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The purpose of this retrospective study is to compare the efficacy and safety of the centrifugal separation therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) using citrate anticoagulant (cTPEc) with membrane separation TPE using heparin anticoagulant (mTPEh) in liver failure patients. The patients treated by cTPEc were defined as cTPEc group and those treated by mTPEh were defined as mTPEh group, respectively. Clinical characteristics were compared between the two groups. Survival analyses of two groups and subgroups classified by the model for end‐stage liver disease (MELD) score were performed by Kaplan–Meier method and were compared by the log‐rank test. In this study, there were 51 patients in cTPEc group and 18 patients in mTPEh group, respectively. The overall 28‐day survival rate was 76% (39/51) in cTPEc group and 61% (11/18) in mTPEh group (P >.05). The 90‐day survival rate was 69% (35/51) in cTPEc group and 50% (9/18) in mTPEh group (P >.05). MELD score = 30 was the best cut‐off value to predict the prognosis of patients with liver failure treated with TPE, in mTPEh group as well as cTPEc group. The median of total calcium/ionized calcium ratio (2.84, range from 2.20 to 3.71) after cTPEc was significantly higher than the ratio (1.97, range from 1.73 to 3.19) before cTPEc (P <.001). However, there was no significant difference between the mean concentrations of total calcium before cTPEc and at 48 h after cTPEc. Our study concludes that there was no statistically significant difference in survival rate and complications between cTPEc and mTPEh groups. The liver failure patients tolerated cTPEc treatment via peripheral vascular access with the prognosis similar to mTPEh. The prognosis in patients with MELD score < 30 was better than in patients with MELD score ≥ 30 in both groups. In this study, the patients with acute liver failure (ALF) and acute on chronic liver failure (ACLF) treated with cTPEc tolerated the TPE frequency of every other day without significant clinical adverse event of hypocalcemia with similar outcomes to the mTPEh treatment. For liver failure patients treated with cTPEc, close clinical observation and monitoring ionized calcium are necessary to ensure the patients' safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eukaryotic organisms adapt to environmental fluctuations by altering their epigenomic landscapes and transcriptional programs. Nucleosomal histones carry vital epigenetic information and regulate gene expression, yet the mechanisms underlying chromatin‐bound histone exchange remain elusive. Here, we found that histone H2Bs are globally degraded in Caenorhabditis elegans during starvation. Our genetic screens identified mutations in ubiquitin and ubiquitin‐related enzymes that block H2B degradation in starved animals, identifying lysine 31 as the crucial residue for chromatin‐bound H2B ubiquitination and elimination. Retention of aberrant nucleosomal H2B increased the association of the FOXO transcription factor DAF‐16 with chromatin, generating an ectopic gene expression profile detrimental to animal viability when insulin/IGF signaling was reduced in well‐fed animals. Furthermore, we show that the ubiquitin‐proteasome system regulates chromosomal histone turnover in human cells. During larval development, C. elegans epidermal cells undergo H2B turnover after fusing with the epithelial syncytium. Thus, histone degradation may be a widespread mechanism governing dynamic changes of the epigenome. Synopsis: The exchange of histones and their variants within nucleosomes plays a crucial role in modulating the epigenome and gene expression. This study shows that ubiquitin‐dependent histone H2B exchange and degradation are crucial in determining C. elegans diapause by regulating the transcriptional activity of DAF‐16/FoxO.Histone H2B undergoes global exchange and degradation during development and starvation in C. elegans.The components of the ubiquitin‐proteasome system (UPS), including ubiquitin/UBQ‐1, E1/UBA‐1, E2/UBC‐20, and E3/HECD‐1, regulate H2B exchange and degradation by ubiquitinating H2B at lysine 31.Disruption of H2B exchange and degradation enhances the binding of DAF‐16/FoxO to chromatin, resulting in aberrant activation or suppression of target genes, and ultimately leading to larval death.Ubiquitin‐dependent histone H2B exchange and degradation are conserved in mammalian cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pseudorabies virus (PRV) primarily infects swine and has several secondary hosts, including cattle, dogs, and cats. PRV, also called Aujeszky disease virus or Suid herpesvirus 1, is a member of [...]

In Caenorhabditis elegans, mitochondrial activity as measured by the frequency of the mitochondrial flash in young adult animals is a powerful predictor of lifespan across genetic, environmental and stochastic factors. Mitoflash activity tests ageing theory The mitochondrial theory of ageing, developed more than 40 years ago based on work on the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans, proposes that the mitochondria are the main drivers of ageing -- defined as an increase in the probability of death with increasing chronological age. This study is a direct test of the theory using an approach made possible by the recent demonstration that mitochondria undergo stochastic bursts of superoxide production that can be visualized as mitochondrial flashes. The flash frequency of these 'mitoflashes' is sensitive to oxidative stress and metabolic changes. The authors observe that mitoflash activity in the pharyngeal muscles of a 3-day-old adult C. elegans worm inversely correlates with lifespan of the animal. A large variety of genetic mutations and environmental factors inversely modify the lifespan and the mitoflash frequency at day 3. Even within an isogenic population of worms the day-3 mitoflash frequency negatively correlates with lifespan. Day-3 mitoflash frequency is shown to be a powerful predictor of C. elegans lifespan reflecting a range of genetic and environmental influences, suggesting an intimate connection between mitochondrial function and ageing. It has been theorized for decades that mitochondria act as the biological clock of ageing.sup.1, but the evidence is incomplete. Here we show a strong coupling between mitochondrial function and ageing by in vivo visualization of the mitochondrial flash (mitoflash), a frequency-coded optical readout reflecting free-radical production and energy metabolism at the single-mitochondrion level.sup.2,3. Mitoflash activity in Caenorhabditis elegans pharyngeal muscles peaked on adult day 3 during active reproduction and on day 9 when animals started to die off. A plethora of genetic mutations and environmental factors inversely modified the lifespan and the day-3 mitoflash frequency. Even within an isogenic population, the day-3 mitoflash frequency was negatively correlated with the lifespan of individual animals. Furthermore, enhanced activity of the glyoxylate cycle contributed to the decreased day-3 mitoflash frequency and the longevity of daf-2 mutant animals. These results demonstrate that the day-3 mitoflash frequency is a powerful predictor of C. elegans lifespan across genetic, environmental and stochastic factors. They also support the notion that the rate of ageing, although adjustable in later life, has been set to a considerable degree before reproduction ceases., Author(s): En-Zhi Shen [sup.1] [sup.2] , Chun-Qing Song [sup.1] [sup.2] , Yuan Lin [sup.3] , Wen-Hong Zhang [sup.2] , Pei-Fang Su [sup.4] , Wen-Yuan Liu [sup.2] , Pan Zhang [sup.2] [...]

To the Editor: In 2005, the World Health Organization (WHO) proposed to eliminate measles in the Western Pacific Region by 2012, and in 2006, China began a 6-year measles elimination [...]

Sepsis is a severe and acute disease associated with high mortality, for those who survive, long-term morbidity. In-time detection of pathogen for proper and optimized treatment in the early stage of sepsis is crucial. We performed droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) on two cases of sepsis. The clinical information, laboratory test results, and the therapeutic regimen was detailed recorded. ddPCR showed its clinical value of sepsis ultra-early diagnosis and the guidance of medication in both cases we provided. ddPCR has potential for rapid and precise diagnose in ultra-early stage of sepsis for its high sensitivity and short turn-around-time, thus benefiting in optimal and timely treatment of sepsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The diagnosis of infection-caused fever of unknown origin (FUO) is still challenging, making it difficult for physicians to provide an early effective therapy. Therefore, a novel pathogen detection platform is needed. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) provides an unbiased, comprehensive technique for the sequence-based identification of pathogenic microbes, but the study of the diagnostic values of mNGS in FUO is still limited. Methods: In a single-center retrospective cohort study, 175 FUO patients were enrolled, and clinical data were recorded and analyzed to compare mNGS with culture or traditional methods including as smears, serological tests, and nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) (traditional PCR, Xpert MTB/RIF, and Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra). Results: The blood mNGS could increase the overall rate of new organisms detected in infection-caused FUO by roughly 22.9% and 19.79% in comparison to culture (22/96 vs. 0/96; OR, ∞; p = 0.000) and conventional methods (19/96 vs. 3/96; OR, 6.333; p = 0.001), respectively. Bloodstream infection was among the largest group of those identified, and the blood mNGS could have a 38% improvement in the diagnosis rate compared to culture (19/50 vs. 0/50; OR, ∞; p = 0.000) and 32.0% compared to conventional methods (16/50 vs. 3/50; OR, 5.333; p = 0.004). Among the non-blood samples in infection-caused FUO, we observed that the overall diagnostic performance of mNGS in infectious disease was better than that of conventional methods by 20% (9/45 vs. 2/45; OR, 4.5; p = 0.065), and expectedly, the use of non-blood mNGS in non-bloodstream infection increased the diagnostic rate by 26.2% (8/32 vs. 0/32; OR, ∞; p = 0.008). According to 175 patients' clinical decision-making, we found that the use of blood mNGS as the first-line investigation could effectively increase 10.9% of diagnosis rate of FUO compared to culture, and the strategy that the mNGS of suspected parts as the second-line test could further benefit infectious patients, improving the diagnosis rate of concurrent infection by 66.7% and 12.5% in non-bloodstream infection, respectively. Conclusion: The application of mNGS in the FUO had significantly higher diagnostic efficacy than culture or other conventional methods. In infection-caused FUO patients, application of blood mNGS as the first-line investigation and identification of samples from suspected infection sites as the second-line test could enhance the overall FUO diagnosis rate and serve as a promising optimized diagnostic protocol in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Public health interventions have been implemented to contain the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in New York City. However, the assessment of those interventions—for example, social distancing and cloth face coverings—based on real-world data from published studies is lacking. Methods The Susceptible-Exposed-Infectious-Removed (SEIR) compartmental model was used to evaluate the effect of social distancing and cloth face coverings on the daily culminative laboratory confirmed cases in New York City (NYC) and COVID-19 transmissibility. The latter was measured by Rt reproduction numbers in 3 phases that were based on 2 interventions implemented during this timeline. Results Transmissibility decreased from phase 1 to phase 3. The initial R0 was 4.60 in phase 1 without any intervention. After social distancing, the Rt value was reduced by 68%, while after the mask recommendation, it was further reduced by ~60%. Conclusions Interventions resulted in significant reduction of confirmed case numbers relative to predicted values based on the SEIR model without intervention. Our findings highlight the effectiveness of social distancing and cloth face coverings in slowing down the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in NYC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulmonary infections are among the most common and important infectious diseases due to their high morbidity and mortality, especially in older and immunocompromised individuals. However, due to the limitations in sensitivity and the long turn-around time (TAT) of conventional diagnostic methods, pathogen detection and identification methods for pulmonary infection with greater diagnostic efficiency are urgently needed. In recent years, unbiased metagenomic next generation sequencing (mNGS) has been widely used to detect different types of infectious pathogens, and is especially useful for the detection of rare and newly emergent pathogens, showing better diagnostic performance than traditional methods. There has been limited research exploring the application of mNGS for the diagnosis of pulmonary infections. In this study we evaluated the diagnostic efficiency and clinical impact of mNGS on pulmonary infections. A total of 100 respiratory samples were collected from patients diagnosed with pulmonary infection in Shanghai, China. Conventional methods, including culture and standard polymerase chain reaction (PCR) panel analysis for respiratory tract viruses, and mNGS were used for the pathogen detection in respiratory samples. The difference in the diagnostic yield between conventional methods and mNGS demonstrated that mNGS had higher sensitivity than traditional culture for the detection of pathogenic bacteria and fungi (95% vs 54%; p<0.001). Although mNGS had lower sensitivity than PCR for diagnosing viral infections, it identified 14 viral species that were not detected using conventional methods, including multiple subtypes of human herpesvirus. mNGS detected viruses with a genome coverage >95% and a sequencing depth >100× and provided reliable phylogenetic and epidemiological information. mNGS offered extra benefits, including a shorter TAT. As a complementary approach to conventional methods, mNGS could help improving the identification of respiratory infection agents. We recommend the timely use of mNGS when infection of mixed or rare pathogens is suspected, especially in immunocompromised individuals and or individuals with severe conditions that require urgent treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A case study of a 70-year-old healthy man presented with fever and extreme fatigue that had persisted for 2 months but denied the presence of any other symptoms. Topics include initial clinical evaluation, the patient was febrile; and bone marrow examination was conducted and a presumptive microbiological diagnosis was made.

In this original study, we retrospectively reviewed the cases of nocardiosis diagnosed through culture and next-generation sequencing (NGS) methods between 2014 and 2018 in Huashan Hospital and found out that the latter way can not only improve the detection rate of Nocardia spp. but also greatly reduce the turnaround time. In addition, by comparing nocardiosis and non-nocardiosis patients both of whose samples had Nocardia spp. detected by NGS, we found that Nocardia 's specific reads ranking among top two might be a satisfactory cutoff value for clinical diagnosis of the disease. Our study introduced the promising value of the NGS method in the rapid diagnosis of nocardiosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Microbiological diagnosis is essential during clinical management of focal infections. Metagenomic next generation sequencing (mNGS) has been reported as a promising diagnostic tool in infectious diseases. However, little is known about the clinical utility of mNGS in focal infections.Methods: We conducted a single-center retrospective study to investigate impact of mNGS on focal infection diagnosis and compared it with conventional methods, including culture, pathological examination, Xpert MTB/RIF, etc. 98 suspected focal infections cases were enrolled, and medical records were reviewed to determine their rates of detection, time-to-identification, and clinical outcomes.Results: mNGS showed a satisfying diagnostic positive percent agreement of 86.30% (95% CI: 75.79-92.88%) in a variety of tissues, compared to 45.21% (95% CI: 33.68-57.24%) for culture and 57.53% (95% CI: 45.43-68.84%)f for conventional methods (p < 0.0125), and detected an extra 34 pathogenic microorganisms. Time requirement for pathogen identification using mNGS ranges from 31 h to 55 h, which showed an advantage over culture. (82.36 h; 95%CI: 65.83, 98.89; P < 0.05) CONCLUSIONS: mNGS showed promising potential in pathogenic diagnosis during focal infections and might enable clinicians to make more timely and targeted therapeutic decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is now the leading cause of death from infectious disease. Rapid screening and diagnostic methods for TB are urgently required. Rapid development of metagenomics next-generation sequencing (mNGS) in recent years showed promising and satisfying application of mNGS in several kinds of infectious diseases. However, research directly evaluating the ability of mNGS in TB infection is still scarce. Methods: We conducted an adult prospective study in mainland China to evaluate the diagnostic performance of mNGS for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTB) in multiple forms of direct clinical samples compared with GeneXpert MTB/RIF assay (Xpert), traditional diagnostic methods, and the clinical final diagnosis. Results: Of 123 patients presenting with suspected active TB infection between June 1, 2017, and May 21, 2018, 105 patients underwent synchronous tuberculous testing with culture, Xpert, and mNGS on direct clinical samples including sputum, cerebrospinal fluids, pus, etc. During follow-up, 45 of 105 participants had clinical final diagnosis of active TB infection, including 13 pulmonary TB cases and 32 extrapulmonary TB cases. Compared to clinical final diagnosis, mNGS produced a sensitivity of 44% for all active TB cases, which was similar to Xpert (42%) but much higher than conventional methods (29%). With only one false-positive result, mNGS had a specificity of 98% in our study. mNGS yielded significantly much higher sensitivity in pre-treatment samples (76%) than post-treatment ones (31%) (P = 0.005), which was also true for Xpert and conventional methods. Combining Xpert and mNGS together, the study identified 27 of 45 active TB cases (60%), including all 13 conventional method-identified cases, and the result reached statistical significance compared to conventional methods (McNemar-test P < 0.001). Conclusions: mNGS had a similar diagnostic ability of MTB compared with Xpert and showed potential for a variety of clinical samples. Combined mNGS and Xpert showed an overall superior advantage over conventional methods and significantly improved the etiology diagnosis of both MTB and other pathogens. The result that anti-TB treatment significantly reduced diagnostic efficacy of culture, Xpert, and mNGS highlighted the importance of collecting samples before empirical treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection continues to be a major public health issue worldwide. HBsAg loss is associated with functional remission and improved long‐term outcome, and is considered to be a 'functional cure' (also referred to as clinical or immunologic cure) for chronic hepatitis B. This ideal goal of therapy can be achieved using optimized combination regimens with direct‐acting antivirals [eg nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs)] and immunomodulators [eg pegylated interferon alpha2a (Peg‐IFN)] in selected patients with chronic hepatitis B. Among different combination therapies currently available, those with NA lead‐in followed by Peg‐IFN in virally suppressed patients has been demonstrated to be effective. This review provides an updated overview of the evidence supporting the use of combination therapies and summarizes expert consensus on the roadmap to attain functional cure for chronic hepatitis B patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I volvulus i infection is endemic generally have a lower possibility of skin microfilariae and less ocular disease than do visitors to these regions [[3]]. A clinical suspicion of onchocerciasis should be evoked when travelers from endemic regions have skin lesions compatible with the disease. A diagnosis of onchocerciasis is usually based on the presence of microfilariae in superficial skin shavings or a punch biopsy, with adult worms in histologic sections of excised nodules. I volvulus i is associated with the essential endosymbiotic bacterium I Wolbachia i , anti- I Wolbachia i therapies (including doxycycline) are an evolving treatment strategy for onchocerciasis [[4]]. [Extracted from the article]

The presence of carbapenem-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (CP-Kp) is a serious threat to the control of nosocomial infections. Plasmid-mediated horizontal transfer of the resistance gene makes it difficult to control hospital-acquired CP- Kp infections. Nine CP- Kp strains were isolated during an outbreak in the intensive care unit of Shanghai Huashan hospital in east China. We conducted a retrospective study to identify the origin and route of transmission of this CP-Kp outbreak. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) analysis was performed on 9 clinical isolates obtained from 8 patients, and the results were compared to clinical and epidemiological records. All isolates were ST11 CP-Kp. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms and the presence and structure of plasmids indicated that this CP-Kp outbreak had different origins. These 9 isolates were partitioned into two clades according to genetic distance. Four plasmids, CP002474.1, CP006799.1, CP018455.1, and CP025459.1, were detected among the 9 isolates. The plasmid phylogeny and antibiotic resistance (AR) gene profile results were consistent with the sequencing results. We found that two clades of CP-Kp were responsible for this nosocomial outbreak and demonstrated the transmission route from two index patients. Plasmid carriage and phylogeny are a useful tool for identifying clades involved in disease transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Metagenomics sequencing performed well in diagnosing PCP compared to conventional methods. • Metagenomics exhibited the ability to detect co-infections in PCP patients. • Blood samples metagenomics might suit patients who couldn't tolerate invasive procedures. • Pathogen reads ranking and proportion rate may be the promising cutoff value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Disseminated Bacillus Calmette-Guérin disease (D-BCG) in children with chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) can be fatal, while its clinical characteristics remain unclear because both diseases are extremely rare. The patients with CGD receive BCG vaccination, because BCG vaccination is usually performed within 24 h after delivery in China. Methods: We prospectively followed-up Chinese patients with CGD who developed D-BCG to characterize their clinical and genetic characteristics. The diagnoses were based on the patients' clinical, genetic, and microbiological characteristics. Results: Between September 2009 and September 2016, we identified 23 patients with CGD who developed D-BCG. Their overall 10-year survival rate was 34%. We created a simple dissemination score to evaluate the number of infected organ systems and the survival probabilities after 8 years were 62 and 17% among patients with simple dissemination scores of ≤3 and >3, respectively (p = 0.0424). Survival was not significantly associated with the CGD stimulation index or interferon-γ treatment. Eight patients underwent umbilical cord blood transplantation and 5 of them were successfully treated. The genetic analyses found mutations in CYBB (19 patients), CYBA (1 patient), NCF1 (1 patient), and NCF2 (1 patient). We identified 6 novel highly likely pathogenic mutations, including 4 mutations in CYBB and 2 mutations in NCF1. Conclusions: D-BCG is a deadly complication of CGD. The extent of BCG spreading is strongly associated with clinical outcomes, and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation may be a therapeutic option for this condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of bone marrow metagenomics next-generation sequencing to differential diagnosis among visceral leishmaniasis, histoplasmosis, and talaromycosis marneffei. It mentions that the gold standards for the diagnosis of these diseases are still direct microscopic examination and culture, microscopic examination relies on physician experience and subjective judgment, and rapid metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) offers an objective tool for diagnosis.

Multiple reassortant strains of novel, highly pathogenic avian influenza A have recently emerged and spread over the world. Here we report on a 68-year-old woman in Jiangsu, China, with influenza A(H7N4) infection and associated illness, which strongly demonstrating the ability of the virus to spread from animals to humans and thus emphasizing the importance of continuous surveillance of the emerging viruses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report human endophthalmitis caused by pseudorabies virus infection after exposure to sewage on a hog farm in China. High-throughput sequencing and real-time PCR of vitreous humor showed pseudorabies virus sequences. This case showed that pseudorabies virus might infect humans after direct contact with contaminants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Little is known on the cost-effectiveness of novel regimens for hepatitis C virus (HCV) compared with standard-of-care with pegylated interferon (pegIFN) and ribavirin (RBV) therapy in developing countries. We evaluated cost-effectiveness of sofosbuvir/ledipasvir for 12 weeks compared with a 48-week pegIFN-RBV regimen in Chinese patients with genotype 1b HCV infection by economic regions. Methods: A decision analytic Markov model was developed to estimate quality-adjusted-life-years, lifetime cost of HCV infection and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs). SVR rates and direct medical costs were obtained from real-world data. Parameter uncertainty was assessed by one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses. Threshold analysis was conducted to estimate the price which can make the regimen cost-effective and affordable. Results: Sofosbuvir/ledipasvir was cost-effective in treatment-experienced patients with an ICER of US$21,612. It varied by economic regions. The probability of cost-effectiveness was 18% and 47% for treatment-naive and experienced patients, and it ranged from 15% in treatment-naïve patients in Central-China to 64% in treatment-experienced patients in Eastern-China. The price of 12-week sofosbuvir/ledipasvir treatment needs to be reduced by at least 81% to US$18,185 to make the regimen cost-effective in all patients at WTP of one time GDP per capita. The price has to be US$105 to make the regimen affordable in average patients in China. Conclusion: Sofosbuvir/ledipasvir regimen is not cost-effective in most Chinese patients with genotype 1b HCV infection. The results vary by economic regions. Drug price of sofosbuvir/ledipasvir needs to be substantially reduced when entering the market in China to ensure the widest accessibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the effects of inner diameters on the Z-pinch plasma of capillary discharge soft x-ray laser were investigated with the 3.2 mm and 4.0 mm inner diameter alumina capillaries. The intensities of the laser emitted from the 3.2 mm and 4.0 mm inner diameter alumina capillaries were measured under different initial pressures. To understand the underlying physics of the experimental measurements, the Z-pinch plasma simulations had been conducted with a one-dimensional cylindrical symmetry Lagrangian magneto-hydrodynamics (MHD) code. The parametric studies of Z-pinch plasma, such as the electron temperature, the electron density and the Ne-like Ar ion density, were performed with the MHD code. With the experimental and the simulated results, the discussions had been conducted on the Z-pinch plasma of Ne-like Ar 46.9 nm laser with the 3.2 mm and 4.0 mm inner diameter alumina capillaries. The analysis had been made on the difference of the gain coefficients under the optimum pressures with both capillaries. Then, the effects of inner diameters on the optimum pressure and the pressure domain were analyzed. (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]