our findings identified a novel CRC‐related lncRNA, MCF2L‐AS1, which may be used as a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for CRC patients. In addition, the newly identified MCF2L‐AS1/miR‐874‐3p/CCNE1 axis can modulate the initiation and progression of CRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structural phase of a metal oxide changes with temperature and pressure. During phase transitions, component ions move in multidimensional metal–oxygen networks. Such macroscopic structural events are robust to changes in particle size, even at scales of around 10 nm, and size effects limiting these transitions are particularly important in, for example, high‐density memory applications of ferroelectrics. In this study, we examined structural transitions of the molecular metal oxide [Na@(SO3)2(n‐BuPO3)4MoV4MoVI14O49]5− (Molecule 1) at approximately 2 nm by using single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis. The Na+ encapsulated in the discrete metal‐oxide anion exhibited a reversible order–disorder transition with distortion of the Mo–O molecular framework induced by temperature. Similar order–disorder transitions were also triggered by chemical pressure induced by removing crystalline solvent molecules in the single‐crystal state or by substituting the countercation to change the molecular packing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In this study, a laser headlight driving controller (LHDC) using the controller area network (CAN)‐bus communication system was developed and implemented for vehicle headlight applications. To observe temperature variations that influence the forward‐bias voltage and optical power of laser diodes, the laser diode was placed in an ambient temperature‐testing chamber to measure the electro‐optic characteristics and calculate the electro‐optic conversion efficiencies. The optical power and conversion efficiency values obtained at different temperatures (from negative to positive temperatures) when optical power adjustment was executed using analog and pulse‐width modulation technologies were compared. Moreover, a human‐machine operating interface was developed using the LabVIEW software. Therefore, the LHDC and laser optical power can be controlled using a computer through the CAN‐bus communication system to control the LHDC and monitor it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To study the association between chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) and age‐related macular degeneration (AMD). Methods: Data used in this retrospective, frequency‐matched cohort study were acquired from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000, which includes medical claims and registration files for 1 000 000 enrolees in the Taiwan National Health Insurance programme. The HBV cohort contained 17 796 patients who received a diagnosis of chronic HBV infection between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2012. The non‐HBV cohort contained 71 184 participants who were frequency‐matched by age, sex and year of index date for comparison. Participants were followed until the end of 2013, and those who developed AMD during the study period were identified. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to compare the risk of AMD between cohorts. Results: The incidence of any type of AMD in all participants was 3.88 per 1000 person‐years (PY; 2.27 per 1000 PY in the HBV cohort; 1.61 per 1000 PY in the non‐HBV cohort). Compared with the non‐HBV cohort, the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for any type of AMD in the HBV cohort was 1.41 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.23–1.63; p < 0.001]. This significant positive association was stronger among patients who exhibited disease progression from nonexudative to exudative AMD (adjusted HR = 1.74, 95% CI: 1.01–2.99). Conclusion: Our results suggest that patients with chronic HBV infection in Taiwan have a significantly elevated risk of developing any type of AMD and that HBV infection may accelerate the progression of AMD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generally, glass‐ceramics have superior properties compared to their parent glasses. Here, we prepared a novel Nd3+‐doped MgO‐Al2O3‐SiO2‐based transparent glass‐ceramics with excellent fluorescence properties. The effects of Nd2O3 content on the structure and properties of glass‐ceramics were studied, aiming to provide a key guidance for preparing this transparent glass‐ceramics. The results revealed that the glass stability increased originally and then decreased with increasing Nd2O3 content, so did the variation of wavenumbers in infrared spectra. And these glass‐ceramics are mainly composed of cordierite with residual glassy phase. The three phenomenological intensity parameters (Ω2,4,6) and radiative properties were estimated by Judd‐Ofelt theory, and the values of Ω2 first decreased and then increased with increasing Nd2O3 content. Three main emission peaks ascribed to the transitions from 4F3/2 to 4I9/2, 4I11/2, 4I13/2 at 898, 1057, 1330 nm were observed, respectively. The branching ratios for 4F3/2→4I11/2 transition increased as the Nd2O3 content raised, and the fluorescence lifetimes of the 4F3/2 level were found to increase first and then decrease with Nd2O3 content (from 181 to 726 μs). The excellent fluorescence properties indicate that this novel glass‐ceramics can be used as a potential solid‐state optical functional material for 1.06 μm laser emission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurodegenerative diseases encompass a range of diagnoses, such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Despite decades of advancements in understanding the neurobiology of individual diseases, this class has few disease‐modifying therapeutics and a paucity of biomarkers for diagnosis or progression. However, tau protein aggregation has emerged as a potential unifying factor across several neurodegenerative diseases, which has prompted a rapid growth in tau‐related funding. In spite of this growth, research funding in this area is not in line with the immense magnitude of disease burden, and drug discovery and clinical research remain underfunded. Coordinated, collaborative efforts are key to making an impact, which can and should be led by the major funding bodies within the tau space. Here we describe the development and analysis of a tau‐focused neurodegeneration funding database, which captures data from 2040 grants from 2006 to 2016. This database was developed as a public resource to allow funders, researchers, and policy makers to better understand tau funding patterns and to identify key funders and potential collaborations. This database can be used in conjunction with other neurodegenerative disease databases, such as the International Alzheimer's Disease Research Portfolio to gain specific insight into tau‐research funding. Over the study period, overall tau funding rose dramatically; however, changes in capital distribution also changed. Specifically, the field experienced a strong bias toward funding tau in the context of Alzheimer's disease, while at the same time generally decreasing the overall proportion of funding for basic research, treatment development, and evaluation. As funding organizations look forward, this resource can both inform future funding strategies and priority areas and identify potential collaborative efforts with complementary funding organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrothermal‐synthesis‐based reactions are normally single step owing to the difficulty of manipulating reaction mixtures at high temperatures and pressures. Herein we demonstrate a simple, cheap, and modular approach to the design reactors consisting of partitioned chambers, to achieve multi‐step synthesis under hydrothermal conditions, in digitally defined reactionware produced by 3D printing. This approach increases the number of steps that can be performed sequentially and allows an increase in the options available for the control of hydrothermal reactions. The synthetic outcomes of the multi‐stage reactions can be explored by varying reaction compositions, number of reagents, reaction steps, and reaction times, and these can be tagged to the digital blueprint. To demonstrate the potential of this approach a series of polyoxometalate (POM)‐containing metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) unavailable by "one‐pot" methods were prepared as well as a set of new MOFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Bayesian D criterion modifies the D‐optimality approach to reduce dependence of the selected design on an assumed model. This criterion has been applied to select various single‐stratum designs for completely randomized experiments when the number of effects is greater than the sample size. In many industrial experiments, complete randomization is sometimes expensive or infeasible, and hence, designs used for the experiments often have multistratum structures. However, the original Bayesian D criterion was developed under the framework of single‐stratum structures and cannot be applied to select multistratum designs. In this paper, we study how to extend the Bayesian approach for more complicated experiments and develop the generalized Bayesian D criterion, which generalizes the original Bayesian D criterion and can be applied to select single‐stratum and multistratum designs for various experiments when the number of effects is greater than the rank of the model matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: gingiva; gout; tophus EN gingiva gout tophus 401 402 2 01/31/23 20230201 NES 230201 A 67-year-old man with a history of gout complained of gingival mass (Figure 1-Panel A) without pain, fever, ulceration, or bleeding. It would be necessary to seek the advice of the rheumatologist, when gout patients are suffering from swelling gingiva with poor efficacy. The patient was treated with allopurinol, according to the guideline of the 2021 Asia-Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology.[5] So far as we know, this is the first case to report that tophus occurs in the gingiva. [Extracted from the article]

Abstract: Alphabetic optimality criteria, such as the D, A, and I criteria, require specifying a model to select optimal designs. They are not model‐free, and the designs obtained by them may not be robust. Recently, many extensions of the D and A criteria have been proposed for selecting robust designs with high estimation efficiency. However, approaches for finding robust designs with high prediction efficiency are rarely studied in the literature. In this paper, we propose a compound criterion and apply the coordinate‐exchange 2‐phase local search algorithm to generate robust designs with high estimation, high prediction, or balanced estimation and prediction efficiency for projective submodels. Examples demonstrate that the designs obtained by our method have better projection efficiency than many existing designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the effect of grip strength on bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal women. Low BMD is related to risk of fracture and falling is the strongest factor for fragility fractures. Handgrip strength is a reliable indicator of muscle strength and muscle strength is associated with falling. Methods: For the present study 120 women were divided into two groups: those ≤65 years and those >65 years. Serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD), BMD, and handgrip strength were measured to observe the effect of age on 25OHD, grip strength, and BMD, as well as the effect of 25OHD on grip strength and BMD. The correlation between grip strength and BMD was investigated. Results: In the 120 patients, 25OHD was 24.31 ± 8.29 ng/mL. There were 37 cases with 25OHD <20 ng/mL and 83 cases with 25 OHD ≥20 ng/mL. The patients with 25OHD <20 ng/mL had significantly lower femoral neck BMD, most of them with a T score ≤−2.5 (P < 0.05). BMD measurement showed 66 patients with femoral neck T ≤−2.5, 30 cases with total hip T ≤−2.5 and 90 cases with lumbar BMD T ≤−2.5. The maximum grip strength in the group is 22.28 ± 6.17 kg. There were 38 cases with the maximum grip strength <20 kg and 82 cases with the maximum grip strength ≥20 kg. Patients >65 years had lower 25OHD, lower maximum grip strength, and lower BMD. The osteoporosis risk in postmenopausal women with a maximum grip strength <20 kg and who were >65 years was significantly elevated. Conclusion: Handgrip strength and 25OHD decrease with aging in postmenopausal women. The patients with lower 25OHD level had significantly lower BMD of femoral neck. The patients with lower handgrip strength had significantly lower BMD of lumbar spine, femoral neck, and total hip. Grip strength measurement is the simplest muscle strength measurement method. Our study confirmed that low grip strength was correlated with low BMD and was a strong risk factor for osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanodots (NDs) with sulfur vacancies have been demonstrated to be suitable to conjugate thiolated molecules. However, thiol-induced fluorescence quenching of MoS2 NDs has been rarely explored. In this study, 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) serves as an efficient quencher for the fluorescence of monolayer MoS2 (M-MoS2) NDs. 6-MP molecules are chemically adsorbed at the sulfur vacancy sites of the M-MoS2 NDs. The formed complexes trigger the efficient fluorescence quenching of the M-MoS2 NDs due to acceptor-excited photoinduced electron transfer. The presence of glutathione (GSH) efficiently triggers the release of 6-MP from the M-MoS2 NDs, thereby switching on the fluorescence of the M-MoS2 NDs. Thus, the 6-MP-M-MoS2 NDs are implemented as a platform for the sensitive and selective detection of GSH in erythrocytes and live cells. Additionally, thiolated doxorubicin (DOX-SH)-loaded M-MoS2 NDs (DOX-SH/M-MoS2 NDs) serve as GSH-responsive nanocarriers for DOX-SH delivery. In vitro studies reveal that the DOX-SH/M-MoS2 NDs exhibit efficient uptake by HeLa cells and greater cytotoxicity than free DOX-SH and DOX. In vivo study shows that GSH is capable of triggering the release of DOX-SH from M-MoS2 ND-based nanomaterials in mice. It is revealed that the DOX-SH/M-MoS2 NDs can be implemented for simultaneous drug delivery and fluorescence imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main regulators of replicative senescence in mice are p16Ink4a and Arf, inhibitors of cell cycle progression. Jun dimerization protein 2 (JDP2)-deficient mouse embryonic fibroblasts are resistant to replicative senescence through recruitment of the Polycomb repressive complexes 1 and 2 to the promoter of the gene that encodes p16Ink4a and inhibits the methylation of lysine 27 of the histone H3 locus. However, whether or not JDP2 is able to regulate the chromatin signaling of either p16Ink4a-pRb or Arf-p53, or both, in response to oxidative stress remains elusive. Thus, this study sought to clarify this point. We demonstrated that the introduction of JDP2 leads to upregulation of p16Ink4a and Arf and decreases cell proliferation in the presence of environmental (20% O2), but not in low (3% O2) oxygen. JDP2-mediated growth suppression was inhibited by the downregulation of both p16Ink4a and Arf. Conversely, the forced expression of p16Ink4a or Arf inhibited cell growth even in the absence of JDP2. The downregulation of both the p53 and pRb pathways, but not each individually, was sufficient to block JDP2-dependent growth inhibition. These data suggest that JDP2 induces p16Ink4a and Arf by mediating signals from oxidative stress, resulting in cell cycle arrest via both the p16Ink4a-pRb and Arf-p53 pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mechanical ventilation ( MV) used in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome ( ARDS) can increase lung inflammation and pulmonary fibrogenesis. Src is crucial in mediating the transforming growth factor ( TGF)-β1-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition ( EMT) during the fibroproliferative phase of ARDS. Nintedanib, a multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor that directly blocks Src, has been approved for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The mechanisms regulating interactions among MV, EMT and Src remain unclear. In this study, we suggested hypothesized that nintedanib can suppress MV-augmented bleomycin-induced EMT and pulmonary fibrosis by inhibiting the Src pathway. Five days after administrating bleomycin to mimic acute lung injury ( ALI), C57 BL/6 mice, either wild-type or Src-deficient were exposed to low tidal volume ( VT) (6 ml/kg) or high VT (30 ml/kg) MV with room air for 5 hrs. Oral nintedanib was administered once daily in doses of 30, 60 and 100 mg/kg for 5 days before MV. Non-ventilated mice were used as control groups. Following bleomycin exposure in wild-type mice, high VT MV induced substantial increases in microvascular permeability, TGF-β1, malondialdehyde, Masson's trichrome staining, collagen 1a1 gene expression, EMT (identified by colocalization of increased staining of α-smooth muscle actin and decreased staining of E-cadherin) and alveolar epithelial apoptosis ( P < 0.05). Oral nintedanib, which simulated genetic downregulation of Src signalling using Src-deficient mice, dampened the MV-augmented profibrotic mediators, EMT profile, epithelial apoptotic cell death and pathologic fibrotic scores ( P < 0.05). Our data indicate that nintedanib reduces high VT MV-augmented EMT and pulmonary fibrosis after bleomycin-induced ALI, partly by inhibiting the Src pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: We assessed the effectiveness and safety of cryoballoon ablation (CBA) in the Chinese population with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) with a 1-year follow-up and determined the association of early recurrence of atrial tachyarrhythmias (ERAT) with late recurrence (LR). Methods: A total of 114 patients (age 61 ± 10 years, 78 males) with paroxysmal AF who underwent CBA were consecutively enrolled. After procedures, patients were observed for 3 days with continuous electrocardiogrammonitoring in the hospital with routine follow-up visits at 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year. Documented atrial tachyarrhythmia>30 secondswas defined as recurrence. ERAT was defined as any recurrence during the first 3 months, and LR was recurrence between 3 and 12months. Results: With the first 3 months as blanking period, 76% of patients were free of LR at 12 months. Five patients (4%) experienced complications, including phrenic nerve palsy, stroke, and groin complications. Forty-five percent of patients had ERAT in the first 3 months and 31% of patients had ERAT in the first 3 days. Patients with ERAT had higher LR rate (LRR) than those without ERAT (43% vs 8%, P<0.001). The LRR of patients with ERAT only in the first 3 dayswas lower than those with ERAT both in the first 3 days and in 4-90 days (29% vs 64%, P = 0.036). Conclusions: CBA was an effective and safe treatment option for paroxysmal AF. Patients with ERAT had higher LRR after CBA of AF. The time when ERAT occurred had an impact on LRR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background We have previously shown that p22phox confers resistance to cisplatin in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Whether p22phox has clinical correlation with cisplatin resistance and affects the efficacy of other platinum or nonplatinum drugs is unknown. Methods The p22phox expression in tissues and apoptotic markers in cell lines was detected by immunoblotting. The cytotoxicity of chemotherapy drugs was determined by methylthiazol tetrazolium assay. In vivo chemoresistance of p22phox-overexpressing tumors was confirmed by the xenograft mouse model. Results The p22phox was upregulated in tumors of patients with OSCC refractory to cisplatin treatment. The p22phox overexpression markedly increased the resistance to cisplatin and carboplatin, but not oxaliplatin and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), in OSCC cells by differentially inhibiting the drug-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, p22phox-dependent resistance to cisplatin, but not 5-FU, was demonstrated in mouse xenograft tumors. Conclusion The p22phox expression may not only be a prognostic biomarker for prediction of chemotherapy outcomes, but the indication for alternative treatment strategies in oral cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-structural protein 3 (NS3) is an essential enzyme and a therapeutic target of hepatitis C virus (HCV). Compared to NS3-catalyzed nucleic acids unwinding, its translation on single stranded nucleic acids have received relatively little attention. To investigate the NS3h translocation with single-stranded nucleic acids substrates directly, we have applied a hybrid platform of single-molecule fluorescence detection combined with optical trapping. With the aid of mechanical manipulation and fluorescence localization, we probed the translocase activity of NS3h on laterally stretched, kilobase-size single-stranded DNA and RNA. We observed that the translocation rate of NS3h on ssDNA at a rate of 24.4 nucleotides per second, and NS3h translocates about three time faster on ssRNA, 74 nucleotides per second. The translocation speed was minimally affected by the applied force. A subpopulation of NS3h underwent a novel translocation mode on ssDNA where the stretched DNA shortened gradually and then recovers its original length abruptly before repeating the cycle repetitively. The speed of this mode of translocation was reduced with increasing force. With corroborating data from single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (smFRET) experiments, we proposed that NS3h can cause repetitive looping of DNA. The smFRET dwell time analysis showed similar translocation time between sole translocation mode versus repetitive looping mode, suggesting that the motor domain exhibits indistinguishable enzymatic activities between the two translocation modes. We propose a potential secondary nucleic acids binding site at NS3h which might function as an anchor point for translocation-coupled looping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]